Thank you to all my readers, I love you guys! I'm extremely sorry for the long wait for this, and even more sorry that this chapter is shorter than the others. It's more like a filler chapter than anything, but I promise you, epic moments will happen soon enough! Hope you enjoy chapter 4! ^^
Chapter 4 – Running Away Won't Solve Anything
"Running away will never make you free." –Kenny Loggins.
~ YSYSYS ~
"So, Hisagi… how do you think Lieutenant Omaeda's been doing since Captain Soi Fon got exiled?"
Shuhei Hisagi turned to look at the shorter blonde haired boy that stood next to him. Shuhei sighed, running his strong hand through his short, raven coloured locks. "Geez, that guy's either really happy or really sad," he replied. "Happy cause Captain Soi Fon isn't there to beat the crap outta him anymore, or sad because he is lost without her. That guy really doesn't have any leadership skills."
Izuru Kira nodded in agreement. "Perhaps we should assist Lieutenant Omaeda in leading the Second Division and the Stealth Force," Kira suggested. Shuhei's dark grey eyes looked at him questionably, silently asking why they should bother. "Well…" Kira continued, his blue orbs hardening. "… We both understand the feeling of our Captains betraying us."
The bare muscles in Shuhei's arms tensed suddenly, his gaze growing sharp, pain hidden within them. "It's almost impossible to believe…" Shuhei started somewhat bitterly as he stared upwards at the clear sky above, "… how much the Soul Society is being betrayed recently."
Kira looked downwards, his shoulders a bit slumped over. "… Yeah."
"Like, it's in an uproar!" the tattooed boy continued with an edged groan. "But despite all that," he looked over at Kira, "I think Captain Soi Fon's punishment was unfair."
"Even if that's true… it's… hard for me to be loyal to anyone anymore…" The hurt could easily be read in the blue eyed man's tone.
Shuhei's eyes automatically softened when Kira looked up at him.
"Please… don't ever betray me, Hisagi," the blonde haired boy pleaded in a moment of emotional weakness.
A gentle smile tugged at the corners of Shuhei's lips. "I could never do that to you, Izuru."
"Mr. Kisuke… I'm concerned about Miss Yoruichi. She hasn't come out of her room in two weeks and I'm starting to get really worried. Do you think we should go check on her?"
Kisuke used his hand to reposition the green and white striped hat upon his head so his grey eyes could observe Ururu who stood before him shyly holding a broom, a blush upon her cheeks. Her black hair was in her trademark twin pigtails, her purple eyes displaying the concern she was feeling. She was clad in a white t-shirt along with a knee-length pink skirt with white polka dots.
Urahara reached forward and gently petted her head, a small smile on his expression. "Don't worry about Yoruichi," he told the young girl. "That crazy cat left her room a week and a half ago, saying she needed her alone time. She hasn't returned since, but I'm sure she's fine."
Ururu nodded nervously. "Oh… a-alright then. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Kisuke."
She retreated away from him and exited the shop, sweeping away leaves on the other side of the front door, leaving Kisuke alone in the room.
The moment Ururu was out of his sight, his eyes hardened considerably as he remembered what Yoruichi said to him nearly two weeks ago.
The air was crisp in Karakura Town, darkness still flooding the streets. The Sun would not rise for at least another good two hours.
The front door to the Urahara Shop slid open silently, the beautiful Yoruichi Shihoin being showered in the moonlight, practically making her purple hair turn black as she closed the door behind her. She was clothed in her normal orange over-shirt and black stretch pants, but the chilly air still bit against her available chocolate skin, making her shiver involuntarily.
Yoruichi sighed, stopping after she took a few steps forward to look up at the moon that was granting her some light. Ever since she was a young girl, she always thought the moon held a mysterious beauty—especially when it was a full moon like tonight. Her golden eyes began to glaze over as her mind reminded her of one of her favourite—and most painful—nights.
She shook her head quickly though, rubbing her temples, not wanting to get too caught up in that right now, but there was something she couldn't seem to shake off…
I lied to her two times that night, Yoruichi thought sadly.
("I will always be by your side to protect you. Always…"
"Yeah, it's a promise.")
That was a lie, Yoruichi thought bitterly.
("You… remind me of me. Sometimes I feel like you're my little sister.")
Yoruichi's head hung low. … That was a lie, too.
The goddess's eyes began to narrow as she remembered about more recent events.
("Back off!")
Those two words were what started the breaking of Yoruichi's heart that day, but many other things followed. She was so shocked that Soi Fon had protected that man… that she couldn't understand how Soi Fon was feeling. How in pain she must've been…
("Oh, that's right… it's always been about what you want, hasn't it?"
"Why can't you honor me with the fight I deserve, Yoruichi-sama?"
"All that fight succeeded in doing… was shouting the fact… that I was still the pathetic girl you betrayed 100 years ago."
"What made him so special? Why did it always have to be about him?"
"No! I'm done listening! All your talk is full of lies! I… am through with you, Yoruichi-sama! I refuse to let you hurt me like that again! Your very existence threw away any chance at freedom I could've had, and I was still haunted by your image even after you left! I… I'm not your pet anymore!"
"That man… he was there for me when you never were. He actually cares about me. If you dare even threaten him again… I'll kill you, Yoruichi-sama!"
"I'm not the same girl you used to know. A lot of things can change in 100 years, Yoruichi-sama… including my feelings for you.")
It was rough for Yoruichi to take all that at once. No… rough was too unexaggerated of a word.
The purple haired woman rested a hand over her heart, realizing how fast it was beating. Even now… she still felt winded from when Soi Fon kicked her.
To Yoruichi, fighting Soi Fon the first time while helping Ichigo stop Rukia's execution was hard enough. The fact that she was forced to do battle with her a second time… it was almost too much. She knew she could never purposely hurt her student.
… I've hurt her enough already anyway, Yoruichi thought sadly, her arm falling down limply to her side.
"What'cha doin, Yoruichi?"
Her shoulders tensed from being startled at the sound, but no surprise echoed her mind from the speaker. She turned to see Kisuke standing by the door to his shop.
He blinked innocently at the stern look on her face. "You know…" he began with a gentle smile despite the look he was receiving. "… Running away won't solve anything."
"I'm aware of that," the woman's silky voice replied without missing a beat, her catlike eyes sharp. "I'm not running away from anything. I just want to be alone for awhile to think thing's over."
Kisuke's smile dropped, yet his expression softened in concern. "It's not your fault."
The purple haired woman knew full well what he was referring to, and chose not to reply.
Kisuke stared at her for a few long moments before letting out a deep, silent breath through his nose. "Do you want a Gigai?" he offered her.
She shook her head, forcing a small smile upon her expression. "Thanks, but no. I'd rather not be seen for the next couple of days…"
She turned back around and walked off into the darkness.
The dirty blonde haired man continued to look at the empty space her body filled just moments before. He knew it was best for Yoruichi to sort out her inner problems on her own, but he still couldn't help but feel worried about her.
-Back in Present Time-
"RUKIA? YOU'RE BACK! Oh, how I've missed you!"
Rukia giggled playfully at Keigo's performance of fondness towards her. It was cute in a way, despite the annoyance.
"Oh my… Keigo, was it?" Rukia began in a soft, girly tone. "If I knew that you had missed me this much, I would've tried to come back sooner!"
"Oh Rukia, your words are as kind as ever!" he placed a gentle kiss upon the back of her hand.
"Oh, put a cork in it, you dumbass," Tatsuki ordered in frustration as she punched the brown haired boy away. The tomboy's expression quickly morphed into a light smirk at the sight of the girl in front of her. "Welcome back, Rukia!"
"Ditto to that," Mizuiro joined in with a cute smile.
"Yeah Rukia, we've all missed you so much! Especially me!" Orihime declared as she hugged Rukia tightly, her magnificent breasts making it hard for the short black haired girl to breathe, but once she could, she laughed happily and thanked all of them.
The violet eyed girl smiled and made simple responses to her friends of the human world as they calmly talked amongst each other. Despite how soon the class was about to start, not many students were inside the room yet in Karakura High School.
