Okay. First, I'm sorry for two flaming weeks. That was morbidly too long. I don't really have an excuse… can't say it's because I have a life, cuz I really don't :P. I guess it was a combination of general laziness (huzzah!), my brother getting to the comp before I did, and my parents currently renovating the living room, smacking the floor with hammers all day, and that floor being right above me and the comp in the basement. Yea. Not fun :P.
The good news: This is a long chapter. When I say long, I mean long. It's longer than 15, and that sucker was long. So, at least I didn't come back empty handed.
Now, since I haven't updated in forever, let's reply to reviews. Hehe.. this is gonna take a while.
AnimeKittyCafe: OMG, my friend. I love you! You actually reviewed every. single. chapter. Are you insane? I glomp thee with my soul. Jeez, I wish I could answer all your comments here, but I have the feeling the rest of the reviewers might eat me… eventually, I'm gonna reply to every single one by that happy little reply click thing. Oh yes, I will. You are like, my hero :P.
Snowbluerat: Yesss… her tiny little brain :P. Here's the next chap! Oh, and I still can't believe I somewhat gave you nightmares… though if it makes you feel better, I had to pause while writing that beating-up scene. It was hard ;;
Yuko: Nya! French person! With a grasp of English grammar! I salute thee. I take French in school… and kinda suck at it :P. And no, I don't have to sleep. That's a myth :P. Hehe. And yes, Aoyama is bad. Very, very bad. Like those box jellyfish that kill with one sting.
TigerLilly101: Oh, he has it backwards. Yes, he does. And he's so cute :huggle: Your compliments make me smile; thanks! And yea… well, now there's been a slew of varied fics, but when you reviewed, I remember there were many R/I. I have no clue why… it was weird.
BlackWingedGabriel: Jeez… I feel bad for not updating :P. Nya.. more like a quarter of a pea… or the zygote of the male and female gamete of the plant just forming the pea… ooh… bio-ness. Hehe… midterm coming up. Can't help it :P.
Dust-in: There's P/L in this chapter, my friend. Have your fun! Heh, you and Toni both.
Heth: Ooh… is that really how it is in the manga? I only have three volumes, 5, 6, and 7, and I don't really read manga much at all (I prefer watching anime). Huh. That's a useful bit of info. Thanks! Oh, and I know I drag things out. Abominably. I enjoy it :P. Really, it's just something I do for my own pleasure. I'm too descriptive and meticulous with such things for my own good. Ah well. Thanks for the heads-up, anyway!
Sakura Makiya101: Hehe… SLTC sent you? Hehe… that amuses me :P. Glad you enjoyed the story. Do you mean you actually read the whole thing in one sitting? I'm impressed… and slightly disturbed :P. Hope you enjoy the rest!
Anyone else: Thanks a lot for the reviews! You're all so nice!
Okay, before we get on with the tale, I need to inform everyone that I'm trying to figure out how to end this, and I'm actually thinking of… well… sorta making this the K/I get-together fic, and then continuing the series, sort of, (since this starts from right after ep 39), by maybe writing a sequel. There, I could take care of how the relationship would go afterwards, how the other Mews would fully take it (though they'll prolly make an appearance in this fic, anyway), and so on. If I did that, I'd end up writing the defeat of Deep Blue and whatnot.
Anyways, that's what I'm thinking about doing. It's not set or final, but tell me what you think, if you feel like it :P
Now, onwards!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. I wish I did. I really, really do, but, unfortunately, I don't, so we have to deal with things like Ichigo screaming "Aoyama-kun" fifty times per ep :P Poor us…
"Hey, Pai?"
The only answer was silence, broken occasionally by the soft click of fingers tapping keyboard buttons.
"Um, Pai…"
Still no reaction.
"Oi! Pai!"
"What, Taruto?"
"You kinda put in those last ten lines all wrong…"
Pai blinked in mild surprise, taking a moment to look up at the translucent screen and realize that he had, indeed, entered the last block of research equations incorrectly. He blinked again, giving a soft grunt before pressing another button and watching the symbols vanish. Staring rather blankly at the computer screen, he let out a long, silent breath.
It wasn't like him, naturally, to do something as absentminded as enter a full ten lines of code without noticing they were the wrong ten lines.
It certainly wasn't like him to need Taruto to break him out of a silly trance he shouldn't have been in.
And it sure as hell wasn't like him to give up on research when it was only midday.
That unsettling thought the last in his mind, he switched the computer off, then turned to face an anxious-looking Taruto.
"Don't you have something to do?" he asked the younger alien, not in an annoyed tone, but in a bland voice laced with a deep fatigue.
As if echoing his elder friend, Taruto squirmed uncomfortably.
The truth was, neither had been acting particularly normal since Pai's meeting with Lettuce. As soon as the ordeal had passed, Pai had attempted to get back to work as normal, but he had found it increasingly difficult as Taruto's initial curiosity over the matter gave way to a depression fostered by their companion's absence. At first, the younger had complained, but after a while, his whining died down to occasional remarks that gradually lost their strength until he lapsed into a stiff sort of silence.
At that point, Pai's relief at having given the green-haired Mew some medication ran out, and he found that his normal duties became more chore-like than ever; this equation error was only one of a number of careless mistakes he had been making in his work.
He inwardly sighed.
And it had only been a day.
Maybe a little over a day.
Still, it was no where near long enough to start getting worried again. He had just handed over the medicine a day ago… one day… he had done all he could, hadn't he? Of course he had. It wasn't as if he could have stayed and watched his comrade for any extended period of time. He had observed all he could, and he had had to leave. If he hadn't, Deep Blue may have suspected something.
Yet now, looking at the pleading expression in Taruto's eyes, Pai couldn't help but feel his logic waver.
His logic had seemed bizarrely weak ever since he had tossed the girl that vial.
He should have been able to put that action aside, along with his worry, but it hadn't happened. Convincing himself of Kisshu's increased probability for recovery was easier said than done.
Reluctant as he was to admit it, he cared for his younger comrades. They were, after all, all he had on this mission, and no matter how focused he was on his goals, no matter how loyal he remained to Deep Blue and how objective he tried to be, he couldn't deny the fact that he had grown to care for them. It was unfortunate in light of the mission, but it was true.
Somewhere in his mind, he had grown to connect his being the eldest and most mature with a need to protect the other two. Pai was not sure when it had happened, but he knew it had when crushing despair hit him after Kisshu appeared lost. A quick affirmation had come from his relief at having somewhat redeemed himself by giving Lettuce the vial.
Now, this knowledge was only emphasized by his growing unease.
Sure, he had given the other boy the medicine he needed, but it didn't seem enough.
Every time he tried to ignore it, he could only think of the last image he had of Kisshu, breathing painfully, barely able to sleep in his suffering, clearly clinging on to life with a weakening grasp.
He knew the medicine should have fixed that, must have fixed it, but it wasn't enough.
He wanted to see him again, plain and simple. That protective instinct just wouldn't leave him alone.
Taruto knew it, too, though his feelings probably gravitated more towards missing an older brother than worrying in a protective manner.
Either way, neither alien had been able to spend the last day in the relief that should have been theirs.
Holding Taruto's gaze, Pai shook his head in answer to the question he knew was coming.
"No, Taruto."
"But—!"
Another shake, and the brunette fell silent.
In spite of his apparent victory, Pai unconsciously clenched his fists.
No matter how many times he said it, he knew he would not be able to totally convince Taruto of any safety for their ailing friend.
He also knew now, as a wave of anxiety rose up within him, that he would not be able to convince himself.
But he needed to convince himself! He needed to stop this, to get back into his normal routine.
If he didn't, Deep Blue could find out, and if Deep Blue found out…
There had to be a way, a simple way to just check on the boy, but Pai couldn't think of one. He couldn't simply teleport back to Ichigo's house and engage in some more silent spying; if his master somehow noticed, it would be the end of everything. Having to admit to watching Kisshu after his banishment was bad enough, but if Deep Blue found out who was taking care of him…
There had already been a risk involved in speaking to and leaving with Lettuce. That risk only deepened with this heavy depression that had been around for the past day. Pai couldn't do anything that would increase the chances of Deep Blue questioning them. Taruto, for one, would probably easily give in, seeing how strongly tied to Kisshu he seemed.
Pai… Pai himself wasn't sure how well he could maintain his front if questioned.
There was just too much worry, too much doubt, too much unease…
There had to be a way to ease it, but the only thing the alien could think of as he walked past the melancholy Taruto, preparing to teleport to his room to try to get some rest, was going back to the house.
It was too risky.
He couldn't… damn it, he just couldn't… if only he could find…
If only someone could help them…
He froze in mid-step, astonished at his own apparent idiocy.
Of course.
She had done it once. Perhaps… perhaps she could ease their anxiety once more?
But then, even if she could, how could he be sure he would find her and not one of the others?
He couldn't be sure. He could only hope.
It was really the only choice.
Despite the uncertainty involved, he allowed himself a slight smirk.
"Stay here, Taruto."
The younger boy's expression switched from deep sadness to blank confusion. He blinked. "Why? Where are you going?"
"We're rather due for an attack, don't you think?"
"An attack? Now? Are you nu—"
He stopped, realization dawning on his face. He had always been rather quick on the uptake, even if he was childish.
"Pai, can't I come? Please?" Yes, there was the grating whine, right on cue.
The older alien shook his head in reply, but gave Taruto a faint smile anyway.
"I will give you a full report when I return."
Taruto pouted as Pai teleported out of the dimension, leaving him alone. As seconds passed, however, that pout softened into a tentative sort of hope as he grumbled into the empty air.
"Fine… but…but it had better be a good report…"
Ichigo sat eating in silence.
Lettuce did as well, only half-focusing on the vegetable stir-fry she had made to serve as the girls' dinner.
Neither spoke, but each knew what the other was thinking about.
In actuality, there was only one thing to think about, and both girls were absorbed in it.
I…I kissed him…
Twice.
She had kissed him not once, but twice.
Ichigo's fingers tensed around her chopsticks as that idea sank in again, for what seemed the millionth time since she had felt those lips brush hers.
They had kissed… and she was still alive.
Had she not been so deep in thought, she might have laughed at how silly that sounded.
Still, it was true.
She had rejected the alien boy so many times, pushed him away so often, rejected his kisses with such conviction, that the thought of still being normal after having given in was somewhat shocking.
Then again, what had she been expecting?
Had she been waiting for some sort of apocalypse because she had turned a full one-eighty and… and…
Well, not apocalypse, exactly.
Regardless, she had kissed him, and she did not feel tainted by the experience. Perhaps that's what she had been expecting: some sort of feeling of degradation, despair, lowliness after giving in to her enemy.
Except that she couldn't bring herself to call him an enemy anymore.
No matter how hard she tried, that word just didn't fit alongside Kisshu. It couldn't, not after everything that had happened… not after that touch, that voice, those eyes…
And yet…
Oh, Aoyama-kun…
Ichigo gripped her chopsticks so hard, she lost her fingering. They clattered against the tabletop, and Lettuce looked up at her friend, startled.
Why does this have to be so hard?
"Ichigo-san."
The cat-girl looked up into Lettuce's sympathetic gaze.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She blinked, squirming slightly in her seat.
"I…"
Lettuce was careful not to press; she knew better. She could only guess at what Ichigo was going through, having never gone through such a thing herself, but she was prone to some of the doubts the other girl must have been having.
