Enn...sorry this was a kinda slow update. I got around to writing this chappie on thurday then on friday (which I had off -wooot-) I fiddled with it until Shnnon came over. We ate cake on my kitchen floor with our hands, and had a icing war. But sadly that didn't really help my muse much...

But that aside, you guys are awesome! 190 reivews!! So amazing... So very amazing... Well, I hope this chapter is okay for you guys, I'm slowing some stuff down a bit for this one and the next before speeding up again... just getting too cluttered right now...you know?

Oh, and by the way, since I forgot to mention it last update, I have completely and utterly changed and re-written my profile. It's now all... spoofified. So if you can, give it a quick visit if that interests you.

Berri: I think it's gonna be Ryou, since pretty much everyone seems in favour of him, but Kish isn't going anywhere either. Yes, I have been doing that lately, it really is quite useful, although writing in the dark is hard... Thank you, cookies are always welcome!

Disclaimer: Listen carefully: 'fan-fiction' what does that tell you?


Emerald eyes flew open as she shot upright. The dim room, lit only by the small crescent moon in the sky, slowly came into focus; she stared blankly down at her clenched fists.

A bead of sweat slid down her forehead like sticky molasses, and she moistened her dry mouth and took a long, shaky sigh, trying to calm herself.

The livid dream she had just woken from had been terrifying and unlike the other vague dreams she had had in the recent past this dream did not slip from her grip as she tried to remember it.

The large cat-shaped shadow had chased after her in darkness, two small pinpoints of light acres away from her and slowly fading.

Dragging her fingers through her locks of blonde hair to chase away the images and feeling, jade eyes squeezed shut.

"What is that?" Hitomi almost demanded, emerald orbs filled with nervous curiosity.

"That's a soul," The other girl replied evenly, her calming presence settling the cat's nerves somewhat.

"But…a soul can't…do…that…" Hitomi's voice faded away into nothing more than a whisper as the picture of a bloody Ryou wavered in her mind's eye.

"It's a cruel soul that was left to rot in purgatory, and eventually merged with other such souls and formed a physical being,"

Wide emerald orbs blinked up at the girl, "Then…why…" Her voice was disappearing faster and faster.

The other girl smiled softly and stroked her long blonde hair lovingly.

Then the image disappeared from Hitomi's mind and she found herself back in the plain room sitting next to a slumbering Ryou.

The cat girl had staggered back to the café two days ago and the blonde boy had almost needed to start breathing through a paper bag he was so overcome with worry.

The picture had almost been enough to make the naïve girl laugh out loud if it weren't for her aching body and reeling mind.

Slowly Hitomi eased back under the sheets and cuddled closer towards the blonde boy. With a deep sigh she was enveloped by the comforting hold of sleep, and gradually, although she was awake to notice, by a pair of arms.


The cat girl tiptoed timidly down the stairs, jade eyes peering down across the large valentine café, dotted with couples and chatting high-school girls.

Ryou had asked (ordered…it's all the same) for her to not to venture down to the café again, after her previous encounter with the mews the boy had seemed a little… flustered around said girls.

As a waitress coloured to match the room perfectly fell down in a chair nearby Hitomi perked up. With a calming breath she trotted down the rest of the steps and scurried over to the redhead.

The waitress glanced up as Hitomi drew near and brown eyes blinked,

"Oh it's you, Ryou girlfriend!" Ichigo exclaimed and straightened somewhat from her previous pose.

"Ah, umm…" The cat girl searched her head for the words, this time the language came faster to her, "What is love?"

Ichigo blinked at her blankly for a moment then a smile slid across her face and her eyes got a distant look to them.

"Love is when… when you want to be near someone because you're happy with them, and want to protect them, because they mean so much to you," The strawberry explained slowly.

The little blonde girl gazed at her with large jade eyes and before either of them could speak Ryou stomped up from the basement.

The boy looked up from the ground and spotted the pair of girls seated at the table. Ichigo turned to look over her shoulder at him.

A large, malicious grin nearly split the strawberry's face in two. Ryou almost took a step back from the effect.

And then he charged across the room, grabbed the cat girls' wrist and dragged her back upstairs, a tinge of pink on his face.

Ichigo's laughter was heard upstairs in the blonde's bedroom for a quite a while.


The next afternoon Hitomi tried again, this time approaching the blue waitress cautiously.

"What is it?" The girl snapped the second the cat girl wandered into her gaze, her steady brown eyes meeting Hitomi's shy, uncertain green ones.

"Ah…" Something squirmed nervously inside the cat girl's gut, "What…is love?"

There was a slight pause as Mint gave her a blank look that turned thoughtful.

"Well… I guess it's when you feel attached or a great liking to someone," The waitress informed her offhandedly, taking a delicate sip of her tea.

Hitomi glanced around to find another waitress that looked approachable, but within a second a yellow-clad young girl had bounced up to her face.

"Hi!" Pudding chirped, "Ichigo says you wanna know what 'love' means!" The monkey-girl said cheerfully, her bright brown eyes excited.

Hitomi gave her a slow, stiff nod her emerald eyes wide with nervous shock.

"I'll show you!" Pudding then clasped her fingers around Hitomi's wrist, and dragged her across the café; the monkey's grip was surprisingly rather strong.

The yellow girl placed the cat in a chair and stuffed a fork-full of cake into Hitomi's mouth. The cat chewed slowly and swallowed, her dry mouth slow to work.

"You feel that, in your insides?" The waitress asked animatedly, "That's what love's like!" She continued after the slow nod she received from the other.

It was then that Ryou appeared once more to propel the cat-girl back upstairs. He really didn't want to get any more looks from the mews.

It was quite awkward that he couldn't walk by without a pair of eyes drilling into the back of his skull. Quite awkward indeed.


Ryou kept a close eye on Hitomi for the next couple of days, making sure she didn't make any contact with the mews.

He did, however, take her outside and into the park where the girl watched her surroundings with awe-filled emerald eyes.

For a while she chased butterflies and pounced on imaginary mice in the grass as a little white kitten but she seemed happy enough even then to sit and watch things slid by.

Simply put, it didn't take much to please Hitomi.

But all the same, the next day she slipped into the café, wanting to at least ask one last girl of their opinion on love.

When Hitomi entered the colourful room the first to wonder into her gaze was a forest-coloured waitress sweeping up the remains of some dish or another.

Lettuce noticed the cat girl as she drew near.

"Ah…! Umm…" The two searched for words at the same time. There was a brief pause as the two looked warily at the other then Lettuce smiled,

"Do you… want something?" The waitress asked politely. Making a small noise of agreement Hitomi nodded,

"Yes… what is love?" Hitomi asked softly her jade orbs blinking curiously at the other.

"Eh?" She looked flustered, a sprinkle of pink on her cheeks, "It's…uh. It's when… you want to be near someone, because they make you feel special, needed,"

Hitomi blinked thoughtfully at the girl then smiled happily. Lettuce smiled slightly nervously in reply.

The cat scampered away before the blonde boy could find her again. When Ryou did eventually seek her out, he found her curled up in bed sound asleep.


Before Hitomi even set foot in the café the next day Ichigo had pounced upon her,

"You haven't spoken to Zakuro yet!" She chirped and placed her before the purple waitress. Emerald orbs blinked in surprise as Ichigo spoke for her,

"She wants to know what love means to you, she's been asking everyone!" The strawberry informed the elder energetically, brown eyes dancing.

Zakuro gave the pair a blank stare, "Love is the slowest form of suicide," She told them bluntly and walked away.

There was a silence. Ichigo turned to the cat girl with a nervous grin, "She… doesn't talk much," The waitress said by way of explanation.

Hitomi cocked her head to one side and blinked curiously. The she grinned brightly and trotted outside, jade eyes sparkling.


"So this is where you skipped off to," Ryou remarked conversationally, stepping into the small clearing, blue eyes skimming over his surroundings.

"Yes," Hitomi replied shyly. The cat girl was nestled in the crook of two low branches in an oak tree, knee-high grass brushed the trunk in a breeze.

"Hnn…" The blonde grunted positioning himself just below her, "Come on, time to go," He told her simply, still looking around him.

After a moment or two had passed he looked back up at the cat girl. Hitomi fidgeted nervously and smiled weakly the same way.

"You're stuck," Ryou commented flatly, folding his arms. The cat girl scrunched her shoulders with another smile.

With a sigh the blonde stepped closer towards the tree, "Come on, you're not that high," He urged with an edge of impatience.

She fingered the bark on the trunk and inched slowly off the branch until she was barely sitting on it. Eyeing the ground nervously she pushed off the tree, landing haphazardly in front of the boy.

He grunted in satisfaction and turned, walking away. The cat girl hopped to her feet and hurried after him, a solid smile on her face.


Wow. Five pages, now if only I could write five pages where something interesting and well-written happens. ((sigh)) Ah woe is the life of a girl with a non-exsistant muse! ...Please leave a review!