Supernova

By Willow Athena

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

Author's note: I see this story has been getting favourited a lot recently. I just want to say a "Thank you" to everyone for all their encouragement. And, to all my wonderful reviewers, your comments really mean a lot to me, and please everyone, continue to review…it's really nice to hear from the people who read my story.

Sorry it's been a longer wait than normal for an update from me, and at such a crucial juncture in the story. Christmas etc…you know how it is. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 15 – I shuffle off this mortal coil

He had caught her before she hit the ground. Blood gushed out of her chest. It was only a minute before he reached Unohana's hospital with the limp girl in his arms.

"Unohana!" He managed to scream, even though he was out of breath. It had only taken him a minute to shunpo across all of Soul Society. It was the longest minute of his life. He had pushed himself further than he had before, trying to get here in time to save her. He needed her to live. It felt like a kind of, all consuming desperation, that seemed to rob him of all his senses, and his logic.

"Put her down here," Unohana commanded, as she rounded the corner.

He reluctantly let go of the limp, fragile body, gently placing her on the hospital bed. "Save her! Please…" He felt his desperation flare as he let go of her. He felt stupid, useless, responsible.

Unohana was surprised by the usually unshakable taichou's rattled countenance. Others now mobilised around Unohana, who had already begun weaving some complex healing spells. "Isane, help taichou. He's injured," she calmly commanded when Isane arrived.

"No!" He shouted, looking panicked. "I'm fine, its not my blood. It's hers. All of it," he said softly, almost to himself. He looked at his bloodstained hands, the liquid still warm between his fingers, soaked into his haori, making it cling to him, as she had.

There it was again, an empty, soulless desperation.

Isane let out a sob when she saw the girl. "Rien," she squeaked.

"Isane, pull yourself together and get some blood," Unohana sternly commanded. Isane was immediately off.

"How did this happen, taichou?" Unohana could see one 'through and through' wound and needed to know what caused it, and if there was anything else she should be aware of – poison, perhaps.

"Byakuya stabbed her with his zanpakuto." Unohana saw fists clench in rage. She knew she needed to contain the fall-out of this incident – she could not let him leave. She had never seen this murderous expression on his face before. She could see it expanding as he looked at the limp girl. His body, tall, strong, and ready to attack.

Ishida appeared, breathless, almost too weak to walk. His heart pounded in his ears. It had taken him a few minutes longer than Ukitake taichou to get there. He had never used his hirenkyaku so often, and across such large distances before.

"Hanatarou, help the Quincy," Unohana ordered as she glanced up.

"I'm fine," he insisted, as he stumbled towards Ukitake taichou. He didn't look fine to Unohana, but she had bigger things to worry about at the moment. "I'm not injured…its all her blood." He continued to gasp for air.

"Hanatarou, prepare the operating theatre." If Rien had lost this much blood, it was definitely serious. She would need more help than Unohana alone could give. Perhaps a team of fukutaichous would be enough to help her with what needed to be done.

Isane came back with two coolers filled with bags of blood. "Isane, put those in the operating theatre, and call every fukutaichou who has ever spent any time in the 4th squad, especially Hinamori and Kira."

"I'll get them," Ukitake offered, half leaping out the door already.

"No, I need you to stay here just in case she wakes up," Unohana lied. He did not protest – it was just as she suspected. Unohana noticed Jyuushiro's 1,87m frame looked taller than it had before, stronger, more imposing, more alive. Something had changed in him, but she could not waste her time thinking about it now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Unohana's assistants began wheeling Rien into the operating theatre. "Let me help," Ishida pleaded, not wanting to lose sight of Rien, to have to just sit by and wait.

"You do not posses the skills required Quincy. We will be using daemon magic to heal her wounds." Unohana did not have the patience to coddle their feelings when she had serious work to do, and a goal she was not sure she would attain.

Hinamori closed the exit wound eventually. Kira had, had no problem closing the thin entrance wound. A straight clean cut, he thought, won't even leave a mark. He praised himself as he put the finishing touches on the spell.

