http://hornetsting.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
hornetsting.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tampered2007-02-04 10:59 pm
hornetsting.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-02-04 10:59 pm
Log; Completed
When; 2/4, night.
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Yoruichi [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
goddes_of_flash], Rukia [juicebox_woes], and Soifon [hornetsting]
Summary; Soifon and Yoruichi attempt the risky shunko training with Rukia, and things get bad.
Log;
Soifon was leaning against a large rock, finding tranquility in the training area Urahara had constructed. Her eyes closed, she had entered a near-meditative state as she prepared for the training that awaited her. She had tested it with Yoruichi earlier, and no matter how much of her reiatsu flared at once, nobody would be able to feel it from the outside. She didn’t want anybody to interfere, knowing that she would be attacked for using risky methods of training.
With a slight yawn and a supple stretch, Yoruichi dropped to the ground beside Soifon, landing in a crouch. Standing up straight, the dark-skinned woman scratched the back of her head before tugging slightly at the obi on her uniform. "Wow, forgot how breezy this thing is. Guess I was so used to it before that I never noticed much."
Soifon opened an eye to glance at the figure as she landed next to her. She blushed a bit at the revealing clothing, though she had seen her in much less. Standing up she stared up at the fake sky, an artificial breeze whipping her loose captain’s uniform around. “She should be here soon,” she said, voice serious. She already felt bad about what Rukia was going to experience, but at this point the girl had her mind set on it.
Yoruichi nodded, yellow eyes narrowed slightly into a frown. "This is a bad idea, Soifon." Leaning back against the rock, she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not giving her the training, but this idea of yours to speed up the process. It may well kill her." Before Soifon could say anything in protest, she raised one hand to stall her. "I know, Ichigo and Kisuke both used the same method to acheive bankai in three days. I told you that, remember? But...Rukia isn't Kisuke. And she's certainly not Ichigo. Not to say that she doesn't have significant power, but she's just not on their level. I honestly can't believe you even mentioned the idea."
The words pained her, though she already knew herself that it was a bad idea. “I can’t believe I did either. But her words seemed so desperate. I will not pretend to completely understand her, but I felt like it would have been wrong not to give her the option.” She bit her lower lip, the only visible sign indicating how nervous she felt. It’s too late to turn back now anyway, she added silently.
Nodding slightly, the taller shinigami sighed, scratching the back of her head. "No one really understands her. Well, not completely, at least." She grinned slightly and shrugged. "Well, except maybe for Ichigo. Or Renji, for that matter. But even then, she's such a strange one." Folding arms behind her head, she stared up at the artificial "sky" of the training area, lost in thought. "But...I can at least understand what she was feeling. I remember when I was training Ichigo to reach bankai. That mindless desperation and unwavering drive to succeed. If I hadn't already seen it before, I'd have known how he felt about her. But...what he doesn't see is the way she watches him from the sidelines. Watches him step in and rescue her, like always. But..not because she's asked him to. Because he HAS to. Because she can't rescue herself. It reminds me of when Kisuke and I were young. I was so determined not to be left behind, not to be the wilting flower who hid in the shade of the larger sapling. Rukia...feels the same way. She wants to prove, not just to him, but to herself, that she's strong."
She paused nibbling on her lip, biting down harder than she had meant to, Yoruichi’s words hitting close to home. She knew far too well about not wanting to get left behind. And about trying to prove herself, how she gave everything to become a captain. But she wouldn’t mention that. She bowed her head down, voice low, muttering, “I guess now we can only hope for the best.”
Nodding, she folded her arms and waited. It was ironic, in a way. With the exception of the long heavy ponytail, she was currently the spitting image of the woman Soifon had first met after her induction into the Corrections Corps. From the slippered feet to the jacket thrown over her uniform, to the simple black ribbon around her throat. With a sigh, she knawed on the edge of one fingernail as they waited. "Are you sure she's coming, Soi-chan?"
Almost as if in answer to Yoruichi's question, the tiny shinigami appeared in front of them, dust settling slightly from the shunpo as she bowed respectfully to them. "Soifon-taichou. Yoruichi-san."
Soifon looked the girl up and down, sizing her up, though she knew her petite figure was no indication of her strength. She stood silently, questioning her own decision for a moment, before asking Rukia, “Kuchiki-san, are you sure this is what you want?”
