A/N: what was the point of the last chapter? I don't know… but look. Here's the next chapter! This fic isn't turning out as I planned. And I'm not updating like I promised before. Sorry guys, please don't kill me. Karma is now smacking me in the face… but thanks to all the FRAKIN REVIEWS!! I heart you guys! 167 reviews are the most I've EVER gotten. Thank you! ^^ Oh! And should I put a "story so far" section? So everyone can keep track of major events?

ENJOY.

A/N: I still don't know Bleach very well so I apologize and the fic is absolutely based on no arc. Like I said it is very AUish. I suck at writing fight scenes so I kind off cut it short (I didn't put anything at all). I might throw it in later. I wrote this before I saw the fillers and the arrancar arc. Again I apologize.

Warnings: None. :)

--

Chapter Seven

--

When the two came back, Kon was seated on Ichigo's bed looking like he would kill anything that crossed his path. As soon as Kon saw Ichigo, he was on. He yelled at Ichigo as if leaving him in mod-soul form for almost a month was the worst thing for him to do.

"YOU'RE SUCH A BA—" Renji cut Kon short by shoving Ichigo's shinigami license into his face and grabbed the pill mid air.

"Should we put him back? He kind of deserves his freedom again," Renji said, feeling a bit sympathetic for the mod soul in his hand.

"Later…" Ichigo yawned before climbing back into his body and lying on his bed, burying his face in the pillow.

Renji shrugged and placed the pill back in its previous spot on the desk before he went back to his gigai. He moved to sit beside the boy on the bed and began running his fingers through Ichigo's hair. Ichigo sighed contently and finally felt relaxed. They were in comfortable silence before Renji decided to speak.

"You ready to tell me what's happened?"

Ichigo let out a deep sigh, not sure if he was actually in the mood to explain anything to Renji. There's was too much to say. He knew he could trust Renji. He's been helping him out so much, being the caring friend he is, but there was some things that not even Rukia knew. He still didn't feel comfortable enough to tell anyone about his inner hollow. Most of his friends knew it existed (no thanks to Rukia) but telling Renji of the recent events he experienced with his hollow would seem rather odd. What would Renji think of him after that? He wouldn't understand the odd relationship Ichigo and Shirosaki shared.

"You don't have to say anything now…" Renji suddenly said after hearing Ichigo's silence. "I guess its okay to tell me when you feel like it. I'm not gonna force it out of you now." He blushed slightly after hearing himself sound too much like a caring boyfriend and after clearing his throat said, "But you better tell me soon or I will beat it out of you!"

Ichigo, now relieved, smiled and nodded. "Okay."

They were blanketed in a comforting silence again, not saying another word to each other.

---

"I'm starving!" Renji announced as he walked down the stairs to the dinning room where Yuzu was preparing the plates for everyone.

"You know the rules Renji-kun! Guest or not, no dinner until you've brushed your teeth!" Yuzu reminded the red head while waving the rice spoon at him.

"I already did!" he flashed a grin at the young girl to reassure her. She smiled at him and handed him a tray with meals for two.

"Good. Make sure Ichigo-nii does too."

"But more importantly make sure that he eats something," Ishinn added as he came into the dinning room to join his daughters for dinner.

Renji nodded in understanding, "Of course." Lastly, he thanked Yuzu for cooking the meal and left up stairs to Ichigo's bedroom. He kicked the door open gently, seeing as his hands were full at the moment and walked into the room, placing the tray on the teenager's empty desk. He looked at Ichigo, who was sleeping soundly on his bed before looking over to the door when he heard soft foot steps approaching. Yuzu walked in with a tray of tea and smiled.

"Couldn't leave you guys thirsty," she whispered sweetly, not wanting to wake her brother. Again he thanked the young girl as she placed the cups of tea beside their food.

"By the way, I'm making your favorite for dessert."

Renji almost squealed in excitement, a wide and greedy smile on his face. "Tayaka cakes?!"

She nodded, "Yup, for taking care of my brother. It's my way of saying thank you."

Her way of saying thank you? How sweet, Renji thought. He wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do anything for him, that he was glad to help out (even though the entire situation was his fault to begin with) but she had left, with a sweet smile and closed the door softly behind her.

