Enlightenment "Aw, damnit!" Soi Fong brought herself back to cognizance at the sudden exclamation from Isane, who was busy now trying to shoot down a polar-bear doll from the shooting booths. With her ammunition expired, the short-haired girl dug in the small purse at her shoulder for more money, but being unsatisfied with what she found she simply sighed and handed the toy rifle back to the game operator. "Man... I really thought I'd get that one. Figures, since I've got no luck with these things anyway," the girl laughed at herself as she told this to Soi, who provided a light chuckle that died as soon as the Junior looked away. It wasn't that Isane was a bad person-- she seemed like a very nice girl to Soi, at least-- it was more that she wanted to get back to the group, back to Yoruichi... "Hey, you having fun?" Isane said loudly so she could be heard over the crowd. "Huh? ...Oh, yeah-- lots," Soi answered with a patronizing smile even as she continued to fervently wish she was somewhere else. She was a bit surprised when she noticed the silver-haired girl look in her direction oddly, then away when Soi took notice. "Y-yeah...me too," Isane said a bit quietly, feeling herself burn up as she inched just slightly closer to the younger girl. "Hey, um... I was wondering..." she said without warning after a long silence. "...Y-you're not seeing anyone...are you?" Soi nearly had a bitter laugh at that question-- she'd never so much as been on a date in her life, let alone in a relationship. Instead, she contented herself with quietly shaking her head to the left and right. "Oh really?" Isane brightened instantly at the younger girl's response, her courage growing by the moment. "Well, then... I... I know we don't know each other really well, but since we do go to the same school and all--" "...What is it?" Soi asked, a bit more impatient than she had meant to. Isane half wanted to turn tail and run, but at the same time knew that if she didn't do it now then she'd probably never have the courage to try again. She took a deep breath, pushing the braid on her right side out of the way before continuing. "W-would you l-like to go out with me sometime?" Yoruichi stared absentmindedly at the small plate of raw fish wrapped in rice and seaweed, taking a small piece and rolling it between her thumb and forefinger before popping it casually into her mouth. It would have been easier if she knew what she was so upset about, but for some reason the answer seemed intent on evading her. Isane was a good girl, Yoruichi knew her pretty well, but that didn't stop her from wondering what she was doing with Soi Fong right now. They were all supposed to meet here a good ten minutes ago, but it was approaching fifteen when her friends got tired of waiting and decided to go ahead and start eating. She'd tried to keep her frustration to herself, which was something she could very easily do most of the time but today she couldn't have witheld if she'd wanted to-- Kisuke had noticed her rather sullen behavior (or rather the way-too-obvious degree of her false happiness) and asked her about it, but she had dismissed it as nothing. "...Doesn't seem like nothing," the boy said wisely as he grabbed one of his many dumpling skewers and put it on the girl's plate. Yoruichi pulled one of the dumplings off and swallowed it whole while Urahara took smaller bites of his. "Are you worried about Soi?" Yoruichi nearly choked on the second dumpling she was working on, but managed to ingest it before she answered. "...Well, if you must know, yes-- I am worried. She and Kotetsu should've been here by now." Urahara raised an eyebrow slightly. It wasn't like Yoruichi at all to be so concerned about something so trivial, but he decided not to mention it to his friend; it was actually kind of nice to see that she did have some feelings beyond her frustratingly casual demeanor. "Oh, come on... You don't really think that they'd--" "Hey! People do crazy things at places like this," Yoruichi said as her eyes narrowed angrily. The thought of ANYONE doing something like THAT to her... she shook the thought away before continuing. "...You come here and you get all friendly with someone, then you get slipped some drugs in your drink when you're not looki--" "Good God, Yoruichi!" the blonde teen said in a disturbed chuckle. "...Don't you think you're getting a little...paranoid? And come on, this is Isane we're talking about-- she has nightmares about FOOD! She wouldn't try ANYTHING on Soi even if she DID like her." Yoruichi was quiet for a few moments, then let out a frustrated sigh. "...I guess so..." she admitted even as she rolled her eyes. She was getting hysterical over nothing. This wasn't like her at all