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The Flickering Flame Part 1
Death of a Cyborg by Power Glove
The next morning, Rukia crept towards consciousness with the creeping sunlight. It worked its way through the dispersing unladen clouds which had brought rain to Seireitei the night before. As her mind and her eyes reacquired their synchronicity, the sight of a beautiful resting face came into focus. Despite its beauty Rukia was started as all fuck, not expecting to wake up beside someone, and consequently jumped clear out of the bed and onto her feet with such suddenness and violence that Isane was shaken from her slumber.
Confused and alert but still gathering her bearings, Rukia wondered how it came to be that she ended up in bed with Isane, not that she was in any way bothered by the arrangement.
"Isane." She called softly.
"Whaaat?" Isane groaned out in the manner of a half awake person who really doesn't want to be woken.
"How did I get here?"
"What? Where?" Isane said with eyes squinted and a hand held up to block the sunlight.
"In bed with you."
"I carried you you looked so uncomfortable come back to sleep." She said in one continuous and hurried run on sentence as she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face into the pillow.
Finding Isane exceptionally cute in this state of groggy befuddlement, Rukia actually considered jumping back in bed for a moment but ultimately decided not to.
"I can't. I have things to do." She said recalling that she still needed to buy new sleeveless shikahushos and knowing that even if she did get back in bed Isane's presence would make it impossible to go back to sleep.
"Okayyy." Isane said seemingly settling back into sleep. But then she sat up with great urgency and blurted out "Wait what time is it!?"
"Oh my god!" Rukia said with an amused laugh. "It's twelve past ten." She answered after glancing at the clock.
"Oh good. I'm not late."
"You have work?"
"Yeah, 12 to 8." Isane answered. "I guess I have to get up now." She said as if that was the most disappointing fact of existence.
"No need to hurry yourself. I'll make us scrambled eggs, toast, and tea alright?" Rukia offered.
"Ok. Arigatou Rukia." Isane said with an appreciative smile.
"Rest then, I'll call you when it's ready." Rukia said then left the room, freshened up, and with teeth brushed, bladder empty, and her hands and face washed set to work preparing their breakfast.
As she cooked, she realized that thus far she had made no attempt at seducing Isane. She figured that the simple fact that she was free to pursue Isane combined with the fact that they were reunited had given her such elation and satisfaction that all thought of seductive strategy left her mind.
In this moment she was happy, and indeed grateful that things had progressed the way they had. But she felt a hunger reigniting within, a hunger that would have been both fed and exacerbated had she gotten back in bed with Isane. She reminded herself however that Isane did not like her back and that the rejection of by captain was likely still fresh on her mind so she decided it be best not to be too forceful. Rukia was partially wrong in her concern however for what strength Isane lacked in battle, she made up for in emotional resilience. She was thus almost completely over Unohana's rejection. However their brief union and her Captain's status as her first crush would be two things she'd never forget, memories shed forever look back upon with fondness.
Deciding it best to simply spend time with the object of her affections, and recalling Isane's request to include her in one of her hunts, Rukia decided to do just that and invite her out to the human world on a nighttime hunt. She proposed this idea over breakfast and to her satisfaction Isane excitedly agreed.
With breakfast consumed, Isane left Rukia's abode and swiftly returned home to shower and prepare for work, while Rukia set out to the shops.
. . .
Later that afternoon Rangiku again found herself by Unohana's side except now instead of being lavished with comfort she was down on her knees laboring in the dirt. The night before, Unohana invited her to help garden Sunday afternoon and she accepted, thinking it might be fun and interesting. Initially it was, Rangiku totally enjoyed picking the vegetables and pruning the flowers. It was light work and left them with a basket filled entirely with asparagus as well as some bok choy, kale, and a couple onions. She was absolutely delighted to find out that the asparagus they had eaten the night before had been grown by Unohana's own hands. Something about that fact made the dish all the more special.
But now that the hard work had begun she was beginning to regret her decision. They were working at a patch of earth in which Unohana wished to plant some flowers. But before they could plant them, they needed to dig out the roots of the previous asparagus crop as well as pull the occasional not so dank and rather intrusive weed. Rangiku stabbed at the earth with impatience with her trowel, sweat dripping off her forehead despite comfortable ambient temperatures.
Unohana on the other hand moved in a calm yet swift manner and though she was also sweating wore a peaceful neutral expression.
She was distracted, for she was inwardly a bit unsettled by a dream she had the night before.
In it, she found herself coming to in a place of complete darkness, floating and unable to breathe yet not drowning. She flailed about in panic before realizing where she was. Calming herself, she closed her eyes and with her mind instructed Minazuki to spit her out.
Minazuki's stomach spasmed and contracted, shaking Unohana about from within as if within an earthquake, then suddenly and with a great heave she was spit out onto the ground. She fumblingly scrambled to her knees, blinded now by the bright and sudden abundance of the light, then coughed up Minazuki's stomach fluid, emptying her lungs of the healing acid. Then she took in a difficult gasping breath. It hurt, the penetration of air into her lungs. And then she coughed again and more fluid came out. She could see now, dirt, rocks, and the viscous clear fluid that had just come out of her and indeed she was coated in. She was starting to gain her sense of smell too, but then she vomited without warning, emptying her stomach of Minazuki's acid as well as some coagulated chunks of her own blood.
"I must have been stabbed in the gut." She thought to herself as she coughed yet again and then spit.
She then rose to her feet to look around.
She found herself near a slow and peaceful stream, and suddenly noticed that she was naked. Looking down at her arms and inspecting her body for injuries she found none except for one. The one scar Minazuki was instructed to never heal should she ever need to be ingested. The one scar she let remain on her body.
The giant manta that was Minazuki's shikai moaned a moan that shook the trees.
Unohana turned round and thanked it for saving her from what was obviously a near death experience then picked up her sword and called the spirit back into it. She looked around one last time to make sure she was safe, then walked toward the stream to bathe herself and wash the healing acid and mucus from her skin.
She waded in, cool water feeling sharp against her bare feet. Then she looked down and froze. For in the water she saw reflected back to her a vision of her body that did not reflect reality. Every wound she ever suffered in her entire life was visible, marked by a scar. Some dark, some keloided, some bright pink due to the thinness of the scarred skin. Her eyes were haloed in dark circles and wrinkles. Her hair was thin and grey. This image of her body, battered, sagging, and scarred, startled her so. It was an image of a body worn down by time and the violence of a difficult life and upon seeing it Unohana woke up with a start.
Despite knowing that it was only a dream she immediately got up, turned on the lights, stripped naked, and looked at herself. Inspecting her body in the mirror to confirm that it looked the way she thought it did. She spread her arms outward in the manner of the Vitruvian Man and made her visual assessment, then began a tactile inspection of her skin. She touched her face, her torso, her hair. She grabbed her boobs and squeezed them then let them go. She looked in the mirror one more time as if to ask "who are you?" and then put her nightgown back on and got back into bed.
But she couldn't fall asleep and became disappointed that such a wonderful night would be ruined by such a dream and that she would be deprived of her slumber. Deciding to not just lay there, she elected to read until sunrise. She did so, then headed out for her morning shift inadequately rested.
Now, hours later, her gardening with Rangiku brought her some relief, but her mind kept at its wavering thoughts. She looked to the ground, at the roots amongst the dirt and saw branching nerves in flesh. She touched one with her fingers, feeling its sinewy and taut structure. Then with sudden surge of aggression that faded as fast as it came, she severed it with a stab of her trowel, then just stared at it. A root split in two in the dirt.
"Are you ok?" Rangiku asked, finding Unohana's behavior a bit strange.
"Oh, yes." She said snapping back to the present and giving Rangiku a soft reassuring smile. "I didn't sleep well last night." She explained.
"Oh. Wait then why are you laboring so hard at this garden?" Rangiku asked.
