Late morning sunshine streamed through the huge glass window, bathing the messy room in a golden glow. The light warmed Ichigo's bare toes, and fell across her chest like a loving caress. Ichigo pulled the coat around her shoulders closer, feeling the bumps and divots of the embroidery along the edges as she slipped her fingers over the thick fabric.
The east wall of the city was alive with energy, buzzing with midday activity as Ichigo watched children play, and civilians travel from one building to another via flight. Ichigo had a perfect view of all of it out the huge, floor-to-ceiling windows of the room. She spotted a patio where a few people appeared to be outside, sharing lunch together. And a few buildings down, lower on the valley wall, another building looked to be newly under construction, sparks flying off of the surface of the metal frame as someone worked on constructing its bones.
There was still so much she hadn't seen. The massive city and its occupants was nearly 100,000 strong, altogether with several kilometers of infrastructure built up along both the east and west walls of the valley. In the short time she'd explored the capitol, she felt as though she'd barely scratched the surface.
Then again, it wasn't safe for her to do so – at least, not until recently. Even after the exposure of Orion's plan and the dispersion of the Deep Blue loyalists, Ichigo knew it wasn't smart to wander around the city unaccompanied. There could always be a lone wolf, someone who wanted to seek her out for personal revenge, like Orion. But she knew that soon enough, she could at least venture out with a friend or two, without fear of ambush or confrontation – after the proverbial dust had settled.
After the chaos of the battle the day before, Ichigo found solace sitting in front of the window of Quiche's room, watching the city. Dreaming.
She'd been by herself for a while by the time she finally heard a click by the main door. She turned to look over her shoulder, still feeling a twinge of panic leap in her chest as a result of her traumatic experience with being alone in the room.
But, of course, it was him.
Quiche slipped in through the narrow opening in the sliding door and closed it behind him. He turned back to Ichigo and grinned, eyeing her up and down.
"Stealing more of my clothes?" he remarked. He padded over to where Ichigo was sitting on the floor. His left foot still had a slight limp, though he wore a splint wrapped around the lower part of his leg.
"I don't know how your alien thermostats work, okay?" Ichigo muttered, following his gaze as he came closer. "It's cold in here."
She had purposefully plucked the long, black coat from his closet that morning. She'd spun in front of a mirror, admiring the gold thread that shone on its edges, and the detailed design of the dragon climbing through the botanical embroidery covering the back. The coat from the Solstice Festival was breathtaking … and it was warm around her shoulders.
Quiche sat down next to her and smirked, his eyes flicking from her half-dressed body up to her flushed expression. He reached out and traced the edges of the collar of the coat, his fingers brushing up against the side of her face.
"It looks better on you anyway," he said, before he leaned in and kissed her.
Ever since the battle the day before, Quiche hadn't been able to keep his hands off of her. Kissing her every chance he got, holding her waist, running his hands up and down her arms – it'd normally be a bit much for Ichigo, but she wasn't sick of it. She didn't know if she'd ever grow tired of the way he simply adored the act of adoring her.
Fire danced in his eyes when he finally pulled away. He had that look in his eye again — like Ichigo was the moon and stars.
All of this was so new to both of them. Awe and wonder still drifted in between the small moments where they perceived each other — together, with no hesitations, no playful rejections.
It was still so new to be together.
"How did the meeting go?" Ichigo asked softly, breaking the thick tension between them.
Quiche watched her for an extra moment, as if she'd interrupted a thought. Then, he drew a long breath and turned his focus to the view out the window.
"Fine," he replied simply. "The whole thing is a logistical nightmare, obviously. Bram has been officially removed from the council of princes, so we are now a council of 10. His trial is linked to Orion's death. Tokyo Mew Mew and its allies have the Emperor's full support, but the whole council will be expected to undergo rigorous training and subject ourselves to yearly interviews to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Same goes for our military personnel."
Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. "Are you still going to have to defend yourself in front of everyone in trial?" she asked.
