AN: Written for versago the destroyer. Sorry about the long delay!
Soi Fon was blindfolded, moving silently through the pre-dawn woods. Every sensation, every sound, every hint of reiatsu was taken in, processed, and analyzed carefully to allow her to move without being seen. She would get stronger, faster, stealthier. She would surpass Yoruichi-sama. The next time they met, she would defeat her.
As she took a step forward, Soi Fon walked right into something large and soft. Furiously, she tore off her blindfold, blinking in the dim purple light. "What the hell..." she began, only to find herself looking up into the golden eyes of Komamura-taichou. It was weird to see him without his helmet, even though she'd known that he wasn't exactly a normal shinigami.
"Soi Fon-taichou?" he said, peering down at her. "I apologize, I didn't hear you coming."
She bowed briskly. "Komamura-taichou. I was doing stealth training."
"You were doing it very well," he said, with a slight whiffling sound she realized was his chuckle.
"Of course," she said.
"Would you like to sit down for a few moments?" he asked.
She shrugged and sat down next to him, finding a clear spot of damp earth. Not that it mattered, since she was already soaked with dew from crawling around in the woods. "What were you doing out here?" she asked.
"Meditating," he said simply. "There was much excitement over the past few weeks, and I felt it was time to get away and center myself, before the coming battle." Soi Fon didn't have anything to say to that. She knew he had been close friends with Tousen, and that he was upset about him betraying Soul Society. But it wasn't really her business, and anyway, she wasn't good at dealing with feelings.
"I see," she said finally.
He looked at her as if he saw more than she was saying, and then looked away. "Shihoin Yoruichi returned to the human world with the ryoka," he observed.
"She is a traitor and a fool," Soi Fon said harshly. And she would be a dead one the next time Soi Fon met her.
"Perhaps so," Komamura said, "and yet, even when someone has betrayed you, is it not possible to wish they had chosen a different path?"
She wasn't sure if he was talking about Tousen or Yoruichi. Maybe both. "Wishing doesn't change anything," she said bitterly.
"No, it does not. But neither does letting oneself be filled with hate change anything. It only weakens you," he said softly. He glanced at her and then looked away. "Though it does hurt less than allowing yourself to feel the pain of betrayal," he admitted.
Soi Fon looked at him sharply, but his face revealed nothing, even to her practiced eye. "Maybe," she said finally.
They sat together and watched the sun come up over the horizon. Despite the fact that she was almost always up with the sun, Soi Fon realized that it had been a long time since she actually watched it. There wasn't much point to it, of course, but it was kind of pleasant. The birds were singing, and Soi Fon found herself listening to them just to listen, rather than listening to tell her what else might be in the woods. She was actually startled when Komamura stood up—she didn't even notice him starting to move. He was either much stealthier than she realized or she was getting too lax.
"I'll be heading back to Seireitei now," he said. "Would you care to walk back with me?"
"That's not necessary," she snapped. She wouldn't have any man treating her as someone to be protected!
He made that peculiar chuckling noise again. "I'm quite sure it's not. It is polite to ask, though."
Hm, perhaps she had misjudged him. "Very well." It was as close to an apology as he was going to get. "I will walk back with you." He nodded slightly and offered her an arm, but she snorted and pushed by him. "Don't push your luck," she muttered.