Guilt Yoruichi didn't recall having fallen asleep, just that at some point she'd lost track of how many dots she'd counted on the textured ceiling. She'd started her counting anew once some form of cognizance had returned to her, not daring to move an inch in the hopes that she wouldn't wake the slender body on her. Soi had a hand resting just below her right breast, fingers unconsciously sliding back and forth on her bare skin, which had only added to her difficulty in falling asleep. Small mounds of flesh squashed slightly into the arm caught underneath the Chinese girl, and the slow, even flow of breath on her neck all served to keep Yoruichi firmly where she lay, torn between the growing desire to stare and the necessity of looking away, to gain some semblance of balance again. There wasn't a window in this room but the blinds in the adjundant spaces were pulled, letting the morning light gradually seep throughout the house. Eventually Soi stirred, and despite herself Yoruichi felt her eyes on Soi again, hypnotized as she watched the girl use the back of her hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes, her yawn surprisingly melodic. It took Soi a moment to remember why she was sleeping naked next to Yoruichi, but when realization hit the girl her normal impulse-- to run, to apologize, anything-- failed, leaving her to simply smile as she laid her head on the upperclassman's shoulder, blushing slightly to herself, the euphoria from only a few hours ago still hanging over her like a drunken haze. She either didn't notice Yoruichi flinch slightly, or she was too happy to care. "...Good morning." "M...morning," the older girl managed, hoping she hadn't sounded too conspicuous. Again, Soi didn't notice, but she did lift herself up slightly when she realized she was laying on Yoruichi's arm. "Oh...I-I'm sorry...I didn't even--" "...It's fine," Yoruichi said as she forced a smile, struggling all the while to avoid staring at the now-exposed body before her. To her silent gratitude Soi shifted herself off of the sleeping limb, but then the girl surprised both of them by lowering her head to Yoruichi's shoulder and planting a soft kiss on the surface. Soi's body slowly continued this affectionate display, leaving a row of warm, hungry kisses that ended at the older woman's neck, and in spite of herself Yoruichi let out a shuddering sigh, let her hand wander through the locks of unbound hair that spread across Soi Fong's back, fingertips memorizing the slight bumps of spine that protruded through skin. Soi gave a groan, elated and content at the touch, but as she eagerly felt herself reach for Yoruichi's face with lips and tongue at the ready, the upperclassman gently extracted herself from the embrace and shifted out of bed. "...Are you okay?" Soi asked quietly, confused by Yoruichi's rather...cold reaction. Yoruichi turned to look at her, eyes glued to the sight of the freshman looking up at her from the bed, askew sheets barely covering her petite form, smooth feet exposed to the slightly chill air. She wasn't sure what her intended response had been, but she felt herself smile warmly at Soi, bewildered by the fact that even though she was still without clothing Soi maintained eye contact, as if entranced not by her body but by her face. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just...I'm gonna go make us some breakfast, okay?" To her relief Soi smiled in acceptance, but before Yoruichi could stop herself she'd planted another light kiss on the petite girl's forehead. She tried to look natural as she walked towards the door, then remembered that her clothes were in a pile with Soi's on the other side of the bed. The freshman couldn't help but give a laugh, warm and wonderfully natural, at Yoruichi's absentmindedness, unable to look away as the older woman put her jeans and bra back on, silver eyes memorizing every nuance of her movements that she could. ---------- The Shihouin woman rubbed her eyes as she stood over the steadily frying skillet of eggs, exhausted not so much by a lack of sleep as she was from the actions that now resulted in her fatigue. She'd never meant to do THAT with Soi. But all the excuses in the world didn't make her feel any better, didn't make her dilemma any easier to deal with. Goddamnit-- I'm such a hypocrite, she thought bitterly as she gave a dark chuckle into her hand. She'd sworn she would protect Soi, that she wouldn't let anything like this happen to her, that she'd never let anyone touch a hair on her head again. And yet she'd been, the dark girl reminded herself guiltily, the first to take her. What kind of friend-- of protector-- was she if she couldn't even control herself? She was so lost in her thoughts as she absentmindedly flipped the eggs that she didn't notice Soi had snuck up on her until she felt a pair of thin arms around her waist and a head resting lightly on the back of her neck. "Wh...what are you doing?" the senior asked reflexively, surprised at the amount of uneasiness in her own voice. Soi shrugged her shoulders as she held on just a little tighter, gave a sigh that tickled the back of the taller girl's neck, making her shiver just enough to make Soi's content smile widen. "...Nothing," she answered simply, with just a bit of a tease in her voice. It was true; she wasn't sure even now what caused this, for her to be so AFFECTIONATE for no reason at all. No. She did know, and it made her happier than anything in the world. Part of Soi wanted to just say it, to scream it out loud to anyone who would hear, but why bother? Yoruichi knew. She HAD to know how she felt; Soi had seen her own feelings reflected too much in those flawless golden eyes last night for it to be a mistake. Her hands moved slowly on their own, making nonsensical shapes on Yoruichi's uncovered stomach that she was failing to ignore, aware that the eggs in front of her were burning but unable to move for fear that she'd snap again. Fortunately the phone rang, and when Soi reluctantly walked off to answer it Yoruichi let out a sigh of relief. She finished the slightly darkened breakfast easily enough, so grateful for the distraction that she didn't realize her meal was actually edible as she bit into it numbly. "Yoruichi!" "Y-yeah?" the senior mumbled as she was forced to return to the present, puzzled by the even-more-ecstatic look on Soi's face as she ran past the kitchen to retrieve her coat. "The hospital just called-- they said Dad woke up!" ---------- After a quick brunch (which Soi had quietly thanked Yoruichi over) the senior called Urahara, who upon hearing the news gladly drove the girls back to the medical building. They were all going past the hall full of rooms, wondering if they had the wrong side of the building when the sound of frustrated yelling drifted in through the nearest open door. "I told you, I don't need one of those-- I'm perfectly capable of-- Ahhh!" "Mr. Fong, as you can plainly see you can barely lift yourself off the bed, much less walk to the bathro--" "DAD!" At the sound of his daughter's voice Zhou turned from away from the orderly at the foot of his bed, his scowl melting into a glad smile. "Well, if it isn't the birthday gi-- OWW!" "Oh! I-I'm sorry!" Soi apologized as she released her father from her embrace, remembering too late why he was even here. "...It's okay, Soi-chan," he assured her with a slightly pained expression. "I'm the one who's stuck in a cast, after all." "Excuse me, ma'am," the scrub-clad man said gruffly as he ran his thumb over the stubble on his chin, "...but are you a relative?" "Of COURSE she is!" Urahara growled at him irritably, in no mood after last night to deal with another ignorant member of the medical profession. "...And we're all here to see him too, so if you could KINDLY let the girl visit with her father..." The orderly opened his mouth to prepare some ill-conceived manner of rebuttal, but upon staring down the green-eyed man for a few seconds he decided that discretion was the better part of valor. "...Just don't let him move around too much. He's been demanding to leave ever since he came to." At the orderly's exit Kisuke grinned, then turned to the Fongs. "Well, I guess we should let you two visit," the blonde said as he motioned for Yoruichi to follow him. "Huh? But..." the freshman muttered, a lump forming in her throat as she watched the bronze woman begin to walk away. "...I thought you wanted to say hi to Dad," she finished quickly. "We will-- but I figure you guys want to be left alone for a bit-- 'family time' and all that." "Oh. Well, bye..." Soi began but stopped as Yoruichi's form became obscured by the reinforced door. She put her smile back on as she turned to her father, immediately asking how he was feeling. ---------- "You seem a little tense." Yoruichi froze for barely a moment as her fingers fumbled with the tab on her can of orange soda, but to Urahara's silent frustration her face gave nothing away to his statement. "...I should be. Didn't...get much sleep last night..." the younger of the two finished distractedly. Urahara could tell there was more to that statement than she was letting on-- the odd look of masked frustration on Yoruichi's face as she'd sat next to a strangely content Soi Fong on the way to the hospital had been enough of a red flag-- but all the same he decided to let the matter drop. He'd only get into an argument with her, not something he particularly wanted at this point. "So," Kisuke exclaimed after a few minutes of silence, finishing of his can of coffee in a single swig, "...Kuukaku was tellin' me that she was gonna go out dancing with some friends at Homounka on V-Day... she wanted to make sure you were still