Disclaimer:
I, Shinigami Kuro, do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo, however, does.
Author's Note:
This is my second fanfiction ever, and if you haven't read 'A Gift of Strawberry', my first fanfiction, it's an Ichigo/Orihime pairing. The pairing in this one seems obvious, from the title. Just so everyone knows, I was terrified to try and use Soi Fon, as she's my favorite character, and I do not want to take her out of character.
So if at any point she seems out of character (or if anyone does, for that matter), tell me, please!
Onto the Prologue!
The Cat Chases the Bee
-Prologue-
The weeks following Aizen's Rebellion had been rough; more so than any of Soul Society's inhabitants could've possibly braced themselves for, much less the Gotei 13 themselves.
Well, more like the Gotei 10, with the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Squads not harboring Captains.
Their duties had become exponentially more arduous, and, needless to say, relaxation was needed.
But what Captain-Commander Yamamoto suggested was a bit extreme, in the eyes of many.
"While I've never been opposed to any reason to have a drink, Commander," a certain kimono-wearing, hat-donning Captain finds himself grinning at the prospect mid speech, letting his peripheral rest on the aged man before them, "... isn't it a bit soon to celebrate?"
Ukitake can't help but sigh at his aloof friend. As they are in order from Squad Number, Soi Fon stands directly across from Ukitake; she seems generally indifferent, thus no reaction can really be judged from the Stealth Squads Captain, though her arms fold ever so slightly over her torso.
"You will be silent, Captain Kyoraku, until otherwise noted!"
The overly-muscular Yamamoto Genryusai slams the butt of his oaken staff against the floor to bring the Captains' Meeting to an order, which in turn causes his dangling beard of alabaster to sway from the effort; as per usual, his eyes are squinted shut, as he speaks gravely.
"The Fall of the Quincy has been a time celebrated for centuries upon centuries; we must not let these lowly dogs revoke our right to celebrating our culture.
As such, tomorrow will begin the Festival. The Gotei 13 will commence the preparations tonight, starting immediately after this meeting. I will hear nothing contrary! Dismissed!"
"Yama-jii sure is frightening, eh?"
The hat is lifted, so that Ukitake can maintain eye contact chuckle nervously, scratching at the small of his neck.
"It is an awfully odd coincidence that he should become that way after your little outburst. You should be more careful, Kyoraku!"
The two part ways shortly after giving their farewells, as they both have duties to attend to; even in celebrating, the Captains were constantly being labored to make sure everything went off without a hitch.
In ways, she envied them as she (tried not to) eavesdrop; their camaraderie, that is. Soi Fon never felt true friendship from within the Gotei 13. Sure, an occasional, courtesy greeting would be issued, to which Soi Fon would feel obligated to reply, but not once had she been invited to enjoy sake with her fellow Captains, even though she'd decline, at such an opportunity.
It was the principle of such a thing ... Why was she thinking of these things? The last person she'd become close to betrayed her. It was strictly a defense mechanism.
Nothing more.
"Omaeda!"
The shrill sound of his Captain was enough to thrust the morbidly-obese Lieutenant from the bed and onto the floor of the Master's chambers as she burst through the door; it was enough to almost make her regret yelling at him in such an irate tone. But not quite. Omaeda was the sort of person, she realized, that she would never regret being angry with, as he gave a new reason every day.
"Soi Fon-taicho!"
Rubbing her temples in exasperation, she tugs the sheets from betwixt Omaeda's blubber with enough momentum to make the Lieutenant do at least seven-hundred and twenty degrees-worth of spins; if she weren't so overworked, she'd have giggled at the absurdity.
"Explain to me why, when a Squad has two overseers, I still end up suffering for your laziness."
The man was silent ... Trembling, and unable to muster a coherent response. The spins probably had something to do with it.
"The training's real hard, taichou, you gotta' understand! The soldiers hardly even listen to me when you're not around."
That much she could understand; the sight of him instructing their squad was a sad one, indeed ... She could imagine the hesitance of her soldiers.
"Your duties for the day are as follows, Marechiyo Omaeda: the rest of the applicants of the Stealth Squads are in need of approval. I am giving you a temporary," she notes his eyes widening in excitement, and decides to crush his hopes and dreams; she's quite sadistic, "authority, in seeing to it that the applications go through the correct procedures, pending their results in their field tests. Is that clear?"
"Crystal, taichou!"
And with that, Marechiyo Omaeda heads over to the desk covered in papers, pondering where to begin as Soi Fon exits with a gargantuan sigh of relief.
Following the grand hall of the Second Division barracks, Soi Fon allows her hair to unwind from its braids, undoing their binds for the first time since ... Well, last year, at this time.
"Letting your hair down, finally, I see."
"Y-Yoruichi-sama!"
"Quit being so stiff around me! I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times."
The Goddess of Flash has made her way behind Soi Fon, grinning.
"That formality crap irks me."
Their proximity puts Soi Fon immediately at unease as she continues on; she felt as if Yoruichi had just been reading her thoughts, waiting for the perfect time to make a reappearance. Why now, so soon after she'd bested her in combat? To mock her?
"Why so silent?"
"I have duties to attend to."
"Then it is my duty as self-proclaimed sensei to see to it that your duties are fulfilled, Soi Fon."
And again, as they walk on, the silence ensues.
"C'mon, my little Bee, lighten up!"
Yoruichi giggles pleasantly and goes to pat her former subordinate on the head. Though, a surprising reaction is seen from the Captain. Her hand grasps that of Yoruichi's, prohibiting the touch.
"I am no longer your little bee, Yoruichi."
For the first time in ages, Yoruichi's actually sad not to hear the usually accompanying 'sama'. It causes her golden eyes, usually full of playfulness and ire, to dwindle in hue.
"We've been over this. You left the Soul Society with no intent to tell me. You are nothing to me, Yoruichi Shihoin!"
At that, Soi Fon uses her shunpo to make a hasty exit, knowing full well the Goddess of Flash could catch her if she truly wanted to, and hoping she wouldn't. She had enough to deal with ... And licking old wounds wasn't high on her agenda, not in the slightest.
Thus does the Prologue come to an end; I know it's sort of slow to start, but I'm jumping right into it with the next chapter. I'm going to try and restrain myself, as I have a tendency to want to make stories short, but I'll try and draw this out as much as possible, I promise.
The more reviews I get, the more likely it'll be that I continue onward. And, as always, constructive criticism is appreciated. It helps, seriously!
Thanks for reading!