Understanding The bespectacled teacher sighed as he walked into his deserted classroom, stuffing a handful of leaflets from the staff meeting into the manilla folder under his arm. He wondered why Yamamoto insisted on making each conference longer every semester, especially since they never seemed to be about anything new. Always about funds and more funds and... he pushed the thought away with a yawn as he approached his desk, grabbing a few spare books from the sliding drawer before he heard a knock on the door. "...Sorry," he called even as he wondered who would know he was here, "I'm afraid I'm off duty right now. If you need to meet with me tomorrow then I can arrange somethi--" He paused, dumbfounded, as a teen with a mop of unruly blonde hair walked in, smiling almost patronizingly as he strode up to the desk. "Ah...Well, I hope you don't mind, Aizen-senei, but I really DO have something important to talk to you about." "...What are you doing here, Urahara? You're not in my class..." "No, I'm not," Kisuke admitted casually, "...I'd have to say I'm at LEAST half the bastard that you are." It took the teacher a moment to catch the student's double entendre, though it was more disbelief at such a impudent comment that blocked his understanding. "Mr. Urahara, I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from such rudeness. If not, I'll be forced to--" "What? If you're planning to sic a few punks on me I can promise that they won't come back without a few broken bones. But since Soi-chan didn't even know you I'd hate to see what you'd do to me, I have to admit." Aizen, torn between incredulity at the boy's clarity and his own growing indignance, was silent for a moment, pondering how best to counteract the teen. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're getting at, Urahara. If this is about the Shihouin girl I can assure you that she got what she deserved." "Just tell me one thing," Kisuke said quietly, dropping his voice into a serious whisper. "...Why did you do go after Soi Fong? Were you too afraid to deal with Yoruichi yourself?" "...Do you want to know why?" Aizen growled, perturbed to the point of recklessness. "Because she's trash. Just raising her voice to defend Shihouin proved that to me. Both of you are scum just for associating with her, with calling yourselves her 'friends.' Yes, I did it. And do you know why I'm letting you know all this? Because you have nothing that can prove it. There's not a single thing that you can do or say that can implicate me in this. Not to mention that as her friend you're not exactly the most unbiased source of information." "Maybe not," Kisuke admitted, still giving that unnerving smile throughout the teacher's rant, "...But I don't think that this can be argued with." And with that the teen reached into his front jacket pocket and pulled out a tape recorder, hitting the rewind button for a moment before replaying the machine; at the sound of his own voice Aizen's confidence disappeared, accompanied closely by the blood in his face. When he felt the desired effect had been reached Kisuke turned the recorder off and stuck it safely in his pocket, holding Aizen's death glare with one of his own. "Now that you're feeling a little more open, I'd like to make an offer, Aizen-sensei. Either you get Yoruichi off the hook and leave this school for good, or else I give this to the Principal and you can leave in disgrace. So what's it going to be?" "Hmph," Aizen answered, shaking Kisuke's confidence for a moment with his continued attempt at an air of power. "Even with that tape you have nothing on me. Without any witnesses you can't--" "...Sosuke?" At the sound of her voice, full of disbelief and horror, Aizen felt his strength leave him again. Even though he knew who it was, he turned slowly, unwillingly, to the door to find Momo standing in the threshold, the damp shimmer of her hair and school swimsuit over her shoulder evidence that she'd just finished with swim practice. For a moment they all just stared at each other, Kisuke as surprised by her sudden arrival as her beau. Finally Aizen spoke, a much gentler and kinder version of the voice he had been using to berate Kisuke a moment ago. "Mo--...Hinamori-kun..." He reached out a hand while he prepared to tell her not to be out like this if she was still wet, but she flinched, backed away as if his very presence had burned her. As her large brown eyes met briefly with his, Aizen silently lowered his hand: she had heard everything. Without a word she turned around, doing her best not to cry even though it was clear she was torn up from the inside out. Aizen prepared to run after her but Kisuke stopped him, beating the teacher to the door and slamming it shut. "...You and I still need to come to an agreement before you chase after your lover, Aizen-sensei. I'm sure someone with your degree of respectability should have no problem convincing Principal Yamamoto to rescind his punishment." This time, Aizen only gave Kisuke the darkest of scowls before slumping his shoulders ever so slightly in defeat. ---------- Yoruichi's eyes followed Soi as she entered, looking sheepish and saying nothing, unaware that her friend was still looking at her. Not ogling so much as her irises simply lingered, though. Eventually tact got the better of the older woman and she spoke to the girl. "What did you want, Soi Fong?" "H-huh? Oh..." Soi muttered, her silent awe at being once again in Yoruichi's massive home making her forget herself a bit. "...I...Yoruichi-san, I need to talk to you. About this whole mess--Kisuke told me th--" "...So he told you about me already?" Soi froze at her friend's perceptive comment, still delivered in the tone of detachment she'd used earlier. After a moment she gave a slow nod, and Yoruichi turned to the freshman quietly. "Then what else is there to talk about?" "Y...Yoruichi-san, i-it's not about that...REALLY," she added upon seeing the upperclassman begin to walk away. "I just...I wanted to tell you that I--" Seemingly ignoring the freshman, Yoruichi turned her back and exited into the kitchen, leaving Soi standing alone with naught but her own thoughts. She heard that little voice in her again, urging her to stop putting up a fight, that Yoruichi wasn't going to listen to her, but before she could act or not the dark girl walked back in, carrying a pair of water glasses and handing one of them to Soi. She hesitantly accepted the sweating cup, taking it as a sign that Yoruichi was willing to listen, and followed her friend to the couch, both sitting on either end. "...I'm surprised you're here, actually," Yoruichi said quietly, once she had taken a sip of the cool liquid. "What do you mean?" the freshman asked indignantly, forgetting herself in light of what she assumed was an assault on her character. "...I've been trying to call you since yesterday!" "That's not what I mean." Even though her face was turned just enough that Soi couldn't see it and the tone of her voice hadn't changed, Soi could tell that there was something more to what the upperclassman was saying than her words let on. "...I just figured you wouldn't want me hanging out with you anymore, is all." "...What?" Soi managed once she had processed her friend's statement, certain she had heard wrong. "Why would you think that, Yoruichi-san?" "Don't you remember all that stuff you said about 'avoiding troublemakers?'" Soi blinked, disbelieving, as Yoruichi continued. "Not that I can blame you," she added with a chuckle, "...I'm not exactly saintly, so it's really no big d--" "NO!" Before she could stop herself she'd yelled so loud that Yoruichi flinched, sloshing the drink on her baggy sleep pants in her surprise. Once Soi realized what she had done she was quiet for a little bit, but then broke the awkward silence. "...Yoruichi-san...Is that really why haven't been speaking to me?" Another silence provided her answer, but Soi continued undaunted. "...I-I know I said that, but... i-it doesn't really matter to me what you did before." At this Yoruichi finally turned to face her, mild disbelief evident on her features. "I...I know that you didn't tell me about it, but...I really can't blame you, can I? I mean, you wanted to change when you came to high school, right? W-what you did before isn't any of my business, and besides you're still the--" She froze, stopped herself as the words threatened to escape her lips, nudged on by uncertainty, oblivious to the way Yoruichi's eyes opened a little wider, as if she was somehow hoping to hear what she had meant to say. But it was gone in less than a second, buried by Soi's insecurity as she quickly devised a safer term of affection for Yoruichi. "...You're...still the best friend I ever had. Well, really...my only friend." Soi gave her lips permission to curl upwards at the ends for just a moment before they returned to the normal horizontal line on her face, but the older girl caught it. "I...I guess that's all I really had to say, so..." the freshman finished as she stood up, not daring to look at Yoruichi. "...I'll go if you want me to." "Soi." It was the gentleness in her friend's voice, so different from the way she'd spoken to her in the past few days, that made her turn around, Yoruichi's face breaking into the smallest and most sincere of smiles as she did so. "...Thank you." "H-hey, no need to get so serious..." Soi muttered as she turned to hide the tint of red on her cheeks. "Well, I'd uh...I'd better get home," the girl said hurriedly, heading for the door before her friend's voice stopped her. "Wait! Have you eaten yet?" "Uh...No," Soi answered, surprised by the