Since it was just Tanabata and that happens to be Nanao's birthday, I figured I had to write something about it (even though it's now passed). Anyway, if you just want a story, skip to the next section. If you want a bit more background into the significance of her birthday and what I think her name means (because I like figuring this stuff out and I thought I might pass that along to others who are similarly curious), read on.

Tanabata: 七夕

Tanabata is a major summer festival in Japan. It occurs on the seventh night of the seventh month (Tanabata literally translates to "seven" and "night"), but often different parts of Japan will celebrate it at different times of the year: some will celebrate on July 7 and others will celebrate according to the lunar calendar (upon which the celebration was initially based). It's also a wishing festival. People write their wishes upon little slips of paper and attach them to bamboo. It's then customary to dress in yukata (light cotton kimono worn in the summertime, especially by girls) and attend Tanabata festivals where there are often dances and parades. It is also known as the "star festival."

There are some variations, but the basic story is about two stars, the ones known in English as Vega and Altair. In the fairy tale, Vega, who in the story is known as Orihime (yes, that's where her name comes from; naming a character "Orihime" is the equivalent of a Western show having a character named "Snow White" or "Rapunzel"), is a weaver and the daughter of the king of the universe. However, her work kept her so occupied she was always alone. So, her father arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (Altair), a herder. They fell in love and were very happy, but unfortunately that meant their work never got done. So, the king of the universe separated them, but he allowed them to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month. However, since they were separated across the Milky Way (which in Japanese is the "Amanogawa," or "Heavenly River"), they can only meet if the night sky is clear so a bridge can cross the river. If it's cloudy, they will have to wait again another year. So, on Tanabata, it's customary to celebrate and look at the sky to see if it is clear; if so, you know that the separated lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi are together again.

Ise Nanao: 伊勢七緒

Her family name "Ise" is probably a reference to the Ise, an ancient clan associated with the Taira. The legendary battle between the Taira (also known as the Heike) and the Minamoto (also known as the Genji) is incredibly famous in Japanese lore. Ise is also the name of an ancient province (now known as Mie) and is the name of the imperial Amaterasu Shinto shrine located in the city Ise (Amaterasu is the head goddess in Shinto and the legendary ancestor of the Japanese imperial family; the Ise shrine is incredibly important).

Some have translated Nanao as "seven inceptions;" my Japanese isn't quite good enough to give a definite "yes" or "no" to that, but my understanding of the kanji "o" and its uses when combined with other kanji is slightly different (but, that said, when used in a name like this a character can have vastly different readings and sometimes different meanings). "Nana" does mean seven, and "o" is roughly translated to cord or string (and sometimes a string's end). Given its different uses when used in combination with other kanji to make set phrases and terms (in which string is definitely NOT inferred), to me, the kanji for "o" seems to have the connotation of things coming together. Anyway, I might be wrong, but basically I think Nanao in this case either translates to "seven beginnings" (the connotation for "beginnings" coming from one of the meanings indicating the end of a thread) or "seven strings," which could also be correct. This could also be a play off of the fact that there is a city in Japan called Nanao,七尾 (note the different second kanji), giving her both family and personal names that are actual locations.

I hope that didn't bore you too much :). I'd appreciate hearing any feedback and thoughts from others, especially if I'm wrong about anything!

For those who read my previous story "Preparations," this little vignette occurs just prior to when that one begins. They don't really overlap, though, so you don't need to know that story to understand this one. You should know the story of Tanabata, though, or certainly parts will seem confusing (see above)

On to the story

--

Ise Nanao quickly thumbed through the stack of papers to her right, mentally counting off the number of forms she'd completed that morning. The bills were paid and accounted for (and thankfully they were still in the black; not only did she hate seeing the red digits on her ledger, thereby indicating they'd overspent their monthly budget, but the red ink got all over her hands somehow), and the proper work repair forms had been filed. She made a mental note to never again let her captain to badger her into allowing the eleventh squad to come over for a drinking party following a weeklong training session. "Happy inter-squad working relations" be damned – it was never happening again. Half the eighth and a decent portion of the eleventh were still recovering from a variety of injuries, and most of those had occurred in the course of the party and were completely unrelated to the trainings. But then, that was the difference between the eleventh and the eighth – the eleventh would never overlook a good fight and the eighth would never overlook a good party. Put the two together and it was an administrative nightmare. And apparently, or so she heard, a great deal of fun.

