Going to be a little sentimental here: When I started posting this story, I seriously had no idea what to expect. It was my first TMM story, I was still fairly new to the fandom, I barely had my plotline figured out, and I had no idea that what I had started was about to become a trilogy.
But on a whim, I jumped in feet first and posted the first chapter and was surprised at the results. It's been nearly seven months. I have written 564 pages of a Microsoft Word document, making the story around 119,619 words long. As of December 30th, 11:50 PM, Eastern Standard Time, there are 505 reviews, 70 story favorites and 69 story alerts. Yeah, I was not expecting this in the slightest.
First I'd like to thank my little sister (who perfers to go by Mew Thorn) who listens whenever I say 'Hey, I got this idea for Alien Uprising, wanna hear it?' and adding into the craziness. I'd go crazy without having her to talk out lots of my best and favorite scenes with. Love you sis!
I also want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited and/or followed. It makes my day to see a new review, or get an alert saying the story has been favorited and followed. Needless to say, I couldn't have made it this far without you all and your support.
My plan at the moment is to start posting Alien Upgade on January 14th, EST. The reason for this gap is that I want to get in as much writing as I can because on the 21st I will start taking some college courses, and these in addition to working part-time means I will not have much time to write during this time. Therefore, in order to make the chapters last, updates may be slow at first, but then later there might be three-a-week updates like I was doing throughout September.
Again, thank you all and I hope you enjoy the last two chapters of Alien Uprising!
Chapter Fifty-Five:
"Pie?" Lettuce whispered, stunned as she blinked up at the White Knight.
Her savior, her protector.
Her lover.
Her Pie.
"FOR THE RECORD, PUDDING TOTALLY CALLED THIS, NA NO DA!" Pudding yelled suddenly, pointing at the White Knight.
Ignoring Pudding, the White Knight twisted his wrist and the parasite left the Chimera human, who fell to the ground, unconscious.
"You have made a dangerous move, Mylo," The White Knight said, cradling the parasite in the palm of his hand. "You should have heeded my warning, and those of my brothers. Do you not know that what you seek will be your undoing? That you have willingly and eagerly sentenced yourself to death?"
Mylo sneered.
"You know nothing!" He snapped.
"I know that there is still time to release yourself from the bonds you have made," The White Knight said. He sounded like he pitied Mylo. "I urge you to do so, before it costs you your life."
Mylo summoned his sword.
"Fool! I am immortal! And I shall soon be all-powerful!" He said.
The White Knight threw the parasite in the air, watching Masha consume it. He sighed.
"You have made your choice," The White Knight said. "And I see you cannot be swayed. I am only sorry that I was unable to help you. I beg you to reconsider. You will have two more chances to change your mind."
"I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING IKISATASHI!" Mylo roared, charging the White Knight with his sword.
The White Knight merely stepped out of Mylo's way, drawing his own sword in the process.
"What you seek is something you cannot control," The White Knight said calmly as he parried Mylo's blows. "And if it does not kill you, then the obsession will."
Mylo's eyes widened.
"How do you know what I seek?" He growled.
"Dude, you've made it quite obvious what you're after," Ichigo spoke up. "You want Earth."
Mylo turned to hiss at her.
"You know nothing, fat tabby!" He snarled.
Kish grabbed hold of the hissing Ichigo before she could get in the middle of the duel.
"For some reason, I think Pie's got this," Kish whispered. Ichigo pouted, but didn't attack Mylo.
"Take care of the rest of the Chimeras," The White Knight commanded. "I will take care of the business presented before me."
The Defenders nodded and set to work on the remaining four Chimeras. A few seconds later, Masaya skidded to a stop beside Ryou, Keiichiro and Shinji, panting.
"What… I… miss?" He asked breathlessly, his hands on his knees as he looked over at the battle.
"Twelve Chimeras taking on the form of the Chinese Zodiac, Rozū is now a Cyniclon-flamethrower, and Pie is the White Knight." Ryou said simply, his arms over his chest. Masaya blinked and looked out at the scene in front of him. He watched Ichigo, Kish, Rirī and Mint take on one Chimera while Rozū roasted another. And in the midst of all that, there was a heated duel going on between the White Knight and Mylo.
"Okay, I'm caught up now. I think," He said, his brow furrowed.
"What do you think Mylo meant when he said he was immortal and all-powerful?" Shinji asked.
"Don't know," Ryou said frowning. "But we're definitely going to look into it."
"Perhaps the White Knight will tell us," Keiichiro said.
"Wouldn't he have flat-out said it instead of talking in riddles to Mylo, who seems to already know the answers?" Shinji asked.
No one had a response.
Mylo hit the asphalt, his sword scattering across the ground. He snarled up at the White Knight.
"Go on and kill me! Or are you a coward?" Mylo demanded. "Your pathetic teammates have already destroyed the last of my Chimeras. What's stopping you?"
"Killing you serves no purpose," The White Knight said, sheathing his sword. "However, if you dare to cause harm to my lady again, I will have no choice."
