The door opened, and Chihiro fell to the floor, face first.
"Oww! What the hell?!" Chihiro exclaimed, holding her head as Haru walked in with a look that looked like a cross between bored and annoyed.
"What's going on?" Mint demanded, annoyed.
"She must be the nosey bitch?" Chihiro asked, looking at Mint.
"Yeah—that's her…" Haru mumbled, walking straight for Kohana.
"Wait…" Chihiro started, looking at Masaya.
"What is it now? Please, hold still. Please, DO NOT move." Haru asked, slightly annoyed, before telling Kohana as calmly as she could, kneeling behind her.
"So, he's dating both of them?" Chihiro outright asked, confusing everyone.
"I'd ask what you're talking about, but I'm a little too busy right now." Haru replied, annoyed, feeling the back of Kohana's neck.
"Right. I'll get the knife ready." Chihiro complied, feeling around for a pocketknife, freaking Kohana and some of the others out.
"Relax. One: I have the knife. Two: I don't think there's a need for the knife; hers isn't that deep. And Three: Ms. Blondie: if you touch Chihiro, I will not hesitate to throw this knife at you. I know—I'm sorry. Just bear with me for another minute." Haru told Chihiro, explained, warned Berry, and then apologized to Kohana.
Haru was beyond annoyed at a few different things. One is that she had to dig something out of the back of Kohana's neck—and she had to really dig her nails in, knowingly hurting her.
"What is going on?" Ichigo asked, annoyed, watching Chihiro.
"That guy: he's your boyfriend?" Chihiro asked, referring to Masaya, looking at Ichigo.
"Yeah… Why?" Ichigo asked, narrowing her eyes.
"So, it's ok to have two girlfriends at the same time?" Chihiro asked, confused.
"No, not normally." Haru answered, not bothering to look up as she concentrated on Kohana.
"So, then, why is he dating the redhead and Ms. Nosey Bitch?" Chihiro questioned, looking at Ichigo, Masaya, and Mint.
"I don't know what this girl is talking about." Masaya and Mint denied knowing what Chihiro was saying.
"Ah-ha. Here we go. I know I've already agitated your neck, but this is going to sting." Haru announced, pulling out what looked like a small memory chip. She then warned Kohana before using an alcohol patch on the back her neck, causing her to stiffen up. After a few seconds, Haru placed a bandage on the back of Kohana's neck.
"Wow. She didn't scream or anything like that." Chihiro spoke, astonished as Haru stood up.
"Are you upset because she didn't cry like you did? Or are you upset because you were on the ground, rolling around with tears gushing down your face? I warned you it was going to sting; you just had to be over dramatic. But that's where this conversation is ending. I got it out." Haru asked Chihiro, giving her crap.
"Why do you have to be so mean to me? I'm not upset. Mine probably hurt more because you had to cut mine chip out with a knife." Chihiro whined.
"Yeah? So did I? And I didn't whine as much as you did." Haru replied before dropping the chip on the ground.
"What is that? Err… What was that?" Keiichiro and Ryou asked, watching Haru step on and crush the chip.
"Tracking chip. We all had one—well, two. After we were taken to a hospital, doctors removed the ones in our left or right arms. We were told they did X-rays and such to determine whether or not there were anymore; they said "no." However, they were wrong; we each had one in the back of our necks. Stella was attacked, and last I knew was being transported to a hospital. The oldest son had escaped, found Chihiro, who then found me and Stella. That's how we found out about the chips. But he's been re-arrested. This time in a swat van. My knife is how we got our chips out. We thought we were going to have to do the same with Kohana, but her chip wasn't that deep. And I don't think it worked to begin with. But even if it did; it sure as hell doesn't now. Now, as for you two…" Haru explained and was going to say something else when she was interrupted.
"Hey, where did you get all this money?" Chihiro questioned, holding a briefcase of money.
