xuri: Haa, I'm sorry. xD This chapter was supposed to be out five days ago, but, um... my time to update was cut short before I left. It involved a newly renovated bathroom and a leaking ceiling, but, aside from that. x-x So, here ya go. Chapter nineteen. Seven more to go. Yay. xD And I think I did the most editting to this chapter. I added in an entire fight scene so a later discussion makes more sense and seems more... believable. x3
Mew of Fire: Oh, totally fun. xD And yeah, Kishu will play an important role in the three-chapter-finale. But that's all I'm going to say. ;3
SamKo: Like I said, not in the way that you think, but, eheh. :3 And about Brooke's name... Eheh, that's one of the problems with having people create characters for you. Their names don't always match with the intended nationality. At least I got to pick surnames to fix it up. xD I guess it doesn't really matter at this point, but, yeah. We're just going to pretend Brooke's parents decided to give her an American-ish name. x3 And Roxi too. And, wheee, I love Ryou and his water bottle. Ryou x Water Bottle forever. xDDD
Applecake: Wheee, thank you. xD I kind of suspect I scare people away with the large wordcount. They probably see the 100 000 plus words and go 'O-O'. xD Hehe. And I am totally happy with whatever length/frequency of review you are able to give me. Same with everyone. Gives me warm fuzzies. xD And yeaah, I kind of hoped that, by slowing down a bit in updating, I wouldn't be giving people heart attacks having to keep up with the craziness. I don't think being sued would be fun. x3 And yes, Ari is going to start becoming a lot more... maniacal. Especially in the three chapter finale. I can't wait. xD -cackles-
--
Blend (chapter nineteen)
..convincing darker light..
"Niwa Brooke," he said, "Age 16. Missing from the Tokyo district since October. Last whereabouts unknown, though she attended school the day of her disappearence." The picture on the screen was one of a half-smiling teenager, with gold hoop earrings and long black hair tied back, a pair of cool but gentle blue eyes. Ichigo swallowed. That's her.
"Care to explain it again?" Ryou requested simply, sitting lazily at the computer. They were all down in the basement again. Ichigo stood in the center, her hands folded tightly and anxiously infront of her. Everyone was looking at her, asking her questions. It was making her nervous.
"Ano..." Shaking it off, she looked at Ryou seriously, "The swordsman boy, he called the angel girl 'Brooke'. I'm sure. And I... think, anyways, that Kikyo had a point." Obviously Kikyo did not remember this 'point', because she looked at Ichigo questioningly. "She said that it was strange the only time we ever saw the Dark Angel was when she was transformed. So, I just thought... maybe... is it possible she can't turn back?"
Silence. Complete, and utter silence. The girls all looked as if the idea had just dawned on them, as if it would have explained so many things. Why she was always transformed. Why she thought she was so 'different'. Why she wouldn't come with them.
However, this wasn't the big surprise to Ryou. Not first, at least. "'Angel?'" He asked, almost in disbelief. "Hold on...hold on, angel?"
"She..." Kona trailed off, trying to explain, "That's what she calls herself, 'Dark Angel'. I think she's fused with a dark bird or something, she only has one wing, and - "
"There are no birds," he said briskly, already facing his computer again, "with one wing."
"Ah?" Roxi raised an eyebrow. "Then... what is she?"
Ryou was obviously not pleased at this development, as he kept typing without reply. Ichigo frowned and stepped forward, trying to get him to look at her.
"Shirogane, are you sure you were the one that injected her?" She asked slowly but firmly, "I mean, if she's not really a mew, maybe she's something else --"
"No." His fingers stopped dead in their tracks, the screen blank as a result. He sighed, setting his head to rest in the palm of his hand as he glanced at Ichigo. "No, I was the one who injected her. She has the DNA from my files. Just not from project Blend..."
Again, there was a considerable amount of quiet. Then Ichigo tried again : "What project was she fused with?" She asked carefully.
This only served to make Ryou looked more stressed. He closed his eyes, and then opened them again, staring calmly at the screen before him. "A while back - even before the first Mew Project - I was experimenting with different fusions. Mythical beings - pegasus, chimera, griffin... But they failed. You can't create DNA of something that does not exist."
Ichigo's eyes widened. "Shirogane, was... was an angel one of those mythical beings?"
There was a pause. "Yes," he said finally, turning to face her, "Yes, it was. But when that failed, I'm sure I locked it on a file and stored it safely away. I don't understand how it got into Blend - it's not possible," He looked completely stressed now, "It must have gotten in by mistake. Since it was defectual, that would explain why she only has one wing, a black wing, and can't transform back." He closed his eyes even more tightly.
"So, Brooke," Ichigo said slowly, like it was still sinking in, "is fused with a defective angel, and can't turn human again?"
