disclaimer: Nothing of Bleach is mine. It all belongs to Kubo Tite

a/n: This pairing comes from the picture in one of the ending songs where Hisagi has an arm draped around Kira and is grinning.

Sunrise

The cool air felt good on his glistening skin. "Aah," he took a deep breath, "only half a mile to go." He dug in and sprinted as the first rays peaked over the horizon. Finishing his morning jog, Hisagi cooled down with a slow walk and then lounged in the cold grass to watch the rest of the sunrise. This was his favorite time of the day. He loved to watch the slow change from dark to light. He felt each ray, as it emerged, filling him with tranquility and optimism for the day ahead. He watched in silence, as if meditating. Occasionally, the thought of how this might appear to someone else made him chuckle. People assumed because he was big and tough-looking, he couldn't understand the beauty and symbolism of nature. "Bakas," he answered himself. "It's hope. Hope for whomever you are and for whatever might occur." He lay down on his back, gazing at the multicolored sky for a few minutes, then decided it must be time to get ready for his vice-captain duties. He strolled back to the compound, oblivious to the eyes following him.

This was his fourth day of observation. Kira had stumbled across Hisagi's ritual by accident. He had awoken early one morning and because he couldn't fall back asleep, he had wandered around outside. He had come upon Shuuhei while the dark brunette was watching the sky. Since he looked so peaceful, Kira didn't want to disturb him. Instead, the blonde sat far away, observing the other and wondering if this was a daily occurrence. Deciding to find out, he got up earlier the next morning and waited. Shuuhei showed up, but this time breathing hard. Kira realized then that this was his morning run. His next question was, does the runner always take the same route and end up here. Staking out the following two mornings provided the answer, for Shuuhei appeared each day at the same place and about the same time.

Izuru was excited at this knowledge. He rarely got to be alone with Shuuhei. Days were usually busy with their respective squads and nights were spent with friends as a group. Kira knew that when Hisagi draped an arm over his shoulder, it probably didn't mean anything. Shuuhei was a contradiction. He looked serious and menacing at work, but with friends he was casual and joking. He wasn't afraid of a touch. To him it was just goofing around, there weren't any hidden meanings. Izuru realized that. However, the blonde did want it to mean something. He liked Shuuhei's arm on his shoulder. He enjoyed the brief touch. And he longed for more. This discovery of the morning jog made his heart beat faster with hope.

The sky started brightening on another day. Hisagi was coming into view of his usual rest stop when he noticed a figure sitting on the ground. As he got closer, he saw that it was Kira. "Izuru," he shouted, "Ohayo! Why are you up so early?"

Kira turned in response to the greeting. "Hey, Shuuhei. I, uh, couldn't sleep, so... decided to go for a walk. Are you all done with your run?"

"Yep. Just in time for the sunrise." He plopped down next to the blonde. "So, why couldn't you sleep? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. I dunno," Kira said shrugging his shoulders. "Do you do this every morning?" he asked innocently.

"Pretty much. I like running in the chilly morning air, then watching the sunrise while I cool down. It just makes each day start off peaceful," he explained.

"Oh," Kira replied, trying not to stare at the brunette's bare chest and shoulders. "Mind if I stay?"

"Of course not!" grinned Hisagi. "It's nice having you here."

Kira's heart skipped a beat. "I'm probably reading too much into this, but that sounded good. Just go slow. I don't want to scare him off. And quit looking at him! He's gonna think I'm a freak. But, damn, he's hot," his mind rambled.

Hisagi noticed the blonde glancing at him every so often. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but didn't press the issue since Kira looked all flustered. He figured Izuru would tell him when ready. Shuuhei laid back and looked at the sky. "He is pretty cute, though. Nervous, but cute," he thought to himself with a smile. There was silence for the next few minutes, until the brunette stretched his arms overhead, jumped up and held out a hand. "About time to go," he said to his startled friend

Kira took the hand and got up. It was warm and strong. He held on a little longer than necessary as his eyes traveled up Hisagi's arm to his shoulder, chest, and mouth. Realizing he still held the hand, he dropped it quickly and blushed. Shuuhei raised an internal eyebrow, but showed nothing on his face. They then walked back together chatting casually. As they approached the place where they'd separate, Kira spoke awkwardly. "Shuuhei, would you mind if I watched the sunrise with you again tomorrow?" He felt his cheeks get warm once again and looked down.

"Sure, Izuru, I don't mind. I've got to go grab a shower, though. See you later," the brunette replied with a smile as he ran in the direction of his quarters. While showering, Hisagi thought it over. "It was nice sharing the sunrise," he said to himself, "but there seemed to be something else with Izuru. I wonder if he knew I was going to be there. Maybe he needed to talk to me alone. But he didn't say much." He chuckled, " Although, it really was cute, him all flustered... But why?" he continued to ponder. "Nah, that can't be it. I thought he liked Hinamori. He usually gets red in the face around her." He stood still for a minute, an idea taking shape. "Until lately. He has no problems talking to her anymore. That was the face he used to give her. So...that...means..." Hisagi smirked. "I could be wong, but if not, this should get interesting. I'll do some research tonight." Stepping out of the shower, he saw the time and cursed. He hurriedly got dressed and then sprinted out the door to the Division 9 headquarters.

