4 ❀ 花吐き病

[konnosuke]

H A N A H A K I ✿

Hanahaki is a fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings (romantic love only; strong friendship is not enough), or when the victim dies. It can be cured through surgical removal, but when the infection is removed, the victim's romantic feelings for their love also disappear.

Comments

[tosa]

( Always one to speak his mind and a big fan of sticking his foot in his own mouth, one would never think Mutsunokami would have a hard time telling anyone how he felt. But for all of his talk about hearts and human experiences, love wasn't really a priority. At least, not the romantic kind. His heart is big and full of love and he has plenty to give and share with everyone around him and amongst all of that, he just... hadn't realized. That's how he can be. He's the type that runs ahead quickly without much of a second thought and he can sometimes miss the obvious until it hits himin the face.

This time, it catches him in his chest. It starts off as an ordinary enough cough. Is it the weather? Is he sick? Dang, these human bodies can be tricky to take care of! But this isn't a regular human body thing, is it? He finds that out soon enough when he lets out a cough and what spills out from his mouth is carnation petals. )

[fushichou]

[For Kanesada, there isn't much that's worse than being assigned fieldwork.

Unless it's being assigned fieldwork with Mutsunokami.

It's not that Mutsunokami is a bad worker or anything and, if Kanesada were actually honest with himself, he's not the worst person to be stuck with when it comes to chores. Mutsunokami does work, which is more than he can say for, like, Akashi or someone. But it's just...it's Mutsunokami. He's never going to like that guy. What with his annoying laugh and his nearly incomprehensible accent and his stupid, ugly, punchable face -

Whatever. He's not about to start this chore on his own, though, so he's on a mission to find his unfortunate partner. Which he does soon enough.]

Oi, slacker!

[He sees Mutsunokami's back hunched over his hands and...wow, that cough sounds terrible. If he's hacked up anything he can't see it, luckily(?) for Mutsunokami, but he does soften his voice as he approaches.]

Hey. If you're sick you should get some rest.

[tosa]

( Where did those come from? He has no idea where they could have possibly come from. He's so confused and he has so many questions about what just happened but before he can get too lost in his thoughts, an all too familiar voice cuts through and he stands upright, wiping his hands on his leg and trying to hide the evidence behind him.

He laughs, )

Gahaha! ( It's a little forced but that's easily explained by the earlier coughing. It sounds natural enough, ) Don't worry, don't worry.

It's just a little cough. I'm not gonna slack off or anything. Let's go.

( No big deal. )

[tsukijiji]

[Mikazuki looks up as he hears Mutsunokami cough again. It's been going on for a few days and at first it wasn't too concerning, but it keeps going...]

Oya, are you alright? That did not sound good.

[tosa]

( He closes his hands around the petals and smoothly, he lets out a breathy laugh. )

Don't worry! ( It's tricky when he's dealing with Mikazuki. The Sanjou sword is a lot wiser than he lets on. In some ways, that's something the two of them have in common. They're both observant but hide it easily behind their own characters. Mikazuki is an old man and Mutsunokami is just a young and boisterous. ) It's just a cough.

( He needs Mikazuki to leave so he can take care of this before he finds out, though. )

Careful, ya might catch it.

[cranelike]

( The first time it happens, he's surprised.

For the past month, he'd a lingering cough that just wouldn't go away. It broke his laughter, interrupted his practice, and kept him up at night. Over time, it only grew worse, eventually taking away his breath and hurting his chest. He'd been able to feel something deep within his lungs, rattling and shaking loose with each cough. And then it happened.

He'd thought it was blood but after looking at his hand, he saw it was only a flower's petal. Strange. There was no explanation for it, and he'd tossed it, wrapping it up and throwing it away or chucking it into the garden. But it happened again. And again and again, more and more filling his mouth.

He started to isolate himself, trying to keep his condition to himself. He breaks away from the group during chores one day, laughing off his assignment and making some excuse about him being old or their task being boring. Alone, he breaks into another fit and looks down at his hand.

Well, this is a surprise, he thinks, looking at the red spider lily in his palm.

It's the first time he's ever coughed up a whole flower. Crumbling it in his hands, he tucks it into his kimono sleeve. He'll get rid of it later-- bury it in the garden or hide it under the flooring. He's old enough that he's heard stories and poems about what this is. To think that it would be real, though! How annoying. )

[tsukijiji]

[Tsurumaru hides many things.

And Mikazuki is not always able to tell what he is hiding, but he knows when he is hiding something.

So he followed when Tsurumaru left to isolate himself, and the silk of his robes whispers as he approaches from behind.]

... What is going on?

[cranelike]

(As cool as ever, he doesn't seem at all bothered by Mikazuki following him. At least, not obviously. He clears his throat, trying to push back that scratch that's building up again and let's out a light but hoarse laugh,)

Nothing, Mikazuki. (He waves a hand dismissively in the air,) It's just this human body being troublesome again.

(He coughs once again, this time, it's small and light,)

Don't worry so much.

[despirit]

early.

[a cough can be disguised as winter's chill, can be blamed on illness that won't quite let go. these human bodies were so fragile, after all. and it's a good thing that Nikkari half of the time keeps to himself, floats around like the ghosts he can see. he coughs on his own, and the camelia petals that fall from his lips are a secret. a pale yellow, and he thinks it's as sickly as he feels, with this thing inside. a curse, maybe, but a curse doesn't make the heart ache like it does.

he starts taking more walks, so he can claim fresh air. so he can return, and be fine. so that when he needs to cough in a way that shakes his bones, spitting out the petals, no one might see.]

late.

[it's worse. it plagues him every day, and there's no denying it. there's talk of a cure, but frankly, he doesn't want it. to have it removed is acting like nothing happened, might as well make him a blade alone again. it plagues him, suffocates him, and yet Nikkari cannot let go of his feeling anymore than he might break himself in half.

so, in the early morning, before sunrise, he gathers what strength he has, and goes. where, he's not certain, but the only direction is away from the citadel. in this condition, it's not possible to go fast, but steady on - for as a sword, one should be stronger than this. before someone makes him deal with a surgery, before he has to waste away further. there will be, if he keeps walking, keeps pushing through the hacking fits that plague him, a quiet place to lay down and sleep. hopefully, not to wake up.

does a sword leave a body when they die, he wonders, or do they fade - only leaving the metal behind? he supposes he'll find the answer.]

early!

[minogame]

( Urashima hates the cold. It isn't his first winter but he's far from used to them. Wrapped in a winter haori some sizes too big (he's clearly "borrowed" it from one of his brothers) and carrying a small, bundled up blanket in his arms, he speaks softly, )

Kamekichi, it's cold. ( There's no turtle to be seen but give how closely he holds that blanket and speaks to it, she must be hidden in the folds, ) It's not good to go outside by yourself.

( Ah, she must have wandered off on her own again. How a perpetually sleeping turtle manages to cover so much ground when he isn't looking is a mystery to him and everyone else at the citadel but he never minds. She's a special turtle, after all. So special, in fact, there's probably a reason why she's wandered out on this particular, chilly evening in this particular direction.

While heading back to the citadel, the young wakizashi spirit hears a cough and being the curious boy he is, he goesto investigate. When he sees a familiar person out on his own, he calls out innocently, )

... Nikkari-san?

( What is he doing out here? )

[despirit]

[crushing the petals in his fist, he turns around at the sound of a voice. Urashima isn't expected, but he can probably be waved off, Nikkari thinks.]

Urashima-san? What brings you out here?

[tucking his hand in his pocket, the evidence is hidden, and instead he walks over to the other wakizashi all bundled up.]

Delivering a package?

late

[harai]

[It admittedly takes a little bit of time before Ishikirimaru realizes Nikkari's presence is missing. While he still woke up early enough to perform his routine purifying ritual around the Citadel. He even passed by Nikkari's room, but simply spared the closed door a smile, thinking he was letting the other sword get some well-earned rest. He's been under the weather, after all.

And then he catches up with some of the others; the smaller swords excitedly show him new little treasures they've found while doing chores - acorns, beetles, flowers, even a curious old coin that had been dug up - and some of the larger swords bemoan life's little woes - it's getting colder now or some particular swords tend to stay up too late and don't try to be quiet about it - so, of course, he listens patiently.

Ishikirimaru is almost always patient.

But while it's not strange to not see Nikkari during a day, something in his gut feels...off. It's probably nothing. He's probably worrying for the sake of worrying, but he still makes his way back to Nikkari's room and knocks before sliding the door open when no response comes. Nikkari isn't inside. This isn't strange, even if the wakizashi has been sick and should be resting, but Nikkari is a tough one to pin down sometimes. So Ishikirimaru slowly makes his way around the Citadel again, casually asking from time to time if anyone has seen Nikkari.

They haven't.

The worry sits more heavily in the pit of his stomach.

It's hard to ask a decent amount of people when the Citadel is so big and there are so many other swords. And, naturally, no one sits still - save, perhaps, some of his brothers and other tea-devouring souls - so everything is chaotic motion. It makes it nearly impossible to keep track of anything on a solo mission. He even checks the day's chore list; Nikkari isn't listed. He could ask the saniwa if they've seen him, but if he goes that far, then others will see and start to talk and while his own little investigation hasn't yielded any results, he's sure it will continue to raise eyebrows.

No one else needs to worry needlessly about this, not if he can help it.

It becomes apparent that since Nikkari hasn't been seen inside he clearly must be outside. It narrows down the search, but also expands it. How far would he wander? Where would he wander? Ishikirimaru thinks on some of their earlier times together and remembers favored places in nature that Nikkari has led him, so he starts there. And comes up empty-handed.

This continues for some time and Ishikirimaru quickly finds himself out of breath and out of luck. But he's wandered close to the stables and, well. Surely he's not the first sword who's borrowed a horse for a little joyride. He mutters a promise to be careful as he mounts up and leads the horse toward a patch of woods. If Nikkari were in open ground, he'd be able to see, but that's not the case. So many things aren't the case today, so he chooses somewhere more hidden and calls out, blindly and directionless.]

Nikkari-san! Nikkari Aoe!

[despirit]

[he must be hallucinating, he thinks, because otherwise he wouldn't hear that voice calling his name. not as he's trying to get back up from where he's collapsed, the lack of real air such a strain on his lungs. he can't hide the petals anymore - hasn't been able to for a while, yet it's been kept quiet. but out here, he spits out the yellow petals, tries and tries to clear his chest and it's not enough, leaving him half suffocated and gasping for breath. that voice must just be his memory, a trick of the heart that aches in his chest. a last happy thought before he'll choke. no one should see him in this condition. no one will, if he has his way - if he can make himself stand, but he can only get halfway to sitting before he has to cough again, the petals falling into his hands, on his lap, the ground as his body shakes from the effort. he'll move. he'll find the strength to keep moving, after this ends. he has to, so that no one has to watch their comrade die. so that the weight of something impossible will only make him suffer, and no one else. that voice, that recollection, makes his heart so pained - this must be what dying is.]

[personifying]

[it's supposed to have a source, it's said. a source in a person, in affection, and Shizukagata finds that helps him less than it should. over and over again, he thinks in his head about who it could be, and yet he can't pin down the source that means he's spitting violet flowers from his lips, like a twisted fairy tale.

so he endures, and thinks that in him, it should take longer. in someone so tall, so strong. that if worst comes to it, he'll try to get everything cut away, so he can breathe again. and so he still tries to live his life, to experience things each day. still, it's not easy when in the middle of a task he has to stop, coughing into his fist, until it passes and he can breathe again, shaky but still trying to smile.

it would be easier, he thinks, if he knew where it was coming from.]

[xx_ogsalty158_xx]

[ For someone as prickly as Chougi, how could this be anything but a surprise? It's not like he hates any of the swords around him, but even the ones he likes he stubbornly refuses to admit it to their faces. And something like "love" shouldn't even be possible for him, should it?

And yet, there's the evidence one morning, in handfuls of scattered hydrangea blossoms, each one small enough that he can cough them up complete.

What's worse? The realization that maybe there is someone here important enough to call it "love" or the realization that he's been enough of a shit it'll never be returned? At this early stage it's easy enough to hide but...if it gets worse, he'll go to Yagen. That's the best plan, right?

For now, though, he chooses different hiding places for the flowers that spill out of his mouth. He wraps them up in an old handkerchief and shoves them into the fireplace in the kitchen in a spare moment where (he hopes) nobody's looking. Or slides beneath the citadel itself and shoves handfuls of petals into shallow graves (and tells anyone who asks why he's filthy that he was out in the fields). It's easier once spring comes and the actual hydrangeas are in bloom. He can just chuck them outside with nobody the wiser.

Yeah. Hiding it is best. ]

[tosa]

Hey, Yamanbagiri--!

( Mutsunokami calls out just as he's in the middle of a coughing fit and he stops. He's carrying a basket with a rather large pile of laundry coming out of it. It looks like he's tried to toss everything into one basket so he won't have to make another trip back to the laundry room but in the process, he's just added more than he can carry. He was going to ask Chougi to help but...

Be lowers the basket, setting it down on the ground and looking up at Chougi from over the pile, )

Have ya gotten that checked out yet?

[xx_ogsalty158_xx]

Fuck!

[ He hadn't thought there was anybody along the hall. Just his luck. Chougi wraps his hand around the flowers he's just coughed up and curls his fist tight. He can't shove them into his pocket, that would be way too obvious, but he spends so much time tense that having his hands in fists probably isn't all that noticeable. ]

Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people?

[ He rubs his mouth with the back of his other hand. ]

And I'm fine, I swallowed wrong. These stupid bodies.

[ Yeah, good lie. These stupid human bodies are always doing something weird, and every sword has swallowed wrong and started coughing or laughed so hard they snorted their tea at least once. That'll work. ]

[shirayama]

( Of course, it isn't easy to hide from Hakusan Yoshimitsu. He isn't sure what the other sword is hiding yet but he knows that something is being hidden and it's related to his condition. Yamanbagiri Chougi's condition has fallen and it's reflecting in his performances. He'd told him to rest and to go to the repairs room but he hadn't and instead, had brushed it away. It's not like him, Hakusan realizes. Since being at this citadel, Chougi had become more receptive to going to repairs but recently.... he's regressed.

He tries to investigate without himself being known but Chougi is too careful. Until now. It's after burying away the evidence that Hakusan arrives this time. He had heard the familiar coughing and came out from his room (their room) to investigate just in time to see Chougi putting something away and acting like nothing had happened.

The fox spirit on his shoulder seems to watch Chougi carefully. Likewise, Hakusan's eyes narrow, observing Chougi, the tsurugi spirit speaks, )

Confirmed, Yamanbagiri Chougi. ( Is really was him. ) Repairs are necessary.

( How many times has he had to repeat himself? )

Report at once.

[xx_ogsalty158_xx]

[ Sharing a room with Hakusan has made things significantly harder, it's true. Even if he weren't the healing type, Hakusan is notoriously observant. Chougi had known Hakusan would pick up that he's hiding something eventually, but he'd also hoped it would take a little longer than it has.

He jumps when Hakusan addresses him, shoving his hand deeper into his pocket. The flowers, thank goodness, stay where they are, securely wrapped in an old handkerchief. ]

Do I look damaged to you?

[ It comes out more snappish than he means it to, but with luck, Hakusan will interpret it as Chougi being his usually slightly prickly self rather than nerves. Even so, he tries to soften his voice right away. ]

I'm fine, Hime. Really.

[ Maybe a small dose of "affectionate nickname" will throw Hakusan off the trail! ]

[replicatedform]

[In the beginning, he was fine. Sure, he have his complex to face, but otherwise Yamanbagiri Kunihiro is the strong, reliable and hardworking sword everyone knows him as. The longer he spend time with his comrades, the more he slowly open up and feel at ease around them. That he accept his comrades' opinions and acceptance of him.

However, after a while of spending time with a certain someone, he started to feel ill.

A cough? Well, okay, it's probably because of their human bodies. He did sneeze when the weather get chilly enough. But it's when he coughs into his hand and lowering it that he sees the flower petals on his palm.

He gaze down at it in shock, before he throws the petals away in a panic. No, no, no, that can't be right.

Even as he slowly get better about liking himself, how can someone like him suffer from this... this illness? He's torn between hiding it, and being responsible and reporting it to someone. The Saniwa? Yagen? The secretary?

In his indecision and fear, he keep on trying to hide it. Fortunately, his cloak can hide the petals in his hands and pockets until he can discard them.]

[tsukijiji]

... Kunihiro?

[Mikazuki stumbled on Yamanbagiri by chance, and was only planning to give him a quick greeting, but a simple look at his face is enough to stop him in his track. What could have him looking so... scared?]

Is everything alright?

[replicatedform]

[Startled by Mikazuki's voice, Yamanbagiri quickly looks over with widen eyes. Before he looks away.]

Fine! Everything's fine.

[But inside, he's panicking. It doesn't seem like Mikazuki have seen the flower petals, but what if he cough them up again? His chest feels like it almost tighten at the thought, at the idea of being seen like that by Mikazuki Munechika.

The one who captivated him.]

[yagendooshi]

► Research
[Yagen is observant. It comes with being a responsible and dependable sword, a good big brother who looks after his family long before Ichigo's arrival. A dependable sword that the Saniwa can rely on.

So he notice things. Any coughing he see, he asks if his comrade is fine. If it's just a simple cough, he mention he's always available to provide them with simple medicine. As long it's nothing serious enough to go to repairs for.

He get shocked when he learn that it's not just a simple cough. But something more serious. Between his horror and concern, there's also the spark of morbid curiosity.

How did it work? Why did it appear? Is it because of their human bodies?

Maybe the afflicted didn't want to tell the Saniwa or secretary, coming to Yagen in secret. Or maybe he received the order from above, telling him to look into curing this. Whatever reason, he looks at his comrade's eyes, his gaze steady and serious from behind his glasses.]

Once again, I'm asking. Will you be okay with me using your body for my research?

[Because no matter what method he may use, Yagen can easily imagine needing to cut the other sword open. On the other hand, if they object to that... he'll try to find a way with making medicine.]

► Who looks after the doctor?
[It's almost like a cliche. A doctor, a medic, who consistently remind people to take care of themself. Only to fall sick, either from overworking themselves or neglecting to check on themselves.

A lot of the time, Yagen's brothers make sure to drag him away to have fun and relax. So if it's stress, he have that handled.

But when it comes to matter of the heart, that caught Yagen off guard when he find himself coughing up flower petals. Being as hard working and studious as he is, he heard about this symptom.

And dig through the books they received for the repair room, until he finally find a passage. Upon reading it, he start to research and probe, ordering book from the merchant in person (he can't tell the secretary, their general yet), and start to experiment.

How often he cough up petals. What he was feeling. When did it come up?

... Does he really feel that emotion for that person?

Outside of his research, Yagen have been a lot more busy. Or seemingly selective with what he can do. He'd excuse himself often, even if it means trying to cut down on playing with his brothers. It's easy to excuse it away as him working, studying so he can be prepared.

It's harder to hide when he's assigned to chores, because he can't stay coup up inside forever. Hopefully, he can keep hiding this without anyone finding out...]

research.

[personifying]

Yes.

[because Shizuka knows as little as Yagen himself, and wants it to depart. and someone like him can likely stand the doctor's testing, the physical toll of it at least.

he doesn't know the source. he doesn't know where it starts from, and that unnerves him in a deep, deep way. if there was only an indication of where to turn, where to look - it would not be so strange. but instead, here he is, coughing up flowers - and he tries to breathe slow to avoid triggering the fits.]

I'm in your hands, Yagen-san. What you need to know, pursue it.

[tsukijiji]

[Coughing is not exactly a new thing for Mikazuki - in the first few months of being here he has learned about the different ailments that can affect the human body. He knew of some of those before, but now he's experienced them for himself - and he can't say it's nice at all, but it goes with being able to experience life in this new way.

So at first, he barely pays attention to it. But it keeps coming, and it gets deeper and his chest feels tight, until one day, hunched over a cup of tea that he has managed not to spill, some sakura petals fall from his lips. One of them falls into the tea and turns around in it for a while.]

... Oya.

[Is that also a normal thing that happens to humans? he's never seen it before, at least.]