I stand in line, holding my hands in front of me and a beautiful white rose. Tears falling down my cheeks as I look at a beautiful white and black coffin in front of me. I watch my captain slowly walk to the coffin and put his hands on the sides. He smiles softly and looks down at his lover's cold pale body. He whispers something as a tear falls down on to the white haired man's cheek. My captain quickly wipes away the tears and whispers something to the cold body. He kisses the soft pink and white rose in his hands then gently lays it down in the coffin. He leans over the side and kisses the once alive captain's forehead then looks at him. He smiles again and then walks away.

I watch him in pain. That tear… I have never seem him shed one. He's always smiling and showing no pain. I feel so sad for him but I know I must be strong.

"Nanao-san, it's your turn." A man whispers to me.

I nod and stand up. With slight shaking legs, I walk to the coffin and looking inside. That sweet loving man lies peacefully with his arms resting on his stomach. I gently place my fingers on the side and tighten my grip on the rose in my hand. I must be strong, I know. But these tears can't be held back. I loved this man as much as the others. He was such a great person who never frowned and never cried.

Oh how everyone loved this man…

"I…" I start out but can't find the right words. But then I smile "Thank you Ukitake-Taichou for making my taichou so happy… He really loved you more than his own life… he told me so once… he said that you were his sweet little angel that was brought to him from heaven… He could never stop talking about you… always thinking about you… Every time I asked him, that's what he told me… I'm just very glad that your last few days were…"

I stop and whip away the tears on my cheeks then smile back down at the man.

"I'm glad your last few days were happy ones and that you got to spend it with Kyoraku-Taichou…"

I look at the rose in my hand "…My taichou told me that you loved white roses so I just thought that… I would bring you one… to help you off to that sweet place of happiness and love where we all know that you're going to go to… I just hope that… one day… my taichou will be able to meet you there… that special place where you and him can finally have your honey moon… Please take good care of yourself sir… just for me and everyone else… That's all we want…" I kiss the rose then gently lay it down on the side of the kind man's pale face.

I look at him one last time then smile "Thank you sir, for everything you brought to us…" then I walk off.

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We all watch as the beautiful white and black coffin slowly lowers into a dug-out hole in the earth. As it does, everyone drops their roses and flowers on to the coffin top. Then the worker slowly thru the dark and soil on top of it as the people slowly start to disappear.

I turn to leave as well. I walk a bit but then stop and turn back around. I see my captain standing there, just watching the workers toss the soil over the top. I tilt my head a bit. The workers finish their job then leave. My captain slowly knells down beside the grave and lays a hand on the top. I can't tell what he's saying; it's such a quiet whisper. The sadness… I can see it building up in his face but he still smiles; a soft warm smile. I frown and pity him. Then I put my head down and leave.

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I sat in the office working on that week's paper work. Such a burden, but I suppose it must be done. I haven't bothered to ask my captain to help with the work due to his loss. I figured that I would give him some time to let his heart heal. I would sometimes find him in that field far away from everything; just sitting under that one tree. That was- no. That is his and Ukitake's spot; their special place where they would just run away together to get away from it all. The smiles and laughs I would hear them exchange back and forth with each other… That poor man…

Then I hear the door open. I look up to see that it's my captain. He has a smile on his face but it's empty.

"Hello Nanao-chan." He says to me as he walks in and closes the doors behind him. He walks to the couch and sits down on it but he still faces toward me.

I look at him "I really do wish that you won't call me that." I tell him as I go back to what I was doing. But my brush stops as my eyes widened. I quickly look back up at him to see that his pink kimono is no longer resting on his shoulders and that he did not have his straw hat on. I blink a couple times "Taichou, where's your hat and kimono?" I asked him.

His smile fades just a little bit but he manages to keep it on his face. "Oh don't worry about those. They're just being cleaned." He told me.

I tilt my head a bit but then nodded "Alright."

