"How was your date, Kenny!?" She asked excitedly, diving into Kenpachi's arms. He tucked her into the crook of his elbow and tickled her making her laugh and kick her legs.

"It was good, Yachiru."

"Are you going to ask her out again?"

"Eventually. I don't want her to get sick of me, you know."

"Captain Zaraki, don't forget that it's Suzume's turn to come out with me and Yumichika for a field training exercise in three days."

"What districts are you planning on taking her to?" He asked his 3rd seat.

"There have been reports of hollows in the southern districts 70 through 80. The plan was to travel around and see what she can do."

"Hasn't there also been a sighting of a vasto lorde around there?"

Ikkaku thought for a moment, "I think so. I can take her elsewhere if you wish."

"No, I'll come too. It's been a while since I had a decent fight."

Yachiru waved her arms from Kenpachi's grasp, "And me! Don't forget me!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Zaraki replied.

Back at Suzume's room, she was walking on clouds. The night had been perfect. She could still smell a little of his musk on her clothing, but it was dissipating quickly. She so wanted the night to continue with him. It was just so easy to talk to him. She had never expected that. She washed her face, got changed for bed and snuggled in. That night she dreamed of her captain.

They were laying in her bed talking about flowers. She didn't understand why they were talking about flowers, but that was the way of dreams. Not everything always makes sense. His eye patch was off, but the eye was a different color. He leaned towards her, teeth elongating as he bit her neck and lapped up her blood. It didn't hurt and she was rubbing his back as he drank.

The dream shifted and he was his normal self and he was on top of her kissing her and his hands roamed over her body. Her hands roamed down to his penis and he grabbed her hands and slammed them onto the bed above her head. "Never do that again." He hissed as he got up and left her.

The dream shifted again and it had never happened, they just continued to kiss and touch each other but she never made another moved towards his penis.

The sunlight woke her up. Such strange dreams. She shook her head to get the images out of her head. She cleaned her mouth, got dressed, and headed up to the Captain's Office.

The day was half over and Suzume came back into the office to check for any more paperwork that had to go out or to help with any. Kenpachi had been showing her how to fill out some of the forms. He wasn't in his chair behind the desk. She looked around and realized he was sitting on the couch.

"Oh, there you are. Is there anymore paperwork?"

"I'm taking a break." He said, looking over his shoulder to see her. "Come sit down and take a break with me." He patted the couch next to him.

Suzume walked around the couch and sat down next to her captain. She decided that she needed to show him she could be relaxed around him outside of a date, so lifted his left arm and scooted in close to his side, laying her face against his side and laying his arm across her shoulders.

"Mmmm. I like this. Finally starting to relax around me without sake?" He teased.

"It's not easy, you know." She felt him shift, so she turned in to him and put her left hand on his chest and pulled up her legs. "At the end of the day, you're still my captain and the only captain that would allow me in their squad. I have reason to be nervous." She closed her eyes, enjoying his warmth, his scent, and his arm around her.

His arms snaked around her and pulled her on to his lap so that her right side was being pressed against his body, and his chin could rest on top of her head. Suzume, of course, gave out a startled squeak which made him chuckle into her hair. "If we somehow have a really bad breakup, I'll just keep you stationed in the world of the living for most of the time until we both calm down. How does that sound?" As he spoke, his lips were near her ear, speaking lowly and letting his lips brush her ear every now and then on purpose, watching as shivers would travel down her spine.

Suzume adjusted herself, putting her right arm more around Kenpachi's waist and back and her left hand against his chest. "That sounds fair. I accept." She smiled and snuggled in to his chest, breathing deeply the smell of his skin.

Zaraki smirked. At least now he knew why she stayed so stiff at work. She liked him but was also worried about being kicked out of the division should this go sour. He could respect that. He needed to tell her about the field training. Was she…. Smelling him? Did he stink or something? No…. she's smiling. She is so strange! He cleared his throat and he could see that she opened her eyes and was looking up at him. "Tomorrow is our day off. The day after that is your turn to go out with Ikkaku and Yumichika to do some field training. They are taking you out to hunt for hollows and to also get you experience in being around some of the outer districts. It will be your job to take out the hollows you find there. The 3rd and 5th seats are only there as your backup. There has also been reports of a vasto lorde in the area, so I've decided to tag along. It's about time I got my sword wet anyway.

