Chapter Six- Paranoia

I saw my body below me; I was crippled, my eyes still open and hardly glazed over as I lost another life. I was in my cat form; that was my true spirit. Because of a stupid driver, I had blood leaking from my mouth and cuts all over my body. "Holy crap." Nnoitra kept repeating, sitting besides my body.

"Augh! I'm gonna go down there and punch that driver!" I hissed, my neck fur bristling.

"Come on, Rainstar." Bluefrost nudged me. "You gotta wait a bit."

"Will you tell me why Nnoitra is stalking me?" I mewed suddenly. I should stop yelling what I'm thinking.

"You want to know?" Carmeltail appeared by my side.

I blinked. "Why not?"

"I don't know how you'll feel about that answer." Carmeltail looked at his tabby paws.

"Does he not trust me on my own? Or think I'm crazy?" I sat down.

"No, that's not it." Bluefrost licked my muzzle. "But we're not gonna tell you until later." When I opened my jaws to speak, she cut me off. "You've gotta go back."

I jumped down from the sky and into my body. I blinked a couple times as my vision cleared up. Then I sat up in a rush. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Just a little winded!" I stood up quickly, nearly falling over from blood loss. My face turned red as Nnoitra threw his hands around my waist and caught me. "I'm really fine." I walked to the other side of the street confidently, ignoring the shakyness. The driver shrugged and got back in his car before driving away.

"Your face is red." Nnoitra said as we neared the park.

"Blood loss." I replied calmly, hoping that's what it really was.

"Learn something from Szayel – your face wouldn't be red from blood loss. You'd be whiter than you are." He explained knowingly as I sat on a bench.

"I'm not that white!" I countered, preparing to change the subject. "You're as white as me. Anyway, I lost another life. I spoke with some Clanmates, but they wouldn't tell me anything."

"They like to make your life hard." Nnoitra remarked, flicking one of my cat ears.

"Why do you flick me?" I asked, playfully brushing my tail over his nose.

"For the same reason that you flick your tail across my face."

"Ah, so there is no reason!" I purred. A breeze swept over me and I crossed my arms under the chill.

"Why don't we go home? Don't get hit by a car on your way back."

"My God, Mia!" Harribel crossed her arms as I walked into the main room. I explained how I got hit by a car. "Wow. A car. How fast was that driver going?"

"Psh, like, two hundred fifty." I exaggerated, dragging my tired limbs upstairs. "Ugh, this stress is eating me alive." I flopped onto my bed, my gigai sitting behind the raised wooden frame. I stood up and took the ribbons out of my hair and started combing through it.

"Ah ha!" Nnoitra stood in the door way, and I shrieked in surprize. "You're stressed out!"

"Will you please just leave me alone?" I mumbled irritably.

I turned back to my reflection in the mirror and let my long hair fall around my shoulders. Nnoitra wrapped his arms around me; my face turned red again. "Don't let it get to you." He said, walking out and shutting the door behind him.

"Oh my God." I whispered, curling up under the sheets of my bed. "What was that?"

"I want to know now!" I yelled at Bluefrost. I was dreaming, but us leader cats had a special connection. Odd, yes, but totally awesome.

"Okay, we'll tell you." Carmeltail said for his sister. "He loves you. He loves you a lot."

I lay down in StarClan's grassy field. "That… you're… this is for real, right?" When Bluefrost nodded, I slapped my paws over my head. "How am I supposed to show my face around him again?"

"Aww, love is hard." Oakpelt licked my ear. "Remember when I confessed to you when we were young warriors?" I nodded and if it was physically possible for a cat to smile, I would've. And that's about when I woke up.

Okay, maybe I should listen to my Clanmates. I thought to myself, staring at the texture on the ceiiling and seeing no images within the pattern. I guess I needed to know. It's good to know someone… likes me… but I'm not sure. I'll have to wait and see. Maybe I'll just forget about it and try to read that book.

"But then again, maybe I won't." I spoke aloud as I sat up and went to tie up my hair. It was a little past midnight, by my clock. I opened my window and opened my wings, flying above the trees. I flew for awhile and eventually halted and landed on the roof of one building. The cool night air felt good on my skin, and I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "Maybe there are some hollows I can smash…" I whispered to myself, lowering my cat ears against a breeze.

