Chapter 2
The sixth division captain was almost frog marched and barely made to the manor on his own two feet. When safely inside his private abode, steps slowed down and as soon as the shoji door to his residing main house closed, his strength left him abruptly. He tripped on his own feet, eyes widening as he almost fell on his face, only to have Unohana-taicho hold him steadily against herself. Embarrassment flushed his face hotly as he straightened trying to look composed. He tried to shrug off the arm that was still around his waist only to have the arm tightening. Looking from the corner of his eyes at the captain he found her face impassive but eyes looking dangerous. He looked around to see the gathered retinue; his attendant, Hayame look on with concern and Ayaka, the help, seemed scandalized. His clan healer, Kochi looked worried. He never doubted these people and knew that they were loyal and discreet with his matters. Nonetheless, this display was mortifying. He sagaciously allowed the captain to escort him to bed.
While given some time to unwind, Byakuya sat with a slight slump, breath heaving in small puffs. His attendant, Hayame, appeared a moment later to help him change and allow him a quick shower ensuite. After an early dinner of broth and medicine, it was all Byakuya could do to keep his eyes open while Hanatarou changed the bandages. He was already drifting off, dozing when surprisingly Unohana returned to give him more reiatsu infusions.
"I assumed you were looking to the recent batch of the rescued, Captain. I think they should take priority over someone mostly healed."
"Kyoraku-sotaicho was very explicit in stating that I assure you were fine as soon as possible, Kuchiki-taicho."
Pausing, Byakuya tried to make sense. Him? Just him? It would explain why the fourth division captain had taken a personal visit for a non-critical case. Even when she examined and patrolled the manor for the rescued, she hardly had to come spend the evening here.
"Is there anything specific he would like to task me with?"
"It is not my place to question him. But yes, that might be the case."
Silence descended as Unohana allowed more healing infusions into his body. Lost in his thoughts, the woman's voice was startling for its brusque curtness. Immediately, the raven haired man knew too well, that the lady had stepped back to allow the savage, blood thirsty side of her, the eyes narrowed and aura demonic. Unknowingly, the previously healing hands on Byakuya had become painful.
"Answer me, Byakuya. Why did you interfere in a fight between Kenpachis? You had no place in it. You dare to disrespect my will to die an honourable death. "
Flashback...
Byakuya had just finished fighting sternritter Nanana. Easily dispatched, he looked for the next fight. Before he could go any further, he felt a sharp decrease in Zaraki's wild reiatsu but also in Unohana-taicho's. Something was wrong. Dashing quickly, he flash stepped to the clearing where Zaraki stood over the heavily injured woman. Unohana-taicho was pinned to the wall with Zaraki's zanpaktou. Her thick, long hair were let down and covering most of her body, the blood flowed liberally through her wounds, staining everything around her. He had little idea of what led to this eventuality but knowing of its inevitability. Giving the powerful, unstable man an apprehensive glance, he was shocked to see his eyes tearing. As he stood close, he heard the brute whisper, "Please save her, Byakuya."
Without wasting a moment longer, Byakuya checked her pulse and flickers of dying reiatsu, then proceeded to infuse his own, spelling a suspension kido spell to slow her demise, gathered her in a binding spell to not jar her body and in his arms and without any preamble, took off to the royal realm with haste. The lady captain was critical and he could feel that despite his suspension, Unohana was on the brink of death. Too much bleeding and lack of will to live were making it harder for her survival. Increasing his flash steps, Byakuya moved with immense speed wondering idly if such efforts could have earned him a win against Yoruichi. A normal trek to the royal realm could have taken almost a week to reach but Byakuya was burning his way to the palace and by the end of the day he had reached the stairs. Calling for the powers of his oken, he found the path to the realm and even before the path could completely manifest itself, Byakuya had shupoed half way up. Finally arriving, at the dregs of his stamina, rushed to Kirinji, the hot spring demon, to save Unohana.
Taking in their condition, Kirinji was irate enough to kill them both himself.
"You just left, baka, what did you do ta yerself? Wanna die, boya? You of all can't go busting up yerself so soon, ya can hardly stand. And I just finished stichin' ya up better than Shutara."
Ignoring the royal guard member, Byakuya calmly said, "Sentoki Kirinji, Unohana-taicho is critically injured. I have to my knowledge tried to aide her but the hope for her life rests with you."
