Chapter 10
Waesf Aleurs
"Berry!" Ichigo shrieked, ripping herself out of Kish's arms.
The javelin like tail embedded in Berry's chest pulled back out with a sickening squelch.
Berry gasped, falling forward and face planting into the ground. The monster above her retracted its tail. It literally looked like something straight out of a nightmare. It was as dark as the shadows of the night with a smooth expanse for a head that stretched back in a capsule shape, and a gaping mouth with a squared jaw. It stood on four sinewy legs that ended in three-toed feet, much like that of a bird's. Talons were at the ends of each of these toes, digging into the frozen earth beneath it. Its body was lean and lithe, every muscle and bone accented by the smooth expanse of scaly skin. Most notable was the creature's spin, were the tips of the vertebrae stood out and looked like that of a stegosaurus, only needle-like instead of plates. Its tail whipped about in the air around it, looking skeletal as if the sinew and scales were barely holding the pieces together. Traces of Berry's blood painted the air as the monster flicked its tail back and forth in an agitated manner.
"Berry!" Ichigo screamed again, rushing forwards despite the eminent danger.
"Ichigo!" Kish yelled after her with an unneeded warning, but Ichigo didn't hear him. Her entire focus was on her precious friend and teammate, who, with shaking arms, was trying to push herself up.
The creature behind her roared, the agitation of its tail increasing as she approached. However, Ichigo ignored these warning signs as she fell to her knees beside the other girl.
"Berry! Berry!" She screamed desperately.
She saw a rush of movement from her perrefrial vision, followed by the screeching of metal. Shakily, she looked up to see Kish standing protectively over her and Berry, his swords crossed in a defensive stance, catching the spear like tail that had been aiming for her head.
"Get her out of here! I'll hold it off!" Kish yelled over his shoulder.
Ichigo nodded, turning Berry over and scooping the girl into her arms. She leapt to her feet, noting with concern how frighteningly light Berry was, as well as how pale her face appeared as she struggled and gasped for air. With adrenaline and fear coursing through her veins, Ichigo sprinted back towards the crowd of waulrinswi, who, thankfully, did not try to stop or apprehend her. Instead, many of them, armed and at the ready, rushed past her to aid Kish against the monster.
Ichigo stumbled, falling back to her knees; barely managing to hold onto Berry. Choking back tears, Ichigo laid her out on the dry wisps of grass. However, Berry was already beginning to convulse. Violent tremors wracked her body as trembling hands reached for the gaping hole in her chest that was gushing blood. Underneath, Ichigo could see a pulsing organ that looked as if it had been ruptured. However, she couldn't tell if it was the girl's heart or lung.
Ichigo instantly brought her hands down over the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.
"Berry! Berry stay with me!" Ichigo yelled as liquid life seeped from beneath her fingers, drenching her entire hands.
Berry coughed, her eyes rolling as another tremor ripped through her. Her face was growing paler with each passing second.
"Stay with me!" Ichigo cried desperately. Panicked, she looked around wildly, finding herself surrounded by waulrinswi.
"Help!" She screamed, but didn't wait for their response.
"Stay with me Berry!" She nearly cried, trying to apply more pressure to the wound and block the passage of blood.
Berry coughed again, more crimson staining her face and dribbling down her neck.
"Help me please!" Ichigo cried again. This time, several waulrinswi rushed to her side. They were yelling something at her but Ichigo couldn't understand them.
Berry reached for her with a trembling hand. Ichigo removed hers from Berry's chest, clutching the other girl's tightly. Her hands were frighteningly cold.
"Stay with me! Berry you've got to stay with me!" Ichigo screamed. She was openly crying now as the waulrinswi moved around her, ripping open the top of Berry's dress to get better access to the wound. They yelled at Ichigo again, but their words were lost to her. Frustrated, one ripped Ichigo's hand away from the wound.
"NO!" Ichigo screeched hysterically, her grip tightening on Berry's hand. The waulrinswi then took her place, applying pressure to the wound as he barked orders at his comrades. Another approached with a small mask that they strapped over Berry's mouth and nose. More blood was seeping out of the wound. By now, Berry, Ichigo, and the waulrinswi were kneeling in a pool of blood.
