The Bee and the Cat

By Adrian Barrientez

In reality, the late summer day was supposed to get warmer later on, but
all Soi Fong knew was that she would be cold until about noon. It didn't
help that she was such a petite girl, she thought with a bit of a sigh
as she glanced in the small mirror on her wall. She was only at about
average height for her age, and just about every other aspect of her
anatomy was compact and slender, giving her a rather cute but
unremarkable appearance. Not that she cared too much about things like
that, but it was times like this she wished she had a little more meat
on her bones. After changing quickly, she felt a little warmer than she
had in her long sleepshirt, but the draft through her jammed window
still chilled her to the core. Ignoring her discomfort, she walked
through the open doorway to the worn and neglected stairwell,
remembering to skip the termite-infested fifth step on her way down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493150595

Book preview

Chapter 1

Rukongai High School

Soi Fong groaned under the covers as her bedside alarm began screeching at her, urging her to get up. She grudgingly reached out, groping at the air until she made contact with the clamorous device, then tapped the ‘snooze’ button with her palm, silencing it instantly. The girl sighed in relief as she shut her eyes, eager to get a few more minutes sleep, but . . .

Soi! Did I hear your alarm go off? As if to taunt the sleepy teen, her father’s voice drifted through her open bedroom door from downstairs. She groaned as she lazily decided that she had to answer.

. . . Yes, Dad . . .

Oh, okay. Well, hurry up and come get some breakfast before you have to go. Soi Fong reluctantly shook off the covers to be hit almost instantly by the cold air filling the room. She hugged herself in an effort to keep from freezing, curling into a little ball on the mattress to try and hold onto her warm bed for a while longer.

Come on, Soi Fong, she told herself through chattering teeth. Just gotta get up and get dressed . . . Before she could regret her decision to greet the day, the girl lept out of bed and ran to her chest of drawers, hastily grabbing her longsleeved white uniform shirt and black knee-length skirt. She glared disdainfully at the rather flimsy piece of attire.

Jeez . . . why do they have to make us wear these? I’d give anything to be allowed to wear actual pants on a day like today . . .

In reality, the late summer day was supposed to get warmer later on, but all Soi Fong knew was that she would be cold until about noon. It didn’t help that she was such a petite girl, she thought with a bit of a sigh as she glanced in the small mirror on her wall. She was only at about average height for her age, and just about every other aspect of her anatomy was compact and slender, giving her a rather cute but unremarkable appearance. Not that she cared too much about things like that, but it was times like this she wished she had a little more meat on her bones. After changing quickly, she felt a little warmer than she had in her long sleepshirt, but the draft through her jammed window still chilled her to the core. Ignoring her discomfort, she walked through the open doorway to the worn and neglected stairwell, remembering to skip the termite-infested fifth step on her way down.

_______________

Ahh, there’s my little girl! her father said with a smile as Soi Fong walked into the tiny kitchen. It was nearly as cold in here as it was upstairs, but she had learned to ignore the little discomforts of this house—it was all her father could afford and she was grateful for what she was fortunate enough to have.

Hi, Dad, she returned his greeting sweetly as she walked over to the pantry and grabbed a box half-full of corn flakes, then absentmindedly reached up to the nearest cabinet and pulled out a chipped ceramic bowl. Her father was enjoying the last few years of his thirties, his face still retaining a youthful exuberance that belied the wrinkles growing on his forehead and below his eyelids. Once Soi Fong had sat down with her bowl of cereal and a glass of milk, he prepared himself the same, being careful not to take too much of the opaque drink so as to stretch out its use.

So, are you looking forward to school today? he asked despite knowing the answer already. Sure enough, Soi Fong snorted over her cereal, turning around to give him an almost catlike glare. He chuckled at her nonverbal display of annoyance at the thought of the place, having gotten this reaction many times before. Oh, come on, I’m sure it’s not that ba—

It is, she said perfectly deadpan, thinking about the annoying upperclassmen who had made her life a living hell from the moment she had set foot on campus a few weeks ago. She had not voiced these happenings to her father, however—it would just be something more for him to worry about.

Hmm. Well, at least you’ve made some friends by now, right? Soi Fong nodded, but she had turned her face away from him, as if he would be able to tell that she was lying just by sight alone. Well, don’t worry about it, Soi—you’re a nice girl, you just need to open up a little more.

. . . Sure, Dad, she agreed while rolling her eyes, having heard this so many times that she had stopped believing it around the beginning of junior high. She quickly finished up her cold cereal and milk, then rinsed the bowl and cup out in the sink before letting them dry on a nearby dishtowel. I’ve gotta go, bye! she called as she ran out of the kitchen and to the front door, slipping on her shoes and grabbing her bookbag on the way.

Have a good day! her father called from the kitchen as he glanced at his watch, and seeing what time it was, ate the remainder of his breakfast and headed to his bedroom to grab his suitcoat for work.

_______________

Soi Fong stepped out into the brisk morning air, instantly regretting that she hadn’t grabbed a coat beforehand.

Oh well, she thought with a sigh. If I hurry, I’ll be all right.

She walked down the rickety wooden steps of her front porch and into the street, away from the cramped but somewhat comfortable place she called her home, taking a left once she reached the sidewalk. After about thirty minutes walking in the slowly thawing weather, she finally reached the grounds of Rukongai High School.

To be honest, Soi Fong was glad to be going to school here, despite the distance from her home. It was one of the hardest in her district to get into, but after three years of dedication and study her hard work had paid off. She had initially been reluctant come to Rukongai, but when she’d learned that they had a very strong literature program, she’d taken to it instantly. Reading was one of the few passions that Soi Fong had, and she had indulged it to the point where she had grown antisocial in the eyes of her peers. She didn’t mind not having friends, though—she wouldn’t know how to behave around them anyway.

As she walked gratefully into the much warmer halls of the building, she saw a familiar face standing not far from where her locker was stationed. She groaned at the sight of that short grayish hair and devilish grin, but surrendered to the fact that there was no other option but to approach him. She tried to keep herself calm and apathetic as she neared the tall boy leaning against the row of metal containers. Too soon, however, he noticed her and spoke.

Well, well—lookit whose it is. Heya there, shorty. Soi Fong narrowed her eyes as she looked past him and walked up to her locker. . . . Now, that ain’t too nicelike, little miss Fong . . . won’t even say ‘hello’ when someun says it to ya first? He had leaned closer, his wicked smirk making his presence all the more disturbing. The Chinese girl sighed and responded, but kept her eyes on the contents of her storage space.

. . . Hello, Ichimaru, she said as icily as she could. Ichimaru didn’t flinch in the slightest as Soi Fong’s weak attempt at intimidation, however.

There . . . that wadn’t so hard, eh? He said casually as he leaned closer.

. . . What do you want, Gin?

Nothin’, he shrugged his shoulder in an unconvincing display of innocence. . . . Just wonderin’ if you did that assignmen’ for third period, is all.

I’m not giving you anything, Soi Fong said determinedly, forgetting that she was over a foot shorter than the lanky teen hovering imposingly over her. If you want better grades, then maybe you should do it yourself.

Ooh . . . someone’s forgettin’ the natural order o’ things, ain’t they? Ichimaru taunted, still not giving her any more personal space then the few inches he was currently permitting. Don’t get all high an’ mighty just ’cause you’re smart. But, if you really were smart, then ya’d know better than ta just up an’ refuse my reasonabl’ requests like ya’ been doin’. Soi Fong only continued to glare at him, refusing to let such a petty bully get to her. She’d dealt with his type before and they were all the same—all they knew was how to flex their muscles to intimidate ‘weaker’ people who had something they could use—in her case, academic ability.

I don’t care what you ‘request,’ I’m still not going to help an idiot like you cheat.

. . . Oh, damn . . . she clapped her hand over her mouth on reflex when she saw Ichimaru’s grin actually falter. She knew he was angry at her now. His full wrath she’d been able to avoid so far simply by controlling the urge to cross the line with what she said to him. He didn’t mind what you said, just as long as you don’t insult him—that much was clear about Gin.

