Haishi's Hidden Haven

The name Haishiro means "Snow and Ash". His shikai and bankai powers reflect a ying and yang appearance. His favorite colors are white, gray and black. Thus, it's no surprise that when choosing a theme for his own living space, Imitsu went with a minimalistic black and white look that touches upon who he really is: the two sides of a proverbial coin.

The apartment wasn't cheap by any means but having been forced to hide in the human world for nearly forty years, he'd accumulated enough wealth to eventually construct his dream home. It's a two level abode with a single bedroom, two full bathes and a plethora of other rooms. Pure, livable square footage is not a concern here and while it isn't huge by any means, for a single male, it is absolutely more than adequate. Haishiro spends a good deal of time here and the entire apartment is in fact, sealed with a dual kido seal of Hachigen Ushōda's own design that shields Imitsu's reiatsu from Shinigami, Arrancar and spiritually endowed humans alike.

If you're ever in the area and you're not someone that would like to pike his head, knock and if you catch him in a good mood, Haishiro might even come to the door just to tell you to get the hell off of his lawn.

Haishiro was in a sour mood. Everything about this day had just set him off. Nothing had gone right and the worst part was, he didn’t have anyone to vent to, just like it had always been. Even the slightest provocation had caused him to lash out at a fellow student as he was changing classes. The physical exchange had left the student with a few broken ribs and a shattered femur as well as a slight concussion as a result of being kicked through a window into a bicycle rack. Imitsu had escaped disciplinary action by high tailing it out of there before anyone showed up but he was sure he was going to be held accountable come Monday.

He lashed out with another kick, connecting solidly with the foam-filled dummy. A rapid one, two punch combo followed, aimed at the solar plex region of the dummy; it was an attack that would have left any normal human gasping for breath. Unfortunately for Haishiro, none of the opponents he fought on a normal basis were normal humans. In fact, his adversaries were the kind of people that could end his existence in the blink of an eye should he let his guard down even for a microsecond and when measured up against his foes, Imitsu was lacking in strength and power. It was a fact that was never far from his mind.

“Fucking ridiculous…” He muttered angrily as he continued to pummel his imaginary opponent with a flurry of blows meant to shatter both ribcages. With a methodical approach to his madness, Imitsu began from the top of the dummy, working his way down and crushing and/or snapping each and every major bone along the way with hand to hand combat techniques. “Son-of-a-bitch…what a fucking joke…” The anger seethed off of him in waves almost overpowering his own reiatsu to a degree.

With a final ferocious kick, he sent the dummy flying across the room, running it into the opposite wall and leaving an indentation in it. It slid down to the floor and thudded onto its side, the expression carved into its face grinning at Haishiro, as if mocking him, taunting him, pitying him. A growl formed in Imitsu’s throat as tendrils of red energy collected in his right hand. With a vicious flick of his wrist, he sent the mini cero hurtling towards the offending inanimate object. With a puff of smoke and a minor explosion, the cero tore the head off of the dummy, destroying the body as well in the process.

“Awesome, just awesome. Now, I have to buy a new one. Goddamn it. Piece of shit product, why the hell do they give it a face like that?” Venting out his frustration and anger in a stream of curses that would have turned the face of any mother beet red, Haishiro finally finished with a resounding, “Fuck my life.”

Backing up against a wall, he felt the strength go out of his legs as he sagged down to the floor, all willpower gone from his being. Burying his face into the palms of his hands, Haishiro began to shake as his past, present and future collided as one. For him, he’d always tried to run from his past. He despised living in the present and the future held little else but dark, bleak hope. When he looked at it from this angle, his entire life seemed a bit pointless. Breathing deeply, Imitsu tried to put a brake on such depressing thoughts; yet, any way he looked at it, there wasn’t anything positive in his life.

His childhood was a joke, seeing as how he’d never had parents and had been scorned by his fellow orphans due to his quiet personality and often serious facial expressions. He didn’t make any friends even though he tried. They just used him as a tool to further their own goals, enriching their lives while sucking his dry. The time he spent in the Shinigami Academy hadn’t been much better. His experiences from District 79 followed him into the Academy and he remained a loner for six long, painful years. Even his professors seemed to treat him with disdain and isolated him from the rest of his classmates, as if he was diseased. Upon graduation, he’d tried to remain optimistic but it didn’t help much when reality smacked you in the face with a giant sized palm. Captain Ukitake had been understanding and had even tried to establish himself as a father figure to the young Shinigami but it just wasn’t the same. Then, there was her. Yoruichi Shihoin.

Haishiro laughed out loud at the thought of her. He didn’t harbor any illusions. Imitsu was willing to bet his life savings that the woman had forgotten about him as soon as he was exiled from the Soul Society. It was the story of his life; a perpetual cycle that he was completely unable to escape from to any great degree.

With an almost superhuman effort, he dragged himself to his feet, albeit reluctantly. Shrugging off the ill thoughts that always seemed to occupy his mood as of late, Haishiro plodded unexcitedly over to his balcony, resting his forearms on the railing as his light blue eyes pierced into the distance, searching for something, anything, anyone to call a friend.

The night air was beginning to turn a bit chilly. Haishiro zipped up his hoodie, putting his hood up and stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. The wind started to pick up, its howl seeming to echo Imitsu’s own pain and suffering. The ex-Shinigami stayed like that for a while, merely looking out into the sea of lights that ebbed and flowed, a representation of the city’s life at night. It was a beautiful view, one couldn’t detract from the obvious but how one interpreted it was left open to opinion and debate. For Imitsu, each pinpoint of light represented something that he would never understand and grasp.

Hours later, as the city began to go to sleep, Imitsu finally straightened and padded back inside, the thoughts in his mind falling into a deep abyss just like always. “No use crying over spilt milk.” He muttered. Going over to a small, black contraption that controlled all the electronics in his apartment, he flipped through a music playlist before settling on a song – Day ‘N’ Nite by Kid Cudi – one of his personal favorites.

