Puss in Boots

Yoruichi had never enjoyed being a princess.

As heir to the Shihoin Clan, one of the most prestigious clans in Soul Society, on par with the Kuchikis and naturally higher than the Shiba clan, Yoruichi has always felt stifled by the expectations of her House, confined by the many layers of kimono dragging and slowing her down when she just wants to Run, Run, Run! Her head had never a moment's peace, tugged and twisted by hands to be held in place by combs, ornaments and wires to create an imposing, beautiful appearance. Like an ornament, but with a tool's expectation – to marry well, to keep up her family's standing. Even her position as the Commander of the Secret Ops barely gave her the release to vent, to rage, to pound her Enemies, to achieve a catharsis before she has to return to being a princess again.

She's not a Princess. She prefers being a soldier, a Leader, the Flash Goddess who has never been beaten.

Why be a princess when she can be so much more? How she hated it when the Shihoin Clan's Elders chose suitors for her, lascivious gazes and empty words in those weak men.

Shiba Kaien, Ukitake Jyuushiro and Kyouraku Shunsui…and of course, Kisuke, Urahara Kisuke, kept her life bearable. Kisuke especially gave her a Release from her life of Nobility in ways she was so grateful for. Even Kuchiki Ginrei's grandson, Byakuya-bo, provided a mentor-student experience of a different kind. Soi Fon was cute and capable, but so adoring (which was flattering undeniably but Yoruichi was not perfect).

She knew Kisuke was not perfect, very far from noble women's notions of a Prince – women who grew in the Land of Roses and were encouraged to pursue embroidery, feminine arts instead of sword fighting and the rough-and-tumble lifestyle in military barracks.

The dichotomy of her everyday life was simultaneously a blessing and a curse, a choker around her throat with moments of unexpected privilege and joy.

Until Kisuke is declared a traitor. He was foolish, did not disclose his plans to her. His genius marred and turned against himself, left his reputation in shreds in Soul Society, a place not renowned for forgiveness or softness or compromise.

Yoruichi becomes a traitor alongside him. She frees him. She takes the Vaizards from their prisons and grabs Kisuke's development of a new gigai.

The Human World becomes their refuge and Hideaway in all its novelty, pollution, and shades of beauty and ugliness that only Humans can achieve. Years of frustratingly slow progress pass by, trying to figure out how to get back the Hougyouku, how to defeat an unknown traitor within Soul Society.

Then, Shiba Isshin appears. There are unexpected developments. Hollows. Quincies. Kurosaki Masaki. Ishida Ryuuken. A son.

Kurosaki Ichigo.

Hot-headed brat he was. Impatient and action-oriented. An absolutely dreadful student in not following the rules, unheeding of warnings. Just rushing at Gin Ichimaru like that, and challenging a captain with no regard to his own abilities! Oh the boy had strong principles, and somehow always managed to turn events around to his own advantage. Infuriatingly good at upstarting others, wreaking havoc with traditions and acting as a catalyst for change.

It was Fun.

Not just with Ichigo. His friends were also intresting in their own ways. Ishida Uryuu, a Quincy. Sado Yasutora, a human with Hollow-like powers and strength. And Orihime, Inoue Orihime…

Yoruichi has been many things: Princess, Mentor, Traitor, Lover.

She has never been Mother.

Frankly, she didn't think she would make a very good mother as she once told Kisuke and Ukitake. She didn't have the patience nor the stability to stay in place, to dedicate her existence to another life. Kisuke is not the same. He is an adult with his own demons and dreams and aspirations. A life to mould, to protect and take charge of is not the same. And contrary to what her friends had pointed out, Ichigo does not fall into that kind of category. He is too independent for that kind of role. More importantly, he already had a mother who remains a deep, raw part of him, spurring him in his role as a Substitute Shinigami; a painful memory of his failings and inability to protect in his childhood.

But Orihime is not like Ichigo.

"Oh what a beautiful cat you have, Urahara-san!" A girl can get used to that kind of compliments, you know! Yoruichi has always felt flattered by people appreciating her animal form. Not many people like black cats due to their superstitious associations with bad luck.

And after a day of training, it's heavenly to have someone stroke and massage her feline limbs.

It came with an unexpected side dose of modelling apparently…

"Look Sado-kun, Neko-san is Puss in Boots." Yoruichi finds miniature boots being slid on her hind paws and a feathered hat placed on her head. She hisses at Kisuke but refrains from scratching the bosomy girl holding her so carefully. Damn him for guffawing his heart out. So what, if Inoue Orihime did not know initially that she was a talking cat!

Besides, said human girl certainly took to her talking animal form like fish to water.

"I'd appreciate some tuna instead. The boots are rather itchy." A brief silence then…

"Neko-san, you can talk! Are you from Oz?"

"Inoue," said the giant Mexican boy, who had been silent until now. "Are you sure that's the first thing to ask a talking cat?"

"She's a magical cat, Sado-kun!" Yoruichi feels the girl's soft cheek nuzzle her forehead, giggling, "…so special"

Orihime certainly had a way of instilling protective feelings into others. Special. Very few people thought of Yoruichi as special, certainly not in her own right as her own person. To be regarded as a female role model, in a softer light, in an innocent girlish way that still understood that Yoruichi had allegiances to imperfect people and had personal flaws is so very different from Yoruichi's previous relationships with others.

Yoruichi gets irritated with Kisuke when he pays lesser attention to Orihime's training and development. Even Sado gets training with Renji! Honestly, why should it matter that she comes from a more disadvantageous starting point because her powers are more defensive as opposed to offensive. It shouldn't matter that Orihime is the only girl in the quartet band of boys who go rescue Kuchiki Rukia and gets caught up with their fight against Aizen.

Yoruichi has seen potential for training Orihime along the lines of a beginning member of the Secret Corps. After all, the human girl is more skilled in hand-to-hand combat and has absolutely nil experience in handling a sword. But Kisuke says no. The emphasis is placed on Ichigo with his faster potential due to his Hollow-Shinigami-Quincy background, someone who can easily come to grips with the intention to kill. It is merely on hindsight that Yoruichi starts upon the notion that Kisuke's clumsy sidelining of Orihime in battles was his tactless way of protecting her.

When Yoruichi learns of Orihime's kidnapping orchestrated by the Arrancars and Aizen, she delivers gouging scratches to Kisuke's arms and back. How dare he! This is the result of his artless rebuke to Orihime's attempt to become stronger! Kisuke said no training for Orihime, so the girl quite practically decided to seek training elsewhere, in Soul Society with Kuchiki Rukia. She remembers having to find Orihime, outside the Vaizards' hideout, and escorting the young girl to Kisuke, who had deliberately told Orihime that she was a burden on her nakama because she lost her only offensive weapon. Had Kisuke not felt the need to save the healer and assuage his guilty conscience, Yoruichi would have definitely ripped him a new one!

As it all turned out, she got to see Orihime returned in one piece and alive, scarred and bruised but blessedly alive. And when Kisuke gets slightly patronising with her about his plans with the Karakura Quartet, Yoruichi has the great pleasure to remind him about the best laid schemes of mice and men.

A/N New character perspective was needed, and perhaps a chapter which was less dark and angst-filled like the previous ones. From the little I gleaned about Yoruichi's background (I haven't read the explanatory books 'Unmasked' or 'All Colours but Black'), she was a princess of the Shihoin clan who was actually third-in-line for the throne. Her departure from Soul Society apparently caused her clan to decline in influence.

Considering that Orihime does know black belt karate, courtesy of Tatsuki, shouldn't Kubo sensei have made more mention of or develop that aspect of her ability to fight? There's been so much focus on the strengths of others, and while it's enough for me that Orihime is very much a realistic reminder of human strength and human fallacy and emotional resilience, it hasn't been enough for critics who keep picking on her lack of brawn.

Looking forward to your comments!

Cheers,

Checkmate

P.S. Could you guys actually give me some suggestions as to what fairy tales you would like to read next? Giving new interpretations to fairy tales has been hard as of late given how well entrenched Disney's (and other media's) depictions of fairy tales have taken been. Thanks!