It'd been a week and a half since her head injury and Nanao was glad the dizzy spells and headaches had passed for the most part. She'd continued to go to the 4th for treatment and hadn't heard a word of complaint from the Higurashi if they were even aware of the fact that she was getting medical help. The news of her fight with Kenpachi had traveled and been blown magnificently out of proportion. In one respect it was nice to finally be getting a touch more differential treatment when with the yakuza family, but she could already hear the rumblings of people deciding who'd be the first to challenge her again. The problem with getting in fights was that it only led to bigger ones eventually. She had been getting far less resistance though when joining some of the family's patrols and had even managed to attend and help with some of the classes they gave their younger members.
Her other training was going well enough too, which was a nice change. Soi Fon had actually stopped glaring at her constantly, and Nanao was pretty sure that was a big compliment. It probably also helped that Nanao was now not only beginning to match some of her practice partners but outmaneuver them. Kuchiki was the same as ever, but she'd even managed to get him to crack a slight upward lift of the lips due to a joke once. The 11th had decided that she was the new greatest thing since sliced bread and just constantly tried to get her to go drinking with them. She honestly would have contemplated accepting if it weren't for the fact that every night out drinking with the 11th turned into a brawl.
The training with Hisagi had been going well too, although maybe not so much in the sword fighting sense. The few practice sessions they'd had had quickly devolved from some halfhearted sparing with practice swords to more hand to hand training. Who was she kidding? All they ended up doing was making out in the practice rooms. It was a good thing he'd been her sword fighting teacher, and she'd always considered that just a fall back in any given situation, otherwise she might be more upset about missing out on the lessons. Besides as long as she was unable to practice her shaki with him they wouldn't be able to get very far in the training anyway. In fact, the kissing was a very reasonable way to distract him from the little detail that she wasn't willing to go much further with her zanpaktou. At least that was how she liked to look at it, instead of just her acting like a hormonal teenager who'd been deprived of human touch for weeks.
"Taicho?" a voice called as a knock thumped on the door they were currently pressed up against.
Hisagi gave her a distressed look as he pulled away from their current lip lock and called, "Yes?"
"Do you need the practice room much longer?" the man called. "There were some division members that were requesting to get in early."
"We'll be done in a few," Hisagi called. "Is that alright?"
"Yes, sir," the man called and they heard the footsteps move away.
"You could have allowed them to get in earlier than that," Nanao said rolling her eyes. "It's not like we're going to be productive anymore."
"I find this highly productive," he said with a grin, pressing in close to her and continuing to kiss down the shoulder he'd bared earlier in the "training".
"You're abusing your place of power," Nanao chastised lightly bringing her hands up to his hair and shrugging her shoulder to let the top of her uniform drop further and give him more access.
"Perks of the position," he said with a laugh running his hand back up under her top.
She wrapped a leg around his to pull him closer and snorted. "I highly doubt this is one of the perks the Soutaicho officially conferred," she said with a soft groan as he nipped at her jaw line.
"I should hope not," Hisagi said grinning up at her. "You'd be a very tired woman if you had to do this with all of the Taichos."
"Shut up," she said leaning in and initiating another kiss. His free hand moved from her arm to the leg she had propped up around him and started pushing the pant leg up to reach more skin. Nanao didn't stop him.
A few more minutes passed with their current explorations, and then they heard the sound of approaching feet and separated quickly trying to make themselves presentable. Nanao tugged her uniform back into place and grinned while Hisagi glanced around for his Taicho's haori. She'd yanked it off of his arms early on. He pulled it on right as there was another knock at the door.
"Taicho?"
"Come on in. We just finished," Hisagi yelled easily. The squad members came trooping in and greeted them both cheerfully. They exited quickly and wandered down the hall together. "Want to come back to the office and help me with the paperwork?"
"I thought you said you'd already finished all your paperwork for the day?" she asked quirking an eyebrow at him.
"I have," he agreed with a pleasant smile.
"I have to go out to the Rukongai," she said with a small laugh. "I do still have a job."
"Want to get dinner tonight?" he asked accepting her excuse.
"Can't," she said with a shake of her head. "I promised Shin-san I'd have dinner with his family."
"Tomorrow night then?" he asked. "As much as I do enjoy what we've been doing, I'd really love to actually take you out more often."
