The title of this chapter is a little deceptive as the part has nothing to do with shopping (it is mostly talking). I hope no one minds. (I might change the title later if something better comes to me.)


Only a few minutes after Shinji entered the shower that the orange-haired teen began to stir. He lay still for a moment to listen. He could hear one person breathing nearby and a little further off, running water. He cracked an eye to find that he was all but alone. Pleased by this, he crawled with all the stealth he learned from Yuroichi over to the form passed out on the bed. With an evil grin, he climbed up onto the bed. He knew the level of caution he was exhibiting was unnecessary, the man on the bed was passed out cold; he could have just as well hopped onto the bed and he wouldn't have been disturbed in the least.

This made attempting to wake the large man sprawled out beneath him an interesting task. He started by stroking his feathery white hair. When that didn't work, he gave a wholly unappreciated pout. After that, he got an idea. He leaned over until his lips were millimeters from the older vizard's right ear.

"Kensai-san," he whispered. The man tossed his head from side to side and gave an indignant whine at the interruption of his rest. The young man gave a little giggle and repeated the name, this time a little more sweetly.

"Nnngh-Ichigo?" Kensai grumbled, obviously disoriented and confused.

He giggled again and pulled back, revealing that he wasn't exactly the young man in question.

When he saw the hollow's eye looking back at him, his breath caught and he tried to push him off. "What th-"

With lightening speed he pinned one of the man's shoulders with one hand and cover his mouth with the other. "Shhh," he leaned down again, this time bringing them face to face, nearly nose to nose. "Listen closely 'cause I'm only gunna say this once." Not only because he disliked repeating himself but also because he didn't think he'd get an opportunity like this again. "I have no control over who you screw around with but if you screw up this thing between King and Blondie, I will do everything I can to make sure that your inner world rains so much that your hollow will drown," he warned. "Got it?" He slowly removed his hand to allow the one beneath him a chance to speak.

Kensai frowned. "Yeah, got it," he reluctantly agreed.

"Good," he tried to move away but found a clumsy hand on his wrist, preventing him from going too far.

"You're really caring, for a heartless parasite," he bitterly observed.

"Thanks, but I assure you, it's purely selfish. That bastard dries my skies," he bitterly informed, obviously not pleased by that fact but still willing to defend a circumstance that worked to his benefit.

Kensai gave a dry chuckle and let go. "Whatever."

"Oh, I heard your little conversation."

"Oh? What of it?"

"Make sure you really do explain yourself to him. I really don't want to listen to him think about it because he can't figure you out."

"If you heard it, why not tell'em yourself?"

"Oh, come now, you know that he believes everything I say is a lie. Now, go back to sleep, ya freaky piece of shit," he shoved off the man and headed to the bathroom. He knew he wouldn't be able to run around for much longer before his king realized that part of him was still awake.

Kensai wanted to stop him but the bed seemed to be spinning so he took the thing's advice and forced himself back to sleep, only a grumble signaling his disapproval, "Now that was interesting."

It was so pleased by how that went that it was humming and a rather childish tune at that: You Are My Sunshine.

Shinji was so caught up in his own thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the humming; he didn't recognize the tune but he did recognize the timbre. However, there wasn't a whole lot he could do. "I-Ichi-" was as far as he got before a hand wiped the steam away from a small portion of the glass shower wall, confirming the blonde's suspicions by revealing his gold and ink eyes for a moment before the glass fogged over again. Shinji reached a careful hand toward the door but as soon as he did, the teen was leaning against it, using his body weight to hold it shut and making it so that he couldn't open the door without force and the risk of breaking the glass. He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. "Why are you here?" It was a safer question than asking it what it wanted.

It laughed a little. "Don't you at least have a guess?" it asked while wiping away another patch of steam to peek in at the soaked blonde.

"I don't like guessing games," he glared back through the small window until it too was recovered with steam.

It pouted, giving a little whine for emphasis. "You should be nicer to me. I can be a lot of fun too ya know," he teased.

"Does he know you're here?"

"Naw, he's passed out cold. Yer friend did quite a number on'em….but don't you worry your pretty little head about him. He's gunna be A-okay!" It started laughing again.

"Well, that's good to hear," he didn't bother trying to conceal his sarcasm.

"Don't try to pretend like you weren't worried," he chided.

"I'm only gunna ask you one more time," Shinji began.

"Er wut? You gunna bust through this door and kick this pretty ass?" he pressed his still bare backside against the door.

"Actually, yeah, I will." He knew that Ichigo would prefer take the brunt of a quick beating than suffer under the control of his inner hollow, even if he wasn't conscious.

"Tch," it scoffed. "Yeah, right. But," it pulled away from the door, "I don't wanna fight ya." After waiting a moment to see if the man inside would come out and seeing that he wasn't inclined, he continued. "I'm jus' tryin' ta figure out what he sees in you."

Shinji made a dismissive sound and tried to continue his shower. Since he was no longer 'trapped', he didn't feel the need to attempt escape. "Don't you like me?" he asked with mock disappointment.

"I didn't say that…" he nearly mewled. There was a lot that the older vizard had to offer that very much enjoyed. "But…he don' think like I do and as far as I can see," it wiped a larger portion of steam away so that he could get a better view, "you're just a pretty piece of ass, a cute little slut. He don' usually go for that."

The man in the shower frowned deeply as the hollow giggle; it was thoroughly enjoying the little peepshow.

"Oh, don' make that face. Yer so much prettier when ya smile. When you smile fer'im…he gives me a break from the rain," he confessed again and only because these men might know what he was talking about.

Shinji's frown weakened at that admission.

"May I come in there witcha?" it suddenly asked and when the man inside hesitated, he forced a, "please."

With a sigh of reluctance and a look that said he knew he would probably regret it later, he pushed open the door and moved back into the full spray.

The hollow controlling his lover's body raked his eyes over the fair skin before him, slightly pinkened by the obviously too hot shower, and licked his lips. "Mmmm…never mind. I don' think it'll do any good ta know why he gives a shit aboutcha. I prolly wouldn't get it anyway," and for him that had the potential to be even more irritating.

Shinji was surprised to find that they weren't at least touching by this point. In fact, the hollow was shifting with obvious discomfort.

"What's the matter?"

It sneered for a moment before breaking eye contact, "I despise water," it nearly hissed.

"Then why follow me in here?"

The hollow rolled his golden eyes with a sigh of indignant reluctance. He knew that his king and this blonde man needed to have some time together before either of them had too much time to over-think what happened. As much as he despised water, he despised having to listen to the teen's unconscious part of the teen's mind, the part he spent the most time with, babble on and on and on and on andonandonandon about things that should have been obvious. He wasn't often gifted the opportunity to guide his king in his personal relationships, at least not past the extent of automatically discarded suggestions so, he stepped into the spray, making it easier for him to relinquish control.

Shinji watched, somewhat disturbed as the teen's eyes slid shut and he stumbled forward. He barely caught the orange-haired vizard without slipping himself. "Ichigo?" he barely asked when he saw the young man's eyelids were starting to flutter and behind them were the dark chocolate eyes he loved so much.

"Shinji?" Ichigo's brow furrowed as he tried to gather his bearings. "What…Why…?"

Unsure whether the young man's unawareness of what just transpired was good or bad, he lied, "You were sleepwalking. The water woke you."

With a nervous laugh, Ichigo stood. "Well, I guess I needed a shower anyway."

"I can't say I mind the company," he pulled them together again and started washing the young man, something he had wanted to do ever since his first episode with the young vizard.

It was perfect. They were both so spent from their activities with Kensai that they could focus on simply enjoying the simple pleasures of non-verbal communication and physical contact.

It wasn't until their shower was over and they were toweling off that either of them felt the need to speak.

"So-ah, what are you doing this Saturday?" Shinji finally asked.

"I dunno. I don't usually make plans 'cause Rukia always shows and she's all like It's your responsibility to slay hollows blah, blah blah."

Shinji laughed at the disparaging impression. "Care to break that tradition for one night? That is unless the world needs saving by the great Kurosaki Ichigo, then you may run off and do whatever life threatening thing you desire. I promise, I won't stand in your way," he teased.

"Yeah, that'd be nice. What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. I'll think of something." Shinji shrugged, having not really gotten that far into his plan. He had been too worried about getting to that point.

"Okay," Ichigo laughed a little before setting off to find his clothes which, surprisingly enough, weren't too dirty. As he dressed, he took a moment to look at the man passed out on the large bed pushed into the corner. He didn't realize how long he had been staring until a voice behind him brought him back to reality.

