Written for TheO Halloween fic contest. Mostly Ichigo & Renji friendship, with elements of horror, action and comedy thrown in. Rukia, Ishida and Chad also make appearances, along with a smidgen of Orihime and Byakuya. This piece is for entertainment only, and I am making no profit.

Renji crumpled up the invitation angrily, and threw it in the wastebasket in his office. He growled a little. Why would that idiot invite him to a Halloween party? Didn’t he know that he had work to do? Renji gritted his teeth, and then walked stiffly over to the wastebasket, cursing himself. If Ichigo was such an idiot, then why was Renji contemplating going?

He reached in, unraveling the tiny orange paper. Under the date and time, there was a hand-written note reading “Rukia will be there”. Damn it! He thought Ichigo wasn’t that perceptive. He sighed, and walked back across the room to where the door leading into Byakuya’s office was. He knocked softly.

“Yes?” came the answer.

Renji awkwardly cleared his throat. “Taicho, I was wondering if I could have the 31st off.” No answer came immediately.

“Abarai-fukutaicho, do you realize that that is Hollow’s End? When we have more trouble with restless spirits than any other night of the year?” The voice was as cold and hard as steel, and Renji immediately regretted asking.

“Um, well, it’s ok, I don’t really-“

“Will you be back the next day?”

Renji started. “Uh, yes! Absolutely!”

“See that you are.” Renji took that as his cue for dismissal.

He couldn’t believe it! He paced back and forth excitedly. Rukia must have already told him, and Byakuya just wanted to give Renji a hard time and make him feel guilty. Renji grinned wickedly. Well, he wouldn’t feel guilty! He was resolved to have a great time at this party, Kuchiki-Taicho be damned!

***

Three days later, Renji was somewhat sorry he had attended. The party was at Orihime’s apartment, and the only people attending were Orihime, Ichigo, Chad, Ishida and Rukia. The room had had the lights dimmed, and was covered in plastic skeletons and electric jack-o-lanterns. Some rubber bats hung from the ceiling.

Rukia and Orihime were chatting away in a corner excitedly, Orihime dressed as a princess, and Rukia dressed as a bunny. No, not a hot bunny girl (which Renji regretted more than anything else), but in a bunny suit, white, with big paw boots and a hood covering her head with floppy ears. Chad was dressed as the grim reaper, meaning he just had on a cloak that was too short for him, so Renji could see about half a meter of leg sticking out from under it. Ishida had come in some elaborate Victorian dress that Renji had no doubt he had sewn himself, given the resentment he showed when someone was in danger of brushing against it. Ichigo was dressed in some sort of superhero costume, red and blue and yellow and very garish, in Renji’s opinion.

Renji hadn’t come dressed as anything, and was wearing his normal shinigami regalia. Ichigo had seemed pretty pissed when he knocked on the door.

“What are you supposed to be?”

“A shinigami,” Renji had said, brushing past him and making his way to the drinks. He had then found out there was no sake or alcohol of any kind, to which Orihime had blushed and replied they were only 15. Renji then apologized. No wonder Ikkaku hadn’t wanted to come even though he and Yumichika had been invited.

Which is now why Renji was sitting on the couch, munching on candy corn, as Rukia and Orihime giggled away in one corner and the other three boys stood deathly still in another corner staring at the girls.

Ichigo came over and slumped down on the couch next to him. Renji groaned inwardly. “I didn’t think you were gonna come,” Ichigo said in all seriousness.

“Yeah, well, I skipped work for this.” Renji waved his hand around the room. Ishida and Chad were now trying to awkwardly bounce to the music.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Me ‘n Orihime worked really hard to put this together!” Ichigo yelled.

“Orihime and I,” Renji mumbled.

“What’s that?”

“Orihime and I, no wonder you never go to school, you don’t learn anything.” Renji crossed his arms and closed his eyes, refusing to look at Ichigo.

Ichigo was nearly furious at this point. He poked Renji pointedly in the chest. “You wanna take this outside, I’m there.”

Renji opened one eye to peer at him lazily. “It’s hard to take anyone wearing spandex seriously.”

Renji was in rare form tonight, not letting Ichigo bait him into a furor. Ichigo however was not showing the same poise. He stood up so fast he knocked over the basket of candy corn. Orihime and Rukia abruptly stopped chatting, and all eyes focused on him.

“Ichigo, can you please not make such a mess? Orihime worked so hard.” Rukia said, crossing her arms.

Ichigo sputtered and then pointed at Renji. “It was this punk!” Then, looking for something else to accuse Renji of, blurted “He didn’t even wear a costume!”

Renji was starting to lose his temper. “No one asked me to! Besides, I don’t want to look like an idiot!” Renji and Ichigo were glaring now. Orihime looked like she was about to cry. Rukia stomped over, her bunny feet making loud pats on the carpet. She grabbed both the taller men by the front of their clothes, gritting her teeth.

“If you two are going to fight, TAKE IT OUTSIDE. You are ruining this party!” She then dragged them over to the door, and threw them outside, slamming it shut in their face. Renji got up, and walked down to the street, angry at Ichigo, and angry at himself for losing his temper. Ichigo stomped after him. They both sat down on opposite ends of a bus stop bench, neither looking at each other. A few minutes later, Chad and Ishida joined them.

Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. “I was getting somewhat bored anyway.” Chad grunted in agreement.

“They’re not gonna let us in for hours,” Ichigo groaned. “What do you guys want to do in the meantime? Hunt ghosts?”

“That’s not very funny, Ichigo,” Chad said quietly, “as that’s what we do normally.”

Renji laughed, until Chad turned to him, dead serious, and Renji’s fits of laughter died down rather quickly.

“It is Halloween,” Ishida observed, “Abarai-kun, if I’m not mistaken, doesn’t that mean there are more supernatural things the Soul Society have to deal with anyway,”

“Um, yeah…” Renji said. He was really not in the mood to work though.

“Then perhaps we can lend a hand.”