Author's note: So here it comes. The fourth and final chapter of Stinging Bee. This time for real. It deals with Soifon's reunion with Yoruichi, so there's nothing more left to cover in this storyline. I hope you weren't too discouraged by the previous chapter and didn't stop reading. This one is more action-packed.

Also, I want to thank to all my reviewers for their support. Without you, I would have stopped writing this after the first two chapters. So its thanks to everybody who bothered to push the 'Review' button that you can now read this. Special credits go to LeftHRyder, who is the only one to review all chapters. (And the only one to review Chapter 3. The lac of response nearly discouraged me. You're solucky most of Chapter 4 was written when I posted it.)

That was enough rambling, now enjoy the climax of the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I used some lines directly from the manga.

Stinging Bee

Part Four – Coming full circle

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"Annoying, annoying, annoying," Oomaeda muttered as he rushed to his place at Soifon's back, trying in vain not to be late. Soifon could hear him coming from a mile away. He was stomping like an elephant. She knew he was perfectly capable of running quietly if he wanted to, so it always annoyed her when he didn't do so. Even if she understood his reasoning. But really, she thought, he didn't have to pretend to be quite that incompetent.

"First drifters, and now a murder or something, so annoying!" the fat lieutenant continued. "Now they're all arguing whether the execution is legit! The superiors already made their decision! What's there to talk about? It's so stupid. Don't you think so, Captain?"

Soifon thought so too. Why were people questioning the justice of a decision of the Central 46? It wasn't their place to question it, it was their duty to obey it, no matter what they thought about it. Even her no-good overweight excuse of a lieutenant understood it, so why so many shinigami didn't? If the Central 46 decided to dish out a harsher punishment than usual, it was their right and nobody should say anything about it.

Soifon personally liked harsh punishments. Especially executions. It meant that the culprit wouldn't be breaking any more rules. But other people looked like they might. Soifon took good note of who they were and reviewed her plans for taking them down. She might be called to deal with them soon. In fact, she would prefer if she was. People like them had no place in the Gotei 13. What were they even thinking, disputing the authorities in a time of crisis? Or did they somehow miss that they were invaded by ryoka who were still wreaking havoc in Seireitei and one of the captains had been murdered? She could only hope that some degree of sanity would return to Soul Society once the criminal was executed, but she didn't count on it. She didn't get the whole mess at all. But she wasn't going to show it.

"How lame," she said. "I have no interest in whether it is right or wrong." Because it could never be truly wrong. If the convict didn't do anything too bad yet, that would change eventually. It was better to prevent it. "All I care about is executing orders as a captain of the Gotei 13." If she repeated it enough times, she was going to believe it. Someday. It had to happen eventually. "All who get in my ways are my enemies." That was something she believed fully. "All enemies must be slain." Another universal truth in her mind. "That is all that matters."

"Heh, okie dokie," Oomaeda said while munching on his fried rice crackers he had taken out during her speech. He seemed to be unable to survive for longer than fifteen minutes without them. It made the crumbs and spit fall onto her hair and haori. She suppressed the urge to grimace in distaste. It would be unbecoming. She had to be calm and composed at all times.

"That goes for you too, Oomaeda," she said icily. "Don't forget where your loyalties lay. If you get in my way, you too will become my enemy."

She didn't really have a reason to doubt Oomaeda's loyalty, but threatening him always improved her mood. The big man paled and made a step back, cold sweat appearing on his too high forehead. "Heh, I'll remember that," he said, a tremble noticeable in his voice. He wasn't spitting crumbs into her hair anymore. That too never failed to improve her mood.

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He stopped the Soukyoku. That was the only thought running through Soifon's mind. He had stopped the Soukyoku. She couldn't understand how did it happen. One moment, she was watching with awe and satisfaction as the Terminal Duo was released, the halberd changing its shape, intent to finally end the life of Kuchiki Rukia and bring them one step closer to restoring order to Seireitei. The next moment he was standing there, blocking the great firebird that was Kikouou with one hand. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "The destructive force," she muttered aloud hoping that way it might miraculously start making sense, despite her distaste for voicing her thoughts where others could hear it. "Equaled to one million zanpakutou combined... he stopped the halberd of the Soukyoku just with his zanpakutou..." A distant part of her mind realized that she was trembling. Whether it was from the reiatsu threatening to smother everyone around or from fear she couldn't tell. She was terrified. She would never admit it aloud, but it was the truth. A mere ryoka overpowering the most dangerous weapon in Soul Society was utterly terrifying. With that kind of power, he could destroy the order of Seireitei. He could easily destroy everything she believed in and fought for. And she felt utterly hopeless to do anything about it. "That man... who's that man?" What is he?

