2. He'll never forget the relief in his eyes.
The Shinigami dressed in the usual black kimono stumbled, and Shi rushes forward, catching him.
In the open area, a breeze blew and a few pieces of the paperwork Isane-sama spent effort on were swept toward the water.
Setting the Shinigami down on the wooden floorboard, apologising gently before phasing out onto the water, catching the loose sheets and clapping them to the top of the stack.
Returning to the side of the Shinigami, apologising again, asking if he's all right, setting down the pile of paperwork to support the male as he stands, one arm on his back, the other holding a hand.
"Thank you, you are..?"
"4th Division's Shi, Shinigami-sama."
A pair of Shinigami bustle down the corridor, sliding doors opening hurriedly, "Ukitake-taicho has disappeared again! Quick, mobilise everyone, we need to find him!"
The man in front of him calls out calmly, "Kiyone, Sentaro, I'm here, don't worry everyone needlessly…"
Shi looks curiously, noting the lack of the haori Yamada-sama assured him would identify a Shinigami Captain.
Kind brown eyes that look over his shoulder and the man's subordinates rush over, "Ukitake-taicho!"
He steps away once the two Shinigami, one male, one female take over his former position, moving to get his stack of paperwork.
Bowing formally, "I was sent by 4th Division's Isane-fukutaicho-sama. May I know where I should put the paperwork regarding the members who are currently warded?"
The lady smiles, "My sister? You can put it in the office room back in the main building," she gestures at the larger compound behind him for good measure and then adds, "Make sure you put it on the table on the right! That's my table!"
The man juts in, "Oi! Don't hog all the work! While Taicho is resting, we're supposed to split the work! Please split the stack into two, 4th Division Member-san."
They yell back and forth, and Shi looks to the Captain for guidance.
He only steps away from the arguing pair with an air of fondness and waves Shi over.
Shi phases out for a moment, not that it appeared even a lightning strike would be able to halt the ongoing war of words.
The door slides shut, and natural light filters through the open window on the other end.
"I apologise on behalf of my Third Seats. The female is Kotetsu Kiyone, the younger sibling of your fukutaicho. The male is Kotsubaki Sentaro. They're just a little enthusiastic, I hope you excuse their rudeness, please place the paperwork on my desk."
Shi does so, though he remarks that, "It is heartening to see such devotion in division members, taicho-sama."
The captain watches him, before asking him, "Shi-san, you are not a Shinigami?"
He bows, "No, I am not, however, Unohana-taicho-sama has taken me in for the time being until I find my way."
"A lost spirit then?"
"If that is what I can be called, taicho-sama."
The man smiles, head cocking aside, "Please convey to Unohana-taicho that I am well today and that I was the one to receive you."
Shi bows again, and turns to leave, before he asks, "Are you ill, taicho-sama?"
He backtracks, "I apologise if that was phrased rudely, taicho-sama," though the white-haired captain shakes his head to wave off his fears.
"I am not offended, Shi-san. But I am ill with an incurable disease so Unohana-taicho usually sends Shinigami to check up on me throughout the day. I assumed you were another of the two she has sent so far."
The lost spirit frowns, before further asking, "May I check you over then, taicho-sama? I am sure Isane-fukutaicho-sama would report to Unohana-taicho-sama accordingly…"
Taking a seat in his padded chair, his white haori hung over the backrest, silently giving consent by turning the chair to the side.
Shi extends his hands out, and they solidify to glow green.
"I have to warn you beforehand that Unohana-taicho has tried numerous methods without success. Either way, I have survived hundreds of years with it, I will do so for many more hundreds."
"You have a malignant and parasitic body in place of your lungs, taicho-sama."
Because he knows not how to phrase his words otherwise, they come off judgemental and foolish, though the captain denies none of it.
"They were a sacrifice to live, now I cannot live without that which you have described."
"Will you not kill and replace it, taicho-sama?"
A smile plays on his lips, "Unohana-taicho must be waiting for you, Shi-san. There's no use throwing away your life in a procedure that may not work."
Frowning, but bowing anyway, "If a human can survive with one lung, then you could consider doing half first, taicho-sama."
