A/N: Hello Again Faithful Readers! :D Next Chapter is up! Hope you enjoy it, and any comments please feel free to tell me! Keeping my authors note short! But a HUGE thanks to all those who reviewed! :D On to the chapter! A longer one than usual!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TOKYO MEW MEW.

Chapter 5 - Practice, Practice, Practice

By Brown-eyed Wolf

Damn that alien! Ichigo thought, mentally exhausted at the battering she was receiving in her mind, images of his tormenting face flashing over and over again. Her heart would quicken, and her cheeks would flush. This is insane, ridiculous, and utterly confusing! What has happened to me? She shrieked mentally. He never clouded my mind like this, never before. Ichigo walked home, her head hung low and her hands clenching repeatedly into tight fists, trying to relieve her immense frustration.

The only time I think like this, that I get so anxious and excited is when I think of Masaya. Ichigo admitted silently. That would mean . . . An image of Kish flittered into her already crowded mind. His persistent smirk, and his carefree manner. He really was very handsome, and clever, and. . . No! This is not happening! It will NOT admit to liking that... that... pervert!

She started to run home, her breath coming in ragged chunks after ten minutes of solid sprinting, sweat beaded on her forehead. Unsure why she was running as fast as she was, it didn't stop her from pushing further. The ground was uneven over which she ran, and it was pure luck that she lasted as long as she did before tripping. Her foot caught, and she hastily flung her arms up to protect her face and eyes, waiting for the hard collision with the unforgivable ground and the pain that would surely follow. Surprisingly. . . none came. What? She asked herself, becoming slightly more aware again.

Strong, sure hands had her, lifted her upright, and held her tightly to them. Someone caught me? She asked herself, her mind still very dazed and disorientated. Ichigo blinked a few times, the bright afternoon sun stinging her eyes as they became accustomed. The face of her rescuer appeared very slowly, and it took her a moment to realise she was not day dreaming again, this was the real thing this time, Kish. She sucked in a gasp, but didn't move; entirely in too much shock.

"You better watch you step kitten." Kish said with a grin and a bright glint in his golden eyes, "You don't want hurt yourself before the play, now do you?"

His arms were still wrapped too tight around her, and his face was too close for comfort. Erratically and irrationally her heart caught in her throat, and she turned her head down to the hard, dry ground. Trying pitifully to escape his clutches she pushed against him with her hands. All she wanted was to reach her home, where she could lay in her bed and cry because everything was so confusing and so maddening.

"Kitten?" Kish asked, confused at her half-hearted struggle and reluctance to respond to his taunts.

Ichigo didn't reply and continued to struggle weakly, not meeting his eyes, or acknowledging him in any other way. Tears were prickling at the sides of her eyes for reasons unknown to her, and she hadn't the energy to stop them. She cried, still in the arms of Kish. The alien that was, in more aspects than one, her enemy.

Kish's grin faded, and he leaned down to get a look at her face. With the confirmation that she was indeed crying, and she had given up all attempts to struggle, he teleported her to her home. She was tucked neatly into his chest, her hands clutching his shirt as sobs escaped from her mouth. As they arrived into her room he released her from his protective arms, letting the sobbing Mew sit on her bed; her head in her hands.

This was not what he had expected. He had been expecting a struggle, a fight, maybe and exchange of words, but not this. His kitten was reduced to tears, all shame gone as she cried in front of him. What should I do now? He wondered, watching Ichigo's shaking body. Once upon a time he might have enjoyed her pain, relished that he was the one causing it, but that was no longer the case. Her tears held no comfort for him anymore. Should I leave her here alone? The answer was surprisingly strong in his mind. No, I'll stay, until she calms down. She will be back to normal soon enough.

He waited, and an half an hour passed with little change. She had curled up on her bed, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest, and sobbed. It was hard to ignore how her despair hurt him, but he stayed still, not moving, and waited very patiently. Eventually she did calm down, and wiped her eyes grudgingly, as if she was disgusted she was crying. Without a word she got up off her bed, and left the room at a hurried pace. Kish would have followed her had he not heard water running from a tap, she was in the bathroom. When she came back, although her face was slightly red from the crying, a solid resolve had formed once again in her eyes. Ichigo was back.

Kish floated from his sitting position by the wall, and went over to her, grinning once again, but softly. She glared up at him. That was what he had been waiting for. It was fine to have a normal love struck teenager in your grasp to manipulate to your liking, but it was almost too easy. Ichigo's determination was ever-present, and that was what Kish relished. The chase was the exciting part, not the kill, metaphorically of course.

"I see you are back to yourself again, kitten." Kish commented, gazing at her happily.

"Yes," she said, her voice strong, "I am."

He pulled her chin up like he always did, and lowered his mouth to hers slowly. He found no resistance, as he had once before. No, she wasn't kissing him back, but she wasn't pulling away either. She knew what was coming, and she was. . . waiting? That provided more of an annoyance to the alien than anything and the kiss, although he enjoyed it, was short lived. His curiosity got the better of him. Pulling back he stared into her deep brown eyes, asking questions with his own golden orbs.

Ichigo plucked her chin from his gentle hand, and walked over to her bed. Once there she bent and picked up the script. It was stained in tears. "You have been stealing this." She stated; it wasn't a question.

He tilted his head, and nodded in a jerky motion.

"Well then," she said, walking back over to him, and almost smiling as she pushed the script into his hands, "Show me how well you can act."

Ichigo's strong exterior was hiding a still sobbing heart. She was still upset, and still confused, but if he was going to be a constant annoyance and reminder of her swirling thoughts, she may as well unsettle Kish also. It worked surprisingly well, and she knew she had caught him totally off guard.

"I. . . you. . . what?" He inquired shocked.

"You heard me, now page 5. I'm having trouble with that part." She sat on her bed and watched as he flicked the pages hesitantly, and glanced at the script. Her hastily thought of plan was working well, and she was going to get some practice out of it. Of course, Kish, the one whom was making her heart beat uncomfortably lately, was not the ideal practicing partner, but he knew the script at least, she was certain of that fact. Why else would he steal her script if not to read it?

"What character?" He asked, still extremely confused at her new attitude.

She answered his question with a question, "What character have you been practicing?" It was a pure bluff, she had no clue if he was practicing the prince or not, he could have simply been reading it through, but her bluff paid off.

He nodded, and set the script down, recalling the first few lines fluidly and with emotion that was acted with such conviction it was almost impossible to not believe them. She had never seen him or heard him move and talk like that before. It was enchanting to watch. Soon enough she had to get up and play her part, which, as she had thought, was a little shaky. Her lines were so unfamiliar to her, but she needed to memorise them. An unexpected plus to the exercise of practicing with Kish was that her heart speed up as much as if she was with Masaya, and she was getting used to the feeling. Kish was also very patient when she forgot her lines, and waited for her to remember silently; which she eventually did each time.

By the end of an hour page five was a strong point of Ichigo's, and she felt confident that she knew those particular lines backwards and forwards. Not only that but they had started from the very beginning again, and Ichigo knew every page as well as she ever would up to page 10. She made sure she stopped Kish before he got carried away, as he often tried to. Close to the end of the hour they reached page ten. Kish really put everything he had into this page, each time. She could honestly weep it felt so real.

"Why will you not love me?" He asked her, his eyes clouding with despair as he cupped her chin in a hand and looked at her as if no one else existed in the world, "Why can't you love me?"

Ichigo looked away, escaping those eyes for fear she would break to early as she had done a few times, "I. . . I have another." Her voice shook as tears prickled at her eyes, "Please, try to understand."

Kish's voice was hollow, dead, "Another?" His hand dropped away from Ichigo's face silently and swayed lifeless at his side. The look on his face was more than despair, it was heartbreak, and it seemed to suck the very life out of his body.

