Kisshu leaned over her, gently caressing her cheek to awaken her. "Ichigo, wake up."
Brown eyes slowly opened, she greeted him with a sleepy smile. Her dark eyelashes were long and curled. Her face was smooth and perfect at any distance. Ichigo gave a feline little stretched, arms reaching high over her head, and she let out a satisfied meow. It was hard not to laugh at her cute little morning habits. This girl was forever amazing him, he never knew what to expect from her. She was like a splash of color in a gray world, unique in every way. She was a wildcard with something new to show him every day.
Slender arms suddenly wrapped around his neck and tugged him downward. He resisted only a second before he gave in, allowing his head to rest on her collarbone. Her arms folded around him. He liked this. Maybe he should wake her up more often. Ichigo did not seem to think through her actions in the mornings. She was much more affectionate and carefree when she was not fully awake. He loved watching her rush around madly in the mornings, desperately trying not to be late, but this might top that. This was already turning out to be his favorite morning. Maybe he should awaken her every morning from now on. Waking up was pleasant this way, very nice, better than he could have hoped for. These types of mornings should always happen.
He lifted his head to look at her. "Listen, it's time for you to get ready for school. I need to tell you something though, so I need you to be awake enough to remember it later."
"Hmm? What is it, I'm awake."
"Alright." He brushed a bit of hair out of her eyes, letting his fingers glide over her skin. "I wanted you to know that I won't be here when you get home from school today."
Her eyes widened, "What? Why not?"
"There are just some things I have to do. I will be back after a while."
"I see." She nodded.
Kisshu nuzzled his cheek to hers. She disliked that he would not be waiting for her today, he could tell. Maybe it should not have, but it pleased him to no end that she was displeased over it. It made him tempted to reconsider and just stay here, but he was determined. Today was going to be dedicated to detective work. Pai may have been the expert at research, but he was not so bad himself. He could find things out just as well, it's what he did before they came to earth. Kisshu could play the spy game as well as anyone when he wanted to. There was nothing that would change his mind about finding his answers. . . well, maybe not nothing. . . but almost nothing.
Cupping her face in his hand he planted a long, succulent kiss on her lips. "Have a good day, honey!"
A little thrill rose inside him as she hesitated, but gave in, returning his kiss. The tips of her fingers slid along his neck. He pulled away and glided into the air. Before he allowed her to convince him to stay, he needed to go. For one more brief moment he drank in the conflicted mixture of expressions on her face before he left, leaving her to get ready for school.
Her heart was still pounding as she went to school. Everything was so confusing now, it was hard to know what she even felt. In such a short time Kisshu's and her relationship had become so much more complex. She never would have thought things would be this way if someone had told her about it a few months ago. He had changed so much from a year ago. She used to be afraid of him, his disconnected, violent, and unstable ways made him hard to read. He still had his wild temper but he seemed more able to control it now.
Of course, a year ago they had been enemies too. Now that she thought about it, things must have been confusing, and conflicting to him then too. They were enemies. . . but the more she thought back on it the more she was sure he had feelings for her from the beginning. Having feelings for someone and having them be an enemy must have been more than difficult. She understood just a bit of what those feelings must have been like, it happened to her in a way as well. The person she loved had turned into an enemy she had to fight. That had been the most confusing, horrific, and unsettling things she had to deal with. Reconciling her love for someone she had to battle was so much more than she could deal with. She could somewhat understand why Kisshu behaved so erratically.
Ichigo found herself hoping he was not gone for terribly long. She already missed him in a strange sort of way. The way he was talking she really could not be sure how long he would be gone. She had really wanted to push him for details, but she kept quiet. At the time she was too sleepy to carry on any type of intelligent conversation anyway. It was hard to even guess what it was he had to do. She hoped he was not going to get into any trouble. If he was she did not want to know.
"Oh!" She gasped, clutching desperately at her head, knees giving way beneath her.
She knelt on the ground, curled into a ball, desperately hopping the terrible pain would release its hold on her soon. All morning her head had been throbbing but this was so intense. It hit suddenly, increasing the ache so sharply it was like a knife stabbing into her brain. The world was getting dark as the penetrating pain continued. This hurt so much it was making her dizzy even though she was already on the ground.
"Ichigo!" She heard Moe and Miwa yell as they came running to her side.
