Log; Completed

[nonamesword.livejournal.com]

When; Wrath day (all day)
Rating; PG-13, Ken has a potty mouth
Characters; Unohana Retsu [4thdiv_healer] and Zaraki Kenpachi [nonamesword]
Summary; Unohana goes "apeshit" as Zaraki described it.
Log;

Tea. That wasn’t something that would normally be associated with the hulking 11th division captain, but that was in fact his purpose in heading to the healers’ apartment today. Though he used the excuse that he had punched his knuckles raw, and he needed to get that cut on his chest healed, which Unohana would not be happy about. But he’d said he’d try, and he did.

Feeling very out of place, he remembered back to the recent conversation he had with Yachiru. What he did in his own time was nobody else’s damn business, so if that meant he’d have tea every few days then so be it. He knocked on the door, stepping back hiding his hands behind his back so the healer would not notice right away.

The door flew open, the knock ill-timed. Unohana had expected another interference, someone else to get in her way. The sight of the other captain surprised her only briefly, and it took her a short moment to remember she had invited him for tea. The healer stepped out of the apartment, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Tea will have to wait," she said pushing past him, moving quickly down the hallway.

“Eh?” It surprised him at first, the medic not acting like herself, so cold and distant. He turned and started to follow her, not exactly sure what he should do. It might be a curse, after all. “Then where the hell are you going?’ It wasn’t obvious from the way he spoke that he was concerned in the least. But he wanted some answers and she was going to give them to him.

"I don't know. The gardens, the forest... anywhere away from here." She thought about her vice-captain, probably still bleeding the floor of their apartment. "But it's probably in your best interests if you stayed away from me today.

Away from there? Something was definitely off. He caught up to her and walked alongZside her, mind going through the possibilities of what could be wrong, though it was annoying to have to think about something like that. “Why?” he asked, deciding he may as well try to get an answer straight from the source.

"Why what?" She stopped, the door leading from the building into the open air a few steps away. "If you're asking why I'm leaving... Wrath." The sixth of the seven sins. Isane had made her aware of the pattern the day before, mention that only two sins were left in the cycle - wrath and pride. "It's another curse, Zaraki-taichou, and the consequences of this one have already proved to be far worse than that of the first two. That's why you need to stay away from me. I don't know what else I'll do."

Zaraki stood for a second, just staring, and then a booming laugh erupted from him. “Eh, is that all? You should have said so in the first place. Head out to the forest, I know some spots where nobody else’ll go.” The thought of the tiny captain killing anything brought a huge grin to his face. It did make sense so, the 7 deadly sins. He hadn’t realized it before, but mostly because he just didn’t care. The curses would be over soon, and then they’d finally have a few normal days, at least he hoped.

Unohana sighed, failing to see the humour in the situation. "I'm going to the forest, then. I'll be back after midnight, I suppose." She left the other captain still standing there as she closed the gap between herself and the door, opening it and stepping out into the open City.

Resuming following Unohna, Zaraki stepped through the doorway after her. “Tch, you say that as if I ain’t gonna follow.” Half of him thought that the sight of the tiny medic fighting would be hilarious, while the other was…concerned, something he wasn’t very used to. He knew not to underestimate her, but at the same time he was well aware that she could easily wind up injured today. And as much as he might not care about being himself being injured, he knew she would. Not to mention he might a little as well. It would be in her best interest if he followed her and made sure nothing bad happened.

"Follow, then," Unohana said, head tilted back so that their eyes met, hers flashing with unreleased fury. "But don't get in my way. The last person who did..." She trailed off, mind going again to Isane. The vice's wounds were non-fatal, and she would regain consciousness in enough time to heal herself. Unohana shook her head. There would be time for regret later. For now, she had to get as far away from the City, from those she loved, as she could. "Just stay out of my way," she reiterated, starting to move toward the forest.

Kenpachi, the man with no fear, paid little attention to the fury in her eyes, the warnings she had issued. Instead he walked alongside her, keeping an eye out for anything that would be particularly troublesome. Though it bothered him a little hearing that she had attacked someone already. He had no doubts that it was Isane, and that she would freak out about it later. Great, another headache.

