Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time since I last updated this and I'm really sorry. Lately I've been very busy with college and hadn't had the time to write as much as I'd like. :(

And thank you Razorblade Mistress, ItsLiz, Maestar Ta, 5O5AAA, Wavywavy and patito for reviewing! Your support undoubtely helped me to make some writing time before I went to sleep and finish this chapter sooner. ;D

Also, this chapter's real name is "Undeniable Mission: Penetrating Enemy Defences". I wrote "Undeniable Mission: Into Enemy Territory" instead because fanfic doesn't allow me enough characters to have complete freedom over my chapters' names. -.-


"You're both here to relax and enjoy a romantic getaway, huh? Well, there is a Spa in town that will be perfect for you two! They have massages and ofuro baths for couples, among other things. I always go there when I come to town and I can assure you, their service is impeccable. If you wish, I can call there tomorrow morning and tell them to expect you."

"Erik and I would love that Thank you very much, Eva."


"I never thought I'd say that to you from all people-" Illumi began as he closed the hotel room's door. "-but good job."

Bleach sighed and rolled her eyes as she clumsily removed the high heels from her feet, throwing them at a corner of the room before marching towards her luggage.

"That Eva woman is creepy as fuck." The thief commented as she pulled out some sleeping clothes from her bag, not paying the slightest mind to the man metamorphosing back to his original self behind her. It was an unsettling sight, to say the least. "She kept staring at us as if she was going to jump our bones at any moment."

"I really can't blame her. You look particularly desirable this evening."

Bleach responded to the flitartious words with a tired, withering look before marching into the bathroom, where she immediately started to remove the wig and fake eyebrows from her head, before moving on to her make-up and blue contact lenses. She was so anxious to get all the stuff off her skin that she didn't even bother to close the bathroom's door behind her.

For a moment, Illumi considered teasing the woman further, but before any words could leave his mouth, he found himself in an appreciative silence when his gaze fell on her moving figure inside the bathroom. Without words, the man sat on the bed and started to loosen his tie absentmindedly as his eyes followed Bleach's every movement; from the wig's removal to the brushing of her teeth, from the methodical way she removed the make-up from her face, to how her jaw dropped slightly when taking off the contacts.

There was something strangely fascinating about watching the woman remove the layers of "Roxanne" from herself and slowly return to being just Bleach. The scene was one of the most mundane Illumi had ever watched and, exactly because of that, he couldn't help but feel that he was being included in something quite private for the woman – even if she didn't realize it herself. It pleased him to think that, from all of her previous partners – willing or not – he was the only one allowed to see her performing such everyday tasks. It could be proof that, from all of the men she had been with, he still was the one who most affected her life, the one who'd be responsible for making her lose sleep from nights to come still-

"The man… it looks like he is forcing his kiss upon the woman. The way he seems to be holding her face in place as she tries to turn it the other way… how her fingers are curled above his neck in something like disgust… It all gives me a bad feeling."

"I hate you, just like I hate Cressar."

-or maybe not.

For a second, Illumi felt his lips threaten to curl in disgust. It seemed someone else still kept him from being Bleach's most important tormentor. Cressar's shadow still accompanied the thief wherever she went; in a twisted way, he had been her first relationship. He was her first rapist. And then, her first victim.

Cressar… I wish you were alive so I could kill you myself.

With a sigh, Illumi pushed those thoughts from his mind and resumed to observe Bleach through the open door. The woman had just finished taking off all of her make-up and acessories and was now reaching behind herself from above her shoulderblades so she could start undoing the zipper of her dress - which went all the way from the base of her neck to the base of her spine. Once the zipper was about one third undone, she lowered her arms and reached behind herself again from a different angle so she could finish pulling it open, swiftly exposing the her naked back to him.

Illumi was quite surprised at how quickly the woman had undone the long zipper without any help whatsoever. He wondered how many times she had to dress and undress herself in that particular kind of dress without assistance throughout her life.

These full back dresses must be the only kind she ever wears. The assassin thought as his eyes scanned the many scars that covered the woman's back. I wonder how it feels for her to show her body to men.

Bleach was about to slide her dress down her shoulders and let it fall to the ground when her eyes met Illumi's through the bathroom mirror.

The thief's first instinct was to lash out at the man for perving on her, however, after taking a good look at his gaze she felt the loud words quickly die in her throat without as much as trying to leave her mouth. There was no lewdness in the assassin's stare whatsoever. Truth be told, he looked almost pensive as he regarded her with intense black eyes.

Without a word, Bleach turned around so she was directly facing the man on the bed and just stared back at him, trying to figure out just what it was that his gaze meant. Long moments passed in complete silence before the woman let out a tired sigh and, hugging the fabric of the dress to her chest, walked to the bathroom door and closed it.

