CHAPTER THIRTEEN
War of the Heart
Author's Note: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, so you have no right to sue! I think I'm protected by the Constitution! And I would like to thank the makers of DDR for providing the pretty background music! And I really would like to emphasis that I am nothing like Kami, nor was she based off of me.

"I have to wear this!?" Keiko held the deep green and melon pink dress away from her body, "but..."
The Café gumis were gathered around her, curious of what she would say.
"But..." Keiko continued, "it's so...short. The skirt I mean, and look at all this lace!" Keiko stalked off, the Café uniform slung over one shoulder, "I didn't even want to become employed here...stupid Tasmanian tiger..."
"Eh, I think it's cute!" Lettuce turned to go back to her cleaning duty.
"Me too! Na no da!"
Ichigo nodded in agreement, heading off to the kitchen. Her emotional status had begun to improve since the incident with Aoyama, almost two weeks ago. She still felt...vulnerable.
"What's your opinion on Ryou-kun's uniforms?" Kami asked Zakuro quietly out of curiosity, not expecting to receive an answer.
The gray wolf only stared at her for a moment before taking her leave. ----
"What are we going to do about them?" Akasaka had a distant look in his eyes as he referred to Keiko and Kami.
"We can't leave them alone. I think we should hold a little inquisition." Though Ryou didn't want to admit it, he knew one of his greatest pet peeves was not knowing what was going on. And he really didn't have a clue as to what was happening.
"Call them up." Ryou finally spoke up after a few moments of silence.

"You act as if we're a couple of common hound dogs." Kami appeared in the doorway, her arms folded in slight disapproval. Keiko stood silently behind her, reluctantly wearing the Café uniform.
Shirogane didn't make any response to the remark except a glance from the corner of his eye. "So, are you going to tell me why you're here...?"
Before Kami could answer, Keiko looked up sharply, "Chimera Anima. Touko Art Museum. Strong. Must leave now." The girl injected with hummingbird DNA shivered as if the temperature in the room had dropped nearly 50 degrees. Her pupils grew smaller and smaller as she spoke. All of a sudden, her body stopped the oddities and she returned back to normal.
Ryou and Akasaka looked at them both in surprise, but nodded to each other. Saving the world from Chimera Anima was much more important then discovering more about these two girls, wasn't it?
"You can't all abandon the Café, not with so many customers. The girls downstairs will need to remain," Keiichirou looked at Ryou, the blonde boy hadn't been this angry in a while.
"We can handle it." Keiko's voice cut sharply through the air in reply.
Ryou looked at them in speculation, normally, by now, he would have been fine with sending Kami on the case. But how things had turned out in the past couple days, he wasn't entirely sure he could trust her, and especially not this 'Keiko' girl that he knew nothing about. However, it seemed that fate hadn't given him much choice.
"Fine. Go." He turned his back to the two. Keiko had already departed, and Kami was about to leave.
"Kami?" Ryou didn't give his eye's attention to her, but he continued to speak anyway, "don't..." he paused and looked through his bedroom window onto the street below, his voice still harsh, "don't...get too hurt," there was also hint of worry in his voice, "I still have questions that need answering."
Kami smiled, "I'll try not too, but I'm not making any promises. My purpose is to fight." ------
"Why are there so many customers, na no da?" Pudding's eyebrows sagged with stress, "where do they come from, na no da?"
"Mint! Help me!" Ichigo shouted, "Lettuce, careful! Zakuro, you're scaring people away! Pudding that's not a toy!" the girl ran about, having to manage everything alone, as usual.
"Shirogane-kun!" she approached Ryou as he came downstairs, "can't you help?!"
Ryou opened one of his closed eyes, "no, it's not my job." The boy spoke bluntly, his previous anger dispersing.
Ichigo's eye flamed up in rage, "it's not fair!" she walked past Shirogane, muttering under her breath, "fight monsters Ichigo, watch the Café Ichigo, go to school Ichigo, be careful Ichigo, clean this Ichigo, why are you so late getting home, Ichigo? Well Ichigo's a little busy, and Ichigo would like a break!"
"The party's tomorrow." Ryou walked into the kitchen after Ichigo and seated himself at the table, "you won't have to do any catering then."
"That's right!" Ichigo seemed to forget her former complaints, "Ms. McGuire will be there, right? And then next week the National Festivities begin!" Ichigo excepted a plate from Keiichirou and carried it out into the sea of customers.
"The National Festivals are said to be a time of romance!" Ichigo smiled, balancing the plate in her hands, "I can spend it with Aoyam.." The girl's smile was immediately wiped off her face, That's right, Aoyama is in America now. I don't know when I'll see him next. Aoyama-kun...I miss you...
"Yo! Cater girl!" a rude voice called to Ichigo, "you going to bring us our food or what!?"
Ichigo turned around and forced a smiled on her face, placing the tray on the man's table. Her eyes had begun to flood with tears. Turning around Ichigo ran into the kitchen and out the back door.
"Oh dear." Lettuce looked up from the table she was serving, "I wish she would tell us what's bothering her."
Zakuro stared after Ichigo with a look of disapproval. She needs to be taught, I wish I could teach her... -------------
Akasaka stared after the girl who had just ran out the back door. "Aren't you going after her, Ryou?"
"Why would I?"
"I wish you would stop denying your own feelings. I know you're not used to showing emotion, but I think...I think you need to learn."
Shirogane gave the older boy a sharp look, he wasn't angry, just stunned that Keiichirou had gathered enough strength to say something like that. "I have no need to, it's a waste of my time." Ryou got up and walked away, not towards Ichigo, probably up to his lonely room to be alone.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Ryou." Akasaka returned to his work quietly. -------