Staring at the small 2nd division captain, Rukia turned the question over in her mind, mulling over her answer. She hadn't been thinking when she'd initially agreed to this. No, it had been pride and determination and idiocy that had reigned at the time. But...did that make a difference? Her mind wound back to the conversation she'd had with Renji. She knew Ichigo likely wouldn't understand why, of all the people she could have chosen to tell the truth to, she'd picked the tattooed vice-captain over the man she'd follow into hell if asked to. But that didn't matter. Ichigo didn't know, didn't understand the history she had with the redhead. Didn't understand that out of all the people she'd ever known for all her years as a shinigami, Renji was the one who'd gotten the closest, the one who knew her the best. In a way, he even knew her better then Ichigo. For while Ichigo knew the Rukia that no one else saw, Renji knew the Rukia that once was. He was the one who had stood by her and worked with her. He was her family, her friend. She sighed slightly and shook her head. No, the time for musing over the differences between the men in her life was not now. His words, on the other hand...
Why are you doing this? Is it...for Ichigo? Or for you?
One sentance and he'd made her question her own reasons. And come to a revelation. At first, it may have been for Ichigo. To prove to him that she could fight just as well as he could, to make sure that she could keep him safe. But...the more she had thought about it, the more she had realized how wrong her initial thought had been. It wasn't for Ichigo that she was doing this. When she thought about her reasoning, it wasn't his face that she saw in her mind. Well, at least not just his face. It was Renji. It was Inoue. Ishida. Sado. Byakuya-niisan. Yoruichi. Ganju. Hanatarou. Ukitake-taichou. Everyone who had worked and strove so hard to rescue her. They had risked so much, paid such a heavy price. And all for her. And now...she wanted the chance to give that much of herself, to push herself that far. For them. Raising her head to look at Soifon, blue-violet eyes filled with resolve and determination as she nodded.
"Hai, Soifon-taichou. I am."
Soifon didn’t want to waste any time. Even with the training, she wasn’t sure if Rukia would have much control over the ability at all, or how long it would take. Or even if she would live through the ordeal. She nodded once and ordered, “release your reiatsu. I want to see your full strength.”
A curt nod and she closed her eyes momentarily, reaching inward and unlocking the mental restraints that she placed on her own power, letting it loose to it's normal state.
Soifon watched, the light from the reiatsu flickering in her eyes. She measured the reiatsu, estimating the amount of time she could sustain it. Too long, and she wouldn’t have the energy to recover. Too little, and they would make not progress. “Then we’ll begin. I want you to hold it all in again. Relax yourself completely.” She stood behind Rukia, hands placed lightly on her shoulders. Facing Yoruichi, she said, “make sure it doesn’t leak out anywhere else. And watch her body, if it looks like it’s too much for her, let me know so I can stop.”
Yoruichi nodded, shifting lightly on the balls of her feet. "Hai. I know what to do, Soi."
Nodding, Rukia took a deep breath, closing her eyes and concentrating. Energy surged, folded back in on itself, obediently retreating to the holding cell in her mind that she normally kept it confined to. But this time, she pushed further, compressing and covering it, taking even the amount that leaked unconsciously from her and adding it to the sum.
Soifon closed her eyes, focusing her own energy into her hands. They grew hot, and she slowly lifted them off of Rukia’s shoulders. Forcing a surge to come out, she felt all of Rukia’s defenses fall, the reiatsu underneath trying to jump out of her all at one. Pulling her hands back more, she allowed it to slowly leak out, at a regular rate at first, then letting it surge out, watching it flow into the air above her. A single drop of sweat formed on her brow as she controlled the energy, trying not to strain the girl too much.
She bit back a whimper at the feeling, like hot needles of pain lancing through her skin as her reiatsu forced it's way out. Gritting her teeth, she willed her body to still, to quell the trembling that was trying to arise. But..it was working, she could tell. Just had to keep at it..
Soifon relaxed a little. Everything seemed to be going well. She would stop her in a few minutes, so she’d slowly get used to the feeling without straining herself too much. She allowed a little more to leak out. At this rate, it would probably be a matter of weeks before Rukia could control it herself. Then she’d have to build her endurance, and soon after she would be able to keep up with Soifon on missions.
