Summary: One Shot. Nemu sneaks out to the real world to see if the rumors are true. Has Uryuu really been struck down by a powerful unknown foe? Surely he will need her healing touch.

Nemu boldly strode down the hospitals corridor, her concern adding urgency to her stride. She paid no attention to the mortals around her. Not only could they not see her, but they usually got out of her way, shivering a little, brows furrowed in puzzlement as they did so. It was one of the minor perks of being a shinigami. A death god. The only people with normal spiritual energy who could see her were probably close to moving on and in no condition to tell anyone. There was only one person she had to worry about as she approached her destination.

She felt him before she saw him. She looked for cover and ducked around a corner. There was no mistaking his powerful reiatsu. Ishida Ryuuken was tending to his son. She waited patiently, suppressing her own reaitsu so he wouldn't detect her. Now and then, a nurse or technician would walk by close enough to be disturbed by the odd chill down their neck she inspired. Soon enough, she felt Ryuuken moving away. She peeked around the corner just in time to see the back of his head as he went to his office. Waiting another minute or so, she crept over to the room. As she entered, she saw it was just as she had feared.

"Uryuu." She whispered. Her poor Uryuu. The rumors were true. He was badly injured. What had happened to him now?

He lay there, still and pale, sweat beaded on his forehead as he twitched and moaned in an uneasy sleep. She put her hand on his forehead and was alarmed by his high temperature. Able to analyze his condition at a touch, she grieved to learn how much pain and suffering he endured. He wasn't sleeping so much as sliding into a coma from the shock and trauma. Gently, she cradled his head in a loose embrace. It was going to be all right. She was here now.

Stepping back, she took the chart from the foot of his bed and took a good look at his injuries. According to his report, he had lost a lot of blood and had a deep laceration from his right shoulder going across his torso. He had almost lost his arm. Placing the chart back on its hook, she stepped around to Uryuu's right side. Picking up his hand, it felt cold in her grasp. She pinched the nail on his middle finger. It took a long time for blood to return to the pale flesh. His circulation was poor. He was sure to have severe nerve damage as well. Under normal circumstances, he would need several surgeries and months, if not years, of therapy and would most likely still not regain full use of his arm. Luckily, he was not under normal circumstances. She would ensure he would make a full recovery. There was only one difficulty.

Looking at his wounds, the dark energy seemed to glower at her as it festered among the sutures and bandages. The leftover reiatsu of whatever/whoever had attacked him was not only still there, it was growing. She could see how Uryuu's body fought against it, a hard blue-white line forming where his own energy pushed against the intruder. It advanced a little, then retreated from the dull black-red glow. In time, Uryuu's body might succeed, but until he did, the wound would never heal. No doubt his father had done all he could. Nemu would take it from here.

Placing her hands over his chest, they began to glow as she focused healing energy through them. This was going to be a lot more involved than usual. This was not a simple matter of knitting flesh and bone together. This required Nemu to match her reiatsu to his, reinforcing and boosting his body's defenses.

She closed her eyes as their energies synched and merged. On a subconscious level, she felt Uryuu recognize and welcome her. She guided his energy as though holding his hand, leading it and focusing it on the intruder. It was unlike any reiatsu she had ever seen, neither shinigami nor hollow. Directing her mind as a weapon, she fought alongside Uryuu, forcing the enemy out. To her surprise, it fought back! Somehow, this energy had retained a great deal of its host's vitality, attacking almost as a conscious thing. She was annoyed. Not only was this thing malignant, it was impertinent. How dare it seek to harm the man she loved? How dare it defy her will?

Gritting her teeth, she focused all her energy into defeating the hateful entity. Uryuu's strength grew as well, inspired by her presence and guided by her will. Bit by bit, centimeter by centimeter, they pushed the malevolent thing further and further out of Uryuu's body. It struggled and clawed as it resisted, hissing and growling on a spiritual level as it sought to remain. Nonetheless, it couldn't compete against both of them and slowly gave way. At last, it was barely holding on, a blackish, glowing orb with a thin tendril that stretched to Uryuu's shoulder, growing thinner and thinner as it grew weaker and weaker. With one more hard push, they forced it to let go. With no body to hold on to and keep it grounded, the foreign reiatsu essentially shorted out. With an electric 'POP', it lost cohesion and dispersed. It was gone.

Nemu could no longer maintain the meld with Uryuu. Opening her eyes, she realized she was gasping for breath, her knees shaky with fatigue. The struggle had been harder than she realized. Looking at Uryuu, it had all been worth it. His wound was now clean of the foul aura. He would be able to heal. Despite her weariness, she resumed work on him, re-attaching severed nerves, patching and clearing damaged veins. Running out of energy and unable to continue, she was relieved to feel his hand grow warm as she held it. It was turning a healthy shade of pink too. He would still need a lot of care, but he was well on his way to a full recovery.

She wished she could do more. As it was, no doubt the staff would be very surprised by his condition tomorrow. The speed his wounds had healed would seem like a miracle to them. They would probably write it off as the consequence of his youth or a misdiagnosis. Human were good at ignoring things or twisting facts to fit what they already knew. It helped keep them sane. There was one person who would have his suspicions. Nemu didn't care what Ryuuken thought when he found out. He should simply be glad his son was recovering. She would have to go soon before Mayuri-sama missed her. He would be very angry if he learned she had made this unauthorized house call. Lately she found she didn't care very much about his opinion either. Did that make her a bad daughter?

She would worry about that another day. She lightly pushed aside the hair on Uryuu's forehead with her index finger. He was truly sleeping now, face relaxed and peaceful. She leaned over and carefully brushed her lips against his.

"Sleep well. Heal quickly." She whispered.

She kept the image of his face in her mind as she left the hospital. Was he smiling in his sleep? She wasn't sure. She hoped on some level he would remember she had been there. Even someone like her knew injured people felt better when they felt a loved one's presence. Whenever possible, she would be sure to be there for him to give him her healing touch.

The End.