Huzzah! It's no longer on hold! I'm finally updating! Hoorah! I've upped the rating for minorities like character deaths and blood and things like that. But I'm glad people are still reading this and leaving reviews! It makes me so happy!

Just as a forewarner, this chapter has a lot of one-liners AKA paragraphs made up of only one line. It's mostly because of sounds and such.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. I do own Isuzu and Nasubi, and all the blue feathers scattered everywhere throughout the story.

"So wait," Nasubi said, her forehead wrinkled up in thought, "you liked Masaya? What about Isuzu's dad?"

Ryou sighed, hearing the question he knew would come. He was on his way back to Izusu's bedroom, bringing two cups of coffee with him.

"Ooh, coffee!" Pudding cooed, getting up to follow Ryou after smelling the coffee.

"No way," Ryou scolded, bringing an arm up in defense, "You need no such thing."

Isuzu made a face as her father walked in, "Bleh, how can you guys drink that stuff? At least Mommy's tasted like strawberries." She looked over at Pudding, "Where's Uncle Taruto?"

Pudding couldn't help giggle every time she called him that. Even though they weren't related, the girls always called them 'aunt' and 'uncle.' "He's still sleeping, but we know he needs the rest. It's the least we can let him do to make sure he's healthy."

The phone rang. Ryou got up. "Speaking of health," he said, putting down his mug of coffee, "I bet that's your dad calling, Nasubi." Nasubi looked up at him, simply smiling.

Pudding couldn't help but smile, too, because there was now an unattended cup of coffee sitting before her, and she swore it was calling her name. Giving in to temptation, she grabbed Ryou's mug and swiftly gulped it all down, the last drop being too conceivably small to worry about, but waiting for it to slide down anyway, she returned the mug to it's previous location. The only difference from before was that it was now empty, rather when it was half full, had Ryou only taken it with him as he departed his daughter's room. (Okay, a totally pointless paragraph, but I couldn't help myself).

Isuzu just stared at Pudding, followed by scrunching up her nose in disgust, "You like it, too, Aunt Purin? Yuck…"

"Moshi Moshi," Ryou answered, picking up the phone.

"Good news Ryou." It was Keