With Flying Colors With their current plan now in shambles, Soi was forced to train twice as hard as she had been intending to, even going so far as to practice Karate steps in her room late into the night. So it was unsurprising that she was fairly miserable for the remainder of the school week, as the lack of sleep was beginning to affect her. "...Soi? Soi! HELLO!" With a great effort, the freshman managed to pull herself back to the present on the urging of Yoruichi's voice, where she was apparently walking home with the older girl and Urahara, the latter of whom was twirling his hat lazily on his index finger. "Geez," the older girl muttered concernedly as she took in the disheveled appearance of her friend, "...How are you doing this and studying for mid-terms, too?" "I...I get by," Soi answered noncomittally as she failed to stifle a wide yawn. She didn't want to reveal how much of a toll all this was taking on her-- sure, the prospect of moving up a level in Karate and of the quickly approaching Summer break was effective motivation, but right now it seemed like there wasn't going to be any pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. "This isn't very healthy for you, Soi." "Oh, no," Kisuke interrupted casually, tired of playing with his headgear and finally placing it on his crown, "...Don't discourage her, Yoru-chan... I'm sure Byakuya-kun will be very impressed when she shows up to take the test and can't stand on her own two feet." In spite of herself, Yoruichi laughed along with Kisuke, while Soi quickly became indignant. "...Better to fail from over-working than to fail by laziness, Urahara-san," she muttered sarcastically, which silenced the upperclassman immediately and made Yoruichi laugh harder. "My, my, you become so charming when you're deprived of sleep," Urahara quipped right back, his good humor remaining strong. "Seriously," Yoruichi said to the other girl once she'd calmed down and had (quite literally) whacked some sense into Kisuke. "...You're not gonna last too long like this. You really should be resting." Soi nodded absentmindedly, as her mind had already left the conversation and was brooding over the massive workload the evening had in store for her. The freshman groaned in relief as she victoriously slammed the cover of An Introduction to Western Literature shut. It had been hours since she'd been home, and it felt like even longer since she'd eaten dinner, the only half-hour break in her pre-testing and homework marathon. Glancing at the alarm clock and seeing that it was nearly 10:00, Soi pulled herself away from her bedside desk and did a few stretches, preparing to go over her Karate steps again when there was a knock on her bedroom door. "...Dad? Are you still up?" Soi asked uncertainly as she twisted the handle, only to find Yoruichi standing there, looking slightly annoyed. "Y...Yoruichi-san! What are you doing here so late?" "Your dad let me in. Did I wake you up?" the older girl asked seriously. Sensing uncharacteristic frustration in her friend's voice, Soi answered slowly. "...No, I've been up all this ti--" "Damnit Soi, I TOLD you that you need to get some sleep, didn't I!" The freshman blinked in surprise at Yoruichi's exclamation, then turned indignant after a moment. "Well, I'm sorry if I had to finish my homework so I don't fail these classes!" "You're not going to fail from ignoring a few pages of bookreading! Your health's more important than that!" Yoruichi shot right back. Soi was about to argue the point further when she admitted to herself that Yoruichi was correct, as unthinkable as the idea of purposely skipping an assignment was. "...Look, Yoruichi-san, don't worry. I just need to go over my Karate steps again and then I'll go to bed." Yoruichi was about to refuse, to force Soi to lay down and make sure she got at least a few hours rest, to tell her that if she wasn't ready for the test by now then she may as well give up, but upon seeing the determined look on her friend's face, the older girl heaved a sigh. "...All right. But promise me that after this you're going to sleep." Soi nodded in agreement, despite the fact that she had been wanting to go through it at least three times before she went to bed. "I'm just going to go get some water from the kitchen. As for you..." The younger girl didn't have time to protest as Yoruichi pushed her back onto the bed. "Hey!" Soi exclaimed, her face burning as the strange thoughts she'd had yesterday about Yoruichi suddenly resurfaced. "What are you d--" "Just try to relax for a minute," the older girl said sternly as she opened Soi's bedroom door again. "...I'll be right back." When Yoruichi had gone, Soi plopped against the bed, breathing a sigh of relief (or disappointment, she wasn't sure which) as it suddenly occured to her how soft and cool the bed was. "Okay Soi, if you really wanna do thi--" Yoruichi began as she re-entered her friend's room, only to find the girl in question snoring quietly atop her worn comforter, drooling slightly onto the fabric as she slept. Yoruichi smiled as she shook her head, chuckling to herself about how stubborn the freshman was. She briefly considered waking Soi Fong up to do her routine quickly, but thought better of it when she saw how worn-out her friend looked. Idiot, Yoruichi thought exasperatedly as she continued to smile. I told you... Working slowly to avoid waking her friend up, Yoruichi pulled the covers back as much as Soi's obstructing body would allow, then gently scooped her friend up in her arms, surprised at how small and light she felt. "Mnn...whassat?" Soi mumbled incoherently as she struggled to throw off her fatigue, only barely aware of how close to Yoruichi she was right now. "...I...I gotta finish my stuff for tomorrow..." "Soi Fong," Yoruichi said with a sigh as she put the younger girl on the right side of the bed, placing her head gently on the pillow while shoving her