Chapter 4: Painting

"Each painting has its own way of evolving...When the painting is finished, the subject reveals itself."

~WilliamBaziotes


This seducing business was actually harder than anticipated, Nanao thought, especially if your quarry was a taicho and could out-shunpo you and on top of that, had more hidey holes than Nanao had ever thought possible.

But on the upside, she was definitely getting to him, Nanao thought with a self-satisfied smile. He was wary of her and had ceased his teasing completely, which was weird to say the least. She was actually very surprised since she didn't have to do a lot to get him flustered either, just a little touch on his wrist or a little glide along his body with hers – well it wasn't her fault if her unbound breasts were touching him, now was it?

She had taken to leaving them without any binding. In the beginning, it had felt weird and uncomfortable and…jiggly… but as soon as her taicho really saw her unbound and therefore bigger breasts without the flattening obstruction, it had all been worth it.

He had walked into their shared office as usual the day after his quick departure, and he hadn't really noticed anything while she was still sitting behind her desk. But as soon as she got up, just to open the window and let in some fresh air, she had felt his reiatsu crackle violently for just a millisecond before he had gotten it back under control. So when she turned back to her desk, her taicho was staring at everything except her, of course he had made a swift departure afterwards mumbling something about Ukitake that Nanao couldn't hear above her inner gloating.

Also, she tried to make eye contact as often as possible. Even if she couldn't do any lascivious gazes à la Matsumoto Rangiku, he must have been able to see something in her eyes that made him scared or at least uncomfortable because he had started avoiding eye contact when he was usually one of the few persons who never had any problems looking her in the eye.

Nanao didn't want him to feel uncomfortable but if she was one thing, it was tenacious. She wouldn't stop until she had seen this through, for better or for worse.

It had been Rangiku's idea after having seen her kiss Aoki Eiro in the bar, to try to use a bit of jealousy to get a reaction from her taicho, despite Nanao's protestations that her taicho was too laid back to have such a childish emotion. But with a knowing smile, Rangiku had imparted the knowledge that if he wasn't even a tad bit jealous, then there probably was no hope.

Nanao didn't like this part of The Plan but after hunting down and contacting Eiro-san and talking to him, she had been surprised at what a talkative, smart and great guy he was. If not for her being spoiled for other men, he would probably be a lucky catch.

"So, basically you want me to help you get one of the most powerful taichos in the Gotei13 jealous?" He said dryly.

"Eiro-san, I know this does not sound very intelligent but a friend gave me the advice and frankly I do not know what else to do." Nanao said succinctly.

"Alright, I'm in. But only because this is the most interesting thing I've heard of in a long while. And just to be clear," he said with a devilish smile, "if I end up in the 4th because of this, you will come every day and bring me chocolate."

"What is it with you and your particular fondness for chocolate? Is it not supposed to be the woman who is enamoured with the sweets?"

"Ah, my pretty fukutaicho, chocolate is a divine gift that has many, many uses." Eiro stated, smiling innocently.

Nanao didn't know what he meant exactly, but she blushed a bit nonetheless.

The next day, as was pretty usual, her taicho came into the office at just after lunch. He lounged on the couch with a book in hand, commenting on the nice sunny weather on a sigh. It was a pleasure to watch her taicho just be his usual self again. With a smidge of sadness, she was sure that what was about to happen wouldn't get a reaction out of him.

"Taicho?", she got his attention, "may I leave earlier today? I know it is not proper conduct but I have finished my paperwork."

Her taicho smiled indulgently, "Of course, Nanao-chan. Enjoy the sun. Does that mean there is no work for me today either?" He asked hopefully.

"So it would seem, sir."

With a knock, both were cut short.

"Enter." Nanao said, hoping that her taicho couldn't hear the trembling in her voice.

"Ah, Nanao-san, I hope I'm not too early."

Was that a flash of reiatsu from her taicho? Why? He didn't know Eiro and why he was here, did he? Quickly composing herself, she answered,

"Oh no, I was just finishing up. Oh, taicho, this is Aoki Eiro, he is from the 7th Division."

"It's an honour to meet you, sir." Eiro said honestly and respectfully with a slight bow to his head.

"Ah, yes, likewise."

Nanao didn't know how to interpret the tone of voice or the guarded expression on her taicho's face.

"We were just about to head out for an afternoon pick-nick, have a good day, sir." Nanao said her goodbyes.

"What-" but her taicho caught himself. Nanao's heart was beating so fast she was sure all the occupants could hear it.

Her taicho had gotten up and was staring at her…accusingly? He was a towering figure to be certain and Nanao was once again reminded of this, especially since she didn't want to play petty games of would-be jealousy. Especially not with her taicho. A more honest man, she had never met.

"Ah, I mean, are you sure, Nanao-chan? It is getting cold quite quickly now." He said with a sure frown. Was it actually working?!

"Taicho, it is September, and we have a beautiful Indian Summer with nice heat and sunshine. I am sure I will not be cold. And I've got Eiro-san with me." Was that a flinch?

For a moment, Nanao was sure her taicho was going to say more but then a smile came onto his face (was it wishful thinking that it seemed strained?) and swiftly he went for the door.

"Then I'm heading over to Ukitake's. Bye." And with a swish of his pink haori he was gone.

As soon as he had left, Nanao felt the oppressive feeling leave too with a sudden.

"Damn, he really was jealous." Eiro said, with a frown after her taicho.

"What? Why do you say so?" Nanao inquired.

"Because I'm a man, I know such things." He said cryptically, with a frown on his face.

"What is the matter?"

"Ah, it's nothing, it's just that he's my hero, you know. I think I nearly cried when I didn't get into the 8th. I wanted to be a Shinigami just like him. Until today. Poor guy."

Before Nanao could ask him to elaborate on the last part, Eiro swiftly went to the door.

"Ah, so I survived without injuries but he's still jealous. I'm going to go on my holidays aka go into hiding for a few days, just in case anyways. It was nice having met you, Miss fukutaicho. And if the thing with him doesn't work out, do come and get me." He said with a last lascivious smile at her.

Nanao just chuckled and was even more determined to get her taicho than ever before. What good fortune it was, to be so well connected with the Shinigami Women's Association who was hosting a charity event soon that her taicho had promised to donate some paintings for.

~o~S~o~

Shunsui was wondering if he was in the wrong movie by now. Or it could be that all the alcohol had finally caught up with him and had rotted his brain. Because sure as hell, he had no idea what was going on.

It could always be the case that his little, diligent and studious fukutaicho had been exchanged by aliens or something because Nanao-chan had been decidedly … off.

Shunsui sighed, leaning back deeper into his couch, looking at the ceiling, contemplating the issue. Hmm… he had known the girl since she was no more than a slip of a child and she had always been a good Shinigami. And then an excellent fukutaicho. Always very reliable and consistent. So why was she acting so abnormal? What was going on?

First, there had been these strange feelings when he had seen her kissing that guy in the bar, making him uncomfortably aware that his little Nanao-chan, wasn't so little anymore. He had started to notice Nanao. Not that he hadn't noticed her before, but now he noticed her. He had been uncomfortable enough with that revelation when Nanao had started…flirting with him, for lack of a better word. No, scratch that, it was flirting. He knew how it worked and she was flirting. He couldn't believe it, with him! And he didn't know what to think of it. Actually she was doing something more like seducing, he grumbled to himself.

So seeing the guy from the bar again, had been quite a shock. And for a second there he actually had been jealous. But he could read a situation like no other and especially in retrospect there was nothing in both their body languages that spoke of great familiarity or fondness. Which had assured him greatly. More than it should have. So why had she done that in front of him. To get a reaction from him?! It was all so confusing. First the flirting and now this.

When he had first noticed the flirting, lust had shot through him so hard and fast, he had been surprised he hadn't come instantly. His body had reacted so strongly to her that it had astonished himself. He was confident enough in who he was to not lie to himself about this. He had desired Nanao in that moment and that was when his guilt had set in just as hard as the lust just a few moments earlier had. He had always considered himself as something like her guardian and it would be too much like taking advantage of her, he believed if he actually said, much less did something about it.

Which was why he was currently steeling himself because in about ten minutes, his Nanao-chan would come to his door. It was his own fault, though. Why had he promised the Shinigami Women's Society some of his paintings for a charity auction again?

He knew already that this wasn't a good idea. Letting Nanao-chan be in such close quarters as himself with no Division members running around to chaperon them (or more like him) while his emotions were so conflicted and basically running amok inside him. He knew something would happen, it just had to; he could feel it in the very air he was breathing that nothing would be the same after today. And that was the scary part. Change.

With a knock at 6 pm sharp, which still surprised him despite her punctuality, Shunsui went over to his door and opened it with trepidation, watching his beautiful fukutaicho enter his home.

