The first part is a recap for those of you who wanted to skip past the yaoi lemon/strawberry smutiness. Back to the story!

Paralyzed

The partitioned door was rapped on again, knocking the door against the frame in succession. Tinged eyeglasses outfitted the man silhouetted in the doorway, slightly stooping from his sheer size to peer into the room.

"Urahara-san has some news that he would like to share with you." He stated, disregarding the scene before him. His voice indicated that the matter was something of an urgent nature.

Both boys sprang up at the announcement, knowing that any news from Urahara had some connotations of importance, usually negatively aligned. To emphasize the point, Tessai's burly shadow had already left the hall, leaving the sliding door gaping at the empty corridor.

As they came to the meeting room, they were greeted with the ever smiling face of the shop owner. Tessai, Jinta and Ururu were also present.

"Why hello, Kurosaki-san! Ishida-san! How are you feeling?" The fan spread over his face, concealing the only bit of his visage left exposed from the brim of his green and white striped hat. "Did your talk go well?" he asked pointedly at Ichigo.

Apparently Urahara knew Ichigo went to his room, Uryuu thought. Probably to apologize, being that the original reason for the visit. That would also indicate that they had been together this whole time; what else might the shopkeeper implicate? The internal reference drew a light blush to his cheeks, which he battled down immediately.

"Yeah, we got everything settled." As if Ichigo had acted this moment out before, he wore the classic scowl known so well among the members of Urahara's shop.

The return of the frown tugged at Uryuu's thoughts. For a moment, he felt troubled to see the normal countenance again; however as soon as Urahara leaned away to obtain a teapot resting on the side table, Ichigo gave the boy a light jab and raised an eyebrow toward him.

A warm feeling washed over Uryuu's body; then with slight alarm he realized that Ichigo had tugged at his reiatsu, a playful smirk on his face. The Quincy jerked upright and pushed his glasses against the bridge of his nose, concealing the redness of his face as the tingling sensation passed through him.

Damn soul reaper.

At least he caught the look Ichigo gave him; that moment lifted his spirits against the somber expression he witnessed with Urahara. Was the shinigami that heavy of an influence on him?

"Please, have a seat." Urahara told the two, gesturing with his closed fan. Two pillows on the floor were conveniently set out for them, which they quickly alighted.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news." Urahara casually remarked, offering the boys some tea. "It seems that we've got some traffic in the area."

"A Hollow?" Ichigo surmised.

"More than one. Several actually."

The two noted Urahara's ever present sideways smile. With the flick of a wrist, the fan flared open as he continued. "Not as strong as the menos from before, but what they're lacking in strength, they're making up for in number."

Both of the boys shared an equally serious expression.

"It seems that defeating the leader has brought out the lackeys, which wouldn't normally be a problem; but we're short one hero as of lately." Urahara peeked from under the brim of his hat at Uryuu.

Without the glance, Uryuu knew who he was referring to. Battling his inner demons earlier was enough to convince him of the fact he couldn't risk a reiatsu build of any decency.

"That's not a problem." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched as a curl rose on his lip. "I'll be plenty enough for the hollows to play with."

"I'm sure you will, Kurosaki-san. Momentarily we will be receiving information from Kuchiki-san: She went on reconnaissance to find out the exact number moving within the real world and locations."

A ringing sound reverberated in the room. The tune sounded oddly familiar as Urahara drew a phone from inside his kimono jacket and flicked it open.

"Moshimoshi! Urahara Shoten, Urahara desu." His voice sounded cheery, maintaining a classic shop keeper tone as he rattled the line. As Urahara listened, his smile faded slightly as his eyes widened. The phone clamped shut without a word, and no one could discern the features on his face under the green striped hat.

Suddenly he cleared his throat. Shifting to gaze Ichigo, Urahara's voice was downright serious. "You've got you work cut out for you, Kurosaki-san."

"Alright!" Ichigo jumped to his feet, readiness spread across his face in earnest. "I'll beat them all and be back in time for dinner!" He twisted around, scanning the ground for something. "Where's that rug rat when I need him? Kon!"

"Ai!" a scuffle from the next room, along with several squeaks, indicated that the plush lion was listening in next door. Running up to Ichigo and saluting, the serious look did not suit the stuffed exterior body as he spoke. "Ready!"

He wasn't as prepared when Ichigo jammed his hand into his mouth to search for the mod pill. "Pmmtmthhmtttt!"

"Ah, there it is." Ichigo closed his hand around the small green pill and after rubbing it on his shirt, promptly tossed it into his own mouth. The corporeal form stepped out of the still standing body of Ichigo, clad in complete shinigami attire.

"What about allies? Do you plan on Chad-san and Inoue-san helping you?" Kon pointed out.

"No." The statement was defiant and forceful. "I don't want them involved. They haven't had a chance to develop their abilities, yet. At that rate, they'll just get in my way."

"Rukia said that she would meet you at the closest hollow to this shop – that's about two blocks north of here." Urahara's eyes peered intently in the shade of his hat.

"Alright! Let's get this over with, already!" A hand went reflexively to the hilt of zangetsu. Turning to the nearest exit, a shift in the corner of his eye redirected his attention: Uryuu had jumped up as well; fists clenched in a determined pose, eyes narrowed against knitted brows.

To everyone else, it was obvious that Uryuu didn't like having to hang back from the action. Ichigo knew that it meant a little more.

"Don't die, soul reaper." Uryuu picked through the words.

A hand clapped against the Quincy's shoulder. "I won't. We made a promise, remember?" The softened expression sent a chill down Uryuu's spine.

With that the substitute shinigami was gone, and Uryuu was left to sort through his feelings. He quietly went back to his partitioned room.

Damn it! He hated feeling useless. Heat surged under his skin as he thought about Ichigo. He wanted to be out there helping him. Instead he was a breakable toy that needed to be put away carefully to insure its protection. Helpless, fragile, and of no use to any one.

Uryuu sighed heavily and plopped onto the bed. He let his head touch the pillow and he gazed up at the ceiling. Nothing to do but sit and wait.

A thud came from the partitioned door, and Uryuu was almost surprised to Ichigo standing at the entrance of his room. Quickly his mind informed him that it was only Kon, noting the limp animal body stuffed under his arm and the almost joyous countenance that only the mod soul brought on. Was Ichigo's face capable of such an endeavor?

Kon sat at the foot of the bed, leaning against the bedside table in the process. A moment passed in silence between the two bodies.

"If things get too rough, Urahara gave me permission to help out Ichigo." The mod soul even had a different infliction to Ichigo's voice, even though they were the same vocal chords. He tossed a look over at the bespectacled boy lying on the bed. "He'll be okay."

At that moment Uryuu realized that Kon was seemingly trying to comfort him. What an odd behavior coming from this pseudo-Ichigo.

"I'm fine." The retort came out a little harsher than he intended. Softening his tone he continued. "I just don't like feeling…useless."

"But you're not!" The mod soul turned on him suddenly, determined brown eyes peering into azure ones. "Even sitting here, you're doing a world of good to him. Remember, his power comes from his friends; just the thought of you is giving him the strength to deal with those hollows." A hand clasped his shoulder, sealing the statement.

Uryuu had to admit, Kon's words – albeit sappy – made him feel slightly better about the whole ordeal. Giving an appreciative nod for the kind words, he saw the pseudo-Ichigo's smile widen a bit more.

"Don't worry – if things get tough, I'll help out. After all, he is my loyal subordinate." A wink followed as he rose to his feet. "I'll let you know if that time comes." He waved over his shoulder and the panel slid closed behind him. Cushioned footsteps thudded back down the hall.

Ishida lay on the bed, still gazing at the ceiling. If he tried a little, he could feel the distant wild reiatsu flowing from the soul reaper, otherwise engaged in battle. Closing the spiritual link again, he dared not keep the connection open to prevent dark energy from seeping in.

It was hard to stay calm in his situation. In a battle he knew what to face and how to react to it. Accounting for other peoples actions were a variable he couldn't calculate. Sure, Ichigo was a strong soul reaper; but against how many? Urahara had not even stated the number: Though if it were a huge amount, Uryuu was sure that the store keeper would have sent his employees along with Ichigo.

Sitting and thinking certainly made things seem worse than they were.

He could still smell Ichigo on his pillow.

Snatching up the small cross stitch project that had carelessly been abandoned on the floor, he set to work on completing the frame. Distractions were drove from his mind by calculated strokes from a needle, total focus on the object in front of him.

A slice down the center of a hollow seared a blue trail of flame in a blast of spiritual energy. Ichigo breathed slightly harder: Fifth hollow in a row.

"How many of these things are there?" The orange haired shinigami called to his female counterpart.

"I told you, every five minutes a new one forms in another location; I can't give an exact –"

"Then guess!" he shouted, jumping onto another beast form sword first.

Rukia glanced at her GPS, more that slightly annoyed at the continual beeping brought on from repetitively accruing hollows. She would have to tell Urahara to change the tone, but not before she broke the thing in her bare hands. Dark eyes shifting over the multiplying dots, she speculated. "Another thirty or so."

"No problem!" An overhead chop, sending another demon cascading in white light particles toward the sky: One down, twenty-nine to go.

Ichigo had been defeating regular hollows like these for months, so the thought of more than a couple was mere child's play. It was even downright boring. He had time to fantasize briefly about Uryuu while he brought about the end of another hollow's existence.

"How about now?" After several similar rituals were performed.

"…the same." Rukia gritted. Even with her kido, the number hadn't decreased much.

A grunt of frustration sounded from the substitute soul reaper. Even with his limitless amount of spiritual energy, this repetitive exercise was tiring him out. Not that it would stop him from fighting, but he was starting to wonder when it would let up.

