Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I never have and I never will. Tite Kubo holds that honor.

"Well, well, well," Yoruichi smirked as Soi Fon drew closer. "I see you actually decided to show up." She was wearing the same outfit as she had been on Thursday, black yoga pants, with an orange sweater, and white leg warmers. Kisuke was lounging on the bleachers, a paper cup of coffee steaming in his hands. Besides him, the area was surprisingly vacant. Soi Fon had expected the Shihouin princess to bring a whole crowd of adoring fans to watch her get pummeled, but there were only five of them present. Herself, Yoruichi, Kisuke, Ichigo, and Renji. "I'll give you credit, sneak-thief. I didn't think you'd have the guts." Yoruichi gave a single clap. "Tell you what, I'm feeling charitable. I'll give you a handicap today."

Soi Fon tensed. That girl's smile was predatory.

"I was going to have this be a simple game of capture the flag, something easy, y'know, so that you could understand, but that's not very sporting." Yoruichi held up a pair of bells, one silver and the other gold. "I'll take both of them instead. If you can even grab one of them off of me, I'll let you off the hook," she leered, clipping both of the bells to her belt. "I won't even attack you with any spells. How about that? Just a game of you chasing me through here."

Soi Fon swallowed. It sure didn't sound like it would be a friendly game of tag. "Is there a time limit?"

Yoruichi frowned, as if she hadn't thought of that. "I'll leave it up to Kisuke." She glanced back at the reclining blonde. "How about it?"

Urahara held up a single finger as Ichigo and Renji joined him on the bleachers wordlessly. "One hour. I'll put the feed up for our grateful audience." He bowed his head to the other two. A large rectangle opened itself up, separating Soi Fon and Yoruichi from the bleachers. Behind it, Soi Fon watched an inverted display of Yoruichi fizzle into existence. Urahara must have been using the bells as a scrying focus.

"Well then," Yoruichi cocked her head. "Are you ready to go, sneak-thief?"

Soi Fon splayed her hands. "Ready, Suzumebachi?"

"... Ready."

"I'll show you exactly how good I am at snatching things, you overblown princess." Soi Fon clenched her fists and started pouring mana into her legs.

"Alright then!" Urahara held up his coffee hand and pointed his index finger upwards. "On your marks… get set… go!" A trail of golden sparks shot from his finger tip into the air.

In an instant, Yoruichi flashed away.

Soi Fon's eyes snapped open.

"Dammit. She's taunting us."

Soi Fon flash stepped after her. Suzumebachi was right. The Shihouin was purposefully leaving a mana trail for them to follow, almost like a lavender scent weaving its way through the autumn leaves. It stuck out like a sore thumb, especially since Kyouraku had told them that Presence Concealment was Yoruichi's ace.

Golden leaves lashed out as the pair of them burst through the trees. Soi Fon cursed. She should have scouted the area out first before the match. Yoruichi had chosen it, so she had to be familiar with the terrain, and now she was completely lost with only a single flash step in. "Do you know your way around here?"

Suzumebachi shook her head. "No, she never took me out enough for me to get familiar anywhere." Soi Fon felt her gloves pulse, as if squeezing her hand. "But as long as we follow her trail, we should catch up to her. You really have gotten faster."

Soi Fon blushed and flash stepped after Yoruichi's scent. She was thankful now that she had put on Zaraki's jacket. Usually flash stepping included some kind of wind protection, but her training had been so focused on close-quarters and speed that she hadn't had the time to focus on comfort. The jacket at least blunted some of the air's wrath, and with her constantly rushing into tree branches with her long steps, it saved her a few scratches as well.

"Her mana's getting stronger. We're catching up!"

Soi Fon nodded. Mana tracing was intuitive for a familiar, but even she could tell Yoruichi's trail was turning a more vibrant purple, the scent of lavender strengthening. Maybe that was what the Shihouin had been on about when she had mentioned smelling Suzumebachi on her. Soi Fon pocketed the thought. She could think about it later after-

She crashed into the ground.

"What?" Suzumebachi panicked. "What's going on?"

