Chapter 3: Ming
(DO NOT ASK FOR A COMMISSION FOR MY WORK! THE ANSWER IS FUCK NO AND WILL STAY FUCK NO! ALL REVIEWS AND PMS ASKING ABOUT A COMMISSION WILL BE REPORTED AND BLOCKED! GO AWAY ALREADY!
As I said in the last chapter, this chapter will mostly focus on an OC. She's appeared in a few fics before, including Jigoku Files. To be honest, I've grown to like her quite a bit and will most likely be using her in plenty of future stories. I would give you a small profile but I think the following chapter will explain enough of her character as is. Besides, if you've already read some of my other fics than you're probably already quite familiar with her.
There isn't much more to say other than I wish that FF would hurry up and fix the commission bot issue already. I hardly get reviews or PMs as it is and now I have to worry that it's coming from one of these wastes of space? Come on already!
Sorry for prattling on like this. I'm just so sick of them...so fucking sick...)
Soifon sat at her desk, her head nestled in her hands. It was the day after the Captain's meeting and she had just finished up her paperwork for the day. Usually, this would be the time that she would head to the training grounds for a little session followed by a dip in the hot springs. That, or course, barring any request from the Head Captain or the Central 46 to go on a mission, something that at this very moment, she earnestly hoped for. She wouldn't even care if it was the most dangerous, suicidal, morally-bankrupt mission of her life.
Anything would be preferable then the mental limbo she currently found herself in.
"This doesn't make any sense. I've been conditioned from an early age to be a ruthless killing machine, unhampered by useless feelings or childish needs! I...I'm the Captain-Commander of the Onmitsukido dammit! I don't do touch!"
Soifon sighed as she rubbed her head again.
"But then...why am I craving it so bad right now?"
She leaned back in her chair, her hand still on her head.
"Lady Yoruichi's one thing. She's a Goddess. To be touched by her is a honor even a fool can recognize. I have no problem with wanting that. Anyone in their right mind would!"
Her expression soured as she thought back to yesterday's incident.
"But Byakuya...What possible reason could I have for desiring his touch? I know it in my heart that I have no special feelings for him and I can tell by the way he speaks to me that the lack of feeling is mutual. There's nothing between us and he's certainly no Lady Yoruichi."
Soifon looked down at the hand Byakuya had brushed against and once again caressed it, her expression changing from disgust to longing.
"And yet...that same feeling...that same longing...why?"
Soifon clenched her teeth and forced her hands apart, gripping either side of her desk.
"What the hell's wrong with me!?"
With a defeated sigh, Soifon lowered her head and gripped it with both hands, right back in the same position she started in.
It was while in this position that Soifon suddenly noticed a presence in the room. She didn't bother panicking because she could already tell it was one of her own Division. She lifted her head to see a girl bowing in front of her, her short blue hair falling over her face. "Good morning, Captain!" She greeted without lifting her head. "I'm here to give you the morning report."
"I see," Soifon replied. "Very well then. Go on."
"First off, I'm happy to report that the recruitment fair was a moderate success!" The girl began. "We're currently look at 250 potential new members!"
"Only 250, huh?"
The girl stiffened, clearly expecting her captain to be more excited about that number. "Y-Yes, Captain! It would seem your decision to let Lieutenant Omaeda install heated floors and air conditioning really helped to boost the recruitment numbers."
"Tsk! Those accommodations were made for Lady Yoruichi." Soifon groaned as she felt a headache coming on. It would seem all the stress of pondering over her newfound longing for contact had finally caught up with her. "Whatever. I suppose as long as they're willing to give their lives for the Soul Society, it doesn't matter what reason these new recruits have for joining."
"Of course, Captain."
"Anything else?"
"Well, the-there have been some concerns lately regarding the automated door in the northeast side of the barracks."
"What about it?" Soifon asked as she rubbed her head.
"Well, it seems to be on the fritz as they say."
"On the fritz?"
"Broken, as in closing on its own without warning and with excessive force. Three men have already broken their legs walking through the door and one courier broke an arm."
"Have you reported this to the Lieutenant?"
"Well, I tried." The girl looked up, the top half of her face betraying a pair of pleading eyes quite unbecoming for a member of the Onmitsukido. Her mouth and nose were covered by a black cloth. "But the Lieutenant insisted that there's nothing wrong with the door and that we should be ashamed for even accusing the Omaeda clan of paying for shoddy products.
"That lazy fatass," Soifon growled. "I'll see to it that he fixes the issue as soon as possible."
"A beating or two should do the trick." She thought.
"Thank you, Captain! I knew we could count on..." The girl trailed off as she noticed Soifon gripping her head. "C-Captain, is something wrong?"
"Huh?" Soifon realized she was rubbing her head in front of the girl and pulled it down. "I-It's nothing. Just a headache."
"A headache? Are you alright, Captain? You didn't accidently hurt yourself or anything, did you?" The girl suddenly panicked as if she thought she had said too much.
Soifon shook her head. "It's fine, really. It's just stress is all." Soifon mentally cursed herself for showing weakness in front of one of her officers.
"Get a grip on yourself, woman!" She mentally commanded herself. "Are you seriously allowing yourself to get a headache over this touch nonsense? Just how pathetic can you-
"Let me see." The girl suddenly appeared next to Soifon and gently dug her fingers into her hair. Soifon stiffened at the sudden and unexpected touch, almost like one of those strange goats Yoruichi had showed her a video of not too long ago. She needed a few seconds to fully comprehend just what the hell was happening and by the time she did, the blue-haired girl was already behind her, pushing her fingers down to her forehead.
"Wha-
"Just relax. I used to do this for the elders I lived with back in the Rukongai. It won't completely cure the pain but it usually keeps it away for a while." With a deep breath, the girl separated her fingers so they were spread apart along Soifon's forehead. From the left to the right, she gently drummed each finger against Soifon's head, then repeated the process backwards, all while humming a matching tune.
Soifon allowed herself to relax as she slid back in her chair. Part of her wanted to slap the girl's hands away and chastise her for suddenly digging her fingers in her scalp.
But she didn't.
She simply sat there, feeling that same strange rush from yesterday spread throughout her body. Her face started to heat up again and she wanted to move in case the girl somehow felt the change but she didn't. She allowed the girl's fingers to continue drumming on her head, the pain of her headache seeming to fade with each gentle tap.
"This sensation again...It's just like yesterday...just like with Yoruichi's headpat...It...It really is a touch thing isn't it?" Soifon's blushed intensified. "What am I thinking? That's ridiculous! Completely and utterly ridiculous! I'm not some touch-starved puppy! I'm the Captain-Commander of the Onmitsukido, dammit! I need to stop this! I can't let someone see me getting...getting...petted like a housecat!"
"There!" The girl lifted up her fingers with closed eyes and a smile beneath her cloth. "Feeling any better?"
Soifon uttered a quiet gasp as she realized the girl had released her. Part of her still felt the phantom fingers tapping against her forehead and she pressed her hand against it, almost as if to ensure they were really gone. "It..."
"It's just a little trick I picked up from the days of the Rukongai." The girl explained. "Just a little ritual to keep...the pain...at...bay..." The girl's pupils shrank to barely visible dots as her voice trailed off to a low groan. Sweat trickled down her forehead and soaked the black cloth covering her face. Soifon noticed the girl's sudden panicked demeanor and tried to ask what was wrong, only for the girl's sudden squeal to stop her.
"Kyaa! Oh my Soul King! What was I thinking!?" The girl suddenly flash-stepped back before Soifon, her head pressing against the floor with force, almost as if she was trying to crack it. "I am so, so, so sorry, Captain!" She cried. "I-I don't know what came over me! I just saw you struggling with that headache and for a brief moment, I completely forgot who you were! I-I shouldn't done that out of the blue without asking! Please forgive me!" She ended up bashing her head against the floor, cutting her forehead. A small stream of blood trickled from her head as she sat their trembling, her buttocks pointed to the ceiling.
Soifon was certain she would never forget this display, if only because of how over the top it was, even for an apology. Part of her almost expected the girl to strip off her clothes and go full Dogeza.
"I...I can see I've angered you beyond words." The girl continued. "I'll...take my leave now. Please find it in your heart to forgive me someday, Captain." With this, the girl got up and turned around. She was just about to flash-step out of the office in shame when Soifon's voice glued her in place with a simple word.
"Wait!"
The girl stopped and slowly turned to her captain, her cheeks aflame.
Soifon felt her own blush return and lowered her head.
"Am I really going to ask this?" She thought. "If anyone were to find out..."
Soifon took a deep breath in an effort to cool her face and looked up to the girl. "T-There's no need to apologize."
"C-Captain?"
"That...ritual of yours...worked actually." Soifon gulped. "My headache is gone...thank you."
"Oh!" The girl's face burned the color of crimson as she turned back to Soifon and bowed. "P-Please thank nothing of it! I am a member of the Onmitsukido after all! I've devoted myself completely to serving Soul Society and you! I-If there is anything you need, anything at all, it would be an honor to help you anyway I can!" The girl beamed for a few seconds as she said this, only to panic again, as if fully realizing what she had said. "Ah! Sorry! Sorry! I-I didn't mean to prattle on!"
Soifon looked at the girl with a weary expression. She certainly wasn't the usual mold of the typical 2nd Division Shinigami, that much was for sure.
"Actually...there is something..." She muttered, almost whispered to the girl.
"Huh?" The girl ceased her flailing at once. "Captain?"
"Well, it's...um...that...that ritual of yours...I...heard you said it keeps the headache at bay for a while...but...would...that time last longer if the ritual was prolonged...?"
The girl stared at Soifon quizzically for a few moments. "I'm not sure. I suppose it might but...I couldn't really promise anything."
"I see," Soifon replied. Her face began to heat up again as she pondered how she was going to break her request to her subordinate without it sounding awkward. She was just about to quietly accept that such a task might prove impossible when the girl continued.
"Did you...did you want me to continue it?" She offered. "The ritual I mean?"
Soifon's face flushed throughout and she once again hung her head down so her bangs would obscure the girl's vision of it. "J-Just for a few minutes." She replied. "If...If you're not busy, that is."
The girl smiled beneath her mask. "You are my Captain. I could never be too busy for you." She walked back behind Soifon and repeated the process. "But please remember, I can't promise this will keep the headache away for longer. I've never done it like this before."
"That's fine," Soifon as she felt that same sensation return. "Just...do your best."
The girl nodded and began to rhythmically tap her captain's forehead. Soifon eased back into her seat and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation for the next few minutes. Every so often, she would think about the unlocked office door and worry that someone would come in and see her getting what was, for all intents and purposes, petted. She blushed at the thought and felt tempted to ask the girl to lock the door. But she was kept silent by the certain awkwardness that was sure to follow and her desire to enjoy the process uninterrupted.
After a few minutes, the girl gently lifted her fingers away from Soifon's scalp. "There. Do you feel any better?"
"Certainly," Soifon said in a relaxed tone that she wasn't quite used coming out of herself. "Thank you..." Soifon trailed off as she realized with slight embarrassment that she didn't even know the girl's name. As Soifon preferred to breed aggression and hostility among her subordinates rather than camaraderie, she had never made it a point to learn anyone else's name but Omaeda's. Yoruichi had chastised her for running the Onmitsukido in this manner but only now did she actually feel regret about it.
"It was nothing, Captain. Anything for you," The girl said as she prepared to flash-step out of the room. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get things ready for the new recruits."
"Wait!" Soifon suddenly shouted.
The girl once again stopped in her tracks and turned toward her captain. "Yes, Captain?"
Soifon hesitated for a moment, unsure if this was really right the choice to make. After a few moments, she asked the girl a question she never imagined she would bother asking as she got out of bed this morning.
"What is your name?"
The girl seemed surprised a bit at the question and also hesitated for a moment. "Um...M-Ming! My name is Ming, Captain."
"Just Ming?"
Ming nodded. "I...I don't recall ever having a last name but I know my name is Ming."
"Almost like my name," Soifon thought. "Thank you, Ming. You were most helpful to me today." She looked down at her hands, fighting the urge to rub the area Ming had tapped her. "I'll...see to it the automatic door is fixed soon."
"Oh!" Ming bowed one final time to Soifon. "It was no trouble at all, Captain. Please think nothing of it. And thank you!" With this, Ming flash-stepped out of sight, leaving Soifon alone in her office. Only then, did she allow herself to caress the area Ming had touched with her fingers, relishing in the memory.
"Maybe...Maybe I do enjoy touch..." Soifon thought as her face burned. "How humiliating." She forced her hand away and sighed. "Maybe it's a temporary thing brought upon by Lady Yoruichi's return. Yeah, that's it. That has to be it!" Soifon got up and stretched. "In any case, I better make sure no one else finds out about this. My reputation would never recover. She thought back to that girl, her subordinate. "I...I shouldn't have to worry about that girl, right? I'm sure she knows better than to speak of situations like this when her captain is involved. Soifon allowed herself an amused smirk. "What am I worried about? As far as Ming was concerned, she was simply helping me keep a headache away."
Soifon flash-stepped out of her office toward the training grounds. The headache stayed away for the rest of the day.
Ming sat in the tree near the edge of the Detention Unit's territory, a few yards from where the Nest of Maggots lay beneath the earth. She often came to this very tree for quiet contemplation or even to sort out strategies for upcoming missions. Despite knowing full-well that there was a underground prison full of dangerous criminals nearby, Ming found this spot quite peaceful.
And at this very moment, the prison was the furthest thing from her mind.
"She...she let me touch her." She whispered as she gentle caressed her own hand. "Captain Soifon actually let me touch her." Ming had to cover her mouth, lest she unleash an embarrassing squeal of delight that someone might hear. She couldn't help it. She was practically fit to burst with how much excitement and joy she was experiencing at the moment. "Not only that, she wasn't even reluctant about it! In fact, she almost seemed to enjoy it..."
Ming thought back to her captain's reddening face, relishing in the memory like a warm blanket.
"I always thought Captain Soifon would look beautiful with a blush on her face and I was right!"
Ming's own face burned scarlet and she covered it with her hands as she kicked her feet up excitement.
"I wonder...if she actually secretly enjoys physical contact with people?"
The thought was enough for Ming to sit back up, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Don't be stupid, Ming!" She mentally scolded herself. "Captain Soifon is a ruthless assassin and you know it! She...She just needed help with a headache is all!"
Ming sighed as she rested against the branch she was laying on before, arms beneath her head.
"Of course, if it turned out Captain Soifon did like being touched, I wouldn't mind obliging."
A small fantasy played out in Ming's head, Soifon clasping her hands with a rosy color to her face.
"Oh Ming! This is so embarrassing but...would you hold my hands?"
"Of course! Whatever you say, Captain Soifon!"
Ming giggled.
"That's right. I wouldn't mind at all. I'd hold her hand. I'd pat her head. I'd even give her all the hugs she could want." Ming looked up to the sky, feeling at top of the world.
"After all, she is my Goddess!"
(This is probably the most confident I've ever written Ming. As you can tell, the basic idea is that she's sort of crazy for Soifon the way Soifon's crazy for Yoruichi. A Soifon for Soifon if you will.
I hope you enjoyed the story and if you did, please leave a review because the commission bots are making me sad and I can use a pick-me-up. Buh-Bye!)