tampered | Log; Complete

Log; Complete

When; August 12th, 2007, nighttime
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Ukitake {

pink_hurricane}
Summary; Jyuushirou speeds from the temple to the carousel to find Shunsui.
Log;

Flash steps was suddenly too slow in Jyuushirou’s mind, and he hurried the best he could from the temple grounds where he stayed with Youichi and Kisuke, to inside the city and the area by the carousel.

Slightly out of breath, the white-haired shinigami looked around, trying to spot a familiar figure in pink among the rest. However, the City was big and there was many people walking around, so it was a bit difficult at first. Jyuushirou tried to sense where Shunsui would be, but the energies in the city made that a bit difficult.

Then finally, he saw him. Almost at the same place he, too, had shown up earlier – which was slightly ironic. It really was Shunsui. Relieved, Jyuushirou walked up to the other, giving him a soft smile as he stopped in front of him. It took a lot if self-discipline to not throw himself around the taller shinigami’s neck and just hold him tight.

The thought of leaving Soul Society to be stuck in this place had been very difficult.
The thought of never seeing Shunsui again had been unbearable.

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Shunsui saw his old friend approach, and gave a lopsided grin when the other drew closer. He knew he'd get in trouble with the man if he decided to show any affection, so he held back, despite how much he had been starving for it.

After spending a few days wandering all of Seireitei, thinking the man had collapsed - or even died - somewhere, It was an immense relief to see the man walking up to him. Even talking over the computer-like object wasn't as reassuring as seeing him in alive and in person.

"Ah, Ukitake. Some mess we're in, isn't it?"

"Seems so."

Jyuushirou replied, looking a bit concerned, brown eyes wandering from Shunsui’s face to down at his own feet for a moment. There had been a lot going on, and a lot of bad news.
The curse he had experienced – even if he was unaffected – had made it all feel so much more real. It truly was another world with its own laws.

"There’s been a lot of problems, or so they told me… and people have gotten hurt."

Kiyone had even died. Rangiku, too… and worse. There didn’t seem to be anything holding the arrancar in the city back, which made Jyuushirou wonder what on earth Aizen was thinking.

This place seemed to be full of nightmares. Between what he had learned from Isshin earlier, and seeing Ukitake's face now made it all the clearer.

His smile faded. "So I've heard."

Shunsui wanted very much to reach up and touch his lover's face, to offer some comfort to whatever was worrying the man. But he didn't dare, not here.

Instead he sighed a bit heavily, even for his own tastes.

"Where have you been staying?" he asked, hoping that Ukitake at least had a secure place to stay in this strange world. "You said something about Kisuke and the kitten?"

Seeing Shunsui’s expression change, Jyuushirou’s heart felt like it had been stung. He didn’t want the other to worry, nor get all of the dangers and seriousness of this City weighing down his shoulders already.

So he tried to smile, even if it was slightly forced.

"Yes. I’ve been staying with Kisuke and Yoruichi in a temple near some hot springs. It’s nice and peaceful, and there’s room…"

He looked up at the dark-haired shinigami, brown eyes meeting blue-gray. He wasn’t really sure what to say; he was so happy and relieved to see Shunsui, yet the things going on in the city stole away some of it.

They had to get out of the center of the city. Somewhere else. Just so he could hold him and make sure he was real.

He knew that smile wasn't a real one. After 2000 years how could he not? He knew that face, and every expression of joy and pain that ever fell on it's features.

By somewhat of a habit, he reached up to lower his hat just an inch over his face. He spoke softly.
"Ma, Juu...let's get out of here," he said "show me where you're living now a days."

Jyuushirou gave a simple nod to that. There was nothing else he wished then to get out of the way from possibly spying arrancar and other beings. To a place where he could show the other just how worried he had been – and how much he’d missed him.

He started walking, slowly at first, since there was no use flash-stepping when Shunsui didn’t know the direction. As soon as they had put some of the general chaos and people behind them, he affectionately took Shunsui’s larger hand in his own, ready to speed up.

A few flash steps later, and they arrived - thankfully uninterrupted - at the hot springs and the temple gates.

Shunsui followed his lover out of the crowd, and smiled to himself when the other man took his hand. It was the first physical contact they'd had in nearly a week.

