Shippoman: So, I want to thank all of you who're still reading this for sticking with me. It means a lot to see that when I update I still get quite a few people reading the new chapter. I also wanted to let you all know that I have a new song for inspiration when I'm writing anything for Yukiko and Kensei. It's Thousand Years by Christina Perry. Enjoy!

Chapter 22:

It was amazing how much business came through his door in only an hour after opening. Even though Jun had been running his bar for years now, it never ceased to surprise him how quickly his establishment became packed, or what time of people would come in. Like the young woman who just entered alone.

She was very young looking, except for her eyes. The pain held within them made her look much older; as if she held a weight much too heavy for someone like her. Her red hair draped over the top of her shoulders barely allowing her face to be visible. But, even so, he could tell she'd been crying.

Making quick work of the drinks that were ordered, he made himself totally available by the time she reached the bar and sat down. "What can I get for you, miss?" he asked easily.

She was silent for a time before whispering her answer. "S-sake, please."

Jun could tell this woman wasn't much of a drinker, but he did still grab a bottle of sake and poured her a cup. She silently accepted the cup, then grabbed his arm as he moved to put the bottle away.

"Will you...leave it? Please?"

Her voice was almost desperate sounding, so Jun nodded and released the bottle. She smiled gratefully and began sipping from the sake cup. "If you don't mind my asking, what made you want to come here?" he asked, curiously.

She shook her head, before answering. "I just want to forget. Even if only for tonight or a few hours."

Jun felt something in his guy twist at her answer. "And what do you want to forget?" he asked as she poured herself a second cup.

"Everything!" she exclaimed, tears starting to flow. "Everyone. I just don't want any memories...especially not of him."

Jun caught the stress she'd put on the last word and had to wonder who this guy was that hurt this young woman so much, and what he'd done to her. However, instead of asking that, he felt there was something else he should do.

"Well, do have any family you can call for help?" he asked gently. She shook her head before downing a third cup. "What about friends?"

At this, she gained a smile and giggled a little. Was she already drunk? "Yes, I have friends," she answered, now sounding a lot more cheerful. "They're so much fun."

Jun nodded in understanding before noticing another patron enter the bar and immediately take a seat. "I'll be right back," he said, and she just smiled and poured herself another cup. Then he quickly made his way to the other side of the bar where his silver haired regular was sitting. "And what can I do for you, Kensei?"

"Just get me the usual, Jun," he grunted.

Looking him over, it was clear something had gone very wrong that day and he had to wonder if it had to do with his lady friend. "So, what happened today?" he asked.

"None of your damn business," Kensei snapped. "Just get me my damn drink and shut up."

Thinking the man needed a few minutes and a few drinks to cool off, Jun obligingly made up the man's usual and set it in front of him before returning to the young woman. She was still smiling and he could see the bottle was empty.

"Oh, drink guy. Can I have another bottle?"

Jun was surprised by how drastically different she was acting. She clearly was not a regular drinker, though she wasn't slurring just yet. "How about I grab you some water?" he suggested.

She pouted a little, but nodded reluctantly. "Can I have more after?"

Jun smiled despite himself and nodded. "Sure. By the way, my name is Jun. What's yours?"

The pout faded into another drunken grin. "Ume! Call me Ume."

Cute name. He'd have to remember her if she was going to be coming in like this. He left a glass of water in front of her, before serving up a few other drinks elsewhere and then stopping long enough to check on Kensei.

He'd finished his first and barely seemed to register when the second was placed in front of him. Whatever was bothering him must have been really bad. Then the silver haired man began nursing the second drink. Jun couldn't tell if he was trying to get drunk or just think.

He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed some random person was chatting up Ume. Unlike her, he was clearly sober. Getting a bad feeling over it, he moved back toward them as the new man called out to him.

"Hey, barkeep! How about getting a drink for me and the lady?"

Jun was even more worried as he reached the pair and shook his head. Ume was giggling and enjoying the man's company bringing a frown to his face. "She's had more than enough," he said seriously.

The man glared at him while she pouted. "See, but you promised I could if I finished the water," she said, holding up an empty glass. "See, all gone."

"Hey, it ain't your job to regulate anyone," the new guy said scathingly. "It's just to pour."

