Chapter 5
Premonition
They spent the rest of the day getting a tour of the entire craft. The first room Kish had shown them had been the most amazing by far. It was the training room, which included everything but weights and work out equipment. Due to the uncertainty of space, it was not considered safe to have them on board. Instead, the room was lined with a large array of weaponry; some Ichigo recognized from action movies and some she'd never seen before. All the weapons were bolted to the wall and kept safe by a cerulean blue light that acted as a force field. It was used as a means of protection, by keeping loose weapons from striking an unexpected passerby in the case of a rotation, and as a form of security. The weapons were locked when the force field was up and could only be accessed by a palm scan. Like the rest of the craft, the grey metallic material of the floor was reflected on the ceiling; however, the room was built in a circular formation and ran the circumference of the ship. The room also had a wide arrange of targets, plants at random intervals (sometimes even growing out of the walls), a climbing wall, an intricate structure of netting that looked like a spiders' web and doors. Lots and lots of doors. Each door, Kish explained, led into a type of simulated battle or to another part of the ship, you never really knew which. He'd opened one to show them, revealing a land of grey sands and howling winds under a blood red sky. All of these rooms were not lethal, but highly accurate in how a training warrior would survive in a certain type of environment.
After Kish had shown them every inch of the training room, he'd led them out into a vast hallway. Unlike the rest of the craft, this particular hallway had been dark, and lit with flickering candles that cast shadows across a wide arrange of paintings. Each of the paintings were weighted so that they would always be upright. Kish had allowed them to take a few minutes in the hallway to examine the paintings. As far as Ichigo could tell, the paintings were in a medieval style, showing somber waulrinswi warriors and nobles, landscapes and planets she'd never seen before, and battles. Nearly every other painting was an image of blood shed and battle.
"This hallway reflects a particularly dark period in our history." Kish explained, " A lot of the hallways on this craft carry paintings that reflect important people, events, and places in our history."
He led them on, showing them into a large dining room. It was not the kind of dining room Ichigo expected. After seeing the handsomely decorated entranceway, she'd expected white clothed tables, warm colored walls, probably in a red hue, with pillar structures lining curtained windows. Instead, it was almost like stepping into the middle of a forest. Moss covered the soft floor, and trees grew close together like they were in the farthest reaches of an untouched forest. There were picnic tables through out the room with lights embedded in the center of their surface that lit the room in a soft glow. Though Kish explained that the majority of the plant life in the room was synthetic, it still gave Ichigo the feeling that she was camping out in the woods.
The next room he showed them was the library, fashioned like a lighthouse in a cylinder shape with a large, spiral staircase that led to each of the ten levels. Each end of the staircase had a comfortable sitting area and coffee tables. Lettuce had been particularly delighted to discover that the library contained all manner of books, starting from stone carvings and hieroglyphs to small portable devices that contained a vast number of books on them like the eBook.
The room after that appeared to be some sort of ballroom, with polished tile floors and chandeliers that looked like decorative icicles. However, instead of hanging from the ceiling, these chandeliers jutted out from the sides of the wall, ranging in color and size. It took Ichigo a little while to realize that the entire room was decorated to look like the inside of a cave, and that the chandeliers resembled stalactites and gems.
"We appreciate some of the comforts of Earth, but when it comes down to it, we're most at home in the creations of nature." Kish informed them.
"One wonders why you'd ever need to land." Zakuro muttered under her breath.
"Lots of reasons." Kish chortled, "One, is that space provisions do not last forever; two, water runs out quickly since it's used to power the ship and its occupants; and three, this ship isn't large enough to support our entire population."
"Well that explains it." Lettuce grinned.
"This ship runs off water?" Ichigo asked in bewilderment.
"Yeah, that's why the ship's not as big as it seems. Only one-third of it is for living space, and the other two-thirds of it are water containment and emergency fuel systems."
"So then we still haven't seen the bedrooms, bathrooms, control room, or where we are staying." Mint commented, counting them off on her fingers.
"Well, there's a bathroom in each room, then there's one more entry way in case the ship lands on the opposite end."
Pudding yawned widely.
"I suppose it's time to see those rooms." Berry laughed.
"This way then." Kish grinned.
He led them into another hallway and past a bolted door that looked like an old fashioned safe.
"What's in there?" Mint inquired.
"That's the control room. I'd show it to you guys but Pai said no. Sorry about that."
"We'll be fine." Zakuro replied, "He has good reasons for keeping us out. No offense guys, but I don't trust any of you driving the ship."
They laughed heartily, following Kish into a wing of the ship full of metal doorways. He stopped in the middle.
"Each door leads to a different room. The ship is built to hold a maximum of fifty-four waulrinswi. Each room has two beds with an adjoining bathroom to the next room. Pick whichever room you'd like. Pai's room is the furthest to your left. Tart and I are sharing the room across from his. When you're done, return to the dining room for dinner. Any questions?"
"How will we find the dining room?" Pudding immediately asked.
"Each room contains a map with a layout of the ship as well as a hologram beside each bed. Anything else?"
"We didn't bring anything with us." Mint began at once, "Are hair and toothbrushes provided?'
Kish stared at her strangely.
"What?" Mint demanded.
"What's a toothbrush?" He asked.
Mint and Zakuro deadpanned.
"You know, a brush that you use with toothpaste to brush your teeth." Mint giggled.
"What's brushing your teeth?"
"You mean you've never used a toothbrush or toothpaste?" Zakuro asked incredulously.
"No, why would we?" Kish responded with a frown.
"Because it keeps your teeth clean so they don't rot and fall out." Mint explained, looking increasingly concerned about Kish's lack of hygiene knowledge.
"You keep your teeth clean by putting paste in your mouth?" Kish asked, looking apauld.
"It's the only way to keep from getting cavities." Mint replied.
"What are cavities?"
"You don't know what cavities are?" Zakuro blanched.
"No, what are they?"
Zakuro sighed, "Cavities are decay in the tooth that causes it to rot and fall out. Therefore fluoride is used in toothpaste to clean the teeth to prevent this."
Kish looked quizzical for a moment, scratching the top of his head. Then, something akin to understanding dawned on him and he clapped his hands together.
"Oh! I know what you're talking about! The tooth grows black and falls out right?"
They nodded.
"Well that's no big deal, it just grows right back, usually within a couple of days." He laughed, looking highly relieved, "And here I thought it was something highly important." He lapsed into a fit of giggles, but stopped when he realized none of the girls were joining in, "What? Your teeth grow back don't they?"
"Only once." Ichigo replied.
"Are you saying your teeth are like that of a shark's?" Lettuce wondered aloud.
"Sharks are those large, cartilaginous, deep sea predators right?" Kish asked.
Lettuce nodded in conformation.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because a shark's teeth grow endlessly. Since they're made out of cartilage, when one falls out another is easily able to take its place, but mammals have calcium-based bones that are embedded in the skull. Most mammals only have two rounds of teeth, one when they're born, and one more set that grows in and replaces the old as they mature."
"Oh…" Kish said, letting the information he'd just heard soak in, "Well, I can check with Pai to see if we have anything like this fluoride based paste you've described, but I don't think we do."
"Well my Dad's going to be thrilled." Zakuro chuckled sarcastically, "He's an Orthodontist." She explained.
Kish looked confused again.
"What's an Orthodontist?"
"Some one who specializes in teeth." Zakuro replied.
"Why would," Kish began, then paused and shook his head, "Never mind. I'll go talk with Pai. See everyone at dinner." And on that parting note, he disappeared.
"Oh my god, they don't have toothbrushes!" Mint groaned.
"You'll be fine." Zakuro laughed, "After all, our ancestors didn't."
"Yeah, and that's why their teeth were black." Mint replied with a grimace.
"It's not that bad." Pudding chimed in, "My siblings and I were unable to afford toothpaste at one point, so we just used water."
Far from reassuring her, Mint looked practically mortified.
"Um, let's go pick out rooms, then go eat." Lettuce suggested.
Glad some one else had said it and not her, Ichigo jumped at the change of subject. Mint would've killed her if she'd been the one to suggest it.
"Good idea! Berry, do you want to share a room?"
"Sure," the blonde agreed.
Ichigo turned swiftly and made a beeline for the first metal door that she saw. She made to open it when she realized that there wasn't a doorknob. Confused, she scanned the entire doorway before her eyes landed on a small button to the right. She glanced at Berry, who shrugged and reached past her to press it. The doors immediately parted in the middle, revealing a small, bland room with cabinets for personal belongings, two desks at opposite ends, and a chair at each one. The room was lit by soft lights emanating from the floor and ceiling, which, like the rest of the craft, was a carbon copy of itself. The beds, which looked more like plush sleeping bags, were tacked firmly onto the walls.
"They really thought this ship out." Berry murmured in amazement as she entered the room.
Ichigo made a sound of agreement as she followed her inside.
The door slid closed behind them, revealing more than they'd originally seen. From the outside, it had appeared to be a bland, whitewashed, area, but inside, the walls were painted to resemble the galaxies. Sleeping would be just like lying amongst the stars.
"Whoa." Ichigo breathed.
After exploring each of the room, each with an adjoining bathroom that held a basin for water, wash clothes, and a toilet, but no shower, to Mint's horror, the girls had each decided on a room. Mint and Zakuro had decided on one that was painted to resemble a day at the beach. Lettuce and Pudding had picked one that looked like it was beneath the waters of an ocean, and, although Berry and Ichigo had been impressed with the galaxy room, they'd decided on one that resembled a tropical rainforest.
"Ok, so we're here." Lettuce said slowly, staring at a map she'd found in one of the drawers, "And we need to get here." She traced her finger from where they were to the dining room.
"But how do we get there?' Pudding asked, voicing what everyone was thinking aloud as she studied the winding pathways that led all over the place.
Ichigo looked over the small girl's shoulders, then to the end of the wing they were in. They'd been standing in the middle of the hallway to the bedrooms for, at least, twenty minutes now, trying to figure out how to get to the dining room. They'd found the maps Kish was talking about in the desk drawers, but he'd forgotten to mention that they weren't in their language.
"How do we even know we're there?" Zakuro asked, pointing at another section, "Doesn't this look more like our area?"
"No, that's the ballroom." Mint interjected uncertainly.
Lettuce flipped the map over, held it up to the lights, and even tried looking at it upside down.
"Let's just try to retrace our steps." Berry suggested, and with out waiting for the rest of them to contemplate her input, she set off down the hall. She stopped at the end, looking at the option of doorways before shrugging and picking the nearest one.
"Anyone remember how we got here?" Zakuro inquired.
They shook their heads.
"Found it!" Berry called, waving frantically for them to follow.
Twenty minutes later, they were hopelessly lost. Ichigo couldn't believe how many doors the place had. Over half the doors they'd found had been to the training room, but as annoying as that was; it told them they needed to track further into the interior. Along the way they'd also found several storage cupboards, plenty of them heavily secured weapons closets, and a dressing room. Why there was a random dressing room in the middle of the ship, Ichigo couldn't fathom. They figured they were getting closer when they stumbled across a pantry.
Ichigo looked up and down the hall, trying to recall any land markings she might've seen her first time through. Like the rest of the hallways, this hallway had a lush red carpet and a soft glow from the lights that hummed from the floor and ceiling, along with brilliantly colored paintings. The paintings, she noticed, were all still lives of food, feasts, and important celebrations.
"Well, we're getting close." Ichigo remarked, pointing out the paintings.
"Suppose we just open doors until we find the forest." Zakuro grumbled.
"I'll find it!" Pudding exclaimed, vaulting down the hallway to the next door. She threw it open, "Not this one!" SLAM! She cartwheeled to the following door, "Or this one!" SLAM!
"Pudding calm down!" Mint snapped.
"Third time's the charm!" Pudding sang, "Nope, not this time!"
"I wonder how long they've been waiting for us." Lettuce wondered aloud.
"Feels like hours." Ichigo replied, placing a hand over her growling stomach.
"Do you suppose they have any food? That pantry looked empty." Berry remarked, also placing a hand over her stomach.
"They must. How else would they survive in space for so long?" Zakuro said in a reasonable tone, "What I'm worried about is if we'll be able to eat it."
Ichigo, Lettuce, and Mint looked at her in confusion, but Berry nodded in understanding.
"We may not be able to physically digest it." Berry explained.
"Why not?" Mint demanded.
"If the food's not from Earth, it may not agree with our biological make up."
"This is a pain." Mint sighed.
"Found it!" Pudding exclaimed, bouncing up and down at the door furthest down the hall like an excited puppy.
"Thank goodness." Lettuce breathed as they quickly ran to catch up with their hyperactive teammate.
"Took you long enough." Tart scoffed when they'd finally entered into the dining room. The three waulrinswi were already there, each sitting at the picnic table closest to the door.
"We got lost." Ichigo informed them, taking the seat Kish stood up to offer her.
Tart had opened his mouth to say something, but was tackled to the ground by Pudding.
"Taruto!" She exclaimed, "What's for dinner? Did you know this ship –?"
How did you get lost?" Kish asked the rest of them as they sat down, "I told you about the maps didn't I?"
"Yes, but you forgot to mention they're not in our language." Berry replied.
Kish looked confused for a minute, then the realization dawned on him.
"Oh, right, sorry about that." He apologized, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, we figured it out in the end." Zakuro shrugged.
"That's good." Pai said in an indifferent manner.
"Kish, did you ask Pai about –?" Mint began, but Pai interrupted her.
"Yes, Kish told me about this tooth care of yours. We don't have anything like he described, and personally, I think you should be ashamed of yourselves for worrying over such a trivial matter when our people are dying."
Mint had opened her mouth to retort, but when he'd finished with an icy glare, she fell silent, hanging her head.
"That was a bit harsh Pai." Kish frowned.
"It's true." Pai replied, not looking the least bit concerned for what he'd said.
'Be that as it may, they're still our guests and have put everything aside in order to help us." Kish reasoned.
Pai rolled his eyes.
"Let's get dinner on the table before the ship decides to flip." He stated.
"What are we having?" Pudding called from the floor.
"What I put on the table." Pai snapped impatiently.
"Pai!" Kish barked. Pudding and Tart had stopped wrestling and the small girl was looking at the eldest waulrinswi like he had slapped her across the face.
Pai cast a glare in Kish's direction before disappearing on the spot.
Kish sighed irritably, running a hand through the green fibers of his hair.
"What's his problem?" Zakuro growled, staring daggers at the spot where he'd been.
"I don't know. He's been like this since we were given the mission." Kish sighed, "Don't take it personally Pudding. Tart and I have been getting an earful."
Pudding nodded.
"Personally, I thought he might've been excited for the chance to go back to Earth." His golden eyes flashed in Lettuce's direction. She looked back at him quizzically, "However…" He trailed off with a helpless shrug.
"Has he been alright?" Lettuce asked softly.
"Don't know." Kish replied, "He spends most of his time holed up in his room."
Lettuce bit her lip looking concerned.
"He'll be fine." Kish reassured her, "He gets like that from time to time."
Pai reappeared suddenly, balancing a large platter of food including a large roasted turkey, steamed vegetables, and rice.
Ichigo gawked at the food as Pai set it down in front of them.
"Where did you get all this?" She couldn't help asking.
"I had plenty of time to prepare it while we were waiting for you." Pai replied, waving his hand and summoning eating utensils from, what seemed like thin air, until Ichigo realized one of the tables had pockets with an assortment of dishes. Plates, forks, knives, and napkins landed softly in front of each occupant, followed by a pitcher of water, "I was lucky the ship didn't flip while I was cooking. It's dangerous to use the stove while we're in flight…"
"Why did you?' Lettuce asked, so softly, her voice was barely over a whisper.
Pai glanced at her for a while, as if contemplating his answer.
