A/N: Raise your hand if you've been waiting waaay too long for this chapter! –raises hand- I'm really sorry guys, I don't know why I haven't been working on the story. I was being lazy? But here's the new chapter!

TealEyedBeing: I'm so happy that you liked it! And yeah I sort of just needed a way to end the chapter so you got a bit of smex there ; D

Mizashi: Yay! I'm happy that you like the story so far!

Myra Cifer: If she was….Tite Kubo would be even more popular! And thank you!

Titania of Swords: Thank you so much! I'm very happy you like it!

Side-note: I really want to say thank you so much to the people that have been favoriting this story, adding it to their alert, and also that have added me to their favorite authors. It really means a lot, and I hope to get reviews from some of you people in the future~!


Life was funny in a way. One day you have something, the next day it's gone. But in the time that you've had it you treasure it, you love it, you treat it somewhat like a small helpless creature that can only be healed by kindness. It was something that children did often. They loved their new toy one day, giving it every bit of love they can.

The next day they move on.

It was part of the reason Hichigo hated children; they didn't appreciate things as much as they should. They didn't realize that adulthood isn't the same as what you see on television. He understood that they're brains were not yet ready to understand the difficulty of this, but that's life. You've got to learn it someday, so why not now?

"Hichi…"

Hichigo turned on his side. He smiled at the way his lover called out to him even in dreamland. Hichigo raised a hand and brushed some of Ichigo's orange locks behind his ear. Ichigo snuggled against the warm hand and Hichigo chuckled. Hichigo moved his hand away and examined his lover. He was temporarily growing out his hair under his boss' order. It was a few inches past his shoulders now. Ichigo's usual wrinkle between his eyebrows was gone, his face relaxed as he slept the night away. Ichigo's lips were lightly chapped, Hichigo leaned over and poked his tongue out and licked Ichigo's bottom lip a little. Unexpectedly, Ichigo's tongue darted out to lick his own lips, brushing up against Hichigo's tongue in the process. Hichigo moved back and turned to lie back over to lie on his back. When he couldn't sleep at night he would have the strangest thoughts.

Children?

What the hell brought that up?

Hichigo shook his head to clear his mind. He had a strange feeling, but decided not to dwell on it any longer. Hichigo closed his eyes, and opened them as soon as he closed them.

What if Ichigo wanted to adopt kids?

Hichigo closed his eyes again and tried to push the thought away. Maybe he could slip it in a conversation tomorrow.

But what if Ichigo really did want kids? Would he want to get married too?

Hichigo's hands covered up his eyes, he didn't feel like stressing over problems he wasn't even sure would arise. Hichigo turned his back to Ichigo and felt the berry curl up against it. Hichigo smiled at the warmth he felt.

It was comforting.

-OO-

Hichigo woke up the next morning only to find out that it wasn't morning and that Ichigo was not there to entertain him. He left to go to work after being called in on short notice. Hichigo balled up the note in his hands and threw it in the trash. It was weird enough staying at Ichigo's house while Zangetsu was in the hospital, but not having either home owner in the house felt weird. He felt like he was intruding. Hichigo decided he would watch television for a while and noticed it had started to rain outside. Hichigo didn't like the rain. It brought back too many painful memories.

-OO-

A young boy around eight years old was wincing at the grip his mother had on his arm as she practically dragged him home. He didn't want to go; he knew what was going to happen. One little mistake, a stupid one, and now he was going to pay an unfair price for it.

When the pair got home the young boy was thrown to the floor. His mother went into the kitchen to grab a beer and drank it like she was dying of thirst, adding on to the already drunken state she was in.

"What the fuck is your problem? Are you tryin' to make me look like a bad parent? Your tryin' to embarrass me on purpose you little shit!"

A glass bottle was thrown, almost hitting the young boy it was being thrown at.

"Now you're runnin' away from your punishment? Just like your daddy. That good for nothing piece of shit! Come here mother fucker!"

A hand struck the young boy across the face. He tried not to cry out, he tried to hold back his tears, but he couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't even the sting of the wound his mother left on his cheek that made him cry. It was the fact that she hated him enough to do it.

"Mom! Please stop it! It hurts!"

"It hurts? It fuckin' hurts? This is nothing compared to what I've been through! If I didn't have a little mistake like you I would be fine! I wouldn't have to worry about ANYTHING! Fuck you! You don't know what real pain is!"

The hands struck the young boy, over and over and over. Even after he was on the ground the hands didn't were being thrown at the boy, his mother's feet were kicking and stomping him. He apologized over and over, regretting that he had even been born. He felt terrible, he felt sick, unwanted.

Unloved.

-OO-

Hichigo jumped up from his place on the couch after hearing the sound of the doorbell. He rubbed the tears that had fallen from his eyes and went to the door.

"Who is it?"

There was no answer. Hichigo called out again and received no answer. He turned to go back to the living room but the doorbell rang again. He turned around and unlocked the door, opening it just enough to peek at who was there.

It looked like a young kid.

Hichigo opened the door and leaned against the frame. The kid had on a black coat with the hood up and covering half his face. He had a suitcase sitting on the ground beside him and his hand was still hovering next to the doorbell.

"Look whatever you're sellin' I don't want any. And go home kid; you shouldn't be out in this heavy ass rain."

The child said nothing and stood there for a moment before falling backward. Hichigo reached out and grabbed the person before they fell. The child's head fell back and their hood fell off, reveling a very attractive, young, pale face and jet black hair. Hichigo's face flushed a little at the sudden beauty in front of him. Hichigo saw that the kid's face was pink and that he was breathing heavy. Hichigo pressed a hand to the kid's forehead and growled.

"You're burning up! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Hichigo pulled the kid inside, slammed the front door closed, and carried the kid up to Ichigo's bedroom. He threw the kid on the bed, not caring that he was getting the sheets wet. He ripped the kid's black boots off and threw them on the floor. He took the kids coat off and threw it on the floor as well and immediately recreated it.

He expected the kid to be wearing a little…. more than that.

The boy wasn't wearing a shirt and had on a pair of tight leather pants on that were so low there was no debate on if he was wearing underwear or not. Hichigo went through Ichigo's drawers and got a pair of pajamas. He started with the shirt, carefully putting it on the boy so he wouldn't wake him, then, after closing his eyes; he began to remove the boy's pants. They came off surprisingly easy considering how tight they looked. Hichigo quickly slipped the pajama pants on the boy and opened his eyes. He ripped the wet sheets from under the boy and laid him up against the pillow he had used the night before. He threw the sheets in the pile of wet clothes. Hichigo walked to the hallway and grabbed a few blankets so he could wrap the boy up in them. He then went to the bathroom to get the thermometer before realizing he didn't know how to use it.

"Fuck."

Hichigo laid the thermometer on the nightstand next to the bed and pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket. He dialed Renji's number and waited.

"What up, fag?"

Hichigo growled into the phone and almost hung up before remembering why he called.

"What the fuck ever. Anyway where are you supposed to put the thermo-thing when people e are sick?"

Renji paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. He called Grimmjow over and told him what had happened. The two joined in a chores of laughter at Hichigo's expense.

"Shut the fuck up and tell me where it goes."

"Dude you put it under the armpit."

Hichigo reached for the thermometer.

"No you put it under the tongue."

Hichigo's hand retracted. He should have known asking these idiots would get him nowhere.

"Dude it's totally the armpit!"

"What the fuck are you on man? You put it under the tongue."

Hichigo hung up the phone and threw it across the room. The phone smashed against the wall and broke into a few large and a few small pieces. He fucking hated techknowledgy. Hichigo picked up the thermometer and opened the boy's mouth and stuck the thermometer under his tongue. Hichigo waited to see if anything would happen. After a few seconds the thermometer beeped and Hichigo pulled it out and looked at it.

147 degrees Fahrenheit.

Shit was that too high?

Hichigo tried to reach into his brain to grab at least a little bit of knowledge from high school.

'It was ninety something, I know that.'

Hichigo left the room to go get a cold compress for the boy's forehead. He stopped in the middle of the hallway.

'What the hell am I doing?'

Hichigo sighed and leaned against the wall and ran a hand down his face. This wasn't like him. He did help total strangers, let alone let them into a house that wasn't even his. But for some reason the boy reminded him of himself as a child. Someone weak and helpless. Hichigo slid down to the floor.

He didn't want to think about. Not now. He hadn't thought about it up until now. So why now? Why did the memories he tried to suppress suddenly pop back up?

Hichigo pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his head on top of his knees.

He wanted to clear his head of this mess; he wanted it all to go away like it had never happened.

-OO-

"Hichi, sweetheart. Mommy has to go somewhere far away. We can't be together anymore. They found out what mommy does to you. I'm so sorry sweetie, I love you. I really do love you, please remember that."

Hichigo looked up at his mother and felt tears fall down his cheeks. No matter how much she hurt him, this was his mother. He didn't want her to leave him, he didn't care how much it when she hit him, and he loved her.

