#black cat of mischief yoruichi shihouin

[roaringxthunder]

//tag dump and sorry about the mass meme reblog.

[roaringxthunder]

He chuckled at her statement, taking another long drag. He knew most higher ranked shinigami did tend to keep their reiatsu levels in check. Whether that was to hide from others or to keep their subordinates safe was dictated by situation. He was appreciative of her conscious effort to not reblind him, but he had to deal with multiple people who either didn't know how to suppress or didn't care to.

He let out the breath of smoke as he mulled over what she had asked. He honestly couldn't care less what she did away from him, as long as she didn't drag him into it. Especially if it was a hairbrained idea like a certain 'strawberry' as he'd heard him called.

"I assure you, dealing with Kurosaki and Kenpachi-taichou on a regular basis has made things a little easier to manage in regards to the amount of reiatsu." He spoke as he looked over towards the smaller figure. "The more you suppress, the denser it looks to me. Cut loose, and I can still see the blurry version. The amount released doesn't normally bother me too much. Especially when I spar with people of my station and higher among the Gotei. Plus, all I need to describe you is to bring Chi out for a very detailed description."

"Oh... Hmm..." Well, perhaps this was actually vaguely awkward. If he could tell that kind of thing by her 'casual and regular normal person' level of reiatsu emission she only kept up as a courtesy to others to avoid her presence being incredibly disconcerting, what all else could he tell?

She and Kūkaku were quite... uninhibited... as newlyweds and although that didn't (yet) extend to full reiatsu releases—neither of them were all that keen on everybody within the same horizon knowing what they were up to with all the subtlety of a strategic nuke going off—she was pretty sure there'd be evidence in terms of reiatsu. Namely, either her wife's curling off of her, or intermixed with and tinging her own—or both.

It hadn't been an issue yet, given the peacetime conditions and all; nobody was investigating that hard, and probably only that silly stray Grimmjow was attuned and uncouth—as well as bold!—enough to comment on it, if he did notice. But perhaps someone always looking at reiatsu might see it...

"If that's the case, guess I better stay set to 'barely there'. Wouldn't want to temporarily blind you all over again from the Matrix Code of inner beauty. Maybe don't investigate too closely either though; you might notice things you can't unnotice. Anyway, I take it her energy becomes her?"

[hirako5hinji]

"So I hear you and Hiyori have a cat now~ May I see it?" As usual, she has nothing better to do. So she invites herself to Shinji's, knowing he won't mind her abrupt intrusion -- he's always welcomed her with open arms.

          He opened the door to a familiar, smirking face. It had been a while since he last ran into this individual, and his expression lifted in an answering grin immediately, mischief for mischief. He was genuinely pleased to see her. 

          She was a hard woman to catch; she never answered calls and also hardly replied to texts whenever she went on one of her frequent, random, wandering adventures…but then again, he supposed that black cats had no convenient pockets to store cellphones in when they went on the lam… 

               “ Ya appear after all this time only for the cat, huh, and not ‘ta see my handsome mug? Yer seriously breakin’ my heart here, Yoruichi. ” 

          Shinji let the Shihouin into Hiyori’s apartment all the same, shutting the door behind the smaller woman and leading her down the short hallway to the living area, gesturing vaguely as he went along. 

               “ The cat’s Hiyori’s, technically. Name’s Mimi. She’s a runty ‘lil ginger tabby and kinda shy. ” The blond seemed quite willing to talk about the pet that ‘wasn’t his.’ “ Make yerself at home. She’s hidin’ somewhere right now, but if ya wanna see her, I reckon she’s gonna appear real quick once I open a can of tuna. ”

          Shinji paused, sent his friend an arched stare, drolly adding. “ Would ya like a servin’ too, ma’am? ”

[cviperfan]

Soiran fic, 1/?

Title: The Second Time Around Series: Bleach Pairings: Soifon/Rangiku Matsumoto, Yoruichi Shihouin/Kuukaku Shiba, hints of Rangiku/Gin, Yoruichi/Soifon, Nanao/Lisa Rating: M Chapter Warning(s): n/a Summary: Eleven years after the final battle, a well-timed getaway brings two perfect strangers together, and as time passes, attraction might become something more.  Sometimes, people can surprise you. Post-series, canon ending compliant.

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Chapter 1: Escape

Kuukaku Shiba took a long drag on her pipe, the tobacco ashes flaring up at the open end, a warm glow that burned bright in the deepening blue as night settled across Rukongai.  After a moment she blew a cloud of smoke that caught itself on a sudden cool breeze, dissipating against a backdrop of rustling grass and the glow of fireflies, stars beginning to twinkle distantly above.  With Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko already resting, Kuukaku was content to sit on the grass, staring out across the town from the hilltop she'd situated her home at for the day.  It was a quiet, perfect summer night.

Well, mostly quiet.

Even from here she could see light shining from one of the larger buildings in Rukongai, but it was surprising how far the din of a party in full swing carried; even greatly muffled by distance, there was a throng of revelers, singing drunkenly, accompanied by laughter and shouting, however indescernable it was.  Ganju and his friends, she knew, would be in the thick of the chaos well until the next morning, not that she could blame her brother.  He'd done his part to help save Soul Society (not to mention Rukongai and the human world, by extension), and what kind of older sister would she be if she didn't give him the chance to be lifted up like a hero by the villagers on occasion?

It was hard to believe that only two years had passed since Yhwach had been defeated, but Soul Society was already starting to change, even from her limited vantage point.  Their grip on Rukongai was starting to loosen, though it would be a long time before things would begin to actively improve.  And she'd heard the good news for Rukia, and her cousin off in the human world.  She had to remind Isshin that he'd better bring his new grandkid around soon-- even no longer a shinigami herself, there was plenty she could teach a fresh, impressionable young mind about the limitless applications of gunpowder and explosives.  

She was so lost in her idle thoughts that she didn't notice the figure that had been walking up to her, standing now a fair distance away, until they spoke.

"Hey."

Even before Kuukaku had properly focused her attention, she knew instantly who it was.  She'd know that light, playful voice anywhere, could practically see the crooked smile offset by a head of dark brown hair held back in a ponytail.  Her favorite, obnoxiously bright orange jacket was long gone, but Yoruichi Shihouin stood before her, as casual as if she'd been here the whole time just waiting for her chance to make an entrance.

Mouthing the tip of her pipe absently, Kuukaku stared at her for a long moment before she finally responded.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

"Well," Yoruichi shrugged, "What can I say?  I was around."

Kuukaku quirked an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.  Instead, after taking another long puff of her pipe, she got to her feet, keeping her eyes trained on the dark-skinned woman.

"How's the shop?" Kuukaku finally said, tactfully avoiding the name it still went by.

"...Good.  You're not gonna believe this, but... I've been helping Tessai with the kids."

At that Kuukaku let out a short bark of a laugh, completely caught off guard by her old friend's admission.

"You?  Playing 'mom' to Ururu and Jinta?  Now that's something I'd pay good money to see."

"Hey, hey, it's more like 'cool aunt' than 'mom,'" Yoruichi shot back, wagging a finger as a smirk played at the corners of her mouth, and Kuukaku felt a smile of her own form as they shared a laugh under the starlight.  She caught something like warmth in those golden cat-eyes of hers, and all of a sudden Kuukaku felt off-balance.  

It had been so long since it had been just them, alone together, not a care in the world.  A lifetime ago, practically.  But then, it made it easier to keep those old thoughts buried in the back of her head when it was all about business, and fighting, and keeping their friends safe.  

It somehow didn't feel right to have that old feeling, after everything that had happened.

"Well, i'd invite you in for a drink," Kuukaku finally declared, tapping her pipe against her hip with her good hand before snuffing out the remainder of the cooling ashes with her foot, "...but I think I'm gonna turn in for tonight.  If you're still here tomorrow though, we could--"

"I wanted to see you."

Kuukaku, in the process of making her way up the grassy hill to her nearby door, stopped in her tracks, confused.

"...What?"

"I... I lied, about just being around," Yoruichi admitted, and there was a pause as she looked strangely pensive, searching for the right word.  "Honestly, I... just wanted to see you."

She was quiet for a moment, and with a hand on the back of her neck, eyes flitting around as she chewed on her lower lip, Kuukaku couldn't help remembering a much younger Yoruichi, caught red-handed in some very un-princess-like mischief, desperately searching for a half-truth that would get her out of a good scolding.  And there'd be Kuukaku, there to cover for her without a moment's hesitation.  Nothing she wouldn't have done for her then, and in some ways that had never changed.

