Uh…yeah, what the others say.
This chapter's kind of a side story focusing on Pie. At least it's a little different from the ordinary. And if you don't like it breaking up the storyline, well, it's a little shorter than the other chapters…
Thank you once again for reading and reviewing! Your great reviews have made me glad I decided to go with this project. Unfortunately, (for you) I'm going on vacation for two weeks, with only my clunky laptop to keep my company, so don't expect any new updates until after July 11. I was really trying to get to chapter 9 before I left, but it looks like it's not happening…
Chapter 7: Peeker Power
As the whiteness swirled around Ichigo, she glanced back to notice her ribbons floating, and her veil flying out behind her. Well, at least she finally got her ribbons to float on their own.
What in the world is going on? She asked no one. The answer came in a piece of paper- a brown one much like the ones she had just thrown away. "Peeker Power" it said in wide letters across the top. What? Peeker power? What's that? She continued to read the rest of the paper. "An extrasensory power represented by white light and misted vision. Used to peek into the inner minds and past lives of people." Huh? The inner minds and past lives of people? She glanced around the wavering world surrounding her. Does this mean that I just used it? The only other person in the room, other than me, was… Ichigo covered her mouth. No way, this isn't possible. I'm in…Pie's mind???
The misty clouds of the morphing world were at last thinning out and curling from her path. Ichigo blinked, wondering where her new powers had taken her. This was one of Pie's memories she was in. At last, the scene before her became clear as her power sharpened, sucking the vivid images now before her from his mind.
It looked liked just a regular Mercurian street- the stone slats for walking, tracks for vehicles, and the twisted overhanging street lamps. The light from these lamps illuminated the face of a little boy Mercurain, sitting wistfully on the ends of the stone slats. He kicked his bare legs a few times in the gutter, his black slip-on shoes splashing in the yellowish rawmot.
"Excuse me…?" Ichigo spoke up as she approached him. She seemed to float along the streets, hovering just out of reach. "Little boy?"
The little boy never looked up or acknowledged her presence. He glanced down, hiding his face in the shadows of his fluffy, chin-length gray hair.
Oh, right. Ichigo remembered. This is a memory. I can't talk to anyone inside a memory! She glanced around. Is this all there is? Just this shadowed street and this little boy? What a cold, empty memory…
Just then a pair of little voices erupted from the distance, brightening the little boy like invisible fireworks. "Hellloooo!" one called, echoing through the street, bouncing off, and coming back for a second lifting.
At last, the dull little boy stood up. His thin padded shoes clicked a little against the stone. His face lifted…out of the shadows as he turned towards the source of those joyful sounds. "Guys?" his little voice hesitantly squeaked.
"Pie!" another brilliant display shot up into the sky as two young bodies tapped into the view of the streetlamp.
Pie?! Ichigo's mind asked. This little boy is…Pie? Her pink eyes recorded, in astonishment, the young Pie, a beautiful smile spreading across his face, his shiny hair hanging loose and free. Pie, Ichigo said, partly to the world around her. You really were a cheerful, happy-go-lucky child. What happened? What happened to make you…change?
At that thought, the mist again returned, clouding Ichigo's vision. She smiled as it slid away again. Pie was answering her.
The slight coolness slid from around her skin. Ichigo blinked. This memory didn't look much different. The dark, Mercurian street stretched before her. Ichigo glanced around, looking for someone, or anything in response. This was supposedly the reason Pie had changed from spunky, carefree six-year-old to cold, serious eighteen-year-old.
Nothing was happening. The silence on the cold, dark road was almost deafening. Just then, pinkish spots of light began glowing in the distance. What the…Ichigo wondered. Pink light…kirema animas? At that moment, voices began to float through the street, and Ichigo wasn't sure if they were coming from people, or just random disembodied voices.
A deep one rumbled through the streets, off the stone walls and dirt floors. "Well, well. Been out with your pals again?"
"Dad!" a little, light voice chirped, this time pinging off the walls. "Mom! You have to come and see! It's so cool!"
"What?" a smooth, feminine voice rolled across the stone. "You found something?"
"Yeah! Come and see! It's so amazing!"
