Division Four General Healthcare Wing.
The ward was bright, quiet, and too still. Sui-Feng sat at the bedside, motionless, her gaze fixed on the boy lying unconscious before her. Her face was pale and haggard, the mark of sleepless nights and hunger. She had not moved, eaten, or drunk for nearly three days. Since returning from the world of the living, she had remained there, guarding him, waiting for him to open his eyes.
But three days had passed.
Su Li showed no sign of waking.
Though Unohana Retsu had assured her that the boy had merely fainted from exhaustion and that his condition was stable, the words brought her little comfort. Anxiety gnawed at her heart with every passing second. She wanted to see him wake to see his eyes again, to hear his voice. Every moment of waiting had become a quiet torment.
Reason told her this could not be rushed. Su Li had endured an inhuman battle, spent unimaginable strength, and survived attacks that would have annihilated anyone else. Even for him, such wounds demanded time. So, she continued to wait.
Her fingers moved slightly, brushing his hand. Her eyes softened. No matter how long it took one day, one year, or a lifetime she would wait. She had already been waiting for him all along, and promises made to him were not ones she would ever break. Her thumb gently rubbed against his fingertips.
Her arm, once lost in battle, had been restored under the careful healing of the Fourth Division's medics.
The wooden door creaked open. Omaeda stepped inside, carrying several food boxes. Sui-Feng didn't look up. She remained still, her expression unmoving as Omaeda approached softly and set the boxes on the table beside her.
"Miss… eat something," he murmured, voice filled with concern. "You haven't had a drop of water in three days…"
Sui-Feng didn't even glance at the food. "I don't want to eat," she said simply. Her voice was hoarse from thirst, brittle as her patience.
Hearing the dryness in her tone, Omaeda's face tightened with worry. "Miss, please," he urged. "We don't know when Captain Su will wake up. If you want to keep watch, you have to take care of yourself first…"
"I said I don't want to eat." Her reply was cold and immovable.
Omaeda's patience broke. His cheeks flushed red as he raised his voice. "You'll collapse before he wakes up! If Captain Su sees you like this, he'll definitely scold you!"
He threw the words out in desperation, invoking Su Li's name as his last resort.
"Hmph," Sui-Feng sneered faintly. "Then let him get up and scold me."
Omaeda froze. The room went silent again. Of course, Su Li could not wake now, not yet. He had only said that to make her yield, but Sui-Feng's stubbornness was like tempered steel. None of his old tricks worked anymore.
He sighed heavily. The captain lay unconscious, the vice-captain refused to eat anyone watching would think they were a pair of tragic lovers waiting to die together. Omaeda looked toward the ceiling, his heart heavy. "This household is cursed," he muttered under his breath.
Before he could speak again, the door slid open once more.
A serene voice entered before the speaker did. "Vice-Captain Sui-Feng, you can't continue like this. You'll ruin your health."
Unohana Retsu stepped in, graceful as always, followed closely by Kotetsu Isane. The scent of antiseptic and herbs followed them like a soft mist.
"No problem," Sui-Feng replied calmly, eyes never leaving Su Li. "My body isn't that fragile."
Unohana paused, then smiled gently. "Even so, you need rest. For now, I'll have to ask you and Omaeda to step outside."
"Outside?" Omaeda blinked. "Why?"
"We're changing Captain Su Li's bandages," Unohana said. Her voice was soft, but final.
Omaeda nodded immediately, understanding. Bandage changes often included cleansing the patient's body. Out of respect, it was proper to give privacy. He turned toward the door, but halfway there, noticed Sui-Feng had not moved.
Then her quiet voice broke the air. "I can help."
Everyone froze.
"Vice-Captain Sui-Feng," Unohana said after a pause, her tone gentle but firm, "we'll not only be changing his bandages, but also… cleaning him. Given your relationship, that might not be appropriate. This concerns the patient's privacy."
"That's right, Miss," Omaeda chimed in quickly. "Let the medics handle this kind of thing…"
"What's the problem?" Sui-Feng interrupted coldly. "If it's necessary, I'll wash him myself later."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Omaeda's jaw dropped. His mind blanked. Did he hear that correctly? That came from her the most traditional, most proper woman in the entire Gotei 13? The same woman who once blushed at a casual touch? Even if she and Su Li might one day be lovers… was that something to say aloud?
Unohana's eyes widened slightly. Even Isane froze, her hands hovering in midair. For a moment, both women looked at Sui-Feng as though they had never seen her before.
Unohana was the first to recover. She had weathered too many storms to be easily shaken. "Even so," she said softly, her eyes narrowing with subtle curiosity, "it's still inappropriate."
Sui-Feng's gaze sharpened. "What's inappropriate?" she countered. "I'm his family."
Unohana's smile faded a fraction. "You haven't reached that stage yet," she replied, voice low and edged.
"I don't care," Sui-Feng said, finally turning from Su Li to meet Unohana's eyes. "I'm not leaving. I'll watch over him."
Their gazes locked calm, unblinking, and filled with silent challenge. The air grew taut between them.
Omaeda swallowed hard, eyes darting between the two women. He could sense something deeper behind their polite words. What they said on the surface was about propriety but beneath that, there was something else entirely, something invisible and sharp.
A premonition struck him like lightning.
Was this… a rivalry?
Was the young miss about to gain a love rival?