Never Again - by Infatuationbl

As Ise Nanao lay bleeding in the grass, struggling to breathe, she remembered she had promised never again, but today she had broken that silent promise to herself.

After being called a baby by Yamamoto taicho, and being crushed by his spiritual power, she had vowed that she would never be that weak again. How could she, a vice captain, not be by her taicho's side at that moment? Instead of her guarding his back, he had to shunpo her away to safety, like a child.

And all she could do was breathe and hope that her taicho would come out alive. Which he did, and soul society was in shambles.

After that incident, she trained at night, in addition to her normal duties of over seeing her 8th division members train and her and her taicho's paper work. She actually found it quite silly that paper work still needed to be done when other matters seemed more
important. But she did it all.

Each day after the ryoka left, she woke at 5 to take care of the morning duties. By 9 pm and the paperwork barely done, and her taicho almost passed out from drinking sake, she would go down the tunnels into the 8th Division training area and start her workout.

True, she was a master at kidou. And as a vice captain, a great precision was needed for her zanpakto, but she needed to be stronger. She had remembered what they told her about what Aizen had said. The limits of each shinigami. If a shinigami trained in kidou, then they could not go farther in the other three aspects.

She didn't believe that. With all of her study and observations, a shinigami could achieve perfection in all four forms, and perhaps with the right balance something more. And Nanao was a perfectionist.

And so, with each passing day, and as the arrancar attacked more frequently, she trained.

Her spiritual power was gaining slowly, but it was gaining so much more that she had to use her reiastu hiding ability more and more so that others wouldn't notice the gain. She knew that it would better if no one knew of her increases in reiatsu. Better that way so that maybe she could surprise those in Aizen's group.

Except one.

Kyouraku Shunsui was no fool. Beneath that alabaster face of his Nanao Chan, he saw a new determination in her eyes, and he could feel the ever so subtle changes of her reiatsu.

He noticed the change in her eyes the next day after Yamaji's confrontation, but didn't say anything. He knew she was getting more tired day after day, and at first couldn't contemplate why. Then, he started watching her train with the division more and more. He saw that she was motivating the men and women to fight more effectively in coordinated teams. Soon they would be able to take on 11th division. She was teaching them tactics. How to fight in groups, in pairs, how to fend off 5 or more opponents. How to feel your comrades reiatsu and know if they needed help or not. He had never seen her so visibly concerned for members of her division before. (Well, he could tell, the others thought she was just being cool and as calculating as before.)

He also knew that she disappeared at night till 1-2 am, but for some time didn't know where she was off to. Until one night, he pretended he had drunk himself to a stupor. He felt her eyes on him, and he could sense that she was listening to his breathing to see if he was asleep. When satisfied, she silently left. When she was a good distance away, he followed her to the training grounds.

To his amazement, he saw her Bankai... it was nothing like the others.

He could feel the rise in reiastu logarithmically and felt her hiding it as quickly as it came. Her hair was down, wafting in the spiritual power, and her eyesglowed a bright violetso entrancing he nearly forgot to hide his own reiastu. He watched her train and his heart grew heavy.

She was trying to leave him. He knew that day would come, when hewould finally drive her out. He didn't think it would come so soon. Yamaji mentioned that soul society needed 3 new captains, but to be a captain, one of the requirements, well at least normally (Kenpachi, as an exception) one must be able to bankai and control it well. He was proud of his Nanao chan. not many masters of kidou could bankai with their zanpakto and still be able to spout spells, but Nanao was Nanao, and she didn't need to speak out loud anymore to perform the demon arts.

With a heavy heart, he silently walked towards the exit of the training grounds.

One more time... she labored. "Bankai!" She could hold her bankai forat least an hour now against phantom opponents, but she would soon need to practice against another. She grimaced on who she could ask and began cataloguing... her taicho? No, he hates confrontations... Masumoto? she was off in the human world. Kenpachi? ... not if she wanted to have major scars... Soi Fon? hmm... perhaps. she was quite good at kidou, and quick, and captain level. perhaps...but how should she ask? "Umm... Soi Fan taicho, would you spar with me? " that was direct...but she had to add "but please don't tell anyone?" yeah, that was suspicious...

