Romance and Rivalries

Chapter Three
by Rob

Rukia checked her watch for the third time in ten five minutes.

She couldn’t help but feel sorry for Renji since he’d humiliated himself in front of Yumichika, in fact just being there by his side made her feel awkward, and when he then utterly embarrassed himself she was actually feeling embarrassed too on his behalf. She’d tried to be a good friend and spare not only Renji, but Yumichika too, and hastily dragged him outside for a quick getaway, and that should have been the end of matter, but no, not for Renji . . . It seemed he wasn’t exactly good at coping with things concerning his ex, and so – for the past five minutes – he’d banged his head continuously on the brick wall outside the restaurant.

She’d always said the guy was thickheaded and now she had proof. Most people would have been severely concussed by now but Renji was still at it, banging away like he’d not a brain to worry about, and maybe he didn’t. He was always getting into fights, showing off, loud mouthing and he was so much like Ikkaku and the guys she had to seriously wonder about his grades. Then again he was wearing his bandanna, so there shouldn’t be too much damage to his skin.

The only problem right then was that classes were soon to start and they couldn’t afford to miss them, or at least Rukia couldn’t, if her grades dropped even slightly then it’d be back to private tutoring and cram school, but she couldn’t leave Renji alone to wallow in misery either, it just wasn’t fair or right. She could only hope one afternoon of lessons wouldn’t make a difference, after all she was a straight-A student, but with Ichimaru-sensei taking over the afternoon’s lessons he’d be sure to tell onii-sama, the two were rather close friends after all. Then again if they left now they’d still be able to make it on time, but with Renji the way he was . . .

“How could I have been so stupid?” Renji snapped loudly.

He continued banging his head harshly on the brick wall. If he was expecting sympathy then he was looking in the wrong place, all Rukia could do was roll her eyes and wonder why Renji even cared what some narcissistic, two-timer would think of him. If it was Rukia then she would have just punched Yumichika in the stomach before pouring her milkshake on his head, but Renji never was a smart one . . .

“Of all the things I could have said to him,” Renji groaned, “and I had to come out with ‘do you want some fries with that?’ He probably thought I was completely off my head! Not to mention the hand-me-down trousers I’ve got to wear. Stupid Ichimaru and his stupid pranks, those were my best pair of jeans too and now they’re ruined!”

“Yeah, I feel for you,” Rukia mumbled.

She pulled out her phone as Renji continued to smash his head literally against a brick wall, there wasn’t many messages but there was one from Hanataro saying how great medical school was and one from Orihime, warning her to get back in time for bell. She’d been hoping for something a little more interesting she could reply to, something to take her mind away from Mr. Cry-Baby there, but unfortunately there was nothing.

The problem with Renji was – as much as she loved him – he was completely self-absorbed, short-sighted and completely immature, for example she’d been in love with him for her whole life, and the moment she left for brother Byakuya’s house all he could say was ‘good luck’. They’d been nine at the time and neither one of them had even thought for a minute they’d be adopted at such a late age, but it turned out that Byakuya was her brother by blood who had left guardianship of her to their sister, but when their sister had died he wanted to take full custody himself. Whilst meanwhile Urahara and Tessai wanted to adopt and start a family, figuring an older child would be easier to handle for first-time parents than a younger one.

Damn him, Renji hadn’t known at the time they’d meet again, he thought that they’d be apart forever, and yet he just sent her on her way without even so much as a decent goodbye. Jackass. He hadn’t changed much even now . . . He still pined away for his ex, not realising he didn’t stand a chance, and what was the point in explaining things to him, he’d never understand.

“Stupid,” Renji snapped, again banging his head.

“Oh, cut it out! It’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

“What do you know? You’ve never been in love with someone and not been able to have them. Why was I so stupid?” – bang – “Stupid.” – bang – “Stupid!”

Beside them someone cleared their throat nosily.

Rukia and Renji both jumped at the noise and turned around quickly, only to see of course Yumichika standing bashfully at the restaurant door with a nervous grin expression. It was obvious he’d seen the whole show Renji had just put on. If Renji had thought his day couldn’t have gotten any worse then it seemed he’d been very much mistaken . . . His face was by now completely red and inside he felt a heavy weight sink in his stomach, the feelings of complete mortification taking over as he felt physically sick. If the ground could have swallowed him up, then and there, he’d have gladly given in and fallen to his doom.

