"You're leaving Anteiku?!" (Y/N) exclaimed, her voice slightly cracking.

They were standing outside Anteiku. Renji, with a bag in his hand. When (Y/N) had heard the news that Renji was leaving, she dropped everything she was doing and ran out after him as quick as her legs could carry her.

Renji sighed and nodded. She'd said that for the sixth time now.

"B-but why?" She asked softly, her eyes glassy.

"This place is not for me. I would've left a long time ago but you were still training. Now you're already capable of protecting yourself. I have to leave." He said softly.

She didn't say anything. She looked up to him. He was like a real father-figure to her. And now he was leaving.

Her bottom lip quivered and a tear escaped her eye's. Renji frowned and pulled her into a hug.

She sniffed and cried in his arms. She didn't care that she was making a scene outside of Anteiku.

"I-I'll miss you Sensei." She choked out.

Renji smiled fondly as he rubbed her back. "I'll miss you too, kid."

She sniffed and pulled away. "Come back for a visit sometime, will you?"

Renji nodded, still smiling softly at the girl.

She managed a smile of her own.

"Goodbye," he said and turned to leave.

"Goodbye." She muttered back and watched as he walked away.

She bit the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from crying. Then she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, patting it softly.

She looked to the owner of the hand and her eyes met with Ayato.

"He'll be fine shrimp." He said.

She hugged him, burying her face on his chest as she cried. "I-I'm just gonna really, r-really miss him."

Ayato sucked in a deep breath and awkwardly pat her back.

He was always akward whenever she got all touchy-feely. Even though she had surprised him numerous times by hugging him, he still couldn't quite get used to feeling her against him so closely.

He could smell her shampoo as he played around with her hair as she hugged him and cried. He felt guilty somehow. He should be whispering soothing words into her ears and trying to cheer her up, instead he enjoyed the warmth her body brought and felt content with playing with her smooth and silky hair.

After she stopped sniffing she pulled away. Her cheeks and nose were red from crying.

"He'll still come by." Ayato said.

She didn't respond. She was looking ahead, into the sky. Daylight was quickly slipping away, soon it would be nightfall.

"This doesn't mean he's gone forever." He said.

She sighed and nodded, mostly to himself. "Yeah. I'm just gonna really miss him."

He nodded in understanding. "Come on, it's getting dark. Let's go back inside."

She nodded and followed him back inside Anteiku.

Since Touka was going to school now as well, this meant they didn't have much extra time off.

(Y/N) didn't really feel like making herself something to eat later on that nignt, so she went straight to bed.

As soon as her head it the pillow, she was out.

A loud boom! woke her up from her slumber.

She sat upright, her heart beat racing. She heard the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the rooftiles. Belting against it loudly. She covered her blanket over herself and glanced out the window, her eyes wide with fright.

It was completely dark and misty outside.

Suddenly a BOOM! sounded off. Practically shaking the heavens. (Y/N) gasped and jumped in fright.

It was thunder.

She felt a sharp pang in her chest. Her parents would usually sleep with her during storms and sing lullabies to calm her down. Now she was cold, frightened and alone.

Her first thought for safety was Ayato.

She shakily got off her bed and felt around her room, hoping to feel for the door.

BOOM!

She jumped, her heart ramming against her ribcage. The light that surged through the room from the lighting, though it instantly died out afterwards, allowed her to see where the door was.

She lurched for it and when she felt the doorknob she twisted it and ripped the door open. Immediately she ran down the hallway to a room she was all to familiar with.

She stopped by Ayato's door and gently opened it.

He was asleep. The moonlight that seeped in through the parted curtains casted his room with a twilight blue glow. It made it easier for her to walk over to his bed.

His eyes were shut and he looked peaceful. His hair tousled around his handsome face haphazardly. (Y/N)'s heart melted at the sight and she almost didn't want to wake him up but then the sky rumbled and thunder clapped in the skies, making her immediately reach out and shake Ayato.

He tossed and turned and finally opened his eyes. The first thing he could feel was someone shaking him gently. Then he finally opened his eyes fully and was shocked to see (Y/N) crouched down next to him, shaking him.

He pulled his eyebrows together in confusion as he lifted his head up.

