Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back with my second Bleach fic. I loved the little flashback scene I wrote in my first Bleach fic so I decided to make a story out of it. It takes place much before the manga so there are no spoilers. I will be using the metric system in this because it's used in Japan which is the setting for this story. I'll provide the conversions so it doesn't confuse anyone. I don't have much else to say about this fic right now so I'll let you get started right away.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, just the plot of this story.

Happy Reading!

Chapter One: Here We Go Again

Ryuuken sighed inwardly as he watched his eleven year old son, Uryuu, just pick at his supper. Ryuuken had noticed, in the hour or so that he had been home, that Uryuu seemed more listless and tired than normal. He watched the boy struggle with his homework before supper and now the child was sitting across from him, his chopsticks idle in his left hand and his right hand supporting his head. He also took note of the thick sweater the child was wearing. It was the beginning of April but the weather was already too warm for the outfit the boy was donning.

"Uryuu," He called. The child slowly looked up from the soba he had been picking at but didn't answer, "Go take your temperature. If you're running a fever, take a tepid bath then go to bed. If you're not running a fever then I expect you to come back to the table and finish your supper."

"Yes father," Uryuu muttered as he lazily stood from the table and headed towards the washroom.

"I want to see the thermometer when you're done," Ryuuken called. He almost didn't need the years of medical school and the experience he had from working in a hospital to tell when Uryuu was running a fever. The signs were so blatantly obvious that any idiot off the street would be able to tell when the boy wasn't well. "So much for a quiet evening" Ryuuken thought, "After attending to patients all day looks like I'm going to have to spend all night attending to my son."

Uryuu sighed as he took the thermometer and timer out of the medicine cabinet. He hated having to check his temperature. His father refused to buy a digital thermometer claiming that the old-fashioned ones were much more accurate even if they took much longer. Uryuu set the timer for four minutes then put the thermometer in his mouth and sat on the vanity. "So much for hiding this from father," He thought as he shivered and struggled to breathe from his already congested nose. He already knew that he was running a fever. His teacher had sent him to the nurse during Japanese class but because they couldn't get a hold of his father he had spent the rest of the school day lying down in the nurse's office. "I'll be forced to stay home from school tomorrow."

He sat there for a few more minutes until the timer went off. He took the thermometer out of his mouth and squinted to see where the line was, "It's gone up," He thought, "It was only thirty-seven point nine (one hundred) earlier."

"Is it done yet Uryuu?" Ryuuken called from the kitchen.

Uryuu sighed again as he slid off the vanity with the thermometer in hand, "Here father," He said as handed it to Ryuuken.

"Thirty-eight point four (one hundred one point two) degrees," Ryuuken read, "You know what to do. Take a lukewarm, not hot, bath then go to bed. I'll bring you some soup and tea later when I bring you your medicine."

"Yes father."

"Call me when the bath is full so I can check the temperature," Ryuuken said. He sighed as he picked up Uryuu's almost completely untouched supper and threw it away. He knew that his son wasn't going to feel much like eating in the next few days and the soba would just go to waste anyway. The weather was changing again and it seemed that whenever the weather changed Uryuu came down with a bad fever or the flu. Ryuuken was keeping his fingers crossed that Uryuu's illness would only last a few days. Just two months earlier the child had spent nearly two weeks just about bedridden with the flu. That time he had been forced to take several days out of work and forced to drop the child off with his less-than-attentive "friend" Kurosaki Isshin.

He hated leaving Uryuu with Isshin. It wasn't because he didn't trust Isshin with his son. Ryuuken trusted Isshin enough to have him listed as Uryuu's legal guardian lest anything ever happen to him while Uryuu was still a child. He hated leaving Uryuu with Isshin because the man would gloat about how the all-mighty Ishida Ryuuken-sama needed his help with something. He sighed inwardly as he realized that he would probably have to leave Uryuu with Isshin again. But it was better than leaving the boy by himself. Isshin might act like a bumbling idiot, but the man was still a doctor that, at times, Ryuuken could respect to a certain degree.

