Beyond Words
Chapter 3
Those parting words, issued so lightly, were taken by the winds and mangled so much so that they returned to haunt Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake two days later. Kyoraku had just called on Ukitake before leisurely making his way to the Fourth Division to visit his recuperating Nanao-chan. His friend was paler, but in high spirits, so he had assumed that he was all right. Indeed, Ukitake was laughing over Kiyone's attempts to make umeboshi-chazuke with Earl Grey tea Rukia brought back from the living world. It was an amusing attempt. Although the end result tasted a little odd, Ukitake owned that it had a pleasant aroma, vaguely like Unohana Retsu. He had just seen Kyoraku off and was about to read some reports at his desk when he felt the tickling signs of a coughing attack seize his lungs. It was worse than his previous attacks as it left him desperately fighting for air. From the look in Kiyone and Kotsubaki's panic stricken eyes, he knew that it looked like he was dying. He did what he could by grabbing the handkerchief Onohana had given him all those years ago and coughing into it. If he was dying, he wanted to die comfortable – thus, he staggered his way to his futon and before he knew it, his third seats were calling for Rukia. He heard Rukia's footsteps, her voice and felt her prop him up. He could not say anything to her even though he wanted to, for he passed out.
By this time, the thoroughly panicky Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro decided to dash to the Fourth Division. However, in so doing, they were accosted by their Captain's best friend who used shyunpo to grab both their gyis as they passed the Sixth Division headquarters.
"Kyoraku taichou," implored a tearing Kiyone, "please let me go to Unohana taichou or my sister. Taichou… taichou is coughing very badly and has fainted."
The Eighth Division Captain's widened in disbelief. "How much blood was in the spittoon?" he asked with due gravity.
Kotsubaki replied loudly, sweat dripping off his anxious face. "It's everywhere, on the futon, the blanket, the pillow, the desk."
"Who's with him now?"
"Rukia-san," offered Kiyone.
"Kotsubaki," he commanded in his most authoritative tone. "Tell Unohana taichou everything. Kiyone, you will tell your sister what happened and assist her in any preparations. I will bring Ukitake to the Fourth Division. Hurry!"
The third seats nodded dumbly and headed towards the Fourth Division, leaving a disquieted Kyoraku tearing up the way towards the Thirteenth Division Headquarters.
"Nanao-chan, forgive me, I can't see you just yet. Ukitake needs me now," he muttered under his breath as he arrived at his destination.
"Damn you, Jyuu-chan!" he called out, pushing aside the sliding doors and hastening to his friend's side. "Where is your bloody one day notice? Don't you dare die on me! We haven't had any sake today yet."
"Kyoraku taichou," came Rukia's slightly wavering voice. "May I be of assistance?"
"Pack some of Ukitake taichou's things and bring them to Kiyone," he instructed whilst hoisting friend up in his arms. A glimmer of hope registered in his mind when he saw Ukitake's eyes flicker open at the sound of his voice. "I'm taking him to Unohana."
A few seconds later, Kyoraku was at the Fourth Division headquarters, following a brisk Unohana to the inner courtyard, plainly ignoring the uproar caused by Ukitake's sudden limp appearance in his arms. "He's still breathing, Kyoraku taichou," said healer quietly, as she opened the sliding door to her apartments. "You can still feel his reiatsu, can't you? He will be all right. I'll see to him personally. Come, carefully lay him down here." She gestured to a futon next to a simple bed. Then clapping her hands in a businesslike manner, she gently ordered her fourth seat to bring basins of hot and cold water, and told the crying Kiyone and Kotsubaki to see Yamada Hanatarou for some shock counselling. "You had better leave, Kyoraku taichou. You can do nothing here, but be in my way," she stated plainly as she proceeded to undress Ukitake. "Ise-san has been asking when you would arrive. You are fifteen minutes late, if I'm not mistaken. She's anxious to read the new book you promised her."
Sensing Kyoraku did not want to leave his friend, Unohana surged her spiritual presence and forced him out of her room, at which point, Isane apologetically closed the door.
"Taichou, is it proper to have a patient in your rooms?" Isane questioned cautiously, watching her Captain pry something out of Ukitake's right hand.
