I own none of the characters of bleach, just my overactive imagination - which is not for sale...

Bearable

In dreams you found that life was at least for those few hours bearable. Running your hands over the smooth surface of the water you stare at the kaleidoscope of brown, green and blue. How long has it been? Memories of when you were still a child – normally easy to ignore flood into you like this river pounds through the mountain, into the ocean.

Trembling hands glow in the moonlight, illuminating pearl and jet black, her heaving bare breasts, already covered in sweat and streaks of saliva; sweat that you caused.

"Y-yoruichi…w-we can't…thi…oh…this is wrong…"

"Your body seems to like it…"

She blushes and turns her head, closing her eyes when your mouth follows the curve of her neck, legs pushing against you restlessly, passion marks are left down your back, your sides as her nails claw into you. At eighteen, you were nervous and hasty; wanting to take in every inch of her, this forbidden fruit…it was exciting to steal her into the darkness, to keep her to yourself…away from the eyes of those who scrutinised you.

After years of silence between the two of you, you decided not to contact her even though you can look at her number by browsing through your directory. She was just another shy girl, living in the shadow of her parents. Your families where close friends since high school, yet there was always slight friction between them…something unbearable bound them. Your parents were proud when you announced that you would be honoured to take the reigns from your father when the time was right – taking over this piece of earth…these mountains. She didn't even look at me…

"Hey Kisuke…what do you think?"

Blond hair framed a boyish face, eyes almost hidden from sight by the floppy cap he insisted on wearing all the time. He stood perfectly still for a few moments before pacing up and down the stream of water, his bare feet curling around pebbles, skinny legs bending, jerking with each step.

"It is a beautiful place…if you feel confident I'll support you, Miss Shihouin."

Grinning while stepping into the cool water he tilts his head back and you can feel your fists clench…and yet it feels like a weight has been taken off your shoulders, you will try to understand you tell yourself, try to find the beauty in this. Your eyes don't leave the water, for in them you can see her eyes clearly.

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"Hey! Ya finally decided eh?"

As if the atmosphere was not enough to almost make her chicken out she knew that if she wanted quality, this was the person to ask for – at almost two meters tall, her wild hair that stuck in certain points and a massive tattoo on her left arm, Soi was sure that even if she tried to back out now…there was no easy way of running. In the few years she had been working at the parlour, she found that for the most part people avoided starting conversations with her they know what's best for them…unlike some people.

"Y-yeah, I finished the design…"

Eyeing the small woman suspiciously the buxom woman took the presented sheet from the girl…a tribal design that slightly resembled butterfly wings, her eyes widened slightly before her lips pursed together, trying not to find the image too amusing. So girly…who would have thought…

"Ya sat for how many hours and this is it? Guess I can expect s'much from a piercer."

"Shut up…I like the design…besides it's my body Kuukaku."

Smiling down at the younger woman Kuukaku took the page and preceded to the computer, handing it to one of the other artists. She motioned for Soi to sit in the offered chair, which she nervously approached. They had met again in college, well when the girl went to college and decided to get her eyebrow pierced. She was even worse back then, timid and bitter, looking like a rag doll someone had tossed to the side of the road. Someone had to do it – someone had to ruffle her feathers and get her to speak, to at least say something… which led her to offering her a part-time job at the parlour. They had been talking for hours about the aftercare and general precautions one should make when undergoing body modification when she had asked the girl if she would like to learn more. Needless to say she was mentally very agile and had no qualms with the actual work, even though some clients were slightly put off by her stoic nature.

"Ya gotta talk to these people Soi, ya can't just let 'em sit there and wet their pants!"

"I have nothing to say to them! If they cannot handle the pain they should not get pierced!"

"Why the hell do you think this business is making money eh? You can't drive people away idiot!"

"I-Im not an idiot! You're one to talk! You…you arrogant woman!"

She remembered the venom that shone in those eyes, an almost demonic expression that captivated her on the spot. When in high school she vaguely remembered the little brat, for she stood out even then – not socializing with just anyone…except for Yoruichi. She knew of their families being close, but in the senior year of their summer, something changed between the two. Soi became evasive and whenever faced with the princess, she refused to make eye contact with her. There was no mystery behind the fact that Yoruichi loved to be around the kid, but the small flicker of sadness that surfaced after that summer left her to doubt the nature of their relationship. When plans of taking over her father's resort in the mountains were made known, Kuukaku pretty much put the pieces together…what was she thinking?! She offered her shoulder for the small girl to cry on, but she rarely spoke of the events that happened that summer…she was not a child anymore either and when she had kissed her in a drunken haze one night after work in the nearby bar the tall Shiba did not care anymore. I'll never break her like that…Yoruichi called her every once and a while, never directly asking about Soi, but she told her that the girl was doing well, that despite the stoic façade people are not running in the opposite direction and that she is a really hard worker. Yoruichi would sigh and in her mind's eye Kuukaku imagined her face slightly saddened that the girl could forget about her so easy, which was not entirely true of course, but it was not to be made common knowledge. She feared that if Soi knew the princess was still calling her and paying visits to this space she could lose her inadvertently.

"Mmm you're right, how is the placement?"

Looking into the mirror at the purple lines that decorated her upper right thigh, she smiled, timidly at first, but soon enough her expression became more confident. Tilting her head slightly Soi turned to the one side then the other to properly examine the soon-to-be tattoo.

"It will bring out some definition since ya legs are so goddamn scrawny anyhow…"

A playful slap accompanied the smirk as Soi slumped into the chair, pressing down the armrest before placing her hands behind her head and reclining.

"Just hurry up and finish it…I have class in a few hours."

Watching as the needles were being placed inside the metal sheath one after the other before the ink was spaced out onto the cling-wrap protected table. Rubber gloves slid over large bony hands while a plastic cover was being skilfully wrapped around the engine of the machine and tied with a rubber band. Grinning when the girl jumped slightly at the sting of first blood, she taped a paper towel at the bottom of the design.

"Whatever you say…"

My apologies to a few who actually wanted this out sooner...but as you know, murphy is a bored little brat.