Title: Seven Twenty Two in the Evening

Author: Fact Vs Fiction

Pairing: Shunsui/Nanao

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach. If I did we'd know where Nanao is at the moment!

A/N: Alright so this is the third addition in the Moment in Time series. I had absolutely zero intention of ever writing this until WinterVines suggested the title for it and I couldn't resist. So this one is for her I guess. XD

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Seven Twenty Two in the Evening

"Come on Nanao-chan!" Sang Shunsui. The man was positively bouncing in the doorway.

Nanao glanced up momentarily before returning to her work.

"I need two minutes to finish this taichou."

"But Nanao-channnnnn." He whined. "It's already seven twenty twoooooo. You've already had a whole two extra minutes."

"Alright alright I'm done taichou. Now what exactly is so important?"

"Nanao-chan said she'd come with me at seven twenty. I have something to show her."

Nanao refrained from rolling her eyes with difficulty. She remembered exactly the situation that had gotten her roped into this.

While secretly she wasn't adverse to the idea of waking up in her captain's arms waking up in her captain's arms after sobbing her heart out and in the middle of the afternoon on a work day had never been something at the top of her agenda. This little bargain had been the only way Shunsui would let her get up and actually get some work done.

"What exactly do you have to show me?"

"Oh you have no idea my lovely."

"Taichou!" Yelped Nanao, scandalised.

"Yare yare Nanao-chan I'm only teasing. It's nothing like that. You'll like it though, I promise."

She looked slightly sceptical but sighed, rising anyway.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He said simply with a wide grin. "Lets go!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Where are we?" Breathed Nanao, gazing up at the magnificent manor house.

"This is Kyoraku manor Nanao-chan."

"I thought the Kyoraku's lived in the estate?"

Shunsui chuckled. Trust Nanao to want to get her historical facts right straight off.

"They do. All except the serving Shinigami who has a choice. This place was built by my great great great grandmother."

"Why?"

"Her husband was a bit of a pain and she needed somewhere to escape to. Anyway I'm the first Shinigami in a long while who chose to supposedly slum it rather than live in the luxury. When it became clear I wasn't going to return home father signed the deed for this place over to me. My Mother never forgave him for it. She wanted me close like everyone else. I'm the baby of the family and that only served to make it worse. She got over it eventually. Died six hundred years ago."

"You live in barracks. Is this place always vacant then?"

"Most of the time. My father will come out randomly for a little peace and quiet when my brother gets unbearably pompous excreta excreta… He retired his title to my brother a very long time ago so people tend to leave him be when he comes out here. The house isn't what I wanted to show you though. Just a particular room. We can continue our history lesson on the way."

The pair stepped through the gates of the manor and followed the woody path up towards the house. The tinge of reiatsu hit them at the same time.

"Looks like dad's here. No matter." Said Shunsui good naturedly.

Nanao watched her surroundings avidly as they entered a decent sized entrance hall and Shunsui gently guided her up the main staircase. As they followed the hall Nanao counted two different sitting rooms, a drawing room, kitchen, office and bathroom through open doors. Another elegantly sloping staircase led to the third floor and Nanao guessed they were probably the sleeping quarters. They stopped at the only closed door of the floor and Shunsui pushed it open.

"Go ahead Nanao-chan."

She stepped in the door and stopped.

"Oh…" Was all she could manage. Caught completely speechless by the room.

It was a decent sized music room. Definitely not as big as the other rooms of the house but obviously better loved than any. Nanao counted five guqins, violin, flute, guitar before her eyes finally landed on the centre piece of the room. A fantastic grand piano bathed in the light of the setting sun.

"It's yours to do what you please with Nanao-chan."

She walked slowly up to the piano and opened it, running the tips of her fingers across the yellowed, well worn ivory keys. She pressed down on one, a C.

She and Shunsui both cringed a little at the off key sound.

"Sorry about that Nanao-chan. Music is a huge part of the culture of the Kyoraku clan but nobody has played the piano since my grandmother. She actually turned this room into a music room. It used to be utility. Can you tune it?"

"Of course… Are you sure..?"

"It's a waste to leave it sitting collecting dust Nanao-chan. Besides. My grandmother was the type of woman who would kill us for leaving it sitting so long."