Ryou nodded. She inhaled, and then sighed.
"What are... we supposed to do?"
"I don't know," he shook his head, "But we can't really do anything if she's not here, can we?"
"So we'll just have to convince her to come!" Yumi piped happily. Roxi smiled.
"Yeah. That's what we'll do."
--
"Uheh, thanks so much for taking me out, Aoyama-kun," Ichigo piped cheerfully, poking at her rice excitedly. A date with Masaya - always perfect!
The boy smiled at her fondly. "I'm just glad you could make it, Ichigo. I've missed you..."
A blush crossed her cheeks and she just smiled happily. "Are you really feeling better? I heard they kept you in the hospital an extra day."
"It was just to make sure," he said with a shrug, taking a sip of his soda, "But I'm fine now, I promise. And you're alright too?"
Ichigo nodded. "Of course. I just..." She paused, and turned to look down at her arm. It was a bit scratched up. She should have worn longer sleeves, she realized, and hastily moved to try and cover it up. Masaya just smiled, almost sadly.
"Ichigo... You should have told me there were aliens here."
Ichigo stopped and sighed. "I know... I just didn't see you much anyways, and... I didn't... want you to get involved..." She said quietly, fiddling with the skirt of her dress.
He nodded, setting his glass down. "I understand. I guess I couldn't really do much anyways..." he lowered his eyes to the table and shook his head, "I just like to think sometimes that I can protect you. I know I can't, not anymore. But, Ichigo, I'm worried about you..."
"Don't be!" She said in a hurry, leaning forward with wide eyes, "Aoyama-kun, please, don't worry about me. I told you I was okay, didn't I? Besides, I have all my friends fighting with me." She smiled. "I look out for them and they look out for me."
Masaya's worried look softened. "I'm glad. You deserve people like that, Ichigo." They both smiled at eachother before they started eating again, over more light hearted chat topics, until they were finished. Ichigo passed on the dessert.
"Huah, sorry, I've been around too many sweets lately at the cafe..." She sweatdropped and giggled, rubbing the back of her head. Masaya chuckled lightly as well.
"That's fine. I'll just have to treat you to that another day," pausing, he looked thoughtful, and then a smile crossed his face, "I know. I'll drop by the shop sometime, alright? To visit. If Shirogane-san lets you have a break, I could even buy you some ice cream."
"Really?" Ichigo's face lit up. Work had become such a hazardous, almost depressing place. But if Masaya was there... "That would be so great! Are you sure you have the time?"
By this point, Ichigo and him were up on their feet, heading over to pay the bill. As soon as she asked, the boy leaned over and gently brushed his lips against her cheek, making the girl's face go beet red instantly. Masaya smiled. "I always have time for you, Ichigo."
--
Ichigo was practically floating to the cafe. She'd been granted the day off work to hang out with Masaya - but Ryou still insisted the girls all go home together for safety. Sure enough, they were waiting there, looking gloomy after a long day of work. Ichigo didn't notice. She was practically beaming the whole way over, which got her nothing but a few very suspicious looks.
"What are you so happy about?" Kikyo inquired, in an almost snappish tone.
Yumi grinned. "Ichigo just came back from a date with Mister Masaya, didn't ya, Ichigo?"
"Eh?" Ichigo blinked, her cheeks going red.
Roxi grinned, stepping forward immediately. Even Kona seemed intrigued. "Oh, yeah, that's right! How was it, Ichigo?"
"Did you kiss?"
"Are you going out again soon?"
"Did he compliment you on your dress?"
"Was --"
"Waitwaitwait!" Ichigo waved her hands around frantically, trying to clear up the bombardment of questions. When she was sure they stopped, she looked over her hands, paused, and then smiled sheepishly. "Uhm... ever heard of privacy?"
A hand landed squarely on the top of her head. "It's not privacy when its out in the open, Strawberry," Ichigo looked up in alarm to see Ryou standing behind her, one eye closed.
"Sh-sh-shirogane!"
"Ryou!" Kona blinked, looking puzzled, "What are you doing here?... I promise, I have it under control, Roxi's even got a flashlight tonight since it's been getting darker, and Kikyo has her cell phone, so we can contact you if anything --"
"Calm down, Kona," the scolding tone he used obviously stung the girl, but she knew she'd gotten a little carried away anyways. Even she knew, she'd been acting so childish and easily flustered since... well, since - "I just needed some fresh air. Might as well put some good use to it, right?"
Kona looked up at him, and then smiled. "Yeah. I guess."
"Does it get really cooped up there?" Yumi asked in concern as they started to walk, "Poor Ryou! Always in his little room, always alone...Oh! I have an idea! Why doesn't Kona move in with you? Then you can both be happpyyy!"
