midnight oils burning
disaster hangs heavy
burnt flesh invades my mind
and body
taking with it all i
hold dear
and all that i will never be
 -- Tanaka Mai, 2001

The youngest of the Tanaka daughters sat in the darkened room, hunkered down over a half-filled sheet of parchment. The pen in her hand scratched wildly as it glided across the surface, the normally-elegant hand reduced to an almost indecipherable scrawl -- a side-effect of the flickering candle light she had half-hidden as to not disturb the sleeping man across from her and an inherent need for privacy. These were her feelings, her heart and soul borne upon the page, and to have them read before their time was a thought she just could not endure.

She had turned to writing at a young age, one of the many suggestions the unconscious man before her had made to help her cope with her rampaging emotions. Begrudgingly, she accepted, if only to ease herself of the incessant badgering, only to find that it actually worked. She entered a dark period, one of several across her short lifetime, and like now, wrote of loss and the potential for it. Of how it may damage her, of what it would do to her. She wasn't ready to be an orphan -- she had just heard word back from the third division that her sister, Chie, was listed as missing in action, and to lose all her family in one fell swoop would be beyond devastating to her psyche. It took her almost two hundred years to come to terms with the loss of her mother...what would it be like without her father, too?

The girl sighed and looked up from her parchment, bloodshot and red-rimmed eyes gazing forlornly across her father's broken body. She hadn't the heart to wake him and tell him immediately after hearing it. He needed his rest, and to tell him that he had lost another of his kin would prevent that from happening. No, it was best to wait until he woke up. She returned to her parchment, gravity betraying her and allowing the once-brimming tears to add to her emotional purge. She stopped writing, letting the pen and paper fall to ground with a soft clatter, and clamped her hands over her face as the sobbing took hold.

Note: takes place between In Memoriam and Replanting

How long have I been out?

He couldn't tell, but his body was weak. His vision was a thick blanket of black although the odd swirl of colour danced upon the lids of his eyes, which for the moment he couldn't seem to open. He was drained, utterly exhausted and in a small amount of pain. His sense seemed dull, echoed.. The smell of the room around him smelt clean, but at the same time of filth. Someone had been bleeding in this room, possibly even messed themselves and had been tended to.

Oh god, it's me.. He thought to himself in sudden understanding. He had been hurt, burned badly and wounded in a way like he had never been before. It was new kind of pain, incredibly painful and one he was not accustomed to or prepared for. Did I lose my hands? He thought to himself, too drugged up to really panic but not yet aware of the amount of pain killers he was under. He tried to move his hands and only pain followed, but he was too weak to cry out, though the feeling of water running down his face was a sensation that followed.

Then, he heard her.

Ever so softly at first. He didn't know what it was, he was confused, lost in a sea of pain, smells and sounds. He cursed himself mentally and set his mind to one simple task. What was that noise?

Slowly, but surely it came to him. It was someone crying, a woman. He fought to open his eyes, but still the lids covering them were too heavy. He went back to trying to figure out who it was by the crying alone.. No, sobbing. With each breath she took a sob followed and little by little, he figured out who it was. How could he have been so stupid, of course it was her.

Mai? He tried to open his mouth to speak, but he was unable to. Mai. He tried again, still naught. Frustrated beyond belief, Malik screamed her name, but only in his mind. His body, would not budge. Even when he tried to move his digits, nothing happened only pain.

And yet, more tears ran down his face.

Time certainly did not appear to be one thing in Yuigon's corner lately. His encounter with Kiba-taicho had quite the unpleasant outcome as far as he was concerned, even worse was the fact he had gotten back to the Seireitei after dark, and therefore the members of the 5th division he had asked to search for Kiba did not leave until first light. Setback after delay after setback. Now, when he had tried to get in touch with the Soutaicho, the Seventh seat was informed the man was recovering from injuries in the Second. But the officer had taken it upon himself to decide this was urgent, and would deliver his report in person. He just hoped that he would not get scolded.

More than once a fellow Shinigami had asked him to stop and wait where he could not possibly get in the way, but this was not the time for his normal doubts and blind compliance. He did not get a good look at whatever being had interrupted his and Kiba's little fight, but it did not take much to recognize the danger that it posed. It was instinctual, absolute, and all too real. Kiba was in danger, that much he knew, and it pushed him onward even while his body was still exhausted from the fight as well as the trek to and from the Fourth District and through a good portion of the Seireitei.

Yuigon did not harm anyone as he continued despite directions not to, but simply pushed past knowing that the more people that stood in his way, the closer he was getting to his destination. The young man gave no pause until he actually arrived at the door to the room Tanaka Soutaicho was staying in. At that moment, he stopped, seemingly frozen with his hand balled into a fist only inches from the door. Is someone crying? His resolve weakened for but a moment before he took a deep breath. It seemed like an eternity before he finally built up the nerve to knock on the door, much softer than he had initially intended to do. Coming to speak to an important man while he was still in a hospital bed was one thing, but interrupting what sounded like a woman in despair? That was a bit more difficult.

