I do not own anything bleach, only my OC.

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

Chapter 12 – With you

PREVIOUSLY

"Good, let me know if anything changes." Kisuke replied, resting his hand against Kimiko's cheek, he heard Ururu walk away from the door.

"Come on muse. Give me a sign." He demanded, narrowing his eyes, examining her body, he briefly saw her hands clench, before relaxing. Kisuke sighed, his shoulders dropping, shaking again. "Wake up…. Please…." He whispered, his head falling against their bed, one hand clasping hers, while his other buried in her hair.

Kisuke sat next to their bed, he lost track of him, Tessai had already awoken, he came and checked on Kimiko, telling Kisuke that it was now up to her, her body was healed.

Kisuke refused to leave her side, even to eat, he was scared that if he got up, she would fade completely, he couldn't lose her again. He was leaning against the wall, his knees drawn up and his head resting on his crossed arms which were perched on his knees, he was going down a rabbit hole, and couldn't stop himself, he was spiraling.

Kimiko stirred, groaning as she started to open her eyes, she slowly started to move different parts of her body, grinding her teeth, trying to ignore the pain radiating through her. She let her face fall to the side, her eyes half opened, she saw Kisuke leaning against the wall, her concern for him greater than her pain.

"Kisuke…." She whispered, trying to get his attention, she watched as his head slowly lifted, his eyes reaching hers, "I need you…" she whispered to him again.

Kisuke heard her words, he slowly made his way closer to the bed, grasping her hand, "Kimiko…. Please tell me you're okay…..." he begged her.

Kimiko tried to smile at him, "silly genius, I'll be okay…. Don't get lost in the woods…..." she muttered, her eyes closing.

Kisuke sighed, relaxing, knowing she was going to be okay, even in this state she pulled him back from spiraling. He watched her, watched her breathing, making sure he didn't imagine hearing her voice, after a few minutes he heard the door to the room slide open, Kisuke looked behind him, seeing Tessai kneeling there.

"Boss?" he asked softly, his face concerned for his friend.

"She woke up, but I'm not convinced I didn't imagine it…" Kisuke said laughing quietly, looking back at Kimiko.

Tessai sat there watching his long-time friend and current boss spiral down a dark tunnel, Kisuke for all of his brilliance felt things very strongly. If you were lucky enough to become close to him, the real him, he would guard you fiercely.

Tessai sighed, "I'll bring you some food, you need to eat." He slid the doors closed, leaving Kisuke to stand vigil over Kimiko.

Kisuke made his way back over to the wall he was previously leaning against, pulling his hat off of his head, letting his head bang back. His eyes never swaying from her body, as he felt the air in the room change, he narrowed his eyes when a light formed in front of him, taking shape of a five-tailed wolf.

"Suiro…" Kisuke whispered, surprised, Kimiko's zanpakuto almost never materialized outside of their inner world, especially not without her summoning him.

"Master Kisuke, it has been a long time." Suiro replied sitting in front of Kisuke, his aura expanding around him.

"What are you doing here? I don't understand, is something wrong with Kimiko?" Kisuke started to push away from the wall, his heart beginning to beat rapidly.

Suiro raised one of his paws at Kisuke, "calm yourself Master Kisuke. I'm here at mistresses request, she told me to tell you that she will follow you through the night, and that she is here by your side." Surio put his paw back on the ground watching Kisuke closely. His mistress had called to him when she woke briefly in their inner world.

FLASHBACK

"Suiro." Kimiko called looking around their inner world for her zanpakuto. She was tired, and overexerted herself, her reincarnated body was not accustomed to using so much power, she needed to train some more apparently.

She looked left when she saw Suiro walk out of the wooded area, his five tails swaying behind him, his eyes soft as he acknowledged his mistress.

"Mistress, you are healing…. Why summon me here?" he asked her, sitting before her.

"I know, I need a favor, Surio. Please, go to Kisuke, I woke up for a moment and I see he is spiraling. Please, watch over him for me until I can, tell him I said I will follow you through the night, and that I am here by your side. He will understand, he needs us." Kimiko pleaded with him.

Suiro processed her request, he really did not like materializing in the human realm, but he did cherish Master Kisuke, and knew how much her meant to his mistress, he sighed nodding his head.

"Very well Mistress, I will stand watch until you can." He whispered to her, watching as some tears escaped her eyes.

"Thank you, my friend." Kimiko said softly before she disappeared.

END FLASHBACK

Kisuke's eyes widened hearing what Suiro said, shocked. He shook his head, even when she was damaged, she still made sure he wouldn't get lost.

"Foolish woman." Kisuke murmured, looking at her sleeping form before turning back to Suiro. "She needs to look after herself…" he told the zanpakuto, who scoffed at his words.

"Tch, how do you expect her to do that, when she is so concerned for you, do you not understand Soul Reaper, I may be half of her soul as her zanpakuto, but you, you're her heart, she will never let you go." Suiro growled at him, trying to get him to understand.

Kisuke flinched at Suiro's words, closing his eyes, clenching his fists, falling back against the wall.

"She keeps getting hurt because of me, I seem to never be able to protect her." Kisuke stated, banging his head back against the wall in frustration.

"You humans, you never cherish what you have, you always look at what went wrong or could go wrong. You have been given a second chance with her, the one you used to call your love…"

"Used to?" Kisuke interrupted Suiro, his eyes snapping open and narrowing at the zanpakuto.

"Tch, if you still call her your love, why are you wallowing? Why are you feeling sorry for yourself? Why aren't you being the strategist she always boasted about? When one is weak, that is when the other should be strong!" He shouted standing up on his four legs, his spiritual pressure flaring as he snarled, his teeth baring.

Kisuke felt his anger start to rise at Surio's words, he was angry at hearing them, he was angry that they were correct, he was angry that he was being weak, he was angry that he was scared. He stood from the wall, picking up an empty frame on his dresser chucking it across the room against the opposite wall, the glass shattering to the floor.

"Good you should be angry! For one hundred years, I tried to reach you. I knew what she had done, and I knew she would return, you foolishly missed the fact that I was still here which should have strengthened you, it why she left me behind." Suiro paused, shaking his head, sighing in frustration before continuing.

"We sat in our inner world, waiting for the opportunity, the window, to unite with her reincarnation, to find you. She was with you the whole time Master Kisuke."

Kisuke breathed deeply and rapidly, trying to control his building anger, blinking his eyes to hold back his rage that was starting to enter his eyes, turning them red. He fell to his hands and knees groaning, he didn't understand what was happening.

"Your buried emotions, they are coming to the surface. I am forcing you to hear things you don't want to, face things you don't want to. This isn't what she asked of me, I was only to watch over you, comfort you, but that wouldn't help you." Suiro stepped closer to Kisuke, bringing his head down to his, pushing his nose against Kisuke's head. "I need you to help me protect her." He whispered to him, pushing him again, his spiritual pressure surrounding Kisuke.

Kisuke's hands clenched on the floor, feeling Surio and his power helping to push back the rage that was building, the rage that had become his armor. He took deep breaths before looking up, staring at the zanpakuto in front of him, gulping.

"I will, I'll protect her, I'll dying trying to protect her. She is everything to me, but I might need your help and Benihimes help if I'm not strong enough." He said, his tone determined.

Suiro smirked at Kisuke, his eyes moving to Benihime who was leaning against the wall where Kisuke was leaning against.

"I've spoken to her, she adores you. She still refuses to acknowledge how much she has come to adore my mistress, but she is not convincing. She was broken when mistress died, though she told me that she felt my presence faintly, grasping to it, making sure she would be strong for you. We both will assist you, if you should need me, and mistress is unable to summon me, know this Master Kisuke, I will hear your call." Suiro laid down on the ground, resting his head on his crossed paws, his eyes moving to Kimiko's form.

Kisuke watched Suiro, his mind racing trying to wrap around the words he just heard. Benihime and Suiro had spoken… how… could zanpakutos really control themselves like this? Could they acknowledge someone other than their soul reaper? Muramasa always said that zanpakutos have their own free will and didn't need soul reapers, with how Suiro was speaking, he was starting to believe that was completely accurate.

He closed his closed tightly, groaning as he tried to stop his mind, but failing.

Surio turned his head, watching Kisuke struggle with himself, he had watched the young genius through his mistress for centuries, he knew his weaknesses and failings, though he saw those as openings that were waiting for the correct counterpart, where he failed his mistress succeeded. They were conjoining pieces, two parts of a whole. Kimiko was the only one who could tame Kisukes' darker side.

"You need to breath Master Kisuke, you are trying to understand things that cannot be understood, it would take another lifetime for your mind to wrap around the true understanding of a zanpakuto. Soul reapers use us, command us, but don't know us. Mistress Kimiko, she befriended me, I go above and beyond for her because she is not my master she told me, she is my friend." He explained to him, trying to relax him.

Kisuke tried to control his emotions, he never lost control of his emotions, even back in the soul society, he displayed what he wanted people to see of him, until Kimiko came along, with her he was unable to hide, she pulled his true self to the surface, he had to recreate his masks after she died, lately he had been feeling those emotions pushing to the surface with her returning to him, and he didn't know how to stop them.

Suiro sighed, standing, and moving closer to Kisuke, pushing him to lay on the ground, rather than be on his hands and knees. He felt resistance, but growled at him to relax, once Kisuke was laying on his side breathing heavily, his eyes closed tight, Surio walked behind him arranging himself, so his body wrap around him, one of his tails laying on top of him, using his spiritual pressure as a cloak, as he would with Kimiko.

Kisuke felt his body and soul relax, opening his eyes, he saw himself wrapped in a dark blue and purple aura, noticing the tail laying over him, his eyes traveled to Benihime who was glowing, he knew she was observing everything, finally he sighed.

"Thank you Suiro, thank you for forcing me to hear and face the truth. I'll thank Benihime also." Kisuke expressed softly, allowing his body to submit, his eyes closing.

"Tch, Master Kisuke, you humans and soul reapers should learn to let go more, stop trying to control everything out of your control, and embrace what is in front of you." Suiro responded, feeling Kisuke drift into unconsciousness.

