Happy Earth Day!
Chapter Thirty-Five:
As she fell, as the darkness surrounded her, she heard her name.
"Ichigo!"
So many different voices. She loved every one of them.
"Ichigo!"
She heard so many things in each of the voices of her friends.
"Ichigo!"
Panic.
"Ichigo!"
Fear.
"Ichigo!"
Shock.
"Ichigo!"
Heartbreak…
"Ichigo…"
She opened her eyes at the calm voice, the gentle whisper, a hand caressing her hair.
Ichigo took a deep breath as she looked up into the face of the Cyniclon woman she now knew as Niroshi Lila.
Rishi-Sobo's student.
Risa's best friend.
Pie and Rin's godmother.
Kisshu's mother.
Lila's smile was warm and lazy, her golden eyes softly gleaming.
"Hello again, Ichigo-Chan," She said, a soft laugh in her voice.
How had she completely missed all of the signs of this woman's identity the previous time they encountered each other? How had she not recognized that this woman had the same eyes as Kisshu, his smile, the same lazy expression when he was completely at ease and content?
Ichigo blinked, fully taking in her surroundings.
She was lying with her head in Lila's lap, in the same strange garden from before. They were on the same bench that they had had their previous conversation on.
It was like she had never left.
Something tugged at Ichigo's heart. Had she truly left before? Or was part of her here for all that time?
A part of her that was dead?
Or…
Ichigo sat up, looking at Lila with wide eyes.
"Am I dead?" She asked.
Lila smiled at her and shook her head. "No. Your heart continues to beat. Faintly, but it is there. Your lungs continue to take in air. Very little, but you breathe."
Ichigo bit her lip, then asked, "Am I dying?"
"Some might say that even the healthiest are dying, just at a much slower rate." Lila answered.
Ichigo frowned. "Do you always talk in riddles? Or are you just being dramatic?"
A deep laugh made Ichigo turn.
She nearly fell off the bench.
If she hadn't recognized Lila for who she was at first, she most definitely knew who was standing before her. This was more of a punch to the gut.
Because while Ichigo hadn't noticed that Lila's softer, subtler attributes had been passed down to her son, it couldn't escape her notice that Kisshu looked very much like his father.
The green-haired Cyniclon man bowed to her, taking Ichigo's hand, giving it a soft kiss, his soft blue eyes meeting hers.
"Niroshi Alec, at your service, Mew Ichigo," He said by way of introduction. He stood up straight and smirked at his wife. "I felt that introductions were necessary. As my wife failed to introduce herself the last time you were here."
"I knew she would figure it out," Lila said with a lazy shrug. "Or she would ask the right questions of the right people."
Alec, still grinning, shook his head. "Come along, ladies. We don't have much time."
"Time for what?" Ichigo asked as Lila rose to her feet, offering Ichigo her hand.
"Time for a talk," Lila said as Ichigo accepted her hand.
Ichigo frowned, but allowed Lila and Alec to guide her down a path, going deeper into a garden. She could hear the sound of water, and when they turned a corner Ichigo couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
The lagoon was gorgeous, surrounded by lush grass, with a beautiful waterfall splashing into the pool.
But what truly surprised her was how many people were waiting for them to arrive.
There were three men—one young, one middle-aged, and one old—and three women—one with a dark brown plait that went down her back, and two blondes who shared only their hair color in appearance.
Ichigo almost stumbled, though the ground was clear.
She knew these people. She knew them.
Or she knew of them.
The woman with the brown braid stood up from where she had her feet dangling in the water, her dark eyes bright.
"Greetings, Ichigo-Chan," She said.
Similar to how she recognized Alec for who he was, Ichigo knew instinctively who this woman was.
Ichigo couldn't stop herself from bowing, her eyes flooding with tears as she said to Keiichiro's mother, "Hello, Akasaka Erina."
She rose and turned to the middle-aged Asian man, sitting beside one of the blonde women, her skin milky white and her round eyes a clear, crystal blue. She bowed to them as well.
"Hello, Shirogane Kotoro and Emily." She said to Ryou's parents.
"Hello, dear," Emily said softly.
"Mew Ichigo," Kotoro said with a nod, approval in his eyes and voice.
Ichigo took a second to swallow back the emotions she felt as she raised herself, turning to the other blonde woman, who was smiling at her fondly, with soft but sad eyes.
"Hello, Fong Amai." Ichigo greeted Pudding's mother with another bow.
"Hello, Ichigo," Amai whispered back.
