Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ The Many Faces of Revenge ❯ The Choice Betwen Safety and Happiness ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Urahara was sitting on his front porch with the two Taichou and fukutaichou from Soul Society. They’d been waiting for him when he returned, still in his swimming trunks. They were green and white striped, to match his hat. Naturally, the shopkeeper had taken it all in stride. He’d ordered the two kids to unpack the van, under the supervision of Tessai while Yoruichi went to wash the sand out of her hair. The whole group looked blissfully tired from their vacation.
“That is quite interesting.” He mused, rubbing his chin between his forefinger and thumb. “I’m glad you caught him. To be honest, part of our decision to take a vacation was to place ourselves out of harms way.” Urahara admitted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Shunsui was leaning back against the railing, eyes partially closed, as if he might fall asleep. The breeze gently brushed at his hair, making it sway against his cheek. “Understandable. I’m sure it was quite romantic as well.” He grinned, wagging an eye brow as he looked up at Urahara.
“Indeed.” Urahara grinned devilishly in return.
Nanao sighed and rubbed her temple with one hand. “There’s two of them.” She groaned under her breath to Histugaya. She could see his sad nod out of the corner of her eye.
“My sweet Yoruichi in a bikini, oh! It makes you want to drool.” Urahara grinned, sitting down on a porch chair and closing his eyes, obviously remembering the sight. “And to think, she tried to be modest and wear a t-shirt over the cute little ensamble.” He tisked softly.
“Oh, dear. I can imagine. I wish I could get my little Nanao-chan to wear a two piece. Wouldn’t she look just darling in white beaded bikini?” Shunsui mused to himself, obviously trying to elicit some help from the shopkeeper in convincing her to wear such an outfit.
“Can we please keep on topic?” Nanao groaned, her cheeks a deep red color.
“Can you think of anyone who might hold a grudge against Soul Society in general and you in particular?” Hitsugaya asked, reminding them of just what that topic was.
“Well of course. I was the former leader of the Detention Unit. Essentially a prison warden. Lots of people hated me.” Urahara casually mentioned. “Many of those I was in charge of keeping would have a major grudge against Soul Society in general. I’m afraid you’ve just dumped a pile of hay over your needle.”
Nanao sighed and hugged one arm to her chest, resting the other on it to tap her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think it will be that bad. I can look back through the records and cross reference the prisoners while you were in charge with those who are still incarcerated and we can work from there. Perhaps we can narrow down the list a little.” She mused, mostly to herself.
Shunsui grinned and pulled her against him, picking her up and smothering her against his chest. “I knew my brilliant Nanao-chan would think of something.” He said happily, rocking her back and forth quickly.
Gasping for breath, she pushed away from him and backed off to stand against the wall of the shop, adjusting her glasses quickly. “Taichou, please.” She flattened her clothing and adjusted her hair.
“Until then, why don’t you stay the night?” Urahara invited. “Take a small break. I might think of something before you leave. Perhaps an individual who held more disdain for me than the others. Yoruichi might be a valuable asset as well.” He offered, inviting them all inside.

The day went by quickly with the three old acquaintances chatting. Matsumoto had gone back to Inoue’s, intending to force her to go shopping and get in as much as she could before they headed back. Hitsugaya and Nanao helped the other three unpack and begin laundry and dinner. Eventually, Hitsugaya retired to the large training room beneath the shop for some peace and quiet. Nanao eventually retired as well, borrowing the shop keepers study for some reading.
It was late before her Taichou came in to wish her goodnight. He sat down beside her on a cushion, glancing over her shoulder at what she was reading. Sliding an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her under the protection of his body.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Nanao-chan. You’ve been staying up later than usual studying something. What is it?” He asked curiously, nuzzling the top of her head.
“Advanced Kido. It is what I, by far, accel at and in the upcoming fight with Aizen, I want to be able to keep on the level.” She said absently, ignoring his little affectionate gestures.
“Don’t you think you would be better suited for a support position?” He asked gently.
“Taichou, are you trying to tell me that I’ve been transferred to the fourth squad?” She asked, still a bit distracted, not worried in the slightest that this might be the case.
“No, not medical support. I was thinking more perhaps, informational support. Stay away from the front lines and give the rest of us information.”
Pausing in her reading, Nanao looked up at him. “Taichou? I pray that you aren’t asking me to stay behind.”
His long fingers brushed down her cheek. “Nanao-chan. I want to make sure you’re safe. I would feel better if you weren’t in direct danger. You know just as well as the rest of us what Aizen is capable of.”
“Taichou, I could never just stay behind and wait. I am a fukutaichou and completely capable of defending myself. It is my job to protect you as much as it is your job to protect me. Other fukutaichous will be beside their Taichou. How can you ask me to do otherwise?” She asked, clearly hurt by his suggestion.
“Nanao-chan…” He floundered for words. “I can’t risk your life like that. You are far too valuable an asset to the squads in general to risk.”
She moved away from him, openly angry. “You can’t seriously believe that!” She yelled, slamming the book down on Urahara’s desk as she stood, looking down at him, though just barely. “I am going to fight with my Taichou.” She said with a note of finality.
“No, Nanao-chan. You are not.” He said gently. In his mind, he was doing the right thing. “Even if it means losing you, Nanao.”
She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t come up with the words. Instead, she pulled off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, as if she was tired. “Fine.” She whispered, sliding them back on and leaving the room. With a sad sigh, Shunsui shook his head and lifted his weight up from the floor. Perhaps his decision had meant losing her. He would see when she cooled down.
Or, more accurately, if she cooled down.

“You told her she couldn’t fight…didn’t you?”
Shunsui looked over his shoulder as the shopkeeper climbed to the peak of the roof and sat down beside him.
“Of course I did. She’s a scholar, not a fighter. Sure, she can hold her own, she wouldn’t be where she is if she couldn’t. But what we’ll be facing in the future is greater than she is. Far more dangerous a foe than she could imagine.” He shook his head slightly.
“In all honesty, isn’t it far greater than you, than all of you? Do any of us fully understand what we’re going up against. In some part I contributed to this predicament and I don’t fully understand what will happen.”
“Look, I’m not going to be the one to tell you how to run your squad, or your love life. All I know is that the most important person in my universe is down in that shop, sleeping sweetly with not a care in the world. I want to protect her from every harm and evil. But, I know that I can’t do that.”
“There are going to be times when I can’t protect her. I’m going to make damn sure that when that time comes, I won’t have to worry about losing her. Besides, I couldn’t stop her if I wanted to. She wants to fight, she wants to help me. She wants to protect me too. Nothing I say is going to make her sit here and wait for me while I’m out putting my life on the line.” He stated calmly.
“I see a lot of that in your little Nanao-chan.” He observed, looking over at the big man. “Do you think she could sit at home and wait while you fought the worst enemy to ever face Soul Society? That would be torture, worse than death. She would find a way to be by your side, weither you like it or not. And when she does that, you won’t be able to protect her. So, you’d better make sure that you’ve taken care of the most important person in your world before you lose her. Teach her, train her, do whatever you have to do to ensure that when the inevitable day comes, the day when you can’t protect her from everything, she’ll be ready to face it. To face it, defeat it and come home to yell at you.”
“You have to face it, Kyoraku. It’s just the way women are.” Urahara nodded, as if he had the opposite gender all figured out. “And yours is feisty and full of fire. She’s going to do everything she can to protect you, Kyoraku. Why can’t you just take it as a compliment and move on? Think about it.” His eyes glinted from under the striped hat as he stood. Flipping open his fan, he grinned. “Good night!”
Shunsui sat up on the roof for a little while longer before retiring to the room he shared with Toushiro. His sleep was fitful and he woke tired. Urahara and Nanao had both given him a great deal to think about. He knew he would have to chose between her safety and her happiness, but it was not an easy thing to do.
As they packed for their return, Nanao was silent and closed off. She barely said two words to him, keeping her answers short and concise. Matsumoto tried to cheer her up, showing her all of the wonderful things that she had bought during her shopping trip with Inoue. She’d bought a few dresses and trinkets for Nanao, which she gracefully accepted, but otherwise didn’t comment. All four of the officers returned to Seireitei surly and withdrawn. Nanao immediately went to their headquarters and dove into her paper work. She had a lot of research to do on the prisoners under the care of the second squad as well as the paper work that would inevitably be waiting from their four day trip.
Shunsui took care of the unpacking in a rare show of manual labor. He had made his decision but it would take her a while to find out. It seemed she was more sore at him then he’d first thought and that made him more depressed then he’d first thought.
She’d been annoyed with him before, even angry, but never this angry. It made his chest ache and ate away at him. Of all of their bickering and teasing, it had been how they connected. It was a form of affection for them, more so as of late. She truly was what kept him together and he couldn’t imagine her leaving him. He’d already lost one fukutaichou in a brutal manner. He couldn’t bare to lose a second in any manner.
Nanao was equally as torn. She was working very hard to keep up her fury. It was easy after all the practice she’d had over the years. He could be an infuriating man, but she had to admit, he’d made a lot of changes for her. More of the paperwork was being done and he’d lowered the time set aside for both drinking and napping. He’d stopped fraternizing with other women altogether.
She knew that he was completely devoted to her. Deep down, she knew that his decision to keep her from the front lines had stemmed from that, but she still didn’t like it. Nanao had worried that their work relationship might suffer with their private relationship but she now had no way of knowing if he might have come to the same decision otherwise, but it didn’t matter now.
She stayed extra late to finish all of her paper work and hadn’t so much as seen a pink glimpse of her Taichou the entire day. “Good,” She thought scornfully. “Let him be as miserable as I am.” Yet, she got very little enjoyment from that thought. Him being miserable.
She walked home in the cold rain, soaking her uniform and plastering her hair against her skin. By that time, she didn’t feel angry anymore, simply sad. He didn’t trust her to take care of herself or him. She’d hurt him with her silence and didn’t know how to make amends. She’d returned the flower pins he’d given her to look after back in a delicate white box on a soft cushion. She hadn’t left a note, but knew that nothing she could write would help things blow over. She could only hope it would open the door a small crack.
Immediately, she removed her wet clothes and wrapped a warm silk robe around herself, drying off her hair with a towel. Discouraged and disheartened, she went to her room to retire. There was still a great deal of work to be done. Lighting a candle, she was given a small shock.
Piled on her futon were several large books. A piece of parchment lay on the topmost book of the highest stack. Before reading the note, she glanced at a few of the titles. Advance Kidou Techniques, Advanced Protection Spells, Kidou Theory. The list went on.
Nanao,
Study hard. I’ll be counting on you.
Shunsui Taichou
Nanao smiled slightly and despite her weariness, dressed once more. She grabbed the notes she’d written up during her research that afternoon and kept them close to her chest to shield them from the rain which was already lightening. The trip to his home was short, using Shunpo to keep as dry as possible.
Shunsui was very surprised to see her. Then, he noticed the papers she protected. “Oh.” He said, obviously disappointed. “Did you find something important?” He asked, inviting her in.
“Well, a few things yes, but that’s not why I’m here. I just thought that if it looked like I was here on business, people wouldn’t look twice if they saw me.” She explained, setting down the papers quickly.
“The books you got me. If you don’t want me to fight, why would you get them for me?”
“Urahara pointed something out to me. I realized that there wasn’t anything I could do to stop you from wanting to protect me or putting yourself in danger, so instead, I’m going to help you. I’ll make sure that you can do as you wish and watch my back. You were right, Nanao-chan. It is your job to protect me and I remembered that it is my job to make sure that you are able to do so.” He shrugged slightly, taking off his hat and setting it aside. He clearly didn’t expect to dispel her angry so easily.
“Thank you, Shunsui.” She said softly. It was hard to not immediately use his title, but the surprised look on his face was well worth the extra effort.
“You’re welcome, Nanao-chan.” He returned after his surprise wore off. She moved to him, stretching up for kiss. He gave her one willingly, pulling her close to him. He couldn’t hide how relieved he was.
“I was afraid you would never come back to me.” He grinned. “I’m just too charming, aren’t I?” He asked with a wink.
“You’re an overly large, hairy brute who seems to chase anything with breasts and a short skirt. You drink and sleep to much and don’t work nearly hard enough. I couldn’t possibly tell you why I love you, but I do. And if you ever tell anyone about it, I will deny everything.” She promised him with a completely straight face.
“Of course, my beautiful Nanao-chan. I would never think of betraying your trust or love.” He grinned devilishly. He knew that he would have to tread softly when it came to his Nanao, but she was well worth the extra effort. The extra time in wooing her.
“Why don’t you show me what you’ve found when you wake up? You look exhausted. Tomorrow we’ll get back to work and solve this. Get some sleep, my little Nanao-chan.” He urged, his long fingers running up and down her back lightly. “I intend on taking you to the training grounds often in the next few weeks, so I want you at full strength.”
“Yes, Taichou.” She said, smiling gently. As far as first fights went, theirs had been successful. The make up would be just as wonderful. “Nothing like solving a verbal fight with the promise of physical fights.”
“Mm, that’ll teach you to be careful what you wish for.” He grinned lazily, releasing her to take her papers and lead her to his comfortable bed.
“Thus far I’m quite happy with the wishes I have been granted.” She returned, raising her chin slightly. “I’m very careful about what I wish for, Taichou. I’m a strong woman and I can take it.”
“Yes, Nanao-chan. I see that now.” He agreed, sitting down beside her, making sure she was comfortable. “And I will never doubt you again.”