Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or its characters, that right belongs to Tite Kubo. Nor do I own Inuyasha or its characters, that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

"Then, do you have someone you favor, Miko Kagome?"

There was a brief pause before a sigh broke the silence.

"Yes," was the soft reply. "But, I do not know if they reciprocate."

Again the room got quiet as all those gathered just looked at the tiny woman as she stood her ground and stared at the Emissary for New Spirit King.

"You do not have now? Have you not made your affections clear?"

Blue eyes narrowed and pink, bow-shaped lips pressed into a thin.

"I have, in my way," the woman replied.

"Then this person is either dense not to have noticed or is not interested," the Emissary said. "I am going to give you the chance to call this person here if they are not already, and tell them how you feel. Depending on their answer, I will immediately take you to the Spirit King."

Everyone looked at the red flooding the woman's face.

"I will not. Unlike you, I am not going to force the thoughts or feelings I have so rudely onto someone," Kagome hissed as her blue eyes glowed faintly as she looked at those gathered. "So, I suggest you think before you continue to speak."

The room fell into silence once again. The spiritual pressure rolling off the tiny woman had them all on edge. It was that power she was exuding that had caught the attention of the Spirit King.

"Of course, Miko. Of that is all?" the Emissary said, a thin sheen of sweat appearing on his brow.

The way those blue eyes just looked at the twenty-six people sitting at the long oval table, before sighing

"No, let us go," was all that was said.

He sat there, staring at the now-closed door of the meeting room and feeling as if he missed something important, vital. And that had him leaving perturbed as he tried to figure out what it could be. Only for his head to snap forward and pain explodes from the back of his head. Snapping it up and looking at the offender, narrowing his eyes as he opened his mouth to say something scathing.

"Don't Captain," his Lieutenant said, her brown eyes glaring at him in anger. "And I agree with the Emissary; you are dense."

This had him blinking. His Lieutenant was often lazy and drunk. But never had she talked back to him or assaulted his person other than to smother him in her chest like a small child. But now, she was angry at him, and he didn't understand.

"Captain Hitsugaya."

Turning his head around, he looked at who spoke and saw the dark gaze of Byakuya focused on him.

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki?" he asked.

"I think it is time for you to grow-up again," he stated as the corners of his mouth turned up in a semblance of a smile. "Or come to regret losing something very precious."

It gave him pause as his mind dissected what was just said. The way Byakuya repeated grow-up. He knew that Captain Kuchiki and the Captain Commander were the only people who knew about his Bankai's mature form. Was that what he meant? Then his mind jumped to the second part of what his fellow Captain said, what it was implying, what Toshiro knew of the man before it hit home. And what he had missed during the exchange between Kagome and an Emissary from the New Spirit King.

Standing up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process, Toshiro ran to the window. Threw it open and jumped out of it. Not paying much attention to the gasp of shock at what he was doing.

Pulling his sword, speaking softly, "Sit upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

The feel of his Zanpaku-to's power being released, before focusing and feeling his sword seemingly hum in amusement as he cried out Bankai. Once it was released, he snapped out his wings and was immediately jerked upwards on the thermal draft. Used to it, he hurriedly released the flowers and felt his body shift and change as his spiritual pressure was fully released. Banking sharply to the right, where he knew the gate to the Spirit Palace would be opened, Toshiro let his mind drift back over the last year.

The first time he saw her, she (literally) snuck in through a window into the Captain Commander's office. He was debriefing Shunsui on his Bankai's mature form and causing both of them to go still and silent as she looked around with unfocused, glazed and slightly clouded blue eyes. The confusion was apparent on her face as she spotted both him and the Captain Commander, who sucked in a deep breath and uttered a name he was not familiar with just as the alarms of an intruder went off. Of course, he had been ready to apprehend her, except he was floored by the stunned look on her face at the name before shaking her head no.

From there, it devolved into Shunsui trying to talk to her before the sound of the guard's feet were rushing towards the office. The girl had just opened and closed her mouth, no words escaping as she spoke. Then she was ushered to a wall panel that was slid open, and she was pushed in, and Nanao told to take her somewhere that he had not heard of before. Just to watch as the panel shut and Shunsui to chuckle, though it was sad sounding as he made his way back to his seat, asking Toshiro to say nothing about the girl.

His first time was meeting the girl; he quickly noted that her eyes were not as cloudy and deep, vibrant cobalt blue. The smile on her face as she walked with the Captain Commander around the grounds. She looked more alive than before. Her face was split with a smile that was both happy and gentle. Then next thing Toshiro knew he was being introduced to one Kagome Higurashi. Descendant and reincarnation of one Midoriko Ukitake, making her a hime of the Ukitake Clan.

She gave him a polite bow and tried to speak, but her voice was unable to come out, which was a bit worrisome. Though he was able to read her lips as she thanked him for his help. Before his mind gave him a clue, to which he got laughed at by the Captain Commander. From there, the day he'd spent with the two was rather informative. Learning about the former Captain Commander, having had a daughter who had strong, but unique Reiashi that could harm her fellow shinigami as well as Hollows and demons on earth. That Kagome was his great-great-granddaughter. It was rather profound, as well as Kagome having the same spiritual ability that she looked sad about having.

The next time he had a run-in with Kagome had left a lasting impression. It was after she had been inducted into the Ukitake Clan. There had been a considerable commotion outside his office. The loud shouting and heavy footfalls of people running had him and Matsumoto looking at his door, which was promptly jerked open, shut behind an unexpected visitor. Who just looked at him with blue eyes, before rushing towards him and easily vaulting over his desk and crouching behind his chair.

When he had turned to look at her, she gave him a soft smile and a finger pressed to her curled lips as her eyes said sorry. Then his door was opened again, drawing his attention away from her. Just to see some people wearing the livery for the Ukitake Clan burst in and call out to Kagome. He was pleading with her to behave and come with them. Just as Matsumoto exclaimed as horror crossed the intruding man's face. Forcing him to whip around in his chair.

Kagome had opened his window and was standing on its ledge. Her eyes narrowed as she flipped a double bird to the people and jumped out it. She was making him jump from his seat and rush to the window along with everyone else and seeing her free-falling to the courtyard below, laughing of all things before she rolled her body and grasped the ends of her peach-colored Kimono. She was causing it to snap out and fill with air and let her more or less float a bit slower though she did draw the eyes of the people walking around down there. Just for her to let go of the ends of her Kimono and double feet plant right into the eleventh squads Lieutenant Ikkaku Madarame. Who went face-first into the paved tile, while Kagome threw her Kimono over Kenpachi's head and ran.

He realized then that she was spirited. And potentially a lot of trouble.

It was two months later that he had another run-in with her. Another long day of meetings and getting Soul Society back to what it had been. While dealing with all the aftermath of the war with the Quincy. A lot of rebuilding. So, when the Ukitake Clan had popped up and asked if anyone was willing to help them to look for their missing Hime, he had wanted to groan. Spending a whole day looking for one girl was not supposed to be hard. Then again, he had not been able to feel her Reiatsu in the first place.

Eventually, he had made his way out of Soul Society to where there was a small lake that was surrounded by a few hills and Sakura Trees. It was a place that was quiet and untouched by many. He had found it shortly after joining the Academy. And with the moon high in the sky, no word of her returning to the Ground the Ukitake Clan owned, he had come there to think and meditate. But what his eyes saw had his brow twitching violently at the site that met it.

There was the person they'd wasted the whole day looking for. She was standing in the water, looking at the night sky. The water only went to what should be her mid-calf, but from what he could tell by looking at her pale purple Kimono was she had been there for a while due to it having absorbed enough water to cling to her hips. Creating a sad image as the silver light of the half-moon bathed her in it.

Eventually, he had moved forward a few steps. Just to have Kagome speak up and tell him she hated being kept in a cage or treated like some lost, delicate animal, which had him looking at her as she finally turned her head from the sky to look at him. The lilac light in the depths of her puffy, bloodshot eyes bared the truth of her words that were further proof than her hoarse voice that she had been crying because she was distraught.

The Months kept on going by. And they kept meeting back at that little Lake. Spring turned into summer, then fall and finally, winter. And he had grown rather fond of Kagome. She was unlike any other he had met. The innocent naivete like Hinamori, mixed with the brashness of Matsumoto, the need to be straight forward and honorable like Byakuya, then she was mellow and laid back like Shunsui. But what had struck him as humorous was she had Nanao's personality quirk of nailing perverts with a slap that sent them flying as all of the courts had found out by accident when Hisagi had bumped into her, and they went tumbling to the ground. She had screamed pervert, rounded on the poor Lieutenant before they could say anything, and sent the man flying across the courtyard, through the wall and into another before he stopped just to look horrified at her actions and started to cry.

And he hadn't been able to help himself that day. He burst out laughing at the complete absurdity of it all. Though when Kenpachi got wind of it, keeping Kagome out of his reach was difficult.