Huffing, Kirinji carefully took Yachiru from Byakuya's arms and promptly tossed her into the pond, 'White bone hell'. He started explaining as Byakuya slowly sat near it, charily catching his laboured breath and heedful as he listened.
"And I had asked her if she was still healing herself with what I taught. Guess not. She just wants ta die, huh."
As Kirinji took to diagnose her, he continued. "It's Minazuki. Her bankai is too starved and it's gonna eat it all, even her. Just a little blood of that beast can eat you to yer bones. I have ta clean her up. It is gonna take a bit."
Gingerly standing, Byakuya turned back to leave.
"Where do ya think, you goin', dadakko?"
A light twitch of eyebrow at being called a squirming brat, Byakuya said evenly.
"My duties await me in Seireitei. I must leave to fight with honour and pride of a captain."
"I know that, but her..."
Before he knew, he was almost pelted by rice balls shooting at him and caught them with dexterity.
"Kirio-san."
"Do care for yourself, Byakuya-san! I still can't believe you became taller than me."
Byakuya left after that. He was too old to throw a fit. He had better places to fight.
Later, when the healing had been done, Tenjiro spoke, "Ya know, Yachiru, I nevah thought you would go down like that. Pathetic and like a loser. Waste of my time after teaching you all that healing, you die on me out of idiocy and clumsiness. You wanna die? Che, I shoulda kill you mine own hands, bakayaro."
Now...
Wincing at the pain and sharp increase of her reiatsu, he finally managed to compose himself. Turning cool grey eyes on her, he said, "I was just as committed to my duty as you were to yours. You had to bring Zaraki-taicho to his full potential anyhow. I was to save and help any fellow shinigami in our fight against the quincies. Suicide, on duty, even indirectly would have not been an honour. Your skills and knowledge are priceless and the reason post war efforts have been successful. It was my duty to Gotei and Seireitei. I would not hesitate if I had to do it again.
He paused for a bit thinking if he should say it. Perhaps his exhaustion was making him bolder but he knew that for all the warriors they were, dying alone and leaving behind the grieving was too sorrowful and here needlessly so. "You would have been grieved, Unohana-san, there was someone who wanted you to live. Ethics of the battle aside, there has been too much tragedy and more to come to people like us who live and die by honour and those we leave behind."
Turning to look out the window, he added drily, "Besides, without both you and Ukitake-senpai, calligraphy club would not get its funding."
A bit taken aback, Unohana returned to her usual demeanour just as suddenly. An old memory of Byakuya in fourth division rose unbidden in her mind, the lost, helpless man who had been cursed to see his wife wither away.
"So you say, club president." She whispered.
Without another word, he was administered a sedative to keep him in bed until the next morning. Unknown to him, for the next hour, the demonic and terrifying medic expert supplied healing infusions with much gentleness.
It was midnight when it started again. Darkness pervaded his mind with deathly silence. He was lying down under the rain which fell silently over his face stinging his eyes. Ghouls and ghosts floated in the edge of his vision, their laughter terrifying and hollow. He tried to get up but his body would not respond. He was trapped within himself, only able to stare pathetically through the haze of rain. It always happened this way, Rukia, his beautiful sister, his beloved's part, would look at him in horror, cursing him. Bloody tears ran down her face and she would vomit blood. So much blood until she would start expelling her insides, her flesh, organs all exposed and corroded under the rain which had turned acidic, eating at him, his body, leaking into his now blind right eye, his limbs torn apart one by one. His fingers, hair, limbs and guts all violently wrenched apart. He lay in pieces, his lone eye roving over the bloodshed around him, his parents looking in disappointment, his grandfather in disgust, Hisana in despise and Renji, his lieutenant and friend, not any better than him looking, accusing. He begged their forgiveness and cried in pain and shame but their shadows grew taller, overwhelming him. Worst of all, Senbonzakura, the masked face deriding, leaving him behind, leaving a crippled soul behind in ways that was worse than his body rend asunder. He thought he had lost everything until; a shadow loomed over him sinisterly. Barely making sense over the howling of the ghosts that surrounded him, he saw that stitched mouth hover over his face, eyes wild; As Nodt. The black hair spilled over him like tar, scorching him. He knew there was nothing to fear but deep within, he couldn't help the terror. It had happened too many times and yet he could never stop it. The needle like fingers grazed his face, over his torso and plunge deep in his chest. Before he could cry out, he would be violated most gruesomely, his desecrated body barely able to take the assaults, the sinister face turning even darker disappearing in a gritty mist until all that shone were red eyes. The inhuman noises whispering in his ears, like sharing a private secret. Mine.
