Hands held tightly. Breath quickens.
Something glistens on his cheek. Why?
He's talking. His mouth moves, but his speech is inaudible.
The ill, drawn face smiles. It's directed at nothing in particular, but it's definitely necessary.
The man wearing a pink flowered ladies kimono smiles back.
Jushiro Ukitake sleeps on.
Shunsui Kyoraku watches and waits.
Green eyes slowly open. There is little light in them.
He lifts one dark eyebrow delicately as he tries to focus on what his visitor is saying, or in fact, who his visitor actually is.
"-neh, Ukitake~?" says the stranger. He is wearing a pink flowered ladies kimono.
Jushiro's memory snaps back.
"Kyoraku?" His voice is barely a whisper. The words grate against his throat painfully and a harsh cough breaks out. Ukitake curls up, his knuckles turning white as he grips the bedsheets. One hand flies up to his mouth as he hacks. His eyes, which have closed (when? He doesn't remember purposefully closing them), are scrunched up, enunciating the deep bags below.
Amongst all this pain, a comforting hand lays upon his back and draws small, soothing circles. A low baritone voice murmurs gently, coaxing the white-haired Captain through his fit.
Shunsui's voice fades out as darkness takes over once more.
Darkness.
and we sat and we looked at the beauty that was in front of us the long stretch of water that shone majestically in the sunlight and he turned to me in all his pink glory and said shall we just sit here forever and his eyes reminded me of
The dawn that broke out as Jushiro opened his eyes once more was astoundingly stunning, yet came with excruciating pain. Why?
"You've been asleep for quite a while, Ukitake. I was worried you weren't ever going to wake up." This, accompanied with a low chuckle, was followed by a rough, yet somehow soft, hand enclosing over Jushiro's. The 13th Captain blinked. Again. And again.
Shunsui grinned. "D'you want some water? I'm sure you're parched."
Ukitake licked his lips. The wetness that had coated them only remained for a moment. A dry cough shook his frail body.
"Yes please."
With a flourish, the brown-haired Taichou removed his hand from his friend's and got up. The sound of running water was heard a moment later.
The sun doesn't hurt as much anymore, thought Ukitake wonderingly. He paused. There was a rainbow right next to the sun, even though he couldn't see any signs of previous rain outside.
He wondered if he was still on drugs.
"Hey, Shunsui-kun," he croaked. He narrowed his eyes to focus on the mass of pink that was just coming round the corner, his face anxious. Kyoraku walked back to his seat next to his friend's bed and promptly sat down. He placed his hand on Ukitake's shoulder and helped him up, before lifting the paper cup to his arid lips and tilting it. The water that trickled down caused Jushiro to burst into a staccato of desiccated coughs. The 8th Captain waited. After they had gone, he continued to carefully navigate the water into the sick man's mouth.
"Right. Now what were you going to say?" Shunsui said casually, as he put down the empty cup, took a wad of tissues and wiped away the beads of water still at his friend's lips.
Ukitake pointed with the smallest of movements. "Look. A rainbow."
Kyoraku looked.
So there was.