Title: Old Acquaintances
Summary: The war between the Mews and Aliens has ended. As a result, Zakuro has isolated herself from the rest. However, what happens when she stumbles upon an old acquaintance…? Pai x Zakuro
Okay, first and foremost, I'd just like to say that I have never watched this show before. Ironic, isn't it? That's why I'm writing about when everything has ended. Some people might be out of character, so I apologize. This story was originally intended to be a one-shot, but if I get enough reviews, then it'll probably become a full-length story. Enjoy!
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Loud music rang through the Poison Bar. Dancing, chatter, and occasional laughs and giggles could be heard.
Zakuro Fujiwara stood behind the counter and proceeded to serve a man his drink. She was emotionless the whole time, never once smiling towards the costumer. After finishing the simple task, she flipped back her hair and watched others' conversations.
The man grinned after receiving his martini, and never took his eyes off the teen. He watched with interest as she crossed her legs and sat on the stool.
"So, what's a young girl like you doing here all alone?" He asked curiously. "Serving drinks is surely not an appropriate job for someone your age."
Zakuro didn't answer. Not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know what to say. What could she tell him? That she deserted all her friends and her famous model status for this?
She was constantly thinking about the other members of the Mews. Ever since the peace between the aliens and humans, everyone kind of moved on to their own business. Ichigo had finally accepted the love of Kish, and they quickly became an item. Retasu, though shy at first, eventually mustered up the courage to tell Ryou her feelings. The two of them grew up to be a loving and popular couple throughout Tokyo.
The little blond girl who Zakuro remembered as Pudding became a mature, and confident preteen. Turns out she also became good friends with Tart.
And of course, the person who Zakuro would never forget was Mint. Although she was still that sarcastic and spoiled girl, Mint had found someone who appreciated her. The two of them moved out of town to live elsewhere. It seemed like everyone found a happy ending expect for Zakuro.
The five of them still kept in touch, but at the same time, they all became more and more distant as each day passed by. They no longer hanged out together on weekends, and everyone found their own agenda.
The modeling job had turned almost demanding and soon, she couldn't take anymore of it. So she moved out of Tokyo and settled in another city. After trying various jobs, she eventually became a part-time bartender until she could find a better-suited career.
Zakuro frowned upon thinking about those memories and proceeded to serve another costumer. Sometimes she would wonder about her friends. What were they doing now? Hopefully, they were better off than her.
After the group split up, Zakuro became even more emotionless. She kept a wall around her and interacted with no one. Even at her job, where she was required to talk and entertain others.
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Pai walked down the cold streets. He glanced at many buildings and finally stopping at the Poison bar. It looked interesting, and a few drinks couldn't hurt right?
Damn, Kish would definitely enjoy this. He was always that kind of outgoing and caring person, almost the opposite of Pai. And while Kish was going steady with a girl, Pai was still wandering the earth. He stopped communicating with others and traveled around Tokyo, occasionally settling at a place for a day or two. He was still trying to find out who he was…and where he belonged.
Sighing, he pushed open the door to the bar and looked around. It was pretty crowded and made it hard for him to move around. A drunken girl had decided to latch on to his arm for support; sighing and murmuring out words he couldn't understand. Pai cursed in disgust and forcefully pushed her off. He weaved around many couples and finally made his way to the nearest barstool.
He expected to see someone behind the counter, but instead, there was no one. Slightly confused, Pai looked around for the bartender. He impatiently waited, definitely not happy about this. Who was working in the bar tonight, and why weren't they doing their job?
Suddenly, Zakuro came up behind the bar.
"What would you like to order, sir?" She asked coolly.
Pai turned to her, and at that instant, both their eyes met and stared in shock at each other. The alien gasped softly. This…was not happening. He tried to close his eyes and imagine that she wasn't there. But whenever he opened them, Zakuro would still be staring wide-eyed at him. All the words that he was about to say died down in his throat. He observed her long, unusual, purple hair, her face, and her striking deep blue eyes.
At the same time, the other teen could also not believe what she was seeing. And judging by his confused dark eyes, he was as surprised to see her. But what the hell was he doing here? Shouldn't he be in Tokyo with the others?
Zakuro forced herself to break their gaze and turned her attention to the window.
Pai, who was still a bit shocked, choked out his questions anxiously. "What…what are-what are you doing here?!"
