Enjoy :)

Despites Smith's assurances that he would soon be adding a mermaid to his growing collection of non-human houseguests, the week had passed without any indication of when the overworked government coordinator would be dropping off the aquatic girl, leading Kimihito to wonder that perhaps the government had found another, less crowded house to take her in. If that was the case, he didn't intend to complain, since not only did he get a free pool out of it, not that he would be using it until he got confirmation that the girl had indeed been sent elsewhere, but also because he wasn't sure if he could handle the stress of having another female in the house.

With the lack of any drama that would surely spring from having another female liminal in the house, Kimihito and the girls were able to spend their time trying to get to know more about the newest, and only male addition to their ranks, and to the surprise of the long suffering human host, Xeno actually proved himself to be a helpful, if slightly withdrawn member of the Kurusu household.

While Kimihitio wouldn't do anything to change the personalities of his female houseguests, he privately admitted to himself that they were quite a handful, with Miia's fierce possessive streak, Cerea's overly protective mannerisms, Papi's frequent nativity, and Suu's inability to understand personal boundaries. Xeno however was different from the rest of his non-human housemates, and for that Kimihito could only be grateful.

Though his dietary needs severely drained his host's already rapidly depleted funds, like Miia he was a unrepentant carnivore requiring large amounts of meat, and the fact that the male hybrid had the unfortunate habit of silently entering a room before revealing his presence, Xeno nevertheless managed to ease the human's stress and workload by the simple fact that he made Kimihito aware of all the benefits the government was supposed to grant him because of his position as a interspecies host.

Smiling to himself as he successfully completed his daily journey to the local supermarket, Kimihito thought back to the first time 5 days ago, where Xeno proved to be of greater help to his near staggering responsibilities by simply informing his host of something that Smith should have told him about ever since he was forced to join the Cultural Exchange program.

(Flashback)

"That's it. It's official, I am completely, and utterly broke".

Staring at the monthly bank statement that had just been delivered that morning, Kimihito could only feel a sense of helplessness as the implications of his financial situation quickly passed through his head.

The insertion of another liminal into his life had finally snapped the already severely stretched grocery bill, and while he was tempted to call his government coordinator to inform her that he no longer possessed the means to support his diverse group of his houseguests, the fear of what Smith would do to him if she discovered that he placed her plan's in jeopardy, and therefore increase her workload, was more than enough to convince him that was an option that would only be used as a last resort.

The problem was that he had no better alternative. While it was true he could ask Xeno and the girl's to cut back on their food consumption, which they would likely do so to help ease their host's burden, Kimihito couldn't ask them to do that, since he knew that human sized portions where considered to be too small for them to properly live off of. And while Xeno wasn't as ravenous as his female housemates, a major part of daily food intake required something that had at one time been a living, breathing animal.

"You know, all this stress can't be good for you Kimmy Boy. While I understand that most humans are a skittish lot, I doubt that constant worrying is beneficial to your health".

Startled by the sudden appearance of his male houseguest, who was staring at the human with an amused smirk as his tail swayed somewhat menacingly behind him, Kimihito struggled to return to a more calm state of mind as the male hybrid attempted figure out why his host was acting like the world was coming to an end. For though he largely kept his interactions with his host to a minimum, usually only talking to him during meal times, Xeno nevertheless thought it was in his best interest to see what was bugging the dark haired human, since any problem affecting his host would probably end up affecting him as well.

"Now what is it that you're fretting over? Considering that you're clearly afraid of our beloved government coordinator, I doubt that it's because you've behaved inappropriately with one of the girls. But then again, it is highly possible that you didn't mean for it to happen since I know there was a full moon last week, so it is highly possible that something developed from that night that you are hesitant to tell Smith about. Am I wrong"?

Doing his best not to think about what might have happened if he had given into the girls' lustful feelings during the full moon, being careful not to let his mind wander to what Smith would have done to him should he have survived the moon induced foursome, Kimihito sighed as he proceeded to inform his male houseguest about his financial difficulties.

"Well, I was going over this month's bank statement, and I discovered that thanks to the quantity of food that the girls eat, my bank account barely had enough cash in it to last until the following month. And while I could somehow keep myself afloat by picking up more shifts at work, thanks to Smith sending me two new houseguests, I've worked out that I'm going to be completely broke within two weeks. And once it's discovered that I can't adequately support the liminals in my house, Smith is going to come down on me like a ton of bricks for increasing her work load".

Raising an eyebrow as he continued to watch his host work himself into a hysterical frenzy, Xeno decided to have pity on the human, for unlike Kimihito, the male hybrid knew the consequences of creating more work for the leggy government agent were far more horrifying then what his host could come up with.

"I don't know why you're getting so upset over something that can be easily fixed. Didn't Smith tell you that the government will reimburse you for any costs that may be arise from having to look after an interspecies person? Or did she just provide you with a book on all the rules and regulations without taking the time to explain everything"?

The expression on Kimihito's face was similar to a person who had been told that his sentence of execution had been suspended and was now eligible for parole, and to death row, and while he could tell that his male houseguest had only told him about this information for his own amusement, the human host nevertheless felt the need to express his gratitude.

