Emergency Room

This busy part of the Division Four compound is the room where all incoming emergencies are handled. Hell Butterflies and people are always running in and out of this section of the compound and major hospital area.

Kenpachi Kai Rin appears, dashing toward the Emergency Room with a man slung over her shoulder, her fellow Taicho, both of them showing evidence of a fight, though what they were fighting was beyond them... unless of course they'd heard the commotion, in which case it was abundantly clear: Each other. Seems the two had had a bit of a... disagreement, and a rather popular sandwich shop had been demolished in the commotion. They were sure to catch shit for it later, but oddly enough Rin was helping her opponent... Rare, usually when she fought someone, it was to the death. She slides to a halt inside the admittance area.

"HEY! ONE OF YOU GO AND GET A FUCKIN' HEALER! GOT AN INJURED OFFICER OVER HERE!" She'd hand him over to the first healer that came to take him, following them to the operating room where they'd work to heal him of his wounds as best they can.

Of course, it would take some hours before he'd finally awaken, but she wouldn't really care, relaxing outside the room and waiting for him to wake up. Not like anyone would stop her. All afraid of her. part of her liked that. Another, small part... well, it was sad, but fuck that part.

"Oh no..." A groan went through the emergency room staff on duty. The Eleventh Captain was notorious for getting into fights... The poor other captain as well. The members manning the main stations rushed over to Rin, someone helping Jurobei off of her shoulder and onto a movable cot for summary of his injuries and treatment. The cuts were worriesome and there was evidence of fractures... His unconscious state suggested concussion as well. This was going to be a long night...

A female shinigami came up to Rin with a wheelchair while another started writing down her injuries on a notepad. "Kenpachi Kai, please sit while we take you to a room. You are just as injured as your friend, even if you don't feel it. We need to treat you."

She frowns, looking up at them, eyes narrowing slightly, then sighing, turning to look at the ground. "I'm fine, you bunch of lackwits. Focus on him. He's the unconscious one. I'm not even bleeding much. Couple cuts, but most of the shrapnel got deflected by my barrier." She doesn't trust healers much either, though they're better than Kido-monkeys.

Knowing she didn't have the authority, or the wish honestly, to deal with the Kenpachi, the female seated member had sent for her Vice Captain. It was a badly kept secret that she was soon to be promoted, Captain in all but name. Luckily the signature of the woman was close so the seated member walked past Lakshmi on her way out to handle patients who would listen to her.

Lovely. It was the Kenpachi... She had hurried on her way to the emergency room, passing Jurobei's unconscious body. The members of her division were competent and great at healing, he would be fine without her looking over him for now. However there was someone who wouldn't and she was the one to handle her. The woman-child was a mess and needed treatment, though she either couldn't tell or didn't care.

"Kenpachi Kai, no disrespect meant but in this matter I outrank you and mean to use it. You can walk or you can ride in the wheelchair but your injuries are just as bad as Captain Ishimura's. I also would ask you not insult my staff, as they are already taking good care of him." With one hand on her hip and the other holding a clipboard with the information she need, Lakshmi waved for Kenpachi Rin to follow her. "If our Kenpachi is weakened, what will happen in an emergency? I can have you back to full strength in a few hours if you cooperate."

She sighs, and then nods a bit at the Fukutaicho, sighing. "Hai, Fukutaicho." To be honest, she was probably one of the very few she would be somewhat alright with dealing with. She'd patched her up a LOT over the time she'd been here, so she'd gotten to know her, at least a little. "I'll walk. No need for me to appear weak." Multiple reasons for that. She was supposed to represent the strongest, the toughest of them. If she was seen in a chair like that, then any other factions that might have eyes on them might take it as a sign that the defenses were weaker... which they weren't, but instigating an attack isn't on her list of shit to do today. Anymore, anyway.

She'd follow the Fukutaicho down to whatever room she intends to use, lying down and letting her work on her. She was rather injured, for all her bluster. No broken bones, at least major ones, though she had cracked ribs and bruises all over her back, as well as some rather large cuts, as anything large enough to get through her defenses was large enough to deal quite a good amount of damage. Most of the damage had been from the blast wave, however, which had entirely ignored her barriers and played hell with her soft tissue. That'd be a bitch and a half to heal, given the nature of the wounds.

"Thank you." Aha! Her tone had worked. Lakshmi had been worried about the Captain, seeing what the girl couldn't about herself. Her skin was too pale and there was obviously injuries that couldn't be seen with the naked eye. Kenpachi Kai might turn out to be the worse to heal, just as the staff of the division had thought.

Leading the way, Lakshmi waited until they were in a room alone to soften her voice as she took stock of the injuries. The Kenpachi knew what to do and was already on the bed. Chanting the words to summon the searching healing spell, Lakshmi's hands glowed a light blue as she ran it along the length of the Kenpachi's body. Moving a bit of clothing here or there, Lakshmi took stock and realized it was a bit more serious than she thought. The spells she had would take a bit too long and wouldn't allow Rin to move around fast enough, this Lakshmi had learned to her detriment in earlier years.

The faster the healing, the better was done for this antsy Captain. "Kami oko~tsu chēn, Watashi ni anata no bōtoku-ryoku o ataeru." Her command spoken, Lakshmi's zanpakuto released. It should be old hat to Rin, seeing as it was the fastest way to heal her.

"You really do get to see too much of me and my zanpakuto, Kenpachi. I did think you were starting to miss me and being tied up, as you hadn't visited in a while." A small joke to ease what still had to be uncomfortable experience, as some of Lakshmi's chains moved out and started covering Rin's body entirely. They glowed before sinking into the skin, the pattern of chains glowing through the clothes as they did their work. She could sit up, but not move around too much.

"So, what was it this time?" They needed to pass the time, and questions seemed the best way. Jurobei was brought into the room on his new rolly bed, taking the other open spot for a bed. She could examine him and her member's handywork while keeping tabs on Rin.

She frowns a bit at the chains, sighing. "Eh, you were healing me with those back when I was... what, a Fifth Seat? Feels so long ago..." She actually smiles a bit, though not very much. "Hmm... You helped me back in the academy too, I think. Been... damn, it's been a long time."

The chains... she never liked them. They were annoying, and restricting, and generally just annoying... but the Fukutaicho was right. They were the fastest way to heal her, and heal her they would. "As for what happened... Explosion at point-blank range, from some sort of rune... I think. Blast wave got me before I could react. Luckily I managed to pull off a break-fall as I hit the ground, or you'd have quite a few broken bones to add to the list. or a crushed skull, which would have sucked."

At the entrance of the other Taicho to the room, she raises an eyebrow, but doesn't argue against it in the least. "He okay?"

"It has been so long, you've been very good practice for me. I believe you are a major factor in my healing prowess." The Indian woman couldn't help but laugh at that as she looked over Jurobei's body, checking the disappearing bruising. The Division had done such a good job, all she had to do was add a few more chains across his head and chest to be sure of proper healing. Jurobei would be able to wake up in a few hours with nothing more than a slight headache if all went well. "He'll be fine, don't worry. He might have something that seems like a hangover, but some food and some rest will do wonders now that his injuries are taken care of."

Pulling a chair up so she could listen better, Lakshmi shook her head as she checked her clipboard. "I mean start at the beginning, why were both of you fighting? However that does explain the sapping of the energy from my chains. They are rearranging you as we speak from that blast."

She sighs a bit, glancing to the side. This next part... was pretty embarrassing, if totally reasonable to her. "Well, you see, I'd just bought this huge rocky road icecream cone... One of those waffle things, you know? The huge ones? Rocky Road, icecream of the gods... [i]Wǒ xǐhuan tā~]/i]" She coos the last three words, ones that with their familiarity Lakshmi would know means something along the lines of 'I love it'. "Anyway, I was walking along, eating my amazing treat, and he just bumps into me, and..." she looks almost crushed, that incredibly child-like side of her peeking out. "Right on the ground... poor icecream... You will not be forgotten..."

"Rin! How many times... You can replace ice cream, besides I bet if you were upset enough he would have replaced the ice cream for you for free. I would buy you a large tub of it if it would have stopped the fight." The tone was one of long suffering, someone who was repeating things the person had heard but never listened to. Lakshmi leaned back against the chair, rubbing her forehead and wishing she could hit Rin with the clipboard. She had even called her Rin in surprise, instead of the more formal Kenpachi. Lakshmi really tried to separate her job from her friends but... It was so hard to with this woman.

"So you beat him to a pulp and he beat you back in return? He is an elder Captain, but I think I am allowed to scold him for this too. I should just take my chains off and let you heal the slow way, but I know you'd go out and fight someone half hurt. That would ruin my reputation too."

Her hand went out, more chains flowing from her robe to cover Jurobei and help him heal even faster. She really wanted to give him a piece of her mind as well while she felt like it. Still, Rin looked so crest fallen Lakshmi had to give in just a little bit... "I'll get you some more ice cream later, we'll both go out since I could use a break."

She frowns a bit. "But... it was Rocky Road~!" She says this like it explains everything about why she got upset about it. Of course, at the mention of Lakshmi and her going out for icecream, she smiles again, a little. "Oh, really? We haven't done that in a long time. Been busy with our own things, right? I've kinda missed it."

Distorted and unrelated images swam in the uneven flow of consciousness as Jurobei's blood visions took shape. The red streams underneath his eyelids became patterns, strokes of calligraphy that only a master could produce. It hurt to think; the magnificence crushing the dreamer like a giant's hand, for a moment.

Ice cream, he remembered the taste. Like sunlight he could feel his cheekbones lift and the tension holding his face together dissipate like a sugar cube in tea.

Weakness overcame him like an ocean tide, ready to sweep him away from the shore. His hands clawed to remain but each inch was one he could not turn. He was eroding like stone.

He couldn't move, his will felt crushed under the ghost power of siege weaponry. The monument he built from scratch had been destroyed in a day.

The earth started to shake, resonating with his internal fire. They did not revere him, they did not fear him, they did not even respect him, and for that they should all die. A towering ebony obelisk shot from the ground suddenly like a spear, pointing in defiance directly at the sun. Engraved upon it were countless symbols, as many as the stars so fine and minute. It was the answer that he couldn't read.

As the tea party at Setsuna's abruptely came to an end, Miruki was walking down the road slowly to get back to her office and start working again. She was thinking back at how everything went weird there, at how the 5th captain made her feel terrible for honestly no good reasons. Regardless, she figured she would have to eventually get over it and try to comunicate with them normally.

As she was walking down, she stopped several times to greet wanna be seated shinigami's, they always had such a reaction when they would cross a captain's path, and Miruki kinda liked that, it was always a good ego boost moment that she never wants to miss on.

At some point tho, she felt a sudden reiatsu increase. Even tho she was not the sharpest with reiatsu sensitivity, when it was strong, she could definately feel it, the most surprising part, was that it was Jurobei's, and THAT she was sure of. There was also another extremely intimidating reiatsu that she felt, and none other, than the Kenpachi had that feeling coming out of it.

She immediatly got extremely concerned... What could cause both of these two to fight? Or are they fighting, could they not be? Why would they push out so much power without a fight. As she pinpoint the area where they were, she started to shunpo in the direction of the reiatsu. Before she could reach the destination, the spirit pressure dissipated...

"What.... Is it already over? What the hell is going on here" she said out loud to herself.

Figuring that the only thing that could happen would have been that someone got lucky and ended the fight, she figured she better check the infirmary.

Using a phone type device, she calls her third seat, and asked him to grab some experimental medecine that she had created lately and to deliver it to her at the emergency room in fourth. It would take a little while before he got there, perhaps it will not be necessary, but just in case the injuries are severe enough, she wanted to have something to offer. After the phone call, she immediately dashed towards 4th without wasting a second.

As she arrived, she immediately dashed it. Asked the person at the door where was the captain or the vice captain, they quickly directed him toward the location where Lakshmi was, along with Rin. Miruki showed up without warning on a rush.

