The group gathered early the next morning at the Café to discuss everything they had collected in the previous day, namely little and nothing. With MoiMoi on speaker from one of their little furry transmitters, Zakuro's blue one – the only one of a bearable color at seven in the morning – they tried to analyze that little, focusing on the strange glow seen by Minto and Kisshu the night before and the rumors that Pai, but also Ryou, had heard among the professors about a mysterious "angel".
"Angel... You mean that earthly myth of humans with wings?"
MoiMoi's tiny voice asked on the other side; when Kisshu heard it, he pressed his hands hard on his temples:
"Senpai, please, turn the volume down... I slept three hours, spare me…"
"I don't believe so, in this case, MoiMoi." Retasu reflected, "Pai-san and Shirogane-san spoke of angels... Angels, school roof..."
The girls looked at each other, grasping the green-haired girl's intuition, and Ichigo let out a terrified whimper.
"Are you thinking about one of those things like kokkuri?"
"Ko-what?"
"Literally, it means 'divination with the board'," Minto explained, her speech slurred from the lack of sleep, "It was a type of divination that was often used once… it's still in fashion among teens in school."
"Divination?"
Pai pressed two fingers to the root of his nose, when Taruto started asking questions in that way, as if he was acting very badly, he seemed dumb.
"It means to… call spirits, or the dead, to help you solve a question."
The brunette continued to explain; Ichigo was getting paler and paler.
"You take a page, or a board, with the alphabet written on it, you put a coin on it, all the participants put a finger on the coin, and (theoretically) the spirit answers your questions by making you move the coin."
Eyner looked at them in disbelief:
"And you humans believe in these things?"
"I don't believe it," Minto replied conceited, "But in theory everyone knows how it works... One more reason I will not get involved. You know what they say, better not to risk it, calling back the dead..."
"It's such a… macabre thing!"
Eyner exclaimed with a grimace.
"It's absurd."
Taruto was skeptical; Kisshu seemed amused:
"It's too stupid!"
"It's terrifying!"
Was Ichigo's, now huddled behind Retasu, stifled cry of terror
"But what does divination have to do with the angel?"
"It's in style among students," Zakuro explained, "You know, kind of an urban legend. More or less in all schools there's the rumor that there is a spirit, or an angel as they now call it more often, that in some way (with kokkuri, or in other ways) makes wishes come true."
Ichigo was clinging to Retasu's skirt so hardly that she could tear it at any moment.
"You don't want to believe that such a stupidity is related to the Mew Aqua!"
Ryou exclaimed scandalized. They heard MoiMoi murmuring, pondering:
"I don't think it's like fulfilling a wish," she said, "But we can assume that if there are people who get close to the drop, they receive an influence beneficial to their existence, which they can believe it's due to higher intervention."
"But the Mew Aqua can't get you to start dating someone!"
Retasu said, immediately regretting it when all the glances moved on her:
"Isn't it what usually girls ask for, to the angel?"
She asked slowly; Minto nodded forcefully:
"Always the same nonsense."
"Well, obviously such a thing isn't possible," MoiMoi continued, "However, the Mew Aqua is a source of positive energy: we have never tested it, but if it can restore life to a dying planet, perhaps it can give energy to a person; a lot of energy leads people to be positive and have more self-confidence, perhaps so much as to declare their feelings to someone. Even if the process is different, the result would be the same, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, as a theory it holds up," Pai reflected, "Humans are not even able to properly engage with each other, without the right energy stimulus."
"Of course, Pai, from your category of robots you always know how to provide lucid judgments," Kisshu joked, "None of us are a battery, you know!"
"I am saying – Pai articulated again, slowly, as if to be understood by someone quite slow "That people tend to have difficulties operating when they are depressed, and usually when they are depressed, they are also physically weaker. On the contrary, if they feel more energetic, they are more cheerful and act with zeal; it's just a matter of how they relate psychologically to their physical state."
Kisshu gave no answer. His line of thought could even make sense, but nothing detracted from the fact that if it had come out of a computer, it would have surprised him less.
My brother has neither heart nor brain under that skin, but only the central analysis system of a computer.
"So you think this hypothesis makes sense."
Ryou sighed; seeing that no one was replying, but only Pai looking at him sternly, he sighed harder, rubbing a hand on his forehead:
"Good. So, let's check if this phantom "angel" is there, and if, with him, we find the Mew Aqua."
That morning, the job was entirely delegated to the girls. Perfectly at ease amid the chatter and gossip of the school desks, they began to test the waters in search of information about the school's angel, receiving much more interesting news than they expected.
"It all happened just over two weeks ago."
Explained a brunette with wavy hair to her mates, the desks side by side during the hour of free study; Retasu, Minto and Ichigo pretended to hang from her lips at the idea of a supernatural being who granted wishes, but in reality they were scanning every detail she reported to understand if, really, it was the Mew Aqua.
First consistent clue, time factor. Just over two weeks... It coincided with the attack of the Ancestrals and the crystal smashing.
"They say that it's on the middle school roof, but it's not always there; it appears only at night, in the form of a girl."
That matched what Minto and Kisshu had seen the previous night.
"Oh jeez, so scary…!"
"Ichigo..."
Retasu sent a comforting glance to her friend, as white as a sheet: the redhead had been trying to convince herself for hours that the whole story was only about the Mew Aqua, but instead it looked like they were all ghost stories, and she was terrified to death by such things!
The narrating brunette smiled slyly at her face and leaned more on the desk, lowering her voice, taking on a macabre tone:
"They say it's the specter of a girl who died years ago, but she's linked to the school and helps students... When she appears, you're irradiated by an incredible light and a sense of wellness, and that's a sign that she has fulfilled your wish."
