Chapter 10
She needed to push the Chimera Animal away from where Keiichiro was. What ever happened she had to by time until he could get back to the café…
There was the sound of a twig snapping and Zakuro froze. Suddenly the slight sound of splintering wood reached her ears and she ducked, just as the tree behind her was ripped apart. Zakuro dove forward to avoid getting crushed by the falling tree. She looked up in time to see a clawed hand descend down and grab her by the throat. The Chimera Animal lifted Zakuro up and slammed her against a tree, knocking the wind out of her. As Zakuro gasped for air, she kicked her legs wildly until she felt her foot connect with the Chimera Animal's stomach, making it keel over.
Zakuro got to her feet just as the Chimera Animal lunged at her. The Chimera Animal took a swing at Zakuro, but it was very slow and easy to dodge. Zakuro couldn't help but wonder if the Chimera Animal was simply that slow or doing it on purpose.
"Stop underestimating me!" Zakuro shouted and thrust her whip. Her attack pierced the Chimera Animal in the chest. Zakuro had expected it to explode and revert back into the spirit crystal and parasitic alien but found her whip repelled.
"I won't be that easy anymore," a voice said from above.
Zakuro looked to see Kisshu floating there. "What do you want?!"
"Just here to watch…and to tell you that's no ordinary Chimera Animal you're fighting…:"
"What do you mean by that?!" Zakuro glared at Kisshu.
"Well…" Kisshu scratched his head, as if thinking. "Let's just say that the new parasites are rather…attached to those they claim…So there's no reversing the process like before. The only down side is that if the soul is strong enough, some of its thoughts and feelings might leak through…"
"You mean that's why…?"
"It doesn't attack you with everything it's got?" Kisshu finished Zakuro's question. "Yep. I guess Tohma's soul was a little too…determined for it…"
"WHAT?! How could you?!" Zakuro screamed. This seemed to agitate the Chimera Animal for it lunged at Zakuro again, pinning her against a tree. "Tohma…I know you're still in there…you have to fight it!" The Chimera Animal merely growled. "How could you do this to him?! I thought…on the ship…"
"That's exactly why it has to be him...We've decided to leave Deep Blue but we still need the Mew Aqua for ourselves, but of course you girls would never hand it over… We won't hurt any more humans except those who stand in our way…And the only way to stop us now is to kill Tohma."
Zakuro tried to leap at Kisshu but the Chimera Animal pushed her roughly against the tree.
"Tohma…please…don't make me do this…" Zakuro whimpered, looking into the Chimera Animal's eyes.
Suddenly there was a shout. "Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!"
Zakuro looked up to see Ichigo's finishing attack flying at the Chimera Animal. Without so much as looking, the Chimera Animal deflected it with a swipe of its claws, faster than anything it had used on Zakuro so far.
"Ribbon Mint Arrow!"
"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"
The Chimera Animal deflected the first strike but before it could strike again, Lettuce's attack hit it in the side, knocking it away from Zakuro. The other Mew Mews rushed to Zakuro's side.
"Are you ok?" Ichigo asked, but Zakuro wasn't paying attention.
"Tohma!" Zakuro got to her feet and started towards where the Chimera Animal had been knocked away.
"Tohma?! You're kidding right?!" Mint said.
"That can't be…!" Pudding cried out.
Before Zakuro reached the place where the Chimera Animal laid, it burst out from under the debris and charged at the other Mint, who, other than Zakuro, was the closest.
"Look out!" Zakuro shouted, running towards them. Zakuro managed to reach Mint before the Chimera Animal did and pushed Mint out of the way. She suddenly felt a sharp sting and a flare of pain in her side. The Chimera Animal had left four deep gashes in her side and, to prevent it from getting away and attacking anyone else, Zakuro grabbed its arm, holding it where it was.
"Zakuro!" Mint cried, getting up and moving forward to help Zakuro.
However, Zakuro shouted for Mint to stop. "Don't come any closer! He's stronger than most Chimera Animal we've fought in the past."
"But-"
Zakuro cut Ichigo off. "I'll handle him, you girls get out of here!!" Zakuro knew how to defeat the Chimera Animal and what it would cost, and she wouldn't let something like that be a burden on anyone other than herself.
"You're hurt…!" Lettuce said hesitantly.
"I'll take care of him!" Zakuro shouted.
"We can take him together!" Pudding cried, leaping forward to attack the Chimera Animal, only to be knocked back brutally.
"Pudding!"
The Chimera Animal thrashed about as the other Mew Mews ran to see if Pudding was alright.
Zakuro couldn't think of any way to stop it from hurting anyone else. There was a shock of pain in her side and she looked down again to see her side and leg was complete covered in blood that she had bled out. She started to feel slightly faint but stood strong. The moment she felt a slight slack in the Chimera Animal's arm, she quickly reached up and placed her hands on either side of its face.
"Tohma…I'm so sorry…" She kissed the Chimera Animal on the lips deeply. Everything seemed to freeze around them, Kisshu peering down from them in interest from above the trees and the other Mew Mews staring at the two. Zakuro pulled away slowly, tears running down her face, and placed the handle of her weapon against his chest. "Ribbon…Zakuro Spear…"
There was a flash of light and the handle of Zakuro's whip ignited, sending the tail of her whip straight through the Chimera Animal's chest. The Chimera Animal stumbled back a little, before its body started to disappear. First its hands and feet started to disappear, then its legs and arms. Before its head disappeared, it seemed to smile at Zakuro. It gave a soft, low growl, and clearly in Zakuro's head, as if the Chimera Animal had said it, she heard "Thank you…I love you…"
Eventually there was nothing and sitting on the tail of Zakuro's whip was a spirit crystal, the whip running through the middle of it. Then, it dropped uselessly to the ground in two separate pieces. It didn't have the normal glow of most spirit crystals. If she hadn't known, Zakuro would've said it was any ordinary gem.
"Tch…that was a waste…" Kisshu mumbled before disappearing.
The other Mew Mews walked slowly up to Zakuro.
"Zakuro…? You ok…?"
Zakuro turned her head to look at them, tears pouring from her eyes. Then, suddenly, she felt her legs give way, the blood she was losing from the wound in her side making her feel light headed. She fell to the floor with a thud, but Zakuro barely felt it at all. While the other Mew Mews rushed to her side, asking if she was ok, Zakuro didn't answer them, instead lifted her hand up and picked up the pieces of the spirit shard lying in the grass. She gave it a squeeze and she felt her vision go blurry. She was going to pass out any second now, she knew it, but she didn't care. If it meant being together with the one she loved, she could die for all she cared. Zakuro closed her eyes, tears still flowing out and soon became unconscious.
Hm...I don't seem to be getting many reviews at all...the predecessor of this story got a lot more than this...and a lot more veiws in general. I was nice while it lasted, I think it's better than before, which makes me happy. But if I don't see anyone showing any interest the next chapter will be the last. I hope at least a couple people have enjoyed it.