Author's notes section:

[2023-02-13]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.

[2023-02-19]: Hey, I have a small update for you. With all honesty, lately I prefer to work on the shorter stories, or at the very least, stories that have not been developed yet. Still, I would appreciate any feedback regarding the form, style, plot, wording, etc. Thank you, for reading :)

[2023-02-27]: Hey, I have a decently-sized update for you. I tried to write some casual scenes, please tell me what do you think about it. I'm still not 100% sure how I want Byakuya's and Yoruichi's relationship to shape, aka how to handle their conversations.

[2023-03-08]: Hey, I have managed to finish the chapter finally. Would you mind giving me some feedback?

[2023-03-09]: I needed to make small adjustments because after I re-read the chapter, I found two logical mistakes. Apologies for this occurrence.

Info: As I promised, the preview of the next `Last Christmas` chapter. Enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what do you think.

Info: Ok, let me start with what I promised in the last chapter of `My home is where my heart lies`. So, I often find myself not motivated enough to progress through the story, to write something refreshing and good. And thus, I feel like I will be splitting the story into 3 parts, aka the initial story will be split into 3 separate works. It will allow me to finish one part, re-read it, and think about changes that are necessary to take place. Furthermore, I feel like I have made a lot of mistakes throughout these nearly 3 years of writing this story. And... a lot of these come from a simple concept; I have started too many stories, and I have not been able to conclude virtually any of these. Moreover, my writing style and English proficiency drastically changed/evolved throughout this time. As you might know, I'm a perfectionist; I would love each and every one of my chapters to hold the same standard, to be simply the best. And... yet, with my knowledge of language broadening, it would require me to completely rewrite the story to maintain more or less the same level. And, as you might expect, it would take me ages to do so. So, as I have said, I will try to conclude the first part of this series as soon as possible. Nevertheless, I expect that I will need at least 3 - 5 chapters to do so.

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2023-02-13]: A preview has been released.
[2023-02-19]: I have managed to update the chapter, adding around 800 words.
[2023-02-27]: I have managed to update the chapter, adding around 1000 - 1100 words.
[2023-03-08]: The chapter was concluded, and its final version was released.
[2023-03-09]: Some small changes were applied due to logical mistakes found in the text.

Info: As promised, here is the preview for the next chapter. I will try to finish it asap, but as nearly always, I can promise you when the piece will be finished. Anyway, Enjoy :)

Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.

Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.

Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?

References:

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D

End of the author's notes section.

Byakuya barely managed to parry yet another lunge from his fellow captain. Even though only an hour might have passed, he felt exhausted beyond his natural comprehension. He anticipated these sessions to be rough and painful. However, even his worst anticipation did not come close to what he had gone through by now. When Retsu Unohana had told him that he would most likely die during the training, Kuchiki regarded her words as a light threat but nothing more. Back then, little had he known that it would be a mistake he would need to pay up for in blood.

From the moment both officers entered the prison area, deep below the city, something changed in the usually stoic woman. The raven-haired woman did not waste time, starting their encounter with intensive ferocity. Byakuya was painfully reminded of Unohana's true identity when her blade carved a shallow wound on his left forearm. Even though the pain sharpened his senses and gave him a singular purpose to focus on, the nobleman was still confused. After all, for years, he had known Captain Unohana as a peer, a leader of the 4th Division, not a berserker similar in nature to Zaraki Kempachi. But all of these memories and thoughts must have been pushed aside if he wanted to survive. He needed all his skills and battle experience to keep up with the ferocious demoness.

"I expected more from you, Captain Kuchiki," the first Kempachi said in a nearly emotionless voice. "Why don't you use your bankai? Or, at the very least, shikai? Without utilising those, you'll find your demise rather quickly," she added, slowly approaching the weakened man.

"What would I learn if I used them?" Byakuya responded, panting heavily. "You might beat me, Captain Unohana, but it matters not. I must go through my own mistakes and pain to become more powerful. Borrowing power from my sword will not help me with that. So, please, let us continue. And, if I am destined to fall now, let it be that way," he added confidently, then stood up with noticeable difficulties.

