A Day in the Life

A Fanfic For Ukitake Juushirou

On a sunny afternoon like this where the temperature was just right and the breeze light enough for the outdoors, a normal person would want to live their day out and enjoy the weather, but there was one individual who yearned for such as privilege. Said individual was sitting on the wooden patio in front of his lakeside house, legs folded under, and in the shade. Thirteenth Division's white-haired captain was not, however, lounging with a pleased expression. Instead, it was a concentrated stare down into the contents of his tea cup.

For the past five minutes, he had been staring at this cup of tea, waiting for the right moment to take a sip. You see, his illness had gotten the better of him in the last few days. He really was not supposed to be out of his room. Anyway, every time he tried to take a drink, a cough would arise, and no one wanted to spill some good tea on their uniform. That was really problematic in any point of view.

Here was his chance, the moment waited upon. He carefully lifted the cup from the lowered position. No signs, yet. Halfway there. Juushirou could see the success within his grasp, and then it was ruined. He coughed up a storm without any warning at all. One hand instinctively covered his mouth while the other hurried to set down his cup. It was over in seconds, gone like the wind, but it always seemed to last forever to him. Heaving a sigh, he closed those irritated eyes and gave up the pointless fight.

"I haven't gotten better at all." The Thirteenth Division Captain said resting his chin on his palm.. "But it's not pleasant to sleep in bed all day, that's for sure…"

Oh, how he wished he had more to do than stacks of paperwork. It is a great lifestyle to live as a captain of the Gotei 13, but it was hard, too, from which he knew Hitsugaya Toushirou never enjoyed due to his Lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, slacking off all the time. At least he had his third seats, Kiyone and Sentarou, covering for him while he was trying to get better.

Cough, cough, went his lungs trying to force out the unwanted material, but he was not that bad of a quitter. After much effort, it receded, but his concern was now being overpowered by his desire to get out of the house. Right now, he was too lazy and anxious to sit around doing nothing.

"I guess there's no helping it." He shrugged and disregarded the directions to 'rest up' by wandering from the area.

Yes, it was the best sounding idea to date. It was foolish to waste a day like this. Yesterday, it rained a good amount with no chance to step out peacefully. It was Ukitake Juushirou's turn to shine this time. Where to start? He was currently strolling the wall bordering the Twelfth Division barracks. From what he knew, they and their captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, were always busy, working on the day's new information that had been gathered. That, and every other weird experiment their captain would come up with. So, maybe this time he should pass it so as to not interrupt anything and keep what health he had.

Well, now. That was an even better idea. Going to visit other divisions would spend a lot of time, and it was mostly out of generosity. Why not visit the other divisions? The newer idea was easier said than done as trying to accomplish it while walking would take a long while. If he was in a hurry, that would be a different story. This walk was supposed to be easy going. Hurrying was out of the question. With his knowledge of the grounds in Seireitei, it would be simpler to cut through the middle, right?

And yet, somehow, he ended up skipping both the Eleventh and Tenth Division barracks. He ended up in the Ninth Division subsequently and consequently compared to his plan. He could have sworn he was on his way to the Eighth Division, where his long-time bud, Kyouraku Shunsui, resided. Maybe he had missed a turn. The Ninth Division was busy this time of day. Since it was the Division in charge of the newspaper, it was always busy. He held in a muffled cough, scanning for a familiar face.

He passed a group Shinigami, who politely and energetically spouted a "Good afternoon, Ukitake-Taichou!" and bowed their heads slightly in respect.

" 'Afternoon!" Juushirou replied hailing them a wave.

The Shinigami of the Ninth Division were awfully chattery, walking to and fro with papers or folders in their arms, that morning's reports, or conversing with their friends. A little too noisy for him. He would seek the one in charge rather than get pulled into a boisterous group. Actually, it did not take long to run into Shuuhei, the Division's Lieutenant acting as Captain. Juushirou spotted him down the hallway.

"Hey!~ Shuuhei!" The Taichou spoke through the crowd and made his way through the waves of people.

Shuuhei looked quite surprised to see him. "Ukitake-Taichou?"

"I don't think I'd ever get used to this place," Juushirou said scratching the side of his head.

"You're sure you should be up?" Shuuhei asked. "I heard you were sick again."

"Ah, I'm fine." He said, which was probably his biggest lie to date. He felt sort of horrible in truth, but he was blaming the crowded area. "How about we step outside where the weather is nice?"

