SPOILER: Click to show

Spoiler
This thread takes place sometime after the event threads here and here. Also, sorry for the shittyness, but I've BSoD'd twice already and had a glorious failfox interaction, so I am taking no chances at losing this another x.x.

Sometime after that odd adventure just outside the walls of the city, Mai once again found herself in the throes of chaos as she ushered more wounded toward the infirmary; she had opted to head back in the first group to prepare for the chaos that would inevitably follow. Fortunately, the majority of the wounded were not as severe as her first experience, and most were triaged out within minutes of their arrival. Several shinigami had not escaped serious injury, however, and it was these few to whom she attended.

After her arrival, as she had not seen him leave the field before she had, Mai put in a request from the front office staff to send Harupia Taichou her way, or if he was otherwise engaged, to send a runner for her so that she may assist him; the last several weeks had seen the pair working together, moreso since her recent promotion...something she was still immensely proud of, despite the unhappy circumstances that had prompted it. The young Tanaka had not seen her father, either, and while she did not wholly doubt his abilities, she had concerns for his growing age -- she all too vividly recalled his falling in battle months prior right before her very eyes. That was just what she needed now, on her plate, wasn't it?

Wearily, she drew the back of her hand across her bow, wiping the small accumulation of sweat from its threatening track toward her eyes as she focused on her current patient. "Be still," she said sharply, exhaustion dictating her tone. "It's nothing to fidget over." The flow of her Chiyudou did not lessen as the man beneath her fingers ceased in his motions. Eventually, the gash closed and she sent him out, taking a small, much-needed break, before the next in the never-ending cycle.

SPOILER: Click to show

Because the character Tanaka Mai is already in a present thread here, and in deference to the posting issues had getting this thread begun, this current thread will be locked until Come a Cropper has been ended and graded, at which time it may be unlocked.

Silly bear, messing me up. My bad!

[bgcolor=000000]He didn't know how he got here, or there? He was confused and soaking wet, his hands in agony. Blinking, he looked around and saw he was lying on the flat of his back looking up at the ceiling, or a ceiling rather. He didn't know where he was at first. The last thing he remembered was calling for Aya and tipping toward the stream, had he fallen in that would explain the reason he felt as if he had been out in a rain storm for far too long.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breathe, the smells of the room filling his nose. He was back in the Second Division, he groaned. I'm really going to have to stop getting hurt every time I leave the walls of the city. He shook his head and looked around, he was alone his hands red and sore but the bleeding appeared to have stopped. Wait, why was he alone? He tried to sit up, but out of habit attempted to push himself up with his hands, he hollered out in pain. Okay, bad idea.

Looking about the room again he frowned. He couldn't imagine why he was in a room by his lonesome, was he the only one injured in the attack? He doubted it, but if it were true how terribly embarrassing. He had things to do, he couldn't afford lying here unable to use his hands all day.

"Hello!" He called out, looking at the door, which was slightly ajar. "Is anyone there?"

The frantic Second Division member paced. The Soutaichou, gone down on her watch! To think of the shame she'd endured, knowing she should have been filling her role as a medic when instead she'd been fighting. Her hands shook with excitement, however, as she recalled the feeling of her blade biting into hollow flesh. It had been one of the few times she'd even fought anything save for initial weapons training. Of course, what scared Nakao Aya was not that she had been very good at combat. She honestly wasn't skillful nor could she keep it up for very long.

What scared her was that she had liked it.

The sounds of reality slowly called her back. She was vaguely aware of the Soutaichou's calls, and vaguely she knew that his daughter was nearby. Aya had purposefully avoided the younger Tanaka Mai mostly out of shame for their interaction some years prior, though with the Soutaichou, her father, in their wards, Aya could not help but ensure something was said to the younger member. Aya had been the one to bear the Soutaichou back to the division. He had called her name specifically. How could the obedient shinigami refuse the call?

A knock had been made on the door where Mai worked, and Aya had worked out a hesitant squeak, "Um... M-mai? T-tanaka Mai? Can you sp-spare a minute? It's... it's important."

And then Aya turned and made as if to guide the younger girl to another room where the Soutaichou lay. She slid the door open and leaned into the room. "S-s-soutaichou! You're awake," Aya exclaimed, fumbling about in her robes for supplies with which to tend to his injuries.

"I-I'm afraid I can only do so much, my-myself, for your wounds... I'm n-not a very good medic..." she stammered, moving to tend to the Soutaichou's wounds. She knew well that Mai would be better suited to such activities. "I'm just... I just fill out forms, mostly," she said, trying hard not to imply that she wanted anything more than that, even though she did.

Few things were 'inevitable' in this world. Sunrise, and the accompanying set; autumn winds, certainly. And as inevitable as the thick black clouds far on the horizon's approach, Kiba plodded toward the Second Division, a very certain Lieutenant's Badge clutched tightly in his right fist, the box it had bound up tucked into his Shihakushou. From atop the wall, Kiba had seen the Soutaicho guided into Seireitei, and could well guess where they had guided him. Now he was following, head slouched low; without his usual energy he pushed open the doors of the Second, without pause he moved forward. The room the Soutaicho would be put into was always the same, the perk of an elevated rank, Kiba supposed.

Kiba's Haori clung to his body like a tired, wounded old friend, though Kiba himself bore no physical wounds aside, perhaps, from raw hands thanks to the stones he had cast. As he made his way into the room, full as he'd expected, a Second Division member of no rank Kiba could identify was giving a meek, frightened explanation to the Soutaicho, but Kiba couldn't well hear it. Explanations, he desired from only one mouth - what others had to say, he was deaf to.

"Give us a moment. Taicho's business." Kiba barked hoarsely, quite likely widely overstepping his bounds - but Malik was in no obvious level of pain, and certainly not in any need of intensive emergency care. Probably things would stay that way. Probably.

The Taichou wouldn't pause and see if his request was followed through on, wouldn't wait for any affirmative or an agreement. Instead, he would move to the first seat he could beside the Soutaicho's bed, and toss onto the man's body the scratched Fukutaicho badge that had been delivered to him.

"She was in the Rukon. She wasn't made aware of the incoming Hollow attack. I know she wasn't because I watched, hard, and no groups went out to warn the people of the Hollow. A warning you said you'd be sending out. I told you if you couldn't do it, to find me. I warned you, and you failed to send the warning out, and now she's dead. Your reason?"

Very clearly, Kiba was distraught. His faced was red and streaked, and he was tired - the watch had been very long, the fight had been hungry for adrenaline. And his sorrow was absolute. The Soutaicho was a wise man - he would have to know well what these symbols would portend, what the message Kiba's body language was screaming out meant. These were dark days indeed.

Harupia was...lagging behind a bit his other medical staff. He did not see Mai anywhere once he got back inside of the city, but he heard his people say she simply moved forward to the Division grounds. Harupia made sure all the wounded who needed the most attention were transported first, then urged the medics to rush back to their headquarters. He would stay behind, trying to see if there was anyone lagging behind still...and that the bodies of the fallen were treated with proper respect.

The aftermath of this whole ordeal had hit Harupia rather hard. The first thing was seeing an axe rip apart the cranium of the mysterious figure which the hollow brought to them...which, when he looked at it, did not look look like an Arrancar...he only had a brief look at it before it was thrown into flames, but it looked...like that. A human helping Hollow? Even assuming it was a fragile mind, twisted into the monsters bidding, the implication was...unpleasant. But that was only an interlude...

After the figthing subsided, three man cried out in anguish. But while Sangoku and Kiba hollerd at the top of their lungs, pouring their pain out to the world, Haru's cry was a sudden yelp, chocked down quickly, as he led his men to carry the lifeless bodies...One was Nabi Paran, a younger, unseated member, the other was Hasegawa Hotaru, his Fukutaicho... Now of course, seeing his men die was a tragic thing. But it wasn't something he wasn't prepared to see, even if they were as younger and vibrant as Nabi. But Hotaru... she was sick. In no condition to be in the field. And he didn't make sure she stayed in her bed, resting. He let someone die, because of his lack of attention... like the little girl from the Rukongai... and while it was only a hunch, he knew only one thing that could cause such grief to Kiba-Taicho...and that one person went missing on his watch as well.

Harupia moved along, slowly, but surely towards the Division. He knew he should make haste, that people needed him...but these things have tumbled on him one after another. He couldn't help but to feel like a idiotic, inadequate fool. 4 people lost their lives, not because he was lacking in his craft, but because he was a foolhardy leader. This all shouldn't have happened...why couldn't he stop them, keep them in his place, how could he be so stupid...

"More lives will be wasted if you'll keep mucking around in the dark lad...". A voice. An unknown voice spoke to him. Rising his head suddenly he looked around, but saw no one there...at least no one speaking directly to him. Well, it wasn't even that...it was as if he heard it...from himself...maybe it was a stray thought of self reflection... But there was what looked like the final group who was heading back from he gates to his Division, carrying the last of the dead, and the wounded. The site, while gruesome to most, did...give him focus, to a point. He still felt truly horrible, but he now he rememberd why he couldn't succumb to such self wallowing...a final lessons his father gave him as the Taicho of the 2nd Division...

