A Different Outcome

Kisshu was fighting the Blue Knight while the Mews tried to stop Pai and Taruto from causing the Mew Aqua to explode. Suddenly, to Kisshu's shock, the Blue Knight's eyes went blank, and he turned, then ran over to the Mews. Kisshu looked up at Pai, who appeared to be concentrating, and realized that Pai had somehow hypnotized the Blue Knight.

He watched as the Blue Knight went straight for Mew Ichigo, and tried to ignore the worry that she would get hurt. Noticing Taruto was trying to stop the other Mews from hurting Pai, he went to help, sending an energy ball to counter the energy arrow Mew Mint shot at him. Mint dodged the energy ball, and fell straight into Taruto's trap. While Kisshu had fired the energy ball at Mint, Taruto had grown some vines behind the Mews, and all of them were now tied up.

Kisshu smirked, then looked back at Ichigo, who was dodging the Blue Knight's sword attacks. She held up her Strawberry Bell- and the Blue Knight brought his sword down, slicing the Strawberry Bell in half. Ichigo looked shocked as her weapon broke, and Kisshu heard a collective gasp from the other Mews. He looked up at Pai as the Blue Knight lifted his sword again, and saw that Pai was looking exhausted. Flying up, he put a hand on Pai's shoulder, and said, "Pai, you need to stop before you drain yourself. The Blue Knight broke Ichigo's weapon, and it looks like she's in shock."

Pai sighed and opened his eyes. Kisshu looked down- just as the Blue Knight stabbed Ichigo. He got her shoulder instead of her heart, but it was a pretty bad injury. Kisshu suddenly felt torn between helping her, or watching her die.

"The spell won't wear off for another few minutes," Pai said, watching Ichigo try to dodge again.

"It might be easier to get information if we save Ichigo," Kisshu commented.

Pai sighed. "We need to kill the Blue Knight anyways; go ahead," he said.

Kisshu smirked and silently flew down, then stabbed the Blue Knight in the shoulder, causing him to drop his sword. Kisshu lunged in as he turned, and stabbed him through the heart. As the Blue Knight collapsed, Kisshu turned to Ichigo, just as she passed out. He caught her, and flew up to join Pai and Taruto. Looking down at the Mews, he smirked, knowing it would infuriate them, and then he, Pai, and Taruto teleported back to their ship.

Landing in the main room, Kisshu looked down at Ichigo, noticing her arm was still bleeding. He looked at Pai, who said, "You're going to have to use bandages for now; I won't have the energy to heal her till tomorrow."

"Okay," Kisshu said. He teleported Ichigo to the medical ward, and set her down on one of the beds before going to a closet and getting out bandages and antiseptic. He came back, setting the items down, and took Ichigo's pendant off her choker, putting it in his pocket. She returned to her human form, and Kisshu looked at the injury. The Blue Knight's sword had sliced through her shirt, and Kisshu carefully took the remains of it off. She's gonna kill me for this, but I can't think what else to do, Kisshu thought.

He took a washcloth, and poured some antiseptic on it, then started cleaning out the injury. Ichigo's eyes snapped open at the sting, and she tried to jerk away, crying out. Kisshu pulled her back, and finished cleaning the injury.

By the time Kisshu was done, Ichigo was unconscious again, and he sighed, then wrapped the bandages around her shoulder. Finally he took her shoes off and pulled a blanket over her, then started cleaning up.

Pai came in as he finished, and said, "You get to keep an eye on her tonight, and NO, you don't get to sleep with her if you get tired."

"Oh, fine," Kisshu said sulkily. Pai just sighed and left, closing the door behind him. Kisshu settled down in a chair, and waited for Ichigo to wake up.

By about 3 AM, Kisshu couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, and fell asleep in the chair, his upper body resting on the bed.

The next morning: Ichigo woke up first, her shoulder throbbing. It took her a minute to remember what had happened, but finally she remembered she had passed out after Kisshu had killed the Blue Knight. She also realized she felt really weak, she assumed from losing too much blood.

Turning her head, Ichigo was shocked to see Kisshu, who was fast asleep. Great. I'm stuck in a room with KISSHU, and I'm too weak to get up, she thought. This is just great. I wonder what he's going to do to me when he wakes up….

Looking at Kisshu, she realized she'd never been this close to him before. I've never seen him look peaceful before, either, she thought. Suddenly she noticed one of his ears twitch, and barely restrained a giggle. That's so CUTE! she thought. I wonder if his ears are soft….

Without realizing the implications of what she was doing, she hesitantly reached out, and stroked one of Kisshu's ears. She was startled when he made a happy noise and leaned into her hand. That's seriously cute…. it's strange to think that this is Kisshu, Ichigo thought. He's usually so annoying and perverted, it's kind of weird to see him sleeping and getting happy because I'm rubbing his ears. But it's also really cute… wait, why am I thinking like this? He's my enemy; I should be thinking of some way out of here, not petting him.

