Chapter Five - Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter Five -- Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

The humid weather had broken during the afternoon and rain splattered in big heavy droplets against the window as Aiko packed up to go home for the day.

She went to get her umbrella from the closet and saw with annoyance that Suzu had "accidentally" taken it with her when she left half an hour ago. That had happened before when it rained; she would return it to Aiko tomorrow with many apologies and protestations of: "But I could have sworn it was mine."

Hoping vindictively that the umbrella would spring a leak, Aiko made up her mind to wait downstairs for a break in the storm, then make a dash for home.

She had procrastinated for the past hour and a half about whether or not to go to the stadium to see Miyatsu and talk to him about their situation. Finally, her courage had failed her, and she'd decided to leave the talk they had to have until the next day.

But as she stood at the door watching the steady downpour and wondering if it would have been better to call a taxi, she heard her name called. Her heart managed to sink and lift simultaneously, an uncomfortable lurching sensation, as she recognized the voice, and she turned to see Miyatsu at the sixth-floor window of the building. He stepped off the ledge and levitated gently to the ground.

Miyatsu smiled a little uncertainly as he approached, but she could feel nothing of his emotions, as his mental shield was tightly in place this time.

"Suzu took my umbrella... " Aiko began.

"You can't walk home in this rain... " Miyatsu said at the same time.

They both stopped, and then laughed, feeling silly.

"We've lost the rapport we used to have," Aiko said ruefully.

"That's my fault, since I've been shielding. Let me walk you home to make up for it," Miyatsu replied.

Aiko shook her head. "No way am I going out in that rain."

"You won't get wet. Here, take my hand," he offered, holding his paw out.

"Why?"

"You don't trust me?" He smiled mischievously, the expression suddenly so like Sakaki's teasing expression it was uncanny. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the big bad fighting GMA, too?"

"Not this particular one." Aiko took the proffered paw. "Now what's supposed to happen?"

"Now I'll walk you home. I'm shielding against water. So long as you hold my hand, I can throw the shield around you as well."

"Oh!" Aiko said, her eyes widening as she followed him out into the downpour. She watched in amazement as the heavy droplets bounced and rolled away from her a bare millimetre from touching, leaving her as dry as if it were not raining cats and dogs.

"What a weird sensation!" she marvelled as they walked through the wet grass. The droplets rolled off her shoes without soaking in, leaving her feet dry. Even when they passed through the tree line to get to the beach, the heavy water-laden branches could be pushed aside without soaking them through.

Raikatuji wharf was silent and deserted this afternoon, all the small research boats out at sea; the dark timbers gleamed wetly as they walked past it and on up the beach.

The sodden sand did not cling to Aiko's shoes as it usually did, instead staying put in the tracks she left. She shook her head, setting her long black hair flying, and every strand stayed dry, as if by magic.

As they walked past a tidal rock pool full of seaweed and small darting fish, Aiko bent down, and still keeping hold of Miyatsu's hand, trailed her other hand in the water, up to her wrist. She pulled it out of the water and held it up. It was still dry. Her delighted exclamation was answered by Miyatsu's smile. It was a magical, surreal feeling, walking through the whispering landscape holding the paw of the tall bipedal cat, with nobody else to intrude upon them.

Suddenly a thought struck her and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How long have you been able to shield against water?"

Miyatsu attempted to look nonchalant and failed. "For as long as I can remember," he answered smugly. "It was a good way to keep the rain off in the wet season on Shima."

"Then you could have gone back to the Centre that night we met!"

"You were the most fun I'd ever had. I didn't want it to end. Besides," and Aiko managed to catch the fleeting glimpse of teasing in his tone, "you were so insistent, making up a bed for me and letting me drink two bowls of warm milk."

Miyatsu dropped the teasing tone; his voice became serious again as they resumed walking. "I never had been anybody's guest before. You made me feel very special, Aiko. Thank you."

This was a wonderful dream, Aiko thought as she watched the pattering rain fall all around them. She found herself wishing that they never had to stop, that they could go on walking up the beach like this forever, just the two of them, hand in hand, and leave everything and everyone behind.

She felt a pang of real regret when they reached her house. For Aiko knew that here one dream must end, and she would need all of her courage to suggest another. For all her rationalizations back at work, still she knew that, if she went ahead and began a sexual relationship with Miyatsu, she would be breaking one of the unwritten but most strictly-held taboos of human society. For no matter what fraction of his genes were human, society as a whole would see this as nothing more than bestiality.