"Sort of," Quiche replied. He let out a short breath. "I'm free to come and go from Novutera, but I have to return for the trial and testify what happened over the last few weeks."
"Am I … am I going to have to testify, too?" Ichigo asked hesitantly.
Quiche glanced over at her with a pensive frown. "You don't have to, technically, since you're not under our laws," Quiche replied.
The second part to his meaning hung in the air, and Ichigo understood what he meant.
"I'll do it," Ichigo replied. Quiche's face immediately relaxed. Ichigo fidgeted with the edge of the coat, continuing slowly: "But, can I … I don't know … talk through a video or something? So I don't have to travel back and forth?"
Quiche thought for a moment. "I'll see what I can do," he said.
"It's just that I disappeared from Earth with just a note to my parents a couple days ago," Ichigo sighed. "They're probably freaking out. I'm an adult but … I'm pretty sure they're going to ground me."
Quiche snickered. "I'm sure you'll find a way to win them back," he said with a grin.
"You don't know my parents," Ichigo groaned. She sunk her head into her knees and let out a long, languished sigh. She didn't want to think about the mess she had to clean up at home, but the thought gnawed at her stomach anyway.
"Hey, kitten," Quiche said, nudging Ichigo's knee with his. Ichigo perked up from her ball of worry. "Thanks for being okay with the whole trial thing. I know the government here on Novutera is the last thing you want to deal with."
Ichigo blinked at him bewilderedly. It was out of character for Quiche to offer a genuine thanks without teasing or spinning the gratitude into something more. She thought for a moment, recalling a phrase that had often crossed her mind, before the words tripped off her tongue and out of her mouth.
"For you, anything," she said with a grin.
She meant it to be teasing, since she'd heard him say the phrase so often over the past few months — but it came out a bit too genuine. She immediately felt silly for saying it, and felt her face flush in embarrassment. She felt like it was too intimate, too strange for the moment.
Quiche didn't seem to mind. Recognition flashed across his face, and a smirk curled on his lips. "That sounds familiar," he remarked. "You remembered."
"Of course I remembered," Ichigo said defensively. She raised her brows at him and smiled, feeling herself fall back into their usual playful chatter. "Maybe I pay more attention to you than you think."
"Maybe you just got really good at pretending you hate me," Quiche replied.
"Maybe that too," Ichigo said with a laugh. She sighed blissfully and directed her gaze out the window again. She didn't know the next time she'd be in the beautiful, bustling alien city, so she tried to memorize the view with her eyes.
The eclectic layout of the city built into the valley was a feast for the eyes, a patchwork of structures of all shapes and sizes — some homes, some larger buildings that looked like they housed shops. Some were older, made of wood, stone and colored ceramic tile, and some newer, made of metal and glass. Even the small cross-section of the city Ichigo could see out the window was so rich with detail — and there was so, so much of the city still left to see.
She wondered when she'd be back. Soon, she found herself hoping.
"The Emperor wants to name me as his successor."
The words startled Ichigo out of her blissful daze. She stared at Quiche with wide eyes. He was focused on the view out the window, a hardened expression carved into his features. "After the trial, that is. Once the dust settles, and my name is officially cleared from the books. He wants to name his next successor publicly, so that there's no questions around who would take over in the event of sudden sickness or death."
Ichigo forced herself to breathe. She felt a weight pushing down on her chest, a feeling of dread at what it meant for their futures. A familiar fear forced its way into her thoughts once more; suddenly, she had flashbacks to the fight they'd had just days ago – over whether Novutera was just another London. It felt as if – despite everything Quiche had reassured her of – they were being torn in different directions anyway.
"Congratulations," Ichigo said anyway, forcing a small smile.
Quiche turned to look at her. "Ichigo, I turned him down."
Ichigo felt like she'd been hit by a second punch to the gut.
"You … what? Why?"
"It's not that I don't want that kind of power," Quiche muttered. "I've dreamed of power like the Emperor's. Thought of everything I could accomplish. Even thought about how we could improve the way we work with your team on Earth."
He let out a long breath. "…but I know I can't serve in that seat of power here, and also have a life on Earth. So I told the Emperor to find someone else."
His gaze found Ichigo again. The corner of his mouth turned up, observing Ichigo's shocked expression with amusement. "Besides, the job of the Emperor is pretty boring. It's not like I'd be happy doing it anyway. It's mostly a lot of pointless meetings and—"
Ichigo interrupted him by throwing her arms around him in an embrace. She held tight around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent and letting herself relax into the feeling of his arms wrapping around her body in turn.
He'd told the Emperor no.
He had to pick, and he'd chosen her.
She felt overwhelmed by the mixed emotions swirling in her chest. Astonishment. Joy. Gratefulness. And love.
Love — there, finally, in her heart and in her mind. Fully realized, fully embraced, and still so fresh, so foreign for her to call it that in her thoughts.
But somehow, it also felt like an old love. Maybe it was the fact that Quiche had loved her all this time, unrequited for years. Or maybe it was just that Ichigo had denied it in her heart for so long, that now, it felt like it already had a home.
He'd chosen her over and over again, all these years. And now, it felt so right to choose him.
"I love you," Ichigo murmured into his neck.
Such a small phrase, carrying so much weight.
Quiche's arms tightened around her, then released her, his hands traveling from her back down to her hips. Ichigo pulled away from him just enough to look in his eyes.
His expression was almost childlike — blissful, full of wonder and warmth. "I love you too," he murmured. "I've loved you for so long. Ichigo, I will always love you."
His eyes flicked to where he held her hips, before returning to capture her in their golden stare. "I waited so many years for this. I spent so many nights dreaming that someday you'd be mine." He reached up and brushed a lock of hair behind one of her ears, letting his touch linger in his hair. "I promise you," he murmured, "nothing in this universe will ever take you away from me."
Ichigo's whirling thoughts slowed to a stop as she allowed his words to sink in.
Quiche's love for her still felt like a vast ocean — largely unexplored, deep and powerful. Ichigo found herself wondering how far she'd have to swim to discover how deep his feelings for her truly went. It felt like she was catching up, like he'd had a head start on love. She wanted to go deep. She couldn't wait to dive in.
But for now, she simply smiled, and said: "Not even my parents? They'll probably lock me in my room the moment I get back."
Quiche's face relaxed into a grin. Ichigo felt the heaviness in the air dissipate around them.
"Good thing doors aren't a problem for me," he said. He twirled another lock of Ichigo's hair between his fingers and raised one brow.
"You'd better not just teleport into my room whenever you want," Ichigo muttered, frowning. "I have boundaries, you know."
"Is that so?" Quiche replied. His touch slipped down from her hair to run along the skin behind her ear, then further down along her jaw. He lifted her chin with his fingers. "In that case," Quiche said, "how about we make the most of our last time without 'boundaries?'"
"What, last night wasn't enough for you?" Ichigo muttered, recalling their closeness in his room the night before. Suddenly, the coat around her shoulders felt too warm.
"I can never get enough of you, kitten," Quiche murmured. He wrapped his free arm around her waist, leaned forward and kissed her.
It was so easy to melt into him, especially when he was kissing her like this. He kissed her with urgency, with hunger, leaning into her and forcing her to sit back on her hands. It was wholly intoxicating — which was why Ichigo had to push him off with a shove to his shoulders and break the kiss.
"We're supposed to be meeting everyone else soon," Ichigo reminded him. "I haven't even packed."
Quiche hesitated for a moment, then wordlessly pushed her backwards by her shoulders. Ichigo tumbled clumsily into the mess of floor cushions she'd been sitting on, shrieking in surprise. Quiche grabbed her wrists and pinned her down on the plush floor. Ichigo's face burned, and she felt the familiar brush of her cat ears flattening against her hair.
Quiche looked down at her with a self-satisfied smirk.
"Everyone else can wait."
Pie took Ichigo's bag from her to load onto the ship, and gave her a subtle look of judgment. It was just a slight tilt of the brow, but it was somehow worse than anything Ichigo could have received from any other member of the team.
She grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, Pie."
"I mean, really, Momomiya? A whole hour late? How long does it take for you to pack your damn bag?" Ryou groaned as they all stood in the hangar of the compound center.
"Ichigo and I had to debrief after my meeting with the Emperor this morning," Quiche offered nonchalantly, picking at his nails and looking vaguely disinterested. "I'll fill all of you in during the flight."
"And we're supposed to buy that?" Mint mumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at Quiche.
"We're already late," Pie interrupted sternly. He closed the hanger of the ship and dusted his hands together. "We need to get moving now if we want to arrive on Earth on schedule."
Ichigo silently said a prayer of thanks for Pie's blunt mannerisms. "Let's get moving, then!" she declared.
The mews all took turns saying goodbye to the small group of people gathered to see them off. Ira hugged Ichigo tight and told her, "Don't get into too much trouble without me!" Ichigo also exchanged hugs with the head chef, Torin, and his daughter Momo, who Ichigo showered with thanks for her help in their mission the day before. Momo beamed up at her as Ichigo told her how proud she was of her.
"You'll be back soon, right?" Ira asked Lettuce, off to Ichigo's left.
Lettuce nodded. "I'm so excited to start the planning for implementing new language and culture studies at the schools here in the city," she said with a smile. "My Loq is still pretty rusty, but I promise I'll practice hard while I'm away!"
The group was just finishing up the last of their goodbyes when footfalls echoed around the corner. Ichigo turned to look, and saw a small posse of compound guards approaching. In their center was the Emperor — gliding along the floor slowly, but gracefully. Ichigo was momentarily surprised by how weak he looked, but she remembered how he had been bedridden just the day before.
The Viatorem all bowed at the waist and placed their hands over their hearts. Ichigo and the rest of the team followed suit.
"I was afraid I'd missed you," the Emperor said as he approached. Everyone rose from their bow, and the small posse of guards moved away to give the Emperor space. "All set for your journey?" he asked.
"We were just about to head out," Quiche replied. "Care for a personal tour of Earth?"
The Emperor chuckled to himself. "Perhaps someday soon," he said. "Until then, let's please make sure to maintain communication. I understand we recently discovered how to establish a call back and forth via our communication devices. I'd like to maintain that open line of communication with your team, and strengthen that signal if at all possible."
"Done," Ryou replied, stepping forward. "We'll work with Quiche, Pie and Tart to make sure we can establish a stable connection to your systems."
"Excellent," the Emperor replied with a nod.
His eyes traveled over the rest of the group before finally landing on Masaya. "Ah, there you are. Masaya Aoyama."
All eyes fell to Masaya as he took a step forward, coming to the front of the group.
"It's an honor to meet you," Masaya said with a smile and a short bow.
"Likewise," the Emperor replied. He drifted over to where Masaya stood at the front of the group, until he stood directly in front of Masaya. He stood just above him in height, and carried an air of intimidating elegance that appeared to make Masaya a slight bit wary.
The Emperor reached out a hand. Masaya stood still as stone as the Emperor rested his palm on Masaya's head.
The Emperor frowned.
"You carry the weight of the dark power inside of you," the Emperor murmured. "I can feel it grasping at you, similar to how it eats at the minds of our people when awakened. Is it always this heavy, son of Earth?"
"No," Masaya replied. "It feels worse when I'm here."
The Emperor hummed thoughtfully and removed his hand from Masaya's head.
"It's best if you don't return here for a long while," the Emperor mused. "The dark power is like a bed of smoldering coal. Stoke it, and it roars to life. I'd advise you to leave it be, and let the ember extinguish itself with time."
