Act 3.1

"I don't understand. Where is he?"

The day had started of with little prospects for anything good. Nanao spent most of the night packing all her personal belongings as she would be moving the very next day. Rangiku had promised to hand her anything she accidentally left behind but she still walked around the room continuously to double and triple check. Her packing was intermittently stopped when she got up and paced the room. She spent those times going over what she had said to her soon to be captain on there 1st and so far only meeting. 'Why would he employ her after she attacked him with kidō?' She hated him. She really really hated him. She had never hated anyone before. She felt queasy occasionally when she thought about it. Falling to her knees paralysed for a short time before beginning her packing ones again. When she finished the packing she tossed and turned for remainder of the night. Rangiku woke her up in the morning at 10am which she wasn't happy with. The initiation ceremony was scheduled for noon and that meant she had only two hours to sign any documents and head to the hall in which the ceremony was to take place amongst the rest of the students from her year.

She needn't have bothered.

"I knew it. I thought he would back out at the last minute. He looked like a man who doesn't know his own mind. But to have the ceremony all set up and the captain who demanded it not show." She looked around at the people who had attended and felt distinctly sick. "Now everyone looks at me and thinks 'poor fool for even believing someone wanted to employ her'," she whispered to her friend who stood beside her as they waited for the absent captain.

"No one thinks that Nanao," her friend tried to reassure her but it did little to help.

"Don't they?" she looked up at her friend. She felt tears sting her eyes then looked down at her hands. "I see them whispering to their friends, their eyes pointing in my direction."

"Be patient," said Captain Ukitake of 13th Division. She wasn't sure why he had turned up but Rangiku had told her quietly that he was a close friend to the absent captain. "He will show. Something at the division probably held him up." He didn't believe it to be true but he didn't want to admit this to the already upset student. "He is a loyal friend and comrade, he will show." Though he was unsure what time he would show his face.

She looked away from the white haired captain and stared at her hands. Barely a minute passed when she turned to her friend and said as quietly as she could. "I'm not going to stay for more sniggering," her world catching in her throat. Giving a small bow to the captain and the clerk who was to perform the ceremony, she turned and left.

She eyes track her movements through the hall, even heard her friend following and calling after her but it didn't help. Her vision blurred as she final turned into the room which she had shared with Rangiku. She wasn't upset because he hadn't turned up, on the contrary, she would have preferred if he had never shown his face to her at all. It was because she had been made, forced by rules created by the higher ups, to turn up for a ceremony and in front of all of the attendees was made to look like a complete fool. She felt sick and violated.

"Good Morning, all!"

"Shunsui?"

All eyes turned to see the strangest sight they were ever likely to see. The Captain of 8th Division, Shunsui Kyōraku slumped into the hall. He reeked of sake which some of the attendees chocked on as he passed them. The rest had huge smiles on their faces. It was no wonder when they see a captain walk bare foot into a formal ceremony with his accustomed pink haori inside out covered in sake stains, his 5 o'clock was now a full grown beard and blood shot eyes. His costume was also accessorised by ruby lipstick kisses on collar, cheek, neck and a little more surprisingly on his chest.

"Where have you been?" Jūshirō was less than pleased with his friend's approach.

"Fell asleep. Where is Nanao?" he clumsily looked around vaguely acknowledging her friend.

"Fell asleep! That doesn't look like the only reason you're three hours late. Please tell me it you weren't just late," he begged his friend.

"In a bar," he looked into his friend's eyes practically falling as he told his story, "last night, hic," Jūshirō recoiled back to avoid the cloud of sake which escaped from his friends slurring mouth, "and when I woke up I continued to drink because I knew there was something to celebrate, hic. I couldn't remember what it was till someone asked if I was cold…. I had taken of my haori and kimono at the time--"

"So that's why your haori is inside out," Jūshirō stated.

Shunsui looked utterly perplexed then looking down at his clothes and nearly falling completely over in the process. "Haha yeah, oh well. Ummm, yeah and then I remembered my cold-hearted Nanao. Where is she? Where is my little Nanao?" he turned to survey the crowd as if she was hiding amongst them.

"Probably crying," he meant to say it more to himself but his friend had over heard.

"What?"

