A lone figure strolled past the blossoming sakura trees, his white Captain's haori floating out behind him. The vivid moon shone on his long, black hair, and made shadows cast across his solemn face. The ends on his white scarf suddenly flew upwards in his eyes, and he bought his slender hand up to his face and pulled the garment away. He threw it back over his shoulder and continued walking, shaking slightly as the cold winds rushed past him.

A sudden noise behind him made he freeze and put his hand on his sword. He glanced backwards and saw another Captain walking towards him. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly dropped his arm back to his side, promptly turned back around, and continued walking.

"Hey, hey! That's not very polite, Byakuya!" shouted Ukitake defiantly.

Byakuya didn't stop.

"I didn't think it was good for a Kuchiki to be rude" teased Ukitake. But it made Byakuya stop and turn to face the white-haired man.

"Thanks" said Ukitake, grinning broadly, "Anyway, what are you doing outside at midnight?"

Byakuya closed his eyes and replied coolly "I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to take a walk. Not that it's any of your business, senpai"

Ignoring the last comment, Ukitake clapped the other Captain on the shoulder and said cheerily "Weird, same here!"

Byakuya looked at the hand on him with so much contempt, Ukitake couldn't overlook it. The 13th division Captain dropped his hand like it was on a hot poker, and, instead, walked up to Byakuya and stopped at his side.

"Where are you off to?" he questioned curiously.

"Nowhere in particular"

"Mind if I join you?

Byakuya grunted, which Ukitake took as a no-he-didn't-mind. So, the two men set off to nowhere in particular.

However, the following silence became unbearable for the eccentric white-haired Captain, and so he started babbling about random things that had happened to him today, such as how he had accidentally tripped over a drunken Shunsui that was lying outside his room. Byakuya merely nodded once and proceeded to ignore the rest of what Ukitake said. He stared into the distance and let his noble thoughts wander.

"Anyway, that's enough about me! What happened to you today?" asked Ukitake eventually, beaming. Byakuya looked sideways at the other Captain's calming, if not slightly excitable, smile and felt a strange, warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head, as if to clear the butterflies in his abdomen, and simply replied "I met you on my peaceful midnight stroll"

Ukitake laughed, which only increased Byakuya's butterflies, and said playfully "I didn't mean what's happening to you now, I meant earlier. Anything interesting?"

"Paperwork"

"You find paperwork interesting?!"

"Not really. But that's all I've done today"

Ukitake shook his head disparagingly, and muttered to himself (although Byakuya could hear him easily) "The man's mental"

Byakuya chose to ignore that remark.

"Don't you ever do silly things?" asked Ukitake, poking the other man in the arm, as if to check he was real, "Don't you ever live?"

"I'm living" answered Byakuya, lifting his chin up.

Ukitake frowned.

"I meant as in living your life to the full"

"It's only you who has to do that, senpai"

"…what do you mean?"

"That illness of yours is going to kill you soon. And you're older than me. You live your life to the full so you can experience everything before you die. I, on the other hand, have many more centuries to live and many more chances to do things"

Byakuya stared into Ukitake's eyes, which were slowly closing, as if in pain. Byakuya bowed his head shamefully, realising he had gone too far.

"I apologise, Ukitake. It is an inappropriate topic to bring up" stated Byakuya solemnly, as if every well-placed word counted. But deep down, he knew he hadn't even apologised right.

Ukitake nodded and passed a hand over his eyes, all the while smiling sadly. But Byakuya could see the other man's smile was forced. Byakuya bit his lip awkwardly, and stared avidly at the other Captain's slight, embarrassed flush appearing on his pallid cheeks.

Byakuya looked forwards again and shuffled his feet about uncomfortably. The sensations he was getting had somehow moved to his crotch. He glanced down and was relieved it wasn't noticeable. But this time, Byakuya knew what it meant, and was sure it wasn't good. Ukitake was making him feel that he was much less important than he originally thought. And making him feel Ukitake was more important. That he was the most important thing in his life.

Byakuya was slowly falling in love with his white-haired senpai.

And that is why he leant forward and softly kissed Ukitake on the lips, abandoning his serious nature and chuckling slightly at the other man's wide eyes.

"Bya-Byakuya…" stammered Ukitake, when Byakuya finally pulled away.

"What?" replied Byakuya, cocking his head to one side and smiling playfully (making Ukitake even more astonished, since he hadn't ever seen the raven-haired man smile)

"Why?" asked Ukitake, as he passed a pallid hand over his lips confusedly. Byakuya merely shrugged and continued walking, leaving a stunned Ukitake in his wake. But he stopped when he heard sudden coughs. He turned around and curiously watched Ukitake cough suggestively and point at him.

"Whatever are you talking about?" asked Byakuya. When the other man continued to point at him, Byakuya sighed and retained his frown. He crossed his eyes and waited impatiently for Ukitake to actually form some coherent words.

"You, urm, you have an, umm…" stuttered Ukitake, fiddling with his white belt awkwardly. Byakuya raised one eyebrow and continued looking at the embarrassed Captain, until Ukitake finally blurted out "You have an erection!

Both men blushed furiously when they looked down at Byakuya's crotch and confirmed that, yes, he had a hard on. Byakuya hurriedly turned away and starting pulling at his clothes, trying to make them puff out so his…'thing' wasn't noticeable. However, his garments refused to relieve him of his humiliation and he turned away, unable to meet Ukitake's eyes.

"I will see you tomorrow at the Captain's meeting, I think" stated Byakuya quietly, as he rapidly walked away, "Goodnight"

Ukitake bit his lip and paled, which was a deep contrast to his still-red cheeks, and, after making his quick decision whether to stay or not, ran after the 6th division Captain, hurriedly yelling "Wait! Byakuya!

However, he didn't get further than five steps, before he was betrayed by his own body. He started coughing and went straight into an attack, spurting blood out from his mouth and making his lungs rattle and gurgle. He stopped and recoiled, splattering blood onto his hand that was clapped over his lips desperately. He finally collapsed onto his hands and knees and coughed up what his body was insisting on getting out. The dew-dropped grass was steadily sprayed with crimson droplets, and deep imprints of his trembling, frantic hands were forced into the ground.

Byakuya stood there impassively, knowing that he had to keep calm and help the old senpai. But he couldn't pluck up the courage to rush up to Ukitake and comfort him either, for fear of suggesting unwanted, physical, inappropriate touching or undesired feelings. Well, tell a lie, Byakuya was experiencing those very feelings right now and desired the other man very much. He just wasn't sure whether Ukitake felt the same way.

'Why must I do this twice?' thought Byakuya sadly, referring to the time where he had to choose whether or not to save his adopted sister, Rukia Kuchiki, from being executed.

So while Byakuya stood there, swaying and attempting to quickly make his decision, Ukitake stopped coughing and sat back on his knees, wiping the blood off his lips with the cuff of his sleeve. Byakuya stepped forward and stiffly offered a hand to the ailing Captain, which was graciously accepted.

'Why must he be so nice? Why must he make guilt rise up in me like a snake and bite me? Why can't he just tell me to fuck off and get away from him? Why?!" thought Byakuya angrily. He had been expecting Ukitake to reject Byakuya's hand up, to 'tell him to fuck off and get away from him'. But, knowing the other man's kindness, Byakuya now doubted his thoughts strongly.

"Th-thank you, B-Byakuya…" murmured Ukitake weakly, when he was standing, if not a bit unsteadily, on his feet. He closed his eyes and started taking in deep breaths through his nose and out from his mouth, which was obviously a technique that Unohana-taichou had taught him to calm his breathing.

Byakuya nodded solemnly, but, secretly, his insides were burning with a mixture of anger and passion for Ukitake; why had he been so kind again, and why wasn't his anger stopping his adoration for the man?

Ukitake turned away, murmuring quietly "I'd better get back to bed. Unohana and Kyoraku will kill me in the morning if they find out about my attack and me not having rested after, not to mention Kiyone's and Sentaro's constant worry for me will increase if I don't look well in the morning"

Byakuya nodded once more and replied "I have work to do in the morning, I had also better get some sleep"

The two men took a couple of steps away from each other, before Ukitake coughed once more. Byakuya turned around, startled, and was preparing to fulfil his decision (to ignore the feelings and rush up to his senpai and help him), but Ukitake merely leant his head backwards, grinned, and said playfully "Gotcha"

Byakuya couldn't help but smile back, even though he was annoyed, which made Ukitake laugh appreciatively. A sudden burst of pleasure shot through Byakuya, as he heard Ukitake's deep, twinkling laugh.

He couldn't ignore it.

So, once more, Byakuya closed his eyes, leant forward and gently kissed Ukitake on the lips, but was surprised a second later when Ukitake bought his hands up to Byakuya's cheeks and returned the kiss with passion. After a couple of seconds, Byakuya felt Ukitake's tongue softly pressing against his lips, asking permission to enter his mouth. He opened his lips willingly and their tongues darted around each other's mouth, eager to taste and love.

Ukitake's chest suddenly contracted and he pulled away, leaving a line of saliva dangling between their kiss-swollen lips. He coughed a couple of times, breaking the remaining connection between the two men, but luckily no blood came out. He lifted his head up again and, staring contently in Byakuya's blue, cold (now kindly) eyes, pressed his lips against the other's mouth once again. Their lips automatically opened and the kiss deepened.

Finally, the men slowly pulled away and smiled. The two Captains turned back around again.

"You know, Byakuya, I think I love you"

Byakuya widened his eyes and spun around as he heard Ukitake's tender whisper dance through the wind. But when he desperately looked around for the other Captain, a distant, sly chuckle reached his ears, and he realised Ukitake had left him.

"I love you too" whispered Byakuya, seemingly to himself. Although he didn't see the long, ashen-white hair sweep past the moons glare, or the white Captain's haori fly through the night, or the tall, thin figure jumping from branch to branch on the sakura trees, slowly heading home, but stopping momentarily to listen to Byakuya's declaration of love and his sweet, beautiful, silent goodbye, that filled Ukitake with hopes, desires and dreams for the future, before continuing homewards.