Dance With Me

Chapter Ten

AN: Welcome to the next chapter! Now, things get a little sad towards the end but hang in there for me. Leave a vote if you enjoyed, and if you want to tell me anything, or ask me anything, just leave a comment. Now, hope you enjoy!

Chapter Ten

The next morning Ichigo woke up feeling well rested. He sat up and stretched, scratching his head. Sitting for a few minutes, he realized that he didn't feel sick at all. That made him feel even better.

Standing, he stretched again and got dressed for the day, brushing his unruly hair and washing his face. He stepped out of his room and looked around. He felt warm. He smiled. 'It's good to be back.'

Lyla appeared in front of him. "Good morning, Ichigo-kun." She looked to be in a not so good mood.

"Good morning. Are you okay?" They started walking in the garden.

"I'm fine. Byakuya-sama has asked me to inform you that he is not to be bothered until later." Her voice grew colder the more she spoke, and her eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem pretty upset."

She shook her head. "I apologize. I'm letting personal feelings interfere with my work. Would you like some breakfast?"

Ichigo nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure. Just bring it out here please."

She bowed and left to get his food.

'Wonder what's wrong with her...oh, well. If she doesn't want to tell me, that's her choice.' He shrugged and sat down by the koi pond.

Looking into the crystal clear water, he saw two koi fish swimming around each other. One was black, and the other was orange.

Ichigo smiled. 'Why does that remind me of something?' His thoughts flashed back to the night before and he blushed. Images of them dancing together, and then of him kissing Byakuya filled his mind. 'I can't believe I did that. But it was fun.' He laid back against the grass and closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his skin.

~~~~~~~

Lyla stomped to the kitchen, fuming. She slammed the kitchen door shut, then immediately apologized to the chef. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

The chef nodded and went back to cooking breakfast. "Why are you so mad?"

Lyla shook her head. "No reason. I'm fine. Do you have Ichigo-kun's breakfast?"

Lilith nodded and pointed to a tray already made. "Right there. Tell Ichigo-san I said hello. And Lyla, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll turn out fine."

Lyla let out a deep breath. "You're right. Thank you." She grabbed the tray and walked back out of the kitchen to the gardens. She saw Ichigo staring at the koi pond, a faraway look in his eyes. "Ichigo-kun, your food."

"Why do I feel Renji's reitsu here? He seems quite close to Byakuya, doesn't he?"

Lyla stayed silent, cursing the two men.

Ichigo smiled and it was painful to see. "They're together, aren't they?"

When the servant didn't answer he scowled and glared at her. "Aren't they?" He asked harshly.

She flinched and lowered her gaze. "Yes."

At her answer, the scowl fell away and his face was blank. "The bond between a captain and lieutenant will always be a strong one."

"No, Ichigo-kun, it's not like that-"

"Like what? There's obviously no love between them! And there's a reason you don't like Renji!" He didn't know why he was getting so upset. There wasn't even anything between him and Byakuya. But what they shared last night...he thought it was special.

"I just need to be alone for now. Come get me for dinner." He took the tray from Lyla and leaned against a tree. "Thank you for being my friend." And he started eating, looking back at the koi pond. The black koi fish had swum away, leaving the orange one swimming in a circle alone.

Lyla watched for a few minutes before bowing and walking away, going back to the kitchen. Without warning or explanation, she hugged Lilith tightly and started crying.

~~~~~~~

It had started raining later that day but Ichigo didn't care. He stayed sitting outside. At least then no one could see the single tear that fell from his eyes.

He laid back against the grass, ignoring the mud, and enjoyed the feeling of the cold rain splashing on his face. He closed his eyes and smiled. He felt refreshed and at peace. He loved the rain.

"Ichigo-kun!" He heard Lyla call to him from the house.

He opened his eyes and sat up, looking at her.

"Come inside! You might catch a cold!"

Ichigo shrugged but stood up anyway, making his way over to the pink haired servant. She handed him a towel and pushed him into a bathroom. "Shower. I'll bring you a change of clothes." He nodded and stripped, getting into the shower. He hadn't realized how cold he was.

Lyla came back a few minutes later, putting the change of clothes on the sink.

Once he finished, he looked at the clothes, finding a kimono like the one he wore when he first got here, during his first dinner with Byakuya. He noticed his wet clothes were gone.

He got dressed and made his way to his room, where Lyla was waiting for him. She towel dried and brushed his hair.

"You know I can do that myself, right?" He laughed.

"Yes, but...I enjoy doing it for you. Byakuya-sama used to let me brush his hair. A long time ago." She smiled fondly.

"Is Renji gone?"

"Yes. He will not be joining you for dinner."

"Thank you."

They stared at their reflections in the mirror. "Ichigo-kun, you are a very attractive young man. Byakuya-sama doesn't know what he's missing out on."

Ichigo blushed and ducked his head, chuckling. "Thank you. And you're right, he doesn't."

They smiled at each other and Lyla held out an arm. "He's waiting for you in the dining room. Let me escort you."

When they arrived, Lyla bowed and left to the kitchen. Ichigo sat down and stared at the table. A few minutes later, the food was brought out, and Byakuya tried to make small talk.

"How was your day?"

Ichigo shrugged. "It was fine. I sat in the rain for a bit."

Byakuya frowned. "You could've caught a cold."

"I don't get sick."

They sat in tense silence when Ichigo spoke up again. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Just like any other day."

Ichigo gripped his chopsticks tightly, not eating anything. "What were you doing? Lyla told me you weren't to be disturbed. Must have been important."

"Just some paperwork that needed my immediate attention."

Ichigo snapped. He stood from his seat and slammed his hands on the table, rattling the tableware. "Don't you dare lie to me! Do you think I'm stupid?! I know Renji was here all day! I could feel him."

Byakuya scoffed. "What I do is none of your business."

"Isn't it? What was that last night? Did that mean nothing to you?"

"I made a mistake last night. It never should've happened."

Ichigo recoiled as if burned. He backed away from the table slowly. "A mistake..?" He whispered.

Byakuya stood up and reached towards him. "Ichigo-"

"NO! Don't touch me." He shook his head and continued backing away, eventually getting to the door. "Don't come near me again." He opened the door and ran out and away, not sure where his feet were taking him. He couldn't see anything through the tears.

End Chapter

AN: Soooooo.....have some angst..? *laughs nervously* Don't hate me! It will all be resolved soon. So, anyone wanna guess where Ichigo is going? Place your bets now!