Byakuya lay in his bed, turning restlessly and head tossing in throes of delirium. Black hair wet from sweat stuck to his temple, face and the nape of his neck. Broken gasps escaped his dry lips; low whimpers sounding piteously from the proud noble. It should have woken him up but the sedative worked too well, pulling him steadily under its influence as he tried to escape its clutches. The war was won but as the nightmares brought his primal fears to the surface, perhaps the horrors had only truly begun.
Hanatarou was making his rounds around the manor, enjoying the moon in the night sky. Most of his patients were asleep and he had to go around checking if their condition remained out of danger. A few captains and officers were lodged here to be treated. Hitsugaya-taicho and Zaraki-taicho were kept in the outer wings for the ruckus their division created for the rest of the patients.
As he reached the main house, he could feel the distressed energy of their host. It was subtle and most would not understand the abrupt bursts of reiatsu but dealing with captain class patients, most especially Kuchiki-taicho, he knew instantly he had to interfere. They were not inherently dangerous but with so many civilians housed here, it was best he be cautious. Even weak, the captain was a massive storehouse of reiatsu and even slight loss of control on his capped energy could easily fry the most vulnerable people. Slowly approaching and radiating peaceful energy, he passed the private security. Kochi, who was amazingly talented, joined him.
"Kochi-san, is Kuchiki-san okay? I don't know much about his sleeping habits but he seemed anxious."
"Hai. Byakuya-sama is physically fine. I was just leaving to his room to assuage his distress. He has been staying over at the division barracks but his nightmares have been consistent. I presume he was sedated? He would usually wake up from a night terror plaguing him. He is ill at rest."
"Yes. Unohana-taicho wanted him to sleep well." Hanatarou looked guilty even if he hadn't done anything. As much as the captain preferred to stay silent about it, his medical file listed night terrors as cause of unrest and advised a proper medical evaluation. It was mandatory for all captains post war but the strain on fourth was immense at present so little time had been devoted to the exercise. Still, he could help so he would do anything he could.
Kochi and Hanatarou entered along with Hayame and took in the strained captain. At Kochi's request, Hayame stayed behind while they moved to contain the stray reiatsu. Their presence but seemed to be taken as hostile and even in sleep, instantly repelled by a powerful wave. Kochi and Hanatarou felt nauseous and Hayame collapsed. This was contained within the room by Kochi's efforts but another more powerful wave could knock both of them out, much less the patients. Hanatarou pulled his bag and took out a green liquid bottle. "This is Shinten, Kochi-san. We use it as anaesthetic in the fourth and I believe it would pull Kuchiki-taicho into deeper, dreamless sleep."
Kochi agreed at once. He knew of Shinten having taken a medical course and Byakuya-sama was unintentionally and unknowingly harming others. He was deeply concerned for the clan leader. He had never seen him like this. Not even after Hisana-sama.
After administering the drug with some trouble, as Byakuya lashed out again deeming them as threats, they were able to calm the captain back to unperturbed sleep. Hanatarou looked sad and realised that even one of the most powerful captains could have their own silent pain and despair. Kuchiki-taicho always dealt with him as a member of Gotei, never demeaning him unlike others. The captain protected Rukia to the best of his abilities and at his own expense. Anyone who helped others and protected them were strong and competent in his eyes unlike some others who despite all the powers, didn't really deserve them. He would help Kuchiki-taicho as best as he could. Some things don't need to be said after all. They all understood fear, pain and death. But dealing with them, helping others through them, Hanatarou was a master of it himself. Kuchiki-taicho wasn't much different than him he realized. They both suffered in silence and while he wouldn't pretend to understand someone of his past, stature and responsibilities, he knew that heart in the end was a fragile thing.
Hanatarou became emotional and a tear escaped his eye. While Kochi tended to his master, the third seat left to find solace in the bright night.
