A/N: Well, the road to getting here was quite strange. My computer was acting up and freezing a bunch, so I had to create the majority of this part the old-fashioned way, by writing it out. Nevertheless, it's still here. This one is now my favorite chapter, although I'm probably going to like the next one just as much. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

Chapter Seven: And It Just Keeps Getting Better

Rangiku had left Nanao alone to the daunting task of thinking once she thought she'd spoken enough. She had tried her best to defend herself and said that it wasn't what it looked like and she wouldn't ever do such a thing, but Rangiku had looked unimpressed. She mentioned something about talking to Shunsui so that they could straighten everything out. She wasn't sure what she meant exactly, but she promised to keep it in mind.

Nanao knew that her friend was upset, and she also knew that she had a good right to be. Shunsui was her good friend, it made sense that she didn't want to see anything bad happen to him. The thing was, she didn't even do anything.

She already beat herself up enough about what she could've done if that explosion wouldn't have gone off. It wasn't right, whatever it was. She didn't want to think about it. She felt so unlike herself it wasn't funny. She never wanted to hurt him, ever. She would die before she did anything so ruthless intentionally.

But what about her? She didn't tell Rangiku what she had seen earlier. That would've just provoked more questions from her. What had he done? Had he even done anything? She was going to find out eventually, maybe even tonight. That's where she was headed now, back to the office.

She found the walk rather long, even though she was close. Maybe it was just her mood, it had been unfavorable all day. A part of her dreaded what could come of tonight. Well, she would just have to see.

Her steps were heavier than they usually were on the wooden walkway, sandals making a thudding sound against it. The sun had fully set now, casting everything in shadow. She could see the light on in the office now, partly wondering what Shunsui was still doing there.

She sighed. Maybe Rangiku was right. Maybe they did just need to talk. It would probably make her feel better in the end. Then again, she thought differently for a minute. What would he say? Would he be disappointed in her because of what she almost did? If that was the case, she didn't think she could handle it.

Nearing the door, she confirmed the fact that he was there by feeling his reiatsu. Sliding the door open, she found him sitting at his desk, actually ...working? Oh, that's right. She left her work unfinished when she left. It was still an odd sight.

Hearing the door, he looked up and was instantly relieved. He must have been too wrapped up in finishing her work that he failed to sense her coming. He got up immediately and met her by the door.

"Nanao, are you okay? I was worried. None of us saw a trace of you past this morning."

She nodded her head, huffing out some air. "I'm fine. I was just taking care of some things. I'm sorry for just leaving you with the work today. I didn't really think about it."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. It's probably time I did some work around here anyway. That way, you don't have to do so much."

He got closer and wrapped her in a hug, enjoying that he finally got to hold her. He put his head on top of hers, just staying there. She didn't hesitate to hug back, wrapping her arms around him, enjoying his scent. Oh how she needed this right now.

They were both silent and motionless for a bit, and Nanao wondered if he was going to say anything about this afternoon. She stayed silent for a bit more, giving him the opportunity if he was going to. No such thing came, and she inwardly frowned. Was he just giving an act?

A part of her wanted to come out and say something. The other part wanted him to be the one admitting it. She realized that she also had something to tell, but in her eyes, it wasn't as severe as what happened with him. She wasn't the one that kissed someone else. Maybe it was for the better though, that he didn't say anything right now. She was dangerously flirting on the edge of a massive breakdown. She didn't know if she could handle all of what would follow it tonight.

"I'm going to Rangiku's tonight. She wanted to spend some time and catch up on things."

"Alright." He stepped away from her, taking in her features. Something was off about her. "Are you sure you're okay, Nanao?"

She looked up at him and nodded again. She needed a bit more time to think, that was it.

"Yes, thank you." She began to walk towards the door again, when she stopped to say something else. "You don't have to finish that if you don't want to. I can handle it in the morning. Goodnight, Shunsui."

"Goodnight, Nanao-chan."

She walked out the door, sliding it shut behind her, leaving him to his own thoughts. Well, at least she called him Shunsui, but he didn't quite like the way she said it. She rarely called him that in the office, but her tone was almost mournful. No, there was definitely something the matter, but he knew that she would come to him eventually. He knew pushing her never got anywhere.

Still, he wondered what could be bothering her. Then, his own situation rose up again. He should've told her about the Thirteenth member right away, but he didn't want to add anything to her already down mood. Tomorrow it was then. He would wait no longer than that. It looked like tonight was going to be spent alone at his home. Going over to his desk again, he decided that he would finish up here before he left.

