~Chapter Ten~

Liquid amber pooled in his eyes, a gaze that danced with knowing mischief. It was as though those eyes grasped onto her, holding her in place. She shivered at the proximity, though nothing could break this spell. It was as though her body had disconnected from her mind, and now it bent to his will. That golden gaze seduced her thoughts, restraining any movements or hope of escape.

Her breath caught as his hand reached out, pale skin drifting toward her. A delicious warmth shot through her body as his fingers brushed against her lips, a smirk playing on his own.

"My pretty kitty…"

The boy closed the space between them in a blur. With one movement he dipped forward, his lips claiming hers, his hand lacing through her hair. It was as though flames emitted from his kiss, burning an enticing trail through her body. Her hands gripped onto him, a sigh escaping her as his breath mingled with her own.

And just as suddenly his touch disappeared, no longer holding her figure flush against him. Her body had disappeared, replaced by paws and ebony fur. Kisshu stared down at the small kitten in his hands, bewilderment hazing his eyes. A lazy grin slowly curved his lips, his features lit with amusement.

"You're mine."

Ichigo jolted up, a screech filling the air. She grasped onto the blankets under her, forest green pillows scattered around her. Her breaths were ragged, echoing through the room. A thought surfaced in her sleepy conscious, singled-out in her half-lidded gaze.

He knows my secret.

She swallowed back any other sounds of alarm, allowing her eyes to slide closed. It was easier to focus on breathing, on the feel of soft cloth under her. It helped control her senses and allow her to collect her thoughts. As a minute passed, her breath rushed from her lungs in relief.

A dream. It was only a dream.

Just as swiftly, Ichigo gasped, alarm and irritation rising in her.

Why the hell would I be dreaming about him? And about…that?

She opened her eyes leisurely, only to glare at her lap. What kind of dream was that? It was ridiculous, and if she hadn't known better, it was probably a dream that didn't even belong to her. The thought was dismissed almost immediately, though. Kisshu didn't know her secret. And it was better if it stayed that way.

Ichigo sighed irritably, allowing her gaze to wander. She was struck with stunned confusion as she took in her surroundings. It was an unfamiliar room, and quite honestly, everything about it was…well, alien. Except for the bed, she didn't recognize anything. A scent caught her attention temporarily, and Ichigo's eyes fell upon the blankets under her.

Ichigo leaned down, almost hesitant. She closed her eyes, her nose resting against the soft material. The Mew breathed in deeply. A familiar breezy cinnamon drifted through her senses, causing her eyes to fly open.

"I wonder if it has the same effect on you, that yours has on me."

Ichigo set her jaw, eyes flashing as she sat up stiffly.

"Don't be naughty, Kisshu."

The alien laughed thoughtfully, his chin resting in his palms. He hovered over the floor, his lips curved to reveal pearly fangs through his playful smirk.

"'Naughty' is a simple definition for what is commonly known as 'erotic fantasies'. I regularly practice this term, but in this particular instance, I was actually being quite serious."

Ichigo blinked at him, features lifted in a stunned expression. Kisshu's grin widened.

"Do I impress you, Strawberry? I've been looking stuff up, you know. My current style doesn't seem to be working too well, so I figured I'd try a different position," The alien paused, a mischievous glint seeming to tint his gaze, "Speaking of naughty things and studying, I made it my personal business to research this 'hentai' you mentioned. Tasty stuff."

A warm pink brushed over the girl's face, her eyes darting to her lap instinctively.

"I didn't m-mean to say that! You shouldn't sa-"

Kisshu chuckled lowly, his feet drifting to the floor. His hair wasn't in its usual style. Instead of twin ponytails, it was now pulled into a single one at the back of his neck. Somehow, it made him look older, though no less playful.

"Really, Kitty, I didn't know you were into such things. I mean, if you would've told me sooner, I could've personally tutored you to-"

"Shut up! I don't like hentai!"

