Making Preparations Aizen glanced at the clock on the wall, its hands reading that it was a quarter to four while it ticked steadily away. He'd tried to get near Momo for the last few days, but from teachers to a gaggle of students she never seemed to be alone anymore. The gratitude he'd felt at first of not losing his job had long since faded, slowly replaced by a festering resentment that had led to this meeting he'd requested earlier in the day. While he'd blamed himself at first for letting things get so out of hand, which had never happened before, the teacher had soon had an epiphany as to the real target of his anger. Yoruichi Shihouin had done this to him, had destroyed the closest thing to a relationship he'd had in years with a single utterance. It was her, and not himself or even the Principal that deserved his wrath now. He already had enough information on her to satisfy even the most insatiable of gossipers, but he doubted that the dark-skinned girl was the type to be bothered by such things. He'd need to get to her another way. A knock at the door interrupted his musings and he straightened in his seat slightly. "...Come in, Ichimaru." Gin opened the classroom door with a casual shove, walking into the empty room with a saunter even though he was unsure about the whole situation. Aizen wasn't one of his teachers, so what could he want him for? "Hey, teach," the perpetually grinning boy said as he slid into a nearby desk. "...So whaddya want?" "Well..." the bespectacled man began nonchalantly, "...I was wondering how well you knew Yoruichi Shihouin." He grinned in spite of himself as the boy's smile faltered for barely a second-- just long enough to tell him there was no love lost between the two. "...Why'd ya wanna know 'bout that?" "Just curious," Aizen replied with a shrug. "...I suppose you could say that she's in some trouble." There was a silence as Gin considered the significance of the statement, then Aizen continued. "...I'm fully aware of your...reputation...and I was curious as to whether or not you'd like to assist me." Gin blinked, surprised at what he was hearing. Wasn't Aizen supposedly this pillar of upstanding morality, beloved by nearly every goody-two-shoes the school had to offer? "No one would know it was you, of course...but I can assure you that you won't go unrewarded for your efforts." "...Eh. Not int'rested." Aizen stared at the lanky teen, certain he had heard wrong. "...I'm sorry?" "Don't worry. I won't rat ya out, but this kinda thing isn't my style." He'd seen teachers crack before (having more than once been the root cause) and he knew that if one was to ask a petty thug like him for aid that it was something big-- too big for him to stick his nose into. After a few stunned moments the teacher nodded, accepting the boy's response. "...Very well. But there's one more thing..." Aizen dug in the top drawer of his desk for only a moment before pulling out a clean sheet of paper. "...I'd like to ensure that Miss Shihouin's friends aren't dragged into all this when I address her behavior to the Principal. Is there anyone you know of who's particularly close to her?" Ichimaru doubted greatly that Aizen was gathering this information for the safety of Yoruichi's companions, but deciding that he probably wouldn't do anything terribly malicious the boy consented. "Hmm...Well, Kisuke Urahara's around her a lot..." No good, Aizen thought as he wrote the name down. He knew as well as anyone how far back they went, but such an obvious target might draw too much attention back to himself. Besides, he doubted that the boy would be easily vulnerable to an attack, open or not. "...Kuukaku Shiba..." Not much better. She might be even more of a problem than Urahara to deal with, not to mention that she bore a great deal of resentment toward him anyway and would be the first on her 'suspects list.' "...Oh, yeah...an' Soi Fong." "...Who?" Aizen blinked as his pencil stopped, halted at the unfamiliar name. "Ya probably don't know 'er," Gin answered with a shrug. "...Freshman. Been hangin' around Shihouin quite a bit lately." Something about this confused the instructor, and he adjusted his thick glasses as if to improve blood flow to his brain. "...Why would she be in the company of a freshman? Doesn't she ignore people like that?" "Dunno. Her business, not mine." When Aizen didn't answer, Ichimaru gave a sigh and headed for the door. "Well, later teach. I got stuff ta do anyway." Sosuke was aware that he might have nodded but he was too focused on the last name on his list to care. A freshman...probably not too strong... he pulled