Softness
Dear readers,
Thank you for stopping by and reading this story. I would like to hereby thank you all for all of your amazing comments, reviews, follows and kudos!
As for the following update, I apologize for the little delay with this one! Also, it's a slightly shorter chapter than what you're probably used to reading, but we have only 3 more chapters to finish this arc, so savor every moment till you can!
The music I used for this part is Mr. Kitty/The Neighbourhood's 'After Dark X Sweater Weather.'
DrDark7 - Thank you for your comment! Yup, I could not agree more. As always, you're spot on. There is truly no cure for someone who is love-blind.
Naela - Thank you for your comment! No, this story is definitely not abandoned, I can assure you of that much. I usually upload on Thursdays, or bi-weekly if really busy.
Desu - Thank you for your comment! Oh yea, unlike the TRTP, Libidinous does not feature Kisshu's point of view yet. But that is highly intentional, as it builds more suspense that way.
Lucero Perez - Thank you for your comment! Yes, the last chapter brought even more drama and problems, did it not? We are soon going to finish this arc, so you will find most, if not all, of your questions answered in the following few chapters.
Lulyy Elizabeth Vaca - Thank you for your comment! Yes, they're back together now. Or, are they? Only time will tell. Things are never easy between those two.
amoreKxI – Thank you for your comments! I am so happy to read that you are enjoying this story so much. I am sorry that I had to make you wait for the following update. I hope that you will like it just as much.
AnimeRoxx - Thank you for your comment! I am so happy to read that you have enjoyed the reunion so much! Will the two of them be able to work things out, now, or is their relationship doomed? Only time will tell.
Sorakitten - Thank you for your comment! I am excited to hear that I have triggered so many emotions in you! That makes me really feel like I have delivered successfully of what I have intended to convey.
Lilith - Thank you for your comment! I am really glad to hear that you liked the little reunion part so much. I, personally, enjoyed writing it too!
Kishlover985 - Thank you for your comment! Yes, Moe and Miwa are great friends, aren't they? I really like Moe a lot myself. She trying to pick up Ryou deserves its own separate one shot. That's for sure!
Wildfaerie - Thank you for your comment! And please do not apologize. I LOVE long comments and rambling. So let me know any of your thoughts, predictions and opinions as much as you want. I hope that I will not disappoint you with the following few chapters!
kittle_kattle - Thank you for your comment! It makes me really happy to read that you enjoy this fic so much. We still have some 10 more chapters to go. So stay tuned for more!
As always, please enjoy and review!
I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew
Ichigo entered the kitchen the following morning in a conspicuously higher spirits and a broad smile plastered all over her face.
"Has Masaya left already?" Sakura – her mother- asked, throwing her daughter instantly slightly off guard.
"Huh, what?" the younger red head took a huge bite of her toast before turning around slowly.
For some strange reason, everything had tasted better today. Even the strawberry jam that Ichigo rarely put on her toast had seemed to have acquired a richer and far more delicious kind of flavor than usual.
"Last night…," Sakura trailed off, forming her next words rather carefully, "You came home very late. And, based on all the noise, I assumed that Masaya stayed…over? But I might be wrong, of course."
Noting the awkward tension in the air, Ichigo swallowed the last bite of her toast thickly, her former feeling of happiness slowly dissipating.
Of all the times she had thought that her and her mother would have this sort of conversation, today was definitely not the day that she had anticipated it. In truth, Ichigo did not want to talk about it. About how Kisshu had once again screwed her senseless in the most enjoyable way possible. She, in fact, wanted nothing more than to erase yesterday from her memory with immediate effect and bury her head in shame.
Alas, it appeared as though her mother was not quite finished with her just yet.
"Ichigo, I understand that as a teenager, you have certain needs that need to be answered, but could you please be a little more considerate in the future, so that we can avoid creating any awkward situations for anyone? You were extremely lucky that your father slept so sound last night, because I don't think that he would take it rather well, if he heard you as well."
Oh my god.
Biting on her bottom lip, Ichigo could only imagine how ridiculous it would have been if her father, fuming and with bloodshot eyes, had burst into her room citing a death wish upon her boyfriend, merely stopping short when he would realize that his daughter was in bed with an elf-like alien instead.
Almost as ridiculous as the notion that your own mother has heard you.
Awe-struck, Ichigo instantaneously flushed at that thought. How uncomfortable must it have been for her mom to hear her moan shamelessly like a whore, all restraints gone? Was there any way how to face her humiliation, now? How come that no matter what Ichigo had done, she had always felt so on edge? The fact that her mother had sincerely believed that someone as dull and bleak as Masaya could ever trigger such a powerful reaction in Ichigo's body, much less an orgasm, considering how very rocky their intimate life had been, and their fundamental lack of thereof, though, was somewhat laughable to Ichigo. Nonetheless, with or without Masaya's sexual inaptness in the picture, she could not fight the prominent blush had that had started acutely spreading all over her face.
"I'm sorry, mum. I-I, it will never happen again," Ichigo stuttered, thoroughly embarrassed.
"It's ok, honey. I just wanted you to know that. Please don't take it the wrong way. Masaya is welcome here any time," Sakura smiled, seeing the prominent flush that continued to tint her daughter's cheeks.
"Right," Ichigo nodded, while her gaze followed her mother's every movement. She watched with fascination as Sakura took the tea kettle in her hand and poured some hot water into Ichigo's cup, the hot steam and strawberry aftertaste wafting through the kitchen instantly.
The younger red head accepted the hot drink with gratitude and took a sip, reveling in the way how the sudden warmth pulsed throughout her whole body.
As she observed the little circles in her cup swirl idly, an unexpected thought had all of a sudden crossed Ichigo's mind.
Odd as it may have seemed, regardless of how many times Masaya had been to their place, her mom had never ever said to her a god-damn thing before.
"Wow, look at that! Somebody has gotten on the right side of the bed today. What a difference! I take it you had lots of fun with the guy in the end?" Moe grinned, taking in Ichigo's flushed facial expression.
"N-no, not really."
"Oh, sound like the lady doth protest too much," Moe laughed before patting Ichigo's back lightly, "It's ok, girl. You can tell us. It's not like we're gonna tell Masaya or anything."
Miwa, who had until then remained silently reading, briefly lowered her book so that her sharp blue orbs could assess the situation in front of her. She narrowed her deep, insightful eyes at them and, the moment hers and Ichigo's gazes met, the Mew Mew was heavily reminded of her boss. These piercing blue eyes were one of these that could not be lied to, nor deprived of knowing any darkest secrets.
"Moe's right," Miwa replied eventually, "Besides, isn't Masaya still away on that conference in Okinawa? Not that it particularly matters."
"I-I guess," Ichigo answered glumly, slumping further down into her chair.
A part of her had still not exactly understood what had possessed her to jump in bed with Kisshu all over again, but she knew that their affair was far from over, whether she wanted it to be or not.
"Well, was he any good?" Moe prodded, "Or, better than Masaya, at least?"
Ichigo grimaced.
"By far," she let out at long last, while her shoulders dropped in silent acceptance.
Truthfully, there was no need to lie anymore. Ichigo had never had better sex with anyone than Kisshu and she honestly doubted that there was anyone else who could satisfy her sexually like the alien could. That experience with Jason was only another proof of that.
"Tell us! Tell us! We want to know everything!" the blonde girl squealed with vibrant excitement in her voice, whereas the blue-eyed brunette continued to sit firmly in her seat.
Everything, heh?
From her peripheral, Ichigo felt Miwa's expectant gaze, while her brain tried to mentally visualize the reaction of how her friends would perceive her tryst, if they really knew what was going on. Would they truly be so understanding and supporting, if they knew? Was there even anything to be understanding and supportive of? What was there to say, really? That Ichigo had once more engaged herself willingly in this affair with an extraterrestrial, fully aware that it would only cause more issues; that she was jeopardizing the fate of the whole planet Earth solely due to her sexual urges and desire; or, that she was, in reality, a superhero – a Mew Mew- who had irrevocably tarnished her reputation by falling prey to the enemy?
