A/N - Hey everyone, sorry for the update delay. Even though I get time off for Christmas I seem to get even less of it to myself. Anyways, I'm back on track with writing so please review and let me know what you think :)
Chapter 10 - The Hollow
Quickly making their way to the meeting chamber, the two female shinigami passed anxious groups muttering amongst themselves as to what the alarm could mean. Yoruichi was fairly sure that Yamamoto would be sending out her and Soifon with the rest of the squad if the location of the Hollow had been found. The stealth force was ideal for a situation where a target had to be taken down quickly without becoming aware it was hunted.
"Be prepared for a mission Yoruichi, we'll probably be leaving soon after this meeting" the Captain commented, seemingly reading her Vice-captain's mind. It was the first time she had spoken since the alarm had sounded, the two of them heading back hurriedly with their own awkward thoughts.
Yoruichi nodded silently as they rounded a corner. Her first proper mission with Soifon in over 100 years, even despite the seriousness of the task that lay ahead, the purple-haired woman felt a little excited. She had no doubt that together she and Soifon could take on any foe. In the past they had worked together flawlessly and always watched each other's backs. She eyed the Captain's back as they walked, hoping she hadn't pushed Soifon too far too soon with their almost-kiss.
Inside the meeting room, the Captains stood in their lines and an unusual sight, their Vice-captains knelt respectfully beside them. Yoruichi moved to take her place alongside Soifon, noticing the shorter woman scowling. Whether over the incident or concern over the Hollow the purple-haired woman wasn't sure.
Waiting for the rest of the shinigami to gather, Soifon allowed herself to puzzle over what had happened with her Vice-captain. She was confused by the sudden rush of emotions that the woman had stirred. They seemed completely familiar to her, but at the same time something was off. Again the hazy image sprang to her mind, and the dark-haired Captain realised with a jolt that the feelings were identical to those associated with the shadowy image. What exactly was going on? Was Shihōin somehow linked to her mental nuisance? It couldn't be possible, they had only just met. She frowned, more confused than ever.
Soifon was saved from further troublesome thoughts by the sound of the Captain Commander's staff thumping the floor.
"As you all will be aware, the alarm has sounded due to the reappearance of the Hollow." He turned to face the Captain of Squad 10. "Make your report Captain Hitsugaya."
Tōshirō stepped forward, a tear in his uniform and a deep gash upon his leg clearly visible. The meeting was an emergency; he hadn't even had time to seek medical attention.
"My squad was patrolling on the outskirts of East Rukongai when the Hollow appeared without anyone, myself included, sensing its approach. No one saw how it arrived either, the first we knew of it was when several of my squad were attacked. The reiatsu was extremely powerful, it managed to floor eight of my squad at once just by lunging at them." He shifted his weight, the wound on his leg obviously painful. "I at once went to attack it, but I was unprepared for its speed. It blocked my strike with its bare arm and landed this hit on me with the other. I attempted to freeze it with Hyōrinmaru but the combination of strength and reiatsu shattered the ice and I was knocked into a wall. When I stood again, the Hollow had vanished and there was no trace of its reiatsu."
"This is serious news, a Captain couldn't stop it" Shunsui muttered from beneath his straw hat.
Yamamoto turned to the shinigami kneeling beside Komamura. "Vice-captain Iba, tell us what you saw."
The shinigami looked pale behind his sunglasses, and rose to face the assembly. "Squad 7 were also on patrol, close enough to Hitsugaya Taichou's location to realise that something had happened. We saw dust in the air and the sound of roaring. I signalled to the rest of the squad to follow me and we ran in that direction. Then out of nowhere, a tear opened in the air in front of us. Before we knew what was happening the Hollow had come through it, snatched up three of the squad and torn a new gateway with its claws and disappeared through it. We rushed towards the opening but it had resealed within seconds."
Mayuri stared at Iba enquiringly. "Was this portal a gargantua?"
"No, the opening was more like a series of tears that the Hollow burst through, and the glimpse I caught of the other side was of a reddish-coloured place with lightning flashing in the background. It didn't lead to Hueco Mundo as far as I could tell."
Captain Byakuya closed his eyes. "I suspect those men are dead, the Hollow had come on a hunting mission."
Iba bowed his head, shaking with anger. "We had no chance to react or even try to stop it." Komamura placed a heavy paw on his shoulder sympathetically.
The Captain-commander's beard rustled as he spoke. "Captain Hitsugaya's quick offensive actions appear to have prevented the Hollow from taking any of his squad which were the primary target. It seems that the Hollow prefers to take its prey by surprise without having to fight. However if necessary it will aggressively defend its self. Thanks to Vice-captain Iba we now also know how it can arrive and attack so quickly and that it appears to be able to create access to another dimension."
