At The Gate Prologue: That Unwavering Gaze
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
Boot-clad footsteps echoed eerily throughout the silent village. A cloaked figure surveyed her surroundings carefully, considering every crook and cranny of the blood-soaked street with suspicion. To her, this was harvesting ground, to reap the pathetic souls that were caught in the massacre her lower demons had set upon the targeted village inhabitants. She grinned at the broken bodies, "Thus the village of Himura lives up to its name."
There was tiny patter of feet behind the gloating woman. She spun around, golden orbs trying to detect a potential enemy. Her searching gaze landed on a child, no more than six, and her hardened, cruel features softened a little. The demon lord continued to observe the little girl who stood no higher than her waist.
The poverty-ridden child stared up at the figure towering over her, "You're a demon lord." It was not a question, rather, a statement that was true.
If Shihōin Yoruichi was surprised at the girl's courage, it showed in her slightly widened golden eyes. But her bewilderment dissipated in the fraction of a second as she smiled darkly and picked the girl up by the scruff of her torn shirt, "Yes, indeed I am. Do you not know that your little life is at my mercy?"
The child did not answer; instead, she chose to stare back into golden depths. Her gaze never wavered, despite the obvious risk of having her head lopped off while she remained two feet above ground.
Yoruichi marvelled at the lack of fear in the child, "You're an interesting one, kid. What's your name?"
"Soi Fon," misty grey eyes seemed to smile with relief that the demon lord seemed more interested in knowing her name rather than thinking of ways to dispose of her. As a strange peace flooded her, Soi couldn't help but display her curiosity, "What's yours?"
"I'm Yoruichi. Shihōin Yoruichi," the purple-haired demon royalty put the girl back down on the ground, "What a sad name for a fearless child like you, Soi… Fon."
"I am honored, Shihōin-denka," Soi bowed, applying the deeply-ingrained value of respect that her family had taught her rather strictly.
"Oh, quit it with all that formality!" Yoruichi couldn't help but sigh heavily in annoyance, "That title is such a stick in the ass! If you don't drop it, I'm gonna feed you to my hellhounds."
"I-I apologize, Shihōi- I m-mean Yoruichi...sama," the threat seemed to startle Soi, though she had a feeling that the demon lord was just teasing her.
"Grrr... How did you get so uptight?!" Yoruichi growled, facepalming before looking at the child in the eye, "Anyway, did your parents pick that name for you?"
"Y-Yes, they did."
"Geez, they have such poor taste - giving a child like you such a depressing name," the heiress remarked, "Your family must've been cruel."
Soi flinched slightly, her face forming an unreadable expression.
"What, did I say something wrong?" Yoruichi raised a brow curiously.
"They... They weren't cruel, Yoruichi-sama," Soi defended her family faithfully, "We just trust the stars more than any other clan, I suppose."
"What do you mean?"
Soi took a deep breath before explaining her clan's tradition in a detailed manner, "The Fon family has always relied on the positions of stars in the night sky to provide each clan member their fates, their destinies. I was to change my name to my grandmother's, for her name symbolized the sole purpose of my life - to be broken, and then strengthened by suffering."
"Uh..." the demon lord found it hard to keep up with the child she had recently acquainted with, "I get it, but... How are you gonna fulfill this 'destiny' of yours?"
At her question, Soi looked back up into Yoruichi's golden eyes, "Take me with you, Yoruichi-sama."
A/N: Well, that's the prologue, so it's quite natural that it's short. Chapter 1 is in the making so please be patient with me! You may be wondering where Soi's family is, but I'm gonna keep that a secret until the later chapters ;) I suppose both of them are a little OC (to me, really), I'm not sure if you feel the same way too. Do review if you enjoyed the teeny-weeny peek of the plot, or have some constructive criticism to offer (I'd really like to give you guys a shout-out!). I really appreciate it :D You may be wondering why Soi can be so articulate for her age, so here's my view on this: I've always seen her family as an extremely traditional and strict one, and coupled with her intelligence (I'd like to believe she is, and I didn't actually appreciate Tite Kubo's portrayal of her - it's as if like she's dumb or something. If she is able to strategically defeat a number of Onmitsukido men, memorizing and reciting all that family tradition at six years old shouldn't be that tough.) Yoruichi seems to loosen up unbelievably quickly in the prologue, I'd just like to say that's the effect Soi has on her.
That's all for today, guys! See you in the next chapter!
P.S. If you're wondering what -denka means, it's a formal title for princess, if I recall correctly. It might work for a prince too, I guess. I...don't know, actually -.-lll
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