(A.N./
Chapter Six,
Oh what a sight!
Chapter Six,
All shining bright!
All the readers
Will still want more!
I swear to type
'Till my fingers are sore.
Big chapter, guys! Sorry about the wait. I hope you enjoy the special treat! I was super-happy about the amount of reviews I got; you guys rock! Thank you so much!)
---
Once Ichigo was fully conscious, she immediately began choking up water. She coughed it out in huge amounts, and groped at her throat, half in desperation to breathe, and half because she was in pain.
She suddenly felt an impact of someone's hand on her back. Once. Twice. Three times. Each time she was choking up more water. Eventually she took a gasp for air. She thought of herself as a fish out of water, gasping for what isn't there. She eventually gained control and began to breathe in heavy, shuddering sighs. Her skin felt cold and clammy; her whole body felt numb and breakable, like dry pasta, so brittle that it could snap in a simple motion. She closed her eyes and opened them, clutching her arms around herself to regain her tranquility, and maybe even her sanity.
What had compelled her to get right into the water like that? She knew perfectly well she wasn't the best of swimmers, didn't she? Then she thought about the lightning bolts being shot at her, feeling so helpless, and Zakuro's panicked glare at her, her voice commanding her to get in the water.
She shuddered once more. A voice spoke from behind her,
"I thought I'd never say this, kitten, but you're an idiot."
Ichigo's head shot up and she whirled around to face Kisshu, who was sitting cross-legged behind her. She gave him the innocent kitty eyes that she usually used on Masaya, or Ryou when she tried to get a raise. It took effect immediately. He put his face in his hands, avoiding eye contact,
"Forget I said that. Sorry." He ran his hand through his hair and braved looking into her eyes, obviously trying to maintain his composure. He clenched his teeth, not in anger, but frustration, "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble! I come back to look for you not two minutes later, and you're getting yourself drowned!" Ichigo hung her head. The guilt pressed heavily on her, heavy enough so that she wanted to sink into the ground under the weight and disappear for a while. She muttered a simple word,
"Sorry." Kisshu groaned and put his head in his hands once again, shaking it as well,
"Honestly, I can't stay angry at you for long, can I, kitten?"
Full realization of her position washed over Ichigo like a tremendous wave when she surveyed her surroundings. It was an unfamiliar room, that was for sure. Elegantly designed furniture lined the walls of the massive bedroom, all of which included a dresser, vanity, desk, closet, shoe rack, and all sorts of furniture of the type. What Ichigo marveled at most, though, was the four-post, canopy bed she was sitting on. It's light and fluffy bedding felt good on her wet skin. She smiled a bit,
"I'll take a guess that this is Minto's second bedroom?" Kisshu snickered,
"Yeah, she uses this one as a spare when she wets her other bed." Ichigo giggled a bit, then broke out in a violent coughing fit. She clenched her throat desperately, and Kisshu was instantly hovering over her, inspecting her face, eyes, everything. He took Ichigo's free hand and examined it, only to find it shaking. She calmed down a bit and cleared her throat before breathing a sigh through her nose,
"I think I caught something…I feel terrible." Kisshu placed the back of his hand against her forehead,
"Are you guys supposed to feel this warm?"
"Not usually."
"Then it seems you've, indeed, caught something." Ichigo grunted and flopped back down on the bed. The cold fabric of the dress clung to her skin; it felt wet and uncomfortable. Kisshu noticed her picking at the back of her dress and remarked with a smirk,
"You know, you would probably feel much better if you took your clothes off…"
Ichigo would've definitely smacked him, kicked him, or done something nasty of the sort if she didn't feel so weak. She could only groan,
"Kisshu, this is no time to be a pervert." He sighed and shrugged,
"Well, I can't say I didn't try…" Ichigo scowled angrily,
"Get out, please."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said with a smug smirk, "Until either Pai and Taruto are defeated, or you are physically well, I'm afraid I can't leave this room." Ichigo sat up and furrowed her brow,
"Says who?"
"Says me," Kisshu replied with a widened smirk. Ichigo groaned.
"Hey," Kisshu remarked holding up his hands as if declaring a truce. He was declaring some kind of peace, that was for sure. He went on, "I'm only staying here 'cause your not feeling well. It's for your own good." Ichigo swallowed a cough with a bit of difficulty,
"If you're really that worried, you'll do yourself a favor and get out." Kisshu sighed,
"I TOLD you, Pai or Taruto could come in, and you-"
"If you're so worried, then, get my pendant! You must know where it is!" Kisshu thought for a moment before shaking his head,
"Even if I did, you still wouldn't be able to defend yourself in that state." Ichigo scowled at past memories that boiled to the surface. She hissed,
"Yeah, learned that lesson when you chased me clear out of my house a week or so ago." Kisshu laughed nervously,
"Hey, you wouldn't surrender! It was your fault that time!"
"Well you didn't have to attack me in the first place!"
"Yes I did, I'm under orders, you know!"
"By who?"
"Classified information."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow at his sudden stone face. She growled,
"Okay, how about this. Where's the rest of the Mews?" Kisshu shrugged nonchalantly,
"Classified information." She concluded he wasn't about to spill anything secretive at the moment, and sunk back down into the fluffy covers to wait for him to loosen up. Kisshu just sat hovering, legs crossed in the air, simply watched her. It started to irritate Ichigo when she could feel his eyes boring into her skull. She turned in the bed to glare at him,
"Get out." He put on a mock innocent face and pretended to pick his ear,
"Hm…déjà vu!" Ichigo groaned,
"Look, could you at least find something else to do instead of provoking me? Go try on some shoes in that massive walk-in closet, how about that?"
"How do you know it's walk-in?" Kisshu asked curiously. He was obviously trying to dodge the order. Ichigo shrugged,
"Wild guess." Kisshu got out of his sitting position and flew over to the door of the closet. He opened it and peered inside.
"You're right," he said, "It's about as big as your room!" Ichigo scowled at Kisshu's acquired knowledge about her room,
"See? Now, go make yourself occupied."
Kisshu looked from her, to the closet, then back to her. He sighed in defeat and flew in, closing the door behind him.
---
Zakuro was struggling, to say the least. Two against one wasn't much of a fair fight. No matter how hard she tried to aim or capture one of the aliens, they would dodge and teleport, then counter-attack her. She would dodge the counter-attack, and so on and so forth. It was a stupid and pointless battle in her opinion, and she was getting rather bored and tired.
While dodging another lightning bolt, the heat grazed her cheek slightly and left a burn mark. Zakuro fingered it gingerly as she landed on her feet. Well, that was very exciting.
This feud was getting to be a last-resort situation, a place where she should try and duck out by any means. The battle was beginning to have strain on either parties; she could read the alien's faces to confirm her theory. Soon enough, she would be too tired to fight. She thrust her spear forward, aiming an attack,
"Ribbon Zakuro Spear!"
However, it didn't get anywhere near the aliens. She never meant for it to. She had just opened a hole into the alien dimension: a last resort escape hole.
She jumped forward into the hole and brought her spear in behind her, closing it neatly before the aliens could follow.
Pai cursed under his breath and Taruto looked ready to scream. They both exchanged glances and teleported to where they guessed that Mew Zakuro was.
Where the captive Mews were being kept.
Their dimension.
---
The time was 3:41 A.M.
Outside the mansion, the thunderstorm raged on, winds shrieking and howling as they blew around houses, trees, cars, and any obstructions in its path. A peal of thunder reverberated after a bolt of lightning, sounding with a deafening crash.
Across the street, a figure in a blue cloak raced across the road. His low, blonde ponytail flew out behind him as he ran at an incredible speed. Within seconds, he stopped at a window of the dark, enormous mansion, peering inside curiously.
All he could see was murky water and objects floating in the water. It reminded him of a giant, dirty fish tank of sorts. He raised his eyebrows momentarily before taking a few steps backward.
With incredible force, he launched himself forward and smashed into the top portion of the window. He landed in the water with a splash. He got up quickly, however, and used a nearby, floating desk to jump on, and propel himself off of. He sailed through the air and landed on the dry land of the staircase.
He looked back to observe the water level; it was gaining fast. He pondered over how to safely dispose of all of it without spilling it into the streets, losing furniture, or hurting anybody that might be swept up in the wave. He shook his head and turned away. He would figure out a solution at a latter time.
For now, though, his mind was set on his simple mission: rescue Ichigo.
He was, after all, the Blue Knight; that was solely his job.
---
Ichigo pulled the light blue blouse over her head and gave a tug at the skirt she was wearing. Being Minto's, it was uncomfortably short on her. She had resorted to a pair of leggings, but she still didn't like the choice of clothes provided in the dresser. She eyed the closet, wondering if anything more would be in there. She called,
"Kisshu! You can come out now!"
She waited a bit. No answer. She called again, taking a step forward,
"Kisshu? Is this some kind of joke?"
Still no answer. She shrugged it off and opened the closet door, half-expecting him to jump out and tackle her. The massive closet was empty, though.
Kisshu was right; the closet was as big as her room. The walls were lined with shelves and shelves of shoes and accessories, not to mention the long line of clothes on hangers all along the east and west walls. She stepped in, examining the various places under the long rack of clothes, and opening shelves. She was acting like a kid playing hide-and-go-seek in a clothing store, checking all of the small places to make sure who you were looking for wasn't there, although they would be much to big to fit.
Ichigo stooped down on hands and knees to peer into a shoe shelf near the floor. Seeing no one there, she got up again, dusting herself off. She walked out of the closet, wondering what to do next since Kisshu was gone. She should have gotten more information out of him, really; she knew in the back of her mind that Ryou would have yelled at her if he found out she wasn't trying to rip Kisshu's guts out with her bare hands.
Something clicked in her brain.
Ryou.
…Zakuro.
Ichigo remembered Zakuro fighting out in the halls. In a sudden burst of energy, she rushed across the room, threw open the door, and dashed out into the hallway. She looked left, then right. The hallway was completely empty.
Over the rushing of water, though, she heard a crash, and the clanging of metal against metal. A yell sounded out from what Ichigo thought was…Minto's first bedroom?
There were only a few people Ichigo knew that yelled when they attacked. It didn't sound like a Mew, either. None of the Mews had metal weapons, and the only other people who did use a sword were…
Ichigo gasped.
Not thinking through her actions thoroughly, Ichigo dashed across the hallway and rounded the corner in the doorway of the room. She skidded to a stop and gazed in.
She had guessed right.
In a death lock, glaring at one another through clenched teeth, was none other than Kisshu and the Blue Knight. The malice in Kisshu's eyes could melt steel, and the Blue Knight's eyes stayed cold and hard, free of any emotion.
Kisshu took a chance of ducking out of the lock. He jumped out and somersaulted over the Blue Knight's head, taking a slash at his back with a sword. The Blue Knight saw his motions, though, and, with precision timing, whirled around and lashed out, bringing the blunt end of his sword against Kisshu's chin. Ichigo grimaced as she saw Kisshu's eyes widen dramatically. He took a sharp intake of breath, before he steadied himself once more, swords at the ready, anticipating his opponent's move.
Ichigo had had enough already. She yelled,
"Blue Knight!" She was trying to divert his attention. His sapphire eyes flickered to her momentarily, but automatically focused back to the fight. She tried once more,
"Blue Knight, listen to me! He wasn't doing me any harm!" This time, the Blue Knight held her gaze for a moment longer. He glanced to Kisshu, who had on a stone face, out of the corner of his eye. Ichigo continued, "Please help me find the rest of my friends! The house is flooding, and I can't find a way out." The Blue Knight nodded, relaxing his position a bit,
"This was his doing," he said, meaning Kisshu, "I am just trying to cure the source before working with the aftermath." Ichigo was beginning to disagree with his battle strategies. She put on a determined look and continued,
"Please, Blue Knight, could you find my friends first? They could be powerful allies if you were to find their pendants." The Blue Knight sighed wistfully,
"Ichigo, please understand. He may do something to you while I am gone…"
"I have a name, you know!" Kisshu growled, interrupting him from his side of the room, "…and didn't you hear her? She SAID she doesn't want you to fight me! So take her advice and piss off!"
