Gifts "Hey, you guys made it!" Yoruichi exclaimed as Shunsui walked in with Nanao permitting him to lead her by the arm, and Ukitake bringing up the rear. "...I thought you weren't going to come this year!" "Ha! As if I'd miss out on a free party at your place!" the scruffy teen answered jovially. "Now Yoruichi-san, I've got some beer in the backseat of my car, but if you've already got something stron--" "...We won't be drinking tonight," Nanao cut him off severely, accompanied by a smack to her companion's face. Yoruichi gave the two of them a teasing look, then pointed in the direction of the kitchen when the bespectacled girl held up a pair of brightly-wrapped packages. Ukitake gave her a friendly "Happy Birthday" and "Merry Christmas" before following his friend's lead, then breaking off to speak to Urahara, busy loitering near the door with a cupfull of soda in hand. The party was fairly small, as it consisted mainly of her and Kisuke's close friends from the beach house, but it was nonetheless quite the festive occasion. The couch and chairs had been pushed slightly to the side to make room for people to dance (though few were content to do more than hum along idly with the Christmas-themed music), and with Kisuke's help over the past few days she'd succeeded in putting up absurdly tall Christmas tree she'd insisted on buying, covering it liberally with garlands and flashing lights they had purchased on a previous holiday. Rangiku was making one-sided 'girl talk' with Nanao while Gin lazily observed the room over the top of his cup (Yoruichi had invited him mainly as a show of good faith after her attack on him, and though she didn't exactly apologize he didn't seem terribly intent on holding it against her). Kyoraku had invited Isane to moderate an argument he was having with Kuukaku (something about whether or not "The Nightmare Before Christmas" counted more as a Halloween or Christmas movie), and Ukitake was doing his best not to sneeze on the table spread with sushi, cake slices and curry chicken; he had a handful of tissues in his hand at the ready accompanied by a small bottle of cold medicine. Once Yoruichi had taken another bite of her cheesecake she reluctantly set the decadent treat down and, unable to resist the temptation, she opened her front door just enough to see the unpopulated street before the house, wincing as the rapidly cooling air nearly gave her hypothermia on the spot. "What are you doing?" Yoruichi realized at the sound of her best friend's voice that she had been looking outside for nearly two minutes, and as such promptly shut the elements out and turned to face the blonde. "What? I'm just looking outside, is all," the girl answered dismissively. "...I heard it was supposed to snow tonight, and--" "I've seen you do that at least four other times since the party started, Yoruichi." The dark woman sighed in defeat at being found out, though the what-kind-of-a-fool-do-you-take-me-for grin on Kisuke's mug was a bit of a wear on her good humor. "What are you looking for? You haven't really talked to anyone since they got here." "...I'm just checking for Soi, okay?" she finally admitted, looking none-too-happy about it. "She said she was gonna try to drop by once she was done having dinner with her Dad, and I wanna make sure she gets her present." "...Okay..." Urahara muttered with a shrug as he walked back to the party. "...But you know, she's with her FAMILY on Christmas. I'm not saying I know any better than you, but I don't think she'll be here for a while." Yoruichi said nothing in response to this; she simply gave the closed door a sidelong glance before the boy interrupted her musings again. "Come enjoy the party, Yoruichi. It IS yours, after all." ---------- Soi gave her father an appreciative smile as she carefully pushed aside the tissue paper lining the flimsy cardboard box to reveal her gift. "Well, how is it?" her father asked from a few feet away, busy unwrapping the CD she had bought him of his favorite music even as he looked to her for a sign of her reaction. "I...I love it!" she said after a moment of awed silence, holding out the black-and-yellow longsleeve at shoulder height. "Thanks, Dad!" "Now, you know that if you don't like the color or something that you can get it exchanged..." "No, really-- it's perfect!" Soi pressed enthusiastically. She wasn't sure why, but somehow it felt like black-and-yellow stripes...suited her. "...I'm just glad you got the evening off, is all." "Well, we're in the middle of a big case; I'm lucky I got more than an extended lunchbreak." The freshman's smile widened at the joke as she set about picking up the few scraps of wrapping paper and tossing them into the nearby wastebasket, looking away as her eyes fell onto her watch and told her it was 15 minutes past 6:00. Yoruichi's party should be starting now... While part of her wanted to go, if only for Yoruichi's sake, the other half was adamantly opposed to the situation on account of buyer's remorse. The scarf she'd bought for her sempai had looked so nice before, but now it only seemed gaudy and ridiculous. She's not gonna miss one gift at the party, Soi reasoned. Not to