"Father," Uryuu called softly as he walked into the kitchen, "The bath is ready."

"I'll be right there," Ryuuken responded as he followed his son to the washroom. He rolled the sleeve of his blouse and dipped his elbow into the water, "That's too warm Uryuu. What did I tell you? The water has to be lukewarm, that's not lukewarm. Drain some of the water then run the cold water."

"But father," Uryuu whined uncharacteristically, "I'm freezing and I want to take a warm bath."

"A warm bath will only make your fever worse, Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "Drain half the water then add cold water."

"Yes father," Uryuu muttered as tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of his father but he couldn't keep the tears back.

"Why are you crying?" Ryuuken asked his son as the boy drained the water.

"Because I'm cold," Uryuu cried, "And taking a lukewarm bath will only make me colder. I want to take a warm bath!"

"Do you want to get sicker?" Ryuuken asked. Uryuu wiped his eyes and shook his head, "If you take a warm bath you will get sicker. After the day I had I don't feel like being up all night because you did something to make your fever worse."

Uryuu sighed as he started to add the cold water to the bath. He was still openly crying, something that his father didn't normally allow him to do. "Is it because I'm sick?" Uryuu thought, "Father normally yells at me when I cry."

"That should be enough," Ryuuken said as he turned to the door, "I'll be back in about twenty minutes. In that time, I want you to stop crying."

Ryuuken sighed. He had a feeling that whatever illness Uryuu had come down with was not going to resolve itself in a few days. "Might as well call Isshin," He thought, "Uryuu is going to be sick for at least a week." He grabbed his phone and carefully dialed the number for the Kurosaki household.

"Moshi Moshi!" A young girl called enthusiastically through the phone, "Kurosaki residence! Kurosaki Yuzu speaking!"

"Is your father around?" Ryuuken asked as he made a mental note to yell at Isshin for letting a six year old answer the phone.

"Hai!" Yuzu responded cheerfully, "Just a minute! Otousaaaan! You have a phone call!"

"Okay!" Ryuuken heard from somewhere in the background.

"Here you go, otousan!"

"Thank you Yuzu!" Isshin said, "Kurosaki Isshin speaking."

"Do you really think it's wise to let a six year old answer the phone?" Ryuuken asked.

"R-Ryuuken," Isshin stuttered, "I was busy helping Ichigo with something so I let Yuzu answer the phone it was a onetime deal. What are you calling for anyway? I thought you hated my assistance."

"I'm calling because Uryuu is sick again," Ryuuken said, "And it has me in a bit of a bind."

"Man, is little Uryuu-kun ever healthy?" Isshin asked, "It seems as though that kid is always getting sick. Didn't he have a stomach bug two weeks ago?"

"Yes," Ryuuken said, "No thanks to your daughter." He remembered being called out of work before a big meeting that day because Uryuu had thrown up in class. Then on the way to Isshin's house Uryuu threw up again in Ryuuken's car and the faint smell of vomit still lingered nearly two weeks later.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that Karin was going to throw up all over Uryuu-kun that time?" Isshin asked, "She's only six after all."

"That's no excuse," Ryuuken said, "I could tell your daughter wasn't well from ten meters (about thirty-three feet) away. And I do recall her complaining of a stomachache several times that day. You should pay more attention to how your children behave."

"I'm sure you have loads of practice with that with Uryuu-kun," Isshin said, "You must be able to tell he's going to get sick the day before now. So what's he sick with this time?"

"He's running a fever again," Ryuuken said, "I have a feeling that it's going to be like the last time."

"I see," Isshin said, "I take it you're going to need me to watch him tomorrow."

"That would be nice," Ryuuken said.

Isshin sighed, "I would love to watch little Uryuu-kun tomorrow however I'm going on a field trip with Yuzu and Karin tomorrow. You're going to have to figure something else out."

"Figures," Ryuuken said, "The one time I need you to watch Uryuu you're going to be playing glorified babysitter for a group of kindergarteners."

"Hey, at least I go on field trips with my kids," Isshin said, "Unlike a stubborn doctor I know who won't even take a day out from work when his kid's sick with the flu."

"If I took time off whenever Uryuu was sick, I would lose my job," Ryuuken said, "I'll just have to leave him home alone tomorrow."

"Or you could take a day out," Isshin suggested.

"We have a bunch of new residents starting tomorrow," Ryuuken said, "I need to be there."

"If it was me, I wouldn't care if the Prime Minister and Emperor were visiting," Isshin said, "I would take the day out."

"I know you would," Ryuuken said, "But you live by a different set of morals."

"I thought you didn't bother with all that Quincy stuff you said your father droned on about all the time," Isshin said.

"I don't," Ryuuken said, "I just care about the wellbeing of my family and my job more."

"Just remember," Isshin said, "You're a father first and a doctor second. Uryuu-kun's sick and he needs to be taken care of. Something is bound to happen if you leave him home alone tomorrow. I can't watch him tomorrow but I'll watch Uryuu-kun any day after that."

"Thank you," Ryuuken said, "I'll talk to you later Isshin."

"Keep me updated on little Uryuu-kun," Isshin said, "Tell him I hope he feels better soon. Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Ryuuken said as he hung up the phone and checked his watch, "He'll have to get out in about five minutes." he thought as he entered his son's room to get the boy a pair of pajamas, "I'll start the tea then I'll have him get out of the bath." He took a box of mild chamomile tea and started to heat up the water.

When he was finished he grabbed the pajamas he readied and he knocked on the bathroom door, "It's been twenty minutes," He called as he opened the door slightly, "I brought you a pair of pajamas. I'm putting them on the vanity. When you're finished changing, go straight to bed."

"But I haven't finished my homework yet," Uryuu whined.

"You're not going to school tomorrow regardless of whether or not you have a fever in the morning," Ryuuken said, "You can finish it tomorrow."

"But…"

"Don't argue with me Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "Your homework can wait until you're well again."

"Yes father…"

Ryuuken shut the washroom door and started to make his son a quick medley soup for him to eat. He didn't make very much of the soup, he knew that Uryuu probably wasn't going to eat much of it and Ryuuken didn't feel like wasting more food on his son's behalf. He heard the washroom door open and he turned to see his son in the door way to the kitchen. He sighed at his son's appearance. Under his flushed cheeks, Uryuu was pale, his eyes were bloodshot and puffy and the boy looked miserable. "It's going to be a long night." Ryuuken thought.

"Does your stomach hurt?" He asked.

"No," Uryuu muttered in response.

"Good, that's one thing I don't have to worry about." Ryuuken thought, "Are you hungry?" He asked.

"No."

"Will you at least drink some tea?" Ryuuken asked.

"Yes," Uryuu responded as he watched his father turn off the stove.

"Go to bed Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "I'll bring you some tea when I bring you your medicine."

Uryuu walked from the kitchen and Ryuuken returned the medley soup to the container he had it in. He then put it in the refrigerator. He walked to the washroom and opened his medicine cabinet and to his dismay he found that he had no children's medicine. "Great," He thought, "Looks like I'll be calling Isshin again."

Isshin sighed as his phone rang again, "Check who's calling before you pick up the phone Yuzu," he called, "I don't need Ishida to yell at me again."

"Okay," Yuzu called, "Otousan, it's someone named uh…I…shi-da?"

"Don't answer it," Isshin said as he walked to the phone, "Moshi, moooooshi, Kurosaki desuu!"

"I don't have time for jokes Isshin," Ryuuken growled, "I have a favor to ask you."

"What's this?" Isshin asked, "The great Ishida Ryuuken-sama is asking me for something for the second time in one day?"

