Here's the next chapter. Contains a bit of yaoi/shonen-ai, but I'm sure you've all been waiting long enough for this story to develop it. Sorry it took so long to 'put out' (he heh) this chapter, but I've been occupied on another story that begged to be written after I watched the end of the Soul Society arc. It's not a yaoi, but does have a complex storyline about how Hisana tragically died and left Kuchiki Byakuya the man we all know and love (or hate): What if Byakuya was responsible for her death? It's called Memoirs of a Shinigami.

Anyway, I do not own bleach.

Fall of a Quincy

A shudder passed through his body. Millions of neurons fired at one time. If lightning could have been channeled between them that is how the moment of clashing energy felt. There was a tremble from both men in response; a mutual feeling as the power coursed through their bodies in one overwhelming moment.

Then slowly, Ichigo felt his power ebb, flow out of him as though someone had turned on the spiritual tap and let his energy spill out. Ishida was leeching his power?!

With the hunger of a ravenous hollow, Ishida deepened the contact between himself and Ichigo. Wider was the command; his mouth wrapped around the shinigami's. A warm, soft sensation as Uryuu roamed over his tongue, a devastating opposition was noticeable in the Quincy: As though two different entities existed; the powerful, life-absorbing energy that engulfed him, and the mellow caress of Ishida.

The air began to twist and bend around the Quincy, absorbing the spirit particles from inside the chamber. Ichigo felt the heat rising inside Ishida, the intense spectral flame burning higher around his body. It was like waiting for a bomb to explode, the amount of spirit intake reaching critical inside the Quincy's body was imminent. Uryuu winced in the embrace, the absorption taking a toll on his physical body.

Move dammit. Willing his body to strike out against the hold. Move, before it's too late!

Was this the end?

Here, in this cavern? With Uryuu, under this strange control? How can I stop this?

Think!

Ishida lurched forward as look of surprise crossed the Quincy's visage. Those blue eyes pierced him, as if the stare meant to penetrate through his countenance. His features became languid as the body slid limply into the shinigami's waiting hands.

A movement caught the soul reaper's eye, a form where the Quincy stood.

A soul.

Uryuu wavered, transfixed at the sight of his own spirit body, the indicative spirit chain protruding from his chest. Through the corporeal shell, a small symbol in the shape of a skull attached to the end of a cane waived through the smoky haze of the specter.

"Arigato, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara happily announced as though completing a store transaction. "The distraction was most appreciated." He winked in the shade of his hat, smiling coyly at the reddened face of Ichigo. Nodding to the tip of his cane, still smoldering from the contact of Uryuu's spirit, he shifted his gaze to Ishida.

"What…has happened?" Uryuu formed the words carefully. The phrase caught in his throat and dragged out slowly, the sentence construction a hard task to complete.

Looking down, Uryuu could view the dusty floor through his wavering form. Collapsing suddenly under the strain of being forced out of his body, he struggled to stay conscious.

"What's…wrong with me?" The shadowy specter sighed, unable to weight his voice properly.

"I've given you a 'push', if you will." Urahara gestured with his cane. "Right now, you're a konpaku – a regular human soul without power."

Urahara inwardly breathed a sigh of relief; the influence of the hollow did not appear to affect him in this state. With the exponential climb in power from Ishida, there was no telling whether or not removing his soul would work.

Ichigo remained frozen. Although the contact was gone, he still felt Uryuu's mouth upon his own. An icy chill fell down Ichigo's spine, and his eyes were solidly locked onto the Quincy. Goosebumps stubbornly stayed on his skin, though the chamber was not remotely cold enough to cause them. His hand reflexively went to his lips.

Remarkably, Uryuu's consciousness remained intact. Propping himself on a rock his breathing was labored – how did the air around him become so heavy?

Ichigo's stoic expression did not change. His eyes remained locked on Ishida, as if any movement would send Zangetsu hurtling toward the Quincy by its hilt wrap.

An uncomfortable silence passed between the men. What seemed like hours passed in only seconds before Urahara's employees made an entrance, followed by Rukia and Kon. All had the same question on their mind as they were met with the scene.

Urahara's underground training facility was in shambles. Craters were gouged into the ground and any landscaping originally in the cavern was decimated. Burn holes scorched the ground where Quincy arrows touched and chunks of particles absorbed during the endeavor left empty voids in the field. As if for effect, a mountain of rocks crumbled under the disproportion of weight from the top of the pile.

