Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters.
First
Her first birthday with the Eighth Division came after Lisa had disappeared. Nanao had come to the Eighth in January. Lisa had disappeared in June. She hadn't been expecting anything to happen. Nothing ever had before. The fact that she actually remembered the date of her birthday was surprising enough. Besides, she was still sad, and she still missed Lisa. Things were better than they were, but Nanao was still sad.
So she was surprised when she woke the morning of her birthday to find a pale pink yukata patterned with cherry blossoms laid out for her. When she opened her door, there was a pair of match sandals waiting on her doorstep. Nanao went off to breakfast dressed in her new finery. Afterwards, she stopped by her desk. While she did have the day off, it never hurt to see if anyone had left her a message. There were no messages.
Instead Nanao found a new set of pens, a small leather bound journal, and a novel. There was note or any other indication of who they were from. It puzzled Nanao quite a bit. Other than Lisa, no one in her division had ever really taken much notice of her. Still, it was very nice of someone to do this for her. In a happy mood, Nanao set out for the gardens that were by the Thirteenth Division. That was always a pleasant place to read.
She was so entranced by her new book that she didn't notice the passing of time. It was only when a shadow blocked her light that Nanao looked up. Captain Kyoraku stood in front of her.
"Good book, Nanao-chan?"
She blinked a little, startled by his affectionate nickname. "Yes, sir."
"Ne, Nanao-chan, what's you're favorite meal?"
"Sir?" She couldn't fathom why he was asking this.
"It's an easy question, Nanao-chan."
"Udon." She bit her lip.
The next thing Nanao knew her captain had scooped her up in his arms and was carrying her off. Any protests she made fell on deaf ears, so she finally just sat back and tried to figure out their destination. She was more than a little surprised when they left the Seireitei. Kyoraku finally stopped at a restaurant in the first district and set her on her feet.
"Come along, Nanao-chan. I think they have the best noodles in the Rukongai here, but you'll have to judge for yourself."
Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, Nanao trailed behind her captain. Before she knew it, she was seated at the counter beside him, reading over the menu. Once they had ordered, she couldn't help it any longer.
"Captain? What are you doing this?"
His eyes were warm. "Because, my adorable Nanao-chan, everyone's birthday should be special. Jyuu and I have long held the tradition that if someone in our division doesn't have anyone to make it a special day for them, we would. Besides, my Nanao-chan just happened to be born on the date of my favorite festival. That's another reason to make it a special day."
"Thank you." Nanao was sure she was blushing. She made a mental note to find out when Captain Kyoraku's birthday was, so she could get him a gift or so something nice for him.
Lunch was very good. Nanao had scarcely finished her noodles when her captain whisked her off again. This time he headed for where all of the festival booths were set up. It was Tanabata after all. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering from stall to stall, playing games and sampling different festival foods. It was actually quite fun, and Nanao soon found herself relaxing around her captain. They ran into several other shinigami she recognized. Both Captain Ukitake and Captain Unohana ended up joining them, and Nanao thought she had caught sight of Rangiku Matsumoto holding hands with Gin Ichimaru.
They finally settled on the roof of the Eighth Division to watch the fireworks. When Nanao shivered, it was a little chilly, she found herself pulled into Captain Kyoraku's lap, his haori wrapped around the both of them. She watched the bright colors blossom in the sky and let out a soft yawn. She was already drifting off when her captain kissed the top of her head.
"Happy Birthday, Nanao."