Hay, well I haven't updated this story in over two weeks. And that's a little long for my taste. I prefer updating at least every other day or once a week. Well not much to say but thanks for all your lovely reviews. I appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

The Boys Next Door

Chapter Five:

I have a choice…to get along

Ichigo sat on the stoop to in front of her house. The sun was shining bright over head and thrashing her with waves of exhausting heat. It was like a light bulb that refused to burn out no matter how much she glared at it. Sipping on a pouch of CaprisSun she let the drowning noise the boys where making go in one ear and out the other as she lazily looked out into the street. Masaya and Ryou sat on the second step and had been bickering for the last three minuets.

She didn't remember how the fighting started nor why. But it sure was getting to her, along with this heat. She stood up and walked away from the boys down the driveway where she had last seen her ball. Ryou and Masaya were throwing what ever they could at each other.

"Maybe you should stop smiling. That would get her attention."

"Maybe you should try it out! I've never seen you do anything with that face of yours other than laugh at me!"

"Sorry, but I quite enjoy laughing at you."

"You know what!"

"What, Aoyama? Are you going to stop smiling? Because it's really creeping Ichigo out."

Masaya shot to his feet and looked down at Ryou with red cheeks. Ryou just looked at him with a smirk on his face as he watched Masaya's distress.

"Then maybe I should tell Ichigo." Masaya said with a smile crawling up his lips. Ryou's face darkened.

"Tell her what?"

"You know that…

Ryou shot to his feet and stood about a head taller than Masaya who was eager to spill the secret.

"Don't you dare?" Ryou's voice came out in a low hiss. Masaya just grinned away.

"Oh, I think she would be real interested to know that…

Ryou's mouth came open to retaliate when something came by and knocked Masaya in the face. Ryou's eyes widened slightly as the boy fell to his knees and started holding his nose. Then the force came back and struck Ryou right in the side of the head. He stumbled back a step and held his head as Masaya mumbled under his breath. Ryou turned and saw Ichigo in her hot pink shorts, white sandals, and rose pink tank top. Her charm bracelet hung loosely at her wrist. She had her hair pinned up in two pony tails on either side of her head with a red ribbon spotted with pink dots. The white and pink ball was on the ground in front of her. Her foot propped up on top of it, her hand at her waist.

"Stop it. You both act like my aunt and her husband." Ryou rubbed the side of his head as he mumbled to himself.

"Stupid girl." The ball stuck Ryou on the head again. He was starting to feel disoriented as his head spun slightly. He then shook his head and glared at Ichigo. The ball rolling slowing on the grass back to wards her. She bent over to pick it up, returning his glare.

"I heard that you jerk!"

Masaya was crouched down on the ground rumbling his nose. He then removed his hand and looked timidly at his hand to discover no blood. He then brightened a bit and stood up straight and held his nose again attempting to rub the pain from his sore flesh. Ryou glared at the both of them. Ichigo sighed.

"You two really need to get over yourselves. It's not like I have my whole day devoted just to you two."

"What are you trying to say? Do you just want to waltz around bouncing your little ball around?" Ryou snapped at her. She stood there for a moment watching him. Her face slowly glowing with a taint of fury. But she did well holding it back.

I am used to…

She turned away from them and tossed her ball over her head and started off. She walked down the driveway and turned down the street and headed towards the next block. The ball slowly making its way towards Ryou's feet as it rolled against the grass. He looked down at it as it stopped at his toe. Masaya frowned.

"You always have to ruin things don't you?" Ryou shot him a dark look.

"I wasn't the one almost wailing on the ground because I was hit by a girl and her fluffy pink ball."

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Ichigo turned up a driveway to a yellow house with an olive green tiled roof and shutters. She was looking at the ground her eyes focused off in thought. A neighbor watering his grass looked up from his business and looked curiously as a small figure with bright reddish pink hair made her way to the lime green painted door.

Ichigo stood by the door and looked about till she spotted what she was looking for she then moved back the white flower pot and lifted up the heavy golden rig that sat at its base. Ichigo held it in both of her little hands as she went up to the door and tapped it making a distinctive knocking sound.

To being alone…

The door came open and a head popped out. Covered in sparkling gray hair with fine white streaks that reminded Ichigo of snow. Her glasses where shaped like a half a circle and where brimmed in a dark purple with golden carvings. Her eyes were large, a soft shade of hazel. When she looked down and spotted the four-year-old girl at her door step her scarcely wrinkled face brightened into a heart warming smile.

