#soifon

Steamy Seireitei Summer Event Day 4: "Help..I think the tide washed away my bikini top"/Beach Day

This is the only entry I'm doing for this event, not because it isn't interesting but because I've been needing to get back to my multi-chapter stories. I will still be writing out stuff for the BCN as I'm having a lot of fun with you guys!

As with my Bleach Week fics, this will be Soifon x Ming with a little guest appearance from another OC of mine, Sable. The fic is SFW but beware of Sable's vocabulary....

@sexintheseireitei

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Ming froze, her cheeks forming pink clouds on her skin as she struggled to respond. "I-I'm sorry, Captain?"

"I said...I think that tide took off my bikini top..." Soifon said through gritted teeth, her face as pink as Lieutenant Kusajishi's hair. She was kneeling halfway into the warm shallow water, trying to minimize her presence from the others both already in the water and on the beach close by. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest. "I...I can't feel my top..."

Now out of the initial shock but still soaking up her captain's embarrassment like a sponge, Ming took a few steps closer to Soifon and peeked over her back. There was no sign of the yellow string that held together the top of the captain's new bikini, just her toned back muscles. Ming felt some heat rise up in her nose at the full confirmation of her captain and girlfriend's wardrobe malfunction but shook her head clear of any pervy thoughts as soon as they arrived. Her blush remained deepened but she refused to be of anything but use to her captain in this situation. "I-I'd hate to say it, Captain Soifon. B-But you're right. Your top is gone. What would you like for me to do?"

"Well, what do you think!?" Soifon hissed in a low voice, squeezing herself even tighter. "Find it before someone else notices my situation."

F-Find it?" Ming looked around the blue water surrounding her and her captain. "I-I don't know if-"

"Ming!"

"R-Right away!" Ming took a deep breath and dove into the water. Once her co-lieutenant was out of sight, Soifon sighed and turned to the beach. 'Just my luck. I finally get to pick a bathing suit for myself and I end up losing half of it.' She noticed Yoruichi and Rangiku playing volleyball with Kisuke and Toshiro on the beach. She winced. 'If either Lady Yoruichi or that blabbermouth Rangiku find out about this, I'll never hear the end of it.' Soifon could just imagine their taunting faces as they snicker at her predicament. She could even imagine Rangiku making some comment about not needing a top because her breast were so small compared to everyone else's. Of course, Soifon wasn't one to suffer from A-cup angst. She considered her breast the perfect size for someone in her profession. Rather, it was more of the embarrassment of having been caught-off guard by a simple, mindless wave that made Soifon want to ensure as few people knew what had happened as possible.

That and, given that incident with that robot the 12th Division made, she would rather no one else see her breasts without her consent.

Ming popped out of the water after a few minutes, gasping for air. She emerged far enough away that Soifon could tell she had searched a wide area of the water around them. "Did you find it?" Soifon asked as she frantically moved toward her co-lieutenant.

Ming shook her head as she sputtered. "S-Sorry Captain but I couldn't find it anywhere. I...I'd hate to say this but I think it's already been washed out to sea by now."

"Damnit!" Soifon cursed. "Alright, don't panic. I refuse to succumb to panic! Just gotta think! There must be a way out of this without arousing suspicion."

"Um...i-if I may, Captain," Ming spoke up. "I could fetch your towel for you. With Madam Yoruichi distracted with her volleyball game, I could grab it and come back here without drawing a single eye! Then, once we're back at shore, we can sneak toward that beachwear shop near the parking lot and buy a identical bikini to replace the one you've lost. No one will ever know!"

"Ming..." Soifon smiled. "You genius! That's perfect!"

Ming beamed at the compliment. It was very rare that Soifon gave her such praise.

"Alright, but you gotta make it fast," Soifon continued. "Hurry and get my towel before-"

"Hey, what are you guys doing all the way over there!?" Both Soifon and Ming froze at the voice of a certain blonde-hair trouble maker. They turned to see Sable approaching them, beach ball in hand and waving at them. "Me and the guys from Squad 11 are getting ready to play some intense beach dodgeball. Wanna join in?"

Soifon scoffed. "Why would I waste my time with such childish games?"

"Plus, I don't think you can really play dodgeball with a beach ball." Ming brought up.

Sable glared at her superior officer with a predatory grin which only grew as Ming began to quiver. "Wanna bet?" Without any other warning, she launched the beach ball at Ming's face with enough force to send her spinning. She vanished back into the water with a great splash, the beach ball falling upon the water the second it stilled.

"Ming!?" Soifon cried out.

With her captain's back turned to her, Sable was finally able to see the lack of a yellow string. "Hey Captain, what's up with your top? Is it broken or something?"

