Hi, yes, look at that - another chapter! Can you believe it's already chapter 10? In my word file this is already up to page 55. If I wrote my thesis that fast I'd have a draft finished already :oP. However, I have a much better idea of where this story is going and I want to get it finished and tied up. Thanks to the many reviews and of course I hope to hear more :o).

Chapter 10: Real World Karakura

Nanao shifted to sit directly on the tatami floor and spare her knees from continually sitting seiza. "Quality time" with Jiji-chan went on and on as he continually filled cup after cup for his two guests. Kyōraku returned the favor and made sure Jiji-chan's glass was always full. For her part, Nanao was exhausted and feeling dizzy. Things were not made easier by Jiji-chan's insistence that she was unnecessarily holding back on his account and should really feel free to have as much as she wanted. The conversation stayed completely light and jovial throughout most of the night. Nanao was starting to feel that this 'family crisis' was nothing more than Kyōraku-taichō's need for a weekend out on the town. Finally, though, he put his cup down and the mood in the room changed.

"Ne, Jiji-chan, you know why I came," he said with a sight sigh.

"More! Let me pour you more! Let's have more! Did I tell you about the time I-"

"Oi, Jiji-chan. Enough. Nanao-chan's about to fall asleep and we can't miss our train tomorrow. We're meeting Nī-chan at the company party and we have to get everything cleared up. I can't stay here and shoot the breeze with you as much as I want to. I have a job to do. I'm sorry Jiji-chan," he added as he watched the older man's face fall.

"I knew one of you boys would be coming soon. After you swore to have nothing more to do with the whole thing I thought it would probably be Yoshi-kun. When I saw you in the doorway, well, I thought maybe you'd just come to visit your ole Jiji-chan and we could put off the unpleasantness for a while longer."

"I'm sorry, Jiji-chan, but I have to resolve this. What happened? Why didn't you notify us sooner?"

"I thought I could keep it under control," he sniffed. "I thought as long as I kept an eye on him, even if he wasn't in the temple anymore, everything would be all right."

"That wasn't our agreement. He knew that too. He took advantage of you. Now then, what's he up to? Is it the same as last time?"

Jiji-chan paled and shook his head. "I don't know. I hope not. Is there a chance it could be? I thought that was all taken care of."

"Things have… changed a little bit in Soul Society. We're in a somewhat vulnerable position right now."

"So he could actually succeed?" Jiji-chan's voice cracked. Kyōraku raised a hand to calm him down.

"Don't get excited, I didn't say that. No, I don't think he'd win, but he would complicate matters for us at a time when we can't afford to be distracted. What about Baba's coming down? Do you know anything about that?"

Jiji-chan shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't know she was here. Why would she come? She felt a duty and responsibility to him but she never really liked him all that much."

"Do you think she's helping him?"

"If so it's only while she's waiting for you to come and fix everything."

"Are you sure?"

"That woman has an iron core that can't be easily swayed. She'll tell him anything he wants to hear but you can always depend on her to do the right thing."

Kyōraku nodded in agreement. "What about the kids? Any sign of trouble from them?"

"No, each generation's spiritual power seems to be waning. Every now and then there's an oddity who shows up but for the most part they appear completely normal and unremarkable."

"So, if he's doing this again, he's all on his own or he's finding help from an unrelated source?"

"Probably. I may not have kept as close an eye on him as I should have, but I have kept very detailed records on each of the children. There's nothing from them to suggest any of them realize the connection or are intending to help him."

Kyōraku sighed and stood up. "Thanks Jiji-chan. I needed to know what I was facing before I confronted him. Is there anything else you can think of?"

"No, but if there's anything I'll call. You'll be staying at the flat?"

"Yeah, Nī-chan said we could use it. He'll be with a friend." He reached out a hand to help Nanao up. They exited the room and walked to the intersection between the priests' quarters and the guest lodgings. Nanao was surprised to see a group of priests walking towards them but she supposed it was already early morning and time for work at the temple. The two bid goodnight to Jiji-chan and then stood to wait for the priests to walk past them.

