The sound of cloth could be heard in the room as a body shifted in her sleep. Shiba Kuukaku sat awake, running a hand through loose orchid locks as the woman who's head was on her chest sighed into the hollow of her neck. She, herself sighed thinking about how she'd gotten into this mess… How she'd been caught up in this mess called love.
Her hand stopped and began to trace shapes and patterns on the woman's honey tan shoulder, holding her closer as best she could before pulling the blanket that hung loosely across their midsections up more to try to quell the Shihouin's shivering as she held Kuukaku tighter.
"Soi…" she mumbled as her brow furrowed, causing the Shiba to nearly scoff in disgust as she remembered the reason Yoruichi had come to her in the first place seeming extremely out of character.
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It was when they were young that the two had first met. Yoruichi was stuck up and high-strong, thinking she was better than the Shiba because of her last name. Kuukaku had made sure that Yoruichi knew her place, and was probably the only one who ever stood up to the tan girl.
They'd almost instantly become friends after that, always in each other's company if they weren't with their families on some sort of business. It was after some time that Yoruichi had confided in her that she really didn't care who she was with, she just wanted someone in her life, be in man or woman.
Kuukaku respected that decision, like she did all of the young Shihouin's. "If ya ever need anythin' just come knockin'. I'll be there." Kuukaku had promised her that night, knowing that such a life style was bound to make the woman break at least once in their lifetimes.
So it came to no surprise to her when Yoruichi showed up at her door that night, banging on it in the middle of the night, screaming to the night sky for the tall raven haired woman to let her in… and now they were here, not knowing what time of day it was, Yoruichi sleeping slightly restlessly, and Kuukaku wide awake, wondering if what she did was right… if she should've kept her promise that night.
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Flashback
It was a normal night in the Shiba household; the eldest was busy drinking down a fair amount of sake, not feeling the least bit tipsy yet as the youngest was being chastised for his poor cleaning habits. At least she wasn't beating him.
She'd sent him away to take care of their boars and clean up the gunpowder room, as well as his own when she heard it. There was a loud banging ringing throughout the underground of her house—someone was slamming their fist into the steel that was her front door. Where were Shiroganahiko and Kuroganahiko when she needed them the most?
"I'm comin'!" She called making her way up the stairs that led to her entryway scowling the whole time… Who would come knocking so late at night anyway, she wondered as she made it to the top. "What the hell d'ya want?" She said roughly as she swung open the door, her eyes widening upon seeing who was in the frame.
"K-kuu…kaku!" the woman said, throwing herself at the Shiba, tears cascading down her face as she buried it into the pale neck of her slightly taller friend.
"Wah? Yoruichi?" She said, clumsily wrapping her arm around the woman's slender waist to keep her from falling to her knees and making the two of them tumble down the long flight of stairs. "What's wrong?" She said suddenly more serious and worried about the tan woman who couldn't begin to form a complete sentence.
"S-soi…" the tan woman finally choked out, allowing herself to be ushered down the stairs and into a different room. Kuukaku nodded, knowing that there was some relationship between the two women, she didn't know what kind, but she expected it to be big if her friend came to her house crying about her.
"Shh," The brash woman beckoned, running her hand down Yoruichi's silky smooth hair and rubbing her back before repeating the movement again. She was never one for making someone feel better or consoling them, but she had made a promise and like the few times before she was going to keep it. "Tell me." She said after the gasps from the other woman had quieted to small sobs here and there.
"I-it just went… so, so wrong…" She began as she sat next to Kuukaku on her pile of throw pillows in her room, not too far from her bed. "Soi, she just… and I… I was stupid." Yoruichi said, breaking down into sobs once again. Kuukaku cracked a grin despite the situation.
"Yer always stupid." She joked, bringing her arm around Yoruichi's shoulders in an embrace, causing Yoruichi to laugh and cry at the same time. She nodded as she leaned into Kuukaku's shoulder, pressing her face into her neck.
"I know." She said after a while of calming down. She sat for a moment before, relaxing into the touch of her long time friend.
"How can I help you?" Kuukaku asked, pressing her chin against the violet locks that tickled her throat, pulling the woman closer to her body. The Shihouin heir sat for a moment, tearing up as her thoughts trailed back to the small Second Captain of the Gotei 13.
"Make me forget her." Yoruichi mumbled, looking up to meet the teal eyes of her long time friend. Kuukaku's eyes widened at the words… it'd been some time since she'd been asked to do that. She loved her friend, but never in a romantic way… this was her promise though, and she refused to break it.
Kuukaku couldn't imagine what had happened between the two women who seemed so right for each other… Never before had Yoruichi ever had a lover as perfect as Soifon was for her, but that promise, the one she'd made telling Yoruichi she'd always be there for her—to help her when she needed it gnawed in the back of her mind causing her head to ache and a pain flow through her chest, knowing that if there was no love for these two, there was no such thing in the world.
She pulled away from her friend and stood, bringing the tan woman up with her, ushering her over to her bed. The Shihouin complied and walked with her, setting on the bed before the dark haired woman leaned in, and captured her lips softer than she might have before, running her hand across the woman's cheek, threading it through her bangs before sliding down her neck, causing her to shudder at the light touch.
"Yoruichi…" Kuukaku whispered, leaning closer to the woman, bringing her lips down to the tan neck, smiling into it when she felt the woman shiver under her soft touch. The goddess leaned into the touch, bringing a hand up to cup Kuukaku's neck, urging her on. She complied by running her hand down the woman's arm and up her side, pulling her shirt up with it.
As the two lay back on the bed, Kuukaku straddled the tan goddess, running kisses further down her neck, never staying long enough to make a mark, and used her hand to begin running patterns over her dark cocoa skin.
