The Noble Sort

A/N: As usual, all the important information is lurking in the notes of the first two parts. From here on out we're AU, mostly at least. And this is the official beginning of the Second Arc of this story—Aizen is no longer the one we'll have to worry about.

Enjoy! R & R if you liked it!

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"The Noble Sort"

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12 Days after the Final Battle

When Hiro, the much respected monk from the monastery up in the hills beyond Rukongai, asked for admittance into Seireitei not even two days after Akane and Isamu's departure he was easily allowed in. Everyone knew him, everyone had seen him there before, and the guards figured he was there to bless someone or visit with a believer.

Monks, after all, are rarely questioned as criminals.

Hiro used this to his advantage; his serene countenance and kind smile allowed him to make it all the way to the Fourth Division—after asking for directions—without any problems.

He was allowed into the division with the same ease he had navigated Seireitei so far, and he found himself wandering the halls of the large medical complex, in awe of the technology and the techniques he saw but also becoming disheartened—the white haori that would identify Unohana-sama was not visible in any of the large rooms.

A young boy with short black hair ran past him, almost knocking him over in his haste, and he reached out, grabbing the boy's shoulder and turning him towards himself.

"Young one, could you tell me where I may find Unohana-sama?"

The boy looked startled and then, when he finally noticed that the man in front of him was a monk, bowed deeply.

"I—of course, houshi-sama. Is Unohana-taichou expecting you?"

The monk chuckled.

"I doubt it, young one. Especially this late. It is past dinnertime, yes?"

The boy nodded before latching onto his hand and dragging him through the maze of corridors. They came to a beautiful moonlit courtyard, very different than the one he had entered the division through, and the boy led him around the landscaping to another wing of the building.

They paused before a wall of screens lit by light coming from inside the room, and the boy bowed once more.

"One moment, houshi-sama."

The boy knocked lightly on the wooden frame of the door, and a soft voice from inside the room beckoned him to enter. Hiro stood silently on the porch, his eyes glancing around and taking in the lovely garden. Someone apparently appreciated the peace of nature as much as he did.

The boy popped in and out of the room quickly, sliding the door open and bowing to the monk as he entered. Then he shut the door, and Hiro could hear the staccato of his fast steps as he ran off to complete his nightly chores.

"Houshi-sama. Hajimemashite."

"Unohana-sama," he greeted her, her soft and melodious voice reminding him much of his own.

"Have I forgotten an appointment, or are you here to visit one of my patients?"

"No, Unohana-sama. Instead, it is I who am here to visit you, and I am most apologetic that I have come without warning. Unfortunately, it could not be helped."

"Of course. I assure you, is it perfectly fine." She gestured to the low table she was seated at. "Would you care for some tea? It has just been made."

He nodded, sinking slowly to the mat.

He allowed himself to watch the woman as she prepared him a cup of traditional black tea, and he found himself in awe of the healer he had come to see. Many had heard of this woman but few lived to actually see her. She was one of Seireitei's oldest, its best healer, and her beauty was not exaggerated. She was older than many of the women in Seireitei but it gave her a grace and serenity that he was sure helped in her chosen field.

"Now, houshi-sama, how may I assist you this evening?"

Hiro took a sip of the scalding tea before sitting his cup to the side. He resisted the decades-old urge to fiddle with the saucer, a habit he had broken himself of but still felt compelled to carry out.

"I have a patient I must request your help with."

"Indeed? You are in need of advice? That is most surprising; the citizens of Rukongai expound upon the virtues of the monastery's herbal healing methods."

"No, Unohana-sama. I must request that you come with me to the monastery and heal my current patient." He saw her eyebrows shoot skyward and forced himself to feel calm, to center himself and allow serenity to overtake his body.

"We have just fought a very large battle, houshi-sama. It is peaceful, but I cannot leave at present. Can the patient not be brought here?"

"It took me almost two days to get here, Unohana-sama. And I fear the patient would not survive being moved. Her wounds are extensive, both internally and externally. I can no longer treat her."

She folded her hands in front of her on the table, an expression of sadness overtaking her face.

"I am sorry, houshi-sama, but I cannot—"

"I believe she is one of yours, Unohana-sama."

At this the serene woman's eyebrows shot up once again.

"We are not missing any of our shinigami, houshi-sama. Everyone here is present and accounted for."

"Are you sure?" he asked, in a mysterious and lilting tone. "I am quite sure she was involved in your battle. She was brought to me almost twelve days ago, with wounds only a shinigami battle could have possibly caused." He paused, looking at her thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should have said she was once one of yours. We do not discriminate when asked for help, after all."

Her eyes widened noticeably.

"Those who brought her to me would not allow me to intervene and come earlier—they feared for her life. Feared you, actually. But I have explained to them that she will not live without your intervention. They left before I did, knowing I had no other choice but to seek your help."

"Do you—her name? Do you know her name, houshi-sama?"

The woman's words were rushed, as if she already knew exactly who he had been treating, and he suddenly felt peace wash over him. This had been the right move.

"They would not say her name in front of me, Unohana-sama. She is petite, a slim woman, and she had long black hair when she was brought to us. We've had to cut it recently. She was brought in with a black sheath and sword; I believe it is one of your zanpakutou."

"And her eyes, houshi-sama?"

He could practically feel the woman holding her breath.

"I do not know. She has been unconscious throughout. When we try to open them—to get even the smallest visual response—all we see is white."

The woman nodded at him, her hands coming up to press against the large braid of hair in the middle of her chest.

"I believe I know who you have been treating, and you are correct, she is one of ours. If you will give me a few moments I will ready myself and an escort and we will return with you."

"I am most grateful, Unohana-sama."

She stood, pressing her hand to his shoulder.

"It is I that should be grateful to you, houshi-sama. You do not know—we have been very worried."

She hurried through another door as he stood slowly—his knees were no longer able to keep up with his usage of them—and reappeared shortly after with a tall woman with silver hair.

"Houshi-sama, this is Kotetsu Isane-san. She will be helping me with your patient." The graceful taichou swept through the office to the courtyard he had marveled at earlier, and she pulled a sword much like that of his patient. "I have notified one of my officers that we will be gone; I hope you are not afraid of heights, though. It will be faster to use Minazuki to travel."

Even as she spoke a great green beast appeared before her out of a green mist that had poured from her sword's sheath, reminding Hiro of the oddly-shaped fish he had once seen in a picture book one of the local children had. She quickly boarded the animal, her assistant helping him to follow her up onto the large green back.

As they lifted up into the sky and zoomed toward the hills, he felt peace once again wash over him.

Yes. This had been the right choice.

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"Is that—Minazuki?"

Deep in the Twelfth Division, two surveillance workers pondered over the strange appearance of Unohana-taichou's shikai.

"Had we been notified of it, Minami?"

"Not that I know of." The young woman furrowed her brows as she stared at the screen. "But it's Unohana-taichou. Perhaps someone was injured somewhere and there was no time."

"You're probably right," he muttered, still staring at the screen.

"Log it just in case and send it in. Wouldn't want the Second to throw a fit about us not doing our jobs."

"Yeah. Whatever."

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The taichou's green beast was indeed much faster than traveling on foot; the trip had taken him a day and a half earlier while the return trip was completed in less than a few hours.

Truly remarkable.

He ushered the women through the gates and the hushed courtyard, vacant now that it was so late, and then through the public rooms of the monastery. A few monks were up, cleaning or reading or praying, but most of them did not bat an eyelash at the behavior of their healer. They all knew he had a patient and that he had gone to seek the counsel of the legendary shinigami healer.

They slipped silently through the halls to the infirmary, small and primitive though it was. He was now feeling embarrassed over their poor standards of equipment, although he knew he should not. They were monks, not medical miracle workers.