Everyone looked at the incapacitated Quincy.

Urahara smiled unexpectedly, dropping his cane to the rocky ground as he spoke. "Well, well. Seems that things have certainly become interesting around here."

"Why…?" Uryuu managed.

"Now is as good time as any to give you my opinion." Urahara sat and crossed his legs, producing a fan from the sleeve of his jacket. Flicking it open, he began talking as the fan swung slowly back and forth.

"I believe joining with the mod soul may have altered your Quincy attributes. Albeit, Kon's interference was only temporary, it opened a pathway to other power gain." He spoke carefully, stressing the points succinctly for the group. "You ability to absorb ambient particles became heightened, meaning that the amount and distance of particles you can accumulate have increased."

"That sounds like a good thing." Kon spouted, hopefulness in his voice.

"Yes. And no." Urahara replied with a slight hesitation. Grey eyes peeked out from under the shade of his wide brimmed hat, focusing on the soul form of Ishida. "Where the problem lies was in Jouten. That hollow had its own characteristics that were much like Ishida's here. I believe that the essences are getting mixed up and wreaking havoc in his body."

With the handle of his cane, Urahara pulled back the shirt from the shoulder of the unconscious physical Uryuu. Under the dressings an ichor looking mark from being impaled on Jouten remained. Then he cautiously did the same to the spirit Quincy. Surprisingly there was a mark in the same place, but this black mark permeated with a red haze that wisped in ethereal flame.

"In short, I fear that absorbing the remaining entity of the hollow has poisoned you." he coolly stated.

Weak as Ishida was, he managed to gasp.

Of the group, Ichigo carried the most serious tone. "What can I do?" his permanent scowl deepening at each word.

Urahara smiled seemingly trying to dispel the sullen attitude. "If I'm right, the poison should disperse on its own, granted Ishida keeps from exerting his spiritual energy. The hollow power seems to be feeding off of our Quincy's reiatsu. Keeping his reiatsu to a minimum should weaken it and give Ishida a chance to recover."

"What should I do now?" Uryuu asked. Being able to see himself was starting to make for a very uncomfortable feeling.

"You should be able to claim your body now. Removing a soul from its host has the tendency of releasing built up spiritual pressure."

"Oh, like a cork." Ichigo mused.

Uryuu didn't like being referred to as a pent up bottle. He let it slide.

"Alright, here we go." Ichigo helped Uryuu to his body. It wasn't far, but the immense weight holding his konpaku down made it feel like miles.

"How could you navigate being in soul form?" Uryuu wondered out loud. Somewhere, he began to have a new found respect for the soul reaper. "Didn't you have to train as a konpaku during Urahara's instruction?"

Jinta piped up, now realizing his chance to be noticed. "Yeah, he had to fight Ururu and he shouted at the top of his lungs 'Protect me, headband of justice!'" he rolled on the ground in laughter.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" A dark figure rolled over Jinta, covering him in an immense shadow. Ichigo's teeth grinded as foreheads clashed between the red haired kid and himself.

"I said you had to fight a GIRL!" Jinta retaliated.

"Now, now, you two." Urahara's fan slowly waved back and forth. "We have work to do."

Uryuu was back in the partitioned room. Once repositioned in his body, he had no trouble at all performing normal functions, so he navigated through the shoten and back to his makeshift cot.

Personally, he didn't feel like freeloading; his home would be more than adequate to supply relaxation. Apparently Urahara did not share in his reasoning.

"I would like to keep you here for observation. So please make yourself at home."

To honor the shop keeper, Uryuu stayed with minimal resentment. At least he had craft projects to work on. Resuming a cross-stitch pattern he created, he felt a little more at ease in the shop. Keeping his reiatsu in check may be an easier task than expected.

The door to his partitioned room slid open suddenly, and a figure stepped through. From the padded cloth sound his socks made on the mat, he didn't need to look up to tell who it was.

"Yes, Kurosaki?"

"I was wondering how you were doing." The words were long and drawn out, as though his concern was forced by an unseen assailant.

Uryuu decided to humor him. "I am fine, thank you."

A silence fell between them.

"Is there anything more, Kurosaki?" Ishida tried to suppress the annoyance in his voice. "I need to rest."

