Surrender "Remember, if either of you need something, just call. Okay?" "Don't worry about us, Kisuke," Yoruichi assured her friend with a grin. "I'll take care of her." With that the blonde waved goodbye, and once he was gone she closed the front door and slid the lock with a click. The senior turned to find Soi's back to her, a duffel bag full of clothes still slung over her shoulder. "Do you have all your stuff?" Soi flinched at the unexpected question, then turned to face her friend with her neutral expression still in place. "...I think I've got everything." At once the uncomfortable silence saturated the room again, and in an effort to shake it off Yoruichi placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, don't look so gloomy! Let's try to have fun while you're here, okay? We can try to get some movies tomorrow or something..." "Sure." Soi began to walk across the deep carpet as she spoke, then was about to put her bag down when she hesitated. "Um..." "There's an empty bedroom upstairs on the left," the older girl replied to the unspoken question with a bit of a chuckle. "And hey, there's a bathroom in there-- why don't you take a shower? I'm sure you could use one." "...Okay," Soi answered, offering a feeble attempt at a smile that only made Yoruichi more worried. "...Thank you." The upperclassman wanted to say something more as she watched her friend ascend the staircase, but she decided instead to busy herself with finding a clean set of sheets. The upstairs bedroom hadn't been used in years, after all. ------------------------------------ Soi wrung the last bit of water out of her hair, carrying the silver hoops that normally hung at the end of her braids with the rest of her used clothing. Over her slightly damp skin was a large sleepshirt, and in her listlessness she'd decided to simply remain in her underwear instead of her normal attire of baggy flannel pants. She sat on the edge of the freshly made bed, comforted slightly by the feel of the cool sheets on her legs as she began folding her clothes up, then forming a pile on the floor near the bedstand, a small lamp casting warm light in the otherwise spartan environment. She didn't move when a light knock on the door announced Yoruichi's arrival. "Hey! Are you feeling more comfortable?" "...Yeah." Soi muttered, placing her spaghetti-strap on top of the dirty clothes, which Yoruichi took note of. "You fold dirty clothes?" she teased, to which Soi did nothing. "I just thought I'd save you some trouble. You don't need to worry; I can wash them tomorrow." "No Soi-- don't apologize! Hey, are you sure you've got everything you need in here?" "Yeah. I'm...I'm just fi..." "It's a little chilly in here...I could turn up the thermostat if you--" Yoruichi paused as the unfamiliar sound of subdued hiccuping hit her ears. Puzzled, she turned around to find Soi hunched slightly, her shoulders quivering and a few flecks of water sliding down the hands gripping her skinny knees. As the Chinese girl's gasps became hoarser and her whimpers louder Yoruichi stared; even though she knew the best thing for her to do would have been to stay out of Soi's business she sat beside her instead, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder, not feeling nearly as comfortable with the simple act as she had before. "...Soi? Are...are you okay?" The freshman looked up at Yoruichi, her formally impassive face lined with the streaks of fresh tears, her shoulders heaving with each breath in a futile attempt to keep everything she'd been feeling over the last few hours subdued. Yoruichi stared, bewildered to see the girl looking so delicate, so fragile, so far from the friend she'd known for the better part of a year. She was still uncertain of what to do when Soi threw herself forward, desperately wrapping her arms around Yoruichi's waist. "I-I'm sorry, Yoruichi-s-san...I...Oh, God..." the girl whispered through her weeping, words half-choked in her throat while she clung to Yoruichi, face buried into her shoulder. Meanwhile the older of the two sat frozen, eyes wide with shock and hands hovering uncertainly near Soi's back. She wanted to comfort Soi, but she didn't know what to say; she was completely foreign to being held by someone in emotional turmoil, especially when Soi backed away from all but the most neutral contact. She'd only seen Soi in tears once now, but it only took her a moment to realize that as she felt Soi's weight against her and the wetness of tears on her shoulder that she hated it. "I-It's okay..." Yoruichi responded quietly, putting her arms carefully around Soi's shoulders. Right now she just had to hold her, hold her and calm her down. But Soi was so warm, something about having her this close was against everything she'd warned herself about but at the same time...it almost felt like she fit perfectly in her arms. "N-no it's n-not...I-i-it's my fault he got hurt...It's all m-m-my fault..." "Soi...you know that's not true." "Y-YES IT IS! I SHOULD'VE B-B-BEEN HOME!! H-HE WOULD'VE B-BEEN ALL