Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction about it. -;

Author's Note: I ALWAYS forget to add these things. I usually have a decent amount to say before I start the story, then forget about it. So, I'm updating this one to add in my disclaimer and note. ;
Ah, anyway. Where to start. I'm personally not very proud of this one, but I decided to post it anyway. A while back I became very interested in this pairing and wanted to write about it. So, I started this. Then I forgot about it. That's never good. I found this sitting unfinished with no idea where I was going with it. LOL! So, I just finished it on a whim.
Everyone... is a probably OOC. But, I always have liked exploring the darker side of characters... Hm. Take it for what its worth.
And Renji... he was an adventure to write with. oo
Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Enjoy it for what its worth. CC is welcome. I don't think I'll ever write for these two again, but give me your thoughts!

Broken Pieces of the Heart

By A. K. Freeman

The kiss was soft, passionate, and beautiful in every way. Their lips were locked together and bodies pushed closely together, embracing one another. It was a sight of true love; it was a sight of a match made in heaven.

And, Inoue Orihime was there to see it all. To experience it would be every one of her greatest dreams come true. But, no. She was a spectator. A spectator that could only watch in complete shock as Kurosaki Ichigo pressed his lips to those of Kuchiki Rukia in what they thought was a private place. It was not, though. The two new lovers did not notice even slightly the presence of the orange-haired girl.

Not even walking around a simple corner was safe anymore, apparently. Orihime knew that it would happen eventually. But, she had always thought she would like to stay ignorant to it. For, as they say, ignorance is bliss. Of course, to see the man she had loved for years kiss another girl with her own eyes…

There was no way she could ignore it and act like it never happened. Kurosaki Ichigo had chosen, and as predicted, it had not been Orihime. She was happy Ichigo was in love, she truly was. But somewhere deep down, she still felt like someone had smashed her heart into little pieces.

The kiss was ugly, disturbing, and wrong in every way. At least, that was what Abarai Renji told himself. Whether or not he believed himself was a different matter. He had walked around a simple corner, just barely seeing a glimpse of someone leaving. But, it did not matter to Renji who else had seen the painful image before his eyes. What mattered was that he had even seen it himself.

His hand clenched into a fist and he quietly walked away since it was apparent that neither Ichigo nor Rukia had noticed him. As Renji thrust his hands into his pockets, he narrowed his eyes. He was still a stray dog. It was just like back then, when Rukia had been adopted into the Kuchiki Clan.

'Don't get in the way… she has a family now…'

"Don't get in the way… she has a boyfriend now…" he muttered though clenched teeth. He wanted Rukia to be happy, but for some reason, he still could not help but wish it was his lips pressed against Rukia's and not Ichigo's.

She was running blindly, not really paying attention to where she was going. Orihime had to get home. If she was going to cry, she had to do it there. Her home, where no one could bother her or see how pathetic she was acting. Her Kurosaki-kun had finally found the one he loved, but she couldn't be happy about it no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm terrible." She said as she ran. "I'm terrible."

The image of Ichigo's lips against Rukia's flickered into her mind again, and the girl's vision went blurry. She clamped her eyes shut and ran harder. If, God forbid, Inoue Orihime was going to be depressed and cry over this, she would do it behind closed doors.

But life works in many mysterious ways. Life, apparently, did not want Orihime to cry behind closed doors. No. Not at all. So, it held up a large "DO NOT WANT" sign, and the young girl rounded a corner, the tears finally spilling from her eyes. And she ran straight into Abarai Renji.

The Vice-Captain of sixth squad let out a grunt from the impact, and a groan as the two fell into a large bush along the sidewalk. Spitting a leaf out of his mouth, he opened his eyes to see it was none other than Inoue Orihime who had nearly run him over.

"Interesting new way to greet people, Inoue." He said with the best smile he could manage at the moment. "Though, it kinda hurts and—Oi…" he stopped, noticing the tears streaming down the girl's face. It was awkward now. Renji had never been good at comforting people, and it did not help one bit that he himself felt a little bit like doing exactly what the girl before him was doing that very moment. But only a little. "Inoue…" he forced out finally. "What… uh… what happened?"

The girl desperately tried to stop crying, as she wiped tears away. They just kept coming, and she only succeeded in crying harder. She felt pathetic. To lay there sobbing when she should be so happy. When Renji had asked her what was wrong, she had thought that she had to pass it off as something else. Tell a different story. Anything other than talking about Ichigo and Rukia.

But then, she thought about what she would do when she got home. Cry in her room, cry to her brother's picture. Cry. She loved her brother very much, but for something like this, crying to a mere picture did not seem the least bit comforting. And since life had thrust her into the arms of Abarai Renji, she threw aside the hope of only being depressing behind closed doors. Besides, closed doors never asked what was wrong, and Renji had.

"R-renji-kun…" she choked out.

"What's wrong, Inoue?" Renji asked again, keeping his patience.

"K-kurosaki-kun…" Orihime began, but by the mere mention of his name more tears fell. She had to cry again. Renji winced. So it had been Orihime he had seen running away from the scene. Apparently, he was not the only one who rounded corners and ended up broken hearted.

"I see… you saw too, then, huh?" he said quietly. She gasped and looked up. "You love Ichigo, don't you?" Renji continued and looked down at her sadly. Orihime nodded quickly.

"And you… you love Kuchiki-san, don't you...?" Renji paused for a moment, a pained expression crossing his face.

"Yeah." He whispered. "I guess I do."

