"Mmm~" Retsu Unohana exhaled a warm breath that brushed across Muten Natsu's face as she gently stroked his hair, her eyes full of tenderness. "Another year has gone by just like that. The older you get, the faster time seems to pass."
"You're still young, Captain." Muten Natsu gently nuzzled her palm. With only the slightest movement, he could kiss her slightly parted lips.
At first, it was only a light touch. As their breaths mingled, their intimate contact gradually deepened.
"You've already grown this big. How could I possibly still be young?" Retsu Unohana ran a pale fingertip across the corner of Muten Natsu's mouth, wiping away the glistening trace there. "Back then, you were only this tall." She gestured at her chest. "When I held you in my arms, you only came up to here."
"I can reach here now, too." Muten Natsu shifted closer, nestling against Retsu Unohana's soft, fragrant body before looking up. "Like this."
Looking down at his face, slightly squashed against her, Retsu Unohana smiled helplessly. "You're all grown up, and you're still fooling around..."
Muten Natsu felt unfairly accused. He clearly hadn't even started fooling around yet.
But since Retsu Unohana had already said it, wouldn't he be taking the blame for nothing if he didn't fool around a little?
"Huu~" Muten Natsu slowly breathed out a puff of warm air and immediately felt Retsu Unohana's body tremble faintly.
"You really are..." Retsu Unohana blushed as she pinched his ear. "Such a naughty little baby..."
Muten Natsu blinked. "Baby's hungry."
"Even if you're hungry... mm... you can't just... Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" Retsu Unohana affectionately stroked his head with her warm palm. "There, there~ You worked hard this past year. You did very well. You've already tried so hard, so it's all right to relax once in a while. Let yourself rest properly. Think of it as a reward for all your hard work... Good boy~"
One hand gently patted Muten Natsu's back while the other stroked his head. Retsu Unohana closed her eyes, feeling the way he clung to her so dependently, and lightly bit her lower lip to keep any strange sounds from slipping out.
If only... she had made this decision sooner.
Whenever moments like this came, Retsu Unohana always found herself thinking the same thing.
For a very long time, she had raised Muten Natsu with the intention of making him her future opponent.
Whenever he relied on her like this, she had never quite known how to respond.
If she had recognized her own feelings sooner, perhaps now there would be no need to...
Retsu Unohana let out a long breath. Her slightly curled body gradually relaxed as she lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from Muten Natsu's forehead.
"You can't act this spoiled with them," she reminded him softly.
"I can't?"
"At least not at first." Retsu Unohana soothed him gently. "They're still young, so it's only natural that they'll be a little afraid. You need to make yourself seem dependable enough."
"How do I... seem dependable enough?"
"The most important thing is not to rush." Retsu Unohana whispered beside his ear. "Take it slowly... Start with kissing."
Muten Natsu obediently raised his head and kissed her forehead. "Like this?"
"Mm. And then..."
Muten Natsu kissed her eyes, then her cheek, then lightly kissed her earlobe before whispering into her ear, "Then like this?"
Retsu Unohana's earlobe turned red. "And after that..."
"Like touching a feather..." Muten Natsu continued from her words and began doing more.
Retsu Unohana tightened her grip on his arm, but showed no intention of stopping him. The strength of her hands changed with his movements, seeming more like encouragement and guidance.
Oh no...
Retsu Unohana suddenly realized that perhaps she had taught Muten Natsu a little too well.
So well that even she could no longer resist him.
That was right. Muten Natsu had always been like this.
Thinking back to the Soul Society, Retsu Unohana remembered how he had always seemed lazy and laid-back, even a little slow and not particularly bright at first glance.
But anyone who spent enough time with him would soon discover that, aside from Kidō, which required innate talent, he learned almost everything at an astonishing speed.
And once he learned something, it never took him long to become extremely proficient at it.
If this continued...
Retsu Unohana struggled to pull herself out of her daze and gently pushed Muten Natsu away. "No..."
There was hardly any strength left in her hands. Fortunately, Muten Natsu had followed her teachings faithfully and never lost control of himself. The moment he heard her voice, he stopped.
"Captain?"
"I'll help you..." Retsu Unohana breathed softly. "But... not this. This is something you should do with them, not with me..."
Muten Natsu gazed into Retsu Unohana's glistening eyes. "Why?"
