Blend Chapter 22: Tracing Destinies, a tokyo mew mew fanfic

xuri: Heheheh. xD I really should be talking about the many important things this chapter leads to. I really should. Instead, I'm going to rant over the fact that the PICTURES ARE NOW UP! x3 And no, they're not gorgeous or anything. Just basic. The best I could do. Plus, they're significantly improved versions of the sketches I made when I first wrote this fic, which seemed good at the time, but now I just had to redo every last character. x3 They're all linked up on my profile, so check 'em out and tell me what you think!

And, I'm sorry about the delay. ;3 I had this chapter done days ago, but I was insistant on having the pictures up to... Teehee. Sorries.

Mew of Fire: xD Nuuu! Don't blow Ari up with a tank! Who will add conflict to the story? Who? I ask, who? x3 True, though. She's a li'l bit naughty. After the fic's over, I should just give her a time out. ;3 Tsk tsk.

SamKo: Yes, well. The only thing I'm willing to answer was something that, unfortunately, wasn't a huge plot twist or anything. xD And that would be that Ari just took Kona n' Ichigo because she could. Ari's a nasty little thing, she is. ;3 And the rest of your marvelous questions will be answered, particularily in the stunning (xD) three chapter finale to come. Yaay. And, o-o, wow. I'm setting records here. xD -feels proud for some strange reason-

Blend (chapter twenty-two)

..tracing destinies..

The world was still spinning when Ichigo opened her eyes. So she closed them again.

A great deal of good that did.

Groaning, she realized the pain wouldn't go away no matter how tightly she squeezed her eyes shut, so she forced herself to wake up. Her vision wasn't even clearing. She decided that was fine for now, and slowly pushed herself upright, gasping at the pain that seemed to stretch her bones right apart.

"Ow... Shirogane..." she was only able to make out, prepared to complain to him about the crummy job he did on bandaging her up. Scratch that. As her gloved hand found its way to her arm, she realized there wasn't a bandage at all, and quickly yanked it away. Oh, now he would really get it.

Finding that her chest was tight and she felt completely drained and exhausted, Ichigo detransformed in a flash of blue, rubbing her eyes in hopes of getting them cleared. The bed wasn't very comfortable, but she figured that was because all the others were using all the futons in the Cafe. She'd let that one slide. But there was a lot more she could complain about.

Closing her eyes one more time, Ichigo tried to clear her vision up, rubbing her head. Ugh, she was sore all over. The least he could have done was put some cream on or something. She'd have to ask Keiichiro if he would be in charge of all this next time, instead of some incompetent blonde who couldn't make life easier for his 'slave' driven Mew girls.

"...Eh?"

As she opened her eyes again, though, she did not see the little heart shaped chairs or windows. She did not see futons and blankets spread across the floor. No Ryou, or Keiichiro, or any of the girls. As she pulled her hand away from her head, she looked around, but nothing looked even remotely like Cafe Mew Mew. It was all just... blackness.

"Where... am I?"

Hadn't he locked the doors?

Ryou nearly fell right out of his chair when he heard the cafe doors swing open. Immediately, he realized he'd been sleeping, and scolded himself heavily for it, but turned his attention immediately back to the doors which were wide open. And standing there, in the light, was a figure.

"Who's there?" The blonde shouted, leaping up. From the different angle, he could make out the face. His eyes widened in alarm.

"Shinta?"

No, how could that be him? He was dressed all in white, with swords at his side, and... Ryou stiffened. He was covered in blood. His blood. He was clutching at his stomach, looking weakly up at the other with half lidded eyes. Gasping for air, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Hey... Ryou..."

And he fell to the ground without uttering another word.

About an hour later, the lights were on again. After Shinta had passed out, Ryou had called Keiichiro, and the two of them had managed to stop the bleeding and bandage him up. Luckily, the stab wound hadn't gone as deeply as it had at first seemed - there was a bit of a diagonal cut to it, giving the appearence that a vital organ had been hit. This was not the case. Shinta had lost plenty of blood from just that, however, but within another thirty minutes was consious again. And, from all the commotion, so were the girls.

"Ichigo-san and Kona-san were taken?" Keiichiro exclaimed, worry written on his face. Ryou sat beside him, looking absolutely dazed, staring down at the table with mixed expressions.

Taking a shaky breath, Shinta nodded. "Yes. That Ari girl... after she wounded me," he motioned towards his bandaged torso, "she grabbed hold of the two and disappeared with them. I couldn't stop her, it was my fault she got away..." His fists clenched in his lap, but Keiichiro shook his head and quickly muttered some assuring words.

"...and now where are they?" Kikyo asked solemnly, staring at Shinta through concerned eyes. His own shut.

"I don't know," He admitted, shaking his head, "I... I don't know."

"Ichigo-chan..." Roxi sniffled, trying to brush the tears away from her eyes, "...Kona-chan, too. I really hope they're alright..."

Silence followed that. Everyone wanted to assure her - to assure themselves - but the truth was, no one even knew where Kona and Ichigo even were. So how could they know whether they were okay or not? It was more than just a small possibility that something very bad had happened. The problem was, they didn't know what they could do about it.

"Shinta."

Everyone looked up to see Brooke standing beside her futon, her expression serious and drawn. Ryou stood up from his chair promptly.

"Brooke, lie back down," he commanded, though he looked weaker than he usually did, "You're in no state to be up like that. Your wounds haven't even healed. You're going to tear them open --"

"Would you rather," she asked in a brisk tone, her icy eyes holding Ryou's gaze unfalteringly, "that we leave Ichigo and Kona to the mercies of the aliens?" Silence. "Let me remind you how many times that girl has made it clear she wants Momomiya Ichigo killed."

Ryou didn't move. Then, after a long moment of quiet, he retreated back to his chair, sitting back down uneasily and casting a wary glance back at the girl. "Don't push it," he warned, but did not protest any further.

Closing her eyes momentarily, Brooke nodded, and then turned to face Shinta directly. "Right now, we need to deal with you," her wing seemed tensed as she levelled an icy glare, though not one of hate, towards the boy, "Elemental Swordsman."

"...Eh?"

The girls practically cried out in surprise, all turning their heads to stare at the boy in question. Even Ryou looked at him, surprise etched on his face. Shinta smiled weakly.

"It's nice to see you recognize me," he did not seem at all surprised, however, or alarmed by her 'accusation'. Instead, he sat up straight, looking the girl straight in the eye, a sort of fondness reflecting in his own,

"Brooke."

Ichigo lifted her hands, grabbed the fleshy part of her cheeks between her fingers, and pulled. Not a pleasant sensation, having your cheeks pinched and pulled apart. This was not good, either way. One, it hurt.

Two, she was not waking up.

Rubbing her eyes, and finding that had no effect either, Ichigo felt completely isolated from information. Where was she? I don't know. Why was she here? I don't know. When had she gone unconsious? I don't --

Wait. Wait, she could answer that question. As her head began to clear itself, she remembered - Ari. She and Ari had fought. But she'd been attacked, and... Ichigo felt her heart thump nervously. And that was all she could remember.

"Shirogane?..."

She tried, but her voice only echoed. No. This was definitely not the cafe. Her heart rate quickened.

"Akasaka-san? Yumi?" Still nothing. Her voice became panicked, "Roxi? Brooke? Kikyo! Kona!"

She was at the point of yelling, feeling her breathing become quick and light with fear. Where were they? Why was she alone? Her chest tightened and she felt like she'd been enclosed into a small space, one where she couldn't move or breath or do anything -

"...Ichigo?"

Shinta held his arm out. "See this?"

"Araaaa, a bracelet," Yumi concluded matter-of-factly at seeing the golden band around his wrist. He smiled softly, and gave a half-nod.

"Yes. This arm band," he corrected, sitting up straight, "was found with me after I was abandoned by my parents. It has my name - Aoiya Shinta - carved into it. It's the only thing I had from my parents, aside from a large sum of yen they left with me."

This got a sad response from the 'audience', but he just shook his head. "It's alright. I don't remember much about my parents anyways. I was taken in by an orphanage, and then foster parents who lived in this town. When I was just little, I met Ryou."

There was a pause. Then everyone turned to look at the blonde, who seemed to suddenly have a flash of memory.