Renji let out a sigh. Ichigo's family was way to kind to him. He had only been around for a few days and he already felt like he belonged with them, as if he were apart of the family. Karin had even said to him this morning that he acted like a big brother Ichigo never had. Hearing things like that was nice and everything but still… he shouldn't even be here. It was his fault that Ichigo is in the state he's in anyway. Renji just had to fix what he messed up. It was only fair.

The red head walked over to the berry head lying on the bed with his face buried within the sheets rather than in a pillow. Renji couldn't help but smile. Ichigo did look adorable when he slept, even if you couldn't see his face but he could only imagine what that would look like. If he could hear the boy snoring through the sheets then he knew that the teenager was probably drooling all over them.

He poked Ichigo on his side and the shinigami instantly flinched. Renji's smile turned into a smirk. "Ichigo," he called. "Get up. Dinner," and poked the boy again.

An annoyed moan sounded from within the comforters and Renji chuckled before poking the boy again, making him shift sharply.

"Come on Ichi. You gotta get up. You've been sleeping all day."

Renji was sure he heard something about five more minutes but he wasn't going to honor the boys request and instead began poking Ichigo on both sides of his torso. Renji began to laugh as he watched Ichigo twitch away from the offending fingers. He knew Ichigo was a bit ticklish but not that ticklish. After sometime Ichigo grew annoyed and pushed Renji off the bed with one hand before grabbing a pillow and jumping on the red headed shinigami, pinning him on to the floor, and then smothering him with a pillow all in an instant.

"Got a kick out of torturing me, did ya?" Ichigo spat as he pressed the pillow deeper into his face, hoping the vice-captain would stop breathing.

"Ah'm shorry!" Renji repeated through the drool drenched pillow.

Reluctantly, Ichigo pulled the cushion away and glared at Renji who was still laughing.

"You suck," Ichigo frowned.

"Yeah, well, you can't sleep all day," the other reminded.

"Actually I can. You just won't let me," Ichigo sighed tiredly as he removed himself off Renji and sat back on the bed.

"No I won't. Besides, you gotta eat your sisters delicious cooking!" he said enthusiastically, jumping to his feet and almost running over to the desk to grab the tray of food. "It's still warm!"

Ichigo could only sigh. He didn't feel like eating, but Renji would never leave him alone if he didn't take at least one bite. So the younger shinigami didn't argue as the other placed the tray on the bed and accepted the chopsticks handed to him. Ichigo looked at the bowl of rice as if it were the nastiest thing in the world right now but he picked up the bowl regardless and forced himself to eat some of it. He never remembered rice being so hard to eat until just recently. It felt as if he were swallowing pebbles. Not that the food tasted bad, it honestly didn't. He hadn't eaten in so long that his stomach simply wasn't used to it anymore.

Renji silently watched the other as he ate his own food. Ichigo looked as if he were dying to spit out. Renji had to give the boy credit though. He was trying, so that was enough to satisfy him. He placed his plate down and reached for the cup of tea Yuzu bought up for them and handed it to Ichigo.

"Not too fast. You might throw up again."

"I want too," Ichigo admitted easily as he gratefully accepted the tea and took a much needed drink.

Renji's nose wrinkled slightly in disgust when he remembered Ichigo puking on him the first time he forced him to eat. "Well, you haven't… so I guess you're doing better."

"Eh…" was his reply as he picked up the bowl to try and eat again.

True, he was improving. Before Renji came he wasn't eating at all. Actually he wasn't doing much of anything until the shinigami showed up. After the incident with Shiro he felt worse than dog shit. He had let his emotions get the better of him until the red head cheered him up. In a matter of days Ichigo was no longer sulking in his bed and now up and doing the usual. It was a slow process but he was progressing nonetheless.

"I'm done for today," he announced as he pushed the half eaten bowl of food away.

"That's good enough," Renji said with a smile as he took Ichigo's leftovers and placed it on the desk along with his own. He wasn't going to eat too much. He wanted to save some room for his dessert!

Ichigo stretched his arms out and let out a long yawn. "I'm in need of a shower."

