Hey guys! There's a new poll out on my profile, so please check it out when ya can! I really wanna get started on that fic X3 ANYWAY, hope ya like this chapter X3 R&R please~!

Ichigo glanced at hichigo, who was staring out the window with a frown. It was cute in a way, like hichigo was lost in thought. But why was he lost in thought in the first place? What if he was worrying about meeting ichigos ex, too? The orangette sure wouldn't blame him. Though, if the albino was thinking about what the red-head might be like, ichigo was sure it was far off. Because renji was two-faced. Kind, loving, and careful one moment, and the next…the next, well, that's a whole other him. A drunken, beating, destructive, insulting, un-caring person who only thought of himself. The real renji. And ichigo was sure hichigo didn't think that would be like his ex.

The ride ahead was going to be a long one, for everyone in that car.

Chapter 4 – Assassins

About three states into their journey, the group stopped at a hotel. It was dark out now, about one in the morning with few cars on the immense highway roads. Hichigo hasn't talked to the orange haired teen since that little re-assurance counter, only because the albino didn't want ichigo to go back into his depressed state. As much as he wanted to – he wasn't going to ask. That would only hurt ichigo more, and as sadistic as he is, he really didn't want to do that to Ichigo. And if he did, the orangette just might kick his ass in front of everyone just because. Aint that awesome? Not.

Yoruichi checked all of them in and paid all the fee's while ichigo and Hichigo carried their own material up to their room, one hundred fifteen. Others had volunteered to help them with their bags, but to protect their undercover state, they voted for doing it themselves. This leads up to right now – silence as they took the elevator up to floor four.

"Hey, ichi?" hichigo murmured, just as the elevator stopped. A ting was heard through both of their ears, sending signals to their brains as they stepped out. Hichigo grunted at the weight of the bag. Ichigo looked like he was fucking doing this shit at ease. It pissed him off again. Insert sigh there.

"Yeah?" a quiet question replied, just as the albino started walking down the hall. He heard ichigo following, but didn't pay much mind to it as he closed his own eyes with a sigh. His whole body hurt, and he couldn't wait to get into a soft, blush bed and a shower. An hour of sitting in a car plainly straight for fifteen hours was not his idea of fun – and probably not ichigos either, for that matter.

Before the albino assassin could stop himself, he asked, "What is this Renji guy like?" he asked as he slid his hotel key into the door, it making a satisfying click as it opened. Noticing his mistake as he talked, his wide-eyed face turned back to ichigo, ready to take back the statement. "I'm s-"

"No, it's fine," ichigo's pained face told him it was not fine, but he really didn't want to elaborate on that fact. "Well…," Ichigo started. "He's two-faced. That's about what sums it up…. At first it was really sweet, to date him and everything. He was just playful and a-all, but…. That never lasted, in all honesty. One night he started getting a bit, uh, f-frisky, and when I said n-no…he got k-kinda pissed and started b-bea-beating me, because I didn't want to have s-sex with him…." Ichigo stepped through the door, placing his bags by the wall next to him, still not looking at hichigos form. He kept his back away from the albino. "And then he…f-forced himself onto….and then it just…went from t-there." The scars on Ichigos body itched with remembrance, the many, many, many scars proving his anger.

Hichigo bit his lip, staying quiet just about until he started to see the form ichigo owned start to quiver. Without warning he moved into the hotel room also, plopping his stuff down in front of the front door, blocking the entrance. He didn't care. The albino saw the quivering teen jump at the sound, but the teen still didn't turn.

Hichigo walked over slowly to ichigo, his footsteps not making a sound on the carpeted floor. His muscled arms lifted when he stopped in back of Ichigo, the loose appendages finding them to rest on Ichigo's waist. Ichigo stiffened suddenly, trying to shake his head and breathe straight. It wasn't working.

"Shhhh, Ichigo. Its fine, tell me some other time," hichigo cooed, snuggles his face into the back of ichigos neck.

Ichigo felt warmth spread across his body at the comment, and the fact of his body lingering on the tanned teens. It made the orangette feel protected – safe. He was far from that right now, so that feeling was welcomed at any time he could get to it.

"H-hichigo…it hurt…," Ichigo murmured, closing his eyes suddenly. He could still here Hichigo's cooing and touches to get him to calm down, which he found out, was working better than he thought. Ichigo's breath became regular again, the once erratic sound becoming calm and serene.

"I know, ichi, I know…," Hichigo said, his arms escaping form the precious hip-bones he owned. The albino moved to stand in front of the orangette then, calmly lifting up the orangettes chin with ease. "Your fine, you know that? I won't let him hurt you anymore,"

And somehow, ichigo believed this. Why? He didn't know.

The albino leaned in slowly, his eyes staying locked with ichigos own widening eyes as he planted a kiss on ichigos soft, but chapped lips. Hichigo's eyes kept staring at the orangette as ichigo closed his eyes, pleasure lifting into his body as the soft kiss elected him to join. He didn't mind this tingly feeling at all – as a matter of fact, ichigo liked it. Their lips moved together in the second kiss they shared, shock falling out away as happiness filled its spot. He didn't know that Hichigo was capable of making him feel like this, but in some twisted way, it did. And the scary thing was he still didn't mind it.