Kimiko felt herself start to stir; her body finally fully repaired, that much power flowing through her to stop that cero was too much, she wasn't ready for it. Her old soul reaper powers that Kisuke restored with the gem he pushed into her body mixed with her innate abilities were amplified with the power of two souls in her, she felt more spiritual pressure within her.

Slowly she opened her eyes, letting them adjust, turning her head to the side she saw Kisuke laying on the ground with Suiro wrapped around him. She smiled at the sight before her, knowing that he was able to help Kisuke in her stead.

Suiro opened his eyes, meeting his mistresses, he raised his head slowly, "Mistress…" he breathed softly.

Kimiko's smile grew a bit more, her eyes shining with appreciation and gratefulness at her zanpakuto.

"Thank you Suiro, thank you for guarding him in my stead." She whispered, her tone caring all her adoration for her zanpakuto, her friend.

"Tch, of course, he is handful though…" Suiro said, pausing before he continued, "It may not have gone exactly as you wanted Mistress." He finished, turning his head from her.

"Meaning?" she asked, her brows raising.

"I may have been very honest with master Kisuke, I may have forced him to confront things he did not want to hear or face…" Suiro explained, tilting his nose in the air, displaying that he was not regretful for his actions or choices.

"Hhmm… did it end well?" she questioned after a few moments.

Suiro turned his head back to her, shocked, not expecting that response, "he accepted what he had to face."

"Good, he needed that. Thank you." Kimiko uttered, her smile growing larger as she held her zanpakutos gaze.

"You knew, you knew I would not baby him. You knew I would force him to confront his emotions." Suiro stated, realizing her true motives in asking him to watch over Kisuke.

Kimiko huffed a laugh, "Perhaps, I am a better strategist than Kisuke, I do truly enjoy planning five moves ahead." She replied, trying but failing to hide her pridefulness in her plan succeeding.

Surio huffed in annoyance, turning away from Kimiko, "Perhaps. Next time, let me in on the strategy, huh." He said, letting his body dematerialize.

Kimiko chuckled, she probably should have included him in her strategy, but she didn't want to influence what she knew would be his true words and actions with Kisuke, she turned her eyes to the sleeping figure on the floor. She tried to push herself off the bed, after a few minutes she was able to swing her legs over the side of the bed, taking a moment to breathe deeply.

Once she had more control over her body, she slid to the ground, she made her way over to Kisuke one her hands and knees, once she reached his sleeping form, she raised her right hand to caress his face, pulling back to into awakening.

Kisuke stirred and groaned, feeling something pulling him back to consciousness. He felt a pressure on his face, a sensation that brought him peace, his eyes opened slowly, adjusting, focusing, he watched as Kimiko's face came into focus. He stared at her smile and felt her hand caressing his face slowly.

"There's my genius." She whispered to him, as he continued to stir, waking up.

"Kimiko?" he murmured softly, pushing himself up.

"Who else would it be?" she replied, her hand drifting into his blonde hair, while he sat up. "Sorry I took so long to wake up fully, this body isn't used to having that much power flow through it, I guess I'm going to have to train more, huh." She joked, watching him closely, reading his expressions and eyes.

The fog in Kisuke started to fade, he remembered letting unconsciousness claim him when Surio let his spiritual pressure surround him, forcing him into sleep. He realized that Surio was no longer behind him, and he didn't feel his presence any longer, he looked around the room, confusion showing on her face.

"He's gone, he didn't need to be here any longer as I was awake. He fulfilled the request I asked of him." She explained, seeing the look on his face.

She could always read him so easily, it terrified him sometimes, knowing that he had no way of shielding himself from someone. Kisuke pushed himself off the ground, holding her gaze.

"Why, why did you send Suiro to me? Why didn't you concentrate on restoring yourself?" Kisuke asked her, wanting to hear her reasoning.

"Silly genius, I will always put you first, you're my heart, I can't live without my heart. I told you long ago, I am always with you and will never let you go." She told him forcefully, conviction in her tone. "I know Suiro told you things that weren't easy, I asked him to watch over you while I couldn't." she sighed, letting her hand drift back to his face, her thumb running under his eye, smiling.

"There cannot be a me without you, where you begin is where I end, for being a genius you haven't figured that out yet?" she stated, teasing him.

Kisuke kneeled in front of Kimiko, searching her eyes, seeing every emotion there, from hurt, despair, to love, his hands reaching to burying into her loose red hair, letting his grip tighten.

"I've let you down in so many ways, I don't deserve you, but I'm begging you don't leave me." Kisuke pulled her head closer to his, letting his forehead rest against hers, keeping his gaze steady.

Kimiko searched his eyes, trying to understand what caused that statement.

'What did Suiro say to you?' She thought to herself, concern entering her mind.

"Why would I bother going through all this if I ever considered leaving you? Kisuke Urahara centuries ago, you became my heart, how can I survive without my heart?" She told him, pushing against his forehead, smiling. "You cannot get rid of me that easily." She joked before pressing her lips to his.

A/N: Here's the next chapter – still trying to get past this writers block, please let me know what you think so far, reviews are always appreciated!