Author's note: Huh, this story just keeps growing. Whenever I think I am finished, inspiration strikes and I add another chapter. Currently I say there will be four of them in total. The last chapter should be published in a week. Enough rambling now, read and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Stinging Bee
Part 3: The Cat's shadow
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"A pleasure to meet you," Captain Kyouraku said in his usual annoyingly flirtatious tone. "So you're the new captain of Second Division? That's a tough job. Yoruichi left quite a big hole to fill." Though the words were said in good spirit, Soifon felt her stomach sinking. It was her first captains' meeting and she was already being compared to Yoruichi. And found lacking. Will she never be free of the woman's shadow?
She had worked so hard to finally clear the Onmitsukidou of the stigma left by Yoruichi's defection and she had thought that nobody would associate them with that traitor anymore. Oh, how wrong she was. Shinigami lived long and had long memories. Of course they would still remember Yoruichi. Forgetting Yoruichi was impossible. Yoruichi was a Goddess. She shone brightly. She seemed to occupy the whole space when she was around. She was cheerful. She was the perfect lady when she wanted to be or a goofy tramp if she chose to. She was the perfect warrior, the best there have ever been when it came to Hakuda and Hohou.
And Soifon? Soifon was just her shadow. A little bee trailing behind her, unnoticed by everybody who gazed upon the face of the Goddess. She wasn't perfect or shiny, she just was there. But she was strong. She was a hornet, she had a stinger to sting everybody who stood in her way. And one day, she was going to sting even Yoruichi. It might not be today, but she was going to surpass her old mentor. She was going to outshine her and gain the respect of her colleagues, so that nobody would compare her to Yoruichi anymore. And if they did, it would be Yoruichi who would be found lacking.
Yes, that was her dream, that was what she strived for. And she was going to achieve it, no matter how long it took. There was plenty of time. This was only the first captains' meeting. The next was going to be different. And if not the next, then the one after it. But one day, she was going to stand in the light and Yoruichi would be the one in the shadows, in her shadow, precisely. She was going to make it happen, no matter how long it took. That was the one thing Soifon was absolutely sure of.
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"Oomaeda!" Soifon snapped angrily.
"Uhm... yes?" her lieutenant asked, hurriedly swallowing a mouthful of fried rice crackers and spitting the crumbs in Soifon's hair.
"Don't stand so close behind me," she ordered in her sharpest tone. The man made a step back. It wasn't far enough in the captain's opinion. She suppressed a sigh and thought about the misfortune that had landed her with him.
When she had become the Nibantai Taichou, Soifon got a nasty surprise. At first, it didn't seem too bad, but the truth of it came to light quickly. The surprise was that the Second's long-time lieutenant Oomaeda Marenoshin was retiring. That in itself wasn't too surprising. Marenoshin had served Yoruichi and kept the Second Division and the Patrol Corps going after she had left. He had been a great lieutenant and he was going to be missed by his subordinates as well as Soifon, even if she would never admit it aloud. Oomaeda Marenoshin had been there long before she had joined the Onmitsukidou and she couldn't imagine it without him. But there had been a time when she couldn't imagine it without Yoruichi, and yet here she was. She was going to get used to Marenoshin's absence as well. Marenoshin had been Yoruichi's lieutenant. It was only fitting that she would have a new one, signifying that the Second was moving on from Yoruichi's times.
Marenoshin's position didn't stay empty for long. The position of the Second's fukutaichou had been passed down in the Oomaeda family for generations, so Marenoshin gave it to his son Marechiyo. The youth passed the lieutenant qualification exam successfully, so Soifon had no objections. She imagined the boy to be just like his father: a blob of grease, but deceptively competent in what he was doing. She would have no problems with it.
And that is where the surprise came: Marechiyo wasn't like his father at all. He was fat just like him, perhaps even fatter, but their resemblance ended there.
The first difference was the gap in their abilities. Though Marechiyo was good enough to be a lieutenant, he wasn't as fast, strong or smart as his father. Soifon found herself correcting his work too often for her tastes. The second difference was their attitude towards food. While Marenoshin loved it, he had enough sense to enjoy it only in private. Marechiyo wasn't so discreet. He munched on his infernal rice crackers twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, twelve months a year. And he dropped crumbs everywhere, not even noticing them. It grated on Soifon's naturally tidy nature even when said crumbs weren't landing in her hair.
