Idyllic-chan: Well, here we are again. Another IxR. What could possibly be better, I ask you?
Masaya: But I would never let go of Ichigo, I love her! And she loves me.
Ryou: We'll see about that. (smirk)
Masaya: W-what do you mean?
Idyllic-chan: Well, if you must know, Ryou-kun is a big fan of my work. Plus, he lets me hang out at the café while I write. He even let me bring in Valentine (from Romeo and Juliet) one day just 'cause he was following me.
Ryou: Hey, can I hit him in this one, please? Or at least push him off of a cliff?
Masaya: O.O;
Idyllic-chan: (pats Ryou on the head) We'll see. Now Blondie, could you do the disclaimer? I'll give you some chocolate.
Ryou: (grabs the chocolate) With pleasure. If Idyllic-chan owned Tokyo Mew Mew, I would have ended up with Ichigo, Masaya would move to Jupiter, I would have maimed him before that, and Kish would go annoy someone else. And because these things only happen in fanfiction, I can say with great regret that she doesn't own it.
Idyllic-chan: O.o How much coffee did you have this morning?
Ryou: Um…How much is in five pots?
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A/N: THIS IS NOT A SONGFIC. But it's a really good song, and is mentioned a time or two.
It's My Party
(And I'll Cry If I Want To)
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I looked around the room, happy with the number of friends and family that had come. Today was it— March fifteenth, also known as my birthday.
Earlier in the day, everyone had given me my presents. Mint had given me some "very expense ginger tea that I had better drink and not waste, or else", Keiichiro gave me yummy chocolate, Pudding gave a performance and a sweet card that she had made herself, Lettuce gave me a CD that I had been dying for, Zakuro gave me really cute clothes, and Shirogane gave me the day off.
Well, they also all pitched in and threw me a huge party at the café, inviting so many people that the pink building was almost packed. I scanned the room again, looking for Masaya. I had seen him recently, but he then disappeared a short while later.
I finally decided to ask someone. "Hey, Lettuce," I said, walking up her. "Have you seen Masaya?"
She looked up at me from her book. "I saw Aoyama a few minutes ago. Oh, I know. I think I saw him go outside at about the same time that Okemara Noriko left." I thanked her, and then peeked out the windows in front.
Masaya was talking with Noriko, sitting on a bench right outside. Then, Masaya moved closer.
A little too much closer, if you ask me.
I decided quickly that they were just talking, and left my place by the window to enjoy my party. That was the point of the evening, wasn't it? But something kept bugging me, so I stole one last glance at the window.
He, Masaya, my boyfriend for what seemed like forever, was kissing Noriko. My eyes widened and started to well up. I knew that people were starting to stare, so I quickly ran into the locker room.
"Because…you're my all-time favorite kitty."
By now, tears were forming rivers down my face. How could Masaya cheat on me? After all that had happened…
"If you were a cat with a bell like this, I'd take you home."
Memories washed over me, only making the tears come faster and harder. I stayed like that, alone, for a while. Pudding was the first one to find me.
"Ichigo onee-chan? Keiichiro onii-chan wanted to know how many strawberries to put on your cake! Pudding said lots'n'lots, but he made Pudding come ask you." I kept crying. "Onee-chan? What's wrong? W-was it something that Pudding did?"
She sounded so worried and frightened that she had hurt my feelings that I looked up and attempted to give her a reassuring smile. I wasn't too good at it, though. "No, Pudding. You didn't do anything wrong. It was me. Go back to the party, I'll bet everyone wants to see your tricks."
Pudding walked slowly to the door. "If onee-chan needs Pudding to do something, onee-chan should just ask! Pudding will be waiting."
Suddenly, one of my favorite memories surfaced. I waited until she was out of the room to cry, though. I firmly believe that you shouldn't cry in front of someone that looks up to you. Well, you shouldn't cry too much.
"I was waiting all this time. For you, Ichigo."
Oh, God! Why would Masaya do this to me? If he had asked, I would have quit being a Mew Mew, just for him! It's not like the others really need me or anything; I was just the first.
But Masaya didn't ask. He didn't even ask to break up! I quickly reviewed all of the moments we shared in weeks past. Had he acted any differently? That was an easy question. No, he acted the same as always—sweet, caring, funny, the ever-vigilant environmentalist.
"I love you."
Mint burst through the door with Lettuce, Pudding and Zakuro close behind. "Momomiya Ichigo! I don't care what happened, but you cannot spend the whole night—" I looked up at her, and she trailed off. I must have looked like a wreck; nose running, hair mussed, face red. Oh, and let's not forget those ever-present tears. The Mews crowded around me.
Lettuce spoke up. "Ichigo, what happened? What's wrong?"
