I do not own Bleach.

This is just a little story born from my deep seated need to rewrite the Fulbringer arc and the all but absolute lack of Urahara/Ichigo fics. The story takes place around the same time Ichigo would have met the Fulbringers cannon. There is also a little plot bunny that bit me concerning soul mates and soul bonding fics, and how as a part of the soul the zanpakutou has the absolute right to decide who you will be spending the rest of your life with.

There will be more to this story in the end, but it will update very very very slowly. I want to spend most of my time on my other story "Second Chances." Which, by the way, has nothing to do with this fic at all. So no Ichigo and Urahara will not be hooking up in "Second Chances".

1

The wind howled between the horizontal skyscrapers blowing long trailing clouds inexplicably up. The sky was grey and listless. The glass buildings as far as the eye could see were dull. The realm was washed of all color. A least it is not raining, the Quincy thought to himself. It spoke of Ichigo's acceptance of his fate if not happiness in his current predicament. The Quincy stood on his vantage point of a single flag pole created by his need to stand above all others. His hair whipped around his head, and he gathered his long, dark cloak closer to ward off a chill that he did not physically feel.

"Hey Quincy!" The other being with access to this world yelled from the base of the flag pole. The Quincy looked down acknowledging the other's presence. There was no reason not to as the Hollow would be his only companion for a long time to come. The Hollow stood impatiently with hands on his hips glaring up at him. "We need to talk." Yellow on black eyes flashed with annoyance when he got no response.

Shrugging after a long enough pause to see the twitch, the Quincy leaped from his perch to stand in front of the impatient Hollow. "What would we have to talk about? Ichigo is no longer able to communicate with us; our only reason to interact is no longer present."

"You really don't know how this whole soul thing works do you?" The Hollow snapped. "Idiot, we can still watch over him."

"Yes, I do know how that works. I have been watching and waiting," The Quincy said wishing the Hollow would go away. He had some brooding to do. "Was there anything else you wanted?"

"Look Mr. Almighty Ass-Hat, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that you are indeed a part of King's soul, just like I am. But we both know which of us is the real Zangetsu."

The Quincy nodded to show he was listening, but he was extremely perplexed as to where this conversation was going. The Hollow so far had not stated anything he had not known himself.

"But I let you use my name. I let you train my wielder when he would not understand why his zanpakutou was a hollow, and to gain enough power to crush our enemy we combined into one being," Here the Hollow sighed resignedly. "That all but makes you his zanpakutou too."

"I am a Quincy," The dark man said with pride. "There is no way I would be a Shinigami tool."

"Says the Quincy who trained a Shinigami. Look, I don't like it anymore than you do, but you are basically a substitute zanpakutou. The same way Ichigo was a substitute Shinigami, a zanpakutou in all but name."

The Quincy thought over the Hollow's words. If what the Hollow said was indeed true, he would be a traitor to the Quincy pride, and himself. But then he was a traitor anyway for choosing Ichigo over cleansing the Quincy bloodline. He could agree with the Hollow on this, but they had yet to get to the crux of why the bloody Hollow was bothering him all of a sudden. It seemed to involve Ichigo though, so he would listen. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

The Hollow smiled wickedly. It was strangely different from his usual battle crazed smile. "Since you are a default zanpakutou, you should have a say in this."

"This?" The Quincy said intrigued.

Instead of answering the Hollow closed his mouth and frowned. "Do you even know what a zanpakutou is?" he asked suddenly.

The Quincy frowned at the seeming change of subject. The Hollow was not by nature a manipulative being and had preferred to let him do all of the manipulating when it came to training Ichigo. So why was the Hollow back tracking now?

"A zanpakutou is a soul sword that is used to purify hollows, send plus souls to the Soul Society, and if necessary kill another spirit," The Quincy said hoping the Hollow would get on with it.

The Hollow pinched the bridge of his nose. The Quincy could hear him counting backward under his breath. "I swear, the things everyone forgets..." He dropped his hand and looked the Quincy dead in the eye. "We are our wielders, dumb-ass." The Quincy frowned. He had never met anyone more unlike a hollow than Ichigo.

"Learning to use a zanpakutou is a journey of self discovery. The ability to knock over mountains with the flick of a wrist is just one of the better perks of the process."

The Quincy smiled at the memory. Despite being natural enemies it could not be denied that he and the Hollow worked well together, and could accomplish glorious things.

"That is why you call me a zanpakutou? Because Learning about me teaches Ichigo about his Quincy heritage?"

The Hollow tilted his head to the side considering that statement. "Close enough. We are a part of the same soul, but if you were a true zanpakutou you would already know what I am trying to tell you. It's instinct."

"Yes, of course it is," The Quincy agreed. "This is the reason you wanted to talk to me?"

"No, it's not," The Hollow grumbled to himself for a moment, reigning in his ever present temper. The Quincy waited outwardly patient while his mind was whirring with possibilities of what a true zanpakutou understood instinctively.

"Look, since you are technically a zanpakutou, like I am..." The Hollow rushed on as if he would never get it out if he stopped. "I thought that as a part of Ichigo's soul you should have some input on who his soul mate would be."

The Quincy blinked and ran that last sentence through his head again to make sure he understood it. "Excuse me?"He asked. This was completely new territory to him.

"Like I said Quincy, the things people forget if they are given enough time," The Hollow said with that weird smile again.

"We are going to find Ichigo's soul mate in order to... cheer him up?" The Quincy asked incredulously.

"No stupid, and zanpakutou chooses a soul mate." The Quincy stared with his mouth hanging open. The hollow laughed at him. "Man, the look on your face right now..." He clutched at his sides and bent double, he was laughing so hard. "Don't tell me you are one of those airheads that think you can only find your soul mate when the stars align, and its kismet, because, I have to say, you cover it up really well."

