Disclaimers & Notes: Byakuya and all other Soul Society dwellers belong to Kubo-sensei. This is my second oneshot featuring Byakuya and Yoruichi, the first being Erstwhile Resonance. This is a companion piece to that said story, but it can stand on its own. (Though, something might make a little more sense if you read them together, but that's entirely up to you.) Anyway, let me know if you love it, hate it or simply bored out of your mind while reading.

Brief Reminiscence

It was true to say that all shinigami that gathered on the Sōkyoku Hill to see the 'Soul Society's rescuers' back to the real world were at least a tad surprised when they saw Kuchiki Byakuya gliding towards the direction of the Senkaimon.

It was known to everyone that the leader of the Sixth Division had just checked out of the Fourth Division a few hours earlier and that he wasn't on good terms with any of those 'drifters', so none of the shinigami had expected him to be there since he had more than enough excuses not to show up.

Byakuya ignored all curious looks that were sent towards him then chose his own spot to stand. He owed no one an explanation and hence, he wouldn't give anyone any.

He quietly scanned the whole area with his eyes and saw that his sister was having a conversation with a redheaded girl and a thin boy while Kurosaki Ichigo and his tall friend were standing not so far from them.

His charcoal eyes, however, stopped when he spotted a small figure of a black cat that was known to some as Shihōin Yoruichi.

He sighed.

When he first came to the site, he didn't expect he would see her in her full demon cat glory, so now that he actually looked at her in that form, he found it hard to keep his expression straight.

After all, seeing her in that way really did remind him of the first time they met, and while he couldn't laugh about it back then, he found it hard not to at least find that situation somewhat funny.

So if anyone looked at his direction at that moment, they would notice that the stoic Captain Kuchiki had allowed an amused gleam to flash behind his eyes while his mind drifted back to those hundred years ago.

It was still clear in his memories how he was still a hotheaded teenager who had yet to get a proper training to become a shinigami, although he already possessed a zanpakutō, which he had yet to learn the name.

Byakuya remembered just how his grandfather spoke to him when they had breakfast together that he would have a visitor later that day.

"Shihōin-taichō will be here to see you," he had said. "You should have already known who she is."

"Of course, Jii-sama," he remembered himself replying before reciting what he had learned from his hours studying about Seireitei, "Shihōin Yoruichi-dono is the twenty-second head of the Shihōin clan, the current commander of Secret Mobile Corps, the Correction Corps and also the current captain of the Second Division. She is otherwise known as the Goddess of Flash for her exceptional skill in shunpo."

"I see your hours of studying really do pay off," his grandfather commented. "She is exactly as you said. Hence, I have asked her if she would give you a few pointers."

"Is that why she would pay me a visit today?"

"She said she would need to test you before she made a decision," noted the older Kuchiki. "If she agrees to train you, it'll be your great opportunity. So be nice and make a good impression when she comes."

"When will she be here?"

"She didn't say, but you'll see when she is," said the elder Kuchiki. "I'll go to work now. I hope to hear good news when I return."

"Yes, Jii-sama. Have a good day," Byakuya said as he bowed at the older man.

Kuchiki Ginrei nodded and with that, he left.

After his grandfather had left for work, Byakuya continued with his studying for the whole morning and didn't go out until after lunch.

Until the time he started training with his zanpakutō, there was still no sign of the said lady. And when it was late in the afternoon, he had already forgotten that he would have a visitor that day at all. So when he sensed a strange reiatsu coming towards his direction, he was more than a little surprised.

Even now that it had been a century later, Byakuya would still swear the reiatsu he had felt at that time held some evil in it. Then again, considering the owner of that reiatsu, there was a chance that it probably did.

Therefore, it was normal that he would reflexively swing his zanpakutō at the thing that was jumping out of the bush. However, that creature managed to escape his blow and stood in front of him with a look that was supposed to be cute.

That was to say, if Kuchiki Byakuya was raised to be a kindhearted animal lover, strongly emphasizing on the word 'if'.

Since he was not, Byakuya looked guardedly at the creature with a frown. Although he was aware that there were other kinds of souls in Soul Society, and he recognized this one as a cat, a black one to be more precise, he had exactly no idea how this particular cat ended up at his backyard.

"A cat?" he mumbled to himself. "And no collar. Wonder how it gets here."

After all, all animals that would enter the wall of Seireitei needed to have an owner, and all of them would know better than to let their pet stray to other's property. His scowl was deepened when he looked around and found no servant within a hearing range. Shouting for them to capture this filthy animal was beneath him, but he wasn't interested in capturing it himself either.

He had better things to do, so he would just ignore it and soon it would stray elsewhere. Or so he thought, until that cat jumped at him.

"What the…? Ouch!" the boy yelped as he did his best to fend off the cat that kept attacking him. If he suspected there might be something evil about it before, now he believed there really was. "Get off me, you filthy cat or I'll skin you alive and turn you into a meatball!"

The look in the cat's gold eyes shifted and suddenly it turned from a cute little cat into a rather wicked one as it started to paw the already startled boy.

Of course, it could only make a few scratches, but it was enough to set the hotheaded Byakuya off.

