Chapter Sixty Eight:

Ichigo was woken the next morning by the smell of food and tea, wincing deeply as he felt the warmth of sunlight flashing over his face he rolled onto his stomach, trying to crawl back beneath the covers and return to the slumbering rest he'd fallen into. His eyes flew open as he heard a throaty chuckle from beside him and he sat up sharply, finding himself staring down at Byakuya, who currently wore a deeply amused expression.

"I forgot how much you hate getting up in the morning." The raven haired noble mused, raising one eyebrow at him.

Ignoring the jibe, Ichigo instead grinned and leaned down, capturing the nobleman's lips firmly with his own, tangling his fingers in silky hair as he clung onto him as if it was the first time they'd kissed, "It's your fault, really. If you weren't so damned delectable it wouldn't be an issue."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Byakuya smirked, "Hungry?"

A sharp nod, "Starving."

The strawberry rose to his feet as his lover did the same, Ichigo padded over to the mirror in the corner of the room and winced as he was forced to de-tangle his kenseikan from his temple, cursing himself for having forgotten to remove it before falling asleep. Almost tempted to yank his hair out at the roots, his actions were halted by another pair of hands joining the struggle, nimble and more experienced fingers making short work of the tangled mess.

"The longer your hair is, the more difficult it can be to manage the kenseikan." Byakuya informed him, "You will likely find it easier to ask for help in the future. It will take far less time, and discomfort."

"I could just cut my hair back to its normal length." The strawberry grumbled, but there was no seriousness in his voice, truth be told he rather liked his hair long. It gave him a more refined, elegant appearance, ruffled by the harshness of his tattoos and the sharpness of his facial features. If he was being completely honest, he liked who he had become.

"If you cut your hair I will cut your fingers off." The Kuchiki heir muttered, face expressing his seriousness as he ran a brush through the sunrise coloured hair.

Giggling in spite of himself, Ichigo purred at the feeling of someone else brushing it for him, allowing his eyes to slip shut, "I don't doubt it."

"It's quite lovely," the noble breathed, leaning in and placing a kiss on Ichigo's exposed neck, noticing the Gothic zero which remained etched among his other markings, "Just like you."

"Now who's flattering who?"

Long fingers carefully reattached the kenseikan in place, smoothing down Ichigo's hair before allowing himself the luxury of tousling the spiky segments still sat atop his head, "You spent some time aiding me with my own kenseikan while my arm was unusable. It is a pleasure to return the favour."

"Mm, I meant to ask about that. Did 'Hime fix it?" The younger Shinigami asked, eyes fluttering open as he felt his lover step back.

"She did. It took three sessions for it to be fully restored, but at long last I have full function back." Byakuya flexed his fingers as if to prove his point, "She has an incredible power."

"She does." He agreed.

"Speaking of which," steel eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Your impressive display of using Cero... I was under the impression you required Shiro's help to cast them."

"I did," Ichigo agreed, "But one of the perks of connecting to Zangetsu better is having better reiatsu control. Which means... A lot of the previous skills I was incapable of using are now available to me."

"Even Kidō?"

"Maybe... I haven't tried yet."

"Hm, I don't know what to say Ichigo. Bankai, Cero, potentially Kidō, sensing reiatsu with ease, Taichou levels of reiatsu at your disposal and a Hollow who is finally willing to behave." Byakuya slipped his arms around Ichigo's waist, "Sounds to me like, despite all the negativity of your rescue mission, you gained quite a bit as well."

"I can't argue." He chuckled, "I'm grateful for the experience, even if I wish it had gone a little smoother."

"You and me both." The nobleman hummed, "Despite having seen you in battle on a few previous occasions, they hardly compare to the battles in Hueco Mundo. You have refined your skills however, and no longer allow arrogance to divert your concentration."

Smirking at the praise, Ichigo wiggled his eyebrows, "Well, I have a habit of amalgamating the techniques of people I've fought against. I'm not so sure about the arrogance though, after all, I'm positive I could finally beat you in the training ring with my Bankai."

"Is that so?" Byakuya scoffed, shaking his head despite the amusement tugging at his lips, "Well then, seeing as we are likely to be here for a few days before the Senkaimon are open to us... I may take you up on that bet."

"Bet? I didn't say anything about a bet!"

