Full Moon, Summer Night
Rating: Teen, just in case.
Misc: Please note: Not a songfic, but might I suggest Summer Song by Yui while reading?
Warning/s: None
Pairing/s: KisYor
Disclaimer: This disclaimer is not mine.
It was a warm night, the kind that only comes in the depths of summer, and the trees were wagging their heads as if to cool off. There were footsteps and Urahara Kisuke stepped into the garden on the Shihouin House grounds. He was welcome there, as Yoruichi's friend, but never felt very comfortable. A cricket chirped across from him, somewhere near the bridge that cut the silky, dark lake in half.
A group of willow trees, bent low and looking at their reflections in the water, waved at him as he drew near. It was the night of Tanabata, the night of fulfilled wishes, and Kisuke couldn't help but join in. The heat pressed flush against his skin. He crossed the bridge with a moment's hesitation, wandering to the single bamboo grove he knew the gardens held.
On his way over, he stepped on the Shihouin House symbol, still strikingly red against the darkened ground. The symbol had been etched countless years ago, back when the house had first gained nobility, and repainted every year since. In every way it could be said that nothing represented the Shihouin House more. Kisuke never looked down.
He quickly reached the first bamboo shoot, reached up, and tied his wish to the branch. The night buzzed with insects and Kisuke quickly bowed. The bamboo grove was surrounded by water and only reachable by bridge, a perfect spot for Kisuke, who had spent every Tanabata there. The night seemed magical, even to him.
He walked back across the lake, brushing away mosquitoes with his palms, and admired the cool, deep water. It moved so silently, and smoothly brushed against itself, only the tiniest ripples betraying its nature.
The heat of summer enveloped him, held him and caressed him, and he knew it was a dangerous time. There was something about the heat, the sweat, the stickiness, that made him insane. Made him dream, and do things he had never planned. Made him weak, and gave him a sort of strength. Like atmospheric bourbon.
As soon as he had got to the other side of the bridge, he heard a rustling from the bamboo grove. A dark-skinned woman, nearly invisible in the night, strode forward, his tiny note in her hand. "You're still up to this, Kisuke?" she asked, teasingly.
The girl didn't believe in Tanabata. Didn't believe in anything, as far as he knew. Only knew about speed, and force, and leverage. She spoke in terms of swiftness and cunning, never had any time for believe-in-mes and believe-in-yous. She worked only in herself, and for her that was enough. "I thought I was the scientist here," he replied quietly, turning toward the girl. "You know. The rational one."
"And still you're doing stuff like this," Yoruichi said, holding up the note. "Just goes to show, rationality isn't everything."
He remembered something she said once, staring at the moon behind her back. Her moon was like his summer. Something that made her crazy, that she felt under her skin. It was like she changed with the moon. Waxing and waning, and sometimes vanishing altogether. It was always darkest when she was gone.
Once, she had snuck out, and danced in the full moon. For no particular reason, mind you, but because it felt good. Healing, in a way. It was freedom, when there was none to be had. She had heard it only in stories on Earth. Of witches, and sorcerers, and all sorts of things, but felt it was a wonderful idea. The moon moved and moved her, beamed and made her beam. Reflected light which she could then reflect. The full moon was her unnamed friend.
"I want to be able to make a single girl happy," Yoruichi read without emotion. "This is a waste of a Tanabata wish."
Kisuke smiled, his eyes fixed on the moon behind her. "I know," he admitted, "It might not even come true. It's something I just came up with, on the spur of the moment."
The night buzzed around them, and a weak pop came from behind him. Fireworks. They were pleading, begging to the stars in the only way the stars could see. Another few crackles came and Kisuke's grin began to fade. "Why don't you write one, Yoruichi?"
She touched her hair, sweaty strands sticking to her forehead, and looked away. "When you get everything you want," she said, "There isn't any time for wishes."
Kisuke looked her in the eye. "There isn't anything you want at all?"
A firework exploded directly above them and there were little showers of red and gold. They flared like coals in a fireplace and burned into dull gray. The next was blue and green, then purple and gold. The moon in the water shimmered, rejoicing at the dreams come true. She grinned at him, with first one step, then another. "Nothing I can't get eventually."
The heat pressed against his skin.
She stopped halfway to him, her feet touching the Shihouin symbol. Several emotions moved across her face and she looked skyward, wistfully. The moon had vanished behind a cloud, plunging the grounds into darkness. "Looks like it's going to rain," she said.
Kisuke, who had walked to the other edge of the Shihouin symbol, nodded. "It does."
None of the stars were visible and Yoruichi deftly flung Kisuke's note into the lake. It spun lazily in the water, face-down so only fish could read it.
The two friends were an arm's length away, standing on both sides of the symbol, when Kisuke stepped forward. Even the cicadas seemed to silence. He put his hands around her shoulders, and her arms went around his waist. Yoruichi's gaze was powerful, seeming to burn to his center, but Kisuke matched it evenly.
The heat pressed against his skin.
"See, Kisuke," Yoruichi said throatily, "I always get what I want. You know. Eventually."
Brushing her hair gently, Kisuke looked down and pulled a scrap of paper from Yoruichi's belt. It was white, with black writing that was unmistakably Yoruichi's own. He smiled at her. "Liar."
He pressed forward as she grinned and held her even tighter. He could smell Yoruichi, so different from the water, and the blossoms, and the trees around them. He could feel her breath on his lips, warm and moist, and closed his eyes.
The heat pressed against his skin.
Kisuke felt something soft and cool hit him. He opened his eyes and wiped the drop away.
Yoruichi pulled away from him, with a longing look, and glanced upward. A few drops landed on her upturned face and she looked back at him, the drops rolling down her cheeks. She reached up and brushed them away. And just like that the magic was broken. "Sorry, Kisuke," she said, her gaze falling to her clan's symbol on the ground. "Maybe some other time, okay?"
She flash-stepped away and Kisuke leaned against the bridge's railing, his head down. The rain fell more heavily and drove Kisuke's wish under the churning lake. Suddenly, Kisuke lifted his head, the rain slicking the hair back on his head. His eyes found the dark spot where the stars had been.
"Waiting for next year. Right, Hikiboshi?"
A/N: Been away for a year. My apologies. This is experimental for me. Might be pretentious. Sorry.
Wanted to keep author's notes short. Did.
What did you feel?
azure.