Final chapter! Thanks for hanging in for the ride, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it. I might add to it later on when the manga or anime reveals more insight to the battle, or I'm thinking of another story with these two set during my impression of what's likely set to be a fairly long war.

Please let me know what you think both with this chapter and the story in general! Thanks everyone!

Chapter 19: Preparations

Nanao stood quietly as her captain's father and uncle were taken to Seireitei and locked up. She listened intently as Kyōraku started to recount just what their crimes were. With a sigh he stopped talking and merely accepted the heavy stack of paperwork Soifon handed him. She didn't care what the charges were, merely that they were properly recorded – in triplicate. Nanao did not say a word. She curiously watched Soifon to try to discern how much she may or may not have heard of her… 'interactions' with her captain. For her part Soifon's behavior didn't reveal anything. She had come to the real world to do a job. It had been done. Now she was back in Soul Society and was still doing her job. Nanao saw much of herself in the second division's captain. There but for Kyōraku-taichō go I, she thought as she rolled her eyes. He made sure she did not become too preoccupied with work. She was too preoccupied with him – just as he liked it.

Ss they walked silently back to the eighth division's office she was surprised how clear her mind seemed. If anything, she should be angry or afraid or tearful or something other than just calm. However, something seemed numb inside. Her passion was dulled by an unhappy weight. What was it caused by? Disappointment? Nervousness? She wasn't entirely certain. At the very least Kyōraku was leaving her alone. That was a relief. She was still trying to figure out her feelings; she didn't want to try to figure his out too.

Well, he had been leaving her alone. That changed as they climbed the stairs to the eighth division's office.

"Ne, Nanao-chan," he murmured quietly. She ignored him and increased her pace. Equanimity was gone. The quiet calmness faded the moment he opened his mouth. Now she just wanted to get away from him. She nearly ran to the office door, slid it open, grabbed the giant tome she'd been dreadfully missing the past few days and turned to leave. However, Kyōraku was there. His large body filled the doorframe. There was no room for her to get by.

"Let me pass," she said in a steely tone.

"Now now, Nanao-chan – that's not a very polite tone to use with your taichō," he chided. She narrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips. He'd been reunited with his pink haori and straw hat and seemed confident and at ease. This was the captain she knew and was vexed by so easily. In some ways it was if the real world trip had never occurred.

"Please let me through, Kyōraku-taichō."

"I thought you promised me a lecture when we got back."

"Are you going to make me have to go out the window?"

He stepped forward and reached up to stroke her face. She hit him with her book then gasped. She had smacked him several times with this very volume, but she had never before used it to strike him across the face. He too noticed the difference. This wasn't an annoyed tap from an aggravated employee. This was a forceful hit from an angered lover. Despite her calm exterior, this surge of violence hinted at the rage and hurt in Nanao. Even more telling was the fact that she didn't apologize. Nanao trembled with the realization that she had so assaulted her commanding office and also with the mortification that she'd let him see how much he'd upset her. However, she presented a steely front.

"I'm sorry, Nanao," he finally said quietly.

"You lied to me."

"Weeell, only a little," he half-admitted in a small voice.

"You lied to me completely!" she exploded. "You told me you couldn't tell Yamamoto-Genryūsai about what your father had done but he knew all along!"

"Oh, I see, so you actually preferred it when I was guilty of aiding and abetting a traitorous criminal and might at any point be found out and killed? Nanao-chan, I never knew you were so into to the bad boy type."

"Don't try to be glib with me!" she shouted fiercely. "You trust me or you don't trust me, but you will never, ever lie to me again!"

"Let me explain," he entreated.

"I don't care! I do not care anymore. In all likelihood whatever you tell me will be contradicted twenty minutes later. It's your family and it's your business and it's your mess. I want nothing to do with it, and outside of work I want nothing to do with you."

"You'll understand everything if you just let me explain the whole situation to you. I can do that now. I didn't want to deceive you or anyone, but I had no other choice. That's why I didn't want to tell you anything; it was either nothing at all or the deception, and like I said I didn't know how you'd react to that."

