Chapter 8 - Dreams

Yoruichi didn't know what had disturbed her from her deep sleep. She sat up, still not fully awake, her brain struggling to engage. Dozily she glanced around the dark room, moonlight illuminating a small square of the floor through the window. She tuned her head, hoping to see whatever it was. She had been given a new room along with her promotion, next to Soifon's, so the new Vice-Captain would be able to get quickly to her superior officer's side should she be needed. It wasn't quite as big as the Captain's quarters, but a definite improvement upon the previous one. Deciding she had imagined whatever had pulled her from her slumber, she flopped back down onto the futon, golden eyes fluttering shut as sleep rose once more to claim her.

Sitting bolt upright, Yoruichi's excellent hearing told her that she hadn't imagined it. The muffled noise had come from over there…..she turned her face in the direction of the sound. Soifon's room. She waited a moment, and as expected, the noise came again, a sob muffled by the intervening walls. Yoruichi's stomach clenched with guilt. She had hoped that Soifon's nightmares would disappear along with the memory of who the purple-haired woman was. Biting her lip as another sob echoed from the next room, she shut her eyes tight and lay back down. There was nothing she could do about it yet, she needed more time.

After several minutes of unsuccessfully trying to ignore the guilt that gnawed away at her insides, and the clenching of her heart at every sound, Yoruichi cursed and sat up once again. Even covering her head with the pillow hadn't worked. Damn it, she could blow the whole plan! But she couldn't bear to know her little bee was in pain. She'd have to risk it just this once.

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Fur shining silver in the moonlight, the nimble cat leapt lightly along the branches of a sakura tree, scattering petals like ghostly snow. Nearing the window, the feline jumped and landed lightly inside the room, silent as a shadow. Golden eyes lifted to survey the room.

In the centre of the room lying on her futon, Captain Soifon looked like the innocent girl that Yoruichi had left behind. Her face was free from the usual scowl, and her silky black hair was loose around her. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and small sobs escaped her lips between breaths.

Yoruichi the cat inched closer, and with a soft paw gently moved the sleeping woman's hair from her eyes. Soifon shifted slightly, and Yoruichi noticed for the first time what was held tightly in her grasp. The Captain was holding a black cat toy in her arms. Surprised for a moment, Yoruichi took in how adorable the woman who was so fierce when awake looked clutching onto the toy like it was some kind of talisman. A grin spreading across her whiskery face, the cat took hold of one of the toy cat's ears and gently tugged it from Soifon's arms. It was almost loose when Soifon suddenly sobbed loudly and gripped the cat toy tighter, causing Yoruichi to scoot back into the shadows in case the woman woke.

Waiting a minute, the cat padded closer again once the black-haired woman had settled back down. Gently swishing her tail along Soifon's cheek, Yoruichi watched as the Captain took one hand from around the toy to waft the tickling tail from her face, her eyes still closed in sleep. Quickly gripping the toy once again, Yoruichi pulled it from the remaining hand and snuggled herself under it in place of the toy. Not daring to breathe, Yoruichi waited as Soifon shifted again to hug the cat tightly to her once more. Purring as she felt the Captain's breathing become more relaxed and the sobbing ease, Yoruichi drifted happily off to sleep along side her little bee, enjoying the warmth and closeness.

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Soifon, half asleep, thought that she could hear purring. She had fallen asleep holding her precious cat toy, though she had no idea why it was so precious. She supposed she had done so just out of habit, but she couldn't explain why she felt so much better when she did. In her soft velvet world of sleep, the purring relaxed her and she felt like she was loved and protected. Smiling, she kissed the top of her cat toy's head to thank it.

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As the first rays of the morning sun slid through the window and rested on her eyelids, Yoruichi was woken reluctantly from her sleep. She purred and swished her tail as she realised she still lay next to a smiling Soifon. Then her golden eyes widened as the still sleeping woman placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. Yoruichi's heart leapt to her mouth as she froze, convinced the woman was about to wake. Slowly she turned her furry head to face Soifon, waiting for those steely eyes to fix her and accuse her. They never did, and the cat let out a sigh of relief. The golden orbs lingered upon the Captain's porcelain face and her still smiling lips. Emboldened by her secret sleep-over and narrow escape, the eyes twinkled in mischief. Yoruichi moved so quickly that her next actions took place in only a few seconds. She returned to her human form, lying facing Soifon, feeling the dark-haired woman's arms around her. Yoruichi closed her eyes as she moved her face closer to the Captain's and stole the briefest of kisses before pressing the cat toy back into her hands and shifting to cat form, dashing for the window and leaping back into the cover of the sakura tree.

Golden eyes peered between the petals as the dark-haired Captain awoke with her grey eyes shining in disbelief. The cat smirked as the Captain shook her head, black hair flying in all directions before placing a finger gently to her lips and glancing down at the fallen black cat toy on the floor. Yoruichi waited until Soifon was looking the opposite way before moving along a branch and entered her own window, highly pleased with herself and her heart humming with the feel of Soifon's lips against her own.