Ukitake was floating somewhere in an inky black abyss of no sensation, his mind bobbing weakly in between consciousness and unconsciousness, ready to dip in either direction. A tingling was building in his hands and feet, working its way up his arms and legs. An itch buried itself deep in his lungs, pressing at his sternum and throat, and he knew that all too soon he was going to slip back out of the dark and into the light.
When he did Unohana was waiting for him with a glass of cold water in one hand and two blue pills in the other. She smiled and offered it to him, but he was too weak to lift him arms. Unohana understood and held his head up, tipping the glass against his lips and feeding him the pills one at a time. The water was cool and sweet; refreshing his throat and stopping the itchy cough before it could form. The pills were tasteless and went down easilythey were slow acting, meant to last for a long time, to keep his suffering at a minimum.
"Bless you Unohana-san. You always know just what I need." She smiled again and reached into a basin at her side. It was filled with water just as cold as what she had given Ukitake to drink, but this was not for consumption. She pulled a cloth out of it, wrung it out, and placed it lovingly on Ukitakes forehead.
"I am your doctor Ukitake-san, and I would be disgraced as a medicinal practitioner if I lacked the knowledge of how to care for my patients." Ukitake sighed quietly with shameless relief; hed come down with a fever not but three days ago and his whole body had been racked with pain. On top of his already very serious condition it had done him no good at all, but Unohana had as seamlessly as ever carried him through it, easing his pain and calming his fears.
"Yes, I know, but you do it so well." She laughed softly and gave him a kind pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Ukitake-san." She stood in a way that conveyed hesitancy, and she glanced at him nervously. Ukitake wouldnt have noticed if Unohanas face wasnt so distracting.
"Is something the matter, Unohana-san?" She frowned, her young face creasing, but then she smiled again, all the miniature folds vanishing.
"No, nothings the matter, Ukitake-san. Just get your rest, alright? I'll send Isane in later with your next dosage." She left hastily, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Ukitake watched her go with a strange feeling of loneliness before closing his eyes again and drifting back into the dark, unfeeling abyss.
~*~
The next day he awoke feeling almost three times as worse as he had the morning previously. His throat felt like it had been massaged with sandpaper and every breath was burning agony. His entire frame was trembling and all Ukitake could do was keep breathing and endure the pain. He briefly remembered Isane coming in late last night to give him his pain medication, but everything else was a haze.
Something scraped beside his bed and he saw Hanatarou was there, writing crazily, his back to him. He tried his hardest to sit up but his body refused to obey him. He growled in frustration, and sweat broke out on his brow. Hana must have heard him because he turned around then, jumping in his customary surprise.
"Oh, Ukitake-taichou! Im sorry to wake you, but Unohana-taichou asked me to do my work in here so I could keep an eye on you." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I just got a little carried away."
That the understatement of the century.
A pile of yet to be completed papers paled in comparison to the mountain of finished ones, each completed roughly in a messy chicken-scratch. Ukitake covered his mouth and coughed weakly, his eyes tearing up, but he couldnt look away from the papers. How much work can a seventh seat possibly have? His coughing intensified and he tasted blood in his mouth.
"Yamada-san, would you please go and fetch Unohana-san?" he managed, willing his voice to last. Hanatarou recognized his tone of need and dashed from the room, returning again minutes later with a very worried Retsu.
"Ukitake-san," she gasped, rushing to his side. One look at his flushed face confirmed her fear. "Your medication is counter-acting!" She turned to Hanatarou, her serene expression replaced by one of total concentration. "Hanatarou, bring me my medical bag and the first-aid kit from my desk, now!" The small shinigami whipped around and dashed out again. Unohana tugged down the blankets and ripped Ukitakes shirt open, showing her his pale and too-thin torso. His chest hitched with forced breath that grated at the tender tissue in his raw throat.
