AN: All right, this has to be short, cuz my vision's blurring over here, and that really does feel quite odd.
First, my excuse for the abominably long wait is the fact that I was in Canada, with no computer or anime access, for a full week on a family vacation. If you want to know how it was, I'll give you the basic summary: it sucked. Period. I was TMM deprived, fanfiction deprived, and forced to spend a week in close contact with my parents. Not good. Traumatizing. I'm going to have to rewatch the entirety of the TMM series as therapy.
And now to replies, though they'll be short today. Sorry, but I'm getting less than five hours of sleep tonight as it is XD.
AKC: Just wanted to reinforce the fact that you rock amazingly!
SLTC: Okay, so maybe you do update less. Makes me feel better :P… but go update! I need to know what happens in Unfair With a Bunny…
isa18: Nya! I've missed you! Hope you're feeling better.
Phantom: Oh, you were behind the three longest chappies… but this one is EVEN LONGER!
Dust-in: Ah, my P/L friend. Just wait till I decide to write the sequel…
Snowbluerat: I remember having an explanation for the confusion I've caused you, but I'm too tired to write it here :P. Eck.. if I figure it out, I'll PM. Anyway, thanks for your review, as always.
TigerLilly101: Awww. I feel the love :D. Thanks. And yea, I have this entire Aoyama-Kisshu analysis thing, and I could rant on and on. I probably will, in an English journal in school. I think my teacher would find it funny.
BalckWingedGabriel: Ack. If you were in despair before, I shudder to think what I did to you this time. Sorry!
Heth: Your wish is my command ;D
Sakura: I rethreaten you with a rusty spork... go update!
Saint X: I should probably put a fluff warning on this sucker, eh? You know, the funny thing is that in real life, I'm really not a fluffy person. I like gore, and violent themes, and I'm actually kinda… not nice to people :P. The fact that I'm this fluffy, and it is fluffy, here is very strange for me. But yea, to each his/her own. And I'll be sure to check out your fic soon. I mean, as long as there's K/I… :P
And now we move on to the chappie. It's the longest so far, so be happy, even if it did take a long time to get out. Goodness knows we have no clue when the next will come :D
Disclaimer: No TMM ownage here. I wish. I sooo wish. Then I could glomp Kisshu all I want.
They would go tomorrow.
Kisshu sighed as he turned over, his nearly-mended wound still coaxing a delicate wince from him as he did so, and lay on his back, one hand underneath his head, the other absentmindedly toying with a button on his nightshirt. Staring up at the ceiling, he could not help dwelling on that thought.
Ichigo's parents would return tomorrow night. That meant that they had to go to Café Mew Mew sometime during the morning, or the afternoon.
Personally, the boy preferred waiting until as far into the afternoon as possible.
Or, better yet, not going at all. Yeah. That looked really good right about now.
Honestly, though he loathed admitting it, Kisshu was nervous about tomorrow.
Of course, who could blame him?
Granted, over the past few days, he had gotten farther into a relationship with Ichigo than he had ever dreamed possible.
Granted, he had received a gentle acceptance from Lettuce.
Those two facts did nothing to lessen the severity with which he knew Ryou Shirogane would approach the situation.
The boy knew that there would be cursing, yelling, screaming, threats, and anguish from both sides, and he was not looking forward to it at all.
Hell no.
And even if they got over that glaring obstacle, there would be so much to sort through afterwards, so much that he just didn't want to think about right now…
But he had to think about it. He had to remember his family, his friends, his reason for being here. That would not just vanish because he wished he could focus more on what happiness he had felt with Ichigo rather than minding his obligations.
Still, he wished it would. He wished he could live in the world of that last couple of days forever.
Thinking back to that, he grinned in spite of the worry.
They had been a wonderful two days.
As each day had passed, the alien and the girl only grew closer, and the funniest, yet most telling part about it was that neither had done much to change their usual behavior. Kisshu still flashed his cheeky smirks and happily suggested the girl snuggle up in his lap while they watched some random movie, or give him a thank-you kiss for washing the dishes, and Ichigo still responded with a well-aimed clout to the head or a loud, snappy huff.
The only difference now was that she did it with a glint of amusement in her eyes, a quiet, private acknowledgment of his affection.
And then, she'd give her own response to his mischievous suggestions:
As they had watched the movie, she had (and Kisshu knew this was not his wishful thinking, because he had seen Lettuce hide a gentle smile behind her hand) scooted over to sit closer to him in the dark.
While washing the plates and cups, he had seen Ichigo vainly try to hide her smile before reminding him to stack the dishes carefully.
Those memories and dozens more now served to widen Kisshu's grin as he relaxed against the guest room pillow.
Ah, yes. Even the memory of that little argument brought him amusement.
The cat-girl had vehemently insisted that (and this was right after she had attempted to sleep in her sleeping bag instead of, as he had innocently suggested, happily cuddling up against him in her bed) since he was well, it was time for him to move into his own room. After his response (a half-whining "but we were so comfortable together" accompanied by the classic puppy-dog eyes) earned him a swift pillow-smack, it was decided that Lettuce would sleep in Ichigo's room on an air mattress the girl had pulled out of the closet, Ichigo would return to her own bed, and Kisshu would take the guest bedroom.
And, obviously, those were the exact sleeping arrangements that had been used for the last two nights, yet even this had its metaphorical silver lining, its little catch that proved the difference in current circumstances.
First, there was the fact that Ichigo blushed through the whole ordeal.
Second, she always came in before his lights went out. Now, the girl made sure, without fail, to do something while in his room, something trivial, like retrieving some random trinket from the dresser drawer or playing around with the blinds, muttering something about making sure the neighbors didn't think the Momomiya family had suddenly decided to harbor pointy-eared weirdoes after glancing out the window at an inopportune moment. Either way, she always exited with the same words, uttered with the same softness, in a tone that made him grin into the darkness after she left:
"Good night, Kisshu."
The boy closed his eyes as the memories played through over and over.
Damn, but he didn't want to leave…
With a short, derisive laugh, he opened his eyes again.
There was no choice, and that was that.
This has to end…
No choice, but at least now, he had—
"Oi, Kisshu!"
Heh. Ichigo.
The alien sat up, wistfulness fleeing from his expression as he watched her, a smile settling in its place.
"R—"
He was going to comment on her punctuality (perhaps she'd blush again and give him another reason to chuckle), but she interrupted quickly.
"You left these in the bathroom."
She held up his hair bands, which, of course, conveniently served as this evening's reason for entry. The boy blinked, then cocked his head to the side and answered with a hint of bemusement in his voice instead of the usual teasing. It occurred to him that something seemed slightly off…
"Oh… yeah, thanks. But you know I sleep without those, koneko-chan." He brushed some loose hair back behind an ear, unconsciously accentuating the statement, all the while watching the girl carefully.
Ichigo seemed to ignore that as she walked over to the night table and dropped the bands onto its cream-colored surface.
Right way, the boy saw that today she had not just come in for the customary mock-offhand good-night. There was uneasiness in her eyes that struck him particularly hard.
That was probably because it was the same feeling he had just been struggling with.
Sure enough, instead of plunging into random action and conversation, the girl sat down on the edge of the bed, hands dropping into her lap, eyes steadfastly focusing on them as the forced nonchalance vanished from her countenance.
She had never been too skilled at hiding emotions, and as Kisshu leaned forward, wrapping an arm around his knees, he peered into her face.
"Ichigo? What's…?"
To his surprise, she wasted absolutely no time in getting to her point. There were no smiles, no attempts at steering the talk away from it, no trying to mask the trembling of her voice. It told him only one thing: she was afraid, and she meant it.
"I was thinking about tomorrow."
Ah. She was starting out small, still staring at her hands, voice quiet and small. He knew she'd work up to it, knew that the so-called "snowball effect" would soon take hold, and he waited in silence, a gentle, supportive silence that he felt was needed to remedy her distress.
"Kisshu, I just wanted to… I want to tell you that no matter what happens, I… I meant what I said, before…" Now she finally looked up at him.
"No matter what Ryou says…" here, just by saying that boy's name, she seemed to somehow imagine, envision, the terrible possibilities of tomorrow, and her lips began to tremble.
"And I know what he'll say… it won't be… h-he…"
Kisshu had known that he had been worried, underneath his cheerful exterior, during the past two days, and he had known that Ichigo must have been worried, too. What he hadn't known was that she had managed to work herself up into this sort of nervous frenzy.
Well, there was only one thing he could do about it now, and it was something that he was quite happy to do.
Pulling himself forward to kneel beside her, he hugged her. He hugged her like he had the last time she had lost her nerve, with the same reassurance, the same acceptance, and the same loving grip that had managed to quiet her before.
It was the same gesture that had quieted him when he had been suffering all those nights ago.
"I thought we agreed to worry about that when we came to it."
She sniffled, but relaxed at the sound of his voice. Her voice came a bit steadier.
"But we're almost there…" to his surprise, she giggled a bit, whether in relief or slight hysteria, he couldn't guess. Then, she sighed wistfully. "How can you be so calm about it?"
This time, it was his turn to chuckle as he reached up to pull his fingers through her hair, gently stroking her before resting his forehead against the top of her head, privately enjoying her hair's sleek softness. A moment later, he answered.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not exactly thrilled about it, either." His words weren't particularly revealing, but he made sure his tone got his point across: his feelings echoed hers.
This time, her laugh was stronger.
"You know what? It does."
How wonderfully ironic. It coaxed a smile from him.
Silly little koneko-chan…
"Well, I'm glad my discomfort makes you happy, koneko-chan."
That, coupled with his grin, had the desired effect.
Ichigo began to laugh outright now, putting a hand to her mouth in an effort to curb herself as Kisshu let her go, watching her with a humored glint in his eyes. After a few seconds, she stopped, staring into space for a couple of heartbeats before suddenly turning back to him, eyes sparkling with a new playfulness, leaning in, and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
The action brought a jolt of shock to the alien (whose first though happened to be, Isn't that my job?), but it only made Ichigo grin wider.
Her reason was dead simple: she had walked into that room feeling shaken and frightened, and this boy had effortlessly made her laugh in the face of all of it. He had taken that terror and turned it upside down so swiftly, so gently, that it had surprised her, just another surprise to add to all of those pleasant shocks she had had over the past two days, shocks regarding how sweet and funny and wonderful he could be.
It was just another surprise, but it was so heartening, that she felt it worthy of that peck.
And she rather liked the way he blinked confusedly back at her as she rose and walked to the door.
"Good night, Kisshu."
A second later, she was gone, and Kisshu was left gaping at the door. Silence reigned for a few more seconds before the boy broke the spell with a frown and soft sigh.
"Huh," he murmured, looking down at the bed, eyes landing on the spot next to him, the spot where a second body could go.
"I should've asked her to stay."
By the end of the sentence, he was grinning, and he erupted into laughter a moment later as he lay down. The laughter had diminished into a soft snickering by the time he turned out the light, and he quieted as he turned over to sleep.
Only one thought remained as he drifted off:
Damn, I love her.
He awoke to darkness.
That told him that the clock's alarm hadn't broken his slumber; it'd be daylight if it had.
The culprit became known very quickly.
As he lay wondering, he felt a light poke in his shoulder. Shrugging slowly, he tried to ignore it, only to feel it again, just a bit sharper this time.
Still, he strove to fall back to sleep.
Now the poke landed on his side, where he was actually rather ticklish, getting a quick jerk, along with a soft "nyugh" from him.
"Kisshu?"
That voice…
Before another poke could occur, he turned over, only to see—
"Gah!" He rolled over backwards as quickly as he could, and it was only due to his tangling himself up in the sheets and immobilizing himself that he didn't roll back far enough to fall off the bed.
Normally, he'd try to react with more grace than this, but coming literally face to face with a wide-eyed Taruto while being in an only partially-awake state was asking even Kisshu just a bit much. He had to stare at the younger alien for a few seconds before calming down enough to realize who was staring back.
"Taruto!" Quickly untangling himself, he sat up, blinking at his companion. "What're yo—"
At that precise moment, Kisshu learned exactly how fast and hard Taruto could attach himself to and squeeze another. The older boy found himself abruptly unable to breathe.
His first conscious thought was that this was extremely odd. After all, Taruto normally balked at any contact that even suggested affection or hinted at his still being a kid. Gods forbid Kisshu try to ruffle his hair or snicker at him while he was being immature and bratty.
Hugs rather fell into this category.
What he didn't happen to think of was that it had been days since his younger friend had seen him, and the last time he had had involved the green-haired alien being in the worst condition of his life.
That hug was the only way Taruto could quietly express his incredible relief. His friend was alive. The last time he had seen him, he had been covered in blood, barely breathing, hardly lucid, trembling and raving and stumbling and gasping, and now he was alive, and he looked perfectly healthy.
All of that worry, that fear that had remained even after Pai had insisted that Kisshu was fine, all of that sick terror had dissolved when the young alien had teleported into the room and seen his companion peacefully asleep.
The relief was overwhelming.
Unfortunately, Kisshu didn't really think about any of this.
All he managed to think of was that Taruto's shoulder was pressing right into his injury, which, while mostly healed, still managed to hurt a good deal when pressure was applied.
And Taruto was applying a hell of a lot of pressure.
"Oi… midget… get off!"
Luckily, that seemed to snap Taruto back into his senses.
Also luckily, the mock-insult drove away any uneasy thoughts about his overly-affectionate gesture, and any awkwardness that might have resulted was swiftly destroyed by Taruto pouting at his friend.
"I'm not a midget!"
"Yeah, right…" Kisshu growled, rubbing his shoulder gingerly as he glared down at Taruto. Soon, however, that glare softened as the boy realized that he actually was rather glad to see the younger one.
"So, what're you doing here?"
Oddly, the question seemed to catch Taruto by surprise, but he recovered quickly, giving Kisshu a small grin.
