"Shoulders back, head up. Straight face…straight face…"
Retsu Unohana never needed to remind herself to act the part of the poised and regal leader that she was, but after a few months of unsolicited first-degree murdering, she needed a refresher. Honestly, the real Retsu Unohana is the physical personification of poise and excellency. Yachiru Unohana, on the other hand, was always dismissive of etiquette.
Going through an identity crisis was the last thing that she wanted to deal with.
Arguing with her brother and throwing various sharp knives at non-fatal points of his body was something that Yachiru Unohana relished in whenever he annoyed her.
Pressing flowers and hosting tea ceremonies once a month was something that Retsu Unohana looked forward to all the time.
There would be times where she'd feel calm and at rest—mostly in Byakuya's arms. She felt like Retsu—the Retsu that has led the 4th Division for a millennia and the same Retsu that was the kindred spirit that softened the intimidating measure of the highest ranking members of the Gotei 13.
Other times she'd be fidgety and visibly agitated. She learned to take out her anger on inanimate objects instead of people (her brother was an exception). Chopping down trees became a new past time to take the edge off, at the expense of the environment as Minazuki reminded her as every oak tree fell.
Her attempts to bring some normalcy back into her life were in vain. Nothing was ever going to be the same anymore. Granted, she made quite a few grave errors in how she lived her life that ultimately led to the current predicament she was dealing with. Multiple personality disorder was something she managed to quell for years, but now she didn't even know how to act.
Should she resume her previous persona, should she re-embrace the fearsome Yachiru Unohana, or should she just be herself?
She was clad in a simple red kimono, appropriate enough in most aspects, but she stuck out like a sore thumb in her new environment. Her bare feet scratched against her sandals, her hair hung loosely behind her back.
Shinigami milled about, pointing and whispering under their breath—hands covering their mouths to disguise their words, but she heard everything. She would have preferred eerie silence, unfortunately she was forced to hear the gossip that was undeniably about her.
"That couldn't be—?"
"No, that's her in the flesh. It's her reiatsu for sure."
"And she's with Kuchiki-taicho…this really doesn't look right at all."
"There's something that happened that the higher ups aren't telling us…could we be under attack?"
"Hush! She's looking this way!"
Retsu rolled her eyes as she passed a set of unremarkable looking soldiers who had no type of discretion whatsoever. Back in the day, she used to be amused by the banter of her subordinates. Now she had the itch to throw a nice set of knives their way.
Walking down the main pathway of the Seireitei after almost six months made her feel unbearably uncomfortable, but she'd never show it. Rather, she had on the blankest expressed even humanly possible to express. The man next to her watched her openly and she could feel his gray eyes scrutinizing her every move as if she was about to run.
She was hoping to quietly slink back into the Seireitei, tie up old loose ends with the old bastard and vainly attempt to go about her duties as if she hadn't disappeared in the middle of the nights almost a half a year ago, but she was never the luckiest person out there.
Perhaps it was just her punishment for her sins. Maybe the unbearable insecurities that she was forced into acknowledging would lead her to atonement.
"This place makes me sick." She refused to express how insecure she felt. The word was foreign to her.
"At least pretend to act like you're glad to be home." A deep voice chided from beside her. He could read her like a book, naturally. Her body language was a clear giveaway that she'd rather be anywhere but here.
"You're asking for too much." She replied with a slight scowl.
He stayed silent, not interested in arguing.
Byakuya Kuchiki strolled casually right beside her, discouraging onlookers from inquiring about the two's mysterious disappearing for months on end. It felt as if at least half of the Gotei 13 was lingering about the pathway towards the 1st Division's compound, a respectable pathway parted for the black-haired duo.
"They're so close to each other…something is off."
"Maybe they eloped? We all knew Kuchiki-taicho has no interest in Shihoin-soshireikan."
"Hehehe…that's probably the weirdest conspiracy I've heard and they're the weirdest pair I've ever seen."
"Keep an open mind, will you? I like the drama…"
Retsu's hand twitched towards Minazuki. How dare these insects patronize her and her man—Byakuya. She chided herself as she yet again had to remind her that their relationship must stay hidden.
Every kiss was electrifying, ever caress, every touch, sent shockwaves through their bodies. Never had to two felt something so pure—so warm—they were on cloud 9. Their love was undeniable even though he had yet to bed her out of respect.
