Nanao found her mind drifting and consciously brought her focus back to the people in front of her. After two days of travel and two days of long tedious meetings even she was feeling the strain. Especially since half of the meetings were about trading disputes, one quarter were about territory and personnel allocation, and the last quarter were completely unproductive arguments about kami only knew what. She'd long figured out all the actual important meetings took place in a few short minutes between a handful of people in a dark hallway, or in brief passing, or behind closed doors. At least she'd been able to talk to some of the other Rukongai family representatives and get them interested in talking to the Gotei 13 or at least hearing out what they had to offer. That was more than most shinigami could hope for without the backing of a family. The family members attending the meetings tended to stick to their own groups and Nanao was relieved she'd found some kind of peace with most of the Higurashi before taking this trip or it would have been a hell week. She was ashamed to admit it, but these meetings were in desperate need of a Shunsui type character who would break them up by simply falling asleep and snoring loudly, or walking out, or at least occasionally saying something funny.
"Going to stand there all day, shinigami-chan?"
Nanao snapped out of her revere to see Kei standing next to her and the masses starting to move towards the doors. "Sorry," she said, unable to hide the blush at being caught not paying attention.
"I'll tell you a secret, shinigami-chan, half the time we aren't listening either," Kei said with a grin. "One of the many reasons Mamoru-kun is so good at his job. He actually likes some of this planning and debate. Something I thought the two of you were alike in actually."
"I'm good at it, and I like some of the easy ritual of it," Nanao said, "I do not, however, love it nonstop for two days on end." It's not like Shunsui would ever have let her be for two days straight anyway so she'd never had to test it in the past. "You should really think about having more frequent meetings that are shorter or letting the Gotei 13 help you with your communication devices."
"And would the shinigami? Help us make crime more organized?" Kei asked lifting an eyebrow.
"You and I both know as long as you aren't dealing with hollows and aren't playing too hard in the 30th districts on up there are very few shinigami who care one way or another," Nanao said with a shrug. "Why do you think I was a liaison to all of you and not some elected law enforcement in the first couple of districts? Communication devices would make your patrols more effective and would let you talk to the Seireitei and give them first hand information on spotted hollows and attacks. Kami only knows someone must have seen something when Aizen was experimenting. It would have been nice for them to have a safe way to inform us of it."
"They'll think you've gone mad," Kei said simply.
"I was put out here to forge relations," Nanao replied trying not to get aggrevated. "I think the Soutaicho is a bright enough man to know that requires some back and forth."
Kei humpfed an answer and kept walking at her side. "So what are you up to tonight now that you're free? Don't tell me you'll be at the inn reading a book while everyone else goes out to the carnival."
"No," Nanao said trying to hide her sigh. A warm bath and a good book actually sounded heavenly. "Asa-san invited me out with the group. Made me get a mask and everything."
"Aw, so cute," he said smiling, "Shinigami-chan is making friends."
"Tell me you won't be coming with us," Nanao said half seriously.
"No need to worry," he said with a chuckle. "I have a woman to meet." Nanao made a face and he laughed harder. "Hey now, you had your fun before we left, can't come down on a man for having some after."
Nanao glared at him and picked up her pace. She really didn't need to be reminded about Shunsui. It wasn't like he wasn't already in her dreams every night reminding her how much she had royally screwed up. Not to mention it was his birthday and she couldn't help wondering if he hated her for not being there. She still didn't want to talk to him, but this lack of closure was almost equally uncomfortable. "Well I have to get back and change," Nanao said, ready to shunpo out of the masses and get away from this line of conversation.
"So touchy shinigami-chan," Kei teased. "All right, don't get into too much trouble under our name."
"As if it's me you have to worry about," she said shooting him a nasty look before turning to leave.
He grabbed her arm and stalled her. "Actually it is. I don't care if my men get in a few drunken fights or occasionally slip into the wrong bed and cause a stir. You on the other hand are all sorts of emotionally unpredictable and like to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
"You have nothing to worry about," she repeated meeting his eyes. "I'm going out, having a drink and a dance to placate Asa-san, and then I'm going back to the inn."
"You should get laid too," he said with a wink and reverting back to his playact. "Might take the edge off." Then he strode off in the other direction whistling.
