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

Practicing

Nanao let Orihime help her into the formal kimono and carefully finished her make-up. She was running a little late as morning court had been eventful today, but she should be ready before the first appointment of the day. Nanao took a deep breath and donned her mask of Sakura, the apprentice geisha. Rangiku had decided the best way to teach her was to basically treat her as her apprentice. There were a number of duties that Nanao didn't have to deal since she wasn't really an apprentice, and no one outside of Rangiku's okiya knew that Sakura was the Crown Princess.

And she enjoyed that. Nanao liked the freedom that came with her lessons with Rangiku. While she was bound by the limitations of her persona, the princess didn't have to worry about watching her every move and every word that came out of her mouth. With Rangiku at least she was safe to be herself.

There was also the added benefit of being able to get an idea of what was really going on in her kingdom. Nanao was quite certain that the information relayed to her by the court and the council was carefully edited. However, Sakura sat in on meetings with merchants and minor nobles who either didn't care what the said in front of her or had forgotten that she was there all together. She could hear and see for herself what her father's council was doing to the country.

"Are you ready for today's tea ceremony?" Rangiku smiled at her as she entered the room.

"Yes." Nanao smiled back. "With Doctor Ishida and Doctor Kurosaki, correct?"

"Yes. There also was a minor change in scheduling as well. I have to attend a garden party as well. Are you free all afternoon or do you need to be back by a certain time?"

"As long as I'm back by nightfall, there's no problem. Are performing or just attending as a guest?"

"Performing. I'll be dancing, so I'll need you to play the shamisen. Can you handle that?"

"If it's the simpler pieces, yes. I'm still not that good at the more complicated pieces."

"Good. Let's be off then."

Nanao nodded and fell in step behind her tutor. At first, she had been concerned about the amount of time she spent with Rangiku, given the amount of time that some of her 'lessons' took up, but the council seemed not to care as long as she was learning how to serve tea and play music. It was a good thing. Nanao preferred Rangiku's company, and the council didn't realize that she was also learning diplomacy along with proper manners and the like. They weren't going to find out anytime soon either. Nanao wore the mask of Sakura here, but at the palace she wore another. As far as much people were concerned, the crown princess was a shy, studious girl with little interest beyond her studies.

"It is good of your patron to share you so freely with the rest of us, Lady Kiku." Dr. Ishida smiled at Rangiku over the rim of his tea bowl. "So many of your sisters give such priority to their patrons that we hardly ever see them."

Nanao carefully listened to their conversation from her place at the koto. She continued to play but made careful note of anything that might be of interest. Rangiku was in her element, gently flirting with the two doctors and making light conversation. These men were both widowers and simply wanted the companionship of an engaging young woman. They were also some of the most respected and sought after doctors in the capital, and they had a fairly good grip on the state of things these days.

By the end of the tea ceremony, Nanao had learned that the council was increasing its control over the everyday matters of the populace and that there had been trouble at the borders recently. None of this had reached her ears before, though she was sure the council knew and there was a good chance that her father knew as well. It was just another case of "protecting" her.

As the princess and Rangiku made their way back to the okiya, Nanao asked the question she'd been mulling over since the geisha's patron system was explained to her.

"Do you actually have a patron, Rangiku? I've never met him, and you never seem to entertain him at all."

Rangiku sighed. "I do have a patron, but we hardly fit the normal definition of the relationship. He truthfully does not require the services of a geisha. However, he has looked after me and protected me since we were children. In fact, he was the one who brought me to the attention of my teacher. He is mostly my patron because he won't let any one else have that sort of claim over me."

"Oh." Nanao blinked. "May I ask who he is?"

Rangiku laughed. "I can't tell you his name, Nanao-hime. The secret protects all three of us. He is a knight just as your champion is. You may have met him before. You may not have. That's all I can tell you. Unlike you champion, his position keeps him more in the shadows than in the eye of the court."

With a mischievous smile, Rangiku turned down the lane to the okiya gate. "Now, what do you remember about the etiquette for a summer garden party?"