The news that Yoruichi Shihōin would be officially returning to reclaim the position of Head of the Shihōin Clan spread through the Seireitei on the very day after Soifon descended from the Royal Palace.
As the head of the Fon Clan — an upper-ranking noble house with close ties to the Shihōin family — Soifon received the banquet invitation from the Shihōin Clan at the earliest opportunity.
On the day of the banquet, Soifon changed into her captain's haori and arrived punctually at the Shihōin estate in the Noble District, Nelliel, Momo, and Rukia in tow.
Stepping into the main hall, Soifon swept the room with a single glance. Nearly every notable figure in the Gotei 13 had been invited. The current backbone of the Seireitei had been gathered under one roof.
Truly worthy of the Shihōin Clan.
"Wow, there are so many Shinigami..." Nelliel raised a hand to her brow and gazed around like a tourist taking in a vista. "Just like back in Hueco Mu—"
She'd reflexively started to say "back in Hueco Mundo," but luckily Momo was quick on the draw and slapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish.
As the most talked-about figure of recent days — the "top-secret operative" who had defused the Sōsuke Aizen crisis — and the only captain present who had made the round trip to the Royal Palace, Soifon's entrance immediately drew the attention of most of the room. Countless reverent gazes converged on her, and then, with barely concealed curiosity, drifted to Nelliel standing at her back.
From across the hall, Kiyone gave her sister a pointed nudge with her elbow. "Look, Captain Soifon just arrived — aren't you going to go say hello?"
"Mind your own business, Kiyone!"
At those words, Isane's cheeks flushed with a barely perceptible pink. She shot her little sister a flustered glare, her voice dropping to almost nothing.
She forced up the gentle smile she usually wore and was just steeling herself to walk over with Kiyone and offer a proper greeting.
But an orange-clad figure beat her to it.
"Hey——! If it isn't our very own Captain Soifon, busiest woman in the Seireitei! It's been absolutely ages!"
Rangiku Matsumoto, who had apparently ditched her own captain at some point, appeared before Soifon and, with the most natural air in the world, flung both arms wide and swept Soifon's petite frame into a full embrace.
"Mmph..."
Caught completely off guard, Soifon found her entire face buried in soft warmth, her nose instantly flooded with the scent clinging to Rangiku — a blend of faint sake and something sweetly fragrant.
Detecting the sarcasm threaded through Rangiku's tone, Soifon let out a silent, long-suffering sigh and gave up any half-hearted notion of struggling free. She let Rangiku do as she pleased — squishing, squeezing, and mushing her face this way and that — until even her haori was left slightly disheveled.
"Hm? Why isn't Captain Soifon putting up a fight?"
Rangiku made a show of exaggerated surprise, though her kneading hands never paused. "You're being so well-behaved — that's not like you at all... Could it be you've done something behind my back and you're feeling guilty?"
Soifon rolled her eyes with eloquent disdain, let one corner of her mouth twist downward — and chose to say absolutely nothing.
Not far away, Isane, who had watched the whole exchange play out from start to finish, felt her gaze dim for just a moment. Her heart filled with something she could only call envy.
[If only I could be as bold as Rangiku...]
In that moment, she truly envied Rangiku Matsumoto. It wasn't that she and Soifon were on bad terms — it was simply that her own reserved nature made it impossible for her to take that kind of easy, affectionate initiative.
"Still daydreaming over there?" Kiyone's voice sounded in her ear again. "Captain Soifon is looking at you, sis."
Isane snapped back to herself and looked up — and sure enough, she met Soifon's gaze, warm and smiling, along with the sight of those slender fingers and that small, offered palm reaching toward her.
"Isane, shall we head in? I think the banquet's about to start properly."
Soifon stepped up to Isane and extended her hand in invitation.
"Yes, Captain Soifon!"
Isane took the offered hand and nodded eagerly, leaving her little sister behind without a second thought as she followed Soifon into the banquet hall.
According to the seating arrangement, Soifon had been placed in the very front row of the hall.
After the lengthy but necessary formalities and speeches, the star of the evening finally made her entrance.
At the far end of the hall, a figure descended slowly down the staircase.
Yoruichi Shihōin was dressed in an exquisite and stately kimono, the Shihōin family crest embroidered in gold thread across the fabric. Her long violet hair had been carefully pinned up. Standing at her side as an escort was Harribel.
Her gaze swept the room and finally came to rest on Soifon, who had her head tilted up, looking toward her.
Their eyes met across the distance, and both of them smiled — that quiet, knowing kind of smile that needs no words.
The interminable ceremonies at last concluded, and the banquet moved into its more relaxed, free-flowing social hour. Yoruichi had already slipped away and changed into a lighter, more casual kimono.
"Mmm, nom nom... this one is also so good..."
