I've upped the rating to M since that's what the majority wanted. Just to reiterate though, there will be no smut.

Soifon was bored. She was sat in her room, alone on a Saturday night with absolutely nothing to do. She had really hoped to be spending the night over at Yoruichi's doing... stuff, but the older woman was off out somewhere and probably not thinking about Soifon at all. The thought depressed Soifon more than she was willing to admit. She was sat on the floor, leaning back against her rolled up futon. An open book was rested on her legs and she was actually attempting to do some schoolwork.

Her room was small, easily the smallest room in the house. There wasn't room for a proper bed and that was why she had a futon. All of her brothers had had their own beds, but then they had been forced to share a room and she had one on her own. She supposed that that evened it out. And she knew from experience that their bunks were shockingly uncomfortable. And so very empty now.

She closed the text book with a snap and then tossed it aside, her hand going to her head. Thinking about her brothers brought mixed feelings. The room next to hers' had been theirs, but now it was empty. Her father had stripped it bare and then locked the door, and no one was allowed in but him. He had taken anything from the house that might have belonged to one of them and thrown it away. It was like they had never existed. Soifon wasn't sure how to feel about this. She didn't really know how she felt about her brothers or about their deaths. Sad, she guessed, but also guilty and very angry.

She shifted to her knees and picked up her discarded phone, she had no new messages. She felt disappointed, she had been hoping that Yoruichi would text her. It was a stupid hope, Yoruichi had better things to do than be wasting her time sending Soifon messages. She probably had better things to be doing than spending any of her time with Soifon. Not for the first time, Soifon wondered why Yoruichi put up with her. Except, unless it was actually, as Yoruichi had joked, just for the ... (Soifon blushed) ... sex.

Sighing, Soifon grabbed her phone and checked it again. Still no messages. Soifon made the mental decision to go round to Yoruichi's first thing in the morning. But for tonight – she flicked through her contacts list until she came to Isane's name – she should probably make an effort with her friends, if only to stop them from snooping in her life.

Yoruichi winced and resisted the urge to cover her ears with her hands. She was sat in a karaoke booth listening to Kyroaku murder Like a Virgin. She didn't think she'd ever be able to listen to the song again once he was though with it. He seemed to be enjoying himself though. His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol he had consumed and his long hair had come loose from its tie and was now spilled across his face.

Jushiro was sat opposite her, feigning enjoyment at his boyfriend's rendition of a 'classic'.

"Did your meeting go well, Yoruichi-San?" He asked, turning away from Kyoraku just as he started dancing.

Yoruichi sipped at her drink before answering. "I think so. He said he would call on Monday. He seemed impressed with what I was offering."

"That's good," Jushiro smiled.

"Yeah," Yoruichi nodded her agreement. She winced just as Kyoraku hit a particularly high, loud and completely off-key note. Jushiro didn't seem to notice.

Yoruichi had known both Jushiro and Kyoraku for several years now, having met them through work. Both were writers, but with very different styles. Jushiro favoured children's literature, while Kyoraku, as Soifon had discovered, wrote smutty romance novels. Jushiro was also part of the governing body of a local high school, though his actual involvement in the school was minimal.

Thinking of Soifon caused Yoruichi to frown. For the umpteenth time that night, she checked her phone. She had honestly expected to have received at least one text from the girl. Soifon didn't usually take any notice when Yoruichi told her that she was busy, and instead would bombard her with texts and phone calls, usually resulting in her winding up at Yoruichi's apartment for the night. Yoruichi actually felt worried that she hadn't received a single message from Soifon.

"Are you expecting a call?" Jushiro enquired.

"Uhh... no, no," Yoruichi slipped her phone into her purse. "Just finding things to do with my hands. Hey, Jushiro," Yoruichi said, an idea suddenly cropping up in her mind. "What school did you say you were on the council for?"

"Seireitei High School," He answered. "It's a good school, very prestigious. The entrance exam is extremely difficult."

"Hmm," Yoruichi leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table. "Could you do me a favour? There's a student at that school that I want to learn more about." It was fortunate for her that Jushiro worked at the school that Soifon attended.

"For work?"

"Of course," Yoruichi smiled at him. "I know it's slightly unethical to ask you, but you also know that I would never share the information."

Jushiro rubbed at his chin as he considered her request. "Well, it would depend. What exactly do you want to know about this student?"

"Nothing personal. Grades, how they're getting on..." Yoruichi shrugged. "What clubs she attends, if any, maybe a bit about her social interactions."

"That's quite a lot," Jushiro chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. What's the student's name?"

Yoruichi faltered. Soifon couldn't possibly be her real name, could it? It was only at this moment that Yoruichi began to fully grasp how little she knew about Soifon. "Umm, well this is embarrassing," She laughed. "I don't actually know."

Jushiro seemed surprised. "That's not like you. Huh, find out the students name and then call me."

"Will do," Yoruichi promised. "Uh... I don't suppose the name Soifon rings any bells?"

Jushiro shook his head, smiling banally. "Nope. Sorry," He said. "I don't know the students individually. But if you like, I can see of the name crops up."

"I think it's a nickname," Yoruichi admitted. "I doubt the school would have her registered as that."

"But if she's in any clubs then she may be use her nickname for them."

Yoruichi perked at that bit of information.

"Should I be worried for this girl?"

Yoruichi laughed. "No, no, it's nothing bad. I just need a little bit more information on her."

"Why?"

"Uhh..." That was a very good question - Why did Yoruichi want to know more about Soifon? Perhaps it was because she knew that Soifon wouldn't share any information about herself and Yoruichi needed to sate her curiosity.

A look of surprise crossed Jushiro's face, and he reached into his pocket for his phone. "Hello? Oh, it's you." Jushiro's wide eyes went to Yoruichi.

"Someone interesting?" Yoruichi asked.

Jushiro smiled warmly and said, "You guessed right, she's here. And... wow... you're here too." Jushiro's gaze lifted above Yoruichi's head and he stared at someone behind her.

Slowly, Yoruichi turned. Her smile widened into a full blown grin when she saw who was standing behind her. He was just in the process of slipping his phone back into his pocket, blonde hair mussed up and hanging into his eyes and he was in desperate need of a shave. She couldn't possibly have been happier to see him.

"Kisuke!" She jumped out of her seat and pulled her step-brother into a warm hug.

He hugged her back. "It's been a long time, Yoruichi."

"Too long, you jerk!" she thumped him playfully on the arm. "You are allowed to call me."

He laughed, "The same goes for you."

She shrugged at that. "Too much effort. And I'd just have to listen to lame stories about your life," she said, still grinning at him. "What are you doing here? And how the hell did you know where to find me?"

"Ooh, Kisuke's here," Kyoraku cooed from the other end of the booth. "Would you like to join us?"

"No, no, I wouldn't want to get in the way." Kisuke waved his hand dismissively. "I just wanted to speak to Yoruichi here."

His voice sounded a little bit serious and it made Yoruichi feel apprehensive. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing too serious," Kisuke replied. "But uh, if you don't mind, could we speak in private?"

Yoruichi nodded and made her goodbyes to Jushiro and Kyroaku, who waved her off happily.

"You lost your job?" Yoruichi repeated in disbelief. "Why? What did you do?"

"There's no need to look so stern," Kisuke mumbled. They were walking down the street now, side by side and it felt like no time at all had passed since they'd last spoken. "It was a misunderstanding."

Yoruichi gave him a skeptical look.

"I mean it. Some funds may have gone missing and I might have had far more money for my department than I was supposed to have... but nothing all that serious."

"Kisuke," Yoruichi groaned.

"Are you angry with me?"

"Very. I'm more disappointed though," She said, unable to stop the small smile from creeping up her face. "What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I don't think any other University will hire me... so... I guess I'm going to have to get a regular job or something."

She shook her head. "You want me to give you a job then."

He didn't say anything.

"Fine!" She elbowed him as they walked. "I'll give you a job with me. You can fix the computers or something; we always need new IT lackeys."

"Sounds great!"

They walked in silence for a moment, simply enjoying the other's presence. "Where are you staying?" Yoruichi enquired.

"Some motel somewhere," Kisuke answered.

"Really?"

"Nah, not really. I haven't got a clue where I'm staying."

"Do I have to do everything for you?" She wondered aloud sounding exasperated. "You can stay with me."

"Yosh!" Kisuke threw his hands up in victory.

"Just for now," Yoruichi clarified. "I don't have the space to keep you indefinitely. Once you start earning some money then you have to find your own place. And I reserve the right to demand the place to myself, without giving you any prior notice."

"Sounds fair," Kisuke said, and then he sniggered. "Does this mean that you're seeing someone?"

"I might be," Yoruichi smiled.

"'bout time!" Kisuke exclaimed happily. "You've been single for what? Four years now?"

"No! It's not been that long."

"Let's see... You met she-who-will-not-be-named in your first year of college, and you two were together for, what? Five years?"

"Seven."

"Wow... Seven whole years. And that means you've been single for three years."

"Two!" Yoruichi countered. "Close to three."

"If you say so," He was smiling. "Do I get to meet the lucky lady?"

"I uh... I'm sure you'll cross paths." And Yoruichi was not looking forward to that happening. "It's nothing serious, and I really don't think it'll ever be anything all that serious."

"So it's a fling? That's fun too. Tell me about her."

"No."

"Why not?" Kisuke stopped walking and stared at Yoruichi. "I'm going to find out eventually so you may as well tell me all about her." Yoruichi remained silent. "Okay, well, is she hot?"

"Puh-leeeease!" Yoruichi rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I suppose that was a given. Did you meet her at work?"

"No!"

"Through work?"

Yoruichi hesitated. "Technically, yes."

"Hmm," Kisuke nodded his head sagely. "She older than you?"

"Not a chance!"

"So younger, you cradle snatcher, you!"

It was a little bit unsettling just how close to the mark Kisuke's moronic insult hit.

"But you met her through work, so she can't be all that much younger," he continued. "I'm guessing you met her at a function, so probably in a hotel bar. She must be at least twenty then – college student?"

"She's not a college student."

"But she is twenty?"

"No."

Kisuke made a surprised noise. "Over twenty."

Yoruichi didn't answer.

Kisuke stopped walking again. "I'm really hoping right now that your silence is an affirmation that she's older than twenty."

Yoruichi quickened her pace. "It's late, we should be getting back."

Kisuke jogged up to Yoruichi and grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her to a stop. He was smirking, but she could see the concern in his eyes. "Yoruichi," He said. "How old is she?"

Yoruichi licked her lips and swallowed before mumbling her reply. She really hoped that Kisuke would either not hear her or would mishear and assume an older age. She wasn't that lucky. His eyes widened and he dropped his hand from her arm.

"SIXTEEN!" he bellowed.

"Shh! don't shout it out!" She looked back over her shoulder, half expecting to see people listening into their conversation.

"B-but, sixteen," He stared at her. "She's still in High School." He paused and looked thoughtful. "She is in High School, right?"

"Yes she's in High School," Yoruichi confirmed. "Please don't go round telling people. I obviously don't want this getting out."

"How the hell did you meet her through work?"

"It was the company's New Year party, it was held at a hotel," Yoruichi explained. "It was an open bar and the security was lax. A Bunch of High School kids snuck in, she was one of them. I didn't know she was sixteen when I met her, she told me she was eighteen."

"Hmm."

"I wasn't going to do anything at first. But then a bunch of people, Shinji and a few others, said that I'd been out of 'the game' for too long and it was a perfect opportunity to end my ... dry run, as he put it." Yoruichi sighed. "You know I'm not a good drinker, and I'd had a few too many. She came up to talk to me, introduced herself and said that she was a college student and was studying journalism. I fell for it."

"So she hit on you?" Kisuke laughed loudly. "Here was me thinking that you'd creepily preyed upon a young and impressionable girl, when it was the exact opposite. From the sounds of it, she took complete advantage of you."

"Yeah, well." Yoruichi rubbed at the back of her head. "It wasn't until about a month later that I found out that she was only sixteen. I tried to get rid of her, but she's very insistent."

Kisuke was still laughing.

"It's not funny!"

"Yeah, it is," He said.

"I'm not really sure how to handle it."

"Leave her," Kisuke suggested. "She's far, far too young for you and this will only end in tears. Or jail."

"Thanks Kisuke."

"You're welcome."

They walked in silence.

"I'm not angry with you," Kisuke said eventually. "I'm not even disappointed or anything like that. I'm just surprised – who'd have thought that you'd have a High School girl fetish?"

"I don't!" Yoruichi slapped his arm.

"Haha! You're a pervert!"

"Shut up!" Yoruichi yelled, unable to stop Kisuke infectious laugh from affecting her.

"Is it the uniform?"

"I'm not listening to you, Kisuke!" Yoruichi placed her hands over her ears. She could still hear Kisuke laughing though, and it made her smile. She'd half expected him to admonish her actions, but true to form, he had taken her aide. She knew that she always had an ally in Kisuke. Now she just had to wonder how Soifon would react to her eccentric step-brother, something told Yoruichi that it was going to be an interesting meeting.

I know that it's a cop put to have Kisuke as Yoruichi's brother, but I'm honestly sick of all those fics that go down the unrequited love route. It's all gets a little bit samey after a while.

Reviews are still appreciated.