Yeah, Geeky-Chan's gone crazy. Again. Is anyone really surprised?
Anyways, this is basically a TMM rewrite with Lettuce as the Lead Mew instead of Ichigo. For the most part, the dialogue comes straight from the anime and manga, so it should seem familiar. Also, there will be episodes of the anime that aren't added at all into the story.
I'll update this when I update AUpgrade (though this may get extra updates, as I'd really like to have all the Mews introduced by the time I start classes). So, until the end of July, only on Mondays, and then come August it'll be on Mondays and Fridays.
So, enjoy!
Soccer-Geek does not own anything. Nothing, zilch, nada. Beginning and end of conversation.
Chapter One:
Lettuce Midorikawa had been looking forward to the field trip at the Red Data exhibit. A day spent with her friends… She smiled at the prospect from where she sat alone on the bus seat.
Her so-called friends—known as the Three Ayas at school, as the girls shared the name, had been friends since kindergarten and always in the same class—were sitting apart from her. The red-haired Aya and dark haired Aya sat together, giggling and whispering to each other. The blond Aya was sitting with her recently-acquired boyfriend.
Leaving Lettuce to be the only one sitting alone on the bus.
But she didn't care. She was still excited. The day was going to be fun.
She just didn't realize how life-changing this day would be.
They arrived at the exhibit hall. By that time, the blond-haired Aya had broken up with her 'boyfriend', leading Lettuce and the other two Ayas spending a few minutes consoling her in the bathroom. After her tears were dry and her make-up fixed, it was like she hadn't even liked the boy, though Lettuce knew that she had a large crush on him.
Lettuce walked around the exhibit hall, admiring the displays and filling out the worksheet the teacher had handed out. Meanwhile, the three Ayas kept busy by texting each other, even though they were all less than a foot away from each other.
Lettuce paused in front of one display.
"Finless porpoise," She muttered, studying the picture of the sea-creature. It was about the same build as a dolphin, but without a dorsal fin. It looked kind of cute. She had always felt herself drawn to sea creatures, even though she couldn't swim to save her life.
But this creature… she was drawn to it more than anything else. Her green brow furrowed.
Why? She wondered.
After prying herself away from the Finless Porpoise display, she gazed around. There were a pair of teenagers about her age, a girl with dark red hair tied into two pigtails following around a boy with black hair and tanned skin. They weren't dressed in school uniforms, so she suspected that they were there for a date instead of for school. It was Saturday after all. The couple paused in front of the Iriomote Wildcat display and the girl 'awwed' over it and looked reluctant to leave.
Across the way was a very pretty girl with gray-black hair tied into two round buns on the top of her head. She looked interested with the displays, but bored of her group, a bunch of men in black suits and shades, keeping a close eye on the girl. Lettuce could see it in her eyes that the girl had a plan for escape so that she could enjoy the exhibit on her own. In particular the Ultramarine Lorikeet display that kept catching her eye…
In the lobby, a small blond child was entertaining the line of people waiting to get in, using her cute charms, sleeves full of tricks and jaw-dropping flips to get money from the people. However, her brown-sugar eyes kept looking inside, sparkling at the Golden Lion Tamarin display.
Cameras flashed as a celebrity entered. Lettuce didn't recognize her by name but did know her face though she couldn't remember where she had seen her. The girl had long dark purple hair and cold dark eyes that glared at everyone. However, when the woman next to her—probably her manager—whispered something to her, the girl put on a large, beautiful smile, her eyes twinkling. Still, the dark eyes drifted away from the crowds, tuning out what was said around her. She only had eyes for the Grey Wolf display.
"Lettuce, we want coffee," The red-haired Aya whined, shoving some yen coins into Lettuce's hand. "And Sensei's mad that we haven't finished our stupid worksheets. Go get us some?"
"Here, leave your worksheet with us so you don't lose it," The black-haired Aya chimed in, replacing the sheet in Lettuce's hand for her own yen.
Lettuce nodded and went over to the small coffee booth. She paid for the four lattes and headed back. However, she ran into something, or more accurately, someone.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" The girl with red pigtails said, her maroon eyes wide as she instantly helped Lettuce to her feet. "Are you okay? Did you get burned?"
"I'm fine," Lettuce said, getting to her feet shakily, being careful to avoid stepping in the spilled coffee. While none of the hot coffee landed directly on her, she felt some warm flecks on her cheeks. She started to reach up to wipe them away with her sleeve.
"Here, use this instead." Lettuce looked to see the girl with black buns standing there, holding out a white handkerchief while the pigtailed girl picked up the empty coffee cups while the boy she was with went to find a custodian and a mop.
Lettuce accepted the handkerchief and wiped the coffee off with it.
"It's so soft," She said. The black haired girl smiled.
"It's silk." She said. Lettuce's eyes instantly widened and started to hand the cloth back to the girl.
"It's too fine for me to use," She said. "I'm sorry for soiling it."
The girl waved her off.
"Keep it," She said. "You deserve it after this klutz oh so rudely ran you over."
"Hey, I'm not a klutz!" The red-haired girl snapped, hands on her hips. "I was just distracted!"
"Uh huh, by your boyfriend," The black-haired girl teased, causing the red-head to turn scarlet.
"Aoyama-Kun, he's, uh, he's not my boyfriend," She muttered. "Yet."
"There you are! We sent you for the drinks ages ago!"
Lettuce looked up to see the three Ayas approaching.
"So, where are they?" The blond Aya demanded.
"Um, there was an accident, it was my fault," Lettuce muttered, turning red.
"Clumsy Lettuce," The red-haired Aya muttered.
"No, it was my fault," The girl with the pigtails argued. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Here, I'll even pay for you to get some new coffee."
"We don't want coffee, stupid," The black-haired Aya snapped at the girl, who snarled at being called 'stupid'. "It's too hot for coffee. We want cold drinks."
"But… but you said you wanted coffee…" Lettuce said, confused.
The three Ayas looked annoyed.
"You should have known that," The blond-haired Aya said. "Gosh, you're so stupid at times…"
Suddenly, the papers that were in the girls' hands disappeared. The girls started looking around wildly for them.
"Looking for these, na no da?" The small blond girl said from where she stood on one foot on one of the barriers, waving the papers that had each of the Ayas names on it. She grinned.
"Give those back, brat!" The red-haired Aya snarled.
"Got to catch Pudding, na no da!" The child said in a sing-song voice. She jumped between them, expertly ducking, jumping and weaving as the girls tried to get her. Finally, the red-haired Aya snarled and raised her hand.
"Give them back now!" She said, preparing to hit the girl.
Suddenly, Aya's wrist was grabbed and her other arm was pinned behind her back.
"You need to grow up," The girl with purple hair snarled. "Bullying isn't going to get you anywhere."
"Fujiwara Zakuro-Sama!" The girl with the black buns gasped, her eyes going wide and star-struck. Now Lettuce recognized the girl as the famous model and actress. She looked so young…
"We… We weren't…" The blond Aya stammered.
"Oh?" Zakuro Fujiwara said, arching an eyebrow. "Then why did I hear you discuss to send your friend to get coffee so that you could copy off her work? And then plan to tell her she got the wrong thing to give you more time before she caught on. You girls are nothing but big bullies and do not deserve a friend like this." She reached into the pocket of her dress and tossed a ball of paper at Lettuce, who barely caught it. When she flattened out the paper, she saw that it was her worksheet, her name written at the top. "Found it in the trashcan." The model said emotionlessly.
Lettuce felt heartbroken. Her friends were just using her?
Yet… Somehow she wasn't surprised.
The three Ayas stared in fear of the older girl, who was staring at them with her cold eyes. Then, the older girl held out her hand to the blond child, who instantly gave her the papers in her hand, her bright smile unfaltering under the older girl's icy gaze. The purple-haired girl took them and tore them in half, throwing the remains at the feet of the three Ayas, who each squeaked in disbelief. Lettuce cringed; Sensei had warned them that if they had to ask for a new sheet, they would be in trouble, plus it would deduct points from their grade.
"Go. Now. Before I get angry." The purple haired girl snarled.
The three Ayas high-tailed it out of there.
"Geez, what jerks," The pigtailed-girl said, turning to Lettuce. "Why do you hang out with them? You seem so nice..."
