Hope Diamond, here you go! Finally! The answer! I hope it pleases you :) denise, Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't an Ichigo X Kisshu story. However, I hope you continue to read and I hope you like it for what it is. Thank you for reading. Nilla Mew Mew, the suspense stops here! Isn't it so sad when Kisshu is sad? He's too cute to be sad! Let's hope he cheers up! princessmiddleast, don't fret! The solution has finally arrived! Enjoy!

Twenty-One

Ryou had his arms crossed at his chest and was leaning against the wall. There was an annoyed scowl on his face. Keiichiro looked like he was straining to smile. The Mew Mews each wore an unreadable expression. Taruto was clinging to Pudding's hand.

"Can we skip the melodrama?" Painappuru asked when she and Kisshu entered the room. "We all know what we are here for, so can we just say what was decided and get it over with?"

Ichigo opened her mouth to say something, but then quickly stopped herself. She was clearly trying to think about what she should say. After a few minutes, she finally spoke up. "You have to understand that our decision wasn't easy to make. And there will be consequences that you have to take responsibility for."

"Just get to it!" Painappuru cried.

Ichigo smiled at her friend's impatience. She turned to the alien. "Kisshu, you have a lot to prove to us. Your history with us is not good, at all, and I think you understand and accept that. However, we can see how much you mean to Painappuru, and it's obvious that you mean the world to her. And, therefore, we have decided to let you stay and live among us."

Painappuru screamed with joy and ran over to Ichigo. She hugged the Mew leader tightly, thanking her profusely. Then she moved on, embracing all the rest of her friends. Lettuce and Pudding hugged her back excitedly. Kinezumi and Yuki Tora cheered with her, squeezing Painappuru the tightest and longest. Mint's hug was stiff and forced, but Painappuru ignored the girl's attitude. Zakuro seemed slightly amused when it was her turn. Painappuru then moved on and pulled Keiichiro into a hug. The young man laughed and squeezed her back. The excited girl then ran to Ryou, but stopped in front him when she saw his sober face. She looked back at him with wide eyes that begged him to smile and say he was happy for her.

For a few seconds, he just stared at her. Neither of them said a word or moved. They just continued to gaze at one another. Ryou gave a small sigh and finally uncrossed his arms. "It's very clear to all of us how much you care about Kisshu. And we want to see you happy. However, I swear to you, if he does anything to hurt or upset you, I guarantee that we will all tear him apart."

Painappuru grinned at Ryou's protective nature. She knew how hard it was for him to allow Kisshu to stay and so it meant so much to her that he was allowing it. She wiped a tear away and wrapped her arms around Ryou. She whispered, "Thank you," and then released him. She was pleased to see him smiling. Then she turned away from Ryou, grinned at Kisshu, and ran to him.

He opened his arms and caught her, lifting her into the air and spinning her then he pulled her close to him. She buried her face in his shoulder. She suddenly felt warmness spread throughout her whole body and tears trickled down her face. The unexplainable happiness she felt was overwhelming. She just wanted to stay in Kisshu's arms forever. When she finally looked him in the face, she saw that tears had formed in his amber eyes as well. She tangled her fingers in his dark green hair and covered his mouth with her own. And when she finally pulled away, they both let out a content sigh. Kisshu gently set her back on the ground, but he kept his arms tightly around her.

"And you thought they wouldn't let you stay," Painappuru teased.

"How stupid of me," he laughed. "I'll never doubt you or your friends again."

"You better not," she said with a cheeky grin. "I don't want you to think you're going to lose me again."

"No, no, no my sweet little goat. I'll never have to worry about losing you again because I'm never letting you go ever again." He pulled her even closer to him and pressed his face into her hair. "I'm never letting you go again." He lifted his head up again and looked into her eyes. "I will be here for you no matter what. I will always be by your side. I'll prove myself to you. I swear to you. Anything you want, I'll do everything in my power to give it to you. I love you…"

Painappuru placed her hand on his cheek and whispered, "I know… I love you too." She then turned around to face her friends. "Thank you so much you guys. This means everything to me and I don't know how I can ever thank you enough. We'll prove to you that you made the right choice."

"I'll prove to you that you made the right choice," Kisshu corrected her.

"You both have Zakuro to thank," Keiichiro said. "She made the final vote that decided it all."

Painappuru grinned at Zakuro. "Thank you so much Zakuro. I'll never be able to repay you, but I'll do everything I can."

Zakuro shook her head and smiled back. "There's no need. You're my friend and I want to see you happy. And despite all the troubles that Kisshu has caused for us, it really does seem that he is trying to change because he really does seem to care about you. Love always prevails and if we didn't allow him to stay now, you probably would have found a way to get him to stay later."

Painappuru laughed and nodded her head. "That sounds like me…"

"I just hope it's worth it," Ryou added.

"It will be!" Painappuru said excitedly.

"Now," Keiichiro said, turning to Kisshu and sounding serious again, "there are a few things we need to discuss. Kisshu, Painappuru mentioned two ideas when she made her case last night that we are actually very interested in. The first concerns your friend, Taruto. Painappuru proposed the idea of Taruto living with you, posing as your brother. We've already talked to Taruto and he would be interested in the idea if you are."

Kisshu glanced at the little alien, who smiled innocently. Kisshu noticed that Taruto was still holding Pudding's hand. Pudding was beaming happily and he could tell that the thought of Taruto staying on Earth excited her. He could practically see the sparks flying between the two kids. They may be young, but it was obvious that there was a tiny flicker of love dancing between them. After being given the chance to be with the person he loved, he couldn't deny the same opportunity to someone else. "Of course Tart may stay with me," Kisshu replied.

Pudding squealed in delight and threw her arms around Taruto, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Oh Taru Taru, I'm so happy! We'll play together all the time and we're going to have so much fun!"

Keiichiro grinned at the children's joy. "Wonderful. In that case, you and Taruto may stay here until we find a place for the two of you to stay. However, Kisshu, you are going to have to get a job so that you can afford to keep the place. If you are going to live among the humans, you are going to have to act like a human. That means getting a job and earning a paycheck. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kisshu said with a nod of his head. "I'll start looking immediately."

"This also means that you will both have to start attending school." Taruto groaned but Keiichiro ignored it. "Lettuce and Ryou have agreed to help me work on creating a potion that will give the illusion that you are both humans. Only those who know who you really are will be able to see your true form. This should make your stay here easier.

"Now, when Painappuru was making her case to keep you here, she suggested that you could help us figure out who has been attacking us. It is obvious that it is some sort of alien that has been sending these creatures to Earth. They slightly resemble the Chimera Anima that you used to use, but they're obviously not Chimera Animas and we've seen no trace of any of your kind during the assaults. So we're not sure who it is and we need all the help we can get."

"I understand," Kisshu said. "I'll do everything I can to help you figure out who your assailant is."

"Thank you Kisshu," Keiichiro said. "Now, the last thing we need to discuss is getting Painappuru home." He smiled at the blonde. "You're parent's think that you have been kidnaped and have had the police searching for you. So, we need to fabricate a story that explains your disappearance."

Painappuru nodded. "Well… let's start imagining!" She laughed, pulling Kisshu close. He kissed her cheek and the group began brainstorming ideas that would put the girl's parents at ease and help her return to her normal life.

The End

Well faithful readers, there you have it. The ending of the story. I hope it satisfies everyone! Now, I have been considering a sequel, only because princessmiddleast suggested it. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but I'm still a bit unsure. If you have any ideas, please let me know! Thank you so much for sticking with this story to the very end. It means so much to me.

Mew Painappuru