She's in your bloodstream, she answers by your name

It's set in stone, see, you're so sure that she's gonna stay

But you know when you can't speak or sleep

The set's collapsing, you're being swallowed by the play

A Blueprint - Fear of Music

The world was ending.

The hot wind battered him, driving the swirling grit into his lungs; he coughed. Heavy gray clouds encroached upon him from all sides, almost entirely obscuring his vision. Not that the scene playing out below him was in any way a desirable thing to see. Watching the destruction of Tokyo from the sky gave Kisshu an alarmingly clear perspective. A strange calmness overcame the green-haired alien, contrasting starkly with the chaos of his surroundings. He thought that he should feel shocked, horrified… something, as he watched both his friends and his sworn enemies fighting to the death on the ground, killing each other and the Blue Planet his people coveted so much.

And Ichigo. Ichigo was down there too, fighting for her life. He clutched at his chest for a second, fingers twitching over the place where his heart was somehow still beating, as her name whispered past his lips. It had taken him until the very end to look into his own heart, to admit to himself how deeply he was in love with her, how powerless he was to control his own life any longer. His heart continued to ache as he let memories of her play across his mind, savouring every kiss, each line of her face, every touch and every word he remembered, with sadness and longing that he only just now let himself truly feel.

Because this was the end. Kisshu felt a strange sense of relief; he no longer had to worry about how to make his heart survive another day, because he'd already decided. Any way he looked at it, he was going to die. He had two options. He knew what would happen next; Ichigo would enter Deep Blue's palace, searching for the final Mew Aqua. She would be brave. There was no doubt in his mind that she would give her life for her friends, for the earth… for that boy. For the boy Kisshu hated so much, who held Ichigo's heart in the palm of his hand. the hand that was now under the control of the most ruthless being known to either of their races, Deep Blue. And if she entered the hovering fortress to face this being alone as Kisshu knew she must, she would die.

His hands clenched into fists as he contemplated that, as he imagined her lying broken at Deep Blue's feet, the feet of the boy she loved so much. He felt dizzy and fought to regain his strength. Outliving Ichigo was not an option. And so, he would kill Deep Blue. He, the ambitious soldier-in-training who had strived so hard for so long to be assigned to the mission to reclaim Earth, the longed for Blue Planet, would destroy the only chance of salvation his people had. He was willing to doom his entire species for the sake of a girl that did not love him. The cruel irony of the situation was not lost on Kisshu; he doubled over slightly, trying to get a handle on the wrenching feeling in his gut. He reminded himself that his betrayal would not matter either, because this second option would kill him too. He had the advantage of surprise, and of Deep Blue's ongoing struggle to gain complete control over his human host, but killing Deep Blue meant allowing Deep Blue to kill him. He would not be able to defend himself; all of his strength would be put into delivering the killing blow before his life was stripped away. He would have to be quick…

A distant scream pulled Kisshu's attention back to the battle playing out far below him. Fear jolted through him; it was a female voice, someone was screaming in pain. The world tilted and then seemed to break as he watched Taruto drop from the air to the ground far below. Pai hung over him, still airborne, still frozen in the stance of a person aiming to kill. Kisshu's eyes stung and he shuddered as he felt Taruto's life-force, so warm and vital beside his own just moments before, flicker and die. The yellow Mew, for it was she who had screamed, continued to wail, dashing across the line between ally and enemy to weep over the small alien's too-still body. Kisshu turned his eyes upward, unable to watch any longer. A tear rolled down his cheek and his hands shook violently; Taruto was barely more than half his age. The elders back on his planet hadn't considered this outcome when they'd sent a mere child on a reconnaissance mission.

If only he'd known. If only he'd realized… He'd grown to hate Deep Blue as he'd discovered his true intentions; he had never meant to share the earth. No, he'd always planned to keep it for himself, to horde it away from the people who worshipped him. He would have them die. Kisshu found it laughably ironic that his people trusted so entirely the one who was about to condemn them, while they despised the ones who could save them.

For the similarities between his people and the humans were undeniable; they always had been. Each fresh wail from the girl on the ground below him reminded him of this painful fact. He could have stopped all of this, he could have done something! They could have worked together, the aliens and the Mews, and created a new world that would be a sanctuary for both of them. But instead of yielding, instead of forgetting his pride, Kisshu pushed. He had pushed and shoved and fought so hard that he'd destroyed the things he so desperately wanted, destroyed any chance he'd ever had to cherish the girl he loved so much.

Kisshu snapped to attention as he thought of Ichigo again. His limbs froze up in shock when he realized that she was no longer on the battlefield. When had that happened? Kisshu panicked for a second, preparing to teleport directly into Deep Blue's base, before thinking better of acting so rashly. Then, swallowing hard to force his heart out of his throat, he closed his eyes and listened. His ears twitched as he tried to hear past the louder, more obvious noises of battle and through the glass ceiling of the hovering palace that was almost directly below him.

He could hear Ichigo's tentative footsteps as she changed direction again and again, unsure of where to go. Kisshu relaxed, he still had time. But it wouldn't be long before she sensed the Mew Aqua, which Kisshu had long since realized had been inside the Aoyama boy all along. He laughed bitterly; if she didn't hate him entirely by now, she would after he attempted in earnest to kill her boyfriend. But he would pay whatever price was due, so long as she lived.

Kisshu teleported reflexively as he heard Ichigo's footsteps quicken, materializing just outside the main chamber of the palace. The dust wasn't so thick here, but the wind made the walls radiate heat. Any regret he'd been feeling at losing face with Deep Blue had disappeared; now that Kisshu was classified as a sort of untouchable, Deep Blue was no longer keeping tabs on him. If not for this fact, he wouldn't be able to even come close to killing him. Deep Blue would focus on his prey, on his victory; as long as Kisshu kept his movement to a minimum, Deep Blue would not hear him. His heart began to race as he heard Ichigo enter the chamber; listening to her fighting Deep Blue while he waited for an opportune moment to attack was going to be hell.

"Aoyama-kun!" Kisshu winced as Ichigo's voice rang out, still calling for the boy he hated so. His fingernails dug into his palm as she screamed, the crackle of pure energy ringing in his ears. It was a while before he heard her feet hit the ground, indicating that she'd been thrown quite a distance by Deep Blue's attack. He heard her land softly on her feet, then stumble. Another scream. Kisshu bit his tongue at the sound of buckling concrete and falling rubble. Ichigo was strong, but when it came down to it, she was still only human.

"This base is the final Mew Aqua? Why can you calmly destroy it?" Dammit! Kisshu grit his teeth. Her voice made his heart race. And the way she was so confident in the face of certain death, after being thrown into a solid wall, no less! He pressed his palms against the wall to stop them from shaking.

"That's fine. This grandiose place is no longer necessary." The tremendous evil in Deep Blue's heart bled through into his voice, chilling Kisshu to the bone. He heard footsteps again, heavier ones, moving to the place where Ichigo sat, still breathing heavily. He had to move soon, Deep Blue would not play for long.

"No longer necessary? What are you talking about?" Kisshu realized, in tandem with a renewed aching in his heart that Ichigo was still holding out for Aoyama. She hoped he was still alive, still existent, and she wouldn't fight Deep Blue in earnest until convinced otherwise. She loved him far too much.

"I have no reason to explain it." Deep Blue was amused, condescending. "I am invincible. That's all you need to know." He paused. "Almighty as I am, I cannot be defeated by a pathetic Earthling." Kisshu heard the crackle of energy again. He tensed, preparing to teleport. Deep Blue was readying himself to deliver the killing blow. "This beautiful planet belongs to me. It is solely mine. I won't allow anyone else to touch it!"

"Aoyama-kun!" Ichigo's voice was frantic now; the sound of accumulating energy was almost at a peak. Kisshu teleported, his nerves fraying, dropping to his knees in front of Deep Blue, trying to protect Ichigo from the potential attack as much as to feign respect.

"Please wait, Deep Blue-sama."

"Kisshu?" He glared at Ichigo as she called his name, letting his anger at Deep Blue show on his face. Feigning anger at her was essential to his plan. His expression almost faltered as he met her bewildered gaze; it was going to be hard to do what he knew he had to next.

"What is it, useless one?" Deep Blue's voice was cold. "Get out of my sight!"

"Deep Blue-sama, please accept my deepest apologies for the many disrespects until now." Kisshu stood, swallowing the bile that rose in his mouth at his lies. Keeping his eyes lowered, he moved slowly, deliberately toward Ichigo.

"Kisshu?" It was hard not to run to her, as she called his name again and again.

"In order to atone… watch as I end the life of this Earthling." There was a bitter taste in his mouth as he said this, his lies sounded transparent. Kisshu was electrically aware of the girl in front of him; her fragrance, the sound of her beating heart, her small gasp as he summoned his dragon swords.

"Please lay down your arms," he continued. "Earthlings aren't worth troubling yourself with." His fingers began to grow numb as he gripped his swords tightly, trying to hold them steady.

Deep Blue laughed indignantly. "You're asking forgiveness from me?"

"Yes." Adrenaline made Kisshu's limbs warm and shaky as he drew ever closer to girl he was about to die for. "Everything on this planet belongs to Deep Blue-sama." Finally, he looked up, eyes sweeping to meet Ichigo's gaze once more, as if pulled by a magnet. "However."

