Hello Everyone! As you see I changed my pen name. It was way to close the the author The Heaven's Answer so out of respect I changed it. My apologies to that author if I offended you at all. I have to say I am really proud of this chapter. I got to give a bit of the background and shed some light on what's really going on. Sui-Feng is in for a surprise. She might be a little OOC to some folks but I think her personality is just fine for this story. I know there will be questions but bear with me as this story continues. It will all make sense later. I am currently looking for a beta to check my grammatical errors so please be patient in that aspect. This is the longest chapter and hopefully they'll keep coming! Remember to review! Special thanks to Soifool, MKThrall, Freeoflyfe, Genril, FongShihouin, and Ihavenohead. And now without further ado, Chapter Five.
Only Ever Yours
Chapter Five
Before Ichigo met Rukia he would have never believed anything about shinigami, hollows, or any thing else. Now after being a substitute shinigami nothing surprised him. So when Chad came knocking on his door 2:30 in the morning about ghost zombies sucking the life out of people he wiped the crust out of his eyes and went to investigate. What he found was very unfamiliar to him. What could be only described as murky creatures, shifting in and out of the shadows to catch people unaware and snatch their souls from their bodies before devouring them. It was almost like the creatures worked in packs to render the target into paralysis and pull out the soul.
Ichigo dropped down into an alley with 4 creatures that had just finished ripping the soul out of a young man. His screams would forever haunt Ichigo. Apparently just the soul wasn't enough to sate their hunger so they began tearing at his lifeless body.
"Hey assholes. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo called out in an annoyed voice. The creatures ignored him continuing to gorge on their prey. It was only until Ichigo attacked them that they responded. Hissing they ducked under his blade charging him. One creatures body began to gain scorpion like features as a murky tail shot out and dug itself where Ichigo was only a moment before.
'What the hell? These things are fast!' Was his only thought before having to dodge the hit again. A figure slowly rose out of the ground behind Ichigo. It quietly came closer and moved to kill its prey until the sound of fist on bone snapped through the air and the creature went flying into a nearby wall. Ichigo turned around to see Sado, fist smoking from the hit.
"Ichigo be careful." Sado said before moving to his next target.
"Yeah." Nodding Ichigo took his stance and focused on the four in front of him. The creature to his left began shaking as its hands and arms grew into fierce claws. That swiped at his head trying to decapitate him. Quickly he ducked under one of the appendages and swept Zangestu upward cleanly slicing through its arm. It howled in agony falling back clutching its stump.
"Here I thought Hollows had the worst cry in the world." Ichigo spat before jumping at the creature to silence its howling. With one fell swoop he removed its head. Next he went after the scorpion like shadow. It was a little harder to deal with since you could never be sure where the tail was going to strike. It also didn't help that the other two creatures kept trying to sneak behind him.
"I don't have time for this! Gestuga Tenshou!" The sword released its special attack slicing the scorpion in half and obliterating the other two. Checking his surroundings to see if there were any more enemies, Ichigo was satisfied to see that there were none. Sado came around the corner looking a little worse for wear but in one piece.
"What the hell are these things?" Ichigo grunted. Sado just shrugged. He had no clue they sure as hell weren't easy to beat.
"Ichigo look!" Sado pointed behind the shinigami. Turning, he was shocked at what he saw. The shadow like figures that he had destroyed had changed. The murky black substance had melted away to reveal a hollow while the others were human. Ichigo turned away and emptied the contents of his stomach. Since he had removed the head of one of the shadows the now disfigured human head had its lifeless eyes on him.
"I think we need to speak to Urahara." Sado quietly suggested. Ichigo could only nod in agreeance.
Sui-Feng and Yoruichi reached the Shihouin Estate in silence. Both pondering recent events trying to make sense of them. When they arrived at Yoruichi's room she immediately began stripping her body of the blood stained garments. Whatever the creatures were made of smelled like rotting flesh and she couldn't take the putrid smell anymore. Hearing Sui-Feng make a startled sound she spared a backward glance before continuing on to her onsen.
"You can leave, I know that you can't stand to be near me. Besides you could do with a shower." Yoruichi wrinkled her nose while taking in Sui-Feng's appearance. She looked as bad as Yoruichi felt at the moment.
"I can't leave you against your father's wishes." Sui-Feng answered. Her gaze was averted as she followed Yoruichi into the bathroom but made sure not to place eyes on the woman as she prepared her bath. "Besides, I can always wash and change later."
"So for the time being you're content smelling like a corpse? Well I'm not." Yoruichi answered as she dumped the bucket of water over her own head and began to scrub the grime from her hair and body. "Besides, I don't want you to feel obligated to be around me just because my father orders it. You've put in so much effort to avoid me, you might as well continue."
"Yoruichi-sama, while it is my obligation to be here that's not why I'm here." Sui-Feng spoke calmly. "You should know why I haven't been around."
Yoruichi sighed and dumped another bucket of water on herself cleansing the soap away. Then she got an idea. Filling the bucket again she walked over and dumped it on Sui-Feng smirking at the girls indignant splutter of "Yoruichi-sama!"
"Now you might as well wash yourself. It makes no sense to be drenched and dirty." Yoruichi placed her hands on Sui-Feng's haori and began to pull it off of Sui-Feng's shoulders until the younger girl moved back.
"No. As I said before, this must remain professional between us."
"It's just a bath Sui-Feng. We've taken one together before." Yoruichi sighed.
"That was before..." Sui-Feng trailed off before realizing that thinking about the last time they were alone wasn't the best of ideas at the moment. Especially not while Yoruichi was naked and wet.
"Sui-Feng, you can't keep avoiding it. Or me. It happened."
"It shouldn't have! " Sui-Feng snapped angrily. She was tired of Yoruichi pushing her. She was tired of having to tail and stay out of her sight the past week. Tired of the vivid dreams and nightmares she had been dealing with. They were draining her mind and body. Sui-Feng regretted yelling as soon as she did it. The look on Yoruichi's face was one of hurt and rejection.
"I'm sorry for breaching boundaries. I thought you found me desirable but obviously not." Yoruichi whispered backing away. The dejected look in her eyes hurt her to the core. She never wanted to see that look in her eyes and certainly not be the cause of it.
"Yoruichi-sa-" Sui-Feng began
"Leave it." Yoruichi commanded. Slipping into the tub she gave a pleasurable groan. The hot water soothing her tired muscles felt so good that she didn't bother trying to stifle the moans of pleasure. Sui-Feng however, was about to lose her mind. Watching the look on Yoruichi's face as she sank into the water and hearing the sounds escaping her lips was threatening to break her. She couldn't tear her eyes away.
"This is why I've stayed away from you." Sui-Feng said it so quietly that Yoruichi would have missed it, if not for her keen hearing. "This isn't good idea. I should ask your father to replace me."
"Why? Is it that much of a burden to be around me? If so I'll just renounce my title and return to exile."
"They'll hunt you down."
"Will you?" Yoruichi asked looking at her protegé for a reaction. Sui-Feng said nothing as she stared back into the golden pools. Sighing she shook her head no and turned away again.
"I'm done with it. At this point I don't care what you do." Sui-Feng answered. "One second you say you'll stay and the next you're leaving. What's the point?"
"The point is for you to show that you want me to stay. You haven't been doing too good a job." Yoruichi answered her with bitterness creeping into her voice. "Ever since I reestablished myself in soul society its like you're fighting me the entire way. If you're not fighting me, you're avoiding me. I didn't get your vote for captain, you avoid me like the plague and snap at me when I offer to go on missions with you. Why stay where you're not wanted?" When she finished her voice was beginning to waiver. That was something Sui-Feng was not used to. It almost sounded like her goddess was about to cry. That scared her. Yoruichi never cried.
Sui-Feng wouldn't know for sure because Yoruichi submerged herself underwater. When she came back up the water on her face made it impossible to distinguish tears from the water drops. When Yoruichi spoke again her voice was soft and tired sounding.
"I didn't come back to restore my honor or to ensure my clans future. I became a captain so I could be closer to you. I want to fix what I did to you when I left. I knew it wouldn't be easy, just like it wasn't easy for you when I left. I was willing to go through what ever it took. But if you avoid me I can't do anything and then me being here would have been for nothing. Right now I can tell you it wasn't worth it." Yoruichi kept her gaze in the water. It was unnerving to be this upfront about her feelings even if it was Sui-Feng. She was hopeful in thinking the girl would be able to figure out what was going on, but it seemed her little bee was very naïve and inexperienced when it came to reading the heart. She should have known.
Sui-Feng was speechless at the confession. She came back for her? It felt like a her stomach was crawling with fear and burning with hope. She wanted Yoruichi but she knew that if the woman wholeheartedly felt the same way they were doomed to a life of emotional pain and hiding. Would it be worth it? Didn't she know that kind of life couldn't be worth it?
Yoruichi looked back at Sui-Feng searching her eyes. "Do you not find me desirable?"
"That's beside the-"
"Answer the question." Yoruichi cut her off
"It's an inappropriate question." Sui-Feng countered.
"So you find me repulsive then or maybe even disgusting since we are both women." Yoruichi was fishing.
"No." Sui-Feng sighed and pinched her nose before continuing slowly, "You are beautiful Yoruichi-sama. Any fool that says otherwise is blind, deaf, and dumb. I could care less of your preference and would be the last to judge you for it. However, we-No, I cannot allow you to dishonor yourself. You are to be wed soon and I cannot allow any personal feelings I have get in the way."
"So you admit you want me." Yoruichi responded. "why avoid me then? Are you angry with me? Scared?"
Sui-Feng shook her head, "No, far from it. I just can't right now. We both have a duty to fulfill. My job is to protect you. Please understand Yoruichi, I may want the same thing you want, but what will happen when they find out that you have chosen to doom the Shihouin blood? Your job is to produce children I can't give you that! They'll execute you if we're found out. I can't allow that. Your father would die if he had to choose between you and the clan. He'd more than likely be executed as well cause he would pick you. It's not just about us. We cannot afford to be selfish."Sui-Feng was so worked up from her rant that she didn't notice the hell butterfly trying to get her attention.
Yoruichi had never thought about the other circumstances because frankly, she didn't care. She knew what she wanted and thought it was just as simple as grabbing it. Hearing Sui-Feng explain her reasons made sense, it didn't change her mind though.
"If we have to hide then fine. I'm willing to do what it takes. Are you?" Yoruichi challenged her with a look of determination. Sui-Feng couldn't hold the gaze. It was then that she noticed her winged messenger. She listened to it.
"I'll be back. There are 3 guards outside the door." Without saying anything else Sui-Feng left as fast as she could without running.
This was getting to be too much. Yoruichi hadn't even been back for a month and they were already having problems. Why couldn't things go back to how they used to be? It was much simpler then and the boundaries were immovable. That made things so much simpler. Going to the East wing Sui-Feng knocked on a grand double door.
"Come in." A voice beckoned. Opening the door to reveal Satoshi sitting at a fire place. Sui-Feng had no choice but to marvel in awe at the elaborately decorated study. The walls were painted cream and had an intricate gold and purple patterns dancing across the bottom of them. The hardwood floor was a deep mahogany color and shined as images from the fireplace reflected across it. There were paintings of Satoshi and his family that were flawless. Sui-Feng had never seen such beautiful paintings. The one that caught her attention over the antique stone fireplace was of Yoruichi years before she was exiled. She stood behind her father while he sat in a high-backed leather armchair. Much like the one he was sitting in now. They wore identical smirks of confidence and cunning. She decided then and there that was her favorite of all the paintings. She had never ventured to the east wing due to it being an area where Yoruichi usually wasn't.
"You summoned me Shihouin-dono?" Sui-Feng bowed deep in reverence.
"Yes. Please have a seat." Satoshi pointed tiredly to a chair across from him. Sui-Feng frowned at the request, unused to being in his presence. He noticed her hesitating and smirked. 'Yoruichi was right, this girl is wound way too tight.'
"It's alright. This could take a while and I think we should for go any ceremony for now."
When Sui-Feng was seated he sighed tiredly before he began.
"Don't avoid Yoruichi anymore."
"I beg your pardon?" Sui-Feng responded blinking.
"Don't avoid my daughter. Whatever it is that is going on between you two will only cause more problems in the future. If she leaves Sereitei because of some problem you two are having she will be in very grave danger. I cannot allow that." Satoshi explained fold his arms inside his robe.
"With all due respect Shihouin-dono I can't-"
"You can and you will. Do not think of me as a fool. I know what is going on. Anyone that knows Yoruichi can see it, except you it seems. If you continue to push her away she will leave. She's already hinted at it this week when we had one of our walks. I understand with these circumstances things aren't easy. I am not asking you to ignore reality but for once I want Yoruichi to truly be happy. She's my daughter and I want her to be happy while she can. There is time before the inevitable happens. So, before it does she should have a chance." Satoshi explained. The weight of everything that was going to happen was beginning to stress him out a little.
"So I should just forget what the others will think? What about the clan elders? Besides, although I am a captain I am still in the same boat as are still considered to be too young to be engaging in relationships." Sui-Feng argued.
"Last I checked you turn 17 this year more than old enough to be in a relationship. I never said they had to find out." Satoshi smirked with a twinkle in his eye. This floored Sui-Feng.
"Has she talked to you about this?" she inquired
"She mentioned wanting to leave because she felt unwanted. She also told me what she needed in order to go on with her duty as a member and head of this clan. She's hesitating because she doesn't want to lose out on something. My guess is, you." Satoshi answered. Sui-Feng scoffed in disbelief. So she was being tag teamed by father and daughter. She didn't stand a chance.
"Meaning?"
"She wants the life she desires before she gives herself fully to being clan head. I guess she wants the life she would have had if she'd never left. At least that's the best way I can put it." Satoshi answered. "You both really need to sit down and agree on what you want. As far as I'm concerned as long as my daughter is safe and happy I'm in agreeance with what ever you both decide."
"And if I refuse?" She challenged without missing a beat.
"You won't." He replied just as quick.
Sui-Feng was speechless. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had practically received the man's blessing for his daughter. "What's really going on? Don't tell me nothing because between the way you've been acting and the way the Sou-taichou has been acting I know something is askew. I can't do my job and protect your daughter if I don't know what I should be expecting."
Shaking his head at her tenacity he gave a sad smile. "I really would rather wait but I know you'll hound me until I tell you. This isn't to be discussed with my daughter or anyone else for that matter. Is that clear?"
After the captain gave an affirmative nod he began hesitantly. "The best way to begin is to say that Yoruichi isn't important just because she has noble blood. It's because she's going to be a part of something very important to the livelihood of Sereitei. How much do you know about Urahara Kisuke?"
Sui-Feng gave a sniff, "He's a complete idiot."
"Well if I didn't know any better I might agree." Satoshi chuckled, "But seeing as I know all about the boy I can't. Urahara comes from a past that is unknown by a select few people in Soul Society. Myself, Yamamoto, and you new commander are the only ones alive that still know his true heritage. He is the nephew to the Soul King and in his birth right a noble."
Sui-Feng stopped and eyed Satoshi like he had grown another head. Nephew? To the Soul King? The king had family member's?
"I can see that you are already lost." Satoshi smirked. "Let me explain. Almost 2,400 years ago there was a war that broke out between the Soul King and his brother, Kisuke's father. Both were extremely powerful and nearly destroyed Soul Society with their battles. Kisuke's father felt that he should have been the one to become King instead of his brother seeing as he was the oldest and the strongest where as the current King was wiser, faster, and more skilled than his brother. What made it even worse was some believe that it was him the King saw not his brother. Eventually Kisuke's father became insane with hatred at not being able to beat his brother that he began to dive deep into secret arts mixing them with even darker things. It is said that he became possessed and that he is now Akuma himself. Kisuke was hidden when his father came back and brutally murdered his mother. It is believed that his father only had him so he would have another body if his current one was destroyed. It seemed that his plan the entire time was to overthrow the chosen King. Maybe he didn't know about dark kido at the time. Seeing as now he's practically immortal I don't see him coming after Kisuke. I doubt he knows the boy is alive." Satoshi gave a pause as a shiver ran down his spine in memory.
"So I'm guessing those things we fought were his followers? Wait- you said dark kido?" Sui-Feng asked now enraptured by the information she had to process.
"Yes, but not by choice. They are called bathym. They are what used to be hollows or humans after he eats their souls and bodies. What we think happens is when he devours someone the evil in his soul corrupts the body inside him allowing him to create an entity of evil. When he was still human many of his followers betrayed him to follow the King. I guess this is his way of revenge." Satoshi stopped and stared into the fireplace before continuing.
"Dark kido is the complete opposite of the demon magic you use for kido. The kido he uses warps the soul into something completely inhuman. Hollows don't bother with it either. The more he used it the darker he became until he was nothing more than a damn monster! He killed my wife and tried to kill Yoruichi as soon as she was born." Fist clenching and unclenching he stood up and began pacing before he continued. "My daughter was saved by your family. If it wasn't for them this clan would not be standing. We'd be worthless. A clan is only as good as its ability to continue the cycle."
"Cycle?" Sui-Feng asked. Her mind was already spinning from all the questions she wanted to ask.
"Do you know what makes a clan noble?"
"The tools and task given to you by the gods." Sui-Feng answered frowning. The Shihouin were given the Treasure and War Tool. While the Kuchiki's guarded sacred records. Everyone knew that.
"No," Satoshi answered,"Those tools were given to us by the creator of this world to our ancestors charging them with the responsibility to keep balance between the cycle of souls. That is not the cycle that is the most important. The cycle I'm talking about is the birth of the new Soul King. Whenever current King sees their death they also see the next King."
"So who's the King? Not Yoruichi that's impossible." Sui-Feng stated looking at Satoshi for confirmation that she was right.
"No she will be the mother of the new King. The King is usually born to someone of noble blood. The child can only remain in our realm till a certain age." Satoshi's face was grim as he gauged to reaction on Sui-Feng's face.
It was laughable almost. The man had to be kidding. No one ever heard of this and if Yoruichi was that important wouldn't she have known this?
"Since Yoruichi doesn't know this I want to know why." Sui-Feng leaned forward in her seat as though she afraid she'd miss the answer.
"She doesn't know because I feel she isn't ready to bear the burden. The old King saw his death a lot sooner than most King's do. When Yoruichi was born the King sealed his brother. It was then that he saw her in a vision giving birth to the next King. He sent a messenger explaining why we had been attacked and what was to be expected of us in the coming millenia. I just can't bear to put Yoruichi through this." Satoshi grumbled the last part rubbing his eyes with an index finger and thumb. Sui-Feng began to see how old Satoshi really was. His hair no longer had the sheen it used to and his beard was beginning to grey. The crows feet at the corners of his eyes were more pronounced. He was truly well on in years.
"So that's why you're trying to get her to marry within the next 2 years because the Soul King ordered it not because you want to. What if she had never come back and who is going to be the heir for the Shihouin?"
"She would have come back. The Soul King's visions are never wrong. The first child she has will be the King. That's why I need you to protect her. If the the Soul King's brother has found a way out of his prison he will try and come after Yoruichi and kill her. We don't even know if we can depend on Kisuke for help. His true past has been hidden from him. Though, as much as he has a knack for getting into things he's not supposed to, it wouldn't surprise me if he does." Sui-Feng blinked.
"Why was everyone so surprised that this idiot was experimenting with hollows then? More so, why was he even allowed to experiment with anything with his father's track record." Sui-Feng snapped. This made no sense. If that nutty man's own sire was considered evil in the flesh why in hell was his spawn allowed to waltz around fiddling with god knows what?
"It's not his fault Shaolin."Satoshi said sadly. " Yes he does a lot of things he shouldn't but its mostly out of curiosity. If I thought him to be dangerous I wouldn't have allowed Yoruichi to become close friends with him. I feel that he is a good man at heart. Sometimes too smart for his own good but a good man none the less."
Sui-Feng sighed. She knew Satoshi was right. While she believed wholeheartedly that Kisuke was a bumbling idiotic fool, he had shown nothing but loyalty to Soul Society despite his exile and wrongful conviction. Most people would have said screw it and never looked back. She still hated the fact that it was his fault Yoruichi had left her.
"Shihouin-dono let me see if I understand correctly; I am supposed to protect your daughter from someone who fought the Soul King and lived?" Sui-Feng didn't look happy and at this point she didn't care if it showed. This was ridiculous. No, she wished Satoshi had never told her what was really going on.
"In a way yes. Yoruichi should be fine as long as she's not outside Sereitei at night. Last I recall the only way they can get into the city is by breaking the north gate and disrupting the barrier. If they were able to they would have done it already. Therefore, we have years before this gets out of hand. To me it feels like an impending doom that I can't stop. I beg your forgiveness Shaolin. I know I am asking a lot but we are unfortunately products of fate." Satoshi bowed his head in humble apology.
"Please Shihouin-dono I am not worthy." Sui-Feng murmured. Never had a member of any clan bowed to her as Satoshi was now and it was humbling. "I only live to serve you and your daughter. If this is the task you ask of me then it is my job to fulfill it."
Satoshi looked at the young woman and smiled. "Thank you. You'll never know how much your family's service has meant to us." Sui-Feng nodded.
They sat in silence for while each processing their own thoughts on recent events. Sui-Feng stood, bowed and made her way back to her quarters with every intention of taking a bath. Her clothes still had god knew what on them and she felt she needed some alone time to relax and gather her thoughts. What was she going to do?
"There are some inconsistencies in souls occurring in Soul Society Mara." A deep baritone voice rumbled.
Thwack
"Don't call me that!" A feminine voiced growled before replying. "Of course. Time continues and so do our lives. We knew this was coming."
The man rubbed the back of his smarting bald head, " You didn't have hit so hard Mara-san."
Thwack
Thwack
Thwack
"Owwwwie!" He yelled in a voice much too childish for a man his size which only served to annoy the woman further.
"If I have to tell you again I'll make sure you won't be alive to scream next time!" She spat.
"Okay fine! You win. Anyway are you ready? This isn't going to end well you know."
"Maybe not for us, but we've had our time. One gets tired of not aging. It always irks me that as life moves on we are stuck." The woman replied sadly.
"Well if you're sure. Anyway what do think about the girl? Remind you of anyone?" He barked a laugh.
She smirked too. "Of course. She makes me miss Rei when I watch her. "
"Funny cause I swear you two could be related as far as looks go. She does act just like Rei. Too busy with the mission to pay anybody any attention, heh." The man almost didn't have time enough to process what he said before the sound a sword whistling at his face made him duck and scream.
"I didn't mean it!" He began running as fast as he could away from the infuriated woman, "Oh my god! Please! Somebody help!"
"I'm going to kill you! Get back here!"
Another week had passed in Soul Society and the festival was only a day away. Sui-Feng had spoken with Urahara pertaining to the event Ichigo witnessed. They decided to contain the situation and figure out if the bathyms had any weakness. There weren't as many running around as in Soul Society but they came in more numbers than Hollows. All while the man spoke she couldn't help but look at him and wonder. Did he have any idea about his lineage? Or was it just a mystery that didn't intrigue him enough to bother with? Either way it didn't matter in the end and she wasn't going to be the one to tell him. Satoshi had been right. Knowing that certain events were in the works that couldn't be changed was troublesome. She decided not to let it bother her. She left the shoten and traveled back to Soul Society in deep thought. She didn't realize her feet led her to the Shihouin Estate.
When Yoruichi came to mind she was still at a loss. So she had been practically ordered to be in a relationship with the woman. She didn't mind, it was just that if things progressed as they had started to they would go way to fast. She had to make sure things went slow instead of in a flash (haha get it? :P). At first she didn't know how she should handle things until she saw a couple walking home for the night. She saw the woman grant the man a kiss after remarking it wasn't their first date. She'd be able to manage the pace of things by dating the Shihouin woman on her own terms. If she played her cards right she'd still be able to break away from Yoruichi when she got married without being too emotionally attached. She figured that as long as they never went the entire way she'd be safe.
Sui-Feng blushed at the thought of doing such things with Yoruichi. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't hear said woman approaching her.
"Hiya Sui-Feng! Whatcha' thinking about?" Yoruichi smiled as she leaned into her protege.
"Yoruichi-sama, um nothing really? What are you doing here?" Sui-Feng said quickly shaking her head as if to dispel her previous thoughts.
"What you want me to leave? I mean we both kinda live here." Yoruichi pouted.
"No I was actually, um, coming to look for you." Sui-Feng fibbed. She just didn't know what to do around Yoruichi anymore. At times she felt she should be kissing the woman's feet while bowed to the ground, others she felt like she should run from the impending doom that surrounded her.
"Really?" Yoruichi replied while raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Well lets take a walk." Before Sui-Feng could protest Yoruichi had grabbed the arm of her haori and began leading her to the gardens behind the estate.
When they got to a place Yoruichi really liked she let go and they began walking. They enjoyed a comfortable silence just taking in the scenery before Sui-Feng spoke.
" I apologize for avoiding you. It seemed like that was best for both of us." She began while observing a bed of orchids.
"I understand why but if its something that you feel is best then you have to also make sure it doesn't hurt us both as well." Yoruichi replied.
"I don't understand." Sui-Feng frowned looking at her mentor.
"Unless I'm wrong you don't enjoy having to avoid me and I don't like it either. In a way you hurt both of us by your actions. That's over now so we can move on. I have my Sui-bee now." Yoruichi finished with an unabashed smile. Sui-Feng found it contagious and couldn't help but smile back.
As they were walking they began walking between the rows of sakura blossom trees. They were in full bloom this time of year and very beautiful. The wind began to dance around them swirling the cherry blossom petals in its wake. It ruffled the captains haori's making them dance behind the as they walked. Cherry blossoms always brought memories for them. They held memories of times together enjoying only each others company. It gave Sui-Feng the courage to make new memories. She was going to ask Yoruichi for a date at the festival, but Yoruichi beat her to the punch in bringing it up.
"You are going to be a the festival tomorrow right?" Yoruichi asked as she stopped to look at her friend.
"Yes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Ano-" Sui-Feng felt her face began to heat up as she realized what she was about to do. "I was wondering if um, I...I mean you...uh-" Sui-Feng became tongue tied and in the process, frustrated. Yoruichi giggled.
"Never mind!" Sui-Feng growled as she began to walk away only to be yanked back by Yoruichi and into the older woman's arms.
"I'd love to." She said before she bent down and captured her lips.
'Screw boundaries. I guess kissing every once in a while is okay.' Sui-Feng thought before she closed her eyes and earnestly returned the kiss.
Awww...ain't that cute :3. Well that's the end of another chapter. Please remember to review. If you have any suggestions feel free to message me. Again, special thanks to Soifool, MKThrall, Freeoflyfe, Genril, FongShihouin, and Ihavenohead. Until Next Time.
Melodious Reprieve