"Then afterwards are you up for some soul reaping?"

Ichigo contemplated the idea. He hadn't been doing his job like he was supposed to. He did feel guilty for that especially since Renji had to go do it for him.

"Well… I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon. But only if there's Hollows nearby."

"Cool. And then we'll hit the books."

"What?" Ichigo asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah," the red head started as he stood up. "You have to get ready to go back to school soon. You're already far behind. We don't want you to lose your place in honors, right? And in Japan, you guys pay for schooling, right? So that should be more than enough reason to go back."

"Pah…" Ichigo nearly whined as he dropped his head and let out an angry huff. "I really don't care for school right now. And besides…" he let himself drop onto the bed again and sighed. "I'll have to see everyone again. They're going to litter me with nothing but questions that I can't even answer. Not honestly anyways."

"Then I'll tell them to back off. And if you're worried about Orihime and the others, don't. I'll handle it," Renji said reassuringly.

The teen turned his head to face Renji who was now rummaging through Ichigo's clothes to find something for the both of them to wear. Since he's been there, Renji had been borrowing some of Ichigo's clothes, at least the ones that fit. His body was built bigger than Ichigo's and the teenager's styles of clothing were all tight fitted. He had to go through piles (who knew this kid owned so much clothing?!) until he found something decent for himself. Something that Ichigo found too baggy and Renji found slightly tight. The red head turned around and smiled at the other as he walked out of the room.

"Seriously, don't worry so much. Everything will go back to normal."

He waved for Ichigo to follow and the boy peeled himself off of the bed. I wish… Ichigo thought. Nothing will ever get back to normal; no matter how many times Renji promised it. He knew since the day that he was raped things would never be the same. It happened almost a month ago but the memory still haunted him. Within a few weeks he was raped not just once but three times, and one out of those three times it was by his inner self which served to worsen things. As if not knowing who the other two were was bad enough. He no longer felt like himself. He felt used and weak. How could he protect others if he couldn't even protect himself?

"Ichigo?"

He was instantly pulled out of his negative thoughts when Renji poked his head. Brown eyes met with concerned red ones.

"You okay?"

Ichigo nodded while letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Stop thinking so much. You're too young for that," Renji said as he ruffled Ichigo's hair.

"A hot bath will make you feel better," Renji flashed Ichigo a smile and pulled him into the bathroom.

This became their routine thing, Ichigo jumping into the tub with Renji acting as a sort of body guard. In all honesty, he was only keeping his promise to Ichigo but also give the other a sense of comfort.

Since Renji came from Soul Society, he had been with Ichigo almost every second, most especially when the other wanted to bathe since it happened to be Ichigo's worst enemy. He swore up and down to Ichigo that he'd never leave him, ever, and he would keep his eye on him at all times.

He smiled inwardly when he remembered the first time he started accompanying Ichigo. It was the most awkward thing in the world. Especially since Ichigo couldn't just ask him. Renji somehow read the teens mind and volunteered to stay with him. The shinigami had to somehow break the awkward silence and thought the best way to do that is by singing the most retarded song he could think up. He asked Ichigo if he had ever watched the anime 'Fruits Basket' and then started singing Momiji's song. Much to his surprise, Ichigo knew the words. And since then, the two have now gone from singing stupid little anime songs to having full conversations and joking around.

After removing their clothing and wrapping a towel around themselves, and just when they were going to step into the hot water of the tub, someone knocked. Ichigo went over to answer and saw his baby sister wrapped in a towel herself.

"You said I was old enough to bathe by myself but…" Yuzu said, pouting adorably, "…since Renji-kun is here and all I thought…"

"….that maybe you could join?" Ichigo finished. Yuzu nodded and Ichigo pulled her into the bath room casually.

"The more the merrier!" Renji added, lighting up the mood in an instant.

--

"You're sister is absolutely adorable," Renji said as he dried his hair with a towel.

Ichigo waved him off as he threw himself on his bed again. The feeling of lying on a cozy tussled bed after a hot bath was enough to put him back to sleep.

"Ichigo," Renji started as he sat down beside the other and began poking his back. "You promised we'd go out and do some reaping tonight."

