I said I was doing another story but I don't know which one to chose, so go on my profile if you will, and vote.

I put anonymous reviews on, so if you are an anonymous reader you can review now….

Thanks to Yukish! Your reviews help me out and encourage me to do my best!

Super special thanks to my Beta-Reader, DreamlessRiver! The entire beta'd chapters, including this one, will be put up soon! Sorry for any mistakes you may encounter. I didn't reread this.

Read and Review, please! It helps! (Why do people put this at the end of a chapter?)

Chp.8: Can You Hold My Hands And Be My Guide?

It was cool Sunday in late November and Shunsui was lying in his bed, contemplating the many things going on inside of his head, including the part were he was asking Jushiro out. His brain felt like it was going into overload, with different scenarios of what could happen. Glancing over to his nightstand, he eyed his cell phone for a minute before picking it up and dialing Nanao's number.

"I'm doing it…Ughh!" Shunsui was becoming more and more frustrated. He didn't know what he was going to do come Monday morning, the day he intended to execute his plans.

"Why call me if you're in the middle of doing it? I though you were going for Jushiro. Are you trying to get some before you're committed?" Nanao sounded astonished, but Shunsui knew otherwise. She didn't understand the stress that he was going through at the moment.

"Perverted…I'm not doing it with anyone! I meant asking Jushiro out. I'm going to do that."

"Oh." Nanao chuckled lightly, she had gotten the wrong idea and immediately went into pervert mode when Shunsui said that he was 'doing' it and made that sound.

"Yea. I'm nervous."

"I'm sure you are. How long has it been since you were in a relationship?"

"Too long. I don't know what to do."

"Just dress nicely, leave some flowers on his desk, Snowdrop are his favorites. Maybe you should also get some red bean daifuku, he likes those. Leave it anonymous too."

"Why?"

"You can see how he acts during the day if he doesn't know who it's from. Doing that might help you find out what his reaction may be if you reveal that it was you."

"Makes no sense." She heard Shunsui puff on the phone but she didn't want to spoil the surprise so she just gave him a little teasing hint.

"I know, but trust me on this one. You might like the outcome."

"What do-" Nanao snickered as she hung up on the man who was utterly confused by her statement. He would just have to figure out that Jushiro liked him too when he went to work the next day and asked him out. Hopefully everything would go in their favor.

When Shunsui woke up the next morning, he absolutely knew what he wanted to do. He was going to dress nicely, to impress Jushiro, buy some of Jushiro favorite daifuku, the red bean kind, and purchase some Snowdrops(1) flowers from the local flower store. He hoped that Nanao wasn't duping him, because he didn't want to look like a fool when he told Jushiro that the entire things he bought were for him, but he knew Nanao and she wouldn't do such a thing. She only wished for his happiness, like he would for her.

Getting up and going into his walk-in closet, he picked out his favorite shirt, the dark rose-colored silk one that Nanao bought for him. She said that the color made him look even gayer than he already was, but Shunsui had translated that to, 'You look amazing in that color. It suits you.", so he decided that he would wear it today, since it was rare that he would dress up nice for anyone.

He decided that a dark grey suit and tie would go perfectly with the rose color he picked out, so after laying his outfit on his bed, he went into his bathroom and turn on his shower. Taking no more than 20 minutes, he soon stepped out, got dressed and was on his way out the door.

He stopped at the flower shop, seeing as though that would take the shortest amount of time to come in and out. One of the female employees teased him mercilessly after he had told her that he was buying them for the person he liked, eager to find out who was involved with. He was beyond ecstatic to get out of there after she had told the rest of the employees about 'a hot man buying flowers for his sweetheart'.

He stopped at his brother's café and after so many questions about nothing, just to bother Shunsui, he was finally able to buy the daifuku and head over to the office. His phone started to ring once he entered the car and it was Nanao.

"Hey, lover boy. Got everything?"

"Yes, lonely girl. You at the office? Did he come in yet?"

"No. The receptionist said that he called in and said that he was coming in today, probably a little later because he's going to the doctor for a check up."

"Well, I hope he's healthy."

"You and me both. Hurry up so you can set this shit up. I'm losing money, waiting on your ass. I didn't clock in."

"I'll be there in a few."

"See ya then."

Jushiro woke up that morning feeling a little depressed. He didn't like going to the doctor's office but Kazuo and Kenji both insisted that he went and go get a check up, just to be on the safe side. He called in the office saying that he had a doctor's appointment and would be running a little late.

His check up went somewhat good. He was told not to get stressed out to much and to take it easy or else he would start getting sick more often. He at least got sick 5 times a year and many of his employers knew this so they let him off the hook, if he called in. He wondered what Shunsui would say to him once he walked in the office.

It was almost 11 o'clock (a.m) when he got in the office and the first thing he noticed was the way Nanao was looking at him. It was almost a dreamy-like look in her eyes, like she was watching some sort of fantasy come true, but Jushiro brushed it off as he silently waved to her and walked to Shunsui's office.

He opened the door to find Shunsui working on what most people working in an office work on. Paperwork. He noted the distant look in Shunsui's eye as the said man greeted him and got back to work.