“You forgot your toy, Renji-kun,” Yumichika said with his usual, blissful grin. “It’s one of those pink ponies so I’m not sure what you’d want with it, but maybe Ururu would want it? Well! I must be going! I have a photography class in fifteen minutes, but it was nice seeing you! You too, Rukia-chan!” He handed the toy over quickly and Renji groaned loudly, “Goodbye for now!”

Rukia wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry when she saw Yumichika leaving with an obvious bounce in his steps, but no matter how much she loved Renji she couldn’t help but see the funny side, and she knew that given enough time he’d get over it and see the humour too. The poor guy was standing there humiliated with a pink pony toy and despite how cruel it seemed she couldn’t help but laugh! Even when her redheaded friend groaned even louder she couldn’t help it! She loved him, she really did, but it was just too funny for words!

When Renji finally came to his senses he sighed and flipped himself around, leaning back on the wall and glared menacingly at Rukia who just laughed some more, although granted she did latch onto his arm after and give him a friendly hug. It still wasn’t quite reassuring but it did make him feel better to know that she was so close and by his side, he wasn’t sure why but she always had this kindly presence about her that made him feel calm, happy, and he really appreciated her ability to make him smile without even trying.

It was then he saw Ichigo walking along the road past where they stood. He was walking at a pretty regular pace eating an onigiri as he went, kind of trapped in his own little world as the wind blew at this hair and made the lapels of his jacket flap. His face seemed pretty serene too, and Renji noted it was one of the rare times that he saw his friend without a scowl on his face or a frown on his brow, in fact he seemed quite happy and if Renji didn’t know any better he would have sworn he’d seen a spring in Ichigo’s step.

He gave a weak wave as Ichigo spotted them and wandered casually over, whilst Rukia made a huge fuss and spent a few minutes catching up with their friend, asking him all sorts of questions that Renji just knew if he’d asked he would have got punched for. Damn hypocritical Kurosaki . . .

“You guys are aware school starts in five minutes, right?” Ichigo eventually said to him, swallowing his last bite of rice. “Why are you lurking around here for?”

“Why are you so late getting back?” Renji snapped.

“What business is it to you? If you must know I spent last night on Grimmjow’s couch, and the bastard wouldn’t give me any money for lunch.” Ichigo shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, “I stopped by the firm and made him treat me to lunch at the cafeteria, threatened to go up to Aizen-sama and cry if he didn’t, tell him his employee was sexually harassing a teenage boy, it soon made him pay up. He’s not all bad though . . . his co-worker is meeting a client not far from here, Ulquiorra, you know? The one Orihime is friends with? Grimmjow arranged for him to pick me up and drop me back off at school, and Grimmjow’s picking me up personally after to take me out to dinner. So I’m going to be on time, unlike you losers.”

He yelled out when Rukia soccer punched him to the back of his head, and ignored her yells of protests about being called a ‘loser’, instead he looked closely at Renji who looked in more of a pissed off mood than usual. The poor guy’s face had fallen so low that he looked like he was fighting back tears, if Renji was even capable of crying, and his eyes were kind of cast down at the ground. It was a sad sight to see and it made Ichigo rather worried, it wasn’t often he ever saw Renji down in the dumps, and he never had any idea how to help the guy either. Usually it was Rukia who fixed things.

“What’s up with him?” He asked.

“Yumichika-san.”

Nothing else needed to be said . . .

Renji frowned and tried to figure out just what he was feeling at that moment. Sure there was the feeling of frustration, powerlessness, humiliation but there was also a feeling of resentment too and anger. He felt angry that his friends all had someone and he seemed to be so alone, angry that the only guy he’d liked could betray him so badly, and angry that no matter what he did he only seemed to make things worse. It felt like the whole world was laughing at him, and no doubt Yumichika and Rukia already were, and to then have Ichigo know his business just felt . . . well . . . too much to handle.

Did the world and its sister need to know what he did, how foolish he’d been? No, and yet he couldn’t think of one person who wasn’t in on the details of his life, and he couldn’t think of anything to fix things either. He needed someone to talk to but Ikkaku was kind of the cause of his problems, so what could he say to him? ‘Hey, you know you betrayed my trust and shacked up with my boyfriend, well now I’m feeling really depressed, hurt and down-in-the-dumps, can you help me out?’ It’d be lower than low, it’d be pitiable and pathetic, and Renji was above needing anyone’s pity. He couldn’t go to his parents either, Urahara would probably just laugh at him with Yoruichi, Tessai would embarrass him with tales of his youth, and Jinta and Ururu would no doubt overhear and tease him mercilessly to death too.

