Bleach: I Can't Get an Amen
Episode 12 - Shihouin Yoruichi
The gaze of the pursuer always lingers on my back,
The footsteps of the departer are faster than any heartbeat.
Do not covet the glory of yesterday, scorched by lightning.
That small tremor that grazed my skin
Is the only proof that you have finally faced me.
"...You are...?"
Even though he hadn't seen her often, a powerful sense of familiarity washed over him.
No, any member of the 2nd Division would recognize this Soul Reaper instantly, even without having met her.
He had caught glimpses of her visiting the barracks from time to time.
"...Captain Shihouin Yoruichi?"
Shohei asked in a small voice.
The woman nodded.
"Indeed. I am exactly the Soul Reaper you think I am."
"Ah, I..."
Shohei could only stare at her.
As the former Captain of the 2nd Division, she was certainly a Soul Reaper worthy of respect.
However, a different emotion rose within Shohei as well.
She was the woman who commanded all of the current Captain Soi Fon's attention.
That fact made him incredibly envious, and at the same time, he felt a sting of jealousy.
A delusional thought occupied his mind—that if she weren't around, perhaps that place in his Captain's heart could have been his.
Shohei looked at Yoruichi with those complicated eyes.
Yoruichi brushed back her damp hair and peered at him intently.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I saved your life; I expected at least a word of thanks."
"..."
At those words, Shohei softened his gaze and looked at her again.
"...I... I mean..."
The words wouldn't come out.
Yoruichi looked down at Shohei quietly.
"You seem to be trying very hard to resemble her. Even down to the way you feel in your heart."
"..."
He had no reply.
"Let us go for now. This isn't the place for a conversation."
Shohei nodded and followed her toward the Urahara Shop.
On the way, he picked up a fragment from the site of the explosion.
It was a fragment he had never seen before.
It seemed to possess an energy similar to a Hollow's...
When they arrived at the Urahara Shop, Kisuke greeted the two of them while holding his fan.
"Welcome, you two. Mr. Azuma, did my ring serve you well?"
"...What? Don't tell me..."
Shohei looked at Kisuke as if he had realized something.
Yoruichi walked past Shohei and approached Kisuke.
"I have done everything you asked."
"You have my sincere thanks. I suppose I should expect nothing less from you, Yoruichi-san?"
"..."
Shohei noticed Yoruichi's cheeks flush slightly.
He wondered if that was what it looked like.
"...Ah, um... What about Mia...?"
"Don't worry. She is recovering well. Thanks to you rushing here so quickly, Mr. Azuma, we were able to treat her before her condition worsened."
"Ah..."
A sigh of relief escaped him.
However, thoughts of where Ren and Sora might have gone made his mind even more complicated.
At that moment, the fragment he had brought caught his eye.
He took it out and held it out to Kisuke.
Kisuke's eyes widened slightly.
"...This fragment..."
"It's a piece from that creature Captain Yoruichi destroyed in the sewers."
"...If what I'm thinking is correct..."
"...If it's correct?"
"...First, I need time to analyze it. I need a process to confirm if my suspicions are accurate."
"Ah..."
Shohei nodded.
"Then I'll..."
"...Why don't you train for a bit while I finish my analysis?"
Shohei was flustered.
"Wh-what? But Ren and Sora are..."
"Even if you went after them, you wouldn't be able to find them. And... I'm not sure if you currently have the strength to save them easily anyway."
"..."
He definitely had things he wanted to say.
But the words wouldn't come.
"There is a small training space in the basement. Go there and test your own skills."
Kisuke finished speaking and pointed to a door.
Shohei cautiously opened the door.
He saw stairs leading downward.
He descended slowly.
"...What in the world...?"
The sight that unfolded before Shohei's eyes as he reached the bottom was staggering.
A massive outdoor space was spread out entirely underground.
He could even see rocky mountains.
This was clearly supposed to be indoors...
"..."
He walked slowly through the space before stopping in one spot.
He simply looked up at the artificial sky.
He didn't feel like doing any kind of training.
"I came to see you because I heard you were a hard worker, but here you are, lost in thought."
A voice echoed from somewhere.
He turned his head.
It was Yoruichi.
She was standing as if looking down on him from above.
"...How did you know..."
"I told you. Stories about you always come from that girl."
"...The Captain talks about me?"
Why would Soi Fon mention him?
While he was bewildered, his cheeks flushed with joy at the thought that she might have been thinking about him even a little bit.
Yoruichi smiled slightly at the sight.
"To think someone so unsuited for the Stealth Force rose to the 9th seat..."
Yoruichi soon descended and stood before Shohei.
Startled, Shohei took a few steps back.
"...May I see your skills?"
"Pardon?"
"Kisuke asked me to look after you... and I'm personally curious as well."
"...Ah..."
He lowered his head.
He hesitated for the first few seconds.
However, that peculiar sense of inferiority and jealousy he felt whenever he saw Yoruichi began to rear its head again.
Shohei slowly gripped his Zanpakuto.
Yoruichi simply watched him.
There was no way to tell if she knew what was in Shohei's heart.
"Show me."
"..."
Shohei's mouth opened.
The release command was invoked.
A misty drizzle surrounded him, and raindrops began to form on his blade.
"I see, so that is your Zanpakuto..."
Yoruichi closed her eyes.
Two Captains currently in the Gotei 13 flashed through her mind.
When she opened her eyes after that brief moment, Shohei, who had been standing before her, had vanished.
"...Hooh..."
Mist rose in the vicinity, beginning to envelop Yoruichi.
Shohei was nowhere to be seen.
Not even a footstep could be heard.
Yoruichi's eyes darted around.
A few seconds later, Shohei swung his sword from behind.
However, in that instant, Yoruichi had already appeared behind Shohei.
"...!"
Lightning coiled around Yoruichi's fist.
Thwack!
A powerful punch struck Shohei head-on.
Shohei was sent flying, slamming hard into a stone wall.
Blood began to trickle from his head.
"Cough..."
It seemed that if the difference in reiatsu was too great, he couldn't completely deceive the senses.
"Still, if I hadn't figured it out in that split second, I certainly would have allowed an attack... There's a reason she promoted you to the 9th seat."
Yoruichi looked at Shohei and wondered if the direction she was thinking was correct.
"But why did you put so much emotion into it then? Just as I thought..."
She started to speak but stopped abruptly.
It seemed she had noticed something.
"..."
Shohei tried his best to avoid her gaze.
Blood was still flowing from his head.
Even so, he somehow managed to pull himself together and succeed in standing up.
"...You managed to get up, one way or another."
For some reason, he felt a strong desire not to lose to her.
It felt as though his personal feelings far outweighed his professional ones...
"..."
Shohei raised his sword again and looked at Yoruichi.
The mist spread once more, and water droplets formed.
Yoruichi scanned the area, gauging Shohei's position.
But this time, she felt the timing was a beat faster.
"...!"
The moment she realized Shohei was right in front of her, she jumped to evade the sword strike.
Boom!
A lightning-infused fist slammed into Shohei's back.
Shohei was driven straight into the ground.
"...There is still emotion in it. Far too much emotion."
Yoruichi said, looking down at Shohei.
It was at that very moment.
"...!"
Blood splattered onto Yoruichi's shoulder.
A wound had appeared.
It was a wound created when Shohei had suddenly lunged from the front and swung his sword.
It wasn't a permanent injury, but it was quite unexpected.
"..."
Yoruichi looked at Shohei, who was pinned to the ground, and then smiled once more.
"...Perhaps the future of the Stealth Force isn't so dark after all."
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