AN: To those of you who have been following this story previously, Chapter 2 has now been revised and expanded into two chapters, so you'll want to read both Chapters 2 and 3.
Nanao was unconscious for a several days after being rescued from Hueco Mundo; the painkillers and drugs Unohana was using to treat her ensured that. Shunsui knew it was probably a mercy--if she were awake, she'd only be in pain. But he was desperately worried about her. He hadn't been out of her hospital room for more than the few hours necessary to check back in with Eighth and get a fresh set of clothes.
He knew that Unohana was worried about her lungs. Nanao's immune system was very weak and she was only barely fighting off the pneumonia. They already had a ventilator breathing for her, and he knew...he knew painfully well from his experience with Ukitake's illnesses that some of the medications they were giving her were powerful steroids. The kind you administer when a person's lungs are in danger of giving out all together.
Ukitake had tried to sit with him as much as possible, but he needed rest and the Thirteenth needed him. The Eighth needed Shunsui, too--although Shunsui wasn't deluding himself, it needed Nanao more. He didn't have the faintest idea what to do with all that paperwork. He'd ordered the Third Seat to bring him what she thought was the most important, but he couldn't concentrate on it. At one point, he realized he'd been staring at a line for ten minutes and hadn't even noticed that the sheet was upside-down.
Sleep was impossible, too. Unohana had set up a cot for him, but when he had to, he preferred to simply sleep in the chair so he could keep holding her hand. Not that his sleep was restful. His dreams were haunted with images of Nanao dead, of Aizen hurting her, torturing her. Images that Aizen had shown him, and those that his own mind produced out of some sick, masochistic urge to punish himself for failing her.
Over and over, his mind kept replaying that horrible night.
--67 Days Ago--
It was night, after sunset on the first Friday of the month, and Shunsui was having a wonderful time. He loved their full-division sake parties; it gave their squad a chance to relax and have fun together. To rest and bond, flirt and drink. And Shunsui moved among them, flirting, teasing, drinking with everyone. Lending an ear to those who needed it. He was in his natural element.
Nanao never attended the parties, but she tolerated them. Shunsui knew that the noise and mess irritated her. But every month, she would stay late at the office on the first Friday of the month, coming to the big meeting room around two in the morning to make sure everyone made it back to their beds, particularly him.
Lots of times, he'd pretend to be passed out on the floor, just so he could watch her. She'd help the others get back to bed--people tended to underestimate her physical strength, and she could shift men twice her weight if she really needed to. Then, she'd straighten up the furniture, collect up the sake bottles, and sweep up the paper and any other trash that had collected on the floor. Finally, she'd come to his side and gently nudge him, murmuring "Time for bed, sir."
It was only then, late at night and with him apparently drunk, that she would pull his arm onto her shoulder and put her arm around his waist to get him on his feet and take him back to his quarters. She'd get him into his room and get his pink coat and his haori off (she stopped at that, much to Shunsui's disappointment), and then gently lay him in the bed, pulling the covers up around him, whispering "Good night, Taichou," as she left. He loved those parties just for that, for seeing her gentle side, even if only for a few minutes.
He had just been joking with Matsumoto when he felt Nanao's reiatsu flaring in alarm. Her reiatsu never flared like that--her iron control was absolutely infamous. He flash-stepped out the door of the conference center and flash-stepped down the empty streets to headquarters, pulling his swords out as he went.
He was too late.
As he sprinted towards the building, he saw a dark figure holding Nanao tightly in his arms, chains of golden light trapping her in place. He could feel her reiatsu pushing desperately at the bonds, but she couldn't break them.
"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer!" he shouted, ready to tear apart the bastard who dared to attack Nanao.
But before he could reach them, a golden Negación pillar surrounded Nanao and her assailant. "Nanao!" Shunsui screamed, "No!" To his horror, her assailant pulled off the wooden courier's mask he had used as a disguise, revealing Aizen's cruel smile.
As Shunsui looked on helplessly in horror, Aizen stroked her hair mockingly and pulled her hairclip out, tossing it to the ground. He saluted Shunsui before he disappeared into the Garganta portal, dragging Nanao with him.
"No!" he screamed again, his reiatsu skyrocketing. Power surged through him, enraged and unshackled, rushing and pulsing and furious. Katen Kyokotsu sang in his blood, her usual laziness drowned in their mutual fury. He was losing himself, drowning in his own power…
And then Ukitake was there, his reiatsu raised to meet Kyouraku's. He grabbed Kyouraku's shoulders, grounding him back to reality. "Kyouraku!" he half-shouted, "What happened?"
Kyouraku yanked his reiatsu back under control, half-panting with exertion. "Nanao… Aizen… he took her!" he said.
Ukitake's eyes widened. Members of Eighth were running up, asking confused questions, and the captains of Sixth and Eighth had arrived. Ukitake turned to them, squaring his shoulders. "We are not under attack, but return to your quarters," he said. Then, he turned to Kuchiki and Hitsugaya. "Ise-fukutaicho has been kidnapped. We must summon the other captains and tell them what has happened."
Hitsugaya and Kuchiki nodded and left to carry Ukitake's message. Shunsui was pacing furiously. "I'll kill him," he muttered. "I swear, I'll tear him limb from limb!"
Ukitake nodded, anger in his own eyes. "I know. But we have to focus. We can't just barrel in there without thinking. Think, Kyouraku. Why Ise-san? Why now?"
Shunsui swore eloquently. "It's my fault. The sake party...You know the jokes about how she never goes to them."
