A Shinigami Valentine

The two women arrived at the restaurant a little after eight. The lobby was crowded with familiar faces as shinigami attempted to find their partners for the evening. A total 30 pairs crowded the small, elegant restaurant. The chaos rippled with excitement and anticipation. Akina felt eyes watching her closely as she and Chizu stepped in. She noticed Lt. Ise walking away with Captain Ukitake. Each bore a yellow daisy. The towering Captain Komamura walked leisurely by accompanied by the petite Kiyone Kotetsu. She held in her hand two orange poppies. Lt. Rangiku Matsumoto waved as she passed by wearing a pink rose tucked behind her ear. Captain Kyoraku hurried close behind her wearing a lecherous grin and a matching pink rose tucked into his hat. She watched as Captain Soifon argued with Lt. Hisagi about the answers he'd given on the questionnaire. Each carried a purple iris. She heard Lt. Hisagi snap,

“Alright! I put down that I like bitchy lesbians. Is that what you wanna hear?”

"Heads up." Chizu hissed, catching her attention. Akina looked up to find Captain Kurotsuchi striding purposely towards her. His skeletal smile seemed broader than usual.

"Ah, Ito-san, you look magnificent this evening." he said slickly, reaching out to take her hand. She shrank back without realizing it, colliding with someone standing behind her. A pair of strong hands settled on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Back off, Kurotsuchi." a deep, rumbling voice warned. "She's mine."

Akina half turned. Captain Zaraki was standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Captain Kurotsuchi glared at him, his golden eyes glittering dangerously.

"You are mistaken, Captain Zaraki. Ito-san and I have been matched..." his voice trailed off as Zaraki thrust a crumpled flower forward. It was a red lily. It matched the one she wore, albeit looking a bit worse for wear. It looked as if he'd held it tightly in his large hand for awhile. Kurotsuchi offered up a white orchid. Akina gasped. She glanced at Chizu, who looked like she was ready to bolt.

"There must be some mistake." Kurotsuchi argued. "I know for a fact that..."

"You know what?" Zaraki growled, stepping closer but still keeping his hands on Akina.

"The numbers were..." he started again then stopped. Akina realized that he'd manipulated the numbers to pair them up. She suddenly didn't feel quite as guilty as she had a moment before.

"The numbers were randomly assigned. Right, Captain Kurotsuchi?" she said sharply. He stared at her with burning eyes. Each knew that the other had somehow tampered with the results but neither could accuse the other without revealing their own guilt.

"Come on. I'm hungry." Zaraki said, physically turning her away from Chizu and Kurotsuchi. He walked her into the restaurant. He'd apparently been waiting at one of the tables. He paused beside a table. Seated there were Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya and Lt. Yachiru Kusajishi. Yachiru sat atop a stack of books to raise her to the proper height for the table. She grinned happily at Zaraki as she said,

“Hiya Ken-chan! You got matched with Aka-chan? Yahoo! She's cute.”

“Yeah, she is.” he muttered. Yachiru held up a large heart-shaped box of chocolates, waving it wildly in the air.

“See what MY DATE brought me, Ken-chan?” she announced happily. Zaraki's expression darkened. He turned his stony gaze to Captain Hitsugaya.

“Watch yourself, kid.” he warned him, his words ladened with menace. “Remember, it wouldn't be the first time I've killed a captain.”

Hitsugaya blinked rapidly, the weight of Zaraki's threat registering on the man.

“Of course, Captain Zaraki. There is no need for concern.” he assured him quietly. Akina noticed a small piece of paper on the floor that had fallen from Yachiru's chocolates as the men spoke. She bent to pick it up, reading the words written there,

To Shiro-chan,
Happy Valentine's Day!
Captain Ukitake (AKA: Shiro-chan-2)

A smile inched slowly across her face as she discretely folded the paper and offered it to Captain Hitsugaya.

“You might want this, sir.” she said quietly. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw what she held. Pink tinged his cheeks. He hastily snatched it from her and quickly tucked it out of sight.

“Yachiru, I'm over here if he starts acting squirrelly.” Zaraki grunted as he guided Akina to the table directly behind Captain Hitsugaya.