"Kuukaku…" Yoruichi breathed as the Shiba ran a finger over a particularly sensitive spot of skin and Kuukaku brought her lips down to touch upon it again, ever so lightly causing the woman to moan quietly.
As things progressed, Kuukaku lost the will to actually do what the woman wanted and as she embraced her, allowing the Shihouin to bite down on her neck, she delivered a blow to knock the woman out.
"Sorry," She apologized as Yoruichi fell limp in her grasp. She turned the woman and shifted her to where her head was resting on her chest, her cool breath tickling across her bare skin. She wrapped her arm around the woman's shoulders and continued to card her fingers through the silky cascade.
-----
As the morning came around Kuukaku had gotten no sleep, staying up all night to only draw patterns across the Shihouin's bare skin or run her hand through her hair, quelling her quiet calls for her actual lover.
"Nng… Soi?" Yoruichi called as she pushed up, rubbing one of her hands across her face as she did. She looked down to find Kuukaku looking back up. "O-oh… Morning," she greeted as the sheet that was covering her bare skin slid down to her hips.
"Mornin' sunshine." Kuukaku replied as she shifted to set up, grabbing the shirt that she generally favored from the bed near her head. "Sleep well?" She asked, putting it on.
"Yeah…" Yoruichi said, looking down at herself to find that they were both basically unclothed in the bed… 'So, Kuukaku actually kept her promise this time too? 'She thought reaching out for the blanket that had slipped down her body.
"Get yer ass dressed, I'll call for somethin' to eat." Kuukaku said standing, turning back to grin at her old friend. The Shihouin lips hesitantly turned into a smile and began searching for her discarded clothes. The eldest Shiba made her way down the hall until a knocking was heard ringing through the house… 'Where are those two?' She thought as she stomped to the door annoyed.
"The hell d'ya want?" she demanded throwing the steel door open yet again to see Captain Soifon standing there, worry and pain reflecting in her cloudy grey eyes.
"Shiba… Do you know where Yoruichi… sama is?" she asked, bringing one hand up to scratch her other arm. Kuukaku frowned and stood in the doorway for a moment more.
"She came here last night cryin'." Kuukaku reported, her eyes narrowed a bit more at the woman standing in front of her. She seemed to grow paler by the second.
"Where… can I find her?" She asked finally, looking back up at Kuukaku, her brows furrowed slightly. The Shiba sighed in defeat… all night long Yoruichi had dreamed of Soi, and she knew that it was just a bump in their relationship's road.
She angled her head down the hall, motioning for her to follow as she began her trek back down her stairway. Soifon understood, and after closing the door behind her followed down the dark stairwell until her eyes readjusted to the light vines that were planted in the woman's… home.
"Listen," Kuukaku began as they continued their walk through her maze of a house. "You gotta learn to talk things out or somethin'…" She commented, her eyes kept straight ahead.
Soi nodded, hoping that the apology she'd been thinking up all night would bring her goddess—her love back to her arms yet again.
"She's in there." Kuukaku said, pointing to a door and continued walking down the hall. Soi reached for the Shoji and pulled it open, swallowing as she did.
"Kuukak—"Yoruichi began, but trailed off when she saw the woman who was standing in the door. "S-soi!" she said, averting her gaze; a frown instantly melded its way onto her features. Soifon slid the door closed behind her and walked over to the Shihouin.
"Yoruichi…" She began, standing where she was, looking down at Yoruichi who was seated at the moment. "I… I know what I did was wrong…"
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Out side of the room, Kuukaku leaned against the Shoji, coming back as soon as the door had closed. She frowned at the idiotic words the two were spouting to each other… why couldn't one of them just accept the other's apology already? She was about to bust in and hit the two of them on the head when she heard a small crying coming from the room and she nodded.
Yoruichi would've forgiven the young woman for what she'd done, whatever it was, and she was fine with that… She didn't love Yoruichi after all… not like that anyway. It was all too damn complicated for her. She ran her hand roughly through her hair before turning to open the door.
"You two gonna get goin' then?" She asked as she opened the door. Yoruichi was standing to the side, holding Soi tightly in a hug, and Soi was returning it. She looked up at Kuukaku as she entered the room.
"I guess we should." She mumbled, releasing Soi as she did. Kuukaku nodded and watched the two leave. Yoruichi leaned down and whispered something into Soi's ear before the young woman nodded and disappeared . "Hey," She began, turning back to Kuukaku, addressing her quietly.
"Sorry I couldn't make ya forget." Kuukaku apologized, but it was quickly brushed off by Yoruichi.
"You kept your promise… Thank you." She said, walking over to embrace her friend before turning and disappearing to wherever she'd asked Soi to wait for her.
"Ya idiot." Kuukaku muttered, turning to see the food that was waiting for her consumption. "It's just a promise one should keep…" she said quietly before setting and starting on her food, knowing that she'd always be there for the Shihouin, as well as Yoruichi being there for her.
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AN: Alrighty, here's something new from me. A YoruichixKuukaku fic I so lovingly call "YoruKuu" :3 The idea had been swimming in my mind for the longest and I was originally going to make it a lemon… but decided against it. ^^; Just so you know, Yoruichi DID NOT cheat on Soi… she wouldn't do that. There was some crazy shituff that went down, causing the two of them to break up momentarily, and Yoruichi and Kuukaku never "GOT TO" anything more than kissing and… stripping I guess.
I know it's not the best planned idea out there, but when you have a plot bunny gnawing on your brain for three days or so there's not much more you can do than write it down and hope it's enjoyed. Thanks to YoruSoi (the writer) for giving me the confidence to post this, even though I thought it was horrible.
Originally written for Carolingiae on dA . com.
Enjoy
~Bishimimou
