xuri: Oh. Wow. Holy cow guys. o-O This is... the last chapter. Mmhm. Finale. Kaput. No more.
Wow. This is a lot more depressing than the first time I finished the series. xD To all the readers - thanks so much for the support. You made... editting these chapters so much fun and spending all the time writing them totally worth it. x3
Thanks everybody! More at the end. ;3
SamKo: Ha, yeah, talk about the circle of life going on there. xD I think the last chapter was my favourite. There was a lotttt going on. o-o Which was why it was so SUPER DUPER AWESOME, haha. Hopefully this finale lives up to all your guys' expectations. ;3
--
Blend (chapter twenty-six)
:FINALE:
..beginning to end..
It was all over.
There was nothing to save. No chance to cling to. They didn't even have to think about it to know that, to realize the inevitable end that would befall them all within minutes.
Four bodies littered the ground already; four motionless, still, and empty bodies lay limp against the grounds, unmoving beneath the dark and foreboding sky. There were four bodies, but they were sure there would be more, many more.
Because as that light faded, there stood a giant, monsterous creature, towering high above them, staring with malicious eyes, heartless eyes, eyes that seemed to invoke a very air of death.
It resembled the size of a Chimera Anima, with its ferocity as well; but the main difference being its height was nearly doubled, and power saturated the air all around it, just as it had to Ari, and the ground seemed to rumble beneath without it even having to step.
Ichigo had thought there could have never been anything more terrifying than the state Chimera Ari had been in, her Perfect Demoness form, her peak of power. But compared to this, she wasn't even close. Blending and fusing were different than being the real thing. And this was the true creature, the true demon - the true Chimera.
It stood, high above them, head reared into the air. The thing seemed to most strongly resemble a Chimera of legend, with the head of a lion, body of a and tail of a serpent-like dragon, and legs and hooves of a goat. Other parts graced it; a pair of wide spanning wings,a mix of leathery and dark feathers, the tips jagged and sharp. The goat's hooves seemed to crash against the ground with every breath the creature took, and its serpent tail slammed against everything in sight.
"What are we..." Ichigo felt pale, cold, the blood in her veins seeming to freeze. "...supposed to do?"
Even Zakuro and Brooke appeared as afraid as the others. At first, they could only stare in horror, waiting for something horrible to befall them. It was as if they were under a powerful spell, bound into watching the creature let out a roar that induced terror and near loss of consciousness. The question Ichigo had voiced so slowly and shakily was racing through all of their minds at that moment -
What are we going to do?
And then, Kona jumped overhead, holding her bell, aiming it for the hazardous creature. Tears were shining in her eyes as she soared, almost in slow motion, and gravity seemed to take over just quickly enough, pulling her back towards the ground as she came right toward the Chimera.
"Kona?"
"Kona-chan!"
"This is," water spilled from her eyes as she clasped her Blossom Bell Bell, light shining from the center, "for Ryou! Ribbon Blossom Shine!"
A light brighter than any of her previous attacks burst forward, hitting the Chimera head on, enveloping it in bright pink light. And as Kona descended quickly, she was ready to catch her breath and aim for another attack. She wasn't letting this thing live.
Only, she didn't have the chance to move again.
Through the light, unfazed, came a giant claw that had morphed out of a hoof, still bearing the strength and solid nature but with more flexibility. It swatted Kona from the air with a cry, and she collided with the ground hard, tumbling uncontrollably until she crashed against the fence with a sickening thump.
"R-ryou..." She whispered, her breath shaking as she reared back to try and block out the pain.
"Kona!" Her action, and the consequence, seemed to snap every last one of them out of their dazed fear. They whirled around to face the Chimera head on, ready to attack while Shinta hurried over to help the fallen girl.
"We can't give up!" Brooke said in a commanding voice, and the others nodded. The Chimera had broken into a frenzy from Kona's seemingly harmless attack, and was now storming towards them, the earth shaking beneath them at an alarming rate.
"Right! Let's go!" Ichigo cried, and just as the creature was prepared to take a swipe at them, they all jumped high into the air.
"Ribbon Zakuro Pure!" Twisting her body, Zakuro unleashed the power of her Crosswhip against the monster, and as it slashed against the body of the giant, Yumi acted in prompt follow up by swinging her Raspberry Bell.
"Ribbon Raspberry Dazzle!"
But even the light combined did not seemed to scathe the Chimera, as in response it simply took two giant steps back, reared its head, and summoned forth a great spiral of fire.
"Watch out!" Zakuro screamed, diving for Yumi and pushing her out of the way. The mere heat of the air surrounding the attack forced the girls to retreat as well, landing back on the ground expertly to form another way of attack.
Brooke managed to stay airborne longer than the others with her wing, and pulled her sword out as the animal was occupied, twisting it in her grip and angling it so it pointed straight for the exposed body. "Mitsukai...Ken!" With a cry, the sword was engulfed in flaring darkness as she plunged it into the creature's shoulder, beating her wing so it propelled her forward, dragging her blade through swiftly to form a huge cut from which darkness poured. But the Chimera only cried out in anger, and, with a swish of its tale, heavily damaged Brooke so she began to plummet towards the ground.
"Kyaaaaahhh!" Which in itself would have done enough damage. But before she could even attempt to catch herself or soften the fall, Chimera's tail changed direction, lifted into the air, and slammed down against the descending Brooke, crashing her into the hard ground and crushing her body beneath the pressure.
"Kona... Kona, are you alright?"
After being shaken by the shoulders, Kona's eyes opened slowly, and she winced from the sudden pain. "Sh-Shinta..." She whispered, barely able to make her voice audible at all, "...I'm... sorry..."
"No, Kona, you didn't do this. We all have to fight back, and --"
"No," her voice was raspy, as she tried to help herself up. Shinta had to grip her arm to keep her from falling. "That's... that's not what I meant... after seeing Ari and Kishu, after hearing them talk - " she stopped mid sentence, nearly doubled over coughing and gasping from the pain.