They walked up the front steps and into the shelter of the porch in silence, the soft drumming of rain on the roof the only sound. Aiko looked down at their clasped hands. Although they no longer needed to touch to keep the rain off, she didn't want to slip her hand free of his warm grip.

She looked back up into Miyatsu's face. He was watching her alertly, his ears pricked forward.

"We need to talk," she said softly.

Miyatsu sighed. "I know. Aiko, about what I said at lunchtime -- I'm sorry. I promise you, it won't happen again. Can't we -- just forget it and go on like before?"

Aiko shook her head. "There's no point in ignoring it and pretending it didn't happen, Miyatsu. You said you love me."

Miyatsu dropped her hand and turned away. He leant his forepaws against the railing of the porch and stood staring out to sea. His claws extended and retracted continually, a habit Aiko had come to recognize as something of a nervous tic, an action he used whenever he became anxious.

"I do love you," he admitted slowly. "I've never felt like this before. I think about you all the time. You're on my mind all day, and at night, at night I dream about you. I feel so happy when we're together, and so miserable when we're apart."

He turned towards her again, and his eyes were blazing with emotion. "Aiko, please don't stop seeing me because of this! I give you my word, I'll shield my emotions and never embarrass you again, but -- please let us still be friends. I couldn't help letting you see how I felt today. It was because I was overwhelmed when you promised to help me."

"That's why you've been mentally shielding so much, isn't it?" Aiko asked. She laid one hand on his arm and felt him trembling despite the warmth of the day. "Because you love me?"

"Yes," Miyatsu answered dejectedly. "I didn't want you to know. I'm GMA, you're human; I know there can never be anything between us but friendship. But there's no reason to pretend anymore." He took her hand and held it against the fur of his chest. "This is how I feel about you," he said quietly, dropping his mental shield.

Aiko gasped as she felt Miyatsu's love roll through her, filling her world. She could feel his heartbeat under her hand, beating in time with her own. The naked honesty of the emotion was almost more than she could bear.

"How could I ever accept Sakaki as my master when I feel like this about you?" Miyatsu asked softly.

Aiko gazed up into his face, so beautiful, so alien. "Miyatsu -- I -- I can't be your master."

Miyatsu nodded slowly. "I know," he murmured. "But I let myself daydream that one day I could belong to you. I know it can never happen, but I can't help wishing."

"Our relationship is one of equals," Aiko answered. "That's the only reason that I can't. But -- " she hesitated briefly before plunging on, "I would be honored to be your mate."

Miyatsu stared at her wide-eyed, and his emotions hit her so hard that she felt giddy.

"Say that again," he implored, his eyes searching her face. Aiko could feel disbelief and incredulous hope warring within him, and his heart under her hand was thudding rapidly.

Aiko drew a deep breath. "I will be your mate, Miyatsu. If you want me to be."

"My -- mate?" He said the words haltingly, as if stunned, as if he had trouble comprehending what they meant. "Aiko -- do you -- do you mean mates -- like the wild Pershans are mates?"

Thanks to their connection, Aiko knew what was on his mind almost as soon as he thought it. Mixed in with the hammering hope emanating from him was a healthy dose of lust as well, and she felt an answering thrill of desire ripple through her. This was it, there was no turning back now. She was committed, and glad of it.

"Yes," she affirmed seriously. "Exactly like the wild Pershans, Miyatsu."

She wanted very much to kiss him, but that was impossible since his mouth did not even begin to match the shape of a human mouth. Remembering how Purshans showed love to their mates, she put one hand behind his neck, and by standing on tiptoe and gently urging his head down, she rubbed her cheek lovingly against his. Miyatsu's scent this close was like a fresh cinnamon stick. He put his arms about her, a little uncertainly at first, then with more confidence, and responded to the caress with a vibrating purr as he held her.

But now Aiko could feel another emotion coming from him. Elation, certainly, but mixed into it was – what? Diffidence? Fear? Aiko gazed up into his eyes and was surprised to see a small worry line had appeared between them. She had seen that expression before: it usually meant that he was studying something that was giving him difficulty.

"What's wrong?" Aiko asked. Was he concerned about how society would treat them as mates? She was sure of the love Miyatsu felt for her, and she was just as positive that she hadn't misread his physical reaction to her -- standing this close to him, she was very aware of his erection. It was still discreetly inside his body, but Aiko could feel the pressure of it against her body, a subtle bulge. So what was the problem? Perhaps she was moving too fast for him?

