I DON'T OWN BLEACH or "What if" by Safetysuit. Please listen to it during part 2.

My great friend Gloaming Grove is sick so I'm writing her a special chapter in "The Legend of Room 115" the connects to this chapter. It hasn't gotten a lot of hits ; ; Please check it out! Leaving this chapter w/o all my thank yous because I've posted 3 chapters in a few days. I want the next chapter to have everyone who reviewed on it^^ SO Please review even if it's a few words. It's a nice way to thank me for chaining myself to my laptop! Who knows if I break 200 reviews maybe I'll post my chapter earlier than Wednesday! ;D I kind get excited and motivated from the feedback. BTW the next 17 Yaoi EDIT will start soon. Urahara is winning...go vote fangirls! Are you planning on reading it? Do you want it to be ichi/Urahara?

Chapter 17; "Coward to the end."

"You lying bastard!" Ichigo marches inside Byakuya's office slamming the door shut behind him.

"Captain Kurosaki, lower your voice in my office." Byakuya doesn't even look up, he continues writing.

"You-LIED to me..."

"Be specific or go back to YOUR office. I have work to do. I don't have an over achieving vice-captain like Hisagi Shuuhei helping me. Renji is off somewhere probably drinking himself dumber as we speak."

"I know where Renji is." Ichigo sits on a corner of Byakuya's large desk. "I gotta say sexual harassment in Soul Society is rampant, I'm truly shocked at you people."

"That's it pick a torture group!"

"Torture?"

"Blunt,sharp , hot, cold, wet, dry or loud? If he is still bothering you, I will have to break something!" Byakuya puts away the document he was reading and grabs Ichigo onto his lap for a kiss.

"It wasn't Renji this time...besides," Ichigo pulls away shaking his finger at him. "Liars don't get kisses."

"Captain Kurosaki." Byakuya looks at Ichigo's white haori with a glimmer in his eye. "Details." Byakuya snatches Ichigo by his haori and pushes his body between his desk and his chair. Ichigo sits on his desk as Byakuya plants tiny kisses on his neck.

"Well, it happened this morning at the office."

Earlier at the division nine offices;

"I'm bored." Ichigo sits in his office alone tapping his fingers on the empty desktop. Rolling his eyes he gets up and walks into Hisagi's office.

"Captain Kurosaki!?" Shuuhei stands abruptly backing a few feet back.

"I told I can't stand that. Just Ichigo or 'YOU BASTARD!' is fine." Ichigo grumbles telling Shuuhei for the third time today to drop all that formal bullshit. Is he imagining it or is Hisagi avoiding him? "Hey Hisagi, are you alright with me being or captain? Do you think I'm an ass or something?"

"No!" Hisagi swallows hard trying not to make eye contact with the orange haired man.

"What is the problem then?" Ichigo walks forward and Hisagi backs into the wall behind him. "Tell me, it's an order!"

"I'm sorry sir! It's Kazeshini, he has a bit of an attraction t-to you and your u-um..."

"The hollow me?"

"Y-yeah." Hisagi lowers his head in a big blush. "You want to go for a drink?"

"I can as friends but, I'm kinda in a relationship. He hasn't exactly said it's exclusive, but it is for me."

"Ah, thank you for your honesty."

"Hey you should ask Renji for drink. He isn't seeing anyone."

"T-thank you, sir."

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo looks at Hisagi's desk covered with stacks of binders. "What's all this?"

"It's tests for the new recruits, I have to take them to the school this evening."

"Then let me help you take them. After that drop by division thirteen and grab Renji for a drink. He is there hiding from Byakuya."

Pause in the flashback;

"Hisagi Shuuhei, I never trusted him. His tattoo gives him away." Byakuya's muffled voice sends a wave of hot breath against Ichigo's neck.

"Oi! I turned him down, you down need to bite me that hard!"

"Turn them all down, Nobara-tan." Byakuya sucks on the tender flesh of Ichigo's neck making a nice size hickey. "You are mine."

"Y-you mean like-"

"I will not repeat myself." Byakuya hides his smile under the folds of Ichigo's clothing, as his head moves down to a tiny taut nipple.

"I-I guess that's alright with me." Ichigo's face turns red, his head tilts back feeling Byakuya's hand slide under his belt.

"I didn't ask your opinion."

"Whatever... anyway...Three hours later I finished taking all the tests to the academy."

Return to Flashback;

"Oh, look at that it's the storage room one,one,five." Ichigo walks up to the door and pulls it open, he immediately regrets not knocking. Bent over a filing cabinet is Renji's naked body with Hisagi Shuuhei running his tongue up his tattooed back.

"Sorry!" Ichigo slams the door shut turning blood red for a moment, then furrowing his eyebrows opens the door again. "Renji, I thought you were a top!"

"Hell no! Never."

End Flashback;

"You lying bastard!" Ichigo folds his hands in front of his chest turning a darker shade of red. "Renji never... you know... poked YOU!!"

Byakuya snorts turning to a drawer inside his desk with a black hell butterfly inside.

"What's the butterfly for?"

"Shh!" Byakuya takes it out of it's cage and let's it loose inside his division.

"BRUTUS IS FREE!" The panicked voice screams. "SOMEONE FIND JENNIFER!"

"Brutus?" Ichigo lifts an eyebrow hearing the crashing of glass and the sound of running feet against the hardwood floor. "What's all the fuss over a little butterfly."

"Brutus, can fire Pale Lightening's at will." Byakuya replies setting the cage down on the floor.

