Wilted Flower

You may have sent him into a total regression, Captain Kuchiki.
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Byakuya could only watch as Unohana tried to bring Hanatarou out of, what seemed to be, a comatose state. This was the tenth time in the last week that he had watched Unohana try to pull Hanatarou back from his own mind. He was worried but he could not let his fellow captain see that. He had a reputation to keep up and he could not find a way to let that go. He startled slightly when the captain before him began speaking as she watched the listless form of her own squad member.

“He has never regressed this far for this long, Captain Kuchiki. I do not know what I can do to bring him out of it. I was worried that intimate touch may scare him, but I never expected the result to be this bad. I would like to bring him back to the fourth squad barracks and see if the familiar atmosphere will help bring him back to himself.” Byakuya nodded as the other captain spoke. He watched as her expression changed to deep worry before he responded in his usual, cold and distant, tone.

“I understand, Captain Unohana, please keep me informed of his condition.” Byakuya bowed to the captain still kneeling by the bed before ducking out of the room. He motioned the fourth squad members waiting to transport Hanatarou into the room before leaving the manor and heading towards his own squad offices.
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It was three more weeks before Hanatarou responded to any type of stimulation. Captain Unohana watched as Hanatarou’s eyes flickered open, gradually brightening from the sickly dull that they had been for almost a month. She carefully moved his black hair back from his still pale forehead before smiling gently at him.

“Welcome back, Hanatarou. How are you feeling?” Hanatarou blinked slowly and looked up at his captain before tilting his head to take in his surroundings. He looked confused before shaking his head and clearing his throat before speaking.

“What do you mean, Captain? I am fine…” Hanatarou watched as his captains brows furrowed before she lifted a hand to his forehead and felt for a temperature. He felt himself flinch before his memories of what he thought was the prior night came rushing back. He felt his breath catch before he heard his captain murmuring to him, trying to calm him with her words.

“Hanatarou, calm down. It’s all right, I am right here. You do not have to worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.” Hanatarou felt his hands clench into fists before he let them go, slowly calming his breathing before attempting to look up at his captain once more. He took a deep breath to calm himself while he looked up into the kind eyes that had helped him through so much in his life. He took another deep breath before attempting to speak to his concerned captain once again.

“I…I think I’ll be all right, Captain.” Hanatarou closed his eyes, calming himself, before startling and grabbing his own captains haori before he could stop himself. He took a few stuttering breaths before letting go of his captain haori and smoothing it apologetically as he beganspeaking to her again, asking her a question that he was afraid to hear the answer to. “Is…Captain Kuchiki all right?…I mean, last night…he…he umm…well, I’m afraid he might be freaked out by what happened.” Hanatarou finished quickly as he watched his captain take a deep breath before patting his shoulder and looking at him sadly.

“Hanatarou, I’m sorry but I have to tell you, you regressed pretty badly. You were under for four weeks. We were all very worried about you.” Hanatarou found himself unable to breath a he stared, shell shocked, at his captain.

“Four…four weeks Captain? Are you sure?” Unohana nodded and Hanatarou’s breath hitched as he felt unwanted tears begin to fall. “I can’t…Captain…I don’t….I don’t even remember…Please Captain…tell me it’s not true…I can’t go into regression…Please…Captain…” Unohana felt her eyes begin to water as she watched Hanatarou sob over a condition that he could in no way change on his own. His was a condition that he probably could not change easily even with help. She leaned down and pulled the trembling boys into a loose, non-threatening, hug and whispered softly to him.

“It’s all right Hanatarou, you have people who care for you. We will never leave.” Unohana couldn’t stop the sigh as she felt him stiffen slightly in her arms like he hadn’t done for years as he cried even harder.
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Byakuya felt himself pacing…Pacing! He hadn’t paced in years but he felt himself slowly wearing a rut in his carpet as he worried over the condition of Yamada Hanatarou. He had not seen the fourth division squad member for over three weeks and hadn’t even gotten a condition report in half that time. He knew that Unohana Retsu took care of her squad members but he would have never thought that she would quarantine them when they got sick…or whatever she called the condition that Hanatarou was in.

Byakuya couldn’t take it anymore.
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Less then ten minutes later Byakuya found himself being told very kindly, but firmly, by the fourth division lieutenant that he was not allowed in to see Hanatarou-chan until the captain gave express orders that he was allowed inside.

Suffice to say, Byakuya did not like this answer and decided to kindly, but firmly, tell the lieutenant standing before him to go get her captain and that he would talk to her personally about this matter.
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Unohana suddenly felt the sobbing body curled close to her startle and push away fast enough to just about knock them both off the spacious bed. She stared in wonder as she watched what seemed like the real Hanatarou come back, stutters and all before he finally took a deep breath and spoke clearly.

