Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach, but it would be awesome for me if I did!
Warnings: This is an AU story. This story goes along my story Astounding Revelations. I suggest you read that story before starting this one.
Pairings: Mainly Shunsui/Nanao
A/N: Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for everything.
Arrival
By: akirk85029
The next day Nanao followed Miyako around the courthouse being introduced to many people. When Miyako was about to head up to judges' chambers Nanao had steered her to the prosecutor's office by asking questions about Miyako's husband, Kaien.
Miyako answered Nanao's brief questions and was actually happy to be heading towards where her husband worked. She felt like she hadn't seen him in a few days. Kaien had been busy preparing for the arraignment in his big trial. Miyako also hoped that his friend was still in the office so she could introduce Nanao to the guy. Miyako's smile faltered as she felt an arm drop around her shoulders.
Nanao nearly jumped out of her skin when an arm dropped around her shoulders as well. She could see the pink overcoat and didn't need to question who would so boldly place an arm around her.
"So what are you beautiful ladies up to today?" Shunsui asked hoping his dramatics would cover the real reason why he was at the courthouse. He just hoped he was there in time.
"Mr. Kyouraku, please remove your arm." Miyako said, turning her head slightly towards him.
"Of course." Shunsui replied removing his arm from around Miyako which allowed him to pull Nanao closer to him.
Nanao sighed deeply as she was pulled closer to Shunsui. She was still surprised that through all his antics she hadn't had one panic attack or anything of that nature. She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing that she actually felt safe with his arm around her. She looked over as two men approached them.
"What brings you here today?" Miyako asked and then jumped again as another arm draped over her shoulders. She turned to see her husband's smiling face and she smiled back at him in return. She tried to ignore Shunsui's chuckles at her being caught off guard again. Miyako then noticed that his friend Hisagi was with him, but with the way Shunsui was holding on to Nanao she doubted she could convince Hisagi that Shunsui was not after Nanao or that he wasn't after her in a serious manner.
Hisagi stared at the pairs before him and smirked. Kaien had told him that Miyako wanted to set him up with someone. He looked at Shunsui and saw the glare there. The man was essentially marking his territory. Hisagi knew who Nanao was of course; he was at the moment secretly dating her adoptive sister. He was just unsure as to the reason why Rangiku insisted on keeping their relationship a secret.
"So what brings everyone to the courthouse today?" Kaien asked of everybody.
"I was giving Nanao a tour of the place." Miyako told her husband.
"Ah, but my little Nanao needs no tour of the courthouse, right?" Shunsui asked looking down at his assistant.
"Sir, I have requested that you quit addressing me in such a manner." Nanao stated without even responding to his query.
"But…." Shunsui started before he was cut off.
"Why doesn't she need one?" Kaien asked with a puzzled look.
"That would be because she's my daughter." Tomoya Ise stated with a clear and authoritative voice.
"Your honor." Kaien said immediately.
Tomoya looked towards Nanao and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the notorious Shunsui Kyouraku's arm around her shoulders. "Nanao, a word please."
Shunsui reluctantly let go of Nanao and watched as she walked a few paces away with her adoptive father.
Miyako was stunned beyond words. She wondered why Nanao didn't tell her that she was Judge Ise's daughter. She then figured that Nanao must look like her mother because Judge Ise was tall, wiry and had sandy blond hair that was starting to turn gray at the temples. He did though, have wire-rimmed glasses that sat rigidly upon his straight nose.
Tomoya looked at Nanao and studied her for a moment before speaking. "Is he bothering you Nanao?"
"No sir." Nanao said feeling a need to protect Shunsui from her adoptive father for some reason.
"Nanao, I don't know what game he's playing at, but he is playing a game. That is what he is, a player, nothing more. Do not considering having anything serious with him. It will never happen, that is just the type of person he is. I have heard rumors about him for years." Tomoya said as a warning, hoping to protect her.