Oblivious to her father's slow, dysphoric ascent into a painful consciousness, Mai continued her own painful sobs, a nearly-silent endeavor that served her no purpose other than to drain her of her energy; she had always cried alone in the dark, tempertantrums aside, and even then she was aware of the purposelessness of the act, but she had always been unable to stop it. Unlike her sister, now just a memory blurred by the tears of a traumatized child, who had never seemed to cry--

The thought renewed the strength of her tears, and she cursed herself for her weakness, her inability to stop crying. She had done far too much of it lately, some even at the request of Harupia, and she could feel the depression taking hold more and more with each shuddering rack of the shoulders. The knock, timid as it was, was a blessing in disguise for the poor creature, and she clamped down hard on the inside of her cheek, grinding the sensitive flesh between her molars to give her something else to think about. Physical pain was one thing she could ignore, as rare and fleeting as it was in her field; the emotional pain she'd been enduring for the last two centuries she could not.

One last heartful gnash with her teeth and she rose, the tears stemmed for the moment. She carefully stepped around her tools as she made her way to the door, ignoring them for the moment. It was probably one of her peers come to check on her father, and while she did not care to be seen like this, her surname carried a bit of weight and they would understand her situation; it wasn't every day that one of them had to endure such a terrible thing. She slid the door open a crack, just to see who it was.

He was unfamiliar to her, taller than she was, and upon closer inspection in the faint light, she was able to discern the insignia of the Fourth Division. She sighed and opened the door all the way and turned without a word, allowing him inside; whatever brought the man here was probably important. "He's asleep right now," she said softly, making her way to the chair where her tools rested. She gestured to the chair in the flickering light, inviting him to sit. "You're welcome to wait or...leave a message." Mai shrugged slightly, feeling indifferent and unsure. It was unlikely that he wanted to leave a message with her, seeing as he came all the way here in the dead of night.

Unbidden, her eyes drifted to her father, and then to the chair beside his bed, where his Haori, Sumie's badge, and what was left of Kiba's Haori still sat neatly folded where she had left them. They flicked back to the man before her, slowly piecing two and two together. She made no comment on it, however, instead reaching for a tissue to wipe the rest of the tears from her eyes. It wasn't her place to pry.

First just a peek, and then the door was opened for him. Yuigon could not put his finger on it, but this young woman who allowed him to enter the room seemed familiar. Perhaps he had seen her during some trip to the Second before, maybe for a routine check-up. Maybe he had seen her elsewhere, when he had gone on a patrol through the Seireitei or during a break. Whatever it was, he could not entirely remember, and the signs of her grief made recognizing her all the more difficult. He glanced over to the bed in the room just in time for her to mention he, the Soutaicho, was sleeping and gestured towards a chair for him to sit. His eyes traveled back towards her for a moment, and noticed the items sitting in one of the other chairs in the process.

To be more specific, he noticed the haori that belonged to Kiba. This raised a few questions in the mind of the Seventh seat, all of which slowly started to answer themselves. But he couldn't stand there lost in thought forever. He moved to the chair that the woman had gestured towards, and sat down. "Thank you, I suppose I have no where else important to be." It was true, he had already spoken to a party for the Fifth Division, and they would leave in the morning. Until then, there was nothing he really needed to get done except inform someone about what happened. Normally that would be his own Taicho, but there was a slight problem there.

So now to pass the time. It was bad enough that he had to try and give a report to a man in the hospital, but now he was also waiting until he woke up with a woman who is obviously worried about his current state. It was little surprise he was feeling a bit like it was wrong for him to be there now, his initial resolve all but gone. "I... apologize for coming at such a time. But I hope my presence can be of some comfort while we wait for him to awake." Yuigon gave a slight smile as he concluded speaking. He had no clue how he could really help, but he was use to being the strong one when it came to emotional tragedies in his family.

Mai remained silent as the pair made themselves comfortable, or what could pass as comfortable given their situation. The girl herself was very uncomfortable as she sat, still and unnaturally rigid, legs crossed at the ankles and hands folded neatly in her lap to discourage any nervous fidgeting. Her eyes were downcast, focused on her trembling hands, and not on Yugion. "It's no problem," she said at length, once the silence had grown unbearable. "The company is...appreciated."

She wasn't entirely sure if she meant what she had said, -- she had been a loner for most of her life -- but deep down, she was aware that she was in desperate need of contact; several months ago, she had been reminded of that, and how wonderful it had felt to be comforted, but right now, at this moment, she needed the comfort of her mother; in her absence, her father would have sufficed, but he was unavailable, and she had no one else. The thoughts brought the tears back, the despair rising up in her tired eyes and spilling down over her hands.

"I...I'm sorry," she said quietly, drawing the back of her thumb 'neath her eyelids to wipe the water away. "It's been a trying day for us, hasn't it?" Indeed, so many had died or been wounded, and while her problem was no worse than anyone else's, it was so much more -- three had nearly been cut to one, the city had lost a large fraction of its leaders, and many had been wounded or killed.

And here she was, crying again.

note: mal requested to be skipped twice

However sincere it seemed, or not, the young woman's mention of the company being appreciated made Yuigon's small smile grow a bit more. Though it was not long before tears started to spill from her eyes once again, and his expression changed to a much more concerned one. When she apologized and spoke in a soft voice, his eyebrows furrowed in thought for a brief moment. How far would it be appropriate to go in order to comfort a relative stranger? It was not long before he rose and traveled to stand by her side, then crouched down so he was a bit closer to her level. "Don't be sorry for your emotions, or your expression of them. It takes a strong person to smile despite the pain, but it takes a courageous one to release that pain in the company of others."

He paused for another moment to consider the second part of what she had said, and during this thought is when he finally remembered where he had seen the girl before. It had been in one of the parks, when he had first actually spoken with Tanaka Malik, and he rushed to her after something had caused her to pass out. "As for how this day has been, I suppose I was lucky to get out unscathed. But you are the second person I have spoken with who has felt deep loss. He is your father, right?" He felt that was a safe assumption, considering she seemed much to young to be in some sort of relationship with him, and they obviously shared a deep bond.

He inwardly remarked that he needed to pay much more attention to who was related to who when it came to important people. Please don't let them be lovers, I'd die from embarrassment...

She nodded slightly, fearful that too much motion would cause more tears to fall. The man had a point, one that echoed what everyone had been trying to teach her for the majority of her life, and she could understand what he meant; it was the application of the point, however, that Mai could not see herself practicing, especially in the next few days. She was too young, too naive...too jaded...to really understand what all it took to be able to bear baring her emotions -- Harupia or her Father was one thing, but this Seventh Seat was something entirely different.

She did not bother apologizing again as a hiccup ran its course -- a little air was to be expected in her state -- and instead focused her thoughts elsewhere; she failed miserably, as the man brought up the topic of loss again. She was the second he had spoken to, which meant that he had come a long way with some very important news (as if the fact that he was here in the dead of night alone and unkempt meant something else). Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, the young Tanaka pondered for a moment, as though debating on what to say.

"Many have been affected," she said quietly, averting her eyes so that they rested upon Malik. "Many have died. I...." Her eyes closed tightly, shielding her soul from the terror of the day. "Hitoshi-sama lost his second. Your Taichou...I don't know what she was to him, only that she was important, otherwise he would not have reacted so strongly. I felt a man die beneath my fingertips....

"I was accepting of this, because we had healed him--" she inclined her head toward the man on the bed. "And with the soutaichou safe, with my father safe, we were going to be fine. It's not that they didn't matter," she whispered, face relaxing for a moment only to then furrow as she thought back. She continued, eyes still closed against reality: "They weren't...personal, you understand? Yes, it hurt me to empathize, because I too have felt that loss, when my mother passed on...."

It…was a dull ache before, after my mother passed. I can’t remember feeling anything but the darkness for the longest time....It lessened…now and then a twinge. I can’t—I can’t remember her, just bits and flashes like a broken frame. I thought it was gone, forever, but now…now that all came back, like a full stop into the densest wall imaginable, the wolves on my still heels. I can’t remember the light.

"But this...." She paused and reached into the folds of her shihakushou to draw out a tiny scrap of parchment. She sighed, a long, shaky thing, and turned to face the man, watery eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight. Slowly, she unfolded the parchment and extended it to him, unable to bring herself to read it again.

It was a short note, scrawled in an unfamiliar hand, apologizing for the lack of information, but Tanaka Chie had not been found to deliver her the message as requested; she was currently treated as missing in action. Whether or not the messenger or Yugion knew Chie didn't matter, but Mai knew the truth -- Chie was far too frail to hold her own in battle, too gentle and polite. She would not have been able to survive. "I don't know how to tell him," she whispered, face wrinkling again as the sobbing resumed. Mai's delicate hands reached up to cradle her face, to hide the pain she felt, even though the seventh seat had said that it wasn't bad to cry.

So far his attempts at reaching her had failed, his tongue felt numb although now he was at least able to move his mouth a little, opening it to exhale a breathe. Yes, he thought to himself. That's me, doing it on my own. Not on reflex but me! His eyes rolled under his lids and he listened to Mai cry, and then speak to a man who's voice he could not place. He didn't know how long the conversation had gone on for or what it was really about, he could only sense both of them were distressed.

He fought with himself forgetting to try to get up, forgetting to even try to open his eyes. He only wished to speak at this point. And little by little he seemed to be winning. He gulped a bit, wetting his lower lip with his tongue as he croaked out a sound which was an attempted 'Mai', instead it sounded no more than a dry rasp from one who's throat was raw. His face twisted in pain and again he worked the muscles in his throat to speak, but instead of trying to say her name again he spoke aloud something utterly different.

"Wha... W-water.." And unusual request for the man, he rarely drank it on it's own. He would often put something in it to turn it into something else, like tea or perhaps a minted drink. He often complained about the lack of taste it had and it caused him to make many a face and sometimes even gag, which often made those around him stare at him in confusion. He simply didn't like it, he couldn't explain why. But in this moment, he was requesting it. Was it to drink, or to ease his burnt flesh? That was the real question.

Yuigon did what was probably the best thing to do in this situation. Listen. The young woman had a lot to say, a lot to get off her chest, and it was good for her to say it. When she had asked if he understood, whether it was rhetorical or not, he nodded in affirmation. He could certainly understand not feeling as much sorrow for people she did not truly know, whether they were under her care or not. But one thing he did not expect was her handing the note to him, one that appeared rather personal. He didn't recognize the name Chie, but Tanaka was a name every Shinigami knew, and filled in enough blanks for him to understand why it was difficult for her.

As he read through the message, he noticed she had covered her face and resumed sobbing. Once Yuigon finished reading it, his initial reaction was probably one of the boldest things he has ever done. He hugged her. It was his best attempt at trying to comfort her, and he truly felt she needed it. "I'm sorry. But he does need to know, and the longer it is kept secret, the longer it will worry you." He whispered, not wanting to startle her too much.

But things could not be that simple. Yuigon heard a sound come from the man beside them, hardly even noticeable as a word. Now it was his turn to be startled. The sudden sound, coupled with the fact it came just as he had embraced the man's daughter, scared him so much in fact that he released her and fell backwards. He almost toppled the chair full of miscellaneous bits of cloth and a badge on his way down, bumping into it and making quite a sound as it slid across the floor.

She was upset, borderline distraught given the events, and that was perfectly acceptable to her -- her father nearly died, her sister (more than likely) had, and her division had suffered numerous causalities. She had even watched the life drain from another's eyes, and this, too, was fine. This was war, plain and simple, and she had to either accept that and carry on, or suffer endlessly in the sea of death that threatened each and every being on their plane. The man in her head said as much, so had the man in the bed as Mai was growing up in, and so, too, had her Captain. All of that she understood and could accept when her mind wasn't overrun with the stress and trauma of the day.

What was unacceptable to her was the hug, though the man before her wouldn't have realized that. Mai was always very worried about alien contact, as she had no way of knowing who or what the person had touched and what could happen if that got onto her. She liked to be clean and orderly and without temptation to fuss about, and, especially lately, any contact with others seemed to bring about some sort of badness after the fact. As Yugion gently embraced her, Mai's body stiffened in his arms. Her sobbing faltered and then stopped, her body angling away from his ever so slightly.

He may or may not have noticed it, as shortly after her father mumbled something that she, too, did not catch, the seventh seat abruptly ceased the contact and made a ruckus as he started in a blind panic -- in retrospect, she could have realized the implications of the situation as what could have and did contribute to the behavior. As it was now, she could only feel a bit of the tension ease up, and then it took her a moment to realize that what she had heard wasn't the seventh seat's ragged breathing, but her own father. She too shot up, with far more grace that Yugion had, and while he sought to regain himself, she was at her father's bedside, kneeling beside it and gripping the frame tightly -- fortunately she had the sense to not clutch at his wounded hands.

Alas...she had not heard the word he had muttered, though there was not a glass or pitcher of water within the room.

SPOILER: Click to show

ooc
Crap! I'm sorry! I didn't realize it was my turn T_T

With all the noise of crashing and banging Malik thought something was terribly wrong, he started to move to sit up but then he felt hands touch his arm and chest. "Mai?" He mustered in a hoarse whisper still unable to open his eyes, it felt as if something were keeping them closed. Malik was always a mouth breather when he slept and clearly he had done the same in his unconscious state for his throat was as dry as old leather felt out in the sun for a decade, and sounded just as cracked.

He tired to open his eyes again and felt something pull and break free. Sleep, he had a build up of sleep on his eye lids keeping them from opening. Well that was disgusting, and annoying. In cases like this he'd usually just rub his eyes but at the moment that was quite out of the question. "Can't open eyes.. Must see.

"Help me.." Another trickle of tears slipped through his eyelids loosening his lids a bit more, but not enough. He couldn't help but cry a little, and could only feel a great deal of shame. What a pathetic mess he must be.

It took only a moment for Yuigon to collect himself and then get back up to his feet after his little... Scare. His recovery perhaps aided by the fact that Malik was not fully aware of what was going on, considering his eyes were still closed and he was still stuck in his bed. Of course, by the time he had gotten back on two feet, the girl was already by her father's side. This was not totally unexpected, but his mind was still working slow enough from the shock that he had trouble processing the requests from Malik. Though with the man's raspy voice, and likely very little time to drink while unconscious, Yuigon figured fluids were a priority.

"I'll be right back." He rushed out of the room, searching for some water. Of course a majority of those who had tried to stop him before were still nearby, and provided an excellent opportunity to ask for some help. He simply suggested that the Soutaicho would need water, and any guests might as well. Simple enough. It was not long before he was able to bring a pitcher full of water and a few cups on a tray back into the room. "Here... It sounds like he could use some water, and you've lost some fluids as well." He placed the tray down on the counter top near the bed, filling a glass, and holding it out towards Mai. He'd let her handle actually caring for him. After all, they were related, and she was the one who appeared to actually have medical experience.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spoiler
Spoiler
Sorry for the poor post x.x

"Shhh....Don't move," she whispered, voice cracking slightly when Malik showed the first signs of movement. "I'm here, I'm here, shhhh," she began, gingerly moving to brush the hair from around his face. Her fingers were cool against his skin and she faltered for a moment; he was feverish, though whether it was from the warmth emanating from his burns or the illness, she did not know.

By this time, Yugion had righted himself and was off retrieving the water that Malik had requested. While she waited, Mai took out one of her few remaining white cloths and gently dabbed the sweat beading across her father's brow, worry etching deeper and deeper into the fine lines on her face. Taking her lower lip between her teeth, a method to keep the chill that ran down her spine at the fever at bay, she gently wiped her father's face, mistaking his tears for additional sweat. As she did so, she continued to relocate the wayward strands of the trademark white hair away from his face and his lips, so that when the seventh seat returned with the water, she would be ready.

