sexual tension abounds!

To Ichigo's surprise, dinner with the vizard clan wasn't as awkward as he thought it would be. In many ways, it reminded him of when he used to have the time to go out with his friends and that put him at ease.

When their meal was finished and Hyori began to bicker with Love about whose turn it was to do the dishes, Kensai snuck off, taking the orange-haired teen with him. "See, that wasn't so bad," the older vizard teased.

"Yeah, sure," Ichigo agreed as he followed the seemingly aimless path that the other was leading. "Are we going somewhere?" he finally asked after about twenty minutes of meandering around the underground facility.

"Do you want me to take you somewhere?" Kensai continued to tease, an uncharacteristically playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at the other man's odd behavior but shrugged it off. "That's not really what I meant."

"I know. So, no, I guess we're not really going anywhere but I wanted to walk around for a little bit before settling in for the evening. You don't have to follow me." He was almost chiding.

"No. It's okay. I was just wondering." Ichigo backed off because it felt like the older man was testing him somehow, or at least trying to see if he could fluster him. Luckily for the teen, the incident in the park made him practically unflusterable, at least for the time being.

Seeing that his young companion was actually fairly relaxed, he did eventually lead them somewhere, to one of the far corners of the cavern. Ichigo wasn't going to ask why they were so far away from the others. Part of him, probably the hollow part, told him that it was because the older vizard wanted to get him alone so they could pick up where they left off. The rest of him tried not to care. He was just thankful for somewhere to hang out and something to distract him while indecent things were being done to his body.

However, his patience was rewarded when Kensai started turning over rocks and mumbling to himself.

"I know it's around here somewhere…unless one of those bastards found it…maybe over here…" the older man muttered as he continued his apparent search.

"Can I help you look for something?" Ichigo asked politely.

"If you want," Kensai distractedly replied. "It has to be here somewhere…"

The teen didn't bother asking what they were looking for. Based on how thoroughly the man was searching, he figured that it whatever it was, it would probably look out of place. Fortunately, it only took another couple of minutes before Kensai emerged from behind a boulder with a victorious grin.

"Yatta! I found it!" he held up a fifth of whisky.

Ichigo swallowed hard when he saw the bottle. He was, of course, by no means a drinker and the few times that he had tried it with his friends, he was quick to realize that he could not handle his liquor very well.

"Don't look so green. I didn't say you could have any," he continued to tease as he sat down, back to the same boulder.

Ichigo sat too, feeling awkward standing while his only company was practically reclined on the ground. There was another, smaller rock adjacent to the Kensai's. Ichigo chose that one to sit against, close enough to have a conversation but out of arm's reach.

In spite of his words moments before, Kensai pulled two shot glasses from his pocket and filled them both, one more than the other.

"You just said," Ichigo started but was cut off.

"You don't have to drink it. Just pretend so it doesn't feel like I'm drinking by myself," he advised as he slid the less full glass toward his company. "Thanks," he said when the teen accepted without further argument.

To Kensai's surprise, Ichigo actually tasted the liquid when he downed his first shot. His face was priceless and obvious disgust. "I don't know how you can drink this stuff," he lightly complained.

"If you do it right, you hardly taste it," Kensai replied, pouring his next shot even before the first had a chance to settle.

Ichigo watched the older man open his throat and swallow the liquid in a single gulp. Feeling a little more confident about his technique, he tried again. This time he got the shot down, but only barely before he started to cough and sputter, nearly dropping the glass on the ground.

Kensai laughed a little, a slight nostalgia creeping over him as he remembered his first reactions to hard alcohol were very similar. He was surprised when the teen pushed the glass back over like he wanted more. "You weren't supposed to drink it. You're just supposed to pretend." He filled the shot glass again anyway and slid it back.

The orange-haired young man accepted the glass but simply set it aside. "Are you drinking 'cause of Shinji?" Ichigo asked suddenly after Kensai's third shot. He didn't really want to bring the subject up but it was the only thing he could think of in time to stop the fourth shot from being swallowed.

Kensai glared weakly, "Does that bother you?"

"Does it help?" the teen asked sheepishly.

"Sometimes," Kensai admitted, "but only so much."

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. I had no idea, really," he tried to defend.

It made Kensai laugh. Shinji, of course, hadn't apologized for what happened. No one expected him to. It was simply accepted as one of those things that just happens and it would be better off left in the past. "Don't apologize, please. That only makes it worse." The liquor was already started to hit him.

Ichigo frowned.

"Really. There's nothing to be sorry for. It's just kinda shitty the way things went down, ya know?"

Actually, Ichigo only kinda knew but he tried to be understanding. "Can't you just go get'em the next time?" he tried to sound positive.

"Yeah…but it wouldn't be the same…" he grumbled and downed the fourth shot.

"Why not?" Ichigo couldn't help asking, both to satisfy his curiosity and postpone the next shot.

Kensai eyed him carefully, well as carefully as he could through the blur that was starting.

"What?" Ichigo suddenly felt pinned by the slight scrutiny.

"I dunno, nevermind," he grumbled before shot five was gone. He was about to pour number six when Ichigo decided to stop him with a careful hand on his, moving the bottle away from the shot glass. "What are you doing? You can't have more until you've finished the one you already have!"

Ichigo blinked almost stupidly at the accusation. "I don't want another one," he carefully replied after a moment.

"Then what's the big idea?"

"Just…slow down a bit...please?" the teen tried.

Kensai's eyes softened at the concern in the young man's voice, as well as the feeling of their hands touching. "Okay." He poured one more and set it aside, putting the cap back on the bottle and doing the same. "You're not used to people drinking, are you?"

"No, not really," he shifted uncomfortably, "only at parties and stuff…not that I have time for crap like that."

Kensai gave a nod of understanding, watching someone drown their sorrows could be slightly disturbing for someone who was unfamiliar with the idea. "Sorry," he gave a slightly foolish smile. He hadn't really considered how he might look to his young company.

Ichigo tried to shrug it off. From there, their conversation was much lighter. They joked around and gossiped about the others for quite some time and, during that time, Kensai had managed to slip in another few shots, more than either would have preferred but Kensai's judgment was skewed and Ichigo was afraid to say something.

It wasn't a problem until suddenly Kensai burst out, "Ya know what the worst part is…the part that really gets to me?" He was slurring and didn't wait for a response before continuing, "He didn't even fuckin' notice. I mean, after you two…I knew our deal wasn't gunna be as sweet but I expected something, ya know?"

Ichigo wasn't sure what to say to that, mostly because he wasn't sure he understood most of it. However, he did understand enough to tell that Kensai was a lot more wounded over what happened that he wanted to let on. Shifting uncomfortably, the teen reached for his shot and found that this one went down a little easier than the last.

"Hey! Quit that! If I get you trashed, I'll get my ass kicked!" Still, he didn't want to feel like he was drinking alone and he wasn't done drinking so he refilled the shot and set it to Ichigo's side.

"Kensai…" he began carefully and the look he received bade him to continue, "what happened between you two?"

"Aw, you don't wanna hear that. It's a stupid story anyway," he grumbled, reaching for his own glass.

While he was drinking, Ichigo took the opportunity to snatch the bottle away from the older man.

"Gimme that back!" he swiped at the air in front of the young man.

"I think you've had enough for now." He easily kept the bottle out of Kensai's reach.

Kensai nearly growled, most because he knew the teen was right, but he wanted more. "If I tell ya what happened, can I have my bottle back?"

Ichigo gave him a suspicious look.

"Come on! Work with me here!"

With marked reluctance, he agreed.

Then it was Kensai's turn to look unsure again but he wanted his whiskey back. "I saw'em chasin' Lisa's skirt one day; an idiot could tell what he was after and she wasn't buying it so I stepped in. He dragged me to the shack and we screwed until he passed out." He didn't feel the need to include the part about being restrained because he didn't mind that part. Actually, there was a large portion of him that enjoyed it. "Then…he bound me with kido and…" his face scrunched up in frustration. "Can I have just one more?" he suddenly asked.

It was obvious that he didn't want to pour the man another shot but out of sympathy, he slid his over and it was eagerly accepted.