Soi Fon rolled out of her crash, swiveling her head around. She had just run into a second purple streamer, another mana trail. No- there was another one! And another one! The whole clearing was full of Yoruichi's mana.

Something buzzed behind Soi Fon's head and she ducked, twisting her body around and kicking backwards at the source.

"Oh? Nice reflexes." The Shihouin princess was grinning, Soi Fon's leg grasped firmly in her right hand.

Soi Fon growled. "Whatever happened to not attacking me?"

Yoruichi shrugged. "I said I wouldn't attack you with any spells. I didn't think I'd be doing this either, but I was getting a little bit bored. C'mon, it's been five minutes and I've already lapped you at least ten times."

"Can you spread the poison through my legs too?"

"Just the gloves at your level. Besides, she's gripping you by your pants."

Soi Fon scowled. Of course, the princess knew about Suzumebachi's abilities too, even if she had never bothered to use them.

"Well, sorry I'm not living up to your expectations."

Yoruichi shook her head. "Don't be. I wasn't expecting anything."

Soi Fon felt her body lurch as Yoruichi flung her across the clearing, right into a maple tree. The tree shuttered, leaves cascading around Soi Fon as she picked herself off the ground. Thankfully, she had been able to cushion herself with Tsuriboshi, but her back still ached. That was without mana enhancement? Damn nobles and their stupid genetic jackpots and hereditary mana reserves.

"You okay?" Suzumebachi squeezed her fingers.

"Yeah," Soi Fon steadied herself while Yoruichi glanced at her nails. The older woman wasn't even bothering to defend the two bells at her side, practically daring Soi Fon to grab them.

"Good," Soi Fon felt her familiar turn her attention back to Yoruichi. "On the brightside at least, we don't have to go looking for her anymore, and she's right in the range that we were practicing at."

Soi Fon nodded.

"Oh? Still going to try." Yoruichi bared her teeth. "I've really gotta hand it to ya, sneak-thief. You've got guts, you really do."

Soi Fon launched herself forward only to find herself flying upwards as Yoruichi punted her.

"Try not to lose them."

"Number… 8…" Soi Fon groaned. "Hainawa…" A rope of light streamed from her hand, wrapping itself around a distant tree and towing Soi Fon out of the clearing.

"Retreating?" Suzumebachi clicked.

"Trying a sneak attack…" Soi Fon managed. There was no way they'd be able to take Yoruichi head on. She hadn't even seen Yoruichi move. The noble must have flash stepped in response to her own. Even with her training, they were outmatched. Yoruichi was too fast, too accurate at close-range.

"Are you insane? That's her specialty!"

"Maybe she'll humor us…" Not that Soi Fon had a good feeling about it even if Yoruichi did. She had humored them with the mana trail; there was no reason to believe that Yoruichi humoring them by letting her guard down would work out differently, but she had to try.

"... Alright," Suzumebachi's wings quieted down, her buzz fading. "I'll help, but I don't know how much I'll be able to do. We didn't practice this!"

Soi Fon nodded, feeling her own mana presence shrink down. It was part her own focus and part Suzumebachi trying to shove their pooled mana into a smaller space. Maybe they should have been trying to diffuse their mana signatures across the entire forest so Yoruichi wouldn't notice them, but on such short notice, restraining their magic was the best they could do.

"Aw, don't tell me you gave up!" Yoruichi's voice rang out across the treeline. "Come on, sneak-thief, you still have what?" She must have checked her watch. "Fifty minutes left!"

Soi Fon took a deep breath.

Yoruichi wasn't even trying to hide her mana, she realized. The whole area was soaked in the stuff, a deep purple, the floral aroma choking everything else out.

"Steady…"

Soi Fon exhaled.

"Steady…"

Just a little bit more.

"Come on! Isn't it better to just get it over with? I'd love to waste my day here, but I've got other things to do today!"

"Steady…"

"And it's not like-"

"Now!"

"-It'll change the results." Yoruichi caught Soi Fon's fist, immune to the recoil that rocked her attacker's body.

"You!" Soi Fon took advantage of the new anchor point, using it to flip over and drive her leg downwards into the Shihouin's shoulder.

