An Unfamiliar Feeling

A month later, Soul Society, Seireitei, Second Division barracks.

"Alright, alright, I know already. Report these trivial matters to Vice-Captain Ōmaeda!"

Yoruichi Shihōin impatiently waved her hand, dismissing the squad member who had been reporting on the mission.

"Hey, hey!" Kisuke Urahara laughed. "You're not even handling division affairs anymore, Yoruichi... Captain!"

"Quit nagging me!"

Yoruichi replied, then slumped bonelessly into her chair, looking completely listless.

"Generally speaking, teaching disciples is the most time-consuming thing. It could take years, decades, or even centuries!"

Kisuke Urahara's smile carried a sense of sweet vindication. For all these years, he had lived under Yoruichi Shihōin's oppressive rule. This time, he could finally strike back.

But before Kisuke Urahara could gloat for long...

"What exactly do you mean by that, Kisuke Urahara?"

Her voice was low and strangely unsettling. Yoruichi Shihōin rose to her feet, her expression calm. But given her personality, the calmer she looked, the angrier she was.

"Nothing, nothing, Yoruichi!"

Kisuke Urahara finally regretted his loose tongue. He gave an awkward laugh as he edged toward the door.

"Is that so?"

Yoruichi Shihōin took off her captain's haori and slowly advanced toward Kisuke Urahara. Her golden eyes narrowed, and that low, strange voice continued to issue from her lips.

"Come to think of it, Kisuke, ever since I became captain, we haven't sparred much, have we? The weather's nice today. Want to have a match?"

"A match?"

Kisuke Urahara's face immediately darkened. He turned and ran outside. Please, calling it a match was just a nice way of saying she would beat him up! He was not falling for that!

"Hey, why are you running?"

Seeing Kisuke Urahara turn and flee without a word, Yoruichi Shihōin immediately grew furious.

"I'm not stupid! I'm not fighting you!" Kisuke Urahara shouted without looking back. "You're a captain! I'm only the Third Seat!"

"Don't you have Bankai?"

Veins bulged across Yoruichi Shihōin's forehead.

"Still not fighting!" Kisuke Urahara answered without hesitation.

To him, whether he fought back or not, Yoruichi Shihōin would beat him up. And if he did fight, Shadow would definitely teach him another lesson afterward. He had no intention of taking part in a spar where he would get beaten regardless of whether he won or lost!

"Kisuke Urahara, do you think you can escape like this?" Yoruichi Shihōin glared fiercely and shouted, "Soi Fon, stop him!"

"Yes, understood, Lady Yoruichi!" Soi Fon, who had been standing outside the door all along, had long been unable to hold herself back. She attacked without mercy.

"W-Wait! Soi Fon, Yoruichi-san! Miss Yoruichi! Captain Yoruichi! You can't do this to me..."

Before Kisuke Urahara could finish, a wheat-colored fist and a flying kick came hurtling toward him.

Bang!

"Argh!"

Immediately, Kisuke Urahara's anguished cries rang out over the Second Division.

Soul Society, North Rukongai, District Seventy-Three, inside an unnamed forest.

Clang!

With a sharp ring, two blades collided. A visibly smaller silver-haired boy was immediately sent flying by the force. He flipped through the air, landed on the ground, and skidded a long distance.

"My, my! Kenpachi, you really are a brute bull!" Gin Ichimaru said with a smile, his eyes narrowing.

"Tch!" Kenpachi Zaraki bared his teeth, raised his blade, and charged again.

Kenpachi Zaraki's swordsmanship was still completely unstructured, but it was sharper than before. It looked chaotic, yet it gave others the feeling that there was no way to evade it. That beast-like instinct had added a trace of purity to his blade.

When Kenpachi Zaraki went mad, he was indeed like a beast. But he was not a true beast. Shadow had grown up among wolves, so compared to Kenpachi Zaraki, Shadow understood better what made a beast's attacks most powerful.

Gin Ichimaru knew exactly how powerful Kenpachi Zaraki was, so he did not confront him head-on at all. He merely relied on his agile body to dodge again and again. Though he was forced into a passive position, his occasional sudden sneak attacks also left Kenpachi Zaraki in quite a sorry state.

"Hey, Gin!" Kenpachi Zaraki roared unhappily. "Stop dodging all over the place!"

"I can't, Kenpachi!" Gin Ichimaru still said with a smile. "If I don't dodge, how could I possibly be your opponent?"

"Ah!"

Kenpachi Zaraki shouted. Having only used a little of his strength before, he raised it another notch.

"Kenpachi, you..." Gin Ichimaru's smile vanished. What had been passive defense had now become a complete beating.

"Who told you not to fight me properly?" Kenpachi Zaraki laughed wildly, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"How could I possibly beat you right now?" Gin Ichimaru gritted his teeth.

Just then, a cold voice devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation abruptly sounded beside them.

"That's enough, Kenpachi, Gin. We'll stop here for today."

"Master, it's still early!"

Kenpachi Zaraki reluctantly stopped, resting his blade on his shoulder as he asked unhappily.

"That's enough!" Shadow stepped out from beneath the shade of the trees. There was not the slightest fluctuation in the expression on his sharply defined face.

"Master!"

When Gin Ichimaru looked at Shadow, a trace of shy sincerity appeared on his smiling face. His tiny eyes, nearly narrowed into slits, also held a hint of joy.

"Mm." Shadow nodded expressionlessly. "Kenpachi, Gin, it has been a month. You have both done well, but some things still need to be comprehended by yourselves. So it is time for me to leave."

"Ah." Kenpachi Zaraki answered blandly, as though he had not found it surprising at all.

"Master!"

But Gin Ichimaru sounded more anxious. Though they had spent little time together, and Shadow always appeared aloof, Gin Ichimaru knew that this was Shadow's warmth. He did not want to lose this "family member."

But when he saw Shadow's expressionless face, Gin Ichimaru could not help swallowing the words that followed.

As if he had seen through Gin Ichimaru's thoughts, Shadow tilted his head and said blandly, "I am Lady Yoruichi's Shade. One month is already my limit. Besides, as I said, all you lack is comprehension."

"Master!" Gin Ichimaru lowered his head slightly. "Will we be able to meet again in the future?"

"I don't know. Perhaps."

"Then can I come find you?"

"Do as you wish."

"Oh!"