I'd like to thank artisthebest for being my first reviewer! I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope you keep on enjoying the story as it progresses further! Your comment made me super happy! 3

I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, unfortunately, or any of its characters. I stake claims only on Hakusada Yume and this particular storyline.

Enjoy~!

Chapter 2

Your Soul Never to Take

Morning pierced through the window, invading Yume's closed eyes, rousing her from a deep sleep. Groggily, she turned over, putting her back toward the intrusive light that caused her eyes to ache. Eyes closed tightly, she became aware of a pillow under her head, much softer than the one she was accustomed to and a thick, heavy comforter that seemed to be made of some velvet material. It was...unfamiliar. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up in the bed. Disorientated, she rubbed her left eye with the back of her hand, notating that her pigtails were falling, and observed the room she was in, lined with unopened boxes and a few bags. It was peering at the bags that she remembered where she was. She was in Japan, at the Cafe owned by Ryou and Keiichiro but...when she had dozed off, she hadn't been under the blankets, she was fairly certain.

Glancing toward the suspiciously bright light glaring in from the window, Yume slipped out of bed. She pulled her phone out of her rumpled dress's pocket. The front of the phone blinked at her, alerting her to the dangerously low battery as well as the date. It was the day after she had arrived in Tokyo. She had slept on into morning. Wrinkling her nose at this, she yawned. Shuffling over to her luggage, she opened the front zipper of her rolling bag and pulled out her phones charger. She pulled it into a nearby out lit and set her phone aside to charge.

Taking another look around the unlived in room, aside from the disheveled bed, she frowned. She had hoped, before exhaustion had taken its toll, that she could have had it looking like she belonged in it by then. She only shrugged at herself, knowing there was little good in worrying over what wasn't yet done when she could start. She heaved her suitcase onto the bed and opened it to retrieve new clothes for the day. Just as she was deciding, there was a knocking at her door.

"Come in," she stated, reflexively.

The knob turned and Ryou stood in the door way. "Good to see you up," he greeted, "but you really should be more careful. You'll catch a cold just sleeping where ever you fall." There was a playful smirk playing on his lips.

The white haired girl smiled tiredly. "I'm sorry, Nii-san."

The older boy merely shrugged at her. "If you want to shower and so on, the bathroom's down the hall, first door on the right. Keiichiro wants you to come downstairs whenever you're ready for breakfast."

"Alright, t-thank you," Yume nodded, greatfully. It was then that the absence of a very noticeable something caught her attention. She looked around the room. "Have you seen Shu?" she asked.

Ryou shook his head. "I haven't heard him either. Maybe he put himself into power saver mode somewhere. If you can't find him, Keiichiro and I will help you after we eat." With that assurance, he left the room, his footsteps fading down the stairs.

Unnerved by her missing friend put down her clothes for a moment. She stepped away from her bag and started looking around the room for the niches Shu could have hid himself in. "Shu?" she called. "Shu, let me know where you are. Shu?"

There was a familiar, sharp whistle, though sharper than usual. "Yume! Yume! {Whistle, whistle!} Yume!" The girl wrinkled her forehead, realizing that the muffled calls were coming from the dresser. She opened the top drawer and, immediately, her pink ball of fur flew out and began flitted excitedly around her head. "Yume!" Shu cooed, rubbing against her cheek. "Good morning! {Whistle} Good morning! {Whistle, whistle}"

She held out her hand for him to perch on. "How in the world did you get in there?" she asked him, rhetorically.

"Good morning! Morning! {Whistle}" was the only response she received, not that she was expecting a real response. Shu only had so many set responses programmed into him.

She giggled at him, rubbing the top of his head. "Good morning to you too," she greeted him.

She encouraged him back into flight and returned to the bag on her bed. Yume grabbed her change of clothes, hair brush, and toothbrush and went into the bathroom. She prepared herself for the day, glad to be clean and after such a long trip. Shu trailed after her as she moved about the bathroom, whistling gleefully, as he always did. She braided her damp hair, tying each end with her black ribbons, before heading downstairs.

