Cat Scratch Fever

Chapter 8

"I...wow."

Issei was shirtless, wearing grey sweatpants and looking in a full-body mirror in his bathroom. Kuroka was right behind him, looking into the mirror from around his shoulder.

Shortly after the incident in the desert where Issei shed his humanity, he'd passed out for nearly an entire day, then woke up and ate nearly all the raw meat left in the house. After that, he'd gone into his bathroom to look at himself in the mirror (as one does) and was surprised to say the least.

"Can you see better?" Kuroka asked, wondering about the extent of Issei's new senses. His eyes had the most drastic outward change, going from normal brown human eyes to sharp green draconic ones. His transformation back into a human had done nothing to cull the intensity of the emerald color, and Kuroka felt like she'd melt if his eyes stayed on her too long.

"Yeah, I can. Like, a lot better. I can see the outline of your, uh...nevermind." Issei swiftly stopped talking, realizing he was reaching a grey area.

Of course, Kuroka wasn't one to be deterred. "Oh? You can see my what, nya?" She asked in a sultry voice, tracing the outline of the kimono around her chest and pulling it ever so slightly away from her.

All of a sudden, Kuroka's teasing made something click in Issei- something he'd never felt before. He felt a sudden urge to jump her right there, consequences be damned- he felt the call of the hunt, the urge of a natural predator. His pupils tightened, focusing in on her.

Now, Issei constrained himself physically, but his new body was nothing like his old one, and the way it reacted to certain stimuli was also completely different. Unbeknownst to him, he began to subconsciously release pheromones, broadcasting his urges to the only other animal in the room.

"I-Issei?" Kuroka stammered, noticing an unfamiliar scent fill the area that made her feel odd. She didn't know exactly what it was, but the animal part of her knew what it meant, even if she herself didn't. She noticed the way he was staring at her, eyeing her in the mirror like she was his next meal.

"You know, my sight isn't all that's better..." Issei mumbled, slowly turning around and walking towards Kuroka, forcing her to step backwards towards the wall. "I can smell really good now, too." Once she was against the wall, he slammed his right hand against it, just above her left shoulder, and leaned in close. "I can smell how...nervous you are."

With his free hand, Issei cupped Kuroka's right cheek, and leaned into her neck. He inhaled, then breathed almost agonizingly hot air onto her shoulder.

Without warning, Kuroka moaned- and not a painful one, either.

Issei blinked. He blinked again.

Then, he realized what exactly he was looking at.

Kuroka's flushed face, her ragged breathing, trembling legs, and her wide eyes were all a dead giveaway, and he couldn't believe he missed it.

What he was doing, trying to tease Kuroka- was having the wrong effect. It was turning her on.

Issei let out a noise that sounded somewhat like a cross between a wheezing balloon and a coughing old man, and practically jumped away from her. He stumbled backwards out of the bathroom, falling through the doorframe with absolutely none of the grace and poise that normally defined his kind.

Kuroka shook her head and rapidly blinked, trying to clear her mind of the fog that had settled in. She realized what had happened, and suddenly felt like she'd been cheated.

"You coward! Come back here and finish what you started!"

Issei fled down the stairs, pretending not to hear her.