After Work

After Work

"Nice job girls. Luckily, there was no Chimera Anima today." Zha said giving Shana 50 and Tikal 40. Shana nodded as she and Tikal went into the changing room. She hummed a little tune as she put on her goggles and folded her uniform. As Tikal changed she remembered.

"Oh! Shana-Chan! I have to ask you something!"

"Hm? What is it?" asked Shana.

"Why do you like the number 831?" Shana was surprised by the question, but she smiled.

"Because of its meaning."

"Meaning? What does it mean?" Tikal thought. "All I can think of is numbers! Ha ha!"

"First, it's 8 letters. They make 3 words. And have 1 meaning. I love you." Shana grinned, closing her locker. Tikal 's eyes faltered and her smiled softened.

"Ah I see... Do you mind if I tell Zha-San that?" she grinned.

"W-what?!" Shana exclaimed, a pink tinge appearing on her cheeks. "He put you up to this??"

"Well, he asked me!" Tikal 's grin became wider. "Plus I was curious too!" she sat on a stood in front of her locker. "Ah, and Shana your pink. "

"Eep!" Shana became red and ran out of the door as she ran past Zha and Ren. Ren smiled.

"Shana-Chan!" Tikal ran halfway and stopped beside Zha and Ren.

"Whats wrong with her? Is she sick? She looked red." Tikal looked at Zha then at Ren then back at Zha.

"Hi-mi-tsu" she winked.

"WHY YOU-!" Zha gritted his teeth. "I think Shana's rubbing off on you!"

Shana kept on running. She went on running until she could run no longer. She found herself in the park. She climbed a tree and sighed while she waited for the heat to leave her cheeks.

Tikal left leaving Zha in confusion. "Nya It'll be better of like this!" Tikal skipped to the intersection on which Shana and Tikal part. She didn't see her so she decided to call her. Shana sang a little to herself on the tree.


"Little By Little

Day By Day

I'm just not certain

What I should say

I see you walkin'

And we don't talk

We just argue

And away we walk"

"8...3...1" She whispered to herself. Tikal saw that Shana didn't pick up so she called again.

"Nya nyan nya nyan" she hummed to herself while she waited.

"Maybe I should call Tikal ..." Shana reached for her phone when she realized it wasn't in her pocket. 'Oh no!' She thought frantically, 'I left it at the cafe!"

"Hm..." Tikal called a third time.

"What is that annoying noise?" Zha sighed looking up from doing his homework on one of the tables. He followed the noise to the girl's locker room. He saw a phone. "Eh?" he grabbed the phone and picked it up. "Moshi moshi?"

"Eh?! Zha-San? Why do you have Shana's phone?" Zha sweatdropped. "I don't know the beeping noise was annoying me. This is Shana's phone?" Tikal nodded.

"Mhm. Seems like she left it... Want to help me find her?" Zha shrugged.

"I guess so." Tikal told the Shirogane blood where to meet her. "Okay see ya!" He hung up and looked at her screen. "Even she has the number 831 on the screen! Geez. That number is starting to annoy me."

Shana stayed in the tree, pondering whether to get the phone the next day or to go to the cafe and face Zha now. She groaned inwardly as she hung upside down from one of the high branches in the tree. She started climbing up higher, which her raccoon DNA made easy. She went up until she was nearly at the top and sighed. 'What now?' She thought.

Zha met up with Tikal . "Okay. I'll look through her neighborhood while you just keep on going forward." Zha nodded then asked.

"Oh! Do you want Shana's phone? You might see her." Tikal shook her head. "You give it to her." she winked. "And anyways if the other person sees her we can just call and meet up somewhere." he nodded and continued North. He eventually ended up in the park.

"Now. If I we're Shana where would I hide after running out of the Café like a lunatic..." he said to himself near the tree Shana was in. Shana was looking around when she saw Zha on the ground.

'Ack!' She thought and she lowered her head a bit to be hidden by leaves. 'I am NOT ready for this...' She thought again. Zha looked around.

"Bleh. I'm not Shana. I don't know where she would be." he sighed and looked above. Gratefully he only spotted her foot. Which, for Shana, isn't good at all. He grinned and started climbing the tree. "Oi! Shana is that you?" he called out.

'Oh no...' She thought. She looked down. 'I could jump..." She contemplated, "But I would probably sprain my ankle and I wouldn't be able to run..." She sighed in defeat and just scooted over to make room for Zha.

Zha noticed it was Shana and smiled his 'omg I accomplished something!' smile. "Hey Shana! You forgot your cell phone." he said sitting beside her digging into his pocket and take out the phone. But he held it away from Shana. "Care to tell me what this is?" he flipped open the phone and showed the wallpaper '831'.

