"Sit with me."

Chessebelle looked up at Ikkaku with a ghost of a smile, patting the spot on the grass next to her.

"It's nice out here."

The bald man sat next to her, crossing his legs and placing his sheathed zanpakuto in the space his legs made. He leaned against the hilt, his hands resting on the handle to keep it up right as he gave a grunt of agreement to the woman's comment.

Their conversations felt a little strained lately, Chessebelle returning to her old self more and more lately. She was distant, never seeking out his company, and often avoiding him if she did happen to see him around. He was starting to wonder if he had done something to upset her-in fact, he was surprised she hadn't flash stepped away when he found her.

She was perched in the forested area that held the view of Sokyoku Hill, the Sokyoku looming ominously above them. It felt closeted, but the clearing she had camped herself out in was a small clearing with a cluster of cherry blossom trees, their aroma wafting in the air as the breeze carried their petals to a new destination.

"Ikkaku."

He looked at her now, brown eyes meeting cold blue eyes, blinking in surprise as she patted her thighs. Gingerly, he placed his zanpakuto to the side and laid down, placing his head in her lap and looking up towards the sky, slowly releasing the tension in his body.

"Do you know what today is?"

It felt like a trick question. Was it her birthday? An anniversary? Was it his birthday, god forbid?

"This is the day that those captains and lieutenants had been hollowified, all those years ago. You didn't know any of them, you weren't in the Gotei 13 yet," Chessebelle let her one of her hands wander to the side of his head, a delicate finger rubbing his temple gently, while her other moved to his chest, resting it on the warm skin that peeked out of his shihakusho. He looked at her face, watching it carefully.

"I won't lie to you and say I was close to many of them. You know I don't like the false closeness people tend to attribute to the dead. Lieutenant Sarugaki was far from my favorite, but I respected her, nonetheless. She was a strong woman and extremely smart. She scared me a little bit," The woman looked down at Ikkaku and rubbed her thumb on his cheek bone lightly, smiling sadly. "But that's between you and me, ok?"

A breeze lifted more of the cherry blossoms from their branches, flying them over the couple's heads, some fluttering down onto their bodies. Chessebelle took a deep breath, closing her eyes and turning her face from the eleventh division member.

"I did, however, know Captain Hirako. He was… an eccentric man. Someone that you had to have an acquired taste for. He was respectable, albeit quite lackadaisical most days. He was incredibly strong-no one that I knew even had an idea of what his bankai was capable of, but his shikai was said to be incredibly difficult to win against in combat. And he was kind, a trait that's often looked down on when in a position of superiority over others. He never let what others think affect him."

Ikkaku couldn't help but feel the hurt emanating from her voice and body as she spoke, her voice carrying the weight of years of torture. He wondered how long it had been since she had talked about this, opening his mouth to say something. Her finger moved to his lips, shushing him before he could say anything.

"I loved him very much, Ikkaku. Shinji Hirako was, quite honestly, incomparable to anyone I've met. He was better than anyone and everyone I had come into contact with at that point in my life, and Ikkaku, I'm not sure if anyone will ever compare to the pedestal that he's on in my heart," Chessebelle paused again, her voice shaking trying to resist the tears threatening to spill over at any moment. She looked down at him in her lap, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion and concern for her. Biting her lip, she stifled a small laugh.

"Ikkaku, I need you to understand that I'm not going to get rid of Shinji. You will always have to share a piece of my heart with him, because I will never let him go. Even now, when he's dead and rotting in a grave. A part of me will always be his."

The two sat in silence, her fingers grazing along his skin lovingly, for a long time.

Chessebelle's vulnerabilities laid bare for him to take in and determine whether he wanted to accept them or not. Her soul had been stripped down to its bare essence in that moment, never having told him about this before. She was small, fragile, easily breakable in this peaceful clearing and he had all the power to decide what he'd like to do with the gift she had given him.

Finally, Ikkaku brought his hand to meet hers on his chest, holding it gently and giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked down at him as he brought his free hand to the side of her face, bringing her down to meet his lips.

They kissed under the cherry blossom trees, the petals whispering amongst the branches.