"To make you all feel more at home." He finally replied.
Lettuce's face burned a fiery shade of red, but the rest of the girls continued to glare at Pai coldly as he cut the turkey and served everyone.
Ichigo accepted her plate with a quiet thanks. Pai's behavior confused her. He'd been the one to enlist their help, had made it clear that their assistance was vital, yet he was acting as if he loathed their presence. Had he been against seeking their help? It was plausible. Being a warrior, it must've been hard to admit weakness to a former enemy.
Ichigo sifted through the rice on her plate with her fork, studying Pai as he dished out supper. She wanted to believe that he was worried about them, that he was against enlisting them in what they deemed to be a futile battle, but something in her gut told her that wasn't the case. She had a sinking feeling that her mews didn't know what was going on at all.
She glanced at Kish, on her left, who was in a deep conversation with Zakuro as he tried to grasp the concept of college. Kish was curious and intrigued, asking Zakuro more and more questions before she could even answer the first few. As far as she could tell, he was acting like his normal self. Tart also appeared normal, hollering at Pudding one moment, then laughing with her the next, so why was Pai so subdued?
Ichigo studied Pai silently as she ate. He seemed to be brooding over something as he pushed food around his plate, quickly disengaged from any conversation Lettuce tried to start with him, and answered everyone else in clipped, one-worded answers.
"Oy, Ichigo!" Kish called, punching her in the shoulder lightly to get her attention.
Ichigo yelped, nearly upturning her plate of food.
"Quit playing with your food and eat it before the ship flips." Kish laughed.
"What did you punch me for?" Ichigo grumbled, rubbing her shoulder.
"Well, we called your name several times." Zakuro replied, though she sounded worried, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You're extra spacey, and, well, you're not as bright and cheerful as you usually are." Zakuro told her, looking concerned.
"I'm fine, really." Ichigo reassured her.
"No Ichigo, you're not. You've had a really rough day, not to mention past few weeks, and barely enough time to even focus on your inner feelings."
"What?" Ichigo asked blankly.
"It was today wasn't it? Masaya's funeral."
Ichigo felt like she'd been slammed in the gut.
"Oh." She mouthed, her gaze dropping to the table. Suddenly, she wasn't hungry any more. She pushed away her barely touched plate of food, "Yeah, it was."
"How was it?" Zakuro pressed, despite Ichigo wishing she'd just drop it.
"It was a nice reception." Ichigo said shortly.
"No it wasn't." Kish interjected, "That woman didn't even know him. For us, only family members and friends are ever allowed to speak in the memory of the fallen."
Ichigo shot him a glare, but Zakuro asked accusingly, "Why were you there?"
"Moral support." Kish replied offhandedly.
"Despite me telling him not to come." Ichigo growled in a low voice.
"You should've known I wouldn't miss it. For the waulrinswi, even when a rival dies, out of respect, the living victor attends their pyre."
"How different are you customs?" Zakuro asked, her eyes now glinting with interest. Ichigo inwardly breathed again. The conversation was no longer focused on her mental state.
Kish shrugged.
"Probably not as different as you'd expect, though we've existed much longer."
"How much longer?"
Kish thought for a moment, "Well, the last time we were on Earth, this was ages ago, I wasn't even born yet, but I was told there were these giant reptilian like creatures."
Ichigo gawked openly at him.
"The waulrinswi saw the dinosaurs?"
"I guess, if that's what they're called." Kish replied, "Why didn't we see any when we were on earth?"
"They're extinct." Zakuro informed him, "They died millions of years ago."
"Shame," Kish pouted, "I heard they were truly a sight to behold, though to dangerous to coexist with."
"Why were the waulrinswi on Earth?" Zakuro asked, trying to steer the conversation back to the history of the alien species.
"Well, we needed a home." Kish replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why?" Ichigo inquired.
"Over one hundred billion years ago, our home planet, Gaea, was destroyed."
"By what?" Zakuro questioned.
"Our ancestors. They destroyed our home planet through green house gases, war, pollution, and so on."
