DISCLAIMER: The rights to all copyrighted material mention henceforth in this document are owned by their respective owners.
I'm only human. Please feel free to point out any errors.
Comments and criticism are always welcome.
This is essentially a re-hash of Chapters 2 & 3 of the first version of Rubber Traits, so don't be surprised when much of it looks familiar.
The short time between chapters 3 & 4 is meant to make up for the (most likely) long delay between chapters 4 & 5.
"Taicho?" Omeada waved his hand in front of the diminutive Captain. Soifon's eyes refocused and snapped to her Lieutenant.
"Yes?" She said, as if they hadn't been standing next to each other observing the troops training for the better part of an hour.
"I asked if you wanted me to start them on raid drill number three." Omeada said, a little concerned.
"Yes." Soifon answered curtly. "I'll observe from her."
"Yes ma'am!" Omeada started to leave, but stopped. "Uh, Taicho?"
"Yes, what is it." Soifon asked irritated.
"Uh, are you feeling okay?" Omeada asked cautiously. Ever since her "breakdown," Unohana charged him with keeping an eye on Soifon's attitude and behavior. He had been told to contact the Fourth Division's Captain should he spot anything out of the ordinary. "You've been spacing out a lot lately."
"I'm fine." Soifon tried her best to sound reassuring and commanding at the same time. "Don't concern yourself with me. Just get the men running that drill."
"Yes Taicho!"This time, Omeada didn't stop.
The truth was that Soifon was fine, she was just preoccupied. As it was before, the object of her musings was the transforming caramel-skinned goddess. However, her mind wasn't filled with the doe-eyed daydreams or poisonous fantasies of the past. This time, her mind was filled with confusion at Yoruichi's behavior.
Three months had passed since her and Yoruichi's fishing trip, and Yoruichi came and spent her days off with her like she always did. However, she was acting differently now. The way she spoke and moved almost seemed rehearsed; like she carefully planned everything out before hand. And she persisted in questioning her about intimate details about her personal life, many of which she desperately wanted to keep from the other woman.
Soifon sighed and rubber her temples. Yoruichi was coming tomorrow, and she hopped that she would act normally, if how she usually acted could be classified as "normal", this time.
What Soifon was unaware of was that Yoruichi was equally frustrated with the course their time together always seemed to take. In the space between their meetings, she would think of things for them to do and questions for her to ask to try to get Soifon to open up to her, and for the most part, they worked. Soifon seemed more at ease around her and she now occasionally started conversations rather than just responding. However, when ever Yoruichi's questions started to get personal, Soifon would start to open up, but then clam up even harder than before.
Yoruichi was anxious for tomorrow. She was all out of ideas so she had resigned herself to let Soifon and circumstance take the lead.
Soifon turned around when she heard a soft thud behind her. Just as she expected, there was a black cat sitting on her desk.
"Yoruichi-sama." Soifon greeted the other woman. Soifon's faced reddened as she quickly turned around when Yoruichi regained her human shape.
"Hey Soi. How's it going?" Yoruichi said casually.
"Fine. There's a spare uniform in the closet." Soifon pointed with her back turned. She had started keeping extra clothing on hand since Yoruichi started her regular visits.
"You know, it takes a special kind of person to say "no" to all this." Yoruichi headed off to Soifon's closet. Inside she spotted the aforementioned uniform. She began to make her way towards it when she jammed her toe on something. She drew breath sharply and grabbed it; rubbing it to assuage the pain. She looked down to see what she had hit to find a small, rectangular box. The lid had been kicked off slightly and she could see that the inside was crammed full of photographs. She took a couple out and examined them. They were gorgeous shots of landscapes.
"Are you okay?" Soifon asked from the other room. She had heard her yelp in pain. Yoruichi quickly clothed herself and grabbed the box of pictures. She exited the closet and placed the box on the desk.
"What are you doing?" Soifon voice sounded almost panicked as Yoruichi rummaged through the collection of photographs.
"Did you take these?" Yoruichi asked.
"Yes, Yoruichi-sama." Soifon answered timidly. Yoruichi winced internally.
If this is going to go any further, she though, then that has to end.
"You know I hate it when you call me "-sama." Yoruichi said, still sifting through the photos.
"It would be wrong for me not to."Soifon defended. "Even though you are no longer my ranked superior, my House still serves yours."
"Fine then, if that's how you really feel." Yoruichi put the pictures down and turned to face Soifon; her posture stiff and her shoulders square. "Soifon, Ninth head of the Fon Clan and current head of the Second Division, and the Onmitsukido," Yoruichi's voice feigned superiority. "As the Twenty-second head of the Shihoin House, I hereby release you and the Fon Clan from Shihoin servitude." Soifon stood there in shock, her mouth unable to form words.
"Are…are you serious?" Soifon finally managed to say with some difficulty.
"Dead serious." Yoruichi answered.
"I…I…don't know what to say." Soifon's voice was airy with shock.
"You don't have to say anything. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while." Yoruichi smiled. "I'm sure that there are some forms I need to fill out or something, but from now on, you're a free woman."
"Thank you." Soifon finally said after several moments of silence. Part of her was sad that Yoruichi had released her from her service, but most of her was glad that her life was finally fully her own. Yoruichi picked the pictures back up.
"These really are incredibly!" Yoruichi continued to look through the pictures.
"Photography has always been a guilty pleasure of mine." Soifon said sheepishly.
"Guilty pleasure? Soi these are amazing!" Yoruichi pointed to a black and white landscape shot.
"I could teach you how to take pictures like that." Soifon walked up next to her. "It's not that hard really."Her hands were fidgeting nervously.
"Yeah," Yoruichi replaced the photographs. "I'd like that."
Yoruichi followed Soifon out of her apartment and through the corridors of the Second Division's barracks. Once outside, Soifon quickly speed off. Yoruichi followed after her, bounding from rooftop to rooftop. It wasn't long before they were outside the walls of the Seireitei. Yoruichi followed Soifon closely as she leapt from tree limb to tree limb, leading her to some unknown destination.
Soifon stopped so suddenly that Yoruichi almost ran into her. Yoruichi looked around at her surroundings. They were in a small clearing in a large wooded area. Behind them, the massive Seireitei was just a speck. Around them were steams and large boulders covered in moss and roots. Looking up, Yoruichi could see a mountain very close by and figured they were in its foothills.
"Soi, this place is beautiful!" Yoruichi didn't know a place like this existed this close to the Seireitei. She had thought that the only places like this were outside Rukongai.
"Yeah. I found it shortly after you left." The word still had a tinge of sadness to it, but the bitterness was gone. "I've been coming out here when I need to clear my head ever since." Soifon sat and a nearby rock and took off the bag that she had slung around her shoulder. Out of it, she took two rolls of film and one of her older cameras. She handed them to Yoruichi.
"You know that they have digital cameras now, right?" The only experience Yoruichi had with photography was disposable and digital cameras.
"I don't like them." Soifon began to put the film her camera. It was newer than the one she had given Yoruichi. "They don't feel right. There not heavy enough. Plus I don't get to develop the pictures." She wiped of the lenses with some cloth. She looked over at Yoruichi, who was staring at her camera and film in confusion. "Come here, let me show you." After several awkward minutes and two ruined rolls of film, Yoruichi was ready to begin shooting.
"Ok, now what." Yoruichi asked, holding the camera in awkwardly.
"You take pictures." Soifon answered.
"Of what?"
"Anything that you want." Soifon barley finished the statement when Yoruichi raised the camera and snapped a picture of her. "It's not that simple." Soifon's eyes were filled with blue dots from the flash.
"But you said to take pictures." Yoruichi was confused.
"Yeah, but first you have to turn off the flash. It's day time, we don't need it." She reached for Yoruichi's camera and hit a button on it. "And second, you have to focus the shot." She grabbed the slider on the lenses of her camera. "Move the slider horizontally to zoom and rotate it to focus."
"Okay." Yoruichi nodded in understanding. The two women stood up and began to wander around the immediate area, taking pictures of whatever struck them. Yoruichi was surprised to find that she actually liked the activity. There was something enjoyable about searching for something beautiful and preserving it. For Soifon, it was cathartic; being able to preserve a moment in time forever and revisit it when she desired. Yoruichi looked away from the viewfinder when she heard rapid footsteps. Soifon was headed in the opposite direction she was going.
"Something wrong?" Yoruichi asked.
"I'm just getting a different lens." Soifon arrived at her bag that she left on the rock and bent at the waist to rummage through it. Seizing the opportunity, Yoruichi raised her camera and took a picture of Soifon from behind while she wasn't looking.