Oh, I get it . . . the boy said solemnly as he stared at her through his narrowed eyelids, . . . so that’s how it is, eh? Ya think I’m dumb, eh? Soi Fong wanted to beg for forgiveness, but she knew it was too late to turn back, so she simply closed her gaping mouth and met his gaze (which she honestly couldn’t read from his perpetually shut eyes) full-on. . . . Geez, I’m nice to ya’ all this time an’ all ya ever do is give me crap. Well, I’ve gotta pay you back fer that, don’t I? In spite of herself, Soi Fong let out a gulp, knowing that now he was actually going to do something to her. . . . But not right now, eh? He said as he leaned away from her, replacing his sneer as he turned around to walk away. . . . See ya after school, kid. With that, Ichimaru headed down the hall to his first hour class.

Soi Fong’s mind started racing. What would she do about this? She’d always been so careful at never provoking her antagonists, resisting but never instigating, and now she’d just gotten herself singled out by the biggest jackass she’d ever met.

Well, I guess there’s not much I can do now, she thought with a sigh as she grabbed her books for class and shut the locker with a bang. Just deal with it when it comes.

After all, despite the fact that she was of above-average intelligence, she was essentially a nobody. Gin would ‘put her in her place,’ and then she could go back to her comfortable anonymity. It was, as he had said, the natural order of things, and Soi Fong had no intention of stepping beyond that.

Chapter 2

The Cat Arrives

Soi Fong stared at her open book, absorbing the words with a zeal that she didn’t spare for the sandwich in her hand. Never taking her eyes off the text, she bit into the bread, chewing it slowly so as to have as few distractions as possible, especially since the story had reached a very interesting point. When she finally forced herself to look up and take a drink of juice, her eyes happened to fall upon Ichimaru, sneering at her as he made his way over to his friend Kira and his unlikely girlfriend Rangiku. She didn’t see any of his other flunkies, but then they were in different classes and Ichimaru thought it better to avoid being grouped together to evade suspicion. In spite of the calm facade she wore, Soi was getting more worried with every inch the minute hand on the clock moved to the right. She tried to concentrate on reading again, but that disturbing smirk kept worming its way back into her mind.

. . . Should I run away?

She shook her head as soon as the thought occured to her.

No. I’m not afraid of a guy like him. Dad taught me better than that.

Noticing that the lunch hour had practically disappeared, Soi wolfed down the remains of her meal and dashed to her homeroom before the bell for next period sounded.

_______________

. . . You shouldn’t wear that hat, you know.

A sandy-haired teen (technically a legal adult, at age 19) only smirked at the observation made by his companion, a dark-skinned girl who was a year his junior and yet nearly rivaled him in the height department.

Oh, and why’s that?

. . . Because it makes you look like some sort of criminal, the girl answered with a mischievous grin as she took a bite of her still-warm taiyaki, small flakes of baked bread crumbling off onto the ground as she tore off a chunk and chewed on it. You’re already a delinquent, isn’t that bad enough?

Well . . . the boy hummed contemplatively as he adjusted the green-and-white striped hat on his head that had began the whole conversation, I don’t see why that should matter if I’m already being labeled as a delinquent. And speaking of labels, doesn’t that make you YOURSELF a delinquent for being seen in my company?

No, the girl said as she absentmindedly pulled back a few loose strands of dark hair that had liberated themselves from her long ponytail with the aid of the slight breeze. . . . It makes me the victim, for you forcing your presence on me.

That’s too cruel, the boy sighed as he put on an expression of feigned indignation. The girl only chuckled to herself at the eccentric behavior she’d come to expect after 12 years of friendship with this young man.

You really are hopeless, you know that? she asked as she swallowed another bite of her pastry. Her friend opened his mouth to retort when he noticed that she had come to a stop about 3 strides back.

Hmm? What’s going on? he muttered as he walked up to where his female companion stood overlooking a small manmade ravine that lay not too far from the high school. It wasn’t very easy to tell from here, but it looked like there were a bunch of kids in their class, and they were surrounding a much shorter kid . . . Oh well. Best to just forget about it. They do this all the time anyway. The tall girl nodded admissively and was about to continue walking when the kid in the middle fell to the ground and she could see a glimpse of his face. Or rather, hers.