"Glad to see you back. Everyone was worried."

"I'm glad to be back. Thank you for coming by to check up on me. Kazuo and Kenji told me that you and Nanao stopped by."

"No Problem."

Walking towards his desk, he saw something he was not expecting.

There were flowers. Not just any flowers. The Snowdrop ones he used to love when he was a little kid. The ones he would always play with his siblings in. It reminded him so much of his home in the outskirts of Mt. Sōkyoku , the mountain that lies between both Karakura town and Rukongai City. Entranced, he walked over to his desk, a pair of eyes secretly watching him in order to gauge his reaction.

He touched one of the flowers, somewhat, hanging off the side of the vase, it was residing in. Unable to resist it any longer, he picked up the vase and was assaulted with an airful of ice (2). Remembering that he was in the presence of another, he turned around to see Shunsui scribbling signature on papers he was reading.

"Um…Shunsui?"

The called man stopped his scribbles and look Jushiro right in the eyes. Those chocolate orbs were mesmerizing and he found that he could not stop staring.

After more than enough time had passed, Shunsui spoke up, laughing as he did so. "I got something on my face?"

"Ah! No! It's just that…." Unable to keep staring Shunsui in his face, his eyes soon dropped down to the man's grey suit and dark rose color formal shirt. That's a nice color…goes nice with grey…. and brown….

"Is there something on my shirt now?" He could still hear the amusement in Shunsui's voice and he began to smile.

"No. I was wondering who got me these flowers. Was it Nanao? I told her they were my favorites."

"Nanao's a tell-it-all whore, so she might have told other people."

"Oh…" He went to check if there was a possibility that someone might have left a message or anything to he him figure out, but he sighed and was starting to pull his chair out, when he noticed the Azuki(3) daifuku in his chair. Once again, a pair of eyes watched to see his reaction.

Jushiro started laughing. Who in the world is showering him with all these gifts today?

"Someone must really love me if I'm getting all these gifts today!" Moving the daifuku aside, but not before stuffing one in his mouth, he began to sort out all the work he had missed during the time he was sick and began working.

Shunsui on the other hand, fought from smiling to himself. Pulling off a straight face was hard, when the one you liked was all smiles. He would have to thank Nanao later, she helped him set this whole thing up.

It was about 6 o'clock in the evening when Shunsui saw Jushiro stretch, signaling the end of a long days' hard work. "Are you done with work for today?"

Jushiro quickly fell back into corrective posture and gave a innocent look at Shunsui, to which he had to turn away from. Oh man…

"Is there something else that you wanted me to do? I can stay a little longer."

"Did you find out who got you those gifts?" Jushiro wasn't looking directly at Shunsui, but at the nearby plant that decorated the office space. Shunsui was desperately trying to hold back a smile

"No, I asked a lot of people and they said they didn't know. I asked Nanao and started laughing and telling me that the answer was obviously…in front…of…..me?" The two had a little starting contest when Jushiro finally looked at him and Shunsui couldn't help but to smirk at the look of realization coming across the other man's face.

"I think she meant in a literal sense…"

"You got these for me?" Jushiro pointed to the vase of flowers and the daifuku currently sitting on his desk with a look of bewilderment.

"Yea…"

"Why?"

"Because….I like you."

It was like the world stopped turning as the both stared at each other.

"I haven't been in a relationship in a very long time, but I find myself liking you with every passing day. Sure, I'm a little nervous right now, about what your answer may be, but I'm trying….to ask you if you want to date me?

Jushiro stood there almost hysterical but in a good way; he didn't know what he was going to say. He liked Shunsui but he didn't think that he could possibly have a chance at a relationship with him. He didn't think that Shunsui liked him that way, but here he was, asking Jushiro to date him.

"Um…sure! You aren't the only one who is nervous. I didn't think that you liked me the same way I liked you." Shunsui's facial expression went from nervous to shocked, in record time. Jushiro didn't think that he'd even seen someone's face move that fast.

"That's why she kept laughing. She knew."

"Who?"

"Nanao. I think that she knew that we liked each other."

"Can't do anything about it now. Do you want an answer?"

"Hm….Oh. Sure. Would you like to date me, Jushiro?"

Can you hold my hands and be my guide?

"Of course."

(1)It's the 13th Division's flower, so I used it.

(2)I looked up 'What do Snowdrops smell like?' and I've seen many result say frozen water. What the hell? Same thing as Ice, so I went to go smell my ice cube tray and it's a very refreshing smell.

(3)I'm just going to put Azuki from now on.

Two fuckin' days late. You know why? Unexpected visitors and leavings. My cousin came up and I was forced to go to my aunt's house. I was mad. I forgot what I was doing.

So change of plans once again because I remembered something - Chap. 10 out either between the 21st and the 25th. I put that the twins' b-day was on Christmas in Chap. 3 as Christmas, so it's a fitting date. It's in. Maybe I'll publish on the 25th as a present to everyone who is reading.

I hate this ending, but I'm moving on. I might change it later.

Thanks if you reviewed or added. I honestly appreciate it.

-Kihana