"Kyoraku taichou put him in my personal care, so he is my responsibility," she answered simply, removing the crumpled handkerchief from her colleague's hand. "Please wash this; I expect Ukitake taichou will want it clean when he's recovered," she continued as dispassionately as she could, handing her lieutenant the bloodied ball of cloth. "Take his clothes and disinfect them. Go to Kurotsuchi taichou with this." She handed Isane a vial of bloody lumps. "Tell Kurotsuchi taichou this is a sample of Ukitake taichou diseased lung he happened to cough up. Tell him I want the report before he starts working on any new drug. If he refuses, tell him I will undo all his bodily modifications and permanently reverse the blood circulation in his body when he comes for his bi-annual check-up next month."
The door slid open at that moment with the basins of water and several other members of the Fourth Division. Amidst sounds of "Ikuyama-san, please close the window; Nagasawa-san, please hand me the blue vial labelled 'emergency' on my desk; Matsuzaka-san, please take his temperature; Hasegawa, please bring down his fever; Hirose-san, please monitor his reiatsu and apprise me of any fluctuations," Isane bowed her assent to her Captain's orders and left.
Though her patient was unconscious, it was apparent that his body was urging his lung to hack violently again with another cough. Readying herself to the attack, Unohana ordered her attendants to raise him to sitting position and incanted a kido spell over his chest to encourage blood circulation and pre-empt the seizure threatening to rise from his lungs. Good, she thought, releasing the breath she had been unconsciously holding as the tremor that would have sent more blood from his lungs died down. It seemed that the worst had passed for the time being and he was a deep slumber. Since Hirose informed her that the Thirteenth Division Captain's reiatsu was stable, she saw no need to retain their services. With a thin lipped smile, she sent back to their duties and continued her ministrations on her colleague.
"What do you think? Is a bankai necessary, Minazuki?" Unohana quietly asked her zanpakuto as she proceeded to sponge Ukitake with warm water after sending everyone away. "Will you know when to stop when you've killed the virus or will you swallow his soul?"
Minazuki only glowed in unsteady silent flickers, as if weeping for his user.
She smiled wryly to herself. "A moral dilemma. There, there, Minazuki, don't worry, I'm sure Ukitake taichou will not let us resort to the bankai."
At that moment, Ukitake's brow creased in agony. Unohana immediately recognised it as the death throes. He was struggling for his life. She exhaled slowly, placed her right hand on his chest so as to channel her spiritual power there and whispered in her colleague's ear, "Good day, this is Unohana Retsu. Listen to my voice, Ukitake taichou. Can you feel my reiatsu? Follow the voice and the reiatsu. There are many people who need you here. Kotetsu Kiyone-san, Kotsubaki-san and Kyoraku taichou will be lost without you. You have at least another millennium before you, Ukitake taichou. I haven't received the lilies this year yet, Ukitake Jyuushiro. Return to us at Gotei 13. Your handkerchief awaits you. Come back to me."
A brief struggle between Ukitake and death left the latter disappointed when the Thirteenth Division Captain's fever broke, and his breathing fell into an even rhythm. Unohana sighed in relief as she moved him from the futon to her bed, where she proceeded to check his vital organs and heal some parts of his lungs. "Sleep well, my dear," she whispered, rubbing some ointment on his chest. "You shall have as much to eat as you like when you are recovered."
"Taichou," Isane called out as she pottered into the room, coughing discretely in an attempt to erase the mental image of Kurotsuchi Mayuri's latest creation. "Kurotsuchi Taichou wishes to inform you that he will have the report ready by tomorrow," she continued, censoring everything else the scientist had said.
"Hmm," murmured Unohana in acknowledgement as she turned her patient on to his side. "Was he very rude?"
"No," lied Isane with a forced smile, avoiding her Captain's eyes. "How is Ukitake taichou?" she enquired, eager to change the subject.
Unohana raised a brow slightly in faint amusement. Her lieutenant was doing it too brown – she could tell it was a lie; however she allowed it to slide. "He will live."
"Taichou, you're pale," commented Isane with concern when she realised her Captain had channelled some of her spirit force into Ukitake. "Do you want to rest or eat something? I will sit with Ukitake taichou for a while."
Unohana only shook her head gently and answered with a wan smile. "I promised Kyoraku taichou I will take care of him personally. Why don't you tend to Kiyone? I'm sure the poor dear is still shaken."
A faint blush spread over Isane's cheeks told Unohana that her surmise was correct. When the younger healer made her excuses, she nodded with understanding and bade her to avoid the staff canteen that day for they were serving fish cake as a side dish. The light tap of the sliding door indicated that she was alone with her patient once again. "You shan't have fish cake, my dear," she murmured gently to a sleeping Ukitake before popping an energy fortifying pill distributed to everyone in the Fourth Division. "You shall all your favourite foods and sake too, in moderation, so hurry back."
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