Six years passed since Soi Fon first set eyes on the Shihoin princess. She'd learned, a few days later after much inquiry, that the woman's name was Shihoin Yoruichi. She whispered the name to herself, and decided it was fitting for a goddess. She looked forward to the day when she could begin her life under Yoruichi, anticipating it with both excitement and fear.
Finally, that day came, and Soi Fon knelt with her siblings before her father, the eighth head of the Feng family. He solemnly informed them that their years of training were about to end; they were ready to join the Executive Militia branch. At that moment, Soi Fon felt the same thrill as her siblings felt, but she also felt sadness. From here on out, their lives were insignificant; they were simply being added to the vast army of lives in the military. That meant they were expendable, important yet worthless.
That afternoon, Soi Fon left the Feng manor alone and crossed the field to the hill where the graves of the noble families were. She moved through the rows of graves with purpose, arriving at a small marble grave near the edge of the cemetery.
"Feng 'Soi Fon' Shin," it read. Soi Fon knelt before it and whispered the words aloud. She ran her fingers gently over the engraving. "I miss you, Obaasan," she said fondly. Nobody had ever cared for her as her grandmother had. Despite having a sense of duty drilled into her ever since she was a child, Soi Fon felt truly at home with her grandmother. She was the closest thing to real family that Soi Fon ever had. A tear rolled slowly down her cheek and for the first time since her grandmother's death, Soi Fon let the tears fall, silent but real.
"Hey…" A polite male voice interrupted her solitude. Startled, Soi Fon quickly swiped at her eyes, trying to hide the tears. A strong soldier did not cry. A strong soldier did not show emotions like these. She looked up to see a boy watching her. He seemed to be about her age, but he towered over her. His rather long but silky black hair was tied back with a red string, and his features were chiseled and noble. He searched her face with large, curious eyes. She cautiously stood and faced him.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Soi Fon nodded quickly. "Oh, of course. I was… just visiting my grandmother. And what are you doing here?" She had to remember to keep her guard up at all times.
"Same as you. I am simply visiting." The boy shrugged, his thin shoulders rising under his plain robes. "I'm Kuchiki Byakuya."
"Kuchiki?" The name sounded familiar to Soi Fon. She ran through her memories, and then it hit her. Kuchiki, one of the four noble families! Her eyes widened and she quickly fell to one knee, inclining her head toward the boy. "S-sorry, I did not realize." How stupid she was! She should have remembered that this was, after all, the cemetery of the nobility, and the people coming here were most likely from noble families higher than her own.
Byakuya laughed, a calm chuckle, and shook his head, and then he became serious. "Please don't. I get enough of that everywhere else. So what's your name?"
Soi Fon stood. She wondered what name she should give him. Her military duties would begin tomorrow, but for today, she was still Feng Shaolin. Tomorrow, she would be Soi Fon. Perhaps for once, she could relax a little. "My name is Feng Shaolin."
Byakuya's expression changed just the slightest bit. His face fell a little, and a look of mixed disappointment and pity spread over it. "A Feng. So you will be entering the service of the Corps Commander soon." He sighed, and Soi Fon wondered what he was thinking. Did he look down on her? Did he pity her?
"Yes. I begin tomorrow." She looked sadly down at the marble grave next to her. "I came to visit my grandmother… for the last time perhaps." Soi Fon smiled grimly. "Unless I survive past the first year."
Byakuya did not respond to her last comment. Instead, he walked slowly down the row of graves until he reached a stone tower that was engraved with the words "Kuchiki Ginrei." He sat silently before it and closed his eyes. What a strange child, thought Soi Fon. After a few minutes, she went to sit next to him. The afternoon light washed over his serene face, and for a moment, Soi Fon didn't see a boy, but rather a burdened man. Then a bird passed before them and the spell faded just as quickly.
The boy's voice was wistful when he spoke. "Today marks one year since my grandfather's death." His eyes remained closed, and he turned his face upward toward the sky.
Soi Fon was silent for a moment. She herself had forgotten how long it had been since her grandmother's death. She just knew it had been too long. But with time came acceptance, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"What was he like?"
Byakuya smiled, a distant look in his eyes. "He must have been the most noble man ever to live," he said simply, as if that one sentence summed up everything there was to say about his grandfather. "I'm going to be just like him. I'll lead my family. I'll lead Soul Society." He stood and turned to face Soi Fon with a slight smirk. "So you better live long enough to see that."
Soi Fon stood as well, crossing her arms. For a moment, she forgot that he was from the Kuchiki family and she was from the Feng family. They were just friends on the same level. "You bet I will."
Byakuya put out a pinky. "Promise?"
Soi Fon stuck out her own slender pinky and hooked it around his. "Definitely. That's a promise, Kuchiki Byakuya."
"Alright," said Byakuya, letting go and turning around. He began to walk toward the gate of the cemetery. "I'll hold you to it then, Feng Shaolin." And he was gone.
Soi Fon smiled stupidly after him, something she would never dare do in front of her family. But today was different. Today, she made a promise. Today, she found one more reason to live.
And there's the next chapter with Byakuya! I know the timing is off and Ginrei shouldn't actually be dead yet, but I'm making him dead for plot purposes. And as you can probably tell, Byakuya is his happy little boyish self here, before he got all angsty and serious.