Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters

Claimer: I, chop4tess, own this story, its plot, and any and all original characters

Welcome to chapter eleven of the 2014 rewrite!

Enjoy!

Chapter eleven: Human

That Saturday afternoon Ichigo was home alone since her father was out with friends from work and her mother had gone out shopping. Ichigo sighed as she flipped through the book on childbirth her mother had given her a few days ago. She'd had her first pre-natal class earlier that day and it had certainly been an experience. Her mother had gone with her and Ichigo had been hugely grateful for the support. All the other women attending the class were as least ten or, in some cases, almost twenty years older than her. Some gave her black judgemental looks, some looked at her belly with pity, but if that pity was for her or her baby Ichigo didn't know, and the rest ignored her altogether. At least the instructor, a friendly woman in her late forties, greeted Ichigo in a friendly manner and paid no attention to her age. Despite how awkward she felt, Ichigo appreciated the lessons. Having a baby was a far bigger challenge than she had anticipated but being forewarned was better than going in blind.

In next week's class they would be learning how to change nappies, bottle feed, and the correct ways to pick up, put down and cradle a new-born as well as how to give them a bath. Apparently they would be using life sized dolls for the lessons for realism. Ichigo was currently reading up on that section of the book as she didn't want to look like a total clueless fool in front of the other mothers. She was certain they were judging her harshly and she wanted to show that she was serious about raising her baby right.

Ichigo sighed as her thoughts once again drifted to Masaya. She had asked her mother not to mention the fight to her father. Shintaro was only just starting to relax and Ichigo didn't want to set him off again. Besides, Masaya had every right to be angry. He was hurt and suffering because of her and that hurt more than she thought anything ever could. She didn't want Masaya to hate her and she didn't want to hate him. This animosity between them felt wrong. But Ichigo knew that going to see him would only make things worse. Masaya didn't want to talk right now, least of all to her. Ichigo only hoped that he would come to her when he was ready.

Her baby kicking brought Ichigo out of her thoughts. She smiled and rubbed her belly that seemingly got bigger by the day. "Hey little one settled down, mummy's trying to read." Ichigo laughed as her baby kicked again, softer this time, almost in response to her request. Her son certainly liked to kick and move around but her mother had told her that this was a good thing. It meant her baby was healthy and strong.

The doorbell rang making Ichigo jump. She must have spaced out for a moment. Now I wonder who that could be. Ichigo heaved herself up from the couch and headed towards the front door. She opened the door and the welcoming smile froze on her face before it was even fully formed. A teenage boy stood on her doorstep with jet black hair tied in bunches on each side of his face in front of his ears. Golden eyes shone brightly against his pale skin and a teasing smirk curved his full lips upwards in a manner that just begged to be kissed. He looked so familiar but Ichigo couldn't place where she'd seen him before.

"Hello there my kitty," the boy grinned and held out a bunch of red roses. "I believe these are your favourite flowers, Mew Strawberry." Suddenly Ichigo realised why this boy looked and sounded so familiar to her.

"Kishu, is that you?" Ichigo squeaked in shock.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would." Kishu grinned showing his white, human, teeth. Ichigo couldn't speak from the shock. Kishu looked completely human. There was nothing in his outward appearance to suggest he was anything other than a particularly good looking human teenager. Ichigo couldn't handle the shock. Although she'd known that the aliens were planning this, to actually see it before her eyes was completely different. Ichigo felt her knees give out but Kishu was already there to catch her in his strong arms before she could hit the floor.

"Well that went well," a male voice said sarcastically. Kishu looked over his shoulder to smile at the two human boys behind him. One had dark grey hair tied in a ponytail on the left side of his face while the other had brown hair tied in bunches.

"I think it went pretty well all things considered." The smaller male said with a shrug. The dark grey haired male shot the younger one a glare. "Well she didn't scream and slam the door in his face did she?"

"Taruto makes a very good point Pai." Kishu laughed as Pai rolled his eyes. "I better get this pretty girl inside to lie down. Why don't you two go find the other mews and break the news?"