"Because it needs to get done. Winter is coming and snowdrops should be planted in the early fall. In any case you're here to help me so I might as well do it now."
Rangiku laughed, satisfied in the confirmation of her suspicion that Unohana's invitation was partially self-servient.
"Isane doesn't help you garden?"
"No. She hates it, she enjoys flower arrangement, but lacks the patience to grow the flowers." Unohana responded.
"I see." Rangiku said with a chuckle. "Do not worry though, I'll remain here until the job is finished."
Unohana smiled appreciatively then dug her naked fingers into the dirt and pulled out another root and tossed it to the side.
"I still can't believe you garden without gloves." Rangiku commented looking at Unohana's dirt caked hands.
Unohana laughed. "Gardening doesn't feel as special if you can't feel the earth. Only with gloveless hand can you feel that the earth is truly alive. Try it, take your gloves off and you will understand."
"But the bugs." Rangiku complained.
"Do you seriously think that an insect can do anything to harm you Rangiku?" Unohana asked.
"Nooo." Rangiku admitted.
They looked at each other for a moment, each waiting for the other to move. Then Rangiku capitulated, said "fiiine", and removed a glove.
She jammed her hand into the ground and then froze. It was strange. It felt nasty yet nice. She could feel the temperature, cooler than the ambient air, and felt the heat of her hand radiating into the ground as if it was slowly sucking life energy from her and feeding from it. She felt the texture of the soil, dry and loose below, wet and grainy at the surface. And finally she felt the roots. They were like arms in the earth, sprawled about in their search for nutrients. Seeking life and striving for self-preservation. She wrapped her fingers about a root and pulled it from the ground, sealing its fate just as Unohana did moments be fore. She looked at the limp root in her hand and then at Unohana. She understood now.
Unohana smiled and said "See."
"Yes." She said then removed her other glove and with both hands resumed her inspections.
Unohana watched as Rangiku dug into the earth with her fingertips, slow, deliberate, and with great focus, Rangiku's trowel laying forgotten by her side.
The manner with which she did so was sensuous in Unohana's eyes as well as beautiful.
"She is a sensuous woman after all." She thought to herself then touched the earth in a similar manner herself.
"I understand now." Rangiku said. "We're not that different form this."
"We aren't." Unohana said. "And in time, we will all return to this."
They were silent for a moment, then Unohana archived that thought and returned to the present.
"I'm a bit tired. Do you wish to take a break and drink some water?"
"Sure." Rangiku agreed.
They got up and assisted each other in washing their hands with the hose.
Rangiku was in better spirits now and feeling inspired, enjoying this time she was spending with Unohana. The woman was talented, beautiful, sweet, knowledgeable, and as Rangiku had discovered, a pleasure to be around.
She followed Unohana into her house now watching her long black hair blow sideways in the wind and thought to herself that she should really let it out more. The braid, though not unattractive in appearance was so formal it was as if it was a barrier behind which Unohana hid what Rangiku thought to be her true beautiful and elegant self.
She wanted to tell her this; that she should leave her hair out more, but did not know how she could justify such a recommendation without sounding weird, or causing offense. So she just decided to keep this thought to herself.
They washed their hands with soap now in the bathroom then made their way to the kitchen.
Unohana opened the refrigerator and reached in to pull out the water, but a couple limes caught her eyes and she proposed to make limeaid instead. Rangiku agreed that it would be more refreshing and offered to help in its preparation.
Unohana set to work cutting limes and sent Rangiku back out to pick some mint. Rangiku returned with the sweet smelling leaves and rinsed them in the sink.
Unohana slid the cutting board toward Rangiku so that she could chop the leaves, then continued stirring in the sugar.
Sugar dissolved she added Rangiku's chopped mint leaves, then set out two glasses. She removed an ice tray from the freezer and popped some cubes in each cup then poured the beverage.
"There we go." She said sliding a glass toward Rangiku and picking up hers.
"Not quite yet." Rangiku responded before garnishing each glass with one sprig of unchopped mint.
