madimpossibledreamer

ukitake would make an AMAZING Jedi

( Chapter 26 )

I got real life in my iso fic. (warning: covid mention)
Shunsui and Shun Akiyama actually do have a lot in common, personality-wise. It’s kind of a cool coincidence. (He is, by the way, lying about the origin of the name, but it’s a story he came up with while he was creating the character.) Early Shunsui also has things in common with early Tony Stark—desperate and almost angry to prove himself against his father and everyone else who thinks he can’t do it, but also living down to their worst expectations.
EDIT WHOOPS I FORGOT TO CHANGE THE SUMMARY MY BAD

v  Meifu’s Gate (Source: Fanfic.net)

Ø  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4730338/1/Meifu-s-Gate-Prequel

Ø  Bleach

Ø  There’s more than just the prequel, but it’s easy enough to find the others using the author’s profile.

If you can't get enough of the Soul Society pre-Turn Back the Pendulum (i.e. me), you should check out Meifu's Gate.  You'll get hours of entertaining reading out of it (but, uh, be more intelligent than me and start when you actually have time vs when you should be working on homework.  It's nice that it's broken up into volumes, but I didn't find that helped much because I got to the end of one and just kept saying 'but I need to know what happens next'.  So, yeah, block out time).  It is longer and without the shipping of the later work Cat's Cradle, so I'd say it has a wider audience. 
The characterization is amazing and I love the worldbuilding in, well, Bleach and even more so here, because I get that Bleach is shounen but I'm here for the awesome world that you're just using as a backdrop for your fights, Kubo. 
This was one of two fics that formed my headcanons which is an amazing feeling (you've probably noticed by now that I love fics with awesome plot and yet more worldbuilding that add a lot to the original story).

            Even Nanao-chan can’t tear him away from one of these…demonstrations of Jū’s.
            He could call it simple fighting practice, as Nanao-chan had, the first couple times she’d shown up and tried to drag him away, hitting him with a folder of papers he’s supposed to be dealing with.  But that would be wholly untrue.
            Everyone tends to underestimate Ukitake.  Wonder why he’s a taichō.  They see the frail, willow-like man with a smile and a soft voice and a kind word, and they see or hear of his famous sickness, and they see him as weak.
            It’s one of Shunsui’s favorite performances, seeing the shock on their faces when Jū-chan lightly flash steps between them as if they’re mere bamboo screens.  Rarely do any of the trainees manage to even touch him.  There’s the slightest of smiles on his friend’s face, and Shunsui knows the man’s enjoying himself, too.  It’s easy enough, even for the fellow captains, to forget that as much as Ukitake-taichō enjoys peace and spoiling all the children (and, well, practically everyone else as well) and being kind to everyone and even paperwork, somehow (but then, he’d enjoyed, or at least taken pride in the homework as well, the crazy, hardworking man), there’s a gentle, beautiful savagery that hides behind the polite exterior.  Not that the politeness was any less of his friend, any less true, but it’s hardly the only thing there.
            Ukitake hates being underestimated, hates people who dismiss him because of his illness, even though he takes advantage of it, which is deception most also don’t think he’s capable of. 
            Shunsui might dislike fighting, himself, fear the dangerous part of himself hiding beneath the surface, but seeing the same in Jū-chan, the joyous way he lets go of every fear and flows, water and lightning, and breaks down every misconception they have about appearance and ability to fight…
            Well.  That’s not something to miss.  It might keep them alive, in the end, for after all, there are Hollows who appear just as unassuming as Jūshirō, and it’s important not to let down your guard in such a case.  And in general, it’s just something to see.
            He’s not the only one to think so, either.  Sometimes Unohana will appear, if she has nothing else to do, but she’s usually busy.  She probably also doesn’t want others to panic, to think that she’s on hand just in case Ukitake has an emergency during the middle.
            On a slightly more worrisome note, there’s Kenpachi-taichō, who likes to show up and watch with hungry eyes, small pink lieutenant in tow with just as much enthusiasm.  He’s got an uncomfortably good sense for the strongest warriors, which probably wouldn’t be so bad if he could stick to a single sparring match every now and then rather than wanting to fight every second, every day.
            And then there’s the few times they’re allowed to spar, though they’ve been forbidden to do that in Seireitei, then there’s true power unleashed, the kind most of these new recruits couldn’t even imagine.  There’s delight in being able to go all out, trusting your sparring partner to be able to counter anything you can unleash.  It’s a dangerous dance, but it’s like nothing else.
            Nanao’s taken to showing up with paperwork, watching and occasionally getting a few pages done, instead, and Shunsui brings a blanket to spread out, make them more comfortable in their role as an audience.

            Shunsui can always tell when the Captain of the Thirteenth isn’t feeling well.

            Oh, when he’s too out of it to even be very aware of the pain, it’s obvious to all.  He’ll be in his customary cot in the Fourth Division, usually unconscious and being attended to by Unohana herself.

            Usually, under orders from Retsu, Shunsui will keep an eye on Jūshirō and make sure he’s not trying to do too much while he’s still recovering.  It’ll earn a pout (or worse), but Unohana and Kyōraku are the two that can actually get away with saying such things to the Shinigami.  As much work as it is, it’s the only task that Shunsui will ever complete cheerfully without a hint of laziness or resentment.

            Ukitake could be very sneaky when he wanted to be, especially when he was at his most polite.  Over the years, though, Shunsui had learned to keep an eye out for sudden escapes or plotting.

            Still, there’s a part of his heart that’s gladdened when his fellow captain is at his most devious.  It means that, ailing body or no, Jūshirō’s doing just fine.  Ukitake is one of the few that’s he pretty sure could hold himself together on sheer will alone.

            It’s the other times that scare him more.  When Ukitake doesn’t act as if it’s business as usual.  When he goes and sits on the roof, distractable, watching the passersby and needing the babble of voices just to feel safe enough to fall asleep.

            When he barely has an appetite and his ability to pretend everything is fine is much, much less convincing than usual.  Then Shunsui worries.  But at least it’s never lasted for long.