Keep Dreaming
Dear readers,
Thank you very much for stopping by and reading this story. I would like to hereby thank you all for your amazing comments, reviews, follows and kudos! c(o)/ 3 AND PATIENCE!
Oh my god! I am SO DAMN late with this update. Unbelievable, really! I am SO sorry, guys! I'm not dead, just super-duper busy _! I apologize! Oh man, has it truly been a month?! I'm so sorry, there has been a lot going on in my life lately. And that's why this chapter took literally forever! But now, with some time finally on my side, here comes the long awaited continuation of the story at long last. And damn, we have a lot to look forward to. Because, in the end, I decided to split this chapter in half. What is going to happen next? Who is a friend and who a foe? And how much more complex is everything going to become now that the battle for the planet Earth is on?
You really want to know? Then, read and find out!
P.S. For all the amazing Ryou fans out there, I am happy to hear that you guys are enjoying how I am writing his character in this fic so much. I like him a lot too, I must say. Because he and Zakuro are the only characters who never sugarcoat anything! I'll see you with the next update. Until then!
The music I used for this part is Madonna's 'Die Another Day.'
DrDark7 - Thank you for your comment! You are spot on! It took quite long, but the real fight is about to happen now! Who do you think is going to win?
BettaDream - Thank you for your comment! I am so happy to hear that I surprised you. And I hope that I will keep surprising you in the following chapters as well!
Lulyy Elizabeth Vaca - Thank you for your comment! Kisshu is an extremely interesting character to write. Although he has some moments of sweetness from time to time, he is definitely evil to quite some extent as well!
callme_atmidnight - Thank you for your comment! I know, right? Ryou is so bad-ass. Sometimes, I wonder if he wouldn't be a better match for Ichigo haha.
Lucero Perez - Thank you for your comment! I know that I am very late with this update, so please bear with me! I hope that this and the following chapter are going to surpass your expectations!
amoreKxI - Thank you for your comment! I totally love your dream! That is so interesting! And yes, we are about to see a lot of emotions unraveling in the two following chapters, trust me!
Sorakitten - Thank you for your comment! I am so happy to see that you enjoy my writing as ever. Hopefully, I will be able to provide you with even more entertainment in the following chapters.
ilovekisshuthemost - Thank you for your comment! Ryou is awesome! There is no denying that! And his character is so much fun to write. I really love how objective and practical he is, as opposed to Kisshu, who only play games more often than not.
AnimeRoxx - Thank you for your comment! I hope that you will enjoy the following chapters as well. We have a lot to unpack. And, yes. There will be tons of emotions involved, mind you!
Nalea2.0 - Thank you for your comment! I am so sorry. Life just got super busy but here I am! At long last! I hope that you will enjoy these two upcoming action-packed updates! We have a lot of fighting to do!
As always, please enjoy and review!
I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew
Ichigo had sensed how her rapid pulse gradually stilled to a slow, measured pace, as the hair on the back of her neck continued to stand up at the shocking sight that was quickly unravelling in front of her.
At first, she didn't want to believe it.
She couldn't. No, she wouldn't, preferring to fall under the false sense of illusion instead.
But, no matter how relentlessly she had strived to block the harsh reality that was pressing at her nervous system from every feasible direction, the moment of clarity had eventually come to her, shaking massively her inner psyche.
Ichigo watched, with growing apprehension in her eyes, how neatly his inky hair, no longer the usual crown of short, jet-black tresses, cascaded down his broad shoulders, instantly reminding her of the imminent darkness that was dangerously tugging at her heart.
There was something familiar about him. And, at the same time, something so inexplicably foreign, threatening even, that had made the Mew Mew gulp with uneasiness, which had started to spread down her spine like liquid ice.
Perhaps, it might have been the manner with which his cold, calculating gaze followed the slightest change of her facial expression that had given her the idea that she should be scared; or, quite possibly, it could have been the way wherewith his long blue, majestic coat, which would, under normal circumstances, look almost elegant, billowed around his eerie form. Yet, the longer Ichigo had scrutinized the alien figure in front of her, the more certain she grew of the fact that it was neither his hair, nor his style of clothing that had made her skin crawl. No.
It was the complete lack of any human emotion written all over his features, a blank face devoid of any feelings, that had caused her body to quake uncontrollably at that horrendous notion, whereas her mind remained utterly static.
In a way, Ichigo still felt like her senses must have been deceiving her. They simply must have been. As there was literally no other logical explanation that could fully account for why her ex-boyfriend would, all of a sudden, show up and turn himself into a menacing Cyniclon.
It just made no sense to her.
But, again, since when had anything in her entire life made any sense? Did sleeping with Kisshu make any sense? Hardly. So why should she assume that this would be any different? And, after all, couldn't this merely serve as the projection of her own inner insecurities, challenging her sanity and integrity the way she truly deserved?
'Well, we will surely soon find out,' her inner voice mentally sneered, while Ichigo's cautious eyes slightly narrowed and continued to observe the stranger in front of her.
All it took was one quick glimpse to note that his aura was so vastly strange, so different that it had made Ichigo positive of only one thing.
Whoever was currently slowly approaching her was no longer Masaya. Her Masaya.
And, judging by the present circumstances, it was extremely difficult to believe that there was ever any Masaya to begin with.
How? Why? And what for?
Those were the obvious questions that had kept flooding Ichigo's mind like a reel of bad movie on repeat, effectively breaking her from her trance of static shock as a consequence. Yet, even if her brain decided to ultimately cooperate with her, her body refused to follow suit. She could only stare, numbly, at the enemy ahead of her. Trying to convince herself that this nightmare was not real. That it was just another figment of her vivid imagination. But the minute the alien paused in his tracks and opened his mouth, all of her former hope was squished in an instant, as the weight of the grim reality had finally come crashing down on her. Hard.
"I am Deep Blue, foolish human. The ruler of this new world," the Cyniclon declared smoothly, while he brandished his sword and, with one swift movement, sliced through the array of buildings to his left, sending them immediately straight down into the ground beneath them.
"No…way," Ichigo gasped, her pupils widening in sheer terror at the flying debris all around her.
Was this what Kisshu had tried to warn her against? The complete apocalypse that was about to break out? Was this why he did not want her to fight? Because he knew that Earth as they all knew it was doomed?
No. You can't think that way, Ichigo. You are the leader of Tokyo Mew Mew. Buckle up!
'A leader who has betrayed everyone without batting an eye-lash,' Ichigo sighed bitterly before she quickly took a notice of how Deep Blue's sword rose back in the air and she skidded away just in time, not to get hit by the brutal power.
The moment the blade of his sword touched the grassy surface, nevertheless, Ichigo could tell that it was not Deep Blue's intention to hit her, quite the opposite. He wanted to put distance between himself and her, to separate them, and he knew exactly how to make it happen.
With palpable fear etched in her features, Ichigo saw how the ground beneath her feet began to move and shake wildly under the strain of the attack, until it gave in altogether and, with a loud cracking sound, divided the space between them once and for all. Realizing this, Ichigo jumped at the nearest tree fast, striving to avoid falling into the vast crater that had started to form around where Deep Blue was standing in the process.
Upon whirling around, she saw how the benches, swings and park signs became devoured in the nothingness one by one, while the massive crater grew bigger and more monstrous with each of the following seconds. But it wasn't until she spotted the strange diamond-like object materializing seemingly out of nowhere and moving in accordance with Deep Blue's right hand that her heart beat had accelerated even more.
And once the air around Deep Blue unexpectedly rippled and the three remaining Cyniclons appeared by his side, Ichigo's breath hitched in her throat, knowing fully well that this could scarcely be a coincidence.
"Welcome back, master," Pai knelt down on his knee first before the other two shortly followed, "We are deeply sorry that we could not get rid of the nuisance of Tokyo Mew Mew before your awakening. Please forgive us."
"Worry not, their presence holds no particular interest to me," Deep Blue replied solemnly, as his eyes adopted that strange kind of inhuman eeriness once more.
His icy blue gaze then searched through the ever-present chaos surrounding them until his eyes fell upon Ichigo's form, still crouched amid the thick branches of the nearby Sakura tree. The minute their gazes locked, something momentarily shifted in Deep Blue's eyes, as his pupils contracted into thin cat-like slits and his features screwed into an evil grimace, "On second thought, let us not prolong the inevitable. I changed my mind. Annihilate all of them. Right now," he finished and, before teleporting away, he raised his sword yet again, destroying the entire right side of the park in the wake of his attack.
"Understood," Pai stood back up and instantly nodded to his fellow companions who reacted to Deep Blue's order in a similar fashion.
