Immortal Hearts: 1.) Rooftop Picnics

Nanao

It was one of the warmest days in the Seireitei we had yet to have this spring, but still a little cool for my tastes. But then again what could I expect while sitting on a rooftop above the Second Division. It had been Ukitake-Taicho’s idea to have a picnic and Kyoraku’s to have it on a rooftop, to which they both smiled in agreement. That in turn caused me to smile as well, though I had no idea of the semblance this place held for them and as I thought about I decided it was probably better that I didn’t know, after all who knew what those to idiots did with their free time.

Kyoraku sighed beside me and I fought the urge to groan as he stretched and scratched at himself more like a contented house cat, de-clawed and neutered than a respected Taicho of the Gotei Thirteen.

“Aren’t rooftop picnics the greatest?” he asked, the deep baritone in his voice cracking slightly and I knew it was near his nap time. The fact that I knew this only served to make me want to slap myself.

Rolling my eyes and fighting the overwhelming impulse to hit him instead of myself I answered with a terse, “If you say so, Taicho.” He stilled for a moment before flicking his ridiculous straw hat away from his face so I could see his eyes and he smiled a lazy grin.

“Aw, come on, Nanao-chan, we’ve got good food, wonderfully, lovely company and most importantly…” he trailed off taking another sip from his clay dish. “sake.” he stated the last part rather jovially, crossing one ankle over the other and tucked one arm under his head but I didn’t fail to notice that it was not the arm closest to me, which I watched like a hawk.

“Glad to hear it,” I mumbled sarcastically under my breath but I refused to reply to him even if I was enjoying myself I thought it best not to over inflate his already obnoxious ego. Out of the corner of my eye I caught his hand inching closer and I smiled ruefully even if it was internally. He may of thought his hands were sneaky as he tried to covertly cop a feel of my thigh but after decades of putting up with the insufferable oaf my fan was faster. With a resounding whack I thwarted his attempt and as per usual I was met with his adorable pout, not that I’d be telling him that anytime soon, if ever.

Kyöraku Shunsui-Taicho of the Eighth

As I thought he turned on his side, a pitiful pout on his lips and his grey eyes raised up in his sad puppy dog manner. “Jyuu agrees with me, don’t you?” He whined turning to face his friends but when the look in my Taicho’s eyes turned genuinely concerned it made me turn and look as well.

Ukitake hadn’t said much in the last few minutes but he had always been a quiet man, preferring to watch rather than engage unless it was necessary and so I thought nothing of it when he skillfully ignored Kyoraku’s insensate hounding. Looking at him now though, he seemed distracted, horribly so as his eyes stay trained on staring out over the roof’s ledge.

“Jyuu?” My Taicho called, obnoxiously drawling out his name in sing-song voice, waving his hands wildly through the air like a manic in the hopes of regaining Ukitake-Taicho’s attention.

Ukitake Jüshirö-Taicho of the Thirteenth

I almost giggled when he didn’t respond and I thought to myself that I wasn’t the only one who had developed such selective hearing when it came to Shunsui. Ukitake seemed dazed almost, like he physically found it impossible to restrain himself from looking at whatever had gained his attention in the first place and I became curious.

I had known Ukitake-Taicho almost as long as I had known Kyoraku and I had never seen him this way and I wondered offhandedly if it had something to do with the unusual method that had cured him. He had, as I said before always been able to tune out Kyoraku’s-Taicho’s ridiculous antics and perverse insights but this was something different. It was as if Ukitake had completely forgotten we were there.

Staring a little longer than necessary I couldn’t help but smile. Ukitake had changed somewhat since the night of his ‘accidental’ cure and I guess we had only Kurotsuchi-Taicho to thank for it. If not for all his scheming and strange ways I feared that we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of Ukitake’s company much longer as his health has seriously declined since the days of the Ryoka attacks.

Who would have thought that something that had been engineered as biochemical weapon would harness the enzymes to finally cure the sick Taicho of his Tuberculosis like ailments. Somewhere in the back of my mind I still harbored the nagging feeling the Ukitake ‘accidentally’ coming into contact with this ’weapon’ wasn’t at all as ’accidental’ as Kurotsuchi made it sound. Personally I believe it was a simple experiment performed by our resident mad chemist to see if he could actually do it, though I would never voice my opinion on that matter. Not with Shunsui or Ukitake and definitely not with the crazed scientist in question.