She was right, everything seemed to be going well. But then, a flicker, the barest flutter in the reiatsu the only warning they had before it surged with a snapping crackle, energy leaping around them. Rukia dropped to her knees with a strangled cry of pain as her own energy lashed at her, dangerously out of control.
Soifon cursed and dropped down after her, pushing her reiatsu out to stop Rukia’s. What had gone wrong? She yelled something to Yoruichi, but she didn’t know what; probably to help, to stop it, to do anything. This…this wasn’t what she expected. She pressed down against now bare shoulders, as if it would help.
With a nod, Yoruichi's hands flew, tracing patterns in the air as she began muttering the incantation for the kidou. Something, anything, a binding spell that could hold in the dangerously flaring reiatsu.
Rukia jerked, letting out a gasping whimper as her reiatsu only fought back harder. Now that it was out, loosed, it was like a wild beast out of it's cage, fighting and clawing for freedom against Soifon. Small hands braced themselves against the ground as she tried to gain enough control over her head to pull it back, make it stop, do ANYTHING to make the pain go away as the energy spiraled out of control.
Soifon could only think of one way to stop the excessive reiatsu from leaking out. If she couldn’t stop it now, it would probably be too late…if it wasn’t already. With a scream, she released her own reiatsu, pumping out as much as she could to try and contain Rukia’s.
At the same time Soifon's reiatsu collided with Rukia's, Yoruichi's dark-skinned palm impacted with the center of her forehead, flaring with energy as the kidou went to work, the sealing lines threading across the smaller girl's face. Hopefully it, combined with Soifon's energy, would be enough to stop the chain reaction.
Goddamit it, we should have planned this better.
Whether from the kidou, the clash of reiatsu, or her own body's energy running out, the effect was the same. Blue-violet eyes rolled back in her head and Rukia slumped against Yoruichi, angry reiatsu shattering and vanishing. Completely.
The quick instincts of the special forces captain kicked in. She may not have had medical training, but she knew how to care for her injured soldiers when things got bad. “Turn her over, prop up her head,” she ordered, tossing her zanpakuto to the ground next to her and untying her captain’s jacket.
Yoruichi was complying almost before Soifon said anything. With Rukia's slight form held against, her she'd already noticed one thing that Soifon may not have. The girl wasn't breathing. Rolling Rukia over onto her back, she cradled the girl's head for Soifon to slide the makeshift pillow underneath it, then laid a hand on the motionless chest.
"She's not breathing. No pulse either. Soi, you hold her head. I don't plan on letting her go so easily."
Soifon nodded and in a flash was behind Rukia, holding her head up, checking her vitals every few seconds. She wasn’t breathing, but she wasn’t gone yet. And she had seen miracles out on the battlefield before. She could only sit and hope this would be one of those times.
Charging energy into her hand, Yoruichi whispered a quick spell and slammed the palm into the center of Rukia's chest, sending the lightning spell surging through the younger girl in an effort to jump-start her heart. Once. Twice. Nothing. But on the third try, the arching spasm that the charge sent through Rukia's body was accompanied by a gasp of breath and a cough.
Soifon lightly held her hands over Rukia’s shoulders, ensuring that she didn’t try to jerk her body up. She watched the girl’s chest rise and fall violently, grateful that she was at least breathing at all. Exhaling, she realized that she had been holding her breath, the thought of killing an indirect subordinate, accident or not, coming to her as such a shock.
Yoruichi reached over and placed a hand on Soifon's shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's alright, Soi-chan. She's all right."
Soifon looked up at her mentor with now watery eyes, wanting to believe her. The girl was alive, but.. “No…no, it’s not alright. What have I done?”
Yoruichi shook her head. "It's not your fault. It was her decision, we both gave her the opportunity to stop. And I know her better then you do. If we hadn't been here, as determined as she was, she would have tried it on her own. And then where would we all be?" She pulled Soifon into a hug, stroking the smaller girl's hair. "Don't worry, Soi. This isn't going to fall on you. It's going to land on my shoulders. I've got nothing to lose, not like you do." Turning her attention back to Rukia, she smoothed sweat-damp black hair from the girl's pale face, checking her pulse. Nodding slightly at finding it strong and even, she smiled slightly. "She's fine, just out cold."