She wasn't the only one asking the same question. She could hear them speaking. She barely registered their words. Not paying attention to one's surroundings was something she had scolded many of her subordinates for. It was something that had gotten many of them killed. And now she was guilty of the same. It was utterly shameful for the Commander of the Onmitsukidou, but she couldn't help it. She was still in shock over what had just transpired and her mind refused to work properly. Which was another shameful thing.

Kikouou reared back for another attack. Soifon could feel its power increasing. The ryoka turned to face it, but he stood no chance to stop it. Please let him be unable to stop it, Soifon caught herself praying. Though she knew nobody should be able to withstand the full power of the Soukyoku, she couldn't help but fear that this intruder might manage.

Then a sudden commotion underneath the halberd caught her attention. She whirled around. She saw that Ukitake had arrived (how could she have missed it?) along with his two annoying Third Seats. (They were almost worse than Oomaeda.) He was holding a big shield with the Shihouin crest and he and Kyouraku were doing something near the base of the halberd. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. Her eyes widened in shock. She had thought nothing could surprise her more than the ryoka blocking the Soukyoku, but this did it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Two of the oldest and most respected captains in Gotei 13 were betraying them? It was unbelievable. But Yoruichi had been a respected captain too and look what she had done. Being respected didn't make one a decent person. This was like watching Yoruichi's betrayal all over again. But this time she wasn't crippled by her feelings of adoration, confusion and hurt. This time she was going to act like a proper shinigami and leader of the Stealth Forces and stop the traitors before they could do any real damage.

"Stop them!" she shouted, already drawing her sword.

"Uh? Huh?" Oomaeda looked at her stupidly, stopping munching on his crackers for a moment. "Are you talking to me?"

Who else, you idiot! she wanted to shout, but there was no time. "Those two, they are trying to destroy the Soukyoku!" Oomaeda still stared stupidly. It was too much for his fat brain to comprehend.

Kyouraku and Ukitake finished their preparation in the meantime and Kikouou exploded. Soifon cursed aloud, not caring about who heard her. She wasn't the only one doing so. After that, things spiraled even more out of control.

First, the ryoka cut the criminal free of the rack, proving that he might have been able to block Kikouou for the second time if he really had to. That made everyone stare in disbelief and scared Soifon even more, but she was in business mode now and her emotions couldn't affect her performance.

Then Abarai-fukutaichou appeared and the ryoka threw the convict to him. Abarai grabbed her and began running. So he was a traitor too. And everybody just stared.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot?" Soifon shouted though she knew the answer. Oomaeda was an idiot. "Go after them! That means all of you lieutenants!" That made the fat fukutaichou finally move and Sasakibe and Kotetsu the elder followed him after gaining the permission of their respective captains. Then the ryoka appeared in their way and defeated them in three seconds flat with his bare hands, despite the fact that all three of them had released their shikai. It really wasn't surprising, but the demonstration of the intruder's power was still very uncomfortable.

Then Kuchiki-taichou engaged the ryoka in battle. Kuchiki Byakuya was strong. He should be able to stop the invader, no matter what kind of monster he was.

Kotetsu Kiyone was running to where her sister lay, calling her name worriedly. That infuriated Soifon to no end. How dared people, who brought shame to their families act like they were actually concerned about them? The girl had to suffer.

She shunpoed behind her, knocking Kotsubaki aside carelessly in the process. "Wait, Soifon!" Ukitake shouted. She didn't even pause. He was a traitor and therefore somebody who had no right to demand anything from anybody in her opinion. He was going to die soon. Yamamoto was going to ensure it, as he appeared in front of his worthless students and they all left to battle and be completely incinerated somewhere else. That left her alone with the little girl in front of her.

She kicked Kiyone to the ground. She looked absolutely terrified. Good, Soifon thought. That is how it should be. Traitors are supposed to be terrified and regret their deeds before they die.

"Scum," she said. "You disgraced the honor bestowed upon you as seated officers and you betrayed us! Do not worry, however. I will not prolong your shameful existence." Her face twisted into an ugly sneer. "I will purge the world of your stench right now." She wasn't usually so prone to talking so much, but she found it helped her keep her composure when everything seemed to be falling apart.

But as she reared her fist back to deliver the finishing blow (she wouldn't soil the blade of her zanpakutou with the traitor's blood), something appeared at the edge of her senses. She whirled around. Something slammed into her and threw her off the edge of the Soukyoku Hill.

"Let go!" Soifon shouted as she and the intruder were falling down the cliff. "Who are you?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the stranger said in a disturbingly familiar voice. "Don't yell. You're always so impatient, Soifon."

Soifon's eyes widened in shock. She had thought she couldn't be more stunned after the events on the Hill, but this had easily topped it.

"You are..." she whispered just as the attacker removed her mask, revealing a dark face with familiar golden eyes. "Yoruichi."

"Long time no see, Soifon!" the Goddess of Flash grinned merrily.

For a moment, Soifon was completely stunned. She could only stare as they plummeted towards the ground. Yoruichi was back. After a century, Yoruichi was back.

Only the impact brought her back to her senses. She scrambled to her feet, having her breath knocked out of her, while Yoruichi jumped up nimbly and ran into the forest. Soifon glared at the canopy that obscured the older woman from her vision. Yoruichi was back. She was not going to let her disappear again. She sprinted after her former superior. The chase was on.

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They were facing each other again. After a hundred years, she stood face to face with Yoruichi again. As they studied each other intently, she pondered how much yet how little had changed since they had last seen each other.

Yoruichi looked very much like she used to a hundred years ago. Sure, her hair was now much longer and tied in a high ponytail and her bodysuit was different, but her goofy orange jacket was still the same as was the smirk on her face and the mischievous glint in her eyes. And she stood in the same confident, cocky posture Soifon used to admire so much once. But not anymore. Now it only infuriated her. Yoruichi still thought that she was superior to her. She thought that she could still dominate Soifon completely. Well, Soifon had no intentions to let anybody dominate her. Yoruichi was in for a nasty surprise. She was going to see that Soifon was no longer the puppy-eyed girl who used to follow her around anymore as Soifon wiped the smug smirk off her chocolate face. Permanently. She was confident that she could do it. As she had been chasing Yoruichi through the forest, she had no trouble keeping up with her. On the contrary, it was the dark-skinned woman who had to stop and face her. It meant that Yoruichi was no longer her superior in speed and because speed was what made Yoruichi so famous, it meant that she was no longer Soifon's superior in anything. And Soifon was going to relish teaching her this lesson.

"Interesting," Soifon spoke slowly. "Even though we haven't seen each other in a long time, you don't seem to have gotten any stronger." She hoped that this would get a raise out of Yoruichi, but she was disappointed. Yoruichi just smiled a little wider.

"On the contrary, I think I might have gotten a little weaker," she shrugged unconcerned. Soifon's blood boiled. So she wasn't worried about her decrease in power? She still thought she was the great warrior so far above everybody else that a little loss of strength didn't make a difference? Well, Soifon was going to show her just how wrong she was. And she was going to begin with showing her what else she had given up when she had decided to follow Urahara. But first she had to make sure of something else.

"That young ryoka's teitouken had the emblem of the Shihouin family on it," she stated. "Did you give it to him?"

"Yes," Yoruichi answered still not showing the slightest sign of worry. "Flying was necessary to rescue Rukia at the time."

So now she was admitting treason freely, Soifon thought. She felt a pang at that thought, but she squashed it mercilessly. She had her proof that Yoruichi was utterly depraved and despicable and deserved death fully. But first she had to realize the full extent of her crimes and regret them before Soifon would end her life.

"The Tenshiheisouban, the Shihouin family has fallen as well. If your actions of assisting the ryoka is found out," and I make sure it is found out, her tone said, "your family's name will definitely be removed from the list of the four noble families." She paused for a moment to let it sink in. "Just look at what happened to the Shiba family. It seems that the falling of a noble family is not a pretty sight at all."

"You sure talk a lot today," Yoruichi said completely unfazed. Was there nothing the woman cared about? Soifon thought. Didn't her family matter anything to her? "Is it because you got excited seeing your senpai for the first time in many years? Or are you just blowing off the steam you stored up from your stressful position? Well, oh great commander of the Onmitsukidou?" Then Yoruichi gazed into her eyes intently. "Is it very stressful being my successor?"

Soifon nearly attacked rashly at those words. Even after so many years, Yoruichi knew perfectly how to get under her skin. Soifon could just hear all the voices wondering whether she was good enough to fill Yoruichi's discarded shoes again. She could just see all the eyes scrutinizing her, finding her only a pale shadow of the purple-haired noblewoman. It was all she could do to keep her composure. All that betrayed her inner turmoil was the ugly sneer on her face.

"Don't get cocky and think you are still better after all this years," Soifon said slowly drawing her zanpakutou. She was going to show Yoruichi exactly how she had filled her old shoes and outgrown them. "Both the Onmitsukidou and the Punishment Corps are under my control now. Your era ended long ago, Shihouin Yoruichi!"

Finally a reaction. Yoruichi's eyes widened as Soifon stabbed Suzumebachi into the tree branch she was standing on and members of the elite unit of the Keigun Brigade appeared all around them, ready to follow her every command.

"This is the difference between you and me," Soifon said, now smiling smugly. She knew she was gloating and that was generally a stupid thing, but she just couldn't resist enjoying the expression on Yoruichi's face for a while longer, no matter that it went against the teachings of the Onmitsukidou. Yoruichi was surrounded and helpless now, so it didn't really matter. "You remember, don't you? When the leader of the Punishment Corps draws her sword, the execution begins. Everyone who opposes the leader will then be executed. Even if the person was the leader once," she said, her expression turning to outright sadistic. "Since you gave up on being the leader, you are trapped with no way out, Yoruichi!"

Yoruichi smiled. That rang warning bells in Soifon's head. In the next instant, her soldiers began flying around, knocked out by fists and feet of the purple-haired traitor. Soifon stared in shock. In under a second, her elite unit was taken out. She really hadn't expected that. But she really should have. Even weakened as she was, Yoruichi was still good.

"Stop looking down on other people so much," Yoruichi said when she was finished trashing her troops. That infuriating cocky smirk was firmly back in place on her infuriatingly confident face. "Indeed I gave up my position as the Onmitsukidou leader, but there is one title that I did not give away, remember?"

Of course Soifon remembered. There was no way she could forget. She doubted there was anyone in the Gotei 13 who wouldn't remember, "Shunshin Yoruichi," she spat like it was the worst curse. "Very well then," she said, ripping off the sleeves of her uniform. It was a bit impractical, wearing a long-sleeved haori and only the combat outfit under it would have been easier, but then she would be copying Yoruichi's style. And there was no way she was doing that. "There is no other way." She actually preferred it this way, she thought as she untied her sash. "With my own hands, I will take that title from you," she stated as she threw away her haori. Now she was properly attired for the battle to come. Now she was ready to finally defeat the traitorous woman in front of her, prove her superiority and step out of her predecessor's shadow finally. Now was her chance to outshine her former teacher by completely trashing her in a fair battle. The fact that Yoruichi was unarmed didn't bother her a bit.

The two women stood facing each other. Yoruichi wasn't smirking cockily anymore. Though her posture still radiated confidence, she was prepared to move at a split-second's notice. Her face was intent and her eyes serious. So she is treating me as a dangerous opponent, Soifon thought. Good. It was going to make her victory sweeter. But then Yoruichi broke the serenity of the moment by smirking again.

"The battle suit for the commander of the Punishment Corps," she said. "What a nostalgic outfit."

"Does it make you recall the past?" Soifon asked. The clothes did that to her every time she put them on. It always made her see Yoruichi wearing them, slaughtering whatever enemies of Soul Society needed to be slain at the time and looking absolutely amazing in young Soifon's eyes. Now that she was older Soifon always had to wonder whether she was just as amazing yet or whether she had still more training to do.

"A little," Yoruichi answered. Soifon thought it was a lie. She couldn't be sure, but subtle changes in Yoruichi's postures suggested that she was being feeling uncomfortable.

"Be my guest," Soifon said. "Recall the past well. And then, reevaluate who is the stronger fighter between you and me!"

Then she sprung into action. Yoruichi blocked her attack, but Soifon could see how much trouble it gave her. She immediately followed it with another kick and then a series of punches. The two of them exchanged blows at speeds few in the Soul Society were able to follow, much less match, for a while before jumping away. They stood facing each other again, breathing heavily, evaluating the results of the bout.

"One hit," Soifon said looking at a fresh bruise forming on her left shoulder. "You hit me once. Looks like we split the pain evenly in this bout." That was very promising for Soifon. She tied the fight with Yoruichi and she hadn't been going all-out. Final victory was guaranteed.

"Heh," Yoruichi said wiping a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. "That outfit, what kind of tricks does it do? It seems to prevent me from seeing your movements, Soifon." So Yoruichi thought it was some trick accomplished thanks to her outfit? Soifon didn't even bother to hide her evil smirk now. She was really better than Yoruichi. She was so fast that the Goddess of Flash herself was unable to follow her movements. She was going to take great pleasure in explaining it to her.

"Tricks, you said?" she asked rhetorically. "Is that really what you think?" she added appearing behind Yoruichi, holding her blade to the traitor's throat. She regretted not being able to see her face now, but she was sure it was a mixture of shock and disbelief. Revenge truly tasted sweet and she was going to make it last as long as she could. She didn't care that it was against Onmitsukidou's philosophy, it just felt so good.

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi," she commanded quietly but clearly, making sure her former superior heard her well. Her zanpakutou changed form. It was now a black-and-gold sleeve on her right forearm connected by a chain to a black-and-gold stinger on her middle finger. She gave her captive the time to take it in and remember what she knew about this weapon.

Yoruichi used the time to get out of her grip. Soifon followed her movement and appeared behind her. "Running away?" she asked. The long-haired female attempted to dodge, but she didn't quite make it. Soifon felt Suzumebachi hitting flesh, working its magic on it. Satisfaction spread in her chest. Yoruichi had been running from her. She was afraid of Soifon's power. She landed a hit on Yoruichi. She had surpassed her old master. Now all she had to do was land the finishing blow. She was in no rush to do it.

They landed on two tree branches and stood facing each other again. "Why don't you just admit it," Soifon prompted, "I am stronger than you. Does it not occur to you that maybe I am holding back?" Yoruichi just stared at her. Finally, her expression was worried and a little scared, just as it should be. "'There is no way she would do that,' is that what you're thinking? Didn't I tell you already? Don't be so full of yourself! I have long become stronger than you!" Finally. Finally she said the words aloud and knew they were true. Soon, everyone will know too. "Now with your death I will make you pay the price of staying away from battle for a hundred years, Yoruichi! I got you, didn't I, with the last strike?" She smiled merrily. Or she would describe it as merry, most people would say 'deranged.'

"Do you still remember, Yoruichi? My Suzumebachi's special ability?" She wanted to see the fear grow in Yoruichi's eyes as the older woman realized what had happened. In case she had trouble grasping the situation, because she didn't bother to remember the skills of her most faithful bodyguard from a century ago, Soifon was going to explain. It looked like she didn't have to, because a black flower bloomed in the middle of Yoruichi's chest. But Soifon had already prepared a wonderful speech and she wasn't going to waste it, so she continued speaking anyway. She knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she was assured about her superiority over her opponent. The moment of gloating wasn't going to turn against her. She had been looking forward to exactly this for a hundred years, so she was going to enjoy it for as long as she could.

"Houmonka," Soifon said smugly, seeing the shock in Yoruichi's eyes. The woman was finally learning about terror and despair. Soifon was going to teach her even more. "The seal of death left behind by the first hit of Suzumebachi. The ability I haven't been able to master fully while you've been still around. I have perfected it during your hundred years' absence. Try your best not to get hit the second time. Scurry with all your strength, Yoruichi! Suzumebachi's ability is Nigeki Kessatsu! When the target is hit in the same spot for the second time, no matter who or what it is, the target suffers certain death!"

She shunpoed behind Yoruichi. "Watch out, here comes the second one!" Yoruichi flashed away. Then she turned her back on Soifon and ran. She knows she can't win, Soifon thought smugly as she gave chase. But running isn't going to save her either. Time to teach her about it.

"Hah!" she gloated. "You turned your back on the enemy and focused on escape, and yet," she scratched Yoruichi with Suzumebachi's tip again, "look at yourself, Yoruichi!" A black Houmonka bloomed on the orange jacket. "Just so you know, it's useless if you're trying to buy yourself time by running away! In the past, my Houmonka wore off after half an hour. However, my current Houmonka has no time limit at all!" She punctuated her words by creating another flower mark on Yoruichi's other shoulder. "Unless I wish it, the marks will never disappear! Just running away won't..."

She didn't finish the sentence because there were suddenly several small blades heading for her face. So Yoruichi finally decided to stop running and fight her. But hidden blades? Who was she trying to fool by such a primitive feint? Soifon blocked them easily with her armored sleeve, keeping an eye for where would the real attack come from. Then she blocked it too. She and Yoruichi brawled for a few moments before separating again. They stood facing each other. Yoruichi was panting, her cheek adorned by a bleeding scratch framed by another Houmonka. Yoruichi was truly a pathetic sight now. She was no longer a goddess or a princess, just a disgraced warrior about to get defeated. Scum. Worthless. Weak. But Yoruichi's eyes were still defiant. She still refused to accept Soifon as her better.

"Now do you understand?" Soifon spoke slowly. "If you understand now that I am the stronger one, I'll do the honors of ending this now!"

With those words, Soifon activated her newest, most powerful technique. She knew that she didn't need it, that she could win against Yoruichi without it, that it was just a matter of time before she'd hit a Houmonka for the second time, but simple victory was no longer what this battle was about. She wanted Yoruichi to look at her and understand just how wide the gap between them was. She wanted to show her just how strong she had become, just how brightly she shone, that Yoruichi's shadow could no longer obscure her. She wanted to show her old teacher just how far she had surpassed her.

She saw Yoruichi's eyes widen as the glow of the Kidou surrounding Soifon now reflected in them. That was exactly what she wanted.

"Surprised?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "This must be your first time seeing something like this. This is a technique that combines Hakuda and Kidou. It's something I've recently invented. You should feel honored. Since the completion of this technique, you're the first one I've ever used it to fight with. There isn't even a name for it yet..." Now. Now Yoruichi had to see how hopeless her situation was. Now she should grovel at her feet and beg for mercy that wouldn't be granted.