"Come and we'll get you cleaned up. You can't be at the ceremony like this," he tried to take hold of Shunsui's arm to encourage him to follow. "My place is the nearest you can wear some of my clothes."

Shunsui shrugged himself out of Ukitake's grip, "No don't be silly. Come, it's late, we have to have the ceremony and get her back mine."

"Shunsui, please."

"No, no, where is she?" and with that he slipped from the room.

It wasn't long before Matsumoto came running back into the room and straight up to Ukitake. "Sir! Captain Kyōraku is here."

"Yes, I know," his whole tune conveyed disapproval.

"Yes but you should have seen what he did when he found Nanao," she seemed totally in shock and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"He grabbed her by the waist, and then kissed her so hard on her cheek, her glasses fell off. If it weren't for knowing how she felt and her being my dearest friend I would have laughed."

Suddenly, Shunsui burst into the room dragging behind the reluctant Nanao, who had obviously been crying which was over looked by the captain. It was almost a circus act as the Shunsui rushed the ceremony of graduation from the academy and initiation into the Goitei 13. Then unceremoniously pulled out a bottle of sake, popped the cork and took a swig. Nanao cringed. At least the feast was next and since she didn't have time to have breakfast any food was welcome.

"Friends, thanks for coming and enjoy the feast. Come, Nanao," Shunsui then started to drag her to the exit. A crack of thunder was heard beyond the entrance and was shortly followed by the heavy droplets of a down pour crashing on the tiled roof.

"WAIT! You're not staying?" it was incredulous, Jūshirō thought, the way his friend had acted

"But I think--"

"Don't trouble yourself by thinking my little Nanao. You'll have plenty of time to do that later."

"Please stay," Rangiku asked.

"It may not be," Shunsui replied.

"Let me entreat to stay," Jūshirō furthered.

"It cannot be," he replied.

"Let me entreat you," Nanao pleaded. She had no wish to get soaked in the heavy monsoon like weather.

"I am content!" he exclaimed.

"Then you are content to stay?" she asked hopefully.

"No. I am content you shall entreat me to stay. And yet not," he continued to drag her but stumbled when her arm disappeared from his grip.

"Then I will stay and you may go on without me."

"No, no, we will go. And I will fend off anyone who stops us."

With that Shunsui grabbed her by the waist and shunpo'd out of the hall.

"Poor Ise," stated Jūshirō.

"I thought Captain Kyōraku was a gentleman," Rangiku replied.

"O, he is. He just has these moments."

The odd pair was vaguely seen as a mere flash and spray of cold water across the roof top. Shunsui held her tightly to him as they moved through Seireitei. The rain smacked her face as if someone slapped her with a cold wet towel. She felt queasy from the clumsy movements he made stumbling at some points then stopping to alter his direction, even reversing down a block or two to fix his course. Then he stopped just over an alley and let her go. It ignored her as she plummeted straight into a huge mud puddle which stretched across the entire width of the alley.

"Nanao, what are you doing in that muddy puddle? You look a mess," he said stopping on the outer edge of the puddle.

"You dropped me in here you oaf!" she shouted at him as she searched for her spectacles which had been knocked off in the fall.

"Here let me help you up," he splashed through the mud, flicking it everywhere.

CRACK

"Ooo!" he bent down and picked up the crumpled frame. "Sorry," he said quietly as he placed them in her hands.

She felt like crying, she truly did but that wouldn't be write for a vice captain. She attempted to swallow her pride but choked on the lump on throat. She turned away from him and placed the broken frame in the folds of her kimono. She took a deep rattling breathe to compose herself then swiftly turned around to face her captain.

"I'm going to need your help. I can't see."

"That's ashame my lovely Nanao because you have such exceptionally beautiful eyes, it's sad to have them blocked all the time," he held out his arm and waited as she reached out to him.

"Ise," she replied.

"At least the mud will wash off in the rain."

As if on cue the rain stopped, leaving the mud clumped coldly to her body. She was cursed. There was no other explanation for it. Though she never liked such flimsy explanations which usually ignored the facts and figures, she could think of anything else to describe her situation.

A/N: Thanks for the review guys. Next chapter up on Sunday as I have a very busy day tomorrow.