"Scared to put your money where your mouth is, Kurosaki?" That smile turned smug, "If you apologise, I won't hold you to it."

The strawberry jeered, and gave him a playful shove in the chest, "Oh you are so on, Kuchiki. Just try not to look too much like you might cry when I trample on your precious pride!"

"Bold words, from someone who has so far been unable to last even an hour against my Shikai. How terrifying it must be to contemplate my Bankai." Steel eyes almost seemed to glimmer with humour.

"I am going to thrash you." Ichigo jabbed, his hand snatching out, grabbing the hair tie which had so diligently held his fiancé's hair at bay overnight, he tugged it free with ease and dangled it mockingly, "How can someone hope to beat me, when they can't even protect themselves from having this stolen? You're getting slow, Byakuya Kuchiki!"

Blinking in surprise as he felt his hair flutter down around him, the nobleman's eyebrow twitched, memories flooding back of that woman, Yoruichi, doing exactly the same thing in her efforts to train him all those years ago.

"You are so dead." Byakuya breathed, lunging towards his wayward lover, growling under his breath as the younger Shinigami simply used Shunpo to evade him, "Are you challenging me?"

"Always." Warm eyes narrowed with playfulness before the strawberry abruptly turned and fled the room with a whoop of laughter.

Ichigo felt his fiancé move after him, and he weaved through the hallways of Urahara's home with elegance, despite his speed. Although, admittedly, he did almost knock poor Tessai flying when the tall man had come unexpectedly out of one of the bathrooms. He vowed to apologise later.

He knew he had gotten faster, but the tight space of the store was no place to accurately prove such a thing, not without accidentally crashing through a shōji wall and bringing disgrace to his host by doing so.

The strawberry skidded around another corner, yelping as a fan slapped him curtly in the face, the force of which brought him to an immediate stop. Almost instantly he felt arms encircle his body and he was forced flat on the floor, face down, and the hair tie deftly stolen from his grasp.

"Ha!" Byakuya's triumphant voice came from directly next to his ear.

"Don't 'ha' me, if Urahara hadn't smacked me I'd still have been moving." He snorted.

"My apologies, Kurosaki-san, I thought we had an intruder, what with all the noise." The blond man's voice was barely hiding his laughter.

"Of course you did." He couldn't help but snicker as well.

"You two seem in high spirits this morning." Yoruichi's voice came from across the room, and for the first time Ichigo realised he had skidded headlong into the dining room.

"I think I even heard Nii-sama laughing, you know." Rukia's teasing tones came from their left, where she was sitting with Renji.

"I thought he was snarling." Ichigo joked, craning his neck to try and see his lover's face.

"No, Rukia is quite correct." The raven haired man admitted, carefully getting to his feet and assisting the strawberry as well, "It has been some time since I enjoyed a game of tag."

"You have never enjoyed a game of tag, Little Byakuya."

"On the contrary, just because I never enjoyed your games, doesn't mean I would find displeasure with someone else." His snide tone towards the buxom woman was muted by the grin still etched across his face.

Ichigo laughed freely as he took a seat at the table, gratefully accepting a hearty looking breakfast from Tessai and tucked in eagerly along side everyone else. They made small talk, chatting about nothing at all that seemed important. It was just nice to be together again.

"I find myself curious," Urahara was the first to broach a more serious topic as he looked at Ichigo over the brim of his cup, "How is Shiro? Has he had time to recover and come to terms with everything?"

The strawberry paused, "Shiro is quiet at the moment. I believe he's spending some time to work things out for himself. Every now and again I get a little glimpse at what he's feeling. Mostly shame, embarrassment, hurt... He's broken knowing that Aizen lied to him, and that he fell for it. But... I think he'll recover in time."

"Aizen is a cruel man to be sure." The blond hummed, "What of Zangetsu?"

"Despite my Zanpakutō being in its Shikai form, he is remaining in his Bankai appearance within my Inner World. He said that his old form had nothing more to teach me. He was injured in the fight with Shiro but he's fully recovered. He is, I think, trying to help Shiro come to terms with things in his own way."

"That's good news. I know you've already increased your strength by subjugating Shiro's power however I think you should become better acquainted with any new powers your connection gives you." Urahara was topping up his cup with tea, "Hirako-san said he would be coming back today with the other Visored to clear up any outstanding questions. While they're here, I think it would be a good idea for you to train with them. They will be able to teach you a great deal about summoning your Hollow mask, and harnessing Shiro's powers to the fullest."