"Uh, sure.." Shuuhei quietly accepted.

They proceeded to the catwalk.

"How are things coming along?" Ukitake asked as they walked side-by-side.

"Everything's… going okay, so far." Shuuhei reported hesitantly on the subject.

"I'd hate for all that work to be dumped on me, too. It's crazy thinking about it." The captain joked and laughed only for it to be consumed by a coughing. He tried to make light of it by holding a positive face.

"Yeah," The Lieutenant said seeming to have bought the act. "But it's fine once you get used to it."

"That so?" Ukitake blinked.

Shuuhei nodded. "Was there something you needed?"

"Oh, not at all. I was just stopping by." The Captain said before clearing his throat.

Taking notice, the Lieutenant glanced to his sickly features. "Are you alright, Ukitake-Taichou? You look a little pale."

"I do?" The Captain played like he did not know.

"You look really tired, too…"

"Uh… I'm alright." He said nervously as his hands went up halfway in defense.

"Maybe you should visit the Relief Squad so they can help you?" Shuuhei suggested.

"I might do that instead." Ukitake tapped his chin. "I'm sure Unohana could lend me another good remedy to speed up my recuperation. It was nice talking with you though. Good luck with all that work."

"Yeah. Just don't overdo it."

"Sure, sure. I won't."

Now, he was staring up at the Third Division marker. He could not believe it. Not only did he miss the Fourth Division, he missed it entirely and by six other divisions.

"Did I really do that bad this time?" Ukitake mumbled placing a questioning finger on his temple.

"Ukitake-Taichou?" A person called to him from over yonder. It was Kira Izuru, accompanied by a few other Third Division Shinigami.

"Ah. 'Afternoon, Izuru." He greeted them, hailing them a wave. "I seem to be going in circles today…" Ukitake attempted to chuckle, but that induced a coughing fit. He coughed harshly into his right hand, his lungs straining under pressure in his aching chest.

"H-Hey! Ukitake-Taichou!" Izuru said rushing over to him with the others. "Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down for a bit. You look exhausted."

"You may be right…" He inhaled a breath of air and coughed in fewer, smaller amounts. The fit seemed to be retreating, thank the gods.

The Lieutenant was feeling concern for the Captain. Glancing to one of the Shinigami with him, "Call for the Relief Squad and tell them to send one over." He asked them.

"No, that's quite alright." Juushirou insisted. "I think it's gone now."

"You sure?" Izuru asked unconvinced. "You look really pale…"

"Yeah. I'm going to head over there anyway." The Captain reassured them. "Thanks though!"

And with that, Juushirou headed off again. For the second time.

"Er… Fukutaichou… should we tell him?" A girl Shinigami asked the Lieutenant.

"Tell him what?" Izuru blinked.

"He took the long way…" A boy Shinigami added.

"…"

"Okay," Juushirou grumbled looking up at the Sixth Division marker. "This isn't funny anymore.;"

Again, with the errors. He had done it again, and for the third time. It was getting ridiculous now. This was supposed to a pleasant walk, not a scramble to locate some simple medical help. He thought about using the roofs and just looking from above, but that would be cheating… wouldn't it?

"Really… I'm about to give up on this." He mumbled to himself, but changed his mind. "Oh, I might as well."

Juushirou would visit the Sixth Division barracks this time. He was walking the underpass of a balcony this wonderful day. Also, he managed to spot the aristocratic Captain as he was about to enter the main hall. He must have come from the Kuchiki house, for he did not use the same entrance as he. Juushirou tried to catch him before he went in.

"Byakuya-kun!" He bid the other Captain salutations. "Good morning."

The Sixth Division Captain stopped quietly and looked over his shoulder with a stoic edge. "Ukitake." Byakuya acknowledged his presence as a greeting.

The last time they met, it did not go as smoothly. At the time, Juushirou had made haste to the Kuchiki's household to converse about the shortening of days to his sister's execution on Soukyouku Hill. He tried to persuade himself that Byakuya did not speak truthfully and was just spouting nonsense. He was hoping that things would be different this time around, but only when using his manners and kindness towards nobility.

"I heard they were looking for volunteers to go to the Human World." Juushirou started off the formal conversation. "I'm actually thinking about going. If even for a little while."

