A/N: Yes, here it is. The last part. The finale. I'm a little mixed on this chapter. Tell me if I did okay or just sucked it up. It's a bit late, but I was distracted and such. It's here now though. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/alerted as well as those who voted on my poll. That's going to be up for a few more days, so if you haven't already, please vote! Thanks again Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

Part Six: A Constant

Nanao Ise would call herself something far from coward, but right now she was having a few second thoughts as she stood on the lonely street out in the pouring rain at this hour of the night.

The reason for these thoughts? Why, it was none other than Shunsui Kyouraku of course, the owner of Kyouraku Breweries. His question had thrown her, as well as the other things he had implied with it. In theory, she should’ve been jumping for joy. What he offered was what she always wanted. He offered her a constant, but more importantly, he offered to be her constant.

She walked into the Thirteenth Step in a little bit of a rush. It was the day after her birthday and she had the day off, but she needed to speak with Jushiro right away.

“Nanao? What are you doing here?” Jushiro stopped what he was doing and looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. She almost never came in on her days off.

She stopped on the other side of the bar, hand reaching up to feel the new ornament that now hung around her neck. “I require some information…”

That was why she was here now, standing in the rain on the street where Shunsui was staying before he left to the north, on his birthday no less. That was part of the information she learned from Jushiro. Today, the eleventh of July, was Shunsui’s birthday. She reached a hand up to touch the necklace on her neck, reminding herself of all the reasons that it was right to be here.

Sure, others may look at this situation and call her foolish, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime. She may never get this chance again. She had one chance to get everything she ever wanted.

She looked out from the roof eave above her and spotted the specific apartment she wanted. According to Jushiro, this was the place. She was faintly wondering why she was out this late in this weather, but then remembered that there wasn’t really time to wait around any longer. In three days he would be gone for who knows how long. She had already spent most of this week waiting around. It was long enough.

Since she had the day after her birthday off too, she had not gone into work, save going in to ask Jushiro a few questions. Wednesday and Thursday she had been working, but Shunsui had not come into the club. The thought crossed her mind that he might be avoiding her. She had spent those days wondering what she should do. She had all the necessary information, now she just needed to use it. Nodding her head to herself, she took a step out into the rain, followed by another.

There was always the fear that this would all be for naught. She still couldn’t believe what she heard. She was waiting for herself to just wake up, only to be disappointed that it was all a far-off fantasy. Sometimes she had her doubts about Shunsui too. What if, upon spending a larger amount of time with her than he already did, he found that she wasn’t what he was looking for? What if he didn’t like their new arrangements, and she wasn’t good enough? She knew he had gotten around before, or at least she thought she knew. It was hard to believe that a charmer such as he wouldn’t have. Then, she would have this nagging voice in the back of her head that told her not to judge a book by its cover and to have more faith in him. She liked to think that she should listen to this voice.

There was a dim light a short ways from his door, and it barely lit up the area. She squinted to read the number next to the door, just to be sure she had the right one. She bravely reached up and knocked, having mixed feelings when she heard a distant ‘just a minute’ from behind the wall. She didn’t know whether to be glad he was actually home or not.

When the door opened, Nanao saw his eyes go wide with surprise before he gave her a large grin. She supposed that she would’ve acted the same way if he would’ve randomly came to her home without prior notice.

“Well, Nanao-chan, this is certainly a surprise. Please, come in. You’re drenched.”

He motioned her inside, and she obliged, glad to be out of the weather. She pulled her coat closer to her, trying to get a little warmth as well as a little reassurance for what she had come here to say.

“Would you like something, Nanao-chan?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” She followed him into what seemed like his living room, taking a seat on the couch when he offered. He sat down by her, and she turned a little to look at him better.

“Now, what can I do for you?”

“I came here to ask you a question…concerning the other night.”

“Well, ask away, Nanao-chan.” He seemed to be in good spirits.

“Did you mean it?” In her mind she sounded like she was pleading. She supposed, in a sense, she was. It felt too good to be true.

“Of course, Nanao-”

“All of it?” She was aware that she was interrupting, but she needed to get this out there. “You say that in the end you tell yourself it’s just a game, that you have to tell yourself that’s what it is. Is this just a game? Will it turn out that way later?” She stopped for a minute, hoping that he could lock her fears away and strengthen her hopes.

