Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ It'll Never Work ❯ Troubled Mind ( Chapter 2 )

When Yoruichi woke in the morning, the shop keeper was not there. She woke feeling more tired then when she'd gone to bed. She slid off the covers and stood, pulling on a robe to go find Urahara. He was in the front room, organizing papers and sipping cool tea. He looked up and gave a signature grin.
“Well good morning!” He rose from the cushion and moved to hug her, arms spread wide.
She eyed him suspiciously, but slid her slim arms around him.
“How did you sleep?” He asked, hands rested on her shoulders to keep her at arms length.
“Not very well.” She admitted. “Did you hear anything?”
“No, I'm afraid not. There was nothing from our friends in Seireitei and no more attacks that I know of here. Perhaps I should ask Ichigo. That boy is always getting himself into fixes. Seems like something he would stumble on and royally muck up.” He sat back down and looked up at her. “Would you like some milk?”
“No, thank you. I think I'll go for a walk though.”
Urahara opened his mouth to say something, perhaps tease or joke, but he shut it again and nodded. He didn't know what to say, in jest or seriousness, to bring her about to her old self again. He just had to trust that she would bounce back.

Several days passed without incident. A couple good night's sleep had Yoruichi feeling slightly better. She began to tease him back once more, the banter between the two friends returning to normal. The old pervert continued to try and trick her into nudeness and the tease continued to make him suffer with small snippets and brief views.
“Good to see you're finishing your dinner again. I was worried that you would waste away to nothing and I would have to find some other woman to please my eyes.” Urahara felt a soft splat on his forehead and crossed his eyes to look up. “Very mature, my sweet. Resorting to throwing sushi rice? Really.”
“You were simply asking for it. To suggest I would let my body slip...horrible.” She shook her head, eyes down at her meal.
“I am terribly sorry. I won't let it happen again. My lips betray me.”
“Mm, well they often do, don't they? Pervert.”
“Teases often have a way of making us do that.” He returned, brushing the rice off of his face. “Oh..which reminds me. Something special came with the shipment today.” He unfolded his legs and stood, disappearing for a moment and returning with a glass bottle. “Plum sake.” He poured her a small glass and passed it over, then brought one of his own. “Drink up. Maybe I can finally take advantage of you if I get you drunk enough.”
“You know that won't work. I can hold my liquor far better than you can.”
He scoffed at that. “We'll just have to see...won't we?”

The sight before Urahara's eyes was an odd one to behold indeed. The former captain of the second squad was hunched over the table, blinking at him with big eyes as if to ask; what?
“My dear...you have a milk bubble growing out of your nose.” He said, as delicately as he could.
“What?! No I don't!” She denied, crossing her eyes and looking down to see that there was, in fact, a small bubble of milk. Urahara leaned over and popped it with his chopsticks.
She jumped slightly and looked back up at him, shaking her head a bit to clear her vision. “What did you do that for?”
“Did you want to keep it?”
She was quiet a moment. “No.”
“You're drunk, Yoruichi. You should go to bed. Mine, preferably.”
“Me?!” She laughed aloud. “I'm drunk?! Do you even know where you pants went? They disappeared an hour ago!” She pointed out, hoping to distract him from the fact that she'd been blowing lactose bubbles through her nasal passages.
He looked down at himself and blinked, having much the same expression of surprise on his face that had graced Yoruichi's a moment before. “Well, look at that.”
The woman gave a snort of a laugh. “I'm not -that- drunk.”
“Please, you've had a whole bottle by yourself.” He pointed out.
“Then, logically the other two must be yours.” That was followed by a hiccup, making her look around the room to find the culprit.
“I'm a man.” He said, puffing up his chest and raising his chin to look down his nose at her. “I can hold my liquor much better.”
“Bullshit!” She laughed as she stood up, stumbling ever so slightly and put up her dukes. “Try me.” She challenged.
Thankfully, when he stood the green haori fell to his knees, covering anything she might have otherwise been distracted by. “I can't fight a woman. A drunk one at that.” He protested.
“You've fought me before, stop being such a coward and fight me. We'll prove once and for all who can hold their liquor better.”
“I've had a whole bottle more than you! Hardly a fair fight.”
“Mm...you're right.” She agreed, letting her arms fall to her sides. Then, quite suddenly, closed her eyes and fell asleep, standing right there before him.
Urahara stumbled forward and caught her, just barely. “I win.” He grinned and scooped her up, carrying her to her bed. He only made it to the hallway before he too passed out.