But Marechiyo had his good points too. For example, he made a good punching bag whenever Soifon felt like punching something or rather somebody. She didn't even have to go far for an excuse, those damned crumbs were always conveniently there. He also always filled his paperwork, unlike certain other lieutenants who had a notorious aversion to it. He tended to leave huge greasy fingerprints on it, but at least Soifon didn't have to do it herself. And he was also very loyal. He always insisted on following his captain around, no matter how much she wanted him and his crackers to leave, and stayed by her side in the toughest battles, when usually he tended to flee at the first sign of Hollow activity.
It was that loyalty that made him tolerable to Soifon. He might be fat, stupid, dirty, lazy, weak, cowardly, too proud of his lineage and wealth and overall a major annoyance, but he lived for the Second Division and for the Onmitsukidou. Yoruichi was beautiful, smart, strong, brave and overall awesome, but she had left. Oomaeda would never do such thing. He was as far from Yoruichi in every aspect of his personality as a shinigami could get, so he was a tolerable person in Soifon's opinion. That didn't stop her from threatening him with gruesome death at least twice a week.
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During the years, she formed opinions on the other captains, aside from what their files locked in the Onmitsukidou headquarters said.
Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni was the pillar upon which the Gotei 13 stood. He was older than the dirt, stronger than they could comprehend and dependable. Soifon respected him for it. She would almost say that she admired him, but she had admired Yoruichi once and look where it got her. She wasn't going to make the mistake of admiring somebody again. But still she believed that Yamamoto-soutaichou was as close to the perfect shinigami as was humanely possible and she considered him the ultimate authority in all things shinigami.
The Third's captaincy was empty. It was a painful reminder of Urahara, Yoruichi and their treachery. She preferred not to think about it.
Unohana Retsu was the only other woman among them. Thanks to her calming presence, Soifon didn't feel so out of place in captains' meetings. And much like Yamamoto, Unohana had been with the Gotei 13 since its beginning and was one of the pillars the organization stood on. She was the unwavering motherly presence during times of crisis and Soifon often looked up to her for reassurance when she felt down. But she made sure not to become too dependant on it.
Aizen Sousuke was the epitome of what a captain should be. Taking the position after the tragically deceased Hirako Shinji, he did a wonderful job of keeping the Fifth Division going. Everybody admired him for it and rightfully so. Soifon admitted that he was a good captain, but sometimes too kind to his subordinates for her tastes. She preferred a more business-like approach.
Kuchiki Ginrei was another example of what a captain and a head of a noble clan in one person was supposed to be. He was always calm and collected and he radiated wisdom and nobility. Soifon caught herself wishing that Yoruichi could have been more like him. Then she would have never deserted Seireitei.
Seventh Division didn't have a captain either. Another reminder of Urahara's treachery. There were too many of them and too painful for Soifon's tastes. She wished she could do something about them.
Soifon wasn't sure what to think about Kyouraku Shunsui at first. He was one of the strongest, most senior and most respected captains in the Gotei 13, one of its so-called four pillars, but he sure didn't act that way. In her opinion, he should be more serious. But maybe his drinking, flirting and slacking was just a front? As an assassin, she could appreciate good deception. But when the man started flirting with her, she stopped caring about deceptions and started despising him.
Tousen Kaname was the captain Soifon found herself liking the most. His convictions about justice appealed to her a lot. He was always dutiful and obedient of his superiors. Soifon wished there were more captains like him.
Tenth Division had been without a captain for a very long time and there was little chance that it was going to change anytime soon. But at least this one empty spot wasn't the fault of the traitorous pair. The last Tenth Division Captain had died long before their treachery had occurred. But the fact that there weren't candidates enough to fill all the empty spots was still Urahara's and Yoruichi's fault. If it wasn't for them, the one vacancy would have been filled decades ago.
Kiganjou Kenpachi was a sorry excuse for a captain. Not only he was a big brute who wouldn't know subtlety if it kicked him in the face, he didn't even understand his most basic duties. There were perhaps two captains' meetings he had actually shown up for and one time it was by mistake. The second time some of his colleagues had dragged him there physically on Yamamoto's orders. She couldn't understand how he kept the Eleventh running. She would have assassinated him for being such an eyesore ages ago if they weren't low on captains already. Thus she had to bear his presence. Fortunately he didn't show up often, so she could pretend he didn't exist at all for years on end.
