Chapter 5: Calm in the Storm
Throbs of intense pain radiated inside Ichigo's head, making him groan discontentedly as he rose out of sleep. He blinked in surprise at finding himself cuddled snugly into Byakuya's arms, his face buried under the Kuchiki leader's chin and breathing in the pleasant scent of sakura. He squinted, trying to remember exactly how they had ended up in bed together, but then felt a twinge of nausea that made him pull away quickly. He clutched at his stomach and leaned over the edge of the bed, loosing himself into a trash bin that sat beside the bed. A comforting arm curled around his waist and Ichigo flinched and blushed brightly as Byakuya's warm, sweet scent invaded his senses, and the clan leader's deep voice rumbled in his ear.
"Are you all right, Ichigo?"
"Eh, I don't think so," Ichigo grunted, his fingers touching Byakuya's as he tried to rub his belly.
"Allow me," Byakuya offered, kneeling behind him and infusing the area with soothing reiatsu, "I have some experience dealing with the aftereffects of overindulgence, because of my association with Renji."
"You've helped Renji out when he was drunk?" Ichigo asked, looking surprised, "I would have thought you'd kill him for being drunk at work."
Byakuya gave him a reproving look over his shoulder and continued the gentle infusion.
"Renji would never come to work like that," he explained, "But he does sometimes overindulge on his own time, something I have chided him about that an aspiring taicho should not do."
"Tell that to Kyoraku Shunsui," Ichigo snickered.
"I would, but first, he is an elder, and second, it would do no good to bother," Byakuya sighed, "And apparently, manners did not matter to those appointing him to the post of sotaicho."
"Ouch," Ichigo chuckled, wincing as another twinge assaulted his insides, and he was forced to abandon the conversation for a moment to heave into the trash bin again.
The warm arm and steadying hand Byakuya employed to support him sent a more pleasant tickle through Ichigo's midsection, and he leaned back slightly into his friend's embrace, breathing slowly and groaning softly.
"Hey, Byakuya," he managed, turning his head to smile at the solemn looking clan leader, "thanks for taking care of me."
"That is what friends should do for each other, is it not?" Byakuya said off-handedly.
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "we should."
He bent over the trash bin and heaved several more times, but found there was nothing left for him to expel. Byakuya pulled him close, letting him rest his head against a strong shoulder and lightly massaging his hair and back.
"Are you this nice to Renji when he's hung over?" Ichigo giggled, holding his aching belly.
"No. but then, he does this to himself by choice. Your situation was an unfortunate miscalculation. I feel somewhat responsible, as you only did this to yourself, attempting to be polite to me."
"Yeah, I don't think I'll be drinking anymore sake, not even to be polite."
"Well, I certainly will not ask it of you, knowing now of your sensitivity. But, if you feel well enough, we should continue our journey back."
"Yeah, I'm all right now, except for this awful headache."
"Ah, allow me to see if I can relieve that," Byakuya offered, reaching up his sleeve and producing a sprig of fresh peppermint.
"What's this?" Ichigo asked, studying the plant.
"Peppermint leaf," Byakuya answered, sitting up straighter in the bed and touching Ichigo's temples with light fingertips, "That is to soothe your stomach. For your headache, it is possible to use trace amounts of healing reiatsu on the sensitive areas. I must work carefully, as the nerves in the area are tender, but I am usually able to relieve Renji's hangover headaches in this way."
"Ugh, whatever you say," Ichigo groaned, nibbling at one of the peppermint leaves as he watched Byakuya's fingers glow softly where they touched him.
Within moments, the ache began to fade and Ichigo gave a grateful sigh of relief. He wasn't sure quite how his body gave way and suddenly found himself falling back against Byakuya's muscular chest. The soft sakura scent of the Kuchiki leader drifted over his senses and a little dizzy feeling passed through his body.
"Whoa…" he breathed unsteadily.
"Stay still for a moment," Byakuya's deep voice purred in his ear, the sound making Ichigo's insides flutter strangely, "The dizziness will fade quickly."
