That night, Rifka found she was unable to sleep. She slid gingerly from the bed, revealing pajamas that consisted of white shorts and matching camisole, both with a blue cornflower pattern over them. She pulled her shoes on in silence before slipping out the door, careful to step over Kanda's legs without waking him. He was propped up against the wall near the foot of her bed, Mugen close at his side, positioned so he could watch her sleep and jump to her aid, or to her protection if needed. He was going to be angry when he realized he'd dozed off…

"He's going to kick my ass for taking advantage of it, too." She sighed, glancing back. She would deal with it when it came to that.

Bookman hadn't been able to compare Darkpaw's changes to anything he'd recorded before. General Nine had an animal Innocence too, but Lou Shimin had never started out as part of her. Allen's Clown Crown was able to turn into an armor-type Innocence, but he was still human inside of it. In the end, all he could tell her was that she was similar, but different, so perhaps the Innocence is truly unique to the user. Rifka felt there was only one other person she could talk to.

She took the elevator down to Hevlaska's chambers again, moving to the railing to gaze up at the unearthly guardian.

"An unexpected visit… Rifka…" spoke the slow, warm, echoing voice, "what is on… your mind…?"

"We're alone right now, right Hevlaska? You and I, right now?"

"Yes… The Council has gone… for the evening…"

"Something happened with Darkpaw, Hevlaska… I lost my weapons in an early battle and my Innocence overwhelmed me. She gave me the strength to defeat my enemies, but then she attacked my friends!" Rifka stared up at her, her expression earnest. "And then… And then later on, I fell and hit my head… I don't know how, but while I was unconscious, I was able to speak to her. We… I guess we came to an understanding."

Hevlaska gazed down at her quietly. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Rifka looked away, ashamed. "Well, the first time… I wish to God I didn't remember, but I saw all of it. Felt all of it. My skin went black and hardened, my teeth got all long and sharp, my nails became these huge claws, and it was all just like last time. I saw the Akuma and I wanted to kill them! The smell of their blood excited me… And when I saw that they were all gone, I realized Kanda and Allen were there. And then, and I couldn't believe it, but I…"

She laughed bitterly, gripping the railing and leaning over it to stare down into the darkness. "I really hope Allen won't hold it against me. I don't even know if he's had his first kiss yet and I tortured him like that…"

Hevlaska didn't need Rifka to explain any further. "It was poor timing, Rifka… When you transformed into Darkpaw, the successful kills, the smell of blood, and then the arrival of a dominant male, it sent you into Heat. It is the right time of year for it, after all… If we could have afforded not to send you into battle, the Council would have kept you in your room."

"H-Hevlaska…" Rifka was struck dumb, her expression more than stunned. "In Heat? Does… Does that mean… I could get…?" Her hands slid over her stomach, a shadow falling over her eyes.

Hevlaska's hands reached down again, caressing over Rifka's stomach. "You are not pregnant… I take it you have been… intimate with Kanda…?"

"What!" Rifka shook her head quickly, her face going scarlet. "No! No! I mean, it feels like we've become closer, but we haven't done anything like that…" She looked away, running her hand over her hair. Her brain was conspiring with Darkpaw to get her flustered, flashing memories through her mind. Kanda's hand in her hair, gripping tightly… His lips against hers… His breath in her ear, his weight as he pinned her down…

Not yet, Darkpaw seemed to be telling her, WANT. Soon!

Rifka shivered shook her head firmly to clear it. She didn't want to linger on the way it felt when Kanda touched her these days. It took her a moment to calm down and reorganize her thoughts without Darkpaw's lusty interference. "Um, anyway, the second transformation was amazing! It was like nothing I've ever done before…"

If Hevlaska was bothered by her desperate change of topic, or suspected her of anything at all, it didn't show. "Go on…"

Rifka described becoming the giant black jaguar, how Darkpaw seemed to form around her like a shield, protecting her body from any further damage and enabling her to continue fighting until the level three was brought down. Once the fight was over, the shield was removed, and she was forced to deal with her injuries.

A dozen of Hevlaska's hands stretched down and circled around Rifka, gently drawing her into the air, and she brought her forehead down to hers.

