The scandal continues: see the beginning for all disclaimers.
Another warning about spoilers for the final episode of the WRC arc, just so you all know. If you haven't seen the ending of that episode, some of this will not make a whole lot of sense, and you'll likely find out stuff about what happened that, if you didn't see it yet, you'll wish you hadn't learned. Just so everybody's clear on that…
~ * Part Eleven: A CAT-type's Crush (And a KWG-type's Concerns) * ~
A blur of scarlet and silver sprang nimbly from lamppost to awning, awning to rooftop, rooftop to tree. It did not immediately reemerge from the leafy boughs and leap to the nearest clear space, however. Instead, a frustrated sigh echoed from within the concealing leaves.
A few minutes later, a Hercules Beetle medabot came jogging down the same street, looking rather peeved. As he reached the tree, something swung down directly in front of him. The KBT-type recoiled, startled by the fact that a pair of familiar and equally annoyed crystal blue eyes was now glaring at him from an upside-down face.
"Gk-gk-gk-gk-gk! Don't do that!" he shouted, swiftly trading shock for spite.
"Then don't fall so far behind," instructed Peppercat.
The CAT-type then swung herself back up into the tree and perched on one of the thicker branches. Her cerulean eyes shone against the deep green hue of the leaves surrounding her as she looked down at the recovering KBT-type almost scornfully.
"I don't believe this," she sighed, resting her chin in one hand.
(To think, he's supposed to be better than me… Guess that proves that you can't always judge a medabot by his ranking…)
(Especially when one of the greatest medabots around isn't even registered…)
Her eyes glowed a bit brighter and a faint rosy tint began to spread over her face. However, both changes were very brief, as Peppercat caught her thoughts wandering and shook her head sharply, jolting herself back to full function. She stole an embarrassed glance down at Metabee; thankfully, the KBT-type had not been watching her closely enough to catch her slip-up.
(Keep it together, Peppercat. Plenty of time for that once you pull this off…)
She watched disdainfully as Metabee fought to hide his weariness. To his credit, the KBT-type had been able to keep up with her rapid pace for some time – certainly longer than she had expected – and he didn't have a body-type suited for or modified for incredible speed. Apparently what sustained him was more a mixture of endurance, stamina and stubbornness.
Still, Peppercat couldn't help but feel annoyed with him. After all, the slower he traveled, the longer this little quest of theirs would take – and the longer she'd have to wait for a chance at her ideal boyfriend.
(I've waited too long already for a chance like this, damnit!)
The CAT-type wasn't too pleased with the exact circumstances that had led up to this chance, mind you. The difficulties that her medafighter was currently having with her love life affected her own life dramatically. Peppercat was simply working to ensure that some of those dramatic changes would be in her benefit…
"Are you ready to go yet?" she demanded, standing up on her branch and placing her hands on her hips. Mocking scorn entered her tone as she prodded, "Or does the 'third-best medabot in all Japan' still need a bit more rest before he gets left in the dust again by someone else?"
"Gk-gk-gk-gk! You're gonna be choking on my dust!" screamed Metabee, shaking a fist up at the CAT-type.
"Somehow I doubt that. Although it would be nice, seeing as how you're supposed to be the one leading me to where I need to go," retorted Peppercat. "But if you're not up to it, just point me in the right direction and…"
"Hold up! I'll show you exactly where he hangs out! Just follow me, and try to keep up!"
Metabee stormed forward, down the sidewalk. Peppercat watched him stomp ahead of her for a while, turning around on her branch without ever taking her eyes off him.
"Somehow I think that won't be a problem," she muttered.
She gazed past Metabee in the general direction that he was heading. It was only the first on a mental checklist of places they might be able to find the object of their search. If this didn't pan out, the KBT-type had assured her that he knew many other locations they could try next.
Peppercat really hoped that they'd find the one they were looking for soon, preferably before it got too dark out. After all, she had promised Samantha that she would return home before nightfall. The CAT-type didn't want to risk losing her medafighter's trust: it would cut too deeply into the rest of her plans.
(Right, one step at a time. If we don't find him today, there's always tomorrow…)
(……I really hope we find him today.)
She leapt out of the tree and followed Metabee. The pace was considerably slower than the one she had set and would have preferred to maintain, but at least they were moving…
~ * ~
Wisps of varying shades of white wove abstract patterns against a backdrop of cerulean. Sometimes vaguely familiar shapes would form, only to morph into something strange and unrecognizable as minutes rolled lazily by. Sometimes bright light would poke through its cottony covers, and sometimes it would disappear completely, only to suddenly pop into view later just as bold and brilliant as ever.
A pair of fiery eyes studied the ever-changing face of the sky above. Their owner was consistently amazed with the fact that the heavens never looked exactly the same whenever he beheld it, no matter how many sunny, cloudy or rainy days he spent watching it weave its designs.
