Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU.


Well I Do the Best I Can

Jyuushiro did his best to keep from frowning as he helped Retsu carry her things into his house. His long time friend and physician might be wearing her normal, gentle smile, but she looked tired and worn to his eyes, and Jyuu almost thought she had lost some weight. This stalker business was weighing on her much more than she was letting show. He himself didn't know all of the details of the situation. But two weeks ago Retsu had finally reported to both campus security and the police her suspicions about having a stalker, and last week the police had all but ordered her out of her own home.

That was enough to upset anyone. And for someone like Retsu whose home was her refuge from the stress of work, it was definitely something that would throw them off balance. Jyuu hoped that he could help in some small way by opening his home to her. He quite truthfully wouldn't mind the company. He had always been fond of Retsu, and she was one of those people he enjoyed spending time with whether it was in conversation or just in shared silence. They had met years ago when she had been a resident at the university hospital where Jyuu had gone for treatment. It had taken him several years to actually befriend the rather reserved woman, but it had been well worth it.

Retsu was one of the few people he was completely comfortable with. The others consisted of his best friend, Shunsui, their mentor, Dr. Yamamoto, and oddly enough, a doctorial candidate from Shunsui's department Nanao Ise. Of course, the last could be because Shunsui was in love with the girl. But they were the only people he never worried about having an attack in front of or felt the need to downplay how lousy he was feeling on a bad day. Jyuu was pretty sure he'd developed a crush on her sometime after their first meeting, and these days he was fairly certain he was in love with her.

But it really wouldn't be far to saddle Retsu with someone who could quite possibly take a turn for the worse at any time. Yes, his illness was controlled for the most part right now, but there always were those unexpected relapses that could sometimes be quite life threatening. Jyuushiro quite honestly did not know how long he might have to life. It could be weeks or it could be years or decades even. But he wasn't going to inflict that uncertainty on someone else. Especially not someone he loved.