TMM 2: Dark Rising

The damage… is significant.

This place… is not…

…the Tokyo it used to be.

The presence of the ancients, their chimera anima servants, the mystic Mew Aqua, and most important… Tokyo Mew Mew.

The truth behind DNA and its power, is this it? Or is the truth to the answer still something that lay buried, and is yet to discover…?

Whatever the case… this cannot be forgiven easily.

Your existence and your cause… as well as the faults of the interaction of the above…

Either way, you will submit to me willingly, or bow…

… As my slaves.

Chapter 1: The New Enemy?

"Mew Mew Mint…"

"Mew Mew Lettuce…"

"Mew Mew Pudding…"

"Mew Mew Zakuro…"

"Mew Mew Strawberry…"

"METAMORPHO-SIS!"

The five girls smiled and wore exhilarated expressions on their faces as they ran as one, despite only having given up on the idea of a return to normalcy those fleeting minutes ago. Like it or not, it was to the good of the planet and its people that they did what they did, and there was happiness in being together… and at least for now, the worries of real life separation were behind them.

For the moment, even with what and where they were going, and for the reason behind it, nothing mattered. Just so long as they were together, any obstacle could be overwhelmed by the strength of their hearts. The power of being.

Right with them, as though he had never left, Masha, their small fluffy robot companion flew on. It was thanks to his detection abilities that they could discern their query, and his ability to store the parasites that neutralize the potential for additional threat. To go on without him was unthinkable in the least.

And thankfully, to his incredible resilience, they didn't have to!

"Mew Ichigo?"

"Eh?" came Ichigo's initial response to the sudden voice that came from within the mew-trigger at her neck. "Shirogane?" she asked as she put her hand to it gently.

"What is it?" asked Zakuro as she ran beside Ichigo.

"The enemy signal seems to be concentrated in one location, though whether alien or chimera anima is uncertain. I'll leave it to R-2000's upgraded sensors to discern it."

"Ok," started Ichigo with a feeling of exasperation, if it was only something that simple, why even bother-? "Wait, what do you mean that 'it seems to be'?"

"That's just the thing. It's a strange signal in comparison to what we've registered before. Existing data doesn't back it up."

"Whatever it is," voiced Zakuro without emotion, "we'll take care of it when we reach it."

"More or less, I'll have to leave it to you. Good luck."

"Sure." Replied Ichigo. Seriously though…. Considering that last fiasco, what couldn't they handle? Especially together.

She bit her lip as she and the rest of the group slowed as they entered the greater forest of what used to be Tokyo. Even with the amount of time afterwards, it still remains mostly wild. An effect of the restoration influence of the Mew Aqua? She shook her head despite herself. No, it was weird.

Considering the properties of Mew Aqua, it wasn't possible that saturation of the area could do this. Mew Aqua just didn't last that long… and it certainly didn't contribute to mass regeneration that came after the recovery attempt, where any attempt to cut a tree or plant within the area of influence resulted in rapid re-growth and compensation. Cut one branch, five took its place. Snap one vine, well, more would grow in its place.

It was too strange.

As such, people mostly stayed away from the epicenter of the forest, which for an added factor of eeriness, seemed much more alive than solely the trees… though that in itself could simply be an exaggeration of fear. However, others, such as her father and his coworkers, ran late everyday in the attempt to break through each morning. Not that it was that much of a struggle, since there were pathways still wide enough for select traffic flow… but all in all, a much slower progression. Something for which Tokyo Mew Mew received blame… though most knew the alternative, considering what was hovering above the city that day.

That kind of thing… it was simply not something that could be missed.

Still…

Oh well, some things were just never simple. However, that didn't mean they had to reunite in this fashion. Just when her life had finally started to return to normal…

She sighed.

"What's wrong, Ichigo-onee-chan?" Mew Pudding asked from above her as she clambered forward while upside-down on the vines.

Ichigo snapped from her reverie with a start. She hadn't realized she had sunk that deep into thought.

"Ah," she began somewhat distractedly. "It's nothing."

"Hmmmm?" pondered Mew Pudding aloud. "As long as everything's okay!"

"It might be…" said Mew Ichigo in a small and distant voice.

Even she herself was weird. The effect of the forest… or the foreboding in the unknown? Perhaps neither, perhaps both. Why she was even thinking about it seemed out of character… though, as she looked around at the others, what had happened to their carefree demeanors? It seemed as though the entirety of the forest around them pushed them into thought alone.

