Disclaimer/A.N.: Working on ToS (Terms of Sentience) was draining me, so I decided to work with this idea that's been nagging me since I read the last three volumes of the Tokyo Mew Mew manga. This entire fic's based on the manga, as I haven't seen the anime yet, and there's a lot of speculation and rationalizing going on, since the manga leaves a bit to the imagination in terms of explanation. I'll try not to be OOC with anyone, although in some cases it'll have to stay. If there is anything painful just drop me a review and let me know. Oh, yeah. Disclaimer. I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. The people who own it do. By the way, this concerns the Pudding/Tart relationship, which just didn't get it's screen/page time in the manga, in my opinion.
Denial
By: Papi-chan
"She's stupid!! All humans are stupid!!"
"I don't see how that's any of your business."
"And obviously you're stupid too, because you're sitting around fawning over a stupid human while we COULD be continuing with the PLAN that was your idea in the first place!!"
"...there are synonyms for stupid, you know."
In actuality, the entire argument was stupid, and, despite his desire to win it, Tart was well aware of how petulant and childish he was being. Especially since Kish didn't seem to care one way or the other, continuing to gaze longingly at the sea of stars surrounding their ship. More than likely, Tart thought, rather bitterly, he was daydreaming about Ichigo, the pink-haired witch that seemed to be thwarting their attempts to wreak havoc more often and with more success. Alongside the other four Mew Mews, that was, all who were now seemingly capable of handling Kirema Animas on their own, sans Ichigo's assistance, although it was much more effective if the five annoyances fought as a team.
Tart was really beginning to despise the human race.
And it pissed him off to no end that Kish had seemingly developed feelings for one of the pathetic, destructive lifeforms, especially Ichigo. Had it been any other human...well, Tart still wouldn't have liked it in the least, but Ichigo was a special case. He hated her with a burning passion. Especially since she always had a 'midget' quip handy when he showed up. Tart ground his teeth together angrily, remembering the last volley of insults that had passed between them, how he'd foolishly lost his cool and let loose a wave of energy that not only missed Ichigo by a mile, but released the one person he hated more than Ichigo. Or Kish for being a prime example of a lovestruck idiot. Or himself for having to fight the urge to blush whenever she invaded his thoughts. Which was an awful lot, lately. He wondered if he was losing his mind.
"I really don't see why it bothers you so much, anyway," Kish said offhandedly, not even turning to look at the younger alien with a contemptuous flourish that only Kish could pull off...without even trying. "So what if I have a bit of a crush on--"
"Our enemy?" Tart interjected, annoyed at how casually Kish was referring to what could only be treachery to their mission. Didn't he even care whether they failed or not? "Someone who would probably kill you...no, all of us, if given the chance?"
"Ichigo's not like that. I don't think any of them are. Humans aren't naturally killers, remember?"
"Don't make me LAUGH!" Tart snapped, seething with how ridiculous the statement was. "A race that decimates their own planet for entire thousands of years is perfectly harmless?"
"Most of them aren't even aware of the damage they're causing, Tart. And anyway, I was referring to OTHER lifeforms. Can you imagine your precious Pudding strangling you with one of her little rings?"
Had Kish bothered to turn around, he would have noted that Tart was probably the first of their race to turn several entirely different hues (including blue, which would have really intrigued him) within the span of only 5 seconds. But he didn't, and thus missed history in the making.
Tart wasn't even sure what livid meant, but it thoroughly described him as he finally lost it and threw one of his famous tantrums, squeezing his eyes shut and screaming, "I HATE PUDDING!! I HATE HER MORE THAN ANYONE ON THAT STUPID PLANET!! AND DON'T YOU EVER MENTION THAT...THAT STUPID MONKEY GIRL AROUND ME EVER AGAIN OR I'LL..."
Kish turned to face him, a snide smirk on his face. "You'll do what, midget?"
Tart shot him a horrible look. "I don't like you."
"You don't like much of anything, do you?" Kish slowly levitated himself from his perch in front of the window, floating only a few inches from Tart's reddened face. "I've got a question for you. Why do you hate humans so much?"
Tart regarded him sullenly before replying, almost inaudibly, "Because they're weak...and..they're....screwing up our planet and...."
"I mean aside from what you think you know. What do you really know about humans, Tart? What do you know about Ichigo? Or Pudding, for that matter?"
Tart was silent, unsure of how to respond. Nothing didn't seem like a good defense.
Kish sighed, floating off toward his quarters within the ship. "Maybe if you stopped acting like you personally have a reason to hate them, you wouldn't be so in denial about how you really feel," he called back, just before vanishing.
"I AM NOT IN DENIAL!!" Tart shouted at his retreating form. He lowered himself onto the platform Kish had occupied only minutes before, staring out at the blue and silver globe of Earth in what he wanted to believe was utter hatred.
Kish was an idiot.
He was surrounded by idiots.
Tart reached up to punch the window in frustration...and suddenly thought of a better way to rid himself of his pent-up aggression. He closed his eyes, smiling oddly, and disappeared with his destination in mind.
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"Wel..." Sigh. Start over. "Welcome to..." Sigh in frustration. Start over.
At that point, Ichigo Momomiya tired of watching Lettuce attempt to greet the rapidly-growing-annoyed customers and decided to move in, calling cheerfully, "Lettuce, you're needed in the kitchen! I'll take their order."
Lettuce looked up, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as usual, a brilliant smile on her face. "Gotcha, Ichigo!"
A knowing look passed between the two girls, and Lettuce bowed politely to the table of middle-school aged girls before heading off toward the kitchen with her long lime-tinted braids trailing behind her. Ichigo sighed with relief, grabbing the heart-shaped waiter's pad (sometimes she wondered where the heck Ryou found it all; half the china seemed custom made) within her apron and walking over to the table, shaking her head. Lettuce was getting better; at least she didn't faint, which she'd done a couple of times at the beginning, but her extreme shyness still seemed to hinder her from engaging in at least the most rudimentary of conversation with strangers. Ichigo found it weird that Lettuce had no trouble talking to either her or the other girls (or Ryou or Keiichiro, for that matter, although she appeared a little bashful around Ryou--although Ichigo suspected that that was for other reasons). Maybe their experiences had drawn them close enough that she no longer considered them strangers.
"We'll take two cups of strawberry tea with artificial sweetener, one banana split and a medium peach parfait."
"Coming right up!" Ichigo replied, hastily noting the uselessness of requesting artificial sugar alongside confections whose fat content completely defeated the purpose of trying to lighten the tea. It wasn't any of her business, she thought, with a rather mischievous grin.
The pink-haired girl made a quick once over of the cafe fondly on her way to the counter to deliver the order to Zakuro (after noting how badly Zakuro handled customer service Ryou had appointed her to kitchen and order reception duties; Zakuro wasn't extraordinarily skilled in the 'Service with a smile' doctrine). Even without the generous pay, Ichigo really enjoyed spending so much time with her friends, even if they were working. However, the gala atmosphere of Cafe Mew Mew made the entire thing seem like a really wild party instead of an actual business, what with Pudding swinging from the rafters like the inspiration behind her metamorphosis, Zakuro glaring at them all as if they were insects, Mint either not working or being theatrical, Lettuce costing Ryou thousands (maybe millions, not that it mattered) in china by the hour and Ryou and Keiichiro conspicuously absent, as if afraid to be caught dead working in a place where pink and red were the prominent colors, although occasionally Ryou did show up to pick fights with her, with Keiichiro close behind to break them up.
The day was no different from any, despite an increase in service given that it was noon, on a Saturday, right after cram school, so the cafe was much more crowded than normal. Zakuro leaned over the counter, seemingly lost in thought; Mint thumbed through a magazine idly while sipping a cup of tea that probably belonged to a waiting customer; and the sound of shattering dishes followed by apologizes indicated that Lettuce occupied driving Keiichiro out of his mind in the kitchen. Pudding seemed different, however.
The blonde girl was the youngest of the crew, being only 8 years old, and Ichigo was certain that Ryou was breaking someone's child labor law by allowing her to work at the cafe, but Pudding had insisted as if her life depended on employment...and while she would never admit while Mint was within earshot, Ichigo actually liked Pudding's antics...which were strangely skewered at the moment. Ichigo watched with interest as Pudding literally stumbled into the counter with an order slip, banging her head and jumping up almost simultaneously to yell "Sorry!", then studied the sheet of paper in her hand as if she couldn't see it correctly.
"...so many letters..." Pudding muttered, somewhat dazedly; the slip actually listed three banana-strawberry milkshakes for Table 4, however, she couldn't make out exactly what the paper said. Her vision was blurry, for some reason. "Four...no...three orange splits...funny, didn't know we made those...for Table....7?" Pudding looked up, scanning the counter for what she believed was the correct, seeing nothing but a tray containing 3 tall glasses of slushy pink liquid. She wasn't exactly sure what an orange split was, least of all what it was supposed to look like...but she had enough sense to know that whatever she was looking for wasn't there.
"Zakuro, isn't the order for the orange splits ready?"
Zakuro shot her one of her famous looks. "We don't make orange splits."
"Then who's the idiot that ordered them??" Pudding shouted, loud enough to attract the attention of half the cafe. Ichigo sensed some sort of disaster approaching and literally dashed over to the little girl, snatching the order slip from her.
"Pudding, this is three milkshakes for Table 4...which is right there on the counter."
"Oh." Pudding looked confused, and Ichigo noted that her complexion wasn't as rosy as usual. "How could I POSSIBLY read it wrong??"
She dropped to her knees, bawling rather theatrically. "Pudding is STUPID!! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY PUT ON A PERFORMANCE IF I CAN'T EVEN READ THE LYRICS??"
She was making a scene, which was normal, but despite the comedy relief Ichigo was certain it wasn't good for business. Leaning down to Pudding's level, Ichigo attempted to placate her, by saying, comfortingly, "You're not stupid, Pudding. You probably just read it wrong because it was in Mint's handwriting. That's all."
Mint obviously had wonderful hearing, because she shot an evil glare in Ichigo's direction. "I beg your pardon?"
Pudding smiled, leaping up cheerfully. "So I have a future in showbiz after all!! Yay!!" She grabbed the tray, bounding off towards the entrance.
"Pudding, Table 4 is THAT WAY."
"I'm on it!!"
The crash that ensued, alongside several screams and other unidentifiable yet worrying noises made her a liar, and caused Ichigo to wince. Zakuro shook her head. Mint joined her two friends at the counter, watching the scene of chaos unfolding as Pudding attempted to clean up the mess she'd made and was now worsening...with a handsaw.
"Where on Earth did she get that saw, anyway?" Ichigo muttered in awe, amazed that someone could possibly be clumsier than Lettuce. "Where does she get any of her props?" Mint replied absently. "It's a real conundrum." "A what?" "Never mind. What's wrong with her?"
