The next morning Kenpachi felt better than he had in a long time. It had really been a great birthday. He dressed quickly and grabbed his zanpakuto from it's new nighttime resting place on the chest's arms. As he walked to his office Yachiru jumped up to her favorite perch.

"Kenny, why didn't you tell me you had a date last night?"

"You didn't ask." He responded gruffly. "Why have you been trying to set me up on dates, anyway?" He didn't want to ask her if he wasn't enough for her anymore. The answer might hurt. She had been his everything for so long, it was odd that she wanted to bring someone else into their little family. Yeah, I guess it is like a family. What did Suzume say having a family was like? Worrying about each other when you weren't around, and knowing that regardless of what you did, you knew that there was someone out there that always had your back. Maybe I don't worry so much about Yachiru, but I know she'll always be there to have my back. Not that I need her to. But it's still nice to know. Kenpachi mused to himself. He was so deep in thought that he almost missed Yachiru's response.

"I want you to be happy, Kenny. I've seen you look at women before and you should have one. Why haven't you just taken one you like? They should be happy to be with you." She patted his face as she spoke.

"Yachiru, that's not how relationships between guys and girls are made. You can't keep on throwing unwilling woman at me and expect that we're both going to be happy about it."

"But why not?"

Kenpachi sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. How to explain….. "Why do you like one candy over another?"

Yachiru thought for a moment, "Because it tastes better!"

"Ok, in a way the taste attracts you to one candy over another. When you get older, you'll get a different kind of taste. You will find you like certain people over others. Not the way you do now, but…. You'll want to be around them as much as possible. Do you understand?"

"I think so. I like being around you all the time, but I don't like being around the snake." They both knew she was referring to the captain of the third division.

Zaraki considered and nodded, "For now, that will do. You may be surprised by this, Yachiru, but most women, don't find me to their taste. They may look at me the way you look at Gin."

"But…. You're Kenny! How could they not like you?"

Realizing that it might be some years before Yachiru understood that, he went with a simple, "I don't know."

Soon they arrived at the squad 11 office. Suzume was already there going through paperwork and sorting what needed to be done quicker and what could wait a while. Curious, he went to the desk to see if there was any way to tell who made it. Suzume guessed what he was looking for. She had checked earlier and knew where to tell him to look.

"My father's mark is at the middle where you're legs go, top left corner of the left side."

Kenpachi quickly found the mark. It looked like it had been branded into the wood. It was a very plain marking. Just a circle with Issada in the middle. He wondered why he had never noticed it before.

Suzume got up and walked over to the desk carrying two stacks of paper. She handed a smaller stack to her captain, "These need to get done today." She put the larger stack at the corner of his desk, "And this stack, if you have time today, are in order of importance."

Still sitting on Kenpachi's shoulder Yachiru waved and said excitedly, "Did you and Kenny have a good time last night?"

Suzume smiled at her lieutenant, "I think we did."

"When are you two gunna go out again?"

"I don't know. He hasn't asked me yet and it was pretty late when the party ended." Suzume replied, thinking fast, and giving a quick wide eyed look to her captain. He was reminded of that deer and predator look she had worn last night after he had kissed her. Was this what she's like all the time? I've had so little interaction with her. Suzume thought to herself.

Kenpachi's lips quirked up into a small smile and decided to be the one to rescue his 17th seat this time, "Yachiru, hush. Give the girl a chance to even decide if she wants a second date. Besides, going out again is not a thing for you to be asking, it's for me. Now shoo." He lifted her off his shoulder and pushed her lightly towards the door. Yachiru laughed and ran out the door like it was a game. And likely, to her, it was. Turning his attention to his subordinate, he said sheepishly, "Sorry about that. I tried to explain to her on the way here, but I think she's a little young yet." He paused, "Would you like to go out again?"

"You mean on a real date?"

"Last night wasn't a real date for you?" He asked with a slight frown.

"That's not what I meant." Suzume said hurriedly. Kenpachi just looked at her with an eyebrow ridge raised. "Last night was spur of the moment. I meant like a real date with someone you are trying to….see if ….they are….interested in you that way and….you're interested in them that way too." Her words trailed off, getting softer as she went and finally losing steam at the end as he just stared at her.

Kenpachi rested his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in his hands, "Do you want to find this out with me?"

Suzume nodded, afraid to speak.

"Then it's settled. I am asking you on a real date."

She smiled shyly, "tonight?"

"After training. Say around 7?"

Suzume nodded again, not trusting herself to speak much quite yet.

Chuckling to himself, he said, "I see we're going to need some sake tonight then."

Blushing, Suzume grabbed the paperwork that had been completed late yesterday and hurried out of the office.

Did she have a crush on me? Nah, she couldn't have. The thought made him laugh a little out loud. I need to remember to ask her about that scar on her left cheek. How odd that she would have one on the same side of her face as mine. Not nearly so large, maybe an inch or so and along her cheek bone, but still. Maybe it's a good story. I've never noticed it before until she blushed. He continued to muse about her for a while, wondering at his good luck, or at least he hoped it was good luck and then went back to working on the stack of papers Suzume had been nice enough to go through for him.

The working day was over and Kenpachi stretched as he got out of the chair he'd been cooped up in and turned around. Looking from the office window, he watched as Suzume headed to the squad's weight room. That was smart of her. In order to be able to handle that scythe for longer in a fight, she would need to get physically stronger too. He decided to see who he could go down and fight with. Maybe get a little exercise before the date tonight.

It was close to 7 and Kenpachi had already grabbed a bath. The fights had been good earlier and he had worked up quite a sweat. His hair was down and the bells had been removed. It always felt a little odd at night when his hair was out of it's usual spikes. He still kept the eye patch on though. Keeping his immense spiritual pressure under control when the eye patch was off was not the easiest thing in the world to do. It's odd, he didn't remember having so much trouble when he still traveled in the outer districts. Must just be out of practice. He shrugged the thoughts away and knocked at his 17th seat's door. The door opened and Suzume walked out wearing clothing that was similar to what the rest of the souls in the Soul Society wore. It was well made and in good condition. The yellow was a good color on her and it had green and ivy leaves climbing up the sleeves. He was just wearing his normal uniform and captain's jacket. He hadn't really known if he should wear anything else and Yachiru hadn't been very helpful.

"You look nice." He finally got out.

"Thanks. I don't get to wear non uniform clothing often. Tonight was a good excuse and my mother would have yelled at me if she knew I had just worn my uniform."

They went to a restaurant and were able to get a somewhat private table. As soon as they sat down, Kenpachi ordered sake for them and they went to looking over the menus. When it arrived, he immediately poured her a cup and set it down in front of her. Suzume looked up a little startled as the cup was set down a little hard to get her attention. "Drink up. I want the Suzume I saw last night here." He smiled a little ruefully to show her that he didn't mean it as harshly as it probably sounded.

Suzume took that as a cue to stop holding herself so rigidly. She drank the small cup of sake quickly, but only sipped after that as Kenpachi would refill her cup when he saw it was empty. He was not trying to get her drunk, but he did want her to loosen up. They ate and talked. It's so easy to be around her, Kenpachi frequently thought to himself as they told each other funny stories. He eventually asked her about the scar on her cheek.

Her hand went up to the scar and Kenpachi thought she was trying to hide it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory."

Suzume smiled ruefully, "No, it's….." She dropped her hand and looked back up at her captain, "When I was still learning how to make furniture like my father, I was cutting out the pieces I would need for it with a saw. I don't know if you've ever worked with a saw, but the action of cutting out something causes a lot of friction and heat. If you are sawing a large piece, sometimes the metal of the saw will expand, causing the tool to get stuck in the wood. I know now that I just have to wait for the saw to cool and then everything is fine. Back then, I didn't. I tugged and tugged and the piece of wood I was working with cracked and the saw snapped back at me, hitting me in the face. My mother was so mad at me." She switched to a high falsetto voice, "Suzume! How could you ruin your pretty face like that? Why can't you just leave that manly work to your father and brothers? Why can't you just be my little girl?" Suzume gave a small laugh and switched to her normal speaking voice. "Mom hated it that her little girl ended up being just like her father and brothers. I think she wanted me to learn an instrument like she did, but I'm afraid that when it comes to that, I'm all thumbs. My hands looked like this since I was 10. Yours have been callused from the sword, mine are from wood working for so long. That didn't stop her from making me take singing lessons though" Suzume made a face like she had eaten something gross.

"You can sing?"

"Unfortunately."

"I think I would like to hear that one day."

Suzume laughed, "I'll think about it. But don't get your hopes up." Looking at his face, she decided to finally ask him about his scar. She had never asked anyone about it, she just assumed it came from some fight. "How about your scar?" She asked timidly.

Kenpachi put his hand up to his scar, running a finger down it. He barely even thought about it anymore. He barely even noticed it when he looked at himself in a mirror. "I'm sorry if I brought up a bad memory." Suzume looked down, afraid she had disrupted the pleasant atmosphere they had created over dinner.

He smiled, and explained about the Yachiru his Yachiru had been named after and how it had been the first time he had felt fear in battle and how he always wanted to fight people that could give him that thrill.

"Was your eye damaged at all?" Suzume had listened to the story attentively and had been at the edge of her seat the whole time. It was a rather interesting tale.

He shook his head, "No. The blade didn't cut through my entire eyelid, though I'm pretty sure she could have done it. Still hurt like hell though and there aren't too many healers in the outer districts."

When the bill arrived, Suzume snatched it up and quickly paid for their meals, surprising Kenpachi. "But… I was… Why did…. You didn't have to…."

Suzume put a finger to his lips to get him to stop. "Remember, I'm the stuck up merchant's kid from the inner districts." Kenpachi looked like he was trying to say something, "Hush. Look, my parents send me money every month that I never use except to buy more uniforms and wood. Maybe they think I have larger rooms and need to decorate or something. I don't know. The point is, don't worry about it. Buy something for Yachiru. She'll be happy that you were thinking of her while on a date." When she was sure he wouldn't try to protest any more, she removed her finger and smiled.

Kenpachi grabbed her hand as she moved it away from his lips and slowly moved her finger tips back to his lips and lightly kissed them. "Thank you. I really wasn't expecting that. Isn't the guy usually supposed to pay for these things?"

"That's a stupid rule. Who made that up?"

"Girls, I think." They both laughed at the joke.

They left and walked around the shops of the first district. Kenpachi bought Yachiru a bag of her favorite candy; poppy seeds surrounded in crystalized sugar. Suzume ended up over by a wood seller and bought a thick and long piece of wood that was about a littler thicker than her thigh and was as long as her arm. Kenpachi wouldn't let her carry it back, carrying it nonchalantly over his right shoulder.

"Why did you buy this?" He asked her, wiggling the post a little on his shoulder.

"I saw something in it that I want to bring out. I'm not sure what it is yet though."

Kenpachi sighed. Such a strange woman.

Eventually, he walked her back to her room. He set the post down and was thinking about how to go about kissing her goodnight when she asked him, "Would you like to come in for some tea?" Kenpachi smiled a small half smile and nodded. She opened the door and held it open for him. He carried the post inside and set it against a wall, not quite sure where to put it.

He felt rather large in this small room. He could see her bed from the doorway and looked away quickly. His eyes moved to the low table and the cushions that were around it. It looked solid enough. He wondered if she had brought it from home. Suzume set the teapot on the small stove and sat down at the table, waiting for the water to boil. Kenpachi sat down too and suddenly, the easy atmosphere seemed to fade away. They waited in an increasingly uncomfortable silence until the sound of the kettle whistling jolted them both out of their thoughts. Suzume laughed at the way she jumped and Kenpachi gave a sheepish grin.

Suzume got up to take care of pouring the tea and didn't see or hear Kenpachi get up. She turned around with the cups in hand and came face to chest with her captain. She gave a startled squeak. He carefully took the cups from her hands and set them on the counter. He then reached up to Suzume's face and leaned in for a kiss. He started light and slow and when Suzume opened her mouth a little, he let his own tongue enter her mouth, stroking her tongue with his. The kiss became a little rougher as they both began to get in to it. She put a hand up to his neck, occasionally stroking his jaw line. His large hand was on her neck as well, holding her face to his, sometimes using his thumb to stroke her ear. His other hand had moved to her waist, pulling her hips in towards his body, and sometimes letting his fingers trail up and down her spine. She kept her other hand against his chest sometimes rubbing her fingers against his collar bone.

They finally broke the kiss, Suzume far more out of breath then Kenpachi. "I've wanted to do that all night," Kenpachi confessed.

"I've wanted you to do that all night." Suzume also confessed.

He rubbed his thumb across her eyebrow, feeling her eye ridge. she had her eyes closed, enjoying the touch. "I need to get back. Yachiru will no doubt be up and waiting for me like a mother hen, and giving Ikkaku a headache." He reached down to the cup of tea that was now at a manageable temperature and drained the cup. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he set the cup down and left Suzume in a somewhat stupor.

Suzume smiled and nodded. "I'd say I'd be there with bells on, but that's more your thing." She retorted with a grin.

Kenpachi grinned at the joke, "Not tonight though."

"I saw. I kinda like it more down and without the bells. It's a nice change."

"I'll take that into consideration." And with that, he closed the door behind him. What was that woman doing to him? He had to admit, he was enjoying himself regardless. He quickly walked back to his rooms and just as he knew, Yachiru was waiting for him.