A Lot in Common [Private/Yushiro]

"I'm too fucking old for this." Yushiro spoke the words to his half-daughter, Kintori, who was currently on wheelchair duty today. At the moment, Yushiro was equipped with an oxygen tank and tubes down his nose to try and force air into his lungs, as currently he couldn't even do that himself. Every breath was agonizing pain and all he wanted was for it to be over soon. Kintori was just staring straight ahead. She's had a lot on her mind since the fateful day that she injured her niece, none of the thoughts healthy for her mental or emotional state. As he was wheeled in, Kintori immediately noticed Keiko and started to cry, but she couldn't show weakness to everyone here, especially the Kuchiki. So, tears were flowing down her face as she kept her expression to a very blank but serious one, rolling Yushiro into his spot.

"Yes, yes, hello all." He mustered up some energy to bring his arm up and wave to all of his guests. As far as who was present on the Shihoin side, it was him and Kintori with a few nameless servants. Some of the faces he recognized, others he didn't. One person that did catch his eye however was the young girl in the wheelchair. Assuming this was the reason of his visit anyways.

"Please, as you can see I'm very sick so I'd like to-" There was a loud, single cough from Yushiro that was so sudden that it would scare a few of the Kuchiki. Most of the servants have been used to his coughs by now, it filling them with a pang of dread. "I would like to get things wrapped up as quickly as possible."

"Now, someone speak." Kintori was still crying, her mouth now forming odd shapes due to her trying to hold back a burst of emotion. A small cry escaped however, prompting her to immediately cover her mouth. She couldn't stand being her, watching what her mistakes have caused: pain and suffering.

He still had no idea who she was, so he was going to continue this meeting under the assumption that she was Keiko. But first, he had to address someone. Yushiro's eyes averted towards the man standing behind Keiko.

"Know your place. I'll let that slight pass, but know that any sign of hostility shown during this peaceful meeting will be seen as a disregarded to my position, Rukia's power, and an insult to me. I will respond in full." He pauses for a moment. "You may ask my niece what happens when you insult me." This promise was made on the assumption that news about Yugiri got out, which it should have. His servants talk, and people talk.

He went back to Keiko. "It's nice to meet you, finally. Granted I hoped that we would me in better circumstances. I'm not long for this world and yours has changed drastically. While on the subject-" A smaller and lighter coughing fit occurs. "I want to personally apologize to you about what happened. I have failed as both a father and a leader. I thought I raised a daughter who learned to show restraint, but better yet have simple decision making skills." Kintori was silent.

"Now, to lighten the mood. How have you been doing? I'd imagine the wheelchair was a very unfamiliar switch to life. Believe me, I know."

Yushiro listened to what she had to say and frowned. Off the bat he's noticed a few things about her.

"You are too close minded little one, and that's a horrible outlook to have of life. While yes, you can get by just fine dealing with only your problems, trying to overcome only your hills the same way over and over again. Though that's going to become very boring, very fast. So if you hate being in a wheelchair then you will most certainly hate the rest of your life, thinking the way you do."

"You can have everything you want, you can overcome all the hills, and you can face more than just the things within your power. The problem with your and Takehiko, I've come to find out, is that you all trap yourselves in the situation at hand. Make the most out of the situation, no matter how negative it is or how painful it will be. I'm getting closer to death every second, and while it's not something I look forward to, I have begun to cherish every moment I have with my family. Even right now, with me, you, and Kintori."

"Because I've lived life and I have regrets. You and her are both so young, and you're both going to make a lot of mistakes, and you're both going to learn a lot. I wish I could be there to see it all, be a shoulder for you to cry on, an ear to listen to your woes, a wall for you to lean on, bu I can't. That's a situation that I've taken to make my own, not just one I have to deal with."

"So how are you two going to make your situation your own? Will she just stand there and cry for the rest of her life, never to cope with the error of her ways and actively work to fix on them? Will you stay in that wheelchair forever, getting healthier by the day but weaker by the moment? Or will you both fight against the now? As far as I know, Kintori has yet to reach out to anybody, wallowing in her sadness in her room day after day. What have you done to work towards walking again, seeing again, living again? Sure, you can take every bad thing that comes your way sitting down, or you can do that standing up. It's much easier to walk over your hills instead of crawl, Keiko."

"Please, call me Yushiro. Not even my servants call me Shihoin-sama. They don't really call me anything besides Papa now that i think about it..." He chuckled at the oddness of it, but he did want to make everyone feel like family as they're stronger together than divided.

"Keiko, can I ask you something? Do you hate us? The family, for what we've done or how we've treated you. Do you hate me, Chidori, or especially Kintori? I ask because what your father did was out of line, and even though we had reprimanded him, it was wrong of him for leaving you alone. Though, you probably enjoy your time with the Kuchiki I assume? They're not bad people, most of them." He said that in good fun, something that could be noticed if she could see his face. But she couldn't so there was a possibility that she would take that as an insult. Oh well, he was a lighthearted guy. Once she gets to know him, she'd know that he was joking.

"Okay, but if you hate some Shihoin and you like others, is it fair to assume that you only hate a few people because you've come to know them and are just grouping everyone else with them? It seems like more a coincidence that the people you hate are also Shihoin . I don't know, just something to think about."

Yushiro relaxed in his chair, closing his eyes to focus on how warm the sun was on his skin. "I find it quite worrying that you can easily say that you hate people just because of who they are associated with. The Shihoin is not only a name but a family, and while we do leave an impression on those that we meet, not all of us are the same. I can tell you right now that you are nothing like my son, you have a more serious air to you than he ever had. In fact, you remind me most of my niece, which is both a good an bad thing. You take being a noble too seriously, so much so that it has become a part of your person. Byakuya once took being a noble too seriously, and that almost led to the execution of his sister. Granted, there are some more details to the situation, because he was so caught up with being a Kuchiki and a captain, that he forgot who he really was." He sighed. "Many people assume that I didn't care for my niece after I banished her. It's actually the opposite. Because I love her, I banished her. She was so caught up in being a noble that she in turn nearly destroyed what it meant to be one, and not just for her but for all of us. I had to stop her while I was able to, or else she wasn't going to be able to live. Was it too harsh? Yes, but it had to be."

"Sorry, I went off on a tangent. What I'm trying to say here is lighten up and relax. This was supposed to be a meeting of two people, for us to strengthen relations and all that. But it seems to me you're treating this like a formal meeting over matters that you would never be delegated with." He then gestured to Kintori with his hand.

She stiffened up before kneeling on the floor at Keiko's feet. "I-I want to apologize, even though that barely matters now. I didn't want to hurt you, I didn't mean to hurt you but-" She was going to burst into tears again but instead held it back. "But I did. And I'm sorry. To reconcile, I offer you my life."

Yushiro cleared his throat, something he instantly regretted because he felt a sharp pain in his chest. "It's not that simple. I'm giving you Kintori as a servant until you are better. She's at your disposal, and hopefully she'll learn something while doing so. This isn't an offer, this is me telling you."