"Oh, yeah, now I remembe---"

"Why didn't you tell us you knew the Elemental Swordsman?" Roxi burst in excitement, her eyes almost glittering. The rest looked less than pleased that such a secret had been kept from them. Ryou blinked and quickly shook his head.

"I didn't know it was him, and, er, Shinta and I haven't exactly seen eachother for -"

"Whatever," Kikyo interupted, and then swivelled around to face Shinta again, "You were saying?"

There was a little grin on his face from the whole spectacle he'd just viewed, but his expression returned to normal and serious upon Kikyo's request. Nodding, he went on.

"I went through a lot. This arm band, though - or bracelet," he smiled at Yumi assuringly, "has been the only real part of my past that I've been able to keep with me. My parents, or someone, had my name carved into it, but aside from that, there's always been a little dent. I've always thought it was just an impression from damage, or maybe a defect, but..."

Shinta held up his wrist to demonstrate. The girls all leaned in closer to see where he was pointing, to the 'dent' he'd been talking about. Only, instead of a dent, there was a jewelled surface, in the jagged shape of a sword.

"Where did you get that?" Brooke asked bluntly, her arms folded over her chest. Shinta looked up at her with a nod, pulling his arm down,

"Two years ago, I saw Ryou wandering along the streets, looking for something. It had been so many years since we'd last seen eachother, but I recognized him immediately. He disappeared before I could catch up to him, though, but I found something else sitting nearby. It was some strange glowing substance, hidden in the crack of a wall. I think it might have been what Ryou was looking for,"

"The Mew Aqua," Keiichiro said suddenly, and everyone turned to look at the surprised brunette.

"Mew...Aqua?" Yumi sounded out slowly.

"That's what it's called? 'Mew Aqua'?" Shinta asked curiously, and then looked down at his wrist again, "When I took it into my hands, it changed shape, to perfectly fit in indent of my wristband. And then there was this light, and I'd transformed into the Elemental Swordsman, with these powers and this other presence in my mind that was able to use the attacks."

"I ran into Shinta a few months ago at the cafe," Ryou said suddenly with a grim nod, "But I had no idea about any of that. It had been a hectic day, but you said you wanted to talk to me about something. So I promised we would catch up some other time, and all you had to do was drop by."

Shinta smiled. "Yeah. Only, this place has been pretty busy lately anyways, so I never got a chance to tell you about all this."

There was suddenly silence again, as everyone absorbed all this information. Then, Brooke stepped forward, carefully keeping her balance so she didn't trigger any pain, and made firm eye contact with the boy who'd finished speaking.

"You'll help us. We need to get Ichigo and Kona back."

"How?" Kikyo challenged, looking up at the Dark Angel with a grimace, "Shinta said they disappeared. Ari could have taken them anywhere, or even to some seperate dimension. How are we supposed to know?"

Brooke closed her eyes for patience, and didn't utter a word. Then, opening them again, she said, "I have an idea."

Ichigo whipped to the side. "Kona?"

There she was, slumped right next to her. Both of them looked to be in about the same condition, only Kona seemed to be faring far worse. Her bandages had come loose in the battle, exposing the raw, burnt, scarcely healed wounds that mostly placed themselves on her face and neckline. Ichigo only had her arm to worry about, and that was bad enough. She couldn't imagine what kind of pain Kona must be going through.

"It's not," somehow, through all that difficulty, Kona managed to let forth a tiny, weak smile, "an illusion, is it? Are you?"

The black haired girl had already detransformed. Ichigo wondered how long she'd been awake. Seeing the severity of her wounds, Ichigo wouldn't have been surprised if it would have been impossible for the girl to fall asleep in the first place. The cat girl quickly shook her head. "No. No, of course not. Are you alright?"

Kona seemed to be having trouble breathing. "Yeah. No worse than I've been for the past few days, at least."

Ichigo's eyebrows drew together in worry, and she turned away, looking up and around. Even with her eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness, she couldn't seem the make out any of her surroundings. It bordered on frustrating.

"Where are we?" It hadn't been the first time she'd asked the question, but she didn't know whether or not Kona had been conscious to hear the first.

"I... have no idea," Kona coughed a few times, closing her hand over her mouth and doubling up in pain. Ichigo leaned over hurriedly and asked what was wrong, but the black haired girl quickly assured her that she was just tired. "I'll...I'll be alright."

"Don't sound so sure,"

Both girls nearly fell from where they sat to stare wide eyed before them, where Ari stood with her lips curled into a grin, the shadows concealing everything but her golden eyes.

"I'm here, after all. And you don't want to be friends... how rude..."

"Don't push it," Ryou warned in a low tone.

Brooke stood outside, her black hair swishing about freely in the cool wind, Roxi and the others lined up behind her. Even Shinta had transformed and was standing at her side, more for her own support than anything. As much as she tried to stand tall, there was always a flicker of pain that went through her eyes. She'd been wounded the worst of all, and yet here she was, trying to right things again...

"You want her back," her voice was icier than usual as she stared blankly at the empty road ahead of her, her lips drawn tight in a thin line. She turned her head to face Ryou briefly, her dark hair flickering over her eyelids disobediently. "So do we."

Roxi nodded softly. "Shirogane-san... we're all tired, and hurt, but we can't just stand by while Ichigo and Kona are under Ari's watch. We promise we'll rest again when they come back."

"And if they're safe," Kikyo added in a solid tone, Yumi nodding in vigorous agreement.

Ryou scowled, but they was worry sketched in his blue eyes. "Still, don't push it. Your wounds are bad enough. Kona and Ichigo are priority to be rescued, but if anything happens to any of you, it's off. We'll find another way."

"There is no other way." Brooke had her sword drawn now, holding it at arm's length, her eyes fixed on the blade. Then, without turning to face the others, she instructed, "When I say so, you'll all focus the energy into your weapons and release them into one target point."

"But, Brooke-san, how --"

Turning on her toe, Brooke sent an icy glare in Roxi's direction, which made her stiffen and shut up immediately. "Just do it."

Without waiting for any nod of confirmation or anything, she kept her sword held out before her. Shinta looked sideways at her, as if trying to determine what she was trying to do, looking worried. He could see how frail her body had become, no matter how firm and unbreakable her expression made her seem.

Her concentration was firm. Unbreakable. Her eyes seemed to glaze over, an aura beginning to eminate from her outstretched sword. Kikyo blinked rapidly from the silence. No, not complete silence, it was like... It was like someone was calling. Not to her, not to the others, but...

The wind picked up suddenly. Brooke's hair whisked about, but she did not move from where she stood. She did not even blink, or wince, or allow her grip to falter. She held her ground. Ryou shivered a bit, and after having watched Brooke do nothing while risking her health out in the cold, he was ready to tell her to quit and go back inside. He was willing to drag the winged girl, if he had to.

But then, the wind stopped. Just like that. All was still, as two figures began to unblur themselves from the rest of the scenery, standing against the icy breeze, tall, unfaltering, coming into view within seconds, without hesitation or time for protest.

"Ah!" Yumi's eyes widened, and Roxi took an awkward step back, her body stiff as she held her weapon out of habit. Kikyo scowled, also in defensive position, as Shinta did something of the same nature. Brooke stood completely still, her eyes still fixed on that exact spot, the sword still outstretched and pointed squarely ahead.

"Well, hello to you too," Hanajima said.

"A-Ari!"

Kona's eyes widened as she saw Ichigo try to stand up, and before she could even mouth a protest, the cat girl fell limply back to her knees, clutching at her arm and breathing shakily. Ari grinned, and Kona snapped her head around to stare at her in fear as she tried to help Ichigo. The alien was unarmed. Or, it seemed that way, at least.

"Hmm. You've both taken a beating, haven't you?" She said, her golden eyes wide with delight and amusement. Kneeling down to get a better look at them, she grinned, "I guess I can't expect a fight out of you. How boring." She sighed melodramatically.

"...me." Ichigo's mouth was moving as she breathed heavily, the last word the only one that had been formed correctly enough to be audible. Ari paused, then raised an eyebrow. She was in a mood for games, but Ichigo didn't seem to want to play.

How dull.

"What's that, Ichigo-neko? You need to speak up," reaching forward, she grabbed hold of the redhead's chin, tilting it upwards so her face was completely in view.

