Gossip


"No sword bites so fiercely as an evil tongue."

~Sir Philip Sidney

It was a day like any other, or at least it started that way, Nanao contemplated. Everything had started innocently enough with lunch with Shunsui. They had done this a lot since everything had cleared up. Having lunch together and just enjoying the time spent with each other. Nanao preferred the evenings when they would stay in and Shunsui would cook something for the two of them since she liked the intimacy and not to forget Shunsui's fabulous cooking. Being out like this there were sometimes too many stares for her comfort, directed at her and her captain.

They were not doing anything out of the ordinary, Nanao thought, just sitting opposite each other and having lunch in the nice garden of the little café that had the delicious little sandwiches Nanao adored, so Shunsui indulged her often. The café was small and a bit pricey but the atmosphere was so relaxed and comfortable that Nanao really liked coming here from time to time. Shinigami were its main customers, it didn't matter if you were a seated officer or not.

Suddenly Nanao saw the group of female Shinigami a few tables down behind Shunsui look in their direction and swiftly look away again when they noticed that Nanao was looking at them and this was repeated a few times until Nanao heard a few syllables and stiffened.

Shunsui had of course noticed right away that something preoccupied Nanao but soon enough he knew why when he also heard some of their conversation.

"Nanao-chan?" He asked in his deep baritone voice.

Nanao was pulled back from her introspection with a start.

"Yes?" She made the effort to not look at the women behind him and instead focused on him.

"Are you alright?" He inquired gently.

"Yes, of course, taicho, why wouldn't I be?" She refused to call him anything else except taicho or sometimes Kyouraku-taicho in public. It was aggravating to him but he respected it anyways.

"Ahh, Nanao, don't lie." He said softly making sure that his voice didn't carry over to the women.

Nanao looked very tense and her eyes were getting so sad. She wouldn't allow her face to show her emotions but he had become good at reading her eyes, they were always truthful and it was horrible to see her like this and without a moment's thought he stood up and made to go over to the Shinigami.

A sharp, "Don't" from Nanao halted him though.

He looked into her face and it implored him to leave this be. She hadn't moved an inch but he knew she was ready to get up and stop him should he pursue his path.

Instead, he went over to her and offered his hand, as if he had planned that from the beginning.

Nanao was hesitant to take it and it made his heart break a bit. Ordinarily, even if she would act all professional in public, she would still use little touches to reassure him and maybe even herself that this was a front she put up in order to keep the tongues from wagging. No use.

But in the end, she took his hand and stood gracefully, and with a smile and a thank-you to the owner Shunsui steered Nanao to the door, a comforting hand on the small of her back, reassuring her and relaxing her at the same time. And also to press her forwards because as soon as she noticed that they were heading to the side entrance that led through the gardens behind the café she tried to stop. Because right in the path was that table of gossiping female Shinigami.

A soft rub along the small of her back reassured her even if her whole body had stiffened up in preparation. Preparation to steel her mind and heart from all hurt.

The imposing figure of her captain next to her made her feel small and self-conscious and she was actually scared to walk passed those women. As soon as Nanao realized that though, she pulled herself together and walked with her head held high. Shunsui noticed and gave her rump a gentle pat, right as they passed, to the indignation of the Shinigami in question. Nanao had to use every ounce of her self control to not bash him one over the head.

When they were outside the café parameters, Nanao instantly parted from his side and walked off, her posture: Angry. Fiercely so. Shunsui chuckled, he so loved it when she was in a temper, and hurried after her.

"Nanao-ch~an, wait, for me." He sing-songed.

Nanao wasn't even slowing down.

"I can't believe you did that!" She suddenly stopped and whirled around pushing his chest. Her eyes were sparkling in anger…and pain?

Shunsui frowned. Had he miscalculated, as he so often did with his Nanao-chan?

"I did not mean to cause you any pain, Nanao, but they're just jealous bitchy hags who envy you your formidable lover." He announced in a pompous voice with a gentle smile.

And then Nanao exploded.

"Have you any idea, how difficult it is to bear all this talk? Not only do they think I've fucked my way to where I am, they even talk about it in public!"

Shunsui stepped up to her forcefully and moved her next to him and started walking with a tight grip around her waist. He knew she was upset, enormously so, since she never used vulgar words, or at least not if she was coherent, he added in his mind after an internal chuckle.

Nanao wasn't making it easy for him. She was nearly stemming her feet into the grass but he just picked her up around her waist so her feet were lifted from the ground.

They arrived at a nice and cosy bench and Shunsui put Nanao down onto it.

"Now, listen, and listen well, Nanao. We knew this was going to be difficult, we knew something like this might happen but what I didn't know was that you would let it get to you."

"Well, your integrity isn't questioned!" she shot back angrily.

"Be that as it may, but neither is it important, even if it were. Nanao, you are not a coward. You're a fighter and you and I, we both know what you can do. You earned the position you hold. You earned the respect that goes with it and the people from our squad know that. They have seen you in battle, they know how strong you are and you have their deepest devotion. And they're scared shitless of you, so don't let some nobodies who are so dull that they have to gossip instead of having a genuine conversation ruin your mood and your value of yourself. I know why you're my fukutaicho and you know it too, isn't that enough?"

Nanao was quiet.

"It's just so strange being a topic for conversation. I have never done anything that brought people to gossip about me, I'm probably still not used to it but you're right, I'm sorry I'm being so emotional." She looked up at him with consternation.

Shunsui kneeled down in front of her so they were on the same height and looked her straight into the eyes.

"Don't be sorry, there's nothing you have to be sorry for. You're an unbelievably just person who is constantly surprised if other people aren't, and that makes you refreshingly unique. Don't change but just think to yourself that you're more beautiful, you're an amazingly talented Shinigami and the fukutaicho of the 8th, you're more intelligent than those women could ever hope to be and above all you're my Nanao-chan, it can't get better than that!" He smiled widely and Nanao couldn't stop herself from giving him a little peck. Before he could really register it, she was up and walking.

"Get going, taicho, we've got paperwork to do."

Thanks a lot to the people who reviewed, especially who took the time to review on Christmas Day. You people are great!

Let me know what you think of the chapter. I'll try to update tomorrow