I set the communicator down, my hands a little shaky. Eventually my lust wound down to a manageable roar and I laughed to myself. My captain was always twitchy when he had to stay in the human world for more than twenty-three hours, but I knew he was prepared to stay as long as he had to to get Urahara to divulge his secrets.

Urahara. The name shook me out of my good humor. Briefly I wondered whether Aizen-sama would submit to the man or take him as he did me. And I pushed the image out of my head – with great difficulty.

"I'd better find something to distract myself with until he gets back," I muttered as I replaced the oil, taking care to right the grass cricket I wove to replace the one that fell apart. This was the thirteenth cricket I made, always the same size and set in the same place. Aizen-sama never commented on the change in hue from brilliant green to dusty yellow. I never remarked on its place on his large desk amid his elegant brushes and inkstones.

Sighing I checked my clothes for telltale stains and was pleased to note I was clean. On the spur of the moment I called in our third and fourth seat. "You two take care of the paperwork in my in-tray for tomorrow. I'll be heading out to Rukongai for a couple of days. I've already signed where I'm supposed to sign, you can fill in the rest of the information. If there are papers to be signed by a captain, bring it either to the Eleventh-" I grinned wickedly at their expressions of dismay "-the Twelfth-" flickers of fear "-or the Ninth." Total relief.

Sorry, Tousen-san. You're gonna take up Aizen-sama's slack.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The first district of Rukongai was fun when they didn't care you're a shinigami and the evening stalls come out. I had changed out of uniform to a dark orange-and-scarlet yukata, wandering the alleys, sampling various roadstalls, and beaming genially at the passers-by. Shinigami wandered these streets much as I did, and I caught sight of a number of my squad's members who hastily bowed and escaped my gaze.

There were outer district hooligans who were prowling the streets too, most of them here to take the academy entrance exam. They were easily distinguished from the usual residents: loud, crude, often violent. There were shinigami here to keep law and order until the ruffians took the exams.

A number of girls stopped to chat me up, and one boldly played with my silver hair before I laughingly told them they were too late, that I belonged to a wonderful person. It was sweet how they pouted, and sweeter when they blushed with the kiss I pecked on their forehead. "Better luck next time, girls!" I called out as I waved them goodbye.

Somehow life never seemed to be much fun until duty was shirked.

As I turned down another alley I heard the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh, and then a string of curses. I frowned; I was determined to be in a good mood and I didn't want anything to ruin it. And this was definitely ruining it.

"... you little prick! You owe me the money and you better take whoever I send your way, ya punk!"

A tall, burly man, fist raised, was getting ready to punch a boy's face. I caught his raised fist. "Hey hey hey," I drawled, letting my accent take over. "Wassat for, eh? It'sa pleasant evenin for carousin' an' fun, no need ta git violent, eh?"

"Shut up and get lost, man," the burly man said, recognizing that I had some level of power from the good robes I wore. "Lil' prick and I have some business to settle."

"I said," and I tightened my grip, "no need ta git violen'."

His face blanched when the bones in his wrist ground together. I let go before he pissed himself with the pain. He staggered upright and asked, "Sir, this has nothin' to do with you. This boy here owes me money and he's gonna settle it."

"How are you supposed to settle it, hmm?" I asked the boy, for the first time looking at him, and I was slightly taken aback.

He was beautiful.

There was no other word for him. Pale skin, a slender figure that denoted hidden strength, long, dark eyes that pierced into your heart, and a number tattooed rebelliously on his left cheek. 'Yeah, I'm a punk, whatcha gonna do about it?' the tattoo seemed to challenge. There was now a bit of blood on his lower lip, probably from whatever blow he had taken before I intercepted.

"He wants me to sleep with some 'client' of his," the boy spat. "I tole'im I'd work off the bill from other means, or if he really wants to be my pimp, I'd be glad to take any other client. I don' want that man sticking his cock in my arse, thanks so much. He abuses the boys he has to make them come, I know that."

"Fucker-"

"Hey." I stepped between them again. Then I tilted my head to look over my shoulder at the boy. "Kid, wait at the entrance ta the alley, a'right?"

"Why?"

"Do it or I'll let'im beat da shit outta ya and then do so mahself. Git gone." The boy narrowed his eyes and sauntered as best as he could to the mouth of the alley.

The other man was pissed off. "Look, I dunno which division you are, but my client be a high-rankin' shinigami and he's gonna kick your arse into a brand new shape if the boy gets away."

"How much does he owe ya?"

"Boy's boarded wif me for the past month and a half, worked as a waiter at some sorry-assed restaurant and paid me only twenty silvers outta his hunnard-eighty and rising bill. Fucking stubborn little prick, refused to sell his arse to pay it off in one shot."

I held out a money bag. "Check it."

He squinted. I didn't smile. Convinced that there was no trick, he reached out for it. I suddenly let go and grabbed his groin and squeezed just enough to hurt..

I hissed into his ear, trying to ignore the sour stench of his body odour. "Don't make a sound, or I will use the same grip as I did on your hand just now. Alright? Just nod."

He nodded frantically.

"Now. I used to be in the same straits as that boy there. But I had to sell my arse, as you so eloquently put it. My pimp, though a loud gasbag with nothing better on him than his collection of addictions, was ten times better than you. You wanna know why?"

Another subtle increase in pressure and he was whimpering as his head bobbed. But I knew that the boy would only see the two of us conversing.

"He never forced me to take any customer I didn't want. Because he knew that a willing whore can earn better tips than a shaking, useless one. I know some men are more than willing to brutalize a boy, but that would mean you lose a source of income. You could've hunted out rich women who are willing to pay tons for that beautiful boy to just sit with them. You could've found women who are willing to put up obscene amounts of cash just to be in his vicinity. You didn't."

He gasped when my grip tightened further. Only my shoulder was keeping him from curling into a fetal pose on the alley floor. I hissed again, "Tell me. Who is the shinigami that wanted this boy?"

"Ko-komatsu-zaki, fif-fifteenth s-seat o-of the thi-third." He was gasping again.

"Well then," I grinned and whispered, "tell that fella that the boy is unavailable, because Kurotsuchi-taichou wants him. Can you remember that name?"

He nodded fervently and I released him. He crumpled to the ground. "The money is to pay off his debt. Hey, kid, come 'ere."

The boy returned, hands in his pockets. I jerked my chin at the whimpering man on the ground. "I've paid him off on your behalf. Go wherever ya want. Tip ta the wise: find a place that's free o charge, eh? Can't always be here ta save ya."

"I'm not a kid," the boy protested.

I grinned wider. He looked no older than a human teenager. He shuffled his feet. "I'm not."

"Whatever," I said and wandered out the other end of the alley. To my surprise the boy followed. I stopped and he did too, not catching up to me. "Whatcha doin' following me? Ya free now, kid."

"Free to what, starve? I don't have no place t'go." He scratched his head embarrassedly. "'sides, I need to thank ya."

"Was that where you came from?" I asked, accent disappearing easily. In the crowd we had some semblance of privacy. "Go back there."

"I can't. I'm here to take the academy entrance exam. Again."

"How many times have you taken it?"

He looked down at his toes. "Twice. Failed both."

I tilted my head at him. "Your reiatsu is pretty strong. Shouldn't have been a problem getting' in."

"I know that, but that's why I need a place to stay that provides proper food. The free places, they don't feed ya enough to keep up reiatsu." He looked away, obviously bothered by his predicament. My smile never wavered. Finally he gathered up the courage. "Can you take me in?"

"Why me?" I asked.

"You're strong. You've money. And, well, you're not... I don't think you're as repulsive as the man he wanted to send me to, so if you wanna..." his voice grew smaller, almost hidden by the cacophony of the street, "if you wanna fuck me for payment, I wouldn't mind that much."

I snorted with amusement. "You're a street rat to the core, kid."

"Hey, not a kid, alright?" He was annoyed. "What's your name?"

"I'm not gonna tell ya," I said, "and I don't wanna know yours."

He was curious. "Why not?"

I shrugged and walked away. "I'll think of a reason."

After a beat, he followed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The house we kept in Rukongai were seldom used now that we slept in his captain's quarters. The shield, while still functioning, needed maintenance and I made a mental note to reinforce the spell. When the door swung open and I stepped in, the boy was a little uncertain.

"Either you will or you won't," I said over my shoulder, hand poised on the door. "Choose."

He swallowed and entered.

So like me when I was your age. Forty? Fifty human years?

He stood in the middle of the first hall, unsure of what to do. He gave a furtive glance at the walls, at the furnishings – so very different from those of outer Rukongai. He started when I said, "This way, kid."

"Stop calling me a kid," he growled.

Boy has spunk. "Then don't respond like one, kid." I opened my bedroom door and went in. He stepped in as well, with an obvious squaring of his shoulders that said he wanted to be elsewhere. But when I tossed a large towel at him he fumbled. "Wha-what?"

"Take a bath, you're filthy. Yours is down the hallway, hang a right. I'll be getting dinner ready after my own bath."

"Don't you want to-"

"Take a bath, kid. We'll talk over dinner."

His dark eyes swept over my smiling face, as if questioning my sanity, but he fled to the bathroom. I sighed and shut the linen cupboard. By now Aizen-sama should be in bed with the other man.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Dinner was a lot of rice with a lot of meat and stir-fried vegetables. Nothing fancy. I knew Rukongai appetites; even now I craved simple fare in large amounts rather than elegant servings of pigeon-food-quantity.

