Disclaimer: I own all of the plot, history, and people except for Ulquiorra in this part of the story. Bleach and bleach concepts belong to Tite Kubo. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: AU & OOC on the part of Ulquiorra

As usual, if you have questions, message me.

Hounoku no Ai: A Spring Long Past

Chapter 26

Early the next morning, I awoke to prepare for the day. At first, I felt my arms weaken at the thought that the day had actually arrived, but soon after I toughened up. I had gained a new perspective for this trip. I wasn't only going to do this for myself anymore. This was for Suzume and for Ulquiorra. Therefore, I had to stay strong and keep myself safe on the trip.

I first began rearranging the servants. I mixed servants from all different backgrounds. I kept only a few of my original handmaids. I took some from the palace stock and I selected some new ones. My objective was to make sure that few if any of the servants recognized or got along with each other. I knew this was dangerous, but it was all a gamble. The Grand General would have to help me out on this one in case any assassins slipped in because of the chaos.

I then looked through the things that I wanted to bring with me. I would come back to this place, so I didn't need everything, just a few of my favorite things I wanted to keep by my side. I had taken one of the white magnolia petals and pressed it. That would be my keepsake. I then went to visit Suzume.

"Ju-no-hime-sama, how many servants should we take for your trip to the eleventh princess's compound?" One of my new handmaids asked. I had dismissed Hayane and ruined the hierarchy of servants who serviced me but all of that was on purpose. Hayane could not come because she knew too much about me.

Turning back to the handmaid whose name I could not remember, I responded. "Take 5 for now, if others can join up along the way, let them do so. I am sure everyone's busy." I said.

She nodded in understanding and we left. Before we actually entered the almost deserted compound though, I told them to remain outside. I alone would go see Suzume, the rest of them shouldn't risk getting infected. I unlocked the door where Suzume slept and went in. Sitting by her bed side, I looked at the dribbles of water around her lip. I tapped her shoulder gently.

"Suzume, it's time to wake up."

--

The maids who waited outside naturally began gossiping about how close the eleventh and tenth himes were when another servant for Ju-no-hime showed up.

"And where have you been?" asked one of the older maids.

"I-I'm sorry." The girl sputtered out. "I just finished packing one of the boxes and was told to come here."

"It's about time," the older maid whined. "We were getting tired of carrying that bamboo curtain with only the five of us. With you here, it makes an even number."

A few minutes later, Asako-hime walked out of the compound with a stoic face and together they left.

--

Sunset, I watched as the sun began melding with the horizon. I thought of Ulquiorra and I wondered if he would be waiting there for me. It hurt me to betray him again, but this would be it. He would forget about me and he'd be able to continue on with his life. Hopefully, I'd never meet him as just plain me again. He was intelligent, he'd find out soon enough who I was if I stayed around him any longer.

Night, I could smell the oil lanterns burning outside my compound. The sedan, the horses, the soldiers, the scholars, and the luggage had somehow been completely prepared. I looked out at the dark spring of my private garden. It would be my last time seeing the flowers bloom. At last, a young maid approached me, telling me that it was time. I nodded and quietly shut the door leading to the garden. This is what I had decided, and this is what I would do. I stood and the servants held large fans in front of my face to hide it. As we exited the compound, one of the handmaids announced the arrival of Ju-no-hime-sama. Instantaneously, all of the soldiers, servants, and handmaids dropped to their knees, keeping their gaze secured to the ground.

I saw him. He was dressed in his new Grand General's uniform. His eyes and face were set in a stiff strong gaze at the ground. He did not look up, but my eyes slid to look at him. I refrained from pausing as I passed him. I was so close to him, yet so far away from him.

My servants helped me into the sedan carriage, when the curtain was lowered, another servant gave the signal to stand. One of the new handmaids sat inside with me. Unfortunately, I still didn't know her name.

The Grand General walked up to the carriage but did not attempt to look in. I heard his voice from the inside though.

"Ju-no-hime-sama, I am the Grand General. I will be escorting you on your journey. Please notify me if there is anything that dissatisfies you." He said possibly with a bow.

I couldn't speak, if I did, he'd instantly be able to recognize my voice. Changing it never worked either. It would only come out strained. So quietly, I whispered to the handmaid beside me and she repeated the words.

"Ju-no-hime-sama says, 'Thank you for your concern, but you should do as you see fit for the trip.'"

Ulquiorra responded curtly, "If that is Hime-sama's orders."

He mounted his horse and gave the signal. With a gentle lurch, I was on my way to meet my husband.

---------------

All of the handmaids for the eleventh princess began making their way to their stations in the compound. It had been 2 weeks since they were transferred to another area of the palace. Water had dripped through an intricate network of bamboo pipes. They were all glad to be back and the building itself looked like it was glad to welcome them back. 2 weeks had caused some brush and dust to settle into the walkways and corridors. Immediately, the servants began cleaning up the place. Michiru, Suzume's head handmaid made her way to the hime's room. It had been two weeks already and the contagious period was said to have passed. The princess was supposed to be cured and awake now. Carefully, Michiru took the key the tenth princess had given her out of her sleeve and inserted it into the lock. She twisted it to the right and was rewarded with a satisfying click. She smiled and swung the door open.

"Hime-samAH!" she screamed. "Someone! Come quick!" she called out. She rushed forward not bothering to notice when she knocked off a piece of crumpled cloth off of the bed. Suzume-hime, was gone.

--

The investigators came and even the Emperor came. Every one of the servants looked distraught at the disappearance of their princess.

"What happened here?" The Emperor demanded.

"Well, your majesty. It seems that the Juichi-no-hime-sama has disappeared. Judging by the size of the puddle the drips of water made on the bed where she was supposed to have lied, she shouldn't have been gone for more than a few days." The investigator bowed.

The Emperor balled his fists, his face red with fury. "Find the eleventh princess! Search through the entire capitol. She couldn't have gone far!"

-

It was all going according to Asako-hime's calculation. They had not noticed that that crumpled piece of cloth the maid thought was trash had actually been absorbing the dripped liquid for two weeks.

-

We had traveled for about two weeks now. The pace was slow even though the procession had been cut down. I decided that now would be a good time. I sat in the fields with a bamboo enclosure set up around me. We hadn't really reached any place dangerous yet. Hopefully, those idiots back at the palace wouldn't have figured out the truth. I order various handmaids to fetch random items from the woods for me. I asked one to catch me a live and moving fish, another to find me a sapling of special tree, a third to find me an almond, a fourth to find me the most unique mushroom in the forest, and a fifth to find me a crab.

They all went their various ways. They all went to the forest, but some continued towards the river.

The servant looking for the almond came back first. She entered the bamboo enclosure and handed it to me. Soldiers guarded me from afar, but I was hidden from their sight by bamboo curtains and I kept them out of hearing range.

Carefully, we lowered our guard.

"How are you feeling, Suzume?" I asked her as she sat down tired.

"I didn't know that being a servant was this difficult." She replied honestly.

"Are you going to continue through, though?"

"Of course." She replied earnestly. The weeks had worn on her and her hair was much less organized than it used to be. But even so, there was a shine in her eyes that showed me her excitement.

"How is your body feeling, is the drug completely gone?"

She nodded. "To be honest though, I really thought I was dying of a disease when I took the powder. I didn't know that it was supposed to create symptoms that imitated the plague."

The powder imitated symptoms of the plague for one day but its effects dissipated by the next day. I switched the medicine because if I had given the one the doctor prescribed to her, then it would have created bad side effects. The day I left, I woke her up in the morning and snuck her out of her compound dressed as a maid. She joined my group of disorganized servants easily and has traveled with me thus far into the country side.

We were silent for a while.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to make life any easier for you for the past two weeks. But if I favored you or kept you closer, it would arouse suspicion." I apologized with a sigh. She was my beloved younger sister after all. Part of my reason for accepting peacefully was because of my plan to get her out.

"It is okay, what you are doing for me right now is a crime anyways. I have no right to be picky."

I smiled weakly. "That is one way to put it." Suddenly realizing how much time had passed, I got straight to the point. "Suzume, you are going to make your escape tonight." I told her.

Her eyes widened, "But why? We just got to talk to each other again."

"Suzume, the ploy I set up to distract them only lasts two weeks. They'll be frantically searching for you now. They'll probably start at the capitol; therefore you have to take your lover and go, now. Besides," I closed my eyes. "From here on, the trip enters the dangerous zones. I can not risk getting you hurt."

She looked saddened but nodded. The other servants were hurrying back now with their various items that I didn't care about. "We'll set up camp here for the night. Meet me in the bamboo forest on the west side of camp before sunset." I whispered just before the others came in range.

The Grand General walked towards my screen to inquire about our encampment for the night just as Suzume walked out and back towards the rest of the servants. I noticed then that she was so genuinely beautiful even when she was dressed as a servant. As they passed each other, my breath hitched for a moment, but Ulquiorra's gaze did not flicker. I watched in wonder through the bamboo screen since I had not seen that happen before. There was someone in the world who did not care for her beauty.

--

I called on a scholar to stand in wait for me somewhere inside the bamboo forest. I secretly prepared some of the plain kimonos Suzume had been sent out to buy at some point in a pack. I stashed quite a bit of money inside along with whatever necessities they would need to get to the next town. I secretly summoned another scholar that was accompanying me and told Suzume to wait inside the bamboo forest. The sun was now touching the horizon and it was time to go. The scholar bowed to me as I walked out of my camp. I wore the lightest thing I had and avoided heavy jewelry except for the hairpin that was my father's gift to me. The scholar walked with me as inconspicuously as we could without seeming suspicious out of the camp. Outside, he picked up his horse and we walked into the bamboo forest. Anyone who saw us could only have thought that we were going to discuss poetry out in the forest. My face was veiled so no one could complain. As soon as we were out of sight, we walked more briskly. Suzume must have heard the sound of the horse's footsteps, because she immediately turned. I took the reigns from the scholar as it seemed he was going to drop them anyways. Suzume's eyes widened when she laid her eyes on that man. The man seemed to freeze as well.