"I came to see if that old hag was treating you right!"
This brought a snort from Kisshu, who couldn't help feeling a stroke of amusement even as he frowned at the comment.
"Well, obviously Ichigo's treating me just fine, you li—"
"Hey, did you guys really sleep together? Why aren't you together now?"
Trust the little brat to "innocently" touch upon the one thing that would normally make Kisshu rather proud but, said in the disbelieving, infinitely curious tone that only a child could pull off, now made him sputter.
Stupid little… and judging by his grin, he had probably been waiting to tease about that for a while, and Kisshu didn't even know how the younger one had managed to get that information.
He barely restrained himself from smacking the boy upside the head in an attempt to find his composure as Taruto gave a little chuckle before sensing that he should really move the conversation along. This inevitably led to a softer tone of voice as his attention turned to a more sobering topic.
"So…uh…you're really okay?"
Kisshu's annoyance immediately dissipated, and he allowed himself a small smile in the darkness.
"Yeah."
Heh. That's all he came for, just to see if I'm okay? Stupid little…
But in reality, he was pleased, even somewhat touched, if he could admit to it, that Taruto had actually come by to visit. He hadn't really thought about the little alien during his time at Ichigo's, but now that the boy stood before him, he realized that he had missed him (even if he seemed to be the bratty, whiny spawn of the devil at times…especially times involving teasing Kisshu about his human infatuation).
Annoying though he could be, Taruto made a fine companion when he felt like it.
Like now, Kisshu supposed, suppressing a short laugh at the thought. Then, trying to break the somewhat awkward silence that was quickly settling over them, and a slightly uncomfortable look that was settling into Taruto's little face (perhaps he was feeling a bit nervous about being in the cat-girl's house?), he opened his mouth to continue.
Taruto, however, beat him to it, and what burst out of his mouth made Kisshu's blood momentarily freeze dead cold in his veins.
"When're you coming home?"
All right. So maybe the younger boy wasn't exactly worried about being in a Mew Mew's house. Maybe he was more concerned about what would happen when he asked that question.
And rightfully so.
Kisshu stiffened, eyes unconsciously narrowing as his words died in his throat.
It was strange, actually, the feeling he was experiencing now. He had expected some anger at the boy for asking this, maybe some anger at Pai, who wasn't even here, but who could be somewhat blamed for much of this ordeal.
And definitely fury at the thought of going back to the place where Deep Blue, that creature that had sentenced him to die, to leave the only two people who could care for him and wander the streets until death decided to claim him.
And yet… all he found himself feeling was an echo of the nauseating worry that he and Ichigo had both had to deal with.
He grunted softly, and Taruto waited tensely for some sort of comprehendible response.
After a few moments, Kisshu sighed.
"I—"
Amazingly, that was as far as he needed to go. Taruto was a quick little boy. His reaction was instantaneous.
"But you have to come back! Pai's—"
At that name, Kisshu immediately darkened, though just a bit, and the sudden change stealing Taruto's voice as the younger boy choked at the sight.
"What about Pai?"
For a few seconds, Taruto kept his mouth firmly shut, sudden fear at Kisshu's reaction, even though it was somewhat expected, flooding his mind. As the other boy maintained his glare, however, the young alien's defenses began to break, and he suddenly blurted out all that had been worrying him for the past two days.
"He said… he said that you can come back! He said that Deep Blue will let you, and that everything would be fine, and that he would forgive us, and—," he took a shaking breath, "—and we can go back to how everything was! Isn't that great?"
Somehow, he managed to smile at the still-staring Kisshu. With all of that desperation, that gut-wrenching nausea flowing through him as he readied himself to fairly beg the other boy to return life back to normal, he still managed a smile.
"Come on… we can go right now! I can help you teleport, if you can't—"
Now Kisshu did something that made Taruto stiffen in utter shock.
He didn't yell. He didn't hit him. He didn't even growl.
He just placed a steadying hand on Taruto's head and bent down to look the younger boy directly in the eyes. Taruto quieted instantly.
"Taruto. I'm not leaving."
At those words, something within the younger alien seemed to snap, and he jerked away from Kisshu's hand.
"So that's how it is? You're just going to abandon us and go with that old hag? Yo—"
"You mean like Deep Blue abandoned me?" He hadn't meant to say it, not at all, now seeing the hurt looks flash across Taruto's face; it had just slipped out, soft and strangely unassuming, the first thing his mind conjured in response to those particular words. He felt a tinge of true regret as the remark only led to Taruto's voice trembling just a bit more.
"But you know we didn't… and it's okay now! If you come back, it'll all be…"
It really wasn't like Taruto to loose his nerve so quickly, and as Kisshu watched the boy trail off, eyes shining with what Kisshu realized, with a mild shock, were desperate tears in the darkness.
He was scared, Kisshu thought to himself, scared in a way Kisshu hadn't thought possible.
So Deep Blue knew about his whereabouts, about Ichigo taking care of him.
What was going on, now that he had that knowledge? What in the world had he told Pai, and what had Pai told Taruto? What could the older alien and that creature be planning?
The only thing Kisshu could guess was that Deep Blue had decided that all would be forgiven if he came back, but if he didn't…
One look at Taruto confirmed that. Somehow, without any words, any real answer, Kisshu knew that Deep Blue had suggested that the mission, and chance for success, their people's survival, would crumble if he did not return.
That certainly explained Taruto's utter desperation.
Under normal circumstances, perhaps even if the two had met somewhere outside, Taruto's distress might have urged Kisshu to return. It might have.
Here, however, here in the guest bedroom, Kisshu could feel the soft mattress under him, the cool sheets against his skin, the pillowcase grazing his hand, all sensations that brought back memories of his nights here, nights spent in illness, but nights spent in true security that he would never forget.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his own reflection in the mirror, and that reminded him of his little in-game cheating, of the many little instances of silly humor that had occurred in this house.
And next to him, sitting quietly on the night table, he could see his hair bands, and he knew that a few hours ago, they had been in Ichigo's hands, had felt Ichigo's touch, just as he had felt it so many times now, so many tender, exciting, amazing times…
That last thought set his determination, really finalized it, and he broke the silence in a soft, but firm, voice, a voice ringing with a steady gentleness that Taruto had never seen in him before.
"We're going to the café tomorrow, to see that Ryou guy." Taruto looked up at him in unabashed surprise. "It's already been decided."
"But…" Taruto whispered, finally finding his voice, "…but you can't. Deep Blue said…"
This time, Kisshu didn't lose control or hesitate. If anything, his voice was at the calmest that Taruto had ever heard it.
"Forget what he said. Taruto, have we gotten anywhere, anywhere really, listening to him? Have we—"
"That's just because—!"
Kisshu had to recapture the other boy's gaze to silence him before continuing. As he did so, Taruto softly choked on his words, sensing suddenly, that he was wrong, that there was something wrong with what he was saying…
"We can't keep doing this, Taruto." The determination began to creep into his voice, and Taruto began to hear the passionate inflection of tone that Kisshu was so known for. "And not even because it's not working, but because..."
Suddenly, he smiled.
The memory of Taruto and Mew Pudding, rolling around on a rooftop, each wrestling the other for a worthless gem, each growling and pushing and shoving, but neither doing much to actually hurt the other, neither really engaging in a true fight, had abruptly, for no real discernable reason, flashed through his mind.
And suddenly, Taruto seemed to get the same image, because, unnoticed by Kisshu in the dark, he blushed lightly, gaze dropping to the ground. It was at this point that Kisshu realized that he didn't have to work so hard to convince right now.
He went on.
"Ichigo and Lettuce, that fish-girl, are going to talk to that guy tomorrow, and I'm going with them. We…" he paused, taking another breath, as if gathering strength to finally say the words that epitomized it all, "we think there must be a better way."
After that sentence, neither boy said anything for what seemed the longest time, yet as that silence wore on, as Taruto began to really think about what Kisshu had just said…
He was the one to speak first.
"Fine. Do… do what you want." His voice was so quiet, it was almost inaudible. His words made Kisshu hesitate slightly, almost made him speak up again, try to justify his meaning more, but Taruto went on.
"Just… I can't… I... Pai…"
Damn Pai, Kisshu mentally snarled, even while giving Taruto what he hoped was a sympathetic look.
"Listen," he began, reaching out and touching Taruto on his shoulder to grab his attention, "it doesn't matter. Just don't tell Pai about where we're going tomorrow, and keep out of it. Just keep out of it, and you'll be fine."
Judging by the mournful look in Taruto's eyes, he wasn't quite in agreement.
"Kisshu… I think… I think they might already know about it. I think Pai knows…"
Well, strike the first part of the request, then. Kisshu frowned at the possibility, but accepted it just as quickly. Nothing could be done about that. He'd just have to remind the girls to be even more careful tomorrow.
"Then just stay away. You understand? Until it's safe. Then…"
Then, they'd figure out what to do. After the coming disaster of tomorrow had been dealt with, they would decide about Taruto.
And about Pai.
Pai…
For now, Kisshu could only give Taruto a light shake to get the boy to look up at him.
"You get it?"
Finally, a slow, silent nod; the hint of urgency in Kisshu's voice seemed to have gotten through to his companion.
Kisshu let out a breath and leaned back, relaxing.
"Good."
Taruto, though silent for a few seconds, was by no means done. Though his tone was soft, his words held a heavy gravity that made Kisshu listen, really listen.
"N-ne, Kisshu… just… promise you'll be okay. You… you and Pai. A-all right?"
The green-haired boy blinked.
He really… heh. Dumb kid.
But he smiled as he reached out and ruffled Taruto's hair.
"Yeah. Sure, midget."
But still…Pai…
Then, just like that, the tension was gone. With a swift jerk, Taruto pulled away from Kisshu's outstretched hand, scowling at him.
Scowling, but with a softened, relaxed expression.
There was a happier light in his brown eyes.
"I told you to stop calling me that!"
Kisshu smirked.
"But "shorty" is fine, right?"
Even Taruto had to allow a slight grin at his friend's cheekiness. After all, he had missed it, had missed Kisshu's teasing, every annoying bit of it. Shame that he had to leave so soon…
But now that he thought more about it, they would both be safer if he left. No need to let Pai in on the fact that he was here.
The eldest had already made it quite clear that he would occupy himself with getting Kisshu to return. Still, Taruto had hoped that his visit would reach his friend faster than any of Pai's future attempts.
Strange, how glad he was that it hadn't.
In spite of the danger he knew would soon arise, the danger that was silently brewing now, this felt bizarrely right, leaving Kisshu with these Mew Mews, leaving him and trusting them to do what was necessary.
It felt right, because Taruto knew that Kisshu had been right in saying that it wasn't working.
What they had been doing until now was wrong. If these girls had taken care of the alien for almost a week now, saved him when his own friends were powerless, then it had to be wrong.
"So, is shorty going to let me get some sleep?"
Taruto left his thoughts to look back up at Kisshu, who was watching him with a clever half-smirk, obviously expecting a reaction.
But not only that. Taruto quickly saw that he was serious underneath that quip, and that was perfectly logical. The sooner the young one left, the better.
"Ha! Like I'd want to stay in the old hag's house!"
Before Kisshu could respond (probably with some Ichigo-defending retort), Taruto was gone.
The boy snorted and turned over, turning the lights back off and pulling the covers back over himself.
A smile, small, slightly uncertain, but still there, played on his lips as he fell back asleep.
The next morning, Ichigo and Lettuce allowed Kisshu to sleep in while they ate breakfast in the kitchen.
Of course, Lettuce had had to gently talk the other girl into doing that; Ichigo couldn't understand why the lazy alien couldn't drag himself out of bed and have the manners to join them for breakfast.
Actually, Lettuce didn't really know, either. She just had a feeling; at some point during the night, she remembered waking up and thinking she heard voices coming from the other room.
Well, it could have been her imagination. Probably was.
But she still felt that Kisshu could use a little extra sleep. Just because.
Thus, she kept Ichigo from climbing back up the stairs until 11:30. After that, the cat-girl could be held back no longer and all but bounded up the stairs, grumbling something about how lazy Kisshu would get along wonderfully with lazy Ryou; they'd both make her clean the café all alone.
Lettuce watched her retreating back with an inevitable smile.
Funny, how she considered those complaints actually thinking positively.
Upstairs, Ichigo softly knocked on Kisshu's door, waited for barely a second, then fairly pounded it.
"Oi! Are you awake yet?"
Well, if he hadn't been, he certainly should have been now.
Why then, did she get no answer?
Growling, Ichigo decided that it was time for her to brave uninvited entrance into the room; it wasn't like they had time to waste, anyway.
Taking a steadying breath, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, ready to give the alien another good yell…
…only to find the bed empty.
Empty, and actually very neatly made.
"Nya?" she murmured, walking slowly into the room and gaping around.
Obvious question: where, oh where had the little alien gone?
Her confusion soon turned to annoyance, however, as Kisshu remained elusive.
"Mou…" she growled, hands quickly clenching into fists, "if you're already up, then get out here and come downstairs for breakfast! We don't have time for your stupid little—"
Instead of ending in "games," her sentence was punctuated with a loud, piercing shriek.
As she had been talking, she had suddenly felt a light, gentle breath against her neck. That in itself was somewhat tolerable, but the intentionally-loud "morning, koneko-chan!" accompanied by a poke right into the most ticklish spot in her side was definitely not.
Whirling around, blushing furiously, she came face to face with a grinning Kisshu.
"You… what…how'd you..."
She seemed unable to form a complete sentence, so Kisshu did it for her.
"I was just practicing my teleporting, Ichigo-chan." His innocent tone did nothing to alleviate her annoyance. Actually, he wasn't lying. For the past few days, he had still been too weak to teleport; even just levitating for extended periods of time had left him disturbingly drained
"I mean, I haven't been able to for a while, so—" he attempted to continue, only to be cut off by the girl as she snorted.
