Hold on slow down again from the top now and tell me everything
I know I've been gone for what seems like forever
But I'm here now waiting
To convince you that I'm not a ghost or a stranger
But closer than you think
(Rise Against "Ready to Fall")
Yoruichi took her time to get to the Squad Five barracks, opting to walk rather than use shunpo. She wanted to have a plan of action by the time she got there. She had no idea how the members would react to having a new taichou, especially after what happened with their previous one. In particular, she was worried about Hinamori Momo, who had practically worshipped Aizen before he'd tried to kill her. Inoue Orihime had healed her physical wounds, but there was no easy cure for the wounds that were of an emotional nature. Yoruichi was all too aware of that. She'd have to tread very carefully at first, and work at building trust with her squad, including Momo.
She frowned, thinking about the best way to go about such an undertaking. Finally, she realized it would be best just to be her usual self. That way there would be no pretenses, and no charades to keep up. She knew that some of them would not appreciate her way of leading a squad, but hopefully at least her brutal style of training would convince them she wasn't like Aizen; he'd always acted like a nice guy. With that decided, Yoruichi hastened her approach to the barracks. There was still enough time left in the day to start training right away once she got all the necessary introductions done.
A few flash steps later found her just outside the taichou's office. She walked in, and found Hinamori at the desk, doing paperwork. The fukutaichou looked up in surprise at Yoruichi's arrival.
"Can I help you, Yoruichi-dono?" she asked politely.
"You can just call me Yoruichi. Suffixes are too stuffy. And don't call me taichou, either."
"Um, ok…Yoruichi-san," Momo replied hesitantly. "But what do you mean, don't call you 'taichou'?" Comprehension dawned on her face. "Are you going to be taking over Squad Five?"
"Yes," Yoruichi answered. "Retsu asked me today to take the position and I accepted." Yoruichi noted that Momo looked relieved and apprehensive at the same time. "Now it's time to introduce myself to everyone." She pulled a bit of black powder from a hidden pocket and kneeled down, using the powder to draw symbols on the ground and her arms. Momo recognized it as the beginning of Bakudo 77, Tenteikura. "Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts. Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line. Form a circle and fly though the heavens." Yoruichi used the kido to ask the members of Squad 5 to assemble in the general area.
It wasn't very long before hundreds of Shinigami filtered in, curiosity about the unknown voice that had just summoned them compelling them to move quickly. Yoruichi, satisfied that she had everyone's attention, started to speak.
"My name is Yoruichi Shihouin, and I am your new taichou." There were cheers and gasps as the Shinigami began talking amongst themselves. She waited patiently for everyone to settle down. When it grew quiet again, she resumed speaking. "We will begin training today. But first, I want to explain a few things." She looked out into the crowd. "My training is not for the faint of heart. You will train until you can't move, and then you will train some more. You may hate me for it now, but the day when you might have died but you lived because you're just a little bit faster, or a little bit stronger, or a little bit smarter, you will thank me for all the pain I'm going to put you through in the near future." She paused, and then continued. "I want you to think about what it is you are fighting for. People discover their true, inner powers when they want to protect something. It could be your life, your status, your honor, a loved one, or even a principle; whatever the reason, a fierce desire to protect is the key."
She went on to explain what she wanted them to do, and when she was done, the squad members broke off into groups and dispersed, heading to the proper training area of the barracks. Yoruichi then explained to Momo what her plan was, and they followed the squad. Together, they watched the squad go through their exercises. Every once in a while, Yoruichi would interject and talk to the squad members, and then show them something. Other times, she would have Momo lead the exercises.
This continued the whole evening. When the squad members started to tire, Yoruichi kept to her word and made them keep going anyway. Momo was about to protest when she realized that Yoruichi dismissed those who truly couldn't train anymore and was only keeping Shinigami who were still able to act. Eventually, Yoruichi dismissed the rest of the remaining squad.
"What do you think?" Momo asked hesitantly, once everyone else was gone.
"The squad is in better shape than others have made it out to be," Yoruichi replied honestly. "Their hakuda and hoho is a bit weak, but from what I saw they are above average in kido and zanjutsu. Training will fix most of the problems." Momo nodded, a little relieved.
"I think they like you already," she offered. "Even without a haori on, they seemed to respect that you're the new taichou."
"Oh, I'm glad you mentioned that because I almost forgot to ask if there are extras somewhere," Yoruichi said.
"Yes, there are several new haori in the office," Momo affirmed. "They were never worn by…the previous taichou." She coughed a little. "If you were worried about that, I mean."
"I would have just washed them," Yoruichi said, shrugging. "They're only clothes." Momo looked thoughtful.
"I guess that's true," she admitted. "But still, you're not worried about wearing something that people might associate with a bad memory?" This gave Yoruichi pause.
"If I don't wear it, then it will always be associated with a bad memory. At least this way I have a chance to change that." For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder, somewhat regretfully, if Sui-Feng had thought the same when she'd first donned the Squad Two haori. Then she forced herself back into the present.
"But enough of that. Now I want to see what you can really do." Yoruichi grinned as Momo looked startled.
"What do you mean?" Momo asked.
