Ichigo froze. The nightgown was in her hand but it would not do one bit of good. How could his timing have been worse? Why couldn't he have waited a few more minutes before coming back? His golden, seething eyes were locked hard onto her. Oh wow. . . what was that look in his eyes? That look; he looked angry but it was more than anger. Never had she seen him look at her that way before. His eyes glinted with a predatory glow as they traveled up and down her body. She shivered as she thought about the fact that she had absolutely no cover besides a towel. His golden orbs locked onto her as he slowly pursued her. She took several nervous steps back as he advanced.
She backed warily away until her back connected with the wall. Ichigo's heart jumped into her throat. The look in his eyes. . . what was it? She could not really place it. Was he thinking about the towel too? She stopped breathing all together as he swiftly closed the preciously small distance between them. She huddled up against the wall but he just pressed closer, pinning her there. His hands took a firm hold on her arms as his eyes wandered over her clavicle and lower.
She sucked in a sharp breath as he thrust his knee between her legs and lifted her off the floor. His eyes pierced through her with intensity she was not sure she had seen before. She was level with him, eyes meeting his, forcefully made to perch on his knee. She could feel the denim material of his jeans against her, imprinting its pattern on her inner thighs. Her heart pounded as he slid and arm around her waist and pulled her body tightly against him. His body was tense, every muscle taut, and his breathing was deeper than normal. She could feel little tremors of trepidation going through her.

Her eyes widened, "Ki-"

His lips met hers eagerly, pressing harder and harder. The headache began to return as he wrapped his fingers in her hair, forcing her to stay in place. He was holding her so tightly it was beginning to be painful. It was times like these she remembered how strong he really was. The kiss was so full of desire and longing it was alarming – It was avid and full of passion but she could still feel the anger welled up beneath it. Kisshu's smooth tongue lunged into her mouth, moving hungrily over her tongue. He kissed her voraciously, almost viciously, tongue wildly thrusting.
His free hand wandered over her, up her thigh, nearly slipping under the towel before exploring higher. She gripped his shirt, pushing against his firm chest. Ichigo twitched and trembles ran through her body as his fingers discovered the knot holding the towel in place. Panic swept over her as he tugged it free, sliding the first layer of the wrap away. She clutched at it desperately.

She twisted away just enough to break the kiss, "Stop! Please, stop!"

His grip slackened as he stared at her, almost as if he had only just realized what he was doing.

"Please!" She breathed.

A pained frown wrinkled his face and he released her.

She quickly gathered the fallen bit of towel back around her, tucking it back into place.

"I'm sorry." He moved back several steps, eyes fixed to the floor. "I don't know why I. . . I didn't mean. . ." Kisshu whirled and leapt into the air, a rippling door opened for him.

"Wait!" Ichigo lunged for him to pull him back, she did not want him to leave like this. If he left like this he might not come back. She was not even thinking very well anymore, she just knew this was not the way she wanted things to end. They needed to talk about this. Running away would not solve anything, it would just make it harder to come back together later. Some things did have to be faced right away. This was not totally his fault, she really should not expect much different of a reaction considering the circumstances.

Unfortunately, she had not stopped him at all, she ended up taking the ride with him. Ichigo shut her eyes and clung desperately to the back of his shirt. Before she knew it her feet were on solid ground again. Her eyes opened again but she was not sure where they were. They were somewhere in town, but a secluded place.
Kisshu whirled, "What were you thinking? You did not even know where I was going! I could have been going anywhere, the inside of a volcano for all you knew! I can't just turn around and go back once we are inside, you either go forward or nothing! Baka!"

"I'm sorry! I just did not want it to be that way!" Ichigo blinked back emotion.

"Ichigo, I said I was sorry! I know you don't want that! Why do you think I left?" He growled.

She shook her head, "Kisshu. . ."

"What do you want, Ichigo? What do you want me to do?" He locked eyes with her, "I messed up! I know that already!" He shook his head, "But how am I supposed to act after I've already had a terrible, confusing day, because of you. . . and I come home to see you looking like that? I was already so-"

Ichigo cut in, "Wait, so this is completely my fault?" She narrowed her eyes, anger percolating. "What do you mean you had a bad day 'because of me'? Because you had a bad day everything is suddenly my fault? I haven't even been with you all day, so how did everything become my fault?"

"It just was!" He growled. "At the very least me coming back to find you naked was your fault!"

"I am not naked! I have a towel on! I just got out of the bath, thank you very much!" She hissed.