The stranger regained his smile as Jun caved and went for another bottle of sake. He couldn't in good conscience give her more, but he also couldn't become a liar. When he brought her the sake, the stranger ordered a beer before striking up a conversation with the depressed female.

Jun took his time selecting an appropriate glass and pouring the liquid as he listened to the two. The stranger had graciously poured the sake into the cup for her allowing her to get another downed. He was already asking he poor girl to go home with him.

"We could have lots of fun at my place," he said enticingly.

"Oh really? I don't know, you'd have to convince my friends," she said with a grin. "They get pretty protective."

Jun finished pouring the glass and walked it over. "Well, I doubt that'll be a problem," he said confidently. "Who's your friends?"

"Well, there's Rose, Love, Hachi, and Shinji," she began thoughtfully. "They're protective about almost everything."

"Only guys?" he asked in disappointment. "What, don't have any girlfriends?"

"Sure I do. There's Lisa, and Hiyori, and Mashiro," she listed off.

Something sounded very familiar about those names. Jun couldn't place his finger on it, nor could he stall any longer. He slowly placed the drink in front of the stranger and moved on as he was called for more drinks, all the while keeping in earshot of their conversation.

"Well, they'd be more than welcome to join us for some fun," he told her.

"I don't know," Ume said with a shrug. "Lisa might prefer her magazines and Hiyori doesn't really like fun. Though Mashiro might be okay. She loves fun things."

"Then you can invite her along," the man said easily. He'd only taken a few sips of his drink and was continually pouring hers for her.

"Yeah maybe," she agreed. Jun could see the triumphant smirk on the man's face before she spoke again. "But the one you'd have to convince the most would be Kensei. If he said yes then I would too."

Jun almost dropped the glass in his hand as she spoke. That's it. Those names were the same ones Kensei listed off to him. Meaning this girl was…

Quick as a flash, Jun finished getting drinks to his other patrons and approached the silver haired regular. He was nursing his third drink but hadn't gotten very far. Good.

"Kensei, you've had enough for tonight," he said, wishing he had some other way to get the man's attention.

"This is barely my third, Jun. I barely even started." Kensei looked even worse than before, he didn't even look angry anymore. Just depressed.

"Kensei, you're upset because of something that happened with that friend if yours, right?" Jun asked, eliciting a dangerous glare from the man. "A woman by the name Ume?"

Kensei growled as his grip on the drink tightened. Then, before he said anything, his expression changed to one of confusion. "How do you know that name?"

"Because she told me herself," Jun answered, pleased to see he'd successfully caught the man's attention.

"When?" Kensei demanded, getting to his feet and releasing his drink.

"About 10 minutes ago. She's actually sitting over there with some stranger trying to convince her to go home with him"

A vein appeared on Kensei's forehead as he left his seat and marched in the direction indicated. Jun took the shorter route, landing him back within earshot in time to see the fireworks. He was looking forward to this.

"So, if I get this Kensei guy's permission, you'll come home with me?" the stranger asked excitedly.

"Yep, because I trust him," Ume agreed. The sake bottle was emptied into the red cup and she downed the last of it.

"Well, in that case, Kensei said it was okay with him," he replied easily.

"Really?"

The man was about to respond when Jun saw Kensei reach the pair and give him the death glare he'd been waiting for.

"No, you didn't," he growled, placing a protective hand on her shoulder.

The man nearly choked on the words he was about to say while Ume turned and cheerfully wrapped her arms around the Vizard's neck. "Kensei! What brings you here?" she exclaimed.

"This is my favorite bar, idiot. I always come here," he grunted.

"Well, Kensei, this is Yousuke," she said, gesturing to the stranger. "He wants me to go have fun at his place. That okay?"

Jun internally snickered at the look Yousuke gave the other. A sort of "help me out man" kind of look.

Kensei's expression didn't change. "No. You're going home," he said, lifting her up into a bridal carry and turning toward the door.

"What? But I want to have fun!" she shouted at him.

"Hey, I don't know who are, but you can't just walk off with a drunken chick when she clearly doesn't want to go with you."

Kensei turned to face the other who was holding his shoulder. Then he punched him so hard he went flying into the far wall. "Never come near Yukiko again or I'll kill you," he said dangerously. "A scumbag like you is not going to get the chance to hurt her again. Especially when she's so drunk she can't defend herself."

