I DO NOT CLAIM ANY RIGHTS TO BLEACH, ITS CHARACTERS, PLOT, OR SETTING. ALL IS COPYRIGHT TO KUBO TITE.

The full moon illuminated the darkness of the night. Short, dense grass grazed the dark legs of the Shihouin princess and the paler legs of the young assassin. The world around the pair was a meadow surrounded by Sakura trees; the dark grass was spotted with their fuchsia petals. The indigo blanket above was dotted with silver stars and encompassed the bright silver moon. The breeze was comfortable and carried the scent of the Sakura trees with it as it blew over the meadow. Yoruichi lay still, save for breathing, while she listened to Soi Fon's breaths come and go as the assassin-in-training stroked her amethyst hued hair. She was comfortable with Soi Fon, comfortable with letting the girl's fingers run through her royally colored hair. Not much earlier, she had promised the raven haired warrior that she would always let her protect her. Yoruichi promised the young woman that she could always stay by her side and could always wield her zanpakutou for Yoruichi's sake. There was a bitter stinging pain that pierced the dark skinned woman's soul when she had spoken those words. She had promised something that she knew she could not keep. She knew that and yet kept it a secret, instead preferring to lie and remain in Soi Fon's lap than to confess the truth and risk hurting the girl.

Yoruichi drifted between the realm of the waking and the realm of dreams; her conscious fading swiftly each time Soi Fon's fingers grazed her skin. As the darkness began to become absolute, the Goddess of Flash heard Soi Fon whisper.

"Yoruichi-sama…"

The older woman's heart skipped a beat. The girl's voice was soft, almost inaudible, but carried an intense passion and reverence for the name it spoke. The Shihouin princess felt the muscles in Soi Fon's legs tense slightly and her rhythmic breathing lost its beat. Soi Fon was breathing quicker and shallower than before and Yoruichi could feel the young assassin's breath on her forehead before velvet lips met dark skin.

"Yoruichi-sama…I love you…"

Again with the quiet, but distinctly powerful voice. Again Yoruichi felt her chest tighten as the girl went back to caressing her head. The princess knew Soi Fon was probably mistaking her admiration for her master for love. That was most likely the case; however, it didn't change the fact that the tender voice pierced Yoruich's chest. She cared very deeply for Soi Fon; her affections beginning when she had witnessed, and inadvertently interfered with, the girl taking on several adult men and coming close to defeating them. She probably would have won had it not been for Yoruichi's interference. The Shihouin princess' feelings were sparked once again when she saw that the girl had been selected for her personal guard. This was an honor reserved for the strongest of her unit, and a small girl had claimed one of the coveted positions. She was stunned and pleased; she recalled seeing a gaze in the young assassin's eyes that was so formidable that it took her a second to adjust to it. And even though the girl had refused to be informal with her princess, she opted for Yoruichi-sama over the requested and preferred Yoruichi-san; anything was better than Gundanchoukaka.

These memories lasted no more than a few seconds as her hand reached up to cup Soi Fon's pale cheek. The ebony haired assassin gasped and pulled away slightly as Yoruichi's amber irises began to reveal themselves. Soi Fon's startled eyes and pink cheeks led the Shihouin princess to believe that her young comrade thought she had been sleeping. Yoruichi used her elbow as support to rise from the assassin's comfortable lap. It was shame and the dark skinned woman wasn't sure what prompted the strange display of affection. It wasn't as if she consciously thought about placing her palm on her warrior's cheek; her body had done it on its own. She sat upright, tucking her long legs underneath her, and continued to stare deeply into Soi Fon's confused eyes. By now the girl's breathing was hitched, it was obvious her mind hadn't been capable to make sense of the current situation yet - she looked utterly dazed. Yoruichi wasn't quite sure why she was staring at her companion, why her face moved closer until she was mere inches from Soi Fon's own. She could feel the assassin's breath; smell its sweet scent, a scent that resembled a fine honey. Amber eyes stared deeply into murky brown ones, searching for an answer; no, that wasn't right. She was searching for something, she wasn't sure what, but she was searching for something. The dark skinned woman held the two in that position for an unknown amount of time, it could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, it could possibly have been hours. Neither moved an inch, with the exception of Soi Fon's rapidly rising and falling chest. The wind ceased to blow and the usual sounds of the night were all but entirely absent. The world revolved around the two women sitting in the center of the meadow. One sat deep in thought; the other sat attempting to manage her own, ebony locks falling to either side of the pink hued face.

"Yo-Yoru-Yoruichi-sama…?" The words were stuttered and uneven, matching the future captain's expression.

The lyrical voice brought the princess out of her trance. She blinked several times before sitting back and staring at Soi Fon again. Her expression remained unfazed, a gift unique to her personality. It didn't matter her internal state, her external mask would remain fixed.

"Sorry, Soi Fon."

Yoruichi sounded less than apologetic. The apology sounded more like a formality than anything else, but it visibly relaxed the ebony haired assassin. She nodded in response, a slight smile crawling up either side of her cheeks, illuminating the previously stunned face.

Almost as if on cue, the Shihouin princess leaned in closer to the young assassin. Her lips landed softly on Soi Fon's own quivering lips. Soi Fon immediately froze; neither had been expecting Yoruichi's intimacy. Yoruichi lingered there, savoring every second of this, every second of this kiss. It was a kiss not born out of lust, but born out of a very deep emotional connection. After a period of time, Yoruichi broke the gentle kiss and looked into the eyes of her assassin. Soi Fon was once again a deep crimson, but instead of retreating, she brought her hand up to her cheek, covering her master's hand with her own.

"Yoruichi-sama…I…"

Yoruichi struggled with herself. Her stomach was tight and her chest was being pulled taut. She was being wrapped up by everything Soi Fon was, she was being bound by this girl, and she could now feel the chain that bound their souls. Soi Fon's eyes revealed the depth of her feelings for her princess. They were a mix of admiration, love, trust, and Yoruichi tried her best to portray her own feelings for the girl. She leaned in once more, kissing slightly harder this time. Soi Fon froze again, but she squeezed the Shihouin princess' hand, urging her forward. The older woman guided the assassin, leading her, opening her up.

Soi Fon opened her mouth for Yoruichi and, though startled, quickly accepted the deeper kiss. Soi Fon's breath was becoming shallower from both her anxiety and her building lust. Yoruichi tasted her warrior and reveled in the lust beginning to emit off the girl in waves. Although, she was quite surprised that Soi Fon was quickly becoming so accustom to her passion; she assumed that the girl's trust in her was so strong that there was no reason for Soi Fon to feel pressured. She loved her princess and that was what gave way to the new sensations flowing through Soi Fon's body.

The young assassin felt herself being guided toward the grass until she was lying down, her princess still attached to her lips. The kiss was languid and Soi Fon brought her hands to her master's head and raked her fingers through her master's hair. Yoruichi's response was immediate and their tongues began to intertwine. She was inexperienced, this was only her second kiss, the first one being the one Yoruichi had given her moments earlier, but it didn't matter. Her anxiety was quickly fading and making way for an all-encompassing feeling of love for the older woman. She gasped when Yoruichi moved to trail kisses down her neck and along her collar bone. She felt the shoulders of her outfit sliding off and soon realized that she was almost completely bare. Soi Fon's mind was spinning, she was in a state of intense euphoria, it felt so completely natural for her to be bare like this for her master, to be seen in the most honest way, that she doubted anything could ever bring her to this feeling of happiness again.

Yoruichi sat up and stared down at her assassin. Soi Fon was beneath her, breathing heavily and flushed, her ivory skin tainted pink by both her excitement and by the Sakura petals; their color dyed her body a deeper hue. Soi Fon looked slightly dazed and her eyes were moist. Her dark pink nipples were already becoming erect and Yoruichi spotted a thin sheet of sweat upon her skin. The sight of her usually tight knit assassin disheveled and doe-eyed was intensely erotic and just as intensely infatuating. Yoruichi stared, lost in her own thoughts, until a shy voice broke her reverie.