Ichigo tried to convince herself that she shouldn't be doing this, but then Kisshu nuzzled against her hand, and she gave it up, thinking, That is just so KAWAII!

Meanwhile, Pai had gotten up and was coming to check on Kisshu and Ichigo. He entered the room, and was shocked to see Ichigo rubbing Kisshu's ears. It took him a minute to collect himself, but Ichigo hadn't noticed him yet.

Ichigo was still stroking Kisshu's ears when she heard Pai's voice ask warily, "Mew Ichigo, what are you doing?" Ichigo squeaked.

Kisshu started to wake up as Ichigo asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to notice that you seem very interested in Kisshu's ears," Pai said dryly. Kisshu's eyes shot open as Pai continued, "May I ask why you were stroking Kisshu's ears?"

"Um…." Ichigo said uncomfortably. Unfortunately for her, she didn't notice Kisshu was awake as she said, "They looked really cute and I kind of couldn't resist petting them…."

Kisshu snickered, and Ichigo squeaked again, then asked, "How long have you been AWAKE!?"

"I woke up around the time Pai asked what you were doing," Kisshu said, smirking.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Ichigo asked.

"Nope!" Kisshu said gleefully.

Pai sighed, and said, "Mew Ichigo, show me your injury."

"Why?" Ichigo asked warily.

"So I can heal it," Pai replied.

Ichigo pushed the blankets down, noticed she wasn't wearing a shirt, and squeaked again. "You'd have to take a shirt off anyways; I can't heal through cloth," Pai commented. He came over and gently unwrapped the bandages, then put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, and started healing the wound, saying, "Stay quiet."

Ichigo obeyed, feeling the pain in her shoulder disappear. About fifteen minutes later, Pai said, "That should heal the injury, but I can't heal blood loss, so you have to get over the weakness on your own."

"Thank you, but why are you helping me?" Ichigo asked.

"We can't get information from a dead person," Pai said.

"You would have been better off kidnapping Mint if you wanted information on the Mew Project," Ichigo said. "Ryou trusts her."

"But you're the leader," Kisshu said, puzzled. "He doesn't trust you?"

"No, and he uses my pendant to spy on me, so I hope it's not in here, because otherwise we're all dead," Ichigo said.

"Uh-oh…." Kisshu said. "It's been in my pocket the whole time. Should I destroy it?"

"Yes," Pai said before Ichigo could reply. Kisshu took the pendant out of his pocket, and crushed it in one hand. He threw the pieces in a trashcan by the door, and said, "That's done."

"Well, at least now I don't have to wonder if he's watching me changing," Ichigo said. "He's more perverted than you are, Kisshu."

"He's going DOWN," Kisshu snarled.

Pai sighed and asked, "Is there anything you do know about the Mew Project?"

"I know it was created by Ryou's father, who was killed by a Chimera Anima," Ichigo said. "And Ryou continued it, but I have a feeling he only wants us to kill you guys, not protect the Earth. It's entirely possible he continued the project simply to get rid of your race. He tested the process on himself to make sure it wouldn't kill us, but he doesn't have any abilities that are worth anything. The only thing he can do is turn into a gray kitten for ten minutes at a time."

"What about the other Mews?" Pai asked.

"Lettuce wants to form a truce, and I think Pudding is falling for Taruto," Ichigo said. "Mint's head over heels for Ryou, so she'll pretty much go along with anything he says. Zakuro would probably listen to reason if we decided we wanted to form a truce, and I'm sure Keiichiro would as well."

"And you?" Kisshu asked.

"I agree with Lettuce; we shouldn't be fighting," Ichigo said. "It's going absolutely nowhere, and frankly, the longer we drag this out, the less chance your people have of survival."

"And how will my people survive if we can't live here?" Pai asked.

"Mew Aqua," Ichigo said. "And if my team doesn't have enough to heal your planet, we cooperate to find the rest."

"Deep Blue's never going to agree to that," Pai said gloomily.

"Well, we have to annihilate Ryou anyways, why not just annihilate Deep Blue too?" Ichigo suggested.

"We'll get exiled," Pai said.

"Why not tell your people he was just using you?" Ichigo suggested. "If he won't agree to a truce that will make everyone happy, doesn't that mean he never wanted to help you in the first place?"

"She's got a point, Pai," Kisshu said.

"We'll get exiled anyways," Pai said. "I found something interesting last night after the battle; the Blue Knight was a part of Deep Blue. And the Blue Knight's human form was Aoyama Masaya."

Ichigo looked stunned, and asked, "Aoyama-kun was Deep Blue?"

"Yes," Pai said. "My guess is that he started dating you because he was subconsciously attracted to the power in you. I don't think he was aware of being Deep Blue, but if he was, he was most likely dating you to get closer to the Mews."

Ichigo's eyes filled with tears. "Koneko-chan?" Kisshu asked softly.

"I thought he loved me…." Ichigo said sadly.

"Maybe he did, but once he became Deep Blue, he wouldn't love you anymore; he'd be trying to kill you," Kisshu said. "Maybe it's better you find out this way, instead of having to fight him."

Ichigo just pulled the blankets over her head. Pai sighed and said, "I'm going to go contact Hideki-sama and inform him of our findings. Kisshu, you can stay here if you want."

"'Kay," Kisshu said. Pai teleported out, and Kisshu looked back at Ichigo, who was still under the blankets. "Koneko-chan, you're going to suffocate," he commented.

"Don't care…." Ichigo moaned.

"I care," Kisshu said.

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"Because I love you," Kisshu said. "I bet your previous boyfriend didn't tell you that yet."

"Actually he did, but only once," Ichigo said.

"How many times have I told you that?" Kisshu asked.

"About as many times as you've told me I'm your toy," Ichigo said dryly.

"I take it that means I should stop calling you a toy?" Kisshu asked.

"Yes, because it doesn't make me feel good," Ichigo said.

"I'm sorry," Kisshu said. "I'll stop. Are you going to be mine now?"

"You realize relationships are two-way streets, right?" Ichigo asked.

"Two-way streets?" Kisshu asked, puzzled.

Ichigo sighed and said, "If you want me to be yours, you have to be mine as well."

"I'm aware of that," Kisshu said. "So you DO want to be together?"

"I need some time to think about it," Ichigo said.

"Oh, fine," Kisshu said sulkily. "I take it nagging you won't do me any good?"

"None at all," Ichigo said. "Do you have any spare shirts?"

"Yeah, why?" Kisshu asked.

"Because I have a feeling my shirt is soaked in blood, and I don't particularly like being half-naked around guys," Ichigo said.

"I think you look hot," Kisshu said, smirking.

"Kisshu, why are you such a pervert?" Ichigo asked wearily.

"I don't know," Kisshu said innocently. "Does it matter?"

"Never mind," Ichigo sighed. "Do you mind getting me a shirt?"

"Yes, but I'll do it anyways, since I'll never hear the end of it from Pai if I don't," Kisshu said, and teleported out.

Soon after Kisshu left, Ichigo heard the door open, and Pai came in. "Where's Kisshu?" he asked her.

"Getting a shirt for me," Ichigo said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's good news, actually," Pai said, as Kisshu teleported back in.

"How'd your talk go?" he asked Pai.

"Very well," Pai said. "Hideki-sama informed me that the Council wants power back anyways, so it's for the best that Deep Blue is dead. He's agreed to the truce idea, so we just need to run it by the other Mews after Ichigo recovers."

"Great!" Kisshu said happily.

"We might have to do something about Ryou first," Ichigo reminded them- just as they heard Taruto shout, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"I'll go check it out," Pai said, and teleported out.

Kisshu sighed and said to Ichigo, "I found a shirt, here."

Ichigo took the shirt he held out, which was a plain black T-shirt, and put it on. "Thanks Kisshu," she said.

"Sure," Kisshu said, sitting down next to her.

The door opened a minute later, and Pai came in, followed by the Mews. "Your friends wanted to say hi," he told Ichigo. "I explained the situation, too."

Ichigo looked at her teammates, and Zakuro said, "I think you're right, this is a better idea. It shouldn't be too hard to get Keiichiro on board, but if Ryou doesn't like it, we should try locking him up before killing him."

"Okay," Ichigo said. "As long as we stop the fighting, and Ryou doesn't kill me, I'm happy."

"We'll go back and talk with him and Keiichiro; you lovebirds have fun," Mint said, smirking.

"Lovebirds?" Ichigo asked warily.

"Pai informed us that he found you stroking Kisshu's ears this morning," Zakuro said. It was pretty clear she was trying not to smile.

Ichigo glared at Pai, who said, "Mint asked if you had fallen for Kisshu yet. I simply offered my observations, and she came to her own conclusions."

Ichigo sighed and said, "I'm still thinking."

"So Ichigo-oneechan and Kisshu-oniichan aren't going to spend the rest of the day kissing, na no da?" Pudding asked. "Mint-oneechan was wrong?"

Kisshu had perked up at this, and asked hopefully, "Koneko-chan, can we do that? It sounds FUN!"

Before Ichigo could respond, Pai said, "I think we'll be leaving now. If you go too far, I'll doom you both."

"Got it," Kisshu said. "Bye!"

Pai sighed and left with the other Mews. Mint was dragging Pudding, who was wailing, "But Pudding wanted to watch, na no daaa….."

The door closed, and Ichigo looked at Kisshu, only to see him giving her puppy dog eyes. She groaned and said, "Fine…. But I do need breaks, or you'll suffocate me."

"Okay!" Kisshu said happily, and kissed her.

This is a one-shot, and will not be continued, but I hope you like it anyways. Sorry if it went too fast, I tried harder this time to draw it out, but I'm not sure if it worked. Let me know what you think!