Part two of the set.
…Is a Hard Road Traveled
It was white, sterilized and plain in the emergency room set up at the Urahara shop for Ichigo and Uryuu. Both men looked as static and colorless as the room, save for their bloodied tattered clothing they sported on entry. Since then Urahara's employees had cleaned and dressed each of the men's wounds, replaced the red spattered attire for drab white garments. The two lay on cots that met in the middle of the room, the men facing opposite each other. Motionless and unyielding, the room felt isolated and static. In that small chamber, it felt as though time stood still. The silence was crushing.
Rukia stepped into the room. She had been dreading entering for the past two days for the fear of what she would see. Nothing had changed since the day they brought them in and set up the emergency quarters. The two lay there, barely breathing. Both had suffered grievous wounds.
To her, it very well could have been their death beds.
"Well then, how are we doing?" Urahara startled Rukia from her thoughts. She hadn't even heard him walk up behind her. It was a rhetorical comment, as he passed by her and waltzed over to the patients.
"How…" Rukia couldn't ask.
"Well they seem to be stable." Urahara finished the thought. "Ishida here has suffered quite an extensive bit of damage, not all of it physical, I'm afraid." There was a small monitor next to Uryuu that displayed his vitals, and Urahara checked it earnestly. "To be honest, I'm surprised that he's alive."
"And Ichigo?" Rukia breathed.
"Well that's what's puzzling." Urahara peered at her from under his hat. "His physical condition is perfect, thanks to Uryuu here." he gestured with his cane. "Damn near killed himself to do it, but I'll get to that."
The blankets were pulled away, revealing Ichigo's bare chest. There was hardly a scratch on him, save for a few scars from the past that had already healed over. Looking at his body, there was no indication that Ichigo had ever been in battle.
"Ichigo has no physical damage, so in all honesty he should be up and being a pain in the ass right now. I'm baffled at why he isn't, and I'm not quite sure how long he's going to stay in this comatose state." He adjusted the brim of his hat as he spoke. "Could be a few days, could be a month. Who knows?"
Rukia was somewhat relieved. At least Ichigo was no longer in harm's way. Unfortunately there was still the matter of Uryuu.
Urahara tapped the bed with his cane. "Ishida here is our main concern. Even though he's stable now, his condition can change at any given moment. He experienced quite a bit of both physical and spiritual damage, and it is still possible that he may die." His cloak swished as he turned to face Rukia. Urahara's factual tone was unnerving for even Rukia, the casual way he referred to death.
"This is the interesting part. When Ishida healed Ichigo, he was using energy that he absorbed to 'mend' his soul and body. From our tests, we could tell that his soul chain and soul sleep had been repaired recently. As far as I know, that is not a Quincy ability." Urahara added, watching Rukia's expression with interest.
"You see, the Quincy exert power towards a target to destroy or immobilize it; hence the difference between them and Soul Reapers." Urahara adjusted his sketchbook so that Rukia could see the stick-figure pictures.
Now I know how Ichigo feels. Rukia mumbled as the pages flipped by.
"Normally" Urahara continued, "the Quincy can harness ambient power in close proximity to bend into arrows. Their bow is also comprised of the same material. In essence, his spiritual energy only destroys what it comes in contact with, hence eliminating spirits altogether. What Ishida here did is…unprecedented. He used manifested spirit energy to bond Ichigo's spiritual and physical matter back together, which takes a tremendous amount of power. Not only did he gather spirit particles, he gathered an exuberant amount of energy while in his human state. That feat in itself is impossible."
He took a moment to let Rukia ponder over his words before he continued. "Instead of destroying, he created. Simple as that. And, he did it to help Ichigo." He shuffled toward the door and motioned her to follow. Her bare feet made a soft thud on the tatami mats, but the sound it made in the quiet chamber was unbearable. Before exiting the room, she cast a final glance at the two men. A whisper escaped her lips in prayer.
If anyone would be able to help, Urahara was the man. As he walked down the hall, she listened to the echoes of his footsteps fade, leaving the empty buzz of nothingness to comfort her. Rukia hated to admit it, but Urahara was the best thing outside the Soul Society in the way of medical treatment. She hoped that it wouldn't be long before she heard the two bickering back and forth at each other; she was starting to miss the sound.