[Spring 1976 n.w.]

Yuzuki stood before the gates of the Second Division; passage had already been granted to her by the guards stationed at the entry, but movement had yet to come to the newest member of the medical unit. Her body was still as her gaze swept across the immediate horizon, the buildings that composed the grounds reflected dully in the gray light of morning twilight within her vivid blue eyes. It was not Yuzuki's first visit to the Second Division. She had made many trips as a young girl with her mother who also worked as an unseated member within the hospital and of course, Yuzuki had been present for a brief orientation after she had been assigned to work under Hitoshi Harupia along with the other members of the division. However, this visit was different - it was her first official day on the job.

Though rarely swayed to one extreme or another of emotion, Yuzuki felt a budding sense of something not unfamiliar to her. She recalled the same emotion when she got her first injury and the first, second, and even third time Raiu had climbed into one of the tall trees of the Amano estate - panic. It was not the kind of panic that left one shaking in fear or wide-eyed in terror; it was simply enough to give Yuzuki a nervous energy that stirred her into action.

The first step was the hardest. Her leg felt as if it was weighed down. Much like Yuzuki's current state of anxiety, this was not unfamiliar to her; similar experiences occurred when the children of her family would latch onto her legs while she tried to walk while watching them, her own sibling being the biggest offender simply because of the ratio of time spent together. Once the first step was made over the threshold of the gateway, the others followed at a good clip, one foot in front of the other. To look at her, one might not even catch the emotion just beneath the surface as she walked with purpose now and knowledge of where she was heading with her face set in her uniquely impassive expression that most often adorned her face.

Her path quickly lead her to the reception center of the hospital wing where she checked in with the morning staff. Though the journey there had been short, it afforded Yuzuki enough time to reassure herself of her own abilities. It would be a few years before her chiyudo was on par with her standard and holistic practices, but tending to wounded patients was far from new to her. She had served with the other women of her family in their home clinic from the time she had completed her basic medic studies at the tender age of twenty-five. Healing people was simply what she did and a large part of who she was. All she had to do was tell herself that it was just another day back home during her shift at the medical station.

The mantra was enough to get Yuzuki to the office she shared with a group of equally stationed members. She had been shown the room and her desk positioned in the far corner during her orientation. The room was thankfully empty. Yuzuki had shown up earlier than her own shift was to start so that she could better familiarize herself with the office space, so the people on the graveyard shift were probably finishing up their rounds while the others on the morning crew had yet to arrive.

A long exhale escaped in a heavy sigh that Yuzuki hadn't realized she had been holding in, but much her anxiety fled out with it. Her body more relaxed now, Yuzuki weaved her way through the cluster of desks to her own where she noticed a small file already in the inbox tray. She pulled out the hard wooden chair from its nook in the center of the desk then sat before lifting the file from the tray and displaying its contents across the wooden surface in front of her.

Initially, Yuzuki thought that it was a patient file, but it was simply a summary of what was expected from her on her first day. Her duties would be limited to walk-in patients with first aid needs. A small played across her features as she read this; much like Yuzuki had been telling herself, this is exactly what she was used to doing at home. After rereading the instructions to make sure that she didn't miss anything, Yuzuki replaced the folder then rose from her seat; though early, it would be best to inquire as to what room she'd be using to see her patients in; clearly an office full of desks wouldn't cut it.

Yuzuki glanced at her own desk as she thought about it. Aside from the in-out tray in the corner, the top was barren. A second inspection of the room revealed that the others had taken to minor personalization of their work spaces. Yuzuki assumed she could do the same, but she would ask the captain before bringing any trinkets in. For now, she had more pressing concerns and headed back to the receptionist in the lobby.

Traditionally, Kiba was the sort of man who worked the night shift - it suited his sleeping habits near perfectly, and frankly, the night was when the rapscallions were at play - so far be it for Kiba to have broken tradition the night before, of all nights. There was a calm feeling, walking the streets of Seireitei at night beneath the moon and stars, a breeze more gentle than the days would afford gusting playfully at his haori. The night time, it seemed to Kiba, was a more energetic time than was the day; the moon was calm, lucid, a pale reflection of the sun, and as such it was more prone to taking action for the pursuit of giddy pleasure. The sun, however, was oppressive and ever-present. It bore down on those beneath it, and whomever the sun demanded play from often came away burnt or sore, certainly quite tired. The moon was a more calm playfriend, and it's games of whimsy would leave a man more energized than worn out... usually.

There were others who had not read into the symbolism of the moon as Kiba had, and instead thought the night was too lackluster a time, so they should make their own kind of whimsy and revelry. It was well known, however, that attempting to rouse the sun's blood while those surrounding were under sway of the moon's spell would only bring trouble, and in fact Kiba and a small entourage of his underlings were being called to just such a home, where apparently the home-owner and a few friends were making too much merry for the surrounding homes to get any rest. Though Kiba did not use the night for his naps, he understood perfectly how others used the night hours, and respected their decisions - the Taicho had no time for those who made trouble for others, especially on his watch, and so had made his way to the home post-haste.

As per the usual, alcohol was involved, and this made the would-be troublemakers more difficult to deal with than they should have been. Usually Kiba needed only to issue a stern warning and the suggestion the troublemakers make their way to a less-crowded location, but under the full sway of the drink, these men thought themselves mighty. This they may have been, but they were not so mighty as the Taicho, though they certainly made the attempt to be.