As she walked away, Nanao wondered if he would know that she wasn't going to Rangiku's.

XoXoXoX

"Alright, is everyone accounted for? All except Captain Kyouraku and Lieutenant Ise? Good. We may begin."

All captains and lieutenants had been called for an urgent meeting, all except those from the Eighth. Also in attendance was Yukio Otori, brought in to see what was to be expected of him at any meetings he attended. Apparently, this was something that couldn't wait. Jushiro Ukitake was not pleased. He sat somewhat impatiently next to the other officers. Why was Shunsui and Nanao not present?

Chojiro Sasakibe, lieutenant of the First, was making the opening statements.

"The agenda for this meeting is the well-being of Lieutenant Ise. Her heath and ability to function correctly is supposedly being hindered in a negative way. It was brought to our attention that action should be taken against this."

Ukitake saw some of the other officers look at each other and shake their heads. He clearly knew what they thought of this.

"It is our duty to make sure that our top ranking officers are capable of supporting their divisions. It is what makes the Soul Society operate efficiently. We cannot ignore these concerns." He paused for a moment, to let it set in. "This is about the work ethic of Captain Shunsui Kyouraku."

Jushiro rolled his eyes slightly. If it would've been appropriate, he might have made a sound to further show his agitated mood. It seems others didn't have the same discretion, because a few of them started whispering among themselves. Out of his eye and across the room, he saw Ivy Giahara share the same look of restlessness as he had. She was whispering to Izuru and Rangiku. Next to him, he shared a look with Retsu. He knew she didn't think much of this either, even though she didn't say anything. He could see it in her eyes.

Surely this was just a waste of time. Nanao wasn't complaining, and if she was, she would bring it up with Shunsui himself. She didn't waste time with useless meetings and dragging others into it that didn't need to be. Even if she did, she would be the one running the meeting then.

He was about to think on who would've been stupid enough to bring this up, but General Yamamoto had spoken up.

"It is common knowledge that this particular topic has been known about for some time, but no actions have been taken on it. It hasn't been an issue before, but let us take it into consideration for the time being."

He paused for a moment before speaking, making sure he had all the attention in the room. All whispering had stopped.

"Since this concern was brought up by Yukio Otori, who is being reviewed for a high position among you, I shall let the group of you agree on what should be done about this. A majority agreement should suffice. I will return shortly to hear your verdict."

He left shortly after, leaving them to their own devices.

So that's who the culprit was, Ukitake thought. Well, maybe his opinion of the man is changing after all. He had heard from Shunsui what Izuru and Ivy thought about him, but he had said he was not going to judge off of their words alone and would evaluate him himself. Well, he felt his respect for the man dropping by the minute by every word that came out of his mouth. It was good that he was concerned for Nanao, but he was positive that Yukio did not get her consent for this. She never would have agreed.

He had stood up and began to give a few reasons why he called them here, but because of his thoughts, Jushiro wasn't really paying attention at first.

"-so Nanao has been the one to take on the brunt of running the division. This is not a lieutenant's job when a capable captain is available to lead. Maybe that's what the problem is. Perhaps Captain Kyouraku is no longer capable."

Well, they had been getting along for the most part by taking turns talking. Unfortunately, this could no longer be the case. Jushiro felt the need to defend his friend. He shot up.

"Excuse me, but I don't see how you think you have the ground to judge our commanding officers' abilities. Shunsui has always been capable of running his own division for all the years I've known him."

Yukio turned to look at him. "Yes, it seems that is a problem too. Because you've known him so long, you turn a blind eye, letting him get away with it. I had requested that you, along with the Third and a few other close friends of his, to be left out of this discussion. I was denied this request, however."

He saw Ivy give Yukio a dirty look, sharing the same feelings as he did himself. What Yukio really wanted was less people in the way.

"So now you're insinuating that my judgment is corrupt?"

"If that's how you take it. This is for Nanao's sake. She should come first."

Jushiro didn't like the familiar tone he used with her name. He heard a short, one-syllable laugh come from the direction of the Tenth officers. There was a strained and hushed 'Matsumoto' also, signifying which one it had been. Yukio glared in that direction, and there was quiet laughter from the Third officers next to her. He saw Izuru just smile back at him. He was glad to see them on Shunsui's side.

Jushiro decided to continue before a fight broke out or something.

"Lieutenant Ise is fine. If she had any need for an intervention by us, she would have asked for it."

