Disclaimer: Bleach is a worldwide property of Kubo Tite. I have no intention to disgrace his story or characters.
Timeline: Around 50 years after the main storyline
Warnings: Rated M for sexuality and coarse language
Notes: Constructive criticisms, personal rants or even flames are all welcome.

Hide and Seek

Chapter 1

Kuchiki Byakuya strode down a street of Rukongai, liking the feeling of being unrecognized. After all, if he had wanted to be regarded as either a Shinigami captain or a head of a noble family, he would have worn his captain uniform along with a kenseikan and a scarf and walked down a street of Seireitei instead of wearing just a simple blue yukata.

It had been a long while since he stepped on Rukongai's street, the last time being when he had gone out to save Rukia from a Bount, and it had been much longer since he stepped into that small teahouse where he had first met his wife.

The place hadn't changed much from how Byakuya remembered it, except that Hisana was no longer working there, hadn't been for the past century. Normally, he would avoid that place for it brought back too many memories, but this time, he was there on purpose. He needed to remember Hisana just so he could preoccupy his mind completely that it could not wander to one certain orange-haired Shinigami.

It didn't work.

It seemed that thought was rebellious like Kurosaki Ichigo himself, which meant that the more Byakuya tried to push it to the back of his mind, the harder it would fight to reemerge. Now his mind could only stay focused on the fond memories of him and his late wife for a minute, but then it would travel back to Ichigo.

And that was when Byakuya realized his trouble was much deeper than he thought it was.

The head of the Kuchiki clan had grudgingly admitted to himself a long time ago that he was attracted to one Kurosaki Ichigo. However, unlike many of Ichigo's fan girls, the leader of the Sixth Division knew his attraction was going nowhere. The Lord knew he had tried to move on. Yet, moving on wasn't easy when the boy would always be there to tantalize him, especially now that Ichigo had been accepted to the Gotei 13 and placed as a captain of the Third Division.

Sometimes Byakuya thought Ichigo might know about the effect he had on him so that he kept taunting him with his presence, giving him false hope of intimacy by calling him by his given name, but then he quickly dismissed that possibility. Somehow, he didn't think it would be the way the boy would react if it were the case. Ichigo wasn't a type of man who would intentionally play game with other people's hearts. The worst thing he could do was to say he was sorry that he couldn't return Byakuya's feeling and then avoid him completely for the rest of his Shinigami days.

Byakuya closed his eyes and sipped his tea. Suddenly, the hot tea seemed cold.

It was late in the afternoon when Byakuya left the teahouse. His day in Rukongai had been a complete waste of time. Having been away from the Gotei 13 and Kurosaki Ichigo didn't help him clear his mind. Even worse, it had underlined his problem, so now he wasn't entirely sure he could see that Shinigami without betraying his own feelings.

With one last look at that street, Byakuya made his way back to Seireitei.

Ichigo didn't even know why he headed off to the Kuchiki manor soon after the end of his work-hour. It was true that it was unusual for Byakuya not to show up at his office for two days in a row when the man was never once late for work, but even then, it shouldn't have Ichigo concerned. After all, it wasn't like they were friends.

Anyhow, the orange-haired Vizard zoomed his way there, and before he knew it, he was already crouching on the wall of the Kuchiki estate.

Since sensing reiatsu wasn't his best quality and Byakuya was probably an expert at masking it, Ichigo decided it would be better to look for the man instead of trying to sense where he was in such a huge mansion.

Much to his surprise, it took less than a minute for him to locate the owner of the mansion.

Byakuya was sitting down against a plum tree with his eyes closed. He was wearing a green yukata instead of his shihakushō. The famous hairpiece was missing from his raven locks, and the expensive scarf was nowhere to be seen. It was a strange sight, and to Ichigo the nobleman looked younger and seemed more like a man than an ice statue he always seemed to be whenever he appeared in public. He looked much different from the stuck-up noble Ichigo had grown to use to seeing, and for some reasons, that gave him an unsettling feeling.

"Oi!" Ichigo called out.

Since the head of the Kuchiki clan didn't make any move to acknowledge his presence, Ichigo decided Byakuya was asleep, so he called again, louder this time.

"Oi, Byakuya!"

Still, the noble didn't even stir.

Ichigo scowled. Since there was a possibility that Byakuya was not really asleep but simply ignoring him for no apparent reason, Ichigo decided to try again, using a different method.

"Oi, Byakushi!"

If using a singsong voice and calling him by the nickname that was fondly given to him by Yachiru still couldn't annoy man enough to get up and shoo him off, then Ichigo didn't know what else could.

Still, Byakuya didn't respond. And at that point, Ichigo really believed something terribly wrong had happened to Rukia's brother.

Stealthily, the wielder of Zangetsu jumped off the roof and approached to the owner of the Kuchiki house. Just when he bent down to get a better look at Byakuya, telling himself it was just to make sure that the man was fine, he felt a tip of Senbonzakura just an inch below his chin.

Byakuya didn't bother to open his eyes when he remarked impassively, "If the goal of your presence here is to irritate me, Kurosaki Ichigo, you have accomplished it, so leave."

More angry than intimidated, Ichigo grunted, "And here I was starting to get worried about you."

Perplexed, Byakuya opened his charcoal eyes to stare into Ichigo's amber ones. He had not expected the younger man to reply in such fashion. It sounded almost as if Ichigo was truly concerned.

Refusing to allow himself even a slightest moment of hope, Byakuya put Senbonzakura aside and sat up straight. It was never a good idea to be alone with the Vizard, especially now that his mind was too exhausted to come up with any mean of self-preservation. He needed to get rid of the boy soon or he might lose his emotionless mask and say or do something he would later regret.

"I did not ask you to," the raven-haired Shinigami said tonelessly. "Now what is the purpose of this intrusion?"

Even after he had asked the question, Byakuya still knew it would be a hope against hope for Kurosaki Isshin's eldest offspring to simply state his business and then leave. He couldn't tell why, but ever since Ichigo attained his rank as the Third Division Captain, the boy decided to pester him on a day-to-day basis, just like the late Ichimaru Gin had once done before he betrayed Soul Society. However, Ichigo had proven to be much worse annoyance than the former Third Division Captain since at least Byakuya never had to deal with Ichimaru outside of the Gotei 13's ground the way he had to deal with Ichigo.

"Well, I'm just here to see if you're still alive," said Ichigo. "You didn't go to work for two days, and it's not like you to just skip work. Not that I'm actually worried or anything, but I'd rather not face Rukia's wrath if anything should happen to her beloved nii-sama in my watch. You see, she has a habit of beating the crap out of me when she's angry."

Byakuya almost sighed when he heard the name that escaped Ichigo's lips. Of course, it was always about his adopted little sister. Why else would that boy care about him when they were only colleagues, and the only personal relationship they had was through the girl? To think that Ichigo would care about him beyond the fact that he was Rukia's brother would be just wishful thinking. It was Rukia who was truly important to Ichigo, and not him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if someday the orange-haired boy would come to ask for his sister's hand in a marriage, and if that day should come, Byakuya could see himself giving them his blessing. He just hoped it would be after he had found a way to deal with his own conflicts.

"I am physically fine," Byakuya remarked. Technically, he didn't lie. There was nothing wrong with him physically. He was just having an emotional problem. "Now that you see it, there is no more reason for you to be here."

As he finished his line, Byakuya picked up Senbonzakura and stood up, wordlessly suggesting that Ichigo follow his example.

Ichigo frowned as he too stood up. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the second time in less than a minute that the man told him to leave. Normally, Byakuya would find a more subtle way to get rid of him as he had commented it himself that Ichigo didn't respond well to a direct order. However, this time, Ichigo could only think that the man had wanted him gone so much that he didn't care about being subtle, and it made him wonder why.

At that point, Ichigo could only think that the little change in Byakuya's demeanor took place because the older man was trying to avoid something, namely his questions. Perhaps the Shinigami was annoying him so he wouldn't have to tell him about why he had been absent or where he had been.

With that conclusion, Ichigo ignored Byakuya's word and pressed, "If you're well then why didn't you go to work?"

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō kindly allowed me to have one week off. I shall return to work next Monday. However, I cannot see why you need to come here to ask me this question when my fukutaichō could have given you the same answer."

The Vizard groaned as he had realized his mistake. He should have known better than to assume that Byakuya would simply be absent without leave when he had told himself the man was too responsible to even be late for work. Now he didn't think it was right to doubt that the older Shinigami had something to hide about where he had gone to while he was not working either. Still, something about this incident bothered him. He just couldn't tell what it was.

"If there is nothing more I can do for you, I would like to be alone."

Ichigo's scowl was deepened. It was the third time in that brief encounter that Byakuya had tried to get rid of him, and he wasn't being subtle about it either. In fact, he was downright rude. Ichigo couldn't tell what had possessed the nobleman to treat him that way again after Byakuya had decided treated him more politely since Ichigo became a Shinigami with an equal ranking.

"Why are you in such a rush to get rid of me?"

The head of the Kuchiki clan wanted so much to scream his answer, but not only would it be uncharacteristic of him to do so, it would also be unintelligent. Ichigo didn't have even a slightest idea of the battle that was raging in Byakuya's head. If only he did, he wouldn't have asked such idiotic question. Not that he really wanted that man to find out anyway.

It took a lot of self-control for Byakuya to keep his stoic mask, but there was still a barely detectable edge to his voice as he replied, "You don't really want to know the answer." He then turned away. "Excuse me."

