This chapter's for Ichi-nii, because I promised – enjoy your IchiHime moment sir, you probably won't get another one in this fic :P

Good Mourning

"You moved in with her."

Soi tilted her head back and stared up at the source of the accusation. Tatsuki was leaning over the bar and down at her. With an annoyed sigh Soi turned her gaze away from the girl. Soi was sitting on the floor of the Eleventh bar, her foot propping the door to the cooler unit open as she restocked it. She draped the cloth she had been using to wipe the dusty bottles across her shoulder, not caring if it dirtied her work shirt.

"Yeah, so?" She replied. She moved her leg and nudged the cooler door close.

"Don't you think it's a bit sudden?" Tatsuki inquired.

"We've been together for over a year," Soi did a quick mental count. It was technically true, even if for the first year Yoruichi had been less than faithful, and that they had broken up and separated for six months. It had only been a few months since she and Yoruichi had decided to get back together. "So no, I don't think it's a bit sudden."

"Gah!" Tatsuki sounded both annoyed and disappointed.

Soi looked back up to the short-haired girl just in time to see her vault over the bar. She landed softly on her feet next to Soi and sat down, propping her feet flat against the cooler and her elbow on the half-full crate that separated her and Soi.

"Anyway," Soi said. "How did you know?"

"Please," Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "I live with Chizuru; she knows everything that's going with Yoruichi's life."

Soi mentally cursed Chizuru and her stalking hobbies. "Look, what does it matter that I moved in with her?"

Tatsuki was quiet for a moment, her head tilted to the side and her eyes looking pointedly away from Soi.

"I was there when you two broke up; I remember how badly she hurt you. I dunno," Tatsuki shrugged. "I guess I just don't want to see you go through that again."

Soi felt annoyed. She knew that Tatsuki was only trying to look out for her, but she also knew that Tatsuki had never really liked Yoruichi. Not that she intentionally bad-mouthed her, but she did seem incapable of keeping a disproving tone from her voice when she spoke of her.

It had only been a few days since Soi had moved in with Yoruichi, not that she had actually informed Yoruichi that she had, and Yoruichi certainly hadn't seemed to have noticed that Soi and her meagre possessions were now permanent fixtures in her apartment. Since New Year, Soi had spent every night at Yoruichi's so the move made perfect sense. It would be easier for her to protect Yoruichi if she lived with her.

If she was honest, the real deciding factor had come when Soi had returned to her own apartment to find her Landlord waiting for her. She had expected to be served with an eviction notice, knowing that she was now several months behind on her rent. Instead, the man had – of all things – bowed to her and thanked her at great length. Apparently she had paid her outstanding rent, and then a full years rent in advance with more money on top to make up the inconvenience she had caused him. Soi had felt sick as her landlord had carried on thanking her, his sycophantic display making her wonder just how much money she had supposedly paid him on top of the rent. There was only one person who could have done this, despite her telling him that she didn't want his money.

Shihouin Masaru...

"Bastard," she muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" Tatsuki leant forward and shot her a concerned look. "You say something?"

"No," Soi lied.

She had told her landlord to keep the money and had moved out there and then. She didn't have much to shift to Yoruichi's and had done it in a single trip. The Goddess apparently hadn't noticed when she'd entered her apartment dragging her suitcase behind her; she was too busy lying comatose on the couch to pay any heed to the rest of the world.

"Hey Soi," Tatsuki said running a hand through her untidy locks and bringing Soi out of her contemplative mood. "I'm sorry for prying, but well..."

"Well what?" Soi turned to her, not even bothering to cover her annoyed scowl. It wasn't like Tatsuki to skirt around a subject; she was usually straightforward and unafraid of how her opinions would affect other people.

She sighed. "I heard that you'd been skipping your lectures, and I was wondering if-"

"It had anything to do with Yoruichi? She's not making me skip out on college, you can stop worrying," Soi picked up a bottle from the crate next to her and wiped the dust from it with the cloth. "I've just been busy lately."

"You also missed out on the last self-defence class."