Bursting into tears, Soifon buried her face in Yoruichi’s shoulder, finding comfort in her embrace and her words. That she was willing to take the blame. That somehow she made everything seem okay. But still, she couldn’t help but think that what she had done was unforgivable. She had endangered Rukia’s life for training, and training she hadn’t even mentioned to the other captains. Nothing about her actions would be accepted by the council.
Gently setting Rukia's head back on the folded jacket, she pulled Soifon into her embrace and rocked her gently, murmering soothing words to the other girl. "Shhh...it's alright. Soifon, listen to me. Just because I've been in exile for so many years doesn't mean that I've forgotten how things worked in Seireitei. Every day, people train, they risk life and limb for a cause. And every day, they either fail or succeed. Think about it, Soi. Shiba Kaien died because Jyuushirou acquiesed to his desire to fight the Hollow that killed his wife on his own. Jyuushirou wasn't found at fault for that, it was Kaien's decision. And think of all those who helped Ichigo and the others when Rukia was almost executed. Even though they broke the rules, they weren't exiled, weren't found at fault. Not to mention, Rukia herself expressly made sure to get the approval of BOTH her immediate superiors. No one can blame you for helping to facilitate something that they approved of, and something that SHE chose to do. If anything, they'll blame me. The exile, who probably deceived and mislead you."
Soifon was grateful, so grateful, that Yoruichi was willing to take the fall for her. But she couldn’t let her do that. She would let the other captains judge her actions as they saw fit, and hope that Yoruichi was right. She forced her body to calm, to stop crying, so Yoruichi wouldn’t worry anymore. Exiled or not, she felt everything would be alright as long as she had her goddess.
Seeing her words seemed to have had an effect, Yoruichi smiled at Soifon, reaching up to wipe tears from dark eyes with her thumb. "There you go." Pulling away, she shifted and slipped her arms underneath Rukia's small form, scooping the unconscious girl up. "Come on, let's get her to bed. She'll need to sleep this off for a day or two."
Soifon nodded, gathering her jacket and zanpakuto before following behind, staring at the ground beneath Yoruichi’s feet. Maybe once Rukia was better, she would be too.
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Yoruichi [
goddes_of_flash], Rukia [juicebox_woes], and Soifon [hornetsting]Summary; Soifon and Yoruichi attempt the risky shunko training with Rukia, and things get bad.
Log;
Soifon was leaning against a large rock, finding tranquility in the training area Urahara had constructed. Her eyes closed, she had entered a near-meditative state as she prepared for the training that awaited her. She had tested it with Yoruichi earlier, and no matter how much of her reiatsu flared at once, nobody would be able to feel it from the outside. She didn’t want anybody to interfere, knowing that she would be attacked for using risky methods of training.
With a slight yawn and a supple stretch, Yoruichi dropped to the ground beside Soifon, landing in a crouch. Standing up straight, the dark-skinned woman scratched the back of her head before tugging slightly at the obi on her uniform. "Wow, forgot how breezy this thing is. Guess I was so used to it before that I never noticed much."
Soifon opened an eye to glance at the figure as she landed next to her. She blushed a bit at the revealing clothing, though she had seen her in much less. Standing up she stared up at the fake sky, an artificial breeze whipping her loose captain’s uniform around. “She should be here soon,” she said, voice serious. She already felt bad about what Rukia was going to experience, but at this point the girl had her mind set on it.
Yoruichi nodded, yellow eyes narrowed slightly into a frown. "This is a bad idea, Soifon." Leaning back against the rock, she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not giving her the training, but this idea of yours to speed up the process. It may well kill her." Before Soifon could say anything in protest, she raised one hand to stall her. "I know, Ichigo and Kisuke both used the same method to acheive bankai in three days. I told you that, remember? But...Rukia isn't Kisuke. And she's certainly not Ichigo. Not to say that she doesn't have significant power, but she's just not on their level. I honestly can't believe you even mentioned the idea."
The words pained her, though she already knew herself that it was a bad idea. “I can’t believe I did either. But her words seemed so desperate. I will not pretend to completely understand her, but I felt like it would have been wrong not to give her the option.” She bit her lower lip, the only visible sign indicating how nervous she felt. It’s too late to turn back now anyway, she added silently.
