Impact.
She hadn't moved fast enough. Or moved at all, really; so much for diving out of the line of fire at the last possible moment in a demonstration of athletic prowess. Or something. Nothing interesting or particularly super hero-esque ever seemed to happen to her. Her lungs dragged her next breath in automatically as the shock was absorbed into her chest, crackling electricity forcing the air back out in the next moment. Frozen then, for a moment, breathless, before the force of the blow sank into her flesh fully and sent her flying, momentum seeming to tug her feet out behind her and throw her arms wide. With a tremendous crash she was reunited with the ground, spread-eagled on her back on the pavement, which had never seemed quite so firm as it did in that moment.
She gasped after a few seconds of laying in stunned silence, pain flaring in so many places across her body that she couldn't focus on any one spot. The sound of the battle raged on around her; the roars of the kimera anima, her friends' shouts and battle cries, and those of her enemies. Her thoughts were cloudy, but the force of Pai's attack hitting her square on seemed to have left a sharp image of his face echoing across her mind; his vaguely surprised expression when he saw she hadn't dodged pressed into the back of her skull.
Her eyes snapped open only to locks of her green hair that had fallen across her face and a heavy gray sky, but it seemed to her as if suddenly the world shone. "Oh!" His eyes. She hadn't moved because she'd been ensnared by his deep, brooding eyes boring into hers. Lettuce blinked several times as something dawned on her, and her heart started trying to hammer its way through her ribcage. Months' worth of confusion, anxiety and downright refusal to accept the truth suddenly and surprisingly willingly coalesced gloriously into a single thought. I love him. Breathless once again, she marvelled as the weight she hadn't known she'd been carrying dropped away cleanly, leaving her feeling as light as the air she had just flown through. She loved him. Of course she did.
"Retasu-onee-chan!" Pudding's voice vaguely registered, clicking into place more firmly in Lettuce's mind as the yellow-clad Mew bounded into her line of sight. "Are you alright, na no da?" Wide eyes. Perhaps she should say something? She attempted to assure the monkey girl that she was indeed alright, but found she couldn't catch her breath enough to speak. She felt as though the heights to which her heart was now soaring should reflect somewhat upon her physical appearance; she felt as though she should be glowing.
"Is she okay?" Keiichiro's face came into view now; his footsteps making the ground under Lettuce vibrate. He looked worried as he knelt down beside her and waved his hand in front of her face. There was something strange about his expression, something that didn't quite make sense; how could anyone possibly be feeling a negative emotion of any kind when the world was so perfect?
Pai. She loved him. It was a marvellous thing to know. And she did know it, in this instant, more wholly and absolutely than she'd ever known anything in her life. Her heart beat even faster, thoroughly and vitally, flushing her cheeks warmly in the loveliest of ways. She giggled.
"I think she hit her head, na no da." Pudding looked at Keiichiro worriedly.
"I'm fine." Lettuce sat up abruptly, swaying dizzily, and despite the pounding in her head felt a wide smile break across her features. "I'm absolutely perfect." Pudding gave Keiichiro a grave look, as if this only proved her point.
"Retasu-san, I think it would be best if you lie down and let the others handle things for a while." Keiichiro said as Pudding jumped up and bounced her way back to the battlefield. He made to place his hand on her forehead, but Lettuce brushed it away, letting the lightness in her heart tug her to her feet.
"No, Keiichiro-san, that's okay." She smiled at him brightly. "I understand now." It was glorious not to be confused any longer, to be so sure of herself. She turned from the shocked man abruptly and bounded forward, fleet of foot for once in her life, immersed in the glowing warmth of her revelation. Her eyes locked onto Pai's airborne form as she veritably flew back to the battlefield. She let the warmth spreading in her heart overtake the promises of sadness and worry she knew would come to her later, because right now the only thing in the world that mattered was that her eyes remain focused on his face. She gazed up at him, breathless yet again for a moment, drinking him in before he caught sight of her. His eyes flashed keenly and he turned, focusing on her and raising his fan to attack.
Lettuce smiled, and prepared to dodge.
A/N Hey guys. :3 This one has been a while in the making; I couldn't think of how to end it. I hope Lettuce isn't too OOC; her realization was making her a little giddy. ^^; And if any of you lovely people reading this have also been reading my story One Last Kiss, just know that I HAVE NOT given up on it. I'm working on the latest chapter right now, and hope to have it up soon, but it's proving rather difficult to write. ^^; But fear not, for I will continue with this story until it is finished. :3 Thanks for being so patient.