"I hope the rest of them don't fall over in dead faint." Pai muttered.

"Ichigo is pregnant and fainting is quite normal." Kishu defended Ichigo stiffly. He picked Ichigo up bridal style with some difficultly. Ichigo's pregnant belly made her quite a bit heavier than normal and didn't leave much room for movement.

"Sure whatever," Pai said before turning and walking away. Taruto shook his head and turned to follow Pai as Kishu carried Ichigo into her house and gently laid her down on the sofa. As Kishu walked back to the front door to shut it securely he couldn't help but smile at the memory of the shock on Ichigo's face. He couldn't wait for her to wake up.

:-:

Taruto glanced at Pai who glanced at Taruto then they both looked at the closed sign hanging inside the window of the mew café. "Well that complicates things," Taruto muttered. He'd never known the café to be closed like this before. Pai said nothing; instead he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a small hand-held device. "What is that, Pai?"

"This will find the mews, wherever they may be." Pai pressed a button and the screen lit up. The device looked rather like a flattened round mobile phone with buttons and numbers underneath a screen. Pai typed in a couple of commands and pushed the largest button. The screen lit up and five different coloured dots appeared on the screen over a map of the city.

"That's so cool. So where is Pudding?" Taruto asked looking over Pai's arm at the device. Pai arched an eyebrow at the younger alien who blushed. "I just wanted to tell her about this first."

"Sure, it looks like they're all together anyway except for the purple one and Ichigo." Pai replied.

"Then we'll just meet with the others and ask them to fill Zakuro in later."

"How come you can remember all their names and I can't?" Pai asked with an annoyed frown. He didn't like being the only one who didn't know things.

"Pudding has been telling me about Zakuro and the other mews." Taruto replied.

"You do realise that if we were on a mission to destroy Earth I would have to get that information out of you." Pai smiled and Taruto rolled his eyes.

"Yes but we're not so you don't have to." Taruto glanced at the device in Pai's hand. "So where are the mews?" Pai chuckled making Taruto start in shock.

"Did you just laugh?" Taruto asked in amazement. Pai stopped laughing and gave Taruto a black look before walking away.

"Hurry up slow poke or I'll leave you behind!" Pai shouted over his shoulder. Taruto laughed and jogged to catch up. It was good to see Pai relaxing more.

"I'm coming!"

:-:

Mint, Lettuce and Pudding had been spending their afternoon off window shopping in the city. None of them had brought anything yet but Lettuce's suggestion of buying a gift for Ichigo's baby had triggered a conversation about how they were all starting to pair off. Pudding had Taruto, Ichigo had Kishu and now Zakuro had Keiichiro. Mint was starting to feel a bit left out until Lettuce reminded her that she didn't have a boyfriend either. In truth, that knowledge didn't make Mint feel any better.

It was Pudding who spotted Taruto first. At first it took her a few seconds to recognise the person before her as he looked completely different. He'd even swapped his usual outfit for a pair of blue surfer shorts and a red t-shirt. In the end it was his eyes that gave him away. "Taruto, is that you?" Pudding rushed forward taking Mint and Lettuce by surprise. They looked up to see a human who bore a strong resemblance to the alien Taruto walking towards them with a grin. But it couldn't be Taruto for this kid was clearly human.

"Hey Pudding, yes it's me, what do you think?" Taruto spread his arms out and Pudding threw her arms around his neck.

"You look great, Taruto! So this is what you meant when you said you had a surprise for me!" Pudding kissed Taruto on the cheek making the alien turned human blush scarlet. Pudding giggled making Taruto laugh self-consciously.

"You're both idiots," Pai muttered appearing behind Taruto at that moment. The girls recognised Pai at once and stared in shock.

"Taruto, Pai, what the hell happened to you two?" Mint stared at first one then at the other unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. Lettuce couldn't help but notice how handsome Pai was in his human form. She blushed as caught herself staring and quickly adverted her gaze.

"What a way to greet someone. And here I thought we were starting to get along." Pai sniffed making Lettuce laugh. Pai caught Lettuce's eye and they both blushed and looked away. Mint rolled her eyes heavenwards.

