I do not own Bleach.
~4th squad hospital~
A pale skinned man laid in the only bed in the large pale blue room. His thinned white hair tangled in on itself on his pillow. He wore a deep blue yukata with the front parted. Wires laid across his chest and attached to various machines surrounding the bed. All of them beeped to the same rhythm as the drops of water that he watched fall into the IV connected to his arm.
Ukitake Jushiro was surprised he wasn't on a breathing machine as well. Since, his lungs were finally giving up on him. He knew this would eventually happen. He had expected it to happen at a more critical time, but that didn't seem to be the case. They were at peace. No one wanted to destroy them, or destroy Seireitei. He was glad it was finally back to days of peace.
"It's nice to see you are still able to put on your dazzling smile." Jushiro looked towards the door. Kyoraku Shunsui smiled sadly at his long time friend as he walked towards his bedside. "How are you feeling?" Shunsui laid a hand on his free hand, the other hand an IV and wires running from it.
"I'm feeling pretty good. Not much pain, and I haven't had a fit yet." Jushiro tried to sit up, but his arms were too weak to do anything.
Shunsui saw his friend struggling. He gently lifted him up and added a pillow behind his back so he was sitting more upright, but still lying down. "Better, Juu-chan?"
Jushiro sighed at the nickname his friend used on him. "Yes. Thank you, Shunsui." Jushiro ran the kimono on his shoulders through his fingers. He looked at it with confusion. "When did—Shunsui, this is yours." He easily recognized the pattern, he had seen it often enough. "Why would you-" His breath caught in his throat, he knew this feeling all too well.
Shunsui watched helplessly as his friend coughed heavily into the sleeve of his yukata. You could still make out blood stains from previous attacks. He had lied to him about how he was doing.
A woman with long, braided orange hair walked in. She checked machines and handed Jushiro a towel to use instead of his sleeve. She didn't smile as the towel became as blood soaked as his sleeve and the bed sheets. She took the bloodied towel from Jushiro and placed it into a plastic bag. "I'll have Isane bring you new sheets and a clean yukata."
"Thank you, Inoue-Taichou." Jushiro smiled at the new Taichou of 4th squad. She had joined about five years ago after she had died in a driving accident. Even with her healing and rejection abilities, no cure had been found for his illness.
Shunsui waited till she left before he spoke to his friend. "It's not like you to be dishonest with me." He tilted his sakkat down to cover his hurt eyes.
"There are a lot of things I have been dishonest with you. None of that really matters now though." Jushiro felt the tears run down his face, and Shunsui wipe them away.
"Tell me. It's not good to lie on your deathbed." Shunsui was surprised his friend laughed at the statement. "Tell me, Shiro-chan."
"Will you stop it with the nicknames? Juu-chan is fine, but Shiro-chan is just childish." Jushiro actually really liked all the nicknames, but he knew his friend didn't understand that. He was just acting like himself.
Shunsui just smiled at his friend. He pulled a chair up beside his bed and held his hand. "Tell me what's wrong." He could have sworn he saw a bit of pink tinge his friend's cheeks.
"It...it's nothing." Jushiro couldn't look his friend in the eye. If he did, he would break down and break their friendship. "How's Ise-"*COUGH* *COUGH*
"Jushiro!" Shunsui heard the machines beep madly around him. He held his friend as he coughed into his shoulder. He could feel blood soaking into his clothes and plastering it to his skin, his friend's blood. "Jushiro." He him close as his coughs turn to gasps then finally to whispers of breathing. He felt tears run down his face as he felt Jushiro's heartbeat soften and slow.
"Shunsui..." He listened silently as his friend spoke so softly amidst the beeping of the machines. "Thank you...for standing by me...sorry for leaving you like this..." Shunsui held his friend as tears ran freely down his face, his heart was breaking. "Please...keep going...they need you here...I need you to be here...promise me you'll stay..."
"I will." Shunsui heard the whimper in his voice. He didn't want Jushiro to leave him yet. Not when he had so much he wanted to tell his friend.
"Thank you *gasp* *gasp* *COUGH*" Shunsui held his friend as he struggled for air. "I...lo...ve...you...shun...sui." His own breathing stopped with Jushiro's.
He had his hand over his friend's heart on his back and another at his neck. He couldn't find a pulse, the machines behind him confirmed that and the vanished reiatsu did too. Ukitake Jushiro, was dead. "I love you too, Jushiro." He cradled his friend as he cried while a summer storm began outside.
~two days later~
A small group stood outside in the raging storm. All had sad looks on their faces as they stood in front of a burial pyre. A tall figure walked forward with a hand on his sakkat. Shunsui stood and looked towards the pyre in front of him. "Goodbye, Jushiro." He whispered silently.
Everyone else had tears running down their faces as they watched the white silhouette of their Soutaichou say his final good byes to his long time friend. None of them knew exactly how long they had been friends, but knew it was back from their Academy days. They all thought it was strange to see Shunsui without his pink kimono, but they knew where it was.
Rukia hugged the small bundle of white fabric close her chest. She had been named Substitute Taichou by Ukitake-Taichou before he had been hospitalized. She had hoped it wouldn't still be her position when he was released from the hospital. "Rukia-chan?" She met the reddened eyes of the Soutaichou. "Will you do the honours?"
Shunsui knew how much it hurt his squad to see Ukitake die. He wanted to give her a chance to say goodbye.
Rukia nodded as she stepped forward, but she fell to her knees and sobbed loudly. She felt two pairs of arms wrap around her and sob with her, Kiyone and Sentaro. After several long moments, she swallowed her tears and stood shakily. "Light the pyre." She surprised herself how firmly she spoke.
The fire consumed the pyre despite the rain. Everyone cried silently as it burned. Everyone saying good bye to the good man they had known Jushiro to be. It didn't take long till only a pile of smouldering ashes laid in front if the group. The rain had stopped and left nothing but the sound of thunder in the air.
Nanao and Lisa placed a hand on Shunsui's arms. "Will you be okay, Taichou?" Nanao spoke gently, she knew he was hurting.
Shunsui looked lovingly at Nanao, she was like a daughter to him. He placed a large hand over their hands. "Thank you for your concern, Nanao-chan. I'll be fine. I promised Juu-chan I would be okay."
Lisa hugged his arm affectionately, she cared for her old Taichou. "We're here for you if you need us, Shunsui." Lisa pulled herself away from him and wrapped her arms around Nanao. Both knew the man needed time to grieve for his friend.
Shunsui stood and watched the smoke rise from the ashes of his friend. He felt another hand on his arm, a small trembling hand. "Thank you, Kyoraku-Soitaichou."
"Your welcome, Rukia-chan." He didn't tun to look at her, but he knew she was crying and hurting. Everyone was, Jushiro was a friend to everyone in Seireitei. There wasn't a single shinigami that didn't ask him how he was feeling or asked his quad members to send him good wishes.
Soon, Shunsui was the only one still standing on the hill. He knelt down by the ashes and picked them up with his hand. It blew off with the wind as it fell through his fingers. "Live a new life, Jushiro. Free of disease and pain, violence and war. You were a gentle soul, and now you don't have to fight. Good luck, Juu-chan." His eyes followed the thin stream of ash in the breeze. It blew up into the dark clouds and out of sight. "I love you, Jushiro."
Please leave a comment or a question. Sorry if I made you cry.