mention that as an underclassman, she'd probably only succeed at ruining the vibe of the whole event. It was probably better if she didn't go and then could give her the embarrassing gift later on if she HAD to. "Well then," the older man called as he headed to the tiny kitchen, "...How about we have some dinner? I bought your favorite kind of croquettes the other day..." Within moments Soi threw on an excited smile, deciding that she could brood over it when she wasn't spending time with her father. ---------- "Hey, thanks Yoruichi!" Rangiku called from the other side of the living room, surrounded by her small mountain of unwrapped gifts, the newest addition to which was a rather plain but nonetheless expensive chain necklace dangling from the Senior's left hand. "I really like it!" "Y-yeah, I really like what you got me...too..." Yoruichi managed as she forced a smile on her face and set the gift the blonde and Gin had purchased for her with the others she'd also recieved. Three bottles of sake...do they think that I'm a drunk or something, the young woman thought with a wry grin. It wasn't a bad haul this year, though-- a gift certificate for her favorite store in the mall (she wondered how Ukitake had found out), an orange windbreaker from Kisuke, the trio of bottled rice wine from Rangiku, Shunsui and Kuukaku. While everyone was busy talking amongst themselves, unwrapping gifts and occasionally trading ones they found unsatisfactory, Yoruichi glanced out the window, feeling her spirits drop slightly at the sight of rapidly falling snow half-visible thanks to the glare of the indoor lights against the glass and already piling up beside the windowsill. She was starting to worry about Soi, wondering if she was going to get to the party or not. Part of her felt like calling, just to make sure that if she wasn't coming that she was enjoying herself, but she brushed the thought away. She simply didn't call people if they were late, it was their perogative and thus none of her business, but... The sound of the front door opening made her jump slightly, and she looked away from the window only to find Isane slipping her coat on. "Well, thanks for inviting me, Yoruichi, but I've gotta meet someone for breakfast tomorrow, so..." "Wait a minute! Breakfast during the holiday?" Rangiku called out to the short-haired girl, dashing away from her boyfriend and drawing so close to Isane that she flinched. "...What's all THAT about, I wonder?" "N-nothing," she muttered. "I-I-I'm just meeting a friend!" "Ooh, not from THAT tone, you're not," the well-endowed girl teased as she threw on her most predatory grin. "...Is it a special friend? Someone from school?" "N-n-no," Isane insisted. "She's just--!" In an instant the girl covered her mouth, face burning red from embaressment. "Oh, so it's a SHE, eh?" Shunsui called from his sprawled position on the floor, suddenly finding an interest in the conversation. "Well that definitely proves it! I wonder who it is?" "I know," Kuukaku said with a smirk. "It's--" "Kuukaku!" "Relax, Isane--I'm just kidding," the gruff woman said with a dismissive wave while everyone shared a chuckle at Isane's expense. "...Ah, forget it!" Isane grumbled as she headed out, slamming the door behind her. "Geez, I think we were a little hard on the kid," Kisuke admitted as he went back to fiddling with the wooden cane Yoruichi had bought him as a gag present. "Ahh, don't worry-- I wouldn't tell you guys who it is anyway," the Shiba girl said with a grin, upon which the room groaned as one in disappointment. "Well," Yoruichi asked as she glanced at the trash now covering the carpet and debating whether or not to clean it up today (she decided to wait until tomorrow), "...What do you guys wanna do now? I've got a karaoke machine downstairs, and--" "OOH! Karaoke drinking games!" Kuukaku suggested enthusiastically, catching the guests by surprise. "Huh? Why do they have to be drinking games?" "Alright, everyone downstairs!" Rangiku yelled as she grabbed the three bottles of sake along with Kuukaku. "Shunsui, grab some glasses!" "Will do!" he said as he headed for the kitchen, though his girlfriend gave him a look that told him that was going to be the extent of his proximity to alcohol tonight. As everyone rushed around the staircase to the door that lead to the stereo-equipped lower floor, Yoruichi gave a sigh that was equal parts annoyance and comprehension. At least she knew now why they'd REALLY bought the sake. ---------- "I'm gonna go to bed, Dad." "So early?" Soi's father asked as he turned from the TV and the lighthearted Christmas special that was currently occupying all their basic cable stations. "...I guess if you want to, but didn't you have something planned for tonight?" "...Where'd you hear that?" Soi asked as she froze, midway up the stairs. "Well, your friend Urahara-kun called earlier today-- he said to make sure that you were coming to Yoruichi's party." Damnit, Soi cursed to herself as she walked down the steps just enough to make eye contact with her father. "...Look, it's really no big deal. I told them earlier that I was going to be spending Christmas here, anyway. I'm sure they're having plenty of fun without me." "But it sounded like your friends were expecting you, Soi! I didn't raise you to ignore people like that! Now if I know my daughter, which I can only hope I do," he insisted, not catching the way Soi flinched at the coming accusation, "...I'd say that you're not going because you feel guilty about something." "N-no..." Soi muttered as she looked at the ground, not wanting to bring up her present for Yoruichi. "...Do you feel guilty about spending time with your father?" At this she blinked, surprised, but before she could make a rebuttal the older man continued. "You aren't obligated to spend EVERY Christmas with me, Soi. I know that you're getting older and you've got other places you want to be at. Now what time's this party? If you go quickly then you might be able to at least apologize--" "Dad, it's not that!" Soi insisted, worried that her father might actually think, even for a minute, that she didn't care immensely for him. Before Yoruichi, she could've easily said that there was no one else in her life nearly as important. "I wanna spend time with you, and..." "Soi, this is an order from your father," he said sternly even as his eyes held a bit of the teasing sparkle she'd grown up familiar with, "...You've given me enough. Now go be with your friends." The freshman opened her mouth, then closed it again knowing it would be futile. In spite of herself she gave him a grateful hug before running upstairs to grab Yoruichi's present. ---------- The group was rolling on the ground by the time Kuukaku had slurred her way through the second verse of "Like A Virgin" (more because it was quite the ironic song for the promiscuous teen, though the sake could have been partly to blame), and though Yoruichi giggled with all of them she was quickly getting bored. She glanced at her watch, feeling her good humor vanish as it flashed 8:53 at her in an almost taunting way. Feeling her hunger get the best of her she headed upstairs, past a surprisingly wasted Kisuke who was struggling to keep from falling asleep and mumbling something about cookies. Yoruichi wasn't sure why Soi not showing up bothered her so much. It was true that she had known about her plans with her father and that getting to spend time with her in a situation like this probably wasn't the freshman's idea of fun, but even so it felt like something was holding her back from having a good time at an event that normally made her immensely happy. She'd laughed with all of them, had gotten to spend time with people she'd known far longer, but it just felt odd without the Chinese girl's fussbudget, almost maternal manner when it came to such unbecoming activities. It nearly made her laugh right there, just the thought of Soi's flustered expression, complaining that all of them were adults and should behave better. She's so much like Kisuke when he was younger, Yoruichi thought fondly. But at the same time... The upperclassman wasn't sure when she had wandered over to the window, breathing idly on the window and watching it fog up. She was in the middle of drawing an abstract picture when she noticed a familiar head of dark hair hidden below a woolen skullcap, an unmistakably skinny frame puffed out by a heavily padded coat, standing indecisively before the house in already ankle-deep snow. Something about Soi's posture seemed to say that she was seriously considering turning around, about leaving before she even arrived. Without the slightest bit of hesitation Yoruichi ran for her closet, grabbed her coat and gloves, then nearly headed out before remembering the small package stowed near the trunk of the illuminated tree. ---------- Soi shivered in the cold even through her coat, wishing more than anything that she'd gotten a new one this year. she held the package in her hand, but even though she'd come all this way and was probably destined to be sick tomorrow she still couldn't bring herself to give it to Yoruichi. It was such a meager, pathetic excuse for a gift. She deserved so much better than this. She was about to drop the gift in the snow and run home when the last and first voice she wanted to hear sounded behind her. "Hey, you!" The freshman turned around, cautiously, to find Yoruichi standing in the snow a few feet away, clad against the weather in a heavy peacoat and knee-high boots lined with faux fur, smiling brightly as if she really was happy to see her. Her face was already red from the chill, but other than that she seemed perfectly normal, the carefree girl she had known and silently adored for half a year. "I gotta admit, I didn't think you were coming for a while!" "I-I'm sorry, Yoruichi-san," Soi muttered to the snow beneath her feet, her face the color of a cherry in less time than normal. "I-I-I was--" "God, you're ALWAYS apologizing! I swear, you could've at least called and TOLD me you'd be late!" Soi cringed in shame on reflex, but to her surprise Yoruichi's tone was far from reprimanding, and she rubbed a gloved hand on Soi's wool-covered head. It amazed Yoruichi that no matter what Soi did she could never feel upset with her, and even though she should have been immensely angry with anyone else all she could do was keep smiling. "H-h-happy Birthday, Yoruichi-san...a-and Merry Christmas!" Soi whispered as she instictively thrust the package out in front of her, knowing it was too late to back out now. "Ah, so you'd rather do this out here? I was gonna invite you inside and give you some cake..." Yoruichi said wistfully as she accepted the gift, taking off the wrapping carefully until she found its contents. "I...I know it's bad, but it was all I could afford and I really did try to find something ni--" "Soi, it's adorable!" "...Huh?" Soi looked up, more from confusion than actual pride, to find Yoruichi holding the scarf covered with interwoven pictures of cats, looking at it fondly. "R-really?" "...Really," Yoruichi said earnestly as she quickly began wrapping the garment around her neck, feeling a warmth flow into her that had nothing to do with the scarf. Soi blushed again at the smile she recieved, thankful that she could at least blame it against the cold if it came to that. "Oh," Yoruichi said out of the blue as she dug briefly in her pocket, pulling out a small box no bigger than her palm. "Merry Christmas, Soi. Be careful, you don't wanna lose this again." The freshman cocked an eyebrow, wondering what she had meant until she pulled off the lid and nearly dropped the box in shock. Inside, glittering like new, was the ruby necklace, as beautiful as it had been when Soi had first seen her mother put it on so long ago. It was obvious that a few of the diamonds had been lost from the scuffle with the would-be rapists, but they had been flawlessly replaced, and the silver was almost blinding in the low light of the nearby streetlamp. "H..." Soi gasped, her brain struggling to find words, "...How did you..." "Well...Let's just say that I was looking for a while," Yoruichi joked as if combing the street at night for a tiny piece of jewelry was no big deal. "...I know how much it meant to you and I'm sorry I didn't get it back to you sooner, but the jeweler had it forever...and I didn't think you'd wanna see it the way I found it." Soi tried again to think of something to say, but words simply couldn't do justice to the wave of relief, of wholeness she felt having the last piece of her mother safely back in her hands, or the boundless gratitude she felt at this moment for Yoruichi. She couldn't believe that she'd ever thought for a minute that she was bad, that there wasn't a shred of goodness in her. Even if the world turned against her again, Soi knew she wouldn't hesitate to defend her. "...Well, is it okay? I know it's not exactly your mom's anymore, but--" "Yoruichi-san..." The quiet tone of the petite girl's voice cut through the stillness of the evening, threw off the upperclassman's carefree equilibrium. Yoruichi looked at her friend intently, who was between looking her in the eye and glancing off at the nearest house to Yoruichi's. "What?" "...It's nothing," Soi whispered, her shoulders drooping as she began to leave. She couldn't do it, not even if the feelings she had for Yoruichi had suddenly become overwhelming, her heart beating dangerously fast as she struggled to maintain the self-control she'd kept all her life and was just now threatening to overpower her. "Merry Christmas..." "Come on, Soi," Yoruichi insisted with an intrigued grin, grabbing her friend by the shoulder and turning her around, though the Chinese girl was still looking everywhere but at her. "You can't just get all serious like that and then expect me to--" In that instant Soi's eyes finally met hers, and the intensity of those silver orbs took away her easygoing manner as if it had never been there. For a moment both stood still in the cold snow, held by the other's gazes, before Yoruichi opened her mouth to speak. As if afraid she would lose her nerve, Soi grabbed the older girl's shoulders and, rasing herself slightly on her toes, clamped her eyes shut and placed her lips on Yoruichi's. It felt like an eternity before she slowly retreated, lids reluctantly opening as she tried to force herself back to cognizance and out of the warmth she'd been dreaming about since a warm summer night months ago that only she remembered. All at once it hit her. She'd kissed Yoruichi. Lost control. It wasn't anything as simple as a slip of the tongue or an admission that she could brush off. There wasn't going to be any turning back. As if hoping against hope she slowly looked up. It was worse than she thought. Yoruichi didn't appear to be happy, or angry, or even annoyed. She was just staring down at her, expression perfectly blank, almost like she hadn't seen Soi properly until just now. As if she'd committed an unforgivable act the freshman pulled her hands away from their hold on Yoruichi's shoulders, took a step backwards, then stared at the ground as she did the only thing that came to mind and ran home at full speed. She didn't know that Yoruichi had watched her, paralyzed, until she became a speck in the distance, or see the slight deepening of red on the upperclassman's face as she absentmindedly brushed a finger over her lips where Soi's had been just a moment ago.
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