log; complete

[1hatwonder.livejournal.com]

When; Jan 7, late at night
Rating; PG-13ish
Characters; Urahara Kisuke (1hatwonder), Shihouin Yoruichi (goddes_of_flash)
Summary; Urahara is back in the city and has no memory of being here previously. Yoruichi happens to catch his reiatsu in the air and finds him. Confusion and happiness ensues.
Log;

It was like a bad headache - a really really bad headache - ringing against his skull as he looked around at this city. The lights, the elegant fountain (he wanted to take a closer look at it), the eerie ticking noise, everything was just... strange!



It wasn't unusual that different worlds existed, he knew all about those possibilites and broke through time and sound to get to them, but... "How facinating~!" He began walking around, to nowhere in particular, trying to figure out where his new location was. He paused and leaned his weight to one side on his cane, lost in thought as he recognized some spiritual forces in the air. "It appears I'm not the only one lost here, but where exactly is here?" He mused outloud.



Wind against her face, it was almost like old times, when the two of them would race along the wall, fighting to see who could trip up the other one first, who could get the better of who, who would win in those games they constantly played. Almost. But almost wasn't the same, and rather then Kisuke running beside her, blond hair windswept and blue-grey eyes laughing, he was somewhere out there, somewhere here.



In the City again.



No matter how hard she tried to tell herself that it wasn't out of a desire to see him that she was racing so fast -- it was, she just wasn't necessarily going to admit it, just as she wasn't going to admit how much she'd missed him -- it didn't make her feet move any slower.



Silly, in a way.



At least, that's what part of her mind always told her. But that didn't change the fact that it'd only taken mere instance, a second of clarity and comprehension before her senses stood on end, eyes widening and every fibre in her being screaming out the same thing as all senses broke with what they were doing at the time -- not that it was likely anything important anyway -- and registered that one mote of solidarity that had sprung up.



Kisuke. Kisuke had returned.



Yoruichi didn't really doubt that he could sense her, hell she knew he could, but that was a bit low on her list of things she was thinking about at the moment. Chuckling to herself, she mused that perhaps she had an inkling of what her student dealt with, this dichotomy of not being sure whether she wanted to beat the man for having possesed the audacity to leave in the first place, or wrap arms around him and kiss him senseless.



Perhaps a good mix of the two, except she wasn't really the beating type. That was Rukia. And besides, it would have been completely out of character for her to just tackle him with a hug. Not that she thought he wouldn't get a good laugh out of it.



A chilly breeze brought his hair to tickle his jawline, and a grin spread across his face. It was a familiar presence, one he knew entirely too well, but it always came with comfort, reasoning, and an air of indifference (or at least she liked to portray it that way). The distance couldn't have been more than a block away, as his eyes scanned his surroundings, pretending to admire the architecture.



So she is here too...



The metal band around his finger felt colder than usual, and it wasn't because it was cool outside, it was more as if it were calling out to him. Ever since the morning he woke up and noticed it there, he convinced himself he must've been drugged the night before (or accidentally poisoned by Tessai), but he could never bring himself to actually remove it. The children studied it was as much facination and came up with stories of their own (dear Ururu said he met a princess in his dream and married her), yet here it was, ringing out in a declaration of something he had forgotten long, long ago.



Had I... been here before?



Light steps alerted him to her, the Goddess of Flash, as he angled his head with an inquiring look, "My~ You still move fast~"



That was really all he got out -- or at least she assumed it was -- since the momentary pause as golden eyes met his was the only time she gave before she slammed into him at nearly full speed, bowling them both over, lips crashing into his and arms winding around his neck.



Ok..... so that wasn't quite how she'd imagined that. But somewhere along the lines of being glad to see he was safe -- not that she'd really expected anything else -- and that twinge of happiness at just seeing him again, all thoughts of how he was probably expecting her to behave -- not to mention how she felt she ought to behave -- had flown out the window.



And dammit, she'd missed him. It was backwards in this damned City, it wasn't supposed to be him who up and left, she was the wandering one, the one who flitted back and forth between this place and the next, never staying very long at all, but always somehow returning to roost at the same place she'd flown from. When he was the one who left... it just didn't work right. Maybe because of how she felt -- oh no, she wasn't going to go there -- or just because it had always BEEN her who did the leaving and it just seemed.... wrong somehow for it to be him.



He had blinked, seeing wide-eyed golden orbs meet his, and when he opened them again, he was lucky his head wasn't cracked open with the speed and force Yoruichi had hit him with. Her lips were pressed against his, not that he was protesting, but...



"Mm, Yoru...!" His voice was muffled as he struggled to grasp his hat that had managed to fly off his head. Catching it just in time, he squished it on top of her head (she would've grabbed it eventually anyway), and kissed her softly.



It wasn't like her, to be so overcome with emotion, he thought to himself - that was typically him to do so. Yet he couldn't deny the swelling his heart and the instant comfort that overtook him when he laid eyes on her. It always happened, she would always appear when he most needed her, whether he expressed that or not. As much as he liked to say he was calm and collected, being mysteriously thrown in a new world never went very smoothly, especially when he had no idea how he got there.



She ignored him for a moment before pulling away and sitting up, carelessly nonchalant about the fact that she had not only flattened the poor man to the ground, but was now straddling his chest and glaring -- well, it was sortof a glare -- down at him, that cursed striped hat balanced precariously on her head. Narrowing golden eyes a bit, she simply studied him for a moment. The City worked in it's own mysterious -- though she would have said "sadistic" -- ways. This wasn't necessarily "her" Kisuke, not the one from before, the one from her own world.



Gaze raking over him, it fell to rest on the simple gold band on his finger, twin to the one that rested against her chest beneath her shirt, and it was hard to stop the way one corner of her mouth crooked up a bit. Shaking her head slightly and letting her breath out in a sigh, she fixed gaze on him again.



"You're back, I see."



"So I have been here before." Ignoring her weight on his chest, his gaze drifted around. "But...where is 'here'? I have no recollection of this - how should I say - charming world." The shadows and lights! The ticking and movements! "I daresay I could've picked better, that is if I were to choose."



A hand snaked it's way to squeeze her thigh, "And my dear, how long have I been gone?" He recalled it had been at least a month, from the morning he woke up with the ring and had been informed that Yoruichi hadn't shown up at the shop in quite a long time, but no one had said anything about his being missing.



And then that seering headache came back, as he rubbed his temple.



"This is the City. And you were here for months before. You've been gone about a month or so too. From here, that is."



She raised an eyebrow at his hand, but made no move to remove him of it. After all, besides the fact that it wasn't as though she cared if he manhandled her, that wasn't really on her mind right now. Obviously the City was up to it's old habits again, and she'd found herself in much the same position that her protege had been in all those months back. Left with a partner who had no memory of the time they'd spent together.



Reaching up to scratch her head with a sigh, sharp eyes caught his similar motion. "Headache? It's probably from the ticking."



Or the fact that she'd tackled him to the ground... But she wasn't about to admit that. With another sigh, she planted both hands in the center of his chest, leaning forward a bit, ignoring the way long hair slipped over her shoulders to hang around them. "So... do you remember anything at all, Kisuke?"



"I remember..." His eyes watched the cascade of dark hair fall past her shoulder, taking notice of the exposed skin from the low collar (wasn't she cold?) tracing the smooth skin decending past her collarbones... "nothing." His eyes shot back up to hers as he met her with the most sincere smile.



"In fact, who are you?" It was a joke of course, and he waited for her reply.



"A figment of your imagination." she growled softly, eyebrows furrowing beneath dark purple fringe. And yes, that spot of skin right above his collarbone did indeed taste just as she'd expected it to.



Pulling back, she quirked an eyebrow at him with a frown. "You really don't remember anything? Anything at all?"



If he had, it would have made things SO much easier. Now there was the chance for them to get awkward. And... awkward and Kisuke just didn't really go together in her mind. Oh, but he did look so..... appetizing, sprawled out on the ground like that.... She shook those thoughts out of her head momentarily and fixed him with a serious gaze.



"This is an alternate world, another dimension entirely. Apart from our own, or any we've ever come into contact with. It draws people from different worlds, both living and dead, and traps them here. Every few days or so, there are curses. It's random who they affect and what the outcome of them is. Some are as innocent as turning all the water to fruit juice, but there have been others that have caused deaths and suffering."



"Facinating~!" He extended his head back, looking at the location upside down. "Truly facinating... You say I've been here, yet I don't recall a single thing. It must be protected, for so many people, so many worlds to merge into one! Why, I'd love to look further into that..." His voice trailed off as he glanced back to her.



Expression becoming more serious, his eyes met hers once again. "I was here for a length of time before leaving, wasn't I?" It was an uncanny ability to see through her stoic nature, to know her so well. She could just give him one look, and he could read so much depth in it. "How long was I here?"



She wasn't one to be very open; she rather ignore what she felt until it built up to a breaking point, but he could something was on her mind. Words were just on the tip of her tounge, and he was rather curious to hear her speak.



She could hardly have expected any differently of him, he always had been adept at reading her, since they were children even. The idea that Kisuke might not be able to see past her walls was laughable in itself. He was Kisuke. Of course he could. She nodded, slightly stony-faced at his expression.



"Six months."



