Yoruichi didn't speak. She watched the three intruders in her home warily. She recognised at least one of them; the tall girl was hardly a figure she was likely to forget. She thought that she recognised the loud, short one as well, but wasn't too sure. The boy that had turned up with them was a complete mystery to her.

Soifon was standing behind her, apparently trying to hide herself from view as if that would somehow help matters.

Yoruichi turned to the tall one, she seemed the calmest. "Would you mind telling me who you are and why you've barged into my home?"

The short blonde one stepped forward, red in the face and her eyes gleaming dangerously. "We've come to get Soifon back!"

The tall one waved her back. "You're not helping, Kiyone," she said. Turning to Yoruichi she spoke again. "We know what's been going on with you and Soifon."

"Uh, I'm sorry, Yoruichi," Kisuke said as he walked in, rubbing his side and looking distinctly unpleased. "They just shoved me out of the way." He threw the boy a dirty look.

"And you felt the need to assault my brother?" Yoruichi said.

To her credit, the tall one looked ashamed. "I didn't think..."

"Why the hell isn't he wearing any pants?" The boy demanded loudly. "What sort of weird sex games are going on here?"

"Yeah! What sort of weird games are going on?" Kiyone yelled. "We knew about you, but we had no idea that you had some guy involved as well. Now it's even more weird and disgusting than it was when it was just you involved."

Yoruichi actually flinched at that. She fought to stay calm. Becoming angry with this girl wouldn't do her any good. "Look, I think everyone needs to calm down. I have neighbours-"

"Don't want them hearing that you're a pervert, eh?" Kiyone shouted.

Yoruichi chose to ignore that. "It's the morning and it's the weekend. This is the only time off they get. I'd rather not disturb that." She exhaled and was surprised to find that her hands were shaking slightly. She brushed her hair out of her face and once again turned to the tall one, searching her memory for the girl's name. "Isane, right?"

She nodded.

"Okay." Soifon was still behind Yoruichi, still not saying anything. "I'm not sure exactly what you think is going on here-" Kiyone snorted loudly and the boy started muttering under his breath that he thought they'd been perfectly fucking obvious with what they thought. "—but I don't think that it justifies you breaking into my home, hurting my brother and causing such a disturbance."

Isane's eyes flickered uncertainly. She looked genuinely scared and Yoruichi thought that perhaps she would have preferred to do this alone, but hadn't felt brave enough. It was just a shame she'd roped two idiots in as her back up. "Soifon?" Isane said, trying to look round Yoruichi. "Can I speak to you please? Privately."

Yoruichi turned and looked to Soifon. She was surprised that she had remained so quiet and meek throughout the whole exchange; she looked now like she wanted nothing more than for the ground to open beneath her and swallow her up. She nodded and turned towards the kitchen. Isane threw Yoruichi a wide-eyed questioning look and Yoruichi nodded her consent. The tall girl followed Soifon into the kitchen, closing the door behind them.

Kiyone was glaring at Yoruichi, her small face screwed up. The boy was silently snarling at Kisuke, who just look mildly perplexed. He looked to Yoruichi and shrugged. "Don't ask me how they got in the building. The whole city seems to know the damned security code."

"I don't believe that you're her brother," the boy growled.

"I don't care," Kisuke replied with a smile. He crossed the room and took Yoruichi by the arm, pulling her gently away from the two intruders. "I'm assuming that you have a plan?"

"My plan is not to panic."

"That's not reassuring," he said quietly. "What if they go to the police?"

"They won't."

"You sound pretty sure."

"That's because I am," Yoruichi said. "Besides, they have no evidence. Soifon won't say a word against me and without her there is no case. It would be their word against mine. A gaggle of school children versus me, a wealthy, successful business woman who has never done a thing wrong and generously donates to charities and to the city itself. Who do you think people will believe?"

"And if Soifon does go to the police?"

Yoruichi paused and swallowed. "She won't. She wouldn't do that."

"Okay," Kisuke smiled at her. "I'm going to put on my trousers," he said loudly.

"Good!" Both Kiyone and the boy said loudly, though Yoruichi couldn't help notice that Kiyone looked slightly disappointed once Kisuke had put his trousers back on.

Yoruichi looked at the kitchen door and wondered what Soifon was saying to Isane in there, or what Isane was saying to her. There was a near over-whelming urge to panic and Yoruichi had to force herself to stay calm. Her hands were still shaking and her throat felt tight. This was it, she realized. Even if Soifon and Isane sorted things out in there without any drama, then Yoruichi would still have to end things with Soifon. Just when she thought that she was getting thisg sorted out between them.

The door opened and Yoruichi immediately stood up straighter. Kisuke was behind her, his presence was oddly reassuring. Soifon emerged from the kitchen, her eyes downcast, followed by Isane who towered over her in an almost comic fashion. Soifon stood just before Yoruichi and finally raised her eyes, there was a hardness there that Yoruichi hadn't seen before and an uncertainty that she had.

"You were at my school?"

Yoruichi blinked. That wasn't what she had expected at all. "What?"

"Isane said that she saw you at school."

"I recognized your car," Isane said. There was a determined glint in her eyes now, and she held one arm around herself, as if she was supporting her lanky frame. "You dropped Soifon off one morning and I saw it then. I saw it again a while ago, over a week, round the back of the school. Sentaro is on the student council. We checked the security tapes for the school and saw that you'd been speaking to Soifon's teachers."

"...fuck..." Kisuke breathed from behind Yoruichi.

Yoruichi exhaled and scratched at her head. "Well, it does no good to deny it now." She looked at Soifon. "Yes, I was at your school and yes I spoke to some of your teachers."

"Why?" Soifon was starting to look very angry now.

"I was just checking up on you, I wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"Ha!" Kiyone blurted loudly. The girl didn't seem to have a volume control. "More like you were spying on her!"

"Finding out all the things she likes so you can groom her, was it?" Sentaro spat out.

"If you haven't got anything intelligent to add," Kisuke said in a dangerous voice, "then don't say anything at all."

Yoruichi's eyes were locked on Soifon's. "That's not how it was, or how it is, and you know it."

"You knew what clubs I did," Soifon said uncertainly, taking a step back. "That I'm friends with Byakuya..."

"I saw you and Byakuya leaving a cafe together. I knew which clubs because..." she trailed off, knowing that there was no excuse for how she knew. "Because I asked some people who know you if you did any after school activities."

"Why?"

"I was worried about you."

Soifon slowly shook her head. "You were spying on me."

"I was concerned about you. I wanted to help."

She looked so unsure and Yoruichi's heart ached to see her like this, lost and feeling helpless. Soifon swallowed and looked away from Yoruichi, her hand running through her hair. "You shouldn't have done that," she said, her voice thick and unsteady. "You had no right." The anger was back, it infused her voice and Yoruichi could see it in her grey eyes.

"No," Yoruichi said, "I shouldn't. Soifon," she brushed the back of her hand against Soifon's cheek, turning the girl's head to face her. "I'm sorry. You're right; I had no right to do what I did. I did it though, with your best interests at heart. I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you." She turned her hand so that her palm rested against Soifon's cheek and Soifon leant into the touch, her eyes sliding close, a tear sliding down her pale face. Yoruichi wanted nothing more than to kiss that tear away.

Soifon was suddenly pulled back from her, Kiyone's small hands gripping her shoulders. Yoruichi made to follow but was halted by Sentaro pushing her back hard, anger in his eyes. She fell back once more, Kisuke's hand on her shoulder this time. He shoved Sentaro back from Yoruichi, and quite firmly put himself between them both.

"Don't even think about touching her again," he said quietly, his voice still carrying that dangerous quality.

"Ah, Soifon!"

Yoruichi's head snapped up and she watched as Soifon disappeared from the room, heading for the door to the apartment. Kiyone ran after her, Sentaro threw one more dirty look at Kisuke and then hurried off after them as well. Isane was still standing there, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Yoruichi pushed back Kisuke, meaning to follow after Soifon, but he took a firm hold of her arm and stopped her. "Yoruichi, don't."

She looked at him for a moment and then sighed, bowing her head in defeat. He was right, following after Soifon would only make things worse. She forced herself to stand still and not go running after Soifon. She let out a long, shuddering breath and ran her hand through her hair, her eyes fixed on the open doorway that Soifon had disappeared through.

Isane was still here, standing and looking scared. "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

Yoruichi spared her a glance, desperately wanting to be angry at this girl who had ruined everything between ehr and Soifon. But she couldn't find it in herself to do so. "So am I," she said in a small voice.

Isane turned to go.

"Wait!" Yoruichi said. Isane looked back to her, her eyes wide with fear. "I still have Soifon's bag. I'll get it for you." She didn't wait for Isane to reply, she headed up the narrow spiralling stairs to her bedroom. Soifon's bag was lying on the bed where she had left it previously. Yoruichi picked it up, holding it carefully in her hands. She opened it and peered in at the contents; folded clothes and no doubt some school books stuffed in the bottom. She looked back over her shoulder, making sure that no one was watching her. "Just being creepy now," she whispered, before pulling out the white school shirt and placing it down on the bed. She quickly closed the bag and headed back downstairs, where she handed the bag over to Isane.

"Thank you," Isane said quietly. She slung the bag over her shoulder and once more turned to leave. And then she paused and looked back to Yoruichi. "Are you okay?"

Yoruichi looked at her in surprise. There was sympathy in the tall girl's large eyes. Yoruichi slowly shook her head. "No. I'm not."

"I'm really sorry." Isane didn't say another word and left, the door slamming shut behind her.

"Hey," Kisuke murmured his hand resting on Yoruichi's shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

She shrugged his hand off. "I'm not in the mood Kisuke." She walked to the couch and sunk down into it, pulling her knees up to her body and wrapping her arms around them. She pressed her face into her legs and fought to control her breathing.

"Do you want me to leave?" Kisuke asked.

"No," Yoruichi replied.

"Okay." Kisuke sat down next to and took one of her hands in his.

"I really fucked this up, huh?" Yoruichi let go of her legs and sat back, looking up at the ceiling.

Soifon ran. She was blinded by anger and by unshed tears that stung her eyes. She felt stupid. She felt betrayed - betrayed by everyone around her, by her friends, by Yoruichi, especially by Yoruichi. How could she have been so stupid to believe that Yoruichi hadn't been spying on her? The woman had known too much about her life, had always known what the right thing to say was.

"Soifon, wait!"

Soifon ignored Kiyone's pleas and carried on running. Her lungs were burning, her throat raw. She had been starting to think that Yoruichi was sincere, that she really did like her and wanted something more with her. Soifon had been thinking that perhaps she and Yoruichi could possibly have made this work. She had thought that there was more between them, that perhaps she might even have loved Yoruichi. Stupid, stupid!

"Soifon!" Kiyone shrieked again. "Stop!"

Soifon's feet slapped against the tarmac. The sound of brakes screeching made her stop and turn, her heart lurching up to her throat as she caught sight of a car out of the corner of her eye. She stumbled back and fell over, just as the car jolted to a standstill, missing her by less than a yard.

"Crazy kid!" The driver bellowed through his open window. "Watch where you're going!"

Sentaro caught up and grabbed Soifon by her arm, dragging her back off of the road and out of the way of the traffic. "Jeez," He said sounding shaken. "That was close."

"Are you okay?" Kiyone asked, red faced and out of breath.

Soifon shook Sentaro off of her and stepped back. She was also breathing heavily, her heart thumping against the inside of her ribcage. That had been close. She was shaking, badly, and she wasn't sure of it was form nearly being run over or of it was from what had transpired with Yoruichi. She wanted to cry.

She turned to Sentaro and shoved him violently. "What the hell?" She shouted. "What the hell were you doing this morning? Why were you here?"

Sentaro looked slightly terrified. Kiyone moved past him. "We came to help you."

"How was that helping me?"

"Soifon!"

She turned and looked, Isane was catching up, she had Soifon's bag hanging from her shoulder.

"Isane recognized the car and said that she was worried about you. We looked into it," Kiyone explained.

"Good thing we did too," Sentaro added. His eyes blazed with anger, with fire and fury and Soifon knew that it wasn't directed at her but was still completely misplaced. "Who knows what sick things that lady might have made you do. Or what sick things she already made you do."

"She never made me do anything!"

Isane caught up to them and held out the bag. "She gave me this."

Soifon snatched the bag from Isane and dumped it on the ground. She glared at the taller girl. "What were you thinking? What gave you the right to interfere in my life?"

"I was worried about you," Isane said.

"You should have asked me first! You had no right to interfere!"

"I couldn't ask you. You wouldn't talk to me." Isane looked upset, but Soifon didn't care at this moment. "When I found out what was going on. What you were doing..." she looked away. "She was taking advantage of you."

"No she wasn't!" Soifon yelled.

"You're just thinking like that because she's screwed you up," Sentaro said. "Once you've had time to cool off, you'll see we did you a huge favor."

"He's right!" Kiyone piped up. "It wasn't right what she was doing. Bad enough if it was a man, but worse that a woman would do something like that."

Soifon flinched and stepped back from them. She looked back to Isane.

"She was taking advantage of you," Isane said. "You're still grieving. I was trying to help."

"Well you didn't," Soifon spat. "She was helping me. She never did anything to hurt me. I was happy; did that ever cross your stupid mind? That I was happy with her? You've ruined everything."

Soifon didn't give them time to reply; she grabbed her bag and ran again. They didn't follow her this time. She felt as though she was the butt of a joke that everyone was in on. Everyone was laughing at her. Yoruichi had lied to her. Isane had ruined what little happiness she had with Yoruichi.

She just wanted to get away from it all.

We're over halfway thorugh this fic now, I missed the halfway mark because I wasn't paying attention to the chapter numbers. Not too long to go...

Reviews are wanted and appreciated.