xuri: Boo! Oh, wow, it's almost August. Which means summer is almost over. Tragedy. T-T Although, Blend will be all done before Summer's over, so look forward to that. ;3 Anywho, n'case anyone cared, I'm almost halfway done the character drawings. Yeah. There are that many. I didn't even realize how many OC's were/are to be in this story until I had to sketch them out one... by one... by one...
SamKo: Oh yes, you caught that one. x3 I've actually been hinting at this pairing a bit in earlier chapters. Sorta. Subtly. Wonder if anyone caught the subtleness/not so subtleness? x3 And as for Kishu... Yes, he's showing up at some point. No, I'm not going to say when. xD And I'm very sorry about the eye bleeding. If I'm ever employed, I will totally pay for the medical bills. :D
--
Blend (chapter fourteen)
..darkening hearts of pure...
He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. Rubbing her eye sleepily with one hand, Ichigo smoothed back Masaya's hair gently, looking down at his face quietly. His eyes were closed, his eyebrows in a position that suggested rest, his lips curled into a very faint smile. It was comforting. After having spent what seemed like hours, but was actually only 10 minutes, holding him and waiting for something to happen, Ichigo was tired and it was good to not have to worry anymore.
Ryou entered the room again, looking bored even though his eyes were trying not to look at the scene before him. In a bit of a daze, Ichigo sat up, looking at him expectantly. He didn't say anything. A little part of her panicked, and she was reminded by common sense that the blonde did things like that, just to tease her. She frowned, but was silent. Obviously having enough of that, the conscious boy shrugged.
"He's perfectly healthy," He said, but those simple words seemed to literally lift a weight off Ichigo's shoulders. With a broad smile, she slunk down in her chair slightly, looking ready to fall asleep. "The doctor said his symptoms looked a lot like sleeping pill overdose, but he's fine now. They want to keep him overnight for medical purposes, just to monitor it, so you can go home."
Ignoring the over-stressed suggestion, Ichigo turned to look at the dark haired boy again, tilting her head. "That's what Ari did to you then, didn't she?" She murmured softly, resting her hand on his warm forehead and closing her own eyes for a second. "She gave you some kind of poison... Thank god it was just that. Thank god you're going to be okay..."
When it was quiet again, and Ichigo gave no signs of moving, Ryou gave a little sigh and obnoxiously cleared his throat. "They said he needs rest." He said bluntly. Getting absolutely no response, he cocked an eyebrow. "He's not going to sleep better with you hanging over him, you know. It's not like he's comatose and you're here for support, Strawberry. You're just an inconvienience."
Ichigo's eyes snapped open angrily. "He's my boyfriend and he was just captured and poisoned by an alien and I want to spend time with him!" Her voice was a strange mix between a yell and a whisper. She wanted to make Ryou feel shorted without disturbing Masaya. "You're so insensitive, Shirogane!" She added in a huff, turning away with her arms haughtily over her chest.
There was silence. Then, just when Ichigo thought she'd won and shut him up, she felt a hand grab her by the arm. "Come on," Ryou said boredly, attempting to drag her to her feet, "I'll walk you home."
"What? No! I told you, I -" Ichigo tried to break away, but the boy was much stronger than her and succeeded in pulling her up, even lugging her towards the door. All other hope lost, she began to flail. "Stop it! Help! I'm being kidnapped! Kidnapper! Rape!"
Her cries went unnoticed - maybe because Ryou was quick enough to get her out of there - and within the next few moments, the blonde had Ichigo outside, who had resorted to trying to stand still behind. That didn't last much longer. Soon, she was walking alongside him, rather grudgingly, a pouty look on her face.
"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" His voice was blank, but there was a bitter tone to it. "Now he'll be able to get some sleep."
"It was hard, thankyouverymuch," She grumbled, refusing to make eye contact, "I don't appreciate being dragged out of a hospital, Shirogane. Besides, since when do you care about Aoyama-kun?"
There was only silence in response to that. Unsatisfied, Ichigo finally turned to him expectantly, not breaking the stare until he gave some kind of answer. "I don't," he finally said in a quiet voice. And then he gave her a strange look, one that she'd seen before but never really read into, and she hastily turned her head away. It was then she noticed Ryou had let go of her arm, and had his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. She absently rubbed the place where his hand had been. He'd been holding on really tightly...
"Ichigo." The suddenness of his voice nearly made the girl jump, and she was about to retort something angrily, but he beat her to the chase. "There's... something you should know. The other girls, too, but I want you to hear it first. Something's been appearing on the radar maps lately, and - "
Ichigo instantly snapped to attention. "What? Are there more aliens?" She cringed. Ari and Hanajima were already such a handful, more than that, a serious danger. How many more were there? It was a frightening thought. Ichigo might have gone into panic-mode just then, had Ryou not been quick to explain.
"No. None have showed up on the radar," He was careful to leave out the 'yet'. She didn't need to hear right now that it was still a heavy possibility. "Not aliens, but something else has. According to the data, and I've looked through it pretty closely, something has popped up that shouldn't have. I don't know how. I don't know how I missed it before. I-"
"Shirogane, get to the point. You're scaring me..."
Ryou paused. He hand a fist balled up and resting against his head, as if just rethinking the situation gave him severe headaches. "There's..." His trailing off nearly brought a look of anger to Ichigo's face, but he recovered quickly, "...a fifth new mew."
Ichigo stopped. Her face went completely blank. "What." The way she said it wasn't even a question - it was utter disbelief, a whisper, a 'you-can't-be-serious'. Ryou had expected no less.
"I don't know much about this 'Fifth Member'. I am absolutely sure I only injected the four others, but... it amounts to the same thing. I've even got a map traced out, of their whereabouts and travelling. Very broad, very nomadic, so it would be impossible to track a precise location. There's not a lot to do about this. I just thought you should know."
The blonde started to walk again, so Ichigo quickly followed, regardless of the confused, puzzled look on her face. They walked in quiet for quite some time. Ichigo kept opening her mouth - as if to say something, to ask some muddled question - but kept closing it again. There was nothing to ask. Ryou had made it clear - that was the situation, and he was about as clueless as she was. That was all there was to it. So she was quiet.
A few moments later, she could see her house just a few steps away. Sighing, in realization she was that much farther away from Masaya, she straightened up and tried to fix her hair in case her parents were up. Obviously, Ryou knew what was on her mind, and just threw a few words in, "He'll be okay, Ichigo. I think he'd rather know you'd be getting a good night's sleep than worrying too much about it. I know I would."
She stopped at her porchwalk, not really knowing what to say in response to that. He was probably right. Ryou just kept on walking without another word, and offered a little wave in her direction before disapearing down the street. For a moment, Ichigo just stared.
"You really are strange sometimes, Shirogane," She said to herself, and, shaking her head softly, turned to walk back into her house.
--
Kona had been the one to find them, Ichigo and Masaya. In fact, all the girls had been out looking on Ryou's orders. It was only after she'd gone to Inohara, and the school, and even numerous bus stops that the girl had actually discovered the alley where a tearful Ichigo sat, holding her companion tightly. Masaya had been sent to hospital immediately. And Kona was relieved when she recieved a phone call from Ichigo, confirming his health.
"He's fine. I'm fine." She sounded tired, but Kona listened intently over the line anyway. "Just... tired. Oh, sorry, that was rude."
"Not at all," Kona replied, propping a pillow up against her head, "You're right, though. You should probably get some rest, Ichigo."
"...Yeah. Is it alright if I talk to you tommorow?... I'm kind of wiped right now."
"Yeah. See you at the Cafe."
"Bye."
After that, Kona spent a lot of time to herself, just thinking. She hadn't been in much of a good mood all day. Not only had she gotten into a fight with Ryou that time in the lab, when they first looked for Masaya, but Kikyo had later confronted her about it. And it hadn't been pretty.
"You need to keep your personal feelings to yourself," She had said blandly, and with a shrug turned away. "Don't let it interfere with our mission, Kona. I know you're better than that."
The regular stresses of regular life were even so... regular. Schoolwork was hardly important to her anymore - her teachers were often talking to her about how her grades were suddenly on the decline. She kept at it, for the sake of not having to schedule a meeting with the school psychologist, but her interest faded quickly. Her friends from school were concerned about her now too. She spent so much time to herself. Kona hardly noticed, and was shocked to hear things like this; after being pulled into the whole Mew thing, she was so used to being surrounded by people and problems that she just needed some time to herself. And, apparently, this was very abnormal for her.