She was still the stubborn, bull-headed woman that infuriated him with her sickly sweet and respectfully proper way of making him feel like a complete fool, but he didn't care.
Love involves acceptance, anyways.
Tetsuo immediately wanted to crack open a cold one once hearing the great news, but a knife launched at his scalp that managed to shear off a good chunk of his hair reminded him that he must never speak of this. After much convincing, Byakuya managed to convince Retsu to return home and they bid Tetsuo and his family farewell only a few days prior. They took their sweet time, anyways, valuing as much alone time as they could get manage before having to resume their professional relationship.
Their tryst was as forbidden as it could get.
"Still your hand," he muttered soothingly under his breath. You wouldn't even be able to see his lips move from the distance the soldiers were, but Retsu had no problem hearing him and her hand immediately dropped. They had reached the steps of the entrance to the main hall. Byakuya went up a few steps before offering his hand to Retsu, who stared at it with a deadpanned face.
"Are you serious?" She shot him an annoyed glare. It was one thing to keep up appearances, but to insinuate that she could not walk up a flight of stairs unassisted was disrespectful
"I'm being a gentleman." He said patiently as he tried to ignore the crowd staring at them. Retsu smiled sweetly as someone in a bad mood could be and took his outstretched hand respectably. After walking up the long stair case, they stood outside the door with a giant '1' in kanji painted on it.
"Are you ready?" He turned to her and asked. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly before she sighed.
"As I will ever be." She breathed deeply and pushed open the door to confront her demons.
Retsu blinked to adjust her eyes to the light. After a moment, she took in the view in front of her.
The remaining captains and lieutenants stood in their normal spots, but they were visibly gaping in her and Byakuya's direction, except for the old man, Shunsui, and Jushiro. She reflexively looked towards her old spot, which was occupied by Isane.
Isane stared blankly at her, and Retsu's hard expression softened for a moment before steeling herself again. She thought of the girl as her daughter, naturally, and the manner in which she left was far from appropriate—it was borderline sociopathic. She'd shamefully admit that the girl rarely came across her mind during her absence, but she'd go out of her way to clear the air with her in private. She owed it to her trusted subordinate.
Part of her expect Isane to run at her, sobbing in relief at her master's return. Retsu didn't want to admit that she was a bit sad that all Isane did was glare at her for a moment before turning away. It seems that her actions to avoid affecting her loved ones did exactly just that, and in the worst way.
Retsu essentially knew everything about Isane, and having abandonment issues herself she knew what she did was inappropriate. She couldn't even bring herself to smile in the comforting way she knew how when she wanted people to feel better about themselves.
Byakuya looked at his sister, who looked relieved. He appreciated Rukia's seemingly unwavering confidence and loyalty to him, but he owed it to her to explain why. He obviously had to omit why he was motivated to leave for so long, but he could easily embellish a story about being sent to retrieve Retsu from danger. It was the least he could do.
He even spared a look at his lieutenant, who looked confused rather than angry and upset—something that Byakuya appreciated. As hot-headed as Renji was as a person, he was never particularly inquisitive and he knew not to expect any in depth queries from the red head.
Rangiku eyed Unohana in absolute shock. She literally looked like a walking corpse! She was so accustomed to being around the immaculate Retsu Unohana that seeing her in such a state was shocking. Unohana-taicho literally looked…dead. Her red haori hung loosely on her and it did look like she lost a few pounds, but not enough to seem malnourished. Her eyes were as blue and piercing as ever, but they possessed this intensity that they lacked before. Instead of a kind, scrutinizing gaze, Rangiku felt like she was being sized up and Unohana-taicho wasn't even looking at her. She shuddered in anticipation and glanced next to her at Shuhei, who looked back with a nervous expression.
She looked over toward Isane who was struggling with a mix of emotions, ranging from sadness to anger. Her captain turned and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze, his piercing teal eyes warning her to hold her tongue and wait for an appropriate time to discuss this.
Naturally, she could not ignore the elephant in the room: Byakuya Kuchiki.
He was dressed in his normal Shinigami attire, yet they did not look as pristine as they usually were. Undoubtedly his clothes were clean—both of their clothes were—but they looked as if they had been traveling for a long time.
Yamamoto opened one eye slowly.