The entire issue involving Kisshu's status (no, former, she thought) as an enemy was certainly something to be looked at. His status, and Taruto's. And Pai's…
How in the world was everything supposed to go back to normal after something like this? How could they just allow Kisshu to heal and leave one day and then fight him the next? She wouldn't be able to do it. Lettuce knew that.
Would Ichigo?
As her friend struggled to formulate a response, Lettuce bit her lip in silent thought.
Only a few days ago, she would have bet her life on Ichigo fighting Kisshu with everything she had until death, but after just her day here…
After knowing that the two had kissed, and that it had not been an accident…
That it had been Ichigo's decision, and not one of Kisshu's overzealous actions…
That alone was enough to confuse and terrify anybody, and Ichigo still had Aoyama to worry about. Lettuce inwardly cringed at the name. That boy… it had been so simple when Ichigo had loved him and only him. And she really did love him. That was undeniably apparent in everything she did and said.
Up until all of this, Lettuce had firmly believed that that love would remain the strongest for as long as the couple was living, but now…
Ichigo loved another. She had said so. She had proven so.
And that other was Kisshu.
It was insanely complicated, and Lettuce could not blame Ichigo for lapsing into silence, giving up on expressing her feelings.
Besides, what was there to talk about?
I love… I love them both…
That was it. She loved them both.
She loved Aoyama as she always had.
But now, after seeing Kisshu out of battle, away from his own frustration, vulnerable in a way she had not thought possible, she felt that new love.
Now, after seeing that he meant what he had always said, seeing that Kisshu was not just the annoying, dangerous alien bent on destroying her world, seeing that he had a mind and a heart and a soul… a soul he had already devoted to her, even while it resulted in so much pain for him…
How could she not return the love?
She was not heartless.
Perhaps before, she had just been blind.
Heh…
In one way, she missed that ignorance. She missed the simplicity of it.
In another… she wouldn't trade her new feelings for anything.
In spite of the trouble they had caused, in spite of the trouble they would cause, she couldn't imagine forfeiting them, not after what she had seen.
Hell, there was still so much to see, so much she didn't know.
How could she ignore that?
If only it wasn't all so catastrophic!
"Ichigo."
Again, her attention went to Lettuce, who accepted it with as comforting a smile as she could muster.
"Don't worry so much about it now. Everything will turn out fine."
Those two sentences sounded so calm, so sensible, that despite herself, Ichigo burst out laughing.
"Yeah," she chuckled, a sudden smile lighting up her face, "it's too early to worry now, isn't it?"
No… no, no, no…it wasn't too early…with all that had happened…Aoyama…
Her smile faded as abruptly as it had appeared, and Lettuce looked down into her lap, as if gathering her own thoughts, before looking back up at Ichigo.
"It will be."
For some reason, those three words startled the cat-girl, maybe because they were so confident.
That strange confidence called a smaller, discreet smile to her face, and she nodded, seeming ashamed of her outburst.
Just then, Lettuce's cell phone rang. Whatever tension remained between the girls disappeared as Lettuce answered. Within a few seconds, however, Ichigo found herself growing oddly uneasy as Lettuce's voice grew shakier, her eyes widening slightly. Finally, she said the name of the caller in her conversation, and Ichigo stiffened.
"Shirogane-san, are you sure? Yes, I know the place, but…yes, you're certain? Well…ano…no, it's just that I…y-you're sending EVERYONE!" Ichigo jumped as Lettuce's trembling voice turned into a forceful yell.
"I…no, n-nothing's wrong, I just…" the porpoise-girl trailed off, a chilling hopelessness entering her blue eyes as her grip on the phone tightened.
Suddenly, she seemed to get an idea. What that idea was, Ichigo could not guess, but it lent Lettuce some new confidence, and her voice strengthened as she spoke back to Ryou.
"Shirogane-san, do you… that is, c-could I take this alone?" she began, faltering at first, but gaining stability as she continued, "Yes, I know what' I'm asking. Why? Well… Ichigo-san is ill… yes, she's all right. I'm at her house, and since it's closer from here, I thought that it would be best if I just went alone…I know we're a team, but I… please, Shirogane-san…I…" Ichigo could tell that the blonde was giving her a lot of resistance, and wished she could step into yell something at the Mew Project's leader, but knew that that would conflict with the lie Lettuce had just told.
She fidgeted, growing ever more anxious at her inability to help Lettuce, when the other girl seemed t pull out a trump card of sorts.
"It would mean so much to me, Shirogane-san, just to do this once, alone... I know I could…" from the silence from the other end, Ichigo could tell that this surprised Ryou as much as it did her. After a few moments of staring at Lettuce in bemusement, she had to refocus on the conversation, and couldn't help grinning when she found that it had turned.
"Thank you, Shirogane-san. I'll call for help if I must… really… yes, I'll report back… thank you. Good-bye!"
Lettuce turned off the phone, only to be bombarded by questions from her friend.
"Well, what did he want? And what do you mean, it'll mean a lot to you? And what will—?" Ichigo shot off a few more questions before calming down enough to allow Lettuce to speak.
"One of the other aliens is attacking, just a few blocks from here."
Ichigo blinked in new surprise. "Attacking… but…" Suddenly, that word "enemy" sprang up again. Still, it seemed wrong, even though… but why now…?
Lettuce shook her head, apparently as confused as Ichigo. "I don't know, but I asked Shirogane-san to let me handle it alone. I… I don't know what it means, Ichigo, but I think given the situation, I should go see myself." She ended in a tone brimming with determination, and Ichigo had to smile wider, nodding in agreement.
"So I guess that means you're going?"
"Yes. I'll be back as soon as I can. Shirogane-san made me promise to contact another Mew Mew if anything happened, so please keep your pendant close."
"Okay, sure." Ichigo didn't know why, but she was oddly calm about this. Something about it didn't feel quite like a real battle, and while neither girl was particularly happy about it, both knew that somehow, this wouldn't quite turn out as it usually did. There was a difference, and both were curious as to what it was.