Sighing, she pulled on her pyjama shirt and lazily flopped onto her cushy bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and laying sprawled out in thought. This was her new life. She could deal with that, couldn't she? But what if -... Kona closed her eyes and turned the light off. What if it all goes away? Then what? Then what do I have?
Almost as an afterthought, she gave a little grumble, and buried her face into the pillow. This wasn't regular, everyday school girl stress. She was starting to wonder if that was what she missed. But then again...
"I'll have to apologize to Ryou tommorow," She noted as a whisper to herself before falling asleep.
--
"Grounded?"
Sakura scowled, her arms folded over her chest, a slipper clad foot giving a little tap on the ground. "Ichigo sweetie... We're so disappointed in you! Sneaking out like that, when you're sick. Shintaro walked right in to serve you some soup, even, and you weren't there! We're going to be keeping a close eye on you from now on!"
"But okaa-san..." Ichigo whined. It was no use. When her mother was set on something like this... well, it was impossible to change her mind.
"As a consequence for your behaviour, you'll stay up here and do homework for all of Sunday. We've been contacted about your grades, Ichigo. It's alright that you're not above average, but we're concerned that you're not concentrating enough and you'll fail before you even get to High School! Buckle down, missie, you'll be here for a long time."
"I have a shift at the Cafe!" She wailed, obviously very upset about this development. Ichigo had been sloppy about the whole thing. How could she forget she'd snuck out, only to walk in on two very angry parents? "They need me, okaa-san!"
"Well, call them and tell them you have a family emergancy."
"My boss is really mean and he'll probably cut my pay or fire me!" That was a little extreme, even for Ryou. But Ichigo really didn't want to spend the whole day alone and studying as punishment for her lacking ninja-sneaky-spy skills.
"Well, then I'll have a chat with the young man," Sakura said, giving a firm nod. Ichigo slumped. She'd lost. "Now you get to work. Maybe if you finish early, you can have ice cream for dessert!"
Leaving that on a happy note, as if Ichigo were some 5 year old who always bent towards ice cream and cakes, Sakura shut the door behind her. Ichigo could hear her footsteps thudding down the stairs. Giving a whiney groan, she threw herself onto the bed, staring up at the clock.
Grounded. On a Sunday. With nothing but textbooks and study sheets to occupy her mind. Ichigo sighed into her pillow. Of all the times I had to choose to get grounded. And just when everything was getting interesting!
She groaned into her pillow. "How lame."
Why did it seem like only bad things were happening to her lately?
--
Kona left her house slightly after noon. It had been a slightly offish day, but no more off than the others. She breathed a little sigh, and began to walk down the main street sidewalk towards the Cafe. Normal girls wouldn't be able to handle this kind of thing, this kind of stress. Kona knew by now she wasn't normal. Just like the others.
What she couldn't decide was whether it was a good thing or not.
Shaking her head, she shifted the bag on her shoulders and continued her trek. On the way, she spotted a little black cat trotting along the sidewalk. Its eyes appeared a yellowish gold, and there was no collar around its neck. The kitten's fur was mussed, very untidy, which lead her to believe it was a stray. Or, at least, a creature without a home.
"Hello," She said blandly, pausing in her footsteps. The cat stopped and looked up at her, curiosity in its glowing eyes. She tilted her head, and then leaned over a little bit, trying to level her face with that of the cat. "You don't look too well. Or are you just tough against the elements? A city-cat?"
In response, its ear gave a twitch, and Kona swore she could see amusement glinting in the animal's eyes. She realized how odd it must have looked. She realized how odd her life was, so it was any consolation. Why am I talking to a cat again?
"Come here," She outstretched her arms, beckoning it to come forward. The cat hesitated. She wasn't sure why she had decided to stop in the first place - Kona had seen plenty of cats wandering around. Maybe it was because she felt something about this strange cat. Maybe they were both misfits in a world they were meant to belong in.
As if coming upon a decision, the critter lightly padded forward, and the girl scooped it up in her arms, scratching it lightly behind the ears. A low, contented purring noise came from it. She smiled. "Hmn. You're a nice little thing, aren't you?" She heard some other sound, but couldn't decipher it. Probably just traffic or something, mixed with the voices.
"Who wouldn't want to give you a home..." Sighing to herself, she nestled her chin lightly in the cat's fur, and it put up no objections. The little ball of warmth was comforting, and she felt oddly safe. Kona began walking again, muttering to herself. And the cat. "You seem alright, though. I don't think you could stay at my house anyways. My sister's allergic. Maybe the cafe..." Her voice paused, "No, that wouldn't work either. Ryou's very angry with me, I think. I guess I shouldn't have yelled at him like that... It's just-"
"You're not so happy he'll never have eyes for you."
She halted. For a minute, Kona was silent, and then she looked at the cat with wide eyes. "Did you - " She shut her mouth. No. That wasn't the voice of a cat. Kona didn't know how, but she just knew what a cat would sound like if it spoke. No, this voice was familiar.
"What do you want, Hanajima?" She demanded to the air, clutching the cat defensively to her chest. It gave a slight mew in protest.
There was a light chuckle, and then a Kazuhawa-disguised Hanajima appeared before her, a mock grin on her lips. "Aren't you clever," She said with mirth. Kona scowled.
"Get. To. The. Point." She lowered her eyes angrily. "I don't have time to get involved in your mind tricks. Just leave us be."
"It's true though, isn't it?"
Kona just raised an eyebrow. Hanajima laughed.
"That boy... he'll never know how much you care for him. And he never will, as long as Ichigo Momomiya is in the picture."
"I don't know what you're talking about," She snapped, but she felt her eyes grow wide. How does she...?
"You know exactly what I mean," The woman's tone was cool, with an edge of ice to it. She meant business. Her dark eyes flickered slightly and she dared to take a step forward towards the younger girl, hands in her pockets. "And shouldn't he? Shirogane Ryou? That girl doesn't care for him any more than a friend, but he's a different story, isn't he? And even though you're right there, willing to offer your heart, he can't peel his eyes away from that neko for a second." She grinned slyly. "He won't be able to see anymore, of course, if she isn't there. If she's gone, his sights will set again upon someone for healing... someone like - "
"Stop it!" Kona yelled, and after hearing the cat in her arms mew in discomfort, she stepped back and set it gently down. Instead of running away, it simply slunk behind her legs, as if to hide. Anger swelling across her face, Kona faced the alien, her fists clenched angrily. "You're trying to suggest that I exploit Ichigo? My comrade? My friend?"
"Perhaps," With a gentle swish of her fingers, Hanajima pulled the glasses off her face, examining them carefully through half lidded eyes. Her lips were still curled in amusement. "Is she worth it, though? I can see your heart is already breaking. And you know just as well as anyone, if his eyes were open to anyone but that red-haired twit, he'd have to at least consider falling for you... You know."
Something in her head agreed, and that made her all the more angry. I would never. I would never!"You're just sour. I bet love has slipped through your fingers - though I can't imagine anyone loving you, a dark and cold soul!" Kona spat, and thrust her hand in her jacket pocket. Hanajima looked stunned, as if the comment stung, but it seemed to melt away within seconds. That was all Kona needed.
"Mew Mew Powder! Metamorpha-sis!"
Engulfed in a bright light, Kona felt her feline powers come to rise as she transformed. She wouldn't stand idly by as Hanajima tried to pull her into something.
"I will not sink to your level," She growled as the light faded, striking a battle stance, her Blossom Bell Bell in hand. Kona's black cat tail swished slightly in the air, the bell ringing lightly from the movement, her icy blue eyes narrowing as she held glares with the alien across from her.
"I would never betray a friend."
--
"Ara! Coming up! Chachacha!" Yumi chanted happily as she darted through the cafe, sliding trays show-offishly onto tables and entertaining (or annoying) customers by demonstrating just how fast she could run and avoid tables. Shaking her head in the distance, Roxi sighed, but smiled even so; her friend was always so full of energy. She held her position at the door, where she would greet and seat any customers. It was a busy day, not as busy as most, but still busy. Still a handful. The brunette glanced to the side. Kikyo was in the kitchen helping Keiichiro with some cakes; Yumi and her were handling it fine out here. Ichigo had called earlier, and had sounded absolutely miserable when she explained she was grounded and couldn't come to work. So she knew that was why she wasn't there. But Kona...
Where was Kona?
"Super-Chef-Keiichiro's choice is delicious, you know," By this point, Yumi was tending to another customer, a serious look on her face as she flipped out a notepad. The young man at the table smiled; he had black hair, and soft blue eyes, wearing fairly casual attire consisting of a t-shirt and jeans. Yumi seemed especially delighted by the gold bands he wore on his wrists, but he spoke before she got the chance to obsess over them.