out another list, one of all the hoodlums and punks he'd kept track of over his years as a teacher and ran his fingers down the lines of information. With a target in mind, he looked for an equally suitable pawn. Once he found one, he was about to circle the number when he hesiated. Was he really willing to risk throwing all this away-- his job and his reputation-- to get back at Yoruichi? He had only to recall the crushed look on Momo's face in the Principal's office before he regained his resolve and highlighted the contact information in yellow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Soi! HEY, SOI! WAKE UP!" The freshman groaned and was about to implore the voice for five more minutes when she suddenly realized that it was Yoruichi's calling from the opposite side of the door. "Y-Yoruichi?...It's Saturday...what're you doin' here?" "...What kind of a question is that? Come on! We were gonna go through your clothes for the dance, remember? Oh, mind if I come in?" Soi blinked awake instantly as her friend pushed the door open, gathering the loose covers around her as quickly as she could. "...You're just in your pajamas, for God's sake," the upperclassman quipped with a roll of the eyes as she yanked the sheets off Soi's bed. "Now you go get some breakfast real quick, and I'll look through what you got." "Huh?" Soi yawned, rubbing her eyes in an effort to force herself to cognizance. "Wha' for?" "Well, if I'm gonna take you shopping then we need to figure out what you're gonna need, right? "S-Shopping? But you didn't say anything about that," Soi exclaimed at the rather surprising way this information had been tossed at her. "...I've gotta get homework done today, and besides th--" Yoruichi silenced the girl with a hissing sound as she held her finger over her own lips. "No talking! Now go get somethin' to eat and then get your butt back up here!" The freshman's eyes widened in surprise at the 'order' but she complied nontheless, bustling out of the room so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Okay, Yoruichi, I'm r-- What the hell are you doing!" The upperclassman blinked as she poked her head out from the tiny closet, tossing an old blue sweater out from behind her as she did so. "...I'm going through your clothes, of course... what does it look like?" Soi stared in horror as her immaculately clean room (or as clean as it could get, anyway) was now covered with clothing she'd packed away or carefully stored, had put in boxes that had balanced precariously in the far corner of the space until a few minutes ago. "...Like a tsunami hit! What's going on? I thought you were just going to look at the stuff that was on hangers!" "Well, I was GOING to," Yoruichi said wryly as she held up a t-shirt with a Doraemon picture emblazoned across the front, then heaved it over her head and onto the floor behind her, "...but all of it was either unsuitable or school uniforms." "...'Unsuitable?'" the Chinese girl asked indignantly, walking up to her friend with a furrowed brow. She knew she wasn't exactly a Shinjuku regular but that didn't mean she didn't have a sense of fashion that worked for her. "What's wrong with this?" Soi held up one of her favorite dress shirts, a red one that had a slight frill at the hem and the ends of the sleeves. "Come ON, Soi... You really think that anyone goes to these things dressed like they're at a parent's dinner party?" "I don't give a damn WHAT anyone thinks I'm wearing," Soi said with a degree of pride that intrigued Yoruichi, though she didn't voice it. "..I'm not gonna go looking like a slut." The older girl stared for a moment, then broke into laughter at her friend's statement, giggling so hard that she doubled over and plopped onto the floor. Soi would have been angry but she ran over instead, worried that Yoruichi had hurt herself. "D...don't worry," Yoruichi said through mirthful tears as she managed to get back on her feet. "...The clothes broke my fall. Oh God, the way you just SAID that..." She started to chuckle again only to hear Soi reluctantly join in, and after a few moments Yoruichi got a hold of herself and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Seriously, though, you should wear something NICE... Trust me, it can feel good to dress up once in a while." Soi knew that if Yoruichi hadn't made that little bit of physical contact she probably could've put up more of a fight, but instead she found herself giving an acquiescent sigh and minutes later waving goodbye to her father while Yoruichi assured him that she'd have his daugher home in time for dinner. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Soi had to admit that while she hated the act of shopping, she was happy with Yoruichi's choice of location. She preferred the shopping arcade to the noisy malls, full of grungy kids who were probably drug dealers and obnoxious sales people who were obviously working on commission, always cloying and presenting the most expensive piece of attire they had in stock. Normally she bought clothing only in the most dire of times when her shirts and pants had gotten too small for her and she was forced to accept the money her father gave. "...Hey, let's go here first," Yoruichi called over the din of the open market as she nudged Soi into what looked like an accesories shop, full of second-hand and homemade hairpieces and earrings. "You sure seem to know your way around here, Yoruichi-san..." Soi said with a bit of surprise as she glanced around the shop, having never gotten this far into the arcade before; she usually just found the closest store and got her business done with minimal fuss. "What, I can't shop at a normal place?" the girl asked teasingly, and to her delight Soi blushed and hung her head. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by it..." "Just kidding, Soi! Jeez..." Yoruichi smiled, then headed straight for a small table with different colored pieces on it. "Well, let's start with earrings first... You prefer silver over gold or the other way around?" "Um, silver, I guess..." Soi said with evident unease, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Just seeing Yoruichi get so enthusiastic over her like this...she wasn't sure if she should read more into it then that, but... "Actually," the freshman admitted as she shifted her gaze to the little girl in the piercing booth screaming out in agony, "...I kinda don't wear earrings." Yoruichi looked at her friend as though she lived in a foreign country, then gave a sigh as she put down a pair of hoops that would've looked perfect on the freshman. "Well, I guess that leaves that out earrings..." the senior admitted with a groan as she headed for another table, this one covered with bands and necklaces. "You don't have any reasonable objections to wearing anything like this, do you?" "I, uh, guess not..." "Good, 'cause you're getting some," Yoruichi said with a grin as she started digging throught the bracelets. "Let's see...no, too big...these are a little too gaudy..." "Hey, what about this?" Soi asked as she held up a bracelet set, each one bearing a swirling pattern on its wide face in alternating silver and copper. Her older companion looked at it for a minute before raising an eyebrow in slight disgust. "Ehh..." she intoned as she guided Soi's hand down, placing the jewelry back, "...I don't know if that's really for you. Tell you what, just let me see what I can find, okay?" "...Okay..." Soi grudgingly admitted as she let go of the bracelet and allowed Yoruichi to return to her searching. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Well, only one thing left to get," Yoruichi said with a significance that implied it was the most important thing of all as they headed into a small shop near the end of the district. Soi felt the bile in her throat rise as she walked through the door, into territory both unknown and unwelcome. "...I still don't see why I have to wear a dress," the freshman grumbled as she shifted the bag in her right hand to her left. "Can't I just wear a nice suit or something?" "What, and have people thinking you're a boy?" Yoruichi teased as they started to wander past the racks of multicolored cloth, through forests of skirts ranging in length from puritan to scandalous. "Seriously, Yoruichi! I'm just gonna look and feel stupid if I'm primped up like that," Soi replied with a slight edge to her voice. "...I haven't worn one of those things since I was at my grandma's funeral, for crying out loud." Yoruichi managed to resist the desire to ask how long ago that was since by the younger girl's tone it couldn't have been recent. "Oh, come on, Soi..." Yoruichi said as she turned around, making the younger girl stop just before running into her. "You're way too critical of your appearance. I happen to think that you're very cute." "H-huh?" Soi said dumbly as her eyes went wide, knowing that she was being ridiculous but unable to stop herself from reacting. "...Really?" "Well, yeah," the upperclassman said with a bit of confusion, as if it was no big deal. "...Now come on, I'll help you find something good." "Well, actually," Soi began as Yoruichi set about examining the nearest rack of formal dresses, feeling a strange sort of