Tokyo Mew Mew Fan Fiction ❯ To Be A Traitor ❯ IV ( Chapter 4 )

IMPORTANT A/N: Sorry for the obscene caps-lock abuse, I simply wanted to gain your attention. I have changed Ichigo's injury from ch. 3. Instead of a broken leg I gave her a dislocated hip and made the flesh wound on her side more severe. Now, on to the story!

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

…..

 

She walked down a long, dark hallway lined with old, beaten-down doors. There was fog all around her, clouding her sight. A rhythmic sound echoed from far away.

 

Beep…Beep…

 

`What is that?' She stopped, squinting against the fog. The sound drew closer, gaining strength.

 

Beep…Beep…Beep

 

`A phone? Is it mine?' Remembering she didn't have her cell with her, she continued to walk on as the sound grew louder. The tiny noise steadily increased until the very ground shook beneath her feet, causing her to lose her balance. She curled her legs to her chest and covered her ears against the piercing sound.

 

Beep…Beep…Beep

 

…..

 

Struggling to open her eyes, Ichigo came to; the inescapable noise in her dream vanishing almost completely.

 

`Where am I?'

 

She took in the sterile smell, the too-clean sheets of her bed. She glanced to her left hand and followed the red tube from her wrist to a bag labeled “AB” in bold letters.

 

`Is that blood?'

 

Beep…Beep…Beep A machine registered her heartbeat, another one clicked impersonally, keeping her alive.

 

`Oh God, I'm in a hospital.' She realized. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful or panicked. How long had she been in here? What was wrong with her? She felt her right hand being squeezed, relieving her from her from her hysteria.

 

“Daddy?” Ichigo mouthed, surprised to find her voice useless. Her throat was dry and scratchy. Her father was asleep near the edge of her bed, his head lying on top of his arms with his face buried in the same manner that Ichigo fell asleep on her desk at school. The room was dimly lit by an overhead light; the window showing a dark, moonless sky. Ichigo tried again.

 

“Daddy?” Barely a whisper, but her father jerked awake, alert. He blinked a couple of times before his mouth curved into a broad smile that didn't quite lighten his concerned eyes. He gave her hand another squeeze.

 

“Sweetheart,” He whispered, his voice hoarse from the effort. “Honey, Ichigo is awake,” He called over his shoulder. Following his gaze she saw her mother curled on a hospital chair. She too woke with a start and headed toward Ichigo in a very urgent manner. She bent down to hug her as much as one could hug a person in a hospital bed. Ichigo closed her eyes, lost in the warm embrace. Her mom let go of her, but held her fingers (as to not disturb the IV) and knelt beside her bed, tilting her head to meet her daughter's eyes. She smiled at her in a way that told Ichigo that her parent's had found out the secret she had fought so hard to keep. She glanced at her father, who must have seen something of her inner turmoil in her expression.

 

“We don't have to talk about it now, you need to sleep,” he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze, “Just know that your mother and I love you very much, and nothing could ever change that.” Her mother nodded, stroking the too-long bangs out of her daughter's eyes. Ichigo was at a lost of what to say—not that she would have been able to voice it. Her grateful smile and the single tear that rolled down her cheek spoke for her, and before she knew it, her teary-eyed parents were hugging her again.

 

…..

 

Ichigo woke the next morning to an empty room, the sunlight leaked through the clouds in the overcast sky, giving her room a surreal glow. Thunder rumbled lazily in the distance. She forced herself to a sitting position, thinking hard. The post-anesthesia grogginess that had overwhelmed her that night had cleared, leaving her mind buzzing with raw thoughts. Her brain seemed to throb from the intensity of it; she rubbed her temples, warding off the headache. What was the matter with her? She glanced at her wrist, which was now free of the red tube but left a clear one in its stead. Gingerly, she felt around under the thick blankets. She felt something bulky under her flimsy hospital gown that wrapped around her lower torso. `What in the world…' She lifted the blankets, the weight surprising on her arms, which were as durable as gelatin at the moment, and peered under the gown material and let out a tiny gasp. Her ivory skin was blotted with a colorful array of bruises. A thick band of white gozz bandaged her side, a thinner layer wrapped around her waste to keep it in place. She stared at it, her mind blank, as if she were trying to remember the definition to a word she never used. Then, as if a dam had broken, the memories flooded back to her in a rush. The scenes played in the back of her eyes like a cryptic movie: the vicious monster, civilian's frantic screams, the golden sunset, dark red blood soaking through her clothes, gleaming daggers, green hair…