Unohana ran a hand over the sweat drenched skin, and Ukitake bit back a moan. Of all the times, he thought despairingly, clenching his eyes shut in an effort to control his rebellious body. "Unohana," he coughed, and blood sprayed like a mist form between his lips. She gasped again and started pouring reiatsu into him. The pain dampened immediately, but he kept coughing, and his chin was stained red.
"Dammit," she swore softly. "Where is...?"
Hanatarou rushed in, tripping up in his shihakusho. "Unohana-taichou, your bag!" He thrust it into her hands and Ukitake was being injected with something before another word could be spoken. The prick of the needle made him gasp and the trickling sensation of the chemical in his veins made him groan; it was like being injected by liquid ice. His whole body went deliciously numb before the cold turned to warmth and relaxed him, his coughs ceasing and his lungs retiring to a slow, easy pace of breath.
The last thing he saw before blacking out again was Unohana leaning over him, her deep azure eyes surveying him like a mother fearfully guarding her child.
~*~
"I had no idea that the medicine would have that effect," Unohana sighed blankly from behind her desk. She'd been so distracted that working was out of the question and her own little hill was forming, waiting to be attended to. Isane, who had stayed with her the entire day, peered at her over the reports she was filing.
"No one could have known; it was an experimental drug, taichou."
"That's what makes it even worse," she moaned, covering her face with her hands, supporting herself with her elbows. "My ignorance is what caused this. I should have just kept up with the prescription and treatments, not recklessly expose him to something I'd never used before!" There was a tortured emotion to her voice and she slumped against the chair.
Isane put her folders down and gave Retsu an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder. "You were doing what you thought was the right path, taichou. You gave him that medicine because you believed it would take away his pain sooner." She offered a smile. "I know Ukitake-taichou will understand."
Unohana smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, I hope so."
~*~
Unohana put Ukitake back on his regular schedule of medication and within two days he was up and working again. He'd departed the infirmary with an air of impatience; he probably hated being trapped inside, confined to a bed being fed all sorts of medicinal whatnot. It was a joy for him to be out in the open air again; the breeze was just the right speed and temperature and it played with his ivory hair as he strolled back to his division.
When he arrived he had already anticipated the enthusiastic reaction from his squad. Naturally they insisted in throwing a celebration in honor of his return, but he didn't want to hear a word of it. It had only been a little flu that was it. Celebrating his recovery from that implied something darker; something like his own squad might have been expecting his death. And from such a trivial thing as this, he bit in his mind. I'm ill, but not THAT ill. The very idea of passing on from something as simple as that sent an unpleasant tremor up his spine. He was well aware that his condition made him vulnerable, but to be so heavily affected by something so...so menial.
His squad decided to celebrate anyway, and he retreated to his office to have some time to get things ready for when he returned to work tomorrow. Again he'd had expectations about what he'd find, but Unohana sitting on his desk wasnt one of them.
She must have been lost in her thoughts because she didn't turn around until the door shut with a muffled bang. When she turned he saw that she wasn't wearing her hair braided in front, and it trailed the entire length of her back.
"Ah, there you are Ukitake-san. Forgive me, I wasn't able to escort you as I intended, there was business that needed attending to." He frowned; the way she'd said business made it sound like something intensely unpleasant. She shifted on the desk so that she was sitting with her legs hanging over the side, her arms behind her holding her up. She was facing him completely now, and her face was heavy with unspoken guilt.
"Unohana-san, what is it?" He took a step forward. "Retsu?" Her eyes grew wide at the use of her first name and tiny smile graced her full lips.
"I wanted to apologize," she said, her voice as quiet and unassuming as her smile. "It was my carelessness that led to your reaction, and I'm deeply ashamed of myself for letting it happen." Ukitake blinked in confusion before realizing what she was talking about, remembering the unusual drop in his condition.
"Oh, that was because...?" She nodded, face red with shame. He felt himself getting upset, but then it dawned on him that it was Unohana Retsu that he was talking to any feeling of anger was obliterated. He went to her and put his hands on her shoulders reassuringly. "Think nothing of it." He flashed Retsu his own signature smile and she returned it gladly.
"I'm happy you feel that way taichou, because I wanted to make it up to you. There is a healing technique that has been passed down in the medical field for hundreds of years, and I think that it would be perfect to alleviate some of your burden." The last word came out like a purr that made heat surge to Ukitake's face.
"Unohana-san?"
"Please, call me Retsu." She took his hand in her own; it was softer than silk and warm like an embrace. Her eyes met his, and to him they conveyed a clear message that needed no saying.
Let me take away the pain, Jushiro.
She led him back to her division, taking him to her private quarters. Unohana's bedroom was exactly how Ukitake had always secretly imagined it to be. It was spacious and meticulously neat and accented with soft pastel of pink and green. She had left him alone and he inspected her chamber as politely as he could without opening anything. Her dresser tops yielded minimal perfumes or make-up; most of what he saw were hair decorations and intricately formed brushes. Retsu must take her hair very seriously, he thought with a grin. He was observing a collection of glass animals resting on a shelf when he heard the door open again. He was about to tell her that he admired the size of her collection, but the moment he turned to say so his eyes were greeted with a sight fit for the Gods.
Unohana was standing in the doorway, her frame outlined by the light coming from the bathroom behind her. Her hair had been entirely freed from its bonds, allowing it to flow down her over her thins shoulders and down her back. She had removed her shihakusho and now wore only a thin, loose yukata of clean white. It wrapped itself around her middle showing a shapely figure normally hidden by her baggy uniform. Ukitake felt himself start to flush and he had to grip the bureau for support.
"Unohana-san?"
"I told you to call me Retsu."
She tread slowly into the room, her hair swaying with every step. She stopped just in front of him, smiling up into his face. It was a calm and loving smile; the kind she gave a sick injured man about to receive treatment. One of her hand was holding the front of the yukata together, and Ukitake couldnt help but notice that she was very well endowed. Retsu leaned closer, pressing her soft shape against his.
"Come, Jushiro. Let me heal you." She took his hand again and led him to the bed. He sat on the edge and she began to remove his clothes, explaining as she went along. "This is a technique of the body, utilizing reitsu and chi to ease aches and bring energy and health. I have used it many times to aide in the recovery of various patients, thought this will be the first time Ive ever used it for such a severe case." Her fingers traced his face affectionately. "Please let me know if I am making you uncomfortable at all."
He barely managed a whisper of compliance as she slipped his robes off his shoulders to reveal smooth, flawless skin. Ukitake shivered and hissed as she traced the patterns ingrained in his very being and didn't fight at all as she pushed him carefully on to his back, stripping him even further.
It was a shock to be so suddenly and prolifically naked but the air was warm and Unohana was sweet; her mouth, when it covered his, tasted of honey. She breasts were warm and sweet too, and they were a pleasing weight on him as she lay across his chest, massaging his neck and shoulders with strong but beautiful hands. The ache, the pain; it all began to melt away.
"What a wonderful technique," he sighed as she rubbed away the knot in his left shoulder that plagued him almost constantly. "I feel better already." Unohana chuckled prettily, her eyes making thin crescent shapes, and Ukitake tilted his head to one side. "What's so funny?"
"I mean no insult by correcting you, but this is not the treatment. I just wanted to prepare you."
"Preparing me?"
"Yes. This technique may strain you just slightly."
Then one of those strong and lovely hands moved between them and grasped him gently. Ukitake choked back a moan, throwing his head back. "This is the method, Jushiro." Her free hand left his shoulder, straying briefly to his face to push some of his hair behind his ear. Then the hand started to peel off Unohanas own robes, then thin fabric sliding away with almost invisible effort. It pooled around her hips, folding in on it to allow Ukitake's eyes access to the shrine that was Unohana's body.