Nanao lowered her eyes. Tomoya was the closest thing she had ever had to a real father and she knew he was worried about her and that he just wanted what was best for her, but she couldn't deny, at least to herself, that she wished it wasn't true despite knowing that Tomoya was indeed telling the truth. "I know."
"Good." Tomoya said taking a breath of relief. "It is almost five; I will take you home now."
Nanao nodded her head and followed Tomoya out of the courthouse.
Shunsui knew he shouldn't have let Nanao talk to her father alone. He knew that Judge Ise didn't really care for him. He knew he was going to have an uphill battle trying to get Nanao to trust him, and for some reason, he believes he just lost some ground today. He smiled though as Nanao turned to him before leaving the area and their eyes locked for a brief second before she hastily turned back around and followed her father.
Kaien chuckled bringing everyone out of their trance. "Shunsui I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Shunsui smiled brilliantly. "But it'll be worth it in the end!" Shunsui declared before walking away.
Miyako turned her face up to look into her husband's eyes. "Do you think he's really serious?"
"For his sake and Nanao's, I really hope so." Kaien answered honestly.
A few months later Nanao was walking home thinking of how different her life seemed in just these short few months. She knew a lot of it had to do with her employer. She knew what he was trying to do by constantly throwing an arm around her; he was trying to get her to feel comfortable around people again. She hoped it didn't have any deeper meaning.
Nanao was just about to reach the door to her apartment when she was embraced into a hug. She didn't even flinch; she swatted his hands rather hard with a metallic fan that said man had given to her as a present last month. It helped give her some semblance of control when Shunsui did the things he did.
"Oww…Nanao that hurts." Shunsui pouted while massaging his abused hands. He was starting to regret getting her that fan. He had just bought it because the design reminded him of her, the lavender roses surrounded in a blue flame. He knew beneath the barrier there was a passionate woman underneath and he couldn't wait to see the passion. The first time she had hit him a couple of weeks ago he nearly jumped for joy and spun her around in his arms about the office, he was so happy to have cracked the barrier even if it was just a little bit, but now it was just frustrating. "Where do you keep that thing anyway?"
Nanao smirked knowing he couldn't see her face and she still had her back to him as she inserted her key into the door. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Shunsui blinked for a few seconds. Did Nanao just joke with him? "Nanao…" Shunsui started gleefully then stopped when he saw the flash of light reflected from the fan she held tightly in her hands. "You're so cruel."
Nanao turned her head towards him as she opened the door stepping into the apartment followed closely by Shunsui. She shut the door behind them and looked around for Rangiku who had left work early. "What are you doing here anyway?" Nanao asked while placing her small purse down on the side table next to the door.
"I was looking for Ran to see if she wanted to go drinking and I found my lovely Nanao instead." Shunsui stated proudly.
"I see." Nanao said slowly moving towards the back where the bedrooms were. She was stopped suddenly as she nearly ran straight into Rangiku.
"Hey, Nan, what are you doing here so soon?" Rangiku questioned with a smile on her face. She looked towards Shunsui to say something further but squeaked as she felt a hand lay softly on her bottom. She turned to give a stern look at her boyfriend.
Nanao was startled to see another man in the apartment. She immediately recognized him from several months ago when she had met him. She looked at how close he was standing next to Rangiku and knew they were in some sort of relationship. What was bothering her though was that Rangiku had not mentioned it to her at all.
"Hisagi correct?" Shunsui asked moving forward to ease the sudden quietness in the room.
Hisagi reached forward to take the hand Shunsui offered and shook it. "Yes, and you're Shunsui. Ran's told me a lot about you."
Shunsui raised his brows. "All good, I hope?"
Hisagi chuckled. "I think I will plead the fifth, that way I don't incriminate myself any further with this beautiful lady." Hisagi pointed towards an irritated Rangiku.