"The apartment owner; he wasn't thrilled about everything that happened. He gave Stella her money back; she gave it to me before she was taken by an ambulance." Haru answered in a bored tone of voice.
"We should go shopping!" Chihiro gleefully exclaimed.
"Ha! No, I need to figure out how to rent an apartment or something." Haru retorted right away.
"What about your family; you could just move back in with them." Chihiro argued; she wanted to go shopping.
"No, I can't. Stella called them after we dropped you off at your family's; they moved on and don't want me anymore. They thought I just up and ran away—again. Who knows? Maybe I was running away at the time and was just taken. I don't know." Haru explained.
"So, if you were just running away, why didn't you just join these people?" Mint inquired, watching Haru.
"Because I'm not stupid. I knew what they were doing was wrong—I still know what they did was wrong. I used to read and watch the news a lot. Unfortunately, I wasn't strong enough to do anything. Also, I don't like being used as they were trying to do because it's easier to take kids when you have other kids with you. If you have a child with you, what child won't trust you? So, initially, I must've been running away. However, unfortunately for them, I wasn't going to confirm to what they wanted me to do or be." Haru calmly explained before looking between Masaya and Mint.
"Oh, and Ms. Nosey? Thanks for speaking up; I almost forgot what I wanted to say. Now that you've been caught or whatever, don't play stupid or whatever. Clearly, this is news to her, but not to you. So, that means he must've been dating her first—and what that means is that he's been cheating on her with you. Uh-uh-uh… I'm not done yet. See, I didn't think about any of this until now. But when I was trying to catch up to Chihiro to drag her ass back here—after falling into a pond—we saw you two hugging, kissing, and bla, bla, bla. So, I mean no disrespect to anybody here except the slut and the asshat." Haru spoke in an eerily calm tone, looking around.
"Excuse me?!" Mint and Masaya exclaimed, shocked.
"I am not a slut!" Mint yelled, turning red in the face.
"Hahaha. That's funny; it really is. It's soo funny you think that. Sweetheart, I may have been locked in an underground bunker or wherever for nearly fourteen years, but I know a slut when I see one. As for you, Asshat; I know a cheater when I see one—once I have all the pieces. You two, I'm guessing are supposed to be friends—maybe even best friends. And you're supposed to be her boyfriend. Yet here the two of you are, going behind her back and doing who knows what with each other." Haru retorted, looking directly at Mint.
"Excuse me?! You don't know me; I've never dated anyone before Masaya!" Mint snapped, finally admitting it, causing Ichigo to sit in a chair in shock.
"Amen to that. But as I said earlier, I know you well enough to know you're a slut. I don't care that you've never dated anyone before. And quite frankly, it doesn't matter; you're dating your friend's boyfriend behind her back. And you. I was wrong about you. You're not an asshat; you're a pig. Plain and simple. Now, that I've got that all that off my chest, I have to head out and start apartment hunting or whatever. I apologize to everyone in here except "Prima Ballerina" and "Asshat." Kohana, I'll see you after some time. Come on, Chihiro; we should get you home." Haru sighed as she stood up.
"She could stay here—if you're ok with that." Ryou whispered to Keiichiro.
"I'm fine with that. We can't exactly let her go homeless. And if it weren't for her, who knows where Kohana would be?" Keiichiro replied, looking at Ryou.
"So, it's settled?" Ryou asked, looking at Keiichiro.
"Uh-huh; we'll just have to figure out where to move whatever they can't, won't, or don't use." Keiichiro sighed.
"Well, I ordered that shed that only arrived three hours ago. I know what I ordered it for originally, but I can always order another one—a smaller one for what I originally intended this one for. This one can be used for whatever they don't need, can't use, or just plain don't want." Ryou calmly offered a solution.
"Sounds like a plan. Hey Haru: can you come here, please?" Keiichiro agreed with a smile before calling Haru.
"Yeah?" Haru asked as calmly as she could.
"She's going to get it now; he won't let her stay in Kohana's life now." Berry whispered to Mint, who just smiled.