"Oh thank, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much this helps me. Thanks Xeno, I owe you one".

Disregarding the human's energetic display of emotion in favor of seeing what there was to eat in the well-stocked fridge, Xeno nevertheless couldn't help but comment on his host's choice of words.

"Hmm yes you do. But I'm afraid that I'll be unable to collect on that debt considering that informing you about the government reimbursement is for my benefit just as much as it is for yours. That being said though, I suppose one way you could show your gratitude would be to increase the quality of the meat you keep bringing home. Since the government is going to be footing the bill, there's no reason why you can't get better stuff. And that being said, you might want to consider buying better brands of coffee as well, just as an extra precaution in case Smith starts to get on your case for costing the government money. Trust me, in my experience, if you have to inform her that your going to do something that will likely increase her work load, always have a bride ready to cushion the blow.

Chuckling at the thought of his lazy, but surprisingly efficient government coordinator being brought to heel by the promise of even better coffee, the male hybrid grabbed a plate of cold cuts and left the room so that his host could begin the process of curing his financial woes.

(Flashback ends)

Xeno's aid had proven invaluable, for in addition to covering the entirety of the household's food bill, the hybrid had also suggested that part of that money should go towards a grocery service that guaranteed weekly deliveries of their order. While this had done much to make Kimihito's life easier, the company wouldn't start delivery until next the following week, which meant that the human was still stuck with the exhausting task of going to the local grocery store on a daily basis.

'You know it's funny. Before all this, I don't think I would have been able to carry 20 lbs. of groceries all the way to my house without having to stop for a breather. But now, I'm carrying at least twice that, and I don't even notice the ...'

"OH MY HELPPP! SOMEBODY STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"

His inner monologue violently interrupted by the sudden cry for help, Kimihito turned his head in time to have his face make contact with something soft an squishy before he felt the familiar sensation of his back slamming into a hardened surface, while his front also received its fair share of painful attention.

"Oh Dear. My sincerest apologies dear sir. I've only just acquired this contraption, and I'm still learning how to operate it properly. Hopefully your selfless heroisms in leaping to my aid did not leave you too injured"?

Groaning in pain, Kimihito raised his head from his oddly comfy pillow, only to discover that a beautiful pink haired girl was in his arms, wearing clothes that resembled a gothic maid, and that the soft airbags he had been resting in where in fact the girl's breasts.

Quickly moving to apologize for his unintentional perversity, even if he silently admitted to himself that it had been an enjoyable experience, Kimihito sought to reassure the girl that he was fine, not knowing that as he did so, he was laying the foundations for even more chaos in his household, in ways that he couldn't have possible imagined.

(Scene change)

While Kimihito's shopping trip was interrupted due to some unforeseen heroics, the other male of the household was finishing what had become his regular morning routine. And while Xeno could honestly say that he enjoyed his daily sparring sessions with Centorea because it gave him a chance to try out new techniques, the truth of the matter was that he found it immensely amusing to rile up the well-endowed centaur.

"Don't tell me your already tired Centorea, we've only been at this for what? 15 min now. Would have thought that a woman of your obvious skills would have been able to go on for twice as long".

Smirking at the tired grin he was getting from the jogging suit wearing centaur, for earlier in their matches he had suggested that she wear something that restrained her impressive assets from bouncing all other the place, the robe wearing hybrid put a finger to his chin in mock consideration as he sought to inspire his dueling partner to keep going.

"You know it occurs to me, that stamina on the battlefield has the potential to translate into stamina in the bedroom. So if that means you can only last 15 minutes during a friendly little dueling match, how long do you think you will last once you've worked up the courage to take Kimmy Boy to bed with you"?

Like he predicted, the combination of mocking not only her combat abilities, but also her developing relationship with his host served to inspire the female centaur to make another aggressive lunge, something which he managed easily dodge since he knew that Centorea would lose any resemblance to her usual poised self in her attempt to guard not only her honor, but the honor of her beloved master.

"I WILL NOT SIT HERE AND LET YOU INSULT ME IN SUCH A MANNER"!

Dodging a particularly vicious blow to the head by jumping out of reach of the enraged centaur's wooden sword, the male hybrid waited for his partner's developing attack before he decided to make his move. Moving to the side at the last possible second so she didn't end up brawling into him, Xeno quickly placed his weapon on the back of her neck, signifying that their duel had ended in his victory.

Sporting a smirk, Xeno moved to console his newest training partner, even though his chosen method of doing so usually held traces of mockery.

"I believe I've warned you before about letting your emotions get the better of you Centorea. However, despite the fact that you lost, yet again, you are definitely showing improvement. Not enough to consider you a serious threat, but enough to make this venture worthwhile ".

Sheathing his sword to indicate that their sparring session was over, and doing his best not to laugh at the furious expression of the equestrian girl, Xeno couldn't help but think back to that highly amusing day where his interactions with the more combative member of the household became more interesting.

