Strawberry Angel
(A/N) Sorry, short chapter, but I'll update again soon. Revised this like 5 times. Still don't really like how it turned out. Think I'm gonna put some more stories' first chapters up tonight. I hope. Anyway, hope you like this better than I did. Maverick, I think I'm going to with your idea. And yeah, I thnk I'm going to pair Ichigo with Iggy. They're both really independent, and Iggy is probably my favorite Max Ride character. Also, I think I write a lot better boyxboy relationships than boyxgirl. Thank you, my loyal minions!=3 (Ego inflates with each review.)
Chapter 2
Ichigo yawned and stretched as much as he could in that cramped cage without hurting himself. His shoulders were on fire.
"Aaaaahhh..." he turned towards the sound and spotted Angel.
"Any idea what that noise is about?" he asked.
Angel listened for a second, then starting rattling the door of her dog crate. "We're in here! In here, Max!" Turning to Ichigo she shrieked, "They're here! They came!"
His eyes widened as he understood, and he managed to struggle into a sitting position. Just then, the shouting nearly doubled in volume as the door was kicked open.
"Angel! Where are you?" demanded a girl with sunstreaked light brown hair.
"Over here, Max!" she cried.
Max reached over and unlocked her dogcrate. "We need to go now! There are Flyboys everywhere!" She pulled Angel to her feet.
"Wait, Max!" cried Angel, pulling out of her grip.
"Angel, we need to go!" insisted Max.
"We have to let him out, too!" she said, pointing at Ichigo's cage. "But he's hurt, so maybe Dylan should carry him."
Max looked him in the eyes for a second. This guy was dead weight if he was hurt like Angel said. He had a dark scowl and ridiculously bright orange hair that would make him stick out in a crowd. He was weak, easy to find, and she didn't even know him. She unlatched his cage without hesitation.
He dragged himself out and struggled to his feet. "Thank you," he said simply.
Max was startled when she saw Angel grab his hand and carefully lead him toward the door. He used the doorframe as support and the two of them edged out of the room.
Max rushed past them. "Dylan! We picked up another stray! He's hurt, too."
Dylan looked at her for a second, then he grinned and said, "Nice to see you annoyed out of your depression."
"Shut up!" hissed Max. "I will beat you into a pulp if you go there!"
"Don't scare the new guy!" he teased.
She growled in frustration.
"Everyone get out!" Gazzy tossed one last bomb into the building as they all made their exit.
A cloud of pink smoke puffed out the doors and windows of the compound as they watched. Gazzy and Iggy laughed.
"What was in that?" asked Ichigo in awe.
"Gun powder, sulfur, cayenne pepper..." the younger boy started listing. "Wait, who the heck are you?"
He laughed. "Ichigo Kurosaki, and if you like pranks, try gluing someone's furniture to the ceiling while they're asleep."
Gazzy cheered. "That would be awesome! We should totally try that sometime!"
"Look, as interesting as this conversation is, we need to go now," interrupted Max. "We need to hurry. Can you run?" she demanded of Ichigo.
He hesitated, still leaning on Angel.
"Dylan, carry him."
Dylan snickered and scooped the orangette off his feet. "Hey! Put me down! I can-" Ichigo's words cut off and he made a small sound of pain before going still in his arms.
"Dylan!" squealed Angel.
"We'll deal with it later Angel, we need to leave," ordered Max.
"Okay..."
The flock took off one at a time, soaring high into the sky.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Angel!" Gazzy was happy to see his sister.
"So am I, but you have to tell us who this guy is. Why are we bringing him? And how did he get hurt?" demanded Max, swooping closer.
"Ichigo! He was normal, with, like, a family and school and everything before the whitecoats caught him. I don't think he was at the lab very long though. He's like us now!" answered Angel brightly.
"And I thought taking us as babies was bad. These whitecoats just get worse and worse," commented Dylan. "Are you he wasn't there long? He's pretty skinny."
" 'm not skinny," Ichigo mumbled, half-awake.
"Oh good, you're awake." Dylan sounded relieved. "Sorry if I hurt you. You were walking so I didn't think you were hurt that badly."
"What do you mean, he's like us?" asked Max warily.
"He's got wings! They're new though, so he can't fly yet, I think," she explained.
"New? Wait... You mean they added wings to a normal kid?" asked Max, confused.
"No, it was more like they did something to him to make him grow wings... " Angel replied thoughtfully.
"Whatever it is, it hurts," Ichigo said, more awake than before. "It's like my shoulders are on fire."
"Just try to go back to sleep," recommended Dylan. We've got a long flight ahead."
"Okay, I guess," he agreed reluctantly.
Moments later.
"Can I keep him, Max?"