"10%... 25%... 37%... 56%..."

The number continued to climb until Hevlaska finally paused and gently placed Rifka back on her feet. "85% synchronization… As I recall, when you were first brought to me… You could barely reach 40%. You and your Innocence are… working together much better now. The 'understanding' you mentioned? I believe… it is very strong… Before, when you were young… Darkpaw was very protective of you… I would take control quickly… to prevent any harm from coming to you. Now it seems… she is willing to work… with you…"

"She accepts that I'm strong enough for her now, is that it? That actually makes a lot of sense. But, Hevlaska, even after all of that, can we really still have more room to grow?"

"Only time… will tell…"

"I suppose you're right. Thank you Hevlaska… good night."

"Be well, Rifka… And be careful…"

Rifka took the elevator up and to hurried back to her room. Calming herself at the door, she entered and turned to shut the door very carefully and as quietly as she possibly could, only to find Kanda leaning against the wall beside the bed with his arms crossed, already awake. He was staring out the window at the sky, watching the moon rise. His face was calm, but she could see his fists were clenched.

Crap. "Kanda wait, let me explain…"

"I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you," his quiet voice was chilly through gritted teeth; "I woke up suddenly and you were gone. You promised you wouldn't do anything stupid before you were healed, so I decided to wait and see if you came back here."

She shivered under the force of his anger and crossed the room to him. He ignored her pointedly, but she accepted that. "Kanda, you don't have to be mad – I kept my promise! I swear I didn't do anything stupid! I needed to ask Hevlaska a question." She sighed. "A lot of questions, actually. I was frightened, by what happened with my Innocence. And by what it might mean."

That got his attention. He finally turned to look down at her, and was surprised when she took his hands and held them tightly.

"Hevlaska told me that this is the time of year where Darkpaw goes into Heat." She nodded when she saw his eyes widen. "Yeah, I know, that's what I said. Listen; remember what I said about the pheromones? When I lost my mind in the outskirts and you pulled me back… Kanda, I guess you claimed me, and it's making me… um, I mean, now when I'm around you, I… I s-start to feel like… Like I…" she was blushing deeply and he stared back at her, silent and unhelpful. "I want… I just… I wanted to warn you… That if we don't stop… or if we're not careful…"

"What? You think I wouldn't want it?"

The amused tone to his voice surprised her. She stared up at him and he watched a soft smile curve across her lips. "I try never to assume things… but that makes me feel better, Yuu…"

He drew her into his arms, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Stop calling me that…" He smirked when she laughed. "Besides, you belong to me now, isn't that what it meant? I wouldn't throw that away."

She was stunned and stared up at him. "You… You understood what happened? And you let me stand here and flail like that?" He felt her hug him tightly and coughed sharply when she punched him in the ribs. "You are such a jerk."

He chuckled pushed her toward the bed. "Don't tell me you're surprised, Kitten? Now go back to bed."

"Ooh? I get my very own nickname now?" She grinned as she sat down on the bed and began to remove her boots, aware that he was watching. She did her best to ignore the flutter in her gut accompanied by Darkpaw's hungry growl, and slid back under the covers. "Why's mine so much nicer than Allen's?"

"It suits you, doesn't it? Just like his suits him. What does Darkpaw think?"

Rifka's gaze turned inward and she gave a quick, sharp snort, rolling her eyes. "Oh, she thinks you're hilarious."

"She always has…"

"Honestly… Calling a cat that big Kitten… You've got some nerve… Stupid Kanda…"

A silence followed. He grinned when he realized she had fallen asleep. He placed Mugen against the nightstand and got comfortable again on the floor, folding his arms and stretching out his legs. "And you always have to be difficult, don't you Kitten?"

Her hand gently snaked down from the bed, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him up to the edge of the mattress. He felt her lips against his ear and his heart suddenly started to pound. "I think I like it…" She whispered to him, "Almost as much as the way you call my name."

"Wait. You… you heard…?"

"Mhmm… Both times." Then she rolled over and really went to sleep, leaving him on the floor to blush in the darkness.