"Because this is something you should only do with someone you love..."
"I like you." Muten Natsu's warm breath swept across Retsu Unohana's beautifully flushed face. "I've wanted to tell you from the very beginning, but I was afraid that if I really said it, I'd lose you forever."
Retsu Unohana's eyes trembled. She cupped Muten Natsu's face in her hands.
"Muten Natsu..."
"I don't know what's wrong with me. You've already given me your care, your consideration, your gentleness, but I still keep greedily wanting more." Muten Natsu raised a hand and placed it over hers. "Again and again, I told myself to be satisfied with what I had. To never forget the pain of losing something. Not to recklessly change what we had, and not to ask for anything more... until you began teaching me. Teaching me more and more."
Muten Natsu turned his head and kissed Retsu Unohana's palm.
"From the beginning, you were the one who taught me. You were the one who gave me a new life. You were the one who held me warmly when I was helpless. You were the one who made me a Shinigami, then freed me from the restraints of being one. And when I didn't dare hope for anything at all... you gave me everything you had."
Retsu Unohana's thumb moved gently, wiping away the tear at the corner of Muten Natsu's eye.
"Do you want to love me the way you love them?"
"No." Muten Natsu met her gaze. "I want to love you the way you love me."
"Spirit Ink..." Retsu Unohana pursed her lips. "Give me your Spirit Ink."
Spirit Ink seeped from Muten Natsu's fingertips. The viscous Spirit Ink danced over Retsu Unohana's fingertips, tracing complex characters that imprinted themselves on the wall before disappearing from sight.
"This is a soundproof barrier..." Retsu Unohana noticed the confusion in his eyes. "With your Spirit Ink, it can maintain itself for a long time, so we won't... disturb them."
Muten Natsu's breathing immediately grew a little quicker.
"Captain..."
"Call me Unohana. That's the part of my name I've never changed." Retsu Unohana spread her arms. Crystal beads of sweat gleamed on her flushed face, while her half-lidded, hazy eyes reflected Muten Natsu's face. Her waterfall of black hair lay scattered around her, forming a vivid contrast with her snow-white skin.
"Muten Natsu, come here."
Muten Natsu lowered himself into Retsu Unohana's embrace.
Her pale arms wrapped around him as her gentle voice sounded beside his ear.
"Just liking me isn't enough, you know. Because I love you. I've been deeply in love with you for a very, very long time."
Her warm embrace completely enveloped Muten Natsu, drowning him in a tenderness as gentle as water.
Retsu Unohana hugged him tightly and let out a long, lilting sigh.
"My baby really has grown up~"
...
Warm morning sunlight roused him from deep sleep.
Muten Natsu frowned slightly. Before his eyes had even opened, his hand was already reaching to the side.
It found nothing.
Was it a dream?
Muten Natsu's eyes snapped open as he looked beside him.
Retsu Unohana was nestled in his arms, her head resting on his arm, her pale shoulder catching the faint glow of dawn.
They were so close that when Muten Natsu straightened the arm beneath her head, he couldn't touch her at all. Only when he bent it could he wrap his arm around her shoulders.
So it wasn't a dream.
Muten Natsu quietly admired Retsu Unohana's sleeping face, still marked with traces of tears. Her brows were relaxed in sleep, and her moist lips curved upward into a faint, gentle smile.
There was none of a Captain's authority, nor even her usual gentle composure. What remained was pure, undisguised happiness.
Her curved eyelashes fluttered.
Retsu Unohana slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking directly into Muten Natsu's affectionate gaze.
"Good morning..." Retsu Unohana hugged him a little tighter, tilted her face upward, and called softly, "Darling~"
That single word sent an indescribable thrill through Muten Natsu.
Retsu Unohana seemed to have noticed the confusion he felt upon waking. She knew he was having trouble distinguishing reality from a dream, so she had chosen that particular way to make the change in their relationship feel unmistakably real.
Their relationship had actually changed long ago. It was only now, at this very moment, that Retsu Unohana finally stopped avoiding or hiding that change.
It had always been this way. Whenever Muten Natsu didn't know what to do, Retsu Unohana would teach him.
Some things had changed, while others never had.
The things that had changed brought Muten Natsu a kind of happiness he had never experienced before.
The things that remained unchanged gave him the same comforting sense of security they always had.
"Darling..."
"Pfft!" Retsu Unohana laughed softly and poked the tip of Muten Natsu's nose. "That sounds strange coming from you."
"How is it strange?" Muten Natsu protested. "I was so happy when you called me that."
"But when I hear you call me that, it feels... hmm..." Retsu Unohana tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Like a little kid trying to talk like an adult. It's adorable."
Muten Natsu tightened his arms around her. "A little kid?"
"Mm... a big kid, then." Retsu Unohana's eyes brimmed with unconcealed amusement. "A very, very big kid~"
Muten Natsu: "..."
He felt like she had just coaxed him.
He was happy.
The smile in Retsu Unohana's eyes deepened.
He would sulk over the smallest thing, then brighten up again after only a little coaxing.
Even though they had already done something only adults did, in Retsu Unohana's eyes, Muten Natsu was still a child.
Except...
At such close range, Retsu Unohana could clearly see the heat gradually rising in Muten Natsu's eyes, along with his increasingly heavy breathing.
"You need to show some restraint." Retsu Unohana pressed a delicate pale finger against his approaching lips. "You can't indulge yourself too much."
Muten Natsu protested weakly, "I feel like... I haven't reached the point of indulging myself yet."
"You can't only think about yourself." Retsu Unohana pulled up the blanket to cover her body, blocking Muten Natsu's overly heated gaze. "Mm... Ouch~"
"What's wrong?" Muten Natsu immediately asked with concern. "Is it because I..."
"Not entirely." Retsu Unohana sat up, straightened her back, and gently pressed a hand against her lower back. "This happens when you get older. Your back starts hurting after strenuous exercise."
Muten Natsu reached out and began massaging her. "Then next time, don't work so hard. Let me..."
"Hmm?" Retsu Unohana tilted her head slightly. "You didn't like it?"
"I'm worried about your body." Muten Natsu had studied massage under Retsu Unohana for some time, so his technique was quite professional. "Your back already hurts, doesn't it?"
"This much is nothing... Mmm~" Retsu Unohana let out a soft hum. "Don't think you've won just because you managed to grab hold of my waist..."
Muten Natsu's eyes shifted slightly as a vivid image involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
He had to admit, grabbing Retsu Unohana's waist...
Retsu Unohana expertly reached over and pinched his ear.
"You're thinking naughty thoughts again."
Muten Natsu looked away. "I'm not..."
"Your body is much more honest than your mouth." Retsu Unohana rubbed Muten Natsu's cheek, then got out of bed and opened the wardrobe. She took out a clean set of pajamas and tossed it to him. "Hurry up and get dressed. It's already getting late."
Muten Natsu quickly put on the fresh pajamas, then stared fixedly at Retsu Unohana without blinking.
Holding her own pajamas, Retsu Unohana shot him an exasperated glare. When she realized he had no intention of looking away, she could only sigh and pretend he wasn't there.
Her beautiful body gradually disappeared beneath the pajamas, but her charm did not diminish in the slightest. If anything, the covering only added a captivating sense of mystery.
Under the morning sunlight, the faintly translucent fabric cast graceful curved shadows that drew Muten Natsu's gaze.
"Just staring like a fool..." Retsu Unohana clasped both hands behind her neck and swept them outward, freeing her hair from beneath the collar. Her long black hair spilled down in loose strands like a waterfall.
"Oh, right."
As though she had suddenly remembered something, she rummaged through the bedside cabinet, took out a pretty envelope, and handed it to Muten Natsu.
"This is for you."
"Hmm?" Muten Natsu accepted the envelope in confusion and opened it.
Inside was... money.
Holding the bills in his hand, Muten Natsu stared blankly at Retsu Unohana.
"What's this?"
Retsu Unohana answered as though it were obvious. "Money."
"I know what money is... What is this money for?"
Retsu Unohana blinked.
"New Year's Money."
Muten Natsu: "..."
It was said that every New Year, the God of the New Year bestowed new souls upon people.
The head of each household would then distribute the [New Year's Kon] among the family members, symbolizing the sharing of the God of the New Year's spirit and receiving strength for the coming year.
That was why, during the New Year, elders gave younger family members pocket money known as [New Year's Money].
In other words...
Lucky Money.