A Matter of Intellect
He was smart, but so was she.
In the distant days that had passed, bringing war and suffering, pain and annoyances, something was born in the spark of a single moment.
It was this spark that was to prove worthy of solving the tensions in the days of peace that eventually followed.
"How are you?" Ichigo asks, smiling happily.
"We're fine," Pai replies, only just tolerating her usual cheeriness.
"We're glad that you made it," Keiichirō says, ushering them into the café.
The Mews and Cyniclons follow him obediently, and silently. The solemn, but tense, silence is an ever present reminder that the two species relations were still precarious. One wrong statement, or misconceived sentiment, could send the two species to war again. Neither side is fond of that fate, but many Cyniclons are still devoted to their treacherous Dīpu Burū.
Pai slows his pace, something that comrades overlook, and falls into step with Retasu. She snaps out of her reverie and glances up at him nervously. She, like the other Mews, knows that he isn't a threat, but the fear won't dissipate. She looks away, feeling guilty. It's feelings like that which won't vanish that keeps them both on the brink of war.
"You worry too much," Pai comments, monotonously.
"I don't want to fight with you," she replies, quiet and subdued. "I wish this would end."
He keeps his eyes on her still. She stares at the path sorrowfully. Her feet are slowly dragging, and the life has begun to drain from her eyes. Gradually, he begins to tear his eyes away from her. She's upset, but he doesn't know how to comfort her. He looks up at the café and his comrades, and his pace begins to pick up.
The café falls into a terse silence.
"I wonder how true your wish for peace is," Horimono* says, her voice strong and adamant.
"We want to stop fighting as much as you," Ryō snaps, frustrated.
Keiichirō places a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Tensions are rising, maybe we should finish this some other time,"
Horimono stands up. "For the sake of peace we will return on the next silver crescent,"
The Cyniclons stand and follow Horimono out. Pai trails at the back of the group. As his comrades exit the building Keiichirō stands up.
"Pai, wait," he glances around the table. "… Would you talk to Horimono? This alliance is important for both of us."
"She has enough intellect to decide," Pai retorts.
The door closes behind him, slightly louder than it needed to. He takes a few steps before his comrade's turn to him. The fury in their gaze is unrestrained. He looks to Horimono, but she lets them continue with their untamed looks of anger.
"You are an asset Pai," she warns. "You know these creatures, and thus far have had a use to us, but be wary. You cannot grow close to them, or we will turn our eyes to Taruto, and you will be discarded."
"I understand," Pai responds, obediently.
A portal opens behind them, glowing elegantly in the crisp, clear night. One by one they turn away and enter the bright light. However, their piercing, accusing eyes have been burned into his mind. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as the last of them vanish from sight. An emotion thousands of times stronger than relief flows through him. He can't imagine how many years it might take for Cyniclons and humans to find an agreeable settlement for peace. The tense meetings will probably continue long after his death; he's sure.
He opens his eyes and finds the bright stars glowing above him. The wind seems to whisper of the hidden promises and secrets and worlds that the stars hide, and for a moment, only one, he wishes he could flee to one. He releases his breath loudly and chuckles to himself humourlessly. As much as he hates to admit it, he's grown somewhat fond of the annoying little accomplice in their threesome that once obeyed Dīpu Burū so willingly. It isn't only Taruto though; he has other obligations, and he can't turn his back on them to chase after one moment's lapse in concentration. He shakes his head and starts to leave.
"Do I not even get a goodbye now?" a quiet voice calls to him from the shadows.
His pace falters. "For what? To what end does it accomplish? Goodbye and hello; those words are a waste of time,"
Only silence greets him and he starts to walk away again. "It's bright tonight… The stars are lovely,"
"Stars are a common occurrence," he retorts, his tone harsher than he meant it to be. "You can see them from anywhere on a clear night."
"Yes," she replies, thoughtful at first. "but this kind of illumination is rare. Even you must see that."
He turns on his heel sharply. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to know…" she frowns, unsure how to communicate her feelings. "I wanted to see if you're alright. You looked sad earlier, and you don't deserve that."
He looks away from her. "It's not enough,"
Her head lifts itself for a moment. Her curiosity has been piqued, and those words can't be taken back. He has to continue, because she always was good at detecting lies. Pai doesn't need to look up to know that even in the dark her eyes are twinkling brighter than any of the stars above them.
"I don't need you to worry about me. I don't need you to care. I don't need you," he says, his voice unmistakably clear.
"You'll lose your wonderful mind," she whispers.
"You don't know what you're saying," he retorts, storming off.
"I don't need to be babied!" she yells into the night. She brushes stray hairs out of her face, calming and quietening herself. "You always act like I'm going to break. You hold me up so I don't fall. You take the blame, and you make up stupid things to make things better. You keep holding me afloat, and you still think you can walk away like this? You're meant to be smart, Pai, but if you were then you'd know… You'd know you can't leave like this."
"What do you suggest?" he asks, embittered. "Do you want to wait for these meetings to see me? Do you want to only look at me from across a busy meeting that could erupt into a fight? Do you want to wait your entire life for peace that's never going to be agreed on?"
"Peace," she frowns, slowly walking towards him. "You talk about it like it's impossible. Peace isn't impossible, and I don't mind waiting. I can wait for these meetings, as long as you don't disappear without a word afterwards. It's not as bad as you're trying to make it out."
"Then tell me this, can you live on your own for the rest of your life?" Pai knows the question has frozen her in place. "If peace is unattainable in our lifetime, can you keep smiling if I can't stay by your side?"
It takes her a moment to snap out of her thoughts. She loves him, she knows she does, but could she really live her life alone? She glances up to find him ready to disappear out of those gates, and out of her life. It doesn't take any time, or thought, before she starts to run.
Pai grunts as two arms wrap around his torso. He wants to look at the person, but he knows who it is. He wants to look anyway, but he knows that he won't be able to leave if he does. She'll come up with something, pulling on his heart strings, he's sure of it. So far that knowledge of her has been the only benefit of knowing her, but it's knowing her that's gotten them both into the mess in the first place.
"You have a wonderful mind," she tells him. "but you're so wrong. You want to fight for Kisshu, and Taruto, I know you do, but nothing bad will happen. Ichigo, Minto, and everyone else cares about them too. They won't be hurt, so don't worry."
She places her hand over his heart. "If you keep choosing logic, then you'll walk out of that gate right now. I'll never see you again, because you'll transfer to another team, won't you? If you really think about it though, then, this really has nothing to do with your mind. I know that you care about Taruto and Kisshu, and everyone, but you don't care with your mind. Your heart wants you to stay with me; or near me… I can't let you go, at least not like this. Can you understand that, at least?"
His hand instinctively slips down to cover hers. "They'll hunt us down, both your people and mine,"
She smiles into his back. "Then they'll work together to destroy us. Even if it means leaving this world, I'll do it, because they'll work together to destroy us. We're a symbol of hope for peace Pai; both of us, destroying us will create an alliance between them,"
"It would be painful," he warns, not at all pleased with her idea, but knowing that he can't convince her otherwise. "We would have to run for a long time before they'd even consider an alliance. A lot of people we care about would be hurt. They won't ally themselves so easily, and maybe we'd die in vain."
"You know, this is the first time that I've heard you think with your heart…" She pulls away from him and turns him so that they face one another. "Pai, the greatest symbol for peace between us, is us. You're a Cyniclon, and I'm still classified as human."
"You're right," Pai replies, uncomfortable with being wrong.
"Silly, this was never a matter of intellect," Retasu smiles.
Author's Note: Hi! I'm sorry I haven't uploaded Sugary Sweet yet! I really will upload it soon, but I'm working on editing my book so that I can send it off to be published at the end of the month. Eek! I'm so nervous, but it's alright, because as long as people read my stories here, I'll be fine with being unsuccessful as a professional author. Anyway, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed my story, even though it's a tad longer than necessary, and I'm sorry if I couldn't entertain you.
* Horimono - It has something to do with the engraving on the blade of a sword. I was going to choose another food related name, but I was hungry, and my braces are making it hard to eat... Oh well, Horimono really sounds neat, don't'cha think?