Recap: Lettuce travels with Ichigo and Pudding to get to a medical school. Masaya and Mint are flirting. Ryou finally gets Ichigo but despite his best endeavors, failed. Ichigo runs away. Here we are now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew
Chapter 7
Lettuce as a child was never interested in the games of blood and wounds. She would watch her father come home with those disgusting gashes in his arms and gigantic bruises on his face and her stomach would churn with an unwelcoming response. Never once could she easily approach her father and say, "Welcome home." because her blood turned cold at the sight of his ghastly wounds. Her mother, a happy, brave woman, easily took care of those wounds. She never had a problem walking up to her husband and kissing him on the cheek and leading him into the kitchen where she would use alcohol and strips of fabric to cover all of his battle wounds.
All of that changed though the day Lettuce's mother fell ill and the only one to help care for her fathers injuries was her. Lettuce learned quickly and it wasn't long until she could professionally wrap gashes, ease the pain out of bruises, or heal any wound into a scar. She knew her father's job wasn't easy, especially at the time they were at war, and this train of thought led to her sudden change of preference in game of blood and wounds. Years later, Lettuce never thought her sudden interest in helping cure people would lead her to the Princess of Krystic.
"Ouch!" Princess Ichigo gasped. Lettuce inwardly rolled her eyes as she dabbed the small scratch on the princess's arm with the same jelly like substance she had used on Pudding. The three girls sat on the borderline of Myree, their resting spot not far from the actual town.
"Ichigo I'm barely touching you," Lettuce said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.
The princess frowned and whined, "It still hurts!"
It didn't take long for Lettuce to realize that the princess didn't exactly have a high pain tolerance. She leaned away from the princess, taking a small strip of fabric from her purse and pressed it against the small scratch. Ichigo pulled away from Lettuce and scowled before she held her arm in pain.
"That was the worst experience of my life." Ichigo sighed and fell into a crouching position on the grassy floor. She curled her legs into her chest and inhaled the fresh sent of dirt from the earth. Lettuce sighed and sat back on her knees, her gaze falling on the fetal positioned princess.
"Ichigo who was that?" Pudding finally asked from where she sat with Hisa on the floor. The large Doberman Pinscher rested his head against the small girls lap and Pudding stroked the dog in response, her fingers gliding over his black, shiny coat.
Ichigo blew a blade of glass away from her face before she sat up and looked at the two girls who stared at her questioningly. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought and eventually she exhaled loudly and answered, "That was a bounty hunter."
"A what?" Lettuce exchanged a look of confusion with her younger friend. The two girls shifted in their spots, curiosity forming in their chests.
Ichigo toyed delicately at the hem of her dress, picking at the loose strands that were beginning to gather. She crossed her legs as she sat and leaned towards the girls, her voice lowering, "In certain areas of every kingdom, there resides a dark place. A place where only the darkest and scummiest and creepiest will go. They are men and witches who have never seen the light, their eyes are blinded by the darkness and only the sounds of benefits for themselves will drag them from their deep holes. They are men who will kill, women who will steal, and monsters that will dispose of you so that you never see the light again."
"Is this a scary story?" Pudding interrupted loudly, her eyes glazed over from the excitement. Ichigo shot Pudding a look and the girl immediately quieted down.
"A bounty hunter is one of the few that reside in this place, any man who has ties to money holds a chain to this hunter. He comes out from the grime to find and sometimes dispose of who, not what, he is hunting," Ichigo finished as she sat back up straight.
"So people with profit own these men?" Lettuce asked.
"No, they don't own them," Ichigo shook her head, "They only come when money is being shook. They profit from finding these people, bounty's as they call it."
"Why was he after you?" Pudding asked.
The young princess fell silent as she thought and looked up at her two traveling companions. The only person she could think that would have sent a bounty hunter after her would have been the king of Leon, Masaya's father.
"The only person I can think of is Masaya." She said.
"Or maybe it's been an entire mix up?" Lettuce offered.
Ichigo shook her head, "But bounty hunters know who they're after. It would be very difficult to mix something like that up for them."
The trio fell silent again until the young one spoke, "Well, when will he be back for you?" Pudding asked and stood up.
Ichigo shrugged her shoulders, "They don't give up easily if at all. As for knowing when he'll come again, it is a mystery. They are driven by money so he can be on our trail at any moment. Which makes this trip entirely too dangerous." the princess sighed and stared at her two friends, "Maybe this is a bad idea. I don't want you both involved. We should turn back."
"Now wait just a minute," Lettuce chimed in with a soft voice, "we can't leave you."
"Yeah," Pudding rested her hands on her hips, "I don't wanna leave. I'm havin' too much fun!"
Lettuce and Ichigo both looked at Pudding and she smiled, "I mean, I can't leave you."
Ichigo replied, "It's going to be dangerous."
Lettuce tilted her head and glanced at Pudding to her left. The young girl stood with her legs apart and her hands on her small waist, the same determined, starry-eyed gaze she had since the two had met. The emerald haired girl grinned and felt a slight sense of adventure begin to develop as she shrugged her shoulders and replied, "We'll just have to try our best."
The princess stared at her two companions and smiled, her heart swelling as she realized that her friend's were willing to continue on with her. She stood up, helped Lettuce to her feet, and inhaled, "Well," she began as the breath left her mouth, "shall we continue on then?"
"To Myreeeee!" Sang Pudding as she danced through the trees, Hisa cawing after her in its raven form. Lettuce gathered the skirts of her dress and chased after the young girl and her pet, calling, "Wait for me!"
Ichigo watched the two go and grinned. She gathered their things into her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. As she went to walk after her friends, she stopped and glanced at the trees around her. She narrowed her eyes and called, "You can't stop me bounty man!" she adjusted the strap to her bag over her shoulder and grumbled, "I will get to Krystic."...
… Ryou sat against an old log. Not the same one he had so embarrassingly slipped up and fell over, but a new one, not far from where he thought the border of Myree began. He rested his head back, staring at the blue sky from behind the tops of the forest leaves and branches. The treetops swayed in the breeze, the endless stretch of sky just peeking from the roof of forest branches. Ryou sighed and tore his gaze away from the sky.
If it hadn't been for the forest Ryou knew he would have had the princess back in the castle, the bratty prince having to hand him his sum of money. The young bounty hunter grumbled in annoyance and stood up from the log. His leg was still sore but he knew he would manage. He had felt pain much worse before in stickier situations. Letting out a huff of breath, Ryou rolled his shoulders, stretched his arms, and took off into the forest. He glided behind trees, effortlessly jumped over logs, and swung from low branches in the forest all in the blink of an eye.
He smirked, knowing that even in pain, he was still as sly as a cat. He flew to the border of trees right outside of Myree and instead of bursting through them, grabbed hold of the trunk of a tree and launched himself up. He ground his fingernails into the bark and flesh of the tree and hauled his body up, gripping the lowest branch. Once he found it sturdy enough, he crawled onto it and stood.
"Still too low," he thought and looked up, "better continue on up."
With that the bounty hunter took hold of the next nearest branch and pulled himself up, continuing until he had reached the peak of the tree. He smiled with satisfaction and neared himself to the closest edge of the branch. Through the leaves of the tree he could see all of Myree. His eyes scanned the village and took in every coordinate of the area, remembering each landmark like a map in his head. The young man glanced around once more and spotted exactly what he was looking for.
His eyes fixated on the red headed girl and he watched her run after her two companions down the road to the village about a hundred yards to his left. His eyes narrowed as he watched the princess. She stumbled clumsily down the path, tripping as her foot caught a crack in the rock paved dirt. He couldn't believe he hadn't caught her the first time. The younger one of the three turned and shouted something at the princess and she tossed her long crimson hair over her shoulder as she laughed in response. Ryou quickly looked away, deciding it was time he got a move on to catch the princess and glanced one more time at the area before he made his way back down the tree. He looked down and Ryou stared at the endlessness of tree and branches beneath him. He sighed, realizing that getting back down was going to be much harder than it was getting up...
… Mint allowed herself the luxury of staring at him. Since he had decided to accompany her that morning, she figured she deserved the moment to look and take in his handsome figure. In the late afternoon sun, he glistened with beauty, she thought and leaned back to get a better look from where she sat in the grassy field. He jumped and sparred at nothing with a branch from a tree. He laughed loudly, throwing back his head as he spun away. He jumped again and thrust his branch sword into his invisible enemy.
Mint giggled and watched as Masaya pretended to evade a jab unsuccessfully. The young man let out a gasp, gripped the abdomen if his tunic and stumbled a few steps back. He looked at his 'enemy' and said loud enough for Mint to hear, "Alas, you've got me." With that, the young prince stumbled again and fell to the floor, the tall grass swallowing his body to the earth. Mint stood from her spot and ran to where the prince had fallen. She looked down at him with his eyes shut and faint smile and gasped, falling to her knees. She couldn't help the smile on her lips but tried to her best as she cried, "Oh Prince Masaya! Oh Masaya! How could this have happened to you?"
Masaya's eyes opened to slits and he reached out a hand shakily, "My fair maiden, is that you?"
Mint took Masaya's shaky hand and nodded, scooping an arm underneath his neck to support him on her lap, "Yes kind prince. It is I."
"I have failed, fair maiden," coughed Masaya, "I have failed to save you from the monsters. But at least, fair maiden, I may lay here in your arms against your bosom. I may savor your beauty, your warmth, your kindness for the last time. Goodbye fair maiden, goodbye."
Masaya coughed once more and fell limp into Mint's arm. Mint laughed loudly, releasing Masaya's hand and arm from underneath his head. She stood and said, "Now I will rule the kingdom with no one to stop me!"
Masaya opened his eyes and laughed, sitting up, "Hey now 'fair maiden' that is not how you react after your handsome prince has passed on from a noble fight."
Mint giggled then gasped, taking a step back, "Oh no! He has risen from beyond the grave. This is surely a curse!" Masaya rose from the grass and growled, his hair falling in front of his face. Mint squealed playfully and grabbed the skirt of her dress, running out into the field. Masaya chased after her with growling and zombie like noises. The two laughed and ran through the field, traipsing through the tall grass as they played.
Masaya knew somewhere in the back of his mind that what he was doing was not proper at all. As he caught Mint in his arms, the nagging voice in the back of his head screamed all the reasons against his attraction to his fiancées friend. But his body reacted every time without him even thinking. Masaya hadn't spent much time with Mint but he knew that he thought she was fun and smart and one of the only people who made him happy while Ichigo was missing.
Mint ripped away, laughing as she escaped the clutches of her captor, and soared down the grassy hill back to the castle. Masaya smiled as he watched her go and strolled down the hill with his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Of course," he thought, "Mint and I are only friends. Nothing more than that." He walked down the hill in long steps and made it to the bottom where Mint waited on the trail that led back home. She tossed a pale hand through her dark hair and asked, "What now?"
Masaya smiled, "I don't know. The sun is almost down."
Mint turned to look at the sky where the sun hovered low in the horizon. She looked back at Masaya, "Do you want to go back?" she nodded to the castle in the distance.
"And do what?" the prince inquired.
"I can tend to my evening duties and you can prepare for dinner." Mint shrugged as she thought about what she would do every night. Without Ichigo, preforming her duties as the princess's personal friend and attendant seemed useless. If she had no one to befriend and watch after, then she had no real reason to return to the castle except to sleep and lounge.
Masaya made a sour face at the idea and turned away from the castle. He laid out his arm in front of him to present the trail that led into town and with a low bow, suggested, "Shall we?"
Mint stifled a laugh, curtsied, and replied, "We shall."
Linking her arm around the prince's, Mint and Masaya trailed casually along the rock paved road into the evening. They looked at one another and smiled. For an evening, they were going to enjoy the other's company...