"No! No! NO!" Ichigo cried, trying to reach forwards to help, only to be shoved roughly out of the way. The waulrinswi was shoving some sort of soaking cloth into the hole that his partner handed him, but each time the white strip tried to cover the edges it was instantly dyed crimson. Whatever it was they were trying to do, it wasn't working.
"No Berry, no." Ichigo groaned, tears flooding down her cheeks like a breaking dam, "Stay with me! Please don't die on me!"
The waulrinswi's actions were slowing. Distantly, Ichigo saw the one trying to treat Berry's wound shake his head in defeat. The bandages stopped coming, and the mask was removed. The fingers clutching Ichigo's hand tightened as Berry rolled her head to look at Ichigo, though Ichigo wasn't even sure if the other girl could see her. As if to signify her demise, her transformation fell away. No longer was Ichigo looking at Mew Berry. Instead, she was just Berry. Plain, mortal, delicate Berry. Pale faced and with trembling blue lips, Berry did her best to focus on Ichigo. Unfocused hazel eyes met watery pink.
"I…Ichigo…" She breathed in a rattling breath.
The waulrinswi moved aside so that Ichigo could get closer.
"I'm here Berry, stay with me now!" Ichigo cried.
Berry lifted her other hand, which Ichigo caught, feeling a small, oval shaped object pass between their palms.
"T-take t-that back-k to m-my p-p-parents for me." Berry gasped, tears dripping from the corners of her eyes.
Ichigo felt the heat rise in her cheeks as her eyes burned. Tears cascaded down her face, dripping onto Berry's hand as she held it close to her cheek.
"I will." Ichigo sobbed, her chest tightening painfully. She pulled the dying girl into her arms, giving her all the warmth she could muster.
Berry smiled in gratitude before giving one last shuddering breath and falling still in Ichigo's arms.
Ichigo opened her mouth in a silent scream as she squeezed her eyes shut and held Berry close. The girl's head lolled backwards, blood-matted hair brushing against Ichigo's thighs.
Ichigo felt an arm drape over her shoulders. Quickly wiping her eyes, she glanced up, expecting to see Kish, but only saw one of the waulrinswi who had been trying to help her. He gazed back at her with somber dark eyes, giving her shoulders a squeeze.
Despite the language barrier between them, Ichigo could tell that he was sorry for her loss.
Sniffing, Ichigo looked back down at her friend. She did not look nearly as peaceful as Masaya in his coffin. Her death had frozen her features in the image of pinched pain. Every laboring breath, every expression of agony, was laid bare on her face like some sort of twisted canvas.
Ichigo clutched Berry's pendant tightly in her hand, more tears leaking from her puffy eyes.
The waulrinswi kneeling next to her removed his arm and reached forward, covering Berry's face delicately with his hand. When he removed it, Berry's lifeless eyes had been closed. He murmured something softly that the other waulrinswi repeated, and with that, they placed a closed fist over their hearts and bowed their heads in honor of a girl they had never met.
Ichigo was at a loss for words. She was stunned by the respect that they showed her friend, and grateful that they seemed to care, but at the same time, she was pissed. How dare they care now! What were the Mews to them if not sacrifices? As far as she was concerned, the waulrinswi kneeling around her were just as responsible for Berry's death as the monster she could hear roaring in the background. It was they who had ordered Pai to retrieve them. It was they who had brought them to this planet, and it was they who had killed Berry. If the waulrinswi hadn't sent them a false cry, none of the Mews would be here right now. Berry wouldn't be dead, and the rest wouldn't be holed up like prisoners awaiting execution.
Ichigo clenched her fists tightly before she finally lay Berry down across the ground, feeling the cold metal of her pendant biting into her palm.
Yes, the waulrinswi were to blame, yet she was also at fault. She had made the executive decision to aid the waulrinswi. She had been the one to insist that Kish take them out scouting tonight. She had been the one to insist he help Tart if he could get the chance, and look what that had cost her. Both Tart and Berry were dead. Hadn't she promised Ryou? Hadn't she promised him that she'd bring everyone back home safely? Well look how that had turned out. She had failed.
Ichigo ground her teeth together as she chocked back another sob. She had to make this right for her surviving members, as well as for the memory of the fallen.
"I'm so sorry Berry." Ichigo whispered, brushing the blonde's bangs out of her hair before rising to her feet.
"Whaus auru wie kionj?" One of them exclaimed, jumping up after her and gripping her arm.