"Drop it Isshin," Ryuuken snapped, "I need you to pick up some children's medicine for me. I've already sent Uryuu to bed and I don't want to leave him alone."

"You already sent Uryuu-kun to bed?" Isshin asked, "It's only seven thirty."

"Uryuu doesn't sleep well when he's ill," Ryuuken said, "The earlier I send him to bed the more time he may spend sleeping."

"Why can't you go get him some medicine?" Isshin asked, "You're going to leave the poor boy home alone all day tomorrow you can't leave him alone for ten minutes while you run to the pharmacy?"

"Uryuu has spent the last twenty-five minutes crying," Ryuuken said, "His fever is starting to spike and if I leave him alone he's only going to panic."

"Fine, fine," Isshin said, "What kind of medication do you want me to get?"

"Children's acetaminophen in chewable tablet form," Ryuuken said, "Did you write that down? I can't afford to have you buy the wrong kind."

"Children's acetaminophen in chewable tablet form," Isshin repeated back as he wrote it down, "Any particular flavor?"

"Grape if possible," Ryuuken said, "Uryuu can't stand the bubblegum flavor."

"I'm guessing Uryuu-kun can't drink powered medicine," Isshin said.

"He can," Ryuuken responded, "But when he gets this ill it's easier for him to take the tablet form. I need you to hurry with it Isshin. I want him to have it before he falls asleep or gets worse."

"Alright, alright," Isshin said, "I'll leave right away."

"Thank you." Ryuuken said as he ended the call.

"Who was that, otousan?" Yuzu asked.

"That was one of daddy's friends," Isshin said, "Ichigo!" He called.

"What?" Ichigo called as he entered the room, "I'm trying to do my homework!"

"I need you to watch Yuzu and Karin for a little bit," Isshin said, "I need to run out to get something for a friend."

"Is it for that kid about Ichi-nii's age that I accidently threw up on?" Karin asked, "His name was Ishida Uryuu-san right?"

"Yeah," Isshin said, "He's not feeling well again and his father needs me to pick up some medicine for him. Ichigo watch them for a while please? Ryuuken will have my head if I don't hurry. I'll be back."

Ryuuken sighed as he placed a cold compress on Uryuu's forehead. The boy had fallen asleep however he wasn't sleeping well at all. He was restlessly thrashing about and whimpering.

"Where the hell is Isshin?" He thought, "I called him fifteen minutes ago. Uryuu's getting worse." He was about to call Isshin again when there was a knock at the door. Ryuuken held his breath as Uryuu stirred and moaned. He didn't want Uryuu to wake up, he had just fallen asleep.

"Is that…a Hollow…?" Uryuu whispered as he opened his eyes.

"No," Ryuuken said as he stood up, "It's a friend of mine. I asked him to pick up some medicine for you." He sighed. Uryuu was a lot worse than he thought, "Just hold on."

"Hurry…" Uryuu moaned as fresh tears streamed down his sweaty face, "I'm…in pain…"

Ryuuken nodded and walked towards the door and opened it, "It's about time," he said, "Uryuu is getting worse."

"Sorry about that," Isshin said, "Ichigo gave me a hard time about watching Yuzu and Karin."

"You left your ten year old son alone to watch your two six year old daughters?" Ryuuken asked, "Are you an idiot?"

"At least I'm not leaving my sick eleven year old son alone all day," Isshin said as he pointed his index finger in Ryuuken's face, "You have no right to call me an idiot! Is this the right kind?"

Ryuuken looked at the box, "Yes."

"Otousan…" Uryuu moaned as he clung to the doorframe of his room.

"Get back to bed Uryuu," Ryuuken said, "I'll be there in a minute."

Isshin watched Uryuu take two more steps out of his room then he rushed to the boy's side as he collapsed, "Are you seriously considering leaving him alone in this condition tomorrow?" He asked as he lifted the small boy from the floor, "Honestly, how high is his fever?"

"It's only thirty-eight point six (one hundred one point five)," Ryuuken said, "Uryuu doesn't take well to illness."

"That's all the more reason to stay home with him tomorrow," Isshin said as he brought the child back to his room and set him down on his bed, "How many should I give him? I usually give Ichigo three and a half but Uryuu-kun's much smaller than Ichigo."

"Give him two," Ryuuken said.

"Alright," Isshin said as he took two tablets out of the box, "Here you go Uryuu-kun. I'm sorry it took me so long to get these to you."

Uryuu took the pills, "Thank…you…" He gasped, "Otousan…I need…my inhaler…"

"Okay," Isshin said as he took the inhaler from the bedside table, "Here," he said as he administered the medicine to the boy, "Is that better?" Uryuu nodded, "Get some sleep Uryuu-kun."

"Thank you…" Uryuu whispered as he shut his eyes.

Isshin looked at Ryuuken, "He shouldn't be left alone," Isshin said, "I'm sure as a father and a doctor you realize that. I'm suspecting the beginnings of pneumonia. I know little Uryuu-kun has asthma but as I carried him here I could hear and feel his breathing and it's not looking good."

"I understand that," Ryuuken said, "I'll see how he sleeps tonight. I know tomorrow he's going to insist on going to school. Depending on how he's feeling in the morning, I might send him to school until I can get out of work."

"That's still not the best idea," Isshin said, "But it's not as bad as leaving him here alone. Well, I'll talk to you later Ryuuken. Let me know how he fares tonight."

"Thank you Isshin," Ryuuken said, "I really appreciate it."

"Whoa! Who the hell are you and what the hell have you done with Ishida Ryuuken-sama?" Isshin exclaimed as he walked towards the door, "You're actually thanking me?"

"Shouldn't you be getting home to your ten and six year olds that you stupidly left home alone?" Ryuuken asked.

"Ah right," Isshin said, "Ja ne!"

Ryuuken nodded then shut the door behind Isshin. He walked back into his son's room and found that the boy had finally fallen asleep. "Hopefully he'll stay asleep." Ryuuken said as he turned the light off. In a few hours he would set up a makeshift bed in his son's room and spend the night monitoring the boy.

Uryuu never slept well when he was sick. The child would often wake up screaming, crying coughing or vomiting when he was ill. Ryuuken knew that Uryuu would wake up at least four times during the night so it was easier for him to be in the same room as his son instead of rushing back and forth between the rooms. Normally he wouldn't bother with the boy when he woke in the middle of the night but when Uryuu was sick he couldn't be ignored.

Ryuuken sighed, "You always pick the most inconvenient times to fall ill Uryuu," He thought, "It's very annoying…maybe eventually, you'll outgrow this." He then went out on his porch to smoke his evening cigarette and prepared himself for a long night.

So what did you think? Like I said, I loved the little flashback I wrote in the second chapter of "I Don't Want to be Alone" so much I decided to write a separate fic about it. And I have to say, so far, the little "friendship" between Isshin and Ryuuken is probably the most fun to write. And just a little cultural note, in Japan medicine comes in powdered form and can be difficult for children to take properly. And in Japanese you don't "take" medicine, your drink it (even if it's tablet form). Lastly, acetaminophen is the official name for Tylenol (I don't know if they have Tylenol in Japan).

Another little note. I will be using some basic Japanese in this fic. It will mostly be little words here and there nothing too crazy. I've only watched Bleach in Japanese and I studied the language for a while in school, I hope you can understand.

Japanese Translations:

Moshi moshi: Traditional way of answering one's phone in Japan

Hai: yes

Otousan: Father

Kurosaki desu: roughly: Kurosaki here/speaking

Ja ne: an informal way of saying good bye, usually translated as "see ya."

I apologize for the crazy long ending note, I promise they won't be this long in the future. To all my American readers Happy Fourth of July, to the rest of the world Happy Monday! Until next time, Ja ne!

Ex-Shark-V-005