Bleach 1. Chapter 1

''Nobunaga!'' Mitsuhide shouted, rushing onto the grounds of a large temple complex. A few feet ahead of him was a man clad in black armor. From his shoulders hung a red cloth with a gold clan symbol sewn into it. The symbol itself was a decorative five petal flower. Indeed, it was the unmistakable mark of the Oda clan. Fitting, as its wearer was the well known head of the clan, Nobunaga Oda himself.

The two men ran into the interior of the temple. Nobunaga left quite a trail of red blood behind him, making an easy trail for Mitsuhide to follow. But even wounded, he was fast, and still had a significant lead. He continued to run until an arrow of blue light shot past him and hit a wooden pillar not too far away. It dissolved soon after contact. Nobunaga stopped in his tracks, then slowly turned to face the man behind him.

''That's far enough, Lord Nobunaga.'' Mitsuhide said dryly, holding in his hands a bow made of blue light.

''So, this is truly your deepest desire, Mitsuhide Aketchi.'' Nobunaga replied, just as dryly. Mitsuhide pulled on the string of his bow, making another arrow materialize.

''Lord Nobunaga, surely you know how deeply I respected you. When I first began to follow you, I knew deep within my heart that no other man could unite this war torn land. For once, we could have known peace under your rule. However, as time passed, there's something that I realized.''

''Is that so?'' Nobunaga asked, his hand slowly reaching for the sword tied to his side.

''Yes. I realized that as long as someone exists with demonic powers like yours, this land will never truly know peace! If I wish to live to see this land unified under a just ruler, than I have to do it with my own hands! For that reason, Lord Nobunaga, you are going to have to die!'' With that, Mitsuhide released the arrow he was holding back. Nobunaga quickly pulled his sword from its sheath, just fast enough to use it as a shield to protect himself from the arrow. The moment the tip of the arrow made contact with the blade, black flames shot out in every direction, dissolving every bit of the wooden structure it touched.

While standing behind the dark flames, Nobunaga couldn't see the movements of his opponent. Only when the flames and arrow both faded did he realize that Mitsuhide had moved, knocking down multiple torches as he went. Already, their flames started to spread over the surface of the floor and the pillars. At the entrance of the temple, Mitsuhide stood, another arrow prepared to launch at any time. With a scoff, Nobunaga ran deeper into the temple, Mitsuhide soon following. Soon enough, they were parallel to one another.

''Do you truly believe this chaos will end with my death, Mitsuhide?'' Nobunaga asked as he ran.

''This is your end, Lord Nobunaga. Accept your fate and leave depart this world!'' Mitsuhide replied, releasing an arrow, narrowly missing Nobunaga's head.

''I have no intention to abandon my conquest now!'' Nobunaga shot back, brushing his hand over his sword, making a black flame cover the blade. Aiming the tip at Mitsuhide, he shot a beam at the other, which they had to jump to avoid getting hit with. As all this happened, the flames started by the torches spread rapidly, only being a few feet behind the men. Mitsuhide looked around nervously; he had not expected the flames to travel so fast. He cast a glance at Nobunaga's slowly retreating figure. The wound Mitsuhide had managed to inflict earlier was truly taking its toll now; he wouldn't make it out alive, Mitsuhide was sure of that much at least.

Satisfied with the condition Nobunaga was now in, Mitsuhide focused on finding his own way out of the temple. Materializing another arrow from his bow, he aimed at the ceiling, releasing the arrow and blasting a hole in the ceiling. He leapt through the hole onto the roof outside. Running to the edge, he jumped off, landing on a patch of damp grass. Not even looking back, he stood up, and began walking away. Within only a few minutes, he heard the creak of the entire temple crashing down. For a while, though knowing that his family name would have to bear the guilt of his actions for generations to come, Mitsuhide felt content with himself. Until he heard the scream, a scream of some horrid mix of human and creature…

- 430 years later -

''And that, class, is what is now called the 'Incident at Honnoji'. The daimyo Nobunaga Oda was killed by his general, Mitsuhide Aketchi.'' The teacher at the front of the class summarized, making a mark on the chalkboard. With a smile, they turned to fully face the class. ''Now, everyone, you can expect to see this information on a test in the future, so I recommend writing it down.'' They gave a little chuckle, and waited for a moment while the room was filled with the sound of scribbling pencils. One particular, orange haired student, though, didn't write anything at all. In fact, he hadn't even heard the teacher tell him to write anything down. His mind was quite preoccupied with something else.

That something being the disappearance of Rukia Kuchiki. Not only a physical disappearance, but also a complete disappearance from people's memories. It seemed like he was the only one who remembered her at all. Yet, if that was the case, it left him in quite a predicament on how to get her back. She was in danger, he knew it, but at the moment he was at square one when it came to how he was going to save her from it. At least, until he got through with his supposed ten day training program.

His gloomy train of thought didn't end until the ringing of the final bell snapped him back to reality. With a sigh, he started packing his things.

''Ichigo!'' Shouted a noisy, obnoxious brunette by the name of Keigo Asano. For whatever reason, he was holding a watermelon in his hands. ''Hey, Ichigo, why don't we go see who can crack this melon first!'' He added cheerfully. Which happened to earn a fist to the head from Ichigo. ''Oww! That's MY melon!'' Keigo whined.

''Oops, sorry about that.'' Ichigo apologized, somewhat sarcastically.

''That's okay, cause I don't need a head to think anymore! Summer is here, and that means sun and the sand and the sea, cause the sea is where we're going! Just think, ten days full of girls in bikinis and fireworks and lot of unsupervised and questionable activities!'' Keigo beamed. While Ichigo was sure there was probably a lot more that Keigo wanted to add, he wasn't really in the mood to listen to it.

''Sorry, but, I already have plans.''

''Huh!? No way! What could possibly be more fun than hanging out with me!?'' Keigo started going off on some huge rant, which Ichigo completely ignored while he finished getting his things together. Once everything was set, he headed out the door of the class. Ignoring the ''you suck!'' from Keigo, he started off for Kisuke Urahara's shop, where he was going to spend the next ten days getting ready to save Rukia.

''Ichigo!'' A high pitched voiced called after he had gotten a fair bit off the school grounds, making him look over his shoulder. Running up to him was his orange haired female friend, Orihime.

''Hey, Orihime, what's up?'' He asked casually.

''Ichigo… Why doesn't anyone remember Rukia?'' She asked. Ichigo took a bit of a sharp breath. She actually remembered. For a moment he stood there, silent, before he decided to take her to a set of nearby stairs and explain everything that had happened, and that he was going to do about it now.


	2. Chapter 2

In the Soul Society, it was a fairly normal day. Everyone was doing their duties, as was expected of them. In the squad six barracks, though, one woman wandered freely throughout the halls. She was a rather pale woman, with long white hair tied into a braid over her left shoulder and a light blue ribbon looped into the braid. Her eyes were a bluish-violet color. Despite her somewhat frail appearance, she wore a content, confident smile.

''Good morning, Lady Kuchiki.'' Two girls said in unison as the albino walked past them.

''Good morning.'' The woman smiled back, continuing on her walk. She got numerous greetings from those she passed by, and she returned each one. After a bit, she reached the end of the hall. The door to the room at the end opened as a red haired man walked out, his head hung low. For a second he just stood there, then he looked up, sensing someone else not too far.

''Hm? Hime. What are you doing here?'' He asked bluntly. The woman pouted a bit.

''Hello to you too, Renji.'' Hime retorted. Renji sighed and rubbed his temple. ''Hey, have you seen Kaori Naito around here yet?'' Hime asked, seeing that Renji was already frustrated with something else, and therefore deciding it wasn't too much of a good idea to egg him on about anything.

''Huh? Naito?'' He paused for a second, scratching his cheek with one finger. ''Isn't she squad thirteen? What would she be doing here?''

''Because I told her to meet me here. Her and I made plans for today to hang out for a while. And maybe Rangiku, too, if she has a free moment.''

''You sure have a weird selection of friends, Hime. But, no, I haven't seen her around here.'' Hime pouted again, and let out a little sigh.

''Alright. Thanks, Renji.'' She bowed politely, then turned and started back down the hall, leaving the squad six barracks and heading for the squad thirteen barracks.

- Meanwhile -

''Now remember, mix this in just a little bit of tea and have him drink it, understood?'' Unohana instructed to the woman standing in front of her, who nodded eagerly.

''Yes, Captain Unohana, I understand.'' The woman replied. She had dark purple hair that hung all the way down to her knees, with some of it tied back. Her eyes were a bright pink color. Instead of the white obi that came standard with the Soul Reaper uniform, hers was a dark pink. She was holding a small package that she had received from Unohana.

''Good. Take care, Kaori. Of both yourself and your captain.'' Unohana smiled, reaching out and giving Kaori a small pat on the head. Kaori blushed a bit before bowing politely, then running off back to the squad thirteen barracks. Since she was generally pretty fast, it didn't take long for her to get there. As she ran through the halls, her head filled with images of her captain being just a little bit healthier, and therefore a little bit happier. She couldn't help the smile that crept on her lips when she thought about her captain in general, nor could she help the heat gathering in her cheeks when she envisioned his smiling face.

"Kaooooooriiiiiiii~" rang out the familiar voice of Shunsui Kyoraku. He seemed slightly off balance, almost drunkenly, as he stumbled to her and draped and arm over her shoulder. "How aaaaare youuuuu~?"

"C-Captain Kyoraku. What are you doing out so early?" Inquired Kaori.

"I-I-I am totally… Totally drunk… I h-hate Rangiku… For getting me so ha-ha-haaaammered… And I just wa-wanna say… I think you're really pretty… " A small ''hic'' followed his comment.

"Uh…"

"Oh, don't get your hair tangled up, sweet thang…. Thang… Thas a funny word… Just like daffodils… Daffodils… A-anyway… Who's tea for?"

"Captain Ukitake." She replied.

"Ooooh~ Makin a preeesent~? May I have some~? Or is it all for your darling captain~?" teased Shunsui, causing Kaori to blush heavily.

"I-I- He's not- I mean-'' stuttered Kaori.

"Aha~ You like him- *hic*" hiccupped Shunsui, causing him to drop his flask of sake, shattering it on the ground. "Ah, no, oh no no no, aw man, aw naw, no no no, Nanao's goin kill me now… H-hey can you help me pick up the pieces? It's a special flask that Nanao bought me and I really want it in 1 piece." Begged the drunken captain.

"B-but I-'' she began.

"Pleeeease?" For a moment, Kaori was silent.

''Fine."

"Yay~! Thank you~" exclaimed the captain. As they began to pick up the pieces, Kaori let out a yelp.

"Ouch!" she yelled. She had cut her hand, and it was bleeding harshly. Ignoring Shunsui's protests, she immediately ran back to squad 13 barracks.

''I hope he doesn't notice that…'' She said aloud to herself, staring at her hand, watching little trails of blood trickle down. She shook her head and refocused on setting up her captain's medicine. Once that was ready, she found a bit of spare cloth and wrapped it around her bleeding hand before picking up the cup she prepared. She took slow, precise steps as she walked to the captain's room, trying her best not to spill a single drop of the mixture. Soon enough, she came to the captain's door. She took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat.

''C-Captain Ukitake? Are you awake? May I come in?'' She asked.

''Come in, Kaori.'' A voice on the other side of the door instructed. A voice that made Kaori's heart skip a beat as she opened the door. She had to take another breath to try and regain to composure before she faced the three individuals in the room. Kiyone and Sentaro were in their usual place beside the captain, who currently was laying on the bed in the center of the room.

''I brought you something from Captain Unohana. I'm sorry it took me so long to bring it to you.'' Kaori apologized, kneeling beside her captain. Ukitake just gave her a forgiving smile, propping himself up onto his elbows. From there, with a bit of effort, he moved into a sitting position. Kaori lightly rested a hand on his back for support.

''I'll have to thank Captain Unohana the next time we come across one another.'' Ukitake smiled, reaching for the cup. Kaori gladly handed it over, angling her hand in an attempt to hide the botched up bandaging job. Apparently, she did a well enough job of hiding it, because Ukitake didn't seem to notice it and just sipped the tea she gave him. After a bit, he handed her the now empty cup.

''Was that good enough, Captain?'' Kaori asked, shyly.

''Yes, it was very good.'' Ukitake smiled and gave her a small pat on the head. Her cheeks gained a soft shade of scarlet from the action. She let a little smile cross her lips, then started to get up. ''Hm? What happened here?'' Ukitake asked, stopping her action. He reached over and grabbed her bandaged hand. She bit her lip and looked off, disappointed in herself that she got caught, and generally ashamed of herself for getting the wound underneath to begin with. Keeping a somewhat firm grip on her hand to make sure she didn't try to pull it away, Ukitake slowly undid the bandages.

''Whoa! What the heck did that?'' Kiyone asked once the gash on Kaori's hand was exposed.

''Looks like some sort of animal scratch.'' Sentaro added.

''Oh, no, it's nothing. Really.'' Kaori countered, letting out a nervous laugh.

''Kaori. I want you to go and get this looked at. We can't allow it to become infected.'' Ukitake said bluntly. Kaori was about to say something else when she noticed the look on his face that stated two very clear things; it was an order, and there wasn't any room for debate. Dejectedly, she lowered her head.

