A/N: Disclaimer: Bleach and all characters belong to Tite Kubo. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine alone.
Expect the unexpected.
Nanao Ise was settling in with the squad one routines quite well. Things were neat and orderly just as she liked it. The constant consistency was very calming.
Even Captain Kyoraku had seemingly calmed down since being thrust into the leadership role. He was even getting paperwork done in a timely manner, which was a refreshing change of pass from the old style of having to chase him down and sometimes beat him into submission until the work was completed.
Of course there were still times that she had to apply a heavy book to this thick noggin but they became more rare than common, like the old days.
They had made a deal; she and Okikiba, he would wake the captain up and get breakfast started and she would make the coffee or tea, and get him going on the stacks of papers on the desk. It had worked out very well for both of them.
Still occasionally the man she had known for so long was still able to surprise her. Just when she thought she'd see everything possible, she walked into the kitchen;
It was chaos.
Not that it was messy. It was just that Kyoraku himself was making breakfast and Okikiba was standing around looking absolutely flabbergasted. His Captain-commander had never done anything of the sort. He and Sasikibe had prepared all the meals and teas for Genreusai Yamamoto.
This captain...THIS CAPTAIN was infuriating. He just did not conform to the usual standards for a Captain-commander.
The man in charge of the huge military company should not be in the kitchen making scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, soup and a huge pot of coffee.
"What're you doing?" Nanao snapped in her commanding voice.
Shunsui spun around and smiled broadly, "Oh Nanao-chan, just in time. I decided I wanted to do something and since I hadn't really been asleep yet, I figured I'm make us all breakfast."
Nanao sighed, his usual sleep patterns were messed up with this new job and there were times he didn't sleep for days on end. Meetings would run long, hands needed to be shook, business's pandered to. There was a lot more to being Captain-commander than just directing the army on which way to go.
He was also in charge of the academy.
"Why are you wearing that ridiculous apron?" She was trying to keep the conversation on their normal level.
"Because his," he waved the spatula at Okibiba's direction. "didn't fit me right and you know I like my bright, cheery colors."
"Sir!" Okibiba's voice almost had a whiny tone to it. "This is not something a Captain-commander should be doing, this is why you have subordinates." The older man clearly was unused to handling a wild card like Kyoraku.
"Yamamoto-sama would never have done anything like this himself."
Kyoraku chuckled, "Did you know him when he was younger?"
"I knew of him." Okikiba puffed out his chest. "I did not get to know him until I came to first squad."
"That was after he made Saskibe his second, right?" The tall brunet pushed around some scrambled eggs. The older man nodded.
"I knew him when he still had hair, black as a coal. Temper like a teapot. I can't even recall how often I got the old knuckles to the head routine. I was a brat after all.
He got tired of the same old breakfast that was being served to him, so he wandered into the kitchen; flattening people as he went along. And took it upon himself to make his own food."
Nanao had to giggle, she could never picture the staid old man doing anything so out of the ordinary. "So what happened?"
"The kitchen staff flew into a frenzy and tried to chase him out and wait for his meal. He drew his sword and incinerated everything they had made." The duel lieutenants made gasping sounds. "He rolled up his sleeves and began to make fresh noodles and dashi stock, grumbling the whole time."
"You made that up!" Nanao hissed. "Yamamoto-soutaicho would never have done anything like that."
"I believe I did hear about that.." Okikiba chimed in. "It was a legend that was told when I first transferred to this squad. Nanao gaped at him. Who would believe the normally sedate old man could ever have acted like that.
"Plus some of the beatings I received..." Kyoraku rubbed his backside as he remembered. "I was kind of a brat back then."
"Back then?" Nanao's eyebrow arched quizzically. "So it's a long time learned habit, is it?"
Shunsui chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, then returned to flip the bacon in the pan. "You two sit down, it's my turn to serve you breakfast."
"That's not proper." Both lieutenants said at the same time. They sat down at the small kitchen table anyway. Kyoraku set a steaming teapot in front of them so they could serve themselves.
Soon the trays of food were brought over to the table and Kyoraku joined them with a cup of coffee for himself. "The thing the two of you are going to have to remember is..." He sipped the coffee with a happy sigh. "I'm not like the old man. I intend to make some drastic changes in the way things are done around here. That's partly why I insisted on two lieutenants."
"And secondly... I just enjoy cooking for my friends. Now eat up, even the rolls are hand made."
Nanao didn't question any more, she knew by now that her captain could be very motivated when he had a mind to do something. You just never knew what side of him you were going to see.
And that was alright. Soul Society needed someone like him in charge.