"No." Yoruichi's calm voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

"What?" Soifon asked. Yoruichi suddenly stood straight, her posture confident once again, despite the number of Houmonka adorning her. Something was seriously wrong here.

"It has a name," the purple-haired woman announced.

"What did you say?" Soifon was sure she had heard wrong. There was no way the technique already had a name, when she had just invented it. Yoruichi must be lying. She must be trying to throw her off, to unsettle her so that she'd make a mistake and give the traitor an opportunity to escape. But that wasn't going to happen! Soifon knew better than fall for something like that.

"Its name is Shunkou," Yoruichi answered.

"What are you talking about?" Soifon asked suspiciously. There was reiatsu gathering around the dark-skinned woman now. It seemed disturbingly familiar. Yoruichi couldn't be possibly telling the truth, she just couldn't.

"Do you know why that outfit has nothing on the back and shoulders?" Yoruichi asked. Soifon sometimes wondered about that, but she thought it was just some meaningless tradition with obscure origins everybody had forgotten about long ago. She had more important concerns than research something so insignificant. Now she had the sinking feeling that she had missed something crucial. She watched as more reiatsu gathered around Yoruichi, waiting for the rest of her explanation in stunned silence.

"Because it's meaningless to have it," Yoruichi explained. "The final form of this technique starts by focusing huge amounts of concentrated energy," kidou cracked around her shoulders, "then through a massive explosion that energy is installed into the user's arms and legs, enhancing them for battle. Therefore, when the technique is used, the clothing on the back and the shoulders will be blown to bits," she finished and immediately demonstrated what she meant. Lightning-like blots of Kidou shot from her shoulders, blowing her orange jacked to smithereens. Yoruichi straightened up, the lightning still crackling around her. Suddenly, she was a goddess again.

Soifon could only stare. How was this possible? One moment she was winning over a pathetic criminal, the next moment she was facing an unbeatable, unreachable battle deity. She felt like when she was a young girl again.

"You know," Yoruichi continued, "I wasn't planning to use this against you, but..." she looked in Soifon's stupefied eyes intently, "be careful, Soifon. Because I also cannot control it perfectly yet." Then she thrust her palm in Soifon's direction. Wave of Kidou burst forth from it, slamming into Soifon. She was able to withstand the blast, but the ground around her had been pulverized. Such destructive power at such distance, she thought. Yoruichi-sama is truly amazing. Then she caught herself. Did she really call the traitor 'Yoruichi-sama' again, no matter that it was in the privacy of her mind? That was unacceptable! Awesome or not, Shihouin Yoruichi was a wanted traitor and Soifon was the Commander of the Onmitsukidou and the Punishment Corps and it was her duty to bring the traitor the justice. But how could she hope to accomplish it when she was facing a clearly superior warrior?

"The reason why I have never shown this technique to you... do you understand?" Yoruichi asked slowly.

"Not," Soifon whispered in a broken voice. She didn't understand anything anymore.

"It is that it's way too dangerous," Yoruichi explained in the same tone she used to use when she had been teaching young Soifon something, back when things used to be still alright. And now she was using it to crush Soifon's dreams of ever surpassing her. It hurt. It hurt like nothing else, expect maybe Yoruichi's betrayal.

"This is..." Soifon whispered. There were tears in her eyes, but that must have been thanks to the dust in the air. Not thanks to the fact that she had lost. No! She couldn't lose! Not after all the training, all the pain, toil and sweat. She couldn't lose! She couldn't just give up! She had to defeat Yoruichi, or the last century of suffering would be meaningless.

"Not possible!" she screamed as she launched herself at Yoruichi.

"Stop," Yoruichi ordered. Soifon realized belatedly that her attack had already been stopped. Her hand had been blocked by Yoruichi's and her kidou had been nullified by her too. "It's still too early for you to use this technique." She looked and sounded like a teacher scolding an overly eager student. It was something Soifon knew very well. She didn't want to dwell on the feelings it brought to her. It might make her fall under Yoruichi's spell again. Instead she concentrated on what exactly had Yoruichi done to stop her last attack.

Hanki, she thought. Nullify. Using an amount of Kidou equal to the opponent's with reversed direction to cancel out the opponent's attack. Against the speed of my punch and the strength of my attack she countered in a split second. She is truly on a completely different level. She couldn't help but admire her for it. She longed to be just as amazing as Yoruichi-sama again. But that wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"How can this be?" she whispered dejectedly. She felt despair creeping into her heart. She chased it away with rage. "I am stronger than you!" she roared, trying to convince herself. "I should have surpassed you already! You should have weakened these past hundred years! And I should have grown in strength! Why is this happening? Why are you still above me? How can you still dominate me like that? Answer me, Yoruichi!"