"We need to talk to you about something important. Chihiro, you as well." Ryou firmly informed the girls, folding his arms across his chest.
"Ok…" Haru and Chihiro replied, unsure.
"Please, sit down. Kohana, please sit in a chair." Keiichiro politely told the girls.
"First off: Haru, we don't want you to be homeless; we have an extra room upstairs." Keiichiro started explaining, looking at Haru.
"Ok… What are you saying?" Haru questioned, narrowing her eyes a little.
"Ryou and I are asking you to move into one of the spare rooms upstairs. I know you said you planned on apartment hunting or whatever. But that could and will take time. We don't want you to be homeless, and I know it would make Kohana happy if you accepted." Keiichiro answered.
"WHAT?!" Mint and Berry yelled, pissed off.
'Really?' Kohana asked Keiichiro and Ryou, shocked.
"If she accepts, yes." Keiichiro calmly replied.
"There is an extra spare room." Ryou nonchalantly told Kohana. However, on the inside, he was trying to remain calm.
'Haru, will you move in here? You said you didn't have a home no more. We can see each other every day. Please.' Kohana signed, desperately pleading with Haru.
"Sure, why not?" Haru sighed but smiled; she had a difficult time saying "no" to Kohana. That, and she did need a place to stay.
"Also, what we really wanted to talk to you about are the strange marks you have on your bodies. Kohana's is on her wrist; she said yours is on your lower back and yours is on the back of your neck." Ryou spoke, watching Haru and Chihiro.
"Ok…" Haru started, narrowing her eyes again.
"What do the marks mean?" Chihiro asked, interrupting Haru.
"They mean you're Mew Mews—assuming the marks are authentic mew marks. We've seen Kohana's; hers is authentic. Could we please see yours?" Ryou calmly asked.
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Mint snapped.
"We'll soon find out." Keiichiro sighed, becoming frustrated.
"Well—what have we got to lose?" Haru asked, standing up; she turned around and lifted her shirt a little so that Ryou could see.
Shortly after, Chihiro showed off her mark.
"Well, are they legit?" Zakuro questioned, looking at Ryou.
"They are. All three of these girls are Mew Mews." Ryou answered.
"Again. Are you freaking kidding me?!" Mint furiously yelled.
"No, we're not freaking kidding; they are legitimate, authentic Mew Mews." Ryou answered in a bored tone of voice.
"What the heck is a Mew Mew?" Haru and Chihiro asked at the same time while Kohana sat there, confused.
"Your DNA has been infused with the DNA of endangered animal species." Ryou simply answered.
"Heh?" Haru and Chihiro asked, shocked and confused.
"My dad, years ago, when he was still alive, started this project: The Mew Mew Project after he found something on an archaeological dig. A year and a half later, the fossil that he had found came to life, destroyed the home I grew up in, and killed my parents. After that happened, I vowed to finish his work—and I did. I tested it on myself to make sure it was safe for the girls who would be chosen to become Mew Mews. Unfortunately, my DNA wasn't compatible with the project, so I cannot transform like you girls. However, I can turn into a cat for ten minutes. Along with having DNA of endangered animals, you have special powers. Along with Keiichiro, we created you Mew Mews to keep the city protected from evil." Ryou explained.
"You created us, yet you look confused. Why is that?" Haru questioned, looking at Ryou.
"Well, the plan was for five girls to be infused, not nine. The original five are Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, and Zakuro. Berry was later created by accident when she fell through a machine we were testing; she has two sets of animal DNA. Now, there's you three. I mean, I suppose I could've sent out too much or something, but I'm usually spot on, on what I do." Ryou answered, shrugging a little.
"What are we infused with?" Chihiro quickly asked, interested.
