"It was a cold, bitter morning in Seireitei, during a captains
meeting scheduled for 11am exactly, when Ukitake Jyuushirou passed
away.
It had been halfway through, Yama-jii talking about some new
maneuvers they were to execute in the living world, when the 13th
division captain started to cough violently, unable to stop.
His
chest heaved erratically, the dry, hoarse noise of his illness
echoing around the chamber for a minute unnoticed. This was such a
common occurrence with his everyday colleagues, myself included, that
we assumed it would pass in a couple of moments."
"However,
when a spray of crimson erupted from between his fingers, splattering
the floor, and his fit didn't stop, Unohana-taichou started.
She
moved swiftly to his side as he sank to his knees in weakness, the
puddle of blood growing steadily larger as the other captains
stared.
His already pale skin grew ever whiter, a small streak of
perspiration trickling down his face from his temple. This was only
one indication of many that the pain he was going through was
incredible.
However, he didn't look scared, nor afraid.I know this, because I have never met someone of stronger will or fierceness of heart as that man. His memory should be an example to us all."
"I
stared at him as Mayuri-taichou to my left started to snicker
callously, though the sound never seemed to reach my ears.
Kyouraku-taichou moved to Ukitake-taichou's side in horror, unwilling
to believe the scene slowly unfolding before his eye. He laid a hand
on Jyuushirou's back, seemingly reassuring himself more than Ukitake,
his gaudy pink haori slipping to the floor carelessly.
The
coughing didn't stop. Ukitake's white hair shook violently every time
a new round started, and the floor, his hand, and Unohana–taichou's
haori were all now stained with the blood he had heaved up from his
lungs."
"Shinsui was questioning Unohana constantly,
asking her what was wrong, what they could do.
He was obviously
dying. His face is so pale; his entire being, in fact. As he bent
down to the ground then, feeling limper and weaker in Shinsui's arms,
now holding him securely around his torso, you could see him looking
at something that wasn't in the room.
And the blood kept coming.
There was so much of it, it was starting to disturb the younger
members in the room."
"Yama-jii had resigned himself to the fact that his first student and foundation of the Gotei 13 was about to die, watching the scene in a reverent silence."
He paused presently, thinking back, and then took a deep breath as if
it was hard for him to say.
Things were never hard for him to
say.
"Unohana looked up briefly, her crisp white haori
looking like she had just been counterpart to a massacre, and started
to talk over the sickening bubbling of liquid that we all could hear
exiting Jyuushirou's throat.
She said, at best, she could prolong
his life for a few minutes if anyone wished to say anything to the
dying captain.
By now, Ukitake was resigned to his end, and as
Shinsui helped her rest Jyuushirou on his back, staring blankly up at
them, he smiled faintly, his normally warm and friendly face marred
by the red stains on his chin."
"Kyouraku-taichou
started to break down his calm exterior now, holding his old friend
and colleague as he slowly died. He talked of old memories to him; of
days at the academy, stupid things they had done together, stupid
things Shinsui had done alone to be caught by him.
How they had
grown to be such good friends.
How Shinsui didn't want him to
leave.
His expression was one of a broken man- one would think
their
friendship had grown into some form of platonic love."
"He leaned aside, still clutching at Ukitake's yukata, not wanting to let him see the pain now crossing his face; and so others may have their chance to talk."
His eyes narrowed at the piece of paper he was holding.
"Yama-jii
remained silent except for saying he had been an excellent student
and at the same time, a royal pain in the ass. This the man on the
floor chuckled at, droplets of blood spraying out of his mouth as he
did so.
Hitsugaya-taichou seemed unable to speak, choosing instead to stare
in a steely eyed resolve not to let his inexperience in death show in
the form of sadness.Soi Fong followed much the same path, her
fists clenching and unclenched absently as she watched, a habit she
had adapted when she had no idea what to do in situations she came
across.
I stood still, unmoving, as the other captains stayed
where they were or hovered over Ukitake and
Unohana."
"Mayuri-taichou was uninterested in the
entire thing; though Komamura-taichou wasn't too far beyond Shinsui;
his emotions unreadable under the permanent mask he
wore.
Kenpachi-taichou looked vaguely concerned, but was unmoved
by the current happenings, being surrounded in death constantly. Yet,
as the minutes ticked by, I was still unable to do anything despite
how much I felt I should."
The man paused, looking down with a frown on his face as if he was appraising his own actions back then.
"As silence started to fall and it was clear neither Unohana could continue, nor Ukitake could hold on, the white-haired captain rolled his head to the side and looked directly at me, as if now, in death, he could see so much clearer than I could.
Weakly, he raised a trembling hand and waved me over, and my body reluctantly followed."
"He seemed
to be waiting for something, his hand still outstretched, and I
placed mine in his dumbly, still numb.
He was smiling though.
Accepting. And as his piercing gaze penetrated me, he whispered;
'Just because your senpai is going away... doesn't mean you can let your guard down yet.'"
"A
thousand years seemed to pass in the time he stared at me. It was
only when his eyes started to close and his hand go limp in my grasp
that I knew he had finally passed away.
Everything
seemed to stop.
No-one moved. No-one spoke.
It was merely the end."
Byakuya
looked at the paper he had been reading from with a melancholy
expression, and then frowned, as if he had reverted back to his
'normal' personality.
He paused
for a few seconds, and then screwed up the paper and cast it aside.
He should never have taken Unohana-taichou's advice to write down what had happened in the hope of grieving less.
Some things should just be forgotten.