Kona's face turned red suddenly. "Ah, Yumi, I don't think that would work - "
"Oh? Really?" The girl blinked innocently, and then frowned, looking up at the sky thoughtfully, "What about Ichigo then?" She piped, "Then you and Ichigo could get along better instead of fighting all the time!" Now it was Ichigo's turn to go red in the face. Although, she didn't see a reason to be embarassed.
Masaya and I... we're so happy. I shouldn't be flustered over childish comments like that anymore.
"Yeah, that'll work! And then in the Winter, you won't even be cold, 'cause---"
"Yumi-chan, I think that's enough," Roxi gave an exasperated sigh, giving the small girl a little shake by the shoulder. Kikyo couldn't help but smile, and Kona even laughed a little. Ryou wasn't really paying attention, though there was a little smirk on his face.
They were like a family, weren't they?
A bit of a dysfunctional, argumentive, super-power-gifted family, but a family, nonetheless.
--
"You weakling!"
A glass smashed against the floor. Ari's hand was covered in sand-like shards, her fists curled up on a counter as she fumed in anger. Little droplets of blood were forming on her knuckles from the impact, but she didn't care. She was in pure rage at this moment, and it seemed nothing could console it.
"You're..." Her teeth clenched as she glowered, golden eyes firey. In a chair, a few feet away, Marzipan sat, clad in a lazy black dress, her dark purple locks pulled back. There were bandages on her face, but new scratches and even a bruise that were results of Ari's anger. She just stared ahead, her deep blue eyes glazed. From the expression on her face, she might as well have been attending a funeral.
Ari made another growling noise from her throat, crushing the glass scattered on the floor with her heel. "...pathetic!" She screamed, and let her fist collide with the other alien's face. Marzipan's head moved to the side, and she took the blow without even flinching. Hanajima was simply sitting to the side, observing casually, like this was nothing new at all.
Rubbing the blood from her fist, Ari turned away and glared back at her. "You can't even handle a few blows, can you? A little nick, and you're down. It's disgusting..." her body was shaking violently as she stepped away, though it seemed she had relieved most of her stress. The blue haired alien starting walking away. "Useless. We shouldn't have brought you in in the first place." She hissed, turning back to Hanajima, who glanced up from the book she'd been reading.
"All you're doing is holding us up," Ari added, not even bothering to look at the other alien, "So you're staying here. We're going to send you back as soon as we can so you won't get in the way. Having you die on us would just be inconvenient."
Beckoning Hanajima to follow, Ari left the room, and they shut the door behind them. Footsteps lead down the hall until they disapeared, and all was silent. Marzipan was left sitting there, in complete quiet. In complete darkness.
--
"G'night,"
"Bye, Ichigo! Ryou!" Kona waved from her door before safely stepping inside, the two mentioned individuals standing at the sidewalk to make sure she got in safely. Of course, the chances of her getting attacked while stepping onto her porch were slim. In fact, Ichigo wasn't sure such a thing was possible. But Ryou insisted on being absolutely certain. They were in enough fights as it was - if they could prevent them, then, at any cost, they would. Even if it meant being on constant watch.
"You don't have to walk me home, you know," Ichigo said once Kona was inside, yawning and stretching and starting to walk off on her own. She felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder, keeping her in place.
"Oi." Spinning around to face Ryou, Ichigo frowned. He opened one eye lazily, cocking his head at her, with a completely relaxed expression. "I don't think you're trustworthy enough to wander off on your own."
"What?" Ichigo gaped at him, and then went red with anger. "Shirogane, I'm perfectly --"
"Did I," he said calmly, removing his hand but keeping a firm glare on her, "or did I not tell you not to seperate from the group under any circumstances?"
"Eh?" Ichigo's eyes widened and she blinked. Oh, right - he was talking about the fight with the aliens earlier, wasn't he? Okay, so she'd gone off against his orders. But she looked angry anyways - what right did he have to treat her like such a child? "Yes, you did, but --"
"Baka," Ryou hissed, lowering his eyes at her. Before she could even retort, he turned away, "You're an idiot. How many times do I have to tell you to be careful!"
Ichigo huffed. "I can take care of myself! What's the point of having powers if you can't use them with your own judgement?"
"You've already proven to me you have bad judgement."
"What? I haven't gotten badly hurt, ever! And I've always helped the others if they have! I can handle it, you know, I'm not some kid! I know what I'm dealing with! I..."
She froze, trailing off as Ryou turned the other way, casting her a sad gaze. Ichigo felt the blood run from her face. He's...?
"I don't..." he said slowly, and sighed in frustration, turning away, "...I just don't want you hurt, Ichigo." His voice was quiet, almost even meek, as he swiftly walked away, leaving her alone. Like she'd wanted. Ichigo watched after him, her mouth still a bit open, before quickly closing it again.
