A/N: Here's another chapter in a belated Valentine's offering to my beloved readers. It may not be as good as chocolate, but hopefully you'll find it delectable just the same.
Tomorrow and After
Chapter Two: The Plot Thickens in a Thicket
"Come on Kyōraku-san and tell Ran-san what's wrong," Matsumoto wheedled, bumping Shunsui's shoulder lightly with her own.
"Nanao reads too much, that's the problem," Shunsui commented, adjusting his seat in the grass and going to lean his head against the large boulder their possessions were still currently resting on. He hissed as the movement agitated the shallow gash where his left shoulder met his neck.
"Yare Rangiku, you really did a number on me," he said wryly, gently probing the recent injury with his fingers.
"You should talk," she returned, attempting to rip one of the sleeves off of her uniform while cradling her own bleeding forearm. "Here, rip this for me," she requested, holding out her arm.
"How was I supposed to know you were going to come flying over me like that and upside down no less?" Shunsui asked indignantly, dispatching her sleeve and handing it to her.
Matsumoto shrugged. "I was trying something new. That evasive roll you did was pretty impressive. Take the other one, I can't stand being lopsided," she giggled, gesturing for Shunsui to use her other sleeve to stem the trickle of blood on his neck. "And stop avoiding the subject," she added over the sound of ripping fabric.
"I'm insulted you think I would do such a thing," Shunsui said, reaching up onto the boulder and retrieving the bottle of water. He took a swig before offering it silently to his friend.
"Well, you are," Matsumoto pointed out. "Saying Nanao reads too much is like saying Toshirō takes things too seriously." She gathered her hair in one hand and brought it to rest over one shoulder in a contemplative gesture.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with Nanao cutting you off earlier, would it?" she asked innocently.
"Yare," Shunsui sighed, "you don't miss a thing do you, Ran-san?" He sagged slightly against the warm stone, his skin soaking in the dying brilliance of the sun. There was a moment of silence during which Matsumoto gazed at him expectantly.
"Nanao won't touch my zanpakutō," Shunsui admitted finally.
"That didn't seem to be a problem in your office earlier," Matsumoto giggled.
Shunsui fixed her with a long-suffering look. "Rangiku, I'm being serious here. Nanao will absolutely not go near Katen Kyōkotsu."
"What does that have to do with her reading too much?" Matsumoto questioned, perplexed.
"Because, exactly two weeks ago, Nanao read in one of those ridiculously large tomes of hers that the temporary exchange of zanpakutō by a shinigami couple used to be a traditional part of the ancient wedding ceremony in the Seireitei," Shunsui explained with a an absolutely pained expression. "Apparently, the person was supposed to ask acceptance of their partner's blade and the zanpakutō gave some miraculous sign of approval," Shunsui elaborated at Matsumoto's look of confusion.
"So, Nanao won't go near your zanpakutō because she's afraid it's going to tell her that you're not supposed to be together?" she blinked.
"That would be correct," Shunsui returned, taking another gulp of water.
"And you've been doing everything you can in order to get her in contact with Katen Kyōkotsu in order to prove that you are meant to be together," Matsumoto surmised.
"That would also be correct," Shunsui grimaced. "Yare Ran-san, you really don't miss a thing."
"Of course I don't. I didn't get the reputation as the person who knows more about what's going on in the Gotei Thirteen than Soi Fong Taichō for nothing," she said coyly with a flip of her still inexplicably perfect hair. "Is that the only thing that's been going on between you?" she queried thoughtfully, taking the bottle of water out of his hands without really looking.
"Yes," Shunsui replied with a slight smile on his face. "Well, besides the usual quibbles about paperwork, me buying her too many presents, and being too affectionate in front of our subordinates," he said, bringing his hat down to keep the orange rays of the sunset from stinging his eyes.
Matsumoto made a noncommittal sound. "That's nothing new," she remarked finally, her brow furrowed slightly. She watched as Okuni evaded a particularly well-placed jab of Hyōrinmaru. She could tell, even from this distance, that her Taichō was holding back.
"You look troubled, Ran-san," Shunsui commented, observing the crease in the middle of his friend's flawless forehead.
"Oh, it's just that I was wondering exactly what was supposed to happen when you held the other person's zanpakutō," she said. "I mean other shinigami pick up wounded soldier's zanpakutō all the time when returning from the battlefield."
"I assume that's a different circumstance," Shunsui mused, scratching his head. "A wounded shinigami's blade usually becomes dormant unless you try to separate it from its wielder. The connection between a zanpakutō and a soul usually causes the spirit of the zanpakutō to go into a state of rest as well," Shunsui explained the theory he had whittled out over the period of time since Nanao had first read to him her findings.