confidence at the older girl's words, "...I think I wanna pick this one out myself." "Well, that's no problem...You just show 'em to me and I'll see how well they work for y--" Yoruichi was cut off as Soi interrupted, biting her lip nervously as if she was about to say something heretical in the presence of a religious zealot. "No...I mean, I want to do this on my own." There was a silence as Yoruichi stared at the girl, wondering if she was serious. "Well, you kinda don't have any fashion s--" As soon as she'd said it Yoruichi regretted it; especially when Soi's eyes turned from dinner plates to slivers and her nervous shaking ended. "...I...I can find a dress! You think I can't make a decision for myself?" When Yoruichi didn't answer Soi began shoving her friend toward the door, even though she didn't actually succeed in pushing the older girl more than a few inches. "That's it! You...wait out...side...and I'll be out in fifteen minutes!" When she couldn't push anymore Yoruichi shrugged and headed for the door, wearing a condescending grin on her face. "All right...but if you take more than that I'm gonna come back in and pick something out." "Fine!" Soi growled with an almost childlike petulance, then stormed off as the bell on the door jingled behind Yoruichi, dashing straight for the formal dresses. What did I just get myself into, Soi groaned to herself, cursing her pride for getting the best of her. She didn't know the first thing about dresses but here she was, with no guidance as she searched through racks in her size (she assumed). But for Yoruichi to think she was completely helpless... she shoved the thought away as she scrambled, casting aside a slinky red dress that ended just at the calves, then ignored one with poofy sleeves and too long a hem in lavender with sequins. Soi's time was almost up when she stumbled across the black dresses and stopped. She stared at the one that had caught her eye, then took it off its stand and held up for a better view. Elegant, but not flashy... conservatively designed, but not without an indescribable sensuality... not too mention that she rather liked the way the red sash complimented the dress... She was certain that it would've been out of her price range until she glanced at the tag, and finding that it was on clearance immediately rushed to the dressing room. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Yoruichi sighed as she leaned against the outer wall of the shop, glancing at her watch and smiling victoriously. It had been nearly thirteen minutes since she'd left the building and still Soi wasn't out yet. Not that she blamed her; she didn't know a single girl who could've found a decent outfit in only a quarter of an hour. Most likely she had gone into panic mode and was randomly picking things off the rack, at which point she'd have to go in and hel-- "I'm done," a quiet voice spoke beside her as the door swung shut, and it took Yoruichi a few minutes to realize that it was Soi; she didn't seem in the slightest bit perturbed or overstressed, and more than that she had a long plastic-covered outfit slung over her shoulder. She stared for a minute longer as she tried to recover her mental equilibrium. "Y-you're finished?" "...Yeah," Soi answered plainly as she began to follow the path back through the shopping arcade to home. "It really wasn't too bad, actually." "Well, here," Yoruichi said after a few moments, swallowing her pride as she reached in her purse, "...I can give you some money to make up for what you spent..." "Oh, it's no big deal...It was on clearance, anyway." The older girl felt a bit skeptical of anything that she could have found on sale, but decided that it wasn't worth it to get in an argument right now. "...So, can I see it?" Yoruichi made to lift the bottom of the dress's plastic cover but Soi jerked away from her before she could get a good look. "Hm...I don't know... you're the one who thought I had 'no fashion sense,' remember?" Surprised by the teasing grin on the freshman's face, Yoruichi took a moment to follow suit, then tried in vain to grab the article of clothing from her. "Come on, just a peek..." "No way!" Soi replied, yanking the dress away before Yoruichi nearly succeded. "...I'm not gonna take this thing out until the dance-- if I see it before then I know I'm gonna want to take it back." Yoruichi gave a disappointed huff as she gave up, then followed her friend with the rest of thier purchases. "All right," the upperclassman muttered in defeat. "...But I'm gonna see you in that dress one way or another."
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