His hands were shaking with rage as he looked at the broken plate on the table. His throat was hoarse from yelling and as he looked up, he saw his woman cowering in the corner of the room, her violet eyes wide. The smoke from the burnt food stung his nose as he grimaced, running his hands through his hair. The snap of the porcelain breaking had brought him back to reality and he took a deep breath, controlling the anger.

Close your eyes. Count to ten. That was the mantra and he closed his eyes, counting to ten in Japanese. He followed that with Portugese, then Swahili. He could have gone on to Italian and Arabic, but he didn't need to. Three times was enough. The anger was fading into disgust at himself. His woman was terrified because he'd gone off on her over some burned broccoli. God… damn… it…

"I need a smoke." He muttered. He felt closed in, like the air might choke him. He needed to get out. Quickly leaving the house, he pulled out his cigarettes with shaking hands and he lit one. The taste of tobacco always soothed his temper. What would he do without it?

His woman let him smoke in peace, which was the smart thing to do. But then, she wasn't dumb. He was onto his third cancer stick when he heard the creak of the door, soft footsteps. He just looked away, the guilt weighing on him. He hated himself when he did things like this, he really did.

"I'm sorry." And that made it worse. He dropped the cigarette, crushing it with his heel before turning to her. Her eyes were a bit red behind her glasses and it made him want to kill himself. Had she been crying?

"Nanao." He pulled her against him, holding her against his chest and resting his cheek against her hair. "Don't apologize. I have a black bitch of a temper and that's not your fault." Was it even his fault? Or was this just something he'd been born with, his cross to bear? Well, if it was his cross he damned well needed to stop dropping it on her. "I've just had the shittiest day." His rage had been building for hours and when he'd come home to a flat full of smoke it had just been the last straw in a day full of straws.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice was small but he could feel her relaxing against him, her hands catching on the strap across his chest. Vance sighed, still tasting the nicotine. Did he want to talk about it? Not really, but maybe she deserved to know.

"Well, I guess it kind of started with the neighbors' rooster bouncing me out of bed. Ought to kill that thing." He said sourly. She'd managed to sleep through the serenade, somehow, and he hadn't woken her. "Then I was slated for new arrancar training." Aizen was still breaking masks and bringing more troops in. Things were not that stable. "Those fuckwits… they were so bad with their cero they might as well have been throwing rocks. Then when I got onto them one of them went full retard and tried to attack me." In resurrection, no less. "So I killed the dumbass and got blood all over my uniform and had to go home and change." That had been a piss off for sure. "Then, when I was going back, a pigeon shat on me." Fucking amazing aim, really, given that he'd been in sonido. "So I had to go home and change AGAIN." People looked down on pigeon shit. Go figure. "Then I got in and found out Tousen had been looking for me and was pissed that I wasn't there. Then I had to endure a lecture about killing that dumbass and my professionalism in general." That pissed him off just thinking about it and he closed his eyes for a moment, just holding her. "So then I punched a hole in the wall." Ukitake's shinigami had all been terrified. His temper had been smoking. "And I came home and when the kitchen was almost on fire I just lost it." He wasn't proud of that at all. All the rage and bile he'd been holding in had just vomited out on her and that wasn't right. "I'm sorry." He murmured as he stroked her hair.

"It's fine. I've had days like that." Her hands slid behind him, finding the cut-outs in his uniform. They revealed his shoulder blades and his mask fragments. Two angel wings, the left one whole and the right one broken and pieced together. They looked a bit like raised tattoos and she ran her fingers over them, making him shiver. "Although I usually come home and take a long bubble bath." …That sounded way too girly for him. They stayed that way for a moment and Vance just let himself take comfort in her. "Vance?" She looked up and he met those big violet eyes. "Did a pigeon really poop on you?" There was held back mirth in her voice and he sighed.

