I DON'T OWN BLEACH

Hush, Hush

"...the sting of remorse, and despair of pardon; as a foretaste of what awaits him beyond the grave. But it was the constant shadow of my presence!—the closest propinquity of the man whom he had most vilely wronged!" ~ Hawthorne

Chapter10; "Mistakes were made."

Reaching the top of the stairs Kisuke gently sets Ichigo down on the smooth hardwood floor. His eyes move to the door and the tall dark figure holding onto Ichigo's human body. "Isshin-san..."

"Ichigo, would you go on ahead?" Isshin says ignoring Kisuke's apologetic gaze. "Karin and Yuzu should hear what you've decided."

"Yeah... dad." She moves to the door suddenly dreading what must be done. "Kisuke..."

"Yes?" he replies in a calm voice, his eyes shaded under his hat. This is it. This is where she finally blames him and walks out of his life. "I've truly taken everything from you now."

"I have to go now." Tilting her head toward him, she manages a small smile. "But I'll be back in a little while."

"I see..." he gasps curling his fingers tighter around the cane in his hand. "Of course... I'm a fool to think you would abandon me. You are my Ichigo after all." Clearing his throat he gives her a small nod. "I will be here."

Soon as Ichigo vanishes out the door Isshin turns his back on Urahara. The blood begins to drip making round spots on the floor. "You will listen."

"Yes." Urahara replies pulling off his hat and setting it on the short table next to him.

"You won't be normal. Even as a child raising her wasn't normal. The first years of her life she cried over everything. Ichigo, was born crying and stayed crying. Hehe, I told Masaki that this baby's tears could water a house plant. Want to know what Masaki said?"

"Yes."

"Ichigo's heart is special... that we would would need to fill her heart with more love than most, and we did. Of course that was until her mother passed away. Then I would pray for the tears to flow so I could be the one to comfort her.." Swallowing a knot in his throat he glances over his shoulder at the man who one his daughter's heart. "When I said it will be difficult I wasn't teasing her. I was warning you. It will be difficult for you. "

"I understand, Isshin-san."

"She who protects one thing..." Looking down at her body he can't help but remember his wife nestled in this lovely woman's face. "The heart." Straightening his back he turns toward the door.

"Please allow me to protect Ichigo-san's heart." Kisuke says dropping on his knees and bowing his head to the floor. "Please give your approval, Isshin-san."

"You don't need it." He says opening the front door and stepping through it. "But you are the kind of man to do things the right way. So I give you my blessing."

"Thank you, Isshin-san."

"I'll push her your way after dinner." Turning his head to Kisuke one more time Isshin smiles. "Good-bye, Kisuke."

"Good-bye... Isshin-san." Urahara waits until Isshin leaves before rising to his feet. He can only look to the future now. Turning around he walks through the quiet hallways. With Tessai and the children already gone he knows what he wants to do, but he said he wouldn't assume anything with Ichigo. Tugging off his black haori he hangs it on a hook near his door to slide open his closet. Lifting his hand away he turns around and shuts his eyes. "Ichigo..." he sighs a nice long exhale with her name on his lips.

"She said she loves me." It's a simple freedom. Kisuke can say her name now and he can hold her, love her, touch her skin, feel the warmth of her lips. "It's time..." Turning back toward the closet he pulls out a large chest and dashes off to take a shower.

~/~

At seven thirty Ichigo finds herself being shoved out her front door and told to go. "What the hell is that about?" she grumbles sliding open the door to the shoten and finding it strangely dark and quiet. "And what the hell is going on here?" Never once has this place been dark or quiet. That scruffy faced blond is always fluttering about with some ulterior motive. Narrowing her eyes in the dark she sees a faint light coming from the mat covering the steps to the underground training room. "Kisuke?"

Lifting the floor covering away she jumps down passing the steps altogether. Touching down in the dusty ground she finds a small table with a white yukata neatly folded on it. Ichigo runs a hand over the pure white material surprised at the softness. The fabric is plain, but for the delicate embroidery of silver butterflies near the collar on the right side. "Well... Ichigo, you know what he wants."

A thin line of white candles weave a wavy line toward the outcropping of rocks where the hot springs are located just beyond. Ichigo can see a faint blue glow in the distance. She undresses quickly placing her clothes on the table and sliding into the soft white garment. With her hands shaking the belt is knotted and she presses her feet into a white pair of slippers.

Walking toward the dim blue light the sound of water and the faint humming echo in the vast space. Pausing she listens for a moment her smile growing wider as she listens to Kisuke mumble about the water temperature. "What are you up too?" Peeking around the corner she sees him rising from the water completely naked.

Instantly she feels heat rising up her cheeks and her mouth going dry at the sight Kisuke's naked body gives. Skin, pale and perfect glistens with tiny droplets of water over the tight contours of his back. From the wide shoulders, to proportionally muscled arms and down his spine where only upper the upper half to his bottom appears above the water surface, her eyes travel. "Wow... nice ass." she gasps instantly clamping her hand over her mouth. "Don't hear me! Don't hear me!" Ichigo presses her back to the rock-face and cringes. Hearing water swishing the temptation is there... to look again. Ohh he is so very attractive. Damn gorgeous actually. Is all that really hiding under olive colored clothing? Maybe it's a trick of light? It can't hurt to check and see, right? Turning back toward the water, she peeks a large brown eye just far enough around the corner to gaze at him again only to find the man has turned around. His pale blonde hair sticking to his face, dripping water down Kisuke's neck, shining clear beads run down a toned hairless broad chest, to the firm flat stomach and... She gasps again, takeing in the sight of his manhood for the first time. Swallowing a tight lump in her throat Ichigo refuses to move her eyes off the decent sized cock. "How much bigger will that get when he is hard?" Her eyes grow wide at the mental image of what that might be.

Again she presses her back to wall, her face now darker crimson, her teeth biting at her lower lip. He is sexy, he is very, very... The moisture gathering between her legs makes her stomach turn over.

Clutching the fabric of her yukata tightly around her chest she starts to realize what the candles and the dim lighting mean. "Have we reached the sex phase already? We barely made out. Isn't it normal to make out and touch stuff before moving onto the other thing?" She could runaway, and Kisuke is so polite he wouldn't say anything. But... "I'm the one being a pervert this time." All those shoujo mangas never mention the innocent virgins peeking on their boyfriends.

Swishing through the water Kisuke can barely contain his smile. He is fully aware Ichigo is on the other side of the jagged wall of rock, and that she is peeking at him. It's so hard not to sneak up on her and tease her, but then she might freak out and punch him in the face. Ichigo's punch unlike most other people who have hit him in the past hurts... bad. Before he decides what to do she clears her throat stepping out from behind her hiding spot. "Good evening, Ichigo." Kisuke says with his back to her. He grabs the dark blue yukata laying out on a blanket and slips it on knowing her eyes are on him.

"You always know when I'm around." she answers, trying not to bring her nervous feelings into the conversation. Seeing him here near the water, in the dim light with his pale skin exposed is a revelation. Ichigo feels like touching him. That loving this man who loves her enough to stand there without expecting anything from her is right. It's what needs to come next. "It's been quite a day, Kisuke." Ichigo says, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Yes, it has." he answers, letting his eyes slip shut to enjoy her simple kiss. Soon as her lips leave and she starts to step away his hand grabs hers. "May I kiss you again?" Opening his eyes, they slant to his left to watch her reaction. When she nods her head in response he presses her hand to his chest. His head tilts towards hers about to kiss her lips when he remembers the surprise he has for her. "Pink, blue, or white?"

"Pardon?" she blinks in shock as he steps away. No kiss? Wait... she wants the kissing.

"What is your favorite color?" Kisuke opens a large trunk and begins digging through it.

"Ocean blue." she says instantly turning her gaze to the pool of blue water on her right.

"That was a fast answer." he replies standing up and presenting her with a ordinary looking wooden box. "Why ocean blue?"

"The purest blue I have ever seen." she mutters saying something embarrassing. "It's your eye color, Kisuke."

"Ho~? I'm so thrilled." Setting the box in her hand he smiles at her surprised expression. "Now think of that color and open the box."

"Alright, but in exchange... you don't ask to kiss me anymore." Ichigo gives him a determined look placing her hand on the lid on the plain square lid. "If you want to kiss me just do it." Waiting for him to nod yes, she gazes up in his eyes before opening the present. "Can't he tell? He is the only gift I need."

"I... want to kiss her now."

Lifting the lid a strong gust of wind blows at her hair making her drop the box in shock. "Kis-" The snapping of his fingers makes the wind grow quiet and small blue lights begin to appear all around her. Suddenly tiny glowing butterflies begin to flutter, their wings glowing bright blue. Within moments the entire underground training room is bathed in a subtle blue light.

"Do you like it?" he asks staring at the way the light shines off the water to illuminate her face. "You look beautiful."

"This is incredible." Ichigo lifts up a hand to touch one floating past her. "Can I touch them?" she asks pulling her hand back.

"Of course." Kisuke says softly, coming up behind her and pointing her index finger up. "They are a breed of hell butterfly I created to guide people through the dangai precipse world."

"Why don't they use them instead of the pink and black ones?" Ichigo watches as a butterfly floats over to her finger landing weightlessly on the tip. "These are so pretty."

"Their beauty attracted spirits, so they would always die. I had to make them darker to blend in more with the gray walls. It's the same butterfly... " he whispers leaning his head near her ear. "only a different color for you."

"He is romantic." Fighting the blush creeping up her cheeks she turns around to look up at him. "I'm sorry for not saying it sooner... but I love you." She isn't the romantic type but she wants to kiss him, to make him understand her feelings. Taking a step toward him Ichigo presses her hands to the material of his blue yukata sliding her palms up his chest. She kisses him softly, shyly at first until his hands come to rest around her waist supporting her, encouraging her to keep kissing him. Leaning against him, her lips part, her arms looping around Kisuke's neck to rest on his shoulders. It's good like this, despite being new and wrestling with some major inner turmoil, Kisuke calms her with a single reassuring warm hand on her back.

The kiss is brief but warm enough to make him tug her back to his chest. "Oh, I don't have to ask anymore." His mouth gently nudges at her lips. Her scent fills his nose with sweet flowers, and his palms slide up her back to the collar of her robe. "Just one more kiss." he tells himself, opening his mouth wider, just a bit more pressure on her lips. Then she sighs under her breath, the excitement grows inside him. "Just a little further." The fingers curling at the nape of her neck dip just below the white fabric grazing her skin. Soft smooth skin beckons him to kiss.

Her eyes pop open when his lips leave her mouth only glide over her neck. She can feel her collar tugged back and suddenly his hot breath on the freshly expose skin. "Oh!" she quietly gasps, at his touch. All over her body she grows warm and unsettled, like she needs to do something... anything to keep feeling this way. So she keeps touching his hair, stroking his back, and letting him lavish her with kisses around her neckline.

His mouth begins to travel lower, his fingers lifting back the yukata to reveal more of her skin, but as his hand reaches up to cup her breast through the soft silk material he senses her stiffen. "I'm sorry." he instantly releases her and takes a step back. His whole body lurches on the inside at his mistake.

"What? W-Why?" Ichigo is confused watching Kisuke motion her over to a blanket he set out. He stopped? "Why is he sorry? Sorry he kissed me? It's not working for him? I'm not romantic... I don't attract him."

"I have a late night snack for you." he says reaching out to touch her shoulder then pulling his hand back. "It's just some fruit sliced up."

"He drew back? I've done something wrong." Ichigo sits down on the blanket with her legs under her taking in his change in demeanor. The hand fan comes out and he is telling her about the butterflies again. She doesn't care about the butterflies right now. This is bad. What happened to the kissing? She wants the kissing part back. A plate of fruit is set in front of her and before he can move back she leans over and shuts her eyes. "Kiss me damn it. Kiss me." But he starts talking again and she vacantly stares at the slices of melon.

Urahara turns away from her to watch the hell butterflies. What he didn't tell her was the hell butterflies he created all die after you touch them. It was a simple design flaw that he corrected, but the breed flying around the vast underground training room also have that flaw. He couldn't bring himself to change them. Part of him admired how fragile they are. However it was a mistake and the next batch of butterfly were designed to be tougher.

Mistakes were made... that is what you say when people die and you don't really know what happened. Just something went wrong and now you are the guy people are looking to for answers. "But when mistakes are made with Ichigo... I must make sure she doesn't get hurt." She stiffened... of course she would. Ichigo is pure, in heart, in soul. "She doesn't trust me." That feels painful to him, not that he can blame her. Kisuke has managed to take her life one than once. "Too many mistakes for it to be easy between us."

"Please allow me to protect Ichigo-san's heart."

He meant that, and he will protect her. Even if it's from himself. Laying down on the blanket he turns on his side. Then feels her curl up next to him lightly touching his hair.

"Whatever it is... I'm here, alright?" Ichigo starts to pull away only to feel her hand grabbed by his and pulled back to his hair.

"No... she trusts me. It's myself I don't trust." Clamping his eyes shut he continues to feel her fingers slipping through his hair until his eyes grow heavy. "Mistakes were made..."

The next morning he wakes finding her gone and a note that she will be spending time with her family. He doesn't mind it, he expected it. She is leaving so much behind. He decides while working on his latest invention that he should work out his fears before he touches Ichigo again. That way their love life will start out strong and he can give her the love she needs.

However to his surprise she appears in his doorway just as he turns the lamp off in his room. Opening his mouth to ask if something is wrong but sees her pulling off her coat revealing a modest set of blue pin-striped pajamas.

"You don't have to tell me what the problem is." Ichigo folds her arms in front of her chest defiantly. "But you are wrong if you think I'm giving you space." He blinks for a moment then watches her walk over to his futon and crawl inside. "Are you getting in?"

"Yes." he says walking over to the bed and pulling off his hat. "Is there room in there for me?"

"I'm giving you just enough space." she grumbles turning on her side and scooting over.

"Thank you." How like her... she just pushes through anything in her way. Physical, emotional... she forces herself to adapt to it all. Pulling back the blanket he can't help to smile at the slender shape tucked inside. No sooner has he climbed inside does she roll over towards him on her side and prop her head on her hand. "Cute paja-" Her hand clamps over his mouth.

"I know they are hiddeious! They are my dad's." she practically growls out the words. "Dad did the laundry. Why today of all days since he NEVER helps... I don't know. Everything I own is now a sweet pink color! It's pink Kisuke! Do I look like a pink type of girl?"

He shakes his head no, her hand still firmly in place. "If I say yes... I might never get to touch her breasts."

"I only have three sets of pajamas. I normally just wear a shirt! Do you know what goat-face said to me?"

Again... he shakes his head no... yes her hand is still firmly in place. "Why did I say I wouldn't make love to her?I'm stupid! Stupid Kisuke!"

"Then just wear a shirt to sleep in. I'm sure my new son-in-law won't mind." she says mocking her dad's voice perfectly and following with a thumbs-up. "Can you believe that?"

He starts to shake his head when she suddenly rises from the bed tossing the cover back and pulling down the pajama bottoms.

"Does this really look like something you want your new girlfriend to sleep in?"

No words... he has no words. Clamping his own hand over his mouth he wills his head to agree with her. That's what you do with women... agree. But she is wearing a long mens sleeping shirt that is down to her mid-thigh and it's totally frumpy and totally the sexiest he has ever seen her look. Clearing his throat he starts to ask if she wants to wear something from the shoten. However, before the words come out she whirls around and opens his closet. Yes... he is staring at her legs. Has he mentioned her legs? She has the greatest legs a woman can have. Long... toned, tan. He sniffs and touches his nose. Then the shirt floats down to the floor. "I'll be right back!" Kisuke says darting out the door and slamming it behind him. "I'm in trouble. I think she is trying to seduce me."

"Ya got a girlfriend, Urahara-san? Well alright!" Renji smiles wide stepping out of the shadows. "Who is she?"

"A-Abarai-san, what brings you here?" Kisuke tries to steer Renji toward the main room only to hear him chuckle.

"Why don't you want her to seduce you?" Oh he is enjoying this. Who would have thought Urahara Kisuke was a prude? Nobody that is who.

"It's... complicated. What brings you here?" Kisuke repeats moving back to the bedroom door. And putting his arm across the path.

"This." he says lifting a scroll from his robe. Renji smiles hearing a faint female voice from beyond the door.

"Thank-"

"Kisuke, do you have any socks?" Ichigo opens the door to find one tall red head looking at her with a stunned expression on his face. "Renji!"

"Ichigo?" He stares and stares and stares some more... "Where did she get all the girl parts at?"

"ASSHO-" Ichigo is cut off my the top of Urahara's robe dropping over her face. She barely feels him nudge her back inside the room and the door shut.

"Your seductress is Ichigo?" Renji exclaims before falling on the floor and laughing. "You are kidding me! HAHAHA!"

"Renji...san, I would appreciate discretion with this informat-"

"You are so screwed!" He can stop snickering. "Literally!"

"W-Why do you say that? I'm quite determined! I woke up this morning and decided to do things properly with Ichigo-san. That I would-"

"Do you know happens when Ichigo Kurosaki puts her mind to anything?"

Sucking in a deep breath Urahara understands Abarai's meaning. "I'm..."

"Screwed." Renji points a finger to Urahara's bare chest then frowns. "Lucky bastard." Turning around he heads back downstairs to the senkaimon. "Urahara-san and Ichigo... Rukia is gonna love this."

After much debate I decided that yes, this relationship is new, but it's not likely that they would jump each other at the first sign of love. I wanted to stick with the themes in this fic' Innocence, trust, forgiveness, change, and desire. I'm sorry for switching my plan on you and that this is so very very late . I was so undecided, and I wanted to deal Kisuke's character a bit more. Have no fear! They will DO IT soon! Most likely the next chapter, but think of the romance^^. HUGS YOU ALL! Fuzzi