Sorry, everything was fine for a few days, then it all blew up again. My grandmama passed away and one of my friends are in jail, with another about to go. And I nearly killed myself with citric acid. Never again am I going to eat gum that the company's name is Toxic Waste. That's just a warning right there...
Thank you Zephyr for writing Zakuro and Jason's date.
Jason shifted from foot to foot as he stood in the café's main room. He and Zakuro had been given Saturday afternoon off since they'd opened that morning. Now he was waiting for her to come out of the girl's changing room. Though, in all seriousness, his stomach was a jumbled mess of nerves. He was extremely thankful he hadn't had lunch yet.
"Nervous?" The ever present Kishu slid up next to him.
"Shut UP, man," Jason snapped.
"Don't worry about it, my first date with Ichigo wasn't that bad."
"Dude, you spent the first year you knew her following her around like a retarded puppy, in what most people would call stalking." Kishu shrugged.
"So?" he asked.
"He has every right to be nervous." Jason groaned as he turned to face Minto. "Zakuro-onee-sama is on a level far above you. She is an everpresent icon to the human race, while you're not even fit to style her hair."
"Shut up." Jason snapped, but Minto's words had her desired effect. "I'm outta here." Jason ran for the door, only to be grabbed by Pai and Keiichiro.
"She won't eat your soul," Keiichiro told him with a slight chuckle.
"You're not the one about to go on a tour of Tokyo with supermodel of the year."
"Zakuro is a respectable person. I'm sure she does not plan on intimidating you, Jason."
"Jason?" Gulping, Jason turned around as Zakuro stepped out of the changing room. She was in fairly casual clothes, black jeans and a pale purple blouse. The problem was that they were skinny jeans, and the blouse was slightly low-cut. Jason shivered inwardly. Social tension, coupled with sex appeal. Jason's self esteem just got a kick in the nuts.
There was a stiff, awkward silence between the two of them as they made their way downtown. "I know a good coffee house nearby," Zakuro informed him.
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, thankful that he didn't have to come up with anything. Said coffee house was just what Jason expected from Zakuro. It had a very mature feeling, without making anyone feel unwelcome. Sitting down at a table, they ordered a pot of tea to share between them.
"So, mind giving me some back info on the Mews? I was kinda thrown into this entire thing face first."
Zakuro paused, as the waitress returned with their tea. "About two years ago, the Aliens, Kishu, Pai and Taruto, were attempting to invade Earth. Myself and the others were chosen by Ryou and Keiichiro to become Mews and defend humanity. In the end, it turns out they were merely mislead by their god, Deep Blue."
"So what made them go turncoat? You all seem to be pretty good friends now. "
"Kishu began having doubts about Deep Blue and whether or not he could save their planet. Long story short, Deep Blue was destroyed, the aliens saved their planet by using a powerful energy source called Mew Aqua, and when they returned, everyone lived happily ever after.
Jason nodded, taking a sip of the tea. "What's your opinion of our guests?"
"If you're referring to the Kemons, I personally don't trust them."
"Well, just my own opinion, but I think they're alright. They had plenty of opportunities to murder me, or kidnap my sister yesterday. However, they were pretty cool about it all. I think they're really trying to turn around."
Zakuro shrugged. "Koran does seems to be right for Zari," she admitted.
"I think they're both right for her."
"Shikyo?" Zakuro asked.
Jason sighed. "Call it an older brother complex, but I'm really worried for her."
"We all are. Not only because she's powerful, but because she is a child. She's afraid, and needs all the help we can give her."
The two of them left the coffee house, wandering Tokyo. While they were still silent, it wasn't as awkward as before.
"What's that?" Jason asked, pointing over to a crowd of people and tents.
"It looks like a fair." Zakuro told him.
"Checkin' it out!" Jason announced, darting across the street, ignoring the honking traffic. Zakuro sighed and she followed him once the cars cleared up.
"Wow," Jason gasped, as he gazed at the sheer size of the fair. "It looks like I'm back on 10th Avenue," he laughed as he walked in. Zakuro followed him, pulling the brim of her hat down.
"You do realize I'm a famous model, right?" she whispered as the two of them slipped through the crowd.
Jason frowned. "So we should get out of here?" he asked, disappointed. Zakuro looked around, and grabbed Jason's hand.