"Taichou… Thank you." She whispered. "You have no idea how much it means."

"It's my pleasure Nanao-chan. I'll leave you be. Take as long as you want, I have the guest room made up for you. Come find me when your finished or if you need anything?"

She nodded.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hey dad." Said Shunsui entering the sitting room on ground level an hour later.

"Shunsui-kun." His father greeted warmly.

"Sorry to disturb you Dad."

"Don't be ridiculous Shunsui it's your house. She's magnificent son. I haven't heard the piano played so well since my Mother was young. I didn't know you could pick up a girl like that in a bar." He ribbed.

Shunsui chuckled.

"Don't let her hear you say that I sincerely doubt she'd be impressed. That's Nanao-chan dad, my lieutenant. I have yet to convince her to grace my bed with her presence.

Not strictly true… Thought Shunsui.

"Ah. From the stories you've told me son it's going to take a lot of convincing."

Shunsui pouted.

"Come sit down. I haven't seen you in the longest time boy."

Shunsui did as he was told.

"What brings you out here dad?"

"Your brother." Said the older man rolling his eyes. "What else? What about you. Considering what I've heard of your lieutenant this isn't a booty call."

"Dad! And Nanao-chan wonders where I get it from." He said amused. "No it isn't a booty call. I have the guest room made up if you cared to look. Nanao-chan composes to unwind but we don't have a piano in the eighth division. With the war coming she's been having trouble sleeping and Yama-Ji has been giving her a huge amount of hassle she doesn't deserve… so I thought I'd let her play. No harm in that and I've always wanted to hear it…"

"She's a beautiful composer. Probably the best I've ever heard actually. Everything she plays is so emotionally fuelled, it's an escape?"

"Definitely. A far more productive one than my drinking or womanising too."

"You've produced some amazing literature while venting Shunsui." His father reminded.

"Maybe..."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Nanao could feel the knots in her shoulders coming loose as her fingers danced across the keys. Her mind was lost to the notes coming from the old instrument. Quick, slow, Harsh and soft all rolled together to create a melody. She never tired of music. Music was in a state of constant change, expressing anger one second and joy the next. It could sooth and it could exert. It had always been a huge huge part of her life. Her captain really had no idea at all. What he'd done for her in even allowing her see the great hulking piano…

She sighed softly as she swapped from the energetic piece of music she was playing to a far softer, lighter piece.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Shunsui stopped talking suddenly and listened. His father shot him an inquisitive look.

"This is a lyrical piece."

"Will she?"

"She might… I've never heard Nanao-chan sing before to be honest."

They were silent a few seconds before the clearest most pure note they'd ever heard rang out in the house.

Shunsui's jaw quite literally fell open as that note was followed by lyrics, every one as perfect as the one before it. Neither father nor son spoke, too convinced it would break the spell that seemed to have fallen on the house.

As the final notes died out they looked at each other.

"She has a powerful set of lungs on her. Actually that song is so powerful it's almost tangible… It sounds familiar in some way too. Is she the lyricist?"

Shunsui shook his head.

"The lone snowdrop standing silently in a sea of daffodils yellow doth not reveal it's beauty easily, yet then and there it's purity of essence hath never been as vital. Simple and vibrant, complex in it's simplicity. It far outshines them all." Shunsui quoted simply.

"My gods. That was my favourite piece of that volume."

"It was Nanao-chan's too. It was actually written for her, though she doesn't know that."

"How'd she come to write such powerful music to it?"

"She wrote the music the year I found out she could, for my birthday. It's one of my best known pieces when I'm talked into singing at functions these days… Of course nobody knows who put it to music… As for the powerful bit… Well that will probably explain itself when you meet her. I told her to come down whenever she was ready."

"Will she?"

"Come down? Yes. Nanao-chan is reserved but she's in no way shy. Besides she has absolutely no more respect for nobles than she does for anyone else. She treats everyone with dignity even if she never demands the same from others."

"Yamamoto?"

"He treats her like a second class citizen. Nanao doesn't like to throw her power around. She can go out on a battle field and purify as many hollows as any captain can but her reiatsu is back quiet as a mouse as soon as she returns. Apparently that qualifies as weak by the majority of people's standards these days."