to be acting this way. Yeah, Isane wouldn't have the nerve to do anything, but even so... "...I just don't want anyone hurting her--that's all," she muttered more to herself than Kisuke, although the latter heard her easily enough from his place beside her. "Oh, here you guys are!" Yoruichi felt herself brighten against her will at the sound of Soi Fong's voice, felt her head turn a little too quickly to find her among the swarm of people enjoying the festival. The others noticed her and greeted her with casual or half-hearted salutations, as they were busy with their individual dinners to pay her any mind. "Well, nice to see you guys, too..." the freshman muttered as she walked past them and straight up to where Kisuke and Yoruichi were sitting, the latter of whom tried to hide the smile on her face for fear that she looked too happy. "Hey, kiddo!" Urahara said with a grin as he held out his plate of snacks. "...Dumpling?" "Oh, no thanks, I--" "Hey, you!" Yoruichi's grin faded easily enough when Isane showed up just a second later, having gotten caught up in the crowd and lost sight of the Chinese girl on the way. "...Sorry I lost you back there!" "Oh...no, it's all right," Soi answered with a friendly wave. "...I was just going to go over there and get some ramen," she indicated a small noodle stand not far from where they were sitting. "Well, could I g--" "...I'll go," Yoruichi said faster than she had meant to, shoving her half-eaten plate of sushi near Kisuke. "...I was getting kinda hungry anyway." "O-okay," Soi answered hesitantly once she'd had a moment to recover from the shock of her sempai's presence again. "Isane, could you save us some space?" Yoruichi was ready to tell the Junior to go sit on her own and leave Soi alone, but instead she kept her mouth shut and headed off with her younger friend. Isane barely had time to answer before the girls were beyond earshot, so she merely gave a disappointed sigh and plopped down on the bench next to Urahara. "I'd like an order of curry ramen, please," Soi indicated to the man behind the counter. "...Make that two," the older girl added once she'd looked over the menu. She handed the chef money for both orders, then plopped onto the stool beside Soi Fong. "So," she said with a smile as she glanced at her friend, "...Sorry we ditched you like that...I didn't want to, you know." "Oh...That's okay," Soi muttered as she felt her face burn up again, and not just because of the steam coming from behind the small curtain before them. "...It wasn't too bad with Isane, though. We DID have some fun." Yoruichi felt a little agitated at hearing Soi mention that girl, but she decided to ignore it. Why was the idea of Soi with Isane so upsetting to her? Maybe she was just jealous of the fact that since the freshman had been around her so often that being around another person was surprising. "...Actually, Yoruichi-san?" "...Yeah?" Yoruichi asked as the chef reappeared with their order, giving the first bowl to Soi and the second to the upperclassman. "Well, I wanted to ask...your advice about something." Yoruichi said nothing, she simply nodded at her friend, indicating that she was prepared to listen to what she wanted to say. "...See, Isane asked me on a...on a date-- Are you okay!" Soi exclaimed in the middle of her statement when she saw Yoruichi choking on her ramen. She reached out to help, but the upperclassman stopped her with an outstretched palm. Once she could breathe again, Soi repeated her question, to which Yoruichi put on a wide smile and said she was fine. "J...just go on with your...with what you were saying," Yoruichi said even as she was trying to recover from her brush with death. "...Well...What should I do?" Yoruichi again felt something in her gut urge her to tell Soi to leave Isane alone, but she was able to silence it even though it was harder than before to ignore it. God, what was wrong with her? "Hmm..." The older woman hummed as she resumed her eating. "...I guess you should just do what you feel is right, Soi." The girl felt a little bit disappointed by her friend's answer, by her ambiguity. She had almost hoped that Yoruichi would tell her what to do, give her something specific to mull over. But then, obviously this wasn't something Yoruichi could instruct her in, like with Karate or how to fend off bullies. She'd be flying solo in this decision. She was about to say something to the now silent Yoruichi when a tall glass bottle landed on the counter between them with a dull smack. The two girls turned to see Kuukaku holding the neck of the bottle and about four others like it in the crook of her other arm. "Hey, Yoruichi...Look what I got!" the tactless girl said with a crooked smile as she