Give Yourself a Proper Chance to Live

Yoruichi still remembered the deadness that had seeped from the depths of Yuko's eyes when they first met.

She had seemed almost eager to face death.

Because of that, she had complained for a long time, saying things like how she had taken a wrong turn on the way to Hell.

Yoruichi had never really understood why Yuko wanted to die after living for only a few hundred years. Later, though, she figured it out. Yuko had once been human, and human lifespans were simply too short.

Soul Reapers lived for a very long time. Living for several hundred years was nothing unusual, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto had lived for more than a thousand years. Friends might still part ways, but it was nothing like being human, with its pitifully short lifespan. Besides, Chōjirō Sasakibe and the others were always by his side.

That had not been a spiteful complaint or some self-destructive ramble. Her voice had carried a kind of weariness and anticipation.

Anticipation for death's arrival.

"...Yuko."

"Hm? Wha—"

Smack!

The crisp sound echoed across the silent rooftop.

Hearing Yoruichi call her name, Yuko instinctively turned around. The sudden slap knocked her head to the side, and the burning pain on her cheek left her dazed.

"That hurt a little..." Yuko muttered instinctively, only to see Yoruichi's chest heaving violently, her golden eyes burning with a fury Yuko had never seen before.

Her hand still hung in midair, trembling faintly.

"You... hopeless idiot!"

Yoruichi's voice was laden with suppressed anger, each word seeming to squeeze through her clenched teeth.

"Ha..." Yuko understood Yoruichi's anger, but rubbed her burning cheek in confusion.

With her regenerative ability gone, even an attack that should have been harmless now felt significant.

Yuko opened and closed her mouth, suddenly at a loss for words.