A/N: Because I'm returning so late, I decided to slip in a chapter that was not part of my initial plan, but I'm sure no one will mind because it gets hot and heavy. Apologies for keeping my readers waiting, I hope stepping up the steam makes up for it. This is somewhat inspired by *spoiler alert* Byakuya's time in the hot springs with the Zero Squad.

Chapter 19: Bleach and Steam. The Hot Spring.

Ichigo woke up early the next morning, as soon as the gentle morning sunlight poured into his guest chambers at the Kuchiki manor. He didn't want to admit to himself, but he probably awoke out of anticipation of meeting Byakuya, whom he heard would be busy at a meeting of the Kuchiki clan elders today. Just when Ichigo had showered and dressed, one of the servants came to wake him and was surprised to see he was already up.

"Kurosaki Ichigo sama, Byakuya sama has summoned you."

Summoned me? Like he's my master? What am I, a genie? Give me a break. "Should I head to the dining hall?" Ichigo asked, assuming that Byakuya had summoned him to breakfast.

"No, Byakuya sama is at the hot springs," replied the servant.

"The what?"

"The hot springs, sir."

"Where in the world …err Soul Society, are these hot springs and what is your master doing there at this hour of the day?" Ichigo wasn't sure he was hearing right.

"The hot springs are within the compounds of the Kuchiki manor. Byakuya sama would like you to meet him there," came the patient reply.

Of course, I should have known. Hot springs within his manor. Next thing I'll hear he has an entire city within his manor grounds. "I see, well since I don't know where it is, will you be taking me there?"

"It is a considerable walk from the house, sir, and I would only slow you down. It would be much quicker if you head there using shunpo."

"But I don't know where it is!"

The servant brought out a rolled length of paper and presented it to Ichigo, "The map of the manor grounds, sir. Shall I be taking my leave?" It almost seemed like the servant wanted to spend as little time as possible in conveying his master's summon to Ichigo.

As Ichigo unfolded the map, a vein in his forehead was already pulsating at how the lord of the manor was subjecting him to his whims. Once he had opened the map, his jaw dropped. The manor grounds were even more humongous than he had imagined. Rich bastard, thought Ichigo as he narrowed his eyes to read the finely printed landmarks on the map.

He set off in the direction of the hot springs, and only when he was flash stepping on his way did the thought occur to him that Byakuya was bathing in the hot springs. Byakuya. Bathing. And summoning him there.

Ichigo was sure his face was turning red and he tried desperately to calm himself. Obviously, his mind was dragging him to a gutter and in reality, Byakuya probably wanted a word with him or something.

Soon he saw the formation of rocks ahead which meant he had neared the hot springs. Sure enough, he could sense Byakuya's reiatsu nearby.

On getting closer, the air was thick with steam and Ichigo had to squint to see where he was going. And he also realized the hot springs took up a very large area of the increasingly daunting size of the Kuchiki manor.

Finally, Ichigo flash stepped to the rocks that encircled the hot spring's waters. Looking to and fro through the steam, he saw what he was looking for and his breath hitched.

Leisurely resting his back on a rock, with his neck stretched backwards and eyes closed, Kuchiki Byakuya was sitting in the hot springs. The water reached up to his chest, but Ichigo could tell he was more or less…unclothed.

It wasn't the steam flushing Ichigo's face now and he kept staring without remembering to make his presence known as his mind fixated on what lay below the surface of the water.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya's deep voice acknowledged his presence nonetheless.

Sexy body, sexy voice. Stop that thought, Ichigo! "Yeah, what? Why did you ask me to come all the way here? And what in the world are you doing steaming yourself like a dumpling so early in the morning?"

A dumpling. Where does this boy come up with these metaphors? Byakuya did not want to let the brat's rude remarks come between him and his relaxation in the springs. "One would think you'd be grateful to be shown a such a relaxing place."

That's not what I'm happy about being shown. "What of it?" Ichigo asked, scowling.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What of your hot springs? Why am I supposed to feel grateful about you having your own hot springs to chill…err steam…err…I mean relax in?"

