Fire and Ice: Chapter 2
Ichigo couldn't believe what she was holding in her hand. She was being entrusted with Ryou Shirogane's credit card. There had to be at least a few thousand dollars on that thing, and she was deep in shock that he had let her hold onto it to purchase Hekele's and Kachie's new wardrobe with.
Mint rolled her eyes at Ichigo as she stared at the credit card, "Why are you so surprised that he gave you the credit card? Did you expect all of us to pay for their clothes when it was his idea?"
Ichigo shook her head, "No...I've just never held something worth so much money before...but then, you probably wouldn't get how cool this feels to a normal person like me..." she said, glaring at her kill-joy friend. Mint snatched the credit card out of her hand and held it for a moment, but then thrust it back at Ichigo.
"You're right, it has no effect on someone above the common society..." she said in a bored manner. Ichigo stuck her tongue out and looked away.
Hekele and Kachie watched the two curiously. They weren't acting like they assumed friends would act. They looked at everyone else and found them ignoring their two bickering comrades. They were carrying on their own conversations as if the two were behaving normally. Lettuce, seeing the two keep to themselves, decided to speak.
"So...what do you two think of it out here so far?" she asked. Hekele and Kachie turned to her a bit, and shrugged slightly.
"...I never knew what to expect...so everything is odd to me..." Hekele said. Kachie shook her head.
"She's worse than I imagined she'd be...at least I figured she'd act like she knew what was going on most of the time..." she said, giving Hekele a teasing glance. Hekele blushed a bit and looked at the ground. Kachie sighed and elbowed her in the ribs, causing her to jump.
Kachie smirked, "You know I'm kidding Hekele-chan, lot's of this is new to me too...and now we know for future reference that you're ticklish...ha!"
Lettuce smiled at the two, "We've got two and a half hours to shop, so let's get going..."
Zakuro looked at her watch and sighed, "Let's divide up and meet back here when time is up, then we'll get them back to the café and go home to change..." she said. Pudding nodded and began bouncing up and down.
"Pudding thinks that Zakuro-san's plan is a good one na no da! How about Zakuro-san, Lettuce-san and Ichigo-san go with Hekele-san and Pudding and Mint-san go with Kachie-san na no da?" she suggested. The group nodded after a moment of mulling it over, and split up.
Kachie walked out of the dressing room wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt and a set of hip-hugger jeans. Pudding gave her a thumbs up while Mint appeared to be thinking about it. Kachie frowned slightly; she liked the outfit.
"You would look better in Chanel..." Mint said. Pudding slapped her forehead and Mint took up a defensive face, "What's wrong with Chanel? It's highly fashionable!"
Pudding sighed, "We don't want to spend ALL of Shirogane-san's money Mint-san na no da...We need to leave some for Hekele-san and Shirogane-san himself na no da..." Mint thought for a moment, and lifted her hands in defeat.
"If you want her dressing like an everyday person and looking completely ordinary and common, then fine by me...I'll just have to find some decent things amongst this trash..." she mumbled. Pudding grinned and looked at Kachie, giving her a triumphant smile. Kachie, who now was beginning to understand Mint's state of mind, smiled back.
"I like this outfit...Can we get it?" she asked. Mint nodded and handed her another pile of miscellaneous clothing to chose from. Since they didn't know what clothing Kachie would like...they handed her a little bit of everything.
"Here," Mint said, "try these on and let us know what you like...then Pudding will go to grab the credit card so that we can pay for it all..." Kachie saluted the girl in a militant manner and went back into the dressing room.
After about half and hour, Mint was able to discover that Kachie seemed to like darker, if not completely black, clothing. She also seemed to like blue and red...but seemed to be sticking to the blue. Luckily for Mint, everything goes with black, so she didn't have to lecture Kachie on what did and did not go together. Pudding, on the other hand, thought that Kachie would look good in a lime shirt and pink pants...Mint was prouder beyond words when her newly found, 'fashion apprentice,' as she had dubbed Kachie for the day, had politely turned her suggestion down. She had, however, made a compromise by keeping the lime tee and picking out a pair of black capris with the same lime trimming, as well as some black flip-flops. It was, In Mint's mind, rather on the cute side...even if it wasn't Chanel...
Hekele made her way back into the dressing room with her third arm load of clothing. Zakuro, Ichigo, and Lettuce were working quite well together to find clothing that she'd like, and Hekele was grateful. She didn't know the first thing about shopping.