His internal musing aside, Harupia finally returned to the grounds of his Division. Things, while hectic, had been going somewhat smoothly as far as he could see. He was glad that was the case...One of the staff members relayed the message of Mai wanting to regroup with him as he returned. Tanaka Mai...funny how this particular girl would be one of the few things he could truly count on in the past few months. As he made his way upstairs to where the girl was said to be, he could see that his way towards her would be cut short, seeing her being led to a room by another familiar face. Letting himself smile a bit he would approach the door, but then he would see Kiba barge from behind him, moving into the room without much ceremony.

He would quickly close the gap between himself and the room, glad to see Kiba was only sitting there, talking. He would expect something more...extrema with how distraught he seemed earlier. Still, this made proceeding forward bit...difficult. Deciding to gather a bit more information before moving on he would motion with his hand to the side for the girls to move, as he himself would say "Lets give them a moment now...I'm glad to see you two doing well. Now, what's the situation in the Division with all the wounded coming in, and just how did Malik-Taicho get here?" he asked, both of the medics. He did not know much, because of he's lack of haste to come here. So he needed to catch up. And if the situation inside of the room got...drastic, he was close enough to intervene. Though hr truly wished that wouldn't be necessary.

SPOILER: Click to show

Edited to include Kiba's Dynamic Entry

A timid knock drew Mai's attention to the door; she had been facing away from it, tidying up the counter before her in the brief respite between patients. Wearily, she turned to face it, bracing herself for the next patient. As she approached, the nervous squeaking alerted her to who exactly was speaking. “Yes? Oh, Aya,-san,” the Tanaka spoke, opening the door fully.

Mai made to invite her in, but it was clear that the older shinigami had somewhere to take her. Perhaps this meant Harupia was back, and he needed her assistance with something? The fuel of infatuation spurned her onward, rejuvenated her just enough so that she was out the door withing seconds of it opening. The thought of her father being injured or even on the battlefield had never crossed her mind; in fact, she had assumed him to be on the top surveying the battle below, perhaps having recalled his experiences from the last onslaught and how quickly he had fallen.

Silently, she followed Aya, the sense of urgency emanating from the taller woman quelling the shorter's bubbly rebirth (she had wanted to ask if Harupia-taichou was okay, or what he was bringing in that required her assistance). Their destination was Harupia-less, however, and full of....

"S-s-soutaichou! You're awake!"

Soutaichou...her father...her wounded father.

Mai's eyes widened in fright as she made to move around Aya, going so far as to gently guide the taller female out of the way with a firm tugging on the shoulders as she dug around for some supplies. The daughter had heard the cry of pain in the hall as she approached, but had not made the connection – at the present moment, she hadn't a clear memory of him every crying in pain at something (that she herself wasn't screaming over); she had assumed that there was a senior officer wounded, given the corridor that they were in, but not her father. Before she could approach his bedside, however, the harried Captain of the Fourth Division bustled past them, barking at them to give some space, and stopping Mai in her tracks.

Harupia arrived on the scene moments later, prompting the silly girl to unclench her jaw and move to his side instead of barging in on after Kiba; true, her fist had balled in the folds of her hakama, and her teeth had set the fine angle of her jaw to an unpleasant rigidity. Still, she was focused on the fact that her father had incurred an unknown injury, one she couldn't quite tend to. Unintentionally, she ignored Harupia's question, her face shifting across the spectrum of emotions she felt: concern, frustration, fear. Her body trembled slightly as she, while positioned beside Harupia, continued to stare at the door.

At least the room still had the door on its hinges; Mai's last two direct experiences with the Yonbantai-taichou had ended with some poor piece of furniture ending up in shambles. But this time, this was different. Her father was in there, with a slightly more terrifying Shuchiku Kiba. Who broke things.

[bgcolor=000000]And then there were people! Well not THE People, that would be a illusion at the best of times, but people were flooding into the room now, Aya, Mai, Harupia... And Kiba? What was he doing here? He opened his mouth to reply to Aya when Kiba spoke, Captain's business? And then he moved closer and tossed something onto Malik's chest, the Soutaicho whom was clearly in pain (<<) blinked and looked down at it. A badge..

Malik did his best to pick the badge up and examine it closer, but the attempt to move his hands in such a way not only shot daggers up his arm and throughout his core, but caused the burnt skin to open and tear, bleeding anew. He dropped the badge almost as quickly as he picked it up, tears of pain welling in his eyes as he cursed aloud in pain. Grinding his teeth, he bit it back and listened to the obviously distraught Captain speak.

He and well everyone who knew the pair, had known that Kiba and Sumie were close. As close as any two people could be. And he could tell, that she had fallen just by his body language, the badge was not necessary but a clear clue of such. "Shuchiku-Taicho, I can see you're upset and for obvious reasons, however word was sent out. While tragic, these things happen when one cannot be located in time.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Kiba, but perhaps we can continue this another time, when we're both a bit more clear minded. If you would be so kind, I believe Hitoshi-Taicho and his staff would like to get to work." With Kiba being so distraught and Malik being in as much pain as he was in, neither Captain was in the proper state of mind to discuss this matter without the possibility of a fist or kido being thrown, more so Kiba as his own destructive nature was well known to those in the Gotei.

His poor door knew the all too well.

"So, if you wouldn't mind.."

SPOILER: Click to show

Apr 18, 2013 12:22:54 GMT -8 Mallach Dirson said:

Watching her go, he sunk into his chair and looked solemnly at his poor mangled door. He liked that door, perhaps it could be saved. Yes, yes that would be wonderful indeed. At least something pleasant could come form this day.

Then the hinges buckled, and the door crashed, splitting in two. The force behind Kiba's boot, slaying it long before it's time. His face paled, his jaw hung and those in the lobby looked in at their very annoyed and seemingly distraught Taicho. "Nope.."

Giving his head a shake, he turned his chair around and opened the window which was normally at his back. Cupping his hands he whispered into them, what followed a brilliant white, purple and black glow and when he un-cupped his palms, out flew three tiny butterflies, each headed toward a different destination. Each, would carry a message to a different division, to inform them of what was about to transpire, additionally to the Fifth he sent a summon for Techimaru Taisho. It was a strange way to promote someone, something that hadn't been done for an age. But, it was clearly Ume's wishes and he would not deny her such, more so as it was her last official order and request as a Captain of the Gotei. He simply did not see he had the right to say no. But, Taisho's promotion might have to wait.

For now, war.

[end]

Now, while I didn't put it out in the different division message threads as I wanted to follow the process icly and not just jump the gun (which I should've) I did have Malik send out word, but as the event had already stared by the time I could do this it seemed rather tedious and sort've stupid to post it in said message areas then.

SO! In conclusion I did post that Malik had sent out word, and if we follow the timeline it would have been sent out before the event had began. *mumbles about stuff*

Initially, Aya was simply her standard level of nervous. Then the memory that the Soutaichou was in her care had hit her, and she had become, well, panicked. Her charge was the leader of the entire Shinigami military division, above all others in importance, though he might have told her otherwise. Aya had respect for hierarchy. Aya had respect for order, and here was the top of the food chain in front of her needing her attention. Of course the poor woman was nothing but shaken at the idea of having to tend to the man who commanded the authority of even her own Taichou.

And what made things worse were now the other occupants of the room. Tanaka Mai had been someone Aya felt compelled to summon. This was her father, right? The maternal instincts within Aya told her unwaveringly that it was best to relay news of the Soutaichou's condition to Mai before she found out through some peripheral source. The idea was to reassure the girl because the Soutaichou was up and awake, though in great pain. It was a better plan than having Mai hear of what had happened through, say, the gossiping secretaries within the workplace, right?

Until Shuchiku Kiba had come, of course. The best laid plans of mice and Aya, as they say.

And within moments of Mai's realization of her father's condition, the intimidating Taichou had arrived. Aya's frayed nerves began to wither further with the added stress of more officials around. Aya frowned, wrinkles drawing deep into her face, as she say Mai stop her work. She hadn't meant for the girl to start for bandages and supplies to assist with her father's injuries. Aya had brought the Soutaichou back, and she wanted Mai to feel assured that he was in steady hands. It had been an error on her part.

Kiba's level of irritability pushed her further down the road of distress as well. A lieutenant was dead? The fourth division's Taichou clearly was beyond well acquainted with the deceased. Aya puzzled over this for a split-second. A relative? A close friend? No, she saw it on his face. A lover. And Kiba blamed the Soutaichou. Valid, of course, given the levels of authority the Soutaichou held. They all answered to Malik, but Malik was charged with ensuring order was upheld. What had happened?

Aya wasn't sure what to make of all this, and the already busy room grew even more crowded with the entrance of Harupia, who pushed her stress to taut. It would only take one more moment for the high-strung woman to snap. She had to treat the Soutaichou's injuries. He had defended Aya and then requested her help. Aya had hardly believed it. Her? Of all people? Why? "Captain," she said, addressing Harupia mechanically. It was all she could do. "The Soutaichou was injured by the massive hollow that attacked the Second Rukongai District. He... he-"

But Kiba's demands brought forth a response from Malik that stopped Aya in her tracks. The man moved in such a way that opened up the wounds on his arms, causing them to bleed freely. Even as he began to reply to Kiba, Aya was already shuffling swiftly through drawers for the right salves she had kept on hand. Bleeding she could stop with pressure and bandages. The burns she could sooth with the right medication. She had to find something that would stop pain but not irritate the flesh. She didn't have the ingredients for that ready though. She had to make it now. She had to have room.

