{đ„łJoining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please support me.đ„° You can access upto 100+ advance chapter through Patreon by using the link: patreon.com/Oreski}
"I disagree!" Sui-Feng's voice rang sharp as steel as she clutched Su Li tightly, refusing to yield.
Su Li frowned, the corners of his mouth tightening. "I am going to save someone, not to clash head-on with Hueco Mundo. There will be no danger," he explained with patience, though even he could hear how thin the reassurance sounded.
"That's not acceptable!" Sui-Feng's tone flared hotter. "If, as you said, that girl is so important to Aizen, then she will be surrounded by heavy guards. How could there be no fighting? Don't lie to me!" Her voice cracked with urgency, and for once, all the discipline drilled into her could not suppress the storm raging inside.
Su Li had no answer, because she was right. Orihime Inoue was held in the very depths of Las Noches, and there was no reaching her without breaking through layers of Espada and Arrancar, each step closer demanding blood. To rescue her meant battle.
Sui-Feng's eyes flashed as she lifted her head suddenly, a thought crystallizing. "Unless..." Her voice trembled, but the resolve behind it was absolute. Su Li felt a sinking premonition just as she declared, "You take me with you!"
"Aha! I knew it!" Omaeda almost shouted aloud, his face alight with grotesque excitement at the unfolding drama.
"No!" Su Li cut him off firmly. "The path to Hueco Mundo is riddled with crisis. Every Espada there wields power on par with a captain. Aizen himself waits within those walls. This is no child's game, Sui-Feng!"
But his words only fanned her fury. "All the more reason to take me with you! If it is so dangerous, how can you go alone? We should fight together, watch each other's backs!"
Yet Su Li's head shook again, harder this time, voice leaving no room for doubt. "No."
Her eyes widened. "Are you afraid I'll drag you down?"
"That is not what I mean..." His words faltered. It was not fear but calculation. Alone, with his speed and strength, he could carve a path. With Sui-Feng, the burden doubled, and there was no guarantee he could shield her every moment. The mission was to save a girl without battle prowess, not to risk another life. He could not gamble Sui-Feng's safety.
"Forgive me, Bee," he said at last, his tone low yet immovable. "I cannot take you there."
Her face blanched. She bit down on her lip, but her grip on him only tightened, refusing to surrender. Su Li sighed, reaching out to pry her hands away, but she seized his wrist in turn, pinning both his hands with her desperate strength.
"I don't care!" she cried, her pale face trembling with defiance. "If you won't take me, then don't think to abandon me either! You leave, and you lose me forever!"
Su Li stared at her unyielding eyes and was struck with a sudden memoryâforty years past, the first time they had met. She had been the same then: unreasonable, unrelenting, a spirit as sharp as her blade. He had nearly forgotten that side of her. Now, faced with it again, his frown deepened. To deal with unreasonable women, sometimes one needed unreasonable answers.
Sui-Feng raged on, oblivious to the change in his eyes. "Don't think you can use this as an excuse to get rid of me! If you dare run off without me, I will never forgive you. Not for my entire life, I willâ"
Her voice was smothered.
Softness, warmth, breathâhis lips pressed against hers.
"!!!!!!!" Omaeda all but launched into the air.
"!!!!!!!" Sui-Feng's pupils dilated to their very edge.
The office froze in silence, time locked in stillness as disbelief thundered through the room. Su Li had kissed Sui-Feng.
Her heartbeat stuttered. She had imagined this moment countless times, in fleeting dreams she never dared confess. Now, the reality washed over her like fire and silkâthe taste of youth, the softness of lips, the stolen breath between them. She wanted the world to halt, to stay within that instant forever.
Even Omaeda, staring slack-jawed, felt as though he were trapped in a vision of spring. The birth of love, the flowering of passion, the destined bond of two heartsâhe thought he saw it all bloom before him. Tears welled, ridiculous and unstoppable. Finally, the girl's long vigil had been answered by the boy. His loyalty, his suffering, his watchfulnessâall justified in this single moment. Omaeda wept silently, unwilling even to move, unwilling to shatter the fragile dream.
But every dream breaks.
A breath, soft as silk, signaled the parting of their lips.
Sui-Feng's face burned crimson, her thoughts scattered to ashes, unable even to recall what she had shouted before. Her mind swam with nothing but the lingering warmth and the sweetness she had once only imagined.
"Wait for me to come back, okay?" His voice, tender and gentle, brushed her like wind. Her body shivered as the numbness spread, and her lips shaped a dazed whisper. "Mm..." She nodded, bewitched.
Then the breeze shifted, and Su Li was gone.
The office fell still once more.
For a long time, she stood frozen, fingers rising unconsciously to her lips as the warmth faded. The emptiness left behind carved sharply through her chest, her heart tightening. His words echoed in her mindâwait for me to come back. Slowly, she lowered her raised foot, planting it firmly again. She listened to the pounding within her chest, faster, fiercer, alive.
No more defiance. This time, she would wait. However long it took, even if forever, she would wait until he returned. Her eyes hardened, steady and resolute, a sweet smile curling her lips as she began weaving futures in her mind.
Then came a rustling sound. She spun sharply.
Omaeda stood sweating buckets, legs trembling. "M-my legs are numb... I can't hold it anymore..."
Her eyes narrowed, voice colder than steel as her hand drifted to the hilt of Suzumebachi. "Did you see it all?" She smiled, but it was the kind of smile that promised nothing but winter.
Omaeda's soul shriveled. Is this what I wanted to see?! Who would dare imagine this would happen?! I even blessed you both just now! His face twisted in despair. "Ah! Captain Su Li!" he cried suddenly, pointing at the door.
Sui-Feng turned instinctively, eyes wide, but saw only emptiness. Behind her, glass shattered with a crash. Omaeda had leapt through the window.
"You bastard!" Her fury erupted, but already he was gone. Even with numb legs, he fled with a speed that carried him beyond her sight in less than a breath.
{ Enjoying the chapters? Please Support me on Patreon and unlock 100+ advanced chapters, with 3 new chapters released every two days!
The fanfic is also available for one-time purchase on Patreon â unlock lifetime access to the full collection, no membership needed! Don't miss out âsupport and own it forever!
patreon.com/Oreski}