Chapter 13: Yuri
A soft, regular beeping sound woke Rose up from her slumber. She was completely disorientated, having no idea where she was or how she got there. All she knew was that she was lying in a warm, soft cocoon and that she ached everywhere. Slowly Rose opened her eyes and saw that she was lying in a hospital bed surrounding by machines that beeped at regular intervals. Rose groaned against the pain and frustration of being bed ridden.
"Kami you are wake!" Shouted a voice.
Rose winced against the loud noise. "Hana please…lower…your…voice." She croaked.
"Oh I am so sorry Rose. I was just so worried about you. In fact we were all so worried about."
"What?"
"Yes, you were in really bad shape. It took Captain Unohana and her Fukutaicho hours to fix you up. Captain Kyoraku was so worried. He never left your side." Said Hana while gently holding Rose's hand. Rose gave her hand a light squeeze.
"What? Where is he now?" Asked Rose while trying to sit up and gasping at the sudden pain.
"No Rose you should not move otherwise you might open your wounds!" Gasped Hana while trying to gently force Rose to lie back down. Slowly Rose sank back onto the pillow. "There. He was here for most of the night but then he left when Maya woke up. He went to talk to her but that was hours ago. But don't worry he will be back soon." Hana but on a sympathetic look and looked away from Rose.
"Why did he want to talk to Maya? What are you not telling me?" Asked Rose with a suspicious look on her face.
"Well…during your fight…you sort of…she and you…you were shouting at each other and fighting but I mean really fighting like you wanted to kill each other…it was sort of scary. I think Kyoraku Taicho is just disappointed that you both disobeyed the rules of the eight division." Mumbled Hana while trying to look anywhere but at Rose.
"Disappointed! …I tried so hard to impress him and all I managed was to disappoint him." Rose looked down at her hands.
"Oh No Rose don't say that. Knowing Shunsui we will not be upset for long. My guess is that he was only worried about you and this is how he is dealing with it all." Hana gave her friend a lose hug keeping in mind her wounds.
"Hana what else is there? Please you are one of the few people I trust. How much trouble am I in?"
"Well…the Soutaicho and the other Taicho believe that you and Maya dishonoured the fighting code of the Shinigami by turning a simply sparing match into a bar brawl. However, a few Shinigami are very impressed with your ability to use your knowledge and resources to your advantage. I mean the spider barrier kido you did was AMAZING. I think that after a few days this will blow over. But before that happens it should be best if you apologies or at least talk to Maya. It will show that you are mature and are willing to resolve this peacefully. Also Kyoraku Taicho and Ukitake Taicho will want to know how you leaned such high and powerful kido when it was reported that you were rubbish at Kido."
Rose smiled at Hana. Her optimism and forward thinking was really helpful. "Thanks Hana. You are really helpful. I just hope you are right."
Hana smiled and blushed.
"What Hana?"
"You were very brave and…I admire your courage. You defended your honour and in doing so you helped me so thank you".
Rose blushed and looked away from Hana. "Why…how?"
"By defeating Maya her two friends have stopped bullying me…they think that I have the same powers as you and so they are scared of me…it is kind of nice…but now Taicho is suspicious and sort of angry at me. Oh well at least we stopped them. You should have seen their faces when you told Maya that it was us pranking her. It was priceless." Hana smiled.
Rose laughed and then gasped clutching at her side. "Rose!" cried Hana with worry.
"Sorry I am still in a lot of pain."
"Why did you not tell me earlier!? I will go get someone to give you more pain medicine". Hana jumped up and walked out. Rose sighed and flinched. She ached everywhere. She had secretly hoped that defeating Maya in front of the entire Seireitei would win her respect and love. But sadly she only achieved disappointment.
A few minutes later Hana returned with a member of the fourth squad. "Rose Bentley I have more pain medication for you."
"Ok thank you" moaned Rose.
She watch as the doctor filled up her IV and soon enough she found herself falling back to sleep.
"Hana…could you do me a favour? Could you please find out where my Zanpakuto is? And also could you go back to my quarters and collect my laptop, notes and books…please?" Mumbled Rose, her voice full of sleep
"Of course, sleep now Rose. Everything will be alright." Said Hana while holding Rose's hand. Rose smiled weakly before slipping into sleep.