The Quincy watched as the Hollow rolled around on the glass howling with laughter. It would be nice to give Ichigo something so precious, he thought while the Hollow laughed himself out. But it was also true that they had no way of communicating with Ichigo at the moment. How would they tell him who his soul mate was? He considered the problem as the Hollow got to its knees and shook itself like a dog. When it was standing again and once more seemed capable of intelligent conversation the Quincy brought up his concerns.

"How does one choose a soul mate? And how would Ichigo know he has one?" He did not want to admit it but he was curious as to what the process entailed.

The Hollow giggled but did manage to maintain control of himself. "Usually you see another zanpakutou and think: 'damn that is one sexy looking blade.'"

Now the Quincy was dumbstruck. "So basically it's whoever owns the zanpakutou you happen to... like?"

"Bingo," The Hollow said. "But you should know zanpakutou do not consider themselves owned... so do us both a favor and don't mention it like that in front of this one. The results could be very painful."

"That makes no sense," The Quincy said earning himself a sharp glare from the Hollow. "That would mean that only Shinigami have soul mates."

"What is a zanpakutou?" The Hollow snapped. It did not wait for an answer. "Only the truest form of someone's deepest desires, fears and needs. It is the core of their beings that Shinigami fight with. Being able to understand and speak with that part of yourself was a gift the Soul King granted us long ago. Even if a soul doesn't have the power to become a Shinigami that part of one's soul can still call out to another."

The Quincy thought that over. "So when two people meet and automatically 'click' as the young humans say, it is also two zanpakutou who... like each other?"

"That would be the G-rated version, yes," The Hollow said eyes twinkling with mirth. "And since King is such a complicated soul, it seems that the both of us have to agree on one mate."

Now the Quincy caught on to how they were going to pull this off. "He will know through his subconscious?"

"Exactly," The Hollow scratched his head and surveyed the grey world. "If he does what I always told him and follows his instincts, that is. King needs this," He said emphatically. "It's not as bad as when mom died, but it's no fun living in a grey world either."

The Quincy nodded in agreement thinking of how much he wanted Ichigo to be happy. Then he did the math. "You said I had a say in this as well?"

"Yeah," the Hollow said sheepishly. It was amazing to the Quincy that it was acting more like an abashed Ichigo than a soul eating monster at the moment. "I tried to do it myself but, regrettably, you are a part of the equation. We need one kinky blade."

"Does the relationship have to be... sexual?" The Quincy asked really unsure of his part in this.

The Hollow blinked slowly. "That's usually how it goes. There will also be complete access to both inner worlds. Think of it: a change in scenery."

The Quincy understood the implications, but he was not sure he wanted to go through with this, not even for Ichigo. "You already have someone in mind?"

"Hmm, can't get one by you can I? I have been working on this one for awhile, she's stubborn," The Hollow said with a dopey grin. The Quincy decided that this grin was worse than the manic grin.

"Who is it?" The Quincy asked faintly alarmed and tried not to think to hard on how the Hollow had already tried to 'bond' with this other zanpakutou.

"Don't worry, you'll like her," The Hollow said practically strutting off in a seemingly random direction. "Come on Quincy. The line between us is almost nonexistent. We already crossed it once when we joined our powers together. This wont be nearly as hard as you think."

The Quincy remembered their combined form, how powerful and … complete... it felt. Now there was a possibility he had not thought of, and having someone else to talk to sounded nice. He hoped she was intelligent. He followed after the Hollow his curiosity getting the better of him.

2

Ichigo sat quietly at the table sipping his tea. It was still a good hour before dinner, and as he had been doing more and more since he had lost his Shinigami powers, he had been spending the day at Urahara's. He had been doing his homework on the living room floor with Ururu and Jinta. The former shyly asking for his help whenever she got stuck when Urahara had said he needed to talk to him.

He had come to appreciate this time away from the craziness of his own family. His sisters tried to act as if nothing had changed after the war, and for them it really hadn't. They didn't understand how it had affected him. His father treated him like glass. Isshin never even mentioned Shinigami, the war, or anything connected to either. Instead he pulled stupid stunts non-stop, and all Ichigo wanted to do was knock him unconscious so that he could hear himself think.

His friends were little better. They would not talk of spiritual matters with him and would speak in hushed whispers whenever they had to discuss it amongst themselves. Then they would turn to him and speak a little too brightly or a touch too loudly to cover it all up. The galling part was they didn't seem to know what they were doing. It irked him to no end that they treated him differently. Even if they did not mean to. So he always lied when asked if he was alright and said he was fine. He lied when he asked himself if he was alright and said he was fine.

Urahara on the other hand never treated him any differently than he had before the loss of his powers, nor did Tessai, Ururu or Jinta. They still talked about Shinigami matters while he was in the room, or homework, or the latest wacky invention Urahara was tinkering with. And surprisingly, Tessai liked to discuss current events and politics. Ichigo was coming to enjoy their debates on public policy.

Not only that but he had begun to feel drawn to Urahara in a way that he couldn't explain. It was almost as if he could not live without the man. He would watch the ex-Shinigami out of the corners of his eyes no matter what else he may be doing at the time. He watched him reading the paper or working in the store. He even watched his hands while he worked on some device or other at the kitchen table.

At first it was very confusing as to why the sometimes annoying shopkeeper captured his attention so thoroughly. It was not until he had jerked awake one night in his bed from a wet dream featuring Urahara and his hands sliding up and down his body, whispering for permission to take him that he understood what his current fascination was about.

Aside from the identified feeling of longing he felt for Urahara, the shoten had become a safe haven for him, where he could be himself and not be asked every five minutes if he was alright. Until now.

"You have spoken to my father," He said evenly, bottling up that part of him that wanted to scream in denial. It would not do to burst into hysterics yet. Urahara had not outright banned him from the shop. He just wanted to know why Ichigo was here so much. Isshin wanted to know why he was here so much.

"Yes, I have," Urahara tapped the side of his tea cup with one finger. Ichigo stared at the hands remembering the dreams he had been having. He gulped down the rest of his tea. Urahara's eyebrows shot up at the reaction. "Your dad seems to think that you are spending so much time here because you can't let go of the Shinigami that you cannot let go of a world that you can no longer be a part of."

"He wants me to stop coming here, doesn't he?" Ichigo said numbly. He gripped his head in his hands. "Is that what you think I am doing?" He asked. Urahara's opinion was important to him. If Urahara thought it was for the best he would listen and not come back, no matter how much it hurt. A small part of him called him a liar. It told him he would camp out of the front stoop much like Renji had done until he was allowed back in.

Urahara studied him for a moment. His grey eyes searching Ichigo's. "I do not believe he is correct."

"You don't?" Ichigo asked as relief flooded his body. It had taken him over two months to come to terms with the fact that he was in love with Urahara. He had never felt this way about anyone before. And for it to be Urahara of all people added a whole new layer of 'you might be insane' to the whole ordeal. In fact, before Ichigo lost his powers, he remembered thinking Urahara was mostly just annoying (if strangely dependable), almost on the same level as Keigo.

"No, I do not," The blond said sipping once more at his tea just to keep himself occupied. His face was completely shadowed by his green and white stripped hat. "But your father believes it is so despite my assurances. He does not want you here."

"Why?" Ichigo asked unease slipping into his mind and making a comfortable home for itself. He did not think that he could stay away from Urahara at this point now matter what his father said.

"Isshin has experience with the loss of one's reiatsu. He believes you will be better served by making a clean break with the after life." Urahara raised his hand to stop Ichigo from speaking. "If I thought you were trying to keep tabs on your friends in Seireitei or were trying to keep up with events unfolding in the Gotei 13, I would agree with him. If you came here to mope and whine about your lost powers, I would agree with him. If you ever begged me to help you get your powers back, I would agree with him. But instead you have done your best to insert yourself into the daily life here at the shoten."

Ichigo blushed. He had thought Urahara had missed that little detail. "As our daily lives have little to nothing to do with the Soul Society, I have come to the conclusion that you have another motive for being here," Urahara finished.

The silence that followed stretched out into infinity. Urahara pushed his hat back off of his face revealing clear, grey eyes. Ichigo's own eyes dropped to his lap afraid Urahara would be able to see everything in them.

"Ichigo," Urahara said quietly. "I am going to need an answer from you. Why do you spend so much of your time here?"

Ichigo stared hard at this lap, silently berating himself for being a coward. In every other aspect of his life he had been so fearless, even when facing the darkness within himself. Why was he so afraid of Urahara's reaction to his little crush? The worst Urahara could do was kick him out and tell him to never come back. But that was also the most devastating thing Ichigo could imagine.

"I am afraid that I must insist on an answer, Ichigo," Urahara said softly. Ichigo could feel the man's eyes on him. "Your father was very adamant. If I am going to argue for you to continue coming here, I have to know why."

Ichigo did look up at that. Urahara did not want him to go? He was willing to fight for him to be able to stay? That realization alone gave him hope. He stared at Urahara's earnest expression, and made his decision. No matter what the consequences of his actions were, he was not going to give up without knowing for sure. He did not answer, not in words. He stood from his seat across from Urahara and rounded the table quickly, before he had a chance to think about what he was doing.

Urahara sat back in surprise as Ichigo settled on the mat next to him. Instead of facing the table, Ichigo knelt facing the other man. He did not let himself think at all before leaning in and pressing his lips to the startled shopkeeper's.

Ichigo squelched the little part of him that was freaking out from his first kiss. He didn't want to pull away too quickly, nor did he know what the hell he was supposed to do next. They made it look so easy in the movies. Damn actors probably practiced kissing each other anyway. Ironically it was his habit of nibbling on his lip when he was nervous that served him well, as he ended up nibbling on Urahara's lip instead.

Once he realized what he was doing he jerked away and sat back on his heels. He could not bare to look up and see Urahara's reaction. He stared very hard at his lap until his eyes started to water. He could not believe what he had done. As the reality of the situation set in, and he realized he was not going to wake up in bed with wet sheets Ichigo flushed completely red. He could feel his face heat up to an unbearable degree and still he sat and waited. It was now Urahara's – no, Kisuke's- move. He could not think of the man he had just kissed in terms of his family name.

In the moment Ichigo kissed him Urahara experienced something he had never experienced before, a complete mental shut down. Never would he have thought that Kurosaki Ichigo would kiss him. It was true that over the past couple of months he had felt more... drawn to the young man. It was why they were having this conversation in the first place. He had only wanted a good enough reason to give Isshin so that the man would let his son continue to visit. Never in his wildest dreams – that he would admit to having- had he thought Ichigo even liked men let alone him, but the teeth grazing his lower lip cleared up that little misconception for him.

Urahara's mind rebooted in time to notice the thick silence in the room. Ichigo was still kneeling at his side head down and back ramrod strait. His face was also almost the same color as his hair. He looked so tense and ready to bolt at the slightest movement. And he was currently not breathing. Urahara reached out and grabbed Ichigo's hand. He rubbed slow circles onto the back of the hand with his thumb. He could not believe he was even considering this, but he was not the type to turn down a gift, especially one as precious as this.

"Ichigo," Kisuke said softly. "You need to breathe." Chocolate brown eyes met his from under messy bangs. Once he heard the first stuttering breath, he pulled on the hand still clasped in his and drew the young man into his lap. Kisuke shifted so that Ichigo was sitting between his legs. One knee was pulled up to his chest and braced against Ichigo's side.

Between the leg and the table Ichigo was effectively pinned in place. He tensed when he realized the position he was in. Kisuke pulled him back to where he was flush against his chest and rested his chin on Ichigo's shoulder. He felt Ichigo squirm in his grasp and the heat from the boy's flushed skin through his clothes.