Walking to the forest was slow and tedious, and without warning Unohana began shunpyo'ing to the forest, caring very little if she left the other captain behind. He was the one who wanted to follow; he would have to be the one to keep up. It wasn't long before she was at the edge of the forest, trees looming over her. She paused, the rage still burning within her, what little sanity and caution she had left stopping her from rushing in.

The moment of clear thought passed quickly, and Unohana drew her zanpakutou from its sheath for the second time that day, Minazuki flashing in the light of the midday sun. She was vaguely aware of Kenpachi's reiatsu closing in behind her as she pushed into the forest, healer and sword thirsting for whatever confrontation lay beyond the border between City and forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unohana would later admit that the monsters of the forest were somewhat formidable; more so when one's mind was clouded with rage. The beings seemed to meld into one continuous beast; there was no time to rest between attacks. All the while, Unohana could sense other reiatsu in the forest. Kenpachi's was nearest, the other captain beside the healer the whole time, slaying just as many beasts as she did, and even saving her from a few that attempted attacks while her back was turned. In addition to his reiatsu, Unohana could feel that of at least two other shinigami. So long as they stay away, she thought.

The hours passed quickly, the high noon sun fading first into the shadows of afternoon and early evening, and then into darkness. Midnight hit the healer hard, the effects off the curse dissipating in a flash. The anger and adrenaline that had fueled her was gone and she stopped, Minazuki held high over her head. Every little wound she had received suddenly began to hurt and she faltered. The zanpakutou fell first, steel clattering against the hard ground. Her body gave out next, falling to join the discarded sword.

Ken had grown bored fast, but he had promised to keep Unohana safe and was a man of his word. He was expecting midnight at any minute, so he’d finally pulled out his zanpakuto and cut up the creatures around him, so he could help the medic in case she panicked because of her actions. The sound of steel hitting the ground was enough to alert him that something was wrong, and by the time her body collapsed he was behind her, arm catching her body before it could reach the ground. This was not what he had expected. He leaned her against his shoulder, sheathing his blade and retrieving hers before heading out of the forest. There were still plenty of monsters around, but flaring his reiatsu a bit he managed to frighten them off.

Consciousness came only a half hour after she had lost it, but it came slowly. Unohana fought to open her eyes, the exhaustion like that of what she felt after healing too many people in a short amount of time. Eyes finally fully open, she was somewhat surprised to find herself in Kenpachi's arms, having expected the embrace of the cold, hard ground, rather than his own. "Zaraki-taichou..." she whispered, voice quiet and forced; calm again, but still lacking some of its warmth.

Hearing the voice, Kenpachi stopped, taking a look at his surroundings. Somehow he had wound up in the gardens again. But he had just gotten out of them 10 minutes ago… No matter, since now that Unohana was awake, she would be able to lead them home. Once she was up to it. Being carried around the city was probably not the most comfortable position to rest in, so spotting a nearby bench he sat, placing the smaller shinigami next to him carefully. “You arlright?”

"Not particularly," she answered burying her head in trembling hands. "... Isane." Remembering the vice she had left bleeding, she quickly stood, swaying dizzily on shaky knees. "I have to go home."

Ken reached a hand to try and stop her, managing to catch hers. Not wanting to hurt her since her body was weak, he simply stated, “sit.”

The healer did so, not pulling away from his grasp. She probably would have reclaimed her seat without his order soon enough, the world having begun to spin as soon as she had stood. "In a minute, then," she said, closing her eyes and leaning back against the bench.

He watched her sit, watched her face, and frowned. He may have been the captain of the combat division, but he wasn’t emotionless. “Oi, you didn’t do anything wrong, you were cursed,” he stated bluntly, hoping it would help. There really was nothing she could have done under the circumstances, and in the end she had only attacked one other person.

"I could have kiled her," she whispered. She opened sorrow-filled eyes, staring out in front of her, and then turning them on the other captain. "What if I had killed her, Zaraki-taichou? I would... I would be just like him."

“You didn’t. There’s no reason in regretting what didn’t happen.” His words weren’t helping as he’d hoped, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do. “Don’t even compare yourself to that bastard,” he added, disgust on his voice for even having to mention Aizen.

"Then I suppose I'll have to settle for regretting what did happen," she nearly snapped, voice terse and thick with disgust for what she had done. "I wonder if that's how he felt; cutting down his own vice-captain merely because she was in his way."