Ichigo continued down the street, tears streaking her cheeks. She just wanted to run as far away as possible, far away from that Café, far away from her problems, her fears. It was all getting to her.
Aoyama-kun, why did you leave me?

Lost in her thoughts, the Irimote Cat paid no attention to where she was going. In a few short moments she hit something warm and soft and fell to ground.
Ichigo wiped her eyes with her Café apron, so she wouldn't seem to upset, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into you."
"Get up."
Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise, she looked up to the familiar face, "Shirogane-kun? What are you doing out of the Café when it's so busy? How did you get ahe..."
Ryou pulled the young waitress up, "I'd like to ask you the same thing."
The redhead stared down at the ground, not saying anything.

"Come on, let's go."
Ichigo looked at him in confusion, he wasn't walking toward the Café. "I think I'm going home."
The girl felt Ryou's hand wrap itself around her own, "I don't care if you feel like coming with me or not." He began to pull her down the road, and after a while Ichigo's reluctance wore down and she began to follow his lead.
"Shirogane, where are we going?" Ichigo finally asked after a few minutes of wandering about. "We shouldn't leave the others at the Café."
"Don't worry about that." Ryou glanced back at her, still holding tightly to her hand, "they can manage without us. Besides, it's about closing time."
Ichigo sighed quietly and continued to follow the boy down the street. The nighttime lights were beginning to turn on, lighting of the city of Tokyo in a bright array of colors.
After much walking they finally stopped. Ryou released his grip on Ichigo's and instructed her to wait for him. Not knowing what to do, she obeyed.
In a few moments Ryou appeared again, supporting a motorcycle against his leg. He pulled the bike up to the curb and seated himself on it. After securing his helmet he turned to Ichigo.
"Get on."
Ichigo stared at him, not knowing what to think. It shouldn't surprise her that he owned a motorcycle, and it shouldn't surprise her that he could drive it. At least, she really hoped he could drive it.
"You coming?" Ryou held up a helmet, obviously wanting the girl to put it on.
Ichigo accepted the head covering and eyeballed it for a moment, as if she had never seen one. She wasn't quite sure what was happening, but she didn't feel like walking all the way back home.
Ryou helped Ichigo onto the back of the bike and then started the engine. "Hold on, tight."
Ichigo looked at him in speculation, she didn't feel much like holding on or taking a bike ride. What she wanted to do was go home, go to sleep, and wake up as a normal girl. But she doubted that would be happening any time soon.
The bike lurched forward without and warning. Ichigo was thrown forward into Ryou's back. To prevent herself from falling she did as she had been told and wrapped her arms around his waist as the road sped by underneath her.
"Careful." Was all Shirogane said.
Tokyo really was beautiful in the night, that was, if you ignored the pollution certain factories blew out into the air. A few stray musicians played music along the sides of the street and shops were still bustling with activity, even in this late hour.
The loud motor of the bike tuned all the noise out, though. In that moment Ichigo began to think again, think about Aoyama. She felt her heart start to beat louder, as if it had relocated itself in her head. Without realizing it she had tightened her arms around Ryou and was leaning her head to the black cloth of his shirt. A blush tickled her cheeks, turning them a magenta color.
The motorcycle halted at a stoplight. As cars passed by Ryou looked behind his shoulder to check on the unusually silent girl.
"Everything okay?" His voice had taken on the quiet tone that it always took on whenever he was being somewhat compassionate.
Ichigo could only nod lost in her thoughts.
Why is he like this? He's so mean one minute and then caring the next...I don't get him, he's nothing like Aoyama-kun, yet they're so similar...I heard Shirogane went to America, and now Aoyama's gone there too...at least they haven't both left me...
Ichigo's grip continued to tighten. Her eyes were shut as she drifted farther and farther into her own mind.
What am I thinking!?!?! Why would I care if Shirogane left me? I love Aoyama-kun! This is getting so frustrating...! I don't like Shirogane...I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I.... do I?
"We're here."
Ichigo slowly felt herself let go and Ryou. She looked around quietly until she recognized where he had taken her. Tokyo Tower?
Ryou offered Ichigo a hand to dismount herself from the bike, "coming?"
Ichigo reluctantly forced herself off the bike, accepting the boy's hand stubbornly. She shouldn't be here. She should be in bed. Resting.
"Run over there, behind those trees." Ryou indicated to two trees with his index fingers.
"Why?"
"Just do it."

Ichigo wasn't sure if he was trying to trick her-she had given up on trying to determine what he was thinking. But she did as was instructed of her, walking beyond the trees. Her Irimote cat qualities allowed her to hear Ryou's breathing behind her, telling her he was following not to far behind.
On the other side of the trees was a large lake. Japanese Elms and Weeping Willows lined the side of it, the moon-now high in the sky- peering down through the leaves. Cattails and lilies floated amongst little flower- shaped pieces of moss. But the most miraculous thing was two, delicate red cranes standing one-legged in the crystal waters.
"Pretty!" Ichigo stood and stared at the beautiful sight.
"I thought it might cheer you up." He paused, allowing a moment of silence, "I can't stand to see you so depressed."
Ichigo looked over at Ryou, feeling her blush come up again.
I...love...Aoyama-kun
"Arigatou (thank you)" she managed to whisper. The silence settled itself again, except this time it was the kind of silence that's unbearably uncomfortable.
"What's been bothering you so much?" Ryou sat down against a Japanese Elm looking up into the endless skies that peeked through the trees.
Ichigo didn't know what to say. She just didn't feel comfortable talking to Ryou about Aoyama. It didn't seem right. So instead she fell onto the grass at closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. "Nothing." She replied, "I suppose it was just a bad day." She turned over onto one side, facing away from Shirogane. "You know, with aliens and school..." Ichigo was careful not to mention the Café.
"You don't have to worry about that." Ryou stood up and turned to leave the lake, "I'll always be here to protect you. It doesn't matter what happens-I'll be here with my life, waiting to protect you." Shirogane disappeared behind the trees.
"...Ichigo, I'm going to America...." "Ichigo...wait for me..." Aoyama's words stayed fresh in the cat girl's mind.

I...love...Aoyama-kun...can you be in love with two people? Why can't my heart just make up it's mind.
Ichigo really didn't feel like walking back over to where Ryou awaited her. It all seemed like too much-just too much. The girl looked up at the blurring sky above. The lake began to sway underneath her, everything went dark.
Shirogane looked up suddenly from where he was seated on his motor bike. From behind him came a loud splash, followed by silence.
Ichigo looked up, her head spinning and confused. A pool of water surrounded her and she slowly fell downwards. But no matter how hard she tried her body just wouldn't do what she wanted it to.
"Ichigo!"
The Iriomote cat heard a familiar voice calling her.