"Calm down," Kisuke cooed into his ear. He reclaimed Ichigo's hand and began rubbing the soft skin once more, trying to soothe the boy.

"What?" Ichigo finally choked out. "Why?"

"Did you really think that I would let you leave after that?" Kisuke asked slyly. He knew he probably shouldn't be teasing Ichigo at the moment. The boy had after all just confessed his love to him, if only through actions and not words. Taking this into consideration, Ichigo probably wouldn't respond all that favorably to words until he calmed down. Kisuke bent down and placed a soft kiss on Ichigo's neck. He felt more than heard the hitch in the others breathing.

"I thought you would want me to leave after..." Ichigo trailed off and his skin heated up again. Kisuke watched the blush spread down his neck and disappear into his t-shirt.

"Oh? Trying to get me to throw you out rather than tell me the truth?" Ichigo squirmed once more stuttering out a barely coherent denial until he realized that Kisuke was laughing softly into his neck. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I am a terrible tease, and you look so fetching when you blush like that." Kisuke was now stroking Ichigo's arms. He felt the other relax slowly into his embrace. He nuzzled and kissed Ichigo's neck.

Things were clearly taking an amorous turn, and all of Ichigo's squirming had aroused him. But Kisuke was well aware that if he ever wanted Ichigo to return to him he would have to tread very carefully. Ichigo guarded his innocence selfishly. Kisuke was sure he had never even kissed anyone else. Before they could do anything they would have to talk.

Ichigo was not making things easy for him by leaning back into him and only tensing slightly when he felt Kisuke's erection. "What now?" Ichigo asked in a husky voice laden with desire. It sent shivers down Kisuke's spine. It would be so easy to scoop the boy up and take him into the bedroom.

Instead, Kisuke sighed regretfully as he gazed at Ichigo's tented jeans. It should be illegal to wear jeans that tight, Kisuke thought as he took a few deep breaths and tackled his runaway libido. "Now. Contrary to every love story ever written we talk about out relationship." This was why he had always dated older men. Being the voice of reason in a relationship sucked. He much preferred being the horny one.

Ichigo went still, afraid that was was going to be turned away in spite of Kisuke's actions. "What will we be talking about?"

Kisuke laughed, "For starters, do you know that you have never once said my name?" It really had nothing to do with what they really needed to talk about, but Kisuke was fully prepared to indulge in as much selfishness as Ichigo would allow him.

"I have called you Urahara before?" Ichigo asked confused.

Kisuke snorted. If he had not already witnessed how obtuse Ichigo could be sometimes, he would have thought the boy had said that to be cruel. "Ichigo," He admonished emphasizing the name. "I know you know my name."

"Oh!" Kisuke could practically see the epiphany hit Ichigo over the head. "Kisuke..."

As soon as his name left the others lips Kisuke rewarded him by turning his head and pulling him into a kiss, slowly and with as much passion as he could afford without loosing himself to it. As he pulled away he flicked his tongue across Ichigo's bottom lip. "I have to use that name more often," Ichigo gasped. Kisuke laughed gently. "There's more isn't there?" Ichigo asked shyly.

"Yes, there is..." Urahara paused. This was counter to every instinct a teenage boy possessed, and he needed to lay this out clearly and concisely, so that Ichigo would not over react. And there was always the possibility that the boy was not ready to reveal his sexual orientation to his friends and family.

Urahara winced slightly at the mere thought of what Isshin would do to him when the man was told. He pulled Ichigo as close to him as he could. "I don't want to keep our relationship a secret," He said softly placing his chin on the others shoulder.

Ichigo tensed at his words. "You mean.. you want to tell everyone?" He squeaked.

"In time," Urahara answered. "I want to do this right, Ichigo. I cannot explain why, but I love you. I want this to be more than just a tryst. To accomplish that we cannot hide our feelings as if we are ashamed of them."

Ichigo blushed hotly. Urahara... Kisuke was right of course. "I'm not ashamed of loving you," he grunted. "I'm just..."

"Embarrassed?" Kisuke said as Ichigo trailed off. "Is this your first love?"

Ichigo, still blushing madly, nodded. "Well, yes and no. I have had a crush on someone before, but it was obvious that that would never happen." He wanted to sink into the floor and hide, but Kisuke refused to let him go.

"And who might this crush be?" Kisuke asked amused. He already had a pretty good idea of the answer, as long as Ichigo had always like males.

Ichigo ducked his head. "Chad..."

"Hmmm, and you are afraid that he will realize you have had a crush on him if you tell everyone." At Ichigo's nod he kissed the boy's temple. "Do not worry, you have amazingly understanding friends. It's not like you are going to tell them that you are going to break into the afterlife to save a young girl you barely know from execution or anything crazy like that." Kisuke grinned when Ichigo couldn't hold back a chuckle. "If it makes you feel any better, it is I who will be risking life and limb when we tell your father. Which will be soon, by the way, Isshin wanted an update as soon as I got you talking." He leaned back to get a better look at Ichigo's reaction.

The teen choked slightly. "That's going to be bad. But... if I agree to this then..." he trailed off. He just couldn't say it. Maybe his friends were right and he was a prude. Kisuke didn't say anything. He barely moved. Okay, Ichigo thought, dying right now would be good. But, no, he could not die now. If he died of embarrassment right now, he would have to explain to Rukia and Renji how he had managed to get himself killed, and he couldn't begin his after life like that.

"There is another thing,Ichigo," Kisuke said. Ichigo looked at him in shock. After all of that, did Kisuke not want him? Ichigo turned completely around and settled himself on his knees between Kisuke's legs. He leaned in close and planted another kiss on Kisuke's lips.

Kisuke returned the kiss without hesitation pushing his tongue against Ichigo's lips asking for entrance. Ichigo let Kisuke deepen the kiss and concentrated on memorizing the feel of the other man's tongue as it explored his mouth. No, Kisuke wanted this as much as he did.

