'I have to get further,' the boy thought, slipping furtively through the tree-line along the road. He knew he'd be missed before too long, they wouldn't be fooled forever by his plea of a migraine and his taking to his bed. So he had to keep moving, or else he'd find himself married without a chance to protest.

Marriage hadn't been a possible problem until just a few short days ago. Kanesuke had, up until that point, been training to join the Stealth Force, like any spare son of the Ichigawa family. It had been his destiny, his accepted fate, and one he looked forward to due to its beauty. His elder brother would inherit the tedious duty of running their family, while Kanesuke would follow in the footsteps of his other elder brothers and become a commander in the Executive Militia. It had all been decided, and he'd been training all of his life for it, just to be sure that he wouldn't fail the entrance tests, though he doubted anyone as perfect as himself would do anything so common as fail. Anything at all would be better than remaining in the manor under his father's crushing thumb - Ichigawa Daichi ruled his house with an iron fist and Kanesuke's raw back could attest to that.

Yesterday, his father and eldest brother had required his presence for tea, and Kanesuke's life had taken a startling turn for the worse, a turn that had resulted in his being caned within an inch of his life and told he would obey.

"You will marry the youngest daughter of the Kusunoki. The sudden illness of her elder brother leaves the lines of inheritance at question and they request our support. We will tie our families together more tightly and solidify our position as we extend our landholdings. You will be a petty lord if he dies, Kanesuke - be grateful, it is more than you were intended to have."

Be grateful.

Be grateful?!

Kanesuke was many, many things, but doubtful of his own worth was not one of them, and there was no possible way that he would ever allow his own status to be sullied by marrying outside of his own level. She might be a petty princess standing to gain a small holding, but Kanesuke was a young son of a great house. Marrying her would be lowering himself and his father knew it, though his greed for the Kusunoki lands kept him from worrying. Eldest Brother was not pleased by the prospect, but until he was head of their Clan it was not something he could express. Perhaps they were high enough that lowering themselves just a little would not affect their overall status, but at any rate Kanesuke was not about to go along with it. Besides, he'd seen the girl a time or two and she was unutterably hopeless, both fashion-wise and in looks. His outraged outburst to that effect had done nothing to sway his severe, strict father. Daichi had promptly had the head servant strip him to the waist and cane him before the entire staff, humiliating him for his disobedience. Kanesuke, though well used to the casual violence of his household, had been hurt, frightened, and furious enough that he'd retreated to his room under the plea of a migraine - never once indicating that the wounds pained him - and in a fit of childish fury he'd decided that he'd much rather die by his father's hand than marry.

And so here he was, slinking along the road like a derelict with nothing but a sack of belongings tied on his raw back and his sword through his obi. He could survive, heavens knew - though hunger was always a worrisome problem - but he was driven by nothing more than the desperate desire to get away from that awful house, that awful situation, and those awful people who were trying to stain his honor with an ugly marriage.

He was reaching the outskirts of the noble lands, where the fields were untended and the roads were ragged. They would never dream that he would come to such a dirty, horrible place and he was banking on that. Under normal circumstances he'd not have even looked out of his palanquin at such scenery, but now it was a welcome sight. The further he went, the better his chances were; the rest depended on his father's determination and the resolve of his other brothers. Failing to get Kanesuke - who was handily within the manor - he would doubtlessly recall one of his other sons to marry that unfortunate girl, and good luck to them.

Because it wouldn't be Kanesuke, thank you very much!

He spent a miserable night in the meager shelter of a shed, sharing the space with a bony cow and a rather disgruntled pig. Luckily, there was space enough in the feed bin for him to lay without getting terribly dirty, and he was careful to pack away his beautiful kimono so as not to soil it. He wasn't sure where he was going or what he'd do when he got there, but Ichigawa Kanesuke wasn't about to show up looking like a vagabond, thank you very much!

It started to rain as he reached the first little town. He recognized it from his various trips and realized with dismay that he wasn't nearly as far as he thought he was. He was going to have to push much further into the more unruly districts if he had any hopes of outdistancing his father. Not that the man would be worried for his safety, merely furious that his youngest son would dare to disobey him. Kanesuke shuddered to think of what might befall him if he ever ended up in his father's hands again - being caned in front of the servants would seem like paradise in comparison, and his father always seemed to know which wound to rub salt into. Kanesuke supposed that a long life of cruel coldness could do that to a man, he only hoped that he wouldn't turn out like his father...

It took another day to penetrate the outer sectors of Soul Society to where he thought he might be, nominally, safe. Safe seemed relative, however, when he realized just how bad the higher numbered areas were. Long gone was even the semblance of civility - filth caked everything, and the people were both mean-eyed and cruel. Most of them stared at him as if they had no idea what he was, but didn't bother him. It may have been the sword he carried, or the impression that he was someone important who had strayed far, far from course. Yet in the ugliest district yet, he was immediately set upon by a man who seemed intent on working mischief on him. It was only thanks to his training that he was able to fend him off, his form suffering from the painful, untreated stripes on his back. No one seemed inclined to offer any assistance despite his not needing it, which galled him. He had to quietly reassure himself that they had no idea who he was, or else they would have fallen all over themselves to assist. Surely?

Thus preoccupied, he swept his way into the next district, only vaguely aware of the people staring at him.

"Hey, you! Come here, lemme talk to you!"

"Excuse me?" Kanesuke asked, hoping the man would take the hint and leave him alone. He wasn't too keen on meeting anyone in this district, ugly as it was. He thought he was somewhere in the thirties, and already it was horrid enough to deter him from moving into the higher districts. If thirty looked so ugly, what on earth would eighty look like? Kanesuke shuddered to think!

"You heard me, girl, come here!"

He really was an ugly man, missing most of his teeth, his skin marked by pox. The scraggly group with him didn't look any better, being feral somehow, like they didn't know what civilization was, let alone how to behave.

"I will not!" Kanesuke informed him, not even bothering to correct the gender. Honestly, these people must be blind as well as poor and stupid. "Now, tell me where the nearest inn is. I'm tired."

That made them laugh for some reason, trading amused glances with each other as if Kanesuke had made some kind of joke.

"Tired? Why, you can sleep right here in the alley," the man offered, gesturing at the offal and refuse around them.

"That is absolutely disgusting and I would appreciate you not mentioning it again," Kanesuke said, his nose wrinkling. "Now, excuse me. Why are so many insistent people getting in my way today?"

The man stared at him balefully, and said in a low, growling voice, "Kill her."

Kanesuke sighed. "Again?" He was honestly getting tired of this. As the men lunged, he started to draw his sword, but paused when all three went flying away from him.

"Hey."