Retsu decided to take the initiative and defuse the tense situation. She wanted to smile, but all that resulted was a strange smirk. "Yamamoto-sotaicho, everyone," she bowed slightly, "I am pleased to be back," she spoke with a strained voice that everyone in the room picked up on. Byakuya opted to remain silent, instead he stared defiantly at the captain-commander, refusing to even acknowledge his own return.
Yamamoto grunted as he walked down the steps from his chair, "You're alive, Retsu," he said airily before glancing at Byakuya and then to Retsu again, "We've been anticipating your return."
Retsu glanced around and saw everyone staring at her. Most faces were apprehensive, a few were stoic in an attempt to maintain an air of over, and naturally there was one glare that hadn't wavered since she arrived in the room. She flipped her silky hair over her shoulder and decided to play nice for once, or at least until the room was empty.
Before she even had a chance to respond to Yamamoto, a loud, shrill voice interrupted her.
Shinji Hirako stepped a few steps out of rank and put his hands on his hips, "Don't ya think that you owe all of us an explanation, Retsu-hime?" he drawled and Retsu could feel Byakuya tense up next to her, even though he knew he had to place to intervene.
The black-haired woman turned from the old man to face the blond man off to her side. In six months, his short bob cut grew a bit to just above his shoulders, but the same condescending smirk still remained stuck on his face. Retsu had almost forgotten that the man literally spent time trying to nosy into her private life with Byakuya, and she had vaguely remembered acquiescing to his advances as retaliation against the SWA.
She squinted her eyes at him, "I don't," she said blandly before turning back to Yamamoto. She wished she could say more but she had an image that she still had to salvage. The old man in front of her merely smiled at the exchange, mocking her even. The slight pang of annoyance started to grow even more as she heard Hirako speak again.
"Are you serious?!" he shot back, dropping the whole '-hime' act although everyone in the room knew it was a ruse. "You literally disappeared along with pretty boy," he pointed an accusing finger at Byakuya, whose turn it was to also respond back with a baleful glare, "and you seriously expect no one to want answers?"
Retsu's fingers twitched as she tried to find her happy place. Minazuki spoke about a happy place at length with her in order to encourage her mistress to not stab people for the aesthetic. It somehow worked, in a way, but there were always certain people in her life that managed to agitate her to no end. "Shut your mouth and stay in a child's place, since you want to act like one," she sneered out and reveled in his shocked expression.
"Well, well, well," Kenpachi muttered with a grin as he observed the new Retsu Unohana. He had a begrudging respect for the healer because of the fear that she instilled within the ranks of the Gotei 13, yet he always had a nagging feeling that the whole peaceful thing about her was just an act. And it seemed that he was correct.
The woman had cracked not one smile since she had entered the room after six months, and then she went on to insult the blond idiot as well! The thought of that excited him, and he planned to pick a fight with her as soon as possible.
Shunsui stepped forward and decided to deescalate the situation. "Now, now," he put up his hands in a placating manner, "I'm sure that Unohana-senpai," he moved a sneaky eye towards Byakuya, "and Kuchiki-taicho are weary from their long, long journey. They deserve at least a bit of rest and a drink before an outright interrogation." He finished as he turned towards Retsu, expecting some sort of approval, but all he received was an annoyed glare. Nothing new, he thought to himself with a smile.
Shinji, however, was not finished. He actually didn't care about Retsu at all, he just wanted to be nosy. Playing the part of the infatuated young man who was enamored by a cougar while the cougar disappeared out of thin air was annoying. He looked towards Byakuya and smirked. Oh, he knew exactly what to do to grind this prick's gears.
Shinji yawned and stretched, "You know what, Kyoraku? You're right," he pointed an accusing thumb at Byakuya, "Kuchiki probably has something to do with it, anyways. Awfully suspicious for two captains to disappear for months on end with no explanation. Especially when he's a betrothed man." He twirled a blond strand in between his fingers as he gauged the reactions of the rest of the room.
Byakuya's jaw almost dropped. The audacity of Shinji to insinuate something like that was just spiteful. He gritted his teeth and he wanted nothing else but to slice him with his Shikai, but he literally could not do anything without only confirming the suspicion.
Everyone for the most part was stunned into silence and Kyoraku was at a lost on how to somehow change the conversation into light hearted banter. The oddest thing about it was how Yamamoto opted to be completely silent and allow his subordinates to act in such an unsightly manner.
"Betrothed?"