The next time Rose woke up it was pitched black in the room with the only light coming from the small crack between the door and the floor in the far left corner. The room was also deathly silent which led Rose to believe that she was alone in the room. Had Shunsui been too disgusted in her actions that he now refused to see her? Rose had hoped to impress everyone with her powers and prove once and for all that she deserved her abilities. But is seemed that all she had achieved was scorn and disgust. Rose exhaled deeply, it seemed that whenever she tried to impress anybody it came back to smack her in the face. Maybe she should just stop her training altogether and wait patiently for Master to be caught and then return to London and her baking, leaving behind her life here. It was not like she had much of a life to begin with so she would not lose much. Her life consisted of eating, training for a job that she did not want to do, listening to people saying that she was terrible at the job that she did not want to do, be carted around by Shunsui and sleep. It was monotonous and boring, unlike the life she had back in London where every day was different. But then again she had Hana and Shunsui here, two people she could not live without.
"You also have me."
"Midnight Dancer! You're there…are you ok?"
Midnight dancer chuckled in Rose's mind. "I should be asking you that question Rose."
"Well I am alive…but I ache everywhere." Gingerly Rose rolled over and turned on the light on her bedside table. On the small table in front of her bed sat her laptop, books and notes but her Zanpakuto was missing.
"Midnight Dancer…where are you?" Asked Rose.
"I am in Shunsui's hands…under a Kido Barrier…a few door down from where you are lying"
"Kido barrier?"
"When you fell unconscious after your battle with Maya, which I must say you fought brilliantly in, you were taken to the Fourth to be healed. Shunsui…or was it Hana who carried me along behind you and kept me secure while you were being tended to. Actually it was Shunsui who carried me because I met his Zanpakuto. A very arrogant and rude pair I must say."
"Wait you can see into people's inner world and I can't….why is that?"
"You can see their inner world…just only the section that house their dreams and nightmares. As a Zanpakuto I am free to travel to anybody's inner world so long as they are within the range of my reiatsu. You on the other hand do not have that ability. However, it is possible for two Shinigami to be able to see and converse with each other's Zanpakuto and enter each other's inner world only if they share a very close bond. It is very rare but not unheard off. But now we are going off topic. As I was saying Shunsui was taking care of me and then when you are healed I was left by your side. The next thing I knew they were poking and prodding you… they were trying to take samples for…experimentation."
"WHAT?!" screamed Rose in her head. Anger, betrayal and fear spread through her veins like a poison. They had experimented on her while she was asleep. The NERVE of them! Shunsui had promised that he would protect her against this. Had his words been lies? Rose had never felt more betrayed in her life. The emotional pain she was feeling now hurt more than the physical pain she suffering from.
"I know Rose I feel your anger so I tried to protect you. But then a kido barrier was placed around me so I could no longer protect you…I am sorry, I failed as a Zanpakuto. I was unable to protect you. However I did attack several members of the Fourth and Twelfth division before they placed me in this kido barrier."
"It was not your fault Midnight Dancer, I forgive you. Please tell me what they did to me." Rose looked over her body and saw that there were several small plasters lining her arms from where needles had entered her body. The sight of the needle marks were a sickening reminder from the past.
"Blood and reiatsu." Replied Midnight Dancer.
"Do you know the results?" Asked Rose.
"No but try your charts…they usually have your results there."
Rose slowly leaned forwards and grabbed the clip board at the end of her bed and stared down at her chart. The first few pages she skipped through because they talked about her reiatsu and she could not make heads or tails out of it. The next few pages were easier to understand.
Physical report
The patients X-rays were clear meaning that no bones were broken during her fight. However the x-rays did show:
Several ribs that had been broken and had not healed properly- most likely from previous abuse.
Weak teeth and gums-most likely from long term drug use.
The patients MRI scan is clean of internal bleeding. However the MRI scan did show:
Damage to the kidney and lungs.
Shrunken stomach
The patient's blood work is clear of any toxins.
Note: Patient has several collapsed veins on her back.
Vaginal examination of the patient showed that she has sever scars lining her uterus. As a result the patient is now infertile.
Treatment
Re-breaking the patients rib bones and then healing them correctly.
More tests on lungs and kidneys
Food to increase size of the stomach.
Rose put down the clip board and exhaled. She knew that her body was a mess, she had seen a report similar to this in the police station after she was released from Master's prison. It was not that she was in denial about the long term effects of being in Master's control, she just did not like to think about it. Thinking about it brought the memories and nightmares and Rose did not want to experience those again. A tear slid down Rose's cheek and fell on the report, causing a few words to smudge. She felt numb and cold, the words of the report permanently printed in her mind. Rose knew on some level that she was infertile as she very rarely had her period but seeing it written on a report made it real. And the reality made Rose feel ashamed. She could never have children a feat that would surely make her an undesirable wife in the future.
