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pink-hurricane.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tampered2007-09-20 03:10 am
pink-hurricane.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-09-20 03:10 am
Log; Complete
When; September 19th, Late evening to Night
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Kyouraku Shunsui![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pink_hurricane, Tsunade lucky_lady_7, Ukitake Jyuushirou floating_bamboo
Summary; Shunsui can't resist speaking to the busty sake lover, and she can't resist helping out when she hears of his predicament.
Log;
Shunsui was tired... more than tired really, but what was he supposed to do? Yes, Kiyone was there to help, and he was supposed to be resting... but it was always hard whenever Juushirou was sick. Even harder now, ever since his lover had revealed that he hadn't been feeling as strong in this strange world.
... and the fever's so high...
It had been a long time since Juushirou had mistaken him for Kaien. It was frightening.
It was hard to stay awake, so the computer was a welcome distraction. Shunsui had been conversing with quite a few people today - it was no wonder the other man loved the device so much. It really did make you feel less isolated. He even thought that his dear Nanao-chan had come to pay a visit to the city, but it was someone else. Perhaps it was fatigue that caused the old captain to mistake the woman for his subordinate.
Upon finding an entry of a lovely looking woman who spoke of sake, Shunsui couldn't resist asking. It was always nice to know there were others who liked the drink, and if it was a woman it could only be a plus. He spoke with her to pass the time.
So... she's a healer? Shunsui glanced at the man lying in the futon next to him, wondering if anything could be done. He had already brought up the idea of trying to find help from other worlds, but he didn't expect Juushirou to take kindly to the idea. Pride, after all.
Still... Juushirou wasn't exactly in a state to yell at him for it... so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.
I'd better meet her outside, He thought, remembering the tricky corridors of the temple. He typed a reply, then got up off the couch to meet the lovely woman who drank sake, and brought new hope to Shunsui's heart.
---
Tsunade blinked heavily at the night sky as she rushed forward and down the street, she had managed to get the address from her student, Sakura. Though it proved to be much more difficult then she imagined, true she was at a disadvantage with not knowing the exact location, but she refused to let that stop her. She ran North-West as he told her and kept her eyes out for a temple.
"Temple... temple... " She whispered to herself, eyes searching every which way. It took longer then what she expected, much to her dismay she took a few wrong turns. She was wasting precious time and she grew angrier with herself each passing moment. Finally before frustration took a hold of her a small smile came upon her lips as she saw a temple in the distance, she picked up speed and stopped suddenly in front of the steps looking up at a man.
"Shunsui?" She asked, hoping that she was right, even though the man fit the description she couldn't help but be paranoid.
---
"Ah, yes my dear lady~!" replied Shunsui, trying his best to look and sound normal. He probably shouldn't have bothered trying, but it was a woman, after all. A woman with extremely large... He cut himself off. There was no time to admire her assets - besides it was impolite. Not to mention the fact that Juushirou wasn't far away and extremely ill. What kind of lover would he be?
Focusing his attention back up to her face, Shunsui said; "I assume you're the lovely lady called Tsunade, then? ... I'm glad you found your way here all right... I really should have come to meet you."
He gestured to the temple doors. "Thank you for coming, I know it must be hard on your first day, hmm? ...shall we?"
---
"I am." Without wasting much time, Tsunade reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag, she began to untie it and took out a small brown pill.
"I would like for you to eat this." She said, reaching out and putting the pill in his hands. "This will re-fill your blood and you'll regain some of your strength. I'll look you over once more after I am done looking over your friend... who seems to be in worse shape." Tsunade brushed some of her blonde strands out of her hair and moved up the steps.
"It's no trouble... it's my job to heal people after all, I'm used to stress as it is." The woman opened up the doors and looked at Shunsui.
"Please take me too him."
---
Shunsui had no objection to her desire to see Juushirou first. He took the offered pill and looked at it a moment before popping it in his mouth. He probably should have been less trusting, but the woman looked like a good person, and anyone who liked sake couldn't be all bad could they? Besides, she mentioned being from Konoha... the leader in fact! They were allies of the shinigami here, weren't they?
Without a word, Shunsui opened the doors to the temple, already feeling the pill gradually working through his body and increasing his blood flow. It didn't feel as cold in the hallway anymore.
He led the woman down the long corridor that often seemed to have no end, but he found the room he and Juushirou shared with relative ease. After a month of living here, he knew exactly where it was, and he could feel his lover's weak reiatsu emanating from inside.
Before he opened the door he turned to the woman called Tsunade. "Saa... I'm not sure what you can do for him, but I appreciate anything you try... "
Shunsui went inside, letting Tsunade follow. He greeted Kiyone more somberly than he would have normally, and asked her to take a break. When she protested, he took her aside and explained the situation. "This nice lady is a healer and is going to see if anything can be done for your taichou, hmm? At least step outside for a while to give him some privacy."
Kiyone blushed - likely at the thought of her captain naked - and stepped outside.
That taken care of, Shunsui knelt down beside he long time friend and lover, stroking his too-hot face gently. "Juushirou? I brought someone over to look at you. She's a nice person so don't give her a hard time okay?"
---
The tall man on the futon had been sleeping as they stepped in, breathing rather strained and he was carrying hints of a very high fever - looking clammy and having a slight fever blush. As Shunsui touched him, he opened his eyes, but they were a bit glazed from the fever and he didn't look like he quite recognized the other man. "What... ?"
His voice was barely audible and he sounded rather confused. His white hair was almost plastered to his skin, damp from sweat caused by the fever. He mumbled something incoherent and closed his eyes again, the exhaustion of even keeping them open a bit too much right now, and he had to take a few extra breaths to get some air down in his pained lungs. Fortunately, he didn't cough.
It seemed that all the stress and worries in this world, plus the battle against the Claymore this week had taken a big toll on him - he did not have much to put against when he was tired, and having a bad immune system didn't help either. Everyone got a cold now and then, but Jyuushirou's colds had a tendency to become much worse, traveling into his chest and giving him pneumonia - something that someone with his health really didn't need.
He had felt weakened ever since coming to this place, and it made serious bouts of illness like this much more frequent.
---
Tsunade immediately kneeled down and looked over the man, she placed her hand on his forehead and squinted her eyes slightly. He was running a fever, she removed her hand and scanned the man with her eyes before moving to open up his yukata in order to work on his chest.
"Fever is high... " She muttered, more to herself then anything, she placed her head gently on his chest to hear the breathing.
"Breathing is not doing well... " Tsunade pulled back her head and placed a hand on his chest. "But... I am sure that there is something I can do for him, his lungs are terribly strained... massive fluid in the lungs." She soon placed two hands on his chest and closed her eyes, focusing her chakra and after a few moments, her hands began to glow blue.
"I'm going to try to get the fluid out of his lungs... but I'm going to need a favor." She looked at Shunsui and then back at Jyuushirou. "I am going to need you to bring me a large pale of warm water and when you return you are going to have to hold him down a bit. It won't be very painful... but the only other way I can remove it is if I make him spit it out. And I do not think that would be the best thing to do to him."
---
Shunsui watched almost in awe at the blue light emanating from the healer's hands. It was so very much like the Kidou Unohana would use that it made him wonder briefly about the similarity and differences of their worlds. But it wasn't the right time to think very long about it.
He hated anytime he had to be an active part of the other man's medical procedures... which only ever really happened on the field, really. It was better when he could stand back and let the healers do their work, so he could close his eyes and not have to think about the suffering Juushirou had to endure. But... this whole place seemed like a battlefield in some ways, and there was no choice in the matter. He would do whatever she asked.
"All right," he said, looking a bit pale, even though the medicine she had given had worked wonderfully. "I can do that."
There was a bucket under the sink that they used for cleaning... Shunsui had a fleeting thought that it might not be clean enough to be used this way... but in truth he had no idea what she was going to do with it. Instead, he retrieved it a bit nervously, shown by the slight shaking of his hands, and filled it with warm water from the tap in the kitchenette.
He placed it beside the futon, then knelt down at Juushirou's head. Taking the ill man's shoulders, he first said a quiet ... "I'm sorry." to his lover, before looking up at Tsunade. "Like this, right?"
---
Tsunade nodded her head. "Keep him still... it's going to be a bit painful and I am sure that he'll thrash around." Tsunade turned towards the bucket of water and placed both hands into it, it was going to be a bit complex, but nothing she couldn't handle. After a few moments of focus, Tsunade brought her hands up out of the bucket, taking all of the water with her. The water seemed to swirl gently around her hands as she placed them on top of the man's heaving chest.
"All right... hold him tightly... and now." Tsunade pressed one of her hands to his chest and slowly the water started to sink into his skin, being controlled by Tsunade's chakra. She squinted her eyes tightly and remained focus as she placed her other water covered hands off to the side in order to collect the fluids.
---
As Tsunade pressed her hand to his chest and the water started to sink in, Jyuushirou opened his brown eyes again, gritting his teeth against the new, rather intrusive pain. He was hurting from the high fever and from his chest, who felt like it had iron shackles wrapped around it, so a new pain came as somewhat of as shock to him. He didn't know the person that leaned over him, and neither could he see straight due to the fever, so in his confusion, he first tried to get away. But since Shunsui held on to him, that was not possible.
His reiatsu rose a little in an attempt to shield himself from this 'attack' - the fever making him not thinking straight - but it quickly died off again, his body too weak to really put up a fight. Another pang of pain as Tsunade worked, and he passed out.
---
Shunsui held the ill man's shoulders down tightly - perhaps more tightly than he needed, all things considered, it wasn't very hard to keep him from moving. His own tension and worry seemed to filter out onto his grip, and the shinigami wondered if he would leave his lover's shoulders bruised.
He only half watched as Tsunade did her work. Part of him was fascinated by the procedure, which, unlike the earlier action, was so different from anything he had ever seen. The other part of him focused on Juushirou's face, unable to turn away from the pained features that so obviously wanted nothing to do with any of this.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
He felt it when the ill man's reiatsu flared, and wondered if the healer did too, but it was such a little change, so weak that Shunsui didn't think someone other than a shinigami would have felt anything at all. And then, Juushirou's face went slack. Shunsui panicked, but didn't dare release his hold on his lover's shoulders. He looked up suddenly at the woman, not wanting to disturb her concentration, but needing to know...
"I-is he all right?" Is he dead?
---
Tsunade pulled the hand that rested on Juushirou's chest back and curled her fingers a bit as she added just a little bit more chakra into his chest. There... Suddenly liquids oozed out of the man's body and flew into the other hand that held the water. Tsunade watched the other water ball collect the blood and mucus that had remained in his lungs, after she collected as much as possible she placed the dirty water back into the bucket. She turned her attention to Juushirou's face before moving her gaze to Shunsui.
"Yes, he is fine... it was a bit too much for him, but he will be fine. I'll need to do it one last time, but I will save it for later. That should help him greatly, for now. I'll come back in the morning to finish the job. Right now, he needs rest and peace. I'll get to work on some medicine for him as well, I'll go herb hunting in the forest." Tsunade picked herself up and smiled warmly at the man.
"A wet cloth for his face would also be nice, make sure he drinks a lot when he wakes up." A soft sigh escaped her lips as she bent down to pick up the bucket. "He'll pull through... there is still a bit left in his lungs but I feel it will be too dangerous to continue now." Tsunade lifted the bucket up and moved to go outside.
"I'm happy... that I could help you, if you ever do need a healer again, do come to me."
---
When the fluids were removed and Tsunade had finished her technique, the white-haired man was breathing much easier then before, even if he coughed slightly afterwards. He still had a high fever, but now that most of the reason for his fever was removed, it would most likely cool down to a more normal level in a while. He was sick, but not dangerously so.
While unconscious after passing out from the pain, the iron shackles around his chest was gone for now.
Getting some air was a nice feeling.
---
Shunsui let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding when she said that Juushirou was fine. He was still for a moment, not daring to move even though she had finished her work, then he detached his hands from the ill man's shoulders stiffly, knuckled still slightly white.
He only half heard what she was saying, too pleased that Juushirou seemed to be breathing easier, despite being unconscious. Shunsui could tell somehow that things were going to be okay now.
