Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU and in honor of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Stepping Out With a Star

Nanao was more than a little nervous when it actually came time for her to audition. There was a difference between playing at being an ice dancer and actually trying out as one. She might have actually backed out save for the fact that she had given her word, and Nanao kept her promises. Still the idea of running away from the audition was rather appealing. What had she been thinking when she agreed to this?

She arrived at the ice skating rink early and used the time to stretch and warm up as well as change into her regular practice gear. When she was finally ready, save for putting on her skates, Nanao took a deep breath and headed out of the locker room. By the side of the rink she found Kyoraku laughing with a man who had long silver hair. Nanao immediately recognized Jyuushiro Ukitake. He was considered to be one of the best and most innovated choreographers in the skating world. She hadn't realized that he also coached. The two of them were the only people at the rink besides the regular maintenance staff.

Kyoraku glanced over at her. "Ah, here she is. Nanao darling, this is Jyuushiro Ukitake. Jyuu, this is the young lady I was telling you about."

Nanao shot Kyoraku a half hearted glare for the endearment but shook Ukitake's hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Jyuushiro's fine, Nanao." He smiled at her. "Why don't you two head out on the ice to warm up, and then we can get this audition started."

Nanao nodded. It didn't take her or Kyoraku long before they were comfortable on the ice and ready to present the program that Kyoraku had worked with her on. The music started, and Nanao found herself relaxing. The waltz went fairly well to her mind. Nanao was fairly comfortable with most of the program, though she was a little stiff when it came to the lifts and the spins. They were still pretty unfamiliar territory for her. When the program finally ended, Nanao wasn't completely satisfied with her performance, but she was pleased with it. After all, she wasn't really an ice dancer.

She and Kyoraku skated back to the side of the rink to hear Ukitake's assessment. She found the man had a grin on his face.

"You've never trained as an ice dancer?" he asked her.

Nanao nodded, feeling more than a little uncertain. His grin widened.

"You were right, Shun. By the end of the season, you two are going to be one of the most talked about teams out there." Ukitake seemed to sense Nanao's confusion. "Congratulations, Nanao, and welcome to the team. I'll take care of the arrangements with your former coach. Now, let's get a tentative training schedule set up."

Shunsui beamed. Nanao found herself blushing, but she let the two men draw her into a discussion about when to schedule their practice sessions. Still, she was beginning to wonder just what she had gotten herself into.