"Look, Ichigo. He wouldn't've-" he began but when Ichigo turned around and he saw the look in his eyes, he stopped.

"Can we go for a walk?" the partially dressed vizard suddenly asked.

"Uh, sure. Just a minute."

"I'll meet you outside." Ichigo left with having only putting his pants on, signaling that he intended to return. Once they were a few steps away from the shack, he prompted knowingly, "So you were saying?"

"Oh, yeah…" he hesitated. "I just wanted to make sure you knew he wouldn't've hurt you."

Ichigo gave a dry smile, "Yeah. I knew that. I guess it's part of the reason I didn't really fight him," he mused.

"Are you sure?" Shinji pressed. The last thing he needed was for his young lover to be emotionally damaged by an experience he very well could have removed him from.

"Huh? Yeah. Why?" He asked because he was offended by the other man's doubt.

"Well, it's just…I saw the panicked look in your eyes. Like I said, I was just making sure."

Ichigo pursed his lips. "If you didn't know about my-um…bad experiences with arancar, would you worry as much? Or would you just let it go?" One of the only reasons he had been able to come up with for why Shinji would feel the need to hold back as much as he did was because of how Grimmjaw and Ulquiorra had treated him. He wasn't exactly over it and knew it wasn't exactly something one just 'got over' but also wasn't something that ruled his thoughts, at least not any more.

Shinji frowned. He didn't like to think he was protective of Ichigo because he was 'damaged goods', as he once put, but it had crossed his mind. "I dunno."

"'Cause I really like you but I can't put up with being treated like I'm some fragile little thing that you can break. You're good, but you're not that good," at least, not yet, he mentally added.

They both took a moment of silence to gather their thoughts but when the slightest bit of guilt played across Shinji's features, Ichigo gave a disapproving frown and broke eye contact.

"Hey! Damnit! Give me a chance here. You can judge me based on one expression. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I've only held back when you made me."

That made Ichigo think and it was his turn to look guilty for a moment.

"And if I were stupid enough to treat you like that, you can bet your ass I wouldn't've just laid there and let you eat off me like that."

Ichigo blinked stupidly for a moment. "No, I guess not. I dunno. I'm sorry. That meal, or whatever it was, has me all confused. I don't think I ever realized how strange Kensai is."

"You never realize now strange someone is until you spend the night in their bed…or at their table as it were."

"Are you calling me strange?" Ichigo playfully countered, lightening the mood considerably.

Shinji gave a cheeky grin but knew better than to answer. Instead, he provided different bits of information, equally valuable to the young man. "He wanted me to rescue you, or something," he vaguely gestured. "He likes it when things are, as he says, genuine."

Ichigo blushed at that. "Genuine?"

"Yeah."

"Is he gunna try to apologize then?"

Shinji pursed his lips, remembering that he asked a very similar question. "Probably, why?"

"Could ya ask'em not to. I really don't wanna hear it. I mean, like I said, I knew it was okay, 'sides I coulda got away if I wanted to."

"Yeah, I guess I could do that."

By the time that conversation was over, they were back where they started. "Cool," Ichigo went back inside to get his things.

The sounds of their return caused the man on the bed to stir once again. He grumbled at the interruption but knew better than to complain.

"So Saturday?" Ichigo made sure before heading for the door. "What time?"

"How's six?"

"Perfect," he winked and was rewarded with the slightest blush lighting up his lover's face.

The wink had Shinji twitterpated almost long enough for Ichigo to exit, but not quite. As soon as he regained his sense a bit, he caught the young man. "You're not getting away that easily," he brought their lips together in a sweet but still very naughty good-bye kiss.

When Shinji let him go, Ichigo took his leave.

As much as Kensai wanted to give his comrade a hard time, he was still very tired and tried once again to go back to sleep. To his surprise, Shinji took a moment to cover him with a blanket before leave as well, but not without a few words, "Oh, don't worry about apologizing to him; he understands, I guess."

Kensai would be pleased by this later. For now, he was pleased by the blanket and the renewed silence.


Over the course of the week between him and his first official date with Ichigo, Shinji agonized over what, exactly, was appropriate date material. Dinner and a movie was right-out, too conventional. Clubbing would be fun, but Ichigo didn't really seem like the type to enjoy that scene. Perhaps a picnic? That might work, but then choosing the place was the issue. Luckily for him, they weren't limited by distance, but broadening his choices wasn't helping make a decision.

He wasn't the only one agonizing. Ichigo couldn't help trying to imagine what an actual date with Shinji would be like. From day one, he figured that Shinji was just the kind of person who didn't really go on dates, too romantic and not spontaneous enough. Maybe that's what the blonde was going for. The idea made Ichigo wonder if maybe his lover was offering such a gesture simply for his benefit. However, considering the comments that preceded the invitation, he doubted this, making the situation as perplexing as it was endearing. To his astonishment, his inner hollow had very little to offer on the matter. It was unusual and unnerving but a pleasant relief from business as usual.

However, Ichigo knew that if it wasn't one thing, there was always something equally annoying to deal with instead. In this instance, where his hollow remained eerily silent, Kon refused to let it go. Most of the time, it was just stupid jokes or innuendos made simply to fluster or infuriate him. That he could deal with but when the mod soul started wanting to have another 'real conversation' with him, that's when he became standoffish rather than dismissive.

"Quit pacin' around! Yer startin' to make me nervous," Kon complained.

Ichigo's reply was a simple glare.

"What are you so anxious about anyway?"

"I'm not anxious," the teen dismissed.

"Uh-huh, whatever. You always pace like this when there's something bothering you so either spill it or go pace somewhere else."

"This is my room. If you don't like it, you can leave," he stopped for a moment to point an angry finger at the stuffed lion.

"Where am I supposed to go like this?" he motioned to himself. "Unless you want me outta hear so bad you could spare your body for a few hours," he teased, knowing there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

"You're just lucky I don't throw you out the window and let you figure out how to get back in by yourself."

"I'm sure I could manage." If he could have rolled his eyes, he would have but the promise he made to Ichigo's father the night he saved his life prevented him from saying anything more than that. "So, really, is there something wrong or are you just losin' it?" he tried again, this time with a lighter tone.

"Nothing's wrong," he managed.

"Then why can't you sit still?"

To prove that he could, in fact, sit still, he took a seat on his bed, across from the stuffed animal sprawled out near the afore mentioned window. To his disappointment, Kon only took that as an invitation to move closer himself. After a closer look at the teen's face, he conceeded, "Nothin's wrong…but you got somthin' on your mind… I can see it," he informed accusingly.

Ichigo pursed his lips and leaned away from the invasive plushy.

"Come on, tell me about it. It's not like we have anything better to do and stewin' about it doesn't seem to be helping," he coaxed.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Oh, I see. I thought we were finally past all this crap. My mistake." The look of astonished disgust and disbelief Ichigo gave him bade him to continue, to push a little more. The worst that could happen would be having the threat of being thrown through the window fulfilled and he'd dealt with that before. "I thought that after all we've been through, you could occasionally drop the tough-guy crap when you weren't up for it."

Ichigo stood and started pacing again. "You're gunna laugh at me," he informed.

"So?" Kon shrugged.

"So? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, I don't see why that would matter. You laugh at me all the time. Besides, you don't care what I think, remember?"

The orange-haired teen gave a defeated sigh, "I have a date this weekend." When Kon didn't laugh or say anything, he finally looked back to the bed where he was once again reclined. "Well?"

If the form Kon was forced to use was capable of any real expressions, Ichigo would have recognized the shock clearly. "Oh, sorry. Really?"

"Yes really," he impatiently replied.

"Sorry, but it's not like you ever go out, let alone on dates. You're not exactly a socialite, ya know."

Ichigo frowned deeply. He had just been thinking that before the mod soul interrupted his train of thought. He was really comfortable around Shinji but being that comfortable with someone in public wasn't something he was used to. He had a big enough problem with other people's public displays of affection that he didn't even want to think about how he would react if Shinji, who happened to be a very physically affectionate person, made that kind of advance at a restaurant or on the street. He knew his instinct was to recoil, to stall until they were alone. He also knew that would probably not be acceptable, at least not for very long.

"So…who is it?" he asked, careful to avoid any presumptuous pronouns.

The teen cock an eyebrow. "Who do you think?"

"Is it blondie?" he asked hopefully.

Ichigo rolled his eyes with an expression that said, 'Who else would it be?' "Don't call him that."

