Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Ichigo Kurosaki

Music: Vida La Viva, by Coldplay

Word count: ~ 3000

Rating: M

Prompt 63: Laugh

Five years.

When Ichigo finally realized it, he was in the middle of detailing the new squad rotations, up to his elbows in paperwork that had to be filled out in triplicate and old inkbottles and official announcements that were actually utterly useless, but that the Captain-Commander sent out anyway.

Five years.

The thought repeated in the depths of his sleep-deprived brain, a bit too loud and a bit too sharp, and he checked the date automatically, as though he hadn't been scribbling it onto every single damn piece of paperwork to leave his hands today.

But he wasn't wrong. It was five years to the day since he had graduated. A little more than that since Byakuya met him at the Academy and recognized him for who he was instead of who he was pretending to be. Five years of being Byakuya's lieutenant and Byakuya's lover, and avoiding all of the friends who used to know him, back in his old life.

The thought wasn't necessarily bad or unsettling, just…odd. At one point, Ichigo had thought he'd never be able to last a week without someone recognizing him or some accident with his reiatsu giving him away. Even when people like Renji or Rukia walked right past him, Ichigo still halfway expected them to turn around and point and say "Hey, don't I know you?"

But they never did. Renji sniped and snarled at him for taking his former position, Rukia treated him with a formal sort of wary distance, and no one else gave him so much as a second look.

But even so, five years. It was a long time to pretend to be someone he wasn't.

Except…that wasn't how it was anymore. Shiba Kei had become as much a part of him as Kurosaki Ichigo. He couldn't really even say which one he was anymore.

The soft sound of the door sliding back pulled his attention back, and he looked up to see Byakuya framed in the entrance to the captain's office. There was a faint frown of concern on his face as he surveyed Ichigo, though anyone else would probably have overlooked it.

"Shiba-kun?" he asked carefully. "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo blinked for a moment before he realized that his reiatsu was flaring just a little, and clamped his control back down. "Yes, Kuchiki-taicho," he answered, quickly rising from his seat. "Do you need anything?"

Byakuya studied him for a moment longer, and seemed to accept his words. He nodded. "The Captain-Commander has been notified that the Royal Guard will be moving several powerful items the day after tomorrow, and wishes all upper-level seated officers on hand to prevent any incidents. Notify all officers above Tenth Seat to assemble here at dawn."

Ichigo bit back a sigh. More paperwork. Lovely. But he bowed anyway and offered, "I'll send messengers with the news now. Was that all, taicho?"

There was a moment of hesitation, and Byakuya nodded in return. "Thank you, Shiba-kun. Will you be joining me for lunch today?"

His heart fluttered in his chest, and Ichigo just barely managed not to grin. He was still unused to the idea of there being a 'we' between Byakuya and him, even after five years. It was a point of gossip in the division, one step beyond an open secret. They didn't hide it, but didn't often show it either. Daily lunches in the mess were the closest they ever came to public displays of affection, but Ichigo didn't mind. He'd never been one to publicize anything he didn't have to, especially when he didn't consider it anyone else's business.

"Of course," he assured Byakuya, smiling faintly—Shiba Kei was relatively reserved, even if he didn't wear a constant frown. "Oh, nee-san wants us to come by for dinner on her birthday, if that's all right with you."

Byakuya grimaced faintly, but nodded. "Yes, we'll attend. I suppose this means another night of defending myself as the man who stole your virtue?" His lips were twitching faintly, a sure sign of amusement.

With a groan, Ichigo covered his face. "Please don't bring that up, I thought we agreed never to mention it again. And I've warned Kukaku and Ganju both that if they don't behave, we'll never come by again."

A soft chuckle from Byakuya drew his head back up, to where the captain stood in front of his desk. He leaned down and kissed Ichigo quickly and gently, then drew back and took a step away. "Very well, Shiba-kun. I'll leave you to your work. Until later."

"Later," Ichigo echoed, fighting a dreamy smile. Even after so long, Byakuya could destroy all of his concentration with a simple touch. It was wonderful, really, but hardly conducive to getting anything done.

And he had more to do, as well. Quickly, he penned notices to the higher seats who were currently off duty and dispatched a runner with them, then gathered up what papers he needed for the Lieutenants' meeting and headed out, leaving the third seat in charge of his desk.

As he easily navigated the maze-like streets, politely greeting the shinigami who acknowledged him, Ichigo marveled to himself again.

Five years.

And he was happier now than he ever had been as Kurosaki Ichigo.

Incredible.

He smiled to himself—because Shiba Kei could, and no one thought it odd—and strode into the meeting hall. The other lieutenants were waiting, gathered in groups or doing paperwork, and they accepted him without so much as batting an eye.

Five years, Ichigo thought again.

Incredible.

The next time Ichigo thought about it, it was barely even in passing. He was still sleep deprived, still behind on paperwork, and trying not to strangle the newest batch of Academy graduates, all of whom thought they knew better then him how to do a patrol—doubtless one of the reasons Byakuya had assigned them to him, as Ichigo wasn't one to let that kind of thing pass, even as Shiba Kei.

