Chapter 17: Goodbye Ryou, Hello Kisshu
"Anzu, who are these people? Apart from Ryou over there," The boy next to her said.
"Well Akito…this girl here is…well…she's my…cousin Ebony,"
The room was silent with shock. At that point everybody in the room had either fainted, or was stood in silence, wide-eyed with mouths open. Ebony couldn't comprehend her thoughts, as could Ryou, they were all muddled with past sentences and statements each had said about the other, or well Anzu…or was it Azami? Her heart was beating in her head and she could see Ryou from the corner of her eyes, trying to speak, except nothing was coming out.
"A-Azami?" Ebony finally stuttered out, barely a whisper as if she spoke she would break one of the delicate threads of silence surrounding the café.
"Yes little cousin…it's me," Ebony ran towards her with arms wide open, slowly at first just to check she was real. She embraced her cousin and squeezed her so tightly; she was frightened if she let her go she'd disappear like she did all those years ago.
"Azami it is you, why did you leave? Where did you go? Why did you change your name? How do you know Shiroga-," Ebony finally stopped her full rant of questions, released herself from her cousins grip and turned to face Ryou, tears threatening to drown her eyes at any moment, her teeth gritted and her fist tightened. Ryou saw her actions and snapped back into reality.
"Ebony, what's the matter?"
"Ryou…you...you idiot, you stupid, blonde, rich, annoying idiot!" He fell back slightly as Ebony lifted her head up sharply and screamed in his direction, she wished she hadn't, her body flinched violently as she forgot she was covered in bruises. Then she took in a deep-breath, relaxed her hands and let her lips fall into a straight line.
"Ryou…tell me why you love me,"
"Sorry?" Ryou was shocked to hear her say it, but as he was so confused and all eyes were on him, he answered.
"Well your funny, sarcastic, don't act like a lot of other girls, your one of the girls I have to protect because you're a-,"
"What am I Ryou? I'd stop what you were just about to say, look around. Ryou…why did you love Azami or 'Anzu'?"
"Well um, she was…sarcastic, always really funny, she didn't act like other girls and she also had the same…you know…as you," Everyone gasped, Ryou had answered the same answer for both questions Ebony had asked.
"Do you see? Everything you've been telling me is a lie. All I've heard since I've grown up is 'You and your cousin Azami were so much alike, the way you acted you were like twins, you'd sometimes even say the same things at the same time, almost like you had the same DNA, put a blonde wig on you and you could pass as sisters' And I've only just realised, I was stupid to forget that very important fact. You don't love me Ryou…you don't like me, you don't think I'm funny, sarcastic, none of that matters to you does it? None of it! All because whenever you look at me, you see Azami! Everything about me oozes Azami, whenever we were growing up, I always came second best to her, even though I loved her with all my heart because she was like my sister, but even with twins there always has to be the better one doesn't there? Don't get me wrong I don't hate her, I never have but she always been prettier, smarter, all the boys at school liked her when they were younger, I'd just fade into the background. I was stupid to think I could actually have something of my own for once. I give up on boys all together, none of them actually love you or like you, they just use you, and get somebody better, crushing your heart in the process, I've had my heart crushed twice Ryou, twice, I can't do it anymore, I just can't. Azami I'm sorry for stealing Ryou, Ryou I'm sorry for wasting your time, Akito I'm sorry all this is new to you, you guys I'm sorry about this and to my family, I'm sorry this stupid party ever even happened!" She turned and ran, pushing her way through the people crowded around, and straight into the back changing rooms, her parents went to run in after her but Keiichero stopped them, letting the others Mews passed to see her. Ebony opened her locker violently, grabbing her clothes; she slammed it shut and was just about to leave but noticed all the mews were blocking the door.
"Please…just let me be alone for a while…please,"
"We're not going to stop you if you want to leave Ebony, just make sure your safe and come back when your ready, or text us and we'll come to find you,"
"Thank you and…I'm so sorry," With that she ran out of the café ignoring Ryou and Azami shouting after her, she covered her ears with her hands, squinted her eyes as the tears ran down her cheeks, she let the wind nip at her cheeks and her nose and let it dance through her hair. She would run. She didn't care where to; she would just keep running until she couldn't run any more. Ebony wouldn't care if it got dark or she didn't know where she was, she wanted nothing to do with the real world anymore, to think only of her feet running in her mind, to imagine herself running, no happy smiling faces of friends or family. To only hear the voice in her head and feel the fabric of her clothes as she clenched them tightly in her arms. She stopped for a few seconds, wiped her eyes even though the tears kept coming and sniffed and snivelled as she gasped, not being able to keep in the sobs. She pulled of the high-heels she had been given to wear and ran behind the big tree she was now leaning against, pulling of her dress in disgust, revealing her injury covered body, this only made her think of the mews, she shook her head, pulling on black short shorts, a white t-shirt with a warm fuzzy jumper over the top, to Ebony it felt like Panda fur. She put on her white and black high tops and began to run all over again, she didn't care if she left the dress, she figured somebody would love it even more than she had when she first got it.
Only as she neared the exit of the park did she begin to notice the stares. Some confused, guilty, saddened at the sight of a poor girl running and crying her eyes out, then there was the odd insensitive group of boys from school, laughing at her as she ran past. 'You're so lucky I'm not in my mew form right now!' She was upset, but it was never unlike Ebony to run out of sarcasm. Unbeknownst to her there were two pairs of golden eyes following her every move, shocked to their stomach at the sight in front of them. Kisshu was so happy she was alive he could have teleported straight in front of her, wrapped his arms around her so tightly that her blood supply would be almost unable to flow around her body, but instead he cursed at himself many times over in his head, sucked in a breath and closed his eyes shut, until he heard the cry from Tart next to him and heard the deafening roar of a chimera animal and the screams of passers by.
Ebony could only turn around; her eyes were red and puffy from the tears, she felt tired and dizzy and didn't think she had the energy to fight. That was the one point in her life she decided to be selfish and wished she was one of the innocent passers by running away to safety. Then she thought rationally for a moment after she'd cleared her head 'Chimera animals mean aliens…that means…'
Ebony directed to the air to see a smirking Kisshu, arms folded; only releasing one to wave. All of a sudden Ebony felt an over-whelming power inside her bubble up, she felt dizzy again but for a good reason, her head span with images of a smiling Kisshu, a cold feeling became apparent on her neck from where his gift still sat. Then with one look up to the sky again, she did something she hadn't done for a while that day. She smiled brightly at Kisshu, reaching for her power pendant and it was at that moment in time, she wished with all her heart that Panda's had wings.
Kisshu's heart skipped a beat when Ebony flashed him that magnificent smile he hadn't seen in so long. But then he noticed her red, puffy eyes and he'd heard the sobs she'd be making as she was running, she'd been crying and he had no idea what about and no idea how to comfort her. The light caught on a piece of jewellery she was wearing and upon closer inspection he noticed it to be the necklace he had gotten her for her birthday. He hated that all because of Pai, they'd been ripped away from each other, the reason he hadn't told her about that was because she would just think it was an excuse, but he really didn't like Ichigo in that way anymore, of course once you love someone you can never forget about them, but you can love someone else so much more they become a distant memory in the back of the mind when you're with the new love of your life. It frustrated him that Ebony had no idea the effect she had on him, it made his knees go weak; even when he was flying in mid-air whenever she looked him in the eyes, her voice was like a beautiful song playing in his ear as was her laugh, but her smile made his stomach the home to thousand of butterflies and his heart began to pump so fast he thought he'd pass out. He watched her now, he'd noticed neither of them could stop staring at each other, they both knew the chimera animal was there and yet neither one of them wanted to pay any attention to it. But Ebony had to peel her eyes away as she took her pendant out, kissing it quickly, re-appearing as her mew self in seconds. Even though it was a fight it was the most beautiful fight Kisshu had ever seen. He'd never looked at her this way before and he wasn't sure why he was seeing her like that, but he didn't care. He'd decided as soon as the fight was over he'd take Ebony somewhere safe, where they could talk. He wouldn't take no for an answer, Ebony was like his addiction and he needed to see her everyday, without it he'd noticed; with the help of Tart, he'd be grouchy and picky, not himself, it was like Ebony put that little spark inside him which gave him the energy. He watched her with determined eyes now as she faced the challenge, or chimera in front of her.
"My jobs done Kisshu, I'm going to go back to Pai to not make him anymore suspicious," Kisshu only nodded as he glanced at Ebony, Tart rolled his eyes and disappeared.
"Mew Ebony Metamorpho-sis!" She kissed her pendant and transformed rapidly, it was like all her cuts and scrapes had disappeared and she felt amazing. She felt the power that she didn't feel as a human, the power of the Panda, with its strength, its cleverness and determination. As it gave another deafening roar, more people scurried and ran from the scene as fast as they could, Ebony mentally kicked herself for wishing she was one of them, it was her job to save these people, that's why she was born, she was given special DNA to protect them, and that's exactly what she would do.
"Star wand!" Ebony called her weapon and it appeared in a flash of light in her hand, she held it tightly between the two, aiming it directly at the chimeras head, she squinted her eyes and concentrated. But she was unable to shoot at it, as it swing it's deformed claw to her small frame, pushing her out of the way, just missing a tree and landing on the hard concrete next to it. She stood up, brushed herself off, her already apparent bruises not helping the pain and she shuffled back to the spot she was at before, she aimed again, shooting quicker this time so as not to get whacked into a tree.
"Ribbon Ebony star surge!" The stars appeared from thin air, flying faster than she ever had seen them fly before, she thought it must've been her emotions toying with her focus and she was putting all her anger into the attack. They flew over to the animal with force, spinning and spinning, almost like they resembled shuriken. They cut the animal on various parts of the body, Ebony tried her attack again, she wouldn't let herself stop to think, just focus on the target and get it over with, Kisshu was so close she could almost touch him, she wanted to, but at the same time she wasn't.
"Ribbon Ebony-," She realised she was drained from all the crying and running she had done, she'd been fighting the chimera with her attacks none stop for at least 10 minutes, if she pushed herself any further she would be seriously injured. She sucked in a deep breath, aimed once again at the chimera that was now squirming on the floor, about to get up, she would end this and she would end this now.
"Ribbon Ebony star wand, full power!" She'd seen Ichigo do it, she would try it too, she had no idea what would happen, and wished the second after she shouted it, that she hadn't. Multiple stars once again appeared out of thin air, except this time, there was a black and white mist around them, she wondered what it was, and how saying a different attack made this happen, but only had short time to ponder it because as soon as the stars cut through the chimera once more, it screamed in pain, a scream she'd never heard a chimera scream like before, then she noticed under the skin of the animal, what she thought looked like veins, were glowing black and white, it was then she realised, poison. It disintegrated into nothing, leaving a soul and something that closely resembled a jelly fish behind.
The café was still silent, only whispers and highly guilt ridden faces. Azami and Akito stood in front of Ryou, Keiichero and the other mews, nobody was sure of what to say or even what to think, when a very apparent beep noise made itself clear from the behind the door at the end of the hallway. Ryou's eyes widened, as did everybody's that was in on the secret, even Akito and Azami. They ran down to the lab, not bothering to give an excuse to anyone in the room, they noticed as soon as Ryou and the others had cleared from the main room, the chatter started up again, although it wasn't nearly as cheery as before.
"It can't be! It's not true…no…she's on her own out there fighting…a whole chimera by herself…" Azami stared wide-eyed at the screen as a map of Tokyo came onto the big television that she had seen so many times before. But also emitting from the beep, that showed where the chimera was, there was a picture of the mew that was fighting, and Azami had to cling onto Akito's arm as she saw Ebony…in her mew form.
"And she's….I mean that looks just like…but the DNA…and…that's…mew panda…like…just like me…"
"Yes Azami, I'm afraid it was true about you and Ebony having compatible DNA, Ebony is also Mew Panda," Keiichero said as she once again looked from Azami to the screen and to the mews, then finally Ryou.
