One. Two. Three. Parry. Cut. Thrust. Again.
Soi Fong struggled to focus on the new form Yoruichi was leading her through. The moves were far from difficult, but she found herself distracted by her mentor's teaching method. Yoruichi stood close behind her, holding her arms, guiding her stance, showing her the intricacies of each strike.
This was how Yoruichi had taught her from the start. But recently Soi Fong had begun to realize her feelings for her mentor were changing. Instead of paying attention to what she was being taught, she was getting lost in the way Yoruichi's hands gripped her, in the feeling of the rippling power of the woman pressed so close against her….
Yoruichi ended the form and stepped away after a warm pause. "Your breathing is off today. You're not feeling well?"
Soi Fong dropped into her bow automatically, fists pressed to the ground. "I'm sorry, Yoruichi-sama. I am just having trouble with the new moves." It was a lie, and she hoped Yoruichi would ignore it.
She didn't, not quite. "You're entirely ready for this form. In fact, I think after you master this, I have nothing left to teach you."
Soi Fong looked up, startled, at Yoruichi who was smiling in that too-casual way of hers. "That's not true, Yoruichi-sama! I still have a lot to learn from you!"
Yoruichi shrugged, plopping to the ground in front of her small bodyguard. "Well, probably." She fixed her gaze on the girl, who burned under those eyes. "But you'll do fine on your own. I absolutely believe that."
It was a compliment, Soi Fong knew that, but something about it pressed uncomfortably against her heart. She dropped her gaze as Yoruichi gracefully slunk closer to ruffle the girl's hair.
"A break, and then we'll go through it again, yeah?" Yoruichi was all delicate smiles, brimming with encouragement for her pupil; and Soi Fong couldn't believe that the most beautiful woman in the world was directing that look at her.
She ducked in a blushing nod, looking away because she didn't know it would be the last time she'd see her teacher look at her like that.
The sound of the silence was enough to tell her what she didn't want to know. She ran crazily through the halls, her feet embarrassingly loud to her own ears, her untamed breath echoing through the ocean of silence that was drowning her.
Finally she slammed open the doors to the quiet, dark room where the princess had once reigned. It was silent as the halls were silent; as only an empty building can be silent.
It was true. Yoruichi was gone.
Soi Fong felt all the feelings of respect and love she had had for the woman squirm sickeningly in her stomach as anger and disgust ate bitterly through them like acid. She had been betrayed.
Yoruichi had contacts in Soul Society, even some brave ones in Seireitei itself. So when anything important happened during her exile, she and Urahara where often times among the first to know about it.
Some things that her informants told her were never passed on to Kisuke, though, because he wouldn't have cared. Things like Kuukaku's house's new style, or the troubles of the Shihouin family.
Things like Soi Fong's rise to command the Special Forces, and her promotion to captain of the 2nd Division. Yoruichi liked to hear of these things, because it meant the girl she had left behind was continuing to strive forward each day. It was good to know her sudden departure hadn't ruined at least that life.
Once, she received an unexpected photograph of the girl. It was tucked between the few sheets of paper that, so as not to be discovered by the wrong people, would disintegrate after being in the real world for a certain amount of time. It was a poor shot from far away, capturing mostly Soi Fong's back and just a glimpse of her face—but it was the first Yoruichi had seen of her in so long….
Soi Fong was a girl no longer; was instead a strong and able woman in command of thousands. Yoruichi found herself crying as the papers and the picture crumbled apart in her hands.
A long time ago, she had labeled the way she felt towards Soi Fong as sisterly affection. It was the only reason she could give for being so intrigued by the girl, for so desperately wanting to tear down the walls of formality between them. But that label had never felt exactly right, and seeing the woman in that picture confirmed something she had feared all along.
Yoruichi was in love with the one person she could never again face. Not for the last time, she regretted leaving Soi Fong behind. For destroying the one thing in her life that could have been perfect.