Retsu on the outside was as impassive as impassive could be. Retsu on the inside, however, was mortified. Byakuya had never mentioned anything about an engagement to anyone, and he certainly hadn't been engaged when she was still here. That meant that he was betrothed during her absence to another woman.
Another woman…
Retsu's eyes widened and she wanted to punch herself. "Of course!"
The elders of the Kuchiki and Shihoin clans invoked the marriage treaty between Yoruichi and Byakuya. It was signed so long ago that she had almost forgotten and almost made a scene. Naturally, Byakuya would hear it from her for not telling her, but she couldn't stay mad at him. And something would have to be done about the impending marriage as well, it would not be happening as long as breath flowed from her.
Hirako, however…
Byakuya already felt a heavy pit in his stomach as soon as those words left Hirako's mouth. He knew that Retsu was partly responsible for the signing of his engagement to Yoruichi, but he did not want her to know that it was invoked, especially in her fragile state. He was irate and Hirako would pay.
His hand twitched towards Senbonzakura right when Retsu started to walk slowly towards Shinji. He decided against getting in her way and was already deciding on how he was going to explain himself for hiding something from her.
"You shouldn't have said that," she said simply as she approached him.
Shinji watched as Retsu walked slowly towards him with a sneer. "There just might be truth to what I said, judging by your expression." Sure, it was completely inappropriate to accuse two captains of sleeping with each other like that unprovoked, but he knew that the two couldn't do anything to him. He was a colleague and any degree of verbal retaliation would only confirm the suspicions of the people in the room.
What he didn't expect that a fist to lodge itself in his face, shattering his nose and his teeth.
"Did…did she just punch him?"
"Oh my God…"
Everyone in the room was absolutely flabbergasted, except for Yamamoto, who just watched the scene with one eye open. Even more surprising than the normally calm and peaceful Retsu Unohana hovered over him, smiling as if she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing to him (and she was, immensely). Hirako's screams of pain were deafening, and there was no doubt that he could be heard from outside of the hall as well. So much for a calm reunion…
He staggered back, losing his balance as he crumpled into a heap on the ground. Vision swimming, he looked through teary eyes to possibly see the scariest expression he has ever seen on anyone. "What the fuck—?" he screamed back as he tried to create some space between him and the woman with a terrifying grin as she wiggled her blood covered fingers.
He looked towards Yamamoto with a crazed look, and the old man merely just looked at him and decided to ask his lieutenant to bring out some tea as he returned to his seat. The rest of the captains and lieutenants were absolutely dumb-struck. Retsu Unohana, the benevolent angel of the 4th Division, just socked Shinji Hirako, her supposed lover, in the face so hard that his nose spurted blood and a few teeth scattered on the ground. And Yamamoto, the harbinger of discipline and control, was literally allowing this to go down as he tucked into a mug of hot tea!
The pain prevented him from crawling away even more and eventually the woman was hovering over him. She reached down to grasp him by the crown of his head and pulled him up to her face.
The sickly sweet grin was still plastered to her face as she relished in her lapse of character. "To assume that I would engage in an affair—the audacity," she grasped his hair tighter as he whimpered, "not only are you wrong, you're a poor excuse for a man. I wonder what I ever saw in you. If I ever hear any more slander from your mouth, I'll personally guarantee that you'll be feeding from a tube for the rest of your life."
She unceremoniously dropped him to the ground and watched with a scowl as he rolled around, grasping at his ruined nose. Retsu knew that what she just did was wrong—not because she assaulted Shinji, but because she literally did the completely opposite of what was expected of her, and then worsened it.
"Oh my God," Shuhei breathed in shock as she watched Unohana stroll casually towards Yamamoto, who had tucked into a fresh pot of tea as if one of his subordinate wasn't rolling around in a pool of his own blood.
Retsu frowned and spoke quietly, "Where and when?" she asked simply.
Yamamoto looked up from his cup, "Same place as always." He replied simply before smirking. He wanted to say more, but decided to hold his tongue.
Retsu nodded curtly and headed for the door. She glanced blankly at Byakuya, who was gaping at an injured Shinji on the ground before he noticed his lover looking at him. Part of him was proud that she defended him, and another part of him was annoyed that he was helpless in the situation. He sighed imperceptibly to himself as he thought of the consequences.
Retsu had already strolled past a semi-unconscious Shinji before she casually walked back to deliver a kick to fracture a few ribs. "That was for wasting my time," she spat as she finally left the poor injured man alone.
Shunsui laughed awkwardly to diffuse the utter disbelief and fear in the room.
"Um, could we get a mop in here," he queried to no one in particular, "oh, and a stretcher, too."
"So we're just going to stand here and pretend that Unohana-taicho just didn't literally smack the ever loving shit out of Hirako-taicho," Renji spluttered to his fellow lieutenant inside of one of their favorite places to hang out after work—the bar. After Shinji's literal beat down, the head captain opted to dismiss the meeting. The captains all looked at each other before filing out, not having the energy to give their lieutenants any orders for the rest of the day. The lieutenants then decided to take the afternoon off and possible discover what the hell just happened.
"I'd go apeshit too if someone accused me of sleeping with someone else…especially if they were engaged," Izuru replied as he sipped from a bottle. "That's a career wrecker, for sure."
"But it's Unohana," Renji replied in annoyance, "she's supposed to be nice!?"
"The only thing nice about her was that left hook, Renji. And shouldn't you be more worried about why your captain was with her?" Izuru queried right back.
Renji winced visibly. Sure, he was worried for his captain and he knew not to question him. He looked perfectly fine, unlike Unohana, and even spoke to him after the meeting as if Street Fighter hadn't just happened right in front of him. But he did notice how cautious Kuchiki-taicho seemed. It seemed as if he was carefully watching what he was saying, even with the things completely unrelated to why he had left. He decided to drop it, but it still annoyed him.
The women in the group looked at each other nervously as the guys bantered back and forth between each other. Of course, the guys were not in on what they knew, so they were more or less fixated on the fight itself rather than what led to it.
Rangiku fingered her bottle of beer nervously as she turned to Rukia, who had been eerily quiet since after the meeting. Her brother had told her to meet with him in the morning and she was very nervous.
"I think we fucked up," Rangiku sighed as she laid her head down on the bar stand. Unohana was essentially the Terminator right now and it was only a matter of time before everyone in the Gotei 13 thoroughly had that ass whipped.
"We?!" Nanao cried out incredulously as she stood up, "This was your and Yoruichi's idea! Look what you two did!"
"I doubt Unohana-taicho's change had anything to do with us, honestly," Momo interjected to calm the other women down, surprising well collected after having witnessed her captain get beat up.
The women sat pensively, no one in the mood to drink anymore. Yoruichi had too, disappeared off the face of the earth but everyone knew where she was. She never hung out with the girls anymore and it seemed as if she never left her mansion. Of course, Sui-feng was mum about the entire situation and refused to disclose anything.
Isane leaned on one hand as she listened passively. Part of her wanted to feel relief at seeing her captain again, but she was enraged to see Retsu glance dismissively at her and walk right past without saying anything. Naturally, she wouldn't show it—she was great at hiding things from people now, including…that. She was prepared to confront her captain (or former captain) as soon as the meeting was over, but seeing her beat up Hirako-taicho discouraged her from that. Even she was wise enough not to poke a sleeping bear.
"What we need to address is why Kuchiki-taicho left too," Momo continued as she looked at Rukia. The other women also looked at her, who had a sheepish expression and a blush. She literally knew nothing and she hated the fact that the SWA assumed she had something to do with this. She had hoped and prayed that her brother wasn't having an affair with Unohana-taicho, but there were so many red flags.
"I literally know nothing," Rukia said impatiently. "I'm just as lost as everyone else. All I'm hoping is that whatever Hirako-taicho said isn't true."
Rangiku giggled, "I kinda hope it's true, honestly…just imagine how juicy that would be?!" she gushed as she took another swig of sake. "Two starstruck lovers engaging in a forbidden, sexy affair as their bodies—"
"GAHHH!" Rukia cried as she fled from the table and out of the bar. The inner pervert in her started to imagine horrible, horrible things that involved chocolate covered strawberries and rope and she just had to run.
The other women watched balefully as Rangiku spoke her imagination into existence—explicit existence.
"I wonder who's on top." Nemu questioned to no one in particular.
It's been way too long since I've updated this story—it came across my mind one day and I managed to churn this out. With work and school I have really neglected my writing so this chapter might not be up to part as past chapters, but I can't believe that it's almost been five years since I started writing this and I really hope I can resolve this story! Rate and review!