"That's it, bitch! No more mercy," he muttered darkly as he tried to kick the creature off but it quickly dodged from his kicking range before he could.

"There're a few flaws in your statements, you know," the cat remarked cannily. "First, I'm a cat, so you can't call me a bitch. You see, cats and dogs are entirely different species. And second, you can't say 'no more mercy' when you never showed any mercy to begin with."

"Yeah, whatever," Byakuya returned. Then he paused as he looked at the cat with his eyes widened. He then pointed at the cat as he exclaimed. "You speak!"

"So?"

"Animals don't speak!"

"Really? Who told you so?"

"I…" Byakuya bit his tongue. Why was he conversing with this cat and more importantly, why did he need to explain himself to it? "It doesn't matter who told me that. You're obviously not an ordinary cat."

The cat smiled, seemingly pleased.

"So you're quite sharp," it commented.

"You are a demon cat!"

The cat shook its head wearily.

"My, my," it sighed. "I've been called a lot of thing, but I must admit this is the first time anyone calls me demon cat. I like it. You're quite creative."

"What? That's not a compliment, demon cat."

The cat sighed dramatically.

"I'm not a demon cat," the cat said, annoyed. "Though I'll admit I'm not an ordinary cat either. Now use your head and think of what else I could be."

The young Byakuya frowned then killing intent oozed out from him as he unsheathed his zanpakutō.

"It means you're a hollow," the boy exclaimed murderously. "And I'll have to kill you."

Without saying other word, Byakuya struck his zanpakutō down, aiming at the cat's head. However, the cat quickly jumped away, wide-eyed.

"Aw, man, how the hell does Kuchiki bring up this kid?"

However, the cat knew it wasn't time to find the answer when Byakuya chased after it, swinging his zanpakutō as he did, trying his best to cut the 'demon cat'.

Still, no matter how hard he tried to chase this cat, it managed to evade his blow every time albeit narrowly, and it set him angrier in every second that passed by.

After having given his all in the pursuit, Byakuya found himself losing his breath. His heart was pounding fast in his chest as if it was about to explode and still the cat was just an inch out of his reach. It made him think that the cat could just escape if it wanted to but only kept this distance because it was playing him.

In the end, Byakuya had to stop to catch his breath. As much as he didn't want to admit, he lost in disgrace, and to a filthy little demon cat to make the matter worse.

It was a few seconds after he stopped that the cat stopped and looked back over its shoulder then walked back towards the obviously enraged and exhausted Byakuya, keeping enough distance to make sure he wouldn't attempt to cut it up with his sword.

"So you're done already?" it asked.

"Go to hell."

The cat looked slightly amused as it heard his reply.

"Quite a sore loser, aren't we? Now I wonder what your grandfather would say if he heard that come out of your trap," it mused. "Anyway, even I must admit you did quite a good job. You manage to make me break a few sweats, congratulations."

Byakuya looked up and mustered the best glare he could manage.

"What are you talking about?"

The cat looked at him. "Oh, don't tell me your grandfather didn't tell you I'd be paying you a visit today."

Byakuya frowned. Then it dawned to him.

"Oh, no, you cannot be serious," he said, still glaring at her. "There's no way in hell you can be Shihōin-taichō."

"Why not?" the cat inquired, genuinely curious.

"Because I've seen her picture," Byakuya countered without having to think. "And Shihōin Yoruichi is a woman, not some male demon cat!"

"Eh? Just because I talk like a man and sound like a man doesn't necessarily mean that I can't be a woman."

"And how the hell would I know? I'm not planning to catch you to look at your sex."

"Yeah, you're only planning to catch me to turn me into a meatball. I think you've made that point quite clear enough the first time," the cat countered, amused. "So… how about I prove to you that I'm not an imposture, huh? Would that make you happier, Byakuya-bo?"

The cat asked, moving a little closer.

As exhausted and out of breath as he still was, Byakuya still managed to be on guard and pointed his sword at her.

"Attempt to do anything funny and I'll cut your head off."

"Don't be so cocky. You won't be able to wound me with that nameless sword of yours, not in this century."

"We'll see about that," Byakuya growled.

"Oh, well…" the cat sighed. "We'll talk about that later. Now I'll just prove to you I'm exactly who I said I was."

With that said, there was a thick cloud of smoke popping up, and Byakuya took a few steps away as a precaution, ready to cut that cat if anything peculiar should happen. Once the smoke faded, the boy gaped at the scene of a dark-skinned lady standing in front of him in her full naked glory. It took him less than a second to react by quickly squeezed his eye shut as he turned sharply away from her.

"Now, now, hasn't anyone taught you never to turn your back to your opponent?" she teased.

"Damn you, woman! Hasn't anyone taught you never to stand naked in front of a man?"

Byakuya couldn't see her expression since he was standing with his back to her and with his eyes closed tight, yet he could tell from her voice that she found their situation quite funny. How cheeky that woman was.

She laughed and protested, "But you're merely a boy."

Byakuya was certain that his whole face had turned into the same shade as a ripe tomato by now, but he would still claim it was out of anger and nothing else. This woman had truly ticked him off since the first time they met.

"That doesn't make any difference!"