The Twelfth's First Seat was empty, in another reminder of Urahara's and Yoruichi's treachery. She couldn't tell whether this one was more or less painful than the others, because they didn't actually murder anybody to create the gap in their ranks. But the Twelfth had been under the command of the damnable Urahara and Soifon couldn't help but wonder whether some of his minions and evil ploys still remained there. But the Onmitsukidou teams she had sent there found nothing conclusive. She kept searching.
Ukitake Juushirou was one of the most reliable captains in Gotei 13, that is if he weren't currently coughing up blood. During his good days, he was an excellent captain, thought a bit too soft on his subordinates, but it seemed like there weren't enough good days. Soifon wished there was someone to take his place, but she knew there had been very few shinigami who could compare to him in power during the history of Gotei 13. So she just hoped his illness wouldn't take a turn for the worse. It would be a great loss.
As the years passed, new faces appeared among their ranks and the empty spots were slowly filled. First came Komamura Sajin, a mysterious helmeted giant. Most of the shinigami wondered what did he look like. Soifon, from the title of her position as the head of the Covert Ops, knew that the reality surpassed their wildest speculation. She wondered how would the people react if they could see Komamura's face. They would probably freak out. But Soifon didn't mind Komamura's beastly appearance. Appearances didn't matter. Only sense of duty and loyalty did. And Komamura was fiercely loyal to Yamamoto and performed his duties diligently. That made him a good guy in Soifon's book. That, however, didn't stop her from making contingency plans in case his animal instincts ever took over.
The next captain to be appointed was Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Just thinking of him made Soifon's stomach turn. That man had been imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest for a very good reason. Urahara had no right or reason to release him. The fact that he had done so and that Yoruichi had approved it without hesitation should have tipped somebody (her) to their treachery sooner. But it didn't. She had been too blind to realize that Yoruichi wasn't infallible and everybody had paid a price for it.
And as she looked at Kurotsuchi again, she saw that he belonged into the Maggot's Nest even more than before. Back in the good old days, Urahara had been able to keep him in check, that was something she couldn't dispute no matter how much she was loath to give the man credit for anything good. But now, in command of a whole division, Kurotsuchi had free rein. He cared only for his 'science,' never showing any consideration for the lives of his subordinates or anyone else and basic safety precautions were something he considered beneath him. It was only a matter of time before some of his experiments went wrong and killed lots and lots of people. Or before some of his experiments went right and killed lots and lots of people. With the blue-haired man, anything was possible. Soifon itched to sink Suzumebachi into his skull, but Yamamoto had forbidden it. Kurotsuchi was a captain and there was no-one suitable to replace him. So she just observed and waited for a sign to attack.
When Kuchiki Ginrei retired, his grandson Byakuya took over the Sixth. Soifon still remembered him as the boy Yoruichi used to visit and annoy, so seeing him all grown up and in the captain's robes was quite a shock. But it shouldn't have been. As the leader of the Onmitsukidou, she had information on all the shinigami, even Kuchiki Byakuya. And she was supposed to know the important facts of the strong ones. But she had always skimmed over the reports about the young Kuchiki heir. He reminded her of Yoruichi too much. She resolved to remedy it soon. As the leader of the Onmitsukidou, she couldn't afford to let her emotions affect her performance. That was unacceptable.
Aside from that, she thought that Kuchiki Byakuya was a good captain. He was strong and always adhered to the rules, just as all the shinigami were supposed to do. Most people said he was too stuck-up, but she had no problem with it. Stuck up was as far from Yoruichi's personality as was humanely possible to get.
When Kiganjou Kenpachi was finally killed, Soifon didn't feel sad a bit. His death was no loss to Seireitei. His killer and replacement, a huge, brutish guy known only as Zaraki, was better than him. Not by much, because he was still a big brute who wouldn't know subtlety if it kicked him in the face, but at least he bothered to show up for the captain's meetings. If he could find his way, that is.
Ichimaru Gin was a man few people liked and Soifon wasn't one of those few people. It wasn't because of his smile or squint or even his mean streak. She wasn't shallow enough to get distracted by such things, at least she thought so. But there was just something about him that made her want to punch him in the face and wipe that infuriating smirk off it. Not that she minded the smirk, she just minded Ichimaru. Did it really matter why? She simply didn't like him. Even if it was unprofessional. She just did her best to hide it, but she suspected the silver-haired man knew anyway.