Unohana laughed in a way that just made Rangiku feel happy inside then they clinked glasses and drank.
"So good." Rangiku said. "The perfect drink."
"Mhm." Unohana said leaning back on the counter.
She wiped her forehead with her forearm, in the process unsettling the fabric of her robes and exposing her scar. Rangiku noticed it and became concerned.
"My god." Rangiku said.
"What?" Unohana said not knowing what Rangiku was talking about.
"Your chest." Rangiku said slowly reaching out with a strange desire to touch it. Unohana caught Rangiku's hand, stopping her, and held it. She did not do this with anger, or aggression but with sufficient force that it startled Rangiku causing her to immediately withdraw her hand.
"I'm sorry." She said. "I shouldn't have. For some reason I wanted to touch it."
"It's fine." Unohana said. "I didn't mean to grab you so forcefully." Unohana said with genuine embarrassment.
"No no, it was justified." Rangiku said.
"It wasn't. Not toward you." Unohana said in a flustered manner. It had been a while since she'd reacted to an unexpected touch like that, with such a defensive twitch reaction and it alarmed her. And so overcompensating she said "Here." grabbing Rangiku's hand suddenly and placing it atop the wound holding it there.
"Touch."
At first, tense and confused, Rangiku began to relax when Unohana spoke. "In your eyes I see no malintent. Your touch is thus a touch of compassion and not intrusion, so touch." she said.
"I, ok." Rangiku said relaxing completely and turning her gaze toward her hand, resting upon Unohana's chest and recalling the image of her hand upon the earth.
"Does it hurt?" she asked pouring soothing energy into Unohana's chest.
"No. It's a very old scar. I see you know healing kido?" Unohana responded.
"I've dabbled a bit after meeting Orihime, but overall I'm not good at it. Anyway I take it you don't wish for this scar to be healed, for if you did you would have gotten rid of it yourself."
"This is true. This scar holds meaning for me." Unohana said mysteriously.
"Then I'm sorry." Rangiku said.
"For what?"
"I'm sorry that you had to go through whatever trauma left you with this."
Unohana smiled and said "Thank you Rangiku, you truly are sweet."
Rangiku withdrew her hand and looked at the scar then back into Unohana's eyes.
"I wish you never had to see that." Unohana said readjusting her fabrics, obscuring her scar from the world once more.
"Why?"
"Because the way you look at me has thus changed. Before you looked at me with eyes of friendship and curiosity but now I see a touch of doubt and distrust. Like you are wondering if I truly am who you think I am."
"No, I'm just confused and a bit…" Rangiku tried to say but Unohana raised her hand to silence her.
"There is much more to me than you currently know, and someday I may tell you the story of how I received this scar. When I tell you that story, your perception of me will likely change again. It saddens me that that day will come and I wished you could look upon me with the eyes of friendship like you used to."
"Nothing's changed Retsu." Rangiku said. "Your words have only confused me somewhat and deepened the mysterious air you maintain. I know that you weren't always a healer and that you had some sort of 'past'. And though I do wonder sometimes, I know I shouldn't yearn to learn your secrets if I can plainly see the sweetness in your soul. I can clearly see now what Isane saw in you and I don't think that anything you could tell me could change the way I view you. We all have things in our past that we regret, and a life devoid of some sort of trauma or tragedy is a life incomplete. In any case, if and when the day comes that you tell me this story, I will be there to listen without judgement."
"Fuck." Unohana thought inwardly despite wearing a false comforted smile.
"Fuck." She thought, for in Rangiku's eyes she saw that same look of admiration and attraction Isane looked at her with. She realized that Rangiku might be beginning to fall for her. And though she wished she could do something to stop this, she knew that short of some fierce act of dramatic betrayal she could do nothing to stop it if it was even happening in the first place, that or she'd have to tell her who she really was.
