The First Date

Nanao was pacing around the office, particularly Rangiku's office. The busty redhead was just watching her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face, "So you took him up on his wager? You honestly think Captain Kyouraku, the man who has been chasing after you for /years/, wouldn't take that bet seriously?" she asked, crossing her arms over her ample breasts. Nanao looked at her with a slight glare behind her glasses but she didn't stop her pacing.

"I didn't think he was serious Rangiku! That man has /never/ completed all his paperwork on time. He had a week's worth of paperwork and he completed it within 24 hours! And to top it all off he was at the office by 8 AM the next morning sitting there all bright eyed and bushy tailed and those papers were in my out box stacked, signed, and in order!" she said to her, running her fingers through her bangs that just hung right back in her face. Rangiku was totally amused by this, "And now I have to honour my end of the deal and the gods only know what he has in store for the date." she said, moving over to one of the chairs in Rangiku's office so she could sit down, her elbows on her knees as she propped her chin on her fists.

Rangiku hummed and tapped her pen against her chin, swiveling in her chair slightly back and forth as she looked at Nanao, "It's one date Nanao. What's the big deal? Just go on the one date and if you don't enjoy it then you don't have to do it again." she said, a wicked little smirk appearing on her face, "But if you do enjoy it then you can go on other dates." she said, Nanao shaking her head as she looked over at her redheaded friend.

"Go on more? Are you kidding? I don't think I can get through this 'date'." she said as she put air quotes around the word date, leaning back in the chair as she let out an exasperated sigh.

Tipping her head, Rangiku thought about it for a moment before she smirked, "Say… you don't think he'll try to… make moves on you do you?" she asked, Nanao looking over at her with a bit of a confused face and Rangiku rolled her eyes, "Sex! You don't think he'll make those kind of moves do you?" she asked, Nanao's eyes widening and she blushed heavily as she shook her head quickly.

"No! Gods no! I won't even let him hold my hand, much less that." she said, Rangiku giggling as she watched how flustered Nanao had gotten over that notion, "No, I'm making a clear list of rules and regulations on what he can't do. If he wants to take me on this date then he's gonna play by my rules." she told her, going to be very precise about what she was going to allow and what was strictly off limits.

"Well, either way you'd better come and see me and tell me the details young missy or I will be very upset!" she said to her, Nanao grumbling something before mumbling an okay to her, "Perfect! Now, about those rules~" she said, pulling out some blank sheets of paper and a pen, motioning for Nanao to scoot her chair closer which she did after hesitating a moment or two, "When is the date?" she asked her, glancing up to Nanao who just nipped her lip.

"Tomorrow. Friday night." she said, Rengiku nodding as she penned "Rules for Dating Nanao" at the top in pretty curly letters before pushing the sheet and pen over to her friend.

"Then you'd better get started~"


THE NEXT MORNING

By the time Shunsui rolled into the office, Nanao was already sitting at her desk, as she usually was, already working on the papers brought to her, "Good morning my lovely Nanao-chan~! Are you ready for our date tonight?" he asked her, Nanao's hand stopping from signing the papers so she could look up at him.

"As ready as I'll ever be captain." she told him, making him pout cutely as he moved over to his desk where there was a small stack of papers waiting for his signature, "Are you going to tell me what our date will consist of or will it just be a surprise?" she asked him out of curiosity, Shunsui smiling warmly at her, making her heart skip a beat for reasons she couldn't say.

"I'll let you know later in the afternoon. It's a surprise but I'll let you know what to wear." he told her, reaching over to grab his stack of papers to start working on them. That was certainly a shock. But she guessed he was still trying to win the wager because he still had that small stack to get through before he officially 'won' his deal. He worked for a solid half hour and didn't notice Nanao had gotten up from her desk until he saw a tri-folded piece of paper placed on his desk. He blinked his grey eyes and reached out to take it, "What is this?" he asked as he opened up the folds.

Nanao straightened up a little bit as she cleared her throat, blushing a little as she pushed up her glasses, "There are going to be rules and regulations captain. If you want me to honour my end of the deal you'll play by my rules. And I took the liberty of writing them all down for you so you wouldn't forget them in case you needed a reminder." she said, Shunsui raising an eyebrow as he read over the list.

"Okay… let's see what we've got." he said as he scanned them over, "No PDA, no inappropriate gestures or talk, no groping of any kind… These make me out like I'm some kind of womanizer." he said as he looked up at her only to be met with a raised eyebrow, making him clear his throat softly as he looked back down at the list. He couldn't exactly argue that he wasn't. Shunsui Kyouraku was very well known for chasing women and his adventures with them in and out of the bedroom. He could understand why she was so skeptical about him and creating all these rules. He chuckled at one in particular, "No sex? I'm not looking to jump into bed with you from the get go Nanao-chan."

