until i see you again | urayoru

ii

For every battle there was some kind of party, a situation helped greatly by the introduction of Lieutenant Matsumoto to the ranks, but as often as Yoruichi found herself laughing at a joke from her companions, she found herself turning to nudge where Kisuke should have been by her side. Nearly a century of looking, and she hadn’t found him.

It was rare that the something new would break the cycle, but her family’s first attempt at arranging a marriage for her certainly threw a spanner in the works; albeit not for long.

Soifon was furious as she carried the reply back to the Shihōin estate on Yoruichi’s behalf. The refusal to entertain the notion was blunt in Yoruichi’s sharp worded reply, and although sending her Lieutenant was veering on the cusp of disrespectful, neither woman particularly cared. Yoruichi knew she would need to give Soifon time to cool off before sending her on the next mission, lest some poor subordinate caught the end of her Lieutenant’s rage at the suggestion of Yoruichi marrying to stabilise a noble house which needed no such thing.

If she was being honest with herself, Yoruichi knew that such a message would eventually appear. Her position demanded the respect of traditions, but Yoruichi would set the Seireitei on fire before following in the footsteps of the leader of the Kasumiōji Clan.

Instead of deigning her family with any further response, Yoruichi followed her schedule for the day, waiting patiently at the outskirts of Squad Thirteen’s barracks. Evening was beginning to fall, the sunset painting the stark white walls of the Seireitei honey gold. Yoruichi inhaled deeply as she pushed down the anger bubbling within her. Really, she balanced her family duties and responsibility as a captain on a perfect knife edge—how dare her family imply she needed a husband?

Her anger was cut short with a call of her name. She looked up to see Rukia, on time as always.

Yoruichi’s smile slid easily on her face, a perfect lie nobody—bar one—had ever seen through. “Rukia,” she said with a wave as Rukia stopped next to her. “You’re looking well!”

Rukia bowed, slightly breathless from her sprint through the barracks. “Thank you, Lady Yoruichi.” A flick on the forehead was Yoruichi’s response, and there was something strangely gratifying in breaking Rukia’s polite demeanour as she scrunched her face up in response.

“Kaien’s right, you really won’t let up on the formalities, will you?” Yoruichi laughed. “Come on, there’s been a change of plans for tonight. We’re going out,” she decided on the spot. Tonight was not the night for a formal tea at the Shihōin estate.

Rukia blinked, but didn’t take much convincing as Yoruichi led her out of the Seireitei and towards the food district. Nobody batted an eye at the two Shinigami, even one with a captain’s uniform, as they strode towards Yoruichi’s favourite restaurant. Enough of them visited that the district kept itself out of trouble, and if the owner was disappointed that neither Shinigami had long strawberry blonde hair when he personally led Yoruichi and Rukia to the room tucked at the back of the restaurant, he had the grace not to show it.

A hum of conversation filled the venue, chatter punctuated by increasingly loud laughter as the drinks poured freely between the tables. As she and Rukia took their places kneeling either side of the low table, a glass bottle of water and cups already placed on the pale wood, their attendant bowed and slid the door shut behind them as he went to procure the finest sake in the building, the number on the back of Yoruichi’s haori doing the work for them.

The privacy granted by the closed door allowed both nobles to relax, Yoruichi more so than her younger counterpart; Rukia never seemed to be fully at ease, the burden of her new status heavy on her shoulders.

Yoruichi steepled her fingers, resting her chin on them as she leaned her elbows on the low table. “You know, don’t need to stand on ceremony all the time—especially with me. Relax, Rukia; there are no Kuchikis hiding behind the screen to judge you on how straight your posture is right now.”