Author's Note: Well, you're in for a special treat today because I decided to get the ball rolling a little earlier and do the second chapter of this fic first. I guess I'm still trying to stall the end of Hanging on the Edge just a little bit longer, just to keep you readers on the edge of your seats. Haha. I'm so funny. Anyway, here you go, here's Chapter 2. Read and review. You know the drill, don't you? And thanks to everyone who's actually doing it. (:


"Hey, Ichigo."

"What?"

It was a rare occasion that Ichigo would go back to Soul Society, but he did anyway every now and then to see how things were going. After all, he was a soul reaper, too, and if doing his job well meant visiting the higher-up's once in a while, then so be it. Not that he minded anyway, he had plenty of friends in Soul Society who were more than happy to welcome him back.

And for some reason, today, in the tenth division's office, Matsumoto and Renji seemed more eager than usual.

"Hey, Ichigo-kun," the buxom fukutaichou sing-songed, her strawberry-blonde hair bouncing along with her breasts as she put both hands on Ichigo's shoulders. She was a little too close for comfort, Ichigo thought, but this didn't stop her from continuing on. "You have a girlfriend right now? Or a boyfriend? Or something like that?"

"Um, no?" the subsitute shinigami answered, confused. Renji was grinning wolfishly at him, and he, too, placed his hands on the strawberry's shoulders along with Matsumoto. What the hell was going on with these two? Whatever it was, it was freaking Ichigo out and he had the notion that they were up to no good, and he should run away, fast.

"Great," Renji beamed, "You see, Ichigo, you look like a good, strong person to us."

Uh-oh. Were they about to ask him to join them in a threesome? This was not looking good.

"What do you want?" he demanded crossly, trying in vain to walk away, but to his dismay, Renji and Matsumoto proceeded to shove him down into a sitting position on the couch, standing over him and dashing any hopes of a daring escape.

"We want you to go out with taichou," Matsumoto beamed, as if this was no big deal at all.

"Who?" the strawberry asked, blinking stupidly.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Renji clarified, "You've seen him, haven't you? Short, pretty little white-haired kid. The two of you would definetely make an attractive couple."

"What!?" Ichigo spluttered, horrified. "You want me to go out with that brat? I barely even know him! And why would I want to anyway!? It's not like we're even friends or anything, wouldn't this be so sudden? And besides, he's...he's..."

"Think of it this way," Matsumoto cut him off sweetly, "It'll be like a challenge. A game."

"Why the hell would I want to play a game like that!? Stop acting like this is no big deal!"

"It's not," Renji insisted, "It'll be fun. Just a casual fling. Hitsugaya-taichou is a lonely kid, and don't you think you could be a good person and give him some loving? Or are you really going to let him go on being miserable and all alone with no one to love him, no one to warm his bed at night..."

"And he's been more depressed since that whole Aizen deal-"

"Although Aizen did have the hots for him-"

"And anyway, it'll be simple."

"Shut up!" Ichigo retorted, "This kind of thing needs commitment, right? I don't even like the kid. How could you expect me to date him!?"

The smile on Matsumoto's face seemed to widen. "You just have to make him think you like him...Well, if you don't want to do it, then it's fine." She and Renji exchanged mischevious looks before she went on. "You see, Renji and I have been saving up our paychecks over the months, and we really want the best for taichou. Together, we have around...oh, let's say 100,000 yen. That's a lot of money. And if you go through with this...it just might become yours, you know?"

"Hold on a second." The orange-haired teen held up a hand. "Are you trying to bribe me into asking him out with money?"

"Maybe," Renji answered cheerfully, "Think of everything you could buy with 100,000 yen. But like Rangiku-san said, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. Hitsugaya-taichou is pretty, so we can invest our excessive amount of money in someone else more willing." He paused for dramatic emphasis.

100,000. That was a lot. Ichigo was thinking now. He could buy a lot of things with that. He could save it up, add it to his college fund...buy some things he'd always wanted...And with the recession going on nowadays, money was always tight...

"Well? This is a limited edition offer, so we can't wait forever for you to make up your mind..."

"Fine," Ichigo snapped angrily, "Fine, I'll do it. Only because I need the money, though. And I want the cash up-front."

"We'll give it to you, in good time," Renji insisted. "The first 20,000 if you manage to ask him out and get him to accept, and another 20,000 for every date you take him on."