 

“Kish,” She whispered, then struggled to find her voice, “Kish!” Her voice was hoarse and useless. She tried to climb out of the bed, but something around her face jerked her back. She grabbed at it and pulled it away from her. It was a clear tube meant to blow oxygen into her nose, she threw it aside disdainfully. `No wonder my throat is so dry' she growled to no one in particular. Then she felt her self slide off the bed, and let out a yelp as she lost her balance. `Why am I such a loser?' She whined, furious with herself. The door opened as Ryou let him self in. He was clad in a white lab coat, looking over some papers, but when he glanced at the bed he let them drop to the floor. Ichigo had one leg thrown over the covers, her other tangled in a mass of sheets; her right hand touched the floor, keeping her balanced from her topsy turvey yoga display, her left pulled the IV cord inserted in her wrist dangerously taught.

 

“Ichigo!” He ran to her, heaving her back onto the bed. “Are you alright? What are you doing, you idiot!” He raked her messy hair from her face and was taken aback at the death glare aimed at him. He had half a mind to cover her eyes with her bangs just then, but thought better of it. “What?” He asked incredulously. And to his horror she started to cry. Weeping, sloppy sobs that shook her whole frame. The door swung open again, letting in the chaotic parade that was the Mew Mews. They had all been talking cheerfully among themselves, apparently relieved their leader was healthy again, but now stood in the doorway, mouths agape at the sight before them. Ichigo was crying like a baby among her bed sheets tangled in a knot of white with Ryou hovering over her at a lost, playing the villain.

 

“What did you do to her?” Mint demanded, hands on her hips and looking very threatening. Ryou looked at them, his mouth opening and closing helplessly as he tried to explain.

 

“Just because this is your own secret hospital thing doesn't mean you can smack around the patients!” Pudding lectured.

 

“What? No! I-I don't know! I just-- She just started crying! I don't know what happened!” He held his palms open and up as if to further demonstrate his innocence. The mews flocked over to him interrogating, nagging or harassing him, trying to get an explanation. Ichigo interrupted them in a croaky voice.

 

“No! It's not him,” She wiped her eyes, her friends fell silent, looking at her expectantly, “I'm just happy,” her lip started to tremble, “I thought I would never get to see any of you again,” Tears poured down her cheeks again, her voice squeaked when she said, “I thought I was going to die,” She sobbed again, her cat ears that had popped up, responding to the strong emotion, now lay flat on her head pathetically. The mews instinctively went to her, their faces softening as they enveloped the crying heroine in a safe haven of arms. Ryou, left forgotten in their wake, his hair mussed and jacket askew from the aggressive provocation, stared at them in comical awe that clearly stated his confusion toward the female gender. Ichigo smiled at him, her eyes red and splotchy. Ryou found his back straightening and his hand traveling up to his hair of its own accord as he tried to compose himself once more. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked away, never one to show his emotions in such a theatrical display of affection. Therefore, when Pudding dragged him over to the bed as well, efficiently getting him entangled in a mess of arms, he was ultimately humiliated.

 

“Wait,” Ichigo spoke suddenly, everyone leaned back from the group hug to look at her expectantly. “What happened?” She finally asked lamely. With all the raging confusion in her mind, never had two words carried such weight before. Her top priority was to find out what happened to Kish, but she was awake enough to realize that tact was needed at the moment. She'd find out about her green haired alien in the roundabout way. Reluctantly, the girls broke off the hug entirely to take seats on either the floor or her bed. Ryou nearly ran away from them when he had the chance, tipping over a chair in the progress of his grand escape. He straightened it and sat in it with a cool air, ignoring the questioning stares from the girls. Finally, Lettuce spoke up.

 

“Well, I was at the school when I received an urgent phone call from Kiechiro.” She began. By “school” she meant the one that she volunteered at, though Ichigo couldn't place the name of it for the life of her. This just further proved to her that she needed to be more involved in her friend's lives. Ichigo drifted back to reality when she realized that Lettuce's mouth was still moving and she wasn't grasping any of the words that left it. “-- told me there was some alien activity in the park just down the block, and that the rest of the team would meet me shortly after. However, when I reached the park…” She stopped her brisk explanation of events and swallowed hard.

 

“Lettuce?” Ichigo regarded her friend; her hands were clenched in fists, making the knuckles white. She understood that the shy girl hated any conflict, but wasn't she overacting? They've fought plenty of gruesome battles together against the aliens; surely what she found at the park was no different? But still, Ichigo couldn't help but let her apprehension grow as she waited for Lettuce's next words.

 

“I found you, Ichigo…” Her steady voice was wavering; she refused to meet Ichigo's eyes. “I found you, with your side open and the blood-“ She was cut off by her own involuntary gasp, but she continued when Pudding grabbed her hand reassuringly, “And he was there,” She looked at Ichigo with wide, pleading eyes “He was there, about to kill you! I had to do it; I couldn't let him!”

 

“Who?” Ichigo asked instantly, though the scenes of what must have happened at that park played in her mind.

 

“Kish,”

 

The walls seemed to close in on Ichigo, serving as a vice on her chest, making it hard to breathe. The blood in her veins turned cold and the sound of the beeping machines drained from her ears. She was no longer sitting with her friends in a hospital room, but observing the situation far away.

 

“Kish…” She started, his name feeling strangely foreign on her numb lips.

 

“I had to,” Came the distressed response, “He would have killed you, if only-“

 

“No!” Ichigo yelled, shocking everyone around her. Ryou came around to the side of her bed and grasped her arm in a firm yet gentle grip. He spoke to her reasonably.

 

“I know you were on close terms with him, but the fact remains that he was the-“ Ichigo grabbed a fistful of his shirt and brought his face close to hers.

 

“No, you don't understand! He was protecting me!” Ichigo met his eyes and held them, trying to make him understand. Whatever he found in her expression made him release her arm and turn his gaze away from her own. `He thinks I'm insane,” Ichigo realized, and couldn't help but feel undignified. The next time he spoke

his tone was icy.

 

“Could I have a word with all of you,” he nodded to the four mews, refusing to look at Ichigo “Outside,” He stepped out, the door swung close with a resounding slam in the quiet room. The girls all exchanged uneasy glances with each other, and reluctantly got up to follow him outside the room. Lettuce was the last one to leave, she brushed Ichigo's arm with her fingertips in a way of an apology before leaving the crazy leader of the mew mews alone on her hospital bed. When the door clicked shut for the last time, Ichigo perked one of her cat ears toward it. She caught snippets of their conversation.

 

“…unstable to lead right now,”

 

“…tell her the whole…”

 

“… about Mint?”

 

“…more fit…Zakuro would do,”

 

“…now that he's gone…”

 

“I didn't mean…”

 

Ichigo focused on morphing back after she heard enough. `So much for peerless,' she thought absently. The tears fell from her eyes before the weight of it all hit her. `Kish is dead,' came the fact, and with it, heart wrenching sobs. She didn't know how long she sat there, crying until no tears were left, but it was dark when Kiechiro came in, a weird looking syringe in his hand and injected something into her IV line. He muttered something to her but she didn't care to listen as he tucked her back in again. She didn't care about anything anymore. Her body was floating and sinking at the same time, and before she knew it she was sleeping again.

 

…..

 

TBC

 

 

A/N: Flames are welcomed with open arms.