"You could have just taken me home," Nanao said with a sigh.
"My home was closer," he said shrugging, "and if you let that wine sit any longer it'll stain. I should know."
"Fine," she said too tired to argue with anyone anymore. "I'll rinse it out in the sink and then I'm going home. I'll let myself out." She slipped off her heels and headed towards his kitchen easily navigating his house. She'd been there often enough either dragging him home or nursing him from a hangover the next day.
She'd also stayed there when she was younger and hadn't yet been able to afford an apartment outside the rooms in the 8th that she'd been given as the 5th seat. One of his parties had gotten out of hand and ended up with her bedroom wall missing and open to the division hallway. To make it up to her he'd insisted she take the guest room at his house and after she had refused the first time, preferring to stay with Matsumoto in the 10th, he had physically moved all of her belongings into his home while she'd been working. After that it had been too much of a bother to protest, and he had been on his best behavior for the two weeks she'd had to stay with him while the wall was repaired. Really, the most annoying part of the stay had been when he figured out she could cook and begged her to do so constantly. Given she was also younger at the time and it had been just before he started aggressively flirting with her, or as she liked to call it driving her up the wall.
She shuddered to think what it would be like staying here for an extended period of time now. Nanao flipped on the light as she entered his kitchen and made her way over to the sink peeling the jacket off as she went. She grimaced at the pale red stains sprayed across the back and started running the cold water. She began moving the fabric under the water and wondered if her Taicho had something specific he used on red wine stains. Feeling eyes on her, Nanao turned her head to find her Taicho leaning against the doorway into the kitchen and watching her.
"Do you do something specific to remove wine stains?" she asked turning back to the coat.
"Nothing that's ever worked that well," he conceded. "One of the many reasons I prefer sake."
"Well if you can't help," Nanao said reasonably, "You may as well go to bed. I can find my way home just fine, and I'd rather it not take a large reiatsu explosion to wake you up to sign forms tomorrow." Kyouraku exhaled noisily behind her and when she turned to look again he was gone. Nanao looked around and grabbed the soap bar, deciding to try some good old fashion elbow grease on the stain.
Concentrating on scrubbing Nanao nearly screamed when she felt a warm wetness spread across her back. Only the hand that held her hip in place kept her from spinning around and blasting the hell out of her Taicho. Instead she settled for sending a very disgruntled look over her shoulder and asking, "What are you doing?"
"Nanao-chan's back is all sticky from wine," he said easily. "I'm just helping her clean up." The warm washcloth made another swipe across her back and Nanao resisted the urge to arch into it.
"I can clean myself, sir," she said trying to maintain an icy tone. "This is completely inappropriate." She tried to turn around and face him, but his hand tightened on her hip and held her on the spot. She looked around for anything to smack him with and found his kitchen severely lacking.
"A back is a tricky place to reach," Kyouraku commented ignoring her wiggling and caressing the washcloth over her exposed shoulder blades. "Just let me help."
"Kyouraku-Taicho, this is highly improper," she said trying again. She dropped the coat in the still running water and grasped the edge of the sink trying to give herself more leverage to turn around. If he didn't stop soon she was pretty sure she was going to lose her mind.
"I know what is proper and what is not," he rumbled continuing the washcloth's wonderfully torturous path over her bare flesh, "and Nanao-chan wearing a dress like this out with an unknown man is definitely not appropriate."
Nanao's knuckles were turning white from the death grip she maintained on the counter and she let out her own displeased growl in response to his words. "It was just a thank you dinner, sir. Mamoru-san and his associates merely wanted to express their gratitude for my guidance." The washcloth stopped its movements and Nanao thanked kami that she had apparently said something correct to stop the slow torture.
"You had dinner with Mamoru-san and his colleagues?" he asked slowly.
"Of course I did," she said testily. "What did you think it was? Don't tell me you actually listened to Matsumoto and thought it was a date." Honestly the man really was too overprotective. Even if it had been a date, he didn't have to be so worked up over her clothing.
"This dress doesn't exactly scream business dinner, Nanao-chan," he said making one last stroke with the cloth across her exposed lower back as if to prove his point.
"It's the only one I had that was appropriate for a Western style restaurant of that quality," she defended unable to stop the goose bumps that rose along her skin. Knowing her Taicho he'd notice and she was fully prepared to use the cold excuse by way of explanation.
Suddenly the washcloth was replaced with a large warm hand, and Nanao literally threw herself forward away from him, hissing when her hips made painful contact with the counter. Instead of giving her more space like the movement had been intended for, her Taicho simply took another step closer as he moved his hand up her spine. The other hand reached around her to shut the water off and drop the washcloth in the sink with the abandoned coat.
"Taicho," she started but was shortly cut off by his baritone voice.
"Ne, Nanao-chan its still not fair to wear this dress for a business dinner, but not for it's intended use," he pouted.
"And what use would that be, sir?" she asked as icily as she could, all the while trying to ignore the way her voice came out a bit breathy. She was deciding whether another good kido blast would do the trick or if she could reach the flower vase in the corner of the counter and crack him over the head with it. He really must have drunk more than she thought for him to be this persistently invasive. Besides, he should count himself lucky that he wasn't dead already, as she only allowed a few people to take up so much of her personal space.
"It was my birthday present wasn't it?' he asked hands skimming up her bare back to rub her shoulders and grazing along her neck. With both of his hands otherwise occupied he was using his weight to keep her pinned to the spot.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" she asked and started to move to the right to escape his hold, but he moved faster and, moving a hand back to her hip, kept her firmly in place again.
