“Why so cold, Nanao-chan?” — Shunsui Kyōraku.
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[Seireitei, The 8th Division]
Shunsui Kyōraku – currently one of the oldest Shinigami Captains still in service, and definitely one of the oldest Shinigami – a vaunted figure, as not only one of the three people in the entirety of Shinigami history to possess a Dual Zanpakutō, but also one of two people that were recognized as Head Captain Yamamoto’s students.
He has been the Captain of the 8th Division for a thousand years and counting - having taken the position from the Division’s first ever Captain - easily making him one of the most experienced Captains, and inadvertently one of the strongest also (though hardly anyone, including other Captains, Lieutenants and rank-and-file Shinigami, had any idea of the scope of his strength). As his age dictates, he was a library of knowledge in all things Shinigami: from its history, dark wars, and secrets, to every single aspect that defined a Shinigami.
From sword skills to the Kidō Arts and their overall prowess, among the current Captains, only one person was his equal match while he was surpassed by only two. The Head Captain himself and the other was a person that was the Head Captain’s peer, a senior and elder to him in everything, Unohana Retsu.
To the other Shinigami, Captains included, if they truly understood the weight of his existence and it’s intricate meanings, maybe they would hold him in a higher esteem. Who knows?
Yes. This glorified being, Shunsui Kyōraku – Captain of the 8th Division, with all the history embedded in his old soul… could currently be seen lying languidly on the stairs leading to his residence, thoroughly rocked to stupor from alcohol with two empty gourds accompanying him on both sides.
One of the Gotei 13’s most decorated Captain, Shunsui Kyōraku, was the Seireitei’s number 1 alcoholic.
He laid sprawled out on the lower stairs, groaning every now and then and muttering inaudible grunts in-between.
The sun that had once stood proudly in the middle of the sky, looking haughtily down on the pitiful souls, had bore witness to Shunsui Kyōraku’s episode and was now somberly looking back from the horizon. The orange glow it cast over half of the Seireitei was perhaps due to its disappointment. Perhaps if someone could go up there and lend it an ear then perhaps they would know while it looked a depressing dark orange.
While the sun cast one last look behind as it sailed beyond the horizons, someone finally stumbled on the Captain.
A sigh of resentment and helplessness was what alerted Shunsui of the welcomed presence.
“Oh sweet Nanao~” His words drawled in a drunken slur. He tried pushing himself up but his hands were currently off duty. “Mind helping this old man up? Eh Nanao? You wouldn’t want your poor Captain to sleep outside under the chilling night sky?”
The young bespectacled girl stared hard at her sleazy Captain, fantasizing of a world where her glare would be enough to return him all the wrongs and injustice his character had made her endure.
“You were supposed to lead two groups of YOUR Shinigami towards the west gate eight hours ago.” She heaved, feeling her composure straining with every second he slept on the floor. “We waited two hours for you. And then I had to be the one who carried out the patrol YOU were supposed to do.”
Her voice thin with frustration and anger against her last efforts to remain calm made her words slither out like a snake’s hiss.
“Ehh? Oh… I see. That was what I was forgetting. Hehe, sorry for stressing you out, Nanao.”
Nanao had thought it was a stroke of luck, a result of her talents and efforts, that she was drafted to the 8th Division and became its Lieutenant in no time at all. She had thought that this respected Captain was at the very least impressed with her skills, but no no no. The insufferable old man had been out there window-shopping for a competent slave that he could dump all his responsibilities on and drink his day away.
Despite everything, she went over, nose scrunched up in disgust as she threw one of his arms over her shoulders, and propped him up with a grunt.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
She led him inside the building and unceremoniously dumped him on the couch and returned with a jar full of water.
“Drink up. The least you can do is not look like you just came back from the swine house.” She walked around the room with practiced steps and fluid familiarity.
Despite her vocal and inner complaints about her Captain’s wretched vices, she would find him every time he was having one of his episodes and bring him back, staying and helping around with his work while he reluctantly pulled himself together.
Nanao Ise, despite her infuriating Captain, was grateful to him. He gave her a chance over others and even if no one would believe it, he was a damn good teacher.
A few times, after her induction into the Division, he would find her training by herself at night for hours. The first five times, he only spared her a passing glance as he walked by. The next ten times he would linger for a few seconds that started stretching into minutes with every day that passed by.
