NanaoxShunsui Trust 1

[This story takes place after Aizen's betrayal.]

The cherry blossom trees had began to shed their plush pink petals, they drifted like feathers on the wind, dancing in the air currents as they drifted slowly downward onto the surface of the glistening water. The sun was set low on the horizon and the sky that was furthest from it was beginning to turn a majestic royal blue, that hung like ink in the sky.

In a small garden at 13th division headquarters sat Ukitake and Shunsui, the sunshine that remained bathed the small garden in a warm glow and the two men sat sipping sake and casually chatting.

Not far from them was 8th division's fukitaicho Nanao Ise, as usual she had her heavy black book in her lap and with pen poised over its surface she worked tirelessly as her captain relaxed with his friend.

“Nanao-chan, why don't you come relax with me and Ukitake?” her captain called to her,
She looked up at him through the falling petals and sighed “I really must get this finished taicho”
Ukitake laughed “You're lucky to have Nanao-san, Shunsui, without her 8th division would never get any work done”

Shunsui took a handful of fallen petals and threw them playfully over his companion,

“I work” he replied
“On what your image?” asked Ukitake, still beaming.

---------§---------

The last warm rays of the sun left the garden and with them Shunsui and Nanao, bid farewell to Ukitake and headed back to their headquarters.

“It's a shame Rukia-san is in Karakura town” Shunsui commented as they walked, “You didn't really get to relax much”
“It's all right really, I needed to do the work I did” came the reply
“Do you ever relax Nanao-chan?” asked Shunsui as they arrived outside 8th division,

She paused mid step and thought for a moment, was he trying to be critical or was he merely observing, she couldn't decide, so she replied,

“I do what needs to be done and I relax when I have completed all that needs to be done” and with that she turned into her own room.

She changed and lay down on her futon, the moons soft glow illuminated her room, and she lay there, unable to sleep.

Maybe she did work too much, maybe the reason why Shunsui took her out with him so much was because he felt obliged to, as if she might not stop working of her didn't.

She hoped he didn't feel obliged to do anything with her, although she ridiculed him a lot for his laid back attitude, and dress sense, she respected Kyoraku deeply.

She fell at last into a fitful slumber and she dreamed.

---------§---------

She was standing in a field of long grass, she was wearing much what she was now a long white light dress, the type she always wore to sleep. The moon bathed the field and then from somewhere across the grassy meadow she heard the soft sighing and whispering of wind thorough the branches of trees, she walked towards it and saw that they were cherry blossom trees. Their blossom was falling delicately and their pale surfaces reflected the mellow moonlight, then through the petals she could make out a form kneeling on the ground, she walked closer.

The figure looked up at her with two sad looking beautiful eyes and as she drew closer she could make out her captain, she froze as soon as she recognised his face, but then he smiled and stood up bringing himself to his full height, he smiled at her and opened his arms,

“My little Nanao-chan” he beckoned to her,

She remained stuck to the ground, then she saw his face change the smile disappeared into a sad little line which drooped down at the edges, his arms dropped back to his sides.

He took the edge of his straw hat and pulled it down over his face, he spun on his heel and began to walk away from her. She began to run after him,

“Taicho! Come back taicho!”

But he carried on slowly walking away from her, his pace never changing, but no matter how fast she ran to catch up to him he was always ahead of her, just out of her reach. Suddenly there was a flurry of blossom petals and in that instance he was gone, she was left standing in the middle of a dark wood, she was alone. She started screaming frantically,

---------§---------

“Taicho, taicho...” suddenly she sat bolt upright on her futon and wide awake she yelled at the top of her lungs,

“Come back!”

Suddenly aware that she was awake, she quickly clamped her hands over her mouth and sat there in shock, the hot sweat clamped around her body, she felt dizzy and lay back down on the futon, breathing heavily.

She had been having this dream for a few weeks now and every time it was the same.

'Why?' She thought, 'why can't I just go to him when he reaches out to me?'

---------§---------

In the room next door Shunsui lay on his futon, he too was unable to sleep, but he couldn't sleep because he was worried about his fukitaicho, he heard her now moving out of her room and coming up the hallway towards his.