"I told you only if they're near by," he replied with a yawn.

"Then in the meantime you should start some school work or something," Renji suggested, still poking the other.

Ichigo groaned in annoyance as he grabbed Renji's arm and pulled him down on the bed so the other was lying next to him now. He moved so that his head and arm were now resting on Renji's chest. Renji began to run his fingers through Ichigo's bright hair, something the teen enjoyed and it seemed to relax him but it was also something they did all the time. Renji smiled softly as the thought of how Ichigo grew so comfortable around him came to mind.

"I don't want to do anything…today." Ichigo said. His voice was soft and tired.

"Fine," Renji replied with a small smile. "Lazy."

--

"Matsumoto."

Hitsugaya received nothing in reply but silence. His eyes gazed around the office in search of his said woman but found no one. He half-expected to see his vice-captain taking a "beauty" nap on the sofa.

"Matsumoto," he called again, hoping that maybe Rangiku was at least outside the room, but still no answer. That's when he remembered she had run off to do an errand. But that was an hour ago.

The young captain sighed in exasperation as he rose from his seat and headed for the door. He had a mess of paperwork to complete but a walk to 6th Division wouldn't hurt. Besides, he wanted to speak with Renji anyway. He needed to know the situation with Ichigo since Renji had been the only one seeing him. Not that he cared too much about Ichigo but, there was something he had heard the other day. It bothered him.

As Toshiro made his way to 6th Division, he began to think. He wasn't sure if he misunderstood the conversation or simply heard wrong, but what if what he heard was the truth? Maybe Ichigo's melancholy was caused by Renji.

No, he shouldn't assume. He should ask Izuru. The day Hitsugaya overheard the conversation, Renji was talking to Kira.

"He knows something," Toshiro said to himself. "Or maybe I'm over reacting…"

Hitsugaya slowly came to a stop when he heard muffled voices coming out of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's office. He masked his spiritual energy so that he could listen in. It sounded like an argument.

"I believe you've done enough, Abarai."

"But Captain Kuchiki, I-"

"You think to play me a fool?"

"No. No Captain, I don't."

"Then you will remain here in Soul Society; away from Kurosaki."

"But Captain!"

"That is an order. Or need I remind you of our objective?"

"No sir."

Then there was silence. They must've sensed him. Quick to react, Hitsugaya knocked on the door before sliding it open.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the young captain began, acting as though he weren't eavesdropping. He looked over to Renji who had his head bowed before facing Byakuya who sat elegantly behind his desk.

"How may I help you Captain?" Kuchiki asked. Straight to the point, Toshiro thought.

Toshiro sensed the suspicion in Byakuya but the other captain always spoke in such a calm tone it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"Actually, I've come here to see if Abarai has let his captain know that he was to leave with me to the human world tomorrow."

"He will not be accompanying you, unfortunately," Byakuya said almost instantly in response.

Toshiro's eyebrows raised slightly in confusion. "Why not?"

"Vice-Captain Abarai does not have to go. He has things to take care of here in the Soul Society. I'm sure you can find someone else," the older captain explained indifferently.

"I specifically chose him to be in my team for obvious reasons, Captain."

"Captain Hitsugaya, have you forgotten who his captain is? I gave him the order to remain here in Soul Society because I am his superior, not you. Find someone else."

"It is an order from General Yamamoto himself, your superior. I cannot find someone else, even if I wanted to."

There was a moment of silence as Byakuya neatly stacked his finished paperwork before he finally spoke. "I suppose it's settled, then. Renji, prepare yourself to leave with the captain. You are dismissed."

"Y-yes, Captain," Renji stammered as he quickly bowed and left the room.

No other words were said between the two captains and Hitsugaya left after Renji. The young captain, as he walked back to 10th division, wondered why was Kuchiki refusing to let Renji go?

"Hey, Captain!"

Hitsugaya snapped out of his thoughts and looked over to the person who interrupted him. "What is it Matsumoto?"

His vice captain, Rangiku, walked across the rooftop to him who was sitting close to the edge of it. "Well, I made dinner but you never came down to join me and Orihime… so I bought the food up to you!" Rangiku said with a smile as she handed Toshiro a small sealed Styrofoam platter.