"Yes, a pigeon really shat on me." He said seriously and she giggled, letting go to put a hand over her mouth. He gently let go of her as she smiled, her eyes nearly glowing. For a moment, he was struck by how beautiful she was.

"I have a lot of laundry to do, don't I?" She asked and he winced.

"Oh god." He'd almost forgotten. "Yeah… the bloody uniform is in the sink, still soaking." He knew by now that if you were going to save bloodstained white, you had to get it in cold water first thing. "The other one's by the machine." He had no idea what to do for pigeon shit. "Why don't you start that while I clean up the kitchen?" There was still that burned mess to take care of. And while cooking was woman's work, he knew how to scrub a pan. "Did you want to order in?" She shook her head.

"No, the roast is fine and there's rice in the cooker and salad in the fridge." Ah, it was just the broccoli that'd gotten fucked up? Well, that would make his job easier. As he got to work scraping out the mess he could hear her exclaiming over his uniform. Well, that streak of bird poop was impressive. The fact that he'd been in sonido had made it worse, splattering it good. After the pan was cleaned and the clothes were in the washer, they settled in for supper. It was okay, the roast was nice and pink. The fried rice with soy sauce was pretty good. His woman could definitely cook.

There was no sex that night. Almost from the start, Vance had decided that he would never ask for sex after he went off on her. For two reasons… first off, she might be scared to say no. Second, there was nothing less sexy in the fucking universe than a man yelling in your face. So overall, asking for sex after a blow up was just a giant dick move and he wouldn't do it. Instead, he just put on his pajamas and settled into bed with her. She fit neatly against him, her back up against his chest, and he was just glad she was willing to be in the bed with him. Once or twice, she'd told him to go sleep on the sofa. And he'd done it, because it was a kind of penance. Sighing to himself, he closed his eyes.

He wished he had fewer things to do penance for.

Vance frowned as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching his woman popping out a little pill out of a long ring of 'em. The ring was half empty, the little plastic curling from where she'd taken out the others.

"Nanao." She stiffened a little before popping the pill in her mouth. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Why you still taking those? It's a waste of money." The little kido pills were really nice but they were also expensive. Why was she bothering?

"I'm not ready for a child with you." She said firmly and he opened his mouth only to stop as she held up a hand. "And subfertile is not the same as infertile."

"It might as well be. I'm at ten percent motility!" He argued. He'd spoken to Unohana about it – he trusted her way more than Szayel – and his sperm was shit. Not that it was any kind of surprise. The only real surprise was that he HAD active wigglers at all. "And that's if cross species pregnancies are even possible." It hadn't happened yet, but it had only been five years. "You're just throwing money down the drain."

"I don't care. I'm too young and we're not ready." She said and he dropped it. They had this conversation maybe once every three months and it always went the same. Grimacing, he went to put on his uniform.

Will we ever be ready? That thought made his hands itch for a cigarette. His temper, hid god damned, black bitch of a temper. He needed to control it better, he knew that. But fuck, how? He'd gotten so much better over the years but that demon temper was just part of him. He knew that from the other kind of explosion, the more dangerous kind… "Shit." He muttered as he slumped at the breakfast table. He might as well admit it, he wanted a kid. But what kind of father would he be? Kids could be annoying as hell and what would happen if he had a rough day at work then? Maybe… maybe he should start going somewhere, the bridge maybe, before going home? Yeah, maybe he would try that. Although even if he convinced her to go off the pills it'd take a miracle for his one lonely l'il guy to hit that target…

"Vance." Huh? He looked up with a blink to see her glowering at him. "Don't smoke inside." Wait, what? He looked down at his hand and the smoking cigarette there in bemusement. When had that gotten there?

"Sorry." He'd really spaced out for a moment, managing to light a cig and start smoking without even noticing. He frowned before catching the lit end between his fingers, snuffing it out. "So where are you going today?" He asked casually. She hesitated for a moment before beginning to put out the food.

