— — — — — —
Cute??
Soifon felt a little dizzy.
Just one sentence from Yoruichi Shihoin had completely thrown her off.
Did... did Lady Yoruichi just say she was cute?
Soifon stood frozen, her eyes a little unfocused, cheeks steadily turning red.
It took her a full minute to snap out of it.
"N-No way!"
She shook her head furiously, trying to clear it.
Why the hell would she feel happy just because of a compliment from her?
Soifon mentally screamed at herself, utterly frustrated—and honestly, ashamed.
Trying her best to suppress the storm inside her, Soifon fixed her gaze on Yoruichi with a cold, expressionless face. She slowly raised her hand, golden finger armor pointed straight at her, and said icily:
"I don't care why you came to Hell. But now that we've crossed paths…"
She paused, her eyes narrowing sharply.
"Today will be the day you die."
…
For a moment, silence reigned in Hell.
Yoruichi didn't even seem to be listening.
She had one hand on her chin, deep in thought over what Soifon had just let slip.
The miasma of Hell… actually affected the Soul Society?
That shouldn't be possible. Right?
Yoruichi suddenly remembered that time when Lynn's Reiatsu erupted.
That surge of power… had reached all the way from Hell to the Soul Society?
She clicked her tongue. That was insane af.
Lynn was even stronger than she'd imagined.
On the other side, Soifon clenched her jaw at Yoruichi's obvious distraction and snapped, "Are you seriously ignoring me right now?!"
"Ah—"
Yoruichi blinked, then scratched her head with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, sorry. Spaced out a bit. Can you say that again?"
Soifon trembled with rage: "You don't deserve to hear it again!"
The moment the words left her lips, she vanished from sight.
Feeling the sudden burst of wind at her back, Yoruichi smiled faintly.
"Soifon…"
"Have you already forgotten what they used to call me—after just a hundred years?"
With a whisper, Yoruichi's body blurred and disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an afterimage.
Thwack!
Soifon's golden armor pierced through the illusion.
Her face darkened as she turned to where Yoruichi reappeared, and muttered through clenched teeth: "The Flash Goddess… Yoruichi."
"Glad to see you still remember," Yoruichi said with a shrug.
"Hmph!" Soifon shot back coldly. "A hundred years is more than enough time for me to surpass you!"
Rip—
She tore off her outer sleeve, revealing her black uniform underneath.
"The Executive Militia uniform, huh…" Yoruichi paused for a second, a rare flicker of nostalgia crossing her face. "Been a while since I've seen that."
Soifon narrowed her eyes. "I'll take that other title of yours, too."
BOOM!!
As the words left her mouth, a massive burst of Reiatsu exploded from her back.
But in the next instant, it was compressed—tightly, precisely.
Shhh—
The air screamed as space itself twisted behind her.
Soifon grinned, eyes glinting with pride. "This is the result of a hundred years of training. Let me show you what I've become!"
She launched forward. With a thunderous crack, the white ground of Hell shattered beneath her feet as she vanished again—this time moving even faster.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of Yoruichi, palm striking forward with deadly speed. Her face was calm, but her lips curled up just slightly.
She could already see it: Yoruichi pinned beneath her.
Victory.
Yoruichi remained calm. Before the strike even landed, she raised her hand.
Vmm—
A wave of energy burst from Yoruichi's palm—exactly matching the pressure of Soifon's own.
Crack!
The moment they clashed, Soifon's compressed Reiatsu was completely neutralized.
Yoruichi's voice was calm. "This kind of power… is still too early for you."
Soifon's eyes widened, heart skipping a beat.
"And one more thing."
A golden gleam flashed in Yoruichi's eyes. Behind her, Reiatsu erupted like a tidal wave.
"This technique is called Shunko."
Soifon stared, stunned. She bit her lip hard.
"You— You've known how to use this all along?!"
Yoruichi casually brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Hmm? Oh yeah. I've had it for… maybe a hundred years now?"
A hundred years?
From the look on her face, Yoruichi wasn't lying—and honestly, she had no reason to.
"Damn it!!"
Why?! Why is she still ahead of me after disappearing for a century?
Why am I always chasing after her, never catching up?!
Soifon's fists trembled, her face twisting with frustration.
"I… I'll never accept that!"
With a roar, she lunged forward again, slashing wildly with her golden finger armor.
But Yoruichi only shifted her body slightly, easily dodging every strike.
To her, Soifon's proud speed looked like a child flailing.
Suddenly, Yoruichi caught her wrist in one clean move and said gently, "Feel better now?"
Soifon yanked her arm, trying to break free—nothing.
She could attack in other ways, but she didn't.
She just glared coldly at Yoruichi. "You think this is just me venting?"
Yoruichi looked her in the eyes and said seriously, "I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye back then."
"—!"
Soifon's eyes went wide.
Her heart skipped. She froze on the spot, completely stunned.
Silence fell again.
She stopped struggling.
After a long pause, she lowered her head and muttered, "There's no point saying that now…"
"…Still." Yoruichi pulled her into a hug.
"Mmph—!"
Soifon hadn't expected that at all. Her eyes popped open, and her entire face turned red in a flash.
"Y-You—! Y-You—!"
She stammered, trying to find something to say.
Doesn't she realize how dangerous this is?! What if I took this chance to attack her?!
Why… why does she trust me so much?
Soifon's anger and bitterness began to melt away. A strange warmth filled her chest.
Maybe this… this was healing.
Healing the hundred years of silence and distance between them.
No—what hundred years?
Lady Yoruichi didn't disappear.
She just went out to explore the world, that's all!
With that thought, and wrapped in Yoruichi's warm embrace, Soifon convinced herself, even going so far as to make up a reason for her.
Seeing this, Yoruichi's lips curled up in a soft smile.
Soifon… oh Soifon~ still so easy to please.
Perfect.
After comforting her for a while, Yoruichi gently asked, "Soifon… will you come with me?"
.
.
.