AN: This is a YoruSoi fanfic, that is to say a yuri pairing of Yoruichi and Soi Fon. If yuri isn't something you're into then I wouldn't recommend this to you. That said if you are into yuri, or rather, if yuri doesn't bother you, than I would highly recommend this to you. It will be romantic, but not in a childish way, at least I hope not. That doesn't mean it will be lewd. It also won't be full to the brim with a Duke of Sex Yoruichi, and a Soi Fon screaming "YORUICHI-SAMA" every other word with blush on her face I'm hoping for a more realistic story than that. I'm hoping to bring you a mature, well written fic with believable characters and reactions.
Okay, now some notes on the story itself. It takes place 5 years after the Aizen war, and I pretty much said "Fuck off FullBringers!" and started my story without their inclusion. Pretty much think of Aizen's defeat as the end of Bleach and the start of my fanfic. It is Soi Fon's story, not Yoruichi's, but don't think that I'll kick her to the curb, it just means that it'll take a while for me to get around to including Yoruichi in the story since, well, you'll see soon enough. Rated M for later chapters.
Milk and Honey
Soi Fon sighed; she had opened her eyes... why did she have to open her eyes. That meant she knew she was awake. Soi shifted slightly in her bed, then once more. 'No... I don't want to wake up...' She thought, fighting against her alertness and awareness. It was futile though and in the end all she managed to do was create a worse mess of her sheets than she would have had she just got up five minutes ago. With a small sigh of aggravation and annoyance she sat up in her bed and looked straight ahead seeing her desk which her paperwork sat on, piled high and staring her in the face.
A glance at her window showed that it was still dark out, presumably early morning since that is when she had conditioned herself to wake up. She sighed and ran her hands over her face, rubbing her silver eyes to try and wake herself up more. With one last act of defiance she laid back down on her bed but it wasn't even comfortable anymore. With a soft moan she grabbed a fistful of sheet and blanket, tossing it aside to show her dainty, toned, and horribly pale legs. Soi pivoted on her butt, sweeping her legs over the side of the bed. The floor was wonderfully warm against her feet, making her almost want to slip back into her bed, as she stood up to stretch and crack a few joints in her neck and back.
Finally awake, fully, Soi took stock of her room. Everything was in place, which was good considering the fact she locked her door every time she even thought about leaving, sleeping, or anything really. She noticed that she had accidentally tossed her sheets onto the floor when she woke up. Yawning, she picked them up, rolled them into a big ball and threw them onto her bed, while holding two corners so that in mid air the sheets would pop open and float down onto the bed. It looked lazily made when she did that, but she was starting to notice that it mattered less and less to her. With that done Soi let out another small yawn and took a few steps towards her closet, pulling out a standard Stealth Force uniform. Soi Fon took a deep breath and held the fabric close to her, as if hugging an invisible person 'I wonder what she is doing now.' With a shake of her head, and a mental scolding, she tossed the articles of clothing on top of her bed and pulled out from her closet a pair of loose fitting clothes. Soi began to strip out of her PJs and into the loose garb she used to work out in.
About halfway into her workout clothes Soi couldn't help but look at her spacious room. She hated to admit it, but she had been lucky in getting Omaeda in her squad, and lucky that he was skilled enough to be promoted to her Lt. He was an oaf, and slob, but he was trustworthy, and a fairly competent Soul Reaper. He was also rich enough to afford anything she could ask for. It was his money that paid for all the furnishings and remodeling the barracks of Squad 2 had seen. The state of the art training rooms, and gyms, the spa, the heated floors, the large courtyard, automatic doors, and even Soi Fon's personal quarters were all paid for by him. Soi's room was complete with a personal restroom, and training area. It was also a bit distanced from the rest of her squad. It was a bit lonely at times, but she was just happy to be able to keep her privacy.
Before she made her way over to the shower Soi had to start off her day with her morning usual. A work out that had gotten progressively less strenuous since the end of the winter war and Aizen's defeat. Still, it was still enough to keep her body, and mind fit. 2000 sit ups, 1000 pushups, 4000 leg lifts, 250 diamond pushups and, to top it all off, a fair bit of stretching to keep her joints loose. As she stood up from her last rep Soi let out a dainty sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow. "I guess I'm as awake as I'll ever be now." She said with her trademarked scowl etched across her face.
Her towel over her shoulder, and fresh pair of underclothes in her hand, Soi strolled into her private bathroom, locked the door behind her, and took a frigidly cold shower. It was an old habit that she had grown used to from her time with… her. As the icy water hit her pale, milky skin Soi couldn't help but think, 'I should really start taking hot showers again, it has been 105 years since these were necessary. Now they are just a reminder… a daily reminder.' She concluded that she probably wanted that reminder and mentally scolded herself again.
