"I love you, Me-chan," Izumi said, finally. After what had been at least several minutes of uncomfortable silence. Meroko stared back at him, the wind blowing through her strawberry-colored hair. The sun almost causing her to be a silhouette has it set behind her. She began to walk towards him. She lifted her hand, ready to slap him across the face, afraid he was just trying to hurt her again, but the wind was much stronger on top of that building than it was on the ground several stories below and she was caught off guard. Just before Meroko fell to the rooftop, Izumi caught her. She looked up into his eyes and realized that he wasn't teasing her.

From his position, Izumi could see everything and with the wind blowing like that... He blushed a bit. At first, he couldn't handle the feelings that washed over him. The fact that he really did love her had just dawned on him moments ago and now he was getting other feelings.

"Izumi…" Meroko said, her face flushed from embarrassment. Izumi snapped out of his stupor and began to help her up, but just then another gust of wind blew, causing Meroko to fall sprawling on top of Izumi. Her nose squished into his chest. She looked up and, realizing how close her face was to Izumi's, she began to get up off of him, but Izumi grabbed her arms. "Izumi, what are you-" but Izumi cut her off by pulling her towards him and smashing his lips against hers. It started out as a simple, if not intense, kiss, but soon Izumi got a bit more daring with her. He slid his tongue forward and licked her lips as if requesting entrance. Meroko let him in without a second thought. She had been kissed before, but never like this, so she had no choice, but to let him lead the way. She whimpered as she felt his hands slowly move up her arms and inward, towards her stomach. He gently tickled her stomach and she couldn't help, but giggle a little, breaking the kiss. She suddenly felt embarrassed and looked up to apologize, but before she could get any words out, she met Izumi's gaze. She almost jumped, she could see the hunger and lust in his eyes and it scared her a bit. She got up on her knees and began to back away, but Izumi pulled her down so she was straddling him.

"Me-chan, please…" his voice was husky and Meroko felt electricity in her stomach. He began to sit up and, the way they were sitting, with Meroko on his lap, they were just about eye-level with each other. "Me-chan…" he moaned as he pulled her towards his and ravaged her mouth once again. He felt her stiffen when his tongue entered her mouth again, but he could tell she was getting used to it. Izumi was more that a little turned on when he felt her respond. Just the idea of her innocent little tongue playing with his made him a bit uncomfortable. He started to loosen his death-grip on her arms and began feeling up her stomach again, careful not to tickle her. He slowly moved his way up to her top and accidentally brushed against the sides of her breasts. They both gasped and pulled away. Meroko's face was bright red, not just from embarrassment and so was Izumi's. He began to mutter a quick apology when Meroko lunged at him. She had knocked him back onto the ground and she was now sitting right above him with her panties right above the fly of his pants. Izumi moaned when she accidentally rubbed against him there.

"Izumi, oh, I'm sorry," she began to get up, losing her sudden boldness from before, when Izumi stopped her once again. She looked down into his pleading eyes, she could tell he wanted her, but she wasn't quite sure how. She managed to get away from him and stood up against the railing on the top of the building. She looked down into the street, unsure of what she had just done. Izumi got up slowly and walked up behind her, making to put his hands around her waist, but then, deciding that that would be unwise, he put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"Me-chan, I don't want to force you to do anything that you don't feel ready to do, but God…" he moaned, "how I want you," he then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She certainly felt something, but she wasn't sure of what it was. If he wanted her, didn't he just have her? Had they not just kissed? Meroko still couldn't explain the warm feeling she had that started in her stomach and spread down to her legs. She wanted him, too, but she wasn't sure what it was she wanted.

"Izumi, I…" she turned to face him and he pushed her back against the railing. "Izumi-" he cut her off again, almost bending her in half over the railing as he ravaged her sweet little mouth. He couldn't believe he had lost his control, not once, but at least three times. He couldn't think of anything, but Meroko's sweet lips and soft body. He wanted her, by God, he wanted her, but he didn't want to scare her. They finally parted, both panting and Izumi had to force himself away from her.

"Me-chan," he panted, "I love you," and with that, he flew away. Meroko was more than a little confused. Hadn't he just said he wanted her and what's more, he said he loved her, but he flew away.

"Izumi…" she looked up into the sky. She felt bad for him. He looked so sad when he flew away from her. Silent tears began to fall from her eyes as she whispered his name once more into the sky.

Meanwhile, on another rooftop, Izumi was contemplating his actions from earlier. He knew that he loved his Me-chan and he knew that he wanted her, very, very badly, but he couldn't get himself to finish the deed. "She deserves it nice and slow and full of passion," he said to himself.

"Who deserves what?" a voice came from behind him.

"What the-?" Izumi turned around to see Jonathon hovering behind him. "When did you get there?" he all, but screamed at the floating shinigami.

"Oh, not too long ago, I mean, I was busy on another rooftop," Jonathon's eye twinkled as if he knew something he shouldn't.

"What did you see!" Izumi grabbed Jonathon as best he could. Though Jonathon, being an amorphous creature, easily wiggled from his grasp.

"Nothing that I wouldn't mind telling Ta-kun about," he laughed and tipped his hat towards Izumi.

"You wouldn't," Izumi threatened.