Nanao yelped as she felt something hard pinch her bottom. She looked ruefully at the group of young acolytes and noticed one seemed to be holding back laughter.

"Another relative of yours?"

Kyōraku thoughtfully rubbed his chin and watched the boy walk away. "Um… maybe." She glared at him.

"You did say you were ready for anything!" he pointed out.

"Including pervy priests?"

"If it's a situation that involves me you can pretty well count on it."

This was logic she could not fault. They returned to the guest room and set up their futon. Nanao had wanted to take a bath but there was little chance of that now. The sun was starting to rise and Nanao was starting to fall.

"Careful," Kyōraku said as he caught her arm as she was stumbling. "Aw, Nanao-chan's so cute when she's tired from staying up drinking with the big boys."

"And I still have no idea what we're doing here. Are you purposely trying to be this mysterious?"

"Yes," he admitted. "The less you know the better."

She was stunned. He'd been coy for the past few days, but actually actively working to make sure she had no idea what was going on? That was despicable! And it was so utterly him!

"Why?"

"For your own good. If you're caught, what can you really tell anyone about what we're doing or where we are? The less you know the safer you are and the safer my family's dirty laundry."

"Do you really think I'd crack that easily?"

"Not at all, but I'd sooner not think about what you'd be put through to try to get you to open up. I'm not only talking about in the real world, Nanao-chan," he said ominously.

She glowered at him and started getting her pajamas out. "Turn!" she snapped at him.

"I don't see why you're bothering to get changed," he said but still obeyed and turned his back. "We have to be up and out of here in a few hours."

"I am changing because I hiked all day and these clothes are sweaty and dirty. I am changing because I barely slept last night in a rickety bug-infested building that might have collapsed at any moment, had to climb a mountain this morning, spent the whole evening with two drunk old men, just got my ass grabbed by a barely pubescent kid, and have to get up early tomorrow to catch a train to who knows where and supposedly attend some party and therefore for a few hours at least I want to be in my comfy pajamas!"

"Hey hey hey, I am not old! And you know, it's funny, but I could have sworn I did my best to convince you not to come. I'm pretty sure I mentioned one or two times that this would not be enjoyable for you."

"Most of my aggravation and annoyance so far has come from you."

"Well, there's plenty more of that to be had."

"I wasn't debating that. Meanwhile, nothing around here makes sense. Why is there a temple full of members of your family? Any why, aside from Jiji-chan, do none of them recognize or acknowledge you? Why can't you use your family name around here? Who is the 'he' that you won't do more than allude to? And where did the subject of children come from? Whose children and where are they? Not to mention, why am I here if you can't even find a way to use me and if you think I could ruin everything? You can send me home anytime you want to, so if I'm really that useless why don't you already?"

He turned around and looked sadly into her tear-filled eyes.

"Go to bed now, Nanao-chan. You've had a hard day and it's not going to get easier."

She sighed and got under her covers. Kyōraku turned off the light and then entered his own bed.

"Did it ever occur to you," he said in a low voice, "that maybe there are some things I just don't want you to know about me? That I couldn't bear to see how you'd look at me once you found them out?"

"Maybe you'll just have to trust in my good opinion of you."

"It's asking a lot, even from you."

"So is keeping me in the dark."

"Please believe me, Nanao-chan, the moment it appears I can't get out of here on my own, I will tell you everything and then leave you to make your mind up as to what you'll do. Unfortunately, that scenario's looking more and more likely, so just be patient."

She turned over and caught his eye. "And now how am I supposed to sleep?"

She woke a few hours later to see that the room was empty and her captain's belongings were missing. Panicked, she threw on a fresh set of clothing, strapped on her zampakutō, picked up her bag and ran outside. There was no sign of Kyōraku anywhere. She ran behind the temple and then finally saw him in the midst of the graveyard. She started to run up to him when she realized he was cleaning a grave. She stopped where she was and watched as he poured water over the tombstone and set to scrubbing it. He threw away the dead plants in small vases before the grave and inserted two fresh new bouquets he must have just gone down into the town to buy.

"Come here, Nanao-chan," he called without looking over at her. She approached cautiously. It was an older grave, but not as old as she would have associated with her captain's family. It hadn't been there more than a few decades, perhaps a century at most.

"This is my sister," he said softly. "Come say hello."

She cautiously approached in wonder and crouched next to her captain.

"What do you mean? Wouldn't her grave be in Soul Society?"

"She was killed down here," he said sadly. "Moreover her soul was destroyed so she can never go home. She will never be reborn again. I pay my respects when I can, but the truth is that there's no presence here hearing me. She won't become a hollow if the grave is abandoned and she won't find peace if it's attended. As she's the only one buried here it's really a waste of a tomb. I still can't help but come by whenever I'm here, though. It almost feels as if I'm taking care of her." He ran an agitated hand through his hair. Nanao felt she'd never seen him more distraught. She touched his arm and he covered her hand with his.

"What's her name?" she asked quietly.

"Kana."

"Why was she killed?"

His hand tightened around hers. "Because of pride, selfishness and stupidity," he said harshly. He stood up and grabbed his bag. "Come on, we have to get going. The next train leaves in ten minutes and it takes almost that long to walk to the station." He walked off.

Nanao couldn't help but reach a hand out to touch the cold stone. "Pleased to meet you, Kana-san," she whispered then stood to hurry after her captain.

They ran most of the way to the station, Nanao's hand in Kyōraku's to make sure they did not get separated. He knew exactly where to go and had somehow already purchased tickets, so there was no time for Nanao to peer around and find out where they were. It wasn't until they were on the train seated side by side that she could even finally start to catch her breath. Kyōraku checked the clock.

"Five minutes, I'll be right back." He dashed away before she could say anything. She started to panic when she felt the train start to roll away and he was still not back, but he soon slid in next to her and handed her a bentō he'd just run out onto the platform to buy.

"Here, that should make for a decent breakfast," he said and then started digging into his. Nanao simply sat with the boxed meal on her lap and looked out the window. After the weird eating and sleeping schedule she'd kept for the past two days her body didn't know what to feel. She meant to scan the countryside for clues as to where she was, but she ended up nodding off to sleep.

She awoke a while later from Kyōraku's gentle prodding. She opened her eyes and realized that somehow she'd ended up with her head on his lap. She instantly sat up and nearly knocked her head on his chin.

"Tai- ah, I'm so sorry!" she apologized, her face bright red.

"Don't be. I'm not complaining. Anyway, we're almost here. We'll be pulling in any minute."

"And… where is here?"

"The station, silly."

Just then she heard the conductor call out that they were coming in to Karakura station.

"Karakura?"

"I did tell you we'd be coming here."

Nanao followed him out into the middle of the busy town. It was downtown in the early afternoon and while she still had no idea what they were doing, at least she knew where they were. They did not have far to walk, at least; Kyōraku pulled Nanao into the lobby of an elegant apartment complex and took her up to an apartment apparently owned in his brother's name.

It was large and modernly furnished. Considering the old-fashioned aesthetics of the Kyōraku household, Nanao had a difficult time seeing any of her captain's family coming here and calling this place home. It was primarily one large living and kitchen space with a bathroom to the side, a toilet room by the entrance and a single bedroom at the opposite end of the living room. It was pretty but so Spartan that Nanao didn't feel particularly comfortable there. She burst out laughing.

"Is there something particularly humorous about my brother's digs?" Kyōraku asked as he started opening the curtains covering the windows lining the opposite side of the room.

"No, it's absolutely beautiful. It's just that, well, I feel like a petulant child but I think I prefer the small house we stayed in night before last."

"Ah, the bug-infested rickety one, as you called it?"

"I know, but I felt so comfortable there."

He smiled. "Me too. I like roughing it a bit. Nī-chan never did. He's hopeless when it comes to taking care of himself."

"Well who knows what I would have eaten if you hadn't been there." Reminiscing of that night put Nanao into a happy mood. It was a good memory; no matter how terrible this expedition to the real world might turn out to be, that night was something to treasure. There had been only one thing really missing.

She walked over to the bathroom and started the water.