"I-Ichigo!" Kona cried out in protest, but halted from an exhausted glare from Ari's end. She backed off, but had her fists clenched at her sides stiffly, ready to attack if the alien lashed out at Ichigo.

She was surprised. Ichigo's eyebrows were drawn together in sadness and confusion, and her eyes seemed watery from all the pain she was going through. Ari blinked. "Aah, you're gonna get all emotional, are you?"

"Why... do you hate me?" Ichigo said in a hushed voice, clenching her teeth together, "Why do you hate me so much that you'd go out of your way to see me suffer? All this time, that's been your goal, hasn't it? Why?" Ichigo suddenly gained enough energy to cry out in a half-sob, half-yell.

Ari was silent. Then, sighing in exasperation, she let go of Ichigo and fell back into a lazy sitting position, holding herself up with her arms, "I knew it. You just can't help but be all teary on me, can you, neko?" she said in despair, blinking boredly from the bangs that fell over her eyes. Closing them, her expression suddenly turned to one of anger. Absolute anger... "Stop feigning your innocence, witch."

"You can call me," her face wasn't visible again as she had to keep herself up, panting, her body shaking from a mix of pain and anger, "whatever names you want, I don't care. It doesn't answer my question. I need to know..." Her voice cracked into a whisper, "I need to know why you're putting me and the others through this. I need to know!"

"Ch," Opening her eyes again, there was disturbance within the deep gold depths, as they fixed themselves on Ichigo. Years of pain, anger, despair, suffering, heartbreak, and sorrow seemed to mix into the colour, forming something more confusing, more complex, "You know what we've gone through, our kind. A horrible kind of life, for decades, centuries, millenias, and you ungrateful humans are destroying this planet, this wonderful place that was rightfully ours. That's why Kishu-sama and Pai-sama and Taruto-chan came here. They came to take back our precious home..." Her fists clenched together, her eyebrows drawing into a deep frown,

"But then there was you. You and those other brats, and that Shirogane Ryou, you had to get in the way. They would have accomplished it, if it weren't for you. This planet would be under better care. Kishu-sama..." she started to laugh, her entire face lighting up with a grin, "...he was so strong and powerful. They all were, but he had special abilities. He could have destroyed you, you and those girls, if..."

Her face darkened, and she lowered her gaze to Ichigo. "...if it hadn't been for you, witch. You and your bewitching powers..."

Ichigo let out a choking sob and seemed to calm down, sitting there quietly, staring at the darkened ground. Then, "He's important to you..." she trailed off.

Ari scoffed. What kind of a statement was that? "Of course he's important to me. He was important to all of us. Kishu-sama was, no, is one of the most powerful warriors of our planet. He was sent to Earth for a reason. He would have been our saviour, our hero... but no... you blinded him by taking power of his own emotion." Ari grit her teeth. "You're despicable."

Ichigo was silent for a very long time. Kona put her hands on the girl's back, trying to console her, make sure she hadn't passed out already from the pain and the frustration. But to her surprise, her breathing had calmed. Her body was still. She was perfectly relaxed, not tensed, not frightened or angry in any way. Simply where she was.

Then, slowly, she lifted her head again, to look Ari right in the eye. Her own were clear of tears now. They were steady, strong, unfaltering, not willing to flicker with any signs of fear or sadness. Only faint sympathy, which alarmed Ari. Which made her stand stiff, uneasy that she could look upon her so calmly.

"You were in love with him," Ichigo said quietly, "weren't you, Ari?"

"H-h-hanajima!" Yumi cried, pointing her finger. The others didn't look any more pleased, but they didn't know what to do. Brooke had given them instructions, and now they'd been interrupted. How were they going to get to Ichigo and Kona now...? How could they help when they now had to face off against two enemies?

Biting her lip, Roxi stared in upset bewilderment towards Marzipan and Hanajima who stood before them, in ready-battle forms.

"You look surprised," Hanajima mused, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a grin, which faltered into a frown, "Odd. That damn voice sounded like it was coming from here. Can't imagine why you'd be calling us here, but--"

"Brooke!"

