ＤＯＮＴ ＬＥＴ ＧＯ (Byakuya Kuchiki/Ichigo Kurosaki)

ＤＯＮＴ ＬＥＴ ＧＯ (Byakuya Kuchiki/Ichigo Kurosaki)- 9

Meanwhile, Byakuya changes into a plain black T-shirt and matching slacks. After brushing his hair, he goes into the kitchen looking for something to eat. Opening cabinet after cabinet, finding nothing, he growls slightly. Since becoming human he has constantly felt hungry, or an unusual emptiness inside.

"Urahara...you do need to eat, right?" Byakuya's voice echoes in the empty refrigerator. Slamming the door of the icebox, he folds his arms over his chest. "I'm starving."

"Same." Ichigo's head appears in the kitchen; he is holding up a phone book and a cell phone. "Delivery or the ramen shop around the corner?"

"I would like to try this pizza; I have heard Rukia speak of it." Byakuya answers careful to keep his gaze from falling on the orange hair.

"Delivery it is," Ichigo smiled happily.

During dinner the two avoid speaking of the events downstairs. Both, content to deny the attraction pulling them toward one another.

"Well Byakuya, what do you think of 'Pizza'?" Ichigo asks watching Byakuya finish his third slice.

"Good stuff." Byakuya replies wiping his mouth with a napkin putting his plate in the kitchen sink.

"Tomorrow...you learn to swim." Ichigo announces, pointing at Byakuya with a smirk as he returns to the main room.

"Are we going back to the high school pool?" Byakuya asks, downing his second glass of saki.

"Nah, it's a holiday. I asked Urahara and he said to go down the training room in the morning and toss this on the ground." Ichigo holds up a small black disk that looks like a hockey puck.

"What is it?"

"No clue. Guess we will find out in the morning. I told him we would watch the shop for him over the three day weekend, and he just grinned then gave it to me." Ichigo replies, setting it down and walking over to the closet. He pulls out two futons and Byakuya walks over and takes his.

Dragging the bed a few feet away, Byakuya opens up the mattress and stretches out on it. His tolerance is shot; the sake is starting to make his head feel fuzzy, yet another drawback of being human.

With nothing else to do, his eyes follow Ichigo around the room until he vanishes out of sight down the hall. Downing another cup, Byakuya rolls over on his stomach and sets his chin in his hands. His eye-lids drop slightly just as Kurosaki reappears carrying a bowl of strawberries.

"Here, Karin dropped off some food, Yuzu is afraid you will starve to death. You look like you need something sweet to eat before bed." Ichigo says setting the bowl down and dropping to his knees next to Byakuya.

"Strawberries are my favorite." Byakuya replies, his voice is heavy with longing, as his lips curl up into a small smile.

"..." Ichigo almost drops the slice of fruit as he looks at Byakuya smiling for the first time.

Ichigo is speechless, biting down on the sweet fruit. He is too preoccupied with Byakuya's incredible smile to notice the strawberry juice dripping down his lips to his chin, his eyes looking at Byakuya with a singular focus like tunnel vision. He is distracted to the point he doesn't see Byakuya's hand reach out and touch his face.

Byakuya's long fingers trace the path of the pink juice on Ichigo's chin, collecting it. Then pulling his hand back he dips them in his mouth tasting its sweetness. "Delicious." His blue eyes, never leaving Ichigo's, search for a reaction.

"Y-you didn't eat any." Ichigo stumbles over his words and swallows a knot in his throat. He watches Byakuya's graceful fingers pick up a strawberry and bite down on the end, his smooth, soft-looking lips becoming moist from the juice. Ichigo sucks in his lower lip, running his tongue over it in the darkness of his mouth.