A Comfortable Lie "Wow, look at them!" "You know, I always thought they looked good together-- 'bout time they hooked up." "Yeah-- weren't they friends since kindergarten or somethin'?" "Man, she's all OVER him; maybe they'll get started right here in the hallway..." "Ha-- we can only hope...Geez, I'd give ANYTHING to be in that Urahara's shoes right now..." Soi put her lunch down as calmly as she could, walked out of the classroom slowly even though she knew no one in the room would notice her missing; they were all too busy gossiping about the couple that had just walked by. She was grateful that the bathroom was close, almost as much as she was that Yoruichi and Kisuke had turned the corner, equally unaware of her presence. Even if it was only a few feet away the girl ran for the lavatory door, pushing it open and forcing her way into the nearest unlocked stall. She sat down on the toilet, cupping her face in small hands as if to forcibly tear the words of her classmates out of her head but to no avail. The freshman wanted to scream, to punch the nearest person as hard as she could, but as strong as those desires were she knew that only one person deserved the heartbreak, the wrenching pain in her chest she was just barely enduring. She was. She couldn't help wondering why Yoruichi had done it, or rather what SHE had done that made Yoruichi lose interest in her so quickly. But then she could think of a million reasons why-- not the least of which was her utter lack of experience in the world of... adult activities. Had she been so terrible that Yoruichi had instantly regretted it? Or maybe she had moved too fast afterwards, letting herself believe that there was a connection between sex and love-- that Yoruichi's physical affection indicated anything more than just what she presented. It didn't make sense-- she'd FELT something connect them that handful of days ago, something more than just their year of friendship, something real and good. But what did she know about that, about love in general, when the only person she'd ever even had a crush on was Yoruichi? And Urahara... who was she to think that compared to him-- a man who'd known her practically all his life-- she ever had any hope of being loved by her? "...Fong?" The freshman snapped out of her meditative state to find Kuukaku standing in the threshold of her stall, and before she could snap at the older girl for invading her privacy she realized that she'd neglected to lock the door. "S-sorry...I-I'm done if you w-w-wanna u-use it..." "You're crying." Soi lifted a hand to her face to find that there were, in fact, tears slowly making their way down her cheeks; she hadn't even realized that she was doing it until now. She didn't notice the normally uncouth girl hesitantly reach out a hand for her-- worry etched on her impassive face-- as she forced herself past, brushing the saltwater off her face with her sleeve hard enough to brush the memories they represented away, if they too had been so fragile. "Soi..." The Shiba girl called, slightly biting her lip at the unintended use of her first name, "...I'm sure it's just a mistake-- Yoruichi wouldn't..." "You're right," Soi whispered as she paused near the door, not wanting to show her face if she was still crying. "...It was me." Without another word Soi left, praying she wouldn't run into Yoruichi and her...boyfriend...again anytime soon. She didn't think she could be silent for much longer. ---------- "...Bye, Kisuke. I'll see you tonight for dinner, okay?" "Okay," The blonde muttered as she leaned forward to kiss him, and though his heart skipped at the contact it sunk just as much at the knowledge of the artificiality of its 'affectionate' nature. She let her fingers slide along his arm as she broke contact, gave him a suggestive wink as she walked off, as if she was deliberately putting on a show for whoever happened to be watching. As he turned around he caught a glimpse of Soi Fong, walking as fast as she could in the opposite exit, fighting against the crowd as her braid-rings clinked together. He'd had his suspicions fairly early about those two. He'd never seen Yoruichi so genuinely friendly with someone before, so honest...well, as honest as she was capable of being at any case. He'd always hoped Yoruichi would look at him that way one day, and even though it hurt to see someone else as the subject of that unspoken affection he'd tried to encourage it, the better to help himself let go of the infatuation. But this... he knew none of Yoruichi's love was present in her actions and yet he'd wanted this for so long part of him wanted to believe it. It was what had kept him from bringing this up with Yoruichi, after all. ---------- The Shihouin girl, too busy rifling through her locker for her books, didn't notice Kuukaku behind her, didn't have a chance to speak as she turned around to suddenly find a fist in her face that sent her tumbling backwards into the metal closet with a crash. Instinctively she brushed her hand over her face to find no blood had been spilt, only a pulsing bruise on her cheek, but before she could do anything else she felt two strong hands grab her collar and pull her up, forcing her to look into the eyes of a very angry young woman. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Yoruichi didn't answer right away, choosing instead to look slightly to the left of her friend so as to avoid the full fury of her gaze. "...I don't know what you're talking about, Kuukaku. Now let go of m--" "Don't give me that 'I-don't-know' bullshit," the Shiba daughter growled dangerously. "What happened to all that about protecting her, or were you just blowing hot air THEN too?!" Yoruichi wanted to push Kuukaku back, but at the same time part of her knew she deserved it. She could deal with a few minutes of demanding on Soi's behalf. "Jesus Christ, Yoruichi...it'd be just like you to fuck someone and ditch 'em, but how could you do that to HER?!" "She's nothing special. She's just a stupid girl." Kuukaku flinched at Yoruichi's words, almost as surprised as she was for saying them. But she was getting angry now, the reminder of her actions stirring something painful in the pit of her frozen heart. She tried to extricate herself from Kuukaku's grip but the girl only held tighter, her eyes mere slits as she glared daggers at Yoruichi. "You expect me to believe that?! She wasn't just another one of your toys and you KNOW it!" Yoruichi felt her eyes widen at the words, so true they hurt to be said aloud. But she couldn't be weak, couldn't afford to regret her decision. It was over, finished. "I don't give a damn what you believe," The dark-skinned girl whispered coldly as she put a strong hand on Kuukaku's, forcing her to relinquish her grip. "...When did you ever care who I slept with?" Kuukaku bit her lip just slightly at the question, burying the small bit of compassion for Soi she had, unable to answer. In her remaining fury Kuukaku shoved Yoruichi back into the wall of lockers, then shot the Shihouin a look that would've killed her instantly if such an act was possible. "...You're a goddamned liar, Yoruichi." Before the bronze girl could protest Kuukaku had gone, leaving a rather bruised senior to deal with her injuries, both corporeal and invisible. This had become such a mess, but it'd be over soon. Soon she'd be going to the U.S., and she wouldn't have to think about anyone for a long time. This is for the best, she told herself again, at the same time a little bothered by how much the phrase had begun to sound like a lie already. ---------- It ended up being nine days total before Zhou Fong was given permission to return home. With his car still in the repair shop, and Soi unable to drive in either case they took a cab, him constantly expressing his gratitude at finally being free from 'that den of butchering leeches' and Soi smiling, doing her best to go back into the role of content daughter. She didn't have the heart to bring up what had happened, not because she was necessarily ashamed of it but because she herself still didn't know what to think about the whole event. Every night Soi thought she'd gotten over it, but she'd wake up the next morning to find her pillow just slightly damp. Having her father back, well and in good spirits, was enough of a blessing that she didn't want to waste it with him worrying about her. "Well, it's good to be back," Zhou declared as he walked back into the house, hobbling slightly on a cane for support until the remaining brace on his leg was ready to come off. He stood in the small entryway for about a minute until his stomach gurgled so loud that the girl behind him smiled in spite of herself. "Uh... I guess I should get started on dinner, huh?" "Don't worry Dad," Soi assured him with a grin. "...You sit down-- I'll call the pizza place." ---------- With dinner finished and the unfinished half of the vegetarian pizza sitting wrapped in the fridge (Zhou, despite his inclination toward sausage, had relented when Soi reminded him that a heart attack at this point in time would only mean another trip to the hospital), Soi stood over the sink, running a warm rag over a particularly stubborn clump of dried cheese and tomato sauce that had stuck to her dinner plate. She'd been doing it for so long now that it was beginning to become a subconscious act, her mind wandering elsewhere while her hands continued to work at the same steady pace. She tried her best not to think