Waking up a few hours later, Urahara felt that Ichigo was still nestled securely in his arms, snoring softly. He looked over at the shoji, and saw that Byakuya was leaning against the side panel, watching the two of them, the colors of dawn appearing in the sky behind him. Their eyes met as Byakuya raised up his hand, signaling tea. Smiling, Urahara gave a small nod of his head and watched as Byakuya slid the shoji back closed, leaving him alone with Ichigo.

"Ichigo," Urahara whispered, lightly shaking the slumbering substitute shinigami. Ichigo snorted and rolled away, falling out of his arms. Exhaling softly, Urahara tried once more. "Ichigo...? Are you awake...?"

"Lemme sleep," Ichigo grumbled softly, turning his head away from Urahara. "Still sleepy..."

The pale blonde chuckled. "Fine. Get some more sleep. If you wake up in the near future, I'll be out in the garden with Byakuya."

"Nngh.." Ichigo mumbled something unintelligible, forcing the ex-taichou to bite his lower lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. He placed the blanket over Ichigo's shoulders, and watched as the teen burrowed himself further into the blankets, a soft snore falling from his lips.

Grabbing his black hakama, Urahara slipped the pants back on his body, along with his boxers, and quickly tied the tie inside the waistband. He grabbed his kimono and placed it on, keeping it open, as he didn't feel like tying it properly. Urahara walked over to the shoji and slid it open just enough to allow himself to pass through, and quietly closed it behind him. He looked out at the open garden and saw that both Byakuya and Renji were sitting underneath one of the many cherry blossom trees in the yard.

"Ohayou, Abarai, Byakuya-san." Urahara held up his hand in greeting as he walked over to the two men, kissing the side of each of their faces as a show of respect. He sat down, and looked at the small feast before him. "My, my. There is a lot here to choose from. You did not have to put all of this together," Urahara said, picking up the teapot in the center, pouring some tea into a cup for himself. "Gentlemen?"

Byakuya shook his head. "We already have tea, arigatou. And it is my pleasure," Byakuya said. "I take it Kurosaki is still asleep?"

"Yes," Urahara nodded, sipping the warm tea. "I tried to wake him up, but he refused, saying he wanted to sleep more." He looked up at the pink sky. "I'm surprised we slept through the night. I thought that we'd both wake up for..."

Coughing into his hand, Renji's cheeks had become tinged with red once more. "Taichou, may I excuse myself?" Renji hopped up from where he was sitting. "I'd like to go freshen up."

"Go ahead," Byakuya said, nodding. The redhead darted back towards the guest room that the two had spent the night residing in. The quiet taichou looked over at Urahara, his face expressionless. "Will you and Kurosaki be leaving when he wakes?"

Urahara nodded, sipping his warm tea. He set the cup down and picked up a berry scone, tearing a piece off and plopping it into his mouth. "I think it would be best. You see, before running into the two of you last night, he and I actually had a prior date."

"Kisuke, I -" Byakuya began to speak, but Urahara was quick to stop him from continuing.

"There is no reason for you to apologize, or say anything. I'm glad that we were able to come here together with the two of you." Urahara tore off another piece of the scone and threw it into his mouth. "I don't suppose the two of you will be joining us this evening at Ugendō?"

The quiet taichou shook his head. "No, I don't think that we will. As appealing as it sounds, enjoying another night with...well," Urahara knew what the man was hinting at, as a faint blush began to make its way onto his own face with the memory of just what the other man was alluding to, gave a small nod. "I will spend the evening with Renji, before sending him back to Karakura."

"I understand." Finishing his scone, Urahara picked up his teacup and sipped it without making too much noise. "I think that we'll be returning in two days time. I'm not sure yet. I see no harm in keeping Abarai here until we head back, if you prefer, Kuchiki-san."

"I appreciate that," Byakuya said, looking off towards where Renji had disappeared to. "I just may do that. I'll see what he wants." Looking back over, their eyes locked onto each other's. "If I do decide to do that, I'll send notice to you. Perhaps he can just head back with the two of you."

Urahara gave him a warm smile. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." He finished his tea and stood up. "I suppose I should see if Ichigo is awake now. Would you please excuse me?" He gave a small bow to the younger man, smiling as he heard Byakuya chuckle softly, the sound a rare one. Picking up a scone for his lover, Urahara left the garden.

He made his way back towards Byakuya's room and slid the shoji open, smiling as he saw Ichigo getting dressed. "Ohayou, Kurosaki-kun!" Urahara said, mock fanning himself with his hand, watching as his lover slid his hakama up his legs.

"Too early, Kisuke," Ichigo grumbled, pulling his sandals on. "Is there food?"

