4/4th Shinigami, Right? [Noharu, Ranma]

Absolute chaos.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but any patient stationed within the 2nd’s barracks – one of the very few places that weren’t targeted during the ambush – would be able to hear a voice… several, actually. A bunch of panicking, frustrated Squad 2 members warning a certain Squad 8 hooligan of his reckless charge through the halls in his quest to see the fastest Shinigami in the Gotei United and the unholy ailments afflicted upon her!

His wounds were healing… then Shura happened… and then how the fuck could he not visit her any sooner?! Sorry, did Shura contaminate him with some of her brain damage? Noharu was right! He should’ve just stayed the fuck away from her! Oh heavens above, she’d rip his ears off… but Ranma would accept it with tears of joy if it meant Noharu was in a better condition!

Whether awake or resting… the distinct sound of below-average, flimsy Shunpo clapped across the hallway as the door opened to whatever or wherever he was told Noharu was located at. His fingers were almost bending each other apart in his attempt to cross them, praying that she was making a recovery. Please please please please please please please please please please, I haven’t even gotten any better with Shunpo yet! Please watch me more!

He barged in – sorry, he had to, it was Ranma, the 2nd knew his antics very well – and he was ready to fall onto his knees as if his prayers alone could heal her. He’d already tried using Kaidō for Komugi, and it barely stabilized her long enough for Igen to arrive to properly stabilize her… so what on earth was he able to do for Noharu, other than apologize with his heart on the floor for, y'know, everything?

Mind you, he just became a Seated officer, and oh boy, shit couldn't have gone any worse. Or could it? He certainly didn't want to imagine that. But he was here now. Please rip his face off, Noharu. Please bite his ears off. Slap him, kick him, shout slurs like you always do. Please be there.

… Nasty scar. Nice peach, though – he’ll make sure to inform Koga about it later- wait, before that, his ear was bleeding-

“A-ARHH, WAIT, I DIDN’T MEAN TO-“

The next few minutes were absolute hell on the other side in the hallway, with poor Ranma on his fucking knees, as low and humble as he could physically make himself out to be as the nurse gave him an earful about the shitstorm he could’ve caused with barging into people’s rooms like this. Seriously, some habits sure refused to die… and Ranma’s reputation within the infirmary kept pummeling downwards. The sounds of his sobbing and attempt to choke his sobbing down would surely be worth joking about later.

Ranma was allowed back into the room with a reddened ear and heavy eyes, beyond ashamed of everything he’d ever done – and Noharu, being Noharu, obviously knew what her subordinate had been up to. “Wh- no…” His voice cracked. Nice try, Ranma. “… Maybe.”

…

“Mayhaps.”

He was in a wild panic before. He could impulsively do things like that. “… *sniff* You alright?” He still remembered the view of that gaping, pieceless slice on her hip – didn’t that… hurt? Like hell? “I got pulled into a lot of shit, and… I wanted to visit earlier…”

…

…

Oh just fucking kill me already.

Watching her grab that IV pole in such a fragile fashion was painful. He’d watched her put Shura in her place… how swift and tricky she was on her feet… and this sure hammered it home that she’d lost that. She’d lost a lot.

He tried not to bite his lower lip in fright, but it was the reality of the situation. Noharu made it clear as well – it wasn’t just a fancy burn on her skin, or breaking a few bones. Desptie her Shinigami prowess, there was only so much damage a Shinigami’s body could take and recover fully from… would she ever-

His head ached. She’d recover from this, surely. Fully, as if nothing had changed – then she’d return and keep on being the fastest Shinigami in the Gotei, as he’d always seen her… but that was wishful thinking. And yet, it hurt to admit to just to himself.

Noharu addressed him, reminded him of the situation as it was – not as he wanted it to be, not as what it could be, could’ve been, or what other people saw it as – just the fact. They’d lost many people… even their officers. Ranma had wanted to get acquainted with them after his promotion, y’know, share a drink with them, clear up rumors about his enigmatic antics. He wasn’t that impulsive…

“The First…” Ranma pondered, rising slowly up on his feet. The 1st Division were led directly by the Captain-Commander, but… with her MIA status, it was currently under the Second-In-Command, Masamune… so, he guessed he’d work closer with Komugi again.

…

“Of course I do,” he replied sharply, almost as if feeling offended by her question. His facial expression took a shift, narrow eyes yet still glaring down at the floor, as if he wasn’t tensing up to her… but to himself. “L-Literally, the first thing I did after I recovered… sure, that Shura gal kinda ‘napped me, blabbered about Bankai training and what-not, you know her deal…” Bro, dealing with Shura was training enough on its own, but unlike before, Ranma wasn’t showing exhaustion or a desire to preoccupy himself with other matters. At least, not now.

“… Hinamori-sensei’s helping me, too,” he furthered, since he might as well report on his doings prior to being a nuisance to the nurses around, “Have you tried, like, charging a Raikōhō through your Zanpakutō? Like with Tsuzuri Raiden? I kinda did it on a whim, but I had to – a Tsuzuri Raiden didn’t have the firepower I needed, so… oh, and Koga’s helping too – my fists are still ringing from punching him so much…”

Shura was weird and kind of a psychopath, but Ranma still had use of her for his Zanjutsu practice. After all, he liked coming up with new techniques on the fly… and Hinamori-sensei was great at helping him expand on the fundamentals of Kidō as well as encourage him to step out of his comfort zone. If Koga and co. helped him with his Hakuda, then…

“… D-Do you remember back when you beat up Shura?”

Glory days? Wait, maybe she misunderstood what he was trying to bring up- the freaking Zankensoki! He just wanted to tell her… that she didn’t have to worry about him in that regard. Sure, his Hohō was simple, and many other Shinigami around him were pulling stunts here and there with it, while he was left just trailing around, but he wasn’t going to slack off!

Then again… it was Noharu. She could probably tell just by looking at him.

Her idea of a reincarnated, human Noharu stirring up chaos in the World of the Living did make him giggle, though. Some things never changed, even in the face of chaos or sorrow. Though the Gotei was ever-changing, it felt, and Ranma was warned to brace for it…

“… Okay… okay, I can do that,” he nodded at last, needing a few seconds to steel his mind, “Shit… maybe I’ll be sent to work under a whole other Captain. Maybe they’ll take Ranny away! I can’t have that! No other Lieutenant’s gonna vibe with me like Ranny did… b-but if you say so.”

Yeah, a lot of things would likely change, so he’d have to focus on what was important. Simple advice from the fastest Shinigami in the Gotei. Still, his curiosity mixed very well with his paranoia… like, which Captains this time? Who would dip, eh? He still prayed that Captain Rose would make a recovery, too. “To be honest, I think I’m still kind of a… 3/4th of a Shinigami at the moment.”

Ohhhh… Ranma misunderstood her at first. Yeah, despite his shortcomings, he’d used all four branches of the Shinigami Fighting Arts in most, if not all, of his battles. So… in her eyes…

He was a 100% Shinigami. He couldn’t imagine a greater honor. He was already on the verge of tears again. She assured him that not everybody would become as good at one branch as the other – it wasn’t about how good or how skilled or how powerful he got, but that he just used it. Never forgot about it. It was a tool and an asset that always had the chance to save his skin in the end.

And he took it to heart. More than anything else.