Installment number two of this little fic. There is one more chapter after this, which I will likely be posting in a week. It is complete, it just needs polishing. As with all other fics, I tip my hat to Mr. Kubo for his wonderful characters. Enjoy!

Morning sunlight spilled into Nanao's bedroom window, gently coaxing her out of sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the clock and groaned. Then she sighed with relief, realizing it was her day off. Then she let out a gasp upon remembering the previous night—and the letter. She struggled through her morning routines, and even after fixing her favorite breakfast of omurice with sausage, her appetite failed her. When she tried to calm her stomach with tea, her belly ached. She lay back down on her bed, attempting to regain some of the sleep she'd lost from the previous evening, to no avail.

He'd written her a love letter. A true love letter. He'd bared his soul, which left her completely defenseless against such an action—and completely unjustified for any form of retaliation.

She should have kept her eyes to herself! What was she to do now? Things could not go on as they always had. Or could they? Perhaps she should just pretend that she'd never read it?

"But what if he gives me the letter?" she mused aloud.

Her stomach flip-flopped.

"What am I to do if he gives me the letter?!"

His words had been so sincere, so…

"Beautiful."

Another set of tears made their way beneath her eyes as the contents of his letter flooded her mind. He had been keen to notice how hard she fought to remain stoic at her induction ceremony. She had always believed that she'd succeeded at keeping it in. Had he really been attentive this long?

Not that he'd ever made a secret about wanting her. But there was always a perceptible bluff to his approach. She had always believed that because of their professional relationship, and because of her own guarded personality, rejection of his ridiculous advances was to be expected. In her mind, this ruled out any possibility of any of it being sincere. And it's not like she was the most beautiful woman around. She'd seen the women he'd date from time to time. Due to his status as one of the most powerful captains in Soul Society, it was not uncommon for gorgeous women to flock to him. She could never compare to women like that. It was so much easier to brush him off, to chalk it up to his lecherous ways.

And pretend none of it was real.

Some part of her, carefully concealed, understood that she'd long desired him. But she was far too afraid of being discarded, of gifting her whole heart and being left with nothing but a painful, unrequited result.

Disbelief, elation, fear, and hope all collided within her in a confusing mass, and Nanao found she was in desperate need of a confidante. She considered telling Rangiku, but as much as she loved her colleague and friend, the Vice Captain of the Tenth Division was terrible at keeping secrets. She could think of no one else.

Unless…

She stood for several moments, debating with herself about whether she should confide in Captain Ukitake about how to approach this delicate situation. Even though he was best friends with her Captain, she knew she could trust in his guidance, and more importantly, his silence. Checking the time again, she hoped the Captain of the Thirteenth Squad would be out on his usual walk today. If he was well, he liked to take a stroll around the grassy hills of Seireitei on beautiful mornings like this. Nanao quickly freshened up, changed her clothes, and shunpoed over to Ukitake's favorite grassy knoll.

Save for an elderly couple, Nanao was disappointed to note that Ukitake's choice hillside was devoid of any souls or shinigami, including the Captain himself. She let out an exasperated sigh and sat on a tree stump for a little while before deciding to walk back down the hill. On a bright day like this, why not take the extra time to enjoy the sunlight? A leisurely walk would calm her nerves.

It was then that she felt it.

The Captain's—her Captain's—reiatsu. He and Ukitake were approaching. If she could sense them, then they could surely sense her, and it would not do at all to make a quick getaway. She blinked twice, steeled herself, and continued her walk.

"Nanao, I thought I sensed you. What a pleasant surprise."

Captain Ukitake's voice was always so soothing to her. His gentle smile put some of her anxiety at ease. She mustered up the strength to meet her own Captain's eyes, who had a look that, for the first time in a long time, she couldn't quite read. She blushed, then silently cursed herself as the corners of Shunsui's mouth rose.

"Ukitake-taicho. Kyouraku-taicho," she greeted, with a nod to each.

"So formal, Nanao-chan."

"I—I'm sorry if I've interrupted your stroll," she said to Ukitake, ignoring her Captain. She could feel her ears start to burn.

"Nonsense. We were actually just talking about your success with the Vice Captain re-org. Yama-jii has decided to adopt your meeting protocols at the Captains' meetings. Apparently, Vice Captain Sasakibe can't stop raving about how much time you've saved him. Yama-jii wants to adopt your new protocols immediately."

Nanao's cheeks were now hot with pride. She was thrilled that the Captain Commander noticed her hard work, but she never would have gotten around to developing the protocol had it not been for the perfume incident. She hoped others in Seireitei would not ask prying questions about why she had accepted so many assignments away from her division.

Nanao-chan merely nodded in response. She could feel Kyoraku's eyes on her, could sense his cheeky grin. She dared to meet his eyes once again and could think of nothing but the letter. He must have noticed something in her demeanor at that moment, for his expression shifted into another one she could not read. Did he suspect? Was he thinking about the incident?

Her lips parted as though to say something, but she could only stand in silence, face hot, hands sweating, and terrified that her Captain could read her thoughts. His eyes seemed to grow more intent on observing her.

"Would you like to finish the walk with us?" Shunsui suddenly asked, with not a single a hint of mischief.

Somehow, Nanao mustered a coherent answer. "Actually, I really do need to get back home. However," she continued, hardly believing she was asking this in front of her Captain, "I was actually looking for you, Ukitake-taicho. I wanted to ask your advice about something."

She did not look at Captain Kyoraku.

"Of course. What is it?"

"It's…I would prefer to discuss it in private."

"Nanao-chan is keeping secrets from me?"

Nanao's eyes shot to Shunsui. There was an irritating twinkle in his eye.

"It's just some protocol details," she lied, eyes darting away from his. She was terrible at fibbing, and she could see the knowing smile growing on her Captain's face in her peripheral vision. "In—in case you were thinking about administering it at your staff meetings."

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'll be in my office around noon today, if you wanted to stop by."

"Thank you, Ukitake-taicho," she said with a nod of her head and not a little hint of relief. "Well, I'd better head home."

She glanced once more at her Captain, bowed her head, and shunpoed away.

. / . \ .

"What that was about?" Jyuushiro wondered aloud after Nanao made her departure.

"Hell if I know. That's the first time we've spoken in probably weeks. One thing's for sure. She wouldn't turn that shade of red over meeting protocol. Something has happened in Nanao-chan's world, and I'm dying to know what it is."

"Weeks? Shunsui, did you write the letter?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"I wrote a letter, then crumbled it up."

"You threw it away?"

"Yeah, but then I dug it out of the trash. It's sitting on my desk right now, but after today, I'm probably going to toss it for good. If my knowing that she kept the Valentine's Day gift has these types of effects, she'd probably transfer over to the First Division the day after reading whatever I write. With Yama-jii beside himself over all her organizational stuff, she'd get promoted to Third Seat in a week."

The two walked in silence for a while. After several minutes, Jyuushiro spoke. "Do you remember Rei?"

"That raven-haired hottie you almost proposed to?"

"Yes. I don't have many regrets in this life, but my decision with her is one of them."

"You never talked about it much. And I didn't want to pry."

"I know. My health was just starting to take a turn for the worse at the time. Sickness among shinigami is rare, as you know, and as the healers couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, I didn't want Rei to be stuck with me in case I got debilitatingly sick. Well, that was a long time ago, and though things haven't been perfect, it hasn't turned out as bad as I feared it would. When I broke things off with her, I didn't give her the real reason because I was too scared and embarrassed to tell her the truth. I didn't want her pity, and I didn't want her to waste her time with a sick man."

Shunsui responded in silence.

"My point is, I should not have made the decision for her. I should have told her the truth and let her decide for herself."

After a few moments, Shunsui smiled. "Hnh. Since when did you become a better love coach than me?"

"I'd hardly call your drunken escapades 'love,' Shunsui."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll think about it."

. / . \ .

Captain Ukitake sat at his desk, organizing a few papers and signing a few forms requiring his immediate attention. A knock at his door broke his concentration.

"Come in, Nanao."

The door slid open, and Nanao walked in, giving him a single nod.

"Thank you for making time to see me, Ukitake-taicho."

"Please, have a seat."

Nanao looked visibly nervous. She refused to look at him straight in the eye. She walked over to his desk, sat in the large, plush chair across it, and set her enormous book atop her lap.

"Is everything OK, Nanao?"

"Ukitake-taicho, you must forgive me."

Ukitake raised an eyebrow.

"I did not come to see you about the new protocols. I can give you some additional instruction if you'd like, of course, but that was not my true purpose in wanting to speak with you. Forgive me for fibbing earlier, but…" She fiddled with her collar a bit before continuing. "I wanted to talk with you about something I've recently discovered."

It took but two seconds before Jyuushiro figured it out. "You found the letter."

Nanao turned a horrified shade of pink. "You—you know about the letter?"

He let out a chuckle. "I'm the one who told him to write it."

Nanao jerked backwards. Her mouth dropped open before raising a hand to her mouth.

"He told me about the perfume incident. He wanted to tell you about his feelings, but he was worried it would scare you away. So I told him to be honest with you, and that a letter would probably be the easiest way for him to get his point across. He does have a thing for love letters, after all."

Nanao was silent for a while. Her eyes were fixated on a paperweight on his desk.

"In all honesty, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever read." She gave a slight smile. "It was so—so honest. Unlike anything I've ever received from him. No pretense at all."

"Good, that means he followed my advice." He smiled. "But, you should know he is planning on throwing it away. He's too scared you'll run away and join Yama-jii's Division."

Her face fell a little. "I honestly have thought about that. But I can't just stay."

"Why not?"

"I'd just be giving him the wrong impression."

"Wrong impression? I thought it was pretty obvious the feeling was mutual."

Nanao's eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed the same shade of red as their earlier encounter on the hills.

"Sir…"

"I know it isn't my place to pry, Nanao. But it wouldn't do to ignore your feelings forever."

She shifted in her seat.

"I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. But you came here to get my advice. And it does seem to me that you have been in denial about this just as much as he has. I've observed the two of you for quite a while. We are in times of peace now. There really isn't a reason why you shouldn't approach him about this and see where the conversation leads."