He slid the creaking door open slowly and waved the women into the room in front of him, and when he heard the twin gasps of shock, watched the younger of the two women as she covered her mouth in surprise, he felt the need to grin. The gods had truly been with him this day.

"My patient, Unohana-sama, Kotetsu-san."

He approached the still form silently but swiftly and checked her pulse—still thread but, thankfully, there.

"You know her, yes?"

"Yes, houshi-sama, we do," Unohana-sama said breathily. "Yamamoto Minako."

"Yamamoto?" Hiro asked, his surprise clear. Everyone knew the sou-taichou's name, even the monks. No wonder she had been in such a hurry.

"Indeed. We've been looking for her since the battle. I'm afraid we feared she was beyond our reach by now."

He nodded absently as he checked some of the numerous bandages covering his patient's body. "She has been gravely ill. She still is, in truth. I have done all I can for her."

"We thank you for that."

He nodded again before looking up at the two women.

"I assume you will need rooms for the night? I can give you any information you need—"

"I am sorry, houshi-sama, but we will be leaving shortly. I have a way to transport her without causing even more trauma."

He felt his own eyes widen in surprise and shock.

"Truly?" He blinked at the two women, considering, before he remembered exactly who this woman was. Of course she would have a way to transport the wounded. "Then I suppose I should explain her condition, yes?"

She nodded, although she was already looking over the woman herself, her hands glowing green as she scanned the patient's body.

"She has suffered massive trauma—fire, from what I can tell. Very hot. Very little of her body was not burned—when she arrived her skin was black and blistering. Thankfully, she has healed somewhat externally, mostly due to herbal poultices we have used, but internally, I—I am not equipped to handle such damage."

"It is extreme."

"Indeed. Her organs are failing rapidly. She has been losing kidney function for at least the past six days, and her lungs are in terrible shape. It sounds much like smoke inhalation, but it cannot be. She—usually she cannot breathe. We have taken to propping her chest up and allowing her head to lay back. It was the only way to keep her airway open. Her liver also seems to be—in the wrong position, you could say? I cannot explain it. And her pulse has been thready, very faint. I feared—truly I feared she would not make it long enough for me to call upon you."

"You have done well with what you could, houshi-sama. We are truly grateful."

He bowed his head.

"It is what I do, Unohana-sama. Unfortunately, as I have said, I cannot do much more for her. She will perish if left here. I do not wish her to be imprisoned, but it would be better that she lived."

"Imprisoned?"

"Her friends made it very clear the she was one of your—exiles, yes? I believe that is what you call them."

The graceful taichou nodded, but then the green glow left her hands and she raised herself up. "She is, but she has done us a great favor. Do not worry for her safety, houshi-sama." He nodded at her. "We are very thankful. Her uncle has been beside himself with worry over her whereabouts, as have her friends."

Unohana-sama leaned toward her assistant and whispered a command; the silver-haired woman was off like a shot, jumping to do her taichou's bidding. She returned a moment later with a stack of extra blankets and one of the few monks they had passed on the way to the infirmary.

"I'm going to have to wrap her up and transport her out to the courtyard. She will be travelling inside Minazuki."

"Inside your beast?" he asked, aghast at the idea.

"Minazuki has healing properties; she will be healing while we travel."

Once again he was in awe of the power of the healer before him.

They bundled the small, frail woman in the blankets, then the young monk and the taichou's assistant carried her out with her sword. Once in the courtyard the beast appeared as miraculously as it had earlier and swallowed the young woman, blankets and all.

The two women turned to them and bowed deeply, and the monks returned the gesture. A small, velvet bag of money was produced—the women claiming it was not payment for their services but a donation—but it was immediately handed back to the shinigami.

And they were off into the night sky.

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"Psst!"

Whoever was trying to get the attention of her third seat, they really needed to stop. It was late. People were trying to sleep.