"Well, I, I don't really have many friends," Lettuce admitted, blushing some.
"Onee-Chan could do so much better than them, na no da," The blond-child said, wrinkling her nose.
"Yeah?" Lettuce said, smiling sadly. "Well, I don't see many volunteers."
Nearby, the clock struck noon.
And that was when it happened.
When everything changed.
The ground started to shake. Someone screamed, glass broke.
"What's going on?" The girl with black buns yelled, her brown eyes wide.
"Earthquake!" The older girl with purple hair yelled. "Get down!"
The girls did so, each covering their heads with their hands.
Lettuce felt her eyes water.
I don't want to die today, She thought as the building continued to shake around her.
She opened her eyes, looking around frantically. She was standing up, in a place that was dark and cloudy, or was it smoky?
Her hair was down and she wasn't wearing any clothes, her glasses off but she could see perfectly.
She looked around curiously.
Is this an out-of-body experience? Am I dead? She wondered.
That was when she saw it, a small marine mammal swimming through the air towards her.
She blinked, recognizing it from the display.
A Finless Porpoise.
The creature swam up to her, making a sound almost like mewing, or singing. She raised her hand to pet it. It was so cute. Was it a baby? It looked small enough to be.
Then, the Finless Porpoise did something unexpected.
It rammed it's head against her chest.
But instead of knocking her over, it went into her.
Did-did that really just happen? She asked herself as she touched her chest, her eyes wide.
"Midorikawa-San! Midorikawa-San, wake up!"
Lettuce opened her eyes again.
She was lying on the ground, her teacher crouching over her, eyes wide. She was in her school uniform. Her glasses were still on her face, though askew. Her twin braids were sprawled behind her on the floor.
Lettuce put a hand to her head.
"What happened?" She whispered. Then her eyes widened. "The earthquake!" She exclaimed. "Is everyone-?"
She cut herself off at seeing her teacher's face.
"Midorikawa-San, are you alright?" She asked. "And what's this about an earthquake?"
"You-you didn't feel the earthquake?" Lettuce said, trembling now. Sensei shook her head.
"No, there wasn't an earthquake," The woman said. "Lettuce, are you alright?"
"I think so," Lettuce said, sitting up slowly.
But inside she wasn't.
She looked around. There was a small crowd, looking worriedly to see if she was alright. One of the boys in her class brought her a cup of water while one of the exhibit employees led Lettuce and her Sensei over to sit down on a bench, both frantically fussing over her and Lettuce insisting that she was fine, there wasn't a need to call her parents. Even as she said these things, she looked around the hall. There was no broken glass. No cracks in the ceilings, no panic.
No sign that anything out of the ordinary had happened.
And the four girls were nowhere to be found.
But they had been there, she knew. They were real.
The silk handkerchief was in her pocket. The crumpled up worksheet found in her hand. The spilled coffee all around, but the cups gone. One of the juggling balls that the little girl used to entertain the crowd at been beside her foot when she sat up.
She didn't know that the girl with the red pigtails was currently sprawled on the grass of the nearby park, her date sitting beside her worrying and wondering if he should have called someone. She wasn't hurt, just asleep. He smiled. She looked so cute curled up under his jacket, her lips in a small smile… He was wondering if he could kiss her when her eyes fluttered open.
She didn't know that the girl with the black buns was curled up on the backseat of the limo, her elderly nanny gently stroking her hair, every other minute or so feeling her forehead for a fever worriedly.
She didn't know that the small blond child was sleeping peacefully underneath a tree, a hand clenched protectively around the Yen bills she had earned that morning. She dreamt that she was in her mother's arms again. She smiled in her sleep and whispered, "Mama…"
She didn't know that the purple-haired model sitting in the staircase by herself while outside her manager and personal assistant searched frantically for her. She knew something had happened, could feel it inside, knew there was a reason she woke up sitting on the cement stairs with her head against the cool cinderblock wall. There was a pressure building up inside of her, begging to be released. But she didn't know how to make that happen. Didn't know if she wanted to make that happen.
But each girl had woken up with the same question.
What had happened?
Or, Lettuce thought as she sat alone on the bus, gazing out the window. What is about to happen?