"Here it is." Soifon exclaimed triumphantly. Yoruichi quickly turned around before Soifon realized what had just happened.
They continued to wander the woods for another two hours, idle chatting while taking pictures of various foliage and wildlife. Soifon taught Yoruichi the different lenses and how to use them properly and the properties if the different types of film. Most of it went right over Yoruichi's head, but she continued to smile and nod. She was amazed at how eager Soifon was to teach her about her hobby. She loved how enthusiastic she was about finding a good shot and her victorious smile after she took it. Unfortunately, her stomach wasn't having such a good time.
"Did you pack anything to eat?" Yoruichi asked after Soifon finished the picture she was taking.
"No, are you hungry?" Soifon asked.
"Yeah, kind of." Yoruichi took another picture to show that she wasn't bored with the activity.
"We should probably head back anyway." Soifon sounded slightly disappointed. "After lunch, there should be enough time to develop the pictures. Soifon packed up her bag and the two headed off towards the Seireitei.
Yoruichi sighed contently as she sat at the table in Soifon's kitchen, her plate empty. It had become a custom for Soifon for to cook for them both. Soifon enjoyed cooking for the other woman, and Yoruichi seemed to enjoy the food, but it was difficult for Soifon to sneak her medication. Yoruichi always seemed to be watching her.
"Let's develop those pictures." Soifon said enthusiastically after the dished were clean. She grabbed the spent rolls from the top of her desk and walked over to the wall that was next to the entrance to her bedroom. She pushed on it and slid it to the side, reviling a pitch black room.
"Ooh! Secret rooms!" Yoruichi said, intrigued as to what else the room hid.
"It a dark room. There used to develop film." Soifon explained as she flipped a light switch.
Once inside, the door was closed. She handed Yoruichi a pair of rubber gloves and goggles. She donned her own and began to pour various bottle of liquid out into various trays. Once the trays were filled with the appropriate substances, she flipped another switch that changed the white light to a deep red. Yoruichi watched Soifon began the incomprehensible work of developing the pictures. After about an hour of work which Yoruichi was no help in, Soifon emptied the trays and took off her gloves. The pictures where hung up by clothes pins on string suspend form the ceiling.
"Now what?" Yoruichi asked, taking off her own safety equipment.
"We wait." They exited the dark room. Once outside, they just sat on the sofa and passed the time by talking. Soifon informed Yoruichi of all the various shortcomings of her troops and Yoruichi listened intently. She wasn't really interested, but she liked not having to pry words from her mouth. Soifon looked at the clock after a while and stood up. It was evening outside now.
"They should be done." Soifon entered the dark room and grabbed the pictures from the lines. She exited and placed them on her desk so they could see them in better light. She handed Yoruichi her pictures and took Yoruichi's to look at.
Yoruichi was completely astounded at the quality of pictures. Not one of them were out of focus or blurry. Looking at them made her feel bad about her own pictures. Soifon began to flip through Yoruichi's photos. Except the first one, which was close-up of her with her eyes squinted from the flash, they weren't half bad.
"These are pretty good for your first time." Soifon continued to flip through the pictures. "You just need to work on focusing and keeping the camera…ste…ady." Soifon's voice trailed off as she came across a zoomed in, perfectly focused shot of her rear as she bent over her bag. "What's this?" Yoruichi turned around to see Soifon, blushing a very deep red, holding the picture she took of her when she bent over.
"You said to take pictures." Yoruichi explained innocently.
"But I didn't expect you to take a picture of this!" Soifon's voice's pitch jumped.
"What?" Yoruichi shrugged. Soifon pointed the picture. "You have a cute butt."Even though it didn't seem possible, Soifon's faces redden even more. After they finished looking through the photos, Soifon put Yoruichi's in an envelope and handed them to her.
"I really hate to cut this visit short, but I have to clean up in there," she pointed to the dark room, "and get ready for tomorrow." She showed Yoruichi to the door. "The day after I'm off is always the hardest."
"I really had fun today, Soi." Yoruichi turned around before Soifon could slide the door shut. "I'm so glad that you can finally treat me as a friend rather than a master." Soifon blushed, unable to respond. "So, see you next month?"
"Y..yeah." Soifon stuttered. Yoruichi waved goodbye and walked of, wondering if she had a picture frame lying around.