50scenes, Prompt #047 -- Closer
Oh, dear. It seems that Seinosuke has really wormed himself into my head. I'm back yet again, and with the second ficlet in a row that features former vice-captain Yamada Seinosuke. At least he and Retsu are getting along slightly better in this one. Hey, there's got to be something admirable about the guy, right?
Title: Common Ground
Author: flowingmists
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Unohana, Seinosuke
Prompt: #047 - Closer
Wordcount: 974
Rating: PG
Summary: Retsu and Seinosuke finally find something that they can agree upon. At least, to a point.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters and settings of Bleach are the property of Kubo Tite.
Common Ground
Retsu blinked at the patient file she was reading. The medication she had ordered him to take was not the one that had been administered. In fact, the names of them were not even similar, nor were their effects, leading her to doubt it had been a mere clerical error. Those happened from time to time, of course, but there was no evidence of that here.
She lifted an eyebrow in Seinosuke's direction, her mind working. An emergency case had come into the Fourth the day she'd issued the prescription, and she had assigned him to handle the less serious one in her absence. At the current moment, he was diligently writing up his reports, the brushstrokes smooth and brisk. For all his other faults, he was competent with his work.
"Yamada-fukutaichou, if I may ask for you to explain this report to me?"
Seinosuke did not look up from his work, but he did nod. "Ask away, Captain."
She let the lack of attention slide this time; if her suspicions were accurate, then he was guilty of far worse than that. "The medication listed as being administered to the Ninth Seat of the Eleventh is not what I prescribed for him. As I last left the man in your care, I would hope that you have an explanation for me."
His hand stopped, poised over the page he had been writing upon. Fresh ink dripped off the brush, staining the paper beyond reclaim; he would have to rewrite that report later. For a moment, he remained as still as death, but then he regained some semblance of composure.
"I . . . must have been in error." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "My apologies, Captain. I assure you that I shall be more careful in the future."
It was a lie, as she had expected him to offer. The rigid posture, the hesitant speech . . . Those did not give the impression of an honest statement. Would the man never come to realize the futility of lying to her?
She closed the file and folded her hands on her desk, keeping her eyes on Seinosuke as she did so. "Quite an error to be made, as the two drugs have absolutely nothing in common."
Seinosuke bit his lip. "Well, I wouldn't say that . . ."
"I prescribed an anti-inflammatory. You gave him a diuretic."
His hand shook, and he fumbled to keep hold of his brush. He failed at that, and it dropped onto his report, further soaking it through. There might well be a stain on the desk beneath by now. He glanced up sheepishly in silent apology for the mess. As if it were the mess that concerned her.
"Captain, really, I . . ." Seinosuke faltered and looked away. He heaved a sigh before continuing. "You know how the Eleventh treats us, Unohana-taichou. Like we're not even shinigami. Is it so wrong to take them to task for their insults?"
Retsu frowned marginally. That was what this was about? "So you made the arbitrary decision to punish one man for the poor behaviour of his entire division? This is hardly conduct becoming an officer, especially one of your status."
He kept his gaze away from her, choosing instead to concentrate on cleaning up the mess in front of him. Brush placed in the inkwell, ruined report tossed in the trash. He didn't seem to be inclined to speak anymore until she cleared her throat in a request for more information.
Nervously, he looked her in the eye. "It wasn't arbitrary, ma'am. He was bullying the nursing staff, deriding our officers as a whole. He even challenged me, and said, on the grounds that I declined, that we were all worthless to the Gotei because we couldn't fight. Suggested that we be disbanded and have our swords taken away, since we obviously have no use for them . . ." He lowered his eyes again. "I suppose I just lost my temper."
Retsu rested her chin on one fist as she listened. These words, at last, had the ring of truth about them. Granted, the man in question had said nothing of the sort to her, but none dared to speak ill of the Fourth when they knew she was present. Her reputation prevented that. This story was by no means a stretch of the imagination.
"I see," she began thoughtfully. There was no censure in her voice, however. "I find it laudable that you feel strongly enough about what we do that you would defend the Fourth's honour."
Seinosuke blinked at her. "Captain?"
"But this," she continued, the tiniest of smiles crossing her lips as she tapped the file with her free hand, "is not the way to go about it. Please do not make it a habit of badgering those in other divisions in the name of ours. But if you absolutely must, do not do it in a fashion that compromises someone's health. Sometimes, punishment must be meted out, but this was taking things a bit far."
"Really? You'd allow me to . . ." He regarded her dubiously for a moment, perhaps trying to figure out if this were some sort of trap. Evidently, he decided it was not; a sly grin spread over his features. "Wise advice, Captain. I shall keep it in mind."
Retsu nodded and returned to perusing the stack of files on her desk. She could not have told Seinosuke to stop his pursuits entirely without making a hypocrite of herself; every now and then, she would discreetly trifle with the Eleventh after particularly awful transgressions. Defending the Fourth was not something that she could fault in and of itself.
