Author's Note: This one is for Genetix Chiquita and Maelynne Naveen. They have infected my head with possibilities. It is mixed with my own stress from work and annoyance at my personal life.

End of the Month

Dark halls echoed with stillness. Paper walls became haunting screens to dancing shadows cast by a half-moon. A cool, damp breeze crept through a cracked window but only ruffled the stacks of freshly signed papers.

Nanao carefully set her pen down on its holder and rubbed her palms together. Pursing her lips, she stared at the neat stacks of paperwork that had been backlogged all month. This was the fourth night in a row that she had been forced to stay in the office past midnight to stave off an inquiry from the higher-ups. She knew that with the past history of the Eighth Division an inquiry would only be a courtesy but the knowledge that it would be a blot on her reputation as Vice-Captain gave her no option.

She allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps she was letting the Captain get away with too much. She would never let him know that his pleading looks piled upon the flirtatious invasions of her personal space struck a chord in her. It was the first time in her life that any male had lavished so much attention on her – even such flamboyant attention. It was a deeply guarded, black secret of hers and the most recent consequences of it were apparent in that his naps had become longer, but less frequent while the invitations to drink were getting more persistent. He paid for them with a few more blows to the head and nothing more. The stacks of paper strengthened her resolve that the next month would make up for this back step.

Her shoulder muscles were uncomfortably tight. Nanao stretched her right arm out in front of her and winced when she heard the joint give with a loud pop. Some of the knots loosened and she sat back in her wooden chair. Again, she looked over the stacks of neatly organized paper and had to admit that the sight gave her an extreme sense of accomplishment despite the fact that all of it ought to have been signed by the Captain. Her signature would have to do.

Glancing around the room, she hesitated. It was near three in the morning and she had been alone since early evening. Only the janitorial service had bid her good night on this long weekend night. For the first time in the office, Nanao reached up to her hair clip and let it loose. Running a hand through the crimps left by the clasp, she reveled in the small sensation of freedom. Hiding a yawn behind her hand, the Vice-Captain stood to gather her things. The couch looked welcoming but she preferred her own futon.

A small white triangle sticking out from under the desk caught her eye. Bending down, she pulled out a final report. The temptation to simply incinerate it with a burst of reiatsu was strong, but Nanao was never one to give in to her impulses. She did, however, slap it down in irritation on the desk for punishment. Picking up her pen one more time, she jumped violently when the door to her office abruptly slid open. A heavy black blot appeared on the page.

"Nanao-chan!" Captain Shunsui breezed in bearing two jugs of sake. "I saw that the light was on and…" He stopped and blinked at the frozen form of his second. The usually goofy grin changed into something Nanao would rather not think about. "Your hair is down!"

She immediately reached for her clip. "Sir, I was about to leave."

Nimble fingers snatched the hairpiece from her hand. Before she could demand its return, the Captain had shoved it into his own heavy locks. Eyes wide, he grinned. "How does it look?"

Irritation was threatening to boil over. "Sir, give it back."

Shunsui pouted. "Was that an order?"

Nanao rolled her eyes. "That is my personal property."

With a clank, two sake bottles appeared on her desk, threatening to tip over one of her careful stacks of paperwork.

"I'm sharing my personal property. It's only fair that you do the same."

Nanao pushed a wayward strand of hair behind one ear, wishing desperately that she had a spare. She was extremely aware of his dark eyes following her every move, stalking her on a whole new level compared to the weekly harassment. He had an agenda tonight – a frightening thought considering the man never seemed to be interested in agendas.

To break the growing tension, she reached for the final report. "Since you are here, sir, you can sign this for me."

The corners of his eyes crinkled in genuine amusement. She hated herself for even noticing. Holding out her pen, she leveled her coldest stare at him. He sighed and reached for the small wooden stick.

"Even on the weekend, my Nanao-chan is so dedicated."

She blamed the late hour for her short outburst. "Only because you are not."

Shunsui's large hand closed over her waiting one. Nanao instinctively pulled back but was drawn up short when he refused to release her. About to pull her fan from its hiding place, the Captain bent over the paper and neatly signed his name with her hand.

"There, see how dedicated your Shunsui is?"

She ignored the strange sensation in her chest and tried to reclaim the hand he refused to release.

"Sir, are you suggesting that I forge you name? That is illegal."

He didn't reply but started to examine her fingers. "Such cute hands Nanao has! But they are all covered in ink!"