"Wow" was all the boy said before he devoured nearly everything on the plate before him, in the rice pot, in his own bowl. I was amused and pleased there was no leftovers. Even when he ate there was an air of elegant ferocity; similar to a timber wolf, perhaps, or a snow leopard. The robe he wore now was one of my own, but the blue-grey weave clashed with his skin tone. It was far too large ofr him. I could see his abdomen, the muscles flexing almost hypnotically as he wolfed down everything in sight. I remembered when it was to be so hungry - Ran and I had practically lived in the Academy's kitchens on our weekends. He exhaled a soft burp when he was done, and was about to collect the dishes.

"Leave them for now," I said and lounged against the table. "Some things we need to clarify before we continue."

He wiped the corner of his mouth with a thumb. His skin, other than the tattoo, was unmarked, and for an instant I wondered how flushed he could get. Then I smiled slowly, and he looked away, uncomfortable. I tapped the table with my long fingers.

"Now. I'm not gonna tell you who I am, other than I am a shinigami. What name will you give me?"

"Give you?"

"Give me. What name would you call me by?"

His eyes fixed on my smile, on my face, on my hair, then followed the line of the neck to sweep down to the shoulder and... he blushed and muttered something. I frowned and asked, "What did you say?"

"Yuki."

Snow. "Alright. Yuki I am then. And you will be Zahl."

"Zahl?"

"You'll find out for yourself when you get into the Gotei's libraries." I grinned when he blushed. "Come now. A few conditions: you don't try to figure out who I am, that's number one. You'll know eventually. Number two, I'll feed ya, clothe ya, provide shelter for ya until the day they announce academy entrants for the new school year. That's about a week and an half from tonight. In return you try your damn fucking best to learn what I'm gonna teach, and use the knowledge to get enrolled. Thirdly, I ain't fucking ya unless you want it to happen. I like consensual sex far more than rape. And lastly, I won't be looking for ya or seeing ya after my lover comes home. Right now I'm looking for some fun and you're it, that's all. No love, no commitment, just companionship and maybe some sex. Understood?"

He gaped at me. "Yeah."

"Good." I stretched and worked the kinks out of my shoulders and hands. If I could sleep tonight, I'd buy Zahl three new sets of clothes.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The night dragged on. My palm lay flat on Aizen-sama's side of the bed. I had tossed and turned earlier, but there was no way I could sleep without picturing them together. At least it was only tonight - he had given his word not to sleep with Urahara more than one night. And he always kept his promises.

I heard a shuffle outside the door and slowly it slid open.

I smiled tiredly. "What is it?"

He stopped. He hadn't been aware I was awake. "I-I couldn't sleep in that room you put me in," he confessed. "It was too big and empty."

I sat up. "You haven't been to large rooms before?"

"They were always occupied," he said, looking away. He seldom made eye contact for long and I was rather intrigued. He stood there, in the overlarge yukata, looking younger than he appeared.

I slid half down the bed and patted the empty side. "Here. Space enough for us both."

He crept under the blanket, but kept near the edge. He was still nervous, not that I blamed him. Being saved from a pimp, ony to end up in a mansion and with someone who refused to reveal his identity... I would be shaking with nerves if I were him. In fact, he was far more courageous than I was.

Perhaps he could be an asset for the future.

I shifted closer to him and tapped his rigid shoulder. "Hey. Zahl."

"H-hey." He was keeping a tight control over his fear, and I admired that.

"I'm not going to do anything, not tonight. Relax. Move closer."

He half-sat up, and looked at the arm I had strewn across as a pillow. Then he swallowed and rested his head on my upper arm, where the white robe I wore prevented skin-to-skin contact. He was still stiff-backed though.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Relax, kid. I'm not gonna hurt you. I came from Rukongai too, if that's any consolation."

He flipped around. "Really? I thought you were a noble pretending to be a commoner at first. Your accent was so damn fake."

"A noble, me?" I had to laugh. The laughter seemed to soothe him - somewhat. "Everything I have, everything I own in this place... they all belong to- to my lover. He took care of me until I achieved my current rank, and he's still taking care of me."

"What is your rank?"

"Not gonna tell." I brushed hair from his eyes. "Sleep. We'll have an early day tomorrow. I'll teach you how to handle the academy entrance test questions and the practical."

He examined me for a long time before hesitantly burrowing into my arms. I was surprised at his initiative. When I quizzed him why, he murmured, "There's always been someone holdin' me to sleep since I can rem'ber. My friends, my - my lovers, my clients..."

"Hmm. Don't blame them. You even smell warm, kid."

"Not a kid." His protest was half-hearted, his long limbs draped over my waist. It felt good. Different from Aizen-sama's possessive hold. Welcoming, warm... perhaps a touch of sensuality when his hand settled on my hip.

"Mm-hmm."

Somehow I drifted off, with the reassuring weight and breath of Zahl in my arms, his spiky hair brushing the softness beneath my chin.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx