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That Dreaded Word	By : Platinumsabr Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 11539 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or the characters from it. I don't make any money from the writing of this story, but I do enjoy writing it. Any Original Characters are mine however, as is the story itself, and if you see it posted elsewhere pleas

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Oh how he had missed this
feeling.

Hundreds of years had passed him
by, the dead of winter painted freshly over his heart every time his eyes
opened to a new day, but this, the cold winter stood no chance against this.

Warmth.

The word defined every facet of
his being now; every gesture, every emotion, every breath he took was saturated
in an otherworldly warmth that he attributed with great pride to one person. A
person who, looking at her as she was now, would under no apparent means be
compared to an assassin capable of killing him twenty different ways with a paper
clip if need be.

They really were alike. He had
always had an inkling, a feeling before he truly got to know her that she was
more vulnerable than almost anyone under that tough exterior, but he never
could have guessed her true capacity for love. Another night had gone by, and
another which she had remained in his home. There had been no lovemaking�the
day had passed them by in the heat of that�but tender touches between them
had not ceased until they had fallen asleep. It was almost as if they were
reassuring themselves that they hadn�t been dreaming, that what had happened
was real.

As if they could close their
eyes�and no one would be there when they opened them.

For the two not used to love, the
high seemed so ephemeral it would disappear with a slight breeze. For him,
every touch reminded him that all of his emotions had been rewired to one
master trigger, one thing that would change how he responded in every situation
depending all on that one thing�s involvement. Currently, she was settled
against his side, wordlessly rubbing a thumb over the fake skin of his
prosthetic arm as she rested her head on his scarred shoulder.

Music hummed in the otherwise
quiet room, gentle piano from a time long forgotten with the shifting of his
pencil the only other noise. He didn�t need to look down at her as often as he
did, but he did anyway. Every expression she had ever made was locked away in
the trap of his mind, and the soft, adoring one on her face right then he knew
he would see in his dreams for years to come.

It was only at her request had he
brought out his drawing board, and yet the moment she had fit herself against
her side he knew there was only one thing he could draw. Dexterity unknown to
his remaining hand came disconcertingly easy, familiarity long thought lost
succeeding in keeping the pencil moving even when his eyes weren�t on the
paper. He wanted to capture this perfectly, he had to. Her gentle smile made
his heart clench painfully in overwhelming possessiveness, and her shining eyes
took in the picture coming into better focus on the canvas with each passing
second as she felt his warm gaze upon her.

Each stroke was made with the
care of a seasoned artist, she remembered well the skill of his touch on her
body. He was truly gifted, but more than that he was tenacious, stubborn even.
He had refused to completely lose the wonder of art, and she knew even if his
zanpakutou didn�t rely on it he would have labored just as tirelessly as he had
to regain it. He held a force of will within him she genuinely admired, and
loved him for.

Because there she was, looking
forward at nothing in particular on the canvas in front of her. She could
hardly believe it was her, but the arm the woman in the picture was holding,
exactly how she currently was, left her little doubt of that. As she was
refined and detailed more stunningly with each pass of his hand she found
breath eluding her as she witnessed firsthand the emotions artists are able to
put into their work.

No camera could capture the care
in her eyes, no photograph able to preserve the prideful contentment in the
upturn of her lips. No worldly or otherworldly machination would ever be able
to encapsulate the love radiating from every pore, or the iron strength under
her silken skin or calloused knuckles. What then was before her if it shouldn�t
be possible? It couldn�t be her she was seeing, because she saw all of that.

She didn�t need a man to validate
her existence, she had worked long and hard to be above every pompous asshole
that had ever looked down on her, but this was something else entirely. He
didn�t validate her existence, he completed it. And if, what she saw before her
truly was her, then she had never looked more beautiful.

The pencil moved seemingly of its
own volition, stopped only when he needed to shade with a different instrument.
Faster and faster she came into focus, and by the time he was finished the
concern of his strokes had been joined by an almost desperate compulsion. When
at last the movements stopped, not just her, but his breath as well was taken
away.

This was no mere pencil sketch,
this was a portrait. Made in shaded lead and charcoal lines was a perfect
replication of who was against his fake arm, a magnificent piece of colorless
prowess. His eyes were wide and his hand was trembling, spasmodically grasping
at his jeans. He hadn�t drawn�been able to draw�something like that in years.

�I guess this is what they call
creative license, huh?� Soi-Fong whispered with a wry grin as she turned her
head up to look at him.

Started out of his shock, Gwydion
blinked a few times before looking back at her with another soft, lopsided grin
already in place. �No, you really are just that beautiful.�

Clearly disarmed at this, she
flushed crimson and sputtered embarrassedly before settling on punching his
shoulder playfully as she scooted away. �Fool.�

A bead of sweat rolled down her
throat when he leaned forward, the darkness in his normally bright violet eye
the sole cause, and the same reason she gulped heavily. The gasp came inadvertently
when his tongue flicked against her neck and caught the droplet, and before she
knew what she was doing she had already bared her throat to him, allowing him
easier access for his sinful ministrations. She was left panting for breath
when he removed himself momentarily, and she felt more than heard his husky
rumble against her skin.

�Your fool though, correct?�

He was getting better at pressing
all of her buttons, somehow managing to find each and every one that turned her
on. Already the heat was growing, she could feel it deep in the pit of her
stomach, and her hands ached to rake their fingers over his bare skin again. As
it was, it was a tribute to her self-control that she managed to rasp out, �God
yes.�

She could feel his smirk against
her neck. �I�m fine with that then, my beautiful bumblebee.�

One of her eyes managed to
flicker open to leer down incredulously at the man succeeding far too easily in
making her lose her wits. �Bumblebee?� She moaned with a growing grin, unable
to keep the shrewd amusement from her voice.

�Bumblebee,� he repeated hotly.
Pressing another blazing kiss to her nape, he bit down, just enough for the
moist flesh to be imprinted, and the resulting moan rumbled through her chest in
a pleased hum that had him throbbing. The more she tried to stop the sounds she
made, the raspier they because. �Because your moans are just so damn sexy. And
bee, well besides the obvious�� He trailed up to her ear, and she shivered
under his strained breath before giving a gasp of desire when he took that too
between his teeth and nibbled gently. ��because you taste like honey.�

The throb her womanhood gave her
at that moment almost made her lose it right there.

Suddenly recalling her receiving
role so many of the times before, Soi-Fong found herself able to stay lucid
under his silken seduction, and instead pushed him down to the cushions of the
couch as she bounced over to straddle his waist and keep him pinned. The abrupt
change in altitude had him grinning despite himself, and when she turned the
tables and started kissing his neck, the tightness of his pants
escalated to uncomfortable levels.

�You are a very dangerous
man, Gwydion Torisuna,� she growled sensually. �Now it�s my turn.�

She mimicked his actions, biting
and sucking the flesh she made wet with her tongue as she held down his one arm
and reveled in the feel of his hips trying to keep themselves from squirming
beneath her. Planting kisses along his Adam�s apple as she made her way across
his neck, Soi-Fong could barely believe how aroused she was from having him
straining under her. If this was what he felt, no wonder he liked being on top.

His button-up prevented her from
going too far down his chest, but she kissed every inch she could, laving
attention on his smooth skin with her tongue. She was sure she could smell the
pheromones in the air as she relished in the twitches of his muscles and the
hisses of breath he took to try and hide his own moans. The feel of his hard
manhood pressing so intimately against her again made her all the more
insistent, and she was just undoing the buttons of his shirt when they heard
the doorbell ring.

It took Soi-Fong all of one
second to calculate how many ways she wanted to kill whoever was on the other
side of that door so she could get back to the task at hand. �You�ve got to be kidding
me,� she hissed maliciously.

Gwydion smacked his head against
the armrest of the couch and gave a longsuffering groan when he felt the reiatsu
for the first time. �Afraid not.�

�We could always ignore them,�
she pouted uncharacteristically.

God how he wanted to ravage those
cute lips until they were bruised and swollen, but he couldn�t, at least not at
the moment. �It�s Captain Ukitake and Retsu-dono, they�ll know we�re in here.�

Cursing under her breath, she did
up as many buttons on his shirt as she felt appropriate, leaving a nice gap for
her to see his chiseled chest. �Should you get it or should I?�

His ensuing grin was wicked. �I
would appreciate it if you did. There would be a small�problem�if I did
right now.�

It didn�t take her any time at
all to know what he meant, and she nipped at his lower lip teasingly. �You
better hold that thought, lover. As soon as they�re gone you. Are. All. Mine.�
She was going to get at least some of her pent-up frustration out now, even if
it had to be in vocal form, because her scowling glare was going to be
none-too-friendly to the ones that had interrupted them.

She leaned up to remove herself
from him, but before she could his arm snaked up and pulled her back down into
one last numbing kiss that made leaving even harder than it had been before.
�I�m going to hold you to that.�

Her steel-grey eyes burned into
him as she stood up and waltzed over to the door, his vision snared on her
swaying hips all the while. He knew for a fact her legs were still sore, so it
was a compliment to her stubbornness that she could walk as surely as ever. Just
before she reached for the doorknob, she turned around and gave him one last
lust-soaked smirk as she said, �You won�t have to.�

In an almost disturbing display
of control, her mask was once more in place, and to be honest she looked unhappy
even for that. Then again, he wasn�t too happy about the current situation
either. Any other time he would have been glad to see two of the only
three�four now�people he trusted, but that wasn�t the case in this scenario. He
sat up and straightened out his clothes as he hoped his arousal died down soon.
Keeping something like that from the observant eyes of a medical practitioner�or
a woman in general for that matter�would not be an easy task.

Jyushiro Ukitake didn�t even have
the good grace to be surprised when the door was opened and one mighty pissed
Soi-Fong was revealed in the doorway, and Retsu was as unshakable as ever, both
still wearing their ever-present smiles. The Second Division captain�s scowl
was hard and fierce, or at least more so than usual, and irritation practically
radiated from her body.

�Hello captains. To what do we
owe the pleasure?� She grit out the last word like a threat, admirably
keeping herself in check from openly displaying her anger.

�Come now Soi-Fong, there is no
need for such honorifics right now. We merely thought we would stop by, purely
casual,� Retsu replied with what might be called a too innocent smile.
�How are you and Gwydion?�

Her eyebrow almost twitched.
�Good.� Very good until you came along. Gritting her teeth to try and
stay away the distaste in her mouth at what she was about to do, she gave a
small nod backwards into the house. �Would you like to come in?�

�I hope we aren�t being too much
of a bother,� Jyushiro said as they stepped into the house and allowed Soi-Fong
to close the door behind them. �We didn�t interrupt anything did we?�

For the first time ever Soi-Fong
found her exceptional anger directed at the two kindest captains in the
Thirteen Squads. Frustration and she were very well acquainted with each other,
but now she had found out where some of that frustration had spawned from, and
how to get rid of it. And this time that frustration was all self-inflicted.
Her sex throbbed, still tender, but not at all sated anymore.

�Of course not,� the smooth,
calculated tone of her lover answered for her. She had almost forgotten how
skilled he was at charades so like hers. Though he was sitting exactly where
she had left him, there was now a sheet covering his latest canvas, and for
that she smiled. That was for his eyes only. �Would you��

Another knock cut off his
question, and this time her eyes widened immediately in something akin to
horror. She had been too distracted to bother sensing reiatsu before, but the
ones on the other side of the door this time she knew almost as good as her
own. Slightly panicked eyes darted towards Gwydion for a fraction of a second,
but it was enough for him to meet her gaze.

They both prayed it was just a
coincidence.

Reluctantly, she opened the door
again, her scowl softer than it had been before out of sheer fright. Sure
enough, the ones who met her eyes were none other than Yoruichi and Kin, and
the former had a grin on her face that was positively disturbing. She yelped
ungraciously when the bronzed woman tossed a strong arm over her shoulders and
pulled her to her playfully.

It was official, Fate hated them.

�G�dafternoon Little Bee! How�ve
you been!?� She and Retsu shared significant looks and with a wink the Shihouin
princess turned back to her best friend.

Soi-Fong struggled to keep her
glare even as the golden eyes of her mentor stared into hers. �I could be
better.� She would be a lot better if none of the interlopers had
decided to show up.

Yoruichi�s wicked grin widened,
betraying the fact that the woman knew more than she was letting on. �Well, I
think you�ll like what we have to tell you then.�

�Could you please step inside
then? Warmer it may be, but not warm enough outside yet,� a voice interrupted
them, and on impulse the two women stepped out of the doorway and into the
house before the door was shut once more.

At the sound, the purple-haired
woman hopped over to the source and rested her arm on his left shoulder as she
lounged on the armrest beside him while looking at him with an eyebrow rose
sensually. �Oh? Now when did you get confident enough to order me
around?�

Unlike another certain man that
would have turned beet red under her teasing and proximity�who�s initials were
Ichigo Kurosaki�he didn�t so much as flinch. �When it became my apartment; and
you came here as a guest and not a superior officer.�

�You sound kinda�irritated.�

If you only knew� Instead,
he gave his trademark one-sided smirk before answering, �Would thou prefer this
one revert to his original manner of speaking ~de arimasu?�

Soi-Fong�s eyebrow rose up then
too, while Yoruichi took back her arm to wave her hands in front of herself
frantically. �No no no, thank you! It took me long enough for you to stop that
in the first place!�

Inwardly, Gwydion grinned. His
memory was as sharp as ever, the woman really did despise formalities.
Probably why he had driven her insane as her Fourth Seat, but then again that
had gotten him more attention from said captain than anyone until Soi-Fong came
along, if not to just to try and fix the way he talked.

��Twas an interesting experience nevertheless,
was it not ~de arimasu?�

The golden eyed woman slapped her
hands over her ears. �Gah! Stop it already!!�

Meanwhile, though thoroughly
amused by the sight of the playful, prankster ex-captain getting a dose of her
own medicine, Soi-Fong couldn�t help but realize something. The man really did
have no self-esteem. There were always times when he slipped up and something
too formal or eloquent for the vernacular of the time found its way into his
sentences, but she had never suspected the man she loved was once known for his
use of the formal, almost servant-like speech of a time period almost forgotten
even in Soul Society. He had confidence, she had experienced that
firsthand, but yet even in his speaking he put others above himself!

The urge to rub her temples was
almost overwhelming. Give the man some sense of worth and he would be
unstoppable! Even he seemed surprised at how well the drawing turned
out! She stopped there, struck by a sudden, paralyzing epiphany as she
willed her head to look over at him, her scowl nearly shattered in surprise. Could
all of this�just be a mental barrier? Is it all in his head?

It would make sense. He had shown
her himself how dexterous his remaining hand was�a pickpocket who wasn�t
restricted to just one hand; had he simply downplayed his ambidexterity in the
post-traumatic stress of his betrayal? How could someone recall how well they
could use their fingers, and show someone for that matter, yet not be
able to use it in everyday reality? He was stronger than he would ever be able
to admit, but because of that inability he was unconsciously holding
himself back.

For some reason, that wasn�t too
hard to accept once she thought of it.

It fit him too well to think
otherwise.

�---Hey-------Fong---------Soi-Fong-----Hey
Little Bee!!!�

She was snapped out of her
thoughts when Yoruichi tapped her on the shoulder, and she blinked dazedly.
�Huh?� She nearly hit herself. Get it together! �Yes, Yoruichi-sama?�

�What�s up? You�re not one to
zone out like that.�

There was a brief moment of panic
at that, though when she looked to the side she found her way out, and it was
almost as amusing. �I don�t seem to be the only one,� she pointed out with what
could be called a sly smirk, her dark scowl already back in place.