Kikyo shouted in surprise as the girl, who hadn't moved a muscle, suddenly shattered in movement, darting right at Hanajima without pause or hesitation. In fact, without even charging up her sword, she took a swing at the alien. This was not expected. Not having had time to dodge, Hanajima was left, stunned, with a nasty cut on her left forearm. Her eyes deepend in anger as, without wasting time, Brooke let out a cry and went in for another swing.

She sidestepped quickly out of the way, and yet the impact of the sword seemed to draw more blood. A very, very small cut, but a cut nonetheless. Brooke was driven by pure, unbridled rage, swinging almost madly and without tact. Sometimes power and speed made up for loss of tact. In Brooke, who was normally so calm and focused, this seemed to be the case...

"Tsch! Brat!" Hanajima seethed, and, fading a few paces back, she held her arms spread apart and her Illusions Staff glowed with almost visible fury. Forming a circle all around the angel girl, Hanajima created a barrier of her own multiples, several perfect illusions of herself.

"Huaaaaa!" Brooke didn't falter, misstep, or hesitate. She gripped the hilt of her sword with strength, and swung it all around clockwise, cutting through each of the illusions with side-splitting speed until she hit the real thing. Shocked, Hanajima fell back, the cut this time left behind deeply in her leg.

Marzipan lifted her bow silently, and pulled back, aiming for the occupied Brooke. The Dark Angel seemed so much more fit on drawing blood than actually getting an opening to create a damaging wound than usual. Marzipan had not observed her and the girls for long, but she'd kept mental pictures, and this girl was usually so quiet and full of tact. Her current attack, however, held none. Unless there was some other motive...

But this was not her concern. Pulling back, Marzipan focused solely and solemnly on her target - Brooke's head. Only to have the arrow release in an opposite direction when her arm was jerked back by the impact of another weapon, a feeling of pain to follow from a light filled attack.

"Cherry Burst!"

Falling to the ground, Marzipan didn't let out a sound and pushed herself back up, turning to see Shinta, Yumi, Roxi and Kikyo all gathered around her, prepared to defend.

"I don't know what Brooke's trying to prove," the boy said lowly, holding his own sword out in defense, "but we will not allow you to interfere."

Illusions weren't working. That was clear enough.

Hanajima sent out everything she had - replacing tactics, misplacing tactics, even hiding rocks and potholes so she'd trip and give her some kind of opening. But the girl seemed to glide through the air on that wing of hers, through any illusions she threw out, whether they be visual or mental, and drive in for a direct attack. More than the cuts Hanajima had suffered were blows from the blunt edge of the sword. Nothing fatal or especially wounding, but certainly painful. What's that girl doing?... It was her voice she'd heard, the alien was sure of it. Not that she knew where she'd acquired such a power, but that was besides the point. It wasn't like usual, where she was trying to destroy the enemy. It was more like she just wanted them to leave as quickly as they'd came.

Fine. She'd bite. They had no real reason to be here, anyways.

"Marzipan!" She called out, catching the attention of the purple haired alien who was preparing to defend herself against three Mews and an elemental swordsman. Glancing over warily, she didn't even give the others a second more of attention before transporting herself to Hanajima's side. The elder alien nodding in a fit of breathlessness, and, both turning to face the Mews in exasperation, began fading away into the air with a ripple.

Brooke swung her sword out, as if intending to get in one final attack. She did not move. She simply kept her weapon pointed squarely in the faces of the two disapearing aliens, not moving further than that.

"Now!" She yelled hoarsely, her sword suddenly erupting into a charge of dark energies.

It took the others a split second to realize the significance of her statement.

"Now? But --" Roxi protested in surprise. The dark energy kept getting stronger, louder, engulfing Brooke's sword in a fit of flaming power.

"NOW!" She repeated loudly, keeping her charging sword pointed precisely at one point. Her entire body was engulfed in her own power, charging up for a mighty attack.

There was no further hesitation. They had no idea what she was trying to do, but Kikyo, Roxi and Yumi all pointed their weapons, preparing an attack. They had less than seconds to spare. Brooke issued another command - "Shinta!" - and the boy seemed to comprehend just as quickly.

"Tsuki Ken!" With an upslash of his sword, a lash of dark energy coated itself right to the spot where Marzipan and Hanajima stood. Brooke only had time to see their fading faces hold a look of surprise. She didn't care. She just kept her hands tight around the hilt of her sword, bringing forth every ounce of energy to one attack.