"You're idea of making dinner is ordering out?"

"But of course!"

The young captain couldn't help but smile a little at her innocent idiocy. "Thank you."

"No problem! Holler if you need anything!" She said as she turned to leave but Hitsugaya stopped her when he called her back.

"What's up?" she said while making her way back to her captain then sat beside him on the roof of Orihime's apartment building.

He opened the box to see the Chinese take-out classic, General Tsao. Toshiro began to pick at his food with a plastic fork for a time before his vice-captain decided to speak.

"Seems like something is bothering you."

"Have you heard from Renji yet?" The young shinigami asked suddenly, keeping his eyes on his food but never taking a bite.

Rangiku raised an eyebrow in question, "Not recently. Why?"

Toshiro shook his head. "No reason. Just wondering about Ichigo's situation."

"Actually," the woman began. "Rukia ran into Renji. She told me she had asked him about Ichigo and said he was doing better but he needs more time… or something like that."

"Well that's good, I suppose," he said, finally taking a bite of his dinner.

"You like Ichigo, don't you?" Rangiku suddenly said, causing the white haired captain to choke on that single bite of food and making her laugh.

"Matsumoto! What the hell?!"

She laughed, "I've never seen you so flustered!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hitsugaya said in a tone that meant 'drop it or die.' But she pressed on anyway.

"Captain, seriously. I knew from the beginning you had a crush on Ichigo. He is cute."

"Matsumoto…"

"I've never seen you so concerned for someone, except for Momo. I see you're trying to hide it but, c'mon. You can't fool ol' Rangiku. I know men better than anyone!"

Toshiro cleared his throat sternly and his vice-captain finally shut up, of course not without cracking up again. They were quiet again for some time, Rangiku not saying anything for some odd reason and Toshiro actually eating. Then Hitsugaya finally spoke up after the earlier thoughts started bothering him again.

"Rangiku… remember what I told you the other day about Renji?"

"You mean about the funny things you've been hearing lately? Which by the way, I think you should stop eavesdropping, that's unbecoming of you, you know."

"Matsumoto, I don't know, but I have a bad feeling. There's something going on and I know Renji has something to do with whatever it is. I wish I knew what it was…"

"I think you're over thinking it. Or are you jealous that Renji is spending way too much time with Kurosaki-kun?" she teased.

"This is serious Matsumoto!" Again Toshiro blushed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! But I think you're right…. Something is going on. Hinomori seems to know something as well." Rangiku said thoughtfully. "She hasn't said a word of it yet but, I can tell Izuru let her in on the situation."

"It's only a matter of time then. Eventually, she'll say something, knowing Momo."

Suddenly, there was a loud boom sound, almost like rumbling thunder. Both Hitsugaya and Matsumoto looked around in question before sensing the harsh spiritual pressure.

"It' arrancar." Matsumoto said to her captain, slightly nervous.

"No… an Espada."

--

Both Ichigo and Renji awoke with a start, sitting up on the instantly.

"Do you sense that?" Renji asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded slowly, "the spirit energy of an arrancar."

Then suddenly they heard a thunderous boom, and crashing sounds dangerously close to them. Without a second thought Renji jumped out of his gigai while Ichigo swallowed the mod-soul, detaching his soul from his body in an instant while Kon took over.

"Ichigo, what the hell is going on?" the mod-soul asked, still fuming.

"No time to explain; just make sure no one get's hurt." He said lastly as he and Renji both jumped out of the window and made their way to the source of the noise and energy.

Upon reaching their destination, they saw nothing but fresh building wreckage while standing on the rooftop of another building.

"I feel it… it's here," Ichigo said.

"That's because I am."

The two shinigami looked instantly to the direction of the voice to see a blue haired Arrancar, standing boldly with a smug smirk and arms crossed over his chest, giving off a very cocky appearance.

"If it isn't my favorite shinigami!"

"Grimmjow," Ichigo scowled. "Why are you here? What do you want!"

