Chapter 3

"So you're really going to go out with them?" Soi asked her girlfriend who was busy getting ready for her evening. They were in Soi's large yet minimal bedroom. All across the floor were various outfits. Yoruichi had yet to choose which one she wanted to wear. The women in question stood in the bathroom doing her makeup in her unmentionables.

Yoruichi looked up from the mirror. "Of course. They invited me, didn't they?" She popped the top off of a tube of lipstick and began applying it to her pursed lips. "Why are you so concerned with this anyways?" she questioned.

Soi stood silently for a moment. She had a point. Why did she care? She had never really thought of herself as a party girl before and she certainly wasn't interested in going out with them.

"Are you jealous?"

"No! Of course not," Soi said a little too shrilly.

Yoruichi turned and looked at her. "Really?" she said sarcastically. She grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter and blotted at her dark lipstick. "Sounds to me like you're a little pissed off that you weren't invited."

The Chinese woman sighed. "Okay, fine. I just grew up with you being invited to go out with your squad every night. And I guess I kind of wanted the same."

Yoruichi threw the tissue in the garbage and walked across the room to Soi. She put her arms around the other woman and kissed her. "You can come if you want to."

Soi shook her head. "They invited you. Besides, I could use the night alone."

"Alright then. You sure you don't want to come?" She nodded.

Yoruichi pulled away and ran over to the area of the room where she had begun laying out her outfits. She bent over and picked two up at random. One was a long red colored dress while the other was a shorter colored dark blue one. "Which would look better on me?" she asked.

"Red."

"Too formal. I pick blue." Yoruichi began pulling the strappy dress over her over her head. Soi rolled her eyes. She didn't know why the woman even bothered asking her for fashion advice. Yoruichi already knew more than Soi could ever learn in a million years.

"Zip me up please," the purple-haired woman requested. Soi walked over and obliged her.

Soi's mind was in turmoil. Ever since her squad had called to invite Yoruichi out with them something had been eating in the back of her mind. Truth was her girlfriend loved drinking. She drank for one purpose; to get drunk. Soi hated the drunken version Yoruichi. She was much wilder than her sober counterpart and wouldn't hesitate to flirt with any attractive girl or boy nearby. Soi knew it was just a matter of time before Yoruichi cleared that hurdle and would cheat.

"Hey Yoruichi?" she asked as she pulled the zipper up.

"Yeah, bee?"

Oh god. There it was. That nickname. How could she bring this up now?

"I just wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

Here it was. "Can you not drink so much when you go out?"

There was an awkward silence. Yoruichi looked confused. "Are you implying something?" she questioned angrily. "Are you saying I have a drinking problem?"

Soi jumped to defend herself. "Of course not. It's just that when you get drunk, well, you kind of lose control."

Yoruichi's expression darkened. "Lose control? What the hell do you mean?"

"I-it's just," Soi stammered. "That you turn into a flirt when you get drunk. And I'm afraid that you might cheat."

She scoffed. "Who the hell do you think I am Soi?" She folded her arms across her chest. "You have all these baseless accusations. When have I ever cheated on you, huh?" She paused for a moment. "Is this what you see me as, just some slut?"

Shit. That wasn't what Soi was trying to say at all. She looked down at the floor "It's just that I don't want you to lose control and jeopardize our relationship."

Yoruichi turned away in a huff. She picked up her bag and walked sullenly to the front door. She started to reach for the handle and then paused. "Hey Soi?" she asked.

Soi looked up, her eyes shining with hope. "Yeah?"

"Screw you." And with that she opened the door and walked out, slamming it for emphasis.


"Places everybody," Reiko called as various members of the Onmitsukido ran around the hall. "Remember that she'll be here in only a few moments." She gestured to Shizuka to gather her head committee.

When they arrived she had plenty of questions to ask them. Especially Haruto. "How did you gather so many people?" she asked him with confusion in her voice.

He scoffed. "They're Shinigami. If you even mention something with alcoholic content they come running. Hell, they'd come even if we were having a hand sanitizer party."

The group laughed.

There was a knock at the door. "Will someone get that," Reiko called. A casually dressed squad member ran over and slid open the shoji screen. Yoruichi entered and many of the members bowed out of habit.

She laughed. "There will be none of that tonight." There were cheers amongst the group as they returned back to their socializing.

Reiko took this as her cue and she picked up a tray of shots to bring over to the woman who was taking off her shoes. Yoruichi noticed her and smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't have worn these ones," she noted. With one big tug she managed to get the offending shoe off.

"Alright," she said as she stood up brushing herself off. "Hi. You know who I am so who are you?"

Reiko held out her hand. "Kobayashi Reiko, Yoruichi-sama."

Yoruichi held up her hand. "Please," she said rolling her eyes. "You're just like my girlfriend, using those stupid suffixes." She looked around abruptly. "Speaking of her, where are the drinks?"

Spotting the drink table she rushed over to grab one. Reiko followed. "Yoruichi, did something happen?"

Yoruichi gulped down her drink and put her hand on Reiko's shoulder. "For now, we forget about that," she said dismissively. She turned to the rest of the room. "Now," she shouted. "Who's ready to party?"

Across the room Hoshiyo grinned. She looked at Haruto and smiled. "Everything is going according to plan."


Soi paced across the floor of her living room. Every few moments she would stop to look at the clock. The hands barely seemed to be moving. It was 4 in the morning. Yoruichi usually called it quits by 2. What had happened?

A noise outside the door alerted Soi Fon. She turned her attention to the side of the shoji screen and pulled it open. Outside Yoruichi stood bent over with her hand on the door frame supporting herself.

"Hey Soi," she slurred. "Wha' you doing here?" With that her knees buckled and she began to fall. Soi dove to catch her. She caught the caramel skinned woman in the crook of her arms. Soi couldn't tell what was more pathetic; how drunk Yoruichi was or the fact that Soi couldn't even hold her up.

"Come on Yoruichi," she said as she half carried half dragged the woman inside the house. "Let's get you to bed."

Soi took Yoruichi into her bedroom and put her down on the bed. "I'm just getting the covers pulled back so don't fall asleep," she warned. After the task was complete she noticed the woman had already fallen into dreamland. Soi Fon sighed. "Fine then."

She put Yoruichi under the covers still in her party clothes and tucked her in. As she left the room, Soi couldn't help but look back. Now wasn't the time to be mad at her.

That would come tomorrow.