When I woke up the next day, Unohana was already gone. I was naked on our bed, still feeling a bit moist with my hair relatively wet. I could only picture what she did to me after I passed out and could only curse at my unconsciousness.
It was difficult to take our duel from yesterday out of my mind. I could vividly remember every strike, every strategy that came to my mind to try and put her down. I felt strength surge within me from an unknown place, and I didn't hesitate to tap into it and use it to execute her.
I didn't care how... I just wanted to win. And if she wasn't going to let me tame her, she'd have to die by my sword. There couldn't be any other outcome.
I looked out the window, and it was quite bright past the blinds. I didn't know if it was morning or noon, but there was a note and a small plate with food left on the little desk to the side next to the wardrobe.
"When you wake up, come to my office, Ryōma", it was written in beautiful calligraphy, smelling like her.
I wore my Shikakusho and hurried to Unohana's office to receive my orders for the day, waiting to perform diligently just so I would get my reward once more at night. But she wasn't there.
Her absent chair made me feel oddly empty. I came out of her office intending to head to the main hospital reception to meet Isane, but I was lucky enough to meet her as she happened to walk by Retsu's office.
"Good Afternoon, Sleepy Queen. Are you ready for some work?~" She teased me as soon as she saw me.
"*cough!* I wasn't sleeping. I was... in a strategic retreat".
"Uh-hum, your baggy eyes tell otherwise. Come, there is much to do. Captain Unohana went out a few hours ago. She should be back soon," Isane giggled and took me to the main reception, where I was greeted and teased by everyone, even the nurses.
They brought me some coffee, and I was ready to go. Isane had me help her in the third ward, which was way busier than usual. I kept walking about this particular room over and over and over without stepping inside. It wasn't until I was told to bring in some meals that I realised... I had an acquaintance there.
"I-Ichimaru…?"
"Inuzuri!?"
Ichimaru Gin, the boy I duelled at the academy. His fight was good, but so vastly overshadowed by Kenpachi and Unohana that I almost forgot about him. Of all places, I wasn't expecting to meet this boy here. Moreover, he's still recovering!?
"I fucked you up bad, didn't I?~" I couldn't help but throw salt on the wound since he was so arrogant during our fight.
He concealed his expression, annoyed. Then it was as if he remembered something.
"Why the fuck are you here, Inuzuri!? Didn't you fight with Captain Zaraki?!"
It was natural that he knew when everyone in this hospital reminded me of that fight every day. Although... they all think I won that fight. I can't acknowledge that as a victory when I defeated Kenpachi not with my swordsmanship but with my healing factor...
"Yeah, and I lost... but he didn't mess me up nearly as much as I trashed you", I commented, sitting down and now feeling mildly annoyed too because it may take a while before I have my rematch against that one-eyed bastard.
"Why are you sitting down, hey?! Leave the food and get the fuck out!"
"I am your male nurse this time around, so I will make sure you eat your food properly" I took the plate and leaned forward, "Even if I have to make you swallow this shit by force~"
"Help!" He screamed.
"No one ain't coming to help you, kid!"
I was about to mess him up even further until I felt a light slap on the back of my head. Isane was looking at me with eyes that could kill.
"Why are you traumatising our patients, Ryōma?!"
"Chill, he's my friend".
"Who the fuck is your friend!? Isane-san, take him out!"
"But I have to make sure he eats his food. Every goddamn grain of rice~".
Isane sighed and turned around, "Just get it done quickly. I need your help somewhere else".
Before leaving, though, she sent me a sharp glare and then a small wink. I don't think she knows how those signals work, but I understood she was helping me here.
"W-Wait!" When Gin saw her going, he saw his own death.
"Looks like it is just you and me, Gin!~"
...
Contrary to what you may expect, I actually just sat there waiting for him to finish his food. He said he didn't want any more at some point, expected me to shove the plate down his throat, but I didn't do such a thing.
"Just rest, kid", I said, then stood up to leave. The reason I was supposed to stay was that he was a 'VIP' of sorts compared to the rest of the patients in the ward. I don't quite get it, but he's Captain Sosuke Aizen's beloved treasure.
Looking at Gin, I couldn't help but remember my conversations with Kurayami about the past and what she was investigating.
"You ain't gonna kill me?" He asked.
"Are you stupid? I work here now... if I kill you, the captain will be on my throat".
"I didn't take you for one to be scared of someone".
'That's because you haven't tasted her sword...'
I left after that and went out of my business to help Isane, but periodically came back to look at him and talk to him. Gin told me some stories about him living in Rukongai before he was scouted into the academy. I wouldn't call us friends... but he was at least someone I could have a conversation with.
He was strong, too, so in a way, I respected him.
Isane explained to me that when he came, he was in a near-death state with most damage in his brain. It was a miracle that he was alive, and although Kaido could repair his body, the damage done to his mind would still take time since he took a hit straight to his face, cracking his skull and even piercing his brain.
"Sorry", I blurted out unconsciously.
"What are you apologising for!?"
I felt like I had to apologise but… It's his fault in the end for having such an annoying technique. Just as we were in the middle of our chat, somebody came. It was a beauty who came to see Gin, and apparently, she came every day.
I almost whistled, thinking it was his girlfriend. She's gorgeous.
"Wait, you are... Kamishiro Inuzuri?" She didn't look happy to see me. But I couldn't care any less, she crossed her arms beneath her huge boobs. Whether to make herself look serious or to seduce me. I didn't know her intentions, but she was achieving the latter.
"In the flesh. You are?"
"Rangiku Matsumoto. 10th Division Lieutenant under Captain Isshin Shiba".
I smiled and extended my hand forward, "Kamishiro Ryōma from the 4th Division under Captain Unohana, I am just a male nurse~".
She looked at my hand for a moment, then smiled and shook it, "A male nurse that's able to defeat Captain Zaraki... the joke tells itself~".
Isane came into the room too, and the girls greeted each other like they had known one another for a long time.
It didn't matter how hard I tried. I couldn't just not look at her tits. Isane also has them big, but this woman is something else... she makes Sakuya look like an infant. How can a woman have efficient swordsmanship with those massive tits in the way? There is no way she's balanced.
"Excuse me?" She asked when she noticed my blatant stare.
"Are those not in the way?" I asked genuinely, "When you swing your sword, don't you feel your momentum is a bit lagging?"
Isane blushed, Gin smirked and rather than lashing out, Matsumoto snickered, "These are wrapped in bandages, you know? That's not their full size~"
"Nani!?"
As if to make me believe her claim, she pushed both her breasts together, and indeed, they didn't move springily but rather, like they were constricted. Are you telling me that's not their full potential!?
Watching me aghast, she closed up and whispered deliciously, "If you want to see their full size, I can show you some other time~"
'Woman, say no more!' I thought inwardly and wanted to scream too, but Isane yanked me like I was a boar in hunting season.
"Stop teasing him, Matsumoto! Come on, Ryōma, we have work to do, stop wasting time here!"
Matsumoto waved me goodbye, and I didn't see her again for the day after that, a bit disappointing to be honest.
I spent my day working alongside Isane, resenting that she didn't allow me to see the full potential of those two nukes. Unohana did not arrive even after our shift was over late at night.
Isane asked me to help her with some documents that had to be sorted, and I did. We worked a bit of overtime until the hospital was quiet. I thought about going to see Gin again, but decided to leave the brat for today; he may get scared if I go at night, thinking I'll murder him.
I was expecting Retsu to arrive any time now, but she didn't. When Isane saw my restless expression, she put her hand on her hips.
"The captain sometimes goes and doesn't come for days. Get used to it".
"What does she do?"
"She coordinates directly with the first and second division for ground operations on earth. Those meetings can sometimes last days".
'Days!?' I didn't know why, but the prospect of not fighting her for days felt... suffocating.
Like I was a crackhead deprived of his weed. This can't do... I need a replacement for when Retsu is not here.
I sighed in exasperation, just hoping that meeting or whatever wasn't going to take more than a day or two... because I could carry on my duty perfectly in this hospital, only as long as she entertained me in the evening.
"I saw you yesterday", Isane mumbled all of a sudden with an awkward tone.
"You saw what…?" I frowned.
"You went with the captain… into the old building" She countered again, this time standing closer to me with a frown of her own, like she was inspecting my reactions.
"…"
"What did you do there?" She asked this time, putting on a fake front. She knew I had no obligation to answer this question. But I saw potential in here.
"Do you wanna know?~"
"..."
After saying good night to everyone who would stay for the night. Isane allowed herself to be led into a death trap. I opened the basement and led her there, hand in hand... like a pig lured to slaughter. When she saw the darkness of the corridor heading down, she realised the danger she was in, but it was too late.
I felt resistance in her grasp.
"R-Ryōma".
But I didn't care; I kept pulling her down that corridor of darkness, having only a small fire torch. Then it entered my nostrils, the rather toxic scent of Retsu's scattered blood.
When Isane saw our work of art, she gasped in disbelief. Blood everywhere, all dried, but one could tell what had happened here. She immediately got scared, but I didn't let her go.
"You said you wanted to know, Isane".
"N-No! NO!"
She wielded her Zampakutō and pointed it at me with staggering steps. It was too late by the time she realised. But I think she was also making a picture in her mind that was quite far-fetched.
"Fight me~"
I said to her, wielding Hebimaru and leaving Shitsutora in the scabbard. Her head tilted to the side cutely.
"Eh?"
"I said fight me..." I repeated myself, somehow losing momentum.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" She asked cutely.
"Are you dumb? If I kill you, then Retsu will kill me..."
"B-But, all this blood–"
"That's my and Retsu's blood. That's what we do in here, fight".
"Eh?"
It took a while for her to process it, and when she did, she fell on her knees, covering her face.
"Oh my god, I was so scared...!"
For a while, I didn't know what to do. Shit, am I that scary?
"Should I just take you back up...? Somehow I am not in the mood".
"… is this what you and the captain do here?" She asked, somehow disappointed, "I don't know... somehow I was expecting more..."
"What did you expect? Come on, Isane…"
She sighed and aimed her Zampakuto towards me again, "This is good anyway. I have wanted to test if all the claims about you were true".
Insane lunged at me rather swiftly, sword in hand. I saw her coming, I saw her desire to battle, her perfect posture. And I sighed...
*BANG!*
I kicked her left foot, destroying her stance and momentum, then tapped her tigh and pushed. As a result, she gasped, spun and fell on the floor rather harshly.
"..."
Izane looked at the ceiling with a blank look.
"I hope this is not the strength of a lieutenant... or I will be very disappointed".