Nelliel worked her way through the delicate dishes on her plate, occasionally lifting her head to cast a look of heartfelt pity toward her friend Harribel.
Poor thing — here she was, enjoying all these delicious flavors, while her dear friend was standing guard. Really made the food go down nicely, that did.
"I'm stepping out for a moment. You two keep an eye on her."
Mulling over the glance Yoruichi had given her just before leaving the main floor, Soifon picked up a cup of sake, rose from her seat, and directed the instruction at her two students.
"Understood, Teacher Soifon..."
Rukia nodded obediently.
"We are not little kids!"
Momo, while agreeing, enunciated each of those three words — "little," "kid," "s" — with deliberate, indignant emphasis.
After all, now that they had both... done that thing... the words "little kids" really had no business applying to either of them anymore.
Soifon's composure cracked for just a split second. The corner of her mouth curved into a decidedly strange little arc — and then she extended one slender finger and waggled it slowly in front of Momo's face. A silent threat.
Both girls felt their knees go weak on the spot and snapped their mouths shut in perfect unison.
Not far off, Isane was putting away cup after expensive cup of sake, egged on relentlessly by her little sister Kiyone. The fair skin of her cheeks had already bloomed a visible rosy red — white and pink, flush and fresh, rather adorable.
"That's right, that's right — they say Dutch courage is a real thing, sis. A few more cups and you'll have the nerve to go chat up Captain Soifon, easy."
Kiyone topped off Isane's cup again. "Come on, come on — finish this one and there's three more waiting."
"Kiyone, I am not a coward!"
Isane puffed out her cheeks and shot her little sister a look that was trying very hard to be fierce.
——
On the other side of the hall, Soifon had made her way to the inner terrace where the captains tended to congregate, took a small sip from her cup, and leaned against the railing, gazing out at the meticulously trimmed garden below.
"Why are you hiding out here all by yourself?"
A familiar voice rose behind her — carrying a trace of languid relief, like someone finally let out of a formal meeting.
Soifon didn't turn around. She simply held her sake cup out behind her.
Yoruichi's hand reached out and took it naturally, and she raised it to her lips at the exact spot Soifon had been drinking from — and took a small, unhurried sip.
"The ceremonies were exhausting, I imagine?"
Only then did Soifon turn to face her — Yoruichi, who had thrown a casual outer robe over her lighter kimono.
"Not particularly. Far easier than processing paperwork back in the Second Division."
Yoruichi handed the cup back and leaned against the railing beside Soifon, the two of them shoulder to shoulder. "It's just that I haven't attended a formal ceremony in so long — the clan elders have been drilling proper etiquette into me all week. Honestly..."
"I never imagined Lady Yoruichi would handle her own paperwork personally..."
Soifon was doing her best to hold back a laugh, but the upward pull at the corners of her mouth gave her away completely.
Yoruichi spun her head around sharply. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying you don't deal with paperwork as captain?"
"Of course not. I hand it all off to Marechiyo Ōmaeda."
Soifon tipped her head back and drained the rest of her sake in one go.
The next instant, the cup slipped from her fingers and tumbled to the wooden floor, landing with a dull, rolling thud.
A faint, silvery thread of sake traced its way down the corner of each of their mouths and dripped onto the wooden boards at their feet, slowly blooming into a dark, damp stain.
Without any warning, Yoruichi leaned in close, cupped Soifon's chin in her fingers, and sealed her lips precisely over Soifon's.
It wasn't a fleeting brush of a touch — it was a claiming, demanding kiss, stealing the sake right from Soifon's mouth.
Perhaps it was the alcohol. Perhaps it was the trembling warmth of reunion after too long apart. Either way, they both gradually forgot that they were on a terrace at the outer edge of the banquet estate. Their hands drifted, without thought, to each other's waists, pulling close, sharing warmth and breath.
After a long moment, Yoruichi drew back slightly — though her arms remained looped around Soifon's waist.
"Honey-flavored sake. Delicious."
The satisfied, smug smile on Yoruichi Shihōin's face was shameless.
"Lady Yoruichi — are you proud of yourself right now?"
Soifon rolled her eyes with magnificent resignation.
"You finally let me win one, Shaolin..."
Rather than letting go, Yoruichi pulled her in all the way, tucking her close, resting her chin on Soifon's shoulder, and bringing her lips near that lightly flushed ear.
Warm breath ghosted past. Soifon didn't pull away.
"Fine, fine, fine — Lady Yoruichi wins this round. Lady Yoruichi is the best."
Left with no other option, Soifon conceded, patting Yoruichi's back while delivering her praise in the flattest, most deadpan monotone imaginable.
Having said her piece, she promptly reached over and took the untouched sake cup from Yoruichi's hand, tipped it back, and drained it in one long swallow — then wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, bold as anything.
