Bleach: I will protect you

How could I leave them without a dose of YoruSoi?, of course not! >3
This fan art was inspired by a very nice fic to read: "Butterfly Kisses" (a scene from final chapter). ... of course adding a touch of drama hehehe

Yoruichi's estimate of the weather was both right and wrong. The storm came four days later, just after what would have been sunset.

Locals would say later that it was the worst storm they had seen in decades, with the pounding winds, sheets of rain that blew sideways, pitch black clouds, and thunder that actually managed to crack several windows in Karakura. Currently though, the storm was still in its crescendo, and a short black-haired girl was wandering down the hallway in the Urahara Shoten, a happy smile on her face and the rumbling of approaching thunder a far cry from more important thoughts.

Soi hummed to herself and thought bemusedly of finding the maid dress tucked away in her closet and having a little modeling session for a certain someone, but at the last moment she changed her mind at stopped short at Yoruichi's door instead. She knocked only briefly before entering the room, and the smile quickly fell from her face.

Yoruichi was sitting in the right corner of her room, her knees pulled up and hugged to her chest. Her mouth was partway open, as though to tell whoever was at the door to get out, and her eyes were wide and scared. She was cut off by a rather loud and close rumble of thunder, which cut her off and sent her diving for her futon and under the covers. It took Soi a few seconds to register what she was seeing.

"Y-Yoruichi, what's-?"

"Nothing Soi! U-umm, I feel a little sick! Yeah, that's it! So you should just go before you catch-"

Lightning struck close by, cutting Yoruichi off and making her cower with a little scream. Soi all but ran over and knelt down, reaching gingerly out to touch the quivering lump under the covers. The other girl jumped as if struck, making Soi pull her hand back quickly.

"Yoruichi, tell me what's wrong," Soi said gently. A purple haired head poked out from the covers, the golden eyes glassy with tears. Soi's face froze in shock; she'd never seen Yoruichi cry before, not once.

"I-I'm scared of thunderstorms, alright?" Yoruichi got out miserably. "I hate them, I hate thunder! I can't help it, they just- ahhhh!"

As thunder shook the house, the terrified girl buried herself in the blankets again, shaking and nearly crying in earnest now. Soi wordlessly eased herself down with her back against the wall and gathered the shaking bundle up, holding Yoruichi close in her arms.

"I'll stay with you Yoru-kun, it'll be okay," she whispered, her shyness overcome by her desire to make everything better.

"B-But, I-I don't want you to s-see me like this," Yoruichi choked out from inside the blankets. The storm was getting much worse now, the rain falling in heavy sheets which droned against the roof and beat on the walls.

"I don't want you to have to go through this alone," Soi responded, squeezing her mentor closer as another blast of thunder rocked the house. Yoruichi screamed and cowered closer, shaking harder. After a few minutes, however, her tearstained face slowly poked out of the blankets, looking up at Soi.

"O-Okay, Soi," she whispered. "I trust you…" The former captain lay her head down on Soifon's chest and closed her eyes, listening for the other girl's heartbeat over the din of the storm.

"I trust you too, Yoruichi," Soi whispered in return, rubbing the other girl's back softly. "I know you'll get through this, we'll do it together."

"Okay…"

The two girls stayed like that for the better part of two hours as the storm crashed and raged outside. Yoruichi cowered at each crash of thunder, occasionally whimpering at the worst ones, but she didn't scream anymore. As the storm began to die down, the purple haired captain, unshaken by all but the power of the weather, peeked up at her knight in shining armor. Soifon was sitting with her back against the wall, her slate gray eyes unmoving and focused on the window as if challenging the storm that dared to frighten someone precious to her. Yoruichi managed the barest of smiles before closing her eyes, the toll of constant fear on her body finally wearing her down to sleep.

'I was wrong,' she thought to herself before drifting off. 'I still feel better thanks to her… I think I kinda like storms now, just a little…'


Enjoy it!
Soi Fong and Shihouin Yoruichi from Bleach © Tite Kubo.