A/N: Kuro: Come on, Tsukiko! Open up!!
Tsukiko (behind a door): Go away, Kuro!
Kuro: What do I have to do, uh? Break down the door?
Tsukiko: Break down the door, apologize, and shut the hell up? I don't think you can do that.
Kuro: He's alive, isn't he? You should be happy that he is!
Tsukiko: I am that he's still alive, but as you can see, not for long!
Kuro: You know what? I had it! I'm out of here!
Tsukiko: Go right ahead! See if I care!!
Inuyasha: Tsukiko does not OWN TMM or the songs she uses in her stories. Thank you for the reviews and please, keep them coming. Thank you and please enjoy. Sorry if this one is a bit long like chapter 13. Enjoy!
Ch. 21: Getting Them Back
Ichigo couldn't do anything but stare. Her shock paralyzed her body to place and it returned her glowing red eyes to her normal dark red ones. Kisshu's alive? He is? She wanted to know so badly.
Using, nearly all of her mental strength, she asked, "Is that true? Is he really still alive?"
Pai fanned himself again and answered, "For the moment at least."
Taruto answered, "He's in cell 1005 and our master has cameras all over the place. For all we know, he could be killing him right now since we told you that he's still alive." Hearing that made her move again.
Without hesitation, she ran on all fours towards 1005. She could see from the other cells that she's in the 500's. If what they said about Masaya finishing Kisshu off, then she has to hurry.
Before she could pass Taruto and Pai, they aimed their attacks on her. "He also put us in charge to make sure that you don't pass!" they both yelled.
Sing
From the sound of her voice, both Taruto and Pai didn't attack Ichigo. Ichigo heard the singing and stopped to turn towards her friends. Lettuce just kept on singing as Pudding faced Ichigo.
"Go on! Kisshu needs you right now! We'll take care of them! We'll be fine!" Pudding yelled at her. Ichigo nodded in response and continued running forward.
Lettuce stopped singing for a moment and Pudding charged at Taruto. By the time he noticed her, she was right in front of him. She pushed him through a wall, taking her with them. Pai turned towards the hole that they created and waited for Taruto to come up. He didn't.
"Joker!" he softly called. He started flying towards the hole, but the sound of sniffling stopped him. He paused to stare at Lettuce. 'Why…is she still…crying?'
Almost like she could hear his thoughts, Lettuce tried to calm down enough to answer. "Pai-san! Why did you leave me?"
That one question made Pai felt like his whole heart stopped. For some reason, he had a desire to just go down towards her and hold her. He contained himself from doing that so that he could listen some more.
She sobbed a little more and then told him, "Remember your promise to me? You promised me that you'll come back and ask me something. You promised me that you'll come back to me. So why did you… Why did you leave me, Pai-san?" Her sadness is truly painful for Pai. Seeing her like that and crying for him, no less. "What do I have to do?" That caught him off guard. "Do you want to take over earth again? You know I'll fight back but I won't kill you."
When she looked up, her eyes returned back to normal, back to her usual forest green human eyes. Right then and there, Pai didn't want to fight her anymore. He didn't want to risk hurting her. With tears still falling, she said, "I love you, Pai-san and I want to know what you wanted to ask me."
At that moment, Pai felt a sharp pain in his head. In agony, he gripped his head and leaned over. After Lettuce confessed, she started crying again so she didn't see Pai in pain. After a little bit, Pai started to fall to the ground. Hearing him fall on the ground made Lettuce look up to see him land.
"Pai-san!"
She ran to his side and he was still twitching with the pain in his head. She didn't know what to do. There he is, in pain and she doesn't know what to do or what's happening. Being afraid and worried, she did what she could think of. She grabbed his hand and leaned her head on his chest. He stopped trashing for a bit and stared down at her. If it weren't for how confused and how much pain he was in, he probably would have held her back. Her warmth, her tough, her everything is all so wonderful. Memories started to pass through his head as the pain continued.
His first memory was when he first saw her on the cruise boat that the kirema animas that he created attack. He saw the whole thing. He saw how Lettuce hesitated to jump into the sea to save the kid but she overcome that hesitation and dove right in. From the first look, you could see that she must have been afraid of water and after seeing her dove right in, he was impressed. Then when he saw her jump out of the water with a fish tail and the moon in the background, that was the first time in a while that he blushed. She looked so beautiful, like a real mermaid from a picture book.
The second memory he got was when Lettuce was fighting him at the tower in Tokyo when the giant moth hatched. He could read expressions pretty well and from how Lettuce acted on the cruise boat, he knew that she's a pretty shy girl. During the fight, she was trying hard. She had the power to fight but she was careful. Almost like…she didn't wanted to fight them. She didn't want to fight period!
His third is when he fought with the Mew Mews the last time. He fought with Lettuce as usual and apparently, he's been doing that a lot. At the end of the fight when he and Taruto lost, the last thing he saw was Lettuce and she was in tears. He didn't know if whether it was because she was tired, the dust in the air irritated her eyes, or that she could've been crying for him. If the last option was the truth, then maybe even back then she cared for him or just cared that he was a living thing. When he woke up from his temporary death slumber, he had an urge to see her again but Kisshu's urge to see Ichigo was more dominate. He fallows Kisshu to make it look like that when the other reason was to see his green haired maiden. Right before he left to go back to his planet, he took one last look at Lettuce and hoped that maybe she would find happiness the way he brought him happiness.
His fourth one was when he arrived back to earth five years after that happened. He wanted to see Lettuce, that was true but he never really thought about it that much. Since Taruto promised to see Pudding again anyway, he decided to tag along. Kisshu wanted to come too since he wanted to see how Ichigo was doing and since all three were going, they told their people that they would be temporary gone for about a year to study humans. Since the planet is better, their people didn't believe that something bad will happen in their absence. When he saw Lettuce again, the blush returned to his face but he erased it like colored pencil. He couldn't help but that Lettuce looked like his guardian angel; more beautiful than a celestial being and more divine then Buddha.
His fifth memory is when one time he saved Lettuce from nearly getting hit by a car. She was running on a fever and couldn't think straight. On her way home, she walked straight into the middle of the road and almost got hit. Lucky he was there and pulled her back to the sidewalk. That was the first time they held each other and that was the first time they actually looked at each other in the eye. It was the first time forest green met dark violet and it was a perfect combination. Too bad that Kisshu's sneeze made them break the hold and Lettuce turned red as Pai went to go 'kill' his noisy brother.
His sixth memory was when he asked her out. When he asked her out, he was more embarrassed then a kindergartener who wet his pants on accident and everyone laughed at him. After he asked, Lettuce was silent in surprise; she didn't expect him to ask. When he offered that she didn't have to go if she didn't want too, he yelled a 'yes' at him. Surprised by the yell but happy, he told her that he'll meet her at the beach. Their time together was so enjoyable and relaxing. It was like he could actually be himself around her. That night when they first went out was perfect and when he kissed her, whether it was on the cheek or their first kiss, it felt to nice and right. Almost like they belonged together.
His final memory was him telling her good bye. She didn't want him to go. He could feel that in her hold. The desperation of never letting him go, he felt that. Then feeling like it was the right time, about, he kissed her again and told her his feelings. When she told him that her feelings for him were the same, he was so happy that there was no doubt in his mind that when he was going to ask her the question, she would refuse.
Those were the most important memories to his heart. Other memories passed by too, painful, sad, and dangerous memories but the only ones that calmed him were ones of Lettuce. Pai looked down towards Lettuce and she snuggled closer to him.
"I love you more than anything in the world and I want to be by your side forever and ever," she confessed. At that moment, all was clear to him. The images or memories that he's been seeing were all real and they're his. He didn't believe that they're his until now.
From his eyes point of view, he could see something gold wrapped around her neck. It's the necklace he gave her. She still kept it? All this time?
He moved his hand and surprised Lettuce. She wrapped his arms around her tight and said, "I'm sorry, Lettuce-san. I'm so sorry." He said the same thing he said when he saw her for the last time before going to Nevada.
To check, Lettuce pulled Pai away a bit, still in his arms but to see his face. He smiled at her and it wasn't the Duke's smile. It was his smile that he always gave her. Her smile. She had to let out a few tears.
"Pai-san!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her with his arms around her waist. He was back. Her Pai is back.
"I'm so sorry, Lettuce-san. I'm sorry I hurt you in anyway," he told her. Having her in his arms again felt so good. Now with his memories back, he couldn't believe that he didn't noticed the yearning to hold her in his arms again.
"You're back! You're back!" she cheered. "Oh god, I missed you so much. I thought you were never coming back." He could tell her a hundred times that he's sorry but that probably wouldn't cut it.
He pulled her back a bit and stared into her green eyes. Her teary green eyes stared back at his violet eyes and then they closed it. They moved closer and kissed. Both of them missed this kiss so much and it felt like everything just fell into place. They were one again and they will probably never break apart. It hurts too much for that to happen.
After the kiss, Lettuce just leaned on his chest. "I was waiting… for you to come back," she mumbled. He had on a pitied face and listed to her words. "You promised that you'll come back so I waited and waited for you. I waited for you for a week and when you came back, you wanted to kill me and you forgotten about me. I was so scared. I was scared that you would never come back. I…I…"
"Sssshhh, ssshhh. It's okay. I'm here, now and I'll never leave you again. I promise," he assured her. She nodded and slightly smiled.
"Of course." They're finally together again.
"Can I.." he started. Lettuce looked confused as she stared up at him. He brushed some of her hair to the side and asked, "Can I ask you my question now?" Her expression didn't change that much. She slowly nodded her head and he leaned closer to her ear. "Will you… marry me?" Her eyes widen more at that question. Her heart only beat a hundred times faster. "After you graduate I mean. You can continue high school and go to college but when you're done, will you be willing to spend the rest of your life with me?"
He backed away from her ear to stare at her wide eyes. He waited patiently for her answer and all she could do was stare. She was trying to find her voice. To find it and use it to answer his question.
Finally, she found it.
She smiled and answered, "Yes, of course! But I don't want to wait until after college. I want to be with you forever. I never want to part again." He didn't expect the college part, but he was happy beyond belief on her answer. He kissed her again and she kissed him back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist, pulling each other closer towards one another. Everything now seems so perfect.
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Crash
After Pudding charged at Taruto, they both went crashing to a wall and made a hole in it. Taruto felt the full force of it, but it really wasn't that painful. In the dust, he was lying on a pile of rocks. Not the most comfortable place to land but hey!
Taruto got up and looked around. The entrance is blocked, he could clearly see that. The force must have brought down even more rocks to pile it up. He's stuck there. He also noticed that he's in an empty dark cell it would seem that they crashed in. The only prisoners here are, or were, Lettuce, Pudding, Ichigo, and Kisshu. The rest of the cells are just empty. Taruto looked around again and he saw Pudding. Or at least her hand under a pile of rocks.
Without thinking, he rushed to the pile of rocks and started unearthing Pudding. He moved a few rocks away and panic filled his body. For some reason, he just has a need to save Pudding. The panic and fear of losing her was just overwhelming and controlling. He didn't want to lose her. 'Why' is something that should probably be thinking afterwards.
After the last big rock, Taruto could see Pudding's face again but her eyes were closed and she looked like she's sleeping; a peaceful sleep. Panic really filled his body now; panic and worry.
"Pudding! Pudding!" he called, but she didn't answer. He went to her lower body and started moving the rocks there. After a while, he found her waist and then her legs. With the rocks off her, he picked her up and brought her body close to his body. "Pudding! Hey! Wake up! You hear me? Wake up!" Her head leaned to the side and she didn't make another sound. Then he knew. He's too late. She died from under the pile of rocks.
Tears…Tears started falling from his eyes. They leaked out of his eyes and they landed on her face, one by one. Strange for someone who tried to kill her, you wouldn't expect him to react like this. Not to her death at least. He brought her closer to him; close enough to have his face lean against her chest. He started sobbing there. He didn't…want her to die.
Thump
Thump
Thump
Surprised to hear that, Taruto flinched back and started at Pudding. 'Her heart? Hear heart is still pounding?'
After that thought, Pudding squeezed her eyes together and opened them. The first thing she saw is Taruto's crying face. She asked, "Taru-Taru? Why are you crying?" Her tan hand rise up to his face and it felt warm against his cold pale skin. She softly rubbed one area and pulled her hand back. On her fingers is one of Taruto's tears.
Turning red, Taruto helped Pudding sit up and he backed away from her. "Shut up! I wasn't crying! And my name is not Taru-Taru either! It's the Joker! Get it through your thick skull!" If it weren't for the last part, Pudding would have thought that Taruto finally came back, but that seems to be not possible.
Then she noticed something on the ground. Taking a good look at it, there's a yellow shiny wrapping item. She picked it up and realized what it is then.
"A candy drop?"
"Uh?" Taruto turned around towards her and saw the tiny piece of candy in her hand. He flinched. "Give that back! It's mine!"
"Why?" she asked. Good question. Why is that tiny piece of candy worth so much to him?
Seeing that he have to explain himself, he turned away and answered, "It's worth nothing to me! Keep it if you want!" Pudding didn't believe it at all. Maybe there's still hope yet.
She unwrap the little candy drop and popped it into her mouth. The sweet taste of lemon hit her tongue and she wanted more but this isn't for her survival. She got a little closer to Taruto and tapped his shoulders.
"What?" he asked, turning around. But the moment he did, Pudding kissed Taruto on the lips.
Taruto widen his eyes in disbelief of the kiss as he could feel the sweet taste of the lemon drop enter his mouth and staying there. She didn't part away though. Her hands went to his head and one went to his cheek as the other went to the back of his head. She pulled him a little closer and moved her body closer to him. Taruto didn't make any movements yet. He couldn't understand it. First he just rescues this girl, cries because he thought she died, and now he can't push her away because of a kiss. He actually…wanted the kiss.
For a normal reaction, he was going to kiss her back but a sharp pain hit his head. "Stop it!" he yelled, pushing Pudding away. Pudding hit a rock and winced in pain of it, but his moan was louder. She looked up and Taruto is holding his head in agony as memories entered his head. Memories of his past.
Memories of how he was in the cage with Pudding when they took her as hostage, memories of how much joy he felt when she gave him a candy drop, memories of how he ended up with a crush on her, memories of telling her that he never exactly hated her, memories of their first kiss when he first gave him a candy drop, memories of how red he turned when he first saw her tears, memories of how happy she looked when she saw him again after five years, memories of how he every moment he spent time with her was the best he had in a while, memories of how close they become, memories of how she kissed him again with a candy drop, memories of how he kissed her for real, and memories of how much he…
All of them were passing through his head and he only winced in pain of it. After seeing them, he couldn't believe it. He wondered if even those memories are his memories. It was like looking at someone completely different.
"Taru-Taru?" Pudding called, worried. She moved closer to him and he didn't flinch back or anything. The pain in his head got his full attention. She got a bit scared but she kept her cool. She placed her hand on his; that are on each side of his head. His eyes sharply opened and he stared at her. Pudding leaned her forehead on his and closed his eyes. Taruto became completely confused.
She should be scared of him, angry, or something! Not this lovey dovey thing or even caring towards him. First she kisses him and now she's trying to close the space between them.
"Taru-Taru, you left me for a week and you promised that you'll come back. I believed your word but why are you leaving me?" she asked. He looked confused as she yelled, "Why are you leaving me?! I don't want you to leave! I don't want to lose you like how I lost mom or my dad! Sure my dad could come back and you can too, but when is that going to be? When will you come back home to Tokyo? Come back to Chincha, Hanacha, Ruucha, Honcha and Heicha? When are you coming home back to…me?" Tears started flowing down her eyes when she started asking him that. Taruto just stared at her with a sorrowful expression as tears dripped down her face. Her tears made him forget all about his aching head.
When she calmed down a bit, she said, "There was something else too. You told me that when you come back, you wanted to tell me something important." Taruto eyes widen in shock of that. Didn't he just have a memory of that not too long ago? Pudding told him, "Well I have something to tell you. Mint helped me. She told me that since you gave me these earrings, it must mean something, right?"
Mentioning the earrings, he looked at her monkey ears and on them are tear shape jade earrings. They looked really pretty actually and they send an electric shock through Taruto's body.
To make it more effective, Pudding looked up at his eyes and mumbled, "Taruto, I love you." That did it. All of those memories that Taruto saw rushed through his head again and made his heart pound faster and harder in his chest. "I love you so much, Taruto. Please come back. I don't want to be alone anymore." She started crying again and she leaned over in her pain.
Minutes passed and Taruto did nothing. But afterwards, Taruto pulled Pudding into a tight hold. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you, Pudding-san. Did you wait long?"
She knew. That moment she knew. He's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
"Taru-Taru!" she cried out. She started crying after that. Having him, the him that she knows, made her the happiest person alive; not matter where they are or what situation they're in.
He brought her closer and petted her head; his fingers twined with her hair. "Sshhh, it's okay. I'm here now. I'm here," he comforted.
She pulled away a bit to stare at his face and she asked, "Forever?"
He softly smiled and lightly traced his fingertips on her face. "As long as you need me." She smiled too and then he pulled her head towards his. They shared a sweet and simple kiss. Every line of their body matched with each other and nothing could separate that except for them.
After the small kiss, Taruto mentioned, "You know when those memories were rushing through my head, I heard something. I heard that you love me." Pudding turned red and Taruto asked, "Is that true?"
Still red, she looked down with a small smile and nodded. Her arms let go of his neck and she started fiddling with her fingers. This is the first time she's nervous in front of him.
"Well then I can tell you what I wanted to tell you when I got back." Pudding looked up and started at his dark golden eyes. He smiled and said, "I love you too, Pudding-san. When we go back, can we go on a date?" Her heart pounding like lightening, a joyful smile appeared on her face.
"Yes! I'll go out with you!" His smile got bigger and he placed his hands on her face.
"Perfect." Then he brought her into another kiss and she kissed him back, happy as a new babe.
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Ichigo ran as fast as her legs and her arms could take her. It's been five minutes already and she's in the 990's already. Only fifteen more cells to pass but these cells are at least twenty feet long. Since, in ten seconds, she could pass two. Only fifteen more to go. Only fifteen…
But what if she's already too late? What if Masaya is inside the cell right now with a bloody sword and his head? She tried not to think about it, but it was hard. Every thought of her Kisshu dying made her more panic and made her four 'legs' push harder.
1003…
1004 and…
But when she arrived at what looked like cell number 1005, she saw smoke coming out of the creaks from that cell. She hoped that it wasn't his but when she looked up at the doors, it said 1005. Having the smell of the smoke hit her nose, she coughed. She knew right away that it's poison gas and it's not regular poison gas.
She pound on the door and cried, "Kisshu! Kisshu! Can you hear me?! Kisshu! Answer me! Please!" She pressed her ear on the door and she could hear nothing more than the sound of the gasses entering the room. She feared for the worst.
She backed away from the door and then sprang at it. She clawed at the doors and in one swipe, the door turned into three pieces. A big cloud of the poison gas escaped the room and into the hallway. She covered her mouth to try and block it off. She coughed a bit, but she held her breath. However, holding her breath looked hopeless. Her eyes started tearing up because of the gas and it got hard and harder to breathe. What kind of gas is this?
