Chapter four! I love myself for how fast this is going. :D

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Soi looked around the small apartment with little interest.

Hoshiko had gone into her room to get her a pair of night clothes.

'This place is to small.' Soi thought.

Hoshiko had a small black couch, a little red carpet, a small TV, and a table set near the window.

She had a smaller kitchen.

Soi hadn't seen anything else.

A thought suddenly hit Soi, hard.

'I'm in the apartment of a total stranger.'

Well…not a total stranger. But still a stranger.

"Hey…I got ya a an old shirt and some shorts." Hoshiko walked out of her room.

Soi looked at the clothes offered to her.

It was the dark green shirt Soi had first seen Hoshiko in, and a pair of large black shorts.

Soi gave Hoshiko a skeptical look.

"Those won't fit me."

The brown haired girl looked confused. "Why not."

"…..Your taller than me."

Hoshiko smiled and re-offered the clothes. "Just try 'em."

Soi made a clicking sound in the back of her throat and took the clothes.

She walked into Hoshiko's room as the resident of the apartment went and got them drinks.

Soi walked back out less than a minute later with the offered night clothes on.

The shorts fit…but the shirts collar hung off her right shoulder.

Hoshiko turned to her from the couch.

"Where are your other clothes?"

"I put them away."

"Where?"

"Never mind!" Soi snapped.

"Okay." Hoshiko watched as Soi made her way around the couch and sat down.

"So…what did you want to know? And don't you dare say everything!" Soi added the last part when she saw Hoshiko open her mouth.

The girl snapped her mouth shut.

"Be specific."

"Okay…how old are you?"

"…..Much older than you."

"How old?"

"Decades! Next question!" Soi seemed offended by the question.

"Wow…okay…when's your birthday?"

"February 11th."

"Family?"

"Five brothers, they're dead."

"You don't seem sad about that." Hoshiko pointed out.

"I'm not."

"Why?"

"Next question!" Soi wanted to stay off her family and its problems.

"Uh…that Yoruichi girl…," Hoshiko stared at Soi.

Soi looked away and then back to the girl in front of her.

She shrugged, "What about her?"

"What is she to you?"

"A friend."

"What are you to her?"

"…I don't know."

"You should ask."

Soi made an impatient clicking sound with her tongue. "I'll do that."

"What are you?"

On to the more important questions.

"A Shinigami."

Hoshiko looked excited. "You're a god of death?"

Soi raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem bothered by that. How do you know I'm not lying?"

Hoshiko shrugged. "Why should I be. What reason do you have to lie to me for?"

Soi gave a soft laugh. "You are weird. I guess I don't have a reason to lie."

"If you're a Shinigami…why are you here?"

"To watch a group of kids."

"Your babysitting?"

Soi looked at Hoshiko.

The girl was dead serious and confused.

Soi couldn't help it…she laughed. She honestly laughed out of enjoyment.

That hadn't happened since…before she met this girl.

Hoshiko looked more confused. "What?"

"Nothing…ah-hahaha…oh…next question." Soi quieted down.

"I asked what you were doing here."

"And I told you."

"Then you started laughing because I asked if you were babysitting."

"I'm just making sure they don't do anything stupid. They can handle themselves. But they are much younger than me." Soi explained.

"Oh…so what did you do to that kid?"

"His name was Riku. He died in a fire."

"…HE WAS DEAD!!" Hoshiko looked at Soi in shock.

"No need to ruin my hearing!" Soi shouted back.

"Sorry." Hoshiko slouched back into the couch looking sheepish.

"Yes he was dead. I sent him to the…next life…you could call it."

"So how did you do it?"

"I used Suzumebachi."

"A hornet?" Hoshiko looked confused again.

She really was clueless.

"My Zanpakuto."

"Can I see it?" Hoshiko sat forward with a look of amazement on her face.

"Why?"

"…'Cause I wanna. Let me see." The green eyed girl whined.

"Ugh! Fine, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it!!" Soi got annoyed when people asked so many 'why' questions.

Hoshiko hurriedly complied to Soi's command.

A few seconds of silence passed when Hoshiko heard an odd sound.

"Okay, you can open them now."

Hoshiko opened her eyes slowly.

Soi was holding what seemed to be a normal katana.

"This is Suzumebachi."

"Why does it have a name?" Hoshiko leaned forward to see it better. Not that she had bad eyes.

"Zanpakuto are an extension of a Shinigami's soul."

Hoshiko looked up at Soi.

"They must be awfully important."

Soi nodded.

"Can I see it?"

"You already are."

"Can I hold it then?" Hoshiko gave a wide smile.

Soi held the blade out for the girl.

Hoshiko took it carefully. If it was an extension of Soi's soul…then she had to be extra safe with it.

"…You can take her out of the sheath. She won't break so easily." Soi said as she watched Hoshiko with amusement in her eyes.

Hoshiko stood as she took Suzumebachi from her sheath.

She gently placed the sheath back on the couch.

Soi watched as Hoshiko examined the sword.

"You said 'she' right? What does she look like?"

