Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. Mia Ikumi does. xD
"How are you feeling now, Aoyama-kun?" Ichigo asked worriedly as she grasped Masaya's un-injured hand. Masaya smiled as his girlfriend and brushed away the tears from her cheeks. "I'm fine." He said softly as she smiled back at him and placed his hand on her cheek. "I'm glad." She said as Masaya stood up, soon followed by Ichigo. They began to walk out of the hospital room and down the hall.
"Oh yeah, and Ichigo…?" Masaya began as Ichigo turned to him. "Yes?" She asked as a smiled curled the corners of his lips. "Can you call me Masaya from now on?" He asked as a blush lit up his cheeks. Ichigo looked away and blushed as well, then proceeded to slip her hand into his. "Yes." She looked up at him again. "I love you, Masa…ya..." She stuttered slightly as the name slipped through her lips.
Masaya chuckled as he bent down and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I love you too, Ichigo." Ichigo felt as if now she could die in peace. This joy, however, was short-lived as she ran into the rest of the mew team during the process of descending down the hall. "Oh, hi everybody!" Ichigo giggled as she rushed to her friends, who then turned to see her. "Are you worried about Masaya? Don't worry, he's just fine now-" Ichigo was greeted with a slap in the face from Minto.
Many loud gasps were heard as Ichigo stumbled backwards, clutching her cheek. "Ah… sh-she actually…" Retasu gasped as she shielded her eyes with her hands. "H-hey! Ichigo!" Masaya rushed over to Ichigo and placed his hands on her shoulders as tears began to gush out her eyes. "Aizawa-san, that was un-called for!" Masaya cried as he glared at Minto who glared back at him with equal ferocity.
"I'd say that you not showing up when you're supposed to is un-called for!" She retorted as she wiped away a tear that was dribbling down her cheek. "D-do you mean work, M-Minto-" Ichigo sobbed as Minto glared at her once again. "Of course not, you useless moron!" She growled as Retasu and Purin drew back in shock. Masaya's eyes softened as he pulled Ichigo into a hug.
"What's going on, Aizawa-san?"
She looked away, wiping away more tears. Retasu glanced at the ground, her face contorted with worry. Masaya's eyes widened. "It couldn't be…"
Pai stared blankly at the computer screen, blinking on occasion. Kisshu walked over to him and leaned back to back with him, munching on some human snack that Pai couldn't remember the name of. "What's eating at you, Pai?" Kisshu muttered, his mouth full of said snack. Pai gave him a disgusted backwards glance before staring at the screen again, changing the information that he was researching. "They've hospitalized him."
Kisshu turned around and leaned on Pai's shoulder, looking at the screen as well. Pai glanced at the box that Kisshu held in his hand. Pocky… that's what it was called. "You mean the guy with blond hair?" He asked as Pai skimmed through Ryou's profile. "Yes, Kisshu, the guy with the blond hair." Kisshu glared at the screen, crumpling the box of Pocky. "The bastard deserves it."
Pai raised an eyebrow. "Why, because he has a bizarre sort of affection for Ichigo?" He asked as Kisshu gave him a sideways glance. "Why do you know all this stuff?" He asked as Pai switched pages again.
"I research these people and their daily habits."
Kisshu turned to him.
"In other words, you're a stalker?"
"I suppose you could call it that."
Pai pressed a few keys, looking through information on some of the other mews. "You know, he's not all that unlike you, you know." He paused. "…aside from the fact that he's a human, of course." Kisshu shoved some of the broken bits of Pocky in his mouth, chewing on them noisily. Pai frowned. "Could you please refrain from eating so loudly?" Kisshu glared at him and shoved more bits of Pocky into his mouth, chewing on them even more noisily.
Pai grimaced at the page that he had opened up. Kisshu looked back at the screen, coming face to face with that girl…
"Pai, do you like that Retasu girl?"
Pai shut down the computer and walked away, leaving Kisshu by himself.
"I do not love her or any other human for that matter."
But Pai knew that he was lying, not just to Kisshu, but to himself.
"Reta… su…?"
She smiled as she brushed his bangs away from his forehead. "How are you feeling, Shirogane-san?" Ryou grimaced as he clutched his stomach. "Who was it that got me?" He asked as Retasu began to stroke his hair. "It was Taruto-kun." She replied. "Huh. I would have thought that it would be that Pai fellow who zapped me in the end." Retasu frowned. "Pai-san has good in him, I'm sure."
Ryou looked into her eyes, witnessing the anguish that she felt at his accusations. "I'm sorry." He said as she smiled again and shook her head. "It's alright." She pulled her hand away from his forehead and intertwined her fingers. There was a moment of silence between the two of them, in which they listened to the beep of the heart monitor. "Retasu?" She looked up at him. "Yes?"
He paused.
"Do you like me?"
Retasu blushed and looked back down at her hands. She twiddled her thumbs for a minute before responding.
"Yes, Shirogane-san… I do…"
"Pai-san…"
Retasu stared at the man who stood before him, his expression as blank as usual. "Do you love anyone, Midorikawa-san?" Retasu took a step back, her eyes widening. "How do you…?" Pai blinked. "Midorikawa Retasu, born April 29th, 1988. You have a mother, a father, and a younger brother, Uri. You attend to Okumura Daifuzoku Junior High. You were bullied by a trio of girls until you met the other mews. You learned to stand up to them, yet you still remain insecure."
Pai stepped forward slowly as Retasu took another several steps back. "Your first love was a man by the name of Edomurasaki Norihiro… at least, that's what you tell everyone else." There was nowhere else for her to run to. "P-Pai-san… y-you're scaring me…" She murmured, her back pressing against the wall. "Of course, the one you truly love is someone much closer to you, correct?"
Retasu slowly slipped her hand into her bag, reaching for her mew pendant. Pai's eyes flickered and he grabbed her wrist, forcefully pulling her hand out of the bag. "Am I right?" Her eyes widened at his harsh tone. "Why are you doing this, Pai-san?" His eyes narrowed as he shoved her against the wall. "Answer the question, Midorikawa-san." He hissed as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "Y-yes, Pai-san… the one I love…"
She smiled sadly as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "The one I love… he loves me back…" Pai drew back in surprise. She couldn't be… "I love Shirogane Ryou, Pai-san!" She cried as she grabbed his head and rammed it into the wall. She ran away as fast as she could, leaving the alien far behind. He didn't watch her figure fade into the distance… instead, he slumped against the wall and touched his forehead, feeling the blood that was steadily oozing from his wound.
He smiled slightly. Don't worry, Retasu… I'll show you who you should really love.
When this story is over, I will say 'good riddance'.
I will try to write more about the relationships between other characters and not just Pai and Retasu.
The first bit was written over the course of several months, due to a sort of writer's block for during series fanfics, but I suddenly had a burst of inspiration... so... that's why the writing might be a bit weird. x333;
Oh yes, and a note of warning to PaixRetasu fans; You will most likely loathe me with an undying passionate wrath by the time this story is over, so please remember that I warned you. xD;
Yes, I do have a thing for hospitals. x3