(Flashback) First morning since arrival

As was his usual habit ever since Smith decided that he should work for the food and lodging the government provided for him, Xeno began his day by performing a series of intense physical exercises under the rays of the early morning sun. Usually he would start with a series of pushups, followed by a 10 minute jogging session wearing specially weighted clothes, finishing off with a series of katas that would astound any human practitioner by the agility and power that went into them. In addition to this, the male hybrid would use the brief moment of solitude to reflect on the past actions of his more competitive teammates, who for reason's he couldn't quite fathom, always managed to invade his personal space by either trapping him in a suffocating, yet extremely affectionate hug, or by ensuring that a training spar ended up with him pinning his female partner to the ground. And even more strangely, before he left, Smith was starting to make noise about wanting to train with him as well, something about being able to prepare herself should she ever have to face a non human opponent single handedly.

However before he could to even guess why he was deemed an easy target by the energetic women in his life, the male hybrid sensed that he was no longer alone in the surprisingly spacious backyard. Turning his head to discover the identity of his unexpected companion, Xeno was unsurprised to discover that it was Centorea, who like him, had risen early to begin her training.

Seeing that she was unaware of his presence as she started practicing with her fake sword, and sensing an opporunity for amusement, Xeno silently made his way over to the sword swinging centaur, carefully ensuring that he was out of range of her rear hoofs should she kick out startled.

"I must admit I didn't expect to be the only one up at this early hour. But considering the warrior nature of centaur race, it would make sense for you to get in as much training in a day as you are able".

Startled, Centorea instinctively swung her sword to knock out the unknown intruder, only for Xeno to lean back slightly to dodge it. Realizing that she had almost dealt her fellow housemate a serious injury the blonde centaur quickly lowered her weapon and started to apologize profusely for her actions.

"Ahh...Xe...Xeno. Please forgive me. I thought everyone was still asleep and did not realize that you were out here. I pray you are unhurt?"

Trying not to laugh at the almost comical way in which the buxom girl was demonstrating her regret, Xeno quickly moved to let her know that he had no hard feelings for her actions.

"Oh its quite alright, luckily I placed myself just out of your reach, so no harm done. It actually a nice break from my usual routine since the rest of my...well I guess you can call them teammates even if I'm only a part time member, never get up this early so I have to train by myself. That is of course you're still open to the idea of sparring with me"?

Thankful that Xeno did not hold a grudge for her actions, the buxom monster girl perked up with excitement at the chance to properly train.

"YESSSS...I mean, of course I am. If I am to prove that I am worthy of acting as my master's shield and sword, I need to ensure that my skills are finely honed. And the only effective way that I can achieve this is if I have someone to train with".

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Xeno used his tail to grab his own training weapon, a wooden samurai sword, and flashed the battle ready centaur a confident grin.

"Now before we begin, I feel I should warn you. My particular style of training is probably something you haven't experienced before, so know that whatever I say or do, I'm saying it with the purpose to rile you up. Cause my philosophy has always been 'Victory at ANY Cost'. So don't feel too discouraged when I mop the floor with you".

Saying this Xeno's demeanor changed from being a polite friendly one, into a challenging mocking one.

Surprised as she was at witnessing the male's demeanor change from being a polite and friendly comrade to a mocking arrogant opponent, Centorea nevertheless raised her own weapon in a ready stance, looking forward to show just why no one messed with a proud centaur a warrior.

"You will come to regret those words Xeno. I have trained in combat since I could walk, so it is you who shall meet defeat this day".

Finishing her speech with a bow, Xeno casually bowed in return, but still did not raised his weapon even when his opponent charged towards him.

At the last second, Xeno quickly side stepped the Centaur, ducking when her sword got close to him.

"Is that the standard method Centaur warriors use when fighting an opponent? Head on assaults? I suppose that would be adequate against the average thug, but if that's the best you can do then Kimmy boy should really invest in another protector".

Xeno's words only served to enrage Centorea, who gave up notion of having a friendly duel with the impudent male in front her.

"How dare he question my place at my lord's side, he shall regret his words".

"Yahhh"

The enraged centaur girl swung her sword at her mocking observer, and to her surprise not only did he mange to block deflect her blow, but she found herself staring down the end of his own sword.

"Hmmm, quick to anger, never a good sign. I wonder what Kimmy boy would say if he discovered his knightly centaur had a violent temper". The taunting male withdrew his sword and raised it in a defensive position, waiting for the enraged female to make the first move".

"How dare you disrespect my master" This time launching herself into the air, Centorea sought to win the duel by shattering his defense. The move might have worked if Xeno didn't use his previously hidden tail to wrap around the airborne centaur's leg and drag her to the ground.

Looking down at his crashed opponent, Xeno could only sadly shake his head at how easy she was to rile up. "You know I didn't think a noble centaur would react to such lighthearted jests. I guess all the hype on what powerful warriors you make was just talk ".

Pulling herself off the ground, Centorea glared at her tormentor's words.

"How dare you mock a member of the noble centaur race".

Throwing all of her strength into her attack, Centorea lunged forward with her sword, only for Xeno to dodge her thrust, and bringing his sword down on her own weapon, knocking it out of her hand, and then holding his blade to her throat, indicating that he had won the match.