"I'm not the same Retsu Unohana you've known for all these years," the demoness commented. "Here, I shatter my mask, revealing what I've been in the past. Here, I shall be known under the name of Yachiru Unohana."

"Well met, Yachiru Unohana, then," the nobleman stated, attacking immediately afterwards.

"You're too slow," the raven-haired woman spat a moment later. "If it's all you have to offer, let's not prolong the inevitable," she added, swiftly blocking the incoming slash.

The 6th Division's Captain knew he had lost a few moments before the curved blade ripped his chest wide open. For a heartbeat, he felt nothing as if he could continue the fight, but that state did not last long. A wave of cold hit him, seemingly taking all of his remaining strength.

Soon after, Byakuya fell to his knees, visibly struggling to remain conscious. He tried his hardest, but it was not enough. Then, a moment later, the fight was officially over as he fell. But, it was a painful and slow descent onto the stone floor for him. And, whilst the images of his life passed before his eyes, he began sinking into nothingness. There were regrets in Byakuya, but he could not muster any strength to face them. And even though the man remembered what Unohana had told him, he slowly prepared himself to embrace death. With that thought in mind, Kuchiki finally closed his eyes.

"Captain Kuchiki, Byakuya?" he heard a disembodied yet familiar woman's voice. "Can you hear me?" the voice repeated the question at least five times.

"Yes," Byakuya replied. His voice was hoarse and weakened, but at the very least, he was not dead yet. "Thank you for the healing, Captain Unohana," he added a moment later. His voice was a barely hearable whisper.

"I... I overstepped," she added in an apologetic tone. "When you refused to borrow more power from your sword, I snapped," Retsu said, stifling a pang of regret. "In my eyes, it clearly showed your usual arrogance and pride. I wanted to punish you for that so desperately that I put more strength into the strike than I initially intended. I'm so sorry for that, Captain Kuchiki."

"Do not be, Captain Unohana," the raven-haired man whispered weakly. "It is me who agreed to participate in these training sessions. Hence, I was fully aware of the possible dangers," he said, then paused for a few moments to think. "The only thing I regret is that, right now, I am far too weak to challenge you, Captain Unohana. There is a bumpy road ahead of me filled with pain and suffering. But... I hope that with your guidance, I might be able to pass it."

"Can you stand up?" Retsu questioned her peer.

"Yes, I can still fight," the nobleman responded as confidently as a lying man could. "I have 4 more lives, do I not?" Kuchiki asked, slowly standing up.

But, even though the raven-haired man's wounds were no more, the exhaustion remained. This round would not last nearly as long as the first one. Still, Byakuya decided to push away all such feelings. If he genuinely wanted to progress, his limits must be reached time after time till they were shattered and replaced with new ones. These precious moments before the encounter resumed were utilised to analyse the previous one. The nobleman would need a better strategy to offset the fatigue. With that in mind, he attacked, trying to turn the theory into practice. And, maybe for the very first time in his life, he rejoiced when the steel clashed.

Late night, past midnight:

As much as the nobleman hated bringing work home, he had no other option. The training session with Captain Unohana was a valuable lesson, but it was only one of many tasks he was supposed to handle. Kuchiki made a choice, so now, he must deal with the associated consequences.

It was long past midnight, and the sixth Division's Captain still sat at a desk, going through piles of formal documents. Usually, the doors leading to his temporary office would remain open. However, as the night was relatively cold, he decided to close them to preserve the temperature inside. The man sighed heavily, bending over the seemingly endless paper sheets. The raven-haired officer would have rather spent the time outside gazing into the stars. But, looking through the small window in front of him, he could see that the night was peaceful and breathtaking. And even though he could only spectate a narrow portion of the skies, what he saw brought him immense joy.

Inside Byakuya's consciousness, a war was waged. His extremely high work ethic fought against his whims. It was unwanted chaos that in no way, shape, or form helped him decide what to do. Still, no matter how much he wanted to finish the workload, he was too tired to do so. Hence, he finally gave up after a few additional moments of internal struggle.

