Admiration (Bleach Fanfic)

Heat Sickness

As the team of shingami came through the gate way, Matsumoto came running up to them. She saw her taicho's head, but not Atsuo's among them, nor did she see small feet among the big ones. "Atsuo and Toshiro?"

Isshin moved into her view, so that she could see that the man was holding in his arms the child shingami, unconscious, fairly sunburned on top of his pale skin, which was even paler then usual. The boy clutched in his left hand his zanpaktou, the sheath belt having come to be wrapped twice around his waste, the sheath for some reason having disappeared. She then saw the lieutenants' badge in his hands.

"Atsuo didn't make it Matsumoto, and even though they looked, we couldn't find a body. I couldn't stay for very long, as the little one's become very ill. I need you to get to forth division as fast as possible. I'll be in my chambers performing first aide on the tyke," Isshin's eyes read with sadness. "Hopefully, we won't lose him too."

Isshin then hurried to tenth division and carefully leaned the boy against the bed. He pulled of the sheet and handed it to one of his subordinates who had followed, quite worried. "I need this sheet soaked with water assap."

The man hurried off and Isshin proceeded to strip the young one of his clothing and lay him on the bed. Fairly soon a shingami came hurrying back with the wet sheet and another with a bucket of water and wash cloth. Isshin draped the sheet carefully over the small body, and carefully dapped the cloth into the water, and then placed it on the boy forehead.

"I need that aloe mixture I have made up and bandages," Isshin then commented, as they hurried off again.

Unohana then stepped into the room. "I'll work on that flesh wound… that's about the only healing Kido I wish to do on him at this point, as over doing it might cause his body to much trauma."

"Arigotto Unohana," Isshin breathed out a sigh of relief. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Missions tend to not go as we plan them. Either they are better or worse," the woman sighed. "Such a small child… yet he seems to have a very high fighting spirit… how far do you think he walked after Atsuo passed… and who do you think defeated the hollow?"

"I don't know…" Isshin sighed. "I am either going to have to wait on twelfth divisions analysis to come out, or for Shiro-chan to wake up."

That was when the two subordinates came back, caring the bandages and aloe concoction. While Unohana worked on where the hollow had struck Toshiro, Isshin worked on spreading the aloe medicine onto where the boy's body was sunburned, then they pulled the damp sheet back over him. Unohana also carefully wet a cloth and dripped water onto his tongue.

"I am defiantly glad that you know not just your healing Kido well, Isshin-san, but your first aide too," the woman muttered.

"You and me both… to bad he couldn't give us any ice…" Isshin chuckled, trying to make a joke of the matter, though for once he wasn't really in the mood.

M

For three days, Matsumoto, Isshin and Kira took turns staying up to keep an eye on Toshiro as he slept, carefully dripping water onto his tongue. Hinamori was there too, but as the girl was such a basket case over the whole matter, they didn't put her onto a shift. It was after these three days that Toshiro finally opened his teal eyes to the world. He carefully croaked out of his dry throat. "Where am I? What happened?"

"You're in my room…" Isshin suddenly commented. "Hinamori, Matsumoto and Kira are resting in the lieutenants' room."

"Where's Atsuo?" the boy turned his teal eyes towards his captain, concern in them.