DISCLAIMER: The rights to all copyrighted material mention henceforth in this document are owned by their respective owners.

In my last chapter of "The Good Times are Killing Me," I mentioned that you should all thank PolarisAmane for that fics continued existence. I was half joking then, but I can say with all seriousness that this fic would not exist without a conversation I had with her. Turns out, we have a similar sense of humor.

I would also like to thank PolarisAmane for acting as my beta-reader for this fic. I haven't used one in a while, and I'm starting to think I should.

Normally, at the beginning of a new multi-chapter fic, I like to take some time to explain my objective for the fic, but this will be much more fun (for me) if you all go in blind.

The title of this fic comes from the Band Marino song "Every Time I Make a Girl Cry I Know I've Done My Job." It'a bit of a sarcastic title.

I've added a new poll to my profile so you all can voice your opinion on what I update next.

Fuck you FF .net for stealing my asterisks!

Yoruichi's casual stroll was a stark contrast to the frantic running of the other black-clad Shinigami. All around her, men and women alike could be seen scurrying to and fro, carrying documents and supplies to their destinations. Of course, she hadn't expected things to be exactly calm today.

Today was the day before the battle with Aizen in the Fake Karakura.

The one thing that was rather surprising, or at least it should have been, was the conspicuous absence of white among the frantic Shinigami. Yamamoto had given all the Captains, Lieutenants, and Officers participation in the upcoming battle the day off to prepare.

That was why Yoruichi was in the Seireitei. Even though she had all but severed any amicable channels of communication with the Gotei 13, only interacting with them as much as was necessary, there were still those within her ranks that she considered friends. There were still those that she wanted to say goodbye to.

Yoruichi looked around to get her bearings. She couldn't remember the last time she used the Gotei 13's Senkaimon, and the experience was a tad disorientating.

While it papered that there was no real rhyme or reason the layout of the Seireitei and that the divisions were scattered about randomly in spite of their numerical monikers, the truth was that those division with connections to Nobles, and by extension money, had the first choice on land during the massive complex's construction.

Taking to the rooftops to avoid the scuttling Shinigami, which looked remarkable like black ants from her great heights, Yoruichi headed for the closest Division that housed one of her few friends, which happened to be the Thirteenth.

Wiping the perspiration from his brow, Jushiro Ukitake lowered his pruning shears and admired his handy-work.

His prized bonsai tree, which he had planted when he became a Captain and now stood almost as tall as him, now had a perfectly sculpted dome of leaves to shade him from the harsh afternoon sun with.

Smiling with accomplishment, Ukitake turned his shears to the hedges that surrounded his manicured garden.

"Managed to make it through the day with your shirt on, I see." Ukitake turned around to see Yoruichi climbing over the high wall of his garden. The last time Yoruichi paid a visit to Ukitake, she had found him shirtless, pinned to the large oak tree that stood in the center of half-acre that he modestly referred to as his garden.

"Yoruichi-san! What a pleasant surprise!" Ukitake waved to the brown-skinned woman with a smile, breathing a sigh of relief as she dismounted the wall and avoided landing on any flowers. Ukitake had always been one of the few people that respected her request to not be addressed with a royal honorific, even before she forfeited her titles.

"Gotta say, this is not what I expected to find you doing on the eve of the big, climatic battle." Yoruichi replied.

"What did you expect?" Ukitake asked as he walked over to a small tea table that sat in the shade. He always had a fresh pot of tea brewed and two cups set out, just in case he had a visitor.

"I don't know, maybe you swinging the old Zanpakutou around a bit to loosen up the elbows." Yoruichi mimicked the motion of swinging a sword as she sat down.

"A couple hours of training at this point wouldn't make a bit of difference," Ukitake responded as he poured Yoruichi a cup of tea. "All it would accomplish would be to make me more tired for tomorrow. Besides I've always found tending to my garden relaxing. It helps me clear my mind and concentrate." Ukitake sipped at his tea. "Speaking of tomorrow, what brings you here? Sharing a cup of tea with an invalid isn't what I expected the great Shunshin Yoruichi to do the day before the big, climatic battle."