"I can't thank you enough," he said, surprised at how strained his voice sounded. "I should... show you out."
He got up off his knees, giving one last glance at the man on the futon to reassure himself that he was seeing the truth, before walking over to where Tsunade was now standing.
A thought occurred to him then, and he looked seriously at her. "It's your first day, isn't it? Do you have a place to stay?"
---
"It's nothing, as I said before, it's my job." Pushing the bucket to other hand she moved towards the door of the temple before stopping.
"No, I do not have a place to stay as of this moment... but I'll be all right, I can assure you, I'll locate a room to sleep in." She looked up slightly, she had lost track of time, though she was sure that it was rather late out. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she moved to open the door.
"I'll be right back, I'm just going to dump the water." She said, turning to him with a small smile.
---
Satisfied for the moment, Shunsui let her leave, and returned to Juushirou's side. He stroked the ill man's face gently, wondering if what the healer woman had done would bring down the fever any.
"I'm sorry that hurt, Juu," he said, knowing that he wouldn't really be heard. "... but I think you can breathe better now, right?"
He leaned down to kiss Juushirou's forehead, letting his lips linger a moment longer than he had intended, then sat back up. He hoped that Tsunade would be able to find her way back all right; the hallways were complicated, after all. But when she returned, he would have to find her a place to stay... if he had to he'd let her stay here, but... that would be rather rough, considering the circumstances.
I hope there are still empty rooms left in here...
---
It took a few moments for her to return, she had to admit... she was a bit annoyed with all the twists and turns this building had to offer. Nothing here could simple, not even in a place that was meant for worship. She opened the door and slowly made her way into the room, trying to make as less noise as possible before setting the bucket down.
"His breathing? Is it doing better? And his temperature?" The medical ninja tilted her head to the side as she crossed her arms, she had prayed that it hadn't been too much on the man.
"I think... that it would be best if I remained here, I'd like to be able to check up on him every so often throughout the night if need be." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of sake, in which she took a much needed swig before holding out her arm and offering some to Shunsui.
---
Shunsui took the bottle hesitantly... it wasn't that he wouldn't have liked some sake just then, but he was a bit surprised to find a healer offering it to him. Unohana would have never allowed such a thing. But then again, this woman also shared a love of the drink it seemed, so she must have understood.
He took a drink from it, then handed it back. "I have a whole bottle of it. I'll give you a refill later," he said, before sitting down on the couch. "... he looks better. I can tell he's breathing easier. We have a thermometer if you want to check his temperature."
He looked thoughtfully at the woman. She wanted to stay here it seemed. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the help, but It would be rather crowded. Kiyone was just outside, and he was sure that she wouldn't want to leave. Well, she'll go if I order her... but I hope I don't have to...
"Ah... it might be crowded," he began, explaining himself to Tsunade. "But... I might be able to fix that, hold on one minute... "
Shunsui got up and poked his head outside the door. As expected, Kiyone was right outside. She was stubborn about it, but eventually she agreed to leave when ordered to do so. I hate having to do that.
Shutting the door behind him, Shunsui gave a sheepish grin to the woman healer. "It's okay now, if you want to stay the night... " he glanced at the couch, thinking that he'd miss it greatly if he had to spend the night on the floor, but it would be far to impolite to make a lady do so. "The couch is yours, hmm? We have the one extra blanket, so... "
---
Jyuushirou slowly climbed his way up to a conscious state again, opening his eyes a little as he heard the voice of Shunsui speaking to someone. He really had no memory of what had been going on, but he noticed that the pain in his chest was no longer so severe, and that he could breathe much easier. Healer? Isane?
Turning his head, he looked over at the shape of Shunsui, still a bit unfocused - but he did recognize his longtime friend and lover, instead of thinking the man was Kaien or other people in his delusions. He gave a small cough, reaching up a hand to brush some hair out of his face, but the movement was tiring and he let the hand fall next to his head afterwards. He felt like he had lost days instead of a few minutes.
"Shun... ?" He asked, sounding very tired but much more coherent then last time. "What's going on... ?"
---
At the sound of Juushirou's voice, Shunsui rushed to his side, surprised but nevertheless pleased that his lover had called him by the correct name. "Hey there," he said gently, brushing what looked like a troublesome piece of hair out of the ill man's face. "... You've been sick, and... this lovely lady offered to help. She's a healer where she comes from. Her name is Tsunade."
So very glad to see his lover looking so improved after a day filled with nothing but pain and high fever, Shunsui took Juushirou's hand gently, and raised it to his lips for a kiss... not caring who was watching.
---
"I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience... I am truly sorry about that and I promise you that it will only be for one night." She knew she was being too cautious but she didn't want to take any chances, she didn't want anything to go wrong and not be there in order to act immediately. Before she could continue she saw Juushirou stir, she smiled warmly at the scene and took another drink of her sake bottle, thinking it would be best to keep quiet and allow them to have their moment. At Shunsui's kiss at his hand Tsunade knew that he was more then a friend to the man.
All the more reason to keep close by and to make sure all was truly well. She gave a nod at Juushirou before raising the bottle to her lips and taking a long cool drink before setting it down on the ground next to her feet.
---
Shunsui heard what was being said behind him, but his eyes were still fixed on his lover. Putting Juushirou's hand down at his side and pulling up the blankets up further, he said softly to him; "Rest now. I'll be here."
He was reluctant to leave the ill man's side, but he knew it would be impolite to ignore a guest. He shifted from a kneeling position to a sitting one, and turning towards her.
"It's no problem," he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "... we owe you a lot."
---
Jyuushirou looked over at the blonde woman, and gave her a tired smile. "Thank you, Tsunade-san... " He mumbled, hoping that what he said at least came out somewhat audible. He coughed slightly again, but it was nothing serious. Perhaps merely a bit of aftermath from the medic-nin's jutsu. Since he was too tired to even move his head much, he closed his eyes again, resting a little. He was still conscious, however, and he listened to Shunsui and the woman as they spoke.
He had known that he was sick, of course... and he had fleeting memories of pain and high fever, and of Shunsui and Kiyone... mixed with blurry dream images of Kaien and memories that was century-old. His head was spinning, even now. Too much strain, perhaps.
When Shunsui put down his hand, he gave a small, affectionate squeeze before the hand was returned to rest on the futon.
---
"You are welcome... " What was the man's name again? She had rushed over as quickly as she could and the name just didn't sink in. She felt it was rude to ask now, she pushed herself forward and went to his side and placed a hand on his head to feel how warm it was.
"It's down considerably... " She patted his head gently before pulling her hand away. "He's going to have a better night then expected, he recovered much quicker then what I thought he would." She laced her fingers into her own and continued to stare at the white haired man.
"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"
---
It couldn't be described exactly how relieved Shunsui was just then to hear the healer's words. Earlier today he was worried that the other man was near death, but now it seemed like things would be okay again. I shouldn't be surprised, really... he's scared me like this before.
At Tsunade's question, Shunsui nodded. He didn't care who knew, really, even if they generally kept things private. "Yes... he does," he said, turning to look at his lover once more. "... he's a part of my soul... but even after centuries of this, it doesn't hurt any less to see him in pain."
Shunsui reached out to the small sake bottle that the woman had put down, hovering over it a moment and looking to her for permission. Finding no objection, he raised it to his lips and took a pull. It probably wasn't the best for him at the moment, but it calmed his nerves, and on occasion, dulled the heartache.
---
"It's never easy... to see a loved one go through pain." Tsunade's head bowed gently as memories of Dan flashed through her head, she quickly shook it, wanting to get those out of her mind as soon as possible. She didn't want to dwell on that, even after all these years, the memories were still fresh in her mind.
After Shunsui was done taking a drink, Tsunade made a soft hand motion at him, signaling that she wanted the bottle. Upon getting it she took one last swig before handing it back to him.
"I'll see what I can do for his illness later... his cold didn't make him act up, did it? No coughing of blood at all, yes?"
---
Shunsui sighed and handed back the bottle, making a mental note to get her more in the morning. "No, not yet," he said. "... but... you never know." He didn't mean to sound pessimistic, but he'd seen his lover fight his disease too long to think that he was out of the woods just yet when it came to that.
As for her first words; no, it wasn't easy, but something in her face told Shunsui to not press the subject. He also didn't know how much he wanted Juushirou to hear him talk about it, even if it looked like he was sleeping, he might still be conscious.
"I'll take you out for a real drink sometime, hmm?" he sad to her, giving a half smile in both and attempt to be pleasant and from feeling the effects of the sake, perhaps more easily so since he was tired. "... Saa... I should probably tell you about the city... What do you need to know?"
---
"I don't need much information, my student Sakura has informed me greatly all ready. I do know that I must get a job and soon in order to buy things, though I am sure that I have that covered all ready. As for a real drink... I'd like that, thank you. Whenever you have time, I'd like to go." Tsunade sat down on the sofa and slowly rubbed her temples, a heavy sigh came from her lips as she folded her hands into her lap.
"You must be tired... " Her voice was warm and soothing as she spoke to him. "Where are you going to sleep?"
---
"I know a good place for it," Shunsui said in response to her first comment. As for when he'd have time... who knew really. He still hadn't gotten around to that drink with Faye, and that was a promise over a month old! But... somehow he knew he'd find the time. Especially for someone who may have very well just saved Juushirou's life.
He chuckled softly at her question. "Well, there's always the floor, hmm? I've done it before, when we had another guest... " he hesitated, but decided there wasn't much else to hide from this woman. "... if he weren't so sick, I'd share the bed."
---
Jyuushirou coughed again, groaning slightly at the jerk on his already exhausted body. Opening his eyes, he turned his head a bit so that he could look at the two other people in the room. Even if the fever clouded his brain a bit, what he had heard Shunsui say had touched him a lot, and it seemed this healer was a really nice person.
Shunsui could use someone to talk to.
His head hurt, but he was so used to that kind of pain that he didn't care much. At the other man's proclamation that he'd sleep on the floor, he made a slight face. "Mmmm... no. Shun... you... mm... you were hurt, too. Gonna... get sick." It was a bit difficult to understand what he was saying, since most of it was mumbles, but he hoped he got the point across.
Tatami or no tatami, the floor was not that comfortable. Besides, there was a little room in the futon. It would not make it worse, having the person you'd loved for two millennia sleeping beside you, would it?
---
Shunsui turned abruptly at the sound of Juushirou's cough, sensitive to even the slightest sound of pain from the man, his heart fell a little hearing it. He was at his side in an instant.
It was a bit hard to understand him when the ill man spoke, but Shunsui could guess the meaning. He gave his lover a somewhat sad smile. "You want me to stay with you, Juu?" he asked, not really expecting a coherent answer. He sighed, giving in to the idea of a more comfortable sleep, since his lover had given him permission. "... all right. I promise not to steal all the blankets."
He turned back to the healer. "I guess I'll be sleeping here tonight," he said, rising once more to show Tsunade the spare blanket on the couch. "It's not much, but we've got a blanket and any of the pillows on the couch will do, I hope... Tomorrow we'll find you a better place to stay, hmm?"
---
At Juushirou's coughing, Tsunade moved to tend to him but Shunsui beat her to it. She relaxed against the sofa and watched him talk quietly to his lover and couldn't help but smile warmly at the scene.
If anything was going to be needed, she would be there to tend to them. "All right... that sounds like a good idea at any rate, having you by his side and giving him comfort could be just what he needs." The medic-nin took the blanket from Shunsui and nodded at him. "It will do for now, I have sleep in worse conditions... good night, Shunsui. I am sure by morning he'll be able to get up and walk around."
---
Seeing that Tsunade was settling in nicely on the couch, Shunsui went to the wall and shut the lights off before crawling in carefully beside his long time lover and friend. He wasn't so sure Juushirou would be quite up to walking around tomorrow, experience told him otherwise. But if they were lucky - which it certainly felt like they were today - he might be sitting up with the help of some pillows and getting something to eat.
"Goodnight, dear lady," he said, pulling the blankets so that both men were covered and making sure he gave Juushirou enough room to be comfortable. "... and thank you."