"We don't know; we'd have to get DNA samples and run tests. But we can tell you that:"
· Ichigo is fused with the DNA of the Irimote Wildcat
· Mint is fused with the DNA of the Blue Lorikeet
· Lettuce is fused with the DNA of the Finless Porpoise
· Pudding is fused with the DNA of the Golden Lion Tamarin Monkey
· Zakuro is fused with the DNA of the Gray Wolf
· Berry is fused with the DNA of the Andes Mountain Cat and the Amami Black Rabbit
Keiichiro explained, listing off what everyone was.
"You've already met Mint and Masaya. That's Ichigo, Lettuce, Pudding, Zakuro, Berry, and Berry's boyfriend, Tasuku. Girls, Tasuku and Masaya, this is Keiichiro's younger sister, Kohana and her two friends, Haru, and Chihiro. Oh, and seeing as you three are Mew Mews, you'll be working here at the café; it's nonnegotiable." Ryou introduced everyone before explaining.
"I guess that takes care of finding a job. However, good luck convincing Chihiro's parents; they seem a bit strict, overbearing, and overprotective. Don't get me wrong or anything; I get it. I'm just not sure they're going to let her out of their sights…ever again." Haru sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
"What would we have to do?" Chihiro asked right away.
"There's taking customers' orders, bringing them their orders, cash register, keeping the place clean, among other tasks." Ichigo dully answered.
"I'm not complaining or anything, but do you think they're going to be able to deal with customers or people in general. That Stella Star lady said they all have PTSD of some sort. Are they going to be able handle being around a lot of people at one time? And I mean absolutely no disrespect by saying this, but Kohana doesn't talk." Zakuro stated, making a point.
"Being around people doesn't bother me too much." Haru spoke up.
"No, they just piss you off. What if they piss you off to a point where you snap or attack them?" Berry questioned, looking at Haru, who just smiled back at her.
"So, you must be friends with Ms. Prima Ballerina. You have pretty much the same type of attitude. Do people piss me off? Yes. However, as long as they don't push me, I'm pretty good. If someone pisses me off to a point, I'll walk away. Yes, I'm capable of doing so. Even if I wasn't, Chihiro and Kohana can always calm me down—well, Kohana can; Chihiro tends to piss me off at least once a day." Haru calmly answered.
"Yep. And I do it on purpose." Chihiro declared with a smile.
"Yeah, and you know just how to get on my nerves and under my skin. And then you pay for it later on. So, you're Berry, correct?" Haru mumbled and then asked, looking at Berry.
"That's correct." Berry proudly answered.
"And you're dating Tasuku?" Haru asked.
"You're damn right I am. He's mine; don't even think about it." Berry warned, glaring at Haru.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Haru plainly replied.
"Good." Berry replied.
"Yeah. So, anyway… You knew she was seeing him behind her back?" Haru asked, looking at Berry.
"Of course, I did. Mint's one of my best friends and deserves happiness just as much as the next person." Berry answered, not realizing what just happened.
"You do realize you just ratted out your best friend, don't you?" Haru asked with a cheeky smile.
"Uhhh… Damnit! Sorry, Mint." Berry guiltily apologized.
"Don't worry about it; we were already caught because of them." Mint replied, narrowing her eyes at Haru.
"You're not going to intimidate me. You can try all you want, though; I enjoy a challenge." Haru stated with a wicked smile.
"Hey, you. Yeah, you. Can't you do something to control your friend?" Berry demanded, looking directly at Kohana.
"Leave her out of this; Kohana has nothing to do with what their dumb asses did. And as much as I love and respect Kohana; she can't control me. Ain't nobody out there who can control me." Haru warned and then stated.
"Fucking bitch…" Mint mumbled under her breath so that nobody could hear—or so she thought.
"Thank you! As I said before, I am a bitch. And I'm damn well proud of it." Haru responded with a smile.
"I wish today never happened, and none of you came here! If it weren't for any of you, Masaya and I would've never been figured out! This is the worst day ever! Why did you have to come here of all places?!" Mint flipped out—finally having enough to let out how she felt, forgetting that Kohana and Keiichiro were standing right there.