And she would have that room one way or another. "Back," Aya ordered, frustrated and waving Mai and Kiba and Harupia out of her way. "I have aloe salve ready, but I need witch hazel as well." Her voice grew more and more shrill as the knot of stress in her back began to pull and her hands worked efficiently, grinding new herbs into the salve. "The witch hazel will reduce inflammation and aid in burned skin, presuming the Soutaichou does not reopen his wounds any further. What matters is that the muscles not be strained, and complicated matters with Captain Shuchiku will not help him nor will exacerbating the injuries cause any manner of relief for the Soutaichou or his daughter, whom I intended to assure everything was fine."

She finished mixing then and turned, mortar and pestle in hand, to face the group, particularly Kiba. "And so it must wait some time, please." Aya was only vaguely aware somewhere in the recesses of her mind that she had just terribly breached her status and rank. Ordering around not one, not two, not even three, but four of her superior officers simultaneously was liable to have her suspended from her position or even excommunicated from the Shinigami's ranks altogether. It didn't matter though. She had a job, and it was not easy to manage with Malik and Kiba discussing the death of a lieutenant.

And through all this, Aya ignored her aching ribs, at least one or two of which was cracked. Sweat was beading heavily on her brow.

SPOILER: Click to show

If your post happened after the event began, then what happened when the event began was the reality, because that's what I had to work with. Sorry for the inconvenience, but that's how it's gonna go if we're gonna keep threads going while events occur

Kiba's teeth set as the chatter continued all around him. Harupia-Taichou trying to calm the brood of the Soutaicho, the Soutaicho's wail of pain that didn't come near to voicing Kiba's own distress, and a body he knew nothing of, trying to bark orders at him in turn, reaching to salve Malik's wounds and not giving a damn for the wounds others were trying to bandage in their own way. Outside the division, lightning flashed high in the sky, and Kiba's powerful arms twitched - beneath his palms, the arms of the chair he had taken seat in splintered, but the arms would hold. A testament either to Kiba's self control or the skill of the artisan, it was impossible to adequately determine.

Wordless, as his words had already been brushed aside without effort, Kiba's right hand reached over his shoulder and gripped in a tight fist his haori, the soft yet misleadingly durable cloth easily tearing in half as Kiba shred the garment off his back, moving his arms to pull the sleeves away from the confining cloth.

"Wrap his arms in these. See if he can cast the bandage away as easily as those who follow him." The former Taicho spat bitterly, turning abruptly from the scene as thunder rolled high in the distance. Few things in the world were inevitable, but just as the storm would inevitably pass, so too would Kiba inevitably gust through and away from Seireitei. Only time would tell when he would come to his halt - only time would tell when the next lance of lightning would blast away a tree.

Behind him, Malik could only give in to the pain, the swimming world of subconscious, and so did his sleep begin.

[Kiba Demoted, Exited | Malik Exited as per absence]

Hmm...perhaps he should have taken a few more seconds to catch his breath before returning here...or perhaps, his perspective was clouded by the gloominess of the situation. A lot of good people died, do, some of which he knew well. It was partly that, but it was also because of human impulses he guessed. Malik often tried to seem that he wasn’t as wounded as he truly was. So he guessed she shouldn’t be surprised to see him pick up the badge, in spite of the pain which it ultimately caused. It was clear there was no time to waste, even without Aya's full explanation of the situation.

He was quite surprised to see her barge into the room before anyone else, and practically commanding Kiba to move back as Malik spoke. That was...something he did not expect form the usually timid girl. To take the reins like that, preparing asalve for the wounded Tanaka. And judging by the tone of her voice, and the sweat being of her forehead, he could see it was straining her quite a lot.

He would step in behind her, pretty sure Mai would do the same without having to be told so, to try and calm Kiba who would probably be quite irate of the situation...and then as the thunder roared outside of the Division, Harupia was graced by a sight he never through he'd see. The man ripped apart his Haori, throwing the tattered cloth aside, as well as rather grieve accusations towards the other Taicho, before leaving as abruptly as he appeared. He was not quite sure what this would mean in official terms...but it was rather clear that at this time, Kiba had no interest in being part of the Gotei...

Once again, Harupia was thrown into an ocean of thoughts an emotion. He had nodoubt that the owner of the badge was indeed Sumie...who he let out of hisDivision as she was injured. Did she go to the Rukongai straight away? Did Kiba know about it? That would explain her disappearance. And he blamed Malik, ofall people for it? If anything, he was to blame for letting her leave. Theywere informed about the incoming attack, if quite shortly before it. And as faras he knew, the risk of encountering Hollow outside of the gets was as obviousas the fact that you get wet if you dive into water...confusion, questions,anger that Kiba, from how it look at least, turned his back on his comrades...

Still, as fast as these thoughts popped into his mind, he had to fight to pushthem into the depths of it, seeing how Malik was in a bad enough condition tofeint. After Kiba headed out he would say "I’m truly sorry, Ithought...that would go differently...Good thing you were here Aya. As soon asyou prepare the salve I’ll move on to heal Tanaka-san's wounds. Of course,unless there are any patients which are in greater need... I really need toknow that's the status of our Division. Especially form you Aya...where did youand Tanaka-san were attacked? Also, how are you feeling? I had not seen youthrough the entire situation...and you look exhausted*'he concluded while hetook of his Haori and adjusted the sleeves of his uniform. All turmoil aside,they had a Taicho to take care of...and he hoped to keep the situation moreunder control. Mai would surely be upset, but he would make sure that she wouldnot need to worry about her father. The thunder continued to roar, quite convinently to emphasis the weight of everything that transpired...right now though, it was just another distraction he needed to tune out

True to form, Mai did follow Harupia into the room after Aya; the daughter of the man in the bed was well-trained, terrified or not. Silently, she watched the altercation she suddenly became party to coalesce into something that she, a low body in the greater scheme of things, shouldn't be quite so party to -- the apparent resignation of a Taichou should not be made so public in such fashion. The added stress of the situation - dead lieutenants, missed messages, splitting flesh - did nothing but exacerbate the twisting of her innards as the cards were laid out on the table.

Mai was not sure what was going on, her inability to focus, especially in this painful situation, preventing her from gleaning all the necessary information that she required. She hovered halfway behind Harupia, subconsciously using him as a barrier to prevent her from flinging herself forward and causing greater harm -- she would not necessarily have flung her body onto her father's wounded one, but she would have unceremoniously grabbed the poor man's arms to relieve them of the burden recently tossed upon them before expending her reserves on the Chiyudo to start healing the wounds. Still, she would stay close, open to offer any assistance she could.

Her chance came when Harupia removed his Haori, a sign that the young girl had taken to mean that he was being serious about a situation; she stepped up to take it from him, so he did not have to discard it to the ground, and then moved to the chair that had seemed to survive the wrath of the distraught Taichou just moments before. In the few steps it took to cross that distance, she hesitated, and stepped up to gingerly (with some mild wincing and gagging) take the discarded remains of Kiba's haori, and Sumie's badge, from her father's unconscious body. The remnants of the Third and Fourth's belongings were placed neatly on the seat of the chair, while her Taichou's haori was folded and draped over her anxious hands, clenched tightly against her chest.

She felt so inadequate, so useless right now, but she didn't have a choice. Rationally, she knew that she would just botch it up if she ever had the chance to get in there and work on Malik; all she could do right now was to play the poor woman off to the side, wallowing in fear and hopelessness. Aya was inexperienced in this regard, Mai could not help Harupia in the way he needed, and judging by the soutaichou's wounds, he needed help. Perhaps Hotaru was available to assist. That was something she could do, right? Go get someone to help?

"Hi-hitoshi-sama," Mai said, startled at the tremor in her voice. "Should I f-fetch Hasegawa-Fukutaichou?" It was an innocent question, not meant to offend Aya (who looked like she could have done well with a respite, all things considering); the fukutaichou had been keeping a low profile since her impromptu illness some months ago, but the necessity of the situation dictated as much. If Kiba was serious, then that meant they were down a commanding officer and a lieutenant, which in turn meant that there was a greater need for the lead commander to be at top health as soon as possible.

SPOILER: Click to show

I am ill, but I am making the valid attempt. Please forgive me not writing certain details. Also, unless I get better, this in no way invalidates my absence post, hopefully.

Aya felt a sudden stabbing in her chest that alerted her that she was still holding her breath. Tense and alert to danger after Kiba's unceremonious departure, Tanaka Mal's collapse into unconsciousness had her ultimately predisposed to holding her meager intake until it she were relieved of stress duty. Harupia took this upon himself with his query. How was she doing? Quite frankly, she was scared, terrified, in fact, that she would lose her position for offending the departed Taichou or somehow causing the Tanaka family some dishonor.