Minto ignored the choked whimper of the mewneko, what they had just heard was far more important.
An incredible light and a sense of well-being... Those were the purifying effects of the crystal.
"Ouch, Ichigo...! You're crushing my hand!"
The mewbird looked annoyed at the redhead who had clung to poor Retasu, she was so pale that she could faint at any moment.
"And how can you say it works?"
Minto asked again, perfectly acting the part of the curious girl. The brunette blushed happily and pointed to herself:
"It worked for me!" she got a little closer, by now the small group was all protruding from their desks, "I couldn't declare myself to the senpai... And all of a sudden I did it!"
Her friends squeezed her, muffling excited screams and giggles of mockery.
"It was like… a rush of adrenaline! Suddenly I had the strength to go and talk to him, I was so full of energy!"
Third point, infusion of beneficial energy in people. The three MewMew secretly exchanged eloquent glances, maybe it really was the crystal.
"It's really interesting," MoiMoi said, "I'm starting to believe that we've found the right track."
Ichigo, Kisshu, Minto, Retasu, Zakuro, Purin and Taruto, all crouching in a corner of the courtyard, huddled around the transmitter that the mewneko held in her hand, careful not to be seen.
"Couldn't we wait for our lunch break?"
Taruto hissed with clenched teeth, squashed on Purin to remain hidden behind the wall; his face was scarlet, but the blonde didn't seem to mind so much to be so close to him.
"We don't have time to waste," whispered Minto angrily, "Luckily we were all able to get out during the same hours, let's take advantage of it."
The brown-haired boy frowned at the mewbird, that day she was particularly sourer than usual.
"What is it, you and Kisshu spent the night getting to know each other better, that you are so nervous?"
The mischievous tone did not in any way hide the sordid supposition, to which Kisshu and Minto responded at the same time by slaughtering Taruto with a glance.
"I'd rather become a nun."
From the transmitter came a peremptory cough and MoiMoi resumed:
"I'm beginning to think that the fabulous angel is a human being to whom a drop of Mew Aqua has connected."
"It could," Minto mused, "We actually saw someone on the roof last night."
She turned to Kisshu – still busy slaying his little brother with his gaze – and he pondered:
"Yes... There was one person, I saw them briefly, but I'm sure they were a human being. Looked like a girl to me."
At that statement Purin was intrigued:
"What was she like?"
Kisshu thought about it for a few minutes, striving to remember:
"A young girl... I think she had black hair, maybe short…" he half-mouthed, "I'm not sure, at that moment I was a little distracted."
Minto ignored that last half-whispered sentence. Surely, he hadn't referred to her, or maybe he did, yes, but just to annoy her.
After that description Purin started agitatedly rummaging in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled photo:
"Did she look like this?"
The photo depicted a young girl in the Yakori's middle school uniform, looking a little sad, with layered black hair. Kisshu studied it by turning it in his hands:
"Yes, it could be just her. Who is she?"
"A girl who was in our class. I heard about her today talking to some mates, and it seems that she's been missing for a few weeks."
"More or less since the angel has popped up."
Was Zakuro's curt observation; Purin nodded convinced:
"The family reported her missing after a couple of days and her friends are distributing the photo around, that's why I have one."
"What if that little girl came into contact with the crystal? MoiMoi wondered, "You can handle it without any problems, but normal people may not; as a reaction, she has become a kind of strange creature…"
"Anything can be, but we have no proof," Ichigo sighed resignedly, "We should at least try to intercept her…"
"Well, they say she appears on the roof, but I haven't found anything," Zakuro said, "I've searched it far and wide and, believe me, it was more than a desert."
"But I'm sure there was someone last night, onee-sama."
"Maybe it only appears at certain times?"
Ichigo felt a frosty shiver all along her spine:
"D-don't talk ab-about it like that… it sounds like an apparition! O-oor some-me-thing like that..."
"In fact… Maybe," Minto said in a low voice, joking, "What we saw was a presence…"
"M-M-M-M-M-Minto stop it!" the other cried, "I know you're just making fun of me!"
The redhead tried to calm down when she felt a trickle of cold air tickling her neck: she let out an ear-piercing squeal and jumped to the other side, the bell on her black cat tail jingling.
"Kitty-cat, does it really scare you so much?"
She looked distraught at Kisshu, bent over double with laughter:
"It's not funny!" she muttered sadly, "You guys…! You're cruel!".
"In any case," Zakuro said coldly, to quell that noise, "I don't think we have many other options than to follow this lead. I'd say for the moment we can just keep looking, hoping to find the angel."
They looked at each other, no one very convinced, but since that one seemed the only good solution, they had to agree.
"Okay," MoiMoi said, "Keep me updated, okay? Ah, Kisshu-chan, Taruto-chan?"
"Yes, senpai?
"Keep the transmitters within earshot," she warned them, "The Major Council was meeting today, I think Teruga wants to communicate everything,"
The earthlings saw the two boys exchange alarmed glances, but they didn't ask anything.
"Received," was Kisshu's concise reply, "Let us know, MoiMoi."
Zakuro finished climbing the stairs leading to the roof, sighing annoyedly, she had forgotten how irritating it was to roam around idling that way, looking for something and not finding it. Fortunately, she had not been annoyed by anyone in her research, neither students nor professors: in the face of her true disposition and her severe and ferocious air, people did not know how to behave and, usually, got scared and distanced themselves; during the morning, she even thought that a few girls had called her "a Yankee".
I've reached my peak. The brilliant and impeccable Zakuro Fujiwara has been considered a thug.
Not that she cared that much. She had found the trusted friends she needed years earlier, and in any case, she had no problem spending time alone; she felt more comfortable that way. Better that, however, than spending hours among people who could only misinterpret her or deluded themselves they could understand her, when they couldn't even make the effort.
She pushed the panic handle of the rusty door opening onto the roof and was hit by a gust of hot air that smelled of pollen; the low hum of the air conditioner immediately became a comforting litany, short and guttural like the purr of a cat, and Zakuro sighed serenely, deeming it a noise a hundred times more pleasant than the clamor made by the mob of students, a floor below. She sat down on what she had designated as her favorite place, the tube of the air vent, and staid silently with her face resting on her arms and her eyes closed to hear the distant and muffled noises, the distant voices, the footsteps, the laughter.
Away from everything and everyone, a bit like she felt every day of her life, except for when she was at the Café: on a pedestal, where no one tried to get to.
"Are we taking a refreshing nap?"
Zakuro barely opened an eye, surprised, meeting two gray and blue ones that smiled kindly.
"Eyner."
Correction, in fact there was someone besides the girls who didn't seem to care in the least about invading her territory. Although he did it very carefully, little by little and gently, like someone who has to get acquainted with a mordacious animal.
She, Zakuro, a mordacious animal. Yes, it could work as a comparison.
"I wasn't sleeping," she corrected him flatly, "I was just thinking a bit."
"I thought you were taking an after-lunch shuteye."
He justified himself. She looked at him without answering, she was hungry indeed, but she hadn't bought or brought anything that day; she had focused too much on looking for the crystal and had forgotten about it.
"I haven't had lunch yet."
She said with conceit.
"No pan today?"
"It would seem..."
She saw him flash another smile, but she felt like it cost him a lot. And it was true, Eyner was using much, very much self-control, wondering why the hell he was making such a gesture towards the cold and abrupt Zakuro.
At the very least, she'll laugh in my face.
"If you were hungry," Zakuro watched him rummage through a curious rough canvas bag, "Would you like it?"
Without understanding, she studied him handing her a metal box that she opened, ending up overwhelmed by an inviting scent of food and she suddenly realized she was dying of hunger. She looked up at Eyner, his face tensed, and an inquisitor smile appeared on her lips:
"For me?"
"Uh? Y-yes, I mean, no!" he laughed nervously, "I remembered what you said yesterday, so when I prepared food... I just made one more portion."
That is, he had prepared some for her too, said in other terms. Zakuro could not avoid smiling slightly for a second, but said nothing. She finished opening the box – a mute sign that she was accepting the offer of food – and sat straighter at her little place, imitated by Eyner who sat on the floor as the day before. The unexpected lunch consisted of something not dissimilar to rough, cinnamon-colored spaghetti, dressed in a thick sauce with bits of meat and vegetables; it smelled of embers and spices and had a full-bodied and succulent texture; it tasted of home.
Zakuro swallowed a morsel and stopped. Seeing her, Eyner felt quite uncomfortable and muttered:
"Don't feel obligated, if y-"
"No."
She stopped him. She lifted the box up to her face and Eyner could swear he saw her smile:
"It's just a little... Weird," she said, with a pinch of nostalgia, "I don't know how long it's been since I've eaten something homemade."
She turned to the boy and he slightly opened his eyes wide in amazement; no, he hadn't dreamed, Zakuro had really smiled at him:
"Thank you."
There.
By now, it was done.
He was over, gone. Lost. Completely screwed.
That slight smile had been enough for his heart to jump up his throat. He felt stupid, because that's how he was acting, like a stupid kid... He was losing his mind for the most inaccessible girl on Earth, maybe in the whole galaxy.
"… You're welcome…"
It was the only thing he could say, before bowing his head so that, at least, she wouldn't see him smiling happily like an idiot.
The day passed fast and soon the evening came, with a small full moon and dozens of stars popping up in a darker and darker sky. Ichigo felt exhausted, they had scoured every damned inch of that school, but they hadn't found anything, and she would also be on the night patrol; moreover, she hadn't even heard a little from Masaya all day, nor had she had had a chance to see him. She looked miserably at her watch, ten o'clock in the evening, at that hour Masaya was finishing his homework and so he had turned off his cellphone... But she could at least send him a text.
Hello Masaya, how's your homework going ^w^? I hope everything's alright; I miss you very much.
Goodnight
She put away the cellphone away and sighed, looking around while waiting for Retasu and Eyner. Since they seemed so close to tracking down the Mew Aqua drop, they had decided to send the two girls at a time, so they could properly deal with an emergency while waiting for their companions. Ichigo played a few more moments with a pebble at her feet and finally she heard the muffled noise of teleportation, seeing the boy landing gently with the mewporpoise.
"Thank you for the lift."
"No problem."
"I'm sorry, I've made everyone late," Retasu bowed, "But my parents would find it strange if I didn't stop by home even after the school was closed."
"Don't worry," Ichigo said, "The important thing is that you're here now."
The green looked at her surprises and saw the redhead clutching her hands, her eyes shining with frightened tears:
"I'm shaking at the thought of Minto being here tonight...!" she whined with gratitude, "I'm already terrified of thinking what we might find, had she been here, I would have died of a heart attack!"
"I-Ichigo... "
For a couple of hours they searched the school again, focusing on the roof, without detecting anything important; Eyner and Retasu walked peacefully, while Ichigo kept her fist on her mouth, walking uncertainly and trembling, the other hand clung to her friend's skirt in the ugly imitation of a three-year-old.
"What if it turns out that she's really a ghost and she curses us?!"