A multitude of small spells had to be performed before the real work could be done, and although they were not complex, they were tiring to sustain for the six hours which had already passed.

It was time. Unohana used a complex, high level, healing spell to create a spectral hand which phased through Rien's body, resting inside her chest, and holding the shredded pieces of her heart together while trying to heal the ripped petals. Then, Isane placed her hand on top of Kira's finished work, and tried to shock the heart. The heart was resistant, it did not want to beat. It took Isane a few tries to get the heart to beat on its own but, it still needed to be held together by the spectral hand. Matsumoto was tired, exhausted really, but, then again, they all were. Matsumoto had been controlling the girls pain levels all night, and it was now morning.

"Isane, take over from Matsumoto. You will need to maintain all the spells. I will relieve you in three hours. Call me if something changes – I need to rest." Unohana looked exhausted, as did they all, but there were only a few people in all of Soul Society who had enough skill to maintain the intricate lattice of daemon magic she had weaved, but Rien's condition was dire, and she did not trust anyone else to do her job.

Isane noticed the empty sound Rien's heart made. "I'll give her a few bags of blood now," she said with concern.

"Of course," Unohana said the words as though the idea were obvious enough to be assumed, and not needing her permission.

As Unohana and the others exited the operating wing, she saw Ukitake and the Quincy loitering in chairs, clogging up her hallway. She wondered how they had gotten her subordinates to let them this deep into her hospital. They eagerly rushed towards her, it had been 12 hours now. She supposed she should update them. "Calm down," was her only response to their barrage of questions.

"Rien is alive, and stable, for now. But, she's still in critical condition in the ICU, so neither of you can see her right now." They looked elated, and then a little defeated.

Now that they knew she was still alive, the already risen sun allowed sense to finally dawn on Ishida. He remembered Yoruichi and Urahara, and their likely frantic attempts to find Rien. "Rien, somehow locked Urahara's senkai last night, he must still be trying to get through to look for Rien," Ishida began, but Ukitake needed no other explanation, he yearned to be useful in some way.

"Call me if there is any change, I'll be back soon," Ukitake said before vanishing. It was far easier to lock a senkai, than to open a locked one, you would need to know the exact spell and position of the opening, and even then it would be difficult. He did not waste his time trying to figure it out. He shunpo'ed to his house, changed out of his blood stained clothes, so as not to shock Yoruichi, and opened his own senkai to fetch them. He brought them back to the hospital with barely any explanation, just a vague statement about Rien being hurt and in the hospital. All Ukitake could think of was getting back to her.

Yoruichi, Urahara, and Ichigo arrived at the hospital 10 minutes after Ukitake had originally left. The Shihouin clan had, by now, also been informed. Unohana was woken by the elders of the Shihouin clan. She hated when nobles stayed at her hospital – it was always the same. Ukitake taichou's frequent visits to the hospital were always taxing on Unohana's nerves. She would frequently be bombarded with requests by the Ukitake elders, that 'Jyuushiro get the best possible care' – as though he would receive anything else at her hospital.

"Did one of the armed guards carry out the execution orders?" Yoruichi finally asked, after being assured by Unohana that Rien was still alive.

"From what I understand, it was Kuchiki taichou that stabbed her through the heart," Unohana calmly replied.

"What?!" Yoruichi was enraged. "I'll kill him!" She shunpo'ed away without another word.

"I'd better stop her, before she actually does kill him," Urahara reluctantly sighed.

"Why?" Ukitake's normally, soft, light voice, was dark and heavy. His words seemed to shock everyone in the room. But, Urahara understood, and was fighting the same thought, but, he left without delay.

"She tried to save me." Unohana heard Ukitake whisper. "She did save me. She saved Ishida, and now…she's saving Byakuya." Unohana wondered how this weak, powerless, fragile girl could have saved so many people. Why she would have even bothered trying, without any power.