Hekele did know, however, that she liked the colors red, black, tan, blue, and green.. She also really liked the outfit that Zakuro had lent her, and was able to find other outfits similar it. She had three pairs of cargo pants, (one black, one camouflage, and one tan,) which all zipped off into shorts; two other mini-tees, (one red and one blue;) two tank tops, (one white and one brown with a gold glittered rose;) a pair of denim hip huggers; a red skirt that extended to her knees; and a white peasant top with red ribbon woven in the neckline , waist, and sleeves to go with the skirt. She also got three pairs of shoes, (one pair of sneakers, one pair of red pumps, and one pair of black flip flops,) and a set of pajamas, (a white spaghetti strap shirt with a flamingo on it and a pair of flamingo pajama pants.)
It had taken all of one hour to do her shopping and pay for the stuff, so the group of girls sat down on a bench outside the store munching on an ice cream cone each, (Ichigo's treat, not Ryou's...) In a slightly bored manner.
Ichigo turned to Zakuro, who had actually taken the clothes with Hekele to get them ringed up, "So...what's the damage?"
Zakuro took the receipt out of the bag, "The total cost was $246.80...we did a lot better than I thought we'd do...I figured we'd be in that damn store until the last minute and end up spending at least twice this amount..." Lettuce's eyes widened.
"Wow...that really isn't a lot of money for a complete wardrobe...I think Shirogane-san will be pleased!" she said. Ichigo nodded and turned to Hekele.
"So...what do you think Kachie will get?" she asked. Hekele tilted her head in thought.
"I'm not sure...I am about as aware in her taste of fashion as I was of mine when we walked into that store..." she consented.
Ichigo nodded, "True...but then again...she's also shopping with Mint and Pudding...and that's an odd combination...I wonder how much they'll spend?"
Lettuce thought for a moment, "Either as much as us or more...I can't imagine anyone spending less than that on a compete wardrobe..." Just then, the group saw Pudding heading their way. She politely held out her hand for the credit card and Ichigo handed it to her.
"So...what did you guys get her?" Ichigo asked. Pudding smiled.
"Pudding can't tell you na no da! It's a surprise na no da!" she said as she bounced away.
"How much did we spend Mint-san na no da?" Pudding asked as Mint rejoined Kachie and herself. Mint smiled.
"Only $457.64! That's not too bad for a complete wardrobe! We did pretty good..." she said as the trio spotted the others on the bench where Pudding had left them and began to approach them.
"So what outfits did you finally settle on na no da?" Pudding asked. Kachie answered.
"The first outfit I tried on, the lime shirt and black capris, the blue dragon shirt, the black and red tee-shirts, the skull pajama set, the three black cargo pants, the black and denim shorts, that nice light blue dress for tonight, the black, blue, and dark blue tank tops, the black flip flops, the black sneakers, and the white shoes to go with that dress..." she recited. Mint nodded in approval, though she never really liked the pajamas...
As soon as the others saw them heading their way, they stood up and stretched. They waited for the trio to reach them before the entire group set out for the mall exit and back towards the café. The group mostly walked in silence...at first...
"So...Mint, how much did you three spend?" Ichigo asked in a challenging tone. Mint, smirked, just as competitively.
"We only spent $457.64 on 21 items...how about you four?"
Zakuro grinned, getting into the competitive spirit, "We spent $246.80 on 15 items...but the three cargo pants zip off into some nice looking shorts...so it's more like 18 items...so...I think we won..."
Mint growled, causing everyone else to laugh, "It's not a contest..."
Ryou watched the girls bid Hekele and Kachie farewell from a café window and mentally wondered if he had any money left in his bank account...after all...Mint and Zakuro were used to all those name-brand expensive clothing...
He saw the two begin to haul their multiple bags up the walkway and sighed. Keichiro noticed this and glanced out the window to see what he was looking at. Seeing the girls struggling towards the front door, he looked at Ryou, whom was already up and on his way to give them a hand. Keichiro caught up with him and smirked.
"Mighty chivalrous of you Shirogane-san, going to help them like this..." he teased. Ryou gave him an apathetic look as he opened the door and made his way to the two.
"Do shut-up...please..." he muttered as he came upon Hekele and Kachie. He gave Hekele a small smile and took three of her six bags. She smiled at him gratefully as she straightened her back a bit and continued walking towards the entrance.
"Thank you Shirogane-san...these are heavier than I thought they'd be..." she mumbled that last part to herself begrudgingly. Ryou smirked to himself, catching the remark, and continued walking with her.
Keichiro bowed politely to Kachie, making her roll her eyes slightly at his over-considerate antics, "May I assist you with your bags, Kachie-san?"
Kachie blushed a bit but nodded, "Thank you very much Keichiro-san, your help is most appreciated..."
Keichiro laughed at her, "There's only room for one overly-polite and considerate person in this little club of ours...leave the job to me, ne?"
Kachie blushed again and nodded, "If you insist. Keichiro-san."
Keichiro smiled again as the two walked towards the door, "As a matter of fact, I did. Now, shall we?" He held the door open for her and the two walked inside.
Ryou and Hekele were sitting at a table inside waiting patiently for the two. Ryou looked shocked beyond all reason, and Hekele had a look of pride on her face. Keichiro looked at them curiously for a moment.
"What's got you so spaced out Shirogane-san?" he asked. Kachie, who already had a good idea of what it was, wore a look of pride as well.
Ryou almost stuttered, almost, "The bill...is less than I expected...Apparently, they split the two up and went to two different stores...Hekele's bill was only $246.80...and Kachie's bill was $457.64...which was a little closer to what I imagined they'd spend...but still much less..."
Keichiro's eyes widened, "I must say, I am shocked...does that mean we're getting dessert tonight when we go out?"
Ryou glared at him and his apparent joke, "Very funny...come on, let's show them upstairs..."
Kachie looked at them curiously, "Why? It's not like we haven't been there..." Ryou smirked slightly.
"Well, where did you think you were going to stay? We can't have you two living on our couch forever, so we cleared out two of the other rooms up there and turned them into bedrooms for you..." he said casually. Hekele's and Kachie's eyes got wide with delight.
"Really! We get our own rooms Shirogane-san?" Hekele squealed, quite delighted.
Kachie looked a bit skeptical, "We really get our own rooms? Seriously?" Despite her disbelieving tone, Ryou and Keichiro could still hear the eagerness in her voice. And why wouldn't they be excited about having their own bedrooms? They've lived in tanks of liquid with breathing tubes for most of their lives...
Keichiro grinned at them, "Of course we're serious, why wouldn't we be? Come on, let's go up there so you two can pick out the one you like...their pretty much the same right now, but you can decorate it any way you like...and we'll pick out better furniture this weekend..."
The two girls didn't need to be told twice; they were running to the stairs almost before Keichiro could finish his last sentence. Ryou followed at a normal pace and Keichiro was smiling the whole way. He couldn't help but enjoy how thrilled the two were over something like this. It was obvious to Keichiro that they were gentle souls, despite everything that they had been through. They were grateful for whatever they got, and weren't bitter about anything...
Once the two got up the stairs and to the rooms, an amusing sight greeted them. Hekele and Kachie were walking back and forth through the two rooms, trying to decided which one they wanted to live in. After a few minutes, Hekele poked her head out of one of the rooms timidly.
"...Can I have this room Kachie-chan?" she asked. Kachie poked her head out of the other room, amusing Keichiro and Ryou further.
"Sure! I think I like this one better any way...but both are pretty huh?" she said. Hekele nodded.
"Definitely..." she turned her head, saw Keichiro and Ryou grinning at them, and blushed a bit, "Thank you for the room Shirogane-san and Keichiro-san...it's really nice of both of you..."
Kachie bounced out from the doorway and gave Keichiro a hug, nearly knocking him over, "Yes, thanks a lot! For letting us stay here too! I don't know where else we'd live..." She then bounced over to Ryou and, before he could get out of the way, hugged him as well. He stood there awkwardly, not being used to hugs. Kachie released him and then grabbed Hekele's wrist.
"Come on! Let's go get our clothes! That way we can unpack and stuff..." she said, pulling the other girl to the stairs. Hekele complied with her and allowed herself to be drug down the stairs with little more than a tiny blush and an even tinier eye roll.
Keichiro watched Ryou's reaction to the embrace with a twinkle in his eyes. The boy looked dumbfounded and a bit shocked. Keichiro himself had been pleasantly surprised by Kachie's forwardness, and hadn't minded the embrace one bit. Hekele had also seemed quite pleased with their new living arrangements, but she had expressed it in a more subtle way.
"So, are you petrified from fear, or are you simply surprised Shirogane-san?" he asked. Ryou snapped out of it and glared at him lightly before walking to his own room and shutting the door. Keichiro smiled once more as he headed to his own room.
"Both I guess..."
Ryou finished speaking to the limousine driver and headed back into the café. Keichiro was waiting at the door and the girls were walking down the stairs. Ryou couldn't help but smile at the two of them. Kachie was wearing a lovely light blue dress that frilled slightly at the bottom with a pair of white shoes to go with it. Her hair was brushed out a bit more and she looked positively splendid. Hekele, on the other hand, was wearing a white peasant blouse that had red ribbon woven into the hems of the neckline, sleeves, and around her waist. She also wore a matching red skirt that extended to her knees and a red pair of shoes to complete the effect.