A chirping sound from Rukia's tracker. This time it was a call from Urahara.

"Hai," she answered. After a few seconds of listening, she responded the same and clicked a button on the facing. Turing toward Ichigo, who was consumed in another hollow battle, she called out to him. "Urahara's sending reinforcements."

"I don't need any, thanks." The shinigami yelled back.

Rukia paused to think of a retort. "Unlike you, I don't want to be stuck here all night. We have class tomorrow."

Class: He'd forgotten. He skipped a day or two last week, and he was sure he needed to make up some homework. If his mind was unoccupied enough to think of that, these hollows were a piece of cake. "I'll finish this before nine."

The female shinigami sighed, unable to bring herself to the self torture of telling Ichigo that it already was nine. Instead, he sunk her frustration into kido at another hollow, dutifully calling out 'hadono sanjusan' in her incantation.

Uryuu hands clenched as Kon spoke. "It's been a few hours and hollows are still entering our world. Urahara believes that there's a portal directly from Hueco Mundo in the area, so he sent his gang to investigate."

Brows furrowed, Ishida heard the last comment the mod soul made. "I'm going to go too, since they need someone who could run around and look for it."

Here he was: Stuck in Urahara's shop with no other purpose to the cause. Anger had left its mark, turning his normally pale cheeks a red tinge.

"Listen," Kon knelt at the bedside. "I didn't want to say this but I guess I have no choice." A sigh, and the mod soul continued. "When Ichigo leaves his body, traces of his signature remain for a while; it's like when someone gives you a blanket they were using, and it's still warm. Their body heat sorta represents their spiritual energy. I guess." He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah."

Uryuu's gaze softened a bit.

"I…felt…how Ichigo feels about you. If something happened to you out there, it would kill him." An abnormally serious look filled Kon's face, making him seem a lot more like the characteristic that he inhabited. "It wouldn't hurt to just stick around here for a bit and get better, you know? For him."

The anger disappeared from the visage of the Quincy all together. Instead, the Quincy kept a straight face, only clenching his teeth when he swallowed.

Kon then leapt up on his feet, the fluid motion only partially showing the agility of his legwork. With a smile he was gone, leaving Uryuu to stir in his emotional soup.

The Shoten was empty, Urahara apparently found a purpose to go himself. After a brief tour of the empty shop, Uryuu returned to his room and stooped to pick up his book bag. Aside from the sewing materials, the cloth of his Quincy uniform poked through, neatly folded inside the small space. After a moment's hesitation, he donned the attire and slid out of the residence himself.

Ishida Uryuu was not going to be useless.

"COME ON!" After several hours of hollow hunting, Ichigo's normally short patience was beyond expired. Hadn't anyone found out where these hollows were coming from?

On top of that, the number remained fixed in double digits, forcing the squad of two to pull every resource they could for their multiple hour bout with the beasts. Their power near to exhausted, they both hoped that the reign of hollows would end soon.

Urahara's team was a welcomed relief; at least their effort divided among the white masked monsters gave then a chance to pause and regain their breath.

"This is even worse than when Uryuu broke that stupid bait!" Ichigo snarled into a beast, cleanly severing the pallid face in half. It disappeared into the surrounding atmosphere, surrendering its particles to the sky. Leaning onto the downward pointed zanpakuto, he regained a steady intake.

He had hoped for a better memory of Uryuu at that moment. Droning through hollow after hollow was starting to agitate his already volatile state. Wishing the Quincy was there wasn't an option; the constant barrage of hollows would definitely batter his reiatsu. Better to keep him in his thoughts, he surmised.

A beeping caught his attention. In the distance he could make out the sight of Jinta swatting down a particularly ugly hollow, with bat wings and a horn. His ears detected the ringing ceased and he glanced at Rukia. Noting how short the conversation was, he could only guess who she was talking to and about what.

"Found it." She stated, breathing a bit heavier than normal. "Karakura Memorial Bridge, south bank."

Ichigo's face turned ashen when he recognized the area; the same place his mother died.

Jumping along the rooftops, they quickly closed the distance between them and their intended destination.

Uryuu overheard the conversation from the shadows as he watched the two bound away. Apparently he joined the battle at the right time, he internally concluded. Keeping his reiatsu hidden, he followed the two shinigami from a distance, masking his own presence. At least from here he would be of some assistance, rather than house sitting the Urahara shop. Here, he could help.

Uryuu clutched at the small bag he brought along with him. A small jingling sound bristled the air as he ran to keep up with the retreating shinigami. The small noise redirected his attention. He didn't need to use spiritual arrows to help Ichigo, as long as he had other means of attack.

That's only if he needed to help; Uryuu was in complete faith that the soul reaper could handle whatever came at him.

However, there was a feeling that the Quincy couldn't shake; a disturbance, a sensation in his gut that something was wrong.

Uryuu hoped it was just a feeling.

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