Chapter 26: Lover's reunion

During the Taicho meeting

The sound of Hana, Rangiku and Nanao talking awoke Rose from her slumber. However, her body felt so heavy and comfortable that she did not want to move. Plus her eyes were so tired that opening them would be a crime. So Rose stayed very still and waited until sleep overtook her again, but for the time being she would listen in one the conversation going on around her.

"Rangiku you can't give her sake."

"Why not?"

"Because sake could disrupt her recovery." Sighed Nanao.

"What? Aw what a shame. Well now Kyoraku-kun can have it. It's a go think that I also brought her a basket of sweet buns and a box of chocolates." Replied Rangiku.

There was a moment of silence.

"Say Nanao how is Kyoraku-kun doing?" Asked Rangiku. Rose's lay very still and listen intently.

"Last night he drank so much that he got alcohol poisoning so I had to remove the alcohol from him." Sighed Nanao. "I found him on the floor surrounded by sake bottles and mumbling something about Rose. I am very worried about him."

"Well at least Rose is getting better so Kyoraku-kun depression can end." Saud Rangiku in a positive tone.

"Not really, did you hear what Isane told us. Rose still has a long way to go until she is fully recovered." Pointed out Nanao.

"Yes, but Kyoraku-Kun will be there to help her. And when she has fully recovered we can celebrate." Said Rangiku.

"Rangiku, do you always look for an opportunity to party? But you are right my division does need something to raise the moral."

"Hm yes they are rather melancholic nowadays. Hey Hana why the long face?" Asked Rangiku.

"I just want Rose to wake up so that I can tell her that she is not alone." Mumbled Hana in a depressed tone. Rose felt her heart sink at Hana's melancholic tone but also felt flattered that she was ready to support her.

"I think that she already knows that and if she does not she has all your cakes that you baked for her which proves that you do care." Said Rangiku in a kind tone.

"Plus I think my Taicho is never going to leave her alone after this so technically she will never be alone." Comforted Nanao.

Rose began to fall back into a slumber, the voices becoming more and more muffled until darkness claimed her again.

Present time

The next time that Rose opened her eyes she felt more alert and awake. Slowly she opened her eyes and realised that she was lying on her side, staring out of the window. From the beautifully orange colour of the sky Rose deduced that it was a little before sunset. A flash of light brought her attention to the bedside table next to her and what she saw made her gasp. It seemed that Hana had gone all out in the baking department as the small bedside table was overflowing with baked goods. There was a large basked full of blueberry and apple muffins. There were several tins piled high with what Rose assumed were biscuits and finally there was a plate crammed full of chocolate cupcakes. Rose rolled over and saw that her other bedside table was also piled high with boxes of chocolates and other treats. It was heart-warming to see so many gifts from her well-wishers but somewhere in the back of her mind Rose felt like she did not deserve them.

A soft snoring sound drew her attention away from the gifts and made her gasp silently. There, sitting in the chair with his head in his hands was Shunsui. His chest rose and fell with every breath he took. Even thought she was relieved to see him there, Rose frowned. In the past when she had watched him sleep he always looked so peaceful but now he looked troubled and it showed on his face.

"Shun." Said Rose a little hoarsely. Shunsui did not stir so she tried again. "Shunsui." She said a little louder, surprised that her voice could go louder as it was rather sore. Shunsui started to stir, mumbling something in his sleep so Rose repeated herself. "Shunsui…wake up."

Shunsui's head shot up and looked towards the door expecting the source of the voice to be coming from there. When he did not see anybody there he looked towards the bed. Rose smiled at his confused look, which only grew when relief washed over his face.

"Rose, you're awake." He whispered.

Rose nodded her head slowly. Shunsui got up from the chair and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Rose started to struggle to sit up but Shunsui placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back onto the pillows.

"Rose you must rest."

"But I have been resting all day and this is the first time that I have seen you in days." Pouted Rose.

Shunsui sighed but then helped Rose sit up in bed. Now they were both at eye level. There was an awkward pause between them.

"Rose…I'm so sorry. Words cannot describe how sorry I am." Said Shunsui in a serious tone.

"Shunsui. It's alright I."-

"It was all my fault. I should have been there to protect you."

"Shunsui."-

"If I had not been so irresponsible to leave you alone that day then Kagawa might not have taken you."

"Shunsui."-

"And now you are hurt and it's all my fault. I-I can't begin to imagine what happened to you and it is all my f."-

"Shunsui!" shouted Rose. Shunsui looked at Rose with a mixture of hopelessness and confusion on his face.

"Please Stop saying that this is all your fault. I don't blame you for what happened. You are a Taicho and it was your duty to run a division. The kido barrier was put up especially so that you could leave me in a secure location and get on with your job. Nobody foresaw that Kagawa would break in but he did. And if you had been home then he would have just waited for a time when you were not. You could never have been around me constantly. I don't blame you for what happened; in fact I am forever in your debt for killing Kurosawa." Said Rose I little more forcefully than what she would have liked but it seemed like the only way to get Shunsui to listen to her and it seemed to work as he closed his mouth and looked at her before exhaling.

"I still can't help but feel responsible."

"Don't it is not your fault." Rose looked down at Shunsui's hands. In the semi darkness they looked bigger than what she had remembered. Shunsui saw Rose's gaze fall to his hands and he watched with bated breath as her hand slowly inched forwards and then took his hand in hers. Her body felt so cold and her hand looked so pale.

"So how are you doing?" he asked, not really expecting the truth.

"Fine I suppose." She lied.

"Oh really? Because Jushiro reported that you were emotionally closed off and refuse to eat anything. He also reported that you were blaming yourself for what happened." Stated Shunsui rather matter of factly.

Rose ripped her hand away from Shunsui's. "I don't want to talk about it."

Shunsui looked into her defiant eyes and sighed. "You know that you are not responsible for what happened."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"No Rose listen to me you are not responsible. You are the victim here and are not responsible for Kurosawa or kagawa's actions so stop thinking that you are."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Shouted Rose. Tears were pooling I her eyes but she refused to let them drop.

"Rose."

"I just can't talk about it." And then Rose burst into tears. She was crying so hard that her body was shaking. Shunsui scooted forwards and wrapped his arms around her before bringing her into his lap for a gently hug. Rose rested her head on the crook of Shunsui shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably, tears pouring down her face. The floodgates she had been holding up had finally burst making her cry her eyes out. Shunsui simply held her and whispered comforting words in her ear while trying to soothe her but her tears kept falling.

What felt like hours later Rose finally stopped crying but she was still violently shaking. Thinking that she was cold, Shunsui pulled off his pink kimono and wrapped her in it. Rose inhaled deeply, taking in the unique scent of Shunsui which she had missed so much.

Shunsui held her close in the dark room, listening to the birds flying around outside.

"Sometimes, I swear that I can sense him... like he is right behind me. I know that he is dead. But he still haunts me at night." Whispered Rose after a while.

Shunsui held Rose closer. "He is dead and will never harm you again. I promise that I will protect you."

"I know that you will. It was the knowledge that you would come and save me that helped me through what Kurosawa was doing to me."

"But I never saved you…and I am sorry."

"I thought we established that you were not to blame for the incident. And you did save me. You may not have physically saved me but you did defeat Kurosawa thus permanently saving me from him." Whispered Rose.

"Please stop saying that."

"Why?"

"Because I did not save you. Jushiro did, not me. I only."-

"-killed the man who made nine years of my life a living hell. Because of you he can never hurt me again." Finished Rose.

"But he might come back."

"Then you will just kill him again." Said Rose. "Now please stop thinking so low of yourself, you did save me."

"Only if you stop thinking that you are to blame." Replied Shunsui.

Rose stiffened slightly. Shunsui adjusted her in his lap so that he could see into her eyes. "Please listen Rose. You never asked or acted like you wanted to be kidnapped so stop saying that you are to blame. This is not your fault. What Kagawa and Kurosawa did to you and those children was a violation of your rights. They exploited you and made you do things that you never wanted to do. It was not your fault. Kurosawa and Kagawa are to blame, not you."

Rose nodded slowly. "But he-he."

"Raped you. And I am sorry that I did not arrive in time to prevent it. But believe me Kurosawa got what he deserved." Said Shunsui.

Rose still looked troubled and Shunsui was about to ask her why but she beat him to the punch. "Do, do you love me any less after what happened to me?" She asked.

Shunsui brought his head down so that he was only a breath away from Rose. "I love you no matter what. Never ever think that I will love you any less after what happened to you. I will always love you." Shunsui leaned forwards and kissed Rose gently on the lips. Rose sighed ever so slightly, more out of relief than pleasure, and then kissed him back. The kiss was gentle but bittersweet and when Rose pulled away she blushed.

"Oh I have missed doing that." Said Shunsui.

Rose's blush deepened. "Thanks Shunsui for your comforting words, I guess I finally believe you."

"Believe what?"

"That I am not responsible for what happened."

"I thought that you were talking about my love for you."

"I will never doubt your love for me." Said Rose before leaning in and kissing Shunsui gently on the lips. He groaned and placed one of his hands on the crook of her neck and deepened the kiss ever so slightly. Rose moaned when Shunsui nibbled her lip, asking her to open her mouth so his tongue could slip in. Slowly she opened her mouth and allowed his fabulous tongue entrance into her mouth. He gently slide his tongue into her mouth and slowly devoured her. Rose ran her hands up and down Shunsui chest and then slid them under his shihakushō. He chuckled ever so slightly. Rose ran her hands over his broad shoulders and down his back, feeling the hard muscles and bandages under her hands. Bandages? She froze when she felt them.

"Rose what is it?" Asked Shunsui when he felt her freeze against his body.

"Your hurt." She whispered.

"What? Oh yeah that. It's nothing serious don't worry about it." Replied Shunsui in a casual tone.

