A/N: Whoo hoo, school is almost out! I had my last final today and spent the rest of it in a terrible mood because I feel I did rather poorly on it. Despite this, I felt obliged to edit and post this next chapter for you, my beloved readers. I am hoping that I will be able to update faster now that I have almost broken free of that hell-hole called school (chisels another tally mark in the side of the cell wall). Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's sort of a transition into where the feces hit he proverbial fan!

Tossed Aside
Chapter Nine: The Trouble with Nanao

Cocooned in warmth, Nanao sighed as she slid back into consciousness regretfully. She felt as if she could easily cuddle in closer to her Taichō and glide back into sleep within seconds. She absolutely adored how warm he was.

As her fatigued brain belatedly realized exactly what she had just thought, Nanao started. She blinked rapidly, her eyes combating the darkness of the room, struggling to make out a semblance of where she was and who she was with.

It wasn't a dream then, Nanao realized as she lifted her head from where it was tucked neatly underneath Shunsui's chin. She was lying on top of him, both of them sunk into well-worn cushions of the sofa in the corner of the office.

Her tangled hair fell into her eyes as she gazed at the man under her, his breathing deep and even. Regret wormed its way into her stomach like a parasite, feeding off of her high emotions. You crossed a line Ise Nanao, one you shouldn't have crossed.

She pushed off of the couch hesitantly, trying to extricate herself from her Taichō's embrace without waking him. Nanao wasn't sure exactly what she would do if he stirred just then.

The rustle of silk startled her. She caught his prized haori as it slid from her shoulders. She remembered now, he had enveloped her in it after they had finished…whatever it was they had done. Nanao draped the vibrant fabric over her Taichō in the hopes that if someone did walk into the office before he woke up, they would think he merely drank too much again and fell asleep. No one would have any reason to consider her part of the equation.

Covering her bare chest with her arm, Nanao darted over toward the desk and retrieved her hakama, wrapping it around herself and securing it. She slid her discarded glasses onto her nose and buried the tattered bandages at the bottom of the wastepaper basket. Nanao restacked the plates on the tray as quietly as she could and placed it on her desk. Knowing it would be foolish to waste time looking for her hairpins in the dim light, Nanao examined the office for anything that would have revealed what had occurred earlier.

What did happen? Nanao wondered numbly as she crossed silently to the door. Her chest clenched as she found herself unable to answer the question. What have we done? She bit her lip, the cool night air caressing her warm skin, chilling her. Somehow it seemed fitting for the situation. She glanced over her shoulder at her sleeping Taichō and thought she might burst from the swell of emotion that his tranquil face evoked in her.

"I'm so sorry, Taichō," Nanao whispered softly, before closing the door and stepping out into the pitch black of the night.

She walked slowly back to her quarters, her arms crossed in front of her defensively. As her heart resisted her with every measured step she took, Nanao didn't even notice the glinting eyes that followed her progress through the night.

- - -

When the door closed with a soft click, Shunsui opened his eyes with a remorseful sigh.

I should have stopped her when I first felt her move, he berated himself. I should have confronted her then.

But something told him she still wasn't ready.

Shunsui was beginning to wonder if Nanao would ever be ready. She was frightened, he knew that. He could interpret the looks in her eyes just as easily as she could read those books of hers. She had been afraid when he had reached for her, but whether it was fear of him or fear of herself, he didn't know.

Ah, but it had been breathtaking to see fear fade into desire. To watch her shed her neat and prim exterior to reveal the passionate woman who existed beneath the surface, smothered within the tight confines of Nanao's will.

She had spread her wings and he had been prepared to take her flying. To show her all of the benefits that having such a seasoned lover could provide. And…to firmly establish himself as her last.

Nanao came down from her high, trembling in his arms, her cry ringing in the silence. Confusion blossomed across her face. Shunsui kissed her slowly, warmly. His fingers paused, hooked into her waistband.

He doubted she would stop him if he continued but as maddening as it was, he could not allow himself to take her like this. He wanted their first time together to be free of regret and doubt. So it was that even with his own body longing for Nanao, more than he had ever wanted anything in his entire life, Shunsui lifted her in his arms and carried her to the small sofa.

"Taichō?" she questioned, her voice sounding more venerable than he had ever heard it before.

"It's alright Nanao-chan," his lips caressed her temple as she curled her hands into the collar of his open shirt. "I have waited a long time; I can manage a little longer. Just… lay here with me for a little while."

While it wasn't exactly how he would have directed the evening if things had been different, it had still felt wonderful to hold his Nanao close. Her weight upon his chest served as a reminder that it had indeed happened, that she was there with him. He had drifted to sleep dreaming of what could be.

And woke up in a nightmare.

Shunsui had often remarked that all he needed in life was a warm bed, a jug of sake, and a good woman at his side. Over the years that statement had morphed into a warm bed, a jug of sake, and his Nanao-chan at his side.