The captain hums, that he will consider it, that neither of them are human, and that, "Ukitake is fine, Shi-san. You are not a Shinigami, you are not one my men, and so I will not order you about."
"Unohana-taicho-sama will be displeased, Ukitake-taicho-sama."
"Jushiro then. Jushiro-taicho-sama."
"Your Third Seats might kill me for the presumed disrespect, Jushiro-taicho-sama."
Isane-fukutaicho was dismissed early, and Unohana-taicho receives his report, "He did not cough a single time in your presence, Shi-kun?"
"Yes, Unohana-taicho-sama."
She weaves her fingers together, "And you believe the mass of reiryoku in Ukitake-taicho's lungs is malignant?"
"It is liquidising his body's attempts to regrow its lungs."
The ghost with his hands behind his back is quite serious, and Unohana takes his observations at face value.
"That would explain why he coughs blood occasionally."
"He coughs blood?"
He looks almost surprised, and his captain nods.
"Then the mass is not eating him for sustenance, but to destroy him so it has a place to stay."
Shi remains quiet as Unohana begins to document their exchange.
"I am now curious Shi-kun, as to why you feel a reiatsu different from Ukitake-taicho's, let alone come to the conclusion that it is malignant when in the thousand years where I have treated him, I have only ever felt a pair of lungs that are sick beyond repair."
While his taicho levels an even look at him, her gaze feels almost accusing and he can only do what he has always.
Shakes his head, replying "I do not know, Unohana-sama."
Because Shi is different from most of the spirits around.
He is not a Shinigami, he does not have a Zanpakutou, he is essentially powerless yet he… heals and uses his reiryoku effortlessly, without apparent limit.
Unohana dismisses him.
Shi is but a child still, not knowing what goes on behind the scenes so much that he could die with a moment's notice.
She watches him walk out of her office, conflicted and his reiatsu – in a rare moment where she can feel it, shifting as if he were biting his lip.
Bringing her attention back to the paperwork at hand, the last few sheets for the day, finally, she thinks, it's almost seven.
"Tomorrow… I should try and send him to more divisions. And I think I shall go and visit Ugendo Quarters. If Ukitake has indeed been as well as Shi describes, then he should be in the main office rather than the restarea."
"Ahem. The reason for this meeting is as follows. Whether or not to allow Lost Spirits found within Seireitei to remain within it."
It's a thinly veiled topic, and Unohana can feel Ukitake's concerned gaze upon her as the Captain-Commander finishes his opening statement.
Aizen speaks up, pushing his black spectacles up with a harmless air.
It irks the blood-thirsty aspect within her, that someone like him can hide behind such a polite façade.
"My apologies, Soutaicho, however, I was not aware that Lost Spirits were a common enough occurrence that we should be concerned. Has a new one appeared? Should we not guide it along instead?"
Kurotsuchi rolls his eyes in his usual exaggerated fashion, "Lost souls are exactly what their name are! Lost! You cannot help people who lost because they know not where they wish to go! They are in general harmless, as long as you're sure they're actually a lost spirit. I will not complain if one is given to me to ascertain that it is a lost spirit, but otherwise, lost spirits are the roaming sort, they will go wherever they wish."
She gracefully inclines her head at him, and he hmpfs in response, crossing his arms.
Ukitake speaks up then, "I have had contact with the lost spirit, he has helped me in fact. I would be in favour of allowing him to stay."
And she knows, Ukitake's stance carries weight – the rest of the captains murmur among themselves.
Sui Feng offers her input, "If the spirit is no threat, then there is no reason to intervene. I favour watching the spirit for a longer period of time. I will set a member of the Onmitsukido for a trial period of half a year. Will a Patrol Corps member suffice?"
"Please do not disturb our patients," is her unspoken way of accepting it.
Unohana watches the Captain-Commander for some indication of his internal decision. His eyebrow twitches when Kyoraku offers the idea of keeping the spirit if it's pretty.
She can't help the laugh that slips out.
It's a cute idea, and really, she should have seen it coming from Kyoraku because people never seem to change and that boy was a womaniser even the first time she set her eyes on him.
