A/N: Well, I had to switch computers to get this to work. Mine is on it's last legs I think. Oh well, it was time for me to upgrade anyway. Until I get a new one, I'll just have to use this one. I think I like the last chapter more than this one, but that's only because I couldn't put all I wanted to in this one or it would've been too long. I'll just save it for the next part. But on a different note, I have my tissue box at the ready. It's sitting next to me. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG
Chapter Eight: The Fateful Decision
It was late afternoon, and Nanao was lying under the sun in a remote part of the Rukongai. It was an enclosed field with long wavy grass. When the wind blew through it, the blades rippled like waves on the ocean, the peaceful setting able to clear her mind. This was precisely what she was doing now. The last few days had been taxing, and she needed some time to settle things in her own mind before she dealt with new problems.
Sometimes she felt like she ran out too often. It was a common practice for most people, yes, but she thought herself able to handle what life threw at her. Apparently not anymore. She didn't really run out, but she felt like it. The reason for this was because she lied. She never liked lying to Shunsui, and she felt bad about it. She should've just told him that she wanted time to think, this she came up with while being out here.
Then again, he probably would've asked her what was bothering her, and then she would've had to explain things. Maybe it was better like this. It still bothered her though.
She knew she was well past the time she was supposed to be in the office. Shunsui was probably even there by now. A part of her didn't really care. Maybe that's the kind of attitude he had when he laid about napping. She had to admit, lying here under the warm sun and blue sky was very comfortable. Unfortunately, she wasn't getting much problem solving done because of this.
She wanted to think about it, but she also didn't want to at the same time. Every little thing she thought about brought her back to Shunsui, and she would inwardly cringe. Although that's what she was supposed to be thinking about, she found that it was very hard. She wondered if he was thinking about her now and if he was worried or not. She knew that he probably figured out by now that she wasn't at Rangiku's last night. He might've even looked for her, but she was trying her hardest to mask all her reiatsu. She didn't want to be found by anyone at the moment.
Would he be angry at her when she came back? She had no doubts about going back, of course. She still had work to do after all, and she couldn't avoid him forever. She was going to get to the root of everything, and in her current state of mind, the sooner that happened, the better.
She had stayed in her own house last night. Shunsui had gone to his last night after she said she would be staying at Rangiku's, so she didn't expect anyone else to come looking for her. It was there that she had tried to wind down, doing everything she thought of to relax. These methods comprised of soaking in warm water, consuming many pots of tea, and reading. She had been all set to conquer her problems today.
That had gone terrible though, and she was extremely sour from this morning. She pushed what happened with Shunsui out of her mind to focus on her newest and most threatening problem: Yukio Otori. This person had been the source of her distress all week, and she still didn't know what to do about him.
This morning had started out bad. She had abruptly woken herself up from what started as a very nice dream. She had many like this, filled with moonlight and cherry blossoms. They were always the same, starting with her in front of the grove. She would head deeper into it, looking for the spot where she always met Shunsui. This came from a similar spot where they had spent time together before, and she loved returning to it.
The blossoms had flown up, encircling her in a flurry of soft pink and straining her vision slightly. She would reach the old tree they met up at, and she would spent time with him. That's what usually happened. This time though, she was met with a different face.
It was Yukio.
She couldn't move, and she could barely breathe as he moved towards her. She didn't like it one bit. He caressed her cheek, and she shuddered, hating the contact. She did everything in her willpower to wake up before he kissed her. Miraculously, it worked, but left her for the worse.
What the hell? Now she was dreaming about him? Could he get any more annoying?
These were the first thoughts that went through her head when she realized she was no longer trapped within the fantasy-turned-nightmare. Her breathing was heavy, and her heart took several minutes to stop pounding in her chest. She had no idea what had caused this, but she didn't like it one bit. Then, as if to make things worse, her head started to ache. It had taken a few hours to get rid of it, even with Rangiku's special medicine.
She sighed as she watched a slow-moving cloud float across the sky. Shunsui would probably say that it looked like a bottle of sake. Okay, that was enough. Sitting up, she recognized that she wasn't going to wait any longer. She had already wasted too much time over it, and frankly, she missed being with Shunsui. Everything was going to be settled today, everything.
She stood, smoothing out her uniform before she flashed off, back towards the Eighth office.
XoXoXoX
Shunsui was in the office this afternoon. He wasn't lying on the couch or relaxing at all, and he hadn't even opened a bottle yet. Instead, he sat at his desk, mindlessly drumming his fingers on the surface of it. He really didn't know what to do with himself.
His meeting with Rangiku had gotten him nowhere. It just confirmed the fact that nobody knew where Nanao was…again. He had half a mind to go out and find her, but then he knew that she would eventually come back. If she needed time for something, he was going to give it to her willingly.
Still, when he mentioned this to Rangiku, he didn't like the distracted look she got on her face, like she knew something he didn't. He tried to ask her about it, wanting to know because it was about his Nanao-chan, but she waved it off and said it was nothing. He had decided to just return to the office and wait for her then, hoping that she would come back soon.
When he went to the Tenth earlier, he found that both Rangiku and Toshiro were gone. By questioning a lower officer, he learned that they had gone to an officer's meeting. If he didn't already have enough to think about, he scanned his memory trying to recall someone mentioning it. He came up with nothing and instantly wondering why he wasn't informed. Obviously they hadn't wanted him there. That could never mean a good thing. He went to the First Division anyway, to see if Nanao had gone to it. He could only hope. He came up fruitless though, and found Rangiku instead. This thought was only in the back of his head, but it would still be nice to know.
Picking up his head quickly, he sought to lock on to that familiar presence that just appeared outside, drawing closer. Not moving, he watched the door slide open, and as soon as he saw who it was, he heaved a big sigh and rushed to embrace her. Surely she knew he was here, but the sudden motion had surprised her, and it took her a few moments to realize what was going on.
He pulled her closer and buried his head into her hair, much like he did the night before, and murmured a soft 'Nanao-chan' into it. It was a reassuring notion that she did the same until she reached up and kissed him, missing the contact just as much as he did. For some reason, he felt that they were very detached from each other lately.
After that, he went right into questioning.
"What happened yesterday? I know you can handle yourself, but I was worried when nobody knew where you were. You didn't go to Rangiku's, did you?"
She stepped back from him and shook her head slowly. "No, I didn't."
"I saw her this morning and questioned her. Apparently there was some sort of meeting that we weren't invited to. You hadn't shown up anywhere, so I was getting worried. She told me that she had no idea what I was talking about. Where did you go?"
She didn't miss the concern glinting in his eyes, feeling slightly guilty that she made him feel that way. It wasn't likely to get much better until all of this was over though.
"I was just at my house. I needed some time… to think." Now the tricky part was going to be explaining why she needed that time.
"About what? You've been a bit different lately, but I didn't think it was anything to worry about. Is everything okay, Nanao?"
"Just about…everything. I think I've been overwhelmed." She dropped her eyes from him, thinking that they would give her away. He had gotten very good at reading whatever emotions she had hidden behind the glass.
"Why didn't you just say so? I wouldn't have gotten mad."
He tilted her head up with a curled finger, wanting to look her in the eyes. She spoke softly.
"Shunsui, I just…I don't know. I don't know anything anymore…"
Honestly, since when had stupid things become so complicated for them? Could she do it? Could she say something? Now when the time came to speak up, she was backing out. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't help the fear of not knowing what he would do.
He made to cup her cheek in his hand, but when he reached up to do so, she turned her head away. She took a few steps back towards the window. She turned and put her hand up to her face, covering most of it. The action stunned him a bit. She didn't usually turn away his affection, especially when he was trying to comfort whatever problem she was dealing with.
What was the matter with her? Watching the pain flicker across her face, no matter how much she tried to hide it, left pangs in his own heart. He could only cringe more as he thought about what was yet to come. He knew she wasn't going to like what he had to tell her.
"Nanao, we should talk."
She turned to look at him after he spoke, meeting his gaze. She nodded her head in agreement. This was it. He made a motion towards her, but stopped in his tracks as a knock sounded from the door. Sliding open, it revealed a messenger.
"I have orders from the First Division. General Yamamoto requires your presence."
Great, of all the times Yama-ji could need him, it had to be now.
"Can't it wait?"
Something was definitely wrong. She looked so dejected. He needed to find out what was bothering her now. Cursing the interruption in his mind, he hoped he could bide more time for them.
"I'm afraid not. It's urgent. General Yamamoto would like to see both of you immediately." The messenger was unrelenting.
"Alright." He sighed, struggling between the two most important things in his life.
He followed the messenger out the door, a silent Nanao following behind him.
XoXoXoX
The trip to the First was silent, as well as the journey through it. They came to a room where Yamamoto and Chojiro residing, and they bowed in respect. The four were the only ones in the eerie room. Looking up to Chojiro as he cleared his throat, Shunsui noticed that he held an official order in his hand.
Sharing a look and a nod with his captain, Chojiro walked up to Nanao and handed her the document, telling her to open it. Puzzled that it went to her and not Shunsui, she opened and began to read to herself. He watched her as she read, jumping a little when she didn't hide a gasp of surprise. She looked up at the head officers, a questioning look in her eyes.
"You're not serious, are you, Sir?"
The General spoke up. "I'm afraid, Lieutenant Ise, it is. This was brought up in a meeting we had today by Yukio Otori. Because of the situation, the officers debated over what should be done. A majority vote would decide what the outcome was. The council of officers decided this was for the best."
She held up the paper. "But…but this is absurd! Sir..."
"As much as it may be, this is what was decided. It is official as of this afternoon."
She looked downward, knowing that she couldn't argue with him, even though she really wanted to. Shunsui looked over at her, not knowing what was going on. "What does it say, Nanao-chan?" The mood was anything but light, but he could try.
She looked over at him and then back at the document. "It is hereby determined that because of certain careless actions and neglecting of Division responsibilities, as well as hazards to his Lieutenant, Captain Shunsui Kyouraku will be on a temporary discharge from his position, giving head of division duties to Lieutenant Ise."
Okay, so that was definitely not good. He couldn't think of anything he did that would deserve a suspension. And what was this about Nanao being at risk? He was going to voice those things, but Nanao had spoken up again.
"There's more." She looked back at the order. "Lieutenant Ise will assume all authorities of Captain, temporarily. A soul reaper will be chosen to take on other responsibilities as Lieutenant, as Lieutenant Ise will not be expected to run both positions. Captain Shunsui Kyouraku is not to interfere with Division duties during this time."
He stood silent for a moment. So now they were trying to physically take him away from Nanao? What was this? As far as he knew, he didn't do anything.
"How is that possible? For what am I being charged with that leads to suspension? This is ridiculous."
Lieutenant Sasakibe answered him. "It's been brought to our attention that your lax in responsibility could endanger the well-being of your Lieutenant as well as running the Eighth properly. One certain example is the explosion of one of your storage holdings yesterday. It was classified as a very careless action and is looked at negatively."
Nanao looked over at him. So that's what that shaking had been. Still, whatever it was, it didn't seem like it would be Shunsui's fault.
"I had nothing to do with that, I already told you that! I wasn't even present at the time. Somebody deliberately set that off, I'm sure of it."
"Precisely. That proves one of the points given. How can a Captain successfully run a Division when they aren't available half the time? One should rarely be gone, absent only when a situation requires their immediate assistance."
Well, Shunsui thought that was a pretty stupid reason, but even he didn't really want to argue. It was a captain's job to run the division smoothly, not sit away and rot in it. He would've told him that, but something in his tone told him that he probably shouldn't. Then again, it could've been the look Nanao was giving him at that moment, as if knowing what it was he wanted to say. She knew him well enough after all.
"That hardly seems like enough evidence to support this." Nanao had spoken up, saving them from an awkward silence.
Yamamoto spoke up again, taking the conversation from his lieutenant. "This was the only way it could be done. This is what the other captains and lieutenants decided, so this is how it will be. It's only a temporary leave, Shunsui, not permanent. The suspension length has yet to be determined. If it seems that the division is operating no better, then you will be put back in charge. Until then, I suggest that you make yourself scare around the office."
He only suggested it, but they both knew that they expected him to stay clear of the place.
"Furthermore, because Yukio Otori was the one to bring the issue up, he will be acting as Lieutenant of the Eighth. We were looking for a place for him. We shall see if this works."
If Nanao thought that the day couldn't get any worse, it just had. Now she was going to have to put up with Yukio more, starting this afternoon. There would be no Shunsui to stand between them. She was almost sick on her feet. She was going to protest, but she caught Shunsui's eye, telling her it was best not to.
Defeated, she looked to the floor. She didn't notice Shunsui move until he was next to her, putting something on her shoulders. She looked up, seeing his white captain's haori around her. She didn't see when he removed that and the pink one. She clutched at it, confused.
"I believe you need this now, Nanao-chan."
He had a smile on his face, but she could tell that it was only full of sadness. Sure, he wanted to see her succeed. She knew that, but she didn't want it to be like this. She would rather be promoted to anther division, not replace him, especially when they could no longer work together. That situation was totally different.
It shouldn't seem like a big deal, but this was how her feelings had developed. It had helped that she spent almost every day in his company, learning more and more about each other as the days passed. It had become a constant in both of their lives. To have it taken away so suddenly was like removing all air from the room. She wanted to let it take her to her knees, but her pride said no. They had known that this might happen eventually, but not like this.
They bowed to the Head Captain, only partially understanding what was expected of him. Shunsui turned towards her.
"Shall we go, Captain Ise?"
-End of Part Eight