Assurances Soi looked down at her notebook, a little perturbed to find that the notes she thought she'd been taking down so well were in fact a jumble of scribbles brought on by daydreaming. But she felt a little too happy to really care, and so she just continued with the tangle of nonsensical lines until the bell rang and signaled the end of school. She walked out in a bit of a daze, ignoring someone's question of what the hell was so great as she headed off to catch Yoruichi, her smile widening as she came behind her. "H-hi, Yoruichi-san!" The subject of her greeting turned a little too quickly-- almost frightened, it seemed-- by the sound of her voice, but the smile Yoruichi offered seemed so genuine that Soi didn't pay it any mind. "Um...How were your classes today?" "Oh...just fine," Yoruichi answered nonchalantly. "Hey, I was gonna go visit Dad again today-- did you wanna come? I know it won't be that fun for you, but I was kinda thinking... we could, um...get dinner at this place nearby afterwards..." The timidness of Soi's request made her look so sweet that Yoruichi had trouble looking away, but her eyes eventually found the inside of her bookcase. "Uh...sorry, Soi-- I've got a bunch of homework tonight, and..." "Oh-- Don't worry about it! It's silly for me to think that you're always available," Soi responded, even though there was a slight blush playing on her cheeks. "Um... I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, okay?" She leaned forward slightly, and to Yoruichi's relief Soi's lips hesitated near her cheek, recoiling before anyone noticed. Instead she contented herself with waving goodbye, and once she was clearly out of sight Yoruichi headed in the direction of the exit. ---------- "Are you sure there's nothing else I can get you?" Soi asked as she set a grocery bag full of mixed fruits on the windowsill that served as a bedstand for her father. "Soi-chan, I'm fine-- really," the middle-aged man insisted as he instantly began rummaging, smiling contently when he found a particularly ripe-looking apple. "...But if you could get one of those white-coats to let me out of here--" "Dad, I TOLD you I'm not letting you leave until the doctor says it's alright! It's bad enough you tried to get away on your own this morning." "...Who told you that?" Zhou asked with just a hint of mischief in his eye, and in spite of herself Soi gave a laugh that she had to hide with her hand. She was just calming down when her father made another attempt at humor that was less funny to the girl. "Still, it might you good for me to get hospitalized again." "D-dad, how can you talk like that?!" "Well," the male Fong began with a lilt in his voice that suggested understanding, "...I get in an accident, and all of a sudden you're smiling brighter than you did when you were a little girl. Hard not to think there's a correlation." To his delight the teen broke into a slight blush, and though she seemed to deny it with the sour expression on her face, Zhou knew better. "I-it's nothing like that..." "Then you mind letting your old Dad know what's bringing on this little... odd bit of behavior?" "Well..." Soi muttered, unsure if she wanted to continue. For one, she didn't know if she was sure about telling her father who she was in love with, and nearly as important, considering Yoruichi's rather evasive behavior lately it seemed that the older girl would rather it stayed a secret for now. She felt even more nervous now than before she and Yoruichi had been together, and at the time being it was best to avoid anything that could possibly upset her 'girlfriend.' She felt inadequate enough as it was. "...I'll tell you later, Dad. Okay?" He gave her a disappointed look before she left, promising him that she'd be back tomorrow after school. ---------- The next day was Valentine's Day, and in spite of her new relationship with Yoruichi the date was no different than any Soi had spent in her long time as a single woman. She'd completely forgotten to make Yoruichi chocolate, what with her father's health, though she knew her own culinary 'skills' well enough to know it was probably better to just leave the whole thing alone. Besides, she'd wondered, wouldn't it be a bit odd for a girl to offer another chocolate, since it was so associated with 'normal' couples? Maybe there was something else she should be giving her, something a little less conventional or at least something she liked, or...she finally got a headache for her efforts, leaving her to sprawl on the couch in exhaustion. I barely saw her today as it was, the freshman thought grimly as she recalled their brief lunch with Urahara and Kuukaku, in which neither of them had spoken. She needed to get Yoruichi alone; they always seemed to do better when they could speak to each other one-on-one. To her frustration the phone rang, interrupting her train of thought as she got up to answer the clamorous device. "Hello?" "Hey kid," Kuukaku's voice called on the other