"I was going to see my family." Ah, them. Such an assortment of dried up old pussies. They did not approve of him AT ALL. Still, he wasn't going to keep her away from them. And if she wanted to see them without him, so much the better. In fact, maybe…?

"Have fun." He said easily and saw her relax a touch. She knew he didn't like them. But then, it was mutual. "You can see them as much as you like, just don't make me come, it's all I ask." That made her chuckle softly.

"They don't want to see you either." She said cheerfully and he smiled as he tried the fish. Fish for breakfast, that was different but he liked it. With rice of course and something green for 'health'. He loved healthy food – oh wait, no he didn't. "Eat your vegetables." Aw, she'd spotted that.

"Fine, fine." He sighed before humoring her, trying a forkful. They weren't that bad actually, had some spice to 'em. "They're okay." He allowed before taking a long drink of water. Ah, water in the morning, he loved it. They ate in silence and soon he was done. "Well, I better get going." He said before he stood. He had a busy day ahead of him. She nodded and they shared a kiss before he made his exit.

His busy day consisted of patrols, starting in the Zaraki district. Something was really going on down there and people were looking awfully thin on the ground. The few he saw were pretty much terrified of him. Vance took his time, scanning with everything he had, but he couldn't even find any hollows. Things got more fruitful when he went on the neighboring districts and before long, he had a few hollow kills under his belt. But none of the fuckers with masks. Were they avoiding him because he was an Espada?

Chewing thoughtfully on that, he made his way back. Instead of going right back to Ukitake's Division, though, he made a stop at the Eighth. He hesitated, though, when he reached the door he was looking for. Did he want to do this?

As he stared at the door, he thought about it. He'd been contemplating this for a while. Subfertile might not be infertile but without some really invasive treatments, the odds that he could knock her up were basically zero. And convincing her that it was time to be a mother… ugh. He wasn't sure he could do that in a million years. Although five years wasn't too long and –

"Ahem." AH SHIT! He nearly jumped out of his skin, turning around with wide eyes. "Is there some reason you're hovering at my door?" Vance mentally cursed himself in five different languages as he tried to get his heart rate under control. What kind of a dumbass was he, letting someone as powerful as Kyoraku sneak up on him while he was spacing out?! Did he have a goddamned death wish?!

"I, uh, was looking for you." Smooth, very smooth. Shunsui lifted his eyebrows, his face impassive. "Er… fuck." Not the best opening lines and he was off his game, seriously off. "Can we talk somewhere private?" The hallway in front of his office was not private at all.

"Very well." That had all the warmth of an icicle. Well, he'd expected that. Maybe this was a bad idea but it was too late to bail out now. Swallowing nervously, he followed Kyoraku into the office. "Would you like some sake?"

"What? Ah, I mean, no." Vance was startled by the offer. Kyoraku hadn't heard? "I have problems with booze." He explained as he took a seat on the cushion. "Tea would be alright." He wasn't into tea but it beat the hell out of sake. That stuff would really push his buttons. He took a seat, seiza style, as Kyoraku made the tea.

"Oh really? That's too bad." And that was about as real as a three dollar bill. Vance sighed to himself as he reached up to rub his forehead. Maybe this had been a bad idea. This man pretty much hated him but, well, who wouldn't in this situation? And maybe they could get past that. The tea came and he tried it. It was bitter and he wished for some cold water with lemon. He doubted Kyoraku kept anything like that around his office, though. "I can see you're uncomfortable, Espada-san. While I understand that you don't want to distress Nanao-chan, perhaps you should just deliver your message." …What? Vance stared at him blankly for a moment before he understood.

"I'm not here to bring you bad news." That was a totally logical thing to think, though. He'd done it a few times over the years and had always tried to be nice about it, for Nanao's sake. "I'm just here for me." He said and Kyoraku sipped his tea, his eyes hooded. Damn the man was hard to read. "Look, can I ask you something?" He didn't get much of a response so after a moment, he forged onwards. "You ever fucked a guy?" From the look on Kyoraku's face, that was the last thing he'd expected to come out of his mouth. But then he frowned.

