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Weekend Getaway- 38

Ichigo lay awake for a while after they stopped talking. He wasn't so mad that he'd get up and stalk out. It wasn't like that. But he was still irritated enough that he wasn't going to let it go completely. They'd still have to talk about it in the morning. Sighing quietly, he felt Sosuke's arm tighten around him a little where it lay across his waist. The other man had moved up behind him and was holding him close. There was nothing particularly sexual about how they lay together but it felt intimate somehow. Close in a way that was strangely comforting even if they were technically still at odds right now.

But there was nothing he could do about the mild unhappiness that lurked in the back of his mind at the moment. He'd burned out most of his anger fighting Grimmjow earlier. After their quick and mildly humiliating sparring session, they'd gotten down to business. Ulquiorra had joined them and he and Grimmjow had instructed Ichigo on the finer points of tag teaming and how to compensate for being outnumbered. As Ichigo had seen before when Ulquiorra came in and easily flipped Grimmjow on his ass, the smaller man was more than capable of handling himself. Even though he was a petite man, he was incredibly fast, his moves decisive and full of power.

It was a little humbling but inspiring at the same time. Ichigo couldn't remember the last time he'd had a serious challenge like that and was eager to work with them again. He actually felt pretty good considering how the last couple of weeks had gone. There was some soreness but the stretching and workouts he'd been doing lately were helping a lot. Well, they were helping but not making him totally immune to pain. He shifted a little as an ache bloomed quietly in his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Sosuke murmured.

"Hn, fine. Tired. Was kicking Grimmjow earlier."

"He tends to kick back most of the time."

"Yer telling' me-" Ichigo's words slurred a little as sleep started to take him under. He thought he heard Sosuke chuckle but it was lost in the muffled quiet of sleep.

. . . . . . .

Sosuke woke as Ichigo stirred beside him. The redhead said nothing as he eased his way out of bed, clearly trying not to disturb him. Sosuke made no move to follow and watched through his lashes as Ichigo quietly got dressed and left the room. So he wasn't staying after all. The mild sense of disappointment wasn't totally unexpected but it irritated him just the same. Huffing out a breath when he was alone, he got up and went about his morning routine. But it didn't give him the same sense of calm that it normally did. Once he'd showered and changed for the day, he headed to the kitchen. Only to find Ichigo sipping tea and reading the paper. The redhead looked up when he came in and his eyes narrowed, presumably as he saw the startled expression on Sosuke's face.

"What? Did you think I'd run away just because we had an argument?"

Sosuke schooled his expression and then forced himself to relax and let his emotions show. Remaining aloof and placid would only piss off Ichigo and he deserved better than that.

"I'm merely surprised."

"Yeah, that seems to happen a lot when I'm around," Ichigo said, his tone dry. After a few moments, his face softened a little. "But then nobody's ever stayed with you long enough for it to get difficult, have they?" He sighed and poked at the pastry that sat on his plate.

Sosuke didn't really want to get into his past relationships or lack thereof. They were actually more like flings than anything else. He enjoyed the casual company of others so far as they didn't interfere or overlap with his life. As he thought of it now, he'd never gotten close to any of them even when they'd had intercourse. But he didn't want to bring that up now since it would most likely exacerbate their current situation. He was saved as Ichigo continued his train of thought.

"This is a first for me too. I've never done the relationship thing before and honestly, I'm not really a people person," The redhead's tone was mildly sullen.

Now that was a surprise all by itself. Ichigo was surrounded by friends and family that cared for him a great deal and by all accounts, he did well by them. To hear him admit he was not a social person said something about how he saw himself. Not knowing how to respond without fanning that particular personal fire, Sosuke went over and smoothed Ichigo's hair off his forehead.

"We'll stumble along together then."

"Hmm. You managed to make that sound comforting and noncommittal all at the same time. That takes some talent."

"Are you trying to pick another fight?" Sosuke leaned a hip against the counter and smirked a little. "I can assure you that I won't fall for such an amateur ploy."

"Was that a shot?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes again but spoiled the expression by letting his lips twitch. Shaking his head slightly, he picked up his tea again. "You kind of threw me last night."

"For that I will apologize. But it doesn't change my opinion."