"'My lady', 'my lady, 'my lady,'" Mylo mocked. "Just call her your girlfriend, for crying out loud. Though why anyone would want to make out with you is beyond me."
The White Knight's brow furrowed in confusion.
"I do not understand what you mean," He said.
Mylo gazed up at the White Knight's face and started laughing.
"And here I thought you had no sense of humor," He said, grinning wickedly. But then his grin faded as he saw that the White Knight wasn't joking.
"You really don't have a clue who you are, do you?" Mylo asked.
"I know exactly who I am," The White Knight said evenly. "I am the White Knight, the protector of Mew Lettuce."
Mylo scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Whatever," He said. "I'll make a deal with you, Ikisatashi. You can protect your 'lady' all you want, as long as I can take over Earth. Got it?"
"I am afraid I cannot do that either," The White Knight said. "I will not stand by and let you capture Earth." He paused. "There is still time. You can still escape the bonds of the deal you have made."
"NO!" Mylo snapped. He teleported and grabbed his sword, launching back into the duel. "This is the only way I can get what I want!"
"But is it truly what you want, or is it what you are led to believe that you want?" The White Knight asked.
With a howl of rage, Mylo teleported again, this time grabbing Lettuce from behind and flying upwards with her, no matter how hard she thrashed.
"Let me go!" Lettuce yelled, trying to kick Mylo and elbow him in the chest, but it was useless. She felt herself go higher and higher until they were at least five stories high. Then she froze and tried not to move or cause Mylo to release her. She knew that her Mew powers could only do so much to protect her if she fell from this far up.
"Making me give up on Earth is not your purpose, White Knight, you said so yourself!" Mylo yelled as he watched the White Knight frown with annoyance and anger. Mylo grinned. "She is."
And, with that, he let Lettuce go, falling through the night air.
Lettuce screamed and closed her eyes tightly.
No, it can't end this way. It can't, She thought, trying not to cry.
Suddenly, she felt herself slow in momentum and strong, warm arms wrapped around her protectively. She opened her eyes to find herself held bridal style against the White Knight's chest.
"I have you," The White Knight whispered, smiling gently at her. Lettuce bit back a gasp; how had she not noticed it before? The White Knight had the exact same smile as Pie, the smile that was reserved for her and only her. The smile she loved to see, the smile that made her feel warm inside and how she knew he loved her. "I will always be there to catch you, my angel."
Lettuce smiled up at the White Knight—no, up at Pie—and buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. Once the White Knight's feet touched the ground, he gently placed Lettuce onto her feet, kissing her temple. He then looked around.
"If you're looking for Mylo, he disappeared the second he dropped Lettuce," Kish said. The White Knight approached him, glancing over his shoulder to see if Lettuce would follow him, which she didn't. Then he kept glancing back to make sure she was still there.
"What is it Mylo seeks?" Zakuro asked.
"It is not my place to tell you," The White Knight said simply.
"What is up with all these people talking in riddles and then saying it's 'not their place to explain'?" Mint demanded in frustration.
"I apologize, Mew Mint, but that is how it must be," The White Knight said. Mint pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "And now, I must take—"
"Pie."
The White Knight froze, turning to look at Lettuce, standing a few feet away, staring up into his pearl-like eyes, which he blinked once.
"Why do you call me that?" He asked in confusion.
"Because that is who you are," Lettuce said softly, taking a few steps forward. "Whether you are aware of it or not."
"My angel, I do not understand," The White Knight said as Lettuce came up to stand in front of him, her eyes watering as she smiled.
"You are Pie," She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her. "And more importantly, you are my Pie."
She brought her lips to his and her eyes closed. The White Knight at first looked confused, but then closed his eyes as well, returning the kiss, wrapping his arms around Lettuce.
When they finally broke off, Lettuce looked up to see perplexed pearly eyes.
"Lettuce?" The voice was still the White Knight, but yet it wasn't quite. "What is going on? Where are we? There were Chimeras, and one had you…" His brow furrowed with concern as he saw the tears running down Lettuce's cheeks. "And why are you crying?"
"I'm crying because I'm happy, Pie," Lettuce said through her tears. "Because you're my White Knight. You've always been my White Knight."
Pie blinked and looked down at himself. He was in all white, and had a sword, and his hair was longer and also white. He brought his gloved hand up to his eye level, staring in wonder. Lettuce took him by the arm and led him over a shop window. In the dark glass, Pie saw his reflection and blinked with surprise.
He was, indeed, the White Knight.
"But…" Pie muttered, unable to take his eyes off his reflection. "What? How?"
Lettuce just smiled and gently cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at her.
"You're my protector, my Knight," She said. "I don't know how or why you are, but what I do know is that I don't want it any other way."
Pie smiled.
"Neither do I," He said, and he kissed her again.
Lettuce felt the scabbard that had brushed against her leg vanish, and in its place felt the leather cording around Pie's pigtail brush against her cheek, the purple-gray hair at the end tickling her chin. She opened her eyes to see that Pie had become Warrior Black again in place of the White Knight.