''Yes, Captain.'' She mumbled, taking her hand away from his. ''If you'll excuse me.'' She bowed politely and left the room. Holding her hand, she wondered down the halls back towards squad four to get the wound looked at.

''There you are!'' Someone called along the way. Jumping a little, Kaori turned to see Hime running over to her just before she bumped her hip into Kaori's, making her stagger a little.

''H-Hime-san!''

''Hey there! So, this is where you've been. For a while there I almost thought you forgot that we agreed to hang out today.'' Hime teased, wrapping an arm around Kaori's shoulders.

''I'm sorry. I had to deliver some medicine to Captain Ukitake.'' Kaori apologized.

''Well, by the sounds of it, I'd say you're done with that errand, right? Let's go, then!'' Hime smiled, grabbing Kaori's good hand, and sprinted down the hall, dragging the other behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

''Did he really say you were pretty like that?'' Hime laughed. Her and Kaori were sitting under a fairly large tree outside. Rangiku had even found a bit of time to hang out with the two of them.

''Well, yes, but he had been drinking pretty heavily. I think that had more to do with it than anything else.'' Kaori replied. Rangiku looked off with a pseudo innocence on her face. Hime laughed again.

''Did you happen to have something to do with that, Rangiku?'' She teased.

''Maybe I did.'' Rangiku smiled back. ''But, you know…'' She started, scooting closer to Kaori. She reached over and lightly grabbed the purple-haired girl's chin, making her look to the left and the right a bit, much to her confusion. ''No, it wouldn't take much to make you one of the prettiest girls out there.'' Rangiku finished. Kaori's cheeks turned a bright red.

''Wha-what? M-me? Oh, no, no, I'm not that pretty.'' She stammered.

''But you wouldn't mind catching a certain captain's eye~'' Hime purred in a slightly seductive voice. Kaori's face turned and even deeper shade of red, and she couldn't even make out a cohesive word.

''Aww, Kaori, you look so cute when you blush like that~'' Rangiku teased. Kaori kept blabbing random syllables, covering her cheeks with her hands. Hime grinned and wrapped her arms around Kaori, pulling her into a tight hug.

''You really are adorable when you're all flustered like that.'' She smiled, rubbing her cheek against Kaori's.

''Please let me go…'' Kaori asked, quietly. Hime pouted, but reluctantly loosened her grip on Kaori.

''But honestly, Kaori, you can't deny that you'd absolutely love being able to catch Captain Ukitake's eye.'' Rangiku commented. ''Or, better yet, getting him all to yourself~''

''Stop it!'' Kaori snapped, in an uncharacteristically strong voice, making both Rangiku and Hime stare at her with blank faces. ''Just… Stop it… It's not going to happen. He's a captain, and I'm not even a ranking seat officer. I'm happy enough doing errands for him.'' For a moment the three were silent. Then, Rangiku reached over and flicked Kaori on the noise, coaxing a small squeaking noise out of her.

''Now, you knock that off right there. You're not just some errand girl. You've got the potential to be a lot more, and the only one holding you back is you. Get out of your safety net. Tell him how you feel, while you still have a chance to set something up between you two. If you keep waiting, you're gonna miss your chance, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, and you'll have no one to blame for it but yourself. Got it?'' She said sternly. Kaori blinked a few times, holding her nose.

''She does have a point, Kaori. You should be more assertive when it involves the love of your life.'' Hime commented.

''Speaking off.'' Rangiku started, making Hime turn curiously towards her. ''You should do the same about that Sankyomaru, Hime.'' She finished with a teasing grin. Hime grinned a bit in return. After giving a quick look around to make sure no one else was listening, she leaned in a bit.

''Actually, I sneak him into the house when Father isn't around.'' Rangiku let out a loud laugh, playfully shoving Hime on the shoulder.

''Won't your father be angry when he finds out?'' Kaori asked.

''What do you mean, 'when'''? Hime asked, turning a suspicious gaze towards Kaori. ''I think you meant 'if' instead of 'when'. And it's a pretty big if at that, cause I am quite careful about what I do.'' She added, somewhat proudly.

''But, it is his house. I don't think you can keep it a secret forever.''

''I can keep it a secret long enough.'' Knowing Hime's stubbornness, Kaori just sighed and dropped the topic right there. Wear a cheery, victorious grin, Hime turned to Rangiku. Three continued chatting about just little, everyday things.