Rangiku took Hisagi's hand into her own. "Well, Hisagi and I were just about to go out. I'll catch the both of you later." Rangiku said pulling Hisagi with her. She stopped in front of Shunsui and whispered something to him before walking the rest of the way into the living room and out the front door dragging Hisagi with her.
Shunsui looked over at Nanao after the duo had left.
"So how long have they been going out?" Nanao asked sitting herself down on the couch.
Shunsui moved to sit down next to her but not so close as to make her uncomfortable. He knew well enough not to lie to her, he had tried before and she always called him on it. He didn't think it was fair. "A few months or so from what I know."
Nanao nodded her head in acknowledgement.
Shunsui sighed. He wished she would just confide in him what she was thinking. He knew he was going to have to push her to talk instead of keeping it bottled up, which is what he was sure she was going to try and do. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Shunsui said while poking her head with his finger.
Nanao grabbed his finger from further prodding and she try to ignore the warmth of his hand as it enclosed over hers. "Nothing."
"Ahhh….now Nanao, I know there is never nothing going on in that brilliant mind of yours." Shunsui stated truthfully pulling her hand towards him taking the chance to hold her hand while she was distracted.
Nanao brought her free hand up to her head. She took a deep breathe before finally responding. "Why couldn't she tell me? Did she think I would be unhappy that she was in a serious relationship?"
"I think she just didn't want to flaunt her happiness in your face." Shunsui replied.
"That's stupid. To think I wouldn't be happy just because she is." Nanao retorted while pulling her hand from his grasp. His thumb had been gently grazing the back of her hand and it was making her feel things she wasn't sure she wanted to feel.
"Come Nanao, let me make you some dinner." Shunsui said while standing up; knowing that this was a conversation better left for Nanao and Rangiku to sort out between themselves.
Hisagi stood with Rangiku waiting to be seated in the nice restaurant Rangiku was forcing upon him. He had his hand resting lightly against her back. He turned his head down to look at Rangiku's face. "You're not mad are you?"
Rangiku sighed heavily and turned her head to meet his gaze. "Not really, I just wish it hadn't been thrown at her like that. I probably shouldn't have rushed us out of there either, but that was my first instinct."
Hisagi smiled. "Do you think it was okay to leave her there with Shunsui?"
Rangiku leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips. "I'll have a talk with him later. Now I need to use the restroom."
Hisagi watched her retreating form and when he turned back around he noticed someone from one of the cases he was working on with Kaien. "Agent Hitsugaya."
Toushirou turned to see one of the Assistant DA's standing close to him. "Mr. Shuuhei."
Hisagi greeted the woman with Toushirou and then he noticed the ring on her finger. "So you two are finally tying the knot, hey?"
Momo smiled at the tall dark-haired man. "Yes."
Hisagi looked down to see their three year old daughter, Kiyomi, holding tightly to Toushirou's hand while staring at him. "Hey lil' bit, how are you doing today?"
Kiyomi held her father's hand in front of her face as if trying to hide behind it. "Fine." She said quietly.
Momo ran her hand against the white haired girl's head. "She's in a bashful mood tonight."
Toushirou picked the little girl up and held her in his arms. Kiyomi wrapped her arms around her father's neck and buried her head into his shoulder. She peered at Hisagi through veiled eyes.
Momo leaned closer to Hisagi. "I think she has her first crush."
Hisagi chuckled.
Toushirou rolled his eyes. He didn't believe that she had a crush at all; he was writing it off as Kiyomi being tired. Toushirou nodded his head to Hisagi before following Momo into the dining room to meet the rest of their party.
Hisagi watched as the small family headed to the table where, from what Hisagi could tell, Toushirou's partner Ichigo Kurosaki sat with his wife Rukia and their children. Hisagi was still laughing when Rangiku made her way back to him.
"What's so funny?" Rangiku asked with a curious look.
"Nothing just ran into some people I'm working on a case with." Hisagi said, looking into Rangiku's eyes while caressing her cheek.
They were shown to their seats shortly afterward on the other side of the restaurant.
Nanao looked at the plate of food that was placed in front of her. It smelled absolutely divine. She raised a brow. "Where did you get this food?"
Shunsui gestured towards the kitchen.
Nanao stared at him incredulously. "We did not have anything to make something like this in there….did we?"
Shunsui smiled at Nanao's shock. "If you didn't I wouldn't have been able to fix this then, would I?"
Nanao rolled her eyes and then took a bite from the dinner that had been prepared. "Oh my….where did you learn to cook like this."
Shunsui chuckled a bit before taking a sip of his red wine. "My mother was actually a very good cook. My father said that was the reason he fell in love with her. I think there's more to it than that, but one doesn't want to pry too much into their parents' personal lives, you never know what you'll find out."
Nanao tried not to laugh. "It sounds like you have a nice family."
Shunsui leaned back into his chair after taking a bite of his dinner. "They are."
Nanao leaned back into her chair as well. "When did you meet Rangiku?"
Shunsui sighed. He could take this slow if that was what she wanted. He wanted to know more about her. "I met her in college. Her, Jyuu, and I all went to college together. We all went out often, even though she was two years behind us. When did you meet her?"
Nanao stared at her hands for a moment. She reached up and took a sip of her wine. "I was…uh…fifteen."
Shunsui studied her for a moment. "You know Jyuushiro and I grew up together. Did you know that he and I are cousins? Our mother's are sisters. Jyuu has two brothers and two sisters, while I on the other hand am an only child. Do you have any siblings?" Shunsui asked knowing the answer already but he wanted to know if she would confide anything to him.
Nanao looked intently into her wine glass. "Yes, I have a brother, although I'm sure he wants nothing to do with me."
Shunsui looked at her puzzled. "Why?"
Nanao lifted the glass to her lips and took a large sip. She didn't want to feel anymore even if it was just for tonight. "You know Rangiku saved me that night."
Shunsui stood up as she took another sip of wine. He could already tell she was getting lightheaded. He knew for her to be such a lightweight she must probably drink….never. He wanted an answer to his question. "Why?"
Nanao fought him as he pried the glass from her hands. She stood up to defy him when he asked her why again. "You don't want to know about me. I'm not worth any of the attention you bestow upon me, so please just go."
Shunsui stopped her as she tried to walk past him. He cupped her face drawing her gaze to him. "You are worth something Nanao."
Nanao turned her eyes away from his. There was an intensity there she wasn't comfortable with. "I'm nothing, not even worthy of being another notch on your belt."
Shunsui could see her eyes glistening over. He moved his other hand from her arm to around her waist and drew her near stopping when she placed her hands against his chest.
Nanao's mind was working slower than usual. She realized too late that he was puller her closer to him. She snapped her gaze back to him unsure of what he was planning.
"You're not nothing!" Shunsui stated before lowering his lips to hers, kissing her softly and as chastely as much as he really wanted to do otherwise.
Nanao broke the kiss once her mind caught up to the situation at hand. "No." She said trying to take a step back.
Shunsui didn't let her move too far back but he knew better than to try and kiss her again right now. He raised his hand to brush back a loose strand of hair. "Don't worry, Nanao. I won't do what he did. I can wait until you're ready for a real relationship."
Nanao looked at him in shock. "How?"
"Nanao, I may not know the exact details, but I'm not stupid. I can guess at what happened to you." Shunsui replied letting her move completely away from him. He watched as she walked over and sat down on the couch.
Shunsui moved to clean the table up and when he came back in the living room he found her head resting on the arm of the couch, her arms wrapped around her legs with her knees up against her chest. There was a pain somewhere in his chest that ached seeing her like this. He pulled a blanket out and laid it on top of her small form and sat down next to her. Whoever this guy was, Shunsui was going to kill him.
A/N : Okay, so how was that? Decent I hope:) I hope everyone has read the first story by now or else you probably don't know what Toushirou & his family have to do with the story. Please review and let me know what you think:)