But she couldn't do anything to deliberately hurt Rangiku, she wouldn't. She liked Rangiku. Her companionship was different from Isane's who was never even around anymore to begin with. Rangiku was fun and playful, and yet she had a level of maturity that made her relatable. In this moment she knew that if Rangiku was in fact falling for her, time would only make her fall deeper.
"I guess," she thought, "if I see that she truly is falling for me, I will just have to tell her."
For now however, all she said was "Thank you Rangiku, you truly are a good friend and I am happy the paths of our lives have intersected."
"Me too Retsu, me too." Rangiku said.
Unohana smiled warmly despite internal stress and said "So, shall we return to the garden."
"Lets." Rangiku responded cheerily, hiding her worry and hoping that her words allayed Unohana's concern.
And so they returned to the garden, both pretending that their hearts were calm, and they worked efficiently and in unison until the flowers were planted and the sun began to go down.
. . .
8 o'clock came and Isane was done. She clocked out, put on her hat, gloves and scarf and set off for home. She was tired and hungry for she didn't eat lunch and her shift was long and demanding. A bit annoyed that she would have such a long shift on a Sunday she was grateful that it was finally over and that she could eat something and relax now. Probably turn in early too.
Soon she arrived at home. She unlocked her door and stepped into the dark apartment and turned on the lights. On the floor she saw a note.
"What's this?" she asked stooping down to pick up the completely unmarked piece of paper.
She unfolded it and read its contents.
Hey Isane, It's Rangiku,
First of all, damn can your captain cook, like I told her, I haven't eaten like this in forever. You'll see how good it was, she left you some in your fridge. Second, and this is the reason I am writing you this note, she misses you. She didn't say that but I can tell that is the case. I understand why you two would become distant, but idk, try to talk to her if you can. It isn't my intention to meddle in your business by the way, I just don't like seeing you or Retsu sad.
Anyway, let's drink again soon. We won't overdo it this time.
Your friend,
Rangiku
And below her name instead of a signature Rangiku had placed a kiss in red lipstick.
Isane laughed figuring that Rangiku and Unohana must be getting close, not even her contemporaries called her Retsu, and she decided to speak to her captain tonight if she could.
But first she went to the fridge to see what Unohana left her. She opened the door and a hell butterfly dismounted from the covered plate and flew toward her. She allowed it to land on a finger and received its message, uncovering the plate with the other. Her stomach stirred with anticipation when she saw the food it contained but after hearing her Captain's message she felt a longing for her and decided that it be best she speak to her immediately.
So she went over and softly knocked on the door hoping that she wouldn't disturb her at this hour. The lights were on, so Unohana was probably up, but it was completely silent. Maybe she fell asleep reading Isane thought. Then she heard the sound of Unohana's soft footsteps approaching the door, becoming louder as she came closer. This would be the first time she'd see her captain in a casual scenario for a while, so she was a bit nervous. But when the door opened to reveal her captain standing there with her gorgeous eyes and warm smile, she felt relief and calm.
"Good evening Isane. How are you?"
"Good evening Taicho." Isane said with a small bow. "I'm doing fine. How are you this evening?"
"Tired but otherwise good."
"Me too."
"Work was difficult?"
"A bit, but it's fine."
"That's my lieutenant." Unohana said.
Isane blushed, never dealing with compliments well.
"Sooo, I came to say thank you for leaving me a plate of food and just to say hi." Isane said slightly timidly.
Unohana smiled, her lieutenant was so cute. "Did you like it?" she asked.
"What?"
"The food."
"Oh. I haven't eaten it yet, I just got back from my shift."
"Then go eat. Aren't you hungry?" Unohana asked.
"I am, I just wanted to talk to you first."
"Oh, well thank you for the consideration."
"Umm, taicho, I wanted to ask you, could I go to the human world with Rukia next Saturday night, she invited me on something of a patrol."
"A patrol?" Unohana said thinking on it, and finding it strange that Isane would go out of her way to involve herself in violence. "I don't see why not. Be careful though, take care of yourself and take care of Rukia. I wouldn't want either of you to get hurt."