Perverted or not, Blech didn't want to bathe with Illumi's bottomless eyes staring at her.


When the thief emerged from the bathroom dressed in a purple tank top and a pair of flannel pants, the bedroom was already dark and Illumi was laying beneath the covers on his side of the bed, facing the ceiling with closed eyes.

Silent as a shadow, Bleach walked to her own - still perfectly organized - side of the bed and used those many extra pillows and cushions hotels loved to put on their beds to construct a barrier that divided the rounded mattress in two, separating her from Illumi. Once she was satisfied with her work, Bleach laid down on her side of the bed, with her back turned to the pillows barricade, and closed her eyes.

"You do know I have no intention of taking advantage of you when you're sleeping, right?"

The thief's eyes immediately opened again but she didn't as much as flinch at the amused voice coming from the other side of the bed.

"I don't want to risk moving in my sleep and touching you." Bleach admitted in a low voice, too tired with everything that took place in the last couple of days to engage in an argument with the assassin. "Again."

"Fair enough." Illumi conceded, briefly sparing a thought to the clause in Bleach's contract that forbade her from harming him. He'd have to count on that and on Bleach's natural aversion to killing to keep him safe while he slept, seeing as he couldn't remain awake through the night in order not to be caught unguarded by the thief as he had done in their trip to the palace. He needed to be well-rested if he wished to keep his mask of Erik properly and during a lengthy period of time.

"…We're going to that Spa tomorrow morning, aren't we? The one Eva invited us to." Bleach asked after some moments, rolling so she could face the ceiling.

"Of course." The assassin answered, turning around so he could look over the wall of pillows and stare at the thief. As he did so, the covers slid down his body somewhat, showing he wasn't wearing a shirt. "If my assumptions are correct, she'll be observing us there to confirm if we truly are what she's looking for. Then, she'll most likely invite us to accompany her to dinner and, during it, "propose" to us. Of course, we'll accept her "proposal" and go with her to the place where the orgy she has planned would take place. Then, I'll kill the target and we'll leave this city to return to Padokea."

Bleach scoffed. "It's almost a soap opera."

The assassin grunted noncommittally and was about to turn his back to the woman when she dropped her head to the side, fixing those clear rainbow eyes of hers on him. Somehow, they managed to reflect all of the little moonlight that managed to enter the room through the gaps of the window's curtains, seemingly shinning at him through the shadows in the room.

"…You really have no idea why you're going to kill this target?" She finally asked in a low voice.

The assassin felt like sighing in exasperation, but at seeing how serious and important this matter was to Bleach, held the urge back in order to give her an honest reply. Answering that question wouldn't bring any sort of negative repercussions to him, but it could mean very positive advances in his plan on regaining the woman's affinity.

"I don't ask my clients for their reasons, but they do like to tell them anyway. And this time was no different." Illumi began, settling his pitch-black gaze onto the woman's bright eyes. "It seems my client's daughter and her husband went away with Eva Corsano to join her and her lover in their little swingers' party. However, instead of returning home rich as it previously happened with Eva's previous "targets", they ended up dead."

Even in the dark room, Illumi could see Bleach's eyes widen at his answer and decided he could milk this opportunity a little more. He had her whole attention at the moment - not to mention that she seemed tired enough as to not keep her emotional defences against him as strong as she usually did. This was one of the few moments Bleach was open to have a serious and heartfelt conversation with him and he would not waste this chance to give her something to think about.

"I know you don't understand how it's possible for me to kill people for money and I don't expect you to. You didn't live the life I did." The assassin continued. "But I think you should know that it's extremely rare for professionals like me to be hired to kill innocent people. It takes seriously wrongful acts for someone for wish another's death, let alone pay millions for it."

The woman's eyes widened even more but other than that she didn't respond to his words. She didn't know how, Illumi noted in satisfaction.

"Let's go to sleep." He proposed in a soft voice. "Tomorrow is our D Day. We must be ready to perform impeccably for Corsano."

"Right…" The woman agreed in a low whisper, rolling to her side so she could give her back to the assassin once again.

And, because of that, she missed the victorious smile on his lips.

"Good night, Bleach."

Of course, the thief didn't respond, but that didn't lessen Illumi's smile in the slightest.

He was finally making progress with her again.


"Miss Dehan and Mister Darst. If you'll please follow me, I'll lead to your private ofuro."

The attendant's voice was calm and warm, perfectly welcoming and reassuring, just like the outside and inside of the Spa. The place was large and luxurious and its decoration and structure followed perfectly an oriental style, something that, in Bleach's opinion at least, made the whole place seem almost dream-like. She had never seen anything like it before and couldn't help but stare as she walked into the reception, barefooted as was the norm inside the place.