“Captain, I have to go talk to Captain Kuchiki, he kissed me, said he wanted to explore feelings with me then apparently I closed down. I didn’t mean to and I do not want him to think that I don’t want to explore with him. I do want to explore with him.” Unohana’s mouth fell open slightly at this. Explore with him? Little, scared, Hanatarou actually wanted to explore, what had to be romantic feelings, with another man again? “I…I think that this would be a great stepping stone to make Captain Kuchiki…and me…become accustomed to people again…become accustomed to touching and being touched by people again. You…know that I had a crush on him a long time ago and…and…well, I don’t want to let something that might be good for both of us slip through our fingers because I‘m scared or he‘s too emotionless. Please Captain, let me see him. Let me apologize…or explain…or something…” Hanatarou took a deep breath and Unohana watched as unshed tears retreated and a boy who looked frightened, but very determined, sat in front of her pleading for help with the look in his eyes. “Please Captain…I’ll try to keep myself from the regressions as long as this leads to me being able to get over this. I don’t want to be afraid to touch or be touched by people anymore. Please. Captain…help me.” Unohana felt something break and then reassemble itself at his brave words inside her chest as she nodded.

“Of course I’ll help Hanatarou-kun. I’ll do everything I can.” Unohana look reassuringly at the trembling boy in front of her and reached out to try to touch him but was stopped before her hand made contact by a knock on the wooden door behind her.
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Before Byakuya realized what was happening he was being led to a private conference room to speak with the captain of the fourth division. He stood before the seemingly very intense captain and prepared to plead his case. He was not prepared to be told to sit down, shut up and listen. He was told that she already knew that he was there for and that she would get to that issue in just a moment. Byakuya found himself obeying as he sat and listened to what the healer had to say to him.

Byakuya sat and listened as he was told of Hanatarou’s condition, his subsequent reaction to stimulus and how he reacted the first time he was touched again. He listened carefully as Unohana told him what touching him again could cause and how to be sure if he wanted to be touched. He was told not to touch Hanatarou unless Hanatarou initiated the touch and not to take it beyond anything that was inside the boys comfort zone. He was slightly confused, if he was not allowed to see Hanatarou why was he being told how to touch him? Byakuya was floored when the captain told him what Hanatarou had said and how he felt about being with him. He was told to be very careful around Hanatarou before he was lead from the conference room to the room where Hanatarou was recovering from his bout with regression.
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Hanatarou watched as the slightly daunting sixth division captain was lead into his room and nodded to his captain when she left them alone with a soft be careful. Who these words were directed towards, neither knew. He took a deep breath and stood as he watched the captain lower himself to a chair across the room before he began to speak.

“I…guess Captain Unohana told you what I said before you came in, Captain Kuchiki?” Hanatarou could feel himself begin to shake as he took a step closer and saw the captain nod in confirmation. “I…I would like to ask for your help Captain Kuchiki, I don’t know if this is what you meant by exploring feelings but I want…I want to know if you will help me overcome my phobia of being touched.” Hanatarou felt himself relax slightly as he stepped into an arms length of the man in the chair when he saw another nod. “Please help me Cap-” Hanatarou startled slightly when he was cut off.

“If we are going to undertake this task, Yamada Hanatarou, then I will ask that you call me Byakuya, not Captain Kuchiki. Becoming comfortable with a person starts with calling them by their name.” Hanatarou nodded and began again.

“Then I would like to ask for your help, Byakuya-sama.” Hanatarou took another step forward and he could see the lines between the captains eyes as he frowned slightly.

“No, not Byakuya-sama, just Byakuya and I will call you Hanatarou. Of course, if that is all right with you and of course I will help, I came to ask for your assistance in the first place.” Hanatarou nodded and took a steeling breath before he took the last step that placed him right in front of the captain. He watched as the captain looked up at him with concern at his close proximity before he reached out his own hand. It took him a couple tries but he finally built up the courage to touch the captain lightly on the cheek, tracing the firm jaw, as he tried to stutter out his final request for the night.

“Then…will you…will you…hold me until…I get too scared…Byakuya?” Hanatarou felt himself tremble as he lowered himself slowly to the captain lap. He looked imploringly into the captains eyes as he tried to stop his own shaking when he felt the warm body beneath his shift slightly.

“Of course Hanatarou, anything you ask, my wilted flower.” Hanatarou felt himself relax slightly as strong arms wrapped slowly around him. He clung to the captains haori as he felt himself relax into the warm body heat, the rhythm of the body’s breathing slowly lulling him back to sleep where he thought of times falling asleep in warm body heat before his life went to hell.
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AN:Allright, here's the third chappy! Sorry still no smut but that will come slowly in this story.

Ummm, this is...the beginning of healing i guess...well you'll know if you read.

Well i hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!