~o~S~o~

Nanao didn't know what to think. Her taicho was decidedly off. He was jumpy and he was watching her with hawk's eyes. However, she tried to shrug it off and followed him into his house, which she had always liked with its light coming from big windows on all sides of the house and the knickknacks lying around all over, and with all his priceless paintings. Wandering around she admired them, some were his and some were masterpieces by other painters. They were all very different but had all a very erotic undertone to them. Nanao loved them. They were subtle, tasteful, and still so very sensual, all things she liked she had discovered after seeing them the first time with a critical eye.

"I'm really not too sure how many I can give you, Nanao-chan but just come into the back with me." He mumbled, pulling her out of her musings and he continued to amble through his house.

Nanao stayed silent and just followed him.

He arrived at a door and slid it open, stepping through, Nanao curiously hot on his heels. She had never seen this part of the house. When she stepped into the room, her curiosity was definitely piqued. It looked like an atelier, painting aisles and paintings were scattered around the room, which was completely flanked by windows on one side, floor to ceiling, giving a fabulous view out into a courtyard full of flowers and trees.

Nanao walked over and looked outside. It was such a pretty view. Flowers in every colour and shape were planted creatively and professionally along the garden walls.

"It is a beautiful view, right?" Shunsui looked over at her from a crouch, where he was looking through some paintings leaning against a wall.

"Yes, it is so lovely. I have never been in here." Nanao said, not moving away from the view.

Shunsui chuckled, "Usually, I don't really let anybody in here, it's distracting and… I don't know, it's just mine, you know?"

A smile tugged at Nanao's lips. Sometimes he was just such an artist.

"Ah, here I've got some that I can part with." Shunsui said, uncovering a whole staple of five or six canvasses in various sizes.

Nanao regretfully let her feet wander away from the view, over to where her taicho was and looked over his shoulder while he uncovered the paintings completely. And she had to admit once again that he was an extraordinary painter. The painting was of a woman, or at least of a woman's hipbones, all sensual lines and pretty angles, nothing more. Another was presumably of the same woman but this time it was a still of her lithe legs, cleverly shielding her mound, and another again of a hand, just a hand, but that alone seemed to radiate a sensual delight. The hand was delicate with pretty fingers topped by pretty nails and it made you call to mind all the pleasurable things that a hand could do.

"They're beautiful." Nanao whispered over his shoulder.

Shunsui looked back up at her and grinned. "You think so, Nanao-chan? Thanks, will they do? I don't think I can part with any others that aren't promised to someone." He said sheepishly.

"Which ones? Will you show me?" Nanao asked, wanting to see more of his beautiful art, totally forgetting about flirting with him, so in awe was she.

Shunsui looked up at her then and sighed but did as she asked and wandered over to another stack, right next to the front of windows.

He uncovered them slowly, gently, very gingerly. And Nanao was very curious now.

Shunsui uncovered them and laid the painting down on the floor, so the sun illuminated it to perfection. It was of a woman again; she was lying on her front, so you could see her whole back from head to toes perfectly. The lighting in the painting was a bit dark and blurred but it just added to the feel of the painting of the naked woman. Dark hair, not too long neither too short. The Slender lines of her back tapered into her flanks and her lithe legs with the ass as a beautiful transition. But by then the breath caught in her throat.

Right on the left ass check of the woman was a tattoo kept in black of a single sakura blossom. Nanao's breath constricted since she knew she had the exact same tattoo in the exact same position, it was pulsing on her ass cheek at the very moment. Knowing what she was looking for, she now recognized the lines of her own body!

She looked over at Shunsui with a sharp look but he was also perusing the painting. He couldn't know, could he? It was her!

Nanao tried to ask, since she couldn't not ask, "When did you paint those, taicho?"

As if her voice had brought him from a far-away place he shook his head and looked at her for a moment, then…, "Hmm, when? Just a few years ago, I think. Ten years or so, why?"

"There is no date on them, so I wondered." Nanao said lamely, her throat tight.

Shunsui looked at the painting again.

"I don't know if it's finished, that's why there is no date."

"But it looks finished to me." Nanao answered gasping at the next uncovered painting of her, her ass cheeks with the tattoo in great detail. She blushed. Well, some unconscious part of him had obviously remembered their night together, it seemed, and his artistic side had transformed it into paintings.

