I do not own anything bleach, only my OC.

This story takes place before TYBW, but after the end of the original anime.

Chapter 7 – Safe

Previously:

"What are you…." He whispered to just her.

"Stronger than your hollow." She whispered back, her voice melodic almost. She pulled her fist, standing there staring at him. She watched as Ichigo removed his mask, and she allowed her powers to recede, and the sun came back out in the whole facility.

'So, all her powers are back, and amplified apparently. I wonder if that has anything to do with the merging of two souls.' Kisuke thought as he sat there silently.

Kisuke ended the training after that, telling everyone that they should go upstairs. Tessai had already prepared dinner, so everyone was seated around Kisuke's dining room table, silent.

"This is delicious Tessai – thank you for making such a wonderful meal." Kimiko finally said, breaking the silence. Tessai beamed at her, blushing.

"Oh, thank you mistress. It really was nothing. Just something I threw together." he said bashfully.

Kisuke laughed at his term of endearment for her and how he tried to hide the fact that he loved it when someone complimented his cooking.

"Why do you call her mistress Tessai?" Ichigo asked, pausing his eating.

Kisuke looked up at Tessai, waiting to see what he would say.

"Well, Mr. Ichigo. It's because when we were in the soul society, she commanded respect and authority, but never demanded it." Tessai started to explain. "She had a grace about her, and she saved my life." He finished causing everyone to gasp, but Kimiko smiled at him softly, placing her hand on his.

FLASHBACK

Tessai was walking through the Rukongai, he had finished picking up the items that Kisuke had asked for. He was focused on one of his inventions again, and he wouldn't stop until he finished. Tessai wasn't paying attention when he was suddenly surrounded.

He looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"What do we have here boys…. Think he has anything we would want?" one to his right said grinning maliciously. The others laughed and before Tessai knew it he dropped the bag trying to get his kido off to fight them, he was holding them off pretty good, until one of the attackers stabbed him in the side causing him to fall to his knees. He grasped the wound trying to heal it quickly, but one of the attackers was raising a blade to him. His eyes were wide before he closed them, preparing for the blow.

When he didn't feel anything, he opened his eyes to see a blade holding the other off. Tessai's eyes followed the blade to its wielder's arm. He saw the hand holding the blade wrapped in black wrappings, and his gaze continued until he noticed the tattoo on the arm. He finally looked at the person's face and saw it was Kimiko Hoshi.

She was the third seat to Captain Kyoraku of Squad 8. He had seen Kisuke speaking to her on several occasions and even tried to involve her in some of his crazy ideas. He knew his old friend was very fond of her even though he tried to hide it.

"You gentlemen are not being very kind. It's not nice to outnumber someone who is out shopping." She said to them in her melodic voice, but her eyes held a sharp edge to them.

Tessai's attackers started to back away, seeing her shihakusho. She glared at all of them until they backed away feeling her spiritual pressure rise around her. She turned and looked at Tessai before smiling at him.

Tessai watched her sheath her zanpakuto before kneeling gathering the items he dropped, not saying a word just placing them back in the bags.

Tessai just stared at her, shocked by her kindness.

"Thank you…." He whispered, still staring at her. Kimiko raised her head smiling at him, her hazel eyes bright with warmth. He had never actually been introduced to her by Kisuke, so there was no way she would have known they were friends.

"Of course, I hate bullies." Was her response as he got up with her. She walked with him back to the seireitei, listening to him recount stories and tales, laughing along the way. They stood facing each other after entering the gate.

"Thank you again Mistress." Tessai said.

"Please don't call me mistress. I'm no noble." She laughed, squeezing his arm before walking away.

Tessai smiled at her as she left him.

END FLASHBACK

Kimiko squeezed Tessai's hand again, making him smile at her.

"She has been Mistress to me since then, though she was shocked the first time she saw me with Kisuke." He spoke.

"Hey! You never actually introduced yourself!" She said poking him in the shoulder laughing.

Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo laughed.

"Not to make this more awkward…... but what are you, Kimiko?" Ichigo asked after a few moments.

Kisuke glared at him from under his hat.

'I'm really going to have to have a discussion with him about tact.' Kisuke thought to himself.

He looked up at Kimiko who was staring at him, waiting for him to lead this. Kisuke stayed silent thinking about how he wanted to handle this, before sighing.

"She was a soul reaper. A powerful one." Was his reply to Ichigo.