Ichigo wondered who these voices were, and what this had to do with Pie's personality change. Just then, the voices disappeared. Ichigo glanced around, looking for some kind of sign in the dead silence. The dancing pinkish lights seemed to be getting closer…
Just at that moment, a tapping noise in the distance interrupted the cold silence. Ichigo glanced over to her left. Then, a single pink light lit up in the black draped world beyond. A minute later, there he was again, the little Pie, his hair flying against him as he ran up in her direction. He was wearing a Mercurian costume more like a combination of Kish's and Tart's instead of his own. There weren't even bands around his arms or legs. At last, Pie stopped a little bit in front of where Ichigo stood. He gazed at the pink light, smiling. Ichigo looked behind him and gasped. A small jellyfish-like parasite alien was floating behind him, emitting the soft pink glow she had seen before. Two tall, darkened figures stepped up beside him.
"Oh…" the smooth female voice said again. "Look, it's a colony."
Little Pie smiled and turned to look at the parasite next to him. "See, Sparky? Now you can go back and be with your friends again!"
Ichigo smiled to herself. That's cute, she thought. Little Pie has a pet parasite alien named Sparky. I wonder if it's because of Sparky that he started his research on the creatures of Mercury… She gazed over at the darkened figures and they became a man and woman Mercurian. The woman had long, silvery hair. Ichigo's eyes widened. Pie's parents?!
The little jellyfish alien made an unusual squeaky-toy call, flipping around and propelling itself up. It flew out towards the other pink blobs. The lights in the distance flew closer, revealing themselves as other parasite aliens. Their little blank eyes stared at Sparky in the dark. Then, the pet came out to join the others.
Pie smiled as the little blobs began to fly away together. He waved to his beloved pet. "Bye-bye, Sparky!"
"Well, that's good," Pie's apparent father spoke up. "He's probably happy, back with his own kind now."
"Yeah," little Pie agreed. "Sparky's with his family…" he looked down at the ground, probably disappointed that his friend had left.
Ichigo stared at the scene with a look of confusion. Yes, it was a tragic loss when a cherished pet died or had to leave, but how could this be something so influential that it would change Pie's entire outlook. Then, to her horror, she received the answer. The glow of the jellyfish aliens was coming together…merging as one. Ichigo knew what was happening, since she'd witnessed this event before. They're forming a parasite anima, she thought.
Little Pie glanced up as he saw the light coming back towards him. "S…Sparky?"
His mother looked over at his father. "What's happening?" she asked.
"I don't know, honey," he answered.
The giant anima was emerging from the shadows, its glowing eyes glaring down at Pie. It slithered closer to him on the end of its long jello-like tail.
He smiled, oblivious to what was going on around him. "Sparky!" he cried. "Wow, you got big!" The large parasite anima reeled backwards. Pie's large eyes grew a little larger. The monster was preparing for attack.
"Pie!!!" Ichigo cried. She flew forward to push him out of the way before the monster struck, but instead went tumbling to the cool, hard ground on the other side. Oh, right, Ichigo remembered. This is a memory, stupid! You can't interact with what has already happened! It could change history! Ichigo suddenly felt terrible, looking at the young Pie, a look of confusion on his little face.
"Sp…arky?"
The large parasite anima struck without warning. It whooshed forward, intending to attack him. He jumped to the side just in time, blown to the ground by the force.
Ichigo glanced over. He was so close to her…she just wished she could reach over and comfort him.
Pie looked upwards, his large eyes watery. "Sparky, why are you doing this? You were…my best friend. Don't you…recognize me?"
The giant parasite anima just ignored him. It reared its head, letting out a howl of destruction, and tore straight for Pie's parents.
"No!" little Pie yelled, getting to his feet. "Mom! Dad!"
It was too late. Mr. and Mrs. Xenimis tried to run, but it was only a matter of minutes until the enormous anima was on top of them, suffocating and crushing them to death.
Ichigo's mouth hung open. The one she had fought back in the TV studio hadn't been this big, since it was made out of only four parasites, but this one was colossal, being comprised of about ten, one of which was Sparky.
"Stop it!!!" little Pie yelled. He sprinted forward, stopping in front of the monster. "Get off of them! Those are my parents! Don't kill them! Sparky!!!"
At last, the anima removed its long tail. Mr. and Mrs. Xenimis lie on the ground, motionless…dead.
The tears at last burst from Pie's eyes. "Mom…Dad…" his tearful voice croaked. He glared up at the anima. "You killed them!"
The anima opened its mouth again and produced a blast from it. Little Pie jumped back. He folded his arms out in front of his chest. The blast crashed against his forearms.
Ichigo looked up in shock. He was still standing and defending the attacks, even as the blasts sliced through his arms and legs, blood seeping out and staining his clothes. How could that little boy still be alive after attacks like that? The giant anima almost cackled to itself. It seemed to be enjoying slowly battering him down.
At last, little Pie's arms were too weak and fell beside him. Just at that instant, the parasite anime produced a particularly strong blast that came zooming straight for him. Ichigo's eyes widened. She had to help him now! But…she couldn't.
Pow! The explosion was so powerful that little Pie's body went rocketing backwards, slamming against the ground.
Ichigo stood up. Her eyes went wide, and her hand went in front of her mouth, too shocked to speak. Little Pie lied on the stone floor in a mangled heap. His clothes now qualified as rags, part of his hair had been chopped off, and a terribly deep gash had set into his chest. Ichigo couldn't stand the sight of it anymore and looked away, covering her face. The anima seemed satisfied, and slinked away, off to destroy some more of the city.
Ichigo almost began crying. He's dead, she thought. He has to be dead. There's no way he's alive after that. She sniffed to herself. I must have changed it somehow…and now, when I get back, Pie will be gone, probably all our memories of him erased…
The cool, wet sensation was tingling around her again. Yes, I was right, she thought. Now I'm going back to the room…and he'll be gone. At last, Ichigo opened her eyes as the white curls of mist disappeared.
But this wasn't the bedroom. Ichigo glanced around. Several Mercurians in long cream-colored coats brushed past her. What the…where am I? I'm still in a memory?
"Alright, give me a number," a Mercurian with a white jacket at the head of the group painfully announced.
"Wait, sir!" another one in a cream gown called. "He's alive! He's waking up!"
Ichigo floated through this vision, looking down from above at what these Mercurians were all crowded around. It was a small bed, on which the little injured Pie lied. Bandages were wrapped all around him, especially his chest. At last, his eyes were beginning to open. Ichigo slowly breathed out. Pie was actually still alive. She hadn't changed history at all.
"Hello?" the apparent doctor called. "Can you hear me? Little boy?"
"H-huh?" Pie slowly replied. "Wha…happened?"
The doctor smiled. "It's okay, little boy. I think you're going to be okay now."
Then, as Ichigo stared at the relieving sight before her eyes, time seemed to speed up. It was later in that same week. Little Pie lied in his bed, silently staring up at the ceiling…at the cloud mural. Ichigo noticed him periodically touching his bandages, probably remembering what happened that night. Once again, Ichigo felt sorry for him. The poor little boy was probably upset and angry. His best friend…his pet had just killed his parents, and then almost killed him.
A nurse came in the door, holding a tray, which she placed on a table beside him. "Good afternoon," she said with a smile. "Still fighting, I see."
Pie just stared at her with those big, young eyes.
"Well, let me know if you need anything," the nurse spoke up. She was about to exit the room, when Pie's little voice spoke up.
"Wait…do you have any more bandages?"
The nurse seemed a bit confused. "Bandages? Um…they're right here." She produced a small roll of dark bandages as handed them to him. "Okay, call me if you need anything else," she replied, exiting and closing the door behind her.
Little Pie sat up on his platform. He rolled out a certain amount of bandages and ripped them into thinner strips. Ichigo watched as he finally finished and had a long, dark string of bandages. He twisted it around in his hands for a while, thinking, and at last gathered up the long tuft of gray hair that remained on the left side of his head. Then, he tightly wound the strip around it, tucking the end in, and securing it with a little bit of glue that was lying on the table. Ichigo smiled and nodded. Now she knew. The transition was complete.
Then, the mist sprinkled over Ichigo's body again. The pulling sensation in addition to the low clouds told her that this transportation was to a further memory…or perhaps back to the present.
---
Now, Ichigo recognized the scenery. The spattering columns of sand could only mean one thing- the surface of Mercury. Ichigo looked down and gasped. This was someone she had not expected to see while floating through the mind of Pie, because no one had ever told her.
A younger Flan was hurrying through the spraying sand, coughing. She looked about Ichigo's age. She removed her veil and looked up at Pie, who was around Kish's age, or a little older. "Pie, please!" she pleaded. "I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but you can see it just as well from the telescopes they've set up…"
"Don't worry, Flan," Pie replied. "I'm going to be fine, you just get back underground and enjoy it while you can."
"Nooo!" Flan cried. She grabbed onto his arm. "I'm not leaving you here!"