She exhaled loudly as Yugion re-entered the room, relief flooding her system for a moment. Before he had gone, Mai hadn't realized the trouble of the situation; now that she had, the seventh seat was almost a godsend. "Thank you," she murmured as she took the offered cup. Gently, she brought the rim to Malik's chapped lips, using her other hand to gently lift the back of his head to make the water go down easier. She tilted the cup slightly, allowing the barest hint of a swallow through before removing it; too much water could upset the stomach, and Malik did not need to lose any more fluids. Setting the cup aside for a moment, she asked for another, and while she waited for it, she gently dampened her square cloth with a trickle of water from Malik's glass before returning it to a stable place. Using the now-damp cloth, she gently dabbed the sleep from her father's eyes and the thin film of dried saliva from the corners of his mouth before placing the cloth on his forehead.

He did as he was told, and stayed still as Mai brushed his hair away from his face, it gave him a sense of ease and brought him back to a time when he was a child himself. My mother used to do this.. He thought to himself, though the sad thing was he couldn't remember her voice or face. She was just a shadow of a memory, the only thing he could remember about her was her passion for life, regardless of how constantly ill she was.

Lost in memories of days long past he suddenly felt the rim of a cup on his lips and opened them wide enough for the cup to allow the cool liquid to pass into his mouth. Thankfully, with Mai's assistance he was able to swallow it down without coughing and sputtering too much.

Once finished and laid back down he ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth, wetting it even further and clearing his throat every few seconds as Mai cleaned his face. Once he felt the clothe leave his eyes, he opened them and saw the worried young Shinigami looking down at him. She looked like she had aged forty decades (which for a Shinigami wasn't much at all, but still). He smiled up at her and spoke, far less raspy than he had before. "Hello lil one." He flicked his gaze to the other in the room and discovered it as a young man, perhaps around Mai's age. His eye's widened a bit. He could see from his uniform he was from the Fourth, but he couldn't place his name or face. So instead he looked back to Mai with a puzzled expression, though his eyes sparkled with a hint of mischievous behaviour.

"I thought you were dating Taisho, who's the new guy?"

The seventh seat sat quietly as the female worked and tended to her father. Her asking for another glass of water came as no surprise to the young man, and so he filled a second cup and placed it a short distance from where she had placed the first. When the Soutaicho was finally able to open his eyes, and glanced his way, Yuigon gave a smile. He was very relieved that the man was able to be coherent, now for multiple reasons. But what came from the man's mouth next was quite possibly on the bottom of the list for things that the Shinigami could expect.

Dating? Was he serious? Either way, the question brought a bit of color to his cheeks, and before he could think Yuigon blurted out, "M-me, with her?!" To the Fourth Division Shinigami, there was no way he could be good enough for the daughter of the Soutaicho. No possible way, whether he already possessed feelings for her or not. Yet it was not until after the words had left his lips, that he realized that what he said could easily be taken the wrong way. He simply hoped that he did not accidentally offend either of them.

"Hello lil one."

Mai lost herself then, flinging her body onto Malik's burnt one and sobbed into his neck. All the worry she felt, all the pain and fear, flooded onto his chest as her tears fell; she could not contain them, the stress was too much on her body and now it was an additional burden onto Malik's. Realizing this a moment too late, she pulled back...hopefully she didn't cause too much damage....

As she sat up, she dried her eyes, drawing the back of her thumb beneath her eyelids. She caught the question as he asked it, but she missed the glint in her father's eye as he presented the question to her. The young Tanaka faltered, staring blankly at the man in the bed before dragging her eyes toward the seventh seat, processing. "I...what?" she asked, redirecting her gaze to Malik. "I don't know who he is," she said quickly, keeping her voice low and quiet, almost menacingly. "Or this...Taisho--you've made it abundantly clear I am not to 'date' anyone without your express permission--

"Oh dear," she said loudly, drawing her hands to cover her mouth as the realization hit her: Brain Damage. "Can...can you fetch a seated officer or find Hitoshi-taichou? I fear the soutaichou has incurred a serious concussion." A renewed spring of tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke to Yugion, worry again etching itself into the fine lines on her aging face.

He winced every so slightly as Mai flung herself onto him, but he couldn't help but chuckle softly too. "I'm sorry dearest, I seem to scare you far too much." He went to move his arms to wrap around her frame, but decided it was best not to when he felt a sharp pain rip through the lower parts of the limbs. Just how bad off am I? He thought to himself as she removed herself from him frame.

Then, he asked his question. His gaze flicked back over to the gentleman in the room and nearly broke out in a fit of laughter at his response. Mai's however, did cause him to laugh and it was quite the booming one. Tears welled in his eyes from the fit of the giggles and he simply shook his head, he would've waved his hands but for the time being that seemed out of the question. "By the people, I got ya's good there." He managed through gasping laughter. He turned his gaze to the young man and smiled in earnest.

"I'm sorry my lad, that was awfully cruel of me. A father's attempt at embarrassing his daughter." His gaze turned back to Mai who looked more worried than horrified or amused. "Which, seemed to only work on you..

"Mai, I'm fine really. Besides, when was the last time you actually did as I told you?" He shot her a wink and then turned far more serious. "Fourth Division Member, name and rank please. I also assume you have something to report I trust?" He asked adopting his Soutaicho voice before looking down the length of his body to see his bandaged limbs. His voice then dropping in volume a bit.

