A/N: I know what you're thinking: this bitch never posts often enough and we're lucky if we get an update once a month. I'm sorry. I'd like to say I'm busy with important, adult-like matters, but the truth is, I got Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for Christmas and I've been a little obsessed, and by a little I mean I play it all the time 24/7. I know this is probably the shittiest excuse you've ever heard but it is what it is.

Anyway, what matters is that despite my gamer issues, I am still working on this! There are multiple other fanfics that I keep telling myself I can't start until I finish this one and goddammit I'm gonna do it. Just be patient with me guys!

I might have made a couple typos in this one because I'm typing this on my laptop and the keys are a bit sticky (as in they tend to get stuck when i push down on them. i think my sister spilled something on it. if any of you know a solution for this, please let me know. its hella annoying). I'm not really one to proof read my work before publishing it, so if you see something monstrously wrong, just let me know and I'll fix it! Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!

RECAP: Amaya has been possessed by Kisshu's parasite alien and he's just turned her into a Chimera Anima. Zakuro has just stepped in to help. Ms Rosbe and the shelter are recovering from Kisshu's attack and they haven't seen Mamaya or Amaya since. Mamaya has left the cafe in search of Amaya in order to help save her sister. Akasaka waits for everyone's return. Ryou is with the rest of the Mew Mews, doing whatever he can to help out and save Amaya.

Happy reading, we're almost at the end, guys!

Ichigo had seen Kisshu do many evil things in the past. She'd seen his insanity, his chaos, and just how evil he could be. Yet somehow, she was sure she could never be prepared for something like this. He had taken the souls of tens of thousands of innocent humans and used them in his plot to attempt to destroy them and the earth, and still she had doubted that he would ever go as low as he had just then.

Amaya had become a monster. Her orange dress was tattered at the ends and her skin and fur were caked with mud, dirt and rainwater. She looked less like a Mew Mew and more like a mutant. It was as if her animal DNA had become stronger. Her eyes glowed yellow like Kisshu's; they mirrored each other's evil glare. Her viscous fangs glowered menacingly as she pulled her lips back in a feral snarl. Long claws dug forcefully into the ground as she shook with carnal anger.

"Amaya!" a tortured voice screamed out behind them.

Ichigo tried desperately not to turn around, to shut off her emotions and focus solely on what was happening in front of her, but she couldn't help it. She looked over her shoulder to see Shirogane standing across the threshold, face twisted in guilt and horror. She'd never seen Shirogane like that before. She should have known he cared about Amaya, since the day she showed up at the cafe.

And now he watched as she was torn away from him.

Tears in her eyes, Ichigo turned away. She couldn't bare to look any longer. She stared down at the pavement where puddles of rain began to collect around her feet. She couldn't just stand there and watch this all, but what could she do? How could they save Amaya without hurting her in the process? "This is such a mess," she muttered. "This is all so messed up!"

Mint glared up at the taller girl in pink. "Whining about it won't save Amaya! What are we going to do, Ichigo?"

Ichigo glared back, eyes still teary, turning on Mint in frustrated anger. "I'm trying my hardest, okay?! You don't need to be so bossy! I don't hear you coming up with any ideas either, Mint!"

A gentle hand on both their shoulders interrupted their habitual argument. Ichigo looked up to see Zakuro. The older girl was looking across the threshold at the girl who had once been their ally and friend. Her eyes were sad, Ichigo noticed. Zakuro was never one to become emotional in the middle of a fight but something told Ichigo that even she was overwhelmed by what was happening.

Still, Zakuro was always the voice of reason. "Don't take your frustrations out on each other. We're all worried about Amaya but fighting each other won't help."

Mint huffed impatiently, crossing her arms stubbornly as if still trying to get the last word.

A huge roar pierced the air.

"Ichigo! Mint! Zakuro! Run!" Pudding shouted.

Mint opened her eyes, and then she was getting thrown against the cold, wet ground with something heavy and warm on top of her. Again, she opened her eyes. She saw Ichigo leaning over her, panting heavily, dirt caked across her face like something had hit her there. Her pink hair pooled around her face in a wet, ragged mess, but she smiled down at her anyway. "You okay?" she asked.