Whilst still sitting, the nobleman tended to his sleepy eyes, wiping them to fight the fatigue. But frankly, it was already a lost cause. It was only a matter of time until sheer exhaustion wore him off.

Then, he heard a relatively quiet meowing coming from the outside. At first, the man hummed, surprised. But, after a moment of consideration, he concluded that, in fact, there was nothing extraordinary about that happening. After all, it would not have been the first time for some stray cat to visit his clan's mansion, searching for some food. That being said, in most cases, these felines would venture near the kitchen, but it mattered not.

Byakuya decided that this unexpected event would be a suitable excuse for him to finally step away from the desk and stretch slightly. But, unfortunately, after all these hours spent sitting, his muscles grew stiff and, occasionally, would flare up with some mild pain. He tried to disregard it for the better part of the evening, but the longer the process was allowed to persist, the more irritating it became.

The raven-haired man nearly groaned when he finally stood up. All of that accumulated strain spread through his neck and shoulder girdle. Still, after a few moments, the muscles began relaxing, easing up the soreness. However, regardless of that fact, the nobleman put his left hand onto his nape, massaging the stiff tissue. It took a few seconds or so to notice the difference, but it was worth the effort. Then, he emptied his lungs with a prolonged exhale, savouring the moment.

Nonetheless, the meowing sounded again, with the only difference being it came from closer than previously.

The man found it somewhat amusing and worth investigating. Hence, he headed toward the sliding doors unhurried. Then, with a gentle slide, he opened them and stepped out of his temporary office into a relatively cold night. As a wave of refreshing air blew at his face, he smiled, closing his eyes momentarily. Kuchiki enjoyed the sensation, but it was not the primary reason why he left his duty unfinished. So, a heartbeat later, he opened them unwillingly, looking around the veranda.

At first, the raven-haired officer did not see the animal, making him question his hearing sense. However, the idea of his hearing deteriorating was discarded immediately. So, he tried to search for the source of the meowing once again. It took him a little over a minute, but he finally located the cat. As it turned out, it was a tiny kitten with snowy-white fur. It was struggling to climb onto the platform that the veranda consisted of. After glancing at the little furball, he concluded that its mother must have been close. After all, considering its size, it would not have been able to get through the walls around the compound. As much as he would like to pretend that he did not care, it pained him to hear the kitten helplessly crying.

So, without overthinking, Byakuya swiftly yet gently grabbed the tiny intruder. To his utmost surprise, the cat pulled closer instead of trying to escape from him, trying to find warmth and cover from the cold air inside his robes. The sight brought a small smile onto the man's face, but still, there was a lingering question, where was the mother?

Nonetheless, the nobleman rendered the matter not as necessary, for now, at the very least. Instead, he turned around, entering the temporary officer once again. Then, with the kitten soundly cuddling to his robes, the man reached out toward the plate with the remnants of his evening meal.

Thankfully, some of his servants convinced him to have something filling for supper as he had not eaten most of the day. Because of that, there was still a decent piece of meat on the plate. Moreover, it was so soft that shredding it into tiny pieces with sticks was an afterthought. Then, he took the disc and placed it on the ground alongside the kitten.

At first, the little intruder did not intend to eat. Instead, it paced around cluelessly and clumsily. However, hunger seemingly won inside the kitten after a few moments. Then, the snowy-white furball started eating eagerly.

The sight consumed the 6th Division's Captain completely, significantly lowering his awareness of his surroundings. Because of that, he nearly did not notice when a much larger black cat entered the room, slowly approaching the plate with the food. His first thought was to chase away the newcomer, but he quickly discarded the idea. After all, for all he knew, it might have been the kitten's mother. However, when the black cat closed the distance between them, Byakuya noticed its big beautiful orange eyes.

"Good evening, master," the nobleman softly said once he realised whom he was dealing with. "May I inquire why you are here?" he asked.

