Bleach isn't mine...
It was the 8th division Christmas party and the 8th division knew how to throw a party. I, however, was not part of the 8th division but neither were some of the other guests. Besides me, there was Matsumoto, Renji, Kira, Shuuhei, Ikkaku, Yumichika and several other members of various divisions. A lot of shinigami outside of the 8th division were at this party.
I knew Matsumoto, Renji, Kira, Shuuhei, Ikkaku and Yumichika. I was considered one of their drinking buddies even if I didn't drink nearly as much as them. I was good at nursing my drink for a long time. Tonight, someone had spiked the punch. I didn't notice at first but I was on my 4th glass, I was starting to feel the effects of it. I wasn't an angry drunk. Actually, I was more laid-back than normal and I felt a little giddy. I walked over toward the punch bowl with the intent of getting something other than punch to drink.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Suki?" Captain Kyoraku asked as he handed me another glass of punch. I took it hesitantly.
"Yes, Captain Kyoraku." He laughed. He always laughed when I called him that. He wanted me to be less formal with him but I drew my line at being disrespectful to a Captain.
Quickly, I drank my punch and disposed of my cup. I was starting to feel jittery and I knew part of it was due to the man who stood next to me. He always flirted with me and sometimes I flirted back but tonight something felt different. Maybe it was because I had too much to drink. I couldn't be sure. Let me start off by saying there was nothing wrong with Captain Kyoraku. He was taller than me and he had dark brown hair that he always pulled back into a ponytail and topped with a straw hat. While most people saw him as lazy, I knew that his steel grey eyes picked up on more than people believed. He wore a pink kimono over top his captain's haori and his obi was blue instead of the standard white. Like I said, there was nothing wrong with Captain Kyoraku, I just didn't want to be included in his line of women.
We chatted and walked around the room some. He acknowledged other people as we talked but never broke our conversation. He stopped and glanced up. If I had been paying more attention, I would have noticed he lead me to one of the corners of the room that boasted mistletoe. He stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the rest of the room. There was a gleam in his eye as he brought his lips down on mine. This wouldn't be a simple kiss. That much I was sure of. It started off soft and somewhat innocent but when he grabbed my butt, I gasped and he took advantage of my open mouth to slide his tongue inside. I don't know how long we kissed, I only knew that it left me breathless...and I wasn't sure if I was breathless in a good way.
We left the corner heading in different directions. I walked outside to try to cool off. My body felt over heated and I wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or the kiss. I found my drinking buddies sitting in a circle out in the garden with several bottles of sake between them. It was Shuuhei that pulled me into the circle and handed me a cup of sake.
"Suki, drink with us," he said. I looked at him and tried not to stare. Shuuhei had dark grey eyes, darker than Captain Kyoraku's. His hair was black and he had tattoos, both of which were on his face. Shuuhei was also muscular and his sleeveless shinigami uniform showed off those muscles. I had to stop myself from reaching out and running a finger down his biceps. There was nothing wrong with a man who had well defined muscles. It was a weakness of mine.
We sat and talked about everything and nothing. Everyone had an opinion on something but when Renji began to ramble about his captain, I began to tune him out. We'd all heard this before. I scooted closer to Shuuhei and rested my head against his chest. I was starting to feel very tired. He put his arm around me and I soon fell asleep.
I felt like I had just blinked but it was quiet. "Did he finally shut up?" I whispered.
"Like an hour ago," Shuuhei said with half a laugh. I jumped and if his arm hadn't been around me, I would have moved away from him. All I could do was look up at him. My cheeks flushed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you out here," I said.
"Suki, I don't mind. I liked it." He looked down at me and I saw the intent in his eye. I had no desire to stop him and I welcomingly let Shuuhei kiss me. His lips were warm and soft. He kept the kiss innocent but it was long and lingering. My hand fisted in his uniform. "Will you come to my quarters tomorrow? I want to cook you dinner."
My brain was on overload so I just nodded. He smiled and kissed me again. We sat outside saying nothing for a few minutes before Shuuhei said he had to leave. He stood and helped me up but didn't let go of my hand.
"Suki, I've seen how you look at me and I want you to know that I think about you a lot."
"What about Matsumoto?" I asked, knowing he had a thing for her.
"She wouldn't give me the time of day," he huffed. I couldn't tell if this fact made him angry or if he had come to terms with it. "Besides, I think of you more than I think of her." To prove it, he pulled me close to him and kissed me. It was another of those long, lingering kisses that made me lose track of time and all other thought. We both needed a minute after the kiss. Shuuhei held me and kissed my forehead before he pulled away from me. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he asked. I nodded in confirmation. As Shuuhei flash stepped away, I stood outside and wondered what he saw in me.
Not that there was anything wrong with me. I had graduated after the Winter War and I was a seated officer in the 13th division. I was tall for a girl. Not as tall as Shuuhei but he was only a couple inches taller than me. My dark purple hair barely brushed my shoulders but it was long enough to pull back into a ponytail when I needed to. In my opinion, my eyes were my best feature. They were blue. Not light and not dark...just a rich, bright, brilliant blue.
"Suki, why are you out here all alone?" Captain Kyoraku asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"I was out here earlier with my friends. I was just getting ready to leave." As I looked at him, I remembered our kiss and guilt sunk in. "Thank you for inviting me to your party, Captain Kyoraku," I mumbled as I flash stepped to my quarters.
...
I would never disobey an order given to me by Captain Ukitake. But this order left me torn. I wanted to go on the assignment and do my duty as a shinigami but I had told Shuuhei that I'd met him at his quarters for dinner tonight. I stared at the paper that said I would have to leave immediately. I was conflicted. Then I remembered that I had been kissed by Captain Kyoraku and I began to feel guilty because I really liked Shuuhei. It was guilt that had me accepting my mission. I wondered if Shuuhei would understand. I hoped he did. I liked him but I was afraid of what he would say if he found out he wasn't the only man that kissed me last night.
Captain Ukitake and I walked to the senkai gate. "I'll let your friends know that you'll be gone. We don't want them to worry about you since you'll be gone for a month."
"Thank you, Captain Ukitake," I said before I walked through the gate. At least I knew Shuuhei would know why I wasn't able to make our dinner date.
...
Being on a mission like this, one that was more observation than anything, gave me time to think about what happened and what I wanted to say to Shuuhei. Everything that I thought of sounded pathetic and idiotic and lame but I continued to think about it. There had to be something I could say to him. I thought about Shuuhei every day and I could only hope that when I returned he would listen to what I had to say...even if it was pathetic.
During my second week it began to snow. It was a light snow and it didn't stick well to the ground. As the week ended and my third week began, the temperature dropped and I wished I had brought my traveling cloak. I hadn't known the weather would get this severe.
As my fourth week began, the blizzard beat down on me. I was freezing. I tried to keep moving around to keep myself from becoming frozen to the spot. I was already losing feeling in my fingertips and I had lost my cell phone communicator somewhere in the snow. My movements were slow and small. My vision blurred at times and the wind knocked me around. I could barely see anything in front of me. I closed my eyes as the frigid wind blew snow into my face and I fell back into something.
I had fallen against someone but I didn't know who. I couldn't see them. I could feel their warmth seeping slowing into my body. I couldn't hear them if they spoke. The wind was howling in my ears. A traveling cloak was draped over my head and shoulders and I felt their reiatsu envelop me. I closed my eyes again and let the darkness and the warmth take me over.