Monster to Find Us

The tall figure watched the alien and the girl as they walked. The alien's ability to disguise himself was interesting and amusing. That was indeed cleaver of him since it made it possible for him to move about freely in the human's world. Unless you knew, he would blend quite effectively into a crowd. Those two looked like an ordinary couple as they walked hand in hand. How perfect it would be to rip them apart now.

He was practically shaking with anticipation. This was going to be the first of many enjoyable ventures. It turned out he could not wait until tomorrow. The second he knew they had returned he had to go see them. The two had a nice little catnap before they returned, but they were finally back. He could finish some of what he intended to do today, but not all. There was no reason to put of till tomorrow what he could finish today. That girl would suffer a bit more today. He was going to take her with him this time!

"Just wait here and save the table. I will be right back after I order." She waved to the boy and hurried toward the establishment.

A gleeful laugh escaped him. That girl made it so simple! The outside seating at this restaurant made catching her away from her lover terribly simple. For a task like this he could have simply sent someone to bring her, but it was fine this way. Catching her himself made the hunt more enjoyable. This would be his first real demonstration for her.

Soundlessly, he moved through the crowd, eyes locked onto his victim. There would be no trouble slipping in behind her with this many people crowding around. He was rather glad there was such a crowd of potential witnesses or hindrances; that made it more interesting. No one would catch him, but the potential that they could made hunting more amusing. He let her walk inside to order. When she came back out he would be waiting for her.

The large window made it easy to watch her. Even now she had no idea her peaceful evening was just about to end. His blue eyes studied her, still so carefree and happy. Soon that expression would be gone. He would replace it with one of terror, violation, and hopelessness.
As she came out, the door swung shut with a jingle. He waited in the little alcove of the building, a shadowy little place. With one fluid motion, he hooked her into the shadows and thrust the needle into her neck. Within a few seconds her body went pimp in his arms. The little girl was as good as his. Now began his dolls suffering and the tightening of several more strings.

A huge haze clouded her mind and she began to try to move through it. Where was she? Hadn't she just ordered food? Was she dreaming? Were her eyes even open? Ichigo blinked hard but still saw nothing, eyelashes brushing against something each time she blinked. A tight, heavy feeling of something over her wrists and ankles caught her attention as she tried to move. A metallic rattle met her ears as she shifted positions. Chains! Carefully her fingers worked over the smooth metal bindings. Her hands were shackled behind her back, a long chain extended from the irons.

Fear spiked her heart when she heard motion near her. A sudden movement cut into her neck as another chain clanked – There was something like a collar and chain around her neck too! She felt the touch of skin against her face before someone hauled her into the air and slung her over their shoulder. It was a man, she was sure; he had large shoulders and strong arms. The sound of chains dragging the floor rattled in her ears as they moved. Her senses were on overload, terror ripping and clawing viciously at her mind. She was too afraid to struggle or even speak.

She felt him shift just before she felt the sensation of falling. Icy needles crashed against her as the water rushed to engulf her. The moment her mind registered that she was in the water she began to panic and struggle against the inescapable pull of sinking. Hands and feet bound, all she could do was thrash. The collar dug into her neck as the chain dragged her back to the surface. As her head surfaced she gasped wildly for air. The wet blindfold clung to her face like soggy skin. Water slithered down her hair and face.

"What are you doing? Who are you?" She cried.

Ichigo took a fleeting, desperate drag of air as the chain on the collar went slack. Again, her body plummeted for an unknown bottom, water rushing around her. Her throat felt tight with the horrible sensation of strangulation. She struggled desperately against the chains. Something bumped the side of her leg and then vanished. There was a second tightness as her body hit the end of the chain, stopping her descent into the depths, but not pulling her up. Her heartbeat pounded and pulsed in her ears, head throbbing. However long she had really been under did not matter, it seemed like hours. A squeezing, tight, suffocating sensation was overwhelming her senses. Her mind screamed to take a breath. Something hit her again, and then another time. All she saw was dismal, inky, blackness. Her whole body ached with terror and desire for even one breath of air.

