"Mmm~" Retsu Unohana kissed Muten Natsu's forehead and gently breathed in the scent of his hair, tightening her arms around him beneath the warm covers. "You smell so good."
"Captain..." Muten Natsu tilted his head back slightly.
"You're awfully impatient. We only just lay down." Retsu Unohana lowered her head. "What am I going to do with you...?"
Tender kisses brushed Muten Natsu's brow and the tip of his nose before finally settling on his lips.
The soft, lingering kiss clouded Muten Natsu's mind, making him completely forget the question he had been about to ask.
"Mmm..." Retsu Unohana let out a quiet gasp and pressed down on Muten Natsu's hand. "Be gentler."
Only then did Muten Natsu realize that while he had been lost in the moment, his hand had moved almost automatically.
Far too naturally, in fact.
He instinctively tried to pull it back, only to feel Retsu Unohana holding it in place.
"I said..." Retsu Unohana kept his hand exactly where it was. "Be gentler."
Be gentler meant...
Muten Natsu cautiously moved his fingers. Retsu Unohana made a faint sound and murmured, "Orihime is still young. You might hurt her if you're too rough."
Muten Natsu's hand froze.
"It's all right, it's all right~" Retsu Unohana stroked his hair. "I'll teach you what to do... First, you have to be gentle..."
Under Retsu Unohana's guidance, Muten Natsu's movements gradually became smoother and more practiced.
Retsu Unohana's warm breaths came faster beside his ear. Muten Natsu swallowed, his gaze fixed on her disheveled collar.
Seeming to read his thoughts, Retsu Unohana leaned close and whispered into his ear, "Go ahead... You can do whatever you want."
Muten Natsu lowered his head and kissed the crimson scar between Retsu Unohana's collarbones. Imitating the way she had kissed him earlier, he slowly shifted his kisses elsewhere.
Retsu Unohana cradled Muten Natsu's head against her chest, gently biting her lower lip as she tilted her head back. The curve of her pale neck was graceful and elegant.
Muten Natsu... was acting as though he had not eaten enough that evening.
But this was hardly going to fill him up.
Retsu Unohana's fingertips lightly traced Muten Natsu's spine, barely touching him. She felt deeply satisfied when she sensed his entire body tense.
"Good boy~" Retsu Unohana stroked Muten Natsu's hair with her free hand. "Relax... Don't be nervous..."
...
"Huh?" Orihime Inoue gave Rukia Kuchiki a puzzled look. "Why do you seem... so nervous?"
"Do I?" Rukia Kuchiki blinked. "Ah... well... I was thinking about Captain Unohana..."
After what she and Muten Natsu had done last night, what if he developed a habit and tried the same thing with Captain Unohana?
Even if Captain Unohana always spoiled him, surely that sort of thing would not be acceptable.
She and Muten Natsu had been helping each other... No, sparring with each other... No, that was not right either...
They had just been fooling around. Yes, that was it. Fooling around.
There was nothing wrong with Rukia Kuchiki and Muten Natsu fooling around together, but if Muten Natsu started doing the same with Captain Unohana...
The thought of how intimidating Retsu Unohana could be when she turned serious filled Rukia Kuchiki with unease.
"I've been thinking about Unohana-san too," Orihime Inoue whispered, lowering her voice as she leaned close to Rukia Kuchiki's ear. "Why don't we ask Unohana-san to join us?"
"Join us?" Rukia Kuchiki looked puzzled. "Join us in what?"
Orihime Inoue held up two fingers. "Look, right now it's the two of us against Muten. We may have the advantage in numbers, but neither of us can keep him under control." She raised a third finger and formed an OK sign. "But with three of us, there won't be any problem!"
"What are you talking about, two or three...?"
"It used to be two against one. If Unohana-san likes Muten together with us, it'll be three against one!" Orihime Inoue clenched her small fist. "We'll definitely win."
Rukia Kuchiki thought about it. "That actually sounds reasonable... Wait, no!"
"Hm?" Orihime Inoue tilted her head.
"Captain Unohana already likes Muten... No, that's not the point. When did I ever say I liked Muten?"
"Huh? Do you really need to say it out loud?" Orihime Inoue blinked. "Isn't it obvious?"
Rukia Kuchiki muttered, "What's so obvious about it?"
Orihime Inoue answered as though it were only natural. "Muten would risk his life to protect you, and you'd risk yours to help him."
"We're teammates who depend on each other..." Rukia Kuchiki explained with a stern expression. "He protects me, so of course I should help him."
"You kissed Muten."
"...That was a kiss to seal a promise." Rukia Kuchiki's grip tightened around the corner of the blanket. "Besides, didn't the two of you kiss too?"
Orihime Inoue nodded, happiness shining in her eyes. "Yes, because I like him."
"No... that's different. You like him, so you kissed him." For some reason, Rukia Kuchiki avoided Orihime Inoue's bright gaze. "But kissing him doesn't mean I like him."
"Hmm... Hm?" Orihime Inoue leaned closer to Rukia Kuchiki. "Don't you like Muten?"
"Of course I..." Rukia Kuchiki's lips parted, but she could not force out the denial. "E-even if I do like him, that doesn't mean I have to be with him."
Orihime Inoue pressed on, her large eyes filled with confusion. "If you like him, why wouldn't you want to be with him?"
"Because... well... um..." Rukia Kuchiki could not come up with a specific reason either. "Even if I wanted to be with him, that doesn't mean I could accept sharing him with other people."
"Why not? Isn't it nice for everyone to be together?"
Rukia Kuchiki finally found the heart of the issue. "Because liking someone is exclusive."
"Exclusive? What does that mean?"
"It means wanting that person all to yourself. Wanting to be the only one for them," Rukia Kuchiki explained. "You feel happy when you do something with them, but if someone else does the same thing with them, you become upset. It's like..."
...
"There's a little less than last time." Retsu Unohana's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Muten, did you do the same thing with Rukia?"
"Last night..." Muten Natsu was about to confess, but Retsu Unohana interrupted him.
"It isn't your fault. I understand." Retsu Unohana gently nibbled his ear. "I failed to handle your urges properly. I didn't do enough, and that was why you couldn't control yourself."
"Captain..."
"Huu~" Retsu Unohana breathed softly into his ear. "You like this, don't you? Doing it while... whispering in your ear... Your body is very honest. Had I known you were still this energetic, I would have... Mmph!"
Muten Natsu captured her lips, greedily drinking in her breath.
Retsu Unohana immediately felt as though he had drained all the strength from her body. A moment later, the two of them shifted from where they had been lying side by side. Beneath Muten Natsu's looming figure, Retsu Unohana looked almost delicate.
His kiss grew more forceful as he towered over her. Retsu Unohana hooked her fingers into the bedsheet and clenched it tightly.
Then Muten Natsu's fingers slipped into her palm, replacing the crumpled sheet. His fingers threaded through hers until their hands were tightly interlocked, palm against palm.
Pinning Retsu Unohana's hand against the pillow, Muten Natsu raised his head and gazed at her from inches away.
Her disheveled hair spilled around her. Her cheeks were flushed, her glistening lips slightly parted, and her half-lidded, moist eyes quietly watched him.
It seemed like a warning, or perhaps a rebuke.
Yet it also seemed to urge him on, as though she were waiting for him.
Muten Natsu no longer had enough reason left to tell the difference. He lowered his head again.
"This," Retsu Unohana said, "is exactly what I was worried about."
Muten Natsu immediately went rigid.
"Good boy~" Retsu Unohana wrapped her arms around him and gently stroked his soft black hair. "Have you calmed down?"
Muten Natsu rested against her. "...Yeah."
"Things like this may be inseparable from impulse, but they cannot be driven by impulse alone," Retsu Unohana said softly. "You like it when I hold you this way. Why do you like it?"
The question caught Muten Natsu completely off guard. "Because... it makes me feel safe."
"Very good, but that isn't the only reason." Retsu Unohana continued soothing him as she explained. "Whenever people interact, they influence one another. The closer their relationship is, the stronger that influence becomes. When an ordinary friend calls your name, you look toward them. When someone important calls your name, you walk over to them. That mutual influence is proof of the bond between you. But suppose one day you called someone's name and they did not answer. How would you feel?"
"Confused... worried..." Muten Natsu imagined himself in that situation. "Uneasy."
"You might even begin to question your relationship with them, wouldn't you?" Retsu Unohana added.
Muten Natsu nodded. Since he was resting against Retsu Unohana, the movement looked more like he was nuzzling her.
"The closer two people are, the more they affect each other, and the more they care about that effect. When it remains, they feel secure. When something goes wrong, they become even more worried," Retsu Unohana explained patiently. "That is why people want to be close to those who matter to them. The shorter the distance between them, the greater their mutual influence becomes, and the easier it is to notice even the smallest changes... All of this comes from how deeply they value their relationship."
"So..." Muten Natsu tightened his arms around Retsu Unohana. "That's why being held feels so reassuring."
"How clever. That's exactly right." Retsu Unohana's eyes curved into a smile. "When you embrace me, I am embracing you as well. When your warmth reaches me, mine is warming you in return. This kind of intimate contact does more than bring our bodies closer. It brings our hearts closer too. I know that I am affecting you, and I can feel you responding to me, just as you are affecting me. Direct physical contact is, at its core, an immediate way of sensing another person's heart. It shows that the relationship between you is stable and dependable, so naturally it brings pleasure to both body and mind."
Muten Natsu turned her explanation over in his mind and understood the reasoning behind it.
It was the same principle as communication.
Writing letters, sending voice messages, making phone calls, having video calls, and speaking face to face.
As the method of communication became more direct, both people received more information from each other. They received clearer responses, noticed each other's reactions more readily, and adjusted their own words more quickly.
That was why people often said certain matters were best discussed in person.
The same logic applied to intimate relationships. The closer the bond, the more each person wanted to sense the other's subtle reactions, naturally leading them toward more intimate contact.
"You sense someone through your palms when you hold hands, through your body when you embrace, and through your lips when you kiss... The more sensitive the sense, the more directly you can feel the other person, and the more secure you feel about your relationship." Retsu Unohana breathed gently into Muten Natsu's ear. "Just like this."
Muten Natsu's ear visibly twitched.
"That reaction tells me you like it. When I see you react that way, I know how you feel, and that makes me happy." Retsu Unohana's gentle voice carried the warmth of her breath. "And if we used even more sensitive senses for even more direct contact..."
Muten Natsu's ears reddened at a visible rate.
"Now do you understand why I was worried?" Retsu Unohana went straight to the heart of the matter. "While they are immersed in the sense of security that comes from being close to you, suppose you suddenly changed and stopped paying attention to the connection between your hearts or to what they were feeling. Suppose you became consumed by nothing but impulse. That would cause serious harm to your relationship. At least, it would the first time."
"I..."
"You don't need to apologize to me. I know it was only a momentary impulse, and I don't blame you." Retsu Unohana placed a light kiss on Muten Natsu's forehead. "A good boy recognizes his mistakes and corrects them. Besides, you managed to stop yourself in time. That was not easy."
Muten Natsu buried his face in Retsu Unohana's embrace. "I... I'm not as good as you say I am..."
"You're even better than I say. You simply need more practice." The corners of Retsu Unohana's lips lifted. "How about this? I'll help you practice."
Muten Natsu looked up. "You'll help me?"
"Mm. Do you remember how I taught you to control the Hell Flames?"
Muten Natsu recalled Retsu Unohana's lessons from back then.
The method had been quite simple. Muten Natsu repeatedly released the Hell Flames, then Retsu Unohana extinguished them and healed his body.