Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Bleach © Tite Kubo

A/N: What's this? Another update? I know, madness… But I have recently got back into anime, and I am currently rewatching Soul Eater; I have to start small before I even think about watching Inuyasha again. Now that I am a die-hard shipper of Kagome and Sesshomaru, I do not know how I will cope! Moreover, I have had this itch to write another chapter, and was entirely overwhelmed by the level of response I received from over one chapter! Thank you so much guys, over 5,000 views on that last chapter, and still rising! Anyway, back to the matter at hand…

Warning(s): Fluff, lots of talking

Pairing(s): Kagome and Ukitake


52. Deep in Thought

"How old are you, Ukitake?" The question had caught him off guard, as Kagome often did; she asked the most unorthodox questions at the most inopportune times. Looking to his left, Ukitake paused in pouring the tea into the human girl's cup. His intense green eyes flickered around the table the other youths were hovering round, all had halted their conversation, eager to hear his reply to such a bizarre question.

They'd just returned from a visit to the human realm; Kagome had made some suggestions about modern medicine being able to help his illness, and perhaps permanently remove it so he had been eager to visit these "toxicologists" and "infectiologists", whatever they were.

Back to the question at hand, Ukitake placed the teapot down; he stared at its designs. It was pink, for starters, courtesy of Shunsui Kyoraku, and had a delicate sakura blossom pattern entwining the entire pot. These were a slightly darker shade of pink, expertly painted to mingle with green ivy leaves. The flowers resembled the real blooms in the Sereitei. A dainty hand in front of his face soon made him realise he had began to go off tangent again. "Sorry Higurashi."

The reiki-wielder had leaned over the table slightly; she was sitting next to him so it wasn't a long reach, but she had made sure to make herself known. "Ukitake, was that a bit too personal?" Blue eyes passed round the table, taking note of Ichigo's and Rukia's surprised looks upon their faces. It then occurred to her that she didn't even know Rukia's age. "Ahh, forget I asked, Ukitake, I am sorry for-"

"Don't be silly Kagome," the use of the girl's first name made something warm inside of her. She hadn't known the captain of the 13th Division long, but they had soon found comfort in one another's company, and often seeked each other out when Kagome was in the Sereitei. "You tend to lose track of age when you're in here, to be honest. It's such a menial thing, that you don't tend to note the passing years. But, I would say, and this is a rounded guess, I am almost 200 years old." The audible gasp that came from not only Kagome, but Ichigo and Orihime almost made the captain visibly cringe. "But Kagome, these special doctors of yours, have they any news?" Absolutely desperate for a new subject, Ukitake was suddenly very aware of how close the young, black-haired girl was to his being. He could feel her warm breath hit his cheek as she sat back on her cushion.

Placing her hand on top of Ukitake's, Kagome let loose a breath. "There is good news and bad news." At the small gesture, Ukitake sucked in a breath as he made eye-contact with the much younger girl. "It is Tuberculosis; this used to be an extremely deadly disease, but with the right course of antibiotics, it is easily curable. Despite this, thousands of people still die from it in a year. Which is pretty shocking, considering…" She then shuffled back from her cushion, and Ukitake noticed her rather short skirt. He could feel a blush rising to his cheeks at the sight of her creamy thighs.

'I should not be taking advantage of Kagome like this however, I cannot resist. Her soul is calling for me.' The older male suddenly cleared his throat as he could feel the stares of the other people in the room; he had felt alone with Kagome for but a moment. "Well, that sounds reassuring." His breathy answer pushed Kagome into action as she quickly pulled out a box.

"These are your antibiotics. You should take two of these a day. After you have eaten though, and one right before you go to bed. Everyday, Ukitake, otherwise they will not work." The stern look in his eyes did something to him. He knew she cared for him. She had taken a shining to him, and often came to visit him on her own.

"Kagome, normally TB patients are hospitalised, how did you manage to get a prescription note without having Ukitake stay in hospital?" Ichigo's voice broke the tense atmosphere that she realised had bloomed as soon as Ukitake and herself had started conversing.

A little giggle escaped her then as she attempted to diffuse the tension. "Well, Ichigo, I asked your dad of course!" Suddenly, anger blossomed on the orange-haired male and felt a twitch in his eyebrow.

"That pervy old creep, he's always so sweet with the young ladies! What did you give him in return?" Orihime chuckled and placed a hand on her boyfriend's arm as she sent a knowing look to the raven-haired girl.

"...A date," Ichigo's look of horror almost made Kagome's day, but when she heard the angelic laughter of the male beside her, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed.

"I'm gonna go and have a long talk to the old man about decency. Orihime, you comin'?" Nodding eagerly, Orihime knew this wasn't something she could miss; she'd want to tell Kagome about all the details later.

As the orange-haired couple stood, they took one last look at Kagome, Ukitake and Rukia, bid them farewell and left abruptly, Orihime sliding the shiro door closed behind her. "Actually, I should probably go and play mediator, we all know Ichigo and Isshin are too bone-headed to know when to stop!" A small smirk on Rukia's face alerted Kagome to the girl's intentions, and a quick wink in her direction told Kagome she was about to have some sort of revelation. "And poor Orihime, she's too kind to try and hurt them," with a final chuckle, Rukia left the reiki-wielder and Captain of the 13th Division alone.

"You're sure these will work?" The captain sounded unsure, and after 150 years of living with a disease he thought he would die from, the idea that a human girl would offer him a cure was bizarre, and tilting. "This is honestly… thank you, Higurashi." Feeling a little bit overwhelmed, the white-haired male pulled his hand out from underneath hers, placing it on top and squeezing. "I could never repay you for this."

"Ukitake, no-one should live with the fear that it's only a matter of time. It's not fair, and I am aware it happens, but it's cruel, and it makes me question about the Gods plans." Nodding in agreement, he removed his hand from hers completely, and picked up the teapot again; it was slightly cooler, because they had been talking so long, but he knew Kagome wouldn't mind.

"To think that I could be free of this illness is quite something, Kagome. You've saved my life."

Joshiro watched as the young woman's brow suddenly furrowed, and she lifted a hand to her chin. 'What is she thinking about? Whatever it is, she looks absolutely beautiful,' green eyes widened as he realised what his brain had just conjured up. 'I… am attracted to her. She's over eighteen decades younger than me.'

"Joshiro," the sound of his first name coming out of her mouth sent shivers down his spine, and it definitely wasn't the cold this time. "Do you think your hair will turn back to its original colour?"

The woman gently picked up a strand of his hair and stroked it, loving the feeling of the silk between her fingers, "I'm curious as to what you would look like, but again, I would miss your white hair if it were gone. It is gorgeous." At her statement, Joshiro could see as realisation crossed her face at what she had just said; this was evident by the bright red blush that covered her cheeks and neck, and lead further down. Joshiro did not dare to look, for the fear of what it would do to him was way too complexing to even think about.

"We'll see Kagome, we will see."


Gah, I have written this whilst at my boyfriend's, and having him poke over my shoulder every now and then is extremely disconcerting, so I apologise for this chapter. Honest reviews on whether this needs to be re-written or not are welcomed... Because I think I will when I am alone. Other than that, what did you guys think? THANKS FOR READING!

Up Next:

Eren - Attack on Titan

Stein - Soul Eater

Ukitake - Bleach

Ichimaru - Bleach

Itachi - Naruto