Wide eyes taking in her surroundings didn't notice the attendant approach and speak with them, let alone movement coming from the direction of her amused companion. Only when he gently seized one of her hands in his and pulled her to him so they were face to face did the woman remember she wasn't alone in the room.

"Let's go, lovely." Illumi purred through Erik's mouth. "I can't wait to get alone with you inside that tub."

Roxanne blushed prettily at her partner's words, but still managed to push a teasing and confident smirk on her lips as she took a step forwards, pushing the front of her body against the front of Erik's. Then, Bleach chuckled low in her throat at seeing the spark of desire come to life in Illumi's black orbs.

"I can feel that." She lied.

Illumi was too in control of his own body to become aroused by such small actions – unless he wanted to; then he was capable of getting hard with thoughts alone. However, they were supposed to play the passionate couple and hinting at a more physical proof of the man's desire for her was as close to mouth-watering as she could get in front of an audience, and she was shameless enough to do so, even if there wasn't actua-

Bleach suddenly held her breath at feeling Illumi's arm encircle her waist and press her even harder to his body, allowing her to fell perfectly when a particular part of his anatomy hardened slightly in response to the situation.

"Let me grab your ass when we start to follow that woman to our bathroom. The cameras in this place are following our every movement, no doubts under Corsano's control, so we might as well give her a show." Illumi whispered in her ear, voice almost unfeelingly business-like. It was clear that touching her like that at the moment was more because of the mission than him actually wanting to, something that almost made Bleach disappointed.

Almost! Bleach told herself as she nodded discreetly, rubbing her cheek on Erik's. Then, both took a step back from one another and turned to the attendant, who had been patiently waiting for the couple's PDA to end with her back turned to them.

"We're sorry." Roxanne called sheepishly, getting the woman to turn back to face them. "Sometimes we forget ourselves."

"It is no problem, Miss Dehan." The attendant reassured with a smile. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

Erik smiled as he laid his right hand on Roxanne's right hip, pulling the woman flush to his side. All on her own volition, she did the same with the man.

"We're ready."

With one last smile to the couple, the attendant turned around and started to lead them further into the Spa.

As Bleach and Illumi walked, both of their hands slowly slid down to the other's backside.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Bleach understood she was playing the most dangerous game, with an even more dangerous person - someone she had promised herself never to play with again. It would be best for her to stop. Right now.

Instead, she gave the tempting flesh in her hand a firm squeeze, smirking up at Illumi when he lowered satisfied eyes to her playful ones. The man returned her smirk with one of his own and squeezed her ass as well.

Bleach felt nothing but excitement.


The ofuro room was rather small, but Bleach found this a strangely appealing trait that made it all feel very cosy and private. The room's floor and ceiling were wooden, and so were the walls, with the exception of one that was a full-size window that showed a small and beautiful oriental garden that, judging from the stone fence surrounding it, had been constructed only for the purpose of improving the bathing room's aesthetic.

In the middle of the room, there was a wooden ofuro tub for two with a wooden steps tool by its side. By the door, in one of the room's corners, there was a shoji screen and two small benches with a fluff towel and a bathing suit each, as well as a couple of hooks in the wall that held two bath robes.

"We only ask you to wear the bathing suits at all times when inside the tub." The attendant spoke softly, motioning calmly to the clothes close to the shoji screen. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me. All you need to do is knock on the door and I'll come right away. Now, I'll excuse myself and leave you to enjoy your bath. I hope everything is to your liking."

Without wasting another second, the woman gave the couple a short bow and walked out, slidding the ofuro room's door closed.

Curious, Bleach immediately walked to the ofuro and gazed into it. It was filled almost to the brim with hot water that emanated a sweet-smelling steam; covering the whole surface of the liquid were red rose petals.

"Why don't you go already and change yourself, lovely?" Erik proposed as he pulled out his cell phone from his pants' pocket. "Give me a moment to check if Ino sent us a message."

That meant Illumi was checking his phone to see if this room was bugged as well. Apparently, his brother Milluki had developed an app – named INO after a female ninja character in an anime he watched; one of the fat assassin's many virtual crushes – for his family that scanned the whole area on a 7-metres radius and identified all sorts of electronic devices. As soon as it was done, the app sent the same phone an encoded message to describe the situation. This time, the message read:

Hey! I managed to get you those seats. Best view in the house! And the sound will be pretty awesome too! Unless they whisper on stage, of course. XDXD

In other words: there were no blind spots in this room and Eva Corsano had audio on them as well, unless they were to whisper to each other.

Good. We can communicate just fine. Illumi thought as he put away his phone and started to remover his shirt. Two lovers alone in a tub and whispering to each other? She'd have to be crazy paranoid to be suspicious of that.