She cried. Eyner looked at her sighing:
"Ichigo, don't you think you're exaggerating?"
She shook her head; it was useless to argue over someone's phobias.
"Come on. There's nothing that..."
"What?" she squealed, terrified, "Nothing what?"
Eyner did not respond, but he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out MoiMoi's transmitter; he touched it with the tip of his index finger and it buzzed, almost appearing like a real living thing, all covered by that fuzz.
"Eyn-chan?"
"What's going on, senpai?"
"You and the boys have to come here right now! It's madness here!"
Her tone was frantic, her voice was broken by anger, and Eyner frowned without interrupting her.
"Ebode has convened an extraordinary Council meeting and is saying a lot of nonsense about the Ancestrals and...! And...!"
"MoiMoi, calm down!"
"Like hell!" she blurted, Oh, Eyn-chan, please! And the others...! Come now, Councilman Teruga can no longer keep the Council calm!"
"Senpai, I am with Ichigo and Retasu, I cannot leave them alone."
"Don't worry Eyner-san."
Retasu, alarmed by MoiMoi's tone, touched his arm and looked at him stern:
"We can manage very well on our own."
"No, it's dangerous; we don't know if anyone has already traced the crystal drop," MoiMoi retorted gravely, "Give me some time and I will get there. Eyner, you must be here! You know it's you they want to talk with!"
Eyner still didn't seem convinced, but the two girls insisted.
"It seems really important," said Ichigo, "Please go, Eyner-san, we can get by for ten minutes."
Eyner thought about it for a few more seconds and then nodded.
"Be careful, I'll be right there!"
It was the last sound of MoiMoi's metallic voice before Eyner vanished. Now alone, Ichigo tried to erase the fear that still made her knees tremble, and straightened her back:
"We must find the drop," she said worriedly, "And quickly."
Retasu nodded:
"Let's call the girls."
Waiting for their friends and MoiMoi, Ichigo and Retasu began sifting through the roof in an increasingly frantic manner. The redhead couldn't shake the worry for the communication between MoiMoi and Eyner, a worry that was clenching her stomach far more than her fear of ghosts. She dreaded that something was going on, on the other side, and that worried her; she had not forgotten Teruga's words: someone on the alien planet had not been too pleased that Earth had remained in the hands of the humans and supported – publicly or not, this she didn't know – the infamous Ancestrals, possible new versions of Deep Blue.
A tremor went up her throat.
"Retasu, did you see anything?"
"Nothing at all!" the green groaned, "There's nothing and no one."
Ichigo bit her lower lip, could their theory be completely wrong?
She stopped suddenly, hearing the squeaking of a door. She and Retasu hid behind a wall and peeked out: someone, perhaps a girl judging by the little clothing they could distinguish, had come out of the stairs entrance and was advancing towards the railing; the figure walked with her back straight and her arms along her sides, eyes fixed in front, putting forward one foot at a time with immense slowness. They saw her stop right in front of the railing, standing still, looking at the void, her short dark hair swaying in the night breeze, and when a moon flare brightened her profile for a few moments, Retasu jolted:
"It's her!" she whispered excited, "The missing girl!"
"It's true. What's she doing here in the middle of the night?" Ichigo crouched behind the wall with her friend, "It is obvious that she's not hiding here at school, we would have found her."
"Therefore, she must come here at night."
"But why?"
They heard a rustle and turned scared, spotting their friends who, already transformed, had climbed with a single leap on the roof; the mewneko immediately motioned them to hide and they obeyed her, confused.
"Good," sighed the redhead, "She doesn't seem to have noticed us."
"But that...!"
"Exactly her, Purin."
"And how long has she been standing there?"
Minto asked; Retasu tried to count:
"I think just about five minutes…"
"I don't think she can see us," Zakuro said flat, "I don't think she's even aware of where she is."
The others looked at her without understanding.
"Ichigo, Retasu, transform yourselves. I don't know what could happen."
The mewwolf pulled herself to her feet and in a firm voice called:
"Hey!"
Her friends looked at her alarmed, but despite Zakuro's tone the little girl did not move. The brunette's eyes were reduced to two slits and they saw her catch her breath, calling again:
"Hey! Are you the Angel?!"
At that sentence, the little girl seemed to wake up and turned slowly towards her; they watched her smile, her eyes glowing with a strange spark and speaking in a low voice that, clearly, was not entirely human:
"Who calls for me?"
More than a voice, a flicker; a rustling of grass, something light and murmuring. On the chest of the little girl, where usually the uniform's bow rested, a pulsating droplet of iridescent light, no bigger than a walnut, was gravitating. Ichigo, transformed, jolted at the sight, and for a second, both hers and her companions' bodies shone all over of a faint blue glow.
We found it!
"Who calls for me?"
The Angel repeated. Ichigo gained courage and stepped forward with a determined air:
"We are the MewMew!"
She shouted loudly, almost to give herself more strength in that absurd situation, than as true intimidation:
"You have to give us back the Mew Aqua, for your own good!"
The Angel looked at them – or better, she seemed to look at them, it was difficult to understand – and she appeared confused:
"You have nothing to ask the Angel for?"
"Just one thing," Ichigo insisted, "The one you wear around your neck."
The Angel did not appreciate the request. At first, she brought her hand to her chest, to cover the vibrating drop, then frowned and in a firmer voice boomed:
"No."
There was an explosion of energy and the five girls almost got thrown off the roof, holding on by pure miracle. In that very strong wind, Ichigo saw the Angel exactly where she was before, motionless, sparkling with white, her fists clenched on her legs; the Mew Aqua drop was pulsating rapidly, but the little girl who was wearing it seemed in pain.
"She's hurt..."
Said Retasu, the voice covered by the din.
"We'll be hurting if she doesn't stop!"
Purin yelled in response. Minto clung to the wall of the middle school entrance as not to be pushed away:
"I think the energy of the Mew Aqua is too much for her," she said with one hand on her mouth to be able to breathe, "Do you remember what MoiMoi said?"
"Don't tell me that now maybe she'll really turn into an angel!"
"I don't think so, Retasu," Zakuro replied, trying to keep her aplomb, "But I don't know what could happen to her! We have to take that drop off her!"
"And how do we do it?!" the mewporpoise cried, "We can't get close!"
There was another wave of energy and Ichigo retreated, stumbling on a step. She got up, aching, trying not to fall to the strength of the crystal and hearing in the dull rumble the thin jingling of her bell as she moved her tail.
She had an idea, what if…
"Mew Strawberry Bell!"
"Ichigo, what...?!"
"Let me do it, Minto!"
The mewneko seized the bell and put it in front of her; suddenly the energy waves bounced back and began to break against the weapon as if on an invisible barrier.
"Ichigo nee-chan!"
"Unbelievable..." Minto exclaimed, "Ichigo, you are a genius!"
"You're sounding quite baffled…"
Ichigo retorted with a grin. The other smiled triumphantly, drew her bow and stood beside the redhead, followed by the others:
"Mint Arrow!"
"Retasu Castanets!"
"Purin Ring!"
"Zakuro Whip!"
They may not have been able to stop the power of the Mew Aqua, but in that way they could advance. The formation created a compact shield and began to proceed towards the Angel, who was always still in the same spot.
"We must go closer to her! "Ichigo shouted loudly over the noise, "We need to separate her from the Mew Aqua!"
"Ichigo, the idea of weapons was good, but I don't think they can help us in that too!" said Retasu, "She's not a chimera!"
"In the meantime, let's get to her!"
With a leap, Minto stepped further and opened the way a little more, the others immediately behind and with effort, one step at a time, they arrived in front of the Angel; Ichigo wanted to find a plan, but the girl's suffering expression erased any good intention to act rationally.
"On my three," she yelled, "Move away!"
"What?"
"Ichigo are you crazy?"
"Open the way!" she insisted, "From here I can reach her with a jump!"
She sought support in Zakuro; the model looked at her an instant in silence and nodded:
"On three."
"Ready!"
"I'm not convinced, but... One!"
"T-two!
"Three!"
The four girls moved away suddenly and Ichigo leaped forward with her bell stretched in front of her, pushing with all the strength she had. The contrast with the Mew Aqua flows was incredible, but continuing to push, floating as if swimming, she saw the little girl getting closer and closer... She just had to stretch her arm and she'd grab her...
"Now I'll get you!"
Her hand closed tightly on the girl's wrist, and the Mew Aqua sent another mighty glow; Ichigo closed her eyes without letting go of the girl and after a few, endless seconds, she could see her again, unconscious, with the crystal drop that swirled weakly around her.
"I've go-!"
Her blood ran cold when she realized that they both had gone beyond the railing.
"ICHIGO!"
The mewneko instinctively held the fainted girl close and plummeted like dead weight, her own screams and her friends' in her ears; she thought she saw Minto flying behind her, but she was falling too fast. And the sidewalk was getting closer and closer...
"Ichigo!"
A scream very close to her ear, not Minto's voice, and someone who hugged her and stopped her fall, gliding gently to the ground.
"What are you doing?!"
"M-MoiMoi!"
Ichigo put her feet on the ground and let herself fall on her knees, looking full of gratitude at the alien, who instead had a sulky face. Whatever insult she wanted to throw at the redhead, she did not have time to say it: the drop of Mew Aqua, like a firefly disturbed while on its placid flutter, had started to shake and move more and more irregularly.
"Shoot...!"
MoiMoi rummaged nervously in the pockets of her skirt:
"Quickly! Girls, jump down! Ichigo, your weapon, get it!"
Only then did the girl realize that she had let go of her bell, which lay next to her leg; intimidated by the alien's tone, she grabbed it with both hands and immediately the others, landed in sync, imitated her. They clearly sensed their powers reverberating to an unknown lure, and the Mew Aqua calmed down, rotating more slowly.
"Found it!"
Triumphantly, MoiMoi squeezed a tiny transparent vial between her fingers and turned it towards the drop, which immediately entered it, magnetized by the object. As soon as it was safe behind the glass, the girls slumped to the ground exhausted, looking dazed at the bottle that MoiMoi closed and that, at that moment, looked like a small, intermittent flashlight.
"Uff, luckily I made it on time," MoiMoi sighed, only to turn sternly towards Ichigo, "But what were you thinking?! Did you want to turn to mush?!"
"Sorry," Ichigo smiled weakly, "I hadn't realized we had gone over the roof."
She stretched and, given how tiny the alien was, she managed to grab her by the neck and hug her without too much trouble:
"Thank you."
MoiMoi reciprocated the squeeze, a little uncomfortable, but smiled.
"And... Damn, how did you do that?!" the redhead asked admiringly, "The crystal! How…?"
The alien smiled satisfied and twirled the bottle like it was a revolver:
"Synthetic material made by Pai-chan based on your weapons."
"What?!"
"Pai-chan had a lot of data on you."
She smiled candidly. Ichigo grimaced offended.
"It seems that not only your bodies, but also your attacks and weapons react to the closeness of the crystal... And vice versa. Who had the brilliant intuition?"
"It's hard to believe, but it was Ichigo."
"Thank you, Minto, always a kind word..."
"You were great!"
MoiMoi encouraged her, and leaned over the still unconscious black-haired girl, lying on the ground with her head on Ichigo's thigh:
"It seems that the crystal had joined her, but her body was not able to absorb it completely; she unconsciously unleashed its power, but she was also subject to the reflected wave... I don't know how long she could have resisted."
"But why did she react to us?"
"It's all based on your modified DNA, Retasu-chan. The strength that comes from the animals with which you are fused is the same as the crystal's," she lifted the vial and looked at it thoughtfully, "To be honest it's a little long to explain, and I still have to check one thing..."
She pointed to the little girl:
"I think it's better to take care of her first, she seems to be coming back."
That said, they all saw the little black-haired girl open her eyes and starting to look around confused:
"You... You're the... MewMew?"
They nodded; MoiMoi gave way to the earthlings and crouched down behind them, while Ichigo smiled kindly:
"Are you okay?"
"Yes... But how... Where am I...? Why am I at school...?"
"Don't you remember?" Retasu asked her, "You've been missing for days."
She shook her head:
"I... I... The last thing I remember... I was getting on the roof," she muttered, "School had just started and… And I was down because I wasn't... I wasn't able to take off. I wanted to get stronger, because I wanted to get better... Then I saw a very strong light..."
The girls around her looked at each other without a word.
"And all of a sudden, I felt so full of energy, I could do everything! Then..." she pressed her hands on her temples hard, "I don't remember..."
"That's what must have happened," MoiMoi whispered, "The drop radiated energy from within her, but being a common human, she could not handle it, so gradually she lost control."
Zakuro nodded and added:
"She probably came unconsciously to the last place she remembered, someone saw her and, having received some of the benefit of the crystal, they must have come up with the story of the Angel, and she was influenced."
"Don't you really remember anything else?"
Ichigo insisted gently; the little girl pressed her palms on her forehead, striving to remember:
"It seems to me... that I have walked, so much... I remember stopping to eat once in a while, but it's all so confusing..."
"That would explain why we never found her around here," Purin said, "But why roam around?"
MoiMoi frowned:
"Mmm... Then maybe that's true, too."
"What are you talking about?"
Minto asked her worried.
"Principles of physics and chemistry," she nodded as if to say that she would explain better later, "But for now I can tell you that the drop tried to return to the original crystal through this little girl."
"What do you mean? The Mew Aqua isn't alive, it's just a stone that accumulates energy."
"Yeah…"
The mewbird still looked confused, but MoiMoi didn't add anything else.
"Well, it doesn't matter now," Zakuro said, "We recovered the crystal and saved a girl. I would say that, as today's evaluation, that's great."
She approached the little brunette and helped her get up, along with Retasu:
"We'll take her to the nearest police station, so they can take her back to her parents," she said authoritative, "We'll come back right away."
She put the girl over her shoulders and quickly disappeared on the horizon followed by the mewporpoise. Their companions took another deep breath, relaxing completely and finding themselves to be more than exhausted, more than if they had fought an army of chimeras. MoiMoi chuckled cheerfully:
"You were great! As soon as the girls come back, we'll celebrate! Along with the others, of course... Even if they don't deserve it, they haven't done a damn thing!"
"I don't think Pai onii-san has a feel for parties. And neither does Sando-san."
"Ah, forget them, Purin!" she insisted, "They will have to adapt. Thanks to this droplet, other paths will open for all the others and..."
She stopped suddenly, frowning. The three girls studied her without understanding, until their instincts led them to look up.
There was a dark silhouette above their heads. In seeing it, MoiMoi took on a ferocious expression.
"Looks like I'm on time, huh? " they heard a male voice laughing, "I was just looking for a drop of Mew Aqua, I felt a bit weak this morning."
He was undoubtedly an alien, with that diaphanous skin and typical ears, but his eyes were deep blue, and the hair was a beautiful wheat blond, with the tips shot in every direction. He was wearing something like a strange uniform that, in Ichigo's mind, brought back the image of Ao No Kishi: a large sleeveless greatcoat with long tails, under which a tight sleeveless shirt left his stomach uncovered, short blue shorts and a pair of blue ankle boots.
One of the Four Ancestrals!
Ichigo shivered when the boy gave her a cruel grin, but she noticed that he wasn't looking at her.
"How long, senpai," he said cheerful, "Always the same disgusting look, eh?"
MoiMoi responded with a surly glance, interposing between him and the girls:
"You instead have worsened, in terms of style, Zizi."
She pushed Ichigo back, whispering:
"Don't get mixed up with this guy, Ichigo-chan. Nor you guys."
The mewneko retreated a little uneasy, being shocked when she saw a gigantic hammer appearing in MoiMoi's hand: the long handle, which almost reached her forehead, must have had a circumference of ten centimeters and the square head was the size of her chest. MoiMoi turned a moment to the three girls and looked up again:
"Don't intervene. I'm enough for him."
"Do you want to fight with me, senpai?" he teased her, "A sweet, delicate and fragile flower like you?"
The blond dodged just in time a blow of the huge weapon, aimed at his head; MoiMoi sneered:
"You can bet on it."
Ichigo looked alarmed at them swirling over her, with her friend spinning the huge bat as if it had been a twig. The redhead and her companions did not move a muscle, disoriented, noticing only at the last moment the return of Retasu and Zakuro.
"What's going on?!"
Retasu cried, then muffled a shriek as MoiMoi bent over his back and avoided a knee to her face.
The mewwolf, by her side, hardened her gaze following Zizi's movements:
"Is that…?"
The question seemed to suddenly wake up Purin, who frowned and brandished her tambourines, not at all willing to stand aside:
"We must help her now!"
Without waiting for contrary opinions, she jumped aiming at the boy:
"Ribbon…!"
"Purin no!"
Before MoiMoi could intervene, Zizi had already swerved from her trajectory and had launched himself at crazy speed against the blonde, centering her in the stomach with a right:
"You mind your business, you mutant freak!"
The mewmonkey fell down like a dead weight and was grabbed on the fly by her companions, accompanied by the vulgar laugh of the blond. He gloated for a few seconds, because MoiMoi did not fail to reciprocate his lightness and he was crushed by more than fifty kilos of stone straight into the side, plummeting among the canopies of the trees nearby.
"Purin!"
Ignoring the fate of her opponent, MoiMoi landed at once and joined the other girls, already around the blonde, who was kneeling and puking on the grass.
"Please tell me you're okay!"
MoiMoi moaned again, ditching her hammer.
"I'm... okay…" the little girl gasped, "He just got me… goood."
The other offered a smile of relief and grabbed the hammer again, hearing Zizi's drawled voice shouting imprecations.
"I told you, don't intervene anymore!" she took the little flask with the drop of Mew Aqua and gave it to Ichigo, "Be ready if you were to defend yourselves, but I fight with him!"
She turned and tried to hide her concern as best as she could. She wasn't sure she could be able to protect the girls, but they could not face Zizi at that time, they were tired, and it would be a suicide.
"Fuck, senpai, you're an asshole!" Zizi barked, popping out covered in leaves, "You've broken at least fourteen ribs, you bastard!"
"Unfortunately, not. If I had, you wouldn't be here blabbing, brat."
Zizi put on a crazy smile and two brass knuckles appeared in his hands:
"Now I'll show you...! Such a…!"
The two resumed wrestling in the air with more fury. Although Zizi's weapon seemed so insignificant compared to MoiMoi's hammer, the blond could stop her blows with equal and maybe greater strength, soon putting the opponent in the corner.
Zizi hit the hammer head with another punch, forcing MoiMoi to draw back.
"You've pissed me off, senpai."
The boy clenched his fists; the metal on his knuckles began to shine and he stretched out his arms suddenly to pull a direct double: a beam of light was emanated for a couple of seconds, hitting MoiMoi in full and making her crash against the school wall.
"MoiMoi!"
The five frightened earthlings approached the rubble, looking for signs of the alien and continuing to call her, much to Zizi's annoyance; he didn't seem to like that their cries were overpowering his triumphant laughter:
"How much do you guys squeal!" he shouted, "I swear that as soon as I'm done with the reversed senpai, I'll cut off all your tong…"
"Hama Do Sen!"
Out of nowhere a column of dark soil pranced up into the air, hitting Zizi square in the face and almost causing him to plunge down. The MewMew looked at the scene wide-eyed, spotting MoiMoi coming out of the small pile of debris holding on to the handle of the hammer like a crutch.
"MoiMoi! Oh, thank…!"
Ichigo lovingly made to run to meet her, but she froze at seeing her and slowly lowered her arms, stunned at what she saw:
"But you..."
MoiMoi's clothes had been severely damaged in the impact; but if the shoes had more holes than a slice of cheese and the skirt had become quite mini, the upper part of her garments had completely disintegrated, showing off what, surely, was not a female body.
"… you are a boy?"
Ichigo's whisper couldn't hide from MoiMoi's sensitive hearing, who at first tried to instinctively cover his chest with his free arm, but then lowered his hand slowly and bowed his head with a sad air:
"Yup."
He didn't have the strength to check whether the redhead's gaze was only surprised, disgusted or disappointed:
"Sorry."
A groan was heard followed by yet another long series of insults, only in a slightly more nasal voice:
"Fucking shitty faggot… You almost broke my jaw! And my nose, my perfect nose, you asshole!"
MoiMoi didn't even seem to listen to him and moved on again, standing between him and the girls:
"Don't worry."
His voice trembled as he signaled to stand back, without ever turning:
"I'll send him home now."
He lifted the hammer with both hands and carried it in front, turning it like a key in a lock. Other columns of soil, smaller, but better defined and more numerous, bolted towards Zizi, forcing him to face the huge rocky snakes that tried to injure or immobilize him; the alien was screaming with rage, wiping when he could the incessant trickles of blood pouring from his nose, lip and split eyebrow:
"Shit, shit, shit!" he smashed two snakes with one punch, "Don't be a coward and come here, senpai, you fucking pantywaist."
MoiMoi raised his hand and the ground reptiles all converged towards Zizi, ready to pierce him, but they were too slow: with a somersault at the last moment, the boy thwarted the attack and the snakes crashed into each other, disintegrating, and Zizi promptly launched himself towards the enemies with a furious air.
He was just a couple of meters from MoiMoi when something blocked him by the ankle, causing him to bite his tongue for the backlash; he spat out another couple of profanities and turned around furiously, only to pale suddenly, while MoiMoi smiled relieved.
"Oh fuck…!"
"Sando!"
He had sprung up so out of nowhere that it seemed he had been summoned by his friend just a second before. Sando's mighty figure stood out against the grayish glow of dawn, menacing and looming like a dark cloud.
Zizi spun round with a frightened whine, his eyes wide at that view and at the sight of the huge knobby branch that was tightening more and more around his leg; he tried to wriggle out, but his fist bounced against the wood like on foam rubber. The vegetal creature flicked like a fish, creaked and with a jerk pulled him back, straight into the arms of the other alien, who immediately did the honors of finishing MoiMoi's work and, probably, completely breaking the blonde's nose with a tremendous hook. Zizi staggered back groaning and Sando summoned other branches and lianas, which freed the boy's leg and tightened around his neck.
