A/N: This is going to be a collection of Meiru-Enzan drabbles/one-shots/whatever; I've been doing a lot of random .EXE writing in order to de-rust my skills so that I can actually finish This Dance properly! I have the idea layout of what I want to do for the next chapter (and believe me, I haven't stopped thinking about it for months!), it's just putting the right words to the page that's hard.
Anyway, that said, these drabbles are somewhat nonsensical in that each one may not necessarily have a beginning or end; they are not fully fleshed out ideas. Nevertheless, I was encouraged that they were at least worth sharing, so here they are. I mean, there's not enough Enzan/Meiru fanfiction to begin with, so I guess every little bit helps. (laughs)
The below scribble definitely has no beginning and end - the villain is nameless and faceless, the plot and motives non-existent. The details are up to you, my dear reader! Oh, and I've been trying to adapt more to using the Japanese names, because that way if I have to make any references to the later seasons of .EXE that were not dubbed, I can easily use all of the non-Americanized names for those as well. I'm trying to walk that fine line between sounding like a KAWAII DESU~ weeaboo and actually incorporating some Japanese vocabulary that flows well in the story. Feedback is heartily welcomed!
"No!" the woman said, her look of disbelief turning into a nasty grin, her incisors appearing at the corners of her mouth. "Don't tell me… the great Ijuin Enzan? For this little girl…" She twisted Meiru's chin sharply, her nails digging into Meiru's jaw. Meiru's whimper, and the whitening of Enzan's knuckles, told her exactly what she wanted to know. She let out a howl of sickening laughter that sent a nasty chill down Enzan's spine. "Oh, this is too perfect!" she said delightedly. "I'd never have thought to catch two with this sweet trap.
"But how to make use of this development? Should I ransom her for some price even you can't afford? Have you do some of our dirty work? Or… make you beg for her safety? Ooo, I do rather like that last idea…" She sneered down at him. "What do you say, Ijuin-sama?" How about you get down on your knees and plead for her life?" She raised her other hand, tracing one clawed nail dangerously close beneath Meiru's eye. The woman's materialized Navi stood guard beside her, arms crossed and expression vicious.
"Hey, why don't you put a sock in it, obaa-san?!" Netto shouted, hiding his fear for his childhood friend beneath a veil of annoyed impatience. "You're the one who's gonna be begging when we finish with you!" He tried to ignore the sweat prickling on his brow and upper lip, tried to ignore the panicked irregularity of his heartbeat. If he could antagonize the villainess just enough to distract her…
But she simply chuckled down at him, a deadly, syrupy-sweet sound. "I wouldn't push too many buttons if I were you, Hikari Netto," she said, and the fingers curled against Meiru's jaw slid down to her soft throat. "You might not like the results."
Netto clenched his fists angrily. He was a man of action – and with Meiru's life in the balance, he was rendered inactive.
Where Netto's guilt and helplessness was bubbling beneath the surface, Enzan's was boiling. If only he hadn't left Meiru's side when the lights started flickering … He'd wanted to keep her out of harm's way, and instead put her right in its path. The thought that he could have prevented this made him sick with shame. He would do whatever it took to make this right. Whatever it took to bring her back safe. If that meant playing to the devil woman's whims until they could secure an opening, then so be it. A glance told him Netto was fighting himself to not go running straight up those stairs. He put out an arm in front of his friend, shaking his head slightly. Then, his expression grim, he lowered himself to his knees, palms touching the rough concrete, head slowly bowing. "Please, he said quietly, his voice steady. "Don't hurt her. Let her go. I beg you."
Netto averted his eyes awkwardly at the sight of his proud friend bowing before their enemy. He gritted his teeth and grew even angrier at the woman's twisted game. "Enzan…"
Their foe took obvious pleasure in this, a rosy glow rising to her cheeks. "Oh, but that does suit you, Ijuin-sama," she said, retracting her fingers from Meiru's neck, though she maintained her iron grip. "Very well, then. Despite appearances, I am a woman of my word." She closed her eyes for a moment, as though thinking, but it was clear she had already decided something. "I'll ensure her safety. In the meantime…" she opened her eyes, though they remained narrowed, glinting wickedly, "…you will have a little battle for me."
"About time!" Netto cried, reaching for his PET.
"I think you misunderstand me," she said, clicking her tongue. "You will have a Cross Fusion battle against each other." She bared her teeth again in that sickening grin. "Until the other can fight no longer."
"What?!" the brunette stammered, his dismay obvious. "But-"
Enzan put his hand on Netto's shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Netto," he said quietly. "It will be all right. We can do this. Just trust me, okay?"
Netto nodded at last, some of the tension draining from his shoulders at Enzan's calm words.
But Enzan's insides still twisted with worry, and it was all he could do not to sneak another glance at Meiru captive in that woman's arms. Her pained cry earlier had been like a knife to his heart. Blues had given him enough worry over the years, and a Navi was far more powerful and durable than any human. Enzan's two closest human friends, Netto and Laika, were about as easy to kill as roaches. This deep, bone-aching worry for another's wellbeing had barely touched his insides since his own mother's sickness, and it was nigh-unbearable in its return. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He and Netto would figure this out. They always did.
It was then that the first of the alarms sounded.
The blaring noise was deafening, and the flashing lights immediately kicked on in sync.
"Wha-?!" the devil woman shrieked, loosing her iron grip on Meiru in her shock.
That was the opportunity Meiru needed. She rammed her elbow into the woman's rib cage and smashed the heel of her shoe into the villainess's unprotected shin. As the woman let out an anguished howl, Meiru fled down the stairs. In the wake of the surprise alarm, the woman's Navi immediately reached out to its operator, shifting into a guard stance.
"Enzan!" she cried. "Netto!"
Enzan was at her side in a matter of seconds, his arms out to steady her. "Meiru," he said, his hands going to the rope at her wrists. "Thank God." The words were no more than a breath, and even Meiru wasn't certain she'd heart them. She was even more startled to realize his hands were shaking as he fumbled with the rope's knots.
"Enzan," she said again, softly this time, and for a moment, their eyes met. She felt as though years passed in those precious few seconds. Then the knot came undone and the spell was broken with the freeing of her wrists.
Netto found himself caught off guard when the first name called was not his own – when he was not the first to reach her. But, as he so often did, he set it aside for later, instead allowing his battle thirst to finally take over. "Joke's on you, obaa-san!" he shouted, grinning. "You're gonna get it now!"
Enzan didn't say a word. Instead, he turned his icy blue eyes to the woman who had just moments prior been threatening Meiru. When the devil woman finally composed herself enough to notice his piercing glare, she felt the first twinge of fear she'd experienced in a very long time. If looks could kill…
It was incredibly tempting, as the dimensional area blossomed around them and Netto raised his synchro chip, to waltz right up there to beat the ever living stuffing out of her. But Enzan had already made the mistake of leaving Meiru's side once. She had certainly saved herself just now, but she had neither Rush nor her PET with her, and he would not leave her alone again.
"You're lucky I'm leaving this to him," Enzan told Meiru's captor darkly. He released his friend just long enough to process his own synchro chip; then he scooped her up into his arms and sprang into the air, his rocket boots kicking in. First things first – time to get her out of here.
FIN
Yep, that's it, that's the end! Like I said, mostly a scribble. Hopefully you at least found it an enjoyable scrap! Love you all!