Chapter 6:

Special

Cat- Hey guys. I have truly decided that internet friends are my best friends right now. My real life friends haven't really been consoling me about the parental issue I told you about. And for some reason, I just feel a hell of a lot better reading your reviews and pm-ing some people. So, I wanna thank you guys for that. I'm also planning to talk to my ex-bff that I haven't talked to since the beginning of the school year, so wish me luck! Enjoy :)

"Relationships are very precious, take care of them, because it is most painful for you, when a person you know becomes a person you knew." ~Nishan Panwar

Don't know who he is either XD

Ichigo's POV

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside my dorm room window. It was a peaceful sound, their song filling the silence.

Then I realized. Holy shit, I'm naked. I remembered the events from last night, and I felt my face instantly heating up. Kisshu wasn't there, but I wasn't surprised. He probably freaked out.

I jumped up into a sitting position on my single bed, covering my chest with the comforter. I did 'it'...for the first time...and I'm not even married.

I was crushed. I promised myself that I wouldn't until I was married. But who doesn't? The risk of me getting pregnant is low, since we used protection. But what if it broke? Thank God today is Saturday, I wouldn't be able to face Kisshu if my life depended on it.

Kisshu's POV

I was sitting at my desk, hating myself for my stupidity. I did 'it' with Ichigo. Despite her being one of them. I never did this with a target, never mind asking them to be my girlfriend. Protector, yes. Lover, no. ...What have I done?

General POV

Ichigo got up and got dressed, walking around her room sluggishly. Then, Lettuce called her from the kitchen. Ichigo went to see what was wrong, only to see breakfast spread out on the table, with a shy-looking Lettuce standing in front of it. "I wanted to apologize for my meddling. I should not have been judgmental of you when you told me that you and Kisshu were together. So, I decided to make breakfast for the both of us." Lettuce said as she smiled.

Ichigo smiled too, and hugged Lettuce, squeezing the life out of her. "U-Um, Ichigo...can't...breathe."

Ichigo let go. "Oh, I'm sorry! But I accept your apology. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you, either. You were just looking out for me. And I'm sorry for that, too. So, let's dig in!" The girl's giggled and they sat down to eat. Ichigo soon forgot about the whole Kisshu-'it'-dilemma.

Kisshu, on the other hand, was still freaking out. How do I tell Mint about this? He thought. She'll surely kill me...but lately I haven't felt the same about her. She hurt Ichigo, and I don't think I can ever forgive her for that. Maybe I should break it off, and we can still be partners. I should also tell her about the research I found...

Kisshu then made his decision. So, thinking about what he's going to say, he walked toward the secluded shed once more. He looked around, making sure nobody would follow him, and he went inside.

Unsurprisingly, he found Mint sitting on the floor, waiting. She glanced up when Kisshu walked toward her. "Hey. So how's the target going?" She asked.

"Before we talk about that, I have some information that you would be interested in." This piqued her interest as she accepted the manila folder that was handed to her. Kisshu sat down as Mint started reading it. She gasped when she finished it, and looked at Kisshu with a gleam in her eyes. "She's the last one? This is fantastic news! After this, we can live in peace without worrying when the next one will show up."

Kisshu smiled slightly. "Yeah, it's great. We should alert the officials when we're done here." Kisshu and Mint got up, and stared at each other for a moment. Okay, here goes. Kisshu thought. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Mint kissed him forcefully, struggling to get his shirt off. Kisshu stopped her by gently pushing her back, fixing his shirt. He sighed at Mint's confused look. "What's wrong, baby?" Mint asked with hurt in her eyes.

"I...I can't do this anymore." Kisshu stuttered. Damn, he thought. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

"I don't want to do it either, but it's our job."

"No, that's not what I meant." Kisshu sighed.

"Then what is it?"

"I can't be your boyfriend anymore..." Kisshu braced himself.

"W-What? Why?" Mint cried.

"You...you hurt Ichigo, and I can't forgive you for that."

Mint's expression turned into full on anger. "Why the hell do you care?!"

"I...I don't know why. But when you said those things about her yesterday, I couldn't help but be mad at you."

"Do you like her or something? Because if you do, that's totally going against our job, and you'd be betraying me."

"I don't have an answer to that question yet." Then, Kisshu felt the brute force of a palm going across his face. Still shocked, he didn't notice that Mint stormed out with tears streaming down her cheeks. She's going to pay for this.

*Time Lapse to Monday*

It was a normal Monday at campus; all the students, even teachers, still exhausted at the events of the festival. Not even the bird's singing couldn't fully awaken them as the day started off gloomily. The sky was filled with white, fluffy clouds; no sunlight being let in. It's not going to rain today, but it sure did seem like it.

Ichigo was one of those people that absolutely hated Monday's, but this particular Monday she dreaded the most because she would have to face Kisshu after what had happened. To other people, it may not seem like a big deal, but to her, it meant the world. What if he dumps me? That thought whirred in her head throughout the morning.