"Psst! Hey!"

Especially—her third seat! Really? It wasn't like he was known for having a large amount of female companions. He wasn't exactly a guy the girls fell over themselves for. Not that she begrudged him a girlfriend—just, this was ridiculous.

"Nanao! Wake up!"

Wait.

They were trying to get her attention, not her third seat's. That was different. But who would—oh.

Nanao rolled over in the bed, grumbling about having to leave the very warm spot she had created. Her bed partner mumbled something, shifting and turning to crack an eye open in her direction when she threw his large arm off of her hips.

"Finally going to see what she wants, hmm?"

She swatted at him halfheartedly before letting her feet drop the very cold wooden floor.

"Nanao! C'mon!"

"I'm coming, Isane!" she half-yelled and half-whispered, fumbling around in the dark bedroom to find the yukata she usually kept at the foot of the bed. One of them had kicked it off in the middle of the night and it was now lost on the floor. She yanked the garment up and threw it over her shoulders, ignoring the chuckling of the man in her bed. Only he would find the continual interruptions amusing. The walk to the door was cold and disheartening, especially considering the very naked man in her bed.

It took me so many years to get him there, and now we keep getting interrupted.

She threw the sliding door open and propped herself up in the doorway, a nonverbal barrier to her friend's next question. It would inevitably be something along the lines of 'can I come in.' Her answer was definitely 'no.'

"Isane, it's two in the morning. Whatever it is could have surely waited until daylight," she said grumpily, flicking her bangs out of her face.

"No, it really couldn't. Can I come in?"

Her friend was shivering, her lips pale, but Nanao shook her head. No way was she gonna let anyone know her taichou was sharing her bed tonight. That was all she needed at the moment.

"Nanao! It's freezing out here!" Isane hissed.

"I don't care," she hissed back.

"Let the poor girl in, Nanao-chan! It's too cold out there to hold a conversation," she heard her taichou yell from her bed, and she let her head fall with a thwack against the wooden frame of the door. He had no tact. He had to have been raised by wolves. How could he be so sophisticated one moment and then—this?

The squeal would erupt in three, two, one…

"Ohmigod, Nanao!"

There it was.

Her taichou was chuckling; she knew it was over. Any privacy they had gained was gone with Isane's knowledge of their sharing a bed. The girl was sweet, but she was as bad as Matsumoto about gossip. It would be all over by noon. Even the sou-taichou would know, which would mean they would be in more trouble than the division needed right now, especially considering her taichou's already frequent troublemaking.

Isane leaned in suddenly and whispered, "Never mind then, hmm! You should have said. But, oh, darn."

"Just tell me or come in, Isane."

The tall woman shook her head.

"Get your taichou out of bed and get to the fourth as soon as you can. Go straight to Unohana-taichou's office, nowhere else. Try and keep it a secret!"

Nanao looked up, all vestiges of sleepiness and embarrassment suddenly gone. If they were being called to a private meeting in the fourth, well, something important must have happened during the night.

"What—"

"We found Minako," Isane whispered. "But I have to hurry back. If you want to see her before the sou-taichou isolates her, you better hurry, too. He'll have to be informed as soon as the sun is up."

"What?" Nanao almost shouted, immediately turning into her rooms and letting her mind rush through her morning ritual to see what could be skipped in favor of haste at the moment.

"Just hurry! I'll meet you there!"

Nanao ran back and slammed the sliding door shut then scrambled over to the dresser, grabbing a pair of hakama and whatever haori she could find to throw on. In the reflection of the large mirror hanging on the wall she could see her taichou—her lover, she realized giddily—doing the same, hurrying through throwing on the many layers he wore on a daily basis.

"Go ahead and head that way, Nanao-chan," he said as he bent to the floor to pull on his sandals and grab his sakkat. "I'm going to run and get Juu. We'll meet you there."