"Cherry Burst!"

"Kahidra Blast!"

"Raspberry Dazzle!"

In almost perfect unison, the three girls unleashed an attack of rainbow-mixed colours, focused all on the point Brooke had ordered, Marzipan and Hanajima's faces disappearing within the brightness of the light. Mixed with the darkness of Shinta's attack, this created a strange reaction - a sort of glowing patch of energy in the air, thick, nearly fluid, sticking to the essences that were the two aliens.

Bounding off her feet with no warning, Brooke raised her sword high into the air, unleashing a cry as she focused all her energy into one swing.

"MITSUKAI KEN!"

As she brought the dark-consumed blade down, it seemed to catch on the essence of the prior attacks, tearing into the air as if it were some fragile sheet. The others watched in shock and surprise as she landed on her feet, faced by a fast-fading dark portal that created a large current of wind. Turning on her heel, she only wasted a second to the others.

"Hurry up!" Holding her sword at a tight angle, Brooke jumped in, disapearing into the dark hole that was becoming smaller and smaller. Shinta recovered from the initial shock.

"Brooke!" He disapeared into it as well, leaving three confused girls behind.

"What just--" Roxi gaped. Yumi's eyes were wide as saucers.

"I don't--"

"Shut up and get in!" Kikyo hollered, grabbing them both by the wrists and pulling them into the faded portal as well.

Ari was dead silent.

Ichigo had sat back down to catch her breath, still aching in pain. She didn't say a word either.

Kona looked completely bewildered. Confused, lost, alarmed, out of the loop. Clearly, she'd missed something here. 'Kishu'? Obviously, both Ichigo and Ari knew who that was. Obviously, she didn't. So she sat in silence, with wide eyes, trying to figure out exactly what was going on without interupting, herself.

"Ari..." Ichigo breathed, trying to read the alien's blank expression. She'd figured something out. It wasn't just because she'd supposedly 'ruined' their planet's chance, but...

"How..." her body was shaking, and suddenly her golden eyes became wide and filled with fury. Ichigo felt her breath catch in her throat as the alien's teeth and fists clenched, a single copper dagger appearing in her hand. She lifted her pale face and looked at Ichigo with rage-filled eyes, "How dare you try to mock me! A witch knows, a witch knows how the mind can be pegged more than the body! How dare you!" Her voice rang high as she glided over to where Ichigo sat, her tightly clutched weapon engulfed in powerful blue flame. Ari's shoulders shook, they shook so violently, and Ichigo went stiff, feeling the hairs on her neck raise up on end.

Ari was angry. The look in her eyes, on her face, the dark feeling that seemed to emit from her body - it was terrifying.

"Ichigo!" Kona cried, but was silenced, feeling as if her chest was being crushed. Gasping, she clutched at her gut and doubled over, trying to snuff out the feeling of flame running through her veins. As she lay like a fish, she realized how powerful Ari's power had become... to be induced in such immense anger.

"I will destroy you," she seethed in absolute anger, and raised her sai to the helpless Ichigo. Wide-eyed, Ichigo could only helplessly stare back as Ari came closer, lifting her dagger, ready to end it in one hit...

...and she couldn't do a thing.

"Ichigo!"

It was more than one voice, this time. Before Ichigo could even comprehend the situation, Ari's eyes widened and she was suddenly jerked backwards, a pair of pale arms locking themselves around her in a firm hold.

"Ungh!" Crying out in surprise, she struggled, and looked back. A scowl appeared on her face when she saw Brooke glowering up at her, her eyes narrowing into slits, "You brat!"

"Brooke?" Ichigo breathed in surprise, feeling her heart pounding. Ari still had her flaming sai, but was being very carefully restrained.

Kona looked just as surprised, though had the energy to actually voice it. "Y-you guys! How did you get here?"

"Not important," Brooke growled, tightening her grip. She shifted the angle at which she held her weapon so the blade was against Ari's chest. This minimilized the struggling sufficently, though the alien refused to give up.

"Let go of me! You're gonna regret this!" Ari yelled feverishly, thrashing as much as she could without cutting herself on Brooke's blade. But it hadn't been her intention to hurt her. That would come later.

