One Hundred Ways to Love

14 of 100: Secret

Jyuushiro Ukitake glanced at the clock once more. He was certain they had decided upon two o'clock to meet that afternoon and yet his friend had yet to arrive. Just as he was contemplating sending a messenger over to Eighth Division, he heard the light knock upon the door frame and Kyouraku's voice.

"I'm coming in."

Jyuushiro smiled pleasantly up at his long-time friend, the expression fading as he saw the crease on Shunsui's forehead and something of a weight on his shoulders reflected in his heavy demeanor. "Is something the matter?"

There was a sheaf of papers clasped in one fist which Shunsui casually tossed onto the tabletop as he took a seat. "Have a look at that."

The paper, with its tight script and clean margins reminded him immediately of Ise Nanao. It was the headline of the paper that caught his eye. "Request to challenge for Vice-Captain?" he queried, reading it aloud. "Since when does a challenge require written consent?"

Shunsui reached for Jyuushiro's flowered tea set looking like he wished for something ten times stronger. "Since Nanao became Vice-Captain," he answered.

The white-haired man raised a brow as the steam from the teapot drifted between them. "You allowed her to change procedures? I realize that she likes everything orderly but-"

"She didn't do it," Shunsui interrupted raising his cup to his lips. "I did." Shunsui had always preferred green tea when alcohol was unavailable.

The silence that fell over the table was telling. It had become something of an open secret within Eight that the Captain discouraged challenges to Nanao. The laws of the Gotei-13 didn't permit his quiet favoritism but so long as the work got done Division One had not acted upon it and as far as anyone knew there had been no complaints.

"You changed the procedures of Eight to protect Ise-san?" Jyuushiro carefully inquired, his quick eyes skimming the paper. "Does she know that?"

"I did it before she was promoted. I don't think she's aware I did it because of her but she may know that other Divisions do not operate that way. I suspected she would succeed," he trailed off setting his cup aside. The tiny cups that Jyuushiro preferred warmed only the center of his palms.

"You suspected or you planned?" Jyuushiro asked. His memories of Nanao's promotion had mostly faded.

Shunsui gave him a casual shrug but the satisfied grin made him pause and Jyuushiro sighed. "So what are you going to do about this?" he held up the papers.

Shunsui gave another shrug. "I can delay it on technicalities but eventually I'll have to let him try."

"Are you worried Ise-san will fail?"

"Not that she will fail exactly but that the challenger may succeed," he mused his troubled eyes drifting toward the doorway where the koi pond extended beyond the doors. "Under my command, Eighth isn't the place you want to go to become a hero, but every once in a while you get them anyway."

Jyuushiro nodded. "I see. Does she know about any of this?"

Shunsui's quiet nod was momentous. If she found out…

"And what will you do?"

"Decline the challenge for now. After that, I'm not sure yet."

Jyuushiro replaced the papers on the table in front of them and sighed.