"So, did you really cheat?" he asked Akina as he practically pushed her into a chair. She stared up at him, wide-eyed. His entire demeanor had changed.

"Only a little." she admitted. He grinned suddenly.

"You wanted to go out with me that much?" he asked. She blushed, looking down shyly. She had wanted to be paired with him.

"I did." she whispered. "And I also didn't want to end up with Captain Kurotsuchi." she added. His grin faded slightly. His playful attitude vanished.

"Whaddya wanna eat? They don't have much in the way of real food here. It's mostly fru fru crap that wouldn't keep a bird alive." he grunted, eying the menu. She noticed that he was wearing his uniform. His hair in it's usual towering spikes. Her gaze settled on the eye patch he wore over his right eye. She could see his reiatsu pouring off him in golden waves. A constant torrent was funneled up to his right eye where it dissipated harmlessly. So it was true, she thought with a smile.

"Whatcha staring at....hell, I don't even know your name." he snapped.

"It's Akina Ito. And your name's Kenpachi Zaraki, right?" she said, offering him her hand. He grinned, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, it is." he said softly.

"You got a good grip there, Akina. You were pretty impressive in the bar last week. That was my sixth seat you laid out. He's a tough son of a bitch." he commented, grabbing for one of the rolls in the center of the table. She smiled.

"I can take care of myself." she said with a shrug.

"Can you fight?" he asked, biting into the roll with vigor.

"Of course." she said automatically, reaching for a roll. He made them look incredibly appetizing.

"No, I don't mean can you hold a sword and swing it around a few times. Can you FIGHT?" he growled, leaning forward slightly. His reiatsu thickened and swelled as he discussed fighting.

"I can hold my own, Captain Zaraki." she said simply. She could feel the pressure of his reiatsu all around her. She closed her eyes, relishing the slight tang of it. Akina had discovered over time that with some people, those with very strong spiritual pressure, she could not only see but almost taste and feel it. With Commander Yamamoto she'd noticed a slight smoky scent like leaves burning in the fall. But the scent of Zaraki's reiatsu was fresh and crisp, almost like the smell of a coming thunder storm. She liked it.

"You having trouble breathing around me?" he asked in a teasing tone. She shook her head, smiling as she opened her eyes.

"Not at all. I do find it interesting that your reiatsu shoots up when you start talking about fighting though. You must really love it." she commented. He drew back, giving her a strange look. The waiter stepped up.

"Good evening, sir. Would you care for the wine list?"

"Just bring us a couple of bottles of something good." Zaraki snapped, waving the man away. He leaned forward, his dark eye meeting hers sharply.

"You're that good at sensing spiritual pressure?" he asked quietly. She nodded. She glanced to her left. Kurotsuchi and Chizu were sitting nearby. She felt Kurotsuchi watching them. She wondered if he had heard their conversation. He was always so interested in her ability though he had no idea of it's true depth or clarity.

"Creepy ass guy, ain't he?" Zaraki chuckled.

"Oh, he really is." she laughed. "And he's always staring at me."

"Can't blame him for that." Zaraki commented quietly as the waiter returned with three bottles of wine. He uncorked the first offering Zaraki the cork. He accepted it from him with a frown, tossing it over his shoulder. It landed in the soup bowl of Captain Hitsugaya, sitting directly behind them. Akina heard Yachiru squeal,

“I didn't get one of those in my soup! Not fair!”

“Here,” she heard Captain Hitsugaya say calmly, “Take mine.”

Suppressing a laugh, she watched the waiter pour a small amount of wine in Zaraki's glass and offer it to him to evaluate.

"Quit being stingy and gimme the damn bottle." Zaraki growled, snatching it from the frightened man. He filled his glass to the brim then filled Akina's.

"That's enough." she cried out, fearing she'd spill it.

"Suit yourself." he said with a grin. He took a drink. Then commented,

"It ain't as good as sake but I guess it'll do. So whatcha wanna eat?"

"I'll have the steak." she said softly, handing the terrified waiter her menu.

"Sounds good. I'll have the same but don't overcook the damned thing. I want it still kicking when it hits the plate...got it?" he roared at the man, who nodded, backing away from him quickly. Akina stifled a laugh, sipping her wine. She was aware of Zaraki watching her closely. She just didn't know what to expect from the man. Once she looked up, meeting his gaze he said quietly,

"You look good."

