"Let us through! Let us through!" Retasu yelled in the corridors of the headquarters helping one of her man to bring a wounded Makoto. She still couldn't believe what had happened; Purin said that one of her attackers was Taruto, and indeed that boy even used plants to attack, none of the aliens had use something like that during those years. But why? Taruto would have never hurt Purin, she was sure of that.
Ichigo ran towards her friends, then she spotted Purin in the arms of a wounded Yuebin, while Minto was helping Keiichiro that had a leg injured and a slash on his chest. Ichigo gave out a loud gasp.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Please, Ichigo," pleaded Retasu "Go call Kyoko!" Ichigo gave a last look to the scene before running back from where she had arrived. Her legs hurt for the fast race she had made. They were all wounded badly. Even that day they got attacked. How many the enemy had sent to them?
"Kyoko!" she called when she saw her "Kyoko, we need your help!" when she entered the infirmary, she saw the woman cover the body of a young boy with a sheet, before turning to her. In the room there were Zakuro and Ryo too. They knew that they got attacked, Keiichiro had warned them. But nobody imagined that had been that violent. Zakuro looked at Ichigo for a moment, before widening her eyes and ran out.
"Let's go," said Kyoko to the other nurses before fallowing the purple-haired girl.
"What the hell happened?" Ryo asked while running next to Ichigo "Keiichiro was fine when he called."
"I don't know," she answered "But he's injured too."
Zakuro had run all the way to where Minto and the others were, she hadn't even realized if she had been breathing all the way there. She felt for that mission from the fist moment, too few people. She had to go too.
Her eyes fell on Purin laying on the ground, her cheek was slashed, as her right arm and her side, even her neck was injured. At the youngest's side there were Retasu and Yuebin, the young man's lips were bleeding and on the side of his eye there was a large bruise. She spotted Makoto clenching a fainted Akane's hand. Then her breath inched when she saw Haichiro kneeled with Minto next to Keiichiro.
"Kei…" she muttered running to him. Keiichiro was set down with his back laying on the wall. His leg was injured, and he had a hand on his chest, his shirt dirty with blood. He spotted her running to him and tiredly smiled at her. Zakuro kneeled next to him putting her hand on his bloody one.
"What happened?" she asked looking at his injuries "Who did it?"
"They attacked us," he said with low voice "I didn't see them. I called you and then I was on the ground," Zakuro's hands shivered in anger. They were going too far, it had been days that the enemy hadn't left them alone, and now they had injured so many people that she loved. She couldn't take it anymore, she wanted them gone, all the aliens gone. They couldn't do as they pleased.
"Hey…" she heard Kei say making her look in his eyes "It looks worse that it is, I promise," he said trying to reassure her.
But she shook her head "Liar," then she turned to Minto; she had a bruise on her cheek and on her neck "What the hell happened?"
Minto took a breath looking her friend in the eyes "You won't believe me."
Kyoko and the other nurses had arrived and started to take care of everyone. Hachiro helped them, fortunately he wasn't injured badly. Ryo arrived and checked Keiichiro while Ichigo ran to Purin. Retasu was helping Hayato, while the man sewed one of Purin's cuts she cleaned them with care.
"What happened, Yuebin?" Ichigo asked helping the young man cleaning the slash on his lip.
"We had split up to find the herbs," he explained "We were close, but they were fast and they managed to split us up even more," Ichigo took a breath, she hated the Inohara Park; in case of attack, it was difficult to stay focused. It was almost impossible to see and if you got too far from who was with you, they surely wouldn't find you easily.
"How many were they?" she asked.
Yuebin looked at Purin "I've seen two of them," just two had done it.
"There were three," Retasu said not looking away from her blond friend.
Yuebin cursed under his breath "I told her not to go," he said "We had to stay together…" Ichigo put a hand on Yuebin's shoulder, to comfort him. It wasn't his fault.
"Ichigo," Retasu said looking to her with serious eyes "Taruto did it," Ichigo's eyes widened at the name. Her gaze fixed on Purin and at her injures.
"Are you sure?" she asked with a worried frown.
"That's what Purin said," Retasu answered with sad eyes.
"Couldn't she be delirious from the injuries?" Ichigo said feeling Yuebin leaning closer to hear their conversation.
"That's what I thought, but Ichigo…" Retasu said taking a breath "He could control plants," Ichigo frowned in confusion, how was that possible? She was sure he was the only one able to do it, but that didn't make sense.
"Why would he hurt Purin?" Ichigo asked aloud.
"Because he's on the enemy's side." Ryo's voice made them turn to look at him. His eyes were angry and his arms were trembling.
"Ryo…" muttered Retasu, she knew what he thought about that matter and she had forced herself to believe it too after her talk with Taraq. Maybe Pai was on his people's side, but Taruto…
"That doesn't make sense," said Ichigo making the blond man frown "He wouldn't hurt Purin, we all know it."
"No, we don't!" Zakuro said making them turn to her "We don't know why they helped us that day, what we know is what they are doing now."
"But Zakuro," Retasu said "We all saw that he fought against Pai that day, he even died. He didn't want to fight anymore," the memories of that scene made Retasu look down.
"He was just a child back there," Ryo argued supporting Zakuro "Much could have changed in these years."
Ichigo couldn't believe it. She agreed with Retasu. Time could change something, but it couldn't turn a person in someone else.
"Maybe they forced him," Ichigo guessed and Retasu turned to her thinking about the words Ichigo as just said. The aliens could have forced Taruto in doing what they wanted.
"He seemed pretty serious to me," Minto said crossing her arms over her chest "When I arrived, he was almost chopping Purin's head off. And he hadn't gone easy on me too," she said pointing at the bruises on her neck "You've seen that, Retasu" the girl nodded, she couldn't deny it. When she arrived, Taruto had took Minto by the neck and it seemed he was squeezing hard. Ryo looked at Minto's neck, noticing now the purple fingers' shaped mark on her skin. Then he turned to Retasu.
"Are you hurt somewhere?" Retasu shook her head.
"No, I'm fine," she answered. Ryo took a nervous breath.
"I don't understand," said Ichigo frowning still looking at Purin, earning a growl from Zakuro.
"There's nothing to understand," she said walking away to kneel next to Keiichiro. Ichigo followed her with her eyes, she understood why Zakuro was that angry, but it still didn't make sense. Taruto would never hurt Purin. But if the enemy had convinced Pai and Taruto to joined them once again, what had happened to Kisshu? He was the one fighting against Deep Blue, he got killed by Deep Blue himself. He had become openly a traitor. What could have happened to him?
"Taruto," Gen'ichi called but the younger boy didn't turn keeping hitting the training dummy, was he ignoring him?
"Taruto!" Gen'ichi roared, Taruto gave another punch.
"You can talk, I hear you," he said turning slightly his head over his shoulder with a smirk.
"You have to turn when I speak," Gen'ichi said but Taruto laughed without turning his head to him.
"Right," Taruto said "I forgot you can't do two things at the same time, so you assumed I couldn't either," Gen'ichi appeared in front of him, but Taruto just looked at him with innocent eyes and a smirk on his lips.
"I'm a General!" he roared making the younger boy's eyes darkened but his smirk never fading from his face.
"Not mine," he answered. His orange gaze fixed on Gen'ichi's.
The man clenched his jaw. He knew how nasty that boy and his brothers were, they always knew how to hit his nerves thinking they were better than anyone else. Taruto tilted his head looking at him up and down, that stupid smirk never leaving his face.
"I suppose Kanna wants to see me," he said putting his arms behind his head "She took a while. Well then…" he said starting to walk away annoyed.
That little shit, Gen'ichi thought clenching his fists. Damn him and his brothers.
Kanna was in the Fives' room, she just wanted to smash something for how much she was angry.
"Calm down," Nazhlgal said opening his eye "I can't concentrate."
