The Earth, Karakura Town, Japan.
The place resembled a stall of biscuits, the sun was high, and it looked like the best moment for the kids coming and going from school. But the kids avoided that shop like the plague. The owner looked weird, and there was an eerie black cat sitting next to him on the counter.
It all screamed, 'stay away'.
Seeing the cat sitting around lazily, the lazy cat thought it was a good time to touch on an interesting topic since no customers wanted to approach.
"The boy ended up joining the fourth division", the cat began with the grumpiest and oldest voice possible, like she delivered bad news.
"The fourth? Hehehe, birds of a feather flock together indeed~" The man laughed, waving the heat off with a traditional fan in his hand.
"I don't know if I should be relieved or scared that those two lunatics are together. If he were with Zaraki Kenpachi, his growth potential would be nominal. But with Unohana Retsu... his growth will be exponential".
"That's for the best. He is en route to becoming quite the interesting piece in this chess game we're playing. Isn't it about time you give him a visit? Since he's going around playing with your sword and all~".
"He has achieved Shikai with Shitsutora and with his own Zampakuto, Hebimaru. What does that make you think, Urahara?"
"It makes me think he's an anomaly to the level we haven't seen yet, which is the reason why you should go and take a look before a certain scheming man takes him by his side" Urahara Kisuke mumbled with concern.
"This Ryoma doesn't sound like the type of guy who would fall in someone else's rhythm. We don't know how long he's been in the Seireitei, but from the moment we first heard of him until now, it hasn't been a year, and he's already in the eye of the storm"
"... Yoruichi..."
"Okay, okay, I don't want to go! There is so much to do, I feel like it will be a while before I can come back and have some peace again," The cat growled when the prospect of sleep deprivation was brought to the table.
"All you want is to go and laze around in your cat form".
"You got me".
"But you can watch over the boy in your cat form just fine~".
Urahara Kisuke had to play his cards well. This cat wasn't going to move without enough motivation.
"You're annoying. You see, the boy is quite the lady killer, you know? I thought my sister was a lesbian and siscon, but look and behold, she's actually trying to protect that boy now and even allowed him to keep the sword that she so much treasures".
"Can't it be because she respects him?"
"It could... but knowing her...? Nah".
"Interesting... how can I use this?" The shop owner started to plot.
"So what will you do if he sweeps me off my feet and I start working for him instead of you, huh?~" The cat teased him.
"I will cry a lot... I will get drunk for a few months and get depressed".
"Awwwww".
"But then I will just find the way to use you just as fine~".
"Bastard..."
"Don't worry, we're talking about a boy who loves fighting more than anything. I don't think you two can be more incompatible. Even if you were to fancy him, you will fall out of love the moment you see yourself entwined in a whirlwind of fighting, running and tiredness".
He knew his partner very well... they had spent centuries together and worked under the same objective. This woman loved to laze around more than anything else. Fights? She abhorred them... that's why she became a master of Shunpo.
To run from fights.
But that didn't mean that she was a weakling. If necessary, she was more than capable of getting her hands dirty.
"Makes sense. Okay, I will go... You have reassured me" The cat jumped down the shop counter onto the ground, and soon enough, a beautiful dark-skinned lady with dark purple hair appeared. Sexy, slender and with killer yellow eyes.
"What about Shitsutora?" He asked.
"I left her to Kurayami, thinking she'd be able to unleash Shitsutora's real potential, which I couldn't... the way I see it, she couldn't either. I will see for myself if this Ryoma can do it, if he can't... I'll just take it back".
"You're the only Shinigami that's so cold as to abandon her Zampakutō~" He accused her, but this joke didn't seem to work the way it was intended. Rather, Yoruichi's expression looked disgruntled.
"What do you know? How would you feel if you knew your Zampakutō has potential to go even beyond the Bankai... but you will never be able to take it there".
"I don't know... I guess I'd be sad, powerless... useless... like a piece of shit~".
"Shut it!" She pulled the man's ear, making him scream like a pig, attracting the young customers' gazes who finaly saw something interesting going on.
"But you know, to get her back... you'd have to defeat him~".
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
Her seamless shunpo didn't allow him to even notice when she was gone. The high school kids who were running to the shop to meet the gyaru felt disappointed at her disappearance.
"Alright, partner... best of luck~".