Disclaimer: No I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.
Five Elements; The American Mew Mews
Chapter 3: The Wolf within
Ellen's eyes slowly opened to bright sunlight pouring into a window and onto her face. ("Huh? How did I get home?") Checking herself over, she saw that she was still wearing her winter clothing from last night. Yawning and slowly sitting up, she stretched her back out. ("And why do I feel sore all over?")
As he eyes adjusted to the room, she immediately realized this wasn't her house she was in. If it was, then there was some major cleaning up that needed to be done. All over the walls there were posters of different heavy metal and rock bands, and in one corner of the room there were a pair of electric guitars and an amplifier. Other than that though, the room's floor was hidden by layers of dirty clothing or empty take-out boxes.
Ellen pinched her nose and slowly worked her way out to the door of the room. After kicking a pile of clothing out of the way, she opened the door and walked out into the hall.
And the first thing that happened was that she bumped right into someone. "Oh, I'm so…"
"Don't worry about it." The speaker was a teenager who looked about fifteen or so, his long straight black hair perfectly combed and groomed. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jogging shorts, and by the look of the sweat that covered his face, he had been out running. "So, I suppose my little brother actually does have good taste in women?" His crystal blue eyes looked her over. "Though you really overdress for the winter, but I suppose that really doesn't matter huh?"
"Huh?" Ellen went silent at that…then its meaning sunk in and she started to glow red in the cheeks. "That's not it…"
"I know, I know." Holding up his hand and motioning assuredly, he thumbed behind him to a door with light coming from it and little wisps of steam coming from the bottom of the door's frame. "Roger's in the shower right now, and at the moment I'm rather curious who you are." Motioning for her to follow, he casually walked down the small hallway and into what looked to be a living room, albeit a small one. "So please have a seat and let's discuss everything."
Ellen followed, but in the back of her head she was trying to figure out a reasonable excuse. Memories of last night's events flashed in her head, and it became painfully obvious she couldn't tell him that. He wouldn't believe her. ("Besides, I'm sure that 'Roger' has figured out how to change back by now, so this person won't know a thing as long as we're careful.") "Well you see…" Smoothing out her skirt, which was silly considering she looked like a mess all over, Ellen sat down on a couch. "…I'm Roger's new tutor. Yeah, we had an all-nighter and by the time we realized what time it was…"
The boy made a sound like a game-show buzzer going off. "Nice try, but if you had actually known Roger you would know that his interest in school and in passing it is next to zero. But here's a consolation prize." Walking through another doorway, he came out with a tray that had three steaming mugs on it. "Coffee?"
"Yes please…" Ellen grasped one of the mugs and sipped it, delighted as the warmth of the coffee seeped right into her very core.
Sitting down again and placing the tray on a tiny little coffee table that barely seemed to be able to hold the whole thing up, the boy picked up his mug and took a sip. "Well? Perhaps you'd like to tell me the truth? Or we could just do the whole run-around thing again, and get nowhere."
Ellen turned red again as she realized she had blown it on the first try. ("He knows I'm up to something. But what can I tell him? 'Yeah, your brother is now a genetic mix of human and animal, and he possesses superhuman powers. The only reason he met is because last night he saved my life.") Rolling her eyes at how silly that would sound, she shrugged innocently. "Can we wait until Roger is done showering to talk about this, mister…?"
"Just call me Walt." Taking another sip of his coffee, Walt pointed at the doorway. "Don't worry, he can tell me everything if you won't." Then he went silent and his eyebrows rose, as if he was surprised. "Errrr….who are you?"
"What do you mean, who am I?" Standing in the doorway, Roger flipped his brother the bird and stomped by, only wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He had a towel on over his head, and he disappeared into the kitchen a few seconds later. What had Walt confused was the fact that his brother had a dull red-colored tail sticking out through a hole in the back of his boxers.
Walt's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "Okay….how about you tell me the truth right now, before someone calls 911?" He held up his cell phone to indicate that he wasn't kidding or playing around.
Ellen just sat there, staring at the space where Roger had gone through. Her eyes were bugged out of her head, and she had a slight facial tic. ("He…he didn't change back? Does he even know that he's transformed?")