At that moment Pudding sunk to her knees, coughing violently. Ichigo found it strange later on that although Zakuro was positioned behind the counter, she reached the little girl at the same time as both herself and Mint.
"Pudding, are you okay?" Mint asked, concerned. Pudding coughed a few more times, then looked up at Mint with tears of exertion in her eyes. "Yes, just a bit dizzy," she answered, with the same cheerful smile she always wore. "Probably tired from my last autograph signing."
Mint resisted the urge to say, "And when was that?" She and Ichigo helped the younger girl to her feet, flinching at how warm her hands were. Almost as if she had a fever.
"Um, Pudding, maybe you should take a break..." Ichigo said nervously. Maybe Pudding was sick...it would explain her stranger-than-normal behavior.
"I'm fine!! And we're wasting time!! Time is MONEY, after all!" Pudding yelled, breaking free and running off toward a table of girls that had been hailing them for some time.
"I think she's catching a cold." Mint said thoughtfully, and Zakuro nodded. "She needs to go home early."
"Pudding would never leave a shift early unless it was some sort of emergency," Ichigo interjected. "She's still not convinced that Ryou wouldn't dock her pay."
"It would be pointless. After all, it's not like I can't afford to give you all a raise."
Ichigo would have let out a shriek, had her tail and ears popping out not been a sufficient expression of her surprise at finding Ryou standing right behind her. "WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT??"
"Actually, he's been there for awhile." Mint pointed out. "You're just really inobservant."
"Hey!"
"Where did she get a handsaw that can cut through marble, anyway?" Ryou asked, noticing the hole in the floor from Pudding's clean-up attempt.
"The floor is marble?" Ichigo looked shocked. "Who in their right mind puts a marble floor in a cafe??"
"Who doesn't?" Mint asked sharply.
Ryou rolled his eyes, somewhat disturbed at how easily they both lost track of the conversation. "It's marble because I could afford it. What's wrong with Pudding?"
"Other than her using a handsaw to clean up broken glass and not being able to read the number four in my beautiful calligraphy..."
"Isn't that normal?"
"The handsaw maybe, but--"
"She has a fever." Zakuro said simply, and Ichigo marveled at her talent for ending what would have been a lengthy debate with one sentence. The older girl may have not said very much, but when she did it was worth listening to.
Ryou looked worried. "How bad?"
"How come?"
"There's a really bad strain of the flu going around..." He paused, then looked at the three girls apprehensively. "You did get the vaccination during flu season a couple of months ago, right?"
Ichigo nodded, remembering how badly she'd reacted to the very thought of a needle going into her arm. "Yeah."
Mint nodded too, along with Zakuro. "I'm pretty sure we all got it."
"Hm." Ryou was silent for a moment, before calling Pudding's name loudly enough to be heard over the din of the cafe. "Hey, Pudding, could you come here for a second?"
"Pudding reporting for duty!!" The blonde girl almost screamed, crashing into a couple of vases and flower arrangements...and heading at Ryou at top speed with a tray of food.
"Whoa!!" Ryou shouted, jumping back right before she ran dead into him with the tray of full glasses...and it didn't help, because Pudding swerved too and all but dumped the entire tray of liquid on his shirt, knocking them both back into the counter and collapsing breathlessly in his lap amongst the remains of what had been, at one point, probably expensive glasses full of some red juice that now stained Pudding's uniform and would have dyed Ryou's shirt, had he not very wisely been wearing black. Ichigo stifled a giggle, and even Zakuro smiled a bit, but Ryou was not amused in the least. "Please don't fire me!!" Pudding cried, frantically dusting the shards of glass from his lap, her cheeks flushed. "I'm suffering from fatigue caused by my millions of adoring fans worshiping me night and day!! I can't help it!!"
"If I was going to fire you, I'd have done it when you broke the front window by swinging into it during your Tarzan stunt," Ryou replied tartly, gently pushing her away and standing up gingerly, aware of the copious amount of broken glass (some of which Pudding was sweeping in every which direction.) "Ichigo, can you get that?"
"Yeah..." Ichigo replied, too surprised to be indignant that, once again, Ryou had not asked that slacker Mint to engage in any kind of physical activity.
Pudding seemed dazed, suddenly swaying on her feet again. "I don't feel good...shouldn't have eaten that strawberry shortcake.." she muttered to no one in particular, "...and the negimaki...and that sushi Lettuce forgot to deliver..."
She did look rather pale, Ryou noted, and her behavior was extreme even for Lettuce--Pudding at least had enough sense not to...he stopped himself before he could discount any of her antics. "Pudding, did you get your flu shot this year?"
Pudding glanced at him, her eyes suddenly dimming in a manner that scared Ryou, Mint, and Zakuro. Pudding was never that serious, even in battle.
"...No...I didn't.." She replied blankly, then suddenly fainted, almost in the broken glass had not Ryou caught her limp form in time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
"You're doing flu vaccinations for school age children here, right?"
"Yes."
"Oh, okay! Listen, my mother's in the restroom at the moment, and Dad's at work, so can we go ahead and get the shots? I don't want to hold up the line, and Mom...shouldn't be disturbed at the moment."
"I guess, although we prefer to perform medical operations, even one this minor, under parental supervision."
"Please? I really don't want to bother Mom. She's got...uh..stomach issues."
"...do you have the release forms signed?"
"Here they are, one for each of us."
"Okay, but please have a parent or guardian present with you next time."
"Okay."
"That'll be a 500 yen charge for each vaccination, coming to...3000 yen."
