Kisuke’s resolve lasts all of five seconds, before he feels the edges of his migraine beginning to return. He reaches up to rub at his temple, already dreading the rest of the day, before shivering as Erich follows his actions and reaches out to soothe the pain away a second time.

(Helpful, but… still creepy, feeling the presence of someone not him moving about in his mind.)

::I can’t really do much for that right now, I’m sorry,:: Erich says with a soft sigh. ::I’m… a bit more tired than I thought.::

“It’s fine,” Kisuke repeats, then winces and hunches his shoulders a bit as Kyoraku-taicho pulls his attention away from Ukitake-taicho looks back over at Kisuke. “Uh… s-sorry, Kyoraku-taicho,” he mumbles. “Just… talking…” with the voice in my head, he almost finishes with, before sense asserts itself and he clamps his mouth shut.

“It’s an odd sensation, isn’t it?” Kyoraku-taicho asks with a smile that looks more like a grimace. “Briar-san is fairly quiet right now, but when he was trying to explain things to me it was… a bit much.”

Kisuke gives a mirthless bark of laughter and relaxes a bit at Kyoraku-taicho’s words. “Yes. ‘A bit much’ is a good description,” he agrees, then casts a concerned look down at Ukitake-taicho and adds, “Is he… will Ukitake-taicho be okay?”

“So Briar-san said,” Kyoraku-taicho says with forced casualness, and in that moment…

In that moment, the man looks nothing like the confident, powerful Captain that Kisuke is used to seeing around Seireitei and in meetings. He just looks like a tired, worried man, unable to help his— his friend? His lover? Kisuke has no idea what their true relationship is, doesn’t know if anyone really knows for sure besides Ukitake-taicho and Kyoraku-taicho themselves, and has absolutely no interest in prying.

::Some hosts take the connection less well than others,:: Erich adds as he nudges Kisuke to move closer. ::Let me look at him? Briar is good, but he’s a warrior more than anything.::

“And you aren’t?” Kisuke mutters back in exasperation, remembering the ruin all around him when he woke up, then shakes his head and asks, “Kyoraku-taicho, may I check him? I know some field healing, and Erich-san wishes to take a look as well.”

Kyoraku-taicho remains silent for a moment, and Kisuke is certain the man is going to refuse, but then— “Go ahead,” he says as he moves a bit closer to Ukitake-taicho and reaches out to try and tuck the man’s ungainly wings into a tidier arrangement. “Another person checking can’t hurt.”

::I’m primarily a researcher and inventor these days, thank you very much,:: Erich says primly as he reaches out and guides Kisuke’s hand to settle on Ukitake-taicho’s back between the wings. ::And before that I was a strategist. Combat has always been secondary for me,:: he adds as his presence slides through Kisuke towards Ukitake-taicho. ::Now give me a moment, I need to focus.::

Kisuke blinks down at his hand and tentatively wriggles his fingers, inordinately relieved when he can at least do that despite Erich apparently being able to control parts of his body. He can feel… something of whatever Erich is doing, like a whisper of a breeze against his skin, but he can’t quite figure out what’s happening.

“Disorienting, isn’t it?” Kyoraku-taicho asks wryly, nodding towards Kisuke’s hand. “Briar-san did that too.”

“I wish he wouldn’t,” Kisuke admits with a touch of shame, even though Kyoraku-taicho started the conversation.

Kyoraku-taicho purses his lips and gives Kisuke a searching look, then says, “Talk to him about it. I plan on doing the same with Briar-san when I get a moment.”

“Are you… uhm… do you plan on…” Kisuke scrambles for the words, wondering which option will be the least offensive to ask Kyoraku-taicho; would the man be more likely to want to keep the strange being as part of him, or not? He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know, and since he doesn’t know, he can’t figure out how to ask, but he really wants the older Captain’s advice but he doesn’t know how to ask—!

“I haven’t decided if I’m interested in maintaining the bond,” Kyoraku-taicho says before Kisuke can work himself up any further. “I will for now because I can feel how exhausted Briar-san is, and he and the others did save our lives, but… well. We’ll see what the future brings.”

Kisuke considers that answer, then gives a shallow nod of agreement: it makes sense when laid out like that, and means he isn’t the only one scrambling for an answer. It makes him feel less… lost, he supposes, if even a Captain as experienced as Kyoraku-taicho is scrambling for an answer.

Under his hand, Ukitake-taicho shivers, groans, starts to push himself up, and—

Starts choking. Rough, heaving coughs that sound worse than anything Kisuke’s ever heard before. Blood flecks Ukitake-taicho’s lips, and Kisuke scrambles to brace him even as Kyoraku-taicho curses and leans in as well, healing kido springing to life around both their hands and delving into Ukitake-taicho’s body.