The dizziness began to lift as she felt their hands on her. They were questioning her but their words slurred together. Light started filtering back in slowly. She let them hold her steady. The pain was beginning to fade back to a dull ache. The knife was pulled from her head, at last. She could begin to breathe again. Ichigo worked to steady herself.
"Sorry," Ichigo laughed nervously. "I did not eat yet this morning, I must be a bit anemic or something."
Moe riffled through her bag and pulled out a packet of wheat crackers and ripped it open. "Then eat these quickly!"
Ichigo chewed on a cracker obediently. "Thanks, I'm doing better!"
Miwa took her by the arm. "Let's get you to the nurse's office."
Ichigo shook her head but wished she hadn't. "No, I'm fine. Let's just walk to school before we're late!"
The three of them walked briskly in the direction of school, the two girls supporting Ichigo as they went. The red head still seemed very shaky on her feet but she was clearly making an effort to hide it. None of them noticed the set of blue eyes drilling into them even though he was fairly close. A smile creased the man's smooth features. She was a brave little puppet, wasn't she? That look of pain she had amused him. By the time he was finished she would have felt a great deal more pain than that. They would both need to suffer. He was really going to enjoy draining all that spirit she had, tearing it out of her piece by piece. When he ripped her apart her lover would suffer too though, that was the delicious part. For now, she was the only one in pain, but not for much longer. Seeing a look of pain on the alien's face would be amusing too. They would make such perfect puppets. He did have to wait a bit longer though, these things took time.
Kisshu hovered in the sky scanning the crowd. He needed a face to borrow for a while. Already, he had been looking for some time without luck. Taking the face of a model from a magazine would not work, he needed the face of a regular person. So far he had not found one that he could live with yet. If he had to look like someone else for a while he had to be able to be something other than repulsed by the appearance. Maybe he was being overly picky, but he at least wanted to look like someone his own age. The plan would work better that way anyway.
A boy walked alongside the shop he was hiding on – That would work, he thought. Schools were starting to get out, that must have been why he finally found something. The teen had light brown hair, with a face and body similar to his own. Had he been born a human he might have looked a bit like that. Good enough.
He held up the pendant and his body slowly morphed into the illusion. Illusion complete he hurried to the Mew Mew's secret hideout. If he was going to find anything out, that would be the place. That was why they had the café to start with, to get information. Kisshu would just use that very same tactic. Surely, he would be able to find something out from her friends if he listened hard enough. There really was nowhere else he could go to get answers. Of course, going there with his natural face was out of the question, so he borrowed a face.
Kisshu glided down in the trees to observe for a minute. The café was already open but he might wait a while before he went inside. After a few minutes several more girls went inside so he decided it had been long enough, he was bored. The ability to wait was not his strongest attribute. His body tensed a little, nerves were already setting in. Spying from a distance was more his style than infiltration was. Making sure to walk normally like a human, he went inside. It looked the same as always; heart shaped windows, white chairs, girly galore, and cakes everywhere. Kisshu really had to wonder how Shirogane and Akasaka handled being in a place like this for such long stretches of time.
He picked a table near where Keiichiro made the cakes and the Mew Mews rushed in and out. It was the best possible place for him to go. The best chance for hearing what the little group said would be right here. Alarms were starting to ring in his head. The unsettling feelings and instant apprehension was coming from the unwavering stares the girls in here were beginning to give him. He sunk a little lower in his chair. It did seem odd for a guy to be in here, but did they have to stare so much? He was already a bit on edge having walked into Mew Mew headquarters, now all the normal girls were even staring at him. Was he that obviously a spy?
"What would you like?" An unfriendly voice greeted his ears.
He froze when his eyes fell on long purple hair; Zakuro Fujiwara.
"Well?" She persisted, cold expression intact.
"Uhh. . ." Was he sweating? "Tea, I'll have some tea."
"What kind?"
"Ah! Err . . . any kind." He grinned nervously. "Whatever is easy to get to for you."
She narrowed her eyes, "You don't care what kind?"
He grinned and shook his head, "No."
"Fine." She dropped the notepad into the apron pocket. "I'll bring you Akita Sencha."
Kisshu began to breathe again once she left. That girl was intimidating. He always hid it from her, but she always worried him. Her cold, unresponsive manner made her impossible to read. Of all of them, she was the last one he wanted to run into while he was in disguise. That girl had an uncanny way of seeing through things, most of all when you did not want her to. She had a nasty habit of figuring people out. If anyone would spot him, his fake little illusion, it would be her. He hopped she did not notice!