"That sounds delicious. By the way, is Ryou around?"
Yumi stared at him and then blinked. It seemed to take a minute. "Ara... Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "You mean Shirogane-Boss-san? Yes. Well. No. Hm," She looked very thoughtful, tapping a pen against her chin. "Shirogane-Boss-san is here, but he hasn't been out at all today. He's not even in his lab. Just upstairs. I don't think he wants to see anyone, though..."
The boy frowned slightly, but nodded. "Alright." He cheered up noticeably then, if only for the sake of Yumi, "I'm here every day, so I'll just have to catch him some other time."
"Okay!" Yumi chimed happily, and scribbled down his order before dashing off to the kitchen. Roxi, seeing no one else coming in the doors, went to clear tables 3 and 11. That was usually Kona's job on a Sunday. At that thought, she glanced with concern out the door again, but moved on. There was work to be done, after all.
It was fairly quiet in the cafe room for the next few minutes. The dark haired boy, while waiting for Yumi to return with his dessert order, sat fairly casually and comfortably in his seat, gazing absently out one of the windows. He seemed quite content and relaxed. However, a few moments later, a strange look crossed his face, and he sat upright, his body appearing to tense. Almost immediately he pulled his jacket back on, tugging the sleeves protectively over his wrists before standing to his feet and stepping away from the table.
"Excuse me," Roxi turned around with an armful of dishes, faced with a concerned but kind looking customer, "I need to leave now, something came up. Would you mind telling your friend she could have my order instead? And that I'm very sorry I had to leave like this. I left payment on the table."
"Ah?" Roxi blinked, but nodded. "Yeah, that should be fine. Are you sure you don't want to wait, though? Yumi should be back in a few min-"
He was gone, just like that. The door swung lightly closed, and Roxi looked only slightly offended. Shaking it off, she started towards the kitchen, and then stopped. She looked back at the door, her eyes narrowed.
"His voice sounded... kinda familiar..." She murmured to herself before hurrying back to the kitchen for the dishes and Yumi.
--
"You're so soft. You'll bruise too easy," Hanajima chuckled, and held her arm out before her, as if accepting a challenge. As her Illusion Staff began to materialize, her faux disguise seemed to melt away, leaving her the pointy-eared alien clad in a battle outfit, her dark brown hair spilling over her bare shoulders.
"Is this supposed to be another distraction?" Kona snapped. She wasn't ready to attack yet, but held her Bell out defensively in case Hanajima tried anything. "I guess that's all you're good for, Hanajima. Sidekick work."
Hanajima sniggered. "Is that suppose to be an insult?" Her lips twisted into a wry smile and she floated into the air, staff outheld, ribbons loose from her clothing flitting darkly around her. "I suppose being a background character for someone who takes another's love for granted is so much better?"
"Shut up!" Cried Kona in anger. She'd had enough. Springing off her feet, the girl twisted strategically to the side and swung her bell out at Hanajima. "Ribbon Blossom Shine!"
She was clever, but Illusions were even more clever. It had happened before, as it happened now; Hanajima re-positioned herself so the bright-lighted attack hit only a mirage of her form, and not her form herself. The real alien laughed from behind.
"Don't like hearing the truth? It hurts, Kona!" Putting some oomph in her words for emphasis, she swung her staff around like a bat, aimed for Kona's head. Giving a split-second shriek, Kona was able to duck beneath it, feeling the air rush over her head. Her heart weakly skipped a beat. She charged forward, trying to tackle Hanajima over, but only succeeded in running into a corner that had been hidden by her magic. Gasping in pain, she crumpled to her knees, clutching her gut. It wasn't cut, but very heavily bruised from the blow.
"Then again, it is possible to disguise the truth," Hanajima mused to herself, standing behind the fallen Kona. The cat girl could barely move, let alone react. She smirked. "Is that what you've been doing? Hiding, all along, even though you know it's true? That Shirogane Ryou will never see you as anything more than an employee, a servant?"
"I thought I told you," Once her breath seemed to return to her, Kona was able to turn around slightly on the ground to level a glare with Hanajima, "to shut up. You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Kona!" A familiar voice called, and the girl spun around with wide eyes. Ryou stood there, his blonde haired mussed as he ran towards her at full speed.
