Chapter Three: Forbidden Taste:

Anna had to know about her current condition. Tsuzuki found his way back to Kimoto Manor that evening. He took in a breath and knocked on the door. The man blinked when Jules greeted him.

"Uh� is Anna in?" he asked.

"Who's asking?" the girl asked.

"I'm her boyfriend," Tsuzuki replied. The girl said nothing at first.

"She's in her room," Jules said.

"Okay�" Tsuzuki mumbled. Jules sneered as he stared at her.

"What?" she asked. The shinigami shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing," he lied. The man hurried down the hall. When he came to Anna's room, Tsuzuki knocked on the door.

"It's open," his woman said. Tsuzuki slid open the door and went inside. He found Anna sitting on her bed. She smiled in the darkness.

"Hey there," she said. Tsuzuki closed the door behind him.

"Who was that at the door?" he asked.

"Seita's school friend," she said. "She came over for dinner." Tsuzuki gave her a puzzled look on his face.

"Why is she still here?" he asked.

"Dunno," Anna replied, shaking her head as she shrugged.

"I see," the shinigami replied with suspicion in his tone.

"Don't worry about it,� Anna said, waving him off. �Anything else?" Tsuzuki thought about her question.

"Oh, yes, is your laptop on?" he asked.

Anna raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"I need to show you something." Tsuzuki walked over to her laptop and moved the mouse.

"Hang on, let me log in," Anna said. She crawled off her futon and went to her desk. Once logged in, Tsuzuki plugged in the flash drive. He pulled up the charts.

"This is Daisuke-san's shield back in March," he said.

"Okay," Anna replied. Tsuzuki pulled up the second chart.

"Alright� what?" Anna asked, squinting her eyes. Tsuzuki turned to her.

"The shield is breaking down," he summed up. The woman looked confused.

"How? Why?" she asked.

"When you almost died," he said.

"Like when I was flogged?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

Anna nodded slowly. "I see." She sat down on her futon. Tsuzuki looked at her.

"You alright?" he asked. She didn't speak as she got lost in her thoughts.

The shinigami became puzzled. "Anna? Are you okay?"

"This is my chance�"

"Your what?"

Her eyes moved towards him in the dark. "I have a chance to fight back now."

"What?" Tsuzuki began to get her drift. He shook his head. "No! No, no!"

Anna gave him an innocent look. "What, Asato-kun?"

He crawled over to her. "Don't do it!"

"Do what?" She pulled him in for a kiss.

Tsuzuki tried to resist her. "What I think you'll do."

Anna giggled. "What do you think I'll do?" She kissed him again on the lips, but Tsuzuki pushed her off.

"I'm serious!" he protested.

Anna put her arms around his neck. "Don't worry, I won't be like them."

"You don't know that," Tsuzuki told her.

She gave him another kiss. "Don't you trust me?"

"Well yes, but�" the shinigami whispered.

She kissed him on the tip of his nose. "Okay then, there is nothing to worry about. I will be fine."

"But why do you want to free your kitsune so badly, huh?" He kissed her on the lips as he asked her.

"Mmm, because, I want to defend myself. I don't want to be deadweight to you guys."

"Aww, you're not deadweight," Tsuzuki cooed.

"But I don't want to be," Anna told him.

"There are other ways to defend yourself," Tsuzuki said, running his fingers through her hair. Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"How?" she asked.

He played with her hair as he kissed her again. "You'll find something. You're a smart woman."

"Mmm," she murmured. They shared another kiss.

"Just�" he said at her lips.

"Just what?" his girlfriend asked.

Tsuzuki gently nuzzled Anna's ear. "Be careful with whatever you choose. Don't lose yourself. We still have to get married."

Anna gave him a little smile. "Of course, I know we do. I'm not going to stand you up." She kissed him on the lips again. He chuckled at her.

"I will hold you to that promise," the shinigami said.

"Do as you will," his beloved playfully challenged him. The kissing increased as she pushed him back on her futon. He even stuck in some groping. She's still going to break the shield. He knows that he can't stop her, but at least he can distract his lady love for the time being. After that, as far as he knew, he better get ready for an uphill tango.