Scoundrel

Part One.

It is rather funny how things had turned out.

Renji thought as he stared at the silken robes he wore. In the middle of a large, stark white room, he sat with his legs crossed on the floor. He was not a fan of the blue, but she certainly was. His long haired beauty insisted on the colour, she even bought it for him. However, it made him seethe to think that they were by far nicer than any of the robes he had bought before. A lump formed in his throat as he thought about how hard he worked for such nice things only to fall short.

The room was barren around him save for the the bundle of red roses in his hand that rested partially on the floor. Red was her favourite colour, and Renji had never been more thankful for such bright hair before. When he was younger, it usually made him a prime target to get picked on, but the hardship was worth her attention. His personal theory was that if his hair was not the way it is, the love of his life would have never spoken to him in the first place. He was wholeheartedly thankful for that fact.

The plastic wrapping around the stems of the roses began to fog due to the profuse sweating from his hand.
Today, Renji was particularly nervous to see his girlfriend. Sure, Renji was a little shaky every now and then when she was close to him, but today was different. Today, he had to meet her parents. Her and her parents were nobility, on par with the Kuchiki family. So far, he had not had to meet her parents under the ruse that he was away on work related duties. However, his luck had run out.

If he messed this up, not only would he run the risk of impacting his love life, but his work life too. It seemed there was a lot at stake. Renji swallowed hard as he ran through worst-case scenarios in his head. Nobles talk to each other. They could black-ball him for the rest of his life.
Hell, if he fucked up, he might get demoted from lieutenant!

The sudden sound of the door sliding along the frame, startled the soul reaper. His instinct caused him tighten his grip on the roses. A sharp pain shot through his hand. It seemed that the old lady that sold him the roses had failed to trim a few thorns. A pained growl pushed its way through his gritted teeth. Within seconds, his girlfriend was on her knees beside him. Her slender hands holding his bleeding palm gently.

"Are you okay?" She asked tentatively.

"Oh, yeah. It's nothing. I've had worse." Renji shot her a re-assuring bright white smile.

Her fingers lightly caressed the palm of his hand, around the wound. A few muscles in his face twitched trying to suppress the pain. She looked at him with a coy smile and replied, "It certainly doesn't look like nothing."

For a brief moment, it crossed his mind that she genuinely cared about him. Her bright brown eyes gazed into him, rendering him stunned for a moment. Her lips moved, but he did not hear a sound; all sound seemingly vanished. He was entirely mesmerized by her face. Usually, her hair hung free about her face. But, today her hair was pulled away from her face, revealing its phenomenal shape.

All sound returned at once when Renji felt the sting of cool water in his wounds. He hissed through his teeth. Before he knew it, the unmistakable sound of fabric tearing came from beside him. Looking down, he watched as part of the sleeve of her furisode detached itself from the rest of the garment. His face paled when he realised what she had done.

"You didn't have to do that." Renji said as she wrapped a strip of fabric around his hand.

"I wanted to." Her lips pressed themselves against the fabric on his hand. She smiled at him.

"Much better." Renji laughed. "But, your clothes are ripped and have a little blood on them. Your parents are going to think the worst about me."

"They already think the worst about you." She laughed as a Renji's face contorted in a mix of confusion and sadness.