The sakura scent was soothing and the touch of Byakuya's fine clothing and soft hair on his flesh so pleasant, that Ichigo ignored the fact that his heart had begun to race in a haphazard fashion, and that he was probably blushing so brightly that Byakuya couldn't be unaware.
Ah.
I'm not used to being held like this.
"We should probably leave soon," Byakuya suggested.
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, his head turning and his lips coming to within a few inches of his friend's.
Byakuya felt a heady jolt inside at the beautiful flush on Ichigo's handsome face, the way the ginger haired man's fingers dug in slightly, where they had latched onto his arms, and the very vulnerable look in Ichigo's stunned eyes.
It would be a perfect moment, he realized, I could…
He longed to be able to move, to say something, to breathe, but those widened, golden brown eyes held him in place and perfectly silent as Ichigo blinked, and suddenly the moment of opportunity was gone. Byakuya took a steadying breath.
"There is a taicho's meeting soon."
He tore himself away and stood, heading for the bathroom, where he quickly washed up, then gazed quietly at his reflection in the mirror.
I should have kissed him.
Why couldn't I move?
He seemed receptive. He was blushing. He obviously felt something too. I had every reason to kiss him, but I was frozen, as frozen as I was when As Nodt paralyzed me with fear. But why was I afraid to kiss Ichigo?
The question haunted him as he finished in the bathroom and returned to the bedroom, where he sat down on the bed to wait as Ichigo washed and dressed. He walked to the window and gazed out at the waking town, watching silently as the vendors laid out their merchandise and people began to emerge from the nearby buildings.
I think I understand.
As long as he does not know, I can feel this light feeling whenever we are together. As long as he does not know, I can feel hopeful and dream quietly of the future. It is only in that moment when I step over the invisible line and actually reach him that those pleasant things are risked. Because everything in those dreams and hopes will shatter if he does not feel the same. And Ichigo is young and inexperienced, as well as brash and impulsive. That kind of person could break my heart and never know he has done it.
Byakuya sighed, frowning and brushing away a touch of annoying moisture on his brow.
I am a coward.
And I forgot amongst my fears that my dreams will also be shattered if I fail to do something to make them happen. I know all of this, but it does not help at all.
"Hey, are you all right?" Ichigo asked, bringing him out of his reverie, "You look like you don't feel well. You're not hung over too, are you?"
"No," Byakuya answered, marveling for a moment at how his voice managed to relay only calm, when he felt so unhinged inside, "I am fine."
He felt a sharp ache in his head as he rose and ignored it, heading for the door as little spots danced in front of his eyes. He blinked to clear them and headed down the hallway and back into the lobby of the inn, where he found the desk clerk and checked out.
"Thanks again," Ichigo said as they exited the building, "I feel a lot better now."
"That is good," Byakuya answered, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead of them.
He flinched inwardly as his head throbbed more painfully and he could feel little beads of sweat on his skin. The sun seemed overly bright and the voices of the people around them had begun to echo oddly.
"Byakuya?" Ichigo inquired, concern in his voice, "You look really…"
The Shiba heir made a sound of surprise and barely managed to catch his friend as Byakuya collapsed.
"Whoa! What the heck?"
He looked back at the nearby inn, then in the direction of Kuchiki Manor.
I think the best place for him is with his own healers.
Ichigo lifted Byakuya and flash stepped swiftly through the Rukongai streets, barely slowing as he shouted a greeting to the guards at the Seireitei gates, then dashed past them. He hurried on, oblivious to anything but getting his friend to safety. Within minutes, he had arrived at the gates of Kuchiki Manor and slid to a stop, calling out to the guards.
"Hey, open the gates! Byakuya passed out. He needs a healer."
"Just a moment, Shiba-sama!" one of the guards called back.
