I know, I know...I needed a lot of time for this chapter, but-

Well, there isn´t a real explenation for this. I was just lazy... ;D

And alert on all, who aren´t up to date with the recent bleach chapters. HUGE SPOILER ALARM!

You will hate me, if you aren´t alreade at the Quincy Arc.

(what?! Quincy´s? Blime me! I thought they were dead!)

VOCABULARY TIME YAY!

(insert name) desu - I am (insert name)

Yunbantaicho - 4th Division Captain

Ichibantaicho - 1rst Division Captain

...I dunno?! Is there more?

Either way. Enjoy the next chapter^^


In the end I decided to go. Although everything seemed against it, the thought of curing tuberculosis made me excited. I was once a specialist on it, during my residency in Tokio. Ten minutes of examine and speaking with the patient I was 93 percent sure, if it was tuberculosis or not. The antibiotics did the rest. The thrill of curing an illness stayed until I opened my own surgery. (A cold wasn´t and will never be 'exciting')

The few personal things I had, fitted into a simple cloth.

I gave my first yukata to girl next street. She grew out of her own and it wouldn´t have been profitable if I sold it. So my luggage consisted of a simple comb, a face cloth , a scissor and my night gown. When I was alive, my whole flat was full with odds-and-ends I collected within the years. And I never had the guts to throw it away.

On the other side, the herbs, the reddish and the dried cabbage were together with the honey in a wooden box. I never thought vegetables could be so heavy. Of course I charged everything on the steadily growing bill. That was the first thing I decided, after agreeing: My employment would be very expencive. It was the minimum they could do and I also thought, that they weren´t so poor either. And I wanted to pay haha's wedding. A festival for the whole street. It would be colourful and exciting. Children could eat sweets and play games of a normal shrine festival.

I sighed and followed the Shinigami through the streets. Aori sat on the barrow chatting happily with Yamada, who walked next to her. She was infatuated by the Shinigami and questioned him about nearly everything. I stopped listening after he told her how some guys from another division chased his team into the canalisation. What primitive apes. I sincerly hoped there would be more Shinigami like Yamada.

We needed three days, until we reached the gates of Seiritei. And apartently I twisted my ankle in the second or third district, but was too proud to admit it. So when when we reached the Yunbantai buildings I turned to Yamada and asked for a room, where Kaori and I could rest. He accepted with a lot formalities my proposal and guided us to a room.

„Rest for a while in here. I will inform Unohana-taicho about your arrival."

„Arigatou gozaimasu, Yamada-san. Send your taicho our regards."

„Hai..." The shoji door slipped shut. And while I preferred to sit down and examine my foot, Kaori prefered to stared at the door.

„You shouldn't get too attached to that boy. I don't know how long we will stay here..."

„I-I'm not getting attached...", she stuttered and moved to the otherside of the room. „He is just..."

I chuckled. „If you say so." My whole left foot was swollen and blue. Great. Sitting formal now would be impossible. I took a small can out of my cloth and smeared the penetrant stinking cream on my foot. „When we get to the patient, I want you to observe the way I´m going to examine him carefully. And of course his physical shape from the outside. It may be your only chance to see such an advanced tuberculosis condition."

„Hai, sensei!"

„And when I tell him, that I am not able to help him anymore. It is always a touchy topic."

For awhile, we just sat in that room and said nothing. I decided to lay down and close my eyes for a moment. Exercising, running around or any other athletics were´nt my thing and never will be.

To say I was exhausted, was underestimated. I would rather sleep a couple of hours, than meet that Unohana-taicho.

„Kaori-kun, when you hear footsteps, wake me up...", I murmured.

Her „Hai-sensei"was only a blur in my mind

Unfortunetly I had only some minutes, until I heard the footsteps myself. Hastily I massaged my eyelids and checked my hair. Only a slim strand had losen itself from my neat bun. While I had my surgery, when I was alive, I wore it in a ponytail, but due to the sanitary circumstances in my district, my daily bath was changed into every-third-day-bath.

Shitsureishimasu!", halted Yamada-san´s voice through the door, before it opened. „I hope you had a pleasant rest. - Unohana-taicho is ready to welcome you."

We followed him through the bright corridors of the division building. It was neat, clean and bright. It reminded me of this small clinic in my hometown. I helped out in my summer holidays, because our local doctor was slowly approaching the seventy´s and needed from time to time a help. A freshman of the medicine department at University helped him a lot. And got me good references for my CV.