Almost immediately, she caught the scent of a variety of breakfast foods, ranging from pancakes to bacon. Ryou and Keiichiro were already sitting at a table by one of the windows on the Cafe's floor. Said table, was covered with the assorted breakfast items. She stalled at the bottom of the stairs, surprised by it a moment, before she remembered that Keiichiro was a chief now.

The brunette, upon noticing her, shot her a wide smile. "Good morning, Yume-chan. I hope you're hungry."

Yume's cheeks flushed. "You didn't have to—"

Ryou interrupted her. "Just come eat. Keiichiro worked hard to make your first meal in Japan excellent."

Her heart thumped, her throat tightening. Family. That's what it felt like, and even though it had not been all that long ago that she was eating with her mother, the idea of being cared for so much that such effort would be made for her, it made her happy, even though she hated to be a burden. She joined the two men at the table, sitting down a bit shyly, eying the food with admiring eyes. It was just as aesthetically pleasing as it smelled.

"Thank you so much," she said. She whirled excitedly around her head as though he were animating her gratitude.

"You're very welcome," Keiichiro smiled. "What would you like to try first?"

/o/

Outside the Cafe, whilst the humans merrily conversed and ate, three figured hovered at a safe distance, looking in the window just out of sight. The oldest of the three broke his viewing of the unfamiliar human girl who sat among the creators of the Mew Project that had long since become the bane of his races existence. He looked from the girl to his adopted brother, who looked down into the window with too much interest, in his opinion, considering his history with the leader of the Mews.

"Ne, Kisshu, is she the one you were talking about?" Taruto, the youngest of the three, asked after he had become bored with the silent observation. Crossing his legs, his shrugged animatedly. "She doesn't look like much to me."

"Do the other Mews look like much?" he retorted, crossing his hands behind his neck, reclining back.

Pai crossed his arms, turning his attention back to the girl once more. "And you think this girl is another one?"

Kisshu huffed, the sharp release of air blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "I don't know what she is," he reiterated for what seemed to be the thirteenth time. "All I know for certain is that she's some kind of relation to that Ryou guy and she has a robot like Ichigo." He had not told his comrades about the feeling he had gotten from the girl. He was sure Pai would nag him for being too emotionally involve with humans.

Pai narrowed his eyes, slightly, to get a better view of the robot in question. "I see..." he mused, thoughtfully. "There is only one outstanding feature based on appearance alone."

"There is?" Taruto and Kisshu stated in unison. Taruto's voice held a childish curiosity while Kisshu's was one of general surprise.

"Does she not look strange to you?" Pai inquired, raising a brow toward his brothers.

Taruto grabbed his ankles and leaned forward, looking harder at the girl. "Nah, all human's look weird to me."

Pai sighed at this undereducated response. "Her hair, her eyes, her complexion, they're all a rare congenital disorder unique to the animals of this planet, one known to humans as Albinism."

"So?" Kisshu asked, annoyed with the cryptic nature of his statement.

Pai did not respond. Rather, he turned away from the Cafe. "I'll see what information I can acquire. Kisshu, I'm leaving testing this one up to you." With that he evaporated.

Taruto huffed. "Hey! Why does Kisshu always get to have all the fun!?" He followed suite, disappearing from the sky as well.

Kisshu lingered, staring down with narrowed eyes at the girl, wondering what idea Pai had concocted just from the color scheme that made up her person, as well as wondering what connection he felt twisting inside of him as he watched her hesitantly pose a question to the blonde male. A smirk crossed his lips after a a few moments of thought.

"Well, at least I'll get a chance to play with you. Till then," he hummed with a mock wave that went unseen by the crimson eyed girl, then disappeared along with his comrades. He was intent on making their play date one that could include his Ichigo.

/o/

Yume spent all of Sunday opening up boxes and putting away her things, ultimately making her new room look as though someone more than a robot lived there. With the occasional assistance of Keiichiro and Ryou, the day flew by quickly, leaving the girl yet again exhausted and with her most frightening venture approaching in the morning, she chose to go to bed early in preparation.

That morning, she stood anxiously at the bottom of the stairs, shifted from one foot to the next, dressed in the gray uniform trade marked by Ichigo's school, holding her traditional school bag in front of her. Shu, whom she had commanded into standby, was hanging quietly from the handle. Keiichiro had insisted on documenting her first day, so he had vanished downstairs to get his camera while Ryou was still getting dressed. It was made clear to her that she was not allowed to go down there. It was dangerous storage space, or something like that. The electricity down there was, supposedly, out. With how crowded it was, they were afraid she'd trip in the dark and hurt herself.

When the bathroom door opened up stairs, she glanced over her shoulder at Ryou yawning as he descended the stairs. With a blank expression, he observed her in the uniform. Self-consciously, the crimson eyed girl turned to him. Awkwardly, she gestured to herself.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, sheepishly, her cheeks tinged a pale pink.

The blonde stopped beside her at the bottom of the stairs. He looked her up and down once more before smiling at her. "You look fine." He patted her on the head, careful not to mess up her pigtails, unlike he would normally.

"You aren't just saying that?" She cocked her head slightly.

Keiichiro appeared from the basement at that time. "You look adorable, Yume-chan," he assured her, baring a digital camera. "Now, let's take those pictures so you can get going. We still have to get you registered and so on."

/o/

Kisshu had been lingering outside Cafe Mew Mew, observing his target, waiting for the most optimal moment to "play" with her. His reconnaissance revealed quite the interesting development. She was dressed that day in the same clothing set that Ichigo wore everyday to her school. He was sure he wasn't mistaken in thinking that only girls from said school wore such uniforms. The development tickled him. It was like the universe was putting things in place just for him to have his fun. He watched as the girl and the two human men left the Cafe in the blonde one's car.

"Heh, well, well..." he chuckled.

He followed after the car at a safe distance in order to first confirm his suspicions. Low and behold, he followed it to Ichigo's school grounds to his delight. Now it was just a waiting game, waiting for the most convenient time to start his game.

/o/

It wasn't until after 10 o'clock that Yume's school registration was complete. After all was said and done, Keiichiro had requested that Ichigo be brought out of class. As someone who knows Yume already, he convinced the principal that having Ichigo escort her to her first class would make the introverted girl more comfortable. After witnessing Yume stammering demeanor herself, the principal gladly agreed. Now, sitting in the office, Ryou, Yume, and Keiichiro waited for Ichigo. They had assured the white haired girl that they wouldn't leave her to her own devices until Ichigo arrived, but she had quickly begun to wonder if this was to her benefit. Many students had come in and out of the office and the female students had made quite the habit of staring. Flushed bright red, Yume sank slowly into the bench. Keiichiro smiled at the girls politely while Ryou acted as though he didn't notice at all.

"Remember, if you need anything, you can ask Ichigo. She's agreed to help you whenever she can. She's a year ahead of you, so you'll find her in the upperclassmen area," Keiichiro reminded her.

"And don't forget to give your PE coach your excuse notice," Ryou tacked on. "Just be a little confident and you'll be fine."

Confident...She didn't think she could even muster something related to such a thing.

It was about that time that Ichigo came into the office. She had a nervous look on her face until she spied the three. "Oh, Yume-chan!" she greeted, happily. "You're starting school today, aren't you?"

Yume nodded slowly. "Y-Yes."

"Momomiya-san," the principal called to her. "Would you mind taking Yume-chan to classroom 23-A?"

"Not at all!" Ichigo responded.

"Alright. Come here and I'll give you a class excuse."

Ichigo went to get the note from the principal. Keiichiro and Ryou stood up from the bench. Yume, reflexively, followed their lead.

"Well, we should get going," Keiichiro stated, giving Yume a hug. "You'll do fine. Don't look so worried."

Yume returned the hug, not really sure how she could not look as worried as she felt. "I'll try."

Ryou squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. "You can always call if you need anything."