"Eh?" Kanesuke blinked, wondering where on earth the boy before him had come from. Not from behind him, surely, but somehow he was in front of Kanesuke, rangy and slim in his short summer yukata, his bare feet planted firmly in the muddy ground and his bald head catching the light. He glanced over one shoulder at Kanesuke, tapping a sheathed sword restlessly against his shoulder. Kanesuke was surprised to see that he had dark grey eyes, because he'd never in his life seen anyone with grey eyes at all, let alone ones that were almost black. Even more exotic was the cat-like shape of them, tilted and oddly lovely despite his fierce expression.

"Hold on a minute," the boy said, and proceeded to pound the three men with his sheathed sword.

"I was doing fine!" Kanesuke called, worried that this boy might be another miscreant. He certainly fought like one - no finesse, just brute strength that was surprising to see in a boy who wasn't yet grown. He was so busy watching this newcomer, and maybe feeling the tiniest bit envious of how unrestrained he was, that he failed to sense someone coming up behind him. He shrieked with surprise and shocked pain whenever sore-ridden arms grappled hold of him and tried to bear him to the ground. "Hey! Get off me!"

He aimed an elbow back in the vicinity of a face and got a satisfying crunch followed by a howl of pain.

"Don't you dare get blood on my kimono!" Kanesuke hissed, struggling not to let his precious clothing drag in the mud. He was on a relatively dry spot, but grit his teeth all the same not to land on his face. "Get off, I said!"

He heard a raspy howl and looked up in time to see that bald boy barreling at them, and jerked sideways to get out of the way as the boy kicked his assailant in the face. The arms went limp around him and Kanesuke tumbled away, grimacing as he nearly landed in a puddle.

"What the hell?!"

The youth's outraged voice was loud and raspy, matching the rather irritated, shocked look on his face. He scowled down at Kanesuke with one fist propped on his hip and his sword balanced on his right shoulder.

"Hey! You're not a girl!"

"Of course I'm not! How rude!" Kanesuke snapped, brushing debris from his kimono and straightening his hair. "Why would you even think such a thing?"

The bald boy's scowl deepened and his dark grey eyes cut from side to side, as if suspecting himself the butt of a joke.

"You look like a girl."

"I do not," Kanesuke frostily told him, turning his nose up. "How dare you speak to your betters in such an uncouth way! Get away from me, you're dirty."

"Eh? Betters?" His voice rose again, the volume enough to make Kanesuke wince. "Who the hell do you think you are, girlie-boy?! Huh?"

"I am - " Caution made him pause with his mouth open, which made the youth's scowl deepen into a fierce baring of his white teeth.

"You forgot? Eh?!"

"I'm..."

He started tapping his sword against his shoulder, weighing the necessity of using it again on the boy he'd just helped save.

"Ayasegawa," Kanesuke blurted, landing on something safe. The Ayasegawa were a prolific, wide-spread clan that could claim holdings in several noble areas, so they couldn't be tied to one noble family or another. "Ayasegawa...Yumichika."

"You sure?" The look was not at all friendly, but then it hadn't been friendly from the start, not even when this rude, loud creature had thought he was a girl.

"I'm positive!" He spat, repeating the name desperately to himself so that he wouldn't forget it. "And how dare you demand my name when you haven't offered your own? Have you no manners? Honestly, you country people are appalling!"

"Shut up," he was told, which shocked him into open-mouthed silence. Never in his entire life had anyone ever dared to say such a horrible thing to him! He'd been remiss to think this youth rude - insufferable was closer to the truth. "Madarame Ikkaku."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his nose up again.

"Hey, hey! It had better! It's the name of the man who just saved your hide!" the youth shouted, pointing at him with his sheathed sword.

"Ikkaku?" he repeated, turning an appraising eye on the other boy. "Hmph. How common. And I'd hardly classify you as a man."

Ikkaku bristled, then abruptly laid that sword across his shoulders, holding it in place with his arms draped over it.

"You're welcome," he said, turning to leave. "Not that I'd expect a thank you from some noble brat."

"It should be your honor to help me," the newly-named Yumichika informed him. "That aside, I can take care of myself!"

"Then do!" Ikkaku snarled back at him. "And stop being such a girl! It's misleading!"

"Honestly!" Yumichika huffed. "I can't help it that I'm beautiful! I have good breeding! You would be beautiful, too, if you had good lineage!"

"Shut up!" Ikkaku yelled, and stormed down the alley, slumping with that sword over his shoulders and his bare feet slapping the packed dirt. "And take that jewelry off, stupid! It's no wonder people keep trying to rob you!"

"W...what?" Yumichika had forgotten about the layered rings on his fingers and the quality of his kimono. He hadn't given a thought to how that must appear to these poor, miserable people, simply because it was so common-place to himself. What else was unusual about him that would draw attention? What else didn't he know about this place due to his higher status? "Ikkaku! Wait!"

"Eh?" the youth stopped but only turned slightly, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

He wasn't really sure how to make his request. He'd never had to ask for help before, people had always fallen all over themselves to anticipate his needs.

Stiffly, with a haughty disdain that was mostly nerves, Yumichika grandly offered, "If you will help me, I will give you the benefit of my company."

It was a more than generous offer. Someone as rough and unrefined as Ikkaku would surely want to better himself, and Kanesuke - no - Yumichika was the best option for that.

Needless to say, he was absolutely unprepared for Ikkaku's harsh, loud laughter.

"I beg your pardon, but what is so funny?"

The youth bent over, he was laughing so hard, tears forming at the corners of his grey eyes and spilling over with the force of his humor.

"Explain yourself!"

"Heh, shut up, I said!" Ikkaku managed to gasp, his laughter tapering down to chuckles. "You're a piece of work, Yumichika - you sure think something of yourself."

"I would prefer that you call me Ayasegawa," Yumichika told him. "And why shouldn't I think something of myself? I'm beautiful and talented, well-mannered and graceful. In other words, I am everything you aren't, Ikkaku. You could stand to learn a thing or two from me."

"Likewise." The quip left him speechless again, but at least Ikkaku hadn't left.

"Well?"

"You're hopeless," Ikkaku told him. "You probably can't fight well, not when you're so obsessed with your looks. I can't think of a reason to let a self-absorbed brat tag along, especially one who looks and dresses like a girl."

"I will have you know that this is a traditional day garment for a noble of my standing," Yumichika informed him, fussing with the heavy silk.

"And for a person of my standing, it's a sign that you're as stupid as you are rich, and you need robbing." The youth turned to face him fully, thoughtful, though it looked like something painful to undergo from the expression on his face. With a heavy sigh, he finally said, "Fine! You can come along with me. But don't be so mouthy!"

"Well, I - "

Ikkaku pointed at him with the sheathed sword again, loudly overwhelming his protest with, "And don't be so damned prissy! If you want me to help keep you hidden, then stop being so difficult!"