Slightly ignoring Rin as she walked in, she went directly to the Vice-captain, she put both of her hands on her should as she started speaking in a panicking voice.

"Lakshmi, Lakshmi! Where is Jurobei... Jurobei... What happen, is he alright? Where is he? I want to see him.... NOW!!" she said, anxiously waiting for a prompt response.

The Kenpachi shifts, pushing herself up onto her elbows, frowning a bit as the other Taicho enters the room. Research and Development, she thinks? not exactly clear on the details. Either way, better than Kidou... but she'd fought the Kidou Taicho now, and he was definately someone she could respect. An opponant, and one that she would call enemy ideologically, but one that she would stand beside in a fight, should the time come that it be needed. There was a term for that in a book she read once... what was it? Ah, right. Gadera. She looks at the small Taicho for a time, and then speaks, her voice level, and not exactly angry or anything, almost cordial. "The Gadera is sleeping, for the moment. Healing. Is there something you wish said to him when he awakens? I will ensure that it gets to him." She was entirely earnest in her offer, and fully intends to pass on any message given to her.

The doors to the Emergency Room flung open and a very angry Captain Commander. Setsuna marched into the room, her black high heels clacking against the floor. Her blue eyes looking straight through every person she saw.

She let out invisible tendrils of her reiatsu looking for the target of her rage. There she was. The new Kenpachi, the trouble maker.

"Captain Kenpachi, and I use the term captain lightly. Please explain to me why I have to have a business rebuilt and injured by-standards healed? You haven't even undergone your Kenpachi training yet, and now you're doing this? Please explain to me why I shouldn't gut you right now, and appoint a new Kenpachi myself?"

Setsuna was livid. Her piercing blue eyes baring into the young captain. If she knew what was good for her she'd watch her tongue.

The Kenpachi meets those eyes, and though she'd promised herself long ago that she would fear nothing, she knew that, if she spoke flippantly now, she would likely die.

The <i>Sotaicho</i> did not make threats idly.

however, she had her story, and so far as she could tell, it was true. She had seen what she had seen, and she would defend herself.

"I apologize for not being able to rise to greet you, <i>Sotaicho</i>. I am currently undergoing a healing procedure, and this is about the best that I can do. Were I able, I would do everything our ranks would require me to, I assure you. As for my own conduct, I apologize that the results of our... altercation... Caused such damage, however I assure you that I acted only in self-defense. During my lunch outing some time previously, I was carrying such back to where I intended to eat it when I bumped into the other captain. I lost my temper, and there was a verbal altercation, which I truly did not intend to take any further than the verbal unless needed, when within the periphery of my vision I saw his hand raise. Knowing Kidou users require such gestures for many of their offensive spells, I chose to defend myself on the off-chance that he was attempting to attack me. Due to circumstances, the building was destroyed during the altercation, though I believe that noone was hurt other than us, so far as I know."

Before Lakshmi could reply to the rocky road whining and start to make plans with Rin for ice cream, everything went quite sideways. The research division's Captain arrived and against all regulation was shown to this room, though by all rights she should have been kept out. However Lakshmi knew her members couldn't gainsay a Captain. It would be too much trouble and paperwork. The demands for her to see Jurobei, who was on a bed slightly behind the curtain, were quite unreasonable. If she used her eyes, then she would surely see that but it put Lakshmi in a defensive mode. These two were her patients and all this fuss was not good for them. She would be the one to berate them later, in privacy.

"Calm yourself, Captain of the Twelfth Division. Captain Jurobei is resting and healing and doesn't need your hysterics right now." Lakshmi stood and pulled back the curtain a bit more, allowing Miruki to see the damage was being healed quite quickly. Her eyes flashed to ice though as she continued speaking. "I will allow you to stay in this room only if you promise to calm down. If not, you will be taken away. This is the Healing Division, not a circus."

