Chapter 11 - Anticipation
A light drizzle pattered down from the stormy grey skies onto a group of shinigami standing to attention, oblivious of the weather, before a pacing figure in a white haori. Yoruichi stood to one side, her golden orbs trained intently on the Captain. Soifon had summoned the strongest and most skilled of the shinigami of Squad Two and the most silent and deadly members of the stealth force to the perimeter of the forest. Squad Two together with Soifon and Yoruichi would act as decoys to draw out the Hollow with their combined reiatsu at a safe distance from Soul Society, while the stealth force would remain hidden and undetected until the appearance of the target and attempt to incapacitate it before it could drag any of the squad to their certain doom in another dimension.
"Are there any questions?" Soifon asked still walking up and down the line before her subordinates. "Ask now because there's a good chance you'll be dead later." She stopped and eyed the shinigami, searching for any tell-tale signs of wavering resolve. Satisfied, she flicked her damp air from her eyes and continued. "No? Then remember to strike while you have a chance and don't hesitate to take down the enemy from behind. Those who falter die. That is what it means to be in my Squad."
In the distance, a rumble of thunder reverberated through the darkening clouds. The assembled shinigami remained motionless, focused upon their Captain. Water slid along the polished golden hoops swaying in the strengthening zephyr as she gave the order. "We march north-east through the forest, make camp at nightfall. Stay vigilant, the Hollow could attack at any time. Move out!"
A series of flickering blurs accompanied the departure of the stealth force, while the Squad Two members saluted and began marching towards the forest. Yoruichi watched them leave before turning her attention back to Soifon. "I wonder how many of them will survive if this Hollow is as dangerous as Captain Hitsugaya made out."
Soifon glanced at her through a haze of drizzle with narrowed eyes. "They've had all the training they require for this mission. If they die it will only be due to their own incompetence." Her braids swinging behind her, the irritable woman vanished into the distance.
Yoruichi sighed reproachfully, knowing that she was at least partly to blame for the smaller woman's less than tolerant attitude towards her subordinates. She shifted the still unfamiliar weight of her zanpaktou behind her back before using shunpo to quickly close the gap between the Squad trudging through the forest ahead.
The wind whipping through her purple hair, Yoruichi surveyed the clearing through a curtain of rain from the bough of a tree. The shinigami of Squad 2 had begun setting up camp for the night, stumbling through the mud as they set up their tents. They were not finding it an easy task, the cruel wind snatching the material from cold, sodden hands. Soifon belaboured and verbally abused any slackers she saw, bringing an amused smile to the cat-woman's face. Curses filled the air as darkness fell, eventually subsiding as the shinigami huddled miserably underneath their makeshift shelters.
From her high perch, Yoruichi crouched down and scanned the foliage surrounding the area. The Stealth Force were excellent at hiding themselves; there was no sign of their presence yet the woman knew they were nearby, watching for any sudden appearance of the Hollow.
A flash of white and yellow in the branches of a tree across the clearing caught Yoruichi's eye. Soifon evidently preferred to keep out of the weather in the same way as Yoruichi by sheltering beneath the leaves rather than crouch in the mud under a draughty tent. The purple-haired woman stretched like a cat before rising and leaping from branch to branch to land at her Captain's side.
"Everyone looks to be in position, no sign of the Hollow yet" she announced, shaking water droplets from her clothes.
Soifon turned and sat down with her back to the trunk of the tree, able to relax a little now that all there was to do was wait. "Good. You take first watch and I'll relieve you in a few hours. One of us needs to be on the alert at all times."
Yoruichi nodded and jumped to a higher branch to obtain a better view of the area, and, she thought to herself, of Soifon resting below. Soifon closed her eyes, knowing she could trust her new Vice-captain to stay attentive. The woman was confident and capable, a breath of fresh air compared to the bungling Ōmaeda. That fool was probably still lying in bed recovering from the beating he had received from Yoruichi during their match.
Soifon had been glad of the flurry of activity of the past few hours. It meant that she hadn't had chance to dwell for any great amount of time upon what had transpired with Yoruichi moments before the alarm had sounded. She was still unsettled at the ease at which those puzzling feelings had surfaced from inside her, even more so that they didn't feel entirely unfamiliar. As her breathing slowed and the heaviness of sleep settled in, the image cloaked in shadow loomed once more to plague the Captain's thoughts in the absence of other distractions. The silhouette flickered in and out of focus as she drifted of to sleep.
Scanning the tree-tops, golden eyes were ever drawn to a pale face framed by jet black hair. All the anger and impatience that was Soifon was extinguished by sleep, the furrowed brows replaced by an expression as free from emotion as a doll's. She looked like the small girl that once upon a time had been so desperate to serve and protect Yoruichi. A twinge of guilt gripped the older woman's stomach as she gazed upon the sleeping girl. It was quickly replaced by a longing as she felt again the desire to set things right between them no matter what.
Her keen senses straining for any change in reiatsu, Yoruichi alternated her time between keeping a watch on the shinigami on the forest floor, the encompassing foliage, and more often than not, on the still form of the sleeping Captain. After a while, the woman observed Soifon's forehead creasing into a scowl. She contemplated hanging from the branch by her legs and planting a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead but quickly dismissed the notion, remembering that the Stealth force were positioned all around them and would most likely not react well to such an unusual action. Deciding it was time to wake her in any case, Yoruichi slowly rose from her position crouched among the leaves and carefully dropped down to the lower branch, walking slowly so as not to shake it too suddenly.
Soifon, deep in sleep was dreaming. The mysterious figure was advancing upon her, the outline slowly coming into view. Long black hair snaked around the figure's pitch black shoulders, a glimmer of light visible around the rim of eyes that appeared to be shut. Soifon heard herself demanding to know who the person was, and struggled to move against some unseen force which rendered her motionless. The silhouette continued to advance until it filled her vision, the clothing gradually coming into view as colours seeped slowly from black to grey to –
"Soifon-Taichou, it's early morning. I thought I should wake you." Yoruichi placed a hand on the Captain's shoulder, pulling her from her slumber.
Blearily Soifon looked up at the woman through sleep filled eyes and mumbled drowsily "Weren't you wearing orange a second ago?" before blinking and yawning. Rising to her feet and coaxing her stiff muscles back into life, the small woman now fully awake glanced at Yoruichi who seemed to have frozen, her hand still partly out stretched.
"What was that Captain?" the purple-haired woman whispered, her golden eyes wide.
Soifon frowned. What was wrong with her? "What are you talking about Yoruichi? What's been going on, anything to report?"
Yoruichi coughed and pulled herself together. Soifon clearly didn't remember what she'd just said, and although it was worrying, the woman realised she was acting strangely and Soifon would be bound to notice.
"Nothing, no movements, no change in reiatsu." She managed straightening her posture.
Soifon nodded and peered down through the gloom to see the guttering camp fires of the sleeping squad. "I'll continue the watch until morning, try and get some sleep Vice-captain."
Yoruichi made her way to the trunk of the tree and seated her self in the same place the Captain had occupied moments before and shut her eyes, her mind echoing Soifon's words. Was she remembering who Yoruichi was? Soifon had almost certainly made reference to Yoruichi's distinctive orange jacket. How much time was there before the rest of her memories came back? The purple-haired shinigami cursed the appearance of the Hollow, hoping they could dispose of it soon so that she could continue with her plan. She would just have to risk moving things along more quickly.
Soifon took up position a little way from Yoruichi, her legs swinging out over the edge of the branch. Now and again she couldn't resist sneaking glances at the captivating woman. The moon had broken free of the dark clouds and cast its gentle beam onto tanned skin.
'What is it about you Yoruichi?' The Captain mused to herself, 'what is this longing I feel when I look at you? It seems always to have been there, and yet it can't have been, I've known you only days.' She glanced over at the sleeping woman, watching the moonlight dance over shining hair falling softly across enrapturing features. 'I shouldn't feel this way at all, am I so weak that I - .' She growled in annoyance and passed her hand roughly across her eyes as if to dispel her own treacherous thoughts before they could reach their conclusion. She resolutely looked away, trying to force herself to become fascinated by the bark of the tree opposite, but to her dismay, the memory of Yoruichi mere millimetres away rose in her mind. She had been so tantalisingly close. 'And she called me her little bee….'
The Captain gave in and stole another glance at the Goddess only to freeze in shock as she was pierced by dazzling golden eyes. Soifon blushed furiously and almost fell from her perch. Yoruichi hid a smile and pretended not to notice, rising with a show of stretching and yawning. Perhaps it wouldn't be so much of a risk after all.
Soifon quickly regained her composure and donned her usual stony expression, although a faint blush still remained upon her cheeks. "You really should rest, we have another day's march ahead of us tomorrow."
"Sorry Taichou, I'm afraid this cold weather woke me up." Yoruichi indicated her bare arms and threw in a shiver for good measure, a mischievous grin threatening to surface. Walking over to a surprised Soifon, Yoruichi seated herself directly next to her on the left, their legs touching. "Much warmer now" she stated happily.
Soifon's blush resurfaced immediately and she spluttered silently. Trying desperately to find anything else to distract herself from the jolt of electricity that had surged through her, she leaned back to look at the moon and in doing so, shifted her hands further back to support her weight. They came into contact with another hand, her fingers brushing over Yoruichi's. The women's eyes leapt to each other's at the touch. Yoruichi swallowed and slowly ran the tips of her fingers along Soifon's, praying that the dark-haired girl would not pull away.
The Captain could not have moved if she wanted to, Yoruichi's touch making her incapable of thought and aware only of the emotions that swirled within her. The golden-eyed woman seeing no resistance slid her hand along Soifon's waist pulling her closer, her left hand rising to run slowly along her jaw line, tilting the woman's face closer to her own. Suddenly, Yoruichi remembered the presence of the stealth force. She froze and looked into Soifon's now confused grey eyes, resisting the urge to kiss her anyway.
"Yoruichi….?" Soifon managed, attempting to get her racing emotions under control.
"The stealth force…." Yoruichi whispered, resting her forehead against the Captain's. Her eyes were filled with frustration, the very thing she wanted so badly right in front of her. She withdrew her touch from Soifon's face sadly; waiting until they were completely alone was going to be torture.
Soifon's breath caught in her chest, as she felt Yoruichi move closer. Desire surged through her and she made the decision almost without thinking. As Yoruichi withdrew her hand, she grabbed her wrist and flash-stepped as far as she could, pulling a surprised Yoruichi with her.
Yoruichi suddenly felt the rough bark of a tree against her back, and in contrast, soft lips pressed against her own. Her golden eyes opened wide in shock as she realised Soifon was kissing her. Elation swept through her and she sank into the kiss, returning it passionately as she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, holding her as close as she could. Soifon moaned as Yoruichi's tongue caressed her own, knowing they had only a few seconds more. Breathing heavily, Soifon broke the kiss, tugging Yoruichi back to the spot they had left with another flash step.
Both women fell to a sitting position, panting from the sudden burst of energy they had used. Soifon looked around as she regained her breath. The stealth force was still nowhere to be seen. Even if they had noticed the officer's brief absence there was nothing to be done about it now they had returned. Her grey eyes met Yoruichi's, who grinned sheepishly before moving closer to the Captain and resting her head upon her shoulder, closing her eyes in content. Soifon smiled as Yoruichi whispered "arigato my little bee." Filled with a warmth she'd never known, Soifon stroked Yoruichi's silky hair as the older woman gently drifted off to sleep.