"Let go of me." Ichigo snarled, ripping her arm out of his hold. She didn't know if they could understand her, but she kept her glare cold, and her posture still. Body language was supposed to be universal. Now was the time to see if it really was.
The waulrinswi around her seemed to get the hint. The one who had grabbed her was no longer trying to restrain her, and the others were still crouched around Berry's body, exchanging glances and looking highly uncomfortable.
"Don't. Stop. Me." Ichigo punctuated every word with a pointed glare at each of them before turning her back on them all together.
Stretched out before her was a battlefield. Warrior waulrinswi littered the ground, some lying as still as the grave, others nursing injuries, and in the background, those still standing, were battling the monster. It was fast and lithe, dodging and avoiding the waulrinswi's attacks, despite being blind (as far as Ichigo could tell anyway). She watched as three attacked from the air, weapons poised lethally. They struck, but their swords and daggers only seemed to anger the creature as they bounced off its protective outer shell like pebbles on a rock. It roared, a long slithery tongue appearing from between its jaws before its powerful tail whipped through the air and sent the areole team flying.
Ichigo began walking forward as another team of waulrinswi managed to get to its under belly. In a flash of silver, the monster's right hind was severed from the rest of its body. It screeched in agony, a sickening yellow substance flowing out from the stump. Its blood. Ichigo held out her right hand. Eyes still focused on the battle before her, she flexed her fingers, summoning the katana to her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the hilt, gripping it firmly as she allowed her mind to clear. She shunted away her fear and anguish, allowing all of her senses to focus solely on the battle to come.
Ahead of her, the creature was still standing, screeching like a wounded cat as it used its tail to swat at the warriors like flies. Suddenly, a fast moving shadow moved into the fray, only visible to Ichigo because of her enhanced, feline vision. It darted underneath the monster in a blink of an eye. In another flash of silver the monster screamed again as a new wound bled freely on its underside.
"Their weakness is their soft underbelly." Ichigo murmured to herself. There, now all she had to do was get underneath it.
Ichigo forced her legs to move faster underneath her until she was in a full out sprint. Her blade grazed against the ground as she ran, slicing into the earth as if it were a sheet of paper. She was fast approaching the battle, the sounds of clashing metal, screams of terror, agony, and the never ending roar of the monster assaulted her ears. She cringed slightly at the onslaught of noise but pushed onward. She was almost there. She ducked to avoid a flying waulrinswi that had been sent reeling by the thing's tail. She then quickly dived to the side to avoid an arrow that had lodged itself into the ground she had been only moments before. Grinding her teeth, Ichigo quickly sprang back to her feet, spinning agily out of the way of more warriors, bringing her face to face with the creature's side. Before she could even fire a signal from her brain to her arms in order to lift her sword, she was struck in the side by the thing's tail. Ichigo gasped as she felt something snap, and in the blink of an eye she was sent flying.
Ichigo landed a good sixty or seventy feet away. She tried to catch herself on her feet, only to have her right ankle twist unnaturally. Her leg twitched violently and gave out on her, sending her careening into the ground with a harsh thud. Ichigo cried out, dropping her sword as she curled inward, one arm going to protect the broken rib, and the other reaching for her sprained ankle. For a few moments a wave of numbness spread through the two areas before her body was racked with onslaughts of white-hot pain, radiating through her nerves and penetrating the nerve center of her brain.
Ichigo groaned in agony, gritting her teeth against the agony. She had to get back up. She was dead if she stayed down. Hadn't that been one of the first rules Kish had impressed on her and Berry when they'd first arrived? Hadn't he made it clear that the ability to stay on their feet was their lifeline?
"Well, he'd also told me not to land on my feet when sent flying." Ichigo recalled grudgingly, "Stupid cat DNA."
Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Ichigo pressed her palms firmly into the ground. She bit her lip to keep from screaming as she shifted her weight, agitating the dislodged rib.
"Ichigo!" Strong familiar hands gripped her shoulders and she was flipped around into someone's arms.
Ichigo gasped in agony, her vision momentarily blurring.
"Kish?" She gasped.
"I'm here Ichigo, I've got you. Are you hurt?" Kish asked, quickly brushing her hair out of her face.
"My rib… I t-think i-it's broken." Ichigo hissed.
"Come on, we've got to get you out of here! Can you stand?" Kish asked.
"I'll try." Ichigo replied, using Kish as support as she pushed herself up with her left leg. Once she was fully upright, she tried to put weight on her right ankle. Almost instantly her muscles spasmed against the sudden weight, nearly causing Ichigo to pitch forward if Kish hadn't caught her.
"What's wrong with your leg?"
"Must've hurt it when I fell."
"Ok, put your arms over my shoulders." Kish instructed, helping her to lean up against him.
Ichigo leaned up against Kish, grateful for his support, yet kicking herself internally. She had leaped into the midst of the battle to help kill the monster, yet she had been able to do nothing. Against Berry's killer she had been tossed aside like yesterday's trash.
"Ok, easy now –,"
" –Kish look out!" Ichigo screamed, but her warning came to late. With an almighty roar, despite missing a limb and bleeding heavily, the monster shook off the waulrinswi attacking it, and leapt towards Kish and Ichigo. It knocked the two of them onto their backs, pinning them to the ground, one under each of its taloned feet.
Ichigo cried out again as her broken rib was crushed further. Kish grunted as well. The creature above them roared, spitting saliva into their faces. Ichigo squeezed her eyes closed, feeling flecks of foamy spittle drip onto her face. Her eyes suddenly flew back open as her nerves registered a sudden sensation. It burned! From where the small flecks of spittle had landed on her face, it felt as if it had been set on fire!
Ichigo shrieked in agony as it felt like the fire was spreading. She squeezed her eyes shut again, praying for the pain to stop. For everything to stop, maybe even to die so that she'd no longer be in pain.
"GET OFF ME!" Kish roared.
Ichigo heard the whistle of his blade as it swung through the air, followed by a pained shriek. Ichigo's eyes flew open to see the monster rearing back, yellow blood spurting from its soft underside.
"Get up!" Kish yelled, suddenly at her side and pulling her to her feet.
"Kish! Kish it's weak on its underside!" Ichigo gasped, clutching her side as she winced at any fraction of movement.
"I know!" Kish replied with a grunt as he blocked the monster's tail with one of his forearms, the clash sounding like smashing boulders, "I know, it's just hard to get a direct hit! This guy protects itself extremely well!"
"Then we need a distraction so you can get beneath it!" Ichigo exclaimed, looking hopefully to the other waulrinswi who had rejoined the fray and were currently reengaging the monster in combat. However, they didn't seem to understand the creature's soft underside.
"Kish, can you get me on top of it?" Ichigo asked softly.
"What? Why?" Kish exclaimed, sending her a protective glare that told her that he had no intention of doing any such thing.
"Because, if I can distract it long enough from above then that gives you enough time to get underneath it. Chop off its head. I think that's the only way to stop it."
"Ichigo you're injured! There is absolutely no way I'm letting you do that!"
At that moment, there was a loud outcry as more and more waulrinswi were sent flying. It was getting more violent. Blood was everywhere, littering the grounds and bodies of the fallen.
"We don't have time to argue!" Ichigo yelled back in exasperation.
"Ichigo, if we both survive this I'll kill you myself!" Kish threatened before roughly picking her up and taking off into the air. He then teleported, landing them both squarely on the back of the monster before teleporting away again. Not expecting the sudden move, Ichigo pitched forward, nearly falling off if she hadn't grabbed onto the creature's spikes. It was smaller than she expected. From a distance it looked like a giant, but upon it, it seemed to only be the size of a Clydesdale horse. Still large, but not as monstrous as she had originally thought.
Feeling her sudden weight, the monster leaped into the air, twisting its body in an awkward angle that almost sent her spilling off its side. However, Ichigo had managed to hook her left heel tightly through its spiny vertebrae, gripping to monster between her legs as she hung on for dear life with her hands.
Her broken rib and ankle screamed in agony as she hung on to the flipping and jumping creature. Suddenly, it whipped its head around, mouth drawn into a snarl, teeth flashing. With a horrified yell, Ichigo somehow managed to summon her sword in time, managing to deflect its teeth with the metal end. The monster snarled in response, again leaping into the air and kicking its legs tighter, feeling the vertebrae and rough scales digging into her bare legs. She gripped her sword tightly, bringing it over her shoulder instinctively when her ears picked up a sharp whistling sound behind her. As soon as the blade had made it to protect her back, she heard a loud clang. Horrified, she chanced a glance behind her to see the tail barely an inch from embedding itself into her shoulder. Forcing her legs to squeeze to monster tighter, Ichigo added her other hand to the base, trying to use the extra leverage in order to force the tail back. Her broken rib protested violently as she pushed more weight against the tail. Ichigo grit her teeth, trying to push the pain to the back of her mind.
The tail suddenly retracted, and Ichigo quickly swiveled back around, maneuvering the sword in front of her as it tried to attack her from the front again. She parried against its teeth, quickly knocked away the incoming tail, then brought it back again, lodging her sword horizontally in the monster's mouth. Razor sharp teeth ground against the blade flecks of spit landing on her hands and forearms. It pushed against her, teeth continuing to knish against the metal as she attempted to hold it at bay. Ichigo grit her teeth, pushing back with all her might, but it was a losing battle. The beast was strong. She might as well have been trying to stop an oncoming semi-truck.
"Any day now Kish!" Ichigo yelled before letting out a piercing scream as the creature's tail slammed into her left shoulder, shattering the bones underneath. Her entire arm instantly went numb as shock overtook the limb. Without the extra resistance the monster's head slammed into her chest. Ichigo lost her grip on the sword; her legs could no longer hold her either. She came loose, falling backwards over its side, her mouth agape in a drawn out scream.
The monster veered around, mouth at the ready to sink its fangs into her delicate flesh.
A flash of silver. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. One second Ichigo was staring into the face of her impending doom, and the next, its head and body were moving in two separate directions. Ichigo and the body slammed into ground at the same time its head went spinning briefly into the night air, flecks of yellow blood following before it landed a few feet away with a sickening thud.
Ichigo gasped in agony, landing on her freshly shattered shoulder. She lay motionless on the ground, her body trembling as each throb of pain wracked through her again and again.
"Ichigo!" Kish cried, dropping to his knees beside her.
Ichigo whimpered, flinching as his fingers carefully prodded at her ruined shoulder. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire, yet she was drawing into herself, her brain subconsciously trying to protect her. Black was dancing at the corners of her eyes. She tried blinking, but it was only becoming more concentrated. Her vision was swimming in a sea of black.
Distantly she heard Kish bark some sort of order in his language. She felt something small and cool pressed to her lips. Her head was tilted back, allowing some sort of fluid to pass through her lips.
It was too much. She couldn't fight the alluring tendrils of unconsciousness.
Warmth. She was encased in warmth. It felt as if she were reclining on a cloud, allowing its soft presence to keep her afloat. Distantly, she could hear voices, but it was as if she were hearing them through a radio on its lowest volume.
Ichigo twitched, her fingers grazing against something soft and fluffy.
"Where am I?" Ichigo wondered vaguely.
The voices were getting louder, yet she still couldn't make out what they were saying. She felt another set of fingers grip hers. Who's were they?
Unfamiliar scents were tickling her nose. There was moisture around her, accompanied by a metallic scent that wasn't blood, floral, earth, and… Ichigo's nasal muscles suddenly contorted at such a foul smell. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was the kind of smell that leaks into your nose, acceptable at first, but once in, becomes horribly unbearable. It was a strong scent, reminding her of the strong chemicals her mom used to clean the house as well as formaldehyde.
Someone chuckled above her, and Ichigo felt the fingers gripping hers release her hand only to lightly smooth her hair.
Scrunching her nose, Ichigo forced her eyes to open. She was greeted by a flickering orange glow that danced across a darkened, earth shaped, ceiling. Ichigo blinked again, the rock face ceiling coming into sharper focus.
"Hey Kitty Cat, how are you feeling?" Kish asked softly, capturing her limp hand in his again.
Ichigo groaned in response, allowing her head to lull to the right where Kish sat, his golden eyes searching her imploringly. He looked relieved, but a bit paler than usual. Both of his hands were battered and bruised. He had a cut over his right eye that had been dressed and bandaged with some sort of grey paste. His green hair was disheveled, parts of it falling out of his usual style. Other than a few bumps and bruises elsewhere, however, he looked perfectly fine.
"Where am I?" Ichigo groaned, attempting to move her left arm to rub her bleary eyes. She suddenly hissed in pain as her shoulder throbbed in protest.
"Caurufel wienj waurroir, shaus aurm os nis wus huauluk." Said another voice.
Startled, Ichigo looked towards the foot of the bed she appeared to be in. At the foot of the bed stood a small group of waulrinswi. The one who had spoken appeared to be female. She had a small heart-shaped face and blonde hair. The two braided strands of hair that framed her face circled under her elf-like ears and seemed to connect into some sort of intricate hairstyle she had in the back. Her eyes were a soft earthy brown color that held nothing but concern for the stranger in the bed. She wore a long, solid-blue colored gown, covered by a simple white apron. Her hands, which she held clasped in front of her, appeared to be encased in something like a glove, but Ichigo had never seen a glove that rippled and moved like water. Next to this female was a warrior. He was covered from head to toe in plated armor, with a spear and shield held tightly in his hands. He wore a stoic expression, but his emotionless grey eyes were boring into her as if he were trying to x-ray her on the spot. On the woman's other side was another male, dressed in robes of what looked like the finest silk. The fabric of the robes swayed and danced in the flickering light, making the embroidered ivory shimmer like gold. He had soft golden eyes, much like Kish's, and carefully groomed auburn hair that cascaded down to the small of his back in long flowing waves.
After soaking in their appearances, Ichigo glanced around wildly. She was in some sort of room that stretched far in both directions. Long, horizontal windows ran from the floor to the ceiling between stone slab beds that seemed to be covered in some sort of spongy plant, possibly moss. One either side of each of the windows, a small flames slumbered in its torch, casting a dim, but warm glow over the small area.
"She says to be careful. You're not healed yet." Kish translated, snapping Ichigo's focus back to the group of waulrinswi. The woman smiled warmly, bustling around the edge of the bed until she was at Ichigo's other side. She brought her hand up, a hand that was glistening with something alien to Ichigo. On instinct, Ichigo tried to flinch away, sending a fresh ripple of shooting pain through her side. She whimpered, causing the female waulrinswi to pause, her hand outstretched as she said something in low soothing tones.
Ichigo shook her head, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. She couldn't understand her at all.
Kish placed a hand on her good shoulder.
"Relax Ichigo, she's just trying to check your temperature." He reassured her.
Reassured, but still not fully relaxed, Ichigo nodded to the waulrinswi, who smiled and extended her hand the rest of the way to place her palm over Ichigo's forehead. It was an odd sensation as whatever was covering her hand stretched out like small antenna, dancing over the skin of her face like the brush of a butterfly's wing before stretching out like a spider's web, covering her face completely.
Ichigo's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, her breath catching in her throat. Was she going to be suffocated?
She felt Kish squeeze her shoulder again, reassuring her through the silent gesture. Ichigo forced herself to take a breath and relax back into the bed.
The waulrinswi above her had her eyes narrowed in focus as she brushed her hand back and forth over Ichigo's forehead. Ichigo watched her warily through the thin veil of dancing liquid. She couldn't understand what was happening, and that thought alone set her on edge. Her only comfort was that Kish was there next to her.
The waulrinswi above her withdrew her hand with a smile. She said something to Ichigo, who glanced over at Kish for translation.
"She says your temperature seems to be normal." Kish told her before looking over at the other waulrinswi, "Ow caun wu jus simu fruauronj sraunslausirs on huru?"
Ichigo glanced at him quizzically. It was odd to hear him speak in his native tongue.
The one in the robes cast Kish a disapproving glare. Evidently he didn't like something Kish had said or the tone he had used, but never the less, he turned to the warrior and gave him an order. The warrior bowed deeply, then turned and left. Ichigo could hear his armor clanking all the way down the stone corridor.
Ichigo again looked at Kish, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"He's going to get some translators, like the kind Lettuce found on the ship. That way you can understand them and they can understand you."
"Oh, ok." Ichigo replied tiredly, "Kish, what's that smell?"
"You're going to have to be more specific kitten."
"The awful one, and stop calling me that!" Ichigo frowned.
"Oh, launkauju, that's the dressing on your shoulder and ribs. It smells awful but it speeds up the healing process of muscle and bone tissue. That thing did quite a number on you."
"What about my ankle."
"It was sprained, but it's already healed. Just give it a few more days of rest."
"What have they done with Berry's body?"