"Thank you." she murmured self-consciously.

"Oh, shit! I forgot." he cried out, reaching into his pockets suddenly. She watched him curiously as he withdrew a small white bag tied with a red ribbon. Dark brown stains were visible inside the bag. He offered it to her.

"It's chocolates. I think they may have melted a little. I forgot they were in there." he explained with a shrug. She took them with a smile. It was the first time she'd ever received Valentine's chocolates from a man.

"Thank you." she gushed, prying the bag apart and plucking one of the melty chocolate candies out. She popped it in her mouth then licked her fingers.

"Oh! That's good." she said despite the chocolate filling her mouth. He grinned.

"Yachiru made me bring you those." he commented, finishing his wine in one gulp.

"She's something else." Akina laughed, washing her mouth out with wine. It blended with the chocolate deliciously.

"Oh man...that wine goes really well with chocolate. Here...try one." she insisted, stretching across the table to offer him a melted glob of chocolate. He cocked an eyebrow at the deformed looking candy hanging from the end of her fingers, then took it into his mouth. His lips claimed her fingers as well, slowly sucking them as she pulled free. It was an exciting, sensual sensation. He held her eyes as she slipped her fingers from his greedy mouth.

"Now, drink some wine." she ordered him, offering him her glass since his was empty. He let her hold it, tipping it into his mouth carefully. She watched as his tongue slipped out, sliding along the lip of the glass where she had drank from. His expression changed slowly.

"That is good." he said after a moment, reaching into the bag for another piece of chocolate. She laughed, feeling amazingly comfortable with him. The waiter appeared with the salads. He sat a plate in front of each of them, regarding Zaraki cautiously.

"What the hell's this?" Zaraki snapped, lifting the lettuce gingerly.

"I ordered meat not grass." he growled, shoving the plate back at the man.

"It's a salad." she said softly. He cocked an eyebrow in her direction but said nothing, glaring at the waiter until he hurried away with the salad.

"I know what the hell it is." he snapped, once he was gone. "But I'm hungry. I don't want a damn salad. I want real food."

Akina burst out laughing, feeling like a fool. She felt her cheeks burn brightly. What was she thinking? Of course, he knew what a salad was, she scolded herself silently. When she finally dared to look at him again. He had leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed, watching her closely.

"You're cute when you get flustered." he noted with a playful grin.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." she blurted out.

"You were thinking what most people around here think...that ole Zaraki's an uneducated idiot that don't even know what a fuckin' salad is." he growled. His words were harsh but his grin remained.

"Don't worry about it, sugar. You just met me so I'll cut you some slack. But it pisses me off when people who've known me for decades do that shit."

"I can imagine." she said softly. It would bother her too, she thought as she attacked her salad hungrily.

"You ain't like most of these assholes 'round here though, are you?" he said thoughtfully, rocking forward in his chair suddenly. She looked up in surprise. He was regarding her hungrily.

"So how did you cheat?" he asked her quietly. She stared at him in surprise. Swallowing hard to clear her mouth, she blurted,

"I really did want to go out with you, Captain. If you'd given me a chance, I would have told you that night after the bar. But you took off without letting me finish."

"Yeah?" he said quietly, looking at her differently.

"But...I didn't mean to manipulate the results until I saw that I had been paired with Captain Kurotsuchi. I mean, I was hoping that I'd end up with you but it never occurred to me to cheat til I saw that..."

"You really don't like him, do you?" he commented. She shook her head.

"But I think he really likes me." she sighed. He nodded.

"So he arranged for you and him to end up together. That was why he was so pissy earlier. Makes sense."

"I guess so. I never suspected that until he kept insisting tonight. You were supposed to be paired with my friend Chizu." she explained, expecting him to want to switch. Chizu was much prettier than she was. Of course, he would prefer her.

"The whiny bitch with the big tits?" he asked sharply. Akina's mouth fell open in shock.

"She's a really nice girl." she objected. He shrugged.

"Maybe but she ain't my type." he said, pouring more wine. He paused, looking up at her before adding,

"But you are."

