Chapter 14-Don't give up yet, the search is still on! And, Pepé has new powers…? Nya!?
"You have to pull yourself together, Isabella! You don't want your dad to see you like this, right?" Erick asked worriedly as he kneeled down on the ground next to where I sat.
"B-But…Kisshu is…gone! The aliens took him to who knows where and I'll probably never see him again! The last time I saw him, I told him I would be careful…yet, I should have told him that!" I whined miserably as I wrapped my arms around my legs and I buried my head in my arms, all while I still cried.
"What are we going to do with her, Erick?" Alexia asked anxiously and with concern as she kneeled on the other side of me.
The others all voice similar concerns, before Erick answers their worries.
"For now we should get her to sit in a chair, that way at least she'll look more natural." Erick spoke hurriedly as he grabbed one of my arms.
Alexia nods silently as she grabs my other arm and together they drag me to my feet, they pull me along, until they can sit me down in a nearby chair.
Once I'm sitting in a chair, I fling both of my arms on the table as I lay my face down on the table, before I wrap my arms around my head.
"It's all over…I'll never see Kisshu or talk to him ever again." I whispered absently as I closed my eyes, since no more tears would come.
"Oh great, now she thinks she's a hermit or something." Chelsea spoke solemnly as she crossed her arms.
"Poor Isabella…" Courtney whispered with concern.
"It's probably too much for her to handle alone…the pain of losing Kisshu to the other aliens." Ami spoke solemnly.
"Isabella…" Mike and Erick whispered with concern.
"This definitely won't work! Her dad will totally know something is wrong with her…" Alexia spoke frantically as she glanced worriedly at everyone.
"We could always put her back in her room, tell her dad that she suddenly wasn't feeling well, while we cover for her until she feels better." Mitsuki spoke seriously as she stalked over to where I sat and she tossed me on her back like a backpack.
"So, now you're going to work at the café too, Mitsuki?" Chelsea asked with disbelief as she uncrossed her arms to place her hands on her hips instead.
"I don't see why not. Isabella needs me, so I'll help out as much as I can. How about you, Ami?" Mitsuki spoke seriously as she answered Chelsea, before she turned to Ami with a smirk.
"I don't mind volunteering to help, since it's for Isabella's sake." Ami spoke warmly before she went to get dressed in the café's uniform.
"And, I suppose I should let Delilah take over for now, since there's nothing left for me to do. See you all later!" The other Delilah spoke cheerfully as she suddenly went back into Delilah's subconscious, which lets Delilah have control again.
"Alright, I'll be back everyone." Mitsuki spoke firmly as she glanced at Mike once, before she sighs deeply and she looked away from him to focus on me.
I cling to Mitsuki's back silently as she quickly hurries into the kitchen, she glances around to make sure my dad isn't watching-who must have gone in the locker room for something, since the guy's door is open-, and she runs upstairs to place me on my bed.
"I know this isn't a good solution, Isabella…but, after you've calmed down a little, we can discuss how we're going to save Kisshu." Mitsuki spoke firmly as she tucked me under the covers, before she turned to leave the room and she glanced at Pepé still charging in the outlet.
"Pepé, it's your job to watch over Isabella until she feels better. I'm leaving her in your hands, got it?" Mitsuki asked seriously.
"Roger that, Mitsuki! Cheep! I'll take good care of her." Pepé spoke confidently as he suddenly finished charging and he flew over to where I lay in bed, so he could sit next to me.
"Keep us posted, Pepé." Mitsuki responded firmly as she left my room and she closed the door after her silently.
"So…what happened, Cheep? Because, I'm confused… I thought we beat the aliens this time around?" Pepé asked with confusion.
"Oh, Pepé…! It's awful! Those terrible aliens took Kisshu away from me, when we were still in that dimension…!" I whined childishly as I curled up with the covers wrapped around me, before I hid completely underneath the covers.
"That really is terrible! Cheep! But, don't worry, you and the others will get him back." Pepé spoke seriously as he nudged the covers with his paws.
I pop my head out of the covers to stare miserably at Pepé, before I speak in a huff, "We don't even know where they took him, Pepé! For all we know, they could already be on their way back to their home planet…!"
"That would be impossible, Cheep. My scanners say that they haven't left Earth yet, Isabella. They're probably having problems with their ship…so cheer up!" Pepé spoke firmly as he hopped on top of the covers, so he could jump around on the covers to get me to come out.
"They're still here…?! You can find them?!" I asked excitedly as I quickly sat up in bed and I grabbed Pepé eagerly with both of my hands.
"I suppose I could track them, somehow, but…I won't be able to start until tomorrow. Cheep." Pepé spoke reluctantly as he frowned and he squirmed in my grasp.
"Why tomorrow…? Why not now?" I asked impatiently as I frowned too and I opened my hands so Pepé can stand up.
"Well, the trail has already gone cold, Isabella. I'll have to use different methods to track them now… Cheep…" Pepé spoke seriously.
"Oh…I see. Never mind then…" I whispered grimly as I let go of Pepé, who flies silently down on the bed next to me; and, I quickly covered myself back up again, before I curled up under the covers.
"Isabella… Cheep… I can still find them." Pepé whispered worriedly as I turned towards the wall with my back to Pepé.
"But, I have to wait until tomorrow, right? Tomorrow is Friday…I don't want to go to school if Kisshu isn't there. I would sit through all my classes worrying about him…" I whispered grimly as I gripped the covers tightly.
Silence fills the space between us, as Pepé thinks about what I said, until I hear a knock at my door.
"Who is it…?" I asked reluctantly as I rolled to face the door and I peeked out of the covers just as the door slowly opened.
"Isabella? It's me. Your friends from school, and Erick, all keep telling me that you aren't feeling well. Is that true? Because if it is, I'll let you stay home from school tomorrow." Dad spoke earnestly as he stepped into my room.
"Ah…yeah, I'm not feeling well at all." I spoke seriously as I placed one arm on my forehead dramatically.
Dad walks into the room then and he stands over my bed, before he moves his hand on my forehead to check my temperature.
"I don't think you have a fever, but it could always be the first stage of a cold. I'll let you take the day off tomorrow, so just stay in your room and get some rest." Dad spoke firmly as he moved his hand away from my forehead and he smirked at me, before he turned to leave my room.
"Dad, could you tell everyone downstairs that I'm not going to school tomorrow? I want to get a head start on resting after all." I spoke sincerely as I buried myself deeper in the covers.
"Sure thing, kiddo. I wouldn't want them to catch your cold, right?" Dad spoke teasingly as he glanced back at me once, before he walked out of my room and he closed the door after him.
"Is it really okay for you not to go to school…? Cheep?" Pepé asked worriedly as he turned to face me with concern.
"I wouldn't be able to focus on school anyway, Pepé, and you know that… So, let me just get some sleep, okay?" I spoke honestly as I turned to face the wall again and I closed my eyes, so I could quickly fall asleep to forget about the situation.
"I don't know about that, Isabella… Cheep…" Pepé whispered anxiously as he watched me fall asleep.
XXX
(I can't believe how stupid I was… I should have known that those three new aliens were up to something!)
(If only I hadn't fallen for their little dimension trick…! Then…Kisshu would still be here!)
(You're seriously still beating yourself up over him? Why not just let him go? He's with his own kind, now… And, truthfully, you two would never have worked out anyway, since you're both just too different.)
(You take that back, me! Sure, we're not of the same race, but we get along just fine!)
(What drove you to believe you even like him?)
(Well…spending so much time with him, I guess. Plus, I got to see so many sides of him; and, I can tell that he honestly cares about me.)
(If you seriously believe all that, then you're a bigger fool than I imagined…)
(What the…?! What did you just say?!)
(Kisshu will be your very undoing, but if you don't believe me, then it's your own fault. By the way, good luck with finding him tomorrow…you're going to need all the luck in the world.)
(Obnoxious little pest…! Who does she think she is anyway?! I will find Kisshu tomorrow, no matter what!)
XXX
"Isabella, wake up…it's morning already. Cheep. You overslept, but since it's Friday, and you have the day off, I guess that's okay." Pepé chirped anxiously from nearby.
"Huh…? Was I asleep this whole time…? I must have been more tired than I thought… " I whispered tiredly as I slowly sat up in bed and I rubbed my eyes until they adjusted to the light in the room.
I glance over at the spot Pepé would usually be in, but I notice with shock that he's not plugged into my outlet or sitting on my nightstand!
"I hear you Pepé, but just where are you?!" I asked worriedly as I glanced around the room, until I spot a kid standing in the center of my room.
The kid is short, about chest-high, and he has short, wavy, black hair with white streaks, red eyes, and pale skin; and, he's wearing: an over-sized, red, scarf around his neck, a short-sleeve, red shirt with black along the edges, and black pants with black shoes.
"Who are you…?!" I asked worriedly as I quickly grabbed my covers and I pulled them around me like a shield.
"What…? You don't recognize me, Isabella? Cheep? That really hurts my feelings!" The kid spoke with Pepé's voice as he looked like he was about to cry.
"Pepé, is that you?! I didn't know you could transform…into a kid!" I spoke with disbelief as I tossed aside the covers and I raced over to where Pepé stood.
"Well, I have finally discovered all my abilities, Isabella. So, now I can help you and the others more! Cheep!" Pepé chirped excitedly as he smirked up at me.
"That's great news, Pepé! But, if you're going to look like a kid, then you're going to have to act and sound like a kid. So, no more of this 'Cheep' business, okay?" I asked seriously.
"If that's what you want, Isabella. Cheep! I mean-sure thing, Isabella!" Pepé spoke sincerely as he finally started acting his age.
"I can't wait to tell Erick about this new discovery, Pepé! Where is he anyway? He would have woken me up before you did…" I spoke anxiously and worriedly.
"Don't worry about Erick, Isabella. He's working in the café with your dad." Pepé spoke firmly as he noticed the worry on my face.
"Ah, so he's finally taking his job as assistant manager seriously. Good for him." I spoke teasingly as I smirked at the idea of Erick actually working.
"Yeah, I guess he thought he could handle your job for today, since he feels guilty about letting the aliens take Kisshu away." Pepé spoke seriously as he stared up at me.
"What…?! He shouldn't feel guilty…it's no one's fault, but those aliens!" I spoke firmly.
"That's what I tried to tell him too, but he's just too stubborn to accept that." Pepé spoke grimly, before he asked eagerly, "So, anyway, what are you going to do today, Isabella?"
"You and I are going to find Kisshu today." I spoke firmly as I rushed over to my closet to find regular clothes to change into, since I'm still wearing my school uniform from yesterday.
"What?! Aren't we going to wait for the others to show up?" Pepé asked worriedly as he followed me to my closet.