The gates swung inward, allowing Ichigo to pass into the courtyard. Before he had reached the house entry, the healer arrived and led Ichigo to the master suite. Ichigo laid the Kuchiki leader in his bed and sat down at his side, watching anxiously as the healer leaned over Byakuya, taking his temperature, reading his vital signs and pausing to examine the skin of his face and throat.
"You were down in the Rukongai?" the healer asked, frowning.
"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed.
Torio appeared in the doorway, but the healer waved him off stridently.
"Stay back!" he warned the attendant.
"But Michio-san!" Torio objected.
"Place a protective barrier around the room and do not let anyone enter without a reiatsu seal around their bodies to protect them," the healer said urgently.
He met Ichigo's eyes with concern.
"Have you been around anyone he might have exposed?" he asked, "Where did you stay last night?"
"Um, I was sick last night," Ichigo explained, "Not with anything like what he has. I had some sake and wasn't used to it, so he took me to an inn to rest for the night."
"Give Torio the name of the inn and he will send word to put anyone who had contact with Byakuya-sama in quarantine."
"Quarantine!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Why? Michio, what's wrong with Byakuya?"
"It looks like a virus of some kind," the healer reported, gently washing Byakuya's face, "Fever and viruses are common in the low Rukongai. They're common, but they can be dangerous because they spread quickly and they can be quite virulent."
"I've never even heard of Byakuya being sick," Ichigo mused worriedly, "and there was no warning at all. He just started to look pale and sweaty, then he collapsed. I don't think he realized what was happening."
"That is very likely," Michio said, taking several more readings, then placing his hands gently on the Kuchiki leader's chest and abdomen.
"Aren't you in danger of being infected too?" Ichigo asked.
Michio shook his head firmly.
"When I saw he was incapacitated, it was protocol for me to place a protective seal around myself so that I could treat him without becoming ill. The seal is temporary and doesn't last long, so I must still be cautious, and I must discard it as I leave the room, but it does enable me to assist contagious people without spreading the illness, myself. I can't off it to you because you have already been exposed. I…"
"Ichigo…" Byakuya mumbled deliriously, making the other two men pause and stare in surprise, "S-send for Tet…suya. Tell him to go…t-to go to Inuzuri. Take the h-human girl. He can protect h-her with a seal. Illness will have r-reached the shelter."
"Reached it is right," Ichigo agreed, frowning worriedly, "That's where you got this, isn't it?"
"Most probably," Michio said sadly, "He is right to be concerned. This is a very precocious strain. I am having a lot of difficulty cooling Byakuya-sama's body from dangerous levels of fever."
"Ichigo," Byakuya panted almost incoherently, "G-gia…"
"I've got it," Ichigo assured him, stepping away from the bed and summoning a hell butterfly.
He did a doubletake as Tetsuya appeared in the doorway.
"Don't go inside, Tetsuya-san!" Torio exclaimed, stopping him before he could enter the room, "Byakuya-sama is under quarantine. He is very ill!"
"What happened?" Tetsuya asked quickly.
"Byakuya and I were visiting the shelter he started in Inuzuri. We spent last night at an inn in the upper Rukongai and when we were leaving, Byakuya just suddenly collapsed. Tetsuya, he wanted me to send you to take Orihime to the shelter in Inuzuri."
Tetsuya looked anxiously from Byakuya to the healer, then back at Ichigo.
"Are you sure I shouldn't bring her here first?" he asked softly.
"I can keep Byakuya-sama stable until you return," Michio promised, "He is right that the girl should go first to the shelter. They have only one healer in that area, and he serves several towns. This could ravage the lower Rukongai unless something is done."
"Tetsuya, hurry," Ichigo urged him.
Tetsuya nodded and started to leave, then was stopped as Ichigo spoke up again.
"Wait. You should go to my cousin, Kuri," Ichigo suggested, "He can have his sister Antonia mobilize the fourth division to handle incoming cases and to send healers to the Rukongai. You can concentrate on getting Orihime down there. Have her find the peasant girl…"
"Gia," Tetsuya finished, "I know of her. I will see it is done. Where did you stay last night?"
