A Curse to Kill 10

Renji swept the perspiration across his head with the back of his palm. His breathing rate had increased as his energy oozed out each and every second passed. All these years, he'd never done anything that required a lot of energy and also hundred and ten of his attention. For the sake of a friend, he'd managed to struggle this far and he knew that he barely had anymore reiatsu left in his beat-up body. Just a little more, he told himself.

"Abarai, focus." Byakuya commanded.

"Yes sir!" he replied to the man beside him.

Abarai Renji's eyes wandered to Rukia's body. She was placed dead center and people like him were sitting on the perimeter with a huge green hue light formed a canopy on her. He knew most of them. They were part of Soul Society members; his colleagues and bosses in the job.

As he completed his observation, he knew that most of them were depleted in reiatsu and energy. They had been on this treatment to extract that poison inside Kuchiki Rukia's body for four hours. The newbies in Soul Society had long fainted with exhaustion while those who were like Renji were panting. They tried not to show but Renji knew. It didn't matter how strong you were, you'll eventually drain from these two sources of energy. Even those captains were already started to show signs of tiredness.

His felt his whole body going numb as he struggled to release the reiatsu in his body. He ignored it; Rukia's health was the priority now not his battered body. She needed every bits and pieces of reiatsu that they could give her. Her health condition was fully depended on them.

He knew that it was impossible to fully extract the poison in Rukia with their reiatsu. They didn't have enough not even with the help of the sou-taichou. They still need a lot of that spiritual power.

Renji started to see stars around him. 'Damn it,' he cursed internally. His body was giving up even though his heart and brain tried to stay strong.

"Abarai-kun, you okay?"

The aforementioned man turned to his other side. Kurosaki Isshin was sitting there with his arms extended forward. He also giving out his reiatsu; a magnificent amount of it. Renji never knew that Kurosaki was one of the Soul Society strongest families. Ichigo didn't have even a speck of reiatsu in him and ever since Renji knew the Kurosaki, he never felt the presence of that spirit energy in any of the family member. Apparently, Kurosaki Isshin was really good in concealing his power.

"Y-yeah…" Renji muttered a reply. God, even that took a lot of energy.

"If you couldn't stand it, go and rest first. Then you can come back to do this again."

"No sir. I can continue this. Rukia needs our help."

"Renji, don't do this. If anything happened to you, there's nothing good that would do to Rukia."

"But sir, I-"

"Go and rest, Abarai. We'll handle it," Urahara cut him.

"Alright sir," and that instant, he stopped the reiatsu flow from his body. He got onto his feet, they wobbled, but he managed to stand up straight.

"Abarai, remember. Don't tell Ichigo about me," Isshin said just before the red haired teenager walked away.

"Yes sir."

For the past few hours, he was pacing around the waiting hall. If the floor was covered with a carpet, it would have worn out ages ago. He was worried as hell. Rukia was being treated in the room across the door; a place where he wasn't allowed to be. He wasn't a doctor nor had reiatsu to help her. He was only a useless best friend. Could he even be regard as her best friend after all he had done to her for the past two weeks?

His head shot upward when he heard the door opened. Renji emerged, looking worn out and pale.

"How is she?" the words shot out from his mouth.

Renji looked at him dazedly before he slumped on one of the chairs in the waiting area.

"Nothing's changed. We still don't have enough reiatsu for her. "

"Damnit!" Ichigo punched the wall.

Twelve hours since the moment Kuchiki Byakuya and most Soul Society captains started to give out their reiatsu, they finally stopped. Both of their energy and reiatsu were fully used. There wasn't much of a change on Rukia's condition. She was still in a coma but some colours had come back to her face. She didn't look as pale as she was before.

Kuchiki Byakuya stroked the face of his sister. After all of the efforts from almost half of the Soul Society, she was still sick. He felt useless. Their parents would be disappointed with him. He was supposed to take care of her, let her have a good life and yet, she was already in the verge of death when her age was only fifteen.

"Rukia stay strong. There are a lot of people in this world still love you, I love you dear sister. Don't give up. You already made a promise to Hisana that you would come to our wedding and be her bridesmaid, remember? Don't give up. Stay strong," he whispered. He gave her a long, loving kiss on her forehead. "Don't give up!"

Hisana came to his side and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Byakuya, come. You need to rest. I will take care of her."

"Thanks Hisana. Take care of her. If anything changes, notify me immediately!" He turned to her.

"Don't worry. I will." She took both of his hands into hers.

"Thank you," he bent down a bit and kissed her.

Hisana startled but in a fraction of a second, she responded to it. It was very rare for him to show his affection in front of people let alone in a room where all other captains of Soul Society were present.

Byakuya could see a big pink tint across her face as they broke up the kiss.

"Rest okay? I'll check on Rukia."

"Okay."

"Her breathing rate has increased and also her blood pressure. The poison is still in her body; about seventy percent. Apparently, our reiatsu isn't enough to even half of it out of her body. It's too strong. We need a stronger reiatsu," Urahara-sensei noted as the nurses transferred Rukia to her new ward.

"But if we involved the whole Soul Society, it's going to be very dangerous for them. Rukia-san wouldn't want that." Unohana-sensei replied.

"Isshin…" the white-haired man called.

"Yeah?"

"You suppressed Ichigo-kun's reiatsu right?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo has reiatsu?" the startled long haired doctor demanded.

"Yes he has and it's greater than mine, almost as great as Genryuu-ji's..."

A/N:... And yeah I updated! xD Don't forget to review! =D