"Sounds good." He said quietly, "I don't want to go back to Soul Society and end up hurting someone because I can't control it properly."

"Excellent, they should be here later on today. In the meantime feel free to do as you wish. I'm sure you will find something to do to entertain yourself."

"Perhaps we can entertain that bet I mentioned." Byakuya smirked as he finished his breakfast, flashing his fiancé a smug look.

"Only if you're sure your pride can handle it." Ichigo replied mischievously.

"Something tells me I don't want to miss this." Renji scoffed.

"Feel free to use the underground training room, it's there for a reason." Urahara chuckled and got to his feet, "Just don't break everything."

"Thanks Urahara-san!" The strawberry stood up eagerly, "I'll grab Zangetsu and meet you down there!"

"I'll be waiting." Byakuya's lips twitched as he watched his fiancé hurry back down the hallway.


It only took a few minutes for Ichigo to retrieve Zangetsu from the bedroom, but it was long enough for Byakuya; Renji; Rukia and Yoruichi to congregate downstairs. The Division Six Taichou was already waiting with Senbonzakura drawn, the feeling of the man's reiatsu buffered against Ichigo's. He was taken aback for a moment. He'd forgotten how pure and righteous his lover's reiatsu felt.

Byakuya only turned to face him when Renji and Yoruichi began whooping and hollering, egging them both on eagerly. The nobleman couldn't resist rolling his eyes as his Fukutaichou and former mentor seemed far more invested in a simple training session than either he or Ichigo were.

"How do you want to do this, Ichigo?" He asked, giving his sword a few practise swings, "Would you like to warm up in Shikai first? Or go straight for the kill?"

Ichigo reached up and released Zangetsu from the bandage sheath on his back, bringing the body sized blade down between them, "I'm going for the kill."

"I'd expect no less."

As their reiatsu rose and shifted, Ichigo brought his free hand up to rest on his forearm while Byakuya allowed Senbonzakura to slip from his grasp. Their unified call of "Bankai" couldn't have been more different. The strawberry's was shouted, as if torn from his lungs with the gusto of his swirling reiatsu, while the raven haired Shinigami's was murmured with a controlled exhalation.

The familiar scene of dozens of large blades rising around them as Byakuya's Bankai took effect normally brought a shiver of nervousness to his opponents, but in Ichigo all he could see was keen eyes taking in the sight.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Steel eyes narrowed confidently, "This is the first time you've seen it, if I remember correctly."

Ichigo's focused gaze flicked up to meet his, the elongated chain of his katana wrapping up his arm to fuse them together, "Tensa Zangetsu, it's not as fancy as yours but then... Few things are really." He grinned.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, except when we're on the battle field." Byakuya smirked.

He didn't reply, but instead turned his attention back to the blades around them, he could feel each one thrumming with the nobleman's reiatsu, and if his Bankai was to be anything like his Shikai then he assumed the blades would explode into petals on Byakuya's command. Stronger, faster and in greater number than his Shikai.

Without warning, Ichigo swung his sword out, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

He watched as the swords immediately exploded as he had expected. He leapt forwards, bursting into his Bankai enhanced Shunpo as he wove through the waterfalls of swirling petals, touching down elegantly as he rested his hand on Byakuya's chest.

"Gotcha." He teased.

Steel eyes probably couldn't have gone any wider, "Your Shunpo has vastly improved. Impressive. But don't be so arrogant to think you could keep up with me just yet."

Ichigo was saved the trouble of responding when he sensed movement behind him, ducking away he weaved through the angry rainfall of cerise, darting out of its grasp even as elongated fingers snapped out towards him in a pincer movement. He was glad, the one thing that had never changed was just how much he enjoyed fighting. And when it was with someone like Byakuya...

The way the nobleman's face ignited with tactical awareness; eyes that narrowed with the faintest crowfeet budding in the corners as his concentration grew ever more pronounced, the tight line of his lips that every so often would part to suck in a breath of surprise or frustration; the long lines of his arms and hands sweeping out like the conductor of an orchestra. It was perfection. He was perfection.