When she entered the classroom for first block, she blushed a deep red at the sight of Kisshu sitting at his desk, writing something down. She slowly walked over and sat at her seat that was assigned in front of him. Kisshu looked up at her back and his face was dusted with a light pink at the sight of her. Ichigo, feeling eyes on her back, turned her head slightly to look at the embarrassed figure. Kisshu glanced up and instantly locked eyes with the red-head. They sat there for a while, staring at each other, both afraid to move. The both jerked away at the sound of the teacher's voice.

At lunch, Ichigo wandered the hallways, wondering where to sit and eat. She would usually sit with Kisshu in the cafeteria, but she's trying her very best to stay away from him. She knew she would have to face him sooner or later, but later sounded like a good idea, since it didn't seem like he was ready to talk about what happened, either.

The hallways were barren, which Ichigo loved, since lately she's been reading the Hunger Games Series, so she can sit, eat, and read in peace. She knows she's really late reading them since they came out, like, three or four years ago, but she doesn't care. She just wanted to finish the books so she could start watching the movies.

All of a sudden, she felt strong hands push her down onto the floor, making her land face-first into the tiled floor. She then felt a kick in her side that made pain erupt into her stomach. Her assailant picked her up by her shirt ad turned her around so she was facing them. She immediately noticed that the attacker was Fujiwara Zakuro, student council President. Also known as Mint's big sister. "You'll pay for what you did to Mint." She sneered. She then punched Ichigo in the stomach, making her fall on the floor.

Ichigo was helpless. Zakuro already got a few good hits in, so there was no way of her fighting back. She pulled herself in the fetal position to brace herself for the next hit. Zakuro kicked Ichigo's back with all the force she could muster, making her arch her back in excruciating pain. Zakuro then kicked her stomach, making Ichigo lay down on her back. Zakuro got on top of her and started punching her in the face with no mercy. Ichigo had bruises everywhere, and the last thing she heard before she fell unconscious was, "ICHIGO!"

"Kisshu..." She whispered before she blacked out.

Kisshu paced around the waiting room, desperate to hear of his girlfriend's condition. When the doctor finally cam in, he ran up to the lady. "Will Ichigo be okay?" He asked with worry.

"Yes, she will be fine." Kisshu sighed as the doctor continued. "She'll have to stay here for at least a week before we discharge her, though. She was beat up pretty bad. She had some internal bleeding in her abdominal area, but we stopped it in time."

"Thank you. Can I see her?"

"Yes you may."

Kisshu was about to run to the room when he heard a faint, "Wait!"

He turned around only to see Lettuce panting. "I...want... to see her too."

Kisshu nodded his head and started walking with Lettuce by his side. When they reached the room, Lettuce immediately ran to her side, tears sliding down her face as she took Ichigo's hand and sat down in the nearby chair. Kisshu was still standing by the door, utterly shocked. His concern for her skyrocketed as he saw Ichigo with bruises along her face, arms and legs. There was an IV in her and the faint beeping sound of her heartbeat indicating that she was alive.

Lettuce glanced up at Kisshu and motioned for him to come over. He stalked to Lettuce's side, trying to refrain from crying his heart out. Lettuce then placed Ichigo's hand in Kisshu's, smiling softly as her sobbing completely stopped; although there were tear-stains on her cheeks. Kisshu took Ichigo's hand, and the coldness from it shocked his body. She was ice-cold, but soon started to warm up at Kisshu's touch. "C-Can we be alone for a few minutes?" Kisshu asked Lettuce.

Lettuce nodded sadly. "I'll be back in a half an hour. I have to call her parents." Lettuce left, leaving the pair alone in the white hospital room.

Kisshu sat down in the chair, still holding her hand. He then tried to start a one-sided conversation. "Hey, Ichigo." He croaked, tears starting to fall, one by one.

"I hope you're okay once you wake up. I'm so sorry I let this happen to you. If I had never accepted this job, this never would've happened. I just can't stand seeing you get hurt, and I don't even know why. You don't deserve this...and I don't deserve you."

Then, the truth slapped him right in the face. He never would of thought that the truth could be so brutal and painful. If it was anybody else, it would've been sunshine and unicorns, but with him, it was dread and regret. He regretted accepting the job, being with Mint, and letting Ichigo get hurt. He hated himself for everything he had done. He hated himself for hurting people. But what he couldn't hate was what he was supposed to hate. Ichigo.

Kisshu stood up and leaned over Ichigo, making his forehead touch hers. He watched her for a few minutes, her breath tickling his face. He then closed his eyes as a tear slipped from his eye and fell on his cheek, and whispered the forbidden words.

"I love you."

Cat- And that's a wrap! For this chapter, anyway. Don't worry, there are a lot more chapters to come ;) By the way, sorry if Zakuro seemed a little OOC in this, I needed somebody from the mews to beat Ichigo up XD Also, I decided not to let Ichigo get pregnant, cause right now I've been rolling along with the story. Yes, I know what I'm gonna do, but some of my plans from the other chapters are currently molding my sight of where this story is going. It also made me think of a twist later on. Hehehe. But you guys will have to wait for that ;) Anyway, thanks for reading. Remember to review! Ja ne!