Title: Lily and Thistle

Author: paws_bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

Type: One-shot Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 4151

Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) SMUT WARNING!

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

Summary: 'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

Created on: 05/08/13

Completed on: 06/08/13

Chapter Last Revised on: 28/08/13

The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part II

His haori and vest were already discarded and lying in a heap on the floor, his kosode rumpled and hanging half off of his broad shoulders as she straddled his lap and kissed him hungrily and with increasing need. They had quickly taken their bonding over to his futon, and while he seemed momentarily content to just gather her in his arms and hold her, pulling her flush against him and running his hands all over her with blatant affection, she was more impatient and was very quickly pushing for more.

"Your hair's longer," he commented with pleasure, freeing the light golden strands from their pigtailed confines and running his fingers through them. She arched and purred roughly under his touch. Her messy tresses fell softly past her shoulders now, as opposed to only reaching her chin as it had the last time he saw her. "You really grew it out."

There was also something else that was different. It was very subtle, but now that she was in his arms, he could tell very easily. "You're also a bit taller."

That could only mean one thing for Souls like them – her spiritual capacity had increased again, thereby forcing her physical height to shoot up by a couple of inches to adapt as well. That was a surprise to him; he had thought she was already done growing, but evidently, she was still not up to her full potential yet. Just what kind of training had she been up to in the last year?

Hiyori was not interested in idle chitchat right now, though.

"Dammit, Shinji," the horny and sexually frustrated young woman burst out. "Can ya shut up for a bit? Just lemme fuck ya, now."

As usual, she was not one to beat around the bush. It had been more than a year since they had last made love, and she was getting really desperate for his physical attention. While sex hadn't exactly been the main driving force behind the reason for her being here (it was still a pretty damn important consideration, though), now that he was so temptingly close by, his scent and presence tantalizing her and driving her absolutely crazy, Hiyori was abruptly reminded of all the empty nights she had spent without him to soothe her needs. All that sexual repression from all those unsatisfied, unfulfilled evenings had given rise to a flood of need and desire that was throbbing hungrily in her, and if he wasn't going to do anything about it, then she would.

She shoved him onto his back unceremoniously, following him right down onto the bed at the same time as she reached up and kissed him lustily. Her soft mouth sucked at his with hot, incredibly persuasive carnality that quickly had his blood heating up in his veins, and his focus immediately concentrated purely on the slight, delightful female wrapped in his arms. Her small, wet tongue probed demandingly against the seam of his lips for entrance, and then wasted no time pushing right past to boldly explore his oral cavity and then engage his own pierced one. He was more than happy to oblige her.

At the same time, her hands were tugging at his uniform frantically, trying to get him out of it as quickly as possible. She reached for his hakama-himo, hastily undoing the clothed ties around his waist and loosening his hakama, even as she broke away from their kiss to run her mouth erotically along his jawline and down his neck and chest, licking and nipping as she did so.

He groaned at her enthusiastic ministrations and reached out for her, but she quickly slapped his hands away. Hiyori was not in the mood to be teased any further by him, which was exactly what would happen if she let him touch her right now. "No," she growled out aggressively. "Just lie there and don't move."

He was more amused by her snappy, bossy order than anything, and he was also curious to see what she would do, therefore he subsided obligingly for now. She was not the only one who was eager to make love to her other half in this relationship, after all, but she had conceded no small amount of her pride to be here in Seireitei with him, and he was more than willing to let her have some semblance of control over this – for a little while, at least.

Hiyori quickly went back to kissing her way hungrily down his chest, acting very much like an angrily possessive little feline marking her territory as she went along the way, her small hands roughly pushing aside his kosode and under robe to reveal the rest of his lean and incredibly toned torso. She wiggled low over him to place little love bites all over his sleek, rippling abdomen and down the sides of his narrow, exposed hips, scraping at his skin with her teeth every once in a while and then laving at the reddened marks with her small, pink tongue as she did so. Not surprisingly, her deliberate attentions quickly made powerful, heady arousal rush through him like a giddy tide – despite his exhaustion, her mere touch and the feel of her soft mouth caressing his body was enough to make him grow very hard in response, and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to just grab her and roll her under him, to drive her mad with lust just as surely as she was doing to him right now—

She undid his fundoshi then, releasing his erection from the cloth confines. Lying on her stomach between his legs, she grabbed his rigid length with her hands and bent her head over it, sticking out her tongue and slowly and deliberately licking the highly sensitive, turgid organ from root to tip.