"I am taking a bath and you are not to disturb me for the next hour, do you understand me?" she said, wagging a finger at Kyōraku.

He laughed. "Suits me. I'm going to take a nap. Make sure it's no longer than an hour, though, we have things to do."

Entering the full and steaming bath was heaven to Nanao, particularly after the past two days. What a strange couple of days it had been! Nanao wasn't sure that they had actually done that much, and she certainly hadn't learned a great deal. Still, Kyōraku-taichō seemed satisfied with the information they'd gleaned from Jiji-chan and Nanao got the feeling that tonight's party would be particularly important – perhaps even the climax of their trip. It would be good to get whatever this matter was fixed up quickly so they could return to Soul Society. Work was likely piling up and as it was Nanao didn't like the idea of leaving her division in anyone else's care, even if it was Ukitake-taichō. She felt secure in her office, whereas she had no idea what she was doing right now. Kyōraku-taichō had been right. He didn't need backup. She was just in the way and underfoot. And more than that, he didn't trust her. She remembered the previous night's conversation with dismay. He was trying to protect her by keeping her ignorant of the situation, but that just meant that he felt she was vulnerable enough to need his protection. Yes, to him she was still kawaii baby Nanao-chan.

She reached up to wipe away the tears she'd forbidden for the past several days. Mental and physical exhaustion overwhelmed her senses and she couldn't help it. When it came right down to it, she was having a very good time with her captain. It was fun. She always loved quipping with him. As lazy as he seemed at the outset, he was intellectually quite sharp and he always kept her on her toes. Theirs had seemed like such a good partnership. She was always by his side and always trying to anticipate his needs. She had felt a sense of superiority when he looked at her in gratitude. Yes, what would he do without her around? She used to ask herself that and shake her head at how helpless her captain would be. But then, when it really came down to it, Kyōraku-taichō would do as he always did. He would be sad if his Nanao-chan was no longer there, but he would adapt just fine. The paperwork would never get done, of course, but as he had already pointed out, barely anyone even looked at those forms. In one brief phrase he had wiped out her entire raison d'être. In essence, though, things would be exactly the same with or without her.

She thought back to when she'd first started to get to know her captain. It was all due to her predecessor, actually. In Yadōmaru-fukutaichō young Ise Nanao had found a fellow intellectual. And the vice-captain did not treat her like a mere child as everyone else did. Nanao had breezed through the shinigami academy, joined the eighth division immediately after graduation and was drafted into the newly created research institute. But she had still been very young and at the time had looked to be only half her age. She was picked on and underestimated by everyone except for her vice-captain, who allowed action and results to speak for a person's capabilities. After Yadōmaru-fukutaichō left, Nanao aspired to be just like her. In some ways she had succeeded, but in others she was still the wide-eyed child everyone ignored and patronized. She had thought Kyōraku-taichō had seen her grow up and assume her role of responsibility, but no, it seemed she was still a child to him. Was he constantly comparing her with the adjutant he'd unknowingly sent to disaster?

Nanao hated the memory of Yadōmaru Lisa with as much passion and fervor as she used to admire her. Granted, without her influence and example, Nanao would not be the person she had grown into. However, as that person was apparently not ready to assume her full responsibilities as a vice-captain and was apparently not worthy of her captain's confidences, perhaps it would have been better if Nanao had never met her previous vice-captain. This particular series of realizations stung and sent Nanao into a fresh set of tears. Kyōraku-taichō had been right about so many things: she was not ready, she did not trust herself, she did live in a shell, she apparently was someone who liked to be unhappy, she was a difficult woman to please, and at the moment she most definitely was not enjoying this mission.

However, she was still the controlled, capable and rational Ise Nanao of before and would not allow a pity party to keep her from at least attempting to be valuable to her commanding officer. She rose out of the bathtub and let the water drain. She wrapped herself in a towel and hoped her glasses would cover the puffiness around her eyes. The last thing she needed was for her captain to see she'd been crying and realize that she was indeed not ready.