"Oi, Nanao-chan, are you done yet?" came a sleepy voice beside her. Nanao looked over. Her captain was, per usual, sprawled haphazardly across his desk and chair, his thumb barely lifting his straw hat above his heavy lidded eyes.

"My apologies, Taichō. Has my prodigious attention to work interfered with your copious efforts to nap?" she asked coolly. He grunted, let the hat slide back down over his face and resettled into his chair.

"You're in a fine mood today," he grumbled.

"Again, my deepest apologies," she icily bit out. He was silent for a while longer, but she could tell by his quiet breathing he had not yet gone back to sleep. For some reason, she could barely concentrate on work while he was awake. She kept bracing for the moment he would interrupt her again. Indeed, the interruption came just as she was allowing herself to refocus. Her brush nearly flew across the room as she jumped at his voice.

"We could just put it all off for the day. Isn't it about time for the office to close?"

She paused and waited for her heart to settle back down. "The official word was that we would finish at half past four, Taichō. We have half an hour yet."

"We used to always get Tanabata off," he pouted.

"Yes, well, that was in a more simplistic time. The fact that we are allowed to celebrate the holiday at all is amazing, given the circumstances."

"Why should the Arrancar threat interfere with my holidays?" he whined loudly, shifting around to set his elbows on the desk and rest his head in his hands.

"There, there, Taichō," Nanao said unsympathetically.

"Moreover… it's your birthday, isn't it?"

She bit her lip and paused.

"I suppose so," she admitted slowly. "Technically." She was fully aware it was her birthday, but she had been hoping to go through the day with no one, especially the man to her side, realizing it.

"Technically? This is the 'technical' birthday? Is there another type? Are these things hierarchical? Are there divisions to birthdays? Pray tell, what other birthdays do you have and how do we celebrate them all?" he teased.

She sighed and put her brush down. Work time was as good as over.

"Sorry, yes, today is my birthday, the only birthday I have – technical or otherwise. And no, I don't want to celebrate it."

"Ah, but you don't have a choice. See, that's the joy of having a birthday fall on a holiday – there's a party going on whether you want it or not."

"I am well aware of that."

"I'd think you'd rather like that better, though," he commented. She looked at him thoughtfully.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, knowing you, you wouldn't like having a party completely dedicated to you. If there's one going on anyway, it's easy to add in a simple 'Congratulations on your birthday, Nanao-chan,' and then return to celebrating Tanabata. If your birthday falls on a regular day, then of course your devoted taichō would throw you a party each and every year and you would always be the center of attention. I don't think you'd like that."

Nanao was taken aback. She knew he was clever and observant, but nonetheless it always surprised her when her normally flippant captain shared these insights with her – particularly when they were about her.

"I suppose you're right," she commented, placing both palms on her desk and pushing herself up. "Well, shall we go?"

"Go where?" he asked with surprise as he sprang to his feet. "I thought you said we had a half hour left."

"Are you going to actually let me finish working that half hour, or will you spend the time whining about how the combination of one holiday plus one birthday should at least excuse closing the office a little early?"

He grinned guiltily at her. She folded her arms.

"I thought so."

"My Nanao-chan knows me so well." He appeared rather pleased at that knowledge. "And I am going to take her to the Tanabata festival tonight and make her eat too much takoyaki and sit with her and watch the fireworks and then do my best to get her fairly drunk, ne, Nanao-chan?"

"The same as every year," she smiled.

"Exactly. Because who knows what you would do if I didn't make you get out and enjoy yourself?"

"Who knows? I might actually spend my own birthday the way I want to, and we certainly can't have that," she said with a little smile.

"I'm glad we agree. I'll come for you in two hours, and you had better be festive."

"Yes, Taichō."

