A Cannon Pairing?

I have to interrupt our regularly scheduled program to blather on at great length about Bleach for a moment. So, as some of you know, I've already confessed to writing a great deal of fanfic in this universe, and I'm particularly fond of slashing Byakuya/Renji.

Well, the other day when Mason and I were in our favorite Barnes & Noble, I picked up BLEACH: SOULS, the official character guide. It's really not much more than a retread of the Soul Society arc, with only very little extra information thrown in among all the review. (I did manage to find out, for instance, that Zabimaru was a nue demon, which I suspected, but never knew the specifics of) but the book is otherwise fairly useless for a serious fan because it literally goes episode by episode and, well, I've watched them all enough times that there really wasn't much exciting revelations... except....

There is a tiny chapter called, and I kid you not, "Innermost Feelings: Byakuya's Desire." What is it about, pray tell? Renji. In specific, it's about their massive battle that takes place when Renji (and Zabimaru) decides to break out of the guardhouse to rescue Rukia, even though he knows it will mean taking on Byakuya, his captain (a man he's long striven to surpass.) Okay, this is a series of episodes I've watched dozens of times. It's my favorite for obvious reason, but I will confess to never truly understand what happens at the very end of the fight. After a total pounding (which I've complained about earlier, since I believe Byakuya is a complete cheat because he's actually afraid of Renji's strength,) Zabimaru is broken against... ?? I was never sure, Senbonzakura? Byakuya's manly chest? It's not entirely clear in either the Anime or the Manga, at least not to me.

Okay, get what Tite writes about this moment:

"Byakuya slashes Renji's body with his Senbonzakura Kageyosi [Vibrant Display of Cherry Blossoms]. He tries to stop Renji from rising... It's as if Byakuya is worried about him."

"The Fang That Hits Its Mark:
Renji stabs with the last of his strength... Byakuya takes a square hit and *senses Renji's fervor*"

!!!

But, wait, it gets better!!

"Renji's fang finally reaches Byakuya. Byakuya shows his feelings for the first time as he watches Renji fall. It's as if his eyes reflect the trembling of his heart."

The trembling of his heart? OMG. This makes me so happy. This is like a gift to every B/R slash writer everywhere. Also the CANON implication seems to be that this moment forever changes Byakuya. The fang that pierces him is actually Renji's passion, his strength, and that is what begins to change Byakuya's heart (so that he decides to risk his own life to rescue Rukia himself at the end.)

Thank you, Sensei Tite. I love you.