Three minutes later, we reached a big shoji door. Timid Yamada stood infront of it and humpled his deep apologies for being rude and announced my and Kaori´s company.

The first person I spotted was a women in her forty´s. Her long and silky hair was braided in front of her. She wore that shihakusho and a white haori over it.

Next to her stood a man, slightly younger than her. Unshaved for almost four or five days. But what the most disturbing about him was the pink haori with cherry blossom petals embroiled on it. On top of his head, rested a strawhead for travelers. This man gave me the creeps. I don´t know why, but he didn´t seem like the type of person I normally would associate with. Beside him stood a man with long and white hair (odd, very odd) with the same uniform as the women.

„Kombawan, watashi no namae wa Sato Shiori desu." I bowed. „And the girl behind me is my appreciance."

„ Kombawan, Kaori desu.", replied Kaori and bowed, still behind me.

„Kombawan, Shiori-san." My left eyebrow twitched as the women spoke to me. I studied and learned twelve years for the suffix '-sensei'. Although she had a very pleasant voice. „And ofcourse Kaori-chan." It twitched again. She was a girl, yes. But not for long. „I am the Yunbantaicho, Unohana Retsu." Unohana bowed.

„Ichibantaicho, Kyoraku Shunsui. Hajimemashta." The haori man tipped with his fingertips at his strawhat and nodded. „This is my friend, Ukitake Juushiro, Jusanbantaicho."

„Hajimemashta.", welcomed me Ukitake and bowed.

„Hanataro-kun, arigatou. You can go now.", declared Unohana.

„Hai." The door slid shut.

„I welcome you to Seiritei, Sato-san!", chirped Kyoraku and winked me and Kaori nearer. With just a glance, I ordered Kaori to stay put and aproached the Shinigami.

„Arigatou, Kyoraku-dono, Unohana-dono, Ukitake-dono." I bowed again. Maybe I misheard it, but Kyoraku may have chuckled. „I apreciate your welcome, but my time is limited. There are patients waiting for me to return, so if you could please bring me to your patient?!"

Suddenly I felt rather cold and I had the slight feeling these cold vibes came from Unohana. She was now the one, who gave me the creeps.

„That won´t be necessary. He´s already here." He pointed at Ukitake. „Ukitake-taicho is the patient." I blinked confused. It completely slipped my mind, that the patient was a taicho. Mustering I looked at him. Before Kyoraku´s statement, he had seemed rather dignified, but now he almost blushed like a schoolboy. Apart from that, he looked pale and slimmed-down.

„I don´t understand...When Ukitake-dono is your patient...then why for kami´s sake is he out of bed?" I said it louder than I wanted to.

„He wanted to attend this meeting personally.", declared Unohana with a stern glance. I noted to myself, to agate as passive as possible from now on.

„Gomen-nasai. I never intended to be rude." I bowed.

„Yare, yare, Unohana-senpai.", interrupted Kyoraku and tipped at his hat. „She was just slipping in her doctor habits. - Sato-san, how about you have a look at our Ukitake-taicho?!"

„Now? Here?" Unsure I let my eyes wander around the room. „Are you-"

„I think Kyoraku-taicho has been clear enough." Unohana was really scary.

Hastily I opened the knot if my cloth and took it from my shoulders.

„Then I ask you to undress, Ukitake-dono. You have to take off at least your kosode and shitagi. - Can I wash my hands somewhere?" Unohana pointed at a bowl filled with water on a small table next to her. After I had cleaned my hands from all the travel dirt, I grapped my stethoscope out of the cloth. „Kaori-kun, please assist Ukitake-dono." With graceful steps, she went over to Ukitake and took the kosode from him and folded it.

The picture I got, was not really pleasant. An underweight, pale and pitched body stood infront of me. I could easily spot his ribs and collarbone. The strange thing were his muscles. Apart from being slimed-down, he had muscles like an athlete. What did they do tto him? Force him on a treadmill everyday?

Kaori hugged the clothes tightly. It was the first time for her to see such a condition.

„Allright..." I stepped to Ukitake and layed my stethoscope on his chest.

Heart beat normal. „Allright, would you please cough..."

That didn´t sound very good. „Again please." I could see out of the corner of my eye, how Kaori trembled.

I tapped his chest. „Do you feel any pain?"