"Not to worry about it?" panicked Rose. "Kurosawa hurt you and, and.-"

"- Unohana fixed me up so there is nothing to worry about." Reassured Shunsui but Rose still looked worried. "Look the only thing you need to worry about it getting better ok?" He continued.

"Turn around."

"What?"

"Turn around." Insisted Rose.

Shunsui sighed but turned around and sat with his back facing Rose. With shaking hands Rose lifted her hands up and gently removed the top part of Shunsui shihakushō. Rose looked down and saw the bandages covering Shunsui back and tried very hard to suppress the tears that threatened to fall again.

"Rose?"

Rose sniffed. "You're hurt."

"Rose." Shunsui turned around and gently pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't cry, I hate it when you cry. It is ok I am fine in fact Unohana said that she would remove the bandages tomorrow as the wounds have healed."

Rose nodded and took a calming breath. If Unohana thought that he was ok enough to have his bandages removed the next day then he really must be fine.

"Better now?" asked Shunsui.

"Yes."

"Anything to get me naked." Chuckled Shunsui. "But I must say that you have forgotten to remove my hakama."

Rose chuckled lightly. There was a comfortable silence in which Shunsui hugged Rose close to his chest and absentmindedly kissed the crown of her head.

"How is the division doing?" Asked Rose.

"Unusually quiet and inactive. They really miss you and want you to get better so that they can throw a party." Said Shunsui.

Really? The division missed her? She always got the impression that they hated her. Maybe they saw how upset their Taicho was and realised how important she was to him and thus to the division. The eighth worshipped their Taicho and so they felt sorry that he was upset after she went missing, thus the perception that they missed her. They only wanted her back so that their Taicho would be happy again. It was really sweat actually. But there was a more pressing matter that Rose wanted to discuss.

"Shunsui I heard about your drinking." Whispered Rose.

"Yeah not my proudest moment." Sighed Shunsui.

"Why did you do it?" Rose looked up at Shunsui and saw that he looked troubled. "Please."

"I just did not know what to do. You were here and hurt and I just did not know what to do." Shunsui looked down at Rose with eyes full of pain.

Rose snuggled closer to Shunsui "Hey its ok I am fine, or going to be fine so there is no need to worry. You being here is all the help I need to get better. Just please, please, please don't drink like that again."

"Really, me being here helps you?"

"Yes, you make me feel safe when you hold me like this." At her words Shunsui's arms tightened around Rose's body.

"Promise me." Said Rose after a pause.

"What?"

"Promise me that you will never drink like that again."

Shunsui kissed Rose on the cheek. "Trust me I never plan on doing that again."

"So you will promise me?"

Shunsui heard the desperation in Rose's voice. "I promise you that I will never do that again." He said while looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Thank you" Smiled Rose.

"Yare, you really do care for me." Smiled Shunsui.

"Well that's because I want you to stay with me for a long, long time." Rose leaned forwards and lightly kissed Shunsui on the lips.

"You want to stay with me forever." Asked a shocked Shunsui.

"Erm…well…yes." Said Rose cautiously. Had she said too much?

To her joy Shunsui smiled and pulled her back in for a kiss. "Well me too." The two shared a sweet, gently kiss.

Rose pulled away and yawned. "Why did you not tell me that you were tired?" asked Shunsui in a slightly accusatory tone.

Rose blushed. "I was too comfortable to move." Shunsui chuckled and stood up with her in arms before laying her down on the bed. She looked totally adorable wrapped up in his kimono and lying in his bed. Shunsui bent down and kissed Rose on the forehead before standing up.

"Could you please stay?" Asked Rose in a timid tone.

She looked so vulnerable that Shunsui's heart broke slightly. "Of course." He replied and headed towards the chair by her side.

"Not there." Shunsui smiled when he saw Rose scoot over and pull back her covers thus inviting him to join her in the bed.

"I don't think Unohana will approve." Replied Shunsui although he was rather tempted.

"Please…I can't sleep otherwise." Whispered Rose rather vulnerably. Shunsui looked very conflicted but still hesitated. "Please…I am not made of glass." Rose started to pout. Shunsui's defences were starting to crumble, but then again they were never that thick to begin with when she was involved. "Please." Rose asked again.

That was it. He was convinced. Shunsui walked towards Rose and removed his haori and climbed into the bed next to her. Rose snuggled up close to him and sighed contently when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Comfy?" Asked Shunsui.

"hmm," Was all Rose said as her eyes began to droop again. She was so comfortable lying there on a bed so comfortable that it felt like it was moulded perfectly to her body and with Shunsui next to her with his arms around her making her felt safe. Nothing felt better. Shunsui chuckled before pulling Rose closer to his chest protectively and then following her into the darkness and blissfulness of slumber. Maybe this time he will not be plague be images of Rose lying on a bed covered in blood.

When Unohana opened the door to the eighth division Taicho's room in the fourth division she saw Rose and Shunsui snuggled together on the bed in a lover's embrace. She smiled happily before closing the door and walking away, leaving the two lovers alone. Whatever their problems had been it seemed like they had resolved them.

YAY Rose and Shunsui are finally together again. :)