Soifon stiffened and buried herself deeper into the water so that only her shoulders were showing. "I-It's none of your concern! Leave me and Lieutenant Ming at once!"

"Whoa, what's with the sudden shy act?" Sable asked with a snicker. "Wait, don't tell me..." She crept closer, noticing how her captain was hugging herself. "No way, Captain! Are you butt naked under that water!?"

"Of course not!" Soifon snapped as she turned around, her face as red as a strawberry. "Don't be stupid!"

Sable burst into laughter. "No way! You totally lost your swimsuit to that wave didn't you!?" She wiped a tear from her eye. "Considering how skimpy it was, I can't say I'm surprised."

"That bikini was not skimpy!" Soifon hissed. At that moment, Ming reemerged with a gasp.

"Hey Ming, enjoy the view down there?" Sable giggled. "Give the captain's ass another kiss while you were at it!?"

"Tanaka...I mean it," Soifon hissed. "Cease your vulgarity right this moment!"

"Yeah and get your mind out of the gutter!" Ming protested. "The captain isn't naked! She just lost her top!"

"Ming!"

"Eeep! Sorry!"

"Ahh, that's all!?" Sable allowed her chuckles to die down. "Well, why the hell are you two acting so weird about it then? It isn't a big deal!"

"Not a big deal!?" Ming asked, flabbergasted.

"Of course not!" Sable answered "I mean, have you seen the captain's bust? Her chest is so small she could probably pass herself off as a guy with a speedo and no one will be the wiser!"

Both Soifon and Ming were frozen in the water now, their eyes wide and mouths agape as Sable's idiotic and perverse words seemed to echo in their heads..

...

"There, Captain! Better?" Ming asked as she finished wrapping the towel around Soifon.

"Almost," Soifon admitted as she squeezed the edges of the grey towel closed over herself. "We still need to replace this swimsuit before someone notices and I think Lady Yoruichi's game is ending soon." Both women took a moment to watch the nearby game, just in time to see Yoruichi launch the ball from the air with her signature Cat Swipe Strike. Rangiku slid through the sand in a failed attempt to hit the ball and Toshiro's face got covered in grains and shells as a result. Soifon and Ming shared a small laugh at the 10th Division's captain's expense. "Alright, let's hurry."

Bleach Week Day 7: Hell

I was sticking with the non-Bleach prompts for this challenge but couldn't come up with anything for Fire, at least, nothing as good as this.

Never thought I'd complete a whole fic challenge in the same year I did Febuwhump. I'm really proud of myself as a writer right now! Anyway, please enjoy my final entry for this week and enjoy the final return of Bleach today!

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Ming felt as if all color had drained from her world in an instant. Her captain, her lover, stood right before her, eyes just as stern as ever, arms crossed in that same domineering way Ming had grown so used to, yet, she could hardly see her anymore. All she could see was grey, grey and just the smallest hint of burning red. Of course, she wasn't blind, she could still recognize her captain's form before her, but her mind had been torn apart by the knowledge she had just imparted on her, the full weight of their reality crushing her like giant boulders.

"That...that can't be right...This...This has to be some sort of mistake! M-Maybe the Head Captain misspoke-"

"No, he didn't," Soifon broke in, her voice as strict and unsympathetic as it was when Ming first joined the Onmitsukido. "I could tell from the look on his face, he meant every word he said."

Ming felt a cold shudder rock her body. Her mouth hung open, her pupils shrinking as the knowledge poisoned her again and again like a striking snake. "No...that...that...can't be right...how...how can this be..." She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth and, in an extremely rare occurrence for her, screamed at her captain. "How could you be bound for Hell!?"

Soifon's expression remained stony. "It's not as if I've committed some terrible sin," She explained. "It's simply that the density of my Reiatsu is too dense for me to simply reincarnate back to the Human World when I die. It's a matter of keeping the realms in order, it's no one's fault-"

"How does that make it any better!?" Ming screamed, tears flowing from her eyes. "You and all the other captains of the Gotei...you've...you've all done so much for Soul Society...saved us all so many times...and this...this is what you get!?"

"Ming, calm down at once!" Soifon commanded. "There's really nothing to get upset over!"

"How could you say that!?" Ming screeched. "How can you honestly say that to me with such a straight face!?"

"Don't take that tone with me!" Soifon snapped back, her faux composure finally giving way to the raw emption burning inside. "I'm your Captain regardless of this outcome and you will not disrespect me as long as I hold this title!"

To Soifon's utter shock, Ming uttered a small humorless laugh in response. "As long as you hold the title, huh? As long as you're here...with me...a-and tell me, Captain! What am I supposed call you when you've been cast into Hell?"