"You are still up, Byakuya-boy?" the cat replied with a question of its own. "Have you not been up for the entire day?"

"Did I hear the concern in your voice, master?" the raven-haired man asked, forcing himself not to smirk. "But... yes, I have been. I suspect you want to talk. Hence, may I offer you a cup of tea?"

"Fine," Yoruichi simply responded. "But, for that, I would need to change to my human form," she added teasingly.

"Please, worry not about that minor detail, master," Kuchiki stated. "I will bring you some clothes. Could you keep an eye on this little one? I have found him near the veranda. He was alone and apparently hungry."

"Hmm," the black cat hummed. "Who would have thought Byakuya Kuchiki had a heart? Go, I will look after this little fellow," she assured her former student.

The raven-haired nobleman only nodded before leaving the temporary office. Then, driven mainly by habits, he thought about closing the doors. But, ultimately, he deemed it pointless. After all, Yourichi gave him her word. But, then again, it was his ex-master who he talked about, so everything could be possible.

Nevertheless, the man shook his head, trying to get a hold of his confused and conflicted mind. But, unfortunately, Byakuya found controlling himself when the "Goddess of Flash" was nearby, ridiculously challenging and seemingly unachievable. It had always been that way, but as time passed by, his feelings started overwhelming him, rendering him almost useless.

As much as the nobleman wished these feelings and memories to be buried long ago, it was not the case. There was a deep connection between them, as crazy as it might have sounded. He was certain about that, even though he could not correctly name his feelings toward the dark-skinned woman. Still, would it matter now? Possibly not, and because of that conclusion, Kuchiki was thankful that getting to the room where the clothes were stored took him a little while. The stroll gave him enough time to calm down and think about his next move.

Still, before he could notice, he stood right before his office. But, instead of entering, he opted to spectate for a few moments. Even though the nobleman expected his ex-master to keep her word, he did not foresee her playing with the little one. The kitten apparently finished eating and wanted to fool around. He concluded the furball acted like a toddler after going through some memories. It was simultaneously amazing and amusing that, despite the size difference, the little cat was oh-so-eager to play with Yoruichi. As things stood, the kitten tried to catch her, but it was seemingly impossible. It took the man only a moment to recognise the pattern. The larger cat would stand still till the last possible moment before stepping away, making a fool of the tiny furball. But, apparently, it did not mind that, for it nearly immediately attempted again.

A small smile crept across the man's face as he reminded himself about his training with the dark-skinned woman. In the past, he considered these sessions absurd and an utter waste of time. However, as he grew older, he noticed that he had learned a lot during these plays.

Nonetheless, it was high time for him to finally reenter the room. After all, the kitten seemed spent, lying on the floor.

"Here, I hope this clothing will fit you, master," Byakuya said, offering a pile of neatly folded clothes.

"Hmm?" the black cat hummed over the offered clothing. "Fine, I will take those. Where can I change?" Yoruchi asked.

"Feel free to change here, master," Kuchiki responded simply. "I will leave the room, of course, closing the doors," he added before the woman had any chance to tease him.

"You are a quick learner if you want," the "Goddess of Flash" commented. "However, you are still no fun," she added teasingly.

"Well, I can not have everything," the 6th Division's Captain responded, shrugging openly. "Please, reopen the doors when you are ready," he added before taking his leave.

Then, he did as he had said. Once the doors were closed, he stared into the skies as usual. However, this time, the man could not focus on the endless canvas of the skies. Then, as soon as Kuchiki realised that his regular routine would not work, he started pacing around the veranda.

After 3 or so minutes, the doors reopened, revealing Yoruichi wearing a colourful kimono. On a primarily red fabric, floral embellishments in various colours were imprinted. The nobleman counted at least 4 different shades used alongside the bloody red. These were yellow, orange, black, and white. The "Goddess of Flash" look phenomenal in it, and the man was seemingly obligated to admit that.

"I have a few questions for you, Byakuya-boy," the yellow-eyed beauty said.