[ooc: Kiyone actions cleared with the mun.]
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Kyouraku Shunsui
pink_hurricane, Tsunade lucky_lady_7, Ukitake Jyuushirou floating_bambooSummary; Shunsui can't resist speaking to the busty sake lover, and she can't resist helping out when she hears of his predicament.
Log;
Shunsui was tired... more than tired really, but what was he supposed to do? Yes, Kiyone was there to help, and he was supposed to be resting... but it was always hard whenever Juushirou was sick. Even harder now, ever since his lover had revealed that he hadn't been feeling as strong in this strange world.
... and the fever's so high...
It had been a long time since Juushirou had mistaken him for Kaien. It was frightening.
It was hard to stay awake, so the computer was a welcome distraction. Shunsui had been conversing with quite a few people today - it was no wonder the other man loved the device so much. It really did make you feel less isolated. He even thought that his dear Nanao-chan had come to pay a visit to the city, but it was someone else. Perhaps it was fatigue that caused the old captain to mistake the woman for his subordinate.
Upon finding an entry of a lovely looking woman who spoke of sake, Shunsui couldn't resist asking. It was always nice to know there were others who liked the drink, and if it was a woman it could only be a plus. He spoke with her to pass the time.
So... she's a healer? Shunsui glanced at the man lying in the futon next to him, wondering if anything could be done. He had already brought up the idea of trying to find help from other worlds, but he didn't expect Juushirou to take kindly to the idea. Pride, after all.
Still... Juushirou wasn't exactly in a state to yell at him for it... so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.
I'd better meet her outside, He thought, remembering the tricky corridors of the temple. He typed a reply, then got up off the couch to meet the lovely woman who drank sake, and brought new hope to Shunsui's heart.
---
Tsunade blinked heavily at the night sky as she rushed forward and down the street, she had managed to get the address from her student, Sakura. Though it proved to be much more difficult then she imagined, true she was at a disadvantage with not knowing the exact location, but she refused to let that stop her. She ran North-West as he told her and kept her eyes out for a temple.
"Temple... temple... " She whispered to herself, eyes searching every which way. It took longer then what she expected, much to her dismay she took a few wrong turns. She was wasting precious time and she grew angrier with herself each passing moment. Finally before frustration took a hold of her a small smile came upon her lips as she saw a temple in the distance, she picked up speed and stopped suddenly in front of the steps looking up at a man.
"Shunsui?" She asked, hoping that she was right, even though the man fit the description she couldn't help but be paranoid.
---
"Ah, yes my dear lady~!" replied Shunsui, trying his best to look and sound normal. He probably shouldn't have bothered trying, but it was a woman, after all. A woman with extremely large... He cut himself off. There was no time to admire her assets - besides it was impolite. Not to mention the fact that Juushirou wasn't far away and extremely ill. What kind of lover would he be?
Focusing his attention back up to her face, Shunsui said; "I assume you're the lovely lady called Tsunade, then? ... I'm glad you found your way here all right... I really should have come to meet you."
He gestured to the temple doors. "Thank you for coming, I know it must be hard on your first day, hmm? ...shall we?"
---
"I am." Without wasting much time, Tsunade reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag, she began to untie it and took out a small brown pill.
"I would like for you to eat this." She said, reaching out and putting the pill in his hands. "This will re-fill your blood and you'll regain some of your strength. I'll look you over once more after I am done looking over your friend... who seems to be in worse shape." Tsunade brushed some of her blonde strands out of her hair and moved up the steps.
"It's no trouble... it's my job to heal people after all, I'm used to stress as it is." The woman opened up the doors and looked at Shunsui.
"Please take me too him."
---
Shunsui had no objection to her desire to see Juushirou first. He took the offered pill and looked at it a moment before popping it in his mouth. He probably should have been less trusting, but the woman looked like a good person, and anyone who liked sake couldn't be all bad could they? Besides, she mentioned being from Konoha... the leader in fact! They were allies of the shinigami here, weren't they?
Without a word, Shunsui opened the doors to the temple, already feeling the pill gradually working through his body and increasing his blood flow. It didn't feel as cold in the hallway anymore.
He led the woman down the long corridor that often seemed to have no end, but he found the room he and Juushirou shared with relative ease. After a month of living here, he knew exactly where it was, and he could feel his lover's weak reiatsu emanating from inside.
Before he opened the door he turned to the woman called Tsunade. "Saa... I'm not sure what you can do for him, but I appreciate anything you try... "
Shunsui went inside, letting Tsunade follow. He greeted Kiyone more somberly than he would have normally, and asked her to take a break. When she protested, he took her aside and explained the situation. "This nice lady is a healer and is going to see if anything can be done for your taichou, hmm? At least step outside for a while to give him some privacy."
Kiyone blushed - likely at the thought of her captain naked - and stepped outside.
That taken care of, Shunsui knelt down beside he long time friend and lover, stroking his too-hot face gently. "Juushirou? I brought someone over to look at you. She's a nice person so don't give her a hard time okay?"
---
The tall man on the futon had been sleeping as they stepped in, breathing rather strained and he was carrying hints of a very high fever - looking clammy and having a slight fever blush. As Shunsui touched him, he opened his eyes, but they were a bit glazed from the fever and he didn't look like he quite recognized the other man. "What... ?"
His voice was barely audible and he sounded rather confused. His white hair was almost plastered to his skin, damp from sweat caused by the fever. He mumbled something incoherent and closed his eyes again, the exhaustion of even keeping them open a bit too much right now, and he had to take a few extra breaths to get some air down in his pained lungs. Fortunately, he didn't cough.
It seemed that all the stress and worries in this world, plus the battle against the Claymore this week had taken a big toll on him - he did not have much to put against when he was tired, and having a bad immune system didn't help either. Everyone got a cold now and then, but Jyuushirou's colds had a tendency to become much worse, traveling into his chest and giving him pneumonia - something that someone with his health really didn't need.
He had felt weakened ever since coming to this place, and it made serious bouts of illness like this much more frequent.