"Alexia, Delilah, Chelsea, Courtney, Ami, and Mitsuki are all at school now. Erick is working down at the café, so he's definitely out. Besides, it would be easier if it's just the two of us." I spoke seriously as I found a long-sleeve, blue shirt, a medium-length, light-blue skirt, teal socks with light-blue shoes in my closet.
"That's true, but what if we do find the aliens? We'll be seriously outnumbered!" Pepé spoke worriedly as I pulled the clothes out of my closet and I hurried over to my bed to lay them down.
"If we find them, I'll just transform into Spirit Mew Sugar and kick their butts!" I spoke firmly as I smirked at Pepé over my shoulder.
"Stop joking, Isabella! This is serious!" Pepé spoke dismally as he frowned at me.
"I was only kidding, Pepé… If we do happen to find them, we'll report it back to the others; and, if there's a chance to save Kisshu, we'll take it. But, if not…we'll retreat and regroup, sound good?" I asked sincerely as I turned to face Pepé.
"I guess that's as good as it gets with you, Isabella. You're just too stubborn too…" Pepé spoke reluctantly as he compared me to Erick.
"Thanks for agreeing with me and for the compliment, but you have to leave so I can get dressed." I spoke honestly as I shooed Pepé with my hands.
"Why do I have to leave? I watched you change before…!" Pepé whined childishly.
"That was when you were a little skunk, now you're a kid so it's just weird. Go hide in the closet until I finish changing!" I spoke firmly as I stormed over to him and I pushed him towards the closet.
"Fine, but I still don't see the problem here!" Pepé protested dismally as he reluctantly walked into my closet and he closed the door behind him.
(Pepé doesn't just look like a kid, he even thinks like a kid! Oh well, I'm still not changing in front of him.)
As I hurry to dress in the clothes on my bed, I think back to other me and what she said in my dream.
(Why does she hate Kisshu so much…? Or is it just me she hates? Ugh…I can't think about this now! I have to go search for Kisshu! The longer I think about pointless things, the less time I have to save him!)
With that, I finish getting dressed-I pull my blonde hair up on either side of my head with my two blue ribbons-and I turn to face the closet door as I speak seriously, "Let's go save Kisshu, Pepé!"
"Took you long enough to get ready… Just kidding!" Pepé spoke teasingly as he came out of the closet.
"I don't take long to get ready…Sheesh!" I spoke jokingly as I headed for the door.
"Wait, Isabella, we can't leave yet…! What if your dad, or Erick, comes to check on you and they find out you're not in your room?" Pepé asked anxiously as he followed after me.
"I really don't want to tell Erick where we're going, he'll feel like he has to come with us…and he could get hurt by the aliens. And, I definitely can't tell my dad about any of this! Oh man, what are we going to do about that, Pepé?" I asked worriedly as I turned to face him.
"Luckily for you, I found out that I have a new ability to create holograms of any kind! We can make a hologram of you, Isabella!" Pepé spoke excitedly as he smirked up at me.
"Sweet! Let's try it out and see if it works." I spoke eagerly.
"Okay, just stand still so I can scan and copy you into a hologram." Pepé spoke seriously before his red eyes started glowing as he scanned me, copied me from head-to-toe, and he suddenly turned to the side with his arms out.
Just then, a red light shoots out of his hands and from within the light, a girl suddenly materializes from the light!
The girl even looks exactly like me, right down to the outfit I'm now wearing!
"Wow, Pepé, your powers are getting stronger every day!" I spoke with awe as I stared at the hologram of me, who stared back emotionlessly.
"T-Thanks for saying so, Isabella. I want to keep up with you and the others, so I've practiced while you were asleep. And really, ever since I came to know you and the others, I felt like I haven't been doing my share of the work, but now I can!" Pepé spoke sincerely as he smiled warmly at me.
"Don't ever think that you aren't working hard like the rest of us, Pepé! You're apart of this team too, so anything you can do to help, is greatly appreciated." I spoke honestly as I looked away from my hologram and I smiled warmly at Pepé.
"I-Isabella! You're right…I'll do the very best I can do, to help the Spirit Mew Mews!" Pepé cheered excitedly as he threw a fist in the air eagerly.
"Um, excuse me, but if it's not too much trouble…could you explain the situation to me? I'm not really sure why I'm here…" The holographic me spoke anxiously as she looked from Pepé to me and she started to fidget where she stood.
"She can talk?! How awesome is that? Oh, right…the situation is like this: my dad thinks I'm sick, so you have to stay in bed when he comes to check on you; and, Erick knows I'm not sick, but you can't let him know that you aren't the real Isabella. Got it?" I asked seriously as I turned my attention back to my hologram.
"I suppose I understand, Isabella. I'll do what I can to help you." The holographic me spoke firmly as she turned to walk over to my bed, crawled under the covers, and she pretended that she was sick.
"That was really easy, Pepé." I spoke with shock as I looked back at him.
"Yeah, because when I make a hologram of a person, they usually act like the original person. We better hurry, though, the longer I'm away from my holograms, the sooner they fade away." Pepé spoke seriously as he headed for the door first.
"Oh, why's that?" I asked worriedly as I hurried after him.
"I still haven't practiced enough…" Pepé spoke sheepishly as he opened my door for me.
"Don't worry, you can practice later…after we save Kisshu!" I spoke firmly as I hurried out of my room with Pepé right behind me, before he closed my door after us.
XXX
"Okay, we've made it out of your room…now what?" Pepé asked anxiously as we hid on the steps in front of the bifold door.
I peer through the blinds, of the bifold door, and I spot my dad in the kitchen cooking, so Erick can only be in the café working.