"The shock factor isn't something to be sneered at though I would have thought they could be a little more tactful. I'm not suggesting it will happen but wasn't it underestimation and under appreciation that turned Aizen evil."

"That's it exactly." Said Shunsui.

The elder Kyoraku relaxed back, shutting his eyes a moment and just listening to the current composition."

"She tuned that piano damn fast. Is music in her family?"

"I honestly have no idea. Nanao doesn't talk much about her family, she joined us while still in the childhood stage. I always got the impression that it was a sore subject so it's been left well enough alone."

"What's her family name?"

"Ise, She's Ise Nanao."

"Well no wonder she tuned the piano so fast!"

"What? Should I know the Ise's?"

"Know them. They're only the best damn piano makers in Soul society! Ise Pianos Shunsui? Ringing any bells?"

"Yes. I visited the shop once with Nana when I was really small I think…"

"You would have been there more than once boy. Heck that piano she's playing is one of her grandfathers. She could probably tune it in her sleep."

"Wow." Said Shunsui simply. "I had no idea… They're a pretty important family aren't they?"

"To the arts, probably the most. Modest to the core though. They were offered nobility status more than once and turned it down. Friends in all the noble families, turned down every marriage proposal sent their way though. Stuck well and truly to their own class. Her father was a good friend after your mother died. There was small talk about introducing you to the daughters. Of course we'd abolished betrothal by then and Uki wouldn't marry his daughters for anything less than love but you were such an artistic person we thought it'd be an interesting idea. So we decided to give the girls a while to grow up. The meeting never happened though." Said his father, turning sad suddenly. "What age did she join the academy?"

"Twenty… nine I think?"

"That'd be about right. Her parents died a year before that. Terrible circumstances…"

"What happened?" Asked Shunsui quietly.

"Loose hollow in their district. It attacked them while they were all in the workshop. One of the kids cast a shield instinctively but it only reached far enough to protect the children. Not Uki and Kya. It was well known that one of the Ise kids had a huge amount of reiatsu and people talked. Blamed the child for the hollow attacking them… Small town Rukongai… you know…"

"Oh gods no wonder she trained as a Shinigami." Said Shunsui thickly.

"It's probably why she suppresses like she does too."

"You can't blame a child for that sort of situation!"

"I know. But she was… In fairness her siblings never placed the blame on her. Just the community…"

"How many of them were there?"

"Fraternal triplets. Two girls and a boy. Is she blonde?"

Shunsui shook his head.

"Black hair, dark eyes, pale skin."

"Ah I remember her. She was her daddy's image. Complete opposite to the other two. They we both blonde haired and bright blue eyed. She was far more talented too if I'm completely honest. Ear for music like no other and the voice of an angel. Always felt a bit of an ugly ducking. The other pair were probably the most beautiful kids I've ever seen in my life. She never had a baby face, needed to grow into her features, you know. Got her down a lot, quiet. But when you gave her a piano…"

"What do the others do?"

"Well. Her brother is still making pianos. Excellent craftsman. He's done the family name well. She's working in the shop from what I know. Both married with kids. Nice bunch of people."

The music from the floor above stopped and the silence reigned.

"I know nothing about this dad, okay?"

"Of course."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Nanao knocked on the open door gaining the attention of both of the rooms occupants. She stayed on the threshold.

"Come on in darlin' I don't bite." Said the elderly man with a smile. He struggled to his feet, making Shunsui incredibly aware of just how frail his father had gotten in his old age. He was still bright as a penny but his body was letting him down.

The minute Nanao met the older man's eyes she flashed back to the tall imposing figure in her childhood who frightened her brother and sister but slipped her chocolate when her parents weren't looking.

"Hello sweetheart. Remember me do you?"

Nanao nodded, a small smile coming to her lips.

"It's nice to see you again Kyoraku-san."

"And you too my dear. Come here and give me a proper look at you. I haven't seen you since you were that size." He gestured.

Nanao stepped closer and Shunsui grinned when his father stroked her cheek fondly. Nanao didn't cringe at the contact.