She sat back down at her desk, humming softly to herself. Bet I'm one of the only women he's told that too… She shook her head of her thoughts and she looked over at him, "Do you agree to them or not captain? Those are my rules." she said, Shunsui reading over the rest of them before he nodded, laying the paper down on his desk.

"To take you on a date? I'll accept any rules you give me." he told her with his ever so charming grin. He even picked up a pen and signed his name on the bottom, "Here you go. I accept your terms and conditions." he said, standing up and taking the paper back to her where she tucked it into her desk drawer. He winked at her and sat back down, picking up his pen once more, "I'll see you tonight~"


Cursing softly, Nanao was digging through her wardrobe, trying to figure out what to wear. She hadn't gotten word on what to wear since she went home from work so she was trying to figure it out on her own. Should she wear a kimono? What if he took her to the Living World? A kimono would be weird wouldn't it? She grumbled in agitation on why she was worrying so much over it. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock on her door and she looked at her clock, "An hour early? Now he's trying a little /too/ hard to impress me." she said as she went to the door, opening it up but she blinked when no one was there. She glanced down and sitting on her door mat was a single red rose with a note taped to it. Blushing softly she bent down to pick it up, looking at the card.

I thought we'd just do something simple tonight. A casual kimono will do. Can't wait to see you.

Shunsui

She slowly closed the door as she read the card, nipping on her lip as her gaze shifted to the red rose the note was attached to. Her fingers brushed across the delicate petals and she couldn't help but smile a little. No one had given her a flower before and definitely not to deliver a note. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of water to put the rose in and then she went upstairs, "A casual kimono… Okay." she said as she went back to her closet. Now that she knew what she was looking for she dug out a simple blue kimono with grey clouds and a grey sash, making sure it was properly in place before she went to fix her hair, putting it up in her usual bun with her bangs hanging down the sides of her face. She looked in the mirror and hummed softly, Makeup or no makeup? She decided on makeup but only added a touch of mascara and a touch of lip gloss. She never did wear any makeup so she didn't want to attempt at putting any on besides the two products that she just put on. Before she knew it there was another knock on the door and she took a small breath before she made her way there and put her hand on the doorknob. But not without checking her clock, a little smile appearing on her face. So he was on time after all. She took a soft breath and she opened the door, looking up at Shunsui who was standing there with a small smile on his face, "Captain Kyouraki." she said softly.

He was wearing a pair of grey yakuta pants and a black shirt, wearing it like he would his uniform in which his shirt left a large V down the middle, giving her a teasing view of his chest and the top of his abs. He wasn't wearing tabi socks, which made Nanao wonder if the man even owned a pair of them. He wasn't donning his floral kimono across his shoulders and his straw hat was absent. But what was still present was his dual zanpakutou secured on his hip. His brown curly hair was tied back as it usually was and he had the two hair pins tucked at the base, "Good evening Nanao-chan. You're looking quite lovely this evening." he said to her, taking her hand to give it a kiss. She blushed and quickly pulled her hand back, clearing her throat softly which made him chuckle, "That's right. No touching. I'll be good, I promise." he told her, Nanao giving a little nod as she smoothed her kimono down a little.

"S-so… where are we going?" she asked him as she closed her door behind her, making sure all her lights were off and her door was locked before she let Shunsui lead her away. He looked down at her and smiled, the light of the sunset reflecting off his tanned skin.

"I figured we should do something simple tonight. I'll save the going all out stuff for later~" he said, winking at her which had her blushing all the more, "I thought I'd take you to one of my favorite restaurants in the Rukongai. They have an excellent menu and the atmosphere is nice. I think you'll really like it." he said to her. She nodded, realizing her hands were fiddling with her sash and she quickly stopped. So it was just dinner. Dinner she could handle. Dinner was a good place to start. She mentally shook her head and she nipped on her lip. Oh no. There wasn't going to be a 'place to start'. This was a one time thing, not something to build off of!

"Dinner would be nice… I'm hungry." she lied, far too nervous really to think about food but she'd try. She didn't even know why she was nervous. She was calm and collected on the outside but the inside was a wreck. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous about this. It was a bet. A bet that she lost. She mentally argued with herself. How could she lose a bet like that? To her captain no less? Her thoughts were shaken when she heard someone speaking and once she actually focused she realized it was Shusui, "H-huh? Did you say something?" she asked him with attentive eyes.

Shunsui raised an eyebrow and he chuckled softly, "Thinking about something Nanao?" he asked her in a playful tone, Nanao quickly shaking her head as she cleared her throat, "I was asking whether you wanted to take a stroll after dinner or if you'd rather me take you straight home." he said, not sure of when she went to bed in the evenings so he didn't want to keep her out too late.

She tipped her head to his inquiry and she hummed, "As long as we're back by nine… I usually like to be in bed by ten." he told him, Shunsui smirking faintly.

"Ohh? Early to bed early to rise huh? That should be very doable considering it's only 5:30." he commented as he looked at his watch. He rarely ever wore one but he did have one and used it on occasion. He led her along the paths until they walked through the gates to the first district in the Rukongai. Small string lights with little lanterns on them were strung around the streets, shingami and souls alike wandering around looking for dinner and just enjoying the evening. Nanao looked around, blushing lightly as several shinigami looked over at them. Shunsui could sense her tensing up and he gently brushed his hand along her lower back, effectively making her squeak as she jumped a little, "Relax Nanao. It's okay." he said in a soothing voice, Nanao swallowing lightly.

"The shinigami here are staring at us…" she murmured quietly for only him to hear and he smiled.

"Can a captain not be seen outside his division with his lieutenant for a nice dinner?" he asked her, Nanao nipping on her lip as if she were thinking about her answer, "None of these shinigami are even in our division. Even if they were, what they think isn't important. We're just here to have a nice dinner and enjoy ourselves." he said to her, Nanao slowly nodding and he could see her starting to slowly but surely relax. He turned down a few streets, taking her deeper and deeper into the first district before they came across a little restaurant, Nanao blinking curiously as she looked at it, "Here we are." he said, pulling back the curtain which revealed a small room of maybe four tables, some that could be separated into smaller tables for smaller parties.

"I didn't expect it to be so…" she started but Shunsui finished for her.

"Small? I thought you'd like something quieter and calm than a bustling restaurant. Besides it was small enough I could rent the whole place out for the evening so it's just the two of us." he said, that certainly shocking her. She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide as she blinked and then looked around.

"You just rented this entire place out? You didn't have to do that…" she said, though on the inside she was quite happy. She was hoping it would be a place that wasn't too crowded and loud and this was the perfect spot. Shunsui led her to the table that was in the back corner and had a single lit candle, two menus set up and as well as their utensils and two cups of fresh, hot tea. sat down on the large pillow on one side, Nanao sitting on the other one after taking off her sandals, placing them beside Shunsui's. A man came out a minute or two later and brought them some water.

Shunsui motioned to the menu and he smiled softly at her, "Order whatever you'd like. My treat." he said, Nanao nipping her lip again which he kept noticing. He rather liked that little gesture though. It was cute and it suited her. He imagined all the different situations where she would nip her lip and it made him smile subconsciously. Nanao peeked up from her menu to glance at him and saw he was smiling at her and she blushed.

"W-what?" she asked quietly, tucking her bangs behind her ear. He quickly shook his head and waved his hand.

"Nothing nothing. Just letting my thoughts wander is all." he said, quickly picking up the menu to look it over, "What if we just did a kaiseki meal? The courses look really good." he suggested, Nanao looking it over before giving a nod. That sounded good. That way she wouldn't have to decide anything. Her stomach was still in knots and so much sounded so delicious she couldn't choose anyways.

"Sure. I'm fine with that." she murmured, Shunsui nodding before waving over the waiter, giving the order to him as well as the menus and then the man was off to the kitchen to prepare it for them, "Thank you… I guess I'm… well.."

"A little nervous?" he asked her, Nanao nodding as she fiddled with her sash in her lap. Shunsui smiled at her and her took a sip of the tea sitting on the table that was still quite warm, placing the cup down before he tipped his head, "There's no need to be nervous Nanao. It's just me. Just… talk to me like you would din the office." he said, Nanao chuckling softly as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you'd want me telling you to do paperwork in the middle of dinner." she said quietly, making Shunsui laugh brightly as he leaned back, propping himself up on one of his large hands.

"Well besides that. Tell me some of your hobbies. Like what you do when you're not at the division… or looking after me." he quickly added since he figured she'd point that out to him. Not that he minded. He loved when his Nanao-chan took care of him.

Figuring he wouldn't rest until he got an answer from her, she sighed softly as she thought and then she looked over at him, "Well… I like reading… which I guess you already knew that since I read from time to time, if I have time in the office… I'm a morning person… obviously… uh…" she trailed off, blushing a little bit and getting a little flustered, "I… I'm not really good at describing myself…" she murmured softly, her hands fiddling all the more with her obi as she looked to her lap, "I like dancing…" she continued, looking up at him to see he had a raised eyebrow.

"Dancing? I never knew that. What kind of dancing?" he asked her. This was good. Hopefully she'd open up a little more and relax a little more. She was like a flower that needed to bloom. She just needed a little tender loving care and someone to urge it out of her.

"Like… ballroom dancing I guess. Slow dancing… I like the waltz… The Women's Association had a dance instructor come one day to our meetings and she taught us how to waltz and how to tango. It was really fun. Then of course Rangiku brought out the sake and Yachiru went for snacks and the class just kind of dwindled. But myself, Rukia, Momo and Captain Unohana wanted to keep learning so we took the class outside while everyone else ate." she said, realizing she was rambling and she cleared her throat quickly, "S-sorry. I didn't realize I was rambling." she said, rubbing her arm slowly with am embarrassed smile.

He waved his hand dismissively and then gave her that same old warm, handsome smile, "It's okay. I like when you ramble. Especially when it's about something you love." Nanao felt her cheeks growing warmer at what he said, "What else do you like to do? Any particular spots you like to frequent?" he asked next.

She smiled once more, such a pretty smile, and she gave a nod, "There is this little coffee shop in the Living World. Sometimes on the weekends I'll go and just be by myself. Relax a little, enjoy some tea while reading my favorite book." he hummed quietly and tipped his head as he gave her a curious look.

"And what is your favorite book?" he asked her, thanking the waiter when their first course was served, picking up his chopsticks to start pulling apart the delicate food prepared for them.

"It's a book called The Phantom of the Opera. It's about this woman named Christine who aspires to be an Opera singer in an opera house in Paris. It's haunted by this man known as The Phantom and this man falls in love with her and tries to make her his. It's beautifully tragic because she chooses another man in the end." she said with a bit of a dreamy sigh, "It's not a typical classical book but… it's one of my favorites…" she said between bites of the first course. By now she was quite relaxed and her appetite even returned and now she was quite hungry.

"It sounds like you though… I remember when you were fairly new to the division, an adult but still new… you'd sneak to the Division library late at night to read in one of the corners. I think you said that you liked the smell of books around you as you read… that's what I remember you telling me one night when I found you reading." he said, her eyes widening slightly as the memory came back to her.

"Y-yeah… I do remember that… I'd fallen asleep while reading and you woke me up." she murmured, Shunsui snapping his fingers as he smiled.

"That's right. I offered to carry you back to your room but you threatened to hit me with the book." he teased, both of them chuckling as they finished up the first course and were soon served the second course.

Nanao cleaned off her chopsticks before starting on the second dish served to them, "So… what hobbies do you enjoy Captain? I mean… besides drinking and what comes with that?" she asked, a hint of a smirk on her face before it disappeared so she could take a bite of her food.

He tapped his chopsticks against his chin before grabbing a piece of the fish on the small plate, "Well, I like to go on walks at night. Go through the gardens at my home. I go visit Jushiro for tea often times. Sometimes he invites Retsu to join us as well and we talk. I mean, you know the thing I like to do most is nap and there's not much more to that really." he told her with a soft laugh, "I do like camping though… Just being outdoors really." she nodded, smirking a little as she ate her meal.

"Heh, I know… it's where you usually nap. On the roof or under a tree." she teased him, Shunsui smiling unapologetically as he shrugged his shoulders, "Have you ever thought about getting a cat? I think you might have it beat on hours of sleep you get per day." she continued to tease, making him pout. She had to admit, his pout was rather cute now that she got a good look at it. She'd noticed quite a few things actually. Being in a more intimate setting enjoying dinner and talking gave her a chance to really study his features. She noticed little things really. Little things that one might not pay attention to. Like how he styled his hair, nicely combed back despite being so curly. He always had those same two hair pins at the base of his ponytail, curious as to where he got them since they seemed to be very special to him. She noticed the angle of his nose and the way he always wore that tender smile. How his eyes always had a happy glimmer in them. She'd never paid attention to how grey they were. They were grey all the way around that slowly bled to brown around the pupils. Her eyes subconsciously traced the shaped of the scruff on his chin, cheeks and right beneath his nose. She had to say, that look was far better than the one he had one hundred years prior. He just looked weird with it not covering his chin. It made him look… manlier now in a way. More rugged.

