"So you're bailing on me again."
Ayumi mumbled, frowning surly at Retasu. The friend bowed her head and apologized:
"I'm sorry..."
"Lately you've always been locked in that silly Café", she huffed, "And so have the others!"
"There's a lot of work to be done," the mewporpoise explained with a tense smile, "And Akasaka-san and Shirogane-san can't do it all alone…"
The redhead didn't answer her and took on a grave expression:
"For real?"
"Eh?"
"You've been weird lately... You even stayed home because you had a fever and you didn't call me once."
She explained, referring to the green girl's excuse about her absence during their patrols at Yakori:
"And the girls are a little shy too."
Retasu didn't answer her.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
"What are you saying?" she lied sweetly, "It's all right. We're just a little busy!"
Ayumi stared at her for a few moments, skeptical, then rolled her eyes and sighed:
"Aaah, come on! And to think that I wanted to take you looking for some nice guys!"
"I don't think that's necessary."
"Sooner or later I'll be able to drag you with me!"
Laughed the redhead. She stopped at the intersection where they would part ways and smiled cleverly:
"Tell Akasaka that he owes me a special parfait, he's ruining my social life!" she winked and went in the opposite direction, "Call me tonight?"
"Of course!" the green girl smiled, "Talk to you tonight."
She crossed and proceeded to the Café, striving to smile and ignore the guilt. She felt terrible about lying to Ayumi, but she couldn't tell her about the aliens or the fact that she was a Mew Mew, she would only expose her to danger.
For her sake, she would have to keep lying to her.
Even at the cost of hurting her by hiding the truth, she had to keep her safe.
Just because I love her so much, I have to keep quiet.
That afternoon, outside the walkway of the coffee shop, Keiichiro had affixed the closed sign, accompanied by a hand-written apology to the loyal customers. Retasu stayed for a few minutes to examine the detailed lilac calligraphy, her stomach turning, but then took a deep breath to pluck up courage and entered; it was to some relief that she saw her friends ready to leave and all with the same tense expression.
"I'm not the only one who's afraid?"
She asked with a sad smile; Ichigo answered with the same look, sighing:
"Given the success of the last time, I'm about to wet myself."
"In this regard," Minto teased her, "Could you please try to restrain yourself from making any stupid move?"
The mewneko limited herself to a dismayed grunt.
"It's time."
Zakuro's voice, though barely a whisper, pierced the silence like a gunshot:
"MoiMoi-san's waiting for us."
Ichigo made no secret of the anxiety that tightened her throat at that sentence and swallowed with difficulty.
Without anyone adding anything else, the whole group walked to the portal; the day was warm and sunny, yet the nervousness was so much that Retasu only felt cold.
"All good?" Ryou asked her "You're pale."
"I'm fine, thank you," she smiled, "I'm just a little nervous."
He nodded and looked forward. Retasu thought it wasn't very sensitive to ask him the same question: after all, the clenched jaw and the frown were already an answer.
They reached the point where they knew the passage was and were disoriented by seeing nothing but a well-groomed lawn. Ichigo took a few more hesitant steps on the grass, screaming when she almost bumped into MoiMoi's head.
"Here you are, you're late."
He joked. The redhead, having tumbled to the ground, didn't answer him, too busy inspecting the alien's torso, apparently suspended in mid-air and missing the rest to which it was usually attached.
"M-MoiMoi-chan," she stuttered, "W-what…"
"Uh? Ah, right, the barrier."
He stepped back, disappearing altogether except for the right hand with which he signaled to follow him. Unconvinced, the Earthlings obeyed, feeling only a slight pinch as they passed through an impalpable membrane; on the other side, as it was supposed to be, there was the portal to Jeweleria. The girls huddled together a little to buck up, while MoiMoi gave Ryou one of the shielding bracelets and summarily explained its use.
"One thing I forgot… Since there's no need for it, it's not set on my language," he said quickly, "So if you don't catch a few words every now and then, don't worry."
"In fact, I never asked myself…" Purin said as she entered the portal, "Why do we speak the same language?"
"Well, if you think about it, we used to live on Earth," MoiMoi smiled, "The different languages you speak now are different evolutions of our own."
"There is indeed a theory that states all the languages of Earth have the same origin(1)…"
Ryou said distractedly.
"For us, your English, French, Japanese and company are nothing but strange dialectal inflections," MoiMoi winked, "And for you it's the same with us; that's why you never had a problem understanding what we were saying. Maybe you don't grasp all the nuances of meaning and neither do we when you guys talk, but let's say we're on a good level."
He chuckled, and they popped out on the other side of the passage. At the bottom of the slope at their feet, Kisshu and the others were waiting for them and they didn't seem too relaxed either.
"Then," Minto asked again, "So far we have listened to and spoken the alien language without realizing it?"
"It melts the brain a little bit to think about it," laughed the alien, "So I think it's better not to."
"What do you have so much to chat about?" Kisshu muttered, interrupting them, "You look like clucking chickens!"
To his surprise, Minto didn't object to the joke and ignored him. She had no intentions of reacting to such a trifle: Kisshu had yet to pay for his stupid insinuations about the night at the pool, she would savor her revenge for the appropriate moment.
"How haughty and composed our crow is today!"
Although it would be complicated. Very complicated.
"Kisshu, stop it," Pai coldly reprimanded him, "Come on, we have to go."
"… B-but…"
Retasu hesitated and pointed to the small building of the lab, half-hidden by the trees:
"We don't go... Through there?"
"Absolutely not, Reta-chan!" MoiMoi exclaimed energetically, "Come on, head high and chest out! We enter through the front door!"
