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I'm not dead yet, you motherfuckers!
Sorry out the unconscionably long wait. I fell into a bit of a rut as far as YoruSoi goes, but I feel like I'm climbing out of it now. I've also been playing a lot of Mortal Kombat. I mean a lot of Mortal Kombat. It's been eating up almost all my the time I would usually use to work on fics. But it's okay, because come the 8th, I'll probably have to give it a rest because Minecraft is scheduled to update!
...I'm never going to get anything done...
For those of you who like order and predictably, I'm probably going to be updating Bleach Mythologies next.
Again, thanks should be directed towards PolarisAmane for acting as my beta through this fic.
There was something about the sound of buttering toast that Rei found incredibly pleasing. The tiny teeth of the knife digging into the lightly charred bread created a sound not dissimilar to that of paper tearing and caused the metal to vibrate and hum lightly. It was almost musical to her.
Sui-Feng didn't seem to be reveling in the egg Rei had made her for breakfast nearly as much. Rei wasn't surprised, as Sui-Feng rarely seemed to enjoy eating, and breakfast in particular seemed to be her least favorite meal.
After a customarily curt goodbye from Sui-Feng, Rei was left with the same conundrum that she had almost every morning. Her status as a live-in nurse meant that her primary duty was caring for Sui-Feng. Officially, she was only required to report to the Fourth in emergencies. However, since Sui-Feng was back to active duty that meant that her official duties were to stay in and lounge about. And yet she still reported in every day. As tempting as it was, the thought of betraying Unohana's trust was too much for her. It was only by her good graces that she was even in the position in the first place.
Somewhat lazily, Rei cleared the breakfast dishes, taking time and care in washing and drying each dish. Once they were all put away in their proper places, Rei finally resigned herself to the day ahead of her. As she slipped on her waraji, she heard the sandpaper scratch of dirt against the wooden floor in front of the door. She considered for a moment taking the time to wash and polish the wood, but decided that she best save that for this evening.
Like every morning, Rei chose to walk to the Fourth. Even though every member of the Fourth needed to be proficient in the art of Shunpo in case of emergency situations, she preferred to take a more leisurely pace whenever possible.
She was barely outside of the Onmitsukido compound when something unusual caught her eye. It was a cat prancing towards her, its black fur gleaming in the morning sun.
"Hey kitty!" Rei cooed as she crouched down. The cat rushed into her outstretched hands and began to purr loudly. As the animal moved through her fingers, she searched for a collar or any other type of identification. While pets weren't forbidden, stray animals were a rarity in the Seireitei. And with how forward and affectionate the cat was being, she suspected that it probably belonged to someone.
And yet there wasn't any collar to be found. Giving the cat a final pat on the head, Rei stood up and started back on her way. She didn't move two steps before she was nearly toppled over by the cat winding between her feet.
"I have to go now Kitty." Rei looked down at the cat, which was looking up back at her with deep golden eyes. "You can't come with me." The cat let out a loud meow, as if responding to the statement. "No! I have work to do." She said in the same playful tone that one might jokingly chastise a child in. She took a few more steps only to find the cat undeterred. Shaking her head in exasperation, Rei hoped that the cat would lose interest by the time she got to the Infirmary.
But the cat persisted, sticking close to her as she walked to the infirmary. When she finally arrived, she cracked the door and tried to slip in and close it behind her fast enough to block the cat's entrance, but it was faster than her and managed to get inside before she shut the door.
Inside, Rei was met with many curious glances as she walked the hallways. All that she could do was offer up a sheepish shrug as she made her way back to the supply room. Inside were shelves of medical supplies as well as carts loaded with the implements and supplies most often used in the general care of patients. Grabbing one, she left the store room and headed for the first patient in her rounds.
"Oh, good morning Taicho!" Rei greeted her Captain cheerfully as she entered the first ward.
"Good Morning Rei-san," Unohana replied. As she turned, her eyes narrowed and her expression soured. Rei followed her line of sight and realized he was looking at the cat.
"My deepest apologies, Taicho," Rei bowed apologetically. "I ran into this cat this morning and it has been following me ever since.
Unohana didn't reply immediately. She continued to look at the cat intensely, and Rei could have sworn that the cat was looking back.
"So long as she doesn't cause any trouble." Unohana said in a stern tone that only graced her voice rarely.
"Of course," Rei bowed again. Unohana slowly exited the room, her eyes never leaving the cat, who only sat swishing its tail to and fro.
"You hear that?" Rei turned to the cat once Unohana was gone. "You better be on your best behavior." She wagged finger chastising manner. The cat let out a loud meow, almost as if responding to her, which startled Rei slightly.
Shaking of the chill, Rei turned to her patient, who looked more than a little annoyed, and set about her task. He patient was a member of the Seventh whose arm was burned badly after a misfire during kido training. Carefully, she cut the old bandages off and gently dressed the wound, the entire time the cat watched her intently.
Once the bandages were changed, Rei gathered her things and began to push the cart to her next ward. The cat quickly sprung to her side and followed.
It was eerie how intuitive the cat was. The entire time Rei was at the Fourth, it stayed out of the way and didn't' so much as make a noise, as if it had heard and understood Unohana's stern words. But now, on the way back to Sui-Feng's villa, it was being as affectionate as ever.
Finally relenting, Rei opened the door wide and allowed the cat to follow her in. Again she heard the rough scraping as she stepped on the wooden flooring in front of the front door. Kicking her waraji off, she went to the kitchen and got a rag and some wood cleaner.