Zakuro threw a cold glance his way. "None of your business."
But he was still confused and continued to ask about the subject. "What about your friends? The other Mew Mews? Shouldn't you be with them?" Although Pai was usually a silent and serious guy, his curiosity got the better of him.
She flipped back her hair. "I could ask the same to you."
The two of them sat in an uncomfortable silence, neither one wanting to answer the other.
It didn't take him too much brain to know that she left her friends. After all, he sort of did the same thing. But still, Pai was curious at what exactly happened in her life.
"Now, are you going to order?" She asked annoyingly, "Because if you don't, I have to serve some other costumers."
He sighed and quickly ordered some beer. He watched as she skillfully reached to the counter in the back. Her movement was smooth and majestic, and Pai wondered why he never noticed that before. After all, they did have a few encounters all those years ago.
He drank his drink slowly and carefully, still a bit nervous as if she had try to poison him. Pai waited until she had to leave to serve another costumer before acting. He carefully nudged the man beside him.
"Hey, do you know anything about that bartender?" He questioned.
The man turned around with a sly grin. "Ye… heard her name was Zakuro, or something like dat. She's a beaut, ain't she? Too bad her attitude can't measure up to her appearance."
Pai took another slip before leaning forward. "What do you mean?"
"Well, don't you know?" The odd man laughed. "The boss here was crazy 'bout her. She gives you that icy stare, and it's kinda attractive. If ya know what I mean…"
Pai slowly nodded, and took another sip of beer before slamming it down on the table. His vision was getting a bit fuzzy and there was a slight pain in his head. Damn, the alcohol must be kicking in. Aliens usually got drunk ten times faster than the average human. He tried focusing on the ground but there was only a blurred image. It wasn't long before all Pai saw was darkness…
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There were white clouds…Green, endless plains and pale sky.
Where was he?
Pai looked around, searching for any indication of where he might be. A figure leaped into the sky.
Who was that?
He peered closer. Lime green hair, and amber eyes. Hey, wasn't that Kish?
Another image leaped into the air, and started to strike blows that would send him flying. A girl was attacking Kish….
Pai yelled out in hopes of helping his friend, but no sound came out. That was when he realized someone was covering his mouth. Turning around nervously, he stared into the endless depth of blue orbs. Unusual purple hair framed her face, and she spoke in a soft voice.
"Pai…Pai…"
He didn't answer, but instead, found himself getting lost in her eyes.
"Wake up…"
"Wake up!"
He suddenly fell off the bar stool, dropping on to the cold floor. Zakuro stood before him, with her hands on her hips and an annoyed glare.
Pai looked around.
He was in the bar again…but there were no people. The place was basically empty with the exception of the Mew and himself.
He slowly got off from the ground. "What…time is it?"
"A quarter past two in the morning." She answered annoyingly.
"Oh…" He scratched his head. "Where did the people go?"
Zakuro sighed impatiently. "They all left. The bar already closed, and I couldn't leave until everyone was out."
Oh…so he had passed out from the alcohol and she was waiting until he woke up so she can lock the bar.
"Well…I guess I should be leaving now." He quickly excused himself and left the building.
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Pai yawned and sat in the front seat of his car. Stretching slightly, he watched another figure from the window close the front doors of the bar.
Once Zakuro insured that it was locked, she quietly walked down the road. Her apartment was about 15 minutes away, which wasn't that far. However, there were consequences to wondering around this late.
She was just about to continue walking when she noticed a blue Dodge Viper coming up behind her. The design was beautiful, and judging by its paint job, it was probably new as well.
Zakuro walked a little faster, trying not to pay much attention to the vehicle. But as she sped up, the car as well, continued to drive faster. Finally, she had enough of this.
Turning around, she glared at the man inside the car. "What do you think you're doing?"
Opening the car window, Pai yelled out, "I thought you might use a ride."
Confused by his offer, she stuck her nose up in the air. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine on my own." Zakuro didn't need his service; after all, she was a grown woman.
Taken back by her refusal, he stood out of his car and walked towards the mew.
"But it's dangerous here. You don't know what could happen." He persuaded.
She turned back to see him. Here she was, only a few meters away from accepting help from an alien who's tried to kill her many, many times before.