Mint smiled. "I'm fine."

Ichigo helped her up and turned toward Amaya, who was sitting like a dog on the observation deck railing above them. She looked at Mint, then across the space at the rest of the Mews, then to Shirogane. She sighed and looked down at the ground, balling her fists tightly together in frustration. "This is all...All because of you!" she shouted up at Kisshu.

The green-haired alien laughed and crossed his arms behind his head. "I must admit, I outdid myself with this one. You'll never be able to beat her. She's a perfect prototype!"

The ground shook beneath them. Ichigo looked down toward the windows of the observation deck and felt the blood drain from her face. There were dozens - no, hundreds - of fox Chimera Animas shaking and hitting the glass below them, snarling as they fought to battle alongside Amaya. Ichigo began to panic. How could they fight both Amaya and all of these Chimera Animas at the same time?!

Zakuro stepped in quickly. "Lettuce and I will handle those guys. You three take care of Amaya, and call us if you need help!"

Ichigo nodded and watched as the green and purple girl went off to fight their own battle. She silently wished them luck as they went, hoping no one would end up seriously hurt in the end.

"Ichigo!"

She turned around, heart lurching as she saw Shirogane's face. He looked like he had a war going on in his mind. He was probably just as torn as she was. "Save her, okay?"

Ichigo nodded. She knew she could do this. She had to believe that they would save her. Now all she had to do was figure out how.

"All right, girls. Let's do this the only way we know how. We have no choice," she said, sharing glances with Mint, then Pudding. They looked back at her, determined. "We're going to have to fight."

For the second time that day, Mamaya found herself sprinting through the rainy streets, heart pounding through her throat as she prayed that her sister was okay. Aja ran a couple of feet ahead of her, leading the girl as she went. Mamaya assumed she was following something, like a scent. It wasn't much to go on, but it was all that she had and Mamaya had to try.

She was young when they'd lost her parents, too young to understand what was going on. Amaya herself was young when this mess all began. She would never know the things her sister went through and the decisions she had to have made to assure the safety of their lives. She'd probably made countless risks and thought at multiple times that they would die, either at the hands of the monster that attacked them or in the fluorescent concrete jungle of Tokyo. Mamaya had never worried about it because she had always been taken care of by her protective big sister.

Until now.

Mamaya could no longer stand around and watch as her only family was hurt over and over again. Amaya had done enough protecting. Now it was time for Mamaya to protect her.

Aja barked up ahead and stopped abruptly, turning to face Mamaya. She skidded to a stop, almost slipping on the wet concrete beneath her, and looked down at the fox cub. She frowned. They were standing in front of a tall, red tower with silver lights near the top and gates surrounding it on all sides. She looked down at the young fox quizzically. "Aja, are you sure this is where she is?"

Aja barked.

Mamaya looked up at the looming tower and suddenly felt very small. Her heart pounded nervously in her chest. She had no idea what was waiting for her at the top of this tower, but she knew it would be dangerous. She was scared, but she couldn't let that stop her. She had to do this. For Amaya.

"Let's go, Aja. Lead me to Amaya."

Aja barked and began running toward the tall, terrifying Tokyo Tower.

"Ribbon Strawberry-ah!"

"Ichigo!" Mint cried, watching as her comrade was struck backward and collided into the pavement. She rolled painfully across the threshold, mud and rain staining her skin and clothes. Mint ran and knelt to her side. "Ichigo, are you okay? You're bleeding!"

Ichigo pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, spitting blood onto the ground beneath her. She lay there for a moment, attempting to catch her breath and rest her coarse throat. Everything hurt. Her knees and hands were scraped, her elbows bruised, face bleeding. This couldn't go on much longer, she knew, otherwise they were all going to die from exhaustion.

"Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!"

"Ribbon Mint Tone Echo!"

Ichigo clamped her eyes shut against the sounds of their screams, as if it would deflect the suffering as well. She felt tears sting her eyes. Had she failed?

She looked up at Shirogane, who was doing his best to lend some aid to Lettuce and Zakuro. He had probably needed something to distract him so he wouldn't have to keep watching the fallout. If he had been a bystander, she wouldn't be able to just sit and watch either.

"Ichigo!" Mint cried. "She's attacking!"

Ichigo looked over her shoulder toward the disaster to see Amaya lifting her hands over her head they way she would when she called on her Mew Blackberry Wand. She cursed in her mind. She was getting ready to hit them with something but how big would the attack be? Even in her regular state, Mew Blackberry's attack was much more offensive than most of their attacks. Would it be even wilder now that she was being controlled by Kisshu?

"Ribbon Blackberry-"

Ichigo's head spun. She stood and held out her Strawberry Bell in front of her, praying that something would come out of it. If it didn't, they were done for. "Pudding, Mint, get behind me!"

"Ribbon Strawberry-"

Pudding and Mint hurriedly retreated behind their leader, arms up and ready to offer support.

"-Death!"

"-Surprise!"

A huge burst of energy flew toward them and for a moment, Ichigo thought she would be propelled violently backward. Four hands at her back stabilized her and helped her keep on her feet. "Come on, Ichigo, you've got this!" Pudding cried.

"You'd better not screw up!" Mint shouted.

Normally Ichigo would have a witty comeback but she was in too much pain to even consider sarcasm. The weight of Amaya's attack crushed down on her, making her arms and legs shake nervously. She felt like she was trying to sustain the weight of a boulder thrice her size. Was Amaya really this strong? Ichigo looked up at the girl's violently malformed face. She looked like she wasn't even breaking a sweat.

She was going to lose.

Ichigo's head sagged forward, but she pushed on. She may not be as strong as Amaya was but she had to keep trying. She wouldn't give up that easily. "Everyone, I need your help!"

"There's so many of them!" Lettuce cried, blocking yet another Chimera fox as it bared its teeth and leaped for her throat. "How will we get them all?"

Zakuro jumped as a Chimera fox charged toward her with viscously sharp claws. "We have to do whatever we can. I'll try to get them all together in one big group. Then we'll attack together. We'll keep going like that until we've destroyed them all. Starting now!"

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"

"Ribbon ZaCross Pure!"

Agonized howls stained the air, sending shivers down Lettuce's spine. She wasn't sure why but she felt sad for the fox Chimeras. She hated putting them through so much pain. She wished there was a more harmless way of reverting them back to their original forms. Sometimes they way the Mew Mews fought was so violent, she wished it wasn't necessary.

But she supposed once in a while it was worth it. As the small group of Chimera foxes were freed from the alien parasites, they each turned on the other foxes that were still evil and begun advancing. Growls and snarls were exchanged through both groups of animals, and soon they were focused entirely on each other.

"This is our chance," Zakuro said. "Let's change them back before they start hurting each other."

Lettuce nodded.

"Ribbon ZaCross Pure!"

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"

The howls filled the air again and Lettuce couldn't help but cover her ears at the sound. When she removed her palms from her ears and cautiously opened her eyes, she smiled. The foxes were barking happily at each other, Lettuce and Zakuro, as if they were relieved and grateful.

Masha floated through the air, collecting the alien parasites as he went repeating, "Retrieved! Retrieved!"

"We did it," Lettuce said gratefully, smiling at her comrade.

Zakuro nodded. "Now let's get back to Ichigo. I'm sure the others could use some extra hands."

"Everyone, I need your help!" Ichigo's voice shrieked desperately through the glass.

Lettuce and Zakuro shared worried glances and nodded, dashing toward their friends to offer some help.

Mamaya's throat throbbed. Of course on the day she needed it, the elevator was broken and she had to run desperately up the forty flights of stairs leading toward the very top of the tower. Having not a lot of freedom to roam around Tokyo, Mamaya couldn't exactly say she was in enough shape to run marathons, let alone up this many concrete steps. The most running she ever got to do was from class to class.

Aja ran a couple of steps ahead of her, seemingly unfazed by the amount of steps they were climbing. Of course, thought Mamaya, she needed to be nimble and quick in order to hunt for food. This must have been easy for her.

As they climbed, the building began to shake. Mamaya pushed onward. She knew that it had to be those girls trying to save Amaya. She could only hope and pray that her sister would be okay until she got there to help out. She wasn't sure what she could do that could really be useful, but she couldn't sit by and watch while her sister was hurt because of her. Not anymore.