Kira walked slowly back to his area. On the one hand, he was happy he was going to spend more time alone with Shuuhei, but on the other hand, he felt a little like a doofus. He hoped he didn't act like one this morning. He wanted to know what Hisagi thought about him, but he couldn't think of any good ways of doing it. So instead, he just sat there and didn't say much at all. "What an idiot!" he berated himself. "I'm always getting tongue-tied around people I like. I'll never have a love life at this rate." He let out a small sigh and his shoulders slumped a little. That is, until he yelled at himself to stop dwelling on negative thoughts and concentrate on the possibilities. He was going to be alone with Shuuhei again tomorrow morning. Maybe if he figured out some scenarios or sort of wrote a script, he could actually do something. And maybe tonight when the group got together, he could learn something. The idea brightened his mood and his pace quickened.

Like most nights, the group got together to just hang out. There wasn't a set routine, but usually it was over in Division 10's common room. That night, they decided to play uta-garuta. Matsumoto claimed the reader role and took her pile of cards. Kira sat down quickly, trying not to look at Hisagi and trying to act casual. Shuuhei, who was monitoring every look closely and observing body language, grinned. He cried, "Let the games begin!" and dove onto the spot next to Kira, making sure to grab onto Izuru's leg to steady himself. The blonde blushed slightly, a small smile emerging, which did not go unnoticed by the Division 9's fukutaichou. The remainder then came over, forming a circle on the floor and mixing the cards.

Throughout the game, Hisagi kept in physical contact with Kira. He noticed the blonde brushing his hand against him more frequently as the game progressed, as well as moving closer to him after searching for a card. When all the cards were gone, he put his arm on Kira's shoulders and began to lean in as if wanting to whisper something . However, Renji interrupted him by yelling, "This isn't fair! Ise-kun, you can't play anymore. You have to be the reader. You know too many of the poems!"

Everyone laughed, except Nanao who just stared at Abarai. Eventually, she replied, "Fine. Next time, I'm the reader." Which caused a moan from Rangiku.

"Well, if she reads, then I'm drinking. I can't understand this stuff with a clear head." Everyone laughed again, including Renji, who remarked that maybe wine should be added next time anyway.

With the game over, the others started getting up and milling about. Hisagi stood, also, announcing, "It's been fun everyone, but I need to get going. I've got an early appointment in the morning." As he turned, he looked at Kira and winked. He noticed a tint of red stain the other's cheeks and smiled. "Til tomorrow, pretty boy," he said to himself and sauntered to his room, confident that the Division 3's fukutaichou had taken a liking to him..

Kira swallowed and made himself calm down. Looking around, it didn't seem like anyone noticed his blush. He helped put the game away, then said his good-nights, and went out. The night air felt good on his face. He breathed in deeply and headed to his room. Once there, he changed for bed, set his alarm, and went over the script in his head. It took awhile, but he finally fell asleep.

It was very dark when the alarm beeped, yet Kira sprang out of bed, dressed quickly, and headed to the "meeting" place. He wanted to be early so as to compose himself.

On the other hand, Hisagi left a few minutes later than normal. He expected, and wanted, Kira to show, but planned to arrive after his friend. He tried to keep his pace steady as his thoughts wandered. Before long, he saw the manicured blonde head, face looking toward the horizon. Kira turned when he heard Shuuhei approach and smiled. The brunette grinned back.

"Made it, I see," he puffed while he went to go sit next to his friend. They stayed silent while the jogger's breathing slowed. Hisagi then took a deep breath, stretched, and lay back on the cool grass. Placing a hand on, and rubbing, Kira's back, he remarked, "So, what really brings you out here so early?" When Izuru turned to answer, Shuuhei seized the blonde's robes and pulled him down. Kira startled, until their lips met and realization dawned. He pressed back on the warm lips hungrily. Hisagi rolled, pinning Kira to the ground, and laid on top of him. His tongue licked the other's lips, asking for admittance and Izuru replied with an open mouth and equally eager tongue. Kira's arms were wrapped tightly around Shuuhei, while Shuuhei's held Izuru's head possessively. They kissed deeply for a few minutes, after which the brunette released Kira's mouth to kiss a trail down the fair shinigami's neck, then back up to an ear, where he nibbled on it for a moment. Izuru moaned with pleasure as his hands caressed his friend's back. Shuuhei let go of the lobe, lifting his head to look into Izuru's eyes. "Does that answer your question?" he asked with a big smile.

Kira nodded, while tugging Hisagi's head back down for another kiss. Then he pushed the brunette up and over so that now he was on top. Shuuhei growled softly, running his hands under Kira's robes to pull him in tighter and kiss him deeper. After a few minutes, they released each other's lips, catching their breath. Kira moved to rest his head on Hisagi's chest. He breathed in deeply, relishing the scent and feel of the other man. "This has been the best sunrise I've ever encountered," he whispered.

Shuuhei ran his fingers through silky, yellow hair and replied, " Hmm mm, but there are some night-tiime activities that are very satisifying as well. Care to join me tonight?"

owari

footnote: Uta-garuta is a Japanese card game of matching phrases from poetry. The reader has 100 cards and the players sort through another 100 cards to be the first to match the phrase given by the reader. The person with the most cards wins. Having all the poems memorized helps in winning. (thus Nanao-chan would be the best - if we stereotype her as being the bookworm she's drawn to be!)