Chapter 4: Secret Abilities
Yoruichi had said that the slow journey into the forest was part of the training. In fact, it was a test. Soldiers of the Onmitsukidou must learn how to be aware of their surroundings. They must be observant, and they need to be able to memorize every single detail. Her bodyguard's task was to take in her surroundings—smells, sights, sounds—and report everything back to her later. Yoruichi's own eyes seemed to be scanning the century-old trees and moonlight filtering through the canopy as if to perform the same exercise so that she could check Soifon's report against her own observations. But one didn't spend so much time with Yoruichi and not know any better.
Couldn't you just say that you wanted to take a nice evening stroll?
The slow journey was a test, alright. The ex-captain knew it well because Omaeda used to administer it all the time. It was a test of patience; and indeed, it was testing her patience.
While they were walking, Yoruichi taking the lead and Soifon trailing a step behind as was typical, the younger of the two kept fidgeting with the cloth of her pants, the action sometimes punctuated by the clenching and unclenching of fists. It was a decently restrained show of impatience and anxiety, possible to miss if you were anyone else, but with a brief glance, the Gundanchou immediately read the mood of her constant companion and subordinate.
"Calm down, Soifon. There's no hurry to achieve shikai today. Your goal is to commune with your zanpakutou so you can understand each other better. The baby steps will eventually get you where you want."
Soifon would have been proud of her thespian skills, acting like a novice trying to achieve shikai, were it not for the fact that she was truly nervous. After she had announced her intention to successfully release her zanpakutou during training, Soifon realized that she hadn't had the opportunity to use Nigeki Kessatsu in this timeline. For all she knew, her abilities might have regressed to how they had been in her adolescence. Her current fear was that Future Suzumebachi hadn't traveled back in time with her, and they needed to get to know each other all over again before she could perform shikai.
More than that, what if the reset gave me a new zanpakutou; or worse, what if Suzumebachi was left behind with nothing else to replace her? Surely a new shikai is better than none at-
"Alright, we'll stop here," Yoruichi interrupted her thoughts as she leaned against a tree.
Drawing a calming breath, Soifon pretended to sweep the clearing with her gaze though she knew it very well, coincidentally having spent much of her bankai training in the same place.
"Shall I begin meditation, Yoruichi-sama?" the lower noble forced herself to ask as meekly and as respectfully as she could. Not that she would ever consider regarding the Shihouin princess with anything but humility and respect, but taking it to the extreme was an impulse she believed she had long left behind.
"Yeah, just settle down somewhere and perform the exercise like I told you back in the office. I'll be right here, keeping an eye on you," Yoruichi ordered casually, appearing to shoo her student off. "Oh, and if you come out of it and I'm not right here, I might be giving the area another look-around. You know, so I can check your observations later."
Sigh. I really wish she would just say she's going for a stroll.
"Yes, Yoruichi-sama," Soifon responded obediently while lowering herself to sit cross-legged at the center of the clearing. She closed her eyes, making sure to spend at least ten minutes of obvious distractedness for the benefit of her audience before she truly attempted to enter her mindscape.
Soifon's mindscape was a broad green valley bounded on two sides by craggy cliffs and slopes. The valley itself was littered with randomly spaced vertical poles of different heights and girths, each handsomely molded, gilded and painted in her stinger's shiny gold and black stripes. The sun lay low on the horizon, the field, the rocks and the elaborate training posts half awash in sunlight and half swathed in shadow. Chiaroscuro was the term that always came to mind when she visited the non-corporeal space, and it was fitting because the woman's thoughts and emotions tended to come in extreme pairs, always battling each other but also complementing each other. The woman herself was a living paradox, a celebrity in the limelight, complete with adoring fans due to her leadership in the Gotei Thirteen, but also a dark personality shrouded in the shadowy dealings of the Onmitsukidou.
"Suzumebachi?" Soifon called out craning her neck left and right as if she had just entered the doorway to someone's house.
"So you've come," the pint-sized human-hornet chimera responded as she materialized and flew over to face her wielder.
"Then you remember me?" the girl queried expectantly.
"If I didn't, I think I would be quite disturbed that my wielder knew my name before we had even met," the spirit answered, slightly amused by the question.
"Yes, well, it's good that you did then."
The tiny creature sighed, landing on top of a training pole. "Soifon, as much as you dislike some of my powers, I am a part of your soul. If your soul was sent back in time, then I get sent back as well."
"You know all about that?" Soifon's eyes brightened hopefully.
Suzumebachi sighed again, "I only know as much as you do, I'm afraid. Even I can't fathom the kind of power that not only plays with time, but breaks it and remakes it according to the actions of one person."
"I know what you mean. How all this is even possible keeps bothering me. Also, it's a little overwhelming to know that that one person is me."
Suzumebachi laughed—a buzzing, almost condescending sound. "Take a look around your mindscape. I think that might be an understatement."
In its typical state, the valley was in perpetual dawn or sunset—it was impossible to distinguish since the sun didn't move with the passing of the days, but instead shifted to reflect Soifon's mood. Now that she paid more attention to her mindscape, she realized that the sun was significantly lower than usual and as a result, the shadows were much longer. In the shadows, she noticed that a number of training posts had actually broken and fallen on the ground.
"Sorry, but I think it might stay like this for a little while" the shinigami said, sounding marginally abashed by her inability to calm her mind. Suzumebachi gave a tiny shrug to indicate her understanding.
"So I take it my shikai still works?" Soifon eyed the chimera curiously.
"As well as it always has. Why don't you try it?"
"If I try it here, won't that also reflect out there? I wanted to show Yoruichi-sama-"
Suzumebachi's expression darkened at the name. "She's not out there at the moment."
There was an awkward pause before Soifon nodded and unsheathed her zanpakutou from her side, something she hadn't done since she became a captain and started carrying the sheath across her back. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" she called out as she held the sword across her chest, parallel to the ground. The ornate gold and black metal began to adorn her right forearm, then linked itself to the deadly stinger that had formed on her finger. Once again, the petite woman nodded, this time in satisfaction.
"Well, there really isn't anything I can sting to death here except for you, so this will have to do for now," Soifon noted thoughtfully.
"As if you could," the hornet snorted derisively.
For a minute or two, the pair was quiet while Soifon inspected her weapon intently. The smaller of the two broke the silence with a fake cough. "I notice you didn't ask about Jakuho Raikoben."
"Does it still work?" Soifon suddenly looked up, a little worried that she had lost a trump card, even an abominable one.
"Soifon, Soifon…" Suzumebachi scolded, placing her hands on her hips and tapping the air with her toes.
"Is that any way to think of your bankai? As an afterthought?"
"You know why I think that way," the young woman mumbled softly as she looked away.
"Yes, of course, it goes against all your sensibilities as an assassin," the spirit stated, clearly offended. "And have you ever thought of why you bankai is like that? Ever considered the possibility that it's simply the reflection of what is in your heart?"
"How can it be a reflection of my heart? I'm an assassin!" Soifon argued stubbornly.
"One that wanted to surpass her old captain," the tiny creature amended. "You didn't achieve bankai so you can kill enemies without them knowing; you wanted to make a show of your power."
"So because of my own immaturity when I achieved bankai, I'm stuck with that flashy technique that endangers me almost as much as the enemy, and can only be used once in three days," the ex-captain summarized, disgusted at herself as much as she was at the technique itself. She cradled her face in her hands.
Floating above her, Suzumebachi cracked a knowing smile. "Tell me, Soifon, haven't you ever wondered why you can only fire Jakuho Raikoben once in three days?"
"Because I don't have enough reiatsu?" Soifon guessed with raised eyebrows.
"No, no, no," the spirit shook her head. "You're a captain; you've got plenty of reiatsu."
Soifon decided not to correct her current title. "But I run out of reiatsu each time I use it."
"Because you overload the technique. You don't really need to put in that much every time," Suzumebachi explained.
"But if I don't put in that much reiatsu, I don't get the big explosion."
"I thought you said you were an assassin. Why would you want a huge explosion?" the giant bug flew in front of her face and smirked.
Soifon's eyebrow twitched. "Is there a point to this conversation?"
"A very good one that I would have gotten to eventually," Suzumebachi assured her. "But since you're impatient and temperamental as always, I'll cut to the chase. The point is you're not stuck with 'a flashy technique that endangers you almost as much as the enemy, and can only be used once in three days'. Your current Jakuho Raikoben's technique is incomplete and that is the only reason it is so seriously flawed."
The young woman dropped her jaw and jabbed an accusatory finger—stinger still attached— at her zanpakutou's spirit. "When I learned that technique, you said I had achieved all that I was capable of!"
"At the time," the spirit agreed. "That was all your heart would allow: a grand demolition fed by a wasteful flare of reiatsu and emotion."
Insulted by the description, the Chinese woman threw the hornet a dirty look. "And now?"
"I've been paying attention to your thoughts; you've accepted the need to stay in the shadows. Now, you really think like an assassin so I'll give you a bankai worthy of an assassin. I also think that you have slightly better control of your emotions."
"Slightly," Soifon repeated flatly. "I see."
"No, you don't. Not yet," Suzumebachi interjected obnoxiously. "Find me a good training spot and let me materialize. That's when you'll really see," she held her left index finger in front of her for emphasis. When she finished speaking, she suddenly lifted her head. "It seems that woman is coming back," she ground out venomously.
"How long have I been in here?" the sword wielder wondered aloud, ignoring the spirit's tone while she dispelled her shikai.
"Not too long, but you should probably go. Before you do leave, let me warn you," the sword spirit pinned her with a stern glare. "I won't let you use your shikai to impress that woman."
"This one hasn't done anything but teach me," the young woman persisted, but Suzumebachi refused to have any of it.
"I'm telling you, that woman is bad news."
"But-" Soifon found herself opening her eyes to the sight of Yoruichi once again waving her hand too close to her face.
I can't believe she kicked me out!
"You're back," Yoruichi straightened out and stepped back.
"Yes," Soifon answered softly.
"So, did my student achieve shikai like she claimed she would?" Yoruichi smiled excitedly, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
I won't let you use your shikai to impress that woman.
"Umm… not really," Soifon stared at the ground dejectedly.
Yoruichi, on the other hand, frowned confusedly. The very reason she came back early from her stroll was because she felt Soifon's reiatsu rise to the level of shikai.
She shook her head, filing away whatever she sensed for future consideration. "Well then, why don't we practice some shunpo so the night isn't a complete waste?"
Soifon opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter a word, Yoruichi flicked her forehead forcefully and set off with a shout that faded out so quickly that the girl almost failed to make it out.
"Tag, you're it!"
And just like that, Soifon's gaping mouth slowly curled into a smile.
At least no one's stopping me from impressing her with shunpo.
With that, Soifon set off at a pace that was just a notch higher than the thought she should have at that point in time.
Yoruichi wasn't known as the Goddess of Flash for nothing. She could race with the wind and could travel miles in the blink of an eye. She was the fastest shinigami to ever set foot into the Seireitei and, proud as she was, she often took pleasure in emphasizing how slow everyone else seemed to her. This is why, after a few minutes of much retarded flash stepping, when Soifon began to catch up, the Goddess of Flash yelled over her shoulder with a jovial laugh, "What's the matter, Soifon? Did meditating tire you out? You're even slower than usual!"
Since there was no one that could match Yoruichi's speed—not any of the other captains or even the Soutaichou—the typical response to her taunting was a grunt of exertion as the target of her taunts tried and failed to keep up with her. Of course, the current situation was anything but typical. After all, the person she was taunting wasn't just from the future; she was Yoruichi's protégé, her successor in the Second Division and the Onmitsukidou, and most importantly, a very, very fast shinigami whose shunpo came second only to the Goddess of Flash, herself. Not to mention that the said shinigami was simply holding back and tended to take many things, including taunts, a tad too seriously.
I thought this was already a notch above the speed I had around this time. My estimate must have been off…
Thus, in a very atypical response to Yoruichi's taunting, Soifon started matching her, step for step in their little game of tag. The Gundanchou felt quite perturbed, to say the least. True, she was holding back a lot, but she also meant to go significantly faster than the girl to tease her, impress upon her the need for further training and to maybe show a little bit of why she was dubbed the Shunshin.
Recalling the earlier jolt in reiatsu in light of the girl's unexpected jump in speed, Yoruichi began to suspect that Soifon really did achieve shikai and that for some reason, her bodyguard had been keeping her abilities from her. 'I knew she had potential, but how could I have not seen that she was already this strong?' she mentally kicked herself.
'Hmm, this… changes things,' the captain decided.
Author's notes:
Yes, Suzumebachi is the same here as she is in the Zanpakutou Arc even if I dislike that little bug, which is why I decided not to describe her in detail the same way I don't dwell on characters' appearances. I hope the mindscape's description was detailed enough though.
The chapter is longer than usual because it felt odd splitting this somewhere in between. I found it difficult to write for some reason. Let me know if it shows, because if it does, I'll have to give it another look.
Disclaimer:
Bleach isn't mine. If it was, Suzumebachi wouldn't look the way she does.