"Rose…please stop crying" Whispered Midnight Dancer.
Rose burst into tears, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them with her arms. Could this day get any worse? She found out that people she had trusted experimented on when she told them not to, she could never carry children, everybody hated her for the way she acted during her fight with Maya, and worst of all Shunsui hated her. How much crap can one girl take?
Rose lost track of how long she stayed like that but the sound of approaching footsteps made her bring her head up and stare at the door. Rose quickly turned her bedside light off and snuggled down under her covers and closed her eyes as she did not want to talk to anybody at the moment.
A few seconds later the door to Rose's room opened, bathing the room in light from the corridor outside. The door was then closed silently and then the chair next to Roses bed protested as whoever had entered the room as down. But the identity of the person was not unknown to Rose and neither was his scent. Shunsui's scent filled her nostrils and immediately started to relax her.
"I know that you are wake." Whispered Shunsui in a tone that suggested that he was not in the mood for any tricks.
Rose slowly stretched out her arm and turned on the light on her bedside table, once again bathing the room in semi-light. Gingerly she sat up and stared at Shunsui, who was sitting on the chair, with red blotchy eyes and tear stains on her face. Shunsui hard expression softened slightly when he saw that Rose had been crying.
Silently the two of them stared at each other, unable to come up with words to fill the silent void. Suddenly Rose was angry again. Why had he come if he was not going to talk to her? And why was he looking at her like she had committed some heinous crime? He had allowed experiments to be performed on her after having promised that nothing of the sort would occur. And now he was angry at her, the nerve of him! Rose glared at Shunsui and watched with mild satisfaction as confusion spread across his face.
"What?" Asked Shunsui with a hint of irritation in his voice. Rose continued to glare at him, unable to know where to start. She was angry at Shunsui for betraying her, angry at the people who experimented on her and upset about reading her report.
"Why are you glaring at me Rose?" Sighed Shunsui. Wordlessly and full of anger, Rose threw her medical report at Shunsui with all her might and watches as it pathetically fluttered to the floor a few feet away from her. Shunsui looked at Rose and then down at the report on the floor before exhaling and moving to pick up the report.
"I can't believe you would do such a thing." Whispered Rose, unable to say her words louder as she was so angry.
Shunsui looked at Rose. "Rose-."
"-No I don't want to hear it." Said Rose while looking away from Shunsui.
"Please liste-."
"No."
"Listen-"
"No."
"LISTEN TO ME!" Shouted Shunsui. The room when quiet, the only sound coming from Shunsui crackling reiatsu. Never before had Shunsui shouted at Rose. Shunsui took several deep breaths, trying to calm his frustrated nerves. On the bed Rose curled up in tight ball, ignoring the pain this position caused, and buried her head.
"Yama-jii ordered the Fourth and Twelfth division collect samples from you for experimentation…and for me to not get in the way. However, as you are currently staying in my division it is my duty as Taicho of that division to protect you. Which means that every experiment that the Fourth and the twelfth wanted to conduct had to be approved by me. Most of the 'samples' and 'experiments' conducted were standard procedure, such as x-rays. I am sorry that you had to experience this. Please understand that I did not support Yama-jii's decision and that he had no right to go behind your back and do this." Said Shunsui in an event tone. On the bed Rose curled into a tighter ball and still said nothing. Shunsui stood up and moved towards the bed and sat down on the edge. He uncrossed his arms and gently placed one of them on Rose shoulder in a comforting manner.
"Now that we have that out of the way I came here to talk to you. We are going to sit down and have a long talk and you are going to tell me exactly how you learnt to cast just complicated Kido and achieve Shikai without telling me."
Rose didn't make any movement so Shunsui gently picked her up and placed her in his lap. Fresh tears fell from Rose's eyes and ran slowly down her cheek, a sigh which made Shunsui's heart constrict.
"Rose…please tell me what is wrong." Asked Shunsui is a calm, gentle voice that could rival Ukitake's.
"I-I'm so sorry Shunsui." sobbed Rose quietly.
"What for?"
"For, for thinking that you betrayed my trust by allowing people to take samples from me for experimentation, for not telling you about achieving Shikai, for breaking the rules of the eighth division while fighting Lady Koru and for starting a bar brawl while fighting Lady koru thus disgracing the Shinigami. And. And. And. And." Sobbed Rose, getting more and more hysterical.
"Stop." Said Shunsui in a firm voice to make Rose stop panicking. "Now, let's take it one at the time. You are sorry because you thought that I betrayed your trust?" Rose nodded. "That is understandable Rose. I mean you woke up and discovered that people had taken samples from you without asking you permission. And without me there to reassure you it is normal that you thought that I betrayed you. Nut please remember that I will never betray you."
"But, but we are friends and…more…someone like that should trust their partner without doubting them, yet all I seem to do is doubt you." Whispered Rose, her tears having stopped.
"Trust will come over time. Another form of trust is trusting your superior with information concerning your shikai. Why did you not tell me you had achieved Shikai?"
Rose blushed slightly and looked away. Shunsui smiled, he loved it when Rose blushed. "I don't know why I did not tell you. I guess that I was so busy trying to control it that I forgot to tell you. I think I also wanted to keep it as a surprise and so everybody that I am capable of being a Shinigami." Rose was mortified for telling Shunsui this but the situation called for her to start telling him everything.
Shunsui nodded slowly. "Why did you want to impress people?"
Rose looked at Shunsui with an expression that screamed 'are you serious.' "Because every day I have to listen to people saying that I will never be a Shinigami and that I am a useless waste of space. I just wanted to show everybody that I am just as good as them."
"And so you did that by learning forgotten Kido and unleashing a Shikai that you reportedly did not have?"
"Yes."
"Well everybody is sort of impressed with you. You did defeat a seated officer after only a few weeks of training. Am I correct in assuming that it was Hana who taught you the kido?"
"Not really. I read about the Spider Barrier in a history book about the Gotei 13 and thankfully the book also had its incantation so I learnt it. But I found it too difficult to control so Hana taught me how to mix kido spells together." Explained Rose.
"How high a kido can you cast?" asked Shunsui.
"Not that high, about a number thirty Bakudo and Hado spell. However, I can't seem to remember the incantations so I have to write them down on my wrist."
"So that is why you removed you sleeves. I was wondering my you did that."
Rose blushed. "Well I had to remember the spells somehow…and it says nothing in the eighth division rules that I am not allowed to bring notes into a sparring match."
Shunsui laughed. "You are right about that."
Rose laughed lightly and then stopped. "Shunsui I am sorry for the way I behaved during the match. I was just so angry at lady Koru for the way she has been treating me. I should not have said the things I said and I should not have acted the way I had. Please accept my apology and punish me anyway you feel fit as I disgraced you and your division." Rose bowed her head at Shunsui.
Shunsui was silent for a moment. "Yare Rose watching you fight was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Watching you in pain and knowing that there was nothing that I could do to help you was difficult. That aside you did behave questionably and I do forgive you but you really should be saying this to Maya. I have talked to her about it and told her that she also should apologise for you for the way she acted. Now please let us end this useless confrontation. Now about your punishment…how about a spanking?"
Rose light hit Shunsui on the shoulder. "Hitting your superior officer is a crime that merits punishment." Joked Shunsui.
"Yes but I don't think your superiors would approve of you spanking your subordinates when they misbehave." Laughed Rose. And now everything between them was ok.
Rose snuggled into Shunsui chest more. "Was it really that hard watching me fighting?"
"Yes…almost as hard as watching Nanao pour my sake down the sink." Said Shunsui.
"Really…that hard?"
"Yes."
Rose laughed which was then followed by Shunsui deep baritone laugh that vibrated across his chest. It was a sound Rose adored and she would have loved to hear more but then she yawned loudly.
"You're tired." Stated Shunsui.
"No I'm not." Said Rose. Even she knew it was a terrible lie.
Shunsui smiled and gently lay Rose out on her bed. Rose snuggled down under the covers. "Will you be here when I wake up?"
"Yes I will…unless something comes up." Shunsui ran his hand along Rose's cheek. Rose tilted her head and kissed Shunsui's hand.
"Goodnight Shunsui."
"Goodnight Rose."
When Rose woke up the next day she saw Shunsui leaning back on the chair next to her bed and staring out the window.
"Hi." Whispered Rose.
Shunsui looked down at Rose and smiled a wide smile before moving to sit on the bed next to her. "Good morning precious, how are you?"