"And Mai.. How bad are my hands?"

If the Soutaicho's question had not baffled the Seventh Seat then the response of the girl, who he soon found out was named Mai, certainly did. She seemed to panic, pleading him to find one of the higher-ups for the Second Division. The color just beginning to leave his cheeks, Yuigon was not exactly in the most coherent state of mind. "Um..." Luckily for him, the bed-ridden man quickly burst out into laughter. Not too long after that, Malik apologized for his trick. "Ah, it's quite alright... I suppose I overreacted." As the man spoke to his daughter again, the younger Shinigami took a few deep breaths to gather himself again.

With almost perfect timing, the Soutaicho then addressed him again, asking for his name and rank, and about his business there. With the last couple surprises caused by the situation, he had almost forgotten. "Right, Kesshin Yuigon, Seventh Seat of the Fourth Division." He made his best attempt at giving a polite bow, without hitting his head on something. "I had been told about how one of Kiba-taicho's friends had been lost during the recent attack, and seemed to be acting oddly. I then noticed him leave the Seireitei and decided to track him to try and convince him to come back and comfort him. I eventually found him in the Fourth District, and our conversation resulted in a... Small altercation, which ended abruptly when another person I could not recognize appeared. Kiba-taicho requested that I return, and send a Fifth Division squad out to his location. Unfortunately I did not get back before dark, and they said it is not safe to leave until the sun rises." He paused for just a moment, to make sure he did not forget anything, and then continued.

"I figured this would normally be something you report to a Taicho, but for obvious reasons that would not work in this case, so I took it upon myself to search for you. I hope that was not inappropriate of me. I see now, thanks to that..." He gestured towards the Haori that had been laid in one of the chairs next to the bed. "That Kiba-taicho may have resigned in his position." His voice slowly grew more demure as he spoke, feeling somewhat foolish for his pursuit of the man he had looked up to. Especially since it seemed he had quit being a Taicho.

Mai narrowed her eyes at her father's revelation, fighting the indignant blush threatening to blossom over her cheeks -- fortunately, it was dark enough in the room that no one could see it without scrutiny, regardless of how warm her cheeks felt. She remained silent as Yugion revealed himself and his purpose, explaining why he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: it would seem that not even holding a living, breathing torch could put a dent in the old man's capacity for poking fun at his daughter.

She sighed quietly as the seventh seat spoke, her violet eyes drifting down her father's arms as she observed the stale bandages. She would only answer in a lull of explanation, voice barely above a whisper: "Poor." She did not care to explain from her end, not with a stranger in their midst. It seemed too much to burden the poor officer with -- a notice of missing persons was one thing, heart wounds could be hidden, but the scars of the battle were not so easy to hide.

Malik listened carefully as the young man spoke, Yuigon was it. Good name, yes it was. As he listened to him speak he nodded solemnly, while the Soutaicho wasn't feeling 100% he was still of sound enough mind to understand what it was the Fourth Division member was telling him. He glanced at Mai for a moment, his eyes reflected his thoughts. It may already be too late for him. His glance was short-lived and returned to the Seventh seat and he gave him a small, sad smile breaking the expression head been currently wearing.

"You're right in your assumption, he did resign." He answered softly, his eyes wanting to drop away from Yuigon's face, but he did not give into this shame and and continued to look him in the eye. "And it is my fault. He blames me for something, and not terribly unfounded at that. His grief has over weighed his vows and he walked away.

"I am terribly sorry Kesshin-chan for your Division's loss.. " At this point his attention was turned to Mai whom simply answered his query about his hands with a one worded response. Poor. He thought, trying not to frown though he couldn't help but look down at them. It was at this time the thought of Kiba's request became one he couldn't deal with himself and thus spoke up again.

"His request for aid, usually I'd handle this myself and send word to the Fifth for you. However that skill requires the use of my hands," he paused and looks at them again with a frown before turning his gaze back to Yugion. "Something I am unable to do at the moment as you can see.

"I suggest you take foot and go to the Fifth. Speak with Techimaru-Fukutaicho and on my behalf request he send out a five man scouting team to locate both Kiba and this one whom encountered him. They're not to bring him back if he doesn't wish it, for that may cause more harm than good.

"However, I'm not making this an order at this time." He stated bluntly feeling a bit weak and lightheaded but carried on. "As you said, you did not arrive until after night fall, and it may already be too late for the aid to arrive in time. Also, Kiba is a capable fighter it's how he earned his spot on the Council to begin with. By the time the scouting party arrives at his location he may already have dealt with what came upon him or..." He didn't feel the need to say that aloud. "So, my boy I leave the choice to you. Go now and request a party be sent right this moment, or go now and request it be sent as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.

"Use my name in any case, expressing I'm unable to do so myself at this time." He silenced himself then, the stern yet concerned expression on his face not leaving Yuigon's until he said his piece and then not until a few moments later. Sometimes a commander must allow one man to die, regardless of how important he was. And that was something he was now putting on the shoulders of another.

Yuigon was slightly puzzled by the look that the Soutaicho had given to the girl, who he now noticed knew his name though he had forgotten to ask for hers. Though his curiousity soon had a new target, when the injured man claimed responsibility for Kiba-taicho resigned from his position, and then apologized for the Fourth's loss of a leader. While Malik paused to think about the state of his hands, the Seventh Seat himself stayed quiet for only a moment, thinking about what he had just said. "You... Did not cause the attack. I appreciate the sentiment, really, but what happened was not your fault." Here he goes again, trying to make others feel better when he was already in the middle of dealing with his own issues.

Then the Soutaicho began to speak again, about the request for aid. He mentioned how using his name may make it so the 5th Divisioners would leave as soon as possible, rather than waiting for first light. Though he also talked about how chances were, that the situation had already resolved itself in one way or another. When he finished, and left the decision up to the Seventh Seat, the younger man debated on what he should do. His worries for his, now former, Taicho screamed at him to go and tell them to start their search now (and go with them). Yet he understood how foolish that would truly be. There was little to no way for them to find their way back to that exact spot now that it will be nearly pitch black, and the Hollows out that far into the Rukongai would be very dangerous. Am I really qualified to be making this sort of decision? To choose whether to endanger the lives of a few men or of one man who has been important to me and my comrades? Yuigon shook his head as these thoughts concluded, and put on a brave face. "I can see why they told me they could not leave before morning, and... It is as you said, Kiba Tai- I mean, Shuchiku Kiba is a very capable fighter. I know this first hand."

He hardly caught himself as he had almost called Kiba a Taicho once again. That would certainly take some getting used to. "I'm not sure if they would be able to find him in the dark anyways, so I won't try and push them out into dangerous lands before they are prepared..." It seemed as if these words almost caused him physical pain to speak, and yet at the same time they also seemed to remove a great weight from his shoulders. His duty was done, for now.

SPOILER: Click to show

Sorry for the delay.

The young Tanaka found herself averting her blurred gaze away from the men as they spoke, lost in her own sorrow. She was not, nor had she ever been, privy to the inter-workings of the divisions, and all this procedural protocol was both foreign and confusing to her -- the second had its own protocols, to be sure, but those were acceptable and easy to understand why, but why Malik would ever deign to this sort of task was something she couldn't. Perhaps she was biased, or maybe exhausted, or some of both, and her tired mind refused to wrap around the subject.

She did listen, however, to the conversation, and her brow continued to furrow in the flickering candlelight; her father seemed ruder than he should have been, but that could have been due to the pain he probably felt in his hands. The girl wanted to change the bandages, desperately so in their stale appearance, but the time wasn't right...and it shouldn't be done by her, instead needing the attention of Hotaru or Harupia.

No...just Hitoshi-sama..., she amended. The thought made her tear up slightly, the realization that one of the few women she looked up to had perished in the battle outside the gates once again not immediately registering. Tanaka Mai was strong but not invulnerable, and the overwhelming decimation of her social acquaintances had taken its toll.

She exhaled, a long shaky sigh, as she fought to keep control of her emotions, her twisted mind once again bringing the absence of Chie to her forebrain; Malik waking had temporarily taken control and unleashed a short-lived torrent of relief. But now that she had focused on the bandages, the topic that Mai had been reluctant to brooch swam into her field of vision.

He offered the boy, in his eyes, another small sad smile. He knew the difficulty he had thrust upon the young man's shoulders, but time does not wait and destiny as a funny way of working. Fighting back the pain he rose a hand out him him briefly and touched the Fourth Division member on the arm. "A hard choice, but the right one. Sometimes the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few or the one." A good line, he'd have to use it more. "You've got a good head on your shoulder's son. Use it, and let it make your choices for you when it comes to your duty to the Gotei." Something he'd have to tell himself quite a lot in the future, he was sure.

"If there is nothing else," he grimaced as he moved his wounded limb back onto his legs. "You're dismissed Seventh Seat, Kesshin." His eyes turned to that of Mai. "I sense my caretaker has words for me she'd much rather say in private."

The Seventh Seat was a bit shocked when the Soutaicho touched his arm, especially with those bandaged up hands. He appreciated the gesture, and the praise as well (even if he didn't really take it to heart), though was a bit relieved when the man pulled his arm back. With obvious effort to do so, even. Once the older Shinigami spoke again, and dismissed him, Yuigon gave a nod and a brief sigh. "Thank you for the kind words Tanaka-Soutaicho. I apologize for bothering you at such a time."

He took a big step back in order to bow towards the man in the bed, without running the risk of actually hitting his head on some part of the bed. Then he turned towards the girl and gave a somewhat sad smile, while rubbing the back of his head. "I especially apologize to you. My presence was not only inopportune but also the cause behind a joke that seemed to worry you more than anything. But for what it is worth, it was a pleasure meeting you Miss Tanaka. Good luck with your coming challenges."

He certainly hoped that Mai could decipher what he was referring to. After all, what she had to tell him was not easy, and he felt she could use all of the encouragement she could get. With that, he gave a short bow of his head towards her as well, and then turned to leave. He was not surprised in the least when, after quietly shutting the door behind him, a few of the men out in the halls quite adamantly requested that he be escorted out of the building. Oh well, his job was done here.

[EXIT]

After a very long, tense moment, while Yugion exited the room, Mai remained silent; as the door clicked shut, she said very quietly, "You should not have moved your arm so much. You broke the healing skin and now it may fester. I...should fetch Harupia to make sure," she murmured, moving to rise from her seat at Malik's bedside.