“Of course it’s not. If it goes my way at all, it never will be.” Just like that the mood had shifted again. She knew that she was partly to blame for that, but her questions needed answers.

“Then why do you have such twisted logic? Who made you think that way? Were there others that tried and failed?” She was still making eye contact as she spoke, trying to read his eyes.

He deeply sighed and looked downward, a painful memory seeming to come to mind. She had leaned in a bit closer without her knowing, trying to get a better listen should he choose to speak.

“There was one.” He grew silent for a moment then, and Nanao almost regretted bringing it up. Almost. She had things she didn’t like to think about too, but she didn’t have the option of running from them when they were brought up.

“I don’t really want to talk about it, but lets just say that in the world of money, no matter what you do, you always seem to get used. That’s in the business and social sense too.”

She let the words sink in, and she realized just how terrible it must have been. If it made him go into a dreary mood when he was usually so laid back, it was definitely bad. Maybe one day she could ask him about it further. For now, she was going to do something that was unlike her normal self.

She stood up, and looked away for a minute. “I would like to accept your offer, but only if you really mean it. If you do, I want to know if you’ll give me a chance… give us a chance…” She looked up at him then, and he rose as well.

“I’d be a fool not to.”

He opened his arms and she stepped into them, letting him see a smile, which he returned. She liked this side of him much better. It was familiar, and that was one of the things she wanted. He felt warm, and she was also grateful for that. The rain had made her a bit chilled.

The next warmth was better though, as he lifted her chin up and kissed her. Somewhere in her barely sensible trains of thought, it had come to mind that maybe things never worked out for her because she never had said what she wanted exactly. Well, she knew what she wanted now, one Shunsui Kyouraku.

He broke away from her and smiled at her breathless expression, arm that was holding her close relaxing a bit. With a bit of a chuckle he formed a sentence. Well, she thought, at least he could.

“I suppose we’d better tell Juu about this, eh Nanao-chan?”

She smiled again, letting her head rest against his chest. “Won’t everyone be surprised.” True, they would probably turn a few heads.

“They’ll be happy for you. Are you coming with me on Monday?”

“That was the plan.” She was going to follow him wherever he went now. It would be interesting to see where this road would take her.

“I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”

“That’s fine. I don’t mind. I’m sure Jushiro will understand.” And it was, she was sure. It didn’t really matter now. She had her constants, and hopefully things would stay that way.

“Yare, I’m sure he will.”

--KG--

Saturday was one of Nanao’s scheduled work days, but somehow she figured she wouldn’t be going today. Oh she was here, and it was only four in the afternoon, but she wasn’t here to work. As her and Shunsui walked into the club together, the whole room stopped. At least, that’s what it seemed like. All who knew them had stopped anyway, and Nanao could feel their eyes on them. They had reason too, she supposed. They never arrived together, especially not with Shunsui’s arm around her waist.

They walked up towards the shocked people at the bar, and Nanao didn’t miss the smirk on Jushiro’s face, like he was sharing a private joke. Oh well. She didn’t really care about that at this point.

“Hmm, I had a feeling you two would be back here.” The smile never left his face as he set a jug of sake down on the bar. Shunsui and Nanao both sat, and Jushiro set two cups on the bar.

“Well, Juu, you’re looking at the new Chief Financial Officer of Kyouraku Breweries.” Nanao didn’t miss the sound of pride he had in his voice.

“I daresay that some work might actually get done now, Shunsui. I wish both of you the best of luck.” She knew he was implying about their relationship as well, and Nanao couldn’t help but feel good that she knew he approved. “I’ve already got someone covering your shift today, Nanao, and I can find someone for however long you take. That is, of course, if you want to come back here.”

She was glad that she had that option. It was nice to know that her friends were going to watch out for her. She supposed that once she did get back, if she was doing well enough for the company, that she might come back here every now and then, just because she could. Even if she was moving on to bigger and better things, she would still miss this place.

She didn’t know what exactly was in store for her, but she didn’t think it would be so bad. Not if she had her constants.

“Nanao-chan.” He grabbed her hand softly.

She looked at him. “Yes?”

“Dance with me.”

The music started up, and she smiled, not really seeing anything wrong with it anymore. She slid off the bar stool as he got up, and they moved out towards the already moving mass of bodies.

A bar was the last place she expected to find anything, but for now, she was definitely going with it.

-Fin