"Which you're entitled to have even if it pissed me off. Still does really." Ichigo took a bite of his pastry, the snap of his teeth a little more aggressive than it might have been otherwise.

"That's very big of you," Sosuke said as he poured himself a cup of tea. He didn't respond to Ichigo's mild glare.

"It's just that everybody around me is so vague about my choices. They let me do whatever the hell I want without much comment. I guess it just stirred me up a little to have my first real opposition coming from you."

"I thought it bothered you not to have any direction."

"It does but that frustration is different than having somebody shoot down an idea the way you did." Ichigo watched him for a moment as if trying to choose his words. "I almost want the job just because you don't want me to have it."

Sosuke watched him in turn, gauging his possible responses. He couldn't help but evaluate their conversation the way he would any business deal but he knew that wouldn't work the same way and would ultimately be a bad idea.

"The decision is ultimately yours."

"You're not going to make me choose or anything, are you?" Ichigo's wary tone was a little worrisome and Sosuke wasn't entirely sure what he meant.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you going to make me choose between you and the job?"

Sosuke was surprised by that. No, he wouldn't use such an underhanded ploy to get his own way. "Is that what you'd think I'd do?" he asked, his voice quiet. He recognized the sensation in his chest as mild hurt that Ichigo would assume that. That he was worried Sosuke would casually toss him aside just because he didn't behave the way he wanted.

"No, I. . ." Ichigo paused, a little surprised. "Wow, I'm so sorry. That was such a crappy thing to say." He tapped his fingers on the countertop nervously, his face a little downcast. "I'm not even sure where that came from." They were both quiet for a moments before he spoke again. "Do you have to go to work or anything today?"

"As it's Saturday, no I don't."

Ichigo blinked. Saturday. Why did that mean something? He was forgetting something that he was going to do this weekend. Something with his dad. He shook his head a little. That's right. He'd said he was going to go home and have dinner with his dad and sisters. And he knew he couldn't put it off. But at least he didn't look like boxer on a bad day since the bruises had mostly healed.

"Is something wrong?" Sosuke asked and Ichigo realized he'd been quiet for a while.

"Ah, no. Just remembering something. I've got to go home tonight for dinner is all. Look, I. . ." he began and stopped as he thought about what to say. "I'm sorry I said that."

"Don't worry about it."

Ichigo snorted. "I probably will anyway. I know apologies don't really fix it but I don't want to ruin anything because of something stupid that came out of my mouth."

"Would it make you feel better to know I've been having the same thought myself?"

Ichigo's lips twitched in a small smile. "It's very big of you to admit that."

Sosuke let a small smirk tug at his mouth as he moved forward and kissed the top of his head. "And I wouldn't to anyone else. You're special like that."

Ichigo chuckled and leaned back against, pleased that Sosuke's arms seemed to automatically come around him. He sobered a little after a moment. "We still haven't really solved our problem."

"No and I doubt it will be the last time something like this will happen."

"Well that sound ominous. But you're probably right." Ichigo tiled his head back in invitation and Sosuke leaned down to press their lips together. He smiled when they pulled apart again.

"What did you say about kicking Grimmjow last night?"

Ichigo grinned. "I was just learning how not to get my ass kicked. It seems to be mostly working but I have a suspicion they're taking it easy on me."

"Not necessarily. They're not in the habit of holding back. If you're holding your own against them, it's because you're good enough to give them a challenge."

"Are you trying to score some points?"

Sosuke's lips curled. "Is it working?"

Ichigo laughed and kissed him again. "It's a start." He blinked as a trill from the other room caught his attention. "That's my phone. Hang on." Ichigo headed into the bedroom where his phone was ringing. "Hey, Renji," he said when he answered.

"Morning. They agreed to give you a shot. Can you be here in thirty minutes?"

"Um." He wanted to stick around with Sosuke today but wasn't sure it would go over well if he told Renji that. "Does it have to be today? I mean, right now?"

"Sorry about the last minute notice but I had to do some convincing here on this end. They're probably going to run you through some hoops to make sure you're serious. I wouldn't push if I were you. You're the one who asked me to look into it, remember?"

"Yeah I know. And I appreciate it. I'll be there." Hanging up, he glared at the phone for a minute before tucking it in his pocket and grabbing his wallet. Sosuke was drinking his tea and tucking into his own pastry when he got back to the kitchen. "I've got to go. Sorry."

"It's alright. There will be plenty of other Saturdays."

Ichigo brightened a little at the quick answer that he knew wasn't just an automatic response. "Okay. But I've got a request before I go."

"Oh?"

"I'm tired of the parade." When Sosuke merely sat back with his mug raised his brows, Ichigo rolled his eyes. "No more people following me. It's irritating and unnecessary."

"Will I be able disagree without angering you?"

The redhead huffed and came very close to crossing his arms over his chest. But he caught himself at the last moment and shrugged instead. "If you keep giving me babysitters, I'm going to start going out of my way to lose them."

"That may be more difficult than you think." Sosuke didn't seem angry, merely amused.

"Then I guess it will be good practice because I'm not going to put up with it anymore. Besides, it's a waste of your resources." He tried to appeal to Sosuke's business sense but anything the other man might be wasting was probably inconsequential. Ichigo continued on, determined to get his way. "Grimmjow and Nel have better things to do than keep an eye on me."

Sosuke watched him for a little while, as he continued to drink his tea. For a few moments, Ichigo was worried that he wasn't going to answer at all. But he set his mug down and clasped his hands over his middle. "Alright. If it bothers you that much."

"It does," Ichigo said, his eyes narrowing. That seemed almost a little too easy. "You'll have to trust me to take care of myself. Just like I'm trusting you to keep your word."

Sosuke knew Ichigo wasn't trying to manipulate him emotionally or otherwise with that last statement. But it was a challenge for him to agree even though he wanted to appease the younger man. Mulling it over in his mind, he remembered something that occurred to him last night while he lay awake in the dark. He got up and took Ichigo's hand. The redhead gave him a questioning look but Sosuke just leaned forward to kiss his furrowed brow. "Come with me." He led him by the hand to the stairs where they went up to his private office. Ichigo remained quiet during the walk, obviously curious but patient enough not to ask.

Sosuke booted up the computer at his desk and pulled out a small touch pad. Keying in a few numbers, he pulled out his own phone and sent a message. Ichigo twitched a little when the phone in his pocket went off and he looked at the display. "What's this?" he asked.

"The code to my elevator." Sosuke watched the surprise flash over the redhead's face and couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his mouth. He pushed the pad toward him. "Place your hand here." When Ichigo complied, the scanner flashed and glowed green from top to bottom as it recorded his palm print. Sosuke entered the new information into the database himself. "This will access the elevator from both the garage and the entrance in the lobby."

Ichigo pulled his hand back and looked at his palm as if it would reveal some sort of secret. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm trusting you with it."

"You don't have to do that just to prove a point." There was irritability now, that same grumpiness that always came over the younger man when Sosuke gave him things. But it seemed to have more of an edge now than usual.

"I didn't do it to prove a point. I did it so you can come and go as you please. I'd give you a car of your own if I thought you'd accept it."

Ichigo's mildly shocked expression shifted back to irritation as he thought it would. "I don't want you to give me a car."

"Have I handed you a set of keys?"

"Well, no." The sullen tone wasn't unexpected either. But the upset was a surprise. Ichigo looked quietly distressed, like something was really wrong.

"What's that look for?"

"It's just. . .I don't have anything to even remotely match this. I've got nothing to offer you. You keep doing that. Giving me things that I can't repay you for."

Sosuke drew him close even as the redhead tried to pull away. Tucking Ichigo's head under his chin, he hugged him tight as he thought about Gin's comment. That Ichigo was the love of his life. It appeared that there wasn't much he wouldn't do for him and he honestly didn't expect or really want anything in return. "There's nothing to repay. All I want is for you to be comfortable an happy." And safe, he added silently. The light laugh that came up shook them both a little. "But sometimes that's hard to accomplish."

Ichigo sighed and hugged him back, his body relaxing one muscle at a time. "Sorry, sorry." He sighed again. "Thank you." The redhead tilted his head back so he could look him in the eye. "I'll just have to suck it up and get over it."

