Uryu's hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly."It's a good thing for you that I don't have my Quincy powers anymore!" he spat at her. "I need a shower." His voice was calmer, but the disgust in it was loud and clear as he stormed out.
Turning the hot water on first, he decided that he really needed a cold shower first to calm down, since he was just as angry at himself as he was at Nemu. After all, he should have figured out she had been involved as well. "Dammit!" he exclaimed, hitting the tiled wall of the shower stall as hard as he could. Staring at his bleeding fist, he counted it as one injury Mayuri Korutsuchi had inflicted upon his family. He switched to hot water again and finished his shower, realizing Nemu had his bathrobe when he got out, so he was forced to go back to his room clad in only a towel, fully intending to reclaim his robe, by force if necessary.
"I'm ready to accept whatever punishment you decide on." she stated when he returned, her head still bowed as he locked the door.
Her willingness stopped Uryu cold as images of her bloody body flashed through his mind. She was used to being violently abused...how could he have forgotten his firsthand experience at how little Kurotsuchi cared for the welfare of his subordinates? Given how old she was, it was very likely that she had suffered far more at his hands than Soken Ishida had, and Uryu frowned as he realized he really hadn't been thinking clearly since she arrived . "Bandage my hand." he ordered her, sitting down at his desk.
Nemu seemed surprised, but quickly got to work. Uryu used the time to think more about the situation he was in. It was Kurotsuchi who was his real enemy, and he needed to figure out what he was really up to, with sending Nemu here. If it was to distract him, it had worked for a little while, but what was he supposed to be distracted from? And if it wasn't a distraction, was he still considered a valuable research specimen after all? But she simply could have grabbed him from the start and taken him back to the Soul Society, there was no need for her continued presence. A more disturbing possibility occurred to him...was this his way of getting rid of Nemu? Sending her here, a Soul Reaper, to the last surviving Quincies, dressed as one of them, clearly showed his contempt for them all. And if he wasn't trying to get her killed, why was he putting her at risk?
"Thank you." he said when she was done. Standing up, his towel accidentally snagged on his chair, and he hastily grabbed at it before he exposed himself to her. Luckily she was looking out the window again, so he quickly grabbed some clothes and dove under the covers. Changing into his pajamas, he decided that taking his anger out on Nemu could very well be doing Kurotsuchi's dirty work for him. If that were the case, his best course of action would be to treat her with the courtesy and respect that were probably as alien to her as this world was. And he had to continue keeping her presence a secret. He had done it at first because he was caught by surprise and wanted to figure things out, but now he felt she'd be in danger if the others found out. She was here just because Kurotsuchi ordered her to, so it probably wasn't an officially sanctioned mission, which meant she could be subject to the same laws that threatened Rukia's life. And if Uryu refused to let her stay here, she probably would suffer for failing her 'mission'. Nemu was so loyal to a monster, yet was still so forgiving and merciful...she didn't deserve any more unkind treatment. Fully clothed in his pajamas, he went to put the towel in the bathroom hamper. She was still looking out the window when he returned. "Good night, Nemu." he said as he turned off the light and got back in bed.
"Good night, Uryu." she replied after a moment's hesitation.
He wasn't surprised to hear her moonlight song again a little while later. He now understood why it was so sad, she knew what her being here really meant. "By the honor of the Quincy, you will never be abused in my presence." he muttered before falling asleep.
"Feel free to read more while I'm at school." he reminded her in the morning. "I'll bring back some pike with me."
"Thank you, Uryu." she said with sincere gratitude. She didn't know why he stopped being mad at her last night, but she remembered that he could be merciful. He may have really wanted to kill her Captain, but even if he did miss, before that he did give him the option to flee for his life.
"You gonna make more needlepoint girly pictures today?" Keigo taunted Uryu during first period.
"No, but I might sew your lips shut." he replied coolly.
"Did you hear what he just said to me?" Keigo demanded of Ichigo. "He's gone crazy!"
"Oh, shut up. You had it coming. Just leave him alone." Ichigo said.
A faint smile appeared briefly on Uryu's face at Ichigo backing him up in his own way. He would have to change his plans and get the pike after school, not only would it stink before he got it home, but he wasn't sure if any of them would get suspicious. And he should eat lunch with them if they offered, to avoid more suspicion. If no, he could catch up on his schoolwork then and during free period, so at home he could work on Nemu's dress. It was a pity she was so fond of her shihakoshu, she was so pretty as a Quincy!
"You're awfully quiet, Uryu. Is something bothering you?" Orihime asked during lunch.
"I'm fine, Orihime. I just have nothing to say." he replied.
"How's your head?" Chad asked him.
"I'm fully recovered." he assured him. "The care at my father's hospital is excellent."
"Isn't it great that both your dads are doctors?" Orihime blurted out excitedly to Ichigo and Uryu. "Of course it's really sad that both your moms are dead, but you have so much in common, it's like you were meant to be best friends!"
They both stared at her dumbfounded, before looking at each other and then stared intently down at their lunches.
"Do we know why the Bounts are after Uryu?" Chad asked to break up the awkward silence that had developed.
"Not yet." Ichigo answered. "But I don't think they'll stop trying, so we have to make sure Uryu always has one of us with him."
"I can take care of myself!" Uryu exclaimed, angrily pushing his glasses back up. "I don't need a babysitter!"
"And just how are you going to defend yourself? Sew their clothes together?" Ichigo retorted.
"Guys, please don't fight!" Orihime pleaded as she saw Uryu ready to explode. "We just don't want anything to happen to you, that's all."
"I appreciate that, Orihime. But I meant it, you don't need to worry. Any of you." he told them. "Besides, they could have easily killed me when they had the chance. So whatever their plan is, I think it's safe to assume that my life is not in danger. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some studying to do."
"I don't care if he wants our help or not, he needs it." Ichigo said once Uryu was back inside the school building. "We've got to make sure he's protected."
"Are you going to ask Renji?" Orihime asked.
"Nah, he'll probably complain about babysitting too. Besides, he's got other problems. Uryu is our friend, we'll handle this ourselves. He should be safe at home, since so far he's only been attacked by Bounts when he's in public places. So we need to keep an eye on him to and from school. Who's free this afternoon?"