A/N: Hey everyone! So, I decided from now on to make the chapters a bit longer so you can get more of the story at once and I can move things along a bit more quickly. In this chapter I decided to explore some of Kisuke's past, and start to set things up for Ichigo's return of powers. It won't be the same as the way they were returned in canon, but I think I've come up with a plausible idea. Thank you for all the reviews, including all my unsigned readers. And Subaru - Don't apologize, I totally didn't think you meant anything negative! The only reason I asked is to clarify what you meant, and I'm grateful for the advice. I'm glad you don't think I over-use it, and I somewhat agree with you, and tend to go back and forth on how I feel about using Japanese words in an English story. I suppose it feels justified because Bleach is clearly a Japanese manga/anime, but I do see what you mean. There are other stories where I haven't used any Japanese, and others like these where I use a few, so I guess I'm just experimenting. I really do appreciate your feedback, and don't think you meant anything negative! Thanks so much for the comments. :)

Anyway, since you've been so patient, on with the story!

Song: Hoobastank - "The Reason"

I've found a reason for me

To change who I used to be

A reason to start over new

And the reason is you

Kisuke woke up the next morning to warm sunlight trickling in through his bedroom window curtains, smiling down at the young man who was curled tightly against his side, quietly snoring into his shoulder. He gently cupped the back of Ichigo's head, lightly playing with his tangerine locks, planting a kiss on his temple and nuzzling his nose against one soft, flushed cheek. Ichigo almost purred in his sleep, his arm coming to rest around Kisuke's waist as he nuzzled deeper into the shopkeeper's neck.

"Mm... Kis..." Ichigo mumbled dreamily, clearly still fast asleep.

"Snoring and sleep-talking?" Urahara mused to himself, smirking. "You're too damn cute for your own good, Ichi-kun." He brushed a lock of hair out of Ichigo's eyes, then unable to stop the urge to touch his lover, pressed his lips to the corner of the teen's mouth before claiming his lips fully.

A soft moan escaped Ichigo's lips as he started to come awake, tightening his arms around the blonde man while returning his kisses. He settled on his back, allowing Kisuke to bring himself to lay on top of him, grasping for the bottom of his night shirt to pull it off when suddenly, the shoji door pushed open.

"Ohayo, boss, I was just..." Tessai began, then stopped short when he saw the position Ichigo and Kisuke were in, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Gomen nasai, I – um – should have knocked first. Just wanted to let you know that breakfast will be ready soon, I'll see you in the kitchen in a little while. Uh, ohayo, Ichigo-san."

"Ohayo, Tessai-san," Ichigo replied shyly, burying his face in Kisuke's shoulder to hide his embarrassment.

Kisuke rubbed his back gently, surprised that he was also blushing himself. "Arigatou, Tessai, we'll be out soon."

The large, dark-haired man coughed awkwardly, bowing to his boss and Ichigo before quickly shutting the door and rushing off down the hall.

"Oh, shit," Ichigo groaned, hiding in Kisuke's chest. "Kill me now, please."

Kisuke laughed, ruffling his hair. "Aw, don't worry, it was just Tessai. Besides if I killed you I wouldn't be able to do this..." He slid a hand down between their bodies, cupping Ichigo through his boxers and starting to rub him tantalizingly.

The teen shivered at the touch and bucked into Kisuke's teasing hand, lifting his head to kiss the former shinigami taichou deeply, coaxing the blonde's lips to open so he could push his tongue inside and explore the wet, hot cavern of his mouth. Suddenly he pulled Kisuke's hand off him, flipping them over so he was straddling him and pinning his arms over his head.

"Ichi-kun?" Kisuke gasped softly, pulling away to look into his lover's tea-colored eyes.

"Last night I fell asleep and didn't get a chance to give back the pleasure you gave me," Ichigo explained, slightly mortified at the nervous crack in his voice as he spoke. "I want... I want to do that for you, I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel. Will – Will you let me?"

Kisuke gazed up into Ichigo's eyes, running his hands lovingly up and down his sides. "Are you sure?"

