A/N: (MxM) **Suggestive** Now consider this, I wrote this story second and all the stories after Chapter 1, are based off this one.

Songs in this Chapter:
Too many Songs to mention here, please refer to the opening A/N on page 1 for all the disclosures


Chapter 7: The Longest Night…

"Ichigo?" the petite black haired Shinigami called to him. She was walking down the hall early the morning after Orihime's wedding. He had just entered the hall from the guestroom, rubbing and shaking his head. Ichigo looked up at Rukia, her hair was disheveled, and there was a flush to her cheeks. "Are you just coming from Urahara's room?" she asked innocently.

"Um… yea, well, you know how last was, it got pretty crazy. I was just checking up on him after bringing him to his room." Ichigo rushed through his answer. "Where you checking in on Byakuya?"

The small female Shinigami, looked to the ground quickly before she answered his question, "Oh, yea, me too. I mean nii-sama can hold himself well when it comes to his liquor, so of course he was fine." Rukia's eyes shifted from side to side until they landed on a mark at Ichigo's neck. "Um, Ichigo? Did you hurt yourself? It looks like you got a pinch there on your neck." She reached up to get a better look at it, but Ichigo caught her hand midair.

"It's fine Rukia. Nothing to worry over," he tried to sound convincing. The look on her face told him, she didn't believe him.

"Lemme see, Ichigo," she persisted again, and succeeded in pulling his shirt over, receiving a clearer view of the mark. When she saw what it was, Rukia took a sharp intake of breath. "Is that…? That's…," she let her words trail off. The redhead's blush confirmed her suspicion without him having to say anything more. "So you… and Urahara?" Rukia enquired with a lift of her eyebrow.

A small smirk lifted on Ichigo's lips, and his head was downcast. As he stood there with his friend, he thought about her reaction to his own question about her leaving Byakuya's room. "Hey, wait a second!" Ichigo scrutinized her attire and the tousled hair again. "You and Byakuya!?" When she hushed him, Ichigo began to laugh.

"What of it? Is that really any more of an issue, then you and your teacher!?" Rukia's voice was slightly raised. The two stared intently at each other, when they both felt the presence of another soul coming down the hall. They elevated their heads and eyes to the man coming down the hall towards them now. "Keep your mouth shut if you want to continue to breathe," Rukia threatened the young teenager, like he needed her to threaten him, to keep quiet! They blushed once more and quickly looked away from the groom.

"Well, I'll … ah… talk to you later … about … that stuff," Ichigo said to Rukia. As he spoke, he lifted his hand up and gripped the back of his own neck, as if embarrassed.

"Um… Oh yea… Of course, sure," Rukia stuttered and ducked her head low. "Congratulations again, Ulquiorra. I'll be … ah … going now." She walked quickly passed Ulquiorra.

"Umm, yea … I need to, ah … get going myself," Ichigo quickly said and he too skidded as fast as he could away.

Ichigo found himself in the garden of the hotel. He leaned forward over the pond in his yukata, to feed the fish swimming there. His memories drifting back to the night before and how it all ended this way.


12 hours ago…

When they arrived here at the Tenseien Hotel, Ichigo found himself spending most of his time just hanging out with Chado, Renji, Keigo, and Asano. Uryū was up by the platform doing his DJ thing. What he had been looking for didn't seem to be looking for him. His father had been dancing with the beautiful bride just before she was thrust into his arms. She was so lovely; he didn't think he'd ever again see something so beautiful. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he called her by her married name, wearing a dress that would fit no one better than her. Her eyes full of love and confidence, and her heart finally settled as it always should have been. They glided across the dance floor, to the slow song Uryū just had to play. "Sad" The melancholic melody brought them both back, to a time when he was at his lowest point and lost his will to go on.

"I just wanted you to know, that for a time, my feelings for you were real," his shocking confession brought tears to her eyes.

"Geez Kurosaki! You would tell me this now!" Orihime jumped from his bedside to stand over him. "For the longest time, I was completely in love with you! When I finally came to terms with the fact that you would never feel the same way about me, I had already fallen in love with Ulquiorra!" The two teens stared at each other, and then burst into a fit of laughter. After they calmed she asked somberly, "Please let me heal you Ichigo."

"Inoue, thanks for your concern," he told her dismally. "I'd really like to be alone right now." Orihime walked out of the room, and from the briefly open door, he could see his sister Karin's angry face as she spoke with Urahara. Ichigo knew Kisuke was telling her he wasn't going to make it. 'She will be fine,' he thought to himself. 'She's stronger than even I gave her credit for.' Ichigo turned his body then toward the wall, and closed his eyes. He readied himself for his body to give way and for the separation of his soul to come. He didn't know how long he waited there. Time had no meaning for Ichigo at this point. But then came the sound of the door opening, and someone had entered the room. He pretended to sleep, so whoever it was would leave him, in peace.