Even when night encroached and the world was blanketed with darkness, the stars never seemed exactly the same. But night would not come for a few hours yet, not until the sun finished its path through the sky and set the heavens aflame with hues of red, orange and yellow. Or perhaps it might go more gently tonight, fading into hues of royal purple, rose and blue. Only time would tell.
(And then the skies will seem so deep that one might feel as if one might be sucked into its depths, never to return…)
The crimson eyes of Rokusho gleamed like fiery rubies as his thoughts drifted down familiar pathways. As was so often the case when he studied the skies, memories rose to reassert themselves, flooding in and out through his contemplation.
Some memories and thought-paths were less timeworn than others were. Certain events that had occurred recently – some of which very recently – had altered his musings considerably. The lingering pain of some old wounds was dulled somewhat by recent discoveries, but new concerns and fears had been raised in their stead.
(Professor Hushi……)
The KWG-type was plagued with mixed emotions concerning his long-lost medafighter. Though his spirit had swelled with jubilation when a miracle allowed him to once more gaze upon his vanished master's face, to hear his kindly voice speak his name anew and not merely in memory…
(Professor, why did you have to leave again?)
It was childish and silly for him to think this way: at least, that was what Rokusho kept silently admonishing himself. All the same… it hardly seemed fair that he had finally been reunited with his medafighter after all these years, only to lose him again. It had been all too brief, the distance between them too far, and before he had realized it the professor was gone again.
Too much had gone unsaid, too much left undone, too much unresolved. It was like in the confusion of everything that had happened that night the happy reunion that should have occurred had gotten buried by other, more important matters. Matters more important to most involved, at least…
(He was too far away for me to even touch. I never even really got to say goodbye.)
Rokusho shook his head at his own musings, frustrated with himself.
(Selfish… What would the Professor think if he saw me moping over such a small detail? A horrible crisis was just barely averted… The fate of all humanity and medabots hung in the balance. And here I am sulking over the fact I didn't get to hug my medafighter before he left again.)
The KWG-type's scarlet eyes burned as he continued his contemplation of the sky above.
(I have no real reason to obsess over this. The Professor told me that he was sorry he had to leave. He said it would just be for a little while longer. He must be planning to return someday.)
This time, at least, Rokusho had every reason to trust that his medafighter would return someday. It was nothing like years ago, when their home had been set ablaze and the Stag Beetle had thought himself the only survivor.
That fire had been set by the treacherous Armond, a former assistant to the Professor that later became known as the infamous Dr. Meta-Evil. He had been the mastermind behind so many plots to destroy the world as they knew it. His last plot had been to recreate the Ten Days of Darkness, only ensuring that this time, the darkness would never be lifted.
Only the determination of those who opposed him – as well as Metabee's near self-sacrifice – had brought the evil doctor's plans crashing to the ground.
The misguided Armond would hopefully never be a threat to anyone on Earth ever again. Rokusho seriously wanted to believe that was the case – just as he wished to believe that the fact Meta-Evil had left along with Professor Hushi wasn't anything he needed to be worried about.
(People are capable of changing. Hopefully Armond isn't too stubbornly set in his ways to be incapable of changing.)
The fact that Professor Hushi had turned up alive and well only to leave again stirred other painful emotions. The worst and most hurtful of these was one Rokusho had long thought he had learned to deal with, only to discover he didn't have nearly as much a handle on it as previously believed.
Simply put, he was lonely.
The KWG-type hadn't thought it so terrible over the past several months. Ever since his initial encounter with Metabee, Ikki and Erika, Rokusho had gradually developed several new friendships over the following incidents with the KBT-type and his companions. The medabots and medafighters he had become familiar with over time had helped fill a void that had gone empty far too long, a hole that had been burned inside him when his home was reduced to ashes.
Yet there was still a sense of incompleteness. Despite everything, Rokusho never felt fully a part of the group that surrounded Metabee and Ikki. He fought alongside them, sought the same goals, but at the end of each conflict there was one major thing separating him from the medabots he aided.
Each one had a partner that was always with them, in spirit if not in person. Each was perfectly paired off with another, with a medafighter that would do anything to support them, anything to be there for them, no matter what danger they faced.
Rokusho had nobody to return to after each conflict.
True, he had regained Baton thanks to the kindness of Karin and Dr. Aki's restoration. Yet the wannabe-weather forecasting parrot was far from an equivalent of having Ikki, Erika, Karin or the like watching over him the way they did their own partners.
Besides, Baton had shown a particular affinity toward Dr. Aki ever since he was repaired. He had become more of a flying, mobile link between Rokusho and Dr. Aki, relaying information back and forth between them. Rokusho understood this completely and bore no ill will against either for this; he had even been the one to suggest the current arrangement to them.
The fact remained, however, that neither the parrot or the doctor had the ability to offer Rokusho the kind of companionship he longed for. He could never see Dr. Aki as a replacement for the professor, and while Baton was nice to have around sometimes, he was never with the KWG-type long enough to completely stave off the bouts of loneliness he was prone to suffering.
