Cyniclonia Part 2:
The Town
Kisshu and Ichigo slept together in Kisshu's room that night, and woke up to find that it was bright and sunny out. "Looks like a nice day for walking around," Kisshu commented as they got up.
"Yeah," Ichigo said. "I'm going back to my room to shower and change."
"Okay," Kisshu said. "Should I come get you when I'm done?"
"That'd be great," Ichigo said. She kissed his cheek and left. Going back to her room, she picked out a pink scoop neck T-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans with a green embroidered vine pattern down each leg. Then she went to take a shower.
When she was done, she thought, then tied her hair into a single ponytail that hung over her left shoulder, and left the bathroom. She found Kisshu sitting on her bed, and he stood when he saw her. "You look amazing," he said.
"Th-thanks," Ichigo said, blushing as she looked at him.
Kisshu smirked. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, tucked into his usual boots, and a green T-shirt. He still had the dark red bandages around his arms, but his hair was pulled back into a single ponytail. "Like what you see?" he asked.
"You look amazing too," Ichigo said, getting redder.
"Come on, let's go eat breakfast," Kisshu said. He took her hand and teleported to the dining room, where they found Yuki sitting at the table. "Good morning," she said. "Pai and Lettuce aren't up yet. Kisshu, will you go tell them it's breakfast time?"
"Why can't you do it?" Kisshu asked. "Pai won't blast YOU out the door."
"You can dodge," Yuki said calmly. Kisshu groaned and teleported off as Yuki said, "Ichigo, can we chat?"
"Sure," Ichigo said.
"Come sit down," Yuki said, pointing to a chair across from her. Ichigo obeyed as Yuki asked, "Ichigo, why didn't you tell Kisshu you loved him before he left?"
"I was dead when he left," Ichigo said. "Didn't he tell you that?"
"No," Yuki said. "But why are you alive, then?"
"Something about my previous boyfriend kissing me brought me back," Ichigo said. "I thought Kisshu would have told you that he didn't say goodbye…."
"Sounds like he's hiding something from me," Yuki said, as they heard teleportation.
Kisshu appeared, and said, "They'll be here soon; Pai said not to wait. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Is there some reason you didn't tell me Ichigo died in the battle with Deep Blue?" Yuki asked. "I asked her why she didn't tell you she loved you before you left, and she says it's because she was dead and you didn't stick around to say goodbye. You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"Um…." Kisshu said uncomfortably.
"Does this also have something to do with why Pai avoided Taruto for a year?" Yuki asked. "Out with it, Kisshu."
Kisshu sighed in defeat, and said, "All four of us- me, Pai, Taruto, and Ichigo- died in that battle. Pai, Taruto and I were brought back with Mew Aqua, but I'm not exactly sure how Treehugger brought Ichigo back."
"You… died?" Yuki whispered.
"I attempted to kill Deep Blue, but he stabbed me in the stomach, and I died in Ichigo's arms," Kisshu said. "I wasn't there, so I don't know anything besides what I was told, but…." he broke off, hesitating, and Yuki looked worried.
Kisshu sighed again, and said, "Pai killed Taruto when he tried to protect Ichigo, and then Pai died saving the remaining Mews and Blondie. We didn't want you to worry, so we agreed not to tell you."
Yuki looked horrified. "Pai killed Taruto?" she whispered.
"Yes," Ichigo said before Kisshu could respond. "The last thing I heard before entering Deep Blue's fortress was Pudding screaming Taruto's name. The first three years after he, Kish, and Pai left, Lettuce and I took turns sleeping over at Pudding's every night, because she would wake up screaming every single night from reliving that moment. She doesn't hate Pai as much as she used to, but she still hasn't forgiven him for what he did. Maybe having Taruto back will help her, but I'm not sure. She was really torn up after that battle. Actually, Lettuce and I were too. Lettuce not as much, since she didn't actually see Pai die, but having Kish die in my arms was the absolute worst moment of my life. And Lettuce is right; I spent at least a year trying to convince everyone that I would be better off dead for choosing Aoyama over Kish. The nights I didn't spend at Pudding's were spent sobbing and having nightmares about Kish dying. The last five years were really hard on all of us, and I started leaving my window open every night in hopes that Kish would come back. When Kish, Pai, and Taruto came back, it was a dream come true, for all of us."
"Aunt Yuki, are you okay?" Kisshu asked, looking at Yuki, who looked shell-shocked.
"I… need some time alone," Yuki said, and teleported.
"Maybe I shouldn't have told her all that," Ichigo said.
"I think it was more finding out about Taruto than it was about you, Lettuce, and Pudding," Kisshu said. "And I told her that. Don't feel bad."
Pai and Lettuce came in before Ichigo could respond, and Pai took one look at them and asked, "Alright, what happened?"
"Aunt Yuki asked Ichigo why she didn't tell me that she loved me before I left, and Ichigo told her that she had been dead," Kisshu said. "And from the fact that I hadn't told Aunt Yuki about Ichigo dying, she surmised that we were hiding things from her."
Pai sighed. "You told her the truth?" he asked.
"Yes," Kisshu said. "You and I both know that she'd never let it go if I didn't tell her. And she said she needed some time alone, so you should leave her be till she's ready to talk about it."
"I know," Pai said. "I took a day off to help you show Ichigo and Lettuce around town."
"Good," Kisshu said. "Let's have breakfast and go."
Pai nodded, and he and Lettuce sat down with Kisshu and Ichigo. Ichigo was pretty quiet, and Kisshu noticed. "What's wrong, Koneko-chan?" he asked softly.
"I don't like talking about the battle, or the years that followed," Ichigo whispered. "Maybe I shouldn't have told Yuki that."
Kisshu picked up on something. "What happened?" he asked softly. "Something really bad must have happened, besides my dying in your arms."
"Lettuce…." Ichigo said. It sounded like a request.
Lettuce sighed and said, "The first year you were gone, Ichigo tried to commit suicide at least fifty times. We- her family and I- couldn't take her to a therapist; the Mew Project could be found out. Same went for taking her to a hospital. We would have put her and the others, myself included, in mortal danger. So we let her school friends in on the secret, knowing they could be trusted to keep it, if it was for Ichigo's sake. During the first year, and even afterwards, Ichigo's parents barely left the house. They started homeschooling Ichigo, and if they had to leave for any reason, they would call Moe, me, or Miwa to come over. We spent most of our nights sleeping over at Ichigo's; she would wake up screaming every single night, just like Pudding did. She stopped eating for a while; she had convinced herself that she would be better off dead. It took us nearly three years to convince her that if you came back, you would be very sad to hear that she had killed herself over you. It's only been in the past year that she's started to recover."
Kisshu and Pai were looking at Ichigo in horror. She had buried her face in her hands, not wanting to see Kisshu's reaction. "Koneko-chan, do you want to stay here today?" Kisshu asked softly. "We could let Lettuce and Pai go downtown, and I could stay here with you."
"No, I want to go downtown," Ichigo said. "I don't mind where we are, as long as you don't leave again."
"I swear I'll never leave you again," Kisshu said.
"Thanks…" Ichigo said softly.
Kisshu hugged her, and asked, "Should we get going?"
"Sure," Ichigo said, sounding a bit happier. She got up, and Kisshu did the same. Lettuce and Pai were ready as well, and Pai and Kisshu teleported the girls to a statue. Lettuce and Ichigo were amazed to see that it was a statue of them. "Like it?" Kisshu asked.
"It's amazing," Ichigo said. "I'm surprised it's not a statue of you guys, though."
"They only do that for Cyniclons who are dead," Pai said. "Since you girls don't live here, though, the Council decided to commission a statue of the Mews, since you're just as famous as we are for saving the planet."
"Wow…" Lettuce said softly.
Kisshu took Ichigo's hand, and said, "Should we stay together, or split up?"
"Let's split up, and meet at home later," Pai said. "Oh, I just remembered, do either of you girls know how to use telepathy?"
"Lettuce, Pudding, and I do," Ichigo said. "We would talk that way at work a lot, since Ryou wouldn't let us talk to each other while we were working."
"Good," Pai said. He looked at Lettuce, and said, "Should we go?"
"Sure," Lettuce said. Pai took her hand and started walking. Kisshu took Ichigo's hand, and started off in the opposite direction.
"They're going in the direction of the library," Kisshu explained to Ichigo. "I thought I'd show you the market and shops."
"Sounds great," Ichigo said. "It's a nice day for walking."
Kisshu smiled as he led her down the street. They reached an open square with a fountain in the middle a few minutes later, and Ichigo said, "That's such a pretty fountain!"
"You like fountains?" Kisshu asked.
"Yeah, I've always liked them," Ichigo said. "They're really pretty."
"Are there lots of them in Tokyo?" Kisshu asked.
"Yeah," Ichigo said. "There's a few in Inohara Park, and most parks have at least one. Some shrines have fountains too, and the same with some indoor shopping centers."
"Indoor fountains?" Kisshu asked.
"Yeah, it's fun to throw coins in them," Ichigo said.
"Isn't that a waste of coins?" Kisshu asked.
"No, because the coins get collected by the maintenance workers, and then donated to hospitals and charities," Ichigo replied. "So technically, when you throw coins into a fountain, you're donating money to people who need it."
"That's a cool idea," Kisshu said.
"I agree," Ichigo said.
Kisshu smiled at her and laced his fingers with hers, then started walking, pointing out different stores.
