Spring, a bleach fanfic

Title: Spring
Rating: PG-13/ T
Word Count: 1,604
Warnings: blood, a slight mention of torture, and past character death and everybody being emo xD
Characters: Ishida, Orihime, Shunsui, Ukitake, cameos of Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Yumichika, Ikkaku, Hisagi, Matsumoto, Nanao, and Gin
Pairings: Ishida/Orihime, Ichigo/Rukia, implied Shunsui/Ukitake, Yumichika/Hisagi, Nanao/Matsumoto

Spring follows winter, doesn't it?

Right now it doesn't seem like it to Kyouraku Shunsui.

He pulls his haori tighter around his body, bracing himself against the chilled winds. There are few people in the streets, everyone driven inside by the grey day- not that there are many people on the streets these days anyway. He yearns for the days when it would have been a bustling street, happy shouts and raucous catcalls filling the air.

Seireitei has done a really crappy job of repairing itself, Shunsui thinks to himself sourly as he finally winds up at fourth division. Members of the fourth wave wearily to him as he makes his way toward Ukitake's room. He treats them all to a beaming smile and overenthusiastic waves. Someone has to be animated around here, he figures.

His smile becomes a little more genuine as he hears voices coming from Ukitake's room. Maybe they will help.

"Hello!" He croons as he swings open the door. The six people look up at him in surprise, most breaking out into smiles.

"Kyouraku-taichou!" Rukia and Orihime chorus, and Chad, Ishida, and Ichigo all nod at him.

Ukitake grins at him. "Shunsui!"

"Sorry I didn't come earlier. Nanao-chan captured me!" He apologizes with an exaggerated grimace and an outstretched hand.

Ukitake rolls his eyes. "Good. She probably had stacks of paperwork you're behind on."

He shudders dramatically, "I don't want to talk about it!" Ukitake laughs.

The five humans all look amused. Good. Laughter is your friend!

"Well, we should really be going." Rukia says, bobbing her head at her taichou.

Ukitake waves a hand at her. "Of course, of course! You shouldn't be wasting all your free time on a sickly old man!"

Rukia flushes hotly, "That's not…!"

He chuckles, "Don't be silly. Shoo!" Murmuring apologies, the five file out.

Shunsui notices the way Ichigo and Rukia unconsciously walk so close to each other that they're almost touching, and the way Orihime looks carefully away from the pair, dark circles under her eyes. He sees the way Ishida's eyes are shadowed and haunted. Shunsui meets Sado's eyes and they share a moment of mutual despair. They both know that everything is false. When the door closes behind them, he turns back and is not at all surprised to see that the smile and light has completely vanished from Ukitake's face.

Whoever thinks that Ukitake is a bad actor is a fool.

The two study each other for a long moment, before Ukitake severs the gaze to stare at the wall. Shunsui's heart breaks a little then.

"Yare, yare… Jyuushirou, I just don't know what to do." He says slowly, reaching up and running a thumb along the edge of his hat.

"Make someone smile." Ukitake answers quietly, "Bring some happiness somewhere. This time, I… I can't…" He breaks off, sounding choked. He begins to cough- hard, wracking coughs that convulse his whole body. One hand grips painfully at the white covers, bunching them, his knuckles white, the other hand flies up to cover his mouth, and Shunsui is across the room in an instant, murmuring quiet words of reassurance, rubbing his back soothingly. The attack lasts far longer than Shunsui would've liked, and when Ukitake removes his hand from his mouth crimson blood stains it. He clutches at Shunsui's haori, resting his head weakly against Shunsui's chest. Silently, Shunsui strokes his hair.

'I… I can't…'

Usually Ukitake is the one who is the optimist. He's the one that encourages other people, bringing smiles to their faces. He knows just the right way to make someone feel better, to heal the cracks.

But this time, Ukitake is the one that is broken.

Shunsui swears to himself then that he will bring happiness. If that is what it takes to heal Ukitake, he will bring the light back to all of damned Seireitei if he has to.

And this is a story, one story of happiness fulfilled…

"Ishida-kun!" Ishida turns around and sees Orihime running towards him, a fake beam plastered across her face.

"Inoue-san." He acknowledges.

She skids to a stop beside him, clasping her hands in front of her. She leans back and studies the large building, hair falling out of her face, and Ishida studies Orihime out of the corner of his eyes.

She is far too pale, and it makes the evidence of her sleeplessness all the more obvious. The vacation here isn't helping her at all, he thinks to himself despairingly.