"-it really is a pity. I mean, we could be doing more advanced things by now if we would've only started sooner. But now I have-"

"I don't want to kiss you!" She shouted irritably.

The alien stopped then, his body seeming to freeze. Ichigo let out a sound, almost between a gasp and a hiccup. It took her suddenly, an outburst of mental movement that stole her breath away. One moment she was glaring at Kisshu, and in the next she was staring back at her reflection. The expression on her body's face was one of utter surprise, her mouth forming a silent 'o'.

[ Ichigo. ]

His voice echoed through her soul, strong and present. It was as though she were a small creature in an omnipresent god's hands, an otherworldly being that held her gently in his grasp. An overwhelming feeling of insignificance as well as confusion washed over her.

~ What happened! Where am I? ~

Her body smiled back at her, a soft tilting of the lips that sent her heart thrumming. No, not her heart – Kisshu's heart? What was going on?

[ We've switched bodies. ]

~ What? No! No!

[ Yes. ]

A yelp escaped her, one hand darting to her mouth in astonishment. Or, to Kisshu's mouth.

[ Don't worry, Kitten. It'll pass in a moment. ]

~ How do you know that? ~

[ Because as well as being your mental companion and you're future sex tutor, I'm also Pai's closest ally. I pay attention to everything he says. He's explained a lot to me. ]

Ichigo glanced around, her vision blurring along the edges. Her body – Kisshu? – shouted at her.

"Stop that! You're teleporting!"

She froze, eyes widening. Her eyes grazed over the new vessel in which she inhabited. With a new sense of surprise, and a small hint of exhilaration, she realized that Kisshu was right. Her figure had grown almost transparent.

"I don't know what I'm doing, or even how I'm doing it!"

Kisshu narrowed his new eyes at her, "Focus on me. Concentrate on my voice."

"You mean my voice!"

"Whatever."

Ichigo breathed out slowly, allowing her gaze to settle on her body's mouth. It felt almost like an audible change, a snap back into reality. Her senses grew heightened considerably. It was as though she was becoming intensely aware of every sound, and every scent.

"There." She breathed.

Another wave of revelation overwhelmed her as she listened more closely to the sound waves in her voice, every tremor in the air. She could distinctly make-out soft breathing, and a steady, warm heartbeat filling the room. As she paid closer attention, she also became gradually aware of a new, delicious scent. She shuddered involuntarily, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth. Ichigo jerked as her fang nipped into the soft flesh.

"Take it easy on my body, Kitty."

Kisshu grinned back at her, causing another mysterious increase in her body's pulse.

Ichigo huffed, "Well, if you had warned me about this from the start, this wouldn't be an issue!"

"Give me a break! Just because I talk to Pai doesn't mean that I know everything that's going to happen."

"If you know anything, though, you should share it with me!"

"Don't be a hypocrite, sweetheart."

The girl stared back at her body silently, a feeling of horror creeping into her.

"What are you talking about?"

Kisshu lifted a finger to his mouth, eyes lighting with contemplation and vibrancy. Images crept in her head, causing her heart to thud painfully in her chest.

"Oh, Kitten…" He groaned, eyes closing. It sounded odd, coming from her own voice/body.

"What is it?" Ichigo blurted, panic surging through her.

Kisshu didn't respond right away, his figure completely still. Ichigo couldn't move, for fear of whether the movement might be a break in her own composure. He knew.

By the gods, he knew.

"This truly is something, Strawberry."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been hiding a secret from me," He said, "And I can't believe I didn't see this before."

Ichigo's breath caught in her throat, nausea biting into her stomach. Her eyes fell closed as an odd feeling of pins-and-needles tingled through-out her limbs. The experience resembled like that of a dream, when she felt as though her soul were drifting out of her body. And then just as suddenly her eyes flew open, only for her to find herself staring blankly at Kisshu's body.

Relief rushed through her, though at the same time a small tinge of disappointment. She had rather enjoyed the almost-teleporting.

Ichigo reached up to touch her face, her eyes darting to her clothes as a silent assurance. It felt good to be back inside of her own body – as strange as that itself sounded.

Kisshu hadn't spoken at all during the shifting of consciouses, and even now he stared at her so intently that it could have passed for steaming anger. The expression in his eyes was intense, so much so that she froze upon seeing it. But it wasn't what she would have expected. She had seen that look before, though she couldn't quite put her finger on where.

"You didn't trust me to not take advantage of you." He said it as though it were a stated fact, and not a lingering doubt.

Ichigo swallowed, dazed and somewhat slow due to this sudden change in tone, "Yes."

She blinked at him, realization dawning on her. Hurt? But no, Kisshu wouldn't have a reason to be hurt. Why on earth would he look like that? Yes, he had that expression earlier in Pai's lab, when she had thought about the aliens' habit of taking advantage of her vulnerability. But that didn't make any sense. He knew perfectly well what she thought of them, and he was an eager participant in their scandalous deeds. So, why would he have that look in his eyes?

"Not everything I do is malicious, Ichigo. I've already told you, many times…"

She let out a sharp breath, a rush of thoughts overwhelming her. Three words stood out, piercing into her deeper than she expected. She had heard them from his lips before, so why on earth was it different this time?

Kisshu breathed out softly, and she could almost see the difficulty that passed over him as he attempted to control his thoughts. They left her almost immediately, but not before she had glimpsed many things that he had obviously tried to conceal. The emotion paled from his face, though his skin tone was usually light anyway.

"It's no matter. You'll understand someday, Neko-chan," He replied after a moment.

He wasn't acting normal. In fact, there were very few times Ichigo had seen him act like this. The deep honey hue of his eyes had hardened, and his tone almost sounded assuring, stubborn even. It was almost as though he were reassuring himself that this were true, and she was only a child that would one day realize that she didn't know everything, and he, the parent, was right.

And yet, she could hear a hint of bitter sadness in his voice. It was as though these were the words that he had echoed to himself several times before, and they were near the point of sounding like a hollow recitation.

"I want to go home. And I want to know what happened after I fainted."

"I'll tell you what," Kisshu sighed, dropping fluidly onto the bed, "I'll give you something, and in return you are to give me something. But think it over very carefully, because I will not grant but only one thing."

Ichigo scoffed softly, "That is childish. You're not a genie."

The alien arched an eyebrow at that, his expression clouding briefly.

"Genie?"

"Forget it."

"Is it like 'Hentai'?" He inquired brilliantly.

"No!"

Kisshu grinned wickedly, "I could give you-"

"No!"

The boy grunted, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly. The solemn intensity from before had all but disappeared, and now he only resembled a sulking child.

"Well, start thinking. I don't have all day."

Ichigo closed her eyes, pursing her lips as she delved into thought. The number one thing that occurred to her was that the fight between the aliens and the Mews be over, but she highly doubted he would be able to give her that, let alone want to. As if in response she could literally feel his smirk, the kind that drifted leisurely and tilted his lips to a dangerous curve.

What did she want? She wanted him to keep her secret private, and not take advantage of it. She also wanted him to leave Aoyama utterly alone, and never hurt him whether it be through another creature/person or with his own hands. She wanted him to stop flirting with her- then again that was a little much to ask for. She had a feeling that it was more of a habit for him than anything.

But she couldn't think about herself. She had to think outside of the box. That was what being a Mew leader was about. She had to take her companions into thought, as well as the population they were trying to protect.

"I want to know your plans. Every one of them."

Kisshu sighed, so deeply that she feared she had said something wrong. It was a sound that an adult might make to an insolent child that was not listening. Had she missed something?

"You're not very clever today, Strawberry. Perhaps you're just distracted? Hn."

"What? What did I do?" She demanded airily.

Kisshu fixed her with a sharp gaze, almost as though he wished she were able to read his mind. She could, if he would only let her.

"It's against the rules, Kitten. I can't tell you every move of our game play. But, I could offer you a compromise. I told you that once before, you know. The rules never mentioned anything about a negotiation."

