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Su Li strolled at a leisurely pace along the outer walkway of the Second Division's inner compound. The air around him thrummed with distant chaos—shouts of conflict, reiatsu clashing like thunder, and the unmistakable hum of drawn Zanpakutōs. Kurosaki Ichigo and his allies had breached the Soul Society through the spiritual gateway created by Urahara's Crane Cannon. As expected, they had scattered upon entry, causing disorder across various sectors. Squads were engaging the intruders according to their assigned districts, reacting just as the Gotei 13 protocol dictated. But none of that concerned Su Li.
According to the original trajectory of events, none of the Ryoka would reach the Second Division's jurisdiction—not directly. As such, the squad's high-level alertness was little more than ceremonial—decorative, theater for tradition's sake. There was no threat incoming—at least, not one that hadn't already been choreographed. He wasn't worried. His mind remained fixed on the events from earlier that day—the unexpected turn that left him standing under suspicious eyes. He had only wanted to witness Kurosaki Ichigo's entrance into Seireitei with his own eyes. But he arrived just seconds too late, and instead of Ichigo's bravado, he'd walked into the aftermath of Ichimaru Gin's devastating preemptive strike. That alone might've gone unnoticed—an odd curiosity, nothing more. But then he had returned with Sui-Feng, appearing at precisely the wrong moment, at Gin's side no less—and that changed everything.
To the other captains, it looked far too coordinated. He wasn't just nearby—he was adjacent. Quiet, calm, present. Now, eyes that once overlooked him saw too clearly. To them, Su Li stood at Ichimaru Gin's side in more than just proximity. And in their minds, where there was smoke, there had to be fire.
He hadn't planned it—not consciously. But once the suspicion was set, it seemed foolish not to fan the flames. Originally, Aizen had engineered the scenario to cast shadows on Gin—an elaborate misdirection to turn Gotei suspicion away from himself. But Su Li's unintended presence on the stage added something volatile. And now that he'd been drawn into the game, he figured he might as well act. Why not? One villain draws scrutiny. Two create confusion. So he played his part. The second "bad guy." A foil for Gin. A disruption to the script. A glitch in Aizen's plan.
Let the fire spread. Let the narrative unravel. Let Aizen squint at shadows and wonder which ones were his. That, Su Li thought, was worth the price of admission. And the brief flicker of confusion he'd seen in Aizen's eyes—the faint, involuntary crack in that perfect composure—was confirmation enough. He had rattled the most calculating mind in the Gotei 13, if only for a breath. To unbalance Aizen, even slightly, with nothing more than timing and silence? Delicious. That alone was enough to put a spring in his step.
But the real gem—the one that made Su Li want to laugh aloud—was Gin. The fox-faced captain had nearly cracked. That slight shift in tone. The subtle edge beneath the smirk. All from one quiet implication Su Li hadn't even intended to press. Gin had gone undercover against Aizen for a singular, deeply buried reason—Rangiku Matsumoto. And in one careless moment, Su Li had scraped too close to that secret. Had pressed the hidden bruise no one else knew existed—not because he meant to, simply because Gin gave it away with a breath too sharp and a smile too thin.
Still, Su Li had no intention of drawing blood. Not really. He wasn't there to expose secrets. He only wanted to watch the pieces move, to give the board one unexpected tilt and see who stumbled first. That was enough. He walked now with a light heart and an amused mind, even as the distant clashes grew louder, the battle cries sharper. They were coming closer, no doubt. The Ryoka were making progress. Then, like a bell struck inside his skull, a faint vibration rippled through the air—one only a highly trained Shinigami would sense. His ears twitched, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. He vanished in a blink, the flash step so clean it left only silence behind.
"Yaga!! Don't let that damn cat escape!"
"Where the hell did it go? It's like Shunpo—but faster!"
"Less talking, more surrounding! It couldn't have gone far!"
Below, a half-dozen Shinigami poured into the narrow alley, black robes rippling as they searched the shadows. Each of them wore the standard shihakushō of the Court Guard, faces darkened with confusion and irritation. Their target? Not a human. Not a Hollow. A cat—a pitch-black feline with gleaming gold eyes and impeccable timing.
At that moment, high above the chaos atop a curved pavilion roof, Su Li reclined casually. Cradled in his arms like an overgrown house pet was the very creature they hunted. A black cat. "Meow!!!" The cat twisted and thrashed with surprising ferocity, sharp claws swiping in a rapid blur that left afterimages in the air. Any ordinary person would have lost an eye—or several fingers. But Su Li didn't flinch. The blows felt to him like tickles. Those flailing strikes, had they landed on any average seated officer, would've shattered bone. Few understood the kind of force this creature could exert in such a small form. But to Su Li? Just a fuzzy tantrum.
"Mimi~~ Mimi~~" he cooed mockingly. "Long time no see." The cat hissed and growled, tongue lolling as it panted in frustration, shooting Su Li a look that could curdle milk. And then—"You really don't see me as a woman, do you, brat?"
The voice that emerged from the cat was unmistakably human. Deep. Resonant. Annoyed. Su Li blinked and immediately dropped the cat from his arms as if it had turned to acid. "Ah. Yoruichi." The black cat landed on all fours with feline grace and an audible thump. Then Su Li landed beside her with considerably less finesse. "You little bastard!" Yoruichi barked, fur bristling. "Did you not feel who I was?" Her tail lashed furiously.
Su Li groaned and turned away, expression somewhere between exasperated and haunted. "You're impossible to deal with. Can't touch, can't drop, can't win."
"Meow!"
"I'm sorry, Miss Yoruichi," he said dryly. "But your voice throws off the whole experience."
"Brat..." The black cat's eyes narrowed, but the temper slowly ebbed away. She shook out her fur and regained composure.
"Anyway," she began, voice steady now, "since we've run into each other, there's something I need to tell you." Su Li's flippant mood faded, replaced by focus. He straightened slightly. "Urahara wanted me to pass along a warning," Yoruichi said, voice quieting. "The Sōkyoku execution—Rukia's—it's not just standard procedure. He suspects it's part of Aizen's plan. Something deeper. A setup."
Su Li didn't respond. He only listened, eyes calm and unreadable.
"And since you're technically an ally…" she paused, "…and considering how much junk you took from Urahara's shop before all this…" She trailed off, clearing her throat, clearly unused to asking for favors. "If it comes to something we can't handle… we might need your help."
There it was—an awkward request, quietly offered but genuinely felt. Su Li gave a small smile. "Alright."
Yoruichi blinked, caught off guard. Then she grinned faintly, relief flickering across her sharp gaze. Annoying or not, the kid was dependable. No wonder Urahara had insisted she find him first if she made it into Seireitei. "Good," she said. "Then if it gets that bad… I'll come find you."
"Until then," Su Li replied, tone light again, "we better keep our distance. Officially, we're enemies, remember? A Shinigami and a Ryoka, talking mid-operation? That gets us both in trouble."
Yoruichi nodded once. She leapt gracefully onto the wall beside them. But before she vanished, she glanced back at Su Li one last time, her expression unreadable.
He smiled. "See you later, Mimi~"
"Still so damn irritating," she muttered under her breath, tail flicking in annoyance.
And then she was gone, a blur over the rooftops, swallowed by shadow. Su Li remained behind, watching the sky as her presence faded. Somehow, the day felt lighter—and far, far more fun.
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