Then there were two weeks ago. Toshiro had caught wind of the fact that the elders of the Kuchiki Clan had been in negotiations with the Ukitake Clan to form a marriage alliance. He hadn't thought much of it, thinking elders couldn't and wouldn't be that stupid to put Kagome into that situation. Though two days later, an unknown, massive Reiatsu. And later in the day, he would learn that all of the Seireitei had felt that. All the unseated and a few up to the 3rd seat were knocked unconscious. His Lieutenant had stumbled and almost hit her knees. It was concerning; then it was gone.

He learned that it belonged to Kagome that night when all the Captains, Byakuya included, came to an emergency meeting about it. Though he was not happy about why she let loose like she did, in pure anger, it was because they'd had an Omai meeting. Of course, Byakuya assured them that everything was fine. That when she had learned why she was there, she got agitated. Then when told that they wanted her to marry him, she had started to shut down and was blunt in saying she refused to marry him.

When asked her reason to refuse, she had said that she would not marry a man or woman that could not love her with all their heart. Which Byakuya has said led to a conversation none of them needed to be privy too. But he was sure it had to do with the fact that he still loved his former wife. It was known but not talked about. Just to have Kagome finally blew her top about it all when the Elders of both clans decided to push the issue. Again, it had led to informing Kenpachi to leave her alone as they were told that Kagome had gone missing yet again and needed to be found. He had not missed the look that was given to him from both Captain Byakuya and the Captain Commander.

After the meeting, he had waited until everyone was gone before he went to the Lake. Where he had found what he presumed was Kagome two outer Kimonos, but not her. Just to end up on his ass when she popped up through the calm surface of the Lake. Water causing the thin white under Kimono to cling to her body, leaving anything barely to the imagination as she met his gaze and went red and ducked back under the water. When she didn't resurface, he worried a bit and started into the water that was still cold due to early spring. Just to hear a soft splash only on the other side of the small boulder along the shore. From there they talked until dawn. Hyorinmaru joining them. A thing he'd found out in their many conversations that with her unique Spiritual Pressure allowed.

He had taken her back to the Clan's Compound after she had fallen asleep, her head on his shoulder. It was nothing new for him, though he was almost a full foot shorter than her. He had done this a few times since Aizen's betrayal for Hinamori.

He landed just as the gate opened. His presence was drawing everyone's attention. Eyes narrowing as he looked down the few inches to look at one person in particular. Then with a few steps, Toshiro closed the distance, feeling as the other Captains and Lieutenants showed up. Reaching a handout, he grasped her arm and pulled her towards him. Causing the Guards with the Emissary to tense and react, just to shoot them a dark look.

"Hitsugaya?"

Returning his gaze down to the woman, he realized looking into her blue eyes that her leaving. Never getting to see her again would be something he'd regret.

"You are a martyr, aren't you?" he asked her.

She was watching as her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line as she snorted at him. It was the fact that she didn't pull away or shake his hand from her arm.

"Oh?" she said, lifting one eyebrow.

"Yes. You would sacrifice yourself to keep someone you care about safe. Not realizing that the person would be less than pleased," he said, letting a small smile danced at the edge of his lips. "And not giving them a chance even to say anything, seriously you are trouble incarnate."

Toshiro knew which buttons to press from all their long talks. And watching as her eyes narrowed a bit more before going wide at him calling trouble, he barely had time to brace himself as she jumped at him. Though, he was glad that he was currently taller than her because landing on the hard stone covered ground would be uncomfortable.

"You… mean that?" Kagome asked.

Smiling as he kept his eyes on hers, feeling her arms around his waist. As well as the weight of everyone's gaze on them. Toshiro felt Hyorinmaru gave a deep chuckle in the back of his mind. He was giving him a suggestion to prove it to her. Feeling a bit of heat creep into his cheeks, he took his Zanpaku-to's idea and leaned down and placed an affectionate yet brief kiss on Kagome's lips and making the woman go very still against him and flush an interesting shade of cherry red.

"Yes. I do care about you. Just didn't realize it until someone gave me advice," Toshiro said. "That is if you can wait for me to grow up without the use of my bankai's mature form."

The way she threw her head back and just let her laughter bubble out as she squeezed him tight was all the answer he needed. He was releasing his Bankai as it was starting to tire him. He looked up as a flash of pink passed him to see the Captain Commander politely inform the Emissary that Kagome would not be going as she was now technically promised to him. Which had him looking up at Kagome, who just placed a quick kiss to the top of his head as she hugged his face to her chest, making his face go red as he heard several calls of go get some from behind them.

THE END!