Kami, she really hated that man sometimes. Nanao started towards the inn and sighed as she spotted a petite brunette girl making her way towards her in the crowd. Asa was a nice girl and Nanao really did need to get out and bond with these people further, but she was just worn out from social engagements. They were a lot more tiresome when you didn't have Shunsui at your side to take the brunt of the attention and keep the conversation flowing. Small groups she was fine with, but these large citywide festivities just gave her a headache generally. She'd already been forced to pick up a dress and a mask at a local venue this morning by Asa though, so she might as well give them some use. She waved to the girl and they walked together back to the inn while Asa chatted happily about all her plans for the evening, many of which centered around Asa hooking up with cute men.
Four hours later Nanao was more than annoyed. She'd been pushing through the crowds of people with Asa and another girl and completely lost them in the masses. Nanao sighed and did another half turn in the street. It was useless. The streets were packed and with everyone in bright dresses and suits and masks it was almost impossible to spot someone unless you were already with them. Not that she was entirely disappointed. Asa had managed to wrangle up some men who had told them about some party somewhere and who they had proceeded to follow. The third man of the group had already tried to put his arm around Nanao twice before she lost the group and she didn't appreciate it in the least. If nothing else this was the legitimate excuse she'd been hoping for to return back to the inn. Pressing through the throng of people she turned around.
She almost made it all the way back successfully too, but was distracted when she picked up a snippet of conversation that held the name Egami. Craning her head rapidly she tried to see if it was a Higurashi talking about her brother. Of course, this was made more difficult by the masks.
"I'm just saying of all the people to worry about it's Egami-san," a man said frowning from underneath his domino mask at his friend as they turned off on a less used side road.
She really shouldn't do what she was about to do, but Nanao started following them all the same trying to be discrete about it and mesh with the thinned out crowd. She was suddenly wishing she'd chosen any color other than vibrant red for her current dress. It was like a screaming beacon for people to notice her.
"It doesn't matter if its Egami-san or not," the other man replied lowly. "The plan is still the same."
The crowd pushed Nanao back a bit and she missed the first man's response. Growling internally she hurried to cross the street before a carriage and stay close behind them. When she got to the other side of the street she paused at a street vendor pretending to examine the wares and then walked after them again.
"I just think you aren't putting enough thought into this, you've met the man, he isn't an idiot. If Egami-san holds the position of Kumicho for the Higurashi permanently we are going to have a problem and you know it," the first man argued.
If only she could see their faces she would know who to warn the Higurashi about. Nanao slipped into a larger group of drunks and watched as the two men turned into a dark street. She gave them a good head start and then followed. The dark street was empty and Nanao nearly cursed in frustration. They must have entered a building somewhere. She strode more purposefully down the street as she tried to make out where they might have gone in. A door opened further along and the light and sound of a party filtered out as someone dumped something out in the bushes and then went back inside. It was the only possible lead she had so she started towards the door, only to find herself brutally slammed against the wall of the building next to her.
Nanao hammered a kido punch into her attacker before she could even fully register what was going on. The person gave a grunt but didn't relax their hold. Someone that could stand up to reiatsu? Fine then, she'd tempered the last hit anyway for fear of killing the person. Nanao pressed her hand out blindly as the person was pinning her from the side and made contact with their shoulder before firing off a Soren Sokatsui . The two shots of blue fire hit her attacker directly and wrenched the person off of her allowing Nanao to spin a quarter turn and face her attacker directly. She was met with a fierce white diamond shaped mask. One slit ran horizontally and one vertically across it.
"This might be more fun than initially presumed," the woman snarled.
Nanao's eyes widened in shock. This was not a masquerade mask. "Arrancar," she breathed. Her hand shot down for her sword at the same time as she started another kido silently.
"I don't think so," the arrancar sneered before slamming into her again and grabbing the wrist reaching for her zanpaktou.
"I don't believe I asked permission," Nanao growled back. Taking a brief second to make sure there were no innocent bystanders Nanao raised her hand and let loose the Hyoga Seiran she'd been quietly building in her mind. The massive wave of ice surged forth pummeling her attacker back away from her and then freezing the arrancar and the surrounding area in place. Nanao didn't waste any time believing that would be the end of that, she flipped her hand up under the skirts of her dress and took Kage out just as the creature started shrugging off the sheet of ice.