Grabbing a simple, black, 0.5mm fine-point pen and a beat-up looking leather bound journal, Haishiro settled into a comfortable, contemporary egg-shaped chair made of an incredibly soft, stretchy material. Slouching down into it and propping his legs up on his coffee table, Haishiro flipped the journal to a blank page, glanced at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment or two then began transcribing the days’ events…



Grumbling about a horrible journal entry, Haishiro placed the pen and journal back into their respective cubby holes and climbed the stairs to his second story bedroom. Brushing his teeth, he stripped down to his boxers and flopped onto his bed, dead to the world the instant he closed his eyes. After all, he needed rest for another hellish day tomorrow.

Waking up to the sounds of, ‘Every Morning’ by Sugar Ray, Haishiro’s mouth looked like a gaping black hole as he yawned and stretched out across his bed. Ruffling his own hair and trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes, he turned his head and checked the clock. “Ughh…eight o’clock? I wake up too damn early on the weekends.” Grunting, he slid himself out of bed with great difficulty and shivered from the cold as he left the warmth of his thick, fluffy covers. Stumbling to the bathroom still half asleep, Haishi blindly groped for the shower handle, turning the water on and adjusting the temperature so it was slightly south of just being too hot. Stripping down naked and tossing his plain, black boxers into his hamper, he made his way into the shower somehow with his eyes still more or less closed.

As soon as the hot water hit him, his five senses started to come alive. His eyes popped open and if was like he was seeing for the first time as he stared around the interior of his shower dumbly. The sound of cascading water could be heard next as his ears jumped aboard the ‘daily wake-up’ train. The smell of his soap invaded his nostrils right along the same time he felt the thick, syrupy-like liquid of his shampoo as he squirted some into the palm of his hand and rubbed it vigorously through his purple-colored hair. Finally, taste reappeared in his mouth as he tasted his nasty breath from a night of sleep. Making a face, he finished washing his hair before grabbing his shower gel, squeezing some up and lathering it up all over his body.

As he toweled off, he looked in the mirror, noticing that he had fully waken up by now. Brushing his teeth with his toothbrush before blasting his mouth with a blast of cool mint from his mouthwash, Imitsu got himself dressed casually in a comfortable set of clothes. Comfortable black pants were held up by a thin, white, fashionable belt while a simple white tee with a black ringed collar covered his torso. To protect himself against the cold, he threw on his favorite hoodie and covered his bare feet with a pair of socks. Lastly, he grabbed his glove and slid it on over his adjuuchas arm, hiding the fact that he was, in fact, not exactly human.



By the time he wandered downstairs, he was humming along to, ‘Money Honey’ by Lady Gaga and feeling pretty good about the day. So far, nothing had gone wrong so it was already a marked improvement over yesterday.

As the bacon sizzled on the pan and the smell of toast filled the house, Haishiro made a pot of coffee, squeezed some fresh orange juice and finally set down to a breakfast fit for a king. Slices of toast were stuffed next to a large, omelet filled with ham, bacon, tomatoes, chives and other assorted ingredients while a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal sat guard by the glass of orange juice. His cup of coffee was steaming hot and it lingered next to a plate of miniature sausages. Rubbing his hands eagerly, Imitsu began to chow down on the food, his mind already running at full throttle, planning the day’s events.

There were an unprecedented amount of disadvantages to living in the real world. In fact, Haishiro had lost track by now just how many reasons there were that he hated being trapped here in Karakura Town. Still, there was one saving grace that kept him somewhat sane throughout it all and that simple fact was: the real world had simply amazing music. Everything from this new hip-hop fad to classic string arrangements to club and dance music; it was all so captivating. Still, there was one genre in particular that Imitsu was especially fond of. Whenever he was simply sitting around, relaxing in his home, smooth jazz played from the speakers embedded overhead in his ceiling. Each note was a lyrical wonderment of sound, passion and soul that combined for a deliciously tasteful musical effect.

Perhaps it had been the history of jazz that had captivated Haishiro’s imagination and emotions or maybe it was the way each song seemed to tell a story about the artist that had composed it. Every chord struck a corresponding one in his heart and more often than not, Imitsu fervently wished he had the talent to learn one of the songs he played over and over, day after day. The improvisation, polyrhythms and clever syncopation involved in jazz made Haishiro think of his life, how he’d made it up as he went along, improvising an existence out of nothing. The polyrhythms were representative of his gamble at trying to remain true to himself while living a life that would be accepted by others. The syncopation reflected in him his unorthodox and unexpected attempts to escape from the dismal life he'd managed to carve out. While it may seem and sound beautiful, in its pure essence once you distilled past all the bullshit, it was sad…just like the roots of jazz itself.

“...eight…nine…ten…” With a dull thump, Haishiro’s feet hit the soft yoga mat below his pull-up bar as he let go. He felt a bit better than he had yesterday. The sea of anger that had tossed him in its tempest all night was by now, a calm pool of water that merely lapped at his shores, nipping at the heels, but never really growing into a full-fledged gale wind. It was a trait that he abhorred in himself – his almost uncontrollable anger when hard times drove him down, crushing him with the weight of reality’s bleakness.

Grabbing a towel off of the rack next to the door, Imitsu wiped the sweat off his face, relishing in the soreness he felt in his muscles as his head bobbed along to the strands of ‘Take Five’ by The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Soreness meant he was correctly breaking down his muscles so they could repair themselves and become stronger, faster, more powerful. He had to keep improving himself. He had to keep growing not only physically, but mentally as well. The other Vizards might have shunned him for his unoptimistic views but Haishiro saw the real truth.

A showdown was coming between the Shinigami and Arrancar. It was only a matter of time before someone pulled the trigger and it all came crashing down into a whirlpool of destruction. People would be killing and being killed. Relationships would be tested as would be loyalties. It would be a time of reckoning for many people and Imitsu was determined to be standing there, carrying out their sentences with his own two hands. Those that stood in his way would be efficiently exterminated with maximum force. It was really quite simple. The world was a bitter, evil place, no matter if you were dead or alive. Haishiro realized that better than most. What made him dangerous was the simple fact that he had nothing to lose anymore. He had nothing left, except his pride.

Finishing a rep of free-weight curls, Imitsu dropped the dumbbells and grabbed his jump rope. He was working on a blitz regime to increase his endurance and tolerance for the difficult. You didn’t stop between exercises when you subjected yourself to this sort of training. You mercilessly beat your body, going straight from weights to cardio back to weights and so on. Physically, you exhausted yourself to the point of collapse and then you got right back up and kept pushing harder and harder. Mentally, your brain’s synapses fired off one after another in overdrive. Reasoning was replaced with a dominant, animalistic drive. It was in this state that Haishiro was currently residing. His face was emotionless, his mind cleared of nearly everything save for the task at hand…the preparations for war.

“…drink all day…play all night…let’s get it poppin!…” Walking in the front door of his apartment, Haishiro realized he must have left the music playing when he’d left earlier that day. The song that he walked in on was one of the most addicting songs he’d heard since coming to the real world. He could honestly play it over and over all day and not become tired of it. It was just so damn catchy. Bouncing along to the beat, he repeated the lyrics subconsciously, having memorized the entire song long ago.

Stripping down to his boxers and pulling on a pair of mesh shorts, Imitsu collapsed into his chair and sighed. What a day. He seemed to be caught in a clichéd cacotopia. Everywhere he went turned into a war zone and everyone was always trying to kill him. Seriously, what the hell? He didn’t do squat to either the Shinigami or Arrancar and both sides were viciously hunting him and his kind down. Were they so insecure in their own standings that they had to effectively, start a kind of racial cleansing? Or was it because they deemed themselves superior to all others and decided that the world would be a better place if the other sides were wiped out? Either way, it seemed a bit over the top to Haishiro; especially, when it came to the Vizard. No one had any real reason to attack them.

Sauntering over to his wet bar, he fixed himself a strong Crown and Coke, stirring the ingredients slowly to mix them well. Throwing a cherry into it as a finishing touch, he shrugged and went about fixing himself some dinner. Cooking always calmed him down just as working out did. Haishiro figured it was because his mind was focused on something else and previous problems were quickly forgotten and filed away for him to ponder over later. Of course, he really did enjoy the culinary arts. The great smells, the sensational flavors that exploded over your taste buds, who didn’t love food?

His space-age kitchen was stacked from floor to ceiling with the latest gadgets, gizmos and cookbooks on what to prepare, how best to prepare it and how to serve it. Traditional tools and techniques were not forgotten, but integrated into the process each time Haishiro cooked up a storm. For tonight, he settled on a seafood themed meal. Grabbing a dry erase marker he meticulously wrote down a list of what dishes he wanted to make on the whiteboard that hung in his kitchen. Ingredients were laid out in detail as well as approximate cooking times and appropriate dish size.

The list was indeed impressive. Seared curried scallops with cucumber sauce and salmon pearls were to be served as an appetizer to whet his appetite. To cover his vegetables, Haishiro fixed a yellow snapper nicoise salad with a light ginger dressing to compensate for the raw fish. And for his crowning achievement, he served up a main course of bay scallop, shrimp and ahi tuna ceviche in thin tortilla cups. Freshly ground black pepper topped nearly all his dishes – Haishiro had a thing for black pepper – and plenty of fresh lime juice and cilantro added that extra kick to the main course. Laying everything out with a flourish and style that would have made a four-start restaurant chef blush, Imitsu sat down, said a small prayer and dug in like there was no tomorrow.

Half an hour later and he was moaning from a self-induced food coma. It had been way too much food but he hated leaving anything on his plate and despised saving it for another day. If it wasn’t fresh, his gourmet palette refused to touch it. Waddling over to the oven with a stomach that had suddenly become two sizes too big for the shorts he was wearing, Haishiro leaned down and grabbed his desert – raspberries in a puff pastry. Bringing it back to the table, he stared at it for a second before slicing off a chunk with his fork and shoving it into his mouth. The sour raspberries, sweet Grand Marnier and whipped cream combined together to tease and taunt his taste buds.

“Damn, I think I just had an orgasm in my mouth.” Polishing off the desert, Haishiro whistled happily to himself as he cleaned the table off and went to work washing the dishes. After everything had been washed, dried and put away, he grabbed a beer from his personal tap machine – he preferred lighter, spicier beers – and crashed on the couch, flipping the TV on and grabbing his journal and a pen at the same time.

Opening the leather-bound journal to a new page, he tapped his chin thoughtfully with the tip of his pen, his mind already escaping the boundaries of the physical world…

The time was three in the morning. The night was starting to wind down. Groups of people could be seen mobbing eating establishments that served breakfast while other groups went to businesses that offered couches and played soft, soothing music. And still others decided to go home and sometimes, they had someone with them.

Haishiro walked into his apartment reeking of alcohol, perfume and sweat. It was the unmistakable stench of a night out on the town. Gales of laughter could be heard behind him as a troop of four girls talking amongst themselves followed him into his contemporary-based living space. There was a second of stunned silence as his guests took in the view and realized that Imitsu must be making bank if he was living in such lavish settings. Then it was back to fits of giggling and groping as his fellow grad students released some of their pent up stress from the past few days of the work and school week.

Unknown to his guests, Haishiro was actually not all that thrilled to have them over – even though they were all quite attractive in their own, unique ones. Apparently, from what information he’d managed to garner from the rumor mill around campus, he was a hot topic amongst the female co-eds. His dark and brooding manner combined with his penchant for stoic silence seemed to present itself as a challenge to any hot, single, female grad student that was out-going and flirtatious. Thus, he found himself in this situation, where he had been dragged to go hang out with them right after class and had spent the entire night with this group of ladies, going from club to club. Looking at them as they strutted around in their high heels and skimpy outfits, Imitsu could do nothing but groan silently as he recalled how this came to be.

They’d first approached him nonchalantly, asking him some questions about their school work before quickly steering the topic onto a much touchier subject – relationships. One of the girls had just blurted it out and inquired if he was single. Before he had had a chance to respond, another one suggested that he was gay. And yet a third one was of the opinion that he was saving himself for the right woman. At the time, he couldn’t do anything else but laugh at their verbal barrage and that action alone had been the death of him.

Taking his laughter as a sign that he enjoyed spending time with them, the gaggle of women had promptly commanded him to accompany them as they went out tonight. Flabbergasted, Haishiro had quickly put up excuse after excuse but no mere mortal can dissuade four women after they’ve made up their minds. It was like an ant trying to move a boulder. It didn’t exactly turn out too well for the ant. So, after being dragged from club to club, dancing his ass off and getting pretty much molested by all four girls, Haishiro had tried to escape by telling them he had work in the morning and that he had to get home.