Ichigo could merely stare in awe. For the first time in her life, she had finally allowed herself to understand that whatever battles Tokyo Mew Mew had ever fought against the aliens so far meant largely nothing. Nothing in comparison to what was about to happen now. And the longer Ichigo observed their expressions, the more certain she was about that particular assumption.
There was no real emotion reflected on either of their faces. Only acceptance and readiness to do whatever they were asked for. And something about that readiness did not settle well with the Mew Mew's psyche. True, she was completely unfazed by Pai's reaction. His obedience and clinical detachment was hardly a surprise to her. In fact, she had expected as much. She even did not blink an eye when Taruto had assumed his fighting stance.
But Kisshu?
That was a low blow.
There was no denying it now. She had severely underestimated them. Kisshu, especially, never actually truly seeing him for the soldier on duty he was. And to think that he would even betray his nation for her!
Ichigo wanted to gag.
At herself.
At her behavior.
At her own stupidity.
And, at everything in general.
Ryou was right.
She was truly an idiot; a complete, total idiot.
And this feeling merely intensified once each of the Cyniclons' hands started to glow and, not a moment later, a gigantic bat-like chimera emerged in front of her with a million smaller bat-like creatures swarming all around it, each flapping their wings fervently.
"Ichigo!"
Too startled, the Mew Mew leader whipped her head around only to see Zakuro and the rest of her team running towards where she was.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ichigo stretched her muscles and jumped down from the tree branch to reunite with her team mates on the ground.
"What the hell is that?" Mint asked, as she eyed the flying diamond spaceship in the air, utterly horrified.
"And where did all these bats come from, na no da?" Pudding cried out in disbelief, while she kicked one of the Chimera Animas off of her.
"I don't know, guys," Ichigo answered honestly, carefully eyeing the enemy in front of her, "I don't know much anymore. But we have to fight them. With everything we have. If we want to save the planet Earth…we have to fight them," she finished, curling her fingers in tight fists.
"Good luck with that, hag!"
Before Ichigo's mind could register a coherent thought, she felt something sharp lightly scratching her cheek and the subsequent trickle of blood that ran down the left side of her face shortly after had successfully informed her that she had been cut.
Still quite shocked, she looked up just in time to dodge another of Taruto's attacks.
"You," Ichigo grit her teeth, as she threw a baleful glare at the youngest Cyniclon in the air, not missing the conniving spark in his alien gaze, "You're gonna pay for this, you hear me?!"
She turned around, her eyes vibrant and determined.
There was no way that she would give up. They would not give up. They were Tokyo Mew Mew. And Tokyo Mew Mew was there to save and to protect.
"Everyone!" Ichigo called out, mustering all of her courage and anger all at once, as she struck her signature pose, regardless of the demure situation at hand,"For the Earth's future, let us all be of service one last time!"
Not waiting for anyone's reply, she whirled back and jumped as high in the air as her cat reflexes permitted her to. Without warning, Ichigo extended her left arm and once Taruto's body appeared right in front of her, she punched him directly in his stomach as hard as she could, making him wail in agony.
"Y-you…bitch," the youngest alien wheezed and grabbed at his core, spluttering slightly.
"Oh, I'm not quite done with you yet," Ichigo announced triumphantly, as she graciously landed on her feet only to immediately jump up again and come back for more, fighting him head on and taking and blocking every hit that Taruto had possibly directed towards her as if that was her last battle ever.
Why was she so desperate in her attempt to vent out all her inner frustrations specifically on Taruto, she could not tell. But the sight of the blood coming out from the youngest Cyniclon's mouth felt strangely calming to Ichigo's fuzzy nerves. It had made her feel alive. And, also, it had made her realize that if she wanted to get past this and survive, she had to fight. With everything she had. Even if it involved her bare hands.
Apparently, the others had, quite soon, reached the same conclusion, since the number of the bats surrounding them rapidly dwindled, as more colorful hues and female screams mingled in Ichigo's mind.
But Ichigo didn't care, far too concentrated on the fight she was currently engaged in with Taruto. She was just about to land another kick at his core, but the Cyniclon was quicker, abruptly teleporting out of her reach and back to his companions, heaving profusely and wiping away the mixture of blood and saliva that was trickling down from his open mouth.
Kisshu's golden orbs briefly flicked from Ichigo's form to survey the battered Cyniclon to his left, before his focus swiftly shifted back on the ground to meet her fiery gaze.
"Ichigo."
Seeing this, Pai's pupils imperceptibly narrowed.
