Your Shadow

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

A hoarse, cold voice devoid of any emotion came from behind her.

Hearing this, Yoruichi Shihōin turned around and looked at the boy still lying on the ground, his eyes now closed, in disbelief. Come on, I'm trying to help you!

But thinking of the boy's tone, Yoruichi's anger immediately flared up.

"Who's pitying you? Don't think so highly of yourself. Without strength, of course you'll be bullied. Why would I, the great Lady Yoruichi Shihōin, pity you? Don't make me laugh. What does it have to do with me whether you live or die..."

Listening to Yoruichi's incessant voice, no one could have known that faint ripples had appeared in those closed, originally lifeless black eyes.

It had truly been a long time since he had heard or felt something like this. It was like when he had met Lady Anko in his previous life. But at the thought of Mitaraishi Anko, that faint ripple quickly calmed, as if it had never appeared.

"This young lady isn't pitying you!" As she spoke, Yoruichi abruptly changed her tone and continued in a highly disdainful voice, "Anyway, a piece of trash without Reiatsu is the same wherever he goes. Rather than getting beaten here—and judging by the way you look, you probably can't even get enough to eat—how about coming to the Shihōin? Be my punching bag. Then no one will dare bully you again. And as long as you make me happy, I won't treat you badly. At the very least, you'll be able to fill your stomach. Well...?"

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

Before Yoruichi could finish, the boy's voice rang out at once. It was still hoarse and cold, still just as infuriating.

Yoruichi's face darkened. Furious, she kicked the boy in the stomach and shouted, "I said I'm not pitying you! Can't you understand? I'm taking you as a punching bag—a punching bag, that's all!"

Today was truly unlucky beyond belief. She had been in a perfectly good mood, only to run into this mess. She had finally tried to do a good deed for once, only for it to be treated as ill intent. Yoruichi felt like she was about to explode with anger. She swore that if the person before her rejected her again without appreciating her kindness, she would absolutely never bother with him again.

"Is that so?"

The boy slowly opened his eyes again. His gaze rested on Yoruichi before him, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Just as Yoruichi could no longer endure it and was about to turn around and leave, the boy finally spoke hoarsely. "Are you sure you can let me eat my fill?"

"Huh!" Yoruichi froze, then cried out in exasperation, "Would I, Yoruichi Shihōin, lie to you? What do you even have that's worth deceiving you over? Idiot! Bastard! Forget it if you don't want to come!"

"Ah."

The boy's cracked lips curved slightly upward. He answered, slowly straightened up, ignored his still-bleeding wounds, and took two steps back.

"Wait here for me."

With that, he turned and left, drawing an irritated shout from Lady Yoruichi behind him.

"Yoruichi!" Shihōin Shanqing frowned and said, "Pity is one thing, but you were too reckless..."

"Father, do you disagree?" Yoruichi asked flatly.

"I pity him too, but have you forgotten the Shiba Family's lesson?" Shihōin Shanqing shook his head. "The rules of the nobles—do you want the Shihōin to decline as well?"

"In the end, it's only because he has no Spiritual Power." Yoruichi curled her lip.

"Yoruichi, you..."

"He's just a punching bag!"

Yoruichi interrupted Shihōin Shanqing before he could finish, placing special emphasis on the words "punching bag."

The Shihōin were one of the Four Great Noble Families standing at the very pinnacle. The countless restrictions of the nobles had always irritated Yoruichi, yet she had no choice but to obey them. The noble class involved too many interests; once those interests were violated, perhaps the Shihōin would decline just like the Shiba Family had.

But in the end, it was simply because they lacked the absolute strength to challenge and shatter those so-called rules.

At that moment, in a remote, dilapidated room of the Kawasaki Family, the boy stood before the only piece of furniture that could still be considered intact—a mirror. He looked at his ragged, miserable reflection with a grave expression, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long while, the boy let out a soft sigh. His dead eyes held indescribable complexity and an inexplicable stirring.

"You won't blame me, will you, Lady Anko? She's just like you."

A faint green glow full of vitality appeared in the boy's palm. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he murmured to himself.

The instant the green glow appeared, an immense power burst from within the boy and spread outward, only to vanish without a trace in an instant.

"I haven't used it in so long that I've actually become a little unaccustomed to it."

Sensing that fleeting, immense Reiatsu, Shihōin Shanqing's expression changed.

"This Reiatsu..."

"It's at least Lieutenant-class!"

Ōmaeda Xizhijin, the Lieutenant of the Second Division and current head of the high-ranking noble Ōmaeda Family, even forgot about his favorite snacks as he said solemnly, "It may even be Captain-class!"

"No, not yet." Shihōin Shanqing shook his head and said gravely, "Although it exceeds Lieutenant-class, it hasn't reached Captain-class. It's just..."

"It's only a matter of time," Ōmaeda Xizhijin finished for Shihōin Shanqing.

Yet Shihōin Shanqing merely shook his head and sighed.

"When did the Soul Society gain another unknown Captain-class expert? And he vanished so quickly. That person must be highly skilled at concealing Reiatsu, but why did it leak out earlier?"

"I only hope nothing happens to the Soul Society."

At the same time, the Gotei 13 issued an emergency order to investigate.

"Tap... tap..."

The nearly inaudible footsteps were exceptionally clear in the silent space.

A small figure walked over beneath everyone's stunned gazes.

It was a young boy with messy black hair, a strip of black cloth tied around his forehead, black short-sleeved clothes and shorts, a high collar, fingerless gloves extending to his wrists, and a long, pitch-black wolf-shaped blade strapped to his back.

Yet what drew the most attention was the pair of cold, tranquil black eyes on his expressionless face, utterly devoid of emotion.

"You are..."

Kawasaki Jie's pupils suddenly contracted as he said in shock, "Kawasaki Dao, when did you gain Spiritual Power? Is that... a Zanpakutō?!"

Kawasaki Jie's shock was understandable. To possess a Zanpakutō at such an age, there was only one explanation: genius.

But if that genius was the boy...

At that moment, Kawasaki Jie regretted it so deeply that his intestines turned green.

The boy paid no attention to Kawasaki Jie's words. He did not even spare him a glance as he walked straight up to Yoruichi.

"You..."

Yoruichi opened her mouth, truly not knowing what to say. After a long pause, she finally spoke softly. "Your injuries... and weren't you... without Spiritual Power?"

The boy did not answer. He only nodded slightly. Looking at Yoruichi, who was half a head shorter than him, he heard that the first thing she asked about was his injuries.

Pressing his lips together, the boy drew the Zanpakutō from his back with his reverse grip. With its tip pointed downward, he fiercely plunged it into the ground.

Then, the boy dropped to one knee. One hand rested behind his back while the other braced against the ground before him. He lowered his head, his voice carrying both cold severity and respect.

"In this world, I am an unnecessary person. I don't know why I live, and I understand even less what meaning or value my existence holds. I... cannot find any reason to continue living..."

"Yoruichi Shihōin... your excuse is truly not very good, but you gave me a reason to live. You gave my life... meaning!"

"So, from this moment onward..."

"I... will change my name to Shadow. For my entire life, I will become your shadow. Not for the Soul Society, not for the Seireitei, not for the Shihōin—only to live for you, only to exist for you!"

"With my life, my soul, everything I have, I will protect you... Lady Yoruichi!"

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