Kish reached for her hand again, choosing to focus on her fingers instead of her face as he answered.
"Right now Berry's body, and what's left of Tart have been taken underground to a morgue. When you're able to move we'll throw them a proper pyre."
"I see." Ichigo replied.
"There was nothing else you could've done for her." Kish told her softly, "That thing ripped through the base of her heart and punctured her lung. She bled out fast."
"She still suffered." Ichigo murmured.
"I know." Kish said softly, his grip on her hand tightening.
Ichigo looked at him. The two of them were completely ignoring the other visitors at the end of her bed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see them moving about and shuffling around.
"I remember what happened." Kish grimaced.
Ichigo raised her brow in question.
"That night I lost my team. I remember what happened." Kish clarified, "That thing… no… that monster, that's what attacked my team down by the river. It came out of nowhere and slaughtered us. I remember I was badly injured and it had me backed into a tree. It struck me with something here." He touched his stomach, fingers tracing over a smooth expanse of skin that was unblemished.
"You watched your entire team die?" Ichigo asked.
Kish nodded miserably.
"Why are you still alive." Ichigo immediately wished to take back what she had just said. It had come out harder than she'd intended.
"I have no idea. I didn't even remember until tonight, after seeing it again…"
The clanking of armor echoing over the walls alerted the small party of the warrior's return. He walked stiffly back up to the foot of her bed and dropped several of the small earpieces into the robed waulrinswi's hand.
"Iwoll sauru shaus." Kish said icily, standing up to snatch one out of the other's hand. He returned to his seated position next to Ichigo.
"Kish, who are they?" Ichigo asked apprehensively.
"I'd tell you, but they'll probably want to introduce themselves." Kish replied, "Just slip this into your ear and say something out loud so it can lock in on your tongue. Then I'll say something in mine so it knows what you want to translate."
"How did Lettuce get hers to work?" Ichigo muttered, taking the device.
"That was a newer version. The old ones kind of suck." Kish informed her.
"You're kidding right?" Ichigo asked, placing it in her ear. As far as she knew, they had nothing this advanced on Earth.
"Niphu." Kish grinned.
"Nope." Came the translated response.
His voice sounded slightly robotic through the translator, but she could understand him in his native tongue!
"The others have translators on now too. Say something to them in Japanese."
Ichigo finally focused on the small group at the end of her bed.
"Um, hi." She said lamely.
The one in the silk robes smiled, through it never reached his eyes as he strolled forward to stand next to Kish and stretched out a hand.
"Mew Ichigo, it is an honor to meet you. I am Genri of house Adatiane."
Ichigo stared blankly as he paused; a look of expectancy on his rather aged and weathered face. However, as the silence stretched on, it was quickly replaced by a look of annoyance.
"I take it that Kish has not informed you of who I am."
"Must've slipped my mind." Kish shrugged, picking at her bedding.
"Indeed." Genri said with a hint of irritation, "Any way, as I was saying, I am Genri Adatiane, the ruler of the waulrinswi."
"I thought Deep Blue was your leader." Ichigo replied after a pause.
"He was until he was defeated by you and the other Mews in the Battle of the Mew Aqua." Genri informed her, "We are a warrior people, Mew Ichigo. We do not follow the weak. Therefore, when you and your team defeated Deep Blue, you left a gap in power. A few things happened here and there, but my late father came into power next. Unfortunately, he is among the casualties coming to this planet has caused."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Ichigo said politely.
"Thank you Mew Ichigo, you are most kind." Genri smiled.
Ichigo nodded, before turning her focus to the woman who had been dutifully nursing her.
"Who are you?" She asked.
The woman smiled, "My name is Arnes. Arnes Ikisatashi."
"Arnes?" Ichigo repeated, mulling the name over in her head. She'd definitely heard it before, "Aren't you –?"
"Pai's wife, yes." Kish answered for her.
Ichigo blinked in surprise, staring at the woman. Wasn't she supposed to be in danger? She looked perfectly fine, but if she remembered correctly, Pai had been nearly hysterical when trying to plead with Kish and Tart, trying to explain away his actions. What was going on?
Genri cleared his throat, successfully pulling Ichigo's focus back to him, "Arnes is our best healer. She has a special ability that allows her to assess and understand the body through controlling liquids. We hope that one of her children will develop a similar gift." He smiled at Arnes, who blushed at the praise, "But, continuing on with introductions, this fine warrior is Frikr Daid, my right hand man. The Daid family has served the Adatiane house for over one hundred years."
Ichigo inclined her head to Frikr in greeting, who responded likewise.
"And if you're feeling up to it, Mew Ichigo, there are several others who would like the opportunity to make your acquaintance."
"Can't that wait?" Kish snapped, "She's still healing."
"You should know better than to talk to our ruler that way Kish." Said a new voice. Everyone around the bed turned to look as another female approached. She had long silver hair that reached down to the small of her back and seemed to radiate with light. Stray strands of hair fell into her soft-featured face, highlighting each and every crevice of smooth skin. Like Genri, she too seemed to be dressed in the finest silks, for she was wearing a light lilac colored gown that hugged her figure and trailed on the ground behind her.
"Lady Sensana." Ichigo heard Arnes say before the healer dipped into a bow. Frikr followed suit.
"Lady Sensana." Genri repeated with a genuine smile.
Ichigo felt Kish stiffen next to her, a disdainful glare plain as the light of day on his face.
"You must be Mew Ichigo." Sensana commented, stopping next to Ichigo's bed and turning her to face her, though she wasn't entirely facing her. Sensana's eyes were the same, light lilac as her dress, but with a glassy look over them. It took Ichigo a moment, but it finally occurred to her, Sensana was blind.
"I am." Ichigo responded hesitantly.
"We have been awaiting your arrival."
"Where have I heard the name Sensana before…?" Ichigo thought as she stared at the other female, then suddenly, she recalled exactly where. In her mind's eye she could see all of them back on the ship, Pai pleading to Kish, telling him that Sensana saw something, but Kish had interrupted him.
"You were the one who gave the order to retrieve us weren't you?" Ichigo said coldly, her eyes narrowing.
She expected the blind woman to deny it, maybe even push the blame onto someone else, but instead, she merely nodded.
"Predicting the future can be difficult, but the gods have granted me with the visions. These visions were clear to me. With the sacrifice of yourself and the other Mews, we will be able to safely leave this planet due to the power that lies within your very blood."
"We have no intention of dying." Ichigo snarled, "And besides, your plan won't work. One of us is already dead." She finished sadly.
"While Berry Shirayuki's death is a tragic loss, it does not impede our plans." Sensana said emotionlessly.
"What?" Kish exclaimed, leaping up from where he was sitting to glare daggers at the Seer.
Sensana was unfazed by Kish's outburst.
"Ms. Shirayuki was not among the Mews in my vision."
"We are not going to be your blood sacrifices." Ichigo repeated coldly, "I'm going to find the rest of my team and we're going to leave. You can clean up your own damn mess."
"Don't you think we would've done that if we could?" Sensana asked calmly, "We may be a warrior people, but every death is a tragic loss. However, it cannot be avoided in this case. Not when we're faced with an evil as old as time itself."
At this, the room went silent. Ichigo blinked blankly at Sensana before glancing at Kish in hopes of an explanation, but what she saw made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Kish was as white as a sheet, his eyes wide, and mouth agape. On her other side, Arnes had covered her mouth in horror. Frikr's eyes were slightly wider, and Genri merely looked grim.
"You can't mean…" Kish began, the first to find his voice.
"I do." Sensana confirmed, turning her sightless eyes upon him, "What attacked here the other night, and what massacred your team not so long ago was none other than the Waesf Aleurs."
"How can this be?" Arnes asked softly, lowering her quivering hands, "They've been extinct for over ten thousand years."
"Apparently not." Genri sighed.
"Hang on." Ichigo interrupted, "What's a waffle allure?"
Kish pinched the bridge of his nose, sitting back down heavily.
"Not a waffle allure, Ichigo, Waesf Aleurs, the strongest, smartest, and most deadly predator the universe has ever given rise to."
A/N: Well, this certainly took a while to put together XP
A fair warning to all of my readers, the story is only going to continue to get darker. Therefore, phanphan1 has written a story for you all to read if you need a good laugh. Follow this link here s/9246935/1/Sweet-Pumpkin-Pie
Any way, thank you again to everyone who has continued to follow this story despite my lack of updates. I really do appreciate it and hope that you continue to enjoy the story :)