Jyushiro and Retsu had been
silent for a while now, though it didn�t take much to figure out why. Their
gazes were held on the artwork on the walls; paintings, portraits, and
calligraphy that she had almost forgotten about after being privy to the
interior of his residence for so long. Jyushiro�s gaze seemed rather fixed on
the incredible watercolor Gwydion had done of Retsu, soft whites and blues in
the background mixed into an almost heavenly picture of light that bathed down
on her soft face, a much shorter braid in place of her now longer hair. She sat
formally on a cushion in the middle of a nondescript wood porch, her sword
cradled against her shoulder as her closed eyes soaked in the sunlight. The
very manner of the painting itself reflected her kind personality and
disposition, yet the fact that her sword was so prominent in the picture made
certain her strength was known.

Equally, though unsurprisingly,
Retsu Ukitake seemed taken by the painting of her husband. The fact of his
younger age was unremarkable compared to the setting, a battle fraught with
lightning-laden clouds and swirling torrents of water, held under command by
the man with twin swords in hand. The Hollows, monstrosities in the background,
were but a dark undercurrent to the flow of the painting, that of the fellow
Shinigami referenced around him were the main point besides his place front and
center. The camaraderie held in the group could practically be felt, and what
was more was that some of the soldiers in the background could be recognized as
real people, not just randomness thrown in for effect. He was loved by all, and
despite his kind appearance he was a leader all the same.

It was the same for every piece
of art on the wall, they were all informed, not one work done from an
unsuspecting outsider�s perspective. They all held insight into the character
of the person they portrayed, from a person that may not have been seen, but
there nonetheless. He really was an amazing artist, or had been. If what she
suspected was correct though, he was the one holding himself back more than
anyone else.

The piano still playing endlessly
in the background was the only sound in the room as the guests took to looking
at the ornamentation of his home rather than further prod into whatever matter
they were here to discuss, and for that they were thankful. Still, between the
otherwise silence and distracted stares, it was all Soi-Fong could do not to
rub her legs together. The damn itch hadn�t gone away yet, and she knew it
wouldn�t either until she got him alone with her.

I wonder what the Association
would do if they found out I was thinking like this? She thought shrewdly,
and nearly burst out laughing right there. Simultaneous heart failure came to
mind, and despite her best efforts a small puff of air slipped past her
tightening lips in a restrained �Pfft!�

All eyes were suddenly on her,
and she slapped her hands over her mouth embarrassedly.

�Something the matter?� Retsu
asked curiously. Wordlessly Soi-Fong shook her head as she suppressed her smile
and resumed her cold glare. They were the reason she couldn�t get any closer to
him currently after all. �That�s good. I apologize for the wait; your home is
very beautiful.�

Gwydion�s eye softened as the
corner of his mouth edged up. �Thank you. It may not be much, but I find it�s
usually what�s inside that matters.�

The Fourth Division Captain
smiled, that seemingly omniscient look of knowledge bright in her wise eyes.
�Well said. I�m sorry for straying from the topic for so long, but there was
just one thing we needed to talk about other than visiting.�

He raised an eyebrow along with a
curious, �Hmm?�

�Ichigo and Tatsuki have been
worried that we�re taking the situation his officers, and mainly yourself, are
in too lightly. After months of nothing the fact could be argued otherwise, but
its all the more reason to keep on alert. We thought we�d be the ones to tell
you that we have decided on keeping you under a more permanent guard.�

Instantaneously his face had lost
any warmth it might have held and frozen back into his old mask. �In case
you�ve forgotten, I�m not exactly the best at socializing. You of all people
would know my main concern. If it�s come to this I might as well raise hell and
get whoever in their demented state of mind that wants me to come and get me! I
may not have much of a life, but I�m not putting what I have on hold!�

Yoruichi�s cattish grin was
practically feral. �Like I said earlier, then you�ll like what we have
to tell you. You see, we knew it had to be someone particular, even though you
wouldn�t be able to argue anyway, mister unseated officer.� He flinched at
that. That was a very militaristic downside to hiding his disability. �But hey,
since we�re all nice people at the Association��

Cold chill count: one.

��we thought we�d to the
respectable thing, weeell, maybe not the respectable thing but you get
the idea��

Two.

��and hey let�s face it, we
haven�t done anything to screw around with people�s lives since�god it
shouldn�t be that hard to think about��

Three and four.

��so then we thought maybe
someone from the Association would be best, you know, get right there in on the
action? So anyways��

Five. Whoa, I didn�t know I
had nerve endings there�

��we came to the conclusion that
Soi-Fong here would suit our purposes just right!� She finished as she patted
aforementioned woman on the back proudly.

Said person stiffened immediately
at what she had said soaked in, and the itch suddenly became that much worse. Did
she say�what I think she just said?

�So how do you like that huh? You
get to be in permanent residence with the captain of the Second Division! Lucky
you!�

He nearly choked on nothing but
air. �Yeah,� he croaked uncharacteristically, trying desperately to hide the
smirk fighting against his control, which of course was what the other three
women in the room were looking for. �Lucky me.�

Soi-Fong nearly shivered when she
saw the dark glint in his left eye, a manic glee focused solely on her, and her
thighs burned. She loved that look, and she could only hope her same one wasn�t
reflected on her mask. If no one else had been around she just might have
jumped him.

Even Retsu, soft-spoken as she
was, was having a hard time restraining her laughter after seeing the reactions
of the two in question. �We will be having a meeting tonight, just to discuss
the�details�of the arrangement. Since you�re the one we�re sending
Soi-Fong, we need you to be there.�

Once again in however many
minutes, the tiny captain felt the almost undeniable urge to punch one of the
kindest people there were in Seireitei. Irritation peaked, she had no problem
keeping her face as hard and angry as it usually was. �Fine,� she seethed.

An arm was again thrown over her
shoulders, and just like before, Yoruichi�s amused face appeared inches away
from hers. �Whaaat? Got other plans?�

The innuendo was not lost on
anyone in the room, and Jyushiro looked over at poor Gwydion apologetically.

Two men versus four women, two of
which were either Yoruichi Shihouin herself or shared blood with Yoruichi
Shihouin; they weren�t even going to bother speaking up. Then there was the
seemingly unassuming Retsu Ukitake, and both men were unsure of whether they�d
rather go up against the entire Shinigami Women�s Association sans that
one person, or just her by herself. She could be damn scary when she
wanted to be.

Luckily, Gwydion appeared to be
taking it in stride, though it was hard to tell if anything ever affected him
outside of his interaction with a certain assassin. Unable to take the state
they were forced to be in while the women all but talked completely amongst
themselves, while at the same time talking about them, Jyushiro stood and
extended a kindly smile towards his former subordinate.

�Well, I can see we�re not needed
here, how about you and I go for a walk?�

The violet-eyed man inclined his
head gratefully. �Sounds like a plan.�

Stunned beyond almost any concept
of the word that they had been so outrageously ignored, the women of the group�excluding
the one at the brunt of their handiwork�said nothing as the two men casually
walked out the door. Soi-Fong on the other hand was rather aggravated. How
dare he get away and leave me here!!

Not even the presence of her
beloved Yoruichi-sama and her daughter was going to make this any better. In
fact, it was made worse just because of them.

For some reason, she suspected it
was going to be a long night, and not in the way she had intended.

~~~~~~~~~~

�So how�s life?� Jyushiro Ukitake
asked happily as they walked through the maze of back alleys and pathways that
connected Karakura
Town, having successfully
made their escape.

Gwydion looked at him with a
smirk and his working eye sparkled in the late afternoon light. �That�s a very
broad question, captain. It could mean hours of meaningless existential
babbling if taken seriously.�

�Ah how I missed your quips! To
this day I still get a little chuckle out of remembering seated officers scared
out of their sandals after your first day in the division! I don�t think I�ve
ever seen such a successful mass-alienation to date!� He pondered that for a
second. �Well, Byakuya does have you beat now, but you�ve got the time record
anyway.�

The other man gave a reluctant
chuckle. Keeping a stony face around Jyushiro Ukitake had never been an easy
task, and after the past couple of days he really wasn�t inclined to do so
either. Frustrated: yes; irritated: yes; mad: not exactly. He really had no
reason to hold anything against the man, even for his interruption. With a
resigned sigh, he relaxed slightly and allowed himself to enjoy�or at least not
dread�what few other Soul Reapers got to experience even now: a friendly talk
with a captain of the Gotei Thirteen.

He looked down at the road in
front of them as they walked, unable to even see the captain�s footsteps beside
him because he was standing on his blind right side. �I can remember when he
was still a kid, sometimes even I find it odd how quick I am to give my unconditional
loyalty. Almost sad isn�t it? I�ve lived longer than most of the captains there
are today, yet my inability keeps me at the bottom.�

A melancholy smile formed on
Jyushiro�s face. Even after all the time that had passed, he could still
remember the brash, angry young man that had first entered his division. He
would never forget the look in his visible eye, a lifeless amethyst that held
nothing but cold indifference, yet unimaginable pain at the same time. The man
he was walking beside now had changed by leaps and bounds, but the same
insecurities still haunted him.

�Hard to believe the loudmouthed
punk turned into a man like him, isn�t it?�

The sad smirk of Gwydion�s was
sympathetic. �After what he went through, no, I don�t find it hard to believe
at all��

The white-haired man scratched
the side of his head with an embarrassed chuckle. �Right, firsthand experience,
probably not the best example then�haha��

Gwydion laughed softly as he
turned his head to look at his company. �What I find hard to believe is a
captain getting embarrassed from an unseated officer like he was talking to an
equal,� he stated in mock disbelief, and Jyushiro smiled as he laughed and
shook his head.

�Titles don�t mean much in
regular conversation. There might have been some business involved, but we
really only came by to talk. We did use to talk to each other, remember?�

The man and his smiles had a way
of making anyone feel like they had just kicked a puppy�using the puppy-dog
eyes�playing with a giggling baby�into oncoming traffic. It was a wonder he had
ever managed to keep up his fa�ade around him back then, and since he wasn�t
trying now, he never stood a chance.

He sighed heavily. �Doesn�t
change your standing.�

�And it also doesn�t change the
fact that you�re avoiding my question. I haven�t talked to you in a long time
Gwydion, how are you doing? You could probably write a novel about the rumors
going on about Soi-Fong right now in Soul Society, but there hasn�t been much
talk about the man behind it all. It�s almost certain you�d get free drinks for
the rest of your life though if you did tell anyone you were the one to tame
the antisocial demon of the Second Division,� he said with a laugh.

At that Gwydion really did laugh,
loud and hard. �Tame? Lightning in a bottle would be too clich�! Go smack a
couple hundred hornet�s nests naked and you might come close. Try pissing her
off, then tell me she�s tame.�

Jyushiro laughed as he put his
face in his hand and shook his head amusedly. �That wasn�t quite what I
meant, but I guess everyone else might see it that way. You know what I
mean though, don�t you?�

His eye softened. �Of course,�
came the quiet reply.

�She�s beautiful, isn�t she?�

��You have no idea. That�s what
makes it so hard sometimes. You don�t know what it�s like, waking up every
morning expecting the nightmare to finally creep up on you and realize you�re
dreaming. Then when you know you aren�t, know that if you don�t get stronger,
you will be taken away at some point anyhow. �What if today�s the day?�
�Am I strong enough?� �What about all the things we haven�t done yet?� Between
keeping my distance, trying to close the distance, and training, every day has
felt like I was being eaten from the inside out. But then when I�m with
her all of that just goes away, I forget about everything. It�s a miracle our
relationship has gotten so far with all the axes over our heads!�

�Love has been called a
miracle before, so that�s not really surprising,� he stated with another one of
his sunny smiles. Even back when he was constantly bedridden, the pale-haired
captain was like a dose of pure silver lining.

The artist smiled gently at his
words. �I suppose you�re right.� Ukitake froze beside him, and with the eyebrow
over his good eye raised Gwydion turned to look back at him. �What is it?�

�I just�I mean��

�You thought I�d deny it?�

He nodded numbly.

�Knowing all I do about what
could happen to me, about my situation, I thought it would be hard to have a
normal relationship without rushing through all the important stuff. I don�t
know how, but that never happened. I think we were both so scared the
only thing we could do was move along at the only pace that worked, but
if I didn�t love her we would have never gotten this far. Hell, she�d have
to love me, I can be an insufferable jerk sometimes!�

Jyushiro coughed into his hand to
hide his laughter. �I think �insufferable jerk� was your name when you
were in my division, and that�s one of them on the mild side. Even Kiyone and
Sentaro were terrified to get anywhere near you! It would take someone like
Soi-Fong it get through to you, though in this case vice-versa fits just as
well.�

An honest smile appeared on his
face, not his usual half-smile or sarcastic smirk, but an honest smile, the
first the other man had ever seen on him. �I can only thank God she did.� He
nearly jumped when the older man put a hand on his shoulder.

�I would think it�s pretty
certain she does the same. No matter how much she tries to hide it, we can all
see the way she looks at you. The woman�s an amazing actress, I�ll give her
that, but when she looks at you it�s�not the same. Excuse this old man his
curiosity, but I can�t help but wonder what she looks like when you�re alone
together.�

Gwydion�s smirk was barely
perceptible as his eye shone mischievously. �Now that is something I
will take to my grave.�

~~~~~~~~~~~

There is always another end to
every spectrum, and so while the love of her life had managed to escape only
marginally flustered, she was left dealing with the psychopaths that had told
them about the new living arrangements.

It wasn�t like she was complaining,
far from it even, but if there was one thing that got on her nerves�and there
were many, many more than just one�it had to be the Association when they got
like this. This, that is, in the mood for interrogation about one�s private
life, particularly that behind closed bedroom doors. The worse thing was she
knew it wouldn�t end simply at this, it would start all over again when
everyone else got together with them.

Yoruichi was currently babbling
her ear off, something she rarely did except when really excited, and Kin was
wandering around the room looking at all the artwork, respecting her mother�s
desire of single conversation. Retsu was still sitting on the couch on the
opposite wall from the one with the covered picture, quietly waiting for the
correct place to add her opinion.

�So Little Bee, I heard you
haven�t gone back to Ichigo�s for a couple of days now. Got something you want
to tell us?�

No, not really, she
thought bitterly.

The way her mentor�s eyes were
shining was disconcerting at best and just plain creepy at worse, though she
knew questions far worse than these loomed in the future. Her nickname did
almost cause her to smile though. In the eyes of her idol she would always be
the young girl that was brought to her as a child, and now she had grown, found
love, someone to give it to and return it to her, and he in turn had
unwittingly taken her nickname and turned it into a lover�s endearment. She was
fine being her best friend�s Little Bee, but she found his pet name for her growing
on her. She was no longer a little bee, not anymore.

Hornets were looked at with fear,
and for good reason. Bumblebees never attacked without provocation; a
protector, not an attacker.

The irony was so thick she could
almost taste it.

�Is it that odd? I�m a big girl,
I can go where I want.�

Kin barked a laugh as she grinned
widely. �Just because you�re finally as tall as my mom and I doesn�t mean
you�re big. I�d say you�re just�less small than you used to be.� The unspoken
words at the end were loud enough: and considering how tall you are now,
that�s not much.

Soi-Fong �harrumphed�
dismissively. �You know what I mean. I�m a captain, I can do whatever I damn
well please.�

�Or more accurately, whoever
you damn well please,� the chocolate-skinned Kurosaki replied, grin still stuck
in place, and getting wider the more the red crept up her godmother�s neck
against her will.

�I don�t need to explain myself
to anyone,� she responded resolutely as she folded her arms over her chest and
allowed the full force of her irritation into her glare, which not surprisingly
caused Kin to cringe back.

�Well, besides the obviously
incriminating evidence we already have, there�s also that nice hickey on your
neck, and I don�t think that lies,� Yoruichi stated smugly, and Soi-Fong was
suddenly reminded of their activities before their guests arrived.

Come to think of it, she had
probably left him a good one as well, if not two. Sufficiently smug inwardly,
she swatted a hand to the side with her nose raised. �Still doesn�t mean you�re
getting anything else out of me.�

Pointedly ignoring them after
that, she went to sit down on the couch she and Gwydion had been in earlier, confidently
plopping down selfishly and instantly regretting it. She had forgotten how sore
she still was in the excitement of the moment, and winced involuntarily, though
only for an instant.