The tangerine-haired youth took a shaky breath and nodded slowly, staring back into his older lover's cloudy sky eyes. "Hai, I am. I'm scared, and I can't promise I'll be any good at it, but I do want to try."

Kisuke smiled, leaning up to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "Then I'm all yours, baby."

Ichigo smiled down at him, pulling his shirt up and over his head, then tossed it aside before leaning down and attaching his lips to the shopkeeper's pale neck, nipping and kissing his way down to his chest. Kisuke sighed contentedly, relaxing into the mattress and tilting his head back to invite more of Ichigo's ministrations. He released a soft groan as Ichigo's astonishingly skillful mouth closed over a dusky nub, sucking it and tracing his tongue around the center, nipping softly at the hardening bud. Ichigo continued working at the nub, then slowly made his way over to the opposite side, giving the other the same, loving treatment.

I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but it feels... right. He eventually let go of Kisuke's nipple and traveled downward, kissing and sucking a line down to his belly button which he pushed his tongue into, tasting the skin and closing his lips to create deep suction. Egged on by the way Kisuke arched into his touches and the breathy sounds of pleasure he made with each action, the teen hooked his fingers under the waistband of Kisuke's boxers, sliding them off his hips. Taking a deep, steadying breath he kissed his way over his stomach, mimicking the path Kisuke made on his body the night before, nipping and kissing at a sharp hipbone. With every inch he made toward the hard, thickened heat that was the center of his desire, his body shook harder. The hands that gently held the older man in place trembled softly, the mouth pleasuring soft, alabaster skin became uncertain and hesitant. At last he made his way slowly back to the fine line of dirty blonde hair, following it down until he found himself staring directly at Kisuke's throbbing, heavily leaking erection. He froze, mesmerized by the sight, the reality of everything sinking in.

"Baby..." Kisuke whispered in a pleasure-strained, thick voice, carding his fingers through Ichigo's hair. "Are you all right?"

"Y – Yeah, I think so..." the teen responded quietly, then glanced up and saw the way Kisuke was looking at him questioningly, sighing as he rubbed his nose against the shopkeeper's soft, flat stomach. "You already know that you're my first, and I guess I'm just... scared. You've probably had dozens of lovers..."

Kisuke laughed softly, his fingers gently stroking over Ichigo's face. "Not as many as you might think, but a few, yes."

"Well, it's just that... Since I'm the one who's never done this before, I'm afraid that I'll disappoint you," he admitted, looking away in shame.

"Hey," Kisuke's expression turned serious as he gently lifted Ichigo's face to meet his eyes. "No matter what, you could never disappoint me. I think you're absolutely incredible, and that will never change. Just relax and let yourself go, baby, use your instincts. Now come on," he encouraged. "It's okay, touch me, please."

Swallowing thickly, Ichigo allowed Kisuke to guide his fingers to wrap around the older man's cock, letting his lover show him what to do. What little pride he still held on to died a little bit more at needing to be led so much, but remembered Kisuke telling him it was a natural thing to ask your partner what and how they liked something if it was the first time and tried to push the sting of shame away. Instead he focused on the speed and tightness Kisuke demonstrated he liked best, eventually pushing the shopkeepr's hand gently aside to do it himself, stroking his lover's thickened, long shaft and squeezing gently at the head, watching in wonder as beads of pearly white liquid bled from the slit. He watched it trickle down onto his fingers, glistening in the sunlight, and decided he really wanted to know what it tasted like. Acting before he had time to psyche himself out, he bent his head between the blonde's thighs and swiped his tongue over the swollen, leaking head, lapping up the pre-come.

Urahara gasped and let out a strangled whimper of pleasure, his hips bucking upward of their own accord before he forced himself to lie still, his head falling back onto the pillow. "O – Oh, Ichigo!" He cried softly, fisting his hands in the sheets beneath him.

Brandy eyes flicked upward, watching the blonde intently as he alternated between long, flat swipes of his tongue and little kisses. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands, so he rested them on Kisuke's thighs, spreading them wider apart. He slid up to the head again, poking his tongue into the slit and teasing out more liquid, finding that he actually enjoyed the taste; musky and masculine with a hint of something sweet he couldn't quite place, but it was deliciously, distinctively Kisuke. Tasting his lover for the first time, feeling the twitch and throb of his member with Ichigo's ministrations, and listening to the shopkeeper's erotic noises all combined and went straight to the teen's groin, who realized he was getting painfully hard just from what he was doing to his lover.

"Kami, Ichi, so good... So fucking good... That's it, now put me in your mouth. Suck me, onegai," Kisuke found himself on the verge of begging his young lover, but was far too turned on to care much. He always knew this kid was amazing, but holy fuck, he had no idea. For Ichigo's inexperience with intimacy, he'd already nearly pushed Kisuke to the edge and he'd barely even done anything. A man in his forties should have a bit more stamina, but he would dare anyone to have the tangerine-haired teen between their legs with his wicked mouth on them to see how long they could last.

Ichigo mewled softly, his thumbs rubbing circles in the hollows of the blonde man's hips as he obeyed the gentle command, wrapping his lips around Kisuke's length as he began suckling gently. The shopkeeper moaned, panting and trembling beneath Ichigo.

"Kami, yes... Yes, like that... Now, ah! T – Take me in deeper."

Taking a deep breath in through his nose, Ichigo sunk down slowly, concentrating on the feel of the hot, wet flesh in his mouth and tried to push away the instantaneous urge to gag on the considerable length. He closed his eyes, recalling what Kisuke had done to him the night before, slowly running his tongue along the engorged vein that ran the length of Kisuke's cock, increasing the suction. With every grunt, moan and whimper his lover made Ichigo ground his own aching length against the mattress, clutching Kisuke's waist in a vice-like grip, beginning to move his mouth up and down slowly.

A low groan escaped him when Kisuke sank his fingers back into his hair, tugging and pulling lightly, the vibrations the sound made causing the blonde man to cry out in ecstasy and nearly losing control right there. He managed to get himself under control, his steel-colored eyes drifting closed as he relaxed, moaning and panting with every bob of Ichigo's head. Feeling his lover close, Ichigo took a deep breath and descended on his cock, but did so imperfectly and choked, pulling away as he coughed and sputtered.

Kisuke's eyes flew open as he sat up, touching Ichigo's back as the orange-haired teen turned away from him. "I – Ichi," he panted softly, "Gomen, I should have warned you, it's more difficult to deep-throat when you've never done it before. I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"Y – You're apologizing t – to me?" Ichigo finally managed, looking back at his lover with sad brandy-colored eyes. I'm the one who should be sorry, it must have been so difficult to stop when he was so close before. "I – I'm..."

Kisuke smiled tenderly, pulling his young lover into his arms and kissing his lips gently. "Shh, it's okay," he whispered reassuringly, propping up some pillows against the headboard and settling into a seated, reclining position. He gently grasped Ichigo's face in his hands, carefully lowering him back onto his cock.

Ichigo slowly relaxed, suckling and licking at Kisuke's cock hungrily as the older man's hands guided him up and down. He reached down and grasped the base of the shopkeeper's length, stroking what he couldn't get into his mouth, also teasing the tightly drawn sac at the base. Because he was so close before, it only took a minute or two longer, staring into Ichigo's eyes, before Kisuke's body stiffened beneath him as a feverish groan passed his lips, tugging on Ichigo's hair lightly. Understanding the gesture for the warning it was, Ichigo never the less stayed where he was, catching the long strands of the shopkeeper's essence on his tongue and swallowing several times, moaning. When the rhythmic pulsating of his lover's cock finally stopped he allowed the now soft appendage to slip from his mouth, nuzzling his face into Kisuke's stomach as he panted raggedly.

"Mmm..." Kisuke hummed in satisfaction, his fingers still running through silky strands of bright mandarin. "That was so good, baby. Kami, come're..." But when gently pulled on Ichigo's shoulders, the boy resisted. "Ichigo?" Kisuke chuckled softly, "Did you pass out again?"

Ichigo shook his head, the ends of his hair tickling the skin of Kisuke's stomach. "I – Iie..." He squeaked out, keeping his face hidden from the shopkeeper's eyes.

"Nani? What is it?" Kisuke asked softly, getting a little concerned when the youth still refused to move or look at him.

Slowly, Ichigo lifted his head and looked up at Kisuke shyly, then without a word he looked down, guiding Kisuke's gaze to his flaccid cock and the wet spot beneath him. "I – I came," he mumbled weakly, his shoulders hunching in shame.

"You... came?" Kisuke slowly repeated, incredulous. "Just from...?"

"Just shut up, okay?" The teen snapped, humiliation and the warm humming of post-release warring in his body as he pushed himself up, looking away. "I – I'm sorry... But I couldn't help it..."

"Baby, get over here," Kisuke said, wrapping his arms around Ichigo.

"No," Ichigo protested, swatting the scientist's hands away, still too humiliated.

Kisuke growled softly. "Yes," he insisted, forcefully pulling his young lover against his chest and holding him firmly there, catching his chin to make the boy look him in the eyes. "You came just from sucking me off and giving me pleasure. That... Is the sexiest damned thing I've ever heard in my life," he rumbled in a low, sensuous voice that made Ichigo shiver all over, whimpering as Kisuke engaged him in a dominate, rough kiss.

Ichigo sighed, wrapping his arms around Kisuke's neck. "It may be hot to you, Kis, but for me it's absolutely fucking mortifying. Do you know how it feels to be with an older, experienced man, and you come all over yourself just from listening and feeling him when you suck him off, without even being touched? It's like, I'm some overzealous puppy who can't even control himself."

"Stop being so hard on yourself," The shopkeeper admonished gently, bringing Ichigo to rest so that his head was cradled in the crook of his neck. "You're new at this and everything that happens is perfectly normal until you get used to it. I have no expectations on you at all. For the record, I think you've been amazing so far, but things happen sometimes and you can't always stop it. No one is in total control of their body's responses one hundred percent of the time, but it gets easier with experience, which you will gain. Just give yourself some time. And to answer your question, in fact I do understand what it's like. My first lovers were much older than me as well."

"Really?" Ichigo looked up, a rusty eyebrow quirking. "Wait a minute, did you say lovers?"

Kisuke nodded, running his hands up and down Ichigo's back. "I used to be poly-amorous, until I realized those kinds of relationships just don't work for me, especially since I always ended up in the 'secondary relationship.'"

"Who were you with? Were they shinigami? Do I know them?" The teen rattled off the questions zipping through his mind.

"Aren't we just a curious little kitten today?" The shopkeeper teased, scratching the back of Ichigo's neck affectionately. "But, ah well, if you want to know I have no reason to keep secrets. Hai, it was Ukitake-taichou and Kyoraku-taichou."

Ichigo's eyes widened to saucers. "Juushiro and Shunsui? Those old farts?" He nearly shrieked.

Kisuke threw his head back and barked with laughter. "Hey, watch it, kiddo, you happen to be in bed with a so-called 'old fart'. But, remember they weren't so old back then, actually in shinigami terms our age difference was about the same as yours and mine."

"Wow..." Ichigo mused, drawing mindless little patterns across the shopkeeper's chest with a finger. "How did it come about? I mean, if you don't mind that I ask."

"No, like I said, I have nothing to hide. It really started between me and Kyoraku-taichou when I was first promoted to 12th division taichou. Leading a division wasn't exactly in my personality and I was having a hard time, especially with Hyori, getting my subordinates to listen and accept me as their taichou. Kyoraku-taichou allowed me to go to him for advice, then eventually, one thing led to another and I realized I had developed feelings for him. One night, alone in his office, I got up my courage and kissed him, and we ended up being intimate. After that, I learned he and Ukitake were actually together and I was devastated, I thought my time with Shun-sama was over. But, Juu-sama was very understanding and welcomed me into their relationship. They were very good to me and we stayed together for about three years."

Ichigo nodded, the shock of Kisuke's confession slowly melting away to understanding. "So, what happened?"

"A lot of things happened, baby. First of all, that's when all my trouble began in Soul Society, and while Juu-sama and Shun-sama were both supportive of me, it wasn't long before we all realized there was nothing left for me to do but to leave... But, that's not really what broke up the relationship, problems came up long before that. I was young, naive, and easily jealous, and even though I cared deeply for Juu-sama, part of me wanted Shun-sama all to myself. And, like I said before, theirs was the 'primary relationship', and I was a 'secondary' to both of them, which put limitations on me as far as where I could go in my relationships with either of them. No matter how open and accepting they were of me, I knew they were more in love with each other than either of them were with me, and to be honest, more than I was in love with them. It's just the way it was, but I couldn't accept things as they were, so I broke it off right before Yoruichi and I came here."

"Gomen, that must have really hurt," Ichigo said sympathetically, kissing the spot on Kisuke's neck where he was nestled.

Kisuke smiled and kissed his forehead. "Ah, it's okay. Hai, it was painful back then, but it was a long time ago. We've spoken a few times since then and everything is fine."

Ichigo nodded, but chewed his lip thoughtfully, finally asking, "Would you... still want more than one, um, partner, if you had the choice?"

Kisuke looked down into Ichigo's eyes, running his thumb across his cheek gently. "You're the only one I want now, Ichi-kun."

Ichigo grinned helplessly, crawling back up Kisuke's chest for more deep, slow kisses. The pair finally got up and went into the bathroom to wash up, then went out to the dining room for breakfast with the others before going back to the lab so Kisuke could run more tests on Ichigo.

"All right, baby, now just try to relax," Kisuke instructed the orange-haired boy lying on his examination table, putting electrodes on his forehead, chest and stomach, hooking them up to a machine. "This shouldn't be too painful."

"Yeah, right," Ichigo grumbled petulantly, "That's what you said about the last test." He shifted uncomfortably, trying to settle into a better position and relax with all the wires attached to him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kisuke – he did with his entire life – but after weeks of these experiments, he was getting a bit tired of feeling like the scientist's own personal lab rat. The older man never put him through anything too strenuous, but still it could be terribly uncomfortable, not to mention the frustration of going through it and coming up empty-handed time after time. Just today alone they'd been there for three hours.

"Gomen," Kisuke answered, slipping his hand into the teen's, squeezing gently. "I promise it won't take long, though, and then we're done for the day."

"Okay," Ichigo sighed. "Gomen for complaining, let's do it."

Kisuke smiled bracingly. "That's my boy," he answered tenderly, then reached over and very slightly turned the dial on the machine, sending an electrical kido current into Ichigo's body.

A sharp yelp ripped from Ichigo's throat as his body jolted. "Ow! Hey, I thought you said..."

"Gomen, gomen," Kisuke apologized quickly, pushing a few more buttons on his device. "I turned it up too high. Let's try that one more time..." He said thoughtfully, very slightly turning the dial again.

This time Ichigo only twitched slightly, grunting as he felt the residual tingling in his body from the little shocks.

"Hmm," Kisuke rubbed the scruff on his chin, then scribbled down some notes in his chart.

"What's 'hmm'?" Ichigo questioned anxiously, trying to sit up to read over Kisuke's shoulder.

"Well, I found something very interesting. You see, the last time I did a deep body scan on you when you still had your powers, I mapped out where all your spirit centers were located. As you know, spirit centers are what stores and distributes your reiatsu in your body. The currents I sent into your body are meant to stimulate them, and while the response was weak, the point is, the centers did react. It goes to further support my theory that your powers are not really gone, they have just gone dormant or inactive."

"Then how do we re-activate them?" The teen asked, hating himself for getting his hopes up, but to get his powers back...

"I don't know yet, but I have some ideas we can work on. Come on, let's go get some lunch," the shopkeeper answered, removing the electrodes from Ichigo's body and helping him up.

Ichigo nodded, following Kisuke out as he clasped the older man's hand, feeling content and hopeful for the first time in a long time.