That’s a girl down there . . . the cocoa-skinned upperclassman said with growing realization. Before the sandy-haired fellow at her side could say anything, she had shoved the remains of her pastry into his hand and had hoisted herself over the concrete guardrail.

_______________

A small groan escaped Soi Fong’s lips as she felt a man’s hand at her collar and she looked up to see it was Kira’s. She narrowed her eyes rebelliously at him and was slightly surprised to find that he had a repentant look on his face. He hadn’t thrown the blow, and he hated the idea of fighting a girl, but his loyalty to Ichimaru overrode the pang of guilt that made him want to protest what his ‘boss’ was doing.

Well, well . . . I guess ya ain’t some whiny littl’ brat after all, eh? Soi turned her dark eyes in the direction of the boy towering over her, one of his silver eyebrows cocked in amusement. . . . An’ here I figur’d ya’d be cryin’ like a baby . . . Soi only let her glare rest on him, as if doing so would render her antagonist to naught but dust. Unfortunately, Ichimaru was nowhere close to disappearing. Now, I bet that hurt, did’t it?

The Chinese girl had wanted to laugh at that. Gin hadn’t even had the courage to beat her up himself; he’d employed a handful of his faceless goons to do it for him. They’d only hit her a few times, but they were strong—any other girl would have been in tears by now, but the most noise Soi Fong had made was the occasional huff of air being knocked out of her lungs.

. . . Ya know, this’d prob’ly be over a lil’ bit quicker if ya’d swallow that pride o’ yours and jus’ apologize. His ultimatum was met with, to his annoyance, only more of the girl’s insufferable silence.

Oh, I get it . . . not answerin’ me, huh?

Soi Fong said nothing. Still grinning, Gin backhanded her across the face, leaving a red mark on her cheek but not eliciting any verbal response. She knew that he was probably just going to keep hitting her, but that didn’t matter. She’d take it—not because she didn’t know how to defend herself, but because she refused to let him think for even a minute that he could control her, force her to bend to his will through violence.

He wants tears. He won’t get them.

Gin pulled his hand back and was about to strike again when dark, slender fingers grabbed his wrist.

. . . Picking on underclassmen again, Ichimaru? His grin slipped at the sound of an all-too familiar voice, and before he could turn around to acknowledge the hand’s owner his face was promptly met with a right hook. His fellow hoodlums blinked collectively when they saw the face of the one who’d been bold enough to hit their beloved chieftain.

Soi Fong raised her head to see a girl that was a bit taller than her, wearing the same uniform as she. Her coffee-toned body was accentuated by dark hair, which hung behind her in a long ponytail. She was athletic-looking and was obviously quite strong, but her slender form didn’t betray her physical prowess. But the most bizarre aspect of this mystery girl’s anatomy was her eyes, which seemed almost like a goldenrod yellow.

Hey, what the hell are you doing, you little bitch! howled one of the punks who had his hair cut short and had highlighted it an atrocious green color. At this the girl smirked—she was actually taller than him, making her in no way ‘little.’

Don’t you touch our boss!

Yeah, you’ll have to go through us first!

The three goons growled at her and flexed, but Kira, obviously and wisely familiar with the girl, backed away towards Ichimaru. The three rushed her at once, but a few moments of blinding footwork later and they were sprawed on the ground around her, moaning in pain while she only sighed as if she’d gotten a mild workout at most. Without another word, but still wearing that dangerous smile, she walked towards Gin and Kira, being careful to step on one of the fallen men as she approached. Soi Fong could only stare with her mouth hanging open.

W . . . who the . . . ?

To think that you’d sink so low as to beat up a girl, Ichimaru . . . Can’t exactly say that I didn’t see it coming. Gin said nothing at the young woman’s assessment of his character, but his obnoxious smile was now replaced with the slightest of frowns. Kira glared at her and took a step forward, but to Soi’s further surprise, Gin threw his arm out in front of his friend, making it clear that this was not someone he wanted to trifle with. Her smile widened at his reaction and she casually cracked her knuckles. . . . I think you should leave before someone else gets hurt. Gin didn’t need telling twice. He shook his head in the opposite direction to Kira, and the two set off as calmly as they could, with the three others scrambling after.

