|Cafe Mew|

"The cafe is going to go out of business if this goes on much longer," Beth said, not to anyone in particular. Next to her Keiichiro leaned on the handle of his broom, observing how the Mews were fighting off what looked like a humongous hamster. When it got too close to Zakuro, the slim model roundhouse kicked the creature in the side of the head.

"It's not that bad," Keiichiro muttered. "Though this week has been particularly eventful. I had hoped we would be able to lure in some people with our pumpkin pie, but it seems alien attacks keep out the costumers."

"I wonder why that would be," Beth muttered dryly, giving the patio a half-hearted sweep. The broom made a dry, scratchy noise as the first of fall leaves were gently pushed aside. Something had Kisshu in a bad mood, though he'd refused to elaborate on the cause of it. The past few weeks he'd spent as little time as possible around her, which was a relief and cause of concern at the same time. Something just didn't feel right without the alien peeking over her shoulder these days.

Ryou was less calm than his two companions. He clapped a hand against his thigh, with a face that predicted future calamity. "They've never been this active before. Whatever they have plotted, it's something big. I bet he's just a distraction while the other two are up to nefarious schemes."

Beth knew for a fact that only Pai was engaged in anything that resembled a scheme. Taruto was too busy reading a stash of her old comic books. Half the time she found the youngest of the siblings plastered against the ceiling, too engrossed in an adventure to remember gravity existed. As for Kisshu… every time she walked into a room he'd suddenly remember he had very urgent business elsewhere.

"Miss Bethany, are you alright? You look a tad… out of sorts," Keiichiro said, politely avoiding the words 'pissed off'.

She straightened her back at once and sweeped the patio more vigorously. "Why would I be annoyed at that? I don't care what he does!"

"Not another one with romantic issues. I thought our cat in heat was bad enough," Ryou complained with his usual tact.

"Talk like that about Ichigo one more time and I'll-"

"Did you see? We finished! And look!" Ichigo ran up to them, her hands forming a small cradle. When she was close enough she opened her hands in Beth's, revealing the hamster that had been possessed by the Parasite. The rodent squeaked in shrill tones, squirming around. "Can we keep it?"

"Not in the restaurant!" Ryou at once yelled.

Beth shut her eyes in response to the harsh noise, not able to clog her ears with her fingers thanks to the little fuzzball. Keiichiro gently guided her to a quieter spot, followed by most of the girls except for Ichigo and Lettuce. The latter was doing her best to diffuse the situation, stumbling over her words.

"What're we going to do with it though?" Bu-Ling asked, looking at the hamster. The creature was now nibbling on the inside of Beth's palm, tiny teeth scratching but luckily not biting into her flesh.

Zakuro leaned over Beth's shoulder, her long hair tickling the other girl's arm. The way she observed the rodent was a tad less friendly than preferred. "I'm not taking care of it. I don't have time for pets."

The others all voiced their own problems at possibly housing a pet, even one as small as the hamster. Beth knew who had gotten the hamster, and she was pretty sure said people would be able to return it to wherever they'd gotten it from. "I'll take it home. Don't worry, I can keep it alive."

"I don't know, have you ever had a pet before? It's not like keeping a plant alive. They need food, exercises and companionship. If you don't keep an eye on them, they'll run rampant." Mint didn't look at the others while she delivered her statement, instead disdainfully sweeping a crumb from a nearby table.

Food, exercise, companionship and a constant watchful eye? That sounded a lot like a certain group of people she knew. "I have some experience in that department. I think I can handle a rodent."

"It's not for experiments. I repeat, not. Bring it back to wherever you got it from," Beth ordered Pai, showing him the hamster in a small, improvised cage. The tall man glanced between her and the rodent, not really sure what she wanted from him. She repeated her instructions, giving some clarification on what had happened earlier that day.

"I see. Taruto, put those comic books away for a second. They'll still be here when you get back. Just bring the animal to a pet store, and make sure nobody sees you," Pai commanded, gesturing with what looked like a thermometer, only it had three small orbs circling it in a lazy fashion. The younger boy obeyed, after several minutes of sulking, glaring and mutinous muttering. After he'd left Beth took a look at the living room table, not happy with what she saw.

"Tell me you're not building some kind of alien bomb on the table. Because this place is pretty expensive and I won't be able to explain this to my parents." She eyed several vials, containing colorful liquids and sandy substances.

Pai said a few words that she couldn't quite grasp before deigning to explain. "It's some medicine for that guy over there. He has it pretty badly."

Beth followed the aim of Pai's finger, which landed on Kisshu. She hadn't even noticed he was in the room, he usually was never this stationary. Now he was sitting in the sofa, head rolled back on the headrest. Even from this distance she could see he was breathing heavily, hands outstretched across the headrest as well. "He's sick?"

Pai shook his head in a way that wasn't entirely no. "What do humans do when they find someone attractive?"

Wow, way to change the subject much? "We go out on dates, I guess. Talk a lot, text, go to movies together. Tell the other person we 'like like' them. Why?"

"I meant physically."

Beth shrugged. "I dunnow, clammy hands, your heart starts beating faster, there's a lot of blushing and stammering involved. Sometimes people start tripping over their own feet. In Ichigo's case, she turns in a rambling puddle of lovesick goo every time you say 'Masaya'."

Pai mumbled 'interesting', before he flicked his hand to Kisshu. "It kind of corresponds to our bodies' way of letting us know a potential mate is near. But, as you can gather from Kisshu's condition, in our case it tends to be a bit more severe. Honestly, I never thought we'd have this problem on another planet, but I guess he's finally at that age. He is a bit of a late bloomer."

"Woah, back up here, Pai. You're saying he's like this because he likes someone?" Beth lowered her voice to an alarmed whisper. Kisshu hadn't stirred once during their conversation, so it was safe to assume he was too much out of it to even notice them. But was Pai talking about her or about Ichigo?

"I did suggest you two ought to mate sooner rather than later-"

"I swear, if you start about that again-" So Pai thought it was her fault.

"But that's because it's very bad for our bodies to be like this. Usually a prospective mate replies in kind, by staying in close proximity at all times. Even if they don't reciprocate, we can 'mark' the other one. Though usually marks are reserved for established couples, in extreme cases an unwilling mate allows the mark to reduce the tension on another. We often don't have that much choice in the matter. At this moment Kisshu can't even create a portal, because his body wants to remain near you."

Beth glanced at Kisshu. He swallowed, his dark hair hanging limp and sweaty across his brow. She raised an eyebrow at Pai. "So… I just let him mark me?"

"Actually, it would be more effective if you m-"

"Say 'mate' and I'll punch you into last month," Beth growled from between her teeth.

"-mark him," Pai finished his sentence. "Being marked gives more reassurance, because we're being claimed by the other one."

That didn't sound too bad. At least she wouldn't have to run around with Kisshu's sigil branded on her body for all the world to see. And though she'd usually put up a fight about how they weren't dating, she didn't exactly dislike him. Kisshu could be fun, if he wasn't begging for a kiss. They'd built a tentative friendship, and Beth had entertained the idea of maybe asking him out on a second date. "What do I have to do?"

This time Pai used his own body to demonstrate something, instead of probing her with strange implements. He hooked a finger around his lip, showing her his teeth. After a few seconds he let go. "Did you notice? Our canines are slightly more developed than yours. Though marking isn't the only function, it does help. So what you have to do is bite Kisshu."

Beth blinked. "I have to bite him? Won't that hurt?"

"Well, when caught in the throes of passion it's actually somewhat common for both males and females to-"

"I think I preferred 'mating'. I'll do it. Just… give me some time to mentally prepare."

Five minutes later Beth was sitting on one of the chairs near the table, next to Pai who was patiently preparing his mixture. He'd mentioned it would only be of real help if she did part of the work. But every time she thought about getting up and walking towards Kisshu her legs turned to rubber. Hell, biting didn't even enter the picture yet and she couldn't do it. Her heart pounded in her ears and her hands felt clammy.

"You're exhibiting signs of being in love," Pai commented in between his brewing.

"Shaddup! Being in love and being nervous feel alike a lot, y'know." Beth couldn't believe how much in fact, all the way up to the butterflies in her stomach. Kisshu groaned in the sofa, not paying attention to anyone else. He seemed to be having a hard time, eyes closed as he breathed in shallow puffs. She swallowed, convincing herself that it wasn't so bad. It was just a bite. That was like pinching someone, only with your teeth, right?

Beth stood up, the chair slightly scraping across the floor. Pai didn't even look up, as if she wasn't having the fiercest internal battle ever. Taking a deep breath, she made the first step towards Kisshu. After that it was easier to walk towards him, slowly moving along the sofa until she was standing in front of him, separated by about two steps between them.

Kisshu opened one eye halfway, his golden iris glinting feverishly. "Hey Red, what's with the serious look?"

Standing this close, she saw the way his skin seemed just a tad moist, and how his hands gripped the soft pillows, the knuckles turned white with the force of his grip. He wasn't wearing his shoes or the tails in his hair, the dark green brushing at his shoulders as he kept a watchful eye on her. The gleam in his eyes was almost… hungry. "I thought maybe we could talk? You've been avoiding me these past few weeks."

"Could you pick me up something from the store? We don't have the good ice cream anymore, the triple-chocolate thing? I'd like some of that." Of course he knew the store she got that from was two hours away. He was trying to send her away, probably because he couldn't do it himself anymore.

Beth took a tentative step towards him. Kisshu's reaction was immediate, a sharp inhale through his nose as he jerked a pillow closer to him. His eyes roved her body, inspecting every curve as if he had never seen her before. She wet her lips, acutely aware of how he followed that movement as well. "I get that you're trying to actually do a good thing here, by staying away from me. But this is just hurting yourself, Kisshu."

She took the final step towards him, standing between his legs, looking down on him. His pupils were dilated, his breathing reverted to shallow, hard puffs. He closed his eyes, frowning as he spoke. "I don't want to hurt you… Beth."

Her eyes locked onto his neck, at the place where it connected to his shoulder. She supposed that biting him there might not hurt to much. But she'd have to get awfully close to reach that spot. Tentative she stretched out a hand, leaning over him.

Kisshu opened his eyes then, and she froze. Then he practically growled his words, alien but desperate in their desire.
His hand closed around her wrist in a steel grip, and suddenly she fell forward, her knees landing against the sofa, her free hand against Kisshu's chest. As soon as they made contact she realized he was burning up, heat radiating from him as if he was a furnace. The moment for reflection faded because then his lips touched hers, clumsy and hot.

The shock left her unable to respond, while he placed his hands firmly in her hair, moaning. He smelled of musk, instead of his usual cool scent. The kiss broke, a superficial second, before he kissed her again. Beth wriggled her one hand free from between their bodies, but instead of breaking free she placed it gently at the side of his face. The touch alerted him enough to let go of her. Beth panted, heart racing in her chest. "You're sick."

"You're the cure," he whispered back, a fevered prayer rolling from his lips. He kissed her cheek, her chin, her other cheek. His hands tangled in her sleek hair, keeping her close to him. "And you taste so sweet."

Another kiss, light and quick, before he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and gently nipped at it. Beth panicked, but remembered what she was supposed to do. Just bite him, Pai had said, and he should snap out of it quickly. She tried to pull her head to the side, but Kisshu refused to let go. "No, don't leave me. Never leave."

He rained kisses on her mouth, some soft and some insistent, but never breaking loose from her for more than a few seconds. In between he'd mumble incoherent things about how he felt about her, how he needed to be near her, and though Beth was rather panicky, she was also flattered. But he refused to let go off her, which meant she couldn't do what she was supposed to do.
Then his mouth suddenly kissed across her jaw, to her ear and from that delicious warm spot tenderly down her neck. Beth remembered what Pai had said about marking, and with a rush she realized what Kisshu was doing. Determined she twined her fingers together in his hair, distracting him from his target. "Kiss me again."

And he obeyed her, but this time she responded in full, resting her body against him. His hands moved down, making sure she wouldn't slide from the couch. Her breasts were pressed against his hard chest, but for now Beth focused on the kiss. His body wanted to be near her, so perhaps, if she sated that craving for a few seconds, she'd be able to place her mark. She ran one of her hands slightly down in his hair, running her fingers to his shoulder. When she kneaded it, Kisshu moaned approvingly.
Tentatively she tasted his mouth, her tongue running briefly against his teeth before pulling back. To this he responded quickly, eagerly. The heat between their bodies increased and Beth was aware of something hard pressed against her abdomen. She ignored the feeling, and her own reaction on it, deepening the kiss, pouring all of her pent-up frustration of the past few weeks in it. Eventually she couldn't say if it was weeks or mere seconds they'd been like this. But his lips were so hot, so soft and eager to please her, to be pleased by her. She explored and he was only happy to let her. At a certain point she realized Kisshu wasn't the only one moaning in the kiss.

They broke free, panting and locking gazes. Kisshu smiled wearily, looking pleased with himself. "Wow, that was- oooh!"

Beth had taken the opportunity to bring her teeth to his shoulder muscle, biting down hard but mindful not to be too rough with him. Kisshu's taste mingled with sweat in her mouth and she found it not wholly unpleasant. His reaction was instantaneous, relaxing with his arms still around her. He cried out, not as if he were in pain but instead as if she was doing something incredibly pleasurable to him. Carefully she increased the pressure. He responded by whimpering softly, pulling her closer. The tension in his body faded, but he still didn't let go. "Harder, Red. Please."

She obeyed, trusting his instincts on this. He encouraged her, until finally her teeth broke the skin. A few drops of blood pearled at the edge of the bite, but he didn't seem to notice any pain. Eventually he really slacked, and her knees skidded against the sofa, sending her tumbling down. Her chin bounced against his stomach, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Thanks…" he mumbled wearily, opening his eyes lightly. He seemed to be almost dazed, struggling to sit up straight.

Beth swallowed, feeling as hot as Kisshu had felt a few seconds ago. She didn't think she'd ever be able to look him straight in the face again. Her bite stood out in red on his skin, a few teeth marks where she'd pierced the skin. At least he wasn't bleeding heavily. And then Kisshu sat up, and leaned towards her. She tried to scramble up, but he stopped her and this time the kiss was soft and sweet. "How about that second date?"

I'd love to comment on everyone's review, but I'm a bit overworked at the moment, so forgive me T.T I tried giving more info about the marking, but if you still have questions, be sure to let me know ^^