House Call [Yuuto, Kaminari, Mirai]

The days that passed since Mirai had been attacked only made that tempestuous fury in him boil and fester more. But, not once did he ever let it show. Right now, looking after Mirai had taken precedence, though he continued his investigation while working as Captain, and he was glad to have insisted on her staying with him for the time being. He didn't want to be away from her, no matter if he could cross the Seireitei in short order and return home the instant he was able.

Any distance from her was too far.

But, despite her physical condition having improved, her mental condition only seemed to get worse. She refused to leave his house, she was uncharacteristically paranoid and jumpy, and the breaking point had been when the third night, when she knocked on his door, admitting that she couldn't, and hadn't, been able to sleep the last few days. He gave her a hug, tried to calm and soothe her as best he could, made her tea, and invited her to sleep next to him.

The next morning, he made a call to Kaminari, asking her to come and check in on her. He knew that she was unquestionably one of the best for something like this, with her also having been the one to treat her when he initially brought her back. If anyone knew what to do or how to help in this situation, it was her. So, hearing a knock at the door, Yuuto materialized at the entrance, opening the door and stepping to the side.

"Thank you for coming, Kaminari."

Unexpected calls are… unexpected. She wanted to check on Mirai earlier than this, but the woman had locked herself away, and apparently refused to new Denreishinki for whatever reason. That had Kaminari worried. She knew Mirai, and this attack proved all of Mirai’s paranoia about the world and her own safety true.

Knocking on the door of a Captain’s mansion was unreal. She took a moment to envy the scenery until Yuuto opened the door. Kaminari had a bag filled with random stuff over her shoulder. Giving a quick nod to Yuuto, she stepped aside and took another envious look around the place. ‘Spoiled Captains…’ she thought before handing her bag over to Yuuto like he was the butler. “Brought some things…”

In the back was a deck of cards, some alcohol, four newly bought books, and some hair care things. “A little bit of entertainment for the day… Now…” Kaminari took a deep breath and called out into the house. “MIRAI GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE IN THREE SECONDS OR I AM TELLING HIM WHAT HAPPENED ON MAY EIGHTH OF LAST YEAR. DON’T TEST ME, WOMAN.” There was a loud thud, a use of shunpo, and Mirai landed about ten feet from Kaminari, face redder than red.

“You wouldn’t DARE.”

“Do you not know me?”

“Kaminari, please!”

“You made it here in two point eight, so…” Kaminari did the “my lips are sealed” gesture and then laughed for a moment. Mirai looked away from both of them, embarrassed. “You haven’t left the house this entire time? Mirai, you can’t do that!”

Mirai puffed up her cheeks and shot a small glare at Yuuto. “Snitch.”

As Kaminari came in, tossed him her things, Yuuto was about to comment before she suddenly yelled out for Mirai to get down there, or else she'd...tell him about what happened sometime last year? Admittedly, he was curious. He knew that there obviously were things that Mirai had done that she never told him, but, whatever it was...apparently was rather embarrassing or personal for him to hear a loud thud and for Mirai to burst out of the room and appear in front of the two.

'That was...record time. Now I really want to know what happened...

But, seeing Kaminari make that gesture, he had a feeling he wasn't going to learn of it anytime soon. But, it would certainly stay in mind for quite a while. As Mirai commented on him bringing Kaminari in to help, Yuuto sighed softly, setting the healer's bag on the couch, before immediately appearing at Mirai's side, hands gently resting on her shoulders.

"She's right, Mirai. You haven't been able to sleep, you haven't left...I'm worried."

Yuuto was over there. Blink. Now he was at Mirai’s side. Blink. Okay, still at Mirai’s side. Blink. Blink. Captains… Kaminari stepped around to watch the two of them, eyeing them with a rather knowing, but playful suspicion. She could tell... something changed. ‘Ah-ha... I wonder how far they’ve gotten… Hehe... Get him, girl.’

Mirai kept her eyes on Yuuto, still annoyed about the fact that Kaminari was called. She set both her hands on Yuuto’s and looked to the ground in shame. She knew this was bad, but she was scared. “I just… don’t want to go anywhere. I’m safe here. I’m not safe out there. I have enough vacation days and all of that saved up to be out of work for two months. What is so wrong with me taking a break?”

“You’re not taking a break, you’re running,” Kaminari said. Mirai’s glare snapped toward the woman. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Mirai looked away from her. “Yeah… Not sorry, doll, but I can read you like a book, which means you're way off your game. You’re usually better at hiding your intentions, and that shows how messed up this whole situation is in your head.” "Kaminari, stop... No more of this, please."

"And what would that help? Besides, I'm not here to lecture you all day. I figured a second friendly face would be a good change of pace..." Kaminari grabbed her bag and began rummaging through it until she found the deck of cards she brought. She pulled it out and presented them. "Strip poker?" "Wh-Wh-What?!"

"*Sigh* Okay, fine... regular poker, but any time I win, Yuuto has to take something off." "KAMINARI." "Okay fine, I will too. You can stay dressed." Kaminari just gave a mischievous smile towards Yuuto, knowing she was driving Mirai nuts. Mirai hid a blush behind her hands... If Mirai's face could steam, it would be...

As Mirai set her hands on his, Yuuto gently cupped them in his own, wincing at Kaminari's response. He perhaps wouldn't have been so blunt about the matter, but...she wasn't wrong. Perhaps she was safe here, but, staying in an isolated bubble was no way to live, especially not for beings who could live for centuries, even millennia. And if there was one thing that Yuuto didn't want her doing, it was run away.