"That's why you accused the humans of destroying Earth when you first came." Ichigo realized aloud.
Kish nodded, "We grew up with the horror stories of waste and destruction, but ultimately, what killed Gaea was our sun burned out. With the sun gone, the planet slowly froze and died. No creatures on the planet survived, in fact, those that did survive were government officials, and those that could afford to board a spacecraft. Everyone else was left to die of hypothermia and starvation."
"So coming to Earth was a painful reminder of all your people's mistakes.' Zakuro summarized.
"Exactly," Kish confirmed, "We're not so different when you think about it. Sure, we're technically a different species, come from another world, have larger ears and powers, but we're actually very close. What's that term…?"
"Parallel evolution." Zakuro supplied.
"Yes!" Kish exclaimed.
"So knowing all of this, how do the waulrinswi live now?" Ichigo inquired.
"Well, for centuries now, we've been nomads until we came across our most previous planet, nicknamed Hope. That's were I was born, and through my childhood, it was a beautiful, lush planet, full of the promise of life. However, when I was about eight, I think, earth years, an asteroid hit the planet, knocking it out of orbit. Everything was decimated, and every weather pattern was hazardous, forcing us to take shelter underground. That's when we started looking for another planet."
"That would be around the time you came to Earth then." Ichigo stated, "I remember you telling me about the state of your world."
Kish grinned, "Good memory. Yes, that would be around then."
"Alright, everyone please return to your rooms for bed." Pai said suddenly, standing up from the table, "I want everyone up early and in the training room by six, Earth time."
"How will we know when it's six?" Lettuce questioned.
"I'll set an alarm. When you hear it, get there within twenty minutes. Kish, Tart, take care of the dishes." He said briskly before disappearing.
"Aw, I hate dish duty." Kish whined.
"Quit complaining." Tart snapped.
"We can help." Ichigo offered, picking up her plate as she stood.
"Nah, it's alright, you're our guests." Kish replied, taking her plate from her. He looked at her still laden plate before passing it back to her, "Never mind, you stay here and eat."
"I'm not hungry." Ichigo replied, sounding like a stubborn five year old.
Kish quirked a brow, "I don't care, you're not leaving the table until it's licked clean."
"I said I wasn't hungry!" Ichigo exclaimed angrily.
"And I know that you've hardly eaten since he died, so finish the plate."
Ichigo felt a lump rise in her throat. Why did everyone keep having to bring up his death?
Without another word, she picked up her fork and started shoveling food into her mouth until it nearly exploded. She could hardly taste the food, but eating, at the moment, was more of a means of not talking.
Kish smiled smugly.
She rolled her eyes and washed down the food with a gulp of water before delving into the next bite.
She ate quickly, with Kish watching her like a hawk to make sure she ate every bite. When she'd finished, he took the plate from her, rounded up the rest of the dishes, then disappeared with Tart.
Ichigo scowled after them.
"Well, time to try and find the rooms." Berry said in fake cheer, drawing a tired laugh from the rest of her team.
Luckily, getting back to the rooms was a lot easier than getting to the dining room. In the wing, they went their separate ways.
"So, how do you suppose we get in the beds?" Berry asked dubiously, staring at the sleeping bag look alikes bolted to the walls.
The door slid closed behind Ichigo as she walked towards the one closest to the bathroom. Instead of having a zipper off to the side, there was one long one that ran down the middle.
Ichigo pulled the zipper back, revealing an in cove in the wall complete with pillows and blankets that matched the theme of the room. The in cove was large enough for a single person to sleep comfortably on any of its sides, almost like a solid hammock.
Ichigo looked back and forth between the outer sleeping back and the nest before she realized the simplicity behind her misunderstanding.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, "I get it! Like everything else on this ship, the beds are designed to hold some one in incase the ship flips while they're asleep."
"Should've guessed." Berry muttered, unzipping hers and crawling in, "What do you suspect we'll need to do for clothes and our other hygiene needs?"
"I think we'll get told there are more important things to worry about." Ichigo grinned, as she too crawled into the nest and zipped herself in. Like a sleeping bag, the head area was open so they could see each other.
Berry laughed.
"I almost felt bad for Mint, but I was also kind of shocked she was worried about that in light of the waulrinswi's situation."
"I know." Ichigo agreed.
"More importantly, how have you been?" Ichigo heard the blankets shift as Berry rolled over, and could feel her eyes searching her, "You told us about what happened to Masaya. I'm so sorry."
Ichigo swallowed as the lights blinked out.
"I haven't been great." Ichigo admitted.
"But judging by how coherent you are, you must've already gone through the five stages of denial."
Ichigo fell silent, remembering her anger, her depression, everything she'd gone through since his death.
"I suppose." She said bitterly.
"I know it doesn't mean much, but your friends are here for you."
"Thanks Berry." Ichigo murmured.
"Let me know if you ever need to talk about it." She yawned, "Night Ichigo."
"Good night Berry." Ichigo replied, rolling over onto her other side. Whether it was the sudden excursion to space, or the events of the day catching up on her, Ichigo didn't know, but the moment her eyelids had drifted shut, she'd fallen fast asleep.
Ichigo found herself surrounded by greenery. Large, leafy plants reached out to her from beneath the canopy of majestic trees. Flowers, in a variety of size and color, grew amongst the green, giving off a strong, almost intoxicating aroma. All around her she could hear a steady variety of life. Her extra sensitive, feline ears, twitched wildly as they followed the calls of the birds, the steady dripping of water, monkeys chattering in trees, and even the soft hum of the insects.
Ichigo breathed in deeply, the new smells wrapping her in theirs scents of pollen, fresh rain, growth, and abundant life, yet, just as she was beginning to feel content with her surroundings, the tropical forest suddenly fell silent.
The hairs on Ichigo's neck stood on end as the pleasantly warm temperature seemed to drop drastically and the suns glow, though partially hidden by the upper canopy, seemed to blink out like a light that had been switched out. Ichigo felt the cold tendrils of dread begin to creep upon her, wrapping around her like a dark python, squeezing the breath from within. She was being watched.
She exhaled slowly, trying pointlessly to control her erratically beating heart. Tapping into her feline genes, her vision suddenly came into sharp focus. She could see further into the shrubbery, past the shadows that would've normally restricted her. She could see everything as if dialing the focus on a camera's lens. With this focus, she could see down to the finest details of the veins stretching across a leaf, of the ants scurrying across the forest floor, and even, as if by a sixth sense, a shadow that flitted in and out of the trees.
Ichigo crouched low over her center of gravity, ready to either fight or high tail it out of there if the situation arose. She scanned the area slowly, keeping her eyes peeled for the mysterious shadow.
There!
Ichigo whirled around, catching sight of an unnatural green blur before it camouflaged into the flora, making her wonder if she'd really seen anything at all.
Just when she was beginning to doubt her sanity, a twig snapped close by.
Ichigo froze up at once. Something was definitely there.
Exhaling again, Ichigo cautiously dug her heel into the ground. It was soft and pliable, giving terrain because of the moisture.
Keeping her ears alert, Ichigo dropped her eyes to the ground. She quickly found what she was looking for right by her feet. Moving as slowly as possible, she brought down a red-booted foot onto a twig. It bent, but did not break.
Ichigo's blood ran cold. Whatever was stalking her was big, and judging by the way the other critters had fled the scene, she was facing a predator, one she probably could not take down alone in a fight. Her best option would be to run.
Cautiously, she took a step forward. When nothing jumped out at her, she took another, then another. Still, nothing.
Suddenly, a deafening scream broke the quiet of the forest.
Ichigo froze instantly, her eyes swiveling in the direction she'd heard it from. It couldn't be…
"Mint!" she shrieked, all thought of the creature stalking her being pushed aside as she tore through the undergrowth, yet she could tell it was still there. Even as she ran, impatiently pushing leafy plants and branches out of her way, she could hear it. It didn't make as much noise as she did. It was certainly a practiced silent killer the way it effortlessly maneuvered across the terrain.
