Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU.
Almost Home
Nanao sighed and fidgeted a little in her seat. Even first class got uncomfortable after twenty-one hours in the air. However, they were now just twenty minutes away from landing, and Nanao was that much closer to home. She had been away for almost three years now, and while the opportunity to do her Masters Degree abroad had been one she couldn't pass up, she had missed home. She hadn't even really been able to visit for holidays. Her school's schedule had not matched up well with the major Japanese holidays. Though she had a few visits from her people over the course of the three years. But now she was done, and she was almost home.
Home. There had been a time when that word really hadn't meant much to her. Nanao had always been fairly independent and self-sufficient. You had to be when you were an orphan. She had started out in the orphanage with her older sister, Lisa, but the two of them had been separated by the time Nanao was nine. Nanao had focused her time and energy into her school work, and her closest companions had been the characters in the books she read. It really hadn't been until she started university that things had changed.
Part of that had to do with her roommate. Somehow, Nanao's assigned roommate had ended up being Rangiku Matsumoto, a math major. Rangiku was Nanao's complete opposite in almost every way, but she had almost immediately adopted Nanao. It was Rangiku who had insisted on dragging Nanao out to social events, introducing her to all sorts of people, and setting her up on dates. The dates never seemed to work out, but Nanao had started to make friends. And for all that Rangiku was her opposite in personality, the older woman did understand her well, and Nanao soon found that she was her best friend.
The other reason for the changed had to do with one Dr. Shunsui Kyoraku, a professor in the literature department. Nanao wasn't entirely sure what is was about her that had initially attracted Kyoraku's attention, but the man had certainly focused on her. Nanao had taken one of his classes during her second term, and Shunsui hadn't let himself disappear from her life since. He had been one of the main forces encouraging her to explore the areas she was interested in and continue her studies with original research. He had also been the one to encourage her to apply to graduate school after she'd expressed an interest in maybe getting a Master's degree.
So Nanao had ended up entering the Master's of Library and Information Science program at the university, and Shunsui had changed from a mentor and teacher to a good friend. He teased her and flirted with her all the time still, but Nanao didn't read anything into it. Part of her wanted him to be serious, but the more sensible part of her was aware that if the man had been a bachelor for this long (he was rather notorious about it), she wasn't likely to change that.
But his support and friendship was dear to her, and Nanao wouldn't give that up. Shunsui had been the one to urge her to apply for her doctoral studies at one of the best universities in the field, even if that university was out of country. She'd gone through the past years getting silly emails from the man, and Nanao was pretty sure that Shunsui was behind the care packages she had received as well. She didn't know how he seemed to know just when she needed a laugh or a taste of home, but she would admit that if it hadn't been for him and his support, she didn't think that she would have gotten through the past three years without being miserable.
Probably Shunsui's best surprise had been when he'd called her just before her summer vacation to let her know that he'd be arriving in a week with a gaggle of students to visit "sites of literary interest and significance" in the British Isles, and he wanted her to come along so there would be a responsible adult on the trip. She had agreed, and it had been a fantastic three weeks. Some of the students might have been scarred for life, though Nanao had done her best to mitigate that, but it had been a wonderful vacation, and exactly what she had needed after an extremely stressful term.
A flight attendant interrupted her thoughts, and Nanao prepared herself for the descent. Just a little longer until she as home. Nanao now not only had earned her doctorate, but she was also heading home to her new job: working as a faculty scholar at her old university. She would be teaching some classes, but most of her time would be spent on her research. Nanao had barely scratched the surface with her dissertation, and she was eager to dive into her work. But she was even more looking forward to afternoons spent debating ideas with Shunsui, Dr. Ukitake, and whoever else joined them. She was looking forward to Rangiku dragging her out of her office for a night on the town. She was looking forward to being home.
Getting off the plane and going through customs took Nanao longer than she would have liked, but finally, she was released into the rest of the airport. Nanao had barely entered the arrivals lobby when she spotted the group waiting for her. Rangiku and Shunsui were there as well as Rangiku's younger brother and his girlfriend, and Gin Ichimaru who Rangiku had gotten engaged to earlier this year. They were the closest things Nanao had to family, and despite the fact that she was a little weary, she couldn't help the bright smile that spread across her face.
Nanao quickly found herself relieved of her luggage by Toushiro and Gin before Rangiku pulled her into a hug. She had a moment to recover from that before Shunsui scooped her up for a hug of his own. Nanao hugged him back letting out a content sigh. Now she was home.