Obligatory disclaimer is obligatory. And disclaiming.

Listening to: Belle and Sebastian – 'Piazza, New York Catcher'.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Three months passed in which Nel barely even saw her lieutenant. Oh, she knew he was there. The paperwork was done, the rosters were flawless, the budget perfectly balanced and notes from lieutenants' meetings inscribed in a meticulously neat hand always made their way to her desk on time, but she could never find him.

Not that she was looking for him.

Much.

Ok, so maybe she had tried to find him a few times, just to see if she could have some company on her lunch break. Each and every time he had either been too busy with the paperwork, or he had gone and she was left to retrieve any messages he might have for her from their fifth seat, who had started to mutter darkly about being a go-between. She wasn't quite sure how to deal with this. They'd seemed to get along well the first two days, but then his abrupt removal from her office had her wondering. She should have been used to working in an office on her own, but suddenly it felt very bare and lonely, and she couldn't help thinking of him whenever she had a break between training sessions, though this wasn't very often. That was the other thing – he still hadn't really done any work with the division. She kept meaning to approach him with the idea of participating in a training session but, since she'd had no luck approaching him in general, that had fallen by the wayside. So it fell to her to continue training the squad on her own, and it was starting to take its toll on her. She was getting tired of Ran's concerned glances.

Closing up her office, she looked up at the darkening sky.

I hate feeling like this. I didn't even do anything, he just went all recluse on me for no freaken reason! And then he has the gall to make me actually miss him, the bastard.

Ok, he's probably not responsible for how I feel. But damn it, I have a hard enough time staying angry with him, I need a little more ammunition.

I am such a moron. I must have the worst taste in men since… well, Ran. Or Momo.

That does it. I'm going out drinking with the girls. I need a break.

xXx

Two hours later, three female lieutenants and a captain entered one of the quieter bars in the second district of the Rukongai. While Rangiku had tried to take them somewhere 'livelier', Nanao had put her foot down and pointed out that going someplace where they threw the bodies out the window rather than the door was a little too lively for her tastes. Nemu had quietly stood by the more mature woman and Nel had been too tired to care, so here they were, still in uniform and seated at a table in the corner, clutching their respective drinks. None of them looked particularly happy, though with Nemu that was more a default expression. Nel was halfway through her beer before Rangiku slammed down her drink.

"That does it. What the hell is with everyone tonight? I know why I'm feeling lousy, but what's with the rest of you?"

Nemu looked up from her cosmopolitan. "I am not feeling anything too unpleasant, however I find that I am not enjoying going over my late father's belongings at all. It is somewhat depressing to have to go over the plans for prototypes of myself. But I daresay the feeling will pass. Why are you feeling unhappy Rangiku-san?"

They all stared at her open-mouthed. "Captain Urahara has you doing that?" Rangiku uttered in disbelief. "That bastard!"

Nemu shook her head. "On the contrary, I do not think he realised my father had kept such things or that they would affect me so. At the same time it is reassuring that I am capable of such feeling. It reminds me that I am not entirely my father's creation, as he would certainly never have imbued me with the ability to experience such emotions."

This speech was greeted with a silence that Ran broke. "Shit, and I thought I had problems."

Nemu looked confused at this. "But you clearly do. You are unhappy for a reason, are you not?"

The buxom woman shrugged and reached for her second sake bottle. "With me it's just the 'happy five year anniversary of the betrayal' crap. I made my peace with it and all, it just still gets me down."

"Well, that is still a problem."

"Yeah, but not on the same level as an existential moment. I think Nemu wins."

Nemu was looking even more confused. "I don't think I want to win."

"No one really does", Nanao explained, "Rangiku is just stating that our problems pale in comparison to yours"

"Oh. Well, what is troubling you?"

"Nothing new. My captain being an idiot, my captain being a drunken idiot, my captain being a lazy idiot and, occasionally to keep things fresh, my captain being a lazy, drunken idiot. He's a man of seemingly infinite variety." Nanao finished dryly.

"Awww. You love him." Rangiku teased.

"Shut up." Nanao blushed. "Anyway, I – Rangiku, did you spike Nel's beer?"

"Huh?" Ran looked up from her sake. "What, no. Not this time."

"Well, she's asleep."