query. With her signature grin plastered to her face once more, Yoruichi stood up and walked to the kitchen. "Well, you want some pizza? Don't worry-- I'm not going to cook it," she added with a chuckle, and hearing Yoruichi talk like her old self made Soi laugh as well. "I'm in this for the long haul, so I may as well get used to it." ---------- Yoruichi yawned as the phone beside her bed rang, planning to ignore it until it occured to her that it might wake up Soi downstairs, and the thought of her peacefully resting friend was enough to make her reach for the reciever and put it to her ear. "...Huhllo?" the upperclassman mumbled, incoherence still maintaining its grip on her. "Hello, Miss Shihouin." "Um...Principal Yamamoto?" Yoruichi said with quite a bit more awareness, the caller's voice instantly recognizable and every bit as gutteral as it sounded in person. "...What are you calling me for?" Ignoring the girl's rather tactless response the head of Rukongai continued. "...It seems that information regarding recent...events has come to our attention today. It was revealed to us today that while you are indeed guilty of attacking Gin Ichimaru, you actions were not entirely without basis." "...Huh?" she asked, confused. "...What's that?" "...I'm saying, Miss Shihouin, that as of today your expulsion has been rescinded." The pause that greeted his words told him plainly that she was still listening, but uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "...I'm reducing it to a suspension, on the grounds that you understand the severity of what you have done." "O...of course, sir!" Yoruichi managed, even though she was afraid that this might simply be a dream. "Very well, then-- we'll be expecting you back in two weeks time...and of course you will be responsible for all work missed." She hung up the phone once they had finished speaking, and for a moment she simply sat in bed, stunned. I'm back. That means... With a smile she jumped out of bed and ran for her door, nearly forgetting her pajama bottoms on her way out. She hobbled down the steps as she shoved her foot through each pant-leg, nearly tripping as she hit the bottom step. "Soi! You're not gonna believe-- Kisuke?" she blinked upon finding her friend sitting opposite the freshman at the breakfast table, giving her a jovial wave as he poured himself a bowl of her sugar-coated cereal. "...What are you doing here?" "Oh, not much," he answered noncommittally. "...I just heard about what happened at school. Glad to have you back, Yoru-chan." The dark girl pulled her hand back reflexively at the reprise of her abhorred nickname, but stopped herself when a flaw in his alibi occured to her. "...How did you know about me coming back?" "Y-you're coming back, Yoruichi-san?!" Soi interjected, joy lighting up her face despite her best efforts to restrain herself. "T...that's great!" Her mood deflated slightly when Yoruichi ignored her, still befuddled over what Urahara had said. "Seriously Kisuke, how do you know about it? I just got the call from the Princip..." She stopped, a revelation once again stopping her and this time bringing a broad smile to her lips. "What?" Before he could say anything else Yoruichi threw her arms around him, laughing jovially as she rubbed his skull roughly with her knuckles. "You did it, didn't you! How the hell did you convince them?" Urahara nearly lost his nerve just from his friend's proximity to himself, at the heat her body was creating against his without her realizing it, but years of keeping the emotion subdued prevented him from giving himself away. "Well, it wasn't too hard...and I'll just say that Aizen won't be there to give you any more trouble." "Goddamnit, Kisuke! I always knew you had a good head on your shoulders!" she said teasingly, throwing an arm around his neck that both conveyed playfulness and gratitude. "Um...I'd better be getting to school..." Soi muttered as she slipped off her chair, pretending to glance at the nearby clock on the wall. "Huh? But I thought you were gonna make breakfast!" Yoruichi jibed, pointing at the new loaf of bread sitting beside the toaster. "S-sorry, Yoruichi-san, I just...I need to get going so I can study for, uh...Geometry..." "All right, well...see you later, all right Soi! And thanks for visiting last night!" Yoruichi said loudly, succeeding in hiding her slight disappointment from the girl. Soi didn't hear her goodbye as she left for the front door at a run, not even registering her gratitude that she'd gone home last night on the foresight of needing her books and a fresh uniform. All she could think about was Yoruichi embracing Kisuke, and even though she knew there was nothing romantic behind her display of affection the idea of them kissing wouldn't leave her head.
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