Byakuya did not like having his patience tested so early in the morning. "Surely you realize this is an invitation for you to relax in the springs yourself? And you have seen this sort of spring before so you should know it will help strengthen your reiatsu."

"Oh wait, you mean this is the kind of spring Yorouchi san and Urahara san had on their training grounds? The kind that heals and strengthens? Yours is much bigger though."

"Mine is what?" Byakuya deadpanned, smiling in his head.

"NOTHING. I didn't say anything." Ichigo fumbled over what he had just said.

"Well then, do you plan to stand by the springs or take a dip?"

"Okay, I'll be coming in."

Byakuya finally opened his eyes and Ichigo gulped when he saw how his steel grey eyes looked dark and deep with something unknown. This wasn't making it easier. Neither was the thought that he would have to undress in order to step into the springs, and Byakuya was looking at him.

"Well, I see you're taking your time to adjust to the…temperature." Byakuya put his head back again and closed his eyes, lowering himself a little more into the relaxingly hot water. He almost wanted to smirk, knowing how Ichigo was feeling at watching him in the water and how he was all but scared of joining him there. Well, Kuchiki Byakuya was definitely challenging Kurosaki Ichigo, and he was thoroughly enjoying it.

However, at this rate, it would be forever before Ichigo could collect himself enough to respond to this challenge. So Byakuya kept his eyes closed and changed his tone of voice to his absolute cold one. "As you know, I'll be busy attending the clan council's meeting today. However, there were things I needed to discuss with you and so I asked you to come here."

Convinced that Byakuya wasn't looking, Ichigo began to hurriedly shed his clothes before the clan leader opened his eyes. "Why exactly do you need to be pressure-cooking your reiatsu now? You're going into a meeting not a battle."

Pressure-cooking. Honestly, where does he get his choice of words? Byakuya's eyebrows furrowed into his familiar frown at both Ichigo's words and the thought of the day ahead of him. "Well, Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, "These meetings are rather long and involve many old men trying to get the better of my patience. I could do with some relaxation prior to that, and strengthening my reiatsu isn't a bad idea either."

"Wow, did you just almost admit you don't like Kuchiki clan meetings?" Ichigo quickly lowered himself into the water while talking. At how warm and relaxing the water and steam felt, Ichigo let out a sighing breath which did not go unheard by Byakuya, who still wasn't looking at Ichigo. Ichigo shuffled so that he was in a deep enough area of the water to be submerged to his neck.

"I did no such thing. There is nothing to like or dislike about a clan meeting. It is simply a task required of my position." Byakuya explained in his monotone though it still seemed to Ichigo that the clan leader was not quiet looking forward to his task for the day.

"Well, what did you want to tell me?" Ichigo found himself laying back and letting the steam refresh his body now.

"I have come to the decision that I no longer need to keep you from the World of The Living," Byakuya left no trace of the disappointment he felt in having to do that. "Considering the stable state of your reiatsu, I can continue my mission by monitoring you from here. If any changes or crises arise I shall return, however, to Karakura town."

"Oh." Ichigo wasn't doing as well at hiding his disappointment at the imminent separation. "When do you want me to leave?"

"You sound like I'm imposing this on you, Kurosaki Ichigo. Rukia tells me you've been wanting to return home." Byakuya now opened his eyes and locked them straight into Ichigo's brown questioning ones.

Somehow, Ichigo felt nervous and lowered himself into the water upto his chin. "Yes, I mean of course I want to go home," he said quickly. "I meant how do I go home and when."

"I have arranged for you to use the Kuchiki manor's senkaimon this evening."

"And when do you think you'll be joining me in Karakura Town?" Ichigo managed to make it sound like it was an unwanted thing, while simultaneously wondering why he would look forward to having Byakuya there since it would mean his reiatsu was dropping.

"That is not for me to predict, until you have gone back to the World of The Living and I receive data from there. If necessary, I shall dispatch Renji to have a closer look at your situation."

But I'd rather have YOU taking a closer look, thought Ichigo.

