"Why do you look so glum?" Matsumoto asked sitting down next to Shunsui.
"Do I look glum? I don't mean to. I clearly just haven't had enough to drink." He smiled at her to convince her further and took another sip. He hadn't been in the mood to socialize tonight and had stopped at the bar for a quick drink before he'd planned to go home and go to bed early. He knew people would be shocked to know it, but he occasionally just enjoyed spending some time by himself.
"Staring moodily into your sake and drinking alone at the bar," Matsumoto chastised shaking her head. "You can't get much more glum than that."
"A few more cups and I'll be fine," he said good-naturedly.
"I would have thought you'd be celebrating by now."
"Celebrating?" he asked quirking an eyebrow. "Jyuu-chan got out of the 4th days ago. You were at the party, or did you drink so much you don't remember?"
"Not that, silly," Matsumoto said with a laugh at his gentle teasing. "I meant about Nanao-chan."
"What about her?" he asked quizzically. "Did I forget something? It's not her birthday, that's for sure." He'd seen Nanao yesterday in the office before the weekend and she'd not hinted at anything he should be remembering. Given if it was some celebration of one of her accomplishments she wasn't likely to remind him. He racked his brain trying to think what Matsumoto was referencing.
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"My goodness, you really haven't heard!"
"Ran-chan, will you tell me what you're talking about or will I have to bribe it out of you?"
"Bribe me," she said with an absolutely salacious smile. "Trust me, you won't mind when I share."
Shunsui smiled at the infectiously good-natured woman and waved for another jug of sake from the barmaid. "Well? What information have I bought?"
"Well you know Nanao-chan, right?"
He lifted an eyebrow at her and shook his head, but decided to let her have her fun. After all he always had appreciated a good game. "Yes, I have the pleasure of her acquaintance."
"And you're aware of Hashimoto-san from the 5th division?"
Shunsui could feel his expression darken although he fought it valiantly. "Yes, I've heard of the man."
"Of course you have, it'd be difficult not to be aware of the man your Fukutaicho has been dating for three years now. Especially when you've been hopelessly in love with her for so much longer," Matsumoto said gleefully as the sake arrived. If her point had been to torture him, he hoped that sake made her sick. He motioned for her to continue, even though he wasn't sure if he wanted this piece of gossip now, and took a deep draft of his own cup. "Well, had you heard that Hashimoto-san asked your sweet Nanao-chan to marry him last night?"
Shunsui spit out his sake and nearly gave himself whiplash turning to look at her to judge her honesty. He'd dreaded this day coming. Over the last fourteen years he'd repaired some of the damage he'd done to his and Nanao's friendship, but it always seemed like one step forward with her resulted in several steps back. He should have known that befriending Nanao-chan the second time around would be much harder than it was the first time, not that it had been easy then either. Nanao was a very guarded soul. He'd betrayed her trust when he'd shut her out all those years ago, and she was not quick in giving it again. Still he'd thought he'd had a hope of one day winning her back over until she'd begun dating Hashimoto-san. He could raise no objections for as far as he could tell the boy was kind, hard-working, and well liked by everyone who knew him, but it didn't make it hurt any less. He'd backed off in his pursuit of her as soon as she'd started dating the boy and tried to bury himself in his own social engagements, but it had never driven her from his mind. He'd found himself in the office more often as of late, if only to steal those brief moments with her.
Shunsui moved to stand, not entirely sure what he was going to do but suddenly feeling claustrophobic. Matsumoto grabbed his shoulder to stall him and keep him in his seat. "Clearly you hadn't heard," she said with a laugh and he wasn't sure what was so funny. "Then I suppose you haven't heard the rest of the story?"
"I'm not sure I want to," he grumbled.
"Oh you do," she said with a sunny grin. "It's why you bought me this wonderful sake after all. Nanao-chan refused him."
Shunsui felt something loosen in his chest and tried to act as if it hadn't affected him so deeply. "Is that so? Do you know why?" He reached for his sake and tried to act casual.
"No one's talked to her since it happened as she hasn't left her home, but some of your talkative division members apparently overheard the whole thing. He proposed in the 8th's gardens and she turned him down flat, broke up with him too."
"Did she give him a reason why?" he asked curiously.
"Not that the eavesdroppers told me," she said with a shrug. "Does it matter why?"
"They've been dating for three years, that's an awfully long time for her to suddenly decide he wasn't something she wanted."
"Perhaps she has someone else in mind," Matsumoto said sweetly.