"Yoruichi-sama…Yoruichi-sama…?"

"You're beautiful, Soi Fon."

Soi Fon didn't even have time to respond to Yoruichi's compliment; she was silenced by the sight of her princess freeing herself from the confines of her royal clothing. Numerous layers fell to the grass, each discarded layer revealing more of her dark skin. Before long, Yoruichi was just as naked as Soi Fon and quickly descending upon her again. Soi Fon flinched initially; the heat from Yoruichi's body was hot, she felt as if she had been scorched. Their bodies were close, their lips together again, their tongues moving rhythmically against each other. Soi Fon's breaths were coming in rapid succession, small whimpers escaping her throat every so often.

Yoruichi felt bewitched. She felt lost in her small companion. Her scent, her feel, her breath, everything about Soi Fon was entrancing her and she could hardly think coherently. It wasn't as if she had lusted after Soi Fon; this was simply the way Yoruichi expressed her love. How she had always expressed her love. She wasn't good with verbal expressions; sure, she could tell somebody she loved them, but those were just words. They were never enough. She had always felt like those words were meaningless without action – and this, was her solution to that problem. Sex was her most intimate form of expression. She continued her ministrations, kissing down Soi Fon's neck, biting her collarbone, and eventually reaching her breasts. Soi Fon's nipples had become completely erect and her small breasts heaved with her chest. The Shihouin princess took one of the breasts in her mouth, sucking, licking, biting, and kneaded the other with her right hand. Soi Fon was moving beneath her, arching her back and making quiet, shy moans as her mind warped with the new stimuli. Yoruichi reveled in the taste of the girl and felt her mind white out with every soft mewl and quiet cry. Powerful emotions welled up in her chest and Yoruichi wanted to sate those feelings by bringing her assassin to the peak of ecstasy and back down again.

Soi Fon was lost. She was lost within the new sensations. She was lost within her love and admiration for her captain. She was lost within the extreme bliss that was this moment. Her core was throbbing and she instinctively knew what that meant. When she managed to open her eyes, she could see Yoruichi trailing kissesdown her taut midsection. She stared at each muscle flexing within Yoruichi's back and the way her breasts swayed each time she moved. Soi Fon was so distracted by her captain's beauty that she panicked when she realized where Yoruichi's new destination was. Yoruichi had already positioned herself between Soi Fon's legs and held each thigh before Soi Fon snapped them shut.

"Soi Fon…"

Yoruichi's voice was jokingly stern and she began to giggle immediately afterward. Soi Fon, blushing deep red, slowly spread her legs once more. She closed her eyes and braced herself; she wasn't sure what to expect. Only a few times had she ever fantasized about herself and her captain and she had never touched herself. All these feelings, all these sensations, they were brand new. Soi Fon was pulled back to the real world by a very intense feeling emanating from her lower half. She watched as Yoruichi moved to the other thigh and nipped gently at the flesh there, each time moving closer and closer to her sex. An unrecognized feeling of anticipation coupled with fear was swimming within Soi Fon. She could hear herself moaning; her mewls and cries had changed to moans of passion. Soi Fon came close to screaming when Yoruichi's tongue slowly drew itself down her sex. She twisted and writhed, entwining the fingers of one hand within Yoruichi's amethyst locks and intertwining the fingers of the other with Yoruichi's own. She wasn't sure what was happening anymore. She felt as if they had transcended reality; she felt as if she and her captain were the only two people in the universe.

Yoruichi was doing only what came instinctively to her. Of course, she was a woman herself, so she would naturally know what felt good, but having never slept with another woman was still a handicap. But despite that handicap, her young assassin was writhing and crying beneath her – because of her. Yoruichi focused on her task, licking and biting and sucking, taking special care to be gentle. This was, after all, Soi Fon's first time experiencing any of this and too much could be painful. She smiled internally as Soi Fon moaned her name. Yoruichi pulled away slightly, enough to open her mouth and speak.

