"So Yanagi's here..."
The old man stirred at the sound of the door opening. With his attendants' help, he pushed himself upright, his voice rough and thin as paper, barely carrying across the room.
His clouded eyes swept past his daughter before settling on the figure entering—Yanagi.
"Father, don't move. Your body needs rest." Yanagi moved quickly, supporting the elderly man's elbow before gently lowering him back to the mat. But Shunsui's hand caught his wrist, stopping him.
"I'm fine. I know my own condition well enough." The old patriarch's voice held unexpected steel beneath the weakness. His face, though gaunt, flickered with echoes of the fearless young man he'd once been. "I can hold on long enough. At least until you and Yoruichi are married."
"Father, don't speak like that. Don't just think about the wedding—there will be grandchildren too. You need to see them born. You need to be there."
For the first time, Yanagi's carefully controlled expression fractured. A flicker of genuine emotion crossed his features, something almost like sorrow, before he forced it down. His gaze wavered.
Shunsui had been nothing but good to him since taking him in. Generous to a fault. If someone didn't know better, they'd have thought Yanagi was a blood son. He'd always considered himself a cold man, incapable of softness. But in the face of such kindness, such deliberate care... how could anyone remain unmoved?
Perhaps somewhere deep down, Yanagi had come to see this old man as family. As a father.
Shunsui shook his head slowly, his gaze shifting to his daughter. Tenderness and regret mingled in his expression.
"Yoruichi, I know you resent this marriage. I know you can't stand this boy." His voice gentled, almost pleading. "If you must blame someone, blame me. Don't let it poison what you two could have together."
"I won't, Father." Yoruichi's voice wavered slightly from where she stood. She bit her lower lip, refusing to let weakness show. She was the Shihoin clan head now. Not a child clinging to her father's sleeve.
Yes, she harbored resentment about the forced engagement. Yes, Yanagi irritated her to no end. But what could she say? Should she truly defy her father, break his heart in his final days?
He was her only father.
Shunsui gave a small nod of acknowledgment, then turned his full attention back to Yanagi.
"My boy, I know this is difficult for you. But I don't have much time left." The old man's voice cracked slightly. "All I can do now is ask."
"Father, speak freely. Whatever you ask, I'll do it."
The sincerity in Yanagi's tone, the steadiness of his bearing—it satisfied Shunsui deeply.
"Yoruichi has been spoiled since childhood. I'm as much to blame as anyone. She's grown wild, reckless, dangerous. That nature will get her into trouble one day. Serious trouble. Trouble that could drag House Shihoin down with her." He paused, gathering his breath. "When she does—and she will—I need you to be there to pull her back. To keep her grounded."
The old man's eyes held Yanagi's steadily. "If she becomes too much of a burden to guide, then I'm entrusting you with something else. Watch over Yushiro. Watch over this house. Protect what we've built."
It was, in all but name, a deathbed charge.
Yanagi felt the weight of it settle across his shoulders. He understood: this old man saw what was coming. Saw the chaos ahead. Decades hence, Yoruichi would indeed run off with some blonde-haired fool, bringing ruin and exile upon House Shihoin. Though her name would eventually be cleared, the damage would linger. The scars wouldn't fade.
Shunsui was trying to prevent that future.
"I swear it, Father. Rest easy. I won't disappoint you."
His words were grave, weighted with genuine commitment.
Seeing the steadiness radiating from his son-in-law—the composure, the responsibility—Shunsui felt his worries ease somewhat. He'd chosen well. The decision to bring Yanagi into the family had been the right one.
A parent's love runs deep. They calculate far into the future. And so had Shunsui.
He knew his children thoroughly. Yoruichi was talented, fierce, brilliant—but impulsive. Wild in a way that couldn't be tamed by conventional means. She lacked foresight, lacked the cold calculation necessary to lead. One moment of passion and she'd burn everything down without a second thought.
Yushiro, meanwhile, was steady and good-hearted, but far too young. His power hadn't fully matured. The responsibility of leadership would crush him.
When Shunsui had observed what the Kuchiki clan did—their calculated political marriages, their careful succession planning—he'd realized he needed to do the same. He'd searched carefully among that year's graduating Shinigami Academy class. Dozens of candidates. Until he'd found Yanagi: striking in appearance, rock-solid in temperament, and carrying himself with the weight of genuine authority.