"And he tickled me until I was about to pee my pants. Then, he made me break his concentration so that I wouldn't. Sick bastard," he grumbled. "I manage to break it but he's sly, even when he's like that. No," he self-corrected, "especially when he's like that." He made it so I couldn't when I tried and then, when I was about to throttle him, he let it go." His words were slurred and ideas disjointed but he did get his point across.

"He made you pee your pants?" Ichigo asked in disbelief and by the nearly fluorescent blush on the other man's skin, he knew he'd heard correctly.

"I was gunna let it go. I'm just that good of a guy. I figured I could get him back when I had my episode. He'd be addicted to me anyway so he'd be ready for it, right?" Then he stopped, thinking it would be self explanatory.

"So what happened?"

Kensai hesitated but still ended up blurting out the first answer that came to mind, "You happened. You had quite an effect on him. He pretty much forgot about me. Well, that's not really true. I don't think he expected your raietsu to be that strong."

Ichigo felt his heart sink and reached for his glass, now empty, but before he could fill it, Kensai made a lucky grab and snatched the bottle away.

"You've had enough!" he playfully scolded, pouring one for himself.

The teen wanted to apologize again but he'd already been told not to. "That really sucks," was all he could manage instead. "I wish I'd known."

"It really wouldn't have made a difference, at least not for the better," Kensai consoled.

"Still…I just wish there was something I could do. Even though you say it wasn't my fault, I wanna make it up to you. I can't imagine what it would be like to feel someone after they've moved on like that."

Kensai thought for a moment. At first, it was about how unerringly thoughtful this young man was. "You don't need to make it up to me, really. Though, I appreciate the thought." Then a mischievous grin crept across his face. "You could help me get'em back," he proposed without even really thinking about it.

Ichigo appeared even more uncomfortable with that idea than the last. "I-I really don't know if that's a good idea…" he stammered. The last thing he needed was to get tangled up in their drama. At that realization, he felt some sympathy for the shopkeeper he'd badgered all those many days ago.

The drunken man gave a hearty chuckle at the younger man's reluctance. "No, probably not…but it would be fun," he continued with a giggle.

The teen eyed his rosy companion suspiciously. He couldn't help wondering what that would be like.

"No, no. You'd never do something like that," Kensai continued to babble.

"Like what?" Ichigo asked defensively.

"Oh, you know," the white-haired man gave a dismissive motion before filling the shot glasses again. Ichigo appeared put-off by that and it made Kensai laugh a little more. "I'm sorry. I know you'd never wanna mess around like that."

"Like what?" he demanded again.

"You'd never take advantage of someone like that, especially during sexy time. It's just not your style." He playfully dismissed again.

The teen's immediate reaction was to be offended but after a moment of thought he agreed. "I suppose you're right there." He even laughed a little.

"And you'd certainly never outnumber someone…even if he did totally deserve it." He didn't wait to see his young companion's reaction before downing his next shot.

That idea made Ichigo's stomach flip-flop. He'd been 'outnumbered' before and as he remembered, it wasn't that bad. To hide the blush that the idea gave him, he too drank his shot.

"Actually, it'd be better if you didn't anyway, even if you could." Even though he was pretty drunk, he was still able to lead the young man around, at least verbally. "I'd have to hold back on'em if you were there…none of us wants that…"

The mere mention of the others having to repress themselves for his sake made Ichigo nearly growl in frustration. "No you wouldn't," he tried to correct. He didn't want to get pulled into the hypothetical like that but he felt he had to defend himself a little bit and it earned him a very critical look. "What?"

"Yeah. I would," the white-haired man replied evenly. "I'm not trying to offend you so don't take it so personally."

That didn't make Ichigo feel any better."Why then?" he challenged.

"My dear boy, we can't corrupt you too quickly," the drunken man chuckled and spilled some of his liquor in the process. "Damn it! Here," he handed the bottle and the cap to the orange-haired teen across from him.

Ichigo accepted them but he wasn't sure why.

"Pour me another one," Kensai ordered, holding out his glass. When Ichigo's reply was a look of unwilling incredulity, he elaborated. "I don't wanna spill any more."

"Answer my question first," he bargained and was a little surprised when it worked.

"'Cause neither of us would wanna scare ya," he answered, still holding his glass out and this time was rewarded with half a shot. "Fill it," he ordered.

"I don't like your answer so that's all ya get," the teen scolded while screwing the lid back on.

"You impudent little brat! Give it back then. I'd rather waste it myself!" Kensai tried again to get his bottle back and it was even easier for Ichigo to keep it away from him than the last time. "I don't see why you're makin' such a big deal 'bout it. You don't want to play, anyway."

"I don't like to be underestimated," he griped, gripping the bottle even tighter and having to back away a little to keep from getting grabbed.

"How about just estimated?" Kensai countered.

"I can handle more than you think," Ichigo shot back, even leaning forward and raising up a little to assert his confidence.

Kensai, in a brief moment of clarity, was able to reach out and take hold of the collar of the teen's soul reaper robes. He held tightly and pulled the young man toward him until their faces were centimeters apart.

Ichigo flinched, not only at the suddenness but also at the smell of whisky on the other man's breath. Now that they were face-to-face, he could feel the rosy flush that radiated on the white-haired man's skin and he could see that the man's eyes were quite dilated already. "K-Kensai," he stuttered, but wasn't sure what to say after that.

"Yes, Ichigo?" he answered sweetly.

"Here's your whiskey back," he weakly surrendered.

"Thanks," he dropped the young man in exchange and decided that it was past the time for shot glasses, at least for him, and simply unscrewed the cap and took a swig straight from the bottle.

Ichigo slumped forward, feeling more than slightly defeated until he noticed something. Kensai was still partially erect. Even with his limited experience with alcohol, Ichigo knew that with as much as the older vizard had to drink already, the fact that he was even a little hard really said something. Then, the teen did something that neither of them expected. He reached out and touched it.

Kensai gasped, nearly choking on his second gulp, when he felt that seemingly innocent hand take hold of him through his pants. He even spilled a little more of the alcohol trying to pull the hand away to no avail. "Shit, Ichigo! Not while I'm takin' a drink. You'll fuckin' kill me," he coughed a little, still feeling as though the burning liquid was going down wrong.

Ichigo laughed a little at that. "Sorry," he replied with the least amount of sincerity as he could manage before leaning forward and flicking his tongue out, licking some of the stray drops off the older man's cheek. It earned him another gasp. "Don't want any to go to waste, right?" he even giggled a little bit. "Tastes better like this anyway."

"Really? Well, here then," He leaned back a bit, pulled up his shirt, and poured a little down his chest.

Ichigo was quick to react, catching most of the drops before they were gone and the proceeding to trace his tongue up every trail they left. For a moment, he thought about letting go of the erection in his hand, but when Kensai's head rolled back and he gave a throaty groan, he ended up tightening his grip as it grew harder.

Kensai could hardly believe his eyes as he looked down that the young man eagerly licking liquor off his chest and stomach, his warm, soft tongue ticklingly sensual in all the right places. It wasn't until those sweet chocolate eyes looked up at him expectantly that he found enough sense to try and push him away.

"Look, you don't have to prove anything to me, or make anything up to me, or any of the other guilty reasons you're grabbin' my cock." The older man's reluctance was obvious but equally obvious was his genuineness.

Ichigo frowned deeply and disapprovingly. He was touching the other man because he wanted to; it just so happened that the guilt made it that much easier to overcome his inhibitions. "No, you look, I despise being pitied. So, I wouldn't be touching if I felt sorry for you, got it?" For emphasis, he gripped even harder and leaned close once again.

The teen's suddenly authoritative tone took the drunken vizard off guard. He even blinked stupidly for a moment, unsure as to what to say or do. He waited so long that the young man, now practically in his lap, leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on his slightly parted lips before withdrawing, taking his shot glass and the whiskey with him.

Ichigo was done pouring and almost drinking before the other man's daze wore off enough to notice. "Hey! What's the big idea?" he almost yelled.

"Shh! Don't tell anybody!" Ichigo playfully replied before choking down his fourth shot. Then, he quickly filled both glasses and set the bottle to the side.

By this point, Kensai was almost too drunk to process what had just happened. His only consolation was that even through the impairment of his judgment, he could still resist the adorable advances of the handsome young man sharing his alcohol. He bit his lip as he tried to reason out his options. Now, more than anything, he wanted to crawl over to the one who had so suddenly retreated and pin him to the ground. Because he couldn't think of anything better, he settled for reaching for the next loaded shot.

"I poured that 'cause I thought you'd wait a minute," Ichigo griped without really thinking, the alcohol having an effect on him as well now.

With a disappointed frown, Kensai carefully set the glass back down a little closer than where he'd picked it up. "Guess I was wrong about a couple of things," he slurred.

Ichigo could tell the man was bating him again, not that he was trying to hide it anymore, but played along anyway. "What might those be?"

Kensai thought for a moment, trying to decide what order to list them in, even giggling a little as he did. "Well, for one thing-oh, but don't be mad at Shinji for this. We kinda grilled'em after he got back. Ya know, we wanted to make sure you were okay." When he received a slightly confused and irritated look in response, he continued. "For one thing, Shinji was right about your kisses; they are very sweet." He even licked his lips for emphasis.

Rage flared within the soul reaper.

"I told ya not to be mad!" Kensai gave a dismissive motion, feeling that he was once again leading their conversation. "And apparently, you don't mind taking advantage of someone when their good sense is impaired," playfully accused.

"I don't have to sit here and listen to this!" Ichigo took his glass and threw the liquid into the white-haired man's face before standing to storm off.

"Wait! You're right. I'm sorry. Please, sit back down," he pleaded, silently praying that he wouldn't have to chase the teen because he would no doubt fail miserably, making a fool of himself all the while.

Ichigo hesitated but complied and felt a slight weight lifted off his shoulders when the older vizard breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was outta line," Kensai agreed as he slide his glass, still full toward his company. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should cool it for a minute."

The glass was accepted but not immediately consumed and after a long, awkward silence, the orange-haired vizard spoke. "Did he really say that about me?"

Kensai blushed, "Yeah."

"Keh, figures," he grumbled before drinking the gifted portion of whiskey. After this, his fifth shot, he was finding that the older man was right, it was better if you didn't taste it.

"Did he say anything else incredibly embarrassing about me?"

"He didn't say it to embarrass you," Kensai defended.

"Well, I fail to see how saying something stupid like that helps you figure out that I'm okay," he continued to complain.

The more intoxicated man gave a sigh of exasperation and rolled his eyes. "You can tell a lot about someone by the way they kiss, ya know."

That caused Ichigo to pause.

"Yeah, think about it a second," he drunkenly encouraged.

The encouragement was unnecessary, as the teen was already trying to recall some of the kisses he'd shared and quickly realized that it was a reasonably true rationale. "Fine. Just don't say it again, okay?" he weakly bargained.

"No problem. If it makes you feel any better, he didn't really wanna talk about it. Usually, he won't shut up about it if it was any good," he laughed.

"Really?"

"You're surprised too?"

Ichigo shifted a little but decided to say it anyway, "He teased me about bragging. I'm glad he wasn't serious."

"That's one of the things about him that took me the longest to get used to. It's really hard to tell when he's being serious sometimes. It can be absolutely infuriating!"

Ichigo nodded in agreement until Kensai giggled again. "What?"

Kensai blushed again.

"What?" he demanded again.

"I was just thinking that he gives really good head. That almost makes up for that, right?" He couldn't even get half way through the thought before he was laughing again.

Luckily, it made Ichigo laugh as well, even nodding a little in agreement in spite of himself.

At his laughter subsided, the older man gave a sigh of resignation. "Oh well, right? C'est la vie," he shrugged, wishing that he had another shot but unwilling to ask for another.

Shinji was peaking again and they could both feel it.

"It's too bad," Kensai grumbled.

"What is?" Ichigo was taken off guard by the sudden seriousness in the other vizard's tone.

To the teen's surprise, the white-haired man gave a mischievous and lecherous smile, "He'd've made an amazing cock-slave."

Ichigo's jaw dropped and his eyes nearly bugged out, "What?!?" he gasped in disbelief.

The young man's reaction made Kensai laugh hard enough to bring tears to his eyes.

After another sigh of relief, Ichigo laughed again too. "You had me there for a sec."

