A/N: Well, a follow up was inspired as of today. I was working on this at two this morning. This is more like a chapter to get me back into the swing of things because I've written some other things since "The Three Hardest Phrases". I don't know exactly where I'm going with this yet, only loose fragments. I'll do my best. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

P.S. There's an important question at the end that I require an opinion of. Thanks.

Disclaimer: Is it really necessary? I got nothing...still...


Past Grievances
Chapter One: Remembrance

The milky fog swirled around the motionless figure of Nanao Ise. Zanpakuto in hand, she listened for movement in the darkness beyond the white. There were rustles of the leaves here and there, telling her she had company.

Two black-clad figures approached her then, hands flashing dangerously with the familiar flame she used so often. She could no longer use her own kido, her enemy had made sure of that. She was already tired, but she had to keep going. It was fight or die.

The fog, she found, was mainly in effect for draining her reiatsu. It worked little by little, but Nanao knew she would be pushing it if she tried to ignite her own power. It took all she had just to avoid the onslaught brought by her opponent.

The two in front of her suddenly vanished, the mist parting slightly. Bracing herself, Nanao peered through the mist as another figure came closer. The identity was undeniable. Red flaming hair, a swaying gait, a curved blade that reflected the full moon...yes, it could only be one.

Leiko Tokinori.

She had a wicked grin on her face, anticipating how much fun she was going to have. Without giving Nanao time to think, she lunged, aiming for a swift kill. Nanao had to step back and block, not really expecting her quickness.

They chased each other for hours, each becoming more and more tired as their blood trickled to the ground. Each river made ran towards the lower ground in the center of their clearing, combining to make a large pool.

The fire woman started to laugh, and for some reason unbeknownst to her, it made Nanao angry. With a surge of her strength, she dove her blade into the attacker, watching as it slowly pulled out and she sunk to the ground. She landed with a thud in the pool, adding her own to it. Nanao made sure she stayed motionless, eyes glued to the body before her.

She started to fall back, world being overwhelmed by darkness.

Nanao opened her eyes gently. She was not panicking, and she did not fear. Staring up at the ceiling for a moment, she glanced over at the time. Three was too early in the morning to be getting up, even for her.

She put her head back against her pillow, thinking again. This wasn't the first time she had this dream. It happened every now and then, and it bothered her now less than it used to. Had it been over a year already? She almost couldn't believe it. Sometimes the visions seemed so real, just like it was when she was there.

Still, she didn't really mind them anymore. Sometimes when she was in one of her more protective states, she enjoyed seeing her fall once again.

Looking over to her right, she smiled when her eyes fell upon the sleeping figure next to her. She watched his chest move up and down as he breathed, a comforting feeling coming over her. Before she had wondered what it would be like waking up like this everyday, once when she had wore his haori for comfort, and she found it to be just as wonderful as it seemed.

Turning over, she curled into his side, laughing a bit to herself when a faint 'Nanao-chan' was uttered from his sleeping form. His pink haori was draped across a chair on the other side of her room, his straw hat resting on her dresser. Yes, she valued everything she had now.

If you totaled everything up, Nanao could honestly say that Leiko was the one person she hated. She hated her even more than Aizen when he betrayed them, even more than Gin, who had caused Rangiku such pain. Hate was a very strong word, but she felt it necessary to be used.

She hated her for everything she had put all of them through. She kidnapped and tortured two of their officers just to find out information on her. She had deliberately caused an influx of hollows to lure their division out, slaughtering members and making it seem like Nanao had caused them the pain. She almost killed Shunsui, as well as herself, and it was all for the sake of jealousy. Yes, hatred was indeed due.

But even through all of that, she still learned something from the demon woman. Nanao learned exactly what was important to her, no questions asked. The person next to her was proof of that. She knew before that he had a significant place, but it took Leiko's actions to make her realize how much she really needed him.

Thinking back, she confirmed the thought that Leiko really was a scary person. A woman scorned, or however else you would describe her (crazy and obsessed came to mind), was definitely a dangerous thing. Because she had been in the Twelfth, she had gotten access to many dangerous objects, the Depleter the most feared one of them all.

Even though that particular device almost killed her, Nanao thought that wasn't the scariest thing she encountered. It was the illusions for her. The fact that she could manipulate what a person saw, what they believed, even if it was just for an instant, was terrifying. Even if you knew it was false, a part of you still wanted to believe it. It was hard to break, especially when her power was heightened under the full moon.

For those few moments, Nanao had actually thought she killed the one person who mattered the most to her. She had learned later that he watched the whole scene play out, and it just made Nanao even more angry. She learned of the torment he went through by watching her. She hated her for that too.

She still didn't really know how she did it, how she managed to strike Leiko down before her strength gave out. Unohana described it as an adrenaline rush, given a person the ability to do things they normally couldn't. It seemed like a viable reason, but she remembered how it was agony to move, and how her limbs were so heavy.

The only thing she could think about in that moment though, was how much she wanted to stop the dream weaver. She had insulted her captain, making it seem like everything was a lie, and Nanao didn't like it. She also used his nickname for her. That was unacceptable. He was the only person she would allow to use that. In the end, her motivation had been enough.

The relief didn't wash over her until she had woken up in the fourth. After seeing the sad state Shunsui was in, she knew that she had to say what she had been hiding soon. Although relieved, that feeling of losing him was greater, forcing her into action. She didn't want to have to feel that again.

As it turned out, things worked out quite nicely. Little had changed between them. He still came into the office late, and she still did most of the work. She was hitting him with her fan less, although an occasional rap kept him in line. She supposed that she was a bit more affectionate too, although not showing such things in public. It was those times he did when she had to hit him. The whole Seireitei knew about them by now. She wasn't embarrassed, she just knew that he could be a little too extravagant sometimes.

She laughed to herself again at that thought. Extravagant indeed. She remembered the time when he had held a surprise Division party after she had been released from the Fourth. There was also a time when she found herself covered in wildflowers as she was walking to a lieutenant's meeting. He said they complimented her wonderfully, and that he had to show off how beautiful she was. She was slightly embarrassed, but he told her the other captains would be jealous they didn't have her as their vice. He got smacked for that one.

Still, she supposed he did do paperwork sometimes. Well, once in a while might be the more appropriate term for that. He still lacked in that area, claiming that he'd much rather spend time with his lovely Nanao-chan instead of slaving over less important things. She thought this rather sweet, even if it was being used to get out of doing work. She let him get away with it mostly, sometimes taking breaks to go sit with him. She had changed a bit.

Well, she still had a few cards up her sleeves. If it was an extremely busy day, she would get him to do work. She simply stated that he would not be coming home with her, and that she was not going home with him. That usually resulted in a pouty face and some work actually getting done. It seemed he liked her company as much as she liked his. He probably liked waking up next to her too.

Smiling, she felt herself slowly drift back to sleep, having good memories.

XoXoXoX

She was awake within four hours of falling back to sleep. She got up quietly, moving slow enough so she wouldn't wake Shunsui. She was ready in a half hour, even already having her daily cup of tea. She saw him roll over, and she went up to him.

He was now laying on his back. She leaned over and kissed him, earned a grumbled response in the process.

"See you in a few hours, Shunsui."

Smiling, he fell back asleep mumbling something about 'anything for his Nanao-chan.'

She chuckled quietly while going to the door. The sun was already out, but it was just beginning to get bright. She sighed a little, wondering how much paperwork there would be today. It was the middle of the month, so she hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Then again, there was always something going on in the Eighth.


A/N: Okay, important question time. I need to know if anybody would be offended if I included an OC. They won't have a big part, there just happens to be someone in that role in the grand design in my mind. They wouldn't be that important. I know some people downright hate OCs, so I thought I'd ask first. Let me know, k? Thanks -KG