Needless to say, Kohana shrunk into a small ball. At the same time, Keiichiro, Ryou, Tasuku, and all the girls, minus Berry, were shocked.
"Umm… We're here because of Kohana." "Yeah, we know that! She should've never been brought here; she should've just stayed missing! We're all sorry for what you all went through, but she should've never come back! We were perfect without any of you here! She needs to find a social worker and tell them this was all a mistake! Or she can just disappear one night and live somewhere that's better equipped to take care of her! Just lea—" Mint furiously yelled, interrupting Haru. She just went off on a tangent until Zakuro had enough and slapped her, shocking everyone.
"That is enough! Like it, or not, these three are here to stay! Clearly you have no respect for Keiichiro…" Zakuro started but was interrupted.
"We have all the respect in the world for Keiichiro." Berry argued right away, earning a glare from Zakuro.
"Clearly not. You call that respect? If either you or Mint had any respect for Keiichiro, you sure as hell wouldn't be saying the shit you're saying—especially in front of Keiichiro himself! Kohana is his younger sister, and nothing is going to change that! If she were to just up and disappear like you say she should, I highly doubt Keiichiro would just sit by and do nothing. No, he'd go out looking for her—again. Just as he had been doing for the past however many years, he'd been looking for her already! Those girls have gone through way more than we ever have—or ever want to! You have no right to judge them and their attitudes. Kohana needs her brother more than anything right now; she needs him more than ever. But not only that: she needs her friends; she needs the two who know what she went through more than anybody else—anyone in this damn room. Mint, Berry: I've lost any and all respect I ever had for you two. It slowly started a little bit ago when you admitted to seeing Masaya behind Ichigo's back. Ichigo, our leader, our friend—our sister. But this just tops it off. And you: I never trusted you. I thought you two were being shifty. Now I know why. Grow the fuck up already! Don't even bother to show up to any more of my shows, any award ceremonies, or anything. I can't even look at you." Zakuro harshly snapped; she was beyond pissed.
"But Zakuro… Please." Mint cried, upset.
"No, buts! I have to go; I'm in between shoots. It was nice to meet you three. Welcome to the team. Keiichiro and Kohana: I sincerely hope you two find the happiness you both need. Kohana: don't mind these two; they're just jealous and not worth your time or energy. You have a great older brother; don't push him away or run away. Ichigo: don't pay them any attention either; you deserve so much better than this piece of shit anyway. Just remember, he's just sloppy seconds. So, we all hope Mint likes your sloppy seconds. I'll see you all around." Zakuro scolded Mint before informing Kohana and Ichigo, slowly calming down before leaving.
"See you later." Everyone, but Mint, Berry, Masaya, and Tasuku, bid farewell.
"Sloppy seconds, hmm? Why the hell didn't I think of that?" Haru asked, pissed at herself.
"What does it matter?" Chihiro questioned, annoyed.
"Mint, wait!" Berry yelled when Mint ran past everyone, out of the café in tears.
Tasuku, although disappointed in her, followed Berry.
"Ichigo…" Masaya started.
"You need to leave; don't ever talk to me again. I'm serious. Go! You made your choice." Ichigo firmly told Masaya.
"Fine…" Masaya mumbled before leaving. But not before turning to look back at Kohana, trying to make it look like he was looking at Ichigo. He thought Kohana was kind of cute—and maybe even a good little fuck; she was a virgin after all.
"Go near her and I'll break your pretty face and cut 'em off." Haru warned, flipping open her pocketknife, glaring at Masaya, scaring him; he quickly left after that.
"Never a dull day…" Ryou sighed, annoyed.
"How much is rent going to be?" Haru inquired, looking at Keiichiro and Ryou.
"Don't worry about that; you'll earn your keep by working here. And yes, you'll receive a paycheck—all of you will." Ryou calmly informed Haru, Chihiro, and Kohana, running his hand through his hair.
