Once night had fallen upon Tokyo, everyone started to bid their goodbyes and shuffle out the doors of the cafe, and then off to either catch a taxi or have their parents pick them up. Shiomi, on the other hand, usually used walking as means of transportation. She wasn't really in any rush to leave, and instead stuck around. In fact, she ended up being the last one out. She had stayed to converse with Ichigo, who shared the story about the alien with her. The one who'd crushed on her, to be specific.
"His name was Kish.." she said slowly. "Kind of like quiche, except...well not. There were three of them, you see. There was him, and his...what I assume were his brothers. Their names were Pai and Tart. Fighting them was extremely frustrating. They were mischievous, not to mention geniuses to a certain degree, and we almost lost our war with them too many times to count."
She smiled to herself. "But in the end they ended up helping us more than we ever thought they could. They weren't as evil as we thought they were, based on their past demonstrations. All they wanted was to save their planet by collecting mew aqua..."
She then went on to explain what mew aqua was, and after a few more explanations, Shiomi figured her father would want her home by then. The two best friends shared an embrace, and then Shiomi left the cafe and started on her way home.
As she walked alone in the dark, Shiomi looked around, suddenly frightened by how eerie her blinded surroundings were. She had taken a route through the local park on her way here, and was now taking the same route back. That was slowly turning out to be a horrid mistake. She instantly regretted not leaving earlier. It was nearly impossible to see, save for some shadowed moonlight. All the street lamps in the park had been turned off.
The young girl hugged herself in an attempt for comfort, trying her absolute hardest not to be afraid of who and what might be lurking about at this hour.
I'm going to be okay. My home's not that far any way...I know I can make it.
No sooner did the young girl think this, did she hear someone's voice call out in front of her.
"Hey guys! Look who came to join us!"
The voice belonged to a man, presumably a creepy one at that. His tone slurred with amusement and the slightest hint of perverse desire.
Shiomi stopped dead in her tracks, squinting towards the path ahead. She was able to make out the shadowed silhouettes of four different men, all of which had their heads now turned in her direction.
She squeaked out loud, her heart hammering in her chest.
You've got to be kidding me!
There was only one way to get home from this point, and there was no use in turning around and running back to the cafe. It was more than likely closed by now, and nobody would be there to let her in. The only thing left to do was chance going past the men, hoping to God they wouldn't actually try anything.
Shiomi took a deep breath and made a wide, rounded angle around them, shuffling by quickly with her head down. But her safety was short-lived. Next thing she knew, she was being yanked back by her collar.
She didn't even try to hold it in. A bloodcurdling scream erupted from her throat, right as the predators all crowded around her, laughing in synchronized maniacal chortles.
One of them spoke near her, "Ah, where you think you're going?"
Another chimed in, "Yeah, you're definitely comin' with us, babe!"
Shiomi suddenly felt all her terror be manipulated by, if not completely replaced by rage. They were all getting a real kick out of her defenselessness, and it disgusted her. There was no way she was going down without putting up a fight.
Just remember what Mom used to say. When a man tries to hurt you, and all else fails, go for the ultimate weak spot.
Wise words indeed. Shiomi mustered up her courage, and with an angered cry, she quickly kicked one of them between his legs.
The plan had half worked. The one she kicked let out a gasp of pain and collapsed to the ground, rendered immobile.
Only problem was, he wasn't the one clutching her collar.
Shiomi reached a new-found adrenaline within her, and used it to her advantage, elbowing the one behind her so that he was knocked back, and his grip loosened just enough for her to escape. She pulled free, jumped over the one on the ground and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
When she looked back, through the hair flying around in her vision, Shiomi could see them giving chase behind her. The one she kicked remained in the dirt, shouting curses she didn't even know existed.
When she turned back around to face the oncoming path, she ran right smack into another person.
As soon as they collided, the stranger's arms flew around the shaking girl, as if to catch her. But then, after a few moments dragged by, she realized that he wasn't letting go. It was as if he was trying to keep her from breaking free.
It took her a moment, but Shiomi quickly registered what was happening. This guy might be with the ones she was running from. That's why he was refusing to release her.
She struggled and pulled back and shrieked as much as she could, but the frail body trapping her had a grip that was far superior to hers.
"Let go of me!"she screamed, beating her fists against his chest.
The footsteps from behind her grew louder and louder until they had officially caught up. By then, they all skidded to an immediate stop.
"Nice one, pal. Thanks for nabbing her for us," one of them said.
Shiomi's eyes widened and gasp fell from her mouth.
Oh, so he isn't with them after all. But...what now? He's going to just hand me over to them?! That's just as bad if not worse!
Tears formed in the teenager's eyes. She became overwhelmed with hopelessness. There was no telling what was about to happen to her. She could very well be dead by the end of the night.
And just when I had learned my friends' secret too...
But then, the person holding onto her tightened his grasp and pressed her to his body, much to her discomfort.
"I don't know who you humans think you are, but I would never be your pal," he said menacingly.
He then spun around and his arms fell away from Shiomi's body, allowing her to move. She immediately jumped back in horror, and with the slightest bit of relief.
"You need not worry..." he said in a rather comforting tone, noting how afraid she was. His face remained hidden in the black prints of the night. "I won't let them take you."
The male's voice sounded young, and in a way, soothing almost.
Shiomi couldn't make out what he did next, but she heard a gasp scatter amongst her attackers, and their shadows all stepped away.
"Woah man...just calm down. It doesn't need to come to this," one of them said nervously.
The boy only chuckled darkly, in complete contrast to his reassuring pitch from mere seconds ago. And without warning, he lunged at them.
A fight, however, did not ensue. Because instead of brawling, the men shouted in terror and took off running. Even the 'injured' one from earlier glanced over from his spot, and after seeing the stranger's stance, jumped up and joined them in the retreat.
Shiomi blinked, her hands coiled to her chest.
What did he just do...?
She heard footsteps come from behind her and tensed up again, only to hear that one of the footsteps belonged to a a little kid. Or...at least he sounded like one.
"What are you doing, you idiot?" he said in an annoyed voice. Either he was ignoring Shiomi's presence or he was unable to see her in the dark, because he didn't address her whatsoever.
"Didn't Pai already give us the Earth protocol? We're not supposed to be out in the open! Even at night! It's dangerous!"
The one next to him spoke in a deep voice, so Shiomi assumed he was possibly a grown man.
"You're lucky we've come out this far to find you. Now come on. No worthy humans attend the park at these hours."
He then stopped and looked around a little. "Although, I did hear some laughing...as well as shouting, not too far from here as well. So we best get out of here now before someone sees us."
Shiomi's thoughts were finalized. Judging by his words, there was no way they could see her.
But some of the things he said stuck to her. Earth protocol? No worthy humans? Who refers to other people as 'humans' like that?
The only smart thing to do now would be to slip away before they even noticed she was there. She began backing away slowly, only to run herself into a metal pole, or better yet, a street lamp.
Her back made a significantly loud noise upon impact, and for some curious reason, the force managed to knock the light on, so that a yellow glow flooded into view and illuminated her surroundings, right as she stumbled over the base of the structure and fell into the grass with a small oomf.
Shiomi flung her head around in panic to see how the strangers would respond to having discovered her.
And what she saw, shocked her beyond belief.
Before her stood a grown man who had short, purple hair, large conch-like ears, and discolored skin. The child next to him shared many of his features, particularly the ears and flesh, except his hair was pigmented like maple, and tied up in two arching bondages.
Shiomi didn't move an inch, her pulse ramming against her eardrums. She slowly turned her head to look at her supposed savior.
He too had pale skin of sickly tint, as well as a pair of glowing amber eyes. His hair was forest green and tied in bondages also, except these two were drooping along the sides of his head.
He was holding two slender daggers, one in each hand.
Shiomi's eyes widened as she crawled backwards in ever-growing fear. The green-haired boy stared after her intently, his eyes not daring to leave hers.