Kisshu tensed as he noticed a girl walking up to him. He wondered what she could possibly want from him.
"Hi!" She instantly blushed when his eyes fell on her. "I-I didn't know you came here, Hakai-kun."
He stared at her blankly. "Sorry, I'm not Hakai. I'm just here to wait for someone."
A second girl joined her. "Oh, you're definitely Hakai! We would know you anywhere!" She grinned and slipped into a chair next to him, "We're your biggest fans at school!"
"F-fans? W-what are you talking about?" Kisshu stuttered.
"At school!" A third girl moved in. "We watch you every day! We know everything about you; your favorite food, favorite color, favorite drink, fav-"
Kisshu interrupted her nervously. "I'm not Hakai, girls! Sorry to disappoint you."
"Are you hiding from someone then, Hakai-kun? You don't want anyone to find you?" A fourth girl asked from behind him.
He jumped, icy chills ran up his spine as he realized they were starting to surround him. This was looking bad for him, he really picked the wrong face to take. The obsession in their voices and in the "come-hither" looks they were giving him made him want to blot for the door. Kisshu gulped and tried not to panic. So this was what it was like to have stalkers? Maybe he understood why it used to annoy Ichigo so much. These girls were creeping him out already. Chills of terror ran through him as the girl behind him started playing with the tips of his hair. Where did these girls all come from? This was like a nightmare!
"Hey, I want to touch his hair too!" One girl whined.
Kisshu's hands shot up, "Wait!" He chuckled as he tried to think of something to say. "None of you should touch my hair because I just washed it! You see, I use a special shampoo and you might be allergic to it!"
"Awww!" They chorused loudly.
"You're worried about us! You really are sweet, Hakai-kun!" She giggled.
Lettuce brought over a cup filled with tea, "Here you go!" She said sweetly.
"T-thank you." He stood up quickly, swiveled around the girls, and whispered in Lettuce's ear. "Please, help me! They're starting to swarm!"
Lettuce looked over the gathering groupies and smiled nervously. "There really isn't anything I can do. . ."
Kisshu twitched, "Really? I was afraid of that." He slipped back into his seat and quickly took a sip of tea. He was pleasantly surprised at the taste, it really suited him, he already liked it. Zakuro actually judged him perfectly! This was just what he needed to calm him. His brow began to twitch as chairs started screeching into place around his table. The once empty table had suddenly become crowded. He sat still, terrified to even move. They were closing in. Somehow they managed to fit nearly the entire group of people in the café around his small table. Were they all fans of that guy? Why had he picked this face? Why? Was it even worth it to try to stay here? He took another sip of tea to calm his already fraying nerves.
A girl snatched the cup from his hand. "This is wrong! That's not the tea you ordered." She thrust it into Pudding's hand as she went by. "You brought him the wrong tea. I can tell that is Akita Sencha! He always drinks Anxi Benshan oolong tea!"
Kisshu watched his cup running away with Pudding. "But. . ."
"You are too nice, Hakai-kun! If they bring you the wrong tea, send it back! You don't have to drink something you don't want just because they brought it."
"But. . . I. . . liked. . ." He saw his tea vanish and his shoulders drooped.
"Don't worry, we will take care of you!" The girl closest smiled at him.
As she walked by, Lettuce shot him a sympathetic smile. At least someone cared that he was suffering.
"So, Hakai-kun, what did you come here for?" A girl on his left asked.
Zakuro appeared from the doorway carrying a cup. She walked, or rather stomped, to the table and plunked the tea down hard enough to cause some of it to slosh over the sides. Her cold eyes leveled him, drilling into him. He sunk a bit lower in the seat. She was mad at him. He said a quick thank you to her before she stormed away again. Kisshu's mind raced. He could handle this situation. He was a powerful alien, a warrior, a fighter. . . surely he could handle a bunch of girls! He was better than this! They could not get the better of him this way!
Kisshu pasted on a sultry smile, "Actually, why don't all of you tell me about yourselves?" He pointed to the girl nearest him on his left. "Starting here, and work around. Each of you tell me a bit about yourselves."
There, they would be distracted this way forever. It was perfect! All he had to do was pretend to pay attention to them while he listened to what the Mew Mews talked about in the kitchen. These girls would prattle on about themselves and it would give him an excuse to stay here for a long time. Alone he stuck out, but now he was just another piece of this place. With all these girls chattering the Mews might not even think twice about talking openly, sure no one would listen in on them. He could still turn the tables on this nightmarish ordeal. Nothing got the better of him!
Kisshu let the girls carry on, and on, adding in an occasional nod or acknowledgement that he was listening. He was not listening, but he could pretend with the best of guys. The trick was to listen just enough that you knew when to nod your head or give whatever response needed. Unfortunately, this had been going on for at least three hours already. His limitations were begging to show themselves. This was all very annoying and the Mew Mews had not said one thing of any use so far. He ran his finger over his temple. It might be time to surrender and admit defeat for the day.
"You know, I really miss Ichigo-san! Lettuce sighed.
Kisshu's ears perked.
"I do too! Ichigo has been gone for so long! Are you sure we should leave it like this, Zakuro-oneesan?" Mint questioned.
This might be it! "Sorry," Kisshu held up a hand. "I've had a headache all day. Please don't stop talking, but would you all lower your voices a bit for me?"
He smiled as they obeyed. Finally, he might get something! It was a good thing for him his hearing was so much better than humans, but he wanted to quiet the girls just to be sure he heard every word from now on. If this was his chance he did not want to miss it.
"Ichigo needed to have some time to work things out on her own. Being here was too much for her. There were too many memories for her here. She has to deal with things herself, we can only do so much to help. We already tried to help her but she pushed us away." Zakuro sounded more down than what was normal for even her.
"But, should we really just leave her alone?" Lettuce had a sad tone to her voice.
"Yes, for now. She needs time. I understand her need to be alone and grieve because she lost him." Zakuro paused. "We need to let her be alone a bit longer. However, in a little while, if she is not improving at all, we will have to drag her out. She has to deal with things, but she can't let it eat her alive either. We already lost enough, we can't let her die inside as well. "
Kisshu tried to hide his puzzled frown from the girls, forcing his brows up. Just what was all of that supposed to mean? What were they talking about? Too many memories? Be alone and grieve? She lost 'him'. . . but who was it she lost? Could it be the Blue Knight? Did that Aoyama guy dump her? Could that be why he was not around? That might make sense with her behavior, but not completely. That might have been part of it, but there seemed like there had to be more. . .
All thoughts were suddenly lost. His spine tingled as he felt the distinctive motion of a girl's hand sliding onto his knee. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Self-preservation reflexes kicked in and he bolted upright so fast that the chair he had been on clattered to the floor. Multiple wide eyes stared at him in silence. At least he remembered to keep his feet on the ground, they would really be staring if he were floating.
"Wow, look at that!" He pointed out the window.
All eyes turned to see what he was pointing to, and when they turned back there was a blank space where he had been.
Kisshu ducked into the kitchen where Akasaka and the Mew Mews were. He was frantic, beyond panicked. Things like this were not supposed to happen to him. What was wrong with those girls? None of them even knew him! Was he not the one who was supposed to do things like that? It was not supposed to be done to him! This was insanity! Going to the enemy, or past enemy, might not be the wisest move but it was the only one he had. He wanted them to keep talking but his need to live was stronger than his need for answers.
Kisshu raced to the one who was most likely to have mercy, the only male in the room. "Please, help me! Don't tell them I'm in here! Ple-" He dropped to the floor behind the counter, next to Akasaka when he heard them coming.
"Sorry to bother you, but did a tall boy with brown hair, handsome face, dreamy eyes, and a cute smile come this way?"
Keiichiro spoke quickly, maybe to be sure Pudding didn't say anything, "No, sorry. Only employees can come back here."
The group hurried away like a stampede of horses. Kisshu's heart rate began to slow back down to normal. At the moment he felt rather sorry for the boy he borrowed this face from. That guy must have to live with this kind of torture all the time. What must his life be like? Even this long was too much for Kisshu to handle. He could not think about a whole life going like this.
"Thank you, you really saved me! I'm eternally grateful!" Kisshu grinned and mused at the irony of that statement.
"Why are you here anyway, if not to be fondled by a bunch of girls?" The rich, Mint Aizawa leaned over the counter to see him.
Kisshu gritted his teeth in a smile, but he would rather have strangled her. "I was supposed to wait for someone here." He was sticking to that lie if it killed him.
Ichigo stretched a bit. It had been a long, trying day. She spent a bit of time in the nurse's office because Moe and Miwa refused to let her do anything else. The pain in her head was still there but it was nothing like it had been for those terrible minutes. In the back of her mind, she wondered if it could be the beginning stages of what Mew Aqua would do to her. Had Masaya had these sorts of things happen to him? She hopped not. Things had been strange for her today, even before today. Like her dream last night. Was it just her subconscious fears, perhaps?
She did remember the dream she had - It was hazy, but she remembered. She remembered the fear she felt. It was a dark dream. People kept dying around her. Try as she might, she could not stop it - Left and right people were falling. She could never reach any of them in time. The man in black kept killing them before she could stop it. He was a stranger to her, she had never seen him before, but the mask would have kept her from recognizing him even if she knew.
At first it was people she did not know but it slowly began turning into people she knew. No matter what she did they kept dying. Aoyama appeared and tried to help her. The masked man advanced toward him - Ichigo got in his way, tried to cut him off but he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Before she could stop it, he thrust a sword through Masaya, killing him too. She fought him but she could not even catch a hold of him. Everyone she cared about was being cut down and she could not stop it. Her screams echoed endlessly around her until she could hear nothing but her own tears. All that surrounded her were the bodies of those she loved.
"It's ok, Koneko-chan! I'll protect you." Kisshu appeared by her side, swords drawn.
Horror and fear swept over her. She pleaded with him not to fight, tried to warn him not to defend her, but he was not listening. She held him, clung to his arms, screaming at him. Before she knew it the man was everywhere, surrounding them. All she knew then was that it was hopeless and there was nothing she could do. The last person she had would soon fall at her side - It was hopeless. She didn't want to lose him and she did not want him to die. After that she closed her eyes, unable to watch. The dream got really hazy after that. She could not remember how it ended.
Thinking of it made her angry with Kisshu, even though it was a dream. How could he defend her when it was hopeless? He would do the same thing in real life. He would refuse to run and he would just end up suffering with her. Sometimes she could just kill him. She should have let him go home when she had the chance. Then again, if that had happened, at least she would have had someone. If they had to die, they would have died together. But was that really the attitude to take? Not likely. Of course, part of her did want him to stay.
She was confused about more than just her feelings about the dream. Ichigo was not sure what she wanted. What did she want from Kisshu? What was she expecting from him? Maybe she wanted things to go on just as they were, to go on this way and never change. Yes, maybe that was what she wanted. She wanted them to stay this way always. She did not want their relationship to change, didn't want time move forward. Things would be good if they stayed this way. With him, she liked things the way they were. Right now, things were good between them. She was not sure what she would do if their relationship changed - Maybe in time things could change, but she was not ready for it yet.
What happened at the prom store was strange, nice in a way, but bad in another. At the time she had not thought about it but now that she had time to think. . . She did not want things to change, did not want to lose hold of what they had now. It felt like they were losing something yesterday. Maybe what she felt was that their friendship was changing when he kissed her that way. Maybe, somehow they were losing the simple, sweet, innocence of their friendship. She did not want to let go of what they had and something told her those types of things would change what they had now. Couldn't things, for once, just stay the same for a while?
There were other reasons she did not want the relationship to change. Still, it was unfair, her thinking this way when she had been acting somewhat differently. She had been sending him signals without meaning to, hadn't she? Little things she did probably lead him to think she wanted something more from him. There were times the only thing she wanted was from him to just sit with her. There were times all she wanted in the world was to just relax in his arms and never move. Part of her did. . . did. . . think of him the way he thought of her. However, another part of her could not think of him that way at all. Part of her retched when she felt those types of things, retched because of her own treachery. That was a betrayal to everything Masaya's memory was. If she allowed herself to feel such feelings she was betraying his memory.
To ever. . . love another was a betrayal. Being happy was even a betrayal of his memory. How could she allow herself to be happy when he was dead? He died because of her, so didn't she owe him her life, to forever atone for his sacrifice. Aoyama's involvement with her was why he was dead now. She loved him so deeply, with all her heart. This heart was something Aoyama possessed, and she could not give it to someone else now, even though he was gone. There was not enough left of her heart to give to anyone anyway.
"Ichigo, I made cookies today! Would you like some?" Her mother smiled at her.
"Not right now. Maybe later." She would save that for when Kisshu got back so he could have them. Then again, he might not get back tonight at all. It sounded a bit like he would be gone for a while. Tonight, likely, she would be sleeping alone. She settled down more into the couch. She had not been paying attention to the movie her parents were watching at all. It might have been interesting but she did not know. She spent a lot of the day with them after she got home. Tomorrow was a Saturday so she could relax.
She yawned and stretched. "I think I will go take a bath now and then go to bed."
"Don't you like the movie? We thought it would be fun for us to watch together!" Her father wined.
"It's only a few minutes from being over and I'm tired." Ichigo gave her parents a quick hug. "Night."
"Good night!" They chimed.
Ichigo turned the corner and stopped. For some reason she wanted to know what they might say. It was unusual of her to do this and she did not know why she suddenly decided to. It was not like she expected them to say bad things about her. For some reason she just wanted to stay a moment to find out what they were thinking.
"She seems a bit better today. . . Do you think so, Shin?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah, I think so. At least she did not stay in her room all day like normal, that is a good sign."
Her mother smiled, "And she seems to be eating much, much better. I don't think she has gained any weight back yet, but it's something."
Shintaro slipped his hand into Sakura's. "Little by little she is coming back. I'm glad to see a bit of life back in her after all this time."
"Yes, I want to see her live her life again. Maybe she is starting to realize it's alright to keep living, it's not wrong."
Ichigo pushed off the wall and tiptoed up the stairs. It was a bit painful to see them worry about her so much. Somehow they seemed to have been noticing more about her than she thought. Part of her had been believing they would not notice anything if she stayed away. It seemed like they would not know if they could not see her. She had a feeling though that they understood more than she wanted them to about her depression.
Kisshu let out a guttural growl. Today had been more than he could endure. Even though he stayed there for hours, he was no closer to finding any real answers. Would he ever figure things out this way? He was angry about a lot of things. Why did he have to sneak around to find answers? Why did he having to try to find out from these people? Why wouldn't she just tell him? Why couldn't he ask her straight out? Even the thought of asking her made him feel sick with an overdose of nervousness. Why didn't she trust him enough to tell him the truth? Enough was enough!
Of course, admit it or not, what angered him most was that guy. Aoyama was the one she loved, he always had been. She rejected him over and over because of that guy. All those times he had his heart ripped out was thanks to that boy. If he really had dumped her after all of that. . . How dare that guy? Of course, it also angered him to think it might be for that reason that Ichigo was like this. She was hurting, and it might have been that guy's fault. Moreover, why did she have to be this upset because he dumped her? She sank into this much depression because of a jerk like him? Then again, maybe he could not talk. But did she have to love that guy so much that it made her this way? If she loved him to start with that guy never would have hurt her.
Ichigo snaked down the hall and into her room. Her hair was nearly dry, but the ends were still dripping a little. The bath had been so calming and warm she nearly fell asleep. A large white towel was wrapped tightly around her body. It was more than large enough to cover her with extra. She had to wrap it around herself twice in order to keep the excess down. Her father loved to get the biggest towels he could find. Tucked around under her arms, the towel still hit her knees. With Kisshu gone for who knew how long, it was perfectly safe to walk around like this. Tonight was her night to be alone.
She really did need this time to sort out her feelings. She still could not decide how to feel from minute to minute. Inside she was a mess of questions with no answers.
She sighed and shoved a few things into her closet. As long as her hair was still wet she did not want to put on her nightgown. Still, she should do it anyway. There was always a chance he would come back tonight. She had sneaked those cookies for him, just in case. If he came back, she should be in bed when he got there. The cookies would be a bedtime snack for him. Maybe she would stick a note to them in case she was asleep when he got back.
Ichigo reached for her nightgown, but froze in horror as she saw the little ripples in the air. Her heart stopped beating and she forgot how to breathe at all. He was back! She was in a towel! This was worse than normal! He appeared and their eyes locked. His mouth dropped a bit as he surveyed her. She still could not move. The look in his eyes frightened her. She saw anger in his face the moment he came in. He looked so dark and stormy. Now that he had seen her, the anger was mixing with a lot of other things. Desire and longing had mixed into the fury in his expression. This could be bad. Why was he angry anyway? What happened while he was gone?
AN:What a development, huh? XD Ichigo has bad timing!