"Kona!" Shinta's eyes were drawn in worry as he tried to support her. Her breath shook as she tried to stay conscious, to speak, to fight again and protect all the ones she cared about.
"...I didn't see... I didn't see! All I'd ever seen was --"
Shinta interupted her. "...What are you talking about, Kona?"
"Even though," seeming to calm down slightly, she coughed a few more times, before lifting her head to look up at him, almost pleadingly, "Even though you were here, all along. Shinta, I --"
A glass shattering cry erupted through the air and they both turned to the source, seeing Brooke's body pressed beneath the tail of the Chimera Creature. "Brooke!" Leaping to his feet, Shinta sprinted in the direction of the raging Chimera, leaving Kona to herself.
Taking a moment to gather her senses, Kona stood up, her knees shaking, feeling weak and bruised and beaten all over. Her head was hung as she stared at the ground, and then lifted her eyes again, to face the battle currently taking place.
"I will fight," she whispered, holding her bell against her chest tightly and protectively. Closing her eyes for a moment, Kona took a shaky step forward, then opened them again, fixing her icy gaze on the target. "I will fight. For those I care about," another step, and then another,
"and for those I love."
"Huaahhhhhh!"
"Brooke!" Stopping right before the creature, Shinta drew out his two swords again, charging up for an attack. Just as it had before, seven elements seemed to gather around him and his blades - wind, darkness, earth, thunder, fire, water, and light - flaring with power as he held them high above his head. "Dageki Sono Meimei Nanatsu!" Slashing them both at identical times, the elements were released, shooting towards the Chimera at an alarmingly fast rate, colliding and causing it to roar in fury. And though it didn't do any visible damage, it distracted the creature enough for it to instinctively lift its tail, releasing Brooke from the bind she'd been in. Berii hurried to the girl's side to help her up.
"You're still conscious?" The bunny girl exclaimed in surprised as the Dark Angel grasped her hand and pulled herself upright, wobbly on her feet but otherwise steady.
"It would hurt more if I wasn't," she said simply, voice laden with well-contained pain, and picked up her sword.
Enraged after recovering from the light, not necessarily the blow, Chimera suddenly stormed forward, heading straight for the offending swordsman. He stood his ground, gritting his teeth, holding one sword out before him and the other angled back, ready to make a quick slash if it came close enough and then a stab. Whether or not it did vital damage didn't matter at this point. It was merely damage that needed to be done, no matter how severe. And right now, it didn't look as if it had had to swat a fly from it's thick mane.
"Baka!" Brooke shouted, sheating her sword in order to run towards Shinta. She was too far away to get there in time, and she knew it. "What do you think you're doing?"
He didn't even blink. "I will protect you all," Shinta whispered, and then sprang off his toes with a cry, "I won't let this thing hurt anyone else! Huaahhhhh!"
Matching its own strength, the Chimera also seemed to have to ability to think on short notice. Slamming its feet down to the ground, the creature halted and swung its head back for momentum, and then proceeded to pull it back down as the rest of the body was raised into the air, all colliding to the ground with one heaping crash.
"W-wah!" Roxi couldn't even stay standing; from the sudden shaking, she tumbled to the ground, and she wasn't even nearly as close as Shinta was to the epicentre. The swordsman dressed in white was off his feet in an instant, hitting the ground with a resounding crash, stunned from the hit alone. While he was incapable of fighting back, the Chimera roared and raised it's hoofed-paw, prepared to take a fatal swipe at the boy.
"Watch --- out! Ribbon Mint Echo!" Drawing back gracefully but powerfully on her bow, Mew Mint released a flurry of blue energy and power around one arrow, which managed to strike the creature in the eye. It intercepted the intended attack, just as she'd planned, but the reactions of the Chimera were inhuman. Mint's hand had scarcely left the string of the bow when a claw swiped out of the air, sweeping the lorkeet-fused girl off the ground and into the air, resting on the palm of the creature. 'Resting' being only a temporary state, as it swiftly tightened into a death grip that enveloped her entire body, intended on crushing her bones. She cried out in glass shattering pain, her shriek filling the air as her head arched back and the lethal grip around her quickly tightened.
"Mint!" Zakuro cried, flinging her crosswhip out and emitting the purple thread of light again. She aimed to strike the Chimera's hand to force a muscle spasm and send Mint back to the ground. Only, it proved once again to be witty as well as powerful; the other paw flew from the air, swatting her attack clear out of range as if it were nothing. "Hang on, Mint!"
"Onee-sama!" Mint screamed again, only her voice was fading as the attack commenced, as if squeezing the very life from her body.
No matter what attacks the others used, they couldn't seem to get past the Chimera's counter attacks to help Mint. Their angles were limited; it was so alert that even when Yumi attempted to get around, it brought its tail out and she just narrowly missed a hit to the chest. Mint seemed to have gone completely limp, and they were about to jump in and put them all in intense danger when there was a streak of black overhead.
"Ribbon," Kona had jumped in from behind, where she'd fallen, aiming at the Chimera's head as she was propelled overtop. Her grip seemed weak, and shaky, but her face was set with fierce determination. The monsterous creature didn't have time to react or process the situation, even being as quick as it was, "Blossom Shine!"
The light that broke through, though no more harmful than any previous attempts at attacking, did create a sense of shock and spasms that Zakuro and the others had been aiming for. Chimera's grip on Mint faltered just long enough for her small body to slip through the sharp talons, descending quickly for the ground. Zakuro bounded off her wolf-strength legs and caught the near-unconscious girl before she could hit the ground.
As Kona came into contact with the bottom, though, she was still in close range of the lion-dragon-goat-serpent-monster, and as it swiftly raised its dangerous foot, she managed to roll out of the way before it crushed her beneath the Chimera's weight. It had actually caused a large, rounded dent where the foot had collided, leaving an imprint that signified Kona's life could have easily been taken if she hadn't reacted quick enough.
Scrambling to her feet, the panther girl darted over to the others, who were gathered at a distance with their weapons held outwards defensively.
"This isn't working," Kikyo said, her jaw tense as she held her Fox Charm out before her as means of quick defense, "Anything we throw at this thing is either deflected or taken without harm. Brooke's the only one who managed to create any visible damage, but even that hasn't slowed it down or made it's attacks any weaker at all!"
Ichigo chewed her lip. Kikyo was right - they all knew it. The creature was still going strong, ripping at everything it had the chance to without hesitation or even recognition of pain. The Chimera's power was so destructive, so capable of tearing everything to shreds. And she was no longer concerned just for the lives of her and the other Mews - no, once this thing took them down, the rest of Tokyo was vulnerable. Maybe even the rest of the world. They'd had enough trouble just fighting this thing off, and they had super-inhuman-powers; how were normal people supposed to fight back against this thing?
But there had to be some way. For herself. For her friends. For the rest of the world. There had to be something they could do to stop the Chimera, something to destroy it and save themselves and humanity just like they had before. Besides, now they had almost double the forces - didn't that give them some kind of advantage, some kind of power?
Then, she realized it. Double. "Guys!" She cried, but the Chimera bounded over before she could finish. They were quick enough, and got out of harm's way once more, their attention split between the raging Chimera and what Ichigo was saying. Holding her Bell tightly, she straightened up. Everyone was here. No one was in such bad condition that they couldn't fight, so...
"Come on! We have to work together," lowering her head, her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to hold back tears. Thinking made her remember pain, and pain made her cry. When she spoke again, her voice was low and shaky. "We've already lost Shirogane and Akasaka-san. We can't let anyone else be hurt because of these mistakes, because of this creature!"
"What do you expect us to do?" Zakuro had a bit of her usual skeptical tone, but she was open and willing, knowing well enough their options were very, very limited. "Our attacks aren't working at all. This Chimera is faster and stronger than anything we've ever faced. Our power isn't strong enough!"
"Our individual," Ichigo said solemnly. Then, wiping the tears from her eyes, she went on, "Pair up."
The others stared blankly. "What?"
"We have to at least try," managing a smile, she looked at Roxi, "Roxi, remember before, when we were fighting Ari? We combined our attacks and it had a great amount of damage. If we can hit it with a constant rate of combined attacks, maybe then - "
"I get it," Berii chimed in, holding her wand tightly in her hands, "But isn't it a bit of a risk? If this doesn't work, we can't exactly..."
"What else can we do?" The cat girl whispered, tilting her head with a sad smile. Silence. Then, the others nodded.
"Right."
As the Chimera creature recovered from the brief impact of it's own failed attack, its nostrils flared and it stood upright, icy black eyes making contact with those of the girls. But they weren't afraid any more. They couldn't afford to be afraid, just like they couldn't afford for any more lives to be lost as a result of Ari's attacks. Doing as Ichigo said, they partnered up, preparing their attacks. They'd been instructed not to act until Ichigo said so. She was waiting for the prime moment, the moment when -
The Chimera's eyes narrowed, and it let out a fierce roar, preparing itself for its own counter attack.
"Now!"
Zakuro and Kikyo ran at the thing from opposite sides at quick speed, one with the strength of the wolf and the other of a fox. As they came in, from the right and from the left, the two girls raised their weapons, and aimed.
"Ribbon Pure Blast!" The light that came from their weapons twisted together into one, single power, a ball of pure white energy hurtling straight towards the Chimera. It worked. As the energy hit it square in the face it took a few steps back, the very first sign of pain they'd ever seen in the creature, and grunted. The rage seemed to have built up immensely inside the thing, and it wasn't going to hold back any more.
Roaring loudly, it became to storm forward, the ground beneath rumbling violently as it charged towards the group. Kikyo and Zakuro darted safely out of the way, and the larger group split so Chimera had a more broad and unstable target. Pudding and Yumi stood together in the center, both with their ring shaped weapons outstretched.
"Ready, na no da!" Pudding chimed, the mark on her forehead glowing brightly as she dashed forward, Yumi following suite at her own immense speed. They both moved and aimed the weapons in almost perfect synch. "Ribbon Ring Dazzle -- Inferno!" By smacking her Pudding Ring against the ground, Pudding created a trench with bright light, which combined itself with Yumi's dazzling energy attack and sprang forward, sealing the fast moving Chimera in a solid blob of pink pudding.
It had been in mid step, so the momentum of that alone shattered the dessert cage instantly, splintering into millions of tiny pink shards that faded into the air. The Chimera had not been frozen, by any means, but it certainly slowed it down for a few precious seconds before it regained its strength.
That was all they needed, and they weren't about to let it slip by.
Mint and Roxi were already in position, running straight for the creature from a behind advantage. Both their attacks required aim that was virtually impossible to attain from the speed the thing had previously been moving at, but now with a few precious moments of sluggish behaviour, they could zone in on the target just as they'd intended. All they needed the chance to do was disorient it, so the others could take over.
Crying out, Mint focused her energy as she ran, using her Mint Arrow to aim straight for the back of the head. Roxi did the same with their wand, and simultaneoushly they cried out, "Ribbon Echo Burst!"
An arrow shot forth, combining with cherry-red light. As a result, it struck the Chimera's head unknowingly, bursting into an array of light and shine. At the same time, the air seemed to ripple, cause a tear in the fabric of sound, creating immense pain for the monster as it cried out in pain, distracted long enough.
Dark Angel and Elemental Swordsman appeared infront of him, holding their blades up in the air, having gathered energy already. Brooke's flared with black, swirling power, and Shinta's with the golden shades of the elements. As seen before, getting close was dangerous; but they needed to do it in order to make an effective hit. Brooke had succeeded in this before, but it hadn't done any real damage. With their combined powers and a solid, almost unmoving target, they could easily get the hit they wanted. As long as they acted quickly.
"Mitsukai," as if the two were attached to the same puppet strings, their mouths and arms moved in perfect rehearsed unison as they arched their swords back, glaring with power and strength, "Nanatsu!" In one fluid movement, their blades flew downward, slicing against the legs of the Chimera in hopes of immobilizing it. It seemed to work. A roar erupted in the air and it stumbled, though they were wise enough to see the anger burning fierce in its eyes and get out of the way quickly. They'd done what they could.
Snarling, the Chimera bellowed again, and staggered, lurching forward as if to attack to the group in one final bound. The ground shook. But from the extensive damage to its front legs, it nearly crumpled, falling at an angle to the side.
Running fast - since they'd changed their formation at the last minute - Lettuce and Kona joined together, to where the Chimera was falling. Both the girls shared tear stained faces as they aimed their respective weapons, glowing with their fused powers, nearly trembling from a mix of sorrow and anger. The Chimera was falling right for them, so they had no other chances if they messed up. They'd be crushed beneath its massive body, and then it would have the advantage again if no hits were made. They had to do this.
"This is for Ryou!" They both screamed and unleashed their attack at the body of the creature. "Ribbon... Shine Rush!"
Water dazzling with pink and black light burst forth, causing such force against the Chimera that its direction of descent was altered and quickened. This time, it fell to the other side, where Ichigo the Iriomote Wildcat and Berii, half rabbit half kitten, stood, smiles on their serious faces. As the Chimera hurtled towards them, they simply smiled, knowing their friends had succeeded, and were safe, and all they had to do was make sure things stayed that way.
"Let's go, Berii," Ichigo said, holding her Strawberry Bell.
"Yeah." The blond nodded, outstretching her wand. The two began to shine off an aura, which merged and twined together, connecting their power for one short and vital moment. One hit was all they had.
"Ribbon! Double Berrrryyyy ---" taking a running leap forward, the two soared through the air, focused completely on Chimera, "-- Check!"
Light swallowed it completely, in an array of rainbow colours, sparkling and shining in sparks and dazzles. The two landed on the ground safely and solidly as the Chimera was lost from view, engulfed completely in the colourful light, its own roar being drowned out. And as it faded, the giant creature stood there still, panting for breath, rendered temporarily immobile. Its body looked weaker - slightly weaker - but it was still in tact. Still full of energy, full of fight and hate.
Ichigo's grip tightened and she felt her throat form into a knot. "What do we do now?" No one could answer. They just watched, helplessly, as the Chimera attempted to recover. The pink haired cat girl was trembling. "That took all we had, our strongest combined attacks... and it's only done so much damage to this thing. How much more will we have to take?"
Berii's bunny ears drooped, and the others looked just as discouraged. Exhausted, too, from pushing themselves so much. Even if they did the same formation over and over again, they'd drop dead before they could even knock the Chimera out, let alone destroy it. Besides, it was not a stupid creature - even as they'd been proceeding, it had been analyzing and memorizing their procedures. They couldn't use the same tricks twice, because, put simply, they would not work.
Feeling as if gloom were running through her veins, Ichigo stood limp, staring with an expression mixed of fear, horror, and bewilderment. Was this it? Was this as far as they came, as far as Earth came...? "What now...?"
Having no idea what to do other than wait for the inevitable attack, they all stood still. Prepared to defend themselves, but knowing it would be futile. And then Ichigo heard a little rustle of material, a squeak, and the resounding crash of a wooden plank against cement. Turning around, she saw fuzzy little pink thing rise out of the rubble, awkwardly swaying as it got used to the air pressure.
Ichigo stared as Masha flitted over, its cotton candy pink fur covered in soot and ash and other forms of greyish dirt.
And with an urgent "Ichigo!" in the robot's programmed voice, there was a crackle, and a sudden change in pitch on the R2000's speaker.
"Ichigo... Ichigo, can you hear me?"
Her eyes widened as the tiny thing approached. That wasn't the high pitched 'tweet' of happy little Masha. It was a voice she recognized - a voice she never thought she'd hear again. Tears suddenly found themselves in her eyes as she stared in disbelief, realization spreading across her features at a normally slow rate.
"...Shirogane!"
She practically screamed, leaping forward and throwing her arms around the flying ball of fluff, squeezing it unbelievably tightly and rocking back and forth in joy. Ichigo could feel Masha struggling against her smothering hold, even a little 'myeh, myeh!' from the wriggling robot heard to her cat ears. The smile would not fade from her face, even when the voice on the speaker complained.
"Please, Strawberry, don't break R2000. It was hard enough getting him out there, but luckily he was small enough to fit through the pipe --"
"You're alive!" Ichigo nearly squealed, holding the tiny device out in her hands, admiring it with a wide and tearful smile, "You're alive, you're alive, I can't believe you're alive! We all thought... we all --!"
"It's alright, Ichigo-san, try to stay calm," came a soothing voice. Ichigo's face lit up again.
"Akasaka-san! You too? You're both okay! You're both alive!" Since she began to almost dance in joy, the other girls were drawn to see what the commotion was about. Pudding and Mint seemed to have formed a theory that Ichigo had finally lost it, until they saw the pink thing in her hands and heard the distinct voices coming over the speakers.
"R-Ryou!" Kona cried, running forward. The others followed, crying out in happiness, spouting out words and questions one after another at the poor, pink, helpless Masha who was just working as a delivery robot.
"Keiichiro-senpai! Keiichiro-senpai, are you hurt?"
"Honestly, Shirogane, what kind of stunt were you pulling? How dumb could you be to get stuck in a burning cafe?"
"Please, Mint-san, just be glad they're alive! It's a miracle,"
"Lettuce's right. The chances of surviving a fire that seemed this big are very slim, but they somehow broke the rules."
"True, true, onee-sama!"
"Heee! Shirogane-oniichan and Akasaka-oniichan aren't hurt? Yay, na no da!"
They continued to gush and gush, a few of them crying, a few smiling, a few almost feeling comfortable enough to complain. Then Ryou was quick to interupt them.
"There are more important matters right now, everyone! Will you listen?"
"Shirogane," Ichigo suddenly said, pushing past the crowd to speak to the fuzzball again, "There was a battle with Ari, and Kishu was here, and she sapped Kishu's powers, and because of that they took control and formed this giant Chimera mons--"
There was an exasperated sigh. "Ichigo, we already know. We can see everything that's going on out there."
"Shirogane-san..." Lettuce said timidly, and bowed her head, fighting back tears, "...you've worked so hard, but we don't know what else to do. Our most powerful attacks combined are hardly causing any damage to the Chimera... its power is unbelieveable, and it can easily out run the rest of us. What are we supposed to do?"
There was silence, even over the speaker. Then, "How much time do you have?"
The girls looked over at the Chimera, who was pushing itself up to its feet, breathing heavily, shoulders heaving. But with every second that passed, it seemed to be getting stronger, and angrier.
"Not much," answered Kikyo, "It's still recovering from our last set of attacks, but it'll be up in another minute or so. I don't doubt that it'll have gotten back to full power again. It has all the characteristics and abilities of several sorts of combined animals, so its power is immense,"
Again, there was silence.
"There's another way to beat it," Ryou said quietly over Masha's speakers, "but you have to act fast and listen to what Keiichiro and I tell you. Understand?"
As if they had a choice.
They understood. Acting on their next orders, Ichigo and the others swiftly split up and formed a circle around the creature, and were quiet enough for it to not notice. All of them were tense, as they were dangerously close.
"You have to make it tight, bound together," Ryou had intructed, "Otherwise, it might not work. You have one shot. Don't. Mess. Up."
Like he had to tell them twice. After they'd confirmed getting into the circle formation, "Now get your weapons ready. Kona, how are we doing for time?"
"Not good," Kona said nervously. The Chimera had recovered almost fully, and its yellow, piercing glazed eyes were clearing up as it viewed its surroundings cautiously. She knew the thing was smart. It would only be a matter of time before it realized what was going on.
"Well, then move faster. Make sure to stay on your toes," he instructed, irritated. The others waited, but he said nothing else.
Ichigo's eye twitched. "You too. What are we supposed to do next?"
No reply. She pulled her gaze away from the shifting Chimera towards where Masha was floating. "Shirogane?"
Nothing. Suddenly, the others noticed too that there was no reply, and began calling out to either him or Keiichiro. There was no sound from either of them. Masha just kept floating there innocently, blinking its wide round eyes and hovering in place. Then, chirping happily, it started to spin around, "Shirogane! Shirogane!" It chanted, mimicking the cries of the girls cheerfully. Other than that, no other voices came over the speaker.
Zakuro grit her teeth. "We must've gotten disconnected..."
"Ara... That, or they're dead," Yumi suggested all too innocently.
"Yumi-san..." Lettuce didn't believe her, but her green eyes were wide with worry, nonetheless. The Chimera growled suddenly, and they stiffened.
"We'll just have to do this without him," said Brooke in a solemn voice, with a nod as she held her sword outwards. The others nodded, reluctantly.
"But..." Berii looked incredulous, her wide hazelnut eyes never leaving the sight of the gigantic Chimera, "...what can we do?"
None of them could so much as look at her - the Chimera was on edge, cautious, like a kitten ready to pounce and devour its prey. Like a spring trap just waiting to be tripped. As long as they kept quiet, maybe they could buy some time, and ---
"SHI-RO-GA-NEEE!" Pudding and Yumi suddenly screamed at the top of their lungs in perfect rehearsed unison. The others all jumped, alarm spreading like wildfire across their faces.
"Pudding-san!"
"Yumi!"
No further scolding could take place. The two small girls had made a last, if foolish, attempt at calling their leader, the blonde who hadn't given any response to their earlier calls or requests. This set off the trap, and with a resounding cry, the Chimera reared its head in anger, pulling its hoof-claws back and slamming them to the ground again to cause major repercussions.
The blood drained from Ichigo's face. What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?
"Now! Hurry!" And it was at that very moment Ryou's voice blared again, shooting more shock into the faces of the surrounding girls.
"Ryou?" Kona cried. Ichigo's jaw clenched.
"Why do you say something now? We were calling for you!"
"I was waiting for the opportune moment. Now, hurry! You don't have much time!"
He wasn't kidding. The Chimera wasn't attempting to make any head on attacks - its head was pulled back, massive jaw pulled wide open, a light emanating heat gathering in a ball. It had been like an earlier attack, where it had blown fire like a dragon, but they could see it was charging up for something much stronger. There was no where to run this time. If they were going to act, they had to act fast.
So, they did as he said. All of them held out their weapons, focusing, nervousness building up inside them. This had to work. They had just one shot. As they waited for instructions, they weren't left hanging like they had been before. Ryou continued abruptly. He knew just how dire the situation was.
"Focus. You can't panic - you have to be able to put your trust completely in eachother. You all have to be in this, or it will fail. And remember, failure is the end. Game over."
Ichigo shivered, tightening her grip around her Strawberry Bell. Her pink eyes stared, unblinkingly, at the energy that gathered in the very center of the dragon-goat-lion's mouth. She could feel the heat against her neck, the power was emitting so strongly. She was afraid. But Ryou was right - they had to trust eachother. Whatever he intended them to do, it needed to be done right. Less than 100 power wouldn't work. To put it lightly, they were toast, literally, if they couldn't pull through.
And she did trust them. Every one of them with every ounce of her soul - Shinta, Brooke, Lettuce, Mint, Yumi, Zakuro, Roxi, Kona, Pudding, Kikyo, Berii - and she knew, having fought and become friends with every last one of them, that they could pull it off. If anyone in the world could handle this situation, it would be them.
"Right," she whispered in response to Ryou's quick commands. The others followed suit, muttering affirmatively as well, in a soft voice but with heart and sincerity. Ichigo heard something like a sigh of relief from Ryou's speaker.
"You need to connect. Ichigo, you and the 'original' Mews have done this before - connect your powers. The Blend Mews will need to, too, as well as Shinta. Don't let fear break your concentration. You have to do this."
She knew. Holding her Bell outstretched, the pink-haired catgirl knew they were capable of doing this. It would be difficult, but they could, and that was all there was to it. Ichigo exhaled. And she concentrated. There were so many people she needed to protect - all of her friends around her, Moe, Miwa, Masaya, Ryou, Keiichiro. And then there was the 'saving the world' obligation. But above all, those people precious to her was what drove her forward, what drew the immense power from her very fingertips. And she felt it, glowing, warming her hands. Her tensed muscles seemed to relax. It's okay. I'm not alone.
And she wasn't. Kona, standing nearby, had her own Bell oustretched, thinking of all the people she held dear, all the things about the world she wanted to protect. Yumi was scared, which was fitting for her childish nature, but she felt bold, too. Courageous, as if she knew she could do this. Kikyo's hands were wrapped around her Fox Charm, thoughts filled with images of her friends and family and Koji. Power surged through Mint's arrow as she held it upright - Ichigo, you'll pull through, won't you? You too, onee-sama. Everyone. Lettuce had her castanets glowing with her own green aura, feeling drained, but feeling prepared and protective. There were people who needed protecting. And she would do everything in her power to protect them. Pudding thought to herself, energy swirling around Pudding Ring, 'I'll make sure nothing happens to Heicha and the others. Yaku soku!'
Zakuro's stance was firm, as always, but even she experienced inklings of fear. There was the Earth to protect, as well as those few she loved and cared about. Brooke and Shinta stood, side by side, with their swords held out, twisting with power. The female angel's eyes were glazed, even though emotions battled within; how could she afford to lose, with all there was at stake? Not only her own, but the others, as well. On the other hand, Shinta was just as vulnerable to looks of fear, but there was no hesitation. Power quelled within his soul. I'll protect you. Kona, Brooke, Ryou, Ichigo... I'll protect all of you. Roxi's energy surged through her wand, her own eyes closed as she tried to focus. Tried not to be afraid. Even though there was plenty to be afraid of, plenty to dread and be faced with horror. But it would turn out okay. Everyone here had amazing potential, amazing heart - nothing could go wrong.
"It's...o...k..." Berii whispered, as she tried to console her shaking. But she was in it, 100. There was nothing, no one, that could keep her from protecting her friends. Tasuku, Ichigo, and all the rest. Losing was not an option.
Ichigo exhaled. And from the power that flowed from her fingertips and through the center of her Bell, she felt a new sensation. As if threads were twining themselves around her fingers, knotting so as not to be broken. String after string of thread added on, until she was connected to the sources like a wreath. She realized the sources were all the others, and the string was their power - all of them were being connected, bound together, their power flowing from one person to the other. She smiled, relaxed. We can do this... everyone, we can do this!
The Chimera sensed something. But it did not move, only in a slight shift as it pulled its head even farther back to summon more energy, for one final blow. It didn't matter. They had control now.
Ryou was silent, and Masha fluttered a safe distance away. He'd thought they would need more instructions, but the 12 of them had taken charge, and were progressing even better than intended. They truly were an amazing group.
Only the best for saving the world...
Power and energy flickered around them, in the air. It was as if the invisible thread was not only connecting each and every one of them with power, but with thought, too. They suddenly felt hazy, and yet sharper than ever. All of them seemed to close their eyes simultaneously, their breath becoming synchronized.
"Ribbon..."
The sound moved freely, perfectly, the air becoming heavier, the light playing against their eyelids becoming brighter. Sparks flew as everything seemed to be invisibly twining itself together, creating a power of unmistakable greatness. The Chimera was catching on. Its eyes widened, obviously becoming impatient, knowing the group now had something up their sleeves.
It was almost as if they could feel their feet lifting from the ground. Kona felt as if ribbons were twisting themselves around her shoulders, pulling her to hover just inches above the ground. Zakuro's long hair flowed freely, small spurts of electrical-appearing energy zapping all around her crosswhip. Everyone else was perfectly focused, perfectly in tune with their surroundings and their companions.
"Parfait..."
The Chimera was becoming alarmed. Something was going to happen, and it had to take action - fast. And it did just that. Letting out a deep rumble in its throat, it reeled back and released a burst of white-hot flame, blasting in a huge flash from its outstretched jaw, making a clean shot towards the circle of offenders. It hit the ground and stopped, as if deflected by walls, leaving Shinta and the girls completely untouched. Within seconds the flame dimished itself, revealing a very frantic Chimera. Bounding off its feet, the thing attempted to slam into them, crush them, but only came into contact with the invisible foundation of a dome that was formed all around it. It rebounded, hit the ground, and let out a shriek of fury, lashing out, swiping, kicking, head butting, to no avail. Only harmless sparks resulted from its futile efforts - it was as if the Chimera was sealed in an invisible barrier, keeping the Mews out of harms way and keeping it in target range.
Ichigo smiled, softly.
It's working.
Suddenly, the binds became tighter, the power flowing stronger. Her heart seemed to soar with emotion, with memory, with care and compassion, filling her veins with an undescribable feeling of absolute power. Every last one of the others was experiencing the same sensation, the thread connecting them becoming solid and firm, so they were no longer a circle of inidividuals. They were not divided. They were united - they were one.