Yumichika gaped at him, certain that he'd never let such a thing slip. Ikkaku's angry expression slid into one of gleeful orneriness and he said in his raspy voice, "Yeah, I already know, brat! There's no way a noble would be around here unless they were running from something, right? I'm not as stupid as I seem."

"Well," Yumichika softly said, agreeing. "You certainly aren't as stupid as you look."

It had the satisfying effect of wiping that smirk off of Ikkaku's face.

"First things first - that goes!" The sword aimed at Yumichika's kimono.

"How dare you! I couldn't possibly - "

"No arguments!" Ikkaku flatly said, and it was his turn to look arrogantly away. "That thing is worth more than you could know and you're gonna need the money, especially if you get hungry. Besides, anyone looking for you would find you fast just asking after it. It's better to unload it."

"And what would I wear in the meantime?" Yumichika coolly asked him. "I can't go around naked!"

"Well, it wouldn't be too smart if you did," Ikkaku agreed. "We'll find you something else."

"Something beautiful?" Yumichika asked, regretfully touching the silk of his beloved kimono.

"Shut up already! We're selling it, I said!" Ikkaku shouted. "Get rid of your rings and you'll have enough to buy a thousand other kimonos, if you want to keep dressing like a girl!"

"It certainly suits me better than that," Yumichika said, pointing a disdainful finger at Ikkaku's drab, short summer wear. "How absolutely terrible!"

"Eh? You'll wear a woman's outfit but not a man's proper one? Scared of showing your legs?" It was said with a mean grin, intended to be sharp. "Probably scrawny. Most girls are modest, too."

"Oh! What a rude thing to say! How can you be so shamelessly vulgar?" Yumichika asked, flushing. "My legs are just as beautiful as the rest of me, but there is no reason to show them to such squalid, ugly people! It would just make them bitter and sad regarding their own lack of grace and symmetry. It would be cruel of me to show my body any more than I do."

Ikkaku snorted a rude, wordless reply and swung away, propping his sword on his shoulders again. "What a stupid conversation. I'm leaving."

Yumichika let him get a safe distance away - arm-swinging distance, of course - before following after him.

'What a cocky, horrible person,' Yumichika thought, avoiding puddles and the bodies of those men Ikkaku had knocked cold. How ugly they were, so common and crude. 'At least he can help me fit in...'

He bumped right into Ikkaku's back and immediately scrambled away, fearful of getting sweat or blood or stink on him, his violet eyes wild.

"Hey, hey! Why are you so close?!" Ikkaku demanded, glaring fiercely down at him, though not by much. He seemed taller from a distance, and acted far bigger than he actually was, though the size of his hands and the shape of his limbs promised he'd grow into it eventually.

"Why did you stop so suddenly?" Yumichika asked, flushing, fanning himself with one hand. "Commoners aren't supposed to touch nobility!"

"Well, you're one of us commoners now, brat prince," Ikkaku told him. "And you touched me."

"How rude!" Yumichika said, flustered, and asked again, "Why did you stop?"

"Which direction are you running from?"

"I am not running - "

"Which direction are you mincing from?" Ikkaku amended, making the smaller boy glower at him with every ounce of his formidable, offended dignity. He should've dropped dead on the spot or begged for forgiveness, but oddly, he only seemed pleased.

"I would prefer to move away from any noble holdings, thank you very much."

Ikkaku shrugged. "Eh, ah well. It'll sell better in a nicer district. We'll go east and circle around into the center where it's less rowdy."

"East?"

"West, then," Ikkaku decided, somehow managing to be aware of the waver in Yumichika's voice, which was a miracle considering that he seemed to have the sensitivity of a rock. "I know a man who'll buy those rings."

"Oh really?" Yumichika asked, then drew back in sudden fear. "Don't tell me you're going to rob me!"

"Shut up! I'll help you, I said!" Ikkaku snarled, baring his white teeth. "Didn't I tell you not to be so mouthy? You're hopeless! Besides, if I wanted to rob you, I'd have done it already a thousand times!"

He headed off again, in a decidedly westward direction, his shoulders hunched to cup his sheathed sword.

"Hey, come on, I said!"

Yumichika considered that Ikkaku was tricking him, but in all honesty he didn't seem bright enough to try it, and the younger boy knew he was a match to make any assailant sorry, if he could just be bothered to fight with them.

Ikkaku didn't look back to see if he was following, and that decided him - Yumichika hurried after, this time keeping a wary eye on the youth's tense, slim back. Ikkaku didn't stop, however, until they reached the market district, which catered to those who had money enough to browse.

Yumichika stared around in awe, both horrified and fascinated by the goings-on. He'd always sent servants to the market, he'd never had any desire to go on his own, but it was a busy and lively place despite the ugly conditions. He hardly noticed whenever Ikkaku stopped to converse with a questionable old man. It was only once his hand was taken by a papery, ugly, and old one that Yumichika deigned to turn his attention to the man, and then it was to gasp in horror, "Unhand me!"

"Don't mind her, she's noisy," Ikkaku said, grinning meanly.

"I am not a woman!"

"I'll take them," the old man rasped, baring a mouthful of ragged, stained teeth. "I'll give you 100,000 kan for them."

"Sir! This one alone cost four times that!" Yumichika informed him, wriggling the finger where the ring in question lay. "I'll have you know - "

"Done. Take them off, Yumichika."

"How dare you give me orders - "

"Take them off, I said!" Ikkaku repeated, and held his hand out for the money. "Pay up, old man."

"She's a feisty one..." the old man said, wrangling the rings off of Yumichika's slender fingers, much to his absolute and horrified consternation.

"She'll be better once she gets her balls," Ikkaku said, and then they both laughed like it was some kind of joke while the youth gaped at them in stunned silence. "Never mind him, he's just a pretty face."

"Pretty?!" Yumichika hissed, recoiling as his hand was released. "Is that all you can say? I let you raise your voice to me as if we are even remotely of the same standing, allow this dried-up stranger to touch my precious hand, and you have the gall to insult me?!"

"Feisty," the old man repeated, and raised one shaggy eyebrow to peer at him. "But beautiful. You'll need to watch out, boy - people around here prey on the weak."

"Well, I never - !"

"Thanks, old man," Ikkaku said, cutting off his sputtering reprimand. He took the pouch of offered coins without counting it and hooked Yumichika by the elbow with his hand, half-dragging him away. "Come on, brat. Let's get you something beautiful."

"Is everyone so awful?" Yumichika asked, wrenching away from him, his cheeks flushed with the force of his anger.

"You're just sensitive," Ikkaku told him, and added with a sharp, concerning smile, "Probably lack of stimulation. You noble people spend too much time cooped up with each other and inbreeding. This is like a new world for you, huh?"