He knew what he needed: his old friends.

He needed Momo, Hisagi-sempai, Kira and a visit to Matsumoto’s Bar, and most of all he needed a strong drink. He knew Kira would probably be out skipping class about now, which was a shock seeing as the guy was so in love with Gin that you would have expected him to be in his every lesson, but he knew Kira was as hopelessly in love with Gin as he was for Yumichika, so it was likely he’d be out drinking at the bar about now. Ikkaku would be done training for the day and looking for a real fight, so if he was lucky he could catch him there too. Just a bunch of friends off from school, sitting around with a drink or two, or three, or five . . . it sounded perfect.

“Yo,” He waved Ichigo away dismissively and began to walk further into town towards Matsumoto’s place, he knew he was being rude but God how he needed a drink, “I’m heading out for some sake and whatnot at Rangiku-san’s, tell Ichimaru I’m out getting wasted, and make sure you drop the honorific too – it’ll piss him off all the more.”

“What? Hey! Renji, you can’t just skip class like that – hey!”

Ichigo knew his shouting was pretty much pointless so he growled loudly and screamed ‘damn him’ to the wind, before saying a quick goodbye to Rukia and heading off to catch his ride. If Renji wanted to be an ass-wipe then let him, but he was going to get a decent education so he could take over his father’s clinic, even if that meant listening to Urahara, his dad and Ishida’s dad talking every five minutes about crack-brained medical ideas and inventions. He was onboard for some of their talk, like cures for cancer, but when it got into the realm of male pregnancy he found them officially insane. Still, he needed an education. He was out of there and heading to school.

Rukia could do nothing but a double take as Renji went in one direction and Ichigo in another. She felt torn into two different directions, one being with her friend to school to fulfil her families expectations, and the other following her other friend to a bar, trying to cheer him up as was her moral duty. Great, now what should she do? Head back to school with Ichigo in a company car, or follow Renji and try and drag him out of the bar before he got too drunk to head back to school? Well, she had to follow Renji, didn’t she? She hadn’t much of a choice, the idiot would probably get himself killed without her there to stop him, and it’s not like onii-sama would find out, right? With most of the class skipping out on lessons surely Ichimaru-sensei would have better things to do then tattle-tell on her?

“Damn it. This is why I hate redheads,” she grumbled, before chasing after Renji . . .

* * *

Matsumoto’s Bar was indeed a rather odd establishment, and far beneath the bars and restaurants to which Byakuya usually frequented.

There were no candlelit areas, no Maître ds, no need for reservations and no dress code for entry. What made the whole scenario worse for Byakuya was that he wasn’t entirely certain what kind of establishment this was meant to actually be. It wasn’t family run in the style of traditional Greek tavernas, it wasn’t cheap enough to be classed as a Japanese izakaya and the décor was too . . . cheerful to be modelled on an English bar. He was almost certain that this was not at all a place in which his younger sister would ever visit, despite being raised in a common environment she still had her standards, and he would not believe that this place could possibly hold her person for any length of time. He had checked the paper with the address five times now, and yet the address was accurate, this was the indeed the place where Miss Rukia Kuchiki was hiding.

Byakuya made sure to keep his head high as he looked across the street to the bar; he refused to show any weakness for fear that in this type of neighbourhood he may be prone to attack, after all he could not guarantee the lower-classes would show him the appropriate respect he deserved. He slipped on a pair of gloves unlike his usual sleeveless ones, making sure his entire hand was covered so that no germs could touch him, and nodded to his driver to wait in the car as he walked across the street in a calm, poised manner.

The moment he reached the large, wooden door he nearly bumped into an older man, one also much larger and taller than him. He was at first frightened as they both stood directly before the door, one unable to move unless the other did so first, and yet both were equally unable to give way for the other. If he were to give way for this gentleman than he was to acknowledge the other as his superior, and quite frankly that was not the case, and if he were to expect this man to open the door for him then he would be sadly disappointed. He refused to back down and he refused to show fear, but deep within him he felt a sense of dread knowing this man was possibly his equal in strength, if not then more powerful.