"If only that were true," Shunsui scoffed. "I should probably check on her. Make sure she's ok, you know?"
"Mmmhmm," Matsumoto agreed rolling her eyes. "Just don't screw it up." She waved over his head and he turned to see Ichimaru Gin coming their way. He didn't understand the woman's love of the odd fellow, but if it made her happy he was not one to judge.
"Me? Screw something up with Nanao-chan? I would never," he said with a short laugh getting up and giving his seat over to Ichimaru.
"Good luck," Matsumoto called after him as he left the bar.
As he got outside he scanned quickly for Nanao's reiatsu and found that despite what everyone seemed to think, she'd managed to slip out of her home with no one the wiser. What surprised him was where he found her. Shunsui debated the wisdom of following after her. His mother had been pretty clear over the years how disappointed she was that Nanao no longer attended family events and only visited her sparingly and on her own. He'd never explained the whole story to her, but he didn't think it would have helped since his mother was already convinced it was all his fault. Perhaps he ought to wait until Nanao left his old family home and returned to the Seireitei. Although this did present him with the perfect opportunity to show up and pretend he didn't know she was there. Perhaps he'd just go home to have a cup of tea with his dear sweet mother.
A few swift shunpo steps later found Shunsui entering his childhood home. A maid pointed him down the hall and he found his mother reading in the soft lamplight. She looked up as he entered and snorted. "She's in your old room. I assumed you wouldn't mind," she said turning her eyes back to the book.
"What?" he asked about to stutter out an excuse.
"Nanao-san is staying in your old room. We spent some time in the dojo this afternoon and she didn't feel like going back to the Seireitei tonight. Your room had just had the bed linens changed as your nephew demanded to stay there when he was here yesterday. I would have put her up somewhere else if I'd known you were coming too. Although I suppose I should have assumed."
"I was just stopping by to say hi to my dear old mom," Shunsui said with a grin. His nephew always claimed his old room when Shunsui wasn't around as it was still full of his old puzzles, games, and secret compartments.
"Of course you were, dear," his mother said waving him away. "Just don't bother her too much and try not to act too happy about the situation. I don't want to have to replace the walls when she kido blasts you through one."
"Did she tell you why she turned him down?"
"She simply said they broke up and she didn't want her prying friends to bother her. Silly of her to think this house was protection against that," his mother finished dryly.
"I'm not prying, I'm comforting," he said with a shrug.
"I'll have the maid make up the guest room down the hall from her. I assume you don't mind letting her keep your room for the evening."
"Anything for Nanao-chan," he answered closing the space between them and dropping a kiss to his mom's forehead. She batted him away and stood up, forcing him back a step.
"You and your ridiculous affections," she chastised lightly. "Shoo." She headed out into the hallway presumably to find a maid, and he headed towards his own room.
He paused outside the door and composed himself. No matter how elated he was at the turn of events Nanao had been dating the man for years and it was surly not going to be a happy occasion.
"Are you going to knock or just lurk all night?" her irritated voice called through the door.
He grinned slightly and rapped on the doorframe with his knuckles. It slid open a second later and Nanao glared up at him in a sleeping shirt. He was on his best behavior and didn't stare at her legs.
"Why are you here?"
"I heard what happened and wanted to make sure you were ok," he said more seriously.
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You traveled all the way out here just to ask if I was ok? I'm sure the gossip already let you know I was the one that broke up with him."
"That doesn't mean you're alright," he said with a shrug. "You were together a long time. Just because you're the one that does the breaking up doesn't make it enjoyable."
"I suppose you would know from experience," she said rolling her eyes. "Well, I'm fine. Thank you for checking, Taicho. Did you need anything else?"
He stamped down on his desire to ask her even more questions and instead shook his head. "I'll be down the hall if you need me," he said motioning towards the door a maid was exiting with old linens.
"I'm not a child. I won't need you," she said stubbornly. "And you should have your own room if you're staying. I'll grab my bag and go down the hall."
"That's unnecessary, you're already settled," he said touching her arm to stop her from going to collect her things.
"I don't want to intrude on your home."
"You have never been an intrusion."
"Still it's your room," she said with a sigh. She looked exhausted and he suddenly felt very guilty for feeling happy about the situation.
"It's the best room, and the guest should have the best room," he said kindly.
Nanao snorted and looked back to the room. "I don't know that it's the best room. It's awfully cluttered to be considered the best."
"That's just to hide its awesome," he said smiling. "Want to know a secret?"
"I suppose you're going to tell me whether I want to know or not."