Nodding slightly, the taller shinigami sighed, scratching the back of her head. "No one really understands her. Well, not completely, at least." She grinned slightly and shrugged. "Well, except maybe for Ichigo. Or Renji, for that matter. But even then, she's such a strange one." Folding arms behind her head, she stared up at the artificial "sky" of the training area, lost in thought. "But...I can at least understand what she was feeling. I remember when I was training Ichigo to reach bankai. That mindless desperation and unwavering drive to succeed. If I hadn't already seen it before, I'd have known how he felt about her. But...what he doesn't see is the way she watches him from the sidelines. Watches him step in and rescue her, like always. But..not because she's asked him to. Because he HAS to. Because she can't rescue herself. It reminds me of when Kisuke and I were young. I was so determined not to be left behind, not to be the wilting flower who hid in the shade of the larger sapling. Rukia...feels the same way. She wants to prove, not just to him, but to herself, that she's strong."
She paused nibbling on her lip, biting down harder than she had meant to, Yoruichi’s words hitting close to home. She knew far too well about not wanting to get left behind. And about trying to prove herself, how she gave everything to become a captain. But she wouldn’t mention that. She bowed her head down, voice low, muttering, “I guess now we can only hope for the best.”
Nodding, she folded her arms and waited. It was ironic, in a way. With the exception of the long heavy ponytail, she was currently the spitting image of the woman Soifon had first met after her induction into the Corrections Corps. From the slippered feet to the jacket thrown over her uniform, to the simple black ribbon around her throat. With a sigh, she knawed on the edge of one fingernail as they waited. "Are you sure she's coming, Soi-chan?"
Almost as if in answer to Yoruichi's question, the tiny shinigami appeared in front of them, dust settling slightly from the shunpo as she bowed respectfully to them. "Soifon-taichou. Yoruichi-san."
Soifon looked the girl up and down, sizing her up, though she knew her petite figure was no indication of her strength. She stood silently, questioning her own decision for a moment, before asking Rukia, “Kuchiki-san, are you sure this is what you want?”
Staring at the small 2nd division captain, Rukia turned the question over in her mind, mulling over her answer. She hadn't been thinking when she'd initially agreed to this. No, it had been pride and determination and idiocy that had reigned at the time. But...did that make a difference? Her mind wound back to the conversation she'd had with Renji. She knew Ichigo likely wouldn't understand why, of all the people she could have chosen to tell the truth to, she'd picked the tattooed vice-captain over the man she'd follow into hell if asked to. But that didn't matter. Ichigo didn't know, didn't understand the history she had with the redhead. Didn't understand that out of all the people she'd ever known for all her years as a shinigami, Renji was the one who'd gotten the closest, the one who knew her the best. In a way, he even knew her better then Ichigo. For while Ichigo knew the Rukia that no one else saw, Renji knew the Rukia that once was. He was the one who had stood by her and worked with her. He was her family, her friend. She sighed slightly and shook her head. No, the time for musing over the differences between the men in her life was not now. His words, on the other hand...
Why are you doing this? Is it...for Ichigo? Or for you?
One sentance and he'd made her question her own reasons. And come to a revelation. At first, it may have been for Ichigo. To prove to him that she could fight just as well as he could, to make sure that she could keep him safe. But...the more she had thought about it, the more she had realized how wrong her initial thought had been. It wasn't for Ichigo that she was doing this. When she thought about her reasoning, it wasn't his face that she saw in her mind. Well, at least not just his face. It was Renji. It was Inoue. Ishida. Sado. Byakuya-niisan. Yoruichi. Ganju. Hanatarou. Ukitake-taichou. Everyone who had worked and strove so hard to rescue her. They had risked so much, paid such a heavy price. And all for her. And now...she wanted the chance to give that much of herself, to push herself that far. For them. Raising her head to look at Soifon, blue-violet eyes filled with resolve and determination as she nodded.
"Hai, Soifon-taichou. I am."
Soifon didn’t want to waste any time. Even with the training, she wasn’t sure if Rukia would have much control over the ability at all, or how long it would take. Or even if she would live through the ordeal. She nodded once and ordered, “release your reiatsu. I want to see your full strength.”