It took Nanao a moment to realize the arrancar was laughing. "And here I was thinking you were some kumicho's whore sent to spy. That level of kido, I wonder what your blade does, sweetheart," the woman said dangerously. "It's a waste of a pretty woman, but I have a job to do and bills to pay."
"You're working for a family?" Nanao asked too shocked not too. Since when were arrancars for hire? Sure they'd followed Aizen, but that was out of respect for his strength and thinking they'd gain power. She didn't think she'd ever heard them be motivated by monetary payment.
"Got to pay for the sake somehow," the creature said cocking her head to the side. "And the shinigami gig didn't stick."
Nanao felt her stomach drop as the woman charged her again. She slid Kage back into the sheath and could hear his growl of protest in her head. Then she faced her attacker limply. The white hollow mask came within a few centimeters of her face and then stopped, her sword to Nanao's throat.
"Why don't you fight?" the woman demanded.
"Why didn't you say you're a Vizored?"
"What do you know about it?" the woman asked in a dangerously low tone.
Nanao glanced at the dark braid of the Vizored standing in front of her and said very quietly, "Yadomaru-san?"
The woman relaxed her stance a bit and let the mask disintegrate from her face. Nanao found herself staring into the bright green eyes of her old mentor. "And who are you?" Yadomaru asked not moving the sword from her throat. She reached up and tugged the mask Nanao wore over her head.
"Ise Nanao," Nanao said softly, but she'd seen the note of recognition on the woman's face and knew it hadn't needed to be said. After all Yadomaru had already seen her once after the Winter War, although Nanao hadn't been positive she'd remember. Given she'd already been out of her Vizored mask at the time.
It'd been a brief meeting really. When the troops had been crossing back into Soul Society Nanao had gone out to meet them. Not that she hadn't still been pissed as all hell at her Taicho for leaving her behind, but that didn't mean she'd wanted him dead. She'd tried to be calm and collected, waiting at the gate like she didn't care what happened, but she'd lost her cool the second she'd felt the abnormalities in his reiatsu. Nanao had ended up shunpoing through the gate and towards him only to find her double already there and helping him to his feet. She'd stopped short when she'd recognized Yadomaru and hadn't been able to explain why instead of joy she'd felt her stomach drop. Hadn't she been hoping for years to meet Yadomaru fukutaicho again? But for some reason all she'd wanted to do was knock the woman's hand away from her Taicho.
"Yare, yare, always pushing me around," Kyouraku had teased the woman next to him, and Nanao had frozen at the so very familiar comment aimed at someone else.
"Well if someone didn't make you, you'd be so lazy you'd just lay down and die," Yadomaru had answered harshly back. "If it weren't for sake and sex you'd never wake up, and I'm pretty sure you're so fond of both because they both generally end with sleeping."
"Three things I could very much use right now," he'd said laughing. Nanao had taken a step back, suddenly unsure if she was even welcome in his presence, which was a first. He'd been with other women before and it hadn't mattered. She'd always barged right in and ignored them. But this, this was different. Some sound must have alerted him to her existence though and he'd turned and seen her. "Lovely Nanao-chan!" he'd called with a huge grin. "Have you come to give me a check up?"
She'd felt more than seen her old mentor's eyes size her up and she'd felt her mouth go dry. "Sir," she forced herself to say. "If I'd had any interest in giving people check ups I'd have joined the 4th. Speaking of, has someone seen to you?"
"Then a kiss?" he'd asked ignoring her question and taking a step towards her, wincing from his injuries.
"Hang on," Yadomaru had said taking both of their attentions. "Nanao-chan? As in little Ise Nanao? The kid I used to read with?"
"Yadomaru-sama," Nanao had said bowing to her and physically having to restrain herself from using fukutaicho in the title.
"You're screwing her?" Yadomaru had asked bluntly. "A little young even for you don't you think, you big pervert?"
"Lisa-chan," he'd said trying to look offended. "Nanao-chan is my fukutaicho."
"So you're screwing her."
"No, no, no, Nanao-chan keeps shooting down her dashing Taicho's advances," Kyouraku said dramatically. "Although I can't understand why in the world she'd want to do that."