Hichigo pulled away with a soft smile on his lips, a yawn escaping them a moment later. With a grin, he held out his hand for ichigo to take. "I think it's about time you and I go to bed, dontcha think?"

Ichigo looked at the hand, but took it nonetheless, letting hichigo lead him to where the bedrooms were in the hotel. The orangette couldn't help but stare at the back of Hichigos strong figure as he stood in front of a door, opening that to get in into the bedrooms. He had to admit, he was also tired. And since yoruichi probably booked a different room anyway, he was free from any other questions.

"Uh….ichi?" he heard Hichigos uncertain voice ask. He looked over.

"Yeah?"

"Uh….well, there's only one…bed," Hichigo pointed to the lone queen sized bed in the middle of the room, the lamp already on and waiting. Ichigo quirked an eyebrow. Dammit, Yoruichi, you did this on purpose, didn't you!

The orangette let out a dramatic sigh, an angry look present on his face. "Damn you, Yoruichi…" he murmured, slowly looking over at hichigo. With another sigh, he looked at Hichigo. "We're gonna have to share, then," he finally stated.

"Why?"

"Because im not sleeping on the floor,"

"Then I will,"

"No,"

"Why?"

"Just…no,"

"…why?"

"Hichigo…" Ichigos voice became dangerous. The albino only sighed at the orangettes behavior, shaking his head as he moved over to the bedside. Ichigo soon followed him. The albino rolled his eyes slightly however as he started to pull his shirt over, ichigo mocking his movements with his own. They didn't look at eachother as they undressed down to their boxers.

Hichigo risked a glance at ichigo as he got into the bed, and was very pleased with what he saw. Ichigo was blushing profoundly as he got into the bed, facing away from hichigo so he didn't have to look at him. The albino only rolled his eyes and scooted over to wrap his arms around the orangette, furrowing his brow slightly when ichigo stiffened. Hichigo relaxed when ichigo did, and they found themselves tumbling into a restless sleep ahead of them.

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Hichigo found himself slowly awakening to the sound of whimpering on the other side of the bed. The albino opened one eyes groggily at the sound, blinking to look over at the side of the bed. There the orangette was whimpering and flinching every now and then, brows furrowed in an uncomfortable manner. Hichigo's other eye opened in worry of the other teen.

"Ichigo?" hichigo said, his voice carrying in the hotel room. No response, other than more whimpering and scowling. The albino lifted himself up in the bed and stared at ichigo's form.

"R-renji…no, please s-stop this…im b-begging!" ichigo slept talked. Hichigo's brow furrowed more in worry of the other assassin. "d-don't…fuck, it h-hurts! N-no!" ichigos body spasmed out in shock, as if he was trying to push someone off of him. He let out another cry of pain and thrashed away, successfully kicking hichigo in the shin. He hissed in pain, but otherwise ignored it and moved over to the teen that was having a nightmare.

Hichigo placed his hand on ichigo shoulder and shook lightly, trying to away the teen. It didn't work. He tried again – this time a bit harder than last. It still didn't work. The orangette continued to thrash around in his slumber, hitting hichigo a few more times. Hichigo took his hand off ichigos shoulder. His eyes grew blurry with sleep again, but he ignored it as he shouted out his higher up's assassin's name.

"Ichigo!" he shouted hurriedly, shaking ichigo now with both of his hands harshly. Ichigos eyes suddenly shot awake as he tried to shoot up in the bed, but he found out he couldn't.

"h-hichigo?" ichigo said with strain, staring tiredly at the form that was looking at him, also with worry. A thin layer of sweat prodded at his tan skin, making him a bit stick – just enough to where it was uncomfortable. He was still shaking of remembrance at the dream he had, which was probably what had gotten hichigo thick with worry.

"Oh, thank god…," hichigo murmured, his arms folding around ichigos thin frame. He held ichigo tight as the other stiffened, but slowly relaxed into the cold arms that brought softness over his body.

Ichigo still shook; his body spasming - but not thrashing out like before. "s-sorry I woke yo-you….it's fine…," he murmured, "you should g-get to bed, h-hichigo…" he said, his face burrowed in hichigos strong neck line. He felt that hichigo shook his head slightly.

"No, its fine," hichigo said, pulling ichigo down with him to lay back down. His arms were still protecting ichigos body, where they rested around his hips. They tugged ichigo closer, trying to give comfort to the other. It was slightly working, he noticed, because ichigos body stopped shaking and his breath became normal again. The brow was still furrowed, but it didn't look like it was going away anytime soon. "go to bed," he whispered in ichigos ear tiredly, not letting his grip of the orangette cease.

Ichigo smiled slightly, but closed his eyes and listening to him. he heard the soft heartbeat of hichigos own heart slowly cascade into its sleeping sound, and he ended up falling asleep to its slight rhythmic lullaby as he accustomed to the arm around him.

Shit, he thought as he fell asleep, I think im falling for him.