{}There You Are.{}

Chocolate brown eyes raised to look at the petite woman infront of him as she bowed. She was happy, a bright smile gracing her lips and her eyes shinning. The white haired captian smiled to, it didnt reach his eyes, but love does that to a person, he had been inlove, deeply and believed and hoped that his feelings would be returned, even if he had never said it aloud, but thehy werent. And it was okay. She was happy, she never knew, and now she never would, it was okay, he wanted her happy, even if it stung deep inside and felt like the coughing fits and the tighetening of his throat and non existant fist's that squeezed his lung's were absoutley nothing. He instead, for her painted on a smile.

"Im getting married taicho! I never thought he would ask! it took him so long, but im getting married, and he will have a family! nii-sama is happy to. Finally, we will be a real family together." She was happy and it hurt. He coudlnt be sure what hurt most, the reality that he had truely lost his chance, or was it the fact that he hadnt really tryed? alot could be said about the captian of the thirteenth division. Selfish wasnt one of those thing's. He was kind, caring, smart, respectable, if you wanted to get into more detail, he was sick, but there was another thing, he was inlove, with someone who didnt love him back. It hurt.

"Taicho, are you alright?" The voice startled Jushiro away from his mornful thought's and smiled instead and nodded. "Im fine, so when is the wedding?" He asked painting another smile on his lips for his fukitaicho. Ruining Ruika's good mood with his own wasnt somthing he was going to do, it wasnt fair, she deserved her happyness, as did Renji, so he smiled through the pain.

The months passed, he smiled. He ached, never had he believed that somthing like this would grow inside of him and fester turning into somthing so ugly. He had withdrew himself, even from Retsu and Shunsui, they didnt understand, both had found thier loves. Retsu and her sweet seventh seat Hanatoru, and Shunsui, by suprise had tamed the eleventh division captian into what could only be considered a gift from the gods since the soul society hadnt been torn apart in thier spats. Even his former student Kuchiki Byakuya had moved foward, the ache he once felt seemed to be lessening with the help of Kurosaki Ichigo. The winter war had opened the eyes to many, to see their loved ones, and he was happy, but it hurt.

So when he first noticed the flirting, to say that he was a bit suprised, was well...a understatment. He had been in his office, the coughing fit had suprised him since he hadnt done anything strenous, but it appeared all the same, so he coughed and hacked until blood spurted from his lips. Then there was a soft hand on his shoulder making his eyes raise to the green eyed woman in his office. She held out a tissue and gentally whipped at his mouth and helped him sit rightfully again before moving back to where she had been, as silently as she had entered his office, she was gone leaving the man to wonder in her wake.

Time went by, and he saw her often, she was sweet and kind. She was very shy and he thought it was cute, she reminded him in alot of way's...well he wasnt sure the word to describe it beside's pure. So when the littie thing's began changing he noticed. He was usually very dense to foward advance's, but then again the only flirting he had ever seen was from the woman's meeting's and well, he wasnt sure if what Rangiku did could be considered flirting, no this was shy, innicont, almost unsure flirting.

First it was a wrapped package on his desk with some of the candy's that he had loved so much, but had yet to get out and get himself. At first he thought it was his former luitenit's, but when they swore they hadnt done it, but would do it next time, he brushed it away, though the smile on his face for the first time in months reached his eyes.

The second gift was tea, a fine kind and hard to come by. Again he was left gaping for answer's since, well there wasnt a trace of reitsu around in the office beside's his own, but he hadnt left himself anything that was silly, but then..who was? he turned to his luitenit and Ruika merely smiled saying that he was certainly special to someone, but assured she hadnt seen anyone either. Jushiro was loss for words but smiled all the same, someone cared. The gift's were sweet, and someone had taken time to get somthing for him.

As time passed more gifts came, always as mysterious and never with a trace of who it was. A new Kimono, a inkwell since in his last coughing fit he broke his, summer soon bled to winter, and with the changing season's, as did the gift's. A scarf came, a beautifully painted picture of his siblings together. Then came a new comforter for his bed, it was soft and warm, with warm comforting color's. Only this time there was a note. 'To keep you warm where other's have left you cold.' Nothing more. And Jushiro smiled, since for not the first time, the gift's made him smile. He was slowely getting over the pain and rejection that had perhaps not on purpose, been shoved at him.

He heard it, in the pale light of early morning, the moon was still setting as the sun was rising and they had become one. He was in his office, he was behind on paper work and was trying to get caught up before another mountain of it was set on his desk. There was soft footsteps, he looked to the sky to tell the time, it was about six am. His division would be waking, but knowone came to his office until at least eight in the morning. So when the door opened revealing Kiyoko with a wrapped box Jushiro was well...shell shocked wasnt right, oh he was suprised alright, but another part of him wasnt.

As the time passed he had gotten over most of the pain, of course it was still there, it hummed in the back of his head if he let his mind dwell on it to much. But now seeing the young woman looking at him with wide eyes and a blush dusting her cheek's, he smiled. As he rose to his feet and walked towards her, he could almost feel her thinking turning and running. He smiled though and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. It hurt, but it was a bitter sweet pain.

"Captian...I-I." Jushiro smiled and put his hand on her head to silence her. "I care deeply for you, but I was inlove before, the pain isnt gone, but if you are still willing, still believe im the one you want. In time.." The woman looked up and smiled. "I'll wait."

That was two year's ago. Now the white haired captian sat on the porch, his chocolate colored eyes looking out to the lake before another coughing fit came, it was like this in the morning though. Four ragged coughs and then blood. 'One, Two, Three, Four' as if counting down, blood fell from his lip's and stained his hands and the hardwood he sat on. Though before he could move, a hand was on his shoulder, and a tissue was whipping his mouth gentally. He turned and smiled seeing Kiyoko, a smile on her lips and a glimmering silver ring on her ring finger.

"Are you alright koi?" she whispered softly as she sat beside him. Jushiro looked at the woman and smiled, his eyes light again glimmering happyness and love and he merely nodded. "Yes im fine. Like the first time, whenever I need you, for help in the division, the morning fits, and simply there to be there for me. There you are." And the woman who held his heart only smiled.