One Hundred Ways to Love

37 of 100: Crown

He was nervous.

There were no overt signs, no hand wringing, no changing facial expressions. Rather, he was standing ramrod straight looking for all the world as if he was prepared. Honda marched along beside her, his eyes straight ahead, his hands at his sides.

Nanao could tell, she could almost feel his fear like a thrum across her skin. Had she become more perceptive or was he simply being obvious? Their morning together had been productive, albeit short. After notifying Division Thirteen that she would be late, she had escorted the young Vice-Captain over to Division Eight. The walk had been short and familiar, one she had taken alone for years. With Honda caught up in his misery it hadn't been much different.

After she had a look around she had business to attend to at Thirteen office and then she had volunteered to visit the Academy and lead an advanced class Hollow hunt. It was something she hadn't done in ages and the risk was moderately low for injury. It also provided her the all important field experience was eager to acquire more of. She wanted her next battle for placement to be an exciting one and if she could pull her sword for a little action that might be nice too. After all, it wouldn't do for the others to forget that she possessed it, even if she often chose to forgo using it.

Now as they were in sight of the front door, he was becoming increasingly anxious. "You're sure this will work?" he asked again. He'd already asked three times.

Nanao was certain the technique she'd taught him would work. "If it doesn't, what do you have to lose? You don't want to be Vice-Captain anymore," she reminded him already halfway up the pathway. He had stopped walking with her. She hadn't stopped with him. Pulling open the door she was introduced to just how "broken" it was and shot Honda a nasty look. "Fix the door."

"There's no money to fix the door," he grumbled.

"Then I suggest you cut a program somewhere to make money for it. Even Division Eleven doesn't have a defunct front door."

She slid inside without waiting for him to answer her and he followed after her sheepishly. The secretaries inside the front doors all straightened when they saw her and chirped their good mornings.

"Is Captain Kyouraku in?" she asked, peering around. Except for the damaged front door the place wasn't falling part right in front of her.

"No, ma'am. He is not yet here," Suki answered.

Nanao tossed a backward look at Honda. "Go and practice."

"What will you do?" he asked.

The question insulted her. He might've had the right to ask as he was acting Vice-Captain of the Division but she didn't like it. To question her in that manner felt like insubordination.

"I'm going to see if the courtyard is ready. With you doing nothing and Captain Kyouraku probably doing nothing, I expect nothing has gotten done around here."

Nanao ignored the giggling of the secretaries and kept right on walking. He deserved to lose, she thought, and then amended that thought. Honda might deserve a loss but her former Third Seat was not the one who should be giving it to him. She would help him preserve his ranking long enough that she could strip him of it herself.

"Honda!"

The young man jumped as the door behind him slid open and Captain Kyoraku walked in. The small side room had been empty for a while and he'd adopted it for less practice than to hide. He wasn't quite up to meeting anyone's eyes just yet or their comments about his impending match.

"Have you prepared?"

"Yes, Sir, I have practiced hard." Honda didn't dare mention Vice-Captain Ise.

"Good. Come outside, we are all waiting."

That didn't bode well, he thought. His challenge with Vice-Captain Ise had been a public Division Eight event. The whole group was going to see him humiliate himself to win. Did he want to do this? Fear curled in his belly. Anxiously, he followed the path of his Captain out the door and toward the back courtyard. He could hear the taunting now. "Cheater, cheater, sandal eater..."

Stepping in to the hall he inadvertently stepped into a very private conversation. At least, that's what it looked like with Captain Kyouraku's hand cupping Vice-Captain Ise's face… and that's what it meant to him. Because his Captain had very big hands and while they might not mean Ise-san any harm, those hands meant something a little more dangerous for him.

"Challenge matches for Division seats are typically Division only members, so I will not be watching you."

Honda found himself nodding.

"Good luck then."

Her words sounded like a dismissal and seeing as the Captain was paying him no mind whatsoever he was eager to head out. He supposed that Captain Kyouraku could've made an exception for her but she didn't seem eager to stay and watch. He was really less ready to head out than he was to escape something that looked so… intimate.

Quickly, he stepped out the back door.

"You came here just to see Honda?"

"I came to see how the place looked. I've heard some things I didn't like," Nanao answered. "Why have you not insisted the front door be fixed?"

"Why are you spending time with that idiot from Twelve?"

"Akon is a highly educated man, we have very interesting discussions."

