Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters.
Vigil
It was hardest when she had time on her hands. While most of the time Nanao was kept too busy to breath, there were also moments where she had nothing but time on her hands. And those were the worst. Nanao had not liked being left behind while most everyone else had gone to participate in the battle. However, she also knew that she was the logical choice to leave behind in charge of the Seireitei's defenses. She had more logistics experience than most of the other vice-captains, and the Eighth was known for its strategists.
But none of that made her feel any better when left alone to wonder how things were going. The people she loved always ended up leaving her, and she was terrified that it was about to happen again. Nanao knew that her captain was one of the strongest shinigami that they had, but she also knew that they were pretty much going into this battle blind to what they might face. And she hated not being able to be at his side. She knew that Captain Ukitake would watch his back, but she would prefer to be there to do it herself.
Normally, when she was worrying like this, Nanao solution was to work herself to exhaustion. But she couldn't afford to do that now. She needed to be in the best condition she could be if something happened. But Nanao also found that she couldn't get any sleep in her quarters either. She had taken to napping on the couch in the office. Nanao couldn't help noticing the irony in that, but at least it was some place that she could be at easy. It also didn't hurt that its cushions smelled like Shunsui.
She honestly didn't know what she would do if he didn't come back. The idea of existing in a world without Shunsui Kyoraku was completely terrifying to her. Nanao could admit to herself that she was in love with the man, though there was more to it than just that. Shunsui had been one of the few constants she'd had in her life. In fact, that was one of the reasons that she was reluctant to let him know how much she loved him. If she screwed up their relationship somehow, she would lose him. And Nanao wasn't sure that she was really enough to hold a man's interest when the chase was over. She was almost sure that Shunsui cared for her more than that, but that little trace of fear had kept her from saying anything.
Nanao gave herself a little shake, and once again promised herself that when Shunsui came back, she was going to do something about the whole situation. She glanced around the empty office and sighed. She just wanted her captain back where he belonged. With another sigh, she closed her eyes in order to try to get another hour of sleep.
And in the end, hers was an uneventful post. Nanao woke from her nap several hours later to find a familiar pink garment spread over her as a blanket. Her fingers grasped the familiar pink silk, and Nanao sat up, scanning the room for the person she knew had to be here. She did not find her captain anywhere in the room, but sitting behind her own desk was a familiar face that Nanao had not seen in a century.
"Lieutenant Yadomaru?" it slipped out of her mouth without her realizing it.
The other woman started then took a closer look at her. "Nanao? Is that you? Shunsui got pulled into a meeting or he'd be here. He's been hovering over you like a mother hen since we arrived."
Nanao blinked, unsure of quite how to reply. To any of it really. She had never expected to see Lisa again. It was something she had once hoped for, but Nanao had never expected to see it actually happen. However, Lisa kept speaking, so Nanao found that she didn't have to come up with anything.
"He did say that I'd approve of his new lieutenant. I always knew you had potential. How long have you been the Eighth's lieutenant?"
"Technically, seventy-five years, but Nanao-chan's acted as my lieutenant for closer to ninety."
Her eyes flew to the doorway where her captain stood. He was exhausted, and she could tell that he had been injured by the way he stood, but he was standing. He smiled warmly at her. Nanao had no memory of moving or even thinking of moving, but she suddenly found herself across the room and wrapped in her captain's arms. She didn't even care that they had an audience to witness her display of affection. Shunsui was holding her just as tightly, and Nanao let him. Being surrounded by his familiar scent and the presence of his reaitsu was all the comfort she needed.
She didn't know what had happened in the battle or what Shunsui had been through, but she felt the way his body relaxed once she was in his arms. They stayed that way for several long moments before Shunsui sighed and dropped a kiss on the top of her head then released her. He did keep an arm around her though.
"We weren't expecting a fully organized welcome home though. Retsu appreciated the fact that you already had triage teams ready for her though." Shunsui smirked. "Kiyone may have mentioned plans for every conceivable outcome including needing to set up a Seireitei wide party on an hour's notice."
Nanao unsuccessfully fought the urge to blush. "I needed something to keep everyone's minds occupied."
A thought occurred to her. "Is there something that you need to be doing right now?"
"You mean is there paperwork that needs to be filled out after the battle?" he was teasing her now. "There's nothing that needs to be done before rest and recuperation."
Nanao gave him a stern look. She could understand why he wasn't at the Fourth; they were probably overwhelmed with more seriously injured shinigami right now, but that didn't explain why he hadn't sought his own bed. If he was injured, he didn't need to be gallivanting around. Shunsui smiled and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"No need to fret, Nanao-chan. I'm off to rest. I just needed to make sure my beloved lieutenant was fine before heading off to bed. Unless my Nanao-chan would like to join--"
She thwapped him with her fan, feeling relieved more than anything. Shunsui brushed a kiss across her forehead before leaving. Lisa watched all of this with interested eyes. Once Shunsui was out of sight, the older woman smiled at her.
"So, tell me everything that's happened."
Nanao sighed and felt herself relax. "Where should I start?"
Her captain was home, safe and sound. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.