"Alright," she said with a shrug. She really did like Hisagi. Most of all she really liked the physical contact with him, but she couldn't say she loved all their outings together. Hisagi knew everyone everywhere and was too polite and nice to turn anyone away. It was like dating half the Rukongai when they went out in public. It was more social than she sometimes had the energy to muster.
"Hisagi Taicho," the cheerful voice of his third seat called out. "Ambassador Ise."
"Nice to see you Taki-san," Nanao greeted still thrown by her official title.
"What's up, Taki-san?" Hisagi asked with a smile.
"Me and some of the other division members were hoping you could judge an impromptu shunpo trial," she said earnestly. "We're just about to start."
"Of course," Hisagi agreed easily. "I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, later," she said waving him off as she turned towards the exit. "Enjoy."
His squad members descended on him instantly and Nanao slipped into the bright afternoon light. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned as she strolled towards the Rukongai. She planned on joining a patrol of the Higurashi's outer border and was then going to try to get in on a meeting of some of their higher ups that planned the Higurashi's operations.
The first part of her plan succeeded brilliantly, but the second half, like always, was turning out to be a total bust so far. Nanao leaned against the wall and watched as some of the Higurashi members glared at her and entered a room without the slightest invitation. Her brother had shot her an apologetic look, but hadn't made any move to help.
"Shinigami-chan," Kei's voice called happily.
"Kei-san," she greeted.
"I knew we were tight on money, but I highly doubt we can't afford to get a statue or something here and make it so you no longer have to decorate the hallway," he said with a grin.
"You know I'm hoping to be allowed to attend a portion of the meeting," Nanao said rolling her eyes. "I really think the Gotei 13 may be able to offer your organization some valuable resources in any problem solving you may have. I haven't come near the kumicho since the first day I arrived here."
"Well, luv, at least your horseback riding is improving," he said. "Can't win 'em all."
"Thanks," she said sarcastically.
"Tell you what," Kei said glancing at the waiting door. "We have a meeting with a rival Yakuza family tomorrow. It might look impressive if we had a pretty faced shinigami in our pocket, so I could put in a good word and see if you could come along."
"I'm not in your pocket," Nanao said with disgust.
"Come on sweetheart," he said with a chuckle. "You think another yakuza is going to believe you're an honest to kami welcomed ambassador? It'd at least get you in the field with us, and the Kumicho will be attending the summit. Your pride going to stop you from doing something worthwhile here?"
"If you can get me in, I'm in," Nanao said. He thumped her on the arm hard enough to make her stumble a half step and whistled as he entered the meeting.
Nanao waited a few hours distracting herself by practicing with some delicate kido to pass the time, and stood up as they started to exit. Mamoru shot her a glare and continued on down the hall before she could stop him. She frowned and started to follow before a hand on her arm pulled her up short.
"You're in," Kei said grinning at her. She nodded and glanced back down the hall at the retreating back of her brother. "See you tomorrow at nine sharp."
"Great," she said, "thanks, Kei-san." She trailed after her brother, but couldn't squeeze an answer out of him on what had upset him. Even through the course of dinner she couldn't annoy it out of him although he did at least cheer up and participate in the conversation. She went home full and happy and went to bed early so that she'd be good to go even after an early morning training session with the 11th.
At nine the next morning she joined a large group of Higurashi and horses gathering in the courtyard. Nanao was given a horse and mounted up only to spend another half hour waiting as everyone organized themselves. Kei waved happily to her and she gave him a brief wave back. Her brother hovered at Kei's side and gave her a tense nod when he noticed her. She watched him curiously as he carefully surveyed the area and kept a constant eye on the going ons, only pausing to call out the occasional command.
Everything seemed to finally be in place and at the very last moment the Kumicho and his entourage swept out of a nearby building. They all mounted up quickly and the assembly formed up easily moving out of the yard. Everyone seemed to know where they should be and it took Nanao a little while to find a space that seemed like it was still part of the group, but wasn't getting her nasty glares from everyone around her.
The ride out was mainly uneventful for the first twenty minutes, but as they started across a large open field the horses started to get nervous and Nanao felt her senses kick up into high alert. There were hollows coming. Mamoru apparently felt the same thing as he halted the group and swords started to get pulled from sheaths. Nanao slid off her horse figuring she was more accustomed to fighting on her feet anyway.
A shriek rang out and a winged hollow hit the ground a few meters out from them. It shrieked again and the horses around her started to spook. Nanao sighed internally and wondered if she was supposed to let the yakuza keep their pride by not interfering. It really wasn't much of a threat. One good kido spells and she'd have the hollow destroyed before it could even get near their party. She glanced at Mamoru for guidance and realized he had dismounted as well and was looking at something on the ground while ignoring the hollow altogether.
"Hollow bait," he growled up to Kei.
"Playing dirty, are they?" Kei asked scanning the area.
More hollows were gathering and Nanao could feel the tension in the air increase. It'd be enough to draw a shinigami patrol. Eventually.
"What are they doing?" a nervous yakuza asked on the wild-eyed horse next to her. "They're just standing there."
Whatever unknown signal the hollows were operating on must have triggered right at the end of the man's sentence though as they all rushed forth in unison. No time to worry about the yakuza pride now. Nanao blasted off a shot of kido and didn't waste time standing around and watching the hollow disintegrate. None of the hollows seemed to be that high level, but there did seem to be an endless supply. Whenever she mowed down a line of them another wave reared up to take their place.
"Fall back," she yelled at a yakuza as he clumsily warded off another hollow talon. She wrenched him behind her and slammed her zanpaktou into the hollows forehead shattering it's mask. "Your injured, fall back," she repeated sternly not looking to see if her order was heeded as she launched into another furious kido attack. A tentacle lashed out at her and she severed it in two with her blade twisting to avoid the jaws of another hollow. That particular hollow got a shot of red fire in its mouth for its trouble.
There's too many, Kage hissed in her mind.
I'm aware, she said sending a pressurized kido at a gigantic bulbous hollow that took it to the chest and ended up slamming back and getting impaled on a tree that surrounded the field.
"Kage, distort," she growled.
Power rushed through her and she took instant stock of her surroundings. One hundred and twenty eight hollows, more on their way. Thirty of them went up in flames as she sent kidos to explode inside of them. She focused on twenty more and they combusted as she shunpo stepped out of the way of another slashing hollow.
You're using too much energy, Kage said calmly.
"You have a better plan?" Nanao hissed out loud as she dodged a jet of fire one hollow breathed out. Nanao whipped her blade blindly through the air warping the space at the same time so that the sword bit cleanly through the throat of the creature even with the meter long distance between them.
Had you ever practiced, yes, Kage replied coldly.
"Little late for that," Nanao argued rolling forward to slice a hollow open from below as it lunged. "Be useful or shut up."
You could be severing arteries with merely a thought, Kage said. You could level them all at a whim. Slice me through the air in front of you and slit all of their throats not just one. You have it in you.
No time to learn now, she thought angrily as she tried to make her way to where the Kumicho would be. It stood to reason that her brother was fighting to protect the Kumicho so he would be in the same general direction. She blasted another hollow, and slowly started to gather energy for another major hit while beginning to feel the strain of using so much power so fast. Nanao tripped over something and went down hard on her hands and knees. She sat up quickly, glancing down only momentarily to see that she'd tripped over the lifeless form of the Kumicho. Panic welled up inside of her as she cracked another hollow's mask in half and searched wildly for her brother. She found him with her eyes fighting with a knot of yakuza that had formed up around Kei. It was only then that she realized that no one had moved towards the Kumicho at all. In the instant of the attack they'd all fled to surround Kei. It was Kei's side that her brother always stayed close to. Kei's direction that he always seemed to take.
Another hollow charged her and she rolled to the left catching it's feet up with a simple binding kido and finishing the job with a fast blow to the back of its head. She started to move forward to join the main group and get to her brother's side when her extended senses let her evaluate the situation all too fast. The hollow bearing down on Mamoru was going to win. He was distracted with another fight, protecting Kei's right side and wasn't going to turn in time. She couldn't send a kido at it as it'd have to burn straight through the center of the group. No shunpo was going to make it in time either. She was going to lose him.
"No," she whispered, unable to force enough air past her lungs to turn the whisper into a scream, and then she let loose. It didn't matter what the kido spell was, she just tracked all the hollows in range and let it rage. Like temper tantrums she'd had as a small child power cracked out of her, only unlike when she was a child it had Kage to focus it. She felt the power pull on her last reservoirs and didn't hold back. Nanao watched the line of hollows go up like a wall of flame and smoke as they disintegrated from the inside out before she hit the ground hard with her knees again and then blacked out.
It only lasted a moment and she could hear the sound of running feet as she came to, a rock sticking uncomfortably into her side. She groaned and pushed herself up on her arms trying to focus on where she'd seen her brother last.
"Don't get up," Mamoru commanded tightly reaching her side. "You might hurt something worse."
"I'm alright," she croaked pulling herself even more fully upright but feeling woozy as she did. "Are you?"
"I'm fine," he said putting a restraining hand on her shoulder. "What the hell just happened?"
"Hollow attack?" she offered weakly.
"Nao-chan, what did you do?" he asked meeting her eyes. She glanced away so that she didn't have to lie to his face.
"Nothing," she said. "Is it over?"
"Yes," another voice answered. "I wouldn't say much survived that. We have the few stragglers handled."
"Kei-san," she greeted coldly. "Or should I say Kumicho?"
"Finally figured it out did you?" he asked with an icy chuckle. "Don't feel too bad Shinigami-chan. The double wasn't just for you. No reason anyone we don't trust should know."
"Going to threaten me with my life now that I know?" she asked squarely getting to her feet despite her brother's protests.
"And ruin all my fun, luv? Hardly," he said with a shrug. "We have places to be." That said he went to join the men trying to round up the frightened horses that had made it to the other side of the open field and apparently felt safe to stop in and among the trees.
"Are you going to be ok?" Mamoru asked.
"Shouldn't you be running after your Kumicho?" she asked bitterly.
"Nanao, don't get pissed off at me," he said sharply. "I didn't ask you to intrude on the Higurashi. I told you it wouldn't be easy. That they wouldn't trust you."
"Don't you mean we?" she demanded. "We wouldn't trust you."
"My loyalties are not exclusively to you," he said firmly and unapologetically. "I never said they were. Just as yours do not belong exclusively to me. You weren't the only one who was alone, Nanao, the only one who needed a family. Can you keep up or do you need to go home? I'm sure a shinigami patrol will be along shortly. You could go back with them."
The last thing she wanted was to be caught out by a shinigami unit after that much power had exploded in one place. No, better to make like a rukongai brat and get scarce quickly. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm in this." Then she brushed passed him, stepped over a dead yakuza and moved towards the horses.
"Nanao," her brother started matching her stride. "All arguments aside. What did you just do?"
"I believe I fainted," she said rolling her eyes.
"Before that," he said crossly.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said primly.
"Nanao," he warned.
"You've got your secrets brother dear," she said sharply. "I suppose I have mine as well." Then she picked up her stride and ignored his presence. The group of remaining yakuza parted for her respectfully as she approached and she blocked it out as she heard their whispers.
"Need a leg up?" Kei asked grinning as she reclaimed her horse.
She shunpo jumped into the saddle and gave him her best cold fukutaicho face. "I think I'll be alright."
"Mount up, you lot," her brother called snapping the nervous yakuza back into gear. They were riding out in a few minutes with some of the now extra horses being led behind.
"There a reason you didn't want to wait for the shinigami team to show up?" Kei asked, suddenly next to her.
"To tell them what? That they'd missed the action?" she said. "I didn't see much of a point."
"You've been holding back Shinigami-chan," he said lightly.
"I've been taking shunpo lessons," she said deliberately misunderstanding him. "It only figures that I would get better over time, and it isn't that hard to mount up."
"I'm hardly impressed by your ability to get in a saddle," Kei said with a snort.
"Then what exactly?" she asked stonily, daring him to say it out loud.
"I'm not sure what you did sweetheart," he said with a quick grin, "But I guarantee you I will find out." Then he gave his horse a small kick and trotted up the line of horses.
Despite the threat, Nanao couldn't bring herself to regret what she'd done. There was a high probability her brother would be dead now if she hadn't moved when she did. She felt the headache coming on that she always associated with using too much power. Being prevented from training much with her zanpakto generally left her feeling walloped when she had to do any serious damage with it. She'd slept for two days after a particularly deadly fight that had seen her Taicho injured while trying to defend a completely unprepared set of troops before her and Ukitake-san could get there. When she'd woken up she'd found herself wrapped up in Kyouraku's arms in one of the 4th division's beds. She'd instantly shoved him out of it, waking him up when he hit the floor, and blushed a furious shade of scarlet. The nurses had been made aware she'd regained consciousness when they heard her yelling at him for being inappropriate. He'd just smiled stupidly through the whole thing and excused his action by saying the chair was uncomfortable and how else was he supposed to wait for his sweet Nanao-chan to wake up.
Nanao shook the thoughts away and focused on the matter at hand as they entered the gates of the other yakuza's family compound and dismounted. Hostile looks were being passed all around, but it didn't cover the initial looks of disappointment from what she could only assume was the fact that any of them had survived at all. She affected her usual cold emotionless face and kept her eyes trained ahead.
An enormous man sat on a plush chair set out on the porch of the central building they were approaching. She could only assume he was the Kumicho by the numerous people who filled out the porch and the ground below it posed to wait on his every desire and guard him
"Ah, the Higurashi finally come," the man rumbled in a deep velvety voice that Nanao immediately disliked though she could not place why it raised such a deep revulsion in her. "Where is your ever changing Kumicho?" the man asked hinting that while the Higurashi did not disclose Kei's identity it had been noted that they could let a Kumicho die off with little recourse within their ranks or structure.
"There was an unfortunate hollow attack," Mamoru announced having taken over the position of command. "It seems our Kumicho will have to be replaced once more."
"Perhaps this time with you, Mamoru-kun?" the man asked with a dark smile and his head cocked to the side. Nanao had to work hard to keep anger from flashing across her face. The threat was an obvious one, and a blatant declaration that the man had decided Mamoru was the true source of power behind the Higurashi. Nanao realized quickly that this must have happened before. The Kumicho goes down and Mamoru steps up to guide in the interim. Kei was letting everyone think they'd figured out the Higurashi's secret leader, because in the end her brother was expendable too. She'd have hated him and the whole of the Higurashi irrevocably in that moment if she had not also realized that her brother was not an idiot. Mamoru knew he was being offered up as sacrifice every time he stepped forward. The choice was his. Just as it had always been hers every time she'd moved to block a blow from hitting Kyouraku be it with blade or flesh.
"I would never deem myself worthy," Mamoru said simply.
"Nonsense," the opposing Kumicho said waving Mamoru's words away. "You'd make a fine Kumicho for the Higurashi, if only based on your ability to stay alive which all your former Kumicho seem to lack."
"We have territory boundaries to discuss," Mamoru said flatly ignoring the insult.
"No," the man said with a laugh, "We don't. Myself and your Kumicho, whoever that may be, have territory boundaries to discuss. As there is no Kumicho, I have nothing to say. Beyond that, when have we conducted out private affairs under watchful shinigami eyes?" His pointed look settled on her and she raised one eyebrow in a sharp look of disapproval.
"I am the shinigami ambassador to the Rukongai," Nanao said bowing only enough as to be considered just barely polite. "I've come to witness proceedings and get a feel for the districts, not to interfere." She paused for a moment and then couldn't help adding her own threat if only to get this man's mind away from her brother. "Although the rest of the shinigami may not be so complacent when they hear my report that hollow bait has been used in your districts. That's a very serious offence after all. But no need to worry. We will find the culprit for you."
The Kumicho's face flushed in anger for a moment and then he composed himself. "Of course. We'd be very grateful for any help the shinigami can offer." Then he looked her over more thoroughly and paused before his face lit with recognition. "It can't be."
She stiffened under the appraising eyes and Mamoru snapped, "Are we going to get on with this or not?"
"Hold on, Mamoru-kun, I haven't seen your baby sister since she was such a little thing. Sneaking about the manor and spying on things she ought not to see." His words were like a punch to the gut as she realized where she'd heard his voice before, in her adoptive father's home long before she knew what Tanaka was.
She'd been avoiding her sewing lessons by wandering the halls in one of the off limit sections of the manor when she'd heard a girl crying out. She'd followed the noise thinking one of the maids had gotten hurt and hurried into the room the noise was emanating from without thinking. There she'd seen this man, although a good deal skinnier, naked and holding a woman down on the bed her skirts ripped and her face smeared with tears and blood from where she'd been hit. She remembered that voice now turning to her and asking her if she'd come to play too. Nanao had turned and fled back to her room. Tanaka had eventually sought her out and explained that the woman was a traitor who'd tried to kill the man while he'd slept and that he'd only been practicing self-defense. Then he'd grounded her to her room for a week for going into the off limits portion of the manor. It was an unnecessary punishment though. Nothing on earth could have convinced her to willingly go back to that wing unless maybe her brother was dying in it. She'd seen the man a few times again on their grounds, but had managed to stay clear.
Mamoru moved to block her from the Kumicho's line of sight, but she stepped forward instead. "You've gotten fat," she said in the most bored tone she could maintain.
"And you've gotten all grown up," he said looking her up and down. "Still want to play?"
"Anytime," she said sneering at the surprised look her response produced on his face. "I think you'll find me more of a challenge then a helpless woman from the lower districts, and my father is no longer around to collar me for you. Not since I killed him."
"You'll find I'm more than I seem," he said coolly.
"As will you," she countered. "Shall we surprise each other then?"
He lumbered to his feet and she felt the reiatsu rise. "Do you know who you are threatening?"
"A rapist and a coward," Nanao snarled. His guards drew their swords and despite not being on the best terms with the Higurashi she felt the survivors behind her answer in kind.
"Nanao," her brother said sharply. "We're in no place to start a war. Stand down."
"You aren't my commander," she said simply.
"You are in yakuza territory as a guest, shinigami," he said forcefully. "If you do not stand down we will make you."
She turned her furious gaze on her brother and for a moment didn't care what he had to say. His hand moved to his sword hilt and it brought everything back into focus. If she started this here and if they did nothing to try to stop her, she'd be declaring war on the Higurashi's behalf without their consent. Beyond that what remained of them was too weak to overcome the force around them.
"My apologies, Mamoru-san," she said giving him a slight bow and backing off. "My apologies to the Kumicho as well."
"Will you discuss the territories or not, Nobu Kumicho?" Mamoru asked in a strained tone as he turned back to the man.
"I will not discuss it with anyone other than your Kumicho," the man said never letting his eyes leave Nanao.
"Then we no longer have business here," Mamoru said simply. "We will return for talks when our new Kumicho is promoted."
"And the girl? Will she be coming too?"
"I've seen more than enough of you," Nanao said distastefully. Then she turned on her heel and marched back to their waiting horses, she was in her saddle before they two families could finish their stiff formal goodbyes.
Your desires are my desires, Kage whispered silently in his non-existent shadow voice.
The Higurashi men mounted up and Nanao waited patiently. They were through the gate and down the road when she released her zanpaktou silently and moved a tiny barley even there electrical kido spell through space. It was a delicate piece of work and it took all the energy she had left to create and move, but really it wasn't much at all. Just enough to stop a heart.
A/N: So for a little there I thought everyone really had stopped reading. Then I realized had just stopped sending me email alerts. So I clicked on the reviews tab of my story and found out people still are reading. Yay!
So the only sucky part is I'm not sure how to reply to reviews now, so I'm going to answer some here. Kiyoko is about 4 1/2 months along. As for when Nanao is getting back with Shunsui, well you know me, slow and steady pacing all the way, ha. Glad everyone seems to like Hisagi well enough. He's a decent sort. Also as for the Nanao/Matsumoto Grey's Anatomy reference. I've honestly only ever seen like the first episode of that show so I'm not qualified to comment, but I hope that is a good thing :) As to why Nanao and Rangiku are often friends in fanfics. I think it probably has to do with the fact that Rangiku is so much like Shunsui. It stands to reason if Nanao likes Shunsui's craziness in her life she'd be compatible with Rangiku as well. Plus Rangiku probably has a streak of Shunsui in her wanting to shake the introverted person up. At least, that's how I've always seen it. They're both a good influence on the other in different ways.
Ok, and now ends the longest author's note ever. Please leave a review! They are much appreciated and I will search them out regardless of whether they come into my inbox or not!