Something grabs at his power. Twists it around. Sinks it deep, deeper than Kisuke’s ever tried to heal another before—

Ukitake-taicho gags. Spits a mass of weird black gook onto the ground. Takes a shallow, shivering breath and coughs up another wad of whatever, then takes another, deeper breath. Shakes his head weakly and starts to slump forward—

Kisuke catches Ukitake-taicho before he can hit the ground again, then trades a wide-eyed look with Kyoraku-taicho and warily eyes the weird, tar-like substance that Ukitake-taicho spat up. “That’s… that’s not normal, right?” he can’t help but ask weakly.

“No,” Kyoraku-taicho confirms with a grimace.

::Alexis and I purged the illness from his body,:: Erich tells him at the same time. ::Thank you for the extra strength, it helped us finish the process quickly.::

“Maybe lead with that before someone just starts coughing up tar,” Kisuke snaps at Erich, too frustrated to try to keep his voice low, then freezes as Ukitake-taicho shifts in his grip and presses a hand to Kisuke’s arm. “Er… Ukitake-taicho. Are you feeling alright?”

“I feel like a building fell on me,” Ukitake says, voice rough and weaker than usual. “I’ll be fine, though,” he reassures Kisuke with a gentle smile. “Help me sit up properly?”

“Y-yes, of course,” Kisuke stutters, then swallows and carefully helps Ukitake-taicho sit up as Kyoraku-taicho rearranges the man’s wings into a more comfortable position. He tries to focus on what he’s doing, tries to convince himself that this is just another member of his team, that nothing unusual is happening here at all, that he’s not practically manhandling a respected Captain—!

It’s a relief when Kyoraku-taicho settles on Ukitake-taicho’s free side and tugs the man against him, leaving Kisuke free to let go and move back. He doesn’t go too far, though, wanting to stay within reach just in case he’s needed again. It also leaves him close enough to get a decent look at the tar-like substance—

::I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,:: Erich warns him before Kisuke can do more than bend a bit closer. ::That illness was a ruthless one, and I don’t know if Alexis and I managed to kill all of it in what we forced him to expel.::

Kisuke wrinkles his nose and straightens up immediately. “We probably shouldn’t just leave it there, then,” he says as he wipes his palms on his thighs. “And how did you even do that, anyway?” At Kyoraku-taicho’s curious look, Kisuke grimaces and reaches up to rub at the back of his neck, glancing away from the other Captain as he does. “Ah… just talking with Erich-san,” he mumbles awkwardly, then takes a breath and tries to drag his mind into report-mode before Kyoraku-taicho can insist he explain. “Erich-san says that he and Alexis-san ‘purged the illness from his body’, and that he doesn’t know if they managed to ‘kill’ it all, so that—” he gestures at the substance that Ukitake-taicho coughed up— “is probably unsafe.”

Kyoraku-taicho gives the mess a wary look, then asks, “Do you have enough strength to cast a flame-ward over that, Urahara-taicho?”

“A flame—” Kisuke swallows his question as his brain catches up and supplies the answer: if they can’t safely leave the whatever where it is, then burning it is probably their best answer. A flame-ward — which makes flames and smoke harmless if cast correctly — will prevent any unburned bits from rising up to infect, or reinfect, them.

The question now is: does he have the strength to do it right?

A quick probe of his reserves assures him that he does, so long as he doesn’t have to anchor it over too large of an area. Which he shouldn’t need to, everything is relatively contained already, it’s just… something to be aware of.

“I should,” Kisuke settles on.

“Good,” Kyoraku-taicho says as he helps Ukitake-taicho move a bit further back. “Set it up, and I’ll set it on fire.”

Kisuke nods, takes a moment to gather his strength, and leans forward to trace a rough circle around the mess while murmuring the short incantation. The ward snaps into being, shimmering faintly in the sunlight, and Kisuke forces himself to straighten despite the exhaustion dragging suddenly at his limbs.

(Did he put more strength into the ward than needed?)

(He hasn’t misjudged his reserves so poorly in decades!)

There are spots flickering in the corners of his vision and his hands are trembling, evidence that he has misjudged his strength somehow.

(He’s going to need to retrain himself.)

(He won’t survive long, otherwise.)

Kisuke purses his lips and carefully rests his hands on his thighs, breathing through the worst of it. He’s certainly not going to be standing any time soon, but it’ll be fine. He’ll manage. He’s worked through worse before—

Ukitake-taicho is watching him.

Ukitake-taicho is watching him, a faint frown pulling at his lips and something odd in his gaze.

(Shit, did he give himself away?)

(Is he about to be called out for overexerting himself?)

Kyoraku-taicho mutters a short, sharp incantation and the tar-like mess bursts into flames, thankfully distracting Ukitake-taicho in the process.

And then Kyoraku-taicho wavers, almost falls, and Ukitake-taicho’s attention is well and truly diverted from Kisuke.

“You’re exhausted,” Ukitake-taicho says, voice tinged with exasperation. “We all are. No more powers until we’ve had a chance to actually rest,” he orders, gaze slanting to fix Kisuke with a firm look.

Kisuke suppresses a wince and tries to smile, tries to project the right mix of sheepish acceptance, and knows he fails by the way Ukitake-taicho’s eyes narrow. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ukitake-taicho,” he tries for instead, ducking his head to shield his expression. He doesn’t want to offend the man — doesn’t even know what he’s done to potentially offend him — and the best way to avoid offense is to accept the order.

(Not that he has any plans of trying to buck Ukitake-taicho’s order.)

(He’s not some green recruit trying to prove himself.)

(He knows better than that.)

“This is going to take some getting used to,” Kyoraku-taicho grumbles. He’s leaning into Ukitake-taicho’s side and his wings are drooping, feathers splaying out across the ground behind him, the brilliant, sun-gold color turning dull with dust. “No idea why that took so much energy.”

Ukitake-taicho frowns and closes his eyes, his presence drawing inward as he quickly drops into meditation.

::It’s probably our fault,:: Erich says a bit awkwardly, regret clear in his mental voice. ::Whatever power you have, it’s interacting… oddly with mine. I thought I was the only one affected, but it looks like you might be as well.::

Kisuke purses his lips and turns his own attention inward, taking a moment to probe more thoroughly at his reiryoku; now that he’s looking instead of just assessing his reserves, he can tell that Erich is right. There is something odd mingling with his strength, similar enough that it looks right at a glance, but different enough from reiryoku that it slips through his mental grasp when he tries to reach for it.

(Well, that answers that.)

::If I can use your powers, you can probably learn to use mine as well,:: Erich says, tone bright with interest. ::Our usual hosts can’t use more than a fragment of our strength, relying on us to cast spells for them, but you might be able to.:: There’s something almost gleeful about him as his presence presses closer, investigating Kisuke’s reserves with him. ::I wonder if mixing the two powers will let us create new spells for use?:: he muses while tugging lightly at a wisp of Kisuke’s reiryoku.

“An idea for another time,” Kisuke says with a touch of asperity, mentally nudging Erich away from his reiryoku. “Please stop touching that, I need it if I want to stay awake.” No matter how curious he is at the idea of spells and mixing powers, this is neither the time nor the place for it.

::Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause further harm,:: Erich murmurs as he draws back and brushes a sense of apology-regret-contrition against Kisuke’s mind. ::I will remember to watch myself.::

Kisuke swallows at the apology, uncertain how to take it; Erich sounds — and feels! — truly apologetic about it, but… but that can’t be, can it? Only Yoruichi and Tessai apologize so readily to him, not— not strangers.

“Urahara-taicho?” Kyoraku-taicho asks sharply, straightening up a bit and giving Kisuke a weird look. “Is there something wrong?”

“A-ah, no, no, I apologize, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Kisuke hastens to reassure Kyoraku-taicho before the man’s opinion of him can plummet any further. “Just giving Erich-san a warning, is all!”

(He really, really needs to figure out how to talk to Erich mentally.)

(And Benihime too, since it seems like Erich’s presence allows her to speak with him outside of jinzen.)

(But this speaking aloud thing needs to stop, and soon!)

Kyoraku-taicho’s eyes narrow and his lips thin, and Kisuke braces himself for the man’s anger, but instead—

Instead, Kyoraku-taicho just sighs and looks away to scan the area around them. “Stay here with Ukitake-taicho,” he orders as he carefully pushes himself to his feet, wings twitching awkwardly before finally settling tight against his back. “I’m going to take a look around and see what I can find.”

The breath freezes in Kisuke’s throat at the trust implied in Kyoraku-taicho’s words, and he bows his head in acceptance; he’s certain that Ukitake-taicho will wake from his meditation the moment danger arises, but— but Kyoraku-taicho is leaving his friend in Kisuke’s presence. He doesn’t know what to do with that knowledge, doesn’t know how to respond, doesn’t know why Kyoraku-taicho would trust him after all the trouble he’s caused so far—

Kyoraku-taicho casts him another odd look, brows furrowing and wings twitching, and Kisuke forces himself to straighten, forces himself to breathe, and says, “I’ll keep watch, Kyoraku-taicho,” with as much confidence as he can.

Kyoraku-taicho watches him for a moment longer, then hums and turns away again. “Flare your reiatsu if you need anything,” he says firmly. “We don’t know when, or if, more Hollows will arrive, and none of us are in any condition to fight alone.”

“I will,” Kisuke agrees as he settles himself more comfortably on the broken ground; honestly, of the three of them, Ukitake-taicho might be the one in the best condition, which is… not a good indicator of their chances of survival if something else crops up.

(Honestly, he’s not entirely certain how Kyoraku-taicho is standing right now.)

(He certainly doubts he could do it, which is just more evidence of how terrible he is as a Captain.)

But apparently his words are enough for Kyoraku-taicho at last, because the man gives the two of them one final glance and then strides away, leaving Kisuke alone with Ukitake-taicho.

Kisuke swallows, gives Ukitake-taicho a sidelong look, then takes a deep, shuddering breath and forces his mind back into mission mode.

(He can’t afford to miss anything now.)

(He has to prove himself.)

(He has to…)

(So he will.)