"3000 yen? Isn't that a bit expensive?"
"Normally insurance would cover vaccinations...but yours doesn't provide coverage for minor medical issues."
"Maybe your mother..."
"No, I got it!"
"3000 yen..."
"How long will you be doing the shots?"
"Until school starts."
"I'll just the kids their shots, and come back later for mine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It'll be fine. Mom didn't give me enough money, so we'll wait until tomorrow for mine."
"The flu can be dangerous..."
"I know that. I'll get it tomorrow."
"That'll be 2500 yen."
"Thank you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
"That's definitely the flu."
Pudding wouldn't have given up a blood sample willingly, Keiichiro knew, so he was glad that Ryou had brought the girl to him while she was out cold. It made it much easier to run the tests to determine exactly what was wrong with her, although Ryou had no doubt as to what it was.
"I thought so." Ryou sighed, running a hand through his hair--one of his expressions of worry that Keiichiro had noticed over the years. "Why didn't she get the shot along with everyone else?"
"Maybe her parents couldn't afford it." Keiichiro offered, placing the cold compress on Pudding's forehead. The girl didn't just have a fever; she was burning up at 103.5, which was pretty high even for influenza.
"Even so, not getting your own child vaccinated against a dangerous disease is pretty irresponsible."
"You don't know the entire situation, Ryou."
Ryou snorted, and Keiichiro knew to back off. It took a lot to make Ryou angry, but anything considered a crime against the five girls that had become their responsibility did it quite easily, even more so than laboratory failures; Keiichiro had cleaned up enough broken test tubes to know that Ryou didn't handle that sort of thing well. "Which strain is it? The normal one?"
Keiichiro's silence was all the answer he needed. "How long is she going to be out of commission?"
"I'm sure the other girls can handle any--"
"I wasn't asking about that."
"A couple of weeks, provided she gets proper bed rest. Since it's a virus there isn't really much that can be done about it. It has to wear off."
"Mm..." Pudding's brow wrinkled, her golden eyes opening slowly. "...what happened?"
"You fainted." Ryou replied, somewhat worried at the change in the normally bouncy, hyper little girl.
Pudding opened her mouth to ask the question that Ryou had already anticipated; he continued before she could be predictable. "You have the flu, Pudding. A bad strain of it, and the only way you're going to get better is if you go home and stay in bed for awhile. Don't worry about work, and we'll only call you if we need you."
Pudding's face fell. "You're firing me?"
"I didn't say that!"
"But how will I get paid if I don't work??" Pudding whined. "I'm fine!! I'm just tired!! I can work, see?"
"No!!" Ryou blocked her exit from the bed, visions of the entire lab beneath the cafe in the same state of chaos and disarray that plagued the upper level running through his mind. "You can't work with the flu! It's contagious!"
"But everyone got the shot, right?"
"It's not 100% accurate," Keiichiro interrupted, moving to stand beside Ryou. "Besides, if you don't rest so that you can recover you could become even more ill. We really need you to get well as soon as possible."
"Because Mint and Ichigo and everybody needs me to fight?"
"And because we'd all be too worried about you to function properly without you here." Keiichiro added kindly. Pudding fell silent, considering the situation. It was obviously one-sided; Ryou wasn't going to stand for her endangering anyone else, but that didn't mean she couldn't beg and plead her case some more.
Ryou couldn't believe that the girl was actually contemplating continuing to work after the chaos she'd caused in her flu-induced stupor earlier that afternoon. The kid was more materialistic than he himself, and that was just plain sad. Sure, the girls did get paid a LOT, but when compared with their health...He knew there was only way to end the issue; not that it would be a major hassle, but there was the principle of the thing to consider.
He didn't get long to consider it. Pudding's face had turned an interesting shade of green.
"Keiichiro...get a trash can..."
"...I think I have to..." Pudding didn't finish her sentence, finally losing it and retching into her blanket before Keiichiro could hand her the wastebasket.
"Just consider it a paid vacation." Ryou sighed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
Pudding hastily gathered her belongings, ignoring how foggy her head felt. She was acutely embarrassed at having puked in Ryou in Keiichiro's lab, although they had been very nice about it, especially Ryou's promised that she would get paid the same rate even if she wasn't there. She sensed they weren't too happy with how she'd put the money before herself; but money was very important to her. They could understand, even if they knew why.
She coughed again, much to her dismay. She wanted to believe that Keiichiro was wrong; she had entirely too much to do to be ill. At least she didn't have to worry about work.
She placed the envelope holding her pay for that week into her backpack, resisting the urge to sniff the crisp bills inside. That reminded her--she had to go grocery shopping before she could head home to fix dinner.
Swinging the bag onto her back, Pudding headed towards the exit, waving at the other girls. Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, and Zakuro abandoned their posts, crowding around her.
"Are you okay?"
"We were so worried!"
"I'm fine," Pudding lied, suppressing a chest-rattling cough. "I'm just tired, so Ryou's sending me home for today."
"You don't look fine," Mint said sternly, giving her a look that made Pudding suspect that she knew the truth.
"I'm fine!!" Pudding insisted. "I'm probably catching a cold, that's all!"
"Oh. Do you need someone to walk you home?" Lettuce asked.
Pudding paled. "No, I think I can make it myself. But thank you!!"
She walked to the door, looking back with a smile on her face. "Do not fear, the AMAZING Pudding will return shortly!!" she cried, walking dead into the door.
Mint winced, looking up at Zakuro. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
Zakuro shrugged.
