Shunsui's favorite grove of cherry trees was a mass of shadows and moonlight, the blossoms a milky carpeting over the grass. Once they were clear of inconvenient buildings, he'd flash-stepped most of the way, still carrying Nanao, despite the latter's heated protests that she could so walk, damnit.

My back will pay for this in the morning, but I don't care.

It was all about style.

Nanao had stopped arguing, but she was shaking again. Shunsui could feel it down the length of her body where it was pressed against his. It was flattering, and a little bit worrisome. He had known a great many women—although probably not as many as rumor painted it, he wouldn't have had time for naps otherwise—but few of them shook when he touched them. Was she nervous? Excited? Terrified out of her mind?

Are you sure you know what you're getting into, old man?

Does anybody ever know…?

He was pretty sure he wasn't her first, although he was going to do everything in his power to be her last.

"My dearest Nanao-chan is trembling," he observed.

"I'm cold," she snapped.

It was a balmy evening, and she was, after all, cradled against his chest. He didn't believe her for a minute. She tilted her head back, met his eyes and dared him to call her on it.

Fine, we'll do it her way…

Shunsui considered this for a moment, then set her down on her feet. She took two steps away, hugging her arms around herself. He shrugged out of his haori and spread it out across the grass under one of the trees, then slipped off the captain's over-robe.

Nanao watched him as warily as a wild animal while he approached, but stood still while he draped it over her shoulders.

"Here. You've been promoted."

She huffed a laugh and wrapped herself up in the pale folds, rubbing one sleeve against her cheek.

"It looks good on you, lovely Nanao."

"Mmm." She looked him up and down. "You look good in black."

He made a polite scoffing sound. "Everyone looks good in black. Looking good in pink, now…that's the trick."

She smothered a grin.

He sat down, set his back against the tree trunk and held out an arm. She eyed him suspiciously.

Patience…patience…spook her again and the gods only know where she'll run to.

He found it entirely typical of his Vice-Captain that he could pull a sword on her and she barely blinked, but she eyed a proffered hug as warily as a steel trap.

Patience was rewarded. After a minute she dropped to her knees and fitted herself against his side, hunching into a small ball so that her cheek rested on his chest.

"Lovely, lovely Nanao-chan…" he murmured into her hair. She sighed.

A long moment later, she said, as if it pained her, "Thank you for saving me."

"Any time, darling Nanao-chan."

"Hmmph!"

"It was a valiant last effort. Wouldn't have worked though."

"Oh?" She tilted her head back and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why not?"

"Mmmm. Because, sweet Nanao-chan, there is no place in this world or any other where I would lose track of you."

The corners of her mouth turned down again, and this time he bent his head and kissed it.

Her lips were cool and soft, sweeter than sake and twice as intoxicating. She was still shaking—had she ever stopped?—but when her mouth opened under his, he no longer believed it was fear.

They sat together under the cherry tree for a long, long time.

"Now what?" she asked almost inaudibly, when they had to break apart or risk asphyxiation. She'd moved to stretch out against him, one hand against his chest, one leg crooked over his. Shunsui couldn't quite remember when that had happened, but he definitely wasn't complaining. Nimble, ink-stained fingers moved idly over his skin, a motion she was probably only half-aware of making, and which was going to have him baying at the moon in another minute.

Still… He suppressed a sigh. It was not the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, but it was definitely in the top ten. "Now you go to sleep," he said firmly, taking her hand, pulling it away, and kissing each knuckle. Ah, yes, coherent thought, there you are, so nice to see you again… "Unohana's orders."

The flicker of regret in her eyes made him want to get up and dance, but that really would have scared her (and anyone else in the immediate vicinity—Shunsui had many talents, but dancing was not among them, and he'd been banned from doing so by general order ever since that fiasco with the Abba record a few years back.)

"I'm not that tired," she said, and then ruined it with a jaw-cracking yawn.

"Yes, you are, my lovely stubborn Nanao-chan."

"Hmmmph." She settled against him. He teased the pins out of her hair and ran his fingers over it, stroking her like a cat, a gesture he'd generally found very effective in getting women to relax. Hs Vice-Captain was no exception. Her eyelids sagged closed.