They all turned to look at the slumped form of their friend, her head resting on the table beside her half-full (or half-empty, depending on who you asked) beer bottle.

"Well, shit. How'd that happen?" Ran muttered.

Nanao peered closer. "She looks exhausted. I mean, I thought she looked tired when the war ended, but this is worse. You can actually see the circles under her eyes, and those tattoos of hers usually cover them."

"True", Nemu replied, "but Yumichika-san informed me that this particular type of lighting is most unflattering, so perhaps that is part of it."

"And he'd know", Rangiku conceded, "but poor lighting doesn't make you fall asleep after half a beer. She's over worked."

"What about her lieutenant?" Nanao asked. "Surely he's been helping pick up the slack?"

Ran frowned, twirling a tendril of hair between her fingers. "That's just it. He's taken to locking himself up with the paperwork."

"I know that feeling." Nanao grimaced.

"Yeah, well, he's been avoiding her like she's diseased. Or Kenpachi. Which she's not."

"We can be entirely certain of the latter", Nemu nodded, "but the question is why would he do that? Did they have some sort of disagreement that preceded this?"

"No. I even asked Grimmjow last week after he had another 'incident' with Ichigo."

"They do have an interesting way of saying hi." Nanao mused.

"Well, technically the two of them are a different species to us. Often the greeting actions of another species seem strange to us, such as the way canus lupis familiaris sniff each other's behinds. It would seem strange if we did it, but to the species involved it has a particular meaning", Nemu stated casually.

"You, uh, might not want to mention that comparison to either of them", Rangiku giggled.

"We're getting off topic." Nanao pointed out. "Did Grimmjow have any ideas?"

"Nothing. But he agrees with me, they both seemed to be getting along really well when he first started. I mean, really well." She winked.

The other two looked at Ran.

"What?"

Nemu decided to explain. "It's not that we are doubting your word, but you do have a tendency to see attraction where there isn't the slightest."

Ran winced. "Don't break it to me gently or nothing. Besides, I have a second opinion!"

Nanao shook her head. "Grimmjow doesn't count. He's hardly what you'd call very perceptive."

Nemu considered this. "Who else is Lieutenant Schiffer close to that we could ask?"

There was a lengthy pause before Ran suddenly leapt up, almost spilling her fourth bottle of sake.

"Orihime!"

Nanao nodded. "Now there's an idea. When are you in the human world next?"

Ran looked bashful. "I'm kinda not allowed to go on my own anymore. Something about a maxed out credit card that belonged to Toushiro."

Nanao rolled her eyes. "Right. Well, if I left my division for the day my captain would probably do something drastic, like set the paperwork alight. That is, of course, if he could be bothered doing anything about it all. Nemu?"

"I could probably go once I have completed sorting through my father's work. However, I do not know if that will happen before the year is out."

Ran sighed. "Crapcakes. Back to square one it is."

"Well", Nemu began, "what exactly is it we wish to achieve? I don't think we can sort through their communication problems for them, but isn't the main problem Nel being over-worked? Could we not just explain the issue to him?"

"I did suggest I could talk to him when this started, but she shot me down." Rangiku admitted.

Nanao groaned. "Fabulous. She won't admit she's having trouble, she refuses to tell the one person who can help her she's having trouble, and where has this gotten her? Passed out here. Speaking of which, who's planning to carry her home? She's too tall for Nemu and I, and you're already three sheets to the wind."

"'M not", Rangiku said with a glare, then reconsidered, "Maybe one and a half."

"I think the point is that you will not be carrying her home." Nemu helpfully clarified.

"Well who…" Rangiku trailed off, only to suddenly look inspired. "That's it!"

"Here we go." Nanao said with a roll of her eyes.

"Ulquiorra's carrying her home!"

Nemu and Nanao exchanged looks.

"That actually isn't such a bad idea." Nanao said slowly.

"I agree. By avoiding contact with her, he has remained oblivious to the problem. This would be a perfect opportunity to make it clear to him what is happening." Nemu concurred.

Ran grinned. "See, not just a pretty face. Oops - " She righted herself after almost slipping off the chair. "Uh, you guys might want to take care of the actual hell butterfly sending. I'm going to sit still for a while."

xXx

As he had done every night since trying to separate himself from her, Ulquiorra dreamed of Neliel. The dreams themselves varied, from the sort of perverted scenes he wouldn't have thought himself capable of imagining to simple recollections of when they had first met on the battlefield.