end, almost a little louder than normal as it fought against the sound of pulsing music that filtered into the reciever. "...What are you still doing at home? We're having a party at the club if you wanna come!" "Oh..." Soi responded dully, lacking the energy or the mindset for another night of dancing, especially at the place she'd been with Yoruichi that night. "Sorry Kuukaku, I've got a bunch of stuff to do for my Lit class tomorrow, and--" "Don't give me that! Yoruichi's here, you know!" The Shiba girl smiled as she heard Soi pause, felt the tension in her voice when she finally responded. "W-well, I'm sure that she's fine. She probably doesn't want a kid like me there anyway..." "Kid, I can assure you that's definitely not the case. I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, but... I really think she'd perk up if you were here right now." At Kuukaku's words-- so surprisingly honest and, heaven forbid, perceptive-- Soi felt her insecurities evaporate. She couldn't just sit here feeling foolish, expecting happiness to just fall in her lap again. She thanked Kuukaku for the call and, grabbing her wallet and her lone 1,000 Yen note, headed out the door for the bus stop. If she wanted to keep this relationship from stagnating it would require effort on her part, too. ---------- Yoruichi stared out over the railing of Homounka's outdoor patio, not really looking at anything in particular as she fiddled absentmindedly with the neon parasol floating adrift in her cocktail. She'd been dancing for a little while, but not really enjoying it the way she used to. Somehow, it didn't feel right for her to be here without Soi awkwardly trying to dance beside her, and again she felt a sting of guilt for not telling the girl about this. But she needed to get away, to think about this on her own. She knew it was better for Soi if they weren't together, but in spite of this truth something in her still wanted Soi with her. But it didn't matter what she wanted-- it was in Soi's best interest for this...relationship... to just end here. She had to make the freshman understand exactly what kind of person she was. "What are you doing in the cold?" She turned to find Kisuke walking up to her, a rum and cola half-finished in his right hand and his casual smile fixed on his face. "Damn, it's a good thing THAT one bartender's here-- no carding for us tonight!" Yoruichi smiled briefly at his observation, then turned back to the dim night sky. The blonde stared at the bare expanse of dark skin revealed along Yoruichi's collarbone by her chosen outfit, but came to his senses thankful that she didn't notice. "Hey, Ukitake's been asking about when you're leaving for the States... they were wondering when you'd wanna have a going-away party." Yoruichi nearly asked him what he was talking about when it hit her. The Exchange trip...she'd forgotten all about it. "Oh... I think in a little over a month or so." "Listen," Kisuke said, quickly changing gears, "...If you're not enjoying yourself then I could drive you somewhere else... we could go to the movies or get a bite at that one place with the all-night pancakes..." "...It's fine," Yoruichi answered with a smile. "I'm doing all right. Besides, I know you're enjoying yourself." Kisuke cursed himself as he turned away, wishing part of him could just ask Yoruichi if she felt anything for him. But it was silly-- she was his best friend, and how many of her so-called lovers could say that? He was grateful as Kuukaku walked up, a welcome distraction from his tumultuous thoughts. "Hey Yoruichi, ya should really be ashamed of yourself." "Hmm?" The dark-skinned girl wondered aloud. "Oh come on, you forgot to tell Fong about the party! But don't worry, I called her earlier for you and she just got here." Yoruichi wasn't aware that she could feel genuinely afraid until today but her heart skipped a beat, uncertainty knotting her stomach at her friend's words. If Soi came up to her here, with all these people around on Valentine's Day... "Seriously, go meet her-- she won't be able to find you through this crowd of people without some help," Kuukaku uttered with a knowing smile as she walked back into the throng. Yoruichi felt the words register, as well as the knowledge that if she was going to end this she'd have to do it now. But how? "...Are you okay?" Kisuke asked as he looked over at Yoruichi. "What did that mean? And why are you pale?" "Uh... I'm not," Yoruichi insisted, even though she could feel the color draining from her face as she forced the cogs in her head to turn faster. "I'm...just a little cold, is all." She hoped Kisuke wouldn't dwell on her behavior but unfortunately he seemed especially perceptive today, and advanced slightly with a hint of frustration in his voice. "Yoruichi, don't be like that. I didn't wanna say anything before, but you've been acting a little...well, weird... since Soi's been at your house. Is something going on?" "Don't...don't be silly, Kisuke," the young woman muttered irritably. She could feel Soi getting closer, a thought already forming in her mind. She didn't like it, but it seemed like her only option... "To tell the truth (even though she knew she wasn't)... I have been feeling a little... different lately." "...What are you talking about?" Urahara queried, bewildered by the rather odd way she was looking at him, the almost sensual way she touched his shoulder. ---------- Soi held the small box of chocolates closer to her chest as she forced her way through the crowd of Homounka patrons, excusing herself when she bumped into a rather irritable couple. She felt ashamed for getting store-bought candies, and at the last minute as well, but Yoruichi would understand, especially when she'd promise to make her a handmade batch next year. Well, as close to handmade as I can get without them being poisonous, the freshman thought with a smile. Finding no one reselmbling Yoruichi on the dance floor, she wandered over to the sliding glass doors on the left side of the room, on the offchance that anyone would be on the balcony. ---------- "...Yoruichi? What are you...?" the Shihouin woman ignored his question, forced herself to smile at him as she slid her palm along his shoulder, behind his neck. Despite his confusion it was clear that he didn't mind the contact, which would make the coming pill a little easier to swallow. Yoruichi caught a flash of Soi's face moving closer to her position, and with no more time left to reconsider she simply moved forward. ---------- The girl smiled in relief as she caught the top of that familiar ponytail over another herd of drinkers, and as she finally reached the zenith of the stairs she called out to her girlfriend. "Yoruichi! Yoruichi, Happy Valen--" She froze, felt her voice evaporate as she realized what the senior was doing. ---------- Kisuke didn't remember Yoruichi actually kissing him. Just the pressure of her hand as she forced his face to hers, the haze of long-buried emotion as she pulled away, the moment his surprise had melted into utter contentment as those lips he'd wanted for so long finally carressed his own. He tried to force himself to think straight as his eyes finally opened, finding the mischevious smile he'd always adored before him. He didn't understand why she'd done it, what had brought it on, but he didn't care. He was leaning in for her again when he caught the silouhette of someone standing in the doorway to the balcony. The silver hoops at the ends of her braids instantly brought him back to a measure of cognizance. "...Soi Fong?" At the sound of her name Yoruichi turned to face the girl, instantly wanting to take her action back when she saw her face. It was blank as usual, giving nothing away to the casual observer. But to Yoruichi it screamed volumes. She wanted to take it back, wanted to run to Soi immediately and assure her that it had meant nothing, but she ignored it, hating herself as she did so. This was for the best, after all. She smiled at the girl in as friendly a way as she could, as if this was all completely normal. "Hi, Soi. Glad you could make it!" "H...hey." As she predicted, Soi did nothing, made no attempt to ask questions. Nothing to make this harder for her than it was, save for the slight trembling of her shoulders that suggested she was at the brink of tears, though not a single bit of moisture appeared in her eyes. She seemed more stunned than anything else, still trying to wrap her head around what she'd just seen. Yoruichi caught the look of sudden comprehension in Kisuke's face, but she promptly hooked her arm in his, as if they were a long-married couple, and it distracted him enough that she tugged him in her direction as she walked back towards the club. "Are you having a good time?" Yoruichi asked, unaware that she could feign happiness so easily. "...Yeah. A great time." "That's good. See you at school tomorrow, okay?" Soi only nodded as her feet remained planted where she stood, Yoruichi walking past her with Urahara in tow, unaware that he turned to look back at the girl in shock but soon enough turned back to Yoruichi, too guilty to be happy. Almost as one the crowd who'd seen the two kiss from inside began catcalling, some of their 'friends' congratulating Kisuke on being such a 'lucky-son-of-a-bitch' and wondering, jokingly, if they would have gone any farther without being interrupted. Soi could only stare at where Yoruichi had been only a second ago, the box of candy laying at her feet, long forgotten. ---------- This is for the best, Yoruichi assured herself as she ignored the voice in her head that ordered her to go after Soi, anything other than leave her standing there with no answers. But if she did, Soi would forgive her, like she'd forgiven her selflessly before; this was easier as long as she could hope that Soi would hate her, hate her and forget about her. This is for HER sake.
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