"If I didn't think it would hurt her when she woke, I would have already killed him by now." Ukitakes voice was still dark and heavy. "As long as she's alive, he's safe – for now, anyway," he added as an afterthought, when Urahara returned with the fuming Yoruichi.

"Technically, he hasn't done anything illegal," Shunsui said, appearing out of nowhere. Ukitake gave his best friend a dark look. "Our standing orders were to kill her on sight," Shunsui defended. "Not that I'm saying that he was right, just that he was only following orders," he added, as he saw Jyuushiro's expression turn to fury. Jyuushiro was a dangerous man when he got mad, but, Shunsui had not seen him get mad in a few hundred years now – not for anything.

"Long time, no see, Kisuke," Shunsui greeted. "Nice to have you back. Glad you finally figured out how to get out of that gigai of yours," he chuckled.

"I've always known how to, I've just never had a good enough reason to do it until now…" Urahara sighed and squeezed Yoruichi around the shoulders.

"There's a Captain's meeting about the ryoka girl this afternoon. You should shower and change before then," Ukitake's friend warmly suggested to him. Jyuushiro had hastily thrown the bare minimum shinigami outfit on, and stood in crinkled clothes and no captain's haori. "And, behave yourself…I don't want to have to fight the Captain-Commander again." Shunsui sauntered off to flirt with a beautiful nurse. "You look different, Jyuu," he added, as he walked off.

"The captain's meeting must be about the Shihouin clan's petition to overturn Central 46's decision. They have been preparing their case all morning," Yoruichi offered, as she finally sat down, resigned. "You do look different, Jyuushiro," Yoruichi noted, putting her head in her hands.

"Too well," Urahara added.

"You should be in bed after that coughing fit last night," Ishida added.

"You should get checked out, Ukitake taichou," Nanao suggested from the shadows where she had silently been reading her book. No one had noticed her arrive with Koryaku taichou.

One of the nurses who frequently fawned over Ukitake, had been listening to the conversation, and came to usher him away to be examined. Although he felt it unnecessary, at least he would still be near if anything changed with Rien. "Call me…" he added, as he was pushed into an examination room.

"I know, I know. I will," Ishida morosely replied, as he broodingly worried about Rien.

Jyuushiro returned that afternoon, after his captain's meeting, with Rukia and Renji. They could all see the weight of what Byakuya had done push down heavily on Rukia, but, she could not have forgiven herself if she stayed away. Renji also hung his head, as though he shared some part in Byakuya's actions. Renji held his arm around the silent Rukia, who leaned into him, barely able to look at Yoruichi, who still sat with her head in her hands.

"Damn Captain-Commander, he didn't think Byakuya had done anything wrong!" The now showered, changed, and sparkling Ukitake, furiously paced and rambled.

"The petition?" Yoruichi asked, finally lifting her head from her hands.

"Captain-Commander said he will respect Central 46's decision when it is made but, for now he's put a hold on all orders concerning Rien." Ukitake continued to pace, the wind catching in his haori.

"Don't wear yourself out taichou." Kiyone worried about him often, and this situation seemed like too much stress for him. It seemed like Jyuushiro had picked up a few stragglers on his way back, Urahara thought.

"I'm fine," Jyuushiro replied.

"He is," Unohana said, as she walked back into the waiting room.

"How is she?" Urahara almost jumped at her.

"She is still stable," Unohana serenely said.

"I think she is getting a little stronger," Isane hopefully added. Unohana threw her a blank look, but everyone already looked encouraged by Isane's words.

"Is she awake?" Jyuushiro asked, hopefully.

"No," she flatly replied. "Her condition is still serious."

"Ukitake taichou…" Unohana began. "How are you feeling?" she cryptically asked.

"Fine," he thoughtlessly replied.

"Mmm…All the tests we conducted on you this morning say the same thing," she added, obviously going somewhere. "Absolutely nothing's wrong with you. Nothing." She gazed at him piercingly.

"Okay, but why are we out here talking about me, when I'm obviously fine, and she's not!" He said, with anger entering his voice.