He smiled at her and left. Nanao returned to her quarters and assembled her bath kit to go to the public onsen. The spa was a place she only allowed herself to go to every once in a while. Lounging in a shallow pool generally got on her nerves. She would always think of all the other things she should be doing instead of simply sitting and relaxing. In general, the onsen was not a place of comfort to her for the very reason that she found it boring and a waste of time. Not to mention, if her captain ever found out she went to a bathhouse he would never cease bugging her to go together to a mixed one. That was something she was not going to agree to. Still, if there was any time that she would allow herself a bit of wasted time, it was on her birthday.

As expected, she saw the vice captain of the twelfth division already resting in the largest of the indoor pools. Nanao quickly washed herself as the small stations located near the door, entered the bath and walked over to Rangiku. For her part, Rangiku looked at her friend in surprise and then smiled.

"Taking the day off?"

"Only the last part of it," Nanao confessed, settling down next to her. "What about you? Does Hitsugaya-taichō know you're here?"

"He told me yesterday that, even though today's officially a workday, it would be impossible to get me to do anything on Tanabata, so I may as well take the day off. What would give him that impression?" she asked with wide eyes and an innocent expression.

"Who knows?" Nanao responded with a knowing smile. "Still, it was kind of him."

"And you let your captain off early; how unlike you."

"Kyōraku-taichō can come and go as often as he likes, no matter what I say. I don't know why everyone seems to believe I have him on such a tight leash."

"I imagine it's because you do. Not everyone can handle a captain as efficiently as you do, Nanao-chan," Rangiku grinned at her. The thought rather cheered Nanao.

"You'll be going with him to the festival tonight?"

"Of course. I'd hear the complaints for days if I didn't."

"Aw, you'd be disappointed if he didn't take you every year and you know it."

Nanao smiled to herself. Her captain was maddening, but there was an easy camaraderie between them that was very comforting. No matter how she nagged at him or the exasperated outbursts he drove her to, they were friends. On Tanabata alone, though, would she allow her guard down and accompany him as an equal rather than as a subordinate. She walked by his side instead of behind him. She sat by him around the table of their friends and let him pour as much sake as she could handle, instead of sitting slightly at the sidelines and keeping mental note of how much he was drinking. She didn't know why or how that particular pattern had begun, but once a year the walls were down and they allowed their deep friendship to come out. Those who had no picked up on the trend were always surprised to see the stolid Ise fukutaichō turn into this unknown laughing and playful person, but those who knew her well, like Kyōraku, Ukitake and Rangiku herself, were never surprised. They looked forward to Tanabata as much as Nanao did.

"What are you smiling about so secretively?" Rangiku asked slyly.

"Nothing at all," Nanao replied with a slight shake of her head.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure. Oh well, I'll get it out of you tonight. There's a new bet going around as to how much we can get you to drink. I kept track of how many cups you put down last year and I bet on two above that. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Maybe," she said as she rose from the pool. "But let's do it after the fireworks this year. I could barely make them out last time."

"But that way there are twice as many!" Rangiku replied cheerily. "Are you leaving already?"

"Yes. I have to get ready."

"I'll see you tonight!"

Nanao returned to her quarters, gleaming and refreshed. She pulled out a dark blue yukata covered with multicolored fireworks in the shape of flowers. The design was a play on the Japanese word for fireworks, which translated literally to "flower-fire." It was a present from Kyōraku-taichō the year before, precisely because he knew she would appreciate the pun. She tied a yellow obi around the middle and arranged the sash to show a bit of the red fabric lining the reverse side. After pulling her hair back into her usual style and adjusting her glasses, Nanao sat and read until she heard her captain's knock. She slid the door back and smiled at him. The normally flamboyant captain had left behind his assorted accessories and selected a simple white yukata with blue checked lines going across it and a gray-blue belt slung low across his stomach. Even so, he would stand out in any crowd for the simple fact that he was Kyōraku Shunsui.

"Nanao-chan wore my present!" he cried delightedly.

"I'm surprised you remember giving this to me."

"I've been waiting a year to see if you'd wear it! Maybe I won't have to wait so long for this year's present." He held out a slim white box to her.