That's my Nanao-chan…

"Beautiful girls like you. Should not wear up do's so severe. It hides your beauty and makes you appear older than you are." Said Mr. Kyoraku matter of factly as he deftly removed the clip from her hair. Black velvet tumbled to mid back, deadly straight and the older man pulled a few strands around her face.

"There. Much better." He said with a nod. "Sit sweetheart." He gestured to the couch. Nanao sat down beside her captain and Shunsui had to order himself not to touch the newly revealed hair. He had no idea how Nanao had kept so much hair up in that tiny clip but he was damn sure it wouldn't be going back in it if he had any say in the matter.

"You still play and sing as beautifully as you did as a child Ise-chan."

"Thank you…" She said with a slight blush.

"It was nice to hear the old girl going again. It hasn't in the centuries since my mother's death. That old girl is one of your grandfather's you know."

"I do. He used a charcoal paint on all his pianos instead of black. Said it gave a softer finish."

"Tha's right." Said the older man. "Kaa-chan loved that piano. Hated the colour." He said with a reminiscent laugh.

"My father was the same. Saw that colour so often that he swore he'd never produce a charcoal coloured piano in his career. He used to make me do any touch ups we got requested. I liked the colour."

Shunsui chuckled. Having seen Nanao as a child he found the idea of her trying to paint a piano hilarious. She glared at him as if to say she knew exactly what he was thinking and he smiled lopsidedly.

The elder watched the silent conversation amused. He spared a thought for his old friend hoping that wherever he may be he was seeing what he had the pleasure of seeing. He wished he had someone to share this kind of story with but was happy to witness it all the same.

Nanao won the silent argument, as was to be expected and Shunsui gave her the infamous eyes. The fact that Nanao shrugged them off told Mr. Kyoraku how frequent a recipient she was.

"I'm going to head to bed I think. Need to rest the old creaking bones."

"Night dad." Said Shunsui fondly.

"Good night Kyoraku-san."

"Night son. Night sweetheart. It was great to see you again, if I'm gone before you're up." He kissed her cheek.

"How come my dad gets to kiss you?" Said Shunsui with a pout as soon as he was gone.

"Because your dad used to slip me sweets when I was little."

"I give you sake but you never take it."

Nanao rolled her eyes and laughed softly before becoming pensive.

"He told you the whole story, didn't he?"

"He did. I'm so sorry Nanao-chan…"

"It was a very long time ago." Said Nanao quietly.

"I know. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt though."

She nodded with a soft sigh.

"Were you your Mother's baby or your father's?"

Nanao looked startled by the random question.

"My father's, without much doubt. My brother and sister were my mother's. I'd build pianos, play them, sing while they entered family beauty pageants . They won every time." Said Nanao with a fond smile.

"I'm trying to imagine you glaring at me with blonde hair and bright blue eyes but it isn't working." Said Shunsui amused.

"It won't. Our facial features are completely different. People were convinced I was adopted when they saw me with my mother and the other two. My dad was a quiet man, kept to the workshop. He wasn't as well known in the community. I remember the shocked looks when he'd bring me out on calls. People didn't know him all that well but I was pretty well known as the Ise abnormality we used to make up their thoughts depending on the look on their faces."

"You are not abnormal Nanao-chan."

"I am compared to the other two even now. It doesn't bother me anymore." She said with a small smile.

"Did you always go on calls?"

"All the time, especially during the summer. I think I'd been in the estates of every noble family in Seireitei before I was twenty."

"Kyoraku estate?"

"More than once. Like you said music is important to your family. Most of those piano's were my father's work though, not my grandfather's. Of course you were captain hundreds of years before that…"

"Did you ever have the misfortune of meeting my brother?"

"I did meet him, he tended to turn his nose up at me though so I just stayed out of his way. It was his wife that plays piano, wasn't it."

"It was her that tried if that's what you mean, yes. Why?"

"I remember that she could never tune it. Generally had made it worse by the time we got out there. Dad was pretty certain she put it out of tune purposely."

"That's an inside joke. She needed something to blame for her complete lack of musical abilities."

"Eventually Dad got tired of tuning it and just left me to do it while he went for a drink with your father every time. One of the days I actually left it a little out of tune purposely, to see if she'd notice of course she didn't and our dads thought that was the funniest thing ever. You ate jelly strawberries constantly didn't you?"

