041908 - Trouble
-=[City Park - Karakura]=-------------------------------------------------------
The City Park is an area outside of the school grounds where kids can go to play rough; it even contains a baseball diamond.
A few trees litter the wide expanses of green grass and provide shade from hot days and perfect places for picnics. There are pieces of equipment for children younger than twelve to play on stationed away from the baseball diamond along with benches. There is a dirt pathway leading through the park into a more secluded area slightly more dense with trees. It eventually brings the walker to a small pond and a few more shaded benches.
This can't be happening. This situation is too, too familiar. It's exactly like the time he was easily cut down trying to defend Rukia. That time, she'd been taken away too. Uryuu didn't want the same thing to happen to Orihime. Not Orihime! She didn't belong to those worlds, she lacked offense. She needed someone to protect her, and he failed. He has no one to blame but himself. As she takes his hand, he feels how cold her fingers are and he knows that he has failed.
"Inoue-san..." Uryuu can only look up at her, the apology in his eyes. Despite her words, a deep guilt builds within and nothing she can ever say will change it. Because he wasn't strong enough, who knows what will happen to her? Silently, he vows to regain his strength and rescue her, alone if he needs to. "Inoue-san."
With a pain deeper than any blade could make, he watches the three of them pass through the garganta, watches it fade away into nothing. Nothing, which is what amounts to how much he did to protect her. "This is my fault," he whispers, not caring whether he bleeds to death. "If only I hadn't been so selfish and stubborn...I'd already have had the power to save her..." Clenching his teeth, his ire rises. "/Aizen./" He vows his revenge to the sky. Pushing himself over onto his back, he feels the blood immediately soak into his shirt. "I'll save you...Inoue-san."
Seconds pass, turning into minutes, minutes that seem that much more longer when your blood is oozing out of your body.
There is a distinctly heavy texture to the air, or at least that's what it feels like once he's stepped out into the realm of the living. This -is- the human world, right? For a moment the small shinigami wonders if somehow or another he's taken a wrong turn, but that's impossible. He frowns, looking around for those he had accompanied, somewhat dismayed to find that there's no one in sight. Left behind again. Sigh. At the very least he hopes they made it safely. Things have been on edge for those that have been charged with paying visit to the human world to assist with those stationed here ever since groups had gone missing and others later found to be violently slaughtered.
It was still here, that foreboding presence, but only dimly, those that it belonged to having long since left. But the area isn't completely empty. Hanatarou senses someone else, also slightly familiar...
"...Ishida-san..?!" the shinigami medic nearly stumbling in his sudden jerk towards the fallen Quincy once his wide eyes have settled upon the bleeding mess. "Ishida-san! Are you- " Okay?- probably not, looking like that! "Wh-what happened..?!" he stammers, practically dropping to his knees beside the young man.
The voice echoes in Uryuu's head as things get fuzzy. "...Inoue-san?" he questions blearily. It's not until Hanatarou draws closer and speaks again that Ishida's brain is forced sharply back into focus. "Yamada-san! Nngh...it was Aizen. He...took Inoue-san..." Mess is a good word to describe the Quincy at the moment. He tries to sit up, agitated once again at his failure, but seems to remember just how much pain he's in and gives up with a swallowed cry. Panting, and paler than usual, he admits to the Shinigami medic in a quiet voice full of shame, "I...failed..."
"Aizen...?! He was here?" And he took Orihime? Hanatarou looks terribly distraught at the news, but his instincts as a medic work its way to the front, and although the grave look on the shinigami's face does not fade, he at least looks a little more composed now that he knows what he can do about the situation at present.
"Hang on, Ishida-san," he says, managing to keep his words firm as he slips his pack from over his shoulder and head, setting it down beside him. He unzips it, pulling out a long string of white to use to tie about his sleeves after he's rolled them up, holding them out of his way. He pulls on a pair of long medical gloves next, and he moves to peel away the Quincy's shirt from the wound so that he can clean the area with the cloth he has just for that purpose. His senses range over Uryuu's body, and Hantarou notes the familiar reiatsu that lingers over other injuries not completely healed. Orihime Inoue, the feeling is unmistakable.
"This might hurt a little, Ishida-san," the medic warns as he brings out the antiseptics and bandages, moving to clean the wound.
"GAAAAHH! IT STINGS, IT STINGS, IT STINGS!" The usually stoic Quincy flails and screams protests as Hanatarou begins to apply the antiseptic. But his outburst brings on a splurt or two of blood that he can't afford to be losing. Not only that, but he's making a horribly gory mess, splashing around in the already existing puddle. There aren't too many white spots left on his shirt.
"Wh-what's in that stuff?!" Craning his head to inspect his supplies, he almost expects to see a bottle of hot sauce sitting there, or maybe a shaker of salt. At the very least, it's momentarily taken his mind off of his self-loathing depression.
If Hanatarou hadn't been in medical mode than he very well might have had a heart attack right there. As it is, he's used to this sort of reaction, and although he has a slight start, he quickly moves to try subduing Uryuu before he injures himself further. "Ishida-san, please!" the medic pleads, placing his hands over the Quincy's chest. "Y-you'll only make it worse...!" He chews on his lower lip, glancing over at his bag where he can just see the top of a small vial of green liquid. "...just bear with me for a little longer, but if you can't then I'll have to sedate you..." he informs the other as he looks back down at Uryuu. That said, he resumes, carefully, to do dab at the wound before stuffing the soiled cloth into a separate pouch.
"Ichigo-san didn't make this much of a fuss when I treated him," he notes as he pulls up his hands to extend them over the bleeding injury, focusing his reiatsu to begin work of mending it.
Ishida settles down, if only because the minor exertion makes him feel a little faint. The suggestion of sedation doesn't sit well with him, either. He wants to be as alert as possible, even though the possibility of pursuing Orihime's abductors is nil. When Hanatarou mentions his 'rival,' Uryuu fixes a sharp gaze on the little Shinigami.
"...He was probably unconscious," he mutters as a retort. Either way, he is entirely still for the duration of Hanatarou's treatment.
Hanatarou smiles faintly, glad that Uryuu's more cooperative. It makes it easier for him to concentrate without having a hysterical patient. He realizes that the Quincy is fortunate his previous wound had been mostly treated by Orihime, even if not completely. There was a lot of blood spilled on the ground, and Hanatarou has a feeling all of it belonged to his current patient.
"...almost... I think.... and then I can tend to your back wounds," he says, although keeping his eyes trained on the current injury that's slowly patched up.
Some over here, some over there... It's a definite that Uryuu's going to be pretty anemic for the next few days. After a few moments of silence in which he merely watches the Shinigami work, thinking of how much faster Orihime's power does the same thing, Uryuu finally speaks with more clarity than he's shown thusfar. "...Thank you, Yamada-san. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't arrived when you did. ...What are you doing here, anyway?"
There. That should do it. Hanatarou settles back, breathing a sigh as he lets his hands drop folded, into his lap. "Oh... I was sent along with several others to make a supply and information run to the others already stationed here..." he explains, smiling wearily at Uryuu, not necessarily because the earlier procedures exhausted him, but it's more the usual look he wears.
"...except I lost track of them. I'm sure they're somewhere else in the city by now." Even though he says this, he looks somewhat worried, but it's likely that the Quincy doesn't know about the number that's gone missing before this. "Um, can you sit up, or do you need some help..?" he asks, not wanting to give cause for any more worry, and he still has yet to patch up Uryuu's back.
"I see." The feeling of being out of the loop doesn't bother Uryuu anymore. He's got enough to worry about, especially now. At Hanatarou's urging, he tests himself and finds that sitting up is much easier now with that lengthy wound healed. Removing his ruined shirt, he lets it fall into the puddle he'd been lying in, allowing the fabric to soak up whatever blood hasn't dried into the pavement already. There's no use trying to get that garment clean now. It's a lost cause.
Rather than worrying about such a trifling matter, he instead pulls up his knees and wraps his arms around them, resting his chin on his kneecaps so that the medic Shinigami can get to the last of the wounds inflicted. He has no idea how lucky he got. If Ulquiorra had been allowed to press even just a few inches further into his back, he'd surely have severed his spine and paralyzed the Quincy from the waist down. Could Hanatarou have healed something like that?