After a good forty minute shower in the cold water, Soi stepped out and began to dry herself. Still half-wet, and half-dressed, she made her way towards the sink and began to brush her teeth, and long, black hair, as well as give her face a good rinse. Soi gave herself one last look in the mirror before stretching her arms high above her head. She was ready for the day, or at least no longer able to go back to bed, not for a while anyway.
Soi made her way back to her room and slid into her Stealth Force uniform. It had a bare back, showed a fair amount of the side of her breasts, and had a slit showing some of her hips and panties. Still, it didn't so much make her look "sexy", as much as it extenuated how much her body was underdeveloped. She had lived lifetimes by mortal standards, but seemed to be "blessed" with a short stature, dainty limbs, a thin frame, and endowments that were modest at best. Still, it was a "standard" uniform for a reason; it didn't matter if she filled it out well or not.
Within a few minutes she slid her arms into a pair of long sleeves that came up to mid bicep, and stepped into a pair of traditional Chinese shoes with a pair of regular white socks covering her feet. Soi also pulled out a roll of white cloth and two golden rings. Since her hair was finally dry Soi Fon set in to braiding the exceptionally long parts, wrapping them in the white cloth, and tying the ends around the pair of golden rings. As she sat in front of a mirror doing this, her mind flashed to another pair of golden rings, a pair of golden eyes she knew well, 'Damn it Soi Fon!' She thought, mentally scolding herself for the third time that morning.
With nothing to do for a few hours, as it was still annoyingly early, Soi Fon simply walked over to her door, unlocked it, and then walked back over to her desk. She sat down at her desk, pulled out her pen and began to work at the paper work she was supposed to have done the day before. As she began carving her way through her work her mind began to drift to other things, as per usual recently. A sad smile crept across her face as she thought of a black cat chasing a bee. Quickly ending the thought Soi looked back at her paper work and noticed that she had extended her signature clean off the page by accident.
She scowled at it and put her head in her free hand, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Come on, what is wrong with me lately?" Soi Fon thought angrily to herself. Ever since the end of the war she had started to notice a change in her behavior. Well, it wasn't exactly at the end of the war, it was a gradual change, but still, it was a change. Soi Fon no longer felt driven to her work, or becoming more powerful, which wasn't to say she had become lazy and un-ambitious, she just found that it all didn't matter as much as it used to. Her priorities had shifted, to what she didn't know however, because even with her new state of mind she was still doing all the same things, and that was what seemed to upset her the most. 'I feel like I want to be doing something else, but I don't know what I want to do!' She sighed, 'I hate feeling like I'm just going through a routine, like I'm wasting my time…'
About three or so hours later Soi had sliced her way through about thirty-five or so pages, clearing up her past due work, as well as starting in on that day's. She leaned back in her chair; a cushioned leather one, another luxury taken out of Omaeda's bank account. She stared out the window, the sun was beginning to peek its shining rays out over the horizon, casting it in a yellow gleam while the rest of the sky was a dull blue.
Soi Fon stood and walked over to her closet. She grabbed and put on her Captain's Haori, tying a yellow obi around her waist, and tying her Zanpakuto to her obi. As a way to throw some change of pace into her day Soi had decided to teach a lesson to her newer subordinates, something she normally left for her Lt., or one of her other seated officers. Today though, she had nothing but paper work and free time so she thought it would be a good way to start the day.
After walking through the halls of her barracks for a good while she finally came to the back courtyard. There she saw her seated officers ranging from twentieth to sixth, and about 30 of her newer squad members all lined up in a tight rank and file. Soi Fon stepped in front of them, noticeably hard to see from the back rows due to her limited height. To counter this she had a high stage made, which is where she was heading to. Once atop the stage she was able to see everyone, with the opposite also being true. There were a few wasted minutes spent on formality, but soon Soi Fon began her lesson.
About an hour later, Soi Fon was nearing the end of her lesson. She could see that it had been physically taxing on some of them, and knew that some of them would come to resent her for her maniacal, physical demands, which was fine by her. Soi Fon liked a bit of hostility between subordinates and superiors, it was good for training. "In conclusion, remember; think of your comrade getting beat as an opportunity. Don't get in the middle of it. Stab from behind. If the difference in power between you and the enemy is so great that you cannot even do that, then let your comrade die right there. That is the way of the Onmitsukidō." Once again there were some closing formalities, but eventually Soi Fon found herself with nothing to do but go back to her paperwork.
Just as she was about to go finish her work she saw a hell butterfly make its way over to her. Soi put her finger out to catch to black butterfly and listened to its "urgent" message. Soi couldn't help but wonder what could be so urgent that a formal Captain's meeting had been called, but she wasn't one to question an order.