The Arrancar snickered. "It's not exactly your business but…"

In an instant Ichigo had his sword out, blocking Grimmjow's sudden attack. It happened so quickly, not even Renji caught until Grimmjow was already speaking while pushing his arm against Ichigo's blade.

"I'm just here to kill some time."

A deadly fight begins between the two shinigami and the arrancar, a fierce battle that by far one of Ichigo's and Renji's toughest. Grimmjow was a strong and extremely deadly opponent, and showed no mercy. He teased and played with the shinigami, wanting to push the two over the limit. Grimmjow craved for battle, especially against Ichigo. He had this odd fascination with the shinigami. Something about him made Grimmjow want to come back for more but not exactly kill the boy. More like toy with him. Fight against his shinigami friend at the same time proved to be quiet entertaining.

Unfortunately, Renji was losing it, and Ichigo noticed. He saw how drained the red head looked and this did not help the situation. If Ichigo noticed, so did Grimmjow. He saw the blue haired Arrancar smile cockily before he tried to attack Renji. Somehow, only the Gods know, Ichigo made it in time to block Grimmjow's attack. His arms trembled as he tried to push Grimmjow back with his sword, but the Arrancar was so fast he caught Ichigo off guard, hurling him into the debris.

"Bastard!" Renji roared as he and Grimmjow engaged in their own battle, but Renji was not as fast or as strong as Ichigo to keep up with the Arrancar. Renji took massive damage and was also thrown in the wreckage.

As Grimmjow was about to deliver the final blow, Ichigo yet again from out of nowhere appeared in time to block the attack.

"You're just like a Goddamn bug. You keep coming back no matter how many times I crush you," Grimmjow scowled.

"Ichigo!"

Both males turned their heads to see Captain Hitsugaya and Matsumoto approaching.

Grimmjow's smirk returned. "I see the cavalry arrived. More fun for me."

"Wait!" Ichigo cried. Just as the two pulled out their zanpakuto, Ichigo stopped them. Both captain and voice stared at Ichigo oddly, confused at why he would tell them such a thing.

"Forget about me, take Renji to Orihime. Hurry."

Toshiro was the first to speak up, "But what about you Ichigo?"

"I got this, just go!" he said impatiently. He then threw Grimmjow back by pushing him off once again with his sword. As their battle continued, both shinigami recovered Renji from the wreckage and flash stepped their way to Orihime.

The battle lasted for a while longer, this time Ichigo was fighting angrier, fueled by rage. Grimmjow liked to see that, he wanted Ichigo to get angry, it made the battle better. But why was so fumed? Was it because he harmed his friend?

Just as Grimmjow knocked Ichigo backwards and was ready to deliver another deadly attack, the Espada was stopped. Grimmjow scowled when he looked at the person who dared interrupt his fight. And he was having so much fun!

"Ulquiorra," he acknowledged bitterly. "What do you want?"

"We are done here," the forth Espada said, opening the vortex to Hueco Mundo. Nothing else was said and the two left through the dark opening as if nothing happened.

Ichigo let out a relieved yet tired sigh. But he had no time to relax or think about the reason why the arrancars appeared. He had to know if Renji was okay. But before he had the chance to actually go anywhere, Rangiku showed up.

"What happened? Is Renji okay?" He asked immediately.

The vice captain nodded. "He'll be okay. We took him to Urahara Kisuke."

Ichigo was puzzled and his face said it loudly. "What? Why?"

"Orihime's missing."

---

"What is going on?" Ikkaku questioned out loud, completely baffled with the situation.

"I believe the arrancar that attacked was a diversion so that another could run off with her," Hitsugaya explained.

"You think so?"

"It's the only thing that explains why Orihime suddenly vanished during the fight," Ichigo said. "They got to her when no one was freakin' looking."

"So, what now?" Hanatoro asked with a sigh.

No one answered right away. Everyone who was sitting in Urahara's shop was completely and lost in their own thoughts for some time before one of the shinigami spoke up.

"There's not much we can do right now," Urahara said casually. "There's no way you can bust into Hueco Mundo to rescue her right now."

"So what should we do?" Rukia asked.

"We wait," the shady shopkeeper replied.

