Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the bleach universe. I just dabble.
All In Shade ch 1
When the knock on the door got so insistent that it woke Ichigo Kurosaki, he groaned loudly and rolled out of bed. He glanced at the orange doll that had been Kon's body for so long sitting inanimate on his dresser. It almost seemed weird having the modified Soul working in a gigai at Urahara Shoten. He was annoying far more often than not, but their many adventures had brought Ichigo to think of him as a friend. An energetic, boisterous, exasperating friend, but a loyal one at that. Not having him around to keep company all the time returned a silence to Ichigo's life that he had forgotten existed. It was almost palpable. He looked a moment longer before trekking down the stairs rubbing his sleep ridden eyes, and opening the door, a tired yawn escaping his lips. Rukia Kuchiki stood there in her black Shinigami uniform, a shapeless tan bag in her tiny arms.
"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed, his drowsiness suddenly lifting, replaced by a surge of happiness at seeing his friend. Seeing the distraught look on the petite woman's face, his smile faded quickly. "What's wrong?"
"Ichigo…" came her pained whisper. And she fell.
"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed again as he caught and lifted her easily in his arms. His hands encountered something warm and sticky on her back and his eyes flew open in shock. Looking down only served to confirm it. Blood covered the sack she had been carrying. Ichigo ran upstairs as quickly as possible without jostling her too much and laid her in his bed, scrabbling through his drawer for his cellular phone.
One eye on her, he hastily dialed Orihime Inoue's phone number and called her.
"HI, You've reached Orihime!" Came the familiar bubbly voice.
"Orihime you've gotta come quick! Rukia…'
"-Please leave a message after the beep!" the recording concluded.
"Dammit!" Ichigo yelled, throwing the phone at the wall. Orihime's supernatural ability to reverse fate itself had proven itself infinitely useful in healing grave injuries in the past. It had saved his life a dozen times over, but it appeared that it would not be saving Rukia's today.
Karin, Yuzu and Isshin, his twin sisters and father, were not home. No one would be able to help him. He could see Rukia's face draining visibly of color. She was losing blood. He had to stop the bleeding. From the look of her uniform, the injury was on her stomach.
On both sides, he realized, thinking about his blood soaked hands. That meant a stab wound going straight through. He tried to recall everything he'd ever learned about stab wounds, but his education and slight medical training with his father at the family clinic failed him miserably. He'd just wrap it tight and try to stop the bleeding, he decided. He grabbed a roll of medical tape and reached out but froze before his trembling hand reached her.
To do that, he'd have to undress her. At least take off her robe. The Rukia he remembered was notoriously short tempered. He shuddered as a mental image of her 'Sokatsui!' slamming into his face for such an offense. Say what you might about her size, the girl's Kido hurt.
First she has to be alive long enough to fight back, Ichigo thought grimly. No one else had ever hesitated to save him.
Besides, he thought. It couldn't possibly be any worse than seeing Yoruichi Shihoin. His nose bled a little at the thought of the dark skinned woman transforming into a person from her cat form. As was to be expected, there were no clothes involved in such a transformation. He'd seen women bared before, so steeling his resolve, he tentatively slid his hand to her shoulder and pulled the fabric away from her left side, one eye squinted shut, as if seeing less of it made it more acceptable. He was relieved to see a bra covering her essentials and worked much faster once he did. Within seconds, he'd found the wound under her right ribcage and began cleaning and dressing it. When he was finished, he cleaned himself off, got her a new robe and changed the bedsheets.
Thankful that the death goddess had taken to using human undergarments, Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. After he finished pulling the new robe onto her and tucking her in, Rukia's pallid features were beginning to regain their color under the warm blankets he had provided. He had no idea how long the bandages would staunch the blood flow from such a grievous wound, but he had no intention of remaining idle.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he racked his brain trying to figure out what could possibly cause her to run to him of all people for help. Orihime, or that Fourth Squad captain would have been much smarter choices. Hell, even Hanataro Yamada, one of the most inept and clumsy people Ichigo had ever met could have helped her more than he did. He fought every urge he had to run and find out what was going on. He had no idea if his improvised bandages would keep her stable and no one was around to watch over her. He resolved himself to wait.
***
She was sick and tired of waiting! Soifon paced like an angry cat. Unconsciously smiling at the reference to her goddess, Yoruichi, she flopped down onto the only furnishing in her less-than-lavish captain's quarters. As both leader of the Onmitsukido and the Second Court Guard Squad, she enjoyed many privileges and a much more than adequate salary, but she kept her apartment furnished to the bare minimum. Lavish furnishings like those Shunsui Kyoraku possessed neither appealed to nor endeared her. Her fellow Captain had a flair for the lavish and a lazy streak a light year long, but she did grudgingly admit however as her bottom hit the hard wooden seat that they did have their benefits at times.
But as her mind swirled it centered on the few reports her top onmitsu were able to bring. Was Captain Ukitake really betrayed by his squad? Was he really…she almost could not bring herself to say it. Dead? Jushiro had been a staple of soul society for literally as long as Soifon could remember. One of the brightest students ever to pass through the Soul Academy, he had been a Captain Soifon's entire life and for hundreds of years prior. That in itself was almost unheard of. For all the paperwork that she could gripe about, being a Captain was a dangerous job. Only the greatest of threats were passed that far up the ranks. Soifon stood again and almost decided to go sneaking about herself when a gentle knock at her door caused her to jump up.
She opened it to see her third seat and the woman who would be her lieutenant and second in command had Omaeda Marechiyo not bought a job. The woman was barely taller than Soifon, which was a statement, and about the same tiny frame. Her blond hair was worn back with the edges dyed dark brown and cut just before shoulder legnth. She wore the Onmitsukido standard uniform, with its backless top, bare shoulders and loose fitting pants.
"Karai! What news do you have?"
She dropped to one knee upon entering. "Taicho! I was unsuccessful in locating the body of Jushiro Ukitake, however, I did run into Shunsui Kyoraku."
Soifon gasped. Genryusai Yamamoto SoTaicho, Soul Society's effective leader, had ordered all of the Gotei 13 to quarters save for just a select few on punishment of death. How Karai escaped Soifon did not know.
"He…" The girl sounded puzzled as she concluded her report. "He just smiled at me and told me to tell you, 'Its gonna be okay.'"
Soifon frowned, confused. That message made no sense. It did not calm her, as she assumed Kyoraku would try to do. She didn't have a target. For an assassin, that meant that she didn't have a purpose. It was an incredibly frustrating dilemma for someone who's sole purpose in life was her work. Instead of showing that weakness to her subordinate, however, she merely nodded. "Good work. Try not to get caught next time, Karai. I want you to be my lieutenant when Omaeda dies."
The statement was half in jest, to relieve the tension. For all his bluster and pomp, Omaeda was a least a competent officer, just a poor assassin.
"Taicho," Karai ventured, standing. "May I ask you a question."
Soifon looked at her sharply, but decided to take it easy on her. "Yes."
"I…" She looked uncertain. "I have a really bad feeling about this. Do you promise not to leave me behind if everything falls apart?"
Soifon almost collapsed from shock. She took a step back, her eyes flying open. Just as Yoruichi had done so many years ago when she had been Soifon's own Captain, did her soldiers believe she was capable of leaving them?
I must assume so, she ventured. If the last head of the Onmitsukido could do such a thing, why not the new head?
"No, Karai. I would not leave you behind." Soifon finally replied, feeling a pang of regret at not having asked Yoruichi the same question so long ago. The circumstances of her departure would not have afforded it, Soifon now knew, but she couldn't help wondering what would have become of her life had she had the courage that Karai had just shown.
She looked as relieved as she could be behind the dark face mask. "Thank you, Taicho. I will die to protect you against any traitor."
While that was hardly necessary, as Soifon could well take care of herself, the girl's confidence was incredibly reassuring. Soifon felt better hearing her say that for some reason, as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She sighed heavily, her own brooding thoughts picking her apart. "Thank you, Karai. Please, get some rest now. I can defend myself, I promise."
The junior assassin bowed in deference once more and in a blink of shunpo, she was gone. Soifon sighed and collapsed in her seat. Her stomach growled at her, but as usual she paid it no mind. Gulping at the thought of what Retsu Unohana would say if she knew she was skipping her meals again, she buried her mind in the paperwork that sat stacked on the desk in front of her. Transfers that needed transferring, requisitions that needed requisitioning, proposals that needed proposing, most of it made her feel like an overworked secretary, not one of the most powerful beings in any known world. Her right shoulder ached where Omaeda had severed it a year ago. She had lost the arm in a desperate battle against an opponent controlling time itself, but nonetheless, blamed only herself for her injury. She had long since had the Inoue girl heal her, replacing the limb through whatever magic she possessed, but every once in a while, a dull ache would throb through it. She dismissed it as just something else to remind her of that particular failure.