Shocked by the fact that she had lost, Centorea could only numbly prepare herself as she waited for Xeno to gloat over his victory. However she was surprised when he abandoned the mocking tone he had used during the course of their duel in favor of adopting a more lecturing one.

"Do you know why you lost Centorea? It's because you allowed your emotions to take control of you, and while there is nothing wrong with using your feelings to inspire your determination to fight for victory, you lack the necessary training to ensure that they don't cloud your judgment".

Shocked as she was at her defeat, the pride she felt for her race's abilities merely caused Centorea to scoff at his words.

"Impossible, my emotions have always been in control when I fight, regardless of the circumstances".

Turning his back on her, Xeno strove to make his point.

"And yet my comments about our respective host made you want to inflict grievous harm on me didn't they? However it's not a total loss. Despite your performance, you do have the capability for improvement, and since you're the only other weapon user in this house, amateurish though you may be, you'll keep my own skills from rusting too quickly, while you can only improve"

As angry as she was at the methods Xeno used to obtain victory, not to mention the fact that he had no problems pointing out her flaws, the blonde centaur couldn't help voicing her curiosity to the hybrid's offer.

"Why would I subject myself to such dishonorable training techniques"?

"Probably because you need to train yourself against them, and since my habitation in this household makes us. Allies, it would be remiss of me to allow anything to happen to Kimmy boy. And since I have no desire to be his constant shadow, training you kills 2 birds with one stone…don't you agree.

Narrowing her eyes at his offer, Centorea quickly realized that Xeno was right, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

'Alright, but I warn you, the day will come where I surpass you, and you will recant your crude words".

Raising an eyebrow at the determination of the centaur's words, Xeno couldn't keep himself from smirking as he gave his reply".

"Hmmmmm. We shall see Centorea, we shall see".

(Flashback ends)

Coming back to reality, Xeno decided to end their little sparring session, for despite his companion's remarkable progress, she still had a ways to go in matching him.

"Well that was another fun training session don't you think?"

"Heh...heh...if you say so".

Having been subject to Xeno's slightly twisted type of amusement, she had quickly discovered that the best way to deal with his humor was to respond to it with manners. Apparently he had a thing about rudeness, and while he had nothing against dead pan humor, outright disrespect was something he would make her suffer for.

"I do, when we started, I only had to dodge your attack for you to miss, now I have to occasionally put some effort into beating you. Not much, mind you, but still it is clear that you are progressing, despite still being too easily distracted by your emotions".

Despite slightly blushing at the praise his words carried, Centorea still had problems accepting his belief on emotions in combat.

"My emotions are what drives me to succeed". Centorea said this with all the pride a member of the Centaur race could do.

Unsurprised that his main point had not yet sunken in, Xeno sought to once again make it clear that an emotional warrior does not mean a victorious one.

"True, but you still haven't truly accepted what I taught you...you're more likely to emerge victorious if you have control over your emotions than if they have control over you"

Knowing that his advice had merit, if particularly hard for her to follow, the blonde monster girl bowed her head to her partner, for her pride as a centaur refused to let her acknowledge him as her superior, though Xeno could tell that he had made great progress in tempering her arrogance.

"I…will try to keep that in mind"

Pleased that she was starting to accept his viewpoint, Xeno decided to end their lesson in favor of allowing them to continue with the solitary parts of their morning routines.

"Good. Now I do believe it's time for your morning jaunt, which means it's time for me to go and find out what delicious concoction Miia has made for breakfast.

Centorea shuddered at the unnecessary torture the now grinning hybrid was putting himself through. For while the rest of the household found the lamia's attempts at the culinary arts to be quite lethal, for some reason Xeno had actually professed a great liking for Miia's cooking, and to the horror of all, had actually inspired the reptilian girl to increase the development of her deadly culinary skills.

"I still cannot fathom why you haven't yet died from eating her cooking. Not even the most despicable coward deserves to be subject to that".

Chucking in amusement at the centaurs words, Xeno made his way towards the house, but not before conveying a most horrifying idea he just had.

"Now Centorea, I believe we've talked about rudeness before. Do so again...then I'm afraid I'll have to insist that you join me for breakfast, everyone day for about a month. I'm certain Miia would be delighted in having another person to cook for since Kimmy Boy has somehow managed to repeatedly dodge her attempts to force feed him".

With that final warning, Xeno eagerly made his way inside to enjoy his unique breakfast, leaving his pupil to shake with fear as she silently contemplated to herself that Miia's cooking had the potential to be the deadliest trial any centaur could ever face.

...

As Xeno made his way to the kitchen, he was able to hear that his favorite chef was already working on her latest concoction of the day. Having someone in the house who actually enjoyed her cooking thrilled the excitable lamia, who had taken it upon herself to try and take over the kitchen at least once every day, much to the shock and horror of most of the household.