"You're always calling me a pervert, but you don't see me running all over everywhere with nothing but what you have on? No!" He gritted his teeth.

"I was not running all over! I was in my own room! Generally, people can change in peace in their own room, but I guess I can't even do that! You just come right in without any warning at all, like you own everything!" She waved her finger under his nose. "And I don't recall giving you permission for even one thing you did a few minutes ago! I would say that does make you the pervert!"

Kisshu shot into the air. "Forget it! Just forget it! You're right." He dashed over the top of a building before she could say another word.

For the past few minutes he had been fuming, did not even let her explain why she followed him, but the last few seconds brought out a bit of pain in his eyes. She already wished she had been able to hold her temper. Things ended up even worse than when she tried to stop him from leaving. Maybe it really would have been smarter to let him go. It would have given them both time to cool down and clear their heads. She had not really been thinking when she grabbed him, she just knew she did not want to see him go that way. Things ended so much worse because she chased him though.

Panic washed over her like an ocean wave as she remembered something; she was still in a towel. That fact ended up escaping both of them during the fight. She had not even thought about it, but now she was. At the moment she did not even know where she was. Ichigo hurried for the shadows, plastering herself against the wall of a building. She could not even call for help since her phone was still in the room. This was bad; no cloths, no shoes, no way to get help. If he did not think to come get her, she would be stranded. How far away might home be? If she was careful she might be able to get back once it got a bit later. People might not be out as much if she waited until it was very late.

Tears of frustration and panic stung the backs of her eyes. This was turning out to be the worst night she had ever had in her life, and it might even be getting worse later on. If only this was not a white towel! She did not want to try to walk home with nothing but a towel that might as well glow in the dark! She did not want anyone to see her like this! She did not want to walk home without shoes! Maybe she could turn into a cat? But that was something that only happened when she was excited, she was not sure she could just bring it on the way Shirogane did.

A cat call and a whistle made the blood in her veins run cold and she looked up in horror. Sheer terror set in when she saw three boys coming her way, and she realized she knew two of them. Those were the college guys from before! Her mind started to spin. Why did they have to find her like this? The three sets of animal eyes were all fixed on her.

"It's our fox!" One of them grinned.

"What is she wearing? A towel?" He cackled. "This must be fate!"

Ichigo could already smell alcohol on them as they drew closer. "Get lost or I'll get my father!"

"Oh? Where is he at?"

She grimaced, they did not believe her.

"You should come with us! We can have some fun!" The new one said.

"Go away!" She hissed.

They were not listening.

These three were much more than her normal strength could handle. If she transformed she would be fine. She would not even have to fight them, all she would have to do was run. The trouble was there was no way to hide herself. Could she really transform here, in her own area? They moved in closer. The answer was yes! She had to! There was nothing else she could do! She had to transform and get away! There was no way she could stand here and let them do this to her when she had more than enough power to stop it.

"Mew M-Agh!" She cried out as two of them grabbed her by the arms, knocking her against the wall. They cut off her transformation before it even began. One on each side, a vice grip on her wrists and upper arms. Ichigo struggled against them but was afraid to move too drastically or the towel might fall. They were so strong! If she could not free herself she could not transform.

"No!" She tried to dig her nails into their hands but could not manage it. "Let me go!"

"Just be a good girl, don't fight it! Obey us and it won't be too bad for you." The last one smiled as he stepped in front of her. "You might even like it."

"No! Get away!" She kicked him in the shin as hard as she could.

The back of her head irrupted with pain as he slammed it into the wall. "I just told you to be good!"

"Get away from me!" She yelled, but nearly gagged on the stench of his breath.

His fingers dug into her cheeks, "Looks like we'll have to teach you to be good! I go first though."

He jerked her head to the side so hard she felt her neck pop. Teeth dug into her shoulder hard enough to make her scream. She struggled harder, desperate to get free long enough to transform. She had to get away! The two holding her tightened their grip with every move she made, the feeling in both arms was already gone. He was pushing her against the wall so hard she could barely get a breath. She whimpered as she felt his tongue sliding over her skin. Her head screamed and the bruise on her back ached. She could not move, not at all. His teeth sunk in again farther up her shoulder and his free hand slapped against her right thigh – The towel was covering her skin from being in contact with his hand, but for how long? His hand began to travel. Oh, god, no! No! Never in her life had she felt deeper, or more horrified terror. She did not have a chance against three of them. She did not want these animals to touch her! She did not want it! She did not want it! Hot tears streamed down her face.

"Kisshuuuuuuuuu!" Ichigo shrieked, terror giving her voice the shrillness and volume of five girls.

All she saw next was a flash of motion. Her attacker did not get any other chances to hurt her. The boy cried out, blood spritzing the air, the prong of the sword piercing his shoulder as Kisshu threw him back. Glowing golden eyes illuminated by the moon turned on the other two. One of them dropped to the ground as a sword crashed into the wall, narrowly missing his head. Pieces of brick fell as he jerked the sword out again. Her third captor simply released his hold on her and dove away. They did not get far. The two of them flew through the air, tossed farther away from her by Kisshu. Ichigo hugged her arms to her chest and used the wall to hold herself up. The feeling was still gone but she could at least move her arms. She tried to chase away the sickness that had been creeping over her. Her heart pounded as she watched the scene unfold before her.

Kisshu looked crazed with rage, eyes fiery and wild. He shot bolts at them blindly, not even taking the time to aim. This was the side of him that terrified her; the fierce, unreasonable, uncontrollable, unstable, side of him. This time though, he was fighting for her and not against her. The power he possessed turned erratic when fueled by his intense rage. When he was this full of wrath he was like a tiger in a blazing frenzy, and you could not predict his actions.

"Die! Die, you diseased vermin!" He shot another blot at them as they scurried around in terror. "I will never let you escape!" He howled.

They were so terrified they were not even running away, just dodging the orange bolts and running in circles

"No one can touch Ichigo! No one!" Kisshu roared. "I will shred your filthy bodies and spread the pieces all over this city!"

Ichigo watched in horror. No matter how much part of her wanted to let him kill them, she could not allow it to happen. She felt violated and her body ached. More than anything, a voice inside her screamed for her to allow it, but he could not simply kill three people. On top of that, they were all making so much noise. Rationality in her brain was still strong enough to win over her emotions for now. If she did not get him away from here quickly, other people would be attracted to the commotion – If that happen, innocent people might be caught up in Kisshu's fury. On top of that, if people saw this, the two of them would be caught. Even if she was not in her Mew Mew form it would still be bad. Even worse, someone might shoot him. There was absolutely no choice, she had to stop this right now.

She ran to him, swirled around in front of him, her arms falling around his waist. "Please, Kisshu! Please, just take me away from here! I don't want to be here anymore, please!" She took his face in her hands to force him to look into her eyes as her tears began to fall. "I'm begging you, take me away from here!"

"Tch!" Kisshu growled as the air rippled, accepting the swords into the unseen – The air rippled again as he grabbed her up and they vanished inside.

The dense, green leaves of a nearby tree veiled the presence of two observers perched on the branches. The moon light caught the man's blue eyes creating an eerily cold glow. A wicked smile threatened to swallow his face. Tonight had been quite a fun show. Those three were perfect dolls for the occasion. They were even too easy to control. Neither the Mew Mew nor the alien suspected anything at all. The girl really should have noticed something considering her attackers knew how to prevent her transformation. To be safe he used three of them instead of two. Those expressions on her face were so intriguing, but so was the rage that alien had. He had been a little surprised she managed to talk him away before he slaughtered the three. That girl was capable of taming even the beast of his rage.

"Marvelous!" He mused aloud.

This had been the perfect result to his placement of pawns. That performance was good enough to be on the stage. It was a classic story of the brave knight coming to save the princess in danger. Their relationship was clearly deepening. That was clear by the way she screamed his name. She had not called for just anyone, not her dead love, and not even for her father, she called the alien. Something in her believed he would come to save her, and he had. Her lover charged in and rescued his beloved. Perfect.

"What exactly was all of this about? What was the point in this? I am not sure I understand what you are trying to do." The second figure spoke up.

"Just tightening the strings." He laughed. "Slowly, I will break her mind and her spirit, grinding them under my heel until there is nothing left she can fight me with. After I break her, she will be mine. As she breaks, so will he. Once she is broken I will break him the rest of the way by using her. Simple, really."

The two of them vanished from their hiding place in the tree. For the night, he was satisfied with his progress. Already, he was starting to see the cracks in that girl. She was breaking even faster than he hoped for. At this rate he might not need to do anything more to her, she might crumble the rest of the way on her own. Either way, his plan was working perfectly. He could see a few cracks in the alien as well as that girl. The lovers would be added to his collection any time now. He would leave those three, now unconscious boys, where they were. That one might bleed a bit too much, but if he died it did not matter. They already outlived their usefulness. Some puppets were only meant to be used a few times. There were puppets and dolls one kept and some that were to be thrown away.

Kisshu set her down gently on the bed. She was safe now so he could go hunt down those humans. There was no way he would allow them to get away. Even he did not realize he was capable of this much rage. It felt like a boiling geyser was inside him begging to get out. All he wanted to do was make them pay for this. He turned to open a port when her fingers locked around his wrist.

"Please, don't go, Kisshu." He saw a tear trickle down her cheek. "Please, please don't leave me alone again."

He flinched. "Again." She was right, of course. Had he not carelessly left her alone this would never have happened at all. Her whole body was trembling, he could see it clearly, and feel it. Her fingers were like ice. Her brown eyes were still dilated from fear. Her breathing was a bit shallow. She was still holding onto the towel so hard her fingers were white.

"I'm right here. It's alright." Kisshu sat next to her and pulled her head to his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was shaky. "I am am always relying on you."

He shook his head, "No, don't be sorry for anything!"

"I'm sorry to ask, but would you take me into the bathroom? I don't want my parents to see me right now. I want to clean up."

"Sure." Kisshu let go of her, took down a pink robe from her closet, and scooped up her nightgown. "You will want these in a minute."

She nodded and let him pick her up off the bed. He opened a port and soundlessly took her to the little bathroom. She moved to the sink, picked up a washcloth and ran it under the hot water. He glided to the far side of the room and turned his back to her. Turning his back was only a gesture to make her feel secure – With his back to her, he could still see her in the reflection of the window. He was not watching out of any perverse intent this time, just concern. She really seemed so unsteady.
She ran the cloth up and down her left arm, taking care not to miss a spot. She refreshed the cloth and started on the other arm. He watched her expression in the mirror migrate from unfeeling to one of revulsion. A shudder ran through her whole body. The cloth moved harder and progressively faster as she scrubbed her right arm frantically. She looked like she was slipping into panic. At that rate she was going to do more harm to herself than good.

Kisshu propelled himself to her side. "Easy. . . Calm down." He slipped the rag from her hand and began washing her arm off for her.

His eyes fell on her shoulder and the two large marks he had not noticed before. The welts on her shoulder were beginning to bruise in places. He flinched, were those what he thought they were? He refreshed to cloth under the hot water before gently patting the wounds with it. She jumped when he touched them but did not try to pull away. The closer he looked the more he was sure of what they were. Looking carefully, cleaning them tenderly, he checked to be sure they had not broken skin. Thankfully the skin had not been broken but there would be bruising. His anger peeked again, but only for a minute.
All his rage had turned to guilt and the strong need to care for her. She seemed so exposed and vulnerable. All he wanted to do now was shelter her and protect her. All thoughts of any perverse nature had sunk to the back of his mind. He would not misbehave or tease her for a while. They really rattled her. He could go after those monsters later. Eventually he would make them pay for what they did. He warmed the towel under the water again and then placed it carefully over the marks.

"Why didn't you just transform?" Kisshu finally asked.

"I tried! They caught me before I could finish. I had not even gotten a hold of my pendant before they grabbed me." She shivered.

Kisshu picked up the robe, took the moist cloth off, and slipped the fluffy pink robe over her shoulders. "You should put this on, and your nightgown. I won't look, I promise."

He turned around again so she could dress. This time he also closed his eyes so he would not see her reflection. He shoved away the temptation to peek at the reflection, annoyed with himself for even thinking it. This was not the time to try anything. Already, he had done enough. If not for him this would never have happened. The sound of running water touched his sense again. He did not want to think what might have happened to her if he had not heard her scream and call his name. Leaving her alone had been careless to say the very least. All because of anger he stormed away and left her alone. He could not believe his own behavior tonight.
Slender, trembling arms slid around his waist and her head rested against his back. He could feel the soft material of the robe against his arms. The beginnings of bruises dotted her arms where large fingers had dug into her flesh. She was still not doing well. He could feel the remaining tension in her. Her breaths still came in haggard, unsteady drags. He should never have left her. Every time he left her, in the past, or now, something bad happened. He should never have left her at all today.

"Could we go back to my room now? I'm feeling really tired. "

He turned in her arms and circled her in his own. "Yeah, we can." He noticed the towel she had been wearing was draped over the bath tub, water streaming off of it. She must have soaked it. She was trying to wash away all traces of them, he supposed. He did not blame her. It might be best that way. Maybe they should just both pretend this night never happened at all. The welts on her shoulder would be an unfortunate reminder for a while, but those would go away eventually. After that, it would be like this never happened at all. He would not leave her like that again.