Rangiku waited until late afternoon to drop in on Nanao. It wasn't because of work although she was technically at work all day, it was because it took till then for her hangover to wear off. She really didn't remember drinking that much.

She hurried through Division Eight after being told she could find the lieutenant in her room. She hoped Nanao's headache wasn't as bad as her own. As she approached her friend's room, though, she was even more confused.

Nanao's door was standing open, and Rangiku could hear Captain Kyoraku, of all people, talking inside.

"This won't do," he was saying. "It really won't do at all. Haven't you got anything better? I'm certain I gave you one just a few years ago that was very nice."

Rangiku peeked in the door and saw Nanao sitting on her bed looking headachy and annoyed as she stared at her closet. The captain's voice was coming from inside the closet.

"May I come in?" Rangiku asked.

"You might as well," Nanao said, dully.

Rangiku came in and sat down beside Nanao. From this angle she could see into the closet. Kyoraku appeared to be going through Nanao's clothing, and, unsurprising, given their difference in taste, he didn't look happy.

"What's going on?" Rangiku asked.

Kyoraku turned to her, grinning. "Nanao-chan has a date," he announced, glowing with pride.

"Seriously?" Rangiku said, turning to Nanao.

Nanao sat up straighter and pushed back her glasses before answering, "It's only a date. It's nothing to make such a fuss about."

"Nanao-chan wanted to wear her shihakusho," Kyoraku said, shaking his head. "She doesn't seem to understand how important a first impression can be."

"I have known Lieutenant Hisagi for years," Nanao said, loudly. "I don't see how I can be making any sort of first impression now."

"All of these kimonos would be at home in my great-grandmother's closet; do you want to remind him of how much older you are?" Kyoraku asked. "It's all well and good to wear a sagging shihakusho that hides your lovely figure to work, but on a date you want to look like a woman."

Nanao stood abruptly. "I'm going back to the office with Rangiku. You can let me know when you've decided what I'm going to wear."

"Have Rangiku-chan tell you what you should do on a date. You don't want to make a fool of yourself," Kyoraku called back.

Nanao scowled. "He's loving this."

Rangiku nodded. It wasn't the reaction she had expected from Captain Kyoraku on learning his beloved lieutenant was going on a date, but as she had worried about fire and fury and perhaps the murder of the fool who dared even look at his dear Nanao-chan, it was probably a lot better. "He seems very happy for you."

Nanao's frown only increased. The poor young shinigami walking past them in the hall flinched back and bumped into the wall.

Nanao did not even look in the boy's direction, even when he bowed and apologized for being in the way.

"He's a useless idiot," Nanao said angrily. "It only proves I can't count on him for anything."

She threw open the captain's office door so hard it slammed against the wall. ""Useless!" she declared again.

Rangiku closed the door carefully after she entered. She wasn't sure, though, that it was really a wise idea. Nanao seemed to be in the mood to strangle someone, and she really hoped it wouldn't be her.

Nanao spun around and held up a single finger. "The one thing," she said. "The one thing I thought I could depend on the captain to do was to throw an enormous fit and forbid me from ever going out with anyone. Why couldn't he do that? Why couldn't he be useful just this once?"

"If you don't want to go," Rangiku said, slowly, knowing she might be digging her own grave, "Then why did you agree to go in the first place?"

"Because I was sure I would be able to get out of it! Then everything could go back to normal." Nanao dropped into her desk chair and started arranging the papers on her desk. It was already painfully tidy, but she seemed to think it still needed work. "Only a really awful person would say no under the circumstances, and I'm not an awful person."

She froze abruptly and slowly raised her head. "Am I an awful person, Rangiku?"

"Of course not," Rangiku said, quickly. "You've never done one bad thing in your entire life. You're practically a saint. You--" Rangiku trailed off, seeing Nanao's expression fall with every word she spoke.

Nanao took a deep breath and carefully folded her hands in front of her. "Shuhei--Lieutenant Hisagi and I have been, I suppose you would say, hooking up, from time to time for a while now."

Rangiku's eyes widened. This, she had not been expecting. She had wondered if maybe they'd gotten drunk and made out or something; it would explain the awkwardness that wasn't already explained by Shuhei-kun's usual awkwardness with women. "For how long?" she couldn't help asking.

