Summery: "We were so young and so many things were still new to us. We were strong in both physique and will but we were stupid. We were in this fight to the end."

Warning this has some maleXmale overtones if you are adverse to that do not read.

I wrote this story for a contest and now that it's over I can post it for you guys. This is the first time I've written a UkitakeXShunsui story so I had to kind of do a little research. I really enjoyed writing this story so I present this to you readers.

A Night to Remember

There is the fight for life and the fight for pride. It is my motto, my way of life and so many years have passed since its inception it still surprises me so that the memory of that night still echoes so clearly in my mind. I will never forget that night or the way the blood scented the air with the disgusting smell of iron. Nor the way Shunsui's blade strongly resonated against mine.

The vibrations shook me right to my core as I threw my whole body into the swing and so did he. We were so young and so many things were still new to us. We were strong in both physique and will but we were stupid. We were in this fight to the end. To put it bluntly I was looking for death and I knew if my friend wouldn't give it to me some hungry hollow would.

That's how desperate I'd become.

Everything had come down upon me and I felt it was too much. This damn sickness which robbed me of my strength and the never ending fight against the hollows that kept taking the lives of my comrades it was all too much! Why was I given strength if I could not use it? If anything this weakness would at least release me from this spirit world.

"Come to your senses Jushiro!" Shunsui's voice resonated but I would not stop. Not even for him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Let me pass Shunsui! I will avenge our friends right now! I'm going to go and kill that hollow and every other hollow I encounter."

"Are you crazy!? That's suicide!"

"Exactly!"

My answer threw his form and my swipe got close. The blade shredded through Shunsui's academy uniform as he dodged the attack. No blood, I was relieved. I never wanted to hurt my best friend. I loved Shunsui too much to ever hurt him. He turned a glare at me and came back with a furry of swings one right after the other. My arms buckled under a sloppy block and had he the intention to kill me he could have easily at that moment but he rolled out of my block lessening the impact. My breathing was heavy. The summer night although bright from the light of the moon was humid and felt drab; the sweat poured off me soaking my uniform.

"How dare you?" My eyes widened at his declaration. He came at me with a look of anger and disappointment. He caught me off guard. I saw his arm swing back and I froze with fear. He was going to kill me. I didn't block not because I anticipated his swing but because I was scared to the point of paralysis. I wanted to die yet at that moment my face filled with fear and the yearning for protecting my life made me brace for an imminent death. The hilt of his kodachi hit me right in my stomach taking the air right from my lungs. I doubled over. Another impact and I was down. Shunsui had hit me with his sheath. He had done that so as not to hurt me but an increased shame pulsed through my body and the pain in my heart made me collapse on to the soft grass. It was such a beautiful night as my tears began to fall. Had it been on another occasion, another life, I would have been happy to be lying out on a summer night with Shunsui at my side but the culminating events had a beautiful night wasted on my naiveté.

I tried to raise my body but Shunsui forced me down his foot stomping on my back. I wasdown in the dirt once again.

"You're not ready to die. Don't try to get back up or I will have to incapacitate you." His voice was harsher than I ever wanted to hear from him.

"I always thought you were the smart one. You're not doing this for vengeance because you know very well our friends would not want you to waste your life when they fought so hard to let you keep it!" I flinched at his accusation. "You're a coward!" He dug his heel into my back with a hatred I felt would envelope me. I tried to speak. My voice was small and I wasn't even sure he could hear me but I had to speak.

"Again I'm too weak. Why do I deserve to live? This body is slowly deteriorating anyway; why can't I just get it over with? I may be a coward but it's my life and I'll do with it as I wish. Let me die!" I felt the pressure lessen on my back but I didn't want to look him in the eye. "I know you speak the truth. I know you have a point but my feelings matter too. I can't just ignore them. My life is a burden and if I can get rid of some hollows and my life in one blow than it will benefit everyone." I pulled myself onto my knees and that's when he kicked me.

"Gah" I was thrown on my back as Shunsui stood looming over me. The moon was blocked in his form and his face was dark but I could feel his glare. My blade lay close enough so with a quick movement it was within my grasp once again and I was in a fighting stance. My chest hurt with each breath I took. I could feel an attack coming on. It always came when I was in an agitated state. I couldn't catch my breath, my vision began to blur and the sweat in my palms made it hard to grip my sword, all the symptoms.

"You know I don't want to hurt you Jushiro."

