Alternate universe of episode 17.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.
Chapter 1:
The young teenager sped down the deserted street, glad that there were no civilians outside to witness this crazy game of cat and mouse. She didn't need to glance behind her to know that he was chasing after her like a hawk. Diving to the side, she managed to dodge yet another incoming bomb before it exploded and left a big gaping hole in the place she was just standing. Nervous sweat beads began to form on her forehead.
Definitely still there..
Ichigo rounded a corner, picking up speed as she did so. His mocking laughter rang out from behind, which made her grit her teeth in anger. Jerk!
Nonetheless, she continued moving, eventually coming upon a metal gate. Ichigo hurriedly took a few deep breaths and risked a peek towards Kisshu. He was catching up way faster than she had expected. The ill teenager made a decision and bolted into the empty parking lot. She had barely even taken a few steps when pain suddenly erupted throughout her backside. The sheer force of the bomb hurtled her upwards, only to slam her back down soon after. She rolled across the ground until eventually coming to a painful halt. Her body felt like it was on fire.
"I don't want to hurt you, Ichigo. Just come along quietly," he persuaded, tone sounding thoughtful.
Alarm bells went off in her mind as she tried pitifully to pull herself back up.
After failing to do so, Ichigo scowled fiercely and glared up at him. "Why must you follow me like a shadow?!" She didn't give him a chance to answer, instead choosing to reach for her pendant. His answer could wait! "Mew Mew Strawberry! METAMORPH—"
She was interrupted by another harsh blast to the side, which sent her flying again. When she landed against a rough tree, she was devastated to learn that her pendant had slipped out of her hand somehow. Horror-stricken, she watched the golden object fly back far beyond her reach. It landed somewhere on the other side of the wall with a final thud, echoing throughout the parking lot one more time for good measure. Ichigo attempted to sit up weakly, willing her body to cooperate with her now that the pendant's energy had left her completely drained.
She felt even worse than before.
"Ow," she winced, staring at the bright pink mark on her wrist. It was starting to darken and would definitely turn into a bruise later on. There was no way that she could hide it something like this from her parents.. Wiping her forehead free of sweat beads, her clouded eyes met with Kisshu's golden ones.
"Ah, ah, ah—Ichigo," he scolded, wagging a finger at her in a condescending gesture as he descended to the ground. Kisshu shook his head, finally landing on his feet. "Our game is over. You lost and I won. I'm sure you know what that means, right?" His eyes lit up mischievously and he strolled over towards her, steps firm and absolute. He decided to answer for her. "It means that you're coming with me, no more interruptions."
Uh-oh.
Ichigo didn't like the sound of that. Her blurry eyes scanned the area, searching for any means of escape. However, she soon realized that reaching the exit meant getting around Kisshu. She'd have to summon everything she had left in her to get past him. Only then would it be possible to defeat the persistent alien. The girl mumbled to herself, wondering why she had such bad luck.
Gathering up all of the energy she could muster, Ichigo finally stood up weakly, using the tree behind her for support. Once she was sure that she could stand, she pushed herself away from the bark and stood up straight, unfazed. Her body was burning like a wildfire from exhaustion, but she pushed past her limits, choosing to limp over to Kisshu with renewed resolution. She let nothing but determination show on her face.
Kisshu's expression changed from predatory to surprised in an instant. He stopped. "Huh? You still want to fight after that?"
"I won't let you win, Kisshu!" she exclaimed stubbornly, and suddenly came barreling at him like a bullet.
Unsure of whether or not she had a secret weapon stashed away somewhere, the alien warily flew above her just in time to avoid being attacked. Ichigo used this chance to increase her speed and she made a mad dash for the open gate ahead. She was already half-way across the lot when Kisshu eventually realized that she was aiming to escape rather than attack him. His angry, frustrated cry was the last thing on her mind as she rushed around the gated wall.
And there it was. Her pendant was lying on the deserted sidewalk, completely intact and fine. Ichigo wanted to jump for joy, but knew very well that there was no time for that. She hurried along the pavement, a single goal shining in her eyes. Each step she took brought her closer to victory. It was her last chance to make it out of here and she wasn't going to waste it! The redhead needed to hurry back to the Mew Mew's so that she could get help!
Ichigo had no time to react when he suddenly teleported directly in front of her. Annoyance was written clearly over face until he noticed her quick look of dismay. This triggered his scowl to transform into a sly smirk. The young Mew leader hoped that he would surrender, but knew it would never happen.
