Author's Note- Hi! I'm back with a new multi-chapter story! Yay! This one is Shuuhei and my OC Hana. I've been dying to write a longer story with Shuuhei. This is based in the Tokugawa era in Japan. I've always wanted to write a story with a handsome samurai as my male lead. It's a bit of a crossover with Tail of the Moon. I don't know if it is enough to actually be labeled a crossover but I figured I'd mention it. I'm so excited for this story and I hope everyone will enjoy it. I feel like it's a bit scattered right now but I hope to fix that as I go on. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters. I don't own any characters from Tail of the Moon either. Only my own characters and my general plot.

Chapter 1

It was a gorgeous day in a small village outside of Edo. News had reached the village that Lord Ieyasu would be staying at the inn on his way to Iga. As soon as the village elders heard, they began preparing a celebration. A great feast was to take place once the lord was settled in. the men in the village went out to hunt a wild boar while the women cooked in the council building's large kitchen.

"We're back! And this one's a beaut!" called out one of the head elder's grandsons, Hichigo. His twin brother, Ichigo, sighed at Hichigo's yell. They placed the dead boar on a big table. The beast was huge. Hichigo looked around until his eyes found a young woman with black hair in a ponytail. And bright orange eyes. A wide, arrogant smiled formed on his face.

"Hey, Hana. Fallen in love with me yet?" he asked, walking up to her. She ignored him and kept chopping vegetables. "Come on. How about a kiss?" She looked up at him.

"No." He frowned as she continued her work.

"Whatever." He followed Ichigo out of the Kitchen.

"Hana! It's time for you to prepare the boar with that special recipe of yours," one of the other women shouted.

"Coming!"

"Lord Ieyasu, we will arrive in Kita shortly," said a young samurai with spikey black hair. Ieyasu smiled at his favorite warrior.

"Thank you, Shuuhei," he replied.

"We've gotten word that the villagers are preparing a celebration in your honor," the stoic samurai added.

"How wonderful. I do hope you'll attend the feast with me," Ieyasu said happily.

"Of course, my lord. I must be there to protect you lest anything happens." Ieyasu laughed.

"I hope you'll loosen up a bit and enjoy the celebration."

"I must stay on guard, my lord."

"Haha, I suppose that's so."

"Lord Ieyasu, I would like to welcome you to our humble village. Please enjoy the feast that has been prepared for you!" the head elder announced. "Bring out our best sake!" Three young women entered the room. Once placed a cup in front of everyone at the table. The other two held sake bottles. One started with the head elder and the other started with Ieyasu. After pouring Ieyasu's drink, the young woman moved towards Shuuhei. She let out a gasp as the toe of her sandal caught on the tatami mat. She fell to her knees and the sake bottle fell into Shuuhei's lap, emptying the contents onto his hakama.

"O-oh, no," she whispered. Shuuhei's eyes widened as he got his first good look at her. She had beautiful black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. Her facial features were gentle and pretty and she had the most unusual and beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. He had never seen someone with orange eyes before.

"Hana, you fool! You have disgraced our village! Get out!" the head elder yelled. Tears welled up in her eyes but they didn't fall. She turned and darted out of the building.

"Oh my," Ieyasu whispered. The elders all bowed.

"We are all so sorry. I hope that you and your samurai do not think badly of this village," the head elder apologized. "She's an orphan that showed up here when she was a child. We have tried to help her fit in, but she doesn't seem to have any skills aside from cooking. And her eyes…we fear she may have some kind of demon lying in wait in her soul." Ieyasu had become thoughtful.

"Did she cook any of this meal?" he asked.

"Yes. The boar was cooked with her recipe." Ieyasu waved his hand at Shuuhei.

"Cut me a piece of that beautiful boar, Shuuhei."

"I shall try it first to make sure that it has not been poisoned," the samurai replied. Ieyasu frowned and shook his head.

"I'll have none of that. I don't think that girl would try to poison anyone."

"But, Lord Ieyasu-"

"I'm quite hungry, Shuuhei," Ieyasu replied. His tone left no room for argument and Shuuhei did as he was told. Ieyasu chewed quietly for a moment and then broke into a huge grin. "This is delicious! Absolutely fantastic! I must speak with her. Shuuhei! Go find her and bring her back here!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, my lord." The young samurai turned to the head elder. "Where can I find her?" Shuuhei asked. The head elder's eyes were wide.

"Sh-she lives in a shack on the southern-most edge of the village," the elder answered. Shuuhei nodded and walked out into the village.

"I'll never be truly accepted, no matter how long I live here," Hana said to herself. She had a cloth laid out on her small table. She folded a couple kimonos and grabbed her recipe book, a few spices she loved, and a hairpin that she'd had as long as she could remember. She placed them all on the cloth and tied first the left corners and then the right ones. She slid the pack on her back and opened the door. She was shocked that there was someone on the other side. The handsome samurai that she'd pilled sake on stared back at her, his hand raised to knock on the door. He cleared his throat and let his hand drop back to his side.

"Lord Ieyasu would like to see you," he said, bowing. When he stood straight, she stared at him. He had three scars on the right side of his face, the number 69 inked on his left cheek, and a strange stripe that went across his face.

"Does he want to punish me for spilling the sake?" she asked. He could see the slight fear in her eyes.

"No. He only wishes to speak to you."

"Okay. It's not like I can refuse either way," she muttered. She shut the door behind her and they started to walk in silence. After a while, Shuuhei spoke.

"Were you leaving?" he asked.

"Yes," Hana replied. "By the way, sorry about spilling sake on you."

"It was only an accident. Do not worry yourself about it." They walked the rest of the way in silence. Hana felt her entire body tense as they entered the council building. Everyone turned to them, including Ieyasu.

"Excellent, Shuuhei! That didn't take long at all," Ieyasu said with a bright smile. Hana bowed.

"I came as soon as your samurai told me you wished to peak with me." Ieyasu's grin got even wider.

"In that case, I'll get right to the point. I want you to become my head cook at my castle," he said. Everyone's except for Shuuhei's jaws dropped. Hana was completely taken aback.

"M-my lord, I-I don't know what to say," she said quietly.

"Say yes! You're cooking is exceptional. I must eat it every day for the rest of my life!" he exclaimed. Hana thought about how her life had been up to that point.

As a small child, she had shown up in Kita by herself, clutching a hairpin so tightly that the tip had punctured her skin. Hichigo and Ichigo had been the ones to find her. They took her to see their grandfather. Even at her young age, she could tell that the old man was afraid of her from the moment he looked at her eyes. She was sent to the tiny shack where she'd lived as long as she could remember. Everyone in the village had kept her at a distance. Some had gone so far as to completely shun her. Not Hichigo and Ichigo though. Ichigo was always kind to her while his twin teased her in friendly way. Eventually, Hichigo's teasing became more than just teasing. Every day he would ask if she was in love with him or ask for a kiss. She knew that he liked her, but she just didn't like him back in that way. She would miss the twins, but she'd made up her mind.

"I will go with you," she replied. Ieyasu grinned.

"No!" someone shouted. Hana looked up and saw that Hichigo had burst from the kitchen in anger at her answer. "Hana can't go with you! She's going to be my bride!" Ichigo walked out of the kitchen and put a hand on his brother's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

"Ichigo, please calm your brother down. I'll have a talk with him later," the head elder said.

"Yes, Grandfather. Come on, Hichigo," the orange-haired twin said, pulling his angry brother back into the kitchen.

"I wasn't aware that you were someone's bride-elect," Ieyasu said.

"I'm not," Hana replied. "I've been with them since we were children. Hichigo is like a brother to me."

"Good, good. Shuuhei will escort you back home. We will leave in the morning," he told her. Hana and Shuuhei bowed and exited the building.

"We haven't formally introduced ourselves. I'm Shuuhei Hisagi," the young samurai said when they reached Hana's shack.

"My name is Hana Tsukino."

"I will see you in the morning. Goodnight, Tsukino-san." He bowed.

"Goodnight, Hisagi-san," she replied, bowing. The door to the shack closed and Shuuhei started his walk back to the inn. About halfway back, the twins from earlier were walking towards him. The one that had the outburst was glaring at him. When they were about to pass each other, Hichigo grabbed Shuuhei's arm.

"I swear, if anything happens to her, I'll kill you. I don't care if Ieyasu has me executed. I'll take you to hell with me," he growled.

"Perhaps you should get stronger so you can protect her yourself," Shuuhei replied.

"Bastard!"

"Hichigo, do you want to see Hana or not?" Ichigo pushed his brother forward to get him walking again. As Hichigo stomped off, Ichigo turned to glare at Shuuhei. "If something does happen to Hana, I'll be right there with my brother as he kills you." He turned away and followed after his brother. Shuuhei only shook his head and continued on his way.

"Hana! Open up!" Hana rolled her eyes at the familiar voice. When she opened the door, she was immediately wrapped in a tight hug.

"What's going on, Hichigo?" she said worriedly. His arms tightened around her.

"Why did you agree to leave?" She could hear the anger in his voice. His body shook as he held her. She wrapped her arms around him.

"It's something I need to do. I need to be able to make something of my life," she replied quietly. He pulled back.

"You could do that here! We'd get married and have kids. We'd be together," he exclaimed. A sad look crossed Hana's face.

"I'm sorry…I don't feel that way about you," she told him quietly. He frowned and spun around, landing a hard punch to the wall.

"Damn it! I knew. I really did. I knew all this time that you didn't love me back. But I wanted you to. More than anything. Are you still going to leave?" When he looked at her, she nodded. "Fine," he sighed.

"I'm sure Lord Ieyasu will let me come visit," she said. Hichigo's arms were around her again.

"Do you promise?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

"I promise." Hichigo stared at her for a moment before pressing his lips to hers roughly. Hana's eyes widened, but she didn't push him away.

"Sorry. I had to do that at least once in my life," he whispered.

"Damn. I never would've thought that I'd see my brother get so sentimental," Ichigo said. Hichigo jumped back.

"You bastard," he growled, glaring at his twin. Ichigo laughed and walked over to them.

"We're going to miss you," Ichigo told her. She smiled.

"I'm going to miss you, too." Both men wrapped her in a hug and for the first time in a long time, Hana cried.

"Tsukino-san, are you ready to go?" Shuuhei called. The door opened and the young woman stepped out. He noticed that her eyes were red. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she said curtly. He followed after her as she started toward the inn.

"You have good friends," he said. She looked at him over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"They threatened to kill me if anything happened to you. They care about you a lot." Hana smiled sadly.

"For the first time in my life, I actually don't want to leave. And it's all because of those two," she said. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Shuuhei looked around but didn't see the twins anywhere.

"Are they not coming to say goodbye?" he asked.

"We said our goodbyes last night," she answered quietly.

"Hana! Shuuhei!" a voice called out. They looked over and saw that Ieyasu was walking towards them. Hana and Shuuhei bowed.

"Good morning, Lord Ieyasu," they said together.

"I'm so glad that you decided to come with me. Also, Shuuhei will become your personal guard," the older man said to Hana.

"But, my lord, I am your personal guard," Shuuhei said, frowning. Ieyasu waved off his concern.

"I have plenty of men to protect me on this trip. I would like to make sure that my wonderful new cook doesn't come to any harm. Therefore, I'm putting my best man on the job," Ieyasu explained.

"As you wish, my lord," Shuuhei replied.

"Thank you so much, Lord Ieyasu," Hana said, bowing again. If Shuuhei was Ieyasu's personal guard, she knew that she had nothing to fear.

"Excellent! Now, it's time for us to go." Shuuhei and Hana followed Ieyasu over to where the horses were. They stopped in front of a gorgeous horse that was blacker than the night itself.

"He's beautiful," Hana said quietly. A small smile made its way to Shuuhei's face.

"His name is Kazeshini. He can be temperamental at times so be careful. Despite that, he's a good horse," Shuuhei told her. She stood by Kazeshini's head and slowly petted his neck. Blue eyes stared warily for a moment before he whinnied and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. Shuuhei's eyes widened. "He's never warmed up to anyone that quickly." Hana laughed.

"But he's such a sweet boy. It's hard to believe he's temperamental," she said. Shuuhei only shook his head.

"We have to get going," he said. He took her hand and guided her foot to the stirrup, helping her onto Kazeshini's back. Shuuhei then gracefully go on behind her. She felt her face get hot as his muscled chest pressed against her back. Then only time she'd ever been that close to a man, it had been one of the twins and she hadn't thought anything of it since they were like her brothers. With Shuuhei, it was entirely different. "Are you comfortable, Tsukino-san?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered. His arms caged her in as he took hold of the reigns.

"My lord, I believe we're ready to leave," Shuuhei announced.

"Excellent. Let's go." With that, Hana was leaving the only home she'd ever known.

"Hana, you look exhausted. Are you feeling okay?" Ieyasu asked. Hana looked over to the older man and tried to smile reassuringly.

"I'll be alright. It's nothing to worry yourself about, my lord," she replied. He frowned slightly.

"You need to rest. I've been watching you for a while now. You've only gotten paler as we've gone on. Shuuhei will make sure nothing happens to you," he said firmly. She realized there was no arguing with him.

"Yes, my lord. Please allow me to rest, Hisagi-san," she said quietly. Shuuhei stiffened slightly as Hana leaned against him. He'd never had a woman pressed against him. Most women were terrified just by the sight of him. Despite the fact that he was handsome, he was always so serious that the look on his face scared them. But now- he barely admitted it to himself- he was nervous. A pleasant flowery yet spice-like smell drifted up to his nose and his cheeks warmed.

"She seems quite comfortable with you already, Shuuhei," Ieyasu said with a smile. "She's fast asleep." Shuuhei looked down and saw that what Ieyasu said was true. "I sense good things in the future, my boy. Good things." Shuuhei sighed and tried not to think about the young woman laying against his chest.

Flames flared up around a small girl as she ran through the village.

"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?" she cried. She could hear screams and the pounding of horses' hooves hitting the ground. She ran to her house and saw that it was in flames like the rest of her village. "Mommy! Daddy!" A woman stumbled out of the house she had a large bleeding cut on her side. For some reason, her face seemed blurry.

"My flower, come here. Mommy has something important to tell you," the woman said weakly. The girl ran to her as the woman fell to her knees.

"Mommy!" the little girl cried. She grasped her mother's hand tightly. The woman pulled a beautiful hairpin from her hair and pressed it into the girl's palm.

"Daddy and I can't go with you, but I need you to run as fast and as far as you can."

"No! I don't want to leave without you!" the girl cried.

"You have to!" The woman hugged the girl and kissed her forehead. "I love you, my beautiful little flower. Now run!" The little girl took off running. When she reached the edge of the village, she stopped and turned back. A man on a horse rode up to the woman. The little girl screamed as the man's sword swung down toward the woman's neck.