Again, here's a warning, my kitties – the next two chapters have the capacity to be VERY confusing (though hopefully it won't be) Supposedly, they're both meant to give more answers rather than ask additional questions. For those of you that are re-reading The Love Debt, you may remember they are CRUCIAL chapters! Hope you all enjoy! AND PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me in detail what you think!

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Recap

Having no other alternative, Ichigo climbed out of the cellar, crept out of the alley and back for Kish's house. "Please god!" Ichigo said in her thoughts. "Please don't let Kish be home yet!" In a hurry, Ichigo rushed for the front door and silently slipped inside.

Unknown to her, hidden in deepest shadows by the house, her persistent stalker eyed her keenly. Although she was unaware of it, he had pursued Ichigo into the alley and overheard the entire conversation between Malo and Belgemine.

This was all exceptionally valuable information he had heard. He couldn't let Kish's life be lost to Belgemine, Malo and Tosa's brother. Clenching his fist, he took a deep breath. He was done spying now. It was time to put things in to motion.

Sorrowfully, the man sighed as he gently stroked his paralyzed, right arm. He was powerless – he had been stripped of an alien's very glory. No vortexing, no power… not even the ability to fight. He was an outlaw and a fiend to the aliens, as well as a hideous disgrace.

Nonetheless, he didn't need physical strength of magic to protect Kisshu. He had willpower, and, after all, that was the greatest power in all the world.

Chapter 14: Fagan Black

Ichigo ascended the grand, stone steps and moved to the mansion's paved porch. As she ran her hand over the rocky banister, she situated herself in the darkening shadows by the marvelous doorway. In a shakily manner, she sighed. Why did it feel like someone was watching her? It made her exceptionally uneasy. Position her fist over her pounding chest, she glanced over her shoulder to examine the dimming yard. The towering trees only decreased her vivid sight. If anything or anyone were out there hiding, he certainly had a lot of cover. Who ever her mysterious stalker was must desperately want something from her. But what?

Still concealed in the shadows outside, Ichigo bit her lip. "I've had enough of this…" she muttered. "Who's there?" She called. "Is anyone out there?" Honestly, it didn't make sense how her stalker could have followed her to Kish's house – not after what he had told her. Kish informed her that the very notion of an intruder was out of the question. "Come out!" Ichigo called again. "I know you're watching me. You've been doing it for days! Now show yourself!"

There was no reply - only the regular night sounds of an alien planet. Ichigo groaned a bit. It was hopeless. Turning, she started to head in when something hit her hair. Startled, Ichigo jumped and reached her hand behind her head to grab it. At first, she thought it might have been some sort of bug tangled in her hair, but she quickly realized this was wrong.

The object was a rather odd yet stylish piece of parchment shaped into the form of a paper airplane. Ichigo held it securely while looking around her. There was no one around. Returning her attention to the paper, Ichigo began to cautiously unwrap it. It read the following:

Ichigo,

Do not be alarmed – I am not your enemy. We both require the same thing - Kish's survival. All the same, you will not speak to him about what you overheard between Belgemine and Malo. Like you, I am also aware of this delicate information. Those two fiends seek Kish's death.

If you were to inform Kish of this plot, he would undoubtedly contact Kova. Do not let this happen. Uprooting their present plot would be a grave mistake. Belgemine and Malo would simply construct an entirely new strategy. If that were to occur, saving Kish's life would be beyond us. So remain calm, continue to spy, say nothing and you shall meet me very soon.

~Fagan Black

Abruptly, Ichigo concealed the note and examined her surroundings. This Fagan Black was the same guy Belgemine and Malo had mentioned before. Apparently, he had been around since Kish was very young. Ichigo couldn't help but consider his age. He must be an older man by now. Why did he want to keep Kish safe?

All the same, Ichigo knew it really didn't matter. Obviously, we was an enemy of Malo and Belgemine. She had no choice but to trust him.

Once more, Ichigo reached for the knob to open the front door. However, before she could do so, the door was flung open from the inside. Surprised, Ichigo jerked back and looked ahead. Standing erect in the doorway, Silda glared at the red-haired girl. She'd been caught.

"Oh…Silda…" Ichigo started in a rather pathetic, quiet voice. "...You scared me…" She stated, weakly.

Suspiciously, The House Keeper narrowed her eyes and asked. "…Did I? So sorry," she sighed, sarcastically. "What are you doing out so late?"

Ichigo tried her absolute best to remain cool and casual. "Just touring the city. It's so pretty out." There was a brief silence. "Um…so I guess if you don't need me for anything, I'll be going inside." Quickly, the girl pushed her way past and hurried upstairs. Shutting the door, Silda watched as she went.