The man was perhaps ten or so years older than Byakuya, looking to be around thirty-eight, his hair was long and black, slightly straggly and not at all well kept. It seemed to have some remnants of gel in it, so perhaps it was fair to say it was usually spiked?

His eyes were deeply fascinating however; a brilliant shade of brown that seemed almost fiery red in the light, reflecting such depths of emotions that Byakuya couldn’t quite comprehend them. They completely enthralled him, along with that almost insane but powerful grin, and the facial scars that seemed almost enchanting, speaking of stories and histories long since past, marking him as a unique and serious man. His body was muscular, the type that made you think instinctively of chiselled arms wrapped around you on cold nights, keeping you safe against harm. He was wearing nothing but tight jeans that shaped his large thighs heavenly, and an open jacket so that his chest was on show. The very sight had a slight blush reaching Byakuya’s cheeks, and then of course that turned into a hardened scowl . . .

Damn it. This man was clearly beneath him, someone who relied on brawn and not brains, someone who worked manually for their money and had no claim to status. What reason did he have to talk to someone like this? There was of course a certain charm to him that unfortunately made a shiver of arousal course through Byakuya, making his mouth water and member ache, but one could not control physical reactions to certain stimulus. This person was beneath him. He could not bring himself to desecrate his wife’s memory, and he could not bring himself to even think of another being sexually or romantically lest it be a betrayal to their love. So to even demean himself by thinking such thoughts of a man like this -? He knew he should be ashamed of himself.

“Step aside,” He said calmly, refusing to make eye contact with this creature.

“Oh? I guess money really doesn’t buy manners, does it? Want to tell me why I should give way to the likes of you, pretty boy?”

“I will not ask you again,” said Byakuya calmly. “Step aside.”

“Or else what?” The man sneered, literally spitting at the floor beside Byakuya’s feet, more than a little pissed when the other man showed no signs of being intimidated, “you know who you’re talking to? I’m Zaraki Kenpachi. A master of all martial arts and owner of the best Kendo Club in all of Japan, including the boarding house which houses students of which the likes you’ve never seen. If I were you I’d step aside now, unless you want that pretty, little hair of yours to get all messed up.”

“I am a Kuchiki,” Byakuya said coldly, noticing the flicker of interest that suddenly sparked in the older male. “One wrong move and I will file a lawsuit faster than you can take another breath. You do not intimidate me. Step aside.”

Zaraki laughed loudly.

Byakuya found the sound of such laughter both amusing and infuriating. There was a part of him intrigued by the harsh, gravel like quality of the laugh, one that exuded masculinity and power in a blend of arousing sound, but another part of him that was deeply angered by the contempt and scorn this man showed. Not once in his life had anyone dishonoured or disrespected his family, and for this man to now do so was a grave insult, but likewise something that intrigued him and made him wish to get to get better acquainted with this man.

Eventually Zaraki stepped out of his way and allowed him to pass, he had took only a small step forward when he felt Zaraki crudely step behind him, a little too close as his personal space was invaded. The older man rolled his hips slightly forward so that Byakuya was made aware of the other’s arousal, and again he was both disgusted and intrigued, but this time the insult outweighed his interest. When Kenpachi spoke his voice was low and it was impossible to tell if his words were a threat or childish teasing . . .

“I’d be careful in there if I were you, Kuchiki,” he whispered. “Children who antagonise adults always get hurt. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to someone as sweet as you.”

“I would advise you not to threaten me again.”

Byakuya held his head high with that final comment and ignored Zaraki’s laughter; instead he opened the door slowly and carefully and strode into Matsumoto’s Bar, where he immediately caught sight of the person he was after.

The dining area of the establishment was completely empty save for a small, bottle-blonde boy with a frown on his face that sat with a multitude of textbooks all around him on a large table. A slightly older girl sat beside him, looking to be his private tutor, but by the look on her face, and judging by the tones of their conversation, the boy seemed to know more than she did and was intent on insulting her. Byakuya then noticed that the books were far too advanced for the child and wondered if – like Gin – the boy was a savant.

