In the quiet ward, the air was heavy with tension.
Sui-Feng and Unohana Retsu faced each other, neither willing to yield. The atmosphere thickened, a subtle current of hostility crackling between them.
Omaeda and Kotetsu Isane exchanged uneasy glances. The feeling in their hearts was unmistakable something invisible was clashing between these two women. They didn't dare voice it, but they both knew the answer.
That hostility… came from the boy lying silently on the hospital bed.
Omaeda's mind went blank. Captain Unohana… since when?
Kotetsu Isane was just as shaken. Her captain had always been gentle and compassionate, but that tenderness was meant for all patients never had she shown personal attachment. Yet the look in her eyes now spoke differently.
When had it started?
Perhaps the moment that youth's overwhelming reiatsu filled the battlefield and she had knelt, acknowledging defeat.
Or maybe even earlier when she first crossed blades with him, saw his potential, and felt that dangerous mix of admiration and emotion take root.
At first it was respect.
But with time, that admiration deepened into something else.
As a woman, Sui-Feng could sense it instinctively. She now understood what Unohana had hinted at on that battlefield. The woman standing across from her was not merely a medic she was a rival. A dangerous one.
Yet even now, Sui-Feng couldn't be certain if Unohana's actions came from genuine feeling or simple duty as a healer. That uncertainty only made her resolve firmer. She had to watch. She would not look away.
Their eyes met again. Unohana's calm gaze shimmered faintly, like rippling water, while Sui-Feng's eyes tightened with quiet defiance. Neither spoke, but the unspoken tension between them was suffocating.
The steady "beep, beep" of the monitoring device filled the silence. The rhythm of Su Li's heartbeat echoed faintly through the room calm, mechanical, persistent. It was the only sound grounding them in that stillness.
Both women turned toward the boy on the bed. The hostility faded into wordless understanding.
Before the boy woke, any argument was meaningless. No matter where Cupid's arrow might fall, the one who mattered most was still asleep.
Meaningless.
Unohana finally broke the silence.
"Yongyin, prepare the instruments." Her tone softened, calm returning like the surface of still water.
Sui-Feng's expression didn't change. She quietly reached out and pulled away the quilt. The boy's upper body came into view, and everyone in the ward froze.
Even in unconsciousness, Su Li's right hand still gripped his Zanpakutō tightly. The blade rested at his side, immovable.
The Fourth Division had tried before to remove it, but no matter what method they used, his hand refused to release the hilt as though his very soul was welded to the blade. In the end, they had no choice but to treat him as he was.
A patient holding a weapon.
Su Li truly was unique a man who even slept with his sword drawn.
Unohana walked to the other side of the bed, facing Sui-Feng. Without exchanging a word, they began their work in silent rhythm. Each tended to one side of the boy's body, never crossing the invisible line that divided them.
Kotetsu Isane stood by with fresh bandages and tools, her expression torn between awe and embarrassment. Omaeda lingered by the door, turning pale as he felt the pressure of two captains silently at odds.
As the layers of bandages came off, Su Li's body gradually appeared.
"…What…?" Kotetsu Isane gasped softly.
Sui-Feng's eyes widened. Even Unohana's calm wavered for an instant.
Not a single scar remained. His skin, smooth and pale, gleamed faintly under the ward's white light flawless, untouched, as if he had never been injured at all.
"He healed completely… even the scars are gone," Isane murmured.
Sui-Feng's voice tightened. "This… shouldn't be possible."
Unohana's gaze flickered with quiet astonishment. "Perhaps… it's his own ability. Such regeneration rivals that of Hollows with High-Speed Regeneration."
Omaeda leaned closer to the door, frustrated. "Hey, what's happening in there? Someone explain!"
No one answered. The three women were too focused equal parts relief and disbelief flooding their faces.
Unohana finally exhaled. "Since his body can recover this perfectly, we no longer need to worry about his wounds. Let's remove the rest of the bandages."
Her tone remained steady, the voice of a healer. But to the others, those words carried perilous implications.
Kotetsu Isane's face flushed red. Sui-Feng froze, her hand trembling slightly.
"The rest…?"
Omaeda didn't even get the chance to react before Sui-Feng snapped sharply, her voice cutting through the air.
"Omaeda. Out."
The chill in her tone could freeze steel.
Omaeda shuddered and immediately obeyed, backing out and slamming the door shut behind him. He knew that if he hesitated even a second, his head might roll.
Outside, he slumped against the door, sighing. "Ahh… this job will be the death of me…"
Then, after a pause, curiosity won. He pressed his ear against the door keyhole.
Inside, chaos unfolded.
"This… this Captain Unohana, water towel!" Kotetsu Isane's voice cracked with panic.
"Vice-Captain Sui-Feng, focus," Unohana said gently, though the rhythm of her words betrayed subtle strain. "If you insisted on helping, then do it properly."
"I I am trying!" Sui-Feng's voice trembled, flustered beyond measure.
A sharp crash followed, echoing through the corridor. Something had shattered.
Outside, Omaeda's eyes widened. "That… sounded bad…"
He straightened, staring blankly at the door. His voice dropped to a mournful whisper.
"Oh, Captain Su… from today onward… your purity is gone…"
He exhaled dramatically, shaking his head. "Truly… a difficult thing."
{🥳 The Fanfic is now fully completed! 🎉
You can access 300+ advance chapters right now on Patreon—available for subscription or purchase! ✨
👉 patreon.com/Oreski}