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It is now close to midnight. I had to work a bit of over time due to my captain's loss. I'm walking down a moon lit path, hugging my book close to my chest. Just as I walk by a pond I stop. I look at it to see something floating in it. "What's that?" I ask myself. I walk over the bridge then to the side of the pond. I get on my knees and put my book to the side. I reach into the water and pull out the mysterious object.

"What is it?" I asked myself quickly. The moon was full so I got up and walked into the moon light. A gasp escapes me when I see that it's my captain's kimono. I look it over in shock "What on Earth is it-?" but then it hits me. "Oh… I remember… Ukitake-Taichou gave it to him… Oh dear… this… oh my goodness… I bet that's what he did with his hat as well. They're not being cleaned, he's getting rid of everything that holds memories of Ukitake…" my heart cries as the pieces come together.

I fold up the kimono neatly and stand up. I grab my book and quickly hurry home.

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The next morning I'd thought that I would look for my captain's hat. I put his kimono in a save place where he wouldn't find it. I couldn't just let him throw his love any like that, even if he does annoy me sometimes.

"If the kimono was in the pond, then his hat haves to be nearby. So made somewhere it's in the forest near the pond." I said to myself as I walk with my arms crossed. Then I look up to see my captain standing on the bridge above the pond where I had found the kimono. He looks very sad. I stop to watch him from a safe distance. His hands rest on the railing and he looks down at the water. Then he lifts his hand and looks at the wedding ring on his finger. He frowns more then takes it off.

My eyes widen "Oh surely he's not going to…" I thought to myself but then I see him raise his arm a bit and get ready to throw the ring into the water. "Oh my god he is!!" I quickly Shunpo in front of him in the water just as he throws the ring. I catch it then look up at him. His eyes are wide with shock.

"Nanao-chan, what are you doing here?" he asks.

I stand up straight in the water and glare at him "Damn it man!!" I shout at him. He jumps at the tone of my voice. "God damn it Kyoraku Shunsui!! What the hell are you doing!? Please excuse my rudeness when I say you're the biggest dumb ass that have ever lived!!" I hold up the ring "You… you were just going to throw this away!? You were just going to throw away Ukitake Jyuushirou's wedding ring!? He gave it to you right before he died and you were going to get rid of it!? What the hell is wrong with you!? This is not what Ukitake would want for you damn it!! You think he wants to see you mop around like some stupid idiot all the time!? What are you doing; trying to get rid of everything thing that you have to remember him by!? That man; you love that man with all of your God damn heart! You told me so yourself! And now you going to just throw away everything that Ukitake had gave you?! I bet you got rid of all those pictures and all the presents he gave you too, didn't you? Didn't you?!" I shout at him.

He stares at me but then looks down at the railing.

"Kyoraku Shunsui, I am very disappointed in you. You're a captain; a high ranking Shinigami and this is how you act after a loss of a person?"

He glares at me "Damn it Nanao, why do you always have to get your nose into other people's lives!?" he shouts at me.

This surprises me but I quickly glare back at him "Sir, I may not show it but I was proud to be your vice-captain. I looked up to you as one of the most strongest human beings ever to breathe. But now what I have seen these past couple of days have definitely change my mind. I just want you to think about this of one second if you please. Would Ukitake-Taichou really want to see you like this? Do you really think that he would be proud of how you're acting right now? You're acting like a little child Kyoraku Shunsui. I can't believe you."I tell him.

My captain just glares at me as he scans over my face. I can see it slowly weakening; bit by bit then finally he sighs and looks down. "You're right… but I just…" he starts. "It isn't fair. Why did he have to be taken away from me? What did I do to disserve the love of my life to be snatched away from me?" he leaned over and placed his elbows on the railing. He held his face in his hands "So many years we sent together. 2,000 years we were together… he just… he just was different from all the other people I met. So much kinder and happy…" he slammed his fist on the railing "Damn it!!"