"Ari!" A voice breathlessly cried, and the girls turned to see Hanajima and Marzipan appear. "Ari, they--"

Hanajima cut herself off as she saw 'they' standing before her, surrounding the blue haired alien entirely. She winced.

"Ari-san," Marzipan mouthed solemnly, but neither made a move to do anything. Shinta had his sword pointed at him, in a ready-battle stance in case they tried everything.

"We're not here to fight. Not today," he said huskily, but kept his sword out in any case. Neither moved.

"S-Shinta ---"

Brooke interupted Kona without thought or hesitation. "All of you. Now. We need to get out of here. Focus and combine our attacks," as she spoke, her sword glowed a dark aura, filled with power.

"Right." The other three nodded, and, holding out their weapons, began to glow as well, summoning their energies to combine. Ari continued to struggle, letting out a cry of pain everytime her skin came into contact with the essence of the sword that kept her captive.

"Get me out! Stop them! What are you doing?" Her voice was loud, feverish, filled with uncontrolled rage. Hanajima and Marzipan did nothing. There was nothing they could do. Ari continued to bark, crying out, thrashing more and more wildly. She was only injuring herself, but Brooke couldn't hold on much longer.

Gritting his teeth, Shinta also summoned his attack energy, keeping a firm defense on Hanajima and Marzipan. He wouldn't back down...

Ichigo and Kona watched in wonder, too weak to do anything to contribute. However, even among Ari's struggling and outcries that filled the otherwise-silence, the energy that Roxi, Yumi, Kikyo, Brooke, even Shinta had summoned seemed to channel together, connect them all by some invisible force. Even Ichigo and Kona felt their pendants emit some kind of energy, just enough to attach them as well.

"Stop them! Stop them!" Ari screamed, and with one swift kick, she broke free of Brooke's captivity. Seething with rage, she covered her entire body in blue flame, running straight for the unmoving Ichigo. "You're...dead!"

"Go!" Brooke cried, dark light surrounding her entirely. In one flash, every ounce of energy seemed to intertwine itself, pull them out of the darker realm and disappear in a flash. With that went the Mew girls and the Elemental Swordsman. Every one of them.

Falling to the ground in the midst of attacking something that was no longer there, Ari shoved herself up with a wicked grin. It faltered when she saw nothing before her. "What?" Looking to the side - then the other - then behind her - she saw nothing. Only two other aliens and complete darkness. Her gold eyes widening, her body tensed and trembled.

"Gone," she slammed her fist against the ground and let out a shriek of anger, "They're gone!"

"Waaahhhh!"

Crashlanding. Transporting from a different realm was a tricky thing. They succeeded, even in getting to the right place, but...

"Yumi-chan, get off my leg!"

"Caaaan't! Kikyo's sitting on meeeee!"

"That's not me, it's Ichigo."

"Well, I'm so-rry, but haven't you noticed I'm a cripple?"

"Last time I checked, we all were! Remember? 'Acid'?"

"What, that hasn't healed by now?"

"Kona, are you alright?"

"Erm, yeah, Shinta, I'm fine... Y-Yumi, that's my ear! Itai!"

"Brooke, can't you at least help?"

As the girls who'd landed themselves in a pile squabbled, Brooke stood calmly by, somehow managing to land more safely on the grounds of Cafe Mew Mew than the others. Without a word, she turned to face the large pink building, which was somewhat majestic looking in the dark.

She shrugged. It wasn't like it was her obligation to help them out. If they'd stop being a stubborn mess, they'd figure it out themselves. Meanwhile, Brooke had to fight off this impending feeling.

Something very, very bad is going to happen...

Next Chapter:

Hearts are vulnerable things to begin with. But as individuals are forced to face challenges too tough to take alone, they must band together, and in banding together, friendships are formed. Only, it is human nature to eventually desire more than just friendship - to desire heart and to eventually desire love. As they are given just moments to inhale, the girls catch glimpses of their placements in a complex web of emotions. Even Ari has fallen victim to such a vulnerability and desire... only, as time progressed, that desire began to fuel a dangerous and fatal rage that is only now coming to surface.