Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

7. Urahara/Yoruichi; romance; one-shot (full and complete, surprise surprise) titled: "Devotion"


When they first met, he was small and scrawny with dirty knees and an inquisitve mind. He'd lead her off on grand adventures, far beyond the decadent surroundings she was used to.

And he may have grown, but he kept the inquisitive mind.

It was what she was cursing most when, pale as ash and weary, he told her that he had to leave. He should have known that she'd never let him go alone. Who followed him when he was off traipsing through all of Rukongai? Who helped him sneak out without getting caught in their academy days?

And who would be there when he needed a capable partner? Who would keep him in line, make sure he didn't get kicked out of any other realms? Who would be there to keep him warm on cold, lonely nights, keep him out of the chill that a bleak, lonely life would surely afford him? He didn't seem to realize that exile meant forever. Benihime would be taken of the registry and he could never return - never see his friends and the world he had known since the first day of death.

She didn't care if it was dangerous - she was brave. She didn't care if it was difficult - she was strong. And she didn't care if she was exiled as well, because she would be with Kisuke, and that was all she ever wanted.

His eyes had been nearly dead when he told her she couldn't go. He had wanted her with him, of that she was sure. And he had wanted to protect her, as though a Shihouin princess, trained from childhood and head of the secret mobile corps, couldn't protect herself.

So she nodded defeatedly and told him she'd stay, hiding the determined light in her eyes.

He seemed so relieved. He took her hand in his for a moment, and his suddenly rekindled eyes told her what his mouth never would.

"I love you."

It made her more determined than ever to follow him, wherever he might go.

That was the first night they ever made love, warm and tangled on the hard floor of Kisuke's quarters. They should have known it would come to that eventually; they were made of the same stuff down at the core, and never would she find someone - lover or friend - who could do to her what Kisuke did, make her feel what Kisuke did.

It had been completely unplanned, and she knew it was supposed to be his last goodbye. It was easier that way. As his friend she would have been angry, would have raged and stormed until he had to dismiss her to keep his resolve for a solitary exile strong. But as more than friends... He had his goodbye. He had a memory he thought they could both keep forever.

Of course it wasn't healthy, and of course he was a fool if he thought she wouldn't try something anyway. But it was wonderful, and Yoruichi had to wonder why they hadn't ever done it before. His skin was soft and warm, and his kisses tasted like smoke and water.

He had curled up beside her, his body spooned to hers, when she finally decided what she'd do. If he was worried that she'd be exiled as well for aiding him, then she'd wait. No one was ever exiled for simply running away.

She was awake when he left her. She heard him prepare a few things, and she heard him leave with a soft, whispered "goodbye".

Her fists clenched in the blanket and she swore that she'd pound some sense into that stubborn head of his when they had both arrived safely in the mortal world.

When she arrived back at her own home, everyone was talking about the ex-taichou of the twelfth division. It seemed the order had gone through early, and she wasn't surprised that the gossip was spreading like wildfire even at such an early hour. Everyone knew of their friendship as well, and she got more than a few condoling looks. It was hard to suppress a smile, knowing that soon she'd be joining him and there'd be new gossip to spread around. Occasionally, someone would voice concern for her, but she would smile sadly and shrug it off - letting them think that the news was still sinking in.

After about the third "Are you... all right?" she decided it was time to go. She sighed heavily and proclaimed her sudden desire for a solitary walk. They all just smiled in commiseration and let her go.

When Kisuke saw her sauntering up, he was speechless and his mouth hung open in a very unattractive gape. She smirked and asked if he really thought she'd let him get away. That got his eyes open, just marginally wider.

But then he had smiled radiantly and had touched her arm and told her that she shouldn't have come. She knew he was lying. And she assured him that she could return to Soul Society any time she wanted, but that devotion was a strange thing, and there was something in the mortal world that she was just a little more loyal to.

That had put a brightness in his eye that she had once equated with a brilliant discovery. It made her heart spill over to know that she had caused it.

She would never let him know that, though, so she walked arrogantly past him and asked where the hell he planned on letting her stay.

Kisuke scratched his head and answered truthfully that he hadn't really thought about it - he had only just gotten there himself, after all.

The mortal world suited them both, and though Yoruichi preferred to wander, she knew that there would always be a room for her if she needed it. Tessai joined them not long after, and for awhile she refused to come out of cat form when she learned that they had planned it that way all along.

Eventually they found that Kurosaki Isshin had chosen the same town to settle down in, and had even managed to produce semi-normal offspring. And then Jinta and Ururu came along (though whether Kisuke created them or not, she was never really sure), and things settled into a ridiculously normal sort of pattern.

Yoruichi got bored of it quickly, and found more and more excuses to wander off and explore their new realm. But she'd still return when the nights were cold and she knew Kisuke needed a warm body beside him. He said that sex with her was like a good battle, and even coming from him it was the best compliment she had ever received.

Though he had often assured her that she would, she never regretted her decision. Her devotion never wavered. And before she left for an extended period of time, and just after she returned, her eyes told him what her mouth never would. Why she had come and why she stayed.

And she would always, always remain as devoted to him as ever. Things, for them, were just that simple.


Aching for con-crit on this, little ficlings. Give a girl an honest thought - please and thanks.