My lovely followers! I am so sorry to have kept you waiting this long...Some things have happened and I have been so full of pain killers I haven't been able to type. I am okay so don't worry, just minor surgery stuffs. I hope you all enjoy this chapter because I had been internally warring over whether to cross the darkness line or not but alas, I have too...There is no other way to do this.

WARNING: Darkness inside...It's going to be pretty hairy for this chapter and possibly the next chapter but it WON'T stay like this forever!

WARNING # 2: I haven't said it yet but I do NOT OWN Bleach or any of its characters! Except the ones from my own dark mind. If I owned Bleach I'd be writing this from Hawaii or somewhere else equally as beautiful.

And before I head into the story, Thank you again to all my followers/commenter's/etc. you guys keep me going! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Shunsui stood rooted to his spot unable to move. The blackness bubbled up inside him roiling across his heart, tearing the wounds anew. As he looked at the man he couldn't breathe. His brain was shutting down; quite simply he was in shock. As the human Jushiro began to walk down the block toward his house, Shunsui's body followed like a lost puppy. Unaware of his semi-catatonic state his body just dragged along in the humans wake.

Inside his mind...was a different story...As his instincts too over he couldn't help but think...

'How can this possibly be happening to me? What could I have possibly done to deserve this...? I am being punished for something...I cannot figure out what that could have been. Could it be because I never got to tell him how much I cared...How much I loved him? All those moments we spent together, all those years...It is like the time amounted to nothing, like it was wasted because I was too DAMN stubborn to admit my true feelings towards him. I over-compensated by boozing and woman collecting for 900 hundred years...I was too ashamed to admit I had feelings for a man...I thought if I told Jushiro it would destroy our relationship...What the HELL is wrong with me?! How could I not see the look inside his eyes? Now I see how tenderly he treated me compared to everyone else...I fucking hate myself...'

A flare of a Hollow's reiatsu drug him out of his inner coma. He blinked just to find the Hollow grasping towards human Jushiro's legs. He launched into action, Katen Kyokotsu flashing as he released them from their holsters...Shunsui sailed through the air like a missile his Zanpakato's cleaning slicing through the Hollow's mask as it disappeared. For a moment he forgot the turmoil in his soul and he let a laugh escape his mouth...He hadn't been to the human world in so long he hadn't remembered how fun it was to destroy a Hollow. He realized the human was stopped and he turned slowly putting Katen Kyokotsu away. Human Jushiro froze mid-step searching for the sound of the laughter. The evening light reflected on the boys hair creating a halo-type appearance and catching the color of his eyes and making them sparkle. Shunsui cringed as the blackness grasped him again and he gasped falling to his knees.

'That is how Jush-y always looked to me...Like an angel...'

Shunsui was frozen as his mind, trying to cope with the man infront of him shut down...A flashback occuring...

Shunsui sat on a cushion in the local bar, many empty sake pitchers scattered around the table. He was in full celebration mode since he had graduated with flying colors.

'I wonder where Jushiro is...He's late'

Was his only thought through the fog of being drunk. "Last call...We'll be closing up very shortly!" The owner shouted out loud. Shunsui rose and paid his tab before stumbling out the door and right into Jushiro's arms. "Oof!" Shunsui muttered as Jushiro helped him right himself. Shunsui was so drunk he didn't even notice how much Jushiro was blushing having held Shunsui in his arms, "Careful now friend! I am sorry I am late, did I miss the party?" Jushiro said in a laugh. "Of-f cours-s-se you did Jush-y..." Shunsui slurred, "I drank enough f-for both of-f us-s-s." Shunsui hiccupped and Jushiro laughed out loud. "Let's get you home Shun-nie...You're so drunk!" Jushiro said trying to keep his composure at his completely sloshed friend.

Shunsui was having none of it. He grabbed Jushiro by the shoulders and stared at him square in the eyes, "Lis-sten to me Jush-y...I love you...You're my...You're my bes-st friend. I want us-s to, I want us to be friends f-forever!" Shunsui slurred and repeated himself. Jushiro thought it couldn't get anymore embarressing seeing as how drunk Shunsui was but it wasn't over yet. "C'mon Shun-nie you need to go sleep this off!" Jushiro tried to urge his friend to go. Shunsui being the stubborn bastard he was refused to move and pulled Jushiro into a tight bear hug. Shunsui stood back and planted a wet, drunk kiss right on Jushiro's lips before passing out at Jushiro's feet.

Snapping back into reality Shunsui couldn't help but smile when he thought of his ridiculous antics he had done in the past. He had also forgotten that story...Jushiro's and his first kiss...but that was BEFORE and everything was different now. The human turned and shook his head before continuing on to his apartment, Shunsui following.

Human Jushiro set his keys and wallet on an end table after entering the dwelling and went straight into the bathroom shutting the door...The sound of a shower warming up drifted into the main living room. Shunsui made sure he wasn't coming out anytime soon before he had a look around. It seemed like the kid lived alone, one bedroom...minimal furniture. He shook his head while opening up the kids wallet. He slowly pulled out the kids ID and he dropped to his knees a high pitched keen escaping his mouth before he could cover it.

The ID said the boys name is Jusshin his birthdate was Jushiro's date of death... Shunsui lost it...Dropping the wallet and ID on the floor he ran into Jusshin's bedroom and found the icing on the cake. On the wall behind Jusshin's bed was a hand painting of a willow tree, in the bottom corner of the painting was Jusshin's signature. He turned seeing a lavender colored kimono peeking out of Jusshin's closet. He slipped the closet door open and touched the beautiful silk kimono seeing the pattern of cherry blossoms and willow branches on it...He leaned down slowly and inhaled...

'It is him! It has to be him!' Shunsui screamed in his head. 'His name is so similar to Jush-y's, he was born when Jush-y died...He has a painting of a willow above his bed. Jush-y planted the willow in my garden for me, this kimono is an exact replica of the one Jush-y wore when he planted me the willow tree...It even...smells like him...' Shunsui cringed inwardly again, 'There is too many coincidences here!'

Shunsui turned as the door to the bathroom opened. Jusshin walked out freezing as he saw his wallet and ID on the floor he knelt down slowly picking it up. He was breathing deeply as he set the stuff back on the table and he went and laid down on his bed. He was staring up at the ceiling muttering, "There is so many strange things going on today...But, it's so familiar...the laugh...It's like someone is with me and I know them...but who?"

Hearing those words in the dark of the small bedroom Shunsui's heart clenched and he began to hyperventilate, taking handfuls of his long hair pulling hard.

Thank you to blackbubbledancer...

Your such a HUGE help! :)