Yumichika's eyes widened; Ikkaku seemed inordinately pleased.

"Inbreeding?!"

"Come on, I said," Ikkaku told him. "There's a lady up here who can sell you some clothes."

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika snarled, bolting after him as quickly as his zori would allow.

"Hey, don't be so uptight, Yumichika," Ikkaku said, giving him a look over one shoulder. "Don't take yourself too seriously, yeah? Whoever is after you, they won't get to you if you're with me, trust me."

Yumichika flushed and dropped his gaze, saying with a soft waver in his voice, "I can take care of myself..."

"Yeah, sure you can," Ikkaku said, and laughed his raspy laugh. "Come on, I said. Let's get you some clothes and get some food."

He headed off again, expecting that Yumichika would follow.

And he did.

"They can, you know."

He wasn't sure why he was pressing it, only that Ikkaku's confidence bewildered him because he didn't understand its source. And Ikkaku certainly couldn't understand the forces that were moving against Yumichika, nor would he have a reason to care.

'I'll see if he's serious,' he thought, waiting for a response that didn't come. 'The second he understands, he'll vanish...and probably take my money with him...'

"They can get to me."

"No they can't," Ikkaku said, and aimed an irritated scowl at him. "Shut up! I don't do things halfway, brat! If I'm taking you on, I'm taking you on - even if you are a snobby, stuck-up, self-absorbed kid." He laughed again, his eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't last a minute alone. What kind of man would I be to leave a kid so hopeless, heh? So shut up, I said, and come on."

Yumichika stared at him, wondering what on earth fed that confidence. He envied him a bit, too, if he would admit it.

"Come on, I said!"

Yumichika scrambled into step at his side, feeling a little less despondent, enjoying the way that others around them gave them wide berth.

"Ah, those poor people! They've never seen anyone so beautiful," he sighed, stroking his silky hair and bestowing a smile on those who hastened to make room for them. "Wretched creatures, ashamed to show themselves before me..."

Ikkaku laughed a short, harsh laugh and said, "Yeah, right. They aren't moving because you're beautiful, brat! It's because I've already been here awhile."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Yumichika asked, looking up at him. "You're telling me that they're scared of you?"

However outlandish it sounded, it seemed to be the truth. Yumichika watched people scatter before them, their wide eyes on the young man beside him, their mouths moving in frantic whispers to spread the word.

"Ikkaku...why are they afraid of you?" He asked, wondering if he'd been foolish after all to come with him. But he seemed so straightforward...and stupid...

"Because I like to fight," the youth said, tipping his head to look up at the washed-out sky. "It's all I do, really."

"Wh...why?"

Ikkaku shrugged, idly tapping his sheathed sword against his shoulder. "I hate it here. I hate everything about this place. It's all so stupid and pointless it just pisses me off."

Yumichika moved a step closer, intrigued. "But this is your home, isn't it? You were born here - "

"I wasn't," Ikkaku growled, growing more agitated. "I wasn't born here. I came here like this just a few years ago."

'Came here like this...'

"You mean...you mean that you died before your time in the World of the Living?" Yumichika asked, mystified. He'd heard of such stories, but noble families didn't mingle with commoners, and they were the only ones who ever accepted such outcasts. He'd known that it would be true - after all, the World of the Living was a dangerous place where people were killed in droves all of the time - but he'd never expected to meet someone who'd gone that way. "How unsettling. You just woke up here, then?"

"Yeah," Ikkaku said, scowling at a man who didn't move quickly enough, his bare foot landing a kick that motivated a faster scramble. "One second I was there and the next I was in the worst district."

"Do you remember your life?" Yumichika asked, wondering what that was like. Nobles were born in Soul Society and when they died their souls were reborn in the World of the Living - none of them would ever remember their life in Soul Society, it was a failsafe to protect the soul itself. Who could live with the memories of a thousand lives? When Ikkaku died here in Soul Society, he would lose all of his memories to be reborn in the World of the Living.

"Yeah," Ikkaku answered, and just that one word was dark and angry enough to keep Yumichika from asking more questions. "I went where I shouldn't have, and we all paid the price."

He left that bewildering statement alone, sensing that a deep, seething pit of anger lay beneath. He didn't know Ikkaku at all, really, not well enough to trust that Ikkaku wouldn't snap and hurt him.

"When you get reborn, none of that will remain," Yumichika said by way of consolation. "When you die here, you'll go back to the World of the Living and all of those memories will fade."

Ikkaku's fingers tightened on his sword and his shoulders hunched a little in tension.

"None of it..." he said, a pained expression on his stern face. "Then I guess I need to die."

Alarmed, Yumichika scolded, "Not until I'm safe! You promised, remember? You said you'd take care of me! You can't die until I'm safe!"

Ikkaku angled an angry glance at him, but it melted into one of wry amusement and resignation. "You're selfish, Yumichika."

"Not as selfish as you," the boy sniffed, feigning offense. "Trying to get out of a promise by dying! Of all the dramatic things!"

"I'm not trying to get out of anything, brat!" Ikkaku shouted, slapping his sheathed sword against Yumichika's chest. "I'll take care of you, I said! I'll stick around until you're okay! So shut up!"

"You vile, uncouth creature!" Yumichika called him, fanning himself prettily. "Don't worry me like that! It isn't beautiful to speak of death so easily. And no wonder you hate this place if you remember where you're from! Don't judge all of Soul Society by the company you've been keeping, Ikkaku - you're with me, now. I'll civilize you, you'll see."

That made him laugh, a hearty and raspy laugh that actually sounded happy.

"Civilize me?" he repeated, shaking his bald head. "Not a chance, brat! Not a single chance! Here, now - let's get you something you like so that we can sell that kimono off."

Yumichika reluctantly agreed, moving primly in Ikkaku's wake like a beautiful, graceful flower - or, at least he imagined that must be what he was like. Anyone would look graceful in the wake of Ikkaku's stomping gait. However, even he would admit that there was a certain animal-like beauty in the way Ikkaku moved, as if he was some type of large predator that feared nothing and owned everything he set his fierce gaze on. It was a fanciful imagining that entertained him all the way into the kimono shop, then quickly lost out to dismay when he realized how poor a selection he would be forced to make.

"I...Ikkaku!" he cried, horrified, staring around in terror at the quality of kimono offered at the small shop. "They're awful!"

"Hey, hey! Shut up! Don't be so rude!" Ikkaku shouted, making the elderly proprietress flinch. "Just pick something out already!"

"But they aren't even pretty!" Yumichika wailed, clutching his kimono tightly to forestall its loss. "I can't wear anything so ugly!"

"Pick something or I'll pick it for you," Ikkaku warned, glaring at him. "Whatever the case, that thing goes."