"But luckily for you I played along and supported you. Isn't that wonderful?" she bit out sarcastically. "You can do whatever you want to anybody and just use charm and laziness to sleaze out of any responsibility or culpability whatsoever. I am tired of being manipulated!" she screeched as she shoved him away. She turned to her desk and with one large sweep of her arm cleared it entirely. Papers and books flew to the floor.

"There! No one ever reads the paperwork? Then fine, I'll just let it lie there. In fact, why not get rid of it entirely?" she turned and with a quick spurt of kidō reduced the majority of the papers to ashes. "Isn't that a relief? No more Nanao-chan running after you to read or sign or even acknowledge the mountains of paperwork that come in by the hour. You can just lie around and get slobbering drunk all day long without anyone having to come and remind you of your duties or responsibilities. You can run the squad entirely as you like; I won't interfere at all. Ruin it for all I care. But whatever you do with them, your behavior is going to change completely when it comes to me. You will not flirt with me, you will not patronize me, you will not use your sexist, chauvinist piggish ideas of what 'girls should or shouldn't do' with me, and you will most definitely not call me Nanao-chan! Is that clear, Kyōraku-taichō?"

He paused and simply looked at her. She was shaking from head to foot.

"Do you feel better?" he finally asked calmly.

She bit her lip and turned away. "I don't even know how to answer that."

"Shh." He stepped forward and pulled her head against him as he embraced her. She still stood stiffly with her hands clenched tightly at her sides but she did allow him to hold her.

"Well I think I've probably had that coming for a while. I never dreamed you'd go so far as to actually disintegrate the paperwork. I wish I'd thought of that. I think the floor's beyond repair, though. But that's okay, it matches the sake stain in the corner."

"Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that." She turned to look. Indeed, there was a splayed black mark. Worse yet, two of her books had singed covers. With a cry she extricated herself from her captain's arms and knelt to pick up her books.

"What have I done?" she cried.

"We can get you new ones," he said comfortingly, squatting beside her.

"That's not the point."

"Well, what is the point? The fact that you finally released decades worth of anger and frustration that was particularly added to over the course of the past couple days?"

"I lost control," she said as she shook her head in disbelief. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"So what?" he reached over to place a comforting hand on her back. "I'm hardly going to penalize you because you slightly trashed the office. You forget I was raised by Baba. If she burned down a house just because she was a little irritated and looking for attention, you should see what she'll do when she's actually angry."

"I lost control, taichō! I let my emotions and fatigue get the better of me and I lashed out. I behaved extremely inappropriately and childishly. I cannot afford that sort of selfish behavior, particularly in a time of war!" she said harshly. She sighed and shook her head again. "You never lose control," she remarked bitterly.

"Mm, true," he agreed. "It is very rare for me. But that's because I don't let things upset me as you do. If I'm displeased with something or someone, I'll probably say so then and there and then have a drink and move on. You feel you don't deserve the right to express yourself honestly and so you bite your tongue. And look at what happens: see how the innocent suffer?" he said with a sigh as he reached over to pat the books in her hands.

She shrugged his hands off of her and stood up. He sighed and settled himself on the floor.

"I did lose control pretty recently, though, if you'll remember. With Oyaji. Sure, I knew he didn't kill the king and was only pretending I thought he had, but I still don't trust the guy. He's not a terrible man, but he's not a good one either. He wouldn't be above using you to get to me, or just using you. I was livid when I found out he'd gotten you alone with him. Things seemed to be going so badly just then. I was making no progress with resolving the problems with Jiji-chan, Ukitake wanted my help to relocate Karakura, Nī-chan was still trying to figure out how to get all of this tied up nice and neatly with the least amount of effort or inconvenience or involvement from him, I still hadn't found Baba, and through it all I knew you were exasperated with just following along and not being entrusted with any background information or insight. And then you reencountered Lisa and I didn't realize just how vulnerable that exchange would make you. Then to top it all off, Oyaji gets you in his clutches. I don't know the last time I was so angry, but it probably involved him."