He lay silently staring at the wall as he heard his door creep open for the fourth time that week, and for the fourth time Nanao sighed, the door was shut and she made her way back to her own room.

What was it that was troubling her he thought.

---------§---------

The next morning Shunsui, as usual, lounged on the sofa in his office, Nanao sat at what was supposed to be his desk and worked while her captain dozed. Or so she thought, but because she was so hell bent on her work she did not see her captain looking at her, observing every thing that she did.

He saw now the dark circles under her eyes, the conjunctiva flared red, her usually pale cheeks looking thin and pallor. All the life seemed to have drained out of her and this woman who to him seemed to always maintain a tough cold demeanour was having her shell slowly crumble away. He spoke to her,

“Nanao-chan, you seem tired have you not been sleeping well?”

she didn't lift her head from her work but he could see the blush on her cheeks

“No I've been fine taicho,” she replied “what gave you that impression”
he chuckled slightly “you look like hell kid”

she paused over her work, the pen poised for action, then quite calmly, she set it down on the desk and slowly stood.

“I'm going to go for a walk” she said and with that she disappeared out the door.

Shunsui lay on the couch for a little while longer, no need to follow her, he knew exactly where she was going. So he thought he'd give her some space to cool off for a bit before he set out.

---------§---------

He finally got up off the couch and stretched, groaning as his muscles complained at the sudden demand for work. He moved towards the door and left his office silently, leaving the room set out as though they should both be there.

He walked along the long and winding streets of Sereitei, he headed for the meadow where the cherry blossoms grew, he knew from following her previously that this was where Nanao-chan went whenever she went walking.

After about a half hour he reached the meadow, he saw a person standing in the meadow, but he thought to himself that it couldn't possibly be Nanao-chan, but as he drew closer he saw that indeed it was her. She had removed her glasses and her usually neatly kept hair had been let down and it now cascaded down her back like an ebony liquid, small strands of it were being caught and danced in the breeze.

He slowly moved up behind her, she hadn't seen or heard him and she had a deep intake of breath when he finally reached her and wrapped his arms around her waist,

“don't worry Nanao-chan,” he whispered in her ear “it's only me”

He rested his chin on her shoulder and was surprised that she didn't throw him off, instead they stood watching the sun rolling through the sky.

“I'm sorry I made you worry about me taicho” she finally spoke “I just...I've been..” she tried to speak
“You're worried I'm going to leave you too” he said
she nodded, she began to cry softly “It's just that, I never really had any male companions before, and when I was assigned your fukitaicho I was terrified of you”

Shunsui laughed at this comment

“It's true,” Nanao continued “Everyone told me you were the worst womaniser and that I wouldn't last 2 minutes with you”
“Nanao...” he breathed
“But then I got to know you and I began to trust you, but then I saw what Matsumoto's trust in Ichimaru and Hinamori's trust in Aizen did to them...and I, I just don't know who to trust any more, I've never felt this way about anyone like this before”

Shunsui sighed, they both didn't speak for a long time and just watched the setting sun, then he removed his hands from around her waist and whispered into her ear,

“Ignore what others may tell you, follow what you believe in Nanao, trust your heart”

he left her to watch the sun go down and made his way back to his headquarters.

---------§---------

He arrived back and went straight to his room, he set out his futon and removed all clothing except his hakama, he lay down on his futon and shut his eyes.

He envisioned the meadow, he could hear the wind, smell the sweet blossoms and feel the heat of Nanao-chan's back as he had pressed against her and her soft hair caressing his face. He was lying there thinking of all of this, then he heard her walking along the passage way outside, he heard her enter her room.

He thought of her as he drifted off to sleep.

---------§---------

Nanao returned to her room, she had stayed in the meadow longer than she had planned to, she undressed and lay down on her futon.

All she could think about was Shunsui. His smell, the contours of his body and his soft warmth as he pressed against her back, the arms gently embracing her, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder, the hot breath on her neck, the low growl of his whisper in her ear. The safety of him.

Suddenly although there was no one else around Nanao Ise felt embarrassed, she pulled the light duvet up over her head and closed her eyes to sleep.