"I am sure you will find Shi-kun pleasing enough to the eyes, Kyoraku-taicho, though I am afraid he may not think so highly of you should you do so."
The male who tips his hat down, fingers going to the edge of his floral kimono, "Aih Unohana-taicho, you hurt my feelings so. But as to that, I must first see him, no?"
There's a hidden implication behind all their words and in this case, Kyoraku is stating clearly that he reserves judgement till he has seen their Lost Spirit.
But then again, Seireitei has not been so on guard for many years.
She wonders why the Soutaicho is so concerned about a single Lost Spirit who has committed no crime.
"This spirit has no combat capabilities?"
"He is a healer working with my division, Kuchiki-taicho."
With a curt nod, and Unohana knows that he will not push against.
Komamura and Tousen have always been among the last to say things, in this case, without their commander's input, they say nothing.
Ichimaru keeps his neutral grin on his face – he doesn't care very much, but the slight widening of his lips tells her the same as Kyoraku implies with his banter.
The council nearly turns, though the focus shifts clearly to Kenpachi.
Usually, he would have by now, made an outburst of some sort.
Something along the lines of, "If he can't fight I don't care," would have been expected.
Instead, he states, "A month should be long enough right? I want to fight him."
She's stunned – the bubbling inside her writhes and wonders what can he see in Shi-kun that I have not seen that I do not desire to fight Shi-kun?
The Captain Commander bangs his staff on the floor.
"If he is a healer then he is in no position to fight. If he can fight he becomes a threat. Kenpachi-taicho, why do you want to fight him?"
He smirks.
"Because you never know if they can fight until you push them to their edge. I want to fight someone who says they cannot."
So she smiles pleasantly, "Shi-kun has never said he cannot fight. It is an assumption I have made seeing his skill set – he is not the type that you can land a hand on, Kenpachi-taicho."
An implication – you will leave him alone because I am protecting him.
The 11th Division Captain scoffs, and the Captain Commander dismisses them all.
"In three months, we will regather to decide if the Lost Spirit will be allowed to remain."
She catches Ukitake on their way out.
"Ukitake-taicho, I would like to try something new, if you are free today?"
He sends off a hell butterfly to his Third Seats, following the lady healer to her division.
He can't explain it entirely, Mimihagi-sama took his lungs and so that is the reiryoku that Shi-san can feel, whilst he's never understood why Unohana-taicho ever saw lungs in the space.
"Mimihagi-sama?"
Unohana explains as he breaks into another coughing fit.
There's no blood – "That's good, then you haven't grown more tissue yet. If we can move quickly enough we can remove the chakra and boost your own lung tissue growth."
"But if it's a Fallen God we are fighting against…"
Ukitake shakes his head, "It is his reiryoku, however, the bargain was for him to take away my lungs, so this is not a breach of the agreement."
Shi-san's reiatsu traces the black marks inching across his back, noting "The foreign one is killing you, Ukitake-taicho-sama."
They put him to anaesthetised sleep, but it's not quite a deep as he would have thought.
Mild pain, then the ache in his chest.
Ghost coughs wracking his body, then a soothing flood of calm reiatsu, he feels a weight lifted out of his chest.
His heart beating, pulsating close to something so clean and right, he sighs in the sleep.
He's sealed back up and slowly regains consciousness.
Drawing a deep breath, feeling oddly off-kilter, as if one half of him were heavier than the other, trying to sit up.
Rather than his Third Seats, Shunsui or even Unohana, it's the lost spirit fast asleep in the chair by his bedside.
He coughed gently, and Shi-san's eyes snapped open.
Brown eyes met dark brown again, and Ukitake smiles.
"I feel all right, Shi-san."
The healer moves, pillow to support his back, offering him water and calling for Unohana, but he catches a sleeve in his fingers, with a strength he didn't think he could regain.
Unohana-taicho rushes into the room with her full entourage and the ghost is swept away before he can say anything more.
"Why Mimihagi-sama didn't cure Ukitake, why Unohana never appeared to know about Mimihagi-sama, and, just how lax was Soul Society that Aizen was never detected till he attempted a flashy killing?"
So again, prompt me! Question the Bleach canon! Anything! Random things I can write about!
(2nd November 2017)