"Couldn't you just have a drink and move on?" she asked coldly.

He caught her eye. "Not when it comes to people I care about," he said earnestly. "And whether you believe me or not, I do care about you. That was no lie."

She turned and looked out the window. The officers were out in the courtyard practicing their sword skills. It might all be futile, but it was good to know they wouldn't give up without a fight. That realization buoyed her spirits a little.

"I am going to tell you the whole truth now, Nanao. You might not want to hear it and please feel free to ignore me if you wish. However, I am going to explain everything to you and not because you're entitled to it, although you are, but because I want you to know. Okay?"

"Do as you please," she said quietly. "You always do anyway." He paused for a moment and began.

"You already know my sister Kana was the king's consort. They had a son, my father was an advisor and everyone seemed happy. And, as you know, when the king unexpectedly died my father planned a coup that would result in the death of all children except for Kana's. He would then happily rule as his grandson's regent. And, if you remember, it was Jiji-chan who uncovered the plot. That's all true. The part I didn't tell you is that, as far as I can tell, Jiji-chan likely put the idea in Oyaji's head. If things worked, he'd benefit from his brother's elevated position, and if not it wouldn't look like he was the one responsible. The plot was never very feasible to begin with, though. It was mostly talk. I don't think Oyaji could have gone through with it even if he was set on it, but I'm not sure if he ever realized that. Jiji-chan did and reported everything to Nī-chan and me to get out of trouble himself. I think he realized, though, that we couldn't just turn in Oyaji and his followers and hope to escape with no punishment at all. The whole clan would be affected. We'd lose our elevated status and our retainers at least. Jiji-chan didn't want that. He just wanted to be the head of the family."

"How could you tell? He seemed so jovial."

"He is. That's not a lie. However, he's deeply discontented. I knew that growing up. There's good ole Jiji-chan – the spare heir of the noble Kyōraku family. Or at least he was until Oyaji had sons. He and I were always close – we were in the same situation, after all. I learned some of my best habits from him, actually; although you'd probably think they're my worst. Nothing much was ever expected of us except that we live to adulthood and present ourselves if anything ever happened to the head of the family. I at least had a burgeoning career ahead of me in the Gotei 13, whether I wanted it or not. Jiji-chan didn't have that. He didn't even have the good looks or charisma of my father; he was just funny, dopey Jiji-chan. He never fully accepted his lot in life. I learned that pretty quickly from his occasional bitterly sarcastic statement or the sigh of envy. He kept the happy face but he was seething underneath. He knew he was much more intelligent than anyone ever gave him credit for. I knew that too. It's like I told Baba – people have a remarkable tendency to do exactly what it is they are capable of. He seemed a little too quick to 'regretfully' reveal his brother's betrayal."

"So you knew from the beginning?"

"I suspected from the beginning. I knew nothing, but my suspicions grew deeper when Nī-chan suddenly suggested we just hide Oyaji away. That was entirely fitting with Nī-chan's personality: sweep it under the rug and forget about it. However, there was such detail to the plan. He'd already thought of the temple; it was a self-contained area where it wouldn't be too difficult to restrain someone without exciting anyone's notice. That was very unlike my brother. He's the type to ask you to take care of something but offers no helpful solutions himself. I had a feeling Jiji-chan might have somehow planted the idea in his head. I think I told you, he has all sorts of mind manipulations. I knew something was wrong and that this was something out of my control. It seemed like there was nothing I could do to make it better – if I hid my family's guilt, that would undoubtedly be revealed and we'd all be punished, but if I exposed my father's betrayal and cruel plan my whole family would suffer then too. There was nothing I could do. So I talked it over with Ukitake. I knew what he'd suggest, though: I had to bring Yama-ji in."

"It doesn't seem like Yamamoto-Genryūsai to hold off seeking justice for such a long time," Nanao crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously.

"It's not. Well, not exactly – it is when he gets something in return. Yama-ji's never given up his teacher mentality, particularly when it comes to Jū and me. Finally, at long last he had a means of yoking me in."