The cat sat in rapt attention as Rei rolled up her sleeves and bent down. She soaked the rag in the cleaner and began to scrub down the wood flooring, the cat's eyes never leaving her. Once the wood was thoroughly polished, Rei wrung out the rag and returned to the cat.
"Now, what to do with you," Rei said as she sat down in front of the cat. Without prompting, the cat leapt into her lap. Gingerly, she began to pet it. "You want to stay here, don't you?" The cat mewed softly. "You're such a sweet kitty. I hope Sui let's me keep you." The cat bristled and Rei withdrew her hand for a moment. She must have rubbed her fur the wrong way.
"I don't know how Sui feels about pets." She resumed petting. "I think she likes cats, but I never asked her. One time while I was cleaning I found a little stuffed black cat, probably from when she was a kid, stuffed in the back of her closet." The cat let out a loud purr and Rei scratched the spot her hand was on.
Not much more time passed before Rei heard the sound of a shoji opening behind her. She scooped the cat up in her arms and quickly turned around.
"Look what I found today!" Rei greeted Sui-Feng exuberantly, nearly shoving the cat into Sui-Feng's face as she did so. "Can we keep him?" She asked pleadingly.
"It's a her," Sui-Feng replied flatly, her face taking on a similar expression to Unohana's when she first saw the animal.
"How can you tell?" Rei asked. "Unohana seemed pretty sure it was a female too, but I don't know how you check with a cat." She flipped the animal over and started examining it, poking it lightly and moving around fur, which elicited some rather strange noises from the cat.
Wordlessly, Sui-Feng walked to the kitchen and turned on the sink, plugging the drain so the basin would fill. Walking back to Rei, she took the cat out of her hands and started to walk towards the sink slowly.
With each step Sui-Feng took, the cat became more agitated. It began to thrash and hiss, trying to escape. Rei was about to protest, but her voice was robbed from her when the cat began to talk.
"Stop! Stop it Sui!" Not only was the cat talking, but it seemed to know Sui-Feng. But the woman was undeterred. "This isn't funny anymore Sui! Stop it!" Rei let out a frightened and confused squeak as the kitchen was sudden engulfed in a cloud of smoke.
Cautiously, Rei approached, waving her hands in an effort to clear the smoke. As the vapor diffused, all the blood Rei's body could spare rushed straight to her face. Her hand flew to her face to hide her mortification.
Lying on top of Sui-Feng was a very naked Yoruichi, with not even her formerly long hair to cover her.
Before either woman could offer a response or explanation, Rei bolted for the bedroom, her hands still clasped over her face. Sui-Feng turned her head, which had been purposefully turned away from the woman on top of her, to glare at Yoruichi, who could only offer a sheepish smile and a shrug. Roughly, she pushed Yoruichi off of her and followed after Rei.
She found the woman curled up in the corner of the bedroom. She could hear crying.
"I treated a princess like a house pet!" Rei cried. Sui-Feng let out a heavy sigh.
"She does this to everyone at least once." Sui-Feng said. She didn't add that she had never seen anyone take it this hard. "It's like a rite of passage."
"Really?" Rei looked up, almost childlike.
"When she did it to me, she led me on for days." Sui-Feng recanted a slight smirk on her face. "It wasn't long after I was assigned to her personal guard. For almost a week she acted like an ordinary cat." She remembered making a bed for her, finding her food, and even occasionally playing with her vividly. "She probably would have gone on longer if I hadn't tried to bathe her." Sui-Feng let out a slight chuckle, which Rei joined in on.
"Thanks," Rei calmed down a bit, wiping her face on her sleeve. "I'm sorry for causing such a fuss."
"It's fine." Sui-Feng hesitated in the door frame for a moment before turning and leaving.
Outside of the bedroom, Sui-Feng found Yoruichi, thankfully back in cat form, sitting on the patio that overlooked the marshland.
"Rei's calmed down a bit," Sui-Feng said as she sat down next to the feline. She always hated talking to Yoruichi when she was a cat. It made her feel crazy.
"I didn't expect her to take it that hard," Yoruichi replied, watching the sun play on the ripples of the water. Sui-Feng didn't respond immediately.
"What are we doing, Yoruichi?" She finally said after a long, heavy sigh. "And how long can we keep doing it?" This time it was Yoruichi who didn't respond immediately.
"She's a nice girl." Yoruichi spoke after a pregnant pause. "She really seems to love helping people." She recalled watching her during the day at how carefully she cared for her patients. "Plus she's cute and can cook. Looks like you got the total package."
"Yeah," Sui-Feng replied quietly. Silently, Yoruichi stood on her four legs. "I'll see you tomorrow." She leapt onto a twisted root that protruded above the water line.
"Why?" Sui-Feng asked. A pointless question.
"To see you." Yoruichi gave her one last look before disappearing. Sui-Feng returned to the bedroom.
"She's gone." Sui-Feng found Rei just where she left her. Slowly, Rei crawled out of the corner and stood up.
"I'm sorry, you must be hungry." Rei looked at the clock next the bed. "And you're still wearing your haori." She walked up to Sui-Feng and untied the sash around her waist and took the symbol of rank off of her. "I'll go see what there is to make for dinner." Rei hurried off to the kitchen and began to scurry about, grabbing pans and searching for things to cook in them, all the while leaving a trail of dark cat hairs as they fell off her clothes.