Yoruichi stared. "That was my cup..."
"It's mine now."
Soifon pressed the empty cup back into Yoruichi's hand, straightened her slightly rumpled front, and composed her expression back into its usual unruffled calm — though a faint, lingering warmth still colored her cheeks.
Just then, from the far end of the corridor, footsteps reached them — growing closer.
Both of them stiffened at the same instant and stepped apart.
Yoruichi smoothed her hair and adjusted the hem of her kimono with practiced, unhurried nonchalance.
The next moment, a figure came stumbling around the corner.
It was Isane.
Her cheeks were flushed an alarming red, her eyes unfocused and hazy, her steps unsteady. Several strands of silver-grey hair had escaped to drape across her heated face — she had clearly had quite a lot to drink.
The next instant, Soifon felt a tap on her shoulder — and when she turned, Yoruichi had already vanished without a trace.
It was only in moments like these that the title "Flash Master Yoruichi" truly showed its worth.
"..."
Soifon stared at the spot where Yoruichi had been, and let out a long, weary sigh.
By now, Isane had stumbled her way over, caught her foot on a threshold that was not actually there, and pitched forward——
"Watch out!"
Soifon shot out a hand and caught Isane by the arm. A wave of strong sake fumes washed over her.
"Captain Soifon..."
"...Hello there..."
Isane lifted her head, eyes swimming with moisture, and gazed at Soifon — who was suddenly very close — with a dopey, utterly helpless smile.
"Er... hello?"
That opening line left Soifon completely at a loss, and she found herself reflexively returning the greeting.
Half supporting, half dragging, she steered Isane over to a low guest sofa arranged along the wall and carefully eased her down into it.
Soifon settled onto the cushion beside her and patted her gently on the back. "How did you end up drinking this much? I seem to recall your tolerance being rather low, Isane..."
"Mm, that's true."
Isane answered softly, listing sideways into Soifon's shoulder. "Because my tolerance is bad... Kiyone told me to drink more anyway, said that if I got drunk I'd be able to..."
Her sentence trailed off, the thought left unfinished — as if the connection had simply dropped.
Isane's long, slender frame had curled into itself, resting most of her weight against Soifon's side. At some point, her arms had found their way around Soifon's slender waist and were now holding on with a quiet, stubborn grip.
She pressed her entire face into the curve of Soifon's neck, nuzzled against it like a drowsy cat, and let out a long, contented sigh.
"Captain Soifon..."
"I... wanted to try this for such a long time too. But Rangiku beat me to it..."
The muffled words came from somewhere against Soifon's neck — thick with a nasal edge and the unmistakable weight of sake.
Soifon blinked. For a moment, she had absolutely no idea how to respond.
——Was this really the Isane Kotetsu she knew?
Alcohol. Truly a terrifying thing.
Before she could finish that thought, Isane suddenly lifted her head out of the crook of Soifon's neck — and cupped Soifon's face in both hands.
Surely she wasn't going to actually——
Given Isane's well-documented shyness, Soifon had never once entertained the idea that she might one day be kissed by Isane Kotetsu...
The next instant, Isane's face filled her entire field of vision, and their lips pressed together.
Soifon could see perfectly clearly — Isane's eyes squeezed shut, those long lashes trembling with nerves, fluttering faintly against her own eyelid with each tiny shiver.
And yet — that was all.
To be frank, Isane's kissing technique was painfully, hopelessly inexperienced. It couldn't even properly be called a kiss. She had simply pressed her lips to Soifon's on pure instinct, and then — nothing. No follow-through whatsoever.
At last, Isane pulled back with obvious reluctance. She pressed her lips together, as if savoring the last trace of warmth she had borrowed, her expression uncertain and a little forlorn.
"So this is... what a kiss feels like?"
"It's... not quite like it was described in the books."
The words had barely left her mouth before the world turned upside down.
Isane felt her vision blur — and then a force she could not resist swept her backward, into the soft give of the sofa cushions.
Soifon leaned down, tipped her chin up with one hand, and kissed her.
This was no clumsy, fumbling attempt. This was a technique honed through countless repetitions — refined, deliberate, practiced to perfection.
Isane's mind went completely blank.
The nerves that had been dulled by alcohol were, in this single moment, shocked fully and completely awake.
After a long while, Soifon slowly drew back. Propped on one hand, she looked down at Isane lying in the sofa, and reached out to brush the stray hair away from her face.
"That, Isane, is a kiss."
Isane stared up at Soifon — impossibly close — and felt certain she must still be dreaming.
She lay there with her lips lightly pressed together, as if trying to hold onto something. Then she reached up and pulled Soifon down into her arms.
"Captain Soifon... just how many people have you kissed to get this good at it...?"
____
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🔥 New history: COTE: Confessing to Sakayanagi From the Start
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