"I can see my Dad in the kitchen, which must mean Erick is in the other half of the café… Escaping is so not an option now." I spoke grimly as I moved away from the door and I sat back down on the steps next to Pepé.
"I can use my abilities to make us temporarily invisible, Isabella, but you can't let anyone bump into you or they'll notice us." Pepé spoke seriously.
"Your abilities never stop amazing me, Pepé." I spoke proudly as I smirked at him, before I patted his head.
"T-Thanks, Isabella. It's nothing really…the others already made me use this ability, so I know it works." Pepé spoke earnestly as his face flushes by my compliment.
"Seriously?! They knew something about you before me?! I'm jealous…" I whined childishly as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Yeah, but at least you know two things they don't know now: I can transform into a kid and I can use holograms!" Pepé spoke honestly.
"That is true… Anyway, let's go before Erick or Dad decide to check up on me." I spoke anxiously as I uncrossed my arms, before I got off the step and I stood near the bifold door.
"Right, just stick close to me and we'll get out of here unnoticed." Pepé spoke firmly as he held his hands out at me.
Suddenly, a red light engulfs Pepé and I as we open the bifold door to step into the kitchen.
Once we're in the kitchen, my Dad looks over at the bifold door, where we're standing in fact, in confusion-since it seemed like it opened by itself-, before he shrugs his shoulders and he starts to work again.
"It worked, Pepé! Come on, we can sneak out of the kitchen's back exit now." I spoke eagerly as I grabbed Pepé's hand and I pulled him after me towards the exit, which is on the other side of my Dad.
"Be careful, Isabella! Don't come too near your dad or else…" Pepé whispered anxiously as we slowly navigated around my Dad towards the exit.
"We're almost there…!" I whispered with relief as I spot the door a few feet away, until I nearly run into my Dad as he turned to get something from a cabinet.
I halt in my tracks, causing Pepé to crash into me, as we wait until my Dad grabs what he's looking for and he turns back to the counter in the middle of the room.
"That was a close one!" I whispered with relief to Pepé.
"Hurry, it's now or never, Isabella!" Pepé spoke hurriedly as he pushed me towards the exit and we finally reach it with no more problems.
Suddenly, though, Erick appears in the kitchen and he speaks seriously to my Dad, "I'm going to go and see Isabella. She hasn't come down yet and I'm worried."
"That's fine, Erick. Just make it quick or else I'll get worried." Dad spoke teasingly as he glanced up from what he's cooking to grin at Erick.
"No worries there, Mr. Jones. I'll be right back." Erick spoke firmly as he turned and he strode up the stairs towards my room.
"Quick, let's get out of here!" I spoke nervously as I dashed out the exit with Pepé right behind me.
XXX
We both sigh with relief as we stand in the back alley behind Café Pink, before we calm down enough to return to the task at hand.
"So, how are you going to scan for the aliens, Pepé?" I asked eagerly.
"I gathered enough data from that dimension to find them, but…" Pepé spoke seriously before he trailed off.
"But, what…? Don't tell me you can't find them?" I asked worriedly.
"No, I can find them, Isabella. That's not even the problem here! I just don't think we should go by ourselves…is all." Pepé spoke worriedly.
"I just have to know that Kisshu is alright, so once I see him, we can leave and come back here, okay?" I begged impatiently.
"Promise…?" Pepé asked anxiously and with an eyebrow raised with doubt.
"I promise, Pepé." I spoke firmly as I held up my right hand.
"Fine…hold on to me. We're still temporarily invisible, but I don't want to take any chances of bumping into anyone on the sidewalk." Pepé spoke seriously as he held out his hand towards me.
"So, how are we supposed to get around then?" I asked with confusion as I grabbed his hand.
Suddenly, a red light shines from Pepé and when that light fades, the red shirt he's wearing transforms into medium-sized, red wings on his back, which then leaves a black shirt in place of his red one.
"Y-Your wings…! I wondered where they went…" I spoke with awe as I stared at his wings enviously.
"Well, little kids don't have wings, so I had to hide them somewhere, Isabella." Pepé spoke jokingly as his wings started flapping, before his wings lifted him off the ground along with me still holding his hand.
Once Pepé's wings take us high above the buildings around us, I stare in awe at how small everything looks and at how vast the blue sky above us is.
"T-This is…simply…amazing!" I cried excitedly as I glanced around at everything.
"Do you like flying or something, Isabella?" Pepé asked teasingly as he started flying forwards to wherever his scanners where taking him.
"Well…I've always had dreams where I could fly, but compared to the real thing…it's so much better!" I cried happily as I stretched out my free arm like a wing as we continued to fly.
"When you put it that way, it does sound awesome. I've always been able to fly, so I guess I never noticed it like this…" Pepé spoke earnestly as he glanced at me once, before he returned his attention back in front of him; and, I secretly noticed his face flushed again.
I smirk at him, until I notice where we're going and I gasp with realization.
"The aliens are hiding out in Kisshu's apartment!" I spoke with disbelief as I pointed, with my free hand, to the top floor of the apartment complex where Kisshu lives.
"This is where Kisshu lives? Wow, what a coincidence because my scanners are saying that all the aliens, even Kisshu, are inside that building!" Pepé exclaimed with shock as we started flying lower towards the ground next to the apartment complex.
Once we reach the ground, I immediately let go of Pepé's hand as I dash towards the apartment building.
"Hold on, Isabella!" Pepé cried worriedly as he ran after me and he grabbed my hand again to stop me from going inside.
