I edited the second chapter and simplified the plot. I was surprised at how fun this chapter was to write. Enjoy!

…..

Mew Retasu tried to follow the little robot that now zipped around her head in a panic, and then to the open air-vent above them, chirping "Danger! Danger!" all the while. Their last hope was only a foot away from her outstretched fingers, if only she could fly like Mint…

"Ryou, could you give me a hand?" She asked him, but he didn't seem to hear her, he was still staring at the vent, mouth agape. "Ryou?"

"Why didn't I think of that?" He shouted suddenly. Mew Retasu stared at him, not knowing how to respond. Why didn't he think of that? He was the genius, after all. Ryou went on in a rant, verbally insulting himself in a frenzy. Mew Retasu shook her head and tsked to her self. They didn't have time for this!

"Ryou!" She finally snapped, alarmed by her own assertiveness. Ryou froze, shocked. "Um, I mean—uh," Ryou came over to her and kneeled down on one knee just below the vent.

"We better hurry," he said in all seriousness, his previous tantrum gone without a trace. Mew Retasu nodded with determination and hoisted herself on his knee, finally able to reach the vent. Now what? Taking a breath, she slowly pulled herself up quickly—too quickly. She rammed the top of her head into the ceiling, causing the world around her to flash in a bright array of stars before fading out completely.

…..

When the world whirled back into her consciousness, she felt safe and comfortable, gazing up into a pool of blue. And then the pain throbbed back to her attention, piercing the top of her head and rippling throughout her cranium.

"Danger! Danger!" She found the high-pitched noise exceedingly annoying.

"Shut up!" A voice hissed angrily above her, and all at once, Retasu grasped where she was. She made a move to sit up, but a pair of hands on her shoulders and the increasing throb in her skull forced her back down. She could not help but blush in the realization that her head was laying on Ryou's lap.

"How are you feeling?" The concern was evident in his eyes; his face appearing horizontal to her disorienting viewpoint.

"Fine. Thank you," She made another move to sit up, but his hands would not permit it. "Ryou…" She was getting frustrated. But when she looked back up at him, she could see that he was troubled about something, his eyes shadowed in bangs. At a loss, she rested her head once more. The pair stayed like that for sometime, quiet and still, with only the occasional slosh of water penetrating the pregnant silence. Masha had zipped back through the vent, though where Retasu did not know. She peered up at Ryou discreetly; wanting to know what he was thinking that was making him look at her like that.

Oh, he was looking at her…and she was looking back. Flustered, she yearned to turn away and apologize for her rudeness, but there was something in his gaze that made the simple action impossible. In a moment of hesitant boldness, her hand reached out to touch his face, her palm resting against his cheek. A part of her knew that now was the time to come up with an excuse, to tell him that she was checking for a fever or something along those lines. But another part, an increasingly growing part of her self dominated her actions. She wanted now, more than anything, to convey the feelings his presence invoked from her since the very first day they met. Lifting herself from his lap, his hands no long protesting the movement, she turned on her side toward him, her hand splayed by his side, supporting her weight so that they were now eye level and very, very close.

"Ryou, I—" Her barely audible explanation was cut off as his lips met her own in a gentle, chaste kiss. It happened so fast and so unexpectedly that Retasu forgot to close her eyes, now widened in surprise. Before she had a chance to react, it was over. She blinked at a blushing Ryou who seemed just as astonished as she. His hand found the back of his head and he looked away from her, frowning. Had she done something wrong?

"Sorry," he voiced, "I don't know what came over me…" Retasu considered him for a long moment, feeling as if a golden opportunity was slipping through her fingers with each passing second. Finally, self-consciously, she uttered,

"I-I didn't mind," She hated how small her own voice sounded to her ears. How she longed to grab him by his shirt collar and … Retasu's blush deepened at the thought. At last, as the increasingly uncomfortable silence grew between them, she willed herself to look up at him, surprised to see that he, too, had become a deeper shade of red. When he spoke his voice was shaky, deep and low in his throat.

"Want to do it…again?"

She nodded, but when they leaned into each other, their noses bumped. Mortified by her inexperience, Retasu pulled back; ready to apologize when she felt his hand rest on the back of her neck. Ryou chuckled softly, his eyes reassuring. A wave of relief flowed through her and she smiled back. He leaned in again, his head tilted slightly, and she let her eyes flutter close at the sensation of his soft lips touching hers. He pulled away slightly, and Retasu opened her eyes in a daze, ready to protest. She gasped when she felt his lips leave a tingling trail of kisses along her jaw line, and instinctively angled her head, exposing the tender flesh of her neck. He took her earlobe in his mouth, nibbling lightly. Retasu shivered, her hand grasping the cloth at his shoulder. He grinned, now sucking at the sensitive spot where her shoulder and neck met.

"Ah! Ryou…" She exclaimed in a breathy moan, the sound of his name on her lips sending a jolt of pleasure throughout his body. Her hands were tangling in his hair now, her breath coming in quick puffs. Ryou marveled at how quickly she responded to him. He ceased his attentions on her neck, feeling her hands delicately guide him back to her lips. She pressed her lips against his desperately, trying at the same time to shift into a more comfortable position. They fumbled for a bit until Ryou was cross-legged and Retasu was… she blushed adorably when she realized she was straddling his hips. She wiggled a bit, but before she could move into a more appropriate spot Ryou held her hips firmly in place. She looked up, concerned to find that he looked pained, his face red and his heavy lidded eyes clouded.

"Ryou…?" she shifted again, but stopped abruptly when he groaned.

"D-don't, please…just," He inhaled slowly, as if composing him, when he spoke again he sounded more like the Ryou she knew, "You're torturing me,"

"I'm sorry…" She uttered uncertainly, his explanation leaving her even more confused. He just laughed quietly, shaking his head. He looked at her again, the intensity of his blue eyes sending shivers of anticipation down her spine, and she willed herself not to wriggle her hips at the heat swirling in her lower belly.

"You're beautiful," He told her. She shook her head, smiling self-consciously. She felt his hand cradling the side of her face, and after she looked at him, she knew he meant it. When he kissed her again, it was slow, lingering. She started at the feel of his tongue flickering at her bottom lip, but was reassured by his strong arms against her back, tentatively, she parted her lips, flickering her tongue just as he had. Ryou moaned appreciatively, emboldening the otherwise timid girl. Ryou inhaled a sharp breath at the feel of her cool hands under the confining material of his shirt, causing her ministrations to pause in uncertainty. Ryou shook his head.

"Don't stop," He whispered in between kisses. They continued that way for what could have been any time between a minute and eternity. Their entire world consisting of only roaming hands and playful tongues.

Ryou's hands abandoned their firm hold on her hips and traveled luxuriously, purposefully to her breasts, giving them a light squeeze. Retasu, broken out of her trance, squeaked and jerked away, her eyes wide and a bit accusing. He looked at her in confusion, his blue eyes becoming less and less hazy. Then, eyeing his hands (still planted firmly on her chest), he flung them back, as if burnt, aghast at his lack of control.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, sputtering, "Sorry! I didn't mean…I mean…uh," He trailed off silently, his eyes pleading. She had wrapped an arm loosely across herself in an act of diffidence and Ryou cursed the day he was born. Retasu's opened her mouth, as if she were about to say something, but closed it again. She tilted her head up slightly in a curious manner until finally asking,

"Do you hear that?"

"…What?"

"That," she climbed off of him without a second thought and made her way to the door, pressing her ear against it.

"What are you--,"

"Sh!" Was her sharp reply. Ryou's jaw hung open at his in the midst of his discontinued inquiry and wondered faintly if she had gone mad.

But then he heard it too. It was the distant calling of their names. Awkwardly, he hurried to stand and made his way to the door, his feet slipping in his rush. They began to bang on the door, yelling incoherently in their desperation to be heard.

The voices were getting louder, nearer. Finally, the blasted pantry door was whooshed open by Ichigo, who immediately went into a fit of hysterics. She hugged them both, babbling on an on about how worried they had all been.

Retasu smiled forcefully, overcome by hugs and bombarding questions. She glanced over at a solitary Ryou, who was looking over at her from a safe distance, his stance unsure and his eyes unguarded. She smiled slyly at him, giving him a wink. He straightened at that, coughing lightly into his hand to hide his increasing blush.

"Why you blushing, na no da?"

"Ya…and why are your lips so swollen…?"

Retasu and Ryou shared a significant glance before smiling sheepishly at their friends.

…..

TBC…Perhaps.