Good evening all and welcome to my first fanfic. This is a story about Ggio Vega and Shaolin Fong. (or Soifon as you may know her) It was inspired by two previous works I had read on the same two characters interactions: Never Meant To Belong and La Vita Nuova. I figured I should note this now because the fic begins with relative similarity to its muses, it will diverge later. Also anything written like this is a characters thoughts. EDIT: Chapter 1 Re-uploaded and made easier to read, now with page breaks!
At that moment Ggio Vega knew nothing but rage. "Still you mock me, still you wear that damn smirk, I beat you half to death and you outright declare you weren't trying?"
Soifon cocked an eyebrow "You actually believed that was my best?" the trademarked smirk somehow growing even more irritating
"Don't worry arrancar; I've learnt all you could've taught me. I'll show you what you derided." She flashed Suzumbachi "A true assassination."
"You dare underestimate my strength; you don't know the half of it!"
Vegas nimble body began to shudder in effort; his frame bulged, his arm blades grew to grotesque size and his war paint swallowed his face in an angry red."Tigre Estoque El-" Ggio collapsed; searing pain engulfed his body.
"I said death in two strokes but… you probably only felt one" The world swam before his eyes, breathing was getting harder, everything within Ggios body began shutting down.
Damn it Ggio felt his ressurecion melting away as he plummeted to earth.
He hit the ground hard, the pain engulfing his body like molten napalm.
I'm sorry Baraggan-sama I've failed you, and in the most pathetic and undeserving way. I only pray that Nirgge manages to perform to your satisfaction in my stead. Sighing outwardly, Ggio closed his eyes and embraced his end.
Ggio opened his eyes, yet what he beheld was not the gates of hell as he'd been led to believe but his former opponent, a scowl etched deep into her forehead.
She was roughly scrutinizing the mark on his right pectoral.
Despite his current situation Vega decided this opportunity could not be missed.
"Face is up here… darling" he cooed, with the best smirk he could manage.
#crunch# Vega found himself eating concrete while Soi repeated her once over for the mark on the arrancar's back.
"It appears luck was on your side arrancar, your sudden growth during that last stunt misaligned my marks during the final second."
She began a slow advance towards the arrancar. Ggio struggled to move but his body wasn't responding in the least. "You're not going anywhere hollow, your internal organs have been pulverized. Kindly die this time''
Just as Ggio was beginning to think his burst of luck had been a complete waste of time, an enormous spiritual pressure swallowed the area.
"Vega, is this how seriously you take my tasks?"
Ggio's eyes opened to full eclipses.
"You haven't defeated a single opponent and yet you feel you can rest!"
Ggio painfully forced his head sideways to behold Baraggan Luisenbarn, risen from his throne. The espada's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Get up or I wilI kill you myself."
Soifon adjusted to the new threat, Vega already sidelined.
"I'll return for you later, just sit tight. You can watch your master's fall from there." She turned away and began to rise skyward but her gaze quickly returned to ground zero when she felt a trickle of reiatsu behind her.
A look of surprise flashed across her face as she beheld Ggio struggling to his knees, blood gushed from his mouth and his whole body trembled with the effort but still he pressed the action.
"I… will not fail you… Baraggan-sama, just a second longer-" However it was all in vain, Soifon shunpo'd over to the arrancar's back grabbing him by the scruff of his neck.
"I applaud the effort arrancar but you are wasting your time and now you are wasting mine. I only wish my subordinates had that level of loyalty." and with that she slammed his head to earth in one straight motion.
Blackout.
After those events the battle of Karakura played out its conclusion. Aizen had eluded them again, crossing to Soul Society after single-handedly crushing the Gotei 13.
Soifon beheld their defeat with utmost contempt; The Espada had been nothing more then the pre-party amusement.
The King had swept the field the second his pawns had fallen, even going so far as to personally cut down his last two allies still in combat.
Soifon recalled her loss quite vividly; she hadn't even seen it coming. The captain of the second devision had been blind sided. It was almost laughable.
The only reason her and the other recipients of Aizens smiting were still alive was because his ego willed it.
How is it possible for someone to be so powerful?
She quickly decided the only merit this line of thought was achieving was increasing her desire to maim someone brutally. That fat oaf is never around when I could use him...
The thought was soon swept from her mind however as she remembered her previous endeavor from the past half hour.
Soifon landed to behold her first opponent in the conflict; Ggios chest slowly rose and fell beneath his small frame. "I said I would return for you later but I believed you would have succumbed to your wounds by now"
She kicked his light frame over onto his back "You continue to surprise me at every turn, however-"
Drawing her zanpaktou, she eyed the arrancar's throat. "This time really is the end"
She drew back the blade and plunged it forth.
...Only to find it deflected.
"What is the meaning of this-" Soifon glared daggers "Mayuri Kurotsuchi?"
"That question is mine Miss Fong. This arrancar is the only subject still alive despite my expressive request for living samples so why are you attempting to kill it?."
His pharaoh-like visage breaking into an enormous golden grin "Kindly remove yourself so I can work with my prize in peace."
"Nobody bothered to heed your request because there isn't a shinigami here who considers your idle research on a higher level then Soul Societies safety. You have 5 seconds to remove yourself from my blades path or it is going through you"
"Plenty of time for me to collect the subject. Nemu!"
"Hai" The busty lieutenant floated down and slung Vega over her shoulder. Soifon decided to suspend her countdown. "Sting to Death, Suzumbachi".
"ENOUGH!" The booming voice carried through the air revealing the scorched frame of the captain commander.
The man was currently not in his best shape after being borderline incinerated by his own zanpaktou but true to his stubborn nature, he wasn't letting anyone else organize the regrouping efforts.
"You are captains in a crisis not children in a play-pen! You will behave as such, Kurotsuchi pick up your damn research subject and remove yourself this instant, I expect results for this within the week."
Mayuri's grin widened "Of course commander, you have no idea just how wondrous and ful-"
"I asked for results not a monologue Mayuri. Begone!."
The Twelth division captain scowled and spun on his heel "Nemu, we are returning to soul society immediately. We have a LOT of projects to commence." Soifon watched the scene unravel before her.
Bad luck hollow, you may live to see another day but I sincerely doubt you'll be thankful for it.
The following day would be etched into Ggio's memory for the rest of his existence, an unspeakable nightmare where he was pulled from one horrendous experiment to the next.
For 18 hours he was restrained, torn apart, drugged up and beaten down. By the time the division was closing for the day, Vega was certain he'd died and gone to hell after all.
As Mayuri hauled Vega to his cell, he chattered incessantly "That will be all for today arrancar, we made some excellent progress. Oh if only the old man wasn't so impossibly strict on employee sleeping habits. I would've loved to sit here and pick you to pieces all night long".
That statement had Vega attempting to shrink further into the ground with every word. Finally they reached the cell.
"Oh but one more thing" Ggio's head snapped to attention at the comment. No, get the fuck away from me you freak!
He began desperately backing away from the madman at the highest speed his body could, Mayuri keeping pace with ease.
His back hit the wall, he was out of room! Mayuri leaned closer and closer, Ggios eyes widening further with every inch shortened between them. Just as Vegas eyes had become full moons in their sockets Mayuri stopped and a grin split his demonic visage. "See you tomorrow".
Ggio wanted to die.
Slowly the hollow slid down the wall, he was gone but he'd be back! How long would it be before the maniac returned? Hours? Minutes? Maybe he's waiting around the corner for me to think hes left just so he can launch into a new array of horrors?
The arrancar slowly curled into a desperate ball of protection as his thoughts grew more and more grim.
Ggio was so focused on his impeding fate in fact he completely missed the approach of a small figure to his cage.
"So you survived the initiation day after all?"
The arrancar shot out of his ball, sheer terror etched on his face. "Fuck you! I can't take another day of that! I'm not going back to that lab, I'll kill myself first!" he babbled, baring his teeth in a desperate attempt at intimidation.
Soifon's expression remained impassive throughout the whole ordeal but internally she was disgusted.
The fuck? This guy had an ego that rivaled the sun when I last met him, Mayuri has certainly stepped up the depravity of his experiments….
With a quick hand motion the petite captain dissolved the barrier around Vegas cell.
"I'm not here on Mayuri's behalf arrancar, I'd sooner commit seppuku then help out that freak. Frankly I'm insulted by that comment." Her trademark smirk was back.
Ggio's previous reaction however, was not. Shaolin was disappointed. "I can get you out of this, provided you're prepared to burn old allegiances."
"My lifelong allegiance is to his majesty Baraggan Luisenbarn alone."
"Lifelong hmm? Excellent, the old fools dead, I killed him myself. So consider yourself free of obligations."
Soifon's casual wording had an immediate effect on Ggio, breaking him out of the rut.
"Don't make me laugh chibi, Barragan-sama was the king of Hueco Mundo for over ten thousand years and you're suggesting that YOU of all the creatures in the world could kill him? You could barely handle me and you think you killed god!" Ggio burst into mirthful laughter.
Soifon was not amused. Not only do you dare doubt my abilities after experiencing them first hand but you dared call me chibi? I've beaten men half to death for less arrancar but this time I'll make an exception. I have something far worse then a sound thrashing in mind for once.
The second division waited exactly 3 seconds into his fit of laughter before dropping an object she had concealed in her haori.
The clang of it hitting the floor immediately pulled Vegas attention…and killed all form of sound from his mouth. Only a blank stare remained.
On the pitch white floor of the twelth division sat Baraggan's dull golden crown.
Ggio couldn't speak, he couldn't even breathe. Baraggan Luisenbarn was dead, his master and the one he had pledged himself to for all eternity all the way back when he was still a hollow, was dead.
In the course of one single event, over 2000 years of his life had been shattered.
Soifon took the moment to complete her offer "As you can see Arrancar, the segunda espada is dead. You're now free to do as you please and I happen to be in the market for a useful lieutenant."
Suddenly Soifons tone turned hard as rock "You have two choices arrancar. You may stay here and die a slow painful death at the hands of a madman or you can get down on your knees and beg me for a way out."
Ggio's frame became contorted with rage "I had only three things in life I cared about shinigami; my master, my freedom and my pride. Today you took two and you offer me an impossible choice which will lose me the third…"
Soifon remained in her passive stance. If Ggio attacked he'd be dead in seconds, their power wasn't even in the same league.
Suddenly Ggio hurled himself at her, Soifon drew her zanpaktou within a split second Such a pity, I was almost looking forward to kicking you around.
However Ggio never reached her blade, he landed hard on the floor within inches of the captains face, rising up to his full height. He stood several inches then Soifon, this displeased her greatly.
"Know this shinigami, I hate you. I hate you with every fibre in my cold dead chest. You took everything I had in this time and crushed it beneath your heel and now you offer me a way out by kissing your feet? I accept your offer shinigami, I will become your 'Lieutenant' but I will NEVER beg for it."
The two stared each other down in cold silence for minutes. Without warning Soifon spoke. "You have a lot to learn about respect arrancar-"
A sudden vicious knee to the chest had Ggio coughing up blood at her feet. "Thankfully you've got plenty of time for me to beat it into that thick skull".
A dry smile broke Soifon's face. "Welcome to the Onmitsukidō, Ggio Vega. Now for your first lesson, never keep me waiting."
With that the captain spun and strode out of the laboratory. Vega broke into line behind her, hands in pockets as he kept pace.
So it begins captain… you took everything from me, I would sooner die then serve you but that would be the easy way out. You may be stronger then me now but every person makes mistakes. Even the most well-guarded individual has a weakness and the moment you reveal yours I will be there to make you pay for my kings death. Soifon, I swear I WILL kill you…
So there we have it, the stage is set. : ) Decidedly darker then the muses but I figured Soi normally isn't given quite enough of her trademark "attitude" problem. I'm not very confident with my writing, hence why it took my so long to even consider a story worthy of an upload, I'd love reviews, they give me the motivation and bolden me to write more but try not to be too harsh ok? :P