"You want Nanao to hold your zanpakutō," she broke of with a slight giggle at the possible innuendo causing Shunsui to smile, "even without knowing what is supposed to occur?" Matsumoto clarified.
"It's not for lack of trying," Shunsui said defensively. "I attempted to grab hold of the accursed thing to read exactly what it said but Nanao hid it somewhere after I threatened to use it for kidō practice because she was being so ridiculous."
He threw a quick look at Matsumoto who also had just noticed that Okuni, accompanied by their significant others, was hobbling towards them.
Okuni groaned as she crawled over the back of the boulder and collapsed on her back, her upside-down face hanging in between Matsumoto and Shunsui. Shunsui patted her head awkwardly in a consoling manner and she sent him a grateful smile.
"I think you're ready Takahashi," Hitsugaya proclaimed as he came to stand near Matsumoto, his arms crossed imperiously in front of his chest.
"That's if she's able to move at all tomorrow," Matsumoto quipped. "She may not be the only one in pain, though. Despite the fact that you tell me that your Taichō does nothing Nanao, he's incredibly fit. All those muscles rippling," she added with a suggestive wink in Nanao's direction. Nanao merely rolled her eyes and knelt demurely next to Shunsui.
"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said sharply, his eyes wide.
"What?" Matsumoto said with a slight pout. "You know I like watching your muscles ripple the best, Toshi. Ripple, ripple, ripple," she said, reaching up and grasping hold of his hand in order to tug him down next to her. She grimaced as Hitsugaya landed clumsily, his wrist accidentally hitting her injured arm.
Hitsugaya noticed the expression on her face as he hastily righted himself, his eyes scanning her body automatically for signs of injury.
"Rangiku," Nanao asked, staring at her bare arms. "Is there a reason that your uniform is suddenly lacking sleeves?"
Matsumoto didn't get a chance to answer before Hitsugaya had seized her injured arm in his hand. "Rangiku, are you bleeding?" he demanded as he removed the wad of black fabric.
"Kyōraku," Hitsugaya growled, his narrowed turquoise eyes sliding over to rest menacingly on Shunsui. The other Taichō held up his hands in surrender, forgetting that his left hand was still holding the other arm of Rangiku's uniform. Nanao latched almost painfully onto Shunsui's wrist and turned the fabric over to reveal the glistening stain.
"See, Toshirō," Matsumoto said, tilting her head in Shunsui's direction, "it was a fair exchange."
Hitsugaya's eyes met Matsumoto's. Matsumoto's silver orbs were filled with pride at being able to land a hit on one of the most experienced captains in the Seireitei while Hitsugaya's shone with a captain's pride and a lover's admiration. Shunsui regarded the exchange with a smile.
Nanao moved slightly to perch in front of him, turning his head with her elegant hand in order to observe the damage. She grabbed the bottle and wet part of the fabric that was still clean before carefully cleaning the cut, her spare hand resting tenderly on the other side of his face.
Shunsui ignored the thread of the conversation, preferring to watch Nanao instead. He leant into the touch of her free hand and she blushed, her eyes hastily shifting over to the others. Shunsui brushed her bangs out of her eyes, rewarded when her violet-blue irises met his own.
"I don't think that it's deep enough to leave a scar," Nanao said, dropping her gaze when she noticed he had that look in his eyes. "Both of you should probably go to the Fourth Division to get them cleaned and disinfected."
"You could just kiss it and make it better, my caring Nanao-chan," Shunsui supplied hopefully.
Nanao responded swiftly with a light smack delivered by the hand he had been resting his cheek on. Hitsugaya snorted and Shunsui sent him a dirty look. Had they not both been adults, Shunsui wasn't quite sure that the younger Taichō wouldn't have stuck out his tongue in defiance.
"I'm supposed to meet Hanatarō," Okuni interjected. All four heads swiveled to where she was still laying with her head hanging upside-down, her hair making her look like she had some sort of distorted beard. "He can clean the cuts for you without you having to wait in line," Okuni clarified when the four older shinigami continued to look at her nonplussed. "It was Eleventh Division's turn to go up against the Sixth in the inter-division training devised by Yamamoto. Hanatarō says they've been preparing all week in advance."
"Are you sure they won't ruin your good time?" Nanao asked skeptically.
Matsumoto waved her hand in dismissal. "It's not like we'd stick around where we're not wanted. Right Kyōraku-san?" she said, almost offended.