And yet, the near career ending injury doesn't even begin to enter Ishida's mind. "Yamada-san. The place that Aizen took Inoue-san...it's the same place he fled to after betraying Soul Society. That 'Hueco Mundo' place. I recognized the portal he used. Do you know how a normal person can get there?"
That sort of severe injury would probably only be best taken care of by Orihime. Hanatarou doesn't know the extent of the girl's abilities, save that she had told him she was a healer too. He moves closer once Uryuu sits up, grabbing a fresh cloth to wipe away the blood, murmuring another warning as he wets another to clean the gouge there.
"Hueco Mundo..? That's where the Hollows reside... but..." He shakes his head, folding and tucking away the bloodied rags. "...well... I haven't ever heard of humans traversing there before... I..." The young shinigami blinks and then looks at Uryuu. "You aren't meaning to go there yourself, are you, Ishida-san??"
Ishida sets his jaw as Hanatarou continues his work, but honestly he barely notices anymore. His mind is fixed on his question. After several long moments of silence, an answer finally comes.
"...No." Not yet, at least. First there's the matter of regaining his lost powers. At this point, he'll agree to anything his father wishes. After that...well, Orihime is hardly a Shinigami. Going to rescue her will in no way go against his father's demands. Though it pains him, Uryuu will have to take the time to get stronger before he can even begin to find a way into Hueco Mundo. He can only will Orihime the strength to hold on until then. The white lie he tells Hanatarou serves two purposes. First, he doesn't wish to worry the kind-hearted Shinigami. And second, he has no intention of letting Soul Society know of his plans.
Were Uryuu facing Hanatarou, he would have seen the relief that flooded the shinigami's face at his response. He understands the Quincy's position entirely, why, if he could, he'd help rescue Orihime too! But... to venture into the very dwelling place of the Hollows, of the Arrancar...
"Well, certainly not alone!" Hanatarou blurts, surprising even himself as he speaks his thoughts. He pauses with a sheepish glance at the Quincy before he resumes his work, beginning to gather his reiatsu into focus to heal the other's back. "...I'll inform the captains of the situation as soon as I can," he says. "I don't know why they would take Inoue-san, but this is something they would definitely need to know!"
That interjection was certainly the last thing Uryuu expected Hanatarou to say. But rather than dismissing it, as some might, he takes note of the wisdom in his words. He makes a good point, though Uryuu might be loathe to admit it. After all this time, he's separated himself from everyone. Is there anyone left he can trust; who'll trust him? And yet, Orihime had merely been concerned in the end. How would someone like Chad feel? Sado-kun is a worthy ally to have for such a dangerous mission. But he'd consider all that /after/ he got his powers back and increased them.
No matter what Ishida thinks of Soul Society and the Gotei 13, they know more about Hueco Mundo than he does, including a possible entrance. Though he'd rather not place Orihime's fate in their hands, he doesn't have a choice. "Do as you must, Yamada-san. Inoue-san's life may depend on it. ...It's up to you now."
There's a noticeable flicker in the power applied to Uryuu's wound at his words, Hanatarou jerking his head up abruptly at the sudden charge he is given. It really hadn't sounded that large a responsibility until put in that way. He's the only one aside from Uryuu that knows what happened to Orihime now, and he -did- say that he would bring the others to attention on the situation. For a minute he feels almost dizzy as he lets his thoughts get far ahead of himself, and he shakes his head to focus back on healing his patient. Yes. This is something he can do. For Ishida-san and Inoue-san.
"Hai. I'll definitely do so, as soon as I'm done here," Hanatarou replies as he stares at the slowly closing wound intently, as if by doing so would make the process any faster.
"Will you...do me an additional favor?" The Quincy seems both insistent on the task he requires, yet hesitent to ask it. As if he's unused to asking favors of others. "Would you also inform Kurosaki and Sado-kun? I will be...'unreachable' for an unspecified amount of time, so I will be unable to bring the news to them myself. I would be grateful." Not to mention he has no idea where Ichigo even /is/. He hasn't seen him in a rather long time, though Orihime hasn't mentioned being worried about him. He's simply figured that if Orihime seemed to know where he's been, then he wouldn't concern himself over the fool's whereabouts. But now Hanatarou will have to worry about locating him, that is, if he agrees to the task.