Rukia's eyes were immediately attracted to the vibrant orange hair on the head of the boy who just walked in the classroom. For some reason, her throat tightened as she tried to call out his name, resulting in someone beating her to it.
"Good morning, Ichigo!" Orihime greeted to the boy cheerfully.
"Huh? … Oh, yeah, good morning, Orihime."
The long haired girl's smiled dropped from his tone. He wasn't even looking at her, either. "Ichigo, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Ichigo replied slowly, faking a smile. "Don't worry about it." He then turned his back to his friends and sat down in his seat, blindly staring out the window.
"Ichigo…" Orihime reached her hand out, as if believing he would walk back over, but once she realized he wasn't going to budge, she pulled her hand back towards her chest in worry. She could feel a slight ache in her heart.
Without muttering a word, Rukia silently walked over to Ichigo and stood next to him, gazing out the window emotionlessly as well.
Keigo and Mizuiro were too busy chatting amongst themselves to notice, but how distantly Ichigo and Rukia were acting was worrying both Orihime and Tatsuki.
"Tatsuki…" Orihime murmured faintly. "They're both acting so… different. They're hiding something from us, I just know it. I'm concerned about them… what should I do?"
The black haired tomboy suppressed a chuckle as she placed her hand on the large-breasted girl's shoulder. "There's always something going on with those two," she stated, almost in a light-hearted manner. "I'm sure they're fine. They'll tell you about it when they're ready."
"Tatsuki…"
Tatsuki smiled, gently squeezing her best friend's shoulder, before looking away. Well… they'll tell you, anyway, Orihime. As of recently… none of you tell me anything anymore. You guys always disappear without a word and don't even trust me enough to tell me what's going on…
The orange haired boy sighed as the Sun's rays warmed his face through the window, resting his chin in his palm. It was one of those days when he simply didn't have the energy to do anything.
"Are you alright, Ichigo?"
Hearing Rukia's soft voice didn't surprise him. It soothed him more than anything. "Yeah, I'm fine, Rukia. I'm just thinking."
"About?"
He turned his head to meet her gaze, his eyes unreadable despite his words. "It's been awfully quiet since Soi Fon's exile. You'd figure something out of the ordinary would've happened by now."
"Yeah, you're right." Rukia's violet eyes steeled in puzzlement. "There have been no signs of that mysterious man who was with her… or of any Hollows, for that matter. Karakura Town hasn't been this inactive in a long while."
The orange haired boy stared deeply at his smaller companion. "Do you think there's a reason for that?"
Rukia shook her head in a swell of frustration. "I can't say for certain. Maybe they just don't want to come here."
Ichigo frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Maybe… a force is holding them back…"
"Alright students, take your seats!" The sound of Miss Misato's voice instructing them from the front of the classroom quieted all the adolescents down. "It's time to start the class! … Why are only half of you here?"
"… Yoruichi-sama?"
"Mmmm, yes Little Bee?"
The black haired girl shivered upon feeling her mentor's breath shower her neck.
"Was… was it really alright for you to let him get captured?" The woman holding her from behind stiffened suddenly. "I mean, I know he was lazy and incompetent, and not for one moment did I believe he deserved the title of captain, but he was your best friend, wasn't he?"
Yoruichi looked away for a moment, gathering her thoughts as the gentle breeze caressed her short purple locks. "I was going to save him."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because if I did, you would have been left all alone." Yoruichi pulled the younger girl closer, gently burying her face in her hair. "I could never do that to you."
"Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fon gasped, turning around in her teacher's arms so she could stare into those gorgeous, catlike eyes. "You know that I would do anything for you. Even if you were exiled from the Soul Society, I would go with you… you know that, right?"
The chocolate skinned woman smiled, delicately stroking Soi Fon's cheek with her fingertips. "I know you would, Soi Fon, and that's precisely why I didn't help Kisuke. I didn't want to leave you behind, but I could never ask you to come with me, either. I couldn't ruin your life like that."
Soi Fon looked down shyly, her cheeks beginning to flush. "Y-Yoruichi-sama…"
Yoruichi gently gripped the younger girl's chin, bringing her back up to eye-level. Soi Fon shivered at how intensely her master was gazing at her.