"Fine."
Shunsui picked up one of Rose's hands in his before bringing it up to his lips and kissing it. "I have a proposition for you Rose." Saud Shunsui while caressing Rose's hand with his cheek.
"What is it?"
"Well firstly you passed the 'exam' as you have come to call it. Many of the Taicho's present during your fight were impressed by your skills considering that you had only been training for a few weeks. However, You are still lacking in important skills. So I talked with Yama-jii and it was decided that you should continue your training and that your progress should be monitored. You have the potential to be a very powerful Shinigami, however you need to learn how to control your reiatsu otherwise we cannot allow you to return to the world of the living. If you return to the world of the living without having at least achieved a basic level of training you will be putting yourself and your friends at risk. I have decided that you will continue your Kido lessons with Nanao…and that I will train you in Zanjutsu." Rose beamed an The idea of having Shunsui training her was both daunting and exciting. She had heard from Hana that Shunsui was a zanjutsu master and his skills were beyond impressive. "I also no longer want you sneaking off to train with Hana. You were lucky that the experimental kido you were playing with did not backfire and kill you. I am not saying that you cannot experiment with Kido, just wait until you have learned the basics. You are more that welcome to train with Hana, but no longer in secret."
Rose beamed at Shunsui. "You seem happy Rose." Smiled Shunsui.
"I am happy…and a little nervous." Admitted Rose.
"There is nothing to be nervous about. I won't go too hard on you to begin with." Reassured Shunsui with a smile worth a million bucks. Rose felt her heart flutter. Shunsui chuckled. That damn bastard knew how his good looks were affecting her…and enjoying it! Rose blushed and looked away. His eyes were too intense for her.
"Your blush is enchanting Rose. I love making you blush." Whispered Shunsui right next to Rose's ear making her shiver. She turned her head and gently kissed Shunsui on the lips. The kiss was slow and bittersweet. Shunsui cupped her cheek and gently ran his tongue across her lips, begging entrance. Rose opened her mouth and allowed Shunsui entrance, to which he happily took advantage of. Rose moaned as Shunsui talented tongue danced with hers, a slow and sensual dance that made fire coarse through her body. Her fingers laced in his hair and tugged gently, making him moan. Suddenly the nature of the kiss changed becoming more desperate and passionate. Shunsui's tongue plundered Rose mouth like she was an exotic fruit, making her moan and gasp. The fire in Rose's body reached new heights as the need burned within her. It was intoxicating and heavenly. The two paused their enamoured kiss and breathed heavily. Rose noted how lustful Shunsui eye's had become, it made her heart stop. She licked her lips and then captured Shunsui's again. The room was filled yet again with passionate moans, groans and sharp intake of breath as the two nibbled, sucked and plundered the other's mouth. The two were so engrossed in their passionate encounter that they did not notice Ukitake open the door and pause for a moment before silently closing the door. Whatever he wanted would have to wait as his friend was currently busy at the moment.
"I don't know what you've done to me woman. But I have never felt this way." Panted Shunsui as the two broke apart.
Rose's heart skipped when Shunsui uttered the word woman. It was oddly sexy hearing Shunsui address her in such a degrading word. "Well that is good to hear that Shunsui. I like knowing what effect I have on you."
Shunsui smiled his crooked smile. "You are the only woman Rose. You make me feel alive. It is refreshing being around you. The other girl pale in comparison to you…I think I am falling for you Rose…and falling hard."
Rose gasped and blushed a shocking shade of red. It was hard to believe the effect she had on a man like Shunsui.
"Would now be the right time to ask a favour from you Shunsui?" Said Rose
"You know that I could never deny you anything."
"Ok…well…you see I have a very important exam, well four exams in a few days and I was wondering if I could go back to London to sit them. They are over two days so I would only be gone for two, three days." Explained Rose while looking at Shunsui.
Her heart sank slight when Shunsui sighed. "I don't know if I can grant you that. We brought you here for your own protection and we might jeopardize that if we allow you to return."
Rose pouted. "Please Shunsui, this means so much to me. Please…and you guys sort of owe me."
"How so?"
"The Twelfth and Fourth experimented on me even though I did not give them permission to and it was agree in the terms of my arrival here that I could veto any decision to experiment on me. You guys owe me this…as compensation."
Shunsui smiled. "Cleaver as always…I will talk to Yama-jii but I cannot guarantee you anything."
