Description: Ichigo starts to feel better, but is hesitant to go back to Earth and risk running into Kish. He happens to come find her, and confront her. A small heart to heart with Pai gives Ichigo the motivation for a new 'mission'.

Rating: T

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"Your hands are really warm…"

A huge mental kick was delivered after she said those words. Ichigo felt herself sink a bit, she felt so stupid for saying such a comment to him. Pai was a really intelligent guy, she must look like such a child now. The alien's dark eyes looked over at the girl, her eyes down on their clasped hands.

"Your body temperature is below normal, so you would feel as though my hands are far warmer. It's normal."

The red head kept her mouth shut, she swore she was born a dumb blond. Ichigo still felt embarrassed about having the alien hold her hands, he was so gentle. She had been used to fighting Pai and being on the defense whenever he was around, but this was a side she hadn't seen. After a few moments, Pai realized her body was still trembling, and her hands were still pretty frigid. Pai released her hands and looked in her eyes as she glanced up at him curiously. He motioned at his neck with both of his hands, making a clasping motion around his own neck,

"Put your hands like this, right here. It will be warmest because the blood flow is close to the surface of your skin here in your arteries."

A light nervous feeling crawled over her as she slowly reached out and put her hands gently on his neck. This was strange to her, but he was right, his neck was far warmer than his hands. Pai seemed taken aback, staring at her with a bit of a confused expression.

"I meant on yourself…"

His words were quiet, and almost sarcastic.

Her face changed to a cherry red as she slowly pulled her hands back, her body felt more than warm enough now. Ichigo mad an inaudible sound as she sat back away from him, looking to the side awkwardly. How could she have been so dumb? Again! Her heart raced in her chest as she struggled with the thoughts of how ridiculous she looks now. The alien then stood up and adjusted the neck collar of his shirt a bit. The red head's face now matched her hair, her eyes on the back of his head as he walked to the bathroom. Pai fetched her a towel and placed it on the bed next to her and looked down at her,

"Use this to dry your feet, and try to get some rest. I'm sure you're warm enough now."

His words seemed to trail off, and his eyes did something she had never seen before. Ichigo started cooling off as he turned away from her, his expression still stuck in her head. When he looked at her that last time, it was as though he was smiling at her, but with just his eyes. Pai was rather handsome when he smiled with his eyes. The girl shook the strange thoughts and dried her feet off. Ichigo proceeded to curl up in the large bed and snuggled in, she was exhausted.

Although she didn't expect to get a good nights sleep, she dozed off almost immediately.

…

When her brown eyes opened in the morning, she could hear the sound of distant voices behind her. The girl stared out into the large fiber glass window into the stars. She couldn't tell if it was morning or not, it always looked like night time here in space.

The sound of the voices made her sit upright quickly, turning to look at the door. Ichigo sat quietly for a moment, trying to figure out who it was. She couldn't tell on the other side of the thick steel walls, it was too stifled. The girl jumped out of the bed and darted over to the bathroom, fixing herself up a bit in the mirror. She felt like she looked horrible, but hey, she wasn't trying to impress anyone.

The cold steel floor put a real bounce in her step, now that her shoes were off and she was warm again. Ichigo approached the double steel doors and they opened immediately. Her head poked around the corner, looking towards the source of the voices. Not fifteen feet away from her was Kish and Pai, standing and talking together. Both of the aliens turned their heads and looked at her, but Pai turned back to Kish, a hard glare on his face. The green haired alien had a rather stern expression on his face, it was unlike him. The taller alien shifted his weight, their sides were to the mew. Ichigo felt her heart sink when Kish turned towards her completely and started to approach her.

Pai slid his hands into his pockets and looked at her, he seemed content. A slight nod of his head made her feel a little better as the younger alien approached her. Kish stared at her, the stern look still on his face,

"Can I talk to you?"

Ichigo stood there dumbfounded for a few moments. She hesitantly nodded, still afraid in her gut about being alone with him. Pai stood quietly as the alien followed her into the room. His dark eyes fell on the ground, knowing what Kish was going to tell her.

As they walked in, the doors remained open behind them, making her more comfortable knowing Pai was outside. Kish startled her by telling her to sit down, she complied reluctantly, looking up at him. Kish remained standing, his arms crossed on his chest. His expression then started to soften,

"Ichigo.. I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm not sure what came over me…. I've just… been feeling bitter about everything lately."

Ichigo felt almost offended at how haphazard his apology was. He mumbled through the rest of it and didn't look her in the eyes. The red head had new found courage now that she was rested and stood up, making him look right at her.

"That was a terrible apology. Kish I know what I put you through, and I'm sorry for that. But you attacked me, I don't know how far things would have gone if Tart hadn't showed up. You know how scary that is for a girl?"

Her voice seemed to escalate as she continued, the alien didn't really have much of a reaction on his face. The angry red head threw her arms up,

"What do you have to say!"

Kish seemed to look passed her, avoiding her angry brown eyes,

"I said I was sorry… I…" His eyes moved back to hers hesitantly, "-I wouldn't have done anything to really hurt you."

Ichigo scoffed and pointed at her lip,

"You ripped my upper lip open, threw me on the ground, I almost got freaking hypothermia from laying in the snow. It's not okay Kish!"

The alien seemed suddenly down hearted, she felt only slightly guilty. Ichigo was still fuming, not ready to feel bad for tearing him a new one. Outside, Pai leaned quietly against the wall beside the door, listening. The tall alien's eyes were on the steel floor, these two were a mess when they were around each other.

"Ichigo I'm sorry! I don't know what else you want me to tell you! I was just mad, I wasn't going to actually do anything."

"You say that…"

She spat viciously, glaring at him now. The words had come out like venom, his eyes fell again and he reached out to grab her hand. Ichigo yanked back away from him and backed against the bed as far as she could go,

"Don't touch me Kish…"

Her words seemed more sad this time, almost bittersweet. The alien felt his heart sink, he nodded, swallowing hard. Slowly, he turned away from her and walked out into the steel corridor. Pai stood upright and looked at him as the sheepish cousin of his walked out,

"Kish-"

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I'll stay on Earth."

Pai sighed and stepped towards the younger alien,

"Kish, it's for the best."

Kish then seemed very offended and turned his head, glaring at the tall alien. The green haired alien snapped at the older alien,

"Shut the hell up Pai, you don't know shit about caring for anyone but your damn self. Keep her here, I don't give a shit. I'll be with Pyro."

The shorter alien then teleported out of sight, leaving the other two in silence. Ichigo had her hand over her mouth, she felt herself ache to cry once more. She turned away from the door and collapsed on the bed, stifling her cries in her hands. Pai stepped into the doorway, looking over at the miserable girl. He also pitied their childhood friend Pyro for having to deal with Kish once he got there. After a few moments of stagnant quiet between them, Pai finally spoke,

"I thought it was appropriate he apologized. I apologize for how out of hand this has gotten. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need."

Ichigo waved her hand frantically, sobbing heavily into her left hand. The wave was for him to leave her alone, the alien complied and exited the room. The steel doors slamming shut behind him, leaving her alone.

…

A couple hours later…

The corridors seemed to go on forever as Ichigo walked through them. She thought she found Pai's room, but he wasn't in it. Ichigo frowned as she rounded another corner, being lost on an alien ship sucked. The girl had her socks on to protect her from the frigid steel floor. Ichigo saw a pair of huge steel doors, but these were different, they were painted white. The red head approached the huge doors, they slowly opened as she approached it. Behind it, was a large blindingly white room, with lots of counter tops and glassware.

A familiar tall alien approached her, a large white lab coat and glasses on his face. Pai also had a small medical mask on the lower part of his face, she felt like she shouldn't enter the room. She smiled at him kindly,

"Hey… Can I talk with you?"

The alien nodded and then turned back and took off his protective gear and placed it on an empty counter top. The girl waited patiently for him to come out, thinking to herself quietly. After the little spat this morning, she felt guilty for shooing him away, and wanted to see if they could talk. Ichigo needed advice from an intelligent person most of all, and Pai would have helpful insight. The tall alien came out of the lab and the two began walking slowly down the corridor together.

"I'm not sure where to start…. but… I'm sorry about this morning. I know you only meant to help. I didn't mean to be such a brat…"

Pai seemed unfazed by her apology, he nodded and kept his eyes ahead of them.

"I understand. Acting out while upset or angry is perfectly normal."

The red head then felt curious about why he was so cold. Pai seemed as though he didn't care about a thing, and Kish had called him out about it this morning. The curious mew looked up at him as they walked,

"Why do you… I don't know how to put this really… make yourself so… distant?"

The violet haired alien sighed and slid his hands into his pockets as they walked,

"Emotions are trivial and only end in negative outcomes. It doesn't make sense to have such things when I'm a scientist."

Ichigo shrugged and looked down at the ground in front of her,

"I don't think so. I think love is the most powerful and wonderful thing to feel…"

She trailed off and the two walked quietly for a few moments, the steps of their feet the only sound. Ichigo then interrupted the quiet and smiled up at him,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable. Perhaps when you held my neck I was, but not now."

Ichigo almost snorted, and giggled at him. Whether he meant it as a joke or not she thought it was funny, she awkwardly shifted her weight as she walked along. The mew still felt dumb for that, she hadn't thought that through at all either. She took a deep breath and stopped walking, causing him to stop and look over at her,

"You…Uh… want to eat? Haha! I'm kind of hungry."

Ichigo said with a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. The alien nodded slowly and looked down at her,

"Would you like to go to Earth? Or would you rather remain here on the ship?"

Now that she was feeling a bit braver, she decided she wanted to go to Earth and have food there. There was no telling what the aliens ate up here. Her eyes were wide and glassy as she stared up at him,

"Mind if we grab some food on Earth?"

…

The two ended up at a small deli in Osaka, since Pai could teleport them anywhere, why not go out of town?

After they had ordered, it was sort of quiet between them. Ichigo felt like it was awkward between them while in silence,

"So Pai…Where are you from exactly? Like… Do you have family?"

The alien seemed unresponsive with his facial features,

"Yes. Tart and Kish are my cousins as I mentioned before. Our parents died in combat with another alien race long ago when we were just children. An old family friend high up in the ranks took us in. We grew up, joined Deep Blue's army, and now here we are."

It was simple, but absolutely tragic to the mew. Her right hand was now over her mouth, as if she had seriously offended him. With a shake of her head she spoke softly,

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything bad."

Pai shrugged and looked off to the side,

"It's really not an issue for me. Don't fret."

The girl still seemed bothered by the conversation. Ichigo felt like it was an epiphany for her, this was the reason Pai was like this. He must have had to take care of Kish and Tart and deal with them since they were young children. It must have taken a lot out of him. She had to change the topic. Anything would be better than this.

"Oh- Okay. Well, what about girlfriends? I know about Kish and Tart, but how about you?"

A twinge of nervous energy rushed up her spine, this was probably not a good topic either. Dark steely eyes shifted back to her,

"I've had them, yes. But nothing worth mentioning, and I've got no relationship currently. No reason for it."

Ichigo frowned and tilted her head,

"You've got to get lonely sometime, come on! Ever been in love?"

Her last sentence was laced with a dreamy tone, as if she remembered when she and Masaya were still together and in love. The alien took a deep breath and sat back against the chair,

"It''s not worth mentioning, I'm well aware I'm not capable of openly loving another creature entirely. "

"It is worth mentioning! You already know my story pretty much, come on! Please tell me?"

Ichigo knew she was being nosy, but her curiosity was getting the best of her. None of the other girls knew this stuff about him, why couldn't she be the first? Besides, it would be good for him to open up to someone. In her opinion anyway.

Pai seemed slightly bothered, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. His eyes fell back to the table, as if he were trying to recall something forgotten. His tone remained stoic and numb,

"I had a lover back home, before the planet froze. She and I were together for… well, in your time measurement it would be approximately three years. I cared for her more than I should have I suppose."

Ichigo felt entranced by his tale, like she was the first person he had ever told. The cat girl was on the edge of her seat, looking as his indifferent facade,

"What do you mean 'more than you should have'? That doesn't make sense."

"I lost her when her family introduced her to a more suitable partner. They wanted her to have bond with him-"

She interrupted him, looking at him with a questioning expression,

"bond?"

Pai nodded and shifted a bit more in the chair,

"It's our equivalent to your 'marriage'. Her family convinced her that he was a far better partner choice, and she agreed."

The red head cooed and frowned,

"I'm so sorry, that must have been really hard."

Pai was silent for a couple moments, his eyes off in the distance. Ichigo felt special, but also a bit guilty for bringing up another sensitive topic. The girl hesitantly asked another question,

"What was she like?"

The alien seemed unfazed by her question, looking back at her. Pai's indifference made Ichigo that much more curious,

"She had long silvery hair, with a light pink tint to it. Her eyes were a light gray color, she was about your height, if not shorter. She was… kind."

The alien's last few words seemed to trail off. Ichigo smiled at him comfortingly,

"I'm sorry you lost her. But you know, it probably means you'll meet someone way better in the future!"

Pai looked passed her again quickly, the waiter approaching with their food. The mew thought to herself for a few moments as the food was placed on the table. Never in a million years would she have thought she'd be eating with Pai, the coldest alien she had ever met. He didn't seem bothered by much, and was so calm all the time. The air of mystery surrounding this alien made her want to know more.

Her eyes fell on her sandwich as she took half of it and had a bite. There was no reason she couldn't be the one Pai opened up to. In a way, it made her special she thought. Not that she was trying to impress everyone. Pai seemed like he rarely opened up, and never to a woman probably. Ichigo smiled inwardly, of all people who deserved a confidant, it was him.

Things were peaceful now, he was kinder than she had thought. The girl's warm brown eyes looked up at the distracted alien, taking in all of his features. Ichigo felt devious a bit, she could try to introduce him to some girls or something. Ichigo felt like it was a small mission she could take on just for the fun of it.

With all these thoughts distracting the lead mew, she didn't even think of what the green haired alien could be thinking or doing now. Kish was out, and planning something big.

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MewMid: I know this chapter was a bit slow, but the next one will be crazy! Silly Ichigo, doesn't she know green haired pervert aliens never give up?

R and R please! Any feedback would be appreciated!