"What?" Ichigo asked plaintively as Kisuke pulled away.

Instead of answering directly Kisuke said, "Do you know how young you actually are?"

Ichigo blinked. That was what he was worried about? Hell no. You don't kiss someone like that and then tell them they are too young for a sexual relationship. Ichigo's embarrassment evaporated under his scorching anger. He clenched his fists at his sides and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. "So I'm old enough to fight a war for you but not old enough to fuck?" He demanded harshly.

Kisuke sighed. He had known this would happen. He was also sure he should not have phrased that question the way that he had. This was one of the things that he firmly believed plagued Ichigo daily. Without his Shinigami powers he was for all intents and purposes a human child in every way but emotionally. It must be mortifying for the young man. "Let me rephrase that. Do you have any idea how old I am?"

"Um, pretty old? Forty? Fifty?"

Kisuke laughed. "How old is Rukia-chan then?" He asked trying to get Ichigo to change perspective from human to Shinigami.

"She told me that she was over one hundred and fifty, though she wasn't exactly..." Ichigo stared at Kisuke. Did Shinigami really live that long? He had never really thought about it before. "How old are you?" He asked a little uneasy about the answer. He had a bad feeling it was going to be older than Rukia... wait, wasn't Kisuke and the rest of them exiled over one hundred and fifty years ago?

"I am four hundred and seventy-three," Kisuke said without hesitating.

Ichigo's eyes bulged. "I... wha... " He could not fathom being that old. Kisuke only looked to be in his mid twenties, maybe his early thirties at most.

"So," Kisuke leaned forward, his nose touching Ichigo's. "Am I too old to fuck?" He asked deliberately phrasing the question as Ichigo had.

"Um," Now Ichigo was confused and a little ashamed. He had assumed that it was his age that was the problem. He sat back on his heels giving Kisuke a searching look. "It's not because I'm too young?"

Kisuke smiled thinly. If only it were a two month long problem. "If this were the same era that I had been born in, either as a human or a Shinigami, a seventeen year old would have already been considered a man. I do not have that particular issue with your age... With that being said, I do not want to give your father any reason to call the police on me because I am having sex with his underage son. It would be inconvenient." Ichigo smiled wanly, he could see his dad doing just that. "So I would like to wait until he can't have me thrown in jail for it... or we could try to get his consent."

"Yeah right," Ichigo said. He could not see his old man saying yes to that. He could wait. It would only be a short time anyway. "We can wait," He said aloud.

"The age difference will be a problem whether we like it or not," Kisuke said softly. "But it is something we can work on." He reached up and brushed back Ichigo's messy bangs.

Ichigo nodded. He understood a little bit of what Kisuke was talking about. He had calmed down from his initial anger. "Was there anything else?" He asked warily. He knew there was. Kisuke had that look in his eye that he got when he was thinking on a particularly difficult problem.

Kisuke hummed and pulled down his hat to hide his eyes. Oh, Ichigo knew he was not going to like this. "Would you mind too much if I researched why we feel the way we do for each other?"

Ichigo scowled. "What do you mean?" Was Kisuke going to tell him that what they felt for each other was fake?

"It is an interesting puzzle. You started to see me as a potential lover only a couple of months ago... around the third of March I expect." Ichigo nodded surprised that Kisuke knew to the day when he had fallen for the older man. "That is when I began to see you as sexually desirable as well. Up until that point you were my most favored student and hopefully a friend. Then on the third...

"You were helping Ururu with her algebra homework. You were wearing another pair of those far too tight jeans you prefer and a t-shirt with a silly English phrase on it."

Ichigo was surprised by the details Kisuke remembered from that day. He remembered that day as well. He remembered glancing up and meeting Kisuke's eyes. A wave of sudden desire overtook him and he had been drowning in those calm grey eyes before Ururu had tugged on his sleeve and drawn his attention back to the problem he had been explaining to her.

"You do remember," Kisuke said quietly. "That moment was not chance, Ichigo. Something changed between us that day."

"You want to scientifically explain love?" Ichigo asked. He did not consider himself to be a romantic, but that was cold.

"Would learning why we feel the way we do make it any less real?" Kisuke asked carefully.

Ichigo wiped his eyes with his hand. No, he was not crying. He did not want Kisuke to find out that what they felt was artificial though, because that was what it sounded like. He would have to be very mature about this, he realized. This was who Kisuke was. He was a scientist. The infuriating man would try to work out the why of their relationship no matter what Ichigo said. If Ichigo could not accept this part of Kisuke... "I hope not," He said with a small smile.

Kisuke smiled back and rewarded him with a slow sensual kiss. "You wont regret it," He said once he pulled back.

"I love you," Was all Ichigo said In return.

"I love you too," Kisuke replied.

3

It was after dinner when they decided to call Ichigo's father and tell him the news. Ichigo was a nervous wreck pacing back and forth across the living room floor. He didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid. Would his dad accept him knowing that he was gay? Could Isshin accept that he loved Kisuke of all people? That fact still surprised even him. Ichigo whined uncharacteristically. Couldn't he and Kisuke do the irrational thing and run away to a tropical island somewhere and screw each others brains out in peace?

Kisuke sat on a mat with the phone in his hand. For the first time since they had met Ichigo saw Kisuke so completely unsure of himself and that was terrifying. The blond pushed back his hat and stared at the phone as if it would bite him.

"Can you please sit down, Ichigo?" He begged. "This is going to be bad enough without you having a nervous breakdown." Ichigo sat down next to him and placed a hand on Kisuke's thigh.

Tessai sat and watched the drama that had been unfolding since the dinner dishes had been put away. He raised an eyebrow at Ichigo's familiar gesture and was even more surprised when his friend did nothing to to remove the hand. The two of them fussed with each other for a few minutes. Soft reassuring touches were exchanged between the two and that simply amazed the quiet man.