Entering the kitchen area, Xeno was momentarily rendered speechless as he stared greedily at the tantalizing sight that greeted him. Somehow Miia, despite the fact that she couldn't have possibly have been awake for more than 30 mins since she was still asleep when the combative members of the household began their sparring session, the amount of food she had managed to produce would have been enough to feed a small army. But since his appetite was a great deal larger than most humans, although not quite as ravenous as Zombina's, the hybrid merely looked at the towering stacks of food with the same eagerness one usually felt when they were about to consume a comfortably filling meal.

Moving his eyes away from the mini banquet towards the chef herself, idly noticing that the cheerful reptilian chef wore nothing more than an oversized t-shirt that nicely molded to her curvaceous form, Xeno couldn't help but wonder why it was she always seemed to adopt a slightly more guarded persona around him, even if she was thrilled to be able to show offer her developing culinary skills.

However, despite being genuinely happy that she was finally receiving positive feedback for her cooking, Miia's interactions with the male hybrid where always awkward. While behaving like her usual bubbly self when they were in a room with other people, whenever Xeno directed a comment or question to her, or whenever they found themselves to be alone, she tended to act rather shy and quiet.

While he was somewhat used to this behavior, Xeno was confused as to why she was acting this way, because apart from a single misunderstanding, he had done nothing to antagonize her or the rest of the household, training sessions with Centorea being the sole exception.

Unaware that she was no longer the sole occupant in the kitchen, Miia was thinking about her own confusing interactions with the male hybrid, and how her inability to move past the highly embarrassing incident was causing her to react in a way that was very similar to how she first acted when meeting Darling for the first time.

And while she could admit to herself that it hadn't been an unpleasant experience, indeed she had almost lost control of her libido when she first felt that the body she had assumed to be Darling's was more hardened than what she was expecting, the fact of the matter was she had only intended to do such a thing with her beloved host. Not with her admittedly handsome housemate.

However, despite the incident happening only a mere 4 days ago, she still vividly recalled it as if she and Xeno were embracing right at that very instant.

(Flashback)

Morning in the Kursu household began as it usually did.

Xeno would wake up at the crack of dawn to enjoy a brief period of solitude before he began his training with Centorea, Kimihito would frantically get out of bed to ensure that breakfast would comprise of something that wasn't liable to send his guests to the hospital, and the remaining girls would still be asleep in their beds.

However on this particular morning, the human host had decided to rise extra early in order to properly show his gratitude for the life saving assistance rendered him by the slightly mocking male hybrid.

"You're up rather early Kimmy boy. I'm afraid the spectacle of watching a braless centaur fight hasnt started yet, but I commend you on your attempt to find a good place to watch.

Sputtering in embarrassment as he quickly turned to face the smirking visage of his male house guest, Kimihito accidentally managed to ruin his carefully prepared banquet as his waving arms sent the plates of food crashing to the ground, though thankfully the scalding hot pitcher of coffee was prevented from hurting anyone by Xeno's lightening quick reflexes.

Grabbing 2 mugs from the counter, Xeno gave the flustered human an inquisitive look as he used his tail to pour both of them a glass of the nearly spilled beverage. Recovering from his initial shock, Kimihito accepted the offered drink and looked at Xeno with an irritated expression.

"Can you please stop sneaking up on me like that? While I get that you've probably been trained to enter a room silently, theirs no need to do it here".

Taking a sip of the beverage that had previously been reserved for Smith's exclusive consumption, the hybrid looked slightly mournful at the splattered remains of what could have proved to been an awesome, before turning his head to give his host a genuinely apologetic expression.

"Sorry about that. It's not exactly a skill you can easily turn off you know. Though I'm slightly curious as to why you're making breakfast this early. Usually youe not up or another hour or 2, and from my own experiences when dealing with hyperactive females, even the promise of a good meal isn't enough to get them out of bed earlier then they have to".

Cocking his head in confusion as to how Xeno already knew what was already a well established fact in the Kurusu household, Kimihito was preventing from offering his own opinion on the subject as he heard the familar sound of scales scraping across the wooden floors.

"Darling, what's going on? I heard something crash".

Slithering into the kitchen wearing nothing more than a fluffy pink bathrobe that revealed only the barest hint of her ample cleavage, Miia shot the pair of males a questioning look that was oddly adorable in her half asleep state.

"Sorry about that Miia. Just a little accident involving breakfast, so no serious harm done. Why don't you go back to bed and I'll cal...GRKKKK"

Instead of listenting to the slightly embarrassed human, Miia used her coils to drag him into one of her usual bone crushing hugs, ignorant of the fact that the male hybrid was now flashing their trapped host a look that was a mixture between pity and amusement.

"Oh Darling you don't have to apologize. I'm just happy that nothing happened to you. Since I'm already up, why don't you relax and let me be the one to make breakfast this morning. It's the least I can do after all the hard word you've done in looking after us".

Releasing her favorite hugging toy, and oblivious to the fact that he was now desperately trying to force air into his oxygen starved lungs, the now cheerful lamia busily began the process of organizing the materials she would need to make the concoctions she called food, completly missing the conversation that was happening between her newest housemate and her host.

"You all right Kimmy boy? No bones broken or organs punctured"?