Apparently, telling someone that you had to leave was now an invitation for them to come on over and continue the party at your place; which brings everything around full circle back to the present.

Putting on some music – Faster Kill Pussycat by Paul Oakenfold ft. Brittany Murphy – Haishiro asked if the girls wanted anything else to drink. Maybe they would just get drunk enough, pass out and shut the hell up. That’d be nice. He might even be able to get some sleep tonight. His question was greeted with a resounding clamor for different cocktails and as quickly as he could, he mixed a drink for each of them. As they continued to drink into the night and dance, articles of clothing began to fly off randomly and it was all Haishiro could do not to face palm right then and there in front of them. Didn’t these girls realize he wasn’t interested in them…at all?

Suddenly, one of them lunged at him in an attempt to drag him into the dancing, drinking and other random assorted naughty actions they were all partaking in. Still trying to refuse, he eventually gave up and caved. Fuck it. He might as well have some fun seeing as how he was always so tense and serious. Living a little crazy one night wouldn’t be that bad, right? Hell, as long as it got these women off his back for a while, anything would be worth it. Pouring a drink for himself, he turned up the music, dimmed the lights and got just as wild as the girls.

Two hours later and he was kicking himself for his stupidity. All of them had passed out, but not before two of them had hurled all over his carpet and favorite chair. After that, they’d floated in a state of semi-consciousness as the alcohol coursed through their systems and threatened to knock them out. Eventually, they all succumbed to the liquor and Haishiro had four, mostly naked females sprawled in various positions from his bedroom to the bathroom.

He face palmed.

“I really…really…really hate my life, sometimes.”

Thankfully, they’d made it to his apartment without incident. The great and noble Byakuya Kuchiki had realized that he had been bested by Yoruichi’s technique and had withdrawn back to the Soul Society. No pursuing Shinigami units proved to be a nuisance as the duo had flitted between shadows and darted from cover to cover. Likewise, trouble from any Arrancar and Vizard was non-existent and when they arrived safely, Haishi just had to thank the heavens for their good fortune. Plunging his hand into his pockets for his keys, he rummaged around for a second before procuring the metallic object and withdrawing it, only to insert it smoothly into the gate lock. With a twist and a satisfying click, it swung open and Haishiro let Yoruichi enter first. Following her, he bounded up the steps leading to his front door and with a cursory glance around to make sure no one was watching, he punched in the six digit security code into the keypad next to the heavy, white door. Letting the electronic motor work its magic, he waited patiently until it had finished disengaging the locks.

“C’mon, let’s get inside and rest up. We’ve had a long night.” Imitsu wrapped an arm protectively around Yoru and prodded her to go inside with a slight push on the small of her back – right where it curved ever so slightly to help give her such an amazing figure. Walking in, their ears were filled with the soft, stringed notes of Jason Mraz’s guitar as his voice easily sang the words to his popular single, “I’m Yours”. It was somewhat fitting for the two of them.

With a practiced ease that indicated this routine was normal for him, Haishiro took off his shoes, arranging them neatly in the square, aluminum shoe rack off to one side in the foyer. Padding in his socked feet to the kitchen, he quickly began brewing a light green tea with lemon and honey to warm the two of them up and soothe their mind and bodies. “I don’t think I have to say this, Yoru, but go ahead and make yourself at home. If you need anything and can’t find it, just let me know.” Imitsu began humming along to the song as he relaxed completely. The familiarity of his home, the comforting smells and sights, even that one squeaky wooden floor board by the door to the garage all combined to wrap him in a security blanket that dispelled any worry and fear.

Puttering about the kitchen and making sure the tea wouldn’t boil over, he ran upstairs real fast, stripping out of his dirtied and ruined dress shirt and slacks and replacing them with comfortable, black, mesh gym shorts and a grey Hanes tagless tank. He ran a hand easily through his purple hair as he came back downstairs, looking for Yoruichi. The tea was ready and she was no where to be seen. Shrugging, he popped into the kitchen, poured the tea and brought it into the living/family room where he had set up a set of comfortable couches and chairs along with a TV, coffee table and many other miscellaneous objects.

“Hey, Yoru, where are you? The tea’s ready!” He shouted.

All too soon it seemed the thrill ride had ended, from the still smiling *rouge captains* perspective anyway, as Yoruichi and Haishiro finally arrived at their destination. Byakuya's expression as a result of her little trick was just priceless, a memory that Yoruichi decided she'd keep for quite some time for cheap laughs wen she needed them. Curiousity reared it's head once more as Haishiro gently guided her inside his home, a small tingling sensation running through her at the light contact his hand made on the small of her back. She couldnt help but feel a little enticed as the music made its way to her ears, the lyrics of the song helping to ease her earlier excitment as she slid her feet out of the light shoes she usually wore with her Stealth Force outfit. "Thank you Haishi." she replied to his comment about making herself at home, "Im sure you'll be able to satisfy my every need" she continued off-handedly with a smirk in his direction before padding her feet across the living room.

Yoruichi had to hand it to him, this place was great. A cozy and comfortable setting with a tone that seemed to match its owner's personality and taste, the black and white colors that dominated almost everything around her as well as Haishiro's fashion sense. It all reminded her somewhat of Haishiro's old quaters back in soul society. The simplicity of where she stood, though it was very much more filled out, matched the way he lived back in soul society all those years ago. "Just as I thought......seems you havent changed much at all Haishi" she said more to herself than anyone as she watched said vizard ran up stairs, leaving her alone for awhile to continue her wandering.

Deciding she could look around later, and the fact that Haishiro had left her down stairs for god -knows what, she shrugged to herself and began a search for a place to wash up. Haishiro did say to make herself at home, and she'd never had a problem doing so in the past during visits to the homes of friends, so why not? After Opening and closing a few doors, one of which leading to nowhere but a small closet and the other into an even smaller closet made to stack towels and blankets in, she finally found what she was looking for in the form of an average bathroom. Sliding the smooth fabric of her pants down her toned legs, sliping the open back top of her Stealth Force outfit over her head, and releasing her hair of its pony tail, she stripped herself completely before stepping lightly into the bathtub and starting her warm shower with a turn of the nearby faucet.