He's stubborn, is all, she told herself decisively, marching off down the sidewalk to her house. Just stubborn. Although... the redhead paused, only slightly, staring down at the cement below her footing. He seemed almost... worried.
"Well, he has no reason to be!" Standing up straight, Ichigo puffed her chest out proudly, folding her arms and glaring at the sky, "I can take care of myself. He's just being a paranoid mother-figure. And he's doing a bad job of it. Who needs him, anyways?"
Gah, it was dark out. Ichigo only noticed this now, glancing up at the sky. Even the stars seemed a little dimmer than usual. She shivered. It would be nice to have some company on her way home. Not Ryou. ... Okay, maybe Ryou. Only if he shut up and stopped looking at her funny. Otherwise, it was better to have no company at all.
Wrapping her arms around herself in a secure hug, she started walking again, slowly, quietly, like she was afraid any noise would put her in sudden danger. There was no one out, so she shouldn't worry so much. Or... should she worry more?
When there was the click-clack of footsteps from the distance, Ichigo nearly screamed, dropping to the ground all curled up with her hands over her face. When she felt nothing attack her, she peered out from between her fingers, swallowing nervously. Ichigo blinked. There was a shadow darting around, across the street, off in the distance. She saw it. And she suddenly felt terrified.
A stalker? A robber? A murderer? A wanderer? A... She paused in her own train of thought. No, she knew who it was. From body shape alone, it was impossible to distinguish anything at that distance. But protruding from the back of the darting shadow was a curved shape, a wavering image.
A wing.
Without even thinking, Ichigo straightened up and started running towards it. Across the street, down the path, and into a more deserted business-district of town where she'd seen the shadow. She just kept running. She didn't even let her brain kick in, her common sense get a hold of her. She just ran.
"H-hey..." Of course, the shadow was only getting further and further away. Where was it going? Instantly picking up pace, at least as much as she could by that point, Ichigo bounded forward, trying to catch up. Inhaling, she shouted out, as if it would do some kind of good - "Wait! Wait!
"Brooke, wait!"
That stopped her. Ichigo sighed in relief, and allowed herself to slow down as she caught up. The shadow turned to face her, revealing the form of angel Brooke, her dark hair tied up, her single wing folded neatly. Ichigo was right. But she did not look pleased at all.
"What do you want?" She asked clearly, irritation striking in her voice. Ichigo winced. Recovering, though, the redhead curled her hand into a loose fist, holding it against her chest.
"Uhm... Brooke," she tested again, but the angel girl didn't look at all happy to hear her name being spoken. In fact, she simply looked... impatient. Ichigo took a deep breath, swallowed, and then stepped closer to her. "You're...we..."
Ichigo was unable to find the right words. Scowling, the impatient Brooke waited only a moment more before turning around, fully intending to leave. Ichigo got her courage back and grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to face her again.
She exhaled. "We know about you. We know why you can't be you!"
Brooke's eyes widened. But before she could even respond, there was a rustle in the trees.
"Rieh! Rieh!" Ichigo heard Masha's muffled cry from her back, and they both froze dead silent. The bushes moved once again, and then out shot a flurry of light. They knew what was coming, but they couldn't do a thing about it. Aliens.
"Ah, what good luck!" Ari's golden eyes glinted as her lips curled up into a sly smile, "Ichigo-neko and angel brat are in the same place. Now we can get rid of both nuisances at once... how convenient!" She laughed tauntingly, and Hanajima appeared beside her. Ichigo waited, holding her arms defensively out infront of her. Nothing.
"Where is she?" She demanded, reaching with one hand for her pendant. Her eyes were darting around almost nervously. "Where's Marzipan?"
"Oho, you actually remember her?" Ari folded her arms over her chest irratatedly, "You shouldn't worry. She's not coming. She'll never be coming. She wasn't a challenge at all, now, was she? So why do you care?" The alien held one of her knives an inch away from her own face, the blunt end resting on her nose, "You should focus on danger, neko, instead of passing distractions."
Ichigo's heart sank. What happened to Marzipan? She jumped to the worst conclusions first - torture? Her being sent back? Death? That wasn't fair. That wasn't fair at all. Ari and Hanajima - they were their cold enemies, for sure. But Marzipan... Ichigo had seen a look on Marzipan's face, and she knew, she knew she was just caught between false conceptions. If she could have learned to be persuasive enough in time, Ichigo was sure she could have gained Marzipan's trust, lessened one enemy and gained an ally. And now she was gone. That's not fair...!
"You're... you're cold as ice! Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpha-sis!" Transforming instantly, Mew Ichigo grabbed her Bell from a summoned veil of sparkles and jumped at Ari.
"You meant to say hot as flame!" Ari yelled in return, striking the catgirl's bell with her sais. The attack itself was weak, but the impact was aimed at such an angle that it sent the girl right off balance, having to catch herself on the ground by flipping to her feet in a very catlike manner.
Ari's lips twitched. "Is Ichigo-neko going to play the same games today?" she laughed, "I thought you'd have known by now, how old those games are. Tedious. But I have something new we can play today. How fun!"
Ichigo's breath caught in her throat and she stepped back, holding her bell out in such a manner it would act as a shield for her. Brooke didn't even have her sword out yet. She just stood there, tall, staring at Ari through cold blue eyes. The alien didn't seem to be in the mood for mental taunting.
No, both could see it clearly - she was ready for a fight.
"Ready, set, go!" She chanted with a grin and began a ritualistic looking attack. Instantly, she flipped the daggers in her hands so the blades pointed downwards. Ari crossed her arms and then uncrossed them as she lifted them above her head, the two metallic weapons clashing together and creating a blue spark. Instead of fading, the spark simply gathered at the tips of the weapons, glowing brighter and brighter with every passing second. It was frightening. Besides that, Ichigo saw a maniacal gleam in Ari's gold eyes, one that sent a shiver down her spine.
She was out for blood.
With the daggers raised above her head, a lethal energy began to gather around her, becoming stronger and stronger. Brooke could feel it. Even Ichigo became afraid, not knowing what to expect. Whatever it was, though... It would be bad.
Ari's eyes closed and her lips parted, inhaling a great deal of air before she unleashed a glass-shattering cry, "Synthesis!" As if it were a magical word, the spark erupted into a blue mass, thrashing about above Ari's head. Ichigo's eyes widened as she recognized it, and she felt her face paling
That's...
That's the substance she trapped Roxi in!
Crying out again, Ari tightened her grip on the daggers, seperating them by holding one out in front and keeping the other above her head. The effect it had on the substance was similar to ripping a piece of paper apart - instead of tearing, however, it just became aggrivated, and several tentacle like projections burst from the main body.
Her gold eyes opening half-lidded, Ari watched with exhausted amusement, "Doesn't it look like fun, neko?" her voice was soft, almost vulnerable. Then her mouth twisted into a full out grin, and she yanked her dagger backwards, fire in her eyes. "GO!"
Ichigo's body stiffened as the projections twisted together and shot at her in one fluid motion. She had to move. She had to get out of the way! "No!" Ichigo cried, trying to duck and roll to the side at the same time. The general blow missed her, as she felt only air rushing around her. Instead of hitting her dead on, though, it caught on her wrist, and tangled itself around, clamping on tightly.
"Eh!" Ichigo looked at her wrist with wide eyes, and then tried prying the tentacles off with her hands. They'd unattached themselves from the main mass, which was still above Ari's head, and they were now wrapped tightly around her lower arm, like a band she couldn't remove. She heard Ari laugh.
"Hah! It's no use, neko." She grinned. "My 'synthesis' is more tricky this time..."
After staring at it for quite some time, Ichigo couldn't tell what it was doing to her. It didn't hurt. It had stopped moving. It was like a jelly-blue rope, wrapped around her wrist. Sure, it was tight, but that was it. She didn't feel lightheaded or anything. Figuring it was one of those things that would take a while to kick in, Ichigo wouldn't waste any time. Passing her bell to her next hand, she jumped up into the air.
"Ribbon Strawberry Check! Nya!" The last part came involuntarily, but it did the trick anyways. A burst of pink light shot at Ari, but did very little damage. She was already immune to that attack. Ichigo gritted her teeth, flipping back and landing squarely on her feet. It felt way easier this time. Her balance seemed more natural than usual, like her cat senses were finally kicking back in. About time.
But Ari didn't look at all fazed. In fact, she looked delighted. "Well now. Isn't this a fun little game?" She mused to herself, and then grinned slyly, whipping out a flame covered dagger and aiming a spiral of flame right for Ichigo.
"Nya!" Again with the 'nya'. She'd always said it, as a part of her transformation and such, but why had it suddenly become so frequent? Ichigo eased onto her hand swiftly, flipping her body around in a roundoff to avoid the flame. And still Ari was grinning maniacally. "You tell me to stop playing games. This is all the same thing over again, and its going to end the same way, too!" Ichigo yelled, and once more held her bell out.
"Ribbon --"
"Is that so?" Ari waited calmly, not moving a muscle. Ichigo gritted her teeth, feeling her energy gathering in the bell.
"Strawberry... Sur--!"
Suddenly her throat constricted tightly, stealing the breath from her. Ichigo stopped. An unusual pain ripped suddenly through her body, and faded just as instantly, but she was left with an ache, having to gasp for air. What... what was that?
She could see Ari grin. "Having fun yet?"
"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped in a gargled tone, and then ran forward right for Ari. Whatever was going on, she needed to end this fight so she could stop it. "...Surprise!" She cried out, the powerful attack bursting forward from the Bell. No sooner had she said the word than another jolt of pain went through her, this time making her gasp and sending her to her knees, clutching her throat which still felt like it was being crushed. From the corner of her eye, she could see Brooke standing calmly, silently battling an onslaught of Hanajima's illusions. She was so calm, like she could see through them, ignore the taunts. Hanajima didn't look happy. But Ari did.
"See the rules of this game?" She tapped her dagger against her chin, smiling, "They're simple - I win. You lose."
"N...nya..." Ichigo struggled to say, and then froze. Again. Again. Her cat ears twitched and she struggled to breath, and then her eyes flickered over to the substance wrapped around her wrist. The synthesis. "This..." Her eyes widened as she breathed heavily, "What is this... doing?"
"You recognized it, didn't you?" Ari shrugged, looking up at the blob above her head with amusement, "My 'synthesis'. Your little panda friend just barely escaped, remember?" She started laughing, and held her arms out above her, "Well it's baa-aack!"
Ichigo stared in horror. It was the same. The same thing that had nearly forced Roxi to become her animal, a panda, to lose her human mind. And that very same thing was attached to her wrist, sucking something out of her and strengthening something else. "It's... it's turning me into a cat?" She breathed, and felt the pain again, having to double over clutching her stomach. Her balance felt more acute, and at the same time, all those cat mannerisms were kicking in again.
"No...No!" Trying to block out the pain, Ichigo pried at the band of Synthesis that was around her wrist, trying to pull it off. It had a death grip on her, refusing to let go. And every second that passed, she could feel her cat genes being enhanced, stronger and stronger. Soon...
"Ah! Nya!" Her senses were pin-sharp enough that she saw blue flame barelling at her before it could hit, and she bounced out of the way hurriedly. She was panicked now. Ichigo tried biting down on it, but all that managed to do was leave a sour taste in her mouth and make her teeth hurt. Teeth. They were getting sharper. Smaller. More cat like. Ichigo was beginning to feel dizzy.
"Well look at this!" Ari giggled happily, holding her dagger outright, "Dilemma dilemma for neko dilemma. Fight me, and you'll be taken over by a cat. Fight that, and you might lose your life before you lose your mind. What a fun game!"
What she said was true. It was impossible to do two things at once. Looking at the side, Ichigo saw Brooke standing tall, keeping a cold look on her face as Hanajima tried to bombard her with illusions of torment. They weren't working as they did on the others, but Ichigo realized now that wasn't the intent. She was being distracted, so Ari could play this sick little game without any interuptions.
Giving up on the Synthesis band for the time being, Ichigo knew she could solve at least half the problem by getting Ari away from her. She whipped her bell out infront of her, clutching it fiercely and summoning all her energy to the center. Ari just looked down at her casually, as if she weren't a threat. And she wasn't really - she was just now crossing the line between cat-fused-warrior-girl and harmless kitten. It wouldn't be too long now.
"Ribbon...!" Her eyes struck wide and she stumbled forward, but refused to give in to the overwhelming pain. She flashed back to the time when Roxi had been trapped in the same substance, thrashing around, screaming as she tried to fight off the pain. Ichigo wouldn't give in. She wouldn't give up. "...S-strawberry..." Ichigo clenched her teeth as she felt her jaw starting to change shape, causing an excruciating amount of resistance from her human body. Her vision was beginning to change as well - to a mixture of bright lights, all glaring at her, blinding her as she tried to adjust. Ari watched with amusement.
"Sur...surpr..." Ichigo let out a glass shattering cry as her muscles stretched past the breaking point, her hands letting go in a spasm and letting the bell clatter to the ground. Her heart was beating abnormally fast, and she clutched at her chest, trying to force the pain away. "Ung... Uaaaaahhh!" She screamed again, tears spilling from her eyes. Ari was finished watching.
"I'll put you out of your misery, neko," she said with false sympathy, pushing off the air and flashing past the blob of Synthesis above her head, drawing a knife out in one swift movement. Ichigo couldn't even see her, much less move out of the way. She tried, but her legs gave out beneath her, sending her to the ground.
Something cool sliced up against her wrist, coming within a hair's width of her skin. Before she could realize what had happened, the tight grip the blue wrap had on her extinguished, falling to the ground in a lifeless heap. Her cheek resting against the cement, but her body unharmed over all, Ichigo caught her breath and looked up to see Brooke standing over her, traces of the substance on the tip of her sword. She could see, from the corner of her eye, Hanajima laying limp, having barely endured an attack of some sort.
She...saved me again...
Ari, missing one of her sais from a direct collision, scowled at the angel girl, tossing her single weapon to the opposite hand. "I guess warning you not to meddle will do no good," she said in a low voice, and wordlessly sent forth another wave of Synthesis. Ichigo's eyes widened.
"Stop!" She couldn't even do anything - the tentacle latched firmly onto Brooke's arm. She seemed unfazed, however, and held her sword pointed at Ari.
"What effect can it have?" She whispered, narrowing her eyes, "I'm as mutated as I possibly can be."
Ari only laughed in delight, dark blue hair bouncing as she shook her head vehemently. "I'm sorry to say, girly, that if you're looking for a pity party, there isn't one. What an interesting new obstacle to the game! I suppose if I can't expoit you to the wonders of Synthesis, I can always just cut you out of your miseries by force!"
In response, Brooke only scowled, planting her foot on the ground, twisting her arms so her sword was angled directly to the alien. She left the thick rope of blue gel to sit uselessly around her wrist, focusing her energy on her new target.
"I've taken one of you down," Brooke said frigidly, her tone practically brimming with shards of ice, "and I'll do the same to you."
And still, Ari was only amused. "Well, then." Shoulders giving one last tremble in laughter, a gravtitational pressure seemed to be released as the alien girl touched down to the ground, perfectly level with the Dark Angel. The light of the moon glinted menacingly in Ari's golden eyes, the blob of synthesis above her and around her sais shuddering easily away. In only a moment of silence, she tossed one weapon into the air and caught it by the handle, holding it so it cut right across Brooke's face from her viewpoint. Ari grinned. "Bring it on."
Without waiting for further invitation, Brooke sprung forward on her feet, moving with such swift and quick-footed grace that it was almost impossible for anyone to predict her movement. Almost.
She seemed to forget a certain illusions alien was still conscious, if knocked down.
"You're dead!" The Dark Angel screamed with fury, sidestepping and thrusting her sword cleanly into Ari. Or, what should have been Ari. The visual simply flickered away, leaving her sword targetless, bloodless, stranded in midair.
And Ichigo, even in her state of intense pain and near blackness, could see Hanajima smile wryly from the corner of her eye before the brunette's head hit the cement, slipping into a state of sublime unawareness.
Before Brooke had the chance to react to this, Ari flashed into sight by the misfit-angel's side, planting a metal-clasping fist into the side of her face. Crack. The girl wasn't even given time to scream as pain overwhelmed her, streaks of blood surfacing where the skin had broken. Contact was broken only for one moment before Ari, letting out a jubilant laugh, whipped around and shoved a knee into Brooke's back.
Ichigo shrieked, though it came more as a sob, at the scene before her. All flashing before her eyes, happening almost too fast to process... Her vision, albeit slowly, was returning to normal, but her head felt like it had endured more strain than ever. It made it hard to concentrate, hard to focus, hard to keep from passing out as Hanajima had done from total loss of strength.
But this time, Brooke reacted more swiftly. Allowing only a noise of discomfort to rise in her throat, she found grip on her sword once again and swung it, though blinded by pain, with her usual accuracy and power in the alien's direction. Unaided by illusions, Ari only had her own wit and speed to rely on. And apparently, this was enough.
"Keh!" Retracting her arms at inhuman speed, she contorted her body to an angle, uncomfortable as it may be, where Brooke's sword was able to only catch on a loose strand of Ari's hair. It flitted to the ground harmlessly, and though she experienced a moment of relief, a smirk reappeared on Ari's face.
"Down low - too slow!" Riddled with pain, Brooke was unable to register the quickness with which Ari moved - one moment, she had been standing right in range of her swipe, and the next, the alien had dropped to the ground, delivering a hard a full-powered kick the angel-girl's exposed ankles. The force was enough to knock her clear over, and, with a grunt, Brooke hit the cement, sword clattering against the solid surface.
A laugh erupted from above as Ari grabbed a fistful of the girl's hair, the expression on her face reflecting unbridled joy. Before the human/angel girl could be given a chance to retaliate from the fall, a knee was jammed squarely in her gut, knocking the wind out of her and leaving her breathless and delirious for several moments.
The cat girl, who still lay helplessly aside, felt her arms tense. No. Why wasn't she doing anything? Why couldn't she do anything? Here the Dark Angel, or Brooke, had jumped in so many times to save them, even if she'd insisted on working alone... And all Ichigo could do was lay there. Helpless. Hopeless. It was just as Ari said - she was pathetic.
No... I'm not! Ari's wrong. I can be strong. Even like this... if it means protecting the people who are important to me... I can be strong!