With that, he left with Yukiko yelling at him and kicking her legs, but doing no actual damage. Jun chuckled over the situation and went to tally up the bill for Yousuke, coming around the bar to hand it to him.

"What the hell, barkeep? That asshole just assaulted me," Yousuke growled, rubbing his jaw and shaking out his foggy head. "Aren't ya gonna call the cops or something's?"

"You're lucky I'm not calling the cops," Jun answered. "You were planning on having sex with that oblivious woman."

"Yeah, sex, between two consenting adults," Yousuke argued.

"No one consenting, the other so drunk she though you were just having fun," Jun answered darkly. "Here's your bill, sir. Pay up and get out. Your kind is not welcome in my bar."

After that, he moved back to the serving bar amidst smattering of applause from the other patrons. Apparently it'd been quite the spectacle, one the others fully approved of. As he waited for the predator to get off the floor and pay, he glanced at the exit and silently sent the pair a wish that whatever had happened between them could be resolved.

It was a long trek back to Yukiko's apartment as Kensei had to move slower than he would normally. While far from being drunk, he was still buzzed and knew going at full speed could lead to either himself or the woman in his arms getting hurt. At first, the trip was full of her yelling at him, calling him names, and kicking her legs; though never hard enough to actually make him release her. That eventually died out, however, to be replaced by uncomfortable silence.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, but it was still preferable to the childish tantrum she'd been throwing. Believing she'd fallen asleep, he glanced down at her and saw that she was staring at nothing, her eyes taking on a confused and uncertain quality to them. Unsure if he should ask her what was wrong or wait, he found his mind being made up for him.

"Kensei, why did you do that?" she asked softly.

"Do what?" he asked, keeping his attention on the path he was taking.

"Show up at that bar to pull me away. I even had a shot at having some fun. But you wouldn't let me." She was looking up at him from his arm, her eyes looking confused and a little glazed.

"I told you before, idiot. That's my favorite bar. Me being there was a coincidence."

She frowned and looked away, a sad smile taking it's place moments later. "...then why help me at all? I thought you'd be mad after I yelled at you. That you wouldn't want to deal with me anymore. "

Kensei paused to look down at her and released an amused snort. "It'd take more than that for me to hate you, idiot," he said seriously. "I waited over 100 years to find you again, I'm not about to just abandon it because the road's a bit bumpy." He watched her cheeks darken at his words and felt a little pleased with himself. "Besides, there's no way in hell I'd let some random bastard hurt you."

Yukiko fell silent after this, her face remaining the dark red color. Kensei watched her for only a moment longer before continuing on to her apartment. The pair traveled in silence, which made him believe she'd fallen asleep several times. However, every time he checked, she was staring off into the night without looking at him.

Eventually, they reached the apartment and he leapt up to her door. "Do you have your keys?" he asked.

She nodded silently and he slowly set her down on her feet. Then she carefully removed a key from her pocket and slipped it into the lock, opening the door. Beyond it, was darkness as the lights were out, but even so Kensei knew it was full of plants. He could smell the plum blossoms from the doorway.

"Get some sleep," he said, turning to leave.

Before he could move away, he felt her grip his wrist and he glanced back at her. Her eyes were shining and a desperate, pleading look shone through. "Kensei," she murmured, her voice drawing his eyes to her parted lips. "Please, before you go...will you kiss me again?"

"I-I don't think that's a good idea right now," he said, frowning. Inside he was all set to do as she asked, and he could feel his hollow egging him on. But his increasingly foggy mind still remembered how he'd lost himself earlier that day, and how she reacted. He couldn't do that to her again, especially since she wasn't thinking clearly.

As he began pulling his hand away, she shook her head and brought his hand up to her cheek. "Please, just one more?" she asked.

His head was spinning with a combination of the plum blossom scent and the booze from before, making it difficult to focus on what he should do. He couldn't help the overwhelming desire to follow through as his hand gently stroked her cheek. The skin soft and smooth under his touch. And, why did it feel wet? Tears. A few had leaked out of her eyes and slid down her cheeks, spilling onto his hand.

"Please," she repeated. Her eyes closed as she clutched his hand to her cheek.

"Y-Yukiko..."