"Shrimp?" His voice was deep and husky, the sound sending unwanted chills down her spine. If (Y/N) wasn't shaking like a leaf from fear she would've been blushing furiously at the sound of his voice.

"A-Ayato-kun." She stuttered out. Now that he was awake she wasn't even sure what she wanted him to do. Just being by his side had made her fear of lighting and thunder more bearable. Being beside him made her feel secure, and safe from all her worst fears.

Ayato rubbed his eyes. He could see her face clearly under the moonlight.

"What's wrong? Why are you here?" He asked, his voice deep and gruff.

"I-I'm scared." She stammered shyly.

"What? Did you have a bad dream or something?" He asked, sitting up.

She shook her head.

Ayato opened his mouth to speak but when lighting struck with a loud thunder clap (Y/N) jumped on him in a heartbeat and buried her face in his chest and her arms around his torso. Her heart was beating so fast and she was shaking, she could feel her eyes prickle with tears. She hated this feeling. She wasn't this scared of lighting as a child but now it was like the feeling came back tenfold.

Ayato inhaled deeply and his cheeks turned red against his will. She wasn't a bubbly annoying ten year old anymore, she was now thirteen. Already her figure was developing, showing that she was going to be quite the slayer, along with her bossom and that was hard to ignore when she was pressed against him the way she was.

The other thing that made it hard for Ayato to think and breathe was the fact that she was wearing one of his t-shirt's he thought he lost, it looked big on her and her shorts ended below her mid-thigh but above her knee, exposing her long (tan/pale/dark) legs. It was still decent but somehow it made his cheeks turn bright red

"W-what the hell Shrimp?! W-what are you d--" Ayato froze and his eyes softened when he saw the look on her face. Her bottom lip was quivering, her eyes were screwed shut and her thick long eyelashes were wet. Now he realized that she was shaking, not because of the cold, she was shaking out of fear.

Another loud BOOM! and she whimpered, hugging him to the point of suffocation.

His eyes widened with realization as he glanced out his window, to where the biggest storm of the year was hailing down angry teardops of heavy downpour and furious lightning blasts.

"You're afraid of the storm . . . " he muttered, glancing back down at her.

"C-can I sleep in here? W-with you?" She asked so softly that if her face wasn't inches away from his, her voice would've been drowned out by the sound of the rain.

He nodded instantly. Not even thinking it through.

He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and placed her under the covers. She sunk lower under the covers.

Ayato slept on the covers, so that though they were sleeping on the same bed, the sheets were separating them from ever having physical contact. This made the whole scenario easier for him to handle.

"Aren't you cold Ayato-kun?" She asked softly, concern laced in her voice.

He shook his head, staring into the ceiling.

After a while of silence she spoke. "My parents used to let me sleep with them. They used to sing me lullabies and whisper in my ears, telling me it's just a storm and storms never last," Ayato turned his head and saw her gazing into the ceiling, a distant look in her (E/C) eyes, "they would both hug me and tell me funny stories if I didn't want to hear lullabies. Our laughter would be so loud I could barely hear the storm, and I'd fall asleep with a smile on my face . . . "

Ayato didn't know why he didn't look away from her. "Do you miss them?"

"Every minute of the day. Every second."

She smiled sadly and turned to him. When their eyes met her heart fluttered and she blushed.

"Somehow you make missing them more bare able." She muttered softly.

Ayato felt his pulse pick up.

He didn't look away  and neither did she. They slept side by side staring into each others eyes. He was lost in her bright twinkling (E/C) orbs and she was lost in the depths of his clear blue eyes. They were too engrossed in each other's company to realize the storm was settling and the rain had stopped.

Her smile turned into a more content one as she whispered, "goodnight Ayato-kun."

Then she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

Unlike last time he didn't find it difficult to sleep. Hearing her soft breathing and the soft pitter patter of the ceasing rain was enough to put him straight to sleep despite how fast his heart was beating.

He smiled, the type of smile that was reserved for her only, and reached over and tucked loose her bangs that were covering her face behind her ears. Not missing the shiver he felt. She was asleep, a content smile on her lips.

"Goodnight (Y/N). "

When he closed his eyes he didn't have to wait a few minutes before sleep came, he instantly fell asleep with a content smile on his face.