Chapter 14

Aoi bit her lip, more in anticipation than pain. She looked down, eyes wide, wondering impatiently at the remarks of the woman around her waist.

"You're cleared for work." She said, sitting with a smile and Aoi grinned. "Hai! Arigatou, Taicho!" Unohana smiled at her before looking at Byakuya. "Taicho, please, don't follow your normal patterns with Fukutaicho."

"I'm sure she can handle it. I wouldn't have asked Yamamoto-Taicho to make her my Fukutaicho if I didn't believe she could handle it." Unohana looked at her worried, but didn't say anything else about it.

"You take care. I want you to come back tomorrow evening, I want to check your progress."

"Hai, Taicho!" She sat up, tying the haori before the hakama straps.

"Byakuya-Taicho," She stood, bowing lightly. "Reporting for duty. What is it you need me to do?"

Unohana's eyes shifted between the two and she smiled before walking out.

"We have a backlog. We need to get the paperwork done. Follow me."

By the end of the day she was tired, her arms hurt from taking stacks of papers and books all over Seireitei. She was loving it! It felt good to be back to work.

"Aoi!" She turned, seeing Matsumoto in the doorway. "I heard you're back on your feet! Come on, we're getting smashed!" She grinned, nodding. "That sounds great!"

They sat around the campfire, Aoi smiling, chugging the bottle that was passed to her and sighed, looking over at a bald young man, staring at her with the bottle frozen an inch from his lip. She grinned as she reached over, cracking open another bottle.

"I hope you like that one! I bought every type of Amaretto they had at the store!" Matsumoto grinned at her and Aoi nodded, raising the bottle before taking it to her lip.

"Let me try that." The bald man stated, taking one of the bottles, there were about twenty, and cracked it open, smelling it. "It tastes like almonds. It's sweet!"

The man looked at her and looked back down at the bottle. "What's wrong, Madarame, Afraid of a little alcohol?"

"If she could drink that bottle that fast I know it's gotta be really weak! I'm worried it'll make me sober."

"Then drink!" Aoi grinned, sucking down half of the bottle.

Madarame nodded, taking a long swig from the bottle. "Oh, Damn!" He choked, the burn more than he thought it would be.

Aoi grinned and sucked down a bit more of the bottle. "Madarame, huh?" He looked over. "Huh?"

"I'm Aoi." He nodded. "I've seen you around. I'm Madarame Ikkaku." She smiled, raising her bottle like a cheer. She looked over, sighing. Matsumoto came over, smiling. "How you holding up, sweetie?"

"Men suck. Izuru's ignoring me and Byakuya-Taicho's scary." Matsumoto grinned. "Scary doesn't begin to cover him. Wait till you get to really know him!" Aoi looked at the bottle.

She chugged the rest before headed to the next bottle, taking it down in one go. "Kame, Are you alright?!" Madarame asked, staring incredulously as she cracked the fourth bottle open. "I'm starting to wish I'd never ended my days as a Kirikimori..." Matsumoto patted her on the back. "He's coming, isn't he?" Matsumoto nodded. "Him and Renji. Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine. I just need another bottle or two." She raised the bottle.

"She's gonna get alcohol poisoning." Madarame frowned, and Aoi turned to him. "If I get alcohol poisoning, kill me. I'm not spending another day in Byakuya-Taicho's house. He would barely even talk to me!" She looked over at Matsumoto. "We talked maybe five minutes a day! How can he do that?! It's so quiet! It's like..." She froze. It's like he's depressed. "Dammit, never mind." She frowned, chugging the sixth bottle.

She was watching the sky when he gracefully fell to the grass. "Oi, Renji, Have a bottle!" She grinned, barely able to sit, even against the log. She tossed the bottle to him, laying her head back down against the wood. "It's so beautiful out here..." She grinned, looking up at the moon.

"Aoi, are you alright?" Renji sat beside her and she looked over, nodding.

Renji could tell she was doing her best not to look at Kira, and she was probably drinking too much because of him as well. "How much have you had?"

"Twelve, Fifteen... About eighteen." Renji froze. "Are you alright? Eighteen shots of this stuff, it's pretty strong."

"Bottles." Renji turned to her slowly. "What?"

"Eighteen bottles. You know what, I can take it! You know why?!" She stood up, wavering, a grin from ear to ear. "I'm a bad ass and if I get alcohol poisoning, Madarame's agreed to kill me!" She grinned, holding up her bottle in cheer for the other man.

Madarame looked over at Renji and shook his head. Renji nodded, understanding the situation.

"Come on, Aoi, it's time to get you back to your quarters."

"Renji, No." She stepped back, her dizzy mind sending her to the ground. "I can't go back. Not yet." Renji shook his head. "Then you need to go even more. Come on."

She protested, but didn't really lift a hand against him. He lifted her bridal style, worried that if he threw her over his shoulder she'd puke.

He already knew he'd be in for it once he got her back, he didn't want to deal with that too.

He landed softly, opening her door. "Renji, please, I don't want to! I don't want this!"

Renji walked her to her room, laying her down on the bed. "I don't... I..."

Her eyes focused above his head and Renji knew. He clenched his eyes and stood, turning.

"Renji, Did I just hear Aoi yelling that 'she didn't want to'?"

