To be dead or drunk(Cass)

"Anothhher drink barman"

Pain... Pain is life's only constant.

Pain is a constant that drives people onward, or sinks them...

Behold the sinking Junko Tenshi.

Her 'armor' reduced to nought but dust, a beggar, wrapped in bandages and rags, and a broadsword the only claim that she is a shinigami. Her hair haggard, lay loose around her shoulders. Her breath, smelled of drink, and even then, she managed to garner a wide berth from those around her.

She looked down into her glass, a mournful emptiness still clung to it.

"I said another drink!" Junko's voice rose, not yelling, but forceful.

"Look lady, you drinking for free?"

"I want another drink you motherfu-"

Junko was grabbed from behind, her visioned swirled, stars flashing in her eyes.

Why was it so dark and cold, hell, when did the ground get this dirt? Aww shit... I'm in the dirt...

"What the fuck'd you do to her!? She's bleeding!"

Junko drew her sword, her power, the feeble amount that was left in her sorry state, flared, as she stumbled to the door of the bar...

Has it been three weeks now? Three weeks since I was thrown out of the Shinō Academy; three weeks I have been working at this damn tavern doing whatever they need me to do for what little coin they can spare. What I wouldn't give to have my small dorm room back, it would be better than sleeping in the back. Cass was deep in his thoughts when he heard a woman shout for another drink, but when she didn't get it she started to get belligerent with the bartender. Looking at the older man Cass shot him a look silently asking him if he wanted the girl escorted outside, when the man nodded Cass walked over and grabbed her and quickly carried her outside attempting to sit the dirty woman down with ease.

When someone called out what he had done to her and why there was blood someone from inside yelled back, but Cass stood in the door blocking the way. When the woman got up and drew her sword walking back towards him Cass frowned; he really didn't want to fight her but still he drew his own weapon. “Ma'am I think you've had enough to drink, in fact, I think a bit of fresh air would do you some good.” Cass spoke hesitantly trying to calm down the woman.

Who the fuck did this guy think he was!

"Y-you know who the fuck... The fuck I am?"

Junko tripped over the step onto the balcony, sending her sprawling. Her sword skittered across the woodwork, only coming to a halt at that bastard's feet.

Face down in wood. Junko tried to rise, only to be crippled by vomit spewing out of her mouth.

"Fuck..." Junko rolled over, trying to avoid lying in the putrid mixture of blood and vomit.

"I need a fucking drink..."

Junko stumbled back to her feet, with a quickness not seen in the average drunk.

"I'll fucking kill you for it..."

Cass frowned and walked over to her sword and picked it up, it had a nice weight to it but still it wasn't his way to fight a disabled opponent so he leaned it against the wall behind him. Then he turned and pointed his own blade at the woman who was puking the contents of her stomach up on the small wooden porch that surrounded the tavern. Quietly he slid the unneeded blade back into the sheath at his belt. When she got to her feet Cass gave the woman a warm smile trying once again to calm her down, “You won't be killing anyone if you don't sober up. I have worked here for three weeks and everyday I see you at the bar drinking till you can't even ask for another one.

“So far the owner has been polite and let you drink to you're heart's content, but now you are scaring our other customers. If you want a drink Ma'am I will be happy to get you some water.” At least that nausea seems to be sobering her up some, but if she starts fighting I might be a little outmatched. Leaning back against the wall Cass kept the sword pinned to the wall behind him, as he crossed his arms, this woman needed to see there was more to life than drinking away all your problems. He wasn't about to let her back into the bar before she learned that lesson.

Who the fuck stabbed me?

Junko's face scrunched up into a face of extreme confusion. Her hands went over to her bleeding stomache. "I'm bleeding" She said with a shocked tone.

She stumbled back into the street. She spun around, where the fuck was she?
The last thing she rememebered... for weeks, was that bar... Drinking herself into oblivion from dawn till dusk...

More vomit poured from her mouth causing Junko to collapse, until the contents of her stomache were completely empty.

Pain, in her head, her stomache, in her back, coursed through her body, the sweet life blood that reminded her that she was alive...

It hurt so much.

"This is why I stayed drunk..."

Junko half-charged, half-stumbled that mother fucker, "I'll fuckin' kill you dead!!!"

She planned on just tackling the kid, and going after her sword. She ended up more tackling at her sword, the kid was more in the way...

Cass' frown deepened when he noticed the woman bleeding from her stomach, “Listen ma'am if you will just calm down I will help you, but you are going to have to relax first.” Cass' voice was full of concern, but he had to worry about his own safety as well as the woman's. When she stood up he could see the look of pain on her face, but still she charged him. Without a second thought Cass raised his hand and focused his power, “Bakudo, Number 1: Sai” He felt the energy leave his body and smiled, he was steadily getting stronger than he had been in his fight with Arawn, the effort was barely noticeable at all. Cass pushed the woman back and crounched down looking at her stomach, “You're bleeding pretty bad here, do you mind if I take a look? It could be serious and if it happened in the bar I need to turn over to the authorities.”

