Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Hornet and Phantom. Enjoy the 1500-word chapter. I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo and a few others do.

Both Sui-Feng and Riku continued their climb up the pillar. Their unspoken race seemed to both spur the other onwards and upwards the pillar as he hummed and looked around once more.

The duo looked down from said high perch, clinging on with one hand. Their other hand grasped the other's wrist, securing purchase on the platform which they both seemed to trust.

"Your aware we have a mission tomorrow, yes?" Sui-Feng asked which caused Riku to nod as their feet clung to the ledge.

"Yes, captain," Riku said as the duo sat upon the small ledge. "You've made that clear several times," Riku said as he leaned and balanced upon the short wall.

Both paused only to stare out at the Soul Society. Sui sat upon the edge, curious about what her former boss had probably been up to recently.

"Riku, you've been part of my division for only a short while, correct?" Sui asked before Riku slowly joined her.

"Part of the new divisions, but I wouldn't call them new by now," Riku stated and crossed his arms. "Why?" Riku questioned, looking up at the stars above them as he hummed.

"Do you not remember the previous captain of the division?" Sui asked and got no answer for a moment.

"Yoruichi?" Riku asked and got a frustrated nod from Sui. "I do not mean any disrespect, Sui. I just don't remember her as you do. I was placed under your command AFTER Yoruichi had already left the Soul Society." Riku said, drumming his fingers upon his arms with interest.

Sui was silent for many moments, curiously pondering what to do next at the moment. They had come up here to talk personally and reflect.

"I got something to show you if you wish to meet up there?" Riku said before looking down at the Soul Society as he made some quick mental math.

"What are you…" Sui started to say before Riku leaped from the ledge downwards and into the city.

Sui watched as Riku grabbed onto the pillar once more and slid down, leaping back and forth like a massive spider. He waited for her to follow as the captain slightly trailed behind him while Riku hummed and looked around with interest.

The two raced down the pillar, bouncing back and forth from the pillar as he hummed and leaped to the ground. Riku grabbed his shoes, placed them on his feet, and took them to the rooftops.

Sui grunted with annoyance and grabbed her shoes before giving chase. Riku leaped from rooftop to rooftop, never stopping to look over his shoulder unless it was a glance at her. She noticed a quick smirk at her with amusement.

She contemplated killing him again, it would rather be amusing when it came down to it. She stayed her hand, making sure not to attack when it came down to it. Sui arrived at the edge of an area that she hadn't seen once.

The area looked like a traditional cherry blossom pond, yet the water was free of even a single petal. She hummed and noted Riku sat at the edge of the lake, seated in the lotus pose which her division practiced.

Sui Feng blinked and looked around this area, not having seen it a single time. She questioned if it was some hidden area within the Soul Society. She slowly made her way to Riku who had shed his robes and shoes. She did the same and slowly sat next to him.

"What is this place?" Riku heard from Sui as he chuckled with amusement as he turned to look at her.

"It's a reflection area I believed the recruits used when we aren't training," Riku stated which made Sui raise an eyebrow which made him chuckle only to get an elbow to the ribs.

He hummed and then slowly cracked open his eyes. He looked at her with amusement and tensed with energy.

"I guess you're unfamiliar with a meditation area, Sui?" Riku asked with amusement as he turned to Sui, eyebrow raised as he chuckled.

Sui was silent, somewhere between wishing to bash Riku in half… While the other half of her was busy thinking about this place, she knew there were several hot springs around the area… But NEVER close to a spa or anything within that ballpark when it came down to it.

"Were you aware of this place before or after we started training?" Sui asked as Riku paused to peek an eye open in her direction.

"If you're honestly asking?" Riku asked, pausing to look around and take a deep breath. "Then uh… Before. I usually tour the rest of the barracks before passing out, to be honest. It's not as easy as you might think to sleep. You usually have a LOT on your mind when you pass out, you know?" Riku asked, rather curious as to what his captain meant.

Sui nodded. She was well aware of how much training went into her plans, meaning she often spent hours awake quietly questioning how best to put her combat skills into practice with different plans and such. You couldn't always know what you'd be walking into at the end of the day.

"I rather enjoy the time we spend talking when there aren't hollows to face, captain," Riku stated, pausing only to rub at his temples as he turned and closed his eyes. "I am curious about something; you never seem to enjoy the company of the rest of your division. Do we disturb you or such?" Riku asked, tucking his feet under him as he did so.

"No…" Sui said and cursed herself as she thought about what to say.

Did she hate her men? No, Sui despised the departure of Yoruichi the more she thought about it. But she didn't blame her division for it, the woman had gone off without even a goodbye to the others, leaving her rather miffed.

"It's not an easy question to answer, is it?" Riku asked, pausing only to chuckle as she realized what he did.

'Damn him for that joke… Though it was rather amusing when I think about it.' Sui added as she shook her head and wiggled her fingers.

She could still feel the energy from her bouncing around the rest of the Soul Society. Despite her rather misgivings about the issue? She would be lying if she didn't… Find SOME amusement in throwing herself around the equipment like a child.

Though she'd be damned if she admitted that to Riku despite her genuine glee at the idea. She turned to look at him and noticed he was rather deep in thought.

"You're not as cowardly as I thought when we first talked," Sui added to which Riku raised an eyebrow.

"You held a sword to my throat; you are aware of that," Riku said, pointing a finger at the woman as he slowly cracked his fingers. "I want you to have a blade to your throat, about an INCH from being killed by said blade… Then talk about someone like that as if they aren't in the same boat." Riku added, shaking his head more in amusement than anything else.

It helped that he knew that Sui was simply protecting herself from an assassin, however? Her gimmicks also led to him having a fear of life when it came down to it.

Sui settled into another trance, helped by the soothing warm water which helped mask the area. It felt serene, it felt tranquil, she could come back to here if it was as good as she heard from Riku.

"Do you enjoy my company as much as you say?" Riku heard from Sui who paused to raise an eyebrow.

"Why else would I be here, Sui?" Riku asked, his eyebrow raised as he turned to brush off the rest of his vest. "There's plenty to deal with when it comes to it… But you understand, you've ALWAYS seemed to understand, and that's why I feel like I can trust you because you know what it's like." Riku said, pausing only to take a breath as he rotated his gaze out to the lake in front of him.

"Seems there's more to this than meets the eye." Riku heard from Sui as he chuckled and nodded at the moment.

"Indeed, indeed," Riku added, cracking his fingers once again.

"This will be quite interesting," Sui added as Riku hummed.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out I'll put in hollows and a villain next chapter. I want Riku and Sui Feng's bond to be slow and close but comforting. The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show the duo preparing for a mission and setting up another training fight down the road. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!

P.S: Next chapter is 1200-1500 words or such. Retsu is 900 currently.