"Like it helped!" Kanna exclaimed passing a hand through her hair. It'd been a year since Nazhlgal sensed the humans all together. Where the hell could they been hiding? How could they avoid his eye? Nobody could, nobody!
"It's like we are chasing our tales," she said angrily "And the troops don't even follow my orders now!" she was beyond than angry; nothing was going as she had planned. Deep Blue was still weak; he couldn't seem to use the Mew Acqua, they still hadn't killed the five Mew Mew and their kind with them. She wasn't succeeding in anything and she hated it.
"He's here," Nazhlgal said making her turn her head to the door. After a moment a knock came behind it.
"Come in." She announced with a cold voice. When the door opened Taruto Ikisatashi entered and bowed to them.
"First, Second," he greeted before standing up again "Do I have to report?" Kanna's eyes become even more cold, if that was possible.
"Report?" she repeated with a venomous voice and he just arched his eyebrows.
"You had a simple order," Kanna said with a calm but angry voice "And when I give an order everyone has to follow it, understand?!"
"I always follow orders," Taruto answered simply, his posture was erect, he didn't flinch he stood his ground, like a proper soldier.
"You were patrolling to find out where they are hiding," she said "You weren't supposed to attack"
"And I did," at his words Kanna's anger stop flowing.
"What did you say?" even Nazhlgal looked at him opening his eye.
Taruto looked at them calmly "I've seen the yellow one getting out from a building," he said and Kanna moved to the map zooming in the zone where the attack had been "There's a ruined building at west of the green area, that one," he pointed when he saw it. Kanna looked at it; that building was almost at the ground; how could they have been hiding in there? And why Nazhlgal didn't track them?
"I thought those humans weren't useful anymore, why keep them?" he asked and Kanna turned to him, observing him up and down. A good soldier, she couldn't deny it. Now they could find the humans.
"You did good, Ikisatashi," she said almost impressed. Taruto grinned bowing his head once again.
"You can go," she said turning to the map again hearing the young boy exiting the room. On her face crept a cold smile. They were getting closer and closer, soon those humans would be all dead. She then moved to the globe to digit the code to make open the door on the wall.
"Do we still need him?" Nazhlgal's voice stopped her before she could get downstairs.
She turned to him "There's no mission I hadn't accomplished. This one won't be different," Kanna said before going down the steps.
Taruto got out from the room with a proud smile. He did good, his first mission had been a success. Suddenly a light giggle made him smirk, he knew who it was. He turned to his left and saw Miyako laying her shoulder to the wall.
"Mission accomplished?" she asked.
"Did you doubt that?" Miyako giggled again appearing in front of him latching her arms around his neck.
"Of course not," she said with a smirk then she traced with one of her fingers the scar on his eye "And by your face I can say that you've impressed Kanna."
"I don't care," He said shrugging his shoulders, putting his hands on her hips "Is my General impressed?"
She smirked kissing him on the lips; his hold on her hips tightened and Miyako brought him closer. They kissed for a moment before she spoke again "How many have you killed?" their lips still touching each other.
"I hope all of them," he said looking down at her with a dark smirk thinking about all those humans, then suddenly he blinked frowning a little "Have you talked about me, before my arrival on the Earth?" Miyako's eyebrows arched up studying his eyes. For a moment his gaze had changed in a calm and thoughtful expression, what was he talking about? But before she could ask him anything they heard a loud yell followed by an explosion. The two looked at each other before running towards the Five's room.
"What the hell happened?" asked Miyako seeing the smoke coming from the door that led downstairs.
"He's escaped!" Kanna emerged from the smoke with an angry expression.
"How's it possible?" asked Miyako looking at Nazhlgal, but he just looked at them calmly.
"I can't be everywhere in the same moment."
"I don't care!" Kanna growled "Find him. Find that bastard and bring him back to me!" she yelled in anger.
"Alive?" Taruto asked looking at Kanna, that turned to him.
"All of you can play with him all you want," she said in anger "But his life is mine to take."