I've been rereading Beast Master (for the millionth time), and I can't help wanting to write a softer Leo. Not for the whole story, but for a chapter.
Oh, and best review ever goes to it0takes0skills0to0be0me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beast Master.

Chapter Four

Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Yuiko awoke in a strange bed, though her mind immediately knew whose it was. She sat up, covered in little more than high-thread-count sheets, and realized that she could hear voices just beyond the canopy surrounding the bed. Leaning forward to better hear them, she recognized Leo's voice, as well as Toki's.

"Leo, she can't stay with us! Her father has already started looking for her; if we need to move to a new place, we can't afford for her to get noticed. The police—and inevitably the Council—will follow us if we are involved with a kidnapping," Toki was saying, obviously trying to spare Leo's feelings.

"The Leopard" chuckled. "You don't have to worry about it, Toki. She's my mate; I'm sure once I explain our plan to her that she'll be the missing key to get it out into the open." She heard something that could have been a clap on the shoulder and knew that Leo was smiling his almost child-like grin. "Besides, I can't let her go."

His words stopped the breath in her lungs. He really, truly wanted to keep her. Otherwise, would he be going through so much danger? Obviously someone was looking for her or Toki wouldn't have brought it up. He didn't even care that she didn't want to stay there with him, nor did he seem to mind that he might be taken to jail.

This only managed to infuriate her and she slipped from the bed, forgetting that she was only in a men's button-up shirt—though she wasn't sure how she'd gotten in it to begin with.

"Excuse me," she hissed with menace, making the men turn towards her, "but I feel as if I should have a part in this conversation!"

Leo was almost immediately in front of her, grinning from ear to ear like he'd just been given a cookie. "You must be feeling better, Yuiko," he said happily, unknowingly avoiding her words. His arms started to wrap around her as his nose descended into her hair. "You still smell nice," he murmured, a rumble of pleasure vibrating through his chest.

"Let go!" she shouted, hands going to his shoulders and pushing him away. Not enjoying how her heart beat just that little bit faster when he was so close, she took a step back from him when he started to crowd her once again. She raised her finger until it was just centimeters from chest. "No! You stay right there!" Dropping her hands to her sides, she took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. "You have to let me go," she responded after a moment of charged silence between the three occupants of the room. "My father will worry about me and we both know that I don't belong here. Toki," she added, motioning towards the blonde man, "is completely right. I'm just going to make it harder for you to leave here if you need to.

"Besides, this kind of thing is completely new to me, not to mention against my culture. Men who kidnap women are bad guys; they aren't someone you go with by choice." Her eyes were roaming anywhere that didn't involve looking straight at his face. "Maybe you could come back and take me out on dates and things, but until then, I can't be with you. Not the way you seem to need me to."

The silence stretched out for a moment and it made her uncomfortable enough to glance into his face. It was contorted in thought, as if he were confused over something she said. "What's a date?" he asked suddenly, which served only to confuse her.

Blinking, Yuiko answered, "It's going out for dinner or a movie with someone you like—"

"'Like'?"

"—someone you want to spend more time with. Anyways, you just go out and spend time with the person you like." She noticed the light bulb that seemed to go off above his head and opened her mouth to continue her tirade on why she should be returned to her father.

But he interrupted her. "Let's go on a date, then. I'll get Oleksandr to bring the car and we'll go do something you want to do." He grabbed her hand, smiling brightly. "Because I like you and I want to spend more time with you."

She stared at him, shocked by his blunt attitude. I really shouldn't be so surprised, she thought. It isn't like this is a new aspect to him that I never knew. Clearing her throat, she answered, "Leo, I'm sorry, but that isn't possible. I don't know you and I really just don't want to go on a date with you." She knew her words were harsh, but she wasn't getting through to him any other way. And shouldn't she be angry? She had every right to be! "I mean, after I helped you, you kidnapped me. You might think that there's nothing wrong with that, but to me there is! Why would you do that?" she demanded.

A change came over his demeanor. He was no longer carefree and childish. His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. He straightened to his full height—a head taller than her—and he became cold and calm. "You're in danger, Yuiko. I'm not about to let you stay in that danger just because you're scared of me."

"I am not afraid of you!" she shouted, hands tightening into fists at her sides. "You should be afraid of me! I'm not one of your weak females that can't fight for myself!"

"Don't let the females hear you calling them weak; even I might not be able to hold them back," he said with a sardonic grin. "Besides, I'm keeping you here. Try to fight your way out of here, to run away. One command from me"—had he ever seemed so cocky before?—"and several hundred Breeds will search all over the world for you. That is, if you make it out of our compound." He stepped aside, waving her to walk past if she chose to. "I won't force you to spend time with me if you don't want to. But I also won't let my mate go off to find her own death. I'll protect you in the best way I see fit.

"So, you have two choices. The first, go out with me and waste a few hours wandering around. Or the second, which is to stay here until you change your mind about the first."

She stared at him, shocked and disgusted. How dare he talk to her in such a way! "Excuse me, but do you think you can try to see this from my point of view? Some guy—who was covered in blood the first time I met him—drags me to his compound, surrounded by people that refer to themselves as 'Breeds' and say they have animal blood in them. Oh! And it turns out the guy from before thinks you're his 'mate'! Doesn't that sound just the tiniest bit uncomfortable to you?"

Leo didn't budge. If anything, he looked more determined. "I don't think you're my mate; I know. I can smell it on you, I can feel it in the air whenever you're in the room. There's something about you that's calling to me and I'm not about to lose you just when I found you." He glanced over at Toki and Oleksandr. "Tell the others to bring her back to this room if she tries to go anywhere. I won't trust anyone but me—not including the two of you—with her safety."

Then, without glancing at her, he strode down the hall, Toki following closely after. She was so furious, she could do nothing but watch him leave.

"He's right, you know. It's really dangerous for you out there."

Snarling, Yuiko turned on Oleksandr. "You're just going to stand by while he does this to me? Do you have any idea how inhumane this treatment is? I am not some pet that you can just put a leash on! I'm a human being, damnit!"

A dark gleam came to his eyes at her words and he stepped closer to lean down into her face. "We know all about wantin' to be treated like humans. But we also know how far the men lookin' for us will go to take back Leo. Personally, I would take his kindness and be grateful; otherwise you'd probably be vivisected on a lab table by now." With that, he too strode away from her down the hall.

His words had cut her, but she wouldn't back down. She would teach these Breeds a thing or two.

Idle hands are the devil's plaything.

She was so bored. Three days stuck in a room was more than Yuiko could take. There wasn't much to keep her attention other than some books piled in the corner. And they were all things that she had been forced to read in high school. Did she want to reread them? Not really.

But she couldn't let him win! Every night he came to sleep—oh, yes, he most definitely did make her sleep in the same bed as him!—he would ask again if she wanted to go on a date the next day. Every time she said hell to the no. No way was she going to reward him by doing exactly what he wanted. All that he was putting her through made her want to rage at him, but for whatever reason she couldn't.

The first day, she had tried to run. And failed miserably. Several females—two Bears and a Wolf—had swarmed her, ushering her back to the room before she knew what was happening. Sneaky animal-people. Of course, as the leader's mate, she was treated with the utmost care, as if she were so fragile she might break. But they didn't listen to her when she said that they were holding her as a prisoner. All they did was smile and nod, as if placating a child.

But she couldn't stay in the room any longer. If she did, she would go insane. Besides, a new plan of escape was forming in her mind.

She could go "waste a few hours wandering around" with Leo, Toki, and Oleksandr. And how hard would it be for a petite woman to disappear in a crowd? She wouldn't allow them to hold on to her and she knew well how to hide herself. That was how she pounced on her father's runaway patients.

Still, she didn't know if her pride would let her even lie about wanting to go out on a date with Leo. It held her back, making it impossible to let the words come out. Even though it was getting closer to the time that the leopard-man would show up to sleep and ask his usual question, the words weren't forming in her mind.

Other than her pride, she felt...strange deceiving a man that really thought he was protecting her. And that treated her like a queen. A captive queen, but royalty nonetheless. How could she throw that back in his face so carelessly?

But I'm here against my will! This isn't where I belong!

She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed when Leo slipped into the room. Giving a small jump, she turned towards him. "Why wouldn't you warn me that you were coming in?" she demanded, trying to believe that the skip in her heartbeat was because his sudden entrance had surprised—not excited—her. "What if I'd been indecent? How would you have known?" Fear of the man in front of her, of the things his presence made her feel, was the reason the words came out so brusquely. Never before had a man's close quarters made her feel so...feminine. It was as if she were only just realizing that she was a woman.

It didn't help that the clothes his people brought her were less of the T-shirt-and-jeans variety that she was used to. No, they were more dresses-and-skirts kind of thing. She hadn't worn a skirt since she'd left high school and she had been hoping to keep it that way.

He smiled calmly, much as a husband gave a wife after years of living with her. "I wouldn't have. But I wanted to go to bed." No explanations, really. Just blunt honesty.

The past nights, she'd pretended to be asleep when he came in. He knew that she was awake, but he didn't push her on it. She'd heard him stripping off his shirt, shucking his bottoms until he slid into bed with just his boxers, but she made it a point to keep distance between them on the bed. No, Leo Aoi wasn't getting anywhere near her in a state of undress.

"Why do we have to sleep in the same bed together?" she asked gruffly, much like a pouting child. He stopped on his way to the connecting bathroom, turning to look at her with clear confusion on his face. "I'm not comfortable with you sleeping there with me. Either you have to leave or I have to. I can't do it."

There was that word again: comfortable. She didn't think it was uncomfortable in the sense that she hardly knew him and he was just a roll away. It had more to do with the fact that she could hardly stop herself from reaching out to him, to ask for something she had never had. What the hell was wrong with her? Surely Stockholm syndrome didn't set in so quickly! She needed to run, needed to get out. He was wreaking havoc on her brain and it was becoming nearly impossible to hold back her body's urge to be close to his.

He seemed to notice the panic that filled her immediately. Taking a step towards her, he said, "Yuiko is my mate. Mate's sleep together. Therefore, I sleep in the same bed as Yuiko." He spoke as if this were the most logical thing in the world. "That's how it's always worked here."

His innocence towards a normal human interaction was astounding. Was he a madman, or was that really how he thought? "But that's not how it's been for me." She noted he was moving towards her from the other side of the room, quickly checked for escape routes. Finding only a few, she knew that she had to be careful of what she said. "I was raised by humans, Leo. I'm not used to this 'mate' stuff. I don't understand your way of thinking and this is all very scary to me." Bullshit it is. I just need you to stay the hell away from me so that you stop causing me all these problems!

He stiffened for a second before the childlike Leo disappeared. Suddenly, he was back to arrogant Leo, the one that knew exactly what he was capable of and was willing to do it. "Yuiko, I'm not a human." His smile was feline in nature as he stepped forward, a predator hunting prey. She didn't know if he thought this was some kind of game or not, but she took the necessary steps back to be sure. "That means I don't think like a human, just like you don't think like a Breed. And there's only one of us that will get our way." The implied me wasn't added, didn't need to be.

As Yuiko found herself backed into a corner, she realized what he had done. He'd seen all the escapes she had before her, planned around them. He'd cornered her with no noticeable change in facial expression or direction of his gaze. Taking in everything around them, he had picked out how she would try to run and destroyed such a chance of that happening.

He truly was a leopard in man's clothing.

As he stepped in close, she could smell his breath. It was minty, as if he'd just brushed his teeth. His hair was just the slightest bit damp, a light sheen of moisture on his skin. As he leaned in closer still, she stopped breathing altogether, eyes darting to the lips that hovered just over hers.

"You know, I've been wondering what Yuiko's kiss is like," he murmured, glinting eyes catching hers. "You always seem so controlled. Do you control that too?"

Her face flamed bright and her hands met his chest, though she was no longer sure she could push him away. Had she ever felt better than in the moment that he had closed in on her, leaving her just enough room to breathe? "D-don't talk to me like that," she breathed, trying to rein in her thoughts. "I...I'm not just some girl you can...you can..."

His lips met hers, softly, briefly. When they left, his eyes gleamed with something primal.

Only after that did his kiss hold a darker edge. He was taking, she realized, and she could do little else than give as something almost cinnamon in taste filled her mouth. It only made her want more and her hands went to either side of his head, capturing his hair in her grip to tug his face ever closer.

She needed him. Something about this kiss was more than she'd ever felt. Sure, guys had caught her fancy in the past, but their kisses weren't drugging. No, this was something she could honestly say she wasn't in control of. And wasn't she always in control? He'd hit that nail right on the head, so why was it different with this Breed?

"Yuiko," he growled, one arm wrapping around her waist to force her against him. As if she still weren't close enough, he lifted her off the ground, bringing her against the wall. His other hand tangled in her hair, dragging her mouth harder to his.

She gasped a little at the ferocity, but gave it little more notice. This was that thing she needed from him whenever he was around. But why were they still wearing clothes?

Why is a virgin reaching for something she's never had? How does she know it's what she wants?

The thought came, unbidden and unwelcome. But it worked like ice water being poured over her head. There was no way this was a good idea. Hell, she barely knew the man! And did she really want him to grow more attached to her than he already seemed to be? This was a horrible idea and she had to ignore the part of her that demanded more. She needed to flee, that fight-or-flight response hitting overdrive.

Her hands clenched at his shoulders, shoving at him with all the strength she had. "Lemme go!" she cried as she broke the kiss, pushing harder. "Put me down!"

Leo froze, his eyes catching hers. For a moment, Yuiko thought he would ignore her pleas as something flashed within his eyes. Then he set her down gently, an expression of self-loathing passing over his features. No doubt at the terror on her face, the obvious panic overriding her sensibility. "Sorry," he mumbled, rubbing his neck with one hand. "I...I really don't know what came over me."

But it was her that should be blamed. She was the one that had let things get out of hand. How could she have expected him to take the blame when she knew his intentions? What had come over her?

"I just want...I just want to go to bed." Was that defeat in her voice?

He nodded and crossed the room to turn off the light. Before the switch was flipped, she'd already slipped under the covers, curling up into herself.

As she heard him discard only his shirt and he climbed into bed beside her, she wondered how she could suddenly need his closeness so much. Her body itched as it never had before and it felt like something was coiled in her stomach. Was she actually coming to like him? Or was this just lust, something she could easily toss aside.

She shocked even herself when she asked, "Can we go on a date tomorrow?"

Yuiko could feel his smile against her skin as he curled around her, face buried where her neck met her shoulder. But, as she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn he also placed a delicate kiss there.

Okay, this is a bit of a filler chapter. So sue me. The scenes just kinda wrote themselves. Besides, I needed a little something between Leo and Yuiko to keep your attention. (;