"The truth is, with everything so much quieter now I've had a lot of time to... think about things.  Mostly about... well, about my brother, and my friends, and..."

She trailed off, and there was something that went cold in her eyes for a moment, something Kuukaku understood.  Thanks to Nel, she and her brother had been saved, along with the Arrancar, but Kisuke...

It was going to be a long time before bringing up Kisuke in conversation ever felt right again.

"And," Yoruichi continued, "... I keep thinking about you.  About... about us."

Kuukaku stared, unable to believe what she was hearing.  She couldn't possibly, after all this time, be suggesting what it sounded like she was.

"I never gave you an answer back then, and... I don't blame you at all if you don't feel that way anymore, but... I just want to know if there's even the slightest chance you still do."

There was a long silence between them, Yoruichi looking strangely on edge, as if regretting her admission the longer Kuukaku simply observed her, features placid even as her eyes wandered, processing the gravity of her words.

Finally, Kuukaku closed the distance to her front door, and Yoruichi gave a sigh, shaken by her apparent rejection but at least grateful to have finally admitted to it after so many years.  As she turned, however, a reply finally came.

"...You have some damn nerve, Yoruichi."

Looking back, she found Kuukaku gazing at her, expression firm but eyes soft, a somber sort of affection there as she slowly cracked the tiniest of smiles.  Pushing open the door, she then beckoned her into the house.

"I guess we've got more to talk about after all, huh?"

--9 Years Later--

"Quiet, please," Nanao Ise declared to the room, adjusting her glasses as the various women of Soul Society eventually settled down in their seats. "As acting president of the Shinigami Women's Association, this meeting is called to order."

"First things first," the co-lieutenant of the First Division began, running briefly over the minutes she'd lined out earlier, "As is standard, anniversaries and commemorations-- a year ago this week, our own Rukia Kuchiki was promoted to Captain of the Thirteenth Division, and by all accounts has proven more than capable of rising to the challenges the position demands.  Miss Kuchiki?"

At that Rukia stood up in her chair, perhaps a little too quickly, her white coat still reaching all the way to the very edge of the ground and offset by her long black hair.  She radiated tension at being singled out in front of the whole group, but Nanao’s proud smile was encouraging.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say congratulations, and thank you for your service.  We look forward to seeing what you accomplish during your tenure as Captain, which we hope will be for many years to come."

"Th-thank you," Rukia bowed, somewhat awkwardly, as a round of applause echoed in the small meeting room, and she eagerly sat down.  Captains Isane and Lisa respectively beamed at her and nodded approvingly from the opposite side of the large table they were all seated at, and Isane's younger sister Kiyone gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed 'congrats!' as the ovation died down.  Even the typically standoffish Second Division captain favored her with a brief, encouraging smile.

"With that covered, briefly touching on old business before moving on to new business... of course, the Twelfth Division's chemical safety awareness seminar is still scheduled for next Thursday, and Captain Isane has asked me to remind everyone that the Fourth Division is currently accepting volunteers to help on their weekly trips to provide aid to the villagers of Rukongai.  Oh, and lastly, regarding our annual raffle, I have the winning entry right here."

At that, half the room leaned forward in rapt attention.  The rare weekend off was something special, but a full week-long vacation in the human world, a place few of them got to appreciate when not on assignment or actively hunting down Hollows? That was something to get truly excited about.  Aside from a single yearly entry on the grounds of being SWA members, it was possible to buy further entries, the proceeds of which went to their budget for parties, food, and miscellaneous expenses, so Nanao felt it offset the cost of such an extravagant prize quite handily (especially since some members had the tendency to pour just as much money into entries as they might have on the trip itself).  As the lieutenant unfolded the slip of paper to read the name within, several of the women in attendance crossed their fingers hopefully.

"The winner is... Soifon, Second Division Captain."

It took quite a bit to surprise the petite, severe spymaster, but to her credit Soifon's brief flash of confusion and shock was at least shared between the rest of her peers, who regarded her with as much incredulity as she felt at that moment.  Apparently not waiting for her to get to her feet and meet her at the front of the table, Nanao rounded the corner to her side and presented her with an envelope, which contained a pamphlet advertising the destination and room keys, along with monorail tickets and a per diem that covered about a week.

"As you may recall, this year's location is one of the newest hot springs resorts in Fukuoka, fully equipped with a range of modern amenities and a classical style, only a short commute from the city itself.  The views are quite impressive, from what I understand."

Soifon perused the booklet, her silver eyes flitting back and forth, apparently ignorant of the disappointed looks and glares fixed in her direction.  To be entirely fair, she couldn't blame the resentment of her fellow shinigami; she'd never taken a day off in the entire time she'd been assigned the position of Captain, hardly the sort to appreciate a fine opportunity for rest and relaxation such as this.  In fact, she began to pass the envelope back towards Nanao, disinterest clear on her face, before the lieutenant continued.

"The reservations have already been booked for the day after tomorrow, so that should give you more than enough time to pack, yes?"

At that Soifon paused and looked directly at Nanao, her face not betraying any particular emotion before she pulled her winnings back.

"...Yes, I believe so.  My thanks, Ise-san."

There was a token congratulatory applause at her acceptance, and with that Nanao returned to standing at the head of the table.

"Now then, as you all know, we have only a few days left until the Shihouin-Shiba wedding-- and thanks to your efforts and the Shinigami Men's Association's contributions, we're almost ready, but a final rundown of everyone's roles and a last-minute roundup of volunteers should help make sure that everything goes perfectly.  That said, those of you who are not volunteering or otherwise working in a leadership capacity with the preparations are free to go for the remainder of the meeting."

At that, a handful of the women present, including Soifon, rose from their seats and left.  Once the Second Division Captain had departed, the tension in the air seemed to drop.

"Momo Hinamori, I believe you were co-ordinating with Kiyone Kotetsu on decorations, yes?"  Nanao continued, apparently unaware of the shift in atmosphere.

"U-uh, yes that's correct," the diminuitive lieutenant managed,snapping to attention.  "Now, from what we know about Yoruichi-san, we felt keeping it simple was best, though of course embellishments..."

---

"Well, I think that covers everything then.  Meeting dismissed," Nanao finally declared, and with a collective shifting of chairs and explosion of small talk, the Shinigami Women's Association began splitting off and heading out for the rest of the evening.  For her part, Rangiku Matsumoto gave a long yawn as she stretched and rose to her feet, adjusting her peach-colored scarf as she headed toward the door.  In all honesty, she didn't have a leadership role in the reception preparations, nor had she volunteered, but how often did the scions of two of the Four Noble Families get married, even if one had informally abdicated and the other was from a clan that had been stripped of their status?

If nothing else, it promised to be quite the party, and there was no harm in having an inside look at what to expect on the front of appetizers and the open bar.

Scanning the room, it looked like Momo was still in the midst of a heated debate with Kiyone, and Nanao seemed to be discussing something with Rukia, so there was no harm in heading back to the Tenth Division and calling it a day.

"...I just don't think it's right, that's all, setting up the Captain like that."

"I understand your concern, and believe me, I don't disagree, but it's just better to do it this way."

Well, Rangiku thought, maybe there was no harm in sticking around and eavesdropping a bit, either.

"Soifon isn't a child, she has a right to be there! And I'm sure Yoruichi wants her there too."

"Yes well, the Captain never confirmed her invitation."

"Still?" Rukia asked, surprised.

"And you're right," Nanao continued, "Yoruichi-san has been asking about her almost every other day.  I can't keep telling her I don't know if she'll be there!  If Soifon-san doesn't want to attend I'm certainly not the person to convince her to."

Nanao sighed, briefly cradling her face in her open palm before looking back to Rukia.

"Look... I know you consider the Captain to be a friend.  But honestly there aren't many here who feel the same way.  She's a consummate professional in nearly every respect but in this sort of environment there's just no telling what she might do.  This gets her away from the wedding and at least grants her an opportunity to have a break, for once.  Two problems solved at the same time."

Rukia looked to the ground, arms crossed and face scrunched into an indignant pout, clearly unhappy but also struggling to come up with a good counter-argument.  

"Well," Rukia finally offered, "...shouldn't someone at least go with her?  Make sure she's okay?  There has to be some alternative to sending her off just to stew on her own.  I could go but I need to arrange things with Nii-san, and the Thirteeth Division..."

"If you could find someone who'd be willing to go and as long as she didn't refuse it outright, I suppose-- but good luck.  Between people already attending and everyone else working the event, I don't think there are going to be too many desperate enough for a free vacation to spend a week around Captain Soifon."

"Sorry to interrupt," Rangiku finally declared, popping in between the two women so suddenly that Rukia practically yelped in surprise, "...but I couldn't help overhearing the words 'free' and 'vacation?'"

---

Two days later, Soifon was heading up the stairs to the Senkaimon, still in her full shinigami uniform and Captain's coat, the only indication that she was headed off on vacation and not a formal assignment in the human world being a single piece of luggage hanging from her right shoulder.  

Her decidedly unenthusiastic, flat expression did little to reinforce the idea.  

Upon reaching the wide courtyard and the massive door that led to nothing, Soifon was preparing to signal to the nearby gatekeepers to allow her passage when someone called out to her.

"Wait, Captain!"

Soifon turned around quickly, not having expected anyone to see her off, and expecting the Tenth Division Lieutenant, blonde hair flying wildly behind her as she hauled a trio of heavy-looking suitcases at a brisk run in her direction somehow even less.

"Phew! G-glad I caught you before you left," Rangiku managed once she had paused for a moment, catching her breath.  "No sense in making them open the gate twice in a row, right?"

"I suppose not," Soifon admitted.  She was silent for a moment as though waiting for Rangiku to explain herself, before finally voicing the question on her own, the slightest tones of an annoyed huff in her otherwise placid voice.  "Was there something you needed from me, Lieutenant Matsumoto?  Or is there business you have to attend to in the human world?"

"Other than the business of having a good time, nope!" Rangiku declared with a cheery smile before pulling a piece of paper out from the side pocket of her shihakusho, that upon closer inspection was a pamphlet identical to the one Soifon herself had receieved at the last Shinigami Women's Association meeting.  "After you left, Nanao ended up holding a second drawing for the other ticket you didn't want, and I won!  Looks like we're gonna be spending the week together at this amazing hotel!  Nice, right?"

There was a flash of skepticism on Soifon's face so brief that Rangiku was certain she'd imagined it.  But if she had any suspicions, her voice did not betray her.

"...Do as you wish, then."

With that, Soifon made the signal to the Senkaimon gatekeepers, and as the massive door slowly opened a blinding white light pierced the sky and a powerful rush of wind indicated the path to Karakura was open.  As the pair moved to the threshold, Rangiku turned to her smaller companion with a wide grin.

"Don't worry, Captain!  I've got everything planned out, and I promise you're gonna wonder how you ever had fun in your life without my help!"

Soifon said nothing, her expression somehow dropping further at the notion of a whole week with the most devil-may-care, boisterous woman in the Seireitei.  

So much for rest and relaxation.

[roaringxthunder]

"Ma'am........this is a Chili's"

"How are you gentlemen!! All your base are belong to us."

[roaringxthunder]

"Would I like to see them? Probably. But I respect you more than just being a nice rack. Besides, I would never hear the end of it from Rangiku." He smiled as he took out his cigarettes and lit one. "And I wasn't always a medic. First unit was the 11th Division under the 7th Kenpachi, then had an accident that took my vision."

"Instead of beating around the bush by trying to annoy me into it or getting me to play to type, you can just go ahead and say that you really want to see my breasts. Higher odds of success. You're a medic so you could even pretend it's health related, though my wife would notice any lumps."

[roaringxthunder]

"I assure you, I can tell how....well endowed you are by your reiatsu. One of the saving graces of losing my vision was I gained this 'second sight' as I've grown to call it. I guess I see beauty in other ways then worrying about things like that. Might be why me and Rangiku have developed such a friendship." He said as he leaned over the railing and let out a long drag of smoke.

Yoruichi's nose faintly scrunched at the sight of the cigarette, but she only silently maneuvered to be upwind of where its smoke would inevitably flow. Her voice gave away her new position.

"The past is prologue. Anyway, I don't think seeing them is a big deal. I once tried to join the Shinigami Men's Association despite the uniform, and Rangiku and Kūkaku have about two-thirds of theirs on display most of the time. Since you can't see that doesn't matter much though. Then again even Byakuya-bo has taken them to the side of the head before... You couldn't tell they were big just from my buoyant personality~?"

[roaringxthunder]

"Instead I'm stuck with a mischievous person with a penchant for rising reactions." He teased with a slight grin. He would never truly disrespect her, but that didn't mean he couldn't give her a hard time

"Guess that's why don't trust you that much. Never could tell you had bigger boobs."