Ichigo watched as Pudding left. "I'm worried about her. Wasn't Ryou talking about the flu earlier? Didn't Pudding not get the shot?"
Lettuce nodded in agreement. "I'm sure her mom and dad'll take care of her. She should be okay."
Ichigo glanced at her retreating form. "I hope so."
Denial
By: Papi-chan
"She's stupid!! All humans are stupid!!"
"I don't see how that's any of your business."
"And obviously you're stupid too, because you're sitting around fawning over a stupid human while we COULD be continuing with the PLAN that was your idea in the first place!!"
"...there are synonyms for stupid, you know."
In actuality, the entire argument was stupid, and, despite his desire to win it, Tart was well aware of how petulant and childish he was being. Especially since Kish didn't seem to care one way or the other, continuing to gaze longingly at the sea of stars surrounding their ship. More than likely, Tart thought, rather bitterly, he was daydreaming about Ichigo, the pink-haired witch that seemed to be thwarting their attempts to wreak havoc more often and with more success. Alongside the other four Mew Mews, that was, all who were now seemingly capable of handling Kirema Animas on their own, sans Ichigo's assistance, although it was much more effective if the five annoyances fought as a team.
Tart was really beginning to despise the human race.
And it pissed him off to no end that Kish had seemingly developed feelings for one of the pathetic, destructive lifeforms, especially Ichigo. Had it been any other human...well, Tart still wouldn't have liked it in the least, but Ichigo was a special case. He hated her with a burning passion. Especially since she always had a 'midget' quip handy when he showed up. Tart ground his teeth together angrily, remembering the last volley of insults that had passed between them, how he'd foolishly lost his cool and let loose a wave of energy that not only missed Ichigo by a mile, but released the one person he hated more than Ichigo. Or Kish for being a prime example of a lovestruck idiot. Or himself for having to fight the urge to blush whenever she invaded his thoughts. Which was an awful lot, lately. He wondered if he was losing his mind.
"I really don't see why it bothers you so much, anyway," Kish said offhandedly, not even turning to look at the younger alien with a contemptuous flourish that only Kish could pull off...without even trying. "So what if I have a bit of a crush on--"
"Our enemy?" Tart interjected, annoyed at how casually Kish was referring to what could only be treachery to their mission. Didn't he even care whether they failed or not? "Someone who would probably kill you...no, all of us, if given the chance?"
"Ichigo's not like that. I don't think any of them are. Humans aren't naturally killers, remember?"
"Don't make me LAUGH!" Tart snapped, seething with how ridiculous the statement was. "A race that decimates their own planet for entire thousands of years is perfectly harmless?"
"Most of them aren't even aware of the damage they're causing, Tart. And anyway, I was referring to OTHER lifeforms. Can you imagine your precious Pudding strangling you with one of her little rings?"
Had Kish bothered to turn around, he would have noted that Tart was probably the first of their race to turn several entirely different hues (including blue, which would have really intrigued him) within the span of only 5 seconds. But he didn't, and thus missed history in the making.
Tart wasn't even sure what livid meant, but it thoroughly described him as he finally lost it and threw one of his famous tantrums, squeezing his eyes shut and screaming, "I HATE PUDDING!! I HATE HER MORE THAN ANYONE ON THAT STUPID PLANET!! AND DON'T YOU EVER MENTION THAT...THAT STUPID MONKEY GIRL AROUND ME EVER AGAIN OR I'LL..."
Kish turned to face him, a snide smirk on his face. "You'll do what, midget?"
Tart shot him a horrible look. "I don't like you."
"You don't like much of anything, do you?" Kish slowly levitated himself from his perch in front of the window, floating only a few inches from Tart's reddened face. "I've got a question for you. Why do you hate humans so much?"
Tart regarded him sullenly before replying, almost inaudibly, "Because they're weak...and..they're....screwing up our planet and...."
"I mean aside from what you think you know. What do you really know about humans, Tart? What do you know about Ichigo? Or Pudding, for that matter?"
Tart was silent, unsure of how to respond. Nothing didn't seem like a good defense.
Kish sighed, floating off toward his quarters within the ship. "Maybe if you stopped acting like you personally have a reason to hate them, you wouldn't be so in denial about how you really feel," he called back, just before vanishing.
"I AM NOT IN DENIAL!!" Tart shouted at his retreating form. He lowered himself onto the platform Kish had occupied only minutes before, staring out at the blue and silver globe of Earth in what he wanted to believe was utter hatred.
Kish was an idiot.
He was surrounded by idiots.
Tart reached up to punch the window in frustration...and suddenly thought of a better way to rid himself of his pent-up aggression. He closed his eyes, smiling oddly, and disappeared with his destination in mind.
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"Wel..." Sigh. Start over. "Welcome to..." Sigh in frustration. Start over.
At that point, Ichigo Momomiya tired of watching Lettuce attempt to greet the rapidly-growing-annoyed customers and decided to move in, calling cheerfully, "Lettuce, you're needed in the kitchen! I'll take their order."
Lettuce looked up, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as usual, a brilliant smile on her face. "Gotcha, Ichigo!"