"Miyatsu? You -- you do want me as your mate, don't you?"

Miyatsu made a small, incredulous noise, which in a human might have been a disbelieving chuckle. "Want you, Aiko? I want you so much it hurts, deep inside my heart. But Aiko, I want to do -- what did you call it, when the Purshans were together? Mating? I want to do mating with you and make you happy, like Rajah did for Rahni. Only -- I've never done that before, not with a mate. I don't know how. What if I don't do it right?"

Aiko felt a surge of tenderness well up within her heart. He was still a virgin and anxious. She disengaged herself gently from his arms and took one of his paws in hers.

"It's all right," she said gently, leading him into the house. "I'll show you what to do."

*

Aiko's bedroom was dim, lit only by cloud-shrouded late afternoon light coming in through the curtained window. The rain still pattered down insistently outside, a soft drumming on the roof muting all outside sound. Now and then a soft grumble of thunder could be heard, far away in the distance.

Aiko had shed clothes and shoes on their way to the bed, which seemed small now, dwarfed by the big cat sitting tensely on the edge. She knelt beside Miyatsu on the mattress. She felt none of the shyness that being naked for the first time with a new lover usually invoked: Miyatsu's gaze as he took in her body had an adoring innocence about it, making him appear passionate and nervous all at the same time. She found it immensely appealing, and it allowed her to forget her own nervousness as she concentrated on him.

Aiko smiled reassuringly. Kneeling beside him, she reached out one hand to trace the outline of his erection within his body. Miyatsu was trembling like a leaf in a gale; at the touch of her hand, he drew in a gasping breath and arched his hips towards her.

Aiko giggled. "Relax," she advised him teasingly. "This is meant to be fun."

Miyatsu's mouth quirked into an answering smile. He took her hand and licked it lovingly. His tongue was long like a cat's and slightly rougher-textured than a human's. "It's impossible to relax," he said, "with you touching me that way. But I am having fun."

"It gets better," she promised. "Lie down."

The sweet scent of cinnamon enveloped Aiko as she moved to lie in the welcoming circle of Miyatsu's arms, and she inhaled deeply against his chest, feeling her pulse begin to race in anticipation, matching the rapid thudding under her ear that was Miyatsu's heart-beat.

His soft fur against her naked skin made her shiver pleasurably, a feeling which was intensified when Miyatsu licked her naked neck with slow, sensual strokes in conscious imitation of the Purshans grooming each other.

The psychic bond that could be strengthened merely by contact between their hands was proving much more powerful when they lay naked together like this: Aiko could feel Miyatsu's every reaction almost as an echo overlaid onto her own, and the rush, both physical and emotional, was intoxicating.

"Let me see your penis," Aiko murmured. "Oh! I need to touch you so much."

"Touch me, then," he whispered, giving a slow twist of his hips against her, and Aiko gasped in delight as she felt his taut erection slip free to rub against her bare skin.

She reached down and stroked its hot length, loving the little helpless sound Miyatsu made in the back of his throat as her fingers closed on him. She remembered how the penis had appeared almost petite on her computer screen that afternoon, the size of a normal human male, but seeming small due to Miyatsu's large body. However, there was no doubting its size now: this close, with Aiko's fingers wrapped about it, stroking it, it was certainly big enough, entirely human in size and appearance.

Miyatsu was breathing heavily now, little gasps and pants, his eyes half-lidded, and Aiko was having trouble concentrating as her own desire deepened with the echo of his growing pleasure in her mind. What had she been thinking? She couldn't remember...

She wanted nothing more than to throw herself onto him and ride him to orgasm, but held back with difficulty. She wanted this, their first time together, to be special, something to be savoured. But she was already more turned on than she'd ever been with any previous lover and wasn't at all sure either of them could last much longer. She took a deep steadying breath, trying to marshal her whirling thoughts into order over the thunder of her heart.

"Aiko," Miyatsu gasped, moving his hips restlessly against her, his penis hot and throbbing in her hand. "I want to touch you too. Show me your penis."

Aiko froze for an instant in surprise, then managed to subdue a brief, inappropriate urge to giggle as she realized that Miyatsu had no idea about gender differences. How could he know? GMAs, male and female, kept their genitals neatly tucked away within themselves, driven by instinct to mate when the season and their own hormones directed them to. But Miyatsu had never had any of his own species to learn from as he grew up. Everything he knew, he'd had to base on himself. From that perspective, it was only logical to think that she had a penis as well.