Rose squealed, flung her arms around Shunsui neck and then kissed him. "Thank you!"
Shunsui chuckled. "Anything for you."
It was midday and Rose was feeling very bored. Ukitake had turned up a few hours ago (albeit with a bit of a blush on his face) and had whisked Shunsui away. However, before Ukitake and Shunsui had left, Rose overheard their brief conversation just outside of her hospital room door. She heard that Ukitake had been to visit the small girl who had been found by the second division in Kurosawa's abandoned lab and that it was now believed that Shadow Crawler was working alongside Kurosawa. Rose also learnt that the girl was not talking to anybody and just stared blankly out the window all day, in an almost catatonic state.
Rose knew what she had to do. Rolling over in her bed, she pressed the button on her bedside table which summoned a nurse to her room. It was her lucky day as it was Hanataro who answered her summon.
"Hi Rose what seems to be the trouble?"
"Hanataro I need you to take me to see the girl the second division found in Kurosawa's lab." Said Rose with a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Rose I don't think I can do that. Unohana Taicho says that you must stay in bed because you are too weak to walk around."
"Hanataro I might be the only person able to talk to the girl. She and I…went through similar things in our past and I think that I might be able to talk to her. I could make her realise that she is not alone." Rose started to steadily climb out of bed. Her wounds were still a bit sore but at least she could move.
"I don't know Rose. I could get into so much trouble."
"Hanataro please, this is not about you and me but about a scared little girl. I can reach out to her. Just let me try at least. I only need a few minutes. You can get me there and back before anybody realises that I am missing. And if we are caught I will take all the blame."
Hanataro was silent for a minute. He knew that Rose must be desperate if she was willing to face Unohana's anger (because she must be) on her own. But somewhere deep inside him he knew that Rose was right. Nearly every Taicho and Fukutaicho had tried to talk to the girl and had failed. Maybe Rose would be successful? He did not know what Rose or the girl could have in common but if Rose was determined to talk to the girl he really had no reason to stop her. He really hoped that Unohana would not punish him too severely.
"Ok Rose, I will do this but I can only let you in for a limited amount of time. Let me help you up." Hanataro helped Rose stand and then the two of them exited the room. However
The long term patients' ward in the fourth division was much more homely than any other section of the hospital. There were sofas and tasteful paintings on the walls, in fact the whole décor reminded Rose of a living room. Hanataro led Rose to the door at the end of the corridor and opened the door.
"Erm…hello…erm…I brought you a visitor" mumbled Hanataro to the occupant of the room. Rose slowly walked in and saw a small girl sitting upright in a large and comfortable looking bed. The girl had light blue wavy hair that was tied back in a messy ponytail at the bottom of her head. She had bright hazel eyes and a light dusting of freckles on her cheeks. The girl was also ghostly pale and very thin with dark bruises covering her neck and the part of her upper chest that had fallen free from her gown. The girl turned slightly and stared at Rose with empty eyes.
Rose turned towards Hanataro. "She refuses to be touches by anybody. We had to sedate her before we could perform any healing kido on her. She also does not eat or sleep. She just sit there and stares out the window". Explained Hanataro.
"She was just like me all those years ago" mumbled Rose to herself.
"Excuse me Rose?" Questioned Hanataro with a confused look on his face.
"Hanataro could you please leave us alone? I know that this may be a lot to ask of you but I really think that I can help this child. I know that you are in charge of me while I am here so you can tell your superior that I bullied you into doing this for me." Asked Rose while turning to face the girl.
"Erm…well…ok…but…fine" mumbled Hanataro before turning round and closing the door to the girls room.
Rose waited until she heard the sound of the door click behind her before she walked further into the room. The girl gave her a guarded look and grabbed hold of the bed sheets until her knuckles turned white.
"Hi…I am not going to hurt you I just want to speak with you if that is ok?" Asked Rose in a calm tone. The girl did not answer but she released her grip on her sheets.
Rose paused and then lifted the hem of her hospital robe and showed the girl the mark on her upper right thigh. "You see I was a former captive of Master. In fact I was the most important captive Master had so he would use me in most of his experiments. I was six when he captured me and I was fifteen when I escaped, well…when I killed him". Rose lowered her hem and looked at the girl. She was staring at Rose with large eyes. "You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want you. I have not come here to interrogate you. I already know what you went through. I just thought that maybe you would want a friend, or at least someone to keep you company."
