A/N: Hello everyone!! One of my stories is now officially over and I have one slot open, but I have two stories in waiting. This one included. I got a vote and it's still a tie. So I decide to let the fourth chapter out of both stories and which ever has the highest votes after I let the thirty-fourth chapter of 'Heaven and Hell' will win and the winning story will let out a chapter, while the other is on hold until 'Heaven and Hell' is done.
Kuro: And this time, the chapters have surprises in it that, hopefully make you want the story more.
Tsukiko: What do you mean by 'hopefully?'
Kuro: Tsukiko does NOT own TMM or the songs she uses in her stories. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and please keep them coming.
Tsukiko: Thank you and please enjoy!! –also what was that again, Kuro?-
Ch. 4: A New and Old Acquaintance
"Let's stop here," Kashu suggestes, dropping down her bag and sitting down on the grassy floor. Hannya and Kanjo did the same with collapsing on floor.
Oh how the grass felt after so long. Probably the last time they ever felt the grass was when Hannya dropped her necklace out the window and all three had to go out and look for it. They got in trouble after that, but it was one of the only days they got of taking in fresh air and feeling the grass. Now today is one of those days where they were probably leaking out sweat and their legs haven't hurt like this since Aunty Mint and Aunty Zakuro came over to see them. They even gave them a few lessons on the side that made them all work to the bone.
So far they ran for about ten minutes after their mothers finished their song. All three grabbed a hat and only two of them took a long sleeve jacket to cover their tails. Kashu took a baseball cap, Hannya took a black top hat, and Kanjo took a beanie. Both Kashu and Kanjo took a sweat jacket and tied it around their waist to hide their tails and they were off. Trying to hide their powers in case a human sees them, Kanjo jumped out and landed on a neighboring tree. She landed on the ground and then went right under the window. Hannya jumped and Kanjo caught her, bridal style. Just seeing that was making Kashu sick and it caused her to roll her eyes. She threw out the three bags and Kanjo caught it all; he didn't want Hannya to do anything. Kashu jumped out of the window but with her cat abilities, it was easy. Then they started running. After ten minutes, they stopped for a breather.
Hannya asked, "Where are Hannya and family going?"
Being reminded of that, Kanjo states, "We can't keep running around aimlessly. Our moms will find us before we could even get close to finding our dads." Kashu took that time to try and think of something.
Snap
"Uh?" both Hannya and Kanjo let out.
With her sensitive hearing, Kashu looked towards the direction where she heard it. Apparently she could also hear some rushing footsteps and branches being pushed away. Someone is running or at least coming closer towards where they are, but what?
"What is that?" Hannya asked, scared.
Kashu put her index finger in front of her lips and made the hushing sound. Hannya obeys and Kanjo gets cautious; ready to fight whatever comes out. Kashu crawls over to the bushes where she could hear it and she stands up. She was at least five feet away from where Hannya and Kanjo are. She pushes some leaves away and then…
Bam!
She lands on the floor and someone is on top of her. Leaves fall from the bushes and the trees. Something also feels a little weird too.
"Kashu-san!" Hannya calls. Because of the sudden appearance, Kanjo grabs Hannya and holds her tight to protect her. Okay, that's way too much affection, but not as much as what Kashu is surprised about.
When she opens her eyes, she sees big wide green eyes staring at her. She also feels something on her lips. Not like she uses them but she is shock to feel her attacker's lips lightly on top of hers. She is too shocked to move and with all of the leaves still flying, Hannya and Kanjo didn't see it. But her kisser suddenly sits up, breaking the kiss and Kashu can see that it's…a girl!
"Oh, I am so sorry! Are you alright?" the unexpected visitor asks.
Kashu is still stun by the kiss but she is moaning in pain from the sudden tackle and thinks, 'Does it look like I'm alright?'
"No. I am terribly sorry."
'Uh?' Kashu wonders in thought.
Not stunned anymore, she gets up as fast as lightening. Her 'attacker' is only sitting on her lap but she seems to be back away far enough so that their laps are not in reach anymore. Kashu stares at the thirteen year old looking girl and analyzes her. She has long golden hair that's braided but it's resting on her thin shoulder. Her eyes are a medium shade of forest green and her skin from the looks of it is pale. She's in a strange outfit that neither Kashu, Hannya, nor Kanjo have ever seen before. Her shirt looks like a black tank-top that's short and baggy with a turtle neck collar. Her bottoms are a mid-length skirt that hangs on her hips. Also from the look of it, she looks almost bone skinny and her waist looks nice and thin; just like a girl.
Again, she apologizes. "I am so sorry! Are you okay? You're not hurt seriously are you?" Considering that she is very apologizing, she didn't apologize for the kiss she shared with Kashu. But yet again, she seems that she doesn't want to be reminded of that and Kashu looks like she doesn't want to be reminded of that either.
Besides the outfit and the kiss, Kashu seems to be sidetracked by something else as she asks in her thoughts, 'Can you…read my thoughts?' Just like her mother.