She felt another hot surge of desire roll through her as she gazed at him, her innocent, rampant angel. To hell with foreplay, she thought desperately. I need him NOW!

"Females are different from males," she answered. "Let me show you."

She rose to her knees and swung one leg over his body so that she hovered above him. Then, slowly, their eyes locked, she slid down onto him. Oh, how it felt to let her body sink onto his hot organ, taking him deep inside her!

Miyatsu's eyes opened wide at the sensation, and he gripped her hips as he began to thrust up instinctively.

Aiko! The words reverberated inside her mind. Oh, my Aiko!

She threw her head back in ecstasy at the feel of Miyatsu's hot body within her, cradled between her legs. She reached down and twined the fingers of one hand in his as she rode his writhing body. This was paradise, this was better than she'd ever dreamed!

He wrapped his arms about her waist and pulled her close against his chest. Blue eyes met brown as he gazed at her raptly.

"My mate," he gasped. And inside her head, I love you so much!

Still deep inside her and holding her firmly, he rolled with her until she was beneath him. To her utter delight, he took the initiative and began to thrust faster, his hips rocking rhythmically as he buried his face into her neck, his panting breath hot against her shoulder. She raised her legs and locked them behind his back, clinging as closely as a limpet to a rock, letting their psychic bond wash over her at the delicious full-body contact. She felt exhilaration as Miyatsu's love washed over her: she was a goddess, and her lover an angel, worshipping her body...

Through the swirling kaleidoscope of shared pleasure, Aiko felt a sudden stab of pain as Miyatsu's carnivore teeth took hold of the sensitive skin of her neck, gripping, biting her. The feeling rode the very edge of sensation, where pain and pleasure intersect, and she never thought of pulling away. Instead, she clung to him harder, arching up against him desperately and making small whimpering sounds as the feelings threatened to overwhelm her senses.

Yes! she thought wildly. Oh yes, mark me, make me yours!

Over the thunder of her pulse and the panting gasps of their ragged breathing, Aiko became aware of a strange sound, soft at first but growing louder and louder, and she realized that it was Miyatsu. He was giving voice to a low, desperate growl which became a yowling caterwaul as his movements grew faster and more erratic.

The squalling reached a sharp peak and cut off abruptly. Miyatsu's eyes flew open, hot and unfocused; he gave a final shuddering thrust and collapsed onto her even as Aiko flew over the edge in his wake, her body jerking spasmodically against him as she came hard, clinging to him and crying out in bliss through the pulsing lightning flashes of orgasm...

*

Aiko lay clasped in Miyatsu's arms, drowsy and utterly at peace with the world. They were still loosely entwined, Miyatsu lying on his side with his long tail looped over her hip, and she was resting her forehead against his chest, trying not to drift off to sleep to the sound of his contented purring and the slow beat of his heart.

No prejudicial demons had lifted their heads to strike her down for daring to love another species. She'd revelled in their love-making and realized now that Miyatsu had spoiled her for any human lover who might have lurked in her future. After this, there was no way anybody else could possibly compete. Not just because of the physical wonder, she thought dreamily, although it had been absolutely the best sex she'd ever experienced; but even now, as Miyatsu held her possessively in his arms, she could feel his adoration for her rolling unabated over and through her. Never had she felt so cherished. No mere man could ever hope to entice her away from her GMA lover, not now.

No wonder cat-types pined and died when separated from their life mates, if it felt like this to be together. Just the thought of losing Miyatsu now was unendurable. Somehow, somehow she'd find a way to free him from slavery and make his dream of creating his own species a reality! With one hand she languidly stroked the soft fur at his waist.

"We're mates now," Miyatsu stated quietly. Aiko felt him rub his cheek against the top of her head tenderly, in their unique version of a kiss.

"Yes," Aiko answered, stretching lazily and twisting a little in his arms so that she could look up into his eyes. "Mates for as long as you want me, my Miyu."

"Forever, then," Miyatsu murmured, smiling a little at her use of the loving nickname. It seemed so fitting now.

Flicking his tail out of the way, he rolled onto his back, drawing Aiko close so that her head was resting on his shoulder. "Mating is for showing love to your mate and for making babies," he mused. "Aiko, do I have enough human genes so that – so that we could make babies together?"

For the briefest instant, Aiko felt an intense déjà vu: she was holding two tiny bundles in her arms, gazing down at them tenderly. They looked rather like her memory of Miyatsu as a child, but the eyes of one baby, as it gazed back at her sleepily, were as brown as her own. The other infant was fast asleep, sucking the thumb of a hand that looked more human than paw-shaped.