"Soi Fon. Look at me."

Soi Fon only barely managed to comprehend those words and open her eyes. When she made eye contact, when she met with the amber eyes of Yoruichi, her body was gone. The look of love and power in Yoruichi's eyes pushed Soi Fon over the edge. She came in waves, her mind not white; but quickly flashing through every memory of her captain. Her back arched, her toes curled, and her snapped back. Her voice was somehow both loud and soft, a combination only Soi Fon could pull off. After what seemed like eons, she came down from her high. She laughed to herself; the last image of Yoruichi that her brain recalled had been the same image that pushed her past the brink: powerful amber eyes accompanied by a teasing smirk. Her mind was shutting down now; Soi Fon stared straight up at the moon. There were many emotions coursing inside of her. One of the most prominent ones was peace. Contentedness. She felt Yoruichi's arms snake around her waist and felt Yoruichi's lips on her cheek. She sighed; everything had been so perfect, so right. She was lying beside the person whom she admired and loved more than any god and it still felt as if it should always have been this way. She turned toward Yoruichi and smiled while cuddling into her captain's breasts. Sleep came quickly and Soi Fon was soon completely unconscious.

Yoruichi stayed there awhile, never wanting to release the girl. She thought more of how they met. Of how they bonded. She wasn't sure what caused her to develop such intense emotions for her assassin. But she had developed them, she had expressed them, and she had acted on them. She had never been one to play games, Yoruichi was almost always straight forward with whatever she did and this sort of situation was no exception. Yoruichi stayed lost in her thoughts before she felt a deep sadness wash over her. She'd promised Kisuke she'd go with him. She owed him so much and she promised she'd go. She promised she'd leave Soul Society tonight to help him escape persecution. She believed his story and knew that without her, his chances of escape were slim. She knew all this but still felt as if she had been cheated. Life was never simple; of course she couldn't help Kisuke and stay with Soi Fon. She made promises to both and desperately wanted to keep both. But as both his friend and as a fellow captain, she had a duty to him. Her rationality told her Soi Fon would live without her, while Kisuke may not. This was the sort of decision most people had to make only once or twice in their life. The sort of decision that completely changed their life. Yoruichi sighed and untangled herself from her lover. She dressed and stood, staring at the sleeping Soi Fon. The girl's expression was so…peaceful. Yoruichi almost wanted to wake her and tease her for being so defenseless. She wanted to tease her and tell her that no member of her squad should look this vulnerable, even in their sleep. She wanted to prod her and make fun of her, she wanted to see her the next morning and watch her flush red every time their eyes made contact. She wanted to do all of this while knowing it may never happen. She wondered if she would ever see Soi Fon again after tonight.

"I'm sorry Soi Fon. I'm so sorry. You could never know how much you mean to me."

Yoruichi's voice was quiet, but uncharacteristically shaky.

"I love you…Yoruichi…"

Yoruichi jumped but soon regained her composure. The girl had only been talking in her sleep. She smiled when she realized that the "-sama" had been dropped from the end of her name. Really, could the girl only lose her formality when she was unconscious? Yoruichi's grin broadened and she watched as her tears fell on Soi Fon's cheek. It had been a long time since she'd shed tears. After standing there for a few more moments, she turned and began to walk toward where she promised to meet Kisuke. Her heart was torn to shreds; she was betraying Soi Fon, who had trusted her with every fiber of her being. She was completely disrespecting Soi Fon and disrespecting Soi Fon's admiration for her. But Soi Fon would not die. She would move on and with her potential, she could eventually replace Yoruichi. With these thoughts in mind, Yoruichi walked out of the meadow, not casting a second glance at the girl whose world she revolved around. She went into the night and exited Soi Fon's life.