Thinking things were settled, Lakshmi was almost back to her chair and sitting when a Tornado came in. It soon became a familiar sight, though the eyes were as cold as Lakshmi's had been. She didn't even flinch as the Sotaicho started their way, though she did let out a sigh. Now it was a circus. Setsuna obviously knew what she was doing, but her anger was great and it was disturbing others in the Emergency rooms. Knowing it was a great waste but having no other choice, Lakshmi put the rest of her chains around the Kenpachi in question. Rin had been respectful but she had messed up badly.

Her energy, forced through as quickly as she did, would hurt a bit before all the wounds would heal and fix themselves as the chains sunk in finally. Lakshmi bowed respectfully to Setsuna, speaking a calm voice. "Sotaicho, as one of the former Division Four Captain, you must understand how much this is disturbing the other patients. Rin is now in well enough shape to leave, if you would please take her punishment and berating outside? Please do not kill her though, she is a friend and it is hard to replace those."

As Miruki listened to Lakshmi she realised that she did not show up on her best attitude... Well actually, she showed up with her normal attitude, but it was understandable that around bunch of sick and injured people it was not the most accurate way to arrive.

"I am sorry, Lakshmi-fukutaicho. I will be very calm, I was just overly worried, but I can see now that it will be alright, I would just like to go sit next to him for a few minutes" she said politely, and with a calm tone.

Miruki bowed her head slightly at the vice captain, before making her way closer to Jurobei and standing on the edge of the curtain looking at him.

<Oh Jurobei-sama... What in the world happen with you?>

She looked back, to take a glimpse at the Kenpachi for a split second, then looked back at Jurobei, her toughts still talking to her.

<Do you have a something against the Kenpachi, is a serious issue that has been going on for a while, or was it just a misunderstanding... no way, no one tries to kill someone over a misunderstanding... Oh Jurobei, what kind of trouble are you in>

Before she could think further, the Soutaicho busted in, pretty much in a similar way that Miruki did, except, it was much more intimidating. Even Miruki was a little startled and shaken by her arrival, when she saw how smoothly Lakshmi handled her, she praised her from the back of her head. For the moment she figured to remain silent and out of it was clearly the best decision, she was only here out of respect for Jurobei, not to bring any kind of justice, or start a fight.

She just stood there, looking at Jurobei heal, and keeping an ear rampant to keep track of what the argument will lead to.

The anger billowing inside Jurobei like a fire was extinguished by the final ocean wave that pulled him away from the shore of the pitch black obelisk. It had stood triumphant in its majesty, as a reminder of what Jurobei should have become.

On the surface, Jurobei's body was healing, but not his mind. Jurobei sunk deeper into the darkness, drowning in his own self-defeat. His heartbeat was slowing, threatening to come to a complete stop.

He was not as strong, not as fast, not as devious anymore. It seemed that young or arrogant Captains could strong arm anything he devised. He was tired of living a charade of being a peaceful and loving man. It had been programmed in him by the Science Division to hate yet be obedient and predictable like a test subject. They had quantified his potential, made his calligraphy an exact science and not an art, something to be measured and then punished for with a series of torture devices. Jurobei had believed he could somehow escape that programming, to grow into a man who would surpass his Liberator and no longer feel bonded by an indentured servitude. He had shamed 2nd Division for losing so easily, so handily. He hoped that his successors, the Vice Captain and Jurobei II, would prove to be more than what he had been, and flourish in age like Setsuna and not rot with age like himself.

The only escape now was death.

"I will deal with this later."

Setsuna turned her attention to Lakshmi. She was acting as if she was causing some grand scene here in the Emergency room. She spoke firmly, but calmly. How was that disruptive?

"I'm not even raising my voice. How am I being disruptive?"

Setsuna grabbed a lab coat off of a hook and put it on. With great luck it fit just right. Setsuna grabbed a blip board that had a list of injuries on it and she began to read it.

"Would you like me to assist you Lakshmi? I know it must be hard since you are without a captain at the moment."

The Kenpachi settles in her bed, frowning, letting what remains of her injuries be healed, since she's rather sure that she'd be ill-advised to get out of bed at the moment... between her friend and the Sotaicho, she'd probably have serious trouble.

