Hey all! Tbanks for tuning in, it's been a long time since I've made a fanfiction so let me know what you think!
{Theme song: Bow Doown - I Prevail}
You lied…
Was all she could muster, staring ahead at the empty chair her mentor once sat in. No one. Nothing was there. Her arms dropped weakly to her sides as she slowly began to step forward, staggering slightly. She took a few steps forward until she was a few feet away from the purple and green chair. She stared at it for a few moments, before she fell to her knees, sinking into the wooden floor. Frozen…no…numb is what she felt. It couldn't be true. She couldn't be gone. She wouldn't just…leave her right?
No. It was true. Yoruichi Shihouin was gone and nowhere to be found. The young girl must have sat there for what seemed like forever. But, she wasn't coming back. Her frozen expression suddenly shifted to one of disappointment.
"So it's a promise?"
Yoruichi's lies echoed throughout her brain. She was a liar. And she trusted her. And now she is gone…
Slow tear drops began to fall to the wood floor. They fell but she made no sound, a shaky hand coming to cover her mouth as tears welled in her gray eyes. Tears streamed her cheeks as she slowly came to face reality. She was gone. For good. And she wasn't coming back for her.
"Why?" She thought, "Why couldn't you take me with you?"
Soi Fon slowly crawled into the abandoned seat, curling up into the fetal position. She was gone. Yoruichi was gone. She held herself tighter. She was gone. She was all alone. Again…
Soi Fon began to sob deeply, hugging her knees as she buried her face against the back of the cold chair. The sobbing slowly turned into more painful, wailing as she let her betrayal pour out. Yoruichi was gone. She was all alone. No…this all had to be some sort of misunderstanding. Quickly hopping up, she went around the room, searching for something, anything that could give her some sort of clue. She clammered through Yoruichi's desk, knocking some things down from the shelf, before giving up. No. This couldn't be.
She suddenly ran out from Yoruichi's quarters, looking down both ends of the corridor. Other subordinates from squad 2 were running up and down the halls in a panic. Everyone had been. As soon as it was announced that Yoruichi Shihouin and Kisuke Urahara had betrayed the Soul Society and were hereby wanted…everyone had resorted to panic. She ran, running past one member, and bumping slightly into another as she ran her way to the other place that she would find answers.
Turning a few corners quickly, her breaths were loud and heavy as tears fell in the air. She turned one last corner, sliding on her feet slightly to stop herself as she approached the front lawn of the lieutenant's quarters. She could already see that many other squad members began to huddle up outside his office, many concerned questions and qualms filled the air.
"Yoruichi is gone? She betrayed the Soul Society? She's a traitor with Kisuke Urahara?" Many questions were going through their heads.
Soi Fon gritted her teeth upon hearing Urahara's name. That absolute monster. She knew it. She knew there was something wrong with him, and now..Yoruichi had gone with him. She knew she couldn't trust him and now, she left Yoruichi vulnerable to him. What if he took her against her will, she thought. Pushing her way past other squad members, Soi Fon came to the front steps of the building and looked up to see Marenoshin Omaeda, Yoruichi's lieutenant and head of the Omaeda Family.
The large and tall man looked bewildered, sweat pouring down his face as he looked out as the gaggle of flustered squad 2 members. Poor guy seemed to have no clue what his next move was.
"Lieutenant Omaeda!" Soi Fon cried, approaching him as she clung to his robes, "Please tell me what happened to Lady Yoruichi!" She looked up at him innocently with tears welling in her eyes. The much taller man was taken aback, looking down to see the much shorter girl grabbing his robe. Marensoshin could only stare, until his face turned grim. He placed a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder and knelt to her level.
His eyes spoke volumes, and she knew right then and there that the news was all true.
"She…She's not coming back Soi fon…" He suddenly told her wearily. Soi Fon's eyes widened and began to twitch as she looked down at the ground. It couldn't be. But no. It was true.
"W-We need to save her! It's all Kisuke Urahara's fault! She could have been taken against her will!" Soi Fon suddenly shouted, grabbing on tighter to his robes, "We must go after them to rescue Lady Yoruichi!"
Marensoshin let out a long, shaky breath. After what seemed like forever, he finally stood up and walked over so that he was facing the rest of his squad, he cleared his throat, nervously rubbing the sweat from his neck before speaking:
"T-The captain has willingly chosen to leave the Soul Society with Kisuke Urahara. …No one understands her motives yet, but for now on…Yoruichi and Kisuke have been deemed traitors and are now wanted criminals of the Soul Society under the authority of Head Captain Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto!" He seemed to be shaking nervously after announcing that, preparing for any pushback. The crowd was silent for a brief second, before erupting again into chaos. Soi Fon on the other hand, was once again in a frozen state of shock.
"...Willingly chose?...Traitors?...Wanted criminals?"
She needed to leave. She needed to get out of there, run away, never come back. Pushing her way back through the crowd, a heartbroken Soi Fon ran her way out of the barracks. Where she was running to, she didn't know. For now…she just wanted to run and run and run.
The memories played back in her mind with each step. The memories of when the two first met, to when they trained together, to when Yoruichi will listen to all her concerns…
It all felt like some extremely horrible nightmare.
The young girl finally made it to that spot. The spot that they had trained at the night prior to all of this. The fact that they were just out here, training peacefully, and now just like that she had vanished without saying a goodbye. Amongst the cherry blossom, Soi Fon could have sworn she saw a figure moving within the trees. Lady Yoruichi? She thought, pushing her way through the brush.
Of course, it would turn out to be nothing at all, and instead, she came to a clearing that looked out over a cliff face. From there you could see a huge chunk of the Seireitei, the morning sun coming in through the clouds. That was when Soi Fon finally began to realize that Yoruichi was gone for good. The memories wouldn't stop flooding her brain.
Suddenly, Soi Fon let out a long, pained scream into the air, dropping to knees as she sobbed. The large and looming Seireitei sat ahead as the sun began to rise. Nothing would be the same. Everything is going to be different from now on…
{Opening: Umi no Shizuku - Exist Trace}
"Yoruichi Shihouin and Kisuke Urahara have been declared traitors and are now wanted criminals of the Soul Society under the authority of Head Captain Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto! Urahara has been reported using strange technology to turn Soul Reaper's into hollows and as such, the following captains have been declared banished due to their involvement in the hollowfication process:
Captain of Squad 3, Rojuro Otoribashi
Captain of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako
Captain of Squad 7, Love Aikawa
Lieutenant of Squad 8, Lisa Yadomaru
Captain of Squad 9, Kensei Muguruma
Lieutenant of Squad 9, Mashiro Kuna
Lieutenant of Squad 12, Hiyori Sarugak
Captain of the Kido Corps, Tessai Tsukabishi and
Lieutenant of the Kido Corps, Hachigen Ushoda
From this point forward. All listed traitors are to be brought into custody of the Soul Society. If anyone knows any further information regarding what took place that night or where the traitors would have gone please do not hesitate to report it!"
Those were the instructions given to all Soul Reapers in the Seireitei. Yoruichi, Tessai, and Kisuke would be tried for their crimes and the others would be…destroyed.
It had been two days since that fateful night.
A young Soi Fon had been invited to stay the night in the Omaeda family manor the night before, and despite wanting to decline the offer, she reluctantly joined him. After the morning on the hill, Soi Fon was found by other members of squad 2. Concerned for her wellbeing, they called in Marenoshin Omaeda.
Since the girl was still young and inexperienced, the older man had a soft spot for her, and knowing how hurt she was upon Yoruichi's departure, he felt obligated to step in.
Soi Fon hadn't slept at all last night, and was sitting in her guest room with bags under her eyes. The bed she sat on was large and luxurious and the room appeared fit for royalty. It was comfortable, but she didn't notice. Her brain was too impacted by Yoruichi's departure. So she sat, her knees curled into her chest as she just stared out solemnly.
When Marenoshin had initially found her on that cliff, she had freaked out and began begging him to help her find Yoruichi, no matter the cost.
"What if it's all a lie, what if she did get taken against her will? We can go find her, right now! Maybe she isn't thinking clearly!" All the different scenarios seemed plausible in her head, "We need to go explain to the head captain that this is all just a big misunderstanding!"
Despite her efforts, the large man knew it was pointless. He had managed to reason with her for now that Yoruichi had made her choice, but still, Soi Fon felt it had to be farther from the truth.
Now, she sat in the bed, silent and numb, thinking through every moment over and over and over again.
Suddenly, the once silent room erupted with a booming voice as a young Marechiyo Omaeda peeked his head in the door.
"Oh, the weird scrawny girl is up. Come down and get your breakfast, you better hurry because food goes fast around here!" he called out. He was young, around her age, and just as large, obnoxious, and as money hungry as his father. He wore some dazzling gold jewelry around his neck and wrists and a fancy purple and gold yukata. The color made her think of Yoruichi.
Still silent, she ignored the boy, turning her head to face out the window. Feeling ignored, Omaeda cleared his throat, "Hello!? I'm talking to you kid!" Silene greeted him again.
Knowing it was a lost cause, Marechiyo snorted and rolled his eyes, "Fine don't eat, not like you look like you do anyway…" he muttered, shutting the door behind him as he grossly picked his nose.
Soi Fon just ignored the rude comments, her eyebrows narrowing. Fat, little bastard…she thought. She had been sitting there for hours now, not moving and not saying anything. Hell ,what was she supposed to do? Everything she did she did with Yoruichi. To running errands, delivering paperwork, and accompanying her missions, Soi Fon was always by her side.
The silence was finally broken about an hour later when the door opened revealing Marenoshin Omaeda, a concerned look on his face. He had a plate in his hand and left it for her by her nightstand, "I managed to save you some if you decide to eat. When you get a moment…I think we should talk about some things…" He hesitated a minute before walking out of the room. Soi Fon listened but didn't budge, legs still hugged close to her chest.
She wasn't hungry and probably wouldn't be for quite some time. She didn't even want to eat. She didn't want to do anything anymore. Sighing heavily, she looked out the window at the rising sun, just wishing at any moment Yoruichi would be back home. But she would never come.
"Lady Yoruichi….why?" she asked aloud. Why would you go with that man and not stay here to run your squad? Were things she kept thinking about. The squad needed a leader, and Soi Fon needed her mentor. The girl couldn't help but smile remembering the night before Yoruichi left…
Flashback
Soi Fon had been training deep in the woods of the Squad 2 barracks, where cherry blossoms flew gently in the wind. It was a pretty spot to train, and Soi Fon had preferred it that way. Earlier that day she and Yoruichi had been fighting hollows, only for Yoruichi to end up saving her from being devoured. It was that that made Soi Fon agitated. How was she supposed to protect Yoruichi if she was as weak as she was?
Slashing her sword through the air aimlessly, she felt a warm, familiar hand on her back. Low and behold, it was Yoruichi. She began to take Soi Fon and gently guide her strikes, allowing her to be a lot more deliberate and calculated.
"I need you to listen to me. I'll teach you the way to wield a sword. Remember to swing like this!" She told her, gently moving her sword with her. Soi Fon was taken aback by her mentor suddenly appearing out of nowhere, but it was soon followed by shame. Soi Fon knelt to the ground before her, "How am I supposed to protect you if I can barely manage to protect myself?" She asked aloud, looking down at the dirt. Yoruichi let out a sigh, looking down at her.
"You're just thinking too much. Relax Soi Fon, you're doing fine," her mentor reminded her, looking down back at the girl before her.
"No I'm not! I'm not good enough and I never will be! I don't have anywhere near as much skill or strength to protect you Lady Yoruichi. I'm lacking in every single way…" Soi Fon said with certainty. Surely she was too weak to be her protector.
Yoruichi placed a soft hand on Soi Fon's head causing her to look up into her golden eyes, "That's enough for now."
"Lady Yoruichi?" Soi Fon asked with curiosity.
"You know what, you're just like I was. I've even caught myself thinking of you as my little sister sometimes," Yoruichi said with a smile.
"That's a beautiful thing for you to tell me Lady Yoruichi, but I don't deserve it-" The young girl was caught off guard when her mentor decided to lay her head on her lap. She closed her eyes, the moon bringing out her natural beauty. The moon seemed to radiate off of Yoruichi's skin and hair, almost like she was some sort of goddess.
"That's enough of such talk. Hey did you notice there's a full moon out tonight?" Yoruichi asked, suddenly changing the subject, hoping to get the girl's mind away from such self-deprecating thoughts. Soi Fon turned to stare up at the glowing moon with her, cherry blossoms flying by. "Yes," she answered, actually seeing the beauty Yoruichi was talking about.
Yoruichi slowly closed her eyes, allowing the peace to come to her. This in turn caused Soi Fon to gently caress her mentor's head, " I swear I'll always be by your side to protect you. You can count on it."
This caused Yoruichi to let out a relaxed sigh, " So it's a promise, then?"
Soi Fon gasped, not expecting her to ask such a question. But she nodded, "Of course Lady Yoruichi…"
"Well then, guess we can try and enjoy the rest of tonight, we got work to do tomorrow," Yoruichi stated, a small smile grazing her lips.
"Right!" Soi Fon replied, smiling wider as her and her mentor relaxed amongst the cherry blossoms.
End Flashback
Soi Fon couldn't help but find tears starting to leave her eyes upon remembering the events from the night before. A promise? How was she supposed to keep her promise if she couldn't even protect her now. She buried her face in her knees, feeling another set of sobs reeling in. Yoruichi had lied to her and she was naive enough to believe it. Nothing in her life had been easy up until this point, and now the poor girl knew it was only going to get way harder.
Frustrated now, the girl shifted in her seat. It had been hours now and the food had gone way cold. Her appetite is still nonexistent. Suddenly the door opened again, this time though it wasn't an Omaeda. It was a squad of men from the stealth force, all clad in black. One of the men stepped forward, speaking with a low voice, "Soi Fon. You are to report to the Fon estate at once."
This, unlike Marenoshin, caused her to jump up and turn around, surprise in her eyes by the words she was hearing, "Me?" She asked again just to clarify.
The man nodded, "It is urgent, you must report within the next hour." With that he, and the other men shunpoed away in a flash leaving Soi Fon alone once more. What could the clan want? She wondered. Surely it had to do with recent events. Wiping her eyes once more, Soi Fon hesitated for a moment, before heading out of the bedroom.
The Fon estate sat on the outskirts of the Shihoin estates. A large red fence marking it off from the rest of the area. Within the fence were a number of pagoda-like buildings with vast fields for training. It was large, but it was dwarfed by that of the Shihoin estates, a large cluster of buildings nearby fenced off by a large golden fence. Soi Fon hadn't been to the estate in months so surely this was dire. Approaching the gate, she is greeted by two more black clad men, both of who nodded in approval in order to let her pass. They had been expecting her.
Soi Fon walked down the long winding path to the main building, it was vast with many types of greenery surrounding it. She entered the doors, stepping forward in order to get to the main chamber. Upon entering, it was like Soi Fon was on the spot. Dozens of Fon and Shihoin members lined the room, all glancing up at her as she walked in. That was weird, but what made it weirder was when they all bowed as she walked in. In the back of the room sat a Shohin and a Fon elder, looking quite serious.
"Soi Fon of Squad 2," spoke the Fon member. His name was Huang. He was a tall, and lean man wearing all black robes. He was balding, but still looked like he could take someone in a fight, "You are summoned here today to discuss the future leadership of the second division." He turned to face the Shihoin member, Yuto, a large man with elegant gold robes, and Yoruichi's complexion.
"We have made the decision that you will take over Yoruichi's vacant position and become the next Captain of Squad 2," the man said with seriousness, " Miss Yoruichi has forfeited her title, therefore we must fill it as soon as possible. This is in agreement with the Head Captain, Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto of the Seireitei."
Soi Fon felt her legs begin to wobble, feeling herself get lightheaded. This all has to be a dream right? First Yoruichi leaves without a trace and now Soi Fon has to become a captain. She wasn't even a seated officer.
"F-Forgive me sir, but I barely qualify to be a seated officer. Surely this must be some sort of mistake…" she said, sweat beading down her head. The room seemed to grow louder and brighter by the minute.
Yuto Shihoin continued, "This decision has been finalized by the Shihoin noble house, along with the Fon clan and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Based on your abilities and personal words from Yoruichi herself, we have decided to select you as the next best candidate."
Soi Fon's eyes widened in disbelief. Yoruichi herself had told someone about this. But why, she was barely strong enough to defend herself on the field. Sure, when it came to Hakuda, Soi Fon was already an adept soldier, but swordsmanship was another thing. She had never even spoken to her zanpakuto yet.
Her fists clenched nervously as she felt herself become nauseous. What was she going to do? And did she even have a choice? It seemed finalized, judging by the occasion and the amount of nobles who showed up. Yoruichi had left her and now had secretly hinted for her to become a captain. This was all a lot to take in.
Yuto noticed this, and motioned for the girl to take a seat, "You are to attend Shino Academy as soon as possible and in that time finalize your bankai. This is our next course of action and despite the brevity you must carry this out as it is your duty under both the Fon and Shihoin clans."
All her life. All her life she had heard those words. It was always her duty to do something for the clans. Since the day she could remember crawling, Soi Fon was instructed to do something. In fact, she crawled early, walked early, everything a Fon did had to be perfected in a short amount of time. This was nothing new to her, she remembered. It was always about her duty.
Flashback
"Master Fon, it is a girl…" a noble of the Fon clan had told a man. The man was about 5'10", tall, with elegant robes. His short, black hair was tied back into a bun. His eyes narrowed upon hearing the news as he stared off into the night standing on a porch outside of the Fon estate.
"I see…" he spoke shallowly, "Well it is what it is. I'll have my wife name her…" he said with a slightly disappointed exhale.
Not too far away inside a baby's shrill cries rang out loud in the early morning air. A small baby with a black wad of hair was just born, crying away as it was given to its mother.
"I will name her Shaolin," the woman spoke with a warm gaze on her baby. The little thing cried and cried, causing the woman to try and comfort the small human, "Shhh, hush now little one," she said in a gentle voice. The baby seemed to listen, whimpering loudly before finally settling down, her gray eyes opening to reveal herself to the world.
An older woman suddenly approached. She had short dark, gray hair, with two long braids behind her head. She was Soi Fon's grandmother.
"She will be given my code name as soon as she turns of age," she suddenly spoke with a proud smile. Finally, the woman was happy to see another girl in the family. The Fon clan consisted of 6 children, the first five being all boys. Soi Fon was the last and youngest of the bunch, which often led to her being left out of things. Her father never viewed her the way he did her brother's having a personal vendetta against his own mother, the current Soi Fon. Traditionally, the Fon clan was always led by a man, but that had changed once the first Soi Fon rose in the ranks.
She was a noble leader and a brutal assassin. In fact, she had the most kills of any Fon in history.
"She will become the next Soi Fon…"
End of Flashback
Soi Fon blinked a few times, snapping back into it as she came back into view of the noble members before her. For some reason she couldn't help but remember everything in her life up until this point. It was never easy, she had to remember that, and despite it being so hard right now, she had to suck it up and show up for her clan.
Yoruichi had left her. She not only left her all alone, but she left her with each and every responsibility that came with not only running a squad, but being a member of nobility. She would have to be the one picking up where her mentor started.
Her fists clenched harder as her eyes looked at the ground, though the tears that were there had begun to dry up. Something had taken over her, a feeling, no more like a force. Lifting her head suddenly, and finally taking the news, Soi Fon knelt down, bowing before the others.
"I, Soi Fon, will hereby take over the duties of Yoruichi Shihoin. I will attend Shino Academy and rise in the ranks to become a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It is my duty!"
The men in the room were more than happy to hear it, both nodding in confirmation. "Very well Soi Fon, you are to start at the academy tomorrow morning. Marenoshin Omaeda will be taking temporary custody of the second division until you have reached the level of captain. By then you will take the captain's exam and become the next captain of Squad 2," Huang Fon explained. With that both of the men knelt forward, leading to everyone now bowing to her in the room. Never had she anticipated this in her wildest dreams. This was it. And more importantly.
She was going to reclaim Yoruichi's title. She was going to pick up the pieces that the woman had left behind. She was going to get stronger. In fact, stronger than Yoruichi ever was. She had made the personal decision to give it everything she got in order to surpass everything that Yoruichi ever was. Her eyes narrowed, as a cold stare took over her once solemn expression.
"Lady Yoruichi….your time has passed…."
{Ending: Melt - SennaRin}
Hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment and let me know what you thought!