"How in the world did you know about that!?"

"Your father decided I deserved any sweets I wanted for making him laugh so hard. I picked the jelly strawberries because they were my favourites and he laughed saying nobody had eaten those nasty things in the house since his youngest left home."

Shunsui laughed heartily.

"You hate those things now."

"I ate too many of them the birthday after that and vomited almost continuously for the next twenty four hours. I haven't been able to look at them since."

"Nanao-chan… What happened the day the hollow attacked you?" Asked Shunsui quietly.

Nanao took a deep breath. She had known this was coming and surprisingly she really really did want to tell him…

"We were all in the workshop. Connu, my sister, was teasing me again. She always did over my appearance. It was normally dad who stopped it but he was working at the far end of the shop. I got mad and my reiatsu shot to try to scare her but there was a hollow in the town… It was attracted to the power… When it came crashing through the wall… My dad yelled at me to protect the others and I shielded instinctively… I couldn't make it reach to mum and dad though… It was horrible…"

"What did you cast?"

"I found out it was barrier kidou ninety nine in the academy."

"Ninety nine." Shunsui breathed. "Nanao-chan you were untrained!"

"I didn't know what I was casting. I just wanted everything to be okay…" She whispered.

"Nanao-chan." He murmured, scooping her up into his arms. She went willingly and he ran his fingers through her hair softly in a repetitive motion.

"You know I can't even cast that spell? Do you know how powerful you need to be to cast it unconsciously?"

"Yes." She whispered. "It's the same power that got my parents killed."

"Nanao-chan you were little. You can't take the blame for your parents deaths."

"I might as well have killed them myself. Nobody else in my family had any usable reiatsu. It was all me."

"Nanao-chan accidents like that happen with spiritually powerful children. In every family, not just yours. I was a twin you know."

"I didn't."

"My sister didn't make it to full term, my reiatsu overwhelmed her…. It's a difficult thing to come to terms with Nanao-chan but you can't hold yourself responsible. You saved your siblings. That's more than could be hoped for in situations like that normally. Your father had you well aware of your powers and your family survived because of that. Whole family names have been wiped out in situations like that. You did more than could ever have been asked of you at that age and you should never, ever have heard anybody place the blame on you."

"Thank you." She whispered. Shunsui rubbed her back soothingly. They sat like that for quite a while in silence.

"This is becoming a bad habit." Nanao murmured eventually.

"What is?"

"Running to you on the first sign of hurt." She mumbled.

"Nanao-chan I sincerely doubt that the other night was the first sign of hurt. Actually it was probably the last one before implosion. You're a stubborn woman."

"I-"

"Furthermore beautiful women like you don't run anywhere. It isn't elegant. You turn gracefully and that is perfectly acceptable." He teased, poking her side playfully.

She laughed a little, squirming.

"Nanao-chan are you ticklish?" He sang with a grin.

"Of course not!"

"Are you certain?" He questioned, brushing fingers across her side again.

"Yes." She failed miserably at hiding the laugh from her voice.

"Liar."

He pounced on her, tickling her sides mercilessly.

"No stop!" She gasped through laughter. "Please."

Shunsui didn't listen to her. He was thoroughly enjoying her squeals of laughter.

"Tai- tai-chooooooooou mind my feet I k-kick when people t-t-t-t-TICKLE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She squealed.

Shunsui just chuckled.

"Taichou we'll wake your father." She gasped through great peals of laughter.

Shunsui cocked an amused eyebrow and Nanao could have smacked herself for her choice of wording. With her captain's dirty mind the connotations that came with that phrase weren't much of a leap… Hell Nanao couldn't even say she wasn't thinking exactly what he was. Wasn't much of a leap.. There was no leap involved at all!

"That was not what I meant and you know it." Nanao panted, looking up at her captain who currently had her pinned to the couch. He just grinned wider at the flush on her perfect cheekbones.

"Oh I know my lovely Nanao-chan. My dad doesn't though." He said with a wicked glint in his eye.

"Taichou!" She yelped. Shunsui just cocked a brow again. Nanao flushed even darker and shut her mouth, realising she was just making the situation worse.