She exited the bathroom and looked around for her pack. Kyōraku-taichō must have taken it into the bedroom with him. While the idea of prancing around him in her towel was not particularly appealing to Nanao, she had no choice. Luckily she could hear his loud breathing and knew he was asleep. She tiptoed around him and picked up her bag. On her way out, though, she caught sight of him and could not help but watch his peaceful, slumbering face. Of course she had seen him asleep many, many times, but there was something very unguarded about his expression she watched and pondered on. Yes, he was unguarded and honest. Everything he had told her had been his truthful and honest opinion. When she asked if he was purposely hiding details of the reason for their trip, he told her clearly and directly that he was and why. He was always truthful, even when it hurt, but that was why she could trust him implicitly. She would never have to worry about his betraying the shinigami as Aizen had. Of course, that was how Hinamori had felt. Nanao felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Yes, she had been harsh to Hinamori-kun. Considering the gamut of emotions Kyōraku-taichō had put her through in the past few days, she realized how clearly the approval and trust of a superior officer could affect a person.

She thought back to the last time he'd played around with the schedule the day he'd taken her to his family's residence. He didn't need to resort to tricks to get her to declare her everlasting devotion to him; he'd had it from day one. She'd grown up under his eye and had looked upon him with a sort of hero worship. Granted, her idealized image of him had certainly been tempered after becoming his fukutaichō and having to bear directly with his laziness, flippancy and flirting. But then, maybe that was why she knew she did not have to worry about his defecting like Aizen had; she had no false sense of his goodness. She well understood his faults as well as his qualities. It was like Nanao had told his mother – she knew exactly who he was. There were little things she was still learning about him, but at the core Nanao knew her captain's character as intimately as was possible. It didn't surprise her when she came to the realization that the reason for this, or perhaps the result, was that she loved him. Actually, she was rather impressed that she allowed herself to admit it. She'd really known it for a while.

It was that moment that Kyōraku-taichō chose to awake. He smiled at Nanao as he stretched.

"Well this is a fine way to wake up! You're standing right in front of me and wearing practically nothing. I could swear this is a dream and you're about to hit me with a giant book at any moment."

"If I had one and if the action didn't leave me potentially exposed, I might," she agreed. She turned and left the bedroom. He followed her out into the main room.

"This is good timing. We'll have a chance to talk about tonight before getting ready for the party."

"I don't have party clothing, Taichō."

"That's all right, I figured as much. Here," he pulled out his wallet and handed her several large bills.

"I have a little bit of real world money with me, Taichō."

"Probably not enough for the type of event we're going to. Don't worry about it; think of it as a business expense. I insist, if you're not dressed right we'll have trouble getting in. Just go out and buy a nice party dress and shoes to match."

She sighed and stretched a hand out to accept his money. As her hand clamped down on the bills, though, he pulled her forward and used his free hand to tip her chin up.

"Why are your eyes bloodshot?" he asked with a frown. "Have you been crying?"

"It's nothing, Taichō. I'm just a little exhausted."

"Ah, my poor delicate Nanao-chan. What has your poor taichō been putting you through?" he fondly kissed her forehead.

"It's nothing out of the ordinary, Taichō. I should not be showing this level of weakness. I'm sorry." She started pulling away. Just then there was a knock on the door. Kyōraku yelled for the person to come in then turned back to Nanao.

"Relax, it's not a crime to be tired or to cry."

The door opened and they turned to see who it was. Nanao froze in shock as she recognized the face of her sempai, Yadōmaru Lisa.

"Well, Kyōraku, I didn't think your situation would become so desperate that you'd have to resort to paying women to be with you," she said derisively. Nanao's face turned deep red and she stamped off to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

"Yare yare, that wasn't very nice, Lisa-chan," he said disapprovingly.

"I'm not here to be nice. I'm here because you asked me to come. What's going on? Can't keep your family under control?"

He sighed. "Have a seat."

In the bathroom Nanao was having a great deal of difficulty keeping her emotions in check. She simultaneously wanted to burst into tears, throw up, tell off her former vice-captain, punch Kyōraku-taicho for all the frustration he put her through, and run off to Soul Society and pretend this real world mission had never happened. She sat on the floor and held her face in her hands as she furiously willed herself to calm down.