indicated the label, and upon closer inspection Yoruichi realized what Kuukaku had acquired. "...Sake?" "You bet yer ass it is! Sure, it cost a mint...but it's for a very special occasion..." "Oh?" Yoruichi asked skeptically, knowing the answer even before she prepared to ask. "...And what would that be?" "Drinking. Contest. You and me-- right here and right now!" With that, Kuukaku pulled out a pair of small drinking glasses from her pocket and slammed them on the counter in succession, then shoved herself between Soi and Yoruichi. "Hey!" the freshman exclaimed as her ramen bowl fell to the grass and spilled its contents out with abandon, but Kuukaku took no notice of her and Yoruichi hadn't heard over the din of the surrounding chaos. "Ahh...I think I'm gonna pass, Kuukaku. I'm not really in the mood to be drinking," Yoruichi said with false regret as she glanced in Soi's direction. "Bullshit," Kuukaku chuckled as she popped the top on one of the bottles, letting the rice wine air out slightly before she served it. "...You said we were all gonna get drunk this week, but I know you haven't had so much as a drop since we've been here. Now you and me are gonna down shots 'til we puke or I'm gonna beat you up!" Yoruichi gave her a look that said she didn't think that was even close to possible, but before she could ask Soi if she wanted to leave she heard the voice she'd come to abhor over the last five days. "Hey, Soi Fong!" There was Isane again, looking at Soi with that warm glow in her eyes, offset by a rather deep blush that the object of her affections didn't notice. "...Ready to keep going?" "W-well, actually, I..." Soi began but was surprised when she felt Isane's fingers around her wrist, pulling her so hard that she feared her arm might be removed. "Come on, we can still check out some of the shops before fireworks start!" Yoruichi glared as she watched Isane drag Soi off (clearly against the girl's will), then flinched when Kuukaku spoke out of nowhere. "Hmph-- Isane sure wants to get th' kid in the sack, eh?" "Jeez," Yoruichi grumbled as she stirred the bowl of noodles before her with her chopsticks, "...Why the hell is an upperclassman so interested in her, anyway? I don't like it." "...Look who's talking." Yoruichi's eyes snapped towards Kuukaku, an accusing glint to her hard gaze. "...What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?" "Nothin'," the Shiba girl said casually, but Yoruichi caught the taunting grin on her face. Was Kuukaku implying that she was... Of course not. There was no way it could be that. She liked Soi a lot, that was true, but it was more of a filial sort of affection... the only reason she didn't like Isane was because she just wanted to make sure Soi was safe...right? She was interrupted from her musings by her friend speaking again, lifting the liter of sake with her as she did so. "Well, if you'd rather just sit here, I can find someone else willing to play--" Before she could finish, Yoruichi yanked her into a stool and set the glasses so that one was in front of each of them. She was thinking too much about all this-- a few drinks wouldn't hurt at this point. "Fine-- let's get started." Kuukaku grinned as she turned the open bottle end-over-end, pouring both half a glassful. "So..." Isane asked as soon as they were alone (and by 'alone' that meant away from anyone who knew them), "...You said you'd think about... about g-going out... well, what do you wanna do?" Soi hesitated before she answered. She had been giving this a lot of thought since Isane had asked her, but even so she knew that her answer wasn't going to change. "...Kotetsu-san..." Soi began after a steadying breath, "...I really do think that you're a nice person... but I just don't think I want to go on a date." "...Oh..." Soi felt guilty as she watched Isane's cheerful demeanor disappear like water turning to steam, but at the same time she felt slightly liberated-- like she was glad for being honest with herself. "I...I'm really sorry..." "No, t-that's okay," the Junior answered with a bit too wide of a smile. Even so, she didn't speak for a little while, and didn't seem as intent on looking at Soi as she had before. The freshman thought for a moment that Isane didn't want to talk to her anymore, but without warning the tomboyish-looking girl spoke again. "...Is there someone else? That you're interested in, I mean." "Oh, uh..." Soi pursed her lips for a moment, not sure what the answer to that question was. "...I...I guess so..." she muttered as Yoruichi popped into her head. "...Is it Yorui--" "NO!" It wasn't the denial that had surprised Soi so much as the volume with which she had declared it-- some people passing by stopped what they were