Shunsui gauged her reaction and uncovered the last of the three, a painting of the front. Full frontal. She blushed at seeing her body on the painting fully displayed, her head was in shadows and a blurred but her body was in sharp detail, her swollen breasts with their rose tipped nipples, flushed from passion, her athletic tummy, her hip-bones and her slightly splayed legs so you could see just a hint of her pussy.

"Is my Nanao-chan shocked now?" Her taicho asked with a hint of laughter in his eyes.

She stared him straight into his eyes and it took all her courage to keep the connection and say bravely, "No, should I be?" Her taicho's face tightened, just a tic but he didn't say anything.

"So why are they not finished?" Nanao tried to get him back on track.

"They don't have names." He said simply.

"Names?" Nanao nearly squeaked. Names?

"Yes, usually you paint something and sometimes even before you make the first stroke of the brush, the painting will have a name, a title, a personality, if you will, but these don't, never happened to me before." He said, frowning just a bit and shaking his head.

Nanao was still in shock and even forgot to flirt with him, when she had thought that the erotic surroundings would be perfect to make him see her in a different light. But she couldn't get over the fact of seeing herself in some of his paintings, if he only knew…wait. Wait, wait, wait, if he only knew? He could know! She could… Nanao trembled at the thought that came into her mind. It was a dangerous thought. Very dangerous. But…

"Who is the woman in the paintings, taicho?" Nanano asked slowly, knowing very well who it was.

"Hmm, that's the problem I think, Nanao-chan, I don't know. That's probably the reason why I can't name it, I think it was just a nice fantasy of mine. I can't see the woman's face so I think I just made her up and while usually that doesn't pose a problem, it seems it is one this time around." Shunsui ended and stood up.

Nanao stood across from him, the paintings between them and started doing something that was harder than anything she had done before. Courage, Nanao. Courage.

"You got the tattoo completely right." Nanao said slowly.

Shunsui looked at her uncomprehendingly, "Hmm?"

"You even got the one petal right that's just a bit bigger than the others, the tattoo artist got tired there a bit, you know." Nanao looked at the painting, not daring to look at him.

"What are you saying, Nanao-chan? Have you seen the tattoo before?"

"Have I seen it?" Nanao mumbled as if to herself and then chuckled wryly.

"Well, I guess you could say that." Nanao ended and looked up for just a moment just to see the frowning face of her superior.

Not wanting to drag it out for longer than she could stand, Nanao loosened the sash around her middle and turned her back to him, she couldn't see his reaction like this, which was good.

Her taicho started, "Nanao, what…" But his voice trailed off when the trousers part of her uniform slid to the floor and bared her ass cheeks to him, please gods, make him remember, was Nanao's only thought, the only thing she heard over her hard beating heart.

For a moment, there was complete silence. Not only were they both not talking but the whole moment seemed to stay stock-still, daring them to not even breathe.

And suddenly a gentle hand was at the small of her back, holding the upper part of her uniform, which was basically still in place, out of the way. Nanao nearly jumped away but made herself stand her ground. Her breathing came harsher than before, though.

The other of his hands made a path directly over her left ass cheek, palming the globe and letting his thumb slide over the sakura blossom tattoo.

"What-", he started but he had to collect his thoughts once again, "Nanao?" He just asked gasping, leaving, for once the –chan from her name and Nanao had to hold back a shiver.

Nanao turned around, Shunsui's hands slipping away from her ass, sliding down her legs before she was free of his touch and letting the upper part of her uniform fall into place so it covered her to the tops of her thighs. Nanao looked up into his face, which was pulled up into a severe frown.

"About ten years ago," Nanao started, "we had sex. You were drunk and obviously can't remember. I can and I guess after seeing those paintings which clearly depict me, I guess a small part of you does remember." Nanao said in her usual no-nonsense voice.

Shunsui looked as if she had slapped him, and she guessed in a way she had.

Thoughts run through Shunsui's head that were absolutely perplexed. This couldn't be true, could it? He couldn't have slept with Nanao! He couldn't have slept with her and not remembered, could he? His little Nanao-chan!

His formidable mind raced to wrap around this new knowledge. He looked at her body, her hakama, down at her ankles, trying to forget the image and the feel of his hand on the soft skin of her body. No chance, it was burned into his mind.

He just blinked at her and Nanao had to use every determined bone in her body to not move while he kept staring into her eyes.

"Nanao?!" He asked or demanded a bit helplessly.

"I found you in a bar," Nanao started to elaborate, "I needed a signature and found you really drunk and I brought you back to your house since I seriously doubted you could make it on your own and then when we were here I got you into your bedroom and one thing led to another. I had to get up really early to submit that blasted form and the next time I saw you again, in the office, you couldn't remember! "

Shunsui was literally speechless. This couldn't be happening! He looked at Nanao's serious face and knew she would never lie about something like this, though. He had no idea what to do now.

He looked at the drawings…of her?! This was Nanao?! With a rush the name for the paintings came to him, at long last, "Blurred Fantasies".

"This is you?" He asked again, not that he didn't believe her, but this was a very grave matter.

The look she sent him, said clearly "duh".

Shunsui looked from the painting to Nanao then back to the painting. It was very strange seeing her naked in front of him in the pictures when he didn't have a clear memory in his head of seeing her in that state.

Everything was just too much and he sat down heavily on the floor, looking unblinkingly at the biggest of the paintings, the one full frontal.

"Nanao, I- this is- …give me some time." He ended lamely, not knowing how to act, what to do, nothing, his mind was blank.

Without another word, Nanao took the paintings he had chosen for the SWA charity auction and left him to his thoughts.

~o~S~o~

Nanao's thoughts weren't that much more clam than Shunsui's though. She couldn't believe what she had done! This was not happening!

She wandered around Seireitei aimlessly, not knowing where to go or what to do now. Her taicho had asked her to leave. Was that his answer? Or had he really been so shocked? Remembering his face, Nanao concluded he had been so shocked!

The fresh air of the late afternoon was actually quite a bit crisp already, telling of the fall that would very soon arrive. Nanao took an encouraging, deep breath, hoping to cleanse her very soul with it.

She stopped at a remote batch of trees, knowing they were sakura trees even if she couldn't see the pink blossoms that would only be visible during the spring time. She looked around herself and with a start she could remember and afternoon when she had been very little, right after the vanishing of her mentor, Yadomaru Lisa. She had run all the way here, not knowing shunpo back then and had hidden, not wanting to hear the whispers in the Division about the absence of her mentor. Whispered lies like "traitor", she couldn't bear to hear anymore. She had sat right underneath this very tree for a whole afternoon, falling asleep due to all the mental stress she had been under during that time.

A gentle hand on her shoulder had woken her and she started into an upright position just to see pink all around her. It was her taicho! He just knelt there, looking at her kind of sadly. He had been so sad back then, too.

"You miss her, don't you?" He had asked in his deep voice that vibrated through her whole body.

"You miss her too." Little Nanao had said in a small voice.

Her taicho just sighed and looked away from her.

"Come on, little lady, let's get ourselves back, people were worried about you."

Nanao snorted at that, "No they weren't. They don't like me. They're all intimidated by the fact that I'm so small but smarter than all of them."

Shunsui chuckled lowly, "You've got a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"

Nanao looked away, she couldn't believe that she had been smart to her captain!

She bowed her head, "I apologize, taicho!"

"No! Please, don't! You were quite right, little Nanao-chan. What would you say then if I said, I was worried about you? It isn't like you to miss a kido class."

Nanao looked up from her bow with a start.

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say and it was then that she fell in love with her taicho, just a little.

"Now, come on! Back to the barracks it is for you, get strong and become my fukutaicho and you'll get your own room." He waggled his eyebrows funnily, insinuating it was the best thing ever. Which for Nanao at that point it would well be. She hated not having the space to be on her own at night.

Nanao looked up at her taicho and felt a strong determination take hold of her. His fukutaicho? That was Lisa's place, she had thought but…but it looked like as if Lisa was not coming back again. Fukutaicho, huh? She would show him!

Shunsui extended an arm to her and slowly but surely, Nanao took it and they walked back together.

Nanao remembered it clearly. Back then he had come to her, so shouldn't it now be her turn? She wanted Kyouraku Shunsui, she wanted her taicho. As her taicho. As her friend. As her lover. Again. And this time also as something more. With a determined mind, Nanao got up from under the tree and started to go back to his house, she knew what she had to do now.


A/N: First of all, sorry if there are more mistakes than usual, I didn't have the time to go over it more than once. I'm so stressed. So no promises of new chapters for the next week. Maybe the week after. Sorry

Thanks again to my lovely reviewers who take such precious time to let me know how I'm doing.

Thanks: twOO..lAzy2lOgiN; InThisLife, and -dreamland. – sorry I couldn't reply to you ;)

Anyways, let me know what you think!