This one was neither.

Ulquiorra opened his eyes. The room was bright, sun shining through the open window. He shifted and froze when he felt the arm draped across his stomach. Turning to find its owner, he saw a dishevelled and sleepy Neliel, who appeared to only be wearing the blanket, open her eyes and smile drowsily at him, before leaning over to thread the fingers on her other arm through the hair not covered by his mask.

That was the point he forgot to breathe.

She put her lips to his ear and whispered in her sweet, lilting voice, "Good morning, Ulquiorra." His eyes closed, and he felt those warm, too-soft lips delicately brush his cheek.

"Neliel."

He woke up.

It was still dark, but he was able to see that he had not woken up to a kiss, but rather the brush of a hell butterfly's wing as it feebly fluttered in an attempt to wake him up. Groaning, he rolled over and sat up, glaring at the messenger with a brusque "What?" The butterfly settled and began to relay the transmission. A clear, authoritative and slightly tipsy voice rang out.

"Lieutenant Schiffer, this is Lieutenant Ise of the Eighth. I apologise for the intrusion. Unfortunately we require your assistance with Nel - "

Here another, considerably drunker, voice broke in. "Yeah, coz we're too hammered to move her."

"Rangiku, sit down before you hurt yourself. We are not too drunk. You are too drunk, and Nel is too tall for Nemu and I to lift properly."

"Che, whatever – SHIT!" There was a very loud crash.

"Kami, save us", the first voice muttered, "Nemu, take over please."

A third voice joined the one-sided conversation, clipped and precise.

"What Rangiku-san and Nanao-san are trying to say is please come and retrieve your captain. She is fast asleep and we cannot move her. You will find us in the bar opposite the teahouse and marketplace in the second district."

The transmission ended with a louder crash, and the voice of Lieutenant Ise using words he would have expected to hear from Grimmjow. Ulquiorra blinked, before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

So much for maintaining a distance.

xXx

Half an hour later, dressed and slightly less asleep, Ulquiorra had located his captain and her friends. It hadn't been hard. He spotted Rangiku as she stumbled out of the bar to settle herself behind two slight, dark-haired women, one adjusting her glasses and the other taking the pulse of a familiar figure curled up asleep on the side walk.

"Asshole bouncer, all 'you can't sleep in here'. We're paying customers!" Rangiku burst out.

Nanao looked up. "It was probably a mistake to hit on him. You really upset his boyfriend."

"Well, how the fuck was I supposed to know he was gay? 'Sides, he was still looking. I could totally turn him. More to the point, how was I supposed to know his boyfriend was the owner?"

Nemu spoke up. "Well, the fact that they were kissing behind the bar before he had to come over probably should have indicated that flirting was not the best strategy."

Ran glared at the other woman. "Hey Nemu, do you know what a rhetorical question is?"

"Of course, it is a question asked without any anticipation of an – oh."

"Yeah."

"Rangiku, stop it", Nanao commanded. "How is she, Nemu?"

"Her breathing is fine and she has no temperature. There is no need to take her to the Fourth. I still think she should rest, though. She cannot continue to be so over-worked."

"I just hope her lieutenant gets here soon. This can't be comfortable for her."

"Yeah, well, he should have thought of that before he dumped her with all the physical work", Rangiku muttered darkly, "I'm just surprised she's coped this long. I thought the whole point of her having a lieutenant was so that she'd stop working herself to death."

He'd heard about the human emotion guilt before, but he'd had no idea that it could make you feel so sick. Studiously avoiding Neliel had meant that he had not really seen her, but now, as she lay beneath the streetlight, it was clear that she had lost weight, and that her face was looking gaunt compared to when he had last looked at her.

This is mostly my doing. She needed a lieutenant to help her cope with the workload, and where have I been? Skulking in an office as far away from her as possible, disappearing whenever I feel her reiatsu approach. I have been so caught up in hiding from her that I never even noticed that she was suffering for it. It never occurred to me that there would be consequences.

He tilted his head to the side, watching as she slept peacefully on the concrete.

This needs to change. I will make this up to you Neliel, I promise that much.

Nanao stifled a yawn. "Damn, he doesn't show up soon and I'll be as late as my captain tomorrow."

