Chapter Six: On Soukyoku Hill
Shira walked solemnly toward the grand arena, not knowing what she felt after seeing her Captain leave the way she did. She was even more confused upon seeing the expression that the Third Captain held for the Second Captain before she took her leave as well.
'It's all too confusing…' she thought, as she brought a hand up to her chest, feeling completely depressed at the outcome of what was supposed to be a fun game.
Suddenly a heavy mass bumped into her and she quickly sputtered an apology. "I'm s-sorry!" she said as she stepped back, only to notice the white of a Captain's Haori. "Captain Kuukaku! Please forgive me!" she said even more flustered than before as she saw the tall woman's face and she bowed in her presence.
"Huh?" Kuukaku looked down to see the short girl at her feet. "Oh, it's one of the shrimp's spy crew. What're you apologizing for? I bumped into you… I'm a bit tipsy after drinking." She said, bending to get the girl to stand.
"Y-you know my Captain, Ma'am?" she asked, locking eyes with the strong woman in front of her.
"Yeah, she's a stubborn one… by the way, what are you doing with all those flags?" Kuukaku asked arching her brow at the mound of cloth that engulfed the younger girl's arms.
"W-well… You see the Second and Third squad were tied with the amount of flags we had, and the only one left was ours. Yoruichi-san, and Captain Soifon-sama decided to have a winner takes all melee match, and who ever was down for ten seconds lost.
"Captain Soifon-sama almost had Yoruichi-san, but she got free somehow, and they fought again. After a while Captain Soifon-sama had landed a blow on Yoruichi-san's brow, and Yoruichi-san broke a few of Captain Soifon-sama's ribs, and had her pinned.
"Just as I almost finished the countdown, Yoruichi-san let Captain Soifon-sama up, but I guess something happened. My Captain looked upset, and she leaned into Yoruichi-san, and whispered something in her ear, then left in a flash. Yoruichi-san looked shocked to say the least and told me to do whatever I want with the flags, and that "this", what ever it was, was not why she was playing the game…
"Only Captains are allowed to hand in flags, so I don't particularly know what I'm supposed to do. What do you think Captain Kuukaku? Do you think I should look for Captain Soifon-sama?" The young girl looked at the cloths in her hand with a worried expression, reminding Kuukaku of the way Soifon used to look, when Yoruichi seemed out of character.
"Listen kid!" Kuukaku said patting one of the small girl's shoulders. "You got nothin' to worry about! Those two may not seem like it but they go way back. Yoruichi used to be the Captain of squad two, and Soifon was basically her Lieutenant… Yoruichi trusted her more than her Lieutenant anyway. Some crazy stuff happened that I'm not going to go into… Don't you worry! Thing's'll be better in no time." She said with a smile at Shira.
"Thank you Ma'am. I suppose that you should take the flags… I can't hand them in on behalf of the Second Squad, and the sun's about to go down." Shira said, holding up the stack of cloths.
"You're a good kid. You remind me a lot of the old Soifon; I think you got great things to look forward to in the future." She said with a grin, ruffling the sapphire tresses on the young girl's crown.
"Thank you Ma'am. You're kindness is lost on me." She said, and Kuukaku was about to say something about them being exactly alike before Shira used a Shunpo to dash away to the grand arena.
"Exactly like each other." She said before making her way to the Grand Arena, herself.
-----
Tension was high at the grand arena. The thirteen squads awaited the arrival of the last Captain and it was evident on most of the Captain's faces that they'd lost the game, subsequently loosing a lot of money in the process.
The Fourth Captain looked on at the Second and Third, a frown marring her kindly features. She could easily feel the static between the two Captains. Yoruichi wasn't smiling and the Soifon's eyes were hollow, neither a good sign; this was something that she'd only seen during the days after the rescue of Kuchiki Rukia.
Just as the sun was about to set and no one was declared a winner, the newly appointed Fifth Captain stumbled onto the stage, shoving the thirteen flags into the Captain-Commander's arms, stating that she won.