"So, you do have spending money!" Chihiro happily exclaimed, looking at Haru.
"I'm sure Stella will want it back when she gets out." Haru stated, looking at Chihiro.
"What she don't know won't hurt her. Besides, you have a place to stay now. Just tell her you used it to pay rent here. You can buy a new bed and such." Chihiro told Haru with a smile.
"We do have beds up in the rooms." Ryou stated in disbelief.
"But are they good beds? Eh? Eh?" Chihiro asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Chihiro…" Haru started with an annoyed sigh.
"Eh-eh-any be-bed i-i-is be-bet-better th-th-than n-n-no be-bed." Kohana managed to get out.
"Wait… She can talk?" Chihiro asked in shock.
"Yeah… Of course, she can talk. But because she was hit in the throat a few times, she stutters horribly. She vaguely remembers the first day she arrived, but she said she remembered a branch swinging at her. Then there was the day a pipe swung off the ceiling; she wasn't able to duck in time. Then I think Sir got mad and went to smack her across the face, but lost balance or some crap excuse, and chopped her in the throat. The doctor who would come to check up on us told them she should probably have X-rays to see what could be done to help her. But of course, Sir and Ma'am denied that." Haru explained, narrowing her eyes at Chihiro.
"Ok. Why don't we get Jexi and Kilala, and show you to where your rooms will be? Then we'll take you shopping so you can get clothes and whatever else you need. You can also decide what you want to keep or not keep that are in the rooms already." Keiichiro suggested.
"Ok. But we'll have to drop Chihiro off at her house before going shopping. I'm sure her parents are panicking by now." Haru calmly replied.
"Ok. Well, let's get your DNA tested first then. That way we can figure out what your infused with by the time we see you next." Keiichiro agreed and insisted.
"Oh, and you can't tell anybody about you being Mew Mews. The only people who can know are us, the girls, and Masaya and Tasuku. There are three others, but you'll meet them later, I'm sure. It'll become clear as to why they know when you meet them." Ryou calmly explained.
"Ok…" Haru and Chihiro replied, looking at each other.
"Ichigo, do you still want to come with?" Ryou asked, looking at Ichigo.
"Yeah, I'd like that. It's better than going home right now and having my parents bombard me with questions." Ichigo answered.
"Lettuce, Pudding, do you two want to come with as well?" Keiichiro politely asked.
"I would, but I have to be home to watch my younger brother. Oh, I have to be headed out before I'm late." Lettuce politely declined before panicking and rushing out of the café.
"I'll go; my brothers and sister are out on an overnight camping trip. Na no da." Pudding happily accepted the invitation.
"Let's get this done and over with so that we can go and get back." Ryou and Keiichiro insisted.
"Masha, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked, getting everyone's attention.
Right after she asked that, Masha coughed up two pendants, which floated over to Haru and Chihiro.
"Doesn't Kohana get one? Na no da." Pudding asked, confused.
"No pendant for Kohana. Not right DNA." Masha answered right away.
"Apparently not." Ichigo replied, looking at Ryou, looking for answers.
"It means her genetics weren't compatible with the project." Ryou answered, looking at Kohana.
"But then why does she have a Mew mark?" Ichigo asked, looking at the guys.
"Not sure. But we'll figure it all out." Ryou answered.
"Come on, girls." Keiichiro politely instructed, leading them to the lab.
Half an Hour Later:
It took a few minutes to get everything set up and another few minutes to get the girls' DNA:
· Haru did just fine with the blood work
· Chihiro gave Keiichiro a bit of a hard time—she didn't like needles.
· Kohana ended up having to lie down as she nearly passed out.
After all the bloodwork, Ryou and Keiichiro inspected Kohana's throat, ran some tests, and took some X-rays.
Now they were heading upstairs with Jexi and Kilala to figure out the room situations.
"Ok. Ryou's room is at the end of the hall that way. My room is at the end of the hall this way. You two will be in the middle rooms." Keiichiro started explaining.
