The Balance of Deliberation and Action [Closed/Watari & Nao]

Nao held her tongue as Watari transitioned from talking about stabbing people in the chest, poisoning, and sending Shinigami off to die at the hands of the Quincy as if they were orchestrating some sort of purge. If it hadn’t been for her decades of abuse at the hands of a corrupt supervisor, the woman might well have pressed him for more information as to just what he meant, but Nao knew when to keep her mouth shut.

Thankfully, Zenji was there to handle that for her as he had been so much lately. ” I must apologize. My former superior officer handled most matters that dealt with the nobility, and I have only just gotten out of the medical ward. I did not know that anything of that sort had happened. Of course, I would be pleased to provide Lord Suzumei with all the assistance he needs in his investigation. I will require some time to study what we have on the matter, but you can expect a report once I have gone over the material,” she assured her intimidating new associate with a respectful nod.

Part of her, a part that she dared not give voice, was elated to hear about Tetsuya’s parents no longer being in the picture. She felt guilty about it, but surely, with her new position, what better chance would there be to come by and see him? Of course, he would need time to mourn, but Nao’s brain was already at work on ways she might be able to console her former best friend. ” The esteemed Lady Akimoto and I might not have,” Nao started, pausing while she thought of a socially acceptable way to phrase their interactions. How exactly do you say that she forcefully kicked her out of her would-be lover’s life? ” Might not have seen eye-to-eye on some things,” she resumed, ” but it pains me to hear that Tetsuya is suffering. Zenji, if there is anything I can do for him, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

She nodded again to Zenji’s request to return to matters related to the Quincy. She had thousands of questions about Tetsuya and the apparent deadly food poisoning at the Baozhai estate, but she would hold those until Watari had left. It would be rude to bother him about specifics in a case he had just taken up without getting herself up to date as well.

”I think it best if I have all reports mentioning any human spiritualists sent to me and disseminated out to the two of you and anyone else we find might be helpful in these matters. I did publicize my run-in with the shaman Anatoly rather heavily throughout First Division, and I imagine Kameko-sama has already spread information about him within Fifth Division as well. It would only be natural for me to want these matters. It would not be out of the question for me, the only person who has seen the man and lived to tell the tale, to want to see reports on his kind. If we manage to locate the man and stop him from amassing his army before it becomes a problem, all the better.”

Had he had enough to drink? He didn’t think he had, he was being pretty reasonable wasn’t he? Maybe talking too much about murder was laying it on too thick but the Quincy were expendable weren’t they? The Central 46 was weak after all, Yuki would understand that being better was also meeting all the Central 46 head on and bringing them down - one by one, right?

“The investigation is going wonderfully Zenji, in fact would you believe that I think one of the nobility might have been involved? I’m starting to think that Lord Shimazu is sus-pi-cious” Bill said, leaning across the table on both elbows. Geez, ol’ Zenji-kun got so particular about his plans, it could really bore a guy if he was left listening for too long. You know what Zenji-kun needed? An encounter with one of those Quincy! It’d really spice things up watching him squirm with that self-righteous anger.

“I have a man on the ground floor in Karakura, works for me - great guy, I’ll probe him about questions later - I probably owe him a visit at least after what I did to him” Bill said idly twirling the sake cup on the end of his finger. It was about time he made like a tree, hey, he’d actually used it properly - Reika be damned. At this he stood and bowed to his two compatriots in the Quincy rebellion.

“Well it’s been lovely chatting, I’ll make sure to arrange any reports to go through you Nao, Zenji-kun has done such a great job at sending me the necessary documentation that I believe you’ll soon get word of who is behind the assassination very soon!” At this he winked as he made his way towards the door dispensing the sake cup neatly where he’d knelt moments before, Sabitsura was like a loaded bullet sooner or later he’d confront Memnoch and then they’d destroy each other - glorious - glorious self destruction. All Bill had to do was play them off on each other - or kill them, that was Watari’s forte.

“Oh and before I go and let you two lovebirds canoodle, if you see dear Tetsuya before I do, send him my congratulations - I’ll see you all very soon”

And just like the whirlwind he was - Watari Suzumei was gone.

//exit.

