Bleach: White Blossoms

When Soi Fan woke up, she immediately realized something was off. The room was unfamiliar—modestly decorated but modern, with a warmth that suggested it was a place meant for comfort. But what truly startled her was the realization that she wasn't alone. She was lying right next to Yoruichi, their faces mere inches apart.

"What the hell?!" Soi Fan yelped, jolting upright, her voice sharp and alarmed.

Yoruichi stirred at the commotion, blinking groggily as her golden eyes adjusted to the light. "Hmm? Why are you here?" she asked casually, yawning as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

"That's what I'm supposed to be asking you!" Soi Fan snapped, her voice a mix of irritation and mortification.

Before the bickering could escalate, Yurei's calm voice cut through. "Ah, so you're both awake," she said, entering the room with two steaming cups of tea in hand. She set them down on a small desk near the window and turned to face them, a faint but knowing smile on her lips. "I'm honestly surprised you two are even conscious, let alone bickering. But don't worry—you're in my home in the Living World. You're safe."

Soi Fan blinked, her mind still hazy as she pieced together the fragments of the previous night. "Your home? How… when did we even…?" Her words trailed off as snippets of memory returned, her face turning redder with each passing second. "Oh no. What did I do?"

Meanwhile, Yoruichi reacted in her typical carefree manner, stretching leisurely with a grin plastered across her face. "Last night, huh? That was fun," she said, laughing as if she were recalling an amusing prank.

Yurei, however, was less amused. She crossed her arms, her silver hair glinting softly in the morning light. "Fun? Fun?!" She sighed dramatically. "Let me remind you what your 'fun' entailed: making me wrestle both of you drunkards out of the festival, dragging you across town, and then hauling you up the stairs to this very room. All while trying to stop you from tearing my sleeves off in some bizarre tug-of-war match between the two of you."

Yoruichi burst out laughing, leaning back on the bed. "That does sound like us."

Soi Fan buried her face in her hands. "This is humiliating."

"Oh, it gets better," Yurei continued, her tone dry as she grabbed a chair and sat down across from them. "Not only did you two completely ignore the concept of personal space, but you also managed to terrify Ichigo and Rukia to the point where they swore never to drink around either of you ever again."

Soi Fan groaned, her voice muffled by her hands. "What exactly did I do?"

"You tried to fight Yoruichi over which one of you got to 'protect me for the night.' Let's just say it wasn't exactly subtle," Yurei said, a wry smile tugging at her lips.

Yoruichi, on the other hand, looked far too entertained. "Protect you? That doesn't sound so bad," she said, smirking. "Sounds like I won, though. Since, you know…" She gestured vaguely at the bed.

"You didn't win anything!" Soi Fan snapped, her face now a deep shade of crimson.

Yurei held up a hand to stop the brewing argument. "Let's get one thing straight: neither of you won anything. The only thing you achieved was ruining my evening and my arms from dragging you two all the way here. I've decided, from this moment forward, that if you two ever even think about drinking again, I'm personally going to destroy every bottle and evaporate the liquid before it touches your lips."

"Evaporate the liquid?" Soi Fan repeated, glancing at her lieutenant skeptically. "You can do that?"

Yurei hesitated, scratching the back of her head. "Uh… well, I don't know. Rukia asked the same thing. But now I have a reason to figure it out."

"Relax, Yurei. It wasn't that bad," Yoruichi said, waving a hand dismissively as she picked up her tea. She sipped it with an exaggerated sigh of contentment. "See? Everything's fine now. You're overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Yurei deadpanned. She gestured toward the two of them. "I had to explain to my neighbors why two women in traditional attire were screaming 'You can't have her!' in the middle of the night. I am not overreacting."

Soi Fan looked mortified, her hands clenched tightly around her teacup. "Kill me now," she muttered under her breath.

"Aw, don't be so dramatic, Soi Fan," Yoruichi teased, nudging her playfully. "You know, I think last night was good for you. Letting loose every now and then is healthy."

Soi Fan glared at her. "I will kill you if you ever bring this up again."

Yurei sighed, standing up and stretching. "Well, if you two are done with your bickering, I suggest you drink your tea and sober up fully. I'm going to clean up the rest of the disaster you left behind in the other room. And no, you're not invited back here anytime soon."

Yoruichi grinned as she watched Yurei leave the room, her golden eyes sparkling with amusement. "She's unique in her own way, isn't she? I like that about her," she mused aloud, her tone light yet thoughtful.

Soi Fan groaned, burying her face in her hands as the full weight of the previous night's antics settled on her. "I don't even want to look at her right now. How am I supposed to face her after… all of that?"

Yoruichi's grin widened as she leaned back lazily, clearly enjoying her former protégé's discomfort. "Oh, lighten up, Soi Fan. If nothing else, this was one for the history books. Don't you think it's kind of sweet how she took care of us? We should be grateful."

Soi Fan's head shot up, her face still tinged with embarrassment. "Grateful? Are you serious? How are you not embarrassed?!" she demanded, her voice rising. "We were both just… clinging onto her like a couple of drunken fools! Oh god," she groaned, covering her face again. "I remember her flustered face so clearly… and then when I—" She stopped herself mid-sentence, her blush deepening. "No. No, I don't want to talk about this. Ever again."

Yoruichi burst into laughter, wiping a mock tear from the corner of her eye. "Oh, come on, Soi Fan. It wasn't that bad. If anything, I think it was pretty endearing. Besides," she added, her grin turning sly, "I think I can safely say that Yurei favors me more. She's always been fond of me, after all. You saw how easily she let me wrap my arm around her."

Soi Fan's eye twitched as she shot Yoruichi a sharp glare. "Keep dreaming, Yoruichi. You might've taught her first, but I'm her captain. If anyone has her loyalty, it's me."

"Oh, is that so?" Yoruichi replied, her tone playful but challenging. "Because from where I'm standing, it looked like she enjoyed my company quite a bit last night. Maybe even more than yours."

Soi Fan opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, Yurei's exasperated voice rang out from outside the room. "If you two are just going to keep bickering, I'll eat all of the food by myself!"

Both women froze, their argument forgotten as they exchanged a quick glance. Then, as if on cue, they both shouted in unison, "We're coming!"

The two scrambled off the bed and hurried toward the door, their competitiveness momentarily set aside in the face of the new crisis: the potential loss of breakfast.

When they emerged into the dining area, they found Yurei sitting at the table, calmly pouring herself a cup of tea while eyeing the spread of food in front of her. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of them. "Took you long enough. I was starting to think you two would stay in there all day arguing about who gets more of my attention."

Both Yoruichi and Soi Fan stiffened at her words, though Yoruichi recovered first, grinning as she walked over to the table. "Well, clearly it's me," she said casually, plucking a piece of tempura off a nearby plate and popping it into her mouth.

Soi Fan frowned as she took her seat across from Yoruichi. "In your dreams," she muttered, reaching for the rice.

Yurei sighed, shaking her head as she picked up her chopsticks. "You two are impossible. I don't know how I managed to deal with both of you last night, let alone now."

"Oh, come on, Yurei," Yoruichi said, leaning her chin on her hand as she smiled at her. "You know you had fun. Admit it—you wouldn't trade us for anything."

Yurei smiled faintly but didn't answer, instead focusing on her food.

Soi Fan, however, took the opportunity to retort. "If by 'fun' you mean dragging two grown women through the streets like unruly children, then sure, she had a great time."

Yoruichi laughed, unfazed. "Exactly. See? She'll never forget us now."

Yurei sighed again, though this time there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You two are lucky I have a soft spot for both of you. Now eat your food before I actually decide to throw you out."

The three of them shared a quiet moment after that, the tension of the morning giving way to the simple comfort of sharing a meal together. Despite the chaos of the previous night—and the lingering embarrassment that Soi Fan would undoubtedly carry for weeks—Yurei couldn't help but feel a sense of fondness for the two women sitting across from her.

As they ate, Yoruichi and Soi Fan exchanged the occasional jab, but their smiles and laughter were genuine. And for Yurei, that made all the chaos worth it.