Keeping his voice down so he wouldn't accidentally upset Miia by his line of questioning, Xeno extended his hand to the still heavily breathy human, who graciously accepted the offer of aid to pull off the floor since his legs were still numb from the lamia's affectionate embrace.

"No I'm fine. It's become a regular occurrence ever since Smith signed me up for the program, so my body's used to it. Though I'm not sure I can handle the normal amount of bruising AND heavy food poisoning in the same day".

Raising an eybrow in amusement at the human's horror stricked expression, Xeno briefly turned his head in the direction of now humming Miia before it occured to him just why his host was acting like he was inches from experiencing a gruesome death.

"Judging by your panic stricken expression, I'm guessing that Miia's enthusiasm for learning the culinary arts exceeds her ability to produce anything remotely edible?

Nodding his head with a seriousness that wouldn't have been out of place at a funeral, and knowing that it was within his power to prevent another one of his house guests from coming down with food poisoning, Kimihito attempted to explain the potentially lethal circumstances they now found themselves.

"She tries her best, but unfortunately that just means that she'll add more ingredients to try and improve the flavor of what ever it was that poisoned us. The only one who hasn't been affected is Suu, but thats only because she can eat anything".

Sensing that his host wished to escape this situation, but wouldn't do so as since it would likely hurt Miia's feelings if she discovered that nobody wanted to eat her food, Xeno suprised himself by once again coming to the human's aide, for unlike the time where he helped Kimihito sort out his financial issues, this time their was no clear benefit for him to offer his assistance.

"Seeing as your about to have yet another panic attack, if you want to make a break for it, I won't rat you out. I'll even provide you with a plausible Smith related excuse in case Miia wonders where you've run off too.

Surprised at the generosity being shown to him by his male house guest, and feeling immensely guilty for abandoning Xeno to whatever culinary horrors that Miia was sure to feed him, Kimihito nevertheless accepted the hybrids offer with a quick smile.

" Thanks Xeno. I promise I'll make this up to you. But word of advice, if she give's you anything that's still moving, you're best bet is to say your allergic to it".

Figuring it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the slightly squeamish human that he no problems when it came to consuming food that was still alive, Xeno merely shook his head in amusement as his host quickly made his escape, causing the male hybrid to contemplate about having a one on one conversation with the red haired snake girl.

However before he could even begin to think of what he would say to the reptilian beauty, Xeno quickly found himself unable to move as Miia, intent on enjoying the rare moment of solitude with her beloved host, and thinking that it had been Xeno who left instead of her beloved Darling, had rapidly wrapped her coils around the shocked hybrid, keeping her back to him as she enjoyed the simple pleasure of once again having her romantic interested nestled comfortably in her lower half.

"Nyah Darling, It's been a while since we've had some alone time to ourselves. If we had more time, I would show you just how deep my feelings for you have grown. But since we're in a bit of a hurry, and the fact that I don't want the others to up their game if they interrupt us while doing naughty things, I'll simply have to settle with giving you a lamia patented massage".

Shocked as he was by the current predicament he found himself in, Xeno couldn't prevent the soft sigh of pleasure that escaped his lips as Miia's surprisingly soft coils began to gently rub up and down his no longer tense body. However, even though his mind was beginning to cloud from the pleasurable experience, the male hybrid nevertheless felt guilty for enjoying the experience, since it was clear to him that it should have been his human host trapped in the silken like coils of the reptilian beauty, not him, the slightly reclusive newcomer.

But before he could summon the will power to end the highly comforting massage session, he suddenly found himself in the familiar position of his face being forced into a girl's cleavage, and while Miia didn't possess a large enough chest to completely envelop his head like Tio was fond of doing, her breasts were still big enough to ensure that he wouldn't be able to draw breath anytime soon.

With her eye's closed in blissful ignorance of not only the identity of her victim, but also to the fact that she was now slowly suffocating the trapped male, Miia enjoyed the slight shivers of ecstasy that shot through her body as the male hybrid desperately tried to escape his predicament.

"I'm sorry Darling. I know that you were enjoying my skills as a masseuse, but theirs just something about you that makes me want to hold you close. And since Smith decided to add more and more people into the house, the chance to embrace you has decreased. By the way, have you been working out? Your body feels a lot more toned than the last time we shared a moment like this. Have you been preparing yourself for the moment when you finally decided to take my virginity? Because truth be told Darling, I like the new you".

Running a hand lovingly through the male's hair before deciding to raise his head for a kiss, Miia was immediately aware of the differences that couldn't be explained by any sort of human based workout. For one, the hair she was touching was far silkier and shorter than the unruly mess she had come to identify as Kimihito's unique hair style. And the other thing was that the face she was currently holding had a more angular feel to it, nothing like the well rounded face she had come to admire.

Opening her eyes with some reluctance, Miia found that the face she had been pulling in for a kiss wasnt her beloved host, but rather her fellow housemate, who understandably sported a shocked expression on his face.

Conscious of the fact that her lower half was still coiled around the wide eyed hybrid, and desperately trying to forget the pleasure that had shot through her body as she felt his attempts to escape her loving embrace, Miia quickly unwrapped her tail from her accidental target, dropping Xeno onto the floor as she frantically tried to apologize for her actions.