Millions of various questions were buzzing in Ichigo's mind all at once, but, not willing to burst Miwa and Moe' little bubble just yet, she squished them all for now. She then stretched her arms above her head with a loud cracking sound before taking a deep breath and starting sharing her Friday story, omitting only the details that could exacerbate her progressing migraine, as well as her misery.
Ichigo knew it was a bad idea.
Scratch that. Ichigo was absolutely positive that it was a bad idea.
But when Masaya had called her the previous evening, asking whether he could accompany her again on her way to school, Ichigo had not found it in herself for some reason to say no to him. Why? She did not know. But, judging by the nervous tick of her left eye that she had developed over night, she could already tell that this was going to be a really, really bad idea.
And, an even worse start for the day.
'Why could I just not brush him off?' the auburn-haired girl sighed in resignation, as she finished putting on her remaining clothes, 'Now he would only think that he has a chance again, which he doesn't!'
'He doesn't?' her inner voice echoed.
'He doesn't,' Ichigo reiterated firmly.
'Why is that?' her conscience sneered, making Ichigo temporarily pause in her antics and look directly at her reflection in the mirror.
The girl who was staring back at her seemed so resolute in her conviction. Why was Ichigo still wavering, then?
However, before any deeper pondering could be given to the matter at hand, a sudden sound of the doorbell had cut through Ichigo's innermost train of musings, causing her to involuntarily jump.
"Ding-dong!"
Calm. Down. What the hell is wrong with you, seriously?
That was, of course, another great question that Ichigo knew no answer to. She could not exactly extrapolate why her body became so fidgety, or why her hands were, all of a sudden, shaking. There was no reason for any of that. Really wasn't. Masaya had no idea what Ichigo had been up to these past couple of weeks, and even if he had suspected anything, it had, apparently, not led him to steer away from his original plan to continue with their relationship and stay together. Why? What more was she supposed to do? Would he ever take the hint? Did she want him to take the hint? Why didn't she just refuse him yesterday when she could? She didn't love him. She didn't want to be with him. Or spend any romantic time with him. The only difficulty stemmed from the fact that Ichigo had a good heart, which is why she had no idea how to explain to Masaya any of that without hurting him in the process.
"Ding-dong!"
Ichigo jumped again, but soon relaxed her muscles upon realizing that her mom would get the door either way for her. And, in that, she was right, since not a mere minute later, Sakura's pleasant voice reverberated down the hall, welcoming Ichigo's no-longer boyfriend jovially.
"Oh, Masaya, how are you?"
"I am quite alright. How are you, Mrs. Momomiya?" Masaya responded politely, though Ichigo could predict as much.
With Masaya, it was always so predictable. It would be almost weird, if it wasn't.
Nevertheless, the same could not be applied to her mother, and neither to her attempt at a small talk.
"I am great. Thanks for asking," Sakura smiled warmly, when her daughter appeared by the door as well, "Also, I am sorry that I was not able to see you the other morning when you stopped by at our house at night. Please stay over for breakfast next time, will you?"
"Oh?"
'Oh shit,' Ichigo panicked, as more sweat drops began to form on her brow, her heart beat already picking up, 'Time to intervene. Pronto.'
"L-lettuce. It was Lettuce, mom!" Ichigo hastily blurted out, while her eyes frantically flicked between Masaya and her oblivious mother.
"Uhm?" Sakura looked at her daughter in stunned silence, whereas Masaya's expression had changed into that of utter confusion.
"Lettuce came over," Ichigo went on, massaging her temples nervously and wishing for the ground to finally open and swallow her all at once, "Lettuce's house was getting redecorated, remember? And I invited her over…to spend the evening with us, right?"
Sakura continued to wordlessly stare at Ichigo whose pleading eyes had begged her to support her daughter's story no matter what. The two females exchanged a long, meaningful look, however it wasn't until her mother blinked and nodded her head in mild affirmation that Ichigo's visage had significantly loosened at long last.
"Right," a small, unsure smile had crept back on Sakura's face, not that Masaya had noticed the difference.
If anything, his following reaction had only showed Ichigo that he was as clueless as ever, and, furthermore, nowhere close to understanding that their relationship was beyond any reparation.
"You're such a good friend, Ichigo. I would not expect any less of my loving…girlfriend."
Both Ichigo and Sakura had visibly sweat dropped at his last words, but did not have any more time to get flustered, as Shintaro had also appeared in the doorway right next to them.
"Shouldn't you, kids, be on your way to school, already?" Ichigo's father asked, eyeing the dark-haired male in front of him with equal amount of annoyance and suspicion.
"S-sure, dad. Sorry. Bye!" Ichigo took Masaya by his arm and dragged him out of the way.
'If only I could run away from all my problems just like that,' the Mew Mew sullenly thought, knowing fully well that it wasn't that easy, regardless of how much she was wishing for the opposite.
This particular notion was merely further confirmed to her when she briefly glanced over her shoulder and saw how her father kissed her mother's cheek lovingly, while Sakura's chocolate eyes remained transfixed on her daughter's face, quizzical and not understanding.
She collapsed on the ground next to him, short of breath and thoroughly satisfied.
The sex was great as always. Hardly came that as a surprise to Ichigo, not anymore.
There was no need to be angry at him for abducting her straight from the air yet again. She did not want to fight either way. Not sincerely, at least. Why would she? Why should she fight when all they could possibly be doing was this? Wasn't fighting Cyniclons meaningless? Maybe, they could really try and work things out somehow. If Kisshu had helped her, perhaps she could truly persuade Ryou that eliminating the enemy was not the only option they could go with.
Ryou.
Upon remembering her boss, Ichigo's spirits momentarily dropped, as the good old wave of uncertainties came rushing back. How long could they really perpetuate this affair? And why did she begin to feel again as hopeless as ever? Being with Kisshu was dangerous on so many levels; why did she, then, want to continue with this farce no matter what? Why could she not simply stop? And why was she feeling less and less guilty about everything that had happened between them, and, in fact, looked forward to the next time they were going to be together more and more?
It had made no sense.
Well, at least she could scream all she wanted this time. A fact, which had made Ichigo inadvertently think of their previous rendezvous and the uncomfortable conversation she had had with her mom that inevitably followed. For some reason, she thought like she might share this one.
"We gotta be more careful next time we're doing it at my place. I will tell you that much," Ichigo quirked her lip, grimacing at the vivid memory of her mother's consternated face.
"Why is that, mhm?" asked the alien, amused and with a spark already twinkling in his golden eyes.
"Well…my mom heard us. The other night," Ichigo dropped her gaze in shame.
"Did she now?" Kisshu laughed, suddenly very intrigued.
"Uhm-uhm. And the talk she had with me afterwards was embarrassing as hell. So yea. My place's off limits unless you keep it down."
From the corner of her eye, she could see how his lips slightly twitched at this.
"Last time I checked, it was you who went down all screaming on me," Kisshu chuckled, obviously pleased with the direction in which this conversation was heading.
"I was not screaming," Ichigo immediately objected, heat already flooding her cheeks.
"Oh yea, you were and pretty loud at that too. It's not like I mind, though. It makes me happy to see you are enjoying yourself so much without any restraint," the alien twirled a lock of her auburn hair in between his fingers playfully, "But, perhaps, you should turn the volume down a tad bit, as it apparently blows our cover?" he shot her a wicked grin for which Ichigo wanted to punch him.
"T-that's only because you fucked me s-so…," she spluttered, totally flustered at her inability to control her stream of thoughts around him.
"…so good?" he finished, cupping her chin with his hand in fair amusement, "You're more than welcome, kitten."
Ichigo blushed and, swatting his hand away, she pulled back, once he leaned in and tried to kiss her. She knew he was bursting with self-confidence in his abilities to please her at that moment, and she was not willing to inflate his already enormous ego even more. He was arrogant enough as it was.
"Jerk," she bit back, crossing her arms over her bare chest in indignation.
With a slight chuckle, Kisshu let his head fall back on the ground, as his eyes slid shut upon his content exhale.
"I remember when my mom once caught me during sex," he let out a soft laugh, while his eyes reopened somewhat dazed in a memory, "Never thought that something so enjoyable could turn into such a colossal pain in the next second."
Surprised wasn't quite strong enough of a word to describe how Ichigo had felt.