RIGHT I-IF I'D J-JUST STAYED T-THERE AND WAITED FOR HIM!! I..." Soi choked, was quiet as she tried to compose herself again. "...I s-sh-should've been w-with D-d-dad..." "Soi, don't talk like that!" Yoruichi insisted, the sight of the younger girl still in tears bothering her more by the second. "H-he's all I've g-g-got! Wh-what if h-he'd DIED today?! Wh-what would I have d-done? I'd be b-better off if I-I'd b-b-been there too... I-I can't do a-anything for myself...I'm j-j-just a dumb, u-ugly girl who can't even c-cook on h-her own--" She went silent, wide-eyed as Yoruichi suddenly pulled her into a hug tighter than a vice, making it difficult to breathe. In spite of herself, she turned a slightly deeper shade of red as she felt Yoruichi whisper softly beside her. "...You know that's a bunch of bullshit, Soi. Do you really think your Dad would be happy with you beat up in the hospital bed right next to him? And 'helpless'-- I know middle-aged adults that don't have it together nearly as much as you do." Yoruichi felt herself breathe a little easier as Soi's tearful gasps came fewer and farther between. "...Soi...Don't ever say that you'd be better off dead again. Don't EVER wish that. And just so you know... you're not ugly. Not at all." "...Y-yeah, right..." "I'm serious," Yoruichi insisted even as the younger girl gave a weak snort in disbelief. It was true that the first time she'd seen Soi she'd looked right away, hadn't even noticed. But her beauty wasn't anything like the kind she was used to; it was so much more subtle, something you grew to appreciate more as you saw her, as she grew on you. Even now, with her long hair matted across her shoulders and her eyes red from tears, Yoruichi felt her eyes remained glued to Soi, never shifting their focus no matter how much she tried to urge herself to stop. "I...I'm s-sorry..." the freshman said quietly, loosening her grip on the midsection of Yoruichi's turtleneck. "Y-You've been so good to me, Yoruichi-s-san, and I just..." "No...You're just upset. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You don't have to be so strong all the time. Besides," Yoruichi continued as she leaned in with a bit of a smile, "...I'd be pretty bad off if something happened to you. I don't have many friends without SOME kind of rhythm." It took Soi a moment for the unexpected joke to take effect, but when it did she was shuddering with embarressed laughter, a smile lighting up her tearstreaked face. It instantly made Yoruichi's smile widen, just knowing that Soi still had that grin on her face, that was so wonderfully and uniquely hers. Without thinking she bent her head forward, just enough to plant a light kiss on Soi's forehead. It only took the two of them a moment to realize what Yoruichi had done, but before either girl could address the subject further Soi's hiccups started up again. Yoruichi gave a light scoff, setting the mood back to its relative ease. "...How about I get you a glass of water?" Soi nodded gratefully as Yoruichi released her grip on the younger girl and walked out of the room, letting the door shut behind her. ---------------------------------------- ---- It wasn't until she reached the light of the kitchen that Yoruichi realized her hands were trembling slightly. She assured herself that it was just anxiety getting to her, but even so she was a little more forceful than normal as she grabbed a tall glass from her cupboard, then set it in the sink as she turned the water on, letting it fill. She watched it disinterestedly for a few seconds, took out the cloth and ribbon that held her ponytail up as she sighed, but soon enough her thoughts returned to the girl upstairs. She hadn't meant to do something like that to Soi just now-- it was the last thing in the world she thought someone as distant and brutal as her was capable of, but even so the freshman just seemed to bring it out in her with incredible ease. Yoruichi knew that she wanted Soi-- she'd been aware of it for a while but wasn't sure when exactly the desire had taken root. But she'd never subdued the urge like this-- if she wanted someone she had them, no matter what. So why couldn't she just take her, get this out of her head once and for all? God-- what's WRONG with me, she wondered quietly. Soi nearly lost her father today and I'm... It didn't matter how badly she wanted this now, wanted her. Soi wasn't just another 'someone'--she was strong but she was also too sweet, too kind, too innocent, too beautiful for her own good. She couldn't let Soi just fall for someone like her, someone who treated lovers like dolls, tossing them away at a moment's notice. She needed a FRIEND, not a lover, and even though Yoruichi wasn't the best one suited for the job she could still fulfill it as best she could. But how long could she keep it up? It didn't help that this whole thing with Soi-- it was so different, not because she was a girl (Yoruichi was no stranger to her own gender) but because of this strange choking feeling she got in her chest whenever she so much as glanced at her, whenever she got close. Yoruichi felt her train of thought derail as she suddenly looked down and realized the glass had been overflowing for quite a while, the faucet never having been turned off. Quickly correcting the problem, she heaved a sigh while pouring the excess liquid down the sink. This isn't me, Yoruichi pondered. This isn't like me at all. I don't get crushes like a grade-schooler. Not over people like her. I just have to deal with it. She didn't want to go back in Soi's room tonight, not with all this in her head, but deciding that the freshman probably needed the promised beverage, she shook off her uncertainty and climbed the stairs. ----------------------------------- Yoruichi gave the door another light tap as before, letting Soi know she was there just a moment before opening the door. The room hadn't changed at all since she'd been there last: the Chinese girl was still sitting on the bed with the covers slightly open, the lamp was still emanating a low orange tint. Soi looked up and gave Yoruichi the slightest of smiles as she wiped her face with the back of her arm; the older of the two tensed imperceptibly but continued forward unabated. "Hey, sorry I took so long-- you didn't have to wait up for me." Soi shrugged a little, almost casually. Just like they were friends. She held the water out to Soi, who in turn reached for it with her left hand. "...Thank you." As she reached the cup her fingers grazed Yoruichi's hand, both flinching slightly at the jolt of electricity that flowed through them at that moment. Soi tried to displace her hand and Yoruichi almost wanted to move from the point of contact, but somehow her palm never strayed as Soi set the glass down, appendages remaining just barely touching. It felt as though they were both acutely aware of their distance, the motion having brought Yoruichi only a few inches away from Soi's face, but neither moved or tried to speak. Yoruichi just sat there, staring into Soi's eyes, the scent of clean linen hanging on her only working to further her enchantment. She knew this was too strong, that if she stayed another second she wouldn't be able to hold back, that she had to leave NOW. Neither of them knew who moved first; it was just the gradual closing of distance, lips hesitantly meeting in a chaste kiss. Yoruichi recoiled slowly, strangely off-balance but the taste she'd only been hinted at before took hold of her again, and before she'd backed away even an inch she moved forward again, met halfway by an equally hazy-eyed Soi Fong. For a few minutes they just sat there, Yoruichi trying to push away with her right hand only to have it entangled in Soi's short locks, felt it carress her hair with a gentleness the wealthy often showed to the finest and most priceless of fabrics; the whole time they were inching ever closer to each other, the kiss deepening, Soi's formally hesitant mouth widening to grant Yoruichi entrance, which she hungrily accepted. Soi's hands found their way to the taller girl's shoulders, felt a thrill run down her spine as Yoruichi quivered, partly from the unexpected contact and bliss from Soi's fingers dancing across her shoulders, the sweater in between skin and hands doing nothing to lessen its potency. Meanwhile Yoruichi's free hand had taken a slow, luxurious path down Soi's shirt, sliding underneath once she reached the garment's hem. Her brain was still putting up a feeble resistance at this point; her body was moving of its own volition despite repeated mental protests. After what seemed like forever passed Yoruichi finally gathered the resolve to break the kiss, despite the fact that her eyes were shut tight, body aching for more, her hands desperate to keep exploring that delicate porcelain skin. There was still a chance that she could stop this-- break this off right now and just-- "...Yoruichi..." In an instant she froze, her brain stopped working, Soi's words ringing through her ears. The younger girl pulled herself so close to Yoruichi that there was barely any breathing room between them; her stormy eyes had darkened to a smoldering grey, her face a deep crimson and her mouth open slightly as she visibly struggled to remember how to breathe. "Yoruichi..." Never in her life had the dark-skinned girl heard her own name sound more beautiful, more hypnotic in her life as Soi whispered it in a voice of long-repressed desire, and combined with the intoxicating smell and taste and texture of her Yoruichi finally stopped fighting. She willfully wrapped her lips around Soi's again, drowning in the maelstrom of blind emotion as she grew drunk on the flavor of her, every breath holding Yoruichi in the mind-foging aroma of her hair. For the time being, the world beyond Soi no longer existed for Yoruichi; no longer mattered. She slid the girl carefully beneath her as they fell to the bed, and while Yoruichi kissed her neck she heard a moan that surpassed that of every lover she'd ever had.
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