Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

Warning: May contain hints of yaoi and spoilers.

It hadn't meant to be a special night. Such an event had not been planned. But sometimes fate liked to stray away from plans and do something impulsive and spontaneous. Sometimes fate just wanted to wing it.

The breeze was just shallow enough to be perfect, the darkness overhead only making the surroundings more beautiful, the moon spreading its glow gently over the grass, moistened by a brief rain shower about an hour before. With only a few trees to provide a few faint shadows, two pairs of feet walked along the slightly winding path, the dirt crunching in a muffled way as the two men walked, one of them of average height, the other much, much larger. They did not think the sight of them odd. Well, it made sense for the shorter one not to think so, for his sightless white eyes prevented him from certain thoughts such as that one.

Nevertheless they walked, making casual small talk that eventually ebbed away. Usually when they took walks together, they would brush upon one serious or philosophic matter at least. But this time, they walked in silence. It was not an awkward silence or anything of the like; they had just run out of things to talk about for the time being. They had talked about so many things, after all. What topics were there left to cover? It wasn't as if their lives were particularly exciting. Soul Society wasn't eventful; all you were doing was trying to survive, really. But the life of a shinigami… now that would be quite eventful. At least, that's how Tousen saw it. Well, envisioned it. Blind men couldn't see, after all. Komamura was in the process of becoming a shinigami. He was almost there, but they had decided not to talk about it. Komamura wanted to enjoy his last days before joining the black-clothed ones.

But there was something else to talk about. However, Tousen had never dared to bring it up. He never had the guts. Komamura had always struck him as odd, for when he moved, it sounded different. He also smelled different. Not to mention the enormous difference in height. He wanted to know why. But it was not something he would ever bring up; he did not want to make his friend uncomfortable. Besides, it wasn't all that important.

Or was it? His friend had always wanted them to avoid crowds. He had claimed it was because he simply liked being in open spaces and got nervous in crowds, but that wasn't it. Whenever someone walked by, whether it be only one person or numerous, he could feel Komamura grow tense. There was no reason for him to, for every time they were in an open space. It wasn't like one temporary body was going to crowd him. And yet, he still grew antsy with any new presence that came along. It seemed odd that he would act relaxed around Tousen, and not when a simple stranger passed by. And yet, it wasn't always a stranger. Tousen could sense these things.

But he would not ask. He would not put his friend on the spot. At least, not yet, should Tousen decide that the reason should be brought to justice. Instead, the silence continued until the larger man decided to talk.

"I keep feeling like just my presence mocks you, for I can see and you cannot." Komamura admitted, causing Tousen to smile. They'd gone through this conversation before.

"You are not mocking me, Sajin." He reassured his friend, using his first name as he always did. "I can see in ways you can't. And when you're here, there's even more that I can see." Tousen smiled. In return, he could feel his friend smiling, but it wasn't strong. He wasn't convinced.

"But Tousen…" He began.

"Kaname." Tousen interrupted. He wanted his friend to use his first name instead of his last name. Sometimes Komamura did just that, but he had not quite broken the habit yet.

"Kaname…" He restarted, as if tasting the name. "I can't help it. You know I can't."

Tousen nodded once. "I know." He repeated, and the silence fell between them again. This time, however, it was a bit of an awkward silence, unlike the first time.

Not wanting this silence to live long, Tousen broke it. "Sajin… may I see your face?" He didn't know why he was daring to ask now, but he was.

Komamura stopped walking, Tousen in turn stopping too. He was quiet for a moment. Then, he spoke "I can't let you."

Interested, Tousen asked, "Why not?"

He heard Komamura gulp. "Because… I just can't."

"Do you think you are ugly?" Tousen questioned. If that was the case, Komamura should know by now that Tousen did not judge him. The man was his friend. He would never be repulsed by facial features.

"N-no, that's not it… I just…can't." Komamura continued, the nervousness evident in his voice.

Tousen reached out, searching a moment for Komamura's large, gloved hand, his fingers brushing against his wrist for comfort. "I won't say anything if you don't want me to."

Then it was quiet. Komamura was thinking about it. Finally, he relented. "A-alright…" He said quietly, the sound of rustling cloth reaching Tousen's ears as Komamura pulled something off of his head. He waited until the man grasped his hands, guiding them up to his face.

He was surprised at what he found. Well, not at first. As his fingers brushed over the fur, he thought that Komamura had an animal-skin collar of some sort on his robes. Then he thought that his friend was playing a trick on him, guiding his hands against the stuffed head of some animal. But both were absurd. Komamura had removed something from his head, not put something on. And why in all of Soul Society would Komamura carry a stuffed head with him? It was at that point that Tousen felt the fur underneath his fingertips shift as the skin below them twitched.

His previous ideas were wrong.

This was actually Komamura's face.

Feeling the uneasiness emitting from his friend, he brushed his fingers along, feeling out a muzzle, brushing over the tiny whiskers and wet, cold dog nose. He brushed his fingers over Komamura's forehead and over his soft ears that made him want to rub them, but forced himself not to. When he was done, he removed his hands, a sincere smile on his face. "This was why you 'couldn't'?" He remarked, his face bright. He stepped closer to Komamura slowly, to warn him of what he was going to do as he wrapped his arms around Komamura's midsection in a hug. Komamura hesitated, but he put a hand on Tousen's back in a sort of return hug.

"You're handsome." Tousen remarked, smiling up at Komamura, who faltered a moment.

"Th-thanks…" It was obvious Komamura had been scared that Tousen would be repulsed by him, and not want to be his friend anymore. But Tousen was a true friend; he did not mind the fact that his friend was an anthromorphic canine. That had sparked some confidence in the man, but in the later years when Tousen became shinigami as well, Komamura still hid his face.

Tousen never forgot that night. That had probably been one of the most important nights of their friendship, if not the most important. He hadn't forgotten it, and never would, even while he resided in Las Noches, living amongst the hollows while he had left his dear friend behind, regretting having done such a thing to him.

He missed him dearly.

Komamura never forgot that night either. For him, it was the one and only important moment of their friendship. It had been the reason why they had grown so close. But now, they were so far apart, in distance and in friendship. Tousen had left. He had betrayed Soul Society. But most of all, he had betrayed Komamura. his supposed companion.

Yet, despite all his hate for Tousen for leaving him, he still missed his friend too.

AN: I probably would've submitted this sooner, but Wicca was silly and accidentally wrote the second chapter first xD This isn't really a chapter in itself, I suppose. Just a flashback, really. So it sorta is like the style of my last fanfiction in the whole it-happened-during-the-series bit. Sorta. x3

Read and review if you like, of course I have the second chapter done, but I probably won't post it up for a few days or maybe even a week.