Nao didn’t really know what to say to Watari’s airing of the results of his confidential investigation. Surely revealing the suspect before he had him in custody, especially to someone he’d only just met, was a terrible idea. The man had seemed full of ideas ranging from unconventional to potentially treasonous all night, though. She had a sneaking suspicion she was being played, but didn’t know to what level or end goal the deception led.

”Thank you, Suzumei-sama. I’ll see what I can get sent to you as soon as I am able,” was all she could say as he got ready to leave, her face flushed red at the accusation that she and Zenji were lovebirds. She remained behind at the table, re-reading the reports Zenji had provided as her host set about his business. She hadn’t been dismissed and, though she was Zenji’s superior officer, there were social niceties to observe, especially when a commoner was visiting a noble.

She forced a smile back to Zenji as he returned, setting the report to the side and folding her hands together on the table. No sooner had the requested beverage arrived than he set to work on a Bakudo she knew all too well. She and Tetsuya had gotten ample practice with that incantation while they were in Academy, and she’d used it since when her supervisor had been berating her in order to protect the rest of the office from the disruption.

As the muffling effect set in, Nao poured the two of them cups of the sake. She looked down at hers for a while in thought, reflecting on the events that had transpired since she arrived at the Hatayama estate. As he addressed her, she snapped back to reality, grabbed her cup, and knocked it back in one quick swig. The burn was satisfying and helped to bring her to the present, though Nao found herself deeply desiring something to dull her senses.

With a slightly scrunched face and a burn-induced sigh, she poured herself another cup. She had many questions. So, so many questions, but one came to mind above all others. Taking her glass and clinking it against his in a belated toast, she asked it plainly. ”Pardon my language, Zenji, but is he fucking insane?”

Nao listened attentively, taking in Zenji’s clarifying remarks and sipping at her own sake in an effort to enjoy the flavor rather than rush herself to the sweet numbness she found herself wanting. It certainly was doing the trick for loosening her up after the high stress of that meeting, and she soon noticed that despite what she had hoped would have been slow sipping, she was down to half a the cup by the time Zenji offered her a refill. She accepted appreciatively, offering a genuine smile as relaxation crept into her posture.

She sighed and swirled her drink as he finished, having another sip and trying to savor the bouquet before setting it back down. ”If I had to guess, I’d say the guy talking about whatever Suzumei kindnesses are and overthrowing the Gotei and Central 46 in a coup would have had a hand in it, but fooling someone like Lady Akimoto, let alone the other nobles seems a little too complex a plot for someone like him. I would never speak ill of her, especially with her no longer among us, but she was the reason I was forced to stop spending time around Tetsuya.”

Her face reddened with irritation as she thought back on Tetsuya’s mother. She’d been prevented from even writing to him as a friend by the woman, and horrible threats had been made to her if she ever tried to contact him again. She had thought it to be a serious risk to ask Zenji to reach out to him, but if the woman had been dead at the time, her caution had been for naught.

”There was an accident when the two of us were in the Academy, and she rightfully blamed me for what happened. I guess you know that already, though,” she told the cup, not wanting to look to Zenji and admit her own failure. The sting of seeing the powerful kido fail at his hands because she couldn’t keep her emotions under lock was still too strong, and she soon found herself drinking again.

Setting her cup back down, she huffed out lightly in amusement at the situation. ”Sorry. There are more pressing matters in this, I know. I guess, when I saw your invitation, I thought something else might be happening instead of meeting someone like Suzumei-sama. If it weren’t for my hand still hurting, I’d wonder if that was all just a dream.”

She patiently listened to him, deliberately trying to slow down her drinking as she got her crash course on noble politics. It didn’t seem like Tetsuya to get involved in something like that. He couldn’t be involved in it. Maybe Helena or one of their other relatives, but she had seemed almost as nice and sweet as him. The mere memory of an affectionate touch from an Akimoto sent a shiver up her spine on its own, though it would have been easy to assign that to something much more serious if Zenji were to ask.

”If he fights it, tell him you’re doing it on orders,” she offered, not sure how she felt about ordering Zenji of all people to summon Tetsuya for her. He wasn’t the sort to disobey, though, and the last thing she wanted was Watari running into him before her. He seemed like just the kind of person to put a knife to his throat in order to get her to do something. He also seemed like the kind of person to still use that knife even if she followed his request. It was enough to make her press her good hand into her forehead in frustration.

”What are we going to do, Zenji?” she asked sadly, taking her hand away and straightening out her hair. ”I agree that we need capable officers in charge, but capable and corrupt is arguably worse than incompetence. Someone like him, if he were to rise to Lieutenant or higher could become downright terrifying for the normal rank and file. If he’s that connected, too, what’s to stop him from getting rid of us once we’ve outlived our usefulness?”

She should be more guarded with her words and worries, but Nao couldn’t keep them to herself. She was aided some by the alcohol working its way into her system, but she doubted she’d have been able to stay silent with Zenji even without the liquid courage. She needed someone she could trust, and he was the closest thing she had. Murat would have just told her to throw in with Watari. Maybe try to secure a marriage to some noble somewhere so she had a familial claim to power, but she wasn’t willing to do anything so cold and heartless as that.

She wasn’t like them, and the last hour had made that painfully obvious. She was too naïve, too innocent. The old Nao, the one who used to plot to take over the Third with Tetsuya in order to bring about a new age of Kido, she might have been able to handle this. Could she really hope to stand up against someone like Watari, though? Taking on a corrupt and abusive boss was one thing, but taking on the entire nobility was another.

”I’m scared, Zenji,” she admitted, placing her hand back on the cup in order to feel some kind of warmth to comfort her, ”He’s willing to throw people he wants to see gone to the Quincy, and he apparently knew about this all before you brought it up because of what happened to Lady Kameko. He just became Third Seat, but he apparently has a man in Karakura working for him he’s going to hit up for information, for crying out loud. He wants to destroy Shinigami souls because they stand in his way. From what you’re telling me, there’s a good chance he’s already involved in a mass killing. This whole thing rubs me the wrong way. I feel like we’re not only three moves behind, but that I just realized we’re playing chess and not go.”

Nao bit back her irritation at Tetsuya never joining the Gotei. She was aware of it, of course. Someone of his talent would no doubt have already ascended to be a Lieutenant or have a Captaincy, so no matter how isolated her supervisor or his mother had tried to keep her, she would have known if he were officially serving. She could only nod along in agreement and understanding as Zenji talked of his hesitation. She couldn’t really criticize him after spending so long even more afraid to go see him.

She finished off her cup and poured another as he spoke of staying allied with Watari, unsure of what to say. They really seemed damned either way. If they didn’t work with the man, he’d likely arrange for their deaths or make their lives awful and, if they did work with him, she couldn’t help but worry he’d do the exact same, only later.

His hand found her forearm after she had set the glass down, causing Nao’s cheeks to flush a deeper shade of red than the drink had already been helping. Her heart raced as she moved her injured palm out and set it on top of his without thinking, the weak fingers gripping lightly as she held onto him. This wasn’t like when Helena had touched her, not one bit. She was nervous then, but there was something altogether different about his touch. It was warmer, more genuine.

More needed.

Nao wetted her lips as she looked him in the eyes, not sure what she was going to let the drink say for her, but he thankfully interrupted those thoughts by pulling away himself and continuing to muse on their plans. She hurriedly finished off the rest of her cup and poured another to hide her embarrassment at having subconsciously considered something horribly taboo.

”I’d be happy to meet them, of course,” she said as she let her anxious smile show, ”And I’m sure you’ll be able to get Third Seat. Your Kido is exceptional and, even without this business with the Quincy, your talents would have fit in there very well. If it doesn’t work out, I’d be quite pleased to stay your superior officer or, if you wanted to challenge for the Lieutenant’s office, I’d be more than happy to be under you.”

She brushed her hair to the side in a minor adjustment as she looked at him, her hand finding its way back to her glass as she set it back down. It took her a moment later to realize the implications of what she had said, and she hastily blurted out a clarification, losing any attempt at her forced professionalism. ”In First Division, I mean. Not under you like that. I mean, you’re under me right now and I like that, but you could be over me if you wanted. No that’s bad. You could be on top of me. No, that’s worse! I don’t, I mean, I would, but I wouldn’t, I couldn’t, but,” she stammered on, her blushing intensifying to a deep crimson as she tried to calm herself down. It didn’t work very well, as the only think she could bring herself to say after a calming breath was a convoluted ”You would be my superior officer if you were my superior officer. That’s what I meant.”

”Real smooth, there.”

Zenji was still considering the challenge and, more so, what would come afterwards. There was going to be a lot of work in the weeks ahead but it was also needed work. Necessary work. Through their toil they might yet save not only the Gotei and the Soul Society but all realms from the recklessness of the abominable mortals.

Watching Nao stammer with some amused bemusement the nobleman titled his head slightly. Whatever was she getting so flustered about? Perhaps she’d had a little too much to drink?

“Oh for fucksake.”

Glancing over at the staff in the corner with a frown of confusion Zenji waited for the Spirit to continue but nothing came. Shrugging he turned back to Nao and then smiled brightly at her with warmth. “So just how drunk do you want to get tonight Nao?” he asked with a chuckle. “Because you seem to be getting a little tongue tied.”

It had to be the sake, that was the only reason she’d act that way around him after all. They were good friends at this point and no longer had any reason to be socially uncomfortable around one another, especially considering the plot they’d both found themselves involved in together. Although perhaps it was the recent talk of Tetsuya which had unbalanced her inebriated spirit, that made sense and he could sympathise. Zenji was getting to the point that he was going to drag the kid out of the Manor by the ear if he had to.

“Well anyway if I do fail then I imagine I’ll just have to take a seated position beneath you.” he told her with a shrug. “Our Lieutenant is nearly Captain-Class I’ve heard. Which makes sense considering the authority the second in command of the First would have.”

Sipping at his drink the man smiled and chuckled. “It’d be a set back for our plan of course not to have a high ranking officer in the Third with us but, on a personal note, I’d be more than happy to serve under your command Nao.” he told her with open honesty and an equally open smile. “It’d be a great improvement to have a superior as competent as yourself.”

Chuckling he leant forward to refill his drink “What about we forget work for now and just drink away our concerns for now. We can continue with this rather terrifying and duty filled reality in the morning?” he suggested.

If Nao agreed then Zenji would call for the servants to bring him more sake. He’d discuss lighter topics with his friend, he’d tell her more about himself and his family as they’d yet to really have time to just relax around one another. As the night progressed he’d entertain her by playing music on his shakuhachi and through simple discussion. Just a night of no worries or responsibilities for he doubted they’d get another chance anytime soon.

//Thread Exit unless continued by Nao

”I think I’d like that, Zenji,” she said after Zenji suggested more drinks. She was still horribly flustered from accidentally making inappropriate suggestions to her subordinate, but the man clearly had enough sense about him to simultaneously overlook it and offer her a socially acceptable out. She’d need to be careful around him. That sort of kindness had a way of being excruciatingly endearing.

”I actually don’t know where my quarters are yet. I’m sure someone has moved my things in, too, so I can’t go back to my old place. If you have a guest room you’d be willing to let me use, I’d love to spend the night,“ Nao requested of him with a polite bow.

”Just ask him if you can share his bed later on.”

She smacked her hand on her tanto, the liquor dulling the pain on her knuckles and making her only slightly wince. Finally fed up with his sass, she detached the blade from her side and slid it across the floor to spend some time by Zenji’s staff. ”Sorry. He’s been talking far too much, pretty much all night long. As I was saying, if it’s not too much of a burden and you can provide me with a place to stay tonight, I’d like to see to finding the bottom of some more of your bottles.”

She was all too content to settle in with him for the night, listening avidly to the stories of his past and even getting drunk enough to share a few of her old tales from before she became a Shinigami. They were infinitely more boring than anything he had lived through, but it was nice to finally have someone she could open up with after so many years of forced isolation.

She woke up the next morning sprawled out on the floor of their meeting room, a wicked headache setting in almost immediately. It took her a few moments to realize that the pillow she was snuggling up on and preparing to bury her face in to try and get some more sleep was actually Zenji’s chest. They were still fully clothed, thankfully, but the whole situation was rather salacious. Wasting no time, Nao collected Murat from the floor by Zenji’s Zanpakuto and slipped away, letting her gracious host sleep and doing her best to hide her face from anyone in his household as she made her way back to First Division.

\\END