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"Good morning, my pretties!" A calm laughter echoed across the interior of a huge green house that sat behind a large mansion. "How is everyone this morning?"
A sting of angry rustling was the response given.
"That's what I thought." A man, hidden in a patch of shadows in the corner of the glass building, sat with his back against the wall and a cigarette in his mouth, the only light touching his face being from the lit tip. "Today is a big day, you know?" After taking another drag, he blew the smoke out and chuckled. "We're going to start changing the world today, you know?"
More rustling was his only reply.
"First, we have to test the strength of the chosen one who I saw last night, don't you agree kids?" Listening to the rustlings, the man shrugged. "I don't care, Magnolia. You can go if you want. I just want to know how powerful this kid is, before I start my plans up." Glancing off to his side, the man patted a thick steel case which rested on a table. "It will be grand though, won't it?"
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Walt eyed the woman skeptically. "So you're telling me that my brother…" He pointed at the kitchen doorway. "That guy, is something called a…"
"A Mew Mew, or that's at least the name given by the men who started the Mew project." Ellen spoke plainly, not seeing any point in lying to this guy. ("After all, his brother just stupidly gave away what was supposed to be a secret without even knowing it.")
"Mew Mew…" Walt covered his mouth with one hand to hide the fact that he was snickering. "My little brother is something called a Mew Mew…."
"Yes, but that…" Ellen went silent as Walt fell right out his chair, laughing as loud as possible. "Errr….what's so funny?"
Coughing, Walt sat back upright and took another sip of his coffee. "It's nothing at all." His face contorted and he looked like he was about to laugh again, but then he stopped himself. "So…so what's a Mew Mew…" His face contorted, but he somehow managed to control it. "Supposed to do?"
"Save the planet." Ellen lifted an eyebrow at Walt. "Why is the name so funny?"
"It's not the name…" Walt took a deep breath, and then grinned. "It's the beautiful faces that are gracing my baby bro's face."
Ellen spun her head around to the kitchen doorway, and she flushed red at the mixed look of confusion and horror on Roger's face. "Oh, I see you're focused enough to notice…."
"Why do I have a tail? And more importantly…" He grabbed the offending appendage and held it up to show a yellow spot on the fur. "It doesn't stain, does it?"
Ellen face-fell, while Walt collapsed to the ground laughing again.
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As Ellen finished her explanation of last night's events, she looked from her chair seat to the couch, where both and Walt sat in their normal day clothing. "So that's what happened."
Walt coughed to clear his throat. "So, last night my brother bit off more than he could chew, and then he injected himself with some unknown chemical that changed him into the wolf-man. Makes sense, considering how stupid he can be."
Roger glared at his brother…and then leapt to his feet, fist cocked back to strike.
Walt had expected a strike, but his eyes widened as the fist that rocketed towards him was moving way too fast to be dodged. ("That's…")
"No!" Ellen started to move out of her chair to stop Roger, images flashing in her mind of the outcome if that punch landed. ("Even a half-hearted blow while he is in that form might kill his brother!")
Roger's eyes widened slightly and his fist stopped an inch from Walt's face. Slowly, he withdrew his fist and stared down at it. "So I really am a superhuman now." He knew his own limitations and speed, and the speed of that punch was far beyond what he could do. In fact, it reminded him of Aizen's speed.
Walt gulped and slowly inched towards the other end of the couch. "Sooo….I guess I can believe that." He tapped his fingers together. "Now the question is, what are you going to do about it? We certainly can't leave my brother looking like this." He smiled evilly as a few possible uses of his brother's new powers flashed in his mind. "Actually…"
Roger glared at his brother again, and then turned to face Ellen. "Change me back right now, before he tries to use this against me somehow."
"All you have to do is will it, and it should go away." Ellen giggled as Roger face-fell.
"Just will it away huh?" Roger growled and squeezed his eyes shut. ("Go away!") There was a momentary flash of light, and when it cleared he was back in his normal, human form. "Whew…"
Walt frowned as all of his ideas disappeared. ("No good now…") "So I guess that is that then?"
"Not quite." Ellen held up a finger. "Just because the transformation is no longer in effect means that the genetics are gone."
Roger groaned, knowing that it was too good to be true. "So…what now?"
"What now is that first she's going to tell me everything there is to know about these…Mew Mews." Walt didn't even look like he might laugh at the name now. After his momentary brush with his super-brother's fist, he decided that he'd treat this completely serious.
Ellen sank into her chair slowly and took a deep breath. "It's a long story, but I'll try to just give you the important things for now. All across the planet earth, there are thousands of animal species that are approaching becoming extinct every day."
"What's this…" Roger was silenced as his brother's hand went over his mouth.
"A Mew Mew is the code name for a human being that had genetics which are compatible with a set of genetic code from one of the endangered species. They're original purpose was to protect the earth from threats." Ellen tapped her hands together. "Though it's amazing that there is actually a male who responded perfectly to the mixture. All of the past results that have worked have always been female."
"So my brother, out of a one in a million chance, turned out to be compatible with whatever DNA was in the mixture. As such, he's now a superhero." Walt rolled his eyes. "Alright then…I guess it makes total sense. Tell me, what DNA mixture was he injected with?"
Ellen remembered the number on the mixture and ran it through the lists in her memory. "I think Carnivora Canidae. If you want me to be more specific, I believe it's the Ethiopian Wolf."
Walt nodded sagely. "I see…it's ironic."
"What is?" Ellen tilted her head to the side.
"I'm the leader of a gang called the Lone Wolves, and Roger is my second in command." Walt laughed. "It's strange how irony works sometimes."
Ellen paled at the word 'gang'. ("You're telling me that…there's a Mew Mew who is a criminal?")
"I don't care about this Mew Mew crap, because it's not for me." Roger glared at Ellen. "I injected myself last night to save you, and since that's all said and done you can repay me by removing this stuff from my system."
"I can't do that." Ellen slid off her glasses and massaged her eyes with her thumb and index finger. "The genetics you were injected with can't just be removed like that. Because you are a perfect match with the DNA, it is now part of you."
"Are you saying…" Roger clenched his fist tightly and growled. "That I'm stuck like this?"
"What's the problem?" Walt shrugged. "It isn't like it will affect your everyday life. You look perfectly normal again."
"That's beside the point!" Roger screamed right into his brother's face, and felt something change about him.
Walt reached up and poked one of the dull red wolf ears on his brother's head. "Ooookay, why did his ears change?"
"When someone with DNA like that in their blood stream becomes overly excited in any way, their genetic structure changes to resemble their animal side." Ellen rubbed her temples, trying to ignore the death glare Roger was giving her. "Also, the person in question may start to exhibit some traits of their animal side, hence Roger might eventually start doing some rather…wolf-ish things."
"What do you mean, wolf-ish?" Roger leaned in slowly and glared right into her face. "If I turn into a freak like that guy from last night…"
"You won't. Don't worry, you're lucky." Ellen rested the back of her head on the top of her chair. "Because of the perfect integration with your genetics, the wolf DNA won't do that."
Walt snickered. "Don't start digging up our backyard, alright?"
"Shut up!" Roger was about to beat his brother to death, when a ring sounded off in the living room. Right after giving his brother one more glare of death, he stood up and marched off to the front door to see who it was.
As soon as Roger was out of hearing range, Walt's expression turned serious once more. "How will he be able to change into a Mew Mew? Can emotions trigger it?"
"Not the full transformation, we have a special device that brings out a Mew Mew's full power and transforms them." Ellen reached into her skirt pocket and held up a small little yellow amulet with pink trimmings. "This device is what can do it."
"Did you expect to find a Mew Mew when you went out last night, then? Otherwise, why would you have it?" Walt frowned and listened closely to see if his brother was returning or not. He had this horrible feeling like his brother had just become involved with some very dangerous people, and if that was the case he wanted Roger to be able to use this power to fight if it came to it.
"No, but I didn't want to take any chances." Ellen pocketed the device. "When I went out there I had no idea what I would find, whether it be a Mew Mew who didn't understand their own power…or something like Aizen."
