OOC Info:
() This does have an original character (or two or three, if you include the minors that only appear to push along the 'story')
For full effect, listen to a couple of Mew songs, like 156. Not Tokyo Mew Mew, MEW. Just found them out- they're beautiful. Such as She Spider. 'Frengers' is a wonderful CD... Or maybe some Frou Frou. XD It's a slow, Frou Frou Mew mix. Oh, shut up, you know you love it.;P coughs Anywho.
This fic is, as mentioned, almost completely written after the time of 12:00, when everyone else is asleep and I sneak out to type away. (this is why I've named these latenight/early morning fics 'midnight oil' just right nowXD) Therefore, spelling mistakes MAY be rampant. I would attempt to edit them, but meh. Later on.
This fic was originally posted on a forum (the FoxKids one- I love buggering 10-year-olds), in slices of two- hence the little --x--'s to semiseperate things. The place had a word limit, that I frequently went over, so that's why they may seem a little miniature at times.() I'll be updating 'chapters' in slices of 4- after this first chapter. I don't wonder that, with my rambliness, that this might not ever move along quickly. There's a good chance I may just get to #50 before summer's over.XD
Also, though there IS an Original Character in there, I want you to give her a chance. She's not a Mary-Sue, not like me in most respects, physically or otherwise (except the fact that I lack any one personality type that'll stick around for more than a few minutes- no, I'm not schitzo). She also has a point.
I was not aware what a popular name Licorice was- I just liked the idea and it fit her well. I just strolled in and saw a bunch with the same name as a 'Mew Mew'(which I'm not saying she is or ever will be.>>).
There are some romantic overtones, but I'm not attempting to set anyone up with anyone else AT ALL. Whatever happens, fucking happens. I'm not gonna worry about anything but what pops into my mind at the time.
I'm a fan of the original, so I'll be using those names. I REALLY would appreciate people bothering to read through my ramble-crap.XD
I've also seen about a baker's dozen of episodes, (up to 12, if you're in order- I WANT #13 AND 39 SO BAD! GWAHHH!X3)
/ramble crapxDD
presses play on the recorder, sits back and watches Enjoy.
Sleep stole over her body.
Utter darkness, all around. Spinning in space.
...
Silence. The girl gazed forwards, not really taking in anything with her lifeless eyes. A ...spark was missing from her body, her being.
Something wasn't right.
Ryou rested the back of his palm against her cheek, watching her for a reaction of any sort. Her skin was sapped of any warmth. Not that she was even cold to the touch, it was just... heatless. No blood pumped through her veins to warm her body or put flush in her papery cheeks. She didn't even blink.
Ryou Shirogane (or Shirogane Ryou, or even Elliot Grant, depending on your culture flavor of preference) had decided to do something nice today. Something, maybe, out of the ordinary, to see the sights beyond the stark-pink walls of Cafe Mew Mew and the four bare walls of his 'home', or, most importantly, the cold metal monitors stationed beneath it all. Something to just... be different. And maybe because he savored the confused expression on poor Ichigo's face as he paid her both compliment, insult and service in one fell sentence. Ah, how he loved pushing her buttons.
Ryou Shirogane was shopping.
Yes, our beautiful tan-skinned, blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy was toting the supplies for CMM's kitchen (using the perk that today's list was half the size as usual), and had even taken the extra time to stroll through not only a park, but go out of his way to visit Harajuku. There were so many things to silently laugh at and be amused about. However, he had just missed Harajuku's famed peak hours, and most of the cosplayers had already left. Traces of smudged make-up and blue hair dye were discernible from the teens walking away and laughing with their other friends (wearing foot-high platform sneakers, as well, mind. Hey, where'd you think he got the Mew Mew uniform ideas?).
Yet, it was actually in the afternoon sun just on the outskirts of Harajuku, left of the Nikko rv., that he found what would be the wind-up key to this most peculiar music box riddle of a day.
Ryou pursed his lips, slightly disconcerted at this lack of reaction. He gently tipped up her head, fingers fluttering about her chin, then turned it to the left. Something clicked inside, as her pupils dilated slightly. The crackled rush of air into her body filled the stilled air, her eyes slowly wandering beneath black eyeshadow towards the blonde's face. Ryou watched intently.
She exhaled.
"...uh?"
He almost laughed at the inarticulated query. Instead, he swapped on his classic one-sided smirk. "You in the land of the living now?"
Her lips parted slightly, as if making an attempt to speak, but she fell silent mid-word.
"...ah."
Her head slowly began to float down into its former position. Ryou drew back his face, trying to ignore his disappointment. He loved the reactions he recieved whenever he put himself so close to others, but this one seemed to refuse to cooperate. Ah well. "I'll take that as a 'no', but it's good enough." Ryou scratched his own chin in thought, still kneeling. His poor white pants would be a mess. "Now what to do with you?..." he shrugged to himself. "She's no business of mine, but now that I've poked my nose in I might feel bad if I find you in the obituarities for an O.D. or rap3 and murd3r. Why are you out here?"
"...eh."
"Hmph." Ryou crossed his tanned arms, giving a patented charming-yet-condescending chuckle. "Is grunting all you can do?"
The girl turned up her face, the first actual movement she'd made on her own accord. She stared blankly at him with those unseeing eyes. Ryou tried to hid his mild shock.
"Safely away from the world--" She spoke. Ryou started in surprise- he really wasn't expecting a response.
"In a dream, timeless domain... "A dry crackle was all she was, her voice creeping in like the whispered wind between the crushed leaves scattered across the dead ground in autumn. It was an oddly poetic though, but as her vocal chords booted up, it was the only, if not slightly fruity, way he could think of describing it. Her eyes immediately focused intently on his. "A child, dreamy eyed/ Mother's mirror, father's pride."
His own sharp eyes widened. No more flowery English novels for him.
The girl looked plaintively up at him, the boy now standing fully upright. Four sharp shadows spread away from her dark body, her head turned cutely to one side as her bangs fell right into place. In a vaguely picturesque moment, the two opposites, heads tilted in the inverse of the other, one filled with inexplicable, unnamed emotions and the other as blank as a sheet. It felt like fear.
She smiled.
That's it. He swore off reading for good.
((Note:Just letting you know, I'm TRYING to be clean.XD I'm resisting the urge to curse, 'cause I love it so.))
--x--
"Ichigo-oo tabeyouuu..." Ichigo Momomiya hummed gaily to herself, twirling about the Cafe as she featherdusted the ornamental pillars decorating the whitewashed walls, the table's flowers, refilling the vases, etc. "Lalala, lalalanya nya la"
Pudding beamed at Ichigo's happy mood, whisking herself and a teetering pile of plates towards her with a spin of her ball underfoot. "Na na, onee-chan, Ichigo wa" she poked her head over the girl's shoulder "genki desuka?"
"Hai hai!" Ichigo bobbed her head happily, her excitement noticeably building by her repetitive speech. "GENKI GENKI desu!"
"Ooh, did Aoyoma-kun come calling again?" Mint called, coquettishly as she could from her spot sipping raspberry tea and taste-testing the new sweetened crumpets recipe..for the fourth time today. Ichigo ignored her tone as her grin spread even wider (no need to look busy- Zakuro was out today on account of a day-long photo shoot. Foo!).
"Haiiii haiiiand he's taking me on a REAL DATE this time, with ice cream and a park visit and everything and no nature in siiiight! Eeee, I can't waiiit-- oop!" she tripped over her own shoelaces in her bouncing about (Rule #1 of the Mew Mews- NEVER try and keep up with Purin's energy!♥url"http/ nearly crashing into one of the pearly chairs. She shot out her free hand, doing a quick flip that landed her atop the wobbling table, kitten ears and tail popping out involuntarily to balance her. "Whoa!"
"Ahh!"Lettuce clung to her broom, watching the tottering table fearfully. "I thought I'd fixed that table's leg!"
"Na, baaaka Ichigo!" drawled the bird from the corner, idly watching with one eye closed. She sipped the tea again, pinky finger splayed out delicately. "Now poorRetasu will have to take out the washrag again and clean up the entire table! You're going to spill the vase's water, as well. I just filled that up, too." She paused, watching the girl stabilize, temporarily dropping her teasing tone and cup. "Careful getting down, now."
Ichigo nodded, hopping off the table ever-so-cautiously (with some ill-placed help from Purin-on-ze-circus-ball), unscathed. The table, unfortunately, had some scuffs on it...to say the very least. To put it rather bluntly, it looked horrid. In all honesty, it looked as though a swallow had decided to do the Electric Slide in its own defecations before singnig it in permanently with a burning coconut (Well, it could have been a South African swallow. But then, they're non-migratory...). How one pair of dirty, firmly cleated pink Magical Girl shoes could torture one piece of furniture so quickly was astounding. Then again, she is part cat, and they're not known for their friendly terms with furniture. Nevertheless, I digress.
Ichigo paled, sweatdropping in the midst of her utterly animated behavior.
Good feelings gone.
Pudding tripped backwards on her ball, sending the striped prop to fly up in the air. She pulled out the air plug with her tail, letting it hiss to the floor as she
Ichigo trembled. Possible date gone, too, seeing how she'll never live to see another bright day of natural sunshine after this. Cue whine. "Ryou's gonna kill meee...!"
Lettuce's hands fluttered towards her mouth. One obligatory moment of silence follows...
Ticktickticktickbzzzt.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOMEN NASAI GOMEN NASAI GOMEN NASAIIIIII!" In a fit of apologies that would put Ritsu Sohma (FuRuBa, minna?.) to shame(pun unintended), a furious flurry of noise and cacaphony which was PROBABLY intended to be apologetic ended up blowing out the eardrums of the poor gels. "I'VE COMPLETELY RUINED YOUR DATE! IF ONLY I'D CLEANED IT BETTER OR HAD GOTTEN TO LEARNING HOW TO FIX TABLES BETTER LIKE MINTO-SAN SAID OR HAD BEEN PAYING ATTENTION RYOU-SAN WOULDN'T NEED TO BUY A NEW TABLE OR FEEL ILL TOWARDS YOU IN ANY WAY! I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY! ALL PUNISHMENT IS MINE AND MINE ALONE! I-I'LL GIVE YOU MY PAYCHECK FOR A MONTH AND TRIPLE MY WORK! FORGIVE ME!"
The door opened. Panic switch off, surprise switch on. The door had been locked, and the only one not present that would be after hours was...wait. One, two...
Ohh-h, god.
Reddened sunlight bathed the two figures in the doorway. The taller figure, hair golden in the copper-bronze aura of the noontime sun, his white pants and shirt glimmering silver about the edges. An arm extended from the sillhouette, placed gently upon the shorter figure's arms as if supporting her own frail body. Ichigo and company stared, amazed, dazed and overall feeling a vague state of surprise.
"Ryou..." Mint began, the now earless Ichigo much too stunned at the odd sight. She pointed a finger at the other long-haired, ravenlike figure in the doorway. She sounded immensely puzzled. "Why is there... a girl in a poufyLolita outfit next to you?"
o--
: Harajuku- a very interesting neighborhood. Google it. Believe me, you'll want to. It'll keep you entertained for HOURS.
And yes, she really is wearing a Gothic Lolita maid outfit.