It took several tries before I could get my voice to work. Even then, it was shaky and quiet. "Masaya was outside, just like you said, Lettuce. He was sitting on a bench with Noriko, and then—he—" I couldn't voice the rest.
Suddenly, I was extremely embarrassed. I broke away from my friends and dashed out of the room, not caring where my feet were taking me.
The stupid things led me up the staircase, away from the festivities. The whole top floor seemed deserted, though it wasn't as if it didn't normally have the same atmosphere as a ghost town. Truth be told, we weren't even allowed up here.
I quickly ran into the nearest room, and sat down hard on the bed. Faintly, above my crying, I could hear footsteps, but I was too preoccupied to let them register. I was deaf to the door opening as well. I did hear this, though, "Ichigo, what are you doing in my room? You know you're not allowed up here!"
I winced. What a time to be told off by Shirogane. But suddenly, I was filled with irritation. How dare he scold me while I drowned myself in misery! "Shirogane, I was just cheated on at my birthday party! And because it is my party, I think I have the right to cry if I want to!"
He said nothing, but raised an eyebrow. This only increased my fury, but I stayed silent. Casually, he walked over to his desk and typed something onto his computer. Music started to play. I looked up at him, confused, but he said nothing.
It took me a minute to realize that someone had started to sing, and another moment to recognize the language. "Shirogane, I don't know enough English. I have no clue what this song is," I said, annoyed.
He rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly. Ryou printed out something, and handed it to me.
It read:
It's My Party
Lesley Gore
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to.
You would cry too, if it happened to you.
Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone,
But Judy left the same time.
Why was he holding her hand,
When he's supposed to be mine?
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to.
You would cry too, if it happened to you.
Play all my records, keep dancing all night,
But leave me alone for a while.
'Till Johnny's dancing with me,
I've got no reason to smile.
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to.
You would cry too, if it happened to you.
Judy and Johnny just walked through the door,
Like a queen with her king.
Oh, what a birthday surprise
Judy's wearing his ring.
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to.
You would cry too, if it happened to you.
Oh, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to.
You would cry too, if it happened to you.
I blushed. "You're so mean, Shirogane." I wasn't really angry, though. By now, I was too exhausted to even care that he was poking fun.
He walked over and sat down next to me. "Well, you can't say that it wasn't a surprise." I stared at him in shock. How could he say that? He continued, "I knew since the first day that he was no good."
"Shirogane, you're crazy." Another memory surfaced, but this one was of Ryou.
"Sad to say, but if this continues, you'll turn into a cat. Permanently. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea, though. It suits you, you catty little thing." She blushed faintly at the memory, and looked at her feet.
"Oh? Tell me then, who is Aoyama?"
"Well, he's the perfect—"
"You see?" he said, coldly. "Sorry to break it to you, Strawberry, but no one is perfect." The edge to his voice wore off. "In fact, it's those imperfections that make you love them even more."
It took a minute to digest this piece of information. As much as I hated to admit it, it made perfect sense. What didn't make sense was why Shirogane would say something so poetic.
"Really, you're so weird. You're a truly unique character."
"How would you know?" I asked softly. When he didn't answer, I looked up. "Shirogane?"
"That's cool." Well, I had never known Masaya to dance. I could still remember that night…his arms at my waist, leading me around the floor. That was the first time I ever had doubts about my love for Masaya. But…those thoughts weren't real. Right?
"Kiss me." That was one memory that I kept far down. The feeling of my heart racing when he leant close…his breath warm on my skin…and how my lips ached to meet with his. Thoughts like that were almost as bad as cheating. But…when he was so close…
I was immediately disgusted with myself. Was I just some girl who wouldn't be satisfied unless I had a boy on my arm? Would I always run about, chasing whichever man caught my fancy?
He wouldn't meet my eyes, so I grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me. As soon as I did it, I knew it was a mistake. I wasn't prepared for what I saw in his eyes. There was so much emotion… I sat there, stunned, until he broke free from my grasp.
"You should go back downstairs," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "The others will probably start to worry." He rose and walked to the door. I followed, still confused about what I had just seen.
I met his eyes as I walked out the door, but they were hard and shielded from any emotion. "Shirogane," I tried. "Wh—"
"Don't take tonight as an excuse to be late tomorrow. You already had one day off; you can't have another. Besides, you're single now. You can't use Aoyama as an excuse." The door closed with a click.
That was so like him! Backing off while saying something provocative at the same time. And then he goes and shuts the door in my face! He could be such a jerk sometimes.
It was kinda nice, though. Like he was telling me that everything would be okay, and my life would keep on rolling.
I came to a very simple conclusion as I stared at the door.
Boys, Shirogane in particular, were just weird.
And jerks.
Big, humongous jerks.
But somehow, I knew I would make it out all right.