With a quick good-bye, Lettuce transformed and left, bounding off in the direction Shirogane had indicated.
Ichigo was left alone.
First, she cleaned up the dishes from the meal, rather relieved to have something mindless to do instead of having to focus on what had just happened, or what had happened a while ago.
After that, however, she found herself idle and… well, rather bored. After so much sleeping in the last few days, she wanted to go out and do something, but that was hardly possible. She looked around the living room for something to occupy her, but saw nothing.
That left only one real option: going upstairs and checking on Kisshu.
It had been a few hours, after all, and maybe if she tried hard enough, she could keep those disconcerting thoughts at bay until both of them were well and calm enough to deal with them.
She swallowed hard.
Or maybe she couldn't.
As she opened the door as quietly as she could, she bit her lip in nervous anticipation of the awkwardness she knew would come.
Any hope of Kisshu still being asleep, allowing her some delay, was quickly destroyed by the sight of him sitting up in bed, stretching carefully while giving an almost comically huge yawn. Once done, he looked up at her with a soft, expectant sort of smile, and she gulped again.
"Hey, Ichigo."
It's okay… you can do this. Come on, just smile and answer him. You do love him, right? Right, so just smile and say…
"H-hey Kisshu." Her attempt at a return smile was… pathetic. Making her way to the bed and sitting down on its edge, she prayed he wouldn't notice.
That was rather stupid.
The boy saw it right away.
While he managed to keep his smile from faltering, he couldn't ignore a pang of disappointment.
Well, it's not like she'd just forget that baka-Aoyama…but still…
He had been hoping everything would change. Nothing would have suited him better than Ichigo performing a complete romantic one-eighty, but that was wishful thinking.
Meh… like that would ever happen…
True. That wouldn't happen. But there was still a chance, right? Circumstances had sure as hell changed from before; she loved him now.
Loved him.
She had said so herself, and every time he played those words over in his mind, he received a happy thrill. How wonderful it felt, to associate that word with her after she had said it herself, with no unsure tremor in her voice, no murky hesitation in her eyes.
Yes, she loved him now, and even if Aoyama remained in the picture with all of his irritating persistence, Kisshu had a chance now, to show Ichigo how he had loved her all along. She wasn't pushing him away anymore.
Nervous, scared as she was, she had acknowledged him, and even if she refused to fall madly in love, that was enough to allow him to keep his smile in the face of her distress.
Even as her voice trembled as she spoke again, he managed to keep his confidence.
"H-how are you feeling?"
Still, he didn't have to like that anxious expression on her face, and he gave her a bigger grin, trying to take the edge off of her obvious unease.
"Better."
She smiled, and he could see that she was trying her hardest to calm down, but succeeded only in looking nervously down at her hands.
Though he knew petty insults would do little good, he could not help his train of thought from assuming a rather familiar path:
That idiot Aoyama…
Wanting to relieve her discomfort, hoping to bring back some air of normalcy, he tried working his usual snide banter on the awkward situation.
"Ne, Ichigo, what's with the face? You didn't come back here to tell me you were just kidding before did you?"
Even with the mischievous spark in his eyes, even with the playful smirk on his lips, even though he tried to make his tone as jovial as he could with his still-raspy voice, the effect wasn't anything near what he had intended. To his dismay, so much so that his smile wavered, she looked up at him in something like desperation, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
She seemed to realize that he was joking, and desperately tried to smirk nonchalantly back at him, but any simple stress upon that doubt she was trying so hard to avoid only made her distress worse.
"And what makes y-you… you s-say…" she had to stop; a sob was building up in the back of her throat.
"Ichigo."
The girl looked up.
In a half-blink, the boy had reached over and gingerly wrapped his good arm around her. Her head fell against his shoulder; she could feel his tangled hair tickling her ear, his fingertips pressing securely against her back, his warm skin a soft contact against hers as he spoke in a voice so reassuring, so simple and caring, that her eyes widened at its sound.
"You're not doing anything wrong."
She stiffened.
"I don't care how long you take, Ichigo, and in the end, whomever you pick, I just want you to be happy."
Her lip trembled.
"It's enough that you've taken care of me. It's enough that you've given me a chance."
His voice dropped down to a soft near-whisper.
"That's all I ever really wanted."
A tear slid down Ichigo's cheek and onto Kisshu's bare shoulder.
All he wanted… this was all he wanted…
Those words only made her past actions seem so much more stupid, and she sniffed as a few more tears trickled down her cheeks.
Any thoughts about her recent attitude towards him, her turning Aoyama away for the moment, her allowing for a change, simply disappeared.
My God… he's willing to… he's actually willing to…
"Thanks, Kisshu," she murmured. It was all she could think to say, all there was to say in response to that gesture of compassion. She closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly wanting to take time to revel in the smoothness of his skin, the comforting touch of his hand on her back.
This time, the smile came to her with greater ease, and stayed as the seconds passed and the nauseating questions withdrew from her thoughts. Ichigo slowly relaxed against the boy until his voice broke the silence again.
"But between you and me, I think I'm much better looking," he whispered into her ear before, to her sudden shock, gently nipping at it.
And this time, she made sure to react properly to his snide humor.
"You perv!" she shrieked, pulling back from him and glaring at him with her old tenacity.
Except that it was more of a mock-glare, for underneath that spark of annoyance ran a cool current of relief that only intensified when she saw the bit of tenderness still remaining in his little smirk. The girl saw all at once that he knew precisely what he was doing, how he was helping.
She allowed a small smile to creep into her huff and pout.
Thanks, Kisshu… so much…
"Well, if you're well enough for that, then we might as well go change that bandage now."
Smile fading a bit, he looked down at his injured shoulder, nodding with a touch of understandable reluctance. "Yeah… guess so."
"Can you get up?"