Everybody was serious again.

It was strange.

That aside, and all other thoughts forgotten; Ichigo and the others passed over a particularly unnoticeable threshold of foliage that concealed the transition of soil constitution to a somewhat darker color… as they ventured deeper into the forest's interior.

Toyko Mew Mew… eh?

I see… they're quick to the chase.

No matter, confrontation is inevitable… but not necessarily determined for today.

I suppose this could be useful as well.

At that, a computer terminal in an unknown location kicked to life, and held itself awaiting data prompt. Beside the monitor was a holo-field that showed a visual display of the five girls from ground level as they entered into a low ground fog.

As they did, the screen began to initiate DNA sequencing just as Ryou's computer had of Ichigo, almost a year ago.

While on a different screen completely; were their respective locations compared to a greater map of the entire region, framed by a hexagonal configuration of six plots of land, three of which remain grayed out in the form of an inverse triangle.

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Mew Ichigo and the others continued along cautiously at best, since from their last experience with the forest interior yielded exposure to the giant insect inhabitants that now dwelled here.

So long as they didn't cross paths, all the better for both sides, especially considering their true objectives herein.

Although, considering their luck thus far, crossing paths with anything would be a miracle in itself… for the entire forest seemed to echo that of the unknown… of a cold nothingness. A cold presence so potent that it caused them to wordlessly tighten their formation. It was certainly unnatural… and just that alone was creepy.

"I see the cause of Shirogane's uncertainty in regards to the forest," stated Mew Zakuro wearily as she looked uneasily at the thick canopy above. "It seems to radiate a collective aura, rather than just having a single source."

"Onee-sama…" Mew Mint said as she moved closer to the others, as though the words of her role model suddenly intensified the subtle feelings of the forest around them.

She was not alone, as Mew Lettuce and even the carefree Mew Pudding also moved in to form a delta pattern with Mew Mint, leaving both Mew Zakuro and Mew Ichigo to head their front as they ventured further into the unknown. With no new information, all they could do was go on, to observe, to connect the pieces that were spread so far.

"It seems… kind of empty." Mused Mew Lettuce as she looked around. "It's almost as though the creatures have," she stopped at a tree and placed her hand to it, as though to sense anything at all, "simply vanished." She turned to the others. "Isn't that weird?

"It is indeed strange," agreed Mew Zakuro as she and the others broke the unplanned formation to gather around idly. With care, she knelt to the forest floor - which used to be a main stretch of City Street just those few weeks ago - and picked up what used to be the seedling of the larger trees above, withered and dead on its side. She gently rolled it in-between her fingers and the part that wasn't rubbery in feel crumbled apart.

Cold? She thought. Or is it heat?

Her ears twitched.

There wasn't even the sound of life.

"Empty… quiet. There aren't any birds here?" wondered Mew Mint as she stayed close to her 'sister'.

"No," stated Mew Zakuro as she stood. "There isn't anything. No sounds… and the remnants of the broken buildings within this region are far less than they should be." Her gaze fell over what should be the remains of a three story building, but was no more than a few slabs and sand among the tree roots. "The plants are strange as well… having sustained visual damage from high degree of freeze and/or fire."

"That…" chimed in Mew Ichigo as she tucked some hair back, away from her eyes. "and this persistent chill…though not as much from the air as from the ground… it's not natural."

"Purin doesn't like it…" chimed in Mew Pudding as she hugged her arms to her chest. "…cold and creepy… and the ground is muddy in places too."

"Even though we haven't had any rain of late?" wondered Mew Lettuce.

"Hmmm…" Mew Ichigo mulled over some thought before looking above them. "Masha?"

"Here, Ichigo!" cried the energetic robot as he fluttered down from above.

"Is there anything yet? At all?"

"Negative! Nothing yet!" said Masha as he volleyed around their heads. He seemed to be the only one not affected by the strangeness felt collectively by the others.

"Well, please let us know when you detect something… anything will be fine."

"Ok, Ichigo!" Spouted Masha jubilantly as he fluttered back into the forest canopy and thus out of sight.

Ichigo watched him go and sighed. If he didn't find anything, they certainly weren't getting anywhere.