"I guess…I just wanted to…" Yoruichi hesitated, frowning. She stalled by sipping her tea.

"It's okay to say goodbye, Yoruichi." Ukitake smiled gently.

"Yeah," Yoruichi sighed. A small flower caught her eye. It was blue with five long petals that spiralled out from the center in a similar manner to that of a fan. "Hey! What's this called?" Yoruichi asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh that?" Ukitake perked up. He loved sharing his botanical knowledge with others. "That's a blurse kang…"

Unohana sat quietly in her quarters. In spite of the hectic bustle outside in the Fourth Division Infirmary as medics scrambled to ready themselves for the imminent influx of serious injuries, the only sound that could be heard within Unohana's room was the soft rustling of leaves in the wind.

Unohana sat on the floor with a small canvas square in front of her. Next the canvas was an assortment of paints and brushes. Unohana stared out pensively though her open balcony and to the lush forest that say beyond.

Unohana had painted this landscape over a thousand times, yet no two were the same. If one lined up all the paintings side by side, the effect would be very similar to that of time-lapsed photography. Bushes and trees were millimetres taller, then centimetres. Clouds were never in the same place and the sun sank and rose. A tree may be covered in spring blooms and barren with bitter winter. Indeed, one vista gave a lifetime of portraits.

The silent tranquillity of her surroundings was so complete that Unohana was actually able to hear Yoruichi drop down from the roof and onto the balcony.

"It's beautiful, as always." Yoruichi commented as she looked at the painting. By the looks of things, it was almost finished.

"Thank you, Yoruichi-dono." Unohana smiled. Unlike others, Unohana's use of a honorific was more out of respect for the past than any imaginary rank. 'But I'm afraid that my greens are a little bit off. I wasn't able to pick the right herb and it shows." Unohana mixed her own paints and made her own brushes.

"Nonsense," Yoruichi waved away the self-criticism. "No one can tell the difference. Besides, it's not like you ever display any of these."

"Perhaps one day I will finally paint something I am proud enough to let the masses see." Unohana dipped her brush in a small cup of murky water. "Now, what can I do for you? Is Urahara-san in need of emergency supplies?"

"No," Yoruichi fidgeted slightly. "I was…actually wondering if you had one last proverb for me." Whenever Yoruichi was feeling unsure, scared, or just bored, she used to always go to Unohana. She was a very well read woman who had an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of proverbs, among other things. Some of them came from the wise men of Rukongai, while others came from the sometimes wiser men of the Mortal Realms.

"Last?" Unohana asked, her clinical and motherly mind making note of Yoruichi's word choice. "Hmmm," She pondered thoughtfully for a moment.

"There was a Greek historian by the name of Thucydides. I believe his words are very fitting for times such as theses." Unohana stirred the murky water with her brush gently, removing the paint from the soft bristles. "The bravest of men are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it."

"Thanks," Yoruichi smiled weakly and disappeared.

Unphased by the sudden departure, Unohana removed the brush from the water and dipped it into a deep shade of brown that matched the hue of the tree trunks perfectly.

Yoruichi slid the back shoji to Kyoraku's quarters to the side and stepped within, kicking the empty bottles of sake out of her path.

Kyoraku's quarters were customarily dingy and disorderly. Neglected paperwork was strewn about the room haphazardly and almost all the exposed wood had water rings from sake cups.

Unlike Ukitake, Yoruichi found Shunsui Kyoraku just where she expected; lounging on his bed with his straw had drawn up over his eyes.

"Ah," Kyoraku smiled as he lifted his hat to see his visitor. "There's one woman I never expected to see using the back door."

"It's the only way to avoid that hen of a Lieutenant you have." Yoruichi replied.

Kyoraku's back door was somewhat infamous among the women of the Seireitei. He always kept it unlocked, should any of his lady callers feel the need to slip in or out inconspicuously. Yoruichi had never had the dubious honor of using the "the back door" until now, due to her inborn preference to the fairer sex, but she had heard plenty of rumours about the women who had. The ones about his former Lieutenant, Lisa Yadomura, had always bothered her. Yoruichi had something of an eye for Lisa back in the day, but then again it was hard not to when she spent most of her time running around in a mini-skirt.

"Nanao-chan can be a little overbearing," Kyoraku sighed as he sat up, "But her hearts in the right place, and that's what counts."

"Maybe," Yoruichi smiled, remembering a time when she defended Sui-Feng's spying to Urahara with a similar phrase.

"Since you're here," Kyoraku grabbed a random, nearby cup and poured it full of sake, "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Sure, that sounds nice." Yoruichi cleared a space for her to take a seat and took the cup.

"So, what will your pretty face be doing while this handsome devil is getting all bloodied up?" Kyoraku asked after gulping down his sake. He quickly refilled his cup.

"I'll be watching over the real Karakura, making sure that hollows don't devour the helpless townsfolk." Yoruichi replied after a sip.

"So noble!" Kyoraku exclaimed. "It breaks my heart that we we're destined to be separated by cruel fate!"

"You always said that my love of women gave us common ground." Yoruichi replied playfully.

"It does, but that doesn't mean that we can't have more common ground." Kyoraku quickly refilled Yoruichi's cup.

"Sorry but," Yoruichi pointed down between her legs, "No boys allowed." Both of them had a good laughed.

Yoruichi always liked talking to Kyoraku. He was so much more laid back than the other captains. She could casually reference her genitalia without him so much as batting an eye.

"So, how do you feel about tomorrow?" Yoruichi asked after a brief silence.

"Aizen is a dangerous man, but with Yama-jii with us, I'm not too worried." Kyoraku smiled nostalgically, remembering how proud Yamamoto was on his graduation day.

The two continued to talk and eventually Yoruichi was on her fifth cup of sake.

"It was fun talking to you again." Yoruichi got up. "But I have to get going."

"I see," Kyoraku sighed. "What do you say we hit the sheets one last time before you go?" Yoruichi flinched slightly at the word "last." "Just for old times' sake."

"There never were any old times." Yoruichi replied flatly.

"Drats! I was hoping the sake would help you forget that." Kyoraku snapped his fingers.

"I may be a light weight," Yoruichi admitted, "But this sake is basically water."

"I know." Kyoraku lamented as he sloshed the liquid in his cup. "Nanao won't let me have the good stuff."

It always amused Yoruichi that Yamamoto's office was so quaint and simple, especially when compared to the grand and imposing entrance to the First Division.

Yoruichi never really considered Yamamoto a friend. He was simply one of her superiors. Any affection she had for the old man quickly dissipated after he and the Central 46 branded her and Urahara traitors.

The only reason she was standing before the Captain-Commander was because he had requested her presence after learning that she would be within the Seireitei.

"I am pleased that you decided to honor my request for your presence." Yamamoto greeted Yoruichi gruffly from behind his desk. Given that Yoruichi was no longer a member of the Gotei 13, she was under no obligation to obey his orders.

"Well, you did let me use your Senkaimon…" Yoruichi relied dismissively.

"I wanted to thank you for all your hard work and cooperation in the preparations for the battle against Aizen and his forces." Yamamoto leaned forward. "Without you gathering intelligence and delaying the Espada on the few occasions that you engaged them, we would not be on such firm footing."

"Kiuske Urahara conducted forbidden experiments and created the device that has lead the world to the brink of destruction, and while he has aided in the creation of tomorrows battle field, he has yet to show proper remorse for his grave transgressions." Yamamoto met Yoruichi's eyes. "You aided in his criminal actions by neglecting your duties and proper protocol and sheltered him, Tessai Tsukabishi, and those now know and the Vizards from the law. However, you have shown remorse, or at least attempted to make amends for your crimes though your actions in the war effort." Yamamoto stood up.