Her eyes narrowed with an eagerness in them. "Treacherous fiend. She must be in on Kish's murderer. Probably out planning. I must report again to Master Kova…"

Kish stood in the doorway of his room, pouting. It was late and Ichigo wasn't there. "Damn it…why does she always have to go sneaking off?" He sighed.

Suddenly, he turned around to see Ichigo tiptoeing up the stairs, trying not to be heard. Startled, she met eyes with him and froze. This was it. She was dead. Why was he here? He wasn't supposed to be back until much later.

Eyeing her strongly, Kish's eyes glistened with mischief as he smirked. "You've got bad habits, kitty-cat."

Ichigo blushed angrily. "I wasn't sneaking if that's what you mean. I was out walking."

Kish moved to meet her by descending a few steps. His tone was doubtful. "Is that right?" He asked. When he reached her, Kish looked her in the eye with a firm longing. "So tell me what's up then. ...I know you're hiding things..."

Ichigo tried to appear casual.

His eyes filled with hurt and weakened frustration as he spoke in a soft, pitiful voice. "I thought we were supposed to spend time together..." Ichigo could see the ever-clear, golden spark glistening in his eyes.

Angered and distressed, Ichigo blushed and looked away. "How many times are you going to use that excuse?" Her voice was almost cold.

A bit more lively, he countered back. "How many times are you going to keep running off?" He allowed a short space to stir her conscience.

According to what Kish was taught, nothing but death was capable of interfering with the lover's vow. It was a bond built by gods. Only once in history had someone actually managed to break that. Due to the bond's great strength, it required an unimaginably, immense fuel to break the chain. In addition to that, Kish was the single person in the world who knew who that man was...

…Nobas – his father.

His hatred for humans obliterated his bond with Lady Kylie. He had killed her.

Anxiously, Ichigo sighed and looked back at him. "Kish, you don't really need to know anything," she replied quietly. "It's personal."

Nonetheless, Kish was determined and persistent. "Come on, kit-cat," he said in a truly longing tone. "You've been doing nothing but hide stuff. Please talk to me! Tell me what's really going on."

Ichigo attempted to stall. "Why don't you tell me how your talk with Master Kova went, instead?"

He rolled his eyes and groaned. "Sure. But then I'm only going to go right back to this conversation!" Annoyed and tired, Ichigo yet again averted her eyes. Still, Kish agreed to oblige her. "Honestly, it didn't go so well. I openly expressed my opinion on this arranged marriage thing – polluted muck. I did get Master Kova to talk, though. He went on for several hours about the importance of it and how it's been planned since my infancy. Apparently, the the only reason it was never brought up was due to all my childhood chaos."

Despite his struggles, Ichigo smirked. "Chaos loves you, Kish."

Casting her a soft, sweet look, Kish spoke quietly. "I think it loves you, too, honey..." Carefully, he reached out and stroked her face tenderly. "Won't you please tell me what you've been doing...?"

Ichigo groaned and pulled back. Why did he have to be so persistent? Yet again, Ichgio tried. "Kish, it really doesn't matter, okay? Just forget about it - it's personal."

"Why?" He asked.

Savage rage exploded in Ichigo's expression. Growling, she lunged in his face and stomped her foot. Unable to bear it, she screamed at him. "When will you take a hint? Leave me alone!" Without another word, she stormed up the remaining stairs, down the hall to her room.

Startled by her outburst, Kish had pulled back. Why was she so angry? Quickly, he pursued her. Kish had entered the room, shut the door and leaned against the back of it.

His eyes widened at what he saw. Ichigo was sitting in the corner, facing the wall. All the same, a half-view of her face was still visible. Her cheek was damp from a few quick tears but her eyes were dark with pain. Immediately, the pace of his heart-beats quickened. He hadn't meant to upset her. Silently, the regretful teenager moved to her side with a sympathetic look in his eyes. He knelt beside her and sighed.

A sudden rush tempted him to gather her in his arms and comfort her. Still, he knew that would only upset her further. Apparently, she didn't like being open and close.

It hurt. Nevertheless, Kish rushed his pains aside. He knew he should apologize.

Tenderly, he whispered in a sincere tone. "...Ichigo...?" She made no response. "...I...I really am sorry. I...I was wrong to keep pestering you..."

After a long silence of waiting, Ichigo broke a sigh. Still, she didn't turn to look at him when she spoke.

"...Kisshu...I need you to understand this – you can't know. You have to..." Briefly, she paused. It was the right thing to say. "...You have to leave me alone. I need some space – some limits." While her eyes remained mostly concentrated, they wavered to a slight extent. This was difficult to say to a person like Kisshu. " I will admit I have a lot I'd like to tell you - to share with you." Embarrassed, she lowered her head and continued in a nearly inaudible voice. "But..." Yet again, her voice grew excessively firm. "I can't be an open book. It's not that I don't trust you, Kish...but I need to be personal right now. I know you think it's hell-maddening of me to not tell you every little thing that's going on. But it's just as painful for me to control myself from saying things that shouldn't be said…"

For the most part, Kish understood her point. All the same, his doubtful noises and gestures expressed his helpless frustration. This was so hard! "...Well..." His eyes filled with perplexity. "H-how am I supposed to respond to that, then? What am I supposed to do?" Crawling around to face her, he stared at her. In his eyes, Ichigo could see he was angry. The point was, he wanted her to be an open book – he was scared when she wasn't! "…Why shouldn't you be able to say them to me?" His voice childishly demanded a reply.

Ichigo's emotions were exhausted.

Her closest friends in the entire world were confined as captives by Kish's soon-to-be murder. Malo and Belgemine were involved in both. If Kish were to become aware of this, things would severely worsen - she knew it.

Ichigo locked a sharp gaze on her soul-mate. All she could say was this. "...I can't give a good answer to that, Kisshu." When he started to sigh and groan, Ichigo rose her voice so he would listen. "I know it doesn't seem fair – but it is. I have a right to do things this way – my way." Deepening the gaze, she moved somewhat closer in his face. "I need you to understand, Kish. I think this runs deeper than either of us are viewing it. You've got to trust me – and I know that's hard for you. You seem..." She examined him keenly. Ashamed, Kish bowed his head and averted his eyes. "...You seem scared of something."

Ichigo was correct. He was scared – he was terrified of what was happening. No matter how necessary boundaries and privacy were, Ichigo was still keeping secrets from him. It made him uneasy. Had he done something wrong? Was he losing her? Was there someone else? Kish's heart burned.

If anyone deserved punishment, it was certainly him. His own father, Nobas, had broken the very laws of nature and shattered the god-given bond. Kisshu, like his father, was also abusing it. Without even confirming Ichigo's consent, he had spoken the vow. Due to his family's horrid sins, perhaps his vow was defective. Maybe it didn't work – maybe Ichigo didn't love him.

Kish sighed. Suddenly, he felt compelled to relinquish his curiosity. "Alright..." Sharply, he eyed her and spoke injuriously. "I hate it...but I get it." Although Ichigo detected his pain, she said nothing.

She had to find Fagan Black – now.

The hour was indeed late. On his luxurious bed, Kish laid in the dark silence wide awake. He couldn't sleep. Damn. Pai was right – the strength of the bond was overpowering. He couldn't resist the thought of Ichigo's face. Restlessly, Kish rolled over onto his side. She was only a room away and yet he missed her dearly.

In the darkness of Kish's room, by the window, Ichigo's dark stalker hid among the shadows. He eyed Kish strongly. Due to Kish's exhausted mood, he was too weak to even sense the man's presence.

Fagan Black was surprised by this. Usually, Kish was exceptionally alert. He'd...never been this close to him before. It felt...indescribable.

Fagan Black frowned in the gloominess. If Ichigo didn't swear to risk her life for Kish then there would be trouble. Fagan knew she would want to rescue her friends, Lettuce and Pudding. With that so, she might further endanger Kish's position. She would be discovered, arrested and Kish would corrupt and Belgamine's plot. It was crucial that things stayed as they were.

He certainly was a well-informed outlaw.

He knew what no one else knew – that Ichigo was the genuine redhead and that Malo and Belgemine required - not Cime. Belgemine was mistaken - it was Ichigo's blood they needed. She didn't know yet.

Clenching his fists, Fagan continued to gaze at the dreaming alien prince. He needed Ichigo to swear her allegiance – to swear she would do anything to keep Kish safe. Protecting this young, reckless Prince was his top priority. It was the debt he wanted to repay to…Lady Kylie.

DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN! So this Cime girl (Kish's betrothed) is apparently NOT the redhead Belgemine (the fortuneteller) and Malo (a past rival of Kish's) need! It's ICHIGO! More drama as usual! And who is this outlaw, Fagan Black? He wants to keep Kish safe? How did he know Lady Kylie (Kish's mother)?

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P.S. If anyone is confused, please send me a PM. I'd be more than happy to answer your questions. : )