"Let me go, Pepé! Kisshu is inside with those other aliens! I have to get to him, before they do something awful…like take him back home!" I spoke coolly as I struggled to free my hand from his grasp.
For a robot disguised as a kid, Pepé is really strong! I can't break my hand free from his!
"No, Isabella…I'm not letting go of you, because you promised just to see Kisshu and then we'd go back to the café. So, we'll sneak up there, but we're not saving Kisshu until the others come to help." Pepé spoke firmly as he pulled me after him into the building, while he still holds my hand.
"What…don't you have any faith in my powers as a Spirit Mew Mew, Pepé?" I asked grimly as I let Pepé drag me after him towards the elevator.
"Of course I do, Isabella. But, you're too reckless when you're not thinking straight! Trust me, I'm doing this for your own good!" Pepé spoke sincerely as we entered the elevator and he started to glare at no one in particular.
I sigh deeply before I decide to just go with what Pepé said, after all…it's not like I can break free of Pepé anyway.
Once we finally reach the top floor, the elevator doors open as Pepé drags me after him into the hallway, where he glances around at the doors that line the hallway.
"It's the very last door, Pepé…" I whispered casually as I tried not to seem too eager to see Kisshu, which was hard to do actually.
Pepé is silent as he drags me to the last door in the hallway; and, as we stand outside the door, Pepé suddenly placed his free hand over the door.
As a red light shoots out of Pepé's hand, the door starts glowing red until it disappears altogether and we can suddenly see inside Kisshu's apartment.
"W-What the…? What happened to the door?" I asked with disbelief.
"I used my hologram ability to allow us to see inside the room, so we won't have to go inside at all." Pepé spoke seriously as he kept his face forward as he peered into the room.
"I'm sorry for racing off earlier, Pepé…I won't do it again." I spoke firmly as I squeezed his hand lightly, while I still stared at him.
"Good… I just worry about you all the time, Isabella. There's six of them and only two of us…there's no way we can beat them now, do you understand?" Pepé asked grimly as he glanced back at me worriedly.
"Yeah, I get it now, Pepé. Sorry for always worrying you…" I spoke sincerely as I smiled warmly at him, before I turned my attention back to the room.
Suddenly, we both hear a door opening as someone walks into plain view, from where we're standing; and, as I get a better look at them, I realize that it's Kisshu!
"Kisshu! Y-You're okay…!" I cried happily as I tried to reach out towards him.
Pepé yanks on my other hand, to pull me back, as he speaks anxiously, "What if it's a trap, Isabella? I can't confirm if that's really Kisshu or not…there's some kind of magic interference with my scanners now."
"But, just look at him, Pepé! That's definitely Kisshu!" I cried excitedly as I pointed at Kisshu inside the room.
"I don't know about this, Isabella…" Pepé said with doubt as he stared at Kisshu with suspicion.
"Who's there…? I know someone is on the other side of the door, I can practically hear you shouting." Kisshu spoke seriously as he turned to face the door and he stared at us, even though he can't actually see us, with anticipation.
"See, I told you that he's Kisshu! He even sounds like him, Pepé!" I spoke firmly as I looked from Pepé to Kisshu anxiously.
"But, that doesn't explain why I sensed the other aliens here and Kisshu is the only one in the room…" Pepé spoke reluctantly.
"Isabella…? Is that you? And, Pepé is with you? What a surprise, why don't you two come in and we can talk face-to-face." Kisshu spoke warmly as he smiled in my direction.
"I'll have to take you up on that offer!" I spoke impatiently as I stared pleadingly at Pepé, until he sighs deeply and he lets go of my hand.
I quickly hug Pepé, before I turn towards the door-which is no longer see-through, but an ordinary door-and I throw open the door as I run inside Kisshu's apartment.
Once I reach Kisshu, I throw my arms around him and I hug him tightly as he hugs me back.
"I've missed you so much, Kisshu…" I whispered warmly as I held him tightly.
"And, I've missed you too, Isabella." Kisshu responded firmly as he pulled back from me, so he can stare deeply into my eyes.
"Kisshu…?" I asked anxiously as he slowly moved his face closer to mine.
"Isabella, get out of there now! That isn't Kisshu, it's one of the other aliens!" Pepé cried frantically from the door, which suddenly slammed closed in front of Pepé and it locked by itself.
"W-What the…?! If you're not Kisshu, then who are you…?!" I asked worriedly as I struggled to pull away from the Kisshu-imposter, who held me in an iron-grip.
"Don't you remember me, Isabella? I was the one who sent you and Mike into that dimension, which I'm upset that you destroyed by the way. It wasn't easy to make a dimension like that, you know." A familiar wicked voice replied coolly as Kisshu's appearance suddenly fades away and in his place stands Eisen!
"Eisen…?! What have you done with Kisshu?" I asked heatedly as I glared at him.
"Kisshu is fast asleep, while the rest of us repair our ship to return to our planet, which we wouldn't need to fix if someone knew how to fly a ship!" Eisen responded coolly as he glared at a nearby door.
"Don't blame this all on me, Eisen. If Rieko just flew the ship in the first place, we wouldn't have crashed…" Koji spoke nonchalantly as he appeared from behind the door with an indifferent look on his face.
"I was too preoccupied by worrying over Kisshu to fly a ship." Rieko spoke firmly as she stepped out from behind Koji.
Just then, all the other aliens file into the room, all except Kisshu.
"You're so going to pay for taking Kisshu away from us!" I cried heatedly to the aliens.