Tessai stared at his boss and Ichigo trying to divine where this preposterous relationship was headed. Not even his steady gaze penetrated the bubble around the two. Though this didn't bother Tessai. It was actually a positive thing in his eyes. People tended to forget that he was in the room because he rarely spoke. Even Kisuke and Yoruichi forgot that he was with them on more than one occasion, though those times were far less intimate than this and tended to revolve around "I have the perfect prank to play on Tessai... don't tell him."

Tessai sat back and watched as one of his best friends put his arm around the young man to comfort him. Before dinner the two of them had been acting as they always had. How had this happened and more importantly when? Perhaps he should have hung around after serving the tea for Kisuke's talk with Ichigo instead of checking on the meal. Then he would not be feeling so lost in the present situation, but he had given them the space that they needed at his boss's request, so that Kisuke could broach a very difficult subject with Ichigo. Even though Kisuke knew that Tessai's favorite thing was people watching and such situations were like a good sitcom to him. This time though he wanted answers. Tessai cleared his throat to re-announce his presence to the room.

Kisuke's head shot up, and he grinned sheepishly. He knew what Tessai wanted. Ichigo froze at the reminder that there was someone else in the room, and he had his hand still on Kisuke's thigh. He blushed at having forgotten that the big man was there entirely.

"I suppose you want an explanation," Kisuke said. Tessai jerked his head in a nod. "Well, it will be good practice for the days ahead," He said with a nervous laugh. He turned back to Ichigo. "Go ahead and tell him."

"What! Why do I have to tell him?" Ichigo demanded.

"As I said, practice for when you have to tell your friends. Also because I am the one who has to tell your father."

"You did not say that," Ichigo groused. He hung his head. "Okay, as long as you tell the old man," He turned back to Tessai. He was not going to be the one to tell his father the news. Call it cowardly if you want, but he never wanted to talk to his dad about his sex life, ever. "Kisuke and I are... in love."

Tessai blinked slowly behind his glasses. It was his only outward showing of surprise, though neither of the other two saw it. It had been a very long time since his friend had been "in love," but Kisuke did not refute what the boy had said. That was even more interesting. He examined Kisuke closely. Kisuke held the phone loosely in one hand and the other was wrapped around the Kurosaki boy's lower back. Well, an intimate relationship would explain the intricate dance that had been going on between the two lately.

"I see," was all Tessai said. He gave Kisuke a significant look.

"What did I do?" Kisuke asked. He recognized that look. It was the look he always got from his friends when one of his experiments bordered on the inhumane. Tessai's look only sharpened. He was not going to buy the innocent act. "I am serious about this," Kisuke blurted answering the unasked question. He held up his hands defensively. "I am not playing around, I swear."

Tessai sat back and crossed his arms. It wasn't a jubilant congratulations, but for now, it seemed that he would withhold judgment.

Ichigo had been watching the exchange with a mild curiosity. It seemed to him that Kisuke and Tessai did most of their communication the same way he and Chad did. But there was one thing that he picked up on that he wanted explained. "What do you mean by playing around?"

Kisuke sighed. He had hoped Ichigo would not pick up on that. "Well, remember when I said that me being so much older than you would be a problem?" Ichigo seemed to retreat from him. The young man pulled back his hand and closed in on himself. Kisuke grabbed that hand before Ichigo could stand. "I have had many relationships over the years. None of them were very serious." He may have to just say what he meant with Ichigo from now on instead of starting with the context. He did tend to approach problems from odd angles and tended to forget that not many people could keep up with his convoluted thought processes.

"Oh," Ichigo said. He relaxed once more with a thoughtful look on his face. Yes, strait forward was the best approach. "Are you going to call my dad or just put it off forever?"

"I was hoping to put it off until tomorrow," Kisuke said with shrug. He pouted when Tessai let out a light chuckle. Sometimes his friend was too cruel. "Telling Tessai was way too easy for you," He continued trying to change the mood. "I should have made you call Ishida-kun." He nearly laughed out loud at the look on the red-head's face.

"Don't remind me," Ichigo mumbled. "And make the damn call already!"

Kisuke pushed the call button. It probably said a lot about his own worry over Ichigo's state of mind that he had the Kurosaki Clinic on speed dial. "Just in case." He had told Isshin at the time.

Kisuke put the phone on speaker so that he would not have to retell the conversation later. He had a bad feeling that this was going to be traumatizing enough the first time around.

"Hello?" Isshin's voice answered.

"Kurosaki-san!" Kisuke sang into the phone.

"Kisuke?"

Kisuke rolled his eyes. What other full grown man would sing song on the phone... besides Isshin himself.

"Is Ichigo alright?" Isshin asked. "Do I need to come pick him up?"

"No no, you don't need to come here – at all, ever. But I did find out why Ichigo has been spending so much time with us at the shoten."

Silence.

"It's not what you think, Kurosaki-san," Kisuke continued after a tense moment." Ichigo is actually coping much better than expected..."

"How would you know this?" Isshin asked slowly.

"I talked to him," Kisuke said finally getting serious. "I understand that being strait forward with your son gets the best results. You should try it sometime. You would be surprised at what you would learn."

"You know he doesn't talk to me. Hasn't in years," Isshin said heavily.

Ichigo cringed. It was true that he and his dad did not have a relationship where they could just talk to each other.

"Hmm, It might be time to change that. Maybe you could start with the past."

"Shut up, Kisuke!" Isshin yelled into the phone.

Ichigo poked Kisuke in the side and shook his head once he got the blond's attention. He did not think that now was the time for Kisuke to try to "fix" his relationship with his father.

Kisuke sighed in defeat. He would not force that on Ichigo now. He shifted the conversation back to it's original topic. "That aside, I see no reason to ban Ichigo from the shop. He is not desperate to contact his friends from Seireitei, as you had assumed." Kisuke smiled slyly into the phone. "In fact, we quite enjoy his presence here."

"If not to keep in touch with his friends, why would he want to spend time with you?" Isshin asked. "I don't think you are looking at this objectively, Kisuke. I wont let you keep Ichigo around as one of your experiments."

Kisuke frowned. To think that Isshin would think so low of him. "That makes no sense. I am nothing but objective with my experiments. As it is I am nowhere near objective, nor am I experimenting on your son."

"Quit talking in circles. Did you send Ichigo home or not?" Isshin demanded.

"No, I did not send him home. He is sitting right here listening to our conversation as we speak."

Isshin squeaked into the phone. Ichigo would have found it funny if the subject matter weren't so serious. A self satisfied smile spread across Kisuke's face. He had never approved of Isshin going behind his son's back to acquire information.

"You are just screwing with me again, aren't you?" Isshin asked desperately.

Kisuke did not say anything. Instead he nudged Ichigo with his thigh. He got a glare for his trouble. "I'm here Oyaji," Ichigo said out loud. He leaned in closer to Kisuke and hoped his father couldn't hear him. "What are you doing, scaredy cat? Just tell him already."

Kisuke giggled nervously, before he could stop himself. Yoruichi was the cat, not him. His usual method of dealing with an uncomfortable situation was to avoid it altogether. With both Kurosaki men pushing him into a corner, he was running out of ways to dodge the inevitable.

"Anyway, Isshin-san, that brings us to an interesting development between your son and myself," Kisuke said. He wished fervently that he could start running now. Ichigo poked him again, urging him to get on with it.

"Development?" Isshin asked.

"Ah yes, it seems that Ichigo has developed feelings for me," Kisuke answered nonchalantly. He got poked again for being deliberately ambiguous.

"Yes, we have talked and since these feelings are mutual we have decided to explore the possibilities of a relationship," Kisuke explained.

"What are you? A government issued pamphlet?" Ichigo demanded, annoyed that Kisuke was dragging this out so long. He felt as if he were going to snap from the tension.

"Ichigo, this is very difficult. If you wanted it over with quickly, you should have done this yourself."

"What!?" Isshin's voice filled the room. "Masaki! Our baby boy had been lured into the clutches of an evil pedophile, mad scientist!"

"Oh good, he understood that," Kisuke said.

Ichigo groaned. Between his new boyfriend and his father he was defiantly going to die from embarrassment. Rukia was going to laugh herself sick.

"Ichigo, I want you home now," Isshin said suddenly.

Ichigo was going to tell his dad to go to hell when gentle fingers pressed against his lips. He looked into Kisuke's calm grey eyes. Kisuke kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. "It's only two months before he has no say whatsoever in what we do. I would prefer it if you would use this time to prevent a rift between you and your father."

Ichigo stilled. It made him feel good that Kisuke was serious enough about this that he was looking out for his best interests. But the truth of the matter was that his dad had every right to keep them apart until he turned eighteen. Would Kisuke still be interested in him if they couldn't see each other in that time?

He swallowed hard. Even if his father kept them apart until his birthday, he still had to talk to his old man. Isshin hadn't even known that he was gay before he dropped this bombshell on him. "I'll be home in about twenty minutes," He said to his dad. For Kisuke he had one last passionate kiss. He poured everything he felt for Kisuke into that kiss, even the emotions and need that he did not fully understand. It was very encouraging and bolstered his own resolve when Kisuke kissed him back with the same passion. Kisuke was a very good kisser Ichigo decided as he slowly pulled away far enough to stare into his eyes. He leaned in for another kiss...

"Are you leaving yet?" Isshin's voice grated over the phone.

Ichigo jumped at the reminder that his dad was still, technically, in the room. His face turned red again. "Y-yeah, I'm on my way." He stood and looked down at Kisuke. Kisuke smiled encouragingly. Ichigo nodded once and grabbed his bag to leave. He looked back one last time before slipping out the door. The hell if he could say 'I love you' with his dad listening in. At least not yet. They had to talk first.

After Ichigo had left the room Kisuke turned off the speaker phone. "Alright Isshin, if you have anything derogatory to say to me get it out now," He said into the phone. "I don't want you to do something as stupid as take your anger out on your son when he gets home."

"I would never do that," Isshin said deadly serious.

"Good," Kisuke said just as serious.

"Don't play with him Kisuke."

"I'm not. I'm serious about this," Kisuke sighed and laid all of his cards on the table. "It is inexplicable to me, but your son has become the most precious thing in my life. I am sure that I would do anything to make him happy at this point, even going as far as giving up being a Shinigami for him should he ask it."

There was a long silence from the phone before a small beep signaled the end of the call. Kisuke dropped his head into his hands. It was up to Ichigo now. He just hoped the boy would not loose his temper and do something rash.

4

Ichigo was so preoccupied with what he was going to say to his father that he missed the hello fist to the face the man gave him when he walked through the door. The punch was hard enough to snap his head back and snap him out of his contemplative mood. At least this was normal. The retaliatory kick to his dad's abdomen sent the elder Kurosaki flying back into the wall.

"Shit Oyaji! Is this really how you want to begin this conversation?" Ichigo yelled. He stood limbs akimbo ready for a follow up attack.

Isshin slammed his hands on the floor in frustration and stood to face his son. "What the hell do you think you are doing fraternizing with that man? Hell, how long have you been gay?"

Ichigo felt his eyes begin to burn. He had not cried in years. Why did it have to happen now. "Are you ashamed of me because I like men?"

Isshin ran his hand through his hair as he thought of an answer. "Kami Ichigo, No I'm not ashamed of you at all," He searched for words. "I'm shocked," He shrugged sheepishly. "Though it does explain how you could have a cute girl living in your closet and not once try to sneak a peek..."