Everyone audibly sighed. It nothing but silence yet again, everyone lost in thought but Ichigo was a bit nervous. He knew it was coming. He wasn't ready to play 21 questions yet but regardless someone was bound to ask.

"Ichigo…"

He just KNEW it was going to come out of Rukia. Just as she was about to ask the question, Renji stepped. Ururu was following behind him, asking him to rest some more but not without adding his nickname 'free loader' at the end of the sentence.

Everyone was glad to see Renji okay, thanks to Hanatoro and Tessai. Ichigo was especially happy to see the red head up and walking almost two hours after the battle but he didn't exactly show it.

His forehead was wrapped in bandage as well as his torso. His body was covered with cuts and bruises but it didn't hurt as bad as they looked. He smiled and joined the rest of the group, asking "What did I miss?" He was briefed on the situation and that smile turned into an ugly frown.

"But what do they want with her?" He asked.

"Quiet possibly her powers," Urahara answered.

"And there isn't much we could do about it…" Rangiku sighed.

"We'll talk about it further tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have some ideas on what to do next," Urahara said and suggested everyone go and rest.

As everyone got up to leave, Rukia asked Ichigo again, "Have you been alright?"

Ugh… Ichigo thought. There is no way of escaping this.

Just tell them some lie or something so they can get off your back, Shirosaki suggested.

Ichigo ignored his inner hollow and answered Rukia's question by saying that he's doing good.

She wouldn't accept that and pressed, "We've been worried about you Ichigo."

"I'm fine now really. I'm sorry I worried you," he said in a tone that wasn't remotely close to apologetic.

No one said anything more. Ichigo turned to leave, Renji following. As they hit the door, Rangiku said, "We're you're friends Ichigo. Remember that."

Ichigo stopped, and turned his head slightly and nodded. "I know. Thanks."

--

"What a night!" Renji yawned loudly as he scratched his arm. He really was completely tired out. He saw Ichigo placing the mod-sol on the table next to the lion bear again for the forth time already. Renji noticed Ichigo's hand trembling slightly; slightly but noticeable.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he sat beside Ichigo on the bed.

"I don't know…" Ichigo started softer than intended. "I guess I'm still a little shaky."

"From what?"

Ichigo was silent for a moment and made no attempt to look up at Renji. Actually, he was staring quiet hard at his fidgeting hands. He was picking at his blanket, a habit Renji sort of passed on to Ichigo when he was nervous. The red head began to think he wasn't going to answer him at all when suddenly he spoke.

"I guess… the thought of losing someone I care about again. It scares me."

Renji's eyes widened slightly. "Ichigo?" Was he hearing things?

He heard the boy sigh before speaking, still making no eye contact. "I just… I don't know." Ichigo then chuckled sadly. "I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have even said that."

"Why?" Renji asked, confused.

Ichigo shook his head. "I mean… what I want to say… what I'm trying to say is…"

"What?"

"CHRIST ICHIGO!" his hollow yelled from inside his head. "Just say something, do something, anything!"

With a frustrated sigh, simply to humor his Shirosaki, Ichigo grabbed Renji by the collar and closed the gap between them, crushing their lips together for a firm kiss. It only last two seconds, literally and it ended as quickly as it was initiated. Ichigo pulled away and turned away, his cheeks burning and his face felt hot with embarrassment.

What the hell did I just do?! He practically yelled at himself.

Just as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Ichigo felt Renji's hand gently take hold of his chin and turn his head to face him only to be welcome by Renji's lips pressed yet again on his own.

"Something you should've done a long time ago…baka," Shirosaki answered.

--

a/n: FINALLY! THEY KISSED! –falls- I'm actually kinda happy myself now. Ichigo deserves it. SOoo? What did you guys think? My longest chapter yet! 11 pages WOO! A little confusing I know but, this is where the plot twisting begins! (I lie)

It seems that Hitsugaya is suspicious of Renji, so will he find out the truth? And what do Kira and Hinamori know? What about Byakuya Kuchiki?? And now that Ichigo and Renji kissed and "together", what's gonna happen? Will Ichigo EVER identify the two rapists?

It's quite mind-boggling isn't it? (Don't lie to me, I know it isn't.)