“Yoru! Where the heck are you?” Haishi’s cheek twitched involuntarily in his annoyance. She wasn’t answering him and he really didn’t feel like playing hide and seek at the moment; in fact, he’d been hoping that the two of them could just curl up on the couch together and relax a bit, enjoying each other’s company. But, apparently, his unpredictable significant other had an alternate set of plans – just like she always did. It didn’t help matters that Imitsu was slightly tired and when he’d had a crazy day like the one they had today, he tended to get just a wee bit cranky. Of course, he would never snap at her or show her his anger. Still, everything that had transpired recently was really quite irritating and top it all off, the tea was getting cold.

Making a sound of apparent defeat, he flopped down the couch, all four limbs stretched out lazily as he decided to just wait for her to show back up. His apartment wasn’t all that big so there was no real place for her to hide. When he’d finally settled in and was quietly pondering where they would go from here, the song ended and there was a brief moment of relative silence as the next track in line phased into existence through the speakers. In those scant few seconds, Haishi could have sworn he heard the water running. But, he’d already turned off the water in the kitchen, right? He blinked and finally, the light bulb went off in his head. Duh…maybe that’s where she was.

Getting to his feet, Haishi meandered over to the bathroom on the first floor. As he got closer, the sound of rushing water could be heard coming from beneath the closed door where it didn’t quite touch the wooden floor underneath. A bright light shone through as well from the other side, letting the Vizard know that Yoru was indeed, in the bathroom – after her physical exertions today, it was likely that she was showering. Cracking the door open a few inches, he peeked in discretely, trying not to see anything if he could help it. Even after all this time, Haishi was still unnerved around her when she shed her clothing; especially, when she stripped down to her underwear or less. His face tended to turn beet red and his speech became stuttered.

Seeing nothing, he pushed the door open a tiny bit more. “Hey, Yoru, are you taking a shower?” He asked dumbly before realizing she wouldn’t be able to hear him over the cascading water. Quickly sticking his head in, Haishi froze, stared for a second before beginning to flail randomly and apologizing to her. The color of his face was as red as a tomato and the movement of his arms looked like a man on fire. The thing was, he’d forgotten that his showers were enclosed in crystal clear glass rather than the traditional curtain. So, as soon as he’d looked in, it was hard to miss Yoru’s naked form behind the painfully transparent material. Smacking himself in the face with open palms, Haishi covered his eyes and backed out of the bathroom before all shred of his dignity as a man eroded away.

Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat once and thought out loud, “Well, I might as well get her some clothes to wear that aren’t dirty.” Heading upstairs, Imitsu proceeded to go through his closet, trying to figure out if Yoruichi could wear anything he had for the time being. If it was safe enough in the morning, they could go shopping and pick her up some articles of clothing but for now, as long as she was covered, it would have to do. Then again, she might think differently but Haishi wasn’t about to suggest that she either wear her old clothes or walk around naked; though, knowing Yoru, she’d enjoy the latter option. Grabbing a few things that he figured were alright, Haishi went back downstairs and this time, made sure to look in the opposite direction when he opened the bathroom door and stuck half his body and head in.

Raising his voice so she could hear him over the shower, he said, “Here are some clothes that aren’t dirty. They’re uhh…not umm…women clothes. Uhh, sorry, I didn’t have any but yea…umm, these should be alright until we can get you some proper clothes. So yea…here you go. I’ll go wash your Special Forces outfit. If you want something else to wear, just umm…yell…or something.”

Dropping the bundle of clothing he was carrying onto the bathroom floor, Haishi quickly grabbed up Yoru’s dirty laundry and bolted outside. Carrying her black outfit to the washing machine, he yawned, expecting her to come out fully clothed. After all, he’d left her a few different options. There were a few tee-shirts; although, Haishi tended to wear fitted tees. He realized they really wouldn’t cover everything on her so he’d also left Yoru a few pairs of soft gym shorts – one pair was mesh and the other was made from soft cotton. Both were probably too big for her but they had drawstrings she could tighten. If she was cold, there was also a pair of stretchy dark blue gym pants. Unsure of what else Yoruichi might fancy, Imitsu had tossed a white button-up dress shirt on top of the pile of clothes he’d left in the bathroom. It was larger and longer than the tee-shirts and would cover up more of her, at the very least.

Dropping her clothes into the washing machine, Haishi finished setting everything up and walked back to the living room, letting the invention of modern man do Yoruichi's laundry for him. Plopping himself back onto the couch, he kicked his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back comfortably as he waited patiently for her to finish showering and dress. His attention shifted to the song currently playing and he started to sing along.

“Black dress with the tights underneath…I got the breath of the last cigarette on my teeth…

Yoruichi could only blink in confusion as she turned her head from the running water of the shower nozzle and found Haishiro at the door, red in the face and apologizing profusely for some reason as he flailed about, covered his eyes, and backed out of the room. Really, his reaction was something she would expect from people who saw her after she shifted from her cat form to her real form. Shrugging it off with a small smile and turning back to the warm water of the shower, she snatched up a nearby shampoo bottle and left a small dab of the syrupy liquid in the palm of her hand. She then began rubbing her hands together to spread the pleasant smelling chemical over them before running it through ever inch of her dark purple hair. After finishing, she dipped her head under the shower nozzle to wash everything out just as Haishiro opened the bathroom door once again. With a mischievous smirk, the thought that maybe the man was ready for a little playtime and had come to join her came to mind.

“Gotcha, those will be fine thank you! Ill be out in a few!” Yoruichi replied while Haishiro dropped a random assortment of clothes inside for her to use, and to her somewhat expected disappointment, he hadn’t gone through with her not-so-innocent idea. Oh well. Finally finished with rinsing the soap from her body and the shampoo from her hair, she turned off the faucet and slid open the clear glass door of the shower, grabbing a white towel from the side rack along the wall to dry herself off with. Stepping out of the small space of the shower and onto a soft rug right at the base of it, she scanned the clothes laid out in front of her as she replaced the towel on its rack after she was done drying, wondering if she should just forego the annoying fabrics all together since they were in the seclusion of Haishiro’s home.

It wasn’t as if he’d care right? And she didn’t think he would be having any visitors anytime soon, would he? Then again Haishi might prefer that she be at least a little decent from what she could tell from the color his face turned and the small panic attack he had when he first stuck his head in the door to check on her.

The perfect solution, for someone like Yoruichi that is, made its way into the dark skinned woman’s mind as she ignored the clothes completely and stepped out into the open hallway of the apartment , her ears picking up the new music playing in the other room. Making her way into the living room, the whole time her form changing into her much smaller feline body, she spotted Haishiro relaxed on his chair with his attention focused on the music as he sang along with the lyrics. Purring lightly as she trotted behind his couch, feeling a slight predatory instinct as she paused for a moment, internally smiling to herself since cats didn’t exactly have the facial muscles to smile. Once she was certain he was clueless about her being there, she leapt up quietly up onto the back of the couch as the song continued to play, approaching slowly before laying down on the part of the couch right above his head.

“*Don’t trust a Ho* hmm?” Yoruichi said finally in the deep tone her feline form possessed while listening to the song and haishiro's singing, “Implying something Mr.Imitsu?" she continued with obvious sarcasm.

Haishi practically jumped out of his skin when Yoruichi’s voice came from behind him on the couch. Having been so preoccupied with the song and other useless thoughts, he’d neglected to notice that she had finished showering; though, honestly, the ceasing sound of running water should have been a dead giveaway. Shifting his body a bit so that he was able to turn his head and glare at her out of the corner of one eye, Haishi let a pffft sound escape from between his gradually upwards curving lips. For how awesome she was, this girl could be a real freaking pain sometimes. Reaching up, Imitsu grabbed a hold of her small feline form and brought her down to his level before putting her in his lap.

“You sure are paranoid, Yoru. Guilty conscience, perhaps?” He teased back with a knowing smile faintly visible on his face. Haishi knew Yoruichi wasn’t that type of girl and he had never been worried about her cheating on him, even after all these years. If she had found someone else to replace him – well, that was a bit different but he knew she wouldn’t sleep around like that. “Why the hell do you have to use this male voice when you’re in cat form. Seriously, it’s a bit unnerving. I’m not about to cuddle with a cat that sounds like a male. Then again…” The smile turned mischievous. “I’m not sure I want to cuddle with a cat, anyways. I was kind of hoping you’d come out of the shower in your regular form…”

Truth was, even though Haishi still seemed a bit uncomfortable around Yoruichi when she was being so uninhibited, he secretly wished that she had come out wearing little or next to nothing. Hell, like any hormone-driven male, one of the first things that had caught his eye about her was her amazing figure – curvaceous hips, slim toned legs, great proportions and a killer smile that made him weak in the knees. Yoru was damn hot and she knew it. He’d momentarily forgotten that she could change into a cat and Haishi didn’t try to hide the disappointment from his voice or facial expressions.

Scratching her behind the ears absentmindedly, he grabbed the remote control to his sound system and began flipping through a few songs. Finally settling on one that he thought would be alright, Haishi glanced down at her, petting her affectionately. “If you find something to say about this, I’m going to smack you.” He laughed easily, fully relaxed and happy. “Anyways…” Imitsu looked at her pointedly this time, waiting for her to hopefully change forms. It would be a lot easier to get…reacquainted with Yoru when she was in her human form.

Still purring from the sudden attention she was getting, notably the petting and scratching behind the ears, everything Haishiro had said before was quickly forgotten as she moved closer and rubbed herself against him affectionately. It seemed Mr.BlackAndWhite was just a *little* too anxious to get her out of her cat form, and while she loved the feeling of being ‘wanted’, her mischievous side wouldn’t simply let her change back on his whim, no matter how much she really wanted to at the moment.

“You should have ‘Joined’ me in the shower if that’s how you felt Haishi” she said a taunting tone as she sat up from his lap and looked up at him with amber colored feline eye‘s. “I mean, I understand if you don’t like to ‘play’ anymore” she continued smoothly as she turned and rested with her back against him, obviously just giving Haishiro a hard time at the moment. She knew she was just a little too playful for her own good at times, but at the same time it was just too damn amusing to see the reactions of her victims.

Yoruichi waited a few more moments for him to get just a little more anxious, or frustrated because either way it was bound to have the rough results she liked, before her form began to shift once more. In what seemed like mere seconds, Yoruichi was back in her natural body, nude as the day she was born, relaxed with legs curled up beside her as she snuggled back a little into Haishiro. Snatching up the remote of Haishiro's sound system, she absentmindedly cycled through a few songs before she glanced back at him and asked "Anything mood setting on this thing?", her usual smirk still adorning her face.

Her purring encouraged him and Haishi kept petting Yoruichi’s soft fur – the fact that his girlfriend was a cat didn’t seem to bother him in the least. Your life tended to change a lot when you realized you weren’t really a live human and there was such a thing as the Soul Society; a world that fought with creatures called Hollows that ate souls and other interesting oddities that possessed incredible and unique powers. Information such as this more often than not put everything into perspective and what may seem strange to a human was as normal and natural to Haishiro as the act of breathing in and out. Besides, it wasn’t like she was stuck as a cat…if she was, that would really freaking blow.

He rolled his eyes at her snide remarks. This was typical Yoruichi behavior. “Ahh..shut up, Yoru. You know I’d love to play with you anytime, anywhere. I just figured you wanted some alone time at first.” He huffed and tried to play it off but in reality, he was kicking himself in the ass on the inside. Haishi couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t jumped into the shower with her. She’d looked so inviting; it should have been the first thought that came to his mind. Come to think of it, he hadn’t really been himself since she’d shown back up. An odd streak of behavior seemed to hang over his every action and speech, completely throwing off his usual razor sharp reactions and intuitions.

Haishiro thought to himself, ‘Pretty women really do quite the number on men.’ Shaking his head ruefully, he started to get excited as she rested her back against him. Haishi knew the routine, by now. Yoru always wanted to have a little fun teasing him before totally giving in to his demands. It was in her nature to string him along as far as possible as she enjoyed his tortured facial expressions and pleading eyes. To say it was unfair wouldn’t be entirely accurate since things tended to change a bit when they actually got down to business. In any case, knowing that she loved to play with him first didn’t help the situation at all.

