Jushiro & Shunsui

The first time Jushiro had a coughing fit in Shunsui's presence was terrifying for both of them. It was a perfectly ordinary day during their training at the Academy; they were walking together with Kimi and Chi trotting a meter ahead. Chi was constantly teasing her companion, 'clumsily' bumping into the smaller animal and shoving at her playfully. Kimi took it all in stride, giving as good as she got.

Without any warning, Ukitake coughed…and hacked…and couldn't stop …until he was wheezing, breathless, and rapidly turning blue in the face. Blood dripped from his mouth as he tried to force it out of his lungs and he crumpled to his knees from the strain. Kimi choked and fell at his side, losing her grip on reality as Jushiro collapsed completely into unconsciousness.

Ukitake felt the familiar fear that this attack might be the last; this blood would suffocate him, the death that always lingered on the edge of his perception was closing in… But on top of that (and he was unfortunately used to being an invalid by now), he was frightened his new friend would be disgusted by his weakness and leave him. In this new organization with so few recruits, he was convinced that alienating the one person he'd come to trust with his life, more so than with some of his own brothers, would be the end of his world.

Shunsui, on the other hand, freaked out. His new best friend was dying and he had no idea what happened or what to do. There had been no attack, there was no enemy, no reason for Jushiro to be choking to death on his own blood! In pure panic mode, he scooped his now unconscious classmate up into his arms and took off at high speed. Chiaki ran in front of him, Kimi clutched in one giant, protective arm. The bear snarled and growled at everything in their path, displaying more ferocity than anyone had seen thus far and ensuring they had the shortest, fastest route to the only medic they knew.

Unohana, an older recruit than the two of them but not that old, did not appear in the least bit surprised by Jushiro's condition. It took some doing to calm Shunsui and his dæmon down so she could retrieve her patients, but Retsu was well-versed in intimidation tactics and even Chiaki listened when Kamau growled.

The healthy student stayed and watched, hovering anxiously as Jushiro was medicated and set up in a private room to recover. He was still there two hours later when Jushiro woke up.

Before that day, they were best friends. After, they were inseparable.


Jushiro's Dæmon
Species: White Akita (Canis lupus familiaris)
Name: Kimi (Honorable/Noble)

Shunsui's Dæmon
Species: Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
Name: Chiaki (Gathered Wisdom)

Unohana's Dæmon
Species: Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
Name: Kamau (Quiet Warrior)