The bar itself ran the length of the room and contained a strange assortment of drinks, in all possible forms, varying from obvious spirits to even fruit smoothies and milkshakes, but despite the strangeness of the establishment it seemed to be prospering nicely. Matsumoto Rangiku herself, owner and barmaid of Matsumoto’s Bar, was currently polishing glasses at the far end whilst begging, what was perhaps her little brother, to take his studies more seriously, only to get yelled at that he needed more difficult textbooks.

Along the bar itself sat Renji with several empty sake cups and beer mugs beside him, followed by a strange bald-headed boy showing off with a kendo stick and a few vodka shots, and finally a blonde-haired youth nursing a glass of sake with a crestfallen face. He couldn’t see Rukia anywhere, and for that he had to admire her hiding skills, but unfortunately for her the tall glass of lemonade with two slices of lemon, one slice of lime and three ice cubes was enough to give her away. His first thought was that perhaps he had been spoiling her if – even in a base place like this – she could still be so picky with her diet.

He began to walk the length of the bar to where Renji sat, knowing that on the other side – where no customers should be allowed – Rukia would be hiding, but with each step he took it seemed that odd Zaraki fellow followed him. The very idea made him nervous and so he had to reassure himself that his driver and bodyguard were waiting for him in the car, no harm could seriously befall him . . .

“Are you following me, Zaraki-san?”

“Only dogs like you find the need to follow, Kuchiki.”

Byakuya refused to make eye contact and continued until he stood behind Renji, “You speak as if you know me, it amuses me a man like you can even pretend to understand the workings of the upper class. You stand beside me even now, why?”

Zaraki looked down at Ikkaku, his favourite but albeit most troublesome student. The bald-headed youth was replacing his kendo stick into the belt-loop on his trousers, and politely pushing away the vodka shots as he tried to make himself look as small as possible. Zaraki knew how much the boy idolised and respected him, but he also knew it was pointless trying to discipline him too much as with his nature it only caused him to rebel further, and besides that Zaraki hated setting boundaries. If the fact Ikkaku skived off school pissed him off then he’d merely tell Yumichika, after all nothing could be scarier to a teenage boy than their angry boyfriend threatening to cut off sex for a week.

“Actually, Kuchiki,” Zaraki said with a fearsome smile, “I’m here for my student. My students’ come from all over the globe and they need a place to stay, I give them boarding but in return I act as their guardian. Their parents would be pretty pissed after all if I let them skip school, do drugs, or the usual hoodlum stuff. Hell, I’m that good at what I do some parents even send delinquent kids to me to straighten out. This is one of those kids -,” He said glaring at Ikkaku, “- so when his teachers calls me to say he’s dodging lessons, I’m the one who’s got to come get him.”

“I see.”

“So the question is, why are you standing there? The redhead yours?”

“Most certainly not,” Byakuya said sharply. “My younger sister is hiding behind the bar, and I am here to collect her also. I am also surprised anyone with an ounce of intelligence would let a man like you raise their children for them.” He drew in a deep breath and nodded to the bar, “Rise, Rukia. We are leaving.”

Rukia bashfully stood up and climbed over the bar, leaving Renji mumbling drunkenly how he could see up her skirt whilst Ikkaku sniggered loudly, causing him to get hit hard on the head by Zaraki’s own wooden sword.

Byakuya turned to leave when he caught sight of the bar door opening. A gust of cool, fresh air blasted inside gently blowing upon his black locks, and then closed with a soft click to reveal an old friend, Ichimaru Gin.

The young teacher seemed to be in a rather happy mood, but as Kuchiki knew it was impossible to ever tell Gin’s mood as much as it was hard for people to tell his own, for as Byakuya always kept a straight face, Gin always kept a smile. His red eyes could barely be seen from how narrow his eyes were, but yet it seemed so natural that he was always deemed a natural beauty despite his unique look, and his body was lithe and feminine and hair silver from birth. He was a complete anomaly and yet one that could not fault, for not one thing was wrong with his appearance. It was true he was what people called ‘creepy’, but that was for how he acted and spoke, not for his looks.

Gin issued forth a brilliant, warm smile and pulled loose his white overcoat, taking in the sights of the room with an eerie expression that made Rukia shudder. He seemed to be enjoying this moment a little too much and there seemed to a coldness about him that made her wince. She always hated this man. Even now his very gaze seemed to penetrate her very being and hold her in a vice-like grip, and his influence on others was too surreal to be fully understood.