….. Wait.. Did she just feel her taicho's spiritual pressure? no... he's upstairs drunk...

She stopped and felt... no.. he was here and was leaving.. so unlike him. Every time he found her he would flamboyantly call to her.

"Kyouraku Taicho," she said out load and firmly. "what are you doing here?"

He stopped, sighing. "Yare yare..." and backtracked to her... and

looked at her with his impishly large smile. "Lovely Nanao chan! look at you and your beautiful hair down... "

Whack! She threw a small pebble at his forehead.

"Ouch! You're so cruel to me!" He pouted and jutted his lips just so… She gave him a cold stare. "I was just wondering where you were going at night and why you seemed so tired during the day..." he mumbled looking down, not wanting to be entranced by her eyes...

"I see.." she murmured..ah damn, I wasn't as sneaky as I thought. but he always could sense things...

"Well, now you know." she said. She was fixing her hair back up and she could feel herself losing her bankai.

"Will you spar with me Taicho?"

"You know I never refuse any of my Nanao chan's requests."

Whack! Another pebble pelted his head.

"Really spar with me. No holding back. I need to know if I'm good enough"

Will I be able to be by your side when the time comes? she thought.

He heard, "I need to know if I can leave you."

"Ah, very well, Nanao." This time he said her name in a serious but regretful tone.

On the rare times Kyouraku Shunsui brought out his dual zanpaktou, his
eyes grew sadder, and this was no exception. He could feel his old heart giving away.

That night, they sparred, and in the morning, both bloody and bruised
and tired, they knew respectively what it meant.

Nanao smiled, a genuine smile. At least the next time around, she would be by his side.
Kyouraku taicho was down cast as ever. She was going to leave him….

……………

The 109th day of battle raged on in soul society. Ise Nanao was in the forefront, deflecting kidou spells away from her troops. She could feel Aizen about to…

She yelled out "Everyone step back NOW!"

"Kuro-hitsugi" Aizen said.

To her troop's horror, they saw the black coffin fall upon their fukutaicho.

A moment's breath was spared, but to Aizen's surprise, the coffin dissipated sooner than he anticipated, and what he saw next caused him to raise an eyebrow.

The black coffin reappeared and enveloped him.

As Ise stepped pass the remnants of Aizen's black coffin, her eyes blazing, and unharmed, her division breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected, Aizen was able to deflect the coffin as well. He stepped forward and eyed Nanao curiously. "interesting, it seems you have become a grand master in kidou, Nanao chan." He smiled ruefully.

Her response "Aizen, only one person is barely allowed to say my name in such a matter, and you are not him." She readied herself for his next attack, but not without throwing a fire ball in his direction for good measure.

Aizen easily dodged her attack. "Are you teasing me Ise? I heard reports of a female shinigami killing several of my arrancar without losing one drop of blood. The reports say she is an excellent fighter, and even better at kidou…. I wonder, was that you?"

Ise looked at him coolly, "If I was, what can you do about it now?" She had calculated in her mind that if she threw the fireball, he would dodge to his left, into her next silent entrapment.

………….

"Nanao!" Shunsui bellowed her name out as he saw her fall back, her blood spewing from her lithe frame….

He shunpoed to her, deflecting blades left and right. He saw her falling in what to him seemed like slow motion. He saw Aizen's blade cut from her front to the back. Her eyes were wide open and her arms went slack to her side as she dropped her sword to the ground.

"not bad… but not good enough Ise" Aizen murmured. He turned and saw Shunsui coming towards him.

"It's not your turn yet to die Kyouraku. I will be seeing you." Aizen said, as he walked back and disappeared in the crowd.

…………..

Nanao had thrown Rukujyoukourou - Luminous Prison of 6 Bars. She knew it wouldn't hold Aizen for more than a few seconds, but it gave her the second she needed to get close to him to slice at him.

She quick stepped so fast that not even Aizen saw her coming. She sliced with her blade at his chest and manage to draw blood to the shock of Aizen. What, she wasn't prepared for was his even quicker response. Before she even could shunpo to a safe distance, he brought up his blade and brought the blade into her chest and sliced to the back…

As she fell, she could only hear herself saying, "I failed."

………………………………..

"Then what happened?" A small wide eyed boy with ebony hair asked.

"Yes, then what happened?" a small girl, who looked like his twin but with brown hair and violet eyes.

"Otou-chan!" they both bellowed.

"Yare yare…so loud. Your Okaa-chan will be upset if she hears the both of you…" Shunsui said as he patted their heads with his large hands.

"You mean, she'll be mad at you." Said a voice from behind him. Nanao leaned against the door frame looking at him over the top of her glasses.

"Shunsui, I asked you to put the children to bed an hour ago."

Shunsui gave her his signature impish smile, "But Nanao-chan, the children wanted to hear the story of how I finally got you to say you loved me."

"Mmm, hmm… " she said as she walked forward. "okay kids, it's time for bed."

'But Okaa-san! Otou-chan was going to tell us how he heroically came to your side and helped heal you…" said the boy.

"Oh really?" Nanao raised her eyebrows. "I do believe he was a emotional wreck when he finally reached me, and I do recall Unohanna Taicho healing me… But that is besides the point!" Nanao shook her head. "You two need to go to bed so your father and I can have a discussion on bed times." She gave Shunsui a glare that said… don't you dare encourage them. "Oh, and we have an early day tomorrow. You know I have to be at my division early to train the troops, and so does your Otou-san. I also recall that you both have heard this story far too many times."

'Okaa-san!" they both pleaded, brown eyes and violet eyes pleaded in her direction.

"You can finish the story… please!"

Ise Nanao was a strong willed woman, but she broke quite easily when her children pleaded like their father.

"Very well" she sighed as she sat on the bed next to her husband, who promptly put his arm around her waist.

"Where were you… oh yes… me bleeding and on the ground… Well, in short, your father got to me and was shaking uncontrollably. He lifted me up and…"

"I said, Nanao-Chan, stay with me! Hold on a little longer. " Shunsui interjected.

"I thought I was telling the rest of the story." Nanao replied

"But my dear, I think I can do my voice better than you can."

Nanao rolled her eyes. "Very well." "I remember feeling intense pain and when I opened my eyes, I saw your father with the most concerned look on his face."

"Kyouraku Taicho…"

……………………………………

"Shhh, my dear Nanao, save your strength, I will get you to Unohana soon."

"It's too late for me…take care of the rest of the troops….and…."

"And what! " Shunsui yelled, shaking her gently. He had cradled her in his arms and was madly dashing through the war zone looking for anyone in Fourth Division.

"Gomenasai. I vowed I would never leave your side again after what happened with Yamamoto… but I failed. … gomenasai." Nanao was loosing consciousness. …

"What!" Nanao, stay with me please! Don't leave me!" Shunsui was crying. And holding on to her.

"I said… I love you… " Nanao grimaced. She couldn't believe she had to say it out loud.

……………….

"Needless to say, your Otou-san did find help. I was unconscious for a good few days. We did beat back Aizen and YES" she saw her children looking at her with the look of, more story please! "We will continue the story tomorrow."

"Awww Okaa-san!" Her children pleaded.

"Don't 'Awww Okaasan' me." Nanao said, as she held up their respective covers for them to crawl under.

They knew the drill but they loved seeing their mother exasperated, just like their father.

"Good night. I love you." Nanao said as she kissed each of them on the forehead and promptly left the room.

Shunsui just smiled and winked at his children. He gave his children a bear hug and a quick kiss on the forehead before blowing out the candle light.

"Night Okaa-san! Night Otou-chan!" they both yelled.

Nanao sighed, but smiled as she headed towards their bedroom. She felt Shunsui wrap his arms around her as they entered their room.

He kissed her neck and her cheek and gently turned her towards him. "Ah, my lovely Nanao-chan! Don't ever be that heroic again!" His eyes pleaded with her to never leave him.

Nanao shook her head slightly and looked up into his brown eyes that no longer had that sad look he used to have long ago. "Baka… I already told you. I will never again leave your side." She kissed him lightly and they both headed off to sleep in each other's arms….

Some Notes:

Black Coffin 90 Kuro-hitsugi

4 forms – zanjutsu (sword art)

- Hakuda (hand to hand)

-hohou (movement)

-kidou (demon arts)

My first fan fic… constructive criticisms welcomed. Thanks.