It was almost strange to see him so healthy after seeing him sickly for the whole of my life here in the Seireitei. It was like looking at a completely different man, a man who could provide for his troops again, a man who no longer required help getting out of bed each morning, well most days anyway. There were those occasional few he spent nursing himself through a rough patch, but it was nothing a little ‘hare of the dog’ couldn’t fix. I had to admit with Ukitake in this new light we’d be beating away the new female recruits for the Thirteenth.

I had always found Ukitake-san a uniquely handsome man but it was more of his kind nature that I found myself attracted to. But now he was generally handsome in his own right and most would find him so without ever personally knowing him. With his shoulders no longer hunched from lack of muscle tone he stood at his respective 6’5 height with all the grace and masculinity of being the respected death god he is. He had gained weight as well taking him to a respective weight just above my own Taicho, making him stand out as one of the bigger men in the Seireitei. His color, though still pale held none of the chalkiness that I used to associate to his sickness and now his hair also held a certain shine to it that was dull and lifeless before.

All in all everyone was overly pleased and relieved with his recovery and none more so than a certain Taicho from the Fourth who had all but given up on being able to save my Taicho’s best friend.

“Nanao, stop touching that, this is inappropriate for public viewing!” My Taicho wailed jarring me from my assessment. My eyes snapped to him in a glare immediately to find out what this new tactic was when Ukitake suddenly sputtered to life.

Ise Nanao-Fukutaicho

“What?” He asked dumbly, turning to face us and the fog lifted from his dark green eyes.

“Works every time.” Kyoraku gloated with a smile and the desire to hit him returned with a forceful vengeance. A light blue kido formed in my hands and immediately sensing his immanent death Kyoraku eyes widened as he leapt from my side in a shunpo and landed gracefully on the other side of his friend.

“Yare, yare, Nanao-chan, no need for violence,” he said with a smugness that made me wanting to turn things up a notch and blast him back to the Eighth. “If you want to touch your Shunsui all you have to do is ask nicely.”

Gritting my teeth I growled in frustration before snapping. “You are most certainly not my Shunsui and I have no desire to touch you anymore than is absolutely necessary.” I huffed indignantly, crossing my arms under my chest, my eyes silently challenging him to say anything further on the matter. Which he didn’t.

We met silence once again and it didn’t take long to figure out that we had lost Ukitake’s attention, again.

“Ah, so that’s what you’ve been staring at.” My Taicho commented suddenly, leaning further over the roof’s edge to have a better look himself. He scratched at his day old stubble in silent contemplation before a smile graced his lips and he patted Ukitake on the back as he threw his head back in laughter.

“What is it?” I asked impatiently.

“See for yourself.” He responded, taking a step back and gesturing with his hand in a sweeping motion to the courtyard below us.

I sighed, standing from my seated position and went to join the others in their staring and was a little shocked at what I saw. It was a woman, a beautiful one at that speaking with Suì-Fëng-Taicho and Ömaeda-fukutaicho in the common grounds of the Second Division.

Shihöin Nozomi-fukutaicho of the Fifth

“Quiet a looker, wouldn’t you agree, my Nanao?” My Taicho questioned, looking past Ukitake and winking. I nodded my head in agreement for she was beautiful. Standing with her companions I noticed the Shihöin clan symbol on the crest of her kimono and immediately deduced that she was nobility. She was pale as the moon which was striking against the blackness of her long hair, but it was in her eyes that I found familiarity. Honey in color and reminded me fondly of a certain noble who had in her own right, left her mark upon the Seireitei.

“I wonder who she is?” Ukitake asked absently, his eyes never wavering from the woman below who for all else seemed oblivious to our blatant ogling.

Closing my eyes I searched for her Reiatsu and gasped in shock as I came to the realization that it was at the level of a lower ranking Taicho.

“Oh,” My Taicho said in a false confusion, scratching the back of his neck which I saw through instantly as I was sure Ukitake did as well, which was confirmed by an almost scathing glare. “I guess you hadn’t heard yet. I forgot you were with Restu getting that check-up when that meeting was held.” Kyoraku winked again, nudging Ukitake playfully in the ribs trying to get a rise out of his quiet friend. Ukitake’s only response was to sigh, much like I would have and ignore my now fully pouting Taicho.

“So mean,” he muttered to himself and this time I rolled my eyes.

We waited in silence for almost a minute before it became obvious that my Taicho had zoned out. When my growing curiosity finally got the better of me I picked up the heavy ledger I had been carrying I bashed Kyoraku in the head with it, effectively jump starting his mind.

“What?” He jerked suddenly, rubbing the sore spot my hefty tome had left. “Oh right, that’s the new fukutaicho of Squad Five, under Abarai-kun…” he paused, his eyes turned upwards in deep concentration as he scratched at his beard before finally adding, “I think?”

I almost sighed at his foolish ways and couldn’t help but worry that he had yet again slept through another Taicho’s meeting.

Through all this I kept stealing glances at Ukitake as I’m sure my Taicho did the same but Ukitake hadn’t said as much as a word and had yet to quit staring, if I didn’t know any better I’d say Ukitake-Taicho was infatuated with the new recruit.

“Do you know her name, Shunsui?” Ukitake asked suddenly, making me jump as I too had been drawn in to stare at the woman friendly conversed with one of the most feared women in all of the Soul Society.

“Her name is Nozomi!” Came a chipper voice from behind me, one that I knew as well as the voice of my own Taicho but it startled me nonetheless as I hadn’t felt her approach.

“Rangiku!” I snarled, throwing my Taicho’s discarded and thankfully forgotten sake bottle at her head which garnered a distressed yell from Kyoraku but she just giggled and plopped down next to me and produced a fresh bottle from her bosom.

“Always so stern, Nanao.” She said with a mock scolding in her tone. “Learn to loosen up.”

It was almost funny to watch my Taicho sigh in relief when he saw that I hadn’t in fact left him without his precious spirits and I wanted to smacked myself at how much being around him constantly had changed me. It was safe to say that for the most part our relationship hadn’t changed much in his eyes, but for me, I couldn’t say the same. In the months since the defection of Aizen, Tösen, and Ichimaru and that horrible day on Sökyoku Hill my feelings had changed or admittedly I had finally confessed them to myself. I was in love with the buffoon but that was a secret I’d keep tight within my soul.


Matsumoto Rangiku-Fukutaicho of the Tenth

I was jarred once again from my thoughts, only this time it was more literally that figurative as Rangiku rather forcefully pulled me into a tight embrace, suffocating me between her breasts as she scolded Kyoraku for not deflowering ’her precious Nanao-chan yet’ as Kyoraku adamantly defended himself, tugging at my arms to free me from Ran’s smothering hold, saying that he did not wish for certain - unmentionable - body parts (which could not be reattached) to be lost to one of my irritated kido blasts should he try. Poor Ukitake was trying, futilely to calm them to no avail as I jerked myself free and took several long gulps of air and shirking Kyoraku away.

“Get off me, you idiots.” I panted, my vision mildly hazy from the loss of oxygen while the my Taicho and fukutaicho-Matsumoto continued to argue their sides to the point, which was embarrassingly enough about my love life, or lack there of.

Taking a moment to block them out I returned to spying on the new fukutaicho of the Fifth only to be disappointed when she was no longer there.

“She gone.” I whispered to myself, hoping that the newcomer hadn’t actually heard much of the argument that had stilled at my words, that would be one way to greet the new office of the Gotei Thirteen. I felt more than saw Ukitake’s presence behind me and I wondered idly if he was disappointed to have missed her leaving, he did after all, seem quiet taken with her.

“Oooo, what’d I miss?” Rangiku chirped drunkenly, pouring herself another sake and leaving the argument with Kyoraku forgotten. I thanked Kami.

“Nothing.” Ukitake sputtered out in haste as a light blush tinted his pale cheeks and my Taicho smiled at his friends attempted save bemusedly.

“Come now, Jyuu, there no need to be shy. She is a pretty lady after all and I haven’t seen you look that hard at one since our academy days…” He paused scratching his beard. “In all honesty, I was beginning to worry, but with a specimen such as me around, I could hardly blame you.”

“That is untrue,” he defended. “I look at lots of girls.” Ukitake huffed sporting a pout of his own. It was true that there was no real cause to worry when it came to Ukitake’s sexual preferences but it was also true that his eyes rarely wandered and he was for nothing else, picky. Unlike a certain someone smiling about as smugly as it gets.

I couldn’t help it, I laughed at the pointed glare Ukitake shot him and decided to help him out and take my Taicho’s ego down where it belonged, if not for the good of Ukitake than for the sake of Seireitei.

“I would wipe that smug smile off your face, Taicho. It was you, after all who was considered the female in those particular rumors and you that had flirted and slept your way through all the women in the Seireitei to cover your secret sexual desire for Ukitake-Taicho.” I told him firmly, adjusting my glasses in attempt to hold a straight face.

“Ouch.” Rangiku commented as Ukitake stared at me wide-eyed in a state of total shock.

“So cruel, my Nanao is to me.” He whined, slinking over to me with his arms opened wide. “That was a blow to my manly pride-

“Which you have in spades, Taicho, you’ll survive.” I cut him off, batting his arms away with my fan.

“So mean,” he pouted, slinking back down to his pink ’haori’ which he insists it is but I know better, the hideous thing is actually a woman’s kimono which he started wearing only to further upset his elder and more serious brother. Personally, I thought it was very amusing, well, once I found out why he wore it.

“Oh, quit pouting Shun-kun,” Matsumoto snarked, taking his sullenness as a distraction and promptly relieved him of his hat, tossing to Ukitake who caught it dumbfounded.

“Hey!” Kyoraku griped, sending her a small glare which she brushed off with a question.

“So are you all coming tonight?”

“Huh?” I asked, admittedly having know idea what she was talking about.

“To the party, duh. Seriously Nanao, you need to get out more.” She said in exasperation.

“Excuse me, what party?” Ukitake asked seriously.

“Abarai-kun’s, members of the Fifth and Sixth are throwing him a surprise party to celebrate his promotion and his engagement to Kuchiki-fukutaicho.” She replied, taking another long pull from the sake bottle before passing it to Ukitake. “I even heard the new Taicho of the Third is attending. Did you hear he’s a noble?”

Amagai Shusuke-Taicho of the Third

“Oh yes, I’d forgotten about that.” Ukitake replied absently ignoring Rangiku's question. “Are all the Fifth Division members attending?” He asked nervously, a rare pink tint rising to his cheeks again.

Of course Taicho couldn’t resist the urge to tease him. “Hey, Jyuuuu?” He called in a sing-song way.

“Yes, Shunsui,” he replied with a sigh.

“Your blushing…”

“Yes,” He answered, the light pink tinting and even darker red. “I suppose I am.” And you couldn’t beat the smile off my face as I covered my mouth with my fist hoping to tramp down the fit of giggles I felt rising from my chest. It was so good to see him in high spirits and even better to see him blushing over a woman he hadn’t even met yet.

“So,” Matsumoto huffed beside me, impatient as ever for an answer. “Are you guys coming or not?”

“I suppose so,” I sighed, but secretly I wouldn’t miss this party even for the chances to decimates my Taicho’s prized hat and ’haori’ in the world.

“I’m in!” Kyoraku added but sulked back down to the roof as he realized no one was paying him any attention, not as if we had to wonder about his answer.

“I am as well.” Ukitake added. Yeah, I bet you are.

“Great!” Rangiku squealed. “Time to shop.”

I had barely registered her words before she had me clutched to her side and she was leaping of the roof in a steady shunpo.

“Taicho!” I yelled, hoping he would protest to his precious Nanao-chan leaving but as I looked over my shoulder he just waved. “Kyoraku!” I tried again, hoping that the use of his name would appeal to his already enlarged since of pride and that he might save me.