"Did he ask you? Or did you ask him?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm just curious. You weren't nervous before you saw him last so my guess is that he asked you." The look Ichigo gave him told him he was right. "If that's the case, you should just chill out. If he asked you then you get to just sit back and enjoy the ride."

"Since when are you the relationship expert? Have you even ever been on a date?"

"Have you?" the mod soul countered accusingly but didn't wait for an answer, "Look, there's only so much on TV; I have to think about something to keep myself from going insane locked up in this house half the time and running for your life the other half. Anyway, like I said, quit worrying about it. He seems like the kinda guy who's been on a date or two."

"If you think you're being helpful, you're not," Ichigo dismissed, unwilling to admit that what he was hearing did make him feel a little bit better.

"But…if you wanted to feel like you were doing something, you could always get him a present."

"Excuse me? I don't remember asking you for advice."

"Nothing big, of course," he added offhandedly.

"Ugh! You are useless." Ichigo grabbed the lion and threw him out the window only to leave the house moments later, heading in the direction of the shopping district.

Kon, instead of trying to sneak back inside, headed over to the Urahara Shop.

"Kon? To what do I owe the pleasure?" the shopkeeper teased in spite of his surprise.

The mod soul laughed a little. "I don't suppose you have an extra gigai laying around. I'm gettin' sick of sittin' around like this."

"I'm afraid the only kind of gigai I have right now are defective and since you're not exactly according to spec, I don't think it would be safe."

"Figures…" he wandered around the shop.

"Was there something you wanted to do?"

"Not really…." he just used the complaint as a conversation starter. "Though some of this candy looks pretty good," he hopped up onto one of the counters to look into the bins of sweets. "Do you know what kind Ichigo likes?"

Kisuke almost said, "I know what kind he doesn't like," but instead he managed, "I think he likes some of those on the end of that row," he motioned to some that were near where the stuffed lion was standing. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinkin' I could get some now and stash it until I get his body again. Since I'll be using his taste buds, I figured it wouldn't hurt to know what he likes."

"Then perhaps something like this," the blonde man offered a small plastic jar containing a variety of individually wrapped pieces of chocolate."

Kon thought for a moment, "Maybe. What else do you have?"

This went on for the better part of twenty minutes before deciding. "There are almost too many choices," he laughed. "But I think I'll go with this one," he pointed to a small box containing only two chocolates.

"Are you sure? Two chocolates isn't much of a stash," he pointed out.

This was one of the few moments that he was glad that his face was incapable of much expression. As anyone who knew him could tell, he didn't have much of a poker face. "No, it's not…but I don't exactly have any money."

"Well that is a problem," Kisuke teased. "Though I suppose I could put you to work, like I do the others when they can't pay up," he motioned to Renji who happened to be grumbling and sweeping the porch.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Taking out a few garbages, his usual chore when occupying the plushy, was worth it.

A few minutes later, he was back in the shop, on the counter waiting for the man to put his purchase in something that was easier for him to carry.

"Ya know…if you're willing to do me one more small favor, I'll throw these in too," he set the jar of candies that he first suggested to the mod soul on the counter next to the ones he'd picked out.

"Whatcha need?" he asked as he took another, closer look at the jar and the delicious temptations inside.

The man in the hat gave a mischievous grin and a wink. "You wanted some time in a body, right?"

"Yeah…"

"How picky are you?"

"Not very," the mod soul reluctantly admitted. Especially when it came to occupying actual living bodies, there wasn't much he'd turn down. With gigai, he was a little more selective, but not much, as just about anything was better than 'stupid stuffed lion'.

"Then, how 'bout my body?" the man proposed, his voice husky.

Kon gave a look of disbelief, an expression that was once again understated by the sub-par capabilities of his current form. "You…Your body? Why?" he asked even though he had a pretty good idea.

"You're not in Ichigo's body, you don't have to pretend to be that dense," Kisuke teased.

"Just checking."

"What do you say?"

The mod soul shifted uncomfortably. Being with Ichigo while in his human form was something he frequently fantasized about but the notion that he could do the same with others had not crossed his mind. "I-Well…" He stammered for a moment before finding his composure again. "I dunno. That's a pretty steep price for such a small container of candy," he teased.

"I see how you are…" the shopkeeper gathered up the treats and the stuffed animal. After poking his head out the door to talk to the still-sweeping Renji, "Hey, watch the shop for a few min-er, for a while-'till I get back-would ya?" he ordered before ducking back inside and making b-line for his bedroom.

After tossing the food on the bedside stand, he pulled the green candy from the stuffed animal. Then, he hopped onto the bed, landing on his hands and knees. He popped the candy into his mouth and felt himself being propelled backward from his body. It was a strange sensation but only because he wasn't used to it.

As soon as Kon had control of Kisuke's physical form, he nearly toppled over, his normal grace stolen by being so suddenly thrust into a body he'd never used before. The man behind and over him gave a soft chuckle, "Easy now." Seeing that the mod soul was still rather disoriented, he guided his head down to one of his soft down pillows. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Kon blushed profusely at the gentle but still very sudden attention. "I- It's okay," he finally conceded after a moment to gather his bearings.

Kisuke leaned down and whispered into his neck, "May I?" he practically purred and didn't wait for an answer before starting to kissing and suckling a few of the spots he knew were especially sensitive.

"Ah-" Kon gasped, "That's not fair!" he wiggled beneath the shopkeeper but when he brought his hands up to push the man away, he only ended up grabbing him and pulling him closer.

The man on top ignored the accusation, mostly because the implication was accurate. It wasn't exactly fair for him to immediately take advantage of his personal knowledge like that. "Who cares about fair? This isn't a contest," he informed as he laced his fingers in his hair and gave the slightest tug to one side. His next words spoke while teasing his ear with his lips and tongue, "I'm beginning to think you've spent too much time with that overly competitive young man."

The mod soul in the shopkeeper's body thought about that for a moment, a moment that lasted a little longer than it should have because of the delicious distractions. Then, he laughed.

"Hmm?" Kisuke distractedly prompted.

"You've already showed me that being at a disadvantage to you isn't such a bad time," he mused. He barely made it through that thought because when he started to speak, someone started nipping at his throat. Then he could only manage a series of rather pathetic whimpers that sounded as much like he thought he should sound as they did foreign which in itself was somewhat disorienting. "And I think I've showed that I'll take what I can get, ya know?"

Regardless of how true it was, or how much of a relief it was that Kon knew himself that well, it was still unnerving to have someone show such little self-confidence. Kisuke pursed his lips in thought for a moment but was quickly torn from those thoughts by the concerned look in the familiar eyes beneath him.

"Spacin' out on me?" Kon accused, obviously a little hurt.

"Not at all…" he cooed while mentally scolding himself for underestimating the mod soul's perceptiveness. "Just thinking about what I want to do with you." He smiled when that caused Kon's feature's to soften.

"And?" he asked sheepishly.

Kisuke bit his lip for a moment; he couldn't help marveling at the expressions the mod soul made through his body. The kinds of expressions that Kon made were something that the shopkeeper considered something of a tell in that it was how he could immediately tell the difference between Ichigo and Kon. Even their smiles were miles and away different from one another. To see that transposed through his own features was a bit of a head trip for him. "Why don't we get a little more comfortable," he pulled back and started to remove his robes.

Kon wasn't the least bit surprised by the soul reaper robes that the shopkeeper's soul form wore even though he'd never seen or heard of them before. It wasn't something he had to think about, it just made sense. However, that didn't mean he didn't gawk just a little, as anyone would after watching someone undertake such a dramatic change of costume, but that's all it was. In a half-hearted attempt to disguise his staring, he followed suit in removing his robes and tossing them, with the stripped hat, off the side of the bed.

When the former captain reached forward, Kon almost stole an awkward embrace from him but when he saw that he didn't have his eyes on him, he hesitated and lost his chance. Kisuke snatched up the container of candies on his bedside stand and pulled out two, setting the rest aside. "Here," he tossed one to the mod soul who fumbled to catch it.

Kon glared when the man laughed at the fumble but unwrapped the chocolate anyway.

"I'm sorry. I should know better." Again he found himself mentally scolding himself, this time for not considering how much different his body was from that of the young man. Just getting down the basic coordination would take at least a few minutes. When they were finished, he threw the wrappers off the side of the bed and coaxed his body to lay down on his stomach.