When Hitsugaya Toushirou joined their ranks, many of the captains weren't excited. Sure, the kid was good enough, but he was just a child. He shouldn't be forced into a position of such responsibility, they said. Soifon didn't understand their view. So Hitsugaya was young. So what? She had been young too when she had first joined the Onmitsukidou. But she was doing her duty and so was Hitsugaya. There was no reason to doubt whether he should be a captain or not unless he messed up his job, which he didn't. So Soifon was glad that he was there. With him, the thirteen was complete. There were no more empty spots at captains' meetings, reminding everybody of the treason that had struck the Gotei 13 so deep. Now that their ranks were replenished, the wounds inflicted by Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi were finally mending.
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She was ecstatic when the message came: a shinigami on patrol had possibly spotted Urahara Kisuke in the Living World. Finally! After so many decades, there finally was a sign of the two traitors. Soifon almost forgot everything and sprinted into the Living World. Because if Urahara was there, Yoruichi should be close. And Soifon just couldn't wait to find Yoruichi. After so many decades of training, she should be able to defeat the woman finally. And then nobody would wonder whether she was good enough replacement for the Shihouin princess anymore. She would finally step out of Yoruichi's shadow and everybody was going to see. She was going to outshine her old mentor.
After the first rush of excitement was over, she remembered the proper course of action for such situations. She assembled her elite team and waited for a painfully long time before they were ready to go. As they were the elite, they were quick, but Yoruichi was quicker. She was the Goddess of Flash. She wasn't going to just wait around for whenever Soifon's team was ready. By the time they opened the Senkaimon, the woman could be in another country altogether.
After a seemingly endless journey through Dangai, they finally arrived to the Living World, to the town where Urahara had been possibly sighted. The Senkaimon closed behind them and to Soifon's ears it slammed too loudly. Both Urahara and Yoruichi must have heard. They must have felt their reiatsu, no matter how hard they were suppressing it. There was no way they would just sit around and wait for the Onmitsukidou to arrive. Soifon felt like she was on needles. She itched to just run and catch Yoruichi. The only thing that prevented her was that she had no idea where to start. She couldn't sense a single bit of reiatsu from either Urahara or Yoruichi.
She gave the orders and her scouts began combing the city, searching for any sign of the fugitives. Soifon had a hard time hiding her anxiety. A part of her kept expecting Yoruichi to just appear at any moment, the other part was convinced that the purple-haired woman was long gone. She couldn't decide which possibility she wanted to be true and that irked her.
They had spent days overturning every stone in the town for any sign of Urahara's presence. Soifon's nerves were strained to their limits before they finished. In the end, all they turned up with was a man with low spiritual awareness who bore some distant resemblance to Urahara from a great distance if she squinted in the dark. So it was a false alarm. Soifon wanted to just hunt down whoever had reported 'Urahara's' presence here and caused her such turmoil. How could the imbecile mistake those two? Even if he had never known Urahara personally, he should have been able to tell the difference, shouldn't he?
Soifon ordered her men to return with a sense of complete and utter defeat. She hadn't shown her superiority to Yoruichi this time. But she hadn't lost either, there simply had been no battle. Yet the feeling of being bested lingered. She couldn't help but imagine Yoruichi hiding behind the nearest tree, snickering silently at Soifon's pathetic attempts to locate her. What would her old teacher say if she saw how Soifon was chasing shadows? And why did she care? She was over Yoruichi. She was over her.
As she walked through the Senkaimon back to Soul Society, she swore silently that the next time she was going to get Yoruichi for sure. The next time, victory was going to be hers.
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The wind created by the explosion slammed into Soifon, picking her off her feet and throwing her through the air. She sailed freely until the steel sash tied around her torso stopped her. But then the tree she had tied it to snapped in two and she flew on. She eventually landed with a loud thud, the broken tree landing on her. It probably snapped some of her bones, but the trunk fortunately missed her, so she didn't sustain any life-threatening injury. She should count herself lucky.
She lay on the ground, panting heavily. This had taken a lot more energy than she had thought. Dammit, Suzumebachi, she thought, why does it have to be like this?
"Do you really need to ask?" her zanpakutou spirit sighed in exasperation.
"Of course I do," Soifon snapped. "I'm an assassin. I should have a stealthy Bankai, not a kaboom like this."
"And here I thought you were finally coming around," the hornet commented. "I thought it was a good sign when you decided to train with your Bankai for the first time in decades, but now I see you are still the same."
"Of course I am," Soifon answered.
"You say it like it is a good thing," Suzumebachi retorted.
"Do you mean it isn't?" her wielder sounded insulted.
"You shouldn't have to ask,"the zanpakutou spirit scolded. "But because you do, I'll be blunt: no, it isn't."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Now the master assassin sounded clearly irritated.
"You could figure it out if you really tried," Suzumebachi sighed in exasperation. "Do I have to spell out even this?" Soifon didn't answer. The hornet sighed again. "It sounds like I do. Well, then listen well, Soifon. I am a part of you."
"I know that. You don't have to repeat Academy lessons to me," the woman grumbled.
"I disagree," the zanpakutou spirit shook her head. "I have to do exactly that, because you didn't get them."
"I got them quite well."Soifon stated. "I graduated with honors, don't you remember?"
"Of course I do," Suzumebachi rolled her eyes. "But that doesn't mean you actually comprehended everything the teachers tried to stuff into your head. This is the one thing you didn't get at all."
"I got it just fine," Soifon pouted.
"No, you didn't," Suzumebachi stood her ground. "You keep saying you know I am a part of your soul, but you clearly have no idea what does it mean."
"Then enlighten me, oh, wise one," Soifon said with a dose of sarcasm in her voice.
"Oh, I intend to do exactly that. And you'd better listen, girl. I am born of your soul. That means everything that I am reflects a part of you. And yes, that means Jakuhou Raikouben too."
"I told you I'm an assassin," Soifon replied morosely. "I have no need for such flashy techniques."
"Whoever was talking about need?" the hornet raised an eyebrow. "It's about wants. You do want a big, flashy technique, that's why you have it."
"I don't want it!" the Onmitsukidou commander protested. "I have no use for it!"
Suzumebachi sighed. "Are you deaf, dumb or just in denial? It isn't about what you have a use for! It's about what you desire in the deepest corners of your heart!"
"What I desire is unimportant," Soifon stated stiffly. "Only my duties matter."
"Sure," Suzumebachi rolled her eyes, "repeat that enough times and maybe you'll start actually believing it. But tell me sincerely, Shaolin, is there really no-one you'd like to use your Bankai on?" The assassin paused. There really were some people she'd like to see blown to bits with Jakuhou Raikouben. Especially Urahara's grinning face was something she'd love to disintegrate into elementary particles. "I thought so," Suzumebachi said smugly. "You love total destruction, you love the power and you love showing it to your enemies, no matter what your training says. You actually love Jakuhou Raikouben, no matter how much you try to hide it behind your grumbling."
"What I love or don't love doesn't matter," Soifon snapped more angrily than she intended. The use of her childhood name put her into an odd mood she couldn't name. She knew only that she didn't like it. "I'm an assassin and the leader of Onmitsukidou. There are certain duties and expectations placed on my position. And I have to live up to them, no matter what I want or don't want. I'm not using any fancy explosions for anybody! No matter how much I'd like to see them blown up to bits!"
"What if they are stronger than you?" the zanpakutou spirit questioned.
"It isn't going to happen!"
"Bold speech. Do you think you can beat Yoruichi in Hakuda?" Soifon wanted so say yes, but she paused. She knew she was good, but Yoruichi was a living legend. No matter how hard she trained, she could never shake the feeling that it wasn't quite enough to take on the traitorous woman in a fight.
"I'm going to beat her," Soifon resolved. "I'm going to best her in Hohou and Hakuda and if it isn't enough, I'm going to develop new moves and techniques, so once I'll meet her, she wouldn't know what hit her. But I am not going to use my Bankai to defeat her."
"Do you honestly think you'd manage?" Suzumebachi questioned. To be completely honest, Soifon wasn't certain. But she wasn't about to let it stop her.
"I will," she said. "I don't care what it takes, but I'll become strong enough to win all my fights without Bankai. And nothing you say can change my mind."
"Fine, whatever," Suzumebachi snorted. "I'll remind you of this the moment you come crying for me when you need your Bankai. And you are going to need it, mind my words."
"I'm not going to need it," Soifon huffed stubbornly. "And I'm not going to come pleading to you like a little girl."
"Because you're acting so mature right now," Suzumebachi commented. Soifon realized that she had really let her temper get the better of her. She drew upon her training to calm down.
"My decision stands," she stated with conviction. "I am going to fight without my Bankai. And I am going to defeat Yoruichi like that." Then she cut off the mental connection. She could hear Suzumebachi yelling, demanding her attention, but she ignored the voice. She had more important things to do. Like push the tree off her. Drag herself to the Fourth Division. And then develop a technique so powerful that it would blow Yoruichi away.