Woo hoo! Earlier update than usual!
I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew~
"I can't believe this happened!"
Ichigo was running at top speed, struggling to put her hair into its usual pigtails as she went. "I'm late! And it's all Mint's fault for not waking me!"
Since Mint had joined Ichigo, it was agreed that Mint would take the vacant servant's room next to hers. Of course, this being said, they also agreed to wake each other if the time came.
Ichigo growled. That spoiled brat! When she got her hands on her...!
"I'm here!" Ichigo shouted, pushing the doors open. She bent down, putting her hands on her knees and panting.
The only people inside were Mint and Keiichiro. The younger girl, who was sitting on one of the counters, raised an eyebrow at the red-haired maid.
"It's about time," she sniffed. "I've been waiting for over two hours."
"Why didn't you wake me?!" the girl shouted. "I overslept! It's..." she stopped. "Where are all the other servers?"
Keiichiro gave her a smile. "Oh, they've been excused for the day. It's just you and Aizawa."
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "I hate you all."
Mint snickered. "Don't be so bitter. After all, we have..." The girl tilted her head, trying to think. "About another hour to prepare, and some of the ingredients are missing for today's breakfast, so Akasaka wants you to go to the marketplace to pick them up!"
Before Ichigo could protest, Akasaka handed her a slip of paper. "Be sure to go to all the stores that are written in there. They provide the most freshest ingredients. And here's some money for them. Be sure to come back at seven o'clock sharp!"
The red-haired girl's mouth dropped open. "But...but..."
"Go along, Ichigo!" Mint said cheerfully. "Be sure to come back soon!"
With that, Ichigo was shoved out of the kitchen. For several moments, she stood there, dumbfounded.
"OH NO!"
Ichigo counted the things from the list. "Let's see...eggs, check. Cheese, check. Milk, check." Reciting a few more ingredients in her head, the maid turned to the store-keeper. "Excuse me, what time is it?"
He tilted his head. "I'd say around...six thirty."
Panic waved through Ichigo. She was going to be late! And if Akasaka didn't have the ingredients, the royal family wouldn't have their breakfast. That alone promised punishment.
Tossing the money onto the counter, she said a quick, "Thank you," before dashing out at top speed.
"If only I hadn't overslept!" Ichigo groaned to herself as she made her way past the other people in the market. Making a sharp turn, she hoped that it would be a quicker way to arrive at the palace.
It happened so fast.
First, she was running as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to keep the contents in her basket from spilling out. Then, there was a girl in front of her, eyes wide with surprise as she spotted Ichigo at the exact same time. Then, they were both on the ground, the contents in their hands next to them.
"Ow," Ichigo muttered.
The girl she bumped into gasped. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry! This wouldn't have happened if I were paying attention to where I was going!" She didn't dare look at Ichigo in the eye.
"No, no," Ichigo said, waving her hand. "It's not your fault. It was mine. I'm terribly sorry."
The girl walked over to her, bending down, still trying to not make eye contact. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? This wouldn't have happened if I were just paying attention!"
"It's alright!" Ichigo assured the girl. She jumped up, smiling widely. "See? Nothing's wrong. Besides, it was all my fault." With a start, Ichigo stopped and peered at the girl, who was starting to collect her things that had fallen. On the ground were impressive pieces of cloth.
"Do I know you?" Ichigo asked suddenly.
Pondering for a few moments, Ichigo continued to stare at the girl, who had finished collecting her things.
The girl set the pile down, and grabbed Ichigo's things. "Here," she murmured, handing Ichigo her basket (the eggs, to her relief, hadn't cracked). When the girl did look up, Ichigo finally made eye contact with her. Suddenly, the memory hit her like an arrow.
The girl seemed to remember, too. "It's you!" she gasped, bowing her head again. "You saved me from one of the Royal Guards! I thought I'd never get the chance to thank you! And I completely crashed into you! I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, it's not your fault," Ichigo said. "Are you alright?"
The girl looked at her with surprise. "Pardon me?"
"Are you alright?" Ichigo repeated.
The girl nodded slowly. "I...I've been wanting to thank you," she murmured. "That was dangerous, you know, sticking up for me like that. If I hadn't been so clumsy, you wouldn't have had to defend me!"
"It...it was nothing," Ichigo answered honestly. To be truthful, the red-haired maid still didn't know what exactly happened that day, either.
The green-haired girl's eyes widened, and she ran back to collect the cloth she had been holding.
What a shy soul, Ichigo thought, feeling sad. If her Mistress or Master was cruel, then a girl like her wouldn't stand a chance. And what was up with those cloths?
"Hey, Lettuce! What's taking you so long?!"
"We're leaving, so hurry up!" another voice added.
Turning around, Ichigo saw three girls around their age, their arms crossed. They looked right past her towards the green-haired girl.
"I'm coming!" the girl called. Then, returning her attention to Ichigo, she said, "I'm sorry. Good-bye!" With that, she raced off in the direction of the girls. Ichigo watched her go, before reality smacked her right in the face.
"I'm late!"
With that, she continued at top speed towards the palace.
"Oh, good, you brought them," Akasaka said to Ichigo when he noticed her in the kitchen.
The girl was breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry I'm late. We're going to get punished for not getting them their meal...it's all my fault!"
Mint walked inside. "What are you talking about? The meals are almost done. I just finished serving the appetizers."
Ichigo's mouth dropped open. "But...I thought these ingredients were for today's meal!"
"Oh, no," Akasaka said, shaking his head. He sounded bemused. "This is for tomorrow's meals! I'm glad you brought them so quickly with five minutes to spare! It would've been ugly if only one server served all the noble's food."
Mint nodded. She looked rather smug at Ichigo's worn figure. "Yes, it would have. They would have thought you were a lazy human. Oh, that would have been simply tragic."
Ichigo gritted her teeth, but before she could do anything, a loud DING! echoed through the kitchen.
"That would be today's breakfast," Akasaka said cheerfully. He pulled on some oven mitts and started to pull out the steaming meal.
Mint glanced at Ichigo, acting like she had just noticed the state the red-haired girl was in. "Goodness, Ichigo," she exclaimed. "You look like you ran a marathon."
Ichigo glowered at Mint. I'm tired, and my entire body is sore. And it's all thanks to you...to you...to you DEVILS!
That's all it was for her! Work, work, work! She would wash the dishes, clear the table when the nobles left, fix up snacks and drinks for the younger nobles when they came into the kitchen, and did all her chores after that!
And what did Mint do?
She sat around, drinking tea.
Tea.
Ichigo had found her the other day sitting at the table, sipping daintly at the little cup.
"Hey, you could help to, you know," the red-haired maid had snapped. "All you're doing is sitting there!"
Mint had shrugged. "It's my afternoon tea time. It can't be helped. If I don't drink it, I'll get a terrible headache."
"Who says you can decide that?!" she had shouted.
It couldn't be helped, though.
Later, when she had finally finished with all of her chores, Shirogane had randomly appeared, asking her if she was done.
"Yes, I am," she mumbled tiredly.
"Good. I want you to go out into the city and search for any signs of another Chimera attack."
And just like that, he walked away, leaving her behind.
That was so not fair.
Honestly...I feel...I feel like I'm just being used!
"Ichigo?" she heard Mint ask.
They were using her as a servant! She was already a servant for the Cyniclons; there was no way she was sinking to being a slave for humans!
Ever since she had agreed to become a Mew Mew, it had been working, fighting, searching for Chimera activity! That was practically all she ever did! She hadn't even had the chance to write a single letter to Moe and Miwa!
She was being overworked! That wasn't right.
There was no choice.
She would stand up for herself!
"You!" she snapped at Mint. The girl tilted her head, confused.
"What?" Mint asked.
"I demand you start helping me with the chores around the palace!" Ichigo demanded. "I want you to help me with everything around here! I'm sick of being overworked, and you're not helping me lighten the load?"
Akasaka attempted to speak. "Ah, girls...?"
Mint tossed her head, smirking and ignoring the olther man. "Well, why would I do that? The whole reason we have this rebellion is to overthrow the Cyniclons, remember? Why should we continue to kiss their feet?" Her haughty gaze met Ichigo's furious one. "Besides," she added, "what are you going to do? Scratch me?"
With a cry of rage, Ichigo launched herself at Mint, letting out a battle cry. Startled, Mint fell onto the ground, but before any further fighting could continue...
RIIIIIP.
Both girls froze, before standing bolt upright. Mint's skirt had ripped horribly, leaving a wide, gaping hole that revealed too much of her legs for comfort.
"You!" Mint spat, pointing at Ichigo. "It's all your fault!"
"M-my fault?" Ichigo protested weakly, though she knew it was kind of her fault. She was the one who tackled her. Hot shame flooded Ichigo.
Akasaka quickly stepped in, handing Mint several pins. "This will have to do for now," he said. "After breakfast, I want you girls to go see the tailor, Yomogi Midorikawa. Ichigo, you still have some leftover money, correct?"
"Y-yes."
"You're going to pay for the dress, since you ripped it," he said sternly. "Midorikawa doesn't ask for the money right away, but it's not a good idea to try such a kind person's patience."
Ichigo nodded weakly. "Y-Yes sir."
