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[Retsu was tired.

No. That wasn't true. Retsu was utterly, bone-wearily exhausted.

It has been a week since Aizen fell. One of the worst weeks Retsu ever remembered in her long, long life. Yamamoto-soutaichou had fallen, along with three other captains, and several others were still in critical condition. She was one of the only people still capable of leading, yet she was also desperately needed in the healing ward.

She wasn't sure anymore how many days it had been since she slept. Shinigami were capable of going much longer without sleep than ordinary souls or mortals, but she was still reaching her limit. She glanced around and leaned against a doorpost for a moment, closing her eyes before she went into Jyuushiko's room.

It had taken all Retsu's considerable skill to save Jyuushiko. The blond arrancar had put a hole right through her chest, and there had been complications...Retsu still wasn't sure how fully her friend would recover. And Kyouraku Shunsui was still in critical condition in the room across the hall.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, passing through the kido barrier and going to Jyuushiko's bedside to see how she was doing.]

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[The total lack of argument is almost worse than Retsu trying to convince her of the truth. To leave Retsu looking so...broken - it had to be true. Still, she couldn't quite wrap her mind around the idea that the man who had been the center of their world for so long was just....gone.

She reached out shakily to put a hand on her friend's shoulder, a gentle tug indicating she should move closer.]

[She slid closer to Jyuushiko, carefully putting an arm around her and half-turning her face in towards her friend. It had been so hard to keep going for the past week.

She'd had to take over the duties of the soutaichou in the short term--there simply wasn't anyone else. And she wasn't ready for this--to try to fill Yamamoto-sensei's shoes during such a crucial time.]

I was...unable to save him. [She had tried, desperately and even dangerously to pull him back despite her well-honed healer's instincts telling her that it was impossible; he was already gone.]

[After Retsu slipped closer, Jyuushiko moved her hand down to rest around her friend's back. She bowed her head slightly, resting her forehead on her friend's shoulder.]

I know... you did your best.

[Her voice cracks slightly, though she's doing her best to keep from coughing again.]

[Retsu was not the kind of person who allowed herself to show emotion in front of other people. She had been raised to be not the heir, but the lady of a household, and a noblewoman could not afford displays of emotion. It was neither seemly nor prudent. Jyuushiko was one of the few people she let see beyond that mask.

Even so, she could not afford to break down right now. There were far too many people who were depending on her. So she allowed herself a few hot tears, but tied most of her grief and pain tightly inside her. She rested against Jyuushiko, both comforting her friend and receiving some comfort for herself.]

[Despite coming from a noble family herself, Jyuushiko was not so constrained with her emotions - though she was near-silent, she cried into friend's shoulder, hands clenched tight in the folds of Retsu's haori]

[She cried into Jyuushiko's hair, slow tears because she wouldn't let herself break down. She couldn't, because there were too many people depending on her.]

[After a few minutes of quiet, crying, the tears turned to coughs, and Jyuushiko released her friend, pulling back so as not to get blood on Retsu.]

[Retsu moved slightly to avoid getting blood on her haori, but didn't remove her hand from Jyuushiko's back, pushing healing kido into her to help her breathe and to soothe her lungs.,]

[She covered her hands with her mouth, pushing the face mask out of the way to try to keep from getting blood in that, too. The cool touch of Retsu's power spreading through her chest was a welcome relief, dulling the spasms of pain that no doubt stemmed from her wound.

The coughs subsided after what felt like far too long, and she wiped the flecks of blood from her lips with the back of her hand. Her palms had blood on them too, but...easy enough to wash off.]

...Thank you.

[Her voice is a rough whisper, after the coughing, but she forces a smile for Retsu.]

[She handed her friend a handkerchief silently.]

[Jyuushiko took it, carefully cleaning off as much of the blood as she could with slightly shaky hands. Once finished, she folded the worst of the blood to the inside, and handed it back to Retsu silently.]

[She tucked it away.]

Lie back, please. [She sat near her friend, easing her gently down. She didn't want Jyuushiko to wear herself out.]

[Jyuushiko nodded silent assent, and did hee best to let Retsu support her weight as she shifted back down against the pillows. It wasn't quite enough, and she tensed, wincing slightly as one of the injured muscles shot pain across her chest as some of her weight rested on them.]

[She rested a hand on Jyuushiko's shoulder, sending a bit more soothing kido through her to dull the pain.]

[The pulse of Retsu's reiatsu was a cool, calming counter to the pain, and she relaxed into the pillows piled up on the bed. They were enough to keep her propped up some, for which she was thankful - it made breathing easier, right now]

[She added a bit more kido to--not knock her out, but to calm her and help her rest.]

[She could feel the kidou taking effect, coaxing tired muscles into relaxing a little more fully. She reached over to give Retsu's hand a small squeeze, and offered her friend a grateful smile. Leaning up against the pillows, though, body coursing with calming power, it was hard to keep her eyes open much longer, and soon enough, she drifted off into a somewhat more restful sleep.]

[Retsu was in and out fairly frequently on her rounds, but Jyuushiko was asleep. It wasn't until late the next day that it looked like Jyuushiko was starting to stir again.]

[Her sleep was peaceful - not full of fever dreams as it had been before, or the emptiness that came with near-total exhaustion of her power. When she finally began to stir again, she felt a little more...connected to the small faint pulses of power in the rest of the building. And a little more aware of the ache in her chest.]

[soft smile] Feeling a bit better, I hope?

[A small, slightly wry grin in return.] Does 'less drugged' count as better, or worse, in this case?

[Her voice is still soft and a little hoarse from her coughing yesterday, but the attempt at humor is clear]

Better, I think--especially if you go by recovering a sense of humor.

[A small, weak chuckle.]

It's good to feel a little more clearheaded.

[She nodded sympathetically as she reached out with her power to run a diagnostic.]

If you feel up to it, there are a few people who would like to visit you.

There have also been quite a few get-well bouquets delivered but ah...Kiyone-san and Kotsubaki-san had something of a competition to not only send larger bouquets than each other, but also than any other well-wisher.

It got slightly out of hand, I'm afraid, so I felt it was best to remove them for the time being.

[Her vitals were stable - low energy, and it was clear she'd be short of breath without the extra oxygen, but stable. She sighed, the sound both half-amused and half-embarassed. Trust her thirds to make it a competition.]

I can imagine. And...I think I could handle it, today.