---
Tsunade immediately kneeled down and looked over the man, she placed her hand on his forehead and squinted her eyes slightly. He was running a fever, she removed her hand and scanned the man with her eyes before moving to open up his yukata in order to work on his chest.
"Fever is high... " She muttered, more to herself then anything, she placed her head gently on his chest to hear the breathing.
"Breathing is not doing well... " Tsunade pulled back her head and placed a hand on his chest. "But... I am sure that there is something I can do for him, his lungs are terribly strained... massive fluid in the lungs." She soon placed two hands on his chest and closed her eyes, focusing her chakra and after a few moments, her hands began to glow blue.
"I'm going to try to get the fluid out of his lungs... but I'm going to need a favor." She looked at Shunsui and then back at Jyuushirou. "I am going to need you to bring me a large pale of warm water and when you return you are going to have to hold him down a bit. It won't be very painful... but the only other way I can remove it is if I make him spit it out. And I do not think that would be the best thing to do to him."
---
Shunsui watched almost in awe at the blue light emanating from the healer's hands. It was so very much like the Kidou Unohana would use that it made him wonder briefly about the similarity and differences of their worlds. But it wasn't the right time to think very long about it.
He hated anytime he had to be an active part of the other man's medical procedures... which only ever really happened on the field, really. It was better when he could stand back and let the healers do their work, so he could close his eyes and not have to think about the suffering Juushirou had to endure. But... this whole place seemed like a battlefield in some ways, and there was no choice in the matter. He would do whatever she asked.
"All right," he said, looking a bit pale, even though the medicine she had given had worked wonderfully. "I can do that."
There was a bucket under the sink that they used for cleaning... Shunsui had a fleeting thought that it might not be clean enough to be used this way... but in truth he had no idea what she was going to do with it. Instead, he retrieved it a bit nervously, shown by the slight shaking of his hands, and filled it with warm water from the tap in the kitchenette.
He placed it beside the futon, then knelt down at Juushirou's head. Taking the ill man's shoulders, he first said a quiet ... "I'm sorry." to his lover, before looking up at Tsunade. "Like this, right?"
---
Tsunade nodded her head. "Keep him still... it's going to be a bit painful and I am sure that he'll thrash around." Tsunade turned towards the bucket of water and placed both hands into it, it was going to be a bit complex, but nothing she couldn't handle. After a few moments of focus, Tsunade brought her hands up out of the bucket, taking all of the water with her. The water seemed to swirl gently around her hands as she placed them on top of the man's heaving chest.
"All right... hold him tightly... and now." Tsunade pressed one of her hands to his chest and slowly the water started to sink into his skin, being controlled by Tsunade's chakra. She squinted her eyes tightly and remained focus as she placed her other water covered hands off to the side in order to collect the fluids.
---
As Tsunade pressed her hand to his chest and the water started to sink in, Jyuushirou opened his brown eyes again, gritting his teeth against the new, rather intrusive pain. He was hurting from the high fever and from his chest, who felt like it had iron shackles wrapped around it, so a new pain came as somewhat of as shock to him. He didn't know the person that leaned over him, and neither could he see straight due to the fever, so in his confusion, he first tried to get away. But since Shunsui held on to him, that was not possible.
His reiatsu rose a little in an attempt to shield himself from this 'attack' - the fever making him not thinking straight - but it quickly died off again, his body too weak to really put up a fight. Another pang of pain as Tsunade worked, and he passed out.
---
Shunsui held the ill man's shoulders down tightly - perhaps more tightly than he needed, all things considered, it wasn't very hard to keep him from moving. His own tension and worry seemed to filter out onto his grip, and the shinigami wondered if he would leave his lover's shoulders bruised.
He only half watched as Tsunade did her work. Part of him was fascinated by the procedure, which, unlike the earlier action, was so different from anything he had ever seen. The other part of him focused on Juushirou's face, unable to turn away from the pained features that so obviously wanted nothing to do with any of this.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
He felt it when the ill man's reiatsu flared, and wondered if the healer did too, but it was such a little change, so weak that Shunsui didn't think someone other than a shinigami would have felt anything at all. And then, Juushirou's face went slack. Shunsui panicked, but didn't dare release his hold on his lover's shoulders. He looked up suddenly at the woman, not wanting to disturb her concentration, but needing to know...
"I-is he all right?" Is he dead?
---
Tsunade pulled the hand that rested on Juushirou's chest back and curled her fingers a bit as she added just a little bit more chakra into his chest. There... Suddenly liquids oozed out of the man's body and flew into the other hand that held the water. Tsunade watched the other water ball collect the blood and mucus that had remained in his lungs, after she collected as much as possible she placed the dirty water back into the bucket. She turned her attention to Juushirou's face before moving her gaze to Shunsui.
"Yes, he is fine... it was a bit too much for him, but he will be fine. I'll need to do it one last time, but I will save it for later. That should help him greatly, for now. I'll come back in the morning to finish the job. Right now, he needs rest and peace. I'll get to work on some medicine for him as well, I'll go herb hunting in the forest." Tsunade picked herself up and smiled warmly at the man.
"A wet cloth for his face would also be nice, make sure he drinks a lot when he wakes up." A soft sigh escaped her lips as she bent down to pick up the bucket. "He'll pull through... there is still a bit left in his lungs but I feel it will be too dangerous to continue now." Tsunade lifted the bucket up and moved to go outside.
"I'm happy... that I could help you, if you ever do need a healer again, do come to me."
---
When the fluids were removed and Tsunade had finished her technique, the white-haired man was breathing much easier then before, even if he coughed slightly afterwards. He still had a high fever, but now that most of the reason for his fever was removed, it would most likely cool down to a more normal level in a while. He was sick, but not dangerously so.
While unconscious after passing out from the pain, the iron shackles around his chest was gone for now.
Getting some air was a nice feeling.
---
Shunsui let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding when she said that Juushirou was fine. He was still for a moment, not daring to move even though she had finished her work, then he detached his hands from the ill man's shoulders stiffly, knuckled still slightly white.
He only half heard what she was saying, too pleased that Juushirou seemed to be breathing easier, despite being unconscious. Shunsui could tell somehow that things were going to be okay now.