"What business is that of yours, Espada-san?" He asked sharply and Vance leaned forward a bit, his gaze intense.

"Look, just humor me and answer the question, alright?" If Kyoraku wasn't into guys at all this shit wasn't going to work. The man stared at him for a moment before answering.

"I'm a thousand years old. I prefer women, but I have had a few male lovers. Why do you want to know this, Espada-san?" From the guarded look on his face, Kyoraku was expecting something fucked up. Well, it was kind of fucked up, that was for sure. Vance took a deep breath before laying it all out.

"I'm wondering if you're interested in a threesome." He said baldly and shock briefly passed over Kyoraku's face before he controlled it. "Before you tell me to fuck myself, let me tell you why." He leaned forward again, meeting Kyoraku's eyes. "I know you want to bone her. You've got it really bad." The old man swallowed before scowling, his eyes narrowing. Vance kept going before he could take offense. "And I see the way she talks to you. Not sure why the woman's so demon-damned determined to deny it, but she likes you." That made a brief bit of anguish flash through those steel-grey eyes, although none of it reached his face. "Thing is, she talks like that to me now too." Nanao was gradually moving on, Vance was sure of it. And that was a good part of why Kyoraku hated him. "But I can't give her what you can." That hurt a bit but he'd had a long, long time to come to terms with it. Way longer than five years, really.

"What do you mean, Espada-san?" Kyoraku asked, frowning now. Vance sighed before explaining.

"You know I was broken, right?" He asked and Kyoraku just looked at him. "I lost a wing when I was just an adjuchas. That froze my evolution and made me sterile." His eyes widened a bit at that. "When I pulled the troops together and fucked up those guys at the Eleventh, Aizen decided I had potential and used his new powers to fix my mask. Then he fed me power to evolve me." They'd all been a bit surprised when he topped out at vasto lorde levels. That had given him the rank of Tercero. "My sperm is alive now, but it's really shitty. Ten percent motility. The usual is fifty." Most of his l'il guys couldn't swim worth a damn. "She says she's too young but someday, I'd like a kid in the house." He wouldn't really mind if it wasn't his. He'd helped raise one kid that wasn't his, as an adjuchas. Kyoraku hesitated before leaning forward and it was his turn to get a hard stare.

"If you're serious about this, Espada-san, there's a few things we need to talk about." Oh this was going to be fun. "Firstly, why should I take to bed the man who raped my Nanao-chan?" …Hey! "I hate the way you treat her. You are nothing but a weak minded bully, taking your rage out on the helpless." Vance flinched a little at that. It wasn't the whole truth but it had enough reality in it to sting. "Why should I overlook any of this?" He asked and Vance steadied himself before answering.

"Well, first off, it's the only way you'll get in her pants." That was a hard truth and Vance saw Kyoraku's eyes narrow with anger. "Second, I didn't rape her." He said flatly and held up a hand as Kyoraku opened his mouth. "When Aizen gave her to me and bound us together, I gave her a choice. She could be a cook and a maid and we'd go our separate ways, or she could join me in bed too. She decided to sleep with me." He could remember that moment five years ago, the way she'd fiddled with her obi as she thought about it. Then how she'd looked at him through lowered eyelashes before saying she wanted to fuck him. Vance had no idea why Nanao had made that choice, except that she thought he was kinda sexy. But it was definitely the choice she'd made. "No one'd say that was rape." Kyoraku's face tightened and Vance could tell the man didn't want to believe him. Then he looked away and Vance was sure he was trying to accept it. "And I'll tell you the truth. I hate the way I treat her too." God damn his temper. "But I'm not just a bully. It might be easier if I was." Vance said with real regret, because… "It doesn't happen often – survival instinct is powerful – but four times in my life, twice as a living man and twice as an adjuchas, I have totally lost my shit on someone who could have killed my sorry ass." Kyoraku looked back then, a touch surprised. "This black bitch of a temper is real. I can't just make it go away." To his mind, that was a sure sign of it. If his temper could make him do things that were flat out suicidal, he wasn't just a bully.

