.rainyDAY
AN: A short drabble that was written in celebration of 8-8-08 and the start of the Beijing Olympics.
By the way, I keep seeing all these stories that have Nanao or Shunsui drinking green tea. Hoever, according to a profile type thing I saw in the offiial Bleach Book (found online somwehre), they both despse green tea. At least that's what I remember. Story dedicated to my friend Ryan.
Enjoy!
A very tired and very wet Nanao Ise ran through the streets of Rukongai, kicking up a shower of water whenever her feet touched the wet ground. Her breath came in short bursts as she ran from one shop to another, attempting to keep her uniform dry. However, she found that the eaves offered little protection from the downpour, and her sandals and hakama were already soaked.
"Kyouraku-taicho!" She called, voice lost in a clap of thunder. Despite the moisture around her, she found her voice becoming considerably weaker as each hour passed without sign of her commanding officer.
Agitated and drenched to the bone, Nanao ducked into the nearest teahouse, scanning the almost empty restaurant for signs of her captain. She nearly jumped out of her skin when an old woman she assumed must be the owner appeared near her elbow.
"You look exhausted dearie," she rasped, voice like wind against old parchment. "Would you like some tea?" She held out a tea cup to her. Nanao wrinkled her nose slightly.
"No thank you ma'am. I don't drink green tea." She bowed respectfully. "But thank you for the offer. I'm just passing by."
"Taking an evening walk?" The elderly woman asked skeptically, setting down the cup on a nearby table and gesturing outside where the rain continued its relentless shower.
"I'm looking for someone." Nanao replied, trying to see past the old woman and into the tea shop.
"Maybe a boyfriend… or lover?" She asked, clearly interested. Nanao, on the other hand, was not as interested in sharing her personal life with the woman.
"Not quite." She replied. "I'm looking for a man a head or two taller than me, large build, and wearing a … pink haori." She gave a small cringe at the end, hoping the woman wouldn't dismiss her as a lunatic.
Fortunately, the tea shop owner's eyes lit up as if remembering a long forgotten fact. "Oh yes," she answered enthusiastically, "you must mean him." She rolled her eyes, grabbed Nanao's wrist and dragged her toward the back of the shop.
She skidded to a halt in front of the last table in the shop, a rickety old piece of furniture that appeared ready to break under the weight of the man snoring on top of it.
"He refused my sake." The old woman said grumpily. "He said something about 'his Nanao-chan getting mad.' Then he ordered a cup of green tea. He passed out shortly after that."
"Oh." Nanao said, unsure of what else to say. "He hates green tea."
"Then he must be really dedicated to this Nanao person to give up a nice big jug of warm sake." She shuffled away, walking into a back room and yelling at someone (presumably at her husband) to get up and go attract customers.
"I guess so…" Nanao replied, a second too late, as she realized the woman had already left. She then turned to her attention to her captain.
"Taicho, wake up." She shook his shoulder gently. "Wake up." He didn't reply. She shook him harder, bending over him yell in his ear. This time, one of his lazy brown eyes opened to meet her wide violet ones.
"Nanao-chan!" He cried while standing and attempting to sweep her into his arms all in one motion. She easily sidestepped his arms, leaving them to clutch at empty air.
"Taicho, thank goodness I found you." She pushed up her glasses.
"Aww," he cried loudly enough to make the teashop owner pop her head out from behind the counter in curiosity, "my Nanao-chan was so worried for me! Allow me to apologize for causing you worry—" He cut off as she smacked him with her fan.
"Taicho we must return to the office immediately." She told him curtly. "Your lunch break ended hours ago."
"Ah, if you insist my lovely fukutaicho." He shrugged as she led the way out. The air outside was heavy with moisture, though the actual rain had finally dimmed down to a drizzle. Nanao felt a shiver rack her already chilled body. She hoped her captain hadn't noticed.
He had. She mentally crossed her fingers and hoped he wouldn't offer her to carry her to fourth division or anything similarly stupid. Instead he surprised her by taking off his pink haori and his captain robe. He offered the latter to her.
"Nanao-chan, I figured you wouldn't approve of my 'flamboyant pink robe,' but please put this one on instead. We wouldn't want you to get sick now, would we?" His smile melted away any objections she had and took the white haori from him. He then replaced the pink one on his shoulders.
"Thank you captain." She replied, trying hard not to think of how much the garment smelled like him. "Heaven forbid I get sick and you of all people are left to do all the paperwork." Nanao replied sarcastically.
He stopped abruptly, turning to face her. Shunsui bent down to look her in the eye, their noses almost touching, his breath hot against her face. "Nanao," he smiled, "I think you're a little more important than the paperwork."
He was so close to her; close enough that she could've kissed him. She closed her eyes. Too close. She wasn't going to be able to stop herself at this rate. Unfortunately she didn't have to think about it anymore; he closed the miniscule distance between them with a soft, chaste kiss. Her mind erupted in a combination of warmth and tiny little trumpets of success as he pulled her against him, his warmth filling her body.
She pulled away hastily. "Uncalled for." She said, breathless. He just gave her a lazy smile. "Especially in public." She added, more as an afterthought, as they entered the office.
"You know Nanao-chan, that captain robe looks good on you." He said, giving her another smile, though this time more sad. "I think it's just a matter of time before you have your own."
"I doubt that captain." She said, an almost sly smile on her face as she walked toward him, a blush tinting her cheek. "I don't think I could ever bear to leave you with all this paperwork."
End Note: Thanks for reading. Sorry for any OOC-ness or random grammar mistakes. I've had an obsession with the number 8 since I was 5, so today was just an awesome day for me. I really learned some about my culture too. :D My family is so pumped for the Olympics, it's almost tangible. Thanks in advance for any reviews.