Byakuya's Name

After letting go, Soi Fon studied the man before her. His hair and clothes both looked as though they had gone untended for days. His eyes had a lazy look to them, and the dark bags beneath them were an obvious sign of too little sleep. There was nothing remarkable about his physique, either. Soi Fon couldn't help wondering how he had managed to become a Third Seat.

Kisuke Urahara patted his chest, still shaken, and quietly asked Yoruichi, "Who is she? How come I've never seen her before? She scared me to death, and here I was being nice enough to invite you out for drinks."

"Didn't I tell you? Her name is Soi Fon. She's a new member of the Punishment Force, and now she's also one of my bodyguards. Got it?" Yoruichi curled her lip, making it clear it was entirely his own fault.

"How is that possible? A new member of the Punishment Force is this strong? Her speed is practically on par with a Seated Officer's." Kisuke Urahara clearly didn't believe Yoruichi.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him. "Why would I lie to you? She really did join today. But before that, she had another identity: my little brother trained her himself."

Kisuke Urahara looked relieved when he heard that and muttered, "No wonder..."

The two spoke so quietly that no one else could hear them. Soi Fon went straight over to Ye Yang and asked in an equally low voice, "Is that man really a Third Seat? Why does he seem so unimpressive?"

Ye Yang smiled. Kisuke Urahara looked rather scruffy now, but who besides Yoruichi and Ye Yang knew how much strength he was hiding? Even in terms of strength, Ye Yang wouldn't dare claim he had the upper hand, let alone in intelligence. Whether it came to scheming or combat smarts, even Ye Yang felt inferior to him.

But judging by Soi Fon's reaction, she wouldn't believe him even if he told her, so he said, "Shaoling, you can't judge people by appearances. You can't draw conclusions before you know enough about someone, and you can't let the surface of things blind you. Sometimes what your eyes see isn't necessarily the truth."

Ye Yang had spoken without thinking, and Soi Fon couldn't understand him at all. Seeing her bewildered gaze, he merely said, "You're still young. You'll understand naturally when you grow up."

Soi Fon nodded as though she half understood, but said nothing.

What Ye Yang didn't know was that those very words would lead Soi Fon to do something that left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry...

In the end, Kisuke Urahara's suggestion of going for drinks was rejected. Yoruichi still had to give the new Punishment Force members their basic training, and they couldn't do without her. Besides, judging by the way Soi Fon looked at Urahara, she practically wanted to kill him.

Yoruichi then went to train the Punishment Force, and Soi Fon followed her. After all, she was now Yoruichi's bodyguard, and besides, there would be plenty of chances to meet again.

...The next day...

Early in the morning, Ye Yang and Ye Yang were training in the rear courtyard as usual. This time, however, there was one extra person: Soi Fon.

It had started that morning. Soi Fon believed that, as a bodyguard, she had to protect Lady Yoruichi's safety at all times, so when choosing quarters, she had picked a room next to Yoruichi's to protect her whenever necessary. That morning, Yoruichi had woken Soi Fon while getting up to train. When Soi Fon woke and found Yoruichi outside, she hurriedly got dressed, chased after her, and asked where she was going. There was no reason to hide it, so Yoruichi told her. After hearing that, Soi Fon insisted on training with her, leaving Yoruichi no choice but to bring her along to the rear courtyard.

After their morning training, Yoruichi lay on the ground and laughed at Soi Fon, whose forehead was drenched in sweat from exhaustion. "Soi Fon, now that you've come with me, you can't give up! You really are a mess."

A blush immediately appeared on Soi Fon's face. "Yes! Lady Yoruichi, I'll definitely keep at it!"

Soi Fon's answer drew another laugh from Yoruichi. Instead of replying, she turned to Ye Yang and said, "Little brother, let's go to the Kuchiki Clan today. It feels like we haven't seen little Byakuya in ages. I really miss him."

"You miss teasing him, don't you? When have you ever not gotten him all worked up?" Ye Yang retorted.

"But... what about the division's affairs?" Soi Fon asked worriedly.

Ye Yang explained, "It's fine. The division paperwork is for the whole week anyway, so reviewing it tomorrow won't be too late. As for the division's missions, Kisuke is there, so there won't be a problem."

Instead, Soi Fon looked at Ye Yang with deep suspicion. "Is that guy really reliable? Why do I keep feeling uneasy about him?"

Ye Yang looked at Soi Fon speechlessly and couldn't help sighing inwardly. First impressions really are important!

"It's fine. Come on, Soi Fon, you come with us too," Yoruichi said.

"Huh? Me? But..."

Yoruichi grabbed Soi Fon and pulled her outside, saying as they went, "No buts. Just think of it as me going out and you coming along to protect me. I can introduce you to someone today too"...

...Sixth Division...

Beneath a stand of cherry trees, a boy practiced with a wooden sword, swinging it over and over without pause. Beads of sweat fell from his head, but he paid them no mind and continued swinging the sword in his hand.

Behind him, an elderly man in a Captain's Haori watched him. A large "six" on the haori marked his identity: Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of the Sixth Division!

