After the rain ended Kisshu took her home. Ichigo wasted no time at all dragging him out of the store they were in. She had not even waited for the rain to come to a full stop. It was still coming down when she pulled him back out the door. She checked carefully what business they entered before she took shelter in a second place. It really did not bother him though. Ichigo looked rather nice when she got wet. She worried about her hair, but he noticed other things, like how her clothing clung to her like a second skin. That was something he did not mind in the least. His clothes got wet too, which annoyed him a bit. The feeling of wet clothing was quite uncomfortable, most of all human ones.
The beginning of the day had been foul but everything after that had turned sweet. Despite the trouble, things were back to the way they should have been all along. Both of them were endeavoring to forget their momentary issue. Unfortunately her mother was told about Ichigo's skipping part of the school day. A good portion of the night was spent with him hiding under the bed while Shintaro and Sakura Momoiya gently but persistently berated their daughter.
He only just made it under the bed, not a second too soon. If anything was going to give him heart failure it would be that. Being caught in Ichigo's room would have been extremely bad. There would have been no way to avoid being seen had he been a second slower. If that had been the case they surely would have seen his alien appearance since he stopped using the illusion once he took her home. He dropped her off at the front door and went to her room, not knowing there would be trouble.
Kisshu could have ported out once he was under the bed and out of sight but he could not bring himself to leave her alone. Being under this bed let him know that he never wanted to meet her father. Her mother was not so bad, but her dad. . . He would be sure to avoid that guy. Family dynamics were so strange. When they dragged her downstairs to eat dinner he gingerly came out of hiding. Humans were odd creatures. He had not understood a great deal of what they were talking about. They seemed to know about Ichigo's depression and the reason for it but they never named it. If the situation were a bit different he might have been able to ask them but the situation did not allow for that. Hearing the conversation caused him to be more curious and more confused. Maybe he should ask her but the close call today made him wary of pushing her.
Ichigo came in, slipping the door quietly closed behind her. "Sorry, all I could get you this time were some cookies. You will have to go get something else if you really want to eat."
"It's fine. I'm not that hungry, we had a good lunch." He took the goodies from her.
"Sorry!" She dropped next to him. "I was afraid to try anything with them being so angry with me."
"I said it's fine." He smiled.
Ichigo leaned her head against his shoulder, unexpected move throwing him off a minute. He slipped an arm around her waist. The warmth of her body seeped into him. It felt so good to hold her this way. He could feel each breath she took. He felt her breath catch in the neck of his shirt and funneled down over his skin each time she exhaled. It was unusual that she initiated the contact, he was always the one to do it. Taking just a little risk, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Thank you for staying." She lifted her head backup. "I felt better having you here, even if you did have to hide under the bed."
She had a far away look in her eyes that he disliked - The only place he wanted her to be was with him. She made him feel so strange and so wonderful all at the same time. She made him crazy but kept him sane. Normally he was fine, did not mind if she thought of other things, but today he only wanted her to look at him. Already he allowed her to be dragged away by her family for the evening. He was finished sharing her - He wanted her to be his and only his, just for a while. Since the day he met her he had been forced to share her, able only to look but never have. After all the times she had pushed him away she finally asked him to stay. He did not want to let go of that. Today was a jealous day, not that she would understand that. Before he thought about it he tackled her onto the bed, forgetting about her back.
"Ow!" Ichigo winced.
Kisshu release her immediately. "I forgot, I'm sorry!"
"It's fine, you just startled me. I wasn't prepared for it." She punched his arm playfully and shoved him off.
"Are you alright?" He regretted his impulsiveness, guilt setting into his gut.
Ichigo dropped a blanket over his head. "Eat the cookies under there while I change."
Kisshu obeyed and waited. He chewed on the cookies, chocolate. Even with the blanket over his head he could still hear the distinct rustle of her pulling off her cloths and then dragging on the nightgown. His heart fluttered a bit and he took a in deep breath and let it out slowly. How she did torture him in little ways like that. It was his fault though for letting his mind wander too much. Finishing the cookies he waited until he was sure she was finished before he took the blanket off. She grinned lazily at him as she climbed over him into the bed.