Ichigo turned to the old man, whom she realized she should have addressed first, but he didn't seem offended as he studied her with keen eyes. She bowed again to Mint's great-uncle. "Hello, Muto Wotaru."
He gave her a nod, which she saw only through her eyelashes as she rose and addressed the final person, the young man.
The man who had sent her and her friends on a trip to America.
A similar trip that had led to his death, and a prediction about her own.
"Hello, Kawashima Kentaro." She greeted Zakuro's older brother with a final bow.
"Hi, Ichigo," He said with a lopsided, almost sheepish grin.
"Ah, good, we don't have to bother with introductions," Lila declared as she dropped to the ground, only to hover above the grass, her legs folded before her. Her husband joined her, though he opted to actually sit on the ground.
Erina gently wound her arm around Ichigo's, leading her to a place to sit.
"You most likely have questions," She said as they sat upon a large, flat boulder.
"Many. More than I can articulate," Ichigo admitted. "More than I even know the words for. What is this place?"
"A sort of limbo," Emily answered, reaching up to brush some of her hair behind her ear. "A place between the land of the living and the land of the dead. As you probably have figured out, we are dead, but you are not."
Ichigo suddenly had a sour taste in her mouth.
Not yet, at least.
"Why am I here?" Ichigo asked.
"Because we have messages for you, and your team," Kotoro answered.
"You know, now, on the summer solstice, what must be done," Amai added. "You know you must destroy Deep Blue—once and for all."
"On the night of the eclipse. Yes." Ichigo said, nodding.
"It was all foretold," Muto-San grunted. "Everything that has happened to you and your friends has all been fate. Destiny."
Erina squeezed Ichigo's elbow as she said, "That doesn't make it easier. Doing what you must."
Ichigo closed her eyes.
"The vision I had at New Year's," She whispered. "It must come to pass."
"Yes." Alec said softly. "It must."
Ichigo took a deep breath, tilted her head back and released it, a tear running out of the corner of her eye.
"I figured as much. As Summer told us the story, how the far past and the recent past connected… Everything that happened in our previous battle with Deep Blue happened for a reason. Masaya was able to separate from Deep Blue. Pie, Kisshu and Taruto died so that Howling Wind, Strong Mountain and Burning Flame could use them as their hosts. We needed to know the full extent of what the Mew Aqua could do—and know the importance of seeking the other elements. But it also foretold of how this battle will end.
"During this battle, in order to defeat Deep Blue once and for all, Kisshu and I must die."
The silence was an overwhelming, suffocating affirmative.
Ichigo took a few deep breaths to prevent herself from crying, then squared her shoulders and brought her head forward. Kentaro came over and sat beside her, resting a hand on her knee.
"Knowing doesn't make it easier," He murmured. "You'd think it would."
"It wasn't a choice for you. For any of you," Ichigo pointed out. "I… I have to make that choice. Kisshu and I have to make that choice. But what I don't understand is why. Why does there have to be a sacrifice in the first place?"
"As you now know, it was foretold that it would take both human and Cyniclon warriors to defeat Deep Blue," Emily said. "And that requires power. A great deal of power."
Ichigo reached up and put her fingertips over her heart. "Ryou said that the reason I've been so weak is because I've been absorbing the power of the elements every time one of the other Mews found an element. My body can't handle it. In that case, I understand why I would die. My body is already weak from the elements, and I will spend all of that power in the battle."
"Correct," Kotoro said with a nod. "However, you will be strong enough to fight in the final battle."
"Someone else is taking care of that," Erina piped in. "The other girls will take on their share of the power, if temporarily."
"Okay. But why Kisshu, then?" Ichigo asked. "He doesn't have anything to do with the elements."
"No, but Kisshu is a strong warrior. One of the strongest, most powerful ever." Alec said. There was both pride and sadness in his voice. "And his bond with you, that red string of fate, is one of the reasons he is so strong."
Ichigo must have looked shocked because Lila laughed. "Do you not find it odd that some of the finest Cyniclon warriors of this generation have found their matches with humans? Strength found strength in the form of love. You and Kisshu. Pie and Lettuce."
"Pudding and Taruto," Amai said with a small smile.
"And Keiichiro with Rin," Erina said, nodding in a satisfied way. "Your souls were made for each other. Not just your lover, but every one of your friends. Your souls and hearts were meant to connect, to form bonds."
"So you're saying that Kisshu is my soulmate," Ichigo said slowly. "But so are all of my friends? Every member of my team? We were all meant to find each other, one way or another?"
"Soulmates is a good word for it," Muto-San said approvingly. "And yes."
Ichigo was quiet for a moment, then said, "I could have figured out that I was going to die—and Kisshu with me—during the final battle. Deimos basically confirmed it for me. So why am I here?"
"Because you need to know that there is some hope," Erina said. "That history will repeat itself in other ways."
Ichigo blinked. "As in, there's a chance we'll die… but come back to life?"
"A slim chance," Kotoro said, quickly and firmly. "But a chance nonetheless."
"We also needed to let you know that our protective abilities are waning," Amai said. "They'll be non-existent by the time the eclipse arrives. Thus, your team is at greater risk."
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked.
"We have been protecting your team for a very long time," Alec explained. "We have been acting as guardians for you all since before Deep Blue first sent Kisshu, Pie and Taruto to Earth. Since before you became a Mew Mew. Since before Ryou and Keiichiro finished the Mew Project."
"Every time one of you has been injured or ill, we have staved off the worst of it." Emily added.
"I have this feeling of dread that all of us should be dead several times over," Ichigo admitted. Unwittingly, she thought of some of the most memorable events. "When Kisshu was stabbed by the Blue Knight? And then a few months ago when he arrived back on Earth?"
"We staunched the bleeding and warded off infection. Well, as much as we could with the poison." Erina answered.
"When Lettuce fought Topaz, and she was injured… the way she fell, the damage should have been worse, shouldn't it have?" Ichigo asked.
"We protected her from sustaining a concussion, protected her vital organs, and a good majority of her bones, yes," Muto-San said with a nod.
"And it wasn't Autumn's magic that kept Pie unconscious for so long after Mylo stabbed him?"
"Nope," Kentaro answered.
"Mint's appendix? Riri's eardrums? And when Belle and Pepper's Chimera attacked Keiichiro?" Ichigo asked incredulously.
"Yes, yes, and yes." Alec said, nodding vigorously.
Ichigo suddenly leaned back on the rock, a realization washing over her, putting her hand to her chest.
"My asthma…" She whispered. "It stopped being much of a problem when I was ten years old… And Tart, he had similar issues when he was a child, didn't he? I remember him mentioning that before. But the problems suddenly stopped. You all… You made our lungs stronger. So we could fight. So we could fulfil this prophecy?" Another thought made her blood run cold. "If your protection on us is coming to an end, does that mean that Tart and I are at risk of the same problems with our lungs returning, and getting worse?"
"We're not certain. However, you both have had many years of good health for your bodies to adapt and grow stronger," Lila said. "If the problems with your respective respiratory systems resume, they will be much milder. Still requiring attention and treatment, but milder nonetheless." She paused, then said, "Tell Risa to add fresh oregano to the mixture she had created before for Taruto, and to send that mixture with you back to Earth before you depart Cynnth."
"I… I will tell her that," Ichigo said.
Lila looked up and met Ichigo's eyes. "Tell her I told you to tell her that."
Ichigo nodded. "Are there… any other messages that I should take back?"
"Send our love," Erina said.
"And our support," Kentaro said.
"And that it's going to get rough before it gets better," Muto-San added.
"And that even though our abilities to protect are going to disappear, we will not." Amai said softly. "We will always be watching over you."
"You are all going to do great things, long after this prophecy is behind you," Emily said, smiling.
"This is only the beginning of that greatness," Kotoro said, taking his wife's hand.
"And tell them that we are proud. We always have been, and always will be." Alec said. He hesitated, then said, "I know… I know what I ask is difficult. But I want you to tell Mylo that part as well. From me, specifically."
Ichigo scowled, fury building in her. "Mylo? But he's helping Deep Blue! He's been attacking Earth! How can you be proud of him?"
Alec only smiled sadly at her. "I am not asking you to understand. At least, not yet. I am just asking for you to pass along that message."
Ichigo kept her mouth clamped shut, neither agreeing to nor denying the request.
Lila put her feet on the ground and walked over to Ichigo, taking her hands.
"And now, my dear Koneko-Chan," She whispered, her golden eyes twinkling with tears. "It is time for you to wake up."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Curry glanced across the room at Risa, arching an eyebrow. She frowned at him before sighing and saying, "Rishi-Sobo, you said that it was urgent that Curry and I come over. In the middle of the night."
"That I did," Rishi-Sobo said as she hung a tea kettle over the fire.
"And we came here as soon as we could get ahold of Vanilla and Yuzu to stay with Asagao. But you have not told us why it was urgent," Risa said, trying to keep up with the old woman as she moved about the kitchen area of her house, while simultaneously trying to not get trampled by the old blind woman.
