Okey dokey…first posting worked so here comes NUMBER 2!!! (dramatic background music plays!!!) Anyway, this shall be a little one-shot between an OC and Shunsui Kyoraku, which came to mind randomly and prodded me, insisting I give posting it a shot. Again…just to avoid any lawsuits, Bleach belongs to the one and only Tite Kubo, who I envy with a burning fiery passion, and hope to inherit any and all of his works. (if only…*sighs*) Teehee ^_^ Enjoy

'Damn it! Why is Kyoraku-taichou always missing when the paperwork begins to pile up? I mean really! All it requires is the signing of some stinkin' reports and making "ME" or "NANAO" deliver them! Is it really so difficult to write your own signature? Sheesh…he's so lazy sometimes!!!' 3rd seat of squad 8, Aki Mizuko mentally scowled, as her eyes darted left then right, hoping to catch a glimpse of her captain's infamous pink robe.

'Why, of all the times you could have been sent on a mission, did it have to be during a period of time in which we are suffering from paperwork overload Nanao-fukutaichou!!!' she added in a silent whimper, her feet unconsciously dragging her through the squad barracks, still not having found her captain.

This had been continuing now for at least an hour, as every room Aki searched only resulted in her encountering a few subordinates, or simply empty bedrooms. Not even her subordinates could help though, because after asking each one she ran into, her tone becoming increasingly desperate and aggravated, none were able to give her the response she sought. They too, were unaware of her taichou's whereabouts.

Although aware she had no need to truly be concerned, Aki couldn't help but allow a small, almost nonexistent, ripple of fear to course through her body. The fact that her captain was nowhere to be found, despite searching for an hour now, combined with the fact none of the other squad members had seen him, was causing some tension to build within her chest. How was she to know if he truly was alright? Granted, she knew he was indeed a strong man, that much had been reinforced into her mind when she saw himself and Ukitake-taichou battle the Head Captain shortly prior to Aizen, Gin, and Tousen's departure. It was a moment which changed her opinion of her taichou drastically.

*FLASHBACK*

Never before, had Aki seen her captain look so serious. The normal glint in his eyes, caused by what she hypothesized was a mix of his practically constant state of slight inebriation and general personality, was not present at that time. There were not even any traces of it having ever existed before, not did it seem likely that it could ever return at that particular moment. Initially, it disturbed her greatly, to witness such a new side to the man's normally flamboyant personality, but for some reason, it simultaneously engraved a greater sense of respect in her heart towards him. Her simply knowing, that his usual carefree state did indeed collaborate with a much more mature, solemn side, eliminated any doubts she may have harbored, and reassured her that this man definitely deserved his position as a captain of the Gotei 13.

*END FLASHBACK*

Nonetheless though, in her current situation she was once again questioning just how powerful he could be. No trace of his reiatsu was detectable at that moment, nor was there any note or other type of informative left to explain where he may be. True, there were no warning bells sounding in Seireitei currently, and neither were there any sounds even relatively indicative of a troublesome situation happening, yet there was a small burn of worry traveling through her veins as her feet still absentmindedly led her elsewhere in the squad 8 barracks.

It had now been at least another hour since she began her search, before Aki was slumping against a wall outside of her quarters. She sighed heavily, with a slightly upset undertone, and proceeded to look up towards the blue sky above her. Locating her captain was taking far too long for her liking, and now all she wanted to do was curl into a defensive ball and hear his voice nearby, assuring her she needn't fret about anything at all.

"Where could you possibly be taichou?" she quietly questioned herself as a breeze caressed her face, moving away a few strands of light brown hair that had taken residence there during her expedition, whilst revealing greatly troubled green eyes. They slowly closed, as a sigh left her lips.

"All I needed was for you to sign some stupid paperwork…but right now, I don't even care about that anymore. I just hope you are okay," she added in a whisper, her mind sorting through the possibilities of where he could have gone so early in the morning.

However, just as she was about to begin her journey once more, a familiar and warm hand placed itself atop her head, ruffling her long hair, in accompaniment to a smaller hand landing on her left shoulder.

Eyes shooting open again, Aki accidently squealed in delight at seeing her captain and fukutaichou standing over her.

"Ca…Captain Kyoraku! Lieutenant Ise!!! I'm so glad to see you both!!! I was so worried just now! I couldn't find you anywhere, and no one else knew where you were. Where have you been sir?" she explained quickly delving into a question as he chuckled lightly and Nanao managed to allow a small smile to grace her lips.

"My oh my…I apologize Aki-chan! I thought I had told you all the other day that I was scheduled to retrieve our Nanao-chan this morning then proceed to a meeting with Yama-jii to discuss how the mission went! My bad!" he laughed nervously as Aki frowned up at him and hit his arm.

"Taichou…don't joke right now! I really was becoming very concerned for you. I didn't know what to do! I almost gave up. I did not know where you were, if you were hurt, if you were even alive, and it's been tearing away at me since a few hours ago! Not to mention but…" she went to continue before he interrupted her unexpectedly.

Smiling down at the shorter girl before him, Shunsui had knelt down a bit, planting a soft kiss on her cheek to silence her rant, and when he pulled away, saw a slight blush form across her nose and into her cheeks a bit.

"Ta…Taichou?" Aki questioned him, thoroughly shocked and also a bit embarrassed he'd done that so abruptly.

Shunsui simply grinned at her, as Nanao rolled her eyes, and he stated in a comforting tone

"I am sorry Aki-chan. But I am back now, so there is no need to fear for my safety anymore… alright?"

Aki simply stared a minute, before forgetting her previous trepidations and concerns haunting her mind, and nodding her head bashfully.

Hai captain," she responded as he returned to standing straight and laughed slightly mischievously, saying in a happy-go-lucky voice

"So…u said something about not caring if I signed the paperwork right now…right Aki-chan?"

Both Nanao and Aki looked completely dumbfounded, as their captain shunpoe'd away, before realization dawned on both women, who yelled in unison

"TAICHOU!!!," and ran off to retrieve their lazy, but lovable captain.