"Don't worry about it, Nanao. Being seen with two of the most sought-after officers in the entire Gotei Thirteen won't cramp my style too badly," Okuni said airily.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Nanao and Hitsugaya asked their respective partners in unison. Matsumoto and Shunsui laughed.
"It's alright Toshirō. I'm a big girl. I can handle getting a small boo-boo cleaned without you," Matsumoto assured Hitsugaya while Shunsui nodded in acquiescence. Matsumoto placed a quick kiss on her Taichō's cheek and made to stand. She strapped Haineko around her waist once more and walked around the rock to offer Okuni a hand. "Up you get!" she said cheerily, peeling the petite shinigami off of the boulder's face.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Nanao repeated so that only Shunsui could hear. "Okuni kept avoiding my gaze earlier in the office today. I think something might be bothering her." She gave Shunsui a look filled with concern for their friend.
He patted her head in a patronizing manner that brought a quick scowl to her face. "You're so adorable when you're worried, Nanao-chan," he grinned. "If something's bothering her, Ran-san and I will dig it out of her. Why don't you go home and get cleaned up?"
She nodded slowly, watching as Shunsui, Matsumoto and Okuni gathered their belongings and, with scattered gestures of farewell, made off towards the path that lead back towards the Seireitei.
Hitsugaya gave a small disbelieving snort as he came to stand next to Nanao. "Something's going on with Takahashi," he stated, watching as the trio's forms disappeared into the foliage. He strapped Hyōrinmaru around the white haori he had donned once-more.
"Hai," Nanao responded bluntly.
Hitsugaya shrugged as the two began to walk. "Whatever it is, we'll both know within the hour. She won't even last fifteen minutes with the two of them."
- - -
It turned out that it took under fifteen minutes and quite a bit less cajoling than expected to discover what was bothering Okuni. As soon as they had trekked a fair distance into the forest, Okuni's laughter at Matsumoto's rather bawdy joke faded rather abruptly.
"Kyōraku Taichō," she said seriously, "I have to talk to you about something."
Shunsui regarded the girl, his own expression serious. "You know you can tell me anything, Okuni-san," he assured her gently.
"It's about Nanao, sir," she said, her eyes shifting toward the ground.
"What about Nanao?" Shunsui asked, a sudden protective edge to his voice.
"I have reason to believe that she might be in danger," Okuni said, her eyes darting behind them as if the subject of their conversation was hot on their heels. "It's only just a hint but I wasn't sure if I should tell her directly or not. Anyway, I wanted to make sure that you were aware of it."
"Just spit it out already," Matsumoto said exasperatedly. She never had been able to stand suspense.
"The boys and I," she said, referring to the other members of the Eighth Division band she sang lead vocals for, "went to a tea house in the sixth district of Rukongai to try out some new material last night. There were a few of the new squad members there with a couple guys from Third and Fifth. They were all sitting around Tanaka Botan, that guy who almost fried my face off in kidō practice the other day," Okuni said, pulling a face at the memory.
"Is that the one who talked back to Nanao-chan and subsequently got charged with cleaning up the mess hall after every meal this week all by himself?" Shunsui said, scratching the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. He already did not like where this was going.
"The one and only," Okuni said shaking her head. "I was heading into the back to get a drink and I passed by their table. Tanaka was going on about tomorrow's placement competitions and how he planned to move up the ranks in record time. Then he said something about 'I'm going to put that Fukutaichō bitch in her place where she belongs… on her knees.'"
"Did he say anything else?" Shunsui demanded. His eyes were hidden beneath the brim of his hat but his tone was dangerously low.
Okuni bit her lip. "He might have mentioned that she only got to be a fukutaichō because she spent so much time on her knees… in front of you," Okuni said in a rush, as if afraid her Taichō might decide to take his anger out on her.
Matsumoto placed a hand on Shunsui's shoulder. "Calm down, Kyōraku-san. You don't want to do anything rash," she said placidly before turning to Okuni. "Do you know where he lives?"
"Why?" Okuni asked suspiciously.
"So I can use him for bankai practice, of course," Matsumoto said with a sickly sweet smile. "No one insults Nanao like that and gets away with it."
"What happened to not doing anything rash?" Okuni said pointedly.
Shunsui took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter. While his words are unacceptable they were just that, words. Since they were not delivered directly to Nanao, he can't be charged with disrespect of a superior officer. He's not even ranked yet, so it's highly unlikely that he could even get himself in a position to challenge Nanao. He'd have to best half of the squad in order to do so."
Okuni didn't know if she had ever seen her Taichō look so serious in her six year stint in the Eighth Division, except when Nanao had been transferred to the Thirteenth for a brief period of time. She was also currently debating if it was absolutely necessary for her captain to know her next piece of news.