"I think Taicho Jurobei would appreciate a visitor. Here, let me help." Finally seeing a chance to look over Jurobei more in depth, Lakshmi moved closer to the unconscious man and pulled the curtain back a bit to allow both of them to pass through. His wounds were healing, but he hadn't woken up yet. It was troubling, so Lakshmi took his wrist carefully to feel his pulse. It was much lower than she expected, almost as if he was falling into a coma... His wounds weren't bad enough to register that, and the scans had come back safe for his brain. There should be no problems!

"Miruki, if you wouldn't mind, please talk to Jurobei. Talk about anything you want, just try to get through..." Lakshmi dropped the titles for the minute, her mind preoccupied with what could be wrong. It seemed like he didn't want to wake up, more than anything as she continued to flare up her chains. They moved with a rattle and flashed. These two were taking up more of her reserves than she had wished to use, and Jurobei was being stubborn.

"I am sorry Gigi, the people here simply weren't used to you coming in like that. That is all I meant, it made the atmosphere a little more tense than I had wanted." Her mind half on the apology, she leaned over to open the man's eyes. They didn't respond to any stimuli and she pushed a call button for some others in the division to come over. "I would greatly appreciate your help Gigi, he seems to be... He's falling into a coma despite my powers. It's as if he doesn't want to wake."

Without looking at her friend, Lakshmi called out to the Kenpachi, as her chains finished their work faster now that she was relaxing once more. "Rin, how hard did you hit him? What exactly happened?"

Setsuna didn't really have anything to say to Lakshmi. She walked over to Jurobei's bedside and began examine him. He didn't seem to have any brain trauma, but Setsuna would do her best to pull him back.

Setsuna began to hum a little to Jurobei as she began to give him a series of injections of different medicines to help speed his recovery. Setsuna had learned a long time ago, that for some reason, humming help patients who were in comas. She wasn't sure why, but it had became a practice of hers to hum and lightly sing to the patients in such a delicate situation.

Setsuna held her hands gently on either side of Jurobei's head. A soft green light began to pulse from her hands and move into Jurobei's head. Once inside his skull the pulses of light moved over and through his brain like a gentle and soothing wave.

"Jurobei dear. Wake up hon. Come on darling, you can do it. Jurobei, come now, open your eyes."

Setsuna finished the spell she was doing. There really wasn't anything else she could do to fix his mind. She had used the strongest chiyodou there was for brain injuries. His body was healing nicely, so it couldn't be shock induced. She suspected that he was subconsciously doing this to himself, but why?

"Lakshmi, there isn't anything wrong with his brain. Continue to do what you're doing to his body, it's coming along nicely. At this point the ball is in his court. It's just a matter of whether or not he wants to wake up."

Miruki looked over both Lakshmi and Setsuna as they gave Jurobei some more treatment and discussed of his injuries. She was a bit baffled that Setstuna mentioned that everything seemed fine, but yet he was still plunged in a deep coma. Could it really be that he simply wanted to die right here, and right now? She could not believe it, yet, she may have to.

Listening to Lakshmi's advice, she took seat on a bench close to Jurobei, making sure not to be in the way of Setsuna, and began talking about random things.

"Jurobei.... Jurobei.... I don't know if you can hear me, but I will hope you do. Back at 12th, we have a nice garden, it has lots of blooming flowers, I wish you would come see them on day. When the sun hits the pond at 8 a.m. in the morning, the magical glow that comes is something so beautiful that you can't ever forget it...."

She went on and on, off and on, describing soothing scenery. She was hoping that subconciously, her words might get to him, and cause him to see the beauty of what she dictates, in order to actually ignite his will to live again. Perhaps it was in vain, perhaps it was not. Regardless, for now it was all that she could do...

"Fujihana-Soutaicho.... I have been working lately on an experimental quick recovery pill, that one, I know not if it's usable or not at this time, but I have ordered an officer to bring it here. I mean... if he does not wake up soon, would you consider trying this?"

She wanted to ask Setsuna first, if Setsuna gives it a go, she would feel more confident about using it. Chances are that it would work just fine, but she could not stand to have the life of a captain possibly jeopardize, with her being the only one responsible for it, assuming it might go wrong...