Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.
Note: Thanks for all reviews for the previous chapter. They're truly encouraging. I hope this chapter doesn't come out as a disappointment, but if it does, then I still welcome criticisms, rants and flames.

Chapter 2

Ten days wasn't considered a long time for those who had hundreds or maybe thousands of years to live, but in Ichigo's case, it was agonizingly long.

It was ironic how Ichigo was chasing Byakuya as soon as the man returned to duty while the stoic Shinigami gave him a silent treatment when it should be the other way around. Yet, Ichigo was better known for his rebelliousness than for his patience, so he believed no one could find any of his actions strange, not even Byakuya himself.

Life was too long to live in doubt, or so Ichigo thought. And that was the reason why he wanted to catch Byakuya alone even for a minute so he could understand their situation.

Unlike the cold noble, Ichigo couldn't live his life under a pretense. He couldn't act like nothing happened when something did, and it stirred something deep within him that Ichigo couldn't put a name to. He needed to know what it was in order to deal with it, and somehow he believed the only way to find out was to understand Byakuya's motive.

However, the only way to do that was for them to talk, and Byakuya was never known to be cooperative. In fact, the man had avoided him at all costs that Ichigo didn't have a chance to see him anywhere outside of the captains meeting and if by any chance he could see him wandering in Seireitei, the man would either have a company or disappear before he could catch him alone.

He had tried to be discreet for the past ten days and always ended up with complete failure.

But enough was enough.

Today he would to get his answer. And he no longer cared if the rest of the afterworld should find out.

Byakuya was in his division's dojo, testing how well his new recruits were trained. It had been long since the last time he graced the place with his presence, as he had been too busy with other work and had to entrust the training to his lieutenant and other seated officers.

He had to admit it was a good way to fend off the stress he had been feeling lately, although he wouldn't say that it was a good workout since he could defeat all of them without breaking a sweat.

"Does anyone want to try again?" Byakuya asked impassively, looking around only to find that most of the rookies were too scared to say a word.

"They might want to if you let them attack you all at once, Kuchiki-taichō."

Byakuya froze for a second. He didn't need to turn around to see whose voice it was as he recognized it well. However, he was slightly surprised by the way the Vizard addressed him since the boy had rarely spoken his name with respect.

All other Shinigami bowed at the new comer with greeting, "Good morning, Kurosaki-taichō."

It was then that Byakuya took his cue to turn around. He had wished that the thing that happened between them would be able make Ichigo distance himself from him, yet he knew it was not like Ichigo to ignore what happened and act as if everything was normal. Now there was no room for him to escape. He could tell what had brought the orange-haired man there. It was a matter of time until Ichigo came to him to settle their score.

Bracing himself for a dire answer, Byakuya asked flatly, "To what do we owe your presence?"

"I need a word with you," Ichigo replied then added in a sterner voice, "alone."

Byakuya's expression hadn't changed even after he realized there was no way Ichigo would let him evade the issue this time. He was a little surprised that Ichigo only demanded a conversation when he always pictured the boy calling him out to a duel to death. For some reasons, Byakuya dreaded having conversation with the man more than having to fight for his life.

"As you can see, I'm still in the middle of something," Byakuya replied in the calmness that never failed to enrage Ichigo, trying to prolong the conversation.

Since he had expected Byakuya to come up with such tactics, Ichigo didn't allow himself to get riled. Instead, he stared sharply into Byakuya's eyes and stated coolly, "From what I see, you've just finished, so there's no reason why you can't talk to me."

"Surely, you do not believe that you can just come to my division with your attitude and expect me to comply with your demand."

"Actually, I do," Ichigo returned darkly. "I let you have it your way for too long, and it got me nowhere. Now I'm bored with playing your stupid game, so I'm gonna have it my way. We're gonna talk. I prefer to do it in private, but if that's not possible then we can do it right here."