She frowned. "He blackmailed you?"

"He negotiated. I knew when I went to him I'd be the one to suffer for this fine fiasco my family got into, but if we were ever to get out of it Yama-ji needed to know. He expressed 'grave concerns' and lamented how terrible it was that 'such a fine family' had come to this. Yes, yes, he wanted to help us and he didn't want the innocent children of such a wicked man to suffer. And really, if my suspicions were correct, well, then wouldn't it be better to let some time go by and see if my uncle was really the culprit?"

Kyōraku sighed and ran his hand over his face. "I wasn't surprised it turned out that way. Oyaji and Jiji-chan were exiled to the real world, although the latter didn't realize he wasn't just there as Oyaji's guardian. Yama-ji got to pretend he was investigating while knowing that the danger was out of the way, no one would ever have to know that the father of one of his students and a captain, no less, had planned to commit such a horrible act, and he had me tightly under my thumb. Any time it appeared I might start stepping out of line he'd 'update' me on his progress with the investigation. Everything seemed fine, more or less. Nī-chan was pleased, Kā-chan had no idea where her loathed husband and brother-in-law had gone and couldn't care, and Baba was satisfied that all seemed well. I was a bit annoyed at Yama-ji and even more so at Oyaji for putting me in that position, but all things considered it could have been worse. The only one who was truly unhappy was Kana. She didn't know what Oyaji did but she couldn't understand why everyone at home was convinced he was dead. I think she suspected his plans, though. Kana didn't allow herself to trust her instincts, but she was pretty bright."

"What happened to change that then? Jiji-chan wanted to come home?"

"Yes, exactly. I think he'd always intended to find some way back to Seireitei. He'd gotten my father thrown out, so he didn't mind having to keep an eye on him for a century or two if he could just find a way to slip back in and somehow wrest control of the family. Nī-chan was head over heels for a girl who, at that time, wanted nothing to do with him. Lisa-chan, by the way, was Yama-ji's present to me – his way of making sure I was kept in line. The old man's really very sly. Anyway, Nī-chan wasn't likely to produce an heir anytime soon, and I was in a very dangerous job where I might be killed at any time. He could take his time and, well, if anything happened in the meanwhile he could take care of it later. He'd gotten rid of one family head, how hard could it be to get rid of one or three more? But I think he was getting tired of the monastic life. This wasn't what he wanted. Yet again, his life had been reduced to keeping after and being second to my father. So, he started to put the second part of his plan in motion – and for that I will never forgive him. Or Yama-ji, for that matter."

"How is he responsible?"

"He swore he'd keep an eye on them. He didn't, or at least not very well. He completely underestimated Jiji-chan. I was furious when I found out about the rumor Jiji-chan had managed to get going back here. I demanded Yama-ji take care of it. He did. He sent royal soldiers to investigate. He guided them to that very temple. He probably thought he was completing his end of the bargain: Oyaji and Jiji-chan would be found and punished and everything would be over. He didn't need to worry about using my relatives to keep me in line – at that point you'd been doing a pretty good job of it for a little while. He didn't know about Kana, though, and Jiji-chan didn't know about Yama-ji's involvement. That was where the mistakes happened. Best I can figure it, Jiji-chan wanted them to suspect Kana and follow her to the temple. They would then see Oyaji, realize he'd faked his death and then arrest him. Jiji-chan could make something up and hopefully get off the hook. He could then go about getting rid of Nī-chan and me. Unfortunately, Yama-ji told the royal guards that he had inside information that someone at the temple was connected with a plot to kill the former king's children after his death. I can't completely blame the guards for piecing together these two damning rumors: someone from the Kyōraku house had killed the king and someone connected with this real world temple had plotted to kill off his children. Kana fit both requirements beautifully. They confronted her, and she probably did confess to the crimes to save my father. I wish I'd told her what was happening. But then, what could I say? 'Your father whom you adored was using you to advance his career?' That he'd even gone so far as to intend to kill her stepchildren? That he was suspected of killing the king? I could have only told her the same as I told you, you see. Yama-ji wanted to protect the honor of beloved Gotei 13 by keeping me out of my family's scandal as much as possible. He made me swear I would never, ever reveal that we suspected Jiji-chan. He wanted no possible investigation that could possibly connect me to insubordination and treason against the king. To my family, I had to maintain the assumption that Jiji-chan was innocent and only Oyaji was to blame. To everyone else, I could say nothing at all, but if need be I would maintain the deception until Jiji-chan and Oyaji were in custody."