Goddamnit.

Junko knew exactly what she would do if she was at... ANY metric of power.

"Break out of this fucking kido, stab him in the face with Hado... 23? Shit, mabye just punch him, he didn't need to die... Wait, he's the reason why I can feel shit, fuck him, he can die..."

So hado 23, punch, death, drink. Not a bad plan.

"Fuck this kid though, had me bound with the weakest kido in the book, I was stuck on this hard ass wooden deck."

Junko shifted, but immediately regretted it... Damn... It had been weeks, why hadn't she healed!

Junko didn't respond well to him speaking to her, wincing at every word. This headache would be a bitch once it came in force...

He finished talking... A fucking relief. "Does it look like I fucking mind, yes it's serious, no it didn't happen at the bar, now look if you must, you'll have to take my shirt off to get at the bandages, I've already embarrased myself enough out here, mind taking me inside?"

Cass smiled, finally the woman was starting to talk sensibly, quickly he bent down and picked the woman up gently carrying her back inside the tavern to his small room in the back. Walking in he frowned again as he looked at his meager home, a small bed set in one corner with a table and a bowl of fresh water beside it. He had all of his belongings hanging from a hook still in the sling he carried from the academy, he kept his spare clothes folded at the head of the bed to make use as a makeshift pillow. Laying the woman down on the bed he frowned looking at her dirty form; quickly he ripped the blood covered rags away and frowned, the girl was seriously injured way beyond his skill.

“What in the hell happened to you? Did you get in a fight with a hollow and lose?” Cass went to his bag and dug through it hunting for any left over salve for cuts. When he found it Cass set the small jar on the table and frowned quickly leaving the room to grab something he could use to clean the wound with. When he returned Cass went to work stripping the bandages from around her midsection and cleaning the bleeding wound as quickly and gently as possible. When it was cleaned he applied some of the salve, before re-wrapping the wound tight so as to keep it from bleeding even more. Finally when he was finished he released the kido and straightened the woman out. Picking up the bowl of water he helped her sit up and held it up to her. “Drink this it will help with the headache just not too fast or it will get worse.”

Being cared for sent a spinning wave or relief, cycling together in sync with her nausea. She... she was in bed? How long had it been since she had slept in a bed... Probably going back... to... prison? "Yeah... they're dead, nothing to worry about. No, this man wouldn't take advantage of me... no, he's nice..." Junko thought's echoed in her mind, her breathing turning to hyperventilating, her heart sent racing.

He isn't taking advantage of me... But each touch sent a small flinch through her body, he unwrapped the bandages...

Holy shit, that lieutentant hurt me... A gash rent across her body, from hip to rib cage, it was miracle her innards hadn't spilled out onto the street... Mabye they had... The amount of liqour ingested would've killed any sort of infection... right?

There were other nicks and scratches, at least compared that gash across her body. But it soon disappeared, rewrapped under...

"What's your name?" Junko inquired.

His questions were... difficult, he may very well cast me out if he knew who I really was... but the best lies have an essence of truth to them... so how to spin this lie... He deserved a choice, but wait... He's taking care of me, when not minutes ago, I was fighting him for another drink...

Junko sipped the water that lie on her lap.

Mabye ignoring that question would make it go away. "Thank you..."

You know... fuck it, he deserves an answer.

"I fought a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, and... lost... Destroyed a lot of homes in the process..."

Anyone who had been in Soul Society could have seen that fire... District 72 was gone... or mostly...

Junko worried in her head, "I hope I'm not put out in the cold for this..."

Cass smiled, the woman was beginning to sober up and she was talking; though Cass could hardly say the topic intrigued him. In fact, when she talked of facing a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guards, but that was her matter and not for him to stick his nose in where it didn't belong. Smiling he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, at the foot of the bed. “My name is Cass, former student of the Shinō Academy; now I am nothing more than a helping hand around the tavern.” When she spoke of being tossed out into the cold Cass frowned, “No miss I can't in all good conscience throw you out. Not while you are injured so, but I also cannot let you keep drinking. Alcohol keeps the blood thin and won't let it clot that is why you kept bleeding when you fell ripped open the wound.”

Junko settled back into the bed, a small rustling giving it away. The water sloshed around in the bowl. Her crystal blue eyes started to focus again, loosing the drunken haze that affected her vision. She was... hungry... but food was expensive in Rukon, it would be impolite to ask this man for it.

Junko still wary of this man's goodwill, kept him in the corner of his eye as she took another sip of the water, he retuned her question with an informative answer. Former Shino Academy student, he wouldn't know her crimes... At least... she hoped he wouldn't.

Junko replied, giving a fancy hand gesture to go along with her speech. "Former Shino Academy student? I suppose I fall into the same category, although I suppose the more relevant title is Former 7th Seat of the 11th squad, Junko Tenshi at your service"

Junko paused for effect, it wasn't common for seated officers to become such a mess...

"Might I add, one of the few to face my former captain's bankai and live to tell the tale"

Junko took another drink, the clear liquid rehydrating Junko with every gulp, until the bowl was empty...

the effects were immediate, a throbbing headache pounded away at Junko's cranium...

She gasped for air, setting the now empty bowl on the bed, "When I say at your service, I mean it, I owe you... but if you don't mind..." Junko punctuated this point with a yawn. "It's time for me to sleep."

As Junko drifted off to sleep, Cass stayed on the floor lost in his own thoughts, this girl was a seated officer in the Gotei 13? Why would she be in such bad shape then, did her captain really do all this to her? “I guess it does make us two of a kind for the moment.” Cass chuckled looking over at the sleeping young woman. Getting up off the floor he grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed and through it over Junko hoping that she would be comfortable while he was busy out in the tavern.

Stepping out into the tavern was like a whole new world as people had gathered as the sun went down. Some were sitting at tables together talking some were just being loud as they sang in slurred voices. Walking behind the bar Cass tied on an apron and got to work serving drinks and food as had become ritual in the evenings. When one patron asked about the broadsword propped behind the bar Cass simply replied, “I am holding on to it for a friend with a very violent temper, last person that tried to touch it lost their hand.”

That one response had killed any curiosity about the weapon for the rest of the evening and gave Cass more time to think about all he had learned. So deeply ingrained were his thoughts that Cass had barely noticed the passing of time until the owner placed a big hand on his shoulder and told him he could go ahead and take the evening off. Taking two bowls of stew and the broadsword with him Cass headed back to his room, “I hope she will be able to hold something down after being on a drinking binge.” Cass thought aloud as he headed towards the back.

Junko awoke with a stir. She was curled tightly, her body tense. A shiver, a remnant of a dream already forgotten. Her disheveled appearance accented by her hair, frilly and thin. Cosmetic appearance aside, she felt the best she had in a very long time. Her wounds were clean, and she had water, and a warm bed. These were things she hadn't had in a very long time.

Security was something that wasn't included in those things. She uncoiled herself from her fetal position, and started to sit up, every movement pained by the still healing wound across her body. Each tug of her muscles set a wave of red hot pain straight to her crainum. And Junko's head was already throbbing with a blinding headache. She wouldn't be secure, at least on her own, for a while...

She heard footsteps approaching the door, and pain had to be ignored. She stumbled out of bed, falling to the floor with a soft, blanket muffled, thud. She disentangled herself from the blankets, and realized... She was shirtless. She grabbed the blanket back up, and draped it around her. So there she was, wrapped in blankets, a bed-headed girl in an inviting man's room, and she was shirtless. If this was an assassin waiting outside of the door, they would most certainly get the wrong idea here...

She moaned, a cry of dissapointment. Junko Tenshi, death by blankets. A click sounded on the door.

When Cass reached the door to his room he leaned the sword against the wall as he worked with the door trying to unlock it with one hand. When he heard a thump from inside he slammed his shoulder against the door and forced it open; the door popping as it came unjammed from the frame. What he saw made the blood rush to his face before he quickly turned his back on the disheveled Junko. She was wrapped up in his blanket trying to look as intimidating as possible. Grinning Cass faced the wall, “You know that blanket won't protect you against much else than the cold, I did leave you some clothes folded up on the end of the bed. Sorry if they are a bit big I got them from the barkeep's wife, but I figured it would better than a blanket and some bandages.” Holding the stew out in his hands he continued, “I also figured you'd be hungry once you sobered up, although I have to admit that I hardly expected you to be able to stand with that nasty wound.”

Junko gave a little groan from the ground. There were clothes on the bed? Wait... Where was she? Fuck this guy, making her get out of bed.

She had one hell of a headache. Moving didn't make it better, and rolling around on the floor wasn't making it better. But clothes were nice. I think that clothes could make this headache go away.

Uhh... she was naked, and this boy wasn't going to see her like this, not while she was sober... She wasn't going to ask him to leave, she remembered enough from before she fell asleep to remember... Wait, this guy made her stop drinking?

Well then really fuck him... "Bakuto 5, Senko."

Junko cast the kido effortlessly, and a bright flash turned the room white.

Junko sure did hope he was blinded, but she didn't wait around to find out, she moved swiftly out of the blankets, bracing herself on the bed to get to her feet. She grabbed the shirt, flipping it over her head, before bracing herself back on the bed.

The 'shirt' was actually a short dress, designed to be worn with a belt, which lay on the bed still, but she could no longer bear to stand. She half collapsed, half sat on the bed. She realized she was panting, even basic movement such as this provoked such a harsh reaction from her body...

The man spoke, each word banging off her ears like a sledgehammer, chastising her for the previous... how long? ... worths of drinking...

She snatch the bowl out of his hands, and started ravenously consuming the stew, so much so that it seemed tasteless, just nothing more than warm. In seconds it was devoured, and her spiritual pressure raised unconciously in the seconds that followed.

"Alright, I don't have a very good memory of what happened in the last... 3 weeks... So answer me this... Did we fuck?" Junko deadpanned this to the man in the room, ready to... Hell she could hardly move, but she could use kido again...