A/N: Wow, never expected another batch of reviews to come
in. But I am very happy. Reviews really are like food. Now
warning, this chapter may seem a bit short with all the dialogue, but
when I wrote over the Ch. 13, I realized I needed to break it a
little earlier. Have fun!
Cioro: you are a truly scary
beast. If only Cheru had some of your blood, she might have broken a
nose here or there! Never fear, people do change. Jenovajuice:
glad you like it. Gryphondown: It makes me generally happy
that you are generally happy, truly. I hope you enjoy the rest of it.
TeZukAb0ch0u: Complication's gooood.
"Hey Ukitake!"
Shunsui waved to his old friend as he came up the walkway. Ukitake smiled and waved back.
"Captain, I must insist that you return to your desk. There are twenty reports you must fill out, now!" said Ise Nanao, chasing after her Captain.
"Never a break eh?" asked Shunsui, winking at Ukitake.
"Please Captain Ukitake, explain to Captain Kyouraku that he must submit the Division reports by midnight tonight--"
The two Captains looked at Nanao, waiting for the hook.
"Yes?" Ukitake asked.
"I-I'll be forced to hurt him most grievously!" she spluttered.
Shunsui's eyebrows bounced at that remark and he stuck his face very close to his Vice-Captain's.
"How does my Nanao-chan see through my every move?" he asked her in the most sappily sweet voice he could muster.
"I am not your Nanao-chan," she said stiffly, resisting the urge to thwack him within the esteemed presence of Captain Ukitake.
"Look Ukitake, she can't resist my charms!"
"Shunsui..." said Ukitake, amused.
"Captain Ukitake," said Nanao, pleading almost as her Captain's lips inched closer to her cheek.
He looked upon her kindly.
"I'll return him to you very soon, sober," he promised and straightened his friend up.
"Thank you," said Nanao, fixing her glasses.
The two walked in the other direction as Nanao left. Shunsui was holding on his own now, and pouted slightly at the memory of being returned "sober".
"That's not at all what I had in mind," he said to Ukitake.
"Oh I know," said Ukitake reassuringly.
"We're walking," said Shunsui a moment later, sounding completely confused.
"I was serious about the sober part"
There was a silent dammit in the air.
"Well?" asked Shunsui.
"What?"
"You obviously want to talk about something important if you're that adamant about me not getting drunk"
Ukitake chuckled, was he always that easy to read?
"It's your hot date, right?" asked Shunsui, "Aww, Jyuu's finally got himself a woman!"
"It's really not that. In any case, I seriously think she's not in the condition for romantic endeavors"
"Who is she, exactly?"
"Cheru Tsuikyuu"
"She is beautiful," said Shunsui agreeing, "But it's more a cold kind of beauty, kind of like Byakuya eh? Cold enough to freeze someone with a single look"
"It's a problem," said Ukitake simply, heaving a small sigh.
Problems came in various packages, as Ukitake found. Cheru had been her own isolated problem that he had offered to help. He felt they were making progress, and suddenly he caught himself one afternoon saying "they". How exactly was he moving along with her? He had seen her as damaged, been proved right, there was nothing else to pursue. Soon, as with all people, she would be on her way to healing. So why did he keep imagining himself involved in the process? He knew at that point that he had a problem, a large one. He was pitying, all-out, and if this were to lead to some flawed sort of relationship, he would never be able to forgive himself.
"You like her," said Shunsui.
"I don't know," said Ukitake.
"That's okay"
If he were to hurt her all over again for his selfish desires... But Captain Ukitake was never selfish, he was the golden boy of the Gotei 13. And Cheru would be alone again. This time, there would be no second chances.
"No, it's not"
"Ukitake, look at me," said Shunsui forcefully.
Ukitake averted his eyes to look at his old friend. He was so much more serious that he thought it possible. Did he really look that pensive, that worried to him to show such outward concern?
"You are the most honorable man I know. I also know, that if you find that you don't actually like her, you won't lead her on. But if you do, suddenly you'll see all sorts of things in her you've never seen before. Love is a funny thing, you know"
"Thank you, Shunsui," said Ukitake, though not feeling calmed in the least.
Shunsui patted him on the back.
"Now you wish we were drunk, right?"
-+-
Ukitake had sent Shunsui back to work a few hours later, unable to cope with the continued pleas for sake. He would have opened several jugs and started downing them all with his friend had he not made the promise to Nanao. He was sorely regretting it now.
Coughing, he closed the screen door of his quarters and sat down to meditate.
Yet despite his most pointed efforts, he could not settle down and breathe deeply. All that kept cropping up in his mind was Cheru. Ever since he had arranged their meeting together, he began to feel more and more restless. He hardly ever felt at peace anymore when he thought of her. She was the reason he became more introverted as days passed as he tried to puzzle out this new mystery. And underneath it all, he knew what this was a precursor to, but was so deeply worried that he could not bring himself to acknowledge it.
Still waters, he preached to himself, trying to calm down.
He coughed again, harder this time. He ignored it, concentrating harder on pushing all irrelevant items from his mind. A few second later, he coughed again. He opened his eyes because he felt something trickling from his nose. His hand showed it was blood, and he looked up to see red sprayed across the mat.
Blood, he thought numbly.
Ukitake sent for Kiyone.
-+-
The invitations for tea had stopped, so she took to inviting herself over. It was justified as a measure to keep herself pulled together. Both of them spoke sparingly even though they each had an abundance of things to say. Cheru, Hinamori. Ukitake, himself. Tea and things unspoken were the only things keeping them in these meetings. Even Cheru felt the anxiety in the atmosphere, a desperate attempt on both their parts to seem composed. She mused. So falseness had penetrated even here.
"Anything?" she asked, trying to break the ice.
He looked up, surprised, pleasantly, as always.
"Just a dip in health. Nothing serious though. Unohana cleared me quite quickly"
He smiled at her.
She didn't say anything.
"And Hinamori?" he asked, trying to return the favor.
"Managed," said Cheru.
"Ah"
"More tea?" he asked, offering.
Their meeting ended without much else, and Cheru returned to her Division headquarters feeling a little more together than she had before.
"Hinamori Momo?" said Cheru, once in her office.
She was standing at the window, and turned to face Cheru.
"Aizen's usually much neater than this, you know," she said.
"Did you fill out the forms on my desk?" asked Cheru.
Hinamori's face darkened.
"Aizen's handwriting's very neat too. He used to curve his letters--"
"They're due in an hour"
Cheru sat at her desk and rearranged some of the papers, noticing that nothing had been moved around. So she had been standing at the window the entire time... Cheru signed a couple forms and placed them in the out-box, and looked at Hinamori. The girl just stood there, looking at her. It was infuriating really.
"Aizen-," she started again.
"Aizen's not here," said Cheru quickly and quietly, cutting her off.
Hinamori stared for a moment, then started to make small crying noises.
"Do your job," said Cheru, averting her gaze.
The following days with Hinamori reinstated went on in a similar manner. Cheru didn't like dealing with her, nonetheless, more work got done. Of course it took sessions of her verbally whipping the "Aizen" out of the girl, more crying, and a sullen face at the desk. It was a depressing process, and Cheru took as much time away from the office as she could. She found herself staying more and more often in Ukitake's presence. It was soothing.