"We don't have time for this, girls get out there, Ebony's on the east-side of the park, she's a few miles away I'd say, it's a huge chimera, and theres two aliens there also,"
"Okay, Zakuro, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, we need to get there and save Ebony if we can!"
"Please, let me help, there must be something I can do…she's my little cousin I can't have her out there without me…on her own, I just found her again, I don't want to lose her…"
"Azami honey, I can't let you do that, I'd be worried about you then…why don't we search the park and look out for people who've seen her?" Azami nodded as she buried her head into Akito's shoulder, tears falling onto his shirt. Then he held her hand, they ran up the stairs, quickly going out of the entrance so that nobody saw, then they ran through the park they'd begin their search immediately.
"Girls," Ryou said, nodding his head, then the four girls followed suit, as soon as they were out the door and a few metres down the path they transformed, running as fast as possible.
"I hope she's okay…Na no da,"
"She'll be fine Pudding don't worry about Ebony, she's strong, remember that okay?" Zakuro said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder as they ran.
"Yeah…"
"I'm sorry Kish…I think I'm gonna…" Ebony whispered as she closed her eyes, putting a hand on her fore-head, her world became dizzy and she fell over, just as she was tipping back, her mew form faded, and she was human again, before she hit the ground Kisshu teleported, holding her in his arms. He'd longed to do this for a while now and just stood there, embracing her while he could, although she was limp, she was still warm and so he stood their, inhaling the smell of her hair, it smelt of apples like it always did. Then, as he knew he would get away with it since she was unconscious, and since she probably hated him so much, that if she was awake she'd be pushing him off and running back to Ryou, he brought his lips to hers and quickly pecked them. He heard something then, 3…no four pairs of running footsteps coming towards him, he smiled as he remembered that of course the rest of the mews would be coming, he teleported with Ebony in his arms, he just needed to be with her, for a few hours at the least, nobody was going to snatch her from him now. He made sure the mews caught sight of him just before he teleported, so at least they knew she wasn't in trouble or even worse…dead, so they wouldn't come looking for him or after Ebony. But just as he did, he noticed the corners of Ebony's lips were turned at the corners, she was smiling. 'You still got it Kisshu, you still got it' he muttered in his head as he shook it, smiling down at Ebony's face as he teleported.
"Oh Akito…its Ebony shoes…and look her dress is behind that tree, she must've changed so it was easier for her to…run away…"
"Don't worry A', now we have her dress and nobody here seems to have seen anything, lets go back to the café, Ryou will have more news than us, and Ebony and the mews might be their already…" Akito embraced Azami and she just stared up at the path ahead of her, finally nodding, as if she'd made up her mind, she let Akito link hands with hers and they carried Ebony's ruined dress and shoes to the café.
"Did I just imagine that or was Kisshu hijacking Ebony again?" Mint said as she stopped at the space in front of her, as the air made a ripple effect.
"Nope, we all saw it too, will that dang alien ever quit? Oh well, Ebony at least seemed happy, or at least she will be when she wakes up, she's had a lot of stress, maybe some alone time with Kisshu will cheer her up…" Ichigo said thoughtfully as she looked up at the sky smiling.
"How will we tell Shirogane and Keiichero, Na no da?"
"We're not going to Pudding, he's hurt her enough, we're not going to risk the chance of letting him ruin a few happy minutes Ebony's going to have today," Zakuro said with a serious face as she looked over the way they came.
"Yes Pudding, theres a chance when Ebony comes back, Ryou won't be happy with her going to see Kisshu so we won't want him to know,"
"Okay…Na no da…so what's the plan?" She said with a smirk as the girls checked around them, turned back into human form and formed a circle, whispering to one another; there smiles growing each time the other said something.
"Honey we're home," Kisshu whispered to himself with a smile, as he landed in the middle of the ocean, well technically, he was stood on a huge piece of cliff that stood in the middle of the ocean, nobody would be able to interrupt them in the middle of the ocean and nobody would think to look for them at a place like this either, Kisshu was going to keep Ebony hostage to sort this problem out and didn't care whether she liked it or not, he took the smile she gave after Kisshu kissed her as the acceptance to his 'invitation'.
CHAPTER END