"I care about you way too much to ever let you get hurt like that, Soi Fon. You mean everything to me."
Soi Fon's face blossomed with pink at her goddess's confession, and her heart began slamming against her ribcage as she noticed Yoruichi begin to lean down. Yoruichi was pulling her closer, her eyes eventually fluttering closed.
Soi Fon gulped nervously, finding pleasure in how warm her body was suddenly feeling. She let her eyes close and allowed Yoruichi to guide her head towards hers. It would be mere moments until their lips met in tender passion…
…
…
…
Soi Fon awoke with a sharp gasp, sitting upwards in her bed. She could feel sweat creep down her brow, and her entire body felt like a furnace. She wiped away the beads of sweat slicking her forehead and rested her head in her hands, sighing shakily to herself in pained frustration.
"Dammit…" the ex-Captain murmured to herself, "ever since Nofios mentioned it two weeks ago…"
She let out an unstable breath, the image of her beautiful Yoruichi-sama holding her so gently, with gorgeous amber eyes staring at her as if she was the most precious thing in the whole world stained in her memory. And then the way she gripped her chin… how close those luxurious lips were to claiming hers.
"Why…" Soi Fon moaned, feeling her entire body start to tremble. "Why can't I forget about that stupid daydream?"
It was far into the late hours of the night, the moon still hanging confidently in the sky, gently illuminating any areas that vibrant advertising signs and creepy street lampposts couldn't reach. A beautiful woman noticed a family of raccoons in the corner of her topaz eyes, scurrying away to a dumpster that she had stalked by a few metres back. She was walking through a dark, isolated area, no other people in sight to distract her, leaving the atmosphere in a chilling silence.
Yoruichi sighed, wishing there was a breeze caressing her skin so that she could hear more than just the dull, eerie tap of her footsteps. She knew it would still take her awhile to get back to Urahara's Shop at this rate, but she couldn't will herself to move any faster.
Her mind just couldn't stop replaying every scene that happened in her fight with Soi Fon two weeks ago, the absolute, passionate emotion that shone within those silver eyes as she told her to back off. The image kept swimming around in her mind like a whirlwind, and this shameful insecurity barred Yoruichi from travelling any faster.
The catlike woman couldn't help but blame herself. This heartache, depression and confusion… how it felt like nearly nothing mattered anymore, like everything you ever cared about was thrust away in a jolting instant… was this how Soi Fon felt when she abandoned her 100 years ago?
No, that couldn't be the case. Not entirely. Even if Soi Fon felt all those things, she must of felt anger, too, anger that eventually melted into hatred. But Yoruichi didn't feel that way; she felt no anger towards Soi Fon at all, only to the man that took Soi Fon away.
Yoruichi's eyes widened as she stared blankly ahead of her. I'm not angry with Soi Fon, but I'm furious with the man that took her away from me. Perhaps… is this the reason why Soi Fon hates Ki-
Yoruichi froze mid-step as she felt a presence behind her. She frowned deeply, the knits within this new spiritual pressure feeling so familiar yet disorienting at the same time. She turned around to face the new arrival, only to have her body turn to stone and her eyes cloud with animosity.
Just metres away stood the mysterious green haired man who took Soi Fon away, grinning darkly at her.
LOOOL I made you guys wait this long for this? SO SORRY! I've just been extremely lazy. But trust me when I say this, I do have the entire story planned out. I know how many chapters this story is going to have and what will happen in each one. I just keep getting distracted with other things and losing interest and stuff that I just never get around to writing it ^^'
I like what happens in the next chapter, though. Was one of my favourite scenes to plan out. After all, Yoruichi finally has Nofios alone… wonder what's gonna happen? ;) And in the next chapter, you guys get to learn about Araharu's and Emihiro's pasts'! Mhmm. Yeah. I went there.
ANYWAYS, despite how much shorter this chapter was and how long you had to wait for it, I hope you guys still enjoyed it and will continue to give me your lovely reviews. I just went through all my reviews today and it's only because of all the nice things you guys said that I was motivated to just fucking SIT DOWN AND WRITE THIS! So please review again for me! Love you guys! :)
~Sheena