Outskirt Water [Shaoling, Yuujin]

That was a trace of energy Shaoling would have recognized anywhere. She might even have noticed it sooner, were she not busy with the investigation she’d promised to assist in. But most of her leads had come up remarkably cold, which was not, she supposed, a total dead end. She could have thought longer on that matter, but she had a new quarry on her mind right now. It was faint, but that was unsurprising in an area as dense as the Seireitei.

It didn’t matter, though. She was one of the best when it came to tracking people down, and when it came to this one person in particular, she had all the more reason to give it her utmost. Expertly trained steps carried her across the rooftops with little indication that she was even present, her eyes scanning the ground below for any sign of the young man she had locked onto.

There. One more step, and without any spiritual exertion beyond the bare minimum, Shaoling’s hand came to rest on Yuujin’s shoulder from behind, her voice even and quieter than was typical as she spoke briefly.

“Yuujin.”

Sippppppppp~

Minding his own business, straw in mouth, juice in hand, Yuujin's mind is empty. He'd rather not think about anything right now anyway. If his thoughts aren't on his family issues, it's on thinking about training or a book he's recently read. Sometimes it's not bad to just let nothing occupy your head and go with the flow. It's rare he does so, but life's been a bit hectic, and he could use a moment of respite from it all.

Though, as he walked, a creeping feeling somehow found itself digging into his spine. It was like a small chill at first, but it steadily grew in heat until it made not thinking almost impossible. He couldn't quite place it, but something's about to happen. He just doesn't know what it-

Something touched him. It's still touching him. There's a voice, an all too familiar voice: low, husky, and foreboding. Fingers on his shoulder, he found himself seeing his life flash before his eyes, but with no exact reason why, his only response was to turn his head. Since his brain was a little turned off, he didn't notice her at first, but she'd see the light in his eyes flicker on.

The juice in his hand is crushed before he found the liquid gushing up the straw into his mouth and down his throat, causing him to sputter and choke, his body ripping itself from Shaoling as he tripped forward onto the ground, still coughing up misplaced Capri sun. However, he didn't get up, curling up a bit as his brain started to rapidly process his situation. He can recognize an angry Shaoling, and she's definitely mad.

Definitely super mad.

In hindsight, perhaps she should have approached a bit more tactfully. But, if he'd left of his own accord the first time, then he might well have fled again if he saw her coming. Even so, there was some faint sadness in her expression as Yuujin wrenched himself away so violently, and she was quiet for a long moment as she waited for him to recover. When she spoke again, it was still more quiet than usual, a voice ever so slightly less sharp than usual.

"Have you been keeping up with your training?"

What a stupid question. She could have asked if he was doing well, asked why it was that he'd left, any other list of things that Shaoling could have asked besides that. But, she supposed, it was the question that would give her the most answers. And, at the same time, its neutrality of tone made it clear that she wasn't angry at him.

She simply wanted answers about the latest person in her life to disappear without a word.

He took his time to recuperate, his emotions and body a bit riled by the sudden intrusion. He did not expect to see her here of all places. He did not expect her to ever return to Soul Society, but the fact that she's here means something's up. It has to be something serious too, but regardless of that, he shouldn't let himself appear so pathetic before her. If anything, the fact she snuck up on him as she had is proof enough of how his training's going.

"Hi," He'd mutter though, waiting to actually answer until he stood up from the ground.

His expression faltered then, his lips not knowing what to do with themselves, settling on a thin line. There's a lot in his head, a lot that he could spit out at her, but none of that actually stuck. Her question was pushed further back as the initial shock faded, remembrance of how he treated her threading back like an annoying gnat. All the worry about how he'd approach her again, and here she is, just like that.

"Without a good teacher, it's been going poorly," He'd answer then, being completely honest with the situation. It's not like he's improved at all since leaving, but, hands in his pockets, he shrugged his shoulders and looked to the side.

"...I see. I'm sorry to hear that."

Stupid response, too. Shaoling naturally understood what it was that Yuujin was saying, but perhaps it was her own pride that kept her from accepting it so readily. That, or the natural guardedness that came with having been abandoned before. Even so, she didn't wish to hold that against him. Whatever had compelled him to leave, he had surely had some reason. He must have.