He turned swiftly, pulling himself out of existence, focusing his entire consciousness on reappearing exactly where he needed to be. The world reassembled, finding the tip of his sword pressed firmly to Deep Blue's neck. Ichigo gasped, pulling Kisshu's attention away for only a fraction of a second.

"You!" Deep Blue's face twisted in rage as he glared at Kisshu; a glare that would blacken the soul of any man who had not already forsaken it himself.

"You have been driven by your own greed and become careless. All you want is to make this planet your own." Kisshu was ranting, something he'd resolved not to do. But Ichigo's sweet scent was making him drunk; he couldn't quite give up the notion of being alive just to appreciate that smell. And so he stalled. "You never planned to use this power to save my home planet," he continued, letting the frustration and despair that had rooted themselves deeply in his heart to form his words and fuel his anger. "If you really want Earth this badly, go right ahead. But I will never allow you to have Ichigo!" Ichigo gasped again, as if his feelings for her had been obscured until now.

"In the end, you plan to oppose me?" There was something in the undertone of Deep Blue's voice that made the hair on the back of Kisshu's neck stand up. His heart skipped a beat as he steeled himself to perform the action that would end two lives.

"That's right." And then, shivering, shuddering energy trilling through his veins, Kisshu threw back his arm, aiming his other sword and swinging down with a frenzied passion that threatened to consume him. "DIE!"

Pain. Kisshu's vision wavered, swimming, fraying; sharp white light sparkling at the edges. He felt the corner of his mouth tug into a bitter smile. "I lost." He coughed, blood gurgling in his throat, spattering his chin, as Deep Blue lifted him ungracefully into the air, pushing him from the end of his sword, sending him flying.

"Kisshu!" Ichigo's voice rang out, penetrating the haze of pain and shock that was clouding his brain. The ground felt spongy as he hit it and rolled, leaving a smudge of blood, sliding to a stop against something warm. Something that smelled like strawberries. Soft, soothing happiness enveloped him and the white-hot pain melted away as he felt her arms wrap around him, cradling him tenderly, as though he was someone to be cherished. To be mourned. He'd always wished she would hold him like this.

"Kisshu." Her voice. Oh, her voice.

Kisshu opened his eyes, driving away the darkness, just for a moment, to gaze at her face. "I guess I was lucky to have this time with you. Ichigo." Crystalline tears began to form in her eyes, making them sparkle. She looked so lovely when her eyes sparkled; he'd always wished they'd do that when they were looking at him. This, however, was unexpected. "Are you crying, Ichigo?"

She shouldn't cry for me. Sadness marred the bliss in Kisshu's heart; he hadn't expected his death would make her sad. He hadn't expected his death would be in vain, either. He hadn't been good enough, hadn't been strong enough; he'd failed. But the way Ichigo was looking at him now made him feel like he was worth more than all the stars in the sky.

The strength was fading quickly from his limbs, he felt his heart slowing, dying. One last thing. "Ichigo, I'll teach you something good." Struggling, he raised his head, pain twisting sharply in his gut. He could almost feel her warm lips on his as he fought his failing body, trying to reach them. Ichigo was weeping still, her warm tears now falling to land on his chest.

"Kisshu." She cried softly, tenderly. He'd always wished she'd say his name like that. He was close to her now, so close. Her warmth soothed his frigidly cold skin, arms letting go of him tentatively as he tried to sit up, fighting back the darkness. One last kiss. Her lips, so smooth, so soft, so very close.

The fog enveloped him then; the last of his strength dissolved, seeping from his limbs like water from cupped hands. He fell, away from her perfect lips, back into the cradle of her arms; the feeling of her warm body against his began to disappear, the feeling of her heartbeat. Kisshu felt as though he was floating. He wished, as desperately as a dying man could, that he'd done things differently. With all his heart, he wished that he'd deserved one last kiss. Ichigo, he thought, as his mind spiralled into darkness, I hope you find the strength to win; to survive. He heard through the fog, as though from a great distance, the sound of someone screaming his name.

Koneko-chan… I love you.

A/N: Hello, minna-san. I've decided to do the author's note at the bottom from now on, so as not to distract the reader from the actual story. This is my first chaptered fic, as mentioned in the description, so it's an adventure for me too. ^^

A depressing ending, I know, but it gets... less depressing as we go on. I was worried about submitting the first chapter right after finishing it, so I waited all of two days while I laboured over the second chapter, which is much shorter and significantly less inspired. ^^; I tend to get swamped with real life, and so there may be some gaps between chapters, but I will get them up, just as soon as I write them.

Constructive criticism is always and forever appreciated. :D

~Gypsy