Yoruichi's eyes widened a little before there was a cheer from the large crowd in the Grand Arena, and Ukitake Jushiro made the win official and presented the Fifth Captain with a trophy in her honor, soon after dismissing the group.
Yoruichi looked over to once again, find herself alone on stage, being split from the one she truly wanted to talk to.
"Yoruichi-san, may I have a word?" Unohana asked, turning to the tan woman.
"Yeah, sure." Yoruichi said, slightly devoid of emotion.
"I ask that you visit my quarters, I'll be waiting for you there… and please, don't go looking for Captain Soifon until you've heard what I have to tell you." She said, before making her way back to the fourth division with her Lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane.
"Congrats." Yoruichi said quietly, depression on the surface of her words, to her friend Kuukaku.
"Thanks. I heard what happened from Soi-chan's little girl. It seems like we're going to get to go drinking just as soon as the two of you pull yer heads out of yer asses and realize that yer both idiots. Yer really worrying that girl you know." She said; her brows furrowed slightly only to arch as she looked on at the uncharacteristic face that the tan woman was displaying.
"Yeah." She mumbled looking up for only a second before bowing her head again.
"GAH! I swear yer too perfect for each other! Well I'll tell ya, every things gonna work out. I can feel it, so don't worry. Now go see what Unohana has to tell you then find yer little bee and romance her until the weekend!" Kuukaku said with a throaty laugh, placing her hand on Yoruichi's shoulder before digging out the pack of cigarettes that she had in her Haori. "An' I'm almost outta these." She said before walking away to get her trophy.
-----
Yoruichi stood out side the door to the Captain's office in the Fourth Division for well over half an hour, hesitant about hearing what Unohana was going to tell her.
'What if it's about Soifon?' she thought to herself, but shook the thought… She was hesitant of even going to see Soifon. She seemed so decisive about what she'd said earlier today.
"I know what you're playing at, Yoruichi, and you will not capture my heart. Not again."
The violet haired goddess closed her eyes in anguish. 'How… Just what did I do to her?' She thought, feeling a stinging sensation in her eyes.
"Yoruichi-san, if you plan on staying out there all night, I may just head home." She heard from the innards of the office. Yoruichi sighed heavily before turning and pulling the shoji with no grace; it felt as though she were opening the door to hell.
"What did you call me for, Retsu-san?" Yoruichi asked, refusing to meet the woman's honest, piercing gaze.
"I've noticed you and Captain Soifon, as of late. Care to talk about it?" She asked, as a counselor would.
"No. I wouldn't. So, if you excuse me, I'll be on my way." Yoruichi said furrowing her brows angered before turning.
"Fine, I'll talk about it." Unohana said quietly, stopping Yoruichi in her tracks. "You, from the moment I first met you, were a happy and free spirit; always smiling and playful. After you met that girl, Soifon, you changed slightly. You were no longer playful, like you once were. You had a sense of being, or belonging, and you started to take your position more seriously.
"I was surprised that you trusted that girl with more things than your lieutenant… even so when you told her secrets that you'd never confided in with Urahara Kisuke." Unohana explained, expecting the raised brow and widened gold orbs she received at what she was saying.
"Yes, Yoruichi-san, I've been watching: a silent observer of you and your friends from a very early age. Your family was worried that you were lonely and asked me to make a medical prognosis to your reclusive personality, so I have been watching you. I must say, I was surprised when you left with Kisuke-kun without telling Captain Soifon… but I was even more surprised with how well she was taking it… that is until I was asked by her family, as well as the Captain-Commander to watch her, and make sure she wasn't a security risk. After all, she was a close friend to the "fiends" that "betrayed" the Soul Society."
Yoruichi looked on in horror at what was being told to her. Not only was anger boiling up in her for Unohana knowing that Kisuke was not at fault a hundred years ago. She was also suggesting that Soifon would've put the whole of the Soul Society at risk for her. It was unspeakable.
"So I watched her, and you know what I found?" Unohana asked solemnly. Yoruichi held a breath, not knowing what was coming next. "I found a broken and battered soul. A shell of her former, shining self—"
"No!" Yoruichi shouted over the end of Unohana's sentence. "No." she said again angrily.
"Yoruichi-san?" Unohana questioned, looking at the distress carved into the other woman's beautiful features. "I know this is hard but—"
"Shut up! Don't say any more, Retsu!" Yoruichi shouted, before turning and running at her full speed away from the offending images that Unohana was displaying to her psyche. Her eyes burned, and she rubbed her sleeve against them roughly, not caring where she was going, just that she was getting away from this.
'This isn't why I came back.' She thought darkly.
-----
A small woman sat hugging her knees to her body tightly as she was wracked with silent sobs. She was happy to have her Yoruichi-sama back in her life… Beyond happy! There were so many things she wanted to talk to her about. Some bad, some good, but all of them were things that she wished to know, and get out into the open…
'I'm so stupid!' she thought to herself. Why? Why had she said such a stupid thing?!
"I know what you're playing at, Yoruichi, and you will not capture my heart. Not again."
She heard a silent shuffling behind her, and she tensed, this Reiatsu, even after a hundred years of absence she knew that no other Reiatsu could block her senses like this one.
-----
Yoruichi finally opened her eyes to see where her feet had brought her. A small black blob trembling with nearly silent sobs caught her attention. Her heart sank at the realization of who it was.
"Just go away." The bundle said as she hugged her knees closer to her chest feeling every bit as vulnerable as a five year old that's about to get into trouble for playfully hurting her little brother.
"I won't leave you again, and you know that. Why do you think I did something like this?" the violet haired woman asked, her eyes blazing with sorrow as she made her way over to the woman in front of her, wary of her actions, making sure that none would cause the young woman to run away again.
"Why are you even here?!" Soifon shouted, now turning to look at the tall beauty behind her.
"I want to talk… Unohana…" she began, but closed her eyes in a grimace. The thought of what Unohana Retsu said left a bad taste in her mouth. "Unohana… told me about some things that… happened after I left." She finished, which was a difficult feat.
"I don't have anything to say to you." Soifon said, her voice cracking under the pressure.
'Liar.'
"I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore!" the short Captain shouted holding her legs tighter against her.
'Liar!'
Her mind shouted at her, urged Soifon to take the initiative and begin building the bridge to being friends again.
"I know…" Yoruichi began, walking closer to the small woman. "You don't really mean it." She sad, kneeling and taking the smaller woman in her arms, and sighed when she felt the young woman tense under her hold.
"Go…away." Soifon said, breaking down, not even able to really complete her sentence in a stable voice.
"No, never again." Yoruichi whispered quietly to her, holding the young woman tighter still.
Soifon couldn't talk anymore. She didn't want to feel; she wanted to die. But this beautiful goddess refused to let her go, and she felt warmth enter her that hadn't been there for over a hundred years.
"Yoruichi!" she finally cried, releasing her legs and gripping the tan woman's neck in a strong hug, burying her wet face in the crook of the woman's neck, and the two let their masks fall, and all of their emotions spilled out to each other as they sat at the ledge of Soukyoku hill.
-----
Birds chirped quietly as the sun rose to warm the cooled night that had passed: a testament to show things can start off anew. The sound of clothes ruffling filled the warm morning as the Third Captain stirred out of the slumber she'd unknowingly fallen into on top of Soukyoku hill. A small smile spread on her lips as she felt the arms of the younger Second Captain tighten around her slim waist.
She was quiet as she pulled the Second Captain closer and buried her nose in her raven locks, taking in the smell that had so long eluded her senses.
"Soifon…" she whispered, running a hand through her hair before ceasing her movement to watch the young woman sleep. It had been some time since she'd seen Soifon's face so placid, so full of life. She smiled a bright, genuine smile before snuggling closer to the warmth the younger Captain was giving off.