“You were cursed, and she lived, so it’s not the same thing. He cut her down because he had no further use for her. You’re not like him.” She hadn’t been this distraught before, not even after the last couple curses. Hopefully Isane would have a better idea of how to help, because he was coming up completely blank.

"I'd like to think I'm not," she answered, not fully convinced.

Were she a member of his squad, he would have slapped them right then and there, but instead he grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her. “Listen to yourself, this ain’t you! It was the damn curse. If anyone’s to blame, it’s the deities.”

Her already swaying body protested the movement, the gardens swimming in her vision. She fell forward a little, reaching out and laying her arms on his to brace herself before she fell completely. "Zaraki-taichou," she whispered, shaking her head in defeat. It was unlike her, this defeatist attitude, but it was so much more unlike her to try and hurt Isane, and she couldn't decide which was worse.

She was still weaker than he had thought, and he quickly slid closer to stop her from falling very fall at all. Letting her lean against him, he continued, hoping he was finally getting through to her. “Whatever you did was not really you. Isane’ll understand that. Shit, knowing her, she was probably more worried all day that you would get hurt. Whatever you did, she won’t hold it against you.”

Unohana didn't fight the new position, turning her face into the sleeve of his haori. "I hope she's alright."

Now that was more like it. Concerned was okay, and she wasn’t blaming herself anymore. “I talked to her today, she seemed fine. And she’s not the type to keep her emotions hidden,” he added with a grin.

The healed pulled away, smiling slightly. "No, Isane has always been a little outspoken when it comes to what she's feeling. I think... I hope if I apolgize, everything will be okay."

“Then let’s get on that. You think you’re good enough to walk?” He stood, turning back and offering her a hand to pull her up.

"I thnk so." Unohana took the proffered hand and stood again, albeit more slowly than she had before. She braced herself against him, still finding her legs a little weak. "No, actually. I don't think I am."

He carefully swept her back up into his arms, looking around the gardens dumbfounded. “Alright, which way is it?”

The healer turned her head, getting her bearings. "Left down this path, I think," she said aloud, before leaning up to whisper softly in his ear, "It's so much better to be held than to walk alone." The emotional shard of boldness and rashness was slowly beginning to fill the gap that wrath had left behind.

He nodded and set off towards the apartment, sure they’d reach it shortly with someone who wouldn’t get lost helping. He nearly tripped over his own feet as she whispered to him, the comment catching him completely off guard. “The hell are you talking about now?” he asked.

"Nothing," she said aloud, but followed under her breath, "Just that arms are warmer than the ground." Her voice regained its normal timbre as she began to give new directions. "A right here, Zaraki-taichou."

That seemed rather uncharacteristic of her, coming out and saying something like that. And whether he heard the second comment or not wasn’t clear, but as he followed her directions and rounded the corner he pulled her a bit closer to his chest.

Unohana reached up and very forwardly wrapped her arms around the other captain's neck. It wasn't something she would have normally done, but the shard of emotion was clouding her judgement of what was acceptable, and what was a little too bold. "One more right, Zaraki-taichou, and we'll be there."

If there were any doubts in Kenpachi’s mind that something strange was going on, now he was sure something was up. Unohana had never behaved like this before. Besides, there was nothing between them, just the curses, and the fact that she healed him all the time which he was grateful for. Though he didn’t mind it. Just like the night after the curses before, being close to her wasn’t a bad feeling. His mind raced as he rounded the corner and came upon the familiar apartment building. “Heh, looks like you were right.”

Unohana removed her arms from around him, waiting for him to set her down. 'A shame,' she wanted to say, to express some deep, inner disappointment that the trip had ended. ... But the shard hadn't completely won her over just yet.

He watched her for a second, unsure of what to make of her actions. It was late, he still hadn’t picked an apartment, and he knew he’d get lost if he went anywhere else anyway, so he asked, “you care if I crash here again? I haven’t really gotten a place to stay.”

The healer expressed shock at his lack of a home. "No, I don't. However, it might be wise if we slept in different beds this time. ... I think Isane's had enough shock for a couple of days."

Gently setting her down, he nodded in agreement. “You might want to go in first then and talk to her, before she gets any crazy ideas.”

Unohana nodded and took a deep breath as she neared the door to her own apartment, hand again trembling as she reached to open it. She turned the handle and pushed open the door, hoping for the best.