It was enough.

Yoruichi�s grin reached inhuman
proportions as Retsu smiled knowingly.

�So, he must not have been that
good then huh?�

There was a noticeable chill that
entered the air at that, and her once platonic reiatsu flared angrily, which
garnered more than a few well-earned gulps. �I would appreciate if you didn�t
comment on what you don�t know, thank you.�

Perturbed, but not dissuaded yet,
the Shihouin pushed on. �Struck a chord maybe?�

A vein in the Second Division
captain�s forehead started throbbing. �No, but you are getting on
my nerves, if that makes you feel any better.� She had been trained to
deal with any amount of torture, but apparently Second Division protocol didn�t
cover the horrors of the Shinigami Women�s Association. Not to mention they
weren�t exactly insulting her, but the man she cared about.

�Aw come on, it can�t have been
that bad,� Kin teased, well on to what her mother was doing. �So what if it
wasn�t all you thought it might be��

�Finish that sentence and I
finish you,� she threatened darkly, and the young Kurosaki swallowed heavily.
Her godmother had never once threatened her before, and the look in her steel
grey eyes told her she wasn�t kidding.

Thankfully, her mother
intervened. �Oh please, you wouldn�t even be able to chase her if she ran.�

That did the trick. Soi-Fong
turned beet red as she quickly averted her eyes anywhere but where the
three other women were looking. �T-That�s not true!!�

�And denial is a river in Egypt,�
Retsu offered slyly. �I could tell just from the way you held yourself when you
answered the door. It�s not like it�s anything to be embarrassed about, we talk
about it all the time.�

�I-I�m not like you people!!�

Yoruichi put a slender finger on
her chin in contemplation. �You know, she�s probably right. It did take us a
while to get Tatsuki onto our side, and we had video evidence in her case!�

The blood drained from her face.
She knew her mentor was right. Tatsuki had been just like her in the beginning,
she had seen it. It didn�t change her standing on the subject, but the tomboy
had eventually cracked without her own knowledge. These women were evil!
Talented, but evil.

�Tatsuki may have been stubborn,
but I�m the captain of the Second Division. Y-You can all just
screw off!�

�Isn�t that what we�re trying to
talk about?�

The dual-braided Shinigami
sputtered so hard she nearly choked at the statement said so innocently the
content made an even bigger impact than it would have normally. �GAHH! Can�t
you ever talk about anything�I don�t know�normal!?!�

�Isn�t it normal?� The Fourth
Division captain countered evenly, and Soi-Fong turned even redder.

�There�s no reasoning with you!!�

�Oh you can reason with us,�
Yoruichi supplied with a shrug. �We just won�t listen. Hey what�s under this
cloth by the way? You get him to draw a nudey of you already?� She prodded
while lifting up an edge of the white sheet.

Soi-Fong practically turned
purple. Though when she thought about it, maybe it wasn�t that bad of an idea�What
am I thinking!? I�m as bad as they are!!

�NO!! And don�t look under
there!� She yelled as moved to swat the offending hand away.

�Aww, why not?� the golden-eyed
beauty whined as she pouted.

�Because it�s not yours to look
at, that�s why!! Do you think it would be covered if it was?!?�

�What? It�s probably gonna be on
his wall eventually anyway, what�s the big deal?�

�I said: no.�

Her curious and playful nature
fighting against the seriousness she saw in her former subordinate�s eyes,
Yoruichi didn�t know what to do. She was beyond curious to know just what was
under that sheet, but Soi had said, rather obstinately in fact, not to. �Just a
peek?�

�No.�

�A little one?�

�No.�

�It won�t be the end of the world
if I see it.�

�That�s what you think.�
Rubbing her temples to try and get rid of the impressive headache only the SWA
could give her, she put her hands up defensively. �New topic, and for the last
time no!� She ordered when she saw Yoruichi�s hand gravitating towards
the edge of the sheet again. �I noticed something when he was drawing it
though. He told me before he�s only been capable of sketches since his�accident,
but what he drew wasn�t a sketch in any sense. When he�s not so focused on his
disability, he�s just as good with his left hand as I�m sure he was with his
right. I�m thinking his biggest problem is a mental block, like post-traumatic
stress or something.�

Retsu actually took that
seriously, a miracle for the situation they were in. �It is possible if he did
have good use of his left hand before what took place. Most people tend to
focus on just their dominant hand though.�

�That�s what I�m saying, he did
have that. He�s shown me how dexterous it is, I�ve never thought about why he
couldn�t use that even though he could show it before now.�

�Well, he did work hard enough to
get to where he is today. If what you�re saying is true, it would be well
within his ability to reach his old level, if not higher after all the time
he�s spent. It�s well within reason for him to unknowingly put restrictions on
himself after something like his ordeal.�

Not all of them were following
the semi-serious note though.

�Argh! Now I really want
to see what�s under here!!� The ex-captain whined childishly, through being
ignored. �And what�s with this regular conversation?? We�re supposed to be
finding out the juicy details about Little Bee�s hot-and-heavy exercise!�

That was the final straw for
Soi-Fong�s fraying temper, and she jumped up from the couch.