"That is why I am willing to drop the charges against you and offer you one of the currently vacant Captaincies." Yamamoto concluded.

Yoruichi was taken aback for a moment. She hadn't expected such a gesture from Yamamoto. However, as his words sank in, she quickly regained her footing.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Yoruichi crossed her arms. "I'm not too keen on running back into the arms of people who until very recently wanted me dead."

"I see that you still do not consider us friends." Yamamoto replied sadly.

"I don't consider people who turn on those who tell the truth friends." Yoruichi replied sternly, referring to Urahara's testimony at his trial.

"If you still are wary of us, then why have you been so cooperative?" Yamamoto asked.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Yoruichi shrugged. "You want Aizen dead as much as I do." Yoruichi thought for a moment. "I think the real question is why have you relied on me and Urahara so much when you still clearly consider us criminal scum?"

"It is as you said." Yamamoto replied with a hint of a chuckle. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Seeing her old friends filled Yoruichi with a nostalgic pang. She missed them and wished that she could spend more time with them. However, Yoruichi felt compelled to spend the rest of the day with the one person that she had seen the most since her return and, oddly enough, still missed the most.

Yoruichi found Sui-Feng at the Onmitsukido parade ground. Assembled in front of her were the seated officers of the Seireitei's police force. It seemed that Sui-Feng was not taking the day off like the others, as she was pacing up and down as she issued orders to the people who would be, for all intensive purposes, controlling the Seireitei in her absence.

"That is all, you are dismissed." Sui-Feng said to her officers with a surprising lack of vigor.

"And here I accepted to find you reading or playing the violin." Yoruichi smirked happily as she approached Sui-Feng.

"Yoruichi-sama!" Sui-Feng perked up at the sound of Yoruichi's voice. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"Are you kidding?" Yoruichi asked with exaggerated shock. "Why wouldn't I come to see you? Especially since tomorrow is…" Yoruichi's voice trailed off as Sui-Feng's expression darkened. "Come on, lets' go get some dinner. I'm starving." Sui-Feng nodded and followed Yoruichi.

Even though Sui-Feng was the head of both the Second Division and the Onmitsukido, she maintained her permanent residence in the Second Division Barracks. They were smaller and more practical, especially when compared to the lavish furnishings of the quarters of the head of the Onmitsukido.

Once Yoruichi and Sui-Feng were inside Sui-Feng's quarters, Sui-Feng prepared them a light meal. Yoruichi accepted her plate hungrily and started to dig in, mostly because eating prevented her from talking.

Sui-Feng was not so hungry. She picked at her rice but ate very little of it. Yoruichi watched Sui-Feng. While her own smile hid the tumult inside her, Sui-Feng was not so guarded. Her eyes and face were just too expressive for her own good. Yoruichi could read her like an open book, and she knew they were thinking about the same thing.

Sui-Feng was not a soldier, she was an assassin. She was not meant for open combat on the battlefield. She was meant to kill the general before the battle even took place.

Sui-Feng was also the head of the intelligence gathering arm of the Gotie 13. She knew just as much as Yamamoto did about the impending battle. However, unlike Yamamoto, she was willing to admit the one fact that Yamamoto was adamantly refusing.

The Gotie 13 wasn't marching to war, it was marching to a slaughter.

All warfare is based upon deception. One never engages their enemy on even ground, yet that was exactly what The Gotie 13 was doing. What was worse was that their enemy could control their very senses. How was someone supposed to fight effectively when everything they touch, taste, smell, hear, and see could very well just be an illusion?

It infuriated Sui-Feng that Yamamoto refused to listen to reason. Why didn't he just send her to assassinate Aizen when they had the chance? Then all of this nonsense could have been avoided. But Yamamoto seemed more concerned with dying honorably than living sensibly.

Yet she was going to be a sacrificial lamb for Ichigo Kurosaki, all because of Yamamoto's juvenile views of death and glory.