"Do you know where the others are?" She questions, humming and swaying to a random tune, red hair blowing in the breeze.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon." He says shortly, fiddling with his glasses. Ichigo and Rukia are probably off somewhere together… Ishida can see in the angle of her head that she's thinking the same thing. He wishes that he could distract her. "Ah- I believe the show doesn't start for another hour. Would you… like to look around in the shops?" He asks stiffly.

She turns her face towards him in surprise, and a smile lights up her face. He feels his heart rate increase and he hopes he isn't blushing. "Sure!" With a giggle, she grabs his hand and tugs him toward the nearest shop.

… definitely blushing.

When Shunsui sees the two much more relaxed humans later, both actually smiling real smiles, he thinks maybe he can be forgiven the lie he told Ichigo and Rukia about the show's starting time.

It was in the early morning when a voice interrupted his reading. "Aie… Ishida-san!"

Ishida turns in surprise, "Kyouraku-taichou?" He inquires, lowering the book. What is he doing up this early?

The taichou comes to a stop in front of the boy. "I was just walking by Orihime-chan's chamber… it sounded like she was crying." His eyes are unusually serious.

Ishida's heart stops for a moment. Inoue, crying? He thinks incredulously as he is already scrambling up. "Thank you." He murmurs, and then the normally composed Quincy is across the courtyard, running with all he is worth.

The small part of him that is not totally focused on Inoue, Inoue can feel Kyouraku-taichou's eyes steady on his back.

"Inoue-san?" He asks cautiously, slowly swinging the door open.

The girl looks up, something strange in her face. "Ishida-kun…" She mumbles. She studies him for a second with wide, serious eyes, before turning back to contemplate whatever she sees out the window. Ishida doubts it's the scenery. Perhaps it's the reflection of the tears on her pale cheeks.

He hesitantly walks over, standing behind her.

"I was dreaming of sand, Ishida-kun." She says dreamily.

Hueco Mundo, he thinks.

"Sand… pale, green eyes… and emptiness." She reaches up and twists a strand of vibrant hair between two slender fingers, morning light falling against her face. "Loneliness." He cannot see her expression.

"You shouldn't dream of that." He says, catching her fingers. "You're not alone."

"I need to talk to Inoue-san, Kyouraku-taichou." The servant says confusedly to the man leaning against the door.

Shunsui shakes his head and tugs his hat lower, a shadow covering his eyes. "Not right now. She's busy."

Orihime is watching Ichigo and Rukia talk, teasing and whacking at each other. She is very still, and Ishida is afraid to see her expression.

"Inoue-san?" He inquires quietly, coming up behind her.

"Ishida-kun." She turns and smiles at him. To his surprise, it is a genuine smile.

His surprise must have shown on his face, for she cocks her head at him. "Kurosaki-kun is smiling, Ishida-kun, don't you see? He never smiled like that before." There is no pain in her eyes now, just acceptance.

"Inoue… I'm glad." He says finally, touching her arm. Glad that the falling forever look in your eyes is gone. Her eyes flicker down toward his hand, and surprise crosses her face. Then her smile deepens in pleasure, and she reaches up and places her own hand over his.

Shunsui smiles and pulls his hat down over his eyes.

As Shunsui's party begins, Ukitake watches and sees hope.

He sees Yumichika and Hisagi leaning against the wall, talking together. Ukitake hasn't seen the beautiful warrior smile like that since Ikkaku's death.

He sees Matsumoto attempting to drag Nanao onto the dance floor, cheeks flushed and laughing loudly. She is not staring bleakly at the tenth division captain's armband that adorns her.

He sees Ichigo and Rukia dancing together, free of the desolate looks that had veiled their eyes after the war had ended.

Finally, he sees Orihime and Ishida, dancing together quietly. Ishida still has a disbelieving air about him, but Orihime truly has only eyes for him as she presses her lips against his.

The cell is dank and dark. He cannot remember the last time he saw real light. The artificial light of an artificial heaven (hell?) is all he knows. A mixture of blood and dirt cakes his normally pristine haori.

"You will not win." He repeats hoarsely, the same mantra he has been repeating for days, weeks, maybe years. Maybe his whole life… he doesn't know. He doesn't know anything any more. He doesn't know what to believe.

"We already have." His keeper says, "Even if Seireitei manages to kill us now… we've already won. You've already broken."

Ichimaru hisses another kido, and Ukitake screams.

Ukitake shakes his head. "You were wrong, Ichimaru-san. You did not have enough faith. We are not broken yet." He murmurs, and smiles.

And so, the light dawns- spring has come to Seireitei at last.