A curt nod and she closed her eyes momentarily, reaching inward and unlocking the mental restraints that she placed on her own power, letting it loose to it's normal state.
Soifon watched, the light from the reiatsu flickering in her eyes. She measured the reiatsu, estimating the amount of time she could sustain it. Too long, and she wouldn’t have the energy to recover. Too little, and they would make not progress. “Then we’ll begin. I want you to hold it all in again. Relax yourself completely.” She stood behind Rukia, hands placed lightly on her shoulders. Facing Yoruichi, she said, “make sure it doesn’t leak out anywhere else. And watch her body, if it looks like it’s too much for her, let me know so I can stop.”
Yoruichi nodded, shifting lightly on the balls of her feet. "Hai. I know what to do, Soi."
Nodding, Rukia took a deep breath, closing her eyes and concentrating. Energy surged, folded back in on itself, obediently retreating to the holding cell in her mind that she normally kept it confined to. But this time, she pushed further, compressing and covering it, taking even the amount that leaked unconsciously from her and adding it to the sum.
Soifon closed her eyes, focusing her own energy into her hands. They grew hot, and she slowly lifted them off of Rukia’s shoulders. Forcing a surge to come out, she felt all of Rukia’s defenses fall, the reiatsu underneath trying to jump out of her all at one. Pulling her hands back more, she allowed it to slowly leak out, at a regular rate at first, then letting it surge out, watching it flow into the air above her. A single drop of sweat formed on her brow as she controlled the energy, trying not to strain the girl too much.
She bit back a whimper at the feeling, like hot needles of pain lancing through her skin as her reiatsu forced it's way out. Gritting her teeth, she willed her body to still, to quell the trembling that was trying to arise. But..it was working, she could tell. Just had to keep at it..
Soifon relaxed a little. Everything seemed to be going well. She would stop her in a few minutes, so she’d slowly get used to the feeling without straining herself too much. She allowed a little more to leak out. At this rate, it would probably be a matter of weeks before Rukia could control it herself. Then she’d have to build her endurance, and soon after she would be able to keep up with Soifon on missions.
She was right, everything seemed to be going well. But then, a flicker, the barest flutter in the reiatsu the only warning they had before it surged with a snapping crackle, energy leaping around them. Rukia dropped to her knees with a strangled cry of pain as her own energy lashed at her, dangerously out of control.
Soifon cursed and dropped down after her, pushing her reiatsu out to stop Rukia’s. What had gone wrong? She yelled something to Yoruichi, but she didn’t know what; probably to help, to stop it, to do anything. This…this wasn’t what she expected. She pressed down against now bare shoulders, as if it would help.
With a nod, Yoruichi's hands flew, tracing patterns in the air as she began muttering the incantation for the kidou. Something, anything, a binding spell that could hold in the dangerously flaring reiatsu.
Rukia jerked, letting out a gasping whimper as her reiatsu only fought back harder. Now that it was out, loosed, it was like a wild beast out of it's cage, fighting and clawing for freedom against Soifon. Small hands braced themselves against the ground as she tried to gain enough control over her head to pull it back, make it stop, do ANYTHING to make the pain go away as the energy spiraled out of control.
Soifon could only think of one way to stop the excessive reiatsu from leaking out. If she couldn’t stop it now, it would probably be too late…if it wasn’t already. With a scream, she released her own reiatsu, pumping out as much as she could to try and contain Rukia’s.
At the same time Soifon's reiatsu collided with Rukia's, Yoruichi's dark-skinned palm impacted with the center of her forehead, flaring with energy as the kidou went to work, the sealing lines threading across the smaller girl's face. Hopefully it, combined with Soifon's energy, would be enough to stop the chain reaction.
Goddamit it, we should have planned this better.
Whether from the kidou, the clash of reiatsu, or her own body's energy running out, the effect was the same. Blue-violet eyes rolled back in her head and Rukia slumped against Yoruichi, angry reiatsu shattering and vanishing. Completely.
The quick instincts of the special forces captain kicked in. She may not have had medical training, but she knew how to care for her injured soldiers when things got bad. “Turn her over, prop up her head,” she ordered, tossing her zanpakuto to the ground next to her and untying her captain’s jacket.