She realized that they fit the description of the aliens Ichigo and Zakuro described a little too well.
Aliens...
Without another lingering thought, Shiomi jumped up and took off running, this time not bothering to look back, as she fled off into an unknown direction.
The one that had rescued her gasped in protest.
"W-Wait!" he shouted after her retreating figure, reaching out towards her.
But she simply ignored his pleas and went on running, and running, and running some more.
She kept going until she was sure they were far out of sight, at least if they hadn't bothered to follow her. The poor girl had no idea where she had even ended up. Some heavily wooded part of the park, far off the dirt track.
After trudging along for a few more minutes, her heavy breathing resorted to soft panting as she slowed and eventually came to a stop, grabbing a nearby tree branch to steady herself and inhale deeply over and over.
Suddenly, the air in front of her rippled like a pinprick in water, and the green haired alien appeared in front of her, straight out of the thin air, a crazy glint slicing through his eyes.
Shiomi screamed and stumbled, nearly falling backwards again. But before she could hit the ground, the alien's cold arm snaked around her waist and caught her. She stared back into his eyes, shaking violently.
What the heck, what is this sorcery?! How did he even...no...it's not possible!
The air rippled again on either side of him, and the other two aliens appeared as well. They were both eyeing Shiomi carefully. The eldest one sighed.
"Kish. Let her up."
The boy holding her arched her back up, but quickly grabbed hold of her elbow so she couldn't go running off again.
Shiomi gasped. Kish...? Isn't he...the one that liked Ichigo?
Their eyes were almost luminescent, even in the dark, and it scared Shiomi a lot. Aside from the other-wordly effect, in terms of expression, Kish's held one that screamed lunacy and sadism. And yet he was the one that had saved her. For a second he grinned, revealing a fang that managed to catch a splice of moonlight.
The elder alien leaned closer as if to examine the overwhelmed human female. His voice was calm, but eyes still menacing.
"And what is your name?" he asked.
Shiomi instantly knew she would be dumb to tell them. There was no way she was giving these people her identity. Not only were they the sole enemies of Tokyo not too long ago, but even after gaining the Mews' respect, there was something about them that just...didn't seem trustworthy.
Her eyelids fell shut and tightened with fury. When she reopened them, she tried to speak as intimidatingly as possible.
"I'm not telling you, alright? Now let me go and leave me alone!"
She really was getting pissed off, and even though she was going all out on trying to show that she had bite, she knew that by not containing her anger, it might actually turn out worst than before. Judging by Ichigo's explanations of their wits and power, they probably could kill her if they wanted to.
And that was proven all too soon. Kish smirked evilly then formed a fist with his free hand and punched Shiomi in the stomach.
It hit her all at once...literally. She choked out and slumped to the ground, still not breaking away from her then-rescuer and now-assaulter's grip. It felt like the wind had been completely knocked out of her.
And this is the same person that helped me out not too long ago? Unbelievable!
"Go on. Tell us," The other alien said stiffly, paying no attention to Kish's spontaneous violence.
Shiomi shook her head stubbornly, peering back up at them with a frown.
"No way! I know who you are!" she shouted.
"You're not even from this planet! You're aliens!"
Hearing herself say it felt strange, and it clouded her mind with thoughts. This was all beginning to feel surreal.
They all looked rather surprised by her defiance. The youngest alien nudged Kish with his elbow.
"How does she know that? She would have to have connections with that Ichigo girl you were so fond of," he said to him.
Shiomi's heart leaped.
"Stop it! That's enough! Let me go right now!"
Wham!
This time, she'd been knocked in the head. Except it was by the older alien, the one with violet hair.
It was enough to make her lose consciousness. Her eyes glued shut, and she toppled down onto her side.
Kish laughed darkly above her, leaning down and pressing his face into her long hair. He breathed into her ear, his own hair tickling the side of her face.
"I'll find out who you are, one way or another..." he whispered, his words hot as they swam down her hearing canal.
And then she then blacked out.