"May I?" he asked gesturing towards the room. She scooted to the side and let him come in. "There's a reason why my nephew always demands this room when he's here."
"Because it's full of old children's toys?" Nanao asked shutting the door and following him into the room.
"I'm going to ignore the 'old' in that comment Nanao-chan." He smiled as he walked over to a wardrobe in front of the bed and swung open the doors. Shoving the small amount of clothing to each side he fiddled with the back of the wardrobe. "Mainly it's because I've snuck in upgrades over the years." The back of the wardrobe slid down to reveal a television.
"You did not smuggle that back from the living world," Nanao said surprised. "Does it even get shows?"
"I bribed the 12th for a converter," he said as she came over to investigate. "There's a secret latch in the back I showed my nephew." He walked over to the side table by the bed and quickly went through the motions of the puzzle box sitting there. The box sprang open and he took out the remote flipping the television on for her. "It gets most of the channels in the living world, and I threw a kido blocking sound barrier up around the room so you can't hear it from the hall."
Nanao closed her eyes for a moment and he knew she was sensing the kido. She was always up for exploring a spell. "It's not bad," she said opening her eyes. "I'd make a few modifications, but it's not bad."
"Do tell."
"I could probably tweak it so it doesn't need to be refreshed as often," she said concentrating on the spell once again. "I'd probably add a reverse amplification so that noise in the hallway is louder in the room if anyone comes near the door so you have plenty of warning. I'd also soften the edges so that it sounds more like white noise in the hallway instead of complete silence. Knowing someone is in a room and having it be completely silent can be just as telling as too much noise. You might not know what's wrong, but you'll know something is off."
"Clever on all accounts. Think you can do it?"
"I can work something up for you," she said with a shrug. "Does your brother and sister-in-law want him watching all that without supervision? I'm not sure I should help the two of you get away with it."
"What they don't know won't hurt them, and besides I don't get any of the raunchy channels or I wouldn't have let him in on the secret. Oh and it gets better!" He moved over to pick up an old shamisen and played a little tune. As he finished a panel in one wall slid down revealing a little cubby. Nanao lifted an eyebrow at him and he nodded his head towards it for her to explore.
"It's full of snacks," she said with a laugh. "This can't be standard to the house."
"I may occasionally sneak contractors in when my parents are on vacations or visiting other nobility," he confessed walking over and reaching past her to remove another more complicated puzzle box in the back. Flipping through the memorized motions he got the box to pop open and reveal a small key.
"Do I even want to know what the key goes to?" she asked with a delighted grin, and he reveled in being able to take that sad look off her face if only for a short time.
He moved over to the closet and cleared some sandals away to get to the small lock in the floor. Turning the key he pulled up the door to another small hidden cubby with Nanao leaning over his shoulder and peering in.
"I hope your nephew doesn't know about this one," she chastised.
"Nope, the alcohol stash is just for grownups staying in the room," he said with a laugh. "Come on, I haven't even shown you the best one yet."
"Better than sake?"
"I'm most proud of this one. Took a lot of years and a lot of sneaking contractors in and out to get set up," he said moving over to his bookcase. Reaching to the very top he pulled down a dusty old copy of a book about the physics of interdimensional travel. Flipping the book open revealed it to be a fake with a button inside. "Care to do the honors?"
She reached in and pushed the button. "Nothing happened."
"Well it isn't done yet," he said, "Anyone could find a book and push a button. It just started a timer. Now you have 30 seconds to pull the correct book that has the lever underneath it." He put the book back on the top shelf and tugged on a book in the bottom left shelf that covered the history of the tea ceremony. The lever it had been depressing popped up and the bookcase swung slightly away from the wall. Nanao glanced at the crack and then back at him. "Well? Aren't you curious?"
She shot him a little grin and tugged the bookcase open further on its hidden hinges. "Do not tell me you've got a secret passageway in your own house!"
"Of course not, silly Nanao-chan. I've got a secret passageway in my parents' house," he said stepping up beside her and looking in the doorway that led down a flight of stairs. He grabbed the flashlight that rested on the first step and started a few stairs down before stopping and looking back to find her still standing at the top. "Well? Aren't you coming?"
She let out a laugh. "Fifty-two years of working with you and you still never cease to surprise me."
"Back at you, Nanao-chan," he said grinning. "Now come on." She followed him down the flight of stairs and then down a hallway when it leveled out. They came to a fork in the passage and he started down the right.
"What's to the left?" she asked.