As well as she knew him, and as glad at times as she was that he could read her so well, it was times like these, times when her weaknesses were threatening to break through, that she hated it. Of all the people she knew, he was the one she was closest to, the one she trust most. The one she loved. But that also meant that it was sometimes hardest to admit weakness in front of him. To give in to the fact that she'd missed him, far more than she'd ever have expected to, indeed enough that it had actually unnerved her a bit.



She'd known she was growing far more attached to him, hell the ring she wore on a chain and the one on his finger spoke volumes in regards to that, but it was still a bit of a sobering note to realize just how deep that attachment really went at times.



He was reading her right now, she was as certain of that as she was certain that loathsome thing with the green stripes was still perched on her head. Which meant he could likely see right through her. And his change in tone belied that indeed he could. At least enough to see that she'd been bothered by his absence, that somehow his time here had changed things between them.



"Six months..." He echoed her, shifting to where he could sit up and her right in front of him.



A look of thoughtful confusion was displayed across his features, well knowing that Yoruichi could see his fusteration. "And I don't remember a thing."



He glanced at the chain around her neck, and impulsively reached out to grasp it, pulling it from her shirt. "Apparently alot happened." His eyebrows raised in surprise.



She fought the impulse to grab the chain and stuff the gold circle back into her shirt. It wasn't as though she actually intended to really keep it a secret from him, she just.... hadn't thought of a good way to tell him about it without him reading too much into it, or jumping to the wrong conclusions. Not that it mattered now, as the ring swung on it's thin chain in front of his eyes, delicate engraving matching the identical -- albeit larger -- band around his own finger.



Great. Now if her guess was correct, he'd probably jump to the wrong conclusions. And yet.. the only thing she could really think of to say at the moment was woefully lacking in the way of tact or aid to the current awkward situation. "Yeah... a lot did."



So many questions, so many answers he was seeking. It was like being away from Soul Society, and then somehow managing to come back to find everything changed. Only this wasn't soul society, and there were more than just a few people he didn't know.



His face faltered for a bit, forming to a mellow, thoughtful expression. "Can we go where it's quiet and I can have a cup of tea. This is all.... alot." He wanted to get away, to be away from all the staring eyes, that damned ticking, and especially the lights. He stood up and extended a hand to her, "Take me home?"



Taking his hand with a nod and a squeeze of his hand, she had to admit she couldn't agree with him more. Out here, in the middle of the City... it was a bit too much. She wanted space, she wanted quiet, she wanted.... well, she wanted him for starters, but she also just... wanted normalcy. Ironic, in a way, that the one who always chafed against the structure of normal society should find herself actually craving that normalcy.



Cocking her head to the side, she smiled slightly. "So normal home, or underground place home?"



"Anywhere but here, my dear~" He smiled, her hand in one, his cane in the other.



Slipping his hat from her head, he placed it back on his, pulling it down low over his eyes casting that well-known shadow. Usually new mysteries and places excited him, but when he wasn't in control of what was going on or something changed from what he hypothesized, it threw him off greatly. Urahara had managed to grasp that this was some alternative universe with a melee of different openings and times, but adding on that he had a history of 6 months here and not have a recollection of it. Well, that was a bit much.



"Alright. And at least you managed to keep that damned thing with you this time. I can avoid the whole sacrifice thing to get it back for you. Come on, you'll get left behind~"



Keeping a firm grip on his hand, she took off at a run, knowing perfectly well that he would keep up with her. Not only was she eschewing top speed, but he was fast in his own right, certainly fast enough to keep up. They'd never have had so much fun all those years ago in Soul Society otherwise. Glancing back over her shoulder at him, she grinned and winked.



"And maybe if you do a good job of keeping up, I won't sleep curled up at the foot of the bed tonight~"



Not that she was intending to anyway, but there was merit in the normal sort of teasing. It helped her forget a little bit that he'd lost the 6 months he'd been here before.




His eyes watched the slightly blurred surroundings, missing her glance to him. "I wouldn't want that to happen~!" Then his brain paused for a minute - did she say sacrifice?



Coming to a dead halt, and causing enough force to cause Yoruichi to nearly topple over, he quesioned this. "Sacrifice? What in the Living World, do you mean?"



So many questions gnawed at him, answering being begged for. What was the significance of this rings? What did she mean sacrifice? What had he done during those 6 months that he can't remember? His eyes met hers sternly, warning her he was more than confused and curious all at the same time.



"Wh- Goddammit, Kisuke don't just stop like that!"



Swearing under her breath, she righted herself and ran fingers through her hair. Really, it got so in the way when it was down. Raising eyes to his, she didn't flinch at the serious look on his face. She knew his moods, and when he wasn't fooling around. Now was one such time. Refusing to even blink, she stared him down with all the stubbornness she'd always possessed.



"Things can be obtained here by sacrificing something else. Memories are the most common thing bartered, but anything will work, as long as the deities find it to be worth their time. I chose blood instead. That's all."