Seinosuke's protectiveness was admirable, actually. It seemed that the two of them had more in common than healing talents after all.
Title: Common Ground
Author: flowingmists
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Unohana, Seinosuke
Prompt: #047 - Closer
Wordcount: 974
Rating: PG
Summary: Retsu and Seinosuke finally find something that they can agree upon. At least, to a point.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters and settings of Bleach are the property of Kubo Tite.
Common Ground
Retsu blinked at the patient file she was reading. The medication she had ordered him to take was not the one that had been administered. In fact, the names of them were not even similar, nor were their effects, leading her to doubt it had been a mere clerical error. Those happened from time to time, of course, but there was no evidence of that here.
She lifted an eyebrow in Seinosuke's direction, her mind working. An emergency case had come into the Fourth the day she'd issued the prescription, and she had assigned him to handle the less serious one in her absence. At the current moment, he was diligently writing up his reports, the brushstrokes smooth and brisk. For all his other faults, he was competent with his work.
"Yamada-fukutaichou, if I may ask for you to explain this report to me?"
Seinosuke did not look up from his work, but he did nod. "Ask away, Captain."
She let the lack of attention slide this time; if her suspicions were accurate, then he was guilty of far worse than that. "The medication listed as being administered to the Ninth Seat of the Eleventh is not what I prescribed for him. As I last left the man in your care, I would hope that you have an explanation for me."
His hand stopped, poised over the page he had been writing upon. Fresh ink dripped off the brush, staining the paper beyond reclaim; he would have to rewrite that report later. For a moment, he remained as still as death, but then he regained some semblance of composure.
"I . . . must have been in error." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "My apologies, Captain. I assure you that I shall be more careful in the future."
It was a lie, as she had expected him to offer. The rigid posture, the hesitant speech . . . Those did not give the impression of an honest statement. Would the man never come to realize the futility of lying to her?
She closed the file and folded her hands on her desk, keeping her eyes on Seinosuke as she did so. "Quite an error to be made, as the two drugs have absolutely nothing in common."
Seinosuke bit his lip. "Well, I wouldn't say that . . ."
"I prescribed an anti-inflammatory. You gave him a diuretic."
His hand shook, and he fumbled to keep hold of his brush. He failed at that, and it dropped onto his report, further soaking it through. There might well be a stain on the desk beneath by now. He glanced up sheepishly in silent apology for the mess. As if it were the mess that concerned her.
"Captain, really, I . . ." Seinosuke faltered and looked away. He heaved a sigh before continuing. "You know how the Eleventh treats us, Unohana-taichou. Like we're not even shinigami. Is it so wrong to take them to task for their insults?"
Retsu frowned marginally. That was what this was about? "So you made the arbitrary decision to punish one man for the poor behaviour of his entire division? This is hardly conduct becoming an officer, especially one of your status."
He kept his gaze away from her, choosing instead to concentrate on cleaning up the mess in front of him. Brush placed in the inkwell, ruined report tossed in the trash. He didn't seem to be inclined to speak anymore until she cleared her throat in a request for more information.
Nervously, he looked her in the eye. "It wasn't arbitrary, ma'am. He was bullying the nursing staff, deriding our officers as a whole. He even challenged me, and said, on the grounds that I declined, that we were all worthless to the Gotei because we couldn't fight. Suggested that we be disbanded and have our swords taken away, since we obviously have no use for them . . ." He lowered his eyes again. "I suppose I just lost my temper."
Retsu rested her chin on one fist as she listened. These words, at last, had the ring of truth about them. Granted, the man in question had said nothing of the sort to her, but none dared to speak ill of the Fourth when they knew she was present. Her reputation prevented that. This story was by no means a stretch of the imagination.
"I see," she began thoughtfully. There was no censure in her voice, however. "I find it laudable that you feel strongly enough about what we do that you would defend the Fourth's honour."
Seinosuke blinked at her. "Captain?"
"But this," she continued, the tiniest of smiles crossing her lips as she tapped the file with her free hand, "is not the way to go about it. Please do not make it a habit of badgering those in other divisions in the name of ours. But if you absolutely must, do not do it in a fashion that compromises someone's health. Sometimes, punishment must be meted out, but this was taking things a bit far."
"Really? You'd allow me to . . ." He regarded her dubiously for a moment, perhaps trying to figure out if this were some sort of trap. Evidently, he decided it was not; a sly grin spread over his features. "Wise advice, Captain. I shall keep it in mind."
Retsu nodded and returned to perusing the stack of files on her desk. She could not have told Seinosuke to stop his pursuits entirely without making a hypocrite of herself; every now and then, she would discreetly trifle with the Eleventh after particularly awful transgressions. Defending the Fourth was not something that she could fault in and of itself.
Seinosuke's protectiveness was admirable, actually. It seemed that the two of them had more in common than healing talents after all.