She paused, wide-eyed, turning her attention back onto him and concentrated on the foreign far-away look on his face, merely silently contemplating if this was how Kisshu looked like once his guard was down.
As far she had known him, he had never told her anything; about himself, his planet or even Pai or Taruto. Whenever she had asked him, he had always switched the topic or never answered her seriously. Had he just finally shared something personal with her and without her even asking him for it? Yes, that seemed to have been the very case. It could have been the aftermath of the amazing sex, or was it the completely embarrassing story Ichigo had shared with him that had prompted the alien in involving her in his personal life as well? How much did she know about him, really? Well, except for his first name, and the fact that he had possibly the highest big dick energy that she had ever seen. Apart from that, not so much. Did he have any siblings? What about his parents back home? In all honesty, Ichigo had oftentimes wondered what kind of a son Kisshu was, and, from the looks of it, a bad one indeed; she really did not have to muse about that for too long. Still, the idea of Kisshu being intimate with someone and his mom catching him red-handed during the act sounded a little too funny to Ichigo to contain her peels of laughter that wanted to spill out. She could perfectly picture the alien's face of utter shock, as his body went completely limp the moment he had been busted and probably yelled at too. A sharp pang of jealousy then weaseled its way into the forefront of Ichigo's mind as well, when she had imagined Kisshu's hands around someone else's naked body, but she squished the obnoxious thought instantly, not willing to ruin this moment just yet.
Instead, Ichigo threw her head backward and burst out laughing.
"That sounds hilarious, really," she grinned after a while when she had finally collected herself once more, stifling the last remaining giggles with her hand.
"To you, maybe. And probably now. But at that time it was terrible, I can assure you of that much. And just when things got really good too. All I needed was extra thirty seconds," he lamented, slightly scowling.
"Oh, you poor, poor baby," Ichigo patted him on his hair in feigned sympathy before she suddenly stopped.
This was the first time she had actually had a conversation with Kisshu. About sex, granted, but still an actual conversation, nonetheless, where he did not tease her. And, to Ichigo's great surprise, it felt good. He was actually really funny when he wanted to be, making it all feel almost weird that, instead of fucking or fighting, there was also something else the two of them could do together. That sudden realization had forced Ichigo to question their 'relationship' even more.
Kisshu stole a furtive glance at her and when their eyes locked in a dead stare, something strange had passed between them at that moment, which was extremely hard to put into words, but Ichigo felt it, and she could only wonder if he felt it too.
As if on cue, he seemed to have remembered himself at that precise time, or could he somehow, perhaps, sense her train of thinking? Hard to say, but his body language had instantaneously changed, while his golden eyes glossed over once more before he trained his intense gaze back onto her. There was nothing menacing written on his face. However, that unguarded lightness that was not a mere minute ago still displayed across all his features had completely evaporated, and, now, only a fake crinkled smile was playing on his lips.
He stood up with the intention to leave, but Ichigo's hand caught his wrist unexpectedly.
"Wait," he paused shooting her a confused look, and it took Ichigo a second to realize that her body had acted on its own accord before she could have stopped it.
Why did she not want him to go just yet? Was it really because she began to love the time they spent together outside of fucking?
Her gaze frantically moved from her hand to his and then onto his expectant face. She was searching in his eyes, trying to find any remnants of the previous softness they had exhibited only few minutes ago. And she could swear that when she edged closer, for a second, almost a full second, his expression had changed again, when it had dawned on him that she was going to kiss him.
"If you wanted a little kiss goodbye, all you had to do was ask, kitty-cat," he smirked, but Ichigo was no longer listening to him, too fixated on his lips, that she could not concentrate on the words that were coming out of them.
Quite unexpectedly, she grabbed him by his head and pulled him into a slow, tender kiss that was neither exactly passionate, nor light. And still, it conveyed something that was until then completely foreign to her. When she felt him respond to her tongue, she tugged at his emerald tresses harder, willing him to give her that special something that she could not quite yet describe in any articulate manner, but which had made her inner muscles collectively sigh in huge relief.
When they eventually detached from each other, the kiss did not leave either of them breathless; regardless, Ichigo had kept her eyes closed in daze, reveling in the aftermath of his lips brushing against hers. It was only upon hearing his uncharacteristically cold words, barren of any playful undertones that usually accompanied his flirtatious teasing, that she slowly started coming back to her senses.
"I gotta go," he said in a voice that she barely recognized as his.
In the next instant, there was a tell-tale sound of the ripple in the air and Ichigo did not have to open her eyes to know then he was long gone.
Ichigo crept back into her house with her mind still somewhat hazy, and closed the door behind her as quietly as possible.
The moment the lock clicked, however, all lights instantly flicked on, blinding her for a few seconds until the fine contours of her mother leaning against the kitchen counter filled her vision fully.
An unexpected late night encounter, to say in the very least.
"Mom?! What are you doing up so late?" Ichigo backed into the door, suddenly very awake.
"I wanted to make sure that my daughter made it safe back home. Anything wrong with that?" Sakura replied, her gaze somewhat thoughtful, as she looked her daughter up and down, causing Ichigo to squirm some more.
"N-no, not at all," Ichigo waved her hand erratically before her train of thinking came to a grounding halt.
There was no way that her mother would stay in the kitchen all night by accident. No. Freaking. Way. Which could obviously mean that she wanted to talk to her bad daughter some more, and without her husband present. And, taking into consideration where they had left off last time, there could be only one particular topic that would require her mother to go to such great lengths.
'Please, mom. Just let me go to sleep. Please,' Ichigo mentally willed Sakura, pinning her mother's stare with a pleading expression on her face.
To her dismay, it did not seem to work much today, though.
"So, Ichigo, who was the person that came to our house the other night?"
The younger red head bit her lip to keep her inner scream in.
"No one," Ichigo lied mechanically, hoping that her sheer denial would steer her mom away from any more prodding questions.
Unfortunately, it did not.
"Ichigo, do you want to talk about it?"
"No, I really don't, mom. Can we just drop it?"
Sakura eyed her daughter for a second, her gaze hard.
"I don't think that this is the way how we raised you, Ichigo. If something is not right with your relationship with Masaya, you should talk about it with him, instead of bringing some random boys to our home at night."
"It was a one-time thing only," Ichigo snapped and immediately flushed at the gruesome realization that she could no longer remember how many times Kisshu had been over, not to mention all the times he had fucked her.
"Still, that does not make it any more right. I am disappointed in you, Ichigo."
The instantaneous twinge of pain that had shot through her body hurt a lot, but its effect was nowhere near to the crippling fear that soon took over.
"Are you going to say something to Masaya?" Ichigo forced out, her anxious eyes back on her mother's face.
Sakura raised her eyebrows in sincere disbelief.
"Of course not. I just want you to think about what you did. Masaya loves you a great deal and he does not deserve this treatment."
'Yes, Masaya loves me, mom, but not as much as to roughly fuck me,' biting her cheek, Ichigo held her tongue.
It was so infuriating how everyone had kept pestering her for how great Masaya was, and what all he had been doing for her. Everyone had this fabulous vision of him in their head, with him being all Mr. Perfect when, in reality, he wasn't. He was far from it, and it showed most especially in bed when he was often selfish, lazy and ignorant of her and her needs and desires. In a way, he was a polar opposite to Kisshu, who had excelled in bed and could fuck his way with her to star light, but was completely terrible to her whenever they were to speak normally or engage in any kind of normal conversation, minus the last one, that is. What Kisshu had thus withheld from her during their quick encounters outside of their intimate moments, Masaya had taken away from her in the bedroom. Was it karma? A cool coincidence? Or another example of Murphy's law that had formed yet another glaring paradox in her life?
Ichigo was pulled back from her darks thoughts by the soft screech of the wooden chair against the tiled kitchen floor, when her mother rose from her seat and started to make her way to the door.
Only when she had reached the door frame, did Sakura turn around and regarded her daughter once more.
"Just think about it, ok? Good night."
Not missing the evident worry seeping through her voice, Ichigo's lips curved slightly upwards, drifting into a small, fainthearted smile.
There was no need to scare her mother any longer; after all, she was the person who had had only Ichigo's best interests always at heart.
"I will. Good night."