Chapter fourteen: the call

"W-what?" Yoruichi stuttered.

"The doctor claims I am pregnant …" Soi's face suddenly fell. Yoruichi took her hand her heart drumming within her ears.

"What is it, love?" she frowned wanting to know what was bothering her lover.

"Somehow I do not feel as though I am pregnant"

"That's just the shock" Yoruichi smiled sweetly.

Soi shook her head "it's more than that. "I will not be convinced until I have another scan and X-Ray"

"Soi, love, if it is cancer-" Soi flinched at the word "-then … I will stand by you … no matter what" she squeezed Soi's hand "you know that, right?" Soi nodded her eyes brimming with tears. Yoruichi leant over and kissed Soi on the forehead before brushing away her lover's tears. "You know what? Lets go away this weekend"

"W-why?"

"We need a break besides …" she flashed a smile at Soi "we need to start on the wedding plans"

Soi's lips flittered into a tiny smile "you'll be in your element"

Yoruichi flipped her purple locks and grinned "believe me love, you haven't even SEEN me in my element"

"If your element would be in the bedroom then I'd say I have very well seen you in your element" Soi grinned feebly.

Yoruichi couldn't help but chuckled as they dug into their food. "We also need to tell our parents and invite them"

"Oh" Soi coughed lightly "I do not want my parents to come. Just you and a few friends will be fine"

Yoruichi frowned "why not, bumblebee?"

Soi sighed. "My mother hates the fact that I'm a lesbian. My father refuses to have anything to do with me. I have no one else" she squeezed Yoruichi's hand "just you"

Yoruichi felt heartbroken. She was all Soi had? "You will always have me, love, that will never change"

"I am glad to hear that"

"I only speak the truth to the one I love"

"For that I am entirely grateful" They finished their dinner and Yoruichi grabbed her coat and threw Soi's into her arms. Soi frowned. "Where are we going?"

"To the hospital we are getting you checked out once and for all"

"But-" Soi didn't get to finish her protest. They were out of the building before Soi could even gather her thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They barged through the doors, Soi Fon being unceremoniously dragged beside Yoruichi, her cheeks flaming red as hundreds of people stared at them. Yoruichi slammed a fist onto the desk of the receptionist. The poor woman startled alarmingly. "We want to see Doctor Sen-Li" Yoruichi demanded. The woman was too scared to disobey. She nodded shakily. Soi had barely had time to breathe before Yoruichi dragged her up three flights of stairs to the private doctor's offices. Finally once inside the office Soi was laid out on the frosty plastic table and informed to roll her shirt up. Soi obeyed. She bit her lip and closed her eyes waiting for the inside of her stomach came up onto the screen. Eventually it did and the doctor frowned.

"Well here is your uterus, and there is something in there but … it isn't a baby"

Soi knew it then and there what it was. She screwed her eyes up even more and squeezed Yoruichi's clammy hands. "I know what it is"

"Do you Miss Fon?" Soi nodded numbly "what is it then?"

"Cancer … in my uterus … c-could d-die … c-c-chemo …" Soi broke down and started to cry hysterically. Yoruichi stared at the screen.

"W-where's the … um … the tumour?" she asked the doctor cautiously while stroking Soi's shaking hand.

"Well it appears that this shadow in the actually uterus" the doctor pointed her pen at the screen and encircled a large white blob "is the tumour"

"But … that's HUGE!"

"Thank you for stating the obvious Shihouin-san but it is possible to remove without any further growth, however we will carry out a course of chemotherapy just to be on the safe side"

"So you're saying is that you can save Soi's uterus but just to be on the safe side that the cancer won't come back you're going to put her through chemo and destroy her spirit? I hope you realise that chemo alone could kill her!!!!"

"Yes we realise that but you do not want the growth to come back now do you?"

"Of course we don't!" Yoruichi snapped impatiently "but this is ridiculous! Idiotic!"

"Yoruichi-" Soi breathed but Yoruichi didn't hear her.

"And further more-"

"Yoruichi-"

"-You expect this to help her? What are you? Brainless?"

"Yoruichi-sama" Yoruichi finally snapped her gaze to Soi Fon still laying stiffly on the bed.

"Hai Soi-chan?"

"Let's … let's just go home"

"But-?"

"Please?" Yoruichi blinked before nodding mutely. "Arigatou"

"Soi Fon?"

"Hai?" Soi turned to face the doctor, a black eyebrow raised.

"Come by the office on Monday, we'll see what we can do"

"I don't have a choice in the matter" Soi stated matter-of-factly.

"Well …"

"I'll be there on Monday. Good day"

"Good day"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yoruichi watched Soi as they made their way out to the car park. Soi handed over the car keys and slid into the passenger seat silently. Yoruichi didn't open the driver's door for a few seconds before sliding into it, closing the door softly and starting the engine. "Soi-chan?"

"Mmm?" Soi didn't look up from her lap. Her arms were folded over her chest.

"What will we do?"

"We will go home" Soi mumbled her voice slightly dry "we will settle and relax in bed with a movie. We will not think on the matter until tomorrow" she finally drew her eyes up to meet Yoruichi's "that is what we will do"

Yoruichi stared down at her fiancé. She was small, lithe and stubborn, but she had a heart of something more gold than Yoruichi's eyes, and she was brave, braver than Yoruichi had ever seen her in a long time. She rubbed her lips together. She reached down and entwined their fingers. Soi didn't smile but the affection and gratitude in her eyes glistened like white gold. "That sounds nice" Yoruichi finally muttered. Soi's smile didn't quite reach her eyes but Yoruichi shrugged the thought away. It had been a rough evening.

"Let's go home" Soi hummed sleepily her eyelids falling half-closed over her eyes.

Yoruichi brushed the black hair from Soi's eyes and kissed the tired woman's forehead.

"Anything for you little bee" Yoruichi leant back in the car seat, patted her protruding stomach and proceeded to drive home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

8:09pm.

Soi sat up in bed the cool night air comforting her humid body as she stared blankly at the plasma screen T.V. on the opposite wall of their bedroom. She listened to Yoruichi locking the front door. Yoruichi sauntered into the bedroom and watched a defeated smile curl Soi's lips. "Hey bumblebee don't look like that"

"Like what?"

"Like you've given up" Yoruichi leant onto the bed, naked, and beautiful, and pressed her lips to Soi's.

Soi looked down and drank in the sight of her lover's beautiful body. She ran her thin white fingers along the tan skin "Yoruichi-sama … I …"

"Shh" Yoruichi pressed a finger to Soi's lips "don't think … just … relax"

"Okay" Soi relaxed, their bare bodies cuddled together as they settled down to watch 'THE LAKEHOUSE'. By the end of the movie Soi was in tears, a small smile on her face.

"Why are you crying Soi?" Yoruichi purred lightly in Soi's ear.

"Don't hate me for this"

"Okay"

"If I go-"

"Soi"

"Listen to me" Soi pleaded not bothering to wipe away the tear tracks from her cheeks, she knelt up on her knees facing Yoruichi and took the older woman's hands in her own and clasped them to her chest. Yoruichi felt Soi's heartbeat beneath her palms "if I go … promise me … you won't forget me"

Yoruichi's gold eyes opened like floodgates. She collapsed against Soi and wept hysterically as her body shook with grief "Soi-chan! Please fight this! Please? I know you can! Be strong for me! For us! P-p-p-please … I can't cope on my o-o-own"

Soi stroked the thick purple locks "Yoruichi-sama … I didn't m-mean for y-you to get u-u-upset"

"I k-k-know" Yoruichi sat up and wiped the falling tears away, "but you will leave bumblebee … I k-k-know you will l-l-l-love"

Soi cupped Yoruichi's cheeks and pressed a kiss to her damp eyelids "Yoruichi-sama … don't let me be forgotten … promise me"

"Soi-"

"Promise me!"

"I … I promise … Soi-chan" Yoruichi allowed the tears to flow freely. Soi forgot her own tears and dried Yoruichi's cheeks, placing kisses where the tear tracks used to be.

"I am sorry to upset you"

"No it is alright"

"Of course it isn't!"

Yoruichi placed a tender hand on Soi's and nuzzled her fingertips "it is … I just don't like … picturing my life … without you"

"Now you know how I felt during those fifty years"

"It hurt me to leave you then-"

"-And it'll hurt me to leave you now"

"No Soi-chan, you are not leaving me … one way or the other … you won't"

Soi didn't have the energy to argue with her fiancé. Not now anyway. She half-closed her eyes, nodded once and then sank into the mattress, her fingertips stroking Yoruichi's stomach. "I love you … Yoruichi-sama"

Yoruichi stroked Soi's silky black locks and laid down beside her lithe figure, her golden eyes staring at Soi's closed ones. She was breathing deeply now. Yoruichi smiled weakly, a tear tickling the corner of her eye and threatening to spill out "I'll love you forever … Soi-chan"