"I know you were holding back against the other officers. I want to know what you can do when you are fighting someone equal to or stronger than you and you aren't afraid to go all out. To that end, we're going to have a little one-on-one training." She backed away and took up a defensive stance, then motioned for Momo to come at her.
"You want me to attack you?" Momo looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Do you want me to use kido, or …?"
"You can attack however you want. If starting with weaker attacks and working your way up would make you more comfortable, you can do it that way."
"Will you be attacking back?"
"Not at first, but at some point I will. This exercise is intended for both of us to get a feel for each other, and how the other fights. In the future we'll have to work as a team, so this is laying the groundwork."
Momo nodded and stepped back, the expression on her face changing from hesitation to determination.
"Hado number four: Byakurai!" Lightning streaked from Momo's finger towards Yoruichi, who waved it away easily.
"You'll have to do better than that!" she challenged.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado number thirty-one: Shakkaho!" Momo decided to be a little bold.
"Bakudo number thirty-nine: Enkosen!" Yoruichi blocked Momo's attack. "Not bad! Now, can you block mine? Hado number thirty-three: Sokatsui!" Momo mimicked Yoruichi and shielded herself from the kido with Enkosen. Before she had time to react, Yoruichi went on the offensive.
"Hado number sixty-three: Raikoho!"
"Bakudo number seventy-three: Tozansho!" An inverted pyramid sprung up around Yoruichi, blocking her thunderous kido assault from reaching Momo. Not expecting it to hold her taichou for very long, Momo readied another chant, and unleashed it as soon as Yoruichi broke free.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado number seventy-three: Soren Sokatsui!"
"Bakudo eighty-one: Danku!" Yoruichi quickly countered. Momo's eyes widened.
"Wow, you can use that high of a level of kido without the chant?" She sounded a little awestruck. "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised since you're a taichou, but I don't think I've seen anyone actually use that bakudo." Yoruichi grinned.
"I must say, I'm impressed that I had to use it," she complimented Momo. "But that's enough training for today, I think. We can start working on the other forms tomorrow. For now, go get some rest, and I'll see you in the morning." Momo smiled a little and nodded.
"Okay, I will. See you tomorrow, Yoruichi-san. Good night."
Yoruichi waited until Momo was gone before she headed back to what was now her office. She should have asked her fukutaichou where exactly the extra haori were, she thought, looking around the large room. On the other hand, she had intended to explore the office anyway, so it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
She started with the desk, pulling out each drawer. Unsurprisingly, they were empty of any personal items. Many of the drawers were empty altogether, and the few drawers that had anything in them contained ordinary supplies; ink, pens, parchment, etc. The desk's surface area was blank, and Yoruichi frowned at the lack of personality. She would have to bring in a few trinkets to make it feel homey, she decided. She moved on to the tall cabinet standing against the side wall.
"Aha!" Yoruichi exclaimed, seeing the extra haori the moment she opened the door. Checking for the new ones, she grabbed the haori closest to her and pulled it off the hook it was hanging from. Shrugging it on, she sighed as she discovered that haori were still not "one-size-fits-all"; the sleeves were too long, and the bottom of the haori pooled on the floor around her feet. She was sure someone would have invented a flexible haori by now, the way the Gotei 13 went through taichous, but apparently she was ahead of her time in thinking so. Perhaps she'd bring it up to Kisuke or Kurotsuchi Mayuri, she thought, smirking to herself. In the meantime, she'd just have to get these haori hemmed. She grabbed a few more to take with her and tossed them on the empty desk before moving on to the next point of interest.
While the cabinet and desk managed to fit in with the ancient Japanese décor of the rest of the office, the locked file cabinet Yoruichi stopped in front of definitely did not. It was anachronistically metal, clearly influenced by modern western design with its matte black finish and angular proportions. Yoruichi knew from experience that files on every member of the squad were contained within. Unfortunately, she didn't have a key. Unohana probably had the original, and Sui-Feng, as leader of the Onmitsukidou, would have a copy, but she didn't feel like bothering either of them this late. She frowned a little that her thoughts kept leading her back to Sui-Feng. Maybe it would be more difficult than she thought to give things time.
Yoruichi pushed the thought to the back of her mind and considered her options. She could wait until tomorrow, or she could pick the lock. She liked the second option. It was immediate and she could practice her rusty lock picking skills. Fortunately, she always carried a small lock picking set with her, and she pulled it out of her boot to use, being careful not to hurt herself with the anken that were also hidden there.
She tested the file cabinet first for kido-based locks, as sometimes they were used for extra protection. Finding only a minor spell, she disabled it without any trouble, and moved on to using her tools. It didn't take very long before she successfully unlocked the cabinet. The top drawer contained the files of all the seated officers. Yoruichi grabbed the files and took them back to the desk to take a look at them, and started making notes of her own based on the day's activities.
"So it's true," Sui-Feng said from the door. "You're replacing Aizen." She couldn't help but say his name with distaste.
"It's kind of fitting, don't you think? Someone thought to be a traitor being reinstated in place of the real traitor?" Yoruichi asked rhetorically, unsurprised by Sui-Feng's sudden appearance. "But yes, I am the new taichou of Squad 5," she explained.
Sui-Feng nodded. "I heard about it from a few of my sources. I came to bring you a key to the file cabinet, but I see you've already taken care of it." Yoruichi grinned and held out her lock picking kit.
"I unlocked it the hard way." At Sui-Feng's incredulous look, Yoruichi's grin widened. "What, you don't have one? I'm surprised. I thought all ninja assassins carried lock picks. You can't be stealthy if you have to break something to get past a lock," she teased. Sui-Feng rolled her eyes, but her lips curled just a little.
"I'll keep that in mind," she deadpanned. "There's another reason I came to see you, though." At this point she started fidgeting a little. "About my outburst earlier…I wanted to apologize." Yoruichi's expression became serious.
"Sui-Feng, I've never thought I was better than you. Not in the sense that you are thinking. If I am better than you at a given thing, it's because I've had more years of practice."
"Logically I know that," Sui-Feng agreed. She pointed at the stump of her left arm. "I am just overreacting because I have to relearn so much as it is to get used to this."
"I can see what you mean," Yoruichi sympathized. "At least it's not your dominant hand, though. I would be pretty screwed if I lost my left arm." Sui-Feng started to say something and then interrupted herself.
"Wait, you're left-handed? Since when?" Yoruichi raised a quizzical eyebrow at Sui-Feng's query.
"Since always?" It was her turn to look incredulous. "You mean you never noticed?"
Now that Sui-Feng thought about it, it seemed embarrassingly like the most obvious thing she'd ever missed. Yoruichi was even writing with her left hand at the moment.
"I guess I just never put much thought into it since you seem pretty adept with either arm," Sui-Feng admitted.
"Like I said: lots of practice," Yoruichi replied with a teasing grin. "By the way, I accept your apology," she added, her grin turning into a warm smile. The comment brought Sui-Feng back from the derailment of her train of thought.
"While we are on the subject, I was wondering if you would help me rehabilitate." She held up a hand to stop whatever Yoruichi was about to say. "I promise not to get angry and try to punch you in the face." She paused. "I promise not to try to punch you in the face when I get angry," she amended. Yoruichi couldn't help but chuckle.
"That fact that you know it's not going to be easy means we are already starting off on the right foot." She put her pen down and leaned back in the chair. "When would you like to start?" Sui-Feng frowned.
"I'm not actually sure when our schedules will permit such an undertaking."
"Retsu wants me to train Kira and Hisagi as well, which I imagine will demand a lot of my time." Yoruichi picked the pen up and twirled it in her fingers, a thoughtful look on her face. "If you helped me with that we could kill two birds with one stone. Once I find out when I'll be doing that, I can let you know and we can make arrangements from there. Are you okay with that?" Sui-Feng nodded.
"That sounds reasonable enough."
"So we've got a deal then?" Yoruichi asked. She held out her right hand. Sui-Feng blushed almost imperceptibly as she grasped Yoruichi's hand, shaking it as was the custom.
"It's a deal," she confirmed, letting go of Yoruichi's hand afterwards. "Unfortunately, I should get going. I can't leave my oaf of a fukutaichou alone to his own devices for too long." She scowled just thinking about it. Yoruichi smirked.
"I understand." She stood up and grabbed the extra haori on her desk. "I have some things I need to take care of as well, so I can walk you out if you'd like."
Sui-Feng agreed to being walked out, and they made their way outside before parting ways. Sui-Feng took off in a shunpo, presumably for her own squad's headquarters. Yoruichi was in no hurry, so she started walking towards her destination, the Shihouin estate. She didn't miss a beat as Unohana appeared and kept stride with her.
"How did your first day of being a taichou again work out?" the Soutaichou asked.
"It went a lot better than I expected. Squad 5 has been trained very well," Yoruichi answered. "It might be the only good thing Aizen ever did."
"Yes, it would seem so," Unohana agreed. "You seem to be in a better mood," the motherly Shinigami remarked, changing the subject. Yoruichi smiled.
"Things are going in the right direction with Sui-Feng. She came and apologized to me for earlier, and then asked if I would help her train. Part of the reason she was upset with me is because of her arm. She's frustrated with having to relearn everything."
"Yes, I can see how that would be the case."
"You healed Hiyori, didn't you?" Yoruichi asked. "That was quite a feat considering she was in two pieces. Do you think you could bring Sui-Feng's arm back?"
"That was mending two intact pieces of Hiyori back together, though. I don't know that returning a limb that is no longer there at all is as feasible as that." Unohana looked thoughtful. "I am not sure if I could fix it myself, but I will look into it." She touched Yoruichi's shoulder. "I have business to attend to now, but I'll let you know if I find out anything."
Yoruichi nodded her acknowledgement. With that, Unohana left, and Yoruichi continued on her way. Automatically her thoughts went to planning what kind of training to do with Sui-Feng and with Kira and Hisagi, and before she knew it, she was at home. There were a lot of things she wanted to do to prepare for the training sessions, but since it was growing late already, she decided she would just hem her haori tonight and save the rest of her tasks for tomorrow.