"Can you at the very least try to stay on topic!" Ichigo yelled. "And Rukia isn't cute; she's violent," He covered his face with his hands. Now Isshin had him doing it. This was why they never talked. He could count the times he had seen his dad serious on once hand, and most of that had been in the past year.

Isshin looked at his son, really looked. Ichigo's posture was hunched over and very tense. He was frowning more heavily than usual and there was a strain around his eyes which were red and a bit puffy. It struck him then that his son really expected him to disown him for being gay. "I'm not mad at you," Isshin said quietly. "You are my son. I just... I never expected I would have to play the over protective father with you," He said with a slight smile on his face. "I have been saving that for when the girls are older. I even bought a katana."

Ichigo had to crack a smile at the thought of Isshin standing over some poor kid dumb enough to try to date his sisters with naked blade in hand. But the smile was slight and tremulous. Ichigo felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. Isshin lead him to the kitchen table, and they sat down.

"Why did you get so mad?" Ichigo asked quietly. "If it wasn't because of me, why?"

Isshin sat back and crossed his arms. "Did you forget already that I know Urahara?"

"No, I just didn't know that you were friends."

Isshin hesitated. "Friends... yes in a way. We don't talk much. Every time we do we remember things that we have lost. But that isn't the point. I know him well enough... Ichigo, Urahara goes through lovers the same way everyone else goes through tic-tacs."

Ichigo blinked. Kisuke had told him that he had had plenty of lovers, but he had not gotten the impression that that was all Ichigo was to him. He was pretty sure that he would still be at the shop most likely buck naked by now if that was all Kisuke had wanted.

"I'm just glad that you had the presence of mind to call me. I had thought he respected me too much to-"

"He didn't, dad. I kissed him first."

Isshin stared at his son surprised. "You kissed him?"

"Yes," Ichigo blushed.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Ichigo demanded.

"Why Urahara?" Isshin asked curiously. He already had a hunch from what Urahara had told him before he had hung up, but he wanted to hear from Ichigo before making any conclusions.

"I don't really know," Ichigo said with a shrug. "I just feel...safe with him." He broke off with another nervous shrug. "He is important to me. It's like I can't imagine my life with out him. I just want to be with him. Even now I feel a need to be near him," Ichigo blushed again. He really had not wanted to say that and to his dad no less. It made him sound like a love sick girl.

Isshin groaned, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

"Huh?"

"You know that your old man is much more perceptive than you give him credit for," Isshin stated.

"One can only hope," Ichigo mumbled at the table.

Isshin smacked him on the back of the head. "Show me a little respect here." Ichigo growled in response and rubbed the sore spot on his head. "From what Urahara told me from before I hung up and what you just said right now... not to mention the look on your face when you said it... I felt the same way when I met the love of my life."

Ichigo sat up. He was talking about mom. "I was a Shinigami captain; she was a human..." Isshin took a deep breath. "It was less than twenty-four hours after we met that I came back to the living world and never left."

"What are you trying to say?" Ichigo asked.

"Well son, if you feel for Urahara like I do for your mother- you could be soul mates."

Ichigo scoffed. Soul mates were not real. It was just a story.

"I mean it Ichigo. Whatever you believe, this bond will over rule it." Isshin rubbed his hand across his face. "It's just that I don't want you to mistake lust with something that precious. And I certainly don't want him to break your heart."

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing."So you are alright with Kisuke and I having a relationship?"

Isshin frowned. It certainly was not alright, but he had never stood in his son's way before. It wasn't like he could start now. "I am not," The next words came out strained. "But you are almost an adult now, and preventing you from seeing him would be pointless."

Ichigo shrugged and superstitiously checked his watch. His father had been serious for almost ten minutes now. The world just might be ending. "Kisuke said that he would wait until you couldn't call the cops on him."

Smart man,Isshin thought. Then- "Kisuke is willing to wait? I thought you two were already...doing... things."

"I- no! I told you that I'm the one that kissed him first," Ichigo was offended that his dad thought that he would crawl into bed with a man within an hour of confessing.

"You haven't... umm..."

"No!" Now Ichigo was blushing like crazy again.

"Oh, how long have you two been... together?"

A shrug, "Since before dinner."

Isshin's head smacked into the table. "Hehe, dinner... that's a comfort. At least he wanted to tell me before he started screwing my under age son."

"Dad!" Ichigo spluttered. He was thoroughly embarrassed at his father's words. What kind of person did he think Kisuke was anyway?

"Sorry, sorry," Isshin said leaning over and grabbing Ichigo's arm. "I am not completely sure that you and Urahara are soul mates, but this is not his usual m.o. at all. I want you to make me a promise. Wait until you are eighteen to... you know..." He made a vague gesture with his hand. "If Urahara can't wait that long, it's not a relationship worth pursuing, especially with him."

Ichigo opened his mouth for a scathing response before snapping it shut so hard that his teeth clicked. "I- yeah, I can wait that long. I don't think that I am ready for sex yet anyway."

Oh, good. Isshin thought, very pleased with his son's response. He stood with as much dignity as he could muster and flung himself at the large poster of his late wife. "Masaki! Success! Our baby boy is all grown up and practicing good judgment!"

And time, Ichigo thought checking his watch.Almost fifteen minutes. He really was impressed. Somewhere deep inside that inane exterior his dad was a rational human – Shinigami- whatever- "Good talk, dad," He said standing up to make a break for his room. Suppressing all of that craziness was bound to cause an over flow. Ichigo wanted to be well away when the dam broke.

"Wait son!" Isshin said leaping at Ichigo intending to catch him in a bear hug. "We are in the middle of a father-son moment!"

Ichigo side stepped and clothes-lined his dad. "Good night," He said stepping over his father's supine form. Once he entered his room he breathed a sigh of relief. He felt lighter than he had in months. It felt good to have one less secret hanging over his head.