Hmph. Bastards, the woman muttered as she stretched her arm, turning to finally glance at the girl she had rescued. Hey, are you okay? She extended one of her hands to Soi, who glanced at her savior suspiciously before rejecting the hand to pick herself up off the ground. The tall girl grimaced slightly at Soi’s reaction. Hey, no need to be snippy. I DID just save your ass there, if you’ve forgotten. Soi Fong knew she shouldn’t be rude, but instinct told her to be wary of this person, especially since she had beaten up three massive guys and put the fear of God into Ichimaru without so much as breaking a sweat. Still, her manners finally won out, and she reluctantly bowed to the other girl.

. . . Thank you very much for helping me. The tall girl, to Soi Fong’s surprise, suddenly began to laugh.

Bowing? What do you think I am, some kinda royalty? Soi opened her mouth to protest the girl’s mockery of her good grace, but the young woman stuck out her hand. Tell you what—screw the pomp and all that, the least we can do is introduce ourselves. The Chinese girl stared at the hand ambiguously again for a moment before she grabbed it.

. . . I’m Soi Fong. Class 1-B. The taller girl smiled at the compromise they had finally managed to reach as she shook the slender hand in her slightly calloused one.

Yoruichi Shihouin, Class 4-E. Nice to meet you.

Chapter 3

She’s Got Moxie

Soi Fong furrowed her brow slightly at the sound of her savior’s name. Yoruichi Shihouin . . . why does that name sound familiar? I could swear I’ve heard it before, but this is the first time we’ve met . . .

Hey, you’re hurt! Soi was awakened from her thoughts when Yoruichi indicated the bruise on her cheek. That looks pretty bad . . . The tall girl reached out to examine the slight injury, but Soi snapped her head out of reach.

. . . It’s fine. Yoruichi cocked an eyebrow at the freshman’s lack of self-concern.

Whatever, kid. Here, at this she grabbed Soi Fong by the arm and pulled her in the direction of the school. . . . Maybe the nurse’ll still be here . . . The petite girl tried to break free of Yoruichi’s grip, but finding the task quite impossible, finally sighed and allowed herself to be dragged along.

_______________

Well, it doesn’t look too bad . . . Soi Fong glanced up at Ms. Unohana, who was walking up to her with some sort of package that was dripping slightly on the ground. Here, put this on your face, the nurse said with a smile as she held out the package to reveal that it was a zippable plastic bag full of ice cubes. The tiny girl accepted the cold compress wordlessly, only making a slight hiss as she felt the frigid package come into contact with the tender spot on her face. When her escort noticed that she had not thanked the school physician, Yoruichi took the initiative in her stead.

Thank you for helping us, ma’am, she said with a polite bow which Unohana brushed off with another warm grin and a wave of the hand.

Oh, it’s no trouble, girls. You’re just fortunate you managed to catch me, I was getting ready to leave. With nothing to do but allow the ice to take some affect, the nurse sat behind her desk, moving the massive braid which hung around her neck as she leaned comfortably into the seat. . . . So, if you don’t mind me asking . . . how did you get that bruise, Miss Fong? Yoruichi hesitated, not sure how strongly the mellow woman would react to learning that Soi Fong’s injury had been the result of being ganged up on and attacked.

Well, you see—

I fell. At the sudden interjection of the youngest female in the room, both Yoruichi’s and Ms. Unohana’s heads turned in her direction.

. . . You fell?

Yes. I was running up the steps when I tripped. This girl— Soi indicated Yoruichi with a nod of the head, . . . she saw me and helped me up here. The naturally tanned girl only spared the smallest of intrigued glances at Soi before the nurse turned to look at her instead.

. . . Really? . . . Ms. Unohana said calmly. Fortunately for Soi Fong, the upperclassman had caught on to her evasion and responded in the affirmative. The sweet-natured woman nodded her head in acceptance but at the same time cast the impression that she didn’t entirely believe the alibi. Still, she said nothing regarding it again, and in fact none of them spoke until the nurse took a look at Soi’s cheek, said she’d be fine, and the two girls took their leave.

_______________

. . . Interesting.

Soi Fong turned her head up towards Yoruichi, who was currently walking beside her and had up to this point allowed silence to reign after they had left the nurse’s office. It made her uncomfortable that the girl was still in her company, especially when most people would have brushed her off by now and left her on her own. Soi didn’t mind being solitary; rather she enjoyed it when compared to the mindless rambling that so many of her peers indulged in. Still, she had the feeling she didn’t want to get on this woman’s bad side, so she reluctantly indulged her observation.

Sorry, but . . . what’s interesting? Yoruichi tilted her head slightly to make eye contact with the smaller girl and flashed a grin that, for some odd reason, reminded Soi Fong of a cat.

You could have said something—gotten those guys in trouble, but you kept your mouth shut. Not too mention that you took that beating without so much as a peep. There aren’t many girls who could deal with that. In response, she got the silence that had met Ichimaru’s taunting. Instead of getting angry, however, she only chuckled at Soi’s behavior. . . . That how you answer everything, kid?

. . . No, Soi Fong said indignantly, . . . If I’d told on him, he would’ve just come after me later. She avoided adding, ‘You probably just made things worse for me anyway,’ but it came out in her slightly narrowed eyes and was not lost on Yoruichi, whose smile refused to fade.

Well, I have to say, you’ve definitely got some moxie, standing up to an asshole like that. As soon as the unfamiliar word hit her ears, Soi’s expression turned to one of puzzlement.

. . . Huh? ‘Moxie?’

Yeah, you know—

Yoruichi began, but was cut off as a guy wearing a striped hat and the boy’s uniform for Rukongai ran up to them.

Hey, Yoru-chan! he called with a goofy smile on his face, too far to notice the slight twitch on her own features that wasn’t lost on Soi Fong. When the long-haired teen finally caught up with the two girls, he was greeted by Yoruichi with a swift smack to the top of his head that knocked off his sandal-hat.

Oww . . . What was that for? he whimpered playfully, but Yoruichi only gave him a stoic glare.

Damnit, Kisuke . . . I’ve told you a million times not to call me that.

Actually, Yoru-chan . . . it’s probably closer to a million and twenty-fi—Oww! He rubbed his head where she’d chopped him again, but her expression was one of sardonic amusement, much to Soi Fong’s confusion. She considered taking advantage of their distraction and getting away from the odd pair, but to her chagrin Yoruichi’s ‘friend’ had taken notice of her.

Hey, who’s this? You going into kidnapping now, Yoruichi? The tall girl rolled her eyes as she flipped her hand in Soi’s vicinity.

Hmm . . . Well, I may as well introduce you, now that you’ve corrupted her innocence with your mere presence . . . Kisuke, this is . . . the name’s Soi, right? she said with a confused expression to the Chinese girl, who nodded in response. Yeah, this is Soi Fong. Soi, this is . . .

. . . Kisuke Urahara, he said with much feigned humility as he extended his palm to Soi Fong. The freshman could only stare at him as the light fell on his face and she managed to finally get a good look at him. With his long, sandy-blonde hair, unshaven face and beach-bum hat, he looked like he had come straight from the encyclopedic definition for ‘flower child.’ When he did not feel Soi Fong’s hand return his gesture of friendship, Urahara looked up to see the new girl giving him a barely-concealed expression of mild distaste. Before he could speak, Yoruichi, who’d noticed Soi Fong’s face, smacked Kisuke on the head again, eliciting another groan of pain.

Now look at what you’ve done—you’ve scared the poor girl! Yoruichi said wryly.

But how? I didn’t do anything!

Well, I TOLD you to get rid of that hat, didn’t I?

Umm . . . Kisuke and Yoruichi stopped their playful teasing at the sound of Soi Fong’s quiet voice. . . . Listen, it was . . . nice to meet you both, and thank you for helping me . . . (she gave Yoruichi a little bow) but I need to get home, so . . .

