fairer than everything, i will always glory in thee.

Many never can understand this pairing or why it would even be plausible. Afterall, Renji's pretty obsessed with Rukia, and Byakuya has a dead wife. Straightforward turn off, right?

Wrong! It just takes some digging to see what could possibly be there.

First, we'll start with the obvious connections between a captain and his vice captain - underlined both blatantly and subtly by the manga-ka himself. For starters, the chapter title of Chapter 144 comes to mind - Lilio Candidior, Rosa Rubicundior. This is the title of the chapter when Renji is defeated by Byakuya, and the name comes from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, wherein it is translated as "redder than the rose, whiter than the lilly." Basically, the scope of Kubo's poem is as follows:

Red like blood
White like bone
Red like solitude
White like silence
Red like the beastly instinct
White like a god's heart
Red like thawing hatred
White like a frozen, pained cry
Red like the night's hungry shadows
White shines and red scatters
like sighs that shoot through the moon.

The translator (chirachira) seems to think this poem relates more distinctly to Renji and Rukia - which, I can find plausible... until I analyze it directly, and apply all of the subtle cues that Kubo has allowed us.

Red like blood; White like bone. Fairly straightforward to tie Byakuya and Renji together here. Renji's hair, possibly, or the blood he spills in battle for his loved ones is the red. White bone can either be Byakuya's kenseikan (which are made of bone) or the bone of Zabimaru, which adds an odd twist to this, as the white is inverted to relate to Renji for a change.

Red like solitude; White like silence. Renji's solitude and loneliness once Rukia was torn from him, and Byakuya's silence in Rukia's execution.

Red like the beastly instinct; White like a god's heart. Fur and bone from Renji's bankai for 'beastly instinct', anyone? "God's heart" generally implies something untouchable and pure, such as Byakuya is, and was during the fight between the two of them, despite all of Renji's 'beastly instinct.' This, Kira also pointed out to me, is an allusion to the fact of Byakuya's nobility, seeing as the only "god" figure in Bleach is the King of Soul Society.

Red like thawing hatred; White like a frozen, pained cry. Here is a distinct connection between the two of them, I believe. The "thawing hatred" could refer to Renji's idolization and frustration towards Byakuya turning into empathetic respect based on his own deductions after he hears about Byakuya's deceased wife. This is also continued in the phrase "frozen, pained cry" - Byakuya's stifled emotions, the mourning and numbness he never allowed himself that was forced to pour out at the end of the Soul Society arc.

Red like the night's hungry shadows; White shines and red scatters like sighs that shoot through the moon. The "night's hungry shadows" could be Renji's attempt to grab and "shadow" the moon (Byakuya) with his own presence. Also, I should note that "scatters" uses the same command as Byakuya's shikai release - "chiru", 散る.

What the hell does all this matter? Aside from the obvious connections between both Byakuya and Renji that I have pointed out, it means nothing until you apply other aspects of Byakuya and Renji to the equation - namely, that this poem is based around red and white.

There are many things that have been red in Byakuya's life before Renji - that is, Hisana. Red is in her name - 緋真. Renji's name, in turn, mentions love and romance in the form of "second love." The color one instantly associates with love and romance is red, and, if Byakuya and Renji were to become involved, Renji would indeed be Byakuya's second love, and, vice versa...

It should also be noted that in addition to being present in Renji's name, the shikai command for Byakuya's sword is also present in the aforementioned poem. White is also another key component of this poem, which can immediately be connected to Byakuya's name, as it literally means white - thus, tying both Byakuya and Renji to this poem.

Obviously, there are many connections between these two, and it may simply be foreshadowing for their battle, their clear revelations, or a growing respect between the two of them. What is canon, without a doubt, is that their battle was a true eye-opener between the two of them. As I have touched on in previous essays, their fight is when the dynamic between the two of them begins changing - at least, on Byakuya's end. The nobleman begins seeing Renji as something more than a stray dog and notes that he does reach the moon, even though the effort was fruitless in the respect of "surpassing."

It isn't until Byakuya is forced to speak of Hisana and admit the cause of his actions that Renji begins to form his own respect for Byakuya rather than one based off of intimidation and pure idolization. Byakuya was the only person that Renji truly idolized; that much is fact. It is clear as day in Chapter 181 - from the easy mannerisms to Byakuya's nearly demure countenance - that there is something more than the need to be competitive and surpass.

My own opinion is as follows: Byakuya wouldn't simply let a stray dog, even if it were his vice captain, view him in such a state unless there was a margin of respect and ultimately, trust present. Renji wouldn't have visited him to begin with if he didn't hold his own real respect of Byakuya - one of his own making, rather than the street-born jealousy of his noble status, and the mere fact that Byakuya could take Rukia away from him so easily. Also... what exactly was Renji going to say?

The conclusion of the Soul Society Arc is what allows speculation of this couple to actually form. Before then, it was only mere attachments through words and names; now, I think there's a spot open for actual chemistry between the two of them. The obvious appeal and attraction is already there - on Byakuya's end, Renji is another street rat from Rukongai, just like Hisana was. That, combined with the fact that Renji worked quite hard to gain his respect (which I imagine Hisana had to do similiarly), is open for opportunity enough. The levels of trust needed for a relationship aren't all that far off from respect.

The dynamic between these two works rather well. Byakuya is an uptight aristocrat that has a very firm grasp on upholding rules and propriety - but! He has broken that grasp in the past, and for whom? A love interest. Renji falls into this role very well, not only because he fits in Hisana's role very well, he is also similiar to Byakuya in a way that many seem to overlook. Renji upholds rules - unless it is for someone important to him.

Renji's loyalty to Rukia must be mentioned here. I do believe he loves her, and still does love her. The feelings are unrequited and despite this, Renji continues to love her. She was, no doubt, his first romantic interest and he still clings to that - biting hard with those fangs that will never reach once again. Their bond becomes more familial as time goes on, especially when Byakuya helps both Renji and Rukia in chapter 247. Kubo's emphasis on trust and love that layers over all rather than something merely romantic comes into play here, as Byakuya assisting Renji signals a rather firm trust between the two men. Mere respect and trust, or something more - budding attraction? That's for you to decide on your own.

I hope this essay has been a comprehensive and objective view to the possibilities of there being something romantic between Byakuya and Renji. I obviously ship them, but in this, I wanted to merely point out the connections and the possibilities of interpreting them. I hope it has been enjoyable!

Thank you so much to Kira, who is forever my muse and helps me sort out my thoughts time and time again ♥