My Birth and Death

What do you do when you are sucked into a world you did not wish to enter?

That was me, 13 year old Ichigo Momomiya. I was just like any other junior high student. I was in love with the most popular boy at school, Masaya Aoyama. Just when things had started to go well and he asked me to go somewhere with him, by ourselves, I get infected with some Mew Virus.

Let me tell you, it sucks. As if being a teenager was not hard enough, some jerk named Ryou decided to make it even tougher. Him and his assistant Keiichiro. Why did they not just let things stay how they were. Then Ryou says he would give his life for any of us. What a load of bull shit. I mean really, who would sacrifice their life for girls they hardly know.

Now I go to school, save the world, and if I'm lucky, I get in a date with my boyfriend and a couple hours of sleep. Not to mention the shit-load of homework we get. My life sucks. Then there is the work I do at Ryou and Keiichiro's café in the afternoon. I have to work there in all of my spare time it seems. Then I only get $10.00 an hour, even though I deserve much more because I do all of the work there.

I do have some new friends because of all this, but they are not exactly what you would call normal. Where do I even begin. I suppose with Mint Aizawa. She is a spoiled rich brat. She lives in a mansion, never has to see her parents, has enough money to buy whatever she wants, and has a cute dog. Even though dogs now scare me because of these stupid cat-genes, Miki is still adorable. I only wish that Mint would do some work at the café. All she does is sit there all day and sip tea while she orders me around.

Then there is Lettuce Midorikawa. Basically, she is a complete and total klutz. She drops everything and I have to pick it all up. She seems nice and all, and she is, but she always has to apologize for something. Plus, she will not stop at just one apology, she has to do it several times. Talk about annoying. As if Mint bossing me around was not bad enough, then I have Lettuce constantly apologizing.

Let me think, I will go to Pudding Fong next. Cute, sure, but she is so annoying. All she does is do tricks for tips at the café. This usually results in Lettuce tripping over her and dropping a plate, which means more work for me because I have to clean it up. I know that Pudding has a family to provide for, but can she not just go to the park and perform instead of doing it in the café?

Zakuro, the last of the girls. Sure she seems ok, but let me tell you. She is as stuck-up as Mint. She did not even want to join the team at first. I say all the better. Maybe then Ryou would take these cursed genes out of my body. Zakuro is as her animal implies, a lone-wolf. I wish she would help out more. She is actually quite strong, she just never does anything. Her modeling gets in the way of that. Then, at the café, she takes things to the wrong tables and will not do anything about it. It is just so tiring.

Ryou. That asshole. It is his fault I am like this. And he wonders why I seem to hate him. What I really do not understand is how anyone could like him. I mean, all he has is his looks. Aside from that, he is a stuck-up rich boy. He would do well with someone like Mint or Zakuro. He should just go back to America and leave us all alone. That would be the best thing possible.

There is one other at the café. His name is Keiichiro Akasaka. He is the perfect gentleman and ladies man. It makes me sick the way he charms others. I fell for it, and look where it got me. Working long hours at a café that under-pays me. He probably collaborated with that jerk Ryou to trick me into working here. I hate them all.

My perfectly normal life was ruined. Ok, so it was not perfect, but almost. The most popular boy at school had started to like me. How could anything go wrong? Whoever came up with that saying should be burned. Everything can and will go wrong. I proved that by being a part of this stupid project. What gives anybody the right to experiment on me without at least consulting me first?

That brings me back to what is now my current state. I had actually zoned out for some reason. I guess it was the fear of death looming over me. My current state is actually on the ground right now. The cold, hard ground. Oh, and guess what, Kish has his katanas pressed into my neck. I can actually feel some of the blood. The scarlet ribbons of blood streaming out of the fresh wounds on my neck. I could feel it making a crimson pillow below my sugar pink hair. I guess he finally went mad with his love for me and decided that if he could not have me, then no one could. Or, he just really wants to take over Earth and save his people. I have a feeling that it is a little of both.

"Well, this is it," Kish smirked, his large golden eyes bearing in to my sugar pink ones. "There won't be anyone else to come save you."

"Yeah," I gasped. In truth, I was glad to be going. I did not want to live in this life anymore.

"Then you will die," Kish screamed, but in that scream, I heard more, different voices than his. I looked over to the side and saw the others. They were running, fast. Coming towards me, but it was all in vain. I was gone, I was past the point of no return. All hope to spare me was lost.

"Do it," I managed to choke out. My breath was coming heavily from the blades cutting into my neck. My voice heavy with the sound of death. "I dare you."

Then he took the swords and brought them together. It was a slow, painful death as the blades bore into my soft flesh. He did it slowly, as if he were hesitating, unsure whether this was right or not. Just before he severed my head, I smiled. It was not my usual small smile, but a broad grin. I was leaving Earth, I had been saved. I was saved from the Hell I lived in now. "Goodbye," I said, using that last breath to say something so trivial. It may have been a waste, but I did it, and I have no regrets.

"Kish," Mint screamed. "You monster!"

"What," Kish shirked. "She told me to do it."

"You're lying," Lettuce shouted. "And for that you shall pay! Lettuce Tanets! Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"

Kish merely avoided the attack and disappeared into the night air. He was still shirking madly, as if he could not wipe that expression off his face. The way he looked when he saw me alive last. In my death I grinned, knowing he would be forever scared, knowing that he had killed the one he had once loved so dearly.

"You bastard," Zakuro snarled. Even though Kish had disappeared, she continued to throw insults at him. He had no idea of what he had done.

"We loved her," Mint sobbed as she sank to the ground. "We loved her so much, and now she is gone."

Pudding had run over to me, where I lay limp, severed, and broken. "Ichigo onee-chan," sobbed the young blonde. "Please don't leave us na no da."

The rest of the girls gathered around my body as well. I felt a tinge of regret when I saw them all crying, but then I thought about what my life could have been, and I realized that my decision had been for the best. Ryou and Keiichiro arrived a little later to see me as well.

Then they were all there, all gathered around me. I had been broken. I had cracked under the pressure, but I did not regret my decision, it was all for the best. No one could convince me otherwise. I watched silently as each one of them wept for me. Sure, I was sad, but I still did not regret it. Even when tears started to flow freely from Ryou's eyes, I did not return their sorrow. I was happy. I was free.

Only when my funeral took place did I realize how wrong I had been. Mint was the first one to stand up there and talk about me. "Ichigo Momomiya was a friend to us all. She was a loveable ditz with bright red hair. No one could deny that she was a lucky girl. I knew her for only a short while, but she made a lasting impression on me. I often acted like I did not care, but I did. Ichigo was my best friend, and to see her gone, it breaks my heart. I loved Ichigo in a way no one else ever could. She was my best friend. Goodbye." Mint concluded her speech by laying a blue flower on my grave, then taking her seat once again.

Lettuce was the next one to stand up and talk. "Ichigo was special. She was always upbeat and happy. Never did she stay depressed for more than a day. Before I met her, I had no true friends, but then Ichigo gave me her friendship. She would smile at me and say hello everyday. She did not mind when I spilled or broke things. All she did was good. That something so horrible could happen to a person as kind as Ichigo, it tears me apart inside. Ichigo was my first real friend, and I will miss her so much. Goodbye Ichigo, rest in peace." Lettuce then laid a single green flower on my grave and took her seat once again.

The third person to get up to talk was Pudding. It was strange to see the once so happy girl dressed in all black. He speech was the shortest, but it had the most meaning. "Ichigo onee-chan was like a big sister to Pudding, na no da. She always would protect Pudding and her brothers and sister. One time, when Pudding was sick, Ichigo and the others came and took care of me. Ichigo was the best big sister anyone could ever want, na no da. Goodbye Ichigo. We'll miss you." Pudding then laid her single yellow flower by my grave and took her seat. Her long black dress flowing gently behind her. She suddenly looked so much older and more mature.

Zakuro was the final member of Tokyo Mew Mew to stand up and speak. Her speech was the longest it seemed. "Ichigo was a friend to us all. I did not want to join them at first, but she convinced me in the only way possible, she trusted me. When others only looked at the fact that I was a model, she got to know me, she saw past my exterior to the real me. I have no regrets that I joined her and the three other girls. Even if we only worked together, we had a bond that no one could ever sever. Even in death, we will remember her always and forever. No one can separate us. I love you Ichigo, I will miss you dearly." Zakuro concluded her speech and laid her purple flower on my colorful grave. She then took her seat and the funeral continued.

Keiichiro was the first of the two men to come up. He did not have much to say, but he said it. "Ichigo was a hard worker and a charming girl. I was absolutely delighted when she decided to come and work at the café we us. She was wonderful to work with. Even though she would complain, she continued to work just as hard. There was not a single person out there that could hate her. She was a truly charming girl. We will all miss you Ichigo." Then Keiichiro left a single pink flower on my grave. It seemed that everyone was adding something to my funeral. I began to feel a touch of regret for my decision, but it was only going to get worse.

The last person to go up was Ryou. I could tell that he had been crying earlier because there were light lines running down his well-tanned cheeks. His once crystal blue eyes were now cloudy with sorrow. "I will not lie, I loved Ichigo with all of my heart. She was wonderful to work with and fun to tease. I always regretted that she had a boyfriend, but nothing could stop me from loving her. She was beautiful. On countless occasions I wanted to tell her how I felt, but I could not find the courage. That was another thing she had, courage. She could do anything, and she did. Whether it was at work or school, she could do anything. Ichigo, I love you still. I wish you had lived. I will miss you with all of my heart." With that final remark, Ryou took his seat after leaving a single red rose on my gravestone.

I could see his eyes cloud with unshed tears. I remembered the story he told me about how his parents died, and Keiichiro telling me how he would beat himself up about it. Ryou used to do horrible things after their death. When he was a teenager, he would often go out drinking, or even do drugs at times. Before that, he would cut himself. It was only last year that he began to recover.

I began to feel horrible, now Ryou might start to do it all again. They would all hate me. Ryou was just getting better, and now this. If he loved me half as much as he said he did, then he may do it all again. Tears streamed over my unnaturally pale face as I watched the scene unfold. Why did I let Kish kill me? If I had lived then we could all be happy. Why did I not just grin and bear it all? All my friends would always be there for me. Why did I not stay? I was such an idiot.

Then they all left. Ryou had tears glistening on his now pale face. Keiichiro was trying to comfort everyone, but mainly Ryou because he did not want him to kill himself because of all this. I could tell that Mint and Zakuro wanted to cry but were trying to remain strong for the others. Pudding had burst out in a fit of tears, and she began to look her own age again. Lettuce was the same way. She had tears streaming down her pale cheeks and her shoulders were shaking violently. They all looked so depressed. It was then that I realized just how much I had left behind. They all cared about me. I should not have died. I should not have done this to them.

"I am a horrible friend," I sobbed as I disappeared, leaving them to grieve in solitude. There was nothing I could do. No way to comfort them. I was born and I had died. They all would eventually, but mine was too soon. There was too much sadness. I had to leave, and I did. I left this world, and I regret it with every fiber of my being.