"Don't care," Soi replied. She opened the cooler and placed the bottle inside; making sure the label was facing the front. She was probably the only person working in the Eleventh bar that cared about presentation, most others just chucked the bottle in not even bothering to see if it wound up on the right shelf.

Tatsuki opened her mouth to reply, anger burning in her eyes.

"Whoa!"

A cry from the other side of the bar cut off Tatsuki's retort, and she and Soi frowned as the cry was followed by the sound of glass smashing and a loud: "EEK!" Soi and Tatsuki jumped to their feet to observe the commotion. Ichigo stood holding a box of new glasses, his eyes wide in alarm. Two other boxes lay on the ground at his feet, burst open from the impact of the floor, the contents smashed around Ichigo's feet and also around-

"Inoue!" He yelled in surprise, whirling on his feet as he danced around the broken glass. "Ah, man! I'm sorry I didn't see you there."

"Owwww," Inoue sat on the floor, rubbing at her head. "Oh!" She stopped what she was doing and looked up at Ichigo her eyes wide.

"Ichigo!" Tatsuki bellowed.

"What?" He cried defensively. "It was an accident. She came out of nowhere."

"Help her up!"

Soi groaned her elbows on the bar top and her face in her hands. If she were to make a list of people she didn't want to see right now, or possibly even ever, then Inoue Orihime would be somewhere near the top of the list. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the girl, she was perfectly pleasant, and she just had a talent for rubbing Soi the wrong way.

"What's she doing here? I thought she was studying abroad." Soi muttered to Tatsuki, who, Soi now noticed, had the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of her mouth. Raising her head, Soi watched as Ichigo dropped the box in his arms taking no notice that the fall would break these glasses as well, and he rubbed at the back of his head in an apologetic manner.

"Sorry about that, Inoue," He bent down and held out his hand to her.

"Oh that's alright!" She shuffled back on her butt away from the offered hand, her own hands waving frantically in front of her. "It was my fault. After all I did come out of nowhere, and I was the one who tripped you up, so really when you think about it I should help you up. But then you didn't fall down, because you have much better balance then me, like a tree, your feet are rooted – eep!" Inoue, thankfully, broke off of her ramble when Ichigo leaned forward and lifted her gently to her feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his hands still resting on her arms.

"I-I'm fine," Inoue said, her voice quivering slightly. "Thank you, Kurosaki-Kun."

"Anytime," He dusted off her shoulders before turning round and giving the box by his feet a kick, sending it sliding across the floor. He followed after it, using his foot to direct it towards the bar.

Soi looked back to Inoue; she seemed to be rooted to the spot. Next to her, Tatsuki sighed, her face falling into her hands.

"Chizuru must be happy that Inoue's back," Soi said quietly.

"Shut up," Tatsuki's voice was equally as quiet, though Soi could hear the bitterness in it.

"Fine," Soi nodded, resisting the urge to smirk and push the subject further. "What are you doing here anyway? I don't believe for a second that you called round just to lecture me."

"Orihime wanted to see Ichigo," Tatsuki answered. "I didn't actually expect you to be here, being able to 'lecture' you was just a bonus. Isn't it Shiba's funeral today? I figured you'd be at that."

"I wasn't invited," Soi replied.

"Bet Yoruichi's there though. You could have gone with her."

"It's a funeral, it's hardly a plus one event," Soi ducked back down behind the bar and quickly placed the rest of the bottles in the cooler, not bothering to wipe the dust from them. "Besides, I don't really think she wanted me there."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"No. Kaien wasn't my friend, I hardly knew the guy," Soi straightened up and kicked the now empty crate away.

"Did you know that he had HIV?"

"No," Soi answered honestly. "Like I said, I wasn't friends with the guy."

"But Yoruichi was..."

"And it was none of my business," Soi retorted. "She doesn't have to tell me everything." Although she was slightly disappointed that Yoruichi hadn't shared this information with her. Soi hadn't asked Yoruichi about it either, all she knew about Kaien's problems were what she had recently read in the papers, and she told Tatsuki as much.

"Doesn't matter now, I guess," Tatsuki said with a shrug. She walked back round the bar and over to Inoue who was still where Ichigo had left her, apparently finding the ground very interesting. "Ready to go?"

"Oh! Tatsuki-Chan!" Inoue beamed, her smile returning three-fold. "Yup, I'm ready!"

"You'd better be at the next self-defence class," Tatsuki said over her shoulder to Soi. "It is supposed to be a class for women, makes sense don't you think that they're taught by women."

Soi shrugged. "As long as I get paid," She frowned as a thought struck her. "Did they ever catch the guy who was attacking women?"

"Nope," Tatsuki replied. "There haven't been any more attacks though." She directed Inoue to the door. "See you Friday, don't be late."

"Yeah, whatever," Soi muttered. She'd never really put much thought into it before, not caring what happened to the odd few women who had been attacked. As far as she was concerned they had probably deserved it. She had very little sympathy for a young woman wandering round campus on her own at night, she was asking for trouble to find her.

She was probably wrong, being paranoid, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was a connection between the attack on Yoruichi and the ones on campus.

Aaroniero Arruruerie...

Could he have been the one behind those attacks as well?

'They were after me...'

No, Soi shook her head and sighed. He couldn't have been. The attacks on Yoruichi had been organised, the girls who had been assaulted were random. Soi was letting her paranoia get the better of her.

She moved from behind the bar and inspected the mess that Ichigo had left. She kicked idly at one of the boxes spilling out more broken glass onto the floor. She checked her watch, the funeral would be finished by now and Yoruichi had said that she'd come straight here to pick Soi up. She decided that she wouldn't have time to clean up Ichigo's mess, and instead used her feet to pile the broken glass closer together; she wasn't intentionally trying to make the idiot's job easier for him merely looking for something to occupy her time while she waited.

"Did you do that?" Ikkaku's voice sounded from behind Soi. She could hear his heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor as he approached.

"No," she answered. "Kurosaki did."

"That idiot!" Ikkaku seethed, he kicked one of the burst boxes punting it across the room, broken glass spewing from its ruptured side. "Don't make it easier for him. I'll kick his scrawny ass for making such a mess!"

Soi decided that it wasn't worth pointing out that Ikkaku had successfully doubled the mess with his little stunt.

"I'm done for the day," she said instead. "I re-stocked everything and cleaned up from last night."

"I don't care," Ikkaku fished around in his jeans pocket and pulled out a crumpled cigarette packet. He took one for himself and then offered her one.

"I don't smoke."

"Sure you don't," He stuffed the packet back in his pocket and lit his cigarette.

Soi watched as the bald man trudge across the room, kicking broken glass as he went, towards the old worn leather couch that was situated near the broken pool table. She sighed and stuffed her hands in her pockets as Ikkaku slumped down on the couch, puffing away on his cigarette. It was hard to believe that he and Yumichika practically ran the Eleventh bar, especially since they could both usually be found skipping out on work.

She took a seat as well, though on the opposite couch to the one Ikkaku was sitting on. She remembered sitting on this couch a few months ago, squashed next to Yoruichi since there was a distinct lack of room. It had been that night they had gone to Hueco Mundo, Aizen's club. There had been a definite change in Yoruichi since that night. She supposed that it wasn't only Yoruichi that had changed, she had probably changed too. They had come very close to breaking up that night, to losing everything between them. Despite what had happened between them that night, their relationship was stronger for it. It could have easily gone the other way.

Light footsteps heralded the arrival of Yumichika. Soi wondered when she had perfected the ability to tell who people were just by the sound of their footsteps. He sat opposite Soi, dressed immaculately in a tight black shirt and equally tight jeans that emphasised his slim figure. He was easily the most feminine person in the room and Soi decided that this was more an insult to him than to herself.

"You'll know this," he said, flicking his hair back with a practised motion of his hand. He pulled his own packet of cigarettes from his shirt pockets and lit one. The smell of tobacco wafted across from the pair towards Soi, she could detect menthol underneath its almost overpowering stench. "Shiba. Who'd he get it from?"

"Huh?" Soi scowled at him. "What do you mean?"

"Whaddya think?" Ikkaku bellowed. "Who gave Shiba HIV?"

"Why would I know?" She asked incredulously.

"Figured your benefactor would have told you," Ikkaku said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Don't call her my benefactor," Soi told him, her voice laced with anger. "I doubt even she knows."

"One way to find out," Yumichika murmured, craning his neck back to see through the windows at the far side of the room.

Soi frowned and turned as the door to the bar opened and in walked Yoruichi, long coat swirling behind her, lit cigarette in hand and eyes downcast. It had been over two weeks now since Kaien's death, and Yoruichi was showing no signs of even attempting to get over it. Today was the first time she had made the effort to get up and leave the apartment. Soi was hoping the fresh air would do her some good and that the funeral would give her a focus for her grief and enable her to start moving on.

Jumping to her feet, Soi made her way over to Yoruichi. "Hey," She greeted a little unsure of what the proper thing to say was in this situation. "Uh, so how was it?"

Yoruichi shrugged. "Fine, I guess," She brought the cigarette to her lips and took a drag. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll just go get my coat," Soi turned away from Yoruichi, ignoring the weight in her chest at the morose expression that was still on Yoruichi's face.

"Did many go?" Ikkaku asked loudly.

"No," Yoruichi replied softly, Soi could barely hear her. "Hardly anyone."

"Not surprising," Soi heard Yumichika say. "No one will want to be associated with him now."

Silence followed his words. Soi quickly went to the cloakroom and grabbed her coat and threw it around her shoulders. She hurried back; Yoruichi was puffing furiously on her cigarette, her brow furrowed and her shoulders tense.

"Ready," Soi told her.

"Good," Yoruichi pulled some keys out of her pocket. "Let's go."

"You drove here?"

"Yeah," Yoruichi replied.

"What happened to Komamura?" Soi asked.

"I fired him."

"Fired? Why?" An irrational flare of panic surged through Soi. Komamura wasn't just a chauffeur he was also a bodyguard.

"I was bored of being babysat," Yoruichi answered as though her safety wasn't any of her concern. "Come on." Yoruichi turned to leave but was beaten to the door by Ikkaku. He threw them open and strode out a delighted cry emitting from him as he took in Yoruichi's car.

Soi followed Yoruichi out, shivering as the cold air hit her. She stared at the car and silently wondered how much it had cost.

"Yoruichi-San," Ikkaku said with awe in his voice. "I want to have sex with your car."

"It's just a car," Soi muttered. A very, very, expensive car. Soi had no interest in cars; she didn't understand the need to own one as a fashion statement. So long as the car got you from A to B then she was satisfied.

"She is not just a car!" Ikkaku sounded horrified at Soi's words. "This!" He waved his arms around the vehicle. "She is a Lamborghini!"

"Just a sports car to me," Soi informed him. It was hardly inconspicuous; Yoruichi would stand out like a sore thumb with this. Soi looked down the street; every person who walked past either glanced or outright stared at the car. It didn't help that it was bright orange either.

"A Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder to be exact," Yoruichi said, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. She was clearly both amused and pleased by Ikkaku's reaction.

"When did you get this?" Soi asked.

"I've had it for a while, it's just been in storage," Yoruichi answered. "I called Lisa the other day and asked her to get it to me. Like I said, I'm sick of being babysat. I'm perfectly capable of driving myself to and from work, or where ever the hell else I want to go for that matter."

Ikkaku seemed to have tears in his eyes. "I want one of these!"

"Get the hell away from my car," Yoruichi told him, though there was the slightest hint of humour in her voice despite the hard words. "And get in the car, Soi."

Soi wasn't sure she wanted to, she'd been in a car with Yoruichi behind the wheel and it hadn't been a pleasant experience. She shuffled over to the car and opened the door, warily climbing inside. She wondered if Yoruichi would be at all offended if she were to throw up in her very expensive sports car. Considering Yoruichi's driving skills or lack of, it was a highly likely outcome of the trip.

Yoruichi climbed in as well and shot Soi a small smile. "Sorry," She said with a slight shrug. "You have to admit though; it's a very nice car. I'd say that we should have sex in it, but there isn't really all that much room. Plus I don't want to get any suspicious stains on the seats."

It was absurd and it was crude, and Soi laughed. She couldn't help it, it wasn't even the kind of thing she usually found funny, and actually it was the exact kind of statement that would normally cause her to shoot her girlfriend a disapproving look. She was too busy feeling happy at the half-assed joke Yoruichi had made though to even begin to feel annoyed at her.

"Let's go," Yoruichi's smile widened slightly.

"Where's the seatbelt?" Soi wondered aloud as she searched for it. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Ikkaku still gawking at the car.

"Haven't a clue," Yoruichi replied. "I've never been able to find em."

/\/\/\

They had arranged to meet at Kuukaku's after the funeral. Yoruichi felt a slight pang of guilt that she hadn't made any effort in the past two and a-bit weeks to even check in on Kuukaku. She had briefly spoken to Kisuke over the phone, but had taken very little notice of what he had said. She had been too focussed on her own grief to even bother considering anyone else's. Stupid of her, she only now realised, whatever she had been feeling paled in comparison to what Kuukaku was going through. It was just too easy for Yoruichi to think of Kuukaku as an indestructible force that couldn't be moved by something as trivial as grief. It hadn't been until the funeral that Yoruichi had realised that she had been completely wrong. Kuukaku had looked worn and tired, she had barely spoken and when she had her voice was low and hoarse.

It made Yoruichi feel completely selfish for being so indulgent in her own grief.

She pulled up next to Kuukaku's house; the drive way was taken up by Kuukaku's truck and Ganju's bike. Next to her Soi shifted restlessly in her seat.

"You'd think that someone who gets her kicks from freefalling wouldn't get travel sick," Yoruichi commented.

"Your driving is more terrifying than any plummet could ever be," Soi replied fumbling for the door handle.

Yoruichi exited the car smoothly as Soi stumbled out. Looking over the top of her car Yoruichi could see Ganju storm out of the house, helmet in hand and marching towards his bike. Kuukaku followed after him.

"I'm not done talkin' to you!" Kuukaku yelled at him.

He ignored her and swung a thick leg over the bike, roughly jamming the helmet over his head.

"Ganju!"

Yoruichi winced at the screeching tone Kuukaku's voice had adopted. Ganju continued to ignore his sister and slowly back down the driveway, his legs waddling on either side of the bike in an awkward manner. Once out the drive way he revved the engine and sped off down the street.

"Ah fuck!" Kuukaku bellowed. She turned her gaze to Yoruichi and Soi. "What the fuck you two lookin' at?"

"Uh, nothing, I guess," Yoruichi mumbled in reply. She was going to ask what was going on, but just one look at Kuukaku told her that it would be in better interest to her health to keep the question to herself. Both she and Soi shuffled their way to the house, acutely aware of the bleary eyed glare Kuukaku was giving them, as though daring them to say something.

Kuukaku snorted dismissively and stomped into the house slamming the door behind her.

"Well this is going to be fun," Soi muttered.

Yoruichi didn't trust herself to answer and opened the door for Soi, ushering her inside, she found though that she couldn't help but agree with her.

/\/\/\

Kuukaku had gone to sit out in the back garden on her own, Yoruichi knew better than to follow her when she was in a mood. Instead Yoruichi made her way downstairs into the basement knowing that that was where Kisuke would be hiding. She had left Soi upstairs grumbling about something or other.

The basement was Kisuke's base of operations; it was dimly lit by a single bulb swinging from a beam, wires ran across the floor and snaked up the walls, wrapped around the wooden beams in the ceiling like vines. Yoruichi had to step over several expensive and important looking pieces of equipment before she found Kisuke, tucked behind several monitors and tapping happily away on a keyboard.

"Hey," She greet with a small wave.

"Ah, Yoruichi-San," He smiled at her, a thin hand scratching idly at his head making him look a little bemused. "I didn't expect to see you. Sorry about the mess."

"It's just as messy as the last time I was down here," She stepped over more loose wires and stopped just next to his desk. "You didn't come to the funeral."

He grimaced and sunk down into his seat. "I doubt Kaien would have wanted me there."

"He's dead, I don't think he would have cared," Yoruichi was mildly surprised at how cold her own voice sounded. She changed tact. "Kuukaku would have wanted you there."

He shrugged in reply. "I don't really do well at occasions like this."

"Still, you should have been there."

He didn't reply, his fingers returning to the keyboard and tapping away.

"Working on something?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Not really," He replied, he turned the monitor closet to him to face Yoruichi.

"Oh geez!" A hand went to her mouth to cover the smile that had appeared at the sight of what Kisuke had spent his morning doing. A brightly coloured anime girl stared cheekily from the screen. "So while we were burying Kaien you were-"

"Trying to get into the class rep's pants," He cheerfully finished for Yoruichi. "I've already had my homeroom teacher and my stepmother."

Yoruichi suppressed a chuckle at his antics. "Here was me thinking that you were doing very important and complex work, and you're playing a dating sim."

"Yoruichi-San," He said in a disappointed tone. "This is important and complex work. The class rep's panties aren't going to remove themselves."

She sighed and turned the monitor away.

"Oh, I hear congratulations are in order," he said in a slightly more serious tone. "You were promoted."

"How did you know that?" Yoruichi asked, she hadn't told anyone yet. She wasn't entirely sure what her own feelings on the matter were, and was unsure if she would even accept the new role within her family's company.

"I have my ways," He said cryptically. "Meaning your dad phoned and told me."

"Lovely," She muttered. "Did he say anything else?"

"That you're disappointment and a waste of potential and all the usual stuff," he listed, ticking each one off of his fingers. "Nothing new to add. Although he did seem quietly optimistic that this time you'd apply yourself."

"I don't want the extra responsibility. I'm not even sure I actually want anything to do with the company."

"Well, it'll all be yours one day."

"Lucky me," She murmured.

He paused for a moment, his head cocked slightly to the side in a gesture that was unusual for him. "Well," He said, bottom lip jutted out slightly and eyebrows raised. "What do you want to do?"

She shrugged, her finger slowly drumming on the desk top. "I haven't a clue. I just know I don't want to turn into him; spending my life stuck in an office, always working and being stressed out. It's not for me."

"Still a free spirit I see?"

She snorted. "There's no such thing. I'm not afraid of hard work. I just don't want it to consume my life. Why is that such a bad thing?"

"It isn't," He leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his chin. "You should have stuck with the athletics; it was the perfect way to get out of this."

"Career ending injury, remember?" She pointed at her knee as she spoke.

"That wasn't career ending, a little hard work and you could have easily competed again," He sat back up. "You might not have broken any world records, but you still would have been close to gold medal material."

Close to... She shook her head. "What was the point in doing it if I couldn't be the best?"

They both lapsed into silence; the only sound that permeated the room was the gentle hum of Kisuke's computer and the occasional tap of Yoruichi's nails against the desk top.

"What are you going to do?" Kisuke asked softly.

"What I agreed to do," She answered. "My duty."

"Such a dirty word," Kisuke chuckled. "And such an unusual one for you."

"Oi!" She poked him hard in the bicep. "I have always done my duty. Whatever that man has asked of me, I have given."

"Except for getting married."

"Except for that one," She agreed. "I did everything else though. And I'll do this too, what's a little extra work. Who knows, now that my position within the company is actually real, and not just one for show I might enjoy the work. Stranger things have happened."

"That's true," Kisuke agreed. "Like Kaien's condition becoming public knowledge." He added in a darker tone.

"Yeah," Yoruichi breathed. That was strange. Kaien's condition was a closely guarded secret with very few people actually aware of the truth. Very few among the Gotei 13 knew, and even less among Kaien's friends and associates. From a brief flick through the papers she could see that someone from the hospital had made a copy of Kaien's medical records and sold them to the press.

"Any idea who it was?"

"Not a clue," Kisuke said, rubbing at his chin again. "It could have been anyone who worked at the hospital, or even anyone who was there that night. It's not looking good for the Gotei 13 though. A lot of influential families are starting to wonder if the Old Man is actually capable of looking after their secrets now. Another screw up like this might be all it takes to undermine him completely."

"Do you think it's linked to those guys who attacked the Thirteenth bar?"

"You mean, do I think that Aizen was behind it all?" He sighed. "The attack seemed too messy, too random for it to have been Aizen. Then I know that Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez works for Aizen, but I can't be sure about the other two. Aizen is of course denying having anything to do with the incident. And from what I've gathered Jaegerjacquez's has been fired from Hueco Mundo."

"So it was probably just Grimmjow trying to mess with me?" This didn't explain what Aaroniero Arruruerie had said, he had demanded that she go with him. It seemed to her that they had attacked the Thirteenth bar with the intention of abducting her.

"I think so."

She didn't believe him. Kisuke was clearly trying to make her feel better. Make her feel as though it was all random and that it hadn't been an organised effort to harm her. It was a weak way to lessen the guilt she felt over the situation. If she was completely honest with herself, then she knew that the reason she hadn't been to see Kuukaku earlier was because she felt guilty. Kaien wouldn't have been killed if it wasn't for her.

"But do you think the two were linked?" She watched him carefully. Kisuke kept his expression blank, his eyes not meeting Yoruichi's. "Did Aizen have anything to do with Kaien's medical records winding up in the hands of the press?" She pushed.

Kisuke sighed. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "He denies having anything to do with the attack, and there is nothing to suggest that he had anything to do with Kaien. There's no evidence."

"Guess not," She sighed as well and rubbed at her eyes. "I'm going to check on Kuukaku." She turned from Kisuke and made her way back across the obstacle course that was the basement. She stopped just short of the staircase and turned back to face Kisuke.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I was just wondering; do you know how many people are being paid to follow me?"

His eyebrows rose. "What makes you think that anyone's following you?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm not stupid, Kisuke, so don't treat me like I am."

"I don't know."

"I'm not stupid, Kisuke," She repeated her voice hard.

"Hirako," He answered. "I don't know about anyone else, just him. Though I think it's safe to assume that Yadomaru is a spy for your father."

"Thank you," She turned back from him and made her way up the stairs.

/\/\/\

Soi was lying on the couch in the living room flicking idly through a magazine she had found. Yoruichi stood in the doorway watching her for a while before she made her presence known.

"You look comfy," was all she said.

Soi dropped the magazine and glanced at Yoruichi. "You took your time," she countered.

"Pfft!" Yoruichi scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I was an hour at most." She waited for her words to sink in, an annoyed scowl adorned Soi's features.

"I said I was sorry," She pushed herself into a sitting position and tossed the magazine to the side. "I lost track of the time," the last part was muttered sullenly as though Soi didn't believe herself.

"Well, so did I," Yoruichi replied pleasantly. "We're leaving soon. I'm just going to go check on Kuukaku."

"Fine."

"I'll be an hour at most," Yoruichi called back over her shoulder at Soi as she exited the room and made her way into the garden, ignoring Soi fuming behind her.

Kuukaku was sitting along on the scorched decking, her back to the house. Yoruichi slowly approached her.

"Hey," She called out softly before stepping up onto the decking and sitting down next to Kuukaku. "I'm sorry I didn't call round to see you earlier."

"Don't be," Kuukaku replied. "I'm sure you had yer own thing's t'deal with."

"Still," Yoruichi shrugged. "It was kinda crappy of me. I should have-"

"Don't bother!" Kuukaku interrupted her.

"Okay," Yoruichi nodded and lapsed into silence. She shifted her position so that she had a leg tucked up beneath her. After a few more uncomfortable seconds that felt like minutes, she retrieved her cigarettes from her pocket. She placed one to her lips and offered the packet to Kuukaku.

"Thanks," Kuukaku mumbled picking out one. "Ganju's real pissed off with me."

"Yeah?" Yoruichi lit her cigarette, her lighter for once working. "Why's that?"

"I never told him that Kaien had HIV. He found out from a friend or something like that. I doubt he read it in the paper, since I doubt the little shit can read but..." she trailed off.

Yoruichi passed her the lighter. "It wasn't your responsibility to tell him."

"Don't feel that way."

"It was Kaien's," Yoruichi continued. "Don't go feeling guilty because of his mistakes."

"I'm not!" Kuukaku retorted though she was clearly lying. "It's just that, when I read it all in the papers. He kept a lot from me too. I mean I knew he had it, but I never knew how bad it was. He didn't tell me he wasn't responding to the treatment, he didn't tell me that he was getting worse."

He was always going to get worse, Yoruichi thought. They had all just been unwilling to face that fact.

"I'm real fuckin' angry with him," Kuukaku admitted, taking short angry drags on her cigarette.

"For not telling you?"

"For being stupid enough to get infected in the first place!" She yelled. "And then leavin' me to deal with it all! Fuckin' idiot! How could he be so stupid?"

"I don't think he did it on purpose," Yoruichi said quietly. "He fucked up, yeah, but... Well, he fucked up."

Kuukaku grumbled under her breath, chewing ion the end of her cigarette as she did so.

"Look, don't worry about the press and what everyone else is saying," Yoruichi told her, her hand landing lightly on Kuukaku's shoulder. "This will all blow over soon when people find something else to gossip about. You'll see. And the Gotei 13 will find the one who's responsible for it all getting out and make them pay."

"Fat fuckin' lot o'good it does us now! 'Sides," Kuukaku leaned back on her hands and tilted her head back. "I don't want anythin' to do with the Gotei 13 anymore."

Yoruichi's eyes widened. "What? Why not?"

"Whaddya mean 'why not?' They fucked up, that's why not! Not like we got anythin' left of a business or reputation to protect anyways. All gone down the crapper now."

Yoruichi's shoulders slumped and she stared at the ground. Kuukaku had a point, even if Yoruichi didn't want to believe it. This was exactly what Kisuke had been saying; families would be losing faith in the Gotei 13. They couldn't afford anything similar happening again.

She squeezed Kuukaku's shoulder. "You going to be alright?"

"Course. I ain't got a choice, I have to be alright."

It was reassuring to Yoruichi that Kuukaku was still able to show such defiance, that she still proved to be close to indestructible.

"I'm glad," She stood up, dropped her cigarette on the decking and ground her heel into it. "I'll call you tomorrow. We should do something next weekend."

Kuukaku didn't say anything; she just carried on staring off into the distance. Yoruichi hopped down from the decking and slowly made her way towards the house.

"It should have been you."

Yoruichi froze. Slowly she turned to look back at Kuukaku; her head was turned and she was facing away from Yoruichi. A thin trail of smoke rose from the still smouldering cigarette that rested between Kuukaku's fingers.

Yoruichi swallowed.

"Seems unfair," Kuukaku continued. "You go out and fuck anyone yer want, and there are no consequences. Hell ya even rewarded. You got the kid in there who's so head over heels for you she'll forgive ya anything. Doesn't seem right, y'know?"

Yoruichi stood stock still; she wanted to say something, anything would have done, but couldn't find her voice. Her throat burned and she tried to swallow again but the lump that was there was too much. It was all too much.

"Yer always did land on yer feet."

"I'm sorry," Yoruichi managed to choke out.

Kuukaku jumped, her head snapping round to face Yoruichi and her eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Yoruichi stumbled back, turned, and started walking towards the house. There was a pain, somewhere, she wasn't entirely sure where. She just knew it hurt. Her breathing was ragged and uneven, her throat burned and her eyes were stinging.

"Yo-Yoruichi!" Soi's voice sounded from somewhere as Yoruichi staggered back through the house. She had a feeling that Soi was following her but didn't turn her head to confirm the suspicion. It wasn't until she stepped out of the front door that she stopped and felt a small hand take hold of her own.

"What's wrong?" Soi stepped round in front of her, still holding her hand in her own.

"Nothing," Yoruichi said quietly. "Nothing's wrong."

Soi stared at her. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Yoruichi lied, nodding her head and ignoring the tight burning sensation in her throat. "Just, time to go."

She didn't look back; she ignored the worried looks Soi kept shooting her way and the tightness in her own chest, as she slid into her car and drove away, Kuukaku's words echoing softly in her head.

I actually didn't think I'd get another chapter up until after Christmas. Amazing what happens when you stop being lazy and actually do some work. Also, I think if I were in Yoruichi's position I'd be a blubbering wreck on the floor.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review and let me know what you think.