Log; Completed

[hornetsting.livejournal.com]

When; The day before and of the Master/Servant curse day, just a little bit backdated >_>;
Rating; PG-13. It's way too cute but there's a little naked time.
Characters; Yoruichi goddes_of_flash and Soifon hornetsting
Summary; After the exhausting events surrounding Soifon's arrival, Yoruichi invites her over to the temple to spend some time together. They wake up the next morning under the effects of a strange curse.
Log;

Soifon hadn’t gone far from the temple since the events following Hinamori’s fight with Aizen. She walked around, observing the statues and the exit to the hot springs. Eventually she sat down near the stairway. It had been a while since she had seen Yoruichi. She was worried that their relationship would have changed over the century that Yoruichi had been gone. But she was very glad that they were in the City together. Perhaps they’d be able to completely mend the bonds that were broken.

Without warning, a peach came flying down towards her, the fruit headed for her lap. "So, are you going to come in or just sit there all afternoon?"

Soifon instinctively caught the fruit with one hand and reached for her blade with the other. She relaxed upon hearing Yoruichi’s voice. “Hai, Yoruichi-sama,” she answered nervously. She quickly jumped the stairs and walked through the doorway.

The object of her interest was leaning against the door frame in what looked like a standard shinigami uniform, just without sleeves. She cocked her head to one side as Soifon approached, looking the other woman up and down. "So...still too nervous to just come inside without being invited, I see?"

“Forgive me, Yoruichi-sama. It’s been a while.” She held out the peach to return to the dark skinned woman, blushing slightly and unable to look her in the face. “I trust you have been well?” She shifted on her feet anxiously, unsure of what else to say or do.

Yoruichi smirked slightly. Yes, it was definitely the same old Soifon from before. Different appearance, somewhat. But still the same girl. Stepping forward, she closed the girl's fingers around the peach and pushed it back towards her. "I have. And yourself?"

“It was bearable. I…I missed you.” She had never been this nervous before that she could remember, not even when she faced her troops for the first time as captain. The last time she had felt even close to the same way was when she first met Yoruichi. Would they start over, as if nothing had happened? No, she didn’t want that. She dropped the peach and fell forward, wrapping her arms around Yoruichi. Almost in tears, she whispered, “I missed you…so much.”

The older shinigami smiled gently and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's shoulders in a comforting manner. "It's alright. About time you stopped trying to act so strong, you know. Unless you're still angry at me and trying to prove something, that is."

She looked up meaningfully into Yoruichi’s eyes, meeting her gaze for the first time. “Of course not! You came back, that’s all that matters.” She held on tightly, as if she was afraid Yoruichi would leave her again.

Laughing, she reached up and ruffled Soifon's hair lightly in an affectionate gesture. "Yeah, I suppose I did. Well, in a way. It's not like I stayed in Seireitei, afterall. But...I guess knowing where I am is preferable to thinking I'm dead. You cut it, I see."

“I thought…I thought you had abandoned me. I thought I would never see you again.” Yoruichi’s touch was so relaxing, she couldn’t help but close her eyes and go a little weak at the knees. “Do…do you like it, Yoruichi-sama?”

"I'm sorry for that, Soifon. Really, I am. I never meant to cause you so much pain. But I knew that if I took you with me, that all your chances to make something of yourself, to get to the point you're at now, all of that would be lost. I didn't want that for you." She grinned and nodded. "I do. It suits you."

“You…you thought about me that much?” A couple tears managed their way out of Soifon’s watery eyes as she looked back up into Yoruichi’s. When she thought about it, she did grow strong enough to become a captain, and all because of Yoruichi’s disappearance. All of that was irrelevant. To her, the reality was that they had been reunited. “I’m glad it pleases you.”

Yoruichi tapped one long finger against the tip of Soifon's nose. "Well that's good, but does it please YOU?" Pulling back, she nodded to Soifon to follow, chatting as they walked. "As flattering as it is that you look up to me so much, you should do more for yourself, Soifon. Not just because you think I might like it."

“I suppose it is.” She eyed Yoruichi’s arm, holding back the urge to grab on, assuring herself that they would not be separated again. She followed closely behind, just to be sure. Looking down at the ground, she replied, “it’s hard to think that way. I still think of you as my captain.”