"Leads down to the kitchen," he said as they passed another fork. "Down that way goes out to the dojo and the hot springs."
"And where are we going?"
"You'll just have to wait to find out." They walked quietly along for a few minutes before he took her up a flight of stairs and paused in front of a door with carvings and no door handle.
"It's a pattern game," Nanao said analyzing it. "I assume you have to guess the next correct move in the pattern and then push the button next to that option?"
"Mmhmm, think you can figure it out?"
"Of course," she said looking at it thoughtfully. A minute later she pressed the right button and the door creaked open slightly. "I assume all the other passages have similar games. Out of curiosity what happens if you guess wrong?"
"Locks you out for 24 hours," he said pressing on the door to ease it open for her. "Not all of the doors are pattern games, but yes they all have a game to open them."
Nanao stepped out of the door and grinned in the darkness. "It's the library and another swinging bookshelf."
"Thought you might like that."
"You know you could just walk down the normal hallway like everyone else, right? It is your parents' house after all."
"Yes, but this is more fun. Besides it's a lot easier to avoid annoying extended family at the holidays, bypass anyone who happens to be annoyed at me, and move around the house when there's nobility visiting or boring parties happening."
"It's wonderful," she said. "Do you have any of these in the 8th?"
"Now I can't tell you that," he said smiling. "Maybe I use those to avoid you and your armfuls of paperwork."
She rolled her eyes. "You're right. You must not. I'd have already felt your reiatsu creeping through the walls."
"It's harder to modify division buildings with no one knowing," he conceded.
She stepped back into the passage and he followed behind her swinging the door shut and pointing the flashlight ahead to guide her steps. "You should probably add some reiatsu barriers in case anyone does find all the secret levers and figures out the games."
"I had some, but it got annoying to take them up and down and no one has seemed to discover these."
"I could put one up that would just let certain reiatsu signatures through so you didn't have to take it up and down. It wouldn't stop anyone else, but it'd sure give them a hell of a shock."
"I'd worry about my nieces and nephews finding it," he said thoughtfully. "Could the spell be tweaked to do something else?"
"I suppose I could change it so it was a sort of alarm bell, but then that risks sending other people running and discovering the whole thing. I'll think of something."
"I'm sure you will," he said as they re-entered his room. "You always do." He shut the bookcase and reset the books before turning around to find her sitting on the bed and looking faraway and sad again. Searching for something to say he glanced at the TV and recognized the movie playing. "This is a good one," he said trying to distract her.
"Huh?"
"The movie, have you seen it?"
"Oh," she said refocusing on the TV. "No I don't think so. I don't have one and I rarely watch the one Matsumoto-san has so I probably haven't."
"It's some goofy thing about aliens, but it's worth a good laugh."
"Do you want to stay and watch?"
"I didn't mean to intrude," he said. "I should probably go and let you get some rest."
She shrugged and went to get some pocky out of the cubby. "Stay. I need someone to explain what's happened in the movie so far, and I'm not that tired. Switch off the light?"
"Far be it from me to deny you anything," he said to earn another eye roll and turned off the light before sitting down on the ground.
"Are you really going to sit down there?" she asked climbing back on to the bed.
"You want me in the bed with you?"
"It's not like I'm inviting you to sleep with me," she said. "It's just a piece of furniture, but do whatever makes you comfortable." He got up cautiously and settled down next to her on the bed, careful not to touch any part of her. "So what's going on?" she asked munching on a pocky and handing him the box.
Thirty minutes later he'd filled her in and they'd stretched out on the bed lapsing into a comfortable silence as the movie played out on the screen. He could tell she wasn't really watching it, but if she wanted him there then he was happy to stay and fake it next to her. If she wanted to pretend everything was ok, he was happy to oblige.
It was only when her body started to tremble next to him a few minutes later and tears started to fall that he reached over and pulled her into his arms. He risked life and limb by doing it, but he couldn't just lay there and watch her cry. The contact broke her last reserve and she sobbed quietly into his chest while he made soothing noises and rubbed her back.
"It's going to be ok, Nanao-chan." He hated the next words that were going to come out of his mouth, but in the end all he wanted was to see her happy. "If you're having second thoughts, I'm sure you can speak to Hashimoto-san and work it out."
"I'm not having second thoughts," she said pulling away and gulping for air. She ran her hand across her cheeks, pushing the tear tracks away, and he wished he had tissue to offer. "I did the right thing, but that isn't making this feel any better."
"I'm here, if you want to talk about it," he offered, though he wasn't sure he wanted to be her sounding board for this. They'd talked very little about her relationship and he'd generally preferred to pretend Hashimoto didn't exist.
