Voices floated around me as I struggled to open my eyes, stuck in the darkness and my body filled with a relaxing coldness.

"Kenny, did you have to stab her so hard?"

"Captain Zaraki, let us treat your own wounds."

"Yachiru, stop jumping on the end of her bed; it's not going to wake her up any earlier."

With a feeling like I was being sucked upwards, my body woke and I no longer felt cold. An unbearable twitch began in one of my eyes and forced them open, a bright light assaulting me from above. Blinded, I turned my head to the side, my neck aching, blinking away the tears that formed.

Light blue walls were the first thing I saw; wide windows showed that it was light outside. Glancing around, I guessed I was in the hospital, for the room was sparsely decorated, with only my bed and two chairs, both of which were occupied, and the room smelled of chemicals.

"What's going on?" I croaked, my voice hoarse. I coughed then moaned, clutching my chest.

It felt like someone was trying to rip me open. A glass of water was held before my face and I stared at it for a minute, before reaching for it with trembling hands. Sipping slowly, I followed the hand to see a lady with a plait down the front of her body. She smiled at me, gesturing for me to drink more.

Draining the rest of the glass, I began to feel sluggish and my body felt warm and fuzzy. "What did you drug me with?" I slurred, my eyelids heavy again.

"Just a strong painkiller. It will help with the pain." Her voice was soft and I trusted her instantly, snuggling into the set of blankets placed on me.

"Who are you?"

"I am Unohana, Captain of Squad 4. You were brought into my care after fighting with Kenpachi Zaraki," she explained, the back of her hand on my forehead, before she drew the top layer of sheets off me and the bed. "You're running a bit of a temp."

She seemed almost motherly and I couldn't help but smile at her, eyes winking shut. A squeak from one of the chairs startled me and I looked over at the chairs. That's when I realised the people sitting there were Kenpachi and Yachiru.

It would have been comical the way they were sleeping there, with Kenpachi resting his head bend backwards against the wall and Yachiru in a foetal position, but it already hurt too much to breath, let alone laugh.

Unohana followed my gaze. "Oh, yes, those two. They've been here the whole time since you have been healing."

I think the painkiller was already wearing off, since a throbbing started in my chest again. "How long has that been?" I inquired, still staring at their sleeping forms.

"Five days."

"FIVE DAYS?" I cried, whipping my head to her and trying to sit up, a bolt of pain sparking through the wound. "You have to be joking," I wheezed as she helped me sit up, propping several pillows at my back.

"Kera?" Yachiru mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes with a fist. I must have woken her with my cry; when her eyes focused on me, her face brightened and she launched herself at me, hugging me around my neck. "Kera!" she yelled in my ear, practically sitting on me.

I struggled to stay conscious from the onslaughter of pain washing over me. "Ya... chi... ru," I managed to get out before she was pulled off of me.

Kenpachi turned Yachiru to face him as he held her by the back of her uniform collar at eye level. She just grinned sheepishly before he placed her on the floor.

"Feeling better?" he asked gruffly, but his voice seemed a mile away. I slowly clawed my way back to reality, not wanting to be swallowed by the darkness again.

"Well enough to take you on again," I lied, cracking a smile, before my head flopped back onto the pillows. I was exhausted already. "I haven't had a fight like that in ages," I admitted. "It was such a relief to stop being so controlling over my spiritual pressure." My chest spasmed and my grin became a grimace.

"Unohana, why hasn't she fully healed yet?" he asked, turning to the other captain. His voice had become dulled again and I struggled to keep my eyes opened.

"Her body seems to be resisting our healing mechanism, as if repulsed by it. Her body does take medication so I'm trying to help her that way. But there is something remarkable about her," Unohana had begun to whisper and I woke enough to listen in on the conversation. "It's healing itself, only at a much slower rate. It seems that sleeping increases the rate of healing."

"Weird," Kenpachi mumbled.

"So, am I free to leave now?" I butted in. "If I need sleep, I can get it in my room in the Squad barracks."

Unohana pursed her lips. "No." That was unexpected; Kenpachi was telling me 'no'.

"Why not? I've been here too long," I protested.

"I need you fighting fit for the next time we battle," was all he said before walking out, dragging Yachiru with him, who called out goodbyes and promises to visit later.

Puffing my cheeks out, I decided that I didn't need anybody's permission on when I could leave. I went to swing my legs out of bed, slowly peeling the blankets back and raising myself up into a sitting position, when Unohana's shadow fell over me.

"And where do you think you are going?" she questioned.

Baffled by her tone of voice, I looked up at her and blanched. Her eyes, so full of care before, were created of steel. She still smiled softly at me, but there was a predator's smile behind the façade. A smile that had the killer intent of someone who wasn't afraid to shed a little blood.

My body, faced with this frightening stimulus, froze and sweat started to build up on my body. Faced with those eyes, I couldn't keep contact and glanced away fearfully.

"You aren't going anywhere until you are fully healed," she stated and, meekly, I nodded my head.

Reversing the movements that got me into the sitting position, I was once again lying in the bed, pulling the covers to my chin. When I dared to look at her face again, she was back to the nice person she was when I first woke up. Pricking my arm, she injected something into me, rubbing the spot before tucking the needle away.

"Simply call if you need anything, all right?" she said, before turning off the light and shutting the door behind her leaving form.

I contemplated escaping but then the memory of Unohana's eyes and predatory smile kept me lying in the bed. I realised that if I tried to escape and Unohana caught me, I might not survive.

Sighing in defeat, I let the medication she had given me work its magic. Hopefully, by tomorrow, my wound would have healed enough to warrant my release.