"But why? Why her?" Ukitake asked.
"I don't know!" Shunsui half-snapped. "Sorry...I just...let's get to the meeting." He wanted to get this over with. He wanted to get going, and rescue Nanao before that bastard hurt her.
Ukitake nodded and fell in beside Shunsui as they flash-stepped towards the meeting chamber. He moved beside him in silence as they moved through the dark streets, Shunsui still trying to control his stormy reiatsu. Nanao was strong and brave, and he trusted her with his life and more. But Aizen had already taken one fukutaicho from him. Shunsui would not let him take another.
As they approached the meeting hall, Ukitake broke the silence. "We'll get her back, Kyouraku," he said quietly.
Shunsui nodded tersely to his best friend and opened the door into the meeting room. Yamamoto was already there, but most of the other captains had yet to arrive. "Kyouraku. Ukitake," he said.
"Yama-jii," Shunsui said. "Nanao-chan has been kidnapped by Aizen."
"And what do you propose we do about it?" Yamamoto asked, unmoved.
"I don't propose anything. I'm going to rescue her," said Shunsui. "I'm dead serious about this, Sensei. I will go, with or without your blessing."
Yamamoto frowned slightly, but didn't speak as the first of the remaining loyal captains began to arrive. One by one, they filtered in, except for Kenpachi, who was probably lost somewhere en route. Yamamoto banged his staff on the floor to call the meeting to order. "Kyouraku," he said, "report on what happened."
Shunsui swallowed his worry and anger and forced himself to speak calmly. "I was at the Eighth Division monthly sake party when I felt Nanao-chan's reiatsu flaring. I arrived to see Aizen, having disguised himself as a courier, pulling her into a Garganta portal."
There was a brief murmur of surprise and confusion. "Why Ise-fukutaicho?" asked Hitsugaya. "That doesn't make any sense!"
"That's because you're a fool," Kurotsuchi said. "Why would he kidnap her? I'm sure Kyouraku knows the answer to that." He turned towards Shunsui, his cruel eyes amused. "How much paperwork does she do for you again? Even T-Class information?" T-Class information was paperwork classified to captains' eyes only.
The explanation was obvious, should have been obvious, but it hit him like a punch in the gut and Shunsui's blood ran cold. Kurotsuchi was right—Nanao had far more information than she should for her rank, and it was his fault. If Aizen hurt her to get that information...
Ukitake spoke quietly. "It's not just Eighth Division," he said. "She's been helping pick up the slack with the paperwork of the divisions which are missing captains."
Yamamoto spoke with a certain degree of irritation. "So, what you're saying is that Ise has access to Taichou-Class materials for four divisions."
Shunsui felt a brief flash of anger. Nanao wasn't just a security risk, she was his fukutaicho, and she was in the hands of their enemy. But he kept his peace. Rescuing Nanao was all that mattered. He could be patient with Yamamoto's way of thinking, if it got him to that goal.
"We will arrange a rescue team," Yamamoto said. "Kyouraku-taichou and Ukitake-taichou, you will go. Kuchiki-taichou and Zaraki-taichou (if he can be located) will go as well, along with Abarai-fukutaicho. Unohana-taichou, you will be needed here. Kotetsu-fukutaicho will go, along with one other healer of your choice."
The named captains nodded their acceptance. Yamamoto continued, "You will leave tomorrow morning, at two hours past sunrise." As the meeting broke up, Ukitake spoke with the other members of the team, making arrangements. Zaraki burst in at the last minute and Ukitake filled him in, as well. Shunsui felt a brief surge of gratitude—he was far to agitated still to make proper plans. When he was finished, they headed back towards Eighth Division, Shunsui lost in his thoughts and Ukitake respecting his need for silence.
His headquarters loomed into view, the door ajar and the lights still on inside. Ukitake clasped a silent hand on his shoulder and headed back to his own division to make arrangements. Kyouraku gave his friend a silent look of thanks, grit his teeth, and pushed inside. Nanao's reiatsu was long-dissipated and blessedly so was Aizen's. The only sign something had happened was Nanao's toppled chair the papers scattered on the floor--presumably they'd been blown off the desk by Aizen's Kido. He must have really caught her by surprise if Nanao hadn't even had time to get off a spell in response--he knew how fast she was.
Almost mechanically, he started to pick up the scattered pages and put them back on her desk, his guilt mounting with each passing moment. Damn that sake party. Damn his laziness. If Aizen hurt her, if he killed her because Shunsui was a lazy ass who refused to do his work…
He realized he was crumpling her paperwork and forced himself to release it, setting it on Nanao's abandoned desk. He was just setting her chair back up when there was a quiet knock on the door. "Kyouraku-taichou?" a soft, female voice said.
He looked over to the door and saw a young woman with curly brown hair. He recognized her immediately as Sakamoto Hikari, their third seat. She was still wearing the purple yukata she'd worn to the sake party, but she looked concerned. "Ah, Hikari-chan," he said, trying to force a smile onto his face. "How can I help you?"
"Everyone's really worried, sir. Is Ise-fukutaichou all right?" she asked. "Did something happen?"
For a moment, he nearly winced, painfully reminded of the night Nanao came to see Lisa so many years ago...but this was not going to end like that had, he resolved. "Aizen," he said quietly, his voice filled with a rare, icy anger.
Her eyes widened and she took a step inside. "Is she okay?" Hikari asked.
His hands clenched into fists. "She will be," he said softly. "She will be, or Aizen will wish he'd never been born."
