"Ha ha! Hey, Emiya, I heard things aren't going so well for you at the Academy?" Yoruichi said with her usual devil-may-care grin as she popped up in front of Shirō one day, now already the Captain of the Stealth Force.
Shirō's eyelid twitched.
"Who told you that?"
"Who else? The Little Bee, of course. Who did you think it was?" Yoruichi replied.
"Tch. That tattletale. Doesn't she know the phrase 'don't air your dirty laundry in public'?" Shirō muttered under his breath.
Yoruichi leaned in with a sly smirk.
"And you think telling me counts as going public? Don't blame her, it was me who asked. She only answered."
"She could've picked the good parts to tell," Shirō grumbled.
Yoruichi began circling him, eyeing him from head to toe.
"Still can't believe it, you're still without a Zanpakutō?"
She patted his shoulder.
"Well, hey, no big deal. You could always join Kidō Corps. Or just come hang with me. If worst comes to worst…" She thumped her chest. "I'll support you!"
"Support me? Please. I should be the one supporting you," Shirō snapped, swatting her hand away. Like hell he didn't have a Zanpakutō. Let them laugh now, once the truth came out, they'd all be eating their words.
"Anyway, I'm taking you to meet a few people today. Come with me!" Yoruichi declared suddenly, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him along.
As always, her actions had no warning, no logic, and never failed to catch people off guard.
"This place is…?" Shirō stared at the towering wall of a grand estate.
"You'll see when we're inside," Yoruichi said, already dragging him forward.
"Wait, wait, aren't we using the front gate?!"
"Too much hassle." Yoruichi hoisted him up effortlessly and vaulted over the wall.
Has no one ever beaten her up for trespassing like a thief? Shirō silently grumbled as they landed inside.
Once in, he was shocked by the size. The estate was massive, on par with the Shihōin compound. Could this be…?
Sure enough, a familiar figure soon came into view. Just like Shirō had years ago, the boy was swinging a wooden sword in the courtyard, drenched in sweat. But unlike Shirō's half-assed efforts back then, this kid trained with genuine focus and no supervision.
That kid was none other than… Kuchiki Byakuya.
Yoruichi had brought Shirō to the Kuchiki estate to introduce him to the heir of the noble family. Clearly, she was pulling Shirō into her inner circle, because meeting someone like Byakuya wasn't something most people could just do.
"Hey, little Byakuya! Still swinging that stick around?" Yoruichi popped up behind him with a grin.
Byakuya's eyes twitched. He spun around, slashing his wooden sword while shouting, "You demon cat!"
Whoosh!
Yoruichi leapt back lightly, dodging the strike with ease.
"Still so quick to anger. Not exactly how nobles are supposed to treat guests, is it?"
"If you were a guest," Byakuya growled, clearly furious.
"I came all this way just to see you, you know."
"Hmph! Go away. You're ruining my training." Byakuya turned away and resumed swinging.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Shirō strolled over, shaking his head, circling the young noble as if critiquing a poor performance. But seriously, this was Kuchiki Byakuya. Not someone you could just casually judge!
"Who the hell are you?!" Byakuya finally snapped.
Shirō hopped back a step, feigning surprise.
"Oh? You mean you don't remember me?! But now that I think about it, it is strange, after all these years, you're still this short!"
He suddenly appeared beside Byakuya and raised a hand above the boy's head. Shockingly, the top of Byakuya's head only reached Shirō's lips.
"Back then, you were almost as tall as me. What happened? Were you neglected? Starved? Sleep-deprived?" Shirō asked with faux concern.
Byakuya's eyelid twitched. Now he remembered. In all of Soul Society, only a handful dared speak to him like this, and Shirō was at the top of that list. If not for how much he'd changed over the years, Byakuya would've recognized him the moment he stepped in.
"You demon cat! So you two are in cahoots! No wonder you're both so annoying!!" he exploded.
"Oh~ I was going to introduce you two today," Yoruichi said in mild surprise. "Didn't realize you already knew each other."
"Who said I know this bastard?!" Byakuya shouted, turning his head away.
"Heh. Still pretending, huh? Don't worry, I'll make sure you never forget me again," Shirō smirked. He suddenly leapt beside Byakuya again, reaching for his head, pure provocation.
Whoosh!
"Don't push your luck!" Byakuya slashed with his wooden sword.
Shirō ducked easily. "Ha! Still can't land a hit, huh? Just like back then!"
"I'm not the same as before! I'll show you just how much I've improved!" Byakuya screamed. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Over here, Shirō, this way!" Yoruichi suddenly waved from the side.
Shirō bolted toward her without hesitation. The chase was on, with Byakuya close behind. At this age, his temper was even worse than his teenage years.
The three of them, running, chasing, shouting, burst out of the Kuchiki estate, down the streets, and before long, were nearly outside the Seireitei itself.
"Yoruichi! We're about to leave Seireitei!" Shirō called out.
"Exactly! I'm taking you to the Rukon District!" she shouted back, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Wait, seriously? Is that okay?!"
"What's not okay about it? Don't tell me you're scared of running into Hollows? Are you still traumatized from last time?" she teased, getting in his face.
"Ha! Me? If anything, those Hollows should be scared of me!"
"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU BASTARDS!!" Byakuya's voice rang out from behind, he was catching up fast.
"Let's go!" Shirō dashed ahead without hesitation.
"Haha! Don't rush off without me!" Yoruichi laughed and chased after him.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter