It was Ichigo's third painted rose before she started to feel a little strange. The drinks were delicious; she could hardly believe how good the burn of the alcohol felt as it slipped down her throat, a mild fruity flavor dancing on her tongue. Kish was on his second gin and tonic, this time, with a glass of water sitting beside it. Ichigo wasn't sure how long they had been at the bar. She guessed it had been a little less than an hour.
". . . so here I am, running down the hall stark naked, and Pie comes tearing after me but I'm too fast for him so he loses me. My favorite place to camp out was in the kitchen cabinets. The cooks hated it when they opened the cupboards and there I am with my naked ass sitting on top of a stack of clean plates, just grinnin' at em!" Kish laughed.
"Ok, now I'm one hundred percent sure that I had a boring childhood!" Ichigo grinned, taking another sip of her drink. "Naked hide and seek sounds like the best!"
"But it was only fun if the other party you were playing with was an unwilling one," Kish said with a grin. "You had to get them chasing after you first. It absolutely mortified the adults."
The two settled into a comfortable silence as Kish took another drink. The piano player was taking his turn at the bar now, the violinist playing some solo pieces.
"Hey Kid!" came a voice from behind Ichigo. She turned to see a burly human approaching them, drink in hand. His features were that of a pointy-eared dog Ichigo couldn't identify. Kish cracked a smile and turned to face the two.
"Flit, my man, how's it going?" he said to the man approaching them. The man by the name of Flit burst out laughing when he saw Kish's blindfold.
"Oy, Kid, what the hell happened?" he asked accusingly.
"Lost a bet," Kish mumbled. "Don't ask, man, it's embarrassing."
"Alright, alright, I'll let you off easy this time," Flit said with a wave of his hand. His eyes fell to Ichigo. "And who's this pretty little thing? You've got beautiful eyes, babe." Ichigo scowled disdainfully as Kish wrapped a protective arm around her waist.
"She's with me, dumbass," he said assertively, with a hint of aggression to his voice. Flit cracked a cheeky smile.
"Is that so? And what's your name sweetheart?" Flit asked Ichigo, tilting his head to one side.
"Rae," she grunted.
"Hm," mumbled Flit in seeming disappointment, his smile dying. "Awful small name for a girl like you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo snapped.
"Ooo, damn Kid, this one's got a temper to match yours," Flit said, nudging Kish in the shoulder. Ichigo could feel that Kish was growing more irritated by the second. "What I meant was that you seem like you're an awful lot of a person to have a small name. I'm not calling you fat, sweetheart. Don't take everything so personally."
Ichigo rolled her eyes and faced away from the irritating friend of Kish's.
"Hey cutie, has anyone ever told you that you look almost exactly like that human princess?"
Ichigo, trying not to panic, reacted quickly by blurting out, "Only everybody I ever meet, that's all." She pretended to be annoyed while she was inwardly pleading that she didn't seem strange. It seemed to work, because Flint simply let out a hearty laugh.
"Damn, I'd be annoyed if I were you too, sweetheart," he said. Ichigo felt Kish's hand on her back and sensed his tension with this friend of his.
"Hey Flit, can you like, not talk to my girl? That'd be great," came Kish's accusatory voice. Ichigo was afraid, at first, that Flit would get violent. But he simply raised an eyebrow at Kish and sighed.
"Alright, dude, away I go." He turned to leave, then winked at Ichigo, flashing her a cheeky smile. "Nice meeting you, sweetheart."
Ichigo just narrowed her eyes at him and watched him as he turned and left. Kish let out a breath Ichigo didn't know he'd been holding.
"Dammit, can't stand that guy," Kish mumbled under his breath. "Sorry about that, Ich-kitten. He's one of my more annoying friends."
"Obviously," Ichigo groaned, taking another sip of her drink. The glass was almost empty. "Not all your friends are like that?"
"Pft, no," Kish said, scoffing. "Want me to introduce you to some of the nice ones?"
"Um, I guess?" Ichigo said uncertainly. She downed the rest of her drink. "I just dunno if I'm going to screw up around them. With the whole name thing, you know."
"You'll be fine," Kish said assuringly. He waved to the bartender, who came over in a few moments.
"What do I owe ya, Albrinkd?"
"It's on the house," the bartender replied with a grin, tipping his head to Ichigo. "In honor of the special lady." Ichigo smiled back at him.
"Thanks," she said, her voice filled with a genuine warmth.
"Anytime, ma'am," Albrinkd replied cordially. "After all, this is a place for all different types of people. Best of luck to you and that mess of a kid you've got hanging off your shoulder. He's not an easy one to manage, but I think you'll do alright."
Albrinkd turned to Kish and smirked.
"You behave yourself, Kid."
"Will do, sir," Kish replied smugly. He stepped down from his seat and offered his hand to Ichigo.
"Shall we?"
Ichigo took his hand and stepped down from her seat as well. She realized that she was beginning to lose her sense of balance, but managed to wobble to a standing position in her heels. Kish felt the movement of her gaining her balance through the strain on his hand. He slid his other hand along her shoulders and down to the small of her back, where it stayed.
"Getting a little tipsy?" he murmured snidely.
"Hardly," Ichigo was quick to reply. "It's just the heels. You try wearing them for a day and see how well you walk."
"I don't think it's the heels, sweetheart, but whatever you say," Kish said quietly. He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder, "Look around the room. Seated at one of the tables near to the front there should be a demon boy with red hair seated with a blonde demon girl. They probably have black-haired human kid with them too, with grey cat ears."
Ichigo looked around and immediately was able to spot the flaming red hair of a boy seated near the front. A blonde girl was cuddled up to him.
"No sign of the human one, but I see a red head and a blonde. Both demon."
"That'd be them," Kish said. "Let's go."
Ichigo led Kish over to the table near the violinist who was performing at the front of the crowd. As soon as they got near the table, the red-head looked up and grinned.
"Damn, Kid, what's with the blindfold?" he asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow. The blonde girl lifted her head, eyes darting between Kish and Ichigo.
"Lost a bet," Kish replied with a groan. "But seriously, I've been telling the story all night, so I'd rather not have to tell it again."
"I got time!" the demon said. He gestured to the chairs in front of him.
Ichigo, noting that Kish couldn't see this gesture, subtly nudged Kish and whispered ever so slightly, "Sit." Luckly, Kish caught on in an instant and reached out to pull a chair from the table.
"Rae?" Kish said cordially, gesturing to the chair with one hand. Ichigo momentarily forgot that "Rae" was her temporary name. She snapped to attention in a moment, though, and graciously accepted the seat. Kish pulled out a seat for himself and sat down, casually propping up his head with his hand.
"Ok, but seriously dude, I'm so damn tired of telling this story," Kish mumbled. Ichigo was impressed with Kish's acting. It was surprisingly believable. She supposed this was due to his frequent visitations to the bar over the years. "Can we just forget it?"
The red-headed boy rolled his eyes. "Alright, Kid, fine. But only if you introduce me to your girl."
Kish, obviously relieved for a change in topic, reached out and stroked Ichigo's back as he said, "This is Rae. It's her first time here, so be nice. She's not used to the whole mixed race thing."
The boy looked enlightened as he said, "Ahh. Yes. I remember how I felt the first time I found this place. It's quite a culture shock, huh, Rae?"
Ichigo nodded. "It'll take some getting used to," she said with a nervous laugh.
"Well let me help you out by getting you started with some new friends," the boy said, offering his hand. "I'm Dom, and this is Kassi." Like the bartender had done, as Ichigo's hand touched his, Dom lifted Ichigo's hand to his face and kissed it. The girl, Kassi, didn't look fazed.
"Pleasure to meet you," Ichigo said, smiling.
"Hey Kid, is this the one mystery girl you've been whining about for the past few months?" Dom asked, turning his attention to Kish. Kish let out a short laugh.
"Hah, well yeah, you could say that," he replied with uncertainty. "Finally got her out of her house to come here."
Dom smiled widely at Ichigo. "I've heard all about your super strict parents! Man, that sounds like it sucks! I'd hate to be stuck inside all day like you are!"
Ichigo, taken aback at Kish's apparent stories about her, replied: "You have no idea. Having hover-parents is just . . . ugh. The worst." She stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes. Dom laughed at her expression.
"Kassi here had some problems with that a few years ago," he said, nudging the silent blonde in the arm. Her lips curled into a smirk as he spoke, "But man, did I turn your life upside down, huh, Kassi? I mean, damn, you'd still be going to that awful private school if I didn't come along and save the day."
"I'd like to think that I saved my own day, thank you very much," said Kassi. Ichigo was entranced by her voice. It was warm, but sharp as a knife. Dom smiled at her fondly and kissed her head.
"Alright, alright, hon. You're right. You saved yourself."
Ichigo glanced towards Kish and saw that he was also smiling. Dom let out a sigh and turned his attention back to Kish and Ichigo.
"So, Kid, I brought my guitar and I was wondering if you wanna help me out tonight," Dom said. "Kassi said she'd be cool with doing piano if need be, but my voice hasn't been too hot lately and I'm wondering if you wanna do vocals."
Ichigo looked, surprised, from Dom to Kish. Kish shook his head.
"Dude, no way, not in front of the lady."
"Aw, come on man, don't be a little bitch about it," Dom teased, punching Kish lightly in the arm. "I'm sure she'd love to hear you."
"You can sing?" Ichigo asked Kish, she shock evident in her voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I can't sing!" Kish exclaimed with a nervous laugh. "I mean, I guess I can hit the notes and stuff, but I can't stand my voice!"
"Come on, Kid," Dom encouraged further, "You're the best vocalist in the house! I mean, hell, you don't have a real deep voice, but it's damn good anyway!"
Kish let out a loud, deep breath and said, "Alright, fine. You got me. But only one song."
"We'll see about that," Dom said with a mischievous grin. "C'mon, let's go take over for that poor violinist. He's been up there for a good twenty minutes. Looks to be getting tired."
Ichigo, superbly amused, watched in interest as Kish and Dom both rose from their seats, Kish somewhat reluctantly.
"Can't wait," Ichigo said to Kish with a smile.
Kish seemed to sense Ichigo's playful attitude towards this whole ordeal and said, "Don't laugh, ok?"
"Alright, I won't," Ichigo said. A corner of her mouth turned into a smirk as she added, "Impress me."
Dom, listening in on their exchange, raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Ooooo! Kid, your girl just gave you a challenge!"
"With her, it's always a challenge," Kish teased, kissing Ichigo on the head as she scoffed at his mocking of their tumultuous relationship. "Let's go, Dom."
Dom reached under the table and pulled out what Ichigo recognized to be a guitar. The two made their way up to the front of the room as Kassi slid into the seat next to Ichigo.
"Bunch of clowns, huh?" she said quietly.
"A charming kind of idiocy," Ichigo agreed with a smirk, amused at Kassi's observation.
The two girls watched Dom and Kish wait patiently to the side while the violinist finished his piece.
"How'd you meet?" Kassi asked suddenly. "You and Kid."
Ichigo wasn't sure how to reply at first. It took her a few moments before she said, "To be honest, he stalked me. It wasn't a very pleasant experience to begin with." Kassi smiled coyly.
"Cute," she said sarcastically. To Ichigo's relief, Kassi didn't try to pry any more details out of her.
"How about you and Dom?" Ichigo asked. Kassi let out a sigh and looked off into the distance.
"We bumped into each other at the library. He slipped me a note saying that I was the 'prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes on', and if I wanted to get to know him, I could meet him at . . . well, at the bar we're at now. I snuck out to go meet him. The rest is history."
"So, semi-stalking?" Ichigo said, trying to relate their two stories together.
"I guess you could say that," Kassi replied with a little smirk. "Depends on your definition of 'stalk'."
"Ok, how 'bout this-Dom was a category one stalker, while Kid is a category three stalker."
"What makes Kid category three?" asked Kassi, playing along with Ichigo's comparison.
"He hid in a tree and watched me in my backyard," Ichigo said with a laugh. Kassi looked confused.
"You have a backyard? Where do you live?" Ichigo, realizing that most people in the city didn't have yards, scrambled to make a quick recovery.
"I live a little ways out into the country. My family owns and acre or two. We have my mom's garden fenced off all around."
"I see," Kassi replied, her gaze falling back on the boys. Ichigo, inwardly relieved that Kassi had bought her story, breathed a sigh of relief. Then- "What's Kid's real name?"
Ichigo, panicked at first, laughed nervously. "He's just Kid," she said with a smile, trying to hide her anxiousness. This time, Kassi wasn't buying it. She stared into Ichigo's eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"No, you know his name. I know you do."
Ichigo's smile faded and she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"He's just Kid," she repeated. Kassi continued to stare at her for an uncomfortably long time before she flicked her eyes away and closed them.
"I see," she murmured. "And your name's not really Rae."
Ichigo was sent into a panic, starting to sweat. She was sure that Kassi had figured out her secret.
"It's ok if you use your real name here," Kassi said. "I mean, I understand wanting to disguise your identity and all since this isn't the best place to be seen in, but I really don't think you need to worry as much as you are right now. After all, how would your parents find out anyway?"
Ichigo smiled, mostly because she was relieved that Kassi seemed to be wandering down a different trail of thought than Ichigo had initially thought. She provided no answer before Kassi continued speaking.
"Kid is a strange case, though," Kassi continued in a murmur. "I can't seem to figure him out; his personal life is so closed up to everyone. I guess it's just been bothering me for a while. His name, that is. Or, to be more precise, his real identity."
"Yeah," agreed Ichigo. "He's . . . different."
"But you know his name. His story," Kassi shot back. "I can see it in the way you look at him. You love him. And I suppose that's the reason why you're not going to tell me his name."
Ichigo smiled at Kassi and shook her head. "No, I'm not going to tell you. You're exactly right. You and I both know I couldn't betray him like that."
Kassi's face morphed into that small smile again. "Well, it was worth a shot."
"Sorry to disappoint-"
Ichigo was interrupted by Dom's voice yelling over the talking crowd. "Hey everybody, how's your night been?" He was answered by a slew of screams, fists pumping in the air, and clapping.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you probably know, Kid and I have been up here a few times in the past month or two, but tonight's a real special night 'cause we have in the audience a very special guest! Kid would like to dedicate this performance to his little sweetheart Rae!" Kish crossed his arms in front of him in (partially mocking) frustration.
"Damnit, Dom, I did NOT say that!" he yelled. The crowed laughed at his reaction, all eyes on the pair now.
". . . he also asks the audience, and I quote: 'Will you please stop asking about the damn blindfold?'," Dom teased, raising his voice to a slightly higher pitch to imitate Kish's. He was obviously relishing all the attention. The crowd laughed even louder, Ichigo giggling along with them. "Anyway, we're gonna start off with something we know pretty well to get Kid warmed up. Hope you like it!"
The crowd clapped and whistled, Ichigo and Kassi clapping along with them. Dom and Kish both pulled up stools that were lined along the walls and sat down. Kish cleared his throat as Dom tried the first note on his guitar. The crowd went quiet in anticipation.
Dom took a deep breath and plucked out a few delicate notes on the guitar. They were eerie, melodic, and made Ichigo curious for the tune of the song. Then, Kish's voice came.
"She paints her fingers with a close precision
He starts to notice empty bottles of gin
And takes a moment to assess the sin she's paid for."
Ichigo's heart came to a screeching halt when she heard the sound of Kish's voice. It was brilliantly clear with a hint of his accent, and although it was indeed high-pitched, his voice slid between notes like a serpent weaving between brush—with absolute smoothness and a deadly subtlety. She felt like she was melting under the sound, her head growing hot.
"Say what you mean, tell me I'm right
And let the sun rain down on me
Give me a sign, I wanna believe . . ."
The note rose in his throat, Kish pulling it higher and higher in pitch, then dropping the note lower in perfect harmony with the last as Ichigo's jaw came loose, her eyes fixed on him and him only. Dom's guitar hit a crescendo as Kish's voice grew louder along with it, his hands clenching and unclenching while he sang.
"Wooaah, Mona Lisa!
You're guaranteed to run this town
Woooaah, Mona Lisa,
I'd pay to see you frown!"
Again, Kish's voice danced through the notes with a precision that left Ichigo dumbfounded. She saw movement from off to her side and realized that Kassi was watching her with a smirk on her face.
"Kid is better than he gives himself credit for," Kassi said over the noise. Ichigo nodded slowly, eyes still locked on Kish.
"He's incredible . . ." she said absent-mindedly. She found himself totally entranced by his voice, similarly to how she found it so fascinating when she first heard him speak.
Kish came to the third verse, where Dom's guitar slowed to a drawling pace and Kish's voice followed the similar slow, silky rhythm. He seemed to realize he was doing well by that time; a smile played on his lips as he sang.
"Mo – na – li- sa -
Please to please ya,
Mo – na – li – sa -
Wear me out . . ."
Ichigo was filled with something that she recognized to be pride. Pride in that this boy was hers. She hadn't had the feeling as strong as it was now—not even when Kish was crowned. But now she so strongly felt the strange, bubbly feeling of pride in the fact that he loved her. The effect his singing had on her was both confusing and fascinating to Ichigo. She wanted more.
The song came off of the chorus to slow down to the original eerie melody the song began with. Dom's guitar stopped playing for Kish to sing the last line a capella:
"There's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you paid for . . ."
As soon as the last note left Kish's lips, the whole room exploded in clapping and whistling. Ichigo didn't even think to clap. She was still stationary, dumbfounded with Kish's voice.
Kish and Dom both grinned, Dom naturally being the one to speak first. "Thanks, guys! That's one of our personal favorites."
Ichigo watched in curiosity as Kish's face morphed from a grin to a solemn look of thought. He leaned to the side and muttered something to Dom. Dom's expression went from concentrated to Kish's words to a sly smile. He nodded and said something in Kish's ear Ichigo couldn't hear. Then, he lifted his head.
"Alright, ladies and gents, we're going to do something a little different now. As I already mentioned, Kid has a special lady with him tonight, and he'd like to play something for her that's a little different from what we usually do. That alright with you folks?"
The crowd erupted in a chorus of "YEAH!" and more fists pumping in the air. Ichigo could only wonder what it was Kish would sing.
"Alright, here's to Kid's girl, Rae," Dom said, smiling directly at Ichigo and nodding to her. Ichigo smiled back, her face already red. Dom drew out a single chord before he started to strum a simple melody that was a much slower pace than the last song they played. It was simple, but beautiful, and a little sad. Kish took a deep breath and began to sing, his voice quiet, but full of emotion Ichigo could feel as soon as he first opened his lips.
"It's three in the morning and I'm still not sleeping
'Cause I'm finally running your race.
The mountains you've been climbing seem like they have steepened
Since I decided to pick up the pace."
Unlike the last song, Ichigo felt like she would cry at the sound of Kish's voice. It was melodic and matched the tones of the guitar perfectly as it had in the last song, but the texture to it was no longer smooth. Kish sounded as if his words were having difficulty coming out of his throat, the sound of his voice holding a crackling quality.
"If the whole world told me I should disappear
Could I fall right next to you?"
The last note of the line was high, and Kish seemed to struggle to reach it with his hoarse voice, but he continued on to the chorus, his voice growing in volume.
"Just let me burn the night away
Oh baby let me burn the night away
By thinking of the simple things you say to me
That get me through the day"
The strength of his voice increased with the volume, but the hoarse quality to his voice remained.
"You keep me wide awake
You keep me wide awake"
Dom's guitar paused as he muttered something to Kish. This time, Ichigo read his lips: "You okay?"
Kish nodded subtly. Ichigo saw him swallow hard before he took a deep breath and continued along with Dom's guitar.
"So don't look back the hourglass is running empty
You've got me buried with your every move
Your fine lines have me at a loss of memory
I'm right beside you in an empty room"
Ichigo found herself shocked at the relevancy of the song to her relationship with Kish. It was no wonder why Kish had chosen to sing it. Ichigo wondered to herself how long Kish had thought of the song as one he would relate to her.
Kish and Dom reached a crescendo in the song, Dom's guitar growing louder as Kish's voice rose in strength with it.
"You're making it hard for me to just start
Over like we're new."
Kish took a deep breath before his voice rose to the loudest Ichigo had heard it so far.
"Ooh, the whole world told me I should disappear
Cause I'm falling in love with you!"
Then Ichigo felt it consume her. The raw emotion spilled out across the crowd and into Ichigo as she listened, consuming, devouring every word he said. As Kish continued in a different, more minor key than he had sung before, Ichigo's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Just let me burn the night away,
Oh baby let me burn the night away
By thinking of the simple things you say to me
That get me through the day
And it's so hard to catch your feelings when you
Always run away
You keep me wide awake
You keep me wide . . . awake."
Just as the song ended Ichigo realized that her face was wet with tears. She made no effort to wipe them away as the words of the song echoed in her head. The crowd around her was silent for a few moments, then slowly, they began to clap for the duo. Kish's face gradually stretched into a smile along with Dom's ever-present grin. Dom's face fell, however, when he looked to Ichigo.
"Kid, my man," he yelled to Kish over the crowd, "You made your girl cry!"
Kish's face fell instantly and he scrambled off of the platform the two were on and began to weave his way through the crowd as it parted for him. Ichigo rose to meet him, practically running as the two connected into an warm, strong embrace. Ichigo buried her face in Kish's chest as the crowd let out a chorus of "awww"s.
"Let's give this couple a round of applause, guys," Dom yelled. Everyone cheered and clapped for the two as they solemnly held each other.
"You alright, kitten?" Kish murmured into Ichigo's hair. Ichigo found it surprising to hear Kish's talking voice once more.
"Yes," she breathed into his shirt. "I've never felt better."
"Alright, I think Kid and I are gonna call it a night," Dom said finally, seeing that Kish and Ichigo seemed unwilling to separate. He was met with a few "awws" and "boos", but they were few and far between. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! Have a good night." The crowd let out one last chorus of clapping before settling back into the usual chatter.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo finally released Kish from her embrace to rub her eyes, which were messily streaked with her makeup.
"Sorry I'm such an emotional mess," she said with a half-hearted laugh. Kish let out a breath of air as he smirked.
"It's ok, I am too."
"Must be the drinks," Ichigo added.
"Must be," Kish said in agreement.
Ichigo lifted her eyes to look at Kish and noticed something strange. His wings were . . . furry? There were little hair-like strands emerging from his wings. That's when it dawned on her. Ichigo's eyes grew wide in panic as she got on her tip toes to whisper in Kish's ear, "Kish! Your wings! They're changing back!"
"Shit," Kish cussed under his breath. He wrapped his arms around Ichigo tightly. "Hold your breath!"
Ichigo barely had time to suck in a breath of air before she felt her and Kish dropping into a teleportation he opened up on the ground. They fell through and landed hard on the graciously soft surface of the bed in their room. They both bounced as they hit the bed and Ichigo let out a giggling shriek as she toppled over across Kish. He joined in her laughing as she got off of him.
"Well that was close!" Kish exclaimed. "Thank god I was out of the spotlight before the elixir started to wear off."
Ichigo sighed and smiled at Kish fondly. The little spines on his wings were thickening into feathers once more, his wings gradually beginning to increase in size once more. Now more than ever, Ichigo wished he had his eyes.
"Your voice is incredible," Ichigo murmured. "Why didn't you say anything about it before?"
Kish shrugged. "Like I said before, I can't stand my singing voice. Other people seem to like it, but to me I sound . . . whiney."
"I didn't think that at all," Ichigo argued. "You sounded genuine."
Kish's smirk crept back up on his face. "So you liked it? The last song?"
"Pfft," Ichigo scoffed, "You saw the sobbing mess that it made me. Of course I liked it. I loved it."
"Not exactly," Kish said quietly. "I couldn't see you. I wouldn't have known if Dom hadn't said anything."
Ichigo was silent, regretting her choice of words instantly. Kish heard the silence, and his face fell as the silence lengthened.
"You made up for it," Ichigo whispered.
"What?" Kish murmured, confused.
"You made up for it. The emotion that lies in your eyes. It was in your voice. I heard your emotion as clearly as I see it in your eyes."
"You mean the lyrics?"
"No, your voice," Ichigo corrected quickly. "The emotion was in your voice. I felt it. I loved it. It was so real . . . so raw. I felt it in my bones."
"I'm not that good of a singer. You felt alcohol in your bones," Kish said with a grin. Ichigo rolled her eyes and reached out to run a hand through Kish's hair, pulling the slouchy hat off of his head.
"God, Kish, you were fantastic. Now will you shut up and kiss me already?"
Kish's grin spread even wider as his hands found Ichigo's face. "I thought you'd never ask."
It was a cool evening, the temperatures dropping to a near-freezing level as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Winter was setting in. Ichigo clutched at the sides of the black velvet cloak she wore, the hood tossed over her head. Next to her, Kish walked with a protective arm around her body, the cold, blue light of his eye sockets exposed without his blindfold. They were accompanied by nearly a hundred soldiers bearing swords and bows, all following behind the couple in a v-formation as they walked solemnly to the field just outside of the southern gate. Pie was among them, walking quietly with the company near the front of the lines.
The ground below their feet was covered in overgrown, browning grass, reaching up to mid-calf. Once they had gotten a safe distance from the buzz of the city's outskirts, Kish stopped and raised a hand to indicate that the rest of the soldiers were to stop as well. Immediately they fell into formation behind Kish, standing at the ready as they prepared for the appearance of whatever party would come for Ichigo.
Ichigo's nervous eyes darted around the vacant hills that rolled past the city and tumbled into a distant forest. There was no one in sight. She glanced up at Kish. The light of the setting sun reflected against the gold crown he wore, the snakes appearing as a warm shade of red. Kish seemed to sense Ichigo's eyes on him.
"One week, Ichigo. That's all."
Ichigo tried swallowing her anxiety, training her eyes on Kish's face. Hearing that Ichigo was unwilling to speak further, Kish added: "You're untouchable. Don't let them intimidate you. And don't let them tell you otherwise. You and I both know the power you have over them."
Ichigo's eyes flicked away from Kish at the sight of the sun's last sliver of light poking out from over the hills. "Here they come," Ichigo murmured as the little sliver shined, then disappeared as the sun hid behind the horizon line.
With absolute precision in timing, the air a hundred feet in front of Kish and his men began to shimmer. Kish's men switched to a defensive stance. Ichigo felt Kish's arm tense up, gripping Ichigo's side tighter.
The posse that came to fetch Ichigo was not what she expected. Its ranks—about one hundred in number—mostly consisted of angels, soldiers Ichigo didn't recognize. But there was the occasional human solider mixed in with them. Masaya was nowhere to be seen. One of the angels, dressed more elaborately than the rest, stepped forward. In his hands there was a wooden box the size of a shoe box.
"Your Majesty," he addressed Kish. Kish raised an eyebrow.
"I don't recognize your voice," he said. "To whom am I speaking?"
"Prince Masaya's captain of the guard," the angel replied. Kish scowled.
"So he sent someone else to do his dirty work? Pathetic." His grip on Ichigo tightened. "Did you bring the eyes?"
"Yes, they're in my hands," the captain replied. "Send Ichigo over and I'll hand them to you."
Kish let out a short laugh. "That's funny. Do you think I'm an idiot? No, what's going to happen is I'm going to send Ichigo in between us. You will hand the box to her. She will walk over to me and give it to me. Then you retrieve her."
"Now you hope to take me for a fool," the captain said disdainfully.
"Hm? Do I sense an air of distrust towards the dear princess?" Kish teased. "She will walk to you. Then to me. And back to you. Unless you have a better idea, this seems to be the best solution for both of us."
Ichigo watched as the captain's eyes narrowed. He whispered something to the man standing next to him. The man nodded.
"Fine. We'll do it your way," the captain said. He walked to the center of the field. "Walk ten paces forward."
Kish complied, taking his time to walk the ten paces it took to get him closer to the center of the two parties. He still gripped Ichigo tightly in one arm. Ichigo's heart was pounding at the impending trade. She would soon be leaving with these strangers, and who knows what would happen afterwards.
At the tenth pace, Kish stopped. He bent his head down and gave Ichigo a tender kiss on the head.
"Be strong," he whispered to her. Ichigo took a deep breath and nodded, eyes trained on the angel captain ahead of her, who was holding the wooden box that meant Kish's life.
Slowly, she began to walk towards the angel, Kish's hand gently falling off of her body until she could feel his touch no more. She threatened—challenged, even—the angel captain with her eyes as she kept her sight trained on him. She didn't walk far before she extended her hands, allowing the angel to place the wooden box in her grip. She turned around and walked slowly back to Kish. She heard the captain following her as she walked, along with a second pair of feet. Ichigo internally groaned at his distrust in her. She stopped before Kish, staring into his shining eye sockets as he lifted his hands to touch Ichigo's. Slowly, he slipped the box out of her shaking hands.
The moment Ichigo's fingertips left the box, she felt like she had been punched in the stomach by a sudden arm around her middle. Another arm grabbed her around the shoulders, a third snatching at her hair. She let out a panicked shriek as she was dragged backwards thrashing. Kish reacted instantly, snatching at the handles of the golden whips that lay in the box and forcing them inside of his eyes.
"KISH!" Ichigo screamed in desperation before she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. There were angels and humans alike surrounding her from all sides, all trying to keep her from struggling. She felt her hands being tied behind her back. She opened her mouth and bit down on the hand over her mouth. Hard. The hand left her mouth with a howl from its owner, and Ichigo shrieked again.
Kish's eyes slid into place, his eyes restored to their firey, intense gaze. He lifted their golden hues to the scene unraveling before him. The first thing he saw was a bulky angel standing behind Ichigo raising the blunt end of his sword and clubbing Ichigo over the head with it. Her screams died as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her whole body slumping over into the arms of her captors as she lost consciousness. Then, the air around the mass of angels and humans began to shimmer.
"ICHIGO!" Kish screamed. He dashed forward as fast as his legs could carry him, extending an arm towards Ichigo's limp body as he watched her image fade. He reached out to touch her, but he only grasped at empty air.
Kish was silent, looking at the empty space where Ichigo had been. Overwhelmed by shock, he struggled to move. He dropped to his knees, continuing to stare out into the empty field before him.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Pie.
"Kish, I'm sorry."
Kish remained deathly silent. The two sat in silence for an antagonizing minute before Pie noticed Kish's hands clenching into fists.
"I'm going to kill them."
Pie heard Kish hiss the words with a deadly animosity. Kish turned his head to look Pie in the eye. Pie was taken aback by the look Kish held. It was murderous. Firey. Bloodthirsty. His intensely golden eyes spoke to the hate that twisted at his heart. Kish spoke between clenched teeth.
"I'm going. To kill. Them all. Just wait. They will suffer for what they have done to her."
(a.n. As promised, I was able to update a LOT quicker with all of the motivation from the fantastic reviews I received! Thank you so much for your encouragement. As you can probably tell, this is the beginning of the end of this story. We've only got a few more chapters left! Are you getting excited or what? :) Like I said last chapter, the more reviews I get for this chapter, the more encouraged I'll be to spend more time on this, in order to update quicker. Please, please tell me what you thought of this chapter, or the story overall! I'd love to hear your comments. Until next time!
Oh, and before I forget, the first song Kish and Dom are playing is "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" by Panic! at the Disco. The second song is "Burn the Night Away" by There for Tomorrow. I would HIGHLY recommend you listen to "Burn the Night Away" either while reading this chapter or after. It's an incredibly emotional, beautiful song, and the main singer from There for Tomorrow has my headcanon voice for Kish's singing voice. Ok, that's my little commercial break. Thanks!)