When Ichigo returned, they left the school. Consciously, Yume shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Anxiety twitched, making her a bit too aware of her heart. Ichigo, sensing the slightly younger girls distress, grabbed her hand encouragingly with both of hers.

"Come on, Yume-chan! Smile, walking into class the first time is the hardest," Ichigo encouraged her. "We'll do it together, so you don't have to be so nervous." Ichigo smiled. "I'll do whatever I can to help you out, Yume-chan."

Yume regard the other girl with widened eyes. She had only introduced herself to Ichigo and, already, she was being so kind to her. She felt her neck heat up as a grateful warmth spread through her body. Tenatively, she mustered a struggled smile onto her lips.

Ichigo laughed. "That's better. Come on."

/o/

Yume didn't like the attention that came along with being the new girl in school. There was not a single person who didn't want to talk to her. They treated her like an exotic bird. Eveyone wanted a feel of her feathers, but her feathers weren't so pleasant. No matter how they approached her, she stammered and flushed bright colors and was hardly able to respond. Multiple times, she had such a fool of herself that laughter had ensued throughout the class. Her only grateful reprieve was at the lunch period. Ichigo went out of her way to find Yume so that she could sit with her and her friends, Miwa and Moe. It was a gesture that the pale girl was more than appreciative for.

Directly after the lunch period, Yume found herself waiting outside with the rest of her class for the coach to show up. Because of the moderate weather, it had been decided that they would be running out door relays. The other members of her class were dressed in their gym attire while Yume hadn't gone to change. This caused her to be pointed out immediately by the coach, who in a frighteningly calm voice asked why she wasn't in her gym clothes. Without saying a work, struck silent by the threatening tone, she handed him the doctor's notice. The coach read over it before hanging it back. He jotted down a note on his attendance list.

"Alright. Well," he gruffed. "Go sit over on that bench, Hakusada-san. I expect you to be doing something in the way of studying."

"Y-Yes sir," Yume stammered, then hurried over to the shaded bench, away from the hard eyes of the buff coach.

She sat down on the bench with a sigh that was relieved, in truth. Solitude, without a dozen or more students trying to get in her good graces, because she was new, because she had come into the office with handsome men, because she was unique in appearance. It was more than obvious they didn't want to see her for her. More, it felt as though they were trying to suffocate her with the presence they wanted her to incapsolate. Though she could still hear them as she opened her literature book to catch up on reading some English poetry, it was nice to be set aside from them. She was never grateful for her weak body until then.

Yume had never been completely healthy, for as along as she could remember. She had always worn out quickly and gotten sick frighteningly easy. Because of how easily she tended to over exert herself, she hadn't been permitted to participate in sports or physical education for as long as she could remember, especially when the activities took place outdoors. In the sun, she was prone to migraines and wore herself out at a more alarming rate than usual. It was frustrating at times, how little she could do and how, if she gotten even the slightest cold, she was in bed for more than a week, but in this case...Her disabilities gave her some solace.

Considering, before coming to Japan, Yume had been studying in England, it was Yume read the text so naturally that she enraptured herself in the words, drowning out the world around her, until two lights caught her attention as they flew over her head. Reflexively, Yume turned her head to see where they had gone. She caught sight of them disappearing into the leaves of a tree closer to the school building. Odd...They looked a lot like some kind of jelly fish, though that could have been a trick of perspective. In truth, she was fairly certain that they were just her imagination to begin with.

Yume yelped when, suddenly, Shu was whistling sharply, right in her face. "Yume! {Whistle, whistle} Danger! Danger!"

Yume quickly snatched him out of the air. "Shu! What in the world are you doing? Somes going to see you!"

"Yuuume! Alien! {Whistle, whistle}"

"What? You've never sai-"

He whistled more sharply, the red ball on his antenna blinking furiously. "Alien! {Whistle} Danger!"

"Why do you keep saying-"

"I think your little puff balls talking about me, Sweetie," a voice hummed in amusement behind her.