about Yoruichi. But her plate was yellow, so much so like those golden eyes that she'd adored so silently that she felt herself drifting off completely... "Little Bee? Everything all right?" Her father. She snapped out of it almost instantly, almost like a musician waiting for her cue to rejoin the orchestra, smiling as she did so. "Hey, Dad. Don't worry, I'm just finishing up, okay?" He nodded, but instead of leaving walked up a little ways behind her, and almost instinctively Soi knew that he had something on his mind. She continued scrubbing as he spoke, doing her best to act like she wasn't worried. "...So... your friend told me that you stayed at her house while I was... you know, 'incapacitated.'" He said the last bit with the ghost of a chuckle in his voice but it made Soi's blood run cold; the way he said it made him sound almost suspicious. "Y-yeah. At Yoruichi's." "Did you have fun?" Soi recalled the way she'd had to run back to Yoruichi's house to grab her things after seeing her with Kisuke, thankful even as she had fought back tears that the senior never bothered to lock her front door. "...Uh-huh. We watched some movies during the weekend..." "Soi-chan..." the patriarch said quietly, not moving from his position while he watched her hands tremble slightly, though why he wasn't sure. "...You never told me about why you were so happy the other day." Though she knew it only made her situation look worse Soi remained silent, unsure of what to say. "Do you like her?" "Well, of course I do," Soi answered, her mind running nearly as fast as her mouth as she tried to think of what her father would do-- if he would do anything. "S-she's my best friend, and she's a really popular person and I--" The girl tried to continue, but the words got stuck in her throat, memories crushed at her heart to the point she thought she would collapse right there if she wasn't already doubled over on the sink, a hand covering her eyes in an effort to keep herself under control. She tried to continue but her father put his free hand on her trembling shoulder, squeezing it gently. "H-how...d-did you...?" "Well..." Zhou whispered, more to himself than to her, "...I didn't know for sure, but... I guess you could say I had a hunch. To be honest... I didn't want to believe it at first-- that you were... well, like that." The freshman's shoulders shook harder, vain attempts to keep herself under control showing. This was it-- he was ashamed of her, he HAD to be. But the reassuring hand on her arm didn't go away. "But," Zhou continued after he'd taken a deep breath, "...you ARE my little girl, and... to be honest, I just want you to be happy. Even if I can't pretend that I understand completely." She knew that his words were what she'd always needed to hear, but they'd come too late and now they only made Soi more miserable. All this time everyone had known-- and only when Yoruichi had abandoned her did she now have the support of the most important person in her life. She felt stupid, like everyone had been in on a joke that she'd just now figured out she was the punchline of. Soi would have just stood helplessly over the sink if Zhou hadn't moved forward slightly, cradling his daughter's bitterly sobbing face into his shoulder. Even though she hadn't so much as shed a tear since his wife had died, he still could do this for her, if nothing else. "What happened?" "I..." Soi managed even as her voice cracked, "...I don't know. I-I just th-thought that she really... Oh God, I was so s-stupid..." "Soi-chan, I know you're hurting right now. But it's not your fault. And as for her...there'll be someone else, you'll see." Soi shook her head, still weeping as she clung to her father a little tighter. "N-no...I-I-I wanted t--" "I know..." Zhou assured her quietly, "...that it feels like she was the only person in the world, that your heart's so broken it won't fit back together. I know EXACTLY how you feel." The freshman blinked, felt her tears slow as she knew instantly who he was talking about, the feeling that the world was crashing down around her growing a bit silly as she thought about it. "...But you'll find someone better. I'm an old man, there aren't any more chances for me. But each day it'll hurt a little bit less, and you'll be able to look her in the eye and know she doesn't have that sort of control over you anymore. It'll get better. I promise." The Fong girl didn't know how much of that she'd believed, if she ever had any real hope of getting over something so deeply rooted in her heart. But standing here with her father, letting herself cry out everything she felt confused and angry and hurt over, did make her feel a little better.
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