She laughed as she headed over to a low table sitting on the porch. Flopping down onto one of the cushions, she gestured to Soifon to join her. Reaching forward, she snagged a hunk of cheese off of the plate and picked up a knife. Carving off a piece, she stabbed it with the knife and took a bite of it. "But you're the captain now, you know. And unlike that rice-cracker-eating fukutaichou of yours, you got there on your own skill."

Soifon sat on her knees, hands resting in her lap. “I guess I have you to thank for that. After all, you’re the one who inspired me. And you helped me out so much before you left.” Against her own will, her thoughts turned to the day she found the division headquarters empty. How hurt she was that their promise was broken. Their promise… “Yoruichi-sama? I…I still plan on staying by your side to protect you…forever.”

The yellow-eyed woman paused mid-bite and looked at Soifon. "You do? But what about your own duties? To your squad, to the special forces?"

“None of that matters here. Our enemies are friendly, though there are still times of conflict. The living and the dead surround us. My squad is not here, there are only a handful of shinigami here at all.” She almost said she would never return, that the City is where she wanted to stay. But she knew that wasn’t true. She would have to go home. And there was no guarantee that Yoruichi or herself would be there forever. Deciding that they would deal with those things if they arose, she said, “I do, Yoruichi-sama.”

She smiled, genuinely touched. Though she hadn't ever really told Soifon, she'd always considered the younger girl like a sister. And she'd enjoyed watching the initially timid teen grow and blossom into the woman that Yoruichi had been confidant she would become. And to know that even after all these years, that bond was still in place, was a rather touching piece of knowledge. "Thank you, Soifon.."

“Please, I don’t deserve your gratitude, Yoruichi-sama.” Hearing the way they spoke to each other, Soifon was relieved to find that things seemed as if they had never been separated. But she was still nervous, and rubbed her hands together in her lap.

Yoruichi shook her head with a sigh. In one fluid movement, she had slid over to settle behind Soifon, hands on the other woman's shoulders. With a grin, she began to knead the tense muscles. "You need to learn to relax, Soifon. You're always so nervous around me. You should know by now that I'm not gonna bite you or anything."

Finally Soifon was able to relax a little. Though the combination of Yoruichi’s soothing touch and the massage was a little more than she could handle, and she let out a soft, short moan. She quickly covered her mouth and blushed. “Yoruichi-sama, you don’t have to…” she managed to say between her fingers.

She laughed at Soifon's response and shook her head. "Don't you EVER relax? Come on, I thought I taught you better then that. Your shoulders are hard as a rock."

“I trained every day after you left. And there was never anyone who could take your place in my life. Perhaps…I will relax with you here again.” At this point Soifon leaned back and lay down in Yoruichi’s lap, staring up at her face. “I’m glad you’re back.” She hadn’t slept since she arrived, and it was starting to take its toll on her; her eyes slowly began to close until finally she fell asleep.