"I... I am alright," she lied instead. Her chest ached. Her frame shook visibly. Aya had, truthfully, never been in battle before except in training excersizes, and since then she had helped to dispatch a hollow large enough to engulf her without so much as a gnashing molar, carried an injured Soutaichou back to her own division, and asserted herself amongst not one, not two, but three superior officers, to any one of whom she probably should have submitted authority on the spot. Of course, Aya was more afraid of letting something happen to the Soutaichou, and that was what began unstoppering the bottle of her irritation.

She let out a hacking cough as she took a sharp intake of breath. "I-It's just a bruise, I'm sure," she said, taking some of the salve and using her own Chiyudo abilities to sooth some of the more minor burns and cuts along Tanaka Mal's arms. The rhythmic action of her job assuaged some of her own pain as well, as if somehow she could use the salve through her hands to placate her chest. When she spoke again, it was in a robotic manner, without emotion. She simply stated the facts. Harupia and Mai might even notice that her words echoed the motions of her hands. When she found a particularly troublesome burn that wound deeply into Malik's flesh, her pitch rose, though she still lacked emotional relationship with her words.

"Captain, I don't like to sit on the side while you do all of the work, it will hardly teach younger division members like myself or Tanaka Mai much of anything, I think. Perhaps it would be better to have Mai and yourself go over the more serious wounds. My Chiyudo isn't as developed as either of yours." Aya paused, hoping that Mai and Harupia might join her. "As for the rest of the division, we sustained more than a score injured from the Gotei and perhaps more than three times that from the Rukongai, I believe. I saw the paperwork as I brought the Soutaichou in for examination."

Paperwork was her area of expertise, after all. She wouldn't have made a very good information processor if she couldn't keep her eyes out for important information to prioritize. "As it is, we have just under twenty of our division working besides ourselves. I presume Fukutaichou Hasegawa is busy as well." She meant the latter bit towards Mai. She didn't want to involve more than the trio at this point. It would be too many people interacting at once for Aya.

Then there was the important bit. Aya hadn't even meant to say it in retrospect, but there it was, unbidden on her tongue. "With the resignation of Taichou Shuchiku and the death of Fukutaichou Natsukoi, perhaps it would be best to prioritize the Soutaichou for morale purposes. If he could say something when he able..." When the sudden realization of what she was saying hit her, she trailed off. Suggesting the Soutaichou take a given action was insanity. She felt another stab of pain in her chest as she inhaled and she took a fumbling step back. The taste of iron sat bitterly on her tongue. She ignored it and resumed working.

He nodded in thanks to Mai who took his Haori and placed it
on the chair, along with the other clothing which was around them, while Aya explained
what she knew to him. The amount of wounded was...bothering to say the least.
Once again another event like this...and once again, a lot of high position
Shinigami hurt as well. This was not good in any way you look at it. They
needed to work quite a lot, and Aya noted quite well, that getting Malik on his
feet would be quite important. All the Captains needed to be at the best of their
condition...of course, such wounds and burns that Malik-san sustained would
take a lot of time to heal, even with his expertise. But He had to do his best.



Stepping in closer, he would say towards Aya with a raised eyebrow, as he said
"That sounds like more than just a bruise Aya-chan. I know you want to
help, but lying about you condition is something I do not approve off. After
all, we need you to stay conscious in order to help us right?" he said
with a somewhat serious tone. That cough was not good by any stretch of the
imagination, and he had a suspicion that the wound she had was somewhat
serious. Turning around to Mai he would say " Mai-chan, I want you to
quickly check up on Aya-chan, and help her as best as you can"  after
which he turned back to the unseated Shinigami, now speaking in a lighter tone
"I won’t have you lay down and rest, though I’m pretty sure that would be
best for you. But once Mai-chan helps you a bit, I’ll let you assist us more.
But after the situation calms down, I’ll make sure you get proper treatment as
well" he concluded with a reassuring smile. Right now they needed to focus
on their job, but he also didn’t want to see anyone hurt themselves helping
others. Or, if they were stubborn, at least make sure they don’t hurt themselves
to much.



After saying that, he would stand next to the unconscious Taicho, and after
taking a quick look at the wounds, he would start getting to work. Serious
burns indeed. He'd need time to heal those. First of all, he needed to make
sure everything was clean out. The salve surely helped, but as long as debris
and the like were on the skin, they would be doing harm. He would get a set of tweezers
and a soft, wet sponge, with which he would start carefully cleaning the skin
of the Taicho, pickings of the larger bits, and wiping away the remaining ones.
After that, he would glide his hands over the clean areas, soothing the burns
with his Chiduyo. It was a slow, careful process, but he wanted Mai to check up
on Aya before asking for her assistance. As he did his work, the question they
both asked lingered in his mind. Hotaru...he didn’t want to talk about her. Not
now. They needed to stay focused on the job. Mai was shaken by the whole
ordeal, he could see that. Seeing her father wounded again, seeing a Taicho
cast away his duties in a fit of anger... He would only say "Hotaru-san is
not in condition to help us currently. I’m pretty sure every able member is
already doing their part. Don’t worry, as long as I can walk and use my hands,
I won’t rest until everyone is safe and stable. And I’m sure with you help,
it'll all be a piece of cake anyway" he joked a bit, flashing a smile at
them both,though it wouldnt be the usual cheery one, this one looked a bit more akward. After that he turned back to Malik, peeling away the wounded flesh, his
face focused and somewhat worried looking. They would learn eventually...but he
just couldn’t tell them now.

Before she so much as got an answer about her proposed task, the retrieval of Hotaru from wherever she may be, Mai was sent on a different mission altogether; nodding behind Harupia’s back, the young Tanaka finally relinquished her grip on his Haori, setting it to drape over the back of the chair housing the badge and remnants of Kiba’s Haori, and with one last furtive glance at her father’s unconscious face, moved to skirt around her Taichou and to address the other medic’s injuries. Mai moved in a staggered gait, someplace between a brisk walk and a cautious footing, toward Aya, careful to not jostle or draw attention to herself so that he may focus on his mission to heal her father. As she approached Aya, her trembling frame ceased, slipping into her confident–albeit via distraction–poise.

She started the exam as soon as Aya finished addressing Harupia and stepped back to allow it, the healing energies of the chiyudou bathing the slender Tanaka’s fingertips as they started the solid, but gentle, trek down the elder female’s sides. Mai was first searching for any spots tender to touch, using her reiatsu to go deeper for anything that wasn’t superficial; if Aya would flinch, Mai would apologize, but apply the chiyudou as requested. Soon, however, her brow would knit in concentration, the effort to sustain the level of healing required increasing with each passing moment. She had been healing for the duration of the entire battle, for the most part, and up until this point; while her reserves had grown exponentially these last few months, she still lacked the experience to adequately channel and efficiently apply the necessary reiatsu–more is better, according to her practice. Regardless, she continued to work on the ribs Aya had injured, so that she may help her comrades as requested.

The distraction of the job helped, as well, giving her something else to focus on, keep her mind off the tragedy befalling the Seireitei as the rain fell. Perhaps the small respite would allow Aya, who appeared to be well beyond the confines of her comfort zone, a small reprieve and some much-needed time to reign in her thoughts; from personal experience, Mai hoped this would be the case.

As she worked on Aya, Mai couldn’t help but keep her eyes on Harupia–he was working on her father, she was a concerned daughter. In between glances upward, she noted the seriousness of his expression, and when he spoke of Hotaru, she saw the awkward smile. A normal Harupia smile reached his eyes, lit up his face, this one...this was very off. He was no doubt trying to make her feel better about Malik’s condition, of that the young Tanaka fully believed, but either something bad had happened, or the situation was far more serious where the SouTaichou was concerned. Burns were painful, even the minor ones she sustained when trying to make a meal or stoke the fire, so the fact that her father had lost consciousness spoke volumes to the pain he was going through. And while the wounds appeared to only go up the man’s arms, he must have donesomethingstupid incurred some serious damage elsewhere. Either Harupia thought that, or something had happened to Hotaru out in the field.

“I...understand,” she said, replying to his response about her query, an embarrassing flush trying to creep up her neck. “I did not mean to imply that we were incapable, but as Nakao-san suggested, the sooner that...he–” her voice cracked slightly as she tried to keep her professional demeanor up. “–...can address all of us. Hasegawa-sama would be the best way to facilitate that notion. I do hope she is okay, especially after her emergency some months ago.”

SPOILER: Click to show

I hope you don't mind that I did some creative licensing with your conditional action here, Frox. PM me if I did it wrong, please. Thank you.

Aya cringed for a moment at Mai's touch. It wasn't that Mai was at all rough. Mai's tactile sensitivity was quite gentle, actually, but Aya was not used to physical contact. She made a point in her daily activities to avoid even conversation with anyone else, let alone any kind of physical interaction. Nevermind that her Captain had ordered it of the younger girl. Nevermind that Aya was the lowest ranked in the room at the time and thus held the least amount of authority. Nevermind even that she was vaguely aware of the injuries in her chest that were starting to produce blood flecks in her mouth. Aya considered her body one of the few areas over which she had final say. It was her domain, and to have another's fingers probing was far more than disconcerting.

And so Tanaka Mai would feel Aya straining not to lose her composure. The twitch was in her face, even, as the left corner of her mouth compulsively jerked into a grimace of sorts. It was all she could do not to lash out at Mai or to pull back and take some kind of defensive pose. Mai even apologized, mumbling out some kind of "I-I'm sorry..." but her attempts made little difference to Aya. The only thing that kept her from protesting more obviously was the unconscious Soutaichou before the three of them. He was the important one. Aya had already overstepped her authority, but above all others, the Soutaichou's word had final say, and that was the crux upon which Aya's world stayed stable. If she did not make an attempt to heal the injuries sustained by the most important man in Seireitei, what right did she had to hold her position at all?

These were all silly thoughts, of course, but Aya wasn't exactly the sort to hold logical internal monologues. And to have these sorts of mental arguments kept her busy, just as Mai's activities on Aya's fractured ribs kept the Tanaka girl calm, so too did the discussion over how Aya might proceed keep herself relatively calm. She still trembled under Mai's touch, but at least she did not push the Tanaka girl away. At least some of her injuries would be healed.

"The Soutaichou... Tanaka Malik... saved me," Aya muttered as she attempted to assist Harupia in his work. In part, her words were directed towards the Tanaka daughter. "H-he even knew me by name, and even if Fukutaichou Hasegawa is busy, I won't... won't rest until he is back on his feet. I am indebted to the Tanaka family, after all."

Quietly, she followed Harupia's work, applying salve when she saw a burn that Harupia had just healed. Her creation would facilitate the body's natural reaction to Chiyudo applications, for an abundance of foreign reiatsu was often hazardous in localized areas. Aya had read about such incidents in a book borrowed from the division library recently, and she briefly wondered if Harupia had read the same one at some point. Perhaps he had. In fact, perhaps Mai had as well. Aya turned to her, trying to find the words that she had implied with her previous statement. "I... I'm... He... uhh.... I'm sorry that your father was injured on my behalf. Had I been more active in protecting those around me at the time, perhaps his intervention wouldn't have been necessary, and... and..." Oh, this was going all wrong! "I mean..."

Aya looked at Mai, hoping her message was coming across clearly.

He saw that Mai moved to attempt and give Aya the needed healing,
despite the other girls rather clear...discomfort with the idea. Still, she wasn’t
making a fuss about it, even though she didn’t sit down and just let Mia do the
needed checkup... He sighed slightly, but allowed that, seeing how Mai was not voicing
any complaints. For now, Aya was her patient, and he had to let her make the judgments
when needed sometimes. He himself focused mostly on the Soutaicho, carefully
dealing with the large wound. The burns were quite nasty, the more he looked at
his back, the more surprised he was the Taicho was actually conscious at all. A
truly determined man...but perhaps, his passing out was a blessing in disguise.



As he worked on the back still while Aya applied the Salve to reduce the
effects of the burns, and his own Reiatsu, explaining a bit more of the
situation which happened earlier. For a longer while he was silent, mostly due
to Mai's comment. Hoatru, Hotaru, they kept returning to the name...with a
sigh, he would first say "Tanaka-san is always an exemplary
Taicho...always putting his life in line to save other's. And I’m sure he wouldn’t
want you to blame yourself for that. IM sure you did you’re best...but I'm
still curious where exactly this happened. I have not seen you nor
Tanaka-Taicho during the battle at the gates...was there another Hollow attack
somewhere else?" he asked, his hands still applying the healing energies
and cleaning the wounded flesh. After that, he took a small break, and taking a
deep breath, he turned to the other two medics and said "Hotaru-san...was
still in no condition to be out on the field... But she was... And unfortunately
she was found amongst the deceased..." he concluded, his face visibly dropping
into a solemn expression. There it was, out in the open...he felt too bad
trying to hide it, and he guessed that if he kept acting like he was they would
worry about it being because of Malik's condition. At least he let it out now.



After a short break he said "Her loss is a true blow to our Division...but
because of it, I need your assistance even more. I know you two are tired, and
that you may fear you skills are not enough. But I believe in you, as I believe
in every member of our Division. Hotaru-san will be missed dearly, but we can’t
afford to mourn...not now. We have our work to do. I know it feel's
horrible...but the wounded need our help, and we can’t let them down..."
he concluded, wiping his eye a bit with the sleeve of his uniform, before
turning back to patching up the Soutaicho. He needed to pay her proper
respects, and her death left a huge hole in the Division. But they had to
endure. Just like a fighter had to endure through his flesh being wounded in
battle. Heh...Arashi's words about mental wounds echoed more and more true with
each passing day...sadly.

Mai kept up with Aya’s twitchy frame, striving to be the world’s most awkward shadow as she mirrored the shuddery shinigami’s movements with her own; while displeased at the situation, she could understand that Aya was trying to work, and having a pair of hands all-but-tickling her sides greatly hindered that action, not to mention the angular woman’s clear distrust of anyone broaching her personal space. The Tanaka was, to a minor extent, quite similar in that regard to Aya, though she had conditioned herself to accept the unwanted contact in a much...smoother fashion than she currently felt Aya struggling to contain.



After a moment, now fully unable to maintain constant contact with Aya, Mai let a final surge of Chiyudou flow from her hands over what felt to be the worst of the wounded ribs and stepped back. Drawing a hand over her brow to gather the frayed strands of hair plastered upon her dampening face, she nodded to Aya. “It’s...it’s okay,” she said, breathing heavily, as though struggling to not break into tears. “He does this all the time.” Mai’s voice rose sharply at the end, a mirror to her forced, far-too-awkward smile to try and alleviate some of Aya’s stress; the daughter’s voice was heavy with emotion, and while she was trying to be lighthearted (or taking a page out of Harupia’s book), she couldn’t quite cut the mustard when it came to her father.



It wasn’t as if she was wrong about it; in the last year or so, he had managed to slice himself while falling off a stool, forget the most basic rule of combat and getting taken out from behind, and now...whatever had dealt this carnage. Whatever the reason, reaching for something or saving someone else, Tanaka Malik was getting old, but had not yet realized that his body couldn’t handle what he had a mind to do. It was a sad realization for Mai, and she had to do better to keep him from falling apart like this...again. Now, more than ever, it would seem.



She would fix herself, the subconscious need to be presentable taking control for a moment before she returned to the group, at Harupia’s instruction. Her face had taken a turn from her usual somber visage to one of haggard concern, a faint greyness, already naturally devoid of color, stemming from her cheeks and destaturating the vibrant hue of her eyes. Taking her place beside Harupia, she glanced up at him, a bit of water swimming in her eyes at his assessment of her father, thankful for his ability to say what she apparently could not. She was young, naive, but life was cruel, unyielding, in its twists and turns, trying to make the melancholy permanent, tugging at the heartstrings until they broke, encouraging the life of the desolate; life would not let her be content, not without him at her side, standing fast as the light he had bade her seek weeks ago.



Those tears wavered upon the brink, threatening to fall but never committing, not even as her hand timidly–uncertain–reached forward; whether she was reaching for him or her father, she didn’t know, but Harupia’s revelation had both of those slender Tanaka hands shooting upward to cover the indelicate ‘o’ her mouth had dropped into following a sharp gasp. She held her composure with a firm rein, keeping it close to her chest for fear of complete and utter breakdown; Hotaru had been doing so well! Mai’s jaw trembled as her throat ached with the fire of a thousand suns, the urge to cry somehow worse now that a death had been revealed than it had when she saw the wounds her father had sustained. Her makeshift barrier, weakening with each passing word as Harupia spoke, held, but only just; she ohsodesperately needed to console him, hold him close, repay that favor he gave her those same few weeks ago, but she couldn’t not right now, not with her father like this....



Conflicting emotions raged throughout her body, an anguishing assault of despair and love duking it out over which should react first; she should hug him, hold him! But she couldn’t, and it just killed her inside. A feeling grew, unbidden, a feeling of determination she felt once before–she had felt it when she watched her father fall before her very eyes, when she had vowed to protect him, like he had done for her all those years before. Another, one she couldn’t identify, but associated with the child, Sui–not quite maternal, but very protective nonetheless–attributed to Harupia’s shed emotion, tugged at her heart, nearly tearing it in two.



It [the tear], too, reminded her of the girl.



Before she could realize it, she was side-to-side with Harupia, unintentionally giving Aya the berth her body requested (because she was already very close to Harupia anyway), hands swathed in the healing energies she had nearly expended moments (minutes?) ago on Aya; they found the nearest unaltered burn on her father’s body, and, suddenly rejuvenated, began to heal, unaware of the tears streaming down her face. She had to fix this. Fix her father, fix Aya, fix herself.



And fix him.

SPOILER: Click to show

You done did good, kid o.o7 Also, if there are huge enter breaks, I apologize x.x can’t type on the keypad on the phone so im having to transfer a file from Pages on my Mac to the office program on the android and sometimes the formatting, or lack there of, doesn’t translate so I’m being proactive by using the br coding x.x

OUR NEXT THREAD NEEDS TO BE HAPPY GAIZ DDDD:

sent from my notsosmartphone of breakingthingsness

Nakao Aya held a breath in through clenched teeth. Something gnawed at her gut like a parasite, some emotion she didn't know how to handle. Fukutaichou Natsukoi and Fukutaichou Hasegawa were dead? Taichou Tachibana and Taichou Shuchiku had both resigned. She took a moment to be grateful Mai had applied her Chiyudo when she had. The healing energies carried with them an anesthetic property that not only made her ribs less painful, but it softened the blow of knowing that the order she took for granted within the Shinigami order was suddenly turned upside down.

And it was for that reason, as well, that she was grateful she had been applying herself to assisting in the Soutaichou's healing. It was rhythmic, tedious, and completely consuming of her attention, and that was something she needed. Luckily, with Mai's Chiyudo still radiating from her core area, when Aya ceased her movements and stood motionless for a moment. What should she do here? She was the lowest ranking officer in the room, but she was also Mai's elder. Shouldn't she take some sort of emotional initiative and try to comfort her?

Of course, Aya's last efforts had gone oh so well, hadn't they? She was the reason Mai was standing in the room where she was. Aya somehow maintained composure, a blank expression on her face. She wasn't sure what to do here. There were no textbook responses to follow because this wasn't a textbook problem. Dealing with common interactions was something she was prepared for. She could learn the person's habits and avoid them because the habits were daily things. This was one of those "once in a blue moon" problems where normal people had normal reactions and all Aya could do was stand there.

"W-well, we can only do so much that the Soutaichou's body won't do on its own. Chiyudo only is effective for facilitating the body's recovery, and with such a powerful reiatsu, h-he's probably out of any kind of immediate danger," Aya said. She took the time to rinse her hands of the salve in a bucket nearby. The water colored a thick olive and her image became obscured by the opaque surface. "P-perhaps we should continue our efforts on others..."

Of course, the whole division was working the unit after the events in the Rukongai, and through the Soutaichou and Taichou Kurisuna's intervention, there had been far less beds filled than any of the second division might have suspected. It had taken Aya some time to get the Soutaichou into the unit to begin with, anyway, and during that time, all the second division members had been hard at work.

Perhaps it would spell some relief for the trio. They could stop and smell the roses. Or get a stiff drink. Aya had never had a drink before, but something inside her told her this was one of those times where someone might suggest one.

SPOILER: Click to show

Not entirely sure where the thread should go from here, so I made a narrative effort to direct it? They could probably use less OH SHIT EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE and more OKAY WE SAVED THESE DUDES NOW WE CAN CRY AND STUFF.

So now there was the three of them, working quickly to mend
the wounded back of the Sou-Taicho busily in silence. He could see just how
shaken Mai was after he told them about Hotaru, and he understood that. For
once, he would like to be the bearer of good news to her rather than the bad.
He had put her through a lot, especially after her promotion, which meant quite
an increased in her workload. He knew she was grateful for it, and he knew she
enjoyed the promotion, but it came soon after the death of the Rukongai girl.
And now he was making sure her father was alive, but that was his job.
Somewhere in the back of his head, Harupia felt the urge to see her in a good
mood, during work and out of it... He couldn’t say he didn’t know where these feelings
came from, but he worried what would come out of these feelings...



Still, seeing her by his side aiding him in this moment meant a lot for him. Still,
her help would be needed for a short while, as Aya pointed out. While sever,
burns were the type of wounds only time could truly heal for good. They managed
to clean of  all the debris and other nasty stuff, and the combined
Chiduyo and the salve would sooth the pain and start healing the skin. All that
was needed to be done would be wrapping the wound in bandage. Turning to Mai
with a soft, somber smile, he would say " Thank you for your help, both
with your father and Aya-chan. And thank you as well for toughing through you
own pain in such a extreme situation" he would continue, turning to the
other girl. Moving to get the bandages, he would say "Now, I might need
some help to wrap Malik-Taicho nicely. I’ll hold him up, while you two wrap the
bandages around him". as he said he did, gently lifting the Taicho's body
up, leaning him down on his frame, letting the other two bandage the Shinigami.



As they would add the finishing touches he would say "We'll need to make
sure someone comes and changes these. He'll need a good time of rest, but he
should be fine. Now, I’m quite sure you two must be exhausted after such a hectic
day. While I would appreciate you assistance, I will understand if you would
wish to rest for a while... in fact, I would make a friendly suggestion you
should do just that Aya-chan...but after standing up too three Taicho's earlier
on I can assume it’ll be hard to stop you today" laughing a bit at his own
joke. Of course, there was the risk of it being taken the wrong way, but he
needed to try and lighten the mood up. For himself, and for his companions.
After that he said "I might be heading to my office soon...I shall make a
quick round through the division, but for as long as I was here everything
seemed to be under control...and I’m sure if there was a problem of any sort we
would have people coming here to seek my aid. Once we make sure everything is
under wraps, I think I’ll head to my office for some tea...I’m getting quite
parched by all this work, hehe. I would be glad for some company if I can ask
for it, Mai-chan, Aya-chan" he ended looking at two of the girls, gauging
just how eager they were to work. He didn’t want to come off as slacking, but
he was on his feet for a few hours now, and used a lot of energy both healing
and casting Kido spell's. As long as his presence wasn’t crucial, he trusted
his man to do fine. And besides, there would be quite a bit of documentation to
prepare for this whole debacle...yet again.

SPOILER: Click to show

But wait! There's more! Entered from here.

He was out of his depth. Not only had he been rushing through Seireitei, a city he had never even entered before, but he was also by the side of a dying man he didn't even know. The medics who had collected the wounded man from the gates had asked Rip a slew of questions; none of which he could satisfactorily answer. What was the soldier's name? I don't know. His division? I don't know. What was he doing out here? He was on his way in. How was he hurt? What happened? I don't know. He was bleeding. He collapsed.

They were thoroughly unimpressed with his answers. Rip couldn't blame them; he was equally unimpressed. He had gone off on a rant, angrily yelling at a man he didn't know - a clearly, very seriously wounded man - with no regard as to the consequences. He wasn't even sure why he followed them in. To help? If so, he was doing a piss-poor job. Maybe it was out of some sense to make amends; 'sorry I didn't realize you were dying. I'll tag along to make sure my mistake doesn't get you killed.' Regardless, they didn't try to stop him. Though he was starting to suspect they were regretting that decision.

They had rushed into a large building, presumably the main medical centre. Rip followed. He didn't know what else to do.

It was an odd feeling. The brink of death. There was no bright light at the opposing end of an otherwise darkened tunnel. It was a simple, almost even peaceful sort of feeling. Though being brought back by his fellow man, he now lays in transport with limited mobility and full sight function, wondering why at his side was the man in which previously he was engaged in argument with. With no time to lose they hurriedly rush directly toward the Second Division and although it looked as if Brain was unable to even speak, he was actually fully capable of doing so. After the wound was patched, his body began regenerating it's lost blood cells naturally and as a result the cold creeping death had long since been subsided. Nonetheless the man was with broken ribs and a broken shoulder, not to mention that he just lost enough blood to the stronger of men woozy. Busting through the doors, Brain would be taken to the nearest, open station. He's removed from the gurney and carefully placed in a bed, at which point one of the medics attempts to take his satchel to better tend to the site of injury. Though quickly Brain would weakly latch his grip to the extending, intruding wrist whilst with his other hand removed the bag itself. And as he tucks the sack away at his side, he would remove his hand from the medic. Placing his right arm over the satchel and laying back, his gaze casts unto Rip and the medics begin preparing to work.

Mai stood at the edge of the bed, leaning into it with her hip as her hands rested against the thin railing used to keep patients in; her sudden expenditure had rendered her entirely exhausted, the adrenaline her determination spurned utterly spent. Suddenly-frail arms trembled as she held fast to the rail, synchronous with her rapid respiratory rate. The young girl had experienced a rough day, to be frank, and she had not had such an emotional rush in her life by which to compare: yes, she’d been exhausted before; yes, she probably overused her abilities before, especially during the learning phase; and a thousand times yes, she had been emotionally drained. Individually, each were tolerable, but all three at once was as unwelcome as the mile-long hike uphill with weighted water buckets yoked across sore shoulders.

Fortunately, the task was nearly complete; all that remained was to apply the bandages so that they could protect the new skin. If she stayed on her feet long enough to bandage her father, then she could rest. If she could rest, then she would be okay. Baby steps. Baby steps....

Quickly as she could muster, Mai facilitated the application of the bandages to the worst of Malik’s wounds, opting for a fine, clean gauze over the tattered remnants of the Haori suggested by Shuchiku Kiba. To further expedite things, she would tag-team with Aya, reaching over her father, while using the bed as a support for her own exhausted frame, to help roll the gauze where the elder medic may have difficulty reaching due to positioning. “The salve will serve as a barrier,” she recited, recalling an excerpt from a manual she’d read some time ago. “The gauze is to protect things from getting into the regenerating skin as well as to keep it hydrated. Too tight and complications will arise. Too loose and it will not be beneficial.”

At this point, she was mostly muttering to herself, using the words forming in the back of her throat as anchorage, though if Aya had insight to gain from it, the action would be mutually beneficial. Mai needed the distraction, something tangible to maintain a mental grip on before her thoughts cascaded through her cracking barriers and had her useless across her father’s chest, either sobbing or unconscious. The bandaging was somewhat soothing, a visual affirmation that her father was, at least, physically on the verge of “better” over “disfigured,” though he would still scar. With luck, the scarring would be minimal, but at this point, no one knew.

As Harupia laid Malik back down upon the bed, Mai breathed a sigh of relief, all the tension of the situation rolling off her frame. They had completed their task, Malik was on his way to being healed, and all was well – at least in this room. Harupia was right, there was more to do, and she was needed. He needed her. At the moment, Mai was beyond exhausted, pushed so far beyond her own limits that she could barely stand, but with the respite Harupia suggested with his gratitude, she could regain enough energy to at least stand up and hand him whatever he asked for. Baby steps. One small goal. One baby step at a time.

Mai nodded at Harupia, though her eyes still remained on her father’s face. The respite would be nice, a nice change from all the badness in this room, but could she leave her father’s bedside? She shouldn’t leave, she knew better; the odds of healing were greatly increased with the presence of a loved one. But she also knew that she shouldn’t be alone with her thoughts. What she needed was a distraction....



*-*


As soon as the transfer from gurney to bed was completed, the taller of the two unseated members of the Second Division moved to reposition Brain in a way that he wasn’t going to cause himself harm; he then gasped as the wounded man reached across his body to take the bag on his person from the smaller medic–he could have reopened the wound on his side, the one that was barely holding together. The smaller man allowed this motion, and with a note of disgust in his voice, the taller one said, “Go find Hitoshi-Taichou or someone in charge!” Neither of the two were equipped to deal with such lively patients, having been selected for their task of carting the wounded, though they did know a scrap or two of Chiyudo to staunch any major bleeders, as the case had been.

Watching the smaller medic scurry away, the larger one said, “Sir, we need to remove your bag. Your...friend...there can hold it for you, but it needs to not be on you–it will get in the way.” He reached for it, prepared to remove it with force if necessary. While he was aware that the bag may contain important information, it was standard procedure to not allow personal effects upon a body while it was being cared for. He relayed as much to the patient and his friend, speaking clearly and slowly, as though to a child. This wasn’t so much to imply that either man remaining in the room was slow, but used as a way to ensure that his meaning was clear: no bag.

Meanwhile, the scurrying man would approach the room where the SouTaichou lay with with the three Second Division members, having received the location of the Taichou from the reception as he passed it by; more often than not, asking at the front of the building, where the majority of the division associates passed through between tasks. They certainly would know where the Taichou was, and the pointed the smaller medic in the right direction.



*-*



As Mai gazed at her father’s face, she inwardly retreated into her mind, weighing the options. Work or family, family or work; Malik had, according to Mai’s very selective memory, always put work first. Would Mai do the same? Could she? Sighing softly with her decision, she turned toward her captain “Tea would be–”

“A lovely distraction, wouldn’t you think?” a somber voice whispered, forming a dull pressure behind her right eye. “You need it, Girl. It gets too dull when you’re that depressed. Always predictable.” Her skull seemed heavy as the masculine voice spoke, weighing her down. “He will be fine. Distract yourself, Girl.”

“–lovely, Hitoshi-sama,” she said, with a grim smilie playing at the corners of her mouth, evidence that the decision had weighed heavily on her heart.

While she watched her captain, momentarily forgetting about Aya, there came a timid knock at the door. Slowly, when compared to her normal speed, she turned to glance at the door before it slid open, revealing the smaller medic who had brought the injured Shinigami in from the gates a few moments ago. He seemed more frazzled than Mai did, which, despite her apparent cleanliness and high need for her personal appearance to be orderly, was a fair amount (really, there were several hairs out of place, and her shihakushou was wrinkled). This told her that there was still more to do, and the tea had to wait.

“Hi-hitoshi-sama!” the man panted, “Need your assistance in room seven! Third Division, judging by the green on his uniform. It’s....pretty bad, sir, ma’ams.”




“Go with him,” the voice whispered. “He makes it brighter.”

Numbness. Aya was still incredibly grateful for the Chiyudo's anesthetic properties because at this point she was finding that in addition to carrying away her pain and her guilt, it was also stealing away her anxiety for the time being. Aya suddenly realized that she was among friends, an alien concept, really, but one that gave her a dull warmth inside. She spent her time avoiding people because it was easier to interact through paperwork than her clumsy personal skills, but the fact that her superiors were so concerned about her health overcame her fear of disappointing them for a moment.

She assisted in Malik's bandaging naturally. She worked quickly and diligently, though with a significantly more visible shake in her hands. Her eyes slid over to Mai, who had the same weariness that Aya did, though Aya wasn't sure whether the younger Tanaka was more or less pushing herself. Her read was fuzzy, like looking at someone through the bottom of a dusty glass. Mai kept herself working however, and Aya's lips upturned slightly. They were similar, it seemed, in many ways. Mai didn't seem to have the crippling fear of conflict between doing her job and pleasing her superiors, but Mai's fretfulness and perseverance was mirroring Aya's own.

"We have two options to tie off bandages," Aya said, continuing when Mai's voice turned to little more than murmuring. She was certain she had read the same manual at some point in the past. "Conventional knotting will suffice in more general cases. This method is quick but suffers from two problems. It may come loose with little strain on the part of the patient, and it tightens the bandages, which may, again, cause complications. The other method is to use an adhesive or to sew the bandage together..."

Aya knew that such a chemical existed in the drawers behind her, as well as needle and thread. She turned, and, eyes on her comrades, abducted the latter from the drawer. "I think sewing is the correct answer here given the burns. Adhesives have a tendency to bleed through bandages and are better suited for lacerations..." This was not pulled from a textbook. Aya wound the thread through the edge of the bandage, tying it to a piece beneath. This would keep it secure, and Aya made a point to have Mai hold the bandages in place while she tied it off. This was for the Tanaka girl's sake. She would see her work on her father's injuries completed, at least for now, and that might provide some form of catharsis over this whole event.

Even with Aya's thick haze of numbness, she still felt some kind of sisterly concern over the younger girl. Nevermind that she was higher ranked. She held the twentieth seat where Aya was still unseated. Nevermind that Aya was nary some twenty years older than Mai. Aya had been the one to carry the Soutaichou back to the division. She had been the one to alert Mai of her father's injuries. This was her doing, and her responsibility, and in the numbness of her mind, she found her hand performing an action that never would have been seen otherwise. Slowly it crept upward and landed softly on Mai's shoulder.

Aya smiled at the Tanaka girl, weakly, tremblingly, uncertainly. "Thank you," she said, her eyes glancing upwards to Harupia as well. "F-for... for..." Aya faltered then as the words melded into a mush in her mouth, but she hoped the point got across. She looked lamely to the right at a wall and her hand retracted, but she did nod softly in agreement with Mai's approval of teatime. A sharp pain found its way past the healing Mai had performed, though Aya did her best not to show it.

The pain was because work called her once again. Another of her division now told them that another shinigami was in critical condition, but Aya was spent. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment as the world went blurry. She must regain control. She must regain composure. Physical signs of those two concepts would be long since gone. The knot holding her hair up might as well have not even been tied. There was blood on her own uniform from carrying the Soutaichou and her fight before. Her hands still were tinged with the green salve.

And yet her face was stoic. She was prepared to follow Mai and Harupia to whatever was coming regardless of her own feelings if only because they at least made her feel safe where otherwise she would suffer from her anxiety.

Onwards and upwards. It was the only direction she felt she could go from here.

The worst was past them, at least when it came to the
Soutaicho. While still unconscious, they made sure the wounds he sustained were
taken care of. He watched the two other medics tied the bandage around the
wounded Taicho while he held him up. It seemed that the two girls were working
with each other quite well. They seemed to be thinking along the same lines,
quietly muttering what the medical manuals said about tending to wounds like
this. He only nodded with approval as he said "Very good. It’s good to see
my companions have such clearance of mind even if exhausted..." moving to
the side slightly as Aya sewed the bandages together. He couldn’t imagine how
tired both of them were. Mai being pushed to her physical limits while seeing
her father gravely wounded, and Aya helping despite of being wounded herself
and brining Tanaka- San here on her own.



He of course was tired himself. But he had years of experience and  was
still in pretty good shape. He meant the brake to be more for the two of them,
as he himself was fully ready to move along to other patients. But a small moment
of respite could do them all well. Perhaps he could convince Aya to lay down
and rest. While he did not doubt Mai's abilities, he was pretty sure the wounds
she suffered would need a bit more attention. Perhaps her parlance, the bloodied
uniform and her tired gaze made her look more worse... his own clothing wasn’t
looking that great, but they had to do what was needed. With careful application
of Chiduyo they could compensate for slight dirt.



For now it seemed all was well, and both of his colleagues were looking forward
to the tea. As Aya thanked both of them he said with a chuckle "Thank you
for your help Aya. I’m sure Tanaka-san will be grateful as well. Both of you
did a good job here, and outside of this room as well. I think we could use a
re..." before he could finish, the medic slide the door open, informing
him that he was needed elsewhere. He let out a small sigh...not that surprising
in hindsight. He would say "I see...well, duty call's ladies and gentleman.
Stay here, and make sure no one disturbs Tanaka-san here. He needs the rest.
Mai-chan, Aya-chan, walk with me" he said with a nod, stepping out of the
room, sliding the door behind him.