She attacked the woman. If Yoruichi wasn't going to answer, she was going to beat it out of her. Yet Yoruichi either avoided or neutralized all her attacks. It was maddening. She remembered all the times they had spent together. First seeing Yoruichi in the palanquin. Joining the Punishment Corps. Watching Yoruichi in battle and training. Becoming Yoruichi's bodyguard. Yoruichi's childish antics. Fighting alongside her. Training together. Yoruichi cheering her up after a target cut off Soifon's long hair and how she never let it grow long again to honor the occasion. Yoruichi's betrayal and disappearance.

"I was extremely disappointed in you! I hated you! I cursed you! I swore to arrest you one day with my own hands! Then to surpass you, I struggled, gained strength, ... I will never forgive you, Yoruichi! For betraying my respect and trust, I will never forgive you! I..." She launched one last desperate attack. Yoruichi blocked. Soifon found herself staring at Yoruichi's fist from an uncomfortably short distance. She was spent completely. Her Shunkou had deactivated on its own as she had no longer the strength to keep it active. She barely had the strength to stay upright.

"Why... why..." she sobbed, while Yoruichi watched her silently. "Why didn't you take me with you?" At that moment, she understood it more clearly than she had in the last century. Loved or hated, Yoruichi was her goddess. There was no choice for Soifon than to worship her and desire her attention. She realized that she would never leave her shadow. "Yoruichi-sama," she whispered brokenly, sinking to her knees. She cried. She didn't care how did it look like to anyone who might be watching. The pain was too much and it wanted out. She just hoped that Yoruichi would answer her, that she would tell her why she had abandoned her all those years ago. But Yoruichi remained silent.

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Soifon sat alone in her office, staring blankly at a pile of unread reports, trying to make sense of what had happened. After she had lost the fight to Yoruichi-sama, things had become a blur. Just as she had been picking up her haori to get dressed and return to... to what? She wasn't certain. So right in that moment the Tenteikuura activated and she heard Isane's message. Aizen wasn't dead? The Central 46 was? The ryoka weren't enemies? The world seemed to stand on its head. Was everything really true? Nothing made sense anymore.

But Yoruichi-sama wasn't confused a bit. She just cast a look at the Soukyoku Hill and then said in her usual business voice: "Come, Soifon." It was just like the old times. And just like the old times, Soifon obeyed without hesitation. She dropped her haori and raced after her former superior. As they made their way to the execution site, she wondered why was she even doing that. Why was she obeying Yoruichi when the older woman had no longer any authority over her? But obeying Yoruichi felt so natural. Like she was made to do just that.

When they arrived on the Soukyoku Hill, she saw that Isane had been right. Aizen was really alive. And judging by the number of fallen captains around him, he was indeed a traitor. There was no more confusion and hesitation anymore. She sprang forward, restraining his sword arm and putting her blade to his neck. Yoruichi pinned his other arm. Soon more captains and lieutenants arrived and the three traitors were securely captured. Everything was right again. Soifon only regretted that the Soukyoku had been destroyed, so they wouldn't be able to use it on Aizen.

Then things went straight to hell again. Aizen smirked and a Garganta opened above them. She and Yoruichi had barely enough time to jump to safety before the Negación was cast. And then the three traitors were heading for Hueco Mundo, where an army of Menos Grande awaited them and Aizen ranted about becoming a god. And then the real pandemonium erupted. The wounded had to be treated and carried to the Relief Station, the debris cleared and the events of the last few days had to be pieced together and some plan for the future made.

Soifon knew that she was supposed to be figuring out a plan to take down Aizen and his cohorts (they should have done it on the Soukyoku Hill. She should have plunged Suzumebachi into Aizen's skull instead of touching it to his neck), but her mind refused to cooperate. It kept stubbornly turning to the past. To Yoruichi. She realized that she wasn't going to be able to do any work right now, so maybe she should try to straighten the mess that were her feelings and maybe she'd be able to work afterwards. With that thought she began reevaluating everything she knew.

Knowing what she knew now, everything showed in a new light. After Yoruichi's explanation, she knew that it wasn't Urahara but Aizen who had been doing illegal experiments in Rukongai a century ago and cost Soul Society four captains and four lieutenants. So Urahara, Tsukabishi and Yoruichi were innocent. She grimaced. Thinking of Urahara as innocent was just plain wrong. So he didn't commit the major crime he had been accused of. But he had committed many minor ones and undoubtedly also something bigger nobody ever pinned on him. No, a guy like him deserved his exile.