"It's like that then, isn't it?" asked Mew Mint as she voiced Ichigo's unspoken thought.

"Something like that," replied Mew Zakuro as she sundered up beside them. "At least without further information, otherwise we may overlook the truth when it actually appears."

"So that's it then?" supplied Mew Pudding, looking around while doing a handstand with her head in the low mist that hovered just above the ground. "Nothing here but icky-sticky, clammy-cold-ness in an empty forest place?"

"I guess we could put it that way," stated Mew Lettuce as she watched Mew Pudding goof around… who was apparently over her sudden seriousness of simple moments ago. Of course, having come upon much of nothing didn't hurt their feeling too terribly. It beat finding something unwanted. Though she herself wasn't sure about this at all.

"Ichigo?"

Mew Ichigo was gazing past the rest of the group into the forest beyond as though lost in her thoughts, though her head was quite empty, with her ears held in a downcast-sideways manner. Despite not being too fond of the deep forest, she couldn't help but feel disappointed in the result of it all. Life had only become exciting for those few moments prior to entering this place.

She smiled despite herself, and looked down at her gloved hand, which she held in a loosely-balled fist.

Hot-bloodedness… eh? Perhaps Minto was right about her after all.

With a small chuckle, she uncurled her fingers and placed them upon the pendant (mew-trigger) at her neck with a soft touch.

"Shirogane… are you there?"

Silence.

She looked at the others briefly and then tried again.

"Shirogane?"

"Yes, I'm here. What's your status?"

"We haven't found much of anything, well, a lot of nothing I should say. That and Masha has yet to detect anything also."

"Are you sure?" Came Ryou's doubting voice. "The readings indicate that there's still something phenomenally large in that area."

"Yeah… maybe over the entire area, but…" she looked to the others and Mew Zakuro nodded. "Certainly nothing isolated. Rather… it's too creepy in here. That and nothing is alive besides the trees. Anyways… we-"

Suddenly her and Mew Zakuro's ears perked up at a noise in the distance.

"What is it?" Came Ryou's worried voice.

"Something? Perhaps nothing, but something's moving!" Ichigo responded as she rounded upon the distant noise, her ears fully standing. "Rather – I'll call you back!"

With that, she tucked into a run and both she and Zakuro, as the only ones to hear it, sprinted forward into the rising fog of the small clearing just beyond the tree row in which they had been standing.

Quickly, as the predatory instincts of their red data animal DNA kicked in, they moved to the outside perimeter of the small clearing just as to better judge their query's positioning, which continued to emit a scratching noise from somewhere within the middle, though likely hidden beneath both fog and forest floor. Hence, it was all the more important to correctly station themselves as to block potential escape and maneuver. Though going on sound alone was difficult, especially with the footsteps of their fellow teammates falling louder in progression as they hurried forward, until they got to the edge and stopped.

"Onee-sama… what-?"

"Ichigo…?"

"Ichigo-onee-chan?"

"There's no time to explain it, but in the middle…!" Ichigo exclaimed as she indicated towards the location between her and Mew Zakuro. "But we need to clear this fog first! Mew Mint!"

"What?" asked Mew Mint looking perplexed. How was she supposed to-?

"Your attack," added Zakuro, fully aware of Ichigo's line of thought. "Shoot upwards."

"Ah."

She understood.

With that, she pulled her weapon forth as she spun into position, pulling the loaded arrow back to the readying position.

"RIBBON…"

Energy built around the tip just as she reared the bow back.

"MINT ECHO!"

Released with fury, the energy enhanced arrow streaked upwards just above the fog at a forty-five degree angle, creating a well initiated vacuum as the air followed the arrow's wake, effectively drawing the fog with it.

Now clear, the mysterious source fell silent at the sudden pull of the wind, while still unseen and hidden beneath a slab of concrete that was all that remained of what used to be a building. However, just for silence, there was no way they were letting this go.

"Mew Pudding, get ready!"

Mew Pudding pulled her 'Pudding Ring" from the air and hunched down in an attack stance, as Mew Zakuro broke from her position and drew her cross, her sights set on the edge of the slab.

"Ribbon…. Zakuro Spear!"

Mew Ichigo watched the onset of events and yelled out, just before the attack connected; "Now! Mew Pudding!"

