The Day Hell Froze Over
Omaeda Marechiyo cringed as he stared at the scattered remnants of the
pottery. He hadn't meant to knock it over, but his remarkable size
rendered the task of slipping through a narrow passageway in Soul
Society practically impossible. For a moment he could only stand frozen
in dread--someone must have heard the crash and it was unlikely that he
was quick enough to get away, especially if his captain happened to have
heard it.
Oh damn...
HIS CAPTAIN! He knew better than anyone just how short the temper of 2nd
Division and Correction Corps leader Soi Fong was, especially since that
temper seemed to wear especially thin around him. If she found him
here... Before he could even begin to pick up the pieces, he heard the
pitter-patter of light footsteps coming in his direction from around the
corner.
Oh, gods--please let it be anyone other than her...
The gods seemed to find his situation humorous, however, since none
other than the petite Captain walked into view, but curiously enough she
didn't notice Marechiyo. In fact, it didn't seem like she was paying
attention to anything, and unless he was crazy it sounded as if she was
humming to herself. The significance of this didn't register with the
boorish Vice-Captain though; all that mattered was that he still had a
chance to get away.
All right, now if I'm really quiet...
Unfortunately, he only managed a few steps in the direction of the
railing when one of the larger pieces slipped out of his hand and fell
to the ground with a crash that finally snapped Soi Fong out of her
distracted state of mind. She turned around to see her Vice-Captain
standing behind her, a guilty expression on his face mingled with a
healthy dose of the fear of God.
"...Ohmaeda? What are you doing here?" Her question was asked in the
farthest from her normally severe tone--in fact, she even sounded
perfectly at ease for once, but to the giant it only seemed like a ploy
to throw him into a false state of security. Without another word he
fell prostrate on the wooden floor, bowing his head as low as it could
possibly go.
"I'm very, very sorry Captain! I didn't mean to break it, and I know
that this isn't the first time I've done it," (he shuddered as he
remembered the last time he had so much as scraped one of the ornamental
vases that populated Seireitei, resulting in a series of injuries and a
long lecture about being more tactful from Soi Fong)"...but I beg you to
be merciful! It's just that these halls make it difficult to see what's
around them--"
"Oh, that's fine. Everyone makes mistakes."
For a moment, Marechiyo was certain he had heard wrong. Had someone
imitated his Captain's voice in order to lull him into complacency?
Finally daring to look up, he saw that not only was Soi Fong NOT getting
ready to kill him, but she was actually picking up the ceramic shards
and tossing them into a pocket of sorts she had made by holding up the
end of her Captain's robe.
"C-Captain?" he chanced, fearfully wondering if reminding the femme
fatale of his presence would revert her to her normal, irate self.
"Well? Here, pick these up with me." She didn't sound cold or demanding,
it was almost as if she had made a request of him rather than an order.
Without bothering to consider this, however, Ohmaeda hastily grabbed
some more of the pieces and set them into Soi's robe. "There, I think
that's all of them," Soi assessed as she carried the broken pottery over
to a nearby wastebasket and threw the pieces in, tinkling against each
other as they fell. "Oh, and Ohmaeda..." she began, turning to him. He
recoiled, certain that the hammer was going to fall this time, but Soi
Fong only patted him lightly on the arm. "Don't worry; if anyone asks
then I'll take full responsibility. Just be more careful, all right?"
Before he could say anything, Soi had turned around and walked off, but
not before the brute caught-- of all things-- the hint of a distracted
smile on her face.
...What...just happened here?
He knew he should have been grateful, but all the Vice-Captain could
feel was completely and utterly bewildered. Captain Soi Fong, the
infamous Ice Queen of Soul Society... smiling? Covering for HIS mistakes
as opposed to chewing him out over them? He didn't have much opportunity
to consider this, however, as he soon ran into (literally) a
high-ranking member of the 3rd Division with stylishly cut blonde hair
that concealed part of his face.
"...Vice-Captain Izuru?" Marechiyo asked after a moment, helping the
disoriented Kira to his feet. It took him a moment to answer; running
straight into the moving wall that was Marechiyo was no laughing matter
after all.
"Oh, sorry, Ohmaeda," Kira managed with a slight bow. "...I guess I'm
just a little distracted. I just saw the wierdest thing a minute ago,
so..." he shrugged as the last bit of his discourse faded into a mutter.