"Bullshit! I know what I saw during our spar. She literally replied with 'someone stronger than your hollow'. Tell us the truth Kisuke, she's not just a regular ex soul reaper." Ichigo argued.

Kimiko smiled, 'So he's not as dense as he lets people believe.' She thought glancing at Kisuke, she sighed knowing he was not going to divulge anything.

"You're right… I'm not a regular ex-soul reaper." Kimiko said looking at Ichigo. Kisuke squeezed her thigh under the table with his hand. She placed hers over his giving it a squeeze.

"Even when I was in the soul society, I was different. I was born different. Not just a prodigy, but different." She sighed looking at Renji, Rukia, and Ichigo. "I was born with innate abilities to harness the elements. I felt a connection to nature and animals, they seemed to bend and grow to my will. When I was younger, I was treated very poorly, shunned, called a witch. People feared me."

"When my spiritual power emerged, I was found by Captain Shunsui and Captain Ukitake. He enrolled me into the academy, and I ended up graduating earlier than others. I heard my zanpakuto before they even found me, I always thought it was the elements speaking to me." Kimiko said as she laughed. Kisuke squeezed her thigh again before caressing her, trying to show silent support.

"My powers grew very quickly, with the combination of both my abilities, Central 46 was concerned, and wanted to seal my powers like they did with Kenpachi, but Shunsui and Jushiro wouldn't allow it, saying I wasn't a danger. They compromise was that I could never become a captain or a lieutenant." Kimiko said while she shrugged. Kisuke gasped, not knowing this fact, he had always wondered why she never held a higher seat, but figured it was because she didn't want it.

"I remained as Shunsui's third seat since I graduated the academy, though I would float and help other squads as needed. Shunsui did everything in his power to keep my other abilities quiet" Kimiko smirked.

"Though a certain new captain snuck up on him during one of the moments that I was allowed to have fun. You see I was very close with Yachiru, Kenpachi's lieutenant, and she would beg to see the dancing element people." Kimiko laughed as the memory floated back.

FLASHBACK

"Please Kenny! I want to go see Koko, and the dancing element people!" she begged irritating Kenpachi until he growled.

"FINE!" He stood up, and Yachiru clapped happily.

"YAY!"

Kenpachi flashed them to squad 8 looking for Shunsui, not seeing him or Kimiko, he flashed to Shunsui's compound. He saw him standing on a hill with Ukitake looking down into a field.

"Kenpachi, how can we help you?' Shunsui asked, turning to him with a smile.

"She won't shut up about the element people." He grumbled and Yachiru jumped off his back running down the hill to Kimiko who was sitting by the lake. Kenpachi moved to stand next to the other captains, letting a ghost of a smile grace his face.

Kimiko looked up and smiled at Yachiru as she threw herself into her arms hugging her.

"Koko! Kenny brought me to see the dancing elements." she exclaimed happily. Kimiko looked up to the hill and saw Captain Zaraki standing with Shunsui and Jushiro. She nodded her head to him slightly, and he returned it to her, before flashing down next to the lake and sitting against the tree truck.

Kimiko raised her hands and the water started to ripple, forming small water people who ran around Yachiru.

"Don't let go of me or my memory, We had everything, Oh, I promise you I will do better, And that forever, I'll keep you safe in these days, Don't let go of me or my memory, We had everything, Oh, I promise you I will do better, And that forever, I'll keep you safe in these days" Kimiko started to sing, the water people started dancing around, as the wind started to blow, creating people made out of the cherry blossom petals. Yachiru laughed and tried to catch them, but they just danced away from her.

"I'll keep you safe in these days, I'll keep you safe in these days, It feels like I lost my satellite, Losing pieces of us every night, Took me far too long to turn around, Ooh, I apologize that I, kept you waiting, I lost my mind at sweet elevation, Now I just wanna hold on to what's left of us" Shunsui and Ukitake laughed at the antics from their hill, when Shunsui suddenly turned narrowing his eyes at the new arrival. Ukitake turned his head to look over his shoulder to see Kisuke Urahara.

"Captain Urahara, what are you doing here?" Shunsui asked trying to keep his tone light.

Kisuke heard the singing, and he tried to look down the hill but was blocked by Shunsui's body. He raised an eyebrow before lifting the stack of papers.