"Eh... um... well, uh..." She stuttered for the first time in her life. He sighed and gave the phone to Shana. "Never mind. I guess you're not ready to tell me yet. It doesn't matter. I can always steal the planes back and use that." he grinned jokingly then asked. "Why'd you run out of the Café like that? Did you and Tikal get into a fight or something? Your face was red."

"...No..." She replied hesitantly.

"Then what?" he asked straight forward. "You're acting weird. You never usually act like this." he sighed and looked at the sky. "Meh, Maybe you're stuck on one of your planes again."

"I am not!" She replied. Then looked down, avoiding eye contact.

"Prove it." he challenged, grinning. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Eh?" he picked it up.

"Zha-San!"

"Eh?! Tikal ? How'd you get this number?"

"Hi-mi-tsu!" she spoke in return. Zha sweatdropped and Tikal continued. "So, have you found Shana yet?" Zha gave the phone to the girl beside him.

"Your boyfriend."

"Eh!?" She took the phone, "Konnichiwa?"

"Eh? Oh Shana! Zha-San found you!" she screamed into the receiver. "I stumbled upon your house. Your mommy was slightly worried nyan!" Tikal looked around. "Your rooms full of airplanes nyan!" she told Shana. "But I didn't know you kept Zha-San's cell phone number in that notebook..." she smiled. ( Tikal : ha ha, sorry I just had to put that! XD)

"EH?!" Shana was so surprised that she almost fell out of the tree. Luckily, she caught her legs on the branch and was just hanging upside down again. "NANI!? YOU'RE IN MY ROOM!?" Shana thought about how the number 831 was practically everywhere and the fact that she had some embarrassing stuff from the past just hanging out in the open. Zha looked at Shana confusingly. Tikal smiled on the other line.

"Ne! Shana come to your house nyan! I have great news for you! Also tell Zha-San that I dragged Ren to your house too. But he's downstairs talking to your mommy." Shana's eyes widened. She flipped back over to sit down normally next to Zha.

"We HAVE to get out of this tree." She said, swinging from branch to branch. "Ren-sama and Tikal-chan are at my house!" Once she decided it wouldn't do any damage, she jumped down to the ground, landing perfectly. "C'MON!"

"Okay Okay geez!" Zha said jumping down. "Hey! Why don't you call me Zha-Sama! You call Ren-Kun that!" he said walking behind her. Tikal hung up and went down stairs.

"Sama is a term of respect, remember?" She said, quickening her pace. "Figure it out!"

Zha rolled his eyes. "Penalty." he whispered catching up with Shana.

"Kyuu..." She whined, breaking into a run.

"Ren-San! Shana Okaa-san! They're on there way!" she sat beside Ren and joined into their conversation.

Ren smiled as Tikal sat down. "Thank you, Ms. Tikal."

Tikal turned red. "Ah ha ha! No problem!" she rubbed the back of her head grinning. Ren just grinned, sipping some tea. The two got to Shana's house and Zha sighed.

"Ah the memories of when I used to come here!" He put his hands behind his head. And they both went in. "Konnichiwa Kureshi-San." Zha said bowing. Tikal smiled.

"Yay! You're here nyan!"

"Zha-kun? I barely remember the last time you came here! Please, make yourself at home." smiled Shana's mother.

"Yeah... " said Shana.

"My, look how you've grown!" admired Shana's mother.

Zha smiled and sat down. "Yeah. I've grown. But I think you grew much prettier than before." he smiled using his ladies charm. Tikal sweatdropped and glanced at Shana, giving her a 'does he always acts a ladies man?' look. Shana nodded and glared at the back of Zha's head. Shana pinched his back and smiled sweetly so her mother wouldn't catch on.

Zha tried not to scream and he whispered. "Psst! Shana if you keep on doing that your penalty will be double!" Tikal snickered and said.

"Nya Kureshi-San made us dinner! It's polite to accept and eat nyan! I already called my mommy."

"Ok!" Shana smiled, then whispered to Zha, "Then quit hitting on my mom or else the pain will be TRIPLE." Zha sighed.

"Fine fine. Deal." He smirked. "This place hasn't changed in a bit." Everyone was already in the dining room and Tikal called for them. "Shana-Chan! Zha-San! Are you going to eat or not nyan?"

"I'm coming!" smiled Shana, taking a seat next to Tikal , laughing.

"Uh uh! You two have to go wash your hands before dinner!" warned Shana's mother.