"Hmm," the massive Marechiyo grunted, "That's funny--I just saw
something that was odd, too."
"Is that so? Well, I bet that it wasn't as crazy as this," Kira said
with a slight chuckle.
"Really? Try me," the 2nd Division's Vice-Captain smirked. There was no
way that anything the blonde shrimp beside him could say that would blow
his mind as much as seeing Soi Fong do anything other than scowl.
"Well, okay," Kira assented, then launched straight into his brief
anecdote. "...So I'm just sitting outside, doing some paperwork, right?
Well, of all people, Captain Soi Fong comes by and asks how everyone's
doing! And to top it all off, she's smiling! I mean, HER SMILING! I know
it sounds completely--"
"...Are you sure?" Kira stopped talking to look up at Marechiyo, who was
wearing a look of disbelief all over his broad face. "I...I saw her do
it too!"
"You're kidding! For a while, I thought that I was just seeing things! I
wonder what's going on with her?" Before Marechiyo could say another
word, the voice of the object of their bewilderment rang throughout
Seireitei, apparently making use of the same kidoh Kotetsu Isane had
employed to inform Soul Society of Aizen's betrayal. This time, however,
the message conveyed on the amplified voice of its user was far less
serious.
"ATTENTION--BY ORDER OF SECOND DIVISION CAPTAIN SOI FONG, ALL MEMBERS OF
THE CORRECTION CORPS AND THE SECOND DIVISION ARE OFFICIALLY FREE OF
DUTIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. THAT IS ALL." A stunned silence
greeted this sudden announcement, followed by cheering that carried all
throughout the stronghold of Soul Society. Meanwhile the two
Vice-Captains blinked at each other, just as stunned but not necessarily
jubilant.
...The day off? Just the idea got Marechiyo thinking, a pastime he was
not particularly inclined towards, which only made him more agitated.
It was practically unheard of for any Captain to do such a thing,
especially considering that they were at war and the enemy could strike
at any moment. It was well within the bounds of their given power as
leaders of the Gotei 13, yet only a handful had used it, the few being
current Fourth Division Captain Unohana and even once under former
Captain Aizen Sosuke when he was still playing everyone for fools.
"What the...?" was all that default-Third Division Captain Izuru could
get out, as his mouth had long since hit the floor. "Since when has she
been so careless? I swear, I've gotten so used to being paranoid about
those damn ninjas that I think I can hear them when I go to the
bathroom." He didn't even know Soi Fong that well but her reputation as
a strict and stoic commander had earned her the fear and/or respect of
just about everyone in Soul Society. There was something very strange
about all this, but what it was Kira wasn't sure.
"Hey, Ohmaeda--are you sure you've never seen her do anything like this
before?" The other Vice-Captain only gave an annoyed,
if-she-had-then-I-wouldn't-be-worried-about-it-right-now glare. Kira was
about to ask about whether or not she was sick when the dark
incandescence of a Death Butterfly fluttered around a nearby corner and
came to a stop on Kira's outstretched palm.
This looks like it's from the higher-ups... He lifted the ephemeral
messenger to his ear, so that he could hear its missive better.
"Well? What is it?" Marechiyo asked when the Death Butterfly had
dissolved into tiny specks of light.
"Uh...It's from Supreme Commander Yamamoto," the blonde said with a
puzzled look. "He wants all Captains and Vice-Captains for an emergency
meeting."
The meeting hall was packed and full of unintelligible chattering when
Captain Yamamoto arrived, his body more than capable of running but
simply opting to go at a steady pace. Captain Kuchiki was the first to
stand at attention (he had been silent since arriving, though his
boisterous Vice-Captain was another matter), and then all the other top
members of the Gotei 13 followed suit once they noted their Commander's
presence. Once he had reached the far end of the vestibule, Yamamoto
took a deep breath before speaking.
"...I have called you all here to address an issue that is of great
concern. Specifically, it regards one among our ranks, who some of you
may have noticed has not been called here." At this a few of those
present turned their heads slightly from side to side, all of whom found
that Soi Fong was curiously absent.