She looked at him skeptically and opened it. Inside was a long black hair comb with cloth flowers and a golden tassel attached to the end. She smiled at him then rearranged her hair to hold it back with her new present. He inspected it with a satisfied nod.

"Perfect. Now my Nanao-chan looks ready for Tanabata. But first we have to go to the division headquarters. It's tradition, after all."

She groaned.

"Can't we let that tradition die?" This was why she hated it when he remembered that this was her birthday. Of course, thus far, he had yet to forget.

He looked at her with abject horror on his face. "And let down the entire squad? Nanao-chan! You have a duty to them!"

She sighed, slipped into her geta and let her lead her away. Apparently he was in a playful mood, though, for once they started leaving the barracks, he told her to catch him and dashed away.

Sighing, she hiked her yukata's skirt higher so she could move her legs more freely and set chase to her captain. They did this every single year. She could hardly wait for the sun to set. Then her birthday would be over and Tanabata would begin.

As she did every year she feigned surprise as she dashed into the eighth's courtyard and saw it was decorated for her birthday.

"Taichō, you swore they wouldn't do that this year!" she mockingly chided him. In reality, he had never said any such thing, but it was part of the tradition. Her squad looked back and forth at one another. They'd surprised their vice-captain and delighted their captain. It was a wonderful day.

Happily her supposedly well-planned birthday party did not last long, as it was soon time to go and watch the Tanabata parade. Jugglers and dance teams and musicians and acrobats marched through the streets of Seireitei. Nobles in their grand estates peered through open windows. People of all stations of life lined the streets. There was a gradation running from the richest to the poorest. The social divisions of Soul Society were never so apparent as they were during the Tanabata parade. However, Nanao felt like the holiday somehow created a bridge between the extremes, just as in the story the two stars were united on this one night. Everyone enjoyed the spectacle, no matter what class he or she came from. It was a common factor among them all.

When the parade ended it was not quite dusk. It was now that the drinking rooms and food stands became crowded with people. Kyōraku guided Nanao through the crowds and somehow managed to acquire multiple sachets of food without waiting in any lines at all. They settled on a blanket he had brought and opened the various packages. Festival foods like octopus dumplings and stir-fried noodles and red-bean stuffed buns sat out before them. Soon their friends would join them, but for now it was the two of them wolfing down incredibly unhealthy but very tasty treats that tasted like summer and time off.

Nanao threw herself back on the blanket and looked up at the darkening sky. The first planets and starts were just starting to appear.

"There are three takoyaki dumplings left, Nanao-chan. Eat them."

"No!"

"Eat them, I said!"

"I heard you, and I said no. I'm full."

"It's your birthday. It's my gift to you. Eat them."

"You already gave me your present."

"Which you haven't thanked me for yet," he responded in a hurt voice. Nanao sat up and looked over at him in surprise.

"You're right, I haven't. I'm sorry. Thank you. It's a beautiful pin and I like it very much," she said sincerely. He remained downcast.

"Taichō?" she asked, craning her neck around to try and meet his eye. Suddenly a round fried ball loomed in her face.

"Eat it!"

"Do we really have to keep up all of the traditions?" she muttered a moment later as she was chewing around a tough chunk of octopus.

"Absolutely," he responded, popping one of the final dumplings into his own mouth.

"We could just make up some new ones. Ones that don't involve force feeding me."

"I happen to like our traditions just the way they are."

"They strike me as a bit unfair on my end."

"Well, aren't we spoiled? All you have to put up with is your squadron showing their deep devotion by throwing together a last minute party for you every year, receiving absolutely gorgeous birthday presents from your stunningly handsome captain (who you have to admit has quite the eye for fashion), and occasionally getting a takoyaki shoved down your throat. Is that really so much to complain about?"

"As long as you don't put a snow cone on my head again like you did last year, I can endure just about anything."

"I forgot about that one. That was good. Never mind, we can add that one to the list of traditions."

"If we do, then you're getting one down your robe."

"My Nanao-chan strikes a hard but rather interesting bargain."

She settled back against the blanket again and looked at the twilight sky. He lay down beside her.