His voice stopped her, commanding and gentle, to sit back down and to tell him just what was going on. Even if he was joking around earlier, it had to have meant he was in good health, right? If that was the case, why was she ready to crack at the drop of a pin?

Shaking, the young Tanaka sat back down, folding her hands in her lap. The note had been dropped in the earlier scramble when the Soutaichou had woken up...or maybe Yugion had kept it and not returned it. Either way, Mai did not have it now, and it was almost as if she didn't need to deliver the news if it wasn't there, in her hands. She twisted away from Malik, trying to avoid the scrutiny of his gaze in the flickering candlelight, and sighed.

"I...when you were injured. I thought...maybe..." she began, struggling to find the words that could make this delivery easier to bare. They did not come. "It would help if she could come visit...it helps with the healing." Mai's face screwed shut, eyelids clamped down in an attempt to thwart the newfound stream of tears bubbling up from her infinite source. Her voice faltered in its whispering tone, fading in and out of hoarseness as she struggled to continue with the vocabulary that he had once used to explain why Mother wasn't coming home.

I thought it would be nice to find some happiness, some reason to instill the will to live into others if a family could be present and rejoice that they, as a family, had survived despite all the losses that we sustained today. That there's still some happiness to be found even in the throes of war. But....

"But they couldn't find her." She succumbed then, body slumping away from Malik, face buried in her hands, frame heaving at the whim of her sob. A low, mournful keening emanated from Mai's hoarse throat as she sobbed, leaving more confusion in her wake than explanation.

As Yuigon left, Malik turned his attention back to Mai whom was now informing him of what he knew all too well, for the pain in his arm was quite severe now, however the need for Harupia was unnecessary. "Tanaka Mai, stop." He cocked his head to one side and gave her his fatherly smile that he gave her when she was sick or in needing of cheering up. Not too long ago he hurt her deeply and he never did apologize properly. Perhaps now it was time to make amends and patch up their frail relationship. "You're more than skilled enough to tend to wounds of my nature, you're a Tanaka after all and the daughter of Chiyoko. If anyone is to tell me to stay in bed, take my pills and try to not overdo it, it'll be you." His smile turned to a smirk. "Do an old man a simple kindness and sit with your father, please."

As she did he simply looked at her in a daze. So much like her mother in so many ways and yet so much like himself, something he had thought much on in the past years and something that was a constant trial. She sat, visibly shaking and his gaze which had been loving turned into concern. Here he was in a hospital bed not sure if he'd ever use his hands again and those thoughts forgotten by his daughter's plight. However when she spoke, it appeared to him if only at first she was just nervous. After all they hadn't spoke much since that squabble. "I couldn't be happier to see you here Mai." His gaze flicked about the room seeing no one else lurking and frowned.

"But where's C-" She spoke again and began sobbing. "Couldn't find her?" He repeated. He blinked twice quickly, considering the statement and then his question. And then, the question he was about to ask and paled to the degree of turning grey. "C-co-couldn't find her?" He repeated his eyes blurring with tears which were beginning to trickle from his eyes and roll down his cheeks. "Chie? Chie is..." He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he thought it.

Gone.

His words made it all the worse for poor Mai, the heaviness of the situation crashing down on her with the weight of a thousand collapsed stars and forcing her to fold in on herself. Her hands covered her face as she turned away further, hiding the grief as her father processed the information. Oh, it was a bad day to be a Tanaka....

x.x crappy post is crappy, sorry x.x

Vision was blurred, his cheeks wet and stained with tears whilst his lip and jaw quivered. The Soutaicho had lost people before, but this was different. He'd lost family, friends and cherished comrades, his wife before her time. All of these things he had come to terms with and was even okay with for the most part, but no parent should ever outlive their child. And what made it worse, for him right this moment was there was no body.

Now this may inspire hope in others, no body means she may just be lost or injured, but this hope did not spark light in Malik's heart. Chie was always so... So fragile. The wilds of the world were no place for her, which is why he was so thrilled to learn she'd been accepted into the libraries of the Third Division. She'd be safe there, with those books and records. She always did love to read. But, she went out into that madness and now...

Gone.

He choked out a hoarse sob and buried his face into his hands, trying his best to ignore the physical pain as he belted out a sudden and nearly shrill cry. He'd failed, absolutely failed. And it cost him his eldest daughter, he could sink no lower than this very moment, not unless he too lost Mai.. But he could not lift his head from his hands to ask her to come to him. To hold him, so they could comfort one another.

No, all he could do was scream in anguish into his wounded hands.

Though she was crying on her own, Mai was not ignorant to Malik's plight -- she had, after all, set him down this path, and the culpability was hers; with each ragged breath that her father drew, her brow knitted in equal anguish, reflecting the pain she couldn't bear on the inside. In comparison, her loss was insubstantial -- she hadn't really known Chie as he had, hadn't been privy into her elder sister's life, and Chie had always been the goal that Mai was destined to emulate, especially in those later years. The two did not have a sisterly bond other than their parents.

Now, though, the pain that she felt for Chie seemed to pale against the anguish she had caused, and that hurt her more -- beneath her grief and her sorrow, she felt ashamed. Ashamed that she had caused this pain and suffering, ashamed that she couldn't feel more than she was. The wail tore through her, breaking her psyche as the remnants of the once-happy family shattered like a mirror.