"Seito-?" Suzume couldn't believe that the man she loved was here now.

"Suzume," he breathed out. He took one tentative step forward and then they both looked at me.

"Ju-no-hime-sama?" He asked slightly confused. I had not told him who I was or what my plan was. I only dragged him into the miscellaneous group of people I brought along whose job was to entertain me with prose, poetry, or music. I only left him a cryptic note telling him that if he loved Suzume, he would comply.

I tched hating how sentimental they were getting and how I really wasn't a part of it. "Come on now, I didn't break the taboo, commit a crime with the sentence of death, and agree to marry some old man I don't know for you two to stand there staring at each other."

I had barely finished when the scholar, Seito, was already gone and racing for Suzume. Suzume too was running towards him. They embraced when they met and they let out a weird noise that I couldn't quite distinguish from a cry or a laugh. Either way, tears were streaming from their eyes while they smiled and kissed. I was taken aback for a moment and then smiled sadly for my dear sister.

I let them have a moment to themselves (I really didn't belong in this scene) before I walked up leading the horse with me.

"Suzume,"

They both released each other, suddenly aware that I was still here. They both flushed embarrassingly.

"Time is short. I need to get you guys away before anyone else notices. The General is organizing my mass of disorganized servants at the moment and the palace will send troops to search my party for you." I said. "I packed the things you'll need. You should have enough money to escape to the farthest corner of the country. If you can, try and cross the sea that separates us from the Western Empire. It is a safe place and it is out of our Emperor's jurisdiction so he shouldn't be able to search there. When you get to the next town, immediately change clothes and blend with wherever you are. Don't stand out and remember, your objective is to get far away. The soldiers will be after you soon and if they catch you then you can only imagine what will happen." Though they did not nod, I knew they understood.

"Suzume," I turned to address her. "You'll have to get used to doing things yourself. You won't have servants looking after you anymore and," I paused feeling a slight sting of pain in my throat. "I won't be there for you anymore. You need to cast away any and all of your hime habits." I told her. "And," I turned to address the two of them again. "If the soldiers ever do catch you and bring you back to the palace, then tell them that it wasn't your decision. Tell them that Ju-no-hime was the one who set it up. Tell them that I kidnapped you and dropped you off wherever they find you and that you two could not find your way back."

"But, Ju-no-hime-sama, that would cause a lot of trouble for you." Seito protested.

"Seito-san, there is no need to dress me so formally anymore. From now on, I am entrusting you with the life of my precious little sister. You are smart and I hear that you have learned some kendo so you should be able to protect at least her. If I ever hear different, I'll have you quartered and hung across the country." I threatened and then sighed sadly. "Suzume has chosen you so from now on, I'm your sister-in-law. You may call me Onee-sama." Suzume cut me off by hugging me tightly.

"Asako, I am so sorry. I will miss you so much. I am afraid of what is to come, but I am so thankful that you gave Seito and me this opportunity." She cried. I hugged her back tenderly.

"I know, Suzume. I will miss you a lot as well." I whispered before releasing her hug.

"Seito, if they do capture you, I do not think it would be soon. Besides, in a few month's time," I swallowed. I didn't like admitting it. "I will be Empress of the Southern Empire. There is nothing that the Emperor here can do to me then." I said. "Now take the horse and go. We do not have time to dawdle." I said quickly. Seito mounted his horse and helped Suzume sit in front of him. They discarded any accessories that might have defined them.

"Be safe, Suzume. I will worry for you so much and I will miss you so much. Seito, I give you my consent to marry my little sister using my power as her self-declared most important sibling." I gave them a wry smile which let Suzume giggle a little. "Protect her with your life." I whispered.

"I will, Sister." He said.

"Go!" I snapped not willing to stay in this kind of atmosphere any longer. With a loud whiney, the horse started off in a gallop towards the opposite side of the bamboo forest.

I felt my heart shatter as their image more and more distant. "You are and always will be my most important sibling, Asako!" she called through the dense forest.

"Suzume!" I said letting go of my composure for a moment. I choked a little and leaned against a large stalk of bamboo and dabbed away a few tears with my sleeve. Never, would this happen again, I thought.

Because no one would ever be as close to me as Suzume.

"Suzume," I whispered. My dear beloved sister, I will miss you so much.

I found the other scholar somewhere else in the bamboo forest and we walked together back to the camp.

"What kind of poem would you like to hear, Ju-no-hime-sama?" he asked.

"One that can soothe any heartache."

Author's notes: I hope you enjoyed it. I was really sad about Suzume leaving. She really is like Asako's other half. I'll be busy in the future so I can only hope for more time to write. More Ulquiorra coming up in the future though. Review and message me your comments and questions. They are my inspiration.

-Aisumi