"Because you're ill, Ukitake taichou," she replied.

"Fine, but I'm not sick right now."

"No, you're not sick, at all," she corrected.

"What do you mean?" Urahara jumped in.

"Ukitake's illness, which I have been unable to cure, all these years, has mysteriously disappeared. I can't find a single trace of it. It's as though it were never there," she looked accusingly at Ukitake.

"No! S…She didn't…"Urahara began in disbelief. "She gave you the 'breath of life', didn't she?"

"I…I don't really remember. I just remember her kissing me, and it making me feel so much better," he admitted. Everything before her being stabbed was a whirlwind of incoherence for him.

"She said something to me at her party last night," Ishida began when he finished cringing. "Something about how I'd healed her hands the night before…"

Urahara turned his full attention to Ishida now. "Tell me exactly what she said to you," Urahara commanded. He was more serious than they had seen him in years.

"She said she hadn't figured it out yet, but it was something about 'a kiss freely given', and how it was going to help her with that project she had been working on." He sounded unsure as he spoke. "She was distracted at the party," he added. "But, it was worse later that night…" Ishida told them about everything, the dream, all of it …her waking up in his arms every morning for the last two weeks, her insistence that she knew she had to save Byakuya, and Byakuya's gigai that had sparked the flame.

"She was so sure he was in danger, that he had been in the real world, and that the Espada had somehow, concealed itself, followed him through the senkai and gotten into Soul Society. I couldn't get her to stop." Ishida looked broken and desperate.

"I'm sorry, Yoruichi," he added. "I tried to protect her, but…" In the end, she had protected him from Byakuya's senka. He was part of the reason she was fighting to stay alive right now, and the guilt way heavily upon him.

"She'll be fine," Yoruichi defiantly insisted. "And, when she wakes up, I'm sure she'll let me kill that Byakuya-bastard," she said, more in hope, than in belief, that Rien would actually let her do it.

It had been two weeks since Rien's hospitalisation but, she was still unconscious. At first it was touch and go, but Rien's body was stronger now. Her heart finally beat on its own today, no spells, no help, it just began to beat. But, she still did not wake. Someone was always beside her in her private hospital room, which the Shihouin elders had arranged. They would talk to her and tell her about what was happening in the world and Seireitei.

Ishida had thought that he would of at least seen a smile three days ago, when he told her the Shihouin clan's petition for the removal of all charges was accepted. They could hardly refuse a petition backed by four taichou's: Ukitake, Koryaku, Unohana, and Soi Fon (under suggestion from Yoruichi). But, there had been no smile, no change, no indication of life except her breath.

Her skin was still cold as her heart beat on its own today. Ishida held her hand within his to warm it. He thought nothing of the temperature, Rien always felt cold. Ukitake was in the room with him, looking out the window and describing the day to her. He also spent his every spare moment there, and had left Rukia and his third seats to do the bulk of the daily running of his 13th squad.

Ishida put her cold hands to his lips and breathed on them, to warm them.

"Byakuya," she smiled, her eyes still closed.

Ishida didn't care this time. She had said something, she was awake…only, she wasn't. She didn't respond to his voice. Ukitake summoned Unohana to check on her, but Rien remained unresponsive, and still unconscious. Unohana remarked that this was a promising sign, that Rien would probably awaken soon.

Rien breathed his name a few times that week, each time progressively sounding more like pain, like a nightmare from which she couldn't wake. Although Rien's body became stronger everyday, Unohana looked more worried as time passed

"You can take her home, if you'd like," Unohana gave into Yoruichi's pestering. She could not stand to have Yoruichi's constant bad mood contaminate her hospital any longer.

"Are you sure?" Yoruichi felt like she was being brushed off.

"Yes, her body is fine – thanks to all my, and the fukutaichou's, work. It's actually completely healed." Unohana could not make sense of the girl's exponential recovery this week. It had been three weeks since her injury now, and Unohana would have expected her to still be healing from the serious wound, but in this last week…she couldn't explain it.

