Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU. Happy Halloween.

Masquerade

"Do you have a mask yet?"

Nanao sighed. Rangiku had been particularly insistent about that point. This would be Nanao's first time attending the annual Masquerade in Seireitei City, and her friend had been insistent that everything be perfect because of that. Nanao didn't entirely grasp why it was so important, but Rangiku had been a good friend since she had arrived here. Nanao had come to the city with little else except for a single bag and a letter of reference from her adopted older sister. Lisa had been content to spend her life as a wandering entertainer, but Nanao had wanted something else.

So she had come to Seireitei City for a number of reasons. It was a hub of trade and industry, but it was also the main outpost of the Shinigami. Nanao still remembered her one encounter with them when she had been only seven. Their troupe had been attacked by a hollow one moonless night, and Nanao had fallen behind. She had a little talent with kidou even then, but it had not been enough to hold off the hollow. Nanao had pretty much figured she was done for when the young man had stepped between her and the hollow.

He'd dispatched the hollow with ease before scooping her up in his arms and taking her back to the rest of the troupe. It was the safest Nanao could ever remember feeling. It had been that memory that had led Nanao to Seireitei City. She'd met Rangiku her second day here, and before Nanao had known it, she had a job at this little café and bookstore. She enjoyed the work more than she had expected, and quite honestly, she was happy with her life. Even if Rangiku was making a huge fuss over this masquerade.

"Not yet. I haven't found one that suits me yet."

Rangiku frowned at her. "We don't have much time left, especially since we can't put together your costume without your mask."

Nanao shrugged and tried to change the subject. "Have you found your mask yet?"

Rangiku beamed. "I finally found the perfect one this year, and my costume is all set, so don't think you can distract me. I'll pick you up as soon as your shift is over to go shopping."

She sighed, but Nanao knew that she wasn't going to get out of it. The Masquerade was a major event in Seireitei City, and Rangiku could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to. So she was not at all surprised to have Rangiku pounce on her the moment she got off work.

"So, do you have any ideas of what you're looking for, Nanao? Even just colors would be useful."

Nanao pulled on her coat. "Purple, green, or blue. Maybe red."

Rangiku frowned. "Blue or purple would suit you best, I think. I have some shops were can try. We need to find your mask first."

The masks for the Masquerade were works of art, and the centerpiece of everyone's costume. There was something odd about the mask, Nanao did have to admit. Even with her fairly limited ability to sense and use kidou, she could tell there was something magical about the masks. What their purpose was, Nanao did not know. Rangiku had been very evasive when she asked. Then again, Rangiku tended to be evasive about a lot of things. Nanao wasn't even sure what the woman's job was, though she had her suspicions. Either Rangiku was a Shinigami herself or she worked for them.

The Shinigami were rather mysterious. While Nanao knew what they did (protect civilian from Hollows and other dangerous creatures of magic) and recognized them on the street if they were in uniform, she didn't know much else about them. But the Masquerade was put on by the Shinigami, so maybe there was a link between them and the magical masks. But that was neither here nor there when Rangiku dragged her into a shop and Nanao was confronted with thousands of masks.

Rangiku flounced right up to the counter. "Hey, Isane, are you still on duty? We could use your expertise."

A silver haired woman appeared. "What can I do for you, Rangiku?"

"Nanao needs a mask. It's her first masquerade, and she needs something special."

"I see." Isane considered Nanao for a moment. "Something that brings out those eyes of hers, I would say. I haven't seen someone with violet eyes in years. Did you have a theme in mind for her costume?"

Rangiku shook her head. "Not really. I wanted to find a mask first."

"All right. Let me pull some options for you, and we'll get to work."

Isane scurried around the small shop, pulling masks off the wall and laying them out on the counter. The only thing any of the masks had in common as far as Nanao could tell was their colors. They were all an array of blues, indigos, and purples. One kept drawing Nanao's attention. It would just cover the upper part of her face. The mask itself was a dark indigo color with silver and blue accents and dusting of clear gems. There was a wispy filigree part on the right side that looked like a feather made of silver and held little patterns of stars and moons in it. That part swept up past the main part of the mask. There was a pair of dark indigo ribbons to tie in place.

"Do you like that one?" Isane asked. "The artist's inspiration for it was the Tanabata festival."

Nanao blinked. "That's my birthday."

Rangiku beamed. "It must be fate. Try it on."

As Nanao tied the mask in place, the two other women traded a look.

"Perfect," Rangiku pronounced. "We'll take it."

There was some haggling over the price, but Nanao walked away with the mask at a price that didn't make her wince. Isane had recommended a costume shop to Rangiku with the comment that Retsu was working there, whoever that was. Rangiku had dragged Nanao off once again to a series of shops this time. Of course, Rangiku had rejected every single costume at the first three shops. The fourth shop, however, was quite different. It seemed less of a costume shop and more of a fancy dress shop.

The woman behind the counter was dark haired with blue eyes, and she seemed to recognize Rangiku immediately.

"And who had you brought to us today, Rangiku?"

Rangiku nudged Nanao forward. "This is Nanao Ise. We're looking for a costume to go with her mask. It's her first masquerade."

"Pleased to meet you. I hope you enjoy the masquerade." The woman offered her hand to shake. "May I see your mask?"

Nanao laid the mask on the counter. The woman blinked, and then a warm smile crossed her face. She seemed to spend more time examining Nanao's face than the mask actually. But she was smiling, and Nanao didn't feel threatened by her.

"Did you have something in mind for a costume, Rangiku, or are you looking for inspiration?"

"Inspiration would be lovely, Retsu."

Retsu nodded. "Well, I have a dress. It will need some embellishment to be called a costume though. Why don't you show Nanao to the dressing room?"

Several minutes later, Nanao found herself standing on a raised platform in front of several mirrors dressed in a taffeta gown of an inky blue color. The straps of the dress tied behind her neck in a bow, and the gown fell to her ankles. Both Retsu and Rangiku stood there staring at her reflection.

"We need some sort of silver accents," Rangiku commented.

Retsu nodded. "Something flowing and fluttery I think. Like ribbons or scarves. Sheer material or something lacey. We don't want to cover up the dress so much as add layers to it."

Nanao's next hour was spent listening to conversations like that and holding still while Retsu and Rangiku tried different ideas and combinations out. There were debates over her shoes, how she should wear her hair, and jewelry. Accessories were debated and the final selections were carefully placed to the side. Nanao felt rather like a large doll that was being played with, but she had to admit that the end result was rather stunning. A woven belt of iridescent ribbons had been added to the gown. Smaller ribbons trailed down from the belt and would move and rustle when she walked. The two of them were still debating over what sort of wrap she needed, but they had agreed upon shoes almost immediately. The flat leather sandals had indigo ribbons that served as straps and criss-crossed up to her knees.

Retsu had also produced several trays of jewelry for Nanao to try on. Rangiku had ended up selecting a pair of long dangling silver earring for her to wear, though neither she nor Retsu had found a necklace they liked yet. The verdict on her hair had been to wear it down in loose curls, and Retsu had pulled back from her face with a pair of silver combs.

"Try this one." Rangiku held out a silver necklace of moonstones and mother of pearl.

Once the necklace was fastened around her neck, Nanao couldn't help but notice the smile Rangiku and Retsu shared behind her back.

"Here," Retsu handed her the mask, "the costume isn't complete without the mask."

Nanao tied the mask in place. The reflection that gazed back at her was completely unrecognizable.

"Perfect." Rangiku sounded smug. "Nanao, I'm coming by your apartment an hour before the Masquerade starts to make sure you don't chicken out on me."

"Wait. Rangiku, this all looks lovely, but I'm not sure I can afford it."

Retsu shook her head. "You can. Trust me about that."

Nanao left the shop with the entire costume neatly folded in a bag. It had cost Nanao far less than she had expected, and she had to wonder about that. She rather thought that Rangiku, Retsu, and Isane might be in cahoots with one another in this. Whatever the reason, Nanao was grateful if rather mystified. Still, she didn't understand why this Masquerade so important to everyone. Actually, now that Nanao thought about it, while everyone was excited about the Masquerade, it was mostly just Rangiku's friends who seemed to place so much importance on it.

Still, Nanao was looking forward to the Masquerade. She had always enjoyed attending festivals when the troupe of entertainers she'd belonged came across them. After carefully stowing her new costume in her closet, Nanao set about fixing herself dinner. Her little apartment was small, but it was cozy and suited her purposes. Nanao was happy with the home she'd made for herself here. Nanao had never been completely comfortable with the wandering lifestyle of the entertaining troupe, and quite honestly, she was much happier putting down roots here in Seireitei City.

The next week was rather normal for Nanao, and it passed uneventfully for the most part. Rangiku had check in on her twice, and Nanao had one extremely obnoxious customer during her shift, but other than that, it was nothing special. The café closed early on the night of the Masquerade, and Nanao went home in order to take a shower before Rangiku arrived to help her get ready. Nanao had just gotten out of the shower and was toweling her hair dry when Rangiku knocked on the door.

"Nanao? Are you ready to get started?"

She opened the door, "Yes, Rangiku."

Rangiku beamed. "Wonderful."

Her friend was already mostly in costume, though she carried a small bag with her and her mask wasn't on yet. Nanao couldn't quite tell what Rangiku was. Her costume consisted of a tunic and pants the same tawny gold color as her hair. The tunic was belted with long belt that tied in the back with long streamers that almost looked like tails. She also was wearing a number of pieces of amber jewelry.

"Why don't you go change into your dress, Nanao, and I'll help you with the rest of it. I brought make up and stuff to tint your nails."

"Tint my nails?"

Rangiku held out her hands to show off fingernails that matched the colors of her costume. "See. We've only got an hour before the Masquerade starts."

Half an hour later, Nanao's finger and toe nails were tinted silver, and Rangiku was putting the finishing touches on her make up. Rangiku sat back with a satisfied smile.

"You're done. All that's left is to put on your mask."

Nanao tied her mask into place and found that Rangiku had also put on hers. Nanao's friend was a fox spirit. Rangiku grinned.

"Perfect. Trust me. Tonight will be something that you won't forget."

The two women took to the streets. Dusk had just fallen, and the party was beginning. All sorts of stalls were appearing along streets lit with different colored lanterns. Nanao quickly realized that they were color coded. Blue lanterns were food stalls, green were games, and red were for shopping. Large lanterns lit the streets, and most of the various squares had musicians playing. The fountains held floating candles, and everywhere Nanao looked she found fantastic masks. It was a little overwhelming actually, but with Rangiku acting as her guide, Nanao quickly got into the spirit of the night.

They meandered through the streets, sampling various snacks and every once in while trying some of the games. The two of them also made an ongoing game of guessing both what people's costumes were and who the people wearing them might be. In one of the larger squares, they found a large band playing lively dance tunes, and it wasn't long before Rangiku was out among the other dancers. A man dressed as a silver fox joined her, and Nanao couldn't help but think they were surprisingly well matched.

However, Nanao wasn't in the mood for dancing, and she was curious to see just how the rest of the city had been transformed. Leaving Rangiku with her new partner, Nanao wandered off on her own. Actually she had a destination in mind. One of her favorite places since arriving in Seireitei City had been the gardens over on the west side of the city. Rangiku had mentioned that it would be open for the Masquerade, and Nanao was curious to see just how it had been decorated.

When Nanao finally arrived at the gardens, they took her breath away. Nanao wandered under trees hung with lanterns of all shapes and sizes, just taking in as much as possible. She could hear music coming from someplace in the gardens and headed towards the sound. Along the way, however, she was distracted by one of the ponds in the gardens. It was one of the larger ornamental ponds, and like the fountains it had floating candles illuminating it. Nanao could resist stepping out onto the large stepping stones that provided a crossing in order to see what it looked like from the middle of the pond.

"Beautiful."

Nanao whirled around. Standing on the other side of the pond was a man. She couldn't quite make out the details of his costume other than the colors green and brown. His mask was rather simple, but it reminded Nanao of moss and tree bark. There were also little copper glints in it. He smiled at her.

"I didn't mean to startle you, but you looked absolutely beautiful there standing amidst the floating lights. Were you looking for the café they've got set up? It's just down the path."

Nanao shook her head. "I just wanted to see what the gardens looked like tonight."

"Gorgeous, aren't they?" He held out a hand to her. "You should see some of the other parts of the gardens. Let me buy you a cup of tea or something, and we can explore the gardens a little more."

Under normal circumstances, Nanao would have never agreed, but tonight was different. She hopped the remaining two stepping stones that separated them. Before she could jump from the last one to dry land, the man had reached out and lifted her over the distance easily. Setting her down, he offered her his arm.

"Shall we, my lady?"

Nanao laughed and took his arm. The man led her deeper into the gardens to where there was a grassy lawn bordered by a number of flower beds. There was a little café set up as well as another set of musicians. The lighting was brighter here, and Nanao could get a better look at the man's costume. Given the greens and browns of it, she would guess that he was supposed evoke some sort of forest spirit. She had to admit that it did seem to suit him with his chestnut hair and grey eyes, though the little pink flower accents were a bit out of place.

There were a number of other people at the café. She spotted a couple in costumes that somehow evoked ocean waves and a trio of women that appeared to be a firebird, a snow queen, and a vampire. Her companion led her over to one of the empty seats.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Mulled cider if they have it."

He returned to the table moments later with two mugs of the hot cider and a little plate of cookies. Nanao smiled. He might not have realized it, but he had somehow managed to include her favorites. The two of them sat their, sipping their cider and nibbling at the cooking. The soft music was quite enjoyable, and her companion struck up a conversation about literature, a subject Nanao was almost always happy to discuss. When the cider was gone, the man offered her his arm again, and the two of them set off through the gardens.

They took a winding path that wandered the entire length of the public gardens. Somehow they ended up near the riverside where there was yet another band set up. Her new friend convinced her to dance with him. Nanao really wasn't much of a dancer, but the music was easy to follow, and her partner was good at leading. When Nanao was breathless and her feet were beginning to hurt, she finally convinced her new friend to take a break. Perched on a wall overlooking the river, Nanao sipped a glass of cool water while her companion leaned against the wall beside her.

"This is your first Masquerade, isn't it."

Nanao glanced over at him. "How could you tell?"

He smiled back at her. "Two things really. The wide eyed wonder for one thing. Most people lose that after their first few. But I also know who made your mask, and since it wasn't bought be someone I knew, it was a good guess."

She blinked at that. "I'm not sure I understand."

He patted her hand. "I know. I'll try to explain. You know that the Masquerade is unique to Seireitei City I assume. It is a city wide festival, but there's another reason for the Masquerade as well. It has to do with the masks and the Shinigami."

Nanao blinked at that. "I'm sorry?"

He grinned at her. "It's not common knowledge. We can't always find everyone who has the potential to be a Shinigami by simply running across them. It's slightly more complicated than this, but it comes down to the fact that there are two types of masks. There are regular masks that are works of art, but really nothing more. Then there are masks that are made by a Shinigami's sword."

She opened her mouth, but he cut her off.

"I promise you'll get better explanations later, sweetheart. You'll have plenty of time for questions then. Anyway, those masks made by unpartnered swords find their way into the hands of potential Shinigami. Typically, a Shinigami will find someone with one of those masks before the Masquerade is over and get them to agree to come to headquarters later on."

"I'm a potential Shinigami then?"

He nodded, absently threading their fingers together. "A very strong potential Shinigami actually. When I first saw you, I though you were fully trained actually. And I swear I know your eyes from somewhere."

Nanao was stilling trying to wrap her mind around the idea that she might be Shinigami. "But I'm not even very good at kidou."

"That's because you don't have your sword yet. But don't worry about that tonight." He smiled at her. "Tonight is the Masquerade, and you should enjoy yourself. Tomorrow we'll worry about getting you all set with your sword and all."

He tugged on their entwined hands. "Come on, there is still a lot to see before the night is over."

Nanao set her empty glass aside and let him lift her down from the wall. "Who are you?"

He leaned in so their noses brushed. "Captain Shunsui Kyoraku at your service, precious. And just who might you be?"

"Nanao Ise." She gave him her name without thinking about it.

Shunsui smiled and kissed her nose. "Well, Nanao-chan, I think that you're going to be a wonderful Shinigami, and I look forward to working with you. However, tonight I think that you should enjoy your first Masquerade."

Nanao let him lead her back in to the festivities. She didn't know how much of his story she believed. She supposed she would find out tomorrow. But Shunsui was an interesting person, and Nanao had no doubt that tonight would be memorable. At Shunsui's urging, the two of them ranged throughout the city. He led her up the large hill on the east side of the city where there was an amazing view of the entire town lit up by the lanterns and to a little stall over on the south end that served the most delicious chocolate Nanao could remember having. They danced to at least half a dozen different music groups over the course of the night, and Shunsui even convinced her to try her hand at most of the games they came across. He had also bought her a number of little trinkets like hair clips and even a fan despite her protests

She leaned against Shunsui as they slowly meandered down yet another lane. She didn't know what time it was other than late. As much fun as she was having, Nanao's energy was finally beginning to flag. She stumbled slightly and leaned into Shunsui a little more.

"Nanao-chan?" He peered down at her face. "You're falling asleep on me, aren't you?

Nanao yawned, "Sorry."

"Not to worry, sweetheart. Where do you live?"

"Number eleven at 778 Fairbrook Lane." Nanao yawned again.

She woke in the morning with sunlight streaming into her bedroom. Someone had removed her shoes and mask and tucked her into bed. Hanging from one of her bedposts was Shunsui's mask with a note tucked in one of the eyeholes. It read: If you want your mask back, Nanao-chan, you'll have to come and claim it. Number 8 Gotei Plaza. I'll treat you to dinner or lunch which ever comes first. Love, Shunsui.

Nanao laughed. The note seemed very like him. She looked out her window, watching the sunlight spill across the city. The Masquerade was over, but she wouldn't be forgetting last night anytime soon. And the possibilities it had opened up could prove to be quite interesting. She climbed out of bed. She wanted to hang up her costume and take a hot shower, and then she would take Shunsui up on his offer of breakfast. She was looking forward to meeting the man without the mask.