Coming-of-Age Ceremony

Time always passed quickly in Soul Society. Five fleeting years would hardly attract anyone's notice, but today was an important day for Ye Yang and his sister—their coming-of-age ceremony.

Standing before them was their grandfather, Shihoin Tōno, head of the Shihoin Clan.

"Are you both ready? Tomorrow, nobles great and small from Seireien, as well as the captains and vice-captains of every division, will come to the clan estate. You must

show the other nobles that our Shihoin Clan has not declined!" the old man said in a commanding voice.

"Yes, Lord Clan Head, we're always ready!" Ye Yang and his sister said together.

"Very good. You may go."

"Yes, sir!"

The Shihoin Clan courtyard

The courtyard was already crowded. When Ye Yang and Yoruichi arrived, the people readily made way for them. Ye Yang and Yoruichi

followed the path to the center, where everyone looked at the brother and sister. Yoruichi wore an elegant, magnificent wheat-colored twelve-layered ceremonial robe,

which perfectly complemented her naturally wheat-colored skin. Her purple hair was pinned up behind her head, and the pride in her eyes made her seem

a born noble.

Ye Yang, meanwhile, wore a kimono as white as snow. His black hair fell over his shoulders, and a few loose strands fluttered across his forehead, fully displaying his refined, graceful

bearing. The faintest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth was enchanting, making him seem like someone not of this world.

As the elder sister, Yoruichi spoke first. "First, thank you all for coming. On behalf of myself, my younger brother, and the Shihoin Clan, I would like to

thank you all for being here." She bowed when she finished.

Ye Yang then said, "Heads of the noble clans, and all the captains and vice-captains of the Thirteen Divisions, thank you for attending my elder sister's and my

coming-of-age ceremony. I hope you all enjoy yourselves today."

After their opening remarks, Ye Yang and his sister followed their father, Shihoin Seigen, to pay their respects to the nobles. In truth, the only nobles worth

a visit from the Shihoin Clan were the Kuchiki and Shiba Clans, their fellow members of the Four Great Noble Clans, and a few upper-ranking nobles. As for the last

noble clan, it had long since been forgotten by history.

They began with the Kuchiki Clan, foremost among the Four Great Noble Clans. Seigen led the siblings to an old man about their grandfather's age. Beside him

stood a young couple, and the woman's swollen belly showed that she was pregnant. Seigen said, "Ye Yang, Yoruichi, this is

Ginrei Kuchiki, the current head of the Kuchiki Clan. Beside him are the young master and his wife, Sōjun Kuchiki and Akatsuki Kuchiki."

"Greetings, Lord Kuchiki, Lord Sōjun, Lady Akatsuki."

"Mm." Ginrei Kuchiki merely nodded in reply, while Sōjun Kuchiki and Akatsuki Kuchiki were much warmer. "You're Yoruichi and Ye Yang, right?

"Yes, Lord Sōjun."

Sōjun Kuchiki smiled. "Hehe, there's no need to be so reserved. Your father and I were classmates once. If you don't mind, from now on, in

informal settings, you can call me Uncle Sōjun."

His wife said gently, "My child will be born soon too. Little Yoruichi, little Ye Yang, you must come visit the Kuchiki Clan often~"

In such a formal setting, Yoruichi and Ye Yang could only say, "Yes, we'll be sure to visit when we have the chance."

After visiting the Kuchiki Clan, they went to the Shiba Clan.

From a distance, they saw a boy a little older than themselves smiling at them as brightly as the sun. Beside him was a girl about their age. The Shiba Clan had declined because its head had died unexpectedly during an operation to hunt Hollows, leaving only this brother and sister in the direct line, not enough to support the entire clan.

But word had it that a genius had recently emerged from the Shiba Clan. He had passed the entrance exam for the Shinigami academy, the Shin'ō Academy, on his first attempt and successfully enrolled. His Spiritual Power had already been at Seated Officer level then, and he had completed the Spiritual Arts Academy's curriculum in just one year. He was now in his sixth year and could graduate in another year. Graduating in only two years made him a genius rarely seen in Soul Society in decades. That talented young man must be the one in front of me, Ye Yang thought.

"Yo, let me introduce myself. My name's Kaien Shiba, and this is my little sister, Kūkaku Shiba. You're Yoruichi and Ye Yang, right? We Shibas have a mysterious gift for you tonight~" Kaien Shiba's sunny smile made him almost impossible to dislike.

Ye Yang and Yoruichi had yet to recover from the solemn atmosphere of the Kuchiki Clan when they found themselves surrounded by the Shiba Clan's warmth. For a moment, they were at a loss. "O... okay, thank you, Shiba."

"Oh, don't be so formal. Just call me Kaien from now on," Kaien Shiba said cheerfully.

"Uh... okay, Shiba... oh, no, Kaien," Ye Yang said without standing on ceremony.

Kaien Shiba laughed. "That's more like it. Then please come to Rukongai District 3 tonight and enjoy the wonderful gift we've prepared for you."

After taking their leave of the Shiba Clan, they visited several upper-ranking nobles, followed by the captains and vice-captains of the Thirteen Divisions. Worth mentioning were Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, captain of the First Division and Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Divisions, whose Spiritual Pressure was terrifying and who was known as the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years; Retsu Unohana, the saintly Fourth Division Captain; Shunsui Kyōraku, the Eighth Division Captain, who looked disheveled but was actually irreverent; and Jūshirō Ukitake, the white-haired Thirteenth Division captain, who appeared to be sickly. As for the positions of Second Division captain and Sixth Division captain, they had always been hereditary in the Shihoin Clan and Kuchiki Clan.

By the time they had finished visiting the Thirteen Divisions, dusk was approaching. In truth, the coming-of-age ceremony was simply a way to introduce the Shihoin Clan's next heir to the nobles of Seireien, great and small, and the captains of every division, so they could deal with one another more easily in the future.

Once the introductions were over, the ceremony neared its end. Shihoin Tōno finally took his place as host, and the people around him stopped what they were doing to await the clan head's speech.

"First, thank you all for coming to the Shihoin Clan to attend my grandson and granddaughter's coming-of-age ceremony. I trust you've all enjoyed yourselves today. To thank everyone, my grandchildren will bring the ceremony to a close with a performance."

Yoruichi had already changed out of her twelve-layered robe and into formal clothes suitable for dancing. Ye Yang was still dressed in white as snow, but at some point a guqin had appeared in his hands. The two exchanged a smile. Ye Yang sat cross-legged and set the guqin on his knees, while Yoruichi began to dance beside him.

A melodious note rang out as Ye Yang began to play the same piece as always, "Flowing Water." Compared with his slightly unpracticed playing five years ago, he was clearly much more proficient now, vividly portraying water flowing from a trickle into surging waves. Everyone present was spellbound and sighed in admiration again and again.

Yoruichi's dancing, meanwhile, was worlds apart from what it had been five years ago! Her movements were utterly natural, without the slightest awkwardness. Otherworldly as an immortal, she stood proudly above the world, like a fairy descended to earth, so dazzling that no one dared look directly at her. Her long purple hair cascaded down, and together with her clothing, it harmonized with the dusk, giving her an endless beauty and grace, noble and beyond the ordinary.

In everyone's eyes, they were like a golden boy and a jade girl. The music and the dance intertwined, everything so harmonious and dreamlike that it felt as if they were in a dream. Bathed in the setting sun, the two made a beautiful sight.

Only when the music and dance ended did the crowd come to its senses. Then a voice rang out. "Such music, such a dance, should only exist in heaven."

Everyone turned to see that the speaker was Shunsui Kyōraku, the Eighth Division captain. Under their gazes, he grew a little uncomfortable. "Good grief, why are you all looking at me? I was only speaking my mind."

The crowd stopped looking at him and continued to marvel at Ye Yang and his sister's talents.

At last, amid the sounds of admiration, Ye Yang and Yoruichi's coming-of-age ceremony came to an end. Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving one after another.

Kaien Shiba came over and said to them, "Tonight, Rukongai District 3. See you there~"

"All right, no problem," Ye Yang replied.

After everyone had left, their grandfather gave them a rare smile. "You did well today. You brought our Shihoin Clan great honor. I saw that boy from the Shiba Clan invited you somewhere, didn't he? Enjoy yourselves tonight."

"Yes! Thank you, Lord Clan Head."

"From now on, just call me Grandpa in informal settings. It's more affectionate," Shihoin Tōno said.

"Yes, Grandpa."

"Mm, all right, I'll be going first. Enjoy yourselves," he said, walking toward the inner courtyard.

"Farewell, Grandpa. Take care."

Once Shihoin Tōno had gone, Ye Yang returned to his usual irreverent expression, and Yoruichi became her usual self again. If the guests from earlier had seen their expressions now, their jaws would surely have dropped.

"Well? Even I was surprised by your performance just now. How did it feel?" Ye Yang asked.

Yoruichi stretched. "It felt pretty good, having everyone's eyes on me. But I'm not quite used to that feeling. I'm more

comfortable being my usual self."

"Yeah. I wonder what rumors will be going around Seireien tomorrow? I can't wait," Ye Yang murmured to himself.

Yoruichi beckoned to Ye Yang. "Come on, let's go to Rukongai. I want to see what Kaien's managed to come up with."

"Mm, let's go."