Hiya! Thank you for reading this far and I'm so, so, sorry I haven't updated in so long. Life's been kinda hectic for a while. This chapter might be confusing because events are seen from more than one character's POV but are happening simultaneously.

Please enjoy chapter 4...

Ichigo escaped from Puddings' enquiries and, saying a quick bye to the girls ran to the changing room to grab her purse. She felt inside to check she still had her phone and keys when instead of cool metal or smooth plastic, her fingers encountered a small piece of folded paper. Wha-?

***********

"Bye!" Mint, Lettuce and Pudding all spoke together, waving off Ichigo. No sooner had she disappeared out of the cafe, Mint had motioned them to follow her to the door. "This is going to be difficult," Mint whispered behind her. "So we have to treat this with the utmost secrecy and seriousness, so everyone remain quie-"

"Yay! We get to be detectives!" Pudding burst out happily, already in a long detective's coat and bringing an overlarge magnifying glass out of her pocket.

"Shh!" Mint said, swiftly clamping a hand over her mouth. "There she is!" She pointed to Ichigo and... A guy? A guy that was most definitely not Masaya Aoyama.

She let go of Pudding and narrowed her eyes against the sunlight to get a better look.

"He could just be a friend..." Lettuce suggested quietly.

Mint snorted softly, and was proven right as the boy kissed Ichigo's hand in a fashion that would have been more suited to the 18th century.

"There, you see! It's official. Ichigo is cheating on Aoyama!" She clasped her hands together. "It is our duty to tell him and-?" Mint suddenly realised she was talking to herself as Lettuce and Pudding had already snuck past the main door and were tailing Ichigo and the punkish shook her head and raced after them.

"But that might take a while," Lettuce was saying exasperatingly to Pudding, who nodded.

"What am I missing?" She asked pointedly.

"We overheard Ichigo saying she needs to go home, and we don't know how long she's going to be, so things could get a little...complicated." Lettuce explained.

"No, it won't. We don't know who he is yet, and that's what we're going to find out!" Mint took the lead and marched after the two silhouetted figures, leaving Pudding and Lettuce little alternative but to folllow.

**********

Ichigo unfolded the paper with a tentative curiousness.

I'll be waiting for you after work, so look out for me. K.

Oh. Oh. If he came there, and someone saw them together… she had no doubt in her mind that all hell would break loose. But she supposed it would have to, sooner or later.

Ichigo put the note back in her bag, shrugged on her coat and walked out of the café sighing. It was risky, Kisshu coming to pick her up there, but she smiled at seeing him that much sooner.

"Something funny?"

Ichigo spun round to where the voice had come from and saw a guy leaning casually against the café wall. He looked her age – a few years older maybe; wearing a long sleeved black top, unzipped about halfway down his chest, showing defined muscles, and dark combats. His hair was cut in a loose punk style, covering his eyes. It was also jade coloured.

"Do I know y-?" She began, then as the boy looked up; she saw his bright gold eyes and gasped. "Kisshu?!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I go through all the trouble of going human and you don't even recognise me?" Kisshu teased her, smiling lopsidedly.

"N-no... I mean…" Ichigo had some difficulty saying what she thought, because she rather surprisingly found herself staring at the exposed part of his chest.

Kisshu wrinkled his nose, taking her gawking the wrong way. "I look that bad, huh?"

"No!" Ichigo exclaimed. "You just look so… different."

Kisshu suddenly looked serious. "Well," he said quietly, "Some things don't change." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it lightly. Ichigo suddenly felt breathless as she saw something in his eyes she had never seen before. But the moment passed and Kisshu winked cheekily. "Right?"

Ichigo felt her body relax. "Sure."

"Then let's get going before it gets late."

Ichigo nodded compliantly before pausing and smacking her forehead. "Ah, wait! I need to go home to pick up my swimming stuff."

Kisshu nodded and, taking her hand, lead the way. Ichigo found it slightly disconcerting how he didn't hesitate at any of the roads, as if he'd already memorised the route. When she commented on it, Kisshu laughed, replying with the cliché: keep you're friends close, and your enemies closer.

**********

"He knows the way to her house, meaning he's been there before – how presumptuous." Mint commented dryly on the two figures walking hand in hand to the door of Ichigo's house. Ichigo had met this person before, and the really strange thing was that Mint could've sworn she'd met him before too. She wasn't sure whether it was the way he walked, or perhaps it was that hair colour...

"Girls, if you're planning on paying a visit to Ichigo, you might want to knock on her door instead of hanging around on the street corner."

Lettuce, Pudding and Mint all turned around in unison and cringed when they saw the tall blond guy who had just spoken to them.

