Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU. I am not very familiar with the Bleach anime, and Katen Kyokotsu's personality is based on the manga and my own suppositions.

Confusing Actions

Shunsui was driving her crazy on more than one level. And it didn't help that he wasn't the only thing annoying her right now. Nanao sighed and reached for the cup of tea he had just brought her. The man in question was currently stretched out on the couch in his office. Nanao still wasn't entirely sure why she was still using Shunsui's office whenever she was at the Eighth, but she had yet to get an office of her own. Besides, Nanao had the feeling that even if she got an office of her own, Shunsui would probably end up lounging around it instead of his own office.

That was one of things that was driving her crazy. The man would not let her out of his sight. She actually did not mind his presence that much. Shunsui tended to be a very good companion, though at times he could be distracting. However, it was the way he treated her that was really beginning to drive her around the bend. Nanao just could not figure out where she stood with the man. He held doors open for her. He held out chairs for her. He insisted on paying whenever they had meals out together or ordered takeout. He drove her home and walked her to her door at night. He fussed over her and made sure she ate and rested. Shunsui was one of the most fascinating, intelligent, kind, challenging men she had ever met, and she couldn't figure out what he felt for her.

He cared about her. Of that Nanao had no doubt. He considered her a good friend and a partner when it came to their work. But there were times when Nanao could see something in his eyes that might be more, though he never crossed the line into actions that were clearly romantic. He friendly and affectionate, but nothing he did gave her any clue if he cared for her beyond just friendship. Nanao was well aware by this point that she did have feelings for him, and she didn't know whether she should be taking a chance or steeling her heart against heartbreak.

It also did not help that Nanao had been feeling nervous and antsy lately. She often felt like she was being watched on when she was out alone or even when she was in her own apartment. She hadn't actually been able to spot anyone watching her or sense anything out of the normal, but the feeling persisted. About the only time it wasn't there was either when she was at work at the museum or when she was with other shinigami. She hadn't brought up the matter with anyone else just yet, despite the fact that Yamazakurakaze thought she should, mostly because she had no proof. But it was making her feel irritable, and it didn't help when Shunsui flirted with her and she couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

Nanao just wanted to know where they stood with one another, and she couldn't seem to bring herself to just ask. She just wasn't really willing to take that risk. She might not have known Shunsui that long, but he had very quickly become one of her closest friends, and she did not want to risk that friendship. Asking him about his feelings for her could very likely make things extremely awkward between them, and she didn't want that. Nanao fit in at the Eighth even more than she ever had at the museum. Her new workplace had very quickly begun to feel like home, and Nanao wasn't willing to do anything that might jeopardize her place here. She would just have to figure out a way to deal with her feelings.

She rubbed her temple. She had a headache, and it was only getting worse. Nanao reached for the next stack of paperwork. Somehow she had ended up with twice as much paperwork to deal with this week. By the time she had waded through the latest stack, her headache was much worse. She stretched then winced when she heard her vertebrae audibly pop. Shunsui looked up from his spot on the couch with a frown.

"Headache, Nanao-chan?"

She nodded, returning her attention to the paperwork in front of her. That's why she didn't realize he'd moved until his hands settled on the back of her neck.

"Lean back," his voice was warm and close to her ear.

Normally, Nanao would have protested the back massage. Letting Shunsui get that close to her was a recipe for disaster. But it was also just what she needed at the moment. Nanao hadn't realized just how much her back had been hurting until now. Shunsui's touch was warm and gentle, and he seemed to have a knack for finding the spots that were the sorest. Her eyes slipped shut.

"You're working too hard, Nanao-chan."

"Not my fault that your people don't know how to do paperwork."

"You have to admit that they do know how to throw a party though."

She just sighed.

"Nanao, you've improved the turn around time on paperwork from my division over three hundred percent since you've been here. Trust me when I tell you you don't have to do everything at once. No one is going to care if those forms are a few weeks late." His hands left her neck. "Let's grab some dinner and find a silly movie to watch."

Part of Nanao wanted to protest the idea. She really should get the work done. But she was exhausted, and it had been a long and rather trying week at the museum. Between that and the jitteriness caused by the feeling of being watched, Nanao just wanted a break. Dinner did sound lovely, and besides, she never felt like she was being watched by that unknown presence when Shunsui was around. So she gives in.

They ended up just picking up yakitori at a little stand on the way to her apartment. Nanao has rice at home, and it doesn't take Shunsui long to whip up some yakionigiri to go with the chicken. To Nanao's surprise, Shunsui picked out Stardust to watch. She wasn't going to argue with his choice though. The movie had just the perfect amount of romance, comedy, and action for her tonight. The pair curled up in front of her TV, and Nanao had to admit between the warm food and the companionship, her stress started to melt away. She wasn't entirely sure how she ended up leaning against Shunsui's shoulder about halfway through the movie, but Nanao was too comfortable to complain. By the time the credits were beginning to roll, Nanao was starting to doze off.

A sleepy protest slipped out of her lips when Shunsui shifted next to her.

"Come on, Nanao-chan. You don't really want to sleep on the couch."

That was enough to wake her up some. Nanao managed to get her brain in working order even as Shunsui started collected their discarded dinner dishes. It didn't take long for the two of them to make a quick clean up effort, and then Shunsui decided to take his leave. She walked him to her door. He paused in the entry way then gently tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Take the rest of the weekend off, Nanao-chan. I'll call you if there are any emergencies."

His hand lingered on her cheek, and for one moment Nanao thought he was actually going to kiss her. Then he drew back. Nanao let out an audible growl, and something inside her snapped.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded. "I need you to tell me, Shunsui. I can't just sit here in limbo anymore."

She glared up into his grey eyes which seemed stormier than usual tonight. Nanao had a brief moment of clarity, knowing that she had pushed something to the breaking point. Then she found herself pinned against the wall, Shunsui's mouth on hers, warm and demanding. Nanao simply gave in and kissed him back.