He nearly shot straight off of the futon in response, not expecting her to do anything like that. "Hiyori!"

She ignored his yelp and licked him again, a rapt and intent expression on her face as she ran her tongue up his length once more, and then she kept repeating her actions, doing it with such insatiable enthusiasm that it completely shook him. Her eyes locked with his mid lick, and the blatant gleam of sexual excitement in her eyes made him throb with responding lust. Fuck. He was actually more turned on by the titillating sight of her giving him a blowjob than the act itself.

Then, she unhesitatingly engulfed him in the warm, moist heat of her mouth, and he nearly swallowed his own tongue as she immediately ramped up the temperature in the room. He was quickly perspiring, a low pleasured grunt escaping him as she sucked on him insistently like a lollipop, at the same time dragging her rough tongue along the hypersensitive underside of his penis as she moved her mouth up and down his stiff length for as far as she could manage. Her hands closed over the part of his shaft that she could not take past her lips, her small fists squeezing him hard and rhythmically, and he was so dazed by the pleasure of the act that he had trouble remembering his own name. At the rate she was going – her lips were wrapped tightly around him like a vacuum seal and that small, agile tongue of hers was doing all sorts of things to him that made him completely lightheaded – he was going to spend himself right in her mouth if he wasn't careful.

"Hiyori -brat, stop," he panted harshly, almost pleadingly, at last. "For all that's good and holy, please stop."

She looked at that pained grimace on his face and took pity on him. Releasing him from the exquisite torture of her sweet mouth, she pushed herself up to sit between his legs and slowly licked her lips, cocking her head curiously as she did so.

"Was it no good?" she asked huskily. "You don't like it? Yoruichi said that most men do."

He tried to catch hold of her then, intending to reciprocate and churn her into a lust-filled frenzy as well, but she evaded him nimbly.

"I do," he growled. "I liked it too damn much." He was going to have to find out how the hell the cat woman had taught her such techniques, but his little lover looked so pleased with herself that all he wanted was to lay his hands on her and love her so well that she became nothing more than a boneless mass of contentment and sexual satisfaction.

The time for playing was quickly coming to an end, and she seemed to realize it as well. He was lying in a complete disarray amongst the futon, his uniform crumpled around and under him in careless abandon, his golden eyes fixed on her, burning with such fierce desire for her that it made her quiver with anticipation inside. Meeting his fiery gaze unflinchingly, she started to shed her own clothes, kicking off her track pants, shrugging off her jacket and then pulling her white tank top over and off her head, revealing her sports bra. He sat up quickly as well, helping her remove her underwear and then reaching over to kiss her deeply and with such ravenous passion that she could only moan helplessly into his mouth. She tasted faintly of him, and it drove his senses into an utter frenzy as the urge to couple with her right away became overwhelming.

Tugging her panties free from her body, he tossed the tiny scrap of cotton to the side and wasted no time reaching between her legs. She had other ideas though, and pushed him back onto the futon before he could touch her. Now completely nude, she threw a slender, bare leg over his loins, kneeling between his narrow hips and reaching down to grasp his erection.

"Hiyori!" He tried to stall her. "You're not ready yet. Lemme touch ya first-"

She silenced him with a lustful look.

"I want you now, Shinji," she bit out, and it didn't really matter what else he said, for she was intent on getting her way. The petite blonde took his arousal in her hand and rubbed the tip languidly against the entrance of her body. She was already damp with excitement, and she bit her lips at the promise of pleasure that flirted with her senses as she slowly lowered herself onto the head of his penis.