Akina stared at him. Had he really said that? Did her really prefer her to Chizu?

"You're the only reason I filled out the stupid question thing. I'm glad I did, though. Not just because I got to take you out but Yachiru and Yumichika were gonna fill one out for me. God only knows what kinda girl I'd have ended up with knowing those two."

"I'm sure she would have been beautiful." Akina laughed as her mind reeled. He wanted to be with her. The thought didn't seem to want to stay put in her brain. It kept bouncing around, jumping to the forefront in blinding bright letters.

He wanted to be with...HER.

"Did you know it was me that you were switching to?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I did. They gave the captain's the same numbers as their divisions. It was pretty easy to figure out." she said softly. The waiter returned with their food. He sat down the dishes then hurried away. Akina eyed her steak with eagerness. She was starving. As she cut into it, she glanced at Zaraki's plate. His steak was twice the size of hers and still bleeding when he stabbed it.

"That looks good." he growled happily. Akina couldn't help but smile. There was something about the man that she really liked. He looked up at her and grinned, his mouth full of meat. She had a sudden desire to kiss him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she shoved the feeling back down. Where had that come from, she wondered. Only then did she become aware of the strange but delightful effervescent excitement that was coursing through her. It had been there ever since he approached her. She chewed her lip nervously. She liked the way he made her feel. It felt...good. It felt right. Like she was suddenly more alive than she'd ever been before.

"Somethin' wrong with your food?" he asked. She looked up in surprise. She'd been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized that she'd stopped eating.

"No! It's delicious. Just thinking...sorry." she said quickly.

"Whatcha think about?" he asked curiously, gutting his potato.

"Oh...the usual." she said, her voice sounding higher than usual. He gave her a strange look but let it pass. She focused on her food, chiding herself internally. She needed to get a grip. She'd never lost her head over a man before and this was the wrong man to start with. He was not the kind of man to bother with silly little girls. If he wanted a woman, he took her then he moved on. This lead to an image of Zaraki stretched out on her bed, naked. She closed her eyes against the thought. What was wrong with her?

"How's your food?" she asked, struggling to return her focus to the meal. She could feel her cheeks burning.

"Pretty good." he grunted, finishing off the huge slab of meat. He leaned back in his chair, drinking his wine.

"Why're you blushing? What the hell are you thinking about?" he snapped. She looked up, her eyes wide with guilt.

"Nothing." she said quickly, looking away. He leaned forward, his long frame nearly reaching across the small table.

"There's somethin' going on in that pretty little head of yours and I got a pretty good idea of what." he whispered, his voice low and husky. She met his eyes. She saw desire burning brightly in his lone eye.

"You about done, Akina?" he asked, leaning back. She nodded, finishing her wine in one gulp. He stood, tossing some bills on the table.

"Don't forget your chocolate. We might want 'em later." he ordered her. Later, she thought. What was he talking about? She watched as he grabbed the unopened bottle of wine in one hand then reached back, sliding his other arm around her waist. He glanced at the table behind her. Yumichika Ayasegawa sat with Ikkaku Madarame, both of Division 11.

“Keep an eye on those two.” Zaraki said to them, motioning with his head towards Yachiru and Captain Hitsugaya.

“Yes, sir!” Yumichika replied, smiling warmly at Akina as he said,

“You look lovely tonight, Akina. Such a beautiful dress.”

“Thank you, Yumichika. Uhm...” she stammered nervously but really wanted to know,

“Why are the two of you together?”

“Because somehow or another, his damn questionnaire listed him as a female.” Ikkaku grunted unhappily. Yumichika beamed brightly.

“I thought I was going out with the prettiest girl in the Sereitei.” Ikkaku complained. Zaraki chuckled softly. Yumichika chided Ikkaku, saying,

“You may not be with the prettiest girl but you are dining with the most beautiful shinigami in the Soul Society.”

Ikkaku rolled his eyes. Yumichika smiled and winked at Akina. Zaraki growled as he tightened his grip on her,

“Come on...let's go.”

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A/N: This is one of my favorite scenes that I've ever written. There is something so wonderful about the odd pairings and antics of the restaurant. Hope you enjoyed it too. I haven't mentioned before but reviews are always appreciated.