On the whole he didn't think he wanted that much. He never had. While Nanao considered this being lazy, he called it conserving energy. What Nanao didn't know was that when he truly wanted something, he would go after it relentlessly, with all of the vigor he usually reserved for the appreciation of sake.

He wanted Nanao. And now that he was so close to having her, he wouldn't give up until she was his. He wanted forever; now all he had to do was convince her that she wanted it too.

- - -

Despite the fact that the day was incredibly warm, the atmosphere in the office was frigid. Making it incredibly apparent to everyone in the Eighth Division that something was wrong. Very wrong.

Ise Fukutaichō was acting strangely and Kyōraku Taichō hadn't been into the office at all and it was nearing two o'clock. He always stopped by the office at least once in the morning, even on his laziest days, to 'greet his Nanao-chan.'

Whispers carried through the balmy spring air faster than sake on a division party night. Had their beloved squad leaders actually fought? Sure, they bickered all the time but Kyōraku Taichō and Ise Fukutaichō had never been known to actually have a full scale argument that wasn't resolved moments later.

The two shared a close and unique bond that was rivaled by few other division duos, except perhaps the Tenth Division's Hitsugaya Toshirō and Matsumoto Rangiku. While they appeared to be polar opposites at first glance, they complemented each other perfectly and more importantly, they seemed to always understand one another. Until now.

Kyōraku Taichō had been suspiciously absent from the division's usual midmorning drill session. Ise Fukutaichō had led training by herself, let them go early, and failed to correct the fifth-seat's purposefully horrible kidō technique. Then, the tenth-seated member had gone to talk with Nanao about a personal problem she had been having. Instead of the usual cup of strongly brewed tea combined with unhurried, calculated, yet caring advice dispensed across the broad surface of the desk, Nanao had responded in a hollow voice that she didn't have time to stop and talk. As the afternoon wore on, squad members began skirting the office to avoid verbal abuse, especially those who were wearing pink.

Yes, it was decided by general consensus, something was incredibly wrong between Kyōraku Taichō and Ise Fukutaichō. Yet no one had been able to find their Captain in order to inquire about exactly what had happened and no one was brave enough to risk being caught at the receiving end of their Fukutaichō's kidō spells. Curious to test their varying theories, the squad members sent in the only person who couldn't refuse the job.

So it was that Takahashi Okuni found herself peeking hesitantly around the door of the division headquarters. Little had the rest of the squad members known that the petite, bespectacled shinigami was carrying a strange set of orders for their Fukutaichō in addition to her unofficial mission.

"Um, Ise Fukutaichō?" she began timidly, stepping into the office.

"What is it?" Nanao snapped, her voice sounding strained. She did not even look up from her desk where she was sorting out the new paperwork. Okuni adjusted her glasses as they slipped down her nose, startled at Nanao's behavior.

"Are...are you alright?" Okuni inquired, not able to stop herself.

"I am fine, Takahashi-san," Nanao responded, her voice soft and low. It almost sounded as if the vice-captain was trying to convince herself and not succeeding.

You keep telling yourself that, Okuni thought wryly, fighting to keep the eyebrow that always arched cynically from raising. "Oh. I um… I have orders for you from Kyōraku Taichō," she continued, noting how her commanding officer's head shot up at the pronouncement.

"Pardon me?" Nanao asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"I have orders from Kyōraku Taichō," Okuni repeated, her hand fingering the length of midnight blue ribbon around her neck, from which hung a small, delicate hell butterfly. "You are to report to him at once. He is waiting for you near the west gate. He said you would know where that was."

Nanao sat back in her chair, folding her ink-stained hands thoughtfully. Is this some kind of joke? She wondered. He never gives me order. Except for battle, where I'm always ordered to stay back. "Did he say why he wanted me, Takahashi-san?" Nanao asked quietly, not looking up. She already thought she knew the reason why.

"No, but he requested that you bring something to eat because he knows you haven't eaten all day and says it's not healthy." Okuni regarded her superior officer through her horn-rimmed glasses. "You look awful Ise Fukutaichō." Her eyes widened and she hung her head shamefully as Nanao looked at her incredulously.

"Forgive me, Fukutaichō, I am just concerned." Okuni brushed her bangs behind her ear. "Actually, everyone in the squad is worried that you and Kyōraku Taichō had an argument. They think he finally went too far this time."

In an uncharacteristic motion Nanao propped her elbows on the desk and rubbed her face with her hands mumbling, "One of us went too far, anyway."

Lifting her head, she adjusted her own lenses and stood up. "Thank you, Takahashi-san. Please tell Kyōraku Taichō I'll be there as soon as I can get something to eat from the mess."

"How did you know he was waiting for an answer?" Okuni asked slightly amazed.

"Even he is not stupid enough to give me an order and expect me to follow it," Nanao replied grimly.

It's time to end this. For good.

A/N: Review! Or you'll have to take Bonnie the Pig out for her daily exercise. (Can anyone say Soul Society Rodeo Show?)