Then, he heard Kaminari's first suggestion, and he was quick to join Mirai in his face turning cherry-red. He shot a bashful glare toward the other woman, his hands returning to Mirai's shoulders as she hid her own face, though, it did little to help. Yuuto, as well as likely Kaminari, knew that her face was matching her shirt behind those hands.

"Kaminari, please!"

He couldn't lie, even if it was a joke, playing such a game was...well, enticing with his current company, especially Mirai. But, he certainly wasn't going to suggest something like that now of all times. He took a glance at Mirai, that scarlet shade brightening for a moment as the thought passed through his head, before quickly calming down.

Mirai’s face matched her shirt, and Yuuto’s face matched Mirai’s shirt. Kaminari’s laugh echoed through the mansion when seeing these reactions. Picking on Mirai was always fun, but now she could actually poke at a Captain too! Oh, this was way too good! She couldn’t keep it up though; it was a little mean.

“Okay, okay, okay…” Kaminari put her hands up in surrender, the deck of cards between two fingers. “A more serious suggestion is clearly regular poker, or some go-fish if we don’t wanna think too hard. It’s not the focus anyway… We need to get you through this… Hide away for too long and being rusty could get you killed.”

“Is this one of your psychological test things?”

“Not a test, but an exercise… Play something simple while talking amongst people you trust… Relax and then say what’s on your mind. You know the drill.”

“Kaminari, I do not want to talk about this.”

Kaminari crossed her arms and stared quite intensely at Mirai, tapping her nail against the deck of cards that now rested on her arms like they were a shelf. Mirai and Kaminari had a stare off. Kaminari looked like she really was not happy with Mirai, and Mirai’s nerves were clearly just getting to her.

“Okay…” Mirai whispered, arms wrapping around herself as she made her way to the living room. Seeing Mirai give in, Kaminari sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. There was a momentary look of guilt and worry that Mirai didn’t get to see.

“If she doesn’t work through this fast…” Kaminari whispered so only Yuuto could hear, that worried look still very present on her face. “She won’t recover.”

Yuuto didn't really have anything to say as the girls went back and forth. But, internally, he agreed with Kaminari. The last thing he wanted was for her to stay in this rut, and when she did eventually get back into the field, the lack of practice would cause her more injury. He didn't even want to think about the worst case scenario. Even for a man like him, the idea of it still struck fear into his heart.

As Mirai whispered a confirmation and walked into the living room, Yuuto's expression turned to one almost exactly like Kaminari's. Guilt and fear wracked his face as he finally sighed, bringing his hands to his face. His own voice was quick to lower to a whisper.

"...I know. That's what scares me the most. I...I don't know what to do here. But, I do know that...I don't want that to happen."

Kaminari could likely tell the shift in his voice, compared to when he usually spoke about Mirai. Even in the times when she came back injured, he never had this level of care and protectiveness in his voice. It was more than obvious that something had changed in him, a new light coming to bring an even greater glow to the everlasting flames of will that forced him onward.

Kaminari stared at Yuuto for a while. She smirked, a knowing look in her eyes. If he commented or question it, she just smiled wider and shook her head. "Nothing, nothing... Let's go, lover boy," she said, keeping her voice low for obvious reasons.

In the living room, Mirai sat quietly on the couch, waiting for the two of them. She stared down at the table, dazed out as her mind wandered to more negative things. She was curling over on herself while imagining the worst of the bad scenarios she had recently been through. A lost memory and a bombing. She was struggling.

"Mirai..." Kaminari said her name calmly, and Mirai looked up as she was pulled from her thoughts. Kaminari sighed and went to sit next to her friend. "Where did you go just now?" "What? Nowhere. I'm... I'm fine." "Are you having nightmares again?" *Silence.* Kaminari sighed and looked to Yuuto, "Is she?"

Though he did comment on it, the response made his face briefly turn a bit red, before fading as they went to the living room to meet up with Mirai. Upon entering, Yuuto could see the dazed off look, only furthering his worry as Kaminari interrogated her again. He too went to sit down at the other side of Mirai, gently placing a hand on top of hers. Even he could tell that she wasn't doing well.

As Kaminari looked to him and asked about nightmares, Yuuto could only sigh and nod. He wasn't going to lie to her, especially when Kaminari seemed to be someone who knew how she could help. He didn't know what to do in this situation, but, he would adapt and hopefully be able to give her aid as they went along.

"She hasn't been able to sleep much at all. She...She's been staying in my bed, and that seems to help a little."

"Are you present in your bed while she is staying in it?" Kaminari asked, her tone more serious. However, it could easily be misconstrued as her picking at them more. She wasn't, not this time. It was an honest question.

Mirai didn't get that though, and there was a brief glare toward Kaminari because of it. Kaminari either ignored it, or didn't notice, because she kept looking at Yuuto until he gave her an answer. "If you two are sharing a bed, and Mirai still doesn't feel safe enough to sleep... Well, I'm not a therapist, so... Physically, she's as right as she can be... We need to figure out whatever this mental block is."

"I..." Mirai stopped. The word came out strained, like she didn't want to speak it in the first place. "Go on," Kaminari said. "I can't remember anything..." "I know." "No, I mean..." Mirai tightened her hand around Yuuto's, "I keep trying to, and the nightmares... They're of you... or you..." She gestured to both of them. "Or Shuten... Other people I know... and you're all trying to suffocate me... choke me... drown me... You want me dead, and no matter how hard I fight, you win and laugh."