"Enough with the staring contest you two. Care to explain what exactly happened to you, Pai?" Mint crossed her arms over her chest and raised both eyebrows at Pai.

"If you would give me five seconds I'll explain everything."

:-:

Ichigo woke up lying on the sofa in the living room with a wet towel on her forehead. Ichigo sat up slowly wondering what had just happened. Also, she was slightly embarrassed that she'd fainted twice in as many days. Being pregnant sucks, Ichigo thought as she rubbed her belly. Her baby felt like he was turning summersaults inside her. He was usually only this active when Kishu was near. Ichigo gasped aloud as she remembered the reason why she'd had fainted in the first place.

"Ichigo, how are you feeling?"

"Kishu…?" Ichigo twisted around and stared in speechless amazement. Kishu had swapped his green and black outfit for a pair of blue jeans and a green t-shirt. His hair was coal black and all the characteristics that marked him as an alien were gone. "I…I don't know what to say." Ichigo finally managed to speak.

"Don't you like the new me?" Kishu asked looking worried.

"No, I mean, you look great." Ichigo meant it to, Kishu was always handsome but this new human form was breath taking. "I just…how did this happen? When did this happen?"

"Now that is a rather long story."

*Flashback – earlier that morning*

"So we step into this thing and we'll come out looking human?" Kishu asked just to make sure. Pai sighed tiredly and rolled his eyes. After announcing that the machine was ready last night Pai had firmly forbidden anyone using it until he'd had some sleep. He'd even locked the door to his lab to make sure that neither Kishu nor Taruto could get in. Kishu had lost what little patience he had half an hour ago and forced the alien scientist out of bed to show him how the damn thing worked. But now, standing before the machine, Kishu was feeling rather nervous.

"No Kishu, you'll come out looking like a carrot." Pai said sarcastically. Taruto sniggered and Kishu shot them both black looks. "What do you think the machine will do you idiot? What exactly have I been working on for the past four months?"

"Well if you don't know I doubt we'll know." Kishu answered smugly. Pai looked like he wanted to bang his head against a wall. Or better yet, bang Kishu's head against a wall. Taruto sniggered again. Pai drew himself up and wrapped his dignity around him like a cloak.

"So who wants to go in first?" Absolute silence met Pai's question. The three aliens glanced at each other before glancing back at the machine that sat there so innocently. Kishu drew in a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

"I'll go first," Kishu said braver than he felt. He stepped forward but Taruto placed a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"Wait Kishu, what if this machine does turn you into a carrot? What will you say to Ichigo?"

"Don't put me in the vegetable soup?" Kishu offered after a moment's thought.

"Kishu this is serious!" Taruto protested. "What if something bad happens?"

"Nothing bad will happen and no one is being turned into a carrot!" Pai yelled looking frazzled. Both Kishu and Taruto ignored him.

"Ok, yeah Ichigo would be a little upset if something went wrong." Kishu admitted. He'd be a little upset himself if something went wrong.

"Exactly, so I should go first." Taruto swallowed nervously and stepped into the machine. He looked very small and vulnerable inside the metal case. Kishu felt a rush of affection for the youngest alien and crossed his fingers behind his back. He really hoped this would work. Pai walked over to the console and pressed a button. The door slid shut and the machine started to hum loudly.

"This will work, right?" Kishu glanced side-ways at Pai. Pai's jaw tightened but he said nothing.

:-:

None of the aliens knew that they were being watched. Nikki leaned closer to her crystal ball and watched with interest. She couldn't hear what the male aliens were saying but since she had broken into the lab to investigate the machine, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Nikki pushed her long black hair out of her face and smirked as a light on the console started to flash.

:-:

"Any moment now," Pai muttered noticing the flashing light to indicate that the process was done. As soon as he spoke the machine stopped humming and the door slid open. Kishu tensed as a cloud of smoke rushed out of the open door. He squinted trying to see past the smoke as a shadowy figure walked towards them.