He blinked, scooting over to the edge of the bed, swinging his legs over, and slowly pushing himself up.
"Yeah, I think I ca—"
Unfortunately, his trembling legs seemed to have ideas of their own, and Ichigo had to react quickly to catch him around the waist before he hit the ground. As soon as she had a good hold on him, she snorted.
"Good job there."
"Hey, it's not my fault I'm sick!"
Ichigo snorted, and smiled, again as she slowly led him out and down the hallway.
It was amazing.
Of course, her doubts would never be gone until this matter was settled, and there was so much to settle: Aoyama, the remaining Mews, the remaining aliens, Shirogane (how those last two would be dealt with she couldn't even guess). But it was amazing at how some soft words from Kisshu could reassure her so completely. She didn't really think about it now, but the fact that his simple acceptance of the circumstances, of her doubts, her need to choose, even the possibility of Aoyama coming back, his acceptance of all of it just because she was giving him his chance, had managed to lift her spirits so wonderfully…
It was baffling, but she didn't really notice. She didn't really care.
All she cared about as she led him into the bathroom was this new sense of comforting amity between them, and in her near-giddy relief, she intended to make full use of it. His words had just made it so very easy.
With another slight smirk, she let him sit down on the stool before eying him with that new amusement, that new idea of simple play, glittering in her eyes.
"You know, while we're here, you could use a bath."
He took the bait perfectly.
"And what's that supposed to mean, eh? Are you insinuating," he pronounced the word in a comically lofty tone, "that I smell?"
"Well, you are all sweaty," she replied, crossing her arms in mock-disgust.
To her secret delight, he actually pouted.
"Still not my fault."
This is fun…
That was the only thought in her mind as she allowed herself a soft giggle. For the moment, she was able to be herself again. For the moment, Kisshu was able to pull her away from her doubts, and even though a part of her knew it wouldn't be forever, she allowed herself some indulgence in this carefree banter.
Ichigo went to start the water, only to be interrupted by the alien.
"So… who's gonna give me a bath?"
For a moment, her amusement was forgotten in favor of surprised blankness.
"Eh… you are?"
In response, he lifted up his arms to barely chest height, wincing while doing so.
Oh…right…
She blushed slightly when she realized her error and what she had forced herself to do.
For a mere instant, that nervousness came charging back, but in that same instant, the memory of Kisshu's accepting embrace countered it, and defeated it.
The girl allowed herself to continue indulging in the carefree mood of the moment.
"Eh-heh…right…"
Kisshu grinned expectantly at her, eyes wide with false innocence.
"You'd better not try anything funny."
"Who, me?"
If possible, his gaze grew even more innocent, and even as the cat-girl turned away with an annoyed sort of grunt, she couldn't help inwardly smiling.
In a few minutes, however, after having filled the tub with warm water and a heavy amount of bubble bath (there was no way she was risking any…eh… inappropriate views), she almost wished for another bout of romantic conflict instead of what she was faced with.
"O-okay, I'm, uh, going to leave the room. You call me when you're in the tub, got it? And don't even think of calling me in before that, or pushing all the bubbles to one side, or—"
"Aww… don't you trust me, koneko-chan?"
"Not when you have that look on your face."
With that, she slipped out of the room, closed the door, and waited. Finally, her mind had the chance to assault her.
I'm going to give him a bath…him, Kisshu… I never even kissed Aoyama, and I'm going to give Kisshu a bath!
It almost managed to bring those sickening thoughts back again. Almost.
"Okay!"
At his muffled call, she took a deep breath.
It's okay, Ichigo. It's okay… you've come this far; this won't ruin much more. Besides, he said it was okay… he said so…
Yes, Kisshu had said so, and Aoyama… Aoyama had given her a graceful acceptance as well. Now she just had to do what she had to do.
With that renewed determination, she turned around and entered the bathroom.
Any more anxiety that could have been caused by the concept of having to bathe the alien was immediately destroyed by the image before her.
By that, and by a sudden rise of her silly ability to find amusement in the strangest things.
Instead of having to fight down a wave of hesitation, she had to resist the urge to laugh. This, she failed at, and burst out in loud, unabashed shrieks of mirth. Kisshu blinked, looking adorably confused.
"What's so funny?" he asked after she managed to keep chortling for a few moments.
At first, she didn't even try to reply, gasping for breath in between giggles, then:
"You…y-you… you look like…" She had to lean against the wall for support as the boy frowned, an annoyed look crossing his face. "What?"
"…like a girl!" This managed to send her back into squeals, while Kisshu first seemed taken aback, then scowled.
"Whaddya mean, I look like a girl?"
"Your hair…" She finally recovered, breathing deeply as she looked at him with a silly grin. Actually, she had never seen him without the bands in his hair, and without them, the long strands fell freely down, framing his face perfectly, and that style, combined with his thin frame and smooth, pale skin… well, one couldn't really blame her.
"What's wrong with my hair? I had to take it down to wash it! And it does not look like a girl's! A lot of boys on my planet wear it like this!" he retorted, frowning angrily, watching as she giggled and walked over, pulling the stool up to sit beside the tub.
"Well, then I guess they look like girls, too, then," she continued with a chuckle, watching as Kisshu glared at her, opening his mouth to snap at her again, only to end up in a short coughing fit that rather ended the matter, as Ichigo busied herself with patting him lightly on the back while trying to curb her giggles. In the end, she snickered once more as he got his breath back, only to give her a scowl of disapproval before she managed to quiet herself.
"All right, all right," she soothed, still rather amused at seeing him get so flustered, "I take it back." The self-satisfied way he snorted almost drove her back to laughter again, but she focused on grabbing a bottle of shampoo and lathering it up in her hands.
"You know what shampoo is, right?"
"Mm… yeah…" he murmured, leaning back against the tub wall as Ichigo gently smoothed the shampoo into his hair, slowly working it into a foam as she pulled more of his hair into her hands. Apparently, this felt rather good, because after a few minutes, she had to shake him to make sure he was still awake.
"Oi, Kisshu?"
"Wha?"
"You're not supposed to fall asleep in the tub."
"Mmhmm…"
I guess all of that tired him out…hehe… he's so cute when he's sleepy…
This time, that last thought received no competition from those of Aoyama.
She smiled as the boy leaned back a bit further, indeed looking rather worn out. A sudden through striking her, Ichigo dipped one hand into the water to get the suds off, then quickly placed it on his forehead. He squirmed a bit at the surprise contact.
"Ne, what're you doing?"
"Just checking your temperature," she answered softly, "I don't think you're gonna need anymore of that medicine, though you probably still have a bit of a fever."
At this, Kisshu squirmed and pouted again. "I hate being sick."
"Yeah, well, you're not alone," she replied, getting the sudden urge to ruffle his hair, but settling for a light pat on the head, as his hair was still a foamy mass of shampoo. "I have to rinse it out now."
"'Kay."
He slid held his breath as she scooped some of the bathwater up with a cup she had brought and poured it over his head. A few seconds later, tried to shake the water off, but could do nothing about the hair plastered to his face. He spluttered, reaching up to pull back the bangs and longer hair that was obscuring his vision, but stopped halfway with a soft gasp of pain.
"Don't do that, baka. Here."
Ichigo, though blushing ever so slightly, pulled the hair off of his face, only to blush a little more at the smug delight in his eyes. Instead of dwelling on that, she cleared her throat, pointedly looking away and grabbing a bar of soap.
"You want me to lean back some more?"
"Um, yeah."
She didn't know why he seemed so eager until he did lean back, only a bit more, considering his still-healing gash, but enough to give her a perfect view of the rest of his chest, which was, admittedly…
Well, it wasn't unpleasant to look at. Let's put it that way.
Ichigo blinked, then allowed herself a moment of glaring at the smirking alien before beginning her work, trying all the while to keep her face from getting too red. She tried to ignore the fact that her ears and tail had popped out.
Just concentrate on moving your hand. Don't concentrate what you're moving it against… there you go…
She did just that, focusing determinedly on her own motion instead of on his chest, and somehow, the next thing she knew, her ears and tail had disappeared, and she was asking him to dunk back down and rinse the stuff off, which he did with that infuriating smirk still firmly on his face.
"You just had to make that hard, didn't you?"
He snickered. "Hey, I haven't been able to do anything fun for the last four days. I think I'm entitled."
"Oh, you do, do you?"
She flicked his long ear out of annoyance, only to be met with an indignant "Hey!"
Again, Ichigo returned to giggling. "What?" she asked, all his former innocence transferred to her as she reached out to pull on his ear.
This resulted in him splashing some water at her, causing her to shriek. "What do you think you're doing?"
Kisshu only grinned and splashed her again.
The next few minutes were spent in a water fight, the alien splashing bubbles and water in an attempt to drench Ichigo, while she managed to grab the shower hose and spray him in the face with it while shrieking with mixed laughter and indignation. At some point, the girl introduced her old rubber ducky as a weapon and threw it at him, only to have it smack her in the head a while later.
It was something of a miracle that the bubbles held up as they did while the two threw water at each other, Ichigo getting the obvious worst of it even though Kisshu could only throw lightly due to his injury, seeing as she started out dry. Nevertheless, she gave nearly as good as she got, and the only thing that cut the battle and its bouts of yelps and laughter was the girl throwing a bit too much water at the boy, who ended up coughing so hard that Ichigo had to tap him on the back to help him breathe again.
After he stopped, the girl sat back to take a survey of the damage.
The floor was all wet, not to mention some sections of wall. She was drenched, her blouse and jeans soaked through, while Kisshu was leaning back against the tub, breathing somewhat heavily in exhaustion.
That, however, was not her greatest concern.
That was… that…
She blinked in mild shock.
That was… great.
It wasn't something she'd ever do with Aoyama; he was too… too polite to engage her in such banter and play. Sure, he could have fun, but it was always structured. It was undoubtedly sweet, but it was never this silly, this spontaneous, or…
She couldn't even put words to it.
Is this what I've been missing this entire time?
That thought hit her hardest.
All this time, rejecting Kisshu, ridiculing and fighting him, had this been what she had been missing?
It seemed… it seemed such a shame because truthfully, it had been a long time since she had laughed so hard. It really had been.
All this time…
What struck her next was how… how oddly human it made the alien boy seem. Granted, to start the teasing, she had had to comment on his alien hairstyle, and to start the water fight, she had had to pull on his alien ears, but in the end, he had behaved so… so normally.
Normally, but still in a way that had tickled her.
Heh. I guess I… not anymore.
"Oi."
She was startled out of her thoughts by Kisshu's voice.
"You think you can change this now?" he asked, referring, of course, to the bandage.
The girl nodded, blinking in mild surprise, still somewhat absorbed in her thoughts. Nevertheless, she moved back towards him, taking the bandaging supplies off the counter (they actually managed to escape the drenching), and gently untying the cloth.
The wound looked much better than when she had last seen it; healing was obviously underway. Even so, Ichigo grimaced at what pink flesh was still visible, carefully dabbing the boy dry around the gash before wrapping a new bandage around it. She skipped the antiseptic; it looked fine as it was, and the bath had certainly cleaned it out. In a few minutes of gentle work and somewhat tense silence from the alien boy, she was done.
"All right, Kisshu. You wanna dry off now?"
He nodded.
"I'm not doing that for you."
"…"
"Kisshu…"
"Fine, fine."
"I'll be right back, then. I'm going to go change and get you some new pajamas."
With that, she rose, grabbed a towel for herself, handed one to him, and hurried back to her room. First, she quickly dried off and changed into a new t-shirt and jeans. Then, after a few seconds of pawing through her drawer, she found a set of light blue pajamas that she grabbed and walked back to the bathroom with. The girl knocked on the door.
"You done?"
"Yeah."
Slowly, she opened the door (lest he be lying), and found the boy sitting on the stool, wrapped in a dry towel, looking up at her with a tired expression on his face. She was hardly surprised at how his eyes were only half-open.
Poor guy… that illness must have really taken it out of him…
She smiled gently, handing him the clothes.
"You can put the pants on yourself, right?"
Looking slightly disappointed even in his weariness, he nodded.
"Okay, then do that, and I'll help you with the shirt."
Another minute or so later, she came back into the room, asked him to lift his arms as far as he could, and slipped the shirt over his head. A sudden thought occurred to her.
"Ne, Kisshu, you mind sitting here for a few minutes while I go change the blankets and stuff? You'd just get all sweaty again if you slept in them."
"Kay…"
She left him to lean back against the tub while she grabbed a new set of bed sheets from the hall closet and hurried through changing the bedspread, then ran back to the bathroom only to catch Kisshu in the middle of another yawn.
Smothering a giggle, she crouched down next to him.
"Ready?"
"For you? Always," he grinned through his fatigue, and Ichigo had to stop herself from giving him a sarcastic retort, satisfying herself with rolling her eyes good-naturedly as she supported him and led him back into her room.
He was about to lie back down on her bed when she grabbed his arm.
"Wait. We should dry your hair. I don't want you getting sicker again."
"Mou… Ichigo…"
"It'll only take a little while, I promise"
Sure enough, soon after she had found her hairdryer, his green hair was as dry and soft as ever. Shutting the appliance off, she fulfilled her previous urge and ruffled his hair.
"There. Done."
"Good," he replied and, to her shock, lay right down against her.
"K-Kisshu! If you want to go to sleep, lie down on the bed. It's not like you can't breathe anymore."
"Meh… I like this better," he replied, a small smile playing on his lips as he snuggled up against her, eyes already closed. At least he missed her blush.
She pursed her lips.
"Fine, but only until you fall asleep."
"Mmm… just a little nap… hungry…"
"I'll make something while you sleep."
"'Kay…"
It was, of course, no real secret that the girl's playful annoyance quickly dissolved into tenderness as she placed a hand on Kisshu's head, slowly beginning to stroke the newly-washed hair while he nuzzled her as he had done before. This time, however, there was a new sense of right in it. The air surrounding them was so different, not one of desperation against death and pain, but one of nurturing a new growth, a new path, a new possibility. Ichigo knew it. Kisshu reveled in it, even while gradually falling asleep.
Before he was totally gone, Ichigo leaned down to whisper into his ear one last time.
"Kisshu?"
"Mm…"
"Thanks again."
She thought he nodded, but she couldn't be sure. He fell asleep right after the last syllable left her lips, and she only smiled as she gently lifted him off of her, lay him back down, and drew the covers up over him. The girl stayed a few more seconds, reaching out to brush the boy's still-unbound long hair off of his face before leaving the room to go downstairs and fulfill her promise of food.
Thank you…so much…
As she descended the stairs, another thought came to her.
I wonder how Lettuce is doing…
The porpoise-girl had had no trouble finding the battlefield; a few leaps south of Ichigo's house had brought sounds of energy blasts and small explosions to her ears. Within a few minutes, she had found a swarm of bird Chimera Anima, probably what had once been sparrows, laying waste to a thankfully empty street. Cars had been destroyed, the sidewalk was in pieces, but there were no humans about, which was the first odd aspect of the attack.
Whom in the world is he attacking? Lettuce wondered as she gazed up at the purple-haired alien directing the beasts. To her surprise, Pai looked right back down at her, and he seemed to… to hesitate?... before unleashing a gust of wind in her direction and flying down to meet her in combat.
Here was the second odd aspect. While the dealt his blows as he always did, they could hardly be called blows at all. Whenever he hit her, it was more of a tap than a true punch or kick, and he didn't hit her that often at all. Lettuce found herself hardly breaking a sweat as she blocked a swing, knocking the alien aside to try to attack the Chimera Anima.
"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"
They were weak, pitiful creatures, and only one wave of the attack sent them to oblivion. That, however, wasn't the strangest part of it. She hadn't even thought she'd be able to unleash an attack. Surely the alien should have stopped her? How had she pushed him aside so easily?
"I apologize."
All of those thoughts vanished as his voice interrupted her musing. She turned to face him with a soft gasp.
That gasp was quickly joined by a sudden blush when she saw that he was bowing to her.
Apologizing.
Bowing.
To her.
What in the world…?
She struggled to make her voice come out normally.
"I-I…I…"
She could have sworn she saw a smile trying to lift his lips, but it was only for a fraction of a moment. A half-blink later, the thought had been driven from her mind as he went on in his usually stiff manner.
"In order to bring you out here without arousing my master's suspicions, I needed to create a believable scenario, and an attack was the only acceptable method. I trust you have not been injured?"
Even though he said that last sentence in the flattest tone of voice the girl thought possible, the question still made her blush faintly.
"N-no."
"Then will you allow me a few minutes of your time?"
Too stunned for words, she only nodded as he floated down to stand before her. Like before, when she had first spoken to him during this whole misadventure, she was rather nervous. This time, however, she was able to remember the alien's own grudging desperation, his reluctance and his worry, and her fear ebbed somewhat. Lettuce swallowed as he began to speak, but allowed compassion into her gaze. Something told her that the meeting would require it.
"I…rather, Taruto and I, wish to know about Kisshu's progress."
Know about… but it's only been a day…
At first, Lettuce was honestly confused and only stared back at the alien, lips slightly parted as her mind went blank.
Then, as she recovered, her empathy kicked in, and she automatically softened.
A day… only a day, and he was back, asking for news. That meant only one thing:
They were worried. Both were worried, even though Pai had stressed Taruto's name in an attempt to make his own concern less noticeable.
Yesterday's meeting with him and its realizations came back with all their force. Unable to help herself, she smiled, a small, shy smile, but enough to make his eyes widen ever so slightly, imperceptibly, if one had not been looking for it. She had been, and it only made her smile more.
"We gave him the medicine, and he is much better. He was asleep before I left the house. He has been sleeping much better, and eating, and—"
"How is your companion treating him?"
The question caught Lettuce off guard, and she faltered for a moment.
"How…?"
"Is she being civil to him?"
Civil…?
Lettuce blinked, detecting a trace of irritation in the alien's voice. Was that what he was worried about? Ichigo acting nicely?
Well… perhaps it was understandable. That whole love triangle had been the start of this…
That thought out of the way, Lettuce gave the alien a kind smile. Pai actually blinked rapidly in surprise, rather taken aback. Suddenly, he knew that this was going to be an answer he did not fully expect.
"Ano… she and… and h-he…" Lettuce trailed off, not quite knowing what to say.
Finally, she managed to put together a sentence.
"They are getting along rather well." The girl looked up expectantly, anxious to gauge the alien's reaction.
Pai was… he couldn't say stunned, because that had passed already. He had been stunned when he had stayed to watch Ichigo take Kisshu in her arms and help lull him to sleep.
He couldn't say he had been expecting the answer, because while he knew what he had seen, he had still somewhat refused to believe it. Even though the picture had been there, it had seemed so impossible… yet now, in a subtle way, this girl was confirming it. She did not explicitly say anything about love or affection, but he could see those concepts embodied in the clear blue of her eyes as she gazed back at him. Suddenly, he wished he had not been so worried. He wished that Taruto's anxiety had not added on to his. He wished he hadn't brought this up, for now, with this bit of affirmation, he saw the real problem more clearly than ever.
The mission…if this was happening, then what about…
The next moment startled him beyond words, for the girl did something that both amazed him and disturbed him: she plunged right into the subject he was dreading to delve into.
"P-Pai-san, I… I know this is strange, but I… t-the way Kisshu-san and Ichigo-san have been—"
"I did not ask for details."
As soon as he regained his nerve, she lost hers.
"I was only… that is, you an—"
He frowned, and that simple action made him look so much more formidable to her, that she immediately fell silent.
"You have given me the information I need, and I thank you for it." Again, he bowed, but now it was stiffer, more forced.
She cannot be suggesting… that is impossible. That girl must still love that boy, and there is no way she and Kisshu… no way… because then, how could we…no!
"If I need to speak to you again, I will contact you. Good day."
He vanished.
Lettuce stayed rooted to the spot.
He hadn't even listened to her. He hadn't…hadn't…
Could she blame him for that? Could she really?
No.
She knew what he had been thinking. In spite of his ability to keep his face blank, his talent for hiding his thoughts, she knew exactly what had been going through his mind, for the same thing had been going through hers:
If Ichigo and Kisshu fall in love, how can the missions go on?
If the human girl and alien boy formed a bond, how could the fighting continue?
Lettuce wondered how the fighting could continue now; she did not know how she could possibly meet Kisshu or any of the aliens in true, fierce combat ever again after helping to care for the boy. This time, it had only been a fake fight, and Lettuce had sensed its abnormal nature from the beginning, so engaging the alien in a mock-battle had been simple.
How could she ever be called to a real battle, though?
And if Kisshu and Ichigo actually…
If that happened, how could everything go on the way it had been?
Lettuce shook her head in despair.
It can't. It can't, and he knew that. He knew that, and that's why he left. That's why he wouldn't let me talk… wouldn't listen…
Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of sympathy came down upon her, for the aliens, for their people, for Pai himself
He saw it, and he knew that if that happened, there would be no way to save his people… And if that happened, there would be no way for us to protect Earth…
This involved so much more than Ichigo's relationship with Aoyama. There was so much at stake here, so much to gain or to lose.
If only… if only there was some way to make him listen…
If only she could convince Pai that fighting was not the best way. If only this something that was growing between Kisshu and Ichigo could be used, could be harnessed to end the rest.
But how could that be possible? How could the eldest alien see it, loyal as he was to the mission he was given, to the leader who demanded the destruction of humans? If that was the only way he had been taught, then that was what he would accept as law; Lettuce could see that. She knew already that that was the sort of creature Pai was.
And even if he somehow accepts it, what about the rest… the other girls, Shirogane-san…
It was hopeless, yet there had to be hope. There had to be a way. This couldn't all just go to waste. It simply couldn't.
Lettuce bit her lip as she changed back to normal, beginning her walk back to Ichigo's house.
It had all changed, and it ran so much deeper than Aoyama.
At the same time this realization hit Lettuce with its breathtaking force, Ichigo carefully slid out from under Kisshu before laying him down, covering him, and, after a moment's silent thought, kissing him lightly on the temple.
It's changing, she thought with a strange smile as she walked downstairs to fulfill her promise of food.
Both girls knew circumstance, both small and monumental, were swiftly changing.
Neither knew where they would lead.
AN: Wow. That was long. Really, really long :P. I can only hope the next installment will come sometime soon. Can't promise anything, but let's cross our fingers, ne? Heh, I hope that somewhat made up for the long wait. I apologize in advance for typos; it's 2 AM over here. I can barely see straight. Huzzah! But man, it was worth it! Oi… mum's mad though :P Hehe.
So, read and review, if you can. Jeez, I hope everyone's somewhat in character… that's been bothering me to no end lately, for some reason. Meh. Ah well.
Again, would you guys like me to write a sequel delving into what happens to somewhat end the series? I'm still not sure… but it would prolly be fun to do. Any thoughts would be nice.
Heh. Night, all!