"Good morning, everyone!" I called, opening the doors to the cafe.

"I hate mornings." Ichigo mumbled from beneath her arms. She heavily lifted her head to glare at me. "it's to early. how can you be so happy?"

"I have no idea!" I said, bouncing around the tables, taking down the chairs. "I just woke up this morning, crack of dawn and wanted to go for a run. So I did, and let me tell you. What a rush!" I moved onto the next table, lifting the chairs and setting them in their place at the table. "I mean, I tired out Mafin, and usually he's the one who wants to run longer. I'm, like, Bursting with energy!"

"And it's only 9 o' clock." Ichigo mumbled, dropping her head back onto her arms.

"What time does the store open?"

"10." Ichigo mumbled, not bothering to lift her head this time.

"So what do we do for an hour?"

"I don't know." She groaned. "Why don't you go see if you can help in the kitchen?"

I stuck my tongue out at her and finished the last table before going through the kitchen door. Keiichiro was standing at the counter, steadiuly chopping up differnt types of fruit. I slipped in and stole one of the berries of the counter. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

He looked down at me, not slowing the pace he was cutting. "Do you know how to use a knife?" He asked.

I watched as he brought the knife back and forth in even cuts across the fruit. "I think I can handle it."

"Then wash your hands, tie back your hair and put on an apron." He instructed.

I stepped away from his working area and flipped my head over, collecting all of my hair at the back of my head and tying it back with one of the hair ties I faithfully keep on my wrist. I tied it around in a messy bun and gave it a good shake to make sure that it wouldn't come apart.

I scrubbed my hands under the warm water with non-scented soap and dried them on one of the towels hanging near the sink. With a clean apron covering my clothes, I stood next to Keiichiro again, watching to see how to cut the different types of fruit.

"Start with these." He advised, passing me a bowl of strawberries.

Pulling the bowl closer and picking up one of the Large Butcher knives.

"Umm, try this, instead." Keiichiro advised, handing me a smaller knife.

I took it hesitantly and tried to grip it several time. When he turned his back, I took up the larger knife and started on the strawberries, first taking off the green tops and slicing them into six even pieces each.

"Good job." Someone said right next to my ear. I flinched and brought the knife over one of my fingers.

"Thanks for jinxing it." I mumbled, pulling the bloody cut away from the cut fruit and disposing of the ones that had blood on them.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to startle someone with a knife?" I asked Ryou, taking up a spare towel and wrapping my finger with it.

"Keiichiro doesn't cut himself." He replied, pulling my wrist away from me to examine the cut.

"I barely grazed the skin." I told him as he turned my hand back and forth.

He looked closer and suddenly popped my finger into his mouth. A shiver went up my spine and I tried to pull my hand away, but he just gripped tighter, not letting me go. "That's disgusting!" I shrieked, pulling harder.

I felt him run his tongue over the cut, and I flinched at the sudden pain. He watched me face the whole time and when he finally let go, I ran my finger under cold water to get rid of the feel of his mouth on my finger.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked, glaring at him around my shoulder. "What if I had some kind of disease?"

"We did a background check, so I know you don't have any diseases or anything." He informed me.

I turned back to the water and turned it off, drying my hand with a different towel. "What else do you know?" I asked quietly, focusing on the towel drying my hands.

"I know about your accident." He said, stepping forward to stand next to me comfortingly. "And after some calculations, we figured out that the day of your accident was the day your became a Mew Mew."

I looked up at him sharply. "You?" I gasped, unable to believe what I was hearing. "It was because of all of this that it happened? That's what set all of this into motion?"

"Shokora." Ryou said, reaching a hand out to grip me shoulder.

I pulled away, looking at him with disbelief. "No. No, I can't do this anymore. Any of this."

"Shokora." He said, pity showing in his eyes.

I threw my hands over my ears, trying ot block out all of the thoughts I had tried so hard to block. "No!" I yelled at him, turning and running out the door, past a confused Ichigo and suprised Keiichiro.

"Shokora!" Ryou called again, but I didn't want to listen, didn't want to stay.

I couldn't comprehend that it was because of them that I lost my reason to live.