Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over 'Bleach' nor am I profiting from this.
Thank you so much, everyone!
Karin raises her shirt over her nose and groans. Whatever her sister is making, its horrid smell is still safe in the kitchen. But like bodily fluids, cigarettes, and wet gangrene, it will permeate the house.
"I'm not eating whatever that is," she calls. "I'm opening the windows and we're going to burn the trash."
"You're being dramatic." Yuzu laughs. "It doesn't smell that bad, and I'm not even making this for us. I'm making it for Yoruichi. I've earned trust from even the scraggliest cats with this recipe."
"Those cats are usually pregnant, desperate, and you have a must save the world through one pregnant stray at a time complex. You know, not every animal must like you."
Yuzu continues with her stirring. Rescuing every scraggly, pregnant stray that happens to wander her way into the neighborhood is one thing. Someone is almost always willing to be the resident crazy cat man/lady and nurse the mother beyond her minor efforts. Yoruichi is domesticated, spayed, and just determined to make her work situation a nightmare.
"You better like me after this," she murmurs. "I don't have any other ideas and you can probably climb up the broom."
Karin's dramatics spread, and soon everyone is threatening her with perfume baths, tossing their entire kitchen, and burning the garbage. Yuzu rattles a nearly overflowing container, giggling as everyone jumps back.
"She'll love it."
Yuzu heeds her family's aggravated warnings and leaves practically an hour early the next morning. Her palms become slick with sweat and she grips her overflowing container closer and closer to her stomach as she approaches the shop. Kisuke is already sitting outside with Yoruichi spread over his lap.
"You're early," he calls and raises an arm in greeting.
"Is that a gift for me?"
"You can try some…" she says. "It's for Yoruichi, though.
Her tail flicks back and forth as she rises. Her claws peek from her paws as she rises with a shake. Yoruichi takes a hesitant few steps towards her, nose twitching as she peels the lid off. Her head bows forward, and she takes a curious bite. Her curious bite becomes another and another.
Yuzu smiles and reaches for her scarred wrist. Its paled since childhood and is only raised when she twists her wrist a certain way. It might not be an immediate friendship, but this is certainly a start.
Yuzu takes a deep breath and presses down on it. Her pulse flutters, calm beneath her thumb, and she is safe here.
"Nobody can see it well anymore," she says. "It used to be a huge ugly scar, and everyone would ask questions. Growing up, my father was overwhelmed. It was a lot for him to raise us, grieve his wife, and work like everything was fine. Dad would run our clinic and check on us between patients."
Yoruichi pauses between bites and watches her.
Kisuke is watching her without any hunger. He watches her without that awful sympathy for their overwhelmed father and children all alone. His expression is curious. Yuzu fights a sudden and overwhelming temptation to reach across and run her fingers over his scarred face. Her pulse jumps beneath her thumb.
"I got bored, because Karin was sleeping, and my father just did a check," she murmurs. "I was supposed to be napping, but he didn't have time to check on us again. A neighbor was supposed to be keeping her dog quarantined, but she was lying and keeping it a secret. Our clinic had never taken anyone who needed to be quarantined, and her dog was always friendly prior to this.
"It bit you."
"It was scary and quick. Yuzu sighs. "It should've been much worse, but Ichigo realized the front door was open. I still wait for my father to grab me and demand to know: what were you thinking? I shouldn't have tried petting that dog or leaving the house, but…"
Kisuke gives her a bitter smile. "You were a child. You were a child being a child, and she was an irresponsible adult. What happened to the dog?"
"Our neighbor attempted arguing that someone should've been watching the children, and she was right. People were more disgusted with her not following the quarantine and allowing her dog to be a risk, though. It was euthanized, and I received treatment from a hospital. It would've been cheaper for dad to perform the treatments, but it was too much for him."
"Ichigo never mentioned that story before," he murmurs. "I guess he has his secrets. I have my own secrets too."
"You are a deviant, right? I think you're supposed to have secrets."
His bitter smile becomes a smirk, and he reaches over, pushing her thumb away from her wrist. His grip is careful, and his hand is warm. His thumb drags up and down her scar. A callous scratches her wrist, and she resists the urge to tug away.
"I am a deviant," he says and continues his rubbing.
"I've got a gift for you, a highly deviant gift. I recommend not opening it until you're home and alone."
His thumb presses down, firm and she cannot just pull away now. Her throat goes dry.
"Could I have any hints?"
His nails drag across her wrist as he pulls away, and she gasps, clenching her thighs together. Her skin tingles even as he pulls away, rises, and moves away.
"You'll see it later."
Yuzu crouches in the bathroom and checks the lock again. It comes in a totally non-threatening box for such a deviant gift. Her breathing is shallow as she presses her back against the door and pulls on the tape. Why didn't she think to turn on the shower first or flush the toilet? Now everyone will know – she better finds a neutral place to dump the box and plastic wrap afterward.
A purple vibrator is the first thing she sees. A small head and pointy ears protrude from its middle. Yuzu continues digging through the plastic wrap and discovers the instructions.
"I attach this thingy…" she murmurs. "It's left set of arrows make it rotate and the right make it vibrate? It can be used in the shower…and he even included batteries. I have to make dinner."
Yuzu stashes her deviant gift under her bed. It's not really a neutral place but is the best she can do for now, and no one questions her running into the bathroom and jumpiness. Well, no one questions her aside from Karin. She has enough decency to wait until after dinner before she corners her in their bedroom.
"You're acting weird." Karin frowns. "What happened?
Was she not into the food?"
"No, she liked it, and she even allowed me to pet her. It's not her, but something with my boss, Kisuke…"