"What do you mean her body is fine?" Yoruichi had caught the inflection in Unohana's words, and was determined to be informed about all aspects of Rien's condition.

"Well, I'm just concerned that she hasn't woken up yet. With her body being fully healed, I would have expected her to wake up by now," Unohana acknowledged.

"Should I really take her home then?" Yoruichi wondered at the logic of Unohana's suggestion.

"Yes. Her body is healed, there is nothing I can really do for her. But, as a precaution, I would not suggest leaving Seireitei. If it makes you feel better, Isane has volunteered to go with Rien, just in case."

Just in case what? Yoruichi wondered.

"Fine, I'll take her to the Shihouin manor." Yoruichi hated going to her previous home, knowing she would be poked, prodded and hounded, as the head of the Shihouin clan.

"Please inform the Shihouin elders that I place my utmost trust in Isane's abilities, and that I will personally check on Rien everyday." Unohana attempted to ward off some of the visits she knew she would get from the Shihouin elders. Unohana had a theory about what was happening with Rien, but she knew only time would allow her to test it out.

Rien had been in the Shihouin manor for four days now. For the past three weeks, Ishida and Urahara had been combing through his red box of research to figure out why Rien had not woken up yet.

Rien lay silently in her four post bed in her new room. Her every comfort was at hand, but she asked for nothing. Nothing except him, and that they could not give her. She hadn't said anything all week, not even his name. They were all becoming more worried with each passing day.

Ishida had even resorted to confiding in Inoue, and asked for her help in healing Rien. Although Inoue had tried numerous times, nothing really happened. Whatever was wrong with Rien, Inoue had been unable to reverse, even with her special power. Inoue felt helpless as she watched Ishida's agony and guilt increase daily. She tried to comfort him today, by talking about trivial things in an attempt to distract him, but Ishida was not in the mood for it today, so Inoue just kept silent and held his hand as they both kept vigil over Rien's silent, unconscious body.

Ishida yearned to hear Rien's lyrical voice again, even if all she did was call out for him. Rien had been silent for the past four days, and it had begun to drive Ishida mad with worry. Unohana's daily visits were of no help either, as the concerned look on her face deepened with every passing day.

"Just tell me," Ishida impatiently pressed Unohana about her worried look.

"I've told you everything I know Quincy," Unohana dryly replied.

"Then tell me the things you don't know. Tell me the things your guessing, tell me what the possibilities are." The intensity of his response jarred Unohana a little. She could see his desperate concern. She weighed up all her options before beginning.

"I can't be sure, but I think she's dying." Ishida staggered back in disbelief, and sat on the edge of the bed, his legs no longer willing to support his weight. It felt like he was suffocating with every breath, the increased intake of oxygen making him dizzy.

"How? Why?...Can't you do something?" He whispered.

"Her body is fine. Nothing is wrong with it, so, I can't do anything for her."

"Then how? Why is she dying if she's fine?" Suffocating desperation. Nothing was making sense anymore. He felt it was his fault. He should have protected her, he should have stopped her, been stronger, anticipated Byakuya's move. He should be the one lying in the bed, dying . Not her, just not her!

"I can't be sure," Unohana cryptically offered.

"Then guess!" he said with anger and irritation flaring in his voice.

"Because she doesn't want to live," Unohana calmly stated.

"Of course she does! She's healed, isn't she? Her body's working like it used to – of course she wants to live!" Ishida angrily protested.

"We are the ones who kept her alive, against all odds, even though her body was broken, we were the ones who did not give up on her. She is unique, there is no soul link chain to attach her soul to her body, but a body cannot exist without a soul. I can sense the quality of her soul diminish daily, her vitality slip away. But, there is nothing I can do about that."

"Her…soul?" his voice broke in the silent room.