- Scene shift -

''And that's about that.'' Urahara commented, resting his sword on his shoulder. Confused, Ichigo blinked a bit, staring at the other. ''It's the end of the ten days, Ichigo. Tomorrow, you'll be on your way to the Soul Society. You better head back home and rest up while you can.'' With that, he turned on his heel and stated walking off to another portion of the training ground.

''Where are you going?'' Ichigo asked, relaxing from his fighting stance.

''I have a few last minute things to get ready. You just head on home. Oh, and at one o'clock, make sure your window's open, got it?'' Urahara replied, still walking. Ichigo just shrugged and left for his home.

''Do you need any help with the last minute arrangements?'' The tall assistant nearby asked.

''Yeah, about that, actually, I lied. I already have everything set to go. I just wanted to visit her for a minute, but I can't quite do that with people around that don't know about her, can I?''

''Ah, I see. In that case.'' The other bowed politely and left.

''Now then. Where did I put her door again?'' Urahara said softly to himself, tapping the wall a couple of times. After a few tries, he got to a portion of the wall that left an echo when he tapped it. ''Aha. Here we are.'' He pushed in a small portion of the wall, making a handle. With a slight tug, he opened a large door that led to a dimly lit room. Sitting in the center of the room was a woman with black hair pulled over her shoulders. She wore a pale pink robe decorated with light blue and gold patterns.

''Comfy?'' Urahara asked cheerfully. The woman looked up at him with piercing blue eyes.

''The other boy that was here… He is gone now?'' She asked in a soft voice. Soft, but filled with so much sorrow.

''Yeah. It's back to being just you and me.'' He commented, tapping his hand fan against his lips. ''Lady Oichi.'' The woman nodded a bit then looked off at nothing in particular. ''Oh, don't tell me you're back to being mad at me for keeping you in here.''

''No, I know your reason for that.'' Oichi responded, pulling on the edges of her robe to reveal a gap in her chest. ''Because of this here, and what it means, I have to be kept away so that neither Soul Reapers nor others of my own kind attack me. Isn't that right?'' She asked, running her finger along the base of the hole.

''Yep, that's right. It'd be a shame if anything happened to you now.''

''Why?'' She looked up at him, and he gave a slight sigh. He knew all too well what was coming next. ''As you are a Soul Reaper yourself, why do you try so hard to prolong my existence? Is it not your duty to in fact end the existence of the beings you've named Hollows?''

''Oichi, please, stop asking me that. You've been asking me the same thing for three years now, and by now I think you would have noticed that the answer hasn't changed once.'' With another small sigh, he walked around and sat down behind her, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her waist. ''And you can keep asking me for fifty years, and the answer still won't change.''

''Kisuke… You're such a fool.'' Oichi sighed. Despite what she said, though, Urahara perked up quite a bit.

''You said my name~'' He smiled. She gave him a confused glance over her shoulder.

''You take pleasure in the strangest of things.''

''And I have a reason. You only say my name when you're happy.''

''Happy?''

''Well, happier than you usually are.'' For a quick moment, she was silent.

''You're very observant, aren't you?''

''When you're with someone for three years, you tend to notice a thing or two.'' With a slight grin, he moved around to her front. He reached up and cupped a hand over her cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb. ''And sometimes, you notice a couple things about yourself. Like, certain things that develop. Let's say, feelings, specifically.''

''Is there something you're trying to imply, Kisuke?'' Oichi asked, her voice already telling that she knew the answer to that.

''Yeah, there is.'' He replied simply, resting his other hand on her other cheek. ''Oichi, I realized that in the three years I've spent hiding you, protecting you, I've been falling in love with you that whole time. I don't have any issues in admitting it, either. Who cares about what anyone might say if they found out. The fact that I love you is a fact that isn't going to change, and not even your brother – the ever so great high and mighty Nobunaga – is going to make it change.''

''Kisuke…'' Oichi let a smile spread across her face. A real, genuine, smile. And the first she'd ever had in the long time she had spent so far with Urahara. And to him, there wasn't a more beautiful thing in the world. Letting a smile come across his own face, he leaned in towards her. She leaned in as well, and their lips pleasantly met in the middle, pressed against one another. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, not letting either one of them break this special moment. For a long time they stayed in that embrace, lips locked in a seal of their mutual bond. Both sides felt very reluctant when they finally had to break the kiss.

''I love you.'' Urahara whispered before burying his face in the crook of Oichi's neck.

''I love you as well, Kisuke.'' Oichi replied, in her soft, dream-filled voice.

''Stay.''

''You needn't even truly ask for that. I will remain here, forever.''


End file.

Bleach, Adventure, Romance