Stepping around him, she continued at a quick pace. "Don't get left behind."



Again he stopped quickly, before she was even able to move 3 yards, well knowing this would irritate her.



"Don't just say you sacrificed blood, and expect me to be satisfied, Yoru." He knew her too well, that look of seriousness she used to avoid certain situations. "What did I do here? Six months I was here, and yet.... I don't remember any of it. Did I have a lab here? Did we have friends? Did I marry you?"



It was a bad timing, not to mention wide-open location, to discuss such a thing.



He had calculated correctly, it did irritate her, but just when she was about to flay him good for it, he had to go and ask THAT loaded question. Nearly falling over, face red as a tomatoe, she sputtered, climbing to her feet to glare at him -- or at least glare as much as were possible with that level of... well, it wasn't embarassment, but still.



"NO, you didn't marry me, you moron! The hell gave you that idea?!"



Crossing arms over her chest, she stubbornly refused to look at him, cheeks flaming, brows drawn together over eyes that were focused on anything but him, completely ignoring his other questions. It wans't even... that the idea of marriage in itself was such a bad thing. It just... wasn't for her. No matter how much he meant to her, or how long they'd been together. She just couldn't seem to shake that distrust and immediate urge to run whenever the M-word came up.



"Oh, ok, then..." He started pulling off the ring, "I don't know why I kept it on, then..."



"Don't!"



She didn't even realize she'd said it until the words were out of her mouth, and then she was clapping lips shut and wishing she could sink into the ground right now. Feline form wouldn't even have been small enough to escape this awkward situation. Swallowing, she bit her lower lip slightly, cheeks still burning with what she knew was a flush that showed through even her dark skin.



"I......I put it there before......you don't... have to take it off if you don't want to."



Honestly, she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do if he actually did take it off. He didn't understand -- how could he if he didn't even remember in the first place -- and so he didn't know that even though there wasn't an official arrangement there, there was.... well, for lack of a better word, a promise. The same sort of promise that other people sealed official things with.



"I knew you gave it to me." He glanced up to her, "Without being told or anything. Waking up that morning and seeing it - I somehow knew it was from you, so I left it on. I didn't understand the meaning, and I haven't had enough time to think about it right now but..." His words trailed off and he reached over to cup her cheek in his warm hand.



"Tell me about me. Who was I during those 6 months? Was I happy? Were you happy? Are the kids here; I can't sense them? Explain to me about this sacrifice as well." He chuckled for a moment, giving her a glimpse of his shaded eyes. "There's too much to be known, my dear. Fast inquiring minds need to know~!"



It was really only the chuckle and the smile that came with it that kept her from slugging him. Really. The nerve of him, putting her on the spot like that and then just laughing it off. But it had been so long since she'd felt his touch, that she found herself relaxing, leaning easily into his hand, eyes slipping closed. She stayed like that for a long moment, just savoring the feel of his warmth against her skin before cracking one eye open with a wry grin.



"No, the kids are not here, you had a lab but you destroyed it when you made that portal out of here, we were both happy here, in spite of a lot of things, I sacrificed my blood for you to have Benihime; 1 drop of mine for every 3 you spilled. And as for who you were.... you were you." Both eyes flickered open to regard him with an uncharacteristic softness. "The crazy, eccentric, bumbling, nosy, overly-curious, tinkering shop-owner that I love."




"HM~ I suppose I can handle that... but you left off handsome, so I'm a bit worried."



He pressed his thumb to her nose, with a wide grin on his face before it turned serious. "That's a pretty heavy subject there, Yoruichi. Six months must've have been very different if you're so willing to say such 'whimsical' words as you once called them back in our academy days, and...." A memory passed through his mind, of a young boy saying such a word and being embarrassed for she had just stared at him and ran away.



Coming back to reality, just as fast as that memory flashed across his eyes, "Never mind." He pulled his hand away from her to scratch at his chin, "Is there some tea around here? I'm afraid I just need to... ease myself right now." He hated to tell her all this information was something of a surprise to him. It wasnt like he couldn't handle large amounts of information or data reports being collected. Everyone knew he listened to each and every word and would be able to critique it on the spot, but this was different in some other way.



Rolling her eyes again -- she seemed to be doing that alot today -- she raised one hand and pointed. "Home is a block and a half that way. And there is both tea and bed."



She couldn't quite hide the faintly disappointed sigh at the way he was being right now. It wasn't that she blamed him for it, it was a whole lot to take in, even for Kisuke. And while she couldn't help but feel that it was a little selfish of her, she really just wanted the awkwardness to go away. For things to go back to how they had been, before he left. Turning away, she stretched, folding hands behind her head and doing her best to act nonchalant, carefree like she normally was. He was having a hard enough time coming to terms with this place, he didn't need her moodiness to go along with it.




"As for..... you know. You're the one who kept asking me to say it more. But if you don't want me to, just say so."


"No I --!" He took her hand, "I kinda like it, how it sounds coming from you. Your eyes shined just then when you said it, a little twinkle!" He wiggled his fingers in hers.



What else could he say? Something was on her mind, and he just couldn't quite grasp it at the tip of his tounge watching her. Dare he say, there was a sense of hesitation? Her body language was different than he knew, which could be a result from whatever happened between the two during his time here, but only he would notice it, surely.



"Tea and bed, eh?" He mused outload to himself at the idea, "I can handle that if only you share the luxury with me~"



Feeling his fingers twitch slightly in hers, she curled darker digits a bit tighter around his with a chuckle. "You know it's not that easy to get me into your bed, Ki~su~ke~"



Giving a little tug, she felt her mouth quirk upwards into a slight smile, rubbing one fingertip over the gold band on his finger. Taking a moment to collect herself mentally, she sighed slightly, staring up at the sky as they walked -- at a more leisurely pace, now that she was focused more on her thoughts -- the last block or so to the temple. Pushing open the gate and pulling out her key, she chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment.



"Kisuke... I told you when I gave you this.... that it was a promise. That.... if I ever did decide to... settle down or... you know. That the only person I'd ever do that for was... you. You said you wanted me all for yourself, that you couldn't bear the thought of me with anyone else anymore. And.... I said you didn't have to. That.... doesn't have to change, if you don't want it to."



He was silent as they walked the last block up to the temple, thinking and evaluating her words, stopping the thought 'this isn't the Yoruichi I know' that wanted to spill past his lips. Because it was her, it was the same Yoruichi that he knew, only she had grown less impulsive, more level-headed (if that were possible), more, daresay, mature.



There were numerous occasions where he'd look at her in the early morning sleeping next to him, well knowing that she had full intention on leaving in a few hours. He'd pretend to be asleep, and sure enough she'd slip out and would be gone. It took all his will to say stay, but whenever he finally worked up the courage, it'd be too late. But then there were those very few times where he couldn't stand it anymore and allowed someone else, another woman, to stay... he could never forget the look Yoruichi gave him when she caught one leaving one time. How the two of them stood in silence, eyes locked, until she'd finally spoke her snarky quip of 'well, it looks like someone was having fun'.



"I don't want it to change." He broke the silence as they reached the temple gate, eyes roaming over the vast exterior. "I don't know what happened between us, but if you were happy, and if I was happy, then I don't want it to change."



Maybe he was right, and she had "matured" a bit. But then, the City had a tendancy of changing people, of making them realize things, come to terms with things, even things they'd known for a long time and just not wanted to really face. She could tell what he was thinking, at least to a degree. Probably alternating between wondering what she was on that would make her say something like that, and thinking back to all the times he'd wanted her not to leave, to just stay with him, and she'd always managed to evade him, to slip away before he could pin her with that look that cut right through her.



He probably thought she didn't know, how many times she'd been perfectly cognizant of the fact that he was only miming sleep, only playing at it in hopes that she wouldn't know how much he didn't want to let her go. And sometimes... that was what made it even harder. Knowing that he wanted more than she'd been able -- or maybe it was even willing -- to give right then. That he'd needed her in a way she had refused to admit she needed him too.



She'd always known she would come back, and never be turned away, never receive anything but the same warm welcome. Which was likely why the first time she'd caught someone else leaving, she'd simply stared for a long moment before snapping something scathing and making herself scarce for months. It was selfish, and perhaps even childish in a way, to want exclusivity with one thing, and yet not want to offer the same in return. But the City... well, it had changed that. Not even so much willingly on her part. Just the sheer fact that she really couldn't leave, couldn't go wandering the same way she had before. And in this odd, often distressing place, his presence had been a comfort. An anchor that she'd never really needed before. And truthfully, she'd grown used to the closeness, even fond of it. Which had made it so much easier to accept that maybe staying wasn't really such a bad thing.



Nodding with a smirk, she tugged her hand loose from his and darted down the hall, tossing a challange back over her shoulder. "If you can catch me before I get to our wing, I won't make you sleep alone~"



His feet darted across the wooden floor, his body light and agile as Yoruichi's. "This place is huge!" He mused outloud, staying close behind her. "How many people are staying here?"




His facination keep his focus, as his eyes kept drifting to everything around him - the ornate furniture, the shiny wooden floors, the high ceiling. As he noted to himself that he could 'get used to this', he reached out and fingers enclosed a dark-skinned hand and pulled. He pulled her into him, and took his cane to trap her between his arms. "I think I won~!"





"I'm not sure. This is just our portion of it."



Eyes widened with a slight yelp of surprise as she was tugged back against him, the hard rod of Benihime against her back effectively trapping her in the cage of his arms. Resting fingertips on his forearms, she quirked her eyebrows at him. "Oh?~ And what do you plan to do now that you've won, Urahara-san?"



It felt good to have him back, good to have his familiar presense close to her again. Wander though she may have, it just felt wrong somehow to know that she couldn't just go seek him out when she wanted to, the ease of the contact serving as an anchor in so many ways.



He shrugged with a grin, "Oh~ I dunno~ Perhaps this?" A soft kiss was placed on her forehead, and his lips lingered there for a moment before pulling back and releasing her from his arms.




They stood there for a moment, the silence growing, but to Urahara's mind, never becoming awkward. "So...you gave this ring? I'm quite surprised at your good taste, Yoru! You never had been one for shiny, flashy, pretty jewelry. But it's the meaning behind it that counts."



Again his gaze drifted, looking around. "You should explain to me all the finer details of my previous stay. Perhaps memories might come back? It's a small chance, but...." The large, goofy grin of his covered his mug as he surely hinted at not-so-nice things as he placed a kiss on her temple.

She growled slightly at his prodding, he was right about it afterall, she wasn't one for jewelry most of the time, hell she could remember numerous instances of sitting on her hands and fidgeting through gritted teeth while a plethora of maids and servants fussed around her, adorning her with various trinkets and bits of metal and rock that she was supposed to be fawning over. "If you don't stop bringing it up, I'll take it back..."

Scoffing at the kiss and his mention of "explaining" to him, she cocked an eyebrow at him, studying that grin beneath the stupid hat -- which she promptly liberated and dropped on the table beside her with a wicked grin. "All right. But in return, no hat for the rest of the day."

He might take the bait, he might not, it was hard to say. They were both just as prone to teasing, just as likely to find a small twist they could exploit. Just as she knew perfectly well that it wasn't "explaining" that he really had in mind. Not that Kisuke's mind was ever really on only one track. Flopping back to sprawl on her back across the bed, she folded arms behind her head, cocking her head to one side and running fingers on one hand through loosened hair. "So... what would you like to discuss first?~"

"The city - who's stuck here, how it works - apparently different enough that I never knew it existed or no one knew I was 'missing' - how long have you been here." He paused long enough to lean his cane against the wall next to his geta.

Crawling on the bed next to her, he nuzzled her cheek while arms slowly wrapped around her, pulling her close. "What did I do here? Did I have a lab? Do we have a training ground~?" He inhaled her scent with eyes closed, "Did I tell you how much I love your hair down..."

If he was expecting any specific reaction, she doubted it was for her to simply chuckle and run fingers through his unruly hair. It was nice, though, to be close like this, even though there was still a portion of her mind that chafed a bit at the idea of sitting still and actually... "cuddling".

"To answer those in order... much the same things you do at home, you did until you blew it up getting out of here, it's right below us, and yes you tell me that rather frequently. As for the other things... Nemu would be the best one to talk to about a roster of who's here right now, but the way it works is fairly complex. It acts like a nexus, drawing in any it wishes. And the catch to that is that it can take them from any point in time, whether living or dead. So it's conceivable that you could be here and we could be confronted with a Soifon or a Kuukaku who would basically be... from OUR past."

He sat up on an elbow, "Fascinating~!" Before other thoughts could continue, he felt nimble fingers entwining through his hair.

Bringing a hand to enclose around hers, his eyes met hers, "My dear, this isn't like you~" It most definately wasn't what he recalled, because by this time he'd usually be chasing her around the bed to tackle her underneath his weight to keep her still. "Not that I'm really complaining...Our past, you say...?" Bits and pieces always moving around his thoughts - scattering around and processing in strange ways as others mentioned.

His eyes looked around the room, taking it all in - the ornate decorations, the high ceiling, the nicely sized bed. "I could get used to all this, though. But you, pretty kitty? You're so friendly~ and adorable~!"

She took a moment to nod as he took everything in, nod turning to a slightly irked expression as she crossed her arms. "Oh, well then I guess this would put your mind at ease, Kisuke~"

A simple stretch and clothes dropped into a pile as the black cat stretched and curled up in a ball on the pillow. There, that was more like her.

A small frown crossed his feature as he looked at the cat in front of him. "Honestly Yoru!" He sat up and looked at her. "You must miss me if it took you this long to change in a pretty lil' kitty~ Aw, such a cute kitty~" He knew more than ever that cooing and awing at her would grate on her nerves quicker than anything else.

She drew back a paw, contemplating giving him a few scratches to consider. He knew she hated it when he did that. With a slight growl, she instead twitched her tail and hopped up on the headboard, curling up just out of reach. "Oh don't get your hopes up, Kisuke~ But just because you seem confused, I'll just stay up here tonight. There's a nice patch of moonlight that always comes through the window."

It wasn't foolproof, he probably knew -- or at least had an idea -- that she was bluffing. True, she hadn't planned on sleeping in the bed tonight -- the roof had seemed nice, if not for the snow -- but that had changed when she'd felt the familiar twinge of his reiatsu in the City. Not that she'd tell him that.

With a 'hmph', he sprawled out on his back before covering himself with the sheets. "Oh! How cold my poor body is! All here alone..." He pulled one of the various pillows close to his chest, clutching it closely. "If only a nice warm was here to share this, but I suppose this will have to do. Ho-hum!"

He waited in silence, taking a note the black cat still stubbornly sat on the headboard before quickly sitting up. "My! Is this a down blanket, because It rather IS nice and toasty... so much that...." He undid his dark haori and threw it to the floor and fiddled at the ties of his other shirt, exposing a pale line of chest and abdomen.

She paused in licking a paw, raising said paw to wash her ear with a scoff. "Oh please. You'll have to do better than that, Ki~su~ke~."

Tugging a leg up to wash that, she stretched out on her back, furry head facing him before shifting back to her other form with a smirk, silently thanking her sense of balance that she could remain sprawled out across the rather narrow headboard, arms thrown over her head, unashamedly wearing nothing but long hair -- not that that was doing much good, seeing as it was tumbling over her shoulders and down the headboard.

"I don't think you really want company~"

"EH~ Suit yourself! But I would think that's a rather shallow ledge for you. I hope you don't mind being uncomfortable when, say, I have a BA~D dream and TOSS~ and TURN~ because someone was so cruel not to comfort me!" He managed to shake the bed, causing it to wobble to and fro.

As good as her balance was, that mattered little when he suddenly shook the bed like that. Eyes widening with a scramble of limbs and a squeal, she went tumbling off, landing on him -- she hoped she'd hit something vital, it would have been a just repayment as far as she was concerned, the bastard -- in a tangle of limbs and dark hair.

"Kisuke, you- DAMN YOU!"

The palm of her hand had managed to hit him square in the jaw, but nevertheless, he couldn't help his victorious, ear-to-ear grin as he rubbed said injured spot. "You just needed to cooperate, Yoru~ichi~! You knew I'd be so lonely and scared in such a new place~!" With his opposite hand, he gently pushed her hair back behind her ears, exposing her face, before leaning and kissing her forehead.

"Oh for the-" She trailed off with a slight scowl and an exasperated sigh before fixing him with a skeptical gaze.

"Kisuke I don't think you have EVER been scared in a new place. You're the one who usually has to be dissuaded from going on an immediate information-gathering expedition."

It was true, really. Kisuke hardly ever seemed rattled by abrupt change, and even if he WAS rattled, he never actually came out and admitted it. Leaning in to catch his lips with hers, she gave him a slight push, sending him flopping back against the pillows. "And don't think you're getting off so easily for knocking me down."

"Mm, you're right. I'm much too interested in my surroundings to be seriously bothered. Although, I am rather curious to try and figure out the whole dimension thing works and how I'm unable to remember this place and there be no trace of it...." Her pushiness caused him to stop as her warm lips met his.

"Someone missed me~" He whispered in a sing-song voice. "It makes me pleased to know I have such a lasting affect." His lips met hers this time, pulling the kiss deeper and more involved. Neither really wanted to admit it, so perhaps the rings both had on said it for them, but their connection and bond although often played off as close childhood friends ran much deeper and stronger than either could explain.

His hands circled around her waist and squeezed her thighs, "Y'know what would be great?" His scruffy chin grazed her lower cheek before teeth nipped at an ear lobe, "a nice cup of hot tea and perhaps a glass of milk for you before bed~" He knew that was most likely the last thing on her mind at the moment, but prolonging things would make it even more worthwhile.

She bristled slightly at his whisper, it went against her nature to admit that sort of thing -- despite the fact that she really had missed him -- and she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of an answer that was anything of the sort. And now he was yammering on about tea? Well clearly, he hadn't missed her all that much, a small snide portion of her mind quipped. Not that she believed it for a minute, she knew him better than that. And though it was irritating, at the same time the easy bantering and teasing was a comfort. A small piece of normalcy that she'd grown to rely on in this strange place.

Since his departure, she'd taken much more to her old ways, at least in regards to the restlessness that always seemed to drive her, the inability to simply stay in one place for any decent length of time, and so it had actually been awhile since she'd spent a night just curled up in the bed in their temple-room. Not because the bed wasn't comfortable -- it was, very much so -- but because it was a fairly large bed, and seeing as how she had a penchant for staying in cat form much of the time when she was on her own, it seemed silly to make such a large thing the resting place for a small furry body.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself away from him with a scoff. "Fine, fine. Have your damned tea you fool."

Snagging the pot off of the nearby dresser, she poured him a cup and handed it to him, sauntering down the hall to liberate -- which was really a moot point, seeing as it was HER refrigerator anyway -- a frosted bottle of thick white liquid from the fridge. Popping the top off, she made her way back down the hall, taking a long swig of the milk.

He was lying back propped by one elbow, blowing softly against the top of the cup, but his gaze wasn't there. He was transfixed on her, watching her movements, seeing how her muscles contracted and relaxed, thinking to himself how absolutely amazing the body could be - and hers! - how flawless! Although she would never really admit it, he always noticed how well she carried herself as if she had never left her noble family. The grace and poise was still evident, and it was something he always loved about her.

"I wish I could take a photo." He spoke with a grin, "What would your little bee say seeing you drinking out of the milk bottle? 'So unlady like, yet so gracefully acceptable!' is what I imagine." He finished his sentence with a sip from the cup, and eyes still transfixed on her.

Rolling her eyes, she paused to lean against the doorframe with a smirk. "You're probably right. And then she'd probably say something about how "it must be that vagrant Kisuke's bad influence" because she always did idolize me so... And you just want a photograph to satisfy those perverse thoughts in your head because you know I don't have enough qualms about wandering around naked for any sort of blackmail to work on me."

Taking another sip from the bottle, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth to remove any undignified moustaches, stretching one arm over her head and arching her back to pull tense muscles out of the kinks they seemed determined to work themselves into. "How is everyone at home? Tessai, the kids.... everything still in one piece? I haven't seen it in over a year, you know."

Gaze shifting, he looked thoughtful for a moment. "One year..." He mused outloud before answering her question. "They're well - always bickering and teasing each other; well, on Jinta's behalf really. Ururu, such a sweet child..." He took another sip and placed the cup on the nightstand before standing up.

"Tessai's cooking continues to improve, which is always nice~!" He stopped infront of her and wiped away some white liquid left on the side of her mouth. "I didn't get sick at all!"

"And you wonder why I catch most of my food when I'm there..."

It was hard not to grin at him as his thumb wiped away the traces of milk that had been left behind when she'd scraped the back of her hand across her mouth. Hell, it was hard not to grin at him in general, his near-constant lightheartedness had a tendancy to be infectious, even when she was broody or in a bad mood. Which was possibly why it was just as hard not to be brought down herself on those rare occasions when he ran into a situation he couldn't get out of, something dire that would send him down into that dark and brooding mood she hated. Brooding didn't suit Kisuke, no matter how good he could be at it.

Cocking her head to the side, she raised an eyebrow at him, reaching up to brush bangs out of his eyes. "I would say you need a trim, but I think the last time we tried that, it just ended up sticking out." Pausing for a moment, she let her hand linger, eyes softening slightly. "I'm sorry you're stuck here again..."

"My hair is fine, thank you." He managed to catch her hand in his just as the word sorry passed her lips, "You have nothing to be sorry about, my dear~ Think of it as an extended adventure, I suppose." Just as he let go, he took the bottle from her hand and set it next to the kettle on the dresser.

"You coming?" He looked over his shoulder to her. He had wanted to say more, pry into that statement she had. Was it bad staying here? He already knew there was a history that was unspoken about yet, and something told him he needed to know about these 'curses' and didn't she mention something about him being the blame of his sword? What in the Living World did that mean?

He was too analytical, a flaw of his that seemed to have been born to him and used since day one. He was always searching for meanings and pushing past just the surface - because quite frankly the underworkings were so much more fascinating. Yet he also knew when to stop, when it'd be going too far, a concept that unfortunately needed devastating consequences to be learned.

She could have tossed back some whitty quip about how if he wanted her to come with him, he'd have to try harder than that, but she decided against it. At least for now. There was a great deal to talk about, but there was also the simple enjoyment of closeness, touch, physical contact. Not only for the obvious reasons, but simply because some things communicated better that way. Without words to complicate it.

With a nod, she reached out and took his hand, slipping forward with a simple motion to rest her chin against his shoulder momentarily. "If you have to ask, then you really don't know me all the well, Kisuke~"

"Ah, well~ There's always time to discover, my dear; to learn the unlearned! To explore the uncharted territories~!" He knew she would roll her eyes to that, and with that he was reminded how oddly safe he felt with her in his company. She hadn't changed although she claimed she had been here a year. A constant, she had once muttered to him perhaps in a passing memory that he couldn't exactly pinpoint; nevertheless, she was a constant to him.



"To bed it is, and tomorrow you must be my tour guide - I want to know... what I apparently lived." He snuggled up to her, rubbing his scruffy chin against her shoulder.