Sorry about the late update. I rarely go more than 1-2 weeks without updating, but the combination of my own laziness and my editor being on vacation slowed this one down (and I will not post without a proper edit). Anyway, here's the next part. Enjoy!

"The Consolers of the Lonely"

Chapter 3:

Accusations (Spoken and Unspoken)

There was nothing left of the rain except for a dense morning fog, thick as a ball of cotton, wrapping itself snug as a blanket around Urahara's shop. Urahara stared out the window at the retreating figure of Uryuu Ishida, the white of his clothes blending into the ghostly mist, rendering him almost invisible. He noted the pained, stiff way he walked, and he shook his head, his blank face never once betraying his inner thoughts. Ishida, you really should have stayed in bed. You need more time to recuperate from this. Why is it you never listen? Urahara watched the teenager get swallowed up by the fog, the glossy raven's wing of his hair no longer visible from his vantage point. Only when he was completely gone did Urahara turn away from the window.

Ichigo, you did us both a disservice by asking me to watch over him. Urahara sighed and bent down to take away the abandoned tea tray. His eyes fell on a white towel, still streaked with blood from last night, and he picked that up too. For some reason his thoughts were cast back several years, to that night in the clearing with Aizen, when he showed up too late to save his lieutenant from being swept up in that insane monster's hollowfication experiment. Always too late, Kisuke. Always. And why is that? Urahara gritted his teeth as he stared regretfully at the blood stained towel. You should have been paying closer attention, Kisuke. You were not minding your charge as promised, his conscience chided him in an accusing voice.

"Too much temptation," Urahara muttered under his breath as he took the tray and towel and left the room. Urahara knew the real reason he hadn't been paying attention to Ishida: he had been fastidiously avoiding the young Quincy and the forbidden attraction he represented. And it almost cost him his life, his guilt-ridden inner voice taunted him. But I have been doing what I promised, he mentally responded. Even though it hurts me. Even though it kills me to be near such beauty and never touch, never taste, never have...this wanting is a burden sent to test me, I know, but I am not sure I am up to the test. Why, Ichigo, why? Why do you always have to put your faith in me?

Because you always come through in the end, whispered the annoying little voice inside. Urahara walked down the hallway with a bowed back, a signifier of the weight of his own conscience, his guilt as heavy as the morning mist pressing insistently against the windows. I didn't want to get too close, he mentally answered himself. And because of that, because of my own subconscious actions, I caused Ishida grave injury. I cannot afford to be so distant in the future. It is far too dangerous.

Ah, but which is more dangerous? Being too distant or too close? asked the chiding voice inside of him.

Urahara ignored the implications of this question and set about putting the dirty dishes into the sink to wash.


The bell had not yet rung for homeroom. Keigo, Mizuiro, and Ichigo sat in a cluster in the back of the class, gathered in a semicircle around Mizuiro's desk. The smaller boy was showing off the new android phone he'd just gotten, his fingers flicking rapidly across the screen as he rattled off the names of various games and apps. "Hey, let me see that," said Keigo as he made an unsuccessful grab for the phone. Mizuiro leaned far back in his chair and held it out of reach.

"You're not looking up porn on my new phone in class," Mizuiro stated flatly. Ichigo snickered as Keigo attempted a second swipe at the phone.

"I wasn't gonna look up porn," whined Keigo. He turned and eyed Orihime with a mischievous look. "I was gonna use the camera on it."

A book promptly flew across the room and hit Keigo on the back of the head. Keigo swivelled around in his chair. "Hey! Who did that?"

Tatsuki stood up from her desk, hands on hips. "You even think about coming anywhere near Orihime with that camera phone and I will knock you into next Saturday. Got it?"

Keigo shrank in his desk. "Is it me, or has Tatsuki gotten even scarier now that she's a teacher at her karate dojo?"

"You should leave well enough alone. Unless you want to end up a dead man," advised Ichigo.

"Speaking of dead men," said Keigo. "Here comes Ishida. And wow, does he ever look-"

"-Pissed," Mizuiro finished for him. Ichigo turned around, the grin on his face wilting like a flower in a simmering hot sun when he saw Ishida's unhappy expression. The Quincy marched right up to the former soul reaper and said in a flat voice, "You and I need to talk." Ishida nodded toward the doorway, and Ichigo, looking dumbstruck, got up and followed him out into the hall. Behind him, Keigo chanted gratingly, "Somebody's in the doghouse," in a sing-song voice.

Ichigo stepped into the hallway, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Hey, what's the matter with-"

"-Did you ask Urahara to secretly keep watch on me at night?" Ishida asked him point-blank, cutting off Ichigo's sentence.

Ichigo just blinked. "Well?" prompted Ishida. "Did you or didn't you? And don't even think about lying, because I already know the answer."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "If you already know the answer, then why bother asking?"

"Because, Ichigo," Ishida began, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth with the effort. "It bothers me when you keep secrets. Not to mention it's an insult-"

"-To your Quincy pride. Yey, I got it."

"No, you don't 'get it.' When you're in a relationship with someone, you communicate with them. You tell them things. You don't go behind their backs and-"

"-Hey, wait a minute! Just how did you find out about me asking Urahara to keep an eye on you? He wouldn't have just come out and told you. There's no way you could have found out unless..." It was as if a light had suddenly been switched on in a darkened room as the teenager's eyes widened with renewed understanding. "Something bad happened, didn't it? Something that required Urahara's intervention?" Now it was Ichigo's turn to look pissed. "What's going on with you, Uryuu? Did something happen last night? Tell me!" Ichigo reached out to touch the Quincy's shoulder, only to have him hiss and shrink back. Anger melted away into concern as Ichigo's eyes softened. "You've been hurt, haven't you? You've been...injured."

Ishida shook his head. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" said Ichigo, his voice climbing in volume. "Oh, really? Let me see."

"What? No!" said Ishida, shrinking further back. "I'm not stripping down in front of the entire school-"

"-Ishida-kun? Kurosaki-kun?" Both boys turned to see Orihime standing in the doorway, a look of deep concern on her face. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them like the disconcerting eyes of a kit-kat clock. "Is everything alright? You were both so loud-"

"-Everything's fine, Inoue," gritted Ishida. "Ichigo and I are having a... small disagreement."

Ichigo cast Ishida an incredulous look. He seemed on the verge of renewing the argument when the bell suddenly rang, signalling the start of class. Sensei came marching down the hallway, school books in hand. "What are you two doing hovering outside?" she asked suspiciously. "The morning bell has sounded; go to your seats!"

"Excuse me, sensei, but Ishida is ill and needs to go to the infirmary," said Ichigo.

"What?! I'm not ill! I-"

"-No, he's really sick," pressed Ichigo. "In fact, I think it would be wise if Inoue accompanied him to the nurse."

"I would be happy to escort Ishida-kun to the infirmary," Orihime piped up, her kind, helpful nature making it easy for her to ignore the pointedly irritated look on Ishida's face.

Sensei rolled her eyes and shook her head in frustration. "Fine! Orihime-take Ishida to the nurse's station. And you, Kurosaki-go to your seat!"

"Yes, sensei," said Ichigo, casting Ishida a smug, triumphant look. Orihime tugged at Ishida's elbow, even as Ishida continued to glare daggers into Ichigo's retreating back.

"This conversation isn't finished, you know!" Ishida yelled at the empty doorway, even as he allowed himself to be led away by Orihime.

"You got that right," answered a tiny voice from inside the classroom.

To be continued...