“My, my, Byakuya-san, leaving already?”

“I am sorry, Gin. I am unable to stay and talk with you, my sister has missed her day’s worth of schooling and so for that I am required to discipline her. We have an appointment with Ukitake-san, after that my younger sister will painstakingly revise and study all the work she has missed.” He nodded an apology to his friend and quickly checked his Rolex for the time, “it seems that the school day has ended an hour ago. I invite you to take tea with me tonight, Gin, I shall expect you at seven o’clock.”

“Ya know I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Byakuya-san. I hope Ukitake-san is okay, Kyoraku-san and Tousen tell me he’s not doing too well, has he tried honey and lemon hot drinks to soothe his throat?”

“I believe he has, but I thank you for your concern. Have you yet tried those persimmons that I had sent to you for your birthday? I understand that your home-grown ones have a much nicer taste so I hope you did not find the gesture insulting.”

“Nah, not at all, I rather enjoyed them actually. I shared some with Aizen-sama over tea, he greatly enjoyed ‘em, told me to tell ya that you got good taste too.”

Rukia shivered again.

She had the distinct feeling that the only reason Gin loved their small talk so much was to unnerve Rukia, after all each time she was in his presence she always felt both a mixture of fear and dread.

She forced herself to endure it though, after all most of onii-sama’s friends were such serious people or people with concerns of their own, it was nice for her brother to have someone whom was a bright and cheerful disposition, and someone with no worries too. It was like the inane chatter could make him forget the troubles of his life, make him pretend for a short while that there was nothing to worry about except honey-and-lemon or whether his gifts of persimmons were offensive or not. She would never take that away from him even if she could, but the thought of spending one more minute in the man’s presence was more than she could endure. If she spent one moment longer here she knew she’d be overcome with fear.

With a soft touch she reached out for her brother’s arm and gave a gently nod, a simple gesture to remind him of the time and the appointments that they must attend. Luckily Byakuya understood the gesture at once and nodded back, before turning to Gin and giving a nod of acknowledgment as they both walked gracefully towards the door to leave. He paused only slightly by Gin’s side to say a quick but sincere goodbye. When the two siblings left it was like they were never there to begin with, as if they were but ghosts floating into the lives of the bar’s patrons, and leaving just as soon with an ethereal quality . . .

Gin gave a slight look of disappointment and then gave a bright smile, heading quickly towards his friend Zaraki, slightly embarrassed and guilty that he could just ignore the other man the way he had. Truthfully he hadn’t intended to be rude, after all Zaraki and Gin got on so well and shared a similar past, but Byakuya was the sort of person who demanded your full attention, and even when you didn’t mean to your eyes and words were somehow always drawn to him, as if he were a magnet for people’s affections. He also knew the humiliation Byakuya must have been feeling to have to collect his sister in such a place, it seemed a little too cruel to just ignore him or not make polite conversation, because then it was like drawing attention to the situation at hand. Still, Zaraki wasn’t one to hold a grudge; no doubt he’d be fine with the matter.

“Sorry about that, Kenpachi-san,” Gin said with a slight stagger to his voice, “I didn’t mean to ignore ya, not like that. Just Kuchiki-sama is an old friend, it felt wrong not to say hello to him when I could.”

“Forget it. What are you doing here anyway?”

“Ah, well Kurosaki-kun told me that Abarai-kun and Izuru would be here too, so I rang up their guardians and they asked me if I wouldn’t mind picking them up once school was over. I wasn’t sure they’d still be here, but I guess they are.” He said with a beaming, bright smile, “How’s ya daughter, Yachiru, doing? She as bright and hyperactive as the last time I saw her?”

“She’s fine.”

Zaraki’s tone was suddenly quite harsh. It was a shock to Gin, he was on very good terms with Zaraki after all and it wasn’t unusual for him to ask about his small daughter, so to receive such an abrupt reply was a complete surprise for him. He was silent for a moment, waiting for Zaraki to make the next move and say something, when the older man was in a rough mood he learnt it unwise to antagonise him, usually when he had something to say he’d come right out and say it on his own. That didn’t mean it wasn’t fun to wind him up and play with him, but there was a time and a place for all things, and now wasn’t the time to play.

“You know that guy, Gin?”

