Chapter Four

Another Death

Hi again! Here's chapter four, sorta short but I like it. Bye!

Pudding sat on the side of the road next to the café, quiet for once. Not hyper, spontaneous, but saddened and lonesome-looking. Her eyes were shimmering with gentle little tear-drops, and her little thirteen-year-old face was looking ten again. After finding out about her death, she was shaken and scared. Everyone except Ichigo had tried to cheer her up. Ichigo felt somehow responsible. After all, it was her who accepted the dumb bracelet to begin with.

Back in the café, Ichigo also sat quietly in a chair, drinking the tea which Mint often drank (she had stolen it while Mint had gone to the bathroom) and also crying gentle little tear-drops.

"Go talk to her," Lettuce cooed, "Maybe you can help her."

"Help her die again?" Ichigo sobbed.

Ryou gave her a sharp look, "Go," he said forcefully.

"Ok, ok," Ichigo got up, the tea in her hands. She walked over to Lettuce and whispered in her ear, "Mr. Mom! Geez!" She left.

"Darn!" Mint cried.

"What?" Lettuce said.

"I was hoping she'd leave the tea here!"

Back Outside:

"Hey!" Ichigo said cheerlessly to Pudding. She sat down on the curb as if her butt would break with the slightest bit of contact.

Pudding was silent.

"I know what it's like to die," Ichigo said, "I died, too, but I lived. It's hard when you get killed by the one you love."

"It's cold…" Pudding whispered.

"Huh?"

"Death."

"Oh."

"And harsh. You can feel your soul being ripped from your body. It's so creepy……" Pudding sighed. Her voice was still in a small whisper.

"Yeah," Ichigo shivered.

"Then you see a bright light," Pudding looked up, "And you know it's the angels coming for you."

"Yeah…"

"And heaven…oh! It's so beautiful. You get inside the gate and…" she took a deep breath, "and the streets are made of gold…and God is there, saying hi to everyone who just died…and I saw…" her voice trailed off.

"You saw what?"

"Grandmama…and Grandpoppa…" Pudding breathed, "and Tucker and Spot and Tickles and Slick Jack!"

"Tucker? Spot? Tickles? Slick Jack?"

"Tucker's my dead dog and Spot's my dead cat and Tickles' my dead monkey and Slick Jack was my dead fish," Pudding explained, "Who did you see when you passed by heaven?"

"Well," Ichigo said, "I saw my Grandma and Grandpa…and my Great Aunt Thelma…and my dog Mutt and my cat Whiskers!"

"You named your dog Mutt?" Pudding asked, surprised.

"He was the ugliest dog you'd ever seen, so it was either Mr. Ugly or Mutt. Mutt's a bit nicer," they laughed a short laugh, "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," Pudding said, "Thanks."

"Let's go inside then," Ichigo replied, "I think there're a couple of hot chocolate mugs with our names on them!"

"OK!" Pudding exclaimed, and they went to get their delicious hot cocoa.

At the Aliens' Hideout:

"Administer Phase One of the Kill All Mew Mews Project," Pie said.

Kish laughed a single laugh, "That is?"

"Just wait," Pie said, "Just wait and see…"

The Next Day at the Café:

"Wow," Ichigo said, "It's so slow around here."

"Yeah, it's like everyone is away on vacation," Lettuce said.

The five Mew Mews had been in the part of the café where the guests were. Ryou and Keiichiro were off somewhere doing something.

"It's so boring," Mint said placing her empty latté Styrofoam cup in the trash can.

"Hey," Ryou said, walking in the main room, "Could you guys take the trash out?" No one budged.

Lettuce looked at Mint, and then nudged her gently. Mint looked up from the nail file she was using to perfect her nails, "Oh, you meant me?" Ryou nodded, "Sorry, I don't do trash."

"I'll get it," Lettuce said, grabbing the trash sack, "would someone come with me to open doors and stuff?"

"I will," Zakuro said, "Wait up!" They went out the front door.

"Darn it!" Ryou said, grabbing the debris that was falling from a hole in the sack. He reached over and pulled another trash sack from the trash sack pulley thingy and ran after the two girls, catching the falling garbage.

They were gone for a couple of minutes, then the girls inside (including Keiichiro, not to say he's a girl) saw a small flash of blue light come from the doors. Ichigo looked at the door curiously.

"Guys?" she called to the door, "GUYS!" she ran over to the doorway and peeked her head out of the door, "HELLO! GUYS? WHERE ARE YOU!" she stepped out one more step.

And a man's leg came swinging at her, "Whoa!" she exclaimed. She ran inside and locked the door.

Pudding looked at her, "Whoa, what?" she came to the door.

"Whoa," Ichigo said again, "someone just tried to kick me and Ryou, Lettuce and Zakuro are gone," she stepped back to catch her breath, "OH MY GOD! RYOU, ZAKURO AND LETTUCE ARE GONE!" she sat down at the nearest table and Keiichiro, Mint, and Pudding followed suit.

There was a knock on the door. Realizing she hadn't unlocked the door in her fright, Ichigo got up and opened it, to find Ryou, Zakuro and Lettuce.

"Guys!" she said, "You're back!"

"We didn't go anywhere," Zakuro said tiredly.

"Yeah, just out to put the garbage away," Lettuce added.

"Well, even so, we need to run a DNA scan," Keiichiro said, "Standard precaution."

"Why?" Ryou said, "That's a stupid rule!"

"It was your rule," Ichigo put in.

"Oh yeah," Ryou said. He followed Ryou into the monitoring room along with Lettuce and Zakuro.

Ichigo looked at Mint curiously, "What's up?" she asked her.

"What?" Mint said.

"Zakuro was gone for more than five minutes and you didn't bug out," Ichigo said, "you always do. Something's up."

"OK," Mint sat back in her seat, "It's just that, well…you'll think it's stupid…"

"No I…" Ichigo began.

"Not you," Mint said, "Her." She motioned Pudding.

"Pudding, there's some guests walking in over there. Why don't you go take their order?"

"I'm thirteen," Pudding said, sitting up, "I'm not stupid. I know when I'm not wanted." She got up and went to the girls' table.

"OK, spill."

"Well…" she paused. Looking into Ichigo desperate eyes she said, "OK. Well, when I looked into Zakuro's eyes, it was like her body was there, but she wasn't," she turned the page of the magazine she had, "and her green eyes seemed to glow. But it seemed like I could look past the eyes…into her soul. And usually when I see Zakuro's soul, I…" her voice trailed off. She looked at the picture on the next page, "Oh my god!" she said, "I was right!"

"What?" Ichigo said, looking down at the page.

"I was right!" Mint repeated, "That wasn't…" a scream was heard from the monitoring room. Mint and Ichigo ran towards it.

"Keiichiro told us not to go in there!" Mint said upon arrival of the door.

"I'm sure he can't blame us for hearing a scream," Ichigo said, turning the knob.

But there was Keiichiro, lying on the floor, belly down, with a deep cut in his left shoulder, and blood dripping from it.

"Oh my god!" Mint and Ichigo said at once. Pudding had finished up with the customers and ran to the monitoring room door, screaming, "What, what, what, what!" Seeing Keiichiro made her stop dead in her tracks.

Should I stop here? I think I've said enough for this chapter. Chapter Five will be out soon Please R&R. Here are some thanks for some people who have been nice and read mostly all of my stories: Mini Mew, Mew Robena and Fire Diva. Thanks!