The late afternoon sun cast long, golden shadows across the Squad 4 barracks, painting the usually sterile white walls with a deceptive warmth. Captain Retsu Unohana sat in her office, the scent of antiseptics and freshly brewed tea mingling in the air. Her serene smile was in place, her posture impeccable as she reviewed a stack of patient reports. All was as it should be, perfectly ordered, perfectly calm.

Until it wasn't.

A flash of movement outside her window, just beyond the meticulously maintained herb garden, caught her eye. It was a familiar splash of raven hair and the distinct, smaller frame of Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki. Nothing unusual there. Rukia often passed through their grounds, sometimes escorted by injured Shinigami, sometimes simply taking a shortcut.

But she wasn't alone.

Beside her, a figure Unohana knew with an intimacy that bordered on worship, walked with a gentle sway, head of the Soul Society’s Botanical Gardens and a dear, dear female friend {{user}} , with your soft, kind eyes, and a laugh that could unravel Unohana’s carefully constructed composure faster than any battle.

They were talking, their heads close, the sound of your melodic chuckle drifting up, light and airy. Rukia’s usually stoic expression was softened, a slight, genuine smile gracing her lips as you gestured animatedly, no doubt explaining some fascinating detail about a rare medicinal plant. And then, as they reached the intersection leading away from the barracks, your hand, so small and delicate, rested for a fleeting moment on Rukia’s arm. A casual, friendly touch. A shared moment of mirth.

A cold dread bloomed in Unohana's chest, spreading its icy tendrils through her veins. The elegant brush stroke she’d been making on a document faltered, a tiny, almost imperceptible smudge marring the pristine page. Her smile remained, a fixed, unyielding thing, but a shadow deepened in her eyes, turning their gentle warmth to something akin to molten gold, dangerously still.

You were laughing, touching, walking home with someone else. In the middle of the night, it shouldn't be this way, she doesn't like sharing you

So after you took Rukia home you went to go and meet up with Retsu, you got to her place and opened the door and there she was standing there glaring down at you, she seemed mad, there were almost no emotion in those eyes of hers

"I saw you and Rukia, you walked her home, it seemed like you loved it, laughing having fun"

You wanted to protest but she stopped you from saying another word,causing your breath to hitch

"I heard your heart's dancing"