Yume tensed. Slowly, she turned her back to face foreward and froze at what caught her eyes. In front of her, someone in strange clothes was standing-kind of-but his feet weren't touching the ground. He was...floating. Unable to believe her eyes, she slowly followed the line of the figure up until her wide eyes landed on a smirking face that just...wasn't human, if the sharp, vampiric k-9s and the large, pointed ears were any indication, aside from the fact he. Was. Floating. Said inhuman figure leaned down so that his face was closer to hers, too close. Slowly, Yume tried to lean back, digging her nails into her new textbook, knowing that marks would be left, but she could only go so far before her back was pressed against the metal back of the bench. Shu was beside her ear, whistling fervently, crying out ever still about the danger standing before her. What...was this guy? His eyes, like a feral cat, amber and burning, even they were completely inhuman and, in them, she saw herself, trembling helpless. Pray. Corner pray. That's what she looked like in his eyes. That is how she felt.

"So, your name is Yume." He said her name as though he was testing its flavor. "Why don't you just transform so we can get this-"

He was interrupt by the blaring, military voice of the coach. "You! Get away from my student!" he order. He was marching forward.

A very displeased expression dulled Kisshu's face. He looked over his shoulder at the advancing, broad shouldered human. His eyes gained a strange glow to them. Then, Yume jolted, hearing the chorus of the most awful screeching coming from behind her. She only just dared to peek over her shoulder. She assured herself then that she was having a nightmare. Two...monsters had appeared behind her. They looked suspiciously like that had been squirrels once but now they were nothing short of frightening and mutated.

"Chimera Anima! {Whistle.}" Shu alerted. "Chimera Anima!"

"Go," Kisshu directed toward the mutant things. "Keep these humans preoccupied." His mouth quirked devilishly. "Be sure to play rough with them."

There was an indescribable cry from each creature that sounded so much like understanding Yume's stomach knotted. She yelped when the two vaulted over where she was sitting, the ground shaking with their landing. Very human screams followed. There was no longer someone coming to her rescue. Scrolling hastily through her muddled thoughts in search of a way to aid her situation, she was suddenly jerked free of her thick haze of thoughts when Kisshu grabbed her chin and forced her frightened eyes back in contact with his. Her breathing hitched as he stared with narrowed eyes, almost straight into her soul.

"Heh," he laughed. The amusement on his face was terrifying. "You know, you're almost as cute as my Kitty Cat, all trembling and frightened. I'm starting to think you aren't a Mew Mew at all."

Kitty Cat...Mew Mew...Chimera Anima...Alien. She didn't have any idea what was going on, what he or her robotic companion were even talking about anymore. This just...It couldn't be real. But it was too real to be a dream, even a lucid one. If not a dream then, what was happening? Why was this guy targeting her? Why was he attacking the other students with those mutant things? Why was Shu saying things that weren't in his programming...? She was shocked out of her stupor as the so-called "alien" started leaning toward her again. Too close. He aimed to make contact and it did not take a genius to figure out what he was aiming for. Adrenaline shot through Yume in that moment. Snapping thick text book shut, she swung it at him. Kisshu managed to jump out of the way in time, but Yume found her opening. She used the space between them to bolt out from the corner brought on by his body and the bench.

Kisshu growled under his breath, "Don't let her get away!" he ordered.

In response to this command, on of the monstrous squirrels jumped out in front of her. To keep from running headlong into its gigantic paw, Yume came to a tumbling halt, screaming despite herself. Loosing her balance, she flailed, falling back on her bottom. To instill fear in her, the monster hovered over her, chattering and hissing menacingly.

/o/

Ichigo was in the middle of a lessen when she heard the signature pop that alerted her to Masha's change in size. The winged pink ball was, just as suddenly, fluttering in front of her notes. "Ichigo, aliens!" he stated in a hushed tone.

Despite, Ichigo covered him with her hands, surprised by his sudden appearance. Quite aware of the warning he was giving, she stood, raising her hands. "I need to go to the bathroom!" she announced.

The teacher looked at her and then gave an exasperated sigh. He waved her out of the room, telling her that she best make it quick. Masha clench in her hands, she left the room. As soon as she was in the halls, she took a quick take down either side. Seeing as the coast was clear, she released Masha so that he could fly free.

"Ichigo, aliens!" Masha repeated, flapping his little wings in order to stay airborne.

"Masha, are you sure?" Ichigo inquired.

"Aliens!" he confirmed, taking up point, leading Ichigo down the hall.

Ichigo took another look around before following Masha, trotting to catch up with the small robot. Why would the aliens be attacking the school? She could only think of one that enjoyed going so far. It couldn't be coincidence that this was happening at her school. She knew the green haired alien too well to believe that.

Masha lead Ichigo a good ways down the hall before he stopped. The animated fluff began to dart about as though he were confused. The red head stopped beside him, taking the moment to catch her breath.

"What is it, Masha?" Ichigo asked him, wondering if maybe it was a false alarm.

But Masha perked and went to the nearby window, his wings flapping harder in alert. "Ichigo! Chimera Anima!"

At that moment, the building shook. Ichigo stumbled over to the window and looked out. From there, she could clearly see two identical Chimera Anima reeking havoc on the schoolyard, but they only held her attention for so long. Reflexively, her eyes went in search of whatever alien had created them. When her eyes landed on the last alien she always wanted to see and she realized who he was hovering over, her hues widened in a panic.

"Yume-chan!" Without another thought, she bolted down the hall in search of the nearest exit. "Mew Mew Strawberry! Metamorphosis!"

/o/

"Yume! {Whistle, whistle} Danger! Danger!" Shu whistled sharply, dancing around her head, asthough he was encouraging her to get up, but she couldn't find her barrings as the creature made a threateningly slow advance.

"No, no," Kisshu told it. Yume only then became aware of the fact that he was almost directly behind her. "This one's mine."

The monstrosity hissed in discontent but backed off a step in order to appease its commander. Kisshu grabbed her upper arm and, without any warning, jerked her up. She stumbled, just barely finding her footing. Immediately, she tried to pull free of the hold that was on her arm, but the grip only tightened, painfully.

"L-Let me go!" Yume struggled, trying to pry his hand off her arm. "W-What do you want with me?!"

Kisshu chuckled at this feeble attempt. He grabbed her free hand, the one that was attempting to no avail to loosen the hold he had on her arm. He pulled her close to him, causing her to inhale sharply in fright as her crimson hues were absorbed by his golden ones. Too close, way too close. She tried to pull away, to put some distance between them, but the alien made certain that she couldn't get away.

"You really don't know anything?" he asked, rhetorically.

He looked as though he would go on, but a titillatingly familiar voice called his name, sharply. "Kisshu!" He craned his head to look at his Kitten, decked out in her pretty little Mew attire. She was glaring at him, angrily, threateningly. He loved it. There was no time when Ichigo was cuter than when she was angry. "Let Yume-chan go!"

Yume made a strong jerk to free herself. Kisshu released her, allowing her to tumble to the ground once again. She wasn't going anywhere. He could afford sometime strictly for the leader of the Mews. He turned to her, his hand cockily on his hip.

"Sorry, Koneko-chan," he feigned regret. "I didn't come to play with you today."

Ichigo bristled. "What do you want with Yume, Kisshu?" she demand, taking a threatening step forward.

Kisshu tsked at here, "Uh uh uh, Mew Ichigo, don't come any closer." The slitted pupils of his eyes shrunk. Cued, the Chimera Anima that had blocked Yume's path slammed its paws on either side of the white haired girl, just inches from crushing her. In pure terror, Yume screamed, covering her face reflexively. Shu flitted frantically around her head, whistling painfully sharp, continuing to cry out warnings that fell on deaf ears. Yume trembled as the creature leaned down close to her, so close that she could feel her clothes shift as it inhaled her scent. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?"

"Y-Yume!" Ichigo ceased her advance, immediately, glaring at Kisshu with all her might, searching for a plan that would save the frightened girl from any harm.

Why did this strange girl with cat ears know her name? Why was some vampiric elf trying to hurt her? Since when did monsters exist? Yume struggled to understand through her raging, fearful thoughts, terrified tears filling her tightly closed eyes as the creature continued to sniff at her, waiting. She could sense it waiting for the command to strike. Not far away, she could hear that other one destroying one thing or another, though she couldn't say what was being destroyed. But she could hear the rumble and she could hear the other students and teachers screaming.

Kisshu chuckled, pleased by the red heads reaction to his threat. "Now tell me, Ichigo, what does this girl have to do with the Mews?" he posted, more for his amusement than for the information it could offer. "Are you planning on turning her into one of you? I can only assume that she isn't yet."

What was a Mew? Chimera Anima? Alien?

Ichigo's eyes widened. Quickly, she shook her head. "Let her go, Kisshu!" she insisted. "She has nothing to do with the Mew Project. She doesn't even know what it is!"

What is the Mew Project? What is any of this?

Kisshu's expression narrowed to a thin line. He could tell. Ichigo wasn't desperately searching for something to say in order to make him let the girl go. No, it was more than that. Desperate because she was telling the truth. It was a bit disappointing that she knew nothing, supposedly. It made her...a little less interesting. But, so frightened like she was, it was still cute and then there was that feeling he couldn't place...Despite, he wanted to play with her. Besides, the Mews clearly had a personal connection to this girl. She was still a good ploy, if nothing else.

He grunted, decidedly. "Well then, Kitten." He snapped his fingers. To Yume's slightest relief, the Chimera Anima raised its head to look at its master. "I guess I'll just use her to destroy you. For now, he and his brother over there will play with you."

"Kissh-" Ichigo tried to protest, but her words were cut off when the once-squirrel jumped over Kisshu, away from Yume, and swiped its claws at her. Distracted, she didn't escape the blow. She was tossed away, but she managed to land on her feet just before the creature was on her once again, joined in by its comrade.

Yume, aware of the large presence no longer looming over her, inhaled and exhaled heavy breaths, feeling as though she were two steps from hyperventilating. "Danger! Danger! {Whistle! Whistle!} Yume!" Shu panicked in her ear.

Gathering as many of her broken barring as she could, she shifted onto her knees then stumbled to her feet. Disorientated, dizzy, she flailed her arms slightly to find her balance. What did he mean, use her to destroy the other girl? Like everything else, she didn't understand.

"Alien!" Shu whistled, alerting Yume to the alien that the pink girl had called Kisshu. He appeared, very literally, out of thin air a few steps in front of her. "Danger! {Whistle!}"

Yume stared at him, wide eyed, still trembling, her head spinning, her throat tight, her heart beating too fast. This amused the green haired alien to no end. "Sorry, Sweetie," he hummed, "but you won't be going anywhere."

He held out a hand, aiming his palm at her. Her crimson eyes widen another fraction when the hand gained a dangerous glow. She felt that glow envelope her body and her form was lifted from the ground, suddenly weightless. Then, there was pain. Terrible, terrible pain. The light was piercing into her chest, clawing, reaching for something deep within. The pain drew a lingering scream from her throat. The light, she felt it encircle something and grab hold. It was trying to pull it out, to tear whatever it was away from her and whatever it was pulling back, refusing to leave its domain without a fight. It was thrashing inside of her, fighting back with all of its might.

Kisshu, as well, felt this struggle. There had only been one other time that he had any trouble removing a human soul from its body and that was when he had tried to take one from that monkey girl. This time, still, was different. With that Mew, it had been as though her soul was stuck tight in a crevice so he had to pull harder. In this case, with this girl who was supposed to be nothing the spirit was fighting back against him. It was fighting him. The new development would have amused him if he could take his concentration off the removal. He grabbed his outstretch arm with his other hand to steady it, raising Yume further into the air as though this would give him traction. He gritted his teeth and braced his stance.

"Ribbon...STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

That was one Anima down. He was running out of time. He grimaced, his hand glowing brighter in an attempt to overpower this annoying soul. Then, it happened. The girl erupted into an explosion of psychedelic lights. The light hit Kisshu, hard, with a very tangible force, sending him flying back before he could even think of hunkering down. He was sent skidding across the ground, leaving an indention of his path in his wake. Cursing, he sat himself up. The light dimmed, then disappeared. The girl, suspended in the air, her eyes lost all light, then closed. Whatever held her airborne gave way and she descended.

Ichigo was distracted from her fight with the remaining monster when the light blinded both her and the creature. Darting her attention toward the source, she shielded her eyes in time to see Kisshu being flung away and the light dissipate, revealing Yume just before she lost consciousness and fell. She...didn't believe her eyes. She didn't know what to think about what she saw.

"Yume!" she cried out as the other girl began to fall.

She made a move to go to her aid in hopes of catching her before she hit the ground, but the damnable Chimera Anima got in her way. Ichigo was able to hold up her weapon just in time to protect herself from another swipe of its paw. Luckily, there was a flash of blue, one that moved much faster than Mew Ichigo could have have hoped to. Said flash scooped the unconscious girl up just before she hit the ground.

"B-Blue Knight!" Ichigo cried in recognition of her self-appointed protector. The creature attempted to stomp on her while she was distracted. The Mew dodged in the niche of time. "That's it!" she proclaimed. "I've had enough of you! Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!"

An array of sparkling, rainbow light come from her Strawberry Bell and hit the creature. It gave a hardy cry, then it deformed, splitting into an Infuser and a rather confused little squirrel that scampered off to the safety of what trees were left in the schoolyard. Masha, happily, swallowed the escaping Infuser.

Kisshu glared at the savior that had become the bane of his existence as he stood from his indention. The blonde chevalier stared back at him with a blank, careless expression, one that just burned the alien to the core. His amber eyes traveled from the knight to the girl in his arms that had gone from a vague interest to a vast curiosity. He would have to report this to Pai, immediately. He'd be back to play with her again. Without saying a word, the world rippled around him and he was gone.

Ichigo, normally, might have tried to stop Kisshu's retreat, but there were more important matters on her mind. She ran over to the mysterious Blue Knight and Yume. Gently, the blonde man was laying Yume down on the ground. Ichigo slide to her knees beside the unconscious girl, checking her frantically for damage.

"Yume-chan?" She shook the girl's shoulder, taking a double notation that, thankfully, her chest was rising and falling. "Yume-chan, please wake up. Yume-chan?"

"Mew Ichigo!"

The pink Mew's ear twitch I the direction of the voice. She turned around to see the other Mews running toward them. Late, but better that than never, she supposed. She turned back to thank the Knight for saving Yume, but he was gone. She closed her mouth, intent on thanking the next time he came to save her. The other Mews had gathered around, worried expressions infecting them quickly.

"What happened to Yume-onee-chan?!" Pudding demanded.

Ichigo thought back. She wasn't sure what, exactly, had happen in a whole. "I-I don't know. Kisshu tried to take her spirit and then...I'm not sure what." The girls exchanged glances, not one of them knowing, exactly, what the other girl was talking about but, from a distance, they had all seen the flash of bright light.

"We should get her back to the Cafe and report whatever it is that happened to Keiichiro and Shirgane," Mint stated, matter-of-factly.

Shu levitated over to his girl. As though nothing at all had happened, he landed on her chest and cuddled up to her, whistling happily.

/o/

Chapter two! Wo-rah! This turned out kind of long, didn't it? ^^"

In case you guys haven't noticed, Shu can only sense aliens and Chimera Anima when they are, literally, right on top of him. He also has no emoti'ing capabilities aside from happiness and panic. Also, he has no mouth and can not eat infusers. Just thought I'd make this clear!

I'm pretty proud of this chapter so I hope everyone sincerely likes it!

I'm excited to hear what you guys have to say about it!

~Aster