"Commander," Captain Ukitake said in a clear voice, breaking the silence
of the audience, "...Are you implying that the Second Division Captain
may have been compromised in some way?" Yamamoto did not answer, but
looked toward a man with a bizarrely painted black-and-white face.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, I believe this would be an appropriate time to
present your findings." Mayuri bowed to the Supreme Commander, then cast
a cold leer at his 'daughter,' urging her to follow him to the front
with the wide array of equipment in her slender arms.
"Thank you, Commander Yamamoto," the scientist said in his trademark
hiss as Nemu proceeded to set up what looked like a projector and a
plain white screen. "I've been asked to analyse the
recent...disturbing...behavior of our fellow Captain, based on what I've
been relayed by the Commander."
"Umm...What do you mean by 'disturbing?'" Vice-Captain Isane asked
demurely as she raised her hand.
"You mean you haven't seen it!" Kira managed in a clearly rattled voice.
"She's acting...well, civil!" the tattooed Renji answered, looking every
bit as agitated as Kira. "And I think someone said they actually saw her
smile!" This got quite a rise out of the people assembled, as they
almost immediately broke out into gasps of shock and disbelief,
punctuated by cries of "it'sthe apocalypse!" from the tiny Hinamori who
was eventually calmed by Captain Unohana, assuring her that no such
thing was happening.
"SILENCE!" Yamamoto bellowed in his commanding voice, and within seconds
every last person had complied.
"Now then..." Mayuri continued once he was certain that he had regained
the attention of his peers, "...A dramatic, sudden change in behavior,
uncharacteristic emotional responses-- these things are all the result
of something undoubtedly suspicious. After much consideration..." he
turned to Nemu and was about to instinctively deride her for being slow
but saw that she had already finished preparing the projector, so he
simply turned the device on, shining light onto the canvas tacked up on
the wall and displaying a crude diagram of the former Captain of the
Fifth Division. "...After much consideration, I have determined that the
changes evident in the Second Division Captain are none other than the
work of Aizen Sousuke." To his satisfaction, a stunned hush met his
words, followed by much quieter exchange of dialogue among the Captains
and their subordinates. "We don't yet know how deeply this runs. She may
be under some sort of kidoh that we can't identify yet, or she may
simply be a traitor--"
"Captain Kurotsuchi," the fox-headed Komakura growled out, his voice
gruff and skeptical, "...I find it hard to believe that the Second
Division Captain could be a traitor. Her loyalty to the Gotei 13 is
beyond question."
"Yes, but you also believed that about Captain Tousen, did you not?"
Mayuri retorted darkly. Komakura growled under his breath but said
nothing more. "The only other possibility is that this
'uncharacteristic' Soi Fong is not the true Soi Fong, but rather some
type of imitation created to infiltrate our ranks. The only problem is
that whoever made her wasn't familiar enough with Captain Fong's
behavior to make an accurate copy."
"Hmph. I don't think a guy like Aizen would make such a stupid mistake,
especially since he's been around us for as long as he has." Mayuri
glared at Kyoraku, who'd made the quip from behind the brim of his
sunhat.
"Well, then, does anyone else have any suggestions on what this anomaly
is?" the Captain of the Scientific Division asked the whole of the group
with a leer.
"...It could be some kind of long distance illusion--maybe Kokuya
Suigetsu's bankai?" Vice-Captain Shuuhei offered with a thoughtful look
on his face.
"No, this could involve some kind of drug or other," Thirteenth Division
Third Seat Kotsubaki said with a hand on his chin.
"Oh, you know, I felt kinda funny when I had a drink of water this
morning--maybe it's being put in the water supply!" the second occupier
of Third Seat, Kotetsu Kiyone, chimed in, not catching the "yeah, that's
'cause you're a bitch" that was muttered by Kotsubaki.
"Feh," Kenpachi spat as his hand twitched over his nameless Zanpaku-to.
"I say we just grab her and beat it out of her." Of everyone present he
cared the least whether the assumed impostor was a real threat or not,
he was just elated at the opportunity to do some fighting.
"Wait, wait! Don't you guys think that maybe...just maybe...we're
overreacting just a bit?" The group turned in surprise at the sudden
interjection of Vice-Captain Matsumoto, her hands held up in the signal
of cease-fire. "Maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way. I mean,
has anyone seriously stopped to consider that Captain Soi Fong's
behavior might not be a bad thing? I mean, she IS entitled to the same
feelings as any of us--"
"Quiet, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya muttered as he yanked on the sleeve of her
robe. She blinked at her Captain's dismissal of her opinion and scowled
at him.