Then a rustle outside of her door made her fly to her feet. Grabbing her zanpakutou, she threw the shoji open. In front of her, her Goddess stood, one foot on her third seat's shoulder blade, the latter girl's zanpakutou stabbed through the wood where the confused ninja assumed Yoruichi had been standing just a second before.
Yoruichi's eyes connected with Soifon's for the first time in a long time and years of indentured servitude forced the latter's eyes downward. "Yoruichi-sama! What are you doing here?" was all she could mutter.
"Look up Soi," came Yoruichi's voice, deadly serious. "We need to get inside."
"Oh, of course!" Soifon stepped aside, letting her in.
"Any reason why you're third seat was waiting outside set to 'Attack?'" Yoruichi quipped as she stepped off the woman.
Soifon smiled minutely at the girl as she stood up, then turned it to a hard stare when Karai turned to look.
"Reminds me of someone," she continued, looking pointedly at Soifon.
"I never sat outside your door!" Soifon lied hotly, a blush rising to her cheeks. Her gaze finally rose to meet Yoruichi's traveling up the carmel skinned woman's impeccably proportioned body as it did so. She had long viewed Yoruichi as the pinnacle of what any woman should be and that had not changed in the many months since their last encounter.
"Soi, you still think I don't know that you slept on my roof most nights," Yoruichi said, a small smile of her own gracing her face.
Karai turned to leave, intimidated by the almost legendary woman before her, but Yoruichi grabbed her by the nape of her neck. "No you don't little one. You're not sneaky enough to surprise attack me, and you're definitely not sneaky enough to get past Byakuya Kuchiki inspecting the Second Squad Barracks."
"Byakuya's doing what?!" Soifon yelled. "He's got no right!"
"From what I hear, he's got every right," The brown skinned woman replied, closing the door. She headed straight for Soifon's kitchen. "And what Kurotsuchi says is usually very true." Soifon began trying to straighten her already immaculate house. She adjusted the teacups on the table so they were absolutely symmetrical, then placed the paperwork in her desk drawer in the corner. She looked around to find something else to straighten but her minimalist tendencies betrayed her.
Making her way to Soifon's refrigerator without a word of permission, Yoruichi extracted and downed a glass of milk with a satisfied sigh. "That hit the spot."
Soifon ignored her rudeness and got to the point. "So why are you here?"
"Huh?" Yoruichi looked up from pouring a second glass. "Oh, just to check up on my little Soi. Make sure you're being a good girl and not getting caught outside tonight."
Another blush rose to burn at her cheeks. And annoyance crept into her voice, "Yoruichi-sama, I am perfectly capable of handling myself."
That comment earned her nothing more than a roll of the eyes. "You always were a tough one, weren't you Soi?"
The affectionate gaze was more than Soifon could bear at the moment and she felt ashamed that her outer calm could be bashed to pieces so effectively by this woman and this woman alone. Most people ran in fear of Soifon's wrath, but Yoruichi actually dared to think of it as…cute. Luckily for her, a knock on her door turned her attention to it once again.
Soifon opened it to see the regal figure of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, a tall, ethereal man with the impeccable mannerisms of the patriarch he was. His flowing, raven black hair was clipped perfectly as usual in the style of his noble house, and he brushed it gently from his eye. "Captain Soifon, is there a reason your third seat is not in her barracks as required? You are aware the punishment is death."
"She is with me Byakuya," Soifon replied tersely. "No need for anymore…family incidents."
His eyes flashed dangerously at the veiled threat, but he understood her perfectly. Soifon was the leader of the intelligence unit. If her spies were not out and about on this night, of all nights, he could hardly have confidence in her ability to do her job. His eyes scanned the sparse quarters and only hesitated a fraction of a second on Yoruichi before returning to silently warn Soifon of what would happen were her spies to be caught. Turning slowly, he walked away to continue his rounds. When his footsteps were gone, Karai averted her eyes. "Thank you Taicho. Once again, I am indebted to you."
"No," Soifon replied. "Let it be a lesson. If you are caught, pick your company wisely. A good spy is able to manipulate her surroundings. A great spy is able to allow her surroundings to manipulate themselves. Besides, it is common knowledge that Byakuya is the last person that would want to be on the wrong end of the rampage your brother would start if he knew his baby sister was next on Sogyoku Hill. Stay here tonight. There is no further reason for you to leave. He will be watching for you."
Karai nodded in deference once again and Soifon provided her guests with sleeping mats. Soon, the two visitors were asleep and Soifon resolved herself to find out what was going on. She wouldn't rest until she'd served justice to whoever was the culprit. With that thought and the promise of Yoruichi's company in the morning, Soifon laid in her room and drifted off to sleep.