"Ming,"

"Will they give you a shiny, new epithet like they did for Captain Ukitake?" Ming asked. "Would you like me to refer you as that, Oh Great Hornet of the Seireitei, or Shadow Sword or-"

Soifon flash-stepped to Ming and slapped her across the face. The sound of her hand slamming against her co-lieutenant's cheek echoed throughout the room and as she moved her hand, she saw a red mark form over her skin. A few seconds passed before Ming turned to face her captain again, her eyes still teary but also cold and distant. Soifon found herself backing away from the gaze before she could realize it. There was a time when a slap from her would have sent Ming flying across the room but now, it seemed the girl was hardly phased.

As if she read her mind, Ming caressed her stinging cheek, her gaze still locked to her captain's. "It looks like I've gotten stronger too." She muttered. "Maybe...maybe I'll be bound for Hell next..."

"Ming, don't say such things."

"Why? because that honor should only go to you, the self-sacrificial captain of the Second Division so swallowed up in her role to Soul Society that she can't even consider how her loved ones would feel!?"

"Ming, d-don't say that! Of course, I consider your feelings!" Soifon defended. "I told you about this instead of keeping it to myself, didn't I?"

"Only because I pressed you!" Ming shouted. "I knew something was wrong from the moment you came back from Captain Ukitake's Konso Reisai! I could feel it in my gut! But I never imagined...never thought it could be so...terrible..."

Soifon opened her mouth but no words came out.

"That's always been your problem, you know?" Ming sniffled. "You've thrown yourself so far into your role as Captain that you've lost the sense of your own life's value! You don't care if you die. You don't care if you fall into Hell and don't stop to consider that there's...people in your life that do!"

"Ming...it...it isn't like that at all."

"Then why aren't you more upset!?" Ming screamed. "You've just been told that you're doomed to go to Hell no matter what and all you can do is stand there with that same fucking scowl on your face you always have!"

Soifon had to fight to keep herself from gasping. Hearing the word "fucking" out of Ming's mouth nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Are you trying to stay professional?" Ming asked. "Or are you just trying to put on a brave face so you don't have to admit to yourself that you're scared!?"

"That's enough!" Soifon roared. "I've had it with these baseless accusations and I refuse to take them from any subordinate, even you!" She turned her back on her co-lieutenant. "Leave me at once!"

"Fine!" Ming said as she wiped the tears from her face, her cheek still red from the slap. "But know this, Captain. Even if you've fooled everyone else, you haven't fooled me." And with this, Ming vanished from the room.

Soifon waited patiently until she could no longer feel her lover's Reiatsu, until she was sure she was truly gone. As she did, her jaw clenched, her fingers dug into her arms and a low growl was born in her throat and grew. It grew and grew until it escaped as a howl of fury. "Fuck!" Soifon grabbed the nearest table and tossed it across the room, smashing it against the wall. She tore the decorative yari from the wall and stabbed in every direction she could, stabbing the walls, the floor and even the ceiling. Then, with a final howl of anguish, she broke it over her knee and tossed the pieces away. "Fuck!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, releasing the last of her rage in her voice.

Then she stood and panted, her throat on fire from all the screaming, her heart in overdrive. With all the pent-up rage finally spent, there was a small, cool moment of reprieve, followed by a sinking feeling in her gut as Ming's words took their turn to bounce through her mind and with them, the full weight of the Head Captain's words, what they really meant, what they really entailed.

To go to Hell, to face an uncertain doom, and to possibly never see her lover again.

Bleach Week Day 6: Dangai/Fate

This entry and the last one are both on the angsty side so watch out. Also, I've been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately and some of that might have bled into this story...

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'What is fate?'

"Come on Ming! Hurry up! We have to keep moving!"

"Right!"

'Is it just the name we give to the future or is it a force that guides us through our present lives toward our destiny, like a tiny piece in some grand cosmic puzzle that will never be finished?'

The women's frantic footsteps echoed through the Dangai, overshadowing their raspy breaths. Behind them, trails of red formed from the many wounds adorning both of their bodies. It was a miracle in of itself that they were able to escape with their lives with how vicious the ambush was but that thought would have to occur to them later in the safety of the Human World. For right now, they were being pursued by a different enemy, not one of malice but of cold reason. The Kototsu was lapping at their heels, barreling through the inky dripping walls of the Dangai like a hungry weasel chasing two mice through a narrow tunnel.

'Is there a point to how fate runs our lives, some significance to the roles we are forced to play or is it all just a giant meaningless farce, like a mindless child throwing his toys about until they break or get lost?'

