Even Hornets Love Strawberries
Chapter 1
IchigoXSoi-Fon

Dislclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

One night shortly after Ichigo regained his powers….
Karakura Town

Captain Soi-Fon scowled as she stood atop the roof, the moon illuminating her small frame as she stared out at the cozy town. She didn't understand the need for her to be here. She'd been ordered by the Head-Captain to head for Karakura Town, telling her to assist Ichigo Kurosaki in dealing with hollows until he had managed to get accustomed to being a Soul Reaper again but she did not see why. After fighting alongside the boy she was sure that he was capable enough to get back into the swing of things by himself.

'Not to mention Lady Yoruichi is here. She's more than enough to handle any of these hollows….'

Still, she was grateful for the opportunity to be close to Yoruichi. They had patched things up and they were starting to become friends again, although she still despised Kisuke Urahara with all her soul which was something that would never change.

She turned in the direction of the Kurosaki clinic and opened her senses. She felt the presence of four people there and knew that Ichigo was doing fine. It wasn't because she was afraid for the boy or anything; rather she just wanted to make sure that the reason behind her being here wasn't in any imminent peril. 'He'd better not die soon. Not after all the energy I put into that stupid sword of Kisuke Urahara's….'

Turning around, Soi-Fon headed in the direction of Urahara Shop, hoping to make it there in time to snuggle with Yoruichi before Kisuke tried to cut in. She made it halfway there, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, when a tentacle appeared out of the darkness of an alleyway beneath her and grabbed her by the ankle. "What the?" she cried out before being slammed into a dumpster, her body putting a massive dent in the metal top. Cringing in pain, she was shocked to see a hollow standing before her, eyes glaring yellow.

"Well lookie what I caught!" the hollow cackled in glee. "I caught me a Soul Reaper! I hit the jackpot!" The hollow was on all standing on two legs, with a mask that resembled that of an African shaman. Tentacles sprouted from its grotesque body and its tail had sharp, intimidating spikes all over it.

Pulling herself away from the ruined dumpster, Soi-Fon drew her zanpakuto. "Filthy creature!" she spat. Dodging more tentacles, Soi-Fon removed them with quick slashes from her sword. The hollow hissed in rage as it was disarmed. "So you can hide your spiritual pressure," Soi-Fon taunted. "That seems to be the only thing you've got going for you!" She flashstepped behind it and swung her sword. The hollow turned around just in time for her small sword to cut through its mask like it was a fruit. The dark creature howled in pain as it was shredded. Soi-Fon smirked; she didn't need her Shikai to finish off this mindless creature.

As the hollow crumpled to the ground, its body starting to disintegrate, Soi-Fon sheathed her sword and turned around. "What a waste of time…" she said, walking away.

"Grrrr!" the hollow growled as it lay dying. "Damn you! Don't think…you're gonna…get away!"

Soi-Fon turned just in time to see its spiked tail's downward swing….

20 minutes Later….
Urahara Shop

Yoruichi stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked around, Kisuke following behind her. "Did you feel that?" she asked.

Raising his bucket hat, Kisuke nodded. "Yeah. That was definitely Soi-Fon's spiritual pressure."

Scowling, Yoruichi hopped up onto the roof and looked out into the night. "I hope she's alright. After feeling her spirit energy vanish-" Her eyes widened when she saw something headed for the shop. Kisuke was about to ask what was wrong when she flashstepped out of sight, reappearing seconds later. Kisuke paled when she saw Soi-Fon in her arms. The small woman was cringing in pain, several blood-red spikes impaled into her side. The captain was pale white and she was shaking in her mentors arms. "Kisuke! Get Tessai now!" Yoruichi ordered as she carried her protégé.

Nodding, Kisuke did an about-face and ran inside the shop, waking Tessai from sleep. Yoruichi carried Soi-Fon into the guest room and laid her down on a futon. "Soi-Fon, what on earth happened?" Yoruichi asked, pulling the spikes out of the small woman.

Shivering, Soi-Fon coughed before wincing as Yoruichi pulled out the spikes. "I…please forgive me, Lady Yoruichi. I…I was careless…" Soi-Fon whispered, ashamed at herself. "I was blindsided by a hollow's dying attack. I should have seen it coming…I was too complacent."

Yoruichi's hand on her forehead almost made the pain worth it. Almost. "Just hang in there, Soi-Fon. We'll have you better in no time…."

10 Minutes Later….

Ichigo quickly arrived at the Urahara Shop, a large bag of medical supplies in hand. "Kisuke! Yoruichi!" he called out.

"In here, Ichigo!" came a voice down the hall. Ichigo walked down the hallway and opened the door. Inside were Kisuke and Yoruichi, Soi-Fon lying on a futon in between them while Tessai sat at her feet, healing her injuries. Yoruichi looked up. "Did you bring us the supplies?"

Holding up the bag, Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Here they are." Because of the lack of combat and danger in the last 15 months, Kisuke was low on medical supplies, figuring that it could wait until later. When Soi-Fon was found by Yoruichi, Tessai told him that his skills would not be enough, making Kisuke curse his lack of foresight and call Ichigo to lend a hand.

Ichigo sat down next to Yoruichi and watched as Tessai bandaged her wounded body. "Soi-Fon, are you ok?" Ichigo asked concerned.

Shivering, Soi-Fon scowled at the boy. "Address me properly, boy…" she muttered. "I'm fine….the hollow's tail spikes were poisoned but I'll live."

Ichigo frowned. Soi-Fon certainly didn't look like she'd be ok. "Are you sure? I mean, I could go grab Orihime-"

"I said I'm fine!" Soi-Fon said harshly before slumping back onto the bed, taking deep breaths. "I am a member of the Stealth Force. Poison is something I'm accustomed to. There's hardly a poison that exists that my body cannot combat."

"Yes," Yoruichi said, holding Soi-Fon's hand, "But your body's resistance only goes so far, Soi-Fon. Try to remember that."

"Ye-yes, M'lady…."

Kisuke turned to Ichigo. "Ichigo, may I ask that you watch over Soi-Fon for a little while? Yoruichi, Tessai and I will head for the Soul Society to pick up antidotes from Captain Unohana."

"Ok, but…why all three of you?" Ichigo asked, perplexed. "And what about Ururu and Jinta? Can't they watch over her?"

Kisuke flipped his fan and stared at Ichigo. "We'd send you, Ichigo, but this isn't a matter of medicine. When it comes to poison, a finer hand is needed. Me and Tessai will have to collaborate with Captain Unohana in order to produce an antidote since I lack the materials here and it will take someone with experience in the expertise to manufacture it. And Yoruichi can make it back here faster than anyone, even you. And Jinta and Ururu aren't here. They went camping with the Mod Souls yesterday and they haven't returned yet."

Sighing, Ichigo nodded. "Ok. I'll keep an eye on her."

Soi-Fon scoffed and turned her head….

An hour later….

Soi-Fon shivered like she was in the grasp of death itself, the thin blanket doing little to provide her with warmth. Like she said, her body's resistance to the hollow's poison was great, but just because it couldn't kill her right away didn't mean she wasn't subjectable to its terrible side-effects. "Damn it…" she groaned as she shivered, curling up into a ball.

"Soi-Fon, do you need me to grab another blanket for you," Ichigo asked, concerned for her. He didn't really much care for the woman personally but he didn't like the feeling of not being able to do something while she lay there helpless.

"I…I don't need any of your help, boy!" Soi-Fon spat, rolling over so that her back was to him. "I'll just deal with it…" she cringed as a wave of pain coursed through her, squeezing her eyes shut.

…And then that's when she felt it: warmth.

Her eyes still shut, Soi-Fon rolled over and buried her face in the mountain of heat next to her, feeling it seep into her aching body and making the pain softly fade. When the source of heat wrapped itself around her, Soi-Fon gave a rare exhale of content, feeling something bubble up inside her. She opened her eyes and all of the blood in her body ran straight to her face when she saw what the source of heat was: Ichigo. The boy had crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around her, her head in his chest.

"What the hell!" Soi-Fon cried out, pushing herself away from Ichigo. "Have you no shame, brat!"

Sitting up, Ichigo scowled down at the woman. "It's obvious you're freezing and you won't let me go get you another blanket. What the hell was I supposed to do? Let you shiver to death?" Ichigo's face softened as he gestured to the spot where she lay. "I'm not trying to take advantage of you, Soi-Fon. I'm just trying to help. Is it that hard for you to accept help when you need it?"

Soi-Fon just stared at the boy. Several tense seconds passed until finally she slowly scooted closer to the boy. "Fine…" she muttered, laying down on the futon next to him. Ichigo didn't wrap his arms around her this time but she did put her forehead in Ichigo's shoulder. "It's not that I'm ungrateful, Ichigo," she said once her shivering had died down again. "In fact, I'm rather thankful. But there's something that you need to understand.