"It's unlike you to do anything against your will," she commented.

"Extremely unlikely," he agreed. "And when Kana was killed, I told Yama-ji I was going to reveal everything – including his part of the coverup – unless he could do the one and only thing I cared about at that point. Her soul had not yet been destroyed. If he could at least save it then she could still be reborn. My sister as I knew her was dead. I'd let her down that much, but at least I might be able to save her very essence so she wouldn't be lost forever. Yama-ji agreed to interfere on her behalf. He succeeded, but held her soul as a hostage until everything was finished. He still holds that power over me. I nearly didn't have the courage to stand up to him when poor Rukia-chan was facing her death sentence. But when I did, it took him by surprise. He thought he had me neatly in the palm of his hand. I've grown uncontrollable again. He needs this scandal business finished as soon as possible to make sure I don't turn myself, and him, in. Nī-chan's visit offered that opportunity. Until then Yama-ji wanted me to have nothing to do with Oyaji and Jiji-chan, but at that point he just wanted it over and for no one else to know. He agreed it was possible Aizen had gotten hold of Oyaji and could use him to ruin our reputations and credibility. He fears that more than anything, and so allowed me to come down and finish the last step of the investigation. He had uncovered the only evidence Seireitei was likely to produce in terms of proving some involvement and instigation on Jiji-chan's part. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to keep him and Oyaji locked away until this business with Sōsuke is cleared up."

"But why did he want me to go?"

He looked over at her and caught her eye. "You went against Yama-ji once and couldn't so much as breathe in the presence of his reiatsu. I think he thinks he sufficiently intimidated you that you'll never go against the rules again. If I got out of line, I think he was hoping you would keep me from doing anything legally or morally questionable that would only exacerbate the situation. He knows I'd never hurt you if you went against me, making you my weakness and his strength."

"Is that why you didn't want me to come?" she asked coldly. He sighed.

"Not exactly. I wanted to keep you out of this. I wanted out of it, so why would I willingly bring you in? And yes, I didn't want you to get caught in some sort of power struggle between Yamaji and me. It wasn't because I didn't trust you or I thought you would turn on me, though. I hated lying to you. I wanted to tell you the rest, but he still holds Kana's soul. I couldn't disobey that command. And so, I had to let you think the worst – both about my family and about me. I can still hardly believe your reaction, though. You completely dumbfounded me. I expected horror or shock or grief or at least that you'd need to think over what I'd said before deciding what you felt about the situation. I underestimated you. Instead you replied with simple acceptance, faith, trust and sympathy. There was no judgment. I don't think I've ever been so moved in my entire life," he said earnestly.

She shifted uncomfortably and turned back towards the window. "How did the confrontation and arrest take place? How did that come about?"

"I realized with so little time left I was going to have to rush. I was still figuring things out when suddenly I had the added complication of Kana's son. I decided to leave Jiji-chan alone and see what Oyaji was up to first. I figured Jiji-chan wouldn't hurt Itakeru-kun, particularly since he could still use him against Oyaji or to save himself if need be. I was glad Baba got him away from there, but annoyed too because suddenly I had this large group of people on my hands and I needed to get everything settled and finished before the battle started."

"So you tried to get rid of me first?"