Ming wheezed as the wound on her side cried out. She could feel blood well up in her mouth. She could feel the cruel glow of the Kototsu's eye on her and knew it would catch up to her at any moment. It was no use. Her wounds were slowing her down too much and she had spent too much energy just surviving that vicious battle to reach the Dangai in the first place. Before her, she noticed her beloved captain, the heart of her world, struggling to run as well. She was faring better than Ming but she could tell from the sharp breaths she was taking and the slight curve in her momentum that she was near her limit as well. But she was ahead of Ming, closer to the exit, closer to safety.

She still had a chance.

'Is fate on our side, protecting us in these dire times in ways we can never fantom or has it been attempting to destroy us this entire time, through Aizen, through Yhwach and now through those...things!?'

Soifon shook her head, not wanting to allow the hideous and powerful horrors that chased her and her beloved into this death trap in the first place to occupy her mind. Bad enough that they already occupied the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. She knew the Human World was next and it stood the least chance of all of fending on the invasion. But he was there, the man who had defeated Aizen and Yhwach, the man who had shattered fate both times before. It all rested on him now and if Soifon and Ming could just reach the Human World and find him...

That's when she felt the push.

At first, she thought she had simply tripped on her own blood but as she looked behind her, she saw Ming with her arms outstretched, bathed in the light of the Kotetsu's eye, mere moments away from being torn out of the very current of time forever. Her face was smiling, even as tears welled from her eyes like waterfalls.

"Ming!"

'And if fate is truly against us, if it truly seeks to destroy us, can we stop it? Can we as individuals actually go against the current of fate itself, fight back its hand and shout "No, I will not be your puppet!?" Could such words ever be a true declaration of war or just wasted breath?'

"Go Captain! Find Ichigo! Find Urahara!" Ming cried out with a whimper. "I...I love you!"

"Ming! No!" Soifon screamed, the tears she had kept locked within herself finally escaping. She had already lost so much in these last hellish days since the invasion began. Another Head Captain taken down. Her home destroyed. Her Division erased. Even Omaeda was gone by now, having sacrificed his life so she and Ming could escape. Throughout all the terror, all the tragedy, she had managed to keep Ming only to lose her to that damned monster that ran through this domain like a mindless beast.

As she did so long ago when Yoruichi had vanished from her life, Soifon swallowed her grief and ignited it with the flames of her rage. "No!" She got up and leapt toward the Kototsu. "Bankai!"

'Maybe it is a fool's dream to defeat fate. That's what the elders would tell you and long ago, there was a time where I would have never questioned what the elders said. But that was before a certain fool came to our Soul Society and spit in the face of our rules, before he revealed the snake hiding in our midst and made us realize, little by little, that the only true path was forward. No matter how grave or dire the times grow, even if everything seems lost, you must never stop moving forward. You must bite your tongue, raise your blade and resolve to win the battle, no matter how hopeless. To fight even when there is no sign of victory, that is the only way one could ever hope to beat fate!'

In a small glow of light, Soifon's arm became engulfed in the giant golden missile that was her Bankai. While still in midair, she aimed it directly at the Kototsu's eye.

"C-Captain, don't!" Ming screamed. "You can't harm the Kototsu! It's impossible! Save yourself!"

But Soifon couldn't hear Ming's words, or rather refused to hear them. She refused to entertain the idea of losing the one she loved, to the Kototsu, to the invaders, to that damned Fate. With all of her resolve poured into the missle, she launched it directly into the approaching behemoth's eye. The explosion went off, knocking Soifon back.

Ming shielded herself from the explosion with a whimper. A gust of air tore at her clothes and wounds and when it was over, Ming refused to lower her hands, not wanting to face the Kototsu as it consumed her or her lover. She waited, waited for the moment her body made contact with the behemoth and she was torn from reality. But nothing happened, nothing save for a shudder throughout the Dangai as something came to a screeching halt behind her. Slowly, Ming lowered her arms and turned her head.

The Kototsu still stood but it was missing a huge chuck of itself. Where its eye once rested, now was a gory, smoking crater several times wider.

"You...You stopped it..." Ming whispered in disbelief. "You actually stopped the Kototsu, Captain?"

Ming felt a hand tighten around her wrist and was pulled to her feet by Soifon. "Come on, before it recovers!"

Ming gasped then, finally fully processing what had happened. she nodded and followed her captain toward the dim but visible light ahead of them.