The girl gasps but nods and answered, "Only when I'm near someone of two inches or when I'm touching someone." Now Kanjo and Hannya are confused as they just watched and listen.
'Like how you are now?' Kashu asks again. The girl blinks and then looks down. That was when she notices that she's still on top of Kashu.
She freaks out and backs away. She bows down multiple times and says, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Then Kashu notices something else about the girl.
Kanjo asks, "Kashu…mind telling us what's going on before our heads start hurting?" Kashu didn't answer his question with an answer. She just lifts up her hand as a sign to wait. Kanjo didn't say anymore as Kashu crawls toward the girl; noticing something else too.
Believing that she's about two inches far from the girl's actual body, she asks, 'Can you sit up?'
The girl did as she looks up at her and Kashu grabs her big elf like ears. All the girl did was go, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Then Hannya and Kanjo saw them too when Kashu took notice of them.
'Those ears are not human,' Kashu thinks, astonish. The girl stops whining and freaks out again.
She pulled her head back that causes Kashu to let go of her ears as she tries to explain, "These ears are not real! They are completely fake! It's just a custom I'm wearing because I thought it was Halloween! Sorry! I got the dates wrong!"
Hannya asked, "What's Halloween?" (Just so you know, Japan does not celebrate Halloween…or so I heard.) The girl starts freaking out again and covers her mouth.
Kashu lets out a sigh and takes off her hat; thus revealing her big black ears. The girl calms down and stares in surprise as Kanjo and Hannya start tensing. Kashu puts her hat down and starts using sign language. "You're like us, aren't you?" Unfortunately, the girl didn't understand a word of what Kashu just did. It was clear on her face and all three vampire aliens understood that.
'She doesn't get it,' they thought. Kashu places her hand on the girl's shoulder and tries it again.
'Are you an alien?' she asked. Before she could see her starting to protest again, she adds, 'And don't you dare say that you're not.' Kashu turned towards Kanjo and Hannya and tells them, "Take the hats off. We should be fine." Both Kanjo and Hannya were cautious but they obeyed. They both take off their hats and the girl saw their ears, too.
She had to ask, "What are you three?"
Kanjo answers her, "At least half of what you are. You are an alien, aren't you?" All the girl did was sighing.
"I guess there is no hiding it now. I'm a runaway alien," she answers.
Hannya asks, "What are you running away from?"
"It's a long story."
"Kashu! Kashu! Kashu!"
"Hannya! Hannya!"
"Kanjo! Kanjo!"
All three vampire aliens start to freak as the girl only got confused. Kashu thought, 'Crap! They already caught up!'
"Who did?" the girl asks. Right, she doesn't understand what's going on.
Kashu quickly thought, 'Explain later! Run, now!' She gets up and grabs her bag as Hannya and Kanjo got up and grabs theirs. Kashu grabs the girl's wrist and all four of them started running; well three were running as one is being dragged.
"Kokoro! Kokoro!"
Then it became the girl's turn to start freaking out. She immediately stops and that causes Kashu to stop as well. Isn't she strong? Hannya and Kanjo stop when they realize that Kashu wasn't with them and they saw the girl pulling Kashu to another direction.
"Don't run that way!" she tells them. She pulls again and this time, it causes Kashu to fall on top of her into a bush.
"Kashu-san!" Hannya whispers, then…
"Hannya! Hannya!"
"Kanjo!!!!"
They instantly jump into the bushes as well. Kashu gets up and with her hand still on the girl's wrist, she asks, 'The hell is wrong with you?!!'
The girl bows and tells her, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But I didn't want them to find me."
Hannya asks, "You mean the people who are looking for you?" In her shun state, the girl nods.
Kashu's ears flinch from hearing the sound of her mother's coming closer as well as three more pairs of footsteps are coming their way. She thought, 'Okay, need to distract them.'
The girl asks, paying her attention to her, "Distract who with what?" Kashu didn't answer the first question as she pluck at least five pieces of hair.
'With a little music.' She straightens them up and pierces them to the floor. The girl watches in amazement as the silver hairs sank into the ground. 'Now that they are in the ground, it should work for a couple of days and around the whole forest.' The girl is still confused but three voices cause her not to ask.
"Kashu!" Ichigo calls, worried.
Lettuce calls, "Hannya! Hannya!"
"Kanjo!!!" Pudding screams.
Ichigo lets out a sigh for breathe and then punches the ground. It causes the nearby areas to shake a bit. She curses under her breathe, "Damn it all! Why did I slap her? Why did I slap…" Then tears got in the way for her to not finish her sentence. From hearing all of that, Kashu starts to feel a little sorry but she pushes it aside so that she can stay hidden to find her father.
Lettuce walks towards Ichigo and kneels down to her level. She places her hands on her friend's shoulder and assures her, "We'll find them. They know that they are not supposed to be seen so they have to be around here."
A little curious, the girl leans over and peaks through some bushes holes. Kashu asks, 'What are you doing?' The girl only turns to face her and brings her hands up to say 'wait!' She turns her head back to watch and getting curious themselves, Kanjo, Kashu, and Hannya peaked through some bush holes as well.
"Kokoro! Kokoro!"
The girl gets tense as six people faced towards the direction of the voices. Seeing her getting tensed, Kashu asks, 'Your name is Kokoro, isn't it?'
The girl turn towards her and nods; her name is Kokoro. Not exactly a name you would give to a girl. What distracts Kashu from asking Kokoro about her name was the reaction of her mom.
Ichigo stands up and asks, "It can't be, could it?" She walks for the trees and peaks through them. Curious themselves, Lettuce and Pudding go to the trees and peak through the spaces between the trees. From what they can see, they see three sights they thought they weren't ever going to see again.
There were three men in the clearing and they look like they were looking for something. The oldest one of the group has short purple hair but he has one area in front of his left human ear that's longer than the rest of his hair length by at least two inches and it's braided. He has dark violet purple eyes that just stop Lettuce's heart all together in joy. His skin is pale and he looks perfectly fit. The youngest caught Pudding's attention with his semi short orange hair that's, half of it, is up in two pigtails and he has dark golden eyes. He's just tone skinny but that causes Pudding to drool. Then what make all of the heat of her body rise up to her cheeks and causes her heart to pound a hundred miles an hour is the middle age man on the ground. He still has his hair really long that it's up in a high pony tail; except the two areas in front of each ear is down. He has amber golden eyes that are beyond gorgeous to Ichigo. In fact, every inch of him is gorgeous and irresistible. The difference about them from memory is that they all look human and all three of them have human clothes on as their attire. The oldest one has on a white dress shirt with dress pants and with a long coat with long sleeves on. The youngest is wearing long blue jeans and a red baggy T-shirt. Finally, the middle age one is wearing black long pants with a green male, baggy tank top and a black jean jacket. However, how they dress and how they look didn't matter to the girls because they know exactly who they are and don't care. Then Kashu's 'magic' kicked in.
There is music on the air as in each beat, Pudding, then Lettuce, and then Ichigo would turn around and lean on the trees for support. Their hands are over their hearts as they can hear it beating ever so fast and hard for the three men out there. All three of them can't help but smile and lets out a lovely sigh as the four kids are just confuse. They just watch as right on cue, the women turn back towards the clearing to look at Pai, Taruto, and Kisshu as if they're young teenage girls again.
Mamma Mia from Mamma Mia
Ichigo
I was cheated by you
And I think you know when.
Lettuce
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
Pudding
Look at me now
Ichigo
will I ever learn?
Lettuce
I don't know how but I suddenly lose control
Pudding
There's a fire within my soul
Ichigo
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
Lettuce
One more look and I forget everything
Pudding
Whooo
All Three
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist ya?
Mamma mia, does it show again
My My, just how much I've missed ya?
Ichigo
Yes, I've been broken-hearted
Lettuce
Blue since the day we parted
Pudding
Why, why did I ever let you go?
All Three
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I should not have let you go
Then the guys start moving away from the area to find another one. The women get anxious so they start running after them, while hiding. When they left, their children and Kokoro pops out of the bushes; all three of them are completely confused. So they fallow them. As they were fallowing them, quietly, Ichigo, Lettuce, and Pudding find the perfect place to get a good look of the guys; a cliff over a pond that's near them. Pudding climbs up the rocks like a monkey, Ichigo jumps through the bushes, and Lettuce takes the normal way of getting up the cliff, walking up the slope. When they continue to sing, Lettuce is crawling to the edge as Ichigo is leaning over her and Pudding is hanging on a branch of a tree that she sees sticking out of the cliff.
Ichigo
I was angry and sad when I knew we were through
Lettuce
I can't count all the times I have cried over you
Pudding
Look at me now
Ichigo
Will I ever learn
Lettuce
I don't know how
Pudding
But I suddenly lose control
Ichigo
There's a fire within my soul.
Lettuce
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
Pudding
One more look and I forget everything
All Three
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist ya?
Mamma mia, does it show again
My, my, just how much I've missed ya?
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist ya?
Mamma mia, does it show again
My, my, just how much I've missed ya?
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist ya?
Mamma mia, does it show again
My, my, just how much I've missed ya?
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I should not have let you go
Crack
Right when their song ends, the edge of the cliff brakes and Lettuce starts falling over board. That was when the guys heard them when Lettuce screams.
"Ahhh!" she lets out, as she's falling. Ichigo reacts by grabbing the edge of Lettuce's jacket and tries to pull her up.
"Lettuce!" she calls, but the weight of Lettuce falling causes Ichigo to be off balance too. Lettuce is falling for the lake as Ichigo is heading for the ground.
"You guys!" Pudding yells, seeing them fall pass her. She tries to reach for them but the branch snaps. Now it's her to start falling for the ground.
All three scream, "AAAAHHHH!!"