"Of course, it does," she countered. "Do you want me to elaborate?"

"Shut up, demon cat."

The lady Shihōin laughed lightly at the boy's reaction. She then decided to tease him a little more by saying, "It's not polite to speak to someone without looking at them in the eye, you know."

"Don't try to teach me courtesy when you clearly have none!" he yelled. "Now get dressed and leave already."

"Why should I do that? The last time I checked this is a public place and I have just as much right as you do to be here."

Byakuya looked around and he realized he had wandered far from his house in order to slay the demon cat that was Shihōin Yoruichi.

"Besides, where would I get something to wear? I don't think it's natural for a cat to go around carrying some clothes with it, do you?"

Byakuya growled. "Then just turn back into a cat."

"Aren't you a little too demanding? First I had to turn back to my human form to please you and now you want me to turn back into a cat."

The young Kuchiki sighed and rolled his eyes. It seemed to him now that there was no point in arguing with this woman. Apparently, she seemed to enjoy teasing him like that. However, just because she didn't seem to mind standing in a complete nude in a public place didn't mean that he would just let her stand there like that.

Quickly, he undid his obi and took off his outer kimono then handed it to the back, still not looking at her direction.

"Put this on, you might be comfortable standing in public in your birthday suit, but I don't want anyone to mistake me for a pervert."

Yoruichi took the offered kimono with a chuckle.

"I never thought I'd meet a chivalrous boy in this era. Usually, they'll just keep ogling, you know," she commented as she gingerly put the kimono on, "You can turn around now."

"I'd rather not," Byakuya replied.

"Now, now, what's with that attitude?" she drawled. "You're supposed to obey your sensei's command, you know."

"You're not…"

"Ah…don't finish that sentence," she warned. "You wouldn't want to disappoint your grandfather now, would you?"

Byakuya grumbled. She was right. She could just tell him he was not fit to be her student and then he would disappoint his grandfather. However, he hoped the man would understand once he knew about the entire situation. Besides, who needed her to train him anyway? He had already seen how she moved, and to tell the truth, she wasn't really as great as they said she was.

"I'd rather disappoint my grandfather than to ever call you sensei."

"Oh, well, if that's what you prefer, there's no problem with me," she said, laughing lightly. And with that, she was gone.

It took him a couple of hours to get back to the Kuchiki manor, and Byakuya was still fuming at that time. He had already sensed his grandfather's reiatsu in the house, but instead of going there to meet the man as soon as he came back, Byakuya decided to go back to his room to put on a new kimono first.

At least, he should be fully dressed when his grandfather scolded him.

"Oh, so you're finally back, Byakuya."

"I'm sorry, Jii-sama."

"About what? It's fine if you want to be out of the house sometimes."

"Not about that, Jii-sama. It's just that…I don't think things went too well with the Shihōin woman."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ginrei. "She dropped by my division earlier and she agreed to train you."

"What?" Byakuya cried out in surprise.

"She was obviously impressed," the older Kuchiki mentioned. "Although, she did say that if she were to train you, she didn't want you to call her sensei. She said the word made her feel old, and she also said you forgot this at the training field."

With that said, Ginrei handed a box to his grandson, who opened it to find the kimono he had 'lent' to her earlier. A blush crept up his cheek as it reminded him just why he needed to lend it to her, and as a result, he gritted his teeth and mumbled under his breath, "That shameless demon cat."

"What did you just say, Byakuya? I don't think I quite catch you."

"Nothing, Jii-sama," Byakuya said tactfully. "I'm just thinking that maybe we shouldn't bother her with my training. You know, she's already been busy with her division work and all…"

"If it was the case then she wouldn't agree to train you in the first place," the grandfather reasoned.

"But…"

"No but," Ginrei said, his voice indicated that he didn't want to hear any protest from his grandson. "You should just appreciate that she would spare her valuable time to train you."

Byakuya felt so distraught that he wanted to scream his head off and pull all of his hair out, however, the training he was force to take as a noble kept him from doing so, and all he did was growling unhappily. He knew there was no way he could run away from it now, so he came up with one solution.

He would prove himself to be better than her, so that the demon cat would have no reason to haunt his life.

And from that day on, surpassing Shihōin Yoruichi became his aspiration, though his reason for surpassing her changed with time from the mean to get her out of his life to the way to gain her respect, and now to prove he was no longer just a boy she loved to provoke but someone she could see as her equal.

Realizing where his mind had drifted, Byakuya shook the thought of their first meeting away from his head, and looked back at the 'demon cat' to see that she had already looked his way.

Yoruichi gave him one of her cute, innocent kitten smiles, which he knew better than to think it was genuine. However, since sticking his tongue out at her was way too inappropriate and immature to be his option, he merely gave her a hint of a smile.

Ukitake's voice could be heard, and everyone realized it was time for all the drifters to return to where they had come from.

The Senkaimon was opened.

Before Yoruichi moved to join Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends at the gate, she shot Byakuya one last look so he gazed back at her, the look more meaningful than thousands words of goodbye. Then Yoruichi turned around and walked away while Byakuya watched as she parted, realizing that their paths would eventually cross again.