EDITED - 16/12/2010

And to think I was worried this oneshot wouldn't get any recognition. You, my dear readers, have forced me to eat my own words.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach.

—CAT AND MOUSE—

Step One: Select prey.

"Something you need?" Byakuya asked tonelessly, his expression hardly changing as Gin merely grinned back in return.

The silver-head waved a hand, leaning against the railing of the balcony. "Nah. Just seeing how ya doin'." It wasn't worded like a question but the Sixth Division Captain saw fit to answer anyway, no matter how vague his reply was.

"Fine."

"Heard ya got some graduates."

Truthfully, Gin wasn't fussed about the topic but he was willing to talk about anything to get a conversation started with the noble Captain. Call it a goal, if you will; having often failed numerous times before due to the Captain leaving for some important matter, and while Byakuya was very likely to pull the same stunt—Ichimaru was sure the other man did not like him—he'd still stay to talk for a few minutes to keep a guise.

All the smiling man got was a curt nod in reply.

At that moment, Renji, followed by said graduates, turned onto the same path as them. Gin mentally shrugged; at least he'd get to see what the runts were like.

Confidently, the redhead strode to the two Captains and gave a quick bow to his own superior. "Captain Kuchiki. Captain Ichimaru."

"Renji."

"Heya!" Gin waved juvenilely.

Abarai glanced at him before setting his gaze on Byakuya. "Anything you'd like me to do after I've escort—"

Ichimaru tuned him out as he peered around the red-head and caught sight of the two fresh shinigami; both of them female. Only one matched his scrutiny and she narrowed her green eyes hotly at him beneath thin lashes and brown bangs; this made him chuckle. She was bound to be a handful. And the other graduate… Gin raised an eyebrow. Her long, navy hair was certainly interesting enough and…

She hesitantly shifted her head in his direction and he caught a flash of pearl-like eyes before they quickly disappeared behind her long sleeves that she used to cover her face. Shy thing. But he found it all the more amusing.

He could see that she was slightly trembling. Was it out of nervousness from being in the presence of two Captains, or was his trained vision on her just making her this way? He was curious.

"Captain Ichimaru."

Gin straightened, giving his attention to Byakuya. "Yeah?"

"I have other matters to attend. Perhaps some other time."

He knew the next time would be just as brief as all the other times but it was a courtesy a noble like him performed anyway. Gin just nodded and watched as the Captain and Lieutenant of Sixth Division turned and headed back to the main office.

Quickly, Gin looked to the mousy girl, stretching his lips into a Cheshire-like grin as she matched his gaze briefly before letting out a squeak and sprinting a few steps ahead.

So fragile. That much he could see. And it interested him just how much it would take for her to show her fiery side—if she had one.

Well, he intended to find out.

Step One: Select prey. COMPLETED.

Step Two: Learn routes.

Several weeks had passed and in that time, Gin had watched the female shinigami in the shadows; learning her route to certain places, her friends, her station and many more things. Occasionally she would take a long way to get to a place and he figured she was merely exploring more of her new home.

Her naivety was startling but still endearing. And while it irked him to no end that she would just yield to other shinigami—namely the ones from the Eleventh Division—it just added more desire to his goal: to see her crack. He often wondered how it would happen.

Would she stutter and attempt to raise her voice or would she just completely snap and go off her nut? Truth be told, the image of her going on a rampage was a nice thought and he longed to see it; to see if it would truly happen.

It would also test the theory if the quiet ones do scream the loudest. And judging by how withdrawn the mousy girl was, she'd probably have an ear-shattering one at that.

Was he interested in her that way? No. He wasn't. He just wanted to know what would make her explode; yell, scream, punch, go blind with rage.

Byakuya had no doubt wondered what he was up to as well. Gin would usually only visit the Sixth Division a few times a month but so far it was clear that something was pulling him back and the silver-haired man knew that the noble Captain had guesses. Which was probably why Lieutenant Kira had began piling more work on him.

Gin learned to watch from further away and he did so for months afterwards. While he wasn't able to learn simple facts about her, such as her favourite foods and hobbies, all he really needed to know was where she went, so that he could follow.

He still didn't know her name either. Not that it mattered.

Step Two: Learn routes. COMPLETED.

Step Three: Play with prey.

She was predictable but she was also intelligent, he found that out when he first encountered her—on purpose. He thought that she'd be too busy trying to scrounge up a full sentence in his presence—because he had learned that being near a Captain did startle her—to realise his reason for being in the Sixth Division was a hoax. And she picked it out.

Encounter #1.

"Uh, C-Captain Ichi-Ichimaru." Her voice was soft, and so very angelic that he marvelled at the fact she made it to shinigami; even though he knew someone had to have courage to become one, she clearly had some somewhere.

"Yes?" He widened his grin.

Her expression faltered as he towered over her, his arms crossed behind his back. He caught her looking to the sides, as though she'd catch sight of someone who'd rescue her.

No chance. He knew her paths well.

"Um. Y-You said you w-want-ted to see Captain Ku-Kuchiki?"

"Yes?" He leaned away from her, his smile receding, and wondered what she was intending to say. This movement allowed her to release a breath of relief.

"Well, uh… h-he's in th-that direction." She pointed behind him and Gin looked over his shoulder.

So she was paying attention to his lie.

He grinned and he heard her squeak in surprise as he did so.

With his lips upturned in the same manner as before, he faced her again and bent down to her eye level so that their eyes were matched. He could see fear and respect in those strange eyes of hers.

"I know."

With that, he walked passed her, his arm nudging her shoulder lightly as he casually walked away.

He didn't have to look behind to know that she was frozen still. And the only thing that clued him in that she was still alive was her light and fast footsteps on the floorboards as she ran away from him.

Encounter #5.

"Need help with that?"

His prey whirled around, startled, her hands briefly loosening under the hold of the large stack of papers. She squeaked and quickly regained her balance.

"C-Captain Ichimaru!" She lifted the paper above her head and gave a curt bow.

Gin grinned. She was in a hurry. He knew that and figured it was a good time as any other to taunt her. Discreetly, of course.

She straightened and almost matched his gaze.

"Need help with that?" he repeated, and watched her facial expressions shift from one to another as she thought about it.

This interested him. It told him that his prey was adapting to him. Not to his presence but rather what his presence evoked, and clearly it hounded on her that he meant bad business. He fought the urge to widen his grin. She was an interesting one.

"Uh. N-No, thank you."

He lost his smile. "Ya sure?" She was adapting too quickly, even though he'd only intercepted her a few times. She was a quick learner it seemed.

She meekly nodded and turned heel, only for her sandal to skid against the rough floor. As quick as lightning, she tripped slightly, and it was all the stack of papers needed to topple out of balance in her grip.

She juggled them, moving around the hall as she whispered for the paper to stay in her arms and not to spill out into a mess on the floor. It would have been terrible for her but really amusing to Gin, who just stood and watched. He noticed that she was light on her feet, suggesting that she had some other practice with movement before she had become a shinigami. How he knew that? The Academy did teach combat and with it how to dodge, but not the way she was doing it.

She had to have been a dancer before entering the Academy, Gin decided.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save her, and the stack began to slip from her grip. Stepping forward, Ichimaru expertly caught the paper in his hand as she collapsed to the floor beside him.

"Looks like ya did," he teased.

She stood clumsily, embarrassed about her fall, before taking the pile from his hands. "T-Thank you, Captain Ichimaru."

He raised an eyebrow at her red tinted cheeks but didn't say a word. That is until another person came across the scene. He recognised reiatsu instantly.

Captain Kuchiki.

"Hinata, put those in my office."

Gin saw the deep respect and loyalty in her lavender-tinted eyes as she nodded in the other Captain's direction and scampered off, leaving them alone. It was quiet, and Gin pivoted slightly, looking over his shoulder to meet the narrowing gaze of Byakuya.

"Keep away from her." His tone, as always, was dull. "I don't know what you're doing but now is the time to stop."

Gin chuckled. "Don't worry. I don't intend to harm her."

"Nonetheless, I don't want you near her."

He fought the urge to frown. This wasn't going according to plan. "Where's the harm in getting to know her?"

"I'm not a Captain for nothing. I know you've been watching her for over seven months and despite what you may think, she knows it too."

Interesting. She was observant. More than he thought.

"If she knows, then why can't she be the one to tell me to stop? Then I will."

Byakuya paused, his gray eyes contemplating the Third Captain. After a few seconds, he nodded and left without a word. At least he was now out of the way and Gin doubted... what's her name?... Hinata would tell him to stop. She seemed much too respectful to do that.

Encounter #30

She still hesitated around him. She still stuttered. And she was still the kind hearted and shy girl she was when he first laid eyes on her but he knew, for quite a while now, that she was growing even more used to his presence, despite the pressure he exerted, and he realised that if their encounters were to increase, each one would have a longer conversation than the one before.

He didn't like it.

She was supposed to be his prey but yet his tactics to unnerve her with his presence and stature were failing.

He'd begun to pull some strings and had her meet up with the Eleventh Division shinigami a few times and while she was completely freaked out like the other times, he didn't want to risk the chance again, just in case those ruthless shinigami would begin to look out for her like a sister. They were somewhat notable to have scary exteriors, but really have the inner spirit of a fluffy canine. And since he, himself, was notoriously known for hardly ever losing his temper, he couldn't exactly fake something like that in front of her to scare her.

It was maddening.

Gin frowned as his prey sashayed away from him, her pearl-like eyes looking over her narrow shoulders and her lips holding a gentle smile.

It was then he realised something.

Maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to trust him. Trust him not to touch her.

To advance on her.

His grin returned.

Step Three: Play with prey. UNKNOWN.

Step Four: Advance on prey.

Gin pressed his left hand against the cold stone of the wall beside her head, watching with glee as she uttered a gasp of surprise and stepped back, only to collide with the wall. He knew he was standing on dangerous grounds by advancing on her on the foundation of the Sixth Division—particularly because it was night—but considering she hardly ever left the place, it would have to do.

Besides, he badly wanted to see her crack.

"Ca-Capt-tain Ich-Ichimaru," she stuttered, tilting her head as far away from his as he leaned closer towards her. He paused just as his nose punctured her personal bubble and eyed her joyfully—like a predator—as she pressed her small hands against her chest and a finger to her mouth.

She was trying to hide.

Her eyes were wide with fright at their closeness but he didn't move. "Yes, Hina-hime?"

The new nickname startled her and she gasped again.

He figured that if her bubble was ever entered, or if she was ever touched when she didn't want to be, she'd react; and violence was the reaction he was hoping for.

Step Four: Advance on prey. COMPLETED

Step Five: Win.

Unconsciously, his eyes were swiftly drawn to her shivering lips and he involuntarily licked his own before rashly pressing his forehead against hers.

It happened in an instant.

He felt the skin on her forehead suddenly sky-rocket in temperature so that it rivalled with molten lava, and he recoiled back in mild surprise just as she groggily closed her eyes, let out a small sigh of relief, and then slid down to the plush grass, her head downcast.

Gin paused, blinking.

What the hell happened?

Fearing the wrath of Captain Kuchiki, he squatted and pressed two slender fingers against her pulse at her neck. She was alive. Good. He wouldn't be killed. He then waved his hand around her head, wondering what to do next. He settled with pressing his palm against her forehead and pushing her head up.

He faintly winced as her skull hit the concrete wall hard.

She was still hot, and quickly scanning over all his knowledge, he came to an easy and simple conclusion.

Hinata fainted.

Quite the opposite to which he was hoping for and it was very much a dampener on his mood. But still, he chuckled loudly, falling back onto his rear and propping his elbow on his knee as he buried his head into his hand.

Was there even a way to make her snap?

Gin pondered over it again, rethinking what he had seen and learned when he had studied her eight months back. She was loyal; that he knew. And even if someone else advanced on her, like he did, she'd only faint. Was it because she knew him? Liked him? Was scared of him? There could have been so many reasons for why she reacted the way she did. If he had gotten a complete stranger to do the same thing, would she react differently? Should he even?

He peered at her slumbering face beneath his silver locks and grinned, directing his gaze elsewhere.

No. He couldn't. Not to her. He'd find another way.

His thoughts went back to her loyalty. He felt it was that. Would she crack even when those she held close were injured, threatened or killed? Gin pondered. Who was she close to?

She had buckets of respect and loyalty towards her Captain but she probably wasn't close to the man. How about Abarai? Maybe the red-head was too fiery, and the prospect clashed with her nature. Aizen's Lieutenant? Hinamori Momo? She and Hinata were good friends, with the addition of the voluptuous Lieutenant from Tenth Division.

Ichimaru sighed as he rose fluidly to his feet. He'd think the matter over later. Right now, if he left her out in the open then Captain Kuchiki would instantly look to him and he couldn't have that.

Arriving at a decision, Gin slipped his arms under Hinata's neck and knees before lifting her up. He almost tossed her in the air after misinterpreting her weight; she was as light as a feather. Well, she was a tiny human.

Casting a glance at her serene face, the Captain headed to her dorm.

He couldn't wait til morning.

Step Five: Win. FAILED