"Eh, an inn called Hanatora in the west fifth district," Ichigo remembered.
"West fifth," Tetsuya repeated, flash stepping away.
Ichigo returned to Byakuya's bedside and sat down in a chair, slipping a hand into the sick noble's. Byakuya's grey eyes cracked open slightly and tried to focus on him.
"Try to rest, okay?" Ichigo said, smiling wearily, "Tetsuya is taking care of things. I'm having him contact Kuri so his sister can have the fourth division help."
"Th-that is good thinking," Byakuya managed approvingly, "I only h-hope they can stop this."
"Now, don't you worry about that, Byakuya-sama," the old healer chided him gently, "We have good people taking care of that, and we will take care of you too. I have to go and work at finding an anti-viral that might help this. Ichigo-sama, please send a hell butterfly or send an attendant if he seems to become any worse."
Ichigo sighed and nodded.
"I will."
"And also inform us if you begin to feel any symptoms. Tell an attendant right away, so that you can be treated as quickly as possible."
"I feel fine right now, but okay," Ichigo agreed, "I'll tell someone if I feel sick."
The healer considered his words for a moment, then his eyes widened slightly.
"Ichigo-sama, may I have a sample of your blood and reiatsu? It could help me both isolate the virus and procure some kind of anti-viral for it."
"Go for it," the Shiba heir said readily, "Whatever you need."
"Thank you, my boy," the old man said gratefully.
Ichigo flinched slightly at the touch of the needle, but focused quietly on Byakuya's discomfited face as his blood and reiatsu were drawn.
"I will get this analyzed and be back as quickly as I can. Please try to encourage Byakuya-sama to drink what fluids he can."
"I will," Ichigo promised.
"Thank you," Michio said again, pausing at the door to shed the protective seal on his body, then flash stepping away.
Ichigo turned his attention back to Byakuya, picking up a damp washcloth and cooling his face.
"Hang in there, okay?" Ichigo said, smiling at Byakuya.
Byakuya's glazed eyes blinked and his breaths remained short and labored.
"Do…do you feel ill at all?" he asked Ichigo, earning a look of surprise from the Shiba heir.
"I'm fine," Ichigo assured him, "You worry about yourself. You're the one who's lying there, sweating out this fever."
"Ichigo, the ones at the shelter are in close quarters, so if I was exposed there, that means others were too. This could devastate the shelter. Th-the children there must be protected. We have w-worked for several years, preparing them for t-training at the shinigami academy when they are of age."
Ichigo gave the Kuchiki heir a sly smirk.
"You think I don't know what you're doing here?" he teased gently, "I know what's really worrying you. It's that cute little girl, Gia."
"I c-cannot afford to play favorites, t-to become too attached," Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes, "More than half of the ch-children of Inuzuri die before reaching adulthood."
"Knock it off, will you?" Ichigo said, smiling helplessly, "As much as you care about the others, that little girl has a piece of your heart. Admit it."
Byakuya's lips stiffened and twitched slightly and he gave Ichigo a stern look. The Shiba heir laughed softly and squeezed his hand.
"Don't think you can bullshit me," he said affectionately, "I saw you with her. You love that little girl like she was your own."
Byakuya's eyes held his stubbornly for several moments, then softened in capitulation.
"She'll be okay," Ichigo promised, "Orihime will take care of her."
Byakuya drew and released a shaky breath, accepting a small sip of water from Ichigo.
"I hope so," he whispered dazedly, "The girl is talented."
Ichigo huffed out an amused breath.
"Maybe so," he chuckled, "but you like her because she's cute as a button and she likes you back."
"Ridiculous."
"Sure," Ichigo said with an edge of sarcasm, "Get some rest now, will you?"
He managed to keep his smile until Byakuya had dropped off into a restless sleep, then worry returned to his eyes and he sighed anxiously.
"Come on guys," he breathed softly, "I don't know if Byakuya can wait."