Depending completely on instinct, she raised both of her arms about an 85 degree radius and sent out a blast. She heard the sound of the blast hitting the wall and the sound of the gasses entering the room stopped. She coughed again and then ran on all fours again. She ran in circles like a dog chasing its tail. She gained speed and soon, she looked nothing more than a red blur as it circled around and around. Since she was running in such an incredible speed, the gas started to come together in a cylinder shape. She was making her own version of a tornado to clear the room.
The tornado grew and grew with each new gas it collected. When the air was cleared of the gas, Ichigo moved the tornado. First she moved a bit to her right and she charged towards her left. She stopped all of a sudden and she saw the tornado, still swirling, heading towards her left, down the hall. Smart, but very dizzy. When she took a step, her legs and her arms felt wobbly.
Now that the gas is gone, Ichigo was expecting to hear the surprise voice of her beloved but there was nothing. All was silent. There wasn't even a faint sound of breathing besides her own. She took a breather and tried to see straight. She looked at the hallway before her and concentrate on the lines and the shapes of the rocks. As the rocks started to look like regular square rocks, Ichigo turned towards the cell again and looked. At first, there was darkness but as her sight adjusted to the darkness, she saw something on the floor. The shape of it looked like a body. Fear took over her again and she raced inside the cell.
Stopping next to the body, she examined it. The clothes are still the same, the skin is dirtied but it's the same color, his hair isn't long like the last time but same color, and his whole body shape matched him. Still unsure and frightened, she moved the body. She pulled his shoulder towards her and he laid on his back with his face in view. It was her alien.
"Kisshu? Are you alright?" she asked, sitting up like a human and picking up his body. Almost like how she held him in the forest. "Answer me, Kisshu!" She shook him but he just move when her arms made him move and his head leaned to the side more. She held him in her arms right now but there is nothing. No pulse, no breathing, no nothing. What's wrong?
She shook him again and pleaded, her voice cracking with tears ready to fall, "Please wake up! Please! Stop playing around!" She was expecting him to open his eyes by now, but nothing. Her eyes widen even more and tears started falling down her face. She knew. She knew that she's too late but she didn't want to admit it.
She brought his body closer and held him in her arms. His touch seems so cold now. Her cheek laid on the top of his head and tears rolled down her face. She put on a small smile on and said, "Hey! You know what? While you were gone, I heard this interesting song on the radio. Want me to sing it to you?" She didn't wait for an answer because she knew that she's never going to get one.
Your Eyes from Rent
Your Eyes
As We Said Our Goodbyes
Can't Get Them Out Of My Mind
And I Find I Can't Hide (From)
Your Eyes
The Ones That Took Me By Surprise
The Night You Came Into My Life
Where There's Moonlight
I See Your Eyes
How'd I Let You Slip Away
When I'm Longing So To Hold You
Now I'd Die For One More Day
'Cause There's Something I Should
Have Told You
Yes There's Something I Should Have
Told You
When I Looked Into Your Eyes
Why Does Distance Make Us Wise?
You Were The Song All Along
And Before The Song Dies
I Should Tell You I Should Tell You
I Have Always Loved You
You Can See It In My Eyes
After the last word, Ichigo started sobbing. She closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall. She tightly held his body closer to hers and her whole body started to shake. Here she is coming from Tokyo to Nevada to save the one she loves most and she ends up too late. His lifeless body is in her hands and this time, no lies.
She looked back at his face and his lips are nothing more than an inch away. She didn't care if they were cold either. She closed her eyes and pressed her soft wamr lips on his hard cold ones. She gently pressed harder against it to try and find the last ounce of warmth of his body but nothing. Feeling that it's worthless, she stopped looking and tried to get as much as she could from it. She broke the kiss on his lips and kissed his forehead. She gritted her teeth in a sad way and continued to sob. Keeping her tears locked inside of her is harder than it seems.
She only had on question on her mind: Why? Why does he always have to leave her?
"Tragic isn't it? You two both fit the scene of Romeo and Juliet very well."
Ichigo sharply turned towards the door and at the entrance, she saw someone she thought she wouldn't ever see again. At the door way stood Deep Blue.
"Except in this story, Juliet will be murdered instead of taking her own life."