The dull sky loomed above the café as the lamp posts outside flickered like a dozen candles. It was winter time which meant it got dark at around mid-day. This meant that café mew mew closed half an hour earlier during the winter season so that the girls could go home safely.
"Bye bye!" yelled a cheerful voice, coming from Ichigo Momomiya. Her red hair was tied up in her cute trademark pigtails. She wore a pink woolly scarf and black gloves to keep her warm. Her wave goodbye was then followed by the voice of a kind sounding young man. "Goodbye Ichigo, be safe!" He said, waving back at her. It was Keiichiro, the owner and baker of the café. He had long brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a white shirt and black trousers. He was very handsome and was a true gentleman.
Then came a green haired girl with her hair in two long braids, she scurried out of the large door and followed after Ichigo. "Bye everyone" she said, sweetly. Not soon after, the other three girls strolled out; saying their goodbyes.
It was already 3:00 and it was getting dark. The cars had their headlights on and everyone was wrapped up warm.
"I've got to get home quickly and see Taru-Taru na no da!" cried the smallest mew, wrapped up in a puffy, bright yellow coat and an orange hat to match.
Since the final battle; the aliens came over to visit earth from time to time. Tart and Pudding had become best friends and were actually very similar. Tart would stay at her house- seen as Pudding had no parents to help out with looking after her younger siblings. Pai and Kisshu would rarely come to earth but when they did- they would meet the mews in the café after it closed. Pai was the same as usual, although he was a lot more open and would occasionally smile or laugh. Kisshu didn't change much and was rarely allowed to visit earth because of his awful behaviour. He was all over Ichigo like a lost dog on heat, calling her names, touching her and forcing himself onto her. Back on their planet; he was getting help from a counsellor but it wasn't much use. It seemed as though the more time he spent around the redhead- the more lovesick and insane he would become.
Ichigo and Masaya had broken up a few months ago. This was because Masaya was in England and Ichigo's parents refused to let her stay with him at such a young age. Ichigo understood and didn't object because she knew that if she had a child, she defiantly wouldn't let her go all the way to England by herself. At first, they tried their best to keep their long-distant relationship alive but after a while, things just slowed down and eventually, they both agreed to move on. It was hard on both of them but they knew it was the best thing to do, and if Masaya ever did come back to Japan, they agreed that they would try out their relationship once more.
The three girls stopped at the curb of the sidewalk and started chatting for a while.
"So, Ichigo-san, can you make it to Mint-san's sleepover tomorrow?" Asked lettuce; wiping her glasses with her soft gloves.
Ichigo shrugged, "Sure, I can but…"
She stopped half way- unsure if she should carry on with her sentence.
"But what? Na no da" Asked Pudding as she did small jumps on the spot to keep herself warm.
"It's just that… Kisshu is going to be there, isn't he? I'm a little uncomfortable around him…"
Ichigo made a circular motion with her shoe on the ground and looked down. Lettuce took Ichigo's hands and held them up to her chest, "It's going to be fine! Pai-san will be there to stop him from doing anything- in fact; we will all be here to stick up for you!" Lettuce smiled sweetly at her friend.
"Yes na no da! Taru-Taru and I will stop Kisshu if he does anything to Ichigo onee-chan!" yelled Pudding- shooting her fist up in the air dramatically.
Ichigo smiled. She was happy that she had such great friends to rely on. They always made her laugh and feel so much better when she's down. "Thank you guys!" Said Ichigo, cheerfully. After a little more chatting- the girls finally said their farewells.
"Goodbye! See you tomorrow" said Lettuce and Pudding in unison. Ichigo smiled and waved as they headed the opposite direction. Mint and Zakuro were both driven home which meant the mew leader had to walk home alone.
The streetlight flickered, casting an eerie glow. A lone lorry came thundering down the street which made Ichigo's heart pound rapidly before it was quickly swallowed into the darkness ahead. Her footsteps were loud and crisp but were slightly echoing through the quiet, ghostly street. Her pace was slow and her mind was filled with thoughts that she brushed to one side. Her big brown eyes grew wider as a few feet behind her, she heard the sound of soft footsteps mimicking her own, almost unrecognisable. Almost. Her heartbeat imitated with the stride of her footsteps. Her pace quickened, as did the stranger's behind her. Her quick walk turned into a light jog as her mind filled with assumptions. A murderer. A rapist. A lunatic. She could have sworn no one else was walking down the road but her. Ichigo picked up her pace and started running. The stranger copied her exact move and pace, almost as if the he or she were a shadow or a cunning cat.
Suddenly, the stranger changed into a heart wrenching speed, almost too much for Ichigo to handle. Legs aching, heart buzzing, mind racing. Her cold pink cheeks turned pale as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Who was after her? Why aren't they saying anything?
Then, almost as if she knew she was about to be captured, she stopped, gasping for breath like a fish out of water. She twisted round cautiously, crouching into a fighting pose as she faced whoever was coming after her.
Nothing.
Ichigo slowly stood up straight, her heartbeat calming down slightly. Was she just imagining things? Her breathing slowed down as she caught her breath- steam coming out of her mouth like puffs of clouds. It was so quiet, so quiet that she heard a buzzing inside her head. Someone was defiantly running after her. She heard their footsteps. She even heard them breathing. She stood silently and looked back down the road she had frantically down.
"Have I gone mad?" She said, quietly.
Ichigo squealed as cold hands latched around her mouth- making her cries and screams muffled and soft. Cold, sharp nails dug into the flesh around her mouth. Ichigo's mind was clouded with thoughts. Who was behind her? What did they want? Were they going to kill her? She tried to fight back, hitting, kicking and biting. The hand finally slipped away from her mouth and long arms coiling around her slim waist like a snake, about to swallow its prey. Ichigo cried, hot tears streaming down her cold, pale cheeks.
"Let go of me!" She screamed; jerking and squirming around in the tight embrace she was locked in. The stranger was strong and resilient, and not a single word or sound slipped out of their mouth. Ichigo wept, "Please let go of me! What do you want from me?"
She felt helpless, for the first time in her life, no one was there to save her. Not even her mew powers were useful at that moment. Next thing, the redhead acted impulsively. She didn't recall dropping her bag, or making a decision, or hearing the struggled breathes of the weirdo behind her. She lifted her leg up right in front of her forced it back behind her, like a scared horse. She had kicked the stranger in the nuts- causing a muffled groan.
Ichigo gasped and tumbled to the cold ground as the arms released her. She breathed heavily as she remained on her hands and knees, trying to steady herself from fainting. She swiftly turned round and looked up at the stranger who was bent over in pain.
Meh, thank you for reading the first chapter guys! Let me know what you think of it so far! I know it isn't great yet but I will talk more about the other characters in the next chapter! Please leave a review and I'll post the next chapter as fast as I can!