Kensei pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her, trapping her to his chest. He hated this, hated seeing her in tears, hated how broken she was, hated how desperate she seemed to have him complete this one task. After a moment of holding her, he lifted her chin so she was facing him and leaned over, his nose brushing against hers.

"Alright, just one," he murmured softly. "No more crying."

Her mouth slowly pulled into a smile before his lips melded with hers. It was short and lacked the almost mind numbing desire he'd displayed before. But even so, it held so much feeling behind it. When he broke the kiss, he felt he still had enough of himself to pull away. He needed to. But then, her arms wrapped around his neck, keeping his face close to hers.

"Kensei," she breathed, her breasts pressing against his chest in a tantalizing fashion. "I want you. Please, stay. Tonight may be our only chance...to do whatever we want."

Kensei's hold on her tightened at her words. The thought had crossed his mind, that because she was drunk her memories wouldn't hinder her. But, his inner mind tried to get him to remember why he couldn't but was shut down. His hollow squashing the voice of reason, telling him she was right. He'd never get another shot like this.

Before he could properly decide, Yukiko lifted herself just enough where she was able to kiss him again. The need behind her kiss caused him to moan in pleasure...then return it with fervor. As he kissed her, they moved inside, closing the door behind them.

They stepped into the hallway and he pressed her against the wall. His lips moved across hers in a slow manner, taking his time enjoying each taste. He gently ran his tongue over her lips, asking for entrance. A moan escaped her lips as she opened her mouth, allowing him the chance to explore the space. Another moan reached his ears as her hands ran through his hair, giving his scalp a heavenly massage.

Eventually, he broke the kiss and began kissing down her neck and over her shoulders. However, their height difference was making this difficult. So he lifted her up against the wall so she was straddling his waist. Her core muscles allowed her to lift herself up so her shoulders were even with his head. While his hands ran over her legs, his mouth continued exploring her neck, dipping into her collar and going until his progress was hindered by her shirt.

His roaming hands reminded him that she was wearing a skirt as they brushed against her bare skin. They moved along each thigh, rubbing sensuously up and down, occasionally brushing against her underwear. At the same time, his lips once again found hers, and this time the feverish need was back. Their mouths moved against each other, his tongue goading hers into a short battle. Her breathy moans being the only sound that reached his ears while her scent overpowered his senses.

He wanted her, and she'd said she wanted him too. Did that mean she was willing to let him take that step tonight? It was getting harder and harder to think of anything else as every time she shifted her weight, she brushed against his member, chipping away at his dwindling restraint.

Eventually, he broke the kiss and lay his forehead against hers, breathing hard. "I should go," he said after getting his breath back. "Before this thing escalates any further." He allowed his hands to run over her legs a couple more times before starting to lower her back down.

However, her hold on his neck tightened and he met her gaze. "Kensei, please don't stop," she whispered, brushing her lips against his again.

His stroking hands stopped at this, clenching into fists underneath her. "No, I..." He swallowed hard, finding it difficult to think of the right words; his voice of reason being completely silenced by his hollow. There was a reason he needed to stop, needed to leave, but for the life of him he couldn't think of it. "Are you sure you want me to keep going?" he asked.

Their eyes locked onto each other as her answer came. "Yes, just promise you'll be gentle."

Kensei felt any desire to leave vanish the moment she spoke. Immediately he went back to kissing her, but this time he moved away from the wall and walked down the hallway. Somehow he was able to navigate through the apartment without knocking over any plants, and over to her bed. Here he gently lowered her down onto the bedding. Then he pulled back only long enough to pull his shirt off, tossing it to the ground.

As he moved back over her, he felt her small hands brush against the bare skin of his chest and trace over his tattoo. The motion sent a chill through his body, making him growl in pleasure. He returned to kissing her, once again battling with her tongue. After a few moments, he moved away from her mouth to kiss down her neck and down the collar of her shirt. Meanwhile, his free hands pushed her shirt up, allowing his fingers to trail across her silky smooth skin. It was perfect, just like he remembered it.

Next he moved himself lower, his hands slipping over her legs and under her skirt while he kissed and nibbled across her belly. She giggled lightly, and he was sure his touch had tickled. He moved one of his hands up to lift her shirt even more, his mouth following along until he was able to see the bottom of her breasts, where he slipped his tongue between them. She arched her back into him just as he thrust his hips forward, meeting hers. The effect it had, made him move his free hand to tease the top of her skirt.

Then, as he pulled back just enough to see her panting beneath him, he remembered what she'd said when he grabbed her from the bar. "...I trust him..."

Immediately his mind returned to his control and he moved off of her to the edge of the bed where he bent over his knees trying to calm himself down. She was completely drunk, and with her track record probably wouldn't remember it the next morning, and he'd almost taken advantage of that. Standing up from the bed, he pulled his shirt back on and turned toward the door. He needed to leave, now.

Before he could take two steps, she started talking again. "Is something wrong?" she asked, sitting up on the bed and looking over at him. Her shirt had mostly fallen back down, and her lips were clearly swollen. "You don't make any sense. When I ask you to stop, beg you to not to continue, you do it anyway. But when I tell you I want more, and to not stop, you do. Why? Did you lose interest in me?"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. He tried to make himself feel a little angry as doing so helped keep his lebito in check. "Me not stopping only happened the once, and that was because my hollow was being an asshole."

"What about the other time?" she asked. Her voice was starting to sound s drunk as he knew she was. "You didn't stop then either. Is it because you only like taking what I don't want to give?"

"What other time?" he asked in confusion. Was she referring to the thing in the kitchen? He'd stopped when she pulled back and told him to stop though.

Instead of answering his question, her glazed eyes stared at the floor, taking on a depressed appearance. "I can still remember it," she said slowly. "Not being able to move, begging you to stop while you laughed. You saying I wanted it as much as you, then the pain. That invasive pain that I can still feel. It won't go away, no matter how much I want it to. The pounding, painful rhythm that shook my whole body."

Kensei felt his breath still at her words, his blood begin to boil with anger, while his ears were ringing. She wasn't saying what he thought, she couldn't be. Even Aizen wasn't that depraved. He knelt on the floor next to the bed and could see the tears falling from her reddening eyes.

"I-I wasn't ready, but you took it anyway," she hiccuped. "But now that I want it you don't. Why? Why won't you take it when I'm offering it?"

Kensei's anger slipped away as he saw her crying before him and he reached up, directing her back onto the bed, removing her shoes as he went. "Because you're not conscious," he answered slowly. "I would never hurt you that way."

"But, but you..." she whimpered. He cut her off by placing a finger on her lips. Then he adjusted her clothes so she wasn't being tempting for him again.

"That was just a nightmare," he said firmly. "It wasn't real. I would never do that to you. You're too important to me."

Her sadness fell just a little as a smile slid onto her face. "R-really?"

He nodded, kissed her hand, and pulled the covers over her. "Now, get some sleep."

With that, he got to his feet once more. But again his progress was stopped by a small hand, though this time the grip was weak. "Please, don't leave me alone," she asked, her eyes drooping in tiredness. "I don't...want to be alone."

Kensei sighed, knowing it was a bad idea, but not being able to leave her in such a state. He sat on the floor and kept her hand in his. "Alright, I'll stay here until you fall asleep," he promised.

She silently smiled before slipping off. He knew she was out as her hand went completely slack in his grasp. The silence that followed was painful for him. His adrenaline from the makeout session was falling rapidly making him tired as well, but there was one thing that kept cycling through his mind, keeping him awake. The illusion him had taken her first time. He'd hurt her to such a degree, and when she tried to find something about him that would overwrite it, he kept pressing her and going farther than he should. All this time, he'd only been enhancing the view that he'd really do it. That he'd take that special part of her because he wanted it. It made him sick and disgusted, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it now.

As he finally started drifting off, he kissed her hand again, promising her he'd find someway to help her, even if it meant never letting their relationship progress.

Shippoman: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I went through the scene between Yukiko and Kensei a dozen or more times trying to get it right. I wanted to make it show that Yukiko really did want more in her relationship, but the booze was the only way for her to let loose. And I didn't want Kensei to come off a sex crazed weirdo, but did lose himself a couple times thanks to his hollow and the booze. I hope all of it came across alright and that I didn't destroy the characters. Anyway...Kensei's finally learned what pushed her over the edge and is willing to take quite the drastic measure to help. What's going to happen in the morning? How will Yukiko take the news of the night before? Stay tuned to find out.