She didn't realize she was staring at him until something was waved in front of her and her peripheral vision noticed it. She blinked and shook her head, looking at him with a wide eyed expression, "You okay? You stopped eating." he said, Nanao quickly starting to eat again with a heavy blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry…! Just… got distracted is all. I let my mind wander." she quickly said, hoping he wouldn't realize that she was just blankly staring at him. He smiled at her and continued to eat himself and the third course was served which was a variety of sashimi, Nanao licking her lips. It was just getting better and better. She hoped the dessert would be fresh fruit of some sort. Maybe a melon or watermelon, or even a papaya. The two chatted a little more throughout the rest of their dinner and after the fruit was served for dessert and they both had their fill, Shunsui paid the bill and then he thanked Nanao out, both thanking the host for a wonderful dinner, "That was so delicious. I will definitely be returning there." she said as they left, her stomach full as well as her mind that had several thoughts stirring and swirling inside it.

He looked down at her with a smile as he gave a nod, "I'm glad you like it. My family loved going there from time to time. It's small but it's perfect for a family to get together or in our case a nice private dinner date." he said as he tucked his hands into his pockets, just walking around the district with her as the sun began to set. He checked the time and he hummed softly, "It's nearly seven. We can start walking back to your home if you'd like." he offered her, Nanao silently nodding and they turned to leave the district. The fireflies slowly grew active and the more the sun set the more they began to flash their lights, "Did you have fun?" he asked her out of the blue, Nanao looking to him as she smiled.

"I… did… I had a very lovely time. It was… much different than I expected it would be but… I don't mind that in the least." she said with a smile, that making Shunsui both relieved and happy at the same time, "I… have to admit I was very… skeptical on what to expect… I half expected to be taken to a bar or something. But I really enjoyed it." she murmured, blushing lightly at her admission. She couldn't fight the blushes that kept appearing on her cheeks. She'd never really been in a dating scenario like this and… well… she rather liked it.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I wanted to do something we'd both enjoy. I figured a quiet evening out would be best. That way we could have some privacy and actually talk, get to know one another. Like… I didn't know how such simple things could make my Nanao-chan blush~" he mused, half teasing really just to see if that would get her flustered again and sure enough it did. Her cheeks grew rosy but she quickly looked away with a cute little mumble, "I had fun to. I knew I would though. You're always one who could carry a conversation." he said, Nanao nodding slightly as she cleared her throat a little bit. All too soon her home was in sight and he walked her up to her door, Nanao unlocking it and opening it before Shunsui tipped his head, "Perhaps~ Nanao-chan might make this a weekly deal~? Since it worked out so well tonight?" he asked her. She could hear the hope in his voice and the glimmer in his eyes didn't help. Not her anyways. She nipped on her lip, something he quite enjoyed now, and then she chuckled.

"We'll see… good night captain." she said, Shunsui reaching out to take her hand to quickly give it a kiss before she could pull it away and he gave her one of his big signature grins.

"Good night my lovely Nanao-chan~ Sleep well and I'll see you next time." he said to her, waiting for her to close and lock the door behind her before he disappeared into a shunpo to go to his own home. Inside, Nanao was leaning against the door, still nipping on her lip as her heart raced in her chest. She reached up to place her hand over her heart, looking down at it as she took deep, steady breaths.

Shunsui arrived at his home right as the sun finished setting and the moon began to rise, the crickets chirping peacefully around his gardens as he walked along his porch. He made his way inside and to his room where he changed into a pair of sleeper pants, letting his hair down as he passed the chest of drawers where he could lay his hair pins and tie down in their usual place. Once he had done his night time routine he slid into bed, blinking when he heard his phone chime and light up on the bedside table. He reached over and took it, turning it on to look at the message that was sent from Nanao. He propped himself up on an elbow and smiled softly as he read the single word she sent him.

"Yes."


And there you have it! Their first date! :) I hope I did a good job at getting their personalities right. It won't be perfect but I'm doing my best. Let me know what you think. In our reviews please let me know what you think would be good date ideas for the two! I'm always up to listen to ideas and write them out 9given permission of course). But yeah. :) I have a little list going and I cant definitely add to it. :)

Also! I had a review asking where in the Bleach timeline this takes place. This takes place after Aizen's war and before the 1000 Year Blood Arc. To be honest, I thought the Quincy war arc was bullshit so this is taking place before then around the spring/early summer. Kind of like a filler arc feel I guess? But yeah. Hope that answers the question. :)

Remember! Please review and give me date ideas! I'd love to hear them! Until next time!

Byakuya'sGirl90210