�Will you shut the hell up about
that already!?!?! You want to know!? FINE!!�

And then in explicit, graphic
detail the anger-induced rant described every wicked thing he had done to her
body, every shiver that had gone through her, every curse that had fallen from
her lips. She was sure there wasn�t one inch on her body that hadn�t been
touched under his care, yet he held within him the same primal lust inherent in
any red-blooded male. Blind with rage she was going to make sure they knew well
enough not to bother her with this again, and most of all that they never
insulted him again! She was well-acquainted with the language after listening
to the Association for so long, and their mouths continued to fall lower the
longer she went on. It was almost as if the flustered, angry captain had no
idea what she was saying, because it was certainly amazing to listen to, and
some of the words she was saying they had never heard the woman say before in
their lives.

By the time her tirade was
finished she was flushed and panting, and only after she saw the looks on the
other women�s faces did she realize what she had just done. Kin and Yoruichi�s
jaws had unhinged themselves and even their dark skin was colored red, while
Retsu�s eyes were wider than they had ever been before, ever, and she wasn�t
without her own open mouth, which looked absolutely comical on the impeccably
poised woman�s face.

�Okaaaay, that was hot,� Yoruichi
confessed, and Kin merely nodded in agreement behind her.

They could all watch the red�a
fierce crimson that looked positively unhealthy actually�expand from the tips
of her toes to her hairline in short order, then just like that the captain
passed out from embarrassment.

�With any luck she�ll forget what
she just did and we�ll get to have the whole conversation over again!�

�And if you�re still interested
in finding out what�s under that covering, now would be the time to find out,�
Retsu croaked, before blushing adorably and licking her dry lips.

�Y-You know, I d-don�t really
care anymore. I-If you�ll excuse me�� I need to find Kisuke!!!! That
said, she was out the door.

�Wow, she sure took off in a
rush, didn�t she?� Kin observed impishly, though she was feeling the need to
leave too, maybe to find a certain man with bi-colored eyes.

Retsu wasn�t immune to the
effects either, though she was far more subtle in exhibiting it. �Y-Yes. Maybe we should leave as well. We do have some time
until the meeting��

�Sounds good to
me!�

With that, the unconscious Soi-Fong was the only one left in the home she now shared
with her lover.

~~~~~~~~~

Jyushiro and Gwydion had walked
for quite a while, only stopping their conversation when they passed through
the areas with large groups of people. For polite people, they certainly had no
problem pushing their way past him if he was ever in the way, which made him
even more jealous of Jyushiro, who had taken to walking above the crowds. It wasn�t like they could talk to each other
during those times, so it wasn�t that big of a deal.

It still irritated him more than
he cared to admit whenever someone rubbed past his prosthetic arm.

By the time they were done, they
found evening falling upon their end of the world while standing in front of
the gates of the Kurosaki headquarters.

�That was quite a walk.�

Jyushiro chuckled. �Indeed it
was.�

They were just about to continue
when Retsu suddenly appeared beside her husband,
though any conversation they might
have had was interrupted by an unknown source of reiatsu unexpectedly
manifesting inside the house. Not about to take any chances, the three rushed
in just in time to see a young woman smiling and extending her hand towards
Ichigo as the gate to Soul Society closed behind her.

She seemed unspectacular, but
something was nagging at Retsu�s memory, and she
couldn�t figure out what. That was until she looked over at Gwydion, whose eyes
were wider than she had ever seen them.

�Ch-Chiaki?�

~~~~~~~~~~~

Author�s Notes: Well, finally got this one out. I know I got four
reviews for the last chapter, but man was my morale low for some reason. I�m
finally getting the story to where I want it again, so hopefully I�ll be able
to update again faster.

And well, after this week�s
manga, you can tell how far my fandom has deviated from the canon, but to be
fair I�ve written a lot more and only recently has the manga finally done
something different, LOL. No, I�m not going to be changing anything, and though
Ichigo�s new form looks amazing, unless I find a way to write it in
realistically it won�t be appearing. And no, Ulquiorra will not be dying. I
think Grimmjow almost deserved to die more than Ulquiorra, but Ichigo saved him
and kills�however unknowingly�Ulquiorra. Oh well, he needed some kind of inner
conflict again, lately it�s been all DBZ transformation sequences.

Thank you for the reviews, those
who gave them! I seem to be in the chapter thirteen/fourteen slump or
something, LOL, because I checked my other stories, and it was around there
last time that I started wondering about the interest levels too. I hope you
still find my stuff worthy of your time, and I�m sorry the updates have taken
so long lately. More reviews, easier for me to write. (Ouch, sorry, that sounds
pretty bad. It�s sad, but true.)

And just because I feel like it,
I�ll thank my reviewers by name because to me they�re just that awesome! Gatita,
wow, you�ve been so nice to me, and I�m hoping to continue to see your
well-informed input in the later chapters as well. You�ve been awesome.

Watcher, what can I say? You�ve
been a good voice of reason, keeping me grounded in parts and giving me ideas
for others. Thank you for your continued encouragement, it really helps keep me
going knowing there are people who care enough to review every chapter.

Mxgross, I thrive on
encouragement! Thanks for the review!

Moonymuch: you�ve been tagging
along with my stories for, wow, has it been like a year or more now? And always
you have nice things to say, not to mention inspiration. Who�da thought thirty
chapters would come out of a request eh? LOL! I wonder how long this one will
be�

Anyways, thanks everyone for
giving my story your time again, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! R&R�s
very much appreciated!!
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That Dreaded Word