The boy finally noticed him too and ran over to greet him. "Grandfather."

The boy was Byakuya Kuchiki. Byakuya had now grown into a graceful young man. His long black hair was tied up with something, leaving only a lock of bangs on the left. He looked every bit a handsome young man. Beneath his seemingly serious exterior, however, lay a fiery temper, and Yoruichi deserved most of the credit for developing it.

Ginrei Kuchiki looked at his grandson and said, "Byakuya, you don't need to practice today." Seeing Byakuya's puzzled look, Ginrei continued, "Since you don't want to practice, take a break. There's no point in continuing. As it happens, you have visitors today."

While Byakuya was wondering who had come to see him, a dark shadow flashed past. In an instant, it swept by him and pulled off the headband tying up his hair, sending his long black locks billowing loose.

Byakuya didn't even need to think to know who it was. No one but Yoruichi would do such a thing. A cross-shaped vein bulged on the young Byakuya's forehead as he stared at her.

Yoruichi laughed heartily. "Hahahaha... Hey, little Byakuya, long time no see! Did you miss me?"

Byakuya turned his head away. "Tch, who would miss a demon cat like you?!"

"You dare call me a demon cat? Little Byakuya, I came all this way just to play with you." Yoruichi stood in front of Byakuya, looking down at him.

"Shut up! When did I ever ask you to come play with me? As the heir to the Kuchiki Clan, I have no need for play!" Byakuya shouted.

"That's not right, Byakuya. Even the Kuchiki Clan needs to rest~" Ye Yang suddenly appeared before Byakuya from who knew where.

Byakuya respected Ye Yang, or rather, he was afraid of him. Ever since Ye Yang had given him such a hard time before, he had never dared provoke him again. "Big Brother Ye Yang, you came too."

Ye Yang nodded and called out, "Shaoling, come out."

A girl suddenly appeared beside Ye Yang. She had short black hair and wore a Punishment Force uniform. Byakuya asked in puzzlement, "Who's this...?"

"This is Soi Fon. She joined the Punishment Force just yesterday, and now she's one of Yoruichi's bodyguards. Don't be fooled by how young she is. Before this, she trained with me, so she's very strong~" Ye Yang explained.

Byakuya looked at Soi Fon. She couldn't be ordinary if she had earned Big Brother Ye Yang's appreciation and trained with him. So he introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Byakuya Kuchiki."

Soi Fon replied with a strange expression, "Hello, my name is Soi Fon..."

Seeing Soi Fon's strange expression and how she seemed to want to say something but held back, Ye Yang asked, "What's wrong, Shaoling? What do you want to say?"

Soi Fon quickly composed herself. "It's nothing. I just thought Mr. Kuchiki's name was strange, that's all."

"Oh? Go on, what's strange about it? It's all right, tell us." Yoruichi's interest was piqued. In all these years, Soi Fon was the first person to bring it up.

"But..." Soi Fon looked hesitant. "Is it really all right?"

Byakuya couldn't hold back anymore either. "It's all right. Go on." He wanted to hear what the girl in front of him thought of his name.

With even the owner of the name agreeing, Soi Fon had no more reservations. "The name Byakuya Kuchiki is completely meaningless. Think about it: if it's rotten wood, of course planting it is a waste. Byakuya Kuchiki is just a statement of fact; there's no meaning to it."

Silence! The entire place fell silent, leaving only the sound of the wind stirring the cherry blossoms!

"Hahahahaha..." A burst of laughter suddenly broke the silence. "Haha... I can't take it! So Byakuya Kuchiki can mean that too, hahahaha..." Yoruichi used Shunpo to appear beside Soi Fon and patted her shoulder. "Soi Fon, I never knew you were so funny. How come I never noticed before?"

Ye Yang laughed as well. He had never expected Soi Fon to say something so shocking. Byakuya, the owner of the name, was still stunned. He really didn't know what to say. After all, he was the one who had asked her to say it. His noble upbringing made him hold it in; he had said it himself, and as a noble, he had to keep his word.

Yoruichi walked over to Byakuya and shook her head. "How did I never notice before? You really are rotten wood!"

Byakuya struggled to control his emotions. "What do you mean by that, demon cat?!"

"Huh?" Yoruichi looked at Byakuya. "Haven't you heard the saying? Rotten wood can't be carved. Ah, the Kuchiki Clan's heir is cause for concern."

Regardless of the look on Byakuya's face, Yoruichi toyed with the hair ribbon in her hand and continued, "And you're the heir, yet you let a girl snatch your hair ribbon. The Kuchiki Clan's future doesn't look good!"

"Yoruichi Shihōin, you'd better stand still!" Byakuya bristled, veins bulging on his forehead!

Yoruichi said indifferently, "Byakuya Kuchiki, you lose~" With that, she vanished in an instant.

Byakuya completely lost his temper. "I'll show you what I can do! My Shunpo surpassed yours long ago!" With that, he used Shunpo to follow Yoruichi...