“Yeah. He’s Byakuya Kuchiki,” He replied sweetly. “His daughter is my student, but before that we met at a café in the Okinawa Prefecture some years ago. I was taking tea with Aizen-sama and Tousen at the time, Byakuya cared for neither of them when we met, but for some reason we hit it off and been speaking ever since. I try to take tea with him weekly to stay in touch.”

“So you got his phone number then?” Zaraki asked, not all too subtly.

Gin sighed.

His usual friends were so predictable, easy-going and traditional, but Zaraki had to be the odd one out and fight all the rules and do his own thing. It didn’t matter to him the difference in status that he held with Byakuya, it didn’t matter that Byakuya was still grieving the loss of his wife and refused to date, and it didn’t matter that Gin would be betraying his friend’s trust by handing out his number – no, to Zaraki all that mattered was the heat of the moment and the thrill of the chase. He wanted Byakuya and nothing would stop him, in fact he’d use every trick in the book to get the ebony-haired man, and for that Gin was wary about giving him any information. In fact he was just grateful that Zaraki Kenpachi had never taken a romantic shining to him, the very thought made him shudder.

He gave the matter a quick thought and then reached across to the bar for a placemat, then turned it over onto it’s plainer side and took a pen from his pocket, quickly scribbling down some details that were public – meaning Byakuya couldn’t fault him for – and then handed them over to Zaraki with a very severe look. His smirk was still there but his eyes told a whole new story, one that said ‘mess with my friend and you mess with me’.

“That’s the address to his office, you’ll have to get past security and his secretary to get to him, ya know? However the phone numbers below are for his secretary and the other’s to Urahara Shop.”

“How the hell is this going to do me any good?”

“Well,” Gin said, perking up considerably, “A friend of a friend told me that Shihoin Yoruichi is throwing a party tomorrow night -” Meaning of course Aizen had bitched about the fact that Urahara and Shinji were invited, but not him, “- so if you ring Urahara and get an invite or con the secretary for details, you can crash the party and meet him tomorrow. I shan’t be there myself, thinking of doing some private tutoring for the Kira family . . . so if you misbehave -” His smile died at this and he opened his eyes wide, “- then I’ll kill ya.”

Zaraki held back a shiver and tried to pretend like the threat didn’t scare him, but truthfully it did. Gin could sometimes best him in sparring contests but they’d never seriously fought one another, and he doubted they ever would, but that didn’t mean he wanted to risk getting in the man’s bad books, especially when he had no clue what the man was capable of.

“Heh,” He said dismissively, “Thanks Gin, I owe you.”

With that Gin watched him as he wandered out of the bar with his fist holding tight to Ikkaku’s shirt, practically dragging the younger man out of there as he begged his sensei for forgiveness. It was a complete waste of breath but it didn’t stop Gin from smiling as he saw them head out of the door; after all it meant he was alone with his most favourite of people.

He sat down in-between Renji and Kira, taking up Ikkaku’s seat and finding it still warm. He could see Matsumoto giving him funny looks from down the bar but ignored them, he’d not seen her for a while so she was pissed that he’d been ignoring her, but she also knew he had quite the crush on Izuru and so she was purposely standing back to give him some space. It was most frustrating for him because he knew that Rangiku was very good friends with Kira, the two often drinking together and talking all night long, and yet she wouldn’t tell him a thing about Kira or how he felt! He hated not knowing and he kind of resented Rangiku for it, but of course she found it ever so amusing and it wasn’t as though he didn’t have secrets of his own, so he ignored it and put up with it, deciding to take his own course of action instead.

To his left Renji groaned loudly, the poor kid really did look like he was caught between a rock and a hard place, his ponytail kind of loose and his eyes heavy with alcohol. He seemed to be hanging his head too, it was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and – if he wasn’t such a troublesome student – Gin would have probably felt sorry for him. He was however much more interested with the one on his right . . .

Izuru was such a great kid. So mature for his age, respectable and respected, kind-hearted and loyal to a fault, he was smart too but not cocky about it, and so easily embarrassed it was totally adorable. Gin was constantly teasing him, giving him extra work, making him guess a lot of things between them, but overall he only teased Izuru because his reactions were always so adorable, his blush was almost addictive and his nervous stutter was like a drug. He was a couple years over the national age of consent, but Gin still knew he’d get into a hell of a lot of trouble for dating a student, so he tried to hold back how much he loved Izuru. He wasn’t sure he could hold out for long, especially not when he’d convinced Izuru’s adoptive parents to let him private tutor their charge . . . maybe that wasn’t such a smart move after all.