By the time Kiba left the premises of the home, he had the home-owner slung over one shoulder, exceptionally unconscious, while the other two were in the custody of his followers. The exception was one man who would oversee the care of the home-owner in the Second Division after Kiba deposited the man there; Kiba had not hurt the man too badly, at least not so badly that he would not be back to perfect health within a month or so, once the arm had been re-set and splinted and the wheeze in his breathing had been treated.

The sun had long-since begun to rise by the time Kiba made his way across the Second Division threshold, and he grunted deeply upon setting the man upon an emergency gurney only to find that the long streak of blood running down his forearm was in fact his own blood, and not that of the fallen drunkard. Estimating the gash had come from a knife the man had pulled midway through the not-quite brawl that had brought him low, Kiba winced as sighting the cut woke the pain from it, and a second similar to it running over his right shoulder. Both wounds were nothing life-threatening, not immediately anyways, but candy-red blood dribbled from the cuts in moderate streams, rather than a slight dribble that would solve itself.

"Keep an eye on the prisoner. I'll have a rotating guard set up once I get back to the division. For now, seems I need treated." Kiba grunted to his follower, who nodded from his position leaning against the victim's gurney. Shaking his head, Kiba turned in place and moved toward the front counter, where more than a few eyes were on him in no small part thanks to the slight spectacle, and also probably partly because whenever Kiba was around, 'fun' happened. In approaching the desk, he saw equally approaching, but from the doctor's side, a red-haired young lady in the frilliest skirt-shorts he'd ever laid eyes on. Pausing only briefly at the girl's dress, the Taicho simply shrugged - no accounting for tastes, he'd often been told - and approached, as she didn't seem to have anything particularly important in her hands in terms of medical work.

"'Scuse me, can you do something about this?" Kiba asked as he approached, turning his forearm outward to put the several-inch long gash on display.

The nature of the world the Shinigami lived in lent itself to frequent activity in the hospital, but Yuzuki was still surprised to see a small commotion so early in the morning taking place at the lobby and even more so when a man wearing a haori approached her and asked for assistance. The haori was obviously indicative of his station and combined with his appearance, Yuzuki knew him to be the captain of the Fourth Division even without seeing the emblem on the back, as any Shinigami should have been at least vaguely aware of what the five most important figureheads of the Gotei looked like even without having met them. Of course there was enough circumstantial evidence within the scene to come to the same conclusion even if she hadn't already known the generalities of his appearance.

Yuzuki's eyes rested on the man for a moment flitting from his face to his wounds before her gaze shifted to the receptionist who motioned to one of the exam rooms with a nod. Yuzuki returned the gesture and replied to Kiba, "Of course, Shuchiku-taichou. Right this way." Her voice was soft yet curt matching her gait as she stepped smartly toward the door of the exam room that was several steps behind Kiba.

Outside the door within a clear plastic bin was a blank patient chart held upright by a clipboard. Yuzuki pulled it free of the small open topped container with one hand as she opened the door with the other then stepped aside to allow Kiba passage. Instead of watching his progress like she should have done, Yuzuki scanned the room. Her intention in arriving early had been partly so she could find out her tasks and familiarize herself with where she'd be working. Without the chance she had been hoping for, the young doctor wasn't entirely sure on the whereabouts of equipment and supplies.

Her concern might have been greater had her prior years of training not been present. Since all the females of her family worked in the Second Division, their own medical station had a similar layout to the room Yuzuki was looking at. She could almost guarantee that the organization and placements within the drawers and cabinets was similar, if not spot on, as well. Even if it wasn't, Yuzuki had stashed some personal items within her pouch, including needle and thread; it would simply not do to be unprepared.

Kiba gave a low grunt as he was nodded on, following after the female in his best approximation of her pace; as they walked, Kiba's eyes continued trailing to the rather confusing ruffles the girl wore. How somebody could wear something with so much... much to it, Kiba couldn't really grasp - and if he knew her much better, he might have chided the young lady on how much belly she was showing with her top done the way it was, but as it was, she was nearly a stranger to him, and anyways he was probably just cranky because of the hour, not to mention the discovery of his stinging wounds, which throbbed with every sway of his arm. Especially painful the wounds were not, but they were certainly at the level of annoying where Kiba would be salty concerning their existence for a goodly while.

The walk wasn't long at all before Kiba was being ushered into the examination room, and the Taichou nodded his head thankfully as the young lady opened the door for him, certainly more than aware of his aching arm; these Second Division people were always pretty well on top of their game, Kiba decided, and made a mental note to do something nice for Harupia-Taichou, to congratulate him on his excellent leadership.

Moving briskly into the room, Kiba was more or less aware of the procedure, having been in these shoes multiple times before: rather than attempt to relax on the bed/chair set aside for patients, Kiba simply grabbed the stool set aside for patient's guests and dragged it to the counter on the side of the room where the examiners usually sat, and plopped himself onto the stool, shrugging off his haori as he sat. His back to the far wall, and thus facing his nurse, Kiba spread his haori over the counter at his right side before simply placing his arm atop the cloth; he always felt bad about staining Harupia's floors and counter-tops when he made his appearances, and so had taken to using whatever cloth was handy to keep his own mess to himself, and that generally happened to be his now quite-tattered haori.

From his new perch, where he waited quite patiently for the nurse to come take a look at his wound, Kiba again looked to the female's face, pursing his lips slightly. Kiba was certainly not the best in the world when it came to recognizing faces, but he at least knew a new one when it was before him, and after careful consideration, Kiba decided this indeed was a new face.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before." Kiba announced by the time the female turned her attention back to him, and he gave a brief nod for no other reason than to back himself up after another moment. "Yeah, think I more or less know every on-duty practitioner around here at this time, and you haven't been in that lobby at the same time as me before. When did you start?" Kiba had found, a good while ago, that the best way to get people used to him was simply to chat at them; once upon a time, his visits to the Second had been silent, stiff, and painful because jittery on-call physicians didn't know how to react to a Taicho gawking at them work. Also apparently Kiba's 'gawking' was a little more intense than he realized, if rumors were to be believed.

"Suppose it has been a few days since I was in last." Kiba mused without really providing the young lady ample time to respond, unless she was ready for the question; he had a habit, he was told, of being a little 'gabby' when his usual hours of rest were approaching or, worse, had passed. "Should have seen poor Ailina-san's face - I don't think she'd seen so many fingers bent in that many directions before." Kiba snickered slightly at the memory, at how the auburn-haired nurse, only nearly a year into her time with the Second, had paled and swooned at the sight of Kiba's post-wood-carving accident, once he'd uncovered it from his shihakusho jacket. An accident, scaring the woman had been, but a funny one regardless, and Kiba'd had to apologize around stifled giggles. The chuckles were, naturally, less repressed this time.

"Of course, they wag a finger at me for springing it on them like that, but last time I came through the door waving a broken arm around, they were mad because they said I was inciting panic!" The chuckling picked up at this, and culminated in a mighty yawn as the Taicho shook his head, a wry grin on his lips. "Still, a good meaning bunch, the people you work with. Be nice to 'em, they'll all take good care of you." Kiba gave a hefty nod of affirmation after this, still chuckling slightly now and again, presumably at the varied reaction-memories from previous visits.

With her back turned to him as they had walked to the room, Yuzuki had not noticed Kiba's scrutiny which had centered around her uniform, but after shutting the door behind him, she turned and caught the evaluating stare that had now focused on her face. Her eyes dropped quickly to the chart she held and began to fill out the form with his basic information, saved from having to speak by the captain's own rambling. The monologue was enough for Yuzuki to regain her composure which had started to wane under Kiba's presence and she replied to his initial statement during the final lull in his speech.

"I've frequented the Second Division myself as well, though not in a patient capacity such as yourself or as a doctor so it's not surprising we haven't met. My name is Amano Yuzuki and I know that you are Shuchiku Kiba, Taichou of the Fourth Division. Today is my first day working in the Second Division, so that also makes you my first official patient."

There was no reason in hiding the fact even if it might make a patient less comfortable in being tended by her. In an effort to prevent such a thing, Yuzuki added,"But I've been working in my family's clinic for seventy-five years now. So you'll be in good hands!" Over the last few moments, Yuzuki's tone and expression had shifted from the calm stoic mien she upheld around most people and into a warm and inviting aura that was special for her family, close friends, and her patients at the time of their treatment. Nervous or not, that was simply how Yuzuki was.

Clipboard in hand, Yuzuki stepped away from the door where she had lingered so she could close the small distance between herself and Kiba. "I know it might hurt, but I'll need you to stretch your injured arm out so I can see the depth of the wounds and so I can clean it before stitching it up." As she spoke, Yuzuki set the clipboard down on the counter behind Kiba and began opening drawers to find antiseptic, needles, thread, and bandages; she had seen enough of the gashes when she had gotten closer to not waste anymore time talking without action accompanying it. It was for the same reason that she had not chided the captain for taking to the stool rather than the patient bed for treatment. If she remembered, it might come later, though if what Kiba had said was true, it was likely that she'd be seeing him more often in the future so there would always be time for it then.

The sun is well up in the sky by now, happily washing the white streets and walls of Seireitei with its dazzling, beautiful rays. Indeed, it looks like a very promising, glorious day. The sky is even devoid of any clouds and a slight, gentle breeze travels along the air, helping those who have problems with warm temperatures cool down. A gentle, refreshing day to go along with an equally gentle and refreshing night. Truly, this is the kind of morning that everyone hopes to wake up to regardless if early days are something they are into or not.

And Ryōichi is into that sort of thing. Indeed, his early days of farmlife in conjuction with a love for the sun and for curfew have turned him into quite the early bird (though he is also perfectly capable of going through the entire night with a moment of rest if he has a good reason to do so). As such, it is no surprise that he is up at such an early hour. It is also no surprise that he gets early-morning shifts right after the nightowls whenever he can. After all, some people do not need the gentle caress of the moon or the reassuring shelter of the shadows to do their own two cents of ill-deeds. And in a city filled with kidou-casters and magical transforming weapons one can't be too cautious. Still, he was absolutely certain that today's shift would be calm and devoid of disturbances.

And, of course, he was proven absolutely, completely, unquestionably, undebatably, most assuredly and certainly 100% WRONG!!! This day, instead of following up with the promises of peace that it so devilishly enticed him and so many others with, had pretty much given him and a few of his fellow 4th Divisioners a downright horrible and loud wake-up call. It didn't sound too extraordinary at first really, just a report about a small group of men who were turning things around at a rather busy street. It sounded like a standard procedure really, nothing that a small group of Seireitei's law enforcements wouldn't be able to handle. Such things were mere routine and those who disturbed the peace of others rarely proposed much of a threat.

Or at least, in any day other than -this- one. And it was for those reasons that Ryōichi and about half a dozen lower-ranking members were now rushing towards the hospital. Accompanying them are several members of the Second Division carrying about half a dozen injured men on specially designed stretchers that tie them in place. Something seems to be wrong, as those who are still conscious enough to be capable of moving their limbs are constantly fighting with their bonds and mumbling as if in some sort of a delirium. They are not drunk, that is for certain, and neither were they hit on the head too much (well, maybe). Fortunately the men on the stretchers are not the members of the Fourth Division, which all are carrying injuries of varrying degrees - but none too serious. Still, all of them look more shaken up than they should be, all except Ryōichi who has his usual calm expression - even with the burns across his left arm, his damaged shihakushō and the several cuts with the most prominent one being right over his left eyebrow.

Of course, that 'calm' expression is a facade. It isn't that he is not in control of himself under that stone gaze of his, it is that he is both worried as well as incredibly miffed. How did this all happen? What could it mean? What should he do after having informed the proper individuals? The inside of his mind is a chaotic mix of questions that have no answer and assumptions that have absolutely no basis. It is one of those rare moments in his life that he feels things are slipping away from control and that he needs to prevent that. But first he needs to put his own thoughts under control before he can access this bizarre situation with any sort of confidence, which he succeeds at just before reaching the hospital.

As they enter, an uproar soon follows. While the entrance of a bunch of injured individuals is not an unusual phenomenon for a hospital, it is the injuries of the people in the stretches as well as those of the law-enforcers draw quite some attention. The former due to the extent of them, as all look like they had to be beaten up severely in order to actually stay down. The worst of them all is an almost grotesque sight, with bad burns covering his front body and his entire right arm covered in bandages. The latter on the other hand, while not carrying serious injuries, carry plenty of them each as if they had been fighting tooth and nail just a while before. Even the medics can't help but be impressed by such a grand entrance so early on such a beautiful morning.

"No, we are all fine, get these men into emergency treatment. I think they are all intoxicated. I haven't seen anything like it, they went absolutely berserk and we didn't catch a single whiff of alcohol from them. I'm pretty certain that they were hallucinating too. We had to cut tendons, break bones and do worse to get them all to stop moving, and even now some of them refuse to stay still. One of them tried to fire off a Double Sokatsui I believe, without an incantation. It failed however and he blew himself up, burning some of us that stood close. He must have put an enormous amount of reiatsu in it, the blast was enormous. Its good that he didn't say the incantation, otherwise he might have killed himself..." the young-looking shinigami informs the first medic that approaches them in a hurry, who quickly then departs to spread the news.

Ryōichi lets a sigh escape his lips and ushers his comrades to go get their injuries cared for, before he turns to the doctor arriving to take care of his injuries. He is relieved actually, his left arm stings very badly and he can't see from his left eye anymore due to the blood running from the cut above it.

"Please prepare two messenger birds and bring me supplies to write down two letters. There is someone in the Third Division I wish to inform about this, and Shuchiku-taichou also needs to learn of this as soon as possible. I also want them to be examined and the cause of their delirium to be found. What...? Taichou reported in not too much ago? Alright, drop the one letter and messenger bird. Tell him to come and find me where I will be after he has been patched up." he says while simultaneously being informed of his captain's presence in the building. He would go straight to him of course, but the doctor's gaze leaves no room for discussion - he will have to wait a bit. Afterwards he leaves the main lobby with the doctor.

The smile touching Kiba's lips curled the corners further at the young lady's admission that he was in fact her first patient; few, he thought, were willing to be so up-front about the matter, and certainly on his first day on the job he'd have never told those he was interacting with concerning his green nature - granted, slightly difference scenario - but the girl's bravery was certainly to be admired. "I'm sure I'm in perfectly capable hands, Amano-san."

Shortly thereafter, Yuzuki adopted full-on Doctor mode, and instructed him in no uncertain terms what she needed; Kiba was no fresh hand at dealing with slashes himself, and simply rotated his arm atop the haori to better present the gashes, making them as plainly unobstructed as possible. "Don't worry about hurting me, Amano-san; I'm a little more tough than I look."

There was another snicker at this, the Taicho lost somewhere between bemusement and delirium; perhaps not blood-loss but certainly the beginnings of exhaustion, Kiba now long-beyond when he should have been in bed. Of course, the Taicho very vaguely heard the hustling and bustling far outside, the shouting, but that was simply the Second Division being the Second Division. There would always be shouting and screaming on these medical grounds, that was simply the way of things.

---

As the Fifth Seat attempted to order a Second Division personnel orders to find Kiba, another hand would reach through the crowd to place itself in a calming manner upon the man's uninjured shoulder. "Belay the order to seek out Kiba-Taicho." The man with golden-blonde hair spoke, his sharp features cut into a stark grin; he wasn't anybody particularly important, but he was a man occasionally seen alongside the Taicho, and thus would be recognized as a man to be listened to. "As I'm sure my colleague here will recall, trying to tell Kiba-Taicho to do anything, especially to 'come find' a lower-ranking fellow, is only going to raise trouble. I mean, unless you want a sleepy Taicho with bull-strength to come looking for you?"

The blonde chuckled at this, removing his hand from the Fifth Seat and shaking his head. Waving off others from the Fourth trying to follow the Fifth Seat's instruction, the blonde simply pulled a small sheet of paper from his shihakusho, and a pen to follow. "Forget whoever else you're sendin' messages to. Just let me know what you want Kiba-Taicho to know, and be sure he'll get the word. And then I suggest you stop tryin' to belt out orders when your Taicho is in the building, and make polite requests." There was something in the blonde's smile at that moment, something between a friendly suggestion and a dire warning; this was, the Fifth Seat would certainly recall, a man who'd likely seen the Taicho in a great many scenario, and likely knew him quite well. Was he a man to be disregarded? Difficult to say...

When Yuzuki had confessed to her lack of experience, at least within the division, there had been two things she didn't expect: that Kiba would react very poorly to the news as captains were supposed to have more composure than their lesser ranked counterparts, and secondly, that he would react really well to the news as most people would not like being told that their doctor was new on the job. Yet Kiba surprised Yuzuki by expressing confidence in her abilities. It was a compliment the young woman hoped to live up to.

"Thank you, Shuchiku-taichou. I'll do my best," Yuzuki responded, a slight blush forming across her pale face in the wake of the unexpected profession of confidence though she didn't hesitate in her actions. Whatever distance had been between them before was gone now as Yuzuki leaned in close to inspect the wounds in greater detail once she deposited the items she had gathered on top of the counter. It only took a few seconds for Yuzuki to determine the severity of the injuries before she pulled away and stepped back to retrieve the cotton swabs and antiseptic.

"You do look quite tough as is, Shuchiku-taichou especially if one takes a look at your haori, or those other men that were brought in, and I don't mean to test the theory, but this may hurt."

She had doused the first of many cotton swabs in the cleansing, but stinging, liquid, and proceeded to gently run it around the outsides of the gashes. It was not this part that was particularly painful, though it would be far from pleasant, but it needed done first. If the area around the wound wasn't clean before she cleaned the actual lacerations, then filth and infection could be transferred right back into the unnatural openings.

It was a quick process. Yuzuki had done this part many times before. Raiu was the queen of skinned knees after all. She was familiar with the next part as well, though Yuzuki had never personally tended to wounds as deep as Kiba's were. On her fifth cotton swab now, Yuzuki was prepared to go into the actual wound. She braced Kiba's arm with her right hand, wielding the weapon of mass disinfection in her left.

Her grip on his arm was firm, but not tight, even though it wouldn't matter in the end if Kiba struggled. Yuzuki wasn't strong by any means and Kiba was as strong as an ox. Her touch with the cotton swab on the other hand, literally, was still light and gentle, even though she had brought it now into direct contact with the cut along his forearm and was pressing the easily molded material down into split flesh.

It was clear by her expression that Yuzuki was extremely focused. Despite her narrowed concentration, she was aware of the disturbance taking place in the lobby where the room was just off of. It was a far bigger commotion than the one that Kiba had caused earlier, but in the end, Yuzuki felt it didn't concern her. She was already with a patient and she had been restricted, wisely, to tasks around the level of first aid only. Whatever was happening outside was suited for someone with far more experience than she, or heaven forbid it was bad enough, the captain.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spoiler
Lol, that was kind of OOC now that I think about it. XD Sorry, it was late and it slipped up. Won't happen again.

The black haired member of the 4th Division nodded once to the blonde-haired man before turning to the medic that he was speaking to before. His expression remains entirely the same, not looking angry at the blonde man at all. If anything, he is actually agreeing with him and inside feels quite ashamed. Of course he doesn't let that show on his face at all, maintaining a look of neutrality.

"He's right. I apologize, I was in a hurry and made out my requests to sound like orders, even though I have absolutely no authority on the grounds of the Second Division. I should have been more polite. Please forgive me." he apologizes once more before bowing deeply. Afterwards he turns towards his captain's acquaintance. His eyebrows twitch a little, a sign that the pain of his injuries is only increasing. The bleeding hasn't stopped yet either, and so his left eye is still closed.

"I'm sorry, this has been a rather....eventful morning, and I let myself astray. I assure you, it shall not happen again." he says, pausing for a few seconds so that his words can be taken in before he continues, "I suppose it would be more prudent to not draw the attention of a sleep-deprived Shuchiku-taichou, at least not before I am even certain of what has just happened. Very well, this much should be good enough. He knows where to find me if what I say to you is not enough for him. Now...agh!!!!" he barely keeps himself from releasing a cry of pain as someone interrupts him. He can't keep his expression from twisting into one of pain however, his brows furrowing, his right eye half-closing and his teeth showing as he grits them. It is a reflexive action that he didn't manage to withhold as he was taken by surprise.

That someone, of course, is the doctor assigned to him. A middle-aged, sour-looking man with a large bald spot and round glasses. He looks quite annoyed, which is most probably why he is squeezing his hand around one of Ryōichi's burns. Seemingly satisfied with how he managed to draw the injured male's attention, he clears his throat and speaks with a deep, gruff voice.

"Look now gentlemen, I honestly do not care much about manners or captains or reports. All I see in front of me is an injured shinigami whose wounds need to be treated and disinfected as soon as possible. After I am done with you sir, you can talk to as many captains as you want, send as many letters as you want and file as many reports as you want for all that I care. But for now, I'm going to have to ask you to do as I say and come with me."

At that, Ryōichi understands that there really is no room for discussion and, to be honest, he understands the doctor's annoynace. There are patients to take care of, there are reports to file and stacks of medicine to be regulated. He has work to do, and possibly not enough time to do it. He doesn't have the luzury to stand there and casually wait while the other two younger-looking men talk about business at their leisure. He has waited enough actually.

"You are right. I'm coming." is his short reply to the doctor, voice still a little pained. He turns around to look at the blonde once more, "I'm sorry, you can wait outside of the room while I get patched up...?" he says, throwing a glance at the doctor. The reply comes in the form of a couple short, impatient nods which at least signify that such a thing is possible.

"See you soon." Ryōichi says, bowing his head lightly once more before he follows the doctor. He doesn't look behind him to see if they are followed, as his fellow shinigami can just do whatever he wants to be honest.

Amano was not the only early bird in the Division. Though
Harupia managed not to fall asleep on his desk the night before, which tended
to happen from time to time. Freshly rested, the Taicho greetd his guards and
headed towards his office roughly a quarter of an hour before the new member he
had acquainted himself with just the day before. So he had some time to walk
into his office and settle in quickly, before going off to do a usual morning
round up, checking up on the patience and the first shift of doctors. Always
important to keep the spirits up. And their heads if they dozed off, hehe.



As he moved to the lower levels, he heard rumblings among the doctors that
Kiba-Taicho had come by with another visit. He let a small chuckle slip through
his lips, seeing how he was a quite frequent visitor in these parts. Still, he
was being looked after, so all seemed well. However, as he moved to pass
through the main entrance, he heard the commotion caused by the appearance of a
large group of people. Looked like something the Captain needed to take a
closer look at.



Finally reaching the hallway, he had seen quite a debacle. people tied to
stretchers, from just slightly grazed to burnt...rather brutally at that. And
one of the doctors urging a Shinigami to move along with him for
treatment...after he squeezed the burnt arm of the Shinigami. As the gruff
sounding Shinigami started to lead Aoy away, he would step before them while
saying "I don’t believe that proper healing of burns of this degree
involve squeezing on the endangered flesh, unless this is some new technique
you've come up with Doctor-san. Still, I’d like to discuss the reasoning behind
it before you start applying it to other patients" his voice, while as
usually smooth, had a visible scolding tone in it. His policy was clear: You do
NOT hurt patients. Ever. No matter how annoying or difficult they could be. As
long as they weren’t posing an actual threat to anyone within the staff, any
sort of violence was unacceptable.



With a deep breath he would pass the middle aged doctor while saying "My apologies
for the rough handling. I’m sure my friend here will take good care of
you." to the wounded Shinigami, while stepping in between the other
wounded and saying to the other medics gathered "Alright now, let’s get
this all organized. I want these patients relocated. Move them to any spare
rooms, and prepare an emergency room for this one here" he said kneeling
over the men who had the most severe burns. He would step over each wounded,
trying to assess their wounds, and their current state of mind. The question of
what exactly happened plagued his mind as usual, but for now, they needed to
get this people fixed. And try to avoid any other nasty surprises along the
way.

Kiba was, by no stretch of the imagination, frightened of doctors; he knew them well, and as often as he spent in their offices, anything that might have been considered 'unease' had long since been wiped clean of his persona. That said, this did not create an equivalent enjoyment of what doctors did in Kiba; no matter how strong or powerful a man may be, the simple fact was that there were medical treatments that could bring even a Taicho low. Quite reflexively, Kiba's right arm tensed as Yuzuki brought to bear her cotton swabs. Obvious, deep breathes ran through the Taicho - in the nose, out the mouth, repeat - as the gentle stinging caress swabbed along the outskirts of his wounds, tingling then almost numbing the skin only to re-awaken the gentle sting, dulled because the sensation was occurring outside the wound.

Bracing himself, breathing slowly, closing his eyes, for all intents and purposes Kiba fell into a sort of meditative trance, his mind locked on a simple phrase, the only two instructions that echoed through the silence of his mind, the mantra that for the next few minutes would define him absolutely - in the nose, out the mouth, in the nose, out the mouth - and when the cotton swab finally came in contact with the wound proper, Kiba's response was dulled to a flinch.

A white-hot spear lanced the darkness in Kiba's thoughts, his teeth grit, and his eyes clenched; his fist had already been a tight, white-knuckle grip on nothing, and so rather than flinch away and buck poor Yuzuki who-knew where, Kiba's body leaned into the arm, steadying the flinch and directing to the force into his elbow, pressing downward as hard as he could manage. The result was, at Yuzuki's end, a bare twitch, nothing more than the sign of response, of a living arm indeed; on the counter's end, beneath Kiba's elbow, on the other side of the haori he was using as a combination arm rest and mop of sorts, a fancy new crack would cobweb outward, not enough to jut or scrape, but enough to be noticeable when everything was said and done. Of course, that wouldn't be for a time, and so Kiba was currently ignorant of the impressively minor structural damage. Instead, a tense sort of smirk curled his lips as he continued breathing deeply through the continued petting of the disinfecting swabs.

"You're good at this." Kiba muttered through a grimace - most of the other nurses or doctors tended to take a few steps back from the Taicho when he showed some sort of reaction, perhaps out of fear of misplaced retaliation, but Kiba had not noticed a direct response short of perhaps a brief pause from Yuzuki, indeed a practiced hand. Of course, Kiba didn't quite grasp the nature of the comparison between his own treatment and the treatment of a small child - in his mind, he had to marvel at the courage the girl must have shown, to be handling others that might have been the apparent physical equal of the Taicho, for her to be so sure of her hand, to be absolute in her resolve to see his treatment. Figuring the girl must have been some sort of personal medic for ruffians, the sort Kiba tried to keep restricted to private places. Indeed, this medic was certainly one not to be trifled with!

---

As the Fifth Seat was escorted off by a doctor, the blonde simply chuckled and gave a curt wave, putting away his pen and paper and all but ignoring the request to loiter outside care rooms; he had potential visitors to the Fourth to watch, after all!

Yuzuki had seen many reactions to cleaning wounds over the seventy-five years she had been tending to her family. They ranged from the physical displays like wrenching away, flinching, and facial contortions, to the audible responses like gasping, crying, and the occasional scream. In her greener days, Yuzuki had always pulled back from what she was doing for the sake of her patient's comfort, but as time went on, Yuzuki discovered that it was better to stay the course rather than drag the process out, both as a matter of efficiency and to not prolong what some of her charges felt to be excruciating.