"Sir," Nanao had cut in harshly. "Has someone from the 4th been over to see to you?"
"Yare, yare, you always worry so much," he'd said brushing her off. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine," Nanao had said simply, finally moving towards the pair and reaching out to him with her reiatsu. She'd found someone had already seen to him in a rudimentary field way. The stabilizing kido spells had reeked of Yadomaru's reiatsu. Nanao had pulled her own reiatsu back quickly.
"Lisa-chan made sure I wouldn't bleed out," Kyouraku had said grinning. "She pretends not to care, but she can't help herself."
Yadomaru had snorted and rolled her eyes. "Just didn't want the Soutaicho blaming us for any of his pansy Taichos' deaths."
"Admit that you've missed touching my reiatsu," Kyouraku had replied wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.
"Eh, I liked other parts of you better than your reiatsu," Yadomaru had countered just as lewdly.
Nanao had wanted to turn around and march right back into Soul Society, but she hadn't been able to figure out how to do it without looking like a pouting child. Instead she'd sent her reiatsu searching for Ukitake and Rangiku. Both were in relatively bad shape, but Unohana-san was working on Rangiku as she scanned. Ukitake Taicho was surrounded by his third seats who had run out of the gate for him as soon as it opened, but she had figured she could be more helpful there getting him back across the border.
"I'm going to check on Ukitake Taicho," she'd announced not really expecting either of them to even care where she was going.
"Hey," Kyouraku had said focusing on her instantly. "How come Jyuu gets your tender loving care? Retsu-san has already seen to him. I'm hurt too you know."
"I'm sure Yadomaru-sama has it more than under control," Nanao had said simply. "And while I'm happy that you're all right, I haven't forgotten that I'm angry at you."
Kyouraku flinched and gave a half smile. "Can't we let bygones be bygones?"
"You went out of your way to have me held back, sir," she'd answered frostily.
"I just wanted my Nanao-chan safe," he'd argued which she'd already heard many times as he'd tried to placate her before he'd left.
"I'm a fukutaicho," Nanao had growled. "I should have been here."
"Nanao-chan," he'd sighed looking tired. "I couldn't risk it."
"Since when?" Yadomaru had asked curiously. "You used to send me into all sorts of crazy missions."
Nanao had glared and said coldly. "Unlike myself, he must have thought you were a capable shinigami."
"Nanao," he'd started in his warning tone. "Don't put words in my mouth."
"Then don't treat me like a sickly child," she'd hissed and started to move away.
He'd shunpoed to her side in one moment and was blocking her way although he'd looked to be in pain from the movement. "I don't think you aren't capable."
"Sure sounds like it to me," Yadomaru had said with a laugh from behind them. "You always did have such a soft spot for fragile things." Nanao had felt her spine turn to steel at those words and had wanted nothing more than to get as far away as humanly possible from the two of them.
"You aren't helping," Kyouraku had chastised his former fukutaicho.
"Get out of my way, sir," Nanao had said quietly. "I have nice safe work to attend to."
"Nanao-chan," he'd cooed trying to soften her as he'd reached to touch her cheek. She'd slammed her fan down hard on his hand regardless of his injuries. She'd not been able to bear the thought of him touching her at that moment.
"Ukitake Taicho could use my help," she'd stated calmly. "I trust you want your friend to get the attention he needs? I'm sure you can make it back to the Seireitei without my aid."
"You can't stay mad at me forever," he'd sighed shuffling to the side.
"Watch me, sir," she'd said firmly.
"I just wanted the best for you," he'd finished lamely.
"Can't have sex with a dead woman after all," Yadomaru had crowed. "Well you could, but that's never been your style."
"Lisa," Kyouraku had scolded turning to the woman, as he had obviously figured out her jokes wouldn't help the situation.
"I'll see you on Monday, sir," Nanao had said quickly and then taken off for Ukitake's side. She'd managed to avoid her Taicho for the next two days while the Vizoreds were in the Seireitei, and hadn't seen Lisa again. She wasn't sure what she'd felt towards her former mentor, but it certainly hadn't been the warm fuzzies she'd expected. She'd been more than pleased when none of them had decided to stay, and hadn't thought she'd see them again. That is until now.