under the covers. "...The only thing you need to worry about is sleep, okay?" "But...I...I've got my...test and..." In spite of her near-comatose state of being, Soi was putting up a valiant effort to remain conscious. The older girl, however, silenced her at once. "Shh... No more talking, okay?" "...'kay..." Soi managed as the softness of the pillow overwhelmed her, sending her into the depths of slumber within moments. She didn't make another sound as Yoruichi carefully pulled the sheets over her, the dark-skinned woman smiling at how easily her friend had acquiesced, content that she would at least be getting to sleep later than her father had been mentioning. Yoruichi stood over her for a moment, watching Soi sleep peacefully and feeling an odd sort of contentment from the sight. She had the strongest urge all of a sudden to plant a kiss right on Soi's forehead, but she dismissed it as maternal instinct before plopping into the Chinese girl's deskchair. Well, it's too late to call Kisuke, and if I started walking now I'd still be home around 11:30... She was still debating over whether she should just stay the night or not when her head slumped forwards and she collapsed onto the desk. Soi mumbled as the alarm clock woke her up, feeling incoherent and lazy until she looked at the numbers lit up in red and comprehension hit her. "Oh shit..." she mumbled as she ran to the closet, the slamming open of which made Yoruichi flinch in her sleep but not awaken. The sound of her friend nearby made Soi do a double-take, surprised not only by the fact that Yoruichi was still here but what she was doing sleeping in her uncomfortable wooden chair. "Yoruichi-san?...Yoruichi-san!" Upon placing a hand on the older girl's shoulder and shaking her vigorously, Yoruichi finally forced herself awake, muttering something about "five more minutes" as she did so. "Oh...Morning, Soi..." Yoruichi began lazily as she ironed out the crease in her shirt, but the younger girl was in no mood for a casual greeting. "Yoruichi, what are you doing! Why were you here all night--in fact, why were you here at all? I shouldn't have been sleeping; I needed to go over my Karate again, but now I'm gonna fail and--" "Whoa, whoa..." Yoruichi said firmly as she rubbed her forehead, trying to give herself time to think clearly. "...Just calm down for a minute, okay?" "But if I fail the test today, then I won't be able to take it for another week, and we're getting out of school in a w--" "Soi, just CALM DOWN!" Once the freshman had been frightened into silence, and Yoruichi had taken a chance to catch up with the situation, she held Soi by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "...Okay...now just take a deep breath. DO IT," she said firmly when her friend gave her a skeptical look, but then acquiesced. "Feel better?" "...A little," Soi admitted grudgingly as Yoruichi removed her hands from their place on the younger girl's arms, then stood up and walked to the door. "Now get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs, okay?" "...Fine..." the Chinese girl sighed as she walked back to her closet and pulled out a fresh uniform shirt. "Oh, and Soi?" "Hmm?" She grumbled, but stopped when she saw the reassuring look in Yoruichi's eye. "...Don't worry. You're going to do just fine." With that, Yoruichi closed the door, a few moments after which Soi Fong began to get dressed, feeling slightly less stressed than before. "Ahh, good morning, Soi," her father said warmly as the girl in question descended the stairs. "...I hope you didn't give your friend too much trouble." Soi blinked in surprise as she walked past Yoruichi bent over the counter and gave her father a light hug. "...What do you mean?" She didn't notice Yoruichi suddenly turn around and indicate that her father not answer the question, but unfortunately for the upperclassman he was busy attending to his coffee. "Well, yesterday before you got here, Yoruichi called and asked if you'd been up late this week. I wasn't going to say anything at first, but she said she was worried about y--" "Who wants breakfast!" Yoruichi interrupted forcefully, only just barely hiding her desire to change the subject of conversation. Soi picked up on her friend's evasiveness, but decided that it wasn't anything important and played along. Instead she leaned in towards her dad while the older girl put a few plates of something on the table. "...Hey dad..." "What is it, honey? You know you don't need to whisper in front of your friend..." the older man answered, casually taking a sip of his coffee in the process. "Yoruichi said you let her in last night. Don't you usually go to bed before 9:00?" Her father opened his mouth as if to speak, but seemed to think it better to say nothing instead, which only confirmed Soi's suspicions. "...Dad, don't tell me you're working late again..." "Soi Fong, it's only been for a few days," the Fong family patriarch said firmly, but still quietly enough that Yoruichi, with her back turned, didn't notice. "...Now I'm going to be all right, okay? I've just had to put in a lot of extra time on this case. Trust me," he added upon seeing the worried look on his daughter's face. Soi nodded quietly just as Yoruichi tried to get their attention. "Um, I don't wanna interrupt the family meeting," she quipped with a grin, "...But food's ready." Soi turned away from her father and sat down, only just noticing what was laying in huge stacks on a plate at the middle of the table. Toast. She turned to Yoruichi confusedly, then began to laugh once she caught the knowing look in the upperclassman's eye. "...What's so funny?" Soi's father asked with an arched eyebrow, not catching the private joke. "It's...nothing," the girl answered once she'd calmed down. All right. Just try to relax, Soi told herself as she sat on the Karate mat, waiting for her instructor to arrive. The zero hour was finally upon her, and