Blood on the Vines [Retsu/Byakuya]

UNOHANA RETSU | BLOODLETTER

Retsu was the last to leave the operating room. It should have been a simple procedure, and even if not, it should have been within the original doctor's scope of talent. Once again, someone she would have to adjust her appraisal of. She didn't enjoy having the expectation of judging others, but she respected her position enough to not revile it. Lives were at stake, and she would not allow her own personal feelings affect the quality of care she was ultimately responsible for.

When a cleaning crew arrived, they stopped in shock as Retsu was still there. She glanced at them. In some ways, they were just as important as the surgeons and nurses that were just in here. And despite not being more important, Retsu felt in their way. "The drain is starting to clog; take care of it before it becomes an actual problem." Retsu walked past the cleaning crew with a simple command. She wasn't even saying to do it at that exact moment—just soon. And yet, she knew that they were going to be making that drain as sterile and shiny as a brand-new scalpel.

There were a few courtyards in the Shino-Seiyakuin, but only a single one was for the medical personnel only. Retsu didn't feel like being praised for saving someone or curing them. She would inevitably chastise the patient for getting ill or injured in the first place. And today, she just didn't feel like arguing with the Nobility about her bedside manners. So, the "employees only" section it was.

A small group of nurses and younger doctors had gathered there. None were from the operating room she had just been in. Retsu stopped her walk towards one of the benches to stare at one of the nurse's hands. It was hard to tell when she was mildly annoyed at something, and this nurse obviously was new or he'd know one thing about her. There was one thing she "strongly discouraged" because banning "wasn't fair." "Oh, do you want one, ma'am?" He reached into his pocket to get enough to share.

The others around him winced. Retsu tilted her head back to get a look at the man's face. He had what others might call kind features. He was the type of nurse that had a relaxing, if not entirely proper, bedside manner. The type that was needed to balance her own manners. "You would be wise to stop that before your lungs turn black. As a medical professional, you should know better than to smoke." Her words were as sharp as the sword in her office. She had more "advice" to give the nurse, but what would that do?

Not wanting to hear an apology or an explanation, Retsu continued out of the courtyard and to the back section of the wall. She left the hospital compound through a servant's entrance and just walked around the Seireitei. She could find her way back despite what seemed like aimless wandering. She had been on many of these streets before they were cobbled. For others, it might be easy to get lost. Deep within, perhaps she wanted to get so lost she could not return. But that desire would not be possible. Not for Retsu.

Hope is a Disease

UNOHANA RETSU | BLOODLETTER

Familiar. That was the first hint that whomever was approaching her wasn't there to ask an asinine question. She was pretty sure they were approaching her—or at least going to cross her path. She wasn't feeling entirely unsociable, so she continued without changing her course. It didn't take long before she could isolate the Reiatsu from others. Byakuya Kuchiki—the head of the Kuchiki Family and a former Captain. She had healed and stabilized him after his loss at Sōkyoku Hill. He had been a changed man after that.

Retsu adjusted her meandering into a more open corridor street that was still isolated. It didn't take long for him to appear in front of her. He was still as stiff as before. That hadn't changed. "Lord Kuchiki." She glanced at his attire. No Shihakkushō or Haori. They had spoken briefly during his check-ups—some nobility only accepted her as a doctor much to her chagrin—but 'work' was never one of the topics of discussion. Either he had completely left the Gotei like she had, or this was a meeting driven by something outside of the Gotei. Retsu knew Byakuya would keep such things as separate as he could, but her gut instinct told her it was the former.

"Speak then. I do not command your tongue, only my ears. But if this is about your last visit or your next, I would prefer to have that discussion in my office where the files are readily available and not in the middle of the Seireitei. I imagine you especially would prefer to keep your medical history private."

Hope is a Disease

UNOHANA RETSU | BLOODLETTER

Retsu had not personally treated anyone from the Aiban family, but the name did show up in one or two ledgers. Then again, Byakuya Kuchiki was one man she would not expect to lie or weasel around. He'd tactfully get straight to the point. Retsu folded her hands on top of one another—the sleeves of her doctor's haori covering her hands like her Captain's haori once did. The hands gave away so much body language. It was best for her to keep them hidden.

"Most of my attention is here in the Shino-Seiyakuin. I do not have any specific information about the outer Districts of the Rukongai." Retsu could have left it at that. She had told the truth... just not all of it. She closed her eyes and decided that it was best to tell him more. "However, there has been a notable decline over the past two years in the number of patients to my clinic in West Sixty-Eight. Most patients going to that clinic have ills that are better suited to be treated at a normal apothecary and not one of my establishments. I do not have any proof as to why it is happening either. The Rukongai's Outer Districts have always been a tumultuous place where reason and logic are thrown to the wayside for the sake of survival."

"I do not see you wearing a constable's uniform nor a Shihakkushō, Lord Kuchiki. Why is the Rukongai any of your concern?"

Hope is a Disease

UNOHANA RETSU | BLOODLETTER

What a farce. There was something else driving him. Byakuya Kuchiki was not a man driven by profit and business stability. That wasn't something he'd personally see to. And for him to ask that question... Retsu would take that as an insult from most others. She gripped her other hand tightly. "Restlessness is the current trend in society, Lord Kuchiki. It is not something centered in just the Rukongai. Between the hospital bombing and the murders, you will find that the situation in the Seireitei is no different than that in the outermost districts. Here it is just hidden behind the facade of 'order.'"

"And as for my 'concern' or lack thereof, it is not my duty to be concerned with those problems any longer." Her eyes hardened as she stared Byakuya in the eyes. "If you are wondering if I care about wanton violence and murder, then know that I find it entirely pointless. Life is too valuable for it to be thrown to the wayside for an unachievable dream. Most of the current squabbles in the Outer Districts are over the perception of control the downtrodden have. They view the Nobility, Central 320, and the Gotei United as distant entities that do not interact with their world. In many cases, they are correct. The common man in the Outer Districts has the same chance of speaking to one who truly holds power as I have of you drawing your Zanpakutō and attempting to strike me down at this exact moment." And Retsu liked those odds.

Hope is a Disease

UNOHANA RETSU | BLOODLETTER

Retsu's eyebrow raised slightly. Her poker face did not survive a single word. Weakness. That spoke novels, and she thought she might understand more of why Byakuya decided to speak to her. Unfortunately for her curiosity, another topic took priority. She had heard of exactly whom Byakuya was speaking of. She had thought more than once of approaching that woman since she had heard of her release. But every time Retsu thought of going, she talked herself out of it. There were multiple reasons. For now, the top one was simply there were no words to be shared between the two.

"The tradition," Retsu corrected, "had its place. I would daresay claim it needed to be as such. And yet there are many other relics the Gotei seems so keen to hold onto that have no place within today's society." She closed her eyes once more. She replayed the memory of her successor—her former Lieutenant and the Second Kenpachi—being struck down. The brutality of that did not to be repeated—and yet, at least ten times since then it had.

"And if it is not clear: yes, I know whom you whisper of. I know of her return and of her current status." When she opened her eyes once more, Retsu was gazing far beyond Byakuya and into the past. "I pity her. She did not get the chance to learn to accept the changing times as I did. I can not judge her actions too harshly because of that."

Changing the subject, Retsu corralled her curiosity back into the conversation. "As one who prides himself on order and law, why do I sense a rebellious spirit about you, Byakuya Kuchiki?" Retsu dropped the formal title. "You speak of weakness in the Gotei and restlessness in the Rukongai. You mention the bombing and old traditions you disagree with. It is plain enough to see that you are not satisfied with the status quo. Is it the Nobility being stripped of their power or is it the missing the comforting weight of responsibility the Captain's haori gives that is the kindling to your dissatisfaction?"

Hope is a Disease