The fiftieth time, by now she had gotten used to ignoring his presence, while she swung her sword for the thousandth time, his voice reached her.
“Your breaths are too full. It exhausts you quickly and makes your strikes heavy, not lethal.”
From one advice to ten. From ten to him absentmindedly reprimanding her every time he found her training. And then one night he stepped forward, structured her hands firmly and stood in front of her with a wooden sword in his hand. He didn’t explain himself and she didn’t question him. They just went through the paces for two strenuous hours that left her with blisters on her four limbs.
After that night, on the few nights he found her training, sometimes he would either walk by, stop to silently observe her for some time, and on fewer occasions he would just barge in on her training, offer no explanation, and spar with her. Whatever he found her training on such nights - be it Zanjutsu, Hohō, Hakuda or Kidō - he would accompany her for an hour or two, offer his advice and leave whenever he felt like it. Neither of them speaking about it the next morning.
There were different sides to her Captain, sides that no one knew about. And so, it was with silent understanding between them that made(forced) her grow a bit used to her Captain’s eccentricities. Although sometimes she would find herself tethering on the far edges of her tolerance and would be tempted to just end it all and resign, but still she persisted. Why? An answer she doubted she had.
She gave him a brief glance and sighed in relief, at least he no longer looked like a hopeless charlatan.
“Hey, Nanao?”
“…”
“… Dear Nanao?”
“…”
“Lil Nana…”
Her hands froze and her eyes glinted behind her glasses, the warning left unsaid but received clearly.
Shunsui chuckled and adjusted his hat and smiled wistfully.
The girl was made of tougher stuff. And she was stubborn. Stubbornly so. ‘I wonder who she got that from.’
He looked at the sky, noting that the sky was just setting into a star-studded night.
He scratched his head strongly, still feeling slightly inebriated. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
Nanao scoffed. “That would be a first.”
His brows scrunched up in deep thought as he tried to grab the evasive memory that was swimming in his muddled mind. Seeing he wasn’t getting closer even when he could feel it at the tip of his tongue, he turned to his extremely capable Lieutenant.
“Nanao, can you help me out a bit here?” She acted as if his words never left his lips. “Please?”
She paused ever so slightly, picked up something, and flicked it in his direction all without interrupting the flow of her work.
Shunsui looked at the black feather held between his fingers and let out a soft ‘Oh’ as realization set it.
“Why bother knocking every single time? Just come in.” He said tiredly.
The door slowly slid open and Captain Uchiha stepped inside with Yachiru hanging off his shoulders like she usually did with Kenpachi.
“Nana! Shun-shun! Hallo!” She waved excitedly, receiving a proper greeting from Nanao and a grunting reply from Shunsui.
“Lieutenant Ise.” The Captain greeted her with a soft nod in her direction which she respectfully returned.
“Please, you’ll have to excuse that bum. He attempted to drown away his nonexistent sorrows. Again.” She sent another glare Shunsui’s way.
She couldn’t focus much on her anger towards her Captain because as soon as Captain Uchiha took a seat in front of her Captain, Yachiru jumped off his back and beelined towards Nanao. Poor Nanao Ise. She could barely defend herself before she found herself swept away in Yachiru’s flow.
“Tell me you at least brought something with you. Some wine perhaps?” Shunsui asked lazily.
Itachi put his hands into the sleeves of his coat and brought out a small wrapped box.
“Unfortunately I don’t have any wine on me. Make do with this.”
As if the injustice towards Nanao wasn’t enough, her useless Captain who did nothing but drunk himself to stupor in the middle of the day got to receive a wrapped box of food while she, the ever-working slave, only got to salivate from across the room while also doing HIS work.
As she watched her Captain and his friend talk, sometimes lighthearted and sometimes serious, she felt a poke on her sides.
“Tada! I got it from Tachi-tachi. Want to have some, Nana?” Her ever-present excitement and bubbly nature easily wrapped around Nanao, alleviating some of her heart demons.
“Hmm.” Nanao nodded. A happy smile plastered across her face which in turn made Yachiru’s smile widen.
For the first time in a long time, Nanao’s day ended on a happy note.
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A/N: I had this chapter typed out some time ago but couldn’t figure out just where to put it so I decided to paste it here. A little hearty chapter before the plot thickens.