Byakuya was thinking of how he did not feel like letting Ichigo go at all. Especially not when the strawberry was in the hot spring without his clothes on, only the water and steam separating Byakuya and his vision from Ichigo. He was sure Ichigo had no idea how delicious he looked while steaming like a dumpling, his face flushed from the heat and the water's surface promising of more of his hot toned body underneath. It was only his strongly practiced control that kept Byakuya from making a move on Ichigo right there in the hot spring. It took so much control. Byakuya indulged himself in letting out a sigh.

Hearing Byakuya sigh as he relaxed in the hot water gave Ichigo goosebumps despite the warmth he was enshrouded in. He couldn't take his eyes off the noble and how his long black hair was wet and of how the water level played games of refractory illusions of the body as chiseled as the gorgeous man's face. Ichigo wished he could see more, and feel more. He could barely control his raging imagination.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The buzzing noise was surely in Ichigo's ears from his racing mind.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, your phone is ringing." Byakuya's voice shook Ichigo intro reality.

Indeed, the buzzing noise came from his phone vibrating away on the rock by the spring, where he had left it with his clothes.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Answer it," stated Byakuya.

Ichigo looked at his phone and gulped. He'd have to lift his naked body out of the water to reach his phone. In front of Byakuya.

"I don't need to, I'll call back later."

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Answer it or stop that annoying noise, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya masked his pleasure as annoyance.

Ichigo just stared crossly at his vibrating phone wishing it would stop.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Very well, do you want me to turn it off, then?" Byakuya asked slyly.

Ichigo's eyes widened. If Byakuya had to reach for his phone, he'd have to raise himself out of the water too.

The two locked their vision into each other's eyes, dripping with steamy challenge.

"It's your phone, Kurosaki Ichigo, so let me lend you a hand."

Ichigo wasn't sure what the noble meant, but then he saw Byakuya lifting his hand and uttering "Hado number 1, shou."

In a split second, Ichigo realized that Byakuya had just shot Kido at his phone and was about to push it into the water. Like the very human teenager he was, the love for his gadgets made Ichigo forget everything momentarily and rush to save his phone in his quickest shunpo.

It was only when he caught the phone that he realized his backside was on full display for Byakuya.

Unknown to him the noble was fully enjoying his victorious view. Byakuya could not believe the image he was being treated to. His control lingered dangerously close to its limits.

In the embarrassment of what was happening, Ichigo's foot slipped and he fell back into the water.

It was Byakuya who flash stepped now, to where Ichigo had slipped to. He quickly pulled out Ichigo's head from the water as the boy sputtered, more out of having Byakuya holding him than from the water he had suddenly fallen into.

"Are you trying to drown yourself, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Byakuya chided. But he still hovered over Ichigo's body, holding the back of the boys head by the drenched orange locks.

They both stared into the other's eyes, willing themselves not to avert their gaze to the water they were positioned in, for it was not very deep.

The steam around them seemed to have doubled in temperature and thickness, sweat beaded on their faces as their flaming gazes interlocked. For some reason, they weren't moving from the position of Byakuya over Ichigo, holding his head, and Ichigo's hand on the noble's other shoulder.

After what seemed like an eternity or perhaps too short a moment at the same time, Byakuya let go of Ichigo who now balanced himself back on his hands.

"It is time we leave for breakfast, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya's voice did not give away his racing heart or his intense lust. "Now if you would kindly look away, I'll be reaching for our towels."

Of course, I could have ASKED him to look away. Congrats, you're an idiot, Ichigo, thought the teenager as he complied with the noble's request of looking elsewhere.

Within moments, he felt a towel being thrown at his head and he looked back at Byakuya to find the noble wrapped waist-down in a white towel. This sexy vision was surely burned into his head for an eternity now.

"I will see you at the dining hall, Kurosaki Ichigo." Byakuya turned his back, his very alluring back dripping with hot water, to Ichigo. And then he walked away. Leaving the teenager a hot mess as he tried to collect his thoughts and get dry and back to his clothes.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed every innuendo here. Please review if you did, and even review if you didn't. I wonder if I have lost my touch during the long hiatus.