doing just to look at her, a few of whom were whispering rude things about her. "...I mean..." Soi managed as her face burned red, her dark eyes darting around in confusion. There were so many thoughts running through her mind all of a sudden, some of them troubling while others were confusing and still more were strangely pleasant and warming. "...I...I need to be alone for a little while," Soi said in a half-whisper as she rejected Isane's outstretched hand and headed off into the crowd as fast as her feet could move her. Soi wasn't sure where she was now, just that she had wandered to the outskirts of the festival, where there were a few late families making their way to the lawn where the fireworks were going to be and couples in their own little worlds, talking in whispered tones barely a few inches from each other's face. She glanced at them dejectedly, annoyed with the way they seemed oblivious to everything around them, how they wasted their time with feelings that weren't going to last beyond high school anyway. Sure, it was rather spiteful and prejudiced of her to think that, but right now she just felt so frustrated, not just with herself but with this confusion saturating her consciousness that she wanted to take out her venom on anyone who walked by-- they were all eligible to be condemned by the jury of her mind right now. She was just about to look back at the booths when she saw something that caught her eye. There were two girls walking up the path-- one was taller with her long hair in a bun, the other was a bit shorter and had rather cute pigtails that hung over her shoulders, but both were clad in matching yukata. Soi tried to look away, but there was something about them that made her keep watching-- no sort of attraction, she just felt compelled see what happened. Suddenly the shorter girl limped and as if she could have seen it coming, her tall companion grabbed her by the arm to prevent a fall. She bent down and lifted up the hem of her robe for just a moment, but Soi saw the violent red burn on her ankle-- almost as if she'd been attacked. The tall girl spoke to her friend with concerned eyes, making a few gestures in the direction they had come. The shorter one gave a brave sort of smile, shaking her head and acting like the injury (or whatever it was the tall girl had mentioned) wasn't a big deal. The tall one gave a slight sigh, then put an arm around her companion. Soi smiled to herself, the gesture reminding her of Yoruichi. She thought for a minute that they must have been sisters until the taller one leaned down and planted a kiss right on the other's lips. Suddenly Soi knew exactly what they were. She tried to look away, pretend she hadn't noticed, but suddenly they returned her mind's eye, but this time it was different. It was her and Yoruichi instead. In an instant Soi remembered why she had run from Isane in the first place, why she was now walking about the festival alone. She felt so different than she had before she'd left for the trip, and no matter how many times she had tried to assure herself otherwise she knew Yoruichi was at the center of it. God, this was ridiculous! She couldn't have feelings for Yoruichi... even though she was happier with her than she had ever been in her life, even though there was this strange longing deep in the pit of her stomach when she looked at her, even though she was feeling all these things that usually identified at the very least with the symptoms of a crush. It was just adolescent confusion; she'd heard about stuff like this before, where a shy girl would think she was in love with another girl, but once they became more outgoing they grew out of it, like it was simply a phase. Those two women she'd seen before probably weren't even real-- just a hallucination caused by an overworked and troubled mind. She just needed more time to relax, more time away from Yoruichi. That would set her straight. But, as destiny seemed intent on proving her wrong since the day she'd set foot in high school, she encountered something other than peace of mind that night. Soi jumped as she heard the snapping of a twig out in the trees to her right. She almost ignored it, but then she noticed the flash of lantern light on a lavender yukata. Is that...? Sure enough, she followed it a little further to find her sempai, strewn out on the grass with her robe askew on her. "Y...Yoruichi?" "Hhhhheyyy, Ssssoi Fffonngh!" Yoruichi managed to say after a few moments of blank-eyed staring, her face flush and a stupidly happy grin on her face. Soi flinched when the overpowering stench of alchol hit her from Yoruichi's breath, but recovered when the older girl tried to stand and only ended up tripping over her own leg. Soi was about to ask if she was hurt when Yoruichi suddenly began laughing. "Th...that wassss fuuhnnn!" the dark-skinned girl yelled even as she tried half-heartedly to stop giggling. "Ddddid yyya ssshheee me...f...fall justtt nnnowwww!" Soi gave out an exasperated sigh as she leaned down and picked up one of Yoruichi's limp arms, grunting as she forced it around her neck for support. "J...just how much d...did you drink, Yoruichi?" Soi growled through her teeth, straining to at least get the drunken woman on her feet, which she seemed utterly unwilling to do. "Y...Yeh sssshheeee thhhat, Kkkuuuukakku?" Yoruichi slurred victoriously to no one in particular. "I wwwonnn agggaain! Ya ddddumm bbbitsssssch..." "...Just try to...there..." the freshman said with a bit of relief as she gave a strong tug and felt some of Yoruichi's weight disappear as she clumsily regained some semblance of balance. To her added relief, Yoruichi didn't speak for a little bit, just mumbling to herself and occasionally hiccupping. Jeez, Soi thought as she continued to support Yoruichi by what barely passed as her strength. She didn't know what had made Yoruichi so appealing in her eyes before-- in situations like this one, she could be so childish, so careless-- not to mention that she wasn't terribly mature to begin with, always teasing, smiling, treating life like it was just a big game to her... "...Wherrre th' hell'sssss...Issssanne? Aaarrren't yyyou goin' out w...with that lllittle sk...litttle skank?" "Huh?" Soi asked with a cocked eyebrow. Why would she bring that up at a time like this? "...I don't know. I kinda left after I told her 'no.'" "...Ttthhhat's...ggggoood..." Yoruichi mumbled, but it didn't surprise Soi nearly as much as what she said next. "Ttthhat's what tttthe bitssssch gggets for t-trrryin' ta take ya awayyy frrrrem me." Soi nearly dropped Yoruichi right there, but before she even had a chance to be shocked the older girl suddenly shoved her against the trunk of a nearby tree. The freshman winced slightly from the impact on her back and was about to chew her drunken friend out when Yoruichi leaned in, her face barely an inch from the younger girl's, her hands pressed flat on the bark around Soi's head for support. Soi instantly froze up, Yoruichi's proximity suddenly and inexplicably rendering her unable to form a cognizant thought. "Y...Yoruichi-san..." she managed after a few tense moments staring into those unfocused golden eyes before her. She couldn't remember what she had thought wasn't attractive about Yoruichi just a moment ago, all she knew was that all the blood in her body was rushing directly to her face. "...L-let me move..." she said weakly even as she knew she didn't want to go anywhere. "Nnnnnuh-uhhh," Yoruichi said lazily as her head lolled back and forth, a slow smile creeping onto her lips as she said it. "...Y...yyya neeeed ta rrrrememmmmber wwwho yyyya...wwwwho's gggggonnna lllloook afffta' yyyeeeww..." The upperclassman stumbled a little bit, bringing face even closer to her prisoner's. Soi felt her pulse race, a sudden desire reducing her thoughts to nothing as the memory of the two girls reappeared in her mind with her and Yoruichi in their places. "...Yerrrr...mmmy Ssssoi Fonnng..." the older girl stumbled through the words like she was lost in a fog, and Soi could smell the rice wine on her breath even more than before but Yoruichi's closeness was making it almost pleasant, like it was an integral part of the woman's scent. "Y-Yoruichi-san...l-l-listen...you're drunk, you're saying th-things you don't m--..." But she never does get a chance to finish that sentence when out of nowhere Yoruichi instantly closes the gap between them. For a moment Soi can't think; all she can do is stare wide-eyed at nothing in particular as she feels Yoruichi's lips on hers. She had never thought about what her first kiss would feel like, but she hadn't thought for a moment it would happen like this: pinned to a tree by a girl three years older than her, that dark mouth pressed so hard on her delicate one that she's almost afraid there'll be a bruise afterwards. Almost. Yoruichi manages, with great difficulty considering her intoxication, to move a hand from her support onto Soi's face, her fingertips running down from the cheek in a surprisingly fluid motion. The sensation is suddenly more than Soi can handle, she trembles against her will, unaware that she still needs to breathe as she weakens, her eyelids slowly drooping as she runs out of oxygen. Yoruichi's lips become rather unfocused as the kiss lingers, and she slowly begins to drift to the left, her lips no longer fused to her younger friend's but Soi remains petrified as though they were. As