As he and the two women walked towards the other room he would turn his head to
both Aya and Mai saying "Now, I know the three of us heading there might
be a bit much, and you might feel your assistance could be needed elsewhere,
but I still believe you two need to rest. The last thing I need is my colleagues
hurting themselves of fatigue. That goes especially for you Aya. I still want
to make sure you wound is fine, and I’d like you to at least sit down a bit
once were in room seven" his tone somewhat more serious, noting he wasn’t
really putting the matter to discussion. He knew they would most likely want to
help other's but he wanted to keep them nearby, so they wouldn’t over exhausted
themselves. Still, he would add in a more cheeky tone "Besides, If
anything happened to me, I think I’d like to have some of the most capable
hands in the Division close to me" chuckling a bit. His humor could be a
bit of, but he was somewhat tired. Once hey made it to room seven, he would say
"Welcome my friends, good to see you on your feet still. Now, what are we
dealing with?"

He wasn't sure where to stand. How to stand. What to do. He looked uncomfortable and out of place. Which he was. He felt like everyone was looking at him. Which they weren't. He shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, glancing around the room. It was clean. Sterile. Minimalist. And, for some reason, it made painfully aware of how healthy he was; like he needed to be sick to belong. It was not a pleasant feeling.

One of the medics, the taller one, handed him a bag. He took it, mumbling something resembling an assent. He wasn't really paying attention to the matter before him, not any more. The oddness of the building he was in, the room, struck a chord with him. He had never been in a hospital before. Whenever he was wounded out in the Fourth he would visit the couple near the ruined gate. They always patched up the denizens of that district. Didn't discriminate. Never asked questions, never wanted anything in return. Of course, everyone made sure they had protection. Even the bandit clans. No hollow ever came close to those two.

This was a far cry from their humble clinic, though. He glanced out the door, caught sight of a few division members scurrying passed. He couldn't even imagine how many of them there were. All trained in the healing art. This was something the Rukon could use; a medical corps. Especially if they were going to make this incursion into the Fourth. They would need a group of dedicated healers; skilled, professional, and easily accessible.

He was lost in thought when they were joined by three new Shinigami. Rip was startled, most notably by the presence of a Captain, presumably this division's. He wasn't sure how to respond to the man's question, in fact wasn't sure it was even directed at him, so he stood silent. Holding a dying man's bag. Looking awkward.

Even though having clasped his wrinkly grip onto the handle of his bag, the opposing force in which was taking it away had the upper hand. He groaned in resistance, holding dear to his information, his documents. But alas in the same groan his grip would give in and ultimately his bag was surrendered and to a man he did not even trust nonetheless. The whole lot of causes for him to attempt to speak up in objection, however it is at that time that both the pain, massive blood lost and overall loss of his bag causes him to literally faint, mouth agape, "Don't-" Already laying back, his eyes close and his movements fall limp. The last thing he sees before loss of consciousness was Harupia entering the area.

[exit]

Mai steeled herself by taking a deep breath before following Harupia out into the hall and down toward the room where they were requested. She remained silent, keeping to herself, as he gave out his instructions. While she agreed with him, she couldn't quite bring herself to say much of anything, only nodding and mumbling an 'Mmhmm,' where appropriate. She was so tired.

But she was just tired; Aya had done so much more and was still standing...how did she do it? Where did she find the courage to do all that, and then stand up to everyone? There was no way that Mai could have harnessed the will that Aya's actions had required. As they walked toward Room Seven, Mai lagged behind Harupia more than she usually would have, allowing her eyes to wander toward the taller female, trying to get a read on her. Trying to find something that she could try to be.

Silently, she followed Harupia into the room, stepping off to the side to allow Aya access to the chair, should she choose to follow the Taichou's instructions and have a seat while she herself took up stance behind him. Mai watched the three new men, first to the taller medic and then the Citizen standing off to the side; he looked no worse for wear, other than nervous, and so her violet gaze shifted to the shinigami on the bed. She listened as the medic spoke, recounting his tale from the gate.

"They were there when we went out to fetch the next wounded shinigami from the field. This one," he gestured to Brain on the gurney (ah! So that's what that was called!), "was barely with us, bleeding heavily from his wounds. We patched him up best as we could, but then he moved suddenly and must've reopened it. We tried, Hitoshi-sama!"

As Mai's eyes focused on the man on the gurney, she watched his eyes roll up in the back of his head as he fainted; fearing a seizure or worse, as Harupia was likely addressing the medic who had brought the wounded man in, Mai forgot her exhaustion with a newfound surge of adrenaline and darted forward. "He lost consciousness!" she exclaimed, reaching up to check a pulse from the carotid. "Still breathing, shallow." She was muttering now, like she had when bandaging the SouTaichou, moving from Brain's neck to preform the gross [visual] examination: the man's disheveled shihakushou could not hide the trauma taken by his upper body, and the way his chest moved up and down indicated a degree of pain. Mai turned to face Harupia, somewhat unsteadily. "Likely severe damage to the shoulder, internal trauma."




[pardon the mess, but it was one of the only ways I could think to expedite the process Dx]

How did Aya maintain her stamina? What allowed her to continue to keep at it even when she had a pair of broken ribs and bruises all over? Well, the honest truth was that she didn't know how to show it. It was as if her face no longer worked, muscles unable to respond from a lagging brain that was already overloaded with the return of a dull ache from her chest. Aya walked silently behind both Harupia and Mai, watching the latter carefully. Where Aya was tired and aching but unable to express it, poor Tanaka Mai was obviously showing her weariness.

Wait. Harupia was saying something. What was that? Aya scolded herself internally for not paying attention. At least she had tuned in for the bit at the end. Harupia told her to sit down once they were dealing with the next patient. Some little part of her wanted to argue, to complain that she could keep working, but that little voice was down a long hallway. She probably could keep working, but that part of her was drowned out by the part that wanted desperately to follow the instructions given to her, and the louder part was facilitated by the bit that wanted to stop.

Of course, her fear was that if she stopped, she wouldn't be able to start again. If she sat down, she thought she'd break down right then and there. As it was, her face was stoic, a mask, but inside, she was tired to the point of tears. The fight before with Tanaka Malik had been her first real encounter with a major Hollow attack, and then she had carried the Soutaichou, no simple feat even with her strength, back to the division, and then she had started to work on him. Not once had she let up, even when Mai was tending to her, because if she had, she couldn't have done any more.

"Yes..." she muttered out weakly, though, knowing that she couldn't maintain her energy forever.

When they entered the room, Aya looked over the Shinigami's condition. The face was certainly recognizable, as Aya had once processed his medical records herself. Greinz, or "Brain", a self-styled nickname, was a third division member. Aya was simply processing information at this point. She leaned against a wall, not daring to let her knees buckle beneath her in a chair. She watched Mai tend to his condition. "If it's internal trauma and blood loss..." she said, thinking through papers she had read about the topic. "Hypertonic saline solution is preferable in this situation. We've begun moving over from isotonic solution. Given intravenously, it can aid in efforts to stimulate blood flow through Chiyudo."

While not a skillful Chiyudo user, Aya's strength lay in her introversion. She poured over historical papers from previous members of the medical division as well as those written by Rukongai scientists and doctors day in and day out. She knew many things that even Harupia probably did not because of her studiousness, though he had far more experience in the field. "Best for preventing clotting and blockage internally," she mumbled out at the end. Her eyes flicked to Rip for a moment, watching him carefully, but then they returned to the situation at hand.

Just a little farther.

It seems his two companions wouldn’t argue to his sentiment
of wanting them to take it easy for now. For the most part it seemed...mostly because
they were to drained to want to argue. He gave them a small nod after he stopped
speaking as they entered the room. It looked rather calm and clean, so the
situation was somewhat under control. There was a few medics on sight, as well
as someone who clearly didn’t look like a Shinigami. He was fine with that, he
was willing to aid any living soul in the Wasteland.  The odd thing was
that the Rukongai Dweller looked rather healthy, if a bit shell-shocked.



He didn’t have time to address him as the medic was explaining the situation of
the wounded Shinigami. A familiar face, Brain, seemed to be hurt pretty
badly...Before he could assure the medic he believe they all tried their best,
the Shinigami went unconscious, and Mai was quickly by the wounded's side, checking
the pulse and examining the man. So much for taking it easy...but he didn’t
comment on that, moving towards the wounded, nodding as he said " Looks
about accrete. We need to act quick here..."



As he kneeled down by the patient, Aya threw in her two cents, though at least
form a comfortable sitting position. Her suggestion surprised him a bit, not
remembering using the method to often...but he remembered reading the newest
files lately. And if anything, Aya was the person who you turned to if you
needed to know what to read, and what was within the files...deciding to go
with the suggestion he said "One of you prepare the solution, while the
rest of you come here and help me here...I can seal the wounds, but I need some
raw healing power around it to cleanse it... It’s been a long day for your
Taicho my friends" he said with a chuckle, already applying the healing
which was necessary. He could use the help, if only to save his own strength.
He needed to be on his legs, in case of any other emergencies. Even if not able
to heal with Chiduyo, then at least to guide the other's and help in the other
ways he could. They would probably need to transfuse some blood to his acquaintance.
While he was only feeling it out, he could tell he lost a lot of blood by the
fact he feinted. He just hoped it would be the only feint for now.