Birthday The next few weeks passed without incident. Soi got over her sickness fairly quickly even without Yoruichi's help, though the older girl occasionally called to make sure her friend wanted for nothing. Conversations passed easily, though they bore an almost forced degree of pleasantness, and soon enough school had started again. Soi never bothered to ask, but it seemed as though Yoruichi's schedule for this semester seemed even busier, as if she was avoiding her, but decided not to bring it up on the rare occasions that they were in each other's company. February 11th happened to be one of those days. Her morning classes over, Soi Fong had taken her lunch to the roof, half-hoping that the upperclassman would be there already, even if she was with Kisuke or Kuukaku. No one present, the freshman gave the slightest grimace of disappointment before sitting on the chill concrete below her feet, wishing she'd had the foresight to wear her coat but not cold enough to remedy the situation. She smiled as she unwrapped the hastily-made bento her father had insisted on packing for her today, taking out small card and silently thanking him for never once forgetting no matter how busy he was. "Hey, kid! Wat'cha up to?" At the sound of Kuukaku's voice Soi instinctively stuffed the note back into her lunchbox; since the lid had partly concealed it she hoped that the upperclassman hadn't noticed. Looking up to see her accompanied by Yoruichi, who flashed the most benign of grins before sitting on her opposite side, made her doubly hopeful. "H-hi Kuukaku...Yoruichi-san..." The dark-skinned woman gave a grunt of acknowledgement before immediately digging into her meal; Soi caught the slightest flash of seaweed-wrapped sushi before her friend swallowed it in a single gulp. "Geez, how come I never get spoken to with respect like that?" Kuukaku complained aloud, seemingly to no one. "...It's like everyone just thinks I don't deserve it!" "...You don't," Yoruichi quipped out of nowhere; not even the uneasiness between her and Soi Fong had damaged her razor-sharp instincts when it came to sarcasm. "Oh, is that it? An' I suppose you're a regular sain--" "What's that?" Soi felt her eyes widen when she realized what Yoruichi had asked about, aware that when she'd reopened her lunch she'd forgotten to shift the note to the side, out of plain sight where it now sat. "N-nothing--Hey!" the freshman protested as the curious Yoruichi snatched the note with lightening speed, grinning mischeivously as she turned the paper over to read it. Her smile dropped in less than a second when she realized what it said, written hastily in a rather cramped handwriting. Happy birthday to my 'Little Bee.' Sorry to let you know like this, but I had to cancel our plans for tonight. Will make it up to you later! - Love, Dad She hadn't finished a second before Soi grabbed it back from her, folding it into her pocket and gathering her things quickly to leave. The freshman had nearly reached the door when Yoruichi stopped her with another question. "...Today's your birthday?" "Yeah..." Soi answered quietly, as if ashamed of the fact. "What?! Why didn't you tell us?!" the eldest Shiba asked with a bewildered expression. "We coulda put together a party for ya or somethin'!" "...It's not that big a deal-- it's just like any other day." "Oh, come on," Yoruichi finally spoke up, brow furrowed slightly in annoyance. "Of course it's important! I can pretty easily say that you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your birthday!" At that Soi's stoic expression cracked slightly, and the faintest of smiles flickered across her lips at the jest. Yoruichi felt herself smile back, relieved that she'd stopped her friend's attempt at running out for now. "So...what's this business about 'plans with your dad?'" "Not much. It's just that he takes me out to dinner on my birthday every year, but he's working late tonight on this case of his and he can't get away, so..." She trailed off and gave a nonchalant shrug, but there was something in Soi's attitude that gave away her disappointment. Before she could say anything, Kuukaku beat her to the punch. "Hey! Why don't we all go out for your birthday? You know-- make it a girl's night out." "...Oh no, it's no big deal..." "Come on, Soi," Yoruichi interjected, enthusiastic at the chance to reassert her friendship with the younger girl, "...It's our treat! I think that's the LEAST you should let us do for acting like we weren't allowed to find out." Soi didn't answer right away, but in spite of her response the unexpected realization that she'd be having a birthday party betrayed itself by the hint of red on her cheeks. "...I guess if you want to..." ---------- Hours later Yoruichi stood in front of her bathroom mirror, suddenly wondering if she was getting overdressed. Her rather limited supply of cosmetics lay scattered and open on the finished marble counter, and while the upperclassman was heating the ends of her ponytail in a curler she considered a pair of outfits she'd narrowed her selection down to. At this point it had come down to a casual dress skirt paired with a matching black v-neck and denim jacket or a jet-black ribbed turtleneck and stone-washed blue jeans. It was a decision she'd have made in less than a second any other time she went out, but the fact that it was for Soi had made her a bit more careful. She'd made a rule when it came to dressing up: anything that revealed cleavage was for a date, anything more conservative was for friends. Why she was even struggling with this decision made no sense to her, but even so her hand strayed toward the more provocative of the two. What am I doing, Yoruichi wondered as she caught herself again, and released the holder of the curler to let her hair fall. It's not even like I'm gonna be alone with Soi. It's just dinner and dancing at a nightclub. Besides, Kuukaku's gonna be there too. "I say go with the v-neck." Yoruichi jumped, turned at the sound of her best friend's voice, casually drifting through the other side of the wide-open door, surprise turning quickly to frustration. "Goddamnit Kisuke, would it kill you to knock for once?" "I dunno. Maybe if you made an effort to lock the front door more often..." the blonde teased from the other side of the outside wall, taking the slightest of glances in before looking away. Yoruichi never bothered to wear a bra most of the time and though she didn't seem to care if anyone saw her, it was more of a personal effort of self-control on Kisuke's part to avoid staring. "...Anyway, I put the keys on the kitchen table. You just needed the car for tonight, right?" "Yeah, thanks. Are you sure you don't need me to give you a ride back home?" "Nah, it's no big deal. A guy I know from work lives nearby; he said it'd be fine." Yoruichi gave a slight grunt of comprehension before going about brushing her teeth for the third time, and it was moments before she finished that Kisuke caught a familiar scent coming from the bathroom. "...Rose perfume?" He heard the sound of choking on toothpaste, followed by the rapid activation of the faucet and the sound of post-gargling gasps for breath. "S-so what?" Yoruichi growled once she'd recovered. "...I like this stuff." "We both know the only time you ever wear that is when you go on a date." "It's NOT a date! Me and KUUKAKU are taking Soi out for her birthday, that's it!" "Oh. Well if that's the case, forgive me for making such an assumption," Urahara said simply. While Yoruichi was glad he'd dropped the subject, the way he spoke bothered her, as if he knew something she didn't. She put her toothbrush back in the porcelin mug by the mirror just as the phone in the next-door bedroom rung. Yoruichi picked it up, smiling when she heard Kuukaku on the line. "Hey! Sorry, I'm just getting dressed and then I'll pick you up, okay?" "...Yoruichi, I can't come." The bronzed teen felt her face drop at the other girl's words, brain instantly struggling to find a way around the situation. "W-what do you mean? This was your idea-- I thought you were open tonight!" "I was, but...something came up, and I'm busy. You can take her, right? I told you the directions, so..." "...Wait a minute!" Yoruichi hollered, suspicion at her friend's flimsy excuse catching up to her. "Just tell me why you can't make i--" she caught the quickest utterance of 'bye' she'd ever heard before Kuukaku hung up, leaving the dial tone to hum in Yoruichi's ear. "...Who was that?" Urahara called once he heard footsteps moving back into the bathroom. "...Kuukaku ditched on me," Yoruichi grumbled, biting her lip slightly as the realization she'd be alone with Soi for the whole evening hit her. She could call the freshman. Tell her they'd reschedule; it wasn't like Soi would verbally protest. But at the same time she knew she couldn't do that-- she could tell Soi was happy at the very notion of celebrating with her friends. Well...friend. Just a friend. "...So is it a date now?" In a rare instance, Yoruichi had no response to her friend's incessant teasing. Instead she hastily grabbed the turtleneck and jeans, unslipping the pants from their hangar. Definitely this one, she told herself as her field of vision was obscured by black cotton.
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