"Ichigo, dear! Please come on in! I have a plate of freshly picked strawberries out on the table. I had a feeling you'd be coming over today." Ichigo nodded timidly as she stepped to the side of the women's dark green skirts. Her white blouse was one that she could see her mother wearing.

"Hello, Miss. Maya." Miss. Maya smiled her tender smile as she ushered Ichigo passed the cozy living room into a just as heavenly kitchen.

"Please, how many times have I told you to call me Maya." Ichigo frowned slightly. She thought it strange to call Miss. Maya, Maya. It was to awkward. Miss. Maya gracefully glided towards the table and scooped up a green bowl of strawberries.

"Let me freshly rinse these off for you."

Ichigo scrambled up onto one of the low set olive green chairs. Her nose came only to the table top. But she knew soon that Miss. Maya would bring a pillow to prop up underneath her. As she worked at the sink Ichigo looked around. She had been in here quite often and everything about her home was olive green, yellow, vanilla, and brownie brown. It was a cozy home that seemed to generate peace and something homely. Ichigo always enjoyed the look of Miss. Maya's house. It was filled with green netted blankets and cushions. With her yellow couches and vanilla bowls. Nothing in her home were out side of those four colors. Even everything Miss. Maya wore was only those earthly colors. As she returned to the table she placed the bowl in the center at the same time as scooting a vanilla heart shaped pillow beneath Ichigo that propped her up enough for at least her head to be clear above the table top. Miss. Maya lifted her long green skirt revealing soft brown leather boots as she took her seat beside Ichigo. She propped her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands as she leaned towards her. Her hazel eyes twinkling.

"So how are you dear?" Ichigo reached for a berry but only held it in her hands.

"I'm not used to not being alone." Ichigo said softly. Miss. Maya blinked a few times before she gave Ichigo another one of her tender grins.

"You mean the two new families that just moved in…and there boys." She shook her head softly. "You shouldn't worry, Ichigo." She said as she lifted a hand and pushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

"I don't see why you frit. Its just a couple of children. You can get to know what its like to have a friend…..but then." She leaned back in her seat placing her hands loosely in her lap. "I do know why you feel the way you do." Ichigo looked up from the table top and glanced towards Miss. Maya.

She was a beautiful woman with a thin figure and lovely eyes. If you looked at her just by her face you would think her young. The only thing that gave her away was her gray and white hair. But then at times her voice and spirit would divert you from it and you would think you young again. Ichigo felt comforted by her presence.

"I had a bit of a hard time when I was young too. But I was a lot older." She plopped a strawberry in her mouth and chewed on it for a moment before continuing. "But it was because I was new in town. I wasn't used to the city lights, and all the people. I was always a prairie girl and I quite enjoyed my old life….all the open plains……" She trailed off then looked up at Ichigo's chocolate eyes.

"Don't worry child you'll get used to it. Your mother has even told me that you've made friends with the boys. She worries about you." Miss. Maya tilted her head to the side watching her. Ichigo stared at the table top not blinking. She was lost in her own mind….the discomfort of it.

"Miss. Maya…I don't know how to be a friend. And they keep fighting all the time…"

"Are you bothered with their fighting?"

"No…it's just that…I don't know anything about them…I don't know why…it's so hard."

"What's so hard?" Ichigo finally broke her eyes away from the yellow wood of the table and up into the soft hazel colored eyes.

"I didn't think it would be this hard…to make friends." Miss. Maya smiled a sorrowed smile.

"Ichigo, it's not hard to make friends. It's just sometimes people don't know how to act around the other….their afraid it would make the other dislike them. And it seems to me that your only problem here is not you making friends – from what I've heard they were jumping at your feet just to play with you – but just that you aren't comfortable with it….with not…being so called alone." Ichigo frowned slightly.

"It's not like I want to be." Miss. Maya rose from her seat and bent over. She plucked the strawberry from Ichigo's hands and plopped it into her mouth. She smiled.

"Now chew Missy. I'm not going to give you a chance to step foot out this door before you eat some of my home grown strawberries. You know I grow them for you, you know." Ichigo couldn't help but grin and sink her teeth into the juicy berry. It was just the right taste. Just sweet. Just as perfect. She smiled as she chewed on it. Letting little dribbles of juice run down her chin. The strawberry was quite large and filled her mouth whole. Miss. Maya looked leveling at Ichigo watching as the girl ate away her troubles.

Well that was the fifth chapter. The next would be the official start of the war between the two boys. There are going to be about ten chapters. But if any of you reviewers out there have inspiration towards what I should do with the story please fill free – along with any dislikes- to say so in your reviews. Thank you – Beloved Kitten