The collar jerked her head back as it dragged her upward again. As she moved through the water she felt things hitting against her, things that had not been there when she came down. They felt big. It took every bit of her strength to resist the urge to gasp or scream. Without the use of her eyes all she had was her imagination to try to answer the question of what these things were. The first answer that came to mind terrified her more than the thought of drowning. Didn't sharks tap and nudge their victims before attacking?

"There is something in here!" She squeaked out as soon as she was able, "What is this place? Why are you doing this?" Horror gripped her as she felt the water rising again, "No!"

Her descent stopped.

"Please!" She whimpered, "Please, don't! Let me out!"

Something nipped at her foot, making her scream.

"What's in here? What is this place?" Ichigo cried.

All that met her questions was terrible silence.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" She shouted, desperate for anything to cling to.

She gulped in as large a breath of air as she could when she felt the chain suddenly slacked. The water dragged her down again like an eager grave. Her whole body felt so weak, as if she had been fighting for hours. Even with the large amount of air she managed to pull in before sinking, it still felt like the supply was already gone. Her throat felt ready to collapse, it screamed for her to inhale even though she knew there was no air to take in. She struggled against the panic filled, desperate urge, rational part of her brain small but still there. The terrible pounding of her heart pulsed through her body, terror mounting with each beat. She could not give in; she had to keep her lips closed. . . Had to! She struggled weakly against the solid shackles.

Something bit her arm, hundreds of needles shot into her skin, tearing at her flesh. The shock made her take a breath, water rushed into her mouth as her throat tried to quickly close in an effort to shut out the invasion of her lungs. The choking sensation was so strong, unavoidably, painfully, persistent. Her brain screamed for air that was not there.

At last, she could not fight it anymore. She coughed and breathed a short breath of nothing but water. Her lungs burned with the breathless aching of drowning. She twisted against the pain, mind already being swallowed by a force she supposed to be death. Things began hitting her again but it felt distant. Even the pain of a third bite was only faintly felt in the back of her mind as she worked not to try for another breath filled with water. Perhaps she could not have breathed in again, lungs already full of water, throat tightly constricted.

This was the end. It was shocking how quickly the final thoughts in her mind came. She found herself wishing for many things; mostly the chance to see the faces of those she loved one last time. Over the past several months she pushed everyone away, and she regretted that now. She should have spent more time with them. If only she could say goodbye to her friends, the Mew Mews, her family. . . and Kisshu!

This was the second time she had done this to him today! Why did she always have to go off alone? This time he was really going to yell at her! Kisshu growled at the air. He had been searching for two hours without any success. That girl! At the moment he wanted to wrap his hands around her little neck. He could just kill her! If this was payback for dropping her, he really would kill her. He continued, eyes scanning for any indication of her presence.

That waiter arrived at their table with the order, but Ichigo still had not come back. Right then he knew something was going on. For some reason, she left him there. What her reason might have been, he had no idea. There was no reason for her to go off suddenly, or to go somewhere without telling him.

Night had completely descended. Darkness was coming earlier and earlier, but still. Where could she be? Why did she vanish? One minute she was there and the next it was as if something swallowed her whole. There was no trace of her anywhere. It was less like she walked away and more like she ported away, but that was not possible. Then again, the strange guy that attacked her vanished that way. Could he have taken her? He did not want to think of that potential. How would he ever find her if that had happened?

The way she vanished made much more sense if she had been taken that way than if she had walked away. That really did seem like the clear answer, but he did not want to admit it to himself. She had not been that far away from him, so she could have called out for help if she was in danger. He would have noticed something, wouldn't he? They could have come up behind her and knocked her out, that would account for her not calling to him. He clamped his eyes shut. How could he have been so close and not realized? His heart was racing. What could he do? All he could do was keep looking for any sign of her.

"Please, Ichigo, come back!" Kisshu whispered to the night air, "You know I can't lose you!"

Ichigo's mind worked to understand what was happening. She felt her body shaking violently and something pushing against her. She still could not see because of the wet blindfold plastered to her face. Her throat and lungs burned as she began to gag and choke up water. Everything hurt. She felt a sudden cold sensation as her legs sank into water once again and her stomach burned where her body was draped over something hard and unforgiving. She was half in and half out of the water now. This was a tank; she could feel the edge cutting into her ribs as she leaned over it. How big was it exactly? The edge felt very thick.

As her breathing began to return to normal and she finally stopped gagging on the water, she felt a hand moving her off the tank. He was putting her back into the water! Her heart raced and terror ran icy fingers through her mind. Not again! She could not do it again! She just couldn't! Her body felt so terribly weak she knew she would not last through it anymore. Her lungs burned from the water that was still in them. It was still hard to breath the way her throat was now. There was no way she could do this again.

"No!" Ichigo wailed, tears mixing into the water in the blindfold, "Please, not again! Please, don't do this! I'm begging you!"

A long horrible silence stretched on forever. Without her eyes she could not tell if he was considering it or getting ready to shove her under once again. She tried to hide the tears and cries welling up inside her but they were spilling out one by one.

She heard what she thought was a chuckle as two hands dragged her onto a platform of some kind. Once again she was tossed over a sturdy shoulder and she heard the noticeable sound of stairs creaking underfoot. Whatever tank he placed her in had to be tall if it required stairs. She shivered as the thought occurred to her that sharks would need a large tank. They could have been a small breed of shark. The bites did not feel large enough to belong to a great white shark. His shoes hit solid ground; she noted the difference in sounds.

Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Part of it was from the chill of the water but more of it was due to fear. What would this person do to her next? First he nearly drowned her in a shark tank, so what horrors awaited her next? She did not want to think about what was going to happen. She avoided a death in the tank, but what worse things might be in her future? He kept walking. Where was he taking her now? She sent up silent prayers that it would be somewhere she could escape from. Roughly, he set her on something and removed the shackles from her wrists and ankles. She dared not move as he took her into his arms. Maybe he was going to lock her in a cell now.

She screamed as she felt him tossing her up. Ichigo's body flew through the air; a momentary feeling of weightlessness came over her before she began to plummet. The horrifyingly familiar sensation of water crashed hard around her body. Not again! She flailed and kicked for the surface and air. Her head broke and she inhaled quickly as she jerked the blindfold down. Her eyes darted around wildly. This was not where she had been before, this was a normal lake. No one was in sight either, she was alone.

Quickly, she swam to the shore, grateful to be alive and free again. There was a bridge just to her right. That must have been what he sat her on a moment ago when he threw her in. She crawled tenderly over the dirt and rocks before resting on the grass. Her body screamed protests. There were watery streaks of red down her arm and leg but she did not take the time to look at them.

With the blindfold now off her eyes, she fumbled with what was still around her neck. Her tired fingers found the fastening and undid it. As it fell into her lap she noted that it really was a collar – It was a pink dog's collar with a long chain hooked to it. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. What did that guy think she was? What kind of game was he playing? In such a short time he had degraded her, made her helpless, nearly killed her, and even got her to beg for her life. How pathetic was she?

Ichigo struggled to her feet, the collar dropping to the ground as she stood. Without a second glance, she left it there and began to walk. Her mind was still hazy and she was not at all sure where she was. Trying to hold in the sobs, she kept walking along the sidewalk, bare feet cold on the cement. The tiny bite on her foot stung every time she stepped down. She could feel dirt grinding into the wound.

Ichigo yelped and jumped back as she saw a sudden movement.

"Ichigo!" Kisshu hollered as he flew to her side.

Drained of her last bit of strength, she collapsed into his strong, welcome embrace. Never had his arms felt so wonderful. Already, she felt so safe and so secure she could have fallen asleep right here. She took a deep breath, inhaling the wonderful smell of his clothes. Not long ago she thought she would never even see him again, let alone feel this embrace again. Right now, she could let him hold her and cuddle her forever.

"What. . . what h-happened to you?" He murmured into her dripping hair.

