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Tea for Two

The Fourth Division shinigami were either slandered as weaklings or praised as compassionate healers, but Captain Aizen Sousuke somehow found their building to be a bit disconcerting, sharing a muted and eerie quality with the illusions of his zanpakuto.

Nevertheless, politics made such visits necessary, as he needed to contain any suspicion before it grew. Aizen acknowledged that he used his illusions shamelessly. In his own quarters, he made not a sound, but the genial-looking man tread very deliberate steps when trespassing. At the same time, he was well aware of the older captains' watchful eyes constantly monitoring his movements. They might not be able to see through a carefully-woven lie, but they would definitely sense something wrong, and, despite his confidence, suspicion was something he truly feared. Someone with his potential could not afford to become trapped in arrogance.

The brown-haired man reached the end of the long corridor and raised a hand to knock.

"Please come in, Aizen-taicho," an elegant voice cut in.

Startled, Aizen quickly pasted on a disarming smile. "You sense me every time, Unohana-san." He had made his presence obvious, of course, but the gentle healer did not usually interrupt. Walking in, he saw that tea had already been set for two, and she had turned her poised head to greet him from the outside veranda. "Quite peaceful tonight, isn't it? We can have a conversation without the usual disturbances."

Unohana returned his smile with a serene nod. "Quite. But a long day ahead, I'm afraid." She lifted her cup to her lips and closed her eyes, sighing as the tea's soothing bitterness reached deep inside her.

"Oh?" Aizen's lips curved just slightly more. A man of subtleties, he he'd long learned to detect hints and double meanings, picking apart threats and often mocking their amateur simplicity. So Unohana wanted to play games tonight. He wondered, intrigued, how far she would go before he needed to contain her.

Whether he could contain her was a question he dismissed with confidence; Kyouka Suigetsu was a master of the senses. Captain or not, even Unohana Retsu needed senses to perceive.

In his time as captain, Aizen made sure to become particularly close to those who could actually threaten his ambitions, always disarming one after deceiving the others. He didn't consider himself to be an evil man, but the knowledge that he had the potential for better things gave him a certain detached coolness in judgment. As for Unohana, well, age did not always bring wisdom. The duties of the Fourth Division required compassion, and compassion was the gentle woman's greatest hindrance. She certainly had other things to worry about besides him, other people to care for, which pushed her position very low on his mental list of people to watch out for.

So why did he keep coming back? Visits to Kyouraku Shunsui's lair drained his patience, and Ukitake Jyuushiro's wide-eyed friendliness never ceased to irritate him. It was only on Unohana Retsu's veranda that his relaxed smile was not entirely an illusion. Perhaps, he mused, it was because she also surrounded herself in subtleties, suggestions of peace and inner calm that spread from her smile to the minds of others. It all boiled down to pleasant company. That, too, was a type of illusion he knew quite well.

"And what do you anticipate for tomorrow, Unohana-san?" The man took a sip of tea, then, fighting the urge to grimace, drank half the cup. As usual, he was shocked by its bitter taste, but his displeasure could not be revealed without revealing much more.

Unohana continued to enjoy her own tea with small tilts of her cup. She was a woman who liked to do things slowly, in paced measures, he saw, a woman who gave order even to the bitter tea that she drank. Without that discipline restraining her, what would she be? Most likely, order was infused too deeply into her for that to ever happen. Aizen didn't care to find out. "It is simple." she replied with a smile. "We have not been disturbed tonight because Kyouraku-taicho went out drinking especially early. I have already ordered hangover remedies to be steeped."

"Ah." Perhaps he had grown over-imaginative. After all, Unohana Retsu did not seem like a woman who would intentionally confront anyone. She only suggested, and suggestions could easily be ignored.

Laughing softly, "You know how it is, Aizen-taicho. I see your eyes are twinkling. Yes, I'm afraid that we will need to detain a captain or two here tomorrow." She sighed. "Our peace never lasts long, you see. Our main goal is not to successfully heal everyone who comes into our ward, but to prevent them from having to come here altogether, if possible."

Or maybe his inkling was justified. "Naturally, we can't prevent shinigami from being wounded by errant hollows," he replied gently as he finished his tea, its bitterness causing slight throbs to ripple through his head. The liquid slid down his throat like a dark warning. Even for the blank, shadowed ward of the Fourth, "detain" was not exactly the right word.

"True. Recent hollows have been especially bothersome haven't they, Aizen-taicho? It would trouble me greatly if they caused an influx of patients." A slight breeze blew the petals of a nearby sakura tree onto her hair, and she inhaled the faint fragrance. She obviously loved nights like these. "But I do not like disturbing the peaceful air with such a troubling matter. Do you like my new sapling? It is strong, so it will grow taller than all the sakura trees." She pointed. As her face caught the moonlight, Aizen suddenly became aware that the healer possessed a beauty that went rather well with shadows. But admiration would not do; he could see it was time to retreat into safer territory. His eyes darted to the hilt of Kyouka Suigetsu.

Raucous laughter rang on the distant streets like a cue. "Unfortunately, disturbance is inevitable," he said, allowing a rueful chuckle, "and I'm afraid we will have to end our conversation early. I can hear a few members of my division among Kyouraku-san's crowd who have active duties tomorrow. They will no doubt need someone sober to guide them home."

For a moment, he thought she hadn't heard his smooth words. Unohana could make even the slightest pause into something noticeable, it seemed. "But do you not admire my new sapling, Aizen-taicho? I only wish that I could have planted it on better soil. Sand does not always support such massive trunks, you know." Then, "I supposed you can give me your opinion tomorrow. Please go if you must, Aizen-taicho."

"Good night, Unohana-san. I wish you luck with the patients that will surely fill your ward by noon." Rising from seiza, Aizen made a note to be careful around Unohana Retsu from now on. Perhaps she did not approach him the same way as that idiot Kyouraku or Ukitake or fiery Yamamoto did, perhaps she did not care as much for the bigger picture, but when she was within the shadowed halls of her own division, surrounded by elusive peace, he now had reason to believe the quiet-looking woman could be the greatest threat of them all. Giving a final bow, he tread away. Unohana's words followed softly behind him.

"Oyasuminasai."

*-*-*

Eight hours later, Captain Aizen Sousuke was admitted into the Fourth Division for a gnawing chest pain that refused to subside.

"Please," he gasped to the attendant, coughing up blood, "I must get back to my work." The timid squad member apologized, but told him that it was really necessary to stay in the ward until he fully recovered, as Unohana-taicho had ordered it herself.

Across the room, a man dressed in flamboyant pink moaned, then let out a small chuckle. "Our Sousuke-kun is too serious about these things." he croaked. "Tsk. You know what they say, my man, all work and no play…" Aizen fought back a sneer and coughed up more blood for his efforts.

"Kyouraku-taicho!" exclaimed a soft voice. Unohana admonished the hung over man as she briskly strode through the door. "Now is not the time to be teasing Aizen-taicho. Please focus on your own headache." Even wracked with pain, Aizen could not help noticing how graceful and collected the healer looked.

"No…it's quite…alright… I can appreciate…a sense…of humor." he told her between coughs.

"Even so, I will not tolerate such behavior in my ward." She leaned closer until he could see the different tints of blue in her eyes and lowered her voice. "Perhaps I am more immune to the night breeze than you are, Aizen-taicho. It seems like you caught a terrible cold last night on my veranda while we were having our tea." Aizen fought back shivers at the touch of her cool fingers on his forehead.

Both captains knew her words were far from the truth. In the background, Kyouraku Shunsui laughed.

A/N: So... did this make sense? Please review and tell me if you understood what happened! I tried to be sneaky about it, but subtlety is definitely not my forte. Come to think of it... writing isn't exactly my forte either. D: