Nanao showed up at Shunsui's house at 5:30 the next morning. She was well aware he'd still be asleep, but she figured she'd have some work to do. Nanao didn't bother knocking, just reached below the potted plant on his porch and pulled out his key. She stepped into his house and was instantly grateful that she'd hired that once a week housekeeper for him a few years back. The place was at least livable.

Nanao moved around the house cleaning and laying out props as she went. She'd brought a few items from home and raided the SWA office last night for pictures of her and Kyouraku together. She tucked a picture of her with her family up on a bookshelf in the living room and another of her and Kyouraku at a division retreat on a side table. It honestly didn't take much to make it seem like she lived there. She'd always been a minimalist so really if they had been living together it would have been mainly his stuff anyway. A few well-loved books, her favorite blanket, an extra hairclip, and a painting her father had given her all strategically placed throughout the house made the effect seem real.

She drifted into the guest rooms to make sure they were actually prepared for entertaining, and when she went back into the hallway smacked directly into Kyouraku as he exited his room.

"Sorry," she started to apologize and then shrieked instead. "Why are you naked?" Nanao whipped around to face the wall blushing all the while. It wasn't that she hadn't seen a man naked before, but it was shocking when you weren't expecting it. Especially when it was your Taicho.

His warm chuckle made her want to turn around and smack him. "It's my house, Nanao-chan. I generally sleep naked and I was worried when I heard someone moving around so I came out to check."

"One reiatsu scan would have told you it was me," she chastised. "And don't even pretend you didn't do one. You aren't that stupid."

"Well, I figured if we were supposed to be living together we should be comfortable with each other," he said, and she could hear the smile in his tone.

"Not that comfortable," she groused. "And you better not be walking around naked when my family is here anyway. Go put on some clothes, you idiot."

"You know," he started, ignoring her completely. "I was thinking, and I'm not sure how we're going to pull this off. I mean everyone knows we're not really dating."

"My family isn't going to have much contact with our friends." She continued staring determinedly the other way. "They'll be with us in the evenings, and they'll find things to do in the 1st district during the day. They're from an outside territory so they'll want to do tourist things and visit the shrines and the shopping districts. It won't be that hard. My mother hates the Gotei 13 so she'll not want to stay inside the Seireitei."

"I still say we should tell Jyuu and Rangiku-chan."

"Are you crazy?" Nanao asked spinning around and then, realizing he was still naked, turning back away.

"I don't mind you looking, love."

"I mind," Nanao spat. Of course he didn't mind. He'd walk around the Seireitei naked if he could. Nudity had never bothered her Taicho. "We can't tell anyone."

"Fine, but it's going to be weird when Jyuu shows up for Sunday night drinks and your whole family is here."

"Can't you cancel on him or something?"

"It'd be the first time canceling in about fifty years when he wasn't sick, so he'd definitely know something was up. You'd think Jyuu would be the type to let that go, but he isn't. He loves a good mystery, and you really don't want him wrangling his 3rd seats into investigating with him."

"Fine, you can tell Ukitake Taicho, but that's it."

"Great," he said hugging her loosely around the waist. Nothing besides his arm made contact with her, but Nanao instantly sprung forward and out of his unrestricting hold. "Your family is never going to believe we're together if you can't accept a simple hug," he mock sighed.

"You're naked," Nanao hissed.

"You'd have done the same thing even if I were clothed," he replied and to be fair, he was probably right.

"Regardless you don't go around naked hugging people. It's not polite. And I can't believe I just had to say that. Will you please put some clothes on? I still need to stash my suitcase in your room."

"You're staying in my room?"

"Of course," Nanao said with a snort. "It'd look rather odd if we were living together and I stayed in the guest rooms."

"I quite like this plan of yours," he teased.

"Yeah, well don't think it means you're getting lucky," Nanao said crossing her arms and still staring resolutely at the wall.

"I would never," he laughed. She heard the door to his room shut behind him and relaxed. This was going to be a long week.

Fifteen minutes later Kyouraku was fully clothed and she'd effectively hung up the small amount of clothes she'd brought, and stashed the rest with her suitcase in the back of his closet. Nanao stood up and glanced around the room. She had one framed picture of them left and she positioned it on the bedside table, although she was really hoping her family would just stay out of this room altogether.

"That's a nice picture," Shunsui said hovering behind her. "Where'd you get it?"

"Someone is always taking pictures at the SWA events," Nanao said with a shrug. This particular one was of her and Shunsui dancing at a ball the SWA threw two years ago. "I think Rangiku-san has made it her personal mission to get photographs of the two of us so I had plenty to choose from. Her annoying habit turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

"Are there more of these around the house?" he asked.

"Yeah, I scattered them around. Is that ok?" She suddenly felt bad that she hadn't even thought to question whether or not minor redecorations of his house were ok.

"It's fine, Nanao-chan," he said waving her off. "But I want to see them." He wandered out into the living room and hushed her when she tired to point out the ones she'd placed, instead preferring to discover each one on his own.

"Oh, I like this one," he commented touching a framed photo on the mantle of his fireplace. The picture was taken at a cherry blossom party from a few years back. There had been picnics and it was a shot of her, Shunsui, and Ukitake sitting under the trees in full bloom and drinking tea. They were all happy and relaxed, and that was one of the few photos she'd already had up in her own home.

"It's one of my favorites too," Nanao admitted.

"Do you have copies?" Shunsui asked. "I'd actually like to have one."

"I'm sure I can find a copy."

"Thank you, Nanao-chan," he said. "So, tell me about your family."

"Why?" Nanao asked crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. She hated talking about her family.

"Nanao," he chastised. "If you want this to work I'm going to have to know more than that you hate powdered green tea. Four year long relationships generally include more knowledge than food likes and dislikes."

"What do you want to know?" Nanao asked cautiously. He had a point, but she wasn't going to outright admit it.

"Names would help for a start," Shunsui said. He collapsed down on his couch and got comfortable. "The only things I know about your family is that you have a sister, your mother hates you being a part of the Gotei 13, and you like your dad. Nanao-chan is not overly talkative on the subject of her family."

Nanao sighed. "My mother's name is Haruka, my father is Tadao, and my little sister is Katsumi. My mother hates everything to do with the Gotei 13 and wants me to settle down with a nice rich man and be a housewife and mother. My sister is well on her way to doing just that and thus is my mother's favorite. My dad is wonderful and encourages me to do what makes me happy. He and my mother were an arranged marriage so he doesn't want to force me into one. Anything else you need?"

"How'd we meet?"

"In the office, obviously" Nanao said. She rolled her eyes and took the chair opposite him.

"So how'd we start dating?"

"I just said we did," Nanao said. "I didn't ever tell them the details of why or how so it really doesn't matter."

"So they believe you'd date your superior?" Shunsui asked giving her a speculative look. "Even when you're the most rule abiding person I know?"

"It isn't against Gotei laws for colleagues to date," Nanao defended.

"But it is highly frowned upon. You yourself have used that numerous times to turn down my date offers."

"That's because my reasons for turning you down can be equal in ridiculousness to your flirtations," Nanao said rolling her eyes. They both knew the flirting was just a game. He flirted with everything that moved – sometimes even with things that didn't move when he was really drunk. "Beyond that, my parents have no clue what is and isn't frowned upon here. They'll accept that we just spent time together and it happened naturally. They also won't ask. My mother has no interest in how things began, just how they will end."

"And how should it end, Nanao-chan?"

"In marriage obviously and prestige for the family."

"Is she not upset that I've taken this long to ask you to marry me?" Shunsui asked curiously. Nanao didn't share personal info if she could help it so of course he was exploiting the chance now.

"She is, but she blames that on me not on you."
"How would that be your fault?"

"I am quite obviously doing something wrong if I haven't managed to seal the deal yet," Nanao said disdainfully. "In fact, it would be helpful if you said something about not believing in the institute of marriage. That might even buy my lie a few more years."

"What are you going to do when you meet a man you actually love and want to marry?" Shunsui asked with a warm laugh. "How are you going to spring that on your family when you've supposedly been in a long term relationship with me?"

"It won't be an issue," Nanao said firmly. "I hardly have time to date as is and I doubt I'll be falling in love anytime soon. I have things to do with my life and being someone's wife isn't among my priorities. Not anymore."

"But it was once?" he asked latching on to the last comment.

"It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago and it's clearly over now. It's not this difficult Taicho. We know each other well enough and my family won't ask for the intimate particulars of our relationship so it doesn't matter."

"Ah, but Nanao-chan all great actors flesh out the back stories on their characters regardless of whether or not the audience will ever know the half of it. It's what makes the characters real."

"Alright you be you," she said dryly, tiring of his game. "And I'll be me. And then we just pretend that at some point we fell in love and started having sex. That isn't that difficult."

"Well if that is the back story we're fleshing out does that mean you just gave me free reign to fantasize about our supposed sex life?"

Nanao made an aggravated sound and flopped down in a chair. "Pervert. Fine, do whatever you want."

"Rough or gentle, Nanao-chan?" He grinned when she threw the closest book lying on the side table at his head. "What? It's something I would know."

"You are an idiot without compare," Nanao said flatly. "Whatever you like is fine. Your silly back story isn't going to make a difference anyway."

There was silence for a few moments and then Shunsui made a disgruntled noise. "Nanao-chan, this isn't as fun when you give me permission."

She chucked the pillow from the chair at him and he dodged out of the way with a grin. "If I'd know that was all it took to ruin your fun I'd have given you permission ages ago."

"Nevermind," Shunsui said grinning and closing his eyes. "I moved on to office fantasies. It's still fun."

"Sir, I would really appreciate you not telling my family elaborate sex stories," Nanao sighed getting to her feet.

"It might help me be a nice respectable gentleman if I knew the other reason you lied to them," Shunsui said cracking open one eye to watch her.

She hated when he did that. He could at least pretend to buy her lies or ignore her omissions when she obviously didn't want to share. "It doesn't matter."

"It mattered enough for you to make up this elaborate story," he countered.

Nanao snorted. "Really, how elaborate was it? I've had more than my fair share of people tell me we're an old married couple anyway."
"And who's fault is that?" he teased. "Maybe if you didn't nag me so much."

"And maybe if you didn't harass me so often," she retorted.

"Why are we in a relationship, Nanao-chan?"

"It's private," she answered looking down at her feet. It was an old wound and she didn't particularly want to discuss it.

"We've been dating for four years and living together for two of them. I'm pretty sure I would know some of your private information." She glared at him and he shrugged. "It's not like I'm really prying. I didn't come up with this lie and crazy plan after all."

Nanao sighed. He'd probably find out soon enough anyway, better to have him prepared she supposed. "My sister is coming with her husband of five years."

"So it was to ward off some of the shame from having your baby sister marry first?" Shunsui asked. It was a good guess on his part, a lot of old fashioned families would take issue with that, but Nanao wasn't the type of girl to care.

"No," Nanao said shaking her head. "My sister's husband was my fiancé originally."

"What? When were you engaged?"

"About six years back," Nanao admitted quietly. "It was an omiai set up by my mother, but I actually ended up quite liking him after we met. It was agreeable enough to both sides so we moved forward with it. I was even going to leave the Gotei 13 for him, but somewhere along the way he decided I wasn't delicate or womanly enough for him, I guess, and he broke it off with me." She'd never been more grateful for her automatic response of keeping things private than the day he'd dumped her. As she'd been planning to leave the Gotei 13, she hadn't shared it with anyone and that saved her the horror of having to accept people's sympathies when he broke it off. "Then a year later he and my sister announced their engagement. I guess he'd gone over to see my mother about something and was re-introduced to my sister and they fell madly in love. About a year after that I'd gotten so tired of my mother saying that I'd never get a husband of my own if I kept being jealous of my sister's good fortune that I just lied and told her I was seeing someone. I just wanted her to leave me alone, and I don't really plan on ever getting married now so it was easier to get her off my back by lying."

Shunsui was silent for a moment as he processed the new information. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Nanao-chan."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she said with a half shrug. "I just don't want her to catch me out in a fib and set off a bigger incident. She'd never let me live it down."

"For the record, that man was an idiot."

Nanao snorted. "You haven't met my sister. She's everything an ideal Japanese woman should be in both looks and personality."

"She's still not Nanao-chan."

"Not many men want a Nanao-chan," she said with a harsh laugh. "Remember all the nagging?"

"What would I do without it?" He shot her a comforting smile and she shook her head.

"Probably die of alcohol poisoning or too much sleep."

"Not a terrible way to go," he laughed. "Alright so we make your family think you're in a steady relationship that you don't want to leave, I get two weeks without paperwork, we make your idiot brother-in-law incredibly jealous, and then celebrate with my giant birthday party."

"I didn't say anything about making him jealous," Nanao reprimanded. She couldn't stop the birthday party now, but at least she could control his other outrageous decisions.

"Yeah, but we might as well," Shunsui said grinning. "Come on, don't pretend to be so upstanding and forgiving. Admit that you'd kind of like to."

"Regardless of what I would like," Nanao said shooting him a glare that quite clearly said she didn't plan on admitting anything of the sort, "I highly doubt it would even be possible. They're happily married. There is nothing to be jealous of."

"There's always something to be jealous of, Nanao-chan. We'll just have to be happier." Shunsui caught her hand and tugged her into his lap.

"This is inappropriate," Nanao scolded. She struggled to get up and gave up when his hands firmly planted themselves on her waist.

"Everything about this situation is inappropriate, and if I may remind you, you are the one who started it. Now are you going to kiss me or not?"

"Absolutely not," she said horrified. She thought she had been very clear what this arrangement was. Apparently not clear enough.

"What is your family going to think if you won't? Isn't it better to get the practice one out of the way now before they get here?"

"Public displays of affection are not proper ladylike behavior. If we never kiss they'll just think I'm doing something right."

"Nanao-chan, do you seriously think that after even five minutes of knowing me they won't know I'm not the kind of man who would tolerate that sort of loveless relationship? Besides that, how often do you display the proper ladylike behavior they so desire? Proper ladies don't move in with men they aren't married to." She continued to glare, and he sighed as he released her. "It's fine however you want to play it Nanao-chan, but I just don't think they're going to buy it."

She sat up straighter, but didn't instantly abandon his lap as she thought it over. He wasn't wrong. Her family would find it strange if she didn't let him touch her or display any affection at all. Not that she'd been affectionate with her fiancé in front of them, but that had been his choice not hers. All the same. "It'd be weird."

"What would?"

"Us, kissing, it'd be weird," she stated firmly.

"Which is why I suggested we practice it now. It's just a kiss Nanao-chan. Friends do it all the time."

"What kind of friends do you have?" she asked sourly.

"Fine, we'll just hope they don't find it strange. Now, off my lap," he said giving her a soft push. "My legs are going numb."

"Kyouraku Shunsui," she growled. "You did not just call me fat."

"It's all that muscle," he said with a wink. "Makes you dense."

"You are infuriating. Just for that I'm not moving."

"But they're getting all tingly," he whined.

"Tough, you were the one who put me here in the first place," she said smugly.

"That's when I thought I was getting a kiss, Nanao-chan."

"Fine."

"What?" Nanao took advantage of his momentary surprise to lean down and press a chaste kiss to his lips, pulling back quickly and getting off his lap. The shock slid off his face and he laughed. "You call that a kiss?"

"I call that a family appropriate kiss," Nanao said with a shrug. "We're not going to need anything beyond it. I doubt even you would initiate a full on makeout session in front of my parents even if we were in a real relationship."

"Fine, we'll save all the hot steaminess for the bedroom."

"Are you even capable of having female friends you don't flirt with?" She rolled her eyes at the lecherous grin that crept across his face and started to make her way to the kitchen.

"Friends without flirting is no fun."

"I'm sure Ukitake-san appreciates that," she quipped.

"You should see him drunk, biggest flirt of them all."

"I think you have him confused with yourself," Nanao said turning around and bumping into his chest, having not realized he was so close on her trail. She took a step back and glared up at him.

"What's your sister's husband's name?" he asked growing more serious.

"Hachiro," Nanao answered quietly. She really didn't want to talk about him if she could help it.

He leaned down and caught her mouth with his. The kiss was warmer and longer than the one she'd quickly placed on his lips earlier, but nothing that could be considered inappropriate with an audience.

He pulled away looking satisfied and she struggled between blushing and frowning. "Now that was a believable family-friendly kiss," he said. "Not weird at all."

"You're just trying to distract me from thinking about Hachiro-san," she said crossly.

"And I'll do it every time he puts that sad look on your face," he said with a grin. "Just something to remember for later whenever you feel yourself getting mopey."

"I do not get mopey." She rolled her eyes and stormed off into the kitchen with him following obediently behind her.

"Nee, Nanao-chan, what are you doing?"

"I'm washing these dishes and putting this place in order before my family gets here," she said with a shrug as she reached for the scrub brush.

Shunsui sighed. "Alright budge over. I'll wash, you dry."

A few minutes passed in silence with them washing and drying before Nanao spoke up again. "Thank you for doing this, Taicho. I do realize how insane it is."

"Nanao-chan, I'd move mountains for you if you asked, how could I refuse a week of your company?"

"You're an idiot," she said, but she smiled a genuine smile at him and they continued to clean in comfortable silence.

A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews, they legit made my birthday a happy one! Just read the last chapter of Bleach and was like eh. Had no strong feelings one way or another which made me sad since this manga was such a big part of my manga/anime obsession and over the last couple years I've just been reading it to see it to the end. Oh well hopefully there will always be fanfiction to keep the parts I like alive :) I broke this chapter into two because if I didn't it was going to be like 25 pages long, ha. Hope you like it.