You Stole My Heart

Another TartxPudding oneshot! Yeah yeah, I haven't done one of these in a while...sorry...I got caught up in other things. But anyway, here's another!

Drabble 7: Keep Holding On

When it gets cold, and it feels like the end

there's no place to go you know I won't give in

Tart knew something was wrong when he spied on Cafe Mew Mew and there was no sign of Pudding.

The other girls were acting like the world had just ended; Lettuce in particular seemed one step away from total panic. Ichigo was pacing like a crazy person, Mint (a.k.a tea drinker) wasn't sitting at a table drinking tea, and Mrs. Emotionless, Zakuro, looked worried.

Ryou appeared from the back of the Cafe, and the girls ran to him immediately. "Ryou, have they found her?" Ichigo asked.

Ryou grimaced and didn't answer.

"What's with that face?" Lettuce asked, scared. "Where is Pudding? She's alright, isn't she?"

The blonde human bit his lip. "You know the massive train wreck from the news?" He asked eventually. Zakuro went pale.

"You don't mean-"

"I do mean," Ryou hesitated before going on, "Pudding was on that train. The doctors are operating on her right now...they don't know if she'll survive."

Tart thought his heart would never start beating again.

Tokyo General Hospital, Emergency Room

It looked so wrong.

Pudding was hooked up to several machines. Her arms lay on awkward angles, her hair was matted with blood. Doctors were milling around her, speaking in words that made no sense to Tart, who was hiding in an air vent. The monkey mew, usually so full of life, was totally still and silent, the only signs of life coming from the strange beeping from one of the machines.

"...there's enough glass in her arms to choke a dog..."

"...may need robotic leg..."

"...on life support..."

"...the poor thing."

Tart thought he was going to be sick. This couldn't be. Pudding was always so tough...she had survived all the chimera animal attacks that had been thrown at her. She had laughed off his attacks, smiling even when they tried to put her down. She wasn't smiling now.

Strategically speaking, he should be rejoicing this moment-one of the mews was taken out, not even by something he had done. The other mews would be weaker in both resolve and numbers without her. She might even die.

But instead, that thought alone made him sick. Pudding couldn't die. She was...

Tart stayed in that cramped vent for hours. He watched the doctors run in and out, trying to save her. The mews came to visit. She had a family of younger siblings who stayed by her side whenever they could. The news didn't get any worse...but it didn't get any better.

One painful day rolled by, and the human doctors finally collected themselves enough to decide on the surgery that would apparently increase her chance of survival. Tart could barely make sense of their blabbering, but it sounded like her blood was clotting as a result of one of her injuries.

That was how his mother had died.

Tart knew that Kish and Pai were trying to contact him, but he was beyond caring. He wasn't leaving. Not until Pudding was okay.

The doctors back and forth with their tools. Tart felt sick watching them go about their bloody business, but he couldn't leave her.

The beeping grew faster. The people started shouting. "Something's wrong." Tart whispered. He pressed his face against the mesh of the vent, watching.

For a moment that dragged on like eternity, Pudding's life hung in the balance. Suddenly, one of the doctors did something and shouted. A moment later, the beeping slowed down. The other humans relaxed, and Tart allowed himself to breathe again.

Hours dragged on, and still Pudding's condition was critical. Eventually, the humans left, the lights turned off, leaving only someone patrolling the halls.

Tart teleported to the floor and walked to Pudding's bedside. He sat down on a chair and took her hand. It was stiff and chilled; probably from the medicine.

"Hey Pudding." Tart whispered eventually. "What are you doing here? ...You've never let this get you down before. I mean, you got hurt, but then you'd jump up again, smiling and ready for the next time I showed up...you're not going to die, are you? Come on! You should be running around, cheering and driving me crazy, like you always do. Not lying in her..." He squeezed her hand. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, but...you've got to wake up...keep holding on...don't die! I-I don't know what I'd d-do if you died..." Great. Now he was choking back tears. It continued to amaze him how Pudding could do this to him. "Please don't die...I'd do anything..."

As if it had been waiting for his words, a soft blue glow lit up Tart's pocket. Started, the youngest alien reached into his pocket.

The Mew Aqua he had collected. Could it save Pudding? Tart grimaced. This was the only mew aqua they had succeeded in collecting. If Pai found out that he had used it to save Pudding...

Then again...

Tart looked at Pudding. "Here...have this." He put the mew aqua in Pudding's hand. "It'll make you feel better. Don't die Pudding...I..." He swallowed. "I love you." He gave her a quick kiss-as quickly as he dared-and then teleported away. He'd come up with some excuse as to why he lost it later...

He was gone so quickly he missed the brilliant blue glow that lit up the entire hospital moments later.

Three Days Later

Tart, Kish and Pai were attacking the mews, again...but only Pai really cared. A blind idiot could tell that Kish didn't want to fight Ichigo any more, and Tart just couldn't bring himself to care. That was, until a yellow blur showed up.

"Pudding! Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" Mint exclaimed, stunned.

Pudding bounced and grinned. "I got better na no da!" She cheered. The other girls dropped what they were doing, ran over and hugged her. It took every scrap of self-restrained Tart possessed to keep himself from doing the same; it would be quite awkward.

With Pudding's help, the mews trounced the Chimera Animal they had created. Pai and Kish left, but Tart stayed, watching Pudding. The Mew Aqua had made her better.

Pudding looked up, saw him and smiled the smile that made the alien warm inside. She knows? He wondered.

Later

"Taru-Taru, you can come down." Pudding said. Tart looked down with a start from the tree he was hiding in. Pudding giggled. "I know you've been following me, na no da."

Tart landed and smiled awkwardly. Now he had no idea what to say. "Uh...hi?"

Pudding ran up and pulled him into a hug that may just put him in the hospital. "Taru-Taru saved me! Thank you na no da." She beamed.

"Y-You were awake?" Tart's cheeks flushed.

"Kinda na no da. I wasn't totally awake but I could hear things."

"Ho-h-h-how much of that d-did you h-hear?" Tart stammered.

Pudding nuzzled him. "All I had to. Pudding loves Tart too na no da. I held on for you, like you asked."

Tart finally allowed himself to grin and hug her back. "T-Thanks."

keep holding on

because we'll make it through

just stay strong

because I'm here for you...

End Drabble

Hope that was cute enough for you! Please leave a review and feel free to request a pairing!