Masaya nodded. "After it's faded…" he started hesitantly. He paused, unsure of himself, "…may I come back to this place?"
The Emperor smiled. "You are welcome when you feel it's best," he replied. "We will welcome you with open arms. It's the least we could do, after all of the trials and tribulations you've endured on the part of our former god and ruler. When you return, you'll have a place of honor in our court."
Masaya smiled and lifted one hand to his heart. "Thank you," he said warmly. "I look forward to it."
"As do I," the Emperor said. He stepped back, and suddenly, his bright blue eyes were on Ichigo.
"Mew Ichigo," he addressed her.
Ichigo froze momentarily before stepping forward and folding her hands in front of her. The Emperor drifted over to her and extended a hand to her. She hesitated, unsure if she was reading the gesture correctly before lifting a hand. The Emperor took her hand in his and held it gently. His skin was thin and soft, the wisdom of his age etched into the lines of his palms.
He placed his other palm on top of hers, so that he held her hand in both of his.
"I cannot understate how you've forever changed the course of our history," the Emperor said. "I am taken aback by your courage and selfless dedication to establishing peace between our planets. That sort of tireless leadership is priceless, and I cannot thank you enough."
He released her hands and reached behind him. Ichigo watched curiously as he drew a small package that had been tucked into the back of his robes. He unfurled the leather wrapped around it, and presented it to Ichigo with both hands.
It was a slim, shining dagger, a near mirror image of the one Quiche carried. The hilt was engraved with intricate filigree of a botanical pattern woven between the image of a cat. The design was done with swirls of gold, and the cat's eyes were designed with red stones that looked like rubies.
It was absolutely stunning.
Before Ichigo could muster up the words to react, the Emperor continued: "Once our warriors finish training at our academy, they're entrusted with a personalized blade as a prize for completing their studies. I had this made for you, Mew Ichigo, because I consider you among our best warriors, and a champion of all we hold dear. Please accept it as a small symbol of our gratitude."
Ichigo reached out and gingerly took the leather package from him. "It's beautiful," she murmured. Entranced, she looked up at the Emperor and smiled. "Thank you. I love it."
"I know you aren't accustomed to handling a blade," the Emperor murmured, leaning forward and speaking to her in a near-whisper, "but I might know someone who would love to be your teacher."
He smiled with the corners of his mouth and glanced over her shoulder at Quiche, who was standing off to her left. Ichigo grinned sheepishly as the Emperor stepped back.
She wondered to himself how much he knew; or, how much he'd insinuated after Quiche rejected his offer.
"Tokyo Mew Mew," the Emperor said, addressing the group, "it's been the greatest pleasure hosting you on our planet, and an honor to have you continue to fight for peace between our planets.
"I feel as though this is the dawn of a new age for both of us. The course of both of our planet's futures has been forever changed, and for that I thank you. There's much to look forward to, and I feel as though this is just the beginning."
The Emperor cast his gaze over the whole group before placing one hand on his heart and bowing slowly at the waist. The rest of Tokyo Mew Mew followed suit, and an intense weight fell over all of them in the revenant moments of silence, where everyone began to understand collectively how their worlds had forever changed.
There was a new planet to defend, a new culture to learn, new alliances to be strengthened and the beginning of a brand new future for Tokyo Mew Mew to explore. Tokyo Mew Mew was truly in service of not just the future of the Earth, but the future of the universe.
Ichigo rose from her bow and looked around at all of her friends new and old. She felt Quiche's hand rest on the small of her back. And deep in her chest, she felt the intense power of the wildcat just beginning to bloom, purring up against her soul like a lost pet returned home.
It was time to return to Earth, to her job at the café, and to her abnormal life pretending to be a normal human girl. But Ichigo had a feeling her future was about to be so much brighter.
The possibilities ahead of her felt endless.
And Ichigo couldn't wait to dive in.