"Yes, Taicho." Renji looked into the darkness of the eyes before him. "Did I find you in her bedroom after that?"

"Yes, Taicho."

"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you where you stand." Byakuya's hand slid onto the handle of his Zampactoh. "She's drunk and I didn't want anyone there taking advantage of the situation. You should know me well enough to know I'm not the kind to do that." Renji stared, waiting for a response. "Please, take her to my house." Byakuya stepped back, looking her over. "How much did she drink?"

"She said eighteen bottles. I'm not sure, though, she was like this when I got there."

"It was. Dammit, I wanted to get more! I didn't want this! Why didn't you just let Madarame kill me?!" She started to stand, her head hung low and she reached up, grabbing her hair stick.

Byakuya looked at her with interest at the stance she took, like she would be able to kill them both. Her eyes were ahead, a viciousness neither of them had seen on her. "Aoi, you're drunk. Do you really want to fight us?"

"I just... Want to be here. When I'm with him it's like being alone. I don't wanna be alone anymore..." She slid down, her eyes losing their focus. Renji flew forwards, catching her before she fell.

"Damned alcoholic Fukutaicho." He murmured as he lifted her.

She woke the next day to find Byakuya beside her. Her head ached and she knew that something was wrong. "I'm not sober..."

"No one would be after that." Byakuya's tone was dangerous, but she didn't notice. "I'm never drunk ten minutes after I stop drinking. That's why I was drinking a bottle every eight minutes."

"Next time, stick to cups." His eyes turned to her and she knew she was in trouble. "You're ready to kill me, aren't you?"

Byakuya didn't answer, instead he reached down, sliding his hand under her side. She was about to protest when his fingers pulled up lightly, a pain setting in and she clenched her teeth.

"You may be able to sober after ten minutes, but it only works if you don't kill your kidneys and liver." She looked up at him and bowed. "Gomen-nassai, Taicho. I'll be to work in a few minutes, just let me get a glass of water." She sat up and her head spun.

"That would be admirable, save the fact that your liver and kidneys are in failure. I'll not work you till you die, no matter how much you wish to." Aoi looked at him, her eyes wide and nodded. "Hai, Taicho. I'll follow any order you give me."

"First, you're to stay here. You'll drink two glasses of water an hour. Unohana will be in eventually to see to your situation. You're not to move under any circumstances."

"Taicho, can I say something?" He looked at her, eyes narrowed and she swallowed hard. "If I'm drinking two glasses an hour I'm going to be headed to the bathroom a lot. I'll have to get up."

"Beyond that, don't move. Second, you're not to drink again for a year. After that, no more than three shots a week. Do I make myself clear, Aoi?" She nearly recoiled at his expression, the fury in his voice.

"Hai, Taicho." He stood and walked out, not another word said.

Unohana came in a few hours later. Aoi had no idea what time it was and was worried that she'd slept through most of the day. "Aoi, my most recurring customer." She joked as she came in, but upon seeing the look on her face halted any jokes. "What's wrong?"

"I keep screwing up. Byakuya-Taicho's furious with me. I don't want to be alone, I hate being alone, but I keep driving everyone away." Unohana walked up and sat. nodding. "There's a simple way to fix that." Aoi looked over, skeptical. "Try to work on what you're supposed to. Listen to your head instead of your heart. Pay attention to what's happening around you and act accordingly." Aoi nodded.

"I'm starting to think that this whole thing was a bad idea." Unohana smiled, shaking her head. "No, just give it time. Byakuya-sama will listen if you talk. Tell him what's going on with you and listen to what he says. He's been through a lot, which is why he'll understand if you're having trouble. Trust me, he's not the heartless bakimono people make him out to be." Aoi nodded. "I'll try that, if he'll talk to me. He's kind of angry with me."

"He's been working half over his usual shifts to take care of the excess work from you being off. You just got the okay to work yesterday and he's already covering for you again. You'd be angry too." Aoi nodded. "I apologize, and thank you for your opinion. I guess I'll try to talk to him, really, if he gives me a chance." Unohana nodded with a smile before looking at her kidneys.

"You're clear to work tomorrow. You should go home and make sure to sleep well tonight." Aoi shook her head. "Byakuya-Taicho told me under no circumstances am I to leave the building. I'm only allowed to stand if I have to go to the bathroom. I still have to drink two glasses of water an hour till he tells me it's okay to stop. I'm not going against any of his rules right now." She sighed and Unohana smiled, shaking her head. "That's what helped. The water flushed the toxins from you, restarting your kidneys and liver. Either it would work, or you'd be dead right now." Aoi paled. "What?!"

"If your liver and kidneys aren't working then your body can't get rid of the excess water. What happens then?" Aoi shook her head. "It worked, that's all that matters!" She was trying not to think of what could have happened.

"Take care of yourself." Unohana said as she stood, walking from the room.

It was nearly two hours later that Byakuya walked in, sitting beside her. "Has Unohana come yet?" He asked as Aoi finished the second glass that was put on the table.

"Yes, Taicho." She nodded, looking over.

"What did she say?" his eyes were nearly slits, narrowed so badly that Aoi felt afraid of what she was about to say."

"She said I should talk to you."