A Day at the Beach While it couldn't be argued that Gin Ichimaru was a cold bastard, he did at least seem to be a man of his word. He didn't make any attempt to bother Soi for the rest of the day-- in fact, it seemed like he was going out of his way to ignore her, becoming deaf when she casually requested that he pass the salt at lunch or refusing to acknowledge her presence when she walked into a room. Soi didn't mind this treatment at all, but Yoruichi was far from satisfied with the bully's additude and voiced it privately to her friend on occasion. "...Seriously, if you want me to beat him up, I can make it happen REAL easy," the Black-belt said through the side of her mouth after Gin had bumped into Soi, acting like she wasn't there. "Come on, Yoruichi-san," Soi rresponded with a bit of exasperation. "...It's no big deal. And besides, I'll take that over being beaten up any day." Yoruichi wanted to contend that after how Ichimaru had treated her he could at least have the decency to be civil, but the likelihood of that occuring coupled with Soi's disinterested contentment finally made the older girl drop the issue. "Hey, why are you guys so glum?" Rangiku asked from atop the stairs, where she had just finished brushing her teeth. "Come on-- we're going swimming today!" "Really?" Soi asked uncomfortably. "I thought that it was supposed to be rainy today..." "Where'd you hear that?" the blonde wondered in disbelief. "No way--nothin' but blue skies and clear seas 'til Saturday!" "G-great," Soi answered with as much false enthusiasm as she could muster while Matsumoto headed to her room to change. Soi was about to head down the hallway when Yoruichi stopped her. "...Somethin' wrong?" "N-no..." "Really?" Yoruichi asked skeptically. "...You didn't seem too enthused about swimming...You DO know that's the main reason we came, right?" Soi had figured as much, but she was so excited by both the idea of spending time with Yoruichi and of coming to the ocean (which she hadn't seen since she was a little girl) that she'd forgotten the most important thing. "I...I forgot to...bring a swimsuit," Soi muttered as she stared at the floor. Yoruichi nodded in understanding, then was silent for a moment as she considered the options. "Well, you're not...ahem...big enough (Soi wondered if she was burning up enough to melt straight through the ground) to wear one of mine... Hey, I know! I'll drive you into town and you can choose one for yourself!" Soi's eyes widened to the size of serving trays. Alone? With Yoruichi? Looking at... Goddamnit, Soi! the girl ordered herself angrily. Get your mind out of the gutter! "Hey, what is it?" Yoruichi queried as she leaned down and caught a glimpse of Soi's look of mixed desire and confusion. "N-n-nothing," Soi fibbed, trying to avoid Yoruichi's gaze as she stood rooted to the spot. "You...you don't have to do t-that, Yoruichi-san...I'll just, um...just read on the beach." The older woman didn't respond at first, but Soi did notice the look of disappointment on her features. "...Are you sure? You're really okay with doing THAT?" "...Yeah," Soi said as she threw on a smile and walked past her friend. "Okay, if that's what makes you happy..." Yoruichi shrugged as she headed off to change. As the freshman sat on the beach towel, wearing an oversized plain-white T-shirt over her underwear, she couldn't help but regret her decision. ...Why the hell did I say 'no?' No matter how many times she tried to ask herself that question, she could never offer herself a straight answer. It was strange that she wanted to be around Yoruichi, but lately the comfortable vibe she'd had before was being replaced by an unnerving sense of tension. Yoruichi had only wanted to take her to the store, for God's sake, but she'd balked for no reason! Soi heaved a sigh as she put her book down briefly, then gazed at the nearby shoreline. Nanao was in a plain, dark-green one-piece, more than able to swim but opting to follow in Soi's footsteps by reading a complicated-looking text instead. Rukia and Renji had arrived an hour after breakfast, and were busy building an elaborate sandcastle at the water's edge (Soi actually laughed at the sight-- it seemed that Rukia was more interested in the innocent pursuit of sand architecture while her other half seemed more focused on finding a shady spot that wouldn't be looked in on too quickly). Finally, Soi's eyes drifted a little further out to sea to find Yoruichi and Kuukaku single-handedly challenging Kisuke, Shunsui and Ukitake to water-wrestling, a contest that the two were easily winning on their own. The freshman smiled to herself as she watched her sempai yank Urahara into the surf, grinning victoriously all the while. That was her Yoruichi-san-- such a strong, vibrant, exuberant, gorgeous... Soi blinked furiously at her last thought, her face going red even as she tried to assure herself that her idle thought hadn't meant anything. Of course she thought Yoruichi was beautiful--she'd have to be blind not to notice that! But she only thought that as a girl admiring another girl--that was all. ...But then, Soi thought as her eyes drifted back to a very scantily clad Yoruichi, her smile almost hypnotically radiant even in her decidely unfeminine activity, ...why can't I stop looking at her? "...Hey, what are you doing?" "AAH!" Soi yelped as a quiet voice suddenly brought her back to the present, tossing her book into the air in the process. She turned and was about to yell when she noticed the short-haired girl standing a few feet behind her, clothed in a long tank-top style bikini that seemed more like a bodysuit compared to the held-together-by-threads look of the lounging Rangiku's outfit. "S-sorry," Isane apologized with a little bow that reminded Soi of herself a bit. "...I...I just saw you sitting alone, a-and I wondered if...if you wanted some c-company. Oh, here--I'll go get your book..." Soi went from startled to very confused within the course of a few seconds. This girl didn't seem to fit her image of a Junior at all-- she was stuttering slightly, had the faintest traces of a blush on her lean face. It almost seemed like she was nervous about talking to Soi, but for the life of her the Chinese girl couldn't understand why. Isane picked the tome up and was about