Retso Unohana spoke softly. "If it can appear in any location from this other dimension, it will be extremely difficult to track it down."
"This is intriguing, and it can do this with just its claws? We should take it alive so that it can be studied further" Mayuri suggested, drawing annoyed sighs from the other shinigami. "What were the physical characteristics of the specimen?"
Hitsugaya flicked his hand through spiky white hair. "It was large, taller than the buildings and humanoid. It had green skin, and the arms were long, the claws extremely lengthy and sharp. It looked like it had bat-like wings too. The mask was surrounded by spines and had a grinning face with sharp fangs. It is much more powerful than it looks."
"It seems to be drawn to strong reiatsu" Soifon pointed out. "It went to attack the squad with a Captain present first of all with the highest reiatsu in the area, and when that failed attacked the nearest squad with strong spiritual pressure. But it is still cautious, the Hollow hasn't yet attacked Seireitei which is the area with the strongest reiatsu. It stayed to the outskirts and attacked the groups with the strongest reiatsu it could find there."
"If this is the case, a group with strong spiritual pressure can lure it out and destroy it before it becomes bold enough to attack Seireitei." Ukitake suggested.
Yamamoto nodded. "This seems the most logical course of action. The Hollow must be dealt with immediately. Captain Soifon, ready your squad and mobilize the stealth force. Leave tomorrow morning as it is safe to assume the Hollow will not need to feed again today. The stealth force will remain hidden while you and your squad lure the Hollow out far away from the populated regions of Soul Society. A quick kill is needed to prevent the Hollow from escaping through its portal."
"Yes Captain-Commander, we will leave first thing." Soifon answered. Yoruichi kneeling beside her smiled slightly, all as they had predicted.
The officers were dismissed and Yoruichi walked behind the small Captain back towards their quarters. Soifon was oblivious to the woman's presence as she mentally made plans for their mission. They had almost reached their rooms when the Captain finally remembered Yoruichi was there. She looked over her shoulder and met the woman's golden eyes. With a faint blush on her cheeks the morning's events came back to her. Yoruichi really was stunning though, and –
She caught her thoughts and coughed awkwardly, hoping the Vice-captain hadn't noticed, snapping her head back to face the direction she was walking.
Yoruichi's sharp eyes had noticed the blush and she didn't need to see Soifon's face to know that the irritable Captain would now be scowling to herself. The playful woman suppressed a smile. She smugly congratulated herself that her plan was working already and the Captain's cold heart was thawing under her irresistible charm.
Soifon had managed to bury the infuriating riddle of her feelings and gaps in her memory in a dark corner of her mind while she had a task to complete, when those golden eyes had shone their light upon them once again like twin suns. Now to her extreme annoyance she was becoming preoccupied with the puzzle again and practically stomped the rest of the way to their quarters. With each step it was as though she was trying to stamp out the embers that the purple-haired woman's eyes had lit within her chest.
'There's no way I can be falling for someone I've just met, it's ridiculous' she told herself angrily. 'I'm not some desperate romantic, it's all to do with this damn shadow! Why can't I remember any more?!' She growled and grabbed a hell butterfly that fluttered past, squashing it in her tight grip.
Barking out her message to inform the stealth force of their instructions, she released the butterfly non too gently to deliver its message. It flapped pathetically along with its damaged wings eliciting a loud tut from Yoruichi, who had ignored her own cat-like desire to bat the insect out of the air.
Soifon turned to deliver her a death-glare, silencing Yoruichi who stood to attention, trying to look as innocent as possible. The Captain sighed in exasperation, and Yoruichi was unable to keep a grin from sliding across her face.
To her own surprise, Soifon found herself smiling at the irrepressible Vice-captain. She realised she was actually glad of the taller woman's company even if her emotions had been thrown into chaos. She disliked having to carry out missions with the incompetent Ōmaeda and was constantly driven to the limit of her patience.
Yoruichi smiled back, equally surprised, the Captain had seemed so irritated moments before. They reached their rooms walking in a comfortable silence, the Captain deciding not to let things she couldn't explain or do anything about worry her.
"We should get to sleep, we need to head off before dawn" the dark-haired shinigami stopped outside her door. "Goodnight, Yoruichi."
Yoruichi bowed her head slightly as the Captain disappeared inside and slid her door shut. "Goodnight, my little bee" she whispered quietly before letting herself into her own room.
Soifon, leaning against her door caught Yoruichi's faint words and felt a warm glow spreading in her heart.