"Someone woke up cranky," Urahara said, walking over to where his lover was now standing. He wrapped his arms around the teen, hugging him close. "Hey, stop that." He could feel Ichigo resisting. "What's with you this morning?"

Ichigo sighed softly, wrapping his arms around Urahara's waist. "I don't know, Kisuke. I'm sleepy, hungry and horny as all hell. Oh, and my ass is sore."

Laughing, Urahara pulled back and gave his lover a soft kiss. "So, perhaps you'll think twice about letting Abarai take you? Is that it?"

"Shut it," Ichigo grumbled, turning his face away from Urahara to hide his embarrassment. "Maybe I won't."

"You're cute when you're upset," Urahara kissed the side of Ichigo's face. "Come on. Let's get back home. Then, we're going back out."

Ichigo looked at him, his auburn eyes wide. "Home, home? Or your estate here? And why not just go now then?" Ichigo asked.

"My estate here, Ichigo. And because, it will be easier to get there by horse, than by using shunpo. Especially if you're cranky." Urahara chuckled. "Will a scone be enough until we get back to my estate?" He pulled a baked good from his pocket, handing it to the substitute shinigami.

The orange-haired teen inhaled the scone with two large bites, forcing a sharp laugh out of Urahara's throat. "That's all I have, Ichigo."

"Awww." Ichigo's sad face made Urahara's heart flutter faster. "But, Kisuke..."

Shaking his head, Urahara took his hand. "I'll feed you soon enough."

They headed out, using the side gate to leave the Kuchiki estate. When they left, Urahara saw no signs of either Byakuya or Renji, a part of him sad that they were unable to say another proper goodbye to the two of them. He looked over at Ichigo and saw that he didn't seem to mind, as he was constantly rubbing his backside, grumbling to himself.

"Can you shunpo? Or do I need to carry you?" Urahara asked, as they walked away from the Kuchiki manor, still within the confines of the noble's property.

Ichigo turned to look at him. The orange-haired teen flashed him a smirk before taking off quickly, using shunpo to race away from him. Urahara took off after him, allowing the teen to keep the lead, as he rather enjoyed watching him move fast towards his estate. He could have easily surpassed him, as he knew his way back to his estate from the Kuchiki estate better than most of the routes he knew of in Soul Society. He pretended to be out of breath when they arrived at his own estate, standing in front of the porch.

"Oh, knock it off, you big wuss." Ichigo shook his fist at Urahara, walking up the steps gingerly.

"Do you want me to run another bath for you, Ichigo?" Urahara laughed as the teen threw a murderous look his way. "Sheesh, gomenasai!" He held his hands up in defeat.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo walked into the house. "Give me a few moments. I'd like to take a quick shower before we go wherever it is you want to go. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Urahara nodded. "I'll make us a proper breakfast while you take care of that. Unless you'd rather I join you?"

The substitute shinigami smiled. "I'd love for you to join me, but I'm also very hungry."

"Understood. Go take your shower." Urahara kissed his lover's lips with a quick press of his own lips. "Go before I change my mind and follow you into the bedroom."

Ichigo laughed and walked away from him, heading back towards the master bedroom. Urahara smiled as he listened to his younger lover laugh, and walked into the kitchen. He ran a hand through his hair, debating on what to make the two of them.

After twenty minutes, Urahara placed a plate of bowl of rice, a fluffy omelette stuffed with cheese and peppers, and a side of bacon. He placed some juice on the table and almost spilled it everywhere when he felt a hand on his back. Gripping the carafe, he set it down and turned around to face the orange-haired teen, clad in only a towel.

"You should not be so quiet," Urahara chastised him playfully. "I almost ruined our breakfast."

Ichigo lifted his head and gave Urahara a soft kiss on the lips. "Nonsense. Your reflexes wouldn't have allowed you to do something that silly." Ichigo rubbed his damp cheek against his stubble, making Urahara's stomach begin to twist in the most pleasant manner.

"Ichigo..." His voice came out sounding like a soft moan. Blushing at the soft chuckle that he drew from Ichigo's lips, Urahara turned back around towards the table. "Sit down and help yourself."

"Awww..." Ichigo's arms circled around Urahara's waist, the pressure of his chin on Urahara's shoulder forced the older man's eyes closed. "What if what I want to help myself to some of my sexy boyfriend...?"

Biting his lower lip to get a control over himself, Urahara tapped on Ichigo's hands. "Food first. Sex later." He ducked and slipped out of Ichigo's hold fast, laughing as he heard Ichigo begin to grumble. "Hey, at least I said later."

"I assume you mean after our little field trip." Ichigo sat down in a chair, and began to pile food onto his plate. "You sure made a lot. Are we expecting anyone else for breakfast?"

Urahara brought two glasses to the table for the juice. "No, I just tend to make too much food. Remember, there are quite a few people that live with me back in the Living World, Ichigo. So, my portion judgement is a little bit skewed."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll eat it all." Ichigo grinned, shoveling food into his mouth. Urahara shook his head and began to help himself to his own serving. "So, where are we going?" Ichigo asked, his mouth full of food.

"Baka, I know that Isshin has taught you better manners than that." Urahara said, smirking as Ichigo began to chew his food with a closed mouth and swallowed audibly. "And don't worry, you'll find out when we get there, alright?"

Ichigo nodded. "Apologies, Kisuke."

"It's fine. I'm just teasing you." Urahara smiled.

"Are we training today?" Ichigo asked, in between bites. "Or has that been scrapped?"

"No, we'll be training today. This afternoon, is what I had planned. And we've been invited over to dine at Ugendō this evening, if you'd like?" Urahara said casually, picking up a slice of bacon and crunched down on it.

The color appearing on his cheeks once more, Ichigo began to push the food around on his plate. "Just for dinner?"

"Yes, Ichigo. Just for dinner." Urahara said, keeping his tone light. He knew what his lover was hinting at, and he knew that it wouldn't matter either way to the soft-spoken taichou of the 13th division, and the supposed woman-loving taichou of the 8th division. He watched his lover's reaction, and saw both a look of relief and sadness pass over his lover's visage. "If you want there to be more, I highly doubt Jushiro, or Shunsui, will complain."

"That obvious?" Ichigo said, his cheeks becoming the shade of Renji's hair. "I just feel bad because of how I acted the last time we visited his place."

Urahara gave a small nod of his head as he thought back on that awkward morning. "It's fine, Ichigo. It was a simple misunderstanding. Would you rather I tell him we're otherwise engaged this evening?"

"No," Ichigo shook his head. "I would like to see both him and Shunsui. Will we be going back home tomorrow?"

The pale blonde gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Honestly, I'd like to spend as much time here as we can get away with, because I know when we go back, then it's only..."

"Only what, Kisuke?" Ichigo asked, placing his chopsticks down on the table. "What is it?"

"I'm getting ahead of myself. Come on, I promised you a talk, didn't I? Let's finish up here, so we can be on our way." Urahara said, picking up his plate and the empty dishes, and headed to the kitchen.

"Do I have to put clothes on?" Ichigo asked, following him into the kitchen.

Chuckling softly, Urahara rinsed off the dishes. "Yes, that would be wise. I doubt that Kiko would enjoy you riding naked on her back."

"I don't think I'd like that too much either," Ichigo smirked. "Okay. I'm going to go put some clothes on. Want me to meet you outside?"

Urahara nodded his head. "Yes, I think that would be good." He held out a soapy hand to Ichigo, pulling the substitute shinigami close to him. "I love you..." He kissed him softly before pulling his hand away.

"I love you too, Kisuke," Ichigo smiled. "You don't say that nearly enough to me."

"Yes, well...think of what's been happening between us lately." Urahara said was a wistful smile. He saw Ichigo's shoulders sag instantly, the smile falling from his face. "Ichigo, I didn't mean -"

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I know. I know what you meant. I'll see you outside, okay?" He left the kitchen, his towel riding low as he walked back towards the master bedroom.

"Baka," Urahara muttered under his breath, furiously scrubbing the plates. Once he felt he had given himself enough punishment, he placed them in the automatic dishwasher and set the machine to run while they were gone. He headed over to the front door and slipped his sandals on, before heading out towards the horse pen.

Trying to figure out just why he would bring up their recent issues in their relationship, when his lover was trying to tell him he wanted to hear those three word more was keeping his brain on autopilot. He grabbed the saddle for Ryuu and walked over to Kiko, and began to place it on her back. When she whinnied real loud, he blinked a few times and laughed out loud.

"I'm so sorry, Kiko. I didn't mean to place this on you. I've got a lot on my mind," Urahara rubbed her snout with a tender caress, the horse braying softly as she allowed him to pet her more. He fished into his pocket, and found that in his daze, he had grabbed a handful of carrots. He held one out to her, which she took with a sharp snap of her jaw. "There. All is forgiven?" He watched as she chewed her carrot with a fierce chomp, her tail swishing back and forth.

Feeling like he was back into her good graces, he took the saddle and walked over to where Ryuu was standing, next to the watering trough. He placed it on his back, and waited for the horse to give him grief. When there was none, Urahara moved quickly to secure the saddle. Once he was all finished, he went digging back into his pockets and held out a few carrots as a peace offering to his male horse. Ryuu flicked his tail and gingerly took the vegetables, giving a soft whinny to the pale blonde.

"I thought you said I was going to ride Kiko?" Ichigo asked, dressed in his black garb. "I mean, I guess I'm up for trying to ride bareback, but..."

Urahara hopped up onto Ryuu's back, grabbing the reins. "I have faith that you can ride her without a saddle. I'm sure you'll find it's an exhilarating experience. Come on. We won't ride fast, unless that's what you would like?" Urahara asked, guiding Ryuu to leave the pen.

"I'm fine with whatever," Ichigo said, hopping onto her back. He began to slip off, making Urahara bite his tongue to not laugh at his lover. "What." Ichigo glared at him, clearly observant that he was wanting to laugh. "Oh, just have out with it. Hah hah."

The pale blonde burst out laughing. "Ichigo, grip her with your thighs. The harder you hold on to her, the better off you'll be. Do you want me to go and get a saddle for you?" His laughter had subsided as he watched Ichigo finally get the hang of being on her without an apparatus. "Excellent work, Ichigo." He forced Ryuu to the side, allowing Kiko to exit the pen with Ichigo on her back, his back stiff as a board. "Ichigo, relax. If you stay tense like that for the entire ride, you will hate life."

"Maybe I already do," Ichigo grumbled, his face beet red. Waiting for his lover to calm down, he saw the color begin to fade on Ichigo's face as his shoulders began to relax. "Which way are we going?"

Urahara nudged Ryuu gently. "This way." He began to head off towards the direction of Seireitei, a quiet calm settling over him as he led the horse down a path he had not traveled on in a very long time.

They trotted through the populated city street, keeping to the side to not get in anyone's way. Urahara kept his head down, not wanting to draw any attention. If there was a time he was grateful for not wearing his kelly green kimono and hakama, now would be that time. He looked back and saw Ichigo looking around, Kiko guiding without any help.

"Are we in Rukongai?" Ichigo asked, looking around at the people wandering around, some dressed poorly, some dressed in nice clothes. Those some were few and far between, where most of the people wandering around were wearing nothing more that rags.

Urahara gave a small nod of his head, leading the horses down a dirt path, heading off towards the outlying forest. He could feel his heart and soul grow weary the further they traveled into the forest. He heard the soft clomping of Kiko's hooves begin to sound in the same pattern as Ryuu's, as Ichigo pulled up to ride alongside of him. The two rode in silence as they made their way further through the silent forest, Urahara's chest constricting tighter and tighter the further they went in.

"Kisuke, where are we going? Are we still in Rukongai?" Ichigo asked, breaking the silence. There was a rustling in the trees, as a flock of birds took flight at the sound of Ichigo's voice. The substitute shinigami grimaced at the loud noise. "This place is giving me the creeps."

He gave a soft sigh as they came to a large clearing, scars on the ground still visible from the battle that had taken place there decades before. Urahara slipped off of Ryuu and looked at Ichigo. "Well, there's a reason why I've brought you to this place."

"Oh?" Ichigo asked, hopping off of Kiko. Urahara watched as the horse gave Ichigo a nuzzle as he walked in front of her, his lover rubbing her snout before turning to look at him. "Why's that?"

"You asked if we're in Rukongai still, yes? Well, to answer your question, we are." Urahara said, walking over to where a rock jutted out and took a seat, his palms beginning to become clammy. "We're actually in the an area called Fugai."

The orange-haired teen took a seat across from Urahara, pulling his legs into a half-lotus position. "Why does this place feel...off?"

"Yesterday, you inquired about why it was that I had to have certain permissions to do things here in Soul Society. And I'm sure you may remember when Hirako came to visit, when we were on our vacation, that he remarked that he shouldn't be there. Do you remember?"

Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Kinda? I mean, I vaguely remembering him saying that, but I was a little off that day."

"Understood. I only bring it up as it ties into what I'm about to tell you. I guess it's time you learned why I had to leave Soul Society, and how I've known the Visoreds for a very, very long time." Urahara said, meeting his lover's auburn eyes. "No more neglecting to tell you just what you want to hear. I just ask to listen to my tale with an open mind."

"I love you, Kisuke. You should know this," Ichigo said, placing a hand on Urahara's knee. "If you think that whatever you're about to tell me is going to change how I feel about you, don't. Nothing can do that."

Urahara took a deep breath, and looked away from Ichigo's eyes, glancing back towards the way they had just come from. "It happened over 100 years ago..."

…

A/N: Up next, well...I'm sure you can guess what's coming up, if you're at all familiar with canon. ^_^ Thanks for reading!