Akasaka shook his head. "You two are teammates. You should try and get along better."
Mint glared at Ichigo. "Of course, sir," she said through gritted teeth, before grabbing two plates and marching out of the kitchen.
"Well?" Mint asked Ichigo.
"Well what?" the red-haired girl asked.
The shorter girl rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to be going to the tailor, remember? You know, to pay for the dress you ruined?"
Ichigo bit her lip. "We just need to throw the old leftovers out, then we'll go to the tailors. I promise, okay?"
Mint lifted her chin, glaring at Ichigo. "Whatever." She grabbed a bag of leftovers and stalked off, leaving the girl behind.
The maid sighed, readjusting the bag of leftovers in her arms. "Honestly," she muttered. "What a brat."
The two made their way outside before dumping the bags in a small container. Before they could go back in, however, they heard a girl giggling.
"Did you hear the rumor?" the voice whispered.
Turning their heads, the two saw four girls huddled together. Ichigo recognized the green-haired girl, and the three from earlier.
"There's a ghost of a young woman wandering the lake nearby at night," one of them, a girl with a headband in her auburn hair, said.
"I've heard the stories!" another said, a brunette with hair covering one of her eyes. "Supposedly, the lake freezes up at night, and in the morning, before anyone can get there, it stays completely solid. One of the nobleman's daughters said she found the body of a small parasite drowned in the water!"
"Parasite's can drown?" Headband girl asked.
Brunette shook her head. "No. That's what's so weird! No living thing can destroy a parasite by something as simple as drowning!"
Mint squinted at them. "They must be servant's for a person of high standing. There's no way regular maids would hear rumors like that."
Brunette turned her attention to the green-haired girl, smirking. "But you know something? What if that's not all?
The green-haired girl looked startled. "Huh?"
Headband Girl seemed to have the same idea. "Why not go see it for yourself, Lettuce?"
The last girl, one with black hair, nodded. "And come back with evidence of it, too. You need to prove you saw the ghost. And don't come back until you have!"
"B-but..." Lettuce stuttered. "My duties..."
"Are you saying you won't do it?"
"I thought you were our friend, Lettuce. You are our friend, right?"
Ichigo grabbed the bag from the container and marched up to them. "Oh, no!" She stumbled slightly, before letting the bag slip out of her arms and onto the three girls, covering them completely in rotting leftovers.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Headband shouted.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Ichigo gushed. "I'm so clumsy!"
"I thought palace workers were supposed to be graceful, not clumsy," Brunette sniffed.
Black Hair seemed to ignore all of them. "You little...!" She attempted to tackle Ichigo, but the girl ducked just in time, sending Black Hair crashing to the ground at Mint's feet.
Mint's lips curled into a smile. "You should probably clean up," she suggested. "The King and Queen don't take too kindly to scum showing up at their door."
Black Hair stood up straight, easily towering over the girl. "And who are you to talk?"
Mint lifted her chin, the same cool smile etched on her face. "I am also a palace maid. Pardon my trainee's clumsiness. Though we may be at the bottom of the social pyramid, if there were one's for maids, I assure you, palace servants are at the top. I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."
Brunette's hair turned red. "You're a human, just like us! What right do you have to boss us around like you're in charge?!"
Her smile grew, looking more like an evil smirk. "You can either leave right now, or I can go ahead and call the Royal Guards to escort you out. I promise you, I'm much more pleasant."
The three girls, excluding Lettuce, drew themselves up, before turning on their heels and stalked away, still covered in leftovers.
"Um..."
Ichigo looked over at Lettuce, and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry for butting in like that. They seemed to be giving you a hard time, so I tried to help."
"No...it's okay." Lettuce looked at the ground, wringing her hands. "I...I should go." With that, Lettuce turned away and ran off, leaving the two behind.
"Good thing I took care of your mess," Mint said, sniffing. "That could've gotten messy." She started to walk back towards the servant's entrance. "Anyway, we need to tell this to Shirogane and Akasaka."
Ichigo looked at Mint, confused. "Why?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? A ghost? Come on, those stories have been around long before the Cyniclons took over, and that's still what they are. Stories. This is obviously the work of a Chimera."
"G-ghost?" Ichigo mumbled, not fully taking in what Mint said.
"Obviously just a rumor," Mint continued. Ichigo swayed slightly, not seeming to hear what the smaller girl was saying. "It's the work of the Chimera. I hope you have warm clothes, Ichigo."
The girl blinked warily. "Why?"
Mint smirked. "We're going ghost hunting."
There was a long pause.
"No."
Mint frowned. "Huh?"
"I said no."
"Why?"
Ichigo looked up, her face a mask of fear. "I hate ghosts!"