"It's really nice here, Kish," Ichigo said happily a while later. They were now sitting in a small café, taking a break and drinking some kind of juice. It tasted a bit like lemons to Ichigo, and it was very refreshing.
"I'm glad you like it," Kisshu replied. "I'm glad you're here."
"I think I'll be happy wherever you are," Ichigo said.
"I'm really sorry for leaving you alone so long," Kisshu said, turning serious.
"As long as you're here, I'm happy," Ichigo said. "And I understand you being busy here."
"I'll always be here, Koneko-chan," Kisshu said. "No matter what, I'll always be here for you."
"Thanks," Ichigo said, smiling.
Kisshu smiled back and asked, "Should we keep going?"
"Sure," Ichigo said.
As they were leaving, however, they heard a girl's voice call, "Kisshu!" Ichigo saw Kisshu stiffen as they turned.
There was a young woman maybe a year older than Ichigo standing behind them. She had black hair, blue eyes, and the pale skin and elf-like ears that all her kind had. She was wearing a flowing blue skirt, and a white blouse. She also was looking at Kisshu in a very lovesick way, and didn't seem to notice that he didn't look at all happy to see her. "Kisshu, who's your friend?" she asked.
"This is Ichigo, she's my fiancée," Kisshu said. "And we were having a nice time, so I'd appreciate it if you'd get lost."
The girl's face fell briefly, but then she looked smug, and asked, "Still in denial?"
"I never was in denial," Kisshu snapped. "I hate you. End of story. Get out of my life, Koshou."
Koshou's smug look faded, and she asked, "What did that bitch do to you, Kisshu?"
To Ichigo's surprise, Kisshu slapped Koshou across the face, and snarled, "Ichigo is NOT a bitch. Refer to her like that one more time, and you're dead, got it? The answer was no when we were fifteen, and it's still no today. I will never love a stuck-up little bitch like you, no matter what. And since I'm engaged to Ichigo, you'd better stay away if you know what's good for you. You do not own me, and even your tiny brain should be able to comprehend the words 'I hate you'. Now get lost."
Koshou's eyes filled with tears, and she teleported. Kisshu took Ichigo's hand and teleported as well.
They landed in a clearing surrounded by trees, and Kisshu flopped down on the ground, Ichigo sitting next to him. "Who was that?" she asked.
"Koshou," Kisshu said, making the name sound like a curse. "AKA, the bane of my existence and the worst mistake her mother ever made. She's got this idea that she's going to marry me someday, and will try to chase everyone away from me. I hate her, but she just doesn't get it. She should just give it up and go bond with Kino. They'd be perfect for each other- good-for-nothing jerks with no brains to speak of."
"Wow," Ichigo said. "That must be tough."
"It is," Kisshu said. "But if she tries anything, she'll die."
"Won't that get you in trouble?" Ichigo asked worriedly. "I don't want to be visiting you in jail…."
"Well, the other option is getting her arrested, but currently she's only harassing me, so there's not much I can do," Kisshu said. "Unfortunately, harassment isn't considered a crime."
"There's no one who can make her stop?" Ichigo asked.
"Hideki-sama, but I don't think I should go to him unless it gets bad," Kisshu said. "Don't worry about it. I'll protect you."
Ichigo blushed and said, "Thanks, Kish."
Kisshu smiled and asked, "Should we go find Pai and Lettuce?"
"Sounds good to me," Ichigo said. Kisshu took her hand and teleported.
They landed in front of a large stone building, and Kisshu walked up to the doors, explaining, "This is the library, and I'm guessing Pai and Lettuce will be here." He pulled the doors open, and went in, followed by Ichigo.
At least, he thought she was following him, until he heard teleportation and a squeak behind him. He spun, and saw Ichigo disappear into a teleportation hole. The power he felt from it as it vanished was Koshou's, and he snarled, then called Pai telepathically. Pai and Lettuce came up to him a minute later, and Pai asked, "What happened?"
"Koshou was stupid enough to kidnap Ichigo," Kisshu said. "I'm going to find her; you two go to Hideki-sama and tell him what happened. Also tell him that he'd better move fast if he wants her alive."
Pai sighed, but nodded, and took Lettuce's hand, then teleported. Kisshu teleported off to find Ichigo.
With Ichigo: Ichigo had been startled when she got grabbed from behind, and didn't manage to break free in time. She shut her eyes as Koshou teleported, and opened them again when they landed. She wrenched her arms out of Koshou's grasp, and snarled, "What is your problem? It's not MY fault Kisshu hates your guts; it's your own! You're never going to get him anyways, but now he's probably going to kill you."
"Not if I have my way," Koshou said smugly. She held up a small device, but before she could do anything with it, Ichigo had raked her claws across Koshou's face. Koshou screamed and dropped the device. Ichigo crushed the device with her foot, and smirked at Koshou- just as they heard teleportation.