Her skin was creamy peach everywhere except for her nipples, which contrasted as a budding pink. When she leaned forward again he felt them press against his chest and it sent heat surging to his loins. Unohana noticed and smiled in a pleased way before raising herself up above him, positioning herself. Ukitake realized what she was doing before she did it, but that didn't stop him from crying out.
"Retsu! What a-are you doing?" His face was hot with blood, but that wasn't the only place. Unohana's shy grin never moved, and she started an easy, slow rhythm of pulling herself up and sliding back down, each time eliciting a crushed moan or sigh.
"I am simply administering the treatment," she said, her voice unbelievably calm and steady despite her current actions. "Can you feel it working yet?"
Actually, he could; reitsu was flooding into him from Unohana through their connection; a connection that could be achieved no other way. The energy spread itself inside him, reaching out to touch every fiber of him, inside and out. He was shaking and his lungs had grown tight with the urge to hack and cough, but the vitality rushing around inside him made all of that seem completely insignificant.
He moved so that he could help Unohana move but she held his hands down by the wrists, albeit gently. "The patient does not interfere when the doctor is working," she whispered, sounding honestly amused and a little out of breath. "Just relax, alright? This is my responsibility." She changed the angle of her movement and Ukitake was rendered motionless save for his violent shudders. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and it took all of his self-restraint not to want to flip her over and finally make his failing body good for something.
His sickness had impaired more than his work life; unable to control himself or his health, Ukitake had suffered a regression of love interests and stimuli over the years. No one wanted to make love to a man who coughed up his own blood while in the midst of pleasuring his lover.
He closed his eyes and let himself get taken away by the overflowing ecstasy of their functional consummation, his breath hitching and rattling, his limbs shaking, and his heart beating crazily in his chest.
~*~
"I am sorry about the sheets, Retsu."
"Think nothing of it." He ignored that he had repeated his reply form earlier.
Her robe was back on and she was toweling at the place where he had spat blood all over the white bed sheet. She'd expected as much to happen and wasn't really bothered; it was just a sheet. Ukitake had also donned his clothes again and he sat once more on the edge of the mattress. He kept wiping his mouth, even though he knew there wasn't any more blood there.
She stripped the bed after that and the soiled sheet vanished into a chute in the bathroom, likely to one of the many laundering rooms. Upon returning she promptly checked Ukitake's blood pressure and listened to his breathing and heart-rate.
"I believe it will have some positive effects," she said simply before going to her dresser to fix her hair. It didn't look mussed at all, but perhaps she had a thing about her hair. For some reason Ukitake sat back and watched, entranced, as she drew the brush through the dark strands repeatedly. The brush never once caught, but she just continued to pull it through, over and over. It was soothing to view, and Ukitake found himself in the strange position of envying a hairbrush.
"Retsu."
"Yes, Jushiro?"
"That technique; you said you've used it on others. Who?"
Her ministrations paused. "Why does it matter?"
"It doesn't, but...I just wanted to know."
She stopped the brush mid-stroke. She didn't turn but he saw her face reflected in the mirror. He saw an expression of anxiety and disbelief. She put the brush down and stood, joining him on the bed. She put her hand over his, holding it. "What I shared with you was more than a simple jutsu, Jushiro. It was also the culmination of my personal feelings for you. Every other time was simply another medical procedure. Understand?" Then, without warning, she took his face in her hand and planted a kiss on his partially-open mouth.
~*~
"Hey, Jushiro-kun!" Ukitake halted his fast pace, glancing behind him. It was Kyouraku, gliding along with his absurd haori billowing behind him. He tipped his hat in greeting when he got to Jushiro.
"Hey there, fella! Where are you running off to in such a hurry?" Ukitake laughed, smiling awkwardly.
"Well, my doctor gets upset whenever I'm late for one of my treatments. She likes it when I'm punctual."
Inside Unohana's bedroom she was brushing her hair again, humming quietly. When Ukitake permitted himself entry she observed him with subtle joy.
"You're late for your check-up."