"But they're hideous!" Yumichika said, covering his face with both hands to block out the drab colors and worn threads. "This is a second-hand shop! How can I wear something that someone else has already worn?!"

"They've been washed, young lady," the elderly woman said, shaking her bony finger.

"I am not a woman!" Yumichika gasped, dropping his hands to stare daggers at her. "How dare you!"

"Eh? That's a fine garment you have," she said, coming closer to touch it, admiring the silk. "You could have my whole shop for this, but then what would I sell to live?"

"Do you have anything special put by?" Ikkaku roughly asked. "We can pay."

"Special? He wants something special?" she echoed, pressing her finger to her lips in thought. "And he hates second hand...but I have something that was only worn once, it is so special."

Yumichika perked up, hoping it would be something wonderful and clean.

"Let me get it for you."

She hobbled away into the back room and started rooting around.

"How dare you bring me to such an ugly place!" Yumichika hissed, sidling closer to Ikkaku.

"Shut up, I said," the boy repeated, elbowing him a step away. "Be polite, brat."

"These people wouldn't know manners if they slapped them in the face," Yumichika snapped. "Honestly, how could I expect to find anything remotely suitable in such a place?"

"Here you are," the woman said, shuffling back to them. "It's been worn once and kept well. What do you think?"

The cedar box she offered held a carefully folded kimono of lavender with pink and green pinwheels embroidered on it in artfully dyed thread. It was lovely, of fine quality, and adequately suitable for everyday use.

"It was my mother's wedding gift," the woman said, lovingly touching the delicate cloth. "But I'm old enough that even my memories are for sale. When I die, no one will want it anyway..."

"He'll take it," Ikkaku said, closing the box. "How much?"

She named a price that made Yumichika sputter in indignation, but Ikkaku agreed provided that she throw in the undergarments with it, all of which were of lower quality than the ones Yumichika currently wore.

"These will chafe me," Yumichika complained, whispering it fiercely as the woman took his coin. "Ikkaku, I'm tender."

"Well, you won't be for long," Ikkaku said, grinning at him. "Tender doesn't last, Yumichika. If you want to stay beautiful and tender, then you'd best learn to fight really, really well." He punctuated his statement by giving Yumichika a hearty slap on the back.

The smaller boy's eyes widened at the sharp, unexpected pain on his barely dry wounds and leaped away from Ikkaku with a shrill yelp.

"What on earth?"

"Ouch!"

Ikkaku watched him with narrowed, cat-like eyes, suspicion steadily creeping into his expression.

"Come here."

"No," Yumichika said, panting to control the force of his pain, willing it to subside. He turned away from Ikkaku with arrogant disdain, poking his nose into the air as if nothing had happened.

"Come here, I said!" Ikkaku snarled, closing the distance between them with a fierce growl. He snagged Yumichika by the collar of his kimono and wrenched it downwards, half dragging him out of his clothes.

"Stop it!" Yumichika cried, wriggling wildly to dislodge Ikkaku's hand, frantic that those awful, painful stripes on his back would be exposed to prying, dismissive eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and gripped the kimono like grim death, wincing as the movements reopened the busted skin on his back. "Ikkaku! Stop!"

"Shut up," Ikkaku ordered, easily fighting Yumichika's hands down with only one of his own while the other managed to loosen the kimono. He gave it one more hard pull and exposed the white juban beneath, where the blood had only just started to seep through.

He abruptly stopped, shocked.

"Yumichika..."

The smaller boy flinched, shamed to the depths of himself by those marks, a clear sign to anyone of his worth to his family, to his father.

"Stop it," he whispered again, stricken, shamed. Embarrassed, humiliated tears sprang into his eyes and he closed his lids against them, shutting out both Ikkaku and the old woman watching them. It was horrible enough to have a stranger see his shame, let alone another stranger who couldn't care less about him or his pain.

He made a soft sound of shocked dismay when he felt Ikkaku's hand reach into his kimono and tug the ties loose completely.

"What are you doing?!"

Instead of answering, Ikkaku merely hoisted the loosened juban down to see the extent of the damage.

"Who did this?"

"None of your business!" Yumichika weakly said, trying to shrug the juban layers and kimono up over his slender shoulders, trying to hide the ugly proof, his punishment for being himself.

"Ayasegawa Yumichika, tell me his name!" Ikkaku said, his young voice rising with anger. "I swear I'll kill whoever did this to you!"

Startled, Yumichika stopped trying to escape and just turned a little to stare at him in disbelief, his dainty hands still clutching the folds of his clothing around his chest. Strangely, Ikkaku's expression of furious indignation didn't frighten him...it made him feel...better.

"I...Ikkaku..."

"I swear I will, you just tell me their names," he roughly said, letting go of Yumichika's clothes. "Even a dog shouldn't be beaten this way, let alone someone like you."

"Ikkaku...please...don't say anything more," Yumichika quietly begged, feeling the old woman's eyes on them like sharp, shrewd daggers. If anyone came asking after him with a reward, would she hesitate? No, no one in this ugly, horrible town would hesitate.

"What kind of coward does this? I know these marks," Ikkaku snarled, his anger only strengthening. "What kind of gutless, spineless worm has a boy held down and caned, heh? What kind of monster uses something that will cut?"

"M...my father," Yumichika whispered, turning away to shrug his clothing back on, wincing as the cloth settled against his skin. "Please don't say such things. You don't even know me. You don't know anything about me. Maybe I deserved it - "

"Shut up!" Ikkaku flared. "What on earth could you do to deserve this? Just shut up, I said, and let me kill him!"

"Young man, that's quite enough of that," the old woman interrupted, moving to put one gnarled hand on Ikkaku's corded forearm. "You there, boy, those wounds need treating."

Ikkaku scowled at her, then tipped his head back to ask with a glare, "You have something?"

"I do."

"How much?" Ikkaku asked, reaching out to snag Yumichika by the elbow as he feebly tried to right his clothing.

"For this? It's nothing."

Yumichika was surprised that she would offer something at all, let alone for free. Perhaps he'd been hasty in his estimation of these people...

"There's a bath-house two streets east," she said, hobbling to the counter to reach beneath. "Wash them thoroughly before you put this salve on. It'll sting but it'll heal much faster. I've some scraps for bandaging if you want them."

"Thanks," Ikkaku said, letting her bundle the salve in with the kimono and tuck it in his arm. "You never saw us."

"I'm an old, old woman, child," she said, grinning toothlessly. "I can hardly see a thing anymore."

She reached out and helped Yumichika get his clothing straightened, careful of his back, tying the sashes with just the right tightness of a woman well accustomed to dressing her children.

