"The path of Central 46..." Retsu Unohana gazed at the crescent moon. "Young people really do have more ideas."
Muten Natsu looked at her gentle profile. "You're not old either, Captain."
"You're such a tease." Retsu Unohana pinched Muten Natsu's ear. "I was talking about mindset."
"Mindset?" Muten Natsu went with the flow and lay down across her lap.
Even through the fabric, the softness of her touch brought a sense of calm to his body and mind. Her warm body heat spread across his cheek, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance.
"When people are young, they want to gain everything; when they grow older, they don't want to lose anything," Retsu Unohana said, stroking Muten Natsu's soft hair. "Neither the body nor the mindset is strong enough to keep up with the changes of the times, so they stubbornly demand that everything wait for them. They are content with who they are now, and they expect others to accept everything as it is."
Muten Natsu rubbed his face against her leg. "Such a pain..."
Retsu Unohana tapped his forehead. "Is that why you turned down Nayura?"
"Change doesn't happen overnight. It requires long-term planning and gradual accumulation. I don't want to get involved with them, and I certainly don't want to waste time on them," Muten Natsu muttered. "Whether they change or not, if they cross me, I'll make sure they learn a lesson they won't forget."
It was Nayura Amakado who came to discuss this with him, but if Muten Natsu agreed, the next person to contact him might not necessarily be that young girl.
Even regarding her contact with him, he couldn't tell if it was someone else's idea or Nayura Amakado's own.
Or perhaps both.
Who cares.
Though he had lived two lifetimes, Muten Natsu didn't believe he had the ability to outmaneuver a group of old fools who had been around for hundreds of years.
"This is probably exactly what they want."
"Hm?"
"Central 46 holds power second only to the Soul King's Palace. It is the highest judicial authority in Soul Society. They see themselves as an extension of the Soul King—the Soul King's eyes to see the mortal world, the Soul King's ears to hear the subjects, the Soul King's tongue to speak of fate, and the Soul King's limbs to deliver judgment."
"It sounds as if the Soul King has no power at all."
"Who knows..." Retsu Unohana lowered her gaze slightly. "Central 46 resides deep beneath Seireitei, yet stands above it. They consider themselves special, so they fear losing that specialness."
Muten Natsu raised his gaze. "If they're killed, they'll die?"
"No one is special in the face of death. Central 46 has been wiped out twice. They've realized that not everyone values stability like the Captain-Commander. Even the Captain-Commander cannot prevent their deaths." Retsu Unohana's slender fingers twirled a strand of Muten Natsu's hair. "That's why they want to make contact with you—to gauge your stance. If you cooperate with them, you'll become their ally, just like the Captain-Commander. If you refuse to cooperate and stay out of it, at least you leave a channel of communication open. Should conflict arise again, you'll at least consult Nayura first, rather than charging into the Council Chamber without a word."
"...Let them think whatever they want." Muten Natsu closed his eyes.
"Tired?"
He said nothing.
"Don't move." Retsu Unohana pinched his ear and gently inserted the ear pick, scraping inside. "Scrape, scrape~"
Muten Natsu's body tensed at first, then gradually relaxed.
The faint scraping sounds echoed in his mind, sending a subtle tingling through his scalp, as if tiny electric currents were passing through him.
"Even though the gunk inside tends to fall out on its own, it still needs to be cleaned out from time to time." Retsu Unohana's movements were light, and her voice softened slightly.
"Mm…" Muten Natsu replied faintly.
"All the effort you've put in over the years was only a part of someone else's plan. Feeling frustrated is natural," Retsu Unohana said, lowering her gaze slightly. "But you're not the only one who's been used or deceived—the whole Seireitei is the same. Even the Captain-Commander didn't notice this, so you don't need to be too hard on yourself."
Muten Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but Retsu Unohana's movements grew slightly firmer, and his words turned into a muffled murmur.
"If only I could do this or that… such hypotheticals are just that—hypotheticals. They help us recognize our shortcomings, but they shouldn't weigh us down." Retsu Unohana lowered her head and exhaled softly into Muten Natsu's ear. "You've already done very well. No one could have done better than you."
Her gentle breath stirred a tingling storm by his ear, washing away any strength he had left to argue.
"All right, turn around. Let's do the other side." Retsu Unohana wrapped her arm around his shoulder and guided his head toward her.
Muten Natsu's arm bent naturally, like he was sleeping on his side, resting over Retsu Unohana's foot clad in Tabi. "Captain Retsu…"
"Hmm?"
"Why… are you so kind to me?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Retsu Unohana said, pausing slightly. "Why are you so kind to Rukia?"
"When I first arrived in Soul Society, I didn't know where I came from, where I was going, or what I was supposed to do…" Muten Natsu curled his fingers as if trying to grasp something. "Plus, there was nothing at the Inuzuri residence—no family, no friends. So I thought… there's no point in pretending to be brave. I might as well just die." Maybe I'd end up in another, better world.
Retsu Unohana nodded. "That's a thought many people have."
"Then… I heard a baby crying." Muten Natsu's lips curved slightly. "I thought, since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well do something meaningful before I go—die with some purpose."
"That's exactly the kind of thought you'd have."
"At first, I planned to raise her a little before dying. Then I thought I should wait until she could live independently. By the time I realized it, I no longer wanted to die," Muten Natsu murmured. "That's when I realized I wasn't completely alone anymore. She's the candle I carefully protect at night; I protect her, and she warms me."
"That's… a thought similar to mine."
"Huh?"
Retsu Unohana's hands paused in their work. "As for me… I want to die in battle."
Muten Natsu was slightly surprised, but thinking it over, it made sense. A medic who had always stayed in the rear treating the wounded could naturally wish to fight on the front lines in place of her comrades.
"Seeing that you can use Hell's Inferno, I feel you're a worthy opponent," Retsu Unohana said, resuming her movements. "By the time I realized it… things had already turned out this way."