"R-Ryou!" She called, immediately jumping to her feet as he approached. "What are you doing here?" She inquired hastily with wide eyes once he'd come over.
"Kona..." He breathed, trying to catch his breath. His blue eyes softened in concern. "You're hurt... what happened?"
"Aliens... Ryou, why are you...here..." Her legs suddenly gave out on her as she fell to the ground with a thud, trying to stop shaking. Running into a wall really took something out of a person... Although he reacted too slowly to catch her, Ryou dropped to his knees, and he felt a hand rest on her arm.
"Are you okay?" He asked in a panic.
"I'm... I'm fine," She said unsurely, her eyes averted. They were so close...
For a moment, he just stared at her, and his grip relaxed slightly. "I was worried about you," Ryou said in a soft tone, moving to help her back up to her feet. Kona felt her heart pounding - but it was nothing, right? Just like they'd all said... nothing but an employee...
"And..." She felt his hands rest gently on her shoulders, and she looked up at him, puzzled. His blue eyes were focused so clearly on her, his expression soft and serious...
"I love you."
Kona's eyes widened in shock, and she felt her entire body go numb. What did he just - Before her thought could even complete itself, she felt a brutal strike to her back. Crying out in searing pain, she fell forward, trying to catch herself on Ryou only to fall right through his image. An illusion. No.
Her body collided with the ground hard and fast, and she may have even skidded a fair distance from the impact. She groaned, and felt her face still burning from the experience. But it had been fake. An illusion. All fake.
"I don't know what I'm talking about, huh?" Limp on the ground, Kona could see Hanajima triumphantly walking over to her, staff in hand calmly. She smiled. "Oh, but I think I do." Carelessly, she nudged her foot into Kona's side, sending pain riddling through the girl's body once more.
Hanajima looked down at the girl seriously. "A weak heart makes for a weak mind," She shook her head in disapointment, as if this were some major fault. Kona could only stare. She'd lost any ability to move. Weak heart...? Is that really... really me?
She deserved it, then. "You wouldn't last a second on your own," Hanajima spat, her eyes now angry, bitter, "You have no will aside from that of your heart. And see where that's gotten you? Into an obvious trap... tsk."
Flicking her wrist, she lifted her staff up into the air, conjuring some mess of the mind all on her own. And Kona was helpless to do anything. Her physical state was just as lacking as her emotional state at that moment - she was totally vulnerable to instability in every shape and form. And not able to do a thing back.
This is the end...
All of a sudden, there was a hiss. Before Hanajima could react, something impacted with the back of her head, letting her Illusion Staff clatter to the ground. The alien let out a cry and stumbled forward, swinging her shoulders violently to the side, catapaulting the offending black cat to the ground. With a yowl of anger, it landed softly to the cement and bounded off, leaving a scowling alien behind.
"Damn thing..." She hissed, rubbing her shoulder in pain. But before she could turn her attention back to Kona, there was another interruption.
"Alien." Her hand twitching, Hanajima whirled around at the sound of another voice. Kona could barely move her head, but made out a figure dressed all in white approaching, a sword hanging at his side, raven black hair cropped around his face. That boy... She'd seen him once before, hadn't she? When Hanajima and Ari had cornered all the Mews but Ichigo, pulled them into battle, and when the cat girl had finally arrived, he'd been with her... "You will step away from the girl. Now."
The swordsman...
"You're...!" Grimacing heavily, the alien gritted her teeth and appeared to retreat. Instead, though, she waved her staff into the air in one swift movement, sending a flash of light through the area, duplications of her form appearing in a wide circle all around.
He seemed unfazed. Simply stepping over so his form blocked and protected Kona, the Elemental Swordsman reached over and pulled two swords from their sheaths. Kona watched, wide-eyed, from where she was, the wavering of white fabric blocking most of her view. But she could almost feel Hanajima's panic and unsureness. It was a smug feeling, knowing her enemy was about to fall, especially after all she'd put her through...
I'm not that weak, Kona thought hazily, letting her head rest against the cold pavement. Her attention was too sharp, too focused, so she knew she wouldn't fall asleep or be knocked out in her state. She was just... tired. I'm not that weak... I can't be...
"Get out of my way, boy," The alien snarled, all her forms echoing the words to form a blended and creepy sound, "You wouldn't like what I could do to you."
He said nothing, only stood his ground, keeping a firm glare on the enemies surrounding him. He held his arms and swords outwards, a stance ready for battle. "Honoo Kousa!" In one swift movement, the dark haired boy drew the blades together in the form of a cross, flame engulfing them both. All the Hanajimas visibly winced - not only had he not backed down, but was ready and eager to attack them.
They grimaced. "I warned you," They suddenly began to swarm all around him, chanting, echoing voices. At first, he seemed completely unaffected; he ran into to the fray without batting an eye, striking at all the fake Hanajimas and making them disapear. She was able to create more and more with only flicks of her staff, and they surrounded him, moving swiftly, coming in close and then moving far away in an effort to confuse him. He kept attacking, trying to find the real alien with no luck. It wasn't long before he'd used up a good amount of energy, and when he tried stepping back out of the confusion, all the forms evaporated into one. Hanajima took control of the moment, knocking him hard in the side with her staff. The swordsman stumbled, clutching his side wound tightly. Some blood from the blow surfaced through the heavy white fabric.
"Don't meddle in things you can avoid, little boy," She glowered, and took a swift step over. His injury prevented him from moving too fast, so he suffered another blow to the side, this one knocking him over and against another hidden wall. One of his swords clattered to the ground, the flame extinguishing. Hanajima stepped slowly towards him, taking her time, blue eyes narrowed in menace. "It's too late now. You can't avoid something that has complete control..."
Kona was helpless to do anything. Her breathing quickened as she watched. Don't hurt him. Her jaw tensed. Don't hurt him! Hanajima began to raise her staff, slowly, tauntingly. She wanted him to suffer. Kona squeezed her eyes shut.
Don't hurt him!
"RIBBON!" Kona's eyes fluttered open, and Hanajima and the Swordsman's heads jerked around in shock. A streak of black came soaring through the air, and before they could even make out the figure, "Mitsukai Ken!"
A searing black light burst from a streak of silver, and Hanajima could barely let out a cry as she was sent flying backwards, slammed up against another wall. There was another flurry of footsteps, and Kona only caught sight of a few feathers - black feathers? - floating to the ground beside her. Then she felt a hand around her arm.
"Stand up," The swordsman said simply, his deep aqua eyes staring down at her. She hesitated. Is this just another illusion? She remembered seeing Ryou there, so realistically, and her body stiffened. But with a turn of her head, she could see a dark blur over where Hanajima had fallen. There was a fight going on. Hanajima was occupied.
Trusting her instincts at that moment, Kona grasped the swordsman's hand, pulling herself up to her feet. She winced. Her body was sore all over. When he let go, she felt no blows, no sudden attacks from a certain illusion-inducing alien. So she smiled. "Thank you," She said weakly, and turned to face the battle that had sparked on.
"Who are you, girl?" Hanajima snapped, throwing her staff out to block a swing of a sword. Her grip shook. Kona could see some scratches up her arms from the earlier throw. Now she had a chance to view the figure that was calmly battling Hanajima away.
Different. That had to be the first thing that struck Kona's mind - she had never seen or met this girl. Ever. Her medium-length black hair was tied up in a ponytail, flitting about with her quick stepping movements; she was moving too fast for Kona to make out exactly what she was wearing, but it was all black.
When the alien's opponent gave no answer but silence, she was obviously irritated. "Can't you speak?" She yelled, and lunged her arm back in attempt to thrust it into the girl's gut. "Or are you just too almighty to spare a word?"
Instead of her stomach, the staff came into clashing contact with the flat edge of a sword, and was easily pushed away. Hanajima stumbled back and just barely brushed past a slice from the blade, which seemed to glow with an aura of power. Seeing just physical power was getting her nowhere, Hanajima dashed past the girl in a last effort, and waved her staff at the air, creating duplicates of herself again to surround the 'intruder'. And just like the Swordsman, the girl looked completely unaffected, and jumped in immediately.
There was one difference.
"Ribbon Mitsukai Ken!" She repeated in a loud tone, and the aura around her blade flared in sudden power. In one swing, she used that power to take out all the clones and leave Hanajima more wounded at the same time. Gasping for breath, the alien stared wide eyed at the girl, almost showing a glint of fear. She took a few steps back, but was interrupted.
"Don't move," Kona warned. Hanajima spun around. The Elemental Swordsman, Kona, and the girl with the sword stood around her, weapons outheld and ready to attack if she tried anything. The alien stood perfectly still. Then, with a curse under her breath, she disappeared into the air, leaving the three without a target to attack.
Sighing in relief, Kona pressed her gloved hand against her forehead to catch her breath. That had taken a lot out of her, even just witnessing the ending attack. When she was sure Hanajima was gone, she suddenly realized there was still a complete stranger in their midst. She quickly turned around to see the mysterious girl sheating her sword, turned away from them.
"Who...?" Kona suddenly seemed at a loss for words, her eyes falling over the girl's back. From it protruded one single, black feathered wing, and that seemed to whisk her own words away. A wing...? She hadn't noticed it before, though she supposed she mistook is as a part of her black outfit.
To her surprise, the girl stopped, and turned her head towards her. She had seemed so majestic, graceful, a silent fighter... but now as Kona looked at her, into her cold, hate-bearing eyes, she saw only ice among the blue depths. It sent a shiver down her spine.
"None of your business," She said coolly, simply, and for all Kona could comprehend her tone was too mature and cold for her words. Turning back away, the girl outstretched her one wing, continued to walk, and disapeared around a corner. Kona could only stare after her.
"How..." She twisted her mouth, trying to find the right word. "...rude." That didn't fit as a description at all, but it would have to do. She turned to face the swordsman, and was surprised to see he was sheathing his sword as well, prepared to leave.
"Oh, you're not going to disappear too, are you?" She shook her head and sighed. This really was too much mystery...
He turned to face her seriously. "I have to go now," He explained politely, bowing his head in the slightest, "There are matters to be attended too. I'll be seeing you soon though, I'm sure."
Kona brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Fine. Well, be off then," She shrugged dismissively, and he did as he was told, walking off into the distance until Kona couldn't see him anymore. Taking a moment to herself, she composed her stature, rested a little, and then detransformed. Now back in schoolgirl-Kona form, with a few extra battle scars, she headed back down the street to the cafe. It was dark. The cat that had been there had disappeared all too quietly in the chaos, she noticed...
--
"Kona!"
"Kona-chan, where have you been?" The instant she stepped in, a handful of uniform clad girls came rushing up. No Ichigo, she noticed with a bit of a tilted head. Before she could even ask, though, she was cut off by Yumi.
"Hua! You're all beaten up..." Yumi observed worriedly, lifting her arm and examining it. This sparked a sudden worry in Roxi and Kikyo.
"I'm fine... I just had a little run in with one of the aliens," She explained dismissively, trying to pull away. It was then she saw Ryou coming up the stairs, and she felt heat suddenly rush to her face at the sight.
"I love you."
She hurriedly turned away, trying to pretend she didn't notice him, and was more interested in her wounds. What am I getting so flustered about? It was... it was just an illusion...
"Kona?" She blinked rapidly and glanced at him, trying to keep from blushing as furiously as she had been. Ryou climbed over the last few steps, his expression slightly grim. "I'm glad you're here."
Her eyes widened and she felt her body stiffen. Her face was beet red and she knew it. "W..." Even her words wouldn't come out right. What's wrong with me?
"And now that you're all here," He added, putting a hand to his temple. He seemed completely oblivious to the stress Kona had suddenly put herself under, "Come down to the lab. Keiichiro will take care of the last of the customers. I - "
"Ichigo's not here," Kikyo pointed out to Ryou, even though her head was tilted at the still-blushing Kona with a cocked eyebrow.
Ryou shrugged. "I know. She already knows."
"Knows what?" Roxi inquired, tilting her head. The other girls seemed equally as curious, though only one kept staring at the floor like there was something terribly interesting about it.
He opened his mouth, paused, and then changed his mind. Turning around, Ryou started heading back down the stairs again, stopping to turn towards them.
"I have something to tell you all."
---
Next Chapter:
A search begins. Now that everyone knows of the 'fifth Blend mew', they're determined to find - and recruit - her. Only, what if she doesn't want to be recruited? What if she sees the injection as a curse, and the other members as worsening her problem? But as Hanajima and Ari are gaining power, the girls need a new ally - fast. Time is ticking, and who knows how long it will be until they decide to pull another dangerous act.