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Hello again! I don't know if anyone remembers me (or if I even deserve to be remembered after such a long absence), but I'm back! Life has been so crazy and busy that I haven't had time to even think about writing, but I didn't forget Sacrifices… I just… ignored it… for a really long time… Well, at least I'm properly ashamed of myself, and I'll do my best to make it up to anyone still reading (and anyone new, too!) This chapter is probably the longest so far, and Chapter 9 should be up by early next week.
Chapter 8: The Heart of the Beast
Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew/ Mew Mew Power
Shinto Sector, Planet SH-3
Kish cowered under the rock formation waiting for the snow storm to subside. His skin, normally pale, had turned a sickly shade of gray from the continuous exposure to the elements, and his hair hung lank down his back. He wanted so badly just to lie down and go to sleep, but knew that would only bring death.
He must survive, he would survive. If he had lasted five years under the torturer's lash, he could defeat the elements! Nothing would stop him from regaining his former love and avenging his unjust imprisonment.
A movement! Outside, beyond the cave. Food! Kish leapt out, sprinting towards the sign of life. An animal, similar to a snowshoe hare of earth, but with smaller ears. The hapless creature saw Kish approaching, and tensed its legs to leap away. Too late.
Kish grabbed the animal, and in the same movement twisted its neck. Quickly moving back towards the cave, the alien examined his prey. The rabbit was disgustingly thin, probably on the verge of death anyways. Once inside Kish used a crude rock to skin the animal then promptly devoured it. True, fire was dangerous to light, so he had to do without it, but Kish had survived much worse. 'Oh yes,' he reflected with the rabbit's blood trickling down his chin, 'things can always be much worse.'
Once he had filled his stomach with his kill and the storm had died down, the alien began to take into account his situation. It was unlikely that anyone was searching for him- they all expected him to die out on the tundra, like so many others before him. But there was no way he could escape the planet if he stayed here.
Kish sighed, regretting his decision to flee so far from Zakuro's base. The intoxication of freedom, combined with his rage, had spurred him to trudge many more miles than necessary. And now, if he wanted to escape this God-forsaken wasteland, he would have to retrace his steps back to Zakuro's. Back into the heart of the beast.
Aboard the Demon's Fang.
Commander Midorikawa sat at the entrance to the launch pad, tapping her foot. "Have you found him yet?" she demanded of an aide who had come in to report.
"N...no Commander, not yet," Retasu's eyes narrowed. "But, but we have sixty people searching for him, and we know he can't have escaped from the ship. It's just a matter of time…" she briefly considered slicing his throat to sate her sword, but that would just mean one less person removed from the search. Plus, she would have to fill out the paperwork- the aide just wasn't worth killing. Pai on the other hand…
As if on command, the ambassador stepped calmly through the doorway, an expression of perfect disinterest on his face. The aide gaped at him open-mouthed. "Why hello Commander, I see you're ready to go. I'm not late am I?"
"Where in the nine hells were you?" Retasu roared. "Your orders were to be HERE at 1600 hours. You're an hour late!"
Pai gave a mock bow. "Forgive me, dear Lettuce- I had a few problems to sort out."
The light of suspicion began to grow in Retasu's eyes. Pai was far from trustworthy, and for him to be missing without a trace for so long a time probably meant trouble. "What sort of problems?"
"I don't mean to be rude Commander, but that's between myself and the urinal," Pai replied primly. The aide tried to hold his laughter in, failed miserably, and began choking with tears in his eyes.
Retasu looked at her watch. Although she didn't believe the alien's odd excuse, they were already behind schedule; Pai's punishment would have to be delayed. 'Just remember how important he is to the Emperor,' she told herself, trying to school her anger. 'Think of how much you'll enjoy killing him when the time is right.' "Get in the pod" she said to the ambassador. Then, speaking over her communicator, she alerted the bridge. "Lieutenant Tenshin, we are ready to depart."
"Yes, Commander, we will jettison the two pods on your order." There was a pause. "Currently there is a snow storm at your designated location. Shall we still proceed?"
Retasu sighed inwardly. Why couldn't anything just go smoothly? Outwardly, she betrayed nothing. "It's too late now, lieutenant. Are you prepared to fire at Zakuro's base as well?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good." Retasu entered her own pod, after making sure Pai really did strap himself in. From what she had learned of the ambassador, he would jump out of the pod before it fired, then think nothing of it. "Fire at will."
Shinto Sector, Planet SH-3
Retasu found herself holding her breath as the pod streaked towards SH-3, leaving a fiery tail in its wake as it entered the atmosphere. True, these were top of the line vessels, but it was nevertheless nerve wracking every time she felt a jolt. She took a few deep breaths, and focused on the mission.
'The explosives should be striking Zakuro's vase around now,' she thought to herself. 'Hopefully, they will suffice in masking our entrance.' She hoped Pai's pod would land after hers, so that he wouldn't have a chance to escape. Not that there was much of a chance of that- Zakuro was worse than even herself, betraying her own kind for profit. Certainly, Pai wouldn't aid the woman who sold out his planet to the Karingi! Still, Commander Midorikawa felt uneasy. Perhaps it was no more than nerves before battle, or worries for her Master after her strange dismissal a few days before, but her heart felt burdened by some evil sense of foreboding. 'I only need to wet my sword' she thought. 'It has gone hungry for far too long.'
The pod made impact with the icy planet, shuddered, and grew still. Retasu stepped out, onto the ice. She had discarded her customary green uniform for a white subzero outfit and thick, white wolf pelt. She had found the symbolism of that particularly entertaining. A few moments later, Pai's pod (paipod paipod paipod!) came crashing down into the snowy world.
Pai stumbled out, making no show of grace whatsoever. "Damn, it's cold!" he yelped. "Why can't top secret evil military operations ever take place somewhere decent? For example, a tropical island filled with beautiful, bikini-clad women? Or even better, nude women!" he cast a sidelong glance at Retasu. "Speaking of which, Commander…"
Retasu had learned to ignore the ambassador's rambling and this time was no exception. "Show me to this base, Pai," she yelled over the howl of the wind.
"The easiest access point form this position would be the underground tunnel which connects the prison to the main base. However, it's certain to be heavily guarded, not to mention possibly destroyed from the missiles your ship fired" Pai shouted back.
For Retasu, there was no debate in her mind. She could feel the cold numbing her fingers and slowing the reflexes of her sword hand, but she didn't dare use her power to warm herself- she had the feeling that before this was over, she would need all the energy she possessed. "No choice" she replied. "We go underground."
Pai walked ahead, picking his way slowly to the prison. He could smell the smoke on the air, before he saw it- black plumes concealing a raging inferno in the ruins of the building. There was no movement, however. "Here it is," he said to the Commander, looking at a thick, twisted iron door on the side of the prison. "It's still intact, though- we may have trouble breaking through." Retasu only laughed at that, and drew her sword. It glowed with a dark flame for a moment, the color of old blood, before she slashed across the door, causing it to crumple into a smoldering sash. Pai smiled to himself. "Finally, Lettuce, you show me some of your true power." Retasu stepped aside, gesturing for Pai to go first. Pai smirked at her. "How polite of you."
"Not at all. I always let my guest have the privilege of springing the traps." Something that might have been the shadow a real smile flitted across her lips, but vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Still, for a moment Pai felt almost as if he was speaking to a real person, instead of the soulless assassin.
Zakuro's Mansion and Base
Zakuro watched on the viewscreen as her planet was decimated by the Demon's Fang. Her mansion was crumbling at her feet and the damn Karingi had already departed. She was on her own. She had already given the arrogant aliens her most recent information on Masaya's battle strategies, anyways, so she couldn't even bribe them to rescue her. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her that something else was also amiss. She scanned her viewscreen once more, noticing some strange activity in tunnel 12. Zooming closer, she found Midorikawa herself and Pai! Her former lover was helping her most hated rival in her own assassination. Truly, life was ridiculous at times.
Still, ridiculous or not, Zakuro preferred it to the alternative. She sent out a planet-wide message on her communications link. "Are any of you still alive?" she demanded of her guardsmen. There was some static, but she heard the replies of a few of her sergeants. Overall, she still had more than forty men, according to their reports. "Good. We are under attack by the Empire. There are two assassins coming for me at the moment, from tunnel 12. Kill the woman, but leave the man alive. He is a noble, and the warships will cease their attack if we ransom him. Bring that man to me and we may all still survive." A lie of course- if Retasu died, the Demon's Fang would demolish the planet, regardless of Pai. But, she couldn't expect her men to serve her out of a sense of loyalty. Mercenaries and rogues, the entire group… all they were concerned about was their own survival. Of course, if the rumors were true, they'd be no match for Lettuce, but they could at least buy Zakuro some time. After all, she wanted to kill Lettuce, but Pai was a different matter entirely. Since her planet was entirely in ruins, she could have Pai show her where the escape pods they had taken were and she could at least survive this ordeal to fight another day. Not to mention that the alien had proven himself a more than adequate lover on numerous occasions. Plus, she was certain that she could bend him to her will. 'Indeed,' she thought, looking at the small vials that the Karingi had brought her. 'He will help me whether he wants to or not.'
Planet SH-3 Tunnel 12
Pai let out a gasp of shock as Retasu forced him to the ground, just in time to prevent a flurry of laser fire from killing him. "Commander, I didn't know you cared," Pai whispered to the woman crouched on top of him.
"Shut up and stay down!" Retasu hissed, creeping out from behind a box of crates to face Zakuro's guardsmen.
The ambassador gave a melancholy sigh. "You know, that's what every woman seems to tell me!" Fortunately, Midorikawa hadn't heard him, and sprung for the nearest guardsman, sword unsheathed and glowing with that unnatural light. She surrendered herself entirely to the darkness, reveling in a freedom that had been denied her for far too long, and leaving a trail of carnage in her wake. Pai watched in both awe and disgust as she cut down man after man, without pause. Her movements were so fluid, so graceful that she seemed almost a dancer. But no dancer ever wore that hungry expression of blood lust, and Pai knew too well the dark master for whom she danced. As soon as it had begun, it was finished. The gunmen lay dead on the floor, blood pooling around their corpses. As Retasu turned around to look at him, however, a slow mocking clap filled the air, and from directly behind him, Pai heard a familiar laugh.
"Impressive, little Lettuce. Truly a magnificent display. A pity it shall be your last performance." Pai turned around to find himself facing Zakuro. His heart caught in his stomach. She was more breathtaking than ever! The wolf faced him. "And as for you my love—how could you betray me? Still, I am a forgiving woman… you have a chance to redeem yourself in my eyes. All you have to do is kill that bitch!" He felt a small sting pierce his neck, and had just enough time to see the shocked expression Retasu's face. And then, Prince Pai knew no more.
Retasu stared in shock as Pai crumpled to the ground at Zakuro's feet. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. True, she had ultimately planned to kill him, but still! Zakuro, noting her expression laughed. "The Karingi are masters of their art" she said, slowly gliding towards Retasu. Even a few drops of their poison can dull the senses, dim the mind, and kill a man. They can cause either exquisite pleasure or excruciating pain. As Zakuro spoke, her nails began to elongate into metallic, sword-like claws and Retasu noticed for the first time the acid dripping from those beautiful fingers. (When Zakuro said she needed a manicure, she really didn't mean just some nail polish- she sharpens her nails on her victims!) "Pain and pleasure- I'm sure you can guess what I'm going to give you, Mew Lettuce," Zakuro hissed as she flung herself at her former teammate. The battle had begun.
Retasu leapt away just in time to see Zakuro miss her by mere inches. The spot where she had been standing was now a melting ooze of acid. "Well Mew Zakuro, it seems all this time in the middle of nowhere has made you weak!" she laughed. Zakuro matched her laughter and struck one of the tunnel's pillars with her claws, slicing it completely in half and causing the already weak tunnel to start collapsing. Without thinking, Retasu grabbed Pai and slung him over her shoulder, right before a block of granite crushed him. She drew her sword and called upon her abilities to carve her own hole in the tunnel- this one onto the frozen tundra of SH-3. Unfortunately, Zakuro was already waiting for her on top, and slashed at Midorikawa's sword arm, as she was trying to disentangle herself from Pai. Retasu bit back a yelp of pain as the acid bit into her flesh. Zakuro was right, the pain was unimaginable! "Silly fool" the traitor shouted, reveling in Retasu's agony. "I am a wolf and this is my element" she said gesturing to the icy wasteland around them. "You're nothing more than a fish out of water."
Retasu felt her old hatred beginning to build inside her, feeding off her, yet granting strength at the same time. How dare Zakuro talk down to her? She was not the shy, gullible Mew Lettuce anymore, afraid of Zakuro's every glare. She was Commander Retasu Midorikawa, expert assassin and second in power to only the Emperor! This dog would not best her. Retasu, moving as swiftly as a shadow streaked toward Zakuro, all pain forgotten, her dark sword gleaming in the snow. She attacked viciously, instinctively, driving the traitor back with every step and leaving no opening for retaliation. Finally, Zakuro reacted a second too slow and Retasu plunged her sword into her side. Zakuro gave an anguished scream, music to the Commander's ears. But just as she was drawing back for the killing blow, she was engulfed in flames from behind. Screaming, tears rolling down her face, she stumbled aside and weakly tried to see the source of the new attack through her smoke-burnt eyes. Pai stood there sneering, another fire ball forming in his hand as he looked down at Retasu.
"About time you woke up." Zakuro slowly moved forward, still clutching her side. "Oh, there was something I forgot to mention, Mew Lettuce. I gave Pai a huge dose of what the Karingi call Euphorium… a poison that quite literally suppresses his free will, and puts him utterly at my mercy! Right now, he's noting more than my willing slave- just the way I like my men." Zakuro grinned viciously as she turned to the alien prince. "Pai, my love," she said, "kill her." Pai raised his hand and stared into Retasu's helpless eyes…
… And a million miles away the Emperor screamed in pain…
Overall, this chapter was a little more light-hearted than normal, but chapter 9 is where the really juicy stuff comes into play. Look for the conclusion of Retasu, Pai and Zakuro's battle, as well as some more Masaya. Plus, in the next chapter or two, Kish should be seeing Ichigo again after five years. Please Read and Review! Constructive criticism is certainly welcome!