"This is a rough district, but if you're set on vanishing, young man, then I suggest heading to worse," she told him, and sent them off with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Yumichika found himself straining not to let her out of his sight. He wasn't sure why, only that she had been kind to him when he least expected kindness, only that she'd shown concern for him when no one in his family ever had. She, and Ikkaku...

He turned his attention back to the furious, glowering youth. Ikkaku was grumbling under his breath, and every once in awhile his fingers would tighten on Yumichika's arm before he'd realize what he was doing.

"Ikkaku..."

"...kill him..."

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika said again, a note of desperation entering his voice. "I can't keep up with your stride! Ikkaku!"

The youth only paid attention once Yumichika stumbled, his zori snagging on a stone.

"You're walking too fast!" he scolded, pulling away to try to regain a semblance of his dignity. "Why are you dragging me?"

"Because you're stupid!" Ikkaku told him, glaring at him. "Stupid Yumichika! How could you not tell me about this! Why didn't you say so at the start? Then I could've just gone back and killed him right off, and you wouldn't have to do all this!"

Once his pride got over the fact that Ikkaku had called him stupid, Yumichika realized that the boy wasn't actually angry at him. He was concerned. He was upset on Yumichika's behalf. It kept his sharp tongue from shooting out a scathing retort. Instead, Yumichika just managed a weak smile and told him, "He's my father, Ikkaku. He's a very powerful lord; there's no way you could get to him without being killed. You haven't known me long enough yet to understand that I'm worth dying for."

Ikkaku's glare didn't lessen in intensity. In fact, he seemed to get even more offended.

"Don't tell me what I will or will not die for!" He snarled, pointing his finger in Yumichika's face. "I've seen enough of this before!"

"In the World of the Living?"

It was an innocent enough question, but whatever it called to mind caused Ikkaku to fall abruptly silent.

"Ikkaku...thank you..."

"Don't," he snapped, baring his white teeth. "I haven't killed him yet."

"No, thank you for getting angry when I can't," Yumichika said. "No one has ever been angry about anything my father has ever done to me, and I've been through much worse. Thank you for getting angry about it...I didn't think to tell you. I didn't think it would matter - "

"Stupid," Ikkaku cut in, disgusted.

" - and I was ashamed for anyone to see it," Yumichika finished.

"Ashamed?" Ikkaku echoed. "Heh?! Ashamed of what?! Why should you be ashamed, Yumichika?!"

He clenched his fist and shook it, promising, "If I get half a chance, I'll show that man what it's like to be beaten like a slave! Now, come on, Yumichika, I said! I'll look after those for you."

He didn't drag him again, thankfully, but he did slow his pace to let Yumichika keep up as they made their way through the increasingly crowded streets. Instead of the bath-house, Ikkaku took him to a modest inn and warned him to, "keep quiet or I'll pound you!"

"We're all full up," the innkeeper said as soon as they cleared the door frame. He looked worn out but not old, used up and tired. "Try somewhere else."

"It's not for me, old man," Ikkaku said, glowering fiercely at him. "I want you to put this girl up tonight on my coin."

Yumichika nearly swallowed his tongue. Luckily, it kept him from shrieking in outrage.

The man's brows rose and he peered at Yumichika, who did his best to look demure instead of murderous.

"Entertain whores in your own quarters, Madarame," the man told him.

"Whores!" Yumichika cried, horrified and offended. "Sir! I am not a whore!"

He drew up to his full height of five whole feet, stuck his nose into the air, and crossed his arms over his decidedly flat chest.

"Oh?"

It made the man take a better look at him.

"See?" Ikkaku asked, cajoling. "Take good care of her, she's a lady, right? Like I said, it's on my coin, you won't be out anything."

With an air of reluctance, the man grudgingly said, "Alright, alright." He motioned for Yumichika to follow him, but stopped Ikkaku in his tracks.

"I wanna see where she'll be at," the youth said, just daring the man to deny him. "I wanna make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for with this room, yeah? Or do you want to make an issue of it?"

Something in his look or reputation - or both - convinced the man that it wasn't worth it, and he dropped his hand to show them both back to Yumichika's room.

It was a modest, narrow area with a sad-looking futon rolled in the corner and only one screen to the outside, which suited Yumichika just fine since the courtyard was untended and neglected.

"This'll do," Ikkaku decided. "She's going to need a bucket of hot water, though. And the largest meal you can manage."

"She can go to the bathhouse," the innkeeper said.

"Sir," Yumichika said, doing his best to appear modest. "I've never in my life visited a public bathhouse, and who would chaperone me? Please, may I have just a basin of hot water? Just enough to freshen up?"

Ikkaku's brows shot up, either surprised by or impressed with his acting.

"Well...alright, but he goes!" The innkeeper said, pointing at Ikkaku. "After all the damage last time, you're not welcome here, Madarame."

"Like I'd want to stay here!" Ikkaku flared, aggravated. "Shut up, old man! Here!"

He pulled out a pouch of coins and spilled a generous amount into the man's startled hands. "Take care of her like I said, understand?"

With that, he vanished like he'd never been.

'He's left me!' Yumichika thought, panicked, hearing the thump of Ikkaku's bare feet retreat back to the main entrance. Trying not to show his inner panic, he managed a simpering smile for the innkeeper, who just bowed slightly and left to fetch his water.

"I can't believe he left me!" Yumichika hissed to himself, shocked and strangely hurt. Had he honestly believed what that Ikkaku had said? It shamed him to realize that he had. For some reason, he'd had no trouble placing his trust in Ikkaku despite having spent twelve years not trusting anyone after many hard, brutal lessons to that extent. Now he didn't have the money from the sale of his rings, the salve, the bandages, or even the used kimono...

"Psst, Yumichika..."

"Eh?" He peered around, startled to hear the soft, hissing voice in his empty room.

The screen to the courtyard inched open and one sparkling, dark grey eye peeked in at him.

"Ikkaku!" He softly squeaked, his relief alarming.

"Yo." The door slid open a bit further and the youth plopped the cloth-wrapped package inside. "Once the water and food gets here, tell him you don't want to be disturbed then come get me."

Without any further discussion, he slid the door closed.

It was a fair amount of time later that the innkeeper's wife scratched at the door and brought him a steaming kettle of water.

"I'll put this on the fire for you to keep it hot," she said, a plump and sweet-faced woman with nothing of her husband's bad humor. "My daughters are coming with the food, but I can't imagine a little thing like you could eat much."

Yumichika covered his face with his sleeve in imitation of his eldest sister, remembering how she'd always responded to compliments.

"We've never had a noble in the house before," the woman confided, beaming at him as her willowy daughters brought in several steaming trays. "I hope the food is serviceable - we don't have to eat, any of us - no spiritual power. Tell me...are you lost, dear?"