She snuggled down next to him and gave him a playful little tug towards her. He followed her direction and laid down beside her. Ever so slowly, the Ichigo he knew was resurfacing. The brightness in her eyes, that special something inside her, the girl he adored. More than anything he wanted to see her light, her brightness return completely. Somehow, he wanted to help bring her back and put her smile back the way it should be. No matter what, she was perfect. She was so lovely, more than she understood.
"You know. . ." His devilish smile appeared, "They are bigger than they were a year ago."
"What are bigger?" She arched a questioning but tired eyebrow.
He arched his eyebrows and slid his finger along the neck of the nightgown. His teeth sunk lightly into his lower lip as his eyes explored the little bit he had revealed. Color rushed to her cheeks as her hand darted over her chest. Before he knew what happened he found himself on the floor. Ichigo rolled over, furiously throwing her body over. She hissed, muttered, and huffed to herself. She was even beautiful when she was angry with him, that was partly why he did it.
He peeked up over the bed, chin resting on the edge, "Ichigo. . ."
"No, your sleeping on the floor tonight." She said flatly and yawned.
Kisshu twitched as he noticed the ugly, deep purple bruise peeking out from under the nightgown. He really hated seeing her perfect body marred that way. Had he stepped in sooner she would not have been hit. Watching from a hiding place, he had been there all along. After he helped the nearly catatonic girl get ready after her father banged on the door to tell her she was nearly late, Kisshu followed her as always. Seeing that guy go near her irritated him more than it should have but he had been sure she could handle it. At the time he did not realize she could not deal with the little pest. It was strange that she had not been able to take him.
"Wouldn't you miss me too much, honey?" He cooed.
"No, I would finally have my bed back." She yawned again.
Kisshu pulled him self back up and cautiously moved in behind her. "But we sleep together every night."
"Don't phrase it like that!" Her ears reddened.
His lips caressed her earlobe, "Then how do you want me to phrase it, Koneko-chan?"
"Go to sleep, Kisshu." She muttered.
"I want a goodnight kiss first." He chimed.
She was quiet a moment, "Well, alright. If it will make you shut up and sleep."
"Really?" He nuzzled closer. "You will let me have one?"
She shifted toward him, reaching a hand up and caressing his ear playfully. "Just one. Then you have to go to sleep."
Their lips met for a short but delicious kiss.
"Sleep well, Kisshu - My under the bed friend." She purred and nestled into her pillow.
The only reason he got his way so easily was because she was sleepy, but that was just fine. He nuzzled against her body, cuddling close, careful to avoid the bruise. Humans called what they were doing 'spooning' or something like that. Being able to cuddle up with her was so wonderful. He hopped they could stay this way forever.
Surprisingly, Ichigo was already asleep, he could tell. She must have been exhausted to be asleep so soon. His fingers raked through her mellifluous red hair as he watched her sleep. She looked angelic and peaceful as she slept, so beautiful. Feeling safe that she was asleep, his lips moved carefully over her shoulder. Her skin was warm and soft as he kissed her. Gingerly moving her hair away, he planted several more kisses on her neck. He would get slapped if she knew about it, but she was sleeping.
Fingers gliding gently over her skin, he traced the line of her shoulder blades. He needed to work on her more. Her bones stuck out a bit too much. She was still perfect, flawlessly beautiful - it was just that she was too thin, a bit unhealthy looking. It was likely because she was underweight that this bruise was so bad, there was nothing to shelter her bones from the impact.
Truthfully he was starting to feel that lethargy crawling its way up as well. Blinking hard a few times he noticed how good closing his eyes felt. Even though he wanted to watch her sleep a bit more he was starting to feel like giving in to the tempting allure the voice from slumber land was making. If given the choice he would pick Ichigo but his body might head for sleep. A yawn tugged his mouth open and he gave in to a little stretch. His eyes reluctantly drifted closed.
Ichigo rolled over and draped an arm over him. It startled him just enough to awaken him. How long, or if, he had been asleep he was not sure. It seemed like only a second ago his eyes closed, but who knew. The clock was behind him and he did not feel like trying to see it. She nudged closer against him making his heart beat a little faster. A smile moved onto his face. After the time they spent together she was really getting used to him. Just maybe, if this continued, she would eventually feel the same way about him that he felt about her. Perhaps she would come to love him as he did her. In time she would understand how deeply he loved her.
Slender fingers twined into his shirt. He could tell she was asleep but she had to be dreaming. He could see the rapid movement under her eyelids and her breathing had changed from normal. She made a strange little noise like a whine. A tear trickled down her nose and landed on his chest. He frowned - was she crying? Her cute face contorted into a fitful frown.
"Please. . ." Ichigo whimpered, "don't. . ."
He kept his voice low so it was not likely to wake her. "Don't what?"
"Kisshu. . ." Her fists wound into his shirt more tightly. "Don't, don't fight him. . . don't. . . I don't want you to die! Please don't die!"
Could she be dreaming about his fight with Deep Blue? Off hand that was the only thing he could think of that it might be.
"I don't want you to die, don't fight them. You need to go while you can!" She buried her face in his chest and kept talking frantically but incoherently.
Kisshu flinched - Did she say Aoyama? It still stung to hear that name come from her lips. It was impossible to tell if she said it or not the way her face was pressed against him. Hooking a finger under her chin he tipped her head a little so he might have a chance of hearing her better. The face she was making upset him - it was a horrified, fearful look. Those faces were cute, everything about her was, but he would rather see her at peace.
Her whimpers were starting to get loud. The volume she used each time she spoke kept raising. Hearing her frightened that way set his protective instincts into drive. If he could he would fight to end her suffering, but no one could fight off a dream - He could not even fight off her sadness, so a dream was even farther out of his reach. With her becoming louder though, he knew he needed to calm her down quickly before her parents heard her. It would be bad if they suddenly came in.
Another set of tears fell from her eyes. "I'm scared!"
"It's alright, Ichigo. Everything is fine."
She clung to him tightly. "I'm scared. . . Please don't leave me here alone! Please don't leave me, Kisshu."
"Ichigo. . ." He frowned, "I won't. I won't leave you."
Her tears were starting to get his nightshirt wet.
He leaned in, whispering his words in a nearly hypnotic tone. "Don't be afraid anymore. You are safe. . . the fight is over, your safe, and I'm with you. Everything is fine now." He kissed her temple. "You can sleep peacefully now, I won't leave you."
Ichigo's cries began to quiet and then finally stopped. Kisshu ran his fingers through her hair, stroking her like a cat, to calm her. She did not seem to have awakened at all, even though she was talking to him. Whether or not his attempt at vanquishing the dream with a bit of suggestion worked, he could not be sure. The tears had ended but he just hoped her dream had as well. Whatever she was dreaming about, it was not a good dream, and he only wanted her to have sweet dreams.
Kisshu tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers. She seemed to be struggling with herself, even in dreams. She told him to go and then pleaded with him not to leave her - It was just like she had done in her waking hours. He wondered what created such conflict within her. Even her dreams caused her problems. If he could he would give her good dreams every night so she could awaken with a smile. Tomorrow he would decide what to do. Things were starting to get out of control.
With both Kisshu and Ichigo asleep once again, neither of them saw the figure hiding in the shadows next to the closet. Kisshu never saw him since he never turned around. If he had turned around he might have seen the shadowy outline of a man with blue eyes. He watched the two of them for a few more minutes, moving closer to look into their faces. These two, he found very interesting. For now he would only toy with the girl but he would get around to the alien later on. He was already sure these two would make good play things.
A gloved hand tucked a few wayward hairs behind Ichigo's ear. As of now, she had no idea how useful she would be to him. He tucked the blanket up around them neatly. These two would make a good addition to his collection. Having an alien would be even more intriguing - He had never had an alien before. The younger alien would also play a roll for him, but a different one than these two. None of them knew it yet but they were soon to be his puppets. Already he had most of the strings in place to attach, he merely had to pull them a bit tighter. Once the strings were pulled tightly enough their bodies would slowly die and become easy to maneuver, then he would have his marionettes. He would turn their skin cold and their eyes unseeing.
It would be difficult to wait, but the timing had to be right. Moving now would spoil things. Good things came to those who were wise enough to wait. He ran a finger over the alien's long ear. They would both make beautiful additions to his collection. After he was finished using them as puppets he would certainly put them under glass and display them. He was a collector of things like these, after all. With one Mew Mew and one alien, they would be the rarest of his finds. With a final look at the pare, he disappeared from the room, leaving them to their peaceful slumber.
Kisshu woke up to a muffled, quiet, subdued scream, but a scream none the less. Anyone outside this room would never have heard it, but he was right next to her. Ichigo was wriggling around wildly, swatted at her arm, running her hand through her hair, and finally seemed to throw off some invisible attacker. She sprang over him and hit the light. She was back in place next to him again before he could blink.
"Iie! It's huge!" Wide-eyed she scooped up a shoe and dashed it against the foot of the bed. More awake, and with a fixed point to look at, he finally saw what all this was about. The body of a spider well over the size of a quart sat mangled on the bed. Ichigo stared at it as the body twitched and a few of the legs moved like a broken robot. One of the legs lay detached a little ways away from the corpse. She made a quiet whimpering sound as all the twitching caused it to roll over. Her eyes were huge and horrified as she watched it.
"Ichigo?" The expression on her face worried him.
She raised the shoe again and brought it down on the creature, finally ending the twitching. The final blow caused two more legs to be removed and a watery looking spot on the shoe. Ichigo looked at the spider and then at the shoe. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head but had no idea what she was thinking. She looked so horrified somehow. Her grip on the shoe was so hard that her fingers were turning white.
"Ichigo. . ." Kisshu took hold of the shoe and pulled it from her iron grasp. "It's dead now." She kept staring at it with a horrified, frightened, cloudy expression.
"I shouldn't have done that, I should have let it go. I hit it before I'd really even thought about it." She hugged her arms and leaned over like she had been punched.
"It's only a spider, Ichigo. Calm down."
"After I hit it I knew I shouldn't have. . . but I couldn't leave it that way to suffer. Nothing should have to suffer." Was she going to cry?
"Listen, it's really ok. It was only one spider." He leaned over to see her face better.
She was still staring at it. "Why do things have to die? Why does anything have to die?"
Kisshu got up and retrieved a tissue from her desk and used it to throw the body of the spider away, out of her sight. Something was really wrong with her. He really needed to find out what happened to her while he had been gone. Whether she told him or not, he needed to find out what went on to upset her this way.
"Why, Kisshu? Why does everything I do end up hurting someone? Why does everything I touch die? Why do I always do things wrong?"
Kisshu switched off the light and sat back on the bed. He pulled her up into his arms and put her head back on the pillow. He kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally her lips. He stared into her eyes as he leaned over her little body. Thank goodness she was not crying but she might as well have been. His chest felt tight just looking at those sad eyes and not understanding what made her like this.
"You know, Ichigo, I looked at that spider. . . I'm pretty sure it was a poisonous one. You probably saved us both from getting bitten."
Her eyes widened, "Really?"
"Mhmm!" Truthfully, he was lying. He had no idea what that spider was but he was pretty sure it was a harmless one. It did not matter though, she already looked better.
He was nearly asleep, inky clouds almost covering him, when Ichigo tugged at his sleeve. Kisshu opened one eyes slowly, "Eh? What is it?"
"Kisshu, aren't you pretty much immune to poisons like that?"
His eye twitched, "Eto. . ." He grinned, "Who knows." He promptly shut both eyes again.
That did it! This was the end! He had to find out what happened to her. Whatever this secret was he was going to find out about it. Two times in one night she had acted strangely. Something clearly happened and he had endured all he could stand. The fact was, he was afraid to ask her. She seemed so unstable tonight that it worried him. He did not want to do anything to push her any further over the edge.
There were other ways for him to find out what he wanted to know. He could be as sneaky as the next guy, and better. All that time he investigated earth gave him a good idea about how to begin. Pai was the expert at investigation but he was not so bad himself. There were always things to do to get information. Tomorrow he would at least begin to find out what made Ichigo like this.