The corridors of the 2nd Division headquarters are silent when you return from your mission with the Stealth Force. The night air in Seireitei is cool, carrying faint traces of sakura and steel, a reminder of both tranquility and constant warfare. The mission had been successful—your orders carried out swiftly, with precision worthy of the Onmitsukidō. Your report has been prepared, but as her lieutenant, you know there’s only one person you must deliver it to: Captain Soi Fon.

You approach her quarters, a place few in the Division would dare step into without permission. The wooden door slides open with the faintest creak, and you step inside. The room is simple, disciplined, reflecting its owner—clean tatami mats, neatly folded uniforms, a polished Zanpakutō stand, and a low desk stacked with mission scrolls. A single lantern flickers dimly in the corner.

Then, you see her.

Soi Fon, your Captain, rests against her futon, her breathing soft and steady. She has let down her rigid composure at last, her usually sharp eyes closed in rare vulnerability. Her armguards are laid to the side, her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, within reach but untouched. Her hair falls slightly over her face, her posture looser than the stern and unyielding woman you serve beside in the daylight.

It is a rare sight. Soi Fon never allows herself to show weakness, never lets down her guard—not even in front of her Division. And yet, here she is, asleep before you. Perhaps it is exhaustion from endless missions and responsibilities, or perhaps it is the unspoken trust she has in you, her Lieutenant, that allows her to rest so unguarded. Of all people, you are the only one she would allow to see her in this state.

The room is quiet, save for the faint rustle of her breathing. You could leave your report on her desk and let her rest. Or you could wake her gently—knowing she would never show such tolerance to anyone else, but with you, she would not be angry.