Bleach Week Day 5: Flower This one had a fifty/fifty chance of either being a fluff piece or body horror. Somehow, fluff won. ⪻────𖤓────⪼

Ming's face dripped with sweat as her eyes darted from left to right, painfully analyzing every choice before her. It had been a long time since she had been on a mission so utterly stressful that it caused her heart to pound, her palms to sweat, herself to second-guess all of the training she had gone through the last few decades. She could feel the walls of time closing in around her with every second she wasted standing here. If she didn't make a move soon, disaster and possibly even tragedy would befall-

"Will you just hurry up and pick a bouquet already!?" The old woman at the counter shouted. Ming nearly jumped out of her skin and sharply turned to the woman, her hands held up in surprise, her mouth attempting to form words.

"S-S-Sorry, Ma'am! P-P-Please give me one more minute!" Ming pleaded. Her face started to heat up as she became aware of the other patrons in the flower shop staring at her with bewildered or judgmental gazes. She laughed uncomfortably, scratching the back of her head, and turned back to the bouquet selection. Taking a page from the mental handbook of her captain's advice, Ming drew in a long breath, held it and exhaled in a single huff, forcing her body to calm down a little. Although her mind was still racing, she could focus a little more on the flowers.

'I have to pick the perfect bouquet for Captain Soifon,' She reminded herself. 'It's our one-year anniversary as a couple after all and how could I call myself a decent girlfriend if I can't even get the right flowers?' Ming moped. 'Only...what are the right flowers for Captain Soifon? Does she even like flowers? It's not like she's an ordinary woman. Maybe she wouldn't even...' Ming shook her head. 'No, even if Captain Soifon isn't the romantic type, she still deserves flowers! Even if it's for the sake of the event anyway! Besides, she kept that house plant Madam Yoruichi sent her alive for months until Omaeda accidently overwatered it.' Ming cringed as she remembered the fallout of that little blunder. Even now, as she stood in the best flower shop in the district, Omaeda was laying in agony in the Fourth Division barracks, hanging on by a thread. 'I have to get the perfect flowers for Captain Soifon...but which ones are perfect?'

Ming studied the array of flowers hard, taking in not only the various hues of blue, red, yellow, purple, orange and green but the sweet aromas coming from each flower. She could feel the walls of time closing in again and was just about gulp and ask the impatient lady at the counter what she would suggest when she spotted them near the right corner of the shelf.

An array of dark-violet pasque flowers.

'Of course!' Ming beamed. 'Why didn't I think of it before!? With how loyal Captain Soifon is to her work, what else but our division's insignia would suffice!? It's perfect!' With a pip in her step, Ming grabbed the bouquet of pasques and marched to the counter. The woman glared at her but said nothing as she placed the flowers on the counter. "I'd like this one please!"

The woman's eyes narrowed as she stared down at the flowers. "Just a second, gotta fix the arrangement." She grabbed the bouquet and headed to the back, leaving a humming Ming to wait patiently on the other side of the counter. She even started tapping the counter right as she heard a familiar voice speak to her.

"Lieutenant Ming?"

Ming turned at once to find a fellow co-lieutenant staring back at her. "Lieutenant Nanao!? Is that really you?"

Nanao chuckled as she approached the blue-haired girl. "My, it's been far too long since we've last seen each other. Things have been so busy lately."

"You said it," Ming giggled. "So what brings you to the flower shop?"

"Oh, I'm here to pick up an order of roses," Nanao explained with a little tiredness in her voice. "The Head Captain's planning to entertain some guests tonight and wants to make one of his famous grand entrances."

"Planning on burying him in the roses again?"

"Of course."

Both women giggled.

"So, what about you?" Nanao asked with a smile. "Something tells me you're not on an errand for Captain Soifon at the moment."

Ming shook her head. "I'm buying a bouquet to accompany the present I got her," She blushed. "I-It's actually our one-year anniversary as a couple."

Nanao gasped. "One year already? Gosh, to be honest, I'm still having a little trouble processing the fact that Captain Soifon of all people has a girlfriend now, especially one as kind as you."

"Please don't say such mean things!" Ming playfully defended. "Captain Soifon may be a little rough around the edges but she's got a good heart if you get to know her!"

"Oh, I only tease," Nanao explained. "I'm well aware of Captain Soifon's softer side. After all, if memory serves me correctly, the both of you were quite red in the face the entire meeting that announcement was made."

Ming's blush intensified as she recalled the day her captain made their relationship known to the SWA. They were the first people aside from Kisuke and Yoruichi to know and while Ming considered it a wonderful milestone in her relationship with Soifon, mere words could not describe the utter embarrassment the both of them suffered during the actual act of making the announcement. "Please don't bring that up."

Nanao giggled again as the shop owner returned. "Oh, Ms. Ise! Good to see you again! Are you here to pick up the roses?"