"Do you think they'll make it tonight?" she asked.

"Orihime and Hikoboshi? I don't doubt it."

"There are a few clouds out, though."

"I don't care what the story says. If tonight's the only possible night they can meet, I don't think a typhoon could keep them apart."

"But I thought the bridge would only form on a clear night."

"Then swim the river. What kind of determination is that if you let a little cloud coverage spoil your reunion? Of course, I don't know if I'd be able to put up with seeing my love only once a year."

Nanao looked over at him. "But what if you had no choice?"

"There's always a choice. For one thing, I think I'd try to start with reasoning with my father-in-law."

"Well if it was you, he'd have a point. You barely do work on your own; bring a girl into the equation and you'd be just like Hikoboshi."

"Then we'd just have to make sure that you're my Orihime," he replied lightly. "You'd make sure we'd get enough work done so we'd never be separated."

"Or I'd ask my father to send you across the river to get you out of my hair."

"Aww, don't say things like that, Nanao-chan. You'll hurt my feelings." They lay in silence for a while, watching the stars appear. "What do you think it would be like, Nanao-chan? If we only saw each other once a year?"

"Peaceful."

"No, it wouldn't. It'd be boring, for both of us."

"Do you really find my presence so invigorating?" she asked sardonically.

He grinned. "I like our tiffs. They're fun."

"They are fun," she agreed.

"And you are like Orihime, you know. You come out only on Tanabata. The rest of the year you're Ise fukutaichō. On Tanabata you're Nanao-chan – full of fun and a little wild. Maybe it's because you were born on the day. Is that why your parents called you Nanao?"

"It was a weird convergence of coincidences. I was born on seven-seven. My parents had been married and trying to conceive for seven years. Each year my mother had tied a wish to a Tanabata bamboo asking for a healthy baby – this was year seven. Finally at the end they had me – it was the end of their waiting and the beginning of their lives as parents. So, they chose Nanao."

"Well I suppose I should be grateful you ended up in my squad and not the seventh," he remarked.

She smirked. "I got tired of the sevens in my life. When I was accepted into the academy, the first thought that came to mind was 'I just hope I'm never seventh in my class and when I graduate I'm not put in the seventh or become a seventh chair or have anything to do with the number seven ever again.'"

"Well lucky for you, you're moving up. Now your lucky number is eight."

She smiled but didn't respond.

Rangiku and her scowling captain came and sat by them soon after.

"Awww, you've already finished eating!" she whined. "Ooh, one takoyaki left – it's mine!" she plopped the dumpling into her mouth.

"Matsumoto," her captain growled. "Don't eat other people's food!"

"But it was just sitting there. They weren't going to eat it," she pouted.

"Don't worry about it, Tōshirō," Kyōraku said from where he was lying. "If she didn't eat it, I'd make Nanao and she wouldn't like that. It's her birthday. We'll be nice to her."

Nanao could have punched him for that. Rangiku stopped eating her yakisoba mid-bite.

"It's your birthday?" she mumbled out around her mouthful, a couple noodles hanging out her mouth. She gulped quickly and flew around to sit aside Nanao. "You never once told me today was your birthday!"

"You're blocking my view, Rangiku-chan," Nanao said uncomfortably.

"And how come you never mentioned this before?" Rangiku demanded as she glared at Kyōraku.

"I, um, sort of thought you already knew," he said quietly. "And since the eighth always celebrates it before we come over, I try not to say anything since Nanao-chan doesn't like a big fuss."

"A big fuss! But, well, we should have a party and balloons and cake and streamers and a clown and maybe a piñata," Rangiku stated, counting off the items on her fingers.

"Yes, that constitutes a big deal," Nanao replied. "Now please get off of me. The fireworks are starting!"

Rangiku obliging slid off of her friend but with a meaningful glare that promised a big fuss would be made whether it was now or later. Nanao simply watched the fireworks boom above them. She felt her captain edge closer to her.

"Happy birthday, Nanao-chan," he whispered in her ear. She secretly agreed with him. Clouds or storms meant nothing tonight, not really. Tonight was Tanabata – her night. Nothing could spoil it.