"I'm terrible, Renji-kun." She said. "I'm sitting here crying when I should be happy for them. Kurosaki-kun… and Kuchiki-san… they're precious friends to me… so why can't I… why can't I be happy?" It was complete déjà vu. She had said almost the exact same thing to Matsumoto Rangiku a year or so ago.

But so much can change in a year. A year ago, Orihime still had hope that she might have a slim chance for Ichigo's love. A year ago she was still under the naivety that she was still of use to Ichigo. A year ago, she had been completely unaware of the pain that was to come; not only from losing all hope of being with her true love, but the pain that came previous from her captivity with Aizen. So many horrible things had happened during that time.

Maybe she was not only crying for her current heart break, but all the memories and flash backs that would flash into her dreams. The things about her captivity that she couldn't forget. She had been asked what had happened while she was there, but she lied through her teeth that the only trauma she experienced was that of when she could feel the battles of her friends confronting the enemy. So much more had happened than that. She would still wake up in the middle of night in a cold sweat.

"Calm down..." Renji said softly, and Orihime just cried harder. After everything she had gone through, she had managed to stay happy because she knew she was with her friends. But right now, nothing seemed certain. Nothing seemed believable. Nothing seemed to have a point.

"Renji-kun!" she sobbed. "So much more happened!"

"What are you... talking about?" Renji whispered. Was she so worked up she was blabbing nonsense?

"They beat me when I wouldn't heal their soldiers... That scientist performed tests on me before he died... I was almost killed by two arrancar girls... I thought I was okay here! I thought I was okay..."

Renji's eyes widened. She was making a confession about Hueco Mundo. Any other time, something like this should have been told to Ichigo and her other friends, but right now, maybe she needed secrecy. Besides... there was no way either of them could face the substitute shinigami at the moment.

"Inoue-san..." he whispered and slowly put his arms around her. "You are all right here. You're safe..."

"No I'm not..." she whispered. "I should be... but I'm not..." It was then that Renji realized that the girl had never really recovered. She may have acted like it, but she was still caught up in all the stress of worrying for her friends, worrying about the pain she would have to endure next, worry about the outcome of the whole war. There was probably still a part of her that was convinced she was still in Hueco Mundo, under some crazy illusion. Renji understood right then.

Orihime was not better, and the stress coming from the sight of her losing her love had pushed her over the edge.

If there was ever a time that Abarai Renji did not want to push aside his own cares, it was then. But if there was ever a time Inoue Orihime needed to have comfort, it was then. Sighing, Renji closed his eyes, and pushed the painful image of Rukia and Ichigo into the dark corners of his mind. This was not even about those two anymore. It was about the frail, shaking, scared girl in his arms.

"Inoue-san..." he whispered and held her tighter. "You're here. You're not in Hueco Mundo anymore. It's all over, Inoue-san. It's all over." His own comforting voice was strange to him. He felt like he was speaking to a small child. Of course, with their age difference, she practically was to him.

Orihime's cries quieted a little, and she buried her face his Renji's chest. No matter how advanced that scientist was, there was no way he could recreate this to be so real. But he had to check.

"I'm really here? Can you guarantee that?" she whispered, her voice shaky and squeaky from her previous sobbing.

"Yes. You're really here." Renji said and rested his chin on her head. "I promise you." More tears spilled down her face and she clenched his shirt harder. She tried to speak but it only came out a small squeak. Renji stroked her hair, and she knew he understood. He was going to protect her from her nightmares.

Slowly and gently, the second in command of sixth squad picked himself off the ground, cradling Orihime in his arms. He began to walk towards the girl's house. He would protect her that night. And again if he had to. She needed him. And the last thing she needed was Kurosaki at that moment. It was a... good feeling, to say the least. He looked down at the girl in his arms and realized she had fallen asleep, tears still running down her face. But she looked secure, like she was resting with ease for the first time in years... As Renji thought about it, it probably WAS the first time for, well, maybe not years, but months at least. He brought his head down to her own and brushed his lips across her forehead softly. She still was like a small child. He felt a strong urge to protect Orihime...

"Don't worry, Inoue-san." he muttered. "I made a promise. And I'm keeping it."

Footsteps interrupted his thoughts, and he turned his head to see none other than Kuchiki Rukia and Kurosaki Ichigo running towards him. His expression darkened. They were the last people Orihime needed to be awoken to. And they were the last people Renji wanted to see at the moment.

"Inoue!" Ichigo yelled and came to Renji's side. "Inoue! Is she ok? What happened?"

"What happened, Renji?" Rukia asked, coming up along his other side. They were both looking at him with concerned faces, and the Shinigami knew they were at a complete loss of why Inoue Orihime was crying, even in her sleep, covered in dirt, and looked so weak in Renji's arms. He knew they were searching their head for possibilities. A hollow attack? Was she mugged? What possibly could have happened. He knew those were the type of things running through their minds, and Renji scoffed.

"Honestly... like you couldn't figure it out?" he whispered the question so quietly, that he doubted either of his friends heard it.

"What did you say, Renji?" Rukia asked.

"What happened to Inoue, Renji?" Ichigo repeated, louder this time. Renji glanced down at the girl in his arms, so weak and frail. Her brow had tightened, and he knew she had heard her Kurosaki-kun. The last thing she needed. So, Renji turned right to the substitute shinigami. He clenched Orihime tighter to his chest, looked Ichigo straight in the eye, and said what he had wanted to say to him ever since he saw that kiss.

"Go fuck yourself."

In an instant, Renji was gone using shunpo. He had only seen Ichigo's expression for a split second, but that was enough.

It was freaking priceless.

Fin