Of course, Byakuya had little care in his decisions. He would dub the entire thing pointless and useless in his eyes. "I wouldn't be so interested in 'volunteering' for such a thing, if I were you. It would be a waste of time." The Sixth Captain replied so flatly, so frankly, and without doubting a single word of it.

Same ol' Byakuya as last time… Ukitake Juushirou thought to himself and sighed a smirked onto his face. "Yeah. I guess it would be better to stay if you look at it that way." There was an irritation in his throat that made him cough lightly.

Once again, and of course, Byakuya figured it out without thinking. "I heard through a grape vine that you had fallen ill again…" He mentioned with a stale tone.

"Has my sickness happened so much that gossip's the only way people know about it these days?" The Thirteenth Captain said jokingly, all the while trying to suppress another coughing spell.

Byakuya decided to give him a bit of advice. "It's foolish to be walking around in your condition, Ukitake." He told him firmly trying to state a point.

"I know, I know…" Juushirou said sadly. "I was going to head for the Relief Squad after this."

To Byakuya, the situation was of no concern to him. Whether Ukitake Juushirou wanted to stay home and get better or walk around and wear himself out was completely up to Ukitake Juushirou. There was no sense in getting involved. Besides, he had work to attend to.

"Excuse me." Byakuya turned the other way. "There are duties I must see to."

And in a brief moment, Kuchiki Byakuya disappeared into the Sixth Division main hall. Juushirou was left behind and by himself in front of the Sixth Division building, all alone and without anyone to speak to. Lonely. He felt lonely right about now and left with his head low.

"It used to be so easy to have a conversation." He pouted in his sulking, and coughed a bit. His comment reflected on the apparently new era. Ever since the one known as Kurosaki Ichigo helped save Soul Society, ever since Sosuke Aizen betrayed them all… most of Seireitei was up to their arms in paperwork or once-lost faith or bravery. Nothing like that happened in hundreds of years, except when Urahara Kisuke also fled Seireitei. Juushirou was starting to ponder when his place would ever be peaceful again.

"We're not going, Matsumoto." A boy's voice grumbled. "So, stop asking me!"

Why, if it was not Hitsugaya Toushirou, the Tenth Division's Captain and Seireitei's youngest brilliant mind, walking with the bubbly, sometimes dependable, Lieutenant.

"Come on, Taichou!~" Matsumoto's pleading voice whined. "I heard that they have a lot of different styles of clothing there, and I wanna' have a look!"

"I don't care." Toushirou growled. "We're not going so you can look at clothes and run all over the place. If we were to go, it would be official orders from the top. Understand that?"

"But that's no fun at all…"

"Ukitake?"

Juushirou blinked after his familiar rounded the corner up ahead. Running into Toushirou was the best thing yet! He hailed him a wave. "Oi!~ Shirou-kun!~" He said loudly and happy. "It's good to see you!"

The Tenth Captain twitched at the nickname.

"Hi, Ukitake-Taichou!~" Rangiku greeted him.

"It's lunch time, isn't it? Let me give you some treats…" Juushirou searched his pockets.

"N-No, I'm fine." Toushirou sweatdropped. "I already ate! Really!"

"Oh? …Well, then. An after-meal snack!"

Juushirou unloaded a huge bag of sugary delights and fabulous candies into Toushirou's arms. He could not do anything but except the "gracious" offer.

The three of them were walking a balcony. The sun was still out and keeping the grounds warm, and the clouds were steadily covering the sun every moment or so. Finally, in the late afternoon, the Thirteenth Captain found someone to hang out and enjoy the weather with, even though he would somehow probably end up running into Shunsui when he least expected it.

"So, you're thinking about going to the Human World?" Juushirou inquired.

The younger Captain folded his arms over his chest having thought over the idea numerous times. "I suppose there's no helping it…"

"I knew you'd say 'yes', Taichou!~" Matsumoto charmed in, the glee written all over her face.

"I planned to anyway, so I wouldn't have to keep picking up your slack for a while." Toushirou said closing his eyes and knitting those brows.

"I'll go pack my things!~" The Lieutenant turned tail and scurried down the other end.

"Geez…"

"She wanted to go that badly?" Juushirou scratched his temple. "I wish I had that kind of inspiration." One more time, he tried to laugh and failed horribly as another full-blown coughing spell interrupted him. He heaved and hacked terribly as the younger Captain grew concerned.

"Hey, aren't you still sick? Why are you out of bed anyway?" Toushirou questioned him while raising one brow high.

