The Only One

Title: The Only One
Rating: PG

Winter had come to sereitei and snow fell coating everything. Despite the cold business continued as usual. Inside the squad 8 barracks Nanao sighed as she pushed her glasses back into place and looked up at the wall clock. 'Typical. He's late.' She thought. "Knowing him he'll flounce through the door yelling-'

"Nanao-chan!" cried a deep voice at her office door.

Her captain Shunsui Kyoraku filled it donned with usual happy grin, ridiculous pink kimono and sakkat hat. His hakama top parted to reveal his chest packed with muscle and short fine hair. "How is my Nanao-chan doing this morning?" he asked sweetly.

Narrowing her eyes Nanao replied seriously, "Sir, its mid-afternoon. Not the morning."  She didn't bother correcting him about the "Nanao-chans". He stubbornly refused to remember her dislike of the cutesy names.

"Oh?" he replied dramatically raising his eyebrows and striking his "thinking" pose of hand underneath chin with narrowed eyes. "Then why is my Nanao-chan here and not at lunch?" he asked.

"As you well know sir, I have tons of work to do which does not leave space for a a lunch-break." she replied frostily. "Anyway I eat big dinners to make up for it," she continued waving her hand dismissively.

"No! My Nanao-chan shouldn't do such things!" he cried loudly startling her. Storming up to her desk with one of his rare serious expressions he he stopped and slammed both palms on her desk and  leaned forward for emphasis. "You must take better care of yourself Nanao-chan!"

"Sir!" she cried angrily as papers flew everywhere. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. What you need to take care of is this paperwork," she huffed pointing at one of the many stacks.

"But Nanao-chan..." he whined.

"No 'buts'. You've already had the morning off. Now it's time to work and stop playing."

"You think I'm 'playing' with you Nanao-chan," he asked seriously as he shunpoed to her side and gently cradled her face. "You're the most important person to me. You have to know that," he said staring into her eyes.

Flustered Nanao searched for a response. "Captain...I...I"

*beep* *beep*

"Huh? Wha?" Nanao mumbled into her pillow slowly cracking her eyes open. 'It was only a dream,' she thought sadly looking at her bedside clock. 'Shoulda figured,' she thought angrily kicking out of the covers and sitting up. 'He'd never say that in reality. Sighing sadly she rose and headed to her bathroom.

Blinking away sleep she used the bathroom and got dressed. Breakfast was a quick quiet affair of orange juice, bacon eggs and toast after which she washed, dried and put away the dishes. Gathering up her ever-present book and clipboard she also added coat, hat, gloves and instead of her sandals snow boots. Opening her door she closed her eyes and happily inhaled a lungful of cold crisp air. Opening her eyes she happily took in her surroundings. Winter had come to the sereitei and and everything was covered in white and sparkling beautifully. Winter to her was truly the best season although she knew many like her sake loving captain and friend Rangiku disagreed.

Shunpoeing away from her home to her squad barracks her cheeks flushed from both cold and embarrassment. Her other love for winter had little to do with the weather or sights but more with the romantic nuances associated with it. Winter meant Christmas, the holiday for lovers and even without that the cold drew people inside where they cozied together.

'That's probably why I had that dream. Just the season affecting me,' she reasoned to herself trying to rid the image of herself and her captain cozied together from her mind. 'Just the season,' she reasoned entering the barracks and greeting squad members as she passed. Reaching the office of the captain and vice-captain she wasn't even surprised to not see her captain there.  

Her captain was always late, and if left to his own devices would not show up, and winter to seemed to worsen it she mused to herself as she removed her winter clothing and placed it within a closet. 'Oh well,' she thought closing the door. 'I can't get anything done anyway with him underfoot cooing at me.' The man was brilliant but more often than not insisted on acting like a child that at times both infuriated and amused her.

Her eyes softening she silently admitted to herself that his antics also delighted her. He was tall man with riveting gray eyes and a deep rumbling voice that if he ever used right could hypnotize her. 'Like in that dream,' she thought.

Blushing she shook her head furiously and headed towards her desk. "You have work to do," she chided herself. "You don't have have time for this. Besides he's your captain," she hissed at herself mortified that this was not the first time she had to remind herself of that fact.

'And besides...,' she thought to herself settling into her chair, 'If I am going to be with him I want to be the only one.' If she was to get in a relationship she wanted to be the only one they cooed and looked at and her captain was for notorious for cooing at and even more embarrassingly physically chasing after women.

Sighing at her thoughts she took up both pen and paper and inhaled preparing to work...and instantly regretted it. For the lungful had given her his scent. Which was at both times calming and exciting. Calming for its familiarity and exciting for the masculine scent of man and sake that was uniquely him.

'This is embarrassing. Mind on your work,' she thought at herself, discarding the earlier idea of hunting him down and dragging him to the barracks to work. 'With my head like this I can't face him. Hopefully he'll stay under the covers tonight,' she thought blushing.

Oh course it was to be. Whenever she did want to find him he hid from her but when she didn't he came to her. Or maybe he was bored at home and it was too cold to drink or lounge outside. Either way when he sauntered in at 10 min to noon she almost had a heart attack. Especially since she was so caught up in her work she didn't notice his unexpected quiet entrance until she looked up and found him suddenly in the room heading towards the sofa.

"Captain," she greeted. "There are papers on your desk for you to sign," she reminded him futilely. The man only ever did anything unless he wanted to and today didn't look like one of those days.

"Nanao-chan it's too cold to work today," he cooed at her. "I think I'll sleep awhile," he said on a yawn before stretching out on the sofa causing her to humph. It was always "too something" for him to work and today he had chosen the cold. Sighing she decided to leave him be and work. Besides, though she would never admit it aloud, she liked having his calm presence around to ground her. Plus, peeking at him over her glasses, he was really cute when he slept she thought grinning to herself.    

Minutes later she was so engrossed in her work that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice mummered next to her ear "Nanao-chan".

"Wh-What!?" she cried jumping back glaring at her captain who smiled innocently though his eyes twinkled.

Pointing over his shoulder at the wall clock he responded, "It's time for lunch."

Narrowing her eyes and following his finger she examined the wall clock. "It's past lunch time captain," she replied slowly as if explaining to a child.  

"Yeah. I overslept. But the good thing about going now is wherever we go won't be crowded," he replied happily not the least bit disturbed by her tone.

"I have work to do. And so do you," she responded icily disturbed by the similarities to her dream. It was just a dream she reminded herself even as she thought that she reconsidered and jumped up out of her chair which would have startled most people but not her captain who just smiled serenely.  

"Lunch with Nanao-chan," he sang as she gathered up her clothes. "We'll go wherever you like and I'll buy whatever you want, my precious Nanao-chan," he cooed causing her to roll her eyes. "Let's go," she told him.

After telling the squad members that they were heading to lunch they left the barracks and walked the streets in companionable silence. The normally bustling city clear due to the cold and snow as they headed towards their favorite soba place. With no one else on the streets Nanao couldn't help but watch a couple laughing with their hands entwined. Staring at their hands she felt something remarkably like envy go through her, and her own clasped.   

Her action as always did not go unnoticed by her captain. "Would you like to hold my hand Nanao-chan?" he asked sweetly.

Rounding on him filled with embarrassment and anger she began to tell him off before looking at the outstretched hand and the deep sincerity in his eyes. "Captain?" she asked uncertainly.

"That is what you do with someone special, right, Nanao-chan?" he asked.

'Is he saying that-' she wondered not daring to hope. She looked at the ground to avoid looking at his eyes. "Yes, but you don't have just one special someone do you?" she replied bitterly, secretly angry at him for calling almost every woman "his precious whatever-chan" when she wanted to be the only one.

"Nanao-chan?" he asked causing her look up at the startled tone of his voice to his eyes which shone with an emotion she was afraid to identify as he reached out and grabbed her shoulders. "I'm sorry Nanao-chan. I didn't know you that," he aplogized looking deep into her eyes which she could just numbly nod at startled by his seriousness.

Taking a deep breath he began again. "Nanao-chan you're not like the others. I...I love you," he confessed looking vulnerable.

"Captain," she gasped. He'd said many things in the past but nothing like this with such seriousness.

He obviously took her gasp as disbelif beacuse he continued "Can you love me too Nanao-chan? Give me a chance. I'll prove to you how-" he cut short as her fingers covered his lips silecning him.

"Can I love you?" she repeated slowly. "You fool! I already love you! I Have for a while!" she screamed in frustration infuriated at his denseness, shocking her capatian who stared wide-eyed.

Emabarrassed at his, and the couple's, staring she whipped around and screamed "What!?" causing them to scurry away and leave them alone.

"Nanao-chan," his soft voice asked.

"What!?" she screamed turning and was pulled into an unexpected kiss. Her eyes widened in shock before slowly closing at the pleasant and long-awaited kiss of her captain. Separating after a few seconds the two stared at each other.

While Nanao knew her face was brigt red from all her jumbled emotions her captain was infuriatingly serene and calmer then she had ever seen him.

"Well?" she asked

Chuckling his eyes softened as he gave her a another quick kiss and wrapped his arms around her, his head resting atop hers.

"You have no idea how happy I am now Nanao-chan," he said into her hair.

"Me too," she admitted snuggling into his arms.

Staying like that awhile they finally broke their embrace but entwined their hands and continued walking. Nanao knew she should have felt embarrassed at the scene they had just created but couldn't find it in her. A thought had her looking at the man beside her and squeezing his hand to get him to stop and gain his full attention before glaring and saying in her iciest voice. "You do know that if you 'precious-chan' anyone else or ever cheat on me I'll kill you, right?"

Staring at her in suprised silence her captain burst out laughing startling her before leaning down and kissing cheek. "Of course not, my Nanao-chan. Beacuse the only one I love is you," he replied causing her to grin then blink in suprise as he bumped her with his elbow and looked at her expectantly. Blushing she looked up at him and responded in a low shy voice "I love you, too."

The two shared a quick kissed after that walking on to the soba shop. Physically having not gone that far but emotionally going miles finally reaching that special someone.   

(A/N: My entry to the DA contest. A free write started awhile ago finally finished. Please read and review. And wish me luck in the contest.)