AN: Thank you so much for all your reviews/alerts/favs/etc. I honestly appreciate every single one; your support it amazing. - Well... this chapter was definitely more enjoyable to type up. Definitely the longest and (probably) fluffiest chapter I've written so far!

Enjoy-


: Chapter 8 – Brightest Night :

Nanao pulled away from her taicho as they neared her room, relying mainly on her good leg before continuing the remaining few steps to the door to her quarters. Though she had persistently insisted that she would be fine going home alone, he had whined, regaining his usually semi-childish attitude until she had reluctantly agreed to let him accompany her home.

"Okay Taicho," Nanao turned to face her doting captain, "Thank you for escorting me to my quarters. As you can see, I have safely reached my destination without harm. You can sleep at ease tonight."

"Yare, Nanao-chan," he sighed dramatically, "The only way to calm my worried heart would be to sleep 'at ease' with you by my side."

"Sir…Nothing bad is going to happen if you leave me." She waved her hand over the door, deactivating the kido spell that had previously been set in place.

"First of all, what if you wake up in such excruciating pain that you find yourself unable to move without me there to save you?" He flung his arms out, narrowly missing her head, and splashing water from his haori all along the walls, where it dripped down and accumulated in small puddles beneath their feet. "Second, would you pleasecall me Shunsui? 'Sir' makes everything feel so professional. It makes me feel… old."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him. "Sir, we're dripping water all along the hall." The door unlocked with a soft click and swung inward. "I suppose you could come in just for a moment to dry yourself, seeing as you were being a proper gentleman, and escorted me home…"

Not needing to be told twice, he bounced into the room on his heels, like a child taken to the candy store for the first time. He began to examine every tiny detail of her room, nothing escaping his curious eyes.

"Ooooh, Nanao-chan," he picked up a book from the top of a stack lying on her desk, looking at the back, "I didn't know you read these kinds of books." She glanced at the cover and realized exactly what he meant by 'these kinds of books.'

"T-those are on loan from Rangiku." She blushed, snatching the romance novel away from him, furious at herself for not returning them sooner. She replaced the volume on top of the tower of books before moving to her closet, keeping a sharp eye trained on what her taicho was doing. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh, wondering just how much dignity she would be able to wake up with the coming morning.

She walked to the closet and pulled two fluffy white towels out from the middle shelf. Turning back to Shunsui, she gingerly held one out to him. "Here."

"Why thank you, Nanao-chan." He smiled, taking the towel from her hands, making sure to brush his hands against hers. She blushed slightly before grabbing her nightclothes off of a stand and heading to the bathroom, closing and carefully locking the door behind her.

Nanao quickly stripped off her wet clothes, leaving them in a small heap on the tile floor, thankful that only the outermost layer of her clothing had been the only to take any real soaking. Her drenched vice-captain's badge was neatly folded and placed next to the small sink, where she could easily retrieve it the following morning; she laid her glasses on the rim of the sink. Squeezing her hair dry using her towel, she quickly donned her favorite sleeping kimono. It was given to her as a gift from Rangiku from one of her trips to the real world, an apology of sorts for when she had bought her a bikini at the request of Nanao's perverted taicho.

The fabric was light purple with bright pink and purple flowers sewn into the cloth, the bottom edge falling halfway between her knees and ankles. Though she was usually more of a traditional person, outside the office she felt secure enough in her personal space to be more relaxed, more… unique.

So much for keeping my personal and work lives separate, she thought, hoping her over-excited captain had taken the hint and left. She combed her hair and then wiped the moisture off her glasses, replacing them on her face. Glancing in the mirror, she moved toward the door.

Deciding that it would be a low blow to her pride to attempt to sneak a peek through a slender crack, she straightened her back, picked her clothes off the floor, and marched out of the bathroom acting as though there wasn't someone else in her room, this 'someone else' wasn't her captain, and said captain wasn't lying on her bed and looking very, very—Don't finish that thought Ise, she stopped herself.

She walked to where he was sprawled across her bed, his large hands laced behind his head. He had stripped to the bare minimum: his black hakama pants.

The rest of his clothes were lying, messily discarded, on top of the towel on the floor near the bed, straw hat resting on the very top. His sandals had been unceremoniously thrown next to her neat ones near the door, and she had the urge to go straighten them.

No, that won't be necessary, she thought, I'll have him out of here in a minute. She made a mental note that the only thing he seemed to bother to make sure wasn't damaged was his heirloom hairpins, which had been carefully set on her nightstand.

"Taicho, may I inquire as to why you are on my futon?" She asked, hanging her clothes on a rack to be washed later, before walking over to her bed.

He looked up at her as she approached, giving her his signature 'Hello-my-dear-I-hope-you're-not-going-to-ask-me-to-move-because-I've-already-made-myself-comfortable' smile; one Nanao knew all too well. "You look exceptionally beautiful without your work clothes." He said, staring at her. She fidgeted uncomfortably, wishing he'd look somewhere—anywhere else.

"T-thank you, sir." She managed to stammer, very unlike her usual, brisk self. "But I believe it is about time for me to retire and you to… leave." She folded her arms loosely over her chest, waiting for his response.

"Hm…What's that?" He asked, cupping one hand to his ear though she knew he must've heard her. "I can't hear your lovely voice from all the way down here." Suppressing an irritated retort, she bent down on her knees to kneel beside him.

"Taicho, please get up." Her gaze softened slightly. "I would appreciate some sleep. I had a very… tiring day."

"Nanao-chan," he sang, "I asked you to please call me Shunsui. Need we be so formal all the time?"

"I hardly think that's appropriate… Capt—" She stopped as his eyes met hers, deciding that maybe, possibly, it was time for her to accept the fact that they were, as Rangiku would call them, a… 'couple'.
"S-shunsui." His face split into a wide grin as she addressed him informally for the first time.

"Yare, yare," he propped himself up on one elbow, "if I knew it would cause you so much pain just to say my name, I wouldn't have asked. Though, the look on your face is positively adorable." He laughed, reaching out as she opened her mouth to protest.

She let out a protestant squeak as he caught her around the waist and pulled her down onto the mattress with him. Using one hand, he deftly lifted the blanket up and over both of their bodies. He was slightly disappointed when she tried to edge away from him, though he couldn't say it surprised him. This was, after all, Nanao Ise.

"Kyouraku-san," she started, reverting back to addressing him formally, "I don't think—" she stopped, eyes flickering to the door as a pulse of a familiar reiatsu flickered momentarily. "Wait here one moment." She instructed him; as if he had a choice.

Nanao slipped out from under the covers and stepped around her bed, feeling his curious eyes on her back. Reaching the door she swiftly yanked it open. None other than Matsumoto Rangiku tumbled in, landing with a loud "OOOF" at Nanao's feet.

"Good evening Rangiku-san." Nanao said evenly, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Her friend stood, brushing invisible dust particles off her uniform.

"NANAO!" A red-faced Rangiku jumped at her friend, attempting to hug her. Nanao easily fended off her best friend's hug attempts with a hand, keeping one braced against the doorframe, using her body as a shield against her friend's curious eyes.

"Is there something you need, Rangiku-san?" She said, this time with a deathly glint in her eyes. "It's late even for you to be stopping by for a nightly visit. And as if your presence enough is not a shock, you don't seem the least bit drunk."

"It's not that late!" The strawberry-blonde retorted. "It's only 11:30. I thought I'd stop by and pay my good friend Nanao a visit." She smiled a smile that would've left the Cheshire cat jealous.

"Are you certain you weren't just snooping outside my door trying to get new material for rumors while attempting to hide your reiatsu?" Nanao questioned.

"Well—fine. You caught me… partially." She smiled. "But I felt your reiatsu and Shunsui's coming from your room. So … I put two and two together and felt the need to investigate and make sure you're alright. It was an act of the deepest concern!"

"Well, I—wait, what, exactly, do you think is happening in this room?" She paused. "You aren't—no, don't even assume that I would be that irresponsible!" Her voice rose slightly as she tried to stop from yelling.

"Aww Nanao, don't think so badly of me." She hugged her friend. "I just came to verify that I won— I mean, that you're okay. Besides, I trust you not to loose your head. You're the most sensible person I know."

"Thanks Ran-san," Nanao replied, "but I would really like to go to bed now." Rangiku nodded, turning away from the door.

"Make sure to actually get some sleep!" The strawberry blonde called, walking back toward the end of the hallway. "Don't stay up all night doin—" Rangiku cut off at the priceless expression on her friend's face. "I kid!" She laughed, almost missing the first step of the flight of stairs that led down.