"Well, then what's the compromise?"

The alien smiled faintly, his eyes glinting, "It'll cost you a pretty price."

"Tell me."

Kisshu lifted one finger to brush a loose strand of maroon hair. He curled the tip around it almost absently.

"The question isn't, 'What are your plans?' That is mute. Because even after you know them, there isn't anything you can really do about it if you don't know how."

"Then what are your plans, and how do I eliminate them?"

The boy chuckled, "That is a simply horrid thing to ask of the one that is to be doing the moves."

Ichigo felt her head growing sore, "You just told me to ask you that!"

"Ah, but no, I didn't. What you think you should be asking is actually the very thing you should be inquiring of yourself. And if I were to tell you our move, then how would you react if you didn't know your own?"

"Kisshu, I'm about to smack you."

He grinned obnoxiously, unraveling his finger from the strand. It bounced freely, now a small curl.

"Okay, then let me put it this way. The answer you are seeking is amongst you already."

Ichigo huffed, "That's not an answer at all!"

"You should have asked a better question."

The girl glared at him heatedly, crossing her arms in aggravated defeat. Kisshu's eyes softened after a moment as he looked at her, his hand falling into his lap.

"My turn."

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to grant me a wish, and in return I'll give you something."

Ichigo blinked thoughtfully, "Well, go ahead."

She restrained a gasp as his hands came up to rest on her shoulders. Kisshu had returned to a somewhat solemn state, which never failed to surprise her. His lean figure fell toward her, and almost too suddenly, his mouth descended on hers. Kisshu's kiss was gentle, his lips carefully meshing with her own. It stirred something inside of her as they moved leisurely, urging a reaction from her. Ichigo flushed, her eyes slipping shut briefly as she struggled to respond. It was as though all of her senses had shut down, the only intelligible thing being taste. She could taste him on her mouth, a strong, exotic taste that she had only detected in his scent. Yes, like cinnamon.

Ichigo lifted her hands, and even then the movement felt sluggish. It took a great deal of effort to push at his chest, breaking apart the seal that had somehow joined them for that one individual moment. Gasps broke through the silence, her heart thrumming in her chest. Kisshu's eyes were wild and clouded, an array of confusion and pleasure surfacing in their depths.

It was a long time before that instant passed. It could have been hours, a few minutes, or even two seconds. The only thing she was aware of was the hammering of her pulse, and the pooling amber that was holding her in place.

Kisshu didn't speak, though she could feel his emotions in volumes. They vibrated through her, merging with her own in a perplexing duet. She fell back into reality the moment his expression changed, and his form evaporated.

Ichigo stared at the spot he had once stood, realizing only after a few minutes that she was no longer on a bed, but standing in her room.

Fear blossomed in her chest. She hadn't meant to allow him to do that. She should have shoved him away the minute he had touched her. And yet, something cold rested against the skin of her palm. He must have left it there sometime during the kiss, as his payment. She licked her lips timidly, tasting what had once been there before.

In a single puff it was all over, and Ichigo was returned to a thorough reality as she stared at her reflection through the mirror across from her. The large, slit eyes of an irritated cat gazed back at her.

Hey! *laughs* Late, again, but I went to a Convention for anime and gaming, so I think that's a good excuse, right? Besides, I've been taking care of my Club...AND I gave you a long chapter.

Lol, I think Ichigo's just now starting to descend into the deep, dark confusion that insues with starting to like Kisshu. But she may not realize it yet. :D Well, yay for us fangirls! OMG, so many reviews. You guys make me so proud :) *starts ridiculously dapping at the eyes with a tissue*

I really am happy that you peeps are enjoying this so much, though. It really makes my day. As for the 'Kisshu parents' thing, I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I bring things in through-out the story, so rest-assured all things will be answered in due time. I'm just so relieved I finally finished this update. *sigh* Well, thanks again!

Whitewolfffy~

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