Slowly the girl shifted in her bed, allowing space for Rose to come and sit down. With a smile Rose sat down on the bed and faced the girl. There was silence between them.
"Do you have a name?" Asked Rose, "I don't know what to call you and I think saying 'you' all the time would be rude." The girl blinked and stared at Rose and then shook her head. "You don't have a name?" Asked Rose, a little shocked by the news. The girl nodded. There was a pause between them. "Would you like me to give you a name?" Continued Rose who then chuckled slightly at the girl's enthusiastic nod. The girl was really sweet thought Rose while smiling at the girl.
There was another pause between them in which Rose thought of a good name for the girl. "How about Lily, or as the Japanese would say Yuri?" Asked Rose. The girl nodded her head. "Oh so you like the name Yuri? Ok then I will call you Yuri and you may call me Rose…Funny we are both named after flowers." Laughed Rose. Yuri beamed and snuggled closer to Rose. Rose smiled, getting through to Yuri was easier then she had previously expected. But then again they had been through the same trauma together. The two of them sat there in comfortable silence watching the world outside the window slowly pass by.
"He hurt me". Whispered Yuri. Rose looked down and saw that Yuri was crying. "He would h-hit me and th-th-then t-touch me in p-places. I was worthless in his eyes."
Rose looked at Yuri with sympathetic eyes. "I know it hurts Yuri and I know that you are confused. I went through exactly the same thing as you. But it does get better. It won't stop hurting, but after a while the pain will dim. Trust me". Yuki climbed into Rose's lap and snuggled closer to her chest, surprising Rose in the process. Rose wrapped her arms around Yuri and held her close. In reality the two of them were the only people each of them had. The only people who could truly understand each other.
"Your safe now Yuri…nobody will hurt you…I promise that I will do everything in my power to protect you." Whispered Rose with tears in her eyes.
"Th-Thank you Rose. "Sobbed Yuri. The two of them stayed like that for a very long time.
Rose looked out the window, tears lightly falling down her cheek. She hated that Yuri had gone through the same things she had all those years ago. Yuri was so young and so innocent. She must be feeling very confused and alone a thought that Made Rose even sadder. No girl should even have to experience what Rose and Yuri went through.
Shunsui, Ukitake and Unohana walked into Rose's hospital room and froze at the sight of the empty bed.
"Where is she?" cried Shunsui.
"I don't know but she can't have gotten far with her injuries." Said Unohana while turning to a passing member of her division. "Could you tell me where Rose Bentley walked off to? She is in no condition to be walking around."
"I saw her walking off with Hanataro. I assumed he was taking her for a procedure." Unohana turned back to the gentlemen in Rose's room and sighed. "It seems that Rose Bentley has walked off with Hanataro."
Shunsui closed his eyes and reached out to Rose with his Reiatsu. "She is in the north wing on the second floor." He said through gritted teeth. He was frustrated that Rose would get up and walk away in her current condition.
"Calm down Shunsui." said Ukitake while resting a hand on Shunsui back.
"The north wing is the long term patient ward…she must have gone to visit the girl." Explained Unohana in her calm tone. But Shunsui and Ukitake were not fooled but it. They could hear the underlying anger in her tone. The three of them left the room and hurried to the north ward.
Hanataro was sitting on a bench outside Yuri's ward when he saw the three Taicho's approach. All of them had angry looks on their faces. Hanataro gulped and quickly ran and knocked on the door to Yuri's room.
"I don't want to bother you Rose but…we got discovered." He called through the door.
Rose heard Hanataro words and froze. She could feel Shunsui's frustrated and angry Reiatsu approach and it made her shudder. Yuki squeaked and tried to burry herself further into Rose's embrace.
"It's ok Yuri I won't let them hurt you." That is if I am still alive to save you she added in an afterthought.
The door to the room burst open and in marched and angry Shunsui, followed by a frustrated looking Ukitake and a calm Unohana bringing up the rear. All three of them froze when they saw the image in front of them. There was Rose sitting on the bed hugging the girl to her chest.
"I thought that I could reach out her to….and I guess I did." Explained Rose with a guilty look on her face.
The anger of Shunsui's face disappeared in an instant. He could see the traces of red around Rose's eyes and guessed that she had been crying. "I am sorry for not informing you of my departure. I am sorry if I caused you all panic. But I just wanted to speak to Yuri." Continued Rose with a slight sniff. Shunsui looked over at Ukitake and saw that he had slightly shocked look on his face.