Byakuya's eyes widened slightly. He recognized the grim determination behind those brown eyes, which indicated that the Third Division Captain wasn't joking. However, as much as he feared Ichigo would carry out his threat, his pride didn't allow him to give in to the other man's demand just yet.

"Is there not a way I can persuade you to drop the subject?"

"No," Ichigo replied, confirming Byakuya's thought.

"Then I guess you didn't leave me with many options."

With that said, Byakuya reached to touch the hilt of Senbonzakura. So Ichigo reached back for Zangetsu. They stood in that position, staring into each other's eyes. Tension in the dojo increased.

It was a minute later that Byakuya's lieutenant approached to the man and suggested timidly, "Umm…taichō, if you …" However, he trailed off when he realized his sentence was completely ignored.

"I know what you're doing, Byakuya, so if you think getting me all riled up would bail you out on this conversation, you'll have to think again."

"Don't tell me you are afraid."

Ichigo took a deep breath, telling himself he would not fall for Byakuya's cheap tricks. He had slain so many Hollows, defeated the Bounts and the Arrancars, however, he had never felt the same hatred toward them the way he hated the man who was standing before him at that exact moment. And Byakuya was supposed to be his ally.

"Please don't make me laugh," Ichigo returned. "I can beat the shit out of you and Senbonzakura anytime."

"Then you shouldn't have any problem with this bet," Byakuya said, his voice as toneless as ever. "A sword for a sword, no other tricks except for shunpo. If I win this battle, I don't ever want to see you again, but if you win, I'll answer all of your questions and do one thing you command."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "It sounds like you're using your last resort to escape."

"You can forfeit if you wish."

Ichigo growled.

"You've already known I won't back down. If you want to fight me this bad, then so be it! Whoever draws the first blood wins. Deal?"

Byakuya nodded before he beckoned to his lieutenant, who reluctantly approached to him. He then handed a practice sword to his subordinate then motioned him to step back. When he turned to Ichigo's direction, the orange-haired boy had already drawn his zanpakutō and stood in his fighting stance. So Byakuya slowly did the same.

"Ready?" asked Ichigo.

The raven-haired Shinigami nodded.

Even after having stood in a safe distance away from the fight, all Shinigami in the dojo still felt like they were suffocated once both captains' reiatsu rose. And before their eyes could see what was going on, they heard the sound of zanpakutō clash.

Abarai Renji was in his office, minding his own business, when he sensed something wrong in the atmosphere. He could tell that some reiatsu was spiking up, and it wasn't just anyone's reiatsu. The reiatsu was too familiar to him not to recognize. Putting his paperwork back on his table, he sighed.

"Ichigo?" Renji shook his head wearily. "When will that brat learn to control his…?"

Renji froze as he suddenly felt another rise in reiatsu, and it was from someone who was also familiar to him.

"Kuchiki-taichō?" Renji frowned. Then he jumped up as something struck him. "Shit!"

Quickly, he made his way out of the door only to pause when he heard someone called him back.

"A-Abarai-taichō!"

Renji didn't look at the person who addressed him when he replied, "I'll be right back. Something serious is going on."

With that, Renji left in a flash, heading towards the area where he supposed his best friend and his former captain were. Although he knew better than to interfere with the fight of those two individuals, he still had to do it or a certain midget would have his head once she came back from her mission in the real world and found out that he let her brother and her friend cancel each other out without trying to stop it.

Ichigo lashed at Byakuya who dodged the attack with ease. The tip of Zangetsu missed the man by an inch and slashed into the wall that was right behind the arrogant noble. The wall did not withstand and collapsed to the ground.

Byakuya took that chance to appear right behind Ichigo and struck down only to have his sword blocked just in time before he could draw the younger captain's blood.

"I've already told you, Byakuya. I can see through all of your moves."

With that said, Ichigo pushed Byakuya off. The older Shinigami jumped backward, brushed a lock of his hair away from his eye, then charged back at Ichigo who had already anticipated it and lunged forward to meet the man half way.

