Chapter 17
Kiyoshi was ready to dash off to the building right away and seize the perpetrator. "I’m gonna kill whoever that was!" Her eyes flamed a fiery maroon and she clicked with bouncing electrical charges. She felt a smooth hand circle around her wrist and gently tugged her backwards. Her eyes switched off to a luminescent teal and her face flushed red as she stumbled backwards. "I... I don’t feel right..." Her eyes clouded and everything spun and whirled. "What’s wrong?" Kiyoshi fell farther backwards into Chichiri’s arms. Kiyoshi heard Felicity’s tiny voice as she gasped and bit her claws.
Kiyoshi felt her body being encircled by warmth and a feverish heat rushed over her quickly, just as everything clanged back into focus. Chichiri was cradling her confused body and looking at her. He seemed to be very worried. "Are you all right? You must not be fully recovered, you know." Kiyoshi nodded and, her face once again turning red, pushed away and stood up.
"I don’t know who that was, but they are going to pay." Kiyoshi frowned and turned to the house. Felicity was running across the empty street up to the house. Dark gray smoke gloomily drifted from the straw on the roof. A woman in a long, green, ratty dress and screamed.
"Fire! Run everyone, there is a fire!" Kiyoshi’s head snapped to the roof once more to see the orange flow of the flames. It captured the straw and ripped at its shiny shell. It flew from bundle to bundle, swallowing the straw with its gigantic fangs of fire. It gulped down the golden material and blackened its happy color. The fire reflected in Kiyoshi’s eyes as she stared stupidly at the burning mass.
Kiyoshi was brought back to reality by Chichiri motioning for Felicity to move away. Kiyoshi gasped as a brick tumbled from the building. Without thinking, she dove at the panda and rolled over her. She grasped Felicity’s fur and hugged her tight as she narrowly escaped the falling stone.
Felicity’s eyes shook and the blue faded slightly as she peered up into Kiyoshi’s half-human face. "Th-Thank you, K-Kiyoshi." Kiyoshi gave a weak smile before picking up the bear and running over to the edge of the woods. She glanced around quickly trying to find Chichiri, only to see him helping to put out the fire.
"Chichiri..." Resent floated into Kiyoshi’s head and settled evocatively on her mind. "I can’t stay here and hurt these people." Kiyoshi thought for a moment, then dashed into the woods, Felicity hopping behind her. "Goodbye, Chichiri." A tear threatened to fall from the cyborg’s eye, but she wiped it away absent mindedly.
She ran until her throat shrank and her breathing slowed. She was about to collapse when a rough hand jutted out from behind a tree and yanked her into another man’s grip. "Don’t move." He slipped his hand over her mouth and wrapped his arm around her body.
Kiyoshi struggled for a moment, almost laughing at the stupidity of it all, when she felt something familiar about the man. His smell was fresh and clean. His attitude, calm and quiet, and his eyes... It was as though she could feel his eyes about her.
Felicity was just now catching up to the spot where Kiyoshi had disappeared. The panda stopped to pant. She took deep, stifled breaths and tried to say something. "K... *pant* Kiyoshi... heh, where are you?" Felicity calmed her breathing and froze. She must have felt both presences.
The man moved his hand carefully away from Kiyoshi’s mouth. She nodded as though a telepathic message had secretly passed between them. "Felicity, its okay, I’m over here." Kiyoshi turned around and her eyes widened as the face appeared, smooth and tanned. "You! I know you!"
The man smiled and a sweat drop fell down his head. "I am Amiboshi. I’m sorry we were never properly introduced before, but I was, after all, being held against my will." Kiyoshi’s eyes turned a pinkish blue and she smiled happily at the man for what seemed to be like hours.
Felicity butted in from her quiet spot beside Kiyoshi and sighed. "Ahem, we can’t just stand here, Maku is somewhere close. I’m getting a faint signal from Chichiri, too." Kiyoshi’s eyes got bigger as she remembered how he had saved her life a number of times.
"Chichiri..." Kiyoshi fell to her knees and Amiboshi knelt beside her, worried.
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Amiboshi: "What is wrong, Kiyoshi?"
Kiyoshi: "I left Chichiri alone."
Amiboshi: "Who is this 'Chichiri?'"
Kiyoshi: "He is my friend..." *Pause* "Yes, my friend. He saved my life many times and... he is going to die all because of me!"
Amiboshi put his arms around Kiyoshi once more.
Amiboshi: "Please don’t blame yourself. We may still be able to save him."
Felicity: *impatiently* "We really need to go now!"
Kiyoshi’s face turned beat red as Amiboshi held her and the same dizziness as before returned.
Kiyoshi: "Yes, we must go save Chichiri."
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Kiyoshi wanted to just sit there in Amiboshi’s arms and think, but she knew she had to go and help her friend. As though he had heard her thoughts, Amiboshi released her and stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Shall we go now?"
Kiyoshi nodded sadly and turned to see Felicity tapping her foot and crossing her arms. She was acting rather strange lately. "What’s wrong with you?" Kiyoshi asked. Felicity snorted and whipped around. Kiyoshi gritted her teeth and took a deep breath to calm herself. "What is it?"
Felicity rolled her eyes and Kiyoshi pulled back her arm as she did to Chichiri. Chichiri... "Is it..?"
"Let’s hurry up! He’ll be dead by the time we reach him!" Felicity stomped off in the direction of thick trees. Kiyoshi shrugged and followed behind her, hoping Felicity knew where she was going. Amiboshi fell in behind them and together they walked farther into the woods to find Chichiri.
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