"Captain Yoruichi!"
"Captain Soifon!"
Both calls were heard off in the distance by Yoruichi's keen ears, and she sighed, not wanting to ruin the moment. Finally after weighing the consequences of Soifon being woken by her, or by someone from her squad, waking her up herself was the best outcome.
"Soi… Come on little bee, wake up." Yoruichi urged as she lightly shook the small woman's frame, which soon caused the young woman's eyes to flutter open, meeting silver to gold. A smile was evident on Yoruichi's face, and even if she wanted to, Soifon couldn't stop herself from forming a small smile on her lips as well.
"Good morning." She whispered, shifting to stretch slightly.
"Morning." Yoruichi replied smiling with closed eyes, the happiness she could feel was absolutely unfathomable.
"Captain Yoruichi!"
"Captain Soifon!"
Both calls were heard again, this time only slightly closer, causing Soifon's eyes to go wide. 'We're at Soukyoku hill?' she thought taking in her surroundings before standing up and brushing off her Hakama, and extending a hand to help her ex-mentor up.
"Did we fall asleep?" She asked once the older woman was upright.
"I guess. What do you want to tell the search party?" She said with a hint of playfulness coloring her words.
"We won't be found by the search party. Let's just go back home… We… we can talk about last night later." Soifon said, her cheeks coloring slightly at the memory before she flashed away in the blink of an eye. The Shihouin heir sighed in defeat before setting back down; waiting for the search party, her story was that she was thinking all night.
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"OI!" Was heard before the shoji to the office of the Second Captain was kicked open by the rowdy Fifth Captain. "You lost! Now you gotta drink with us!" finished the rude intrusion as the tall black haired Captain dragged the dark Third Captain in with a choke hold.
"Kuukaku, I'm not in the mood." Soifon said, with a bored expression that quickly turned into one of pity as the violet haired woman smiled apologetically up at her while attempting to pry the strong right arm from her neck.
Sighing, Soifon stood, and made her way over to Kuukaku. She looked down at the dark woman before looking back up into the teal blue eyes that were so full of fire.
"We tied, and you happened to get the flags in the cross fire. The only thing you did was drink… I know I lost the bet, and I'll drink with you two a different day, but for now, I'm not in the mood." Soifon said, while loosening the vice like grip the woman had around Yoruichi's throat enough so that Yoruichi could use a Shunpo to get away, which she did.
"Yeah, Kuukaku!" Yoruichi said; rubbing her, now, sore neck as she stood behind Soifon's desk, which was a fair distance away from the frightening woman dubbed Kuukaku. "I'm not in the mood right now." She finished, setting in Soifon's chair.
"GAH, fine! Y'all aren't any fun anyway. Damn…" Kuukaku said before stalking away grumbling incoherent curses and the like.
Turning back to the purple haired woman she frowned slightly.
"I want to talk."
x-x-x-x-x-x
AN: Wow! I'm really happy with all of the reviews I'm getting from this story. Personally, I didn't think it was that grand. I was just trying to think up something that I hadn't seen before… I have read over a hundred YoruSoi fanfictions: I've read really, REALLY good ones, mediocre ones, and ones that had a good base, but needed a lot of work, but I don't think I've ever seen one like this. Being on a Bleach high recently I just decided to write this, and I really didn't think it'd get the reception it did.
One more chapter, I've decided… I'm still debating if I'm going to write a short Epilogue as well, or something… I wouldn't know what to do with it… I'd want Shira in there if I did! :3 She's so cute! 3
I hope you've enjoyed so far; thanks to all my reviewers, even if they weren't critiques, they certainly are the juice that keeps my posts as often as they have been. I have to give a big "THANK YOU" to AyumiRuki from Deviantart, too because the pictures she draws, and the rate she shoots them out is amazing!
~Bishimimou