"Eh, if you insist," the grey-eyed man responded, sighing. "Feel free to state them," he added afterwards.

"If you do not mind, let's stay outside; the night is fabulous," the dark-skinned woman said, leaving the temporary office behind. "Who is the owner of this kimono? It surprisingly fits me all too well," she added once she stood by her ex-student side. "Have you remarried, Byakuya-boy?" she uttered the next question without giving the man time to respond.

"No, I have not remarried," Byakuya whispered.

"Then... does it belong to a mistress of yours?" Yoruichi teased him. "I did not know that side of you, Bykuya-boy," she continued mocking.

"No, I do not have any mistress, master," the nobleman replied calmly. "In fact, this kimono does not belong to any particular woman. It was simply ordered for some candidate my elders deemed worthy and suitable of marrying into Kuchiki's clan," he explained, allowing some of his dissatisfaction and regret to sound.

"Hm," the dark-skinned woman hummed loudly. "How many women have they tried to set you up with?" she asked earnestly.

"I stopped counting after ten, to be perfectly honest," the grey-eyed man said.

"So... considering what you said, you had no luck with these women?" the woman asked, emphasising the last two words.

"No," Kuchiki responded plainly. "I did not find any of these women particularly interesting. They might have all been beautiful and young, but there was nothing for me to hold onto. I do not want my future wife to be a beautiful doll without a personality and her own opinion," he explained.

"I can understand that," Yoruichi commented. "But, I feel like you are not telling me everything in that matter," she added, focusing her keen eyes onto the nobleman.

"It might be so," the 6th Division's Captain agreed. "However, I am not bound to tell you everything, am I not, master?" he questioned, returning the stare.

"No, I guess you are right in that department," the ex-2nd Division's Captain uttered. "Has any of them caught your eye?" she asked another question.

"Yes, only one of them," Byakuya responded quietly. "She was the one that kimono was sewed for," he explained.

"Oh, maybe you will tell me more about that?"

"No," a simple reply was provided. "You wanted to talk about something entirely different, did you not, master?" he asked, trying to change the topic as he did not want to delve deeper into the matter.

"Fine; let it be your way, Byakuya-boy," the ex-master optimistically commented. "What has changed?" she simply asked.

"Could you specify your question, please, master?"

"Why have you changed your captain's outfit? Why have you, all of a sudden, started training again? Why have you suggested getting me back into Soul Society? And, above all of these, why have you asked me to teach you again?" the woman questioned, allowing her inner ferocity to manifest. "What kind of a game are you playing, Bykauya?" she wanted to know.

"I fear that I might be unable to provide satisfactory answers for all of these," the nobleman sighed heavily. "Still, I will try. Let me start from the end. So, I do not play any game, or at least as far as I know. I resumed my training because I felt that my recent achievements were not satisfying," he paused momentarily. "Why I suggested getting you back? The answer is simple. You are still worthy of being a captain, and your capabilities are not matched by anyone in the current Defense Corp. Why I wanted you to teach me once more? You are someone I have never beaten. Throughout our training sessions, I have never come even close to surpassing you, master. Hence, it might be a beneficial agreement between us to train together again. After all, I am no longer the boy you have soundly beaten numerous times. And, as for the outfit, I do not know. Do these satisfy you?" he questioned afterwards.

"So-so," the dark-skinned woman huffed. "Byakuya, look, I told you what must happen for me to train you again. So, from my perspective, the topic is concluded until you muster enough courage to take on me. But, considering your current state, I do not think it will happen soon," she finished with a mischievous smirk all over her beautiful face.

"Give me a week," Kuchiki responded after a few moments of silence. "I need to sort out a few duties before I can put my entire focus on you and the race."

"A peculiar wording, Byakuya-boy," the "Goddess of Flash" mocked him. "But, I can wait a week for our rematch. Not that I expect you to win, but be, at the very least, a competitor."

"We will see how the events unfold, master," the grey-eyed man stated. "Would you mind having tea with me before you leave?"

"Hm, why not," the yellow-eyed beauty responded momentarily.