It was strange to walk through Jeweleria, much more than the first day, when they had browsed the streets and alleys of that unknown world: people no longer saw them as some of the many, but were noticing them at a first glance and were pointing at them, absolutely amazed, talking, whispering astonished and sometimes hostile or dismayed. Retasu walked without failing to check everything out of the corner of her eyes, nudging more and more her head between her shoulders whenever she accidentally met someone's gaze. She hated being in the center of attention, and in that case, it wasn't even benevolent attention; if she had heeded her instincts, she would have already run for it. The envy towards Minto was irrepressible: she, although nervous, kept walking at a firm and decisive pace; or also for Purin, whose sole concern was the search for a reflective surface on which to see how she appeared to the aliens; Zakuro as always advanced indifferently, and even Ichigo walked with a certain attitude. Only her, always and only her, Retasu, gave the impression of being a chick in a fox yard.
"I don't think I'm a good example of how you walk with your head held high..."
She murmured uncomfortable. Pai, walking in front of her, turned slightly to look over his shoulder but said nothing, staring at her questioningly; she got even more nervous and began rubbing her hands:
"I-I... I'm not good at... These things. I feel like a freak!"
She was so distressed that Pai felt the inexplicable need to say something, but nothing came to his mind and stayed where he was, inexpressive.
Retasu was about start admiring her toes in order to stray from those piercing dark eyes, when she felt a polite pat in the middle of her shoulder blades and was forced to lift her head up, yelping in shock.
"No anxiety, Retasu-chan: two hundred meters more and we're there."
"Eyner-san…"
He smiled kindly to her and winked:
"Look straight ahead and don't mind them. The best they can do is gossip a bit, nothing to worry about."
Retasu took a deep breath and smiled, feeling a little braver. In front of her, Pai diverted his attention from the scene and accelerated his pace, a little annoyed.
"… What did I say?"
Zakuro, walking a short distance away, gave him a sphinxlike smile:
"I have no idea."
"Pai-chan is just nervous."
MoiMoi sighed and looked allusively at the brown-haired boy:
"I also asked Lena for help."
The two Earthlings did not understand why Eyner stared wide-eyed at his friend:
"Senpai, have you gone mad?"
"We must rely on all possible aid!"
He pinpointed heated and Eyner could only nod unconvinced without adding any comment. So did the two girls, but Retasu couldn't fail to observe, with curious unease, that "Lena" sounded to her very much like a girl's name.
Seen from the outside and in daylight, the Council Palace was impressive, a gigantic rectangular structure with smooth sand-colored walls on which there curved, at regular intervals, protruding ovals that accentuated the tapering of the windows; the entrance overlooked perfectly the middle of the main street and consisted of two tall white doors, a palm thick and fixed to the wall by huge hinges. When Kisshu and Pai, who led the small procession, arrived in front of it, they greeted the four guards, arranged two by two at the sides of the entrance: the nearest ones to the door grabbed the handles and strained to pull the door open, again returning the greeting to the fellow soldiers entering and looking surly at the curious guests who followed them.
Kisshu confidently led the group to what the Earthlings could sense was the center of the palace, while MoiMoi began to chat with them about the building and other nonsense, to further connote their plans of innocence and spontaneity. The girls supported him by nodding and smiling, trying to ignore the dirty looks they were receiving from the various guards posted in the corridors and from those who, they deduced from the simple clothing and busy demeanor, had to be servants or maids.
"Act as if they're not there," whispered Eyner, barely audible, "You are here with the permission of the Council and in our custody and, above all, without bellicose intentions; calm and interested."
He joked. Ichigo nodded and tried to support the plan as best as she could, her eyes wandering curiously and ending up seeing her mirrored image in a window less lit by the sun than others.
The Ichigo she saw reflected appeared pleasantly bizarre: her clothes resembled those of Kisshu and others, with an Arabic feeling, although the dark red t-shirt she wore looked much shorter than theirs, exposing her stomach from under her breast; she wore long and a bit shapeless cream pants, which ended at her ankle, and dark flats. Glancing at her companions' reflection, she noticed that the clothes were all of the same kind, but they coordinated in length and color to each of them: Retasu's shirt, for example, seemed more covering than hers and teal-colored; on the other hand, Zakuro appeared to be wearing a top more than suited to her model physique and her entire outfit was a dark lilac. Ichigo was surprised by – overlooking the blow to the heart that sight gave her – how well the extravagant style suited Ryo, apparently born to wear the tight, sleeveless dark blue shirt and the soft pants.
"Cute, aren't they?"
MoiMoi's giggle, who winked at her softly at seeing her so focused, made her jolt.
"Secrecy does not mean neglecting the details, especially for the look!"
Ichigo couldn't hold back an amused sigh and relaxed, continuing to support his friend's fake sightseeing tour.
They reached the Council Hall after a few minutes, but went ahead and turned in the hallway where they had met Iader; from there, they continued for another couple of minutes and the more they proceeded, the more the number of rooms around them decreased and the location became more sober, without diminishing in beauty. They found themselves in a sort of gigantic cloister with passages open on a wide grassy open space, a courtyard inside the palace: a strong light came from above and at first the Earthlings thought they were outdoors, instead a beautiful, transparent dome framed by golden metal closed above their heads.
"Now listen to me," MoiMoi whispered as discreetly as possible, "From here on, we've organized ourselves perfectly. You… try following the 'script' and when it's time... Show what you're capable of."
Not much as a guideline, but Ryou and the girls could only nod, and they followed the aliens along the porch, onto the grass.
There on the law, a figure was practicing some kind of physical activity; on closer inspection, it was a young woman training to hit targets that appeared in mid-air, one after the other, in every part of the field and at every height. It was strange to realize that the weapon used by the young woman was a bow – an object that perhaps the Earthlings saw more in the hands of an elf in a fantasy book – but even stranger and more mind-blowing was the millimetric precision with which she centered each target.
Immediately, MoiMoi ran happily to meet her with the surprised attitude of someone who unexpectedly sees an old friend after many years, and Kisshu and the others imitated him, smiling and greeting her; only Pai, arms folded and a funereal expression, limited himself to an inaudible grunt.
"Senpai, it's been ages!"
The young woman joked; MoiMoi gave her a quick hug:
"You know, the lab is not around the corner."