I am a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. My responsibilities are actually much greater than a normal captain's since I am also the commander of the Punishment and Stealth forces. For me, I have to be the rock my men can rely on. When you are that rock, Ichigo, you have to stand alone. I can't afford to show weakness for the sake of my men. Asking for help is a weakness, a weakness I can't rely upon. I have been alone for the past century after Lady Yoruichi vanished. I managed to get to where I am today by not relying on anyone. I thank you for this, Ichigo, but at the same time I cannot accept your help all the same." And with that, Soi-Fon rolled over, away from Ichigo's warmth. She'd expected the boy to take the hint and leave her to recover in peace, she wasn't expecting to feel the boy's chest press against her back. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?" she muttered. She turned her head to face the substitute, her eyes glaring, but she was shocked when she looked deep into his brown eyes and saw something that put a stop to her growing anger.

Ichigo merely looked at the woman with empathy. "Soi-Fon, I do understand. Really, I do. But in my world we have a saying; No man, or woman, is an island. We all need help sometimes. Trying to push everyone away will only leave you all alone." Ichigo wrapped his arms around her, stopping her shivering one more time. "You know how strong I am. But do you think I would've been able to save Rukia if I charged into the Soul Society alone? I managed to get to this level thanks to the help my friends gave me. Uryu, Chad, Orihime, Kisuke and Yoruichi. They all helped and guided me to become stronger. So…it's ok to accept help from your friends, even if it's just once in a while."

Soi-Fon lay there mulling over Ichigo's words. 'Is he right? Have I really pushed everyone away and told myself it was for the better?' She remembered how angry she was when she first saw Yoruichi, not because she was with the enemy, but because she had abandoned her when she ran. 'I guess he is telling the truth. As soon as my anger melted I wanted nothing more than to let Lady Yoruichi back into my life.' Rolling back over, Soi-Fon cuddled into Ichigo's embrace, sighing softly from the warmth of his body as it flowed into her poisoned body.

Ichigo was very pleased that Soi-Fon didn't punch his lights out. Running a hand through her black hair, Ichigo moved the pillow so that both their hands were laying on it. When Soi-Fon looked up, however, he saw something that unnerved him.

'…Why are her irises pink?'

Fun fact about chemistry: human biology is a frisky mistress. An odd chemical reaction occurred within Soi-Fon's body as her body resumed its fight against the poison. Though it hadn't taken her life, the poison had converted partially into an aphrodisiac after coming into contact with Soi-Fon's immune system, thus causing Soi-Fon to sweat profusely, her cheeks red and her eyes turning pink. "Ichigo…" Soi-Fon muttered with a sultry voice. "This is so sweet of you…."

"Um…Soi-Fon?" Ichigo asked before Soi-Fon crawled on top of him, her eyes glazing over. "What's gotten into you?" He started to feel uncomfortable as Soi-Fon undid the tie to his top, pulling it away to reveal his bare chest.

"I'm so cold. You're so hot…" Soi-Fon rubbed her face against Ichigo's chest, her cheeks aflame. "Mmmmh…." Ichigo bit his lip as the small captain rubbed her body against his. "What's gotten into me? Nothing. But I want inside me right now is you." Her face inched closer and closer to Ichigo's, her lips parting to kiss his….

…Only for Ichigo to gently pull Soi-Fon away from him, laying her down beside him. "Soi-Fon, no," Ichigo adamantly said. It was hard to resist the drugged captain, especially with her thigh pressing up against his crotch but he grit his teeth and endured it. "This isn't you, Soi-Fon."

Soi-Fon caressed his cheek and smiled, her head feeling woozy but she kept going. "So what if it isn't? You're so warm, Ichigo…" Ichigo had no idea how his own name could sound so dirty. "I want your warmth inside me…." Ichigo could hear his inner hollow screaming at him for fighting her but ignored him. He was not going to take advantage of her here like this, no matter what the circumstances; he'd been raised better than that.

When she moved to kiss him again, Ichigo grabbed her hands and lightly squeezed them. "Soi-Fon, try to think!" Ichigo pleaded. Soi-Fon nodded and closed her eyes and bit down on her lower lip, letting the pain wash away the cloud of ecstasy that had fogged up her mind. When she opened them again Ichigo still saw that her eyes were still pink but she had a strained look on her face, as if she was trying with all her might to resist the urge to throw herself at Ichigo again.

Taking deep breaths, Soi-Fon buried her face into Ichigo's broad chest. "Ichigo…sorry about that…" she muttered, hating herself for having to apologize. "Just…just keep holding me…" her arms, feeling like lead now, wrapped around Ichigo's waist. "Just hold me until Lady Yoruichi returns with the antidote."

Ichigo said an affirmative. "Are you ok, Soi-Fon?" he asked.

Soi-Fon nodded. "I'm in a lot of pain and my body keeps getting cold but I'll deal. Just…just keep me warm until they get back, please?" she asked. Ichigo wrapped his arms around her, letting his warmth fill her again. In a few moments Soi-Fon fell asleep in Ichigo's embrace, the substitute following her into dreamland shortly thereafter….

To Be Continued