quickly as it had happened the older girl suddenly withdrawls, pulling her face away from Soi with that incoherent grin still on her features. "...Thhhherrre wwwe gggho...Y-yahh knowwww thtttthat yyya ttthalk ttoooo musshsh, Ssssoi." All the other girl can do is gasp for breath as she suddenly remembers her body's need for air, but whether her breathlessness is the result of Yoruichi's kiss or being deprived of oxygen for nearly two minutes is unknown to her. She tries to get her now uncooperative brain to work again, to move as she knows she should, but the only thing she's aware of is the taste of Yoruichi's lips-- the sweet flavor of sake mixed with the spicy tang of curry. Suddenly the stench of alcohol is far from abhorrent to her; its presence on Yoruichi almost makes it intoxicating in and of itself, like she was being bathed in pheromones, inhaling the most powerful of love potions. Yoruichi slowly makes her way forward once more and all Soi can do is close her eyes and part her lips, surrendering to the euphoria that had overwhelmed her senses and that wanted to taste Yoruichi again and again and again... but instead of that softness on her mouth she feels Yoruichi's forehead collide with hers, then the older girl loses her balance and falls in a heap to the ground. The bump on her head takes another moment to break the spell on Soi, who's brought back to Earth almost painfully as she rubs the sore spot. Slowly, as if coming out of a fog, she realizes what just happened and her eyes threaten to pop out of her head. She... Yoruichi just... The older girl's most recent act came out in a low whisper, Soi almost afraid that if she said it out loud it would be undone. But she wanted it to be undone...didn't she? Yoruichi had been drunk, she reminded herself. If she had known what she was doing, she would never have kissed her...right? Why would anyone so wonderful and beautiful want to be that close to her? But she'd said her name... she'd said her name and smiled as she did it. Slowly, almost timidly, Soi glanced at Yoruichi's now unconscious form, heard her throaty snoring as she lay on the grass face up. All of a sudden Soi found herself on top of the sleeping woman, her heart pounding and eyes glittering with awakened desire. She wanted to kiss Yoruichi again, wanted it so badly she didn't care if the other was cognizant enough to feel it or not. Soi knew as she dreamily closed her eyes and moved in that this was definitely not a crush, that it wasn't a case of confused sexual identity-- the longing burning within her was far too strong to be something as simple as that. ... So perfect... Soi though happily as she felt her bottom lip make contact with that flawless mouth, wanting more than anything for Yoruichi to wake up and just have her right there... "Hey, Yoruichi! Are you out here?" Soi jumped away from Yoruichi's inert form as though she had been burned, a sudden sense of shame and fear overwhelming her as Urahara's voice drifted in her direction. She stumbled back a few paces, forcing herself to look away even as she wants to stare at Yoruichi in all her glory. She heard Kisuke call a second time, and once she had regained a bit of her sanity the freshman answered him. "O-over here! Urahara-san!" A few minutes later she saw the blonde teen approach her, stumbling through the half-darkness just as the flash of fireworks lit up the night, the rumble of the explosions little more than pops at this distance. "Oh, there she is," Kisuke said in a tone that was both relieved and agitated. "...What are you doing out here, kid?" he queried to the freshman a few feet from him. "W-well..." Soi began, uncertain if she wanted to lay out in detail the events that had lead her to this point. In the end, she decided against it. "...I just kind of noticed her out here, so I tried to get her back. What happened?" "Oh, Kuukaku got her to join in a drinking contest-- she always goes too damn far with these things. Well," the upperclassman said in a grunt as he bent down and draped his friend's limp arms around his neck for support, then stood up and held her legs so that she was straddling his back, "...I guess we'd better get her home." "Well, what about the others...?" Soi asked as they began to trudge toward the entrance to the festival. "Oh, they'll be fine. They're probably just gonna head back once the fireworks are done, anyway." A flash of green and blue illuminated the woods as he said this, giving the duo just enough light to find their way out. "Man, I tell you what, Yoru-chan gets pretty crazy when she's drunk," the young man said with a chuckle as he hoisted her up a little more, to avoid losing his grip. "Y...yeah..." Soi agreed absentmindedly, the events