Yoruichi smiled as she watched Soifon drift off to sleep. Reaching down, she brushed a stray strand of hair from her sleeping face and chuckled softly. "I'm glad to be back with you too, Soifon."

~~~~~~~~~~

Yoruichi shifted restlessly on her bed for a few minutes. The light was shining on her face, a fact which the dark-haired woman was not at all pleased about. Rolling over and burrowing further into the pillows, she flailed a hand towards the window. "Goddammit Kisuke, close the farking blinds...." When that, of course, yielded no results, she groaned and yawned before sleepily lifting her head and stretching. Fumbling for the cord, she yanked on it and succeeded in overbalancing herself and tumbling off of the bed to land in a heap on the floor. Sitting up, she rubbed her head with a scowl on her face. Sleeping raised off of the floor...really, it was a ridiculous concept. Yoruichi vowed to get herself a perfectly good and normal futon later that day. Yawning and scratching her head, she glanced around the room. Everything seemed in order. Door shut, window closed, Soifon at the foot of the bed. She paused for a moment. Something didn't fit. Glancing back towards the end of the bed, she cocked her head to one side, loose dark violet hair tumbling over her shoulders. Now what was Soifon doing at the end of her bed. Crawling over, she settled back on her knees beside her young friend and reached out one finger to poke Soifon's shoulder.

Soifon awoke abruptly, meeting the older woman’s gaze. She quickly flipped upright and onto her knees, and started to bow very low to the ground. “Forgive me mistress, I must have overslept!” As the words left her mouth, she immediately wondered why she had said them. Mistress? Why had she said that about Yoruichi? For some reason, she had the idea stuck in her head that she was a servant and Yoruichi the master. Not wanting to test whether or not it was true, she remained bowing low and waited to see what kind of response her “master” had.

Well, that was new. Of all the lofty titles and heaps of praise that she'd coaxed the girl OUT of calling her, "Mistress" had not been one of them. One dark eyebrow raised slightly in confusion. Was this a curse? Or a joke? She had to admit that it didn't feel wrong to hear Soifon refer to her that way. And in fact, there was a part of her that wanted to give the girl some chores to do.

Soifon finally decided to risk a look to see Yoruichi’s reaction, and noticed that she too seemed confused. “Is…is something the matter, mistress?” She blushed, realizing that she had again unintentionally called Yoruichi “mistress.” Lowering her head again, she said, “Gomen, I…I don’t know why I keep saying that.”

Yoruichi shook her head with a nervous laugh. "It..it's alright. Probably just...just a curse." She got to her feet and stretched, reaching down to offer a hand to Soifon. "Here, you can get off the floor."

"Curse?" Though she had been in the city a few days, Soifon had not yet experienced a curse herself. She took Yoruichi's hand, slowly pulling herself up, and at the same time realizing that her friend was wearing a very small amount of clothing. After rising from eye-level with her panties, Soifon quickly looked away, her face quickly growing to a deep red shade. "T-thank you, mistress."

Snickering slightly, Yoruichi shook her head. "You don't have to call me that, you know. But...it's strange but I have this urge to give you chores to do or something. Ah well. I'm gonna get cleaned up. Wanna join me?" She jerked her thumb in the direction of the baths, snagging a towel off of the chair by the door.

"Ah, of course!" She offered a quick bow, then turned to the closet instinctively and pulled out a small basket with shampoo, conditioner, and a body wash inside, and a towel for herself. She froze as she started to follow. She had never been inside Yoruichi's room before that night, and yet...there was a basket prepared for her bath, and she knew where it was. She quickly shook it off, reassuring herself that it was simply a curse, and followed.

Tucking her own basket under one arm, Yoruichi slung a companionable arm around Soifon's shoulders and started off down the hall, ignoring the stares she got from some of the male residents of the temple due to her...unusual state of dress.

Soifon followed-well, normally she would follow, though it felt to her as if she should be leading, and for some reason she knew the way. The arm around her shoulders surprised her, causing her to lean in a little closer. Her eyes swept the sides of the halls, noticing all the staring. She was slightly embarrassed, to say the least. But they were only headed around the next corner. She closed her eyes and followed the movements of the woman holding on to her, knowing she only had a few seconds to go.

"Alright, here it is." Yoruichi couldn't help feeling that Soifon ought to know the way already. But..that didn't make sense. Afterall, Soifon hadn't ever been here before. Had she? With a slight shrug, she pushed the curtain aside and made her way over to where the small cubbyholes were fitted into the wall. Hardly seeming to care or feel any shame, she stripped down and wrapped the towel around herself. "Come on. You can wash my hair." Now THAT was strange. Why had that come out of her mouth? And not even really a request, sounding almost more like an order.