"And maybe we'll throw in a bonus if you sleep with him," Matsumoto mused, and Ichigo almost shit himself at the thought.

"And anyway," the large-breasted woman added causually, "Taichou will be back from the captains' meeting really soon, so shall we get started?"

As if right on cue, the office door opened. In stepped Hitsugaya Toshiro, looking to be in a very sour mood.

Oh, boy. Just what had he gotten himself into.

"Go for it!" Matsumoto hissed, giving Ichigo a sharp jab in the ribs, followed by Renji's encouraging - and a little painful - pat on the back, before the two fukutaichou's scurried away, giggling madly as if this whole thing was just some kind of sick joke to make the strawberry suffer with.

As the door closed as Renji and Matsumoto left, Ichigo found himself very alone in the office with a very unhappy looking Hitsugaya.

"Um. Hi."

Hitsugaya folded his arms over his chest, but remained quiet, as if he was unsure of what to make with the strange situation of being alone in his office with an unfamiliar man. Ichigo swallowed. Was it just him, or was the office getting a little colder by the second?

"I'm Ichigo," the strawberry offered in what he hoped was a confident voice, "Kurosaki Ichigo."

Hitsugaya promptly lowered his gaze modestly to the floor, as was expected in the Gotei 13 of one in the presence of an older man. It was a rather endearing action, Ichigo thought, and kind of cute. If the kid was going to act so submissively polite to him, then maybe this would be a piece of cake. He'd be 100,000 yen richer in no time.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro," the petite captain mumbled, returning the favor by giving his own name, "But I'm sure even a subsitute shinigami like you knows that," he added, his tone suddenly filled with some maddening kind of frosty contempt.

Any notion of the tenth-division captain being "cute" flew out the window for Ichigo at that moment. So he really was just a cocky brat after all.

"You know, you can be a little nicer," Ichigo scowled. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "After all, I did come all the way here just to talk to you."

"Is that so?" Hitsugaya asked, now sounding curious. "And why is that, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo had to admit, at least Renji had been right. Hitsugaya was rather pretty, with large eyes like frozen emeralds, fringed heavily with dark, long lashes, and a childlike face that held such sweet-looking innocence but yet some strange, regal air. He had a dainty, small and lithe frame, with an umarred complexion like expensive porcelain. But beyond the pretty face, the strawberry was sure that there was little more than arrogance, and he immediately decided that he didn't think much of this little brat at all. But 100,00 yen was 100,000 yen, and he knew that if he failed, that money could go to someone else. And no way in hell was he going to let that happen.

He took a step closer to Hitsugaya, and looking confused, the boy took a step back in turn.

"I'm sure you've heard this before," Ichigo spoke smoothly, opting for a more kiss-ass approach, "But you know, Toshiro...you're very pretty."

"I-It's Hitsugaya-taichou to you," Hitsugaya managed to stammer out, and his eyes were darting back in forth, which Ichigo presumed with disgust, was an effort to find the nearest exit. He wasn't going to let the kid leave now. 100,000 yen was on the line, for crying out loud. He grabbed Hitsugaya by the wrist, and the boy seemed startled by this. Hell, the kid was so naiive and innocent it was funny. You'd think he'd never been hit on before.

"Don't be shy," Ichigo answered, more insistently, "I'm not the only guy in Soul Society who thinks this."

Hitsugaya blinked, his eyes widening the slightest. Why did this sound so familiar? Why did this utter discomfort feel so familiar?

Ichigo grinned at him.

Hitsugaya panicked.

"P-Pervert!" the bewildered prodigy cried, slapping Ichigo across the face with all his strength, wrenching his hand free from the strawberry's iron grip. Ichigo let out an unrestrained howl of pain from the strength of the blow. For someone so small, that kid could hit hard.

Obviously beyond freaked out at this point, the prodigy hurried for the exit.

"Don't ever come near me again, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

The office door slammed shut as Hitsugaya made his hasty escape, leaving Ichigo alone, a hand clutching his burning cheek sullenly.

So much for that.

But Ichigo was a fighter, and he had never been one to give up easily at all. Especially since 100,000 yen was just dangling within reach. Sure, the kid was pretty, but the generous sum of money was prettier, and he'd be damned if he didn't get his hands on that soon.


Author's Note: Looks like Ichigo has a lot of work in store for him, huh? And by the way, 100,000 yen is worth approximately 1,000 USD.