"Shit! Really? That's kinda cool." Ichigo walks past Byakuya to the door. "I gotta see this."

"I trained him myself." Byakuya replies tugging Ichigo's uniform off his shoulders to look at the fresh purple mark he made on his neck.

"HAHA! What does Jennifer do?!"

Byakuya produces a fake butterfly from his haori, it sways around in his hands connected to a thin flexible wire.

"Brutus will only hold still for Jennifer." He tosses Jennifer behind him and yanks Ichigo over to his desk.

"Ah!" Ichigo's bottom lands on Byakuya's desk with a thump, he sits there blinking in shock as his clothes are stripped off him and thrown into a pile in the floor. "You crazy someone could walk in here anytime!"

"So?" Byakuya licks his lips in anticipation of tasting Ichigo's salty skin on his tongue.

"Ichigo!" Rukia bursts through the door.

"See what I mean?!"

"Nii-sama, I'm gonna borrow him for a bit." Rukia replies dragging Ichigo out the door without waiting for a reply from Byakuya's frowning face.

~Part 2~

Byakuya is unsettled. Ever since Ichigo came back from talking to Rukia his body language has been strained. Sitting across from him at the dinner table his eyes are noticing all the little mannerisms that alarm the dark-haired noble. If he asks, he might not like the answer. He remains quiet, reserved and cautious, watching Ichigo from behind the dark strands of hair that fall over his face.

"Hey...Byakuya?"

"Yes?" "Please tell me."

"I want you to know, I... nothing."

"Alright." "I see..."

Laying in bed with his eyes closed Byakuya moves his hand over to lace his fingers between Ichigo's. Ichigo takes his hand, leans over him, and kisses him deep and passionately. His lips trail to the soft skin of his neck sucking harsh enough to pull a hiss from Byakuya's lips. Holding his hand tight for a few minutes he then let's it go rolling over on his side. As sleep claims him he thinks he hears Ichigo's soft voice whisper to him. Words too far away for his mind to understand, he rests in dreamless slumber.

Jerking awake Byakuya hears someone running along the outside hallway. He doesn't need to reach across the bed to know Ichigo is gone. Biting down on his lower lip red blood drips down his chin.

"Ichigo..."

With dread filling his lungs he flash steps to his family's private senkaimon gate. Suppressing his reiatsu he stays behind a building watching Ichigo press the small dagger into the lock and open it. The bright light shines and activates.

"This time I am the one left behind." Byakuya knows why, he understands completely.

"Could I have said anything to make you stay?" He stands still his hands shaking as his heart pounds in his chest. "Don't...I didn't for you!"

Byakuya watches in silent agony as Ichigo turns and looks directly toward his concealed form with a tear dripping down his face. "That's cruel..." He watches Ichigo's head drop forward, his hands curl into tight fists.

"You talk in your sleep every night... but tonight."

"Don't..." His feet won't move as much as his heart tells him to move.

"The one night I ached inside to hear those words."

"Please...I can't breathe. Don't run to him..."

"I love you, Byakuya." Ichigo pulls his zanpaktou off his back and presses it into the ground.

"Say anything but that."

Ichigo turns and walks through the gate dropping the key behind him.

The wind grows still around Byakuya as he walks over to the blade stuck in the ground.

"Nii-sama?!" Rukia runs up seeing Ichigo's sword sticking in the deep in the stones.

"Tell me... his family?"

"His sister's were in a train accident, they are in a coma. Nii-sama, why did he leave his sword?"

"To show he will not struggle, when they seal his powers." He walks away with an expressionless face masking the mournful heartache inside him.

"Coward to the end. Go to him..."

"You know that's impossible."

"Go to Zangetsu..."

"Senbonzakura...I don't think I can recover from this. I...I...can't recover."

"I know..."

"I'll put it away." Rukia says walking over to grab the hilt.

"Don't touch it! No one touch it!" Byakuya yells making the security force and Rukia stop cold. "It's never to be touched! I forbid it! It stays there, where he wanted it." His lips shake from his outburst.

His hand reaches out to touch the white strap rippling in the light breeze. Jerking his hand back like he has been stung, he walks inside the safety of his room and shuts the door. Turning toward the wall he slides down the wall pressing his hair against the navy blue wall paper.

The tears that fell freely that night, came from violet eyes on the other side of the wall. Her body shook with the knowledge she was the one who told Ichigo about his family. With her hand clamped over her mouth she cried. For the loss of her friend, and of her brother's lover. She cried his tears for him, bitter, crushing, hot tears of heartbreak in the dark silence. The only sound she heard from her brother's room was a strangled gasp from his throat, as he slumped over on the floor.

"What if?"

"What if it makes you sad at me?
And what if it makes you laugh now but you cry as you fall asleep?
And what if it takes your breath
And you cant hardly breathe?
And what if it makes the last sound be the very best sound?

What if what I want makes you sad at me?
And is it all my fault or can I fix it please?
Cause you know that I'm always all for you
Cause you know that I'm always all for you

What if it makes you lose faith in me?
What if makes you question every moment you cannot see?
And what if it makes you crash
And you can't find the key?
What if it makes you ask how you could let it all go?

What if what I want makes you sad at me?
And is it all my fault or can I fix it please?
Cause you know that I'm always all for you
Cause you know that I'm always all for you

And if this be our last conversation
If this be the last time that we speak for awhile
Don't lose hope and don't let go
Cause you should know"