"Good afternoon Flora and indeed I am," Nanao replied.

The shop owner, Flora, nodded at Nanao before turning to Ming, her face once again twisting in annoyance as she held her bouquet up. "Here," She tossed it on the counter. "That will be 80 Kan!"

"Oh," Nanao spoke as she spotted Ming's flowers. "Are those for Captain Soifon?"

"Yep!" Ming beamed as she grabbed them and took a sniff. "Pasque flowers! Our Division's insignia! They're perfect for Captain Soifon!"

"I...suppose in a sense they are..." Nanao trailed away, averting her gaze as Ming looked at her, realizing at once that something was off.

"Huh? What's wrong, Lieutenant Ise? Don't you agree they're perfect."

"That's one way to look at it," Nanao answered. "Although, if I'm going to be totally honest, they feel too...easy..."

"Easy?" Ming asked.

"Well, you said it yourself. You picked these flowers because they represent your girlfriend's division which is a big part of her life," Nanao continued. "But it's not the only part. When you give gifts to a lover. they need to be given with every part of their being in mind, not just their likes and dislikes but what they mean to you. Giving her pasque flowers because she's the Captain of the Second Division, it comes off more as a Best Boss in the World mug than a anniversary gift."

Ming could feel the air around her shatter as Nanao's words sank in. "Oh...my Soul King! Y-You're right! What was I thinking!?" Tears flowed from her eyes. "I can't give Captain Soifon just some cheap old mug of a bouquet! What kind of girlfriend am I!?"

"Hey, hey! No need to panic now!" Nanao patted Ming on the shoulder to comfort her. "It'll be alright! You just need a flower that'll tell Captain Soifon how you really feel."

Ming looked to Nanao in confusion. "How I...really feel? But how could a mere flower convey that?"

Nanao chuckled. "Flowers have a language all their own, you know!" She turned Ming back toward the bouquet section. "Every flower that exist has something to say to the person you gift them to. For example, see those honey flowers?" She pointed to the golden flowers near the top of the shelf. "They represent love that is secret and sweet. And those milkvetch?" She pointed to the small purple flowers that had been right next to the pasque. "They say your presence soothes my agony."

"Wow!" Ming whispered in amazement. "I never realized flowers could have so many different meanings." She turned to Nanao. "But what...what kind of bouquet should I get then?"

"Well, depends on what you wish to say to Captain Soifon," Nanao answered. "What does she really mean to you?"

"What does Captain Soifon mean to me?" Ming recalled the night she had first seen the black-haired woman as she saved her, a lonely Rukongai orphan, from a Hollow. She remembered how she dedicated her life to the woman that saved it that night which ironically led to her joining the most deadly faction in the Soul Society, the Onmitsukido. "Captain Soifon...is the reason I'm still alive..." Ming pressed her hand against her heart. "She's the reason I have purpose, the reason I've become as strong as I am now and survived for as long as I have. She's my everything, my..." Ming trailed off with a blush, the word "Goddess" resting on the tip of her tongue.

Nanao seemed to get the message either way. "She's your Divinity."

Ming's blush deepened as she nodded.

"Well then," Nanao chuckled. "I think I know just the flower for that."

...

"Ming, where are you?" Soifon called out as she headed for her office. She had been unable to find her girlfriend since early this morning, when she gave her a plush bee as an anniversary gift. It was something she ordered ahead of time and gave to Ming with the strict instruction that she didn't need anything in return. It was a busy day after all, especially with that buffoon Omaeda still at the Fourth and Soifon had been hard at work to keep things under control. She was heading to her office for a small break, just a little breather, before she needed to break in the new recruits. She figured that Ming could possibly give her a back rub as well, if she was feeling up to it, but to her quiet disappointment, her girlfriend was nowhere to be found. "Dammit, I hope I didn't upset her with what I said earlier." Soifon mused as she opened the door to her office. "I was simply trying to...huh?"

Soifon noticed the array on her desk at once. A basket containing a small blue bear, a few of those Swedish candied fish Soifon liked. (only Ming and Yoruichi knew about that.) and a bouquet of American cowslips. "What the hell?" Soifon walked up to the basket, noticing the small card in the middle. "Who could have..." She got her answer as she read the gold Kanji on the card.

'You Are My Everything, my world, my Universe, my Goddess. I love you.'

Bleach Week Day 2: Rain

This one came out pretty short but also a little humorous.

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"Ready! Begin!" Soifon leapt up into the air and fell toward Ming with her foot extended, all of her strength pouring into the coming kick.

"Right!" Ming waited until the kick was only half a second away from landing and threw her forearm before her face. She winced at the resulting pushback but held her ground. She noticed her captain rearing up her second foot for a strike, the real test of strength. Quickly, Ming grabbed Soifon's blocked hand and kicked her own foot up to block the strike. Half a second later, Ming spread Soifon's legs with her own, creating the opening she had been seeking.

"Takigoi!" Ming shouted as she attempted to land a punch on Soifon's face. At that moment, however, a single drop of water landed in her eye, forcing her to blink. In that split second, her focus wavered and Soifon was able to move her head to the side so that the punch only grazed her cheek. As gravity reclaimed the women, Soifon shoved Ming away with both hands and backflipped so that she landed on her palms. She flipped back to her feet as Ming hit the ground ass-first and rolled for a few seconds before slamming her back against a rock. "Ow!" She whimpered as she rubbed her back.

"Ming! How many times have I told you that you need to focus on the enemy completely?" Soifon scolded. "Even a second's distraction could cost you your life!"

"I-I'm sorry, Captain!" Ming bowed in apology. "I was focusing, I swear b-but something fell into my eye right when I was going for a punch"

"Fell in your eye? What could have-" Soifon felt a cold drop splatter on her head as well as another on the bare skin of her shoulder. She and Ming looked up as the rain began to fall, the bright sun that had been shining when they first came to the forest to train now concealed entirely by the stone-grey clouds. "Rain? Where the hell did this rain come from?"

"I don't know but it's coming down really hard." Ming commented. "M-Maybe we should call it a day and find somewhere dry."

Soifon turned to Ming with a slight glare. "Ming, may I remind you of what Division of the Gotei 13 you serve."

"T-The 2nd Division, Ma'am!" Ming replied quickly and fretfully with a salute.

"And what is the primary mission of the 2nd Division?"

"Reconnaissance, apprehension and assassination!"

"And under what conditions are we to carry out our orders?"

"Any and all!" Ming replied.

"Then let's go!" Soifon jumped up and attempted to land a kick on Ming.

'How could I be so foolish!?' Ming thought as she blocked her captain's kick. 'Of course, a little rain wouldn't be enough to stop Captain Soifon! She's so much stronger than that.' She blocked the second blow. 'So much tougher!' She caught her captain in midair again and was rearing her fist for a strike. 'So much...'

Ming's thoughts trailed off as she met her captain's face. The way the wind tugged at her soaked hair, the quiet calm of her grey eyes as they trained on Ming, the droplets of rain cascading down her neck and shoulders. Once again, Ming found her focus wavering and her punch was blocked by one of Soifon's open hands. The Second Division captain pulled Ming toward her and knocked her back to the ground with a headbutt before falling back to the earth in a crouching position.

"Damnit Ming! What the hell did I just tell you?" Soifon shouted. "You keep getting so close only to lose your focus right before the final blow! What the hell could have possibly distracted you this time!?"

Bleach Week Day 1: Sake For Bleach Week 2026, I'll be posting one-shots concerning Soifon and my OC Ming. Ming's already appeared in a few of my stories but mostly as a side character. This will be her first time in the spot light.

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"Captain Soifon?" Ming called out as she rushed toward the sound of the crash. She had been searching for her captain all day, ever since she had received the distressing news. She had sought out and asked the other captains and lieutenants if they had seen her. She had sent other members of the Onmitsukido to the surrounding Rukongai districts. She herself even paid a visit to the loathsome Nest of Maggots, as much as she detested that place. But Ming knew better than anyone that her captain was a master of stealth and secrecy. If she didn't want to be found, no one short of Yoruichi could find her.

Which is why Ming's blood ran cold upon hearing that crash from the dark end of the corridor. Even before she neared the room waiting at the end of the hall, even in the darkness of night, she knew that she was heading toward Captain Soifon's office. She had seen that sliding door painted in the visage of a forest many times over and each time, she bowed respectfully as if in a sacred temple, patiently waiting for her private Goddess to acknowledge her presence and call her in. She could not afford to wait through such formalities this time, not when she could sense her captain's spiritual energy from the other side of the door.

Captain Soifon was a private person who took great care not to ever let her presence be sensed, even to her own men. For it to be leaking out like this, Ming knew something was wrong.

"Captain Soifon!" She shouted as she slid the door open with force. "Are you alright!?"

Ming gasped to see her beloved captain sprawled on the floor, face down. She was surrounded by papers and pens that had been pulled down from her desk. The mat they rested on hung on the side of the desk like a deerskin, threatening to fall over Soifon's head at any moment. "C-Captain!" Ming approached her at once. "W-What happened-" Ming kicked something in the dark as she entered the room. She heard something like rolling upon the floor and looked down to see a strange object making its way to her captain. It only stopped upon bumping her head, making her grunt and as it stopped, its glassy surface glimmered in the moonlight,

It was a sake bottle, virtually empty.