Tessai sat beside the boy, and proceeded to give Ichigo more healing Kidō as ordered by his friend Urahara Kisuke. "Kurosaki-san, if you only knew the lengths that man is going for you," he said out loud, to the young man whom he thought to be sleeping. "The fight he has had to find a way to restore you to your former self. And when he has finally come to a solution, you have given up on him," a tear falls from Tessai's eye, and his face contorts in frustration. "With this, you have disappointed me." He stands over the bed, and gives the sleeping boy one bit of advice, "I can only ask, for the sake of my friend that you hold on. Even if just for a little while longer." With that, Tessai left the room, leaving Ichigo to ponder the older man's recommendation.

At the sound of the door closing, Ichigo turned over. He didn't want to think about what the Kidō master was saying. He just wanted to remain resigned to his fate. But the thought of Kisuke, laboring all this time to give him back what he sacrificed. It brought to his mind all the feelings he had suppressed. From the time, Kisuke found him lying helpless in the rain, through his training, and subsequent victory over Sōsuke Aizen. Somewhere along the way, through all the trials in between, he fell in love with the scientist. Trying to deny those feelings, brought pain to a dear friend, and ultimately lead him here. Ichigo knew in that moment, there was only one thing left for him to do. In order to do it though, he would have to live.

Before he knew it, the song was over and Ulquiorra was walking over to claim his bride. He might never understand Orihime's connection with this man, but he wasn't going to judge it, how could he? Ulquiorra was the one that got her heart, and in Ichigo's opinion that's all that mattered. They conversed for a few brief minutes, and then Ichigo was walking over to his father.

"Oi dad, why are you so agitated?" he asked. His father had been slightly annoyed since the party started.

"Huh? Oh, ah… nothing, it's nothing," Isshin replied. They stood to hear Ulquiorra's speech, and then he began to sing "The Reason." "Why don't you go dance with Rukia, it'll piss the hell outta Byakuya," he said, then he was sauntering over to the stage.

Ichigo really wanted to take this opportunity to have a long overdue discussion with Kisuke, but he didn't even know if the pervert made his way to the reception yet. So first Ichigo told Uryū the songs he wanted to jam on stage to, then he walked over to Rukia and to the utter annoyance of her older brother, he pulled the small Shinigami away and onto the dance floor.

"Ichigo! You know that's going to irritate nii-sama!" Rukia laughed as she allowed herself to be lulled into the dance.

"Do I look like I actually care?" Ichigo said unenthusiastically. "That stiff doesn't want to dance, it's his problem." They laughed and danced until the end, when suddenly Isshin had jumped to the stage and "Don't Fear The Reaper" began to play. It felt as if the entire room of guests rushed the stage, including Rukia. Ichigo followed her, "What is this, like the Shinigami theme song?" Rukia just laughed, and pointed to the stage. He followed her finger and found his father on stage screaming something about needing more cow bell. And what jumped to the stage next, was the one thing he had spent the night looking for. Dressed in a dark grey suit with a white shirt, red tie, and grey fedora, was Urahara Kisuke.


Ichigo was suddenly jolted from the memory by the fish jumping from the pool of water in front of him. He wasn't sure at the moment, if he should return to the room where Urahara was sleeping soundly. Or should he just grab his things and head the hell outta there as quick as possible. For there was little doubt, that Ichigo had taken advantage of the shopkeeper last night. Ichigo stood after making the decision to leave the hotel, and letting the chips fall where they may afterward, only to find a pair of charcoal grey eyes staring at him.

"Ah, I see," Ichigo began, "So you're up now, eh?"

"Indeed," replied the blonde. "You were planning on skipping out before we could talk about what happened last night."

Ichigo kept his mouth shut; he had no idea what to say to this man. This man whom he had fantasized about for months. This man who tried in vain to hinder the emotions of an "immature child." This man who Ichigo no longer needed to imagine having. This man, his former teacher, who had made incredibly passionate love to him.

"Listen Ichigo," Kisuke said his name out there in the open for anyone to hear, and know just how intimate the two had gotten. "Come back inside, there are things we really need to talk about."

"If you're going to tell me again, that it was all a mistake or that what happened last night can't ever happen again, then you can save it Kisuke," Ichigo said the man's name like a curse. 'Why can't you just accept it, and acknowledge me?' he thought to himself, since those words couldn't escape his lips.

"You know, you're the one that told me, not to treat you like a kid," Kisuke told the boy in that voice he only used when things were serious. "But when you act like this, how can anyone not?" The shopkeeper was visibly riled at Ichigo's actions. "I didn't treat you like a kid last night, so when you want to talk like an adult you know where to find me." Kisuke began to storm off back to his room, but stopped and added, "And I like it better when you use my first name… especially the way you did last night." With that, he left Ichigo to contemplate his words.

Kisuke's stride brought him quickly to the room he had shared last night with his former pupil. 'How could I have let this happen?' he thought to himself. 'I never should have let him, get to me. I've struggled with my feeling for that boy, since I first encountered him. I can't blame the alcohol for this. I betrayed a longtime friend, and hurt that frail teacher/student relationship I struggled to maintain.' Memory encompassed his thoughts, sweeping him back to the events of the evening.


12 hours ago…

Urahara Kisuke's night felt like someone scraping their nails along a piece of slate. He'd been keeping his distance as he observed Orihime's wedding, only congratulating her privately during the ride from Gora Park to the Tenseien Hotel. The scientist spent most of the evening avoiding a certain substitute Shinigami, watching as he laughed and enjoyed his time spent in the presence of Sado, Renji, and the two friends from his school. Now Kisuke watched, from the backstage area, as his pupil danced with unanswered emotion, in the company of Cifer Orihime. He always knew that the girl had feelings for Ichigo; it wasn't like she did a very good job of concealing it. Only Ichigo never noticed the red-haired female's transparent emotions for him. He had to admit when she fell in love with the hollow; it came as quite a shock to the scientist. Not only because he didn't calculate those odds, but because that left Ichigo open to his curiosity. He had rebuffed the boy all those months ago, after they had returned from the rescue operation of Kuchiki Rukia. And it wasn't that he rejected Ichigo on any ethical grounds, like 'Oh that's my student, which means no touching.' No, it wasn't that at all. It had more to do with… Shiba Isshin, the son of the Reiō. The last thing he had needed was to get on that man's bad side.

For all he knew the light hearted Shinigami captain he helped all those years before, would have turned in his location to the Seireitei, or worse had him ripped to shreds with just the flick of his finger. So you have to imagine Kisuke's surprise when Isshin came looking for him a month ago, to discuss 'something' the prince's mother had mentioned to him in passing.

Before Nel could speak, Kurosaki Isshin rushed into the room. "Urahara! We need to talk now!" The royal male now held a look of impatience. Kisuke got up from his position and walked to the former captain.

"Yes, Kurosaki-san, what can I help you with?" he asked of the man.

"I need to talk with you alone," Isshin began, then in a whispered voice he finished, "It concerns something my mother mentioned to me, about my son." At the mention of Kurosaki Ichigo and the royal family to which he belonged, Urahara Kisuke excused himself from the group and walked away with that boy's father.

The two men entered a spare room off the hall in his living quarters of the Urahara Candy Store. Kisuke turned after entering the room to face the impatient Isshin, when he was struck in the jaw and soundly knocked to the ground… brutally. "Whoa! What the fuck!" came the surprised yelp from Kisuke.

"Ahh! Fuck! You have a hard face!" screamed Kurosaki Isshin, as he rubbed his swollen knuckles. Then he focused his attention back on the perverted man with him. "What the fuck?! You don't get to ask that you sonovaBITCH! What have you been doing with my son!?" Isshin grabbed the Geta-Boshi by his collar with one hand and lifted him a good three feet off the floor. With the other hand, Isshin readied his fist to impact the other man's face again.

"WHAT!? Not a damn thing!" Kisuke verbally defended, "You know damn well, the only thing I've ever done was train that boy! AT YOUR REQUEST I might add!" he reaffirmed with the prince. "And since you need to know, I have been working over the past year, to find a way of restoring Kurosaki-kun's power!"

Isshin raised a brow at Kisuke's words. Then he lowered the shopkeeper to his feet and smoothed down Kisuke's top. "Oh, is that all? Well that must have been what she meant then." When Kisuke gave him a questioning look, Isshin elaborated. "My mother said that you would restore my son's power …"

"Geez Shiba-san! All you had to do was say that or ask me first before you start in with all this violence! Kurosaki-kun definitely gets that from you!" The Geta-Boshi stated as he reached for the door to slide it open, when Isshin made one more comment.

"Oh yeah and his resolve," Isshin grabbed at Kisuke's shoulder before reiterating, "You'd restore his power and his resolve." When the man in front stopped cold, Isshin knew. There was no relationship between this man and his son, but there would be one. Kisuke was about to comment but Isshin cut him off, "Relax old friend. Your reaction alone tells me that you are not lying to me. And really the only thing that pissed me off was, if you had gone ahead and did something with my son and didn't own up to it." Isshin slapped Kisuke's back fiercely, "So I only hope that in the future, should something come of this, I am forewarned!"