"I'm so sorry Xeno! I didn't mean to do that too you, I mean I didn't mean to act like that, I mean I did but thought you were Darling, I mean I would never have done what I did if I knew it was you. Please forgive me".

Picking himself off the floor, and trying his best to keep his own embarrassed feelings in check, the male hybrid quickly put to use a skill that he had come to utilize whenever Smith purposefully left him with the emotionally taxing job of calming down the regularly emotional Tio.

"Miia calm down. It wasn't not your fault, well not entirely at least, I too share some of the blame for what happened since I should have spoken up before the situation began to get out oh hand. Besides, despite the best efforts of Smith's merry band of minions, I'm not really good when it comes to dealing with physical expressions of emotion, though I admit that I'm far better at it than when I first came to this country, even if most human's have issues with my appearance".

Surprised as she was by the confession from her usually composed housemate, Miia couldn't help but hear the slightest traces of resentment in his voice as he talked about what he used to be like.

It was in that moment that Miia saw what could have happened to her if it weren't for the kindness shown to her by such individuals liker her Darling and Smith when she was first introduced to human society. While she wasn't fully aware of the male's past, the lamia hazard a guess that like her, Xeno had been excited to leave his insular community and explore the world, only to have his hopes dashed as he discovered that the vast majority of humanity preferred beings with cute fluffy features, not beings with sharp claws and teeth. And whereas she had been lucky to have been placed with a host who accepted all beings regardless of their non human parts, Xeno had been placed with people who probably treated him like a monster.

Unaware of the reptilian girl's quiet reflection, and slightly disgusted with himself as he remembered the shamefully weak bundle of nerves he had been after Smith rescued him from his filthy prison, Xeno was was surprised when he felt himself being pulled into a hug by the red haired lamia, doing his best to maintain his composure as Miia's breasts where pushed into his back.

Fighting the urge to escape from the oddly comforting embrace, since his time with Tio and Zombina had taught him that any attempt to escape from a display of affection would result in him having to deal with either an emotional outburst from the incredibly buxom agent, or having to endure the undead girl's macabre sense of perversity, Xeno accepted the lamia's hug with a small smile.

For her part, hugging the black haired hybrid reminded Miia of the initial feelings she had experienced when she had first layed eye's on her latest housemate. But thanks to her mistaken actions in using her coils to entertain the male she thought was her human host, those feelings had become stronger, and to her great distress, the snake girl now found herself comparing the not so regrettable differences between the two men in her life.

Whereas Darling wore his heart on his sleeve, never acting on his feelings for fear of hurting the girls, Xeno was more guarded when it came to letting his emotions show, choosing to hide his thoughtful and caring nature by being distantly polite or by claiming that he was acting out of self-interest.

But while she found the personality types of the two males to be equally endearing, if a tad annoying to the passionate lamia since she was never one to hide her feelings or not act on them, it was when it came to examining the physical attributes of the two boys that Miia became fully aware of the difference between a human physique, and a liminal one.

While Kimihito possessed incredible durability for a human, his appearance in the muscle department could be described as slightly above average, with some definition on his arms and torso giving him the look of someone who lightly exercises on a regular basis. Xeno on the other hand was different, for while he favored wearing long baggy clothes, having felt his body, the male hybrid possessed a body that would have sent her village into a lustful frenzy if they got the chance to see what he was like without a shirt on. With broad shoulders, arms covered in hardened, yet not overly large muscles, and a sculptured torso, not to mention his impressive height, Xeno had a slight edge over his human host in the purely phsyical realm.

Thinking about Xeno in terms of physical characteristics brought a large brush to the snake girls face, for she was also able to feel Xeno's growing... excitement at the treatment she was giving him, even if the rest of his body remained motionless. And while that damned law forbade sexual relationships between liminals and their human hosts, Miia was reminded that as a liminal, Xeno was not bound by that particular law, so it would be perfectly legal if he was to engage in some hot writhing activity with a perfectly willing non human woman.

Realizing that her thoughts were starting to go in a direction that replaced the bedroom fantasizes of her host with her housemate, Miia hurriedly ended her hug, missing the slight frown that adorned Xeno's face as she quickly handed him a plate full of scrambled eggs, raw pieces of meat, and for some reason burnt chili peppers.

Seeing the male hybrid stare at her food with curiosity, Miia felt the usual feelings of despair as she believed that she had once again managed to create something that was deemed inedible by the members of the household. But to her astonishment, not only did Xeno try her cooking without a look of digust on his face as he did so, but he quickly proceeded to shovel in another forkful, giving off a clear signal that he was enjoying her oddly prepared meal.

"I don't know what Kimmy boy was worried about? This is delicious, easily the best breakfast I've ever had".

Even though she was overjoyed by the fact that someone had finally appreciated her talents in the kitchen, Miia couldn't help giving the male hybrid an incredulous expression, since she suspected that part of the reason he was acting so nice was because he was trying to apologize for not speaking up when she began to give him a massage.

"Really? Your the first person whose said that. But I don't think..."

"Then it's their loss. I mean, it may not be a traditional breakfast, but that isn't important if it tastes as good as this. You should keep at it".

Fighting the blush that was spreading across her face as she listened to the praise she was receiving from the clearly ravenous male, Miia couldn't help but feel that her earlier determination to ensure that her feelings remained focused on a single male had just taken a heavy blow.

Deciding to see how her feelings would develop as she spent more time with the male hybrid, the reptilian beauty pulled up a chair to join her fellow house guests in the consumption of her food, slightly shocked as to why she wasn't as upset as she should have been at this new turn of events.

(End flash back)

However after that day, the interactions between the two liminals had mostly changed back to what they were before the incident, with Xeno choosing to interact with the household only when he deemed it necessary, while Miia continued her pursuit for their host's affections. However, their were a couple of subtle changes to their demeanor that stemmed from both of them rembembering their accidental bonding session.

While he was still a tad anti social, Xeno nevertheless found himself spending more time with his housemates, and while he never let slip to the rest of the household of what passed between him and Miia, the male hybrid found himself starting to sneak quick glances at the red haired lamia when he thought no one was looking. And while he continued to torment his human host by either bluntly pointing out the potential benefits of dating a monster girl, or suprising him with his near silent movements, Xeno couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed with the human as he began to view his host's inability to choose which girl to pursue a relationship with as being similar to someone who decides to take the last copy of a video game, but hadn't quite decided if he wanted to keep it or not.

For her part, Miia began to find herself thinking more and more about that intimate moment she had shared with the male hybrid, comparing it to all the times she had ensnared her human host within her coils. And while she hadn't yet reached a decision of which action she preferred more, the lamia couldn't help but fantasize how far they could have gotten if only she had kept her eyes closed.

Shaking her head to clear it of that potentially dangerous line of thinking, Miia noticed that the object of her thoughts had decided to sit himself down at the kitchen table, with his tail swaying mindlessly as he read the morning's newspaper.

Deciding that now would be a perfect time to get to know the male hybrid without having to expose her nervous feelings to the rest of the house, Miia piled a plate full of her latest dish, a unusual combination of hard boiled eggs and French toast made from mustard, soy sauce, and wasbi, and slithered over to the still reading male.

However before she could give him a word of greeting, the sound of the front door opening, quickly followed by words of praise spoken by an unfamiliar, yet oddly melodious voice, alerted the two hybrids that not only had their host returned, but that the latest member of the household had just arrived.

AND that's enough for now.

Apologize for the wait, but figured you all would want a really long chapter (if u count nearly 9000 words long that is) so combined two chapters...editied the hell out of them...and this is the result.

Pleased with how it turned out, and as always want to thank Ghostface4 for his excellent role as my Beta Reader. Couldn't do it without him. AND he has suggested something to me that I fully intend to incorporate with. Don't want to give stuff away two early...but I can say the idea will be interesting to explore.

And now for the developing relationships between the characters.

Xeno of course is still getting used to living with a human who doesn't treat him like a monster. But even though he appreciates this, he cant fight the temptation of annoying him with the typical Xenomoroph trait (i.e. silently sneaking up on a person before the big reveal). That being said, he is more than willing to allievate Kimihito's burden if it means that he gets to stay where he is/improves his living conditions.

The interaction between Xeno and Cerea was fun to write about. Think its believable since not only is Xeno a member of a race that is known for its agility and combat prowess (Gotta remember ONE Xenomorph took on TWO Predators and won) but he has been trained for combat situations, and has regularly spared with like minded people (i.e. the girls of the Mon squad) while Cerea has only trained without having to experience true combat. So its a competition between two beings who are both naturally skilled and well trained, with the deciding factor being experience.

Also, not sure if you noticed it since it was only a small sentence, but their is some evidence that Smith might also have a thing for my Orginal character. Not sure yet if I will develop this further...but the idea has merit, and its still early enough to change direction if I feel like it.

And then of course theirs Miia's growing attachment to Xeno. I believe that it is possible for her to end up with someone else, since the series never really shows her positively reacting with any other male besides Kimihito, so it is plausible for a love triangle to develop before she decides which one to go for. I confess that it is my intention to have her ultimately end up with Xeno, if only because their is a distinct lack of Miia/OC pairings, and because it will be funny to see her get into cat fights with Tio.

Oh and before I forget, been brought to my attention that some ppl are questioning my placement of Cathyl in Xeno's pairings. Still up in the air on whether it will be a one night stand, full relationship, or merely have her remain friends with Xeno, but since we have a ways to go til we get to that point...their is time to consider all possibilities.

Not sure when the next chapter will appear, since I am also working on my Highschool DXD story at the same time...but since its merely editing, instead of creating, should more or less take around the same amount of time as this chapter did, since I', combining two chapters.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this.

AND PLLLLZZZZZ REVIEW. Always nice to get feedback (not flames of course) and like to see that my work is worthy enough for comment (always bugs me when I only get 1 or 2 comments for a long chapter lol)