The twinge that made it past Kiba's level of bodily control might have escaped someone who wasn't as focused on his body as Yuzuki, but as it was, it did not escape her. The only oddity she found in the situation was how minor a response it was. Her eye level shifted just enough to observe his face and found the real reaction in his features. Her own transformed in quite the opposite way especially with the additional compliment.

"I try my best, Shuchiku-taichou. This is just basic treatment though. It's nothing to be overly proud of." Of course, Yuzuki didn't know that he wasn't talking about how she cleaned his wounds, but rather how she didn't flinch away from him simply because he had moved in the smallest of manners from the stinging sensation caused by the disinfectant. The newest medic had no prior history with the man and was not one to sit around and listen to idle gossip, or else she might have had an inkling into the captain's thought process.

Even if Yuzuki had known, it was unlikely that it would have changed her mannerisms while she treated him. She was stoic and calm by nature and firmly believed that her patients deserved the best care she could provide to them. Not that she was foolhardy enough to do something that she knew would cause herself bodily harm. There were simply ways to deal with more difficult patients. For now, she carried on in ignorant bliss.

It took two of the cotton swabs to properly clean the gash along Kiba's forearm. By the time Yuzuki reached what amounted to the eighth overall, she was ready to start on his shoulder. Much like before, she gingerly pressed the soaked material down into the cut and slowly, but steadily, ran it through the length of the injury. Now that the commotion outside had dulled down, Yuzuki spoke as she worked to keep Kiba engaged long enough to hopefully distract him from what she was doing until the deed was done.

"Because of the location of the lacerations, you wont be able to bandage them yourself. You'll need to come in once a day for a week to have the dressings changed. After that they should be healed enough that the risk of infection is minimal as long as you keep them clean with regular bathing. Alternatively, you could make an appointment with one of the more experienced medics and have the wounds completely closed off with chiyudo. At the very least, I can use it to stem the blood flow before putting stitches in then bandaging you up."

There would come a time in the next few years where Yuzuki was as familiar and adept with chiyudo practices as she was with standard and holistic practices, but that day was not today so she didn't concern herself with it. Even for her first day, Yuzuki had resigned herself to conforming to the accepted standard practices. Maybe, if and when Kiba came back to have his wounds cleaned and bandaged, he would let her try some alternative methods of healing. She was almost eager to see how lavender helped with cuts as deep as his were.

"That should be it for cleaning the wounds," she added as she tossed the dirtied cotton ball into the trash with the others. "Now I'm going to apply chiyudo to close up the broken capillaries and reduce what swelling I can then stitches are next. If you're ready, that is." Stitches were, oddly enough, less painful than the disinfectant, but the skin was already tender from both the initial injury and the cleaning, so it wasn't going to be exactly pleasant. Still, it was best to get it over with so she could bandage him up and send him on his way.

Ryōichi gave a court, polite nod to the Captain of the Second Division. Of course, under normal circumstances, he would've done a small bow but his current physical condition forces him to be more conservative with his movements. Despite that, he manages to spare a small, barely visible smile to his fellow, and higher-ranking, shinigami - though it may look a little odd what with his bloodied-up face.

"It is alright, Harupia-taichou. I have absolute faith in the members of the Second Division, both new and old. I'm certain that I am in good hands and, to be honest, I believe I somewhat deserved this." he replies, tone respectful, serious and reserved all at the same time. Of course, he knew the man's name from his reputation. Ryōichi would be damned if he didn't know the names of the captains, at the very least, after his centuries of service in the Gotei.

The doctor nods once at his captain's words, taking into note Harupia's highly displeased undertone. He lets out a soft sigh, knowing that it is true. He shouldn't have lost his patience, regardless of the situation. It doesn't matter how serious the injuries are either.

"I apologize Harupia-taichou, you are 100% right. I guess I haven't had my required dosage of caffeine yet. Next time I will be more subtle. Now, come with me." he says to his patient after he is done apologizing to his captain. They leave for their assigned room closing the door behind them.

This is going to take some time. It is not the seriousness of the wounds per say, though the burns on Ryōichi's left arm are quite nasty, but rather the number of them. After being told to strip from the waist and above, the doctor finds out that the member of the Fourth Division has well over a dozen minor wounds all across his torso, back and right arm as well. None of those are truly serious, most being superficial and some not even deep enough to be called superficial.

"Oh my....I thought you were fighting Seireitei dwellers, not a swarm of angry eagles. These shouldn't be a problem, but we need to disinfect them as soon as possible. That nasty cut above your brow will also need some basic stitches I think. As for your arm....I have salves as well as my chiyudo. It doesn't look too serious, it seems whatever hit you mostly grazed you. Alright, just relax and I'll get to work." said the middle-aged man as he carefully inspected the injuries. Grabbing a good amount of cotton, bandages and alcohol, he starts to work from the smaller wounds. In the meantime, Ryōichi is instructed to stay still, bear with the stinging and press a sterilized towel against the bleeding wound above his brow - with his good arm, of course.

Haru smiled at both the doctor and the patient. it seemed
the despite the earlier animosity, it all would fall into place rather smoothly.
It was nice to see such respect shown towards him and his man, and the Doctor
seemed to only be slightly cranky. That was understandable. He would quickly
say "Thank you for you kind words, and I wish you a fast recovery"
before the two of them went their way.



Approaching the wounded masses, he heard a quick rundown of the situation by
one of the other medics. Intoxication, but with no visible traces of alcohol, patients
not being able to stop moving. After a quick thought he said "Everyone be careful
here. If they were intoxicated, then the patients can still be somewhat
restless. Tend to the ones who had slashing wounds first, tendons need to be
fixed quickly. Make sure the burnt have their wounds bandaged. Sedate the more
restless patients, and once there, calm, check them for any broken limbs, and
take their blood samples for testing. Be careful, we don’t need any more
wounded here" with a raised voice, giving general directions to his me.
The cut wounds would be needed to be tended first along with the burns, but the
wounds were manageable by the others. He needed to deal with the Kido
practioner first of all.



It was a gruesome sight, most of his chest and arm badly burnt. Pulling his
sleeves up, he said "Someone come here with some tweezers, we need to
remove these bandages..." while he kneeled down near the body, his hand
starting to glow with the green energy, assessing the damage to the tissue and
starting to remove the debris from the wound. They needed to act quickly with
this one, the wounds were quite serious. As he healed the chest, one of the men
came nearby and started to slowly remove the soggy bandages. The wound needed
to be cleaned thoroughly before they could bandage it well. Hopefully they
would do everything fast enough, with the severity of the wounds this was a
very careful case. Still, he would try his best to avoid starting his day with
a deceased patient.

"We don't get good at the difficult things without mastering the basics." Kiba declared with a yawn, then affirmed with a hearty nod. In the movement of the nod, Kiba's consciousness slipped, and briefly, he was in his backyard again, young, his father bemoaning the same piece of advice as Kiba inarticulately howled, cracking his practice wooden sword against their great tree. The rising motion of the nod brought Kiba back to the realm of the waking, where Yuzuki had just finished swabbing his shoulder wound - another downfall of the chin, and Kiba's mother was scolding him as she applied a home-remedy to a fresh scrape on the same shoulder.

Yuzuki's comments concerning his wound and dressing fluttered the veil aside, and Kiba smirked slightly as the 'seriousness' of the wound was explained to him. Another battle scar, at least so long as the bandages remained. Another warning to his underlings to be ever-watchful, ever defensive. Kiba would make the walk to the Second Division proudly. "Could too. Just need a wall to brace against." The Taicho boasted against her explanation, too tired to actually demonstrate. Fortunate indeed none of his underlings were present - the 'Can-Too Taicho' would have had his reputation at stake.

Kiba was only slightly aware of Yuzuki's approach with her stitching equipment, barely recognized he had given his sleepy consent. Another yawn was stifled with his left fist, bleary tears blinked away from his eyes. After a long shift, an adrenal-dump, and then the numbing touch of disinfectant with a kiss of chiyudo, Kiba's body was generating it's own painkillers at this point, and Yuzuki would find no resistance from Kiba as she began to close the wounds.

In time, if not immediately, Yuzuki would be sure to notice the Taicho dozing, potentially even snoring. It wouldn't be difficult to either find a Fourth Division member doing nothing to sleep-walk the Taicho to the Fourth, or perhaps simply to throw a medical blanket over the Taicho to let him nap off the proceedings. It had, after all, been a tiring day - and the next doubtless held just as much adventure in store.

[Exit]

A soft smile lit Yuzuki's features when she realized that the compliance of her patient was because the man had drifted off into a peaceful slumber despite the painful treatment and the noise from outside the little alcove of quiet they had entered earlier. As much as the medic would like to let Kiba sleep, she knew that it would take away from her ability to tend to other patients. So she knew what she had to do and braced herself to open the door, the only barrier between her and the ongoing excitement out in the lobby.

A deep inhale set a more rigid posture to her frame as Yuzuki marched to the door and slid it open. Even with her gaze falling across the injured that had yet to be moved, she remained calm on the surface. A quick evaluation confirmed the situation was beyond her limited experience, but it also allowed her to pinpoint a member of the Fourth Division loitering around. She directed him to, please, escort his captain home and though it seemed beyond her, Yuzuki approached Harupia to offer her assistance.

"Hitoshi-taichou," she interjected between loud calls of other doctors who were trying to get what they needed to take care of their own patients. "Is there anything I can to do help?" Yuzuki's timid tone belied the determined mask that she wore, but still, she was steady and willing to do what she could, even if it wasn't much.

There would be a lot of hustle and bustle around as Yazuki enterd the room, most of the present doctors trying thier best to follow thier Captains orders. Most of the ruckus being made by the few patients who maanged to stay concious, and were still influenced by whateer caused them to react in such a way. One of the patients suddenly rosed from his prone postion somewaht close to her as she passed him, screaming out in fear fbecsaue of wahtever viions the intoxication was causing them. He was quickly sedeted and put back laying down, but some of the patients were quite a handfull for the docotors.

Harupia himslef was quite glad this patient was out cold. Any movment he would make could make healing him much more complicated.It took a few seconds for Haru to register someone spoke to him, as he was focused on healing the burnt skin, while making sure the other doctors were removing all the unwanted bits of the skin. He would pop his head up in a quick motion once he realzied, and saw just who was talking to him. A member of the Amano family, if he rmemberd right. And as far as he knew the youngest which enterd the ranks of his division not to long ago. Flashin her a somehwat nervous grin he said "Appologise for my silence, my hands are full of work right now... We will need soothing slave to apply to the skin once we get it cleand. Lots of it. I know fetch tasks are not the most abosring ones, but this man will need all the help he can get, fast" he concluded, lickign his lips slightly as he returned his gaze twoards the burnt skin. Right now he focus was purely on the man... and without anyone calling out for his aid, he hoped to kepe it that way for a bit.

As it has been nearly four months since a post, this thread is now ended.

Rewards:
Yuzuki - 6
Kiba - N/A due to death
Aoyama - 3/2 = 1 (Character's turn to post)
Harupia - 3