"Well…am I a carrot?" Taruto stepped into view. For a moment neither Pai nor Kishu said anything, they just stared in shock. Then Pai turned to Kishu with a victorious smirk.

"I told you it would work." Pai boasted. Kishu shot Pai a glare knowing that the other alien had been just as worried as he had been about whether the machine would work or not. Kishu didn't say anything however as he didn't want to scare Taruto. "Here Taruto," Pai handed Taruto a mirror so he could take in his new appearance. With a deep breath Taruto took the mirror, turned it over and promptly almost dropped it on the floor. His ears were small and rounded, his pupils were round instead of cat-like slits, his skin tone was darker, and his fangs were gone as were his claws. He looked perfectly human.

"Holy –"

"Watch you language." Pai snapped before Taruto could finish his sentence.

"You look just like a human now." Kishu stated the obvious with a grin. "No one would think you're anything but an Earth born and raised human."

"Yeah, I can't wait to show Pudding this! We can go out on dates now without worrying that anyone will see us!" Taruto punched the air grinning widely and glanced around to see Kishu and Pai watching him with identical expressions of amusement. "Err…I mean that, um…" Taruto stumbled to a halt blushing.

"Aww you're so cute!" Kishu cooed waving his fingers at Taruto.

"Shut up!" Taruto snapped as his ears started to turn red as well.

"So do we keep all of our abilities after we change?" Kishu changed the subject after shooting Taruto another teasing grin.

"Taruto…" Pai turned to the still blushing alien and raised his eyebrows. Taruto huffed and closed his eyes. After a couple of seconds he rose into the air before teleporting to the other side of the room. "That answers that question." Pai looked smugger than ever. Kishu rolled his eyes.

"I guess it's my turn now." Kishu walked into the machine while Pai beckoned Taruto over so he could see which button to push when it was Pai's turn. Kishu sucked in a breath as the doors closed and everything went black. Pai and Taruto watched as the machine hummed loudly until the light started flashing and the doors opened. Kishu coughed as he stepped out of the clouds of smoke to smile at his brothers. Pai and Taruto stared for a moment before turning to look at each other.

"Was that supposed to happen?"

"What? What happened?" Kishu asked in panic.

"I didn't anticipate it," Pai answered thoughtfully.

"If someone doesn't tell me what's going on, someone's going to get hurt!" Kishu snapped.

"Relax Kishu it's only your hair colour." Pai sighed, handing Kishu the mirror. Kishu snatched the mirror and stared at his reflection for a second.

"It's black!" Kishu gasped.

"Well done Sherlock how long did it take you to make that fascinating deduction?" Pai asked sarcastically.

"Who's Sherlock?" Taruto asked with a puzzled frown.

"Never mind," Pai shook his head. Kishu ignored both of them as he checked out his now jet black locks. All the other changes were the same as Taruto's. After a few moments Kishu decided that he rather liked his hair this way. It made his gold eyes seem brighter somehow.

"You know, I rather like it this colour. I hope Ichigo likes it too." Kishu spoke more to himself than to his brothers.

"Who knows the mind of girls?" Pai shrugged. "Now it's my turn, so Taruto, if you please." Pai swept into the machine and Taruto made sure to press the correct button to start the process again. It wasn't long before Pai strode out of the machine and raised his eyebrows at Taruto and Kishu.

"Did the machine even work on you?" Kishu asked with a grin.

"Yeah, you look exactly the same." Taruto laughed. Pai snatched the mirror and turned it towards his face. He had been changed to human but he could see what the other two were talking about. Anyone who knew him as an alien wouldn't fail to recognise him now. Of the three of them, his change was the least startling.

"It worked just fine." Pai placed the mirror back on the table. "Are you ever going to grow up Kishu?"

"Nope, I doubt it very much." Kishu answered making Taruto laugh. Pai rolled his eyes but he couldn't stop a hint of a smile from curling his lips. I did it. Pai glanced back at his machine and smiled proudly. He had come up with a way for humans and aliens to live side-by-side without the humans even knowing about them. All they needed to do now was bring their families here and start the process. He might even build a second machine to help the process along.

"It's party time!" Taruto cheered.

*Present*

"And that is how it happened," Kishu finished. Ichigo shook her head with a smile.

"So you all look human now?" Ichigo reached out and traced Kishu's ear with a finger.

"Indeed we do," Kishu answered.

"Pai truly is a genius." Ichigo laughed. "I was never entirely sure if he could do it."

"He's smarter than the average person I suppose." Kishu shrugged although he knew that Pai's invention was true genius. He just didn't want to admit that out loud. "It was our idea however." Kishu pointed out.

"Very true," Ichigo laughed. She reached out and ran her fingers through Kishu's hair. "So did this machine change you at the genetic level?"

"Yes and no. We've been changed to look human but we still retain all our powers and abilities that we wouldn't have as ordinary humans."

"So what if our baby has green hair?" Ichigo grinned as Kishu tilted his head to one side to consider that.

"Then we'll have some explaining to do." Kishu answered with a shrug. Ichigo laughed and took Kishu's hand in her own.

"Now you can come with me to the hospital for my ultrasound scans, you can meet my parents, and come shopping for baby stuff. We don't need much but it would be fun to go out as a couple. Oh and we need to think of a name for our son." Ichigo stopped talking as Kishu gently laid a finger against her lips.

"One thing at a time Ichigo," Kishu chuckled. "I want to do all of that and more."

"How about you start by kissing me?" Ichigo titled her head up with a grin. Kishu chuckled and leaned down to kiss Ichigo on the lips. Ichigo felt her heart skip in her chest as Kishu transferred his feelings in their kiss. It was true that you knew how someone felt about you in the way they kissed you. In Kishu's kiss Ichigo knew that he would always love her. And she would always love him.

As they kissed passionately they didn't hear the front door open nor see Ichigo's mother walk in. Sakura stopped in surprise to see her daughter wrapped up in the arms of a handsome teenage boy she'd never seen before. Both teenagers seemed to glow with a light of their own, completely oblivious to the world outside. Sakura smiled fondly at the sight before schooling her face into a suitably stern expression.

"Don't let me interrupt." Sakura crossed her arms as the lovers jumped apart as if burned and whirled around.

"M-mum," Ichigo stammered. Dear God how am I going to explain this?

"Well you must be Ichigo's mystery boyfriend and the father of my grandson." Sakura glanced at Kishu who turned to face her and bowed.

"Yes Mrs Momomiya, my name is Kishu. It is a pleasure to meet you." Kishu was nervous as he'd never met Ichigo's parents face-to-face before. What if they hate me? Nothing could drive him away from Ichigo or his son but he didn't want to cause Ichigo any stress.

"My daughter certainly has an eye for good looks. She must get that from her mother." Sakura nodded with a smile as Ichigo stiffed a giggle. "Since you're here you can help me bring the shopping in from the car."

"Yes of course Mrs Momomiya." Kishu turned and hurried outside. Sakura glanced at her daughter who looked distinctly nervous.

"So is this is real reason you didn't want to come shopping with me?" Sakura gave her a daughter a sly smile.

"No, I wasn't expecting him to come round today." Ichigo chewed her lip. Sakura laughed and Ichigo relaxed slightly.

"Well he's a very handsome young man." Sakura nodded, "But good looks aren't everything."

"I know mum. He's more than a pretty face I can assure you." Ichigo smiled. She was so relieved that her mother appeared willing to give Kishu a chance.

"I want to get to know him a little; can he stay for a while?" Sakura asked and Ichigo nodded. "Good. How about he comes over for dinner next Friday so your father can meet him?"

"Um I don't think that will be a good idea." Ichigo said hesitantly. "You know what father is like."

"Your father needs to meet him at some point." Sakura pointed out. "You just make sure Kishu arrives on time and I'll handle your father." Ichigo nodded as Kishu returned laden with shopping bags at that moment. As Kishu and her mother started talking Ichigo drew in a deep breath and hoped and prayed that her father wouldn't try to kill Kishu the second they met.

*End Chapter*

The next chapter is completely different from the original guys…so please read it!

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