"Ryou-san, we were just about to..." Lettuce trailed off, looking at Mint for help.

"What are youdoing here?" Mint asked quickly, as he stared at something over her shoulder with wide eyes before answering.

"I was thinking about dropping in on Ichigo myself," He said, leaning on the brick wall. Only he knew the action was to draw attention away from the fact he was troubled by what he had seen – and to hide so what was troubling him wouldn't see him.

"So if we go all together, it will probably be less of a hassle for Ichigo, right?"

Mint was not expectingthat. It seemed that Operation: sneak date would have to be abandoned. Only temporarily, Mint thought firmly. She glanced at the two girls either side of her, one worried and one grinning shamelessly, then looked at her watch in what she hoped was a casual way before saying "My, how time flies. I must be getting home..." She bade goodbye to all of them and walked straight past Ryou without looking back.

Lettuce did the same, blushing slightly, while Pudding got out her inflatable ball and waved her goodbyes, leaving Ryou on his own, watching the sun trace out its steady path in the sky.

"Why are you doing his, Ichigo?" He muttered. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

**********

They arrived at her house without incident, and motioning to the sofa, Ichigo said "Take a seat; I'll be down in just a sec." She made her way to her room, leaving Kisshu glancing around the living room interestedly.

Kisshu was taking in random bits of Ichigo's life in photos with vivid interest. He had, of course, studied up on earth, the people and the places – but it was one thing to be told that humans lived for so long, and that they got married and had kids, and completely another to see it apply to someone he knew.

The story started on the mantelpiece with a woman that looked just like Ichigo, and a tall, dark haired man Kisshu supposed was her father. The woman was wearing a flowing white dress, and smiled happily into the camera. Kisshu looked around and the next picture he saw was Ichigo as a chubby toddler, and he smiled. She was cute.

Next was a class photo which could've been taken a few years ago, showing Ichigo grinning… although strangely not at the photographer. Kisshu's eyes travelled down the picture and he saw the human. The really annoying one.

Kisshu gritted his teeth slightly and turned away from that photo, making his way to the other end of the room where he had just spotted one last picture; this time it was Ichigo and her whole family standing behind a giant cake. A birthday maybe? But that's not what caught Kisshu's eyes. Ichigo was smiling. Not one that you pull at a bad joke, it was a really warm smile that felt like the sun shining on your face in summer. She looked so happy... Kisshu wanted her to keep smiling like that forever.

"Sorry for the wait!"

Kisshu turned to see Ichigo coming down the stairs, and he felt strangely guilty as if he'd been caught snooping.

"It's fine." He said, looking at Ichigo as she froze in place as the front door was opened by the women in the pictures that look startlingly like Ichigo.

"Mum! I didn't know you'd be back so early!" Ichigo exclaimed, manically waving her hands by her side.

Huh? Kisshu thought, confused by Ichigo's frenzied movements.

"Neither did I," She replied smiling. "I'm not really staying – just came to get the shopping list." She noticed Ichigo still wearing her coat. "Are you going out? You should be careful if you're going alone."

"No, I'm not going alone." Ichigo said, standing as if she could fade into the background if she only hoped for it hard enough.

Umm.... Kisshu finally understood she was motioning for him to go in the kitchen too late.

Ichigo mouthed sorry to him as her mother turned to the living room, and saw Kisshu standing there. ""Oh! Hello there. I'm Sakura Momomiya, Ichigo's mother." She looked at Ichigo meaningfully.

"Uh...This is Kisshu...He's... We were...." Ichigo started panicking. Nooo!! I can't say the truth! She wouldn't believe me even if I did! Should I say he's a friend? No, she's known my friends for years...Oh no, what am I going to do?! Breathe. Just say something. Mum's looking at me strangely...Say anything!

"We were...uh... fudying for a sesting!" She stuttered. Say something that makes sense! "I-I mean testing for a study!" Come on!! Think! "Um..."

Kisshu saw Ichigo panicking and thought quickly.

"I'm a transfer student – I just moved here and Ichigo was kind enough to help me study for a test that was coming up." Kisshu said smoothly. "At the library. Right, Ichigo?" She nodded, visibly relieved.

"Uh-huh." Sakura said, raising an eyebrow. "I hope I'll be able to meet you properly soon, Kisshu. Don't be out too late." She walked into the kitchen and came back waving the shopping list behind her, then picking up the cars keys, left the house with a breezy "See you later!"

Ichigo managed a quick "Bye!" and Kisshu put in a cheery "We won't."

As soon as the door shut Ichigo slumped into a chair, mentally exhausted from the attempt at lying. Kisshu smiled and sat on the arm of the chair. "Studying for a test?" he asked, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a laugh.