Sosuke smiled and chuckled again. "You do that."

"I don't know how long all of this is going to take today. But I'll be here tonight." A promise, a peace offering. Maybe both.

"Alright. I'll be here."

. . . . . . .

Ichigo went through the front doors of Seireitei and found Renji waiting for him. "You guys don't keep regular hours, do you?"

"It's part of the deal. You still sure you want to be a part of it?"

Ichigo shrugged, refusing to rise to the bait. "It's no different than the bookstore and I was doing that while I was going to school."

"Just thought I'd warn you is all." Renji smirked, seemingly pleased that he wasn't giving up that easy. "There's a bunch of paperwork and stuff to do first. Come on."

Ichigo scrunched up his nose. "Bleh."

"It's not exciting adventure everyday. There's a lot of procedure and bullshit that we have to deal with too." His tone was casual but there was a certain amount of weariness under it. Ichigo followed him into the elevator.

"Then why do you do it?"

Renji was quiet for a moment before he spoke as if he were trying to decide what to tell him. "I came from a rough district and there's a lot of bad ways I could have ended up." Ichigo knew some of that already. The other night hadn't been their first drunken night of sharing and revelations. Renji continued, his voice a little wistful. "If I hadn't started here, I could have turned out a lot different. Would have, most likely. Seireitei gave me opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise. And I honestly think we can make a difference, at least a little." He shrugged. "That last part sounds kind of stupid and clichéd, I guess."

"But it doesn't make it any less true. I know what you mean. This isn't just a chance to deal with my own stuff. I believe that last part too."

Renji grinned at him sheepishly as the door opened. "C'mon before we start getting all mushy."

Ichigo laughed and followed him out. They were on the sixteenth floor, the medical ward if he remembered right. Renji led him down the hall to a door marked exam room seven and gestured for him to go first. There was someone inside and they immediately turned and gave a deep bow while murmuring a quiet greeting.

"Hanataro?"

The smaller man's head came up suddenly in surprise before he bowed again. "Ichigo-san. Nice to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, not thinking how stupid and obvious the question was.

"I'm doing my internship here." He gave Ichigo a hesitant smile. "I hope to get a position in Squad Four when I get my bachelors, then maybe work toward my masters here."

It figured. Seireitei was a pretty insular organization and they had lots of different branches that dealt in every field imaginable. Ichigo turned to Renji. "Now what?"

"Now you get a full physical. Part of the deal. They like to have a baseline profile to work with."

Ichigo snorted. "Why do I have a feeling they already have a file on me?" He narrowed his eyes when Renji didn't deny it but it was mostly for form's sake.

"Because you're not completely stupid." Renji grinned again.

Hanataro watched them both shyly, obviously wanting to get started but uncomfortable interrupting them. Ichigo took pity on him and pushed Renji toward the door.

The other redhead resisted just a little. "What? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

Ichigo gave him a flat look and shut the door in his face while Renji laughed. "Alright. Let's get started, Hana."

And hour later, after the most thorough physical he'd ever been given, Ichigo slipped his shirt back on. Hanataro was pleased that he was healing well and a little miffed that Ichigo hadn't gotten back to him before now. He handed him a clipboard piled with forms to fill out about his medical history. And after that, Ichigo was handed back off to Renji who took him up to the twenty-fourth floor.

"Well, that was mildly humiliating for both of us," Ichigo said.

Renji just shrugged. "It's nothing the rest of us haven't gone through. C'mon." He led him into a plush office that Ichigo recognized as part of Squad Six headquarters. Of course, the last time he'd had seen it, he'd been on the hunt for Byakuya and wasn't paying attention to the décor. There, Renji pulled out a thick folder and set it on one of the desks.

"There's the rest of the forms. Make sure you don't leave anything blank and all that."

Ichigo flipped through the first few pages and one of them caught his eye. "Hang on. Accidental Dismemberment, Maiming and/or Death Waver?" He read the heading on the third sheet. "You're kidding, right?"

Renji gave him a serious look. "This is the real deal. And trust me, there's some weird shit out there." The way he said it made Ichigo wonder what some that 'shit' might be.

"And this ensures that Seireitei isn't responsible if something eats me?"

"Pretty much. But that hardly ever happens." Renji shrugged again. "Mostly."

Ichigo raised a brow but didn't comment. He was still serious about this and he'd wasn't going to back down just because it was dangerous. Sighing, he picked up the pen and prepared himself for some serious writer's cramp. He had to take three breaks to massage his knuckles so they'd relax enough to continue, but finally he signed the last page and shoved the whole thing towards Renji who was working on his computer nearby.

"Alright then," Renji said as he sent off a quick text message. "You've just officially entered your ninety day probationary period."

Ichigo hadn't expected any less really. "Is there a dress code or anything?" Ichigo eyed Renji's dark suit. He figured that an uptight organization would make him wear the same kind of thing and he'd never seen one of their agents wear anything else. The thought didn't really appeal but he would if he had to.

"Yeah. We'll set you up in a little bit. Uniform's part of the package." Renji tugged at his tie and shrugged. "You get used to it."

"Alright. So now what?"

"Well, now I've got some stuff to ask you." Renji gestured for Ichigo to come over so he could look at the screen. On it, Ichigo saw a slew of surveillance photos. He immediately recognized D-Roy and Edorad. While he wasn't generally good with faces, theirs were now burned into his memory. But there were two others that caught his attention too and he had to think why.

"Those two," he said pointing to them. "Who are they?"

"A couple of low level hired hammers." Renji was watching him carefully.

Ichigo suddenly remembered. The car. They'd been the ones that had dragged him into the car and brought him to the airport. He sighed and brought a chair over. He'd been evasive about the past few weeks but if he was really going to do this, he'd have to tell Renji everything. It would be too hard to leave any of it out. He'd forget what he told him and end up lying without meaning to and it would be a huge pain in the ass. Letting out a gusty sigh, Ichigo told him the whole story starting with the night at the bar where he met Sosuke for the first time. Renji listened quietly, taking a few notes on his computer occasionally.

"Those two." Ichigo pointed to the ones Renji had called hired hammers. "I heard they were in an accident that first night. And Gin said something about bullets."

"Yes. They were in a car accident."

"And the bullets?"

"High powered rifle rounds that picked them off while the car was still smoking. Crack shot too. There are some heavy players involved in this." Renji sat back and watched Ichigo for a minute. "And you're sure that Aizen's not responsible."

"Positive." Ichigo returned his steady gaze. "But what about these ones? D-Roy and Edorad." He'd noticed that their pictures were tagged with the same small symbol as the other two guys.

"The other night, Kira and Hisagi went to ask them some questions. But from what they've been able to tell us, those two were already dead when they got there. And then they were attacked."

"Let me guess. The shots came from a high powered rifle."

"Gee, you're pretty good at the whole detective thing." Renji sneered quietly. When Ichigo opened his mouth to say something snide, he held up a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. That was shitty. This whole thing has me pissed off and worried. They're friends of mine."

"How are they doing?"

Renji sat back in his chair. "They're releasing Kira today and Shuuhei has been upgraded to guarded condition instead of critical. They'll be okay. It's just. . ."

"You feel like you're a step behind."

"Yeah, exactly." Renji's frustrated look softened. "You've been having a rough time of it yourself lately. How are you?"

"I'm okay. Do you guys have any idea what's going on?"

"I could give you the company line, but between you and me, no not really. Just that Sosuke's involved." He held up a hand. "I said involved, not responsible. It's hard to say if he's the villain or the victim."

Ichigo could tell him he was a victim in all this but wasn't sure how to bring it up without sounding defensive. "Well crap. I was hoping you had more."

"Yeah, me too." Renji sighed again and shut down his computer. "So, you wanna go out on your first field assignment?"

"That's a little sudden. I thought you said I wouldn't be able to work my own case."

"I haven't had a chance to go through D-Roy and Edorad's place myself. And you might see something we missed."

Ichigo felt oddly warmed by that last comment. He smiled a little and plucked at his shirt. "Do I have to put on the gear before I go?"

"We'll get to it later. I want to go over there before the scene gets any more messed up than it already is." Getting to his feet, Renji gestured toward the door. Ichigo followed him out and felt like he was making some progress for the first time in a while.