"I would," Jonathon smirked. "What's it to you anyway? Do you suddenly care about what Ta-kun thinks?" He had gotten him there. Did he care? Izumi should be happy that Takuto would find out about what he did with Meroko, but at the same time, he felt like that would hurt his Me-chan, somehow.

"What does your silence cost?" Izumi asked, defeated.

"Something that I will take from you, whether you had admitted defeat or not," Jonathon smirked and flew off leaving a very puzzled and slightly worried Izumi.

Meroko was still alone on the rooftop, leaning her arms against the railing she had just become so familiar with moments ago, her gaze on the street below. She sighed and then looked up at the night sky. The stars were all out and she could, surprisingly, see all of them, even though she was in the city. Suddenly she heard someone land a few feet behind her and she turned around, immediately knowing who it was.

"Izumi…" she breathed, walked up towards him. She didn't notice the smirk on his handsome face. "Izumi, I…I want you, too," she stammered, obviously nervous and unsure of what she was saying. "Please, take me," she ran the rest of the way up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, losing her hat to the wind as she buried her head in his chest. She looked up at him, "I love you…" Izumi began to chuckled a bit. "What's so funny?" she immediately went into defensive mode, had he been toying with her all along?

"My dear, sweet, Me-chan," he cooed, "do you want to know what it is I want from you?" she nodded and he continued. "I want this," and with that, he pulled her towards him and began to kiss her, a lot rougher that before. Meroko almost didn't like it, but it was her Izumi and she would give him anything. "Meroko," he moaned, which was strange because he never called her that. "God, how I want you," he suddenly pulled her up by her butt and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, suddenly feeling something pushing against her.

"Izumi…" she signed and began kissing him a bit more desperately. "Please…" she moaned, startling herself as well as the man she was kissing.

Meanwhile, on another rooftop, Izumi was wondering about what Jonathon had said. What was it that he could possibly take from him. Being a shinigami, he had no worldly possessions. Just as that thought crossed his mind, he saw something red blowing towards him in the wind. He couldn't quite make it out and flew towards it, catching it in midair. It was Meroko's hat. Suddenly it dawned on him, Jonathon was going to take his Me-chan. "That bastard!" Izumi shouted and flew off in the direction of the building he knew Meroko would still be on.

Izumi had almost gotten there too late. When he arrived, he saw Meroko, his Me-chan, being pushed onto the ground. She was begging for him to stop, only it wasn't him. "Jonathan," he saw red. Just as Jonathon was ripping her bra-top off, Izumi grabbed his hand. "Get the Hell off of her," he growled. Meroko felt so many different things. She was embarrassed for losing her top, she was terrified of what she thought Izumi was doing to her and she was glad to see that her Izumi had come to rescue her.

"What's the matter, Izumi-kun?" Jonathon laughed, almost turning back into his regular self. "I'm just doing what you wanted to do," he smirked.

"That is not how I wanted to do it!" Izumi screamed at him. "Me-chan is someone so special to me. She deserves rose petals and candles and soft music. She deserves a gentle lover, someone who will listen to what she wants and give her what she needs. She deserves more than me," he looked down, almost ashamed. "What she doesn't deserve is abuse from you!" Izumi lunged at Jonathon, who had already transformed back into his usual form.

"Izumi-kun, you shouldn't mess with me, I am much more powerful than you," Jonathon cackled, "haven't you ever wondered why I take this form?" he asked. "I am much older than any of the other shinigami. I am the ultimate form," he suddenly grew in size. "And now I will finally punish you for being so weak as to fall in love with this girl!" with that, Jonathon exploded into a whirlpool of ribbons that wrapped all around Izumi, electrocuting him.

"Izumi!" Meroko screamed. "Izumi! NOOOOO!" she had to do something. Izumi was dying, again, right in front of her eyes. She did the only thing she could do and threw some of her energy at Jonathon who, being caught off guard, was thrown to the side of the roof. He was caught off guard and immediately let Izumi go. Jonathon decided it would be better if he just reported Izumi, so he could watch him squirm under their boss. So he flew off swearing that he'd come back. "Izumi!" Meroko saw Izumi's crumpled form on the ground. "Izumi…" tears began to form in her eyes and she lifted his head into her lap.

"Me-chan…" he opened his eyes and winced in pain. "My Me-chan…" a tear fell from her cheek and landed on his. He lifted his hand up slowly and wiped it from his cheek. "Don't cry for me, Me-chan, I don't deserve your tears," he coughed a bit. "I don't deserve you…"

"Don't say that, Izumi, I…I love you…" her voice was choked with tears. "Please, don't turn into a ghost, please, don't leave me," she begged. "I don't want to lose you, now that I have you."

"I'm so glad that he didn't hurt you," Izumi smiled up at her, "though, I'm kind of glad I get such a view," Meroko was puzzled until she looked down and realized that her bra-top was still missing. She blushed and quickly covered herself with her arms. Izumi forced himself up slowly and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't be ashamed," he smiled, "I think you're beautiful," she blushed.

"Izumi…" he wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb. "I'm so glad you're alright," she lunged at him and gave him a huge hug. "I thought he was going to kill you," she sobbed. He just smiled and ran his fingers through her long hair. Suddenly her half-nakedness didn't matter anymore. He just wanted to hold her.

(How sickeningly sweet and fake…men aren't like that)