Watching the way her small body slowly took in his rigid length was erotic as hell. She was still not quite slick enough yet to smoothly accommodate his girth, and so she had to languidly circle her slender hips to slowly, carefully, slide him even deeper inside of her. It ensured that she felt every single inch of him as she struggled to take him in, and her spine slowly arched as he filled her inside, her breath hitching, a flush growing on her face, her eyelashes fluttering as she concentrated on the utterly welcome sensation of taut pleasure as he invaded her sensitive inner walls and forced them to part and ripple helplessly around him instead. An arousing little sound escaped her throat, a mix of a whimper and a whine, and her knees went momentarily weak when he was finally fully hilted in her.

"F-fuck," she hissed out shakily, and he couldn't agree more.

She was so bloody tight after a year of sexual abstinence that he couldn't even concentrate on anything but the mesmerizing heat of her body and the way she was gripping him like a damn vice. She pressed a small hand against his chest for support as she gathered her legs under her. Crouching over him, she started to move, decisively lifting herself up and nearly dislodging his entire engorged erection from inside of her until its mushroomed head was rubbing teasingly against the entrance of her slick vulva, made exquisitely swollen and extremely hypersensitive from arousal, before quickly sinking back down and engulfing him within her grasping, moist channel once more. He grunted, but held himself back from reaching for her as she quickly worked out a pace and rhythm that suited both of their increasingly frantic needs for mutual sexual fulfillment.

Watching her ride him was one of the sexiest encounters that he had had the pleasure of participating in. She was explicitly arranged before his hungry, intent gaze, her legs spread wide apart with an utter lack of embarrassment or shame, and it gave him a front seat view to her that was so intimately exclusive that just looking at her was enough to get him incredibly high on lust alone. The wild, passion fogged glow in her beautiful feline eyes, the sensual little cries that she gave out, the utterly arousing look of focus on her face as she concentrated on him and the pursuit of their carnal pleasure, they all added to the amazing experience that came with loving Hiyori. She had always been completely forthright and open when it came to the physical nature of their relationship, and this time was no different.

The wet, erotic sounds of their mating filled the air. Hiyori reached down between her legs to touch herself, eagerly fingering the tight little nub of hypersensitive nerve endings sitting high over her labia even as she moved over him again and again with increasingly desperate abandon, intensifying her experience. Their eyes met and locked. She looked at him with alluring desire, a slight, naughty gleam in her ochre eyes as she smirked breathlessly at him and deliberately put on a show just for his benefit, licking her lips at the same time.

He groaned at her playful provocation and had to clench his fists into the futon covers to keep from making a grab at her. The little minx. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and the utterly sensual way her body was clinging to him every time she sat him deep in her, the incredible friction that arose between them each time either of them moved, they all brought increasingly powerful waves of sexual pleasure rippling across his overwhelmed senses. She was so mind numbingly snug and it felt so good to be able to be so close to her again after their long separation.

Shinji did not think that he was going to be able to bear it for very long; it had been more than a damn year since he last had her, after all, and his commitment to their relationship had ensured that he kept perfectly faithful to her – to do anything else was simply unthinkable. He was well rewarded for his patience though; the maddening way that she was teasing him with her body was driving him absolutely crazy – and he was loving every second of it. He was going to lose it very soon, he was absolutely sure – but before it happened, he was determined to take her along with him for the ride.

Luckily enough, she was quickly getting close as well. His sheer presence and masculine scent was acting like a powerful aphrodisiac for her – no matter how she tried to deny it, she had missed him badly – and even hearing the sound of his voice right now, the simple acknowledgement of his heavy lidded gaze on her, they all ignited something instinctual in her and made her feel so horny and turned on that she could probably just get off on those heady sensations alone. His physical stimulations just further intensified those feelings, and the way his hard length was positioned to penetrate her ensured that he hit all the right spots each time she sheathed him inside of her, and by now, she had become so slippery from arousal that every rough thrust pushed her even nearer to the edge.

"S-Shinji," she shuddered helplessly, moaning out his name like a prayer, her movements quickening instinctively with her impending orgasm. "Shinji."

She was bracing both of her hands against his chest by now, leaning more into him for support, grinding against him desperately as the tendrils of sexual fulfillment gripped her tighter and tighter, and at last she broke her own resolve and closed that last few inches between them, kissing him in a needy manner.