"Whoops," Yoruichi let go of Soi Fon's fist, sidestepping the attack altogether and letting Soi Fon crash into the ground. "Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to litter."

Soi Fon growled, pivoting into a flash step around Yoruichi and throwing more jabs into the latter's afterimage.

"You know," Yoruichi chastised her. "The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting the outcome to be different." She ducked under one of Soi Fon's high kicks and returned her own into the smaller woman's back, sending her crashing into the underbrush at the opposite end of the clearing.

"Hainawa!" Suzumebachi drew on their mana pool herself, sending a golden rope out of their gloves and swinging Soi Fon out of the way of an oak trunk. "Soi Fon, wake up!" The mage flickered out of unconsciousness. "Are you okay?"

"Maybe…" Soi Fon groaned and held her head. They were already running low on mana. Even if their short term Excavation training had actually increased their mana pool's limits, the meager Kaido supplements Ichigo and Renji had been able to supply and their lack of sleep had definitely cut into the amount of magic that they actually had at the moment. "That could have gone better. Any plans?"

Yoruichi just shook her head. "Honestly… It's kind of admirable that you keep trying, but even idiots know when to give up sometimes…"

"So what's the plan now?" Suzumebachi transformed back into her sprite form.

Soi Fon sighed. "I have no idea. I can't keep up with her in extended combat, I can't outspeed her, I can't catch her off guard. All we need is just one hit…"

"One hit and to last long enough for the poison to have an effect," Suzumebachi corrected her.

"How much mana do we have left?" Soi Fon flexed her muscles, trying to feel out how much more of a beating her body could take. The last two days of constant training were more than beginning to take their toll. "I don't think I can even last the entire hour…"

"... about a third of what we started with." Suzumebachi landed on her shoulder.

"... Let's blitz her," Soi Fon answered her familiar's implicit question. "I'm not giving up yet."

Suzumebachi nodded and melded back into Soi Fon's gloves.

"So if you could give up any time now…" Yoruichi spun around and bashed Soi Fon's face, only for the younger mage to flash back out and into Yoruichi's spinning kick to her shoulder. "Seriously?" Yoruichi was pretty sure she had dislocated the other woman's arm. "You know if you keep this up, I'm going to," she elbowed Soi Fon's shin as she tried to pierce her defenses again. "Stop holding back."

It was interesting though. Yoruichi frowned. Was that sneak-thief speeding up? That was the exact opposite of what she expected to happen. In fact, the commoner's mana was practically ragged. She didn't even have the strength to conceal it in any way, so why was she getting faster? It wasn't like she was approaching Yoruichi's limit, but it was concerning. Yoruichi shook her arm out. That sneak-thief shouldn't have been able to get past her fists into elbowing range, even if she hadn't really been paying attention.

Soi Fon gasped as she slammed her shoulder back into place against another maple tree.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Soi Fon gulped in air, fumbling with her undamaged arm to channel some numbing magic into her shoulder.

"... Soi Fon…"

The mage held her hand up. "One more time."

"You're not in any shape to-"

"One more time!" Soi Fon roared mentally. "I've got enough in me for one last rush." It wasn't true, and they both knew it. Soi Fon could even feel her body short circuiting as it cannibalized itself for magical energy.

"Soi Fon!"

"You don't want to lose do you?!" Because she knew that they both felt the same way. "You can't seriously be thinking of giving up, right?!" Yoruichi's smirk flashed across Soi Fon's vision. That damn grin. Soi Fon's grip tightened. "I don't want to lose you."

Something cold flowed through their bond. Soi Fon couldn't tell if it was fear or regret or anger.

"One last time," Suzumebachi relented.

Soi Fon swallowed and bent down as Suzumebachi reformed around her fingers. Her legs screamed at her as she tensed them, preparing to sprint. Sparks were burning themselves through her muscle fibers. She could even see them leaking out of her body as her mana reservoirs crumbled.