Rokusho wasn't entirely certain he could find anything to repair the damage he internalized because of his partner-less state. That was exactly why he kept it silent, refusing to let others know anything of his sorry state. The last thing he needed was the more sensitive of his friends feeling bad for his sake, or the less sensitive giving him advice on how to get over it.
The KWG-type continued to study the sky, waiting for night to fall so he could see how the sun decided to set. Then he would be able to watch the stars and wonder which of the glittering points of light Professor Hushi was studying tonight.
~ * ~
"Great, there he is," Metabee pointed out the KWG-type overlooking the lake. "Told you I'd find him for you."
"Only after we went searching over half the town," quipped Peppercat.
Despite her sardonic tone, the CAT-type was very pleased with the way things were developing. Just as she had hoped, Metabee knew Rokusho well enough that he was able to take her to several of the Stag Beetle medabot's favorite haunts and finally lead her straight to him. She had already committed the places they had visited before to memory for the sake of future reference.
Now, however, her full attention was commanded by the fact that the object of their search was standing a tantalizingly short distance away. His attention appeared to be focused elsewhere, so Peppercat took advantage of his apparent distraction to take in the mere sight of the KWG-type.
Rokusho stood silhouetted against the crystal clear lake, face turned toward the sky, cloak fluttering in the wind. She could just make out the golden blade of his Chanbara sword poking out underneath the flapping fabric, its sharp edge gleaming as it briefly caught the sunlight.
Peppercat stood stock still, mesmerized by the sight. The faint blush she had fought back earlier when she merely pictured the KWG-type in her thoughts was threatening to come back with a vengeance. Stars began to twinkle in her crystal blue eyes as her mind raced, struggling to form the perfect phrases to get his attention and start the next phase of her plan…
"Yo, Rokusho! Get over here, we've been looking all over for ya! Come on!!"
"Metabee!" hissed Peppercat, whirling on the KBT-type in a rage.
"What? You're the one that was in such a hurry to find him," Metabee pointed out.
"Greetings, Metabee, Peppercat," Rokusho said pleasantly, turning and joining the pair. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see either of you today… How have Ikki and Samantha been faring lately?"
"Don't ask," muttered Metabee sourly.
"I see," Rokusho nodded wisely. "I overheard rumors concerning the two of them today, and from what I understand…"
"Gk-gk-gk! Can we talk about something else already?!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend…"
"Don't mind him," Peppercat jumped in smoothly. "Metabee's just upset that he was one of the last ones to find out about what's been happening lately…"
"What?!"
"Anyway, we didn't come here to talk about that exactly," she forged on.
"I understand. So, what is it you wished to discuss then?"
"Well…"
"Look, we need you to act like you're Peppercat's boyfriend for a while, okay?" Metabee interrupted.
"Metabee!!" snarled the CAT-type, turning on the KBT-type with a look in her blue eyes promising he was very close to becoming a scratching post.
"Excuse me?" interjected a surprised Rokusho.
"Here's the deal," Metabee went on, ignoring the death glare Peppercat had fixed him with. "I don't like Peppercat in the same way Ikki likes Samantha, but there's bound to be idiots who think differently. She doesn't want to get stuck with me the same way I don't want to be stuck with her…"
"So you need me to be seen treating Peppercat as my girlfriend," finished Rokusho for him.
"Yep," Metabee crossed his arms and nodded. "So, how about it? Can you help us out?"
"I'd appreciate it if you would just give this a chance for a while," interjected Peppercat, tilting her head to one side cutely. "You shouldn't have to pretend for very long…"
(…Before I make you fall in love with me, that is.)
"Come on, do it for a pal. Just a favor between us guys, right?"
Rokusho looked back and forth between the two, from the beaming Peppercat to the stubbornly 'not-calling-it-pleading' Metabee and back again. Their request seemed extremely odd to the KWG-type – as well as rather intriguing. If nothing else, it would be a distraction from the troubling thoughts that had been plaguing him recently, since the end of the WRC…
Besides, he couldn't really ignore a request from somebody like Metabee, who wasn't one to ask for any sort of assistance.
"All right," he consented with a simple nod. "I fail to see the harm in playing along with this plan of yours for a while at least…"
"Great!" Metabee exclaimed, clearly relieved. The KBT-type then stretched out and folded his arms behind his head, sighing a bit too loudly, "Now I don't have to worry about getting stuck with Peppercat…"
"You make it sound like that would be a bad thing," commented Peppercat, mildly annoyed at him.
Inside, however, the CAT-type was practically flipping cartwheels out of sheer glee. Metabee's brazen outline of her plan hadn't caused Rokusho to reject it completely. As long as things kept going this well for her, by the time Samantha and Ikki worked out their own little romantic dilemma, Peppercat would have a very nice prize to show for the whole ordeal.
(Just you watch, Rokusho. I'll prove to you that I can make you love me…)