„I don´t."

„And here?" I moved over to his sides.

„Slightly. But it is nothing to speak of...", he admitted

I sighed. „No, it is not. Everything, every single symptom can lead to the right diagnosis." Carefully I put pressure on his lymph nodes at his neck. „Does this hurt?"

„Yes."

„Please raise your arms..." Now the lymph nodes at the axilla. „And here?"

„Yes."

„That´s good. So your immune system is still fighting." I nodded. „Allright. You can cover yourself." I washed my hands again, still under the watch of Unohana and put my stethoscope back into my cloth. Kaori handed Ukitake – slightly trembling – his own clothes.

„What about, we sit down. I don´t think it is a good idea to stress Ukitake-dono, more than necessary."

The three taicho seemed to agree and a little later, everyone was seated on the tatami floor, looking rather sceptically at me. But before they could ask me the famous phrase „Oh, sensei, how bad is it?" I preferred to continue my examination. The physical part might be done, still the informative talk with the patient had to follow.

„Ukitake-dono, under what symptoms do you suffer?" I blinked at Kaori, so she would start with her notes. I might be a doctor, but my mind could easily slip something (especially, when someone as creepy as Unohana was watching me).

„I feel exhausted most of the day." He paused. „And sometimes, even if I am, I can´t sleep very well."

„Does this insomnia come in intervals or spontaneous?"

„Mostly spontanous. One night, I sleep like a stone and the other is very restless..." I could hear how the coal in Kaori´s hand scrupped over the paper in her hands. This silence gave me goosebumps. Hopefully not too bold I eyed Ukitake. He appeared to me quite shy and considerate. Not my favourite patient, if you asked me. They are always the ones, who don´t want to trouble their family and friends with their needs and often underestimate their condition.

I sighed inwardly. Knowing he wouldn´t tell me anything precicely, I switched from sensible to bold. I had enough of this. They order me here to say, if I can save him or not and the patient isn´t cooperative. What a world.

„Allright. Too fasten this...process, I will ask you a question and you will answer with 'yes' or 'no'." I didn´t even wait for their approval. „Did or do you experience any kind of night sweats?"

„Well, that´s very-"

„Just answer with 'yes' or 'no', Ukitake-dono..." I already could feel the hands of Unohana gripping my neck tighter.

Slightly intimidated, he hemmed. „Yes, I do."

„Any coughing?"

„Yes..."

„Does it feel like your lungs are pierced with hundreds of needles at the same time and are thrown up your throat?"

„...Yes." From the corner of my eye I could see Kyoraku looking at him pitily. I think they were friends.

„Do or did you cough up green and/or yellow salivary juice?"

Ukitake swallowed. „Yes."

„Ever coughed up blood?"

„Yes."

„Recently?"

„...Yes."

I turned to Kaori, making out that she made her notes neatly. „You can stop writing now, Kaori. - The last question, Ukitake-dono. For how long do you have noticed that kind of symptoms?"

„Since I´ve been a young man."

I nodded, while I started biting my lip. There is no chance of curing. Right?! All the symptoms for more than one decade, in a horrible state, without antibiotics and modern technology curing seems impossible. Seems. He survived all those years...somehow. But who said, that he would withstand the next years?

„Sato-sensei..." Kaori´s whispering brought me back. Appartently not in the most elegant way: I nearly jumped some centimeters to the left.

„So, Sato-san. What do you say?" Kyoraku smiled faintly at me. His face could also have stamp on it with 'Hoping Bestie'.

„Honestly?! - I can´t do anything for you, Ukitake-dono." Kyoraku´s face got suddenly stiff, while Ukitake didn´t look so surprised. He might have expected that answer. Although, he didn´t look very content either. „You have tuberculosis. Lung tuberculosis to be exact, on top of that, you reached a critical stadium, where I can´t be of any help."

I heard Kaori shifting uncomfortable beside me.

„I understand. So there is no hope?" Surprised I turned to Ukitake. His unsure mimic had changed to a stern and serious expression.

„...I will put it like that: The chance that I am able to cure you lays under ten percent. The chance, that you live long enough, so that I will have the chance to cure the tuberculosis lays under five. And I mean it. The therapy I thought I could use, was only tested once. And those patients all died."

Silence.

„I see. You need some time to consider-"

„No, there isn´t.", responded Ukitake firmly. „I will do it."


phew...that was long...'Till next time...