She threw her hair up in the most haphazard style she had ever worn, turning to grab her glasses from the table.

"Would you rather I—"

"No, I think I should be the one to do this."

They shared a look at that, and she finally realized that maybe they weren't the only ones trying to keep their private business out of everyone's minds. He sent her a lopsided, goofy grin then, and she shook her head.

With a quick kiss to his stubbly cheek, she was gone.

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"Kami, Isane," Nanao said, horrified at her first glimpse of their friend.

Isane just stared at her, her expression somewhat grim.

"Nanao," she said quietly, "this is after over a week of healing and a few hours in Minazuki. Can you imagine what she must have looked like right after?"

No, she couldn't.

They had all heard about it by now, if not from Minako then from their taichou. The Eighth and Thirteenth tended to be close knit due to their taichou's close friendship, and the Tenth was included in that most of the time due to Matsumoto. Then, with Isane and Unohana-taichou's unique relationships with those very same taichou and fuku-taichou, well, everyone knew everyone's business. Secrets didn't last long unless you were very good at sneaking around.

This one hadn't been kept at all amongst their taichou. But this—this was unimaginable. The original wounds couldn't even be fathomed, at least not by someone who hadn't seen them. Truthfully, Nanao couldn't imagine anything that could be worse than the present and not fatal.

"Where is—where is Unohana-taichou?"

"She said she was going to wait for Kyouraku-taichou and Ukitake-taichou. Escort them in. I think she wants to…prepare them."

Nanao nodded. Preparation might be a damn good idea, considering. Men always seemed to take this a little harder than women. Nanao and Isane both had their own theories on why this was.

Nanao traced a wrinkle in the bed linens near Minako's hand, wanting to move and grasp it but unsure if she should or not. Not only was the woman covered in bandages, she was still extremely ill. And she really wasn't too sure Minako would appreciate it—she had never been a very affectionate person.

"You shouldn't—touch her, I mean," Isane said, her voice sorrowful. "Almost every inch of her was burned pretty badly, mostly third and fourth degree burns. Everything is probably painful and, well, there's infection to worry about."

Nanao nodded again. At least the woman would have someone here if—

"When will she wake up?"

"We don't know. The monk that was treating her, he was estimating a month, maybe more. I know from what she had told us before that this is somewhat normal."

"So long?" she asked, dismayed.

Isane just shrugged.

"And there's nothing that can be done?"

"Not that we know of. We'll keep healing her, and taichou is looking into the methods the Twelfth is using on Hinamori to see if we can alter it to help speed her recovery. That's all we know to do right now."

"What about—"

But there wasn't any time left.

The door opened quietly, Unohana-taichou appearing before them. Behind her, though, were the two taichou that Nanao both hoped and dreaded to see. It wasn't going to be a good reunion, she was sure.

She watched her lover's face as Unohana-taichou stepped to the side, allowing the men to enter the room, and she saw the shock and horror enter his eyes, saw when the truth of his former fuku-taichou's condition finally hit him. Whatever Unohana-taichou had told them, she had obviously sugarcoated it or given them a great deal more optimism than Minako's physical condition suggested was possible.

"Yare," he breathed, his entire body slumping and curving in on itself.

She resisted the urge to cross the room and comfort him, thankfully, but she almost lost all control of her emotions when Ukitake-taichou finally got a good look at the woman in the infirmary bed.

It hit him like a physical blow. She could see terror written across his face, and he almost slumped to the floor as he flinched backwards, probably would have if her taichou hadn't grabbed onto his arm and kept him standing up. His copper eyes, usually filled with kindness and laughter, were instead dull as he stared at the diminutive form in the bed. The only thing she could think at the moment was how wrong it was, the picture of this happy and gentle man bowed by grief. And she had had no idea, none at all that might be hiding worry for Minako underneath his calm exterior the past week. He had been agitated, but nothing too unusual, considering the battle. She should've known better.