"But he's my Captain!"

"So transfer to the First."

"But the Eighth would fall apart!"

"So stay in the Eighth."

Nanao stared at him as though he had two heads. Jyuushiro knew she had yet to fully accept her feelings, let alone the idea of a romantic relationship with a superior.

"You can give it some time. But, I do suggest at least telling him that you know. Doing otherwise for very long would be bad form, even in Shunsui's case."

"How? How can I even begin to approach this topic?"

He grinned.

"Why don't you write him a letter?"

. / . \ .

After speaking with Ukitake, Shunsui tore up the letter he'd written and threw it out without a second thought. His plan was to write another one. A better one. He wrote the first one in haste, jotting down whatever had popped in his head. It wasn't terrible—it was honest, but he wanted to take additional time to write something more substantive. A confession to his Nanao deserved time and effort, and he didn't want to screw it up.

Since running into Nanao on the verdant hills of Seireitei, things had gotten worse between them. She was now avoiding the Eighth Division entirely, spending all her time at the First, finalizing the protocol handbook for the Captains' meetings. Other subordinates were starting to ask questions, but he just brushed it off.

"First Division priorities mandate her presence, but she will be returning to her regular duties soon," he would reply, more to convince himself than anyone else.

About a week after Nanao ran into him on the hillside, he was lounging on the sofa in his office, drifting off to sleep. He was about twenty minutes into his nap when his sharp ears detected a shuffle nearby, along with a familiar reiatsu. He slowly opened an eyelid, and indeed, there was Nanao, with a red envelope in hand. His other eyelid flew open.

"Nanao-chan?"

She snapped her head up at him, gave a slight gasp, dropped the letter, and shunpoed out the door.

Shunsui shot to his feet and darted over to where she'd just stood, only to see her heading like lightning in the direction of her house. He made to go after her, but not before he remembered the envelope. Shunsui spun around and walked over to his desk. He spotted the envelope on the floor, picked it up and turned it over. In Nanao's immaculate handwriting, that he would recognize anywhere, was his name. His curiosity was rising by the second, but he was a bit nervous about what might lie inside. He tore open the envelope and pulled out a piece of neatly folded cream stationery.

"Nanao-chan has written me a letter."

He began to read.

Taicho,

First, I'd like to start off by apologizing for my cowardice. I didn't know how to get this message across, and a letter seemed to be the best way. A dear friend of yours gave me the suggestion.

Please do not be angry with me for what I am about to tell you. After one of my recent Vice Captain meetings, I went over to the Eighth to see you, but you weren't there. I was staring at the atrocity on your desk, and it just so happened that some pink stationery caught my eye. Please forgive me for prying, but it was an accident. I noticed my name, and I could not help myself. I read your letter.

Kyoraku's heart stopped as his eyes broke away from the paper. He took a deep breath and lowered his hand to the side, the letter loosely hanging between his fingers.

"She knows everything."

He felt his knees weaken and his heart throb. He needed to sit down, but first he darted his eyes around the room. Once he found what he was looking for, he zoomed over to it—the bottle of sake he'd purchased earlier that day—picked it up, and sat down on the sofa. He set the letter down next to him, opened the bottle of sake, and took a long swig, grimacing as the cool liquid streamed down his throat. He glanced at the letter, shook his head, and took another long swig.

He took a deep breath, picked up the letter again, and continued to read.

It was a beautiful letter, taicho. I was touched by your honesty. It's true that I kept your perfume. It's also true that it was a perfect gift. I hadn't noticed the details until after you passed out. Though I still believe it to be an inappropriate gift for a subordinate, I am touched by the amount of thought that went into it. You also must have spent a fortune on it. Thank you.

I must admit, I was very embarrassed once you found out that I'd kept it, because keeping the gift would have meant sending you a message. A message that I was not ready to give.

Kyoraku's heartbeat took another pause. His suspicions had been right. He ran his hand through his hair, hardly believing the words written on the page.

After reading your letter, things changed. Because I know where you stand, I now feel safer telling you where I stand. I have gone back and forth about it, and I must tell you that I have qualms about a romance with you while remaining your lieutenant. I do not want to give your other subordinates the impression that I am favored in any way, or that I attained my position through anything but hard work. I also must recognize that it means things would change between us. It would be new territory for me in more ways than one, and I can't deny that I am a little scared. However, despite my reservations about a romance, I also must be honest and say that I am not uncertain about my feelings for you.

Kyoraku's hands were all but trembling.

To answer the question in your lovely letter, yes, there is a chance. I do not believe you to be undeserving. I do not know what the correct pathway forward is, but I am willing to navigate new territory with you.

-Nanao

Kyoraku was overwhelmed with emotion. He felt a simultaneous wave of relief and adrenaline sweep over him, as the years and years of anticipation came to a head in such an unexpected revelation. He tilted his head back, sagged his shoulders and let out a merry laugh.

"Nanao-chaaaan!"

Very soon, a sly grin made its way across his mouth. He carefully folded the letter and tucked it safely in one of his desk drawers. Positioning his hat, he cast his eyes in the direction of Nanao's apartment and shunpoed his way there as fast as his reiatsu would allow.