"Many of the districts we'll be traveling through and working in don't like soul reapers, so keep your uniforms here. Make sure you can fit in. Your clothing should look older and well worn. Patches and stitches are good, as is a little dirt ground in to the fabric. Even some tears are good, just don't overdo it. Trust me, they can tell.

"We will be going to the southern districts 70 through 80. It's going to be warmer there this time of year, so dress appropriately." He continued to hold her, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. She felt solid, nothing like the dreams he'd had of her last night. He would start to kiss her roughly and she would bleed and bruise. Or he would get on top of her to have sex with her, but would crush her or she'd shatter like pottery. He could feel her muscles beneath her clothing as lightly rubbed her leg or arm. Definitely solid and wouldn't break. He hoped.

"Do you need to buy any clothing for the trip?" He asked her.

"No, I have a few things that should work. I'll make a few tears and then stitch them up. Maybe wash them a few times so the stitching doesn't look too new." She had already heard her captain give these directions to other members and had already contemplated what to do when it was her turn. She had a few old favorites that her mom had wanted her to throw away before being assigned to the 11th division, but she had stubbornly hid them and kept them with her.

He leaned down and kissed her, keeping it from getting too intense. He didn't want to surprise her with an erection and he didn't want to give in to his more carnal desires. At least not yet. When he broke the kiss, his voice was low and rumbly when he said to her, "Take the rest of the day off. What you plan may take longer than you think. I'll be by tomorrow to help you if you need it." He gave her another kiss, but this one just a quick peck on the lips.

Suzume got up from his lap, turned to face him again and leaned in, finally being the one to initiate a kiss. It was slow and sweet and far too quick for Kenpachi's tastes, but he was glad he was finally getting to see her with some of her walls down. She ended the kiss with another quick peck, and straightened. "I'll see you tomorrow then." She gave him a smile and left the office, going to her own room to get started.

Back in her rooms, Suzume pulled out the two outfits in question. Wow, no wonder my mom wanted me to get rid of these. I think they are going to be just a hair too small and…. Is that a wear hole up by the collar? And another at the end of the sleeve? Why had I held on to these? Oh yeah, I remember, because mom was so dead set on throwing them away. The hems on these are going to be a little short, just enough to look like I grew a little and couldn't' afford to get new clothing. They're really worn too. I remember these clothes being a lot thicker. Suzume tried them both on to make sure they wouldn't be too bad. Her assessments had been correct. Just a little short, but not enough to make it look like she was trying too hard. She moved around, making sure that when she used her zanpakuto, she didn't want to end up tearing her clothing just by moving. She was in luck, she had lost fat and built muscle since she had last worn these, so the movement wasn't bad. Sitting down was going to be interesting, the hem really was a little too short.

She changed into some normal clothing similar to what she wore on her date yesterday. She'd see what Kenpachi thought tomorrow. Her attention turned to the post she had bought yesterday. She set it on the table and pulled out her tools. For several hours she just stared at it and ran her fingers over it. She eventually began carving and worked long into the night, going to bed in the early hours of the morning. She woke up late and, grabbed a bath, and headed back to her room to work on the post some more.

Kenpachi stopped by after lunch which had passed Suzume by without her noticing it. He knocked at her door and opened it when he heard her call out, "Come on in." She didn't even look up when he entered. He had never seen her work before. It was a little like she was possessed. It looked like she was working on it so that she could maximize the width of the post. Corner to opposite corner. She had flattened it out a little and she had removed all of the edges. After a little bit, she flipped it over and worked on that side.

"Have you even eaten anything today?"

"Hmmm?" Suzume looked up and blinked a few times. "Food? Um, no. I guess I haven't." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I guess I got a little lost."

Kenpachi slowly shook his head in exasperation and looked around her tiny kitchen to see if he could make something for her. He put a pot on to boil some rice and cut up some meat and vegetables and put them in the wok, stirring them both as needed. He plated the food and brought it over to his very odd 17th seat who was already absorbed in her work. Was that a snake she was carving? Two snakes? Hard to tell.