"Oh, good! Mia is home!" Neliel said. They were all sitting on the floor of the main room. I smiled and sat down next to Szayel. When I looked again, Nnoitra wasn't there, and I felt a spark of – was that sadness? I shook my head. I'd be sad if any one of them were gone. Especially Neliel, because she was the least crazy of all of them. "I don't really care about this, but Nnoitra isn't here. At all."

"Not at all?" I asked, figuring he would at least be outside.

"Does she have to repeat herself?" Ulquiorra crossed his arms.

I sighed. "Well, I'll go find him. I was out all night anyway, and I guess it wouldn't hurt to get more fresh air."

Alright. I've checked this whole forest. Where is he? I sighed and stopped at the edge of the forest before the mountains. I doubt he'd be up there… I turned back and raced across the length of the dense trees and stopped before the road spread out in front of me. No cars. I thought, but just to be safe, I flew over the road. I don't know why I didn't think of bird's-eye-view in the first place. Even this high, and with my enhanced kitty-vision, I didn't spot him. I landed near Ichigo's front door and walked inside. Screw doorbells. "Uh, hey Mia. What's up?" It looked like he and Rukia were just leaving.

"Sorry to intrude. Have either of you seen Nnoitra? No one knows where he went." I flicked my ears as Ichigo's dad appeared around the corner. Ichigo's whole family was able to see me, but luckily his sisters had no idea what I was. I silently sighed with relief.

"No, but ask Uryu, because he's a master at tracing spiritual pressure." Rukia suggested. I nodded and headed out, taking to the sky again.

"Uryu! Open. Your. Door!" I got irritated and kicked it off it's hinges.

"What the – Mia!" Oops. Maybe I should be more paitent.

"Sorry! I'll fix it in a sec, but have you seen and/or sensed Nnoitra at all?" He shook his head, and I mumbled curse words as I "forgot" to fix the door and jumped into the air again. "Where is he?" Something hit me, and I shakily kept airborne as I figured out it was the area Shinigami who I didn't care about. He didn't get the memo, did he? I slapped him with my wing, which knocked him out, surprisingly, and I laughed to myself before flying away. I flew everywere. The park, the forest, I even flew above the mountains and stopped in every cave. It was really late, and I hoped the house didn't burn down as I ducked in the cave overlooking a pack of wolves. I sighed. I really loved wolves. I noticed the little pup I got a few days earlier, and then I flew out of the cave and crawled into another overlooking the house. It wasn't on fire. Or already burned. I started humming to myself when I felt a burst of spiritual pressure.

"Mia! Holy crap woman, where have you been?" Nnoitra burst into the cave; I lept back several feet in shock.

"Me? Where were you? Everyone said you'd been gone for hours!" I yelled furiously.

"I went to get doughnuts! I was hungry and Krispy Crème was open."

"You had me scared to death!" We both yelled, throwing our arms around each other. When I realized what I was doing, I yanked myself away. What was that? What am I doing? I brushed my tail across the hard stone. "Did you save any doughnuts for me?" I asked, trying to forget what I did, red-faced.

"If the others didn't eat them, then yes." Nnoitra said as we walked back to the house.

Okay, well, we're home. I thought as I ran up the stairs to my room. I'd better hug everyone just to be sure I don't get asked on a date. I cringed at the thought of Szayel injecting me with something while I passed a hug to him. On second thought, it'd be safer to just ignore this day. Maybe I'll plant some flowers outisde the sunroom tommorow. I flicked my gaze towards the rows of flower seeds just waiting in their packages. Maybe Neliel will help me out. Sighing, I curled up in bed for the night.

"Okay, good morning!" I yelled, walking downstairs to see the group still waking up. "Who wants to help me garden?"

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow went back upstairs and I heard their doors slam. Harribel simply said, "I'm going back to bed too." And then walked upstairs and slammed her door also. Szayel walked back to his lab, but on the way he asked if he could experiment on the flowers, and I lied and told him maybe next time. It wasn't gonna happen, in my book. Neliel looked excited. "If you're going to garden, can I cook today? Pleaaase?"

I nodded and she skipped off to the kitchen happily. "I'll help you." Nnoitra offered, surprize surprize. I took the offer so not to be rude, but I shocked myself. I didn't know what was wrong with me, and then the song "Miss Independent" popped into my head. I shook my head and hissed to myself, then laughed as I got a questiong glance from Nnoitra. "It's nothing, Oakpelt is blabbering to me and I surprizingly don't want to hear it now." I lied, praying Oakpelt understood.

I dug yet another little hole in the dirt and dropped a seed inside, patting dirt over the hole. "I like plants." I admitted. "I never told anyone what a tree hugger I am." I lie in the grass and rolled on my back. "I don't have a way to make plants grow any faster. I'd ask Szayel, but I feel he'll kill 'em instead."

"I didn't think you liked dirt." Nnoitra remarked, brushing dust off his gigai's jeans.

"I don't like the dirt, I like the plants and the animals." I purred. "Like, if I was also a wolf, and a lepoard, and a zebra…"

"Really, a zebra?"

"Well, okay. Maybe we'll stick with the wolves and big cats." I chuckled and sat up. "Well, we're done gardening. I think…" I paused and stood up. "I think I'll go visit my old camp."

"You sound sad." Nnoitra noted, and I couldn't roll my eyes as I remembered how my kit died in front of me. My cheeks felt wet suddenly, and I realized I was crying. "Whoa, hey, what the hell?"

I flicked away the droplets. "This is so lame, I'm sorry." My mind snapped back into place as I felt his electric touch on my shoulder, and if my lips hadn't been pushed together just then I would've gasped in shock.

"I've seen plenty of your emotions, but I've never seen someone like you break down like this." He flicked my cat ear. "Perk up."

I blinked a few times, and then – this surprized me – I lashed out and threw my arms around his neck. Okay. Time to google this crap. I ignored my urge to pull away and hugged him tighter. "Thank you." I whispered.

"Mia, I didn't do anything." Okay, wayta ruin the sweet moment.

"You cheered me up." I pulled back but still kept a grip around his neck, and let him still hold my hips. I turned and faced the sunroom wall. Neliel was looking up from her book, wide-eyed as if we just made out in front of her (and at that thought, I pulled away and recollected my resolve). I sent her a sharp gaze warning her if she spread that around I'd kill her, and luckily she nervously flipped back to her book. "Okay, well… I don't wanna visit until nighttime. Let's go buy a computer!"

PC, Mac, really huge laptop… what was the difference? I sighed. We were getting the PC so people wouldn't steal it and hide in their bedrooms with it. Yup, I've decided. I passed the man the credit card I stole (er…borrowed, and I go by Elaine Green because of it) and then walked out, effortlessly holding the large box over my head. "To the house! Onward!"

I stomped in the door enthusiastically. "I got us technology!" I yelled, punching the air with my free hand. "Some dude will install it later, so I'll be the only one in my gigai." I explained as everyone erupted from their rooms, outside, the sunroom, etcetera. Neliel waved me over and we walked upstairs to her room.

"So, I discovered that when Harribel asks to help cook – don't let her." Neliel explained how she attempted to make french toast but ended up burning it instead. I sighed. Maybe I'd teach Harribel everything she needed to learn. We continued on about how Grimmjow got drunk (I wasn't gone that long, so what the heck?) and Ulquiorra nearly pushed him off the balcony. "Now, for the seriousness. What was that?"

I blinked and told the whole story. "Yea, I've had an odd day. Friends comfort each other, don't they?"

Neliel pushed her palm to her forehead. "Okay, Mia." She sighed. "Did you not see the way he looked at you?"

I began building up my lies. "No. In what way?"

"In a passionate, loving way."

"Nope, I didn't see it."

"Alright. I know you. I can tell you're lying. Talk; I won't tell anyone." Neliel crossed her arms, and I started spilling from the part where Carmeltail delivered the news. "Holy sh – I mean crap."

"No. Telling. Anyone. Nnoitra doesn't realize I know." I puffed.

"Luckily these doors are soundproof." Neliel smiled. I sighed and then got up and walked away. I had to wonder what she thought of that. I wished that I could read minds desperately, but I also wish I never knew. It would've been so much easier.