She bit back sobs as she recited her line, "Ye. . . yes." She was meant to be crying in the line of course, but she never thought it would seem this real. Ichigo felt as if she was breaking herself, seeming to put Kish though this.

He fell to his knees at her feet, grabbing her hand in his own and clutched it desperately, pulling her down a little with it, so she stared him right in the eyes. "Does he love you like I do?" His voice was demanding and at the same time heartbreaking, Ichigo could not stand such a depressing combination. His voice became quieter and more serious, "Will he get down on his knees and pledge himself to you?" His own eyes were strong, and as loving as she had seen from anyone.

She was openly crying now, weeping as she often did in the last hour when he talked to her with such emotion. She sobbed through her lines as she was meant to, "I. . . I just. . . I must go." Snatching her hand away hastily she turned to the door, trying to stop her tears. She hated that she was crying so much, but at least now she had an excuse to cry in front of him. It was entirely too real for her liking.

He caught her wrist and pulled her gently back to him with a minimal amount of coaxing, to his welcoming chest. He whispered in her ear as he held her to him securely. His voice was desperate and pleading, as if he believed with his very soul in what he was saying. "Stay, for without you I will surely die." He didn't leave character as he lent down to her, meaning to kiss her, his character trying to coax her to stay with him. But she turned her head away as was not in the script and wiped her tears. He only caught her cheek in the kiss and gently pulled back. He sighed and rested his head on hers as she hung on to him, he was disappointed again.

"That's enough," she said in a horse whisper, still sobbing quietly and trying desperately to control herself. He pulled his head back, his arms still around her, and looked her in the face. "Those lines," she said with a half-hearted smile, "Always make me cry." She pulled away from Kish and slowly made her way to her bed, and sat down heavily.

"Remind you of something kitten?" Kish inquired, cocking his head to the side, wondering if she realised.

She looked up at him, confused, "What?"

He shrugged and leaned against the wall and didn't answer. She'll figure it out. Eventually. "You are getting much better, no line slip-ups that time."

"Who knew you'd be a good person to practice with?" She asked him, smiling slightly. Certainly not her, never would she have considered him a worthy practice partner, but she was most certainly wrong. Not only was Kish a match for Masaya in the emotion he put into the play, but he was making her learn to control her heart, to settle herself down. "It's been an hour you know." She said, glancing at the clock and surprising herself at the time. "Er. . .Thank you. I think it really helped me; the practice."

He just grinned, "Good, and do I get a reward for my valuable services?" He walked over to the pink bed, crouching down in front of her so his face was level with hers, and only centimetres away. "Like that kiss you kept denying me?" He knew better than to oppose her when she told him enough when they were practicing. The longer she was pleased with him, the longer she openly ran to his arms without delay when the scene called for it, and even without. When she cried, Ichigo seemed to prefere crying into his chest than anything else.

Kish wasn't sure if she would give him a kiss simply because he helped her. But it didn't matter to him; he could always steal a kiss as before. He raised one of his hands and slid it to the side of her neck, using his thumb to hold her chin up. Ichigo's pulse was slowly increasing, and he smiled at that, waiting to see what she would say.

Ichigo sat on her bed, faced with the alien that had helped her enormously. That had resisted the temptation, that she knew bothered him, for many many scenes. The emotion she had gotten from him was so real, so amazing. He really had behaved well. . . but he's still the same as he was. Still. . . do I owe him? Just this once?


Sneaky finish, huh? This is where I want some idea's from you, my readers. Should Ichigo repay Kish? Does he deserve it? What do you think? I'm balancing on the edge at the moment, and could turn her feelings either way, so help me decide if you can! Thank you! Reviews truely do make me happy, so please review.

*Random howling*

As always, from the Brown-eyed Wolf! Have a great day/night (depending on when you are reading) people!