"Although maybe we should set the rooms up differently. There are only two bathrooms and they're in between rooms; however, they connect to two different rooms. No matter how you spin it, two people will be sharing a bathroom. It would probably be best if the girls share a bathroom instead of one of us sharing a bathroom with one of the girls." Ryou suggested, looking at Keiichiro, thinking about it.
"Good point…" Keiichiro sighed.
"I don't have school tomorrow. Maybe I could convince my parents to let me stay the weekend; I could help you move stuff around." Ichigo offered.
"Ooh! Ooh! Me too! Na no da!" Pudding exclaimed right away.
"I'm sure if they're not busy, Zakuro and Lettuce would help as well. Maybe we could even get ahold of Kish, Pie and Tart." Ichigo suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." Ryou and Keiichiro agreed.
"I'll call my mom and ask her." Ichigo informed before she headed downstairs with Pudding.
"How are we going to do this?" Keiichiro asked, looking around.
"I'll move over to the room next to yours. I have less things than you; it's fine. Because Kohana has her cats, she can have my room; there's more space so she can put up a cat tower or something." Ryou answered.
"Are you sure?" Keiichiro asked, looking at Ryou.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Keiichiro, you're my best friend and you've done so much for me these last nine, almost ten years. It's the least I can do for you. It's really no problem." Ryou insisted.
"Are you slowpokes coming?! We're staying the weekend! Na no da!" Pudding yelled up the stairs.
"We'd better get going before she comes up to drag us down." Ryou sighed.
"Agreed." Keiichiro agreed with a smile before they headed downstairs and then to the van.
Keiichiro drove with Ryou sitting in the passenger.
Ichigo and Pudding sat in the middle while Kohana, Haru, and Chihiro sat in the back.
Fifteen Minutes Later:
"Oh, jeez…" Chihiro mumbled, looking out a window; her parents were freaking out in the front yard until they saw the van.
"Well, you'd better get out." Haru told Chihiro, looking out the window.
"Yeah, yeah…" Chihiro mumbled, getting up.
"Chihiro, Baby! You're ok!" Her parents happily exclaimed, running to her and attacked her in hugs.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Chihiro mumbled.
"At least you have parents who care!" Haru yelled out a window.
"Who's that?" Chihiro's father asked, looking at Haru.
"That's Haruna; she and Kohana are two girls who were with me in that place. They are two of my best friends. Haru actually took care of Kohana and me. The two men in front are Kohana's brother, Keiichiro Akasaka, and his best friend, Ryou Shirogane; they are now my bosses. They offered Haru, Kohana, and me jobs and we said "yes." Well, Kohana didn't exactly have a choice, but Haru and I said we'd love to; we can see each other every day. You're not going to change my mind; I need some kind of a normal social life." Chihiro quickly answered and explained.
"Where is this place?" Her dad interrogated right away.
"It's a place called Café Mew Mew." Chihiro answered before disappearing inside.
"Jeez… Hi, I'm Ryou Shirogane. I, along with Keiichiro Akasaka, own Café Mew Mew. This is our address and directions. No one understands more than Keiichiro what you're going through; he spent the last twelve years looking for his sister. They're parents have since passed away, but Keiichiro is taking responsibility and custody of his sister. My point is, we understand that you don't want to let Chihiro out of your sights for some time, and that's one hundred percent understandable and fantastic. We would just like that you allow her to start coming to the café in about a month or month and a half. However, ultimately, it's up to you; we won't take your child away from you when you just got her back. But we have to be headed out. Before we do, here's my and Keiichiro's information." Ryou calmly told Chihiro's parents, handing them some papers before getting back into the van.
"Thank you." Chihiro's parents thanked, shocked, unsure of what to say.
"You handled that very well." Keiichiro praised Ryou with a smile as he started driving off.
"Thanks." Ryou mumbled as they made their way to their destination: the furniture store…