Imitsu growled impatiently, silently urging her to hurry the hell up. The things he wanted to do to this woman…finally, he saw her beginning to change form. His eyes lit up in excitement as she gradually took the shape of her gorgeous human form. When she was done, Haishi had a naked Yoruichi sitting in his lap, snuggling into him with her legs curled up next to her. He swallowed hard and reminded himself to take things slow. But damn was she beautiful.

He wrapped his arms around the front of her lovingly as he gently kissed the nape of her neck before nibbling on her ear and listening to her question. “You know, usually that smirk makes me nervous but tonight…I kind of like it.” Haishi let the tips of his fingers brush across her chest lightly as he went to take the remote from her. If he remembered correctly, Yoru always did enjoy the faster beats. It was like she was a party girl at heart. With that in mind, he flipped through a few tracks, a particular song in mind. “Ahh, here we go…” Grabbing another remote control from the side table next to the couch, Haishi dimmed the lights. It might have been cliché but he was sure she wouldn’t complain.

As the beat began to play, Haishi swayed along easily side to side with the tune, his hands running down Yoru’s body from her bare shoulders to her naked hips and onto her thighs. Pulling her even closer to him as he rested his chin on her shoulder, he inhaled deeply, her scent bringing back tantalizing memories of what she was capable of. It had been far too long since the last time they had been together like this. “It’s been thirty-six years…I think we need to make up for lost time, don’t you?”

The feel of Haishiro’s hands sliding across her skin and his choice of song to set the mood was nothing short of intoxicating as she began to sway along with him to the music. Reaching a hand back, she caressed the side of his cheek while he rested his chin on her shoulder, smiling at his comment of ‘making up for lost time’. He was right; it had been quite sometime since they had been able to be alone like this together and she personally had no arguments what so ever about making up for it. “For your sake…” she started as she slowly leaned her head back to talk into his ear, “I hope you don’t plan on getting any sleep tonight” she continued before pecking him lightly on the cheek opposite of the one her hand held. Thirty-six years wasn’t really considered too long a time by Soul Society standards, but for two starved lovers, it was almost an eternity.

Yoruichi’s arousal was building; she could feel it like a growing fire within her and Haishiro’s attentions were only feeding it. Removing her hand from Haishiro’s cheek and turning herself sideways to face the man she’d been apart from for far too long, she brought both arms up and locked her hands behind his neck. Her amber eyes locked on his for a moment, her smile still in place, before she tilted her head, leaned in, and kissed him.

“I wouldn’t think of it, Yoru.” Her touch sent shivers of excitement up and down his spine. That soft pair of lips were promises of better things to come as the night went on. Looking at her lovingly, Haishi chuckled, “For a few years there, I’d almost forgotten just how beautiful you are.” He was joking of course. It would take more than a few decades for someone who possessed Yoruichi’s charm and beauty to fade from the mind of any man. Upbeat and outgoing, personality-wise, she seemed to be the antithesis of Haishiro but perhaps that was why he was so attracted to her. Besides her obvious sex appeal, the feline Captain had always offered him something he could never offer himself. That fact was clearly evident to the both of them.

He arched an eyebrow as Yoruichi shifted her weight around in his lap, turning herself so she could face him. Debating on whether or not he should make the first move, the decision was taken out of Imitsu’s hands as his lover put her hands behind his neck, her eyes making contact with his. The next thing he know, Haishi was engaged in a passionate kiss with her that had him wanting more, much more. Two mischievous hands wrapped their way around her slim waist before meeting at the small of her back. With a gentle pull, he moved Yoru closer to him as they continued to kiss, his tongue searching for hers.

The feel of her exposed, fully naked breasts through his thin tank didn’t help him calm down any and when they finally broke for air, he couldn’t help but steal a quick glance down at them. His right hand stroked her back affectionately, letting the tips of his fingers run trails up and down her spine while his left hand supported her lower back, keeping her close to him – as if afraid that she would be lost to him again at any moment. Haishi bent his head down and leaning in, kissed her softly again on the lips before moving down to her neck, each kiss taking him lower and lower. He murmured softly, “You don’t know how happy I am to be with you again, Yoru…”

The song ended and the next one in line began playing. Usually always in tune with his music, this time, Haishi could have cared less if his apartment was on fire. The song change hardly registered in his mind as his concentration was focused on making sure Yoruichi enjoyed herself tonight. He was horrible with words but at least, he could definitely show her how much she meant to him. A slight grin appeared on his face at that thought; the two of them definitely weren’t going to get any rest tonight.

The Next Morning – 7:49 Am

Yoruichi shifted lightly in her sleep, her breathing slow, deep and rhythmic as the light of the sun shone through the nearby window of the room, trailing across the floor and onto the bed of two resting figures under the sheets. She was tangled comfortably with her significant other, curled up against his body with her naked breasts pressing gently against his chest while the rest of her soft and supple figure lay against his. She was using his right shoulder as a pillow while her right leg was threaded through his, her slender limb sliding slowly upwards against Haishiro’s own in a possessive manner before sliding back down again as she adjusted.

Yoruichi awoke slowly but was still half-asleep as she continued to lay there for a while, not entirely registering her surroundings. She knew she was warm, comfortable, and felt very safe at the moment, refusing to open her eyes just yet to enjoy the feeling for as long as possible. Unfortunately for her, her habit of being an early bird refused to allow her to wander back into sleep or sit for very long without starting the day and becoming active.

Slowly but surely, Yoruichi dragged herself from the world of dreams and smiled lightly to herself as her eyes found Haishiro’s still sleeping form. With a smirk, she noted that apparently Mr.Imitsu hadn’t lost his touch, that much having been proven by the night before and the slight numbness she still felt in her lower regions. Sitting up with a yawn and glancing over her shoulder towards the open window, she took in the beautiful bronze like color that the newly rising sun of the morning cast over the city outside. It was truly a good morning when you were able to wake up beside a long lost loved one while being treated to the heart warming sight of a new day. ‘A very good morning indeed’ Yoruichi thought with a smile as she turned back to kiss the still sleeping Haishiro on the forehead before crawling out of bed.