"I've been fighting for you this whole time. I'm not about to stop now, Mamaya."

Tears welled up in Mamaya's eyes. Her sister's words had touched her but they had also somewhat hurt. All this time Mamaya had felt like she was losing her sister but in reality she was just trying to protect her. And for what? What did Amaya think would have happened had she told her that she was like this; that she was getting into all of these things with Ryou Shirogane and the cafe? Was Akasaka right? Could it really have been that Amaya was scared like he had said? Or was it something else?

Mamaya pushed her confused emotions away and wiped her tears on her sleeve. Before she'd left the shelter she'd looked nicely put together in her green dress with her hair neatly brushed, but now she looked disheveled and unkempt. Rainwater had seeped through her clothes and into her bones. Mud was specked up her ankles from running through the streets. Her hair was a soaked mess. She couldn't care. All she could think of now was Amaya.

Amaya.

Her sister. Her best friend.

"It doesn't matter what the reasons were for her hiding this from me. She's my sister. I have to help her," Mamaya told herself. She repeated it to herself again in her head, like a prayer.

"People will do anything to see you lose your sense of loyalty, but don't let them take it from you. You earned it."

They'd both earned it. All Mamaya had was her sister, and she her. No one could take that away from them. Mamaya would never allow it.

"I won't leave you. As long as we're together, we'll be okay."

"Hold on, Amaya," she whispered. "I'm coming for you."

Amaya felt like she was on fire. Her veins hummed with rampant adrenaline, pulsating between heart throbs like a heavy drum. She couldn't make any sense of her surroundings. All she could think of was how much pain she was in. Her body felt like it had been lit aflame from the inside and at any moment, she might implode.

Where was she? Were the Mew Mews safe? Was Ryou safe? Were Ms Rosbe and Mamaya and Aja safe? She couldn't even focus long enough to remember if she knew.

She saw all black for the most part, but as she tried to focus a little, she noticed she saw something pulsing and red. Was this some other world or was she just seeing things in her head? She couldn't even tell. Maybe she was dead and this was what hell felt like.

She felt herself move toward the pulsing red. As she came closer, she noticed it glowed. That must have been why she could see it in such inky blackness. It was the size of a baseball, and it floated in the vast nothingness like a bubble. She reached out as if to touch it, but hesitated. If she didn't know what it was, should she really be touching it? Then she shrugged. If she did nothing, nothing would change. Perhaps this red light was the key to finding out where she was. So she reached out and poked it.

For a moment, everything burst into red. Amaya's pain hyper-focused into an unbearable acidic feeling. She felt her muscles seize up as her body went into some kind of shock. Her jaw clenched tight, eyes clamped shut. She couldn't even release her jaws long enough to scream, so instead she cried inwardly: I WANT TO DIE. I WANT TO DIE. THIS HURTS. PLEASE MAKE IT END.

Then it began to subside. Her muscles began to relax, and her jaw went slack. She felt her teeth ache against the force of her clenching and a tear trickled down her face. She thought that the after pain would burn and ache, but instead she began to feel something sweet. Her muscles released, and she felt as if the knots had all been undone. A sweet smell overcame her. She opened her eyes, and when she did the redness was gone. Instead, everything was white.

She frowned. Looked down at herself. Then she frowned. She could not see herself before, in the blackness. But when she looked down, she was looking at her own hands. She looked around again.

She was in a field. Everything was pale, almost white, as if drained of their color. The grass around her was filled with flowers and cotton and tall willows. She thought that she'd be able to feel them against her skin, but she couldn't feel anything except for the strange sweetness of the empty air.

This was familiar. She'd had dreams of this place before. This was where she was when she'd dreamt of kissing Ryou. But why was she here?

"Where am I?" she whispered.

"You don't belong here."

She froze. She'd heard that voice before, many, many years ago. In the past it terrified her, but now she could only feel disbelief. Warily, she turned toward the voice behind her.

Tears filled her eyes as she covered her mouth in shock. There was a tall tree standing twenty feet away. Amaya had seen it before; it was the tree where Mrs Shirogane used to take them for picnics in their backyard. The very tree that Amaya had once told Ryou to stop being so boring underneath. It had been so long ago, yet it stood the exact same before her now.

Underneath the tree stood four tall figures: her mother and father, and Mr and Mrs Shirogane.

It was like all the pain had resurfaced at once. Her legs shook as she took a hesitant step toward them. Then another. She looked toward the two women. They smiled adoringly at her and opened their arms.

Amaya was wary. Her sweaty palms shook against her lips. She knew this couldn't really be her mother and Mr Shirogane; they were long gone. But then why could she see them in front of her right now? Was this Kisshu's doing? Maybe she really was dead.

"It's okay, darling. You're safe now," her mother reassured her.

At that moment, that was all Amaya could believe. At one moment she was standing motionless in the grassy field, and then she was sprinting through the bushes toward the all familiar faces, desperate for the safety and love they offered. She ran to them, throwing her arms around the two women as they knelt into her welcoming arms. Amaya thought that she would run right through them and the illusion would be broken, but when she felt contact it was with warm skin, not hard grass.

This was what she'd been missing. This was what she'd yearned for.

She squeezed tightly, face buried into her mother's shoulder, one arm around her, another around Mrs Shirogane. A sob escaped her lips, and it was all she could do to stop herself from bursting into uncontrollable tears. She had so many things to say. She had so many things to ask. But the first thing she managed to get out was a rough, croaky, "I'm sorry."

The arms tightened around her. "I'm sorry!" she wailed. "This was all...This was all my fault!"

She stepped away from them and wiped her tears on her hand. The guilt she'd been burying away for so long was finally clawing itself up to the surface. "I'm sorry. All you did was take care of me and yet I caused nothing but misfortune for you. It's because of me the Chimera Anima attacked your mansion and you ended up getting caught up in it."

Another figure knelt to her and put a hand on Amaya's shoulder. She looked up through bleary eyes to see her father. His eyes were sad and tired looking, like he'd lost something precious to him. He shook his head, slowly. "No, Amaya. It wasn't because of you. Actually, you could say that it was because of me that all of this happened."

She sniffed, wiping another tear away. She'd never seen her father like this before, not even when she was a child. All her life, all she remembered of her father was a stern voice and an even sterner face. He looked younger like this. She had to admit, he looked more human like this. When she spoke, she felt small, almost like she was a little kid again. "W-what do you mean? If I hadn't been taken in by the Shirogane's..."

Her father shook his head again. When he looked into Amaya's eyes, he gave a soft little smile. "I'm sure you know by now that it was because of my scientific research that you are the way you are. I conducted an experiment against your mother's knowledge in order to prove that the Mew Project could be successful. I did lots, and lots of testing to be sure that you were the right match. I know that what I did was reckless, and dangerous, but I want you to understand that I never would have done it if the chances of it failing were great."

Amaya nodded.

"Red Data animals are species which are listed as critically endangered. There are thousands of these species all over the world. These species may be dying out, but they have a type of will to fight that not anyone can understand. By using the DNA of these animals on hosts that are capable of coexisting with these species, earth could be saved. You were a match. A perfect one. I don't know if it was by fate or just design, but since you were young you have always been the shining hope of humanity."

The man ran a hand through his thick brown beard. "But of course, with great power came great consequences. The enemies knew that humanity could rise against them. So they sent warrior beasts, 'Chimera Animas' as you call them, to extinguish the threat. Barriers were set up all over the town to keep you and the Mew Project safe, but something slipped. I suppose the enemies became knowledgeable of our protection and discovered a way to penetrate it. When they attacked our home, your mother and I disappeared to do all we could to give you and Mamaya time to escape. We tried to distract our enemies but they were aware of our motives. They overpowered us. It was because of your animal instinct to protect that you and Mamaya were able to escape."

Amaya frowned. "So, it was because I'd been turned into a Mew Mew that I was able to fight the Chimera Anima back then?" she asked.

Her father shook his head. "No. It was your own courage that allowed you to do that. But it was your animal instincts that told you your survival was so important. You were born to protect, Amaya. Is that not what's motivated you this entire time?"