"No, no, I have not," Rishi-Sobo said musingly as she scooped tea into a large tea pot. "But I am sure that you will understand in a few moments."
"Er, Rishi-Sobo?" Curry said, coming over to stand on Rishi's other side. "Would you like Risa or I to make the tea?"
"I have been making tea longer than you have been alive, Curry. I can do it on my own," Rishi-Sobo scolded, but without any real bite.
"But that is a lot of tea. For just the three of us," He said, looking past her to give his wife a curious look. Risa shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea why Rishi was preparing several pots for tea.
"There will be more than three, so I suggest you get out more cups, Curry." Rishi told him.
"Who else are we expecting?" Risa asked. "And when?"
Rishi waved a dismissive hand. "You will see. Heh. As for when…"
Risa and Curry both jumped at the sound of something being knocked over in the living room area, along with flustered voices.
"We're going back for the others."
"Is she breathing?"
"RISHI-SOBO! HELP!"
While Rishi simply continued to fill the teapots, Risa and Curry both rushed into the other room. Risa gasped, then rushed to join Kisshu on his knees on the floor, his gold eyes wide as he cradled an unconscious Ichigo, transformed into her Mew form.
"She's got a pulse, her aura is present," Riri said, a tremor in her voice as she pressed her fingertips to the side of Ichigo's neck. "Not light, but not dark."
"What happened?" Risa asked.
"She passed out," Homare explained, wringing her hands from where she stood off to the side. "She's been having problems with her breathing, and her blood thinning, and—"
"And she shouldn't have transformed!" Ryou snapped irritably as he arrived with the second wave of teleportation, led by Pie, Rin and Taruto.
"She said we needed to see Rishi-Sobo, and—" Rozu started to say.
"Is. She. Breathing?" Zakuro demanded, raising her voice, an underlying anger underneath as her question remained unanswered.
"She is," Kisshu said, holding onto Ichigo tighter. "But—"
"Curry, bring me—" Risa started to say, her voice clipped.
"Everyone calm down."
They all turned to Rishi-Sobo as she made her way across the room, parting people like the Red Sea, gently nudging them out of the way with her cane.
Rishi-Sobo inclined her head and said, "Kisshu, lay Ichigo on the ground and step away. Risa, Riri, you both as well."
Kisshu stared at her. "But—"
"Now." Rishi-Sobo said, sharp.
Kisshu's entire body tensed, but he did what he was told. Masaya and Homare each grabbed him by an arm, half-restraining, half-comforting. Riri and Risa both moved away, Riri clenching and unclenching her fists, her eyes never leaving her friend's prone body.
"What is going on?" Risa demanded, looking predominately at her children.
That was a mistake as everyone began to speak at once, voices animated and emotional and overlapping.
"—Summer solstice—"
"—elements—"
"—transformation—"
"—Deep Blue—"
"Quiet!" Rishi-Sobo barked. Silence once again fell over the room. She had moved so that she stood at Ichigo's booted feet. She was silent for a second, then, "Mew Mint. Mew Lettuce. Mew Pudding. Mew Zakuro. Step forward."
The four girls, all still in their Mew forms, did so, though with looks of confusion on their faces.
Rishi-Sobo moved so that she was kneeling beside Ichigo, close to her hip. "Mew Pudding, beside me."
Pudding raced to Rishi-Sobo's side, kneeling, her glances shifting between the old Cyniclon woman and Ichigo.
"Mew Lettuce, across from Mew Pudding. Mew Zakuro, across from me. Mew Mint, sit at Mew Ichigo's head."
The older three girls rushed to follow their orders, all feeling the panic to rush, fear for their friend, and frustration at how calm Rishi-Sobo was, especially since they sought her out at Ichigo's request.
"Now," Rishi-Sobo said. "I want each of you to put your hands on Mew Ichigo where your own Mew Mark is."
Pudding was the first to move, pushing back Ichigo's bangs tenderly to rest her hand on Ichigo's forehead.
Lettuce followed suit, resting her hand on Ichigo's sternum, and Zakuro laid her hand on Ichigo's abdomen. Mint carefully slid her hands under Ichigo's back to press her palms between Ichigo's shoulder blades.
"Now close your eyes," Rishi-Sobo murmured. "And… let your power flow."
They did as they were told.
Slowly, impossibly, the onlookers stood in awe as a glow began to surround each of the girls. Ichigo's passionate pink. Mint's tranquil blue. Lettuce's vibrant green. Pudding's bold yellow. And Zakuro's regal purple.
But the display of the Mews powers did not end with the glowing.
A large rivulet of water emerged from under Lettuce's fingers, creeping up her arm. Flames began underneath Pudding's hand and burned up her arm, the skin beneath untouched. The breeze that began under Mint's hands was felt around the room, whipping hair and clothing as it surrounded the bird Mew. Around Zakuro's wrist was a vine of flowers that curled and crawled up to surround her.
As the elements slowly overtook each of the Mews, enveloping them completely, they let out a gasp. The glows burned brightly, nearly blinding everyone in the room…
And, in a flash, it was gone.
The glows. The elements. The girls' Mew forms. Pudding, Mint, Lettuce and Zakuro all were jerked backwards by an invisible force. Only Rishi-Sobo remained by Ichigo's side.
Then Ichigo took a deep, shuddering breath and bolted upright, her eyes wide, looking around the room in stunned confusion.
"Ichigo!" Kisshu said in relief, dropping to her side and gathering her in his arms.
"Are you alright?" Pie asked Lettuce as he helped her to her feet, embracing her.
"I… I think so?" She said, leaning against him, her legs shaking. She wasn't certain if she felt weak, or if she was just stunned.
"What just happened?" Mint asked as she accepted Shinji and Rozu's help getting off the ground.
They all turned to look at Rishi-Sobo for an explanation.
She just simply smiled and got to her feet.
"I believe the water is ready to be poured. Curry, dear, you never did get down those cups… Though I suppose now you know how many we need."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()
"Now that we have our tea," Rishi-Sobo said from her chair, smiling with aloof grace, her blind eyes wandering around the room. "Perhaps you young ones should fill in Risa and Curry on why you came to me tonight. From the beginning?"
"That is difficult," Keiichiro said, a bit stiffly. "As we are no longer sure what the 'beginning' actually is."
"Yeah, what exactly is 'our' beginning in all of this?" Masaya questioned.
"If I were you, I would start with Atlantis and work your way towards the present," Rishi-Sobo said, now positively smirking over the rim of her tea cup.
The Tokyo Defenders all turned to her, aghast, while Risa and Curry both just looked confused.
"Wait, you know about Atlantis?" Rin exclaimed.
"What else do you know about?" Shinji asked.
"Have you known about Deep Blue's origins this whole time?" Pie demanded.
"Oh, how I wish to have my sight just for this one moment. It'd be worth it to see your faces right now," Rishi-Sobo said, chuckling. "Yes, I know about Atlantis. I have known about Deep Blue's origins. And I know about the prophecy."
"What prophecy?" Risa asked.
"And what is Atlantis?" Curry asked.
Ichigo frowned from where she sat beside Kisshu. "When we came to Cynnth at the beginning of the year, you ordered me to have us all come find you after the Summer Solstice. And to not tell anyone before then."
"I did, I did," Rishi-Sobo said with a nod.
Ichigo let out a small groan and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "Getting really tired of people not saying what they mean." She looked up at Rishi-Sobo. "Have you known everything this entire time? And could have told us everything from the beginning?"
"Ah, but what do you define as the beginning?" Rishi-Sobo asked, chuckling.
"Wait," Taruto said, frowning. "She couldn't have told us before we went to Earth on Deep Blue's orders… because Kisshu, Pie and I needed to go. And we needed to choose our loyalties on our own, without any influence."
"Correct," Rishi-Sobo said with a nod.
"And even if you had told us about Deep Blue before then, he wouldn't have sent us," Kisshu said with realization.
"Also correct," Rishi-Sobo confirmed.
"But why not tell us when we all were on Cynnth at New Years, na no da?" Pudding asked.
Ryou groaned. "Let me guess. Because not all of the players were gathered yet, right?"
"Precisely!" Rishi-Sobo said, sounding utterly delighted. "Everything you have learned, you have earned. It couldn't be handed to you."
"That may be," Masaya said warily. "But it still feels like we're missing information. And we're running out of time to earn it. I looked up when the eclipse is." He looked around the room at the other Tokyo Defenders. "It's in a week. We've spent months getting all this information, and we don't have time to earn anymore. We need answers now, so we can prepare for this battle."
"Then it's a good thing you were all so good at following my orders now, isn't it?" Rishi-Sobo said, smiling as she stood up, blind eyes twinkling. "Let us take a trip, shall we?"
"Where?" Rōzu asked.
Rishi's smile grew by a fraction as she turned to Rōzu.
"The past." She said simply.
And in a whirl of color and light, they disappeared from Rishi's home.