"Didn't I warn you?" Yoruichi spun around to catch Soi Fon. "That I'd stop-" Soi Fon disappeared in a blur. "Holding back?" Yoruich whirled around, blocking Soi Fon's kick with both of her forearms. "What the-"

Soi Fon blurred out of her vision again. "Oh no you don't!" Yoruichi flash stepped out of the follow up punch's way. "What," she ducked under Soi Fon's hook kick, having already caught up to the smaller woman's burst of speed. "Are you?" She returned the favor with her own kick, catching Soi Fon's jaw, but the image instantly dissolved, as Yoruichi twisted her body out of the way of another kick.

Yoruichi swept her leg against the ground, where she was sure the last kick had come from. Her shin slammed into something, sending the younger mage upward and into Yoruichi's fist. Soi Fon went tumbling through the air, back out of the clearing. Yoruichi dusted herself off.

What had just happened? Sure, that sneak-thief had been speeding up, and she still wasn't even close to Yoruichi's maximum, but that had been a spike, not the gradual ramp up the commoner had been going through. She had almost been as quick as Yoruichi was normally. Yoruichi licked her lips. Her mouth felt a little drier than she had been expecting.

"One more…" Soi Fon struggled to her feet, practically collapsing against a birch tree.

"Soi Fon!"

"Time…"

"Stop!"

Soi Fon glanced up at her familiar. Suzumebachi had already decoupled.

"It's not worth it! Look at yourself! You're going to get killed!"

Soi Fon turned away. "I don't want to lose you…"

"It's only been a week! I don't want to go back to her either, but this isn't worth your life!"

Soi Fon chuckled. God, how far had they come since the beginning? Had it really only been a week? Not even that.

"I'll turn myself in!"

Soi Fon grit her teeth. "No…" No, not that. "That's not the end of it. It's not just my life. She'll get rid of you too, right? Then, she'll drive me out of the Academy." Her brothers swam in front of her eyes, dark shadows she couldn't even remember the names of. "I've got... I've got things I need to do here." More than that, she couldn't face everyone else if she walked out of here alone. Another Fong Failure.

"She won't drive you out! Come on! Let's just-"

"Listen to yourself!" Soi Fon shouted. "What happened to you? You're just going to give up!"

"I'd rather lose you as a master than lose you permanently!"

Soi Fon's breath hitched.

"Come on, let's just-"

"Suzumebachi." Soi Fon stopped herself. "Suzumebachi, do you know why I wrote my summoning incantation that way?" Tears were always a hard thing to stop, but Soi Fon had had too many times to practice.

"Soi, what? What are you talking about?" Suzumebachi placed her hands on her hips and stared at her master.

Luna night and silver eye

I bid thee watch

And cast shadow from my path

Like the breeze that steers our chartered course

"I asked for the world to watch me, for nature and the moon and everything else that couldn't care less to stop and recognize me."

"When is gēge coming back?"

"Shaolin… he's not coming…

"But māma, why not?"

"There's no reason. That's the way the world works."

"Why did they call him in so late tonight?"

"Shaolin…"

The sylph that dances on Fate's wind

I bid thee watch

And record my soul's passage

Send my heart to the one who will answer

"I asked for someone to answer me. Someone who would be my soulmate, my partner. Someone who would never abandon me, who I would never abandon no matter what life threw at us!"

"I thought you would be happy for me!"

"Happy that you're going to betray us?"

"I just wanted a home! Is that so bad, Zaraki?"

"I thought we were your family."

And scattered petals, raindrops

I bid thee stay

And witness the arrival of my other half

So long as we should keep each other.

"I asked for the rain to stop, for the leaves to never fall. I wanted everything transient to stay still, just so I could carve out a small piece of time and make sure that it was real…"

"They sure look happy, don't they?"

"Ah come on, Soi Fon. They've worked hard for it."

"Well, that Kuchiki sure wasn't a pushover."

"Don't remind me. I was in Prof. Unohana's office for a month."

"… Would you do it again?"

"Hm?"

"… For your girlfriend, Ichigo."

"Yeah, for you too, Soi. All of us, I'd do it again to keep us safe."

"So please!" Soi Fon pounded the tree with her fist. "Please stay with me! Until the end! I'll follow you until the end, so please! Have faith in me one last time!"

Suzumebachi backed away. "Soi Fon…"

Soi Fon's fist tightened, clenching her own skin. Why couldn't she do it? How come Ichigo and Renji and Rukia could defy fate all they wanted? What was wrong with her, spinning her wheels against this noble? This Shihouin? Was this just her fate? The same pitiful end her whole family had to endure?

"Ah, what the hell," Suzumebachi sighed and grasped Soi Fon's wrist. "You're right. That cat's probably going to dissolve me back into the Abyss anyway. I might as well go out with a bang."

Soi Fon blinked, water dripping down her nose.

"At least I got to have a little fun outdoors before the end. Let's do our best… partner."

Soi Fon sniffed. "Yeah," she whispered. "To the end."

Yoruichi glared at where Soi Fon had tumbled into the forest. Had she overdone it? That sneak-thief had already been running on fumes when she had made her last ditch attempt to rush her. Now Yoruichi couldn't even sense the smaller woman's mana, which was saying something because even when the sneak-thief had been trying to hide her mana, Yoruichi had picked up on it. The younger mage might have collapsed or flat out died. She started to walk over. It wasn't like a death or two was a big deal, certainly nothing that couldn't be swept under the rug, but it would be another annoyance to take care of, and Yoruichi had really hoped that she would only need an hour today to iron out this whole mess. After all, she only needed Suzumebachi as a formality to finish her comps.

Soi Fon charged out of the underbrush, lightning bolts lashing out of her body at odd angles.

"Well, this is new," Yoruichi muttered, easily checking Soi Fon's jab. "I'll give you points for originality, you didn't even flash step this time." And lightning bolts too, Yoruichi noted. What an odd elemental affinity to see in a commoner, unless of course, it wasn't really hers and she was just tearing up her body trying to find the energy to keep fighting.

Soi Fon spun around, trying to backfist the Shihouin with her opposite hand.

"Oh come on!" Yoruichi leaned back out of the way. "You might as well just mail me your fist!" The younger mage was getting sloppy. She seriously couldn't have thought that something that slow and that telegraphed could land, could she? What did she take her for? Yoruichi growled and grabbed Soi Fon by her neck, lifting her off the ground. "Let's just end this, shall we?"

Soi Fon scrambled around Yoruichi's grip, trying to claw off the Shihouin's hand.

For her part, the Shihouin just cocked her head, annoyance morphing into amusement as Soi Fon struggled. "And what do you know? Not a scratch, just like I said."

Not… like- this! She was running out of air.

Her hands!

"Suzumebachi!" Soi Fon grasped her hands around Yoruichi's fist. She had skin contact!

"No mana!" Her familiar groaned.

"No!" Soi Fon winced, pain ripping itself out of her body. They were so close! Like this?! It was going to end like this!?

Yoruichi raised her eyebrow. "Trying to brand me with a homonka? You don't honestly think I would have allowed you to have a shot of that with enough mana, did you?"

Soi Fon snarled. This noble! This damned noble!

They were out of mana, her body was at its breaking point, and this damned noble wasn't even trying?!

Why?

WHY!

When she had taken so many beatings, and squeezed every last drop of her mana out fighting, and trained within an inch of her life, and studied so long, and dreamed, and hoped, and prayed against her fate like the rest of her brothers, was it going to end up like this again? Why did it always have to be a Shihouin?

It wasn't fair! What had Yoruichi Shihouin ever had to sacrifice? What had she ever lost in her life? Not her family, not her fortune, not her magic, not her friends! What?!

Why was it so unfair?

Soi Fon gripped Yoruichi's hand.

It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair! If only she had a little bit of mana left over! If only she could cast one last spell at this range!

"In any case, it's been fun swatting you around, but like any fly, there's no point in keeping you around."

Soi Fon snarled and clawed into herself. Mana!

"Soi Fon, stop!"

Not just for her, but for Suzumebachi too. This woman… Soi Fon shook. This woman who lived so selfishly, who didn't even think about the lives she stepped on.

"Soi Fon!"

"Stop…" Soi Fon croaked. She let go of Yoruichi's hand, arms falling to the side. There really was nothing left in her.

No mana, no air.

"Hm…" Yoruichi frowned. "C'mon, that's no way to ask a noble. Why don't you try begging? Or at least say please."

"… stop…" Soi Fon struggled to raise her arms back up. Her right arm twitched.

She ran into something hard.

"What was that?" Yoruichi leaned in.

"… ssstaaahhh…" Soi Fon wheezed.

Her fingers felt cold.

"Soi!..."

Suzumebachi's voice faded out.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. But you should take a rest, sneak-thief…"

Yoruichi's words echoed.

Soi Fon's hand twitched.

Yoruichi…

She grit her teeth.

The noble's smile danced in front of her.

Yoruichi!

She'd drag that smile into Hell with her if it was the last thing she did.

Soi Fon wrenched that image out of her head.

Something was in her hand.

Something white hot.

Mana.

Not hers but-

YORUICHI!

Yoruichi's eyes flicked down to Soi Fon's twitching right hand. "What?"

A shockwave bloomed out of it, ripping the two women apart.

"What?!" Yoruichi flailed in the air for a brief second, before righting herself and landing at the opposite edge of the clearing. An air cannon? But that sneak-thief didn't have any mana! And that wasn't one of Suzumebachi's abilities! Yoruichi's ears wouldn't stop ringing. No, not an air cannon, a sonic boom? Yoruichi touched her right ear and looked at her hand. Blood. Like a thunderbolt? Not lightning? She looked up at her opponent.

Soi Fon's body had flown back into an oak tree, no Bakudo or emergency strengthening to slow her crash. She was out cold and probably severely concussed.

"Knock out! Soi Fon!" Kisuke's voice rang out across the forest. Yoruichi looked up. She could still hear out of her left ear through the ringing. "That means our winner is… Yooooooruichiiii Shiiiiihouinnnnn!" Yoruichi glanced down at her belt. She had completely forgotten about the bells towards the end, but now…

She frowned and walked forwards to check Soi Fon's body. The bells weren't in Soi Fon's hands either. She hadn't managed to grab them at the last minute. Instead, Suzumebachi was collapsed in a heap on top of the woman's right hand. The bells must have been ripped off of her belt during the thunderclap.

Yoruichi turned on her heels and flash stepped back to the bleachers. Both Ichigo and Renji had flash stepped away, probably to pick up their sister.

"Not going to take your familiar back?" Kisuke grinned at his friend coming back empty-handed.

"It's not my familiar," Yoruichi muttered.

"Really?" Kisuke raised an eyebrow, still grinning. His know-it-all attitude was by far the least attractive thing about him, Yoruichi decided.

"Yes, now if you're done asking stupid questions, I'm going to Unohana to get my ears fixed," and she flash stepped away.

"Oh-ho," Kisuke mused. "I wonder if that makes you the winner then," he turned towards his scrying projection. "Shaolin Fong."

A/N: And cut! Whew! I didn't think I had it in me to write such a long combat scene! For reference, this was well over twice the length of Soi Fon vs. Ikkaku, and I'm actually fairly happy with how it turned out. Soi Fon pretty much getting curb-stomped at every turn but still managing to pull away with some kind of victory? Not bad for someone who just got their familiar a week ago. Let's just hope Unohana has enough time to get her back to normal.

Fight aside, we're also getting a bit more into Soi Fon's relationship with the gang, which is a bit I never thought I'd really be developing, and getting Yoruichi interested in just what the heck is going on with Soi Fon! Soon… soon, maybe we'll have a non-confrontational encounter between our soulmates! Plus, having Suzumebachi actually showing concern for Soi Fon and prioritizing her safety was… very cathartic. I'm not sure why I'm feeling that way, but I'm excited to see what their conversations are like while recuperating.

Sometimes it feels like I'm more of a reader than a writer of my own fics, which sounds horribly unprofessional now that I think about it for more than a second. Anyway! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment! I love reading each and every one of them (and way too often, multiple times). They really motivate me to crank out the next chapter and improve! This month's chapter is coming out a bit early to make room for a special one year fic as thanks. Honestly, it's been amazing coming back to fanfiction and YoruSoi. I'll see you guys then!