"Yeah. And I guess you're always busy..."
She barely raised her copper-colored eyes to an unspecified point in the group, allusive, and Retasu noticed Pai becoming gloomier.
"Ah, but I didn't introduce you!" MoiMoi exclaimed, clapping her hand on her forehead, "Girls, Ryou-kun, this is my kohai and friend…"
"Lenatheri Inetaki."
The girl introduced herself with a nod and winked:
"Since it's complicated, just call me Lena like everybody else."
Retasu sighed, her intuition had gotten it right.
She studied the girl for a few minutes, while she was introduced to the rest of the group by her companions: the mewporpoise wasn't able to define with certainty the sensations the girl gave her, but she was sure she had never known someone like her. Lena was undoubtedly a charming girl, with a lean and strong physique, but endowed with a beauty that over the years must have made her more masculine and spartan, harder, wilder; like the ebony hair that had been cut very short, layered from the neck to the nape, leaving only two longer locks to frame her skinny face where thin, well-drawn lips were stretching. Her clothes were minimal, but not well looked after, kept short only for the ease of movement: tinted in a forest palette, almost sensual hot-pants and a sort of bandeau around her breasts with a round neckline and two soft sleeves to the wrist; the only thing that seemed uniquely for beauty in that practical attire was a long myrtle-colored bandage that carefully wrapped around her left leg up to her thigh.
Beautiful. Strong. Indomitable. Fierce.
Retasu clearly pictured the adjectives for the alien in her head and wondered bitterly where was, in the universe, the factory that produced such particular beauties. Even if she had come out of the same place, for sure she was one of the misconceived scraps.
"And you are?"
Retasu blinked a couple of times and blushed, realizing that Lena was talking to her and had asked her the same question twice, while she stared at her like a fool.
"R-Retasu M-Midorikawa…"
Why was there never a lightning bolt, a tsunami, a mad chimera anima ready to attack her when she was in such situations?
"Nice to meet you."
Retasu couldn't help but hear a note of scorn in the alien's words as she smiled at her, albeit uttered with candor.
"How come so many visitors, senpai?"
"A little show of our beautiful palace, while we wait for the results of the latest data."
He chuckled vaguely. Lena smiled complicit and, in that moment, in the distance they heard some steps and doors that opened.
"This must be Sando."
Kisshu muttered to himself with a pleased smile, pointing behind Lena. Other calmer steps and he pointed satisfied to his left:
"And this is Teruga…"
The amber gaze landed on the group approaching faster, peering at about ten people heading in their direction; Kisshu, his brothers and friends quickly exchanged complicit glances and Minto, more accustomed than the other girls to similar exchanges of mute comments and ploys, sensed that the script was taking place with millimetric precision.
"So, you are the famous Mew Mews…" said Lena in a vague tone, "They actually look like ordinary little girls."
"But much stronger than it appears."
Purin proudly clarified. Lena's smile widened with interest:
"Really?"
In that moment, the largest group of guests reached them: a party of very young boys, their faces showing the fatigue of a training just finished, and in the lead Sando, with his usual scrupulously detached and annoyed attitude.
"What's all this mess?"
"Just a few chats, senpai," Lena smiled kindly, "I was getting to know our guests."
She went back to look at the Earthlings, and hadn't she known about her act, Minto could have believed her exquisite curiosity without any problems.
"To be honest, I was amazed and wanted to know about their much-vaunted skills."
"Let's not exaggerate…"
Lena and the other soldiers laughed at Kisshu's joke as the Earthlings slaughtered him with their eyes.
"You are really the last one who can challenge them."
Zakuro said softly. Lena laughed again, pretending not to see the group of Councilmen escorted by Teruga approaching curiously, and looked at the girls:
"Should we give it a try?"
"Why not?"
Minto came forward smiling. It was time to seize the opportunity.
"Our weapons are similar," the brunette went on, grabbing her pendant between her fingers, "I would be curious to see them at work."
Lena smiled defiantly. She reached out to the side and under her fingers a transparent keyboard lit up, on which she typed quickly; an electric noise was heard while a sort of scoreboard, composed only of lights like the keyboard, turned on under the dome; then the air around the lawn trembled fizzing dull and a barrier, perceptible only by the sun's flickering on it, descended to protect the area around the two.
"Let's choose an opponent we both know."
Lena suggested, and around her and Minto a group of deformed creatures popped up. The round squat bodies, covered in greenish and grayish fur, had only two long lean legs with claws, triangular and snarling snouts, and large bushy ears.
At their sight, little Masha detached from Ichigo's belt, starting to squeak:
"Chimera! Chimera! Pii! Chimera!"
The mewneko grabbed it with a leap and crushed it against her chest, praying that no one had noticed the funny ball of pink fur.
On the field, unconcerned of all but the chimera animas, Lena and Minto stood still; nonchalantly the alien grabbed bow and arrow and amusedly looked at the brown-haired Earthling:
"First to get to 30?"
The other answered her in a tone of superiority:
"Me. No need to ask."
She transformed, causing a few whistles of appreciation from the soldiers, immediately scolded mercilessly by Sando:
"What, haven't you ever seen a woman?" he boomed, "Do you think a blade in those empty heads hurts less if it comes from a skirt wearer?! You better look at what fighting is, you all who don't even raise a sword! Morons!"
"I see that Sando-san has no qualms about exhibiting a bad temper at the right time…"
Zakuro ascertained amused.
"Do you know how fast you run on the training track," Eyner sneered with a tense smile, "When you have someone with that face screaming behind you?"
In the meantime, the challenge had begun. Minto quickly realized the weight of the years of peace and how much her adversary, allied or not, had no intention of having doubts or reserving her a preferential treatment. Lena was teleporting with pauses of a few tenths of a second from one target to another and possessed the optimal precision and reaction ability not to waste even an arrow, hitting each prey at the first shot; even the chimera counterattacks weren't an obstacle, and the girl was bending and dodging their claws and their tusks with complete ease. Minto took a few seconds to regain control, leaving Lena with a 10-target lead, but didn't become discouraged and set off to attack: flying quickly and propping up against the barrier if necessary – which provided the recruits with a nice new cue for other whistles – the mewbird conquered half the maximum score within a minute. Underneath her, the encouragements of her companions and some of the soldiers, impressed by her speed, were charging here and pushing her to strike at an ever-quicker pace, trying to ignore the pressure of the Council's gazes on her left.
Ten minutes from the start, a 25 and a 22 shined on the big fluctuating board, with a three-shot lead for Lena; both girls had had to stop because the chimeras had gotten too nervous and were moving too disorderly, making it impossible to aim with confidence. Minto took two deep breaths and bit her lip, she had to find a way to close the deal and get the last points.
"Oh, for God's sake, Ichigo!" she blurted, "Can you shut Masha up for at least five seconds?"
The robot kept escaping the redhead's hands and tried unsuccessfully to enter the barrier, where dozens of tiny parasitic chimeras throbbed and floated lazily.
"Chimera! Chimera! Pii! Chimera! Chimera!"
"Are we a little nervous?"
Kisshu teased her in a whisper, but Minto simply murmured:
"I'm looking for an idea… And if you all keep bothering me, I won't find it."
"If you're taut like a bowstring, you won't."
He elucidated her. She answered grunting and heard him pondering something:
"… Am I wrong, or is that dress a little tighter in some spots than it was three years ago?"
On impulse, Minto kicked the barrier, which shook up to the dome, emitting a slight grim tinkling. At that sound, a small group of the remaining chimeras dashed against the brunette, who swerved to the side at the last moment, sending them crashing into the invisible wall. Minto listened to their yelping as they retreated, and for a second, she met Kisshu's allusive glance, understanding.
These chimeras... They can't see us.
Creatures that moved only according to the sound, the explanation to ears so large and bulky, and her card for victory.
Lena scored one of the stunned chimeras and the score became 26 to 22. Minto nocked an energy arrow and, not minding her opponent, positioned herself as much in the center as she could, ensuring she had a wide and free view; Lena didn't care about her move given the confusion in which the chimeras were squirming and in which the target could only be hit by chance, but Minto didn't shoot after she drew her bow. Suddenly, she whistled. A long, high-pitched whistle that caught the whole attention of the chimeras, who threw themselves at her barking low: the first chimera was struck as soon as it turned its muzzle to Minto, four more were hit before even just taking their breath closer to the girl; a leap with somersault to free up the necessary maneuvering space, and the mewbird ended with an arrow in the last three, closing the game.
Behind her, Purin sent a cry of victory:
"Who wants a chimera skewer?!" she laughed, hopping enthusiastically, "You're great, onee-chan!"
Lena let out an admiring laugh, and from the soldiers and even the Council members arose lukewarm but encouraging applauses. MoiMoi held back as much as he could, but he couldn't help smiling:
"Great! If we get by with one, it's done!"
Pai looked up, attracted by something, and he narrowed his dark eyes, turning bitterly to his companion:
"You're too hopeful, senpai."
On the opposite side, they saw the Councilmen who were not yet present coming closer; with annoyance and relief, among them they saw both Ebode and Councilwoman Meryold.
"Really not bad!" Lena continued, addressing Minto, "You are one of the few who beat me."
Minto dissolved the transformation – some recruits didn't appreciate the change and complained softly, getting further told off by Sando – and smiled, trying to mask her shortness of breath:
"I consider it an honor."
Lena looked at her slyly and brought back the luminous keyboard: from the ground sprouted small cases holding thick plants with plump pale purple leaves, in the center of which there was a strange, huge lumpy seed; immediately the parasitic chimeras attached themselves to it, but the plant didn't change its appearance and the creatures remained to absorb the pod with short tentacles.
"These cute fellas go crazy for paina seeds," Lena explained, "And I think it's best to send them home, before your little friend there short circuits."
She pointed to Masha, still trying to escape Ichigo's grip, regardless of her pleas to be good. The moment the last case and the last parasite disappeared, the robot also quietened, attracting a familiar laugh:
"What a curious being…!"
Ichigo jolted, turning purple in the face, and hid Masha behind her back:
"Meryold-sama…"
"Is it a mechanical creature?" she asked kindly, hearing the squeak of Masha's wings, "Rather lively!"
"It is a data collection unit," Ryou intervened, "And designed to capture parasitic chimeras."
Meryold looked curiously at the unknown human who bowed to her and smiled in assent.
"Ryou Shirogane, forgive me," he said, "I'm the one –"
"Another human!" Ebode uttered through his teeth, "Meryold-sama, it's intolerable!"
"Shirogane is here at our request," Pai interceded, barely bowing his head in a greeting, "As the creator of the Mew Project."
Meryold studied surprised the human who was reciprocating Ebode's gaze with polite indifference.
"You are very young too."
"I never believed that age was a relevant problem."
Meryold raised an amused eyebrow, while Ebode muttered:
"It was obvious... Since he chose children as warriors."
Some Councilmen supported him and muttered maliciously; Ryou, having stopped Purin from protesting, continued calmly:
"I didn't choose them. Their genetic makeup chose them."
"A magnificent rhetorical phrase."
Ebode insisted, and Ryou looked at him conceitedly, but refused to add anything else.
"They are just little girls in cute colorful dresses," the man bursts with ferocity, "Certainly not soldiers!"
He sent a malignant look to Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto, stretching a scornful grin:
"You were subjugated by these mademoiselles?"
At the statement, an old Councilman approached them, escorted by Teruga, as he had witnessed the challenge and nodded towards Minto:
"To be honest, this young woman measured up perfectly to Sergeant Inetaki…"
"That's right," Teruga added, "And our esteemed colleagues here can confirm this, like our soldiers down there."
The recruits who had cheered for Minto just before nodded unconvinced, but the others instead began to talk to each other as if suddenly they weren't certain of what they had seen.
"Come on!" Ebode was stubborn, "Target shooting is certainly not a duel!"
"You're becoming unfair, Ebode."
A blue-haired Councilman around thirty years old admonished him.
"Do you question my work, Ebode-san?"
Lena asked without hiding the offense for such a statement. Ebode merely glanced at her allusively and she squeezed her bow in her hands:
"How could I?"
"May the Earthlings prove their worth, then!"
Erupted annoyedly one of Ebode's group, a tall man with a shaved head and deep embers eyes:
"Our recruits won't be too tired for another workout, right?"
The Earthlings saw Sando nod to the man and smile smugly: he needn't wait for anything else. He snapped his fingers and gestured to one of his to come forward, fielding a lanky and quick boy with a mop of orange hair; he seemed intrigued by the idea of challenging one of the girls and a little eager by how he immediately conjured in his hands a long black metal stick.
"I'll go."
"No, wait, Ichigo nee-chan!" Purin jumped in front of her like a fury, "I'll do it!"
She firmly stared at her opponent and brandished her pendant, transforming: if those old men thought she was just a little child, she would make them change idea!
Taruto felt a tremendous wave of nostalgia in seeing the familiar curled monkey tail and, following it, noticed that the yellow uniform from which it sprung was slightly different than the last time he had seen it: instead of the romper suit, Purin wore a pleated skirt and a short-sleeved T-shirt with a diamond neckline on her chest, which left her belly uncovered, all always lemon-color. Ebode, from his nook of acolytes, whispered mockingly:
"A snotty kid in a skirt."
Lena typed again on the keyboard and the barrier widened, reaching the edge of the lawn; the Councilmen settled beyond it, cautious, while the rest of those present merely moved as far to the side as possible.
"Are we sure we can trust that one?"
Asked Taruto in a low voice; MoiMoi smiled at him:
"If Sando trusts him, I trust him."
The other boys nodded. Taruto didn't answer but bit his lower lip distractedly: the fact that he was an ally did not mean that Carrot-top would be less heavy-handed.
"Purin is strong."
The brown-haired boy glanced at Retasu, smiling encouragingly:
"You don't have to worry at all."
He studied her kind face for a few moments and then turned around annoyed, muttering:
"Who's worried?"
Sando was heard screaming start! and the two opponents threw themselves at each other. Taruto's fears were confirmed by how the recruit's weapon opened a nice hole in the ground, but Purin didn't seem impressed: she avoided the blow carelessly and brandished her rings, trapping the boy's right leg in a mass of yellow pudding.
"What the hell is it... This thing?!"
He hissed, unable to free himself, and Purin winked:
"A delightful diversion."
The poor guy had to forget about the hindrance and protect his face with his rod before Purin's knee hit him. The blonde jumped back and more Ribbon Purin Ring Inferno hissed next to the recruit, who had the readiness to dodge them, as he tried in vain to use his weapon as a lever to destroy the gelatinous trap; when he finally managed to walk again, Purin's blow hit him square in the chest, disintegrating on impact and causing him to tumble for a few meters, surrounded by his comrades' collective laughter.
"The next one making a noise," Sando blared at them, "Will fight against me at the next training session!"
Dead silence.
Carrot-top, meanwhile, had gotten back on his feet and was furious with shame: he was catching it from a girl a meter and a spit tall, warrior or not.
"Now no more velvet gloves."
Purin saw the rod in the boy's hands send azure and blue sparks for a moment and she frowned. She tried to stop him with more Ribbon Purin Ring Inferno, but Carrot-top dodged them and got half a meter away from her; only her reflexes and martial arts knowledge allowed her not to have her nose broken, blocking the blow with her forearms. She indulged the recoil and allowed herself to be pushed back, watching the boy going into an attacking position: by now, she could only rely on kou-en-ji kenpo and pray that the genes of the golden tamarin would give her the extra push necessary not to get fried.
The fight resumed more intensely, and the soldiers began enthusiastically chattering. Carrot-top was a skilled fighter and didn't have much to envy to Kisshu and the others, from what Purin could understand, but she wasn't sparing herself either and responded blow by blow with strength and speed. Ichigo was able to hear that even among the Councilmen many had taken to praising the Chinese girl, but she couldn't take comfort from it: the lightning bolts she had glimpsed on the recruit's rod had alarmed her, she was certain that Purin would take a huge risk as long as she continued to fight.
At that moment, the blonde found herself at a disadvantage and was forced to block Carrot-top's blow with her hands, firmly closing her fingers around the metal; she saw the boy smiling satisfied and a shiver squeezed her stomach.
"Wrong move."
The sizzle of the electric discharges invaded the air around them along with Purin's groan; she was violently hurled backwards and rolled face down into the grass.
The soldiers let out triumphant yells like fans at the stadium, while a cold silence descended on the opposing faction.
"Purin..."
Ichigo called her friend, forcing herself to stay still and, to her great relief, saw her try to get up; Carrot-top, however, was not intending to end up doubting the victory and menacingly began to approach the blonde, swaying the rod in one hand.
Taruto felt panic flood his chest and made to stop the solider, but two shaking hands tightened around his arm to prevent him from moving. He followed confusedly the line of those pale fingers and didn't understand why it was Retasu holding him; the whisper she uttered was barely audible:
"If you intervene…"
Lips so tight they were an invisible line on her face, and terrified eyes, the girl took two big breaths to calm down and repeated:
"If you intervene," she swallowed for a moment, correcting herself, "If we intervene, I fear that we would ruin everything…"
"Retasu-chan is right," Eyner sighed tensely, "Don't move."
Taruto didn't answer and remained still, but Retasu did not let go.
Meanwhile, Purin had managed to pull herself at least on her knees; still stunned, she looked around with her eyes half-closed and clouded, breathing hard, only catching at the last moment the shape of the recruit next to her.
"Should we stop here?"
The black weapon sizzled again. Purin tried to get back on her feet unsuccessfully, her muscles were still stiffened by the discharges that had invaded them and they refused to support her; she saw Carrot-top pull back his arms, ready to hit her to put her out of action for good, so she launched herself into a very stupid idea.
She drew back so as not to get the rod on her head and then threw herself over it, praying that her clothes would protect her for the few seconds she needed; with all her weight on the weapon, she forced Carrot-top to slip downwards and, using the rod as support, Purin pushed on her arms and kicked up with all her strength, hitting the soldier's jaw with her heel.
The rod suddenly stopped emitting lightnings, and Carrot-top collapsed to the ground with a cry, holding his chin in his hands and cursing softly. Purin imitated him, slouching to sit on the ground exhausted and studied him as he slowly got up, his hand always clenched on his chin and mouth:
"'Snotty kid'?"
He turned to the Councilmen, speaking admiringly and without hiding a certain regret:
"I'd call her a miniature steamroller."
There was a lot laughter, teasing and appraising exclamations from his comrades, and only a few Councilmen didn't want to give a brief round of applause to Purin, who put on her best smile and let Carrot-top, still rubbing his jaw, help her get up.
From his place, Taruto felt Retasu loosen her grip on his arm and breathe a sigh of relief:
"What a fright...! Very good, Purin!"
"Reckless," mumbled the brown-haired boy, "She risked boiling up that little brain she has underneath that blond bush."
"But she managed, didn't she?"
Kisshu replied. He studied his little brother, still stiffened in the same position as for the previous ten minutes and panting, and sighed:
"So now put those toys away."
Taruto looked at him without a word and recomposed himself, straightening his spine, then he barely moved his right wrist and three tiny sharp knives disappeared from his fingers with a metallic sizzle. Fortunately, the boy was still too inexperienced with his new weapons to get carried away by his impulse, or they would find themselves having to explain why a soldier was reduced to a hedgehog.
"You always say the right thing at the right time, uh?"
Minto sarcastically commented; Kisshu amusedly looked her up and down:
"Would you have listened to me, nervous as you were, if I had suggested something to you earlier?"
She didn't answer him.
"It's much easier and faster to anger you."
"It's you who's too irritating."
Meanwhile, Purin had returned to the group gloating, bowing a little to the Councilmen just like when she thanked her audience during her performances. By now it seemed that only Ebode was left to oppose her and her companions, by how, aggravated, he wasn't joining the others' chattering, nervously tormenting his well-groomed hands.
The man, however, didn't intend to throw in the towel just yet; taking a deep breath he stretched out his yellow teeth into a wide smile and exclaimed:
"Congratulations!"
With an air full of admiration and newfound kindness, he applauded softly and approached the Earthlings, opening his palms in a peaceful gesture:
"I admit that I underestimated you! I don't deny being surprised, a great demonstration."
Pai wasn't missing a single movement of the man's face or a single syllable, wondering what he was aiming at.
"I would sound indelicate if I asked you, who have not yet shown us," he pointed to the girls with a slight nod, "To give us a taste of your abilities?"
Pai's face grew harder and Ebode pointed:
"You, for example?"
Retasu trembled slightly under the man's stone eyes. He smiled unctuously and the green girl straightened her back, praying that her voice would not sound as trembling as it did to her ears:
"With all due respect, I must decline."
The Councilmen exchanged confused glances, and Ebode widened his grimace of victory, but before he could resume with insinuating questions, Meryold intervened:
"It's an unusual answer."
Retasu knew it, especially in such circumstances, but she wouldn't go against her will:
"I understand your concerns about our choice, and I think it is right that you want proof of what we can do," she answered kindly, "But I never had the desire to fight; if and when it will be necessary, I will fight and defend what I must as I have always done, but I refuse to attack of my own free will."
The woman watched her for a long time without changing her expression, oblivious to the colleagues who murmured behind her.
"Not to mention that my friends have shown our skills better than I could ever do."
Meryold smiled gracefully:
"A difficult stance."
"War only brings resentment."
Retasu widened her eyes and raised her head towards Pai, to whom Meryold was smiling amusedly:
"It doesn't sound like you, Colonel."
He didn't answer, sighing enigmatically. Retasu was shocked: Meryold was right, those words were not Pai's, but her own.
War brings only pain and suffering. How won't you understand that?!
She remembered that afternoon perfectly. The black sky, the dark silhouette of Deep Blue's castle above the half-destroyed temple, the air saturated with moisture and fear; Pai, once an enemy, warrior ruthless to the point of eliminating even the young companion who opposed their cause, a fighter to whom Retasu addressed yet another useless, desperate plea for peace.
How long had it been since she had uttered that sentence?
How could Pai remember it after all that time? And above all, why did he remember it?
Retasu knew that she did not have enough courage to ask him that, and that they weren't in the right situation to do so, so she remained stunned to study him. Meryold sighed:
"I understand. Well, you are certainly not under scrutiny," she pointed out, taking a very quick look at Ebode, "And you have already indulged our curiosity too much."
She smiled at Retasu who reciprocated with a shy nod.
"Therefore, we will respect your choice."
Not everyone seemed satisfied with the peaceful solution, and many were the skeptical and annoyed looks, until Zakuro came forward resolutely:
"If it's useful to close the matter."
She crossed her arms and looked at the Council eloquently:
"I prefer facts to words."
The Councilmen began to consult, a little suspicious of the sudden and so peremptory action, while Eyner approached the mewwolf:
"You can let it go, if you prefer."
"Retasu won't fight; and, given the nature of her power, it's better if Ichigo doesn't show it," she explained "If we just have to prove that we can defend ourselves as to avoid any other problems, it's better to comply with them."
He stared at her in silence; Zakuro had the impression that he had sensed her intentions and didn't like them at all:
"And what would you like to do?"
The brunette smiled combatively:
"Sando-san."
He raised his head and Zakuro insisted:
"A challenge between you and me?"
The recruits lined up behind Sando were exalted at that request and began to acclaim their superior, who stared at the young woman as if he wasn't sure he understood her words.
"Okay, I knew it," Eyner sighed, "A good solution. And a great way to get slaughtered."
Zakuro resentfully raised an eyebrow:
"I'm stronger than you might think."
Said coldly, and to her surprise Eyner nodded:
"More than convinced. The problem…"
He worriedly saw Sando take on a defiant demeanor and approaching them, praised by the soldiers, and he nervously clicked his tongue:
"… is that I can say the same thing about him."
The two opponents stood in front of each other without anyone else protesting; the whole Council returned beyond the barrier, and even the Earthlings, pushed by their companions, were invited to take cover.
"Perhaps it was better to stop her."
Ichigo established and Kisshu chuckled wryly:
"Too late, kitten."
Zakuro transformed and the soldiers, probably holding back due the presence of the Head of the Council and mindful of Sando's threats, merely confabulated amongst them comments of obvious appreciation.
"Hormones meltdown, uh?"
"Kisshu, you are the only one who cannot pass such a judgment," Pai said coldly, "Given the precedents."
Ichigo couldn't ignore the quick stab the boy's dark eyes threw at her, and she frowned angrily: as if it were her fault that Kisshu had clung to her like a fly to honey!
The green-haired boy laughed carelessly and crossed his arms behind his head:
"More importantly, I wonder how I can be the only one appreciating it!" he laughed mischievously, "Well, Taruto was still wet behind the ears three years ago, so…"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"That, Pai dear, hell, you too have your eyes on your head! Or can't you see?"
Pai refused to reply.
"Am I right, Eyn?"
The brown-haired didn't reply, sending only a strange grunt and a chuckling Kisshu watched him stare at the mewwolf and Sando who were fighting regardless of their audience.
Zakuro's whip spread out on the field and hit the barrier behind the man, avoiding him only by inches. He grimaced with rabid amusement and waved his weapon, a short, lethal curved-blade knife that on Earth was called karambit:
"I have the impression that you will continue to swing that bright gadget so as not to make me come close, or am I wrong?"
"No," Zakuro corrected him, "I will continue 'to swing this bright gadget' until I hit you, Sando-san."
He laughed excitedly:
"Let's see if you can, child."
The earth beneath Zakuro's feet trembled as Sando surrounded himself with lianas and branches, ready to hurl at her like spears; a gesture and the plant creatures were upon her. She had already seen similar beings maneuvered by Taruto, but Sando's were of a different nature: they bolted around the brunette with incredible speed and she could dodge them only thanks to her intuition, but even so she could avoid the danger by only a few millimeters and more than once felt the skin burn for the accidental contact with the rough barks, or a thorny liana brushing against her animal ears; stubbornly, she dodged the attacks without giving up, destroying the plants with her weapon and coming closer and closer to hitting Sando. Suddenly, climbing on the logs and lianas she had avoided, Zakuro realized that there were now a couple of meters between her and the transparent dome above their heads and she had no way to fight at a distance; she clasped her weapon tighter and with a quick backheel, she lunged down headfirst, aiming at the man.
The two struck each other at the same time: Zakuro's whip laced firmly on Sando's wrist, who was pulled towards the girl and kicked in the chest, while a huge twisted branch smacked the mewwolf's stomach.
"Onee-sama!"
In the roar of the soldiers' cheers, the duelers crashed on the opposite sides of the field, raising a huge dust cloud. For a few seconds, no one could understand what was happening, and in the haze only the gigantic shadows of the plant creatures, which were retreating, no longer under the control of the master, could be seen. Zakuro pulled herself to her feet with a cry, irately wiped a cut on her cheek and heard Sando laughing sourly:
"Fucking… You're tough, little girl!"
"You too, old man."
Zakuro didn't like sarcasm, but Sando didn't either.
The mewwolf pulled out her whip again, and the man brought back other plants, larger and almost sentient in appearance, by the way they swayed eerily their extremities like animal snouts; MoiMoi's face paled:
"Hey, you two, aren't you overdoing it?"
Useless. When Sando took on that expression, it was impossible to stop him, and it was troubling to note that Zakuro had the same look.
"Okay, that's enough," he whispered, "We have to stop them, or they're going to get hurt for real!"
As soon as he uttered those words, Sando and Zakuro sprinted towards each other. The incitement of the spectators and the adrenaline made them deaf to the calls of their companions and made them ignore the risk of a serious confrontation. Zakuro had the impression that time slowed down as she saw the spot where her whip would fall on Sando's neck, closer and closer, closer...
"Time to stop it."
A gentle squeeze on the arm that she had pulled back to land the blow and a rubbing of metal.
Zakuro stared confusedly at Eyner, appeared between her and her opponent, one hand holding her wrist and the other armed with a steel jitte (2) blocking Sando's karambit.
"Senpai, I'd say that's enough."
The mewwolf scowled and tried to free herself, realizing that she wasn't able to: Eyner wasn't hurting her, nor was he gripping her excessively, but if she had had a 100-kg cement cube around her arm, Zakuro would have had the same freedom of movement. Even Sando, big, strong, and with his charm of an elephant, evidently struggled to sustain Eyner's push against his dagger.
Silence fell and the three remained motionless until Sando, taking a deep breath, drew his arm back and made his plants disappear, panting for the effort; Eyner lowered his weapon and let go of Zakuro, smiling at his senpai:
"Where did diplomacy go?"
"Ask that to the brat that called me old."
Sando's subordinates laughed and began to clap, calling to their commander several times:
"You were great, senpai!"
"Don't exaggerate, ruining that pretty face would be a sin!"
"Better if he doesn't even dent the rest..."
"Can we join their group too?"
They didn't stop even when Sando glared daggers at them.
Meanwhile, the Councilmen had again taken to talking to each other with some excitement, the brief but intense challenge between Zakuro and Sando must have affected them a lot.
"To stand up to Colonel Okorene, they must be very skilled…"
"On balance. I'm starting to have doubts that it wasn't them who defeated Deep Blue-sama…"
"But in case..."