"What the hell are you doing all the way out here?" the woman in front of her asked. "Kyouraku let you this far off your leash? I'm surprised the lazy bastard hasn't jumped me for attacking you yet."
"He isn't here," Nanao answered coldly.
"Then why are you here?" Yadomaru asked finally lowering her sword.
"I'm here with the Higurashi family," Nanao said flicking away the small pearls of blood the sharp blade had left along her neck.
"You quit the Gotei 13?" Yadomaru asked obviously shocked.
"No, I'm their ambassador to the Rukongai," Nanao explained.
Yadomaru gave a whistle and rocked back on her heels. "Were you that bad of a fukutaicho?"
"No," Nanao said sharply. "It didn't have anything to do with my skills as a fukutaicho."
"You finally screwed him and it got messy then?" Yadomaru asked with a grin.
Nanao tried to keep her face passive, but something must have given her away as Yadomaru nodded to herself. "Interesting," Lisa said relaxing completely. "So why are you following the Yamaguchi brothers?"
"I didn't know that was who they were," Nanao said honestly. "They were having an interesting conversation is all. Why were you around, I presume following them as well?"
"Eh, the Yamaguchi Kumicho hired me to look out for the family during the meetings," Lisa said.
"I didn't realize the Vizoreds had become mercenaries," Nanao said distastefully.
Lisa laughed and didn't look the least bit offended. "We do whatever we want. After we defeated Aizen," she started and didn't stop when Nanao snorted, "there wasn't much left to focus on so we all just got on with living. Sometimes together sometimes not. I knew the Kumicho personally and he's a pretty good time and a big load of cash. No skin off my nose to help him out. Plus when I'm off the clock he throws some of the most delightful parties."
"Great, glad you're having fun," Nanao said. "Look I have to be getting back now."
"Hold on," Lisa said grabbing her arm. "It'd be a problem for me if whatever you overheard was going to start some family feud. I'd better take you to the Kumicho."
"It won't. I just needed to know who to be wary of," Nanao said sharply jerking her arm free.
"Ambassador to the Rukongai comes with this much loyalty to one family?" Yadomaru asked raising an eyebrow. "You sleeping with the Higurashi Kumicho? I thought he just died. Or maybe its that up and coming one, Moru or something?"
"Mamoru," Nanao said icily. "He's my brother."
"You're sleeping with your brother?" Lisa asked looking interested. "How are people taking that? I've always wondered." Nanao gave her a disgusted look and she continued. "What? Healthy curiosity. Just for the record I have no problem with it as long as they are both consenting adults. Although I can't imagine Kyouraku's taking it very well."
"I'm not sleeping with my brother," Nanao said nastily. She liked Lisa a lot better when she was just an aloof intelligent mentor that cared about her kido skills. The actual woman had very little in common with her. "He's just my brother and I won't see him get killed over some stupid family squabble. They were talking about him possibly being a problem."
"Eh, they probably meant for a trade route or his particular policies," Lisa said shrugging. "That hardly means they are going to kill the boy. It's like interdivisional scuffles. Generally nobody really gets killed because it'd tear the whole system apart."
"Very comforting," Nanao said sarcastically.
"Come on, kid, loosen up," Lisa said with a laugh. "How in the world did you and Shunsui ever happen? He never dated someone this uptight before."
"That's really none of your business," Nanao said.
"You both get blackout drunk or something?" Lisa asked curiously obviously not taking the hint. "Wake up in the morning and have the horrible 'what have I done' thought? Or was it more a stifled sort of thing until he just couldn't take the missionary sex anymore?"
"None of the above," Nanao said starting to get angry. What did this woman know about her anyway? She'd only been a little girl when Lisa had left them. Nanao herself obviously hadn't known the fukutaicho very well at the time, just a child's perception of her.
"Ah, so you're one of those girls that lets all her built up anxiety out in private then," Lisa said cocking her head to the side. "I dated a noble woman like that. Out in society on her husband's arm she was the perfect standard of a well-bred woman and then in the dark corners in the late hours of the night she'd just let it all go. I could barely keep up with her. You wear Shunsui-kun out then?"
I don't want to talk about this," Nanao said. "It was nice seeing you Yadomaru-san. Do have a pleasant night."