… Ichigo shifted her weight to her left leg and rested her right hand on the curve of her waist. Even with the short walk they had taken from the forest, Ichigo felt exhausted. She fanned herself lazily with the map to the next town and waited for Pudding to finish her conversation with a man who knew where the nearest Inn was.
"Thadda' way," the old man pointed down the street, "Ya' gotta' go through that alley in order to get into the inner village. That's where the Inn is." Pudding looked back at Ichigo who looked like she was going to collapse and rolled her eyes.
"Thanks mister. My 'sister' is dying from exhaustion." Pudding smiled as the old man nodded and stared at the princess.
"It's not a luxurious Inn, but you'll be able to sleep comfortable. Looks like she hasn't slept in days." The man pointed out. Pudding nodded.
"She's suffering from a terrible disease so we have to travel to a far away land where the doctor can save her."
The old man rubbed his bearded chin and looked at Pudding as he thought, "Bless her soul. Ya' know," he began, "there is a witch doctor somewhere within the forest a few towns away who might be able to save her if he knows what the disease is. I would suggest ya'll stop by on yer' way there."
Pudding was already walking up to the princess as she waved to the old man, "Thanks!"
"So?" Ichigo asked.
"There's an Inn that way." she pointed to the rock paved road that led in between the alley.
Ichigo stared for a moment at the alley formed by two large, concrete buildings.
"It's long and dark." The princess pointed out to no one in particular.
Lettuce and Pudding started towards the alley, "So?" they both asked.
Ichigo cleared her throat as her gaze fell to the floor. She could see the end of the alley where the middle of the small village rested, the square of light glowing like a magic door in the distance but she still hesitated. It was getting dark and although she pined for a bed to rest in for one night, the dark alleyway as a shortcut that did not bode well with the princess. She stared at her two friends who stared back quizzically, their questioning faces taunting her as she swallowed the secret of being afraid of small, dark, enclosed areas. The alleyway seemed to stretch on forever and as the princess decided this was not the time nor the place to conquer her fear, she stepped back from her friends and laughed nonchalantly.
"You know, I think I'll take the long way around. Who knows what animal is lurking in the grimy mess of that alleyway." She folded her hands in front of her.
"I don't want to take the long way around," whined Pudding, her shoulders slumping. The alleyway was long and dark and spooky and scary and a complete and utter adventure for the young girl, how could she miss out on an opportunity like running through it? She rolled her head to look at Lettuce.
"We'll accompany you the long way around." smiled the emerald haired girl.
"Uggggggh!" cried the younger generation. Both Ichigo and Lettuce looked at Pudding and her clear display of disappointment and annoyance. Ichigo felt slightly bad for taking away what bit of fun the younger girl wanted and rolled her eyes.
"It's okay. I will be perfectly fine going around myself. You two can go and check us in. Here," Ichigo gave Lettuce her bag and purse, "take this and go on. I will meet you both there." She smiled.
Lettuce stared at Ichigo as she held the bag in her hands. She exchanged a look with Pudding and asked, "Are you sure? We want to make sure you're safe."
"I'll be fine. It's barely dusk and there are still many villagers out so I will find my way there in no time." the princess grinned.
Skeptical of the plan, Lettuce frowned, however her thoughts were interrupted as the young girl gripped the sleeve of her dress and tugged her towards the entrance of the alleyway. She looked at Lettuce then Ichigo and said, "Don't worry everyone! Hisa is here and he will take good care of you, Ichigo."
The princess looked around for the creepy little pet of Pudding's and watched an orange cat appear from the entrance of the alley and press its head against the leg of Pudding. Pudding smiled and held out her hand to the cat, "Taa-Daa! Now Hisa, go and follow Ichigo. Go Hisa, go!" The orange cat turned its attention to Ichigo and mewed at her.
"Are you sure you will be fine?" Asked Lettuce. Before the princess could answer, Pudding was tugging at the sleeve of Lettuce again and to the entrance of the alley. Ichigo nodded, "I'll be just fine." she said and watched the two girls disappear into the darkness of the alleyway. The cat purred against Ichigo's leg and circled back and forth as it rubbed its body against her calf. She stared down at the cat and heaved a sigh, "Okay Hisa. Ready to go?" The cat looked up at Ichigo with its big green eyes and mewed again.
With that, the princess walked along the road and down the long line of houses and stores that acted as a wall to the inner area of the village. She stared at the houses as she walked and as each light in the windows slowly began to flicker on from the settling darkness. Ichigo glanced at the sky and could see the faint glimmer of stars in the distance. "It is getting late," she thought and hurried her speed. The cat galloped next to her, mewing away every chance it got. Ichigo ignored the cat and started to notice the lack of villagers roaming the skirts of the village. "How had I had reassured myself that I would be okay at the time of day it is?" she thought nervously again, biting her nails in the process.
She looked at the corner where the last house resided and heaved a sigh of relief. She knew once she turned the corner, she would be one step closer to the village and the Inn. She fantasized about the bed she would be laying in and the warm food the Inn provided. For one night, Ichigo wouldn't have to lay on the hard floor of the forest and battle off the creatures of the darkness. She laughed aloud in happiness and skipped as she turned the corner.
Ichigo came to a screeching halt and felt the breath escape her lips as she stared at the young blond man, leaning casually against the wall less than ten feet away. She quickly turned around and hid back behind the corner. He had to have seen her, she thought and her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she waited for her oncoming doom. She could run, she considered and looked both ways, scanning the horizon. If she ran for the villagers houses, she could ask someone to hide her or even find some barrel to duck behind. She scooped up the cat and took off, her shoes clacking against the stone street.
Ichigo ran past several buildings and houses before she glanced over her shoulder once and then again. Her running slowed to a fast paced walk and she stared at nothing behind her as she walked backwards down the vacant street. The cat mewed in her arms and she sat it down while trying to catch her breath. Setting her hand on her waist, she wondered out loud, "Where is he?" through puffs of breath.
She glanced around and still saw nothing except lights from the indoors of villagers homes. Ichigo was sure she had seen the young bounty hunter, positive he had been waiting for her patiently by one of the doors outside a building. The young princess wandered back to where she had began by the alleyway and shook her head. She could have been tired and confused a villager as him. She ran a hand through her hair and nodded at that thought.
"That was probably it," She thought. She had only seen the bounty hunter once since she knew he was hunting her so she could have confused any man with blond hair to be him.
Ichigo stood next to the alleyway and sighed. But now it was dark and although she had no intentions of ever walking through the alley previously, her options were slim as she didn't want to start the walk back down to the street to the corner and up to the entrance to the inner village. She stared bitterly at the entrance to the alley and glanced back at her other option of walking. Although she did not want to believe that the bounty hunter was there and had come to the conclusion that it was just a mix up, a string of doubt tugged in her mind and she was skeptical of returning back to the corner just in case the hunter was actually still there. She didn't want to press her luck.
Swallowing nervously, Ichigo sighed and touched her hand to the inside of the alley wall. Her breathing echoed off the long, dark, narrow walls and she felt like an idiot for going without Lettuce and Pudding earlier. She slid through the entrance and took her first step into the darkness. With it being as dark as it was, the alley was ten times darker and lacked the glow of the light at the exit of the passage, making the way seem endless. She sighed again and clung to the left side of the wall as she took baby steps. She could hear the cat form of Hisa scampering through the darkness of the lane, chasing mice and rats she couldn't see, the sound of their nails scratching the floor as they ran from the predator.
"Oh gosh," she breathed and shut her eyes momentarily, wishing the sounds of the rats and mice would stop. Once she could no longer hear the rodents or Hisa, Ichigo opened her eyes and moved on. Her fingers trailed along the wall as she felt her way through darkness. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she moved quicker and could see the faint light in the distance. Relief washed over the princess and she left the wall, walking faster through the passage to escape from the darkness of the alley.