"Yeah, of course! Nothing to be concerned over," Kisuke agreed, and decided that not now or EVER was there a good time to mention the kiss Ichigo planted on him, that almost had him risking this man's wrath. The men stepped from the room, Kisuke had his hand up to his jaw rubbing it. At the side of his lip, there seemed to be blood coming from it. Isshin walked out behind him, the knuckles of his hand were bruised. "Well, now that that's taken care of," the shopkeeper started. "What's happening here? Where did the miniature Espada go?"

"Kisuke… Are you finally going to end this self-inflicted torture, or what?!" Shihōin Yoruichi pranced over to her childhood friend. "You can't keep this up."

"Whether I can or can't is not the issue," he responded. "Isshin trusts me again, after saving his son's life; I don't want to push my luck."

"But Isshin doesn't know what it took, to save him… does he?" she chided. Yoruichi turned around when she heard her lover approaching. "Think things over, Kisuke. And have some fun tonight." With that, the goddess of flash was gone, capturing Suì-Fēng in her arms and racing away to be alone with her. "Che," was his only response to the retreating Shihōin Princess.

"So this is where you've been hiding, eh? Urahara?" from his side Kisuke watched as Shiba Isshin walked in his direction. "What's got you all crabby?" he asked of the Geta-Boshi. Kisuke simply shook his head. "Well, since you don't wanna talk about it, there is something I need to tell you." Urahara visibly flinched when the robust man brought his arm down and around his shoulder. "You know I'm sincerely grateful for so many of the things you've done for me," Kisuke heard a "but" coming, "But…" There it was! "We have a problem."

Isshin turned the shopkeeper towards the far side of the dance floor. There standing like a wallflower, was Kurosaki Masaki. "Wait What? How?!"

"Two very good questions Urahara!" Isshin informed him. "Matsumoto says her name is Nakamura Izumi. She's a seated officer under the Kenpachi."

"She's Shinigami!" Kisuke began to laugh. At the prince's glare, Kisuke quieted and did his best to give Isshin an answer. "It's not unheard of for someone like her to become Shinigami after they die. And if that is the case, I doubt very much she even remembers." Urahara now had the biggest grin on his face. With Masaki here, Isshin would be distracted and Kisuke found that he might actually start to enjoy this evening. "Come on, Shiba-san. I'm going to take my friends' advice and finally have some fun tonight." Isshin seemed to like the sound of that, as he rushed to the stage after the groom had sung his song, and carted his bride off. To do unspeakable things to her, Kisuke joked to himself. Then he heard the next song. "Don't Fear The Reaper." And Kisuke found himself laughing audibly, when Isshin cried for more cow bell. 'That's my cue!'


He was sitting at the kotatsu, drinking his tea, when the knock at the door brought him out of his memory. Kisuke rose, walked to the door, and pulled it open. There in the hallway, stood a most pitiful looking Kurosaki Ichigo. Kisuke reached his hand out, and brushed a thumb along Ichigo's jawline. The boy raised his chocolate eyes to the slate grey ones, and tumbled into the charismatic man before him. Ichigo reached his arms up and around his waist. Kisuke pulled the redhead into the room and shut the door.

Ichigo spoke into the scientist's chest but his words were muffled. At the hum and rumble of Kisuke's chest, Ichigo lifted his head and spoke to the man. "I'm an ass," he told him, and Kisuke smirked. "You wanted to talk and I wanted to run away." Ichigo let himself be led to the low table, and sat down. At the man's enquiry about whether he wanted some tea, Ichigo nodded. He accepted a cup with the hot green liquid, which Kisuke handed to him. "Are you sure you want to talk with your rapist?"

At those words Kisuke burst out laughing, which made the boy smile and scowl at the same time. A feat only Kurosaki Ichigo could accomplish. When his laughter subsided, Kisuke had only one remark he could give the boy. "First, I could never be forced to do those things with you last night. And second, I could ask you the same question." No matter how someone wanted to look at it, he was the dirty old man, and Ichigo the naïve minor. It didn't matter that Kisuke got so plastered last night; he needed assistance to his room. Nor did it matter that said kind person, removed his clothing, to make him more comfortable, of course. It also didn't matter, when the boy knelt down before him after removing his pants and began kissing the inside of his thigh, that Kisuke tried pushing him away. No, none of that mattered, because Kisuke wanted it to happen, and he wanted it with Ichigo. "Ichigo, honestly, you can't rape the willing."


A/N: Songs mentioned in this fic, are the sole property of their respective owners.