Sweet! A ****** pairing thread! I've been wanting one of these for a long time!
What's your favorite couple and why?
Um... seriously? I've got way too many to be able to easily pick just one! But... I'd probably say
Renji/Rukia. Why? Well, for lots of reasons! I mean, it's obvious that Renji likes her as more than a friend, and when they were younger (growing up together in Rukongai and staying together in the Shinigami Academy), she seemed to like him, too. From what the flashbacks have shown, it really seemed to me like the two were pretty much destined to end up together, until Byakuya (sp?) came into the picture and threw them for a loop. That time, Renji 'let her go' because he really seemed to think it would be best for her, despite it killing him inside. But her reaction to his view on her being adopted by Byakuya always intrigued me. The look on her face and her distant attitude afterwards spoke to me. It seemed as if she wanted him to say something more along the lines of, "No. Don't go, Rukia. Stay with me." And of course there was the line given to Renji after he'd become a lieutenant about how it was 'time for him and Rukia to rekindle their old relationship' (as if that wasn't implying something...). Then in the Soul Society arc, he tried everything he could to save her, even going against his own captain, whom he admired greatly. And there's something else that bothers me. When Ichigo
finally saved Rukia, what did he do? Give her to Renji and tell him to not let her go (He supports Renji/Rukia, hah!

). Renji did just that, getting harmed quite a bit in his effort to protect her. Now, in the more recent arcs, the two have clearly regained their bond and Rukia is still the first person Renji thinks and worries about when the group's in danger, but unlike Ichigo, he trusts her enough to know she can take care of herself. I just really like the dynamics of this pairing (all the fun squabbling the two have, but with a deep bond underneath it all; it's so romantic!), and love it a lot!
Okay, so... wow. I just babbled on, huh? But anyway... if it's all right, I'd like to go ahead and extend from the original topic by saying,
What pairings do you like, and why? (instead of just OTPs, this calls for all the ****** pairings you like)
I'll answer this later.