Soifon spat the toothpaste into the sink and then turned on the tap, rinsing the it down the drain. She held the brush under the water before flicking it dry, and placing it back in the cup that it was usually stored in. To finish off, she ducked her head and sucked some cold water into her mouth; she swished it around her mouth and then spat it out.

"Did you steal my toothbrush?" Yoruichi asked.

Soifon turned to face her. Yoruichi was stood in the doorway, wearing only a large shirt that only barely managed to cover her.

"Yeah. It's not as though there's another one to use." Soifon looked back to the sink. She wondered where Kisuke brushed his teeth, but figured he either didn't, which was disgusting, or he used the kitchen sink.

"Nice to know that you're so comfortable with my things," Yoruichi said, smiling. She walked into the bathroom and over to Soifon, stealing a quick kiss from the girl. "Mmm, minty."

Soifon blushed which caused Yoruichi to laugh. Heading back into the bedroom, Soifon set about picking up her discarded clothes and stuffing them into her bag. She was thankful that she'd had the sense to bring spare clothes with her this time and wouldn't be forced to wear her school uniform. She jumped when Yoruichi took the bag off of her.

"Honestly!" Yoruichi said in exasperation. She emptied the bag onto the bed and then picked up the clothes, folding them neatly and placing them back in the bag. "It's not trash. You should take better care of your things."

"They're dirty."

"So? They'll last longer if you take better care of them." Yoruichi finished folding the clothes and handed the bag back to Soifon. "On the other hand, you could leave them here."

"Huh?" Soifon stared at Yoruichi. She looked as though she was being sincere, her eyes questioning. "Leave my uniform here?"

"It's not as though it's the only one you own. If you have one here then you won't have to worry about carting one around." Yoruichi crossed the room and stopped in front of a large chest of drawers. She dropped to her knees and pulled the bottom one out. "Maybe you should leave some other stuff here too: casual clothes, deodorant, other bits and pieces. A toothbrush."

Soifon stared at her, all wide eyed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Leave her things here? Shouldn't that be a big deal? Wouldn't that make what was between them more than just sex? Soifon wasn't too sure what to say. All of a sudden her throat felt tight and there was a strange pressure in her chest.

Yoruichi was still kneeling down by the chest, busy pulling the contents out of the bottom drawer, creating space. "I guess if we're doing this, then I should probably get you a toothbrush. Save you stealing mine."

"Okay," Soifon squeaked.

Yoruichi looked back over her shoulder at Soifon, who stared right back at her, certain that her confusion and shock and probably fear was showing on her face.

"Oh!" Yoruichi exclaimed and she turned her head quickly. Soifon couldn't see, but she thought that perhaps Yoruichi was blushing. "Right. Sorry." She closed the drawer quickly and stood up, her back still turned to Soifon. "I guess that was a bit fast." She actually looked awkward, Soifon wasn't sure if she'd ever seen Yoruichi looking awkward before. "I think it was years before I got round to clearing out space for... for my previous girlfriend. I used to leave my stuff at hers all the time, just dump it like I lived there. It wasn't until she pointed it out to me I realized that I hadn't extended the same curtesy for her. I wasn't very good at sharing things. Space included."

Why was Yoruichi telling her this? Soifon didn't want to hear about Yoruichi's ex-girlfriend, and she certainly didn't want to be compared to her. The confusion she felt and the mild irritation were enough to alleviate the pressure in her chest a little, certainly enough so that she could breathe again.

Yoruichi turned round and leaned back against the drawers. Soifon wished that Yoruichi had gotten dressed; it was quite distracting having her there with only the shirt to cover her. Her long legs were bare and she wasn't wearing a bra, and her hair was down and mussed up, giving her a dishevelled appearance. As far as Soifon was concerned, this was the best look for Yoruichi.

"It seems that I'm doing the exact opposite with you." Yoruichi smiled softly. "I let you stay over all the time, I let you use my things and now here I am, making space for you so that you can burrow your way further into my life."

Soifon still didn't know what to say, or even what to think. She was confused as to where Yoruichi was going with this.

Yoruichi was still smiling. She pushed herself up from the chest and slowly crossed over to Soifon, sitting down on the bed. She patted the space next to her, indicating for Soifon to sit down too. Not knowing what else to do, Soifon did just that.

"If I was to say that I like you, how would you react?"

Soifon made a high strained noise in her throat.

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "I have to admit, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting." And then she laughed but it was somehow unlike her usual laugh. "It's somehow suitable though. And yeah, I guess I ruined things, huh?"

Soifon shrugged.

Yoruichi took hold of her hand, holding it gently in both of hers, her thumb brushing across Soifon's knuckles. "Are you considering running away, screaming?"

Something about her tone of voice made Soifon think that Yoruichi was teasing her.

"No," Soifon said, voice still higher than natural. "I – I just wasn't expecting it, is all."

"Then you understand what I mean about liking you?" Yoruichi questioned. The smile had dropped from her face and she looked serious. "That I... might... well, I do, want more from you then sex."

"I'm not sure what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Yoruichi replied. "It's just something for you to think about. Right then." She stood up, dropping Soifon's hand. "I think I've sufficiently embarrassed myself enough for one morning. If you need me, I'll be in the bathroom. Possibly attempting to drown myself."

It was at this moment that Soifon realized that she had barely reacted at all to Yoruichi's words. She should have been ecstatic, elated, over the moon. She wanted this, didn't she? For Yoruichi to see her as more than an easy fuck. She was starting to wonder of she'd had it the wrong way around, and she was the one wanting to see Yoruichi as more than an easy fuck.

"Wait!" She made a desperate grab for Yoruichi's hand. "Just, wait a moment."

Yoruichi stopped and looked back over her shoulder at Soifon. She tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner, but apart from that there was no expression on her face.

"You can't just go saying stuff like that!" Soifon said loudly. She stood up and pulled Yoruichi round to face her. "You can't just drop something like that on me and walk away. What about our agreement?" She sounded slightly hysterical.

Yoruichi shrugged. "That was never going to last. We've already changed the rules once; I'm simply proposing that we alter them again."

"But why do you get to change them?"

"You don't have to agree. If you want Soifon, you can say that you don't want more and we can end things here."

"I don't want to end things!"

Yoruichi was quiet for a moment, her look still serious. "What do you want, Soifon?"

"I-I..." She didn't know what she wanted. It was too much to think about right now, she needed time. She wasn't sure if she had time though. What if Yoruichi wanted an answer now? "I don't know," she admitted in a small voice.

"Sorry." Yoruichi pulled Soifon into a hug, her hand round the back of Soifon's head. "That was a lot to put on you without warning."

The gesture was comforting and Soifon hesitantly put her arms around Yoruichi's waist, pressing her face into her shoulder. She felt Yoruichi's other arm circle around her, slowly rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

"You like me?" Soifon's voice was muffled into Yoruichi's shoulder.

She laughed softly. "Is that okay?"

"I think so." Soifon pushed back from Yoruichi, looking up to her. "But what does it actually mean for... well for..."

"For us? Well, I suppose," She paused, smiling softly, and brushed the back of her hand across Soifon's cheek, "it can mean something as simple as when I think about you I no longer think: whoo, sex! But instead actually think about you, you as a person and I get a lovely warm fuzzy feeling."

Soifon snorted a laugh.

"On the more serious side of things," she exhaled and took hold of Soifon's chin with her fingers, tilting her head back. "I might want more from you. I might want to give more of myself to you. I want..." she swallowed and Soifon suddenly thought that Yoruichi was perhaps as nervous as she herself felt. "I would like to share my life with you."

"I still don't know what to say." And she felt bad for not knowing what to say, or what she should do now. She was half tempted to throw herself into Yoruichi's arms and cling to her and never let go.

"That's fine. Don't say anything," Yoruichi smiled and she brought her lips to Soifon's forehead. "We can go as slow or as fast as you like. Whatever you says goes. Although," she chuckled. "We're already moving pretty quickly. It took me much longer to get to this point with my ex."

"Is that a good thing?"

"I haven't got a clue." She kissed Soifon again. "Right then. I'm going to get dressed, how about you make a start on breakfast?"

Soifon smiled. "I think I can manage that."

"Great." Yoruichi flashed another smile, and Soifon disentangled herself from her arms, heading towards the stairs.

Soifon was surprised that Kisuke wasn't asleep on the couch. In fact there didn't seem to be any sign of him. She shrugged and headed into the kitchen and set about making some coffee. She wondered what to make from breakfast and after a moment of contemplating she raided the cupboards to see if Yoruichi had what she needed. Soifon grinned when she found the right ingredients.

By the time Yoruichi made an appearance, dressed in her usual slim fittings jeans and a bright orange tank top, Soifon was well on her way to making pancakes.

"Wow," Yoruichi breathed, looking over Soifon's shoulder. "Who'd have thought that you can cook." Her hands were resting on Soifon's hips and she pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You could get some plates," Soifon answered, blushing slightly, "and the coffees probably about ready."

"On it." Yoruichi moved away from Soifon and started rooting around the kitchen.

Breakfast was simple, but pleasant. Yoruichi sat opposite Soifon, tucking into her pancakes with a wide smile on her face. For some reason, Soifon found herself blushing through the whole meal. They both raised their heads at the sound of the door opening. Kisuke stumbled in, kicking his shoes off as he went.

"Mornin' ladies," he said with his usual goofy grin. ~He flopped own on the couch and ran his hands through his already messy hair. "How are you both?"

"Fine," Yoruichi answered. "Where have you been?"

"Out," he smirked. "I was painting the town red!" He fell onto his side and pressed his face into the couch. "And I got to talking to an old friend."

"So you have fun then?"

"Yeah."

Soifon turned from him, finding his appearance and his demeanour disgusting.

"What did you ladies get up to?" Kisuke asked. "Or don't I want to know?"

"We went for a drive," Yoruichi replied.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" He laughed into the couch. "Did you drive out into a secluded area and do naughty things? Does the car need a good clean?"

"You're not funny Kisuke." Yoruichi stood up and started clearing up the plates.

Grumbling, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. To Soifon's utter horror he undid his fly and started kicking his pants off.

"Oi! You'll scar her!" Yoruichi said, playing her hand over Soifon's eyes. "No one needs to see that. I certainly don't."

"I've been wearing them for over a week now," Kisuke complained. "Besides, she's a world weary girl. I doubt the sight of my bare legs will warp all that much given how much of you she'll have seen by now."

"The sight of me has not warped her in the slightest."

Soifon could feel her face burning. Given the way these two spoke to each other, they made her glad that she hadn't been this close to her own brothers. She couldn't ever imagine joking with them about girlfriends or sex or anything. ~She moved Yoruichi's hand away from her face and looked Kisuke in the eye. "Put your trousers back on."

"See!" Yoruichi laughed. She picked up Soifon's empty plate and made her way into the kitchen. "And why have you been wearing the same pants for over a week?"

"I don't have any others!" He yelled back to her. He turned to Soifon and whispered happily, "now she'll buy me some new jeans."

Soifon curled her lip and didn't bother dignifying him with a response. Yoruichi returned from the kitchen, busy pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Her head snapped to the side as someone knocked on the door. "Does everyone know the lobby code?" She wondered. "Kisuke, answer the door."

"I can't, I'm not wearing pants."

"I don't care."

He grumbled, but eventually climbed to his feet and shuffled off towards the door. Yoruichi turned to Soifon still smiling. "Not freaking out yet?"

"Not yet," Soifon said, returning her smile.

"Even with the fairly couply morning?"

"It was kinda... nice."

"Yeah? Well that's a start I guess."

"I could get used to it." She was grinning now.

Yoruichi leaned over and pressed her lips to Soifon's. "That's good," she murmured against her lips. "I would like to repeat it another morning."

Soifon was going to kiss her again, but was stopped by the sound of commotion coming from the door. She could hear Kisuke talking quickly to someone, his voice too quiet for her to make out what he was saying. Yoruichi must have heard it too, she straightened up, frowning.

"What's going on?" She murmured.

Soifon stood up. She could hear a second voice now and a third. What was going on?

"I thought you said it was woman?" a distinctly male and familiar voice bellowed.

"I think you need to calm down," Kisuke replied.

Yoruichi's took hold of Soifon's wrist. "Wait here," she said quietly to Soifon. She made to walk from the room, probably to go help Kisuke with whatever was happening but she halted when the commotion seemed to take a turn for the worse.

""I think you need to get outta the way!" There was a loud thump, the sound of a struggle and Soifon heard someone, a woman, apologise repeatedly. And then of all people, Sentaro burst into the room his eyes frantic. "Soifon?" He said, his eyes falling on her.

"What?" Soifon gasped.

From behind Sentaro, Kiyone and Isane made their way into the room as well. Kiyone's eyes immediately went to Yoruichi. "That's her!" she cried. "That's the one we saw at school. Isn't that right, Isane?"

"What's going on?" Soifon asked, looking to Isane.

Despite the quiver of her lips and the frightened look in her eyes, Isane looked determined. "I know what's been going on, Soifon," she said. "I know about your relationship with this woman."

Soifon found herself gripping Yoruichi's wrist. She had no idea what to do. They knew about her and Yoruichi? What could she do? There was nothing. She felt utterly helpless.

Even more drama next chapter.

Reviews are very welcome. Thank you for all the reviews so far.