Ichigo clenched her teeth.
Kisshu - always there to be the loudmouth.
The Blue Knight didn't look too pleased. He merely shot another glance at Ichigo before stepping forward in a tremendous swing of his sword towards Kisshu. He saw it and teleported at the right moment, strategically placing himself behind the Blue Knight. Before the Blue Knight could react, Kisshu knocked him over the head with the blunt end of his sword. As the Blue Knight stumbled forward, clutching his head with a hand, Kisshu wore a cocky smirk that simply stated, 'Payback'.
Ichigo was mad. No, she was beyond mad. She was furious. BOTH boys had ignored her request to quit fighting, and were now engaging in a contest of what she interpreted as "who gets the last strike before Ichigo snaps". It was too late for that game now; Ichigo already had snapped.
"STOP IT!" she yelled. Both boys looked up and eyed her curiously. She clenched her hands into fists, "Honestly, I'm giving a simple order here. Two words. Stop. Fighting. Is it really that…difficult?!" she pronounced the last word through clenched teeth. She took a few steps forward into the room. Kisshu blinked, then his face split into a grin. He obviously loved seeing her angry.
"Apparently so," he stated cheekily. The Blue Knight remained calm through the ordeal, following Ichigo's movements as she strode across the room.
With one swift movement, Ichigo brought her arm back, tightened her fist, and slammed it across Kisshu's face in one hard punch.
A look of mild amusement flashed across the Blue Knight's eyes. How was she, Ichigo, in normal, human form, (and sick, no less) able to do more damage to Kisshu than he had? It was one of those concepts in life that he had yet to learn: the relationship between an over-confident boy and an angry girl.
Ichigo massaged her wrist. She muttered,
"Sorry. I've wanted to do that for a while now." Kisshu, face turned towards the floor, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He straightened up slowly, he face remained fixed-forward and blank. The Blue Knight tensed, bracing for an attack.
Instead of being angry with Ichigo, though, Kisshu did something totally different.
He laughed.
It started off as a chuckle, but turned into a full, wild laughing fit. He clutched his sides wearily as he tried to recover; he even collapsed to the floor on one knee and started to wipe his eyes.
Ichigo just stared, bewildered, wondering if Kisshu had gone crazy. An equally perplexed emotion passed across the Blue Knight's face.
Kisshu's laugh began to die off into suppressed giggles.
Finally, he stood up and grinned at Ichigo,
"Heh, I really like you, Ichigo, you know that? Especially when you're angry!" Ichigo glowered at him resentfully, disappointed she hadn't delivered the right message to him as far as his attitude goes.
It was like punishing a misbehaving kindergartener. You have to tell them over and over not to do something before they stop for good. Even then, they'll still play with their food, rip books, pick their nose, and color on their bedroom wall. It's just the thing kindergarteners do. Misbehave.
It was just the thing that Kisshu does.
Misbehave.
Ichigo opened her mouth to argue, but the Blue Knight cut her off,
"I believe we have a battle to finish, Kisshu." Kisshu nodded, still grinning,
"I believe so!" Ichigo growled in protest,
"If any one of you dare lay a finger on the other, I swear, I'll jump in the furniture-infested lake on the first story!" Both boys remained silent. Ichigo put on a smug face. That did it. Neither of them would touch each other if Ichigo would practically commit suicide after.
Kisshu's solemn face twisted into a smirk as he turned to lock eyes with Ichigo.
"Well, then, I guess there's only one thing left to do!"
Ichigo felt something move behind her. Before she knew it, Kisshu had sprung off the ground like some kind of cat and pushed her in with him through a teleporting hole he had opened up behind her. She fell into the hole in what seemed to be slow-motion; her whole body felt like jell-o as she went through, Kisshu still having a firm grip on her shoulders. He hugged her closer suddenly, and Ichigo realized he was preparing to lift her once gravity had taken hold once more. Before she could feel solid again, however, she saw a flash of blue and gold coming through the portal.
The Blue Knight had followed them in.
---