"Can you expand on that, Espada-san?" Kyoraku asked and Vance sighed before reaching for a cigarette. If he was going to hash out the past, he needed a smoke. Although…

"D'you mind if a smoke?" He asked and Kyoraku waved it away. He lit the cigarette with fingernails and blinked as he heard the man snort. Glancing up quizzically, he saw Kyoraku's lips were twitching. What did that look like to them? Shrugging it away, he took a deep drag of his cig before beginning to talk. "The first time I lost my shit was when I was twenty." Maybe before that if you counted things that'd happened when he was a kid or drunk, but Vance didn't think that really counted. Kids had temper tantrums and drunks were drunks. He'd done this stone cold sober. "I was in a mercenary company in blackest Africa." How he'd gotten there was a story but he wasn't going into that. "We had a bunch of newcomers, just arrived a few days ago. I was carrying a big jug of water to the wash station when I heard a weird noise." Vance took another blow from the cancer stick. Even just thinking about this made him angry. "I went to see what it was and there was one of the new guys raping one of our women." She'd been one of the negro women, too, which meant she was probably married. Those colored men often brought their wives when they joined the camp. "Motherfucker had a gun to her head and I dropped the jug of water as I screamed at him to stop but it was too late. He shot her right in front of me." Kyoraku sipped his tea. As far as Vance could tell, the story wasn't affecting him much. But then, he was a thousand years old, he'd probably seen all kinds of shit. "I saw red." That wasn't just an expression. When things like this happened it was like a red film over his mind. "I charged that motherfucker, screaming, and he was so unnerved he actually missed." It had been point blank range. He should have been dead. "Then I was wrestling him for the gun and I got it away from him and started beating him with it." Vance was sure he would have beaten him to death but – "Then the other guys showed up and got us separated. That asshole tried to claim I'd done it but that was just a fucking joke, his pants were still down." Vance remembered that he'd still been fighting against the guys holding him, trying to reach the asshole. "Then the captain showed up. He took one look at the shit show and pulled out his gun and shot that fucker." That had finally calmed him down, seeing that bastard die. Vance shrugged before taking another pull of the cigarette.

"The second time I lost my mind was when I was working for the boss, maybe fifteen years later. I was a made man by then." Would Kyoraku know what that meant? Oh, who cared. "The boss wanted us to burn down this restaurant." Vance could remember scouting out the place. It had been the poor side of town and the restaurant had just been a hole in the wall dive, really. Ah, the smell of horse shit, the screams of the little kids running around, the cries of the fishmongers hawking their wares… it all came back so easily. "A message to the guy who owned it. I did some scouting and realized there was a problem. A woman living on the upper floor, looking after a whole passel of kids." At least eight of them. "The fucking fire ladder was broken and even if it wasn't, most kids couldn't climb it." Fire codes hadn't been much of a thing back then. "So I went to the boss and said, boss, we have a problem. We can set that place on fire and make sure it doesn't spread – that was important, you don't set the whole neighborhood on fire – but there's this woman and a bunch of kids." Vance paused before reaching for his tea and taking a sip. His mouth was getting dry. "I figured he'd say something like, yeah that's a problem lets' detail a few soldiers to get her and the brats out before we light the place up." That would have been cool with him. After all, she was just renting the place and probably didn't own much. "But that wasn't what he said." Again, the anger came back and Vance had to go for his cancer stick. "Motherfucker just laughed and said she was just an Irish bitch and the kids were fucking Irish too, forget about it. They breed like fucking flies Vance!" He could hear the venom in his own voice and Kyoraku blinked, staring at him. "I lost. My. Shit. I got in his face and started calling him every fucking name in the book and believe me that was crazy. This was a man who had people chopped up and melted down in lye, and I was screaming in his face." Kyoraku took a deep breath before taking another sip of his tea. "I think the only thing that saved me was he was as surprised as anyone. The look on his face was like 'holy shit what is THIS?'" Sort of funny in retrospect. "He would have got over it and shot me but Gino and Dino saved my bacon. Dino got a hand over my face and started hissing in my ear shut up shut up shut up and Gino started talking really fast to the boss. He was like, but boss, we're going to the Children's festival next week and Don Luzzato's going to be there and he's bringing his kids and the priest and everything and it'd be disrespectful to kill kids' right before the Children's festival, right? We don't want to be disrespectful, right boss?" Vance shook his head. "Those assholes were all about respect." He'd kept his feelings to himself but he'd always felt it was bullshit. Like trying to put a veneer on rotten wood. "Anyway, I managed to pull myself together and apologize and the boss admitted it might be disrespectful and we all managed to forget about it. But I came this close." He raised a hand and made the gesture for that, his thumb and first finger almost together. "That enough or do you want me to go on?" Wasn't that enough to prove that he was a crazy motherfucker, not just a bullying prick?