"Don't think about that now." Ichigo told herself firmly. She needed to get to Mint.
Ichigo finally tore through a group of trees into an area with a bubbling creek, and stopped dead. The creek was a bright red color; in fact, the entire area was bathed in the blood of her teammates. Lettuce lay flat on her stomach, arms outstretched like she'd been trying to crawl her way to the water's edge. Her entire back was bathed in blood from a wound that completely severed her lower spine. One of her legs was completely missing. Not far from her lay Berry, the purity and innocence of her form marred by the bright crimson elixir of life. Her eyes spoke of fear and desperation, while her mouth was opened in a never-ending scream. Rigor mortis had hit with her hand clutching at her chest where her ribs seemed to have burst out from within. Next to her was the body of Pudding. Sweet, innocent, hyperactive Pudding, who now lay there dull and lifeless, her expression too was one of abject fear. Ichigo was almost relieved to see that Zakuro and Mint were not there until her gaze fell onto a scattered assortment of limbs and purple clothing, covered in blood. She followed the trail to Zakuro's disembodied head, which was barely recognizable due to the appalling damage that had been done to it. While the left side was perfectly intact, though smattered with blood, chunks of flesh and her eye were missing.
Ichigo's knees shook as she fell to the ground, gazing in horror at the corpses that surrounded her.
What the hell had happened? What on Earth could've done this? Her friends! Her comrades!
Ichigo doubled over as sobs raked her entire frame. She hadn't been in time! She couldn't stop it! She couldn't save them!
Tears flowed fast and freely from her eyes before she threw her head back and let out an anguished cry. She tore at the ground, threw whatever she could find, and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. She was so overcome by her grief that she nearly missed the pained whimper that came from her right.
Sobs halting quickly, Ichigo immediately whipped around. Mint was still alive!
Almost crying in relief, Ichigo jumped to her feet and ran to her friend.
Mint's face was as white as a sheet. Her hair was wild and unkempt, sticking to her face. She was breathing heavily, fresh tear tracks outlining the curves of her cheeks.
"Mint!" Ichigo gasped, falling to her knees and feeling the other girl's forehead. She was burning up, 'Mint! Mint! What happened?"
Mint merely groaned, one hand reaching out blindly to grasp Ichigo's.
Ichigo took her hand, waiting on tender hooks for her to answer, but what she heard was not what she'd been expecting.
"Run Ichigo!" Mint gargled, coughing up a mouthful of blood that went all over the two of them.
"What's going on?" Ichigo pressed, gripping Mint's hand tighter as the girl gave a pained gasp.
Mint scrunched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as another spasm of pain over took her. Her muscles tightened, straining against her skin like it was fit to burst.
"You need to get out of here." Mint managed, her free hand moving to clutch at her chest.
"What's going on?" Ichigo repeated, fighting to keep her voice under control.
"Leave!" Mint gasped desperately.
"No!" Ichigo said firmly.
Mint opened her mouth to yell at her when she suddenly fell silent, and bother their eyes fell to her heaving chest. It had suddenly pushed out then fell in, like her heart was trying to push out of her body.
Mint's pupils dilated in fear.
Ichigo's reflexes were shouting for her to jump up and flee the area before it was too late, but she could only watch in horror as Mint's chest was forced to breaking point. She heard as the sternum was ripped clear from the rib bones, recede, then suddenly Mint's chest cavity was ruptured open in a geyser of blood, dousing Ichigo's face, yet it did not keep her from seeing the movement beneath the skin, or of the one lone talon that snaked out from within her friend.
"Run." Mint whispered on her dying breath.
Ichigo awoke with an ear splitting scream, covered in an icy layer of sweat.
A/N:
I am so sorry for how long this chapter took. I lacked some motivation on the slower parts, and it took me a little while to get an editor, but here's the first chapter I'm posting that's been edited!
Please enjoy!
Also, if there's something you'd like to see in the story, please let me know. I have about two more chapters to kill on the ship, and I need some ideas to play off of.
Again, sorry for the long wait. I'll try not to take so long on the next chapter!