"Your third seat told me earlier that you needed these back as soon as possible. I went to your office, but you weren't there, a member of your squad told me I could find you here." He explained, a bit apprehensive. Still not sure of himself.

Shunsui stared at him, before smiling. "You could have just left it in the office, but since you made the trip here. Thank you." Shunsui took the papers, expecting Kisuke to leave but he stood there, hearing the singing and laughter from below the hill. He had a confused look on his face.

Kenpachi suddenly appeared behind Shunsui, looking irritated.

"Shunsui, Yachiru is trying to make me dance with the element people, you need to get down here. I don't dance." He grumbled before vanishing, not even noticing Kisuke.

Shunsui sighed trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this.

"He was a member of squad 2 Shunsui, he knows about secrecy." Ukitake finally said, keeping his back to them.

"You breathe a word of what you see to anyone, and I will kill you myself." Shunsui threatened. "That includes Captain Shihoin, believe me I will know, I know everything."

Kisuke narrowed his eyes before he followed Shunsui to the edge of the hill.

"Stay up here with Jushiro." He said before vanishing.

"So don't let go of me or my memory, We had everything, Oh, I promise you I will do better, And that forever, I'll keep you safe in these days"

Kisuke looked down into the valley and gasped. He watched as Lieutenant Yachiru ran around tiny people made of water, petals, and dirt form what Kisuke could see. He then saw and heard Kimiko, Shunsui's third seat from earlier sitting next to the water singing, seeming to control the people made of elements.

"What is happening…" Kisuke mumbled to himself. Mesmerized by her voice. He continued to watch as Shunsui arrived and laughed at Yachiru, starting to dance with her and the animated people.

"She is special, our Kimiko. We come here so she can be free to relax. Lieutenant Yachiru has become quite fond of her, so she begs Kenpachi to bring her here." Ukitake explained without looking at him.

"We will protect her, we don't know the full extent of her abilities they grow and change as she does, but understand Captain, Shunsui and myself are not the only ones who will protect her, you will have to deal with Kenpachi also."

Kisuke turned his head to look at Ukitake who had yet to look at him. So, he turned his head back to the one who was spinning his mental wheels. He was more fascinated by her now than he was earlier.

END FLASHBACK

Everyone was quiet, until Rukia looked at Kisuke.

"So, did you ever tell Yoruichi?" She asked. Kimiko turned her head to stare at him as he smirked.

"No…. I never told a soul. Except Kimiko, when I confronted her." He replied lowering his head.

"So, you really are a witch?" Ichigo asked raising his eyebrow to Kimiko, who laughed while everyone else sweat dropped and sighed.

"If that is what you need to call me to comprehend it, then sure why not. The big thing is that I make things feel alive and strengthened. Which is why I said I was stronger than your hollow. Suiro, my zanpakuto, feeds off that strength and I can manipulate the elements to assist in fights" she explained.

"But you weren't stronger than Aizen?" he asked blankly. The tension in the room rose. Kisuke narrowed his eyes.

"These questions are finished, it's getting late, everyone should probably start heading home" he said smiling ushering them out the front door. Kimiko watched as Tessai took Jinta and Ururu to their rooms, after bidding her good night. She stood from the table and made her way upstairs pausing in the hallway, not knowing where she should go, she had only been in Kisukes' room because she was injured or incapacitated somehow.

"Lost?" He asked standing behind her startling her. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear or feel him.

"No… it's just…" she started but then let her sentence trail off.

"Just what?" he asked, placing his hands on her hips.

"Not sure where I should go… I was in your room because I was injured or incapacitated, is there a guest room?" She whispered, feeling Kisuke step closer to her, pushing his chest into her back, bringing his lips to her ear, biting her lobe slightly.

"It's our room…. You will never sleep away from me again. I have been separated from you for one hundred years, I will not accept it any longer." He whispered in her ear causing her to shiver which brought a smile to his lips. "Plus… there are more tests I need to run on you…."

Kimiko laughed as he picked her up, carrying her into the room, tossing her on the bed before turning and closing the door.

"You just threw me on the bed…." She playfully said narrowing her eyes watching him pull of his black haori and removing his shirt before crawling on top of her.

"Was that too rough?" he asked mischievously, kissing her neck making her gasp, "Or not rough enough?" she heard him say before he bit her shoulder through her shirt.

A/N: Will there be more peace before all hell breaks loose? Things are going to start to get darker, Please review!