Juushirou tried to hold in a little air to suppress the coughing, which would work for now. He patted the top of his chest, which was feeling worse than before. "I couldn't just sit around on this fine day, you know?" He said, his words dry. "It's hard to do nothing, wouldn't you agree?" He cleared his throat.

"I wouldn't know, Ukitake." Toushirou said implying that he was always busy with something.

Juushirou was able to take in a good breath and exhale smoothly, but his body was not going to let him ignore his illness any longer.

"When was the last time you visited her?" He brought up the matter concerning the Fifth Division's Lieutenant, and at the same time, he leaned against the railing as a dizziness gave him no choice but to. He tried to hide it best he could.

The question quieted the younger Captain. He paused a few seemingly long seconds before answering. "Yesterday…" Toushirou said going into thought. "She's still recovering."

"Did they say…. When she might wake up?" His sentences were barely held together. Putting some of his weight against the railing, he succeeded in keeping his balance. He started to wish he had stayed home. Oh, and he was also getting the worst headache ever crammed into thirty seconds.

"…'Soon'. That's what they keep telling me…" Toushirou murmured no louder than a whisper, but then it was hard to ignore the elder Captain's ailing signs, which were plain as day now. The younger Captain eyed his sickly features. "Hey, are you alright?.."

"I'm okay… but I might's went a little overboard today though." Ukitake finally admitted, and a moment too late. He felt his skin getting the chills, which was bad because that only happened when getting a bad fever. Beyond all odds, he managed to stay on his feet. "I should've called for the Relief Squad, but I didn't want to be a bother."

"That's a whole lot better than ending up six feet under, old man." Toushirou commented kind of disappointed that the other Captain would put necessity before his own health. He looked below the balcony to locate some assistance. "Matsumoto's never around when I actually need her." He said grunting and he spotted two of his Division's Shinigami. "Hey! Call someone from the Relief Squad and tell them to get over here." He yelled the order to them.

"Y-Yes, sir!" The Shinigami scrambled to attention and headed to the Tenth Division communications room on the double.

"Sorry, to cause you the trouble, Shirou-kun." Juushirou said sighing. His well thought-out day had been ruined on the account of "wrong place, wrong time".

"You should be sitting down, not apologizing, and you look worse than you did when you said 'hello'." Beckoned the older Captain. "And it's not 'Shirou-kun'. It's Hitsugaya-Taichou."

"I should've stayed in bed…" The older more unfortunate Captain frowned.

"You're saying that now?" The younger Captain scoffed.

"Ukitake-Taichou!" A woman's voice called.

The two Captains looked to their left and their eyes fell upon that of Rukia, who came hurriedly down the balcony. There was a small object in her hands, and it looked like she was out of breath.

"Rukia?" Juushirou blinked to see her all the way from their Division. "What's the hurry?"

Rukia stopped before the two still out of breath and presented her Captain a rather shocking statement. "Ukitake-Taichou!.. I couldn't find you all day!" She said almost as if she were nagging him about something important.

"..Huh?" The elder was lost.

"You forgot?" She blinked.

Juushirou blinked just as confused. "Forgot what?"

"I went to retrieve your medicine from the Relief Squad…" Rukia said not believing her own Captain would actually forget his own medication. She held up the small bag as proof.

"Eh?… Oh!" The older Captain planted a fist in his hand as he recalled what happened way earlier this morning. "That's right! I was out of medicine for this week and you volunteered to go get more!"

The Tenth Division Captain and Kuchiki could not believe it-A Captain forgot about his own health. It was an awkward moment.

"I got bored and decided to take a walk around. I guess that's when it flew over my head…" Juushirou smiled somewhat and was able to laugh nervously, and then he felt it-the warm fluid that unknowingly snuck its way up to his airway. The small amount of red unexpectedly fell from his mouth and littered the front of his haori, the feeling skyrocketing his heart rate. Then, it hit him, the urge to cough out his lungs that pained him so badly. He hacked, he coughed, and he buckled under his weak legs with his hand pointlessly covering his mouth in an effort to prevent blood from spraying between his fingers.

"Ukitake!"

"Ukitake-Taichou!"

The other ran to his sides and kneeled to his aid, the worry in their voices self-explanatory.

"Pull yourself together!" Rukia told him as she was the most worried.

"Just how long have you been running around, idiot?" Toushirou demanded to know. He shouted for assistance. "Hey! Is anyone out there? We need some help up here!"