Ah, sweet Nanao-chan…no, much as I would love to have my way with you right here, I want you wide awake for what happens next.

He wanted to take his time. He wanted the leisure to run his fingers over every square inch of her skin, partly out of lust, and partly out of sheer amazement that she was finally letting him touch her.

Well, okay, mostly out of lust.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She made a semi-conscious "mmmmph" noise.

He wanted, very much, to make her feel loved, which was a rather trickier proposition than merely seducing someone. He suspected that merely seducing his suspicious Nanao-chan would result in somebody having their head disintegrated.

Mind you, she is dead sexy when she's trying to kill you. If Unohana hadn't shown up…oh, well, probably for the best. Still. Must have a rematch one of these days…

These were all things that required time, energy, and Nanao not being dead on her feet with a half-healed concussion.

Besides, I haven't had a nap all day.

Shunsui leaned his head back against the tree, pulled his hat down, and listened to her breathing settle into the slow rhythm of sleep.

It really was all about style, after all.

A couple of hours later by the moon, somebody knocked on his hat with their knuckles.

Shunsui woke from his cat nap, pushed the brim up with his free hand and peered out from under it. He hardly needed to, really—he could recognize that particular power signature a mile off, and if it had been anybody but Ukitate, he probably would have done something regrettable.

Anybody makes me wait one second longer than need be, and pacifism be damned…

"We're jumpy tonight," his friend said.

"I've had a long day."

"So I see." Ukitate leaned against the trunk of the tree, peering down at the sleeping Nanao. "Well, you certainly wore her out."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Jyuushiro," said Shunsui, the black hole calling the kettle black. He tucked the edges of the captain's robe more snugly under her chin. "We've been as chaste as baby bunnies. She's getting a well deserved rest."

"You're exercising restraint now?" Ukitate looked around vaguely. "Goodness, is the apocalypse on us already?"

"Oh, you're one to talk." Shunsui glared at him. "You went to her hospital room to offer her a job."

"No, I went to her room to offer her advice. The job was entirely secondary, and only because I'd make it easier for her to transfer back when she realized she couldn't live without you."

Shunsui grinned involuntarily. "I should be so lucky…what did you say to her, anyway?"

Ukitate tilted his head in the barest suggestion of a shrug. "I told her the truth."

"Mmmm. Any particular truth?"

"That you're an idiot."

"Oh, that truth…"

"And I told her that any woman who could make you expend that much energy before noon did not need to worry about being cast aside in a week."

"Oh."

Nanao made a small, sleepy sound and burrowed against her Captain. Her eyelids flickered. "…mmmrff…is it time to get up…?"

"Not yet, Nanao-chan. Go back to sleep." He kissed her forehead.

"…'Kay…"

Shunsui rested his cheek on her hair and gave Ukitate a look that dared him to make something of it.

The white-haired captain smiled smugly. "I was going to ask if I was right…but I see that I am."

"As usual. Get lost, will you?"

"Fine, fine…" He started to turn away, then paused. "And because you are my very good friend, even though you don't deserve it, I have managed to convince Captain Unohana that she doesn't need to file a complaint about a certain mess you left in her infirmary."

"I'll send you a fruit basket."

Ukitate grinned and turned away. He'd gotten three strides across the grass, leaving dark tracks in the dew, when Shunsui called softly after him. "Jyuushiro?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks."

"Of course."

Dawn came with its usual regrettable regularity, setting off the birds. Shunsui woke up from a peaceful nap after a particularly shrill nuthatch yammered practically in his ear.

Oh, well…didn't want to sleep in today anyway. Especially when there are other things to be doing…

There was a romantic notion that people looked younger when they slept. Nanao didn't. She looked pretty much the way she always looked, frowning slightly, the faintest line of concern between her eyes.

Another, rather more normal man might have had the urge to protect her anything that might cause her such concern, but since Shunsui knew full well that he was the source of most of her trouble, he'd just have to make it up to her.

He was smiling down at his armful of Vice-Captain when she opened her eyes and let out a yelp. "Captain!"

She tried to sit up, but he had an arm around her shoulders and wasn't letting go of her that easily. Her eyes were wide and startled, but he chose to believe that was from waking up to an unexpected face six inches away.