He waited until the carving tool was completely off the wood before grabbing her hand and removing the tool from it and handing her a pair of chopsticks. "Eat. Now." He moved the former post out of the way and tried to see what she was making out of it. It sort of looked like a pair of snakes loosely wrapped around a staff. What a strange thing to make.

With a mouth half full, Suzume explained, "It's a caduceus. It's a symbol humans use to show a medical facility. I figured I'd hold on to it until Captain Unohana's birthday comes up."

"I'm sure it will perfect. Did you find something to wear?" Suzume's mouth was full, so she just nodded and pointed to her bedroom. Kenpachi felt a flush creeping up his face as he looked in the direction of her bedroom. He went into her room and looked at the two outfits on the bed. She had done really well. They looked like they might be a little small though. He picked them up and brought them back out to Suzume. "They look good. Let me see them on you." He tossed them to her and sat down at the table, lounging lazily.

"I suppose." Suzume went into her room and closed the door. She came out a little while later in the first outfit. It was just a little short in the bottom hem. It seemed to fit everywhere else. With a grin, he lifted a finger and made the motion for her to turn around. She smiled and did as he asked. She turned back to him and he motioned her over with the same finger.

Suzume walked over to her captain and he pulled her down on to his lap. He lifted her hips so that she was straddling his legs. The position caused the hem of her outfit to left further. His hands were on her hips and feeling her skin beneath the thin fabric. He could feel himself starting to get an erection. Maybe this was a bad idea. Suzume could feel him stirring. She decided to see if he was thinking about her in the same way she had been thinking about him and hope it didn't end up like that one dream. She leaned in and began to kiss his neck, nibbling and sucking. Kenpachi groaned in pleasure. He rubbed her side, bringing his hand up to a breast, cupping it at first and then rubbing his thumb across her nipple, feeling it get hard under the thin fabric.

Suzume inhaled sharply in pleasure. He grabbed her face and began kissing her roughly, finally kissing her how he'd been wanting to. He moved his way down to her neck being careful not to bruise it, but still nibbling and sucking all the same. "Are you sure about this, Suzume? We don't have to if you're not ready for this." He breathed into her ear, flicking his tongue on the edge of her ear. Suzume groaned in pleasure.

Suzume leaned her head against his, biting her lip. Was this too soon? It's not like she'd had a ton of experience. This wouldn't be her first time, but she was nervous none the less.

Kenpachi pulled back, "Suzume, this isn't…..I'm not the…." He took a deep breath, "Are you a virgin?"

She looked up sharply, surprised he would ask, "No." she said slowly.

Kenpachi looked at her seeing if he could tell whether or not she was lying. Seeing the look, Suzume explained, "There was a guy at the soul reaper academy. We had sex a couple times, but the relationship ended when he got kicked out."

He nodded, and then very seriously asked, "Are you ready to have sex with me? It's ok if you're not. There's no need to rush."

"I'm ready, but, could we go slowly? At least at first?"

Kenpachi nodded and lifted her up and took her to her bedroom. As she wanted, they went slowly. He undressed her and then himself. They kissed for a while and he slowly brought his hand down her body, stopping a little at her breasts to squeeze lightly and then down to her lower lips. She was wet, but knowing that he was a little larger than most men, he used his fingers first, running his fingers around the edge of her opening and flicking her clit. He enjoyed the little gasps and moans that escaped her lips. He slowly entered her with his fingers and he could tell she was going to be pretty tight.

"I think I'm going to have to work you to orgasm first. I wasn't expecting this so I don't have anything with me to help me enter you except your own fluids."

"I understand," she said pulling him in for a kiss as his fingers began working her. He used the noises she was making to see whether he should continue a thing or stop it. Eventually he could start feeling her bucking against his hand and her inner muscles began to clench and unclench quickly. She was very odd. She didn't cry out with the orgasm. It was like she held it all in. She breathed heavily for a little while and he could feel her inner muscles give occasional spasms.