coming." "You talk like you're not a party to that at all," Yoruichi muttered with what Kisuke could only assume was sarcasm. He chuckled at his friend as she grinned slightly, so he decided his line of thinking had been correct. "Well, I AM... but she was pretty certain you'd be making plans with ...someone else, so..." "Of course I'm coming," Yoruichi finished, just a bit too defensively, for which she cursed herself silently. "...I don't know what she's talking about." Again Kisuke caught that dismissive tone, and again he wanted to ask her about it, but instead he glanced at his watch and, realizing that it had been nearly a half-hour already, told Yoruichi that they'd better get back to the room and at least greet Soi's father formally, as he had work in a little over an hour. ---------- A few hours later Yoruichi sat in front of the living room television, a half-eaten pepperoni/mushroom pizza resting on the coffee table and an old black-and-white movie playing on Channel 53; by the attentive gaze Soi was levelling on it the film must have been good, but Yoruichi was barely paying it any mind. Part of her just wanted the day to be over, hoping that she could somehow force some food down her throat if the sick feeling of guilt in her stomach would give her a moment's peace. She nearly flinched when Soi placed a trembling hand on her arm, then reminded herself that last night had just been a lapse in her behavior. It didn't mean anything, she was just being stupid. "Yoruichi? Are you okay?" "Y...Yeah, I'm fine," The older woman answered with a smile, not daring to look Soi in the eye. "I'm just-- just a little tired." "You don't have to stay up with me... I know it's kind of weird that I like these movies anyway..." "No...I like it," Yoruichi assured her, feeling even guiltier when Soi's nervous expression lightened into a small grin. "Sorry...I'm just feeling a little... odd, I guess," the freshman said with a laugh, the slight sound ringing gently in Yoruichi's ears. She could feel it welling up inside her again, that temptation as her disobedient eyes kept their gaze on Soi. She was trying to convince herself to talk to Soi, to tell her that she hadn't meant for it to go that far last night, when she felt a pair of hesitant lips on her bare shoulder. Looking down fearfully her face met with Soi's mop of dark hair, face hidden behind it as the younger girl planted kisses along her arm. The display of affection, coupled with the aroma of Soi's hair before her weakened Yoruichi, and her attempts to protest only came out as long, slow gasps for breath as Soi's lips traveled to her jawline. She had to stop this now-- the stain of Soi's lost virginity still hung over her head; she couldn't do this again, especially when her hands had already begun tracing the curve of Soi's slight back. To her temporary relief Soi stopped, then flinched as if she'd only just now come to the realization of what she was doing. Relief disappeared as Soi leaned against her, head resting just below the upperclassman's chin and hands nestled on either of her shoulders, looking admittedly adorable and helpless at the same time. "...Thank you, Yoruichi." The words, so honest and free of pretense, stung at Yoruichi just a little bit worse than Soi's unexpected touch. "F-for what?" the woman asked quietly, aware only of the warmth radiating from Soi's body at the moment. "Everything," Soi answered with a whisper and a smile, gazing up at her with such a mixed palatte of emotion that it was all Yoruichi could do to hold her, hold her and pray that Soi fell asleep before she could let last night repeat itself, a prospect that seemed to grow dangerously closer every second. The end credits of the movie had rolled long after she finally heard Soi's breathing grow slow and even, and Yoruichi moved her as carefully as she could to the pillow before she finally let out the breath she was holding. She could feel her heart pounding, something in her aching to hold the girl a little longer, but instead her hands clenched into fists, bringing one furiously down on the couch in self-loathing. This isn't right. She'd never once felt inadequate-- that there was someone who was too good for her-- but she had that feeling as she watched Soi sleep beside her, so peaceful and INNOCENT after yesterday that it almost didn't seem real. But she couldn't let Soi look at her like that, couldn't let those adoring eyes settle on a person like her, couldn't let Soi continue to be in love with her for a second more. Not to mention that the slightest bit of contact seemed to render her utterly incapable of putting up a fight, a reaction she couldn't say she was familiar with. It was wrong, this wasn't her, she'd never once been like this. She had to get Soi away from her as soon as she could.
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