It was only as the feeling of metal slicing her cheek open registered in her mind that Brooke surfaced back to reality, sucking in an automatic breath of air. And it was only then, as the searing pain somehow cleared her senses, that she saw Ari, dangling in the air above her, a malicious grin painted on her face.
"Ja ne, angel brat," And before Brooke could press a glove to her own cheek to stop the rapid bleeding, Ari lifted flame engulfed sais to her lips, and exhaled.
"NYA!"
Now a force of habit rather than a force of Synthesis, one word echoed through the disturbed air, three powerful if unsteady footsteps pounding against the gravel before Ichigo's pink-clad body intercepted Brooke's view from Ari, and vice versa. Pain scrawled across her face and body movements, but the determination that shone in her pink eyes burned more brightly than anything. The single tinkle of her bell was the only indication of time passing, between the spiral of flame that burst from Ari's sais and the incantation she spoke next --
"Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!"
Blue flame met with a flurry of pink light, causing something of a reaction. An explosion, even. Lights burst into the air as the remainder of the flame whirled past, dousing Ichigo and burning her, marking her arms and legs and uniform in burns, but not to a point of fatality. And the light slipped past the flame, hitting Ari with only a fraction of its power, but with enough of such to stun and shock her, leaving her immobile for several moments after the attack.
Letting out only a short groan, Ichigo's shaking legs gave out beneath her as she crumbled to the ground, trembling in pain. But she was conscious. And she was alive. And she had succeeded in doing the one thing she'd fought the unbearable pains to do - she'd saved Brooke's life.
And the one who recieved such a rescue could only stare in shock with wide eyes, that had only moments before shone in fear. Managing a pain-stretched smile, Ichigo turned to look back at Brooke, exhaling. "I did it," Was all she could say, with a little weak laugh, "I'm not weak, after all."
Somehow regaining her senses, Brooke looked at the resurfacing Ari and knew what she had to do. Hardening once more and ignoring the pain that coarsed through her and the trailing warmth of blood on her face, she snatched up her sword and stood upright, her usual focus returning.
"I am not looking," she whispered, knuckles turning white as she clenched her hands around the hilt of her sword, "for pity."
And then, without waiting for Ari to respong, Brooke jerked her sword upwards and then dragged it downwards through the air. As she did so, she called out the words, and it seemed to tear a hole of darkness in the air. "Mitsukai... Ken!" With a breath and a slash, she sent a flurry of darkness at Ari. The alien's eyes widened as she came back from the pain of Ichigo's attack to be faced by an onslaught of pure, enveloping darkness. Only, she realized far too late; it ribboned around her, drowning out her screams and suffocating Ari and all of her power. When she managed to fight free of its grasp, she landed with a thud on the ground, clutching her stomach and gasping.
"D..damn you," She hissed, glaring at them both before disapearing into the air, taking Hanajima with her.
Once they were gone, Brooke effortlessly cut the Synthesis away from her skin. It was more awkward using the sword herself, so she created a small cut on the back of her hand, but it was barely noticeable. Sheathing her sword, she paused for a moment, turning to face Ichigo.
"You're alright?"
Ichigo swallowed, and nodded, slowly, though she couldn't help but feel slightly proud. That was a first - Brooke had never spoken directly to her before. Sitting up, though, she put her hand to her jaw and found she was turning back to normal. Even the burns weren't as bad as they had felt - nothing was black, and no bone was showing, and the pain was much less intense. She sighed in relief. I got lucky that time... Looking back up at Brooke, she swallowed, and nodded, "...Yeah, I'm fine...now"
Slowly, though hinting reluctance, Brooke nodded and turned to leave. She didn't even take a step before Ichigo said, predictably, "Wait."
The angel girl didn't move. She waited. She owed it to her.
Pushing herself back up to her feet, Ichigo limped over to Brooke. "You've... you've protected me so many times," Brooke said nothing, "All of us. And we know now... we know why you're like us, and why you're not. We want to help. All we want to do is help you like you've helped us. Don't you see now? We're all in this together, no matter how different we all are."
Pausing, Ichigo sighed and stepped closer, trying to make eye contact with Brooke, who wasn't leaving or saying a thing.
"Brooke..." She said her give an unfamiliar twitch at the mention of her name,
"... Will you come with me? Whether we can fix it or not, it's better than wandering in search of nothing. We'll do everything we can, everything we can possibly do to help. Just give me and the others a chance. We're on your side. And... and even if you say no... I'm not going to leave you behind!"
--
Next Chapter:
Hate fuels destruction. With the desire to eliminate comes power and strength - but does it outdo the will to protect? Ichigo and the others are on constant guard, having to always be on the defensive. How much longer can they come out the winner... let alone alive?