The vision was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving Aiko with a feeling of real regret for the children she could never have with Miyatsu.

"No," she said wistfully. "We're too different; the biology wouldn't -- wouldn't 'fit' together properly. When the researchers created you, they used techniques not known in nature and cloning methods that had never been used before."

It was a miracle that you survived, she thought to herself.

Miyatsu nodded. "I think I already knew what the answer was going to be." He smiled at her ruefully. "But this seems to be the day when all my dreams come true. So I thought I'd ask." He cuddled closer. "I used to dream about you. When I was awake, I knew we could never be anything more than friends. The most I wished for then was that you'd become my master one day. But dreams don't follow the rules, do they? The morning after we watched the wild Purshans on television, I had a dream. About you and me. Only I wasn't a GMA anymore. I looked in the mirror and saw -- well, I looked like Sakaki, only with blue eyes."

He's got enough of Sakaki's genes to be his younger brother, thought Aiko. Does he perhaps sense their genetic relationship?

But Miyatsu was continuing, his eyes unfocused as he recalled the dream. "We were here, in your house. And I was human." He looked slightly embarrassed. "Afterwards, I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't control what I dreamed while I was asleep... "

Aiko remembered the dream she'd had herself, the sweeping desire that had claimed her body as she imagined she was a Purshan, and she understood what he was trying to say. "We made love in your dream, didn't we?"

"Made love," Miyatsu repeated. "Does that mean the same as mating?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Yes, we -- made love. Only -- only it wasn't like we did it just now. I didn't know how to, before. We just touched each other. But it was wonderful." Now he grinned, a look that would have definitely scared any human who didn't know him, as it exposed his sharp cat teeth. "I thought then that you had a penis! It all seemed to make sense in my dream. And when I woke up, I wished -- oh, Aiko, I wished so much that I was really human, so that I could be with you!"

"I dreamt of you as well," Aiko admitted. "Only I was a Pershan. I thought at first that I was dreaming about Rajah and Rahni, but now I think of it, I'm sure it was you, on all fours, with your eyes shining in the moonlight." She smiled up at him. "We mated like Pershans in my dream. Sounds like we both had fun!"

Miyatsu laughed softly, his warm breath stirring her hair. "The fun we have when we're awake is better!" He sighed. "Oh, my Aiko. People aren't going to like it, are they, us being mated and making love?"

Aiko snuggled closer. "There will be some who'll think it's wrong. But I don't care. I love you, Miyatsu. I want to be with you, I want to go to Shima with you and clone your genes into baby Miyatsus!"

Miyatsu's arms tightened about her. "Then we'll make that dream come true. Together."

*

Aiko woke to moonlight.

Why was she awake? Then she realized that Miyatsu was no longer in bed beside her. The mattress was still warm, and the cinnamon-scented air proclaimed that he'd been there only a few moments ago.

She glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed. The digital readout showed that it was still early evening; they'd only slept for a couple of hours. She smiled dreamily. Sometime while they'd been talking and cuddling after making love, she'd drifted off to sleep.

She could see a line of light under the bedroom door, so the kitchen light was on. She swung her legs out of bed and stood up. Padding across to the chest of drawers in the corner of the room, she fumbled for a moment amongst the clothes, finally drawing out a nightgown which she slipped on to cover herself.

Miyatsu was sitting at the kitchen table devouring what looked like a whole roast chicken, plus various other odds and ends from the refrigerator -- since he spent so much time at her house, Aiko always stocked up with more food than she'd ever need just for herself. He looked up with a sheepish smile when he saw her.

"I was hungry," he explained. "It's been a long time since lunch."

Aiko sat down beside him. "Good idea. My stomach is rumbling too."

She helped herself to some food from Miyatsu's plate. She was a little hungry, but the truth was that she just wanted to be close to him. She shook her head at herself: it would be goofy smiles and racing pulses from now on, she just knew it! Somehow Miyatsu had the ability to make her feel the heady euphoria associated with first love. But then, she supposed, he was her first love. Since she was seven years old. The only difference was that they'd found each other again. And she was probably picking up his emotions on top of her own, doubling the effect. But whatever caused it, she wasn't about to complain: it felt wonderful.

She flicked her hair out of the way as she went to take a bite. And gasped as her hand brushed a spot on her neck, and she felt a small flare of pain.