"Baka. You can practice later, when we don't have somewhere to be."
A moment later, they exited the room, Kisshu following a still-scowling Ichigo.
Well, on the outside, she was scowling. On the inside, she was desperately trying to keep that scowl from turning into a giggle and a swift return-poke (she had learned, at some point during the last few days, that he had almost the exact same ticklish spots she had, and she had gotten rather good and hitting them whenever she needed, or wanted, to). The memory of last night's quick little peck was hardly helping, though she was rather thankful that he had seemingly forgotten to mention it.
It was a good thing they managed to get to the kitchen quickly.
Ichigo didn't know how long she could resist those urges.
As soon as he sat down to eat, however, she managed to collect herself again, now resigned to filling him in on the day's plan.
It managed to sober her up very quickly.
In the span of a few minutes, she told him that Lettuce would arrive first, acting as something of a calming agent to the often-volatile blonde, taking him into one of the back rooms, sitting him down, and telling him the story herself.
Lettuce had actually volunteered, albeit nervously, to do this. Her logic was simple: out of the three of them, she seemed the most objective and removed (if the sweet girl could ever really seem that way), and it would probably be best if she broke the news to him as gently as possible before he had to see the evidence right before his eyes.
Then they would confront him, and then… well, only fate had the remainder of the plan under any control.
After that, they would deal with what came.
She jokingly suggested he get jumbo-sized ear plugs. He wrinkled his nose up in mock-disdain.
As he carried his bowl to the sink, he finally spoke.
"When exactly are we leaving?"
"Eh… in an hour. Lettuce already left to go check in with her parents before going to the café."
This was followed by some silence, then:
"So, whaddya wanna do?"
Ichigo blinked, suddenly very aware that she was alone with the alien in her house, while he was well, for the first time.
For a moment, she felt a jolt of hot embarrassment, a telltale heat flashing across her cheeks as she swiftly realized what this meant.
Then, as quick as it had come, it ebbed, leaving only a delicate pink painting her cheekbones as a sense of something like relief came to her.
She didn't mind, really.
No, she was rather glad that, before any catastrophes occurred, she could have some time alone with the boy.
And he, for all of his snide remarks, even those of just a few minutes ago, had that same calmness in his gaze.
"You want," she began, a shyness starting to grow within her, "to go sit?"
"For an hour?"
She felt her blush darken, but paid it no notice.
This was it: the last moments in this carefree world, with this strange, yet perfectly normal boy.
These were the last moments before she'd have to face the divisions her life had made, face the battle that loomed around them.
They were the last moments she had before she stepped into the outside world, where somewhere, Aoyama waited for her, where that ordeal patiently awaited its own trial.
And as she looked back at Kisshu, she knew that he was thinking the same thing. He saw this simple little hour the same way she did, with that same preciousness, with that same finality. That knowledge, possessed by both girl and boy, invited a wistful sort of affection to fall over the two as they stared at each other, each wanting to smile and cry and just go back.
All Ichigo could think about, suddenly, were those three simple words uttered what seemed like so long ago, in that tender, silky tone: "I love you."
All Kisshu could think about was that this was the last hour in which those words could rule unopposed.
And each was thinking what the other was thinking, and both of them knew the response that Ichigo was about to give as gentle, sad smiles crept into their faces:
"Yeah. An hour."
A few seconds later, they had settled on the living room sofa, and Kisshu had his arms loosely wrapped around the girl, who tentatively, then fully, relaxed against his good shoulder.
There were no jokes this time, none at all.
Not even Kisshu suggesting that she scoot over into his lap so his lips could have better access to her neck
It was the last hour for Ichigo to allow Kisshu's hair to tickle her forehead, the last hour she could lean back against him and listen to him breathe rhythmically with her, look up into his eyes and know that that look in them was his love for her, the love that had caused so much change…
It was the last hour before she had to take Ryou's inevitable outburst, face the cold reality of what would have to be done for both the human and the alien races.
It was the last hour before she had to go out into that world… that world where…
It was hard to believe that after all of this, she still hadn't decided about Aoyama.
Even though just a few minutes ago, Kisshu had been smart and playful, Ichigo exasperated and pouty, both embraced this quiet affection without hesitation.
They wanted none of it to go to waste.
And so Ichigo gently let the upcoming confrontation float away from her train of thought, and it was quickly joined by reminders of Aoyama.
Quickly.
Had she not been steadily focusing on feeling Kisshu's arm squeeze her just a little tighter, she would have been intrigued at how quickly she gave up those thoughts of her former dream-boy.
And what did that mean? What did it mean, that the idea of enjoying this time with the alien triumphed over her worry about the choosing so easily?
It seemed utterly ridiculous, that Aoyama could be dismissed so easily now, so surely…
And yet it would seem just as ridiculous if, after all that had happened, after all of the changes that she had experienced, all that she had learned, she spent this last precious hour anywhere but in Kisshu's secure embrace.
But if both seemed viable, if both seemed true, then which one…?
She didn't know. She didn't know, and she wasn't even thinking about it, because she was too busy following Kisshu's slender finger as it traced a delicate path down her arm.
Suddenly, as she was watching this happen, she received what felt like the greatest epiphany of her whole life.
She would never forget all of this.
It seemed strange, because she had already said this, both to Kisshu, and to herself. She had already insisted that she would never ever forget, and she had meant it, and it had meant a great deal to both of them.
Still, the thought hit her so hard, that for a moment, she found herself holding her breath.
From that night when she had found herself bound to help him, to all that time spent gently, tenderly, lovingly comforting him, to those moments of startling realization, burning humiliation, beautiful discover and paralyzing sadness that had finally led to the confession that she knew should have come long before, Ichigo knew that none of this would ever be forgotten.
Not by her, by Kisshu, or even by Lettuce.
And…and her love, love that she could never again doubt existed, because she felt it so completely now, could never be forgotten or ignored or buried.
It was done.
Done, done, done, never to be undone, no matter what happened…
"Kisshu…"
She shifted, lifted her head off of his shoulder to look at him, a sudden need to share this coming over her, only to see him giving her one of his rare soft smiles, one totally free of any hints of teasing or usual quirkiness.
"Me neither," he murmured, because he knew what she was thinking, and all of those feelings raging away inside of her were in him, too.
And now Ichigo felt the same way she had last night, before giving him that light kiss: utterly thankful, without even thinking to hesitate, for those golden eyes gazing at her with a light so different from his usual impish look, that she knew him to be beyond sincere, beyond certain in how much he cared about her.
She knew that he would never forget, either, and that made realizing that they had about five minutes to get dressed so much easier.
"It's time to go," she ventured quietly, sitting up. That smile morphed into one of his wider grins as he chuckled softly, leaned in, and gave her a light peck on the her lips, returning last night's favor in his version of a spontaneous show of gratitude.
The girl blushed harder, realizing, after catching the sweetness shining through playfulness in his eyes, that it meant that she had just done for him what he had done for her last night.
"Lead the way," he answered, and so she did.
Still slightly pink under the boy's smile, which was steadily turning into a smirk as they left (for now, at least) that tender atmosphere behind, Ichigo swiftly began to collect the various items needed for their outside venture: jackets, gloves, shoes and the like, and within a few minutes, she was busy giving Kisshu his first lesson in proper winter dress.
Within those same minutes, his smirk dissolved into a collection of nervous "oi's" and uncharacteristic stammers as the girl, suddenly caught up in a spell of habitual, silly enthusiasm, busily wrapped random scarves around his neck, tucked his long ears into various hats, and threw each jacket on him at least once, if not twice. This wore on for some time before the boy managed to gain control back.
"Oi, Ichigo… I thought that the hard part was supposed to come later!" His half-teasing tone made her frown.
"If you think we're going out (she missed his grin widening at these words) with you not wearing a—"
He chuckled. "Don't you think that I should put on regular clothes first?"
Ah… she blinked, just noticing that he was still in pajamas.
The boy levitated back up the stairs snickering, a miffed cat-girl glaring angrily at his back.
And not so angrily. After all, he was doing a hell of a lot to erase the tension, and she actually managed to notice it.
It made her smile, even while she tapped her foot in childish impatience.
Five minutes later, the boy returned, clad in a simple black turtleneck and jeans, obviously from her father's wardrobe. She'd have to find a way to explain that later, that and the jacket and gloves she tossed him. They were her father's, too.
After a while, Kisshu finally stopped fiddling with the gloves, which he considered mildly uncomfortable, and stood before the girl, jacket slightly oversized, hands slightly hidden by too-long sleeves, but looking about as comfortable as could be expected for someone accustomed to running around with a bare midriff.
"I guess that's all right…" Ichigo murmured, looking the boy up and down with an examining air that, oddly enough, made Kisshu slightly uncomfortable. Suddenly, she smiled, putting the final bit of the outfit in its place.
With an unsuppressed giggle, she stood back to admire her handiwork.
Kisshu scowled at her, pout firmly in place, from under the jacket's hood.
"What? It covers your ears!"
And so it did.
"It makes me look like an idiot…"
Well… it did that, too.
"Then I guess you want the hat instead?" Ichigo smiled brightly, holding up a bright red hat, complete with pom-pom, that… let's just say that Kisshu didn't feel like having his head represent Christmas on this particular day.
He'd keep the hood.
"You owe me a kiss for this, you know that, don't you?"
"You wish."
He would have teleported behind her, hugged her again, taken her little challenge, but he knew he'd have to wait.
They had just had their moment of gentle tranquility; they'd have to work for their next.
The thought sobered him enough to compel him to answer with just a smirk, and Ichigo noticed this instantly. It ended up a silent reminder to get going, and she did so without wasting any more time, without giving fear any more chances to grab hold of them.
"Let's go," she said, with more cheer than she honestly felt, a too-large smile lighting up her face. With that, she walked over to the door, followed by the boy, grasped the doorknob in her slightly-trembling right hand, and…
…felt something gently squeeze her left.
She turned around only to meet Kisshu's golden eyes and, a half-blink later, his lips.
They pressed onto hers, warm, soft, not rough and aggressive like they were when he had first kissed her, the day they met, or even when he had, in the last few days, chanced to steal a playful kiss from her.
Now, they were as gentle and as tender as when he had…
And when she had…
He finally pulled back, that passion that she had come to expect from him shining in his eyes, his lips curling into a half-impish, half-wistful smile.
The boy didn't say anything, because he knew that she understood him exactly:
Just one last time, ne?
Ichigo didn't speak, either.
All she did was allow her lips to mirror his smile before giving his hand a return squeeze.
Last time?
Maybe…maybe not.
That was all they needed to give them the strength to leave the house and begin their walk to Café Mew Mew.
To uncertainty.
They set off with a quiet conviction in their steps.
They were halfway there, according to Ichigo's borderline-neurotic attention to the street signs.
They had been walking for the expected fifteen minutes, sometimes in silence, allowing worry and anxiety to slowly take hold of them, which only led to minutes of first nervous, then progressively easier conversation as they strove to calm each other down. It had been working rather well, and they were currently in the conversation part of the cycle, Ichigo trying to decide whether to be exasperated by the boy's apparent ignorance about flamingo lawn ornaments or amused by his attempts at easing tension, when the snickers died in Kisshu's throat, and the smirk slid off of his face.
The effect what much like a rabbit suddenly scenting a predator, and at first, Ichigo had the bizarre idea that either Ryou or, and this thought would have made her even more uneasy had she had the time to focus on it, Aoyama was lurking behind some tree or bush. That impression soon left her as logic strove to make its voice heard, and she turned to the boy.
"Kisshu? What's—?"
"Shh."
In all the time she had known him, he had only sounded so commanding, so urgent, once: when he had threatened her with death if she wouldn't take him as her love. It had been right before his collapse, the collapse that had started all of this.
It had been the only time when anger and desperation and terror had combined and made her afraid, both of him and… and for him, she had later realized.
Now, the tension in the air echoed that moment. She obediently hushed, eyes widening in creeping fright as Kisshu suddenly looked to the skies. His own eyes widened as he gritted his teeth, fists clenching.
It was happening, as Taruto had suggested it would.
He was here.
Here.
Now.
Kisshu felt three things at this moment: anger, a twinge of fear, and a near-desperate urgency to get the girl away from this area.
It was too late to do anything about the third one. He could already see the ripple in the air…
With the time left, he couldn't even force the girl into a clump of bushes.
Thus, Kisshu did the only thing he could.
"Stay here, don't talk, and be ready to fight or run."
She adopted a wide-eyed, confused look.
"But Kisshu—"
Too late. He was already levitating up quickly, so quickly that she couldn't even reach out and grab his hand in an attempt to stop him. Upwards he floated, towards…
Finally, Ichigo's human eyes saw what his alien ones had discerned precious seconds ago. She gasped.
He was no longer floating up to what seemed empty air.
He was moving to meet Pai.
No…
The eldest alien floated serenely (deceptively, Ichigo thought) above them, his steely purple-grey eyes following his companion's progress as Kisshu stopped level with him.
Neither wore a truly identifiable expression, though Kisshu looked as if he was trying to flash Pai his customary smirk. Whether he wanted to do this in order to give the other alien some idea of normalcy, or just to annoy him, Ichigo couldn't tell. Whichever it was, even under Pai's paralyzing gaze, the boy managed it. His fangs glinted in what dull sunlight was managing to shine through the sky's cloud cover before he gave a rather normal-sounding greeting:
"Hey, Pai."
He used his usual jovial tone, allowed the familiar spark of amused playfulness to glint in the deep gold of his eyes as he waited for the purple-haired alien to give him some sort of reply.
Whatever he did, though, however he acted, he already anticipated the other boy's reaction. Kisshu could sense danger. He had spent enough time with Pai to know when he was just being his usual, serious self, and when his demeanor was actually threatening and angry under his seriousness.
This time involved, unfortunately, the latter, and as Kisshu held the other's gaze, only one central thought ran through his mind.
The older alien was going to attack. Somehow, in some way, he was going to attack today, and Ichigo was standing right there, right there with no other Mew Mews to protect her…
Normally, he'd be all too happy to jump to her defense, but truthfully, as he beheld the boy before him, he became aware of the very important fact that Pai was in top physical condition, and seemed to be very determined in whatever he was about to do. Now, Kisshu had his own very large share of ego, but he wasn't about to kid himself. He had been severely ill, and while generally healthy and definitely well enough to get around, he was in no condition to engage in an arduous battle with Pai.
Still… he had to protect his precious koneko-chan, didn't he?
That thought firmly battling against his instinctive fear, Kisshu stood his ground.
Then, Pai did something rather unexpected.
He smiled.
It wasn't a big smile, or even a particularly warm one, but it caught the emerald-haired boy off-guard, and his nonchalant expression faltered for just a moment as the other, lifting his chin just slightly, giving Kisshu a somewhat imperious look, answered.
"You are looking better."
Trap. He was trying to lure him into a trap. He had to be, with that indiscernible glint in his eyes, with that strange smile, those deceptively tranquil words. Kisshu knew it.
But he didn't show that.
"Sure am," he grinned, "thanks to my koneko-chan."
In the corner of his eye, he could see Ichigo stiffen as she heard herself mentioned.
Before him, however, he saw something that concerned him more. Sure enough, as soon as he had mentioned the cat-girl, Pai's muscles had tensed. A new look, a crueler one, had crept into his slightly-narrowing eyes as the atmosphere took a sudden change for the worse.
Hold on… had he been trying something?
Kisshu blinked momentarily in slight confusion. In speaking normally, in giving that odd smile, had he been trying, perhaps, to win Kisshu over peacefully, trying to avoid this confrontation that the younger boy had expected from the moment he had seen the air ripple?
Perhaps…
But it didn't matter. Even if he had wanted to take Kisshu back peacefully, the boy couldn't, wouldn't, go. Pai's reaction to "koneko-chan" swiftly told him that his feeling about the humans, even after what Ichigo had done, what Lettuce had done, even right in front of him, had not changed.
No matter what the violet-haired alien's intentions had been, Kisshu knew he couldn't go along with them.
He had to stay with his Ichigo, no matter what might happen between them later on. Granted, Ryou might impose some sort of catastrophe upon them, or Aoyama… well, he didn't even want to consider Aoyama, but if he gave in now, if he had given in to Taruto last night, there would be no chance to see if their new-found love survived any of that.
It was time to go.
"Well, if that's all, then I think Ichigo and I should get going. You're always telling me that punctuality is so important…"
Of course, no such luck.
The boy didn't even try to turn around; he knew he'd be stopped.
"Take those ridiculous things off, and come with me."
Damn. He hadn't been expecting something quite that harsh and abrupt, though.
A plan… he needed a plan…
So, he stalled.
"Aww… but Pai, they're so warm and—"
Behind and below the aliens, Ichigo was beginning to tremble in fear.
And then his time instantly ran out.
Pai threw the first punch.
In all truth, Kisshu hadn't been expecting it, not so quick or violent, and the only reason he managed to dodge it was because Ichigo screamed his name as soon as her eyes detected the slightest twitch in Pai's arm muscles.
Hmph. Maybe human eyes weren't so bad, after all.
Damn…
He had no time to think now. Kisshu quickly assumed his fighting stance, gritting his teeth as he realized that the jacket was hampering his movement. He needed all the speed he could get. As Pai wound up for a second punch, Kisshu frantically fumbled with his zipper.
Again, Pai would have easily hit him, had the eldest not been distracted by a piercing cry of "Mew Mew Ichigo, Metamorpho-sis!"
The slight break in attention was enough to allow Kisshu to shrug the heavy jacket off, and it fell to the ground with a flat thump, a few feet away from the newly-transformed Mew Ichigo.
"Ichigo!" Kisshu yelled, eyes now focused exclusively on Pai, "Get out of here! Run to the café, and—"
"What? And leave you? You want him to take you back?"
"He won't! I'll be fine, I swear, just—"
"I'm surprised you're foolish enough to underestimate me."
And now, Kisshu was forced to block a flurry of hard, fast punches as Pai flew at him, releasing his energy in a burst of attack that, while successfully avoided by the other alien, left him panting.
Pai smiled.
Normally, Kisshu never tired this easily. But now… this would be child's play.
Or, it would have been, had a certain cat-eared girl not decided to let her attack loose on him.
"Ribbon Strawberry Check!"
He had to jerk swiftly to the side to avoid the beam of light.
The distraction also gave Kisshu enough time to regain his breath and summon his Dragon Swords. Now he slashed at Pai with these sabers, slashed as viciously as he could as Pai ducked in and out of their paths, gritting his teeth in annoyance not because it was very difficult (Kisshu's jabs and thrusts were slower, weaker than usual), but because he knew that the girl had just jumped up behind him. He could feel a slight breeze against his back as she swiped at him with her weapon, lightly clipping him on the shoulder before he teleported out from between the two.
It stung just a bit, he noted as he reappeared some yards away. It also told him something:
He had to destroy the girl first.
Thus, Ichigo had no time to ask Kisshu if he was all right, or if he had a plan, or how they should coordinate their attacks. Pai came rushing at her just as she opened her mouth.
Kisshu barely had time to cry out as Pai flew past him and whipped out his fan, beating and slicing at the girl with it as she gasped, desperately trying to stay out of the thing's way.
He had to tire her out. If he tired her out enough, he could aim one of his greater attacks at her and kill her in one hit. Then, he could knock Kisshu out and…
And then…
Pai left those thoughts in favor of roughly elbowing Kisshu who had rushed over with a furious shout to try to help Ichigo fight off his former companion, then returned to mercilessly pummeling her as the other alien was knocked back.
And now...
He slammed the fan against her chest, hard, sending her spiraling upwards, up, up, barely conscious, he could tell, due to the heavy hit.
Perfect. He had her generally helpless, immobilized.
"Ichigo!"
Yes. Judging by the raw terror in Kisshu's voice, by the way he desperately tried to slash Pai with his swords, only to be thrown back again, muscles too weak to stand against the elder, he had her.
Pai aimed…
"Fuu Rai—"
…and had the fan knocked right out of his hand.
He stared at the rescuer, dumbly.
Kisshu stared with just as much shock.
The Blue Knight narrowed his eyes and brandished his sword ominously before giving it a mighty swing, ramming Pai in the side and sending the still-astonished alien crashing into the trunk of a tree.
For a few moments, no one moved. Pai slowly pulled himself to his feet, still confused, processing what had just happened.
The Blue Knight stared slowly at him, then at Kisshu…mostly at Kisshu, his eyes strange, his look unfathomable.
Kisshu stared back with the same confusion, the same wonder.
Yet it was he who broke the paralysis first.
As both he and the Blue Knight looked up and realized that Ichigo, limp and likely barely conscious had begun her downward descent, he was the first to leap up with another strangled cry of her name, only to be followed closely by the Blue Knight as he struggled to fly up to her.
Thus, Ichigo opened her eyes and saw, at odd angles that first confused her, because she was falling, two shapes, one vaguely black, the other a bright, sharp blue, coming towards her.
Nyugh… what… where…
And suddenly, she recognized the blue blur with the same astonishment the aliens had experienced.
The Blue Knight!
But then, just as suddenly, with an amazing ferocity, another thought invaded her mind, and staid.
Kisshu! Where… where is he?
She wished, not even worrying about the fact that she was falling, that she could see better, just to find him, just to see that he was…
But those two blurs were coming closer, and closer.
And for a moment, she prepared herself to land in the arms of the Blue Knight, prepared to feel his strong, secure arms wrap around her as she clutched at his neck, bringing her to safety.
She landed in a pair of arms, sure enough, and she hugged a neck, and felt a strong grip secure her, but…
It wasn't the Blue Knight…
She could see well again, and the Blue Knight was dropping away, dropping to the ground, and oddly… what? Was she seeing it right? He had an oddly peaceful, serene, almost satisfied expression on his face, and as she gazed at him, wondering about that, she could have sworn that she saw him say something…
And as she thought she saw his lips moving, she felt whomever was holding her stiffen, and only then did she realize that she was rubbing against the fabric of her father's turtleneck.
"Kisshu…" Her murmur was still soft, weak as she fought to gain her voice back, but he heard it all the same.
"Hold still, Ichigo, I've got you…" And even though he sounded strange, just a mite too quiet (why had he stiffened, just now, when she had thought…), he held her strongly and surely.
It was then that she realized something, as she accepted the idea that he had caught her, when for some reason, the Blue Knight had failed.
His grip was different from the Blue Knight's. It was rougher, tighter. It made it somewhat difficult for her to breathe properly, even hurt a bit, as his arms squeezed her tightly to his chest, closer to him, as close as possible…
And yet she knew, in her half-conscious state, that he was holding her so tightly because had he just been petrified of losing her. She knew that his vice-grip only symbolized how passionately he loved her, how mindlessly terrified he had been when she had been falling through the air like a limp rag-doll, how desperately he wanted to protect her from that. She could feel each of his ten fingers individually pressing into her arm, shoulder, and leg, each a strong pressure, each perhaps strong enough to leave a mark, a bruise.
Ichigo knew suddenly, instantly, that if she woke up tomorrow to find such bruises decorating her legs, she wouldn't care. She wouldn't care because she knew what they were from, why they were there.
She knew that they spawned from his force of his love, of his need to keep her safe now, and…
…Ichigo felt safe.
And so she wrapped her arms around Kisshu's neck with the same trust, the same sincere gratitude with which she had always held onto the Blue Knight.
This was how they gently landed.
The boy set her down carefully, and she let him go. For a few seconds, both looked around for any signs of Pai or the Blue Knight, but the other two had disappeared from the area.
After this, Ichigo was the first to speak.
"K-Kisshu, I—"
"Are you all right?" She nodded right away, because the voice he spoke in was so serious, that she knew he demanded the answer immediately.
As soon as she had, the boy seemed to relax, trembling muscles relaxing, mouth allowing a relived smile to curve its lips, eyes losing their wideness and retrieving their sparkle.
"Good. Then we can keep going."
"Going? Are you crazy? You just…Pai almost…" her outburst was cut short by a stern look from him.
"Exactly. He knows. If Pai knows, then Deep Blue knows, and that means we can't wait any longer, Ichigo! We have to go now."
"But…but Kisshu…" Again, his golden eyes silenced her.
Oh, but how she desperately wanted to stop for a second, just a moment, and process the fact that Pai had just attacked Kisshu, and that the Blue Knight had come, and had not attacked Kisshu, and then…then Kisshu had caught her…
Why had he caught her, and not the Blue Knight? What had happened? And had the Blue Knight…?
"No. Come on, we have to—" he had grabbed her arm, begun to pull her forward, but she managed to wrench herself free, whether because of the force of her own will, or because his grip was weak from the fight, she didn't know. Nevertheless, he stared at her in shock.
Despite the fact that she could see that he truly wanted to go, probably shaken by the confrontation with Pai, probably thinking about what it meant regarding Deep Blue and the like, she stopped in her tracks.
"Ichi—"
"Kisshu, why did you catch me?"
He blinked, his bewilderment obvious.
"Ichigo… what do you mean, why?" He spoke slowly, sounding almost hurt. "Did you… did you think I'd let you fall? Did you…"
Poor boy. He was so stressed, that her words were probably making him think that she was somehow doubting the love that had grown over the last week.
Ichigo began to shake her head. "No, no, Kisshu, that's not it. I mean, why didn't the Blue Knight…" she trailed off, waiting for him to compose himself, waiting for an answer.
The Blue Knight…
Kisshu blanked for a moment, then…
Then felt a twinge of relief, his irrational thoughts about her doubting the feelings dissipating, and then…
He frowned slightly, confusion flooding him again, at the memory of the Blue Knight…
…and what he had said…
"Kisshu, did he say something, anything? Please?" She could see the discomfort she was causing him, and though she could hardly stand it, she needed this answer, needed it for reasons she could not guess.
"Take her."
Ichigo drew a breath, then stopped, words failing her, Kisshu's confusion flooding her now.
"W-what?"
The boy paused, taking a few seconds to look up into her shining eyes.
"He said, 'Take her. Protect her.' So I did."
Speechlessness.
Silence.
Astonishment.
That meant something, she realized, vaguely. What the Blue Knight had said meant more than she could understand right now…it meant something for the future…
And Kisshu knew it, too. He had to, because it had made him stiffen, freeze momentarily, as he had held her. Perhaps to him…
Perhaps he knew even more…
But that was for later. Much later. Right now, she was drowning in the memory of how safe she had felt in those arms…
The silence was broken when Ichigo inhaled sharply, so sharply that it hurt her chest, and threw her arms around Kisshu's neck, burying her face in his chest.
Right now, all that mattered was breathing in Kisshu's scent, his wonderfully strange, alien scent, as he tentatively, surprised by her suddenness, returned the hug.
"Arigatou," she whispered, and she heard Kisshu laugh, a deeper, throatier laugh than his usual snickers. She could feel it in his chest.
"I promised you, didn't I, Ichigo?" She loved the way her name sounded at that moment, spoken in the tones of his voice, made more beautiful by sincerity.
After a few more breaths, she looked up with a tearful smile.
"Hai."
They retrieved the jacket and gloves and resumed their walk.
AN: My, my. 1:30 AM. And I still have to read sociology stuff. Well, that chappie done (and I apologize for the wait!) leaves us with, I'm pretty sure, one more chappie to go. And then… the sequel, I guess :P.
And I'm sorry for the typos and any confusion. My vision is happily blurring together, so it'll be fixed eventually.
Night, all!