"No, we just need to look like someone else," She told him before guiding the confused teen over to a costume stall.
"I look like a samurai." Jason announced, looking at himself in a full mirror. He was dressed in a dark blue kimono, with a silver-colored sash around his waist. To top off the look, he even had an empty katana sheath fitted against his hip.
"You look very realistic," Zakuro announced, as she left the women's changing room. Jason lost his voice when he looked at her. She'd gone from sexy fashion model to Feudal Era princess. While she had foregone the traditional makeup, she still looked incredible. "They'll hold our clothes until we come to return these costumes," she informed him, taking his arm.
Jason suppressed a blush as they walked boldly though the fair, now basically unrecognizable to any bystanders, though they didn't go unnoticed.
"Can we get a picture?" A group of girls stood in front of them, cameras in hand. "Oh wow, you look like a real bodyguard and his princess!" One of them squealed.
The two looked at each other confused. At least Jason was. Zakuro leaned over and whispered in his ear. Jason blinked, and looked back at her. She nodded, before leaning against his chest. Jason put one hand on the hilt of his "sword", and wrapped his other arm around Zakuro's waist, in a defensive pose.
The group of girls squealed, snapping pictures of the two of them. Once their thirst for images had been quenched, they gladly departed. Jason breathed a sigh of relief.
"I didn't need that." He shuddered.
"Was it that bad?" Zakuro asked, a slight smirk playing on her face. Jason just gaped at her, not believing what he was hearing.
"BIG BRO!" Out of nowhere, someone leapt up onto Jason, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"What are you DOING here, kid?" Jason shouted as his little sister kissed him on the cheek.
"Following you around," she told him, wrapping her legs around his waist, securing her perch on her older brother's back.
"You're Jason's younger sister, right?" Zakuro inquired. Rebecca turned and gazed, in awe at Zakuro.
"Wow, I thought you were a famous person!" Jason clamped his hand over his sister's mouth.
"And we'd prefer to keep that a secret," Jason hissed. His sister looked between Jason and Zakuro, then grinned evilly. "Don't you even THINK about it. kid." His sister took a deep breath. "No!" he hissed again.
"Everyone, it's Zakuro Fujiwara and her new BOYFRIEND!" she screamed. Everyone around them froze, dead quiet. Then, as if the floodgates were released, a massive crowd of fans began running towards the trio.
"Now you gone and done it kid." Jason said, exasperated.
"Run!" Zakuro told them, and they turned around and sped away. Jason's sister had her arms wrapped around her brother's neck, cheering with excitement as the two Mews ducked and dodged their way through the fair.
"This is not gonna end well!" Jason shouted, as the crowd drew closer.
"In here!" Zakuro whispered as they rounded the corner. She and Jason vaulted over a row of garbage cans and ducked down into an alley. They held their breath as the massive crowd thundered past. Finally, Jason peered out from behind a can, seeing a clear street. They stood up, and Jason's sister finally got off him.
"This is why I prefer going solo." Jason sighed, leaning against the wall. "We're gonna have a hard time returning these costumes."
"My apartment's around the corner from here," Zakuro told him. "We can call the girls at the café and have them pick up our clothes." Jason laughed out loud. "What's so funny?"
"Just the sheer number of innuendos that can be taken from that idea." Zakuro rolled her eyes, but also smiled slightly.
"You're not like any guy I've ever met Jason," she said, folding her arms.
"One of a kind," he replied with a smile.
However, a scream snapped them out of their banter. Turning around, Jason was in for the shock of his life. There was Grainium, with his massive hands around Rebecca. "YOU!" Jason shouted, instantly reaching for his pendant.
"This should make for an interesting time," Grainium laughed.
"Mew Mew Zephyr, METAMORPHOSIS!" Jason powered up to Mew form, in front of the wide eyes of Rebecca. "Big bro?" She gasped. "KID!" Jason shouted, drawing his sword and charging down the gorilla Kemon. However Grainium just laughed before vanishing into his portal.
Jason swung his sword down, just as the portal vanished, severely denting a nearby trash can. He stood there, for a moment, trying to register what just happened. Then, as reality hit him, he sunk to his knees, sword lying forgotten at his side. "REBECCA!"