"I can't thank you enough," he said, surprised at how strained his voice sounded. "I should... show you out."
He got up off his knees, giving one last glance at the man on the futon to reassure himself that he was seeing the truth, before walking over to where Tsunade was now standing.
A thought occurred to him then, and he looked seriously at her. "It's your first day, isn't it? Do you have a place to stay?"
---
"It's nothing, as I said before, it's my job." Pushing the bucket to other hand she moved towards the door of the temple before stopping.
"No, I do not have a place to stay as of this moment... but I'll be all right, I can assure you, I'll locate a room to sleep in." She looked up slightly, she had lost track of time, though she was sure that it was rather late out. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she moved to open the door.
"I'll be right back, I'm just going to dump the water." She said, turning to him with a small smile.
---
Satisfied for the moment, Shunsui let her leave, and returned to Juushirou's side. He stroked the ill man's face gently, wondering if what the healer woman had done would bring down the fever any.
"I'm sorry that hurt, Juu," he said, knowing that he wouldn't really be heard. "... but I think you can breathe better now, right?"
He leaned down to kiss Juushirou's forehead, letting his lips linger a moment longer than he had intended, then sat back up. He hoped that Tsunade would be able to find her way back all right; the hallways were complicated, after all. But when she returned, he would have to find her a place to stay... if he had to he'd let her stay here, but... that would be rather rough, considering the circumstances.
I hope there are still empty rooms left in here...
---
It took a few moments for her to return, she had to admit... she was a bit annoyed with all the twists and turns this building had to offer. Nothing here could simple, not even in a place that was meant for worship. She opened the door and slowly made her way into the room, trying to make as less noise as possible before setting the bucket down.
"His breathing? Is it doing better? And his temperature?" The medical ninja tilted her head to the side as she crossed her arms, she had prayed that it hadn't been too much on the man.
"I think... that it would be best if I remained here, I'd like to be able to check up on him every so often throughout the night if need be." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of sake, in which she took a much needed swig before holding out her arm and offering some to Shunsui.
---
Shunsui took the bottle hesitantly... it wasn't that he wouldn't have liked some sake just then, but he was a bit surprised to find a healer offering it to him. Unohana would have never allowed such a thing. But then again, this woman also shared a love of the drink it seemed, so she must have understood.
He took a drink from it, then handed it back. "I have a whole bottle of it. I'll give you a refill later," he said, before sitting down on the couch. "... he looks better. I can tell he's breathing easier. We have a thermometer if you want to check his temperature."
He looked thoughtfully at the woman. She wanted to stay here it seemed. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the help, but It would be rather crowded. Kiyone was just outside, and he was sure that she wouldn't want to leave. Well, she'll go if I order her... but I hope I don't have to...
"Ah... it might be crowded," he began, explaining himself to Tsunade. "But... I might be able to fix that, hold on one minute... "
Shunsui got up and poked his head outside the door. As expected, Kiyone was right outside. She was stubborn about it, but eventually she agreed to leave when ordered to do so. I hate having to do that.
Shutting the door behind him, Shunsui gave a sheepish grin to the woman healer. "It's okay now, if you want to stay the night... " he glanced at the couch, thinking that he'd miss it greatly if he had to spend the night on the floor, but it would be far to impolite to make a lady do so. "The couch is yours, hmm? We have the one extra blanket, so... "
---
Jyuushirou slowly climbed his way up to a conscious state again, opening his eyes a little as he heard the voice of Shunsui speaking to someone. He really had no memory of what had been going on, but he noticed that the pain in his chest was no longer so severe, and that he could breathe much easier. Healer? Isane?
Turning his head, he looked over at the shape of Shunsui, still a bit unfocused - but he did recognize his longtime friend and lover, instead of thinking the man was Kaien or other people in his delusions. He gave a small cough, reaching up a hand to brush some hair out of his face, but the movement was tiring and he let the hand fall next to his head afterwards. He felt like he had lost days instead of a few minutes.
"Shun... ?" He asked, sounding very tired but much more coherent then last time. "What's going on... ?"
---
At the sound of Juushirou's voice, Shunsui rushed to his side, surprised but nevertheless pleased that his lover had called him by the correct name. "Hey there," he said gently, brushing what looked like a troublesome piece of hair out of the ill man's face. "... You've been sick, and... this lovely lady offered to help. She's a healer where she comes from. Her name is Tsunade."
So very glad to see his lover looking so improved after a day filled with nothing but pain and high fever, Shunsui took Juushirou's hand gently, and raised it to his lips for a kiss... not caring who was watching.
---
"I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience... I am truly sorry about that and I promise you that it will only be for one night." She knew she was being too cautious but she didn't want to take any chances, she didn't want anything to go wrong and not be there in order to act immediately. Before she could continue she saw Juushirou stir, she smiled warmly at the scene and took another drink of her sake bottle, thinking it would be best to keep quiet and allow them to have their moment. At Shunsui's kiss at his hand Tsunade knew that he was more then a friend to the man.
All the more reason to keep close by and to make sure all was truly well. She gave a nod at Juushirou before raising the bottle to her lips and taking a long cool drink before setting it down on the ground next to her feet.
---
Shunsui heard what was being said behind him, but his eyes were still fixed on his lover. Putting Juushirou's hand down at his side and pulling up the blankets up further, he said softly to him; "Rest now. I'll be here."
He was reluctant to leave the ill man's side, but he knew it would be impolite to ignore a guest. He shifted from a kneeling position to a sitting one, and turning towards her.
"It's no problem," he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "... we owe you a lot."
---
Jyuushirou looked over at the blonde woman, and gave her a tired smile. "Thank you, Tsunade-san... " He mumbled, hoping that what he said at least came out somewhat audible. He coughed slightly again, but it was nothing serious. Perhaps merely a bit of aftermath from the medic-nin's jutsu. Since he was too tired to even move his head much, he closed his eyes again, resting a little. He was still conscious, however, and he listened to Shunsui and the woman as they spoke.
He had known that he was sick, of course... and he had fleeting memories of pain and high fever, and of Shunsui and Kiyone... mixed with blurry dream images of Kaien and memories that was century-old. His head was spinning, even now. Too much strain, perhaps.
