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If you haven't noticed, I've put the fic "Dr. Urahara or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Kisuke" on indefinite hold. I would rather that not be the case though. If you have any ideas for inventions that you think would fit the story and that you would like to see get written, please PM me and we'll see if we can't get something worked out.

Up next on the docket is a one-shot. I think I mentioned that I was doing a one-shot before, but this one isn't that one. Not that the distinction makes any difference at all.


Despite what most would assume from the way she acted most of the time, Sui-Feng didn't usually mind Omeada terribly.

Yes, the man had many undesirable traits that raised her ire, such as his incessant eating and his girth, but he had also proven himself competent enough to be promoted to the head of the Keiratai and was loyal to a fault, being willing to put himself in mortal danger out of some deluded idea that he was helping her. That loyalty, combined with his family's wealth, allowed Sui-Feng to modernize and renovate the Second Division and Onmitsukido compounds.

But it was times like these that made Sui-Feng bristle. Omeada simply could not be relied upon without her bearing down on him. She had tried in the past to get him to do at least some of the division's paper work, but the forms remained unfinished and what ones he did do were full of inaccuracies and exorbitant charges. She attempted to discipline the man, but the fear she instilled only increased the errors in his work as he rushed them.

So here she was, the Soshireikan, going over requisition forms. She had thought about delegating such a task to someone lower in rank, but as the Captain, her time was in the least demand. The enlisted men and officers all had duties throughout the night, but she was free unless an emergency situation arose. So she did the extra paper work on top of the other reports that she had to file. Besides, personally overseeing the supplies allowed her to keep tight control over what her troops had access to and to keep an eye out for any theft.

Sui-Feng was halfway though ordering enough rice to feed her men when she heard a small yelp come from the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" Sui-Feng looked up from her paper to ask. Rei was currently peeling potatoes in preparation for the night's dinner.

"Everything's fine!" Rei answered quickly, covering her thumb with a cloth. It wasn't the first time she had nicked herself today, but it was the deepest. She wanted to close up the wound with kido, but that would surely rouse Sui-Feng's suspicion.

Normally, Rei had no problem preparing meals. She could peel potatoes and cut onions with a machine-like efficiency. But the thought of what she was about to do filled her so full of anxiety that she was having a difficult time keeping her hands from shaking.

Tearing off a bit of cloth and wrapping it around the wounded digit, Rei continued with preparing dinner; scalloped potatoes and tuna. Sui-Feng had taken a liking to potatoes prepared in that fashion and Rei felt that that tonight it would be smart to make something that she particularly enjoyed.

Time passed quickly for Rei, and soon the meal was prepared. Buying herself a few more minutes to compose herself, she decided to prepare hers and Sui-Feng's plates beforehand, painstakingly arranging the food so that it looked as delectable as possible. Not wanting to risk agitating Sui-Feng's appetite any further, Rei decided that it was now finally time to eat.

"It's ready," Rei announced, her voice deceptively cheerful. She quickly took the tea off the heat and poured them both a cup before sitting down. Sui-Feng followed shortly and took her seat across from Rei and began to eat.

Rei was not so enthusiastic. She poked at her plate, taking small bites occasionally, but could not muster up the will to eat. Her mouth was too dry and stomach too knotted.

"Is something wrong?" Sui-Feng asked as she noticed Rei hadn't eaten much. She usually finished her plate well before Sui-Feng did.

"No!" Rei reacted. "Well…" She hesitated, taking one last moment to galvanize herself. "I've just been wondering about something."

"What is it?" Sui-Feng replied between sips of tea.

"It's just…" Rei faltered. "A while ago, when I was cleaning, I found something." Sui-Feng's cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "While I was tiding up in our room, I found a little black cat plush in the closet." Sui-Feng's hands stopped. "At first, I didn't make much of it. I figured it was just a childhood toy and thought it was cute that you kept it all these years. But after last night…" Rei's voice trailed off. "Who is Yoruichi?"

Sui-Feng put down her chop-sticks and took a heavy breath. She sat silently for a moment, inwardly cursing Yoruichi for her boldness, Rei for her curiosity, and herself for not having an answer. If she had one, this situation likely would have already been solved by now. After a few deep breaths, she finally spoke.

"I served under Yoruichi back when she was still the head of the Shihoin clan and the Onmitsukido," Sui-Feng started. "She chose me to be attached to her personal guard, and during that time, we became…friends." She hesitated at using that word. "I had been raised to worship her like a Goddess, and she took me under her wing. It was the first time in my life I had been truly happy."

"I was devastated when she was forced to flee over a century ago," She continued. "I trained night and day in the hopes to one day apprehend her, maybe even kill her." That statement made a chill of insignificance run up Rei's spine. She hadn't been alive over a century ago. "When I finally did confront her, during the Ryoka incident, I failed. I was so happy to see her again, to know she was alive, that I lost my nerve."

"We started to spend more time around each other after that, since her capture or kill order had been rescinded." Rei watched Sui-Feng's face as she spoke. She looked rather sad, or perhaps regretful. "Then, as the battle with Aizen drew closer, I did something stupid." Sui-Feng paused, dreading what she was about to say. "I…told her that I loved her."

Though Rei had been silent this whole time, Sui-Feng could feel the lack of a response weigh heavily on her.

"She rejected me. Or at least I thought she did." Sui-Feng forged through the silence. "The day she walked in on us was the first time I had seen her since then. Apparently, she feels the same way."

"So that's why she's been hanging around?" Rei finally spoke. Sui-Feng nodded slowly. "Do…do you still love her?"

"I…" Sui-Feng's gaze fell, her evasive eyes speaking the answer she was unwilling to voice. Rei fidgeted in her place, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.

"W-would you like some more potatoes?" Rei asked, piling on another spoonful to her unfinished plate.


There were times when Yoruichi was envious of the enlisted men and women of the Gotei 13. Their lives were so much easier then they knew.

Every morning when they woke up, they knew exactly who they were and what they were going to do. Their days were strictly regimented, with no moment of their time on duty going unaccounted for. When they were off duty, their time was truly their own to do what the pleased with.

It was a simple existence, but in a sense it was liberating. With the burden of choice largely removed from the equation, personal responsibility followed. It was an existence Yoruichi sometimes wished she could return to.

When she awoke in the morning, she had to make a conscious decision about what she was going to do that day. She could abandon her pursuit of Sui-Feng and leave her and Rei in peace, or she could continue in the hopes of making some in-roads. The choice was entirely hers to make and it was frightening. If she was making the wrong choice, she had no one to blame but herself, and her confidence in her course of action was beginning to wane.

Spending time in the Seireitei also filled Yoruichi with a fair bit of nostalgia. Seeing regiments training and some of her old friends gave her a few moments where she regretted declining Yamamoto's offer to reinstate her as a Captain. Those moments only lasted as long as it took her to remember that he only offered her the position when they were in dire need, though.

Yoruichi had largely stopped using shunpo to traverse the Seireitei. It gave her calculated path an air of lackadaisical wandering that assuaged suspicions. If she was spotted heading in the same direction at high speeds every day, she was likely to cause some questions.

But this method also provided ample opportunities for distractions. Yoruichi had been heading in the direction of the Second Division when she caught a glint of silver out of the corner of her eye. Smirking, she changed her direction.

"Going for a new look I see, Byakuya-bo." Yoruichi called out, halting the man in front of her in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to face the woman. "But without the scarf, how will everyone know how much money you're worth?" Byakuya's haori was now sleeveless and sported a high collar with tassels on either end, and the kenseikan he wore, rather than a being a solid corrugated plate, was simply a set of chains with weaved into his hair.

"Think you that I would suffer such condescension from an embarrassment such as yourself?" For a moment, Yoruichi could see a flare of emotion in Byakuya's normally impassive face.

"I don't see why not." Yoruichi replied flippantly. "It's not like you've ever been able to stop me before." It had been a long time since she had goaded Byakuya's pride. It had started as a classic House rivalry. The arrogance of the Kuchiki clan was legendary, so the other Great Nobles spared no opportunity to slight them and wound their pride. However, harassing Byakuya proved to be genuinely amusing to Yoruichi and quickly formed into one of the simple pleasures she enjoyed.

"Fortunately," Byakuya regained his impassiveness. "I have more important things to do with my time than impose myself on people who would rather have nothing to do with me." Yoruichi's grin dropped at that remark, her teasing posture evaporating in an instant. Roughly, she shoved her way past him, not caring that the path in front of her was in the opposite direction of where she wanted to go.

Luckily, the detour provided Yoruichi with some time to cool down. Deciding against any more distractions, she increased her pace and headed straight for the Second Division cafeteria. She didn't get there though. Shortly after she was within the Second Division compound she spotted Sui-Feng, with Rei following close behind.

"Hey you two!" Yoruichi waved as she approached. "Heading out to eat?"

"Actually, we just finished lunch," Sui-Feng replied, coming to a stop before the woman. Rei stood next to her silently, her normally happy face sullen and tense.

"Shame, you two make good company." Yoruichi lamented, eyeing the couple curiously. There was tension between them, she could feel it. "What's on the schedule for the rest of the day?"

"I'm sorry, but I have much to do," Sui-Feng responded with a quick glance over at Rei.

"I- I don't have anything to do for a while." Rei finally spoke up. "If you d-don't mind, that is."

"Sure," Yoruichi smiled, her stuttering making her feel nostalgic. Sui-Feng bid both of them farewell and returned to her duties. "So what's going on?" Yoruichi asked, walking aimlessly.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." Rei replied hesitantly. Cautiously, Rei took the lead and lead them back towards Sui-Feng's old office.

"What's up?" Yoruichi asked as she stepped into the office. There were a few old papers on the desk, but other than that, there were no signs that it had been in regular use for quite some time. She turned her attention to Rei and found the woman fidgeting in front of the doorway, looking uncharacteristically timid.

"I…" She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She folded her hands inside one another and shifted her weight between her feet rapidly. "I know about you and Sui-Feng." The words dropped like stones in a pond. Sighing, Yoruichi leaned up against the desk.

"That obvious, huh?" Yoruichi smiled wryly. She couldn't say that she wasn't at least a little happy that everything was in the open now.

"If it wasn't for last night, I probably never would've figured it out." Rei's tone was almost consoling. "But after…that…I couldn't help but ask Sui-Feng about that stuffed cat I found, and well…"

"So where do we go from here?" Yoruichi asked, trying not to show that she was happy that Sui-Feng didn't deny anything.

"I wanted to talk to you today," Rei halted, mustering her courage. "To ask you to stop!" Yoruichi's eyes widened in surprise. "S-she gave you a chance, and you rejected her. I'm with her now and-and we're happy!" The outburst of emotion left Rei visibly drained and pale.

"Well what about my happiness?" Yoruichi stood up. "Haven't I earned the right to be happy?" She took a few steps towards Rei, causing the woman to retreat. Yoruichi wasn't any taller than Rei, but in that moment, she seemed to tower over the nurse.

"I'm sorry," Yoruichi relented, seeing the fear in Rei's eyes. "It's just…I didn't know what to do when she told me she loved me." She noticed Rei's face flinch. "I didn't reject her. I just kind of…froze. It took me this long to finally figure it all out, get up the courage, you know?"

A heavy silence fell between them. Neither of them really knew how to handle the situation at hand. Both women were surprised they had been able to say as much as they already had.

"Argh!' Yoruichi groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Things aren't supposed to be this complicated! It would be so much easier if I didn't like you so much."

"What?" Rei's face flushed slightly.

"Come on," Yoruichi smirked. "Who wouldn't want a sweet girl who's willing to cook and clean for them?" Rei's blush deepened. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous. I mean me and Sui has a history, but at least you have more to offer her than your good looks."

"I'm sure that's not all you have," Rei consoled, missing the latent compliment in Yoruichi's words.

"I don't know," Yoruichi crossed her arms. "I can't say I've ever tried cooking, and I've always hated cleaning." Silence fell again, though this silence lacked the tension of the last.

"So what are we going to do?" Rei asked finally. The situation was in a much different place than she had envisioned it would end up.

"I don't know," Yoruichi sighed. It was clear that no amount of good will between them would change the fact that neither of them wanted to give up Sui-Feng. "Wait," Yoruichi's face brightened. "I think I have an idea."