He let her body relax a little bit as he used some of her natural lubrication on himself. It was still going to be a little tight, but if he went slowly enough, she should be alright. "Are you ready for some more?" Suzume nodded bringing a hand up to his face and pulling him down towards her. He got on top and positioned himself and slowly entered her. There was going to be just enough lubrication for this. If he was not careful, she would end up walking funny during the field exercise tomorrow.

He was finally in all the way and only groans of pleasure from her. He decided to do short rocking thrusts that didn't require him to pull too far out. She quickly grabbed his mouth with hers and began kissing him fiercely, groaning into his mouth as her hips started bucking underneath him. The clenching was stronger this time and he could feel other muscles begin to flutter against his penis. He had not intentioned to cum so quickly, but he became lost in those flutters. Grunting like he had been punched in the stomach, he came with her. He continued to lean on his elbows, trying to keep most of his weight off of her, but wanting to stay in that position, feeling the small spasms her inner muscles gave after her orgasms. Her whole body seemed to shake a little with each one.

"I could get used to this," Zaraki rumbled in her ear.

"Me too, Kenpachi. Me too."

"Next time I'll make sure to have something with me. It's not that I don't enjoy making you cum with my fingers, I just enjoy it so much more when my dick is in you when you're cumming." He pulled out of her and she made a sad noise, "As much as I would enjoy another round with you, let's not overdue it. I don't want to hurt you by accident because we didn't take our time. I've accidently torn a woman down there. It was not pleasant for either of us." Suzume looked at him in horror at the thought of being torn. "I hear that even small tears hurt, so let's play it safe." He got up from the bed and left the room. Soon water could be heard in the small bathroom.

He exited a short time later using a wet cloth on himself. "You should get cleaned up and dressed before I can't control myself any longer." He tossed another wet cloth at her, grabbed his clothing and left the bedroom. Suzume could hear some more running water as he rinsed out the cloth he had been using.

Suzume cleaned herself up and dressed in her normal uniform. When she entered her dining and living area, Kenpachi was already dressed and seated at the low table. He used his hand to brush some of the wood pieces into his other hand, "Your place is a mess." His lips quirked up in a small smile.

She went into her bathroom and rinsed her cloth out as well. She saw his cloth laying over the sink's rim to dry and she did the same with her cloth. "Yeah, it gets this way when I'm working on a carving. It was worse when I was working on your chest because it was sawdust everywhere." She grabbed the broom and dustpan from where she kept them behind the door of the bathroom and started sweeping up all the bits of wood.

He watched her movements and her muscles play beneath her uniform. Too bad she wasn't wearing one of those outfits she had been trying on for him. Having sex with her had been nice. The feel of her inner muscles fluttering against him had been new. He had felt other woman orgasm, but usually it was just the tightening and loosening that he felt. He had to admit, it had caught him by surprise or they would still be in there moaning into each other's ears. Her body was very firm. He liked that about her. Very few scars too, but that just meant she hadn't been in many fights.

There were a few of those wood blocks near the table, so he picked one up and turned it over in his hands.

"Do you see anything in the wood?" Suzume asked him gently as she sat next to him. He shook his head.

"I don't know what you mean when you say that." He admitted.

"I like to find a place where you can really see the grain of the wood." She took the block from his hands and turned it to a face that was especially dark with wood grain. "And then I stare that the grain and see if there's a pattern in it. Sometimes I only see part of the shape and I find that as I start cutting into the wood and removing the parts that aren't part of the shape, the rest of the form emerges."

"I think I may have to leave the wood carving to you, love." She startled at that word. Love. It was a nice easy term of endearment. He used it so easily. Had he used it with other woman? She mentally shook herself. Why should that matter if he had or not. He was with her now, and that's all that mattered. He put an arm around her and pulled her close for a hug. She curled into him and breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of his skin. "Um…. Are you sniffing me?" He finally asked.

"I can't help it. I like the smell of your skin."

He raised his face to the ceiling, shook his head slowly and thought to himself, definitely an odd one. At least she had stopped. He pulled her onto his lap as he had her yesterday. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck where it met his shoulders. They sat like this for a long time, enjoying each other's presence until it was time for dinner. They headed down to the squad dining hall and sat with Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Yachiru. Ikkaku went over what they would be doing tomorrow and what she would need to bring with her for the trip while they all ate.