Yoruichi-sama was a different matter. She was truly innocent of any wrongdoing and Soifon felt deeply ashamed of herself for not trusting her more. Though Yoruichi-sama hadn't said it, Soifon wondered whether Yoruichi-sama had left her behind because she had trusted her to act in her stead and bring the truth about Aizen's betrayal to light. Had Yoruichi-sama been depending on Soifon to clear her name? Looking back at it, Soifon couldn't believe how she could have been so stupid. Before everything happened, she had been firmly convinced that Yoruichi-sama couldn't do anything wrong. Then how had her belief shattered the moment somebody said otherwise? Even if that somebody was the Central 46? Was it just because of her pain at being suddenly alone? Had she really been completely incapable of doing anything if Yoruichi-sama wasn't around?

It was a sobering thought. It meant that she was weaker than she realized. She had let her feelings get the better of her. She had let herself be consumed by her pain and rage and concentrated completely on becoming stronger instead of thinking about the situation rationally. Why hadn't she tried investigating for a change? Why did she trust the authorities so blindly? Why did she think it was a virtue? It made it so easy for Aizen to manipulate them when he started pretending to be the Central 46. She had been so stupid. If anyone else had started behaving so erratically, she would have been suspicious and looked into it. But the Central 46 were the Central 46 and it didn't even occur to her that there might be something not quite right with them. What would have happened if others hadn't taken over investigating the recent events, when she had failed in her duty to do so?

She wanted to either cry or punch herself. But that would be unbecoming. What if some of her subordinates walked on her? It would completely destroy her reputation. She decided to abandon this topic before she really lost it and move on to the next. Namely the century between Yoruichi's departure and her return.

Looking back at it, she couldn't believe she had considered the three traitors perfect examples of what a captain should be like. Well, except Ichimaru, but nobody liked Ichimaru, so that wasn't giving her any credit. She wanted to say that everybody had been taken in by Aizen and Tousen, but that was really no excuse. She was the head of the Onmitsukidou. It was her job to uncover treason before anyone else noticed. And she had failed utterly. But there had been no clues. Or were there? Were there some incidents that could have been traced to Aizen, but never were? Would Yoruichi-sama have been able to figure it out if she had stayed the head of Onmitsukidou? She would have to go over all the records of the cases the Onmitsukidou worked on. Maybe there would be some clue shedding some light to Aizen's future plans. She suppressed a groan. That was going to be a lot of work and the results would be iffy at best. But she would have to do it if she wanted to make up for her past failures at least a bit. There was a lot of making up to do.

But that would come later. First she wanted to make sense of the rest of the mess. She turned her thoughts to the ryoka invasion. It had seemed like a typical attack against Soul Society, so when she had seen Yoruichi-sama helping them, she wrote it down as another treasonous act on her former superior's part. Oh, how wrong she had been. Yoruichi-sama had been just trying to prevent Aizen from getting his hands on the Hougyoku and gaining more power. She had to enlist some external help because nobody in Seireitei would have believed her. And Soifon had condemned her for it. Yoruichi-sama had spent a century in exile trying to find a way to stop Aizen and his cohorts. She was willing to sacrifice her life and the reputation of her whole family to achieve the goal. And Soifon had misinterpreted it as more signs of her depravity. She had been willing to kill those who were only trying to save everybody. Soifon felt like the worst kind of scum.

And that brought her to her fight with Yoruichi-sama. Looking back at it, she wanted to kick herself. Hard. Partly because she had attacked Yoruichi-sama. Partly because she had been gloating and playing with the opponent, which went against everything all of her teachers had drilled into her head. Mostly because she had believed she could actually best Yoruichi-sama. How could she have been so naive? Yoruichi-sama was the Goddess of Flash for a reason. There was no way she would be really so weak. So while Soifon had been thinking she was winning, Yoruichi-sama was actually going easy on her. When she had turned and ran, it hadn't been because she had been scared, but because she hadn't wanted to hurt Soifon. It was only when Soifon activated her 'new technique' that Yoruichi-sama revealed her own Shunkou. It was really fearsome. Soifon's version was completely overshadowed. She grimaced when she remembered how she had told Yoruici not to be so full of herself when it was her who was guilty of arrogance and overconfidence. She had thought that her skills were the best, that her techniques were unmatched. In reality, Yoruichi had known them long before Soifon had first entered her service. The modified uniform was a proof enough of that. She never stood a chance of defeating Yoruichi even when she had been armed with her zanpakutou and Yoruichi wasn't.

Once again, she was only dreaming of once possibly being as awesome as Yoruichi-sama. So smart, so brave, so strong. She realized that she had failed to get out of Yoruichi-sama's shadow and that she wouldn't be able to do so in the foreseeable future. But unlike during the last hundred years, the thought didn't bother her anymore. Yoruichi-sama was once again her goddess. Being in her shadow was awesome because it meant being close to her. And Soifon was determined to serve Yoruichi-sama the best she could, so that she would earn the right to be in Yoruichi-sama's shadow longer.