It took Kensai a moment to catch enough of his breath to speak. "I mean it…but you shoulda seen your face." He continued to snicker for another few minutes, leaving Ichigo to decide whether or not to be offended. Because he was obviously not outright disgusted by the idea, the intoxicated man continued. "Hehe, you're thinkin' about it!" he teased in a sing-song voice.

Ichigo wrinkled his nose in disgust, "No I' not!" he defended, a blush staining his cheeks regardless.

"Uh-huh, whatever. I could see it in you're eyes. It's okay. It doesn't hurt anything to wonder what it would be like to have someone devoted solely to pleasing you for as long as you need them."

"Stop it! That's not funny!" The younger vizard was very tempted at this point to stick his fingers in his ears and start singing to block out the delightfully devilish things the older was saying.

"Did he really follow you around for a full school day during one of his episodes?" Kensai suddenly asked.

"Yeah…Well, he snuck off for a while but, yeah. Why?" He was suspicious, wondering if the question was relevant or a sudden change in topic.

Kensai pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I bet it'd be really easy for you," he finally replied.

"What the hell are you talking about?" His companion's drunken babble was starting to not make sense anymore.

"Ya know," he motioned vaguely but when it became painfully obvious that he'd lost his orange-haired company, he tried again. "If you wanted him to do that for you, I think I'd be really easy to convince him."

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably.

"What?"

At that prompt, Ichigo felt obliged to elaborate on their relationship a little, in hopes that he could make Kensai understand that their relationship wasn't like that. "The first time we were together, he said he'd do everything he could for me. I just had to tell him what I wanted…" he trialed off but managed to pick up again before he was interrupted. "But it's only 'cause he knew I didn't want much. What you're suggested is a lot more than that…I don't think he'd," that's when he was interrupted.

"I did say that it would take some convincing," he reminded, slight smirk never wavering.

"Is that really what you wanted to do?" This time, the teen tried to partially disguise his disgust.

"Oh, I wanted to do a lot of things, nothing that vindictive until after the fact, though." he admitted.

"Can we please talk about something else?"

Kensai laughed again, "Yeah, sure…but one more thing first, 'kay?"

"Whatever."

"You think, maybe, I could look you up next time?" he asked, his voice a little quieter than expected.

Ichigo was taken aback by the proposition. "R-Really?"

"Well yeah. I wouldn't ask ya if I didn't mean it. So?" he anxiously prompted.

Ichigo was about to agree until something suddenly occurred to him. "You're not gunna," was as far as he got before he was cut off.

"No, of course not! I wouldn't do that to you." Kensai was even a little offended by the suggestion.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. "Then, yeah, Why the hell not?" He even found himself smiling.

"By then his raietsu will have worn off both of us…provided neither of us screws around with him in the mean time, of course."

The first part was successful in reassuring the teen of his decision but the second half made him second-guess himself. Ichigo and Shinji had yet to approach one another outside of their episodes but the blonde had hinted at it.

"What's the matter?" Even through his drunkenness, he could see the sudden doubt.

"Does it really matter who we're with in the meantime?" Ichigo asked carefully.

"I guess not." He shrugged. "I just thought you'd prefer that, so there would be no doubts about any external influences."

"You still don't believe I'm free of the addiction," Ichigo suddenly accused. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? Are you trying to test me or something?"

Kensai's eyes narrowed dangerously. "There are a lot of reasons for what I'm doing," he started crawling toward the young man. "But I'm too drunk to list them. I just wanted to know if you were interested, in case you aren't busy. Do whatever…or whoever you want." He even gave an encouraging smile when he stopped a few inches away only to reach for the now less than half-full bottle. "What do ya say?" he asked, sitting back and carefully unscrewing the bottle.

Finding the white-haired vizard's behavior as curious as it was confusing, Ichigo felt his defensiveness melt away. "It doesn't matter what I say. No matter what, I'll probably end up looking forward to it," he was both embarrassed and resigned over the situation.

It made Kensai smile and this time it was a hearty, genuinely affectionate smile. "Thanks," he replied sheepishly, knowing that the real trick at this point would be remembering enough about their conversation not to make a fool of himself the next time they saw one another.

"I'm sorry for freaking out. This is all still really weird," Ichigo admitted, equally sheepish.

Then, the tension was broken once again by a bout of hearty laughter.

They spoke for another few hours before passing out.