Shinji saw it as his cue to finally make his move.

"Will ya lemme love ya properly now, brat?" he asked huskily against her mouth then, and shakily, she nodded.

He immediately snaked his arm around her small waist and held her close. She had been doing most of the work and now, he was more than happy to reciprocate. Kissing her hungrily, he pulled her flush against him and then reached down and tugged her legs up to wrap around his waist, spreading her wider apart so that he was even more deeply embedded in her than before. She keened at the sensation, and then he quickly reversed their positions, rolling them over on the futon until she was the one lying on it, his longer, larger frame easily dwarfing hers.

He liked having her under him – it was probably one of his favorite positions where she was concerned. She was such a feisty, spirited little thing, and it was always a pleasure to hold her close. She usually blustered a lot, but there was little she could do when he had her pinned, and he definitely appreciated the level of intimacy the position provided them both. Right now, she was completely drugged by passion – her small, impish face flushed, her feline ochre eyes dazed with lust, her mouth swollen from his kisses, her hair falling tousled around her like a golden halo. She looked utterly desirable to him, and kissing her deeply once more, he started to move.

She clung to him immediately, a sexy little mew escaping her mouth, her hips straining against his as she struggled to get him back inside of her, her legs tightening around his middle as she pressed close. She was such a demanding little lover, and she moved with him with such perfect ease and concert – her sheer responsiveness to him was simply addictive. He wasted no time picking up the pace of their lovemaking – thrusting right back into her with a swift, hard stroke, and then quickly repeating his actions, flexing his lean but powerful flanks to piston in and out of her with speed and dexterity.

Hiyori moaned against her lover's mouth. The way he always filled her to complete fullness felt simply amazing, and she was so painfully aroused right now that his actions were just adding to that delicious tension growing in her womb. Incredibly restless now, she pulled away from his kisses and pressed her face into the side of his neck instead, ardently licking and nipping at his throat with her tongue and teeth, her blunt nails digging into the back of his shoulders, and all but humping against him frantically as the spring inside of her wound tighter and tighter.

He growled lowly at the enticing way she was squeezing him, her sleek, rippling passage massaging his turgid erection so exquisitely and with increasing tautness that it was starting to become a challenge not to be affected. Like himself, she, too, was very near now – he could tell by the way she was quivering in his arms, how she was struggling to move with him – and it urged him to rock even harder against her, a response that she fully reciprocated with every answering twitch of her own hips.

And then, when a particularly deep thrust managed to nudge that elusive sweet spot inside of her, Hiyori jerked helplessly under him and very quickly started to come apart. Shinji immediately leaned over her and plugged her mouth with his own, swallowing her loud cries of pleasure and holding her tightly as she went wild under him, her body convulsing as her orgasm quickly overtook her senses. Her hot, slick channel gripped him hard, contracting around his rigid length with merciless pressure, and she arched into him with frantic passion. He was immediately caught in her sensual spell; the familiar tingling growing at the base of his spine simply became too intense to ignore, and with a couple more quick, erratic strokes, the all-consuming throes of her strong orgasm swiftly brought forth his own. Hilting himself deeply within her with a hard, pleasured grunt, he finally gave in to the persuasions of her sweet body, his lean, rangy form shuddering finely as he tensed and finally spilled his seed inside of her.

The entire experience was so intense that it actually drained him. With a husky sigh, he collapsed unceremoniously on top of her, taking a brief minute to recollect himself as they both recovered from their sexual exertions. He eventually mustered enough strength to turn over to lie on the futon, and then he lazily drew the still lightly quivering form of his petite lover to him and affectionately nuzzled her. She was unusually passive for once, and she allowed him to cuddle her without putting up any sort of resistance whatsoever.

Much to his surprise and delight, she turned to him after a while and started to lightly kiss his neck in return, tiny, opened mouthed affairs up the side of his throat and to his jawline, with little hints of teeth and tongue every now and then. Her small hands also started to stroke his chest and whichever part of him that she could reach quite amorously, and it didn't take him long to understand that she was already asking for Round Two.