Rough fingertips gently rubbed at the blotches left by her pen. Of all the emotions running through her at his forwardness, Nanao chose the safest one – anger. "I have been here for the past eighteen hours doing paperwork for the entire month. I have been doing said paperwork for the past four nights. Forgive me for a couple of ink stains. Now please let go!"

He did exactly the opposite, tugging her around the desk. "I have the perfect solution to wash these delicate fingers."

In the blink of an eye, Nanao found herself expertly maneuvered so that her back was against the desk, hand outstretched to the side, and Shunsui's chest dangerously close to her face as he reached over her to one of the sake bottles. She caught the scent of sakura, laced with something purely male. She absently wondered why he didn't smell of alcohol since it was his day off. Not trusting her voice, she stoically endured the spine-tingling caress of rough fingers over her sensitive fingertips. The smell of sake accompanied a splash of liquid.

"Ah, see! The ink is going away."

Nanao had to admit that his choice of cleaning supplies worked surprisingly well. Shunsui doused her hand one more time, the sake splashing the office floor. Clenching her jaw, she searched frantically for her rationality.

He didn't mean anything by holding her hand.

He was only being nice – the least he could do considering the work she just did for him.

He wasn't… putting her fingers…

Nanao jerked her hand away from his mouth. Face heavily flushed, she pointedly turned back to the desk with its final report. Picking it up under the pretense of scanning it for sorting, she ignored the heavy silence behind her. His actions went far beyond any of his prior flirting – something she had learned to deflect effectively. This… The only thing she could think to do was pretend it hadn't happened.

With a heavy frown she realized she had stared at the signed page for some minutes and still not understood a word. To her horror, the heavy sigh of exasperation she planned to make a point of closure turned into a massive yawn.

"Nanao-chan needs to go to bed." A deep voice rumbled.

She stiffened. "I'll be going as soon as I repair the stain you made me put on this report."

Sitting one more time at her desk, she reached for a bottle of cream-colored editor paste. Nanao felt her nerves start to calm in the small world of her work. Now she could switch back to Vice-Captain mode.

Waiting for the paste to dry, Nanao shuffled the competed reports into final order at one end of her desk. She would send them with someone in the morning. Setting the last paper on the top, she stood and wavered. Deprived of sleep for so many nights, her body was slow to function and she stumbled. Her face bumped into something warm and firm and the rest of her seemed drawn to that warmth. All higher reason simply shut off as she breathed in the smell of him.

"Nanao?"

She managed an unintelligent, "Nngh…"

"Come, let's get you to bed."

At that, Nanao reflexively pushed at his chest even as her nose was still pressed against his shoulder.

Shunsui laughed softly, "Shhh, you're asleep on your feet. You won't even make it home on your own."

In a sweep of motion, Shunsui scooped up his Vice-Captain and deposited her gently on the couch. She struggled feebly, blinking away the fatigue and pushing at his arms as he drew his flamboyant pink haori over her. He easily captured her wrists, folding them deliberately over her stomach.

Nanao tried to glare at her captor but was interrupted by his large hands taking her glasses from her face. She made a grab at them, but they were tucked away inside her Captain's uniform – and she was not going to reach for them. Instead she opted to firmly bop him on the head.

"That is the second thing you've taken from me tonight, sir."

He grinned crookedly his heavy frame perched on the edge of the couch. "I'll give it back tomorrow." Brown eyes swept over her and darkened. "Or I'll give them back now, for a price."

Nanao raised a sarcastic eyebrow at her Captain. "Let me see, you are going to ask me for a kiss as payment. How utterly droll."

His chuckle was low and rumbling. "A charming idea, but no," he lifted her hand to his lips, tasting the sake that still lingered on her skin. "I require that you take tomorrow off and rest."

She opened her mouth to complain, only to have him cover it with callused fingers. "Nanao, you've worked yourself to exhaustion because of your sense of duty to me. Don't make me turn this into an order."

Brown met violet in a silent stand-off. Eventually Shunsui's gaze drifted down to where his hand lingered over her mouth.

Nanao swallowed, lips twitching. Heat bloomed in her face as she slowly nodded.

Shunsui bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well, my Nanao."

Her eyes drifted shut.

He moved to put of the light and settled on the floor next to the couch.

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Author's note: I'm not sure if this will be a short story, or a one shot. Please review.