The princess was practically running when her arm was nearly ripped from its socket as someone caught her arm as she flew by. She gasped loudly, almost screamed and spun from her captors clutches into the wall. She pressed herself against the wall, her cheek touching the cool stone to the building that lined the alley. The light from outside the alley fell across her pale skin and red hair and she stared at the wall, breathing hard. She knew whoever was in the alley could see her from where she stood in the faint moonlight from outside the alley and she stood still.
Before she could take off running, the bounty hunter grabbed her again and spun the princess around so she could face him. She cried out and the hunter pressed his hand to her mouth, muffling her calls. Her brown eyes met his icy blue and she breathed unevenly through his fingers. She could see him clearly in the moonlight with the exception of a shadow casted over the left side of his face. He looked out toward the exit of the alley and gripped his arm around the princess, forcing her back into the shadows of the alley. Ichigo kicked and ripped her shoulders away, trying to free herself from the grip of the hunter.
Once they were hidden in the darkness, Ryou pressed Ichigo against the wall of alley, pinning her arms to the wall against her sides. She screamed, scowled, and shouted at the bounty hunter, most of what were noises and never words. Ichigo couldn't believe she had thought for a second she was home free. Somehow he was going to catch her, whether or not she wanted to believe wherever she looked it wasn't him.
"It was nice of you to deliver yourself to me." Snarled the hunter, a playful smirk tugging at the ends of his lips, "I thought you were going to practically jump into my arms. I didn't know you missed me that much."
"You sick freak!" Screamed Ichigo, putting up the best fight possible within Ryou's grasp, "Go back to your slimy hole and rid your scum self from the world!"
Ryou, amused at Ichigo's words, lifted an eyebrow and replied, "Wish I could but I'm afraid your sweet prince is offering me big bucks to have you returned to the castle. Unfortunately alive but nonetheless returned. And you wont be escaping from me this time."
"You're such a creeper," spat Ichigo, "taking young girls and harassing them in the darkness of an alleyway. What's next? Are you going to touch me so I'll scream?" Ichigo knew she was testing the hunter when he growled angrily in response.
"That can be arranged," his voice low and menacing.
"My sweet prince will have you beheaded," Ichigo gasped.
"I should have you beheaded!" Ryou beckoned in response.
"Is someone down there?" A voice called into the alleyway. Both Ichigo and Ryou snapped from their sweet talk to stare at the figure in the entrance of the alley. The man stood with his back to the oncoming moonlight, his silhouette the only figure the princess and hunter could make out. The man took a step into the alley and called again, "Hello?"
Ryou sighed and fell into a hushed whisper, "Tell him you're fine."
"No," Ichigo replied in the same hushed whisper.
"Say it or I'll thrust a dagger into your neck," the hunter threatened.
"Help!" cried Ichigo, "There's some crazed man down here threatening to murder me! You must help me! Please!"
The man ran into the darkness and Ryou released Ichigo, disappearing as the man approached the princess. She fled away from where Ryou had pinned her and out of the alley, past the man, and into the streets of the inner village. She looked both ways and ran to her right, where the sign of the Inn sat above a door to a large building in bold, carved letters. Ichigo panted as she reached the door, swinging it open and practically collapsing into the lightened room. She leaned against the door and held her hand to her chest as she scanned the room. A large woman with a smile that could melt butter grinned from where she sat on a couch by a lit fireplace.
She stood as the princess stumbled up to her. Ichigo assumed that the woman was the owner and asked, "Have you seen two girls who should have come in at least a half hour ago?"
The woman laughed and took Ichigo's hands, "Luv' you look like you haven't eaten in days! You must be the guest we are expecting. Two girls came in a wee while ago but they are tucked away in bed and you will join them just as soon as we get some warm food into yer' small belly eh? Come, come now! Let's go to the dining hall to fetch ya' some supper."
Ichigo could only stare as the woman tugged her to the kitchen. She had just escaped a close call with the man who was supposed to take her away and all she could do was follow behind the woman like a brainless zombie. Although Ichigo wanted to flee the town as soon as possible, her stomach growled in disagreement and she clung to the womans arm at the mention of food.
Once Ichigo had finished eating and sat in the room where Lettuce and Pudding shared a bed, she told her story to the two. They both stared in astonishment, especially Pudding who replied with, "How? You had Hisa!"
Ichigo rolled her eyes, "He took off once he heard a mouse squeak."
Pudding ran to the window of her room and called loudly for her pet. As the young one called for the transforming creature, Ichigo looked back at Lettuce.
"So he is near?" She asked.
"Apparently so," remarked the princess, "but I don't know how we're going to shake him off our tails."
"We can leave now." Lettuce suggested.
Ichigo made a face, "He could be watching us from wherever. And it is dark, we would be more vulnerable to everything." Ichigo fell back onto the bed and sighed, "We'll leave first thing in the morning."
"Gotcha!" Cried Pudding as her creature returned in a sparrow form from the open window. Once inside the room, it transformed back into its original dragon form and cried out, crawling onto its owners shoulders. Ichigo watched the dragon momentarily before she closed her eyes and said, "Maybe we should consider having Hisa hunt down the bounty hunter tomorrow so we have an idea of where he is. That way we can get a head start."
"Or we can have him turn into a cheetah! Then we'll ride on his back and get so far away that no one will be able to catch us!" Laughed Pudding with a spark in her eye.
Ichigo looked away from Pudding and shook her head before she shut her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep...
… Ryou looked at the man who had run into the alley. Ichigo was gone, the bounty hunter noticed as she sped as fast as she could from the passage. He leaned against the wall and watched her go. It was late anyway, he figured, and he could get her in the morning after a much needed nights rest. But the man, he watched run into the alley and stare in surprise as the princess scampered away without so much as a thank you.
"Way to go Romeo," remarked the bounty hunter, "you scared her off."
Even in the dark, Ryou could make out the figure of his tall friend. The man waved his hands in the dark, his eyes not quite adjusted to the darkness of the alleyway and asked, "Did I? Whoops!" A low chuckle followed after and Ryou rolled his eyes.
"You did that on purpose." He leaned away from the wall and tapped his friend on the back. The man whizzed around to face Ryou and held he hands out in front of him. His hands made contact with Ryou's shoulders and he patted the sides of the bounty hunters arms as he replied, "Ah. There you are."
"When I asked you to wait by the exit of the alleyway, I meant it. Not to come in ruin everything, Keiichiro." Ryou hissed.
"I thought if maybe she thought I was the good guy coming to save her, we could easily wrangle her up." Keiichiro replied apologetically.
Ryou sighed again, annoyed at his friend, "We did find her rather quickly, walking around in the dark. I didn't expect her to walk right by your bar."
"You'll get her in no time, then you can finally repay all your debt to me." Keiichiro replied in a singsong voice, "let's go get you a drink. Then you can start again in the morning."
"I don't think you necessarily understand this job, Keiichiro." Ryou stared at his friend as they left the alleyway, "I'm supposed to know where she is at all times."
"Play detective in the morning Ryou," Keiichiro laughed and rested his arm on Ryou's shoulders, "tonight we drink!"
Ryou rolled his eyes as he followed his friend back down the stone street and to the bar he had met him at earlier that evening. His mind slowly wandered back to what the princess had said while in the alley and the insults she had thrown. After a moment, the bounty hunter grinned and said to no one in particular, "This could be a fun catch."
"Ryou, you're just odd." Keiichiro replied.
...to be continued...
A/N: See? I updated! Six months later but I finally got her done! I just finished up my first year of college so I should have more time to work on this story. This is actually going to be my summer project so for those who don't think I'll ever update, expect it to be more frequent during the summer. I have the entire story plotted out on paper.
I want to thank everyone for their patience and loyalty. So! Keiichiro has come into the picture. He will play a minor part in this story and will probably only be shown in a few chapters. Mint and Masaya will also start to play a pretty small part until we reach the ending. As for that, sorry if anyone is a little out of character. I probably need to read the manga's again but bleah. I apologize if anything is off, I kinda rushed the ending. But thanks and hopefully see you soon! Till then, KTHM.