When Shunsui put down his hand, he gave a small, affectionate squeeze before the hand was returned to rest on the futon.
---
"You are welcome... " What was the man's name again? She had rushed over as quickly as she could and the name just didn't sink in. She felt it was rude to ask now, she pushed herself forward and went to his side and placed a hand on his head to feel how warm it was.
"It's down considerably... " She patted his head gently before pulling her hand away. "He's going to have a better night then expected, he recovered much quicker then what I thought he would." She laced her fingers into her own and continued to stare at the white haired man.
"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"
---
It couldn't be described exactly how relieved Shunsui was just then to hear the healer's words. Earlier today he was worried that the other man was near death, but now it seemed like things would be okay again. I shouldn't be surprised, really... he's scared me like this before.
At Tsunade's question, Shunsui nodded. He didn't care who knew, really, even if they generally kept things private. "Yes... he does," he said, turning to look at his lover once more. "... he's a part of my soul... but even after centuries of this, it doesn't hurt any less to see him in pain."
Shunsui reached out to the small sake bottle that the woman had put down, hovering over it a moment and looking to her for permission. Finding no objection, he raised it to his lips and took a pull. It probably wasn't the best for him at the moment, but it calmed his nerves, and on occasion, dulled the heartache.
---
"It's never easy... to see a loved one go through pain." Tsunade's head bowed gently as memories of Dan flashed through her head, she quickly shook it, wanting to get those out of her mind as soon as possible. She didn't want to dwell on that, even after all these years, the memories were still fresh in her mind.
After Shunsui was done taking a drink, Tsunade made a soft hand motion at him, signaling that she wanted the bottle. Upon getting it she took one last swig before handing it back to him.
"I'll see what I can do for his illness later... his cold didn't make him act up, did it? No coughing of blood at all, yes?"
---
Shunsui sighed and handed back the bottle, making a mental note to get her more in the morning. "No, not yet," he said. "... but... you never know." He didn't mean to sound pessimistic, but he'd seen his lover fight his disease too long to think that he was out of the woods just yet when it came to that.
As for her first words; no, it wasn't easy, but something in her face told Shunsui to not press the subject. He also didn't know how much he wanted Juushirou to hear him talk about it, even if it looked like he was sleeping, he might still be conscious.
"I'll take you out for a real drink sometime, hmm?" he sad to her, giving a half smile in both and attempt to be pleasant and from feeling the effects of the sake, perhaps more easily so since he was tired. "... Saa... I should probably tell you about the city... What do you need to know?"
---
"I don't need much information, my student Sakura has informed me greatly all ready. I do know that I must get a job and soon in order to buy things, though I am sure that I have that covered all ready. As for a real drink... I'd like that, thank you. Whenever you have time, I'd like to go." Tsunade sat down on the sofa and slowly rubbed her temples, a heavy sigh came from her lips as she folded her hands into her lap.
"You must be tired... " Her voice was warm and soothing as she spoke to him. "Where are you going to sleep?"
---
"I know a good place for it," Shunsui said in response to her first comment. As for when he'd have time... who knew really. He still hadn't gotten around to that drink with Faye, and that was a promise over a month old! But... somehow he knew he'd find the time. Especially for someone who may have very well just saved Juushirou's life.
He chuckled softly at her question. "Well, there's always the floor, hmm? I've done it before, when we had another guest... " he hesitated, but decided there wasn't much else to hide from this woman. "... if he weren't so sick, I'd share the bed."
---
Jyuushirou coughed again, groaning slightly at the jerk on his already exhausted body. Opening his eyes, he turned his head a bit so that he could look at the two other people in the room. Even if the fever clouded his brain a bit, what he had heard Shunsui say had touched him a lot, and it seemed this healer was a really nice person.
Shunsui could use someone to talk to.
His head hurt, but he was so used to that kind of pain that he didn't care much. At the other man's proclamation that he'd sleep on the floor, he made a slight face. "Mmmm... no. Shun... you... mm... you were hurt, too. Gonna... get sick." It was a bit difficult to understand what he was saying, since most of it was mumbles, but he hoped he got the point across.
Tatami or no tatami, the floor was not that comfortable. Besides, there was a little room in the futon. It would not make it worse, having the person you'd loved for two millennia sleeping beside you, would it?
---
Shunsui turned abruptly at the sound of Juushirou's cough, sensitive to even the slightest sound of pain from the man, his heart fell a little hearing it. He was at his side in an instant.
It was a bit hard to understand him when the ill man spoke, but Shunsui could guess the meaning. He gave his lover a somewhat sad smile. "You want me to stay with you, Juu?" he asked, not really expecting a coherent answer. He sighed, giving in to the idea of a more comfortable sleep, since his lover had given him permission. "... all right. I promise not to steal all the blankets."
He turned back to the healer. "I guess I'll be sleeping here tonight," he said, rising once more to show Tsunade the spare blanket on the couch. "It's not much, but we've got a blanket and any of the pillows on the couch will do, I hope... Tomorrow we'll find you a better place to stay, hmm?"
---
At Juushirou's coughing, Tsunade moved to tend to him but Shunsui beat her to it. She relaxed against the sofa and watched him talk quietly to his lover and couldn't help but smile warmly at the scene.
If anything was going to be needed, she would be there to tend to them. "All right... that sounds like a good idea at any rate, having you by his side and giving him comfort could be just what he needs." The medic-nin took the blanket from Shunsui and nodded at him. "It will do for now, I have sleep in worse conditions... good night, Shunsui. I am sure by morning he'll be able to get up and walk around."
---
Seeing that Tsunade was settling in nicely on the couch, Shunsui went to the wall and shut the lights off before crawling in carefully beside his long time lover and friend. He wasn't so sure Juushirou would be quite up to walking around tomorrow, experience told him otherwise. But if they were lucky - which it certainly felt like they were today - he might be sitting up with the help of some pillows and getting something to eat.
"Goodnight, dear lady," he said, pulling the blankets so that both men were covered and making sure he gave Juushirou enough room to be comfortable. "... and thank you."
[ooc: Kiyone actions cleared with the mun.]