"Ran-chan told me as much," he said near her ear, his breath ghosting across her skin, and for what seemed like the millionth time that night she hit her breaking point. Slamming her elbow back hard, her Taicho gave a grunt of surprise and pain, but moved a step back. It was enough to offer her an escape route, which she gladly took.
Turning to face him she moved closer to the vase and glared. "It was never anything of the sort. Rangiku-san talked me into purchasing it when I was under the influence and I simply never had time to return it."
"You've got pointy elbows, Nanao-chan," her Taicho mumbled holding a hand to his stomach.
"And you have wandering hands," she said harshly. "Forget the coat, it's ruined anyway. I'm going home."
She started to stalk towards the door, and was quickly followed by Kyouraku. Going to push the front door ajar she was surprised when it was torn out of her hand and flung wide open. A sheet of rain hit her in the face and she sputtered at the sudden cold feeling as thunder boomed out. She must have been severely distracted to miss a storm of this magnitude rolling in. Realizing the water was soaking Kyouraku's front entrance she struggled to try and re-close the door. A big hand closed on the frame above her head and suddenly the door was sliding smoothly shut.
"Looks like you're staying here tonight," he said passively.
"I'll just shunpo home," she replied looking dubiously at the now closed door.
"You'll also die of hypothermia before you get in the door," he said.
"It's not that far away," she argued, but was pretty sure she had already lost. Besides her headache had increased in intensity and all she wanted to do was lie down.
"You can have the guest room," he said attempting to escort her away from his front door. After a few seconds of her resistance he sighed and asked, "Don't you trust me?"
Just like the few other times he'd asked her that question she instantly acquiesced to his demands. She certainly didn't trust herself around him, but there was no question in her mind that she trusted him fully. "Fine, but after the hell this night has been you owe me a new coat."
He let out a rumbling laugh, and seemed genuinely pleased that some of the previous tension had passed. "I'll buy you any coat you want," he replied grabbing her hand and dragging her down the hallway. She knew he was well aware she could find her own way there, but she let him do it anyway if only to apologize for soaking his entranceway.
"That's good to know, as I fully plan on taking Rangiku-chan with me to the living world and finding the most expensive coat I can," she said trailing behind him.
"I fully approve. Ran-chan makes excellent choices in your wardrobe," he said sending a wink over his shoulder. "Here we are. Let me get the extra futon."
Nanao wandered into the room and sat down on the window seat to watch the storm. The window seat hadn't originally existed in this room, but when she'd told Kyouraku as a little girl that she wanted to have a house with a window seat to read in when she grew up, she'd been surprised four days later when he scooped her up and shunpoed back to his house. He'd let her into the room and told her until she was old enough to afford her own she could borrow this one anytime she wanted. As this had happened right after Lisa went missing, Nanao had often come over and taken advantage of his offer. Sometimes she'd read alone, and sometimes when he'd catch her at it he'd scoop her up, deposit her in his lap, and read until they both fell asleep in the seat. It had made her feel safe, but as she'd grown she'd realized the inappropriateness of sneaking into a Taicho's home, welcomed or not, and had stopped visiting.
"Now there's a picture straight out of the past," his voice said breaking her reverie as he also thought along similar lines. "Why don't you come here to read anymore, Nanao-chan?"
"I have my own window seat now, Taicho," she said standing to help with the futon. The quick movement made all the blood rush to her head though and she winced as the headache throbbed full force.
"Something the matter?" Kyouraku asked setting the futon down to come to her side.
"Just a headache from the wine and the long night," Nanao said curtly. "I'll make up the futon if you wouldn't mind getting me something to wear to sleep?"
"Huh?" he asked dumbly.
"I'm certainly not sleeping in this restricting dress," she said practically. "Do you have a western shirt or an old yukata I can borrow?"
"Yeah, of course, I think I have something from that last living world trip I made," he darted out of the room again and she moved to set up the futon.
Returning moments later her Taicho was caring a pale blue t-shirt that on her would probably reach mid-thigh. It was more leg then she probably wanted to show, but she supposed baring flesh was the theme of the evening and decided not to argue with it. She took the shirt from his hands saying a quiet thank you and then stood waiting for him to leave the room.
"Taicho?" she finally asked when the silence and the staring had gotten officially awkward.
"Yes?"
"I'm going to go to bed now," she said stating the obvious.
"Oh, right, sorry," he said looking a bit sheepish as he turned to leave.
"Sir?" she said stopping him as he reached the door. He turned back around and she almost lost all her courage to ask him what had been bothering her all night. "If I did want to date Mamoru-san would you allow it? I'm not saying I do, it's just that he thinks you wouldn't let it happen and I said-"
"What right do I have to determine who you date?" Kyouraku asked interrupting her. He'd lowered his hat again to hide his eyes and she hated that she couldn't see what he was thinking. "More than anything I want Nanao-chan to be as happy as she can be, no matter what or who that requires."
"Sir," she started suddenly feeling like she'd made an awful mistake even bring it up.
"Goodnight, Nanao-chan," he said quietly and was gone with the door shut behind him before she had a chance to respond.
Nanao sighed and turned back to the shirt in her hand wondering how everything had gotten so completely mixed up. Why she had even felt the need to ask that question she didn't particularly know, but it had bothered the hell out of her that Mamoru thought Kyouraku controlled her life so completely. So she'd fallen in love with the idiot, that wasn't his fault, and Mamoru had no right to blame him for anything. Nanao sighed and got ready for bed. After all, there was nothing else she could do that night and she was exhausted.
A/N: So today is my birthday and all I'm wishing for is reviews ;) Make my birthday wish come true!