"It ranges." Soi answered.

Hoshiko looked at her. "What do ya mean?"

"Its an extension of the soul. So it can take the shape of anything important to the wielder."

Hoshiko smirked at the woman in front of her. "Am I important to you?"

Soi scoffed at that.

"Hardly."

Hoshiko shrugged. "I'll get there."

Soi shook her head.

"Any other questions?"

"Yeah…what's it like where you come from?"

Soi stared at Hoshiko. What harm could it do?

"Its…a very large city surrounded by a wall. It has four gates that lead into the lesser districts."

"What do you do there?"

"I'm a captain."

"What do captains do and how many are there?"

"We pretty much make sure everything stays balanced. There are thirteen captains."

"Cool. You guys must be really tough."

"You have to be tough to be apart of the thirteen point guard squad." Soi said absent mindedly.

"How many women are there?"

"Captains or lieutenants?"

"Both."

"Two captains. Myself and Unohana."

"Who's she?"

"A healer. I'm not sure but I think she's been around for about…two hundred years."

Hoshiko's eyes went wide. "She must look old."

"Actually she looks a little older than me." Soi smiled.

"Oh…so she's a hottie?" Hoshiko wondered if Soi would catch on.

She did.

The steal eyed girl blushed despite herself.

"I wouldn't know. I don't pay to much attention to her."

"Why? To hot for you to?"

"Shut it! I only go over there for check-ups!"

Hoshiko sat back down. "So…do you have like…subordinates or something'?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You don't check in on them when they go?"

"Why should I? They aren't important to me."

"Harsh." Hoshiko looked down at the sword in her lap.

"Anything else?"

"Uh…are you guys like super-heroes or something'?"

Soi looked thoughtful. "You could say that."

"Who are your enemies?"

"Hollows."

"And they are?"

"They used to be humans like you."

"Really? What do they look like?"

"Monsters with white masks and large holes in their chests."

"Why the hole?"

"It shows where the heart was forced out. That's basically what turns them. Unless they die and…I don't want to get into it."

"Oh…okay."

"Any more questions?"

"How many female lieutenants are there?"

"Six."

"Is your lieutenant a girl?"

Soi scoffed again. "I wish! That fat bastard might have a little more class and better manners as a woman!"

"So it's a guy who's fat and eats a lot?"

"To much. He's good for nothing!"

"Why did they assign him so you then?"

"Hell if I know."

Hoshiko chuckled.

"Do you have any friends besides Yoruichi?"

"No. I don't need anyone else."

"…I'll be your friend."

Soi looked at Hoshiko oddly for a moment. "Why?"

"Because I want to."

Soi eyed the girl suspiciously.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Family?"

"They pretty much left me for dead at an orphanage here."

"You don't seem sad about it."

Hoshiko shrugged. "I'm not. I turned out to be a really great person. I'd hate to think about how bad I'd have turned out if they hadn't left me here."

"Mm-hmm. Why are you so interested in me?"

Hoshiko shrugged again. "I like you. I don't know why."

"What do you like besides me?"

"Food, TV, reading, drawing…I like taking pictures to."

Soi nodded.

"My turn. What's your favorite color?" Hoshiko sat up.

"Black. Yours?"

"Green and blue. You like to read?"

"Sometimes. What do you take pictures of?"

"Well…I usually take surprise pictures of people."

"Why surprised?" Soi shifted to get more comfortable on the couch.

"Posed pictures are fake. When people are posed they put on a fake smile. Pictures they aren't expecting lets you capture they're real emption."

"…You seem like a secretly artistic person wrapped in a timid shy little girl."

"Ya know I get that a lot." Hoshiko was once again clueless about what had been said.

"So when did you stop going to school?"

"Uh…someday in 6th grade."

"How old were you then?"

"About twelve."

"How did you get this place?"

"I'm renting from a friend. His sister owns this place."

"So you got a job and got friend discounts on this place?"

"Pretty much."

"Sounds fun."

"Very."

"Is that all?"

Hoshiko nodded. "Yeah. I found out everything I wanted to know"

Soi stood from the couch. "Someday you'll know about it. If you die here you go there."

"Sounds cool. But I plan on living for a long time."

"Good for you."

Soi walked to the bedroom.

"Where're you goin'?" Hoshiko watched her.

"To sleep. Put Suzumebachi back in her sheath before you knock yourself out."

Soi closed the door behind her.

Hoshiko faced the TV and looked down at Suzumebachi.

"Your wielder is kinda crude. But I like her. I really don't know why."

She continued to stare at the sword like she hopped it would speak to her.

"Do you think she likes me?"

Suzumebachi suddenly started to shine.

Not very bright…but bright enough to let Hoshiko know her answer.

Hoshiko smiled after the shock wore off.

She smiled. "You think she does too huh? Heh, I'll grow in her."

Hoshiko re-sheathed Suzumebachi and placed her in front of her face.

She pulled a small blanket down from the back of he couch.

She settled herself in.

It would be daylight in a few hours. She needed sleep.