But Ichigo was playing with him. Springing around the vast training area with such swiftness that he began leaving momentary doubles of himself behind. He could see the surprise on the faces of Rukia and Renji. He felt the burn of Yoruichi's eyes following him, she was the master of Shunpo even if Byakuya was close on her tail. But then... He wasn't pushing himself. Not yet. If he pushed hard enough, would any of them keep track?

A boulder shattered under foot as he used it to propel himself forwards, driving harder and faster, the world seemed in perfect order to him. He could see the rise and fall of Byakuya's chest as he drew breath, he could see how Rukia's hair fluttered in the breeze caused by their conflict. It seemed like normal, real time movements but it was only when Ichigo realised he could see and track each individual movement of each tendril of petals that he knew he'd broken a boundary.

If he could see it, break down its' movements and its' trajectory then he could beat it. He could beat Byakuya's Bankai!

… But did he want to? It was the man's pride and joy, the unrelenting speed of the petals; the perfect offence and defence rolled into one. He'd been through so much over the last couple of months, did Ichigo really want to take that away from him? Was it alright to do it? Wasn't it enough just for him to privately know he could?

He felt the sting of steel against his cheek, hissing as he felt blood run down his neck from the small wound. Even after all this time, he still overthought everything and it was still his biggest downfall in battle.

Blinking, Ichigo suddenly remembered something Renji had said to him in the past. A fleeting gleam of information. A titbit that he'd stored away, despite thinking it was useless at the time.

"Kuchiki Taichou's Bankai is fierce... I don't know how anyone would beat it. The speed is incredible normally, but when he uses his hands it doubles. If he ever uses his hands to control it... You know he's serious."

And there it was.

Byakuya was already using everything he had. He'd been controlling his Bankai with his hands from the very beginning of their spar. There had never been a single moment when he hadn't been serious about it. Which meant... It was alright.

He skidded to a stop, blowing away the sandy dust raised by his feet sliding across the uneven ground with a single swing of his sword. The adrenaline was pumping, faster and harder. His eyes were alight with energy.

The voracious tsunami of pink was washing its way towards him, smashing boulders and cliff sides with abandon. It hit him, engulfed him, surrounded him in a gyrating, ever swirling ball. He lifted Tensa Zangetsu and narrowed his gaze, allowing his reiatsu to flow through him like a fountain as he released a roar and knocked away every attack that came close, spinning once on the spot as he threw everything he had into it and broke through the dense wall.

He didn't stop until he had knocked aside every petal, every tendril and finger that dared creep forwards. And with a momentary gasp, he watched as the razor sharp flurry crumpled onto the floor in defeat.

He watched as Senbonzakura reformed into a katana within Byakuya's grasp. Not entirely ready to believe he had succeeded. And yet... The subtle lull of the Kuchiki heir's reiatsu as he removed himself from Bankai was enough to confirm that he had done just that. He'd won.

Panting, sweating and gasping, he couldn't help but grin as he trotted over to the raven haired Shinigami. He was nervous, not sure what he expected to see. Would there be anger, frustration, embarrassment...

'Oh my...' He couldn't help but stop in his tracks at the breath taking smile that had eclipsed Byakuya's face.

"Ichigo..." The man said simply, "That was truly incredible."

"T-Thanks." Ichigo replied breathlessly, feeling his face warm beneath that gaze, it was so full of pride he thought he'd burst.

"Holy shit!" Renji was running over, his mouth hanging open, "I can't believe you just did that! What the fuck?!"

Rubbing the back of his neck bashfully as Rukia joined them, "It was a really good fight."

"It was." Byakuya agreed as he sheathed the katana at his side, "You've improved a great deal since the first time we trained together."

"Yeah... I got my ass handed to me." He muttered.

The nobleman smirked, "At the time you were a suspect, I had to give you a hard time to see how you'd react."

"Is that your way of saying I deserved it?" He scoffed.

"Perhaps."

Ichigo laughed hard at his innocent admission and rolled his eyes as he allowed Zangetsu to revert into Shikai and sheathed the body sized blade over his back. They'd finished at a good time because at that very moment the trap door in the ceiling opened up and the strawberry haired Shinigami watched as Shinji dropped down from above.

"Well, I guess it's time to get my ass handed to me by someone vastly more experienced with Hollows..." He clicked his tongue against his teeth, "Ever feel like your life is one big revolving door?"