Yoruichi felt great today as she finished drying herself after her shower, tossing the used towel into a nearby laundry bin and stepping out into the living room while stretching. This feeling of hers, much like her habit of being an early bird, refused to let her sit around. Deciding that a nice exercise would be perfect to start the day with and that maybe she should pay her friend Kisuke a visit, she began searching Haishiro’s home for anything to write with and anything to write on. Retrieving a pen from one of the kitchen drawers that had a random assortment of items in it along with a paper towel, she wrote a short note to let Haishiro know that she’d let herself out and was going to exercise for awhile.

The note:

Dear Haishi,

I’m just going out for awhile since its such a great morning! I was kinda in the mood to run around a bit so ill probably head through the rest of Karakura. I also think ill go pay Kisuke a visit along the way. After all, I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to my old friend, even after my short stay there. Hey we can even have breakfast there if you come along, wouldn't that be great? Thats if you wont mind it that is Haishi.

See you soon and yours truly,

Shihoin Youruichi!

P.S.: By the way, hope I didnt claw your back up too badly the other night, (Insert Nervous Laugh Here).

Once she was satisfied, she made her way back upstairs and into the bedroom where Haishiro still slept and set the make shift note down on a nearby chair. Giving the vizard one last smile before stepping out and closing the door behind her, she moved back into the living room and prepared herself. Opening one of the living room windows, Yoruichi shifted into her feline form and stepped out onto the small ledge outside, glancing down at the pavement below as she used her tail to slide the window closed once more. In moments the black cat that once stood on the open ledge vanished, reappearing on top of another building a short distance away before flashing away once more.

One rarely remembers their dreams. Seemingly tangible, realistic and so close at times, those mystical thoughts of the night tended to slip away each morning, running from the rising sun that drove them away with its searing rays of heat. Sometimes it was fortuitous to have no recollection of your slumbering thoughts while at other times, it could be maddeningly frustrating. Such was the case this particular time as Haishiro muttered something incoherent about flying nachos carrying cheese soldiers in his sleep. His eyes fluttered once, the sleep cycle gradually breaking as consciousness battled tenaciously for a foothold in the crevices of his mind. Little by little, the squishy, gray matter stuffed between his ears sent the call out to his muscles to respond and move. Just like Karakura Town, Haishi’s body came alive with the advent of a new day.

But, something was wrong. His mind frowned; an inconsistency was present. No, there were two anomalies this morning. What was it those cowboys in those old westerns always said? ‘You had me at hello.’ No…that wasn’t it. ‘Bond, James Bond.’ Hmm, that didn’t seem to fit, either. Perhaps it was, ‘I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.’ What the hell? Where did that one come from? It must have been from some random movie Haishi had seen during his time in the world of the living. It was certainly not something he would ever say or even think of, that was for sure. So what was that simple line that was so cheesy; yet, so effective? Oh...yeah. It was quiet, too quiet.

He blinked. Once. Twice.

Yea, there was no music. That was the first discrepancy that he was aware of this morning. Didn’t he always set his alarm to go off and activate the sound system in his apartment? There should be lyrical magic filling the spaces in between his furniture, invading the private sanctum of his bedroom and wrapping him in comforting notes and melodies. In a state of semi-consciousness, he frowned and rolled onto his back, a well-muscled arm shooting out to his bedside table, the hand attached to the end of the arm slapping at a wall-mounted unit that held a variety of functions, one of them being to control his alarm.

Eventually managing to strike the correct button, Haishi’s ears were suddenly aware of a beautiful stringed instrument playing a very familiar tune. A scant second later and he had identified the piece as the famous Cello Piece No. 1 written by Bach and being performed by Yo-Yo Ma. Triumphantly grinning from his revelation as sleep faded away, Imitsu rolled his well-rested body back over, trying to find the coquettish female with whom he’d spent an incredibly wonderful night. Truth was, he was already feeling a bit frisky this morning and he would bet that she wouldn’t mind a little dawn breaker, either. Wait. This wasn’t right. Where the hell was she?

Haishiro came fully awake in an instant, bolting upright in his bed as he flung the covers aside and stared at the empty spot next to him where Yoruichi was supposed to be. So, this was the second odd thing that he had sensed this morning; his girlfriend had skipped out on him. Haishi face palmed and hung his head. It figures. “Typical Yoru…you never did wait and stick around much on mornings like this.” Sighing in great disappointment, Imitsu sat and pouted like a five year old child for a few minutes. He almost felt like whining and flailing about but luckily, didn’t give in to his childish emotions and embarrass himself as a full grown adult male. There wasn’t much point to sitting around moping in bed about being left by his lover so he jumped out of bed with a spring in his steps. Even though she wasn’t around right now, there was no forgetting the fun they had last night into the wee hours right before daybreak. He rubbed the back of his neck and yawned, his light blue eyes noticing a scrap of paper on his desk chair.

“Hmmm…” Meandering over, Haishi chuckled as he realized the note was from Yoruichi. Reading it, those same eyes that had been twinkling in amusement just a moment ago quickly began to narrow in annoyance and jealousy. Even her cute annotation at the bottom of the hand-written note did little to quell his sudden aggravation. So, she wasn’t just out and about exercising and exploring the real world like he’d originally thought. No matter how much Haishi tried to forget him, that goddamn hat and clog wearing son-of-a-bitch always managed to come up in conversations between him and Yoru. Crumpling up the note, he threw it away in disgust, a black cloud hanging over Imitsu as he ducked into the shower.

Feeling slightly better after a hot shower, Haishiro was nevertheless still peeved – not at Yoru, but at Kisuke, even though he knew the shopkeeper couldn’t be blamed. At the same time, the Vizard was extremely upset with himself, dismayed that he was still so uptight about Yoruichi’s relationship with Kisuke. Of course, Urahara loved to exacerbate the situation by flirting shamelessly with the feline femme fatale. Grumbling, Imitsu went downstairs to his kitchen and made himself some breakfast, electing to eat alone. Screw them. He’d be damned if he was going to head over to the Urahara Shop and eat breakfast with that crowd.

As he busied himself with fixing one of his customary over-the-top meals, Haishiro’s jaw was clamped tight in a slowly simmering stew of anger. “I just need to get over this jealousy bullshit and accept that the two of them are friends…nothing more. Still…damn that Kisuke.” He paused to stare out the window at a passing bird, its freedom something he yearned for every day…in more ways than one.