"But, I don't want that! I don't want you to leave me! Is it because I cry all the time? I'll stop, so please don't leave me!"

Hichigo's mother felt her own tears start up. She put a hand up to her mouth to stifle the sobs leaving her. She reached out and pulled Hichigo close to her.

"I'm so sorry I've made you think this way. It's not your fault, baby. I'm so sorry."

Hichigo cried and gripped the back of his mother's sundress. He hadn't been hugged by her in so long; the feeling was strange but brought more tears. The sat in their apartment living room crying and holding one wasn't aware of when he fell asleep, but the whole time he slept he felt a warmth around him. He liked the feeling. He hadn't felt this in a long time either.

When Hichigo woke up he was in his mother's bedroom tucked tight into blankets on her bed. Hichigo sat up and ran from the room.

"Mommy? Where are you? Mom?"

Hichigo looked all over the house for his mother, not seeing any trace of her. He fell to the floor and cried. He felt abandon and all alone.

-OO-

Hichigo's body aware of some warmth surrounding his whole body. He pressed his head into whatever it was he was laying on. It was a bit hard but soft at the same time.

"If you're awake then get up, you're heavy."

Hichigo's eyes snapped open and he sat up. He was sitting in the hallway on the floor with Ichigo. Hichigo turned to look at Ichigo better and saw he had been reading a book. Hichigo moved closer and took the book from Ichigo's hand. He set the book down and pecked his lover's lips.

"Hey, how was work?"

"Obviously not as eventful as here."

Hichigo looked confused for a moment and Ichigo tilted his head in the direction of his room.

"It's not what it looks like; I don't even know the kid. I just brought him in 'cause I felt bad for him."

"It's okay, I know him. That's Tensa, Zangetsu's younger brother. Thanks for trying to take care of him."

Ichigo kissed Hichigo lightly and pressed his hand against Hichigo's cheek. He used his thumb to wipe some of the tears that had fallen from Hichigo's eyes in his sleep. Hichigo yanked his head back and wiped his own eyes with his hands. Ichigo leaned back against the wall and stretched his arms out. Hichigo crawled back over to him and placed himself in Ichigo's arms, back facing him. The two stayed in this embrace for a little longer before Ichigo spoke up.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No….Yes….I mean, not now. I don't want to even think about it right now."

"Okay, just tell me when you wanna talk about it. I'll stop whatever it is I'm doing and listen to you."

Hichigo smirked and nodded his head. Ichigo always felt like he had to protect everyone, and here he was doing it again. But Hichigo couldn't help but feel his heart rate quicken a bit at Ichigo's words. He loved Ichigo, so much that even a few words like this set his heart on fire with passion. They stayed that way for a while longer and Hichigo had no complaints whatsoever.

-OO-

"So what do you think about him staying here for a while?"

Hichigo raised a brow at Ichigo. Tensa's fever had gone down after Ichigo had given him some pills and the young teen had a nice rest. During the time Ichigo had also explained to him that Tensa was mute due to something that happened to him in the past. Ichigo said that Zangetsu didn't explain what happened so Ichigo was just as clueless and Hichigo three males were sitting in the dining room having lunch together when Ichigo suddenly brought up the idea.

"Why? Doesn't he need to go home? He only came to visit Old Man Zangetsu didn't he?"

"Stop calling him that, and that's only part of the reason he came. He also ran away from home because he said he had problems with his parents. It won't be for too long, I promise."

Hichigo looked across the table at Tensa who was happily munching on his ham and cheese sandwich while listening to the conversation about him. Hichigo thought back on when he first let Tensa inside, he had a suitcase with him. Hichigo looked over toward the front door and saw that the suitcase was sitting inside. Hichigo sighed and looked over Tensa once more.

"Fine, whatever. But how long does he plan on staying? Don't schools start, like, next week or something?"

"We can enroll him in the high school close by for little while. Is that okay with you, Tensa?"

Tensa nodded his head and smiled a little. Hichigo had to admit, the kid was cute. Hichigo watched as Ichigo engaged in conversation with Tensa, asking only yes or no questions. Hichigo was now very curious as to what had caused the boy to decide he no longer wanted to vocally be a part of the world.

Not that it was any of his business.

Hichigo smirked to himself for once again acting out of character. He would snap out of it soon.

Probably.


A/N: Alright! New chapter is up and I'm feeling pretty good! I'm so happy to have finally introduced Tensa into the story. I have a lot of plans for him in the future~! Thanks for reading! Please review~!