"Thank you Taicho. I'll will."
"Good. How is Rukia by the way?"
"She good, I pierced her ears last night."
"How do they look?" Unohana asked.
"Pretty. They suit her, but her hair falls all over the place and covers her ears."
"I see you two are getting closer." Unohana commented.
Isane blushed "Yeah, she's cool."
"Just cool?"
"Yeah." Isane said blushing harder.
"Ok." Unohana said in a way that drove the point she was trying to make home.
"Anyway, Rangiku helped me garden today and we picked an excessive quantity of asparagus, you can have some if you want."
"Sure." Isane said. "Why did you pick so much asparagus?"
"I wanted to clear an area to plant flowers in and frankly I've eaten enough asparagus lately. Come in, let me get you some."
Isane followed Unohana in, then noticed a new magnificently sweet scent that wafted off of Unohana and into her nostrils. She had to comment on it.
"You smell really good Taicho, what is that?"
"A new bath soak I bought. It has lavender, seaweed, juniper berry, rosemary, and some other herbs in it. It soothes the muscles and smells really nice I think. Would you like some? I think you'd like it."
"Ok. Sure." Isane said.
"It can certainly be improved, sometime soon I'll figure out the proportions they used and tweak them a bit. Perhaps I'll add some ingredients too to make it better. If it comes out good I'll give you some of that too."
"Thank you Taicho." Isane said. "I'm exhausted and I didn't sleep enough last night, so this will be awesome."
"Rukia keeping you up late?"
"No we just, waaait, Taichouuu it's not like that!" Isane said embarrassed at Unohana's suggestion.
Unohana laughed as she handed her the asparagus then said "I'll be right back with the soak."
She disappeared into the bathroom and then re-emerged with a packet containing thick salt granules and multicolored herbs.
"There you are." She said.
"Thank you Captain." Isane said still blushing at Unohana's previous suggestion that she and Rukia would be up late doing things.
"Go, eat now. And rest, you look tired. And don't be so embarrassed, I'm only teasing you."
"I know." Isane said with a slightly blushed smile. "Goodnight Taicho, and thank you for everything."
"Goodnight Isane."
And Isane left to eat and bathe. This brief conversation had significantly brightened up Unohana's evening. Before Isane's visit she was dug into a pit of self-loathing, mad at herself for twice in a row allowing herself to be flirty with people she didn't really want to be with, or at least couldn't let herself be with, and thus putting herself in a position where she would later have to reject them. It obviously was fun, this orbiting dance of courtship, but she had no interest in what could result from it later. Or so she told herself. She found herself to be increasingly reckless and absent mindedly destructive as of late, but this talk with Isane, this evidence that her lieutenant was doing just fine, reassured her. Things were straight with Isane, she just had to straighten things with Rangiku and try not to fuck it up further. Then all would be ok.
Isane's evening was brightened up too, her captain wasn't mad at her, and things seemed normal again, albeit a bit more casual and informal than before. She thought of Rukia now and wondered if they really would be good for each other as Rukia and Unohana both clearly thought.
"Do I even like her?" she asked herself as her food warmed up in the microwave.
"Is it just a physical thing?"
"Am I into girls in general or is it just these two? Oh shit I just included Rukia. Damn." She thought to herself, investigating internally.
Her thoughts were derailed however when Unohana's food touched her lips.
"Fuck this is good." She said as she ate the pasta and took a bite of the slightly soggy reheated bruschetta that to her was delicious regardless.
"Any why did she give me so much?" she thought as she looked at the massive quantity on her plate.
Deciding that it was an excessive quantity of food she separated half for later, and ate the other half. When she finished she filled the bath and rested in the soak Unohana gave her. So soothing it was that she almost fell asleep there in the water. But in time the heat dissipated and she was forced to get out of the tub. And so with hunger satisfied and body soothed she climbed into bed and soon fell asleep, not knowing whether she liked Rukia or not, but certainly hoping that the weekend with her would come soon.
. . .