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

Complications

Shunsui wasn't sure if this was a dream or not, but if it was, he didn't want to wake up. His beloved Nanao-chan was in love with him and had asked him to marry her. He had said yes of course. Now he and his princess were letting the rest of their allies in on the fact before it was announced to the rest of the council. Shunsui had the feeling that there would be some money changing hands as well. Given that both Kisuke and Jyuushiro were involved, it wouldn't surprise him if they had been betting on his love life. In fact, it would be nice to know that some things didn't change.

Still, Shunsui found himself rather nervous about telling the others. He didn't think that any of them would be against the idea, but it almost felt like as soon as they told someone else it would turn out to be just a dream. But they couldn't do this on their own, and the others deserved to know. It wouldn't be fair to spring it on them when he and Nanao told the rest of the council.

He looked around as the small group filled Nanao's study. Nanao smiled at him and slipped her hand into his. Rangiku caught the gesture and beamed at them both. Jyuushiro also caught the movement.

"I take it you called us here to let us in on this little development."

Nanao raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to marry Sir Kyoraku if that is what you mean."

Jyuushiro laughed. "Finally. I was wondering how long you two would dance around that. It was clear how you felt about one another to everyone else."

His Nanao-chan blushed. It was really quite charming. Shunsui squeezed her hand.

"Well, that solves that particular problem," Yoruichi grinned. "There isn't anything that the council can complain about in your choice either. The only thing they could do is try to stall the wedding preparations."

It was Rangiku who shook her head at that. "No, they can't. Nanao and I made all the arrangement earlier. We can have a wedding within a month."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Jyuushiro asked.

To their surprise, Rangiku spoke up. "I do not think that Aizen will react well to this news. I'm not entirely sure what his plans will be, but I know it won't be good. I may be able to find out though."

There were startled glances in her direction, though Shunsui wasn't that surprised. It had been clear to him that the young geisha had been using all the resources at her disposal to get information for Nanao. She had already used that knowledge to protect Nanao more than once. Shunsui was more interested in just how Rangiku had gotten a spy network together that could rival the Shinigami Knights. He would have to suggest to Nanao that her friend be put in charge of the country's intelligence force.

The meeting concluded, and Shunsui found himself reluctant to leave his Nanao-chan's side. This new aspect of their relationship was exactly that: new, and truthfully, Shunsui wanted some time for just the two of them. Since his return, he'd had precious little time alone with his princess, and most of that had been spent strategizing. Not that his Nanao-chan got much free time, but they both deserved some time to relax.

So he cornered Nanao once the meeting was over. His princess was working too hard once again, and some how he doubted she remembered his admonitions for her to have fun as a child. Nanao had grown up to be a responsible young woman. He just hoped that she could still remember how to have fun.

"Nanao-chan, when was the last time you had fun?"

She eyed him warily. "What are you up to, Sir Kyoraku?"

"Shunsui," he corrected gently. "You can call me Shunsui. As my fiancée, you can't claim its improper any more."

Nanao frowned at him, but he could see a little amusement lurking in her eyes. "Using my own arguments against me is not a good tactic."

"You're avoiding the question."

"I rested a few days ago."

"Resting isn't the same as having fun, Nanao-chan."

She bit her lip and looked away. "I don't think that running a country is supposed to be fun, Shunsui."

"And we need our princess to be able to run the country, and that means taking time for yourself as well as the rest of us." Shunsui wrapped his arms around her, drawing her back against his chest. "You're running yourself ragged."

"There just so much to do." Her voice was quieter now.

Shunsui gave her a backwards hug. "Learn to delegate, Nanao-chan. You can't always take care of everything yourself. And you're not going to do any work today. We are both going to take the day off."

She opened her mouth to protest, and Shunsui cut her off with a kiss. Nanao was not going win this argument. It was easy enough for him to scoop her up into his arms to prevent her from escaping his plans.

"You are going to change into a comfortable yukata, and we are going to have a picnic."

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were well away from the palace. Shunsui had headed for an orchard of cherry trees just a little ways beyond the palace grounds. He had often come here when he was younger. It had been a good place to hide from the paperwork that had come with his job. No one was going to disturb them here. He had taken the liberty of arranging for food with the kitchens while Nanao changed, and they were all set.

Nanao took some coaxing, but before long he had her relaxing and telling him stories of her time pretending to be Rangiku's apprentice. It seemed that his princess had managed to get herself into trouble a time or two without his help. He in turn shared a few stories of his time in Karakura. It was good to see Nanao relax and enjoy herself. He stole her hairclip and ended up getting thwaped for it. Shunsui wrapped a thick strand of her dark hair around his finger.

"Nanao-chan, what exactly are our wedding plans? I know you want this done as soon as possible, so you can take the throne, but we are only getting married once, and I don't want you to miss out on something because we were in a hurry."

His princess laughed. "Actually, depending on how long it takes to send out invitations and gather supplies, I can have a full formal wedding within a month or two. Rangiku and I figured out what it would take and made most of the preparations before you got home. It was mostly so that I needed to stall my wedding."

"Clever."

"I wasn't going to let the council force me into something I didn't want." There was a note of uncertainty in her voice.

Shunsui wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into his lap. "Good. I would have hated to come home and find I had to kill someone for making my Nanao-chan unhappy."

Nanao laughed and relaxed into his embrace. By the end of the afternoon, Shunsui would call the picnic a success. Nanao seemed much more relaxed, and he knew a bit more about the lovely young woman she had grown into. They reached the palace just as the sun was setting, and he walked her back to her quarters.

"Good night, Nanao-chan." He stole a kiss.

She smiled up at him. "Good night, Shunsui."

The next day brought a return of his nervousness. Nanao was telling the council her decision. Shunsui didn't think that it was going to cause any bloodshed at the meeting, but there were going to be some very unhappy people. Nanao didn't need them making more trouble for her. Running a country was hard enough without that sort of thing. And if Aizen really was up to something more sinister than simply trying to influence the crown, their energy would be needed to focus on that not on petty squabbles over why someone's candidate wasn't picked.

Shunsui settled into his seat, carefully watching the others in the room. Nanao swept into the room dressed in one of her more formal kimonos. She stood at the head of the table.

"I will not keep you in suspense. I have made my decision. I will marry Sir Shunsui Kyoraku."

Her announcement was met with knowing looks from some and outrage from others. Shunsui noted the various reactions, tucking them away for future reference. Truthfully, most of the council seemed satisfied with her choice, but there was a small minority that wasn't. The meeting was blessedly short. People protested. Nanao made it clear that she was not going to change her mind and that the wedding preparations would begin immediately. Shunsui found himself on the receiving end of advice and congratulations as the meeting broke up. His princess had disappeared back to her study to get to work.

It soon became clear to Shunsui that a number of people thought he was the one who would be in charge once Nanao was crowned Queen. He didn't disabuse them of that notion despite the fact it was ridiculous. No one who really knew his princess would believe that she would just hand over her power to someone else. But their assumptions could prove useful later on.

Still, Shunsui found himself very uneasy. Especially when Nanao appeared at his door that evening dressed for bed and her tanto in hand.

"I know it sounds silly," her voice was soft and unsure, "but I swear there is someone in my quarters. Can I…can I stay with you tonight?"

He took in her wide, scared eyes and slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Of course, Nanao-chan."

He guided her into his rooms, sitting her down and fixing her a cup of tea. Shunsui had no doubt that Nanao was correct. She was not the type to start at shadows. He didn't like the timing of this at all. He also didn't think he was going to get any sleep tonight. It took some convincing, but he finally managed to get Nanao to agree take his bed for the night. Shunsui sat up against the wall where he could see both her and the door, both his swords close at hand.

Almost two hours later, there was a pounding on his door. Shunsui was on his feet with his swords in his hands almost immediately. He carefully opened the door to find Rangiku Matsumoto there. Her hair was unbound, and she wore just a simple yukata instead of one of her normal kimonos. She was out of breath.

"It's starting."