The Ancestral moaned with terror and cursed again through his teeth, but Sando didn't have the slightest surge of compassion and continued to look at him harshly:
"Bad idea, coming here alone, kid."
The girls saw Zizi swinging his legs convulsively as he tried in vain to loosen the crush on his throat, squinting more and more and becoming cyanotic.
"S-Sando-san!"
On impulse, Retasu called the alien, terrified at that sight, but Sando didn't pay her any attention, and she covered her face with her hands, horrified at the thought of being about to see someone die.
But Zizi was not of the idea of passing so quickly and, without knowing what to do, struck with the attack that had hit MoiMoi the lianas on his neck: the shockwave hit him as well, but didn't seem to hurt him as the branches dissolved and he could resume breathing. Panting, bug-eyed and teared up, he allowed himself only a second to look at Sando with hatred, and then he disappeared before having to face for a second more the green-haired man.
The girls took a breath, almost as if they hadn't breathed since the beginning of the fight, dissolving the transformations, and Sando landed near them without ever stopping to look at the point where Zizi had vanished. In meeting his profile, Ichigo remembered MoiMoi and worriedly turned to him: the alien was facing the wall, clearly uncomfortable, and the redhead noticed that his gaze was constantly darting towards Sando, causing him to curl up even more.
"MoiMoi..."
"I'm sorry… Ichigo-chan," he said to her in a low voice, "And you girls too. It's not like... I didn't want to tell you. But, well…"
He heard the redhead reach him, now she was about ten centimeters from his back; he lowered the voice of another tone:
"I... I'm not ashamed of who I am. I was born male, but I always felt like a girl, and the others know it too, everyone always knew, and I never hid it. When I met you, you… I knew you really mistook me for a girl, and I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but... The more time went by, the more complicated it got, and eventually I got scared, because I was afraid you thought I wanted to hide it."
He heard a rustling of clothes and barely turned, intrigued, ending up with his head in the pullover of Ichigo's uniform. He looked at her in a disbelief as she placed the garment on him and helped him get into the sleeves:
"It might have happened because you were defending us," Ichigo reproached him, smiling, "But a girl should not go around like that! Come on, I'll lend you this until you can change your clothes."
"Ichigo..."
"It must have been hard, huh?" Zakuro asked kindly "I can understand that."
"Don't worry," Ichigo smiled again, "Male or female, MoiMoi is MoiMoi. A friend."
They saw him widening his golden eyes and pointing at himself, as if he wasn't sure of what he was hearing:
"Me..."?
"Of course!"
Purin exclaimed, jumping at his neck; Minto and Retasu smiled:
"And how else could we define you?"
"Among the most precious friends we have!"
"You've worked so hard for us so far! And you've been so caring, especially with me..." the mewneko smiled at him, "I couldn't consider you anything but a friend."
MoiMoi saw that all the girls were smiling at him and almost teared up:
"Girls..."
He met Sando's gaze for an instant, who winked with a comforting air; MoiMoi then rubbed an arm over his face and smiled broadly, over the moon:
"Thank you very much!"
The others smiled and MoiMoi resumed his cheerful attitude, whistling while he fixed the redhead's sweater.
"But it's not fair!" Purin blurted out in a childlike tone, "You're a boy and you're prettier than me!"
"That's so stupid!" MoiMoi laughed, squeezing her, "Look at you, how cute you are!"
The little group laughed, causing a certain annoyance to Sando who approached MoiMoi with a very exasperated air:
"MoiMoi, shouldn't we go back? You found the crystal, didn't you?"
The other did not listen to him, continuing to speak quietly.
"Ohi."
But MoiMoi continued to chuckle foolishly with the mewmonkey without considering the man. On the third unsuccessful call, the girls saw him become livid, grab MoiMoi by the neck with an elbow and starting to rub his knuckles on his head:
"Can you listen to me when I talk, you brainy head?"
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Sando, stop it!"
"Not if you don't apologize, ugly!
"Me ugly?!" MoiMoi started biting for fun the arm with which he was squeezing her, laughing even though he kept complaining, "Says the bearded gorilla."
The earthlings watched the scene speechless; it was like watching two children playing pranks on each other.
"Oh my God," Minto muttered, "So this is Sando-san's true disposition?"
"What a disappointment! Purin thought he was much cooler...!"
"As they say, appearance deceives."
Concluded Retasu with a sigh. To those comments Sando stiffened and looked at them annoyed, evidently that was not the impression he wanted to give.
"See, Ichigo-chan?" MoiMoi laughed, freeing himself from his grip," I told you so."
"Said what?" the other man grumbled "What the hell do you go about saying about me?"
MoiMoi reflected on it theatrically and pointed his finger at his lips:
"That you're so cool?"
"… idiot."
It was the only comment he could give before turning his back at him, irritated. The other alien snorted and put his hands on his hips:
"Anyway…. I mean, thanks for the help, but what are you doing here? Weren't you at the Council meeting?"
The girls clearly saw Sando jolting:
"It's with the others they want to talk", he justified himself slowly, "Eyner came and said that they had almost found the drop and that you would go to them."
MoiMoi was silent for a second:
"Did you worry?"
The other looked at him, frowned and embarrassed at the same time:
"Obviously, you fool, you're capable of getting killed!"
He mumbled something unintelligible and walked away, signaling to the group to start moving; the girls obeyed, noticing MoiMoi's toothy grin.
"Well, then, are you coming?" Sando blurted again, "Let's bring that blessed drop home."