A girl stood in a calm glade, hidden from the sky by large trees and hidden from man by bushes and a black iron gate. Opposite her were six large gravestones. The name on the first read, 'Ichigo Momomiya'. Ichigo had been her first real friend. She had helped defend her and had given the girl new hope. She'd died the first time from the shock of Masaya being Deep Blue and the blazing heat. Lettuce had planted ichigo strawberries on Ichigo's grave. The plant had thrived since she'd first put it in.
The next read, 'Mint Aizawa'. Mint had been truer that steel. Her loyal friend to the end. In the Tokyo attack, she had been the first to die and stay dead. Suffocated by Deep Blue.
The third read, 'Pudding Fong'. The hyper little monkey girl. She'd been the easiest to make friends with. She had easily been the most energetic of the group. And that was how she died. Energetic and hyper, ricocheting off the dome walls, dodging Deep Blue's attacks.
The next stone read, 'Zakuro Fujiwara'. She had been the most silent, but most practical and famous of the group. A model and a superhero. Not that the world would ever know who the Tokyo Mew Mew had been. She'd been alive only long enough to use the mew aqua to bring Ichigo back. That had drained her power and her life force, leaving her dead.
The fifth stone had, 'Ryou Shirogane' engraved on it. Ryou had been killed by an attack went wrong. He had been the first one to Ichigo's side once he knew she was back. Before he could do anything about it, Deep Blue had sent an attack at Ichigo, who was still weak. Ryou had taken the blow for her, knowing that she was the last hope for earth.
The last one read, 'Keichiero Akasaka'. He'd run up to Ryou when the younger boy had been hit. Thus the second attack Deep Blue let loose was taken by Keichiero although meant for Ichigo.
She herself had been hypnotized by Deep Blue and had attacked Ichigo. Ichigo didn't die from the blow, but she put Lettuce unconscious. Deep Blue then ran Ichigo through with his sword. The blow had given Masaya enough power to come back. He'd possessed Deep Blue's body and run the sword through his stomach, releasing the mew aqua. The mew aqua exploded as soon as it was out of Deep Blue and rid Tokyo of the dome above it and at the same time set up a barrier around earth, preventing aliens from entering or leaving. It also threw Pai, Tart, and Kish away from the sight of the battle. They hadn't been seen since.
Lettuce stood now, seven years later, dressed in a long black coat, black boots, a pair of jeans, and a forest green shirt. She'd let her hair loose, never wanting to wear it up again. It had grown long and dark, the deep green locks cascading down three inches past her knees. She wore no glasses: she could see perfectly since the mew aqua explosion. A small chilly breeze wafted by. She was now twenty. She'd graduated from high school and was in her third year of college. Tears silently slid down her cheeks. All her friends were gone. She felt so alone in the world. In her heart there was emptiness where the love for her friends had been. Their presence was gone and Lettuce wanted them back so much. She wiped the tears away from her cheeks, but they kept spilling out of her eyes. She felt so pitiful. Ever since the incident, she'd become closed and unable to make friends. And now, in her misery, she felt that loneliness very acutely. Lettuce looked down at the graves. She should be there with them. In the peace of death. More tears stained her face and she wiped them away again and sniffled.
She pulled a dagger from her coat. Let me rest in peace with my friends. Please, let me finally have a peaceful existence,' she thought as she positioned it where her heart was. As she prepared to drive it in, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Do not kill yourself because you believe you are alone in the world," A deep voice said. "Why shouldn't I? I am alone in the world, and I'm miserable," Lettuce replied. "You shouldn't because I don't want you to," The voice replied. "And why don't you?" Lettuce asked; her grip on the knife loosening. "Because I've finally found you and I don't want to lose you," The voice mysteriously said. Lettuce pulled the knife away from herself. "Who- who are you?" the porpoise girl asked. "I am someone you know very well," The voice replied. Lettuce turned around to face him and gasped.
"Pai . . " She whispered. The alien's hair had darkened and he'd cut his hair to match the human style. His ears had shrunk and now looked like pixie ears. His eyes were a deep brown gold. "Where are Kish and Tart?" Lettuce asked. Pai looked down. "We were all separated in the mew aqua explosion. I haven't seen them since," Pai replied. "I'm sorry," Lettuce said. By seeing Pai she felt an even greater longing for her friends, for what once had been. Tears welled up in her eyes. "What is it, Lettuce?" Pai asked, looking into her glassy green eyes. Lettuce turned away. "I miss them Pai. I miss them so much. And now that you're back, I miss them even more," Lettuce explained through muffled sobs and hiccups. Pai put his arms around her. "Lettuce, it's all right, I'm here now," He whispered to her in a soothing voice.
Lettuce broke away. "No. It's not all right. All my friends are dead and I betrayed them!" Lettuce shouted. "No you didn't. Deep Blue hypnotized you, there was nothing you could've done," Pai said, taking a step toward her. Lettuce glared at him. "I should be dead with them. A death like that could've been honorable, worthy. I'm glad they died that way, but I miss them. My place is by their side, being their friend and teammate," Lettuce said through tears and hiccups. Pai grabbed her wrist firmly. "No, your place is not in death. Your place is here, on earth. You are the last of the Tokyo Mew Mew. You do them an honor by living. You give them peace by being happy. They wouldn't want you to kill yourself just because you believe you should've died. You survived for a reason, Lettuce," Pai told her. Lettuce tried to brake away, but held firm her wrist and drew her closer. Lettuce bent her head and cried out loud, not bothering to suppress her sobs. Pai hugged her close, but a flash of steel caught his eye.
Pai slowly removed the dagger from Lettuce's pale hand. He concentrated and the blade melted, dripping onto the grass. He let the hilt drop to the ground and placed his other arm around Lettuce. She cried on him and with her tears, she let go her anguish.