"Captain, this is a perfectly legitimate argument! Besides, I know for a
fact that there's--"
"Matsumoto," the child prodigy said in a dangerous whisper, "...That may
be a POSSIBILITY at best. Besides, the woman hasn't so much as smirked
in the last 100 years-- to suddenly act all happy like she has been
isn't a normal thing." Rangiku opened her mouth to argue, but after
seeing the glare in her Captain's eye she thought better of it and
sighed. Fortunately, the buxom blonde's call for sanity seemed to have
earned her a supporter, as the previously silent Captain Unohana spoke
up.
"I agree with the Tenth Division Vice-Captain--It would be irresponsible
of us to make any rash decisions until we've made a proper assessment of
Soi Fong's behavior. The situation as we can view it now seems uncertain
at best." Everyone seemed inclined to comply with her, as she was really
the most even-headed of those present.
"Well said, Captain Unohana," Yamamoto said with a slight nod. "Unless
there are any objections, then I propose that a small contingent of
Shinigami are appointed to observe the Second Captain and determine the
root of her behavior." When no one rejected the Commander's plan, the
twin double doors were thrown open and the Captains were allowed to
leave, pondering amongst themselves who would be best suited for such
work.
"...Ridiculous."
That was all Hitsugaya could think to mutter as he glanced over the
people who'd been appointed to the observation group; it was nearly as
random as the band of Shinigami who'd been assigned to Komakura Town
following the arrival of the first Arrancar.
"Hey, don't look at me! I've got better things to do than peep on some
crazy bitch!" Renji growled, wondering how this sort of thing always
seemed to happen to him.
"I mean, I can understand you and Matsumoto," he indicated his
Vice-Captain, playing absentmindedly with a few strands of curly blonde
hair, "...But why these three?" He gestured over to the others, which
consisted of the diminuitive Hanatarou, the oafish Marechiyo, and the
stoic Nemu.
"Well," Rangiku said after a moment, "...Hana-chan's here from Fourth in
case there's some sort of poison involved, Ohmaeda's her Vice-Captain
(ill-suited to this sort of thing though he may be), and Nemu-chan was
requested to report anything remotely out of the ordinary by Captain
Kurotsuchi."
"WAIT! DON'T FORGET BALDY-CHAN AND ME!"
"I told you, I'm NOT 'Baldy-chan!' Is my name THAT hard to remember,
Vice-Captain?" The six turned in the direction the two voices had come
from to see Eleventh Division Vice-Captain Yachiru riding happily on a
much-grumpier-than-normal Madarame Ikkaku.
"You're late!" Hitsugaya scowled at the bald ruffian.
"Well, sorry-- we had some bad directions." He made a subtle nod in the
direction of his commanding officer to indicate where the 'bad
directions' had come from.
"Hey, remember what Ken-chan said," Yachiru said with that disturbingly
elated look on her face, "If you complain then Ken-chan gets to play
with you..." The threat was more than enough to reduce the boisterous
Third Seat into complacency, and the Tenth Captain let out a sigh.
"...All right...Now if we're going to conduct
this...investigation...then I think we'll need to at least lower the
outer wall--keep anything from getting in or out."
"Already taken care of, Captain," Matsumoto said with a grin. "I sent
the message about five minutes ago-- it should be coming down pretty
soon." Sure enough, out in the distance, the inpenetrable wall that
separated Seireitei from the rest of Soul Society soon descended to the
ground, sending up a massive cloud of dust which each section that fell
into place. This inhibiting cloud also managed to provide cover for a
single black cat that crawled through just before the wall crushed it
underneath its weight.
"HI, SOI-CHAN!" Soi Fong turned at the sound of her (kind-of) name to
see Yachiru and Hanatarou sitting on a bench together, a steaming kettle
placed between the two.
"Hello, Vice-Captain!" Soi answered with a smile and an almost
freakishly girlish wave, which made the Fourth Division Shinigami nearly
spit up the tea he was drinking. "My, you're looking cute today!"
"Okay...so remind me again what we're doing here?" Renji whispered the
the rest of the 'observation squad,' watching the whole occurence from
behind the safety of a nearby wall. To the surprise of the six present,
Nemu spoke up.
"...The Fourth Division representative and the Eleventh Vice-Captain are
serving as decoys for two purposes: To confirm the odd behavior of the
Second Captain, and to determine whether or not she's an impostor."
"Huh? How the hell are they gonna do that?" Ikkaku growled from his
uncomfortable position, unable to see what was going on. Nemu held up a
small square that looked oddly like a sugar cube.
"These cubes contain a substance that can reveal the true state of
something if ingested. After taking their own tea, they were asked to
put the cubes inside the kettle and urge the Captain to share some. If
she isn't the true Soi Fong, then her real form or identity will be
revealed."
"Wait...You mean that Captain Kurotsuchi invented sugar cubes that can
tell you if you're drinking coffee with a spy or something?" Hitsugaya
asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"...The Captain does have quite a bit of spare time on his hands," Nemu
admitted casually. The white-haired Captain only gave an admissive sigh
before turning his attention back to their target.
"U-Um, C-C-Captain..." Hanatarou stuttered nervously, trying to keep his
hands steady.
"Hey, are you all right?" Soi asked him with sudden concern in her
voice, placing a hand on the sweating boy's forehead. "Hmm...Maybe you
should go to Fourth Division--I can escort you if you need me to..."
"Uh, n-no, I'm fine..." the diminuitive Shinigami answered, uncertain if
he should be more worried about staying in character or the empathetic
Soi Fong standing a few feet away. "L-listen, Captain, uh...W-we were
wondering i-i-if..."
"WANT SOME?" Yachiru belted out suddenly, holding out a steaming mug of
the dark liquid. "IT'S YUMMY!" Soi and Hanatarou blinked at the sudden
outburst of the bubblegum-haired Vice-Captain, but Soi took the cup with
a smile.
"You know, I am feeling a bit thirsty...Thanks, Yachiru-chan."
YACHIRU-CHAN? The sextet of hidden Shinigami thought in surprised
unison.
"Okay, that clinches it," Marechiyo said with a subdued grumble,
"There's no way in HELL that's the Captain." The rest sushed him as Soi
put the narrow cup to her lips and took a drink. For a moment they just
sat there with bated breath, waiting for some kind of reaction.
"...How do we know if it's working?" Hitsugaya asked in a whisper.
"If she's a fake, then she'll have a very painful reversion to her true
form," Nemu responded.
"And what if that's really her?"
"Then she'll only have a few painful spasms before the effect wears
off." Renji rolled his eyes at Nemu's answer. One thing was certain
about Captain Kurotsuchi--he certainly liked inflicting pain on his
subjects.
"Mmm...That's very good!" Soi Fong said after a few seconds, no visible
signs that anything was happening to her. "What kind is it?" It took the
stunned Hanatarou a moment to answer. Why wasn't the drug affecting her?
"Umm...It's a special Green Tea blend--from Fourth Division," he finally
said truthfully. She handed the tea back to Yachiru, then made little
bow.
"Well, thank you very much, but I'm in a bit of a hurry--I hope we can
continue this later," and with that the Second Captain dashed off down
the balcony and out of sight.
"What the hell happened!" Ikkaku said as soon as the others got out of
their hiding place. "I thought you guys were supposed to put the cubes
in the tea!"
"I-I did!" Hanatarou said with fear in his eyes, not wanting to deal
with a much-more violent member of the Eleventh Division. "I could have
sworn I put the right amount in..." With that, he added some of the
drug-laced tea to his cup, then took a sip. "Hmm...Nothing! I guess that
I didn--" Before Hanatarou could finish, he made a gagging noise and
collapsed to the ground, twitching like mad.
"Huh?" Matsumoto exclaimed with confusion. "But if it's affecting
Hana-chan, then why didn't it do anything to Soi Fong?"
"Oh, that's right!" Yachiru chimed in with a silly grin on her face. "I
gave her MY tea by mistake! Silly me!" The group "oh"ed in comprehension
before turning to the twitching form of Hanatarou sprawled on the floor.
"Uh...How long's he gonna be like that?" Renji asked with a raised
eyebrow, tentatively poking the boy with his foot.
"Do not be concerned," Nemu said dismissively, "...the effects should
wear off in about ten minutes or so."
"Well, I think we can effectively rule out 'impostor' as a possibility,"
Hitsugaya admitted with an annoyed look.