"I didn't want you getting caught in the middle of this mess. I wanted to wait until we were back here to tell you the truth, but you stubbornly refused to go with Jūshirō and then I realized that I couldn't send you away to keep you safe and uninvolved; I needed your help. I couldn't depend on anyone there the way I could depend on you. Once I realized that, my course of action seemed clear. When Oyaji's reiatsu disappeared I hoped it was because of your cloak and not because of something Aizen supplied him with. If it was your cloak, he was likely waiting in the house for the battle in Karakura to occur and then accompany Sōsuke up to Seireitei. But, if I was wrong and he wasn't there, I at least didn't want Jiji-chan to slip away. Before coming to get you I tracked Soifon down and asked her to take a team to watch over him. I told her I'd lure him to the house where hopefully Oyaji would be and she was to arrest them both on my command. So, um, if you're at all worried about what she might have seen or heard, well, she didn't see anything because she was outside the entire time and only arrived by following Jiji-chan there."

Nanao nodded. That was one significant relief. She didn't know what her relationship with her captain currently was, but at the very least she wanted it private. She did not have much time for contemplation, though. As she gazed out the window her stomach sank when she saw what was coming towards her.

"Taichō," she said in a strained voice. He sighed as he watched the hell butterfly come in. It hovered in place as it waited for a finger to alight on. Both simply watched it.

"Go ahead, Nanao-chan," he finally said. "We both know what it is."

She held out her finger and the butterfly landed. The message poured forth from her lips.

"Attention all captains of the Gotei 13. The arrancars have arrived in the false Karakura town, led by former captains Tōsen, Ichimaru and Aizen. We will attack using battle plan beta sigma nine. All captains please report at the departure gate. We leave immediately." Nanao sighed and the butterfly flew away.

"Which one is beta sigma nine?" she asked.

"I think it's ash by now."

"Oh dear, the one time paperwork was useful I destroyed it."

He stood and adjusted his hat. "I think I know the one he means. Don't worry about it. I'll have another copy dispatched to you before I go; I'll say we had a clerical error."

"Yes, with the clerk," she mused. "Should I be going with you?"

He walked over to her and turned her around to face him.

"Stay here. And no, this is not me being 'chauvinist piggish,' as you put it. This is me being pragmatic. You're not strong enough for this yet. But listen carefully to me. I'm going to the front lines, but I know you're my backup. If we fail, Aizen's coming for the real Karakura. Yama-ji's designated the eighth division to be the next line of defense. I'll come back and help you as soon as I can, but if I can't you are in command. You will know what to do. There isn't a single arrancar who can match you in wit, intelligence or tactical planning. They're prepared to meet captains, but they're not prepared to meet you. That alone is a serious advantage on our part. Do you understand me, Ise-fukutaichō?"

Her breath caught.

"Yes, Taichō."

He stroked the outline of her face. "And I think we have some unfinished business to attend to when I return, don't we?" he asked gently

"…Yes, Taichō," she responded in a quieter voice.

He took her head in his hands and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Then you better be ready for a long heart to heart when I return, Nanao-chan," he whispered. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his lips caressing her face before resting on her mouth. He paused there for a moment then broke the kiss.

"Take care of yourself, Nanao-chan. That is a strict order."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Any annoyance or unhappiness was gone as she stared into his eyes. Her hand reached up to touch his.

"You too, Taichō. Do you have any other orders?"

"Yes," he responded crisply and kissed her again quickly on the forehead before releasing her face and turning to go. "Practice away on the piano, because I expect a performance when I return."

She smiled. "I'll be ready."

He gave her a quick grin over his shoulder and shunpoed away. She turned and looked out the window. Three new recruits stood gawking up at her. So much for keeping her private life out of the public eye. Oh well. She wanted to get some practice in before sitting down and planning out a few different strategies. And she would meet with the other vice-captains as well. A few of the stronger ones would probably accompany their captains to face the arrancar, but plenty would remain. The new third division captain would probably stay behind as well. They should all be planning defense tactics together. This was a time for the squads to come together and pool their different strengths. This was not going to be a futile exercise. They would be ready.

Besides, she needed to meet with them to find out just what forms she'd destroyed. No matter the chaotic state of the world, there would always be paperwork to be done, and Ise Nanao was there to do it.