A.N: This story was commissioned by psychorabbitman. Please see my bio for information about commissions if you're interested.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Can a Strawberry Entice a Bee?

After the events of Rukia's Execution…
Soul Society; Squad Two

To have Yoruichi Shihoin sitting in front of her drinking tea while chatting with Soi-Fon made the woman feel like she'd woken up from a one hundred yearlong bad nightmare. The proud captain of Squad Two felt giddy just sitting across the table from the beautiful woman. Quietly sipping from her warm cup of tea, Soi-Fon took in every inch of her mentor and cherished just being in her presence again.

The Ryoka invasion was over and Aizen's duplicity had been revealed; the fiendish rogue and his two coconspirators, Gin and Kaname, had fled to Hueco Mundo after allying themselves with the wicked Hollows that reside there. After Aizen's schemes had been uncovered along with his murder of the entire Central 46, the feud that everyone had over the execution of Rukia Kuchiki ended and the all-out war declared on Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends was called off.

But for Soi-Fon, the only development that came out of that whole debacle that mattered was that she'd been reunited with her personal goddess, Yoruichi Shihoin. Her haughty, arrogant attitude had been taken down a peg with her sudden defeat at the werecat's hands and she had finally started the process of healing from the wound delivered by her mentor's sudden absence.

While everyone was recuperating from their battles and planning for the inevitable confrontation with Aizen and his cohorts, Yoruichi and Soi-Fon decided to catch up after being a century apart. They went back to Soi-Fon's quarters, which had once been Yoruichi's, and started talking over a cup of tea. Yoruichi had explained what exactly happened to her and Kisuke the day that they all went missing.

It stunned Soi-Fon to no end how much she'd been duped. The anger she'd reserved for Yoruichi was now firmly directed right at Sosuke Aizen. That said, she did still retain complete animosity for Kisuke Urahara. No matter what, her hatred for Kisuke would never end.

After Yoruichi had finished wrapping up her tale of that horrible night, she finished drinking her cup of tea and looked over at her former protégé. "So tell me, how have things been for you? And I don't mean becoming a captain and taking care of the squad. You've done a fine job in keeping the men in line."

Soi-Fon quietly beamed with pride at the praise.

"So, how's your sex life? Have you found a man yet?"

The question caught Soi-Fon so off guard she spat out her tea, eyes widening with shock. "What?! No! No, I…I don't have a boyfriend," she stammered. Yoruichi chuckled at the innocent face that her little bee made, her cheeks turning a bright face. "I..uhh…haven't really considered having a lover with all my duties and all.

Yoruichi gave her bee a sympathetic smile. "Oh don't be like that, Soi-Fon. You've had a hundred years to find yourself a man. Is it that you can't find one who you think can satisfy you in the bedroom?"

The blush on Soi-Fon's cheeks intensified. Yoruichi had hit it right on the head. "Well…I've…er…haven't found a man that suits me, that's all. The only men who ever really interested me have been a few of the other captains. But that isn't really an option for me. It's uncouth to have a sexual relationship with another captain."

"Aww, c'mon now, Soi-Fon. It's not completely taboo for a captain to date another."

"Yes, but my options are…well…" The shorter of the two tilted her head up and thought about her fellow captains. "Not exactly the pick of the litter. Captain Kuchiki has made it clear he is not interested in any romantic partners after his wife passed. Kenpachi is just a mindless brute. Ukitake is too sickly. I'm not into children so Hitsugaya is out. Kyoraku is too much of a lout and I wouldn't let Kurotsuchi touch me with a ten foot pole."

"What about Captain Komamura?" asked Yoruichi with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not a furry, Lady Yoruichi…"

"Goodness, you're picky…" teased Yoruichi. "Surely there's someone whom you fancy?"

"Not really, Lady Yoruichi." Soi-Fon had deep feelings for Yoruichi but other than her, she'd never really been attracted to anyone else.

Having thought that, Soi-Fon lazily looked behind Yoruichi out the window and saw several members of her squad outside talking. A thought occurred to her as she watched them. 'Have I truly become alone?'

Soi-Fon had dedicated her life in following Yoruichi's footsteps. When the Flash Goddess disappeared a century ago with Kisuke Urahara she'd made it her mission to surpass her mentor and show that of the two of them, she was the superior. She'd felt lonely and isolated after Yoruichi left and told herself that her loneliness was making her stronger. And yet, in her hundred years of solitude, had she become stronger? Her battle with Yoruichi certainly said otherwise.

The more Soi-Fon thought about it, the more her heart started to sink. Some of the men and women of Squad Two were married. She knew plenty of Soul Reapers that had relationships and seemed perfectly happy. 'Maybe I could be with someone? I only ever had eyes for Yoruichi but she clearly doesn't feel the same way. I don't know. It's not like many people consider me attractive…' She sighed from the thought bumming her out.

Setting the cup of tea down, Yoruichi sat back in her chair and thought about it. Soi-Fon was a good woman but she really needed to loosen up. Perhaps hitting the sack with a hot guy was the thing that she needed to stop being so uptight all the time. And while Yoruichi knew that the girl had affections for her, she felt that she wasn't the one to give the petite captain what she needed.

She poured herself a cup of tea and thought about it a little bit. If Soi-Fon was being so picky about choosing a man to be with, then Yoruichi would have to think outside the box a little on this one. 'It's really a shame that Byakuya took himself off the market after his wife, Hisana, passed away. He and Soi-Fon would make a cute couple.' An image popped into her head of Soi-Fon and Byakuya standing beneath a tree, cherry blossoms dancing in the wind as they kissed, the sun setting behind them. Yoruichi had to admit, that was a pretty picture of romance.

The image faded as quickly as it came. 'Well that's right out. It's such a shame that Hitsugaya isn't older. I'd bet he'd be a real looker when he hits his prime. Ah well.' She thought of anyone else whom Soi-Fon might be a good match for and could rock the bed with her. 'Hmm…well Kisuke's off the list by default. It'll be a cold day in hell before she'd ever invite Kisuke to bed. There's not enough alcohol on the planet that would make her drunk enough for her to ever stop hating his guts. Hmm…'

Yoruichi dismissed the idea of having one of the other seated officers try to get with her. While there wasn't any taboo against having a sexual relationship with a captain, Soi-Fon's tough, no-nonsense disposition had her men always on guard and all of them would be too scared to even attempt trying to seduce Soi-Fon. When Yoruichi was still captain, one of her squad's other seated officers tried to make a pass at Soi-Fon and she hit him so hard that he spent a week in a coma at Squad Four.

'Sheesh, she's so stubborn. I think she's even more stubborn than Ichigo.'

Then it hit her. And with that, a lightbulb went off in her head.

'Ohoho... now that would certainly be something to see. Actually, the more I think about it, my little Bee would be a pretty good match for that feisty Strawberry.'

Already the gears were starting to turn in Yoruichi's head; the more Yoruichi thought about pairing up Soi-Fon with Ichigo, the more she liked the idea. Ichigo was just as stubborn and uptight as her friend. His naïve innocence when she'd first revealed her true self to him sprang to mind and she had to fight her lips from forming a smile and betraying the thoughts in her head. 'Ooooh, this ought to be good. I know we all have the impending battle with Aizen and his Hollows to deal with but this could be good for the two. If nothing else, I'll get a kick out of it.'

Reaching for the tea kettle innocently, Yoruichi poured her and Soi-Fon another cup. She took a sip before she decided to speak up. "Well, I suppose it's just a matter of meeting the right guy. Oh well…" Before Soi-Fon could say anything else, Yoruichi set down her tea and sat back in her chair. "Anyway, how about we have some fun tomorrow?"

"Fun?" Soi-Fon sat at the edge of her seat. To be spending time alone with Yoruichi drinking tea was fun enough for Soi-Fon so she was excited at the idea of doing something that Yoruichi considered fun.

"Well, I've been in hiding for a hundred years and I can't deny that my skills have gotten rusty. Even you pointed that out in our fight the other day. I figure what I need is a few good sparring sessions to help get me back into fighting shape. You haven't done anything with the captain's private sparring chamber while I've been gone, have you?"

Soi-Fon's face lit up. Even something as mundane as sparring was like going to a carnival if Yoruichi was involved. "N-no, Lady Yoruichi. I have kept it in order. It'd be an honor to train with you again."

"That's good to hear. It'll be good to be back in familiar settings. I'll come by tomorrow." She pushed away her cup of tea and stood up. "If you'll excuse me. I need to see how Ichigo and his friends are doing."

While Soi-Fon put away the teapot and cups, Yoruichi promptly left the woman's chambers and exited the Squad Two barracks. As the sun shined brightly overhead, Yoruichi smiled at her sly plan and made her way to Squad Thirteen, where he knew that Ichigo and his friends were allowed to stay until everyone had fully recovered from their huge ordeal. They were planning on staying there for a week before they went home back in the World of the Living.

Walking over to the Squad Thirteen Barracks, Yoruichi found her student in the room Rukia and Ukitake had given him. "Hey, Ichigo. How are you feeling?"

The Substitute was lying on a bed, taking it easy now that his mission to save Rukia from her grim fate had been successful. The young teen sat up when he saw his friend enter the room. "Oh hey, Yoruichi. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just came by to see if you were well enough for a little spar tomorrow?" She knew that Ichigo had been injured badly during his brief fight with Aizen; the rogue had almost cut Ichigo in half had he not missed his spine. Orihime's powers had done wonders to heal him but neither her or Yoruichi knew the limits of her healing powers.

Luckily for her the Substitute gave a nod. "Sure. I could use a good spar. I tried to train with Ikkaku but then Kenpachi showed up and I had to split…before he could finish what he started." The boy shuddered from the memory of Kenpachi almost cutting him in half. His guts still hurt just thinking about it.

"Goodie! I'll swing by tomorrow to go grab you. It should be fun!" Yoruichi promptly left, keeping her back to Ichigo to keep her smile hidden.

'This should be interesting. I wonder…can a strawberry entice a bee?'

To be continued