Yoruichi was complying almost before Soifon said anything. With Rukia's slight form held against, her she'd already noticed one thing that Soifon may not have. The girl wasn't breathing. Rolling Rukia over onto her back, she cradled the girl's head for Soifon to slide the makeshift pillow underneath it, then laid a hand on the motionless chest.
"She's not breathing. No pulse either. Soi, you hold her head. I don't plan on letting her go so easily."
Soifon nodded and in a flash was behind Rukia, holding her head up, checking her vitals every few seconds. She wasn’t breathing, but she wasn’t gone yet. And she had seen miracles out on the battlefield before. She could only sit and hope this would be one of those times.
Charging energy into her hand, Yoruichi whispered a quick spell and slammed the palm into the center of Rukia's chest, sending the lightning spell surging through the younger girl in an effort to jump-start her heart. Once. Twice. Nothing. But on the third try, the arching spasm that the charge sent through Rukia's body was accompanied by a gasp of breath and a cough.
Soifon lightly held her hands over Rukia’s shoulders, ensuring that she didn’t try to jerk her body up. She watched the girl’s chest rise and fall violently, grateful that she was at least breathing at all. Exhaling, she realized that she had been holding her breath, the thought of killing an indirect subordinate, accident or not, coming to her as such a shock.
Yoruichi reached over and placed a hand on Soifon's shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's alright, Soi-chan. She's all right."
Soifon looked up at her mentor with now watery eyes, wanting to believe her. The girl was alive, but.. “No…no, it’s not alright. What have I done?”
Yoruichi shook her head. "It's not your fault. It was her decision, we both gave her the opportunity to stop. And I know her better then you do. If we hadn't been here, as determined as she was, she would have tried it on her own. And then where would we all be?" She pulled Soifon into a hug, stroking the smaller girl's hair. "Don't worry, Soi. This isn't going to fall on you. It's going to land on my shoulders. I've got nothing to lose, not like you do." Turning her attention back to Rukia, she smoothed sweat-damp black hair from the girl's pale face, checking her pulse. Nodding slightly at finding it strong and even, she smiled slightly. "She's fine, just out cold."
Bursting into tears, Soifon buried her face in Yoruichi’s shoulder, finding comfort in her embrace and her words. That she was willing to take the blame. That somehow she made everything seem okay. But still, she couldn’t help but think that what she had done was unforgivable. She had endangered Rukia’s life for training, and training she hadn’t even mentioned to the other captains. Nothing about her actions would be accepted by the council.
Gently setting Rukia's head back on the folded jacket, she pulled Soifon into her embrace and rocked her gently, murmering soothing words to the other girl. "Shhh...it's alright. Soifon, listen to me. Just because I've been in exile for so many years doesn't mean that I've forgotten how things worked in Seireitei. Every day, people train, they risk life and limb for a cause. And every day, they either fail or succeed. Think about it, Soi. Shiba Kaien died because Jyuushirou acquiesed to his desire to fight the Hollow that killed his wife on his own. Jyuushirou wasn't found at fault for that, it was Kaien's decision. And think of all those who helped Ichigo and the others when Rukia was almost executed. Even though they broke the rules, they weren't exiled, weren't found at fault. Not to mention, Rukia herself expressly made sure to get the approval of BOTH her immediate superiors. No one can blame you for helping to facilitate something that they approved of, and something that SHE chose to do. If anything, they'll blame me. The exile, who probably deceived and mislead you."
Soifon was grateful, so grateful, that Yoruichi was willing to take the fall for her. But she couldn’t let her do that. She would let the other captains judge her actions as they saw fit, and hope that Yoruichi was right. She forced her body to calm, to stop crying, so Yoruichi wouldn’t worry anymore. Exiled or not, she felt everything would be alright as long as she had her goddess.
Seeing her words seemed to have had an effect, Yoruichi smiled at Soifon, reaching up to wipe tears from dark eyes with her thumb. "There you go." Pulling away, she shifted and slipped her arms underneath Rukia's small form, scooping the unconscious girl up. "Come on, let's get her to bed. She'll need to sleep this off for a day or two."
Soifon nodded, gathering her jacket and zanpakuto before following behind, staring at the ground beneath Yoruichi’s feet. Maybe once Rukia was better, she would be too.