of the last few minutes already playing in her head again. "Hey, you look a little shaken," Kisuke noted as he glanced at Soi's rather pale face. "...She didn't DO anything to you before she conked out, did she?" The freshman blushed as the sensation of Yoruichi's soft lips invaded her thoughts, accompanied by the lingering flavor of sake on her tongue... "N-n-no," Soi muttered, trying not to act guilty even though she was staring at the grass, at anything to avoid looking Kisuke straight in the eye. The boy sensed that something was wrong, however, but he let the matter drop as they headed back to the beach house. Soi Fong stared at her coffee cup early the next morning, the steam slowly rising from its inscrutable dark surface making an unbroken flow of erratic white that stained the air. Everyone else was still asleep, after having gotten back from the fireworks display long after midnight, but the freshman's mind refused to allow her the same degree of restfulness today. She had too much on her mind even after she and Kisuke had gotten Yoruichi to bed to even consider sleep an option. Yoruichi... Soi thought as she glanced at her untouched drink, gazing at the dark brown color that was so beautiful, so much like HER skin and would probably taste even sweeter than the coffee... she stopped herself before the fantasy could continue, but then felt slightly empty instead. She'd hoped that some time alone would help her to sort out the cluttered space of her mind, but it had been a pipe dream: all she did now was think about Yoruichi, the kiss replaying in her mind over and over like a broken record. But no matter how many times she relived it the feelings refused to fade; in fact if anything they seemed to grow more intense with each recollection. It was this perfect mix of desire and tenderness and passion and joy that made her completely content but at the same time made her long for Yoruichi all the more, just so that she could catch another taste of the heaven that was her lips. "Uhhhgh..." Soi's heart jumped as she heard Yoruichi behind her, but she stopped from turning around, not wanting to look too eager to see her. She probably didn't remember what happened last night, after all. "H-hi, Yoruichi-san," the freshman said as casually as she could, given that her pulse was running a marathon right now. God, even in the morning, hung over with her hair mussed up and dark bags under her golden eyes, Yoruichi was still breathtakingly gorgeous, still flawless and exacting in her movements. Still a Goddess. "M...mornin'..." Yoruichi managed through a yawn as she stumbled over to the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup as she grabbed a small bottle of aspirin from the counter. Once she had finished with her coffee the older girl went about popping the child-proof top, finally sighing victoriously as her strength overwhelmed the container. She popped a few of the small white tablets, then glanced over to notice Soi gazing at her, apparently transfixed. "...What?" the girl asked a little more irritably than she had meant to, at which the freshman immediately turned away. "S-sorry," the younger girl mumbled shyly even though she wasn't, trying to stop herself from wanting to run up to Yoruichi and kiss her and only just barely succeeding. She wanted to caress that tired face, wanted to lay her on a soft bed and watch her as she drifted into sleep, wanted to be content with just being Yoruichi's friend. But it was too late for that, and she realized that it had been too late for that ever since she'd first looked at Yoruichi. But at least now the confusion was gone, replaced instead with a truth that she was more certain about than anything else in her life. She was in love with Yoruichi. In love with her teasing and her peerless beauty and her sly grins and the way her eyes narrowed when she smiled and the way she sounded when she was sick and could barely speak, in love with how soft her lips were and how right she made her feel when they were together. She even loved her when she was tired and cranky like this, when she looked like she might slug anyone who got anywhere near her bad side. Yoruichi had been absolutely right last night-- Soi WAS hers now. She was completely and utterly devoted to this woman, and no one in the world could change that in the slightest now. "...Ah, man..." Yoruichi groaned as she gripped her forehead, rubbing it gingerly where less than twelve hours ago she had literally bumped heads with Soi, "...What the hell happened to me last night?" Soi blushed and pretended to be interested in the design on her mug, not sure she wanted to answer that question just yet.
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