Yoruichi Shihōin

Soul Society, Seireitei, Kawasaki Family training grounds.

Boom!

With a loud crash, a figure slammed into the solid ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. When it settled, they saw that it was a young boy. He wore nothing but a tattered robe covered in shoeprints and bloodstains. His messy hair obscured his face, revealing only a pair of lifeless black eyes.

"Kawasaki Dao, you piece of trash! You're a disgrace to the Kawasaki Family!"

A slightly older youth held a one-meter-long heavy sword, his gaze toward the boy filled with disdain and disgust, along with a faint trace of killing intent.

"Exactly. Trash like you, without even a shred of Reiatsu, doesn't deserve to bear the noble Kawasaki name!"

"You should know that Second Young Master is a top student at Shin'ō Academy and the future, sole head of the Kawasaki Family. What are you supposed to be?"

"Just a bastard born to a maid, yet you still want to be a young master of the Kawasaki Family? Keep dreaming!"

"..."

As soon as the young Kawasaki Ming finished speaking, the lackeys behind him began hurling insults one after another. Their faces flushed and their necks strained as though they bore some deep grudge against him. Yet everyone understood that they were only trying to curry favor with Kawasaki Ming, who might one day become the head of the Kawasaki Family.

But the boy remained completely still, as if he had heard nothing. Blood flowed from the wound on his head and dripped down his face to the ground, yet it did not make him so much as furrow his brow.

"Doesn't hurt, does it? Then Big Brother will practice a little more!"

The boy's behavior seemed to completely enrage Kawasaki Ming. His face darkened as he shouted, "Hit him! Beat him to death! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"

"Yes, Second Young Master!"

Hearing Kawasaki Ming's order, the lackeys answered at once. They cracked their knuckles, grinned viciously, and rushed forward together.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of blows and curses once again rang out across the training grounds, but the boy alone made no sound.

At that moment, a large group arrived outside the Kawasaki Family estate. Every one of them was finely dressed, their eyes full of arrogant superiority. Yet when they looked toward the man at the front, their expressions turned respectful, tinged with fear.

The man had a square face, straight brows, and tightly pressed lips that conveyed lofty authority—the authority of one who stood above others.

He wore the standard Bleach uniform, covered by the pure white captain's haori emblazoned with a large "Two," representing his identity.

Captain of the Gotei 13's Second Division, Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force, Commander of the First Division's Punishment Force, and current head of one of the Four Great Noble Families, the Shihōin—Shihōin Shanqing.

Behind him stood the current heads and important figures of various small and mid-sized noble families across Soul Society. Their shared trait was that they all belonged to families affiliated with the Shihōin. Among them was Kawasaki Jie, current head of the minor noble Kawasaki Family and a Seated Officer in the Second Division.

"Father, hurry up!"

The girl who had skipped ahead and pulled some distance away suddenly turned around and called out.

"Yoruichi," Shihōin Shanqing said helplessly, a trace of resignation appearing on his dignified face. "My precious daughter, what exactly are you up to? You've dragged so many people along, and there's still plenty of work to do in the division."

"What does that have to do with me?" Yoruichi Shihōin puffed out her cheeks and retorted. "I didn't drag them here. They insisted on following us, okay? I only asked Father to come. I never invited them!"

"And what I'm doing is a secret. I'm not telling you!"

With a cheerful smile, Yoruichi Shihōin lifted her chin and turned to continue forward.

Yoruichi Shihōin was the princess of the Shihōin and its sole heir. Her wheat-colored skin was as naturally beautiful and alluring as her name suggested, as captivating as the night itself. Her short, ear-length purple hair perfectly inherited the Shihōin family's usual boldness, while adding a touch of liveliness. Her golden eyes, like yellow gemstones, shone with intelligence and mischief, along with a hint of wildness hidden beneath the surface.

Hearing this, Shihōin Shanqing shook his head helplessly and said calmly to Kawasaki Jie, who lagged a few steps behind, "Sorry for the trouble, Tenth Seat Kawasaki."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all!" Kawasaki Jie repeatedly waved his hands and lowered his head respectfully. "It is the Kawasaki Family's honor for Lady Yoruichi to visit."

"Mm."

Shihōin Shanqing nodded. Just as he was about to say something else—

Boom!

A sudden impact blasted a gap in the wall by the entrance. A figure was thrown straight out, crashed into another wall, and slid down. Bright red blood streamed from his forehead, nose bridge, mouth, and body, quickly pooling on the ground.

Yet strangely, the figure made no sound at all. He did not even move.

Yoruichi Shihōin, who stood closest and had been startled, was about to demand an explanation with an annoyed expression when she suddenly met those black eyes devoid of any ripples. There was no life in them, only a dark, deathly stillness.

Yes, deathly stillness. If she had not known that the person before her was alive, Yoruichi Shihōin would never have believed he still lived. Looking again at the injuries and blood covering him, she found it hard to believe. More than that, though, she felt pity and sympathy.

Just then, Kawasaki Ming emerged with several lackeys, cursing as they walked. When he saw Yoruichi Shihōin, Shihōin Shanqing, his father Kawasaki Jie, and the others, he immediately stopped cursing and hurried over.

"Lord Shihōin, esteemed family heads and elders!" Kawasaki Ming respectfully performed a noble's salute. Then he looked toward Yoruichi Shihōin and bowed. "Lady Yoruichi!"

"Don't call me that!"

Yoruichi Shihōin gave him no face whatsoever, though given her status, she truly had no need to care what Kawasaki Ming thought.

The moment she saw Kawasaki Ming emerge while cursing, Yoruichi Shihōin knew that this was the one who had beaten the boy before her into such a state. How cruel did someone have to be to do that?

"Head Kawasaki, what is going on here?"

Shihōin Shanqing's expression had also darkened. He was neither blind nor foolish. If Yoruichi Shihōin could see what had happened, how could he fail to see it?

Like the fallen Shiba Family, one of the Four Great Noble Families, the Shihōin possessed a bold, free-spirited nature deep in their bones.

"Lord Shihōin!"

Sensing Shihōin Shanqing's displeasure and hearing him address him as "Head Kawasaki," Kawasaki Jie understood that Shihōin Shanqing was questioning him in his capacity as head of the Shihōin. Therefore, he could only answer in his capacity as the head of a family affiliated with the Shihōin.

"This is my youngest son. He is the same age as Lady Yoruichi this year," Kawasaki Jie answered with his head lowered, though his words carried unconcealed disgust. "However, he was born without the slightest bit of Spiritual Power, and..."

"What's wrong with having no Spiritual Power?" Before Kawasaki Jie could finish, Yoruichi Shihōin shouted angrily. "If he has no Spiritual Power, does that mean he isn't your son?"

That was right. In Soul Society, strength was indeed the most important thing. But weren't there still all kinds of bonds between people? Father-son bonds and brotherly bonds were not built on strength alone. Although, as a noble, she understood the importance of power even more clearly—without power, a noble's child had nothing—Yoruichi Shihōin had always believed that beyond strength, there were also feelings: familial love, friendship, and love.

"Lady Yoruichi," Kawasaki Ming said softly. "But..."

"I told you not to call me that!" Yoruichi Shihōin shouted furiously. "Shut up!"

"I... don't need your pity..."