Title: Not Your Cat Toy
Author: Tuliharja
Summary: After the war with the Quincy, Yoruichi confronts Kisuke about what he put her through against her will. One-shot.
Disclaimer: BLEACH belongs to Tite Kubo. I'm merely writing fan fiction about it.
Author's note: Thank you so much Ukrainian Snowstorm for betaing this to me!
.:Not Your Cat Toy:.
Giving him a wide, crooked smile that seemed to reek of hysteria, Yoruichi shook her head. The absurdity of things! The anger, the bitterness, and the sadness inside of her turned into something weirdly ironically funny. A small, maniac laugh escaped from her lips as she opened her mouth to speak the words she had been holding back for a while.
"You don't own me."
A blink of the eyes, a surprised look, before a tilt of the hat.
It was obvious that Kisuke was confused and puzzled by her words. The man who could fool and con anyone was wordless. It was obvious he hadn't seen that coming out of Yoruichi's mouth when she had told him earlier she wanted to talk. Anything but...that. What exactly had she said?
Tilting his hat's edge, he lifted his look back to Yoruichi, only now realizing he had looked down.
"What?" Kisuke asked in shock, surprised by what Yoruichi had said and surprised by his own shock.
Sighing, Yoruichi shook her head as she circled Kisuke, placing her hand on his shoulder as she did, then stopped at the side of him. Leaning towards his ear, she breathed out: "You don't own me."
And then, "What part of that don't you understand?"
Shaking her head, she pulled away from him like the slippery cat she was. Yet despite this, she had her own mind and volition which Kisuke had robbed from her during her fight against that Quincy. Even though she had told him firmly no, he had brought her transformation upon her, Shunkō: Raiju Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senki form. She despised and loathed that form, yet he had still made her go through it.
Turning towards her, Kisuke lifted his grabby hand at her, which she smacked to the side.
Shaking her head now in disgust, Yoruichi sneered at him. Eyes flashing and teeth baring, she hissed: "Don't."
Gulping, Kisuke cast his look down in shame as his hand dropped to his side. The realization started to dwell in his oh-so-intelligent mind. He had gone too far and even though it had been an emergency, he shouldn't have.
Shrugging, Kisuke lifted his look at Yoruichi, giving her a bit weak smile.
"I'm sorry," he apologized without really thinking about it.
Blinking her eyes, Yoruichi's eyebrow twitched a bit. Already lifting her hand to grab Kisuke's front, she halted.
No. She wouldn't resolve into her usual behavior and give him the needed winning edge to act like some sort of martyr. He had already acted as such after the first clash they had when her surroundings had come back to her, and she had realized what exactly he had done to her.
Instead, she put her hand down and let out a long breath to calm herself down.
"I'm not some toy you can play with, Kisuke. I'm living, breathing, feeling-"
"Yoruichi-san, I-"
"Don't you dare to cut me off when I'm talking!" Yoruichi hissed as she stepped closer to him, her brilliant amber eyes sparkling from strong emotions of anger but
underneath it all was tiredness. Yet the fire in her eyes seemed to die as soon as it had appeared, making her turn to the side and place her hand on top of Kisuke's shoulder.
"When...when did we start to hurt each other, Kisuke?" she whispered, making Kisuke look at her in an almost muted manner. No words came out of his mouth as he looked at Yoruichi. As he actually looked at Yoruichi after such a long time. Kisuke could see the years on her, despite the fact she hadn't really aged. Shinigami aged slowly, after all, when they reached adulthood. Yet the wrinkles in her face, the weary look in her eyes, the way the corner of her lips were down...it all told him she was just so tired.
It broke something inside of him.
Carefully, he lifted his hand to Yoruichi's shoulder, prompting her to look at him too. For a while, the two just looked at each other in almost perfect silence, the only audible sound their quiet breaths.
"We'll get through this. We always do." Kisuke uttered, yet the look in Yoruichi's eyes told him she didn't believe him anymore. It felt like everything was coming to its bitter end.
"Please," Kisuke pleaded, his look filled with despair and longing. "Please."
A small, ghost-like smile passed on Yoruichi's lips as she leaned closer to Kisuke, just to pull away.
She would forgive him, she always did. But now...
She pulled away quietly, before she moved away from him, her footsteps barely making any sound as she did so.
Behind her, Kisuke crumbled down to the floor like a forgotten toy soldier.
Only stopping at the doorway, Yoruichi glanced briefly at the man behind her.
She would forgive him, but she needed more time now. She needed a change of scene and pace. Maybe she would accept the offer Shunsui had made to her about the teacher's place at the Academy?
A rueful smile appeared on Yoruichi's lips as she looked at Kisuke one last time.
"Goodbye, Kisuke," she whispered before she was gone in a shunpo.
Lifting his head up, as if about to call after Yoruichi, Kisuke sucked in a breath just to let out bitter, hollow laughter that echoed throughout his tiny shop.