Kisshu appeared, and he was practically radiating fury. He held out a hand as Koshou turned to run, and a ripple in the air hit her. She froze, and Kisshu came over to Ichigo. "Ichigo, are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Ichigo said. "I can make my claws come out when I'm in human form, so I clawed her face up, and then you came."
"Good," Kisshu said, relieved. "Pai says there are some people coming to take Koshou to jail, so they should be here soon. In the meantime, I'm going to beat her up."
"Have fun," Ichigo said, watching as Kisshu went over to Koshou, unfroze her, then threw her on the ground and started beating her up.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Koshou cried.
"You're a useless, stuck-up bitch with no brains, you try to chase people away from me, you kidnapped Ichigo, who, by the way, is the only girl I will ever love, you're nasty to everyone except me, you're overly possessive, you think it's fun to pick on people, you NEVER leave me alone, even when I ask nicely- basically I hate everything about you," Kisshu said. "If you weren't on your way to jail, I'd suggest you bond with Kino, since you two are the worst mistakes in the history of our race. Although you might be worse. At least Kino learned to leave me alone."
They heard teleportation before Koshou could respond, and Kisshu got up, looking over. Pai appeared with Lettuce and four more Cyniclons, all wearing something similar to police uniforms. "Good timing," Kisshu said. "Much longer and she would have been dead."
Pai sighed and said to the other Cyniclons, "Take Koshou away."
They nodded, and went over to Koshou. One of them grabbed her arm, and then they all teleported off. "Ichigo, are you okay?" Lettuce asked.
"I'm fine; it wasn't hard to break free, and I clawed up her face before Kisshu got here," Ichigo said. "That should leave scars."
Kisshu snickered, and said, "That's my Koneko-chan."
Pai sighed again and said, "We should get home- even though Mom's going to bite my head off."
"Alright," Kisshu said. "I think I've had enough of the town for today anyways."
Ichigo and Lettuce nodded, so Kisshu and Pai teleported them home.
They found both Yuki and Hayako waiting, and Pai flinched at the looks on their faces. "Kisshu, take the girls to one of their rooms; we need to speak to Pai privately," Hayako said in a tone that left no room for discussion. Kisshu just nodded, and took Ichigo and Lettuce by the hand, then teleported to Ichigo's room. He sighed when they landed, and sat down on the bed. Ichigo sat next to him, and Lettuce sat down in the desk chair as Ichigo put a hand on Kisshu's shoulder. "I really hope they don't tell," he muttered.
"What's going to happen if they do decide to tell?" Lettuce asked.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," Kisshu said. "The law clearly states that if someone kills a child, that person must be put to death. But the problem here is that Hideki-sama actually owes Pai a great deal. Pai was the one who did the most to restore the planet, and that will have to be taken into account. Another thing is that Pai killed Taruto over five years ago, and since Taruto was brought back to life, it might not be as much of a big deal. But I'm worried that if Aunt Yuki and Uncle Hayako do decide to tell, they'll get in trouble too, because they didn't tell anyone sooner- even though they didn't know."
"I guess we'll have to wait and see what their decision is; there's not much we can do," Ichigo said.
Meanwhile, with Pai: Yuki and Hayako had taken Pai to the family room and soundproofed it before they all sat down. Hayako sighed when they were all settled, and asked, "Pai, you do realize that this is very serious, right?"
"I know," Pai said. "That's why we weren't going to tell you; we didn't want you to worry."
Yuki sighed, and asked, "Why would you do something like that, Pai? Taruto is your little brother, not just a warrior who was assigned to the mission with you. He snuck onto your ship just to be with you and Kisshu, and we allowed him to stay because we thought you would take care of him. He told us that it was mainly Kisshu who looked after him, not you. And now we find out you went so far as to kill him simply because you disagreed with his views on Deep Blue. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I really have no excuse for what I did," Pai said. "I know what I did was unforgivable, and I'm very lucky that Taruto doesn't hate me for eternity like Pudding does. I don't blame you if you want to go tell Hideki-sama this, but I'd at least like you to consider Lettuce's feelings on this matter. I know my feelings don't matter in this instance, and that I probably do deserve the penalty for killing a child, but I don't want to put Lettuce through that, considering she waited five years for me to return. I'm not asking you to keep it a secret for my own sake, but I don't want to put Lettuce through any more pain."
Yuki and Hayako were both silent for a few minutes, and then Yuki said, "We weren't going to tell, but I do think that this can't go unpunished. Your father and I will think of a fitting punishment; you should go back to the girls and Kisshu and let them know that we're not going to tell."
Pai nodded, and teleported upstairs.
I'm going to put in at least one more chapter before the first wedding, so please bear with me. I've decided the first wedding's couple, so if you like, you can guess! Review please!