Yoruichi and Sui-Feng finished their meal in relative silence. Once they were finished, Sui-Feng cleared the dishes.

"It's getting late, and there is much to prepare for," Sui-Feng said sadly. "I will escort you to the Senkaimon." Yoruichi nodded and followed Sui-Feng.

The trip to the Senkaimon was equally somber. Both women were having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that this was very likely the last time they were going to see each other.

"Here we are," Sui-Feng almost whispered once they reached the gat to the other world. "Good bye, Yoruichi-sama."

"Good bye, Sui-Feng." Yoruichi did her best to say the words as casually as possible, but she couldn't stop a hint of finality from seeping into her voice.

Sui-Feng started to leave, her steps slow and her head low. Then, she stopped and turned around suddenly.

"Yoruichi-sama!" Sui-Feng called out as if she were afraid that Yoruichi would suddenly leave. Her face was very red. "I…I love you!"

Yoruichi stood there, rooted in place by shock. Then she crossed her arms, smiled her debonaire grin.

"I know you do." Yoruichi's voice dripped with casual dismissiveness.

It was the truth. Yoruichi did know. Everybody knew. How couldn't they?

What most people didn't know was that Yoruichi reciprocated. She was ready to call what she felt love, that she was drawn to Sui-Feng on a level deeper than friendship.

That's why she abided by the woman's affection without objecting to it. In all honesty, Yoruichi fully expected for them to end up together one day; for the walls between them to come tumbling down in a passionate fury.

Yoruichi wasn't one for emotional displays, and she doubted that Sui-Feng would ever muster up the courage to express herself, so she contented herself with teasing and the brief touches in the hopes that one day her quiet patience would pay off.

But Sui-Feng had found the courage.

Emotions were human. Everyone had them. Emotions such as compassion and love were what separated them from the Hollows that they were sworn to destroy.

Yet, when you're in the seat of power, and especially when you're the first woman to hold that seat, you have to keep your emotions guarded.

The Shihoin House was a warrior clan and a political force. And signs of weakness from its leader were unacceptable. Yoruichi could still clearly remember the hours she had spent tied to a post with her sensei beating and whipping her. The beatings would stop when she stopped crying.

The scars all over her back had long since faded, but the effects of the conditioning remained. Yoruichi had lost touch with her emotions, or at least she had lost the ability to properly express them. Over the years, she regained some ability of expression in the form of teasing and flirtation.

Even though she was centuries old, the way she acted towards the people she was attracted to resembled the elementary school yard crushes of mortals. She would tease them, taunt them, and in some cases even bully them. She bullied Sui-Feng, to a degree. It was only little things, such as stealing her food during a meal, but it still showed a level of emotional immaturity that was the result of a childhood of being groomed for power and greatness.

That's why, when faced with a display of such raw emotion as Sui-Feng's confession, Yoruichi didn't know how to react, or even feel.

The first thing Yoruichi felt was jealousy. She knew that Sui-Feng's upbringing had been just as harsh, if not harsher, than her own, yet Sui-Feng could still express her feelings.

The second feeling was slight agitation over Sui-Feng upsetting the natural order of things. Pretty much everyone considered them a de facto couple; there was no need to say it out loud.

The third feeling was elation. There had always been a sneaking suspicion in the back of Yoruichi's mind that Sui-Feng didn't have romantic feelings for her; that it was all just hero worship. She was relieved to find out that her suspicions were false.

But still, all she did was shrug as if Sui-Feng had said something totally mundane. That's all Yoruichi could do. Telling Sui-Feng that she knew was her own confession of sorts. If Yoruichi knew this whole time but never objected to her presence, then she must obviously feel similarly, right?

"What?…You…know?" Sui-Feng's face contorted in a mixture of anger and sadness. She obviously wasn't following Yoruichi's thought process.

Yoruichi regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Yoruichi opened her mouth to say something, anything, but before any sound left her mouth, Sui-Feng was gone.