That, he decided, was his cue. He stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the women.

"Good evening, lieutenants. I believe I'll take it from here." He crouched beside Neliel.

"We're sorry about the late call - " Nanao began.

"It is no problem. Thank you for staying with her." He picked his captain up effortlessly. "Good night."

With that, he walked off into the night.

xXx

Nanao watched Rangiku carefully. "You knew he was there when you said that last bit, didn't you?"

The other woman gave her a lopsided smile. "Hell yeah."

Nemu looked impressed. "That was a clever move."

"Well, I'm good at this shit, even if I'm one and a half sheets to the wind." She raised her sake bottle in a toast.

"Ah, Rangiku-san?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're holding your sake bottle upside down. It's spilling."

"Shit. Maybe I'm closer to two sheets to the wind."

Nanao rolled her eyes. "You're the entire linen closet. Come on girls, time to head home."

xXx

As he arrived at his captain's house Ulquiorra propped her carefully against the wall as he searched her pockets. It had been maddening, carrying her back as she'd curled in closer to him, burrowing her face into his chest. She smelled faintly of apples, and there was a part of him that wondered if she would taste like them too.

Damn it, focus! You have the keys, now just open the door, let her in and get out before this gets worse.

Suddenly, Neliel slumped to the side and started to fall. Without thinking, he caught her, holding her close to him. His breath hitched as she opened her eyes blearily and mumbled his name. Attempting what he hoped was a reassuring voice, he replied, "It's all right Neliel, it's only me. Go back to sleep."

Closing her eyes again and snuggling against him she mumbled, "It's Nel, damn it."

Chuckling quietly to himself, he turned the key and let them in. Her house was small, but cheery, much like their office space. He found himself rather liking it and wishing he didn't, but that was hardly new when it came to her. Settling her on the bed, he sat down beside her and brushed the hair out of her face. She shifted, and that action brought her lips to the palm of his hand.

He froze. It was like the moment their hands had touched, but on a scale he couldn't have imagined. He couldn't seem to breathe, he couldn't think of anything but the woman in front of him and how good her lips felt against his skin.

My dreams are nothing to this. It's… intoxicating. She's intoxicating.

He moved his hand, his thumb trailing over her bottom lip.

She smells so sweet, would she taste sweet too? I wonder…

He leaned forward…

She shifted again in her sleep, and he caught himself, horrified.

I almost kissed my captain. I almost kissed a very asleep Neliel. How the fuck did that happen?

He sonido'd to the other side of the room, trying to get his breathing under control, but it still felt like he needed more distance.

Attempting to cure this through absenting myself from her life hasn't helped in the least. If anything, I'm worse off than I was before. She still affects me, only now, if anything, it has gotten stronger. It's time to change my approach.

He left, walking into the kitchen and pondering.

If I am to desensitise myself to her, I need to start ingratiating myself into her life. After all, the more time spent in her presence, the faster this feeling should diminish, according to the second theory Orihime told me about. And what better time to start than now…

xXx

Nel awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and calm, until she remembered passing out on her friends.

"Crap. Crap, crap, crap, shit. They take me out to cheer me up, and what do they get? The once in a freaken lifetime opportunity to cart me back home after I fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. Life of the party, that's me."

She looked over to check the time, and swore, stumbling out of bed.

Great. I'm going to be late, and worse, I know I'm out of coffee.

Tearing into the kitchen after the world's quickest shower, she stopped, staring at the counter on which two full bags of coffee now stood.

Well… fuck. I owe Ran big time.

Walking forward, she found the note wedged under one of the bags and felt herself gape as she read it.

Neliel.

Firstly, no, I will not call you Nel. The coffee is yours for the taking, consider it a personal apology for taking so long with the paperwork backlog. As for why I was here last night, your friends were somewhat concerned after you fell asleep at the bar, and lacked the necessary sobriety levels to help you home. I hope you feel better and I will see you at the training grounds when you come in.

Ulquiorra.

She read it again. Then she read it a third time, a smile creeping across her face as she looked over the last line.

I like today already.

xXx

Awww. Just a heads up – I have a major exam this week, so there may be a bit of a delay posting chapter nine, which is currently languishing half-finished and with little hope of being posted until next weekend. I will try to make it sooner but, just in case, you have been warned.

Pip pip!