"But that still doesn't explain why she's acting so wierd," Marechiyo
said as he scratched his head.
"Hey, look at this!" Matsumoto called from a few feet away, holding up a
small folded note in brown paper. "I think she dropped it when she ran
off." Hitsugaya took the note and looked at the front. Sure enough, it
was adressed to Soi Fong in small, cramped writing on the front. He
opened it up to see only one thing written inside.
9:00 PM
This was followed by what looked like a cat's paw stamped in ink.
"Well, this can only mean one thing," Hitsugaya said gravely as he
folded up the note and placed it in his robe. "...She's working for a
hostile group outside Soul Society and they're meeting tonight to give
her instructions." All the people present outside of Matsumoto, Yachiru
and a still epileptic Hanatarou gasped in shock at this revelation, but
the young Captain quickly silenced them with a wave of his hand. "All
right, here's what we're going to do: Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi, can you
look for any organizations that use a cat's paw as an insignia?" The
woman nodded, then dashed off in a different direction. "All right,
then...Madarame and Vice-Captain Abarai need to interrogate anyone in
Second Division you can find. There's a slight chance that this
precipitates further down than just Soi Fong--"
"Uh, Captain," Rangiku interrupted, "Actually, I don't think this is
anything dangerous..."
"Matsumoto, the circumstances practically speak for themselves!"
Hitsugaya shot back with fire in his cold eyes. "If you're going to say
there's nothing suspicious about how she's acting--"
"But Captain, I'm telling you that I--"
"Enough!" Toshiro's icy finality silenced Matsumoto, though she had a
rather annoyed look on her face as the scrawny Captain turned away.
"...As for the rest of us, we'll be keeping watch on the major points of
Seireitei, and keep each other informed of Soi Fong's movements."
"W-wait a minute, Captain," Marechiyo blurted out, "How are four of us
going to keep track of her like that! This place is too big for even a
small army to cover, much less one by one!"
"No, there'll be FIVE of us," Hitsugaya corrected him. "...But first we
need to wake up Hanatarou-kun."
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, the white-haired Captain thought to
himself as he stared down at the open courtyard from his perch on a high
building. He'd been sitting here for the last three hours, during which
his brain gradually became numb to everything except how much his butt
was hurting from sitting on concrete all this time. Not that he'd ever
complain, of course--complaints were for the weak, and he was certainly
NOT weak. The others were probably as bored as he was, and knowing
Matsumoto she'd probably wandered off to enjoy herself somewhere far
away from her current job. He was proven wrong, however, when a Death
Butterfly suddenly appeared before him, sent from none other than his
Vice-Captain. After listening to the message, Hitsugaya blinked in
surprise, then tried to look at the messenger to repeat the discourse,
but it had already disappeared. Wasting no time, he ran over to
Rangiku's location some few miles away.
"Oh, Captain, you're just in time!"
"...Was that message some kind of joke?" Toshiro asked at once,
disbelief still dictating his reception of her missive.
"See for yourself," the blonde said with a grin, as though she found the
whole thing amusing. Hitsugaya leaned over the edge of the tower they
were sitting on and would have gasped if he wasn't proud enough to show
fear. There was Captain Soi Fong, walking along a fairly deserted
alleyway, but...she actually looked, well, like a girl! She was still in
her Captain's robes, but it seemed that she had done her hair (the
normally ragged cut to her dark locks had been evened up and shampooed),
and unless his eyes were decieving him she was wearing make-up! Before
he could speak, Marechiyo and Hanatarou (unfortunately assigned by
Yachiru to bear her on his small shoulders) arrived.
"We got your message, what did you--Oh gods, who the hell is that?"
Marechiyo blurted out once he saw the woman walking down the alley. "She
stole the Captain's uniform!"
"Actually..." Hanatarou managed once Yachiru had grown tired of pulling
on his hair, "...I think that IS your Captain."
"I-i-i-it can't be!" the brute said once he had regained control over
his limited mental faculties.
"What? I think it's kind of a nice change of pace." Rangiku said
happily, still lazily watching Soi go down the street and finally turn a
corner.
"Come on, there's no time to lose," Hitsugaya said with a furrowed brow
as he followed in the Second Captain's direction, trailed closely by the
others. "Obviously, whoever she's meeting with is the leader of this
organization, and happens to be a lover of sorts. That would explain why
she would betray us to this man. Although Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi never
came back with information on what kind of organization it was, and
Madarame reported that Second Division didn't know anything about it..."
"Captain--" his Vice-Captain began but without fail Hitsugaya cut her
off.
"Not NOW, Matsumoto! There could be millions of lives on the line if we
don't stop this thing while we have the chance!"
Fine, I can't say I didn't try, Rangiku thought to herself wryly as they
dashed over the rooftops.
Soi glanced around the forest of sakura trees, none of which happened to
be in bloom at this point of the year. She had glanced back and forth to
be sure she wasn't followed, but the lingering suspicion remained in her
mind nonetheless.
Come on, she shook herself mentally, It's nothing to get worked up over.
She knew that she should have been as inconspicuous as possible,
especially regarding her behavior of the day which she knew was well
outside her normal demeanor. However, the moment she'd gotten that note,
she knew exactly who it was from, and in spite of herself a small bubble
of childlike anticipation had welled up inside her. But then, she always
seemed to get that way when it came to HER anyway. As she walked along
contemplating all this, a pair of dark arms grabbed her around the waist
from behind one of the trees and pulled her backwards. She would have
called out had that soft, sultry voice not spoken first.
"...Did you have any trouble figuring out where I would be?" Soi's head
turned as much as was allowed to just catch the face of Shihouin
Yoruichi smiling affectionately at her, the lack of clothing relaying
that she'd been in her cat form until just recently.
"N-no, Yoruichi-sama. I...I had an idea that it would be here."
"But wait..." the former Second Captain said with a look of playful
surprise, "...You're not my little Soi now, are you?"
"...Huh?"
"It's all this junk on your face..." Yoruichi muttered as she turned Soi
around and began to wipe the thick make-up off with her forearm, in some
cases smudging it slightly instead of making it better. "...Ahh! There
she is!" the older woman finished with a smile once she had returned Soi
to her original cleanliness, yet her face was now as red as if she had
been caked in rouge.
"I...I apologize, Yoruichi-sama...I...I just thought that I
would...um..."
"Hey..." Yoruichi silenced her with one of her smoldering gazes as she
lifted her lover's face up so that they were eye-to-eye, "...You don't
need any of that to get my attention. I'm here right now, aren't I?" Soi
quietly nodded in the affirmative before Yoruichi leaned forward
slightly and kissed her. It didn't take long for the surprise to wear
off of the Captain, as she quickly began returning the older woman's
affections with equal passion, small moans escaping her lips as
Yoruichi's assuring caress pushed her senses over the edge. "Oh, by the
way..." the vagabond said with a teasing smile as she suddenly broke the
kiss, leaving Soi with her eyes shut and mouth slightly open in a state
of complete bliss, "...sorry I wasn't as discreet as usual. I couldn't
get a message to you any other way at the time."
"...It's...it's no...problem..." Soi managed in between hurried
breathing as she tried to slow her pounding heart, then ultimately
surrendered and began to passionately attack the skin of Yoruichi's neck
and right shoulder, which earned her a surprised but satisfied yelp from
the coffee-toned beauty.
"Mmm..." Yoruichi moaned slightly with a peaceful smile on her face and
a glazed look in her eye as she guided the younger girl's innocent lips
to the sensitive spot on her collarbone, "...You're being awfully
agressive today. 'Been looking--ooh...oh, that's good...been looking
forward to this?"
"Yes...Oh gods, yes," Soi half-whispered as she began to lavish her
beloved's throat with adoration, resulting in Yoruichi's body
involuntarily arching towards her. "...I haven't thought about anything
else all day..."
"Well," Yoruichi said with a grin, "I hope you didn't act suspicious or
anything like that..." Soi didn't answer her; she was too focused on the
Goddess allowing her a few moments of dominance before she took her
rightful position and reduced the proud Captain to little more than a
babbling lovestruck idiot whose only coherent words consisted of
Yoruichi's name and various pleas for more. Sure enough, the Shihouin
soon began the task of disrobing her lover bit by bit, replacing the
cloth with experienced lips that instantly sent Soi reeling.
"...Yoruichi-sama..." she half-moaned, half-whispered into Yoruichi's
ear, urging her onward with a hungry twinkle in her golden eyes. Before
she could even remove the top of the black Correction Corps uniform from
Soi's shoulder, she heard the snapping of a twig in the distance and
paused. After a while she smiled, then whispered to Soi as gently as she
could.