Her sharp intake of breath made Miyatsu focus on her neck. He leaned forward with a look of concern and tilted her head to one side gently, examining the bite he'd left there.

"Oh! My poor little Aiko," he murmured contritely. "I'm so sorry! I hurt you. "

Aiko examined the mark with her fingers, then got up and looked in the small mirror hung on the wall. The bite was obvious when she flicked her hair behind her, a reddened patch with a bruise beginning to bloom over it. One of Miyatsu's fangs had broken the skin, and a small scab showed where the blood had clotted to seal the wound. All in all, an obvious souvenir of the afternoon's love making.

She let her hair fall back to cover the mark. The pain of the small wound was negligible, and more than any other emotion, she felt rather smug about it.

Sitting back down, she picked up the food again. "It's all right," she said around a full mouth. "I didn't even know I had it until my hand touched it. I'll live!"

Miyatsu's eyes were still worried. "I should never have bitten you. I don't even know why I did, I just got -- carried away. The scent of you, the feel of you, I thought I was going to die of pleasure. How could I hurt you like that, when you made me feel so good?"

"It's called a love-bite," Aiko informed him, "and humans do it too, sometimes. Only our teeth are blunt, so we can't do much damage."

As Miyatsu opened his mouth to apologize again, she continued, "If it worries you that much, how about I bite you next time? Then we'll be even."

The worry line on his forehead smoothed out. "What, with your blunt little teeth?" he teased. "How is that going to hurt me?"

Aiko grinned back. "That depends on where I bite you!"

Miyatsu smiled; one paw stroked her cheek tenderly. "Do I please you, Aiko?" he asked hesitantly.

Aiko put her hand over his paw, then turned her head to kiss it. "Yes. You make me very happy, my mate."

*

As Miyatsu finished his meal, Aiko went to the television. With a mischievous smile, she slipped a disc into the player. Remote control in hand, she settled on the couch, and Miyatsu joined her. He sat down and put one arm about her shoulders, pulling her close to him lovingly. He nuzzled her ear, smiling as she giggled and squirmed pleasurably.

"Don't you want to go back to bed?" His voice was hopeful.

Aiko snuggled up, feeling his renewed desire begin to pulse through her own body, and she shivered deliciously in anticipation. "No. I want to stay here with you," she teased.

He rumbled a playful growl. "Mmm. How about I go to bed with you? I promise not to bite this time."

"We could, I suppose. But I'd like to watch this programme first."

"What is it?"

Miyatsu's question was answered as Aiko pressed "play" on the remote. A picture appeared on the screen: two beautiful wild Pershans in their natural environment. A clinical voice-over was saying:

"Although highly affectionate and intelligent animals,Pershans cannot be domesticated once mated, as the bond between mates is unbreakable. Once mated the Pershan will not accept a human owner. If separated from its lifelong mate, it will go into a rapid decline, no longer bothering to hunt or eat. Eventually, if not reunited with its mate, it will die.

"Aiko!" Miyatsu turned delighted eyes to her. "You recorded the Pershan program!"

Aiko grinned back at him. "Do you still want to go back to bed?"

"I might watch this for a while. If you want to."

Aiko put her hand on the fur of his crotch and began rubbing in a languorous circle, feeling the bulge of his growing erection. "I think that's a good idea. You know how much I enjoy educational things."

Miyatsu sighed contentedly and stretched out his long hind legs, giving her better access. With a slight twist of his hips, he freed his erection. "Mmm, educational is -- good -- "

Aiko glanced at the screen and saw that Rahni had rolled onto her back, batting at her mate playfully. She slipped free of Miyatsu's grasp and pulled her nightgown off in one smooth movement before assuming the same position.

"Come on then," she urged. "You have to start pacing around me!"

Miyatsu bared his long teeth in a delighted grin at the role-playing. "So I'm Rajah, is that it?"

Aiko smiled demurely, her gaze fastened on his impressive erection. "Well, you do have the right equipment for it, my Miyu."

"Mated couples copulate frequently, and like many other cat species, they have no set season. They will even mate when they have young kittens still nursing, leading researchers to believe they do it for the pleasure as much as to reproduce."

Miyatsu mock-growled affectionately. "If we play your dream now, do we get to play mine afterwards?"

"That's only fair," Aiko agreed, her smile becoming wider.

Getting onto all fours, Miyatsu paced around Aiko as she righted herself and crouched down.

She sighed with pleasure at the feel of her mate's warm body within her.