Their zanpakutō clashed again, and this time the force was enough to shake the already unstable dojo. The recruits fled quickly before the place should fall apart. While they wanted to know the outcome of the not-so-friendly match, they believed there were many safer ways to find out.

Seeing that the ceiling was about come down, Ichigo and Byakuya dashed out of the dojo and continued their fight on the field outside.

While Ichigo knew he had an advantage when it came to stamina, Byakuya wasn't to be underestimated either. If Ichigo were to rely on his brute force, then he knew Byakuya was better when it came to strategy. And who knew what was going on in that noble's head?

The answer came to him before he even needed to think when Byakuya slashed his blade down toward Ichigo's left shoulder. Ichigo blocked Byakuya's blade before he made his own attack and tried to lunge at his opponent in the stomach, yet Byakuya managed to parry it.

As their swords collided yet again, both sensed something in the air and looked at the same direction.

"Renji," Byakuya declared, remembering how bad Ichigo was at recognizing reiatsu. "He's heading here."

"Having an appointment with your ex-fukutaichō, eh?" Ichigo asked, pushing his zanpakutō harder.

Not letting his guard down even in a moment of surprise, Byakuya pushed back. "Does it matter?"

"Can't afford to let him get in the way," Ichigo noted. "Let's go somewhere nobody will interrupt."

"I believe you already have a place in mind."

Ichigo nodded and shunpoed off while Byakuya was hot on his trail, leaving all the rest of the Sixth Division Shinigami to stand in awe as none could tell which direction both of the captains had disappeared to.

If Byakuya was surprised when Ichigo led him to Shihōin Yoruichi's secret training ground under the Sōkyoku hill, he didn't show it. In fact, he didn't even bother to say a word when he continued with the battle.

Ichigo deflected Byakuya's attack with Zangetsu. Then they pushed against each other for a moment, jumped a few feet backwards then charged in again.

The battle went on for only God knew how long.

The older Shinigami seemed as though he was out of breath and let his guard down a little. Ichigo suppressed a satisfied grin. For once, he was grateful he was forced to spar with Zaraki Kenpachi. Byakuya was getting tired and Ichigo wouldn't waste that advantage. The Vizard charged in, aiming at Byakuya's opening.

Byakuya's charcoal eyes were widened in surprise since he didn't expect Ichigo to come from that direction. Quickly, he moved.

Blood spattered in the air.

Before Ichigo could even congratulate himself for winning a battle against Byakuya yet another time, his breath was caught between his throat as the image of Byakuya getting stabbed disappeared right in front of his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his right shoulder so he looked over it to see a gaping wound and his own blood dripping down from the tip of Senbonzakura to the ground.

No sign of injury could be detected on Byakuya's body as the man slowly sheathed his zanpakutō. His eyes reflected no emotion as he remarked, "It appears this battle is over."

Wincing slightly, Ichigo remarked, "Utsusemi? You must be really desperate to avoid the conversation that you need to use Yoruichi-san's technique."

"I am not," Byakuya objected. His voice was lower than it usually was and his eyes were hooded when he continued, "I would have agreed to talk to you had you not showed such disrespect toward me in front of my subordinates."

"I see…" Ichigo narrowed his eyes, wondering if Byakuya was honest. Was he the one to make things difficult?

Quickly Ichigo dismissed the idea. The noble was just trying to put the blame on him when, in truth, he was the one who was being difficult. Byakuya didn't show any sign that he would be willing to have a conversation with him at all, so it was just another trick. Though he couldn't tell why Byakuya still needed to use a trick when he had already won this battle.

It was painfully clear to Ichigo that in spite of what the older Shinigami had said, he would simply leave the scene. He had even expected Byakuya to remind him of their deal before he left – this time for good. And while he told himself he couldn't care less if he would ever see the noble again or not, something deep within him still twitched.

