Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm Ex-Shark-Virtue and this is my first Bleach fanfiction! This little fic takes place after Aizen is defeated but before Ichigo wakes up. It's just a cute little fluff fic dealing with Orihime and Uryuu. If I mess up with their personalities a little I apologize. I watched the first seven seasons of Bleach in English, I watched seasons eight onward in Japanese, and I've only read bits and pieces of the manga. I'll follow the manga's storyline for this story just with my own little interjections. And Spoilers might be present.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the characters. They all belong to Kubo, Tite-san.

Happy Reading!

Chapter One: Stay With Me

Inoue Orihime sighed as she entered the classroom to find not one but two of her best friends missing. One of them she expected. Kurosaki Ichigo was still unconscious after the ordeal that Aizen had created. But the other one she wasn't expecting. Ishida Uryuu wasn't sitting at his desk. Class was due to start in less than ten minutes and Uryuu was usually one of the first students to show up, so Orihime had a feeling he wasn't going to come in. She knew that she shouldn't be in school either after what had happened to her. It had been only a few short days since they had returned from Hueco Mundo and Aizen had been defeated.

She had spent the previous day at home but all the events that she had witnessed kept playing over in her head. She couldn't remember how many times she had seen the gaping hole in Ichigo's lifeless body or the sight of Uryuu struggling to remain conscious despite missing his left hand and with Ichigo's Zanpakutou through his stomach. Or…the monster that Ichigo had become to protect her from Ulquiorra…the monster that had nearly killed Uryuu. So today she had come to school to distract herself from those images.

"Sado-kun," She asked as she walked up to the only person in her group of friends who had come to school that day, "It's odd that Ishida-kun isn't in school today. Was he here yesterday?"

"Yeah," Sado said, "He was here yesterday but he didn't look very well."

"I see," Orihime said, "Maybe I'll call him after school. I'm sure his injuries are still bothering him. He didn't want me to heal him completely."

"I'm sure he's fine," Sado said as the teacher walked in.

"Well, well, well," Ochi-Sensei said as she started taking roll call, "Kurosaki's out again. Although his father did mention that there was a possibility that he would be out for a while. Ishida's out as well but he looked so awful yesterday I wasn't expecting him to come in either."

Orihime sighed, "I should have healed Ishida-kun's injuries completely," She thought, "He must be in a lot of pain to take a day out of school."

It was a slow day for Orihime. Normally she had Ichigo, Uryuu, Rukia, Sado, and from time to time Renji to talk to during the day but today it was only her and Sado. Although it was actually a relief to have Chizuru and Tatsuki fighting over her, it still wasn't the same without Uryuu, Ichigo and Rukia in class.

"Orihime-chan," Tatsuki said, "Do you want to walk home together?"

"I'm sorry Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said, "I was going to stop by Ishida-kun's apartment to see how he was feeling. I heard that he wasn't feeling very well yesterday."

"Did something happen to him?" Tatsuki asked, "He actually fell asleep in class yesterday. I'm pretty sure if it wasn't the last period of the day Ochi-sensei would have sent him to the nurse. His left hand was all bandaged too and it looked as if he could barely move it. He went to find you didn't he? Did something happen?"

"He was injured trying to protect me from the people who took me," Orihime said.

"It was those freaky looking people in the white outfits right?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah," Orihime said softly, "We'll talk about it later though…It's still hard to think about."

"I understand," Tatsuki said, "Give Ishida-san my regards."

"I will," Orihime said as she walked off.

Orihime took her phone out and dialed Uryuu's phone number.

Uryuu woke up to the sound of his phone. He was going to just let it ring but in case it was Isshin or Orihime calling with information on Ichigo's condition he decided to get up and answer the phone.

"Hello?" He asked tiredly.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime called.

"Inoue-san…?" Uryuu answered tiredly. The phone had brought him from a deep fever-induced sleep and he had yet to fully wake up.

"I'm sorry, Ishida-kun," Orihime said, "Did I wake you up or something?"

"No, you didn't," Uryuu lied as he sat down at his table, "I was just resting a bit. What do you want?"

"You weren't in school today," Orihime said, "I was wondering if your injuries were bothering you at all."

Uryuu sighed, "I developed a slight fever late last night," He said softly, "It's no reason for alarm, just a result of exhaustion I guess."

"Would you mind if I stopped by for a little bit?" Orihime asked, "I…I don't want to be alone right now…and Kurosaki-kun is still unconscious. It's okay if you don't feel like having company but…I just can't go home yet."

Uryuu sighed again, "You can come over if you want," he said softly, "I…" He nearly said "I want you to finish healing my injuries," but he stopped himself. She would probably insist to do that anyway once she saw the condition he was in, "Don't mind."

"Okay," Orihime said, "Could I have your address? I don't know where you live."

Uryuu sighed a third time, "Only you would ask to come visit a person without knowing where they live," He said as he shook his head.

Orihime laughed a bit, "I guess so," She said as Uryuu gave her his address, "Thank you Ishida-kun. I'll see you in a little bit."

Uryuu sighed as he put his phone down. He was glad that Orihime was coming over. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he refused her offer to heal his injuries completely. He had expected everyone to suffer more devastating injuries and he hadn't expected the fourth squadron to be there to take care of any injuries. He meant to ask Orihime to finish healing him sooner but things had gotten a bit hectic after Ichigo collapsed and he never got around to it.

He sighed as he walked back over to his couch after unlocking the door. The fever he had was making him terribly lightheaded and his still tender injuries were just adding to how awful he felt. "Maybe it's a good thing she's coming over," He thought, "I can't fend for myself like this."

Orihime sighed as she walked up to Uryuu's apartment. She was a little nervous about being there. Uryuu was one of her closest friends but she was still a little bit apprehensive about it just being the two of them. During the time she had spent with Uryuu in both the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo she had developed a bit of a crush on the aloof Quincy. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Ishida-kun?" She called.

When there was no response she tried the door and it opened. She quietly and cautiously entered the apartment and found Uryuu asleep on the couch. She placed her hand on his forehead and frowned, "His fever's really high," She thought, "I hope his injuries didn't get infected."

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered as his deep blue eyes opened slightly.

"I'm sorry," Orihime blurted out, "I didn't mean to wake you up. You're sick and I should have just let you sleep."

"It's alright," Uryuu said, "I wanted to be awake when you got here anyway. Could I ask a favor of you?"

"What would that be?" Orihime asked she had a feeling that she knew what Uryuu was going to ask of her.

"Could you…finish healing my wounds?" He asked shyly as he blushed a bit, "I meant to ask you earlier but I never got around to it. Do you mind?"

"I was going to ask if I could do that anyway," Orihime asked, "But first I want to check if any of them have gotten infected."

"None of them are infected," Uryuu said as he started to remove the bandages from his left hand, "I had Kurosaki-san come and check the injuries this morning. He assured me that none of my injuries had gotten infected and that the fever was the result of stress and exhaustion."

"Kurosaki-san…" Orihime muttered, "As in Kurosaki-kun's father?"

"Yeah," Uryuu said as he started to remove the bandages from his stomach, "He made a house call for me this morning."

"But isn't your father a doctor as well?" Orihime asked as she started to inspect Uryuu's barely functional left hand, "Why didn't you ask him?"

Uryuu sighed, "I could never let Ryuuken see me in this state," He said softly, "And I don't feel like putting up with his snide remarks today. Ryuuken probably wouldn't give me the time of day after I ran off to rescue you. He doesn't give a damn about me."

"I'm sure that not true," Orihime said as she activated her Shun Shun Rikka to heal Uryuu, "Your father seemed to care enough to restore your powers. I'm sure deep down he does care about you…at least…you know if your father is still alive." She said softly.

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered vacantly as she continued to heal him. He had almost completely forgotten that Orihime lived alone.

"I'm sorry," She said, "I shouldn't be getting upset while I'm trying to heal you."

"I should have let you heal me completely while we were above the dome of Las Noches." Uryuu said as he shut his eyes, "I had expected everyone to sustain more serious injuries and I wasn't expecting Unohana-taichou to be there either. I didn't want you to stain yourself after what you went through."

"Aizen and the Arrancars never hurt me," Orihime said as she finished healing Uryuu, "I was terrified but…they never did anything to physically hurt me."

"I'm glad," Uryuu said as he flexed his completely restored left hand, "Thank you Inoue-san."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about your fever," She said, "Shun Shun Rikka can't lower a fever."

"Don't worry about it," Uryuu said, "I can handle the fever."

"Have you had anything to eat today?" Orihime asked.

"Kurosaki-san made me a light breakfast when he visited this morning," Uryuu said, "But aside from that I haven't eaten anything else today."

"Do you want me to make you something?" Orihime asked innocently.

Uryuu's dull blue eyes widened a bit. Orihime was rather…creative in the kitchen and he wasn't sure if his stomach would take to something like a bean paste and chicken ramen sandwich topped with peanut butter, "Uh…Inoue-san…"

"I promise I won't make anything weird," She said, "You're sick and you need something gentle on the stomach right? May I use your kitchen?"

"Go ahead," Uryuu said as he rested against the couch again. He could finally lie down on the couch without having to worry about the sharp pains he had been getting through his stomach and left hand because of his injuries but he still felt awful. The fever caused his body to ache despite Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka, he was freezing regardless of how many blankets he covered up with and he was incredibly exhausted. He was just about to fall asleep when he felt a cool hand on his forehead, "Inoue-san…"

"I'm sorry," She said, "But your supper is ready."

"Thank you," Uryuu said as he sat up and Orihime placed a tray with a steaming bowl of what looked like vegetable soup on his lap.

"You had a lot of vegetables in your refrigerator," Orihime said, "So I made you a soup recipe that my brother used to make for me whenever I got sick."

Uryuu cautiously brought a spoonful up to his mouth and took a small sip. To his surprise the soup was quite good, "That's not bad Inoue-san," He said.

"Thank you," Orihime said, "Eat what you can but don't force yourself."

Uryuu nodded and ate about three fourths of the soup before handing the bowl back to the girl, "That was very good Inoue-san," He said, "Thank you."

"Do you want anything else?"

"That won't be necessary," Uryuu said, "I think I'm going to get some more sleep. The fever kept me up a lot last night."

"Do you want me to help you to your room?" Orihime asked, "It might be better for you to sleep in a proper bed than on the couch."

"Alright," Uryuu said as he allowed the girl to help him stand, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Orihime said, "I want you to get better as soon as possible…school just wasn't the same without you or Kurosaki-kun."

"I see…" Uryuu muttered as he rested against his pillow, "You don't have to stay Inoue-san. I'll be alright by myself."

"No," Orihime said, "You shouldn't be left alone with such a fever. I'll spend the night here…if that's okay."

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered, "Where are you going to sleep?"

"I can sleep on the couch," Orihime said as she gently tucked Uryuu in, "I don't mind. Please," She said as tears sprung into her eyes, "I don't want to be alone…I keep seeing…everything that happened during the battle against Ulquiorra. The hole in Kurosaki-kun's chest…you with you left hand missing…watching Kurosaki-kun…stab you with his Zanpakutou…everything…it just keeps playing over in my head."

"Inoue-san…" Uryuu muttered, "I understand. But what are you going to sleep in? My clothes are too big for you and I don't have anything on hand."

"I could run home in a little bit," Orihime said, "But I'm fine sleeping in my school uniform if I have to. You should get some sleep."

Uryuu nodded and slipped into a deep but restless sleep.

Orihime sighed as she walked into the kitchen and shut the door to Uryuu's bedroom. She started cleaning up the dishes from the soup she had made when the phone rang. She was hesitant to pick it up but at the same time she didn't want the phone to wake Uryuu.

"Moshi, moshi, Ishida residence," She answered.

"Who is this?" A man's voice came.

"My name is Inoue Orihime," She said, "I'm one of Ishida Uryuu-kun's classmates."

"I see," The man said, "I heard from Isshin that my son was running a fever from whatever he had done after running away. I wanted to check up on him to make sure he wasn't doing anything foolish while ill."

"Ishida…san…" She gasped, "Ishida-kun is asleep right now. Do you want me to wake him?"

"That won't be necessary," Ryuuken said, "Let him rest."

"Alright," Orihime said however before she could say goodbye the call ended.

"You see Ishida-kun," She thought as she walked back into Uryuu's room and placed a cold compress on his forehead, "Your father does care about you. He wouldn't have called to see how you were feeling if he didn't. I wonder if Isshin-san is Kurosaki-kun's father. It has to be, he's the only other person that Ishida-kun has had any interaction with today."

She then went back in the kitchen to finish cleaning. When she was done she collected her belongings so she could head home to grab a change of clothes and something to sleep in when there was a knock at the door. She opened the door and found a well dressed man with brown eyes, silver hair and glasses standing at Uryuu's door.

"You must be Inoue-san," The man said, "I came to drop this off." He handed her a box of fever reducers, "My son doesn't keep medicine in his apartment for whatever reason and I heard from Isshin that his fever was quite high."