to hand it back to Soi when she lifted the cover to her face. "...What is it?" Soi asked casually, as she wasn't really interested in what the other girl had to say. "Oh, n-nothing," Isane said with a shrug as he returned the book to its owner. "I just...well, I've read that book, too. Well, 'bye," the girl said quickly as she cursed herself for getting so flustered-- why did she always have to get that way around people she was...interested in? "Wait!" Soi called and Isane turned to see the freshman's eyes narrow slightly in intrigue. She wasn't really doing anything important, so what could it hurt to engage in a litte friendly conversation? "...Did you like it? The book, I mean." Isane lit up just a little bit at the slight drop in Soi's autonomous personality. "Oh, y-yeah! It's one of my favorites! I've actually read it..." at this the girl began to tap on her fingers in succession from pinky to thumb, "...about 8 times." "Really? So have I!" Soi said enthusiastically, happy in spite of herself that someone else here had common interests with her. "Well, actually I've read all the books in the series about 3 times each, but I can't put this one down, no matter how many times I read it!" "I know! I love this guy's writing..." Isane began as a Yoruichi made her way up to the two girls. "Hey, Soi!" "Oh, H--...Hi, Yoruichi-san..." Soi said as her cheerful greeting turned into an embarrassed mumble. She'd nearly forgotten that Yoruichi was here in her getting acquainted with Isane, but seeing the older girl with her dark, elegant hair matted around her face and shoulders (not to mention the way her skin shimmered slightly from the seawater's moisture that remained on her) made her presence all but indelible from Soi's mind. Yoruichi smiled at Isane as well, but the Junior didn't catch the less-than-sincere undercurrent to her grin. "...What are you doing, Kotetsu?" "Huh? Oh, I was just, uh...talking to Soi Fong." Isane said as though she had nothing to hide. Yoruichi gave the girl an almost accusatory look before turning back to her friend. "So, are you SURE you don't wanna come in? The water's great!" "P-p-pretty sure," Soi answered as she forced herself to look away, only to find that the image of Yoruichi in her bikini was now burned into her brain. "...All right," Yoruichi said as she ran back, waving at a Kuukaku impatient to beat the boys again. Stupid, Soi thought as she watched the older woman go, not even making an attempt to listen as Isane began talking about the book again. Soi Fong waved goodbye to Isane as she headed up toward the house, nodding incoherently as the other girl mentioned through a blush that she'd like to visit with her again tomorrow. The freshman wasn't sure how the hours had drifted away so quickly, but it was nearly dusk now and everyone was heading up the dune, torn between tired exhileration or hunger. Soi assured an intrigued Rangiku that she'd follow after them in a minute, then headed down to the shore. Yoruichi was still there, swimming against the cresting waves only to let them move her back towards the sand, breathing in the taste of the sea air, savoring the way the water washed over her skin. The upperclassman opened her eyes upon hearing the gentle pitter-patter of bare feet on sand, but instead of feeling intruded upon, she was actually rather glad. "...So..." she asked with a teasing smile once Soi was within earshot, pulling herself into a sitting position with her legs still under the surface of the water, "...What did Isane want?" "...Huh?" Soi asked, surprised by the question. "What do you mean?" "Nothin'," the older girl answered without looking at her friend. "...Just looked like she was getting a little 'friendly' is all..." Soi's eyebrow furrowed a little bit at the odd accusation. "...I don't know what you're talking about," the freshman answered after a moment. "...We were just talking. I really don't know her at all, though." After a moment, Yoruichi turned around, her smile firmly in place, making any apprehension Soi may have had dissipate. "Well, what did you want, Soi?" "Um..." Soi began uncertainly, as she didn't have much experience in asking for things. She didn't like the idea of owing Yoruichi more than she did, but if it meant she could be around her more... "I was...wondering if y-you could take me to...to get a swimsuit?" She was almost afraid Yoruichi would refuse, at least until she saw her friend's face light up. "Well, now you're talkin' some sense!" Yoruichi said as she stood up, wading toward the petite girl calmly. "Well, I'll see if I can get the car from Kisuke and we'll go tomorrow, okay?" "O-okay!" Soi said enthusiasically, not regretting in the slightest now that she had come to Yoruichi and asked-- at least, not until the tall girl picked her up in one swift motion and tossed her into the water. "W...(koff)...what was that for!" Soi called in surprised horror as she pulled herself back to shore, shivering over Yoruichi's ecstatic chuckling. "G-god, i-i-it's c-c-cold!" "What?" Yoruichi forced herself to speak as she wiped away a mirth-induced tear. "...I didn't do anything..." "Y-y-you're m-m-mean!" Soi said as grumpily as she could, which wasn't much considering that she was shivering now to stop herself from breaking out into shared laughter. "What? You look cute wet," the older girl teased as she indicated the now-transparent shirt clinging to Soi's body, and she gasped once she looked down to find her underwear visible, which only made Yoruichi double over with renewed giggling. "S-shut up," Soi mumbled even as she began to laugh as well, trying to calm down enough to wrap herself in Yoruichi's nearby towel. It took them both a few minutes for their breathing to return to normal, at which point Yoruichi threw an arm around Soi's neck and pulled her up the beach with her. "Come on, let's get back-- they'll think something's up." Soi caught the teasing smile and the wink in Yoruichi's eye, but she didn't have the slightest idea what the dark-skinned girl was implying. For her part, she was just glad she was alone with Yoruichi, even if she still didn't understand what the warmth inside her at her sempai's presence meant.
Back to The Cat and the Bee Index - Back to Bleach Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction