Yawning, I walked into the door to the restaurant and looked around. Ryou, strangely, wasn't at the bar like usual so I went up the stairs in the back to his apartment. I looked around a little before making my way to his bedroom. "Shirogane? You in here?" I peeked in and was surprised to find a girl in there as well, who immediately ran over to me.

"Is she the cat?" She asked suddenly, pulling off my cap. "Oh wow, she really does have ears!"

TMM: College Years VIII

By: Satashi

Quickly grabbing my cap back, I shoved it back onto my head. "Who are you?"

"Pudding."

"She's our third member." Ryou told me as he sat at his computer desk backwards in his chair. "Seventeen, in High School. She has the DNA match of a Golden Lion."

"Oh wow, a lion?" I looked at Pudding. She seemed like an energetic girl at least. She had a long high ponytail that trailed down past her waist and was wearing a yellow shirt and khaki pants. She also didn't look Japanese.

"It's a monkey."

I laughed.

"Can I see your tail?"

"Sure." If she was one of us, I didn't mind showing it off. Actually I had learned to control it quite well over the time that I've had it. With very little effort I made my tail unwrap from my waist and lay down on her hand.

"It's pretty." She stroked it, making me knees weak. It was still sensitive, and I had to make her stop stroking it before I jumped on her. I don't think a good first impression would be to snuggle and purr against another girl.

"Shirogane already tell you about everything?"

"Yeah. It seems so weird, though." She walked back over to the bed and sat down on it. It looked like I wouldn't get a nap this afternoon after all. "I didn't quite believe him until I saw you."

"If I haven't battled a few times myself, I still wouldn't believe it." I sat down next to her and rubbed one of my cat ears since I could leave my cap off for a while. "I keep them hidden so long; I forget they are there sometimes." I glared at Ryou. "Although I do have headaches from keeping my ears pressed against my head for so long."

Ryou shrugged. "Nothing can be done about it."

"Do I get ears too? Or a tail? That would be so cool!"

"Cool!?" I was shocked. "They are nothing but trouble. Believe me, you don't want them. Speaking of which, Shirogane, how come only I have these side effects?" I pointed to my ears. "And don't even get me started about my fur. I have to shave my legs at least every other day. I used to be smooth after three days now I'm prickly after just two."

"A direct injection was too powerful," he told me lightly. "Even after all the precautions we took, something still went wrong. The female DNA acted differently than I had originally thought. What all effects do you have?"

"My tongue is a little rough, I meow, I have cat ears and tail, not to mention I catch myself licking my wrist to try and clean my self. Also-" I looked over at Pudding, who was laughing. "Oh hush you, you don't even have DNA yet...do you?"

"I wanted her to meet you before I did it." Ryou held up a new type of gun-like device. "This will change you," He looked over at Pudding. "I already explained everything to you. This is no game. This is no joke. If you agree to this, you will be put through hard times, tough battles, and the fate of the whole world will be upon you and four others. Can you do this?"

Pudding nodded. "Yes." She spared me a glance and smiled. "If someone as nice as her can do it, I want to give my best too! I have a family I need to protect. I can't sit by and watch them or anyone else get hurt."

"Then I welcome you..." Ryou stood up and pointed the gun at her. "Mew Pudding!" He pulled the trigger and a beam shot into her heart, making her eyes go wide. The process only lasted a few seconds and when it was done, Pudding sagged a little.

"I feel weird." She said woozy but happily.

"Well then, Lettuce should be here soon. Come on Pudding, I'll show you around. Ichigo needs some rest, her cat genes make her sleepy around this time of day."

Oh score, I get to nap after all. "Welcome to the group." I bowed lightly. "Please ask me if you ever need anything at all."

"Will do." She gave me a thumb up before they left the room.

Now alone, I stretched out. I didn't have as long as normal to nap because of the little meeting we just had and a quick run in with Darren on the way here, but I still could manage in almost an hour. At least that's what I wanted to do. The moment I kicked my backpack out of my way I realized that I didn't have time for a nap if I wanted to pass my first few test. With a small sigh I picked up my bag and sat it on the bed, taking out my notes.

As if being tired wasn't bad enough, someone must have decided that the Mew Bar and Grill would be a great place for a large get-together. At least four tables were moved together to make room for the large mob of people and I was sentenced to dealing with them. Lettuce was overworked as usual, being our waitress, but at least Keiichiro was given some slack since Pudding seemed to be an excellent cook. Ryou was handling the bar almost by himself since I made it a point to be sure everyone in the group was happy so they would come back again.

The bad thing was, the group consisted of many single male college students who were all drinking beer. This, of course, led to cat calls, flirts, and several people looking at my butt when I leaned over to set more drinks on the table. If I didn't get a huge tip for all of this, I swear to all that is good and holy I would follow them home and set their house on fire.

"Another beer, Cutie!"

I smiled at the man and nodded. "Coming right up!" Being called 'Cutie' was common since I started working here so I really didn't mind it anymore. Of course, their were those certain type of people that made me want to cringe when they said it. He was one of those types. Upon entering the kitchen I let loose and had a full body shiver. "Those guys are creeping me out, Keiichiro."

"Want me to take care of them for you?" Pudding asked me as she cut up some carrots. "One good scare and they'll leave you alone."

"And also not come back," I reminded her. "We need to have a good reputation or people won't come and eat here."

"You're the world's best employee, Ichigo-san." Keiichiro told me with a smile. "I'm glad we have such a good person who cares about our business."

"With pay like this, I'll be more than happy to stay here." I winked at him and grabbed another pitcher of beer. "Got to get this out to the perverts out there and then help Ryou a little bit."

It was times like this I was glad my tail was clipped around my waist. Although I could now easily wrap and unwrap it at will, when I was emotionally aroused it would always flare out behind me on its own and twitch. The point was, my chest and butt were getting way too much eye attention from the group and I was tempted to pour this new pitcher all over them.

"You look upset," Ryou told me as I walked behind the bar to help him out.

"People seem like girls are nothing but breast and an ass." I told him, bending over to get some ice out to make some girl a mixed drink.

"You have a very nice butt," Ryou mused, looking over at me. Instantly I blushed and looked down. Somehow hearing it from him wasn't bad like the other people. "Just be sure to not let them get to you. Its obvious people will look at you, that's why your work outfit is designed like that, it's to attract attention. If they get too rowdy, I'll go speak with them. Just remember that it's a compliment in a round-about way. They think you look hot so they stare. And you know what, Ichigo?"

"What?"

"You are hot." He patted my head as he walked by and I almost dropped the drink I was making.

'Stupid Jerk' I growled as I finished the drink order. 'Making me all shy like that...' I looked back over at him as I served. He was kneeling down to get some more ice. A sudden though flashed through my head then and I walked over to him, kneeling down as well. "Here, let me help." I made sure to rub my body against his as I reached for some ice. His eyes went wide and I could tell he was startled. "There you go." I whispered into his ear as I placed the handful of ice into the cup he had and pulled back, making sure to trail my cold finger over his arm.

I blew lightly into his ear and started to make my way back over to my table to see if they needed anything. A moment later I heard a loud thud as Ryou hit his head under the cabinet from being distracted. 'Ha, serves you right, you flirt.' I smiled happily to myself and prepared to endure being eye candy again for the group of guys.

Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair and prompted my head up with my palm as I read. Already it was late and I was stressing out. Tomorrow was my day off from classes, but I had to work an eight hour shift and then meet up with Kish to start on our project together. All-in-all I would have zero time to study tomorrow so I had to get as much as I could today.

"You still here?" I turned around to see Ryou walking in his room from the shower. He had on a pair of pajama pants, no shirt, and was drying his hair with a towel. "It's almost eleven. You need some sleep."

"I can sleep in before I have to work," I replied, turning back to my book. "I can't study in the morning; I never remember anything during that.

Ryou took my pencil and tossed it onto my book before closing it. "Come on, you need a break. If you study too much at once you'll forget it."

"I can't," I protested, opening my book back up. "These count almost a sixth of my final grade! If I fail even one I'm in trouble."

"Ichigo, you're spazing out." He closed my book again. "Rest, you'll do fine."

"No!" I opened it back up. "Shirogane, I'm really nervous here! I've never taken a college level test before and everyone I've spoken to say they are just as hard as they are rumored to be."

"Ichigo. Calm down." He closed my book and took it. "You're in my room, and I forbid you to study anymore until you take a chill pill."

"Chill pill... I could use one right now..." I watched him walk over to his window and open it. Sitting down on the frame, he turned so his legs were hanging outside and then proceeded to light a cigarette.

"Give me one." I sat down next to him and took his lighter.

"I thought you quit?"

"I did, now hand one over." I snatched his pack and lit one myself, taking a long drag off of it. "Sweet nectar that is nicotine how I've missed you."

Ryou looked at his cigarette. "I never realized how unattractive these things make you look."

"Shove it." I laughed at him, getting a smile. "I'm not trying to attract anyone."

"Are you not?" He seemed amused by my statement. "So what was that earlier tonight?"

I exhaled, making a little ring in the smoke. "Nothing at all, why do you ask?" I gave him a cute look that told him I was going to act innocent about it. He shook his head lightly and grinned. Once again I was amazed at how different he acted sometimes. In a weird sort of way I felt almost touched that he would show this side to me. I thought a moment before sliding over next to him to warm up a little. He in turn put his arm around my shoulders.

"Ichigo?"

"Hmm?" I exhaled again, looking over at him.

"...nothing."

"...'kay."

I had counted on leaving the restaurant at five the next day in order to have plenty of time to get home to shower and clean a little before Kish came over to start on our project together. Instead I found myself next to a nervous Lettuce and a psyched out Pudding running through the streets while chasing some type of mutated dog pack. They were twice the size of normal and had this rabid look on their faces that really creeped me out.

Finally the dogs stopped running and turned to face us. Unfortunately we were in the middle of a popular park around the eastern side of Tokyo. People were screaming and running away as the dogs snarled and chased a few people. After a moment Kisshu teleported in and hovered in the air above his pets. As usual he had a falcon hovering next to him. "Welcome, Ladies!" He bowed. "Oh look, you found another one. I must be slacking in my job."

"So that's him, huh?" Pudding asked with a grin. "The one that we're supposed to defeat?"

"Yeah."

Pudding had a slight transformation to her like I did. Her knuckles were covered by a light coat of brown fur and her ears almost looked the same way. All-in-all she looked like a street fighter right out of a movie. Lettuce looked more or less the same as she did before, but I could tell she was powerful. She had five orbs of water circling her above her head. She could somehow manipulate water. Something about the way it reacted to her DNA and powers given to her when spliced with a human. Kind of like a telekinetic sort of power.

I seemed to be the most changed. Cat ears, tail, and fur covering my entire upper body up to my neck and trailing the lines of my hips. I felt a little odd running around with no shirt, even if my fur did cover everything, but it was so uncomfortable I didn't really have a choice. Fortunately Keiichiro had me custom boots make that went to my knees as well as a skirt that blended in with my fur to make it look like one solid outfit. Also I noticed that my teeth were a lot sharper now and my claws were getting even more razor like. Whatever kind of animal the Iriomote Wildcat was, I sure wouldn't want to mess with one.

"Ohhhhhh. Look at that, we have spectators." Kisshu looked around. "Hey everyone! Don't worry, I won't hurt any of you... you'll die too fast to feel any pain!" With that he swooped down to the nearest person and reared back one of his nightsticks. Fortunately for whoever it was, I had reacted fast enough to black the attack. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have a weapon and my right forearm felt like it was cracked from stopping the blow. "Oh, I bet that hurt."

"You have no idea." I sneered, grabbing his wrist and kicking him as hard as I could. At first he was amused, but then recoiled in pain as the tip of my boot shattered his light armor and connected with him. "Yeah, I learn quickly." I told him as he staggered back and clutched his side. Turning lightly, I addressed the person I just saved. "Get out of here, it's not safe! We'll protect you, don't worry!"

I was about to say more but I was tackled and pinned to the ground. "I can't believe you actually hurt me." Kisshu told me, amazed. "I like you more and more, Kitten!" He leaned down and kissed me, swiping his tongue across mine. "Yummy."

"Get off of me you crazy perverted freak!" I managed to get both my feet under his stomach. With a hard kick I managed to sling him off of me. Kisshu only hovered in the air, though, and looked down at me. "You should know by now that throwing doesn't work on me."

I spun around and engaged in battle. Lettuce and Pudding were fighting the two chimera Animas that had originally brought us out here, leaving me to deal with the main threat.

Blocking a punch, I turned and slashed down making four claw marks appear over his chest, where his armor was neatly cut into. He once again seemed shocked and I grinned. "You're getting slow, Kisshu." Twirling around, I kicked him in the temple and made him fly a little before hitting the ground.

"You're getting stronger..." He mused, pushing himself up. "I'll have to stop playing around..."

Grinning, I leaned forward in my stance. "Oh? I thought you were serious?" I don't know why I was so into this all of a sudden. Maybe it was because I now had two people backing me up and I knew that two more were going to come. I no longer felt so alone while doing this. I had partners, and that gave me strength somehow.

Before I even noticed it, Kish was in my face and my hands were pinned. Next thing I knew he was behind me and both my arms were twisted up behind my back. He twisted them and I was shocked to realize he was holding both my wrist with his one hand. His other grabbed my tail and instantly I collapsed to my knees. "You weak point is so obvious," He told me, gripping it and making tears spring to my eyes. "I groove on that terrified face..."

"Go to hell."

"I've been there!" He countered, suddenly angry. "All of my life I've been on that scorched planet, living under ground! And here you are, on this beautiful planet destroying it!"

Gritting my teeth, I yelled out and jerked my arms free from his grasp. Turning, I managed to get a choke hold on him as he gripped my tail. We both struggled against each other before finally collapsing at the same time. Breathing hard and weak, I made my bell on my wrist charge with energy. I don't know if it'll work on someone who isn't possessed with a Chimera, but I really didn't have many choices right now. Rearing back, I prepared to punch but stopped when I saw him. A single tear rolled down his face and over his cheek. His helmet covered his nose and up but his mouth still told me he was keeping back tears. "All my life I've been told that we would have our planet back, after we had to leave it. I've dreamed of it for so long... but when I got here all I see is pollution, litter, people not caring about what they have..."

Suddenly his expression turned and I was forced on my back with his fist held up to strike. "You're destroying my dream!" He flared down and hit me hard. I felt my head jerk with each hit that came after it. Finally I managed to block a hit and squeeze my nails into his skin and pull down. Immediately four long gashes ripped into his arm and he screamed out in pain.

"You're trying to take over my planet!" I screamed at him. "Do you think that everyone on Earth is like the ones you see here!? We're in a massive city, you idiot, of course people are like this! If you want an unpolluted area, go to the country or something! Just stay away from us and my home!" I pointed at him. "Or I'll give you the three course serving. Of course, dessert will be first."

Kisshu growled as Pudding and Lettuce ran up next to me. "Don't think we're done yet!" The newest member called out, pointing.

"We'll never give up!" Lettuce chimed in next to me.

"So for the sake of Tokyo and the world, we'll be of service!"

Kisshu looked at us a moment before turning. "I'll come back, be assured... Osiris, come to me." The falcon flew down to its master and landed on his shoulder before they both teleported off.

Now that he was gone, I allowed myself to fall to my knees and gently touch my face. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, owwwwww." I felt tears spring to my eyes. "That really hurts..."

"Who are they?"

"Forget that, did you see that battle?"

"We're being invaded by aliens!?"

"The world is going to end!"

I gulped as people around us started to panic. With the help of my friends I managed to get to my feet by the time a news group got close enough to start recording. "Who are you super girls? What's going on? Is the earth in danger?"

"It's being invaded!" Pudding declared, making Lettuce clamp her hand over her mouth.

"How do you fight them like that!?"

Looking around, I realized that I was the one who was going to have to answer. "Don't worry nyan! We're here to fight for you. So leave the future up to us!" I turned back to the girls. "Come on, let's jet before we're all over the news!"

With a quick run and a leap, we landed on the nearest rooftop, jumped again, and made it to the next.

"Good job Mew Mews." Ryou greeted us as we walked into his room at the restaurant. "Pudding, you did excellent on your first mission. Lettuce, you're improving drastically. And Ichigo... your martial arts still suck. You at least handled the press well. Good job."

"Well excuse me for existing." I muttered, grabbing my shirt off his bed and putting it on. My fur would fade away soon, I needed some headache medicine, and I really wanted a shower. My tail hurt, my face hurt, my ribs hurt...

"Ichigo, we need you at the bar, we'll have a large crowd tonight."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no." I turned to him and almost felt like crying as it all came crashing down on me. "Look at me. I'm beat up, I haven't slept well in days, and I've been here for almost a full month and only had two days off. I have three tests tomorrow, not to mention that party you're making me go to so we can advertise. On top of that I have a twenty page report due in a month. I can't take all this, I just can't..."

"I think you need some sleep." Lettuce offered kindly. "It'll help you rest and clear up your mind."

"I need a cigarette." I reached into Ryou's pocket and fished them out, much to his surprise. Lighting one, I collapsed onto his bed. "Can I have some privacy...please?"

"Come on girls, let's get down. Keiichiro is probably having a rough time."

"Right."

"Rest well, Ichigo." Pudding smiled at me lightly.

"Thanks."

The door closed and I brought my hand to my mouth to take a long slow intake on it. "Mom's going to kick my butt when she smells smoke on me..." I looked at it in my hand and was torn between throwing it across the room and finishing it off. My thought process was interrupted by my cell phone though. Picking it up from Ryou's desk, I clicked it on. "Hello?"

"Ichigo?"

"Ah, Kish!"

"I'm sorry, I can't make it tonight. Some... things... came up and I have to take care of them."

"That's okay. Actually it's not really a good night for me either. Three test."

"Yeah. I have two. You'll do well on them. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah."

"Ja then."

I clicked off my phone and placed it back on the desk. Just the simple act of holding my phone to my ear made my cheek hurt. I was surprised that I wasn't bruised from the abuse I took earlier. Instead I had a light red mark on both my cheeks. Curious, I took one last inhale and put out my cigarette before taking off my shirt to observe my side. There was no mark from the kick from Kisshu earlier, but I still felt sore. On top of that, I was itchy from the hair grown fading away. I hated shedding, and I'm sure Ryou would too after I clogged his shower drain.

After a quick shower, I went back into Ryou's room and crawled under the sheets. I would just study later tonight. With the date with Kish cancelled, I would have several hours free. I could stand to sleep a little. I already had several clean pairs of cloths in Ryou's closet anyway. After all the times things have come up, it was just natural now, almost as if we shared his room. I felt comfortable there like I did at my place or even at Masaya's apartment now that it was clean. Come to think of it, I also felt really comfortable on his bed as well.

Sighing, I closed my eyes. I didn't want to think about my love life right now. I was already uber confused about my feelings for the two boys. I did not need that on my mind right before big test...

I jumped lightly when my cell phone rang. I must have accidentally left it in my jeans pocket when I undressed. It took me a moment to collect my breath before reaching over to it. "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Aoyama-kun." I smiled and shifted my phone so I could continue shaving my legs. Currently I was in the bathtub. "What's up?"

I heard music being played in the background as he talked. "Um, I know you have test tomorrow, but can I possibly come over and study for mine? Both my room mates have music test tomorrow so they're practicing."

"I can hear that. What time you need to come over?"

He was a little uneasy. "Um, is now a problem?" I heard the two boys laugh and start to play together. "I really need to get out of here. Sorry..."

"Now?" I looked down. It would take me another twenty minutes to finish my bath at least. "Um sure, the doors unlocked so come on in. I'm...kind of in the bathtub right now."

"Oh!" I knew he was embarrassed, as was I. "Well then, I guess I can wait..." Another loud cord was played in the background and I heard the two comment over it.

"Come on over." I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Make your self at home. Got drinks in the fridge and all that. Heck, you've been over here enough."

He chuckled to himself. "Thanks I owe you one."

"See you soon."

We clicked off the cell phones and I sighed. I didn't really want him to see me right out of the bath, but if I took the time to dry my hair and make myself pretty I wouldn't have enough time to study. Oh well, he'd see me like this before long anyway.

Normally when I wore my shorts at home I would just let my tail hang out the top since they were low cut. Paired with this I had a tank top that covered a little less than nothing when I lifted my arms. Together they formed my most favorite set of 'house-wear' that I had. But unluckily for me, I couldn't wear either since Masaya was coming over. Not that I wouldn't mind teasing him like that, but I would have no place to hide my tail. So instead I wore the shorts with one of Ryou's shirts that I stole from him that went down to my knees. Topped off with a hair band to keep my ears down, I was ready to go out and meet him.

Masaya was laying on my couch with his sock clad feet propped up on the armrest on the other side. He was wearing a blue tank top and pajama pants. There was a pair of flip-flops by my door. I guess he didn't even bother getting dressed to come over. "Hey."

He leaned his head back to look at me. After seeing what I was wearing, which looked to be nothing but a shirt, he blushed darkly. "Hey. You look cute."

"Thank you." I smiled lightly. Actually I had hoped that he would comment on it. I looked at him again before kneeling down to root though my backpack and grab my psych notebook. Deciding that I wanted the couch so I could lean on the armrest, I picked his head up lightly and sat down. After crossing my legs, I let him rest against my thigh.

"Hey, you're smooth." He reached back with one hand to trail a finger along my leg.

"I just shaved," I told him as I ran a finger across his cheek. "Oh wow, you're prickly!" I couldn't help myself. I bought my other hand to his cheek as well and rubbed them. "That's so cute. You shave a lot?"

"Hey, I shave every morning." He reached up to take my hands. "I've been shaving since I was eighteen thank you very much."

I leaned over so I could talk to him easier. "I still think it's cute."

"You would."

I smiled down at him and then noticed just how close we were. He must have noticed it too because his cheeks slowly started to shade ever so lightly. "You're blushing..." I told him lightly with a small lopsided smile.

"You are too..."

"No I'm not." I leaned a little closer and could feel his breath against my lips. His hands reached up to run through my still wet hair as we kissed each other lightly. When we parted, we kissed again. This time it was softer, deeper. I kissed him a third time and acted on my impulse to slowly run my tongue over his lips. His body shivered and his mouth parted for me. Slowly we frenched as I rubbed his cheek lightly with one hand. Then I realized exactly what we were doing and pulled back quickly. "Oh!"

"What?" He looked scared.

"Study! We have to study. I can't be doing this right now." I picked up my notebook, which had fallen to the side. "Let's make out when we're done. I mean, let's get done and then make out, I mean, oh you know what I mean!" I blushed furiously and hid my face in my hands. "Oh man, I can not believe I just said that..."

Masaya laughed and shook his head. "Let's study first and see where that leads us."

"...yeah, okay." I smiled and put my arm on top of the couch and leaned back to get comfortable. Masaya held up his notebook to read it as well.

Kish, to my surprise, was late in the morning. He came in right when the professor was handing out the test. We couldn't talk to each other while taking it, but I gave him a smile of encouragement. Amazingly, he returned it with a half hearted one. I couldn't tell what exactly it was, but something was eating away at him. He didn't seem to really want to be with me today. When done with a test in college you were free to leave for the day. I tried to hurry on my test so I could wait to turn it in when he did, but the questions started to confuse me. Some of them I didn't even have in my notes and others were worded in a way that made me doubt my answers.

I knew that the tests were made to actually see if you knew the material and not just crammed enough to pass a test. Even though I had studied all week and stayed up to two in the morning studying last night I still had to turn in my test at the end of the class period when the professor dismissed us. Although he offered to let us stay to finish, I had another test to get to so I had to turn in what I had. Kish had finished in a little under half the class time and already left. No surprise there, he was a history major after all.

I managed to sprint to my psychology class in order to try and speak with Kish before the test. He was there, but still looked distracted. When I sat down he didn't even acknowledge me. He kept this gaze in front of him with his head resting on his desk. I looked at him a moment before turning back to the front of the class. Finally I snapped and looked back over at him, placing my hand on his forehead. He startled lightly and looked over at me. "You don't seem to have a fever." I held the hand to my head and noticed it felt the same. "So something must be bothering you."

"Brilliant conclusion." His lips turned up lightly at the corners.

"Hey, I try." I patted his head. "What is it?"

"I'm just confused."

"About what?"

"Life in general..." He paused a moment, then looked back over at me. "Kitten, have you ever done something you weren't really sure about?"

"What do you mean?" He had given me different pet names ever since we met. It was sort of an inside joke between us. It was as if he had a different once for each day.

"Like... say working at a place you first liked but then found out later that it was different than you had originally thought. Would you keep working there?"

"If I had to, so I could pay my bills I guess I would. But I would try and find another job, why?"

"Let's just say that my job is starting to confuse me ever since I started doing more research that wasn't issued to me to research..."

"I...don't understand."

"Don't worry about it. Believe me, if you knew, it would only cause trouble for both of us."

"You're not like a drug dealer are you?"

He just looked at me. "Ichigo, what have you been smoking?"

"Virginia Slims," I teased him lightly. I didn't really smoke, only when something was really stressing me out, but I still found myself buying a pack of them for some reason. Ryou's brand was too stout for my taste. "Why you ask?" I grinned.

He shook his head. "Thanks, I feel a little better."

"That's why I'm here, nyan."

A/N: Amazingly enough, I got 90 of this chapter done the same day as I posted my last chapter. It took me four days to get that last 10 done before I could post. I hate when that happens, but what can ya do? Next chapter will be a little more interesting, and I'm going to try and fit Zakuro in there as well. Maybe even Mint as well. Oh, and before anyone leaves me a nasty review about Ichigo smoking, let me say this: I know at least ten different people who were in all type of drug prevention programs in school, did the whole nine yards on it, and still started smoking or drinking in college. So don't stone me for it. I started it in the first place for storyline so just ride with it, 'kay? Oh, and if your wondering, no I don't smoke. I can't even be in the same room with someone who does it, lol.

Anyway, see you next chapter. Please review, that's what keeps me going. XD