It wasn't long before Shunsui was looking at the temple, only half paying attention to it's beauty. His mind was currently preoccupied with thoughts of the strange world he'd landed in, and at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to find a quiet spot where he could appreciate the fact that Juushirou was living.

"Nice place you've got here," he said, giving a half-grin, "care to invite me inside?"

He still held Shunsui’s hand. He really never wanted to let go if him again, afraid he would just vanish from his side if he did.

"It is." He replied, smiling a little again, more naturally this time. "And of course. The corridors are a bit tricky, though. Sometimes you end up places you didn’t expect."

With those words, he walked inside, steps a bit hurried. It was difficult to find a private place in this world – there always seemed to be someone watching. Even though the place was big, there were many other people living here, not only Kisuke and Yoruichi.

Resolve finally broken and temple corridor as good as anything, he stopped, and turned around, finally letting go of the other’s hand – only to replace the hold on the hem of the darker shinigami’s kosode, pulling a little at bit to make him come closer as he leaned his head to Shunsui’s chest.

"I’m so glad you’re safe, Shun. I never thought I’d see you again."

Shunsui was momentarily surprised by the sudden hold on his clothing, but it was not unwelcome. He understood completely, having spent the past few days thinking that Juushirou could have very well died.

With out thinking much about it, Shunsui used one arm to reach around Juushirou to draw him closer into an embrace. With the other he placed a rough hand on the other man's head, stroking the silky white hair in an attempt to be soothing.

There was no need to tell Juushirou what he had been feeling in the past few days, or what he had thought. He was sure the other man knew, and such things could never be said aloud, lest they come to pass as truth.

"I'm right here now," he said softly into the other man's ear. "I'm not going anywhere."

The embrace made the tension go away and Jyuushirou relaxed, head comfortably rested against Shunsui’s chest, eyes closed as he took a moment to just appreciate the closeness and the calming feeling of the other shinigami’s hands trough his hair.

In all the decades, all the centuries – the two millennia they had been close friends and more, separation had been difficult. Especially when forced. Jyuushirou always worried; and he never felt completely whole without the other. No matter his age, no matter his strength and gathered wisdom over the years; without knowing Shunsui was there, he felt as lost as a child.

He felt a bit selfish for thinking it was a good thing that his friend has been trapped in this strange world as well, but without him, who would he lean to when everything became too much?
Jyuushirou was the source of comfort for others, the voice of reason – but the only one he had to give him strength was Shunsui.

He didn’t say anything. It didn’t feel like words were needed.

They stood there for a while, just appreciating the other's presence. It was Shunsui who broke the embrace first.

He pulled back, but not completely, so that they were still touching at the waist. His hands moved to Juushirou's back; he clasped them together, and gave a light sigh.

His face showed a small amount of concern, at how upset his lover had seemed. He hated seeing Juushirou in any type of pain; physical or emotional. And it was so often that one led to the other.

"Better now?" he asked, giving a soft smile in reasurance.

"Much."

Came Jyuushirou’s reply and he did, actually, feel much better. For a moment, he could push all worries away and just be happy to see Shunsui. He had seen the other’s concerned look and he did his best to reassure him that everything was alright. It was. Now.

"Would you… like some tea?"

He then asked, trying to steer both their conversation and their feelings into a more normal pace. It was, after all, a lot to take in, and he was sure Shunsui could use some time to get accustomed to the fact that they were mysteriously trapped in another world

The other shinigami captain would need some place to stay, as well. Jyuushirou, himself, had been thinking of finding a place he could permanently stay while here, since he didn’t want to impose on Kisuke’s and Yoruichi’s privacy more then he already had.

He did like the temple, though.

Shunsui was relieved to see Juushirou's more relaxed face and posture. It wouldn't do to have the man upset for any length of time, he wouldn't have allowed it.

"I would love tea," he said. Though truthfully it was sake that was on his mind - it was how he dealt with any sort of stress, really. And thinking that your lover for over 2000 years was dead, only to find out that he is, in fact, alive, with the catch of being thrown into another world, certainly qualified as 'stress.'

But at the moment, tea would do just nicely, so long as the company was as it was. It would give him a chance to sit and talk, to discover what else he did not know about this place, and what they were doing there.

He was sure he was in for a long night.

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