"Well that it very thoughtful of you Rose Bentley but you still should not have gone without permission. I would suggest that you leave and come back when you are completely healed." Suggested Unohana, who then proceeded to stare at Rose with her heart wrenchingly terrifying stare.
Rose gulped and slowly started to climb out of the bed, but she was stopped by Yuri. "NO! Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!" Yuri then latched onto Rose's gown and clung to it with all her might. Rose looked around and gave Unohana a helpless look.
"Unohana-sensei would separating them be a good idea? Rose is the only person this girl seems to trust. Maybe it would do her some good to stay in the presence of someone she trusts. I mean none of us have succeeded in reaching out to the girl." Suggested Ukitake while looking at Unohana.
"I know Ukitake but Rose is simply too injured to be moving around."
"What if she did not have to move?"
"What are you thinking Shunsui?" Asked Ukitake with a raised eyebrow.
"Well what if we moved this girl to Rose's room. The two of them would be able to stay together and Rose would not have to move to see the girl." Answered Shunsui.
"Hmmm we could do that. Does that suit you Rose?" Asked Unohana after pondering Shunsui's words.
"Yes that would be ok….does this suit you Yuri?" the little girl nodded her head.
"Well I guess we will have to make arrangements for a new bed to be brought into Rose's room. This will take time. In the meantime, Rose you have been scheduled for another treatment. This will last about an hour and by the time you get back the girl would have been moved to your room." Said Unohana.
Rose nodded her head and then looked down at the Yuri who also nodded her head. With help from Shunsui, Rose climbed out of the bed and walked slowly to the door.
"Wait!" cried Yuri. Rose, Shunsui, Ukitake and Unohana stopped and stared at the girl. "There is something important I have to say…a warning."
Shunsui's face darkened and he looked at Yuri with serious eyes. "What kind of warning?"
Yuri gulped and looked away from Shunsui. "It is ok…you can tell us we will not hurt you." Said Ukitake in a calm and sympathetic tone.
Yuri gulped. "Before Master's lab was discovered I was…I was in the main lab…and I overheard Master talking to somebody. I don't know who he was but he had a black cloak. They were talking about you…Rose. Master wants to capture you, torture you and then kill you. He wants revenge against the Soul Society for what they did to him, and he also wants revenge against you Rose for killing him. He will not stop before you are killed. Please Rose understand that you are in danger. Master is a cruel monster."
Shunsui's face turned murderous at Yuri's words while Rose just looked pale. "Little Girl…Yuri was your name right? The Seireitei is the most secure place for Rose to be in right now. Nobody can get to her without first being spotted by us." Said Ukitake with a smile on his face. But the smile did not reach his eyes and like Shunsui he was out for blood.
"No you don't understand." Wailed Yuri. "Master had an item…I don't know what it was. But it was an item stolen from the department of research and development. This item was brought to Master a few days ago. He-He has already infiltrated the Seireitei!"
There was an all-round gasp at Yuri's words. Shunsui wrapped a protective arm around Rose and then turned to Ukitake. "Yama-jii should be informed of this. I am going to contact the Twelfth division and ask for confirmation that something is missing."
Ukitake nodded and then turned to leave. Rose waved goodbye to Yuri and then allowed Shunsui to lead her out of the room. She felt numb and cold after Yuri's words. Fear crawled up her spin and made her shiver. Shunsui pulled Rose closer to his side. "It is ok darling Rose I will let nothing happen to you. It is going to be alright."
Rose looked up at Shunsui and he smile a weak smile that did not reach his eyes. He was not scared like she was, he was furious. His usual brown and joyous eyes were dark and murderous. His face, which used to be happy, was dark and seemed sharper, more angular. Rose knew that this was no longer the happy Shunsui, but the warrior Shunsui, one that was known all across the Soul Society as a master swordsman and a very dangerous person.
Rose gently grabbed Shunsui's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "It is ok Shunsui." Shunsui stopped and leaned down at her. "I know Rose. In the meantime you are going back to your hospital room and when you get out you are moving into my quarters so that I can protect you."
Rose smiled and laughed. "What?" asked Shunsui.
"Nothing it is just that I have never had a sleep over before."
Sorry that I am late in updating this. I have been very busy and I could not find the time to edit this chapter. I also did not like this chapter very much so I spent a long time re-writing it. I am still not too happy with it. There some things that I wanted to include but then realised that I could not.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)