Shinji didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Groaning into her hair, he pulled her flush against him and caught her hands before they could wander too far. "Have mercy on me, brat," he mumbled at last. "I haven't slept a wink the last few days; at least let me take a short nap first – I promise 'ta take real good care of ya once I'm rested."

She peeked up at him, studying him intently. He did look a bit wan now that he mentioned it. She hadn't really noticed earlier over the sheer, giddy excitement of being with him after so long, but since he had taken the initial edge off, she supposed she could wait.

"We'll do it as many times as I want?" she asked unabashedly, and his golden eyes darkened slightly in response. She had never been too shy when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship, and exhausted or not, he was still a man and her obvious desire for him was such a turn on – especially since he wanted her just as much, if not even more. They had quite a bit of lost time to make up for, after all.

"Until ya can't even walk," he promised in a low, intimate timbre that had her slowly licking her lips in response, her ochre eyes dilating slightly with renewed lust. She was looking entirely too arousing for her own good and he groaned again. "You're gonna be the death of me," he muttered, pulling her close and lightly nipping her neck. She squirmed against him, quickly turning her head to kiss his mouth, obviously in an affectionate mood, and he allowed it briefly before he made her settle down in his arms.

"Stay with me," he demanded huskily in her ear, and after a bit of customary protests, she at last agreed.

"Ya promised 'ta take me out for yakiniku too," she reminded him then, and he looked at her rather dryly.

"Are ya really sure ya came 'ta Seireitei for me, or just for 'ta sex and free food?" he asked.

She pretended to pause for a moment to think before she answered him, and he growled, unamused. She could not help herself; she threw her head back and barked sharply with laughter.

"Just kiddin'." Sobering, she continued. "I wouldn't be here for anyone else, even if they were offerin' 'ta same things."

"Ya better not even think of it," he muttered, but her simple, candid reply pleased him, so much so that he felt the urge to demonstrate his overwhelming affection for her once again. "Oh, to hell with this."

He could always sleep later.

He rolled her onto her back then, and kissed her deeply once more, his hand reaching down between her legs to touch her intimately, much to her surprise.

"Shinji! I thought ya said that ya can't get it up anymore?"

Now his male pride was definitely dented, not to mention he was also feeling quite offended by her mistaken assumption.

"I never said that. I'm tired, not impotent, stupid. Now, be quiet and lemme love ya; I'll show ya how well I can 'get it up.' Can't get it up, my ass…"

Omake

Momo eyed the small blonde woman sitting across the table with no small amount of curiosity as the latter kept her head down and just concentrated on her meal. All around them, the Captains and Lieutenants of the Third, the Fifth, the Eight, and the Ninth, together with the two Fukutaichou of the Sixth and the Thirteenth, were gathered in a popular yakiniku restaurant in the 15th District for dinner and drinks after work. Not surprisingly, the proprietor had to cordon off a portion of the modest shop to accommodate the large amount of high ranking Shinigami, but food and sake flowed freely as multiple conversations were being held concurrently around the large table.

Kurosaki Taichou was arguing with Rukia-san again over at the other end of the table, both looking quite irritated, while Renji sat in their midst and mediated halfheartedly with no small amount of amusement. Beside her, Kira and Hisagi were engaged in a quiet discussion over the latest issue of the Seireitei news magazine with the ever effervescent Kuna-san jumping in every once in a while to interrupt, and last but not least, the other three Captains rounded out the group, sharing sake and idly exchanging quips as they did so.

Sarugaki-san sat close to the latter trio, right beside Hirako Taichou, in fact, though she seemed to pay no attention to them (or anyone else, really) as she contentedly consumed the slices of tender grilled beef piled on her plate. For someone with a relatively small stature, she possessed a considerable appetite, and she was already working on her third serving for the night. The petite female was also obviously close to her fellow Vizards, and Hirako Taichou would occasionally pick up pieces of cooked meat from one of the sizzling griddles at the center of the table with a pair of chopsticks and replenish her plate for her. Her Captain was obviously quite fond of the reticent young woman; even though the latter frowned at him for babying her so, he just looked amused and continued to ferry her food.