Keichiro offered his arm to Kachie gallantly and smiled when she timidly took it, "You look quite nice Kachie-san; Mint-san and Pudding-san did a fine job helping you shop..." Keichiro looked at Hekele then, and smiled warmly at her as well. "And you look lovely as well Hekele-san, those colors suit you nicely," he complimented, making Hekele blush lightly once more.
Ryou, not to be out shown, offered Hekele his own arm, "You and Kachie look very nice, Hekele, it seems that the girls actually worked well together outside of fighting Chimera Animas for once..."
Hekele, quite pleased with the compliment, smiled a bit as her blush deepened, "Thank you very much Shirogane-san...You look...nice yourself..." She took his arm apprehensively and he gave her a small smile as he led her outside towards the limousine.
Ryou was adorned in a pair of khaki dress pants and a black, short sleeved, dress shirt. He also wore black dress shoes and a black cloth collar around his neck, replacing his usual red one. Keichiro was wearing his usual black dress pants and instead of his white work shirt and red bow tie, he wore a dark blue, long sleeved, dress shirt. His hair was tied back in its normal low pony tail.
As the four sat in the limousine, they idly picked up conversation, and Kachie and Hekele began to loosen up a bit. It was apparent that even Kachie was a bit nervous about going out to eat, since it had been so long since she had done so. Hekele on the other hand, was as jittery as a jitter bug.
Ryou looked at her oddly for a moment before speaking, "What's wrong?" Hekele sighed, taking a small breath.
"I've never been out to eat before...I don't know what foods I'll like or dislike, and I'm sure my table manners will be a little less than perfect..." she said slowly. Kachie nodded to her.
"Hey...I feel the same way...it's been so long since I've been out and about that I don't remember what it's like or what I like...except ice cream..." she said thoughtfully.
Keichiro and Ryou chuckled at her last remark, and then Ryou spoke, facing Hekele, "We thought about that...and that's why we're taking you to a buffet. At a buffet, you can pick out whatever you want, and as much as you want. As for table manners, you both seem to have a natural grace about you...all I saw of your table manners came while we ate those banana-splits...and you seemed to be doing very well...it won't be a problem..."
Keichiro nodded, "Yes...and don't be afraid to ask for help if you can't figure something out...we understand your concern, and, as Shirogane-san said, it won't be a problem for anyone...you won't make fools of yourselves at all..."
Hekele nodded and took another breath as they stopped at the first house...Ichigo's, "I still feel nervous..."
Ryou smirked as Ichigo slipped into the limo on the other side of him, "Oh, don't worry...if anyone causes this outing to go bad...it'll be this baka strawberry...not you two..."
Ichigo had growled for the entire limousine ride about Ryou's remark, making it rather miserable for everyone. When they got to the restaurant, Ryou had to practically drag Hekele out of the vehicle and into the building, as her anxiety had returned. The other girls watched the two curiously, finding it rather amusing that Ryou seemed to be at his wits' end with the girl, and yet kept as gentle a smile on his face as he could throughout the whole thing.
"Look, I'm sorry I mentioned that they kill and cook the lobsters themselves! I promise it won't be alive if you try some! And I'm even sorrier I told you about all the different types of silverware, it was a mistake! It won't be hard to figure out, and Keichiro and I will help you...hell, we even mess up once in a while! It's ok!" Ryou tried desperately as he pulled Hekele's wrist in the direction of the building. The girl wasn't budging an inch.
"Shirogane-san...maybe we could go out to eat some other evening?" Hekele tried diplomatically.
Ryou paused, as if thinking over her suggestion, before continuing to pull her up the parking lot, "Do you know how hard it is to get reservations at this place! We only got in because they had a cancellation two minutes before I called! We are eating here tonight!"
Keichiro and Kachie were watching, having stopped their own mini-discussion while their friends' only heated up. Keichiro turned to Kachie and chuckled slightly, "Is she always so stubborn?" Kachie rolled her eyes, and nodded.
"Is he?"
"Yes...always..." Keichiro said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"She wasn't this afraid of the mall..." Mint mused, quite perplexed by the display. Lettuce watched them for a second before speaking.
"In a mall, especially that mall, you could scream bloody murder and no one would notice or care...but in a fancy restaurant, it's quiet and calm...any raised voice would bring attention to her, as well as uncertainty would when a waiter would ask what they wanted to drink or if she wanted a refill. And once you make a scene, everyone's attention is on you for the duration of the time they are in the restaurant...I can see where it would be troubling..." she said. Pudding looked at her oddly.
"How do you know that na no da?" she asked. Lettuce smiled softly.
"I'm quiet, remember? I like not being noticed or bothered...and I get embarrassed easily...so I would know something like that..." she explained, blushing a bit from embarrassment. Pudding sighed.
"Are you afraid of restaurants na no da?" she prodded. Lettuce laughed.
"No, and I won't be until I have a reason to be..." she replied. She walked over to her two friends and gently split them up and looked at Hekele.
"Last minute anxiety?" she asked. The girl nodded sheepishly. She smiled kindly and grabbed her wrist gently, "Let's go inside...I'll help you pick out some stuff to try...including drinks! It'll be fun!" She had said it in a bubbly tone not her own, but it had done the trick. Seeing her so calm and light-hearted about the subject made Hekele ease up on her argument and followed her timidly.
Ryou looked bewildered at the development and stood there completely motionless until he noticed everyone's eyes on him, "What're you all gawking at! Let's go!" He stomped ungracefully toward the building and was painfully aware of the girls' giggles following him.
Hekele and Kachie were munching happily on some sushi and crab legs. They had sampled chicken, beef, pork, seafood, as well as a bunch of different types of fruits and vegetables. They never made it as far as dessert.
Kachie smiled in a satisfied way and sighed, "I am so full..." Hekele nodded in agreement as she carefully placed her napkin next to her plate.
"Me too...I don't think I'll be able to eat for a month..." she said seriously. Everyone else at the table seemed to have drawn the same conclusion, including Ryou and Keichiro.
"Keichiro..." Ryou started. The older male looked over at him curiously.
"What Shirogane-san?"
"This had to be your best idea yet...aside from making Ichigo miserable this morning by calling in a break in..."
"I heard that Shirogane-san..."
"I know that baka strawberry, that's why I said it."
"..."
"Cat got your tongue?"
"Shut-up Shirogane-san...you are so mean..." Ichigo said at last, and turned her head away. Keichiro watched with a bemused expression and shook his head. Their waitress came by with the bill and handed it to Ryou, who didn't miss a beat by passing it to Keichiro. Keichiro blinked a few times before looking back at Ryou.
"And what, pre-tell, am I supposed to do with this?" he asked. Ryou smirked.
"Pay it."
Keichiro gave him a look, "I paid for the limousine..."
"And I paid four times as much for Hekele's and Kachie's clothes earlier...you got the bill..." he stated smoothly. Keichiro grumbled lightly as he fished out his credit card, glaring at a smirking Ryou the whole time.
Hekele leaned over to Ichigo and whispered, "Is Shirogane-san always sly like that?" Ichigo giggled.
"Usually only to me...but apparently Keichiro-san makes for an easier target today..." she said lightly. Hekele nodded to herself and made a mental note to try not to get his attention on a bad day.
After Keichiro grudgingly paid the bill, the large group of friends walked outside and were met by the limousine. Once inside, they idly started up conversations once again. Ryou, Hekele, and Lettuce remained quiet though, content with listening to everyone else have a good time. After a few minutes, and almost to Mint's house, Pudding came up with an idea.
"Why don't we all go walking around the park na no da? It's so nice just to spend time together outside of fighting Chimera Animas and working in the café na no da..." she said. Everyone looked at one another for a moment before smiles began spreading.
"I think that Pudding-san's idea sounds fun...just our group for a while, no Chimera Animas, no lovesick aliens, and no customers! Why not!" Mint replied. Ichigo's smiled broadened.
"It looks like you and I are on the same wavelength for once Mint-san...I was thinking along the same lines!" she said.
Ryou looked at Keichiro and shrugged, "What do you think?" Personally, he wanted to go back to the café and take a nap or something, but he didn't feel up to spoiling the group's fun and suffering the consequences...so he was counting in Keichiro to do it.
Keichiro, sensing Ryou's lack of enthusiasm, grinned, "I think it sounds like a splendid idea! Driver, there's been a change of plans...please drop us all off by the park if you don't mind..."
Ryou's eyes widened as he realized that Keichiro was getting even with him. He hadn't thought it was possible, but Keichiro actually had a mean bone in him... He growled lightly, drawing a smirk from Ichigo, who had caught on, and was quite thrilled to assist in Keichiro's little revenge scheme. Ryou didn't have a prayer.
Ryou was dead tired. The girls and Keichiro must have had him walking around that park for at least three hours, and he was sure that as soon as he got up to his nice comfy bed, he would be dead to the world until it was time to open the café the next afternoon...
He looked over at Hekele and Kachie, and found that they looked exhausted as well. He mentally berated himself for not remembering that their stamina wasn't the best yet, having never had to walk around all day and work like most people. But, surprisingly, they were holding up rather well, and they weren't complaining at all...
He walked over to them, causing them to look up and smile tiredly, "How are you two holding up? I think they're trying to walk us to death..." he said lightly, earning a light laugh from each of them. It was then that Keichiro, who had been savoring his mild revenge, looked back and saw how tired the two girls looked. He sighed, rather upset with his lack of thought, and was about to say something when a little pink puff of fuzz appeared by Ichigo and started yelling in their ears.
"Chimera Anima alert! Chimera Anima alert! Alien alert! Alien alert!" wailed Mini-Mew. The group of girls completely froze and stared at the thing as if it were an alien itself. It wasn't that they didn't trust it's programming, but they were getting tired as well...
Ichigo groaned, "With my luck it's that jerk Kisshu..."
"Jerk alert! Jerk alert!" Mini-Mew continued. Before Ichigo could even roll her eyes, the said alien appeared above and in front of the group, smirking. Ryou and Keichiro instinctively stood before Hekele and Kachie, ready to protect them if need be. The two girls didn't mind, and kept close to them.
Kisshu's smirk broadened, "Why hello Mew Mews...and what brings you out this fine evening?" The girls all glared at him angrily.
"What do you want Kisshu!" Ichigo demanded. It was a stupid question, but it was right to the point.
"What else kitty-cat? To defeat your little band of goody-goodies..." he retorted.
Suddenly, a noise was heard in the trees. Everyone instinctively turned their heads in the direction it was heard in, only to hear it once more in another direction. Keichiro and Ryou looked at one another briefly before carefully decreasing the distance between themselves and the girls further. Hekele and Kachie kept darting their eyes around the area, looking for a sign of whatever was there. The noise was heard once more, and Kachie caught a glimpse of something. It was huge.
"...Guys...it's big..." she said quietly. Keichiro heard her though and followed her line of vision to the woods on their left. After a moment or so, he saw something move as well. His eyes widened at it's size and he stood in front of her so that it didn't have a clear shot if it chose her as its target.
"Ryou, it's huge," he said warily.
"Where is the Chimera Anima Kisshu!" Ichigo yelled. Kisshu grinned once more.
"He'll find you kitten..." he said, teleporting away.
Ichigo wasn't waiting, "Mew Mew Strawberry Metamorphosis!" she yelled, activating her power pendant and transforming into Mew Ichigo. The rest of the girls motioned to follow suit, but were stopped when a large tail whipped out of nowhere, leveling the trees in its path and knocking the girls across the clearing painfully. Ichigo barely avoided the appendage.
She jumped up and twisted in the air, landing on a fallen tree. She stole a glance at the rest of the Mews and found them picking themselves up as quickly as possible and transforming. The tail re-appeared and everyone was able to avoid it this time. After watching it whip around for a moment, the beast controlling it made itself visible.
It was a giant, mutated tiger. It's fangs were at least as long as one of their legs, and it's head and body were massive. Ryou's eyes enlarged; he had never seen such a large Chimera Anima before. He turned to Keichiro to speak but found him already talking.
"We need to get these two out of here," he said, "this one is too dangerous..." Ryou nodded and grabbed Hekele's wrist. He started running in the opposite direction of the beast, knowing that Keichiro and Kachie were following them. They didn't get very far.
The four of them had advanced only a few feet before the massive tail whipped out at them. Ryou saw it seconds before impact and grabbed Hekele tightly, twisting so that she wouldn't be directly hit. He felt the tail hit him and then felt the sensation of flying through the air. He was vaguely aware of Hekele gripping his shirt tightly and tightened his own hold on her reassuringly.
They landed painfully hard against a tree and Ryou heard a sickening crack. Hekele screamed and he realized that she had broken something. He staggered back a bit, still holding her, and saw her left arm hanging limply at her side.
No, not broken...just dislocated... he thought as his eyes swept over the scene. Keichiro and Kachie had landed near them, and appeared to be all right for the most part. They were both conscience anyway... The Mews were doing their best against the tiger Chimera Anima, but its massive size and increased speed and agility made most attempts futile.
Keichiro groaned painfully as he rolled off of Kachie. That had been an agonizing landing. He idly wondered how the hell Ryou was still living after having been knocked around like that so many times in the past. He looked over at Kachie and was glad to see that she hadn't suffered any major injuries. They both heard Hekele's scream and snapped their heads to see if she was all right. Ryou looked to have a handle on the situation, but Keichiro was able to see what had caused Hekele so much misery.
"It just looks like a dislocated shoulder from here...very painful, but easily taken care of..." he told Kachie reassuringly. The girl nodded and began to sit up slowly, aching all over from the impact. Keichiro helped her up and had her lean against him as the two stood. After stealing a glance at the occupied Chimera Anima, the two made their way as quickly as possible to Ryou and Hekele. They were glad to get there without further injury.
"Are you two all right?" Keichiro asked as he and Kachie leaned against the tree. Ryou looked up and gave hima grimlook.
"Her shoulder's dislocated, but other than that we're pretty much ok," he replied, looking over Hekele once more, and then allowing his eyes to drift to Kachie to be sure that she was ok as well.
Keichiro nodded, "Good..." he watched the Mews fight and grimaced at how poorly the battle was playing out, "This is bad..." Ryou turned his head to look and saw as Pudding was thrown from the beast's leg and into a children's play set. The other girls didn't appear to be having much better luck.
"Well, well...it appears you have a couple of new friends..." Ryou and Keichiro snapped their heads around and saw Kisshu floating behind them nonchalantly, eyeing Hekele and Kachie curiously. Ryou and Keichiro moved swiftly to block them from him, and Kisshu did nothing to stop them. He just eyed them suspiciously.
"Are you Mew Mews?" he asked the two girls. They only glared at him hatefully, surprising him. Most humans, aside from the Mew Mews and their two male friends here, were afraid of him. These two little girls just seemed royally pissed off. He grinned.
"No, I suppose not, or else you'd be out there helping them instead of cowering here behind your boyfriends..." he taunted.
Kachie smirked slightly, a bit of malice creeping into her eyes, "Well, they are boys and they are our friends..." She mentally tapped into the barrier between hers and Hekele's minds. She and Hekele had discovered that they had the ability to communicate telepathically with one another, and it may come in handy.
Hekele? Can you hear me?
Yes...do you have a plan or are you going to stare him down all night? Our friends are in trouble over there...
Yea, I got an idea...do you think you'll manage with that injury? We can try to take out this guy with our powers...and then if we're still conscious we can help those guys... Using their powers took up lots of their energy since they weren't used to it. In fact, the only time they had been able to use their powers had been staged by the scientists at the base. It had been difficult to control their powers at first, but they had gotten the hang of it and had spent most of their energy in a few moments. It had felt incredible to let their powers loose, but they hadn't had the chance to do much before they had collapsed.
I think I can handle it...we'll need to be quick though...
Yeah, I know...you hit him high and I'll hit him low, got it?
Consider it got...on three...one
...Two...
"Three!" They both shouted it at the same time and hit Kisshu unexpectedly with a quick burst of power. He was burnt and frozen at the same time. The ice on his legs weighed him down and he fell, and the fire charred his skin. He lay on the ground for a moment in complete shock before breaking the ice and wiping the soot from his face.
"Well, I see you aren't completely helpless are you? How interesting," he said. He drew his sais and got into a battle position.
Ryou hesitated but moved aside when Hekele touched his shoulder, "We can do this Shirogane-san...as he said, we aren't completely helpless..." Ryou looked at Keichiro and found him in the same mind-set. They didn't want the two to get hurt, and felt like they had to protect them, but they might be able to protect themselves even better...
"We'll give it a shot...but be careful..." Keichiro said to the two of them. They nodded and looked at Kisshu, who had grown bored.
"You certainly act tough, let's see what you've got already." He lunged at the two of them and they dodged, rather ungracefully, but dodged. Hekele drew up some of her energy and gripped his wrist, burning it and flipping him over her back, right into Kachie's forming ice prison. As soon as he landed inside she sealed it with an ice lid. The two knew that he would break out in a few seconds, but they were using those few seconds to sum up enough energy for an efficient attack. Their hands were glowing as their energy flowed to them and they stood, poised and waiting.
Almost right on cue, Kisshu broke out from the ice prison with a look of triumph on his face, "That was too easy."
He was never graced with a reply, other than the huge double blasts of energy that came hurtling at him. He fell back painfully but after a few moments got up. He stared at them, floating far enough away so as not to be taken by surprise again.
"Impressive...I'll have to get back to you two...you're an interesting pair...Catch ya later..." He disappeared as he said it, leaving the two girls and the boys alone.
Kachie gratefully stopped the flow of power, beginning to feel the fatigue set in. She turned to Hekele and found her power still flowing...dangerously.
"Hekele-chan? You should stop the flow of power while we come up with a plan...you'll wear yourself out..." she said, concerned. Hekele turned to her, fear written all over her face.
"I...can't...I can't stop the flow..." she said, frightened. Kachie's eyes widened.
"You can't?"
Hekele began to panic, "No, I can't!" Her arms began to light on flames and traveled to her shoulders. She screamed.
Ryou and Keichiro ran over to the two of them as quickly as they could. "What's happening?" Ryou asked. Kachie looked completely helpless.
"Her powers...they won't stop flowing...we can usually stop the flow of power in an instant...but hers aren't stopping..." she got out, trying to find a way to help. Keichiro looked at her briefly.
"Could you maybe use your ice on her? It would melt and maybe put out her arms..." he tried. Kachie didn't even bother to think before tapping into her power and summoning a low dose and sending it at Hekele. It melted and evaporated before it even touched her.
Kachie looked at Ryou, "Try to calm her down! Her power'll decrease enough for this to have some effect." Ryou stood still.
"How the hell am I suppose to do that!" he yelled. Keichiro glared at him.
"At least try!"
Ryou sighed and looked at Hekele before carefully easing his way to her, "Hi...Hekele...umm...calm down?" Ok, he knew it was lame, but it was a start right? He tried again, "It'll be ok...just...stop panicking...you're ok...all right? You'll be just fine..." The flames seemed to decrease some, and Kachie's ice stopped evaporating. The water hit Hekele with almost too much force, but it did the trick. As soon as ice began to form on her skin, Kachie abruptly stopped. It was odd, but she felt her power linger...she felt it swirl around her oddly, and she felt very cold. Her eyes widened in realization. Her own powers were beginning to lose control. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her own fears. Memories flooded into her mind as she recalled the time when she was young at the boarding school...how she had lost control...she took another deep breath and closed her eyes. After a moment of this, she felt a hand on her shoulder, lightly gripping it in calming manner.
"It's ok Kachie-san...you're all right..." Keichiro said calmly. Kachie turned to face him and gave him a weak smile.
"Thanks Keichiro-san..." she said softly. Keichiro pulled her into a light embrace and pulled her toward Hekele and Ryou.
"How are you two holding up?" he asked, releasing Kachie when he was sure that she wouldn't fall over. Poor Hekele looked like something the cat dragged in, but at least she wasn't on fire any longer. She was curled up in a ball with her knees drawn up to her chin and she was sobbing lightly. Her new outfit was singed and soaked as well.
Ryou looked at her and gently rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her further, "I think she'll be ok...how's Kachie?" Keichiro looked at her once more and gave her a small smile of encouragement.
"She'll be ok." After a moment of calming silence between the four, aside from Hekele's quiet sobs, they turned their attention back to the Chimera Anima, which, they were happy to see look much worse for the wear. After a few more minutes, Ichigo was able to use her Strawberry Bell against it and defeat it. They would have to call someone about that roaming tiger...
The girls all ran up to the ragged looking group hurriedly, "Are you guys ok? What happened?" Ichigo kneeled before the group and looked them over.
"What did happen to you guys?" she asked. Ryou snorted.
"Kisshu payed us a visit...and these two kicked him back to space..." he said. Mint frowned.
"Ok...that would explain why you look like you got the crap beat out of you...that and the giant tail anyway...but what happened to them?" she asked. Ryou looked at Hekele for a moment before giving in.
"We had a little power issue...we'll explain later, let's just get back to the café..." he said. Keichiro nodded.
"Let's get going, it's getting late, we'll call up your parents and let them know that you're staying the night, you all can't walk home in this condition..." he said. No one protested. After everyone started leaving, Ryou looked at Hekele again and held out his hand to her.
"Come on...you need to get into some dry clothes, and then we'll force Keichiro to make some more banana-splits...ok?" he offered. Hekele looked up at him for a moment before slowly taking his hand. He pulled her up gently and motioned to follow the rest of the group.
Zakuro noticed them lagging behind and turned to Keichiro, "Puppy love?" Keichiro glanced back quickly and shook his head.
"Not yet...but they're working on it..."
"Ahhh...how long?"
"A week or two."
Pudding piped up, "I give it one week tops...Shirogane-san is being nice to her...that's a crucial factor na no da..."
Ichigo grinned, "I think Pudding's right..."
Mint shook her head, "I think that Keichiro and Zakuro are a little more accurate..."
Ichigo grinned, "Twenty..."
Mint looked at her oddly, "What?"
Ichigo's grin widened, "Twenty bucks says they'll be together by the end of the week."
Mint's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You're on..."