She groped for her glasses, found them, and put them on. Her gaze traveled down the length of their bodies, then back up to his face, her expression wavering on the knife-edge between horror and delight.

Shunsui took pity on her. "Relax, sweet Nanao-chan. Nothing happened….yet." He set his lips against her ear, and felt her jump. "Although I intend to rectify that as soon as possible."

"Hmmmm." Nanao ducked her head away and wiggled out of his grasp. He let her go reluctantly. Patience, patience…gods and demons, I deserve sainthood for this… She pulled off the captain's robe and dropped it in the grass, stretching, which did magnificent things to her body. He sat up and put his chin in his hand, watching. Her back was to him, and it was probably a good thing, because his expression couldn't have been anything but predatory.

"You're staring at me," she said, without turning around.

"I prefer to think of it as worship."

"Hmmph." She turned back, one hand rubbing at her neck. "I should really get back to work…"

"Your captain has extended your medical leave for another day."

Her lips twitched the way they did when she was trying not to smile. "The paperwork will pile up."

"Let it."

She strolled in a leisurely fashion back to the tree and dropped into a graceful crouch next to him. His breath caught.

Nanao smiled at him with a speculative expression that he liked very much indeed, reached out, and planted a hand in the middle of his chest. She pushed him back against the tree trunk. Since you could have knocked him over with a feather at that point, it took very little force.

Oh god…

She stroked a hand down his face. Shunsui gave up on breathing entirely.

Oh god, yes, oh please god…

She leaned in and flicked her tongue across his lips.

Nyrrrrr… His brain appeared to have shorted out. That was okay. He hadn't been using it anyway.

"Captain?" she breathed into his ear.

Speech. Yes. He could do that. "Yes?" he asked in a voice rather weaker and higher pitched than usual.

She nipped his ear hard enough to make him jerk and vanished from his arms like smoke. The whiff of ozone that always accompanied flash washed over him.

Oh god, no. Oh god NO. She didn't just…

Yep. She did.

The dawn chorus of birds erupted into flight as he uttered a short but heartfelt scream of pure frustration.

Sonofa…

He'd often called her his cruel Nanao-chan, but apparently he hadn't know the half of it. The woman was a sadist of the first water.

Shunsui got up. He exhaled. He looked at his robe and haori on the grass, and didn't bother. If he caught her again, he wanted less clothes to get off…if he caught her…bloody hell, he was really was going to get handcuffs…

He drew the smaller of his swords. He suspected that this was a very stupid thing to do, but he did it anyway. Nanao had been very good at eluding him in the past, but not this time, and heaven help anybody who got in his way.

Fortunately for Soul Society, it was early morning, and most of the people who were awake were staggering home from a late night, and not inclined to bother a black-clad captain with an expression like thunder and a naked sword in his hand. Two members of the Eighth did see him, swaying their way home after drinking several members of the Eleventh under the table (the Eleventh might be unrivaled in combat, but the Eighth defended their position as the hardest drinkers in Seireitei with great vigor.)

"Was that…?"

"It sure looked like it."

"He looked almost…pissed."

They looked at each other. "Naaaaah."

"Wonder what happened to his hat…?"

Shunsui had in fact lost the hat on a particularly wicked turn a few miles back, and hadn't really noticed. Nanao was making no effort to hide her tracks, and now she appeared to have stopped moving entirely. He'd be there in a matter of seconds.

And when I get there…

Err, what exactly are you going to do, old man?

I don't know.

Something drastic, anyway.

There she was. Not moving at all now—did she think she'd gotten away? That there was anywhere he wouldn't follow? He couldn't detect another power signature in the room with her, but in his current state, he couldn't swear that he would have noticed a direct kick to the head. Didn't matter. If someone else was there, he'd deal with it. Messily.

He flashed into the last room and skidded to a halt.

The surroundings were familiar. Very familiar, in fact. For a stretching moment, he couldn't think why.

Actually, you live here.

Ah. Yes. That was it. He was in his own quarters.

You just came tearing into your own room with a sword in hand. Nicely done.

There was a tray with sake and two glasses on it on the bedside table. Nanao was sitting in a graceful seiza on his bed, the demure posture belied by the amusement in her eyes.

"Well?" she asked, as he stood there gaping at her. "What took you so long?"