"Is that what you want out of a man in your free time, dry scientific discussions?" the hand pressing against her cheek traced gently down her cheek and over the back of her shoulder.

Was discussion what she wanted out of a man in her free time? Her answer came in the form of a fine tremble as his fingers followed the line of her spine. His dark eyes promised more than he could give her in the public hall of Division Eight.

"You need to go outside," she reminded him.

"When are you dumping the scientist?"

"I'm not dumping him, Akon and I are friends and that is all."

"Were you helping Honda?"

"There are no rules that say I cannot."

Captain Kyouraku grinned at her and he leaned down to press a quick, chaste kiss to her cheek. "My precious Nanao-chan." Quite suddenly, he closed his arms around her shoulders and squeezed her to his chest. Pressed suddenly to his bare skin, her nose to his chest, she was reminded, with one deep breath, how good he smelled.

Familiar.

A streak of homesickness hit her. How long had she been in this place that his smell made her think of home?

A chorus of giggles behind them caused her to tense. "Captain, please release me."

"Nanao-chan needs to visit more often."

"I do not have time-" she started and his arms tightened. It didn't hurt but it pressed her more firmly against his body. How long had it been since she'd touched his much of him? She trembled.

"Promise you'll visit or I'm not letting go."

"I'll visit," she answered stiffly.

"When?"

More giggles.

It was no wonder, really, Nanao thought. They were blocking the hall, so anyone behind them could not get out, they were stuck unless they went outside and around the building. She sighed, releasing a puff of hot breath against his chest.

"How about Wednesday?"

"We can have lunch?"

"Certainly, Captain, we can have lunch if you're awake."

Releasing her slowly she found his expression a little confusing. "I'll be awake. Don't make me come look for you, Nanao," he warned.

Sliding past him narrowly, she called back. "That won't be necessary. If you'll recall, I'm the punctual one."

What Nanao had done for Honda wasn't immediately apparent. The young man was quite good at blocking, less talented at attacking, and proficient enough with kidou that he had managed to bind Enjōji. Twice.

Enjōji possessed enough raw strength and determination that he'd broken the kidou both times and Honda was becoming noticeably winded. The crowd continued to cheer.

"Hadou: number twenty-nine." Honda purposely whispered leaving the crowd wondering as a cloud suddenly sprouted up around him.

Boos erupted in the crowd as the cloudy puff began to fade and then multiply forming puffs around Enjōji. When blonde heads popped out of the dust the booing quieted as they watched in fascination. Bright blue eyes set in those blonde heads and curved coral lips grinned… long, thin limbs, arms and legs and foggy mists around the waists…

"They're naked!" someone exclaimed from the crowd. "Go Honda!"

"Crest of the golden moon," Honda called softly, his hands folded. The blonde copies mouthed the words with him.

Enjōji gaped.

The air exploded.

No one saw Enjōji fell as much as they saw the dust rise from his body hitting the ground; the fog had spread when the blondes disappeared after the final kidou cast. Captain Kyoraku watched quietly, waiting for the victorious Honda to approach him. The younger man was trembling with excitement over his victory.

"I can't believe it, I can't believe it," he proclaimed, looking as if he were in disbelief at his own victory. "Captain Kyouraku, Sir."

"Congratulations," he offered the younger man. He wondered, without Nanao, if Honda would've been able to pull it off. Nanao knew a thousand kidou spells and probably a thousand more that didn't fit into the Bakudo and Hadou categories, so her tweaking of Hadou 29 didn't surprise him, but he was disappointed.

Nanao was a strong woman who fought more with kidou than most shinigami who oft depended upon their zanpakuto. Honda had won the fight not because of his own effort but because of Nanao's ingenuity and her ability to use kidou and her ability to pass those skills onto others. He frowned.

Most such matches curried up good cheer and cause for celebration. Today he felt like napping.

AN: I'm not a Naruto fan but "sexy no jutsu" was what I had in mind for Nanao's tweaking of hadou 29. Now, I'm off to write 38. What I'm thinking here is that maybe its Nanao who needs to be jealous. I hate writing jealous characters, but what if she's taking advantage of the fact that he's always sorta been there?

Sorry to say the whole Hisagi thing is not working out for me. I just have no feel for the guy whatsoever.

Brighit R. Gauthier: the Nanao pick on your profile link without glasses won't work for me, it says it can't be found.