My face softens when I see how much pain was in his face. Tears started to form in his eyes but he quickly whipped them away as he chuckles a bit "Right before he passed in my arms, he wished for me never to shed a tear… I want to at least give that to him, though he can't see it."

I frown a bit then slowly make my way out of the water. His doesn't move as I make my way up onto land and onto the bridge. I looked at him and sigh. "Here." I put out my hand with the ring in the middle of it. He looks at it. "This is yours and if I found you one day not wearing it, I promise to personally knock some sense into that thick skull of yours. Alright?" I told him.

He smiles a bit and takes it. He holds his hand up and slips it back on his right ring finger then stands up. He smiles down at me "Thanks Nanao." He puts his hand on my head then walks away.

I watch him for a bit but then cross my arms and look away. "Baka…" then I turn to leave. I walk down the bridge and down a path of bamboo trees. Then a soft voice travels to my ear "Nanao-san?" my eyes widened as I know that voice. I stop and turn around to see Ukitake standing there with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. I could somewhat see thru him but he seemed so real.

"U-Ukitake-Taichou…?" I whisper.

He nods "Mhmm! Ano… do you have some free time just to talk?" he asks.

Me still being in shock, it doesn't click right away. But then it hits me and I shake my head. "Yes sir."

He smiles again "Good. Come this way please." he tells me as he walks past me without a sound. I watch his footsteps and it seems as though his feet leave touched the ground but I could see them doing so. I look up at him then follow behind.

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He takes me to that special place that my captain and he would go to; that large green field with only a single tree in the middle. He sits down under it and crosses his arms under his sleeves then smiles up at me. "Sit down. I don't bite." He chuckles some.

I hold my hands in front of me "Ano… may I? I mean, this is only your spot and my captain's."

He nods "Of course! I won't tell anyone. Plus I'm giving you permission to sit here. But unless you going to disobey my orders…"

I shake my head and sit down next to the taller man. He smiles "Good girl. Now I wanted to thank you so much for everything that you have done to help Shunsui thru this hard time. I know it's hard on him. I've been watching him ever sense the burial. Personally I don't like the sound of being buried. It kinda creeps me out. What about you?" he looks at him.

I nod "Yes sir, that does sound pretty strange."

"I know! But I've seen how bad my… passing has affected him. He's gotten rid of almost everything that I gave him. Even the kimono I gave him when we were in school together! It pained me to watch him… Then when I saw what you were doing; gathering up all the things he had gotten rid of and hid them away, it made me so happy. Then just now when I saw that he was going to get rid of my wedding ring… it brought tears to my eyes… But then you got it before it hit the water and you gave him one heck of a talk. I think that that little talk defiantly made him think about what he was doing." He smiles softly as his eye lids lower half way and he lifts up his hand. He looks at the beautiful gold ring on his finger "I was afraid that I would never be able to come back… the only reason I get to be here is because Shunsui's love for me is strong and he still has his ring. If he had thrown it into the pond like he did with his kimono, then I would be forever stuck in the ground and that can be very boring!" he smiles at me. "Thank you so much Nanao Ise. Thank you so very much for helping my sweet Shunsui thru this hard time. Thank you."

I stare at him for a long time but then nod "It's alright sir. I just didn't think that my taichou should have thrown his life away because of all this."

"No really, I thank you with everything in my being! I am forever in your debt! Though I don't know what I can do when I'm dead but… you just name it and I'll do what I can." Ukitake said as he turned a bit toward me.

I look at him then smile. I hold up two fingers "Just two things if you don't mind."

He shook his head "Not at all. What is it?"

"I wish for you to always be with my captain, you know, just to make sure that he's never alone and always happy, and two…" I point to his ring "Never take that off."

He stares at me for a long time then smiles "I suppose I shouldn't have expect anything different for you. Always thinking about other people instead of yourself. But I promise that I will do as you wish for as long as Shunsui as love in his heart and he doesn't get himself killed."

I chuckle a bit "Thank you sir."

He chuckles too "You're welcome."