"Hey, Soi..."
"...D...Don't stop...please..." Soi begged with dreamy eyes that
screamed for Yoruichi and only Yoruichi to satisfy her.
"Yeah, about that," the God of Flash said loudly enough to be heard by
the whole forest, "...It looks like you and I have some visitors." At
that, Soi Fong's eyes went as wide as saucers and she slowly looked in
the direction her lover was indicating, where the top of a very
familiar, large head was poking out from behind some foliage. "All
right, I know you're there," Yoruichi said with a slightly amused smile,
though it didn't translate into her serious voice. Finally Hitsugaya,
Matsumoto, Marechiyo and the rest of the 'observation squad' popped out
from behind the bush, trying their best to look nonchalant but instead
exuding a slight air of awkwardness. No one said anything (Soi was too
embarrassed to speak) until the ever-tactless Yachiru broke the silence.
"Hey! What's that lady doing to Soi-cha--" at once, every available hand
reached out to cover her mouth, but the damage was done. Yoruichi
sighed, then bent down and quickly got dressed.
"Well, sorry Soi," the ex-Shinigami breathed with a shrug and a slight
disappointed smile, "...But I don't feel like doing anything when I have
an audience around."
"B-But..." the Captain stuttered, disbelieving at how quickly Yoruichi
was leaving considering how long it had been since the last time they
were together.
"Don't worry," Yoruichi smiled and winked, "I'll visit you the next time
things are a little more...private. How about next week sometime?"
Before Soi could protest, Yoruichi planted a parting kiss on her lips
before Flash Stepping away in the blink of an eye.
"...Well," Hitsugaya said matter-of-factly, turning away from the
location of the occurence and the speechless Captain standing there in a
daze, "...False alarm, I guess. Although I can't say that I expected
that..."
"I was TRYING to tell you, Captain," Rangiku said in annoyance, "...I
saw her sneak off like that once a few weeks ago, and it had something
to do with a cat too!"
"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Ikkaku grumbled, pulling a stunned
Renji and nosebleeding Hanatarou along with him. "Woulda saved everyone
a bunch of trouble..."
"Well, I WANTED to! I just couldn't get a word in edgewi--"
"OHMAEDA!" The quintet froze and turned around slowly to see Soi Fong
standing where she had been for the last few minutes, but now her dark
eyes were burning with unspeakable fury. Her giant of a Vice-Captain,
who had wisely begun tiptoeing away as soon as their presence had been
revealed, stopped at the sound of his name with a face that looked like
it was suspended in a state of perpetual fear.
"C-Captain...?"
"DON'T YOU 'CAPTAIN' ME! I CAN DEAL WITH YOU BEING AN OAF AND A GLUTTON,
BUT YOU DO THIS SORT OF THING AND THAT JUST PUSHES MY LAST BUTTON! AND
DON'T EVEN BOTHER SAYING THAT THIS ISN'T YOUR FAULT!" The Shinigami
present moved as far out of the Second Vice-Captain's way, the better to
avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"C-Captain, wait! I really didn't--"
"THAT'S IT! YOU'VE PISSED ME OFF FOR THE LAST TIME!" The diminuitive Soi
howled as she tore off the sleeves of her uniform and narrowed her eyes.
"SHUNKOU!" With that, the Captain's upper body was enveloped in swirling
energy that reduced the top of her robes to shreds, leaving only her
comparatively skimpy Correction Corps uniform below. Marechiyo shrieked
in fear as he set off at a desperate run, knowing all the same that it
would only delay his eventual suffering by Soi Fong's hand. "DON'T THINK
THAT YOU'RE MAKING THINGS BETTER FOR YOURSELF, OHMAEDA!"
The five Shinigami, however, only let out a relieved sigh as they turned
away from the flashes of kidoh accompanied by yelling and screaming.
"Well, there's the Soi Fong we all know," Hitsugaya said with a wry
smile.
"...You think that we should help him?" Hanatarou asked quietly, looking
over his shoulder at the brute desperately trying to evade the misplaced
wrath of his Captain.
"...Nah, he'll be fine," Renji said after a moment as they continued to
walk away. All of them were grateful that everything was back to normal,
and that none of them were in Ohmaeda's shoes.
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