Nanao struggled through the crowd and wondered if it was even worth being out and about tonight. It had rained for the past two days and the clouds still hung heavy in the sky. Overall it was a pretty dreary Tanabata and an equally dull birthday. She was exhausted from the days of training in the downpour, and her brother had been even more distant with her since he found out she'd be going with them to Apulia tomorrow. She knew he was still upset about the Hollow incident, but it was driving her crazy trying to get back in his good graces without explaining about her shikai. At least things had been better with the main body of the Higurashi. Gossip had been swirling about the hollow attack and Nobu's death and she'd actually been getting friendly greetings and invites to go on patrols and training classes. She'd surprisingly been allowed to help some of the younger recruits who had reiatsu with their kido. Shin-san had even managed to get her invited to one of the family member's houses for dinner the night before and it had been entirely pleasant.

Nanao grimaced as a man knocked into her as he shoved his way through the crowd and wondered if Hisagi and Matsumoto might not notice if she turned around and went home instead of joining them. She'd barely seen either of them in the past couple days besides an SWA meeting where Rangiku had insisted she meet the group out at a bar for Tanabata in the 2nd district. Nanao hated going to the 2nd on this day. It was well known that all the single men and women went to the 2nd to celebrate by getting completely trashed and hooking up. Families and old people stayed in the 1st district to attend the street festivals and watch the fireworks. It'd been tradition since Shunsui had discovered her birthday for the two of them to wander the festival and watch the fireworks out on a knoll in the 1st. Rangiku had often teased her for the old fashioned tradition as she got older, but she and Shunsui enjoyed it, and before they were dating it was one of the rare places where they could both be relaxed and friendly and she didn't have to worry about a bunch of shinigami witnessing it and starting gossip. Being in the 1st on Tanabata was decidedly un-cool and she loved that.

Two drunken girls stumbled passed her clinging to each other and giggling and Nanao rolled her eyes. Everyone got started early. She'd gone by herself to the shrine and wandered the festival for a bit before convincing herself to meet up with Matsumoto and the rest of them. Besides the day hadn't been nearly as pleasant without Shunsui at her side. She was honestly sort of surprised when he hadn't shown up at her apartment that morning. It'd be the first birthday in more than one hundred years they hadn't spent together and the thought made her heart ache. Why she thought he'd show up she couldn't say, but most of her had been convinced that at least for her birthday they could pretend nothing was wrong. Nanao sighed. Maybe getting drunk wasn't such a terrible idea after all.

"Nanao-chan!" Rangiku's voice rang out moments after she entered the bar and started searching for their group. "For a second I thought you weren't going to come. I was about to start a betting pool on whether or not you'd show." The woman was already flushed with alcohol, as were the people around her.

"Hey," Hisagi greeted as she made her way to the table. He kissed her cheek as the man next to him vacated his seat for her to sit next to Hisagi. "Just in time for the pin, pon, pan tournament."

Nanao's struggled to keep a smile on her face. A few drinks she could do, a drinking game she had no interest in. Nor did she particularly like sitting through other people playing them. It was going to be a long night. "I think I'll pass," she said simply.

"Nonsense, you have to play!" Hisagi argued happily. "Everyone is. Right, guys?"

The group cheered and drinks started getting passed around. "I'm really not one for drinking games," Nanao protested again as a drink was pressed into her hands.

"It's fun, give it a try," Hisagi encouraged.

"Oh, leave her alone," Rangiku said waving a hand in her direction. "It's her birthday after all. If she doesn't want to play she doesn't have to."

"It's your birthday?" Hisagi asked looking surprised.

"Yeah, didn't I mention it?" she asked. She honestly didn't care much about her birthday. She'd never made a big deal out of it and the closest she'd come to a party was when her Shunsui, Jyuushiro, and Rangiku would occasionally grab dinner before the fireworks. This year it'd been nice to get a bouquet of flowers from her brother, confirming that they were still ok despite him being cool towards her, but as he was preparing to start traveling the next morning there wasn't much they could do together.

"I didn't know," Hisagi said looking put out. "I would have gotten you something."

"No need," Nanao said shrugging. "It's really not a big deal."