His background wasn't as pristine as a Kuchiki match might be, but that steadiness alone was worth the sacrifice.
Shunsui had also observed the Kuchiki's chosen son-in-law. The man carried himself with such arrogance, such unbending pride. He'd cause trouble one day—of that, the old patriarch was certain. Trouble that would give the Kuchiki patriarch headaches for years to come.
Better to have a man like Yanagi. Better to have someone who could weather Yoruichi's storms.
"Ah, one more thing." Shunsui's weathered hand reached beneath his pillow, trembling slightly as he withdrew two yellowed, ancient-looking ledgers. He pressed them into Yanagi's hands. "Take these."
Yanagi's eyes widened fractionally. "What are these?"
"Everything. These two books contain the most vital secrets of House Shihoin." Shunsui's voice grew stronger, more focused. "One documents every asset. Money, liquid capital, land holdings, properties. Even the secret facilities scattered throughout the Soul Society—all of it's recorded here."
He gestured to the second volume. "The other is our network. Every affiliated clan, every connection to other noble houses. The informants we have placed throughout the Seireitei, the eyes and ears we've cultivated in key positions. Every debt owed to us, every favor we hold over others. It's all here."
The old man pressed the ledgers closer to Yanagi's chest. "Financial control and intelligence networks. The two pillars that hold any great house together. They're yours now. You'll manage them going forward."
Yanagi's hands trembled slightly as he took the books. The implications were staggering. Any person with even basic understanding of power knew what these represented: leverage. Influence. The very lifeblood of political authority in the Soul Society.
For Shunsui to hand them over so completely...
"Father..." His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I mean it, boy. Every word." Shunsui's eyes burned with absolute conviction. "I won't have you fail me on this."
"I swear on my honor, Father. I will not disappoint you."
Since the engagement was announced, Shunsui had transferred command of the Second Division to Yoruichi, formally installing her as captain. While he'd been bedridden, he'd been methodically, carefully ceding his authority to her piece by piece.
And through Yanagi, he was consolidating that power—ensuring Yoruichi had both the official position and the resources to maintain it. Yanagi possessed enough strength to support her, enough wisdom to guide her.
Shunsui had thought of everything. Every contingency. Every possible future. All designed to preserve Yoruichi's safety and House Shihoin's standing after he was gone.
After entrusting everything to Yanagi, exhaustion visibly claimed the old man. His eyelids grew heavy, his breathing more labored.
Seeing this, Yanagi withdrew quietly. But before leaving, he turned back to the attendants with careful instructions: watch him closely, ensure he's comfortable, call immediately if his condition worsens. Only when satisfied did he slip from the room.
As Yanagi's silhouette disappeared through the doorway, Shunsui gazed after him with profound affection. He turned to his daughter, who remained at the bedside.
"That is a good man, Yoruichi." His voice carried genuine warmth. "After we're married, try to be kinder to him. Build a life together. Better yet—give me grandsons. When I meet your ancestors in the afterlife, I want to stand tall. I want to tell them the house is secure."
"Tch, you and your sanctimonious speeches," Yoruichi muttered, but her eyes betrayed her.
She'd heard every word of praise her father just lavished on Yanagi, and it stung. Worse than any of her barbs at him.
"That pretentious fool putting on airs the moment he left—it's sickening. You're actually encouraging me to accept him?"
"Exactly." Shunsui's eyes narrowed slightly as he fixed her with a look only a father could manage. "At least he has the sense to maintain composure. Unlike someone who won't even bother trying in front of her own sick parent."
His voice grew more serious. "You're both adults now, not children anymore. Raw honesty might feel virtuous, but it offends people. A little social grace, a little restraint—that's what allows relationships to endure."
Yoruichi waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Get some rest. Stop lecturing."
But even as she spoke, she was moving toward the door. Her usual energetic stride had returned, though something in her eyes had shifted—a reluctant thoughtfulness.
By the time she caught sight of Yanagi's retreating figure in the corridor, her expression had smoothed back into its familiar mischievous confidence. She called out across the distance, not bothering to whisper.
"Hey! Fake Serious! Hold up a second! I've got something to tell you!"