They smiled at each other again and leaned in for another kiss….
POUNCE!
Pie and Lettuce were suddenly glomped by Rozū, who hugged them both tightly.
"That was so cool!" She exclaimed. Rozū grinned at Lettuce. "Now you and I are going to have to find new New Year's Resolutions!"
Lettuce laughed.
"Yes, I guess we do, Miss Flamethrower," She said, gently stroking one of Rozū's braids.
Pie and Lettuce were suddenly surrounded by Rin, Rirī, Kish, Tart, Mint, Zakuro, Keiichiro, Masaya, Shinji and Ryou. Ichigo was about to go over when she felt Pudding grab her wrist.
"Ichigo Onee-Chan?" Pudding whispered, looking up at Ichigo. Her eyes were full of confusion, sadness and fear. "What does this mean for Taru-Taru and Kish Onii-Chan? Are they Knights too?"
Ichigo bit her lip and looked over at Kish and Tart, both of whom were playfully messing with Pie's hair and shoving him while teasing him about something as the young man started to turn red.
"I don't know," She murmured.
"The White Knight said Pie-Chan was his servant," Pudding persisted. "And the Red Knight said the same about Taru-Taru, and the Green Knight about Kish. So, could they be Knights too?"
Ichigo sighed and smiled down at Pudding.
"We'll keep it as a theory, but I don't want us to be putting too many eggs into this basket," She said before walking over to join their teammates.
"Ichigo Onee-Chan, what does this have to do with eggs, na no da?" Pudding called as she ran over as well. Ichigo just laughed.
A few minutes later, they paused as they heard the nearby clock-tower chime and watched as fireworks filled the sky.
Midnight.
"The old year is done and gone," Rin said, leaning against Keiichiro.
"And the new one has begun," Lettuce said, Pie's arm around her.
Kish grabbed Ichigo's hand, Tart took Pudding's hand, and Shinji took Mint's hand. Keiichiro gently turned Rin to face him and Pie did the same with Lettuce.
"Well, it officially stinks to be the third wheel in all of this," Masaya said in a low voice, standing to the side with Zakuro, Ryou, Rirī and Rozū.
"Yep," Rirī said. Then she smiled mischievously and materialized three identical objects in her hand and passed one to Masaya and one to Rozū. They both grinned as well.
"Happy New Year, Koneko-Chan," Kish whispered, holding Ichigo to him tightly.
"Happy New Year, Kish," Ichigo said, smiling up at him.
They leaned in for the kiss, their eyes closing, their eyelashes fluttering and then…
THROOMP!
Kish and Ichigo leapt away from each other, trying desperately to get away from the loud noisemaker that had been in their faces. They both frowned and glared down at Rozū, who smiled up nervously.
"Heh heh," She said, sweat-dropping slightly. "Happy New Year?"
"Rozū…" Kish said dangerously, his eyes narrowed.
"Hai?" Rozū said innocently.
"Run!" Kish growled.
Rozū paled and her eyes widened. With an 'Eeep!' she took off, Kish and Ichigo chasing her, nearly bowling over Keiichiro and Rin and Mint and Shinji.
"Who gave the kid a noisemaker?" Shinji asked, his brow furrowed. Rirī and Masaya quickly hid theirs behind their backs.
"No clue," Rirī said innocently.
Rozū skidded to a stop though and stared up in confusion. Kish and Ichigo nearly ran her over.
"You really shouldn't have-" Kish said, then he saw what Rozū was looking at and stared as well.
It was Zakuro and Ryou, their arms around each other, kissing passionately as the clock tower's tolls continued to echo. They finally broke off and smiled at each other, Ryou gently reaching up to stroke one of Zakuro's wolf ears and she nuzzled her head against his hand at the touch.
"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!" Mint exclaimed, eyes wide, scaring the two.
"What?" Zakuro asked, blinking once as she tried to regain her composure.
"Are you two dating, na no da?" Pudding asked, her eyes wide.
Ryou and Zakuro smiled shyly and took each other's hand.
"Yes, we're dating," Zakuro said. "We've been together for about six months."
"SIX MONTHS?!" Came the stunned and wide-eyed response from everyone.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Mint asked, slightly hurt.
"It was kind of a game," Ryou admitted sheepishly. "The see-how-long-it-takes-for-the-media-to-learn-Zakuro-Fujiwara-has-a-boyfriend game."
"We honestly were going to tell you guys," Zakuro said. "We just weren't ready to be open with our relationship until we were sure things were going to work out between us." She smiled as she leaned her head against Ryou's shoulder. "And I'm really glad it did."
"We're just happy that you two are happy," Keiichiro said, grinning as he gave his best friend a hug as the Mews and Ikisatashi girls smothered Zakuro with hugs.
"Thank you," Ryou said, finding that he couldn't stop smiling himself.
Ichigo grinned and took Kish's hand. He grinned at her as he squeezed her hand.
They didn't know what this new year would bring, but they knew that they were ready to face it.
Together.