Honestly, the imprudent Vizard didn't know what kind of answer he expected to hear from the noble Shinigami, but that was certainly not one of the answers he was looking for. He had had enough, and if all Byakuya wanted was to get under his skin, then the man was successful. However, this time, Ichigo decided not to be the only one who snapped.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, Byakuya," Ichigo grunted, seizing Byakuya by his left elbow to stop the man from leaving. "I asked you a question, and I want an answer."

It would be much simpler for Byakuya to jerk his elbow away from Ichigo's hold, but the Kuchiki lord had held so much pride that backing out was too undignified to be his option. Swiftly, Byakuya spun around to face the younger man. His eyes were narrowed dangerously as he glanced at Ichigo's grip on him before he moved his cold glare to Ichigo's amber orbs and demanded, "Let. Go."

Not backing down, Ichigo stared back and challenged, "Make me."

Ichigo believed he spotted a slight flicker behind Byakuya's charcoal eyes soon after he made his dare. He had no idea why, but the look made him feel so nervous that if he hadn't set his mind that he would win this staring contest, he would have already let go of the man's elbow and fled from the scene. Fighting the urge to fidget under the nameless gaze, Ichigo tightened his grip.

Suddenly, the air in the Kuchiki's garden was filled with soundless tension, and neither of them budged.

Finally, it was Byakuya who moved first. For a moment there, Ichigo believed the man would reach for Senbonzakura and called for its shikai. However, instead of reaching for the hilt of his zanpakutō, Byakuya grasped Ichigo's face in an attempt to keep the younger man from moving.

Ichigo's eyes widened. His vision became blurred when he felt, rather than saw, Byakuya inching closer to him. His breath was caught in his throat, and all alarms went off in the back of Ichigo's mind as soon as he felt Byakuya's lips press firmly against his own.

All instincts told Ichigo to pull back, so he did, and surprisingly Byakuya didn't even attempt to stop him.

Byakuya chuckled dryly as he watched Ichigo backed up a few steps from him.

The Kuchiki lord wore a grim expression on his face. Regret shone brightly behind his gray eyes as he started to reprimand himself inwardly for his reckless action. What did he try to gain from kissing the boy? Hadn't he done enough to disgrace himself and his family already? He was certainly not in need for more self-disgust, and yet he always found a new way to hurt his own pride.

As he stole another look at the orange-haired Shinigami, Byakuya sighed inwardly in relief that the boy was still in a state of shock. At least, he didn't have to face with the other man's rejection then and there, so he should take advantage of the situation. Ichigo could feel free to call him a coward and come after him for revenge later, but right now, Byakuya didn't feel like staying there any second longer.

"I hope it was enough to answer your question," the Sixth Division Captain uttered solemnly. "I trust you know your way out."

When Ichigo looked up again, Byakuya was already gone.

It was unusual for one Kurosaki Ichigo to sulk, but once he did, everyone in Seireitei knew better than to disrupt him. So, it wasn't strange that most Shinigami who didn't want to get up close and personal with Zangetsu would stay a good few miles away from where he was currently brooding, especially now that his reiatsu spiked up erratically.

Ichigo's mind was clouded. He had fought so many wars, stopped several apocalypses and still lived to tell about them. Yet, something deep down told him he might not make it through the mess that a certain noble had caused.

Kuchiki Byakuya had kissed him. There was no use in denying it when the memories of the whole episode kept playing itself in his head no matter how much he tried to erase it.

Subconsciously, he lifted his hand to his now dry lips.

He could recall the taste of green tea that lingered on the cold noble's unbelievably warm lips, the firm touch of those calloused fingers against his skin and the scent of cherry blossoms that was uniquely Byakuya's. He could remember all that, and the kiss didn't last more than a few seconds.

Realizing what he was doing, Ichigo immediately brought his hand away from his lips and groaned.

If anything could madden him more than the fact that Byakuya had just kissed him for no apparent reasons, it would be his own reaction towards that whole episode.

What the hell was wrong with him, acting like a stunned girl whose first kiss had just been stolen? He wasn't a girl, and that was definitely not his first kiss. He would be damned if those were the case. He shouldn't have let the man get that close to him. He should have shoved Byakuya off right in the second the man tried to touch him. And after he was kissed, he should have felt disgusted, sick or violated, then he should have tried to kill that man in rage, but all he did was standing there, dazed and confused.

Something was seriously wrong with this escapade and none of his or Byakuya's actions seemed to make much sense. The thought of kissing one another should be wrong, if not sinful, since Ichigo and Byakuya were supposed to be very straight and hate each other's guts.

Then why did Byakuya do it? And more importantly, why was Ichigo almost disappointed when the man let go?

TBC