He was already reaching for his sword before he was fully awake.
The hand on his shoulder registered as a threat first, a gravefang second, and a person approximately never, and his body had made its decision before his mind caught up with any of it. He was on his feet with his hand on the hilt and his weight forward and his eyes scanning for whatever had come out of the trees this time—
Laughter.
Not screaming. Laughter. All three of them, various volumes and styles — Rei with both hands over her mouth, shoulders shaking, eyes bright with it; Ayra turned slightly away, her own smile contained but losing ground fast; and Kaede standing with her arms folded and a deeply satisfied expression that suggested she had been hoping for exactly this result.
"You were sleeping like the dead," Kaede said.
Renji let go of his sword. Straightened. Smoothed his collar with one hand in what he hoped was a single fluid motion.
"I was awake already," he said.
"You were not."
