A/N: Hahahahaha I love cliffhangers. Here's the gory details aka the GOOD PART. ^_^ don't worry, I snuck some plot line in the story as well. All is well. :)

Enjoy the ridiculously long description of the lip-locking.

Chapter Nine - Spices

It felt so strange, like a thousand butterflies suddenly burst from their cocoons inside her stomach. But they were butterflies slam dancing and a little trigger happy with their Hadron Blasters. Kallen felt it like a punch in the gut, and at the same time felt that suddenly the word gravity held no meaning.

And it smelled like spices. Like saffron and nutmeg – like an entire spice shop. It wasn't an overwhelming smell but it seemed so strong and it enveloped her, welcomed her in.

It tasted like spices, too, but more like cinnamon and cocoa. Really dark spicy chocolate. Something so terribly irresistible but so very overwhelming, so bad and yet so very, very good.

Gino felt warm beneath her hands, his arms tight around her as he held her close, his hair tickling her face as he moulded his lips to hers, and Kallen reached up onto her toes to get closer, her daring hands reaching up to tangle her fingers in his golden hair. She felt him smile and her stomach dropped through the floor again, the frighteningly violent butterflies returning with an almighty vigour.

Kallen took a sharp breath as she felt Gino's gentle hands wrap around her waist, pulling her closer, and she let herself be pulled against him. He deepened the kiss, but he wasn't being over-forceful. He tilted his head slightly, and Kallen felt his lips open against hers and she did the same, and she could feel a warmth growing from her chest and stomach, and she wondered why she had never quite felt this way before.

Gino pulled back, and Kallen realised what was happening. It's so wrong, she thought, we can't do this, I'm just throwing it all away now, I can't –

At that moment, Kallen's nervous thoughts were interrupted when Gino placed a kiss on her pulse, gently running his lips across her skin, and he lifted one of his hands to the nape of her neck, holding her carefully as he kissed his way up her jaw line, and Kallen tried her best to smother a moan as he cheekily bit down on her ear lobe, his warm lips and hot breath sending shivers along her skin.

Gino chuckled again, and he whispered into her ear, lips brushing against her skin, "I've wanted to kiss you since I first saw you at that wedding reception. Do you remember?"

Kallen paused, realising he had asked a question, then taking another moment to reply with a small nod.

Gino's lips smiled against her skin as he murmured, "You're so beautiful…"

Kallen trembled, her knuckles whitening as she clutched onto the front of his jacket, and she closed her eyes, waiting for Gino's lips to return to hers, kissing his way back across her skin, making her sigh. His lips hovered above hers for a moment, so close but not quite touching, and Kallen bumped her sharp nose against his.

Kallen moved forward to steal a kiss but Gino edged away, teasing her, a crooked smile on his face. She stared up at him with her stormy blue eyes and she tried again but he continued with his silly game, making her smile even though she knew it was annoying.

And then, for a moment, Gino paused, his smile fading slightly as he stared at her, just watching her, eyes dancing over her face, her eyes, her lips, taking in every part of her. Kallen waited, but she felt another shiver run across her skin and she whispered, "Gino…"

Gino's eyes flashed back to hers, and he looked at her almost in confusion, and then took her by surprise when he captured her lips in another heated kiss without warning, and Kallen moaned aloud, blushing madly as Gino laughed at her reaction.

And then, all of a sudden, the lights flickered for a brief moment, illuminating them both in the glass chamber, in each other's arms, both of them staring at the other person in their arms like they hadn't known who they had been kissing in the darkness.

By the time the lights had flicked back off again, Kallen had slipped from Gino's arms and was standing a few metres away, not looking at him but hiding behind a curtain of hair, a blush creeping across her cheeks as she wrung her hands together nervously.

Gino looked down at his empty hands and then they fell to his sides, and Kallen heard him repress a sigh, before he said, "Kallen, you always knew how I felt."

Kallen felt no need to reply. It wasn't a question.

"Why can't you just pretend that we're on the same side," Gino said quietly, desperately. "I don't care anymore."

Kallen shook her head. "I can't. Not until after I've finished my work for Zero."

"If he comes here to take you away, I won't let you leave."

Kallen didn't look at him as her eyes narrowed in her anger. "You can't make me a Britannian. I will always be Japanese – I'll always be with Zero."

She could see him out of the corner of her eye as he flinched, and then he said as his eyes lost all their delightful shimmer, "I guess I was always going to have to compete with Zero."

Before Kallen could reply, Gino had already opened the glass door and was walking down the bridge.

She wasn't sure how long he was gone for, but it was still dark when Gino came back to see her, the noise from his brightly polished boots echoing from the far wall. He stood in front of her glass cell, and she stared back at him indignantly, not willing to speak with him now. He'd made his intentions clear, and she knew she could never be like him.

If they had been in a different time, a different place, maybe…

"The blackout was a strategic attack."

Kallen blinked, frowning as Gino stared down at her without a smile on his face.

"Zero has shut down the power so he can attack the Britannian headquarters."

Kallen suddenly felt the fading memories rush back from the abyss, and Zero's face was suddenly clear again in her mind, she could see C.C. and Ohgi and she could feel the thrill of piloting the Guren, fighting in an open battlefield…

Kallen felt a smile touch on her face and she exclaimed, "Zero's here?"

Gino gave a small, mirthless laugh. "Nice to see you're so excited."

Kallen frowned at him, not much liking him when he was like this. And besides, she had a right to be excited. She was finally going to be back where she belonged – not in some cell, not surrounded by Britannians, not in some stupid dress…

"So, it seems that really is where you belong," Gino said, a touch of hurt in his voice, not very well disguised by his anger. He stared at her intently as he spoke. "And I'm sorry, Kallen, but you and I both know I won't hold back. If you do escape, I'll have to kill you."

Kallen felt so very small when he glared at her like that.

"I do very much hope you don't get rescued," Gino said, then a small daring smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he said, "But you won't escape. So long as I'm here, and I've got Tristan."

Kallen said nothing as she watched Gino walk away, the careless sparkle in his bright blue eyes having been replaced by a determined glint, and Kallen wished for two things.

The first was that she would get rescued, but wouldn't have to fight Gino.

The second, if the first wish failed, was that she wouldn't get rescued at all.