Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU.

Presents and Questions

Nanao let out a soft sigh of contentment. She lay stretched out on her stomach, watching the fireflies from the porch of the 8th Division at the Shinigami Knights' complex. It had been a good birthday. She had turned eight, and the festivities were finally over. She hated being the center of attention. She fingered the two books resting beside her. They had been her favorite gifts so far.

The guide to herbal remedies had been from her cousin Retsu, who was also the kingdom's chief healer. If she was reading the situation right, Retsu would be marrying Sir Ukitake before too long. Retsu was the closest thing Nanao had to a mother, and her clear happiness with Sir Ukitake pleased the young princess. The other book was a history of the Shinigami Knights. It had been from her cousin, Soi Fon's older sister, the Countess Shihoin, and that brought up a question that had been bothering her.

"Sir Kyoraku?"

"How many times have I asked you to call me Shunsui, Nanao-chan?" He was leaning up against one of the posts that held up the porch roof.

She smiled at him; he'd been trying to break her habit of formality with him since the day they had met. "Why were some people so upset that Yoruichi sent me a birthday present? No one would tell me anything about her. It's like they were afraid to even mention her name. Did she do something wrong?"

Shunsui sighed. "It's not that she did something wrong, Nanao-chan, but most of the courtiers think she made a very bad decisions."

"But you don't."

"No, I think she did the right thing. But once of the consequences of her decision was that she and any children she has are no longer in the line of succession."

Nanao was getting impatient. "What exactly was this decision that she made?"

Her champion laughed. "She married Kisuke Urahara who despite being a Shinigami Knight and a genius in his own right is also as common as dirt. Being a knight may convey a small measure of nobility, but he was not noble by birth, and her choice offended a number of people who felt that there were much better candidates available."

She frowned. "It doesn't seem like a logical choice if the consequences were so severe. Why are you certain it was the right one?"

"Because they love each other. I have never seen them so happy as they are together, and there being in love didn't hurt anyone. It might inconvenience and anger some people, but it didn't harm anyone."

Nanao mulled this over. It didn't quite make sense to her, but she would trust Shunsui's judgment for now. Satisfied with her answers, the girl rolled on to her back to watch the stars come out.

"Nanao-chan," Shunsui's voice was soft. "I haven't given you your birthday present yet."

"You know you didn't have to get me anything. You spend so much of your time devoted to my care and education. That should be gift enough."

"But I wanted to give my cute Nanao-chan a present." His voice was teasing. "Why don't you come see what I have for you?"

Nanao sighed but rose to her feet. She stood before her champion, hands on her hips. "Well?"

Shunsui tugged her down to sit in his lap. He set a teak box in her lap. "Happy Birthday, Nanao-chan."

She gently lifted the box's lid to find a tanto in its scabbard. She carefully drew the weapon, marveling at its elegant lines.

"I had the knight's master smith make it for you. It's a little large for a girl your age, but you'll grow into it." His voice was soft and serious. "I know that you're accomplished with kidou already, but one day you may need a physical weapon. It's not the sort of thing I wanted to give you in public though."

He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Nanao remembered the other question she'd had for him. Actually, it was something that she had been wondering about for a while though.

"Sir Kyoraku." she bit her lip; she hated sounding this tentative, but she didn't want to offend him or have him think she thought badly of him. "From what I know, you are an accomplished warrior, one of the best commanders in your order. I've seen you practice with Sir Ukitake. But I have never once heard you advocate fighting as a way to deal with any issue. In fact, you've been very vocal about not fighting. I've been wondering why."

His grip on her tightened a little. "I was not originally to be your champion, you know, Nanao-chan. I'm the second son, and it was my older brother who was to inherit the position. However, there was a war. That was shortly after you were born."

"With the Arrancar. Yes, I know."

"War is a terrible thing, Nanao-chan. There are times when it maybe necessary to fight. The consequences of loosing that war would have been severe for everyone in our country. However, the consequences for fighting it were serious as well. I lost my father and brother. Most people lost at least one family member or another." He gently cupped her cheek. "If fighting is the only way to deal with an issue, then I have no problem putting my utmost effort into that battle, but that should be our last resort."

Nanao had rarely seen him that serious. She rest her head on his shoulder and considered his words.

"So how do I know when it is the right course of action to fight? When do I know I have done everything I can to prevent battle being necessary?"

He sighed. "Oh, Nanao-chan. If I knew that, I would be a much wiser man than I am. You will have to trust your own judgment and that of your advisors and keep of this in mind when you make your decisions. That is all you can do."

The princess felt him shift slightly. "Besides, my cute Nanao-chan, I hadn't any other ideas of what to get you. Some how I don't think you'd be as pleased with a new doll as my nieces."

She was distracted enough by his sudden change of subject that when his attack came, Nanao wasn't expecting it. Soon her champion had her in helpless giggles, knowing every single ticklish spot. The princess' laughed rang out through the Shinigami Knight's compound. It was definitely a good birthday.