"Thank you, Ishida-san," Orihime said as she slipped her shoes on.

"Are you on your way out?" Ryuuken asked.

"I was actually on my way home to pick up some clothes and pajamas," Orihime said, "I was planning on spending the night. Ishida-kun shouldn't be alone with such a fever."

"Would you like a ride?" Ryuuken asked, "It's starting to rain."

"I'll be fine walking," Orihime said.

"The quicker you get what you need, the less time my son is alone," Ryuuken said, "I'm sure Uryuu's apartment is out of the way."

Orihime sighed, "Thank you," She said softly. She got the impression that Uryuu's father was not an easy person to say no to.

Ryuuken's car was uncomfortably quiet on the way to Orihime's apartment. It only took her a few minutes to get what she needed. She could change into normal clothes when she got back to Uryuu's apartment.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Orihime said as she reentered Ryuuken's car.

"Do your parents care that you're spending the night at a male classmate's apartment?" Ryuuken asked.

"I haven't lived with my parents since I was three," Orihime said softly, "I lived with my older brother for a time. I live alone now…and I have no idea where my parents are."

Ryuuken nodded and started to drive by to his son's apartment.

"Thank you so much for the ride," Orihime said as Ryuuken dropped her off.

"Keep an eye on my son," Ryuuken said, "He doesn't like to rest when he should. That's why…it takes him so long to recover."

"I will," Orihime said as she walked back to Uryuu's apartment, "Thank you Ishida-san!"

A few hours later Uryuu walked into his living room to find Orihime sitting on the couch doing homework.

"Inoue-san," He said as he sat down next to her.

"Ishida-kun," She greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a little better," He said, "I think if I get a really good night sleep tonight I should be fine tomorrow."

"You probably should still stay home to rest another day," Orihime said, "That way you don't relapse."

"I know," Uryuu said, "I wasn't planning on going to school tomorrow."

"Oh before I forget," Orihime said, "Your father came by a little while ago."

"Ryuuken…actually stopped by?" Uryuu asked, "What did he want?"

"Well, first he called to see how you were feeling," Orihime said, "Then a little while later he stopped by. I think he might have mentioned something about Kurosaki-kun's father as well."

"Ryuuken wanted to know how I was feeling…?" Uryuu asked vacantly, "Kurosaki-san must have told Ryuuken that I was sick…I'm sure he said something about me doing something idiotic."

"Not really," Orihime said, "He seemed worried about you. He even drove me to my apartment so I could pick up a change of clothes."

"I find it hard to believe that that man would worry about me," Uryuu said listlessly, "He never cared about me in the past."

"Why would your father call you and stop by your apartment to see how you were feeling if he wasn't worried about you?" Orihime asked, "My father doesn't even know my phone number…let alone where I live. You're lucky…you say you don't have a good relationship with your father but…it's better than the relationship I have with my father…I don't even remember what my parents looked like."

Uryuu gasped. Orihime was right. Even if he didn't have a good relationship with his father it was better than not knowing what his father looked like. "I'm sorry," He said, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay," Orihime said as she wiped her eyes, "Oniichan said that my parents were terrible people." She took the small box of medicine that Ryuuken had given her, "He also gave me this to give to you. He said something about you not keeping medicine here."

Uryuu took the box and sighed, "Of course he would say something like," he muttered, "I didn't think he would also remember that I don't sleep well when I'm feverish."

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked.

"It's nighttime cold medicine," He said, "When I'm feverish I sleep alright during the day. But at night, I struggle." He paused a bit, "It's been a while since Ryuuken saw me get this ill…I was ten or eleven the last time. That was also the only time I saw my father genuinely worried about me." He sighed, "I had suddenly collapsed during school because of a dangerously high fever. I had been rushed to my father's hospital and I don't think I'll ever forget the look of pure terror on Ryuuken's face just before I lost consciousness. I heard from a nurse a few days later after my fever fell and I returned to consciousness that…Ryuuken never left my side while I was unconscious."

"See," Orihime said, "Your father does care about you Ishida-kun. Do you want a little something to eat so you can take your medicine?"

"I'm not hungry," Uryuu said.

"It's bad to take medicine on an empty stomach," Orihime said, "It'll make you feel sicker."

"I guess you're right," Uryuu said, "I'll just have some tea then. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just regular tea will do. There should be some tea bags in the kitchen."

"Okay," Orihime said, "But you really should get back to bed first. The medicine will probably make you very sleepy and you need to be in bed."

Uryuu nodded. He went to stand up when a wave of dizziness washed over him and he nearly fell.

"Ishida-kun!" Orihime cried as she prevented him from falling, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Uryuu said as he stood up with a little more success, "I just got a little dizzy that's all."

"See?" Orihime asked, "This is why you need to be in bed."

"Thank you Inoue-san," Uryuu muttered as the girl helped him back to his bed.

"You're welcome," She said with a smile, "Sit tight, I'll be back in a bit with some tea."

Uryuu sighed. He could understand how Orihime felt. There were several events that took place at Hueco Mundo that still bothered him. He was quite glad that Orihime hadn't seen the battle against Szayel Aporro Granz. He felt as though he had been absolutely useless in that battle. Renji had continued to battle after several of his internal organs and tendons had been destroyed. He had been rendered unable to do anything after he had his first organ, his stomach, destroyed. Then that…Capitan arrived. He had never been both relieved and disgusted to see another…being in all his life. Then after killing Szayel in an almost cruel but definitely unusual manner, Kurotsuchi destroyed his Zanpakutou then revived his daughter in such a way it made his stomach turn. And just thinking about what that…madman might have done to him after he had fallen unconscious, made Uryuu's stomach sick.

Then there was the battle against Ulquiorra…

"Ishida-kun," Orihime's soft voice came, "Are you alright?"

Uryuu looked up, "How did I not notice Inoue-san's reiatsu so close?" He thought, "Is it because I'm ill?"

"Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked.

"I'm sorry about that Inoue-san," Uryuu muttered as he adjusted his glasses and sat up a bit, "I was just thinking."

"You were thinking about what happened at Hueco Mundo weren't you?" Orihime asked.

Uryuu's eyes widened, "How...how did you know?" He gasped.

"The look on your face," Orihime said, "First you looked upset, then almost relieved, then it looked like you were in pain, then relieved and disgusted and finally you looked sicker than you did a little while ago. So I figured you must have been thinking about Hueco Mundo." She paused, "Do you still want this?"

"Yeah," Uryuu muttered as he took the mug from the girl, "Inoue-san is standing right next to me," He thought, "And I can barely feel her reiatsu."

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked, "Is the tea too hot?"

"It's not that…" Uryuu mumbled, "Inoue-san…is my reiatsu weak?"

"Ishida-kun…" Orihime gasped.

"I can hardly feel your reiastu," Uryuu muttered, "And…you're standing right there."

Orihime shut her eyes, "Yeah," She said, "Your reiatsu is weak. Should I call Urahara-san?"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Uryuu said as he finished the tea, "I have a feeling it's because I'm ill. If my reiatsu doesn't come back up once my fever breaks I'll go to Urahara-san."

"Are you done with the tea?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah," Uryuu said as he handed the mug back to the girl.

"You should take some medicine now," Orihime said as she handed the box of medicine and a glass of water, "You need to sleep."

"Thank you Inoue-san," Uryuu said.

"If you need anything at all during the night please call me right away," Orihime said, "Sleep well Ishida-kun and…thank you for letting me spend the night."

"You're welcome," Uryuu said as he removed his glasses and rested against his pillow.

Orihime walked back into the living room and continued doing her homework. When she finished, she made two copies of the class notes, one for Uryuu the other for Ichigo. "I wonder if Ishida-kun was able to take notes yesterday." She thought, "Probably not, he's left handed and Tatsuki-chan said that he could barely move his hand yesterday. I guess I should go to bed, just in case Ishida-kun doesn't sleep well tonight."

Orihime walked to the bathroom and changed into the pajamas she had brought. Once she was finished getting ready for bed she took a small face towel and ran it under cold water. She quietly entered Uryuu's bedroom and placed the cold compress on his forehead. Uryuu had a slightly pained expression on his face but he appeared to be sleeping soundly.

"He must have gone through a lot at Hueco Mundo," Orihime thought, "We can talk about it when he feels better."

"Sleep well, Ishida-kun," She said softly as she shut the door.

So, what did you think? It's my first Bleach fic so like I said earlier, I apologize if their personalities might not be right. I know I probably wrote Ryuuken way out of character, but I have a feeling (just based on what I read and watched) that deep down Ryuuken does care for his son. I'm probably going to write another chapter for this, I'm not a fan of one shots. Let me know what you thought! Until next time, see ya!

Ex-Shark-V-005