She tried to move around him, but he reacted too fast and grabbed her shoulder, locking her in place. Ichigo unintentionally caught a glimpse of his eyes again and wished that she hadn't. While his face seemed playful and teasing, the look in his eyes held a completely different emotion that she couldn't decipher even if she tried. She gulped nervously, shrinking as far away from his grip as possible. How was she going to get out of this mess now?
Just as the thought occurred to her, she remembered the meeting that she had had with the Mew Mew's earlier that day. They had learned that the aliens used to live on Earth many years before the humans, but were forced to leave after a devastating natural disaster. This had planted sympathy for the aliens within her pure heart. However, when she remembered that they were here to destroy humankind just to reclaim Earth, all of that sympathy was pushed aside for the good of her people. Maybe—just maybe, that knowledge could help her out somehow.
Ichigo sighed desperately. "Look Kisshu, I'm sorry about what happened to your people all those years ago, but you can't keep attacking civilians! We will defend our planet, no matter what! Why can't you see that and just give it up already?"
After replaying those words again in her mind, she was disappointed to find that they sounded more like begging rather than a serious warning to back off. Her gaze immediately darted to the grey concrete in humiliation. She could have sunk to the ground in that moment, had he not been holding her in place.
Kisshu began to laugh. Ichigo's eyes lifted back up to meet his, face heated. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off rudely.
"Haha! So Ichigo does her homework, eh?" he grinned, "What do I owe you as a reward? A kiss? Or were you expecting something else?"
She grimaced and attempted to yank herself away from him, but he held on strong. "You creep! Did you not hear anything I just said?!"
By then, all laughter and humor had disappeared. Kisshu's demeanor changed, his body turning stiff. He seemed to be deep in thought, completely ignoring her. Ichigo glanced around curiously and after finding nothing, sighed. He really was crazy. Her words would never reach him. For some reason, he was dead set on destroying humankind and kidnapping her. If that happened, what would happen to the Mew Mew's? They wouldn't be able to defend Earth by themselves. She had to keep fighting to get free and be the leader that they needed.
"I don't have time for this!" she shouted, breaking him out of his trance.
His tight grip on her shoulder had loosened, which she quickly used to her advantage. Ichigo jerked away and roughly pushed him to the side. Once he was out of the way, she had a clear view of her pendant. It was just a few feet ahead, which boosted her confidence to get to it. She didn't waste time running over to the oval-shaped object at breakneck speed. Sweat was starting to soak her pink pajamas, but somehow she was able to ignore it.
Go, go, go!
Before she could dive for it, a sudden weight on her back sent her crashing to the ground just inches away from the yellow pendant.
Distraught, she reached out for the glistening item, but was held back by Kisshu's weight on her back. "Get off!" she cried, struggling to get free. It was so close! Her pendant was right there! Ichigo had to get it! She just had to! That pendant was her only way out!
"I don't think so," Kisshu replied offhandedly and flicked it further away. His tone was hard, grip unrelenting. "You're coming with me now, Ichigo—whether you like or not!"
There were so many games that they could play together and he was too eager to wait. Besides, he was beginning to get tired of this game anyway. It was about time he ditched this planet once and for all, but not without his favorite toy, of course.
Ichigo only had time to catch sight of a figure in the distance before everything around her went black.
...
...
Ichigo's eyes snapped open and she jumped, head slamming against something rubbery. She lifted a palm to her forehead and was glad to find that her fever had finally gone down. However, it took her a few moments to realize that she definitely wasn't in her usual, soft bed. Her eyes widened and she blinked to clear her vision. When everything came into focus, she gasped sharply. Surrounding her, was a big, elastic.. bubble!
No.. no, no, no, no! This couldn't be happening to her right now! This was all a dream, it had to be!
She suddenly heard a ripple in the air and her head shot up in excitement, thinking that maybe one of her friends had finally come to save her so that she wouldn't have to endure this nightmare—only to find herself staring up at Kisshu. A gleeful smile was on his face as he greeted her. His green ponytails bounced as he spread his arms to showcase the dim room that currently contained her stupid bubble prison. It was entirely unoccupied, which meant that she was all alone with—
"Make yourself at home, kitten! It looks like you'll be staying with me for a very long time."
...
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Sorry for the short chapter, next one will probably be longer.