She gave a watery laugh and sniffed. "You've never wanted to hear about it before."
"I didn't know you wanted to share."
"You don't even like him."
"I never said that."
"You barely said ten words to him in three years. He was terrified of coming by the office."
"I didn't do anything to him!" he said defensively.
"Sometimes being completely silent can be just as telling," she said repeating herself from earlier in the night. "Not that it matters now."
"I hope you didn't break up with him because of me," he said with a frown. Or at least he hoped she didn't break up with the man because she thought he disliked him. If she broke up with Hashimoto because she'd discovered she was actually in love with him instead, he'd be fine with that.
"No," Nanao sighed. "Far worse than that."
"Care to explain?"
"I was bored. That's it. He was kind, and loving, and would have done anything for me," she said quietly. "And I was just, bored. How horrible am I?"
"That isn't horrible, Nanao-chan."
"The girls would gush in the SWA about what a perfect boyfriend I had and half the time I'd wonder what they saw in him so I'd decide to try harder and be a better girlfriend, and somehow three years slipped by and here I am. When he asked me to marry him, I just, I just saw our whole lives spreading out in front of us and I was so very bored. I should have never let it get that far. No matter what you say, it's an awful reason not to want to be with someone who is otherwise sweet and caring."
"It's a legitimate reason not to want to be with someone, Nanao-chan," he defended. "If we don't die in the field, we live long lives. Who wants that to be boring? It doesn't matter how nice some people are. That doesn't make them instantly interesting and it doesn't mean the chemistry is there. Besides that, you've always needed a challenge. Being loving isn't enough. You need someone who will make you better, and for that you need someone who will push you."
"But I'm boring," she said. "It's a bit unfair of me to ask my significant other to be thrilling when I'm so strict and rule-abiding. The SWA clearly thought we were perfectly matched."
"First of all, the SWA coos over every romantic relationship. I've been to the Valentine's Day parties you women throw. Matsumoto-chan is more invested in that holiday than I am, and that's saying something. But I'm sure if they knew you felt this way they wouldn't have pushed it. Second of all, you are the furthest thing from boring I've ever met."
"That's sweet, but not true," she said sniffling as she started to regain her composure.
"Nanao-chan, I can't convince you of things you refuse to see, but you are fascinating, and I can't imagine how boring my life would be without you in it."
She huffed and smacked his arm, but curled back down next to him on the bed. "We're missing the movie."
"Of course," he said realizing she was done talking about it. To be fair he was shocked she'd confided that much in him at all. Nanao always did like to keep her emotions to herself. He took a risk and settled an arm around her, which she didn't shrug off, and let his mind wander for the rest of the movie.
When it ended he glanced down and found her soundly asleep. Slipping out of the bed he tugged the covers out from under her and then up and over her, running a hand softly through her hair. "Goodnight, Nanao-chan," he said quietly sliding her glasses off gently and depositing them on the side table before turning off the TV and leaving the room.
He saw a light on down the hall and found his mother still up reading. He'd gotten some of his insomnia from her. It's why he slept during the day when he could. He never knew when the next bout would strike.
"Is she going to be alright?" his mother asked marking her page.
"She'll live," he said taking the chair across from her. "Breakups are never fun."
"You disappeared for quite some time," she commented.
"Is this where you ask if I took advantage of her in her saddened state?"
"I'm your mother, and I know you better than that despite you trying to make everyone think you're a womanizing lout. You'd never take advantage of her. I just have never known you to want to stick around and comfort a crying woman either. That's what you've had Jyuushiro-kun for all these years, leave the comforting of broken hearts to him."
"Nanao-chan is different," he said with a shrug. He wanted to be around her no matter what her mood was.
"I'm glad I didn't adopt her," his mother said with a small knowing smile.
"I'm going to bed," he said flashing her a warning look and getting back to his feet. The last thing he needed was his mother remarking on his unrequited love.
"Don't worry, darling," his mother called after him. "She'll come around as long as you don't screw it up again."
A/N: So sorry for the delayed posting! The holidays have made my schedule crazy. Hopefully it was worth the wait.
Meanwhile thank you all for the thoughtful and sweet reviews. I can't properly express how much they make my day. Thanks to Dressed With Black, liferscove2118, Mondtanz, Hanaeko. Also special thanks to 0Sam0 for taking time to review with your busy schedule! Good luck with your tests, and I'm glad this story is keeping you entertained!