"The desire not to hurt others, and the pain you feel after hurting someone, are not flaws that need to be corrected." Retsu Unohana raised a hand and placed it against Orihime Inoue's chest. "That kindness makes us cherish the times when we don't have to hurt anyone. It drives us to avoid outcomes where hurting others becomes unavoidable and teaches us to wield our power with greater care. It is like a sharp triangle inside your heart..."
Orihime Inoue's curves were so full that Retsu Unohana missed the right spot at first. She adjusted her wrist and angled her palm until it rested closer to Orihime Inoue's heart.
"Whenever you do something that goes against it, the triangle begins to turn, its points stabbing into your heart. But if you ignore that pain and force yourself to keep betraying it, those sharp points will gradually be worn smooth, leaving you numb." Retsu Unohana's voice was gentle but earnest. "In the end, all that remains is a scarred heart that can no longer feel pain or appreciate anything beautiful."
"Unohana-san..." Orihime Inoue wrapped her arms tightly around Retsu Unohana and buried her face against her chest.
This was not your fault. You did not need to force yourself to change.
It was not empty reassurance born of favoritism, but firm, reasoned support and encouragement.
Retsu Unohana sensed in Orihime Inoue the same intense attachment she often felt from Muten Natsu...
The tenderness in her eyes deepened. "Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?"
"...Yes," Orihime Inoue answered softly.
"All right." Retsu Unohana gently patted the crying Orihime Inoue in her arms and began to hum. "Sleep now, sleep now, my precious little darling..."
"Unohana-san..."
"Hmm?"
Orihime Inoue hugged Retsu Unohana a little tighter. "Muten is so lucky."
"Is he?" Retsu Unohana kissed her gently on the forehead. "You will be too."
...
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your body?" Even after finishing his official duties and lying in bed with Rukia Kuchiki, Muten Natsu still could not put his mind at ease. "Could there be any other side effects?"
His concern was not entirely unwarranted. While using Rukia Kuchiki's power to manipulate Spirit Ink and form the ink-ice prison, Muten Natsu had experienced firsthand just how terrifying Sode no Shirayuki's power was.
At first, he had only intended to borrow Sode no Shirayuki's ability to restrain their target briefly.
But the moment Rukia Kuchiki lowered the temperature to minus fifty degrees, Muten Natsu sensed that something was wrong.
The strange vibrations resembled the enormous shockwaves produced by shifting ice flows, and their force was comparable to an earthquake.
When he finally ignited the ink-ice, both of them would have been caught in the resulting eruption of power had he not carried Rukia Kuchiki away in time.
"I already told you I'm fine." Rukia Kuchiki puffed out her rosy cheeks. "How many times are you going to ask?"
"Only because you're always pushing yourself. I told you I'd handle the official work, but you insisted on helping."
"You have some nerve accusing me of pushing myself..." Rukia Kuchiki gave a quiet snort. "There was never anything wrong with me in the first place. They were only reports. Why shouldn't I be able to handle them?"
"You have no idea how frightening you looked at the time." Muten Natsu met her gaze without backing down. "Your entire body was colder than ice."
"Releasing a Zanpakutō always causes some changes. What's there to make such a fuss about?"
"Changes that drastic usually only happen with Bankai. Who undergoes such a huge transformation from Shikai alone?" Muten Natsu could still remember the panic he had felt. "I couldn't even sense your heartbeat."
"You said it yourself. That was then!" Rukia Kuchiki grabbed Muten Natsu's hand and pressed it against her chest. "It's beating perfectly well now, isn't it?"
Not only was it beating perfectly well, it was beating slightly faster than usual because she was angry.
The proof was right before his eyes. Or rather, beneath his hand. Muten Natsu suddenly had nothing to say.
Rukia Kuchiki gave a smug little snort. His silence made her feel as though she had won.
Facts really did speak louder than words. All she had to do was... Huh?
Within that peculiar silence, the mood underwent an equally peculiar shift.
Rukia Kuchiki's heartbeat grew noticeably faster, but this time, anger had nothing to do with it.
She pressed her lips together, her glistening violet eyes reflecting Muten Natsu's face. "H-How much longer are you planning to check?"
"I..." Muten Natsu immediately pulled his hand back. "I didn't touch anything."
"N-No, it's fine..." Rukia Kuchiki looked away. "You were only checking... Hmm?"
Then the meaning of his words registered.
"What do you mean, you didn't touch anything?"
"No, what I meant was... well..." Muten Natsu needed a moment to figure out how to explain himself.
Rukia Kuchiki stared at him. "What did you mean?"
"Well..."
She leaned closer, pressing him for an answer. "Well what?"
"This."
Muten Natsu realized he could not explain it clearly, so he decided not to explain it at all. That would also stop Rukia Kuchiki from asking any more questions.
"Mmph!"
Rukia Kuchiki had leaned too close. The moment Muten Natsu lowered his head, his lips sealed hers.
The questions she had been about to ask were forced back down, dissolving into a lingering succession of soft, wet sounds.
That was completely unfair.
Rukia Kuchiki instinctively closed her eyes. If Muten Natsu thought this would let him escape her earlier question, he was gravely mistaken...
What had she been trying to ask?
...Never mind.
Rukia Kuchiki breathed in time with Muten Natsu. It had not been a particularly important question anyway. There was no need to insist on an answer.
Muten Natsu, however, did not agree. He reached out once more to feel Rukia Kuchiki's heartbeat.
A faint gasp escaped her. Her slender body trembled, then went completely limp.
When he had said he had not touched anything, he meant that he had not been thinking along those lines.
What he was doing now made it clear that Rukia Kuchiki was certainly not lacking anything there. Everything was firmly within his grasp.
Rukia Kuchiki suddenly felt grateful that Muten Natsu had sealed her lips. Otherwise, strange sounds would undoubtedly have escaped before she could stop them.
Bracing his left hand against the bed, Muten Natsu raised himself and put some distance between them. He gazed at Rukia Kuchiki's flushed face, still only inches away. "I just don't want you to suffer irreversible harm because you were trying to help me."
Rukia Kuchiki lowered her eyes. "Is that the only way you can talk to me?"
Muten Natsu removed his right hand and planted it on the bed, then placed his left hand on her other side. "I just don't want you to..."
"Are you seriously going to say it again?" Rukia Kuchiki was so exasperated she nearly laughed. "Idiot. Do you really think I don't understand that?"
"To protect you, I'm not afraid of getting hurt, just as you would risk everything to protect me." Rukia Kuchiki raised her arms and wrapped them around Muten Natsu's neck, her gaze both resolute and tender. "And if you want to help me, then you need to take care of yourself too. I'll work just as hard as you do."