She closed the door quietly, heading back to her bed. Her occupied bed. A small smile graced Nanao's lips when she saw Shunsui attempting to do what she assumed was a sexy pose. "What are you doing?" She asked in an amused voice.

"Just enjoying the radiant warmth of your smile." Shunsui grinned at her as she carefully slipped under the covers, keeping space between them. "Actually, I don't believe I've ever seen you genuinely smile before. Ah, what a wonderful experience it is." He reached out to caress her cheek. She initially stiffened then relaxed, hands folded over the blanket. I could live like this…her train of thought began to wander, waking up to him everyday, feeling loved. Though, I guess the real question is: does he really love me?

"May I ask you something?" She asked suddenly, turning on her side to face him.

"Anything." He replied without hesitation.

"I've heard—" she stopped, choosing her words carefully. "Rumors flying around that if I ever did give in to your antics that… I would become just another of the countless women you've loved then discarded."

Shunsui sighed, running one hand through his hair. "Yes, I heard these 'rumors' as well. I'm not as oblivious as you give me credit for… But that's all they are, Nanao-chan, rumors." He turned to look at her.

"But…"

"Now, I know what you're thinking." He replied. "I won't deny that I have been in love before, but probably far less than you think. You don't realize that there were many women in my life that have loved me, but only one I have loved back. I think… now, I realize that she was possibly even more of a motherly figure to me than a love interest. I suppose I was never given the chance to find out," he said bitterly. "But, unlike her, there are so many little things I notice about you that I don't think I would've taken the time to notice in anyone else."

"Little things?" She carefully removed her glasses, setting them on the table beside his hairpins, blowing out the only source of light in the room, a small lantern. They waited a few minutes, gradually letting their eyes adjust to the darkness that had overtaken the room.

"Like," he continued. "How your left eyebrow twitches when you're agitated, or how you blush ever so slightly when I announce your beauty both in public and in the privacy of the office. Even small things like the way you hint at a smile whenever I drag you out of the office for lunch. I still remember the first day you joined my squad. You were so different back then. I watched you grow up, move up in the ranks. These things about you are very important to me."

"It would appear …" She placed one small hand on his tanned one. "That you know more about me than even I do." He caught her thin wrist easily with his large hand.

"I highly doubt that." He leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead but was surprised when his lips came in contact with hers instead. Truthfully, Nanao was a bit shocked herself at this sudden action. This time, she didn't hold back. What more could she lose? Even a broken heart would be worth this.

She's not foolish; she knows she's not the first woman he has loved. But could it be too much to hope that she might be the last? She felt his lips move to her earlobe, the hairs on his unshaven chin brushing against her cheek, as he whispered her name.

"Kyou—" she stopped, finding it very difficult to concentrate as his mouth found the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, "Shunsui… I need to know why… you were… so serious before. I've never seen you like that…" He stopped, lingering slightly before pulling away.

"You never believed me before." He murmured. "I thought maybe if I acted completely serious, you'd realize I'd actually been serious all along."

"Your logic is flawed." She told him matter-of-factly. He just stared at her incredulously before shaking his head from side to side, a smile on his face.

"I'm sure you could tell me every flaw in my logic, dear Nanao-chan," he pulled her back against his chest, resting his head lightly on her shoulder. "But you can tell me all about that tomorrow. Right now, you should be resting." He began to hum; a slow deep rhythm that worked its way under her eyelids, causing them to droop with fatigue.

"But…" She began to respond, but found she couldn't. Since when had her tongue been so heavy? She still had so many questions to ask him!

"Hush now Nanao-chan," he hummed. "We can talk as much as you want, about whatever you want in the morning."

She wanted to argue. To ask him what would happen if he wasn't there in the morning, if he would want to talk—or even look at her in the morning. But even she, the most disciplined fukutaicho of the Gotei 13, couldn't fend off the daemon that was sleep. Slowly but surely, her eyes closed, pushing away her doubts as she allowed herself to sleep, listening to the soothing lullaby of the heart beating mere inches from her own.

: End Chapter 8 :


End Note: Too fluffy? Too cliche? Too... draggy? Typos? Grammar mistakes? OOC-ness? Leave me a review! I really like to hear back from readers (I know you're out there. I have my sources :3) I hope I didn't bore you. I'm very sad that this story is coming to a close, but I suppose it was inevitable. This is the second to last chapter.

-AP