“Ichimaru-sensei?” Izuru asked, a red blush staining his cheeks, and his hands playing with an empty cup in front of him. “Can I ask you something?”

Gin smiled and reached his hand out to Izuru, gently pushing his fingers against a stray blonde lock. The hair was silky smooth, the opposite to his own straw-like hair, and it felt like satin on his fingers, and as his fingertips brushed the soft skin of Izuru’s forehead he relished in how silky it was, how unblemished and pure. He could feel sort of a hot, heated energy from Kira and he smiled when Izuru tilted his head slightly, almost leaning into the touch and desperate to relieve himself of its heat all at once. The blush on his cheeks heightened and Gin could feel his mouth water at the sight.

“Please, Izuru-kun, call me Gin. We’re not in school no more, are we?”

“G – Gin . . .”

He felt kind of tingly hearing that name on his favourite student’s lips, hearing the way it was said in such a breathless whisper, and it made him smile so warmly that his eyes lost their harshness and became soft and reflective. He could feel his eyes opening somewhat as a rare moment of sincerity came across him, enlightening him as to what was so damn special about this amazing man . . .

It was then he heard the rough voice of Renji beside him. He tensed at the sound and resented – almost hated – this student for ruining the moment, simply by being there and interrupting the special moment that existed between him and Kira.

“Yo, Gin -.”

“Not you, Abarai-san.” Gin said sharply, “I gave you no permission to call me anything other than Ichimaru-sensei.”

Renji rolled his eyes and said his next words with obvious annoyance and irritation, “Fine, Ichimaru-Sensei, I heard you say to that guy earlier you called our parents . . . I was just wondering what they said?”

“Well,” Gin said, looking upwards as if deep in thought, with a rather innocent expression, “Izuru’s parents said they’d dock his allowance this week and he’s got to get special tutoring, that’d be from me.” At that he smiled, “Your parents though . . . I believe Urahara-san said that Tessai-san was very upset, disappointed and hurt that you could betray their trust in such a way, especially as Jinta-kun has you – his big brother – as his role-model, it’s such a bad influence. Urahara-san though said he didn’t mind, you know, because you’d just opted to all stock-buying, shelf-stacking and stock-taking this weekend.” He gave a big smile and tilted his head to one side, his eyes sharp and narrow, “but don’t worry, Renji-kun, I’m ya friend. I won’t punish you, even if ya parents will.”

“Re – really?”

Gin smiled.

He could see the sparkle in Renji’s eyes, the flicker of hope on his features and the newly found colour in his cheeks, he seemed alive again and completely relieved, like the world had just lifted off of his shoulders and allowed him to breathe once more. The expression was rather precious and sweet, and it made him rather envious of the parents he dealt with who got to see such faces on regular basis, maybe one day he’d have his own child whom he could see so happy as Renji was at that moment. It was amazing for him to think that his one promise could make one person so happy, it was rather sweet really.

Gin gave a very sweet smile and patted Renji firmly on his back, letting the other know he was special to his teacher and that his feelings mattered, and then shrugged his shoulders in a way to say ‘it doesn’t matter’ whilst Renji’s face grew to bright proportions. When the redhead finally gave into his relief he turned away and rested his arms against the bar top . . .

“I lied,” Gin said firmly.

He watched as Renji’s face fell completely and found a childish amusement in seeing the guy collapse his head against the bar top, probably giving himself concussion as he did so. He turned to Kira and tried not to laugh as he saw the poor guy’s knees shaking, unable to hide his own nervousness and fear. My, if he’d have known it was so easy to play with these two he wouldn’t have wasted his talents on tormenting Rukia! He waved energetically to Matsumoto and signalled for her attention.

“Right, a dry white wine please,” he ordered cheerfully. “Put it on my friends’ tabs.”

Although Gin managed to hold back laughter when he heard Renji groan, Rangiku couldn’t help it, she laughed as she fetched the drink and even laughed as she served Gin, who sipped happily.

“Cheer up you two,” Gin said, listening to Renji whine and Kira nearly hyperventilate, “I’ll be here all night.”

This time he couldn’t help but laugh at their reactions even if he tried.