"Right!" she yelled in response just as the tip of Mew Zakuro's attack connected. "Ribbon Pudding Ring-"

The attack forced the slab back and fluidly uncovered a shallow depression in the ground underneath, as well as the movement of its occupant.

"Infer- AH!" cried Mew Pudding as she broke off the attack as a black blur jut out of the depression, to which she responded to in kind… by leaping after it faster than the others could react to the change. An action that ended in a mutual collision in which kicked up a large cloud of dirt and debris as Mew Pudding fully tackled the unknown.

"Pudding!" called out Mew Lettuce toward the dust cloud with a tinge of concern for her younger teammate. "Are you okay?"

There was a moment's tension as there was an obvious struggle within the dust for a few moments, before everything got quiet.

"Purin?"

"Hehe! I got it!" Mew Pudding responded immediately, laughing gleefully despite having her arms wrapped around something black and large, with several legs jutting out in-between.

"Ack! What is that?" asked Mew Mint as she stepped back from whatever was trapped in Mew Pudding's clutches.

"This?" smiled Mew Pudding widely… even more so when Mew Zakuro's fur stood on end. "It's just a little cricket!"

"Th-That's little?" awed Mew Ichigo as she came forward. Her instincts felt shattered… to have gotten so worked up for just this… even if it was the size of a small dog. She thought that perhaps her time off had dulled her senses somewhat.

"What, it's not?" questioned Mew Pudding as she kept the enlarged cricket from moving. "Well… compared to that cockroach from before, it is a lot smaller."

"She has a point there." Observed Mew Lettuce as she arrived next to Mew Ichigo. "In retrospect… this is much smaller. But I'm afraid that this alone really doesn't do much to help us."

"Certainly," added Mew Zakuro, now fully collected. "It doesn't help explain anything other than what we know from before, save that the effect of the Mew Aqua in this region favors the plants over the insects and other life… if that's a conclusion we even have to right to."

She turned away and looked out into the forest with a serious expression.

"It certainly seems that something is amiss… but until we have more information…" Her gaze fell upon the others and her look softened. "Well, I doubt any of us wish to spend the night here… and the afternoon is failing us quickly."

"True," murmured Mew Ichigo as she looked at the bits of sky past the leaves above. "We might as well head back and tell Shirogane and Akasaka-san what we know. If anyone, they'll know what to do next."

She turned back and the others agreed with their eyes.

There was always tomorrow after all.

With heartfelt farewell, Mew Pudding released what she and her siblings would likely have treated as a family pet and she and the other Mew Mews watched as it sprung a few hops before vanishing back into the fog of the forest.

Then the turned and started to leave the area themselves when Mew Ichigo stopped and looked back, her skin tingling with a preset sensation of the chills.

"Ichigo?" Mew Mint questioned. They were leaving, yet Ichigo still seemed a bit out of it. "What's wrong?"

"Ah…" she replied as she broke her momentary trance on the unknown. "No… it's nothing really. Just a feeling of some sort." A creepy feeling.

"Ok."

With that settled, the girls went on their way, a returned Masha still happily fluttering about while they picked their way back from the wild nothingness. Their retreating backs watched only by that of the sole cricket of the forest, as it worked its own way back into its forest home.

Being a cricket… it didn't really think thoughts of loneliness or of cold. Perhaps it knew more than given credit for, but it did nothing to indicate such as it picked its way about based only on whim of the moment. Completely unaware of the unnatural occurrences or of the descending fog that quietly blanketed the forest floor once again.

While within that very fog, something stirred to life… particles flowing over particles as water flows over saturated earth until it crept about as though of its own volition. Something that from vapors was given form, as it snaked its way across the ground as would a fast paced amoeba. Something that had its sight solely on that same cricket, as it rushed forward and flowed effortlessly into its thorax, where upon just its touch an icy layer encrusted and spread, caring not for the spasms it induced, or that the creature may be engulfed in pain… until the very last bit of antennae and twitching limb were encased in solid ice.

An ice so solid that the cricket itself disappeared from view as an unnatural bluish-white glow from within pushed the agenda and the ice began to grow outward and up as would an icicle grow round and down.

But it was to the size of a small car when it could only be described as reaching the breaking-point, to which the ice and cricket within shattered, falling to the ground as a pile of broken ice fragments. Where they lay upon the ground and started to melt… where even as water returned to the ground… it also rolled off the ice's surface, and into the air…

…as a cool, forest fog.