"I've rendered the lovely Nanao Ise speechless."

Nanao spluttered a few words before giving up. She was becoming more and more aware of their position by the second and it was proving rather distracting.

Shunsui watched the woman beneath him carefully. Her hair fanned out around her and her chest still heaved from previous exertion. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes danced with laughter.

She was stunning.

She was starting to become aware of their current position. Shunsui could see it in her eyes and her blush deepened slightly. It wasn't the first time they'd found themselves in such close proximity. It had happened numerous times over the century that Nanao had been lieutenant of the eighth. Nothing ever came of it though. Shunsui loved his lieutenant. Dearly. But, or maybe even for that reason, if Nanao-chan pulled back from him he would let her. He liked to consider himself a patient man and Nanao… She was a woman worth waiting for.

"Taichou…"

He smiled at her, a warm smile but one that said it all. This was her decision. After watching her thoughts play across her features a few seconds he started the countdown in his head. It happened every time.

5...4...3...2...1

Nanao's hands closed around his own larger ones and Shunsui's eyes shot to hers. She was holding. Not pushing away.

Nanao's breath caught at the intensity of the look in his eyes. What had she gotten herself in to? Whatever it was that look had her heart beating madly in her chest and it was suddenly very very hot.

"Nanao-chan…" He breathed. Are you sure..? his eyes questioned. She gave the smallest of nods, swallowing. She was jittery with nervous excitement.

He leaned down antagonisingly slowly and Nanao got impatient. When she made a decision it was made and he didn't need to treat her like something fragile. Realising she had control over his arms she moved them sharply and he fell onto her a shocked huff of air left him before their lips connected forcefully. With a soft sigh he settled into the kiss. It was absolutely typical of his Nanao-chan come to think about it.

He took some of his weight back almost immediately but he'd definitely gotten the point quickly. The man could kiss. Nanao conceded. Then again he'd want to be able to with his ways. She relished in the brush of stubble across her jaw. The hand that wasn't holding his weight was cupping her cheek tenderly now, the pad of his thumb tracing across the bone.

There was nothing chaste about her kiss and Shunsui loved it. The moment she'd pulled his arms from under him he'd known that they were going to be magnificent together. Shunsui didn't do well with submissive women and Nanao it seemed was anything but.

Nanao's eyes fluttered open when the kiss broke. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and her heart hammered in her ears as she met his eyes. They were dark, turned from their usual warm milk chocolate to the darkest of chocolates but dancing madly with pure joy and happiness. She offered him the brightest of smiles which he returned easily.

Shunsui knew there was no way in hell she would allow this to continue with his father around he rolled them over, settling her on his chest.

"Nanao I love you." He murmured, stroking her hair. "Please don't run on me for that." He added worriedly.

"I love you too." Was her only reply. She didn't look up at him. If she had she would have seen the shock and amazement cross his face before it finally settled to absolute contentment. She felt him kiss the crown of her head and they lay totally wrapped up in each other for quite some time.

"Nanao why aren't you fighting Yama-Ji about making you stay behind?" He questioned eventually.

"Because someone has to Shunsui. He's leaving Seireitei in the hands of unseated officers. It begs for an attack and if that happens Seireitei is captured before the fight even begins. I need to stay. Regardless of why Yamamoto is leaving me behind I'm the best tactical analyst Seireitei has. If we are attacked internally, which is exactly what I expect will happen, I'm the best chance we have."

"You think there's someone on the inside?" Shunsui breathed as he drew rings on her shoulder.

"Yes, and I know that's a horrible thing for me to suggest as an officer of the goeti thirteen, but that's what I think. I could be wrong, but still, I think the chance of a direct attack on seireitei is far too high to ignore. That's why I'm not arguing."

"Is it an eighth division officer that you suspect?"

"Among others." She said quietly.

"What about Hinamori-fukutaichou?"

"She isn't stable. I don't think she should be allowed to fight. I think she means the best but putting her in front of Aizen is a stupid idea."

He nodded.

"I know you're rarely wrong Nanao-chan but I hope for everyone's sake that you are this time."

"So do I." She murmured, snuggling down into his chest. "So do I."