Unfamiliar Territory It was still dark when Soi woke up, shifting slightly on the couch before she remembered there was someone else with her. It felt so strange, being held like this by Yoruichi, that head still lying in the crook of her neck. Not wanting to disturb the upperclassman, she scooted back slightly, just enough to be reminded of Yoruichi's warmth. In spite of everything she feels no remnants of anger, no bitterness to ruin this moment with her. It feels at once like something so small and yet more important than anything else. A strange sort of impulse claims her, and she tilts her head back to peck the older girl's cheek. "...A little forward this morning, aren't we?" Soi couldn't help but gasp as she looks at Yoruichi properly, finding that pair of brilliant topaz orbs gazing gently down at her, a serene smile-- the first of which she's ever seen on Yoruichi's perpetually teasing and sneering face-- sending a chill through her. "Yoruichi... H-how long have you been awake?" "Not too long..." the older of the two whispers huskily, planting the lightest of kisses on Soi's forehead, her lips lingering as she breathes in that wonderful scent again, half-wondering if she drifted back to sleep and might be dreaming. Soi smiles, the hint of blush visible on her cheeks even in the pre-dawn glow of sky peeking in through the curtains. It's too much for Yoruichi to just sit there staring, and so she curls over Soi, kissing the back of her neck, each temple, her jaw, an eyebrow-- memorizing every inch of that face with her lips. She's never been a sentimentalist, but suddenly Yoruichi understands what it means to want for time to stand still. She feels a tremor run through her as Soi's arm hooks under hers and slender fingers entangle themselves in her hair, the touch unsettling Yoruichi though she now welcomes it. She leans down, her lips aching for Soi and unable to wait. "D-Dad?!" At the sudden outburst Yoruichi yelped, nearly losing her balance but managing to grab onto the back of the couch behind her; pulling herself up the young woman finds Soi's father coming downstairs, speechless as his hand sits frozen in the act of adjusting his tie. "W-what are you doing up this early on a Saturday?" Soi muttered as she buttoned up the part of her shirt Yoruichi had managed to undo while she wasn't looking. Zhou averted his gaze from the sight of his daughter entangled in Yoruichi's limbs, though he had to remind himself once more that there was nothing terribly bad to be looking away from. He supposed that he'd have to get used to this eventually. "Well...I got asked to work some overtime today. so..." Soi nodded her understanding, turning sporadically to Yoruichi only to find her with her gaze turned guiltily sidelong, as if she'd gotten her hand caught in the cookie jar. "Well...good morning, girls," the patriarch finally said with a bit of a forced smile, walking into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. "Well...guess I'll keep my hands to myself for now..." Yoruichi said quietly, looking a bit shaken from being caught with Soi. The younger girl caught the mischevious smile on her face, though, but before she could say anything the grumbling of her stomach beat her to it. "Hungry?" The taller girl asked with a bit of a laugh in her voice. "...Yeah." ---------- Soi forced the corn flakes down her throat, thankful that her stomach could handle something when it was already churning from this eerie sort of excitement. It didn't help that Yoruichi kept stealing not-so-subtle glances at her from across the table, though she was pleased to find that doing the same caused a similar distress in the upperclassman, who'd meet her gaze for a few moments before pretending to be interested in the maze on the back of the cereal box. On the other side of the table Zhou sat nursing a cup of coffee, the lack of milk making the scent of beans even stronger. He glanced at his daughter, doing her best not to look ecstatic, then at the light and dark hand intertwined between her an Yoruichi. He was quiet for a moment before finally speaking. "Soi-chan...I'd like to talk to your...girlfriend for a moment, if you don't mind." Neither makes any sign of overwhelming dread, but Soi's hand does grip Yoruichi's a little tighter, while the senior makes a sound like she's struggling to swallow the cereal in her mouth. "Uh...No, that's no problem, Dad..." "I meant alone. It won't be long." The freshman spared a glance at both of the room's other occupants, at the steely gaze with which he'd affixed Yoruichi, before sliding out of her chair and walking out of the kitchen. For a while they just sat there, Zhou running a finger idly about the rim of his mug, Yoruichi waiting patiently for him to speak. Did he know about Soi? Was he angry? Would he ask her never to touch his daughter again? "...Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick you out of this house right now." Yoruichi felt her heart sink. She didn't want to be parted from Soi like this-- didn't he understand how Soi-- how SHE-- felt? "Fong-san...Please, I know that this is probably a shock to you, but there's nothing wrong with Soi. She's just--" "You think I'm talking about that?" Zhou interrupted, a sliver of anger clear in his voice when he spoke again. For her part, Yoruichi wasn't sure what to think. "...You broke my little girl's heart. I don't know what kind of sick enjoyment you get from toying with people like that, but it's not right. Now unless you plan on cueing her in this time, I suggest you leave now and not come back." "Listen... I hurt Soi and for that I can't expect to be completely forgiven. But...please believe me when I tell you that your daughter means the world to me." "Why?" he asked, skeptical. "Why should I believe that any more than she should? Explain yourself." Yoruichi sighed, leaned her head against her hand on the table. How could she explain this-- that Soi was everything to her now? That Soi felt like her sister, her friend, her companion and lover all at once, that she had gained something resembling wholeness that she'd never known in her life before? "I...I can't," she admitted weakly. "...I just...I love Soi. I'd do anything for her. I know that I've been terrible to her, but... I just can't even do THAT anymore." She made eye contact, finally, with Zhou, biting her lip slightly as he studied her. After a moment his expression softened, and Soi's father gazed into the reflection barely visible in his coffee cup. "It's just been me and Soi-chan for so long. Six long years. And...as bad as it was for me to see my wife go... it was so much harder on Soi. And the worst thing was that she wouldn't say anything about it-- she never let me see her cry. I couldn't let her bear it alone, but she did-- and she became so strong because of it. So for her to cry the way she did... over you..." Zhou let out a strangled gasp, hiding the saddened look on his face by running a hand over his brow. "...You'd better be good to her," Zhou finally whispered. "If I EVER see that look on her face again because of you... I'll make sure you pay for it." Yoruichi nodded. "Then you won't ever need to." A few minutes later Zhou finished his coffee in a single swig and left for work. Soi walked in shortly thereafter and upon seeing the distant look on Yoruichi's face, asked her what was wrong. But she only smiled, soothed by the younger girl's presence, and told her that everything was fine. ---------- "So... what do you want to do?" Soi asked nervously as she walked down the stairs in a t-shirt and worn blue jeans. "I was thinking that since it's Saturday we could go get some ice cream... or we could--" "How about we stay here today?" The freshman blinked, tried to pretend she hadn't just caught the slight suggestive lilt in Yoruichi's voice. "Uh...but don't you want to enjoy the town before you go? You might not see it for a while..." Yoruichi didn't directly answer the question; she simply wrapped her arms around the tiny body before her, planting a row of kisses that started at the small patch of skin visible around the neckline of Soi's shirt. She didn't have the heart to tell Soi that she didn't care about that-- she'd missed out on too much time that could have been with her to lose it again. Soi was just about to lean back into her when the sound of someone knocking at the door broke the stillness of the house. They both let out a groan (Yoruichi a bit more so) as Soi extricated herself from the older girl's grip, heading straight for the source of the ruckus. "Soi! Listen, I need to talk to you about Yoruichi," Kuukaku instantly began as soon as the freshman opened the door to her, her mouth half-open in a vain effort to get a word in. "...I just went by her house and she SAID she was gonna talk to you but I think she ran out of town, the bitch, so I'm here to tell you that you need to find her because she's crazy about you an--" "Hi, Kuukaku." The eldest Shiba daughter froze, jaw halfway to the sidewalk as she saw Yoruichi come out from behind Soi, wrapping an arm affectionately around the shorter girl. It took Kuukaku a moment to realize that Soi was doing her best to avoid smiling like an idiot, which in turn caused a grin of her own to pop up.
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