"First thing I could think of." Ichigo's muffled voice floated out from under her arms.

"It doesn't matter. Now, I really do think we should go, before midnight."

Ichigo nodded and stood, reaching out for her bag, to find Kisshu holding it. "Thanks." She told him, smiling gratefully as she took the bag.

Kisshu felt his heart race as her fingers brushed his and was glad her back was turned when he felt a foolish grin lift the corners of his mouth. He shook his head and followed Ichigo out the door, closing it gently behind him.

Ichigo turned right, heading for the bus stop. There were a few pools in the area, she reasoned, and most busses came to that stop. She carried on musing about busses and trying to deduce which pool was the most likely when she heard Kisshu call out her name.

Ichigo spun around just fast enough to see Kisshu disappear right before her eyes, and a flash of... blonde hair? She shook her head, looking around wildly to see where he'd vanished to. Someone's found out! They've...Oh god!? Ichigo thought irrationally.

"Kisshu?!" She yelled out.

"Yes?"

"Ach!" Ichigo jumped in surprise at the calm voice by her ear and the arms wrapped around her waist. "Don't do that to me!" She said weakly. "I thought something had happened to you." And she also had a strange sensation like they were being watched...

"Sorry." He let her go, a guilty smile on his face. He'd just wanted to have a little fun. "I thought you might want to know that you were going the wrong way. We're headed that way."

"Huh?" Ichigo stared blankly at him. Kisshu was tilting his head to the left. But there was just a forest there... Or so she thought. Kisshu smiled at her bemused expression and for the second time that day, took her hand and led the way.

They walked into the forest, and Ichigo blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the dim light dappling the forest floor. It was actually pretty nice. She could see all kinds of flowers and hear a lone bird singing somewhere. The floor was carpeted with autumn leaves in colours of fire and earth. It was relaxing too... they walked straight for a few minutes before Ichigo asked something that had been bugging her for a while.

"Did you have a girlfriend?"

"Huh?" Kisshu glanced at her through the corner of his eye. "Why would you ask that?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. I'm with you, so why care about the past?"

Ichigo blushed, feeling a little stupid. "I was curious. You seem to know lots about me, but I know barely anything about you."

"Except how to defeat me every time we see each other!" Kisshu laughed, and then sighed when he saw Ichigo biting her lip, probably trying to find a way to pursue the subject tactfully. He stared up at the covered sky, wishing she wasn't quite so curious. "Yeah, I had a girlfriend, a long time ago."

"A long tine ago?" Ichigo asked. He can't be more than a few years older than me!

He smiled slightly. "My lifetime's about twice to three times the length of yours. So, yes, I would definitely say it was a long time ago."

Kisshu watched as Ichigo thought through the multiple implications with wide eyes, and smiled as she proceeded to question him about various aspects of his past and his home. She interrogated him about what it was like - the places, the people, the feelings.

Ichigo enjoyed finding out about him, and she liked how his eyes lit up as if they were embers flaring up in a fire when he talked about something he remembered but after about twenty minutes it looked to her like they were heading into the middle of nowhere.

"Where exactly are we going, Kisshu?"

Kisshu looked around, apparently not having have heard.

"Perfect!" He said, making less sense by the minute. He suddenly turned to Ichigo and put her hand on his arm. "Now," He grinned playfully. "Hold on tight."

Ichigo did so out of pure confusion. Suddenly the wind changed direction and began to blow in all directions and she had the impression of moving very fast through the air. Ichigo couldn't place the timing – they could've been like that for hours or seconds.

As abruptly as it had began, the strange sensation ended, and instead of the leafy expanse of the forest, Ichigo was staring across the vast span of a glittering lake that was surrounded by smooth pebbles and stretched farther than the eye could see. The water was a pale blue that looked like the morning sky in summer, and the air was clean and smelt faintly of lavender. To add to the scene, they had landed directly in front of a copse of smooth ash trees that further infused the air with their musky scent.

To say Ichigo was speechless would be an understatement of the most obvious kind.

And Kisshu was enjoying every second of it.

"It's...amazing!" She breathed.

"I'm glad you like it." He watched her taking everything in. He saw how the light touched her skin, creating a soft glow; how her peaceful smile lifted his heart and he wished with his entire being, that just for one moment he could be truly human so she wouldn't have to hide anything. So she would never be hurt. Such easy words to wish.... Kisshu reached out to take her hand when-

BZZZZZZ. BZZZZZ. BZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

A vibration shattered the still moment, snapping Ichigo out of her reverie and she rushed to her swim bag, fishing out a phone. "Hello?" She said into the receiver, standing up. The serene smile slowly dropped from her mouth and the light dimmed in her eyes as she listened for a while then nodded. "Wait, now? Do I have -….Fine. I'll be there soon. Bye."

Ichigo looked at Kisshu and saw the question in his eyes. "It's Ryou-san," She explained."I have to go."

Kisshu bit his tongue, refrained himself from throwing the phone into the water and nodded to the floor. That fool. He thought, suppressing the anger that was boiling up inside. One day I swear I'll have to put an end to his interference.

"Do you have to go?" Kisshu hated how he sounded like a whiney kid.

She nodded.

He felt his fists slowly clenching and dropped them to his sides.

"Uh..." Ichigo ventured. "Is that ok?"

"Sure." He replied stoically. Ichigo stiffened. She felt she was being caught in between a rock and a hard place. Ichigo took a deep breath and walked up to him, resting her forehead on his shoulder, feeling him flinch at the contact.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry I can't stay. I'm sorry I can't tell anyone about us. I'm sorry I might not be good enough. I'm sorry-"

Her voice soothed his anger and left cold disappointment in its wake.

Kisshu cut her off by lifting her face up and brushing a stray wisp of hair behind her ear before smiling and placing tantalisingly sweet kiss on her lips.

"Don't say that," He whispered, "Don't ever say that. You're much more than I deserve, and I don't care who knows or doesn't. So don't ever apologise to me for those things because you have done nothing wrong."

There was a few seconds peaceful silence before Ichigo voiced a rather crucial point. "Kisshu… would you mind taking me back…?"

Staring at the floor he waved his hand and a portal appeared just behind Ichigo. He didn't see her wave sadly as she went through and the portal closed up behind her.

"Don't you think," A voice said above him. "That you were going beyond the call of duty?" Kisshu looked up and spun round so fast he almost fell over. Pai and Taruto were balancing in the branches of a tall ash tree.

Kisshu felt his skin heat up, and replied tersely. "Don't be stupid. I was just being... thorough."

Another voice chimed in. "Looked a bit..." Taruto made a face.

"Taruto? What're you doing here?" Suddenly a human pun occurred to him. What are you two doing in a tree? But he shook his head before pausing for a split-second as the penny dropped with the weight of lead. "What the- Hey! You're too young to see that!" Taruto just shrugged.

"Wait. Were you spying on me?" His voice turned low and accusing.

"No. We were merely checking on your progress." Pai intoned.

Kisshu crossed his arms let out a slow, hissing breath. Once again, they were inching closer and closer to what they shouldn't... what they couldn't know.

"Why are you so defensive, Kisshu?"

Kisshu had learned not to react. "I am not defensive." He muttered. "Just stay out of my way."

Taruto smirked. "What's with the human get up?"

Kisshu just walked away. Or tried to, anyway.

"Deep Blue-sama wants to speak with you immediately." Kisshu suddenly felt really pissed off. Why did everything have to revolve around their 'Leader' that never showed his face?

"I've got better things to do." He said, again making as if to walk away. He didn't know where to, but just someplace where he could sort out the mess in his mind.

But wherever Kisshu turned to escape, he could only move a few feet in any direction. He kicked out at a pebble in front of him in frustration. It was old technology by their standards; a touch-operated system pre-programmed to one set of fingerprints – all someone would have to do was activate the sensor and point to four places which marked the 'cage'. It was very simple, but very effective. Too effective, Kisshu thought. Back home, he had taught people how to use these types of gadgets, so he knew better than most how pointless it was to try to escape.

Nanoseconds later the device had transported him back to there base, staring at the incandescently wavering form of their director. But it was in one of the lower levels that resembled a prison – a long line of rooms with locked doors.

"You rang?" Kisshu said, bending in a semi-bow. Appearances were important when dealing with people of higher rank, especially since Kisshu had a very bad feeling about being summoned in such a manner – like someone somewhere would be walking over his grave soon. He silently called his dragon swords to him and held them ready behind his back.

The form of Deep Blue shimmered and the swords were ripped out of his hands by an unseen force, and Kisshu was sent flying back, hitting the wall several feet up with such force the whole room shook, before he collapsed to the ground with an audible thump that echoed of the walls of the cold stone cell. Okay, that hurt. A lot. Kisshu coughed and slowly tried to sit up. "What did I do to deserve that?" He said, wiping blood from his mouth.

"You are a traitor," Deep Blue said softly. "A traitor that cannot be trusted and must therefore be punished."

Once again, Sorry for how long it took to get this up here, but the next chapter will take no where near as long as this one did. Speaking of which, this one's longer than the others, so maybe that's why it took more time.

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but it's mid-winter in the story.

Anyway, please tell me what you thought – horrendously bad or dazzlingly good? ...probably just somewhere in-between, but I don't mind ^_^