The Fourth Division barracks were supposed to be quiet.
Soft footfalls on polished floors.
Medic chatter.
Kaidō hums.
The smell of sterilizing herbs.
Instead, Ethan limped into a thunderstorm.
Every head turned the moment he crossed the threshold — some in shock, some in awe, others in disbelief. A few whispered like they were staring at a ghost who hadn't realized he was dead yet.
Hanatarō was the first to rush up to him.
"E-Ethan! You were in— you were in Division Eleven?! Why would— how did— what happened?!"
Ethan didn't get the chance to answer.
A presence slid in from behind, colder than metal.
Unohana.
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.
"Ethan. With me."
Hanatarō went stiff. Every medic snapped straight like ropes pulled tight.
Ethan followed her through the rear corridor, deeper than the standard infirmary rooms — into a quiet wing used mainly by officers. Candles flickered along the walls, lighting the space with warm, deceptively gentle gold.
Unohana stopped only when they reached her personal room.
"Close the door."
He did.
Her smile didn't falter — it never did — but her eyes sharpened with surgical precision.
"Describe what you saw."
Straight to business. No gentle settling. No comfort. This was interrogation cloaked in politeness.
Ethan exhaled.
"It wasn't a normal Hollow, Captain. It had… shinigami traits. But not like Arrancars. It felt— broken. Like layers of reiatsu that didn't belong together."
Unohana folded her hands.
"And it responded to you."
Not a question. A statement.
Ethan nodded. "Yes."
"Do you know why?"
"No," he said honestly.
Which was, unfortunately, the truth.
Unohana stepped closer — slow, calm, silent. Ethan had to consciously stop himself from stepping back; she moved like water… or like a blade drawn without a sound.
Her hand rose, fingers hovering just above his chest, not touching but close enough to feel the warmth of her reiatsu.
"…Your spiritual signature fluctuates. This has been true since you arrived." She tilted her head slightly. "But after today, I believe something is resonating with you. Or seeking you."
Ethan swallowed. "Should I be worried?"
"Yes."
Again, a simple, toneless truth.
"But not afraid."
She stepped back, expression smoothing into her usual unreadable calm.
"I will arrange for you to be temporarily reassigned."
Ethan blinked. "Reassigned?"
"For observation training," she clarified. "You will avoid returning to Division Eleven unless ordered. But I cannot keep you out of field situations entirely."
Of course she couldn't. She wouldn't. Not Unohana.
He was still processing when Isane entered, composed but tense.
"Captain, the report from Captain Zaraki's squad is ready. He answered the inquiry." She swallowed lightly. "Apparently his exact phrasing was 'That kid was in the way, but not completely useless.'"
Unohana's lips curved minutely.
"A glowing endorsement."
Isane did not laugh.
Ethan tried not to.
Unohana folded her hands behind her. "Ethan, rest. The healers will tend to your arm and ribs. You will remain on light duty for forty-eight hours."
"I can still work—"
Unohana turned her head. Just a fraction.
Ethan shut up.
"Good," she said gently. "You are learning to listen."
Isane gestured for him to follow her out. As they walked back toward the infirmary, her voice dropped to a near-whisper.
"Ethan… I know you may not understand why Captain Unohana sends you into situations like this."
He blinked. "…because she wants me to grow?"
Isane gave a tiny, sad smile.
"She sends you because she sees potential. And because she tests people she plans to rely on."
Ethan frowned. "Rely on? For what?"
"That," Isane said, opening the sliding door to the recovery wing, "is what worries me."
---
Later That Night
Ethan lay on the healer's cot, patched up, bandaged… and wide awake.
Whispers traveled the barracks like sparks:
"A hybrid?"
"But inside Seireitei? That shouldn't be possible…"
"Why was Ethan there?"
"He looks normal. Could he be… I mean… connected?"
"No. Captain Unohana wouldn't protect him if—"
"She protects everyone. That's the problem."
He rolled onto his side.
Unohana was planning something.
Mayuri was definitely requesting the creature's remains.
Kenpachi now knew his face.
And whatever that hybrid thing was—
It had recognized him.
Not vaguely. Not instinctively.
Directly.
Like it knew him.
Ethan exhaled sharply.
He'd barely started this mission, and already the world was bending around him.
But worse than that…
His soul — the part that held all the echoes of previous worlds — felt like something was stirring, scratching from the inside.
Seeking him.
---
Final Scene — Morning Briefing
At dawn, the entire Fourth Division assembled.
Unohana stood at the front with her calm, perfect posture.
"Last night's incident in Division Eleven will not remain isolated," she announced. "Effective immediately, we will be increasing our mobile response units."
Her eyes flicked to Ethan, just for a moment.
"And certain members will receive specialized training."
Ethan felt twenty pairs of eyes land on him.
Unohana continued, tone still gentle:
"Prepare yourselves. Something is changing in Seireitei."
And then:
"That includes you, Ethan."