A Choice

"Blade..." Byakuya Kuchiki stared blankly at Shadow.

"I told you to trust your heart and trust your blade. But do you know why the heart comes before the blade?" Shadow asked gravely.

"This... I don't know." Byakuya Kuchiki shook his head.

"Because the heart is the foundation of the blade. If the heart is strong, the blade will be unstoppable. Likewise, however weak the heart is, the blade can be broken with ease!"

Shadow said coldly, "True strength begins with possessing the heart of a strong person. Without a strong heart that matches one's power, one is nothing more than a slave to power, controlled by it!"

"Byakuya Kuchiki!" Shadow said solemnly. "Remember this: whether a person is strong does not depend on how much power he possesses, nor on how great his influence is. It depends on whether he has seen through his own heart, understood his own heart, and acted according to it in ways he will never regret!"

"Those with the courage to press forward and the sharp spirit to remain undefeated through a hundred battles will never fall in battle. Even if they are weak now, one day they will become truly strong! Byakuya Kuchiki, do you understand?"

"Yes, teacher!"

"I told you not to call me teacher!"

Shadow's low shout carried an uncontrollable chill—a true chill born of killing intent. Clearly, Shadow was genuinely angry this time.

Byakuya Kuchiki looked at Shadow. Though afraid, he stubbornly clenched his teeth and refused to back down even a step.

"Why?! Why have you never allowed me to call you teacher?! Did I do something wrong?!"

"Why?" Shadow sneered. "Because you are not qualified to call me that!"

"Then what does it take to be qualified?!"

"Oh? You do not even know what you need to do?" Shadow let out a cold laugh. "Then come ask me again once you know!"

After leaving the Kuchiki residence, Yoruichi Shihōin lay on Shadow's back as they headed toward the Shihōin residence. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her chin resting atop his head.

"Why did you suddenly get angry today? I have never seen you like that before!"

"Mm." Shadow nodded slightly. "How should I put it? I guess I was disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Yoruichi Shihōin asked in confusion. "In little Byakuya?"

"That's right," Shadow said. "The name Kuchiki is his glory, but it is also his burden. I said so much today because I wanted him to understand that. But unfortunately, it never even occurred to him. He still places too much weight on Kuchiki."

"Is that so?"

"Do not be fooled by how impatient and impulsive he is now. Once he bears the responsibilities of the Kuchiki family and its honor in the future, who knows what he will become?"

"How did you know that, Shadow?" Yoruichi Shihōin asked curiously.

"I can imagine it," Shadow replied. "The Kuchiki family is, after all, the head of the Four Great Noble Families and the model for all nobles. Everything must put the interests of the nobility first. How could one possibly speak of seeing oneself clearly then? Besides, even if they did see clearly, as nobles, they probably would not admit it."

"I hope it will not be like that."

Yoruichi Shihōin truly could not imagine the current Byakuya Kuchiki becoming as cold and indifferent as Ginrei Kuchiki.

"Hey, Lady Yoruichi, being too naive is not a good thing."

"I know. I have always known."

"But I hope Lady Yoruichi can keep smiling like this forever." As he spoke, Shadow suddenly laughed. "Keep smiling like this forever. I will bear all the hardships and pain."

"You idiot," Yoruichi Shihōin murmured. "Hey, Shadow, then I will leave everything to you."

"Mm." Shadow nodded.

Suddenly, as though she had remembered something, Yoruichi Shihōin tapped Shadow's head with her chin and asked, "Shadow, what did you mean when you said little Byakuya needed the qualifications to call you that?"

"Just a choice."

"Ah?" Yoruichi Shihōin was immediately stunned by that cryptic answer.

"What I want is merely a choice from his heart."

"A choice from his heart?" Yoruichi Shihōin said in confusion. "I do not really understand."

"It is normal not to understand. Until the time comes to choose, no one will understand."

"Oh." Yoruichi Shihōin still looked as though she only half understood.

"How should I put it?" Shadow thought for a moment, seemingly organizing his words before finally speaking. "Everyone, no matter who they are, will face difficult choices at certain times. The kind where neither option can be abandoned, yet one must still be chosen. What I mean is a choice where there can be no compromise."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Once you choose, you cannot regret it, whether it is right or wrong."

"What about you? Have you ever faced such a choice?" Yoruichi Shihōin turned her head and asked.

"Mm." Shadow slowly nodded. "I told you, everyone will face one. The only difference is sooner or later."

"Then did you choose right, Shadow? Or wrong?"

"Wrong."

"Eh?!"

Seeing Yoruichi Shihōin's astonished expression, Shadow gave a bitter smile. "Wrong. Back then, I only pursued appearances and completely overlooked what truly mattered within. In the end, I regretted it for the rest of my life."

"Is that so?" Yoruichi Shihōin smiled. "Shadow, if one day I face such a difficult choice too, whether it is right or wrong, you will follow me, will you not?"

"Of course." A smile rose at the corner of Shadow's lips. "Lady Yoruichi's choice is my choice. But Lady Yoruichi, why did you suddenly ask that?"

"Was that a very stupid question?" Yoruichi Shihōin narrowed her golden eyes mischievously.

"Well... who knows?" Shadow shook his head.

"Tch!" Yoruichi Shihōin pouted.

Night had quietly fallen. The ink-black sky was strewn with countless dazzling stars...

Yoruichi Shihōin looked toward the sky and murmured, "What a beautiful night sky."

"Yeah." Shadow merely answered faintly.

"..." Yoruichi Shihōin was speechless.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept past. The temperature of the night seemed to drop sharply in an instant.

Shadow adjusted Yoruichi Shihōin on his back and said, "We should head back quickly, Lady Yoruichi."

"Mm!"

The night was pitch-black, yet the starry sky remained dazzling. Moonlight, bright as a silver disk, shone upon every corner of the land, stretching the shadows of Shadow and Yoruichi Shihōin farther and farther behind them, tightly linking them together as though they were inseparable...