Oh, don’t worry about that! Yoruichi said with a smile. We’ll walk you home! She didn’t catch the slight groan that Soi uttered upon hearing that she would be escorted by two people barely as mature as she was old.

_______________

Fortunately for the uncomfortable girl, the journey home was spent in relative silence. About ten minutes from the house, Soi Fong stopped and bowed.

. . . Thank you very much, she said reluctantly, . . . but I can go the rest of the way on my own.

Don’t tell me you’re ashamed of your house . . . Yoruichi said with a bit of a groan. The truth was that Soi didn’t feel like answering a lot of awkward questions from her father if she came to the door accompanied by two upperclassmen, who of course avoided any and all contact with their younger fellow students.

Well, goodbye, Shihouin-san, Urahara-san." Yoruichi snorted at the display of formality, while Kisuke only cocked an eyebrow that was invisible behind the brim of his hat.

Well, nice to meet you, Miss Fong, Urahara uttered with a smirk at the girl’s attempt to hide her annoyance at being condescended to, . . . I just wish Shihouin-san here was as even-tempered as you are.

Oh, don’t underestimate her, Kisuke. You wouldn’t think it, but she’s a tough little thing—got plenty of moxie, don’t ya? She smiled at Soi Fong with something resembling respect in her eyes, but the young girl ignored the unspoken appraisal of her indomitability in favor of aggravation.

You keep saying that word. Well, what does it mean, anyway? she finally asked, a little more harshly than she had meant to. Yoruichi, who’d begun to walk away with Urahara in tow, turned at the unexpected question, looking up pensively at the darkening sky before answering.

Hmm . . . well, ‘moxie’ means you’ve got spunk. You know, nerve.

Then why didn’t you just say that? In response, the older girl only shrugged her shoulders.

. . . Dunno. Just thought it sounded cool, is all. Well, see ya later, Soi Fong, Yoruichi called as she waved over her shoulder. Once the two had moved a fair distance away, squabbling amongst themselves all the while, Soi turned away and continued the walk to her house, barely observing the transformation of the houses she passed as they gradually became more and more delapidated and weatherworn.

‘See me later?’ Soi Fong mused as the upperclassman’s parting words went through her head.

. . . Yeah, right.

She knew better than to think that she would see either of them again.

What had happened was little more than a lucky coincidence—if anything, Yoruichi would probably avoid any contact with Soi Fong that wasn’t absolutely necessary.

Still, she grudgingly had to admit that she was a very impressive woman—any retribution that Ichimaru leveled on her in the future would be worthwhile just for seeing him cower away from a member of the ‘fairer sex’. And she’d said that she had ‘moxie’ . . . even if it was an odd figure of speech, it did make the stoic girl smile just a bit, though she wasn’t sure why.

Chapter 4

 . . . So She CAN Smile!

Soi was a bit surprised at how little had changed. No one seemed to know or care about what had happened to her outside of her father, who’d made a few inquiries regarding the still-tender bruise but let the matter drop when she insistently fed him the same fib about injuring herself by means of clumsiness. On the way to her locker at school the next day, a grinning Ichimaru had met her and, looking around shiftily to be certain that her rescuer from before was not lurking around, snatched her lunch box and sauntered away without looking back. The petite girl hadn’t expected Gin’s retribution to be so underwhelming, but this was undoubtedly not the only torture he had in mind for her. But like always, she shrugged it off and went to class as if nothing had happened.

Well, I’m just glad that SHE wasn’t there . . . I probably would’ve gotten a lot worse . . . For a moment she spared a thought for Yoruichi. Even though she had anticipated that the upperclassman would forget about her, and in fact had been counting on it, Soi couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of disappointment that she hadn’t seen Yoruichi at all. She shook her head, as if to rid the thought from her brain forcefully.

Come on, Soi Fong. You didn’t even WANT to see her again, remember?

She had half-wanted to ask her fellow classmates about the dark-skinned girl, but decided that between the idea of the reserved Soi Fong actively participating in conversation and giving the impression that she somehow knew an upperclassman, there would be too many awkward questions. After some thought, she made peace with the idea.

. . . Besides, that girl just seems like trouble, and that’s the last thing I want.