Zakuro pulled the hysterical Mew into a comforting hug and gently whispered, "Jason, I need you to calm down. We'll go the Café, ask the Kemons where they took her, and go rescue her. Come on."
Jason snapped out of his trance, grabbed his sword, and bolted towards the café. He and Zakuro burst through the magenta colored doors and zipped down the stairs to the basement. The two stopped in the middle of the room and Jason desperately shouted, "Ryou! Get your blonde ass over here!"
Seconds later, Ryou came running out with a shocked expression on his face. In truth, Ryou nearly had a heart attack when he heard the Brooklynite's desperate call. "What is it?" he asked with genuine concern.
"The Kemons took my sister!" Jason growled.
"Calm down and let me get everyone down here, okay?" Ryou said with a surprisingly gentle voice. Jason replied with a stiff nod and waited the two minutes it took for the team to assemble by counting backwards from one hundred.
"What's the problem?" Koran asked, sensing Jason's distress. Jason opened his mouth to explain, but Zakuro cut him off, fearing that retelling what happened would anger him more. Throughout the explanation, Jason could easily see the immature teenagers around him transform into the professional Mews who saved the world on a regular basis.
After the Zakuro was done, Makai was the one who spoke up, "I can't see the motives for doing this. Mugoi, what do you think?"
"They must be holding the girl for negotiations. But that can't be right, they know that we would never give Shikyo for anything...." Mugoi trailed off.
"Unless it's on a personal level," Koran picked up, eyes glancing towards Zakuro. "It could be just Grainium who knows about this."
"It's probable. Grainium is a bit of a womanizer, and Zakuro is around his age. It could be that Grainium has a slight affection for Zakuro," Mugoi explained.
"Do you think it's intagliare?" Ryou interceded.
Makai shook his head no as he replied, "No, I don't. If it was, Grainium would have killed Jason and kidnapped Zakuro. Also, Zakuro would be having feeling towards the big idiot. And from what I've seen, she's clearly interested in someone else."
"So, what caused this random abduction?" Zakuro asked with a cooled and collect face, which constrasted with the sickness bubbling in her stomach.
"Could be that he's jealous of Jason. When we were still with the others, Grainium always bragged that he could've swept you off your feet," the sabertooth Kemon answered.
"So, what should we do?" Jazz sternly asked.
"We go after him," both Ichigo and Zari answered. Zari threw a sheepish smile to the pink leader, who just smiled and nodded for her to continue. To say Zari was shocked would be an understatement. This would be her first time leading the Mews into a fight. The fox Mew just prayed she wouldn't screw up. Shaking negative thoughts out of her head, Zari continued, "We go after Grainium. We can have a small team go with a Kemon each and have them teleport us to him. But first, can you guys teleport us to him?"
"Oh yeah, that guy is really easy to track," came Makai's cocky reply.
"Okay, great. Retrieval group will be Kea, Melody, Pudding, and Jason. Go with Mugoi. I want Lettuce, Jazz, Taruto, Mint, and Kishu to go with Koran on defense. And for offense, Ichigo, Zakuro, Me, Pai, Satou, and Makai. Everyone understand?" Zari sounded like a high school coach before a big game. Receiving positive responses, the caramel-haired girl continued, "Alright, good. Retrieval group, you guys avoid fighting as much as possible and look for Jason's sister and get her out of there. Defense will help offense and watch their backs, we don't know if there are any chimera animas. Offense will distract Grainium while the retrieval group is searching. Everyone understand?"
"Um, yeah, but what about me?" Kurimu pointed out.
Swallowing the lump of emotions in her throat, Zari replied, "You'll stay here with Shikyo. Can I trust you to protect her?"
"Yes," Kurimu answered without a second thought.
"Alright then, everyone latch onto your Kemon and bring back the girl," she ordered with more confidence. As Zakuro walked by to get to Makai, Zari grabbed her by the elbow and sternly whispered, "I want you to make sure Jason doesn't do anything stupid, okay??"
"Okay," the model confidently answered. Zari let go of the older girl and said, "Okay, just don't let him kill anyone please."
Everyone walked to their assigned Kemon, transformed, and disappeared in a swirling vortex.
Don't you hate it when you have the end of the story completely done, but you still have the middle to fill in? I have so many ideas I just want to tell you guys, but then you'll figure out what's going on! -Bangs head on computer desk!-