Though she was more than happy to be able to help Yoruichi, Soifon felt almost as if it was her duty to clean her up. She set her basket down and tried to hide herself as much as possible, moving partly behind a wall, as she stripped off her panties. She closed her eyes as her fingers wrapped around the sides, as if it would help her stay hidden. She slowly dropped them to her feet, followed by the oversized shirt Yoruichi had lent her. Covering herself as much as possible, she opened her eyes and made her way forward, eager to hide her naked body behind that of the darker skinned woman in front of her.

Dropping the towel, Yoruichi slid down into the bath, sighing at the feel of the warm water against her skin. Ducking under, she came back up and shook the excess water out of her hair before leaning back against the edge of the bath. "Man, this is nice. I could get used to this."

Soifon quickly kneeled behind Yoruichi, finding shelter behind her back. She breathed a sigh of relief, and lowered her hands to her sides. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and emptied a little into her hand, then started to slowly massage it into the long silky purple hair in front of her. "Is this acceptable, mistress?"

Ignoring the "mistress", Yoruichi nodded. "Mmmm, that feels good, Soifon. It's been awhile since anyone's washed my hair for me. You're good at this."

Soifon smiled at the compliment. After finishing with the hair, she hastily dipped her hands into the water to wash them off, accidentally rubbing against Yoruichi in the process. She gasped a bit and blushed, glad to be behind her so the redness of her face was hidden.

Yoruichi opened her eyes slightly as she felt Soifon jump as the smaller shinigami's hands brushed her shoulderblades. "What'd you jump for, Soifon? Did I startle you or something? Or..is there something on my shoulder?"

"No, nothing!" Soifon fumbled with the bottle of soap, finally managing to get the product in her hands. She anxiously reached her arms out, shaking until they were pressed against the top of Yoruichi's back. She slowly started to rub it in, eyes locked on the wall, almost afraid to even look at the body in front of her.

Yellow eyes slipped closed and Yoruichi shifted slightly, reaching over her shoulder to pull her long hair around and out of the way. "Mmmm, thanks Soifon. It's hard to get my back by myself."

She calmed herself down, feeling the soft hair brushing over her arms. Slowly she turned her head back, quickening her pace a little. After setting the two baskets down right next to the bath, she asked, "mistress, would you...wash mine as well?"

"Sure, Soifon." Ducking under the water to wash the soap off of her back, she resurfaced and turned around to look over her shoulder at Soifon. "Come on, sit in front of me."

Soifon quickly covered herself again as Yoruichi looked over. She joined her master in the warm water, slowly lowering herself in, arms lot leaving the front of her body until she was sufficiently submerged. She then wrapped them around her front, holding on to the sides of her arms, in order to stop herself from shaking. She wasn't used to bathing in front of anybody, though it felt like she had been doing it as long as Yoruichi had been her master.

Shaking her head slightly at Soifon's trembling, Yoruichi reached behind her and snagged the bottle of soap. Squeezing some into her hands, she rubbed palms together to create a lather, then began to massage the soap onto Soifon's back and shoulders.

Soifon willed herself not to jump while being touched, and slowly calmed herself enough that she stopped shaking, and instead leaned back a little into the surprisingly comforting hands. She sat up a bit, enough to show a bit more of her back, feeling covered enough with her arms in front of her chest.

Yoruichi grinned as she felt Soifon relax, letting her hands lather up the smaller woman's back. But...Soifon was still too tense. With a wicked smirk, Yoruichi traced her hands down Soifon's sides and tickled.

Soifon closed her eyes and flopped back with the unexpected tickle attack, splashing the water around. As the water settled she slowly opened them and found herself staring up at Yoruichi's face. She quickly noticed that her hands had fallen to catch her as she fell, leaving her quite exposed. She quickly covered up, falling farther into the water, her head falling down right onto Yoruichi's bosom. Unluckily for her, this time her flush red face was right in front of the other woman. "M-mistress..." She leaned forward and turned, looking back and bowing slightly as an apology.

"You're too tense. You need to relax more, Soifon. You act like you think I'm gonna bite you or something." The dark-skinned shinigami cocked her head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't!" She turned completely around, putting her hands on Yoruichi's shoulders. "If this is not right, then...how should I act, mistress?" Soifon looked at her with a sad look on her face, expressing that she felt she was failing in her duties as a servant. Though she knew she wasn't a servant.

With a slightly defeated sigh, Yoruichi mentally shook her head. Reaching out, she ruffled Soifon's short hair. "You don't have to act any certain way. Just..do what makes you comfortable. If you REALLY feel like you need to be my servant, I suppose I can give you something to do. Would that make you feel better?"

She stared curiously for a second, then realizing how often she had been using the word, she looked shocked. "I...I can't help it! It's the curse, right?" She had focused that time, ensuring that she didn't say 'mistress' again.

"Yeah, it's just a curse. But maybe it would make you feel better if you did something more...I dunno, more servant-like? Like fixing lunch or something?" She really was just trying to help. If the curse wanted Soifon to be a servant, then it was probably going to settle her mind to actually ACT like one.

Soifon stood and nodded, managing a smile. "I can do that." The smile didn't last long, it didn't take more than a second for her to realize that she was now fully exposed. She almost squealed as she quickly made her way to her towel and covered herself. "I-I'll meet you in the kitchen then." She wrapped it around her body and sprinted out to get dressed before she managed to flash anybody else.

Snickering, Yoruichi leaned back in the water for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Soifon. The girl always seemed so flustered around her, ever since she could remember. Really, she should be used to me by now. I always feel like she thinks I'm some sort of...I dunno, some goddess or something. I don't deserve that sort of adoration. With a shake of her head to dislodge any water droplets, she climbed out of the bath and walked over to the cubbies, grabbing her towel. Drying off, she rummaged around, slipping on a simple light grey yukata. Twisting her long hair up into a knot at the back of her skull, she secured it with a chopstick or two and headed off towards the kitchen.

Soifon was embarrassed to even hear Yoruichi's footsteps. She had looked for the uniform she was wearing just yesterday, but in it's place was a french maid's outfit. Not having anything else to wear, she had slipped into it and started preparing 2 Sake bentō, finding all of the food easily enough. On the table she had piled a couple large blankets. It was cold out, but she thought it would be enjoyable to eat under the open sky.

Stepping into the kitchen, Yoruichi had to stifle her laughter at the outfit Soifon was wearing. Clearing her throat, she walked over and glanced over the shorter woman's shoulder. "Mmm, sake bento. Looks good."

"I-I hope I've prepared it to your liking!" She set the bento inside the blankets and bowed with a hopeful smile on her face. "I thought we could eat outside, it's a little cold, but it's barely snowing anymore and I thought it would be enjoyable."

A smile and a nod was what she received in response. "That sounds nice. I haven't had a picnic in a long time, you know. There's a good spot in the courtyard, under one of the trees. It's right by the pond, so it's got a pretty view, too."

As Yoruichi described the spot, Soifon immediately knew exactly how to get there. It was strange, but she didn't pay it any mind. She had made it through this much of the curse, the rest couldn't be that bad. "Then follow me, mistress." She slowly walked the halls of the temple, arriving shortly at the courtyard. She spread out the first blanket on the driest spot she could find under the tree, then set the other blanket and the bento off to the side. "If you would please, mistress," she said, patting the spot next to her.

Yoruichi nodded and followed after Soifon. Sitting down on the blanket, she slid the bento over and instead of simply sitting there, she plopped down with her head in Soifon's lap.

Soifon remembered what Yoruichi had said and concentrated for a minute on just breathing, staring down at the woman in her lap. She still blushed, but just enough to bring a rosy color to her cheeks, and smiled. With one hand she opened the lid of the bento, pulling out the cherry. With the other, she gently stroked the top of Yoruichi's head, her fingers flowing through her long silky hair. She brought the cherry up, then slowly lowered it down towards her mouth.

With a chuckle, Yoruichi leaned up and captured the fruit in her teeth, pulling it free from the stem and chewing. "Now this part of having a servant, I could get used to."

Soifon looked out over the courtyard. It was such a peaceful place, surrounded by the temple walls, seemingly free from all the troubles of the city. A light snow began to fall, and she slowly reached over for the other blanket, spreading it out on top of them. She continued to pet the top of her companion's head, while her other hand slowly stroked one of Yoruichi's arms. "Is this acceptable, mistress?"

"Yeah...this is nice. Reminds me of back in Seireitei. Before I left. You remember, Soifon?"

"I...I do." The snowflakes danced in front of her, reminding her of the graceful shower of cherry blossoms back home.

"Mmmm....me too." She shifted slightly, rolling over onto her side, one hand reaching for Soifon's. "I'm sorry, Soifon. I...never got a chance to really tell you that."

"It's..." She thought for a second, trying to find the right words. "It doesn't matter anymore, you're here now" Yoruichi's hand found hers, and she gently grabbed on, squeezing lightly as if to say she'd never let go. "Don't you wish...we could just stay like this forever?"

A slight nod and a yawn. "Yeah...that'd be..nice." Nice. That was a good word. A good description of how it felt to stay like this, head pillowed on Soifon's lap. She let her eyes drift closed, listening to the soft sounds of the snow falling in the trees. It should have been cold, but for some reason all she felt was warmth

Soifon smiled and brushed Yoruichi's hair out of her face, watching her peaceful expression as she slowly fell asleep. It wouldn't have been a problem for her to sleep sitting up, if she had wanted to. For now, she was content just being there. She gently rubbed her thumb over Yoruichi's hand, and whispered, "pleasant dreams, mistress."