"Kisshu," the eldest alien folded his arms over his chest, as he turned to the green-haired alien that was still hovering directly next to him.
"Right," Kisshu dipped his head in acknowledgement and, closing his eye lids in concentration, he clasped his fingers tightly together and started chanting some incomprehensible mantra, while his hands began to gleam with a sizzling intense light.
Only this time, it was not the familiar blue glow that Ichigo had been accustomed to seeing, quite on the contrary.
It was jet-black.
And, upon recognizing the black current of power, Ichigo's heart had suddenly stopped, as everything around her came to a grounding halt.
It was a weird sort of a state that her brain had generated. A drowsy dream, or a limbo with infinite endings and zero possibility to move, much less escape, when the realization had ultimately kicked in.
But when the notion of what would quickly follow finally registered in her mind, only a feeble whisper had come through between Ichigo's chipped lips.
"D-don't...," she choked out, still unwilling to believe that he was behind all of her pain all along.
"What did you say?" Mint asked appearing by Ichigo's side, but the latter completely ignored her, taking a shaky step forward instead.
That black light; it felt far too real to be a dream.
And, yet, Ichigo could not help but wish it was all a dream, or, better yet, a terrifying nightmare.
"D-Don't…Don't let him!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, as she lunged herself forward and sprung up back in the air.
"Strawberry Bell!"
She summoned her weapon, ready to strike, but Pai was faster, efficiently blocking her attack with his Kuu Rai Sen.
"Do not interfere with Deep Blue's wishes!" he hissed, as he sent her flying body back onto the ground, creating another large dent as a result of the impact.
"Ichigo!"
Slightly battered by the fall, Ichigo propped herself on her elbows and peered at the fighting scene above her. Zakuro and Mint were battling Pai now, whereas Pudding and Lettuce were trying to distract Taruto and get to Kisshu in the meantime.
"I gotta help them," Ichigo bit through between her gritted teeth, "It is not too late."
She pushed herself from the ground a little more. And, then, a little more.
Just a little more.
And just when she felt like she was strong enough to stand up on her own feet again, something pulled her back down harshly, forcing her to subdue to the familiar power that was restraining her lungs, as well as all of her body movement.
"S-shit."
Ichigo looked up, squinting in the air, only to see Kisshu staring back at her right before another flash of black hue filled her vision, blinding her temporarily.
She did not need another jolt of electricity to know that it was exactly the same kind of rigid grasp on her body, which she had already experienced back then in the park. Her pendant too burned the soft skin on her neck just like before. And the longer she had tried to struggle against the sharp pain that had been coursing through her veins like poison, the harder it was for her to breathe.
Ichigo could only hope that it was merely her that had been affected and exposed to such an unbearable torture. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case, since, not a full minute later, Mew Pudding plummeted down as well, gasping for breath.
"N-no," Ichigo breathed out.
Mint quickly followed, then Lettuce and, in the end, even Zakuro was lying on the ground, grasping at her neck and trying to regain her breathing pattern.
"I think they are ready," Pai observed sagely, while his fans started to flash with electric current.
He then nodded to Kisshu who swiftly bent his wrist backwards and the invisible grasp on each of the Mew Mews' necks immediately tightened even more.
"Now, Pai. Should we take them all together, or one by one?" Taruto cackled, as he continued to stare at their squirming enemy in glee, his own bruises temporarily forgotten.
"One by one," Pai answered matter-of-factly, "That way, we can ensure that each of them has been successfully exterminated."
Not missing a beat, the eldest alien swiped his fans and, shortly after, an electric current shot right through Lettuce's body, jerking her form wildly.
Gasping for air, the green-haired Mew Mew tried to hold back her tears, as she pressed her hands to her chest, wailing.
"Stop that," Ichigo screamed, when she saw how Lettuce's body twisted in pain in a reaction to another of Pai's electro shocks.
And, even more so, when she spotted that her friend started powering down.
"D-don't w-worry, Ichigo. I-I will…"
It was then that Lettuce realized that she was no longer Mew Lettuce. And, what more, that her pendant was not working.
And, scarcely, was she the only one.
Within a few following seconds, each of the Mew Mews powered down involuntarily, making themselves extremely vulnerable to the alien attacks.
"What is happening, na no da?" Pudding cried out, as her monkey features gradually disappeared.
Ichigo looked at her team mates, knowing fully well that this was most definitely the result of Ryou's computers being hijacked. The more pressing issue now however wasn't the powering down per se. But the fact that nobody could reactivate their powers after.
"Your scientists are rather intelligent, yet it was nowhere close to our level," Pai remarked dryly, extending his right arm forward, "Now, shall we continue?"
Ichigo bit onto her bottom lip, realizing that this was really it.
She had tried to save the world and she failed. She had doomed everybody due to her sexual urges and now she was going to pay the price for it, along with all the rest of the innocent people around the world.
But as the guilt and regret had pooled in her stomach and she was finally ready to accept her fate, just then, out of nowhere, a familiar urgent voice cut through her thoughts, causing her to soon understand that there was still a chance to win. Or, not to lose hope entirely, that is.
"Ichigo. Can you hear me? Is anyone there? We regained access," Ryou's voice sounded from the pendant on her neck.
"Y-yes. I am here. What do you want us to do?" Ichigo whispered back, suddenly very alert.
"Listen. It seems that the only way how to fight them and keep your powers intact is to constantly attack. They cannot deactivate your powers, as long as you are actively moving," Ryou answered, as more clicking was heard at the other end of the line.
"W-what?"
"Their control. It's somehow tied to movement," Ryou replied briskly, "So whatever you're doing, keep moving! Don't let them restrain you! The moment you stay still, you're dead."
"That is easily said than done," Ichigo groaned, as she squinted at the trio still hovering in the air.
"Well, you gotta try. There are millions of people in Tokyo whom you swore to protect, you cannot stop now," Ryou bit back and before Ichigo could sort through her jumbled thoughts or protest, an ear-shattering scream was heard at the other end, before it was subsequently replaced by relentless beeping.
"Ryou…Ryou...RYOU!" Ichigo shouted, yet it was to no avail.
Their call had been cut off.
Ichigo closed her eyes, counting silently to ten.
This was a crazy mission.
A suicidal mission.
With very remote chances of success.
But she was the leader of the Tokyo Mew Mew. And, as the leader, she would be damned if she didn't give it a shot.
Besides, Ryou had said it himself. The moment they stayed still, they were dead.
However, if they fought and kept moving, they had a slight chance to survive this.
Ichigo turned to the side to face her team mates and let her decision to be relayed through her facial expression.
"This is lunacy! You can't be serious! We are not sure if we are even going to be able to transform again! And if not, how are we gonna defeat them?" Mint reacted first, unwilling to participate in what Ichigo was suggesting any longer.
"That is not true, Mint. We can. You heard Ryou, right? We just have to continue fighting," Ichigo rebutted, getting back on her feet slowly only to be surprised by Pai's menacing presence behind her.
"For once, I would agree with you friend, little Mew Mew. Kuu Rai S-"
"Ribbon Zakuro Spear!"
Unlike Ichigo, who was too shocked to move, Zakuro did no waste any more time processing any of this.
"Back off!" she screamed, as her violet whip connected with the alien's arm, forcing the enemy to teleport back in the air pronto.
"Thanks, Zakuro. That was a close call," Ichigo sent the older Mew Mew a grateful smile, noting, quite happily, that she was not only ready to fight but back in her Mew Mew gear and fully transformed as well.
"Anytime. I will take care of Kisshu," Zakuro answered resolutely, "You guys deal with the other two. Is that okay?" she asked, searching in Ichigo's eyes for her approval, causing the latter to blush.
Despite everything she had done, Zakuro still perceived her as the team leader whose command she fully respected.
"Yes," Ichigo replied and nodded before turning to others.
"Are you really sure about this?" Mint inquired skeptically, scrambling back onto her feet and transforming in the process.
"No. But there is no hurt in trying," Ichigo said frankly, "Lettuce, will you be able to fight?"
"I think so," the green-haired Mew regarded her injuries and gave a shy affirmative nod.
"Good. Then let's finish this, ladies," Ichigo declared shortly before another booming electric explosion, presumably Pai's courtesy, shook the ground underneath their feet, forcing the team to split again immediately.
Ichigo felt how the soil under her shook with each of her following steps, while she started running frantically, not knowing how else she could possibly remain moving, fighting and staying safe against all the various branches, gravel and metal rods that were being hurled against her. There was a dusty fog everywhere she looked, blurring her sense of vision momentarily, but her cat-like reflexes helped with navigating her way through the destroyed park or what had remained of it, purposely ignoring the state of dilapidation it had found itself in. She could feel herself getting anxious every time the ground under her cracked and opened, sending her heart into another panic attack. But she kept on running. She would run, as long as there was ground underneath her feet, she would continue. Even though she had no idea where she was heading, but that was hardly an issue now. No matter how much pain she had been experiencing in her muscles, she had to keep holding on. And whether it was Pudding's screaming or violet whip-smacking sounds, Ichigo had somehow managed to tune it all out, focusing solely on her moving forward amid the whirlwind of chaos that was gradually devouring her.
Only when the dusty fog around her had finally cleared out, did she allow herself to pause. To stop. To breathe. To take her chances. And to close her eye lids temporarily, inhaling a large intake of air in her lungs at long last.
For a second, she felt almost relieved, almost as if it was all really only a bad dream. But when her eyes reopened, her heart beat quickly accelerated once more at the sight of a pair of golden, shimmering cat-like orbs, which were both simultaneously mesmerizing and equally dangerous.
"I told you not to fight today, Ichigo, did I not?" his face reflected a twinge of annoyance at her disobedience, as he slipped his fingers underneath her chin, tilting it upwards, "Why do you oppose me so much, kitten? It will only hurt you more," he grinned, taking in her momentary shock.
Remembering herself, Ichigo smacked his hand away, infuriated.
She knew that her fear turned him on; fear and defiance, that is. And since she could not bet on the former quality to save the planet Earth, she had decided to put all of her remaining energy in the latter, sincerely hoping that that would do the trick.
"And you thought that I will actually listen to my enemy?" she shot back derisively, "Keep dreaming!"
His eyes blazed with intrigue at her snarky retort, while she widened her stance, ready for his imminent attack that she knew was soon to happen.
After all, Ichigo was not surprised that things had turned out this way.
They were meant to fight each other. From the beginning till the end.
And no matter how much she had tried to avoid him, she knew, deep down, that they would eventually end up fighting face to face at the opposite sides of the spectrum. But before all of that started, she wanted to be sure. She wanted to know. And she knew exactly what kind of question she needed to ask to get her answers straight.
"There is something I'd like to ask you before we do this," she looked him straight in the eye, pinning his golden gaze with hers.
Kisshu's lips quirked upwards, the little fires dancing in his orbs playfully.
"Well then, shoot."
"That night of the banquet, while you were at the Café Mew Mew. Did you hijack our systems?" asked the Mew Mew and she felt as if her breath hitched in her throat, suddenly too afraid to hear the truth coming out of his mouth.
He gave her an amused look, as if what she was doing right now seemed like the most entertaining thing in the world.
"Mmhm, would you look at that! The only thing humans apparently care about when their whole world is coming to an end is a little party."
"Answer me!" she yelled before catching herself and forcing her inner storm down, "Did you or did you not hijack Ryou's computer that night?" she reiterated, in far harder tone this time.
"I did not, Ichigo. I came to see you that night only to please you," Kisshu smiled earnestly and something about that smile had made her pause and reconsider everything she had heard today, until his next words pulverized all of her previous hopes to ashes, "Of course, the same could not be said about Pai."
Ichigo clenched her fists, unable to keep her heart from racing any longer.
So it was really true. Ryou was right, they did work as a team. Even if Kisshu had not personally done it, he did not stop his comrade in his endeavors, which was basically the same thing as if he had done it himself.
Her shoulders began to tremble in anger, as all the information fell into place.
"You traitor," she spat as though repulsed.
His expression momentarily hardened before it filled with a lighthearted cheekiness again.
"If I remember correctly, the deal was that there will be no Chimera Anima attack that night. You were very specific with your terms, to which I gladly obliged, kitten. And I did not breach any part of the contract between us. Just so you know. I kept my part of the bargain to the T. Next time you negotiate with someone, I suggest you should, perhaps, consider all the terms before you seal the deal, mmhm?"
He was right and somehow that had pissed Ichigo off even more; that he had managed to outsmart her this way, mocked her and found it all too hilarious at the same time. Not to mention that he was lecturing her, after all what Cyniclons had done, he had the guts to actually lecture her.
She prevented herself from breaking into tears. Without hesitation, she blinked them away.
In fact, the only color Ichigo could presently see was red. And Kisshu was the toreador waving at her with the flag defiantly.
"I'll show you specific," she growled through between her gritted teeth, "I'll specifically turn you into dust!"
With these exact words, Ichigo lunged herself at him and summoned her Strawberry Bell one last time.