Yes, she thought. She'd always had the same motive: protect Mamaya. Ever since that first incident when she was six, her only objective had been to protect her sister.

"When I said it to you that day in the living room, it hadn't been an accident. I knew that it would trigger something inside you. You're strong, Amaya. A warrior. I couldn't have known that our enemies would be able to breach our barriers, but I knew that your skills would have to be put to use soon. I only wish I had given you more time and more knowledge, so that you would have known...I'm sorry."

Her throat burned. She'd never heard her father's voice filled with so much despair. "B-but what about at the Shiroganes'? If it was me the Chimera Animas were after, then it's my fault they were killed in the process of trying to get to me!"

Again, her father shook his head. "They weren't after you, my dear. They were after the project. They were after me, and then they were after Dr Shirogane. They wanted to stop our research from progressing any further and destroy our work before we could make more of you."

She looked up at the silent man standing behind her father. He looked away nervously and nodded, confirming that what her father said was true. Amaya had never really exchanged words with Mr Shirogane, but something told her he couldn't have been lying. She looked back to her father, tears in her eyes. "So...This wasn't my fault?"

Her mother stroked her hair gently. "Of course not, dear. None of this was your fault and it never will be."

Mrs Shirogane smiled reassuringly. "Don't feel bad for us, Amaya. We lived good lives and none of us regret a thing. All that matters is that you, Mamaya and Ryou are happy and well now."

"Which brings to me to the next matter," her father interjected, standing up again. His figure loomed over her like a statue. "You need to return to your world soon. It's time for you to save the day."

Amaya swallowed the lump in her throat. "But, I want to stay with you! I miss you..."

Her mother stood as well, lacing her fingers through her husband's. "He's right, Amaya. You don't belong in this world. You belong with Mamaya and Ryou back in your world. If you don't return, they'll all be killed."

Amaya's heart wavered. She wanted to stay and forget about her responsibilities as a Mew Mew. Everything here felt sweet and happy and nice. Everything back there felt dark and lonely and scary. Returning to a life of sadness? Amaya couldn't look forward to that.

"Amaya, I'm scared!"

Images of her sister when they were younger filled her mind. Memories of them crying together, holding each other, shivering from fear. Amaya remembered when she was fighting nightmares in the hospital, clinging to her baby sister, the only person she had left in the world.

And the only one who had her.

All they had were each other. Amaya couldn't leave her alone in a place like that. She could never forgive herself for it. She had to go back. She hated it, but she knew that living in a world without Mamaya, without Ryou, without the rest of the Mew Mews, or Aja or Ms Rosbe, things would be much lonelier. She looked up at her mother and father, Mr and Mrs Shirogane, and sighed. She'd suffered a lot of pain from losing them. She loved them very much.

But she'd moved on and created another life for herself. She could no longer live in the past.

Amaya sighed. "Okay. Tell me what to do."

Her mother leaned in and wrapped her arms around her, and for a moment, Amaya thought she might start crying again. She would miss this forever.

"You've grown up to be a strong, beautiful girl, Amaya. Take care of your sister and remember that we're always here with you, even when you can't see us."

Mrs Shirogane smiled at Amaya. "Keep my son out of trouble for me. It tends to follow him wherever he goes," she said.

Amaya nodded. As her mother stepped back, she could have sworn she'd seen tears in her eyes, but before she had the chance to tell the woman turned away and returned to Mrs Shirogane's side. They stood close to each other, as if supporting each other, and Amaya wondered if all they had in this empty place was each other.

"All right, Amaya, listen carefully," her father said, his voice stern again the way she always remembered. "This is what you need to do."

"Everyone, I need your help!" Ichigo cried, raising her weapon over her head as she prepared to fight. She hated having to fight her comrade but she had no other choice. At the rate things were going at, Ichigo's only other option was to be killed at Amaya's hands.

The other Mews circled around her the way they always did and raised their weapons over their heads as well. They shared glances and gave each other a mutual nod: everyone was ready.

"Ribbon ZaCross Pure!"

"Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!"

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"

"Ribbon Mint Tone Echo!"

"Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!"

They lifted their weapons as their power surged around them. The air began to glow in bright colors as Ichigo felt their power transfer to her. It built up inside of her, like a growing tidal wave ready to crash at any moment. She lifted her weapon toward Amaya as her mutated friend began charging toward her. Reaching deep within herself she began to call on her power, opening her mouth as she prepared to shout desperately, praying that it would be enough to save Amaya's soul...

"Wait!"

Ichigo froze. She turned toward the voice behind her, forgetting that Amaya had been charging toward her furiously, to see her sister standing in tormented shock. The girl was wide-eyed and panting, tears and rain streaming down her cheeks as she ran toward Ichigo in a terrified panic. Ichigo opened her mouth to tell her to run, get away from here, it wasn't safe. Before she could say a word, the girl was stepping in front of Ichigo with her hands held out on either sides of her, as if protecting her. "Amaya, stop!"

"No, it's dangerous!" Shirogane shouted.

"Ichigo, do something!" Mint cried.

"Please, just make this all stop!" Ichigo screamed. She grabbed the girl and leaped to the side, out of the crossfire, landing on top of her to shield her from the attack. Her heart pounded as she braced herself, waiting for something to happen. But it never did.

Ichigo lifted her head and opened her eyes. When she did, she frowned. Amaya was doubled over in pain, seized up as if she'd been electrocuted, curled into herself on the concrete. What happened? They hadn't attacked, so what else could have put her in so much pain? Unless...Perhaps she was beginning to fight against whatever Kisshu had done to her to keep her under his control.

She sat up and looked down at the younger girl beneath her. Maybe it was her voice that had gotten to Amaya. Maybe that was what they really needed all along: to remind Amaya that she was human.

Kisshu floated down to Amaya's curled up form and snarled. "What the hell are you doing?! Get up and kill them!"

Amaya did not respond.

"Amaya!" Shirogane shouted.

"Amaya!" Pudding cried.

The girl beneath Ichigo sat up and looked to her sister. Without hesitation, she stood and ran to her. Mamaya knelt to her deformed sister, tears in her eyes. It was terrifying to see her like this. Her knuckles were white, clenched so tightly in pain that they were losing color. She wasn't moving a muscle. Her eyes were clamped shut. Tears rolled down her ashen cheeks. Mamaya's heart pounded in fear. Her hands shook.

She glared up at the green-haired alien. "You get the hell away from her! Don't ever touch her again!"

Kisshu took a step away and scoffed. "It looks like Foxy isn't as pathetic as I thought she was. Oh well. I'll take you Mew Mews down another time, and it'll be even better than this," he sneered. He floated higher into the air and looked down at the sisters in hate. "Let's see if your precious sister makes it out of this alive," he laughed. Then, with a ripple in the air, he disappeared.

Amaya slumped against the concrete limply.

Shirogane, Ichigo and the other Mews ran to her immediately. They knelt around her in a circle, waiting and praying for her to open her eyes and return to normal. Ichigo looked toward Mamaya and Shirogane. She didn't know much about Amaya's past, but she knew that two of the most important people to her were sitting in this circle. "Talk to her. It's the only way. You have to make her remember that this isn't what she is."

They looked at Ichigo for a moment and then back down to Amaya. Her body was motionless except for the small rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. A tear rolled down her cheek. Ichigo watched as Shirogane reached over and brushed it from her face.

She could watch, but it felt wrong. They deserved privacy. So instead, Ichigo stood. "Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, Zakuro, let's go and search the area for any Chimera Animas we might have missed. I'm sure Masha could use some help collecting them all."

They nodded, stood and followed Ichigo to the other side of the tower deck, out of earshot from Mamaya and Shirogane.

Mamaya looked up at Ryou's face from the corner of her eye. Watching him watch her sister, Mamaya felt like she was imposing on something. She knew that there had to have been something more than friendship going on; his eyes were a mixture of both sad and tormented at the same time.

She looked up at the sky. The rain was beginning to hold up and soon the clouds would begin to depart. She shivered. It was unlikely she was ever going to get this rain out of her skin. She looked back down at her sister. She wondered if she was cold too. Or if she could feel anything at all. Fur stuck out at odd places all over her body, as if the fox inside her was attempting to escape.

She drew in a heavy breath and sighed. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

Ryou stayed silent, and it wasn't until he glanced upward that he realized the girl was speaking to him. "Hm?"

Mamaya drew nervous circles in the rainwater next to her foot. "I, uh, I sort of blamed you for this back there, at the cafe. I know that this wasn't your fault, and so does she. So, I'm sorry if I made you feel that it was. Your fault, I mean," she explained.

Ryou grinned and shook his head. "Part of this was my fault, so there's no need for you to apologize."

Mamaya had no idea what to say to that, so she kept quiet. She continued drawing nervous circles in the water.

"I'm sorry I didn't help you two when you needed it," Ryou murmured.

Mamaya looked up at him in shock. "Huh?"

"I should have helped you two much more. I had the money to give you someplace to go and help you sustain yourselves, I could have even let you stay with me in America for a little while until you got back up on your feet. You two ran away, so you never got your family's inheritance, but I did and it was more than enough to help you out. Sorry," he said.

Mamaya shook her head quickly, face reddening. She wasn't good at this kind of stuff. Apologies, explaining feelings, it all made her very nervous. "Even if you'd offered, my sister probably would have just said no. Actually, knowing her, she would have taken it as an insult and just kicked you in the face. Really, don't worry. Besides, we're fine as we are. Ms Rosbe takes good care of us."

Ryou did not reply. Mamaya watched his face for another few seconds before working up the courage to ask, "Do you love her?"

He nodded. Mamaya expected him to get red in the face and start sputtering that she spoke nonsense, and how could he be in love with her, but he'd surprised her. Maybe he had gone through enough inner turmoil with himself to have come to terms with his feelings. Or maybe he had already told Amaya about how he felt.

She asked, "Does she know?"

He shrugged. "I guess so," he muttered.

She huffed, frowning her disapproval at him. "What do you mean, you 'guess so'? She either knows or she doesn't," she retorted. "So, have you told her you love her?"

"Well, not in words," he admitted. Now she was making him nervous. He was avoiding eye contact with her. "We've kissed once."

Mamaya snorted. "That doesn't mean you've told her anything. Amaya's not the type to know something until you tell her. You've got to come out and say otherwise she'll be wondering forever." She gestured around them. "You could have lost her today. For all you know, you still will. Are you okay with losing her and never telling her how you feel?"

He looked up at her, blue eyes wavering with nervousness.

"Tell her," Mamaya murmured. "It could be what saves her."

He grinned lightheartedly, as if trying to lighten the mood. "Does this mean I have the fabled Mamaya Nikini blessing?"

Mamaya smirked. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. Let's take this one step at a time."

His face sobered as he looked down at the motionless girl on the ground before him. He reached out to touch a strand of her tangled red hair and brush it away from her face. He trailed the same finger down Amaya's cool cheek and then retracted it. He sighed. "Amaya, I'm sorry for all the things I've done and said to you that I know I shouldn't have. I'm trying my hardest to protect you girls and to remember that you're not just superheroes, but people too, with limits and other obligations. I know that you all just want to live as close to normal lives as possible."

Mamaya thought. Maybe that was another reason why Amaya hadn't told her that she was a Mew Mew. She wanted to feel normal, and by telling her sister about it, she would have to accept that what little normalcy she had left was now gone. She sighed. She wished she hadn't been so quick to judge Amaya about it.

"I know that I represent everything abnormal that's happened to you in your life. I'm not very normal in general, I mean, I live on the top floor of a cafe. I was just hoping that you and I could work out our abnormal traits and maybe just...work with it? Somehow... I don't know how, really."

"You don't need to know," Mamaya murmured. "You figure it out together, as you go."

Ryou grinned and scratched his head meekly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I, uh, well I love you Amaya. A lot, I guess I have for a while."

Mamaya held her sister's hand and squeezed. Tears welled up in her eyes as she lifted Amaya's hand and held it tight. She remembered all the times she'd spent with her sister. She wasn't ready for that to be the end. It couldn't be the end. "You're stronger than this, Amaya. It's because of you that I've lived this long. Come back, I love you. I can't live without you."

Amaya did not move.

Mamaya closed her eyes and hoped. It was all she had left. All she could do now was pray that her sister would return to her.