He lasted until the two main ringleaders decided, for the third time on that patrol alone, that they didn't like his combat formation and called their own orders in the middle of the fight. Granted, the opponent was a low-level Hollow, and they were in a relatively out-of-the-way part of Karakura, but one of the younger boys almost getting his head taken off by a glob of acid when the monster revealed its trick was the last straw. Ichigo loosed his reiatsu, just a little bit, and knocked all of the ungrateful little shits on their asses. This was the fifth time he'd had them for patrol, and every single time, they ignored his orders. It ended here.

"Enough," he hissed, striding past the ringleaders with a scowl. "When I say seventh formation I mean seventh formation, not ninth!" The Hollow spat another mouthful of acid at him, but he just absently knocked it away and hit the creature with a high-level kido. "You're going to get each other killed disobeying orders! Squad leaders are experienced for a reason!" A single blow from Zangetsu's sealed form was enough to banish the Hollow, and Ichigo rounded on his charges. "You are Sixth Division. That means something. Honor and loyalty above all!"

The boy who had started it—and he really was a boy, for all that he was a year or two older than Ichigo—looked away mulishly, and Ichigo had to contain the urge to do violence to his person. But that was a Kurosaki Ichigo reaction, not a Shiba Kei reaction, so he throttled it instead of the recruit, sheathed Zangetsu sharply, and regained control of his reiatsu. Turning away, he sent out a Hell Butterfly to open the senkaimon. "From where I'm standing, you have no loyalty to anyone but yourselves, and no honor. Believe me when I say that I will be speaking to Kuchiki-taicho about this as soon as we return."

As they filed past him into the gate, Ichigo saw they didn't look particularly penitent, but rolled his eyes and kept his thought to himself. Byakuya would do a better job of chewing them out, and with fewer words. They'd have to think carefully about accepting any more such close-knit groups into the division in the future, though.

But really, Ichigo realized as he followed them through, would he have done much different just…was it really only five years ago? Before he had died, before he had become Shiba Kei, would he have been the one recklessly endangering himself and his friends instead of that other boy? When had his focus shifted so much that he could lecture them about honor and loyalty above all else and not feel like he was simply spouting clichéd recruitment drivel?

They stepped out into the sunlight of the Soul Society afternoon, passing another squad just preparing to move out. As their feet hit dirt, though, the rest of the squad froze. Ichigo looked past them to see Byakuya waiting, imposing and regal with his windflower scarf dancing in the breeze.

"Shiba-fukutaicho," he said formally. "Report."

There was a collective wince from behind Ichigo, and he let a faintly malevolent grin show through as he saluted sharply. "Kuchiki-taicho. I suggest the breakup and dispersal of this squad amongst several others, as they cannot be trusted to follow orders in battle."

All of the other shinigami around the gate winced at that, not just the squad. To have a captain demand a report in front of others was a sign of having high hopes for a squad, and to have a lieutenant say something like that—especially in front of other divisions—was one of the biggest dressing-downs a squad could get.

Byakuya simply raised an eyebrow, however, and looked back at the recruits. "Really?" he asked, directing the question at the boy in the front. "Is Shiba-fukutaicho being unnecessarily harsh, Kuze-kun?"

The ringleader winced and tried to take a step back, only to find himself blocked by his squad mates. Loyalty only went so far when confronting an annoyed captain. "Uh, we—"

The captain turned away without waiting for a response, as though that was the answer he'd been looking for. "Very well, Shiba-fukutaicho. Start reassignment. I will approve the paperwork after our mission tomorrow. Dismissed."

Ichigo saluted again and took a step back. "Yes, taicho." He turned and faced his squad. "Back to barracks and wait for your reassignment letters. You're all on clean-up duty until you receive them. Dismissed."

There was some subdued grumbling, but not much, and they departed quickly. Ichigo sighed as he watched them go, leaning slightly into the comforting warmth of his lover when Byakuya moved up to his side.

"Was I ever that bad?" he asked softly, aware of the ears around them but unable to put off asking for even another minute.

Byakuya reached up and ghosted gentle fingers over the back of his neck, underneath his dark ponytail. "No," he said after a moment. "You always went out of your way to protect others, not needlessly endanger them. Willful disobedience in preservation of life is acceptable; to disobey because one thinks one knows better is something else entirely."

Ichigo sighed a little and leaned into the touch, then turned and smiled at his captain. "Thank you, taicho. I'm just…"

The storm-grey eyes were understanding. "You have come a long way from where you were, Shiba-kun. Return to headquarters and turn in your report. I will see the senkaimon technicians and meet you at the house."

"Yes, taicho." Ichigo saluted and turned, flash-stepping back to his office. The paperwork he needed was already drawn up, and so rote that it was the work of less than an hour to reassign the officers and file everything appropriately. Then he turned towards the Kuchiki estate, already anticipating home.

"I think Rukia would kill me if she knew about this," Ichigo murmured, leaning forward to kiss Byakuya. They were both breathing hard, but the captain returned the kiss with just as much intensity, pulling Ichigo down to the mattress and rolling them so that the redhead was on the bottom.

"Must you talk about my sister when we are like this?" Byakuya complained, sliding his hands down Ichigo's chest. Long, deft fingers traced a nipple and then pinched slightly, making Ichigo drop his head back and moan. The other hand crept further down, skimming along Ichigo's side to grip his thigh and shift it wider on the bed. Ichigo grinned at him and moved the leg out of his grip, slinging it over Byakuya's hip.

"Are you going to stop me?" he challenged, twisting his fingers into Byakuya's hair and leaning up to nip at his jaw. Byakuya's breathing stuttered for a beat and then he growled, rolling again so that they both lay on their sides, bodies fully aligned.

"You are maddening," Byakuya informed his lieutenant, dragging their lips back together in a wet, messy kiss that turned Ichigo's muscles to water. He murmured into it, reaching down to grip Byakuya's ass and pull them even closer, legs entwined. Their bodies slotted together, erections rubbing, and both groaned at the sensation, mouths locked and tongues searching.

"We have an assignment tomorrow," Byakuya said, but it was breathless. "Neither of us can afford to be sore, especially if the threat is as great as—"

Ichigo growled in annoyance, cutting him off with a kiss. "So? I won't be sore if we just do this. All right with you?"

One long-fingered hand snaked down between them, grasping their arousals and stroking hard. "More than," Byakuya assured him, nipping at his throat and collarbone as he drew his hand up.

"Oh, god." Ichigo returned the favor, twining their fingers together and tightening Byakuya's grip. Byakuya's hand was hot and perfect, melting his spine and tightening the coil of expectancy in his gut as they twisted together, desperately kissing or touching every inch of bare skin they could reach. They kissed, and Ichigo felt every nerve ending come alight at once, the need for release shuddering through him. Byakuya seemed the same, touches turning more frantic, grey eyes sliding shut as he twisted their hands and came with a low groan. The rush of his release, the sight of that beautiful face going slack with pleasure, tipped Ichigo over the threshold and he followed with a soft cry.

They lay, limbs still knotted together, as their breathing slowed. Byakuya rested his forehead against Ichigo's, breathing in the scent of sandalwood soap and cherry blossoms and reveling in the thought that this creature was his, no matter what would happen in the future. They were together, and Ichigo was not the sort to make any commitment lightly. This was forever, and Byakuya couldn't have been more pleased.

At length, Ichigo took a breath and rolled over onto his back, limbs still slack but brow slightly furrowed. Byakuya leaned up on one elbow, watching his face with quiet concern; he knew that eventually Ichigo would say something, and that it would most likely be what had been bothering him all day.

"I've got a bad feeling about tomorrow," Ichigo finally admitted, meeting Byakuya's eyes. "Trouble, and I think it's of the Hollow kind."

Byakuya simply nodded; he had guessed as much. "If you are forced to reveal yourself, what will you do?"

Ichigo shrugged and closed his eyes. "It's been five years. If I don't say something soon, I don't think I ever will. But I'm not going to tell everyone, just the senior officers and my friends. If it comes out tomorrow—well, that's the way things will be, right?"

With a smile, Byakuya dipped down to kiss Ichigo's forehead and then pull him closer, tangling them together again. "You have become philosophical in your age, Ichigo. Sleep. Tomorrow comes soon enough for worrying."

Ichigo smiled in return and relaxed against his side, ghosting a soft kiss over his collarbone as he drifted off.

It was a trap, of course. As the Zero Division had expected, attackers hit them just as they were passing through one of the remoter areas of the Rukongai, far from any backup. They were Arrancar, and dozens of them, led by Tia Harribel and her Fracción. The sheer amount of reiatsu in the air left the lower seated officers unconscious, and the captains fighting desperately to reach the leaders before they could overtake the items that were being transported.

Ichigo saw the enemy group moving towards the procession, saw the lack of guards, and new that Shiba Kei would never get there in time, and would never be able to stop them all, especially with a sealed zanpakuto. Involuntarily, his eyes flickered to Byakuya, who had brought out his bankai and was holding another group of attackers off of Unohana as she attempted to heal Soi Fong. The captain looked back at him at the same moment, and seemed to read Ichigo's plan on his face. He nodded, just briefly, before turning back to his opponents, but that was all Ichigo needed to see. He raised his sealed sword in front of him and murmured, "Come on out, Zangetsu."

Reiatsu, thick and rough and just as powerful as the enemy's, flooded the area, drawing every eye to him as Zangetsu's elegant cleaver shape cut through the smoky air. Ichigo whirled it around in front of him, ignoring the shocked faces all around him, and braced his arm, then commanded, "Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!"

The gathered reiatsu whirled out, clearing the air of soot and smoke, and Shiba Kei was gone. In his place, Kurosaki Ichigo raised his slender black nodachi towards the other captains in swift, laughing salute and flickered out of sight, too fast for even the most experienced eye to follow.

Sweeping Senbonzakura Kageyoshi out in a deadly arc, Byakuya smiled to himself, just slightly.

Five years.