"Do you know why I've never used that 'breath of life' spell, why it has such a high ranked level? It's not because it is difficult to perform, on the contrary, it's really very simple, even a child could perform it. It has another name, targeted at the user – its also called 'death's seduction', once all the ki is drained, if the user lives, death isolates them, and seduces them into giving up their 'spark of life'" Could Unohana taichou be right? Ishida remembered the look in her eyes when she said goodbye to Byakuya, and pushed herself off of his sword. Perhaps a more noble and honourable man would have let Rien go, told her it was okay to give in and rest – but, Ishida could not afford to be that noble, he thought.

"What do you mean she's lost her life spark?" He calculatedly began. Hope was all he could cling to, to keep him sane at the moment. "Explain it to me," cold detachment crept into his voice.

"It's just a theory healers have had for millennia." He wouldn't understand, she thought.

"Well?" He said, determined.

"It's like she's let her soul seep into the darkness of death. She hasn't completely given in yet, but death is seducing her, with its emptiness, with its lack of pain. I can feel it when I'm with her – death is peaceful for her, it calls to her, isolates her in its nothingness. There is nothing in that darkness, just her, alone, no other soul to resonate with, no soul to cause friction with which to keep her flame burning, to ignite her spark of life." Unohana saw the Quincy furiously writing notes down. How foolish, she thought. He's still struggling to save someone who doesn't want to be saved.

"How could one create this spark of life," he inquired, still absorbed in his note-taking.

"You can't create the 'spark of life'. You are just born with the will to live." Foolish boy, she thought. "She has to want to live on her own. There really is nothing you can do," she sighed. She had wracked her brain thinking of a way, but had not been able to come up with anything, he certainly would not be able to find a way.

"What if she was given the 'breath of life' by someone?" Though he sounded tentative, his expression was determined.

"Don't be foolish! You know you could never do it. It would not help her in any case – it is a healing spell, it would heal her body, but, nothing is wrong with her body," Unohana was angry that he would consider the dangerous spell after all she had told him all about it. "I'm going to tell Yoruichi-san my theory. Don't waste what little time you have left with her on foolish pursuits," she advised.

"How much time?" His voice was low and unreadable.

"At the rate she's fading, I'd guess about three days, at the most. But, none of this is science, Quincy. I could be wrong, and even if I am right about this, there is nothing that can be done." And with that, she left him to his despair.

It had been three days. Ishida had tirelessly searched for a solution but, just as he thought he may have happened upon an answer, it had failed miserably, at both attempts. Ishida had thought he and Urahara had found a possible solution in his red box of research. They had found some fragments of research about 'a kiss freely given' and the 'spark of life', but nothing substantial, nothing coherent. If it could be given away in a kiss, surely it could be ignited in one.

Since Rien seemed to have an attachment to him, he had tried, a few times, but it had failed. He had tried to heal her with his kiss as he had unwittingly once done, but it had had no effect. He had told Ukitake taichou his theory – since Rien had given him almost all her ki, maybe he would have success in giving some back to her, in reaching her in that nothingness. Although initially reluctant, Ukitake agreed eventually, wishing with all his heart that she would live, that he would not be the cause of her demise. Ukitake's kiss had had no effect on her either. She just lay there, lifelessly breathing.

Urahara argued that it worked on the principle that she would let someone enter her inner world, like the world of zanpakutos, that deep part of each of their souls that let then draw strength in times of turmoil. It is the first part of a soul to form, where a zanpakuto is born with their shinigami, the spark of life…two halves of a soul resonating to create life. He was not sure if the spell could be reversed, considering she had no zanpakuto, and they were not sure exactly what she was, but she was able to use daemon magic, and it was their best guess, and only option. But, it taken them the whole of her last day to figure out why it may have failed. Ishida felt like he was clutching at straws, but it was all they had. Rien had no more time, this was her last hour.

Author's Note

I'm sorry about this chapter. I know there is a lot of dialogue, and I could have described it more, but I wasn't really interested in that. I know that this was a long, primarily story advancing chapter, and I hope it wasn't too bad. I know that there is more story than writing in this chapter, but I hope that the next two chapters will make up for that.

Did you like the ambiguity at the beginning? Tell the truth – who did you think carried Rien to the hospital?