A knowing look passed between the two girls, and Lettuce bowed politely to the table of middle-school aged girls before heading off toward the kitchen with her long lime-tinted braids trailing behind her. Ichigo sighed with relief, grabbing the heart-shaped waiter's pad (sometimes she wondered where the heck Ryou found it all; half the china seemed custom made) within her apron and walking over to the table, shaking her head. Lettuce was getting better; at least she didn't faint, which she'd done a couple of times at the beginning, but her extreme shyness still seemed to hinder her from engaging in at least the most rudimentary of conversation with strangers. Ichigo found it weird that Lettuce had no trouble talking to either her or the other girls (or Ryou or Keiichiro, for that matter, although she appeared a little bashful around Ryou--although Ichigo suspected that that was for other reasons). Maybe their experiences had drawn them close enough that she no longer considered them strangers.
"We'll take two cups of strawberry tea with artificial sweetener, one banana split and a medium peach parfait."
"Coming right up!" Ichigo replied, hastily noting the uselessness of requesting artificial sugar alongside confections whose fat content completely defeated the purpose of trying to lighten the tea. It wasn't any of her business, she thought, with a rather mischievous grin.
The pink-haired girl made a quick once over of the cafe fondly on her way to the counter to deliver the order to Zakuro (after noting how badly Zakuro handled customer service Ryou had appointed her to kitchen and order reception duties; Zakuro wasn't extraordinarily skilled in the 'Service with a smile' doctrine). Even without the generous pay, Ichigo really enjoyed spending so much time with her friends, even if they were working. However, the gala atmosphere of Cafe Mew Mew made the entire thing seem like a really wild party instead of an actual business, what with Pudding swinging from the rafters like the inspiration behind her metamorphosis, Zakuro glaring at them all as if they were insects, Mint either not working or being theatrical, Lettuce costing Ryou thousands (maybe millions, not that it mattered) in china by the hour and Ryou and Keiichiro conspicuously absent, as if afraid to be caught dead working in a place where pink and red were the prominent colors, although occasionally Ryou did show up to pick fights with her, with Keiichiro close behind to break them up.
The day was no different from any, despite an increase in service given that it was noon, on a Saturday, right after cram school, so the cafe was much more crowded than normal. Zakuro leaned over the counter, seemingly lost in thought; Mint thumbed through a magazine idly while sipping a cup of tea that probably belonged to a waiting customer; and the sound of shattering dishes followed by apologizes indicated that Lettuce occupied driving Keiichiro out of his mind in the kitchen. Pudding seemed different, however.
The blonde girl was the youngest of the crew, being only 8 years old, and Ichigo was certain that Ryou was breaking someone's child labor law by allowing her to work at the cafe, but Pudding had insisted as if her life depended on employment...and while she would never admit while Mint was within earshot, Ichigo actually liked Pudding's antics...which were strangely skewered at the moment. Ichigo watched with interest as Pudding literally stumbled into the counter with an order slip, banging her head and jumping up almost simultaneously to yell "Sorry!", then studied the sheet of paper in her hand as if she couldn't see it correctly.
"...so many letters..." Pudding muttered, somewhat dazedly; the slip actually listed three banana-strawberry milkshakes for Table 4, however, she couldn't make out exactly what the paper said. Her vision was blurry, for some reason. "Four...no...three orange splits...funny, didn't know we made those...for Table....7?" Pudding looked up, scanning the counter for what she believed was the correct, seeing nothing but a tray containing 3 tall glasses of slushy pink liquid. She wasn't exactly sure what an orange split was, least of all what it was supposed to look like...but she had enough sense to know that whatever she was looking for wasn't there.
"Zakuro, isn't the order for the orange splits ready?"
Zakuro shot her one of her famous looks. "We don't make orange splits."
"Then who's the idiot that ordered them??" Pudding shouted, loud enough to attract the attention of half the cafe. Ichigo sensed some sort of disaster approaching and literally dashed over to the little girl, snatching the order slip from her.
"Pudding, this is three milkshakes for Table 4...which is right there on the counter."
"Oh." Pudding looked confused, and Ichigo noted that her complexion wasn't as rosy as usual. "How could I POSSIBLY read it wrong??"
She dropped to her knees, bawling rather theatrically. "Pudding is STUPID!! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY PUT ON A PERFORMANCE IF I CAN'T EVEN READ THE LYRICS??"
She was making a scene, which was normal, but despite the comedy relief Ichigo was certain it wasn't good for business. Leaning down to Pudding's level, Ichigo attempted to placate her, by saying, comfortingly, "You're not stupid, Pudding. You probably just read it wrong because it was in Mint's handwriting. That's all."
Mint obviously had wonderful hearing, because she shot an evil glare in Ichigo's direction. "I beg your pardon?"
Pudding smiled, leaping up cheerfully. "So I have a future in showbiz after all!! Yay!!" She grabbed the tray, bounding off towards the entrance.
"Pudding, Table 4 is THAT WAY."
"I'm on it!!"
The crash that ensued, alongside several screams and other unidentifiable yet worrying noises made her a liar, and caused Ichigo to wince. Zakuro shook her head. Mint joined her two friends at the counter, watching the scene of chaos unfolding as Pudding attempted to clean up the mess she'd made and was now worsening...with a handsaw.
"Where on Earth did she get that saw, anyway?" Ichigo muttered in awe, amazed that someone could possibly be clumsier than Lettuce. "Where does she get any of her props?" Mint replied absently. "It's a real conundrum." "A what?" "Never mind. What's wrong with her?"
At that moment Pudding sunk to her knees, coughing violently. Ichigo found it strange later on that although Zakuro was positioned behind the counter, she reached the little girl at the same time as both herself and Mint.
"Pudding, are you okay?" Mint asked, concerned. Pudding coughed a few more times, then looked up at Mint with tears of exertion in her eyes. "Yes, just a bit dizzy," she answered, with the same cheerful smile she always wore. "Probably tired from my last autograph signing."
Mint resisted the urge to say, "And when was that?" She and Ichigo helped the younger girl to her feet, flinching at how warm her hands were. Almost as if she had a fever.
"Um, Pudding, maybe you should take a break..." Ichigo said nervously. Maybe Pudding was sick...it would explain her stranger-than-normal behavior.
"I'm fine!! And we're wasting time!! Time is MONEY, after all!" Pudding yelled, breaking free and running off toward a table of girls that had been hailing them for some time.
"I think she's catching a cold." Mint said thoughtfully, and Zakuro nodded. "She needs to go home early."
"Pudding would never leave a shift early unless it was some sort of emergency," Ichigo interjected. "She's still not convinced that Ryou wouldn't dock her pay."
"It would be pointless. After all, it's not like I can't afford to give you all a raise."
Ichigo would have let out a shriek, had her tail and ears popping out not been a sufficient expression of her surprise at finding Ryou standing right behind her. "WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT??"
"Actually, he's been there for awhile." Mint pointed out. "You're just really inobservant."
"Hey!"
"Where did she get a handsaw that can cut through marble, anyway?" Ryou asked, noticing the hole in the floor from Pudding's clean-up attempt.
"The floor is marble?" Ichigo looked shocked. "Who in their right mind puts a marble floor in a cafe??"
"Who doesn't?" Mint asked sharply.
Ryou rolled his eyes, somewhat disturbed at how easily they both lost track of the conversation. "It's marble because I could afford it. What's wrong with Pudding?"
"Other than her using a handsaw to clean up broken glass and not being able to read the number four in my beautiful calligraphy..."
"Isn't that normal?"
"The handsaw maybe, but--"
"She has a fever." Zakuro said simply, and Ichigo marveled at her talent for ending what would have been a lengthy debate with one sentence. The older girl may have not said very much, but when she did it was worth listening to.
Ryou looked worried. "How bad?"
"How come?"
"There's a really bad strain of the flu going around..." He paused, then looked at the three girls apprehensively. "You did get the vaccination during flu season a couple of months ago, right?"
Ichigo nodded, remembering how badly she'd reacted to the very thought of a needle going into her arm. "Yeah."
Mint nodded too, along with Zakuro. "I'm pretty sure we all got it."
"Hm." Ryou was silent for a moment, before calling Pudding's name loudly enough to be heard over the din of the cafe. "Hey, Pudding, could you come here for a second?"
"Pudding reporting for duty!!" The blonde girl almost screamed, crashing into a couple of vases and flower arrangements...and heading at Ryou at top speed with a tray of food.
"Whoa!!" Ryou shouted, jumping back right before she ran dead into him with the tray of full glasses...and it didn't help, because Pudding swerved too and all but dumped the entire tray of liquid on his shirt, knocking them both back into the counter and collapsing breathlessly in his lap amongst the remains of what had been, at one point, probably expensive glasses full of some red juice that now stained Pudding's uniform and would have dyed Ryou's shirt, had he not very wisely been wearing black. Ichigo stifled a giggle, and even Zakuro smiled a bit, but Ryou was not amused in the least. "Please don't fire me!!" Pudding cried, frantically dusting the shards of glass from his lap, her cheeks flushed. "I'm suffering from fatigue caused by my millions of adoring fans worshiping me night and day!! I can't help it!!"
"If I was going to fire you, I'd have done it when you broke the front window by swinging into it during your Tarzan stunt," Ryou replied tartly, gently pushing her away and standing up gingerly, aware of the copious amount of broken glass (some of which Pudding was sweeping in every which direction.) "Ichigo, can you get that?"
"Yeah..." Ichigo replied, too surprised to be indignant that, once again, Ryou had not asked that slacker Mint to engage in any kind of physical activity.
Pudding seemed dazed, suddenly swaying on her feet again. "I don't feel good...shouldn't have eaten that strawberry shortcake.." she muttered to no one in particular, "...and the negimaki...and that sushi Lettuce forgot to deliver..."
She did look rather pale, Ryou noted, and her behavior was extreme even for Lettuce--Pudding at least had enough sense not to...he stopped himself before he could discount any of her antics. "Pudding, did you get your flu shot this year?"
Pudding glanced at him, her eyes suddenly dimming in a manner that scared Ryou, Mint, and Zakuro. Pudding was never that serious, even in battle.
"...No...I didn't.." She replied blankly, then suddenly fainted, almost in the broken glass had not Ryou caught her limp form in time.
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"You're doing flu vaccinations for school age children here, right?"
"Yes."
"Oh, okay! Listen, my mother's in the restroom at the moment, and Dad's at work, so can we go ahead and get the shots? I don't want to hold up the line, and Mom...shouldn't be disturbed at the moment."
"I guess, although we prefer to perform medical operations, even one this minor, under parental supervision."
"Please? I really don't want to bother Mom. She's got...uh..stomach issues."
"...do you have the release forms signed?"
"Here they are, one for each of us."
"Okay, but please have a parent or guardian present with you next time."
"Okay."
"That'll be a 500 yen charge for each vaccination, coming to...3000 yen."
"3000 yen? Isn't that a bit expensive?"
"Normally insurance would cover vaccinations...but yours doesn't provide coverage for minor medical issues."
"Maybe your mother..."
"No, I got it!"
"3000 yen..."
"How long will you be doing the shots?"
"Until school starts."
"I'll just the kids their shots, and come back later for mine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It'll be fine. Mom didn't give me enough money, so we'll wait until tomorrow for mine."
"The flu can be dangerous..."
"I know that. I'll get it tomorrow."
"That'll be 2500 yen."
"Thank you."
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"That's definitely the flu."
Pudding wouldn't have given up a blood sample willingly, Keiichiro knew, so he was glad that Ryou had brought the girl to him while she was out cold. It made it much easier to run the tests to determine exactly what was wrong with her, although Ryou had no doubt as to what it was.
"I thought so." Ryou sighed, running a hand through his hair--one of his expressions of worry that Keiichiro had noticed over the years. "Why didn't she get the shot along with everyone else?"
"Maybe her parents couldn't afford it." Keiichiro offered, placing the cold compress on Pudding's forehead. The girl didn't just have a fever; she was burning up at 103.5, which was pretty high even for influenza.
"Even so, not getting your own child vaccinated against a dangerous disease is pretty irresponsible."
"You don't know the entire situation, Ryou."
Ryou snorted, and Keiichiro knew to back off. It took a lot to make Ryou angry, but anything considered a crime against the five girls that had become their responsibility did it quite easily, even more so than laboratory failures; Keiichiro had cleaned up enough broken test tubes to know that Ryou didn't handle that sort of thing well. "Which strain is it? The normal one?"
Keiichiro's silence was all the answer he needed. "How long is she going to be out of commission?"
"I'm sure the other girls can handle any--"
"I wasn't asking about that."
"A couple of weeks, provided she gets proper bed rest. Since it's a virus there isn't really much that can be done about it. It has to wear off."
"Mm..." Pudding's brow wrinkled, her golden eyes opening slowly. "...what happened?"
"You fainted." Ryou replied, somewhat worried at the change in the normally bouncy, hyper little girl.
Pudding opened her mouth to ask the question that Ryou had already anticipated; he continued before she could be predictable. "You have the flu, Pudding. A bad strain of it, and the only way you're going to get better is if you go home and stay in bed for awhile. Don't worry about work, and we'll only call you if we need you."
Pudding's face fell. "You're firing me?"
"I didn't say that!"
"But how will I get paid if I don't work??" Pudding whined. "I'm fine!! I'm just tired!! I can work, see?"
"No!!" Ryou blocked her exit from the bed, visions of the entire lab beneath the cafe in the same state of chaos and disarray that plagued the upper level running through his mind. "You can't work with the flu! It's contagious!"
"But everyone got the shot, right?"
"It's not 100% accurate," Keiichiro interrupted, moving to stand beside Ryou. "Besides, if you don't rest so that you can recover you could become even more ill. We really need you to get well as soon as possible."
"Because Mint and Ichigo and everybody needs me to fight?"
"And because we'd all be too worried about you to function properly without you here." Keiichiro added kindly. Pudding fell silent, considering the situation. It was obviously one-sided; Ryou wasn't going to stand for her endangering anyone else, but that didn't mean she couldn't beg and plead her case some more.
Ryou couldn't believe that the girl was actually contemplating continuing to work after the chaos she'd caused in her flu-induced stupor earlier that afternoon. The kid was more materialistic than he himself, and that was just plain sad. Sure, the girls did get paid a LOT, but when compared with their health...He knew there was only way to end the issue; not that it would be a major hassle, but there was the principle of the thing to consider.
He didn't get long to consider it. Pudding's face had turned an interesting shade of green.
"Keiichiro...get a trash can..."
"...I think I have to..." Pudding didn't finish her sentence, finally losing it and retching into her blanket before Keiichiro could hand her the wastebasket.
"Just consider it a paid vacation." Ryou sighed.
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Pudding hastily gathered her belongings, ignoring how foggy her head felt. She was acutely embarrassed at having puked in Ryou in Keiichiro's lab, although they had been very nice about it, especially Ryou's promised that she would get paid the same rate even if she wasn't there. She sensed they weren't too happy with how she'd put the money before herself; but money was very important to her. They could understand, even if they knew why.
She coughed again, much to her dismay. She wanted to believe that Keiichiro was wrong; she had entirely too much to do to be ill. At least she didn't have to worry about work.
She placed the envelope holding her pay for that week into her backpack, resisting the urge to sniff the crisp bills inside. That reminded her--she had to go grocery shopping before she could head home to fix dinner.
Swinging the bag onto her back, Pudding headed towards the exit, waving at the other girls. Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, and Zakuro abandoned their posts, crowding around her.
"Are you okay?"
"We were so worried!"
"I'm fine," Pudding lied, suppressing a chest-rattling cough. "I'm just tired, so Ryou's sending me home for today."
"You don't look fine," Mint said sternly, giving her a look that made Pudding suspect that she knew the truth.
"I'm fine!!" Pudding insisted. "I'm probably catching a cold, that's all!"
"Oh. Do you need someone to walk you home?" Lettuce asked.
Pudding paled. "No, I think I can make it myself. But thank you!!"
She walked to the door, looking back with a smile on her face. "Do not fear, the AMAZING Pudding will return shortly!!" she cried, walking dead into the door.
Mint winced, looking up at Zakuro. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
Zakuro shrugged.
Ichigo watched as Pudding left. "I'm worried about her. Wasn't Ryou talking about the flu earlier? Didn't Pudding not get the shot?"
Lettuce nodded in agreement. "I'm sure her mom and dad'll take care of her. She should be okay."
Ichigo glanced at her retreating form. "I hope so."