Disclaimer: No, I don't own Bleach. Tite Kubo does.
Soi Fon took a deep breath and stumbled a few more steps.
"You okay, Soi?" Ichigo leaned over to check on his adoptive sister.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she grunted. It was already December and while her left side was almost functional, that didn't mean the right half of her body was. As things were, she was reduced to a barely controlled limp with her walker. It didn't leave a shred of doubt that Unohana had left some of her healing incomplete, even if Isane had told her that her body was actually six months down the recovery timeline instead of her actual two weeks. Soi Fon could almost swear that the professor was hiding a grin every time she came in for physical therapy. "You go on without me. I'll be in class soon."
"Yeah right," Ichigo muttered. "I'm not leaving you out here."
Soi Fon sighed, hiding a smile. "Suit yourself."
The pair of them walked through the empty halls of Shin'o, the rest of the students having already entered their classes. Their destination however was the lecture hall at the furthest end of the west wing, about as far removed from the normal classes as possible while still being on campus.
"Good morning, Mr. Kurosaki, Ms. Fon." Ukitake nodded at them as Ichigo opened the door for Soi Fon. "I'm glad you two could make it to class."
Soi Fon cringed. It was odd hearing the professor be so formal with her. He had always been a sort of family friend, not close enough for them to really know each other, but not distant enough to be so cool.
"Sorry, professor. We were just trying to be safe. Didn't want anything to reopen or break." Ichigo closed the door behind Soi Fon. It felt like a coffin lid slamming into place. She swallowed.
Reaper Class.
Shin'o was home to all kinds of specializations. Kaido, Binding, Illusions, Transmutation, Summoning, Hado, the list went on, but there was one exception to the system. The class for exceptions.
"Yo, Shāolín. Nice to see you."
Soi Fon shuddered as the voice boomed out across the classroom. She could hear the crazed grin behind it too. Her knuckles whitened as she clutched her walker for support.
"I see you got up to something fun while you were away. Can't believe you didn't tell us about that duel you had planned with the Shihouin!"
Zaraki.
"Fon-fon!" Soi Fon winced.
And Yachiru.
Exceptions usually meant delinquents.
"Mr. Zaraki, I would prefer if you-" Ukitake coughed into his handkerchief. "If you would refrain from yelling in the classroom. Now," he turned back to Ichigo and Soi Fon. "You may take your seat, Mr. Kurosaki. Ms. Fon, if you would please come up here to the front and give us your self-introduction, I would be most grateful."
Soi Fon shared one last look with Ichigo before he sighed and walked past her to his desk. She nodded.
Ukitake smiled and made room for her. "Unfortunately, Mr. Ginjo is currently absent, but you have the rest of our attention."
Her walker rumbled as she dragged herself to the front of the room. "Er…" Soi Fon winced as she straightened, posture instantly tilting to favor her good half. "My name is Soi Fon." She stressed the words, glaring at Kenpachi. He and Yachiru were seated at the very back of the class, probably because if he wasn't, then nobody would be able to see around him, and of course, Yachiru wasn't going to leave his side.
Someone else snickered.
Soi Fon's head swiveled to catch the laughter. Gin Ichimaru was covering his face with his sleeve. Another silver headed boy next to him was trying hard to look disinterested, Hitsugaya Toshiro.
Sometimes prodigies were delinquents too.
Soi Fon cleared her throat. "I'm a third year here at Shin'o Academy. I haven't declared my specialization yet, and that's about it." Hopefully, she was just in here until Suzumebachi got out of her coma, and then she could leave. There was no reason for her to give them anymore than the bare details. Besides, the less time she spent around Zaraki the better. In her current state, there was no way she could go another round with the giant.
"Eh? I was hoping the girl who took on Yoruichi Shihouin would be a little more exciting." Gin lowered his sleeve. Soi Fon wondered why he even bothered covering his mouth in the first place since he was still grinning like a maniac.
"Huh? She's the gal who got in a pissing match with the cat?" A girl in rough sandy pigtails rocketed up from her seat. Apparently, she hadn't heard Zaraki's comment earlier. Behind her, a lime haired girl was craning her head to get a better look at Soi Fon.
"That's enough, you two," Ukitake frowned.
"Ah c'mon, teach," Gin leaned back and shrugged. "I was just a little disappointed after all the bragging little Kenny's been doing since that whole scene in the lunchroom!"
"What'd you say?!"
"Enough!"
Gin and Zaraki quieted as Ukitake's mana flooded the room.