"...Surprise!"
Everything halted, stopped, as the breath left them, now open-eyed. It was as if the entire world had come to a grinding halt, not a single thing moving, not a single breath budging. Time had frozen, and they were caught in the web, waiting for one second to pass as it dragged on for an eternity.
Ichigo had thought she had heard perfect silence before. Clearly, not - this was deafening, it was so quiet, and it seemed a single word could shatter the fragile, glass-made world. Scarcely had the words left her lips, as it had from all the others in perfect unison, than a light formed in the air, among the stillness and silence. It seemed to move slowly, but in reality, it could have been missed in a blink. It nearly was. The strawberry-girl blinked, and everything seemed to revert to normal, normal speed, normal sound, normal motion. Normal world.
The light dove down in a swift, spiralling motion, and struck the giant Chimera within a split second. They saw it recoil and throw its head back, letting out a screech as the pure multicoloured light surrounded it, engulfed it, covered it from head to toe. It seemed neverending, filling the invisible dome like a bowl and enveloping the monsterous creature completely. The volume of the cry only heightened as power burst all around.
"Ugh!" The strength of the attack burst so brightly, emitted such a powerful effect, that the group still standing in a perfect, tight and unmoving circle could barely stand their ground. They had to shield their eyes from the brightness, hardly able to make out what was before them. But they could hear it.
Glass-shattering cries filled the air as the Chimera arched back, helpless against the combined attack, its wide yellow eyes showing pain and horror as it was torn apart. The light seemed to rip it to shreds, tearing it, deterioating the form before their very eyes. And it became brighter and brighter, the screams louder and louder, until it died off, leaving only a faint echo and a faded light.
Silence fell again. Not a silence filled with horror and dread, but one of comfort, one of peace. Ichigo lowered her hand to see the sight before her - emptiness. A dying light, and emptiness. Not a single shred or sign of the Chimera was left, only dust sprinkling down in the air, the domed barrier disapeared.
Gradually, all of them caught on. Hands dropped back down to their sides as they tried to figure out whether it was just another trick. They stared. Then, they looked at Ichigo. She opened her mouth but had to stop, having to bend her head to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how much those short five seconds had taken out of her.
Then, looking at the others, she smiled. "It's over."
From the place where the Chimera had fallen and been destroyed rose four balls of light, gently hovering over to the collapsed bodies of the aliens, settling back into their bodies to return colour and life to them. Ichigo and the others detransformed, and stood there, watching.
Kishu was the first to stand to his feet. Looking at his hands with hollow gold eyes, he turned to look at Ichigo. Ichigo looked back. For several moments, they were silent, and then he grinned.
"Looks like you saved me again, koneko-chan."
"Kishu-sama..." Ari stood beside him, paler than ever, but with a strangely softer gaze. Marzipan and Hanajima followed soon after, the four standing together, looking at eachother almost in bewilderment. Hanajima, particularily, wore a look that said 'how are we alive?'.
"Ichigo-neko." Ichigo gave a start as Ari addressed her, staring blankly with golden eyes. She felt the hairs on her neck stand on end, and for a moment there was silence.
But those same golden eyes weren't filled with hate anymore. Some emotions Ichigo recognized, some she didn't. Some had been there all along, just veiled beneath thick misunderstanding. This was Ari standing before her. But somehow, Ichigo felt as if it wasn't the same Ari she'd had to fight and force herself to hate hours ago.
Then the blue haired alien smiled. "Thank you."
Ichigo and several others blinked in surprise. Even Hanajima and Marzipan. Before anything else could be said, Kishu sighed in frustration and grabbed Ari by the wrist, turning around. "C'mon, you three. Let's go home." Flashing a playful grin at Ichigo, he raised an eyebrow at them, "I'd say we've caused enough trouble here, right?"
Ari grinned, golden eyes flashing. "Right."
With that, they turned to look at the Mew girls before the air began to ripple, their forms gradually fading away from sight. And just as they left behind only a faint imprint to be swept away by the wind, Ichigo heard the voice of a female echo in the air.
"Bye bye, Ichigo-neko."
They, the 12 of them all together, stood there for a long time. Finally, Ichigo bent her head over, exhaled, and grinned, bringing her hands out and beckoning Masha over to sit in them. She looked at the little furball with the brightest look she'd had in a long, long time.
"Well. I'd say it's time for things to start fixing themselves, huh, Masha?"
--
"Huahhh!" Ichigo stretched her arms over her head happily, patting the skirt of her new cafe uniform before twirling around happily. "I adooore this new outfit! Kona, your's is cute too. Everyone's is. The customers are gonna love these things!"
Kona laughed nervously, though she had to admit, Ryou had outdone himself. Eleven new cafe uniforms for eleven girls, and a special serving outfit for one boy. "You think so?" Glancing out one of the glass paned windows, she smiled fondly at the sun shining outside, "I'm glad things are back to normal."
It had only been 3 weeks, but in that time, a new cafe had been built. Right after the aliens left, Ichigo and the others hurried to find help, and Ryou and Keiichiro were brought out from the rubble of the building safely. Though they expected the construction of the new Cafe Mew Mew to take months, people all around the city pitched in; it had been a more popular place than they'd thought. But within twenty-one days, it was finished, looking bigger and brighter than ever. And pinker.
"Heee! More space for Pudding's tricks, na no da! Come see the amazing show, na no da!" The short blonde piped cheerfully, twirling around the room while balancing plates on sticks. Yumi followed after cheerfully, ready to catch them, if they fell, and Lettuce was hurrying around frantically to prevent any messes.
Zakuro sighed, appearing by Kona. "I'd say so. It's been unusually calm these past few days, though." Her lips curled into a soft smile. "I kind of missed all the excitement."