Just as he was about to undo the front his pants, Roxanne – or was it Bleach? he wasn't sure anymore – approached him from behind, encircling her arms around his waist so she could lay her hands atop of his.

"Let me help you out with this." The woman purred, blowing a teasingly warm breath on his spine.

Illumi quickly removed his hands, allowing Bleach's deft fingers to push the button through its hole before pulling the zipper down, slowly and teasingly, pressing just enough so he could feel her thumb caressing him through the thin fabric of his underwear.

"You shouldn't tease like that." Erik warned, even though he was smirking in satisfaction. "The lady said we have to wear our bathing suits inside the tub."

"Hmmm… There's plenty we can do with our bathing suits on." Roxanne pointed out with a sinful voice and tugged on Illumi's pants and underwear so they fell quickly to his ankles, before stepping back to admire Erik's body. It was shorter and bulkier than Illumi's and the skin on his back wasn't as flawless, showing some spots here and there, but it still provided her a nice booty to look at. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Smirking, Erik stepped out of his pants and turned around, showing that, to Bleach's absolute delight, there was still one part of his anatomy – other than his eyes – that remained completely Illumi's. A part that was growing increasingly proud with the attention she was giving its owner.

Illumi's eyes also performed their own share of shameless staring, running up and down Bleach's body slowly and appreciatively, silently lamenting that she already had her bathing suit on, even if the dark green one piece did virtually nothing to hide her curves from him. Especially with her fake long red hair wrapped in a bun on the back of her head.

Without even a hint of embarrassment, Illumi bent down to grab his clothes from the floor and folded them neatly as he marched to the small bench on which his also green swimming trunks were waiting for him. As he put on the article, he noted how Bleach's clothes had been rolled tidily before the thief had laid them on her bench in a truly pragmatic display of organization.

I never would've thought she would be even remotely orderly.

"What's so fascinating about my clothes?"

There was no denying the impatience in Roxanne's voice and Illumi found it imprudent of Erik to keep his woman waiting. Storing this particular piece of information about the thief somewhere in his mind, Illumi put on his swimming trunks and turned to the woman, smiling warmly as he walked to her.

"Nothing nearly as fascinating as you, lovely. Now come on, let's start this relaxing bath before the water grows cold." Erik responded, offering his hands as support for Roxanne to step into the bath. "Ladies first."

"I haven't been a lady since the day I met you, Erik." Roxanne spoke as she laid her hands in Erik's and slowly climbed up the steps and into the ofuro hot tub, releasing a delighted moan as the hot water all but made love to her legs. "So good…"

"I never thought I'd say that, but I'm kind of jealous of this hot tub." Erik teased, climbing into the ofuro himself and pulling the woman's body to his from behind. The next words were spoken by Illumi, in a much lower volume. "I thought only I made you moan like that."

"Aren't we arrogant?" Bleach teased in a whisper, with a smirk that was all her gracing her lips.

Illumi's response was to sit down inside of the tub and pull the woman with him, making her yelp in surprise and the water swash loudly around them. A curse was quick to try and make its way through Bleach's lips, but the assassin killed it quickly with whispered words of his own.

"We're being watched just like before. No blind spots, and she has relatively good audio on us, but we can still whisper to each other safely."

"Yay." Bleach responded in sarcasm, resisting the urge to glare at the assassin from over her shoulder at the stunt he had just pulled. Also, the guy had no business holding her on his lap like that, no matter how good it felt. "Let me make good use of it then and demand that you let me go."

"I can't do that, Roxanne." Illumi spoke, tightening slightly his hold on the woman's waist in a reproachful manner. "This is how lovers enjoy their baths." Then, he lessened his hold once again and stretched his legs as he laid back on the wooden ramp behind him, pulling her so she was laying completely flush over him. "Just relax and enjoy it."

Bleach didn't know how she managed to replace the ugly glare she wanted to throw over her shoulder at the assassin by Roxanne's warm and seductive smile as she forced herself to mimic Illumi's stance lay her head back on his shoulder. But she did.

Well, maybe it helped a little that the petal roses were covering what took place beneath the surface of the water from Eva Corsano's prying eyes, allowing her to violently dig her nails into the flesh of Illumi's arms.

"I hate you more than everything." Bleach whispered into the man's ears, moving her body so she was sitting across his tighs, lessening the – so fucking good. why does he have to make it all feel so fucking good?! – contact between their skin and making it easier for them to face and whisper to each other.

Illumi responded with an amused smile and planted a kiss on the top of her head before lowering his mouth to her ear.

"No other emotion is closer to love than hate."


Well, I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Hopefully I'll manage to post the next one sooner. =.=

At least we got lots of IllumixBleach moments. I hope you all liked them. ;)

Kisses,

RedVoid