"Nanao-chan never lets us do anything for her birthday," Rangiku said rolling her eyes. "It's the same every year. Her and Shunsui-kun go to that boring festival and watch the fireworks." Matsumoto had definitely had a few Nanao decided, or she'd have never brought up Kyouraku. "You'd think Shunsui of all people would have thought of something more creative over the years. That man knows how to throw a party when he wants to."

"We liked the tradition just fine," Nanao defended crisply. "Not all of us have to have a celebration so large every year that we don't even know half the people wishing us a happy birthday. Shunsui just did what I wanted on my birthday and I like the festival."

"It's such a little kid thing to do," Rangiku argued wrinkling her nose.

"I don't know why it bothers you so much," Nanao said taking a sip of her drink. "It's not like we ever tried to make you come with us."

"Do you want me to take you to the festival and the fireworks?" Hisagi asked looking like he was slightly dreading her answer. She could tell he was well on his way to drunk by how hard it was for him to hide how little he wanted to go.

"No," Nanao said. "I'm fine here. This will be fun for a changeup. I just don't want to play the game."

"No problem," Hisagi said smiling and looking relieved. He threw an arm over the back of her chair easily and said, "birthday girl gets to do whatever she wants. Come on guys, let's all sing her happy birthday." The drunken group eagerly agreed and by the end the whole bar was singing happy birthday to her while she tried to sink further down in her chair. Nanao was more than happy when all the attention faded off of her and went back to the game at hand.

A couple hours into the evening Nanao was getting severely bored. Everyone was pretty gone by this point and it was already getting sloppy. She sipped at the end of her second drink and wondered how best to get out of the rest of the night. Maybe she could even go to the knoll and watch the fireworks by herself. Although if she were being honest she kind of hoped that if Kyouraku felt her reiatsu at the knoll he might join her. She hadn't seen him since breakfast the other day and it had been friendly enough. You'd think they could at least maintain that small glimmer of friendship on her birthday.

"Lets play truth or dare," Rangiku called from across the table gleefully. Nanao sighed, and they made fun of her for being childish. She had absolutely no intention of participating in this game either.

"Dare," Hisagi called instantly from her side. Really, Nanao couldn't figure out why those two hadn't worked out better. They were each other's counter parts in everyway.

"I dare you to flash step between all the tables in the bar and not knock over a single drink," Matsumoto called and the group cheered its consent.

"No problem," Hisagi said cockily climbing up on their table to begin. He gave a dramatic bow and took off eliciting shouts of surprise and anger as he flitted around the bar. You had to give the boy credit for not hitting a single drink in his intoxicated state. He landed back on their table with a flourish and the girl next to Nanao squealed and started clapping hard, subsequently smacking her own drink and sending it flying into Nanao's lap. She jerked up and away from the table, but was already covered in the sticky cocktail. Nanao sighed, why did the drinks always hit her?

"Does that count as me spilling one?" Hisagi asked twisting around to the laughing Matsumoto.

"I vote no," she cheered. "Nanao, you want me to go the bathroom with you and help try to clean that up?"

"No, it's fine," Nanao said seeing her chance. "I'll just run home and change."

"And not come back?" Rangiku asked knowing her only too well.

"I'll come back, but I'm not going to spend the rest of the night in a wet yukuta," Nanao said giving her a glare that clearly said to back off. She had absolutely no intention of returning, but luckily they'd be a few more drinks in by then and would hardly care.

"I call bullshit," Rangiku said giggling.

"She'll come back, won't you Nanao-chan?" Hisagi asked happily. Nanao felt something twist in her stomach and struggled to keep her face neutral. No one called her Nanao-chan except for Shunsui and Rangiku.

"Sure I will," she said nodding. "Keep playing and I'll go get cleaned up." She didn't pause for them to stop her again, simply turned and struggled through the crowd as quickly as she could. The second she was outside she didn't even bother with the street and the drunk crowd meandering through it, instead shunpoing to the roof and moving quickly back to the Seireitei. She was making record time too thanks to all those training sessions with Kuchiki. She couldn't explain even to herself why the pet name had upset her so badly. It was only natural that it would happen eventually when you were in a relationship with someone. She tired to reason that it had just surprised her and she tried to let it go as she touched down at her apartment building's front door and started up the steps. She pulled at the sticky material clinging to her legs and grumbled to herself. This had to be one of the worst birthdays ever.

Entering her hallway and noticed a pink clad figure hovering in front of her door. She watched his back stiffen as he presumably noticed her reiatsu and turned to face her. "Happy birthday, Nanao-chan," Shunsui greeted softly.

"Thanks," she said moving towards him and noticing the package in his arms.

"I was trying to find a place to leave it where you'd see it but the neighbors wouldn't be nosey," he explained sheepishly noticing where her focus had strayed. "Didn't think you'd be in." He glanced up at her again and frowned. "What happened to your yukuta?"

"Clumsy girl spilled her cocktail on me," Nanao said looking down at the stain. It was a pity too, as she really liked this yukata. "Of course it had to be neon orange."

"If you get it in the wash fast enough it might come out," Shunsui offered. "I won't keep you."

"Do you want to come in?" she asked unlocking her door as he started to back off.

"You don't have to offer," he said quietly. "I really just meant to drop off your gift."

"Got somewhere to be?" she asked trying to ignore the small part of her that was hurt by the thought.

"No," he said quickly. "I just didn't mean to intrude. I know you're probably busy."

"If you were intruding, I wouldn't have offered," she said pushing the door open and signaling for him to follow. "Are you going to the fireworks tonight?"

"I didn't particularly want to go alone," he admitted coming in behind her and kicking off his sandals.

"Oh," Nanao said coolly. "Well, I was thinking about going on my own if you'd like to join me."

"If you don't mind," he said and he did a terrible job of hiding how happy he was about it. "I'd love to go."

"It's tradition," she said with a shrug and a smile. "Mind making some tea while I change?"

"Not at all," he said grinning as he put the gift on her couch and slipped off into her kitchen. She smiled and headed to her bedroom pulling the soiled yukata off and running it under some cold water in her sink hoping the cleaners could get the stain out later. Glancing in her closet she picked a darker yukata that wouldn't get grass stains easily and changed into it. Shunsui usually put down his pink haori for them to sit on, but still it'd be foolish to get two stains in one night.

She reentered the living room and curled up on her couch smiling as Boo bounced up to join her. She contemplated opening the gift before he could return, but knew he'd be a big baby about it if he missed her opening it. He loved to see people's faces when they opened his gifts. Nanao was half shocked he could even bring himself to think of leaving it for her in the first place without giving it to her personally.

"Manage the stain?" he asked coming back into the room with two cups.

"As best I could," she said with a shrug. "Not much I can do until I can have the cleaners take a look." She accepted the teacup and instantly set it down. "Can I open it now?"

He chuckled and settled down on the couch next to her ignoring Boo when he hissed. "Maybe we should wait till after the fireworks," he teased.

She glared at him and he merely grinned wider. Nanao sighed and did the one thing she only ever did for him on her birthday. She pouted. "Please?"

"Yare, yare, Nanao-chan, how can I say no to a face like that?" he asked picking the gift up and handing it over to her.

She tore the paper off neatly and looked down at the large book she had in her hands. It was black and heavy with no wording on the cover and she glanced up at Kyouraku curiously. He just smiled calmly back and sipped his tea, looking in that moment more like his best friend then himself. "What is it?"

"It's a book, Nanao-chan. Open it up," he directed with a small grin.

She did so and found it to be a scrapbook of sorts, but mainly rendered by him since there weren't pictures of everything that had happened in her life. The first page had a copy of her acceptance letter to the 8th. She flipped to the next page and found a beautiful drawing of her as a little girl in Yadomaru's lap reading in the office. Nanao touched the page delicately and glanced at the next one finding a sketch of her and Kyouraku's first meeting. The next page held one of the first pieces of paperwork she'd ever done for the 8th, something about ordering ink. Her signature was more childish than it was now, but still clearly hers, firm and readable. The page next to it had a sign up sheet for kido lessons with Yadomaru that had a scattering of names with hers in the middle. Turning quickly to the next page it was a watercolor of her as a child on a training field with kido glowing purple around her hands. The page opposite had a picture taken at an annual Christmas party with many of the squad members. Her child self stood tightly at Yadomaru's side and gazed unsmilingly at the camera. Many of the officers in that photograph had died in the intervening years.

"Oh, Shunsui," she breathed turning the pages a little more quickly and finding the events of her life playing out over them in papers, photographs, paintings, and sketches. There was even a pressed azalea between the pages, one of the first flowers he'd ever given her and several of his horrible attempts at poetry.

"You like it then?" he asked looking at her hopefully when she glanced up. "I wasn't sure if I should still give it to you, but it seemed like such a waste."

"This must have taken you forever," she said softly glancing down at a charcoal drawing of her fukutaicho badge.

"I started it last year," he said with a shrug. "Worked on it when you were in the office. And you always said I did nothing productive." Nanao laughed and he smiled. "You should have seen Yama-jii's face when I told him I needed access to the archives to get that old paperwork copied."

"I'm sure he must have thought you'd gone mad," Nanao agreed looking down at a picture of herself fast asleep on Kyouraku's shoulder when they'd gone camping on an interdivisional retreat years ago. "I thought I burned this?"

"Didn't get the negative, Nanao-chan," he said grinning. "Rangiku-chan made me some copies. I've had one in my desk drawer at home for years."

They passed the next few minutes in silence as Nanao turned the pages. It was really something else. Being from the Rukongai it wasn't often that you got to have so many physical memories of your past in one place. In fact, she was surprised by how many pictures he'd been able to gather and scenes he'd been able to remember and recreate. As she neared the three quarters mark in the book it started in on her most recent life. A picture of her and Mamoru smiling at a Higurashi party, the menu from the restaurant of their first date, a snarling drawing of Boo, a candid shot Matsumoto or Ukitake must have taken of her and Shunsui lying curled up together out under the cherry blossoms last spring. The pages turned blank a few more after that and she looked up at Shunsui in question.

"It's so you can keep adding," he said smiling at her and obviously pleased she'd liked it.

What could she possibly add? She didn't have his creative flair or any sort of drawing talent. She'd just mar the beauty of the book if she went about adding to it. How could he possibly think she'd be able to add to it with the proper level of skill? Then it hit her that it'd never been meant for her to add things too. He'd started the book a year ago. He'd meant it as a continuing present, one that he would have updated for her, because while it'd started as a book of her life by the end it'd become a book of theirs. Kami, how had everything gone so wrong?

"Nanao-chan?" he asked hesitantly sensing her shift in mood instantly and she refused to look up at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she said and hated that she felt tears burning at her eyes.

"Nanao, if you don't want it I won't be hurt," he said earnestly. "I shouldn't have come here," he said reaching for the book.

She jerked it away from his hands and clutched it to her chest shaking her head. "No, I love it. I'd have been furious if you had done this much work and hadn't given it to me."

He backed off. "Nanao-chan you never would have even known. I didn't mean to upset you, especially not on your birthday. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," she said finally looking up at him and trying to appear calm. "It's the most beautiful gift I've ever been given." Then she promptly burst into tears.

"Nanao-chan," he said his eyes going wide as he panicked. Same old Shunsui. The man could just not deal with women crying. He hesitated for a moment and then tugged her into his arms. She didn't fight it. "Please stop crying," he murmured. "No one should cry on their birthday. I wanted you to be happy."

"I am," she said trying to get her waterworks under control. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm crying. It's really perfect."

"Hey now," he said releasing her just enough to run his thumbs across her cheeks and rub the tears from her face. "When you're happy you smile."

She gave a watery laugh and a weak smile. "Thank you, Shunsui. You've saved an otherwise very subpar birthday."

"And there's still fireworks," he said grinning. "Fireworks make everything better."

She laughed and kissed him quickly. It took her a minute to even register what she'd done. It hadn't been a thought out action. He'd simply made her happy and it'd been an involuntary response. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized what she'd just done and it must have been her expression that made the mirrored surprise drop from his face.

"It was nothing, Nanao-chan," he said offering her an obviously forced smile. "I'm glad you liked the book."

"I'm sorry," she blurted before she could stop it.

"Don't be," he said brushing her bangs back from her face.

"I just wasn't thinking," she continued.

"I know," he agreed.

"I was just happy," she said trying to sort it out out loud. "I was just saying thank you."

"Nanao," he sighed.

"It didn't mean anything," she stated firmly meeting his eyes.

"I know," he repeated stoically. "It's fine."

"And now I've botched everything," she said sighing as she reached up to touch his cheek and drawing back her hand at the last second. "I'm sorry. I'm not good at any of this."

"Forget it," he said standing up stiffly.

"Taicho," she started, standing to follow him and accidentally reverting to his title like she tended to do whenever she was in a messy situation. It stabilized her.

"Don't," he said turning on her then. "I said it was fine, leave it alone."

"Since when have you ever not wanted to talk things out?" she demanded getting frustrated, at what she wasn't sure.

"Since there was nothing to say," he replied flatly. "Kami, this isn't going to work is it?"

"What?"

"Us pretending we can still be us without being us," he said. "Every move we make hurts the other person."

"Shunsui, it was a stupid mistake," she argued feeling a sudden panic well up from somewhere deep inside. "And you didn't do anything to me."

"I had you in tears," he shouted seeming to surprise himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath bringing his hand up to cover his eyes.

She stepped up to him and pulled his hand away gently. "You didn't upset me. I don't know why I cried. It wasn't your fault. Your gift was wonderful, Shunsui."

Nanao wasn't sure when he moved or whether or not she'd had a moment to fend him off, but the next thing she new his mouth was hot against hers and it was not the chaste thank you kiss she'd given him a few moments ago. It was anxious and needy and had her clutching at him before she even realized that she'd shoved herself up against him and was matching him movement for movement. She should stop this now, break away from him and hit him with her new birthday present. His hand moved to her hair releasing it from the clip and she groaned as he ran his fingers up her scalp. This was all wrong, and she couldn't for the life of her remember why. Frantic kisses were trailing down her neck leaving her gasping as she ran her nails up his chest. He nipped at her pulse point, a favorite spot of hers, and she gave a small cry pulling his hair and dragging him up for another kiss. Before she knew it they were stumbling backwards and missing her couch by a meter tumbling into a heap on her floor.

"Nanao," Shunsui growled and it was all she could do to keep from mewling her response. "Tell me to stop," he demanded bringing his knee up between her thighs and she arched against him willingly. All he got out of her was a gasp. "If you want me to stop, tell me now." A second later his lips were on hers again and there were no protests to be had as she dragged him closer and proved how very little she wanted this to end.

It didn't take either one of them long. It'd been desperate and fast. They didn't even manage to get all of their clothes off, just enough to make due. The apartment was quiet in the moments after except for their panting attempts to catch their breath and the slow steady growl.

"Your cat is going to kill me," Shunsui said finally with his face still buried in her neck and hair.

"Put up a kido shield," Nanao said with a shrug. Her mind wasn't really even functioning currently and she could care less if he was afraid of Boo.

He chuckled and she shivered as she felt it reverberate throughout her body. "Bedroom?" he offered.

"Legs aren't working right now," she mumbled closing here eyes and twisting to a more comfortable position beneath him. "Try back again later."

Shunsui snorted and started to get up eliciting a soft whimper from her as his warmth left her. "No need for your legs," he said pulling her up against him again as he picked her up and kicked off the pants that were hanging on to his ankles. Nanao wrapped her legs around his waist for support, her yukata still bunched around her hips, and didn't argue as he made it to her bedroom and kicked her door shut before Boo could dart in. He set her on the bed and took a step back drinking her in with his eyes.

"I hate when you do that," she said blushing and picking at her clothing to twist it back into a more decent position as her brain slowly started to reassert itself.

"Please," he said stopping her hands. "You have nothing to be embarrassed of."

"Doesn't mean it isn't embarrassing," Nanao grumbled as his hands reached behind her for the bow of her obi sash and started loosening it. He kissed down her neck as he went to work and soon enough continued on to her shoulder as he slipped the fabric down and off of her arms. As soon as her wrists and hands were free again she reached for the top of his uniform and started to tug. "Off."

He grinned against her skin and complied as he moved over her and pressed her down on the bed from her previous sitting position. His own hands quickly moved to the all-important task of getting rid of her yukata completely. Hands and mouths started up their tortuous play all over again and an explosion of red lit up the room.

"We're missing the fireworks," he commented somewhere near her bellybutton.

"There's always next year," she sighed out as her hand tangled in his hair and the room took on a blue hue after another explosion. He moved back up to recapture her mouth and they both followed the fireworks' progression into oblivion.

A/N: o.O Bad Nanao. As always thank you for all the reviews, they keep me editing and updating quickly!