"Ok!" said Shana getting out of the seat. Tikal nodded and went to the sink. She passed by Ren and Zha who just finished doing so. While washing her hands she said to Shana. "Hey Shana-chan since tomorrow is a holiday I'm going to sleep over. While Zha-San was looking for you, your mommy agreed with my mommy that I can." Shana smiled.

"Great! You have your stuff?"

"Ren-San's going to come to my house to get my stuff for me. " she smiled over at Ren and looked at Shana. "I can't wait till I taste your mommy's cooking! I bet she's as good as my mommy nyan!"

"Yup!" said Shana. "But let's sit on the right side of the table. My mother sometimes experiments with cooking and puts those on the left side of the table." Tikal looked wide eyed at Shana.

"Hontou?!" she sweatdropped. "Ah ha ha ha." Tikal and Shana quickly ran to the right side of the table before Zha and Ren could. "Hey. I was going to sit there." he glared at Shana. While her mother was turned around she made a face at him and glared back. Zha stuck his tongue at Shana before sitting in front of Shana. Tikal looked at Ren said, "Ren-San, do you know the Kureshi's?"

"A bit." He replied with his charming smile. "I've been with Zha since he was quite little and I too have made some memories in this house when I used to bring him over when he used to sleep over so much here." Shana looked aghast at this information he had just told Tikal . Tikal turned to Shana and giggled. Then she turned back to Ren and said,

"Is that so... Oh. Ren-San your only 2 years older than Zha-San right?" Zha ignored the groups' conversation and yelled, "Itadakimasu!" and started eating. Shana's mother smiled at this as she sat down. Ren nodded.

"That's right." "His parents had me look over him. Just as Akasaka-san looked over Zha's grandfather."

"Great grandfather." Zha corrected after swallowing his food. "Ryou Shirogane was my great grandfather. And the same person who started this project." he sighed and continued eating.

"Akasaka-San?" Tikal questioned eating a piece of fish.

"Keiichiro Akasaka. Previous owner of Cafe Mew Mew." Ren replied.

"Sugoi!" Tikal smiled finishing her food. "Oishi nyan!" Tikal told Shana's mom. "You're a great cook Kureshi-San!"

"Why thank you, Tikal-chan. You're very sweet! Shana, please clear the table." Shana nodded and started taking the plates and soaking them in water in the sink. She put the leftovers in the fridge and started on scrubbing the dishes. Zha went out the door.

"I guess I'll go home now. Nice seeing you again Kureshi-San! See ya Ren and Tikal ." Zha then stepped onto the porch. He flipped open his cell phone and texted Shana. 'Oi Shana. Candy is your penalty again. Since tomorrow there's no school come to café Mew Mew at 11 in the morning. See ya loser -- Zha-SAMA' Zha then started walking grinning to himself. "

Jaa ne Zha-San! See you tomorrow!" Tikal then faced Ren. "Ren-san can we go to my house now to get my stuff?" she asked. Shana fumed. Ren sweatdropped at this but smiled at Tikal .

"Sure. Let's go." Tikal nodded and said, "Shana-Chan! I'm going to go pick up my stuff now! Be right back!" she went out the door with Ren and into his car. Shana nodded as she finished the dishes.

'Now I can hide the embarrassing blasts from the past in my room!' And she ran upstairs. Ren opened the door for Tikal like a gentleman.

"Right this way." He smiled. Tikal smiled solemnly back at Ren and went in. When they arrived home Tikal got her side bag and put a change of clothes and other stuff she might need. When she went back downstairs she saw her mommy giving her a bento box.

"What's this mommy?"

"A midnight snack, Thought you and Shana-Chan might like it." she walked Tikal to the door and saw Ren. "Who's that?" she asked pointing at him.

"Oh! That's my boss Ren-San!"

"Charming young man." Okaa-San smirked. "You like him, Tikal ." Tikal turned red of embarrassment and snapped.

"Okaa-san! He's just a friend! Like Shana-chan, and Zha-San!"

"Zha-San?"

"Long story" Tikal replied giving her mom a peck on the cheek. "Sayounara Okaa-San!" Tikal 's mother waved back and called out,

"Tikaru! Your Otou-san comes back on Sunday!" Tikal turned around and smiled widely,

"I can't wait nyan!" and she climbed into the car. "Thanks for doing this Ren-San. If I was walking I would have reached Shana's house again by midnight! Ha Ha!" Ren smiled charmingly again.

"No problem. "He replied. "I'm happy to help!" And then they were silent the whole way. When they reached the Kureshi's she got out of the car and bowed.

"Thanks for the ride! See you tomorrow! Jaa ne nyan!"

"Jaa!" waved Ren as he drove off.