“There you are!” Yoruichi woke the the relieved cry of the shopkeeper and the sound of his wooden clogs clomping her way. “Where have you been?”
Was that...anger? She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Where do you think?” She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Well you weren't here.”
“What are you talking about?” She asked, exasperated. “I slept in my bed the entire night!”
“No, you didn't.” He corrected. “Did you go out hunting? Without me?” She was relieved to see that childish pout. “It's okay, you can tell me. I promise I won't get angry.”
With a roll of her eyes, she turned her back to him. “I didn't go anywhere.” She said again.
“Sir, there's a captain here to see you.” Tessai said from the door of the room, eyes covered. He'd learned the lesson of keeping his eyes averted the hard way when it came to Yoruichi and her private quarters, even when Urahara was there.
“Fine, be like that.” He grumbled and stood, heading out.
Captain Onishi stood in the main room of the shop, waiting patiently.
“Ah, Kisuke.” She greeted him with a formal bow. “I'm afraid I have some disturbing news.”
“The assassin has struck again.” He anticipated with a raised brow.
“Yes, though, that isn't the disturbing part. There was a survivor this time, and-”“Well, thank goodness for that!”
“Indeed. He was able to identify his attacker.” She paused a moment.
Mistaking her reason for it, he waved his fan a bit as if to get her going again. “Well?!”
“The man identified...” Katsumi hesitated a moment. “Yoruichi.”
The dumb look on his face suggested to her that he hadn't fully absorbed what she had told him. He blinked once. Twice. Folding his fan closed he shook his head. “You must be mistaken.”
She sighed softly and shook her head as well. “I'm afraid not. This man has never seen her before, yet described her perfectly. Hair, clothes, mannerisms....attack techniques. Unless you know of a twin sister she might have, I can't...no one, can come up with an explanation for it. Yamamoto has asked me to try and gain your permission to have guards posted here at your shop. He knew you both would deny it and he wants to make sure before he takes action. None obtrusive, I promise. It would be only for the night. Thus far, no attacks have taken place during the day. If Yoruichi tries to leave during the night hours, she'll be asked to stay here. That's all.” She assured him.
“Who's going to ask me what?” The woman herself asked, joining the two and crossing her arms over her chest. “I heard what's going on. I can promise you, I was here all night long, Captain Onishi.” She assured her.
With a heavy, burdened sigh, Urahara shook his head and prepared to give up his greatest and oldest friend. “No, Yoruicihi...you weren't. I went to check on you when I woke early this morning and you were gone. For over six hours.” He told her. “It...it isn't the first time it's happened. That morning you woke in my bed, you came in the middle of the night and just plopped down. Fell asleep before I could ask any questions.”
She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. Why would I do such a thing?” She asked quickly.
“You don't remember even being out.” Onishi pointed out gently.
“I think perhaps having the extra people around would be a good idea.” Urahara surprised Katsumi with the sudden statement of approval. “Then we can prove it isn't you.” He said, hoping to smooth over Yoruichi's most likely very bruised ego.
Yoruichi looked from the captain to the shopkeeper. She stared at him a moment before she closed her eyes and shook her head, turning and disappearing with a quick shunpo to her room. The door closed with a final clap.
“I'm very sorry, Kisuke. Although I knew this would happen, I hoped I could have avoided it.”
The shopkeeper gave a dismissing shrug. “It has to happen. I'll go speak to her and I'll see you later. Please let me know if you learn anything.”
“Of course.” She promised with another formal bow and disappeared herself, leaving the man alone to decide the best course of action. After a half hour or so, he realized there wasn't one. All he could do was hope one would present itself to him.

“Go away!” She growled at the knock at her door. “I might try to assassinate you!” She said bitterly, sitting cross legged and facing away from the door, arms crossed tight over her chest as she sulk quietly in her room.
“I just want to talk to you.” He said reasonably, not yet opening the door.
“I don't want to talk to you!” She shot back like an upset child. “I can't believe you think I would go out and kill Shinigami for a late night hobby!” She fumed.
“I don't think you do that!” He returned immediately. “Yoruichi, please. Just calm down and think this through logically. If you don't remember doing it, then it would make sense that you're being manipulated against your will, yes?” The silence on the other side of the door suggested she'd calmed down enough to at least see that he spoke the truth. Or, more importantly, that he wasn't blaming her for what was happening. He just wanted to help.
The door slid open and he found himself looking into the deep golden yellow pools that were Yoruichi's eyes. “The fact that I might be hurting allies isn't what worries me, it's that I don't remember doing it that scares the hell out of me.” She admitted. “I would rather die.”
He laid his hands on her shoulders and nodded. “I know. We'll figure this out.” He promised. Pulling her in close, he slid his arms around her. In a gesture that showed how truly vulnerable she was feeling, she leaned against him. “Don't worry, my sweet little tease. All will be well.” He assured her, resting his stubbled cheek against the top of her head. “All will be well....”

A rukus in the middle of the night woke Urahara with a start. He'd left Yoruichi sleeping on her own futon hours ago and retired to his own bed. Yoruichi was arguing something and two male voices, trying to stay calm and polite, were gently refuting her.
Pulling on his silk robe, he stepped outside to see the two Shinigami that had been posted by her door with their katanas drawn. “All I want is a glass of milk. Either you go get it for me or I'm going to go get it.” She growled, her yellow eyes flashing with indignant anger. She saw him from the corner of her eye and turned to look at him pleadingly. “Urahara, please. I'm in my right mind, awake and alert. I'm not going to go kill someone, I just want a damn glass of milk!”
Raising his hands calmingly, he stepped toward the high tension group. “It's alright. I'll take her to the kitchen. You guys can even follow if you're that bored. I don't think a glass of milk is going to hurt anyone, unless it's old. Then, well, she goes on a rampage you see. Something about the horrible blasphemy of letting milk go bad.” The two men just looked at him. “Okay, perhaps not a good time to crack that particular joke.” He mumbled under his breath, thanking the woman by the elbow and leading her through the dark and silent house. The two guards followed a bit of a distance behind, giving them some semblance of privacy.
Sitting her down at the low table, he retrieved her a glass of milk and sat down beside her. She cupped the glass in her hands like one would a hot drink and just looked down at it. “Am I that dangerous?” She asked, looking up at him through long, dark lashes.
He shook his head. “We both know that it can't possibly be you doing this. They just don't know that. They're making sure. I don't like it either, but I can't blame them, can you?” He asked gently, looking at her evenly.
“No, I suppose not. It just seems that suddenly I'm a criminal. I don't think I like that feeling very much, Urahara.”
Leaning in, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to kiss her forehead. “I know, dear heart. It will all be over soon. I promise that my entire day tomorrow will be devoted to figuring this out. You know how sly I can be. When I put my mind to something...I figure it out.” He assured her.
Yoruichi was silent a moment before letting loose a long, drawn out sigh as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I know you do.” Though, her tone suggested a little less confidence than she would have liked. It was hard to build up such a feeling when it was your life in the balance. She had no doubt that the higher ups in Seireitei would kill her if they found out that she was the one doing this and she doubted Urahara could stop them with that.
Milk forgotten, she leaned against him for a while. The guards were nowhere to be seen, but she knew they were there. “I'm ready for bed.” She whispered, raising her head once more. With a curt nod, Urahara disposed of the milk and followed her back down the hallway. Much to his surprise, she turned into -his- room rather than her own. It must have thrown off the two Shinigami as well, as they started and began to charge into the room. With a hand on the closest one's chest, he raised a brow.
“Where do you think you're going?”
“To follow her.” He balked, confused.
“She's in my room. No one said you could go in there. I'll keep an eye on her. Both, in fact.” He grinned and winked before sliding the door closed in front of his face with a final clap. He turned to find her already under the covers, in the middle of the bed no less. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I know you're night vision is bad, but surely it isn't -that- bad.”
“It looks like you're in my bed.”
“Go get a cookie.” She said sarcastically. “I'm sleeping here you nitwit.”
“I see.” He slid off the robe and under the covers on the very edge of the bed. “Well, can I at least have half of my own bed?”
“Actually, I was thinking we could both use all of it.”
His eyes snapped open. She was mere inches away from his face, staring into his eyes. Her head tilted the last inch or so to bring their lips together. Naturally, he returned the kiss with vigor, bringing a small and surprising sigh from Yoruichi.
He pulled away gently as her hand moved to his shoulder. Her bare touch was electrifying. “Is this what you want?” He asked carefully.
“You pick now to be a gentleman?” She asked with a raised brow. “For once I'm not teasing, I'm giving and you aren't taking? I've wanted this for a long time but I suppose I was afraid that you would look at me differently. That something would change between us. Someones heart would get broken.”
“Now, let's not get hasty here. I never said I wouldn't do any taking. If you really are sure this is what you want, I'll be doing much taking tonight.” He grinned, eyes sparkling. “And I won't look at you differently. I promise. I'm sure I'll be more of a pervert when I know I can get what I want, but I won't break your heart. I've known you for centuries. If I'd ever had the thought that you weren't the woman for me, I would have set that boundary a long time ago, Yoruichi.
“I've mostly wanted you to be comfortable. I've waited a long time. I would have waited a lot longer. You're worth it.”
“Such a pervert...but a sweet talking one.” She breathed before taking his lips again. When she rolled onto her back he followed, blanketing over her.
“Mm, but it got me what I wanted, didn't it?”
Grinning, she just kissed him and the troubles that worried at her mind melted away, if only for a short time.

She woke to perhaps the second sweetest sight she could have imagined. A long stemmed white rose lay on the pillow beside her, resting over a rolled up piece of parchment tied with an elegant silk ribbon of a deep red. The elegant scrawl on the paper didn't seem to fit Urahara but she knew that it was his.
Tease,
Fixing your life. Be back tonight.
Pervert

She couldn't help but smile. What was she expecting? Some romantic love letter filled with flowery phrases and promises of lifetimes together? Had that been what she read she would have worried she'd broken him.
Pulling on her clothes, neatly laid out for her on the chair where his own usually rested for the next day, she made the bed. She was setting and smoothing out the last pillow when she heard something odd from the hallway.
“Miss Shihoin, how-” Two bodies hit the floor, she could hear, making her stand upright quickly. She noted in a moment that Benehime was gone, with Urahara of course. Oh well, it was worth a try. Readying herself for a fight, shunpo carried her quickly to the door just as it slid open. Unprepared for what she was about to see, she just stood, stunned, as she stared into her own face.