"On that note, what did Roger do to Aizen? You said that after he did what he did, that Aizen was completely human again." Walt found all of this rather interesting, but also frightening. These were things that he had no experience with, and as a businessman amongst criminals he liked to be informed on every subject that might become important.
"The thing I told you he created, the Sonic Jammer, is capable of unleashing an attack that can destroy alien organisms and genetic mutations. It's the ultimate ability that all Mew Mews possess." Ellen put her glasses back on and sighed. "Though I'm not so sure that it was good this happened."
"If you mean whether Roger or I intend to use this new power for crime, don't worry." Walt waved his hand distastefully. "We're part of our gang because we like the politics and fights that come with it. For Roger to use his power for his own personal gain is not something he would do. Since he was a child, everyone always treated him as the underdog in every fight. And yet, he tended to win just because he was used to being the weaker one." A slight frown creased Walt's face. "I'm rather afraid that he might not know how to handle suddenly being stronger than everyone else human."
"Fighting means that much to him?" Ellen somehow didn't find that surprising, considering how eager Roger had been to fight Aizen last night, despite taking a blow that had nearly broken his ribs.
"Yes it does. It is one of the things he categorizes his life by. Fighting is Roger's way of letting out his anger and venting his emotions…" Walt stood up and glanced out at the front door, his eyes widening. "On the note of fighting…" He walked past Ellen's chair and towards the front door, unconsciously running his comb through his hair.
"Admit it, you were the one who called the police last night!" A tall oriental boy with black hair which was in a bobbed cut with a ponytail pointed right at Roger's face.
Roger's first instinct was to bite that finger as hard as he could. It wasn't part of the wolf thing…he just hated having things pointed at him. "Shut up Bruce. Do you really think that I'm afraid of you?"
"No…but I bet you sensed my mighty battle spirit last night, and therefore immediately decided that it would be best to fight me another time, when I wasn't so fired up to pound you flat!" Bruce pointed at Roger again, and then withdrew his hand in time to avoid losing a finger to Roger's teeth.
"You're so full of yourself…" Roger scoffed and turned to walk away. "Just go home already." He had his back turned, so he didn't even notice a slim hand that reached from around Bruce and grabbed his ear as hard as possible. "OW! Who…"
"Roger Grant!" A girl who looked to be the same age as Roger pushed past Bruce and got right into Roger's face. Her short hair was a light brown color, and her eyes were the same as well. In most boys' books, she would be considered cute. "I can't believe that you actually went to the warehouse district again! Do you not care what happens to your future if you get arrested?"
Ellen looked over Walt's shoulder at the girl. "Is she his girlfriend?"
Walt's eyes widened as he saw Roger's entire face explode to bright red. The words 'excited' flashed in his mind, and then he grabbed Roger by the collar and threw the boy back into the living room. "Heh…of course not. Caitlyn has always just been concerned for the fool, ever since they were children."
Meanwhile, in the living room, Roger's heart was racing a mile a minute as he realized that both his ears were transformed and his tail was sticking out through his jeans. ("That was too close.") Taking a deep and restful breath, he calmed down and felt the changes disappear. ("Okay…I just need to keep a cool head…")
"Grant!" Bruce yelled right into Roger's ear, sending the boy screaming over to the other side of the couch. "You can't escape that easily! I challenge you to a fight right now!"
Roger whimpered quietly as he had to sit on his tail. "Fine! If it will just shut you up, then I'll do it!"
Caitlyn came running in and hit Roger over the head with her elbow. "Why is it that no matter where you go, you are always starting fights?"
"And why is it that whenever I try to start a fight, you hit me?" Roger countered. His animal parts had already withdrawn again, leaving him looking normal.
Bruce smirked and walked towards the door that led to the backyard of the small one-story house. "Are you ready to fight me? We'll take it to your backyard."
"That's just fine with me!" Roger ran outside to try and get somewhere where he wouldn't get overly excited. The last thing he needed right now was to have his new identity get discovered. ("Wait…why am I accepting it? I'll make that lady find a way to get rid of it before this day is done!")
To be continued…