"Please go on Espada-san. I'm finding this rather interesting." Kyoraku said thoughtfully and Vance quirked an eyebrow at him before shrugging. If he wanted to hear it…

"The first time I lost my mind as an adjuchas was when I lost my wing." He said that with deep regret. If it hadn't been for that, he would have had a way easier time. "I was a pretty new adjuchas and I'd picked up a mate. We weren't in love or any bullshit, but she was alright." Adjuchas were all a bit batty and she was no exception, but they'd gotten on okay. "Then this asshole started hunting us. He was way more powerful and pretty soon we were in deep shit. He cornered us and laughed when he saw one of us was a woman. He told me if I gave him the bitch, he might let me live." Vance looked down at his cigarette. It was almost done, he'd need another soon. Well, might as well finish it off. "I was actually thinking about it. We weren't in love… but then he said he'd eat her when he was done fucking her and I lost my shit." The red haze again. It had come over him without a bit of warning and then he'd gone off like a rocket. "I actually killed the fucker but it cost me my wing." That had been rough because his woman hadn't been interested in a sterile, non-evolving hollow. They'd parted ways not long after that.

"Anyway." Vance shook those memories away. He wouldn't linger on the hurt. "The last time I popped my cork was in Los Noches." It'd been a fucking pip too. "I really should have died. You know Yammy?" He might not. The bastard as dead, thank kami. Otherwise Vance figured he'd already have been found in bits and pieces, Tercero or no Tercero. Kyoraku shook his head. "He was the fucking Cero, the strongest of us all. But his power was slow to build so when he was sealed, he was the Decimo." That was important for the story. "It happened in Halibel's wing." Another thing that'd kept him breathing. "I was just wandering around and I happened to come across him tearing the clothes off another arrancar." Vance pinched out the cigarette before pulling out a new one and lighting it. "Maybe I could have ignored that but I knew that guy. He was a friend of mine and I knew Yammy killed everyone he fucked." That was deliberate, he liked fucking people to death. "I was frozen for a moment but then the guy saw me and said Vance, help… and that was when I lost it." Vance took a drag from his new cigarette, cooling the rage. "I went off on that asshole. His power was slow to build so I got some really good hits in but then he punched me through a wall and broke half my ribs." That incredible pain had shocked him back to something like sanity. "And I realized I was in deep doody. My buddy had run off and I didn't blame him a bit." He'd have done the same thing. "So I ran for it. And I had an idea… Halibel didn't like guys but she didn't like rapists either and Yammy was fucking around in her wing. So I went for her." It was all he'd had. "I don't know if she would have helped or not but when I burst into the room, Mila Rose was right in front of me. I grabbed her and yanked her in front of me." Not something he was exactly proud of but he'd been desperate. "And Yammy bust through the wall and punched her in the face." He'd meant to hit him but Yammy was a bit slow on the uptake. "That made all of them go off and I got out in the confusion." Seeing one of her fraccion assaulted right in front of her… Halibel had gone off almost like he did. "I was really lucky that the final battle was a week later and Yammy got killed. I wasn't really his type but I bet he'd have made an exception for my sorry ass." And being raped to death was definitely not his preferred way to go. "I did have to apologize to Halibel on my knees." She was the Segunda now and while she hadn't hunted him down when he was just a numero, she'd been pissed to see him again as an Espada. Vance had practically licked her boots. Well, using Mila as a shield had been a dick move, he'd take his punishment like a man.

"What you're telling me, Espada-san, is that you're a berserker." Kyoraku observed and Vance looked at him in surprise. That… was a great way to put it, actually. "And you can't help how you behave towards my Nanao-chan." There was anger behind that calm surface and Vance winced.

"Not exactly. I can help it, mostly. I only go off on her maybe twice a year." That was twice too many but it was still pretty good, considering he had way more shitty days than that. But the other days he managed to swallow it, count to ten, smoke his cigs and behave like a reasonable person. "I guess I'm just saying it's all the same thing. And that's why Nanao's scared of me when I blow up on her. I've never touched her and I never will, but she can feel that danger inside me." It was a real thing, that potential for violence. "And that's the other reason I want you involved in this." Vance felt a sting as he said the words but this was definitely something he should share. "I could go off on Tousen someday. I could go off on Aizen." From the way Kyoraku's eyes widened, he hadn't thought about that. "And there won't be a Dino and Gino to pull my fat out of the fire." If he was lucky the other Espada MIGHT save his ass but they might not, too. "If we do manage to make a kid I want someone around with survival potential. You've made it a thousand years, I think you've got good odds." He wasn't too sure about himself. Tousen usually nit-picked him, though, and that actually made it easier to control his temper. The worst moments were when something surprised him and made that rage come on all at once.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Kyoraku muttered and Vance was sure he was thinking about his own shitty situation. Ah, times were hard. "Have you talked to Nanao about this?" He asked and Vance grimaced.

"No. It probably sounds weird given that I think you hate me, but I figured you'd be less likely to rip my head off and spit down the hole." He said frankly and saw Kyoraku smile. "Her temper's just as scary as mine, when she really rips off." That happened way less often though. "And anyway, if you said no it wouldn't matter. Does this mean you're saying yes?" He looked at the man hopefully. Honestly, Vance thought this might get them both what they wanted. There was a long pause as Kyoraku thought about it and Vance hoped he never had to play poker with the man. He'd clean up.

"I think perhaps I am." He finally said and Vance breathed a small sigh of relief. "Although that supposes you survive putting this to my lovely Nanao-chan." Ouch! "How do you plan to do that, by the way?" He asked with morbid curiosity. Vance shrugged helplessly.

"I was hoping you might have some idea. I mean, you've known her for almost a century, right?" From the look on his face, Kyoraku thought he was an idiot. "No?" A wicked smile played on his lips.

"I have absolutely no idea." Great. Vance opened his mouth but Kyoraku cut him off at the pass. "And I won't help you. This is all on you, Espada-san." Dick! "It was your idea, after all." …Hmph. Vance glowered but couldn't really argue that.

"Forget about it." He growled before blinking. It had been a long, long time since he'd used that phrase. Unfolding his legs, he moved smoothly to his feet. "And call me Vance." If they were really going to do this, they should be on a first name basis. Although he wasn't going to use Kyoraku's name until the man gave him permission. That might take a while, but it would probably happen. He showed himself out, feeling thoughtful eyes on his back.

Now he needed to talk to Nanao. Ah, life was such a pip sometimes.