Ming gasped again, covering her mouth. "S-Sake!? B-But Captain Soifon never drinks sake! This is worse than I thought?"

"Huh?" At last, Soifon wearily lifted her head toward her visitor, her eyes little more than slits surrounded by circles of exhaustion. "M-Ming?"

"Captain!" Ming threw herself besides her captain at once, grabbing her shoulders. "Don't strain yourself."

Soifon bristled upon being touched and threw her arms about. "Let go of me! I-I don't need your help!"

Ming winced as the scent of alcohol wafered from her captain's breath. Now that she was closer, she could see the red branches in her eyes. It was clear that her captain, in a moment of confused and desperate thinking, had gotten herself drunk. It was the first time Ming had ever seen her drunk, maybe even the first time she had ever gotten drunk. But considering the news spreading around the Seireitei today, Ming couldn't be surprised. She tightened her grip on her captain, hugging her arms to her sides and tried to lift her up. "Captain Soifon please! You mustn't let anyone see you like this!"

"I said let go!" Soifon screamed as she thrashed about, kicking about in full force. One of these kicks landed in Ming's stomach, knocking the air from her but she refused to lose her footing. He noticed the desk, thought for a moment and in her own act of desperation, threw herself backward onto the desk. It broke apart as she landed, her head clacking against her captain's as they fell. The entire room trembled with the crash and as Ming regained her senses, her captain still tightly secure within her arms, she briefly worried that the noise would attract unwelcome attention.

"Why?" Soifon's weakened voice asked. Ming felt a bit of hot liquid seep into her black outfit and swept her gaze over her body. Her captain's face was buried into her bosom, huffing and sighing. As if sensing her 2nd lieutenant's gaze, Soifon picked her head up again, her tired, bloodshot eyes welling with tears. "Why didn't she even tell me?"

Ming could only frown as the full confirmation for the reason of her captain's inebriation entered her ears, although she already knew it to be the case.

What else but the announcement of Yoruichi Shihoin and Kisuke Urahara's wedding could drive Captain Soifon straight for the bottle?

"She...she chose him over me again..." Soifon sniffled. "She chose him all those years ago, she chose to stay with him even after her name was cleared and now...now..."

Ming lifted her hand, hesitated for a moment, then ran her fingers through her captain's hair. "I'm sorry, Captain Soifon." She continued to pat her captain as her gaze darted toward the open door. If anyone was awake or close enough to hear the crash, they would have arrived by now. For the moment, it seemed Soifon's reputation was safe and Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can't believe it...I just can't believe it..." Soifon sniffled. "S-She could have anyone she wanted. W-Why choose him?"

"Only Madam Yoruichi could know for sure," Ming said, her mouth puckering just a little at the utterance of that woman's name. The Goddess of her Goddess who to her was never more than a ordinary noble although she would never say that to her captain. And what she did say, she less uttered as much as she allowed it to leak out from her mind, a buried thought let loose from her lips. "Although if you ask me, Captain. She could have at the very least told you herself."

Ming panicked and covered her mouth, already feeling the room tremble as her captain snapped at her for disrespecting Yoruichi. Instead, Soifon seemed to not even hear her 2nd lieutenant as she simply uttered another sob and reached for the bottle. Her cries were cut short as she only claimed a single drop and she uttered a small, disappointed "oh." when she realized it was empty. She dropped it to the floor and watched as it rolled away. Ming grabbed her shoulders again and this time was not met with any resistance.

"Come on, Captain Soifon. Let's get you to bed." She suggested. "It's the best thing for you now."

Soifon didn't say anything nor did she try to resist as Ming led her down the hallway. Already, the blue-haired girl's mind was ablaze of how to handle tomorrow. She would have to find out just where the hell her captain got that sake from in the first place and then there was the matter of replacing her desk. She could already hear Lieutenant Omadea yelling at her for that one. Then of course, there was the disturbing but also comforting idea of helping the captain nurse the inevitable hangover.

That's when Ming felt a small weight on her shoulder. She stopped and tracked the sensation to see Soifon's head resting against hers, a red line on her face and the small progenitors of a snore leaving her mouth. Ming's own face flushed beet red at once. "C-Captain!?" She shook a little to wake Soifon up but it was no use. Her personal Goddess was out cold and her weight seemed to double as a result. Ming struggled for a moment, then with a quick sweep, threw her captain over her back, bringing back a sense of balance.