"Eh?" Hanatarou blinks over at Uryuu again, tilting his head at the request. "O...of course.... but..." He frowns slightly. "...are you going somewhere..?" At a time like this? He lowers his hands from the Quincy's back, his work finished. "You aren't planning to go to Hueco Mundo by yourself after all!" he gasps, hoping he's wrong on this assumption. It just seems like such a strange development at such a serious time. The shinigami is pretty sure Uryuu doesn't mean to do so though, he said so himself, and he even told Hanatarou to tell the others. So why? Where?
Ishida turns, sitting up to face Hanatarou, and waves his hands in a placating gesture. "No, no, it's nothing like that. It's..." To tell all or to tell a little? "I made a deal with my father. It's complicated, but just trust me, I'm not going to Hueco Mundo in this state." To tell a little. He's still not sure how many of the others even know that he sacrificed his powers in Soul Society. Orihime knew, but he let her get close. He had no way of judging how obvious it was to everyone else. Uryuu could at least be certain that Kurosaki was still oblivious. That guy couldn't sense a menos grande three feet in front of his face. At least, for those who still didn't know, he wanted that shame to be kept a secret.
Plainly he does not understand enough to see what could possibly be reason enough to justify such a decision. This is where his trust of the other fills in the gaps left in such reasoning, even though Hanatarou doesn't know half as much about the Quincy as he does the others- and of them he only knows so much from his involvement with them in rescuing Kuchiki Rukia. But this person is a friend of Ichigo, Orihime, and Rukia. Clearly this is enough for him to go off of.
"...oh..." the shinigami medic nods slowly, even though his uncertainty is obvious. He smiles weakly. "I'll tell them for you."
Reaching over, Uryuu pats Hanatarou's shoulder in what is meant to be both encouraging as well as grateful. "Yamada-san. I can't thank you enough for saving my life. Somehow, I'll find a way to repay my debt to you. For everything." With that, he pushes himself to his feet. He certainly feels better than he did ten minutes ago, though the vertigo hasn't passed. Taking a glance around at the scene, it's obvious why. It's amazing he had so much blood in him to begin with, let alone that he actually manages to still have any more in his veins. Let it be a mystery to the police in the morning.
Speaking of which, the Quincy reaches down and retrieves his blood-soaked shirt, balling it up and holding it in his right hand. He'll toss it down one of the hospital laundry shoots. They're much more familiar with sights like this there, and if he throws it away in a dumpster, he might get arrested for his own murder somehow.
"Forgive me for leaving you so quickly, but my father has already been waiting." Not like him to worry, but he'll be angry. "If I were you, I'd go directly to Inoue-san's place. She mentioned a taichou and a fukutaichou staying there. If your comrades are here to render support and deliver supplies, they'll likely have gone there, as well."
He doesn't feel that he deserves that much- he had only been doing his job, after all. "I'm just glad I came in time," Hanatarou says, smiling a little more broadly. He moves a hand in case Uryuu needs someone to help steady his balance. "Please be careful, Ishida-san. Although I can heal injuries, I can't replenish lost blood." He watches a moment longer until he's sure the Quincy won't collapse where he stands before he begins to remove his gloves and begin to put everything away. This is done quickly, and the shinigami is on his feet with his pack slung over his head again in no time.
"Inoue-san's place, right. Thank you, Ishida-san." The little medic places his hands in front of him as he folds over in a polite bow.
"As am I," Ishida agrees, reaching up with his left hand to casually slide his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as if he'd never been injured at all. He returns the bow he is given, genuinely respectful and truly grateful for his presence and skills. /Just this one Shinigami./
"Ah. I thank you, as well, Yamada-san. Good luck." Having said this, he hesitates only a moment longer, glances at the empty place in the sky where Aizen and his henchman disappeared with Orihime, then turns on his heel and begins to pace his way toward his father's hospital. All the reasons he ever had not to go are meaningless now. The only thing that matters is getting his powers back. For Orihime's sake.
"Take care, Ishida-san!" Hanatarou calls after the Quincy as he watches him go. "...whatever it is you need to do..." He remains there a while longer, and then he looks around to try sensing where the others are before he begins to jog off in the opposite direction. Have to hurry! Have to make good on his word! He certainly isn't going to fail Uryuu nor Orihime.
.....now... if only he had the directions to Orihime's house.