"Well," Ichigo stammered. "I guess I came to apologize."

An apology? From Ichigo Kurosaki of all people? Uryuu wasn't quite sure how he should respond to such an unexpected event.

Ichigo continued. "I didn't realize you weren't ready yet. I guess I pushed you too hard." He subconsciously rubbed the back of his head, ruffling the orange hair on his neck.

Something stirred in Uryuu's gut. A strange crawling feeling that felt vaguely familiar. Something from the not so distant past.

The taste of a shinigami.

The Quincy's eyes widened and he quickly tried to dismiss the notion. It swam under the surface, preparing to strike out at the first opportunity.

"So what I guess I'm trying to say is 'get better'."

Brown eyes sparkled, a shine settled on his lip. Orange hair parted into some spiky pattern which fell into his eyes and clung to his face, and even though the color was odd, the rarity could be described as…

Uryuu ripped the word from the end of that statement. He was not going to admit that Ichigo was…

"What?" The shinigami said. Ichigo had a cross between concerned and irritated look on his face.

"Nothing, Kurosaki." His eyes quickly reverting back to the cross shaped stitching emerging on the cloth. The needle worked quickly as Uryuu tried to drown out thoughts of Ichigo with keeping his mind and fingers busy.

"Were you even listening to me? I was trying to say something kinda cool!" A frown etched into his face.

"Yes." He made the mistake of making eye contact again, this time noting how endearing a scowl looked him. Dammit! His mind screamed. He could almost imagine the fuzzy colored bubbles and dreamy music playing. Ishida's eyes shot back to the needlework.

Then Ichigo could have done the best and worst thing. He walked over and sat on the corner of his makeshift bed. "If you need anything, just let me know." Fierce determination spoke clearly in his voice; surely Kurosaki's friends were above all else important to him. Family was always top of the list – no argument in that; but whenever his friends were in trouble, he was a valuable resource and trusted companion.

Ichigo noted the appreciative look on Uryuu's face.

"Arigato, Kurosaki."

A complacent and peaceful calm came over the Quincy. Despite the conflicting feelings for the shinigami, he considered Ichigo a reliable ally. On the battlefield it was nice to have someone watch your back. There weren't quite words for the way Uryuu described their rival relationship, but he knew what existed between them he wouldn't have any other way.

Then the creature inside struck.

Ishida wasn't sure if they were his own movements or if his body acted on its own, but smoothly and serenely a hand slid over Ichigo's cheek and lips pressed against one another.

Were these feelings real, or some conjured illusion from a rampant hollow? The taste, the smell – everything about this felt right. A returned pressure from Ichigo confirmed that Ishida was not making things up. This was real. Ichigo was real.

There was some absurdity to the situation in the logic center of his brain; the side that had been continuously screaming that Ichigo was a soul reaper, an enemy – someone who opposed every value his Quincy self upheld. Ichigo was not a person to get involved with on any level.

However layers were being stripped of that voice; Ichigo was an exception. No shinigami acted or sounded the way Kurosaki did in battle. In many respects they carried the same beliefs; war should be avoided, differences settled, the innocent protected. The voice inside quieted as the retaliation substantiated this connection.

Ichigo pressed harder, the need for more resting in his lips. Ishida wanted to return, but the feeling remained.

Is this me, or is it the hollow?

Uryuu's body almost froze at the though of their last encounter. Drawing the breath out of Ichigo's body, feeling his reiatsu waiver and fall. Draining the life from his soul.

He abruptly pulled from Ichigo. "What if this isn't me? What if it's just the hollow trying to get to you?"

Ichigo frowned. "If you have enough sense to think about that than you're not being controlled by a hollow."

That was the single most logical explanation he had ever heard.

Ishida's back pressed into the mattress as the eloquent needlework fell to the floor.

You like? Please review! The next chapter is sure to have a lemon. Or boy/boy. Or a lovely bit of acting in scene 42. At the least, describe what happens to Uryuu and Ichigo after what they just started. I'm going to dedicate the next chapter to all the loyal yaoi loving fans for hanging in there until I finally got to the good part. Thank you!

PS I loved the title, it eluded to so many things that happed to Ichida in this chapter. Fallen - implying a drop (Urahara's cane) erosion of his nature (hollow transformation) robbed of purity (Ichigo) :D