She let her head roll to the side so she could see his face and shot him a smile, "You know me! I'm so clumsy!" At this moment lying to him seemed the only thing she could deal with. She did not want to tell him the truth; not about how easily she let herself be caught, how defenseless she really was, how he turned her into an animal, or how he got her to beg in terror. All she felt for the past, however long it had been, was shame.

"Oh? How did you get wet?" His eyes traveled to her bloody arm, "How did you get hurt like that?"

"I don't remember much about what happened. Somehow I guess I ended up falling into the lake. I got hurt trying to get out. It's nothing."

Kisshu hauled her to a nearby bench and eased her onto it. His eyes traveled over her quizzically, examining her. It was hard to even hold herself up anymore – It seemed that almost dying just zapped the energy out of you. Gentle, long fingers traced her arm, examining the bite mark. A little more looking and he found the bite on her leg and foot, he even found a gash on her thigh she did not know was there.

"I have never seen rocks that make marks like these before." He remarked flatly as he sat next to her and drew her upper body into his arms.

She relaxed, grateful she did not have to sit up anymore. Kisshu raked the wet hair off of her face as he stared down at her. What was going through his mind was beyond her, but his expression was taciturn, aloof, and reticent. He did not believe a word she said. Both out of exhaustion and to keep from having to look him in the eye, she let her eyes close. His fingers slid along her neck slowly. She flinched as she noticed his fingers working at the knot in the blindfold – She forgot it was still there. Once the knots were out he slid it off her. Her eyes remained closed as she stayed in his arms, defeated. It was hardly any use to keep lying; still, she could not tell him how easy it had been for that man to defeat her. In a short time she had been terrified, subdued, broken, and objectified; used for simple amusement.
Kisshu stayed silent; not that he needed to say more. It was already clear that he knew, discovered her lies. He did not need to tell her. At least he was being kind enough not to berate her.

All night he had been listening for her so carefully. The moment he heard that scream, he knew it was her. He had been so glad to hear that precious voice! Knowing she was back filled him with joy. As fast as he could, he searched, and found her. That scream meant she was alive. But. . .

His jaw tightened. What had they done to her? He could see the marks on her neck and little tears in the skin; it looked like they kept something tightly around her neck. They might have strangled her repeatedly. There were impressions, the beginnings of deep bruises, around her wrists and ankles as well. She must have been struggling so hard in order to have marks like that. The black cloth around her neck must have been to cover her mouth. The bite marks on her were not made by humans this time. They even took her shoes away from her, maybe to make her walk home without them. She even lied to him to keep from talking about what they did. . . What else had been done to her that she could not bring herself to talk about? This was unforgivable!

"Who was it?" His voice came out in a growl.

She closed her eyes more tightly, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Her eye flew open, anger spiking in her voice, "I mean I don't know! I never saw who it was!" She looked away, "Not once did he say one word. He never said anything no matter how many questions I asked."

"What happened?"

"I don't even know that, exactly. I could not see anything." Her voice was getting shaky.

"Tell me what you do know."

"Look – " She coughed, body contorting in his arms as she worked to catch her breath.

He quickly sat her up and held her head while she coughed up saliva and water. Her tiny frame quivered against him like a leaf. She seemed even weaker than he first guessed. Whatever happened to her took a clear toll on her body.

"Kisshu, could we just go home? I'm so tired I can hardly stay awake. We can talk later, alright?" Her eyes were already drifting shut.

Kisshu held her to him, cradling her, "Sure, Ichigo."

His heart retched at the thought of anyone putting her in this state. He tightened his hold on her, subconsciously willing that her pain would go away if he held her enough. She seemed ill already and he worried about her overall health. He could not worry about going after anyone right now; Ichigo's health came before anything else. He needed to get her into bed so she could rest. Those wounds also needed to be treated quickly to avoid infection. Seeing her like this made his chest ache. Not only had she been tormented but she was ill now as well. He should have been there to stop this! He should have been able to protect her! What good was he to her if he could not even protect her when she was only a few yards away?

AN: I do not own the characters, TMM does. Just a reminder. I use the characters, I might even put my own spin on them, but I do not own. XD Thank you! Hope you enjoy the first real entry of the bad guy!