Kon wanted to ask what was going on but he figured that he'd find out soon enough. Kisuke had a tendency not to elaborate on things that would be revealed anyway and while this was a constant annoyance to most of the people he did business with, Kon couldn't really care less most of the time. He didn't expect what happened next but he moaned just the same when strong hands started kneading the muscles of his shoulders and back.

"I had a pretty rough morning…" Kisuke confessed, working some of the more tender areas first.

A weak, "Uh-huh," was all the he could manage in response. He hadn't realized how tense the shopkeeper's muscles were until they started to loosen up, which happened to be one of the best feelings the mod soul had ever experienced.

"Apparently, hollow's don't sleep in…everyone left this morning five minutes before the delivery truck arrived. I had to put everything away by myself."

"I can tell," he whispered before giving another particularly satisfied groan, melting further into the mattress. After that, he gave up on speaking in favor of enjoying the message in silence, well near silence. However, when the soul reaper continued downward and started working on his legs, he found himself speaking again. "Why…are you doing this?" he couldn't help asking.

"Is there something wrong?" Kisuke asked distractedly. He was pleased to find that though he knew his legs were sore, they didn't have the same kinds of tightly wound knots as his back and shoulders. This left him one more area to work out, his feet. He made sure to stay in close contact with the body beneath his as he turned around.

"No, of course not," Kon quickly defended and was glad that the man showed no signs of wanting to withdraw in spite of his awkward question. "It's just not what I expected, that's all. This is the first time I've ever gotten a massage; I guess I'm just a little nervous, that's aaaw-ooohh," he practically howled his last word when the former captain ran his thumb up the arch of his foot, from the heal to the ball, with enough pressure to make his nervousness practically disappear.

"That won't do," Kisuke teased as he continued the steady pressure by rolling his thumb in circles up and down the same tendon. "The whole point is to relax."

Kon gave a nervous laugh. "Don't worry, I couldn't stop myself from relaxing if I wanted to." He was too embarrassed to say that he still did have some tension, but it was pooling in one spot. He could feel himself getting hard and it made him want to squirm but there was one problem, Kisuke happened to have taken to sitting on his backside, facing away so that he could bend his legs at the knee (which, as far as he was concerned, the optimal position for delivering a foot massage for several reasons).

"That's good to hear…" Kisuke cooed, moving to the other foot to apply the same treatment. He knew by the way that Kon allowed his foot to fall to the mattress that he was indeed very relaxed, except for one part. The hips beneath him would occasionally twitch with the restrained desire to move far more than they were allowed.

Just when he thought the man sitting on him was finished, he picked up one of his feet again. His time he felt the tickle of a soft kiss on the sole, just beneath the curl of his toes. It tickled and made him flinch. Had the man holding his foot not been expecting such a reaction, he probably would have gotten kicked in the face. A half-hearted sound of apology later and he started rubbing on the spot that, as Yuroichi taught him, drove him up a wall. A muffled little whimper told him when he got it right.

Kon's eyes rolled and his back arched ever so slightly. If he could have seen the former captain's face he would have realized that this new massage was actually intended to arouse him. The fact that the intimate attention in general was having that effect anyway didn't exactly help either. He was all but rolling his hips when it stopped, his foot falling back to the mattress and him giving a whine that was almost too pathetic, even for him. Then, he wasn't sure if he should be pleased or dismayed when the man grabbed his other foot and started in on the same spot.

"Aaahh…Kisu-ke," he gasped.

"Shhh…I'm almost finished," he shushed.

"Nnngh…just-please-stop for a sec," he pleaded.

"Please don't say things like that," he nearly pleaded back.

Kon gave another whimper. "But-hhaah," he tried not to moan.

"Shhhh…" he tried to soothe, giving the sole another soft little kiss.

"It feels…too good. I'm gunna-" he bit his lip and pressed his face into the pillows.

"I know. It's okay, go'head," he urged, his voice soft while the pressure of his touches increased.

"Ah-but…" he made a sound of epic frustration as he trailed off.

"Whatever it is, don't worry about it."

The order was spoken so matter-of-factly that Kon couldn't help obeying. Moments later his back was arching and his hips were rolling. Every little sound and movement served to egg the soul reaper on, make him increase the pressure. Before he realized that he had reached the breaking point, he was cumming and much harder that either of them expected. "Mmmm-Kisuu," he mewled as he felt any tension he might have had totally leave him.

The mod soul would have passed out almost immediately if the person sitting on him hadn't started moving around. Soon, he found that he was forcing himself to stay awake to enjoy the wonderful feeling of sure and careful fingers running through his hair.

When Kisuke noticed that his double was somewhat reluctant to maintain eye-contact, he appoligized. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I should have told you what I was doing…but you can only be surprised by something like that once." To his delight, his reasoning was received with a bashful smile.

"No-Thank you," he asserted. "That was amazing."

"Yes. It's unfortunate that it's not something that everybody can enjoy," he added somewhat offhandedly.

"Oh?" Kon wasn't terribly surprised by this.

"Oh, yes and if you consider that most people who can enjoy it don't realize it, well," he trailed off, knowing that no more needed to be said.

Kon gave a nod of vague recognition; he was starting to drift off again.

As much as Kisuke wanted to let the mod soul enjoy some rest, he still had much to do. "I'm sorry to do this but," he trailed off again this time because he didn't need to speak to the mod soul candy once it was removed from his body.

When Kon realized he was back in the body of the stuffed lion he was disappointed but everything that led up to that made the disappointment worth it. He watched as the man took a few minutes to change clothes, as Kon had done a fine job of making a mess of them but not without help. It wasn't until the blonde was slipping into a fresh pair of underwear that he spoke, surprising both of them by blurting out something that had been on his mind for quite some time now. "You remember that first day…The day you gave me to Rukia for Ichigo?" It was something that had bothered him ever since that day but he hadn't felt comfortable enough around the shopkeeper to ask until now.

"Of course. What about it?" There was very little that the former captain forgot.

"You said that I was defective." He pointed out, now regretting that he even brought it up.

"Not just you. All of the mod souls created in that project had something wrong with them."

Kon frowned, more at the mention of the other souls than at his inherent deficiencies. "You said that you planed to destroy it." He used the same pronoun that was used that day, one that irritated him but he used it anyway to get his point across.

"Yes. I said something like that." He wouldn't commit to those words exactly but he knew the sentiment was correct.

"Were you really gunna do it?" he finally asked, once again glad that the true dept of his feelings couldn't be read through his outward features.

"Why are you asking me this?" Kisuke didn't turn to face him when he asked.

"I just wanna know. Call it morbid curiosity," he offered.

"That day," he paused, "You caused so much trouble that day, I really did have a mind to destroy your soul candy."

Kon gave a dry laugh. He knew it, but hearing the man admit it was something different entirely.

"Of course, I feel much differently now."

"Of course. Now that I've proven myself useful," he rolled his eyes but to little effect.

"How does he treat you?" Kisuke suddenly asked a question that had been plaguing him for almost as long.

"Who?" he asked to buy a moment to think because he knew exactly who they were talking about now.

"Kurosaki."

"Fine. I guess. We don't really expect a whole lot from each other," he confessed.

"That's not true. He expects you to take care of his life while he's out risking his soul and you expect him to return…eventually," the man pointed out.

"Yeah, but it ends there. We don't like talk or anything like that, if that's what you mean." He silently cursed himself. There was so much of him that needed to vent about all the terrible and inconsiderate things that were done to him but he couldn't bring himself to bad-mouth the teen in that way. Even if he wasn't treated very well, it was because of Ichigo that Kon still existed.

Kisuke frowned. The mod soul was being rather evasive but he didn't want to push it so he simply made an offer, "Well, if you get to where you don't want to stay there anymore, you could always stay here instead. It's close enough to the Kurosaki Clinic that it wouldn't be a problem," and left it at that.

Kon nodded and let the shopkeeper carry him out. They quietly said their good-byes on the porch, not completely out of earshot of the red-head still trying to clean things up. Then Kisuke leaned against the door frame and watched the small stuffed animal walk away, the box of two candies slung over his shoulder with a string.

"What was that all about? You guys were in there for over an hour!" Renji suddenly interrupted the older man's revere.

Kisuke pulled his hat down, shielding his eyes. "You should be nicer to Kon," he informed.

"Why? He's annoying as hell," Renji complained.

"No," he corrected, turning to re-enter the shop. "You are annoying as hell, but than you for watching the shop. You may leave now if you like." He didn't wait for a response before going and turning on the radio and taking up a seat behind the counter where he started that week's books.