Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
Smoke and Mirrors
A/N: Companion piece to "So Unlike a Dream." This concept made me laugh. Hard.
Even through a hurricane and a cloud of cigarette smoke, he could see clearly enough to know exactly what was going on. He didn't need to be a genius to figure it out; he just had to be patient and observant. And, seeing as he had far more patience than his captain, it hadn't taken too long to fit the pieces together. At first, it had been one hell of a puzzle. The captain's mild change in attitude and persona had been just a blur then. None of it had made any sense, as the man was anything but quiet and passive. But, as the days passed, and another, quite attractive captain continued showing up at dawn each day, he'd finally been able to nail down part of his suspicion.
It wasn't shocking so much as it was funny. In over a century, he'd never once seen the bastard care for anything aside from research and successful results. And, all of a sudden, this had happened. Although the topic would have been one hell of a laugh, not to mention the biggest bit of gossip ever to hit the Seireitei Bulletin, Akon had decided to keep his discovery to himself. For the sake of staying alive, at the very least. He knew that, were he to utter so much as a word of this to anyone else, the captain would have his head.
His own attitude had changed as well. He would turn away and try not to smile like a fool when Captain Unohana came to collect vital medications each week, even at the most ungodly of hours. He wouldn't dare say anything, but he remembered following the woman down into the darkened basements where he'd caught a glimpse of a rather interesting show of emotion that was uncharacteristic for both of them. It was amusing and shocking, all at once, almost like the stupid comedy films he'd seen in the World of the Living. Just... not nearly as appropriate.
He grinned, bringing a cigarette to his lips. It certainly seemed that everyone had a dirty little secret.