Author's Note: Whoo, more quick updating! I guess I'm trying to do a lot of updates now to make up for the inevitable lack of it in the near future, since I don't have as much to do today...Well now, I'm glad the lemon from the previous chapters didn't destroy your brain cells - at least I hope it didn't - and again, I'm really sorry for that. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you, hopefully, it'll be a little better.


"I'm done."

"Huh?"

"I said, I'm done. I'm finished."

After Ichigo had let the fact that he had and Hitsugaya had sex - and pretty good sex, at that - set in for the boy, he had escorted him back to Soul Society. While he was there, he had decided he had to end this charade - and so here he was, sitting in the tenth division office with Matsumoto and Renji while Hitsugaya was away at a captain's meeting, letting them know exactly what his intentions now were.

"What do you mean?" Matsumoto inquired, looking disappointed as she pouted at Ichigo.

"Yeah, what happened?" Renji added, "It was all going so well, too..."

"Not really," Ichigo muttered, deciding it'd be best to leave out the details about his own feelings regarding Hitsugaya as he held out a hand demandingly. "I did what you asked me to. I asked him out, spent some time with him, told him I liked him, and screwed him. Now where's my money?"

"Come on, Ichigo-kun," Matsumoto whined.

"Yeah, don't be such a poor sport!"

"Forget it, you guys," Ichigo snarled, his hand still outstretched and waiting. "I'm done playing your stupid game. I'm not going through with this anymore. I kept my promise, and so should you guys. Hand the 200,000 yen over, now. I have things to do."

Reluctantly, the two fukutaichou's fished in their robes for the promised sum. As they placed the money in the strawberry's waiting hands, they both exchanged confused looks. The teen had been so eager to get that money...and he could have gotten more. So what had happened?

"Was he too much for you to handle?"

"Not really."

"Bad sex?"

"Nah, it was great."

"Not enough money?"

"It's fine."

"So what happened?"

Ichigo paused, biting his lip. He didn't feel like telling Matsumoto or Renji about his plight at the moment. If he told them he was in love with the kid, then he was afraid that they'd feel like they'd paid him for no reason, since if he truly was in love, he wouldn't need the money bribe to want to be with him.

"I...I just don't think it's fair," he finally answered, "It's not fair for Toshiro."

There was a long pause.

"And yet you're still taking the money?" Matsumoto finally scoffed, as she flipped her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder. "Stop trying to be a saint, you're not fooling anyone."

"Look, Ichigo," Renji cut in, "We're doing this for everyone's interests, okay? You get your money, Matsumoto-san will get some more time to herself, I'll feel like I did a good deed...and Hitsugaya-taichou can feel like someone can actually stand him."

Ichigo felt his temper flare at these words.

"What do you mean!?" he demanded, standing up, "What do you mean, 'like someone can actually stand him'? Who do you think he is!?"

"Get a hold of yourself and give it a rest, strawberry!" Renji retorted, "We didn't pay you to pretend you liked Hitsugaya-taichou for a couple days, screw him, and chicken out right afterwards! So don't give me any of your attitude, you hear me!?"

In the midst of their arguing, no one noticed the office door opening.

Ichigo turned, seeing none other than the captain of the tenth division, Hitsugaya Toshiro, standing in the now open door-frame. And, much to Ichigo's utter dismay, the horrified, wide-eyed expression on the boy's face made it painfully clear that he had heard every last word.

"T...Toshiro..."

Hitsugaya's eyes were fixed solely on Ichigo before he managed to choke out, "Kurosaki...you...You lied to me? You were paid to...to pretend you..."

"No, no, it's not like that!" Ichigo spluttered frantically, "I was only-"

"You didn't have to pretend," Hitsugaya cut him off, his voice rising, "If I really mean that little to you, then you should have told me! My god, I'm so stupid...it's the same for everyone else, why would it be different for you!? Why did I believe you!? And last night, everything...you did that for money?"

"Toshiro, please..."

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou, you heartless bastard," Hitsugaya retorted fiercely, his voice trembling dangerously as without another word, he turned tail and fled.

"Toshiro, wait!" Grabbing the 200,000 yen's worth of money and shoving it hurriedly into his robes, he gave both Renji and Matsumoto each a furious glare. "Are the two of you happy now!?" he snapped, although he knew it wasn't entirely their fault it had come to this. Not bothering to wait for a reply - although the question had been quite rhetorical - he dashed out the office door and down the hallway in frantic pursuit of Hitsugaya.

To his dismay, Hitsugaya had noticed him chasing after him, and hadn't hesitated in using shunpo to speed up.

But Ichigo wasn't going to let him get away.

He, too, picked up the pace, glad he had been training extensively in the past few months; his shunpo speed had increased quite a bit, and he was catching up to the prodigy, fast. He was getting closer, closer, closer still...Desperately, he reached out, catching the boy by the wrist, pulling him back and shoving him roughly against the wall, holding onto his wrists tightly to dash any hopes of another escape.

"Release me at once, Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya yelped angrily, struggling wildly. "Get your filthy hands off of me!"

Ichigo was shocked to see tears streaming down the livid cheeks.

"Just listen to me, Toshiro! Please! I can explain myself!"

"I don't need you to explain!" the furious captain shouted, thrashing and squirming fiercely, trying to break free from the strawberry's iron grip. "I heard enough already from your conversation with Matsumoto and Abarai, I know exactly what was going on!"

"I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

"So why didn't you say that before I let you fuck me!?"

Ichigo's heart sank. The petite captain of the tenth division had a short temper, but he never used such harsh language. He knew the kid felt absolutely betrayed, crushed, heartbroken, and violated. In other words, he was absolutely pissed, and it was all because of him.

"I didn't want to make things any more complicated than they had to be!" the orange-haired teen choked out, "I didn't want to-"

"You used me!" Hitsugaya screamed, his voice hoarse and strangled with sobs now, "And to think, Kurosaki, I trusted you! I thought...I thought you really..."

"I do! I really do like you!" Ichigo shouted desperately, "Honestly! Toshiro, please, you have to believe me! Don't be like this, I'm begging you!"

"All this time, you've done nothing but lie to me, I don't see how you could possibly expect me to believe you now, of all times," the prodigy hissed, "It's just like Abarai said, no one can stand me, certainly not you! It's not me you like, it's your money!"

"Please, just give me a chance!" Ichigo was practically begging now. "Let me prove it to you! I-I'll do anything, I'll do anything you want me to..."

"Let go of me!" With an angry snarl, Hitsugaya finally managed to wrench free from Ichigo's grip, pushing the older teen away from him. "I don't want to see you, ever again, Kurosaki. I hope you put that money you got to good use. Now, goodbye."

"Toshiro, I love-"

"I said, goodbye."

Without another word, the fuming captain disappeared, leaving a dejected Ichigo with his sentence unfinished.