Nanao's eyes dropped to her hands. "Since you came back to work after Kinta was born."

"That's years ago!" Rangiku very nearly shrieked.

"It was a mistake, and I certainly never meant for it to continue," Nanao said stiffly. "I never intentionally--it's only when I've had too much to drink--you did say once that anything you did while drunk doesn't really count."

"If it happens once! Maybe! But I never tried to take back sex!"

"Thank you, Rangiku. I wasn't feeling enough like a slut."

"You're not a slut," Rangiku said. "So you like to get it on with Shuhei-kun; what's wrong with that? I don't know why everyone acts like it's so awful when a woman happens to enjoy sex. It feels good, why wouldn't you like it? And Shuhei-kun is built, isn't he? And young and full of energy too!"

"You're not helping, Rangiku."

"Is it that you don't like him as a person?" Rangiku asked, unable to stop smiling. "Is it just his body you want?"

"Of course not," Nanao finally raised her head. "I like Lieutenant Hisagi perfectly well. He's a nice, responsible young man."

"But you don't want to date him?" Rangiku asked.

"It's not that I don't want to," Nanao answered. "I simply don't see what it's going to accomplish. We have nothing to say to each other. We will have an awkward and uncomfortable dinner, which will only make it more obvious to us both how truly incompatible we are, and, after such an open and public display, Shuhei will no longer want to have anything to do with me. I don't blame him; I'm quite certain it is for the best, but a part of me cannot help but be disappointed. Why couldn't he leave well enough alone?"

Rangiku frowned. Nanao sounded surprisingly distressed, not by the idea of going out with Hisagi, but by the idea that she would somehow change his feelings toward her. The idea that Ise Nanao, the reputed ice queen of the Eighth might have fallen for Hisagi Shuhei was somehow even more surprising than hearing that they'd been sleeping together, and that Nanao was afraid he might stop wanting her was really practically unbelievable. Did Nanao actually doubt herself?

"Why do you think you're incompatible?" Rangiku asked, finally.

Nanao opened and closed her mouth twice before she managed to speak. "He's--he has a tattoo on his face, Rangiku."

"So?" Rangiku said, wondering a little if It might just be Nanao's inborn snobbery as a noble that had her believing that the two of them could not possibly work as a couple. So many of the noble-born seemed to really believe they were somehow different from those from Rukongai. It annoyed Rangiku to no end. "It's obvious at least some part of you likes the bad boy look, and he's not a real bad boy even if he is from Rukongai," she answered, more than a little ticked that even Nanao seemed to think there was something wrong with Shuhei looking like he was from Rukongai. "Shuhei-kun is just about as polite, respectful, and hardworking as any man I've ever met. He can get a little bit crude when he's drunk, but you seem to like him when he's drunk."

"I'm more than a hundred years older than him!"

With that one statement Rangiku realized she'd been reading Nanao wrong. It was herself and only herself the woman was doubting. Shuhei was young, really genuinely young; younger even than she and Gin had been when Shiro-chan was born. Nanao really wasn't at all old, but Shuhei must make her feel that way without ever trying. "If he doesn't mind why should you?"

Nanao shook her head. "We have nothing in common."

"You are both painfully conscientious and hardworking lieutenants who are interested in nothing but the Gotei. You both could happily discuss division management every day for the rest of your lives," Rangiku said. "Nanao, do you really think he's going to change his mind about you now? You just told Captain Kyoraku how you've known each other for years. He wants to take you out because he knows he likes you and he wants to spend more time with you. You don't have anything to worry about, I promise."

"And if after ten minutes of small talk over dinner he realizes how dull I really am, what am I supposed to do then?"

Rangiku grinned hugely. "Offer to take him back to your room for dessert," she said, before she burst out laughing, Nanao looked so embarrassed!

The door opened while she was still laughing and Captain Kyoraku entered with a green kimono over his arm. He grinned at Rangiku and asked, "What's this? Did Nanao-chan make a joke? I don't think I've ever heard Nanao-chan say anything funny before."

He turned toward his still blushing lieutenant. "What did you say to poor Rangiku-chan? She's practically hysterical."

"It's none of your business," Nanao answered icily.

Kyoraku sighed. "It never is."