"The hospital is divided into twelve massive wards. There are at least 2,000 shinigami working here at all times, with another 2,000 on standby for different shifts. You and I work in all turns, understood?"
"Yes".
"Quarantine Zone. This is a small ward where Shinigami influenced by hollow are usually kept until specialised Kido teams deal with them. You won't be assigned here for now, but you may be asked to bring supplies from storage. Got that?"
"Yes".
"Barracks. You should know, since here is where you sleep. I don't think I need to explain to you. Stay away from the Captain's chambers and remain in your room during your free time. I don't care what your relationship with her is, got that?!"
"Ah... yes, sure".
"Enlisting facilities. The requirements to join our division are not as strict as in the other divisions, but you are still required to have a degree of expertise in Kido and self-defence, as well as temperance when dealing with patients. Cadets who have just come from the academy remain in these facilities where they train and get enlisted. Rightfully, this is where you should be, Ryōma-san".
"Yes".
"Do you know anything other than just saying 'yes'?"
"Yes".
"..."
"Warehouse and supplies. This is where you will spend the majority of your time for now. I will proceed to explain to you every supply that's here, how it is labelled, so on and so forth" She passed Ryoma a small scroll with the list of items that they had listed.
"You will be asked for a certain supply with a certain code, how much is in existence and where it has to be taken. You can ask for help if necessary, but we need all the supplies to be replenished at all times. There is personnel that's actively checking up in case any supplies are needed, your job is to work alongside them to make sure we get everything we need in all wards. Do you understand?"
"Yes"
Isane smirked, "Good, I will give you a brief tour and example, then you are on your own because I also have some things to do".
She eagerly expected his failure. Not because she wanted him to fail, but because she thought if he failed, that would get rid of his contemptuous countenance.
...
Three hours later, Ryōma was working alongside five more shinigami, and all wards were perfectly replenished. He waited in the reception, awaiting the next order. He looked with the side of his eye at how Isane stared at him from a corner in shock.
In the middle of it all, a nurse came asking for help to bring somebody into a room in the third ward; she looked a bit desperate. Ryoma went to help her and found the shinigami in question was a bloody big hulk-type guy who no normal person could hope to carry. In such cases, they had special beds, but they were all in use. It was a busy day.
Everyone looked in shock at how Ryōma carried the guy on his shoulders and threw him on the bed. The nurse thanked him profusely, and he went back to his spot.
'Hehehe, you must be grovelling inside' He heard Shitsutora's voice, enjoying his suffering... working as an errand boy when he could be fighting in the underground.
Nevertheless, Ryoma didn't entertain her, 'You will see~ it will all be worth it'.
...
"Clean the second floor's hallway–"
All cleaned.
"Please, Ryōma-san, help me take–"
Taken care of.
"We need disinfectants in–"
Supplied successfully.
...
Isane, who definitely had things to do, was wasting her precious time staring in shock at how the guy who she thought was going to be clueless completed every task perfectly without using too much of his brutish force.
She thought Kamishiro Inuzuri would be a battle maniac like the likes of Zaraki Kenpachi. She had been wrong. The boy knew how to talk, organise himself and work alongside others to accomplish a task.
Although no one could take away that countenance of disinterest from his arrogant face. Nevertheless, he heeded orders without a problem.
The eyes she used to look a him changed. Soon, she left to do her own thing, convinced she didn't have to worry about him, and she was right.
The officers couldn't believe how obedient that man was. Everything he was told to do, he'd do without even uttering a word back.
"What should I do next?"
"T-Take a break and grab your lunch. You don't need to take it so seriously, newbie".
He went to a small cafeteria-looking stall where he was given free refreshments. Twenty minutes later, he was back once again asking what he should do since all wards were replenished and he wouldn't be asked to take just a single item; he had to wait until entire sections were cleared.
Isane and Unohana arrived together; his eyes immediately gained some light when he saw her. Without realising the sun was already starting to fall as his expectations surged.
"I see, he did well for his first day~" The captain commented happily.
"He did everything as requested. Good job, Ryōma-san," Isane said, making Ryoma know that she wasn't actually a bitch, only that she had a bias towards someone who had skipped all regular procedure and hadn't even gone to the academy like everybody else.
Nevertheless, he proved at least his capability to listen and follow instructions, which was something not all graduates were capable of.
"Come with me, Ryōma~", Unohana mumbled. This time, he did bow towards Isane, who blushed and bowed in return, certainly changing her perspective of him.
She couldn't possibly know what his true motivation was.
She took him to her office and started checking up on some documents.
"Please, take a seat".
He did as requested, sitting at the corner of the room, looking at her.
"What should I help with?"
She sent him a look and smiled, then went back to her work without saying anything. For the next few hours, she just did that. Have him by her side as she checked, signed and wrote documents.
There was a clock on the wall that ticked slowly... and it was like both of them could only hear every tick, counting the seconds one by one.
Isane came in, saying the relief team just came back and they have to be re-supplied, which was a huge workload that had to be done quicker compared to replenishing a ward slowly. Some people could do it, but Unohana understood she wanted Ryoma to do it just so he understood the job.
Sometimes, depending on how many personnel they had available, even Unohana would help move around supplies as she guided the new cadets.
Without looking, Unohana told Ryōma to help her.
He left the room first, then Isane bowed and followed, only to be stopped by her Captain's voice.
"Also, Isane..."
"Yes, captain?"
"Ryōma is mine".
!!!
"Excuse me?" She thought she had heard wrong, but the words were accompanied by Unohana's uncharacteristic hollow visage that followed by a smile that didn't quite reach the ear.
"I am just letting you know~ if you need him, I am happy to lend him out, but he is mine, and I may not be able to lend him to you all the time".
"I-I understand, captain... if you do not mind me asking... what is your relationship with him?" She blushed and asked; she couldn't fathom her usually nonchalant captain had such a relationship with a man.
"Are you interested in him?~"
"Not at all!" She almost screamed, "It is just... he skipped all procedures, didn't graduate from the academy. For what I understand, he's under observation..."
"That's correct, Isane. I am merely looking over him, observing him..." Her eyes opened a bit colder, "Measuring him".
"..."
"I intend that he join our unit long term, but for that to happen, we have to teach him properly and show the first division that he is of use and has all the merits required, as if he had effectively come from the academy. There is no doubt he is way stronger than the top graduates; his skipping the academy is not surprising considering his strength. But there are... other reasons why he has to prove himself".
"So... what do you wish for me to do, captain?" She asked for directions on how to treat him, what jobs to assign him.
"As I said, we just want to teach him around for now. And once he learns Kaido, he will be able to help even further~ you don't need to worry about anything else".
"I understand, captain".
"Besides, I am not restraining you from being involved with him romantically~" She uttered playfully.
"E-Eh!?" Isane couldn't believe what she was hearing; she was being teased.
"When I meant 'he is mine', I meant differently, so if you feel interested, feel free to chase him. I believe he is a very charming man with great potential, and I saw the way you were looking at him–"
"It is not like that at all, captain!"
A shameful Isane burst out of the door, leaving a giggling Unohana who, upon perceiving her solitude, regained her calm demeanour. She began fiddling with her documents, thinking about Ryoma just as she had been doing for the whole day. Eagerly expecting the night.
'Only one of us is going to remain at the end of this, Isane... if it is not me... at least I know I left you in capable hands'
She stared at the window where the moon was starting to creep up.
'There shouldn't be two Kenpachis alive... out of us three... two must die'.
The night felt colder than usual. She smiled joyfully and went back to her job, not giving it too much thought. Fate was fate... and fate was unavoidable.
...
Isane reached the main reception where Ryoma was waiting, rather irritated since they had just taken him away from Unohana again.
"Captain Unohana seems to have you on a pedestal. Show your worth accordingly–"
"I am not here to show my 'worth' to you, Isane".
!!!
It was the first time she heard him retort to day, his voice sounded so lifeless, like he didn't see her as a person at all. He had been polite all day, but he wasn't willing to receive impoliteness.
"The only reason I am in this place is because of Unohana. Don't misunderstand. If I wanted to go, none of you can stop me," He said in a voice loud enough for everyone around him to hear, even when he didn't scream.
He didn't believe there was a second monster like Unohana concealing herself, at least not in this hospital.
This man had no fear... he didn't put anyone there on his level. Isane clenched her hands... she wanted to put that strength to the test, even when she didn't believe herself a fierce combatant, it didn't mean she liked to be belittled.
"Hurry up and tell me what I have to do".
...
He was told to distribute the supplies that the relief team needed in order to be deployed again.
"Rather than wait for Shinigamis to come from the earth to heal, we send teams to reside in facilities all over the earth with the purpose of healing and treating Shinigamis. Only when the injuries are life-threatening do they come all the way back to the Seireitei to be treated. This facilities work more like a distribution chain as well as a research facility than a hospital of sorts. We have to re-supply them before the Senkaimon is ready to send them back, usually two relief teams come back every week".
It was indeed quite the swift operation that involved at least twenty shinigamis filling up bags and crates. Some of the members of the relief teams finished their shifts and were replaced by other members. Once they were ready to go, they departed towards the centre of the Seireitei, where they'd take the Senkaimon to go to earth.
'This may be a non-combatant division... but they're indeed one of the most important'.
"You don't look like the type of person who can do this work", Isane said to him, "I am not trying to insult you. I just wonder... if you are so strong, why didn't you join the Onmitsukido? or Captain Zaraki's division, that would be more fitting–"
"It wouldn't do well to judge people based on their looks, Isane... I have everything I need right here".
"So cute~" They heard the voice of their captain. All of the Shinigami perked up and bowed.
Unohana clapped her hands twice, and that was like a signal; they all started to scatter. It was time to rest. Ryoma looked at the sky; it was already dark, and they were only lit by the hanging moon behind the shadows and clouds, alongside the dimly lit candles of the wards.
'Finally'.
"C-Captain? Weren't you–"
"We are finished for today. Let's go, Ryōma. Have a good night, Isane. Please help Ryōma tomorrow as well".
"H-Hai..."
She never saw Unohana so much in a rush. Besides, if one looked closely, her left hand was holding tightly against her Zampakutō. She took him by his hand and led him away. Isane couldn't explain what she was seeing.
Something was not right.
Was it love? There was definitely an obsession concealed in her gaze, but she couldn't tell it was love; it was something else.
Something more dangerous.
...
Ryōma allowed himself to be led by Unohana; their destination was obvious... outside of the compound... into that basement. Her steps were rushed and desperate. Soon his matched hers, they were like two lovers eager to go secretly to their date.
He had followed orders obediently, waiting for this moment. She had done her job eagerly, waiting for this moment.
They could feel it.
"Have you fallen for me already? You've been quite attached~".
"If I did fall for something, Ryōma~ Your potential".
"That's a bit heartbreaking,, He mocked.
"Don't be. I can tell you are the same..." She sent a brief look back, allowing him to see her obsessed irises.
"More than touch my body... I can feel your intention to injure it. To mark it... let's go and see if you can~".
"What are we doing now?" He asked again just to confirm, just to hear it from her pretty little mouth.
"What you have been waiting for all day~"
**
**
*CLAANG!!*
*RUMBLE!!*
*CLAANG!!*
*CLAANG!!*
*BOOOOOMMMM!!*
Powerful reiatsu crashed down until the ground shattered, sword strikes that made steel feel like butter, sparkles of light in the darkness as two swords met relentlessly. Blood splurting everywhere, staining the dirty floor. A Captain's haori stained in crimson blood.
Four eyes that couldn't help staring at one another with obsession... toxic, unadulterated obsession and thirst for blood. Hoping the other person would last longer, come in harder, and use more strength.
It was like making love... but in a different way. The complete opposite.
Making hate, hatred.
Coming at each other as if they had a lifelong past of venomous events. Unohana smiled and sliced her sword without restraint, leaving a gnashing scar in Ryōma's body, tearing away the Shikahusho that she had proudly given him the same morning.
Every time she saw his blood drip, she felt like she was going to cum... not because of the sword, but because he wouldn't fall down.
Ryoma, with his body marred in wounds, would still come at her like a relentless beast.
*SLASSH!!*
He managed to cleave, leave a scratch on her pristine skin, but never deep enough. She evaded like she knew his every move. Swinging and tapping on her toes to make some distance, dancing. Only to turn around and watch a desperate beast lounge at her with a sword that looked like it had poison dripping from it. His eyes were like crimson beacons in the dark.
*CLAANGG!!*
Hebimaru and Minazuki clashed in a thunderous roar that sent high-pitched noises of metal scraping and tearing one another relentlessly.
"Unohana, UNOHANA!"
Ryōma's voice sounded less and less human by the second. She knew it... he was in the process of unleashing his real self.
*SLAASSH!*
This time, the strike hit.
"Ugh!" Unohana felt humongous pain in her chest; she didn't know how it happened. As she evaded and sidelong cleave, it felt as if Ryoma's sword became just a mere inch longer. Long enough to penetrate her tissue and drag out torrents of blood that stained the floor, smoking.
As if that wasn't enough, he chased after, flickering with a seamless shunpo.
*BAANGG!!*
He struck his knee against her nose with so much force and strength that it shattered her skull. His laughter resonated so mercilessly, almost as if he hadn't proclaimed her as his woman that very morning.
Unohana's body was sent flying, crashing against the basement wall in shock.
'H-He's getting stronger... very fast' She thought, because her face was so shattered that she didn't believe she could talk.
"I am so into you, Retsu..."
He mumbled, approaching slowly, savouring his bleeding knee; it was the first serious strike he managed to inflict on her. Unohana used Kaido, and within seconds, her face was back to normal, as if it had been a dream.
But the lingering pain was still there. Seeking to slaughter the other person, even if just mentally, but it wouldn't be so easy.
"I am glad you fancy me... should we take this further, then?~"
She pointed Minazuki at him, the hatred welling up even more. Who would like someone who inflicted pain on you? Certainly not her... but that hatred fueled her desire to fight even more. For how many years had she lived without pain, forgetting her past?
Finaly, there was a man who could bring back the pain she was longing for.
"Release your Shikai, Ryōma!"
Not one to wait for begging, he did exactly what she said. So far, she hadn't allowed him the leisure to activate his shikai, so he didn't even bother to try anymore. Now he had her permission. Ryoma pointed his sword at her, and titanic reiatsu was released, dark purple in colour, showering the whole world in venom.