Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU and in honor of Shunsui and Nanao's birthdays.

Summer Fun

The first time they met neither knew how important it was. She didn't know who he was. Nanao wasn't exactly lost nor was she abandoned. She had been momentarily forgotten by her older sister and her friends. Shunsui did know who she was, but he only realized it in hindsight. It was Tanabata, and a warm summer night. Hiroshima's festival this year was one of the biggest of the summer, and it would have been easy to lose sight of a young girl eight years of age.

Nanao had lagged behind her sister for a few minutes in order to catch her breath. She was enjoying both the festival and her birthday very much, but her energy was flagging slightly. That was how she had ended up alone on the bench. Shunsui had just slipped away from his friends to give Jyuushiro and Retsu a moment alone. Almost eighteen, he was enjoying the break from his studies. He had started university this spring, and while he was enjoying it, it was also more work that he had really expected.

He had not been looking for companionship, but when he sat down next to a little girl on the bench in a pale violet yukata, he found it anyway. She was just a little wisp of a thing, but her indigo eyes were sharp and intelligent.

"Out enjoying the festival alone, sweetheart?"

She gave him a sharp glance. "No, and I'm not your sweetheart. I'm here with my sister and her friends."

"Ah." Shunsui leaned back against the bench. "Beautiful night, isn't it? They thought it was going to rain last week. I'm just as glad it didn't. The festival is much more fun when everything isn't soggy."

Her lips quirked up in a small smile at that. Shunsui grinned back at her. The little girl was not quite what he had expected. Shunsui had dealt with children before. Between his cousins and his nieces and nephews there were quite a number of them in his family. But this one was remarkably poised and self contained for one so young. He would guess that she was slightly older than she looked. She was definitely going to grow up to be a beauty. Her short raven hair and indigo eyes shading towards violet didn't quite suit her face yet, but she would grow into them. But it was her intelligence and sense of humor that really struck him.

"That and of course, Orihime and Hikoboshi couldn't meet if it wasn't clear. Which is rather dumb of them. You would think that after a couple of years they could figure something else out. If they really loved one another that much, wouldn't they both risk everything to be together? What's a little water in the face of that? Are they afraid they'll melt?"

He laughed at the tartness in her reply. He had to admit he agreed with her. The story as it was typically told did offend his romantic sensibilities to a point as well. "Judicious editing on the part of someone I expect. So that love is the reward for hard work and being dutiful. As if love actually worked that way. I'm sure the original story was much more interesting."

She just wrinkled her nose. "Every single version I've ever seen is syrupy sweet and without any substance."

"So what's your favorite fairytale then?"

She considered the question, her face grave. "Tam Lin, I think. Maybe East of the Sun, West of the Moon."

Shunsui was a little surprised by her choices. Neither were Japanese fairytales, nor were they commonly known Western ones. At least in his experience. And that was how Shunsui ended up in a discussion about folklore with a little girl who was surprisingly knowledgeable about the subject. The conversation carried on up until her stomach made a faint growling noise. She blushed. Shunsui just smiled. There was a line of food stalls just a stone's throw away from them.

"I could use a snack too." He held out a hand to her. "Come on."

Normally, Nanao would have never accepted the offer. She was smarter than that. However, she truly believed that this man meant her no harm, and if worst came to worst, she did know a thing or two about getting away from strangers. She didn't know why he'd spent the last twenty minutes chatting with a little girl, but she enjoyed the fact that he took her seriously, and it had been a very enjoyable conversation. She slid her hand into his. Ten minutes later the pair of them returned to their bench laden with goodies to nibble on. Her companion had insisted on paying for it all despite the fact that Nanao did have money with her. They settled back on the bench, and he decided to turn their conversation from fairytales to storytelling. Or rather, he told her stories, and Nanao added commentary. Sometimes it was just opinion, but sometimes it was a comment (sarcastic or not) that he then incorporated into the story.

She had to admit that he was quite the storytelling. Nanao easily got caught up in the tales he told, and she was at turns in suspense, delight, and giggles. He had just ended yet another story when a new crowd of people arrived in the area, and Nanao recognized a familiar voice. It was time for her to go.

"That's my sister." She smiled at him. "Good night."

She disappeared into the crowd without giving Shunsui a chance to see just who she was meeting. Nanao returned home that night with lovely memories of her birthday. Shunsui returned to university after his summer break and changed his major from pre-law to literature.