Withering – Chapter 1
Isshin hadn't seen Ryuuken for a couple of months. The battle for Soul Society had seemingly ended with Aizen being captured and sentenced to practically an eternity in immobile darkness.
It was a strange feeling. Peace seemed like such a fickle thing. Restlessness infiltrated every level involved from the captains to some of the children of Kagura Town.
The now powerless Ichigoand Uryuu had gone back to school along side Chad and Orihime.
The work at the clinic had been slow for a couple of days and Isshin was feeling useless. Letting the restlessness getting the better of him he closed the clinic early and before he knew it, he found himself outside Kagura Hospital. It's facade was as gray as his world seemed to be.
The hospital was running as smoothly as ever and everyone was doing their jobs perfectly choreographed like a dance of busy bees.
It was miles away from his job in his modest clinic and he couldn't help but admire Ryuuken.
And pity him a bit.
The man was working his life away.
Coincidentally he ran into the said director on the top floor where he was speaking heatedly to a couple of suit clad men that didn't look too thrilled either.
Ryuuken caught eye of him and swiftly ended the conversation and walked away in the opposite direction towards his own office.
"Ah come on Ishida.," Isshin roared, earning him quite a few stares, "-can't we talk like grown men, eh?"
Ryuuken continued into his office and closed the door behind him seemingly completely unaffected.
Isshin wasn't going to give up discreetly and was quite surprised to find the door unlocked. He had half expected it to be barred and everything.
Ryuuken had found his seat in his chair behind the impressive desk and was lighting a cigarette, inhaling desperately with a annoyed look on his face.
"What? You can't say hello to an old friend anymore?" Isshin began.
"You're hardly any friend of mine, shinigami." Ryuuken commented dryly, inhaling the toxic smoke again. He feigned interest in the papers lying in front of him.
"Knowing you like I think I do, I'm probably your only one," Isshin replied in a tone that could be mistaken for seriousness. The comment earned him a look from Ryuuken.
"Was the anything in particular you wanted to annoy me with or are you just bored?"
Isshin looked more closely at the director. He looked absolutely exhausted with shadows underneath his eyes and he was pale. And now that he was really looking he could see that Ryuuken had lost weight and the man couldn't exactly afford to lose a whole lot as he was quite thin to begin with.
What was much more disturbing was that the man, just sitting there, smoking, seemed to be almost panting. Ryuuken was positively breathless.
"Isshin? What do you want?" Ryuuken interrupted his observations.
"Ryuuken, are you feeling alright?" Isshin asked in a tone quite unfamiliar to Ryuuken. It was enough to get Ryuuken to stop his paper pushing activities and looking at Isshin.
"Why?"
"You're out of breath."
Ryuuken looked uncomfortable and moved his gaze back to the papers.
"Yes, I was shouting at those two gentlemen you saw earlier for quite some time," Ryuuken tried to explain. Clearly not convincing Isshin he cleared his throat, which revealed a nasty rasp from deep within his chest, "- and I've been fighting off a slight chest cold lately," he admitted.
Isshin did not like the sound of the slight cough at all.
"You know there's nothing like a slight chest cold." Isshin scolded. "How long have you been coughing?" Isshin picked up the stethoscope that lay on the desk, undoubtedly Ryuuken's own.
Ryuuken put a dismissive hand in the air between them.
"I'm handling it. It's nothing for you to worry about."
"Yeah, you're handling it. You're looking like a scarecrow."
"I'm sure you didn't come here just to fuzz, Kurosaki," Ryuuken said in a hard tone, finally losing patience.
"When was the last time you measured your blood pressure?" Isshin continued, "A man in your age should measure it regularly."
"A man in my age?" Ryuuken asked tiredly massaging his temples.
"Hey, you're not getting any younger!"
"Kurosaki, I don't have time for this. I have a meeting in," He looked at his wrist watch, "- 10 minutes." He sighed and looked utterly disheartened by that fact.
"Come on Ryuuken. Let me listen to your chest and hear what we're dealing with here."
Ryuuken rose and put out the cigarette.
"You'll just have to trust my judgment. Besides, who made you my caretaker?"
"Figured I had to be, as your only friend."
"Who's looking out for you then?"Ryuuken asked, hoping to get in another comment about how he wouldn't be that person.
"I have my children." Isshin answered neutrally.
The comment was innocent enough, but it hit home. Ryuuken felt it as a very real jolt of pain through his heart.
Uryuu.
Within a second he was composed again and judging by Isshin's appearance he hadn't seen a thing. He gathered the necessary paper work and began making his way to the meeting room one floor below, leaving Isshin to himself at the office.
Isshin knew it was wrong to stay behind, but he was concerned. His old friend didn't look well at all.
So he ceased to opportunity go through his friend's drawers. He tried to do it without leaving too much evidence behind. He found his migraine pills, aspirins, a bucket load of cigarettes, a half empty bottle of scotch, and a bottle of antibiotics. "2 pills twice a day, 3 weeks," Isshin read a loud. Sounded like a little more than a slight chest cold. I sounded more like he'd been fighting off a bout of pneumonia.
Review if you feel like it :)
I might even update faster if you do :)