"… Treason should be assessed."
"But these young women are here to help us! Not..."
A very marked cough of Councilwoman Meryold silenced them all:
"I don't think this is the right place or time to open up such issues," she said calmly, "If no one else has anything to ask our guests now, for what I remember, they have urgent commitments."
Nobody opposed and the whole Council withdrew. The Earthlings and their companions respectfully said goodbye and silently watched the Councilmen leave. As soon as they were away from the portico, Sando pounced on his soldiers roaring:
"You idiots and your third-rate maniacs tongues! You better get lost, you degenerates, before I finish letting off steam over you microcephalic heads!"
The recruits disappeared like the wind among the laughter of those present.
"We made it…!"
Sighed Kisshu relieved.
"For real!" MoiMoi chanted, "I'm a genius!"
"And I have not been of any help."
Sando pointed out sarcastically; MoiMoi stuck his tongue out at him. There were more laughs of relief as Eyner made the barrier disappear.
"All right?"
Zakuro, who was rubbing the spot where he had clasped her, barely looked at him.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you? I..."
"No," she reassured him firmly, "It's just… I didn't think you were that strong."
He half smiled and shrugged. Zakuro studied him scrupulously:
"Have you improved compared to three years ago?"
The question, at that moment, sounded strange, but then Eyner realized what she meant and smiled strangely:
"I don't think I've made a single progress in the last decade."
He tried to joke. Zakuro stared at him again, but in the end, she preferred to keep her question to herself, knowing full well that he had understood her anyway.
If he was so capable, why hadn't he been chosen to conquer Earth?
"We must immediately run to the lab!" MoiMoi was chiming in the meantime, particularly excited, "We have to proceed with... But where did Lena-chan go?"
"You don't want to take her along, do you?"
"You're so boring, Pai-chan!" he protested, unperturbed by the menacing look of his kohai, "I just wanted to say goodbye to her."
He looked around and saw the girl's figure slowly disappearing into a side corridor; he called her, but she didn't answer and vanished limping around a corner.
"Uff! She didn't hear me!"
"I'd say more that she didn't want to hear you, senpai."
Taruto commented and MoiMoi glared at him.
"Was it my impression," asked Retasu softly, "Or was Lena-san pale…?"
"Do you mean more than normal?"
Purin joked, but the boys instead looked at each other with strange faces. It was after a few seconds of silence that Pai, snorting, by now at the end of his rope, followed the girl.
"See you there, Pai-chan!"
He waved swiftly with one hand, evidently annoyed. The Earthlings exchanged confused looks, but no one said anything else about the matter and they had to follow MoiMoi, who was inviting them to go back.
"I hope Pai-chan hurries," he smiled mysteriously, "We discovered a lot of things with that Drop. And now, we know where to look for the others."
Lena flopped against the corridor wall and tried to hold onto each muscle in her arm and fingers, anything to put less weight on her left leg. She rubbed a trembling hand on the bandage and pressed, grinding her teeth in pain; every inch of her body throbbed from her thigh to her back and hammered her spine, calming down enough to stand decently only after endless, exhausting minutes.
"When's the last time you got checked out, Inetaki?"
She tried in vain to calm her pants, her brow drenched in sweat, and looked at her interlocutor sarcastically:
"How formal, Pai."
"You instead are far too comfortable."
She didn't reply to the ruthless tone, harsh as steel. She had stopped doing so long before and, besides, she didn't have much right to scold him.
She felt more jabs igniting her nerves but forced herself to grimace nonchalantly:
"It must be around three months. Month more, month less…"
She ignored the boy's sourly reproaching stare and smiled mischievously, sitting straighter:
"I've never seen you defend someone like that."
"I didn't defend anyone at all."
"Oh, come on! You can't fool me!" her kind voice bent on a jarring note of perfidy, "'War brings only resentment'... Where did that come from?"
He stared at her grimly without answering.
"Your friend with grass on her head seems to me quite lacking nerve…"
"You better stop."
He interrupted her.
"Are you kidding me? It's something a kid would say!" she laughed, getting up, "If you have to fight, you fight."
"Yes," he replied dull, "But you can choose what to fight for, and wonder if it's right. You can also choose not to."
Lena stared at him, widening her reddened eyes, and stopped laughing:
"You're joking."
"Why should I?"
"You can't believe such a thing!"
His firm gaze made her pale:
"What, did you go crazy? You can't support such a cowardly idea and support a brat like…!"
He looked at her with such ferocity that Lena felt the words die in her throat.
"She had more courage in never changing her way," he hissed, "Than you."
She looked down and did not answer. Pai pierced her angrily for a few more moments and then turned on his heels:
"Get that leg checked."
She glowered at him and a no painted on her lips, but the boy embittered his stare:
"That's an order, Sergeant Inetaki."
Lena could only bow her head, humiliated. As he left her in the hallway, Pai became convinced that the yes sir with which she answered was in fact an invitation to go to hell.
In the neighboring corridor, after a few minutes of consultation, the Councilmen bid one another farewell, each resuming their duties. Ebode followed his disappearing colleagues with an angry look: the fools had become duped by the little pantomime set up by Teruga and by a few tricks with bright toys, but not him.
No, he saw the truth about those Earthlings and the traitors, he would expose and stop them.
He would rehabilitate Deep-Blue's great name.
He would support the great work of the Ancestrals, the only ones worthy of serving their lord.
He just had to find a way to undermine the newborn trust in the humans. He needed a diversion, an expedient. Help.
He heard someone swearing a short distance away and then heard footsteps, spotting a familiar figure. A smile reappeared on his sickly face.
Incredible but true, it's a real theory. I found it many years ago on a school textbook and found confirmation online that's a considered theory (even though there's no certainty it's the correct one)
A jitte (or jutte) is that sort of baton with a hook that was once used above all by the Japanese law enforcement, a mix between a baton and a short sword