Matsumoto surveyed the petite shinigami with a critical eye. "Okuni hasn't told us everything yet, Kyōraku-san."
"Well, actually, I happened to look in that large book of laws that Nanao keeps around the office just of out curiosity," Okuni admitted. "It says that an unranked officer can challenge for any position so long as the officer being challenged and the division's Taichō acknowledge the challenge as valid. The winner of the challenge must be undisputed and have followed the rules set by the division's Taichō. However," Okuni continued, reciting the conditions with an air that suggested she had looked at the book more than once, "while fukutaichō's are usually appointed by the Soutaichō, any contender can become a fukutaichō if the fight occurs in front of at least fifty people who have been a member of the Gotei Thirteen for over ten years, the Taichō of the division in question and one or more Taichōs of another division."
Shunsui swore violently as Okuni finished her monologue. "Are you telling me that Nanao-chan― my Nanao-chan― could lose her position due to some…punk?" His hand drifted toward the hilt of his zanpakutō. "Where did you say this upstart lives again, Okuni-san?"
Okuni rolled her eyes and smiled grimly as they emerged onto the main road which cut through the heart of the Seireitei. "I didn't want to make a big scene," she protested. "I just wanted to warn you that Tanaka had it out for Nanao, so you could, I don't know…trade him to another Division or something," she said gesturing vaguely.
"That doesn't do anything to help us with tomorrow," Shunsui said, tucking his hands inside his sleeves pensively.
"I already have the boys on the lookout. In case Tanaka does challenge Nanao, they're keeping an eye out for foul play," Okuni informed him. "I think it's highly unlikely Nanao could loose to him even if he did resort to dirty tactics."
"And, if all else fails, she could roast him by taking off her glasses," Matsumoto chipped in cheerily. Shunsui and Okuni made sounds of assent, their spirits lifted by this pronouncement. Though Tanaka might end up as nothing more than hollow bait, at least Nanao would be safe.
"Thank you for looking out for Nanao-chan," Shunsui said, smiling down at his diminutive fourth seat. She flashed him a grin.
"That's what friends do, Taichō," she said, flashing a grin at him and quickening her pace. "Come on, if you guys make me late to meet Hanatarō and he ends up getting pulled into Eleventh Division clean-up duty, it will be your job to get him out of it somehow."
Shunsui and Matsumoto shared a look. In tandem, both grabbed one of Okuni's arms. Laughing at her squealing protests, the two shunpo-ed to the Fourth Division with Okuni suspended between them.
- - -
Shunsui patted the bandage on his neck in a gesture of approval. "Hanatarō-kun does excellent work, doesn't he?" he commented to Matsumoto as they set off in the direction of their divisions accompanied by the night's first chorus of crickets.
"It doesn't even sting anymore," Matsumoto agreed, flexing her forearm. She glanced over to where Shunsui was strolling next to her, his eyes straining in the early evening darkness towards the Eighth. She would have bet all of the purchases she had made during last week's shopping trip that he was searching for Nanao's reiatsu.
"Go on and go home to Nanao already before you get so worked up that even sake can't calm you down," she said with a flick of her hair. "I'm surprised you could even hold still long enough for Hanatarō-kun to patch up your neck."
"Is it that obvious?" Shunsui laughed, pushing the brim of his hat up slightly.
"No offense, Kyoraku-san but you've never been subtle when it comes to Nanao," Matsumoto replied, patting his shoulder in a teasing manner.
"I suppose you're right, Ran-san," Shunsui replied, shaking his head at how one small woman could have such a large effect on his life, even after all his time as a self-declared bachelor. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.
"Of course," Matsumoto scoffed, "like I wouldn't show up when my best friend's life is in danger. Besides, if nothing happens I'm guaranteed a sake party afterwards. Don't forget to save me a seat," she added.
Shunsui raised his hand in a gesture of acknowledgment before flash-stepping his way to the Eighth. He paid little heed to the scenery bleeding away before him. No matter how fast he moved, he could not quite shake the feeling that, despite his friends' words to the contrary, something was about to go horribly wrong.
A/N: Please leave a review for a dented ego…someone left me a bad review to Tossed Aside. (Blows her nose loudly).
I am leaving this weekend for my first college audition and am spending the next four weekends on the road. I will try to update in this period but I need to concentrate on doing well and keeping myself healthy for the time being. Know that I will update when I can!
Also, I stole Matsumoto calling Hitsugaya from MatsuMama who is a brilliant author in her own right. I think it's adorable. Also, I don't like the idea of her calling him Shiro-chan because that's what Hinamori calls him.