A/N: Last chapter guys. Enjoy! Wahh! Stupid ff is messing with my documents again! Sorry to anyone who suffered through the underlined version of this chapter. All fixed now I think...

6 Months Later…

Shunsui Kyoraku looked over his squad fondly. It was breakfast time at the zoo and true to their character the squad was in high spirits.

Some things never change. He thought with a chuckle.

But then again some things do.

Over the past six months Seretei had worked hard on putting the devastated court back together again. The squad had remained in the mess hall for the month after the battle before the dorms were finally repaired. Now though the city seemed to sparkle with cleanliness. A new start.

It seemed the eighth division was taking it that way too. They truly were closer than ever. Of course Nothing was perfect. Thirty seven people from the eighth squad had lost their lives and the gaping hole was still keenly felt among the recruits. But they made the best of it and refused to mope.

The hall was still a mess of colour. Yamamoto had wanted it re-painted and to everyone's amusement and Shunsui's delight it was Nanao who had put her foot down stating simply that the hall would stay exactly as it was. She'd only had to reach for her glasses to have the 'request' granted. Shunsui still chuckled at the memory.

Nanao hadn't returned to her normal persona much to everyone's delight choosing instead to remain exactly as she was. Of course she still kept them all in line, particularly Shunsui but at the same time she wasn't against using a game of tag to practice shunpo… Shunsui was pretty sure she was happier than she'd ever been. He definitely was.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Nanao entered the mess hall and smiled in greeting to a few recruits. She stopped to chat to Kimmagi-san. The woman was doing a lot better. The seventh seat had passed away after a month in a comatose state and her life had seemed to fall apart. It was with the help of the whole eighth squad and of course their friends from the thirteenth that she'd gotten back on her feet. The birth of her beautiful two month old baby girls Yuki and Mio had cemented her life once more and the girls had come as a symbol of hope for the entire division. Through the whole process Nanao had become very close to the woman.

It had been Nanao that had argued her case against the central forty six when they wanted to force her retirement after the girls births. She had rallied the support of every woman in seretei and most of the men and in the end had caused such a fuss that they'd eventually won.

Of course there were conditions. Kimmagi had lost her seat and was not allowed to participate in battle but she hadn't let it bother her. The squad worked together to ensure that the girls were well taken care of only strengthening the familial bond. Those baby girls were never going to feel unloved. Nanao complained regularly that they were spoiled rotten.

Of course Nanao's complaints only served to cause Shunsui, the main culprit, to spoil them more.

It was the newest running joke in the division.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Kimmagi smiled fondly as Nanao said her goodbyes to the group at their table and headed of in search of her captain and the two little girls. Of all the people in the squad Taichou and fukutaichou were taking the biggest part in her daughters lives and she wouldn't want it any other way.

So much had changed… The squad had gained a new title. Well, unofficially anyway. There had been so many arguments over their official name that it hadn't been changed. They were now the eighth, the kidou division, and head of strategics and planning all in one. The squad was thriving under their newly acknowledged importance.

Nanao had reached Shunsui now and had taken one of the two girls off him. Even as Kimmagi watched Nanao smacked her captain over his unoccupied hand. Shunsui just grinned, telling Kimmagi that he'd probably said something to deserve it. She chuckled.

No. That definitely hadn't changed. Shunsui-Kyoraku and Ise-Nanao were still the happiest non-couple in seretei. They still argued like cat and dog. He still drank. She still hit him with her trusty fan. And they were still the most successful team.

Things were just as they should be.

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Shunsui smiled winningly at the woman by his side who scowled but still blushed beautifully. He idly wondered what she'd do to him if he were to kiss her like he had last night in front of the whole squad.

One look at Nanao told him that she knew exactly what he was thinking and that the results of said action would be dire.

Shunsui grinned. It didn't really matter, they had plenty of time to tell everyone. Anyway, he was kind of enjoying the secret.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: Shock and horror I've actually finished a multi-chap fic! Yeah so it was kind of short but I still like it… What do you guys think? This little epilogue is a lot shorter than I originally planned but I think it wraps things up nicely. I couldn't bare to end this fic without getting them together, especially since most of the Shunsui/Nanao supporters are probably out for my blood after "Truth hurts"

Review

Slán go foill

Becca