It seemed that the two shared some sort of bond that all the other Captains were aware of, judging by how they weren't even batting an eye over it. Momo's curiosity grew further. She wondered why Sarugaki-san had not visited Seireitei earlier with the other remaining unaffiliated Vizards - the dark-haired Lieutenant had already met Yadomaru-san, Aikawa-san and Ushoda-san a year or so back when Kyouraku Soutaichou gained permission from Central 46 to allow the Hybrids unrestricted passage between the two realms, but this was the first time that she had met the pigtailed blonde.

Momo was startled from her musings when sharp, feline ochre eyes suddenly pierced her soft, inquisitive doe brown ones.

"You've been lookin' at me for a while now. What do ya want?" Hiyori demanded rather abruptly.

The Gobantai Fukutaichou flushed with chagrin at being caught. The female Vizard had not even been looking at her, but had somehow noticed her staring all the same. The rumors she had heard of the blonde being an ex-Fukutaichou were starting to have a ring of truth to them.

"Sumimasen, Sarugaki-san!" the dark-haired young woman politely apologized, bowing her head slightly at the same time. "Anou.. I was just wondering why you weren't here with the other Vizards last year…? I'm just a bit curious; you don't have to answer if you don't want to, really!"

Hiyori just eyed the Shinigami neutrally as she chowed down on her grilled beef. This was the baldy's new Lieutenant. She was definitely an upgrade compared to his last one (who had stuffed a Hollow in each of them, had them all summarily exiled and pretty much screwed all of them over), and she was quite obviously the cute and feminine sweetie pie type, what with her pretty looks and eager to please demeanor. For some reason, Hiyori was suddenly feeling very irritated.

"…I don't like Seireitei," she muttered curtly at last, leaving the other girl to draw her own conclusions as she continued to eat her food.

Momo floundered briefly for a while, not sure what to else to say. She had clearly broached an uncomfortable topic, and after a while, the Fifth Division Fukutaichou carefully ventured again. "Erm, still, you're here now, right? I'm sure if you come visit more often, you'll slowly start to like Seireitei again."

The girl was so friendly and genuinely nice that it was quite impossible to dislike her. Hiyori slowly licked sauce from her fingers and considered the dark-haired Shinigami contemplatively. She shrugged at last.

"Maybe."

Encouraged by the reply, Momo was eager to continue the conversation. "What made you change your mind and finally visit, Sarugaki-san?"

Hiyori's eyes suddenly gleamed. If her other half had seen the mischievous look on her face then, he would have known immediately that she was up to no good. Unfortunately, Shinji had been drawn into conversation with Ichigo and Rose, and therefore was not paying any attention whatsoever.

"I was promised free sex and great food," she replied with complete nonchalance.

Splurt.

It turned out that the Fukutaichou of the Third and the Ninth were also listening in the conversation, and both Kira and Hisagi immediately spat out their sake. Momo's eyes grew so wide that they nearly took up half of her face, and then the poor girl turned utterly red as she gaped between Sarugaki-san and Hirako Taichou, the latter just realizing that something was up.

"Brat, what are ya tellin' these people?"

Hiyori shrugged again.

"My bad; I meant that I'm here for the great sex and free food."

There was a pause.

"Actually, they're both free. And great."

By now, the entire table was quiet, but Hiyori just casually turned back to her plate and continued to dig into her meal. The gist of the conversation was pretty clear to Shinji, judging by the way everyone was looking at him. He resisted the urge to palm his face. Instead, he turned to look exasperatedly at his little imp instead.

"Was that really necessary?"

The pigtailed blonde did not even bat an eye, brazen as ever.

"Yer Fukutaichou asked. I just answered."

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Yep, the omake is Hiyori's way of 'subtly' baring her fangs and laying claim to her man, which, as you can see, is hardly very subtle at all. She's not clingy or easily jealous by nature (at least not most of the time and not without good cause), I feel, but she's definitely a possessive little thing. Shinji belongs to her and so of course she would boldly stake her claim for all and sundry to know. Poor Momo-chan just happened to be caught up in the whole thing by accident!

xXxXxXxXxX

Hiyori grew out her hair a little during their one year separation. It's roughly the length of how it used to be in the 'Turn Back the Pendulum' arc, and I will probably have it stay that way for now. I feel that slightly longer pigtails make Hiyori look less childlike somehow, and more like the cute young woman that she is, so there you go. It's just a very mild aesthetic change though, so no objections, I hope.

xXxXxXxXxX

I have my own theory regarding the growth of Souls that would hopefully explain why everyone seems to be maturing at different rates in Soul Society.

Basically, it has something to do with Reiryoku (spiritual power) and personal strength. I believe that physical growth is tied to spiritual growth for Souls, which means that they only hit growth spurts every time they experience a breakthrough in their personal abilities. That would explain why everyone in Seireitei is so obsessed with becoming stronger and stronger. Of course, different individuals have different rates of growth – some develop faster while others struggle and take a long time to reach personal milestones, and then some have greater capacities (potential) for growth and therefore will have to make more effort to breakthrough their higher glass ceiling while others have it slightly easier and would therefore mature faster, etc. This is why a young looking person (e.g. Toshiro) might not necessarily be weak, just like a matured adult Soul might not necessarily be strong. Not all men are created equal, and that is the same for Souls.

It would also explain why the residents in Rukongai seem to stagnate in terms of aging – in other words, no development in terms of Reiryoku, no physical growth, simple as that.

I believe development in terms of Reiryoku and spiritual abilities would especially accelerate during youth and young adulthood (hence why spirits like Byakuya, Akon and Gin could mature from child to adults in the span of a short century), and then slow down and plateau once a Soul's corporeal form is that of a full grown adult (late twenties, early thirties, etc), so physical aging slows down with it as well. It would explain why some of the older Shinigami are still relatively youthful looking despite being old as dirt (e.g. Ukitake, Kyouraku, Unohana, etc.). That is not to say that they are not getting stronger – just that they are not doing so anymore at insane rates.

The same thing applies for the Vizards as well. My hypothesis is that, due to their dual type Hollow/Shinigami spiritual powers, their potential for personal growth is at least doubled, and therefore it now takes even more for them to develop (or level up), which is why the entire lot of them looks like they haven't aged at all during their one hundred year exile in the Living realm. Also, Hiyori's still considered quite young for a soul, and therefore she's literally still growing (even if it take decades for her just to sprout a mere couple of inches). L&T!Hiyori is around 19 - 20 in terms of maturity, and since a woman can still (in theory) develop physically until the age of 21, well, she does possess the potential to become taller – though whether she manages to fulfill said potential is another matter altogether.

All that said and done, the girl's still pretty much a midget though – she's petite by nature – so don't hold out too high hopes that she would be growing much, haha.

Yes, long ass explanation, I know, and all based on nothing but my personal speculations, but well, I've been pondering how aging works in Soul Society for quite a while, and this seems like one of the more plausible possibilities to me. Tell me what you think!

xXxXxXxXxX

For those who are unfamiliar with the terms/romaji that I use to refer to the Gotei 13 and its respective divisions, here's the list for you to refer to:

Goteijusantai – Gotei 13
Ichibantai – First Division
Nibantai – Second Division
Sanbantai – Third Division
Yonbantai – Fourth Division
Gobantai – Fifth Division
Rokubantai – Sixth Division
Nanabantai – Seventh Division
Hachibantai – Eight Division
Kyuubantai – Ninth Division
Juubantai – Tenth Division
Juuichibantai – Eleventh Division
Juunibantai – Twelfth Division
Juusanbantai – Thirteenth Division

Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions!

xXxXxXxXxX

Last but not least, my dear, dear friend lilithkiss has kindly created another uberly lovely ShiYori fanart – this time for this particular arc of L&T, 'The First Step Is Always the Hardest.' I have linked the piece (as always, it can be found on my profile page, under 'Fanarts'), so do have a look if you are free. Remember to give the wonderful Lilith lots of love and kudos when you visit her page! =)

xXxXxXxXxX

Also, new arc again next chapter, and as always, thanks for reading!

xXxXxXxXxX

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws