redamancy | urayoru

vii

Kisuke supposes there are worse places to be stuck other than the top of a closet. Especially one as meticulously clean as Yoruichi's. It is one of the perks of living in the Shihōin estate that he sorely misses, everything is always spotless, even the smallest nooks and crannies.

He briefly considered hiding under the bed, but he cannot discard the possibility, no matter how remote, that a stray kick might betray his position at any given moment. Which, aside from making the impending situation awfully awkward, would also be a highly unsatisfying end after all the effort it took to break into Yoruichi's room.

It's not the first time he's ever done this, but it's the first time he's had to do it when the castle is on high alert. Blending in with the Onmitsukidō guards returning to the castle was an easy enough feat, but keeping an illusion spell going, even under cover of darkness, while careful not to leave traces of his spiritual signature behind was a little trickier. About fifteen minutes' worth of sneaking around, trickier.

If Yoruichi asks, he'll tell her he did it in nine.

His chest swells at the mere thought of her, at the idea that by now, her retinue must've reached the estate, that he will be seeing her soon.

Heart racing, the image of her floats into his mind, eyes heavy, lips swollen, inviting him up to her room, asking him to—

He cannot even complete the thought without his throat going dry, still convinced that any minute now, he is going to be wake up in his futon back in the Fifth District, short of breath and broken hearted that the last time he ever saw her was that horrible morning four weeks ago. That it was all nothing but a dream.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

He's been dreaming about this, about her for so long, that it's hard to believe his mind hasn't finally given in to complete delusion. From boyish daydreams of holding her hand to later fantasies of kissing her, touching her, she has always occupied his thoughts and his dreams, injecting them with color and a deep yearning that was at times almost unbearable.

It seems ridiculous now, that his greatest fear used to be confessing his long harbored feelings only to have her turn him down. As of this moment, all he can think about is what happens if this falls apart, whether a year or an hour from now? Worse yet, what happens if it doesn't? What happens when her clan begins to put pressure on her to fulfill all of their expectations, all of—

His train of thought is brought to a halt when he senses her spiritual signature in the distance. It is almost comical, how quickly his worries drain away, only to be replaced with an eager anticipation the intensity of which he has never felt before. Willing himself to calm down, he takes his time casting the illusion spell, making certain he is completely untraceable.

He hears the doors open in the living room, his ears now peeled for any incoming sound. There is some muffled conversation, an edge of impatience in both Yoruichi's voice and her spiritual pressure, and then the collective mass of distinct signatures moves toward the bedroom.

The first person to enter is Sakumo, one of Yoruichi's personal guards since childhood, and he wastes no time before marching about the room with purpose, very obviously checking for intruders.

Shit. Are they on to us? He had known the possibility was a very real one, and he had made certain to take precautions against it, but he hadn't honestly thought it would come to it.

Sakumo is followed by Yoruichi, Lady Shihōin and her two handmaidens. Yoruichi looks almost bored with the proceedings, and lays down her ceremonial dagger atop the cabinet by the door as soon as she enters.

"Are you done?" she drawls at Sakumo. "Or should we check under the bed for boogeymen?" She directs that second question at her mother, arching an eyebrow.