He finally straightened, gently shaking off her taichou, and stepped toward the bed. He reached out to touch the bandaged arm closest to him but stopped suddenly, his hand in the air. She was sure that someone who had once spent so much time healing here knew better than to touch a patient in this condition.

"This is what it does?" he asked, his voice dry and scratchy.

"Unfortunately, Ukitake-san."

Unohana-taichou stepped up beside him, her own small hand coming up to rest on his arm as she pulled his hand back and away from her patient. Even if he was shrugging them off they were going to be nearby and support him, she saw, and she wondered how many people knew that he had…feelings…for the sou-taichou's niece.

"But—Kami." She watched as he took a deep breath. "But she'll recover?"

"It is very likely. According to what Minako-san told me, this is normal. We just have to keep healing her, help her body through the process."

"Normal? No wonder she was—" he stopped and sighed, his entire chest rising and falling with the deep exhalation.

Her taichou stepped up as well, standing on the other side of his dearest friend.

"What is the biggest problem she faces right now, Retsu-san?" he asked.

"Her lungs are in terrible shape, as are her kidneys. We've been concentrating our efforts there, as failure of either organ system will mean—"

"We know what it will mean, Retsu-san," she heard him say as if from a great distance. All of her attention was focused on Ukitake-taichou at the moment. She was the only one looking at him from this angle, and he truly looked like he was about to collapse.

"It is not all bad news, Kyouraku-san, Ukitake-san," Unohana-taichou said calmly. "Externally, she is healing well—"

"Well?" Ukitake-taichou exclaimed, his disbelief evident.

"Yes, Ukitake-san. She was much worse." Both men's heads literally snapped over to meet her even gaze. "According to the monk that was treating her, she suffered third and fourth degree burns over almost all of her body. Even her internal organs were…charred."

Both men furrowed their brows at the very descriptive word.

"How did she make it that far, Unohana-san?" he asked, his voice small and quiet even in the silence of the room.

"Apparently she had help. At least two people according to the monks. She never would have made it there on her own, I'm sure."

"She knew," he muttered.

"Hmm, Ukitake?" her taichou asked, perplexed.

The tall, pale man cleared his throat.

"She knew. She knew all along."

"Undoubtedly," Unohana-taichou said, her voice small and quiet. He was repeating himself, but no one would dare point that out.

Isane shot her taichou a look, one that she shared with the Nanao and then Kyouraku-taichou. Everyone got the hint, but no one seemed to know exactly how to extricate themselves from the room. Thankfully Unohana-taichou was used to resolving awkward situations; her calm, serene demeanor was back in place in an instant.

"Perhaps we should let Ukitake-san have a moment. The sun will be rising soon, and you'll all have to be out of here when the sou-taichou arrives."

"He can try," Ukitake-taichou muttered, and Nanao felt a brief spurt of pride at the man's mettle. If anyone could afford to go against the sou-taichou, he could.

They slowly filtered out of the room, each leaving with one last look at the patient or the man there to see her, before finally congregating down the hall in the private office Unohana-taichou kept in the Sōgō Kyuugo Tsumesho. As they all sat down to tea—Nanao wasn't sure who had been in here earlier to make it but she was thankful for it—she realized that no one seemed to feel much like talking. Everyone was silent, lost in their own thoughts or preparing for the hard day ahead.

She could only think of one thing: they were all in for a hell of a time the next few months.

And it would all start this morning, as soon as someone informed the sou-taichou that his much-beloved niece was in critical condition in his very own hospital.

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A/N: Fourth degree burns are something most have never heard of, but they do exist. Usually they are only gotten in fatal fires or getting very badly burned, and you usually only see them in cases where over 50% of the body is burned or chemicals were used. It's relatively new as far as common medical use goes, at least according to my med student buddies. I didn't even know there was a fourth degree until a friend of mine died in a house fire.

Sōgō Kyuugo Tsumesho- SS hospital in Fourth Division