"N...no," Yumichika breathed, shaking his head.

"I hate the idea of such a lovely young lady alone on these streets," the woman said, faint concern creasing her pleasant face. "Is there anyone we can try contacting for you? I doubt any noble house would entertain communication from such poor people, but we could always try..."

"No, please don't worry yourself," Yumichika said, his stomach growling at the sight of so much food. "I have a friend who is seeing me home in the morning. I'm just too exhausted to continue this evening."

"Of course," the woman said, smiling as she shooed her daughters. "Let us know if you need anything, otherwise we won't disturb you until morning."

"Thank you," Yumichika said, dipping into a slight bow that made the woman blush with delight. "You're very kind."

Clearly pleased by the praise, the woman returned the bow and left, sliding the door closed firmly behind her.

He waited until their presence had faded before he hurried to the courtyard door.

"Ikkaku..." he whispered, sliding it open. Night had fallen in the meantime, lending the sad garden a strange, melancholic beauty. Moonlight softened the harsh edges that the sun had exposed, turning it into a private wilderness beneath the star-speckled sky.

"Ikkaku?"

"Hey."

The bald youth came wriggling out of the overgrowth, his sheathed sword in hand and his fair skin marred by bramble scratches. "What took so long?"

"The food," Yumichika whispered, hoping none of the other guests wanted to use the garden. A few of the doors were open to let in the night air, but no one seemed inclined to come out. "They won't be back tonight."

"Good," Ikkaku said, lunging to his feet and urging Yumichika back inside. "Did they bring the water?"

"There, on the fire," Yumichika said, closing the door. "The food is ready, are you hungry?"

"When aren't I?" Ikkaku asked, confirming Yumichika's assumption that the youth had some small measure of spiritual power. "But let's get your back taken care of first. Undress."

It was a startling order under the circumstances, and the suddenness of it made Yumichika recoil a little, clutching his clothes.

"No!"

"Eh?" Ikkaku cocked his head, his eyes narrowing. "What's the matter?"

"N...nothing," Yumichika managed, flushing. "It's just that I don't want to undress, is all."

"Yumichika," Ikkaku said, sounding weary. "Just show me your back!"

"Well, you don't have to be rude about it."

Yumchika had - as the prince Kanesuke - been naked before the eyes of strangers countless times. There was always a bevy of servants to help with his bath, to help with his dress, to tend him in any way he required. But nakedness was also his father's favorite path to shaming those within his control. Nakedness made one compliant, embarrassed, so eager to escape watching eyes that anything was obeyed or agreed to. It was a humiliating punishment Daichi often resorted to and it had made all of his sons - and, sadly, his daughters as well - terribly leery of removing their clothing.

Ikkaku, however, wasn't interested in seeing him squirm or flush with embarrassment. The youth left Yumichika to his task and went to tend his own, pulling the kettle off of the fire to pour hot water into a chipped ceramic bowl.

"Tsk! Too hot!" he hissed, quickly letting go of the cloth he'd dipped in. He glanced over at Yumichika, who had one arm out of the layers of his clothing, and said, "Give it a second to cool off. At least she boiled it clean, though."

His grey eyes narrowed a little again as Yumichika shrugged off the other side, letting the layers of his elaborate dress hang from his obi.

"That isn't the first time?" Ikkaku asked, noticing the faint traces of marks on Yumichika's ribs.

"No," the boy replied with as much dignity as he could muster. "It's because I like being beautiful. My father prefers to slowly destroy what people hold dear. That gives them ample time to comply with his wishes before they lose it forever..."

"He sounds like a real hero, your dad," Ikkaku said, scowling. "Did he never feed you, either? You're skinny!"

Yumichika blushed and crossed his arms over his slender chest, saying, "I beg your pardon?! I am very careful about what I eat, thank you very much! I would die of shame if I was to get fat! I enjoy being slender!"

"You wouldn't look so bad with a little more weight," Ikkaku said, shifting the food tray closer to them both. "You've got muscle, though. I wasn't expecting that."

Yumichika stuck his nose into the air, not dignifying that with a response.

"Here, quit pouting and come eat," Ikkaku ordered, picking up a pair of hashi. "Quit pouting, I said!"

Yumichika slit one violet eye, pulled his clothing on with arrogant indifference, then gave in to the outrage of his stomach.

The food was simple but hearty and very filling. Despite his adamant refusal to overeat, Yumichika risked his slender waist for the sake of fulfillment and ate nearly as much as Ikkaku himself. By the time they had finished, the water had cooled sufficiently for use and Ikkaku ordered him out of his clothes again.

"Did he do this a lot?" the youth asked, wringing out the cloth and carefully cleaning the first stripe with concentrated, knowledgeable care.

"Often enough," Yumichika said, sitting with his arms wrapped around his bent legs and his chin resting on his knees. "He isn't very kind...But that isn't a requirement for being a lord."

"Why doesn't someone stop him?"

"Who would?" Yumichika asked, shrugging a little when Ikkaku managed to work the crusted blood off of one area. "No one stands against Ichigawa Daichi..."

"Ichigawa, huh?" Ikkaku repeated, making Yumichika utter a startled, dismayed squeak because he'd let it slip. "Well, whatever the case, he's a first-rate ass for doing this to his son."

Yumichika settled, grateful that Ikkaku hadn't made a big fuss about it. It was highly unlikely that he didn't know who the Ichigawa clan was - they ranked just below the four great noble houses and Daichi was determined to get their Clan included before his death. Ikkaku, however, didn't seem either impressed or intimidated by the power of Yumichika's family, he just continued to wash his back clean with the ease of someone who'd done the same a thousand times before.

"Is this the reason you ran away?"

The guarded tone of his voice warmed Yumichika - no one had ever taken any interest in him provided he behaved himself and adhered to the family's standards. Ikkaku's cautious curiosity came from true concern, a novel experience for the smaller boy.

"Would it surprise you if I said no?" Yumichika asked, and felt Ikkaku pause before chuckling, telling him, "Not really, Yumichika. It was probably because something was ugly, eh?"

"He wanted me to marry someone far below my status," Yumichika said, summoning every bit of his disdain. "Worse, he wanted it just to get hold of their lands, which have always cut ours down the center."

"He wanted you to, so you refused and he caned you?" Ikkaku asked.

"I beg your pardon! I was always a dutiful son!" Yumichika cried, offended. "No, it was her!"

"Her?"

"The ugly, horrid girl!" Yumichika spat, shuddering. "She has a face like a goat! And her hair is this hideous dirty color! Not to mention that she has the most appalling taste in kimono!" He shuddered again, overwhelmed by the thought of it. "Ew! I couldn't bear the thought of being married to her! Just...ew!"

Ikkaku rinsed the cloth again and wrung it out, chuckling some more, genuinely amused.

"So you told him no because she's ugly," he reiterated, continuing his work on Yumichika's back. "And he caned you, and you decided you'd had enough?"

"And now I'm here with you, yes," Yumichika said, nodding sagely. "That's about the whole of it."

"Yumichika...are you sure about this?" Ikkaku asked. "You're used to a certain lifestyle, to a certain level of comfort, to pretty things...where you're at now isn't close to pretty, not even on its best days."

"Are you suggesting I return to my father?" Yumichika asked him.

"No!" Ikkaku shouted. "No, I said! Only that maybe you should marry this girl anyway and live a long life away from him!"

"What a horrible suggestion!" Yumichika informed him. "I have absolutely no interest in marrying any woman, unless she's as beautiful as me! And since no one is as beautiful as me, then I don't have to worry about it! Ugh, I can't even bear the thought of being tied to someone ugly my whole life. I'd die of despair."

"Stupid," Ikkaku fondly called him, taking a final swipe at his back, which had begun to seep again. "You may change your mind, Yumichika. You're in an ugly place with an ugly bastard and nothing but meanness ahead of you. Never tell me you weren't warned..."

With that, he started smoothing salve onto Yumichika's wounds, making the boy hiss with pain when it started to sting. Luckily, by the time Ikkaku started wrapping the strips of silk around his torso, the pain had begun to numb.

"You look even skinnier with those bandages on," Ikkaku told him, looking at his wrapped back. "You must be even younger than I thought you were."

"How young do you think?" Yumichika asked, curious.

Ikkaku shrugged, coiling the rest of the bandages up. "Ten or so - "

"I am twelve, I'll have you know!" Yumichika shrieked, outraged.

"Oh?" Ikkaku asked, one brow lifting. "Twelve? Then you're pretty small at that."

"I am petite!" Yumichika snapped, frowning. "I am petite! What would you know, anyway? It isn't like you're already grown!"

Ikkaku shrugged again, putting all of the supplies back into a bundle. "I don't know, I've never thought about it. I wasn't born here, remember?"

That shut Yumichika up. He wasn't sure it was polite to speak of such things, but Ikkaku didn't seem particularly offended.

"W...wouldn't you be the same age as when you died in the World of the Living?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I guess," Ikkaku said, plucking the ties of Yumichika's kimono and pulling it off of him. "I was...I was thirteen when I died, and I've been here two years about..."

He dug out the other kimono and hung it up next to the fire with Yumichika's much finer one.

"I feel older than that," he admitted, stopping to stare at the flames. "I didn't realize that time would pass so slowly here."

"Don't rush it along, thank you very much!" Yumichika warned him, righting his underthings. "I have no desire to get old and wrinkly. Hopefully, I'll die at the height of my beauty, and be remembered forever."

Ikkaku grinned, showing his sharp white teeth and crinkling his dark grey eyes.

"That's a dream, brat," he said, moving to unroll the bedding. "Come on, you can have the bed."

Yumichika helped him get it prepared, relieved to have the nagging welts on his back dealt with. Whatever was in that salve had deadened his pain, a pain that he hadn't realized was so great until it was gone.

"I wish I had taken a bath," the boy lamented, thinking of his bath at home with a wistful sigh. "You'll have to show me these public baths, Ikkaku. It isn't beautiful to be dirty."

"It can't really be helped right now," Ikkaku said, folding the covers back to the foot and moving to open the terrace doors to get some air. "When they ask about a noble boy, people will have only seen a noble girl. I can't take you to a bathhouse where everyone will notice that you actually aren't one."

Yumichika's eyes rounded a little. "Y...you mean...people bathe together? They see each other?"

"It isn't like anyone cares!" Ikkaku said, scowling at him. "Everyone is there for a bath, not to peek at each other! Don't be such a pervert!"

"I am not a pervert, thank you very much!" Yumichika gasped, offended. "I just can't imagine such a thing!"

"You'll get used to it," Ikkaku told him, then added with an ornery grin, "Or else you'll learn to be dirty."

Yumichika recoiled, wrinkling his nose.

"No thank you."

"Get to sleep, brat," Ikkaku told him, gesturing for him to get into bed.

Still miffed, Yumichika slid into the uncomfortable futon, unused to the hardness of the stuffing or the roughness of the sheets. He fretted and tossed until Ikkaku - who was sitting against the wall - roughly asked him, "What is it?"

"It isn't comfortable!" Yumichika complained, shifting around to find a spot that didn't press against him too hard. "Honestly! It feels like I'm lying on rocks!"

"What?" Ikkaku asked, clearly not believing him. Scowling, he slid his sword to the side and shoved Yumichika over to flop down next to him. After a long moment, he said, "Ouch."

"See?"

"Shut up anyway, it's better than sleeping on the street," Ikkaku told him, rolling to give him his back, his long legs shoving the rough sheets down.

Yumichika couldn't deny that one, but it did nothing to lessen his discomfort.

"...Ikkaku?"

"Eh?"

"...I think I'd rather sleep outside..."

"Shut up," Ikkaku growled. "Go to sleep."

"I can't!" Yumichika wailed, flushing with anger at how ridiculous this was. Honestly, did none of them know the value of a decent bed?!

"I swear, if you don't lay down and go to sleep, I'll use you as a mattress," Ikkaku threatened. "Don't think I won't do it."

Yumichika sat up, considering him by the light of the fire and the glowing lamps.

"That's an idea..."

"Eh? What is?" Ikkaku asked, then scowled when he caught Yumichika's intense look. "You are not sleeping on me!"

Yumichika turned his nose up and flopped back down, wincing. It wasn't so bad, really, just not what he was used to...and he certainly had become used to good things.

He felt Ikkaku shift next to him, then heard the light tread of his feet as he moved to extinguish the lamps. A moment later the bedding shifted again as the youth returned to the futon. He heard the boy sigh, then felt his fingers settle on his arm.

"Hey, Yumichika," he said, tugging. "Come here."

"Leave me alone," Yumichika said. "I'm trying to go to sleep."

"Shut up!" Ikkaku flared, and gave him a hard yank that landed the smaller boy half atop him. "Now go to sleep!"

"That's what I was trying to do!" Yumichika hissed, but in all reality it wasn't too terrible. Ikkaku was warm, relatively clean, and infinitely less uncomfortable to lay on than the futon mattress, even if it was just his head and part of his body pillowed on the older boy. He settled his cheek against Ikkaku's shoulder and curled his hand on the boy's yukata, loosing a relieved sigh as he relaxed.

"You don't smell," he murmured sleepily, lulled by the thump of Ikkaku's heart.

"Wish I could say the same for you," Ikkaku shot back, but it lacked real venom, and within minutes both of them were fast asleep.