However, Ichigo had to be surprised when instead of heading to the exit, Byakuya walked toward him.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing a guarded stare from Ichigo, Byakuya stopped to gesture the wound on Ichigo's shoulder.

"I don't suppose you want to leave it like that."

Ichigo sighed. He knew he needed to fix that wound, but at that point, he would rather bleed to death before he'd let Byakuya do it – that man had deliberately cut him, for crying out loud! However, Ichigo didn't seem to have much choice when Byakuya used one hand to grasp his shoulder, forcefully restraining him, and then used another to focus his healing kidō. Ichigo couldn't understand why the man even bothered when he could just leave. Was it just his imagination or the arrogant noble had really gone soft?

Once the wound was close, Byakuya quickly let go of Ichigo as if he burned. Ichigo looked at his shoulder then back at Byakuya.

"Why do you care?"

Byakuya's expression was as still as ever when he returned, "I don't."

"Then why didn't you just leave?"

Ichigo wasn't sure if he was seeing things or there really was a melancholic gleam in those dark grey eyes.

"My true goal for this battle was to get you out of my life, not to injure you or avoid any conversation," Byakuya explained matter-of-factly. For some reasons, his voice lacked all senses of arrogance and confidence that if they weren't having the conversation face to face, Ichigo would never believe the voice came from the proud noble.

Looking at Ichigo's dumbstruck expression, the Kuchiki lord added, "And I doubt you would leave me alone without bugging me for a rematch if I did not at least answer some of your questions."

"So that's it? You'll talk to me just to make sure I'll be off your tail for good," Ichigo asked. He felt a pang of an unnamed feeling as he continued, "You'd do just about everything to get rid of me, wouldn't you?"

The Sixth Division Captain didn't quite meet the younger captain's eyes when he replied, "There are still some levels I won't stoop to."

Ichigo snorted.

"What could be more undignified to you than kissing another guy?"

Ichigo didn't expect Byakuya to meet his eyes when he answered the question, yet he did, and Ichigo had never wished the man to wear anything but a stoic expression more than now.

"I can name several, but I don't believe it really matters," Byakuya pointed. "So let me ask you what makes you believe I kissed you to get rid of you."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to face a difficult question. What made him believe that Byakuya kissed him just to get rid of him? If he were to be honest with himself, then he would realize he never believed so in the first place. However, he didn't want to believe that Byakuya had any other ulterior motives either.

"It's the only reason that makes sense."

"To you, perhaps."

Ichigo furrowed his brows. The man was and would always be an enigma to him. Even when he was staring right into those charcoal eyes, he was still unable to comprehend the meanings behind the man's words.

"If that wasn't your reason, then why the hell did you kiss me?"

Byakuya closed his eyes for a few seconds as he thought his answer through. He could either lie or tell the truth, and it wouldn't make much difference. He already had Ichigo's word to stay out of his life. However, he couldn't think of any benefit from lying while he could see that telling the truth would not only lighten the load in his heart but would also send that man to a farther distance, which was exactly what he needed.

Making up his mind, Byakuya opened his eyes but refused to look at Ichigo when he replied, "Because I wanted to, and I couldn't stop myself."

Byakuya's word echoed in Ichigo's head. There was no room for misinterpretation. The man whose self-control was far greater than anyone he had ever known had just admitted to kissing him on an impulse. Ichigo might have never been able to read Byakuya, but he wasn't naïve enough not to recognize the desire was burning behind those eyes.

Ichigo gulped as something was dawned to him.

"You want…me…?"

Byakuya didn't bother to reply, yet his silence alone was enough to confirm Ichigo's assumption. Before Ichigo could say anything else, Byakuya turned away from him and headed for the exit.

He stopped right by the ladder and closed his eyes for the moment. His expression was almost the same as the one he had worn before he fled the scene ten days earlier.

"You now understand why I need you out of my life," said the noble. "I'm sorry for all the troubles I've caused to you lately, Kurosaki Ichigo. Sayonara."

TBC