Ichigo hovered from a distance, wondering what they were talking about. Somehow, she never knew what was going on.
At last, Pie managed to shake Flan off of him. "Flan!" he cried. "Hurry! Get back down!"
Finally, Flan obeyed, running from his spot on the desert-like surface. She poked a bit down into the hatch that led into Mercuritopolis. The sky above seemed to be moving and warping around.
Then, Ichigo realized what was happening. It was a storm. Storms were very rare on Mercury, except for the sandstorms, so they expected many of the residents to want a glimpse of it. The clouds above began to flicker…
"Piiiiiiiiie!" Flan shrieked. "DON"T DO IT!!!"
It was already too late. Ichigo watched in shock, as a lighting bolt shot down, from out of nowhere. And, as of rule, it struck the nearest, tallest object- Pie.
"Aaaaaugh!" Flan screamed. She turned around, burying her face in her hands. The tears squeezed out from between her fingers.
Ichigo stared back out at the flat desert. He couldn't be dead…he was still standing. At last, the white flash slipped away, and the thunder that echoed afterwards was deafening. It could just be leftover light from the blast, but it looked very much like Pie was glowing.
He turned, his bigger eyes wide and staring, unblinking, in Flan's direction. He flew across the sand, right up beside her, and reached down. Ichigo smiled as Pie gently touched Flan's hands and she lifted her damp face from them.
"P….Pie?" she whispered.
He just smiled at her, and a little ball of white light appeared in his hand.
Flan watched, in fascination, and at last a smile broke out on her face. "Pie!" she cried, throwing her arms around his body.
Ichigo felt happy and hovered behind them, smiling along with them. Flan and Pie, she thought. They do make a cute couple. I guess that was…how he got his powers. I wonder if Kish and Tart were struck by lightning too. Then, her peeker power transported her to yet another scene.
---
"What the…?" Ichigo cried as she got a look at her surroundings. "Why am I in Ryou's lab???" She carefully examined the dark laboratory and began to notice minute differences from Ryou's. There were no computers; instead strange processors that resembled typewriters sat in one corner on tables, churning out papers with a grating noise. A few large tubes stood on the side, shapeless blobs floating in the middle. Ichigo shook her head. No, this isn't Ryou's laboratory. This must be… Then she noticed a darkened figure standing at a desk, and just from his outline, Ichigo knew. …Pie's laboratory!
She floated through this memory, and came a little closer to the desk. Curious as ever, she had to see what he was up to. At last, she could see two of those jellyfish parasites in his hands. They buzzed and pulled his hands together like magnets. At last, Pie let them clash together and their jelly substance merged, forming a smaller version of the parasite anima that had destroyed his life.
Ichigo was a bit puzzled, staring at this memory from above. Why would Pie want to recreate the monster that had killed his parents? She looked over at him, and noticed his eyes narrowing as he glared at the mini-anima sliding across his desk on its tail. Then, he picked up a few more parasite aliens, and then more, adding to the monster until it was as tall and ferocious as it had been on that fateful night. Ichigo's eyebrows creased. Why is he doing this?! She asked herself, or the world around her. Doesn't he realize that that monster will only try to kill him again? Unless he thinks he can tame it…
The parasite anima roared and rose up on its long, jelly-like tail. Pie put his hands together and glared up, bracing himself. Then- crash! The monster leaped forward, crushing the desk beneath its long tail and zooming for Pie. He flew up, out of the way, and this time its large head crashed into the doorway, a few pieces of the wall breaking off in a cloud of dust. And so the battle raged on.
Ichigo sat in a chair on the side, watching, but quickly moved out of the way when the anima came zooming her way. Just seeing that thing made her want to call out and transform, but she couldn't do that inside a memory. She glanced around outside the doorway and wondered. Hey, where are the others? Shouldn't they be in here, helping him? Then, she got a better look at Pie as he went by, dodging another attack. He still looked a little younger than he did in the present, so he might not even know the others yet at this point in time. Ichigo sighed. How long was this going to go on?
Both fighters seemed to be getting worn out. The anima crashed to the floor, but still turned around and stared at Pie, its large pupil-less eyes a rage red.
Pie was panting, but held his hands together again. As Ichigo squinted, she could see that same white, jagged light appearing in the center. "B-Blade of…Thunder!" Suddenly, it shot up into a long, thin column that he held with both hands. Then, he flew down, almost falling down on top of the anima, bearing the long electric beam. Then, just at the last second, he brought the beam down, to collide with the top of the monster's head.