"Then let me be."

"I can't!"

"So be it." I attacked not holding back anymore. One of us would perish tonight. He was blocking but not attacking.

"Attack me!"

My swings were less calculated. I forgot technique as anger took over. Swings and jabs so easily being countered. He was waiting until I tired myself out. It would be easier to knock the sword out of my hand when I was at my weakest. My unfocused eyes made me swing awkwardly so he began swinging hard to make me lose grip on my blade. He came down hard and that's when the blood came out.

Dropping my sword a violent cough had blood spurting out of my mouth and I finally felt the sharp pain of a blade across my chest. I remember the surrealism of that moment. I could see the sword and feel it inside me, cold and intrusive. When I raised my eyes to face Shunsui's, his terrified eyes comforted me some. I would be leaving my memories and my heart with him and I was strangely happy in this excruciating pain. I collapsed into his arms, the blood as warm as his arms. I knew death was near.

"Jushiro!? No, what have I done?" He began panicking his hands went to my wound as his own breathing became frantic. Trying to stop the bleeding he kept saying the same thing over and over again. "I didn't want to cut you. I didn't want to hurt you, no!" I brought my shaking hands up and laid them onto his just to find they were shaking just as bad as mine were. Shunsui looked into my eyes they were glistening as he stared at my paling face. He looked away pained at my pallor. Tearing the material off of his already shredded uniform he tried to create a bandage. He then quickly got up.

"Try not to move. I'm going to go bring help."

"No. Just stay here with me. I don't want to die alone."

"You're not going to die!" He yelled as he lost his composure. "You are not going to die. You selfish bastard I won't let you leave me." With that he was off. I tried to look for him but he had disappeared into the darkness. Or maybe the darkness had begun to envelope me. Everything became dull and soon the excruciating pain had gone numb. The numbness began to spread and soon I could no longer move my body. Finally I got what I wanted but everything Shunsui had said rang through my head. My resolve to die was fading but I was really going to die. The only thing left on my mind was Shunsui. I wanted to see him again; I wanted to be in his arms once again. I felt tears roll down my cheek and then there was nothing.

Had it not been for Unohana being so close during our fight; I probably never would have made it through the night. She had felt our shaky riatsu and was heading our way from a distance so when Shunsui ran for help she caught up to him. She was younger than us but her power in healing was superior than most shinigami's and Yamamoto knew she would be one of the firsts like us to graduate this academy and protect the soul society.

I awoke two days later feeling as if the numb feeling still emanated from my wound. Yet there was no wound just bandages. Unohana and the nurses had patched me up well. It was night when I woke up so I felt it was still that night. The moon came in through the window and lit up the room. I saw Shunsui passed out beside my bed his arms splayed across my legs. It struck me strange that I was breathing so normally and I could feel each strand of hair as I ran my fingers through Shunsui's hair. He stirred. The shame of my actions made me look away as he came to.

"Jushiro" His voice was relieved and warm as if he were welcoming somebody back from a long journey. Wringing my hands I returned his gaze and quickly bowed my head.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me my actions were wrong and inconsiderate. I was just.... I just." His big hands stilled my own and brought my face to look at his. His big goofy grin made me feel even worse at what I had put him through.

"Stop it." A tear that began its way down was quickly wiped away as Shunsui comforted me. He pulled me into an embrace. "You're alive because you fought for your life even when you kept saying you wanted to die. I know sometimes it gets to a point where this life feels unbearable but we have an obligation. The reason all of us fight and gain strength is because we vowed to protect each other. Those who died rely on us to continue where they left off and not let their death be in vain, not let their pride be trampled. We all have weakness but the counter for weakness is our friends who can come and claim such weakness. Let me help you get stronger. I'll be there for your weakness and you can be there for mine."

"Ugh, why do you have to be so right?" He chuckled at my returned sarcasm while I tried to rub my eyes dry of lingering tears. Holding me close he surprised me with a kiss on the forehead before getting up and walking towards the door.

"Wait Shunsui," The light from the hallway shined to illuminate his strong features. Smiling partly because of his kiss I snidely remarked. "You never said what your weakness was?" Stopping under the doorway he held the frame as his gaze fell to the floor. It looked like he was contemplating but he was smiling an all too familiar smirk. He locked eyes with me before opening that big mouth of his.

"Isn't it obvious? You're my only weakness." With that he was out the door leaving me to pick up my mouth off the floor.