"Is your family well?"

She'd not looked into them in her time here. The matters of the Koizumi, and the Tamabuki in particular, were not relevant to the search she had undertaken, and she had known perfectly well that Yuujin may well have returned. If he had, then prying into those affairs would only have been violating the privacy he desired.

"No," He responded, finding it easy to tell Shaoling anything she wanted that pertained to something different than their little issue. "My father died, my brother is acting funny, and the rest of the family's all acting like this is just normal. It's frustrating, but I don't have much a say in it. I did randomly leave."

And that last sentence made him cringe. Randomly leave, huh? That sounds a bit too familiar to something. Though, hearing himself say that and having Shaoling in front of him, Yuujin couldn't help but take a deep breath and look his teacher dead in the face.

"I'm sorry for that, by the way. I barely left any explanation, but it's hard to admit you're a loser. I mean, I ran away from a fight..."

He stopped there and looked down. Fighting's been his whole life, but when it came down to something realer than a backyard brawl, he shied away. Shaoling couldn't see it, but his fists are clenched in his pockets.

The fact that his father had passed was more than a tad surprising to Shaoling, though she didn't give much visual indication of that fact. She wanted to focus on the hear and now of this conversation, and when Yuujin had finished speaking, looking down at the ground, she thought about how best to respond. She could have reprimanded him for his talking, but she had a feeling that wouldn't work, whether she was right or wrong.

"It's alright, Yuujin."

Reaching up, Shaoling rested a hand atop Yuujin's head, giving him a gentle, if awkward attempt at a reassuring pat. This kind of emotional support was something she was profoundly terrible at, but it wouldn't stop her from trying.

"Everyone makes mistakes at times."

"It's not, but I appreciate the effort. I'd rather you yell at me. Tell me to run 100 laps or something."

He reached up and took her wrist, squeezing just a bit to hopefully keep her from trying to resist his attempt to lower her hand from his head. Though, if allowed, that'd be when he looked at her, his gravelly gaze softened into wet mud. For a second, he looked the age he represented and not the age he is, a frail immaturity showing itself to the sole woman who cared right now.

"I ran away from my responsibilities, I ran away from home, I ran away from my family, I ran away from a fight, and I ran away from sensei. All this running, yet I'm always back at square one, but Erika did what someone should have did the first time I ran."

He couldn't help but smile somberly, taking that thrashing that most would have hated and looking fondly back at it.

"She told me to stop being a bitch and actually face shit head on."

It was strange to hear Yuujin so candidly admit that he would have rather heard her typical strictness, that he would have wanted to be disciplined as she might normally have done. Then again, that was ultimately what had defined a great deal of their relationship for these past years. Shaoling had never considered herself a particularly outstanding guardian, but even so, she did her best to guide him into something better than herself.

"She was right. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your making the right decision, after all. So, will you be returning to my tutelage?"

There was, undeniably, a faint trace of genuine hope in her voice. For anyone else, such a thing would not have been allowed. For one of those precious few people in her life that truly mattered, though, Shaoling would have liked to show far more openly the extent to which she was glad to have him back.

But she could not change herself so overwhelmingly simply because she wished to. This path as a teacher, however, at least gave her a slow road to walk toward that goal.

"You should try smiling more, teach," Yuujin said, stifling a small chuckle as his lips curled upwards. "You'll end up with wrinkles."

Though, he joked because he didn't have an answer immediately. His mind went through it for a second, wondering what exactly he wants. There's so much going on that he feels he has too many options in front of him. He can't say he likes having all these options. Things were easier when they were simply yes or no, but now choosing something will close doors that are opened to him. He has to think just a bit for what he feels is his accurate path. Or... He could throw caution to the wind.

"Well, teach. I'll come back, under one condition."

He put a hand under his chin and looked off into the distance, pretending to think about his next words, but he already knows what he wants from her. He'd look back at her and smirk, thinking that if wanted to get more personal with all of this and actually make an earnest attempt, he's going to have to put more effort into being more than just an annoying kid who's book savvy.

"Smoothies? My treat?"

He needs to grow up and actually learn his own interests in life and get out of his comfort zone. What better way to get that confidence than to also force Shaoling out of hers?