"I'd love to see you try, human." Mitsu spoke jokingly as she lounged on Kisshu's couch.
"Let me go, Eisen!" I cried angrily as I tried kicking his legs to knock him to the floor.
"Easy now, Isabella… I don't really want to hurt you." Eisen spoke earnestly as he held me tighter.
"L-Liar…y-you're squeezing me, until I can't…breathe!" I cried between breaths as Eisen practically squeezes the air out of me.
"In that case," Eisen spoke casually as he quickly glanced at Rieko once, before he added devilishly as he stared into my eyes again, "I know of a way to help you keep breathing…"
(Please tell me he isn't going to do what I think he is…! I've already been forcibly kissed by Mike, so I don't want to add Eisen to the list!)
(Where is other me, when I need her…?)
Suddenly, Eisen lowers his face over mine, until he smirks and he speaks sarcastically, "Psych, Isabella… Did you really think I would kiss you? I just wanted you to drop your guard, so I could use my Dark Spirit Magic to force you to sleep, like I did to Kisshu."
(Thank goodness he didn't kiss me… Wait, what did he say?!)
Before I even have time to react, Eisen's red eyes glow black and I slowly start to feel dizzy, until I have a hard time keeping my eyes open.
"For a minute there, I really thought you were going to kiss her, Eisen." Mitsu spoke with genuine surprise.
"It was all apart of the plan, Mitsu." Eisen spoke coolly as he kept his eyes locked with mine.
"The plan you made, right?" Mitsu asked smugly.
"I have to agree with Mitsu this time, unfortunately, it did seem like you really wanted to kiss her." Fumiki spoke solemnly.
"There's no way Eisen would want to kiss a human, so shut up you two!" Koji spoke heatedly to Mitsu and Fumiki.
Shunji is the only one who remains silent and indifferent during the entire conversation.
"Is that true, Eisen?" Rieko asked with disgust.
"Rieko, I told you that Isabella would fall for this trap. That's all it is…why would I want a human anyway?" Eisen asked nonchalantly as he glared at me.
(I…can't…stay awake…anymore!)
Against my will, my eyes close and I'm instantly plunged into darkness.
(Wimp, you call yourself a Spirit Mew Mew? You're much too weak for that title…while as for me, I'll show you how to take down aliens!)
Suddenly, Isabella's hair color changes from blonde to indigo; and, the two blue ribbons in her hair unravel as they fall to the ground, letting her indigo hair rest above her shoulders. Isabella's ocean blue eyes change to midnight blue as the other Isabella takes control once again!
"You may have taken care of that little brat, Isabella…but, you still have me to deal with!" The other Isabella spoke deviously as a gust of black wind surrounded Eisen and her.
In the next minute, the black wind flings Eisen away from the other Isabella, before the wind throws Eisen against a wall nearby.
Instead of hurting Eisen, he just stares at the other Isabella with shock as he slides to the ground and he lands silently on his feet.
"W-Who…are you? I just put Isabella asleep with my magic, so you can't be her…" Eisen spoke with disbelief.
"That's right, alien! I'm nothing like Isabella, because I'm so much better than her! And, if you must know my name, then so be it…you shall refer to me as: Ella!" Ella spoke smugly as she glared at each alien, one at a time.
"Ella…you say? This is…interesting. Who would have thought Isabella would have a split personality?" Eisen spoke with wonder as he stared intensely at Ella.
"Now is so not the time to think whatever your thinking, Eisen! We need to restrain Isabella or Ella, whoever she is, before she attacks again!" Mitsu spoke anxiously as she jumped off the couch and she slowly headed towards Ella with her arms out as if to catch her.
"Fool, your little 'tricks' won't work on me." Ella spoke firmly as she held one hand at Mitsu, before a black wind flies from Ella's hand straight at Mitsu!
The black wind picks Mitsu up off the ground, tosses her around for a while, before it flings her backwards towards the door Isabella had come through.
"Ah!" Mitsu cried as she collided with the door, which caved under the pressure and the door snapped in two.
"Who's next?" Ella asked impatiently as she glared at the remaining aliens.
"Why you little…!" Koji spoke heatedly as he charged at Ella, until the black wind picked him up; and, then he was flung through the only ceiling-to-floor window, shattering all the glass, outside the apartment.
"I've certainly had enough of you pests bothering me, so I want you all out of my sight…now!" Ella spoke coolly as she raised both of her hands at the remaining aliens-along with Mitsu-, before the black wind picked them all up; and, then the black wind flung them through the ceiling-to-floor window outside the apartment, where they just float in mid-air.
"We don't have to take this from a human! Let's get her!" Koji responded heatedly as he started to lead the aliens back into the apartment.
"I don't think so, aliens!" Pepé spoke coolly as he suddenly rushed into the room, he stood next to Ella, before he held out his arms towards the aliens too.
"As longs as I'm around, I won't let you anywhere near the Spirit Mew Mews or their friends!" Pepé declared firmly as a red light shoots out of either of his hands towards the broken window.
The red light flies straight through the broken window, the red light repairs the glass window in a flash, before the red light surrounds the apartment building completely!
Once the red light surrounds the building, it fades away and leaves an invisible shield in its place.
"With my red shield in place, they can't step one foot inside this building ever again!" Pepé spoke confidently as he smirked at the aliens on the other side of the repaired window.
"That so…rat?" Ella asked absently as she stared blankly from Pepé to the aliens outside.
"I'm a skunk, not a rat!" Pepé whined childishly as he glared at Ella.
