Soifon returned to the Seireitei and alighted on the roof of the First Division headquarters.
She looked down at the upturned faces of her subordinates and familiar figures below, then drew a line through the air — [Tenteikūra] — broadcasting her voice across all of Soul Society:
"Yhwach, who sought to assassinate His Majesty the Soul King, has been slain. The upheaval you just felt was the effect of His Majesty's power striking down the traitor."
"The war is over."
For a mont, the soldiers below simply stared, as if they couldn't quite absorb what they'd heard.
Then, one by one, expressions of disbelief broke across their faces — and an instant later, a thunderous roar of cheering erupted from below.
"It's finally over…?!"
This generation of the Gotei 13 hadn't seen much real war. Even a handful of skirmishes had left them bone-weary and hollowed out.
Soifon stood silently on the rooftop, gazing down at the celebrating figures.
In the next instant, she vanished.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto stared at the spot where Soifon had just stood, lost in thought.
"Captain-Commander, sir?"
Chōjirō Sasakibe stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.
After a thousand years as Vice-Captain, Sasakibe could read the worry on the Captain-Commander's face at a single glance.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto slowly shook his head. "Just as Captain Soifon said… the war is over, Sasakibe."
Not far away, Yoruichi Shihōin — leaning against a wall — had taken in the entire scene. Her fingertips tapped lightly against her own arm twice, and then she too Shunpoed away in the direction Soifon had gone.
At the entrance to the Great Log Gallery — before the deep, shadowed corridor.
Soifon's foot had barely touched the ground when a figure appeared in front of her, blocking the way.
Yoruichi Shihōin stood with her arms folded, leaning against the stone pillar at the gallery entrance.
"Miss Yoruichi."
Soifon stopped and looked at her forr ntor's sudden appearance without the slightest surprise on her face — as though she had already known she would be waiting here.
"Shh."
Yoruichi raised a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture.
Then she grabbed Soifon's wrist with one hand, reached into her robes with the other, and produced an old, worn key, which she slotted into the lock at the gallery entrance.
Click.
The heavy doors swung slowly open.
Despite its na, the Great Log Gallery contained not a single book. Shinigami who entered could only retrieve recorded history and intelligence by entering queries into the central operation terminal.
Yoruichi released Soifon's wrist, turned around, and looked at her face-to-face:
"You're still such a terrible liar, Soifon."
"And you're already the most powerful being across all Three Worlds…"
She extended one finger and flicked Soifon squarely on the forehead — not hard, not soft, just right.
But the expected yelp or flinch from Soifon never ca. Instead, it was Yoruichi herself who sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth, snatching her hand back with a wince and staring at her own fingertip.
Soifon's spirit body had long since reached a hardness far beyond anything ordinary — even that casual flick had bounced back hard enough to sting.
"Miss Yoruichi, you really haven't changed at all. Still as reckless as ever."
With a helpless sigh, Soifon reached out and gently took hold of Yoruichi's injured hand. She raised the slightly reddened fingertip to her lips and blew on it softly.
"Ha — don't try to change the subject on , Fon Shaolin." Yoruichi, cheeks going slightly pink, pulled her finger back. "The war hasn't ended at all, has it?"
Ⅱ.
Soifon said nothing.
She stepped around Yoruichi and moved to the operation terminal, where she entered [Ikomikidomoe] and began searching for everything on record about this ancient Hollow — the one that had once defeated Captain-Commander Yamamoto, ascended to the Royal Palace, and been sealed away by Ichibē Hyōsube of the Zero Division.
— It can absorb the spirit particles around it to strengthen itself.
Soifon's eyes swept rapidly down the data, committing it to mory in silence.
"Miss Yoruichi, I didn't lie. The war is over."
After a mont, Soifon looked up at Yoruichi beside her.
Yoruichi didn't take the bait. She simply stood before the operation terminal, shoulder to shoulder with Soifon, and read the file on [Ikomikidomoe] alongside her.
"I know this Hollow. Wasn't it sealed inside a Zanpakutō by the Zero Division?"
"Yes — but Yhwach released it."
"It escaped?!"
"No, it's dead. It should be in Hell right now."
"So… the enemy next is Hell?"
"Hell isn't the enemy. It's sothing that needs to be purified."
With that exchange concluded, Yoruichi understood that her own strength couldn't be of much help to Soifon in what was coming. So she grabbed Soifon's wrist again and hauled her back to the Shihōin estate.
The Shihōin Estate. Yoruichi's room.
"Is this really the ti for this, Miss Yoruichi?"
Watching Yoruichi in the most literal sense undress before her, Soifon blinked.
"You idiot, what on earth are you talking about!"
Yoruichi's hands paused on her bandages, then she turned and shot Soifon a sharp glare. "I may not be able to help you fight right now, but as the head of the Shihōin Clan — bearers of [Tenshiheisōban] — I do have a few treasures on my person…"
Quick and efficient, Yoruichi unwound the bandages wrapped around her waist, abdon, and hands, rolling them into a bundle and holding them out to Soifon.
Soifon took the bandages and lifted them to her nose for a brief sniff. They still carried Yoruichi's warmth and scent.
"Don't do weird things like that!"
Having learned her lesson, Yoruichi this ti coated her fist in Spiritual Pressure first, then used her height advantage to thump Soifon on the head.
"Hss—"
"Ow, ow, ow…"
Soifon didn't actually feel a thing, but she gave excellent emotional value — hissing and gasping repeatedly.
Rolling her eyes, Yoruichi began to explain the effect of these ancestral bandages: naless wrappings, a divine treasure of the Shihōin Clan. When wound around a Zanpakutō, they prevent it from being released.
"If my guess is right, there should be no shortage of forr captains down in Hell — this ought to co in handy."
Yoruichi moved behind Soifon and placed her hands on her shoulders, not letting go until Soifon had tucked the bandages safely into her robes.
"Hell isn't coming for us that quickly, Miss Yoruichi."
Feeling the hands gently kneading her shoulders, Soifon felt a rare thread of exhaustion creep through her. She let her tightly wound muscles go slack and settled cross-legged onto the tatami.
And then, little by little, lulled by Yoruichi's gentle touch, Soifon's head began to nod — and sleep, against all odds, crept over her.
Once Soifon's head was resting in her lap, Yoruichi's restless hand slowly began to drift — trailing down along Soifon's neck toward—
But then she caught sight of the soft, steady rise and fall of Soifon's sleeping breath, and that peaceful, unguarded expression — and Yoruichi's hand stopped. She drew it back, and instead brushed the loose strands of hair from the corner of Soifon's mouth, tucking them behind her ear.
Cradling Soifon in a princess carry, Yoruichi brought her to the bed and laid her down with gentle care.
"I didn't think you ever got tired, Fon Shaolin."
____
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