"Don't worry, onee-sama, it won't last long," Mint said haughtily with a nod, her arms folded over her chest. She jabbed her thumb in the happy catgirl's direction. "After all, with the world in the hands of this airhead, it's bound to be under attack again in no time."
"Yeah, well - hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Mint just sniggered in response to the redhead's outburst, flouncing off to retrieve her teacups.
"Keep it down, Ichigo-chan," Roxi scolded, two platters in hand holding cakes and assortments. Ichigo saw them and beamed, little hearts appearing in her eyes. But when she reached out for one, the panda-girl quickly stepped aside and shook her head, laughing. "Nope, sorry, Keiichiro-sempai made these for the customers. Besides, Ryou-kun told me not to give you any, anyways. He says you're putting on weight."
The brunette hurried off after seeing the look on Ichigo's face, quickly occupying herself with a customer. Amber eyes twitched in aggrivation.
"Oi," smacking a hand to her forehead, Kikyo meandered past towards a table where a dark haired boy sat, "Better plug your ears, Koji-kun. I nearly went deaf last time."
Berii sweatdropped as she ran across the room, a third plate balanced awkwardly on her shoulder as she clumsily attempted to make three drop-offs of desserts at once.
At that moment, Brooke and Shinta emerged from the kitchen, both dressed in their cafe wear. Brooke's uniform was dark brown with black lace and ribbons, her hair having been tied by Kikyo into a pair of neat pigtails. She looked annoyed. There was no wing on her back.
Shinta patted her on the back teasingly. "Heh. I barely recognize you anymore, you know, Dark Angel."
The girl rolled her eyes and chose not to respond. She started heading off to the kitchen, but after seeing Ichigo's stance and expression, obviously changed her mind. Instead, she went for the door. Shinta laughed and stopped over by Kona, putting his hands over her ears.
"Mmph." Her hand dragged down her face as she seriously considered making a run for it. "Thanks. You really should worry about yourself, though."
"I'm not the one who has the hearing of a feline, remember?"
Breath. Twitch. Shake. Redden. Clench. Inhale.
Ichigo screamed. "SHIROGANEEEEEE!"
Back in the kitchen, Ryou winced. Rubbing his temple with one hand, he sighed, and tossed the rag aside, muttering as he walked towards the doorway. "Does she really have to be so loud? She's going to scare the customers..."
Keiichiro chuckled, placing a whipped topping on one of the ordered cakes. "Everyone's just excited for the 'grand re-opening of Cafe Mew Mew'. And this time, there's no 'saving the world' strings attached."
Ryou rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall. Ignoring all of Ichigo's screams and insults towards him through the wall, too. "For now. Who knows when some messed up aliens decide to go on a venge-hunt again and threaten the peace of Earth and humanity as we know it."
Shaking his head, Keiichiro smiled, setting an empty plate into the sink before drying his hands. "Well, until then," brushing a strand of brown hair from his face, he nodded and went to recieve the next order, "everything will be at peace. Let them enjoy it, while it lasts. Our super-ladies need some rest."
"Yeah," he agreed after a period of silence, glancing wistfully at the doorway. Suddenly, a frown crossed his face. "There's just one problem - "
"Grrr, he's not even listening is he? That's it! Shirogane, I'm coming over there right now! You'd better find a good hiding place, 'cause you're dead!"
"Ichigo-chan, I'd watch out if I were yo - "
"Kyah!"
"Gangway, Ichigo-oneechan! Pudding's on a roll, na no da!"
"Pudding roll, pu-dd-ing roll, ara!"
"Yumi-san! The floor!"
"Eeeek!"
Thud. "Ow ow ow! What was that?"
"Uh oh."
"Brooke's scaring me!"
"She doesn't usually get this angry..."
"That's it! Outta my way! Move it, Kikyo!"
"Just hold on a - will you stop shoving? I'm gonna -"
"Uwah, uwah, uwah!"
"Duck, onee-sama!"
"..."
"Don't worry, Lettuce! I got ya!"
"Wah... arigatou, Berii-san."
"No problem. Just don't drop those plates."
"Pudding roll, Pudding roll, Pudding roll na no da!"
"Pudding!"
Crash.
Ryou's eye twitched.
"What are we supposed to do with all these Mews?"
end
xuri: Eeeee! x-x That's it? THAT'S IT? xDDD Gahhh, I feel all sad inside now. xD But it was great. Especially when my Ryou-kun came back to life. Swoon. I'm sure you all know I couldn't bear to kill him. xD But, yeah, this was so much fun to go through! And even if it is a bit cheesy, and sorta kinda open ended, I still love the ending, okay? xD It made me smile. And also, I just had to have RYOU throw in the last line, because Ryou's my bishie. xD It's a fangirl thing.
But, a huuuge thanks to everyone. I said this already, but you guys reading and reviewing this totally made it possible for all these chapters and characters to be brought to life. I would have quit long ago without you. You have no idea how much I appreciate every ounce of feedback, every little comment, and even just the little count of page views I can find on my profile. It means SO much to me. ;3 So THANKS YOU GUYS!
And now I'm going to talk about future projects. xD My next fanfic, which is almost done the planning process, is 'Program Lovely', which is a TMM fanfic again, though it's centered around the Ryou x Ichigo pairing. But don't worry, there will be a plot, too. xD I'd love to see some of you guys review when it's up, but it'll definitely be a while. And then, after that, I'm gonna shift away from the series for a while to do a Princess Tutu (squee) fic, but I'll be back to write my TMM Alternate Universe fic, 'Tokyo Mew Squad', so don't worry, I'll be back. xD
But, anyways, this is bye for Blend! If anyone wants to see a mini 'Petite Blend Mew' kind of chapter, or even an in-depth-character sheet, please let me know. I'm not quite ready to give up these characters yet. ;3
Bye-bye guys!