A/N: Still don't own any of the Bleach characters. The plot is mine. Several of the characters are mine.
"You are not serious!" Yoruichi was dressed in her black uniform with her hands on her hips as she stood in the middle of Urahara's room.
"I think it's a good plan," Urahara said thoughtfully. He handed Oshiriku a jar of crushed herbs.
"What about Jushiro-san?" Yoruichi's voice was soft.
"He won't marry her. Remember what he said when we were walking to your house the day he first met Oshiriku? 'I don't want to risk passing this sickness to anyone.' He's too nice." Urahara kicked a box out of the way so that he could slide another one underneath his desk. "I would marry you."
Oshiriku laughed nervously at the look Yoruichi was giving the blond man. "Naw. I think I will just stick to my plan with Koto-san. At least I will be able to remain here."
"Jushiro will reject you. He's an honorable and respectful man." Urahara's pen danced across the sheet of paper in front of him.
"While Kisuke doesn't even know how to spell the word." Yoruichi said.
"Look who's talking." He jumped out of the way as Yoruichi's foot slammed down on the chair he had been sitting in. "Why'd you let me get away?"
Yoruichi laughed. "Fool." She turned to her wide-eyed cousin. "Does anyone else know about your plan?"
"Kotogotoku has already started spreading the rumor. Gotta give it to that guy, he is one lucky loser." Urahara closed the book and stood with a loud yawn.
Oshiriku sighed. "I have to go to a lieutenant's meeting and then do paperwork in Shunsui's office after this. He's probably going to tell me about it."
"What will you say?" Yoruichi's body stood straight in the center of the room again. Oshiriku admired her cousin's ability to stand so perfectly.
"The truth." Oshiriku waved to both of them as she left the room. She slid her white lietuenant armband on.
The meeting was short and pointless. She'd almost fallen asleep at the table when the first division lieutenant had gone on and on about how the division were building stronger grudges against one another. She wanted to tell him that this place contained thousands of people and grudges were the only way to keep things sane, but she kept her mouth closed. Her feet skipped over the dirt as she made her way to her captain's office. She dropped down on the couch and flipped through the papers on the table. She wondered if the cahmber of forty six actually spent time reading through all the reports they turned in. A smile stretched over her face. Nah. They probably wanted them to do the reports just so they would know the captains and lieutenants were capable of doing such things.
Shunshui walked into the room with a bored expression on his handsome face. He brightened up when he saw one of his favorite people sitting on the couch with a pen in one hand leaning over paper. His hat landed on his desk silently, and he followed suit by sitting in his chair. Oshiriku poured two cups of tea: one for her captain and one for herself. She sat back on the couch, reading through what she'd already written as she sipped her tea. Shunsui frowned deeply. There was something he had wanted to ask the girl, but those idiots in his last class had made him forget whatever it was. He let out a loud sigh as he finished the tea in one gulp. Oshiriku refilled it and sat back down. Someday, he knew she would make someone a wonderful wife. That was it!
"Oshi-chan?" He called her that to make her blush.
Oshiriku smiled as she turned to him. "Sir?"
"You are getting married?" He raised his eyebrows.
Oshiriku pressed her lips together. "It's either Kotogotoku or Kuchiki Byakuya."
Shunsui stared at her blankly. "You could just not marry either."
"My family will be disgraced."
"More different from Yoruichi than I thought."
"My mother wanted this for me."
"What do you want?"
"To keep my family's name honorable while serving my wishes as well."
"You know…"
"If I marry Koto-san I can stay here and become a captain someday. If I marry Kuchiki I will probably be forced to retire to his household."
"What about Jushiro-san?"
Oshiriku turned away from her captain. The one sentence she managed broke off at the end. "The path with him is not honorable."
"You break a man for selfish reasons."
"Would he rather see me killed?" Oshiriku turned to her captain with tears in her eyes. She snatched the papers from the table, knocking over the ink in the process. Her hand grabbed the doorknob.
"He supports your decision. I don't." Shunsui stared at her. His words had stopped her in her tracks
Oshiriku had her back to him. She dropped the papers in her hand onto the floor. The air in her chest tightened. Her voice was filled with emotions. "What would it profit him to see me killed for selfish reasons? How could I serve him in death?" Her hand trembled as she slid the door open and stepped into the sunshine. "If you could only understand." The door slid closed behind her. She swallowed back the lump in her throat as she walked towards her room.
She opted to go for a walk through the gardens instead. Her hands were clasped behind her back. Her feet made soft pattering sounds as they hit the pavement softly with each step she took. Her dark eyes strayed from flower to flower as she passed red roses, pink cherry blossoms, and yellow daisies. She stopped in front of a patch of tall sunflowers. Near the center of the bunch was a small white daisy. She smiled at the flower standing so proud amongst the taller ones as if it was just as strong. Her hands fell to her side. She inhaled deeply the sweet scent of roses and lavender. She enjoyed the scent of lavender more than anything, but she wore sunflower oil because it smelled just as nice. The flowers in front of her made her feel as if the world was not as bad as it was in reality. The garden had an air about it that made her want to run through the flowers dancing.
A warm hand slid into hers. She glanced at her lover standing beside her with his gray eyes on the flowers as well. His hand squeezed hers, but he did not move for her to follow. No, he remained standing beside her patiently. Oshiriku fought back a smile as she turned with his hand still in hers. He walked beside her at the same pace so that he could see the beauty of her face. They stopped in front of a large patch of rosebushes with yellow roses. Oshiriku let go of his hand. Her feet sidestepped right, and her arm wrapped around his waist. Ukitake gripped a handful of the cloth at her shoulder. He held her tightly against him. She stared at the flowers with a dazed expression as his arm rested around her shoulders. She pressed her face into the front of his uniform and cried.
"I'm sorry." She choked out.
He lifted her chin so that they stared into one another's eyes. His thumb wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I never would have thought we'd last over three hundred years."
Oshiriku smiled. "We will last forever."
"You will be someone else's." His voice was indifferent.
She exhaled slowly before kissing him. "I am yours." She'd whispered the words into his mouth. She pressed their lips together. It had only been days since she'd kissed him, but it felt like years. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as she kissed him harder. "Do you truly love me?"
"After three hundred years, need you ask?" He gazed into her eyes with a smile.
"Well, I will not marry."
He gripped her shoulders roughly. "Why do you say such silly things? Don't you know your uncle will have you killed?"
"I don't care. I want you."
Ukitake released her shoulders and pulled out a handkerchief as he was overtaken by a fit of coughs. He took in shaky breaths and steadied himself. "I offer only death."
"But you love me! I love you."
"I would rather be alone so I can see you alive than dead. Ishirio loves you."
"That's not the same."
Ukitake coughed again. He exhaled slowly. "It will be, over time." He ignored the shocked expression on her face.
Oshiriku stood in silence as Ukitake walked away from her. She fought the urge to run after him and scream at him. Her feet carried her back to her room. A black cat sat on her sleeping mat licking its right paw. Oshiriku picked the cat up and held it close to her chest. She poured what was left of her milk into a saucer and fixed a pot of tea. The cat jumped onto the floor and flicked its tongue over the white liquid. Oshiriku sat cross-legged beside the cat with a plate of cookies in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. She placed both in front of her. The cat turned to her with that expectant expression on her face. Oshiriku's dark brown eyes fell to the cup of tea in front of her. The cat purred softly before turning back to her milk. They sat in silence drinking, but it could be assumed that they were having a mental conversation. Yoruichi understood everything her cousin had not said, and Oshiriku was warmed by every word of comfort that Yoruichi hadn't said.