Soi quickly made it to the grand hall of the first squad, where all meetings between captains were held, and took her spot in the lineup. She had arrived fourth behind Unohana, Shunsui, and Ukitake, but she had a feeling that they were there the entire time. She awaited the rest of her Captains to arrive for about an hour before the Captain Commander spoke up. "I've been the head of this organization for longer than most of you were living," Soi mentally smirked at the relative word, "living", but continued to listen, "In that time I have seen many fine warriors come into our ranks, and many fall aside. I have also seen many enemies fall at our blades, and many claim our own as casualties." Yamamoto paused, and then continued. "Through all this time there has never been anyone able to replace me, for never has there been anyone as strong as I am."
Soi Fon furled her eyebrows, 'Don't tell me we came here simply to hear the Captain Commander boast about himself…' The old man continued, "That, however, is no longer the case. I called all of you here to say that I have decided to take a step back from my position and promote one of you as the new Captain Commander." Soi Fon's eyes widened and she could see she was not the only one shocked by the news, 'Now it makes sense. That is why Unohana, Shunsui, and Ukitake were all already here.' Since they were the most senior captains it only made sense that the title go to one of them. "As my replacement I have chosen Jushiro Ukitake. It is time for Soul Society to embrace a new era, and he will be the one to lead us all there." All eyes seemed to snap to the silver haired man, who seemed to simply cast his eyes forward and slightly down, a small smile on his lips.
Soi took the time to look from Ukitake to Unohana, who seemed to beam happiness at that particular moment. 'I'm shocked it isn't her. She was the most senior out of even the senior captains.' Then she remembered something, 'Ukitake is ill… that is why he can't seem to look anyone in the eyes. He feels he was given the lead as a courtesy, he dies off quickly and the title is handed off to Unohana or Kyoraku.' Soi Fon wouldn't ever say that Ukitake was a weak man, but her thought seemed to make the most sense.
After hours of even more formalities, and "I'm so honored…" speeches the whole spectacle came to a close. Yamamoto, for the first time, was the first to leave the hall; his face seemed to shine with pride as he did. Just as everyone was about to follow Ukitake called out. "Please, if everyone could just wait a minute, there is something I want to address." He seemed serious at that moment, and wearing the haori of squad one only seemed to extenuate his superiority. "I know there are those among you that may feel my promotion was given to me as a gift for my… condition. While I do not know how Yama came to the decision he did, I do know that I will do everything in my power to ensure that he made the right decision." There was quiet understanding in the room, and nothing more needed to be said. "So, um, you're all dismissed." He said, still unfamiliar with the power that came with the title.
Just as Soi was about to turn to leave she felt a hand grab her wrist. Turning quickly she saw that it was Ukitake. "Yes Ukita- I'm sorry. Yes Captain Commander?" She asked, slightly annoyed that he stopped her. Ukitake waited until they were alone before speaking, "Please, just Ukitake will be fine." He said with a smile.
"That can't be all you wanted to say. If you have a question, please ask." Soi Fon said.
"Fair enough." Ukitake paused, visibly uncomfortable. "Please, do not take this the wrong way, and by no means do I mean to pry, but are you sure this is where you want to be?"
Soi Fon furled her eyebrows, "Are you trying to tell me to leave? Is that really what you want your first act as Captain Commander to be?" She asked, slightly annoyed by his accusation.
"No, you misunderstand." He quickly replied, "It is just that, well, recently you have become distracted, your work is late, and your schedule is erratic, like there is someplace else you would rather be."
"And how would you know this?" Soi asked bluntly.
"My promotion was not taken lightly, it was first cleared with Central 46, at which point I began to receive status reports from all squads, and slowly I was given more responsibility. For about a month and a half Soul Society has effectively been operating with two Captain Commanders, even if it was only made official today." Ukitake sighed, "Like I said, I don't mean to pry, but, if there is someplace you would rather be I would not be against letting you go there. It is within my power to do so."
Soi Fon felt herself scowl a bit deeper but lightened when he realized what he was getting at. "I… Thank you for the offer, but I'm not sure I'm welcome anywhere but here. She… didn't seem interested. I have not even heard from her in these five years since… We even shared the battle field that very day and I think she barely said two things to me in passing… and I passed her more than twice." Soi Fon looked off to the side; part sad, but mostly embarrassed. "I don't mean to worry you with my… whatever you would call this. You swore to be the best Captain Commander, allow me to swear to be the best Captain I can be, that is really all I can do."
Ukitake sighed, he wanted to try and comfort the visibly hurt Soi Fon, but he didn't think it was his place to. They were not that close, Soi Fon always seemed to make it a point to distance herself from everyone, except for one person, which is why he brought up the subject in the first place, but now it seemed to have backfired. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. If you ever want to-"
Soi Fon cut him off, "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I don't need pity. I don't want it."
"It wasn't pity, it was sympathy." Ukitake tried to say.
"A fancy word to mean the same thing." Soi Fon retorted quickly. With a sigh she stated, "I promise to refocus my attention back to the matters at hand. Now, if that is all."
As Soi Fon turned to leave Ukitake called after her, "Soi Fon… If you ever change your mind, I won't stop you from going where you want to."
Soi Fon didn't even look back as she left.