My updates have finally caught up with my writing...

Chapter Ten – The Cute vs. The Sexy

Something hit it midway, knocking it off target. Mew Licorice nearly fainted with feelings of overwhelming relief. Shaking slightly, she, Mew Spice, Strawberry, and practically everyone else turned to see where the object had come from –

– to see three teenage boys floating in the air.

"Taruto?" Licorice exclaimed, as she realised he was the one who'd just saved her life.

"Hello Licorice. How are you?" Taruto asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"Thanks," Licorice said, ignoring what he'd just said.

Apparently Mew Spice wasn't too pleased about her attempted murder on Mew Licorice being foiled by an eleven-year-old alien midget, because she sent the three Cyniclons a glare before lunging at Taruto's head. Pai, however, wasn't going to let her try anything of the sort, and Mew Spice was thrown back by a sudden powerful gust of wind.

Now that Mew Spice's attention had been distracted, other things Licorice had pushed out of her mind before started coming back. She had a sickening feeling as she imagined what might have happened if Taruto hadn't saved her, if he hadn't done anything, if he'd been too late, or if he simply hadn't been there at all…

"What are they doing here?" Mew Strawberry wondered aloud, and then noticed the expression on Licorice's face. "Licorice?"

"Bring me down, please," Licorice said, as she remembered her other problem. "I'm sorry… I don't like heights."

Mew Strawberry nodded, checked to see that Pai and Taruto were still engaging Mew Spice, and with her arms around her the two of them jumped down. The school yard was starting to clear up – people had probably moved inside to watch the fight from a safer viewpoint, now that they'd seen how serious things were.

Maybe Minto was right… Mew Licorice thought, as she bent her head and started breathing slowly through her mouth. You can't believe there's anything dangerous about being a superhero until it actually happens. Brilliant.

"Hi, ladies!" a familiar voice said, and Licorice looked up to see Kishu standing in front of them. "Licorice, are you okay? You look pale."

"Speak for yourself," Licorice replied, and despite everything a small smile appeared briefly on her face.

"How did you know…?" Mew Strawberry started to ask.

"Ryou was alerted that you'd transformed, and got us to see what was going on. Lucky we did, too," Kishu commented as Mew Spice took a swipe at Pai. "From what I saw, Licorice would be dead now if we hadn't."

Something about the way he made her sound weak and the casual way in which he said this irritated Licorice, and looking down to hide her expression, she clenched her fists. But Kishu wasn't looking at her anymore anyway.

"So now that we've got Spice under control, you two can help by destroying the force field," Kish continued.

"You call that under control?" Strawberry asked, gesturing to the fight going on behind them. No matter what Kishu said, the odds still seemed to be on the fox-girl's side.

"More under control than you had her," Kish pointed out, and Mew Strawberry managed to hold in whatever excellent comeback she'd thought up, letting him continue. "Pai said that the force field was most likely generated from inside the building – don't ask me how he figures that, but you should go looking for it."

"You're telling me that we have to walk through the entire school, searching every classroom for this… whatever it is that's got us stuck inside a dome?" Mew Strawberry demanded, obviously not too pleased at the idea.

"Well, Ryou did tell me to give you this…" Kishu said, opening his hand. Out popped a fluffy pink robot known to most as Masha. "You'll need him again, now. Take him quickly. He keeps complaining when he's around us."

"Alien! Alien!" Masha chirped, fluttering up and down into Mew Strawberry's outstretched hands.

"Yes Masha, I know, thank you."

"That's the robot used to detect kimera anima?" Mew Licorice asked in surprise.

"Yes," Mew Strawberry said. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, I guess I just didn't expect it to be so cute!" Licorice said as Mash nuzzled the palm of her hand.

"Welcome to the world of Tokyo Mew Mew," Kishu said. "If you're good, you're cute. If you're evil," he grinned, "you're sexy."

"Which one are you then?" Mew Licorice asked.

"Hmm, good question."

Mew Strawberry rolled her eyes, but Licorice laughed.

"KISHU, STOP FLIRTING WITH THE MEW MEWS AND GET OVER HERE NOW!" Taruto yelled, narrowly escaping death again for the third time in about five minutes. "THIS IS NOT FUN!"

"I'm needed elsewhere," Kishu said. "'Bye!"

"But –"

He had already gone. Masha leading the way, Mew Licorice and Mew Strawberry hurried into the school building. Some of the classrooms they passed were full again, all of the students staring at the fight still going on outside the window. The variety of ages of the kids milling in the hall stopped Licorice from being concerned that anyone would notice they were gone. Now and again, a few people looked at them as they passed, but aside from that, no one seemed to notice them anymore.

"Ichigo," Licorice said, breaking the silence, "er, Mew Strawberry."

"Yes?" Mew Strawberry said, her eyes never leaving Masha.

"You argue with Kishu a lot, don't you?"

Mew Strawberry stopped in surprise. "I do?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, from what I've seen of you so far – I could be wrong…"

"No – I suppose you're right," Mew Strawberry said thoughtfully. "Strange, I never really thought about it that way… Masha, do you actually know where you're going?"

"Masha knows! Masha knows!" Masha chirped. "This way! This way!"

"Okay," Mew Strawberry said with a sigh – she wasn't entirely sure she believed him.

Finally, Masha stopped outside the closed door of the principal's office. "Kimera anima! Kimera anima!"

"In there?" Mew Strawberry asked.

"In there! In there!"

"So… who wants to go in first?" Licorice asked casually.

Mew Strawberry stepped forward, and slowly pushed the door open. What they saw next would have otherwise shocked them.

The unconscious bodies of about four people lay on the ground, but apart from this everything seemed relatively calm – there were no signs of a struggle. The enemy must have worked quickly.

Floating above the desk was what looked like a transparent bubble of light, crackling with energy – presumably the source of the force field's power. Slowly, Mew Strawberry and Mew Licorice walked into the room.

"Let's do this quickly," Mew Licorice said, thinking of Kishu, Pai and Taruto still fighting outside.

"Strawberry Bell!" Mew Strawberry cried, and aimed her weapon at the power source. "Ribbon – "

"Kimera Anima!" Masha said urgently.

The two mews spun around. A figure emerged from behind the door. She looked about sixteen years old. Her long black hair fell to her waist, and she had the ears and tail of a black wildcat. Her outfit looked like a black, two-piece version of Ichigo's. She had black bandage-like material wrapped around her arms and legs, and short, high-heeled boots. A long, black-metal scythe was grasped in her right hand.

"What?" she asked at the sight of their shocked faces. "You didn't think we were going to make it that easy for you, did you?"

And just like that, she attacked.