Juushirou was trying to speak, but his body was too busy rejecting the material. Though the world was spinning, he was still coughing so harsh as to not be able to control it, each cough hurting him more and more like knives ripping into him with each outburst. His strength left him quicker than oil caught fire, and he fell to the ground.

His body grew heavier even though he was already down. His vision became hazy, clouded by his receding consciousness. Sounds were lessening as he was thrust in a fog where touch and sight did not apply. The world was fading. He could still hear Toushirou, who was calling for help, and Rukia, who was by his side calling to him. How could he have been so careless? They were all now worried about him only because he would not stay put.

The world was fading. His eyelids slowly closed themselves.

"Ukitake-Taichou!"

"Ukitake!"

They could not be heard, and the abyss took him.

The first thing he noticed was the outstanding throbbing in his head, and then the burning in his lungs. It was dark. His eyes peeled open quickly squinting against a light. The world was still blurry to him, but he could see someone. Was he in a bed? It was sure comfortable. He focused more, and the world gradually became known to him. There, kneeling at his side, was the one-and-only, Unohana Retsu, the Fourth Division Captain.

"…Unohana?" He uttered, his voice hoarse from his attack. When had he spoken to her last?

"Good morning, Ukitake." Unohana greeted him so very kindly and very motherly.

"What happened?" He inquired, his mind in disarray.

"It seems you weren't taking care of yourself properly and got a little careless." She told him simply. "Kuchiki-san said you didn't take the medicine I gave her. Is that true?"

He felt like his mom was scolding him with that tone, but he did ignore the doctor's orders that she had given him days prior. Not intentionally though. He managed to smile. "Yeah… but I didn't mean to get carried away…"

"Didn't think you'd wind up in this bad a'shape." Another voice said making light of the situation.

When Juushirou turned his head, he discovered the Eighth Division Captain lounging in a corner with a drinking cup in his hand. What strange timing…

"What got into you, Ukitake? Are you trying to get sicker?" Shunsui joked around. "It certainly seems that way."

"I wanted to get some fresh air, that's all." Ukitake sighed smiling.

There were footsteps outside, and the door silently slid open. Toushirou and Rukia were there.

"How is-?" Toushirou was meaning to ask, but saw him awake. "Oh. You finally woke up?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Juushirou said, but coughed little.

"You'll be 'fine' after you get some rest, Ukitake." Unohana beckoned him softly. "You'll be bed-ridden longer than before. You know this, right?"

"Hah. You got yourself into more trouble." Shunsui taunted him.

"You're one to talk." Juushirou countered the taunt, pointing behind him.

It was his Lieutenant, Nanao, and she dumped a cup of water over his head. "..'I'll be back in five minutes? You were gone an entire hour!" She barked at him, who was now drenched.

"Sorry, Nanao-chan. Don't be mad.~" Shunsui pleaded kindly to her.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Unohana-Taichou, and I hope you get well soon, Ukitake-Taichou." Nanao said before chucking the cup at her Captain's head.

"Ow…"

"Thanks, and I hope so, too." Juushirou thanked her.

"I hope you learn from this, Ukitake." Unohana told him.

"I did, and I'm already paying for it…" He said in a lighter tone.

She stood and headed out. "I'll be back to check on you in four hours." She stated as she stood and left the room, as did Nanao, who stormed out.

Shunsui stood as well. "I guess I should go, too. We'll hang out when you get better, alright?" The fellow Captain flicked him a wave before tucking both arms in his sleeves and vacating the room, followed by Toushirou.

"Ah, Ukitake-Taichou." Rukia remembered before she, too, would leave.

"Hm?"

"I've also decided to head to the Human World." She said confidently.

"Oh?" He blinked curiously. "Heh. I asked Byakuya is he would, and he said it would 'be a waste of time'." For once, he was able to chuckle without coughing.

Rukia twitched. "O-Of course Nii-sama wouldn't want to go!" She replied looking away.

"Why do you want to go anyway? You were there a while before, right?"

She paused briefly, and she came up with a good answer. "Because… I've got a lot of friends there, too."

The honesty was plain and clear, not that she would ever lie. Juushirou was just surprised by it. "Well, have fun on your trip." He told her.

"I'll do my best." She managed to smile.

After Rukia left, he saw how empty this room was without the rest of them.

Juushirou huffed. "…What am I going to do now?"

-fin