the way Byakuya was making her wait was only making her more nervous. It was nearly five minutes after 4:30, but it felt like years to the freshman, who was certain she'd have a heart attack before the long-haired upperclassman got here. Okay, breathe in, breathe out... She tried to repeat the meditation exercise she'd learned over the course of the last few months, but after a few attempts that only brought her near hyperventilation, she abandoned the attempt. She doubted if her mind was in any state to meld with the cosmos anyway. "...Are you ready, Miss Fong?" Soi nearly jumped out of her gi at the sound of Byakuya's voice, only a few feet away from her and rapidly approaching. He had his hair down low over his eyes, ungelled, but the dark irises were as cold and stoic as ever. She'd heard that Byakuya had a habit of sneaking up on people, but it seemed like a mere exaggeration compared to this ability to almost appear out of nowhere. "Y-yes, Kuchiki-sensei," Soi bowed low, her sudden movement making the hoops on the ends of her braids clink against one another. Byakuya took no notice of this, however, and merely walked past to the other end of the plastic mat. "You are here to take the personal test for Yellow rank, correct?" Soi nodded her assent, and the upperclassman continued. "You will be allowed three mistakes. Any missteps, any hesitations you make will count as an error. Once you've accumulated three errors, the test will be considered a failure and you must wait at least a week to re-take this test. Is that clear?" Soi was certain her eyes would have popped out of her head if she didn't have better self-control. Three mistakes? No one mentioned that! She knew the routine, certainly, but not so well that she'd be able to do it flawlessly... she felt her heart pounding inside her chest, her brain telling her to get out, to run away. If she was just going to fail at this point, then what purpose would there be in re-taking the test? To her brain's amazement, Soi slowly nodded 'yes' instead. "Very well," Byakuya said with a nod of his own. "...Please go through the proper stances first." Oh, God. Stances...okay, let's see, Soi thought desperately, trying to hold onto the knowledge even as she was losing it. She knew these routines, so why couldn't she remember it?... "Miss Fong? I'm waiting." "J-Just a minute," Soi answered hastily, her feet spread apart as her mind was going blank. "Very well-- that's your first error." ...What! Soi wanted to yell at Byakuya, tell him that she was nervous and wasn't sure what to do, but restrained herself once she considered that it would only get worse for her if she was rude. Instead she felt her eyes wander the room, anxiety getting the better of her, looking desperately for some way, any way, to escape-- And then she saw her. Outside one of the low windows, warming up the room with the sun's gradually waning light, stood that unmistakable silouhette. For a minute Soi felt outraged, angry. She hated it when people she knew watched her do anything, it always ended up giving her a nervous breakdown. But somehow, her aggravation failed on her. She felt...calmer instead, more confident. A little bit more secure, like it was just them at practice. "Sorry," the freshman said as a slight smile found its way to her lips. "...I think I'm ready now." "Wait here," Byakuya said once he and Soi had bowed to each other, indicating the test was over. When the young man had traveled beyond auditory reach, Soi heaved a massive sigh of relief. She had to admit, the test had gone...much better than she had thought. Once she'd calmed down, the whole routine had come to her so easily, so smoothly. He'd tried to trip her up with a few other techniques, asking her for things that she didn't think were on the Yellow belt test, but her rather extensive training with Yoruichi had definitely paid off in that respect. At the same time, she'd kind of been zoning out at some point, so she'd probably made at least one more mistake... Her train of thought was stopped as Byakuya walked back into the room, carrying something in the sleeve of his gi. "Here," he said casually as he pulled out something vermilion-colored and handed it to Soi. She accepted it with a bow, trying to hold back her excitement, which quickly faded to confusion. "Um...Kuchiki-sensei?" Byakuya paused and turned as he was walking away. "...I...I think you made a mistake. T-this is the Orange belt." "...I don't make mistakes, Miss Fong," the Black-belt said evenly as Soi's eyes grew wider, comprehension sinking in gradually but undeniably. Two whole levels up! "B-but how is that...?" "That extra material I had you do," the Kuchiki boy said in his calm monotone, "...Is part of the Orange rank test. You were doing a little too well on Yellow, so I decided to see just how capable you were. It would seem that your little practices with Yoruichi-san have been paying off." Soi's astonishment became more pronounced once Byakuya mentioned their practices. "H...How do you know about those?" "You don't really think you went unnoticed, did you?" Byakuya asked. " I even asked Yoruichi-san about them, since they are technically an unfair advantage. She was certain that you were up to it, though, and so I allowed her to continue. Her trust in you has been far from misplaced, Miss Fong." Soi blushed at the compliment, in spite of her own feelings of inadequacy. Yoruichi really thought that she could do something like this? "T-thank you, Kuchiki-sensei!" Soi blurted out, a little louder than she meant to. "...You'll be under Abarai-san this next semester, so be prepared to extend those practices if you must," Byakuya called as he headed out the gym door. Soi followed a while after, dazed at her success and only feeling even gladder when Yoruichi greeted her with a congratulatory bearhug and her trademark wide grin.
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