Lisa moved in front of her again and Nanao had a kido building before she could take a step forward. "I'm leaving."
"Calm down," Lisa said. "Come to the party."
"What?" Nanao asked surprised as she let the spell drop again.
"I was off the clock two minutes ago," Lisa said shrugging. "You want some real insights into the yakuza? Come to the party. You'll even get to meet some of the Apulia nobility since the Yamaguchi family actually has a lot of political connections."
"Why would you want someone as stuffy as me there?" Nanao asked glaring.
"Three reasons," Lisa said smiling and moving sleekly into her personal space. "Reason one, you look delicious in that dress and I don't have any qualms about sloppy seconds. Reason two, Kyouraku must have liked something about you and it intrigues me."
Nanao shoved her way around her having heard quite enough.
"Reason three, you were always a curiosity to me. From the first day I saw you at the public executions in the Rukongai with Tanaka to the day you showed up at our division doorstep. I'm just as interested to see how you finally turned out," Lisa said as Nanao started to walk away. The last reason stopped her cold.
"What do you know about Tanaka?" Nanao demanded spinning on her. Lisa shouldn't know anything about it at all.
"I knew who you were the moment you showed up in the 8th, Nanao-chan," Lisa said with a laugh. "Why do you think I was interested in you in the first place?"
"Yet you never told anyone?" Nanao asked. "Not even Kyouraku Taicho?"
"Why would I?" Lisa asked cocking her head to the side. "And take all the fun out of it when Tanaka finally showed up and everything exploded? By the way has that happened yet? Has he found you?"
Nanao was silent and Yadomaru laughed. "As for Shunsui, why would I tell him? We weren't bosom buddies who shared our deepest thoughts and secrets. We worked together, fought together, and occasionally had some steamy sex. There wasn't any sweet loving pillow talk between us. So what happened when Tanaka found you? I imagine from the way Shunsui was behaving towards you at the fight with Aizen he didn't take the information well."
"Did you use my father's services?" Nanao asked neutrally. A lot depended on the woman's answer.
"I don't use unwilling partners," Lisa said icily. "I knew what he was. You forget I grew up in the Rukongai too. He offered me a job once before I joined the Gotei 13 and I shot him down. Doesn't mean I forgot what was happening out in the districts. Doesn't mean I couldn't put two and two together when I'd seen you in his company and later heard on the streets he was searching for his children just as you showed up at our gates. It really didn't take a lot of investigative work to figure out your academy papers and divisional placement had been forged or bribed."
"Why didn't you just hand me back over?"
"Like I said the situation was interesting," Lisa said with a shrug. "Why ruin my fun with such a boring action. Besides, even I don't like seeing children sold to the highest bidder. I have a healthy curiosity about sex that doesn't mean I support sex trafficking in any way. Had Tanaka tried to take you back I would have explained the situation to Shunsui. Even without really knowing you he'd have lost his shit over a child being sold for that. Which could have been fun to watch too."
"Glad that my entire life was just one big game for you," Nanao spat out.
"Oh don't get so pissy," Lisa said with a shrug. "It worked out didn't it? I wouldn't have let the old bastard have you back if he had come looking. Now are you coming to the party or not?"
"I'm not here to attend parties," Nanao said simply.
"You're here to meet yakuza right?" Lisa asked. "Well I'm inviting you into the home of one of the most powerful yakuza families in Apulia and it's a one time offer. Take it or leave it."
Nanao growled internally as the woman started walking away from her, and then picked her mask up off the ground, dusted it off, and jogged after her. Lisa just smirked as Nanao pulled the mask back down over her face. "I'm only doing this for sake of my job."
"Somehow I imagine you saying the exact same thing before crawling into Shunsui's bed at night," Lisa said with a laugh knocking on the door the two men had gone in through earlier and being promptly greeted by two burly bouncers, which effectively cut off any angry retort from Nanao. Perhaps staying with Lisa was not such a good idea after all.
A/N: So like I said the last chapter of Bleach made this all AU, but I'm actually surprised the Vizoreds decided to stay. They seemed like they'd been screwed hard enough by the Gotei 13 to want something different out of life. Oh well, at least we get to keep awesome characters in the manga. As always, reviews please!