"Like I said, no. You'll only be wasting your breath." She declined annoyingly and crossed her arms.
However as Pai usually got what he wanted, he became persistent in this subject.
"How about I walk you home? Is that okay?"
"What don't you understand about 'No'?!" The mew walked at a faster pace onto the road, trying to avoid him. Too angry, she missed the urgent honking of a car approaching quickly toward her. Looking up, Zakuro saw two yellow lights brightening as the vehicle tried to stop, only for the wheels to slide. The honking was getting louder now and she was frozen as a statue. It was if her feet were glued to the floor. She suddenly panicked and saw the same expression on the driver's face. The driver was trying to press the stop pedal, but it had been speeding way too fast for it to stop in time.
Suddenly, Zakuro felt as if the life was being knocked out of her. At first, she thought the car had hit her, but as she turned around, she found the car nowhere near her. It was at least a few feet away, but there was no evidence of blood, or head trauma. That was when she saw the rough, cold fingers on her shoulders. It occurred to her then: Pai had saved her. Not only that, but he risked his own life to do it.
She quickly got up, prying his arms away from her body. As she stood, she quickly yelled, "What the hell is your problem?"
Pai scrambled up as well, his hair was messy from the incident. "My problem?! It was you who stood in front of a stupid car!" The driver was left clueless and could only watch as the two people yelled insults at each other.
"A 'thank you' could've been okay. Instead, you come yell at me!"
"Well, if you would've just let me walk home, none of this would've happened!" Even as she said it, Zakuro couldn't believe she could be acting like this. She should've been grateful for what happened, but after spending so much time apart from her friends, she turned back into a cold and selfish woman again.
"Then you got your wish, Zakuro. You can walk home for all I care and hopefully get hit by a bus this time!" With that, he stormed away from her and towards his Dodge Viper. She gazed confusedly at Pai before running after him. "Look, Pai. Let's just forget about this okay?"
Before reaching for this door, he slowly turned around. "Okay then. What do you want me to do?" There was a pause. "You know the funny thing is, back in Tokyo, you were always the one who said mistakes are never forgotten."
She knew she made a mistake; Pai just wanted to help. He'd save her life and she was too angry to see that. "Look, I apologize, okay?"
Without looking at her, he narrowed his eyes and opened the car door and shutting it behind him. Zakuro knew this was coming; he wouldn't forgive her. After all, she couldn't even forgive herself. She left her friends alone, living as a recluse. After Pai came, she just had to push away her past so she wouldn't be reminded of it.
Sighing, the mew turned around and stepped away from the vehicle. Slowly, she walked away with thoughts trailing after her, none of which she bothered to think about. She was just too tired and too upset to think about anything right now. And for once in her life, she truly felt alone.
Suddenly, there was a honk behind her.
Turning around, she met the lights of a blue convertible. She was beyond confused; what was he doing?
The windows of the car rolled down and Pai stuck his head out. He was wearing a bored expression, the same one he wore when he first arrived at the bar.
"I thought you might use a ride to your apartment." His voice came out soft and deep and he smiled weakly.
Zakuro, who was still confused, could only nod. She slowly walked over to the passenger door and opened it.
"I thought you didn't forgive me."
"Who said I did?" He said, and looked at her expression before letting out a small laugh. Zakuro sighed and seated herself in his car. She observed the smooth leather of the seating, the smell of fresh pine trees. It had been long since she'd lived her rich and famous life and she almost forgot what it was like.
"So, where are we going?"
"What?" She asked puzzled.
"I mean what's your address?" He explained before starting the car.
"Oh…" She nodded, still a little uncomfortable with giving him her address. After all, he was still an alien. "Just take the next right to River Street." Nodding, he drove to exactly where she said. There was a tall building there. At this time of the night though (actually morning), most parts of the building was already dark.
She slowly got out of the car, still a little shaken from the almost accident. Her knees finally began to feel a bit normal and she closed the door behind her.
"Um…thanks, Pai."
He didn't respond, just looked at her for a moment before pressing the gas pedal. Zakuro hardly had time to think the rest of her sentence when she saw the blue vehicle drive off into the distance. She kept her eyes on it until it finally disappeared into the dark and foggy night.
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As I've said, this was intended to be a one-shot. But if I have time, I might make it into a real chapter-story. Thanks for reading and please R & R!