The anima roared in pain, and then burst into a thousand little jello pieces floating through the air.
Pie landed in the space where it had just been a moment before, and the beam vanished from his hand. He sighed as the jello "rain" plopped to the ground around him. "Well…now that's over."
Now Ichigo knew the reason for that battle just now. Now that Pie was older and had powers, he had wanted revenge on the monster…to triumph over the pains of his childhood. Wow, Ichigo thought. I can't believe I'm witnessing all these significant points in his life. Now, I feel as if…I've known him all his life.
The younger Flan came flying into the room as the last of the jello fluff landed on the stone floor of the lab. "What happened?!" Flan cried. "Gosh, the lab's all destroyed! Pie, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Pie replied again. "Stop worrying, Flan."
Flan held back laughter. "Boy, what a mess! It looks like you had some soft of pudding explosion in here."
Pie shrugged. "Well, sometimes experiments go haywire, and they just…blow up. There's nothing I can do about it."
Flan giggled and grabbed his arm. "C'mon, let's get out of here before anything else decides to self-destruct."
Ichigo floated in the corner, resting one hand on her apron while the other gripped her heart necklace. She felt strangely a little guilty. Now she knew things about this guy that even his closest friends didn't know…and all she'd had to do was use this strange new power of hers. He'll probably be mad at me when I get back, she thought. Because now I could just go and tell Flan, Kish, and Tart all of his secrets… When Ichigo looked up again, she noticed the clouded vision returning, and knew she was transporting again.
---
Finally, Ichigo was able to feel the floor beneath her feet again. She nearly tripped on her high heels as she landed…back in the present world. She blinked. After all that, it was hard to believe that she was right back where she had started…and she hadn't even been dreaming. As she got a feel for her own world again, she looked over to see, to her disappointment, Pie, sitting up and staring at her, his upper shirt still off. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to mind that she was seeing him with no shirt on. Most Mercurian guys seemed to wear little or no shirt anyway. "I…I'm sorry," Ichigo immediately apologized.
Pie gazed, stonily at her. "So you were poking around the cabinets, huh?" he at last replied, pulling his loose sleeveless shirt back on, but leaving his sleeve cuffs off for the moment. "I knew it when I started seeing the fog from around that cabinet, and then being forced to recall all these things…"
"I'm sorry," Ichigo said again. Those seemed to be the only two words she was allowed to say.
"Well, you probably didn't mean to do it," Pie replied. "Being the curious cat that you are…"
"I'm sorry," Ichigo repeated for the third time. "You…went through so much. And…we don't even know each other that well, and I know things that even your closest friends don't know."
Pie took a deep breath. "Well, I was going to have to tell them sometime, especially Flan… So I guess that's going to be a little sooner than later." He snuck a peek over at Ichigo and then pulled his cuffs on again. "I'm trusting you with that power now. It's a very powerful force. You must use it wisely. Abuse of that ability may only ruin your own life. That's why I had it locked up in that cabinet…"
Slowly, Ichigo glided over and sat on the bed beside him. Pie stared at her, wondering what in the world this crazy girl was thinking. "Pie…" Ichigo began. "I couldn't help noticing, as I was going through your life…"
Pie sat up straighter, coming to the realization of what had really happened. Ichigo had seen all of that too…the attack, in the hospital, on the surface, and in the lab…
Ichigo smiled. "I couldn't help noticing that as a child you were…so happy and…enjoying life. I know when you were attacked, all that changed…but, you beat the monster. Why can't you go back to…being yourself?"
Pie stared at her for a long moment.
Ichigo then turned away. "Excuse me," she said. "It's…just…something I noticed, that's all." She got up off the bed and began to make her way to the door. Just at that moment, before she stepped out near the kitchen, Pie's voice stopped her.
"Ichigo!"
She turned around, in surprise that he was choosing to make contact with her.
"Well…you're right," he slowly admitted. "I'm going to try a little harder from now on." And then, Pie gave her a small, hesitant smile.
Ichigo suddenly felt great. She waved and slipped out of the door. She seemed to be floating again as she approached the door to the apartment. Tart got the shock of his life as she suddenly came gliding out of nowhere, not knowing she had been in the apartment. Ichigo didn't care anymore. Helping people, even aliens that had been her enemies, always made her feel good, no matter how corny that cliché sounded.