"Whatever…" Ella whispered indifferently.
Pepé sighs heavily as he turns his attention back to the aliens, who keep trying to fly back into the apartment, but are flung backwards by the invisible shield.
"This is far from over, human and pest!" Koji finally spoke heatedly as he glared at Ella and Pepé, before he turned to fly away from the building.
"We will be back for Kisshu! Just you wait…!" Rieko spoke angrily as she reluctantly turned to fly after Koji.
"What they said!" Mitsu responded coolly as she hurried to fly after them.
"Very original, Mitsu…" Fumiki replied casually as she flew after Mitsu.
Shunji remains silent even as he stares at Ella and Pepé one last time, before he turns around, and he flies after the others.
Eisen, who is the only one left floating outside the apartment, stares intensely at Ella again as he speaks seriously, "We'll be seeing each other real soon, Ella… Count on it."
"I'd rather not and pretend like you never existed." Ella spoke coolly as she glared at Eisen.
Eisen smirks at her, before he too turns and he flies away after the other aliens.
"That seemed a little too easy…but, a win is a win either way." Ella spoke seriously as she shrugged her shoulders once.
With all the aliens now gone, Pepé turns to Ella with a glare on his face.
"So, you've finally decided to fully manifest yourself, eh, Ella?" Pepé asked accusingly.
"Isabella was the one who fell for Eisen's tricks again, not me… Besides, since she lost control, I saw the perfect opportunity to take over." Ella spoke firmly as she headed for the door Koji and the other aliens had come through earlier.
"Give Isabella her body back or else…" Pepé spoke warningly.
"I will…after all, this is form is only temporary, until I have enough power to really take over. So, relax, skunk." Ella spoke seriously as she entered the room the aliens were hiding in before.
The room itself is dark-all the lights are off-and bare, with hardly any furniture except a bed and a dresser. Which happens to resemble the living/dining room/kitchen theme they had just been in.
"This apartment is really bare. You'd think that being an alien, Kisshu would have decorated it a little better…ah well, it doesn't really matter to me." Ella spoke nonchalantly as she headed over to the bed.
On the bed lies a sleeping Kisshu, who looks like he's been asleep since the aliens first took him, since he's still wearing his school uniform.
"It's Kisshu…! They weren't kidding…they really did put him under a sleep spell." Pepé spoke with disbelief as he entered the room.
"Yeah, and won't Isabella be glad to see him…once I wake him up, of course." Ella spoke casually as she smirked at Pepé, before she sat down on the bed next to Kisshu.
"Wait…why are you suddenly helping Isabella? I thought you only cared about yourself? And, how do you expect to wake him up?" Pepé asked anxiously from where he stood by the door.
"I'm not helping Isabella, I'm helping myself. When I wake Kisshu up-before Isabella has the chance to-she'll definitely be mad at me, which is always good news to me. Especially since the way I wake him up involves kissing him…" Ella spoke deviously as she smirked at Pepé again, before she turned her full attention to the sleeping Kisshu.
"Hold on, you can't do that! I won't let you! Isabella will be mad at me too, if I don't try to stop you!" Pepé exclaimed with shock as he started to move towards Ella.
Ella holds up her left hand at Pepé as she moves closer to Kisshu and she speaks casually, "I'm not afraid to use my powers on you, skunk. You're Isabella's follower, not mine. Plus, shouldn't you go repair the door that alien, Mitsu, destroyed? You wouldn't want anyone to find out what happened to it, right?"
"Grr…I really hate you now, Ella!" Pepé spoke in a huff as he stormed out of the room and he went to go fix the front door.
"Your words don't bother me at all, kid." Ella spoke seriously as she practically hovers over Kisshu now.
"Don't worry, Kisshu…I'll make it quick and painless, after all…you're going to help me gain total control over Isabella soon enough." Ella spoke coolly as she smirked down at Kisshu.
In the next minute, Ella dips her head towards Kisshu until their lips finally touch and Ella gasps from the shock of it.
(I've never kissed anyone before…so, this is how it feels? It's…not so bad.)
(If you like this kind of this, that is. Which I clearly don't!)
Ella slides her arms underneath Kisshu, so that she can lift him off the bed and into her arms as she deepens the kiss.
Kisshu starts to stir in Ella's arms and he suddenly wraps his arms around Ella tightly.
"I've been waiting for you to find me…Isabella." Kisshu whispered earnestly as he kissed Ella back.
Suddenly, Ella quickly pulls away from Kisshu, she drops him so that he falls back on the bed, and she quickly jumps off the bed to stand a few feet away.
Ella touches her lips with one hand and she clenches her shaky free hand as she glares at Kisshu.
(Even though he didn't open his eyes…he still only thinks of Isabella!)
(Why…does that thought make me…so…angry?!)
Kisshu recovers quickly from being let go, he sits upright on the bed, and he opens his eyes to glance around the dark room for Isabella.
"Isabella, where did you go?!" Kisshu asked worriedly as he peered through the dark room.
(I guess my time is up… I already used up too much magic anyway… It's not like I'm leaving so that Isabella can see Kisshu!)
(That's definitely not the reason… So, shut up, stupid heart!)
Suddenly, Ella closes her eyes as she slowly goes back inside Isabella's mind.
Once Ella is gone, Isabella's hair changes back to blonde and her eyes return to their ocean blue color.
XXX
I slowly open my eyes to find myself in a dark room and it isn't until my eyes adjust, when I realize I'm still at Kisshu's apartment.