The professor sighed. "Alright then. As usual, I will be taking Mr. Kurosaki aside for individual training. The rest of you have study hall. Mr. Zaraki, I suggest you review for Professor Unohana's instruction tomorrow if you do not wish to visit her infirmary for extracurricular instruction."
Kenpachi tsked. "Kaido again?"
Ukitake ignored him. "As for you, Gin, Toshiro, Professor Yamamoto will be in on Thursday. Ms. Sarugaki, Ms. Mashiro, Professor Hirako will be here on Wednesday."
"Who's in charge then on Friday?" Toshiro finally looked over at Soi Fon's direction. "Or are you dragging someone special out for the new student?"
"No, Professor Kyouraku will be here on Friday as per usual for general lessons. Now then," Ukitake bent his head. "Try not to make a huge mess today. It's quite exhausting for the rest of us and I have to grade four classes' worth of exams after this."
"Hey look! It's the noble who got her ass kicked by that third year!"
Yoruichi growled. Not only were the callouts getting on her nerves, but they didn't even have any class. No wit, no thought, just a brainless bit of rot thrown her way. If she was going to be insulted, the least they could do was try. She rounded on the poor first year. "Mind repeating that?"
"Huh?" The boy flinched. "Uh, you're Yoruichi Shihouin, ye-"
Her hand was around his neck and lifting him off the ground before Yoruichi herself processed what she was doing. "You could use some manners, kid. That's no way to talk to someone."
"H-hey!" The first year kicked out.
God, he was pathetic.
Yoruichi dropped him on the floor. What was she even doing? Wasting her time and breath on this kid? Letting a stupid commoner get under her nerves? What would her father say? So what if this was the twenty third time today? So what if this kind of stupid loud-mouthing hadn't stopped since that sneak-thief had gotten out of the infirmary? It shouldn't have mattered how many of them there were. A mountain of trash was still trash. She was supposed to be better than this.
But it was the way they looked at her. Their gazes had changed, no longer detached or awed but hungry. Hungry for their own slice of fame, or in their curiosity, or in their disgust. They were just like her suitors. She was nothing more than an object or an interesting event to be catalogued in their diary. Even Renji and Ichigo had snapped away, a coolness falling over the two people she had considered her star pupils. Yoruichi had always been alone, but she had never realized just how alone she really was.
"Just scram. I've got better things to do."
"Y-yeah?"
A bolt of lightning arced past his head, scorching the tiles.
The first year screeched, the air filling with the mixed scent of ozone and urine.
Yoruichi sneered. "Just be glad I'm magnanimous enough to give you a warning shot." She glared at him as he scrambled backwards down the rest of the hall, before sweeping her gaze over the rest of the students in the hall. They scattered, leaving her alone.
Yoruichi released a sigh and walked out towards the courtyard and S2. She was supposed to be attending her Illusions course, but it hardly mattered. She had enough credits to pass the class with highest honors, and even if she didn't, they weren't going to fail her for not showing up. Besides, what she needed wasn't more scouting training without a familiar. She needed time to refocus.
Her hands were shaking.
Her lightning was tainted.
Just what had that sneak-thief done to her?
It had taken a while for her to realize, but something was wrong with her mana. At first, she had just dismissed it as exhaustion or a psychological tremor or some aftereffect of the possible mana stealing Soi Fon had pulled off, but that wasn't right. No, something had leaked into her magic, a delicate tremor. It was like a thunderbolt chasing her lightning, a pale imitation, but it wasn't supposed to be there.
Yoruichi clenched her fists and stamped out the quivering.
Soi Fon scanned Suzumebachi's form again. Her familiar still hadn't woken up. She sighed and focused on redirecting more of her mana into their bond. According to Kyouraku, they were supposed to share similar energy levels by pooling their mana, so Suzumebachi should have recovered at the same rate she was, but clearly something was off. Soi Fon grimaced as her mana overflowed out of her familiar's body and back into her own. As far as she could tell, she couldn't replenish Suzumebachi's mana any more than she already had, but there was still something missing, as if there was another section in her familiar that echoed hollow when her mana hit it and flowed back to her. Just what had she done to her partner?
She sighed and patted the sprite on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Suzumebachi." Her familiar had dragged her into the fight with the Shihouin, but at the end of the day, it was her own fault that she had taken things so far, her own damn pride and desperation that had destroyed Suzumebachi. "I wonder if we really are cursed," Soi Fon mumbled. Was there a single Fēng who hadn't had a disastrous relationship with their familiar?
Soi Fon turned away from the makeshift bed they had made for Suzumebachi towards her desk. On it were several forms, all the paperwork she had to fill out to formalize her transfer to Reaper Class.
What a cast, Soi Fon frowned. Zaraki was an idiot, but there was no denying that he held the top marks in combat application at the school, and Yachiru was a competent fighter too. Soi Fon scratched out a note. Unohana had probably been assigned as their advisor because no one else could handle them. That, or to round out their skills with something nondestructive. She frowned, not that she was any better. After all, it had been her fault too that things had fallen apart. She had been the one to request adoption and that had dragged on Zaraki.
"I thought we were your family!"
Soi Fon grimaced. Yachiru had been sobbing. They were family. After her brothers had died, her parents had been taken by the Shihouins too, until she was the only clan member left. She had been bitter and violent and lashed out at the first adult she had seen, only it turned out that it hadn't been an adult but that big oaf instead. And Zaraki was just the kind of idiot that appreciated a good fight and she was self-destructive enough to give it to him and… she had fallen in with the gang. They were delinquents and idiots and she fit in. Being with them had felt good and they had looked after each other. It had been the closest thing she had ever had to a family, because being a Fēng meant being loyal to the Shihouins first but Zaraki had been loyal to her.
And in the end, she had betrayed that in a way too…
She shook her head. No, they were classmates now. She needed to focus on that, nothing more, like Gin and Toshiro. She was the same year as Gin, though they had never really met before. There had been a rumor going around early second year that he had embarrassed the hell out of some senior faculty by trouncing them at spell composition, but with him wandering in and out of class all the time, it was anyone's guess if he could actually sit still in a place long enough to do something like that. Or maybe he had just walked into a class, written over a teacher's answer on the blackboard with a better formula, and walked out. Who knew? She had never listened to the details because she had been focusing on adjusting to the Kurosakis.
Toshiro on the other hand was a first year. Apparently, Yamamoto had personally scouted him. He'd never been to a class outside of Reaper, but he seemed like the most normal one in there, aside from her and Ichigo. Soi Fon sketched an ice cube. He hadn't exactly been friendly though. Maybe that's what it was like to work with her, she reflected.
And the others? Of course she knew Ichigo, though whoever he was paired with under Ukitake still hadn't shown up. Soi Fon sighed. The other two girls were a mystery too.
Hiyori Sarugaki and Kuuna Mashiro…
Soi Fon tapped her pencil, then shook her hand out. Compared to the rest of her body, her right hand had healed a lot faster, though that probably had something to do with Unohana regrowing the whole thing from scratch. There might not have been another way to do it short of total repair, considering how much pain the professor had left in everything else. Still, it tired out ridiculously fast. She probably had to retrain all her muscles in it.
"God…" Soi Fon groaned. Less than a specialization or even a sectioned off class for troublemakers, Reaper Class felt like the kids Shin'o had no idea what to do with. And now she was part of them? She could barely walk! Soi Fon chewed her lip. Getting singled out by Yoruichi had been enough for her; she didn't need to be called out any more. Besides, it wasn't like she was anything special either. Even the delinquents in Reaper Class were some kind of genius. Had taking on that Shihouin really been enough to land her in this mess? She couldn't even take care of her familiar. Or was this just some way for Shin'o to bury the spotlight on her or appease the Shinhouins?
Soi Fon found herself staring at the pack of gum Yachiru had given her on Tuesday. She took out a stick and popped it in her mouth. Blueberry. It was cheap and overly sweet.
Burying the hatchet, huh?
Soi Fon buried her head in her hands. Making peace with a family. Maybe she shouldn't be too harsh on Shin'o.
Yoruichi's eye twitched.
"I wish you would do something about the rumors going around the campus." Byakuya Kuchiki lowered his tea cup. "It's unbecoming of you."
"Oh gee, thanks," Yoruichi rolled her eyes and reached for another cookie. "I didn't know you worried about me that much."
Byakuya stared at her through half-open lids before taking another sip of tea. "While I don't think much of your behavior, Yoruichi, I do respect the Shihouins, and it is my sincere wish to see my cousin's family thrive. Therefore, I have accepted that it is my fate to tell you what your servants are too proper to say."
"Can you just get to the point?" Yoruichi huffed. The only reason she had agreed to meet with the other scion was because she needed some space away from the rabble and their yammering about her fight. Now she was getting another earful from the opposite end? Why did she even bother? She grit her teeth and snapped another biscuit into her mouth.
"Ahem, my point is that you should observe your position and perform your duties with the proper decorum as befitting your status, Yoruichi Shihouin. It does you no service to have the common folk mutter about your rebel familiar, just as it did not serve you to challenge that commoner in the first place. You are the next head of the household, after all."
"Yeah, great, got it." Yoruichi stood up from the table. How ironic that Byakuya of all people would chide her for dueling Soi Fon. If anything, she had expected him to sympathize with her. After all, if a commoner dating his sister was an affront to his honor, then surely getting her own familiar stolen was reason enough to cause a scene. "Is that all?"
Byakuya frowned. "Given my advice, I was hoping you would at least observe the appropriate tea time etiquette for a cup between nobles.
"Whatever. I've got other things to do." Yoruichi turned on her heel right into Byakuya's chest. "Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Did you think that just because some commoner got the jump on me that you'd be able to catch me too?"
"I've been working on my flash step far longer than that girl has."
"Shame," Yoruichi flash stepped out of the room. "You're still slower than her." It wasn't true, and she would pay for that remark, but if the past month had taught her anything, it was how to get under a noble's nerves.
"Are you sure there's nothing else going on with her?" Soi Fon looked at Isane.
The silver haired girl sighed. "Not that I can tell. From what I can see she's recovered completely from the physical damage she received, and your mana pathways are stable. I don't think you're losing any magic between the two of you, and your pools have largely separated back out to their normal positions." The green glow faded from her hands as she removed them from above the shoebox Suzumebachi was cradled in.
"Oh," Soi Fon chewed her lip. "Does that mean?..."
Isane shook her head. "No, I don't think I'd call her braindead. Familiars don't work like us, and you can't think of their physical forms as anchors or waypoints or anything like that. It's not like if you destroy the body, they'll be unable to find their way back. Their contractor functions more like that. If I were to give you an analogy, maybe their bodies are more like vessels?" Isane's hands lit up, bright orange this time to disinfect themselves. "So, her form is in perfect shape, but she's just not in there at the moment."
Soi Fon nodded. Not in there? Did that mean the burning sensation she had called upon was Suzumebachi? Had she accidentally used her own familiar's soul as fuel for a spell?
"Soi Fon," Isane patted Soi Fon on the back, causing her to wince. "Things will work out. I think you'll see Suzumebachi again soon, okay?"
Soi Fon nodded. "Yeah… Soon."
Isane glanced up around the room. "Are Ichigo or Renji coming to pick you up today?"
"No, I'm trying to be less of a burden on them," Soi Fon shook her head. "And physical therapy's getting a bit easier, so I told them I wanted to try going alone this time."
Isane smiled. "Well, that's one good thing today, right?"
"Heh, maybe," Soi Fon smiled. "I still have to make it back home now."
"Do you want me to come with?"
"No, I'll manage." Soi Fon grimaced and heaved herself up out of her desk chair and into her walker. "Besides… I'm thinking of making a quick detour before heading back." An idea had popped into her head.
"Oh," Isane nodded. "Well, stay safe, Soi Fon." She handed Soi Fon her familiar back in her shoebox.
"Yeah, you too." Soi Fon cradled the box close to her chest and took a few shaky steps. Her whole body was already heating up from the effort, but at least she could support herself now, and even with her being handicapped, staying safe wouldn't be a problem. Ever since she had come back to school, people seemed to be avoiding her. Maybe it was because her fight with Yoruichi had somehow morphed into her punching out the Shihouin, or maybe it was because she was now officially part of Reaper Class, or maybe it was because people thought she'd collapse if they drew too close, but either way, people kept their distance. There was even a rumor that anyone who approached her would be struck dead by her familiar, which was ridiculous since it would have only taken a passing glance for someone to understand that Suzumebachi was still out cold. Somehow, she had turned into an urban legend, someone to be feared or pitied, but not another mage like them. She wasn't too sure how to feel about that. The first few days back to Shin'o had seemed like a familiar nightmare. When her brothers had died, everyone had kept a wide berth too, but she had felt their gazes burning into her from every angle.
On the other hand, the other students in Reaper Class hadn't felt the least bit inclined to acquaint themselves with her either, aside from Yachiru, which was fine with Soi Fon. The less she knew about them, the easier it would be to transition back to normal classes. Even Zaraki hadn't tried to start anything with her, which was a small miracle considering the amount of study hall they were all given. Maybe she just wasn't an appealing sparring partner all banged up as she was. He brawled with Toshiro and Hiyori enough to prove he hadn't gotten any less violent.
She stepped out into the courtyard. Despite the winter chill, the sun was shining high in the sky. Soi Fon glanced up at it, estimating the time. If she could make the trip in an hour, she'd have maybe another hour to search before she needed to head back. It was a wild guess on her part, but if Suzumebachi wasn't in her body, then was she wandering the forest? The alternative was… Soi Fon shook her head. She needed to be positive, and if Isane believed she'd see Suzumebachi then she had to cling to that hope too. Maybe her own soul acted like a beacon for her familiar, but she was too far away for Suzumebachi to find her. In any case, she owed it to her familiar to at least try.
"Alright…" Soi Fon muttered. "S2."
Yoruichi shot out of her chair. This was ridiculous. She was in the library. And people still wouldn't shut up about her.
The whispered half tones swirling around her died.
Yoruichi cursed her ears. Maybe Unohana had repaired them too well to torture her.
Idiots.
Yoruichi shoved her books into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. No point in studying or even pretending to study here. She could feel their eyes and words crawling over her skin. Weeks of nothing but the same glances, odd sneering, incredulity, and fear. They all added up, another weight on top of the perfection she was supposed to carry herself with. It wasn't just a matter of performing anymore. Now, they were waiting for her to fail.
Fine!
She was tired.
I'm leaving, alright?!
Their voices rose as she exited the library.
So shut up.
"Hey isn't that-"
Shut up.
"Yoruichi Shihouin?"
Shut up!
"Didn't she-"
I said shut up!
As soon as she opened the library door, Yoruichi flash stepped, disappearing from sight. She should have been fast enough to leave their voices behind, but they kept looping in her head.
Why?
Yoruichi grit her teeth.
Why won't they shut up?
She flung her bag into a random classroom. The servants would pick it up for her later anyway.
Why does it bother me so much?!
She was supposed to be better than that, stronger than this. Being called a loser or weakling or coward didn't mean anything, didn't mean she was, but the fact that it scratched at her made their whispers feel real. She didn't need them to tell her everything she already knew.
Yoruichi pounced.
And this, this made her feel like the weakest person of all.
She felt her body warp, muscles contorting, skin tightening as she fled.
This was supposed to be her proudest achievement, the thing that set her apart from the rest of her damn family. The Shihouins were the strongest battle mage line Shin'o had ever seen, but she had chosen transmutation, not Hado, as her specialization. She had chosen this. Something she could actually call her own, not the inheritance and burdens of her ancestors. And now she was using it to run away, because no one else knew about this. She had been saving it her whole school life to pull out and laugh at the very last moment and finally be free, finally show them that she was worth her title and above their assumptions.
Now it was just an escape, a chance to be anonymous.
Dammit.
Dammit!
Dammit all. Damn her for feeling this way.
And damn her for making her feel this way.
She was already deep in the forest before she snapped out of it.
Yoruichi padded through the autumn leaves of S2. She always ended up coming back to this damn forest too, where everything had gotten screwed. Why had it become a place of comfort? Any other lot was probably just as quiet and secluded. Was she just some sort of masochist? Why did she keep coming back?
The cat froze, a faint pulse of mana reaching her paws.
And why was there someone else here now too?
A/N: And cut! It's another one of those transition-y chapters, and a bit more all over the place this time too, but at least we're now entering a new arc! I'm excited to see how Soi Fon and Yoruichi's next meeting goes!
Honestly, I don't have much to say this time, which is weird. Reaper Class is just a mix of some characters from across Bleach that I think are fun. I toyed with the idea of piling all the Vizards in there, but at the end of the day, I felt like the old captains are probably professors instead. Kind of sad I didn't write more about Hiyori and Kuuna. Byakuya was a blast to write though. I try not to write so pompously, but letting loose for this actual noble was really fun, especially contrasted with Yoruichi.
Speaking of which, it's definitely a struggle getting into her headspace. I like the idea that Yoruichi is fed up with the nobility and their endless posturing, but she's also a total hypocrite in how she holds herself up as a noble. It's part pressure, part lack of reflection, part indoctrination, part pride, which is a blend I'm not sure I'm doing justice. Oh well, we'll see how she starts changing when she and Soi Fon finally share a non-confrontational experience next chapter! Finally getting some YoruSoi, god it's been forever.
If you liked this chapter though, please leave a review! I love reading them and they help me get off my butt to write! Until then, I'll see you guys in the next one!