"You did not see her yesterday, she looked terrible. Besides, I think it's quite clear that Captain Kyouraku has her wrapped around his finger, so even if she wanted help, she wouldn't ask for it."

"You have no evidence to support any of that!"

Rangiku had suddenly stood up, much to her captain's dismay. She had had enough too.

"Matsumoto, sit down." Her captain tried to whisper an order, but she was having none of that.

"No. With all due respect Captain Hitsugaya, I'm not going to sit by while some nobody fresh from the Academy insults one of our own."

The more she saw of Yukio, the less she liked him. She would admit that she might've been wrong about him, especially after last night's escapade, the cad.

"And," She continued. "I don't think it's Shunsui who's doing the finger wrapping."

His lips curved upward in a slight smirk, one that didn't go unnoticed. "I would watch what you say, Lieutenant Matsumoto. You wouldn't want to get your captain in trouble."

At this, she fell silent. She didn't want to add any more trouble, but she couldn't just do nothing. Jushiro wondered where Yukio had come up with all of this. He thought all of it had to be made up. Shunsui may be lazy most of the time, even though he had improved a lot this past year, but he would never put any unnecessary strain on Nanao. She was his lover for crying out loud. He may be clueless sometimes, but he wasn't that dense.

Sitting down, he looked about the room. The others couldn't be buying this, could they? It was ridiculous. Sure, he may not be in the Eighth Division, but he didn't see anything wrong with them. He had not seen Nanao yesterday, but the day before she was fine. Rangiku had a point, where was his evidence besides his biased observations?

He rubbed his temples softly. He could feel a coughing fit working its way up, but he was determined to hold back until this was over. It was too important to miss. Since when had his head started pounding? This was more upsetting than it seemed.

He was going to say something, but then Unohana interjected from beside him.

"There has been nothing wrong with Lieutenant Ise when she comes to the Fourth. All officers have routine evaluations every few weeks. Last week there was nothing indicating a withering in her health or abilities. I have seen to it personally."

Everything got quiet after that. She didn't shout, she didn't even get up, but no one had the guts to challenge her authority on the matter. Retsu Unohana was a little strange in that way. She was kind, but feared at the same time. Her motherly instinct was a furthering of her kindness, but the smiles she gave sent off a chill, deterring anyone from wanting to disobey.

Yukio coughed a little. "But it might. It could start to wear on her very soon. I think it would be the responsible thing to stop it before it starts. I'm pretty sure that he's only getting to keep his position because he's one of the 'golden' students anyway."

If Jushiro had been any younger, he was pretty sure his mouth would have dropped open. How dare he? That was a low blow. Being the Captain Commander's students had nothing to do with Shunsui's inability to lead. If anything, you had to be all the more worthy of the position. He was going to say as much, but then realized that Yukio had started speaking again.

Then, Yukio proceeded to tell them all the reasons why Shunsui shouldn't be a captain, saying every duty he could think of that he neglected. He made sure to mention the explosion yesterday at the Eighth too, particularly pointing out how careless it was to leave stashes of sake in dangerous places. It was absurd. A storage building was not dangerous.

Furthermore, Shunsui wasn't ever there when it happened, so it's not like he set if off himself or something. He knew that for a fact. Shunsui was out looking for Nanao at that time, having came and asked him first. They were all making a really big deal out of it though.

He really couldn't believe it. One by one he watched people start to agree with Yukio. What had come over them? These couldn't be the same people he working with on a regular basis. Besides himself, there were only four others that stood on Shunsui's side. Among them were Rangiku, Ivy, Izuru, and Retsu. They had argued off and on with the others (all except Unohana of course, she just intervened when needed), trying to talk some sense into them. This wasn't anything that the Eighth couldn't handle by themselves.

Jushiro realized that five was not enough to discourage the plan they were forming. He could only watch as Lieutenant Sasakibe gave the report to General Yamamoto. From the looks of it, he wasn't too pleased with the outcome either. He had already decided to go with what they came up with though, so he could do little to change it. Besides, if it didn't work here, Yukio would probably just go to the Central 46. Then there would be trouble.

He walked out of the First Division next to Unohana, looking downcast. He wasn't the only one. Looking up, he spotted a worried looking Shunsui waiting there. He wasn't looking at him though. Turning a bit, Jushiro looked back and saw who he was looking for as he spoke up.

"Rangiku, where's Nanao?"

-End of part seven

A/N: Yes, I hate Yukio too, the cad (XD). We all know he's a dirtball! I just thought I'd comment. -KG