Or, should I be more specific and say: Kisshu's bedroom!
"W-What am I doing in here…?" I asked worriedly as I glanced around, until I hear a familiar voice sigh with relief.
"There you are Isabella! I worried that you left or something like that…" Kisshu whispered earnestly as he hurried over to where I stood.
"Kisshu! Wait, is it really you this time…?" I asked warily as he approached me.
"Of course it's me! I can prove it: the last time we saw each other, I told you to be careful with whatever you were about to do." Kisshu spoke honestly as he stood directly in front of me and he reached out towards me.
"It is you! I thought I'd never see you again!" I cried happily as I flung myself in his open arms and I hugged him tightly.
"Same here, Isabella." Kisshu spoke seriously as he hugged me back.
"So, now the serious question: did the other aliens hurt you?" I asked grimly as I looked up at him.
"No, when they came downstairs for me, Eisen used his powers to put me asleep and I guess they carried me back here. Other than that, I don't remember anything…except you kissing me awake." Kisshu spoke earnestly as he stared lovingly down at me.
"K-Kiss…?! I kissed you awake…? I don't remember doing that…" I whispered anxiously until I realized just who would do something like that behind my back.
(You kissed Kisshu, didn't you?!)
(Oh, so you figured it out early than I expected. By the way, I took care of your alien problem…with your little skunk's help. No thanks are necessary, but I would gladly accept them with a smug grin.)
(S-Seriously…?! W-Why would you do that…?)
(It's a long story…and I need a nap. Come talk to me later. Or not…)
(Ugh, you little pest!)
"Isabella…?" Kisshu asked worriedly as my silence concerned him.
"Well, whatever the case…at least you're back with us!" I cried happily as I hugged him again.
"'Us'…?" Kisshu asked with confusion.
"She means, us…naturally." Chelsea spoke smugly from nearby.
Kisshu and I break apart as we turn to face the bedroom door, where Chelsea and the other girls-along with Erick, Pepé, and Mike-stand just outside the room.
"Isabella, you have a lot of explaining to do! I went to check on you, back at the café, and I found a hologram of you instead! Didn't I tell you not to run off by yourself?" Erick spoke heatedly as he glared at me.
"Yeah, like why is Pepé a little kid now?!" Chelsea asked with shock as she pointed to Pepé behind her.
"And, why did you hide this entire 'Spirit Mew Mew' thing from me?" Mike asked with disbelief, since Mitsuki and the others told him everything yesterday.
"Uh, haha, well you see…" I trailed off as I smiled awkwardly at Erick, Chelsea, and Mike, before I turned to Kisshu for help.
"Sorry, I can't remember what happened until after I woke up. So, you're on your own, kitten." Kisshu spoke warmly and with a huge grin.
"I figured you would say that…" I spoke grimly as I turned back around to face my punishment.
I explain exactly what happened, when Mitsuki had left me in my room, and up to the point where Eisen made me pass out.
"After that, I don't remember much…and before I knew it, I was awake in Kisshu's room." I spoke honestly.
"I see… Maybe your split personality finally took over, when you lost consciousness. I suppose the only way to know, is to have you bring her out within Pepé's shield…to keep her from doing any harm to us." Erick spoke seriously as we all stood around in Kisshu's living room.
"What about Delilah's split personality? She said she wanted to talk to us too!" Alexia added eagerly as she suddenly remembered what the other Delilah had said inside the dimension.
"I would also like to know more about the rest of our split personalities as well." Chelsea spoke seriously as she glanced at Alexia and Courtney knowingly.
"What makes you think that we don't have split personalities, Chelsea?" Mitsuki asked half-jokingly and half-indignantly as she gestured to Ami and herself.
"You two wouldn't have split personalities, since you're only Temporary Spirit Mew Mews." Erick spoke firmly as he glanced at Mitsuki and Ami once, before he stared at the other Spirit Mew Mews.
"Well, if you're so sure, Erick…" Mitsuki spoke jokingly as she smirked at him.
"I think it's finally time we sit down and go through all the information we know so far. That includes each of your split personalities. Although, I wanted to wait a little longer before we talked to them, we have no choice now." Erick spoke seriously as he stared at each girl individually, until he turned to Pepé with a solemn expression.
"Pepé, ready a shield…it's going to take the rest of the day to go through all this information." Erick spoke firmly as he sighed deeply.
"Roger that! Spirit Mew Mews, sit around in a circle and I'll place a shield around you." Pepé spoke excitedly as Alexia, Delilah, Chelsea, Courtney, and I went to sit next to the ceiling-to-floor window.
I sit with my back to the window, Alexia sit across from me, Chelsea sits to my right, Courtney sits to my left, and Delilah sits in the center of our circle facing me.
Mitsuki, Ami, Mike, Erick, and Kisshu watch in silence nearby as Pepé places his hands in front of him; and, he aims his hands towards those of us in the circle, as a red light shoots out of his hands.
The red light then surrounds our circle, before the red light starts to pulse as it closes us off from the others in the room.
"You can call out your split personalities now." Erick spoke seriously as he moved closer to the red circle of light.
The five of us nod to each other, before we close our eyes and we imagine our split personalities coming out.
(Are you sure that's wise, Isabella? For all five of us to appear at once? You must really be desperate for information…)
(But, very well…I shall comply this time.)
As Ella takes Isabella's-who is watching, next to her body, from a third person point of view now-place, and Isabella's hair and eyes change to Ella's, the other girls' split personalities finally manifest themselves!
XXX
~To Be Continued~