_______________

A few hours later, she casually sat at her desk during the lunch hour, a rock of tranquility in the sea of bustling activity and gossiping students. With no meal to distract her, Soi was busy reading her book again, ignoring the occasional glance in her direction from other freshman at her unsocial behavior, or turning down tentative attempts at giving her company with a few cold upward glances that made it clear she didn’t want to be disturbed. The story’s action was rapidly reaching a high point and she was so absorbed that the sudden sound of her name being called out made her jump.

SOI FONNG!

The passive girl’s eyes widened exponentially as she suddenly recognized the carefree voice she had heard only yesterday. She glanced over her book slowly.

. . . It couldn’t be . . .

HELLO! IS SOI FONG HERE? HELLOOO! Sure enough, it was, to Soi Fong’s utter shock, her rescuer—Yoruichi Shihouin—standing in the doorway of Class 1-B with that Cheshire-cat smile all over her face again. By now the entire class had noticed the woman who had intruded on their lunch period, and Soi could feel the eyes of just about every student boring into her, as if waiting for her to respond. All the flustered girl could do, however, was shield her face with her book and hope that Yoruichi wouldn’t notice her and would go away. Unfortunately for her, Yoruichi spotted her head just over the top of her book. Hey, there you are! she said cheerfully as she walked towards Soi Fong’s desk, her graceful movements catching the attention of every male in the class (and even a few of the girls). When she heard the footsteps stop just to her right, Soi tentatively looked up, wondering what could have possessed the upperclassman to come looking for her in her own classroom.

W . . . what is it? She said as evenly as she could, which was a feat considering that she was burning red from embarrassment. To put the great big cherry on the top of this humiliation sundae, Yoruichi held up a small bento wrapped in a striped black-and-yellow napkin, which the girl suddenly recognized as the lunch box Ichimaru had filched from her earlier that day.

D . . . Did she . . . ?

I saw you drop this. It’s yours, right? Soi Fong was about to ask what she was talking about when she caught the slight wink in Yoruichi’s eye that told her to play along.

Umm . . . Yes . . .

Well, here ya are. Just be more careful next time, all right? Yoruichi handed the bento to Soi with a grin, then turned and left without another word. The dark-eyed girl barely had time to register what had happened when the room exploded into a loud clash of questions and exlamations, all of them aimed at her.

What the—?

That quiet kid—how did she . . . ?

Hey, how do YOU know Yoruichi-sama!

I . . . I’m sorry, I don’t . . . Soi’s eyes darted back and forth between the teens who were ganging up around her, eager for information that an introverted girl like her wasn’t collected enough to answer.

. . . Wait . . . did you just call her ‘Yoruichi-sama?’ the Chinese girl asked uncertainly, wondering if it was some kind of joke. She cringed as the onslaught of voices began anew.

Of course! Everyone calls her that!

You mean you didn’t know?

Yoruichi-sama is only the most popular student in this whole place!

And rich too, from what I hear . . .

Soi didn’t want to admit that she was glad to finally know something about Yoruichi, so she simply sighed and put her book aside, knowing that there would be no way for her to finish it today.

And it was getting good, too . . .

_______________

. . . Ya tryin’ ta make me look lik’ an idiot, is that it?

Ichimaru was leaning imposingly on the lockers, blocking Soi Fong’s path out of the school. With classes over for the day, there were people swarming around them but all of whom were too caught up in what they were going to do later that they took no notice of the bully and his quarry. He wasn’t even bothering to put up his trademark sneer now, he looked genuinely irritated and it showed on his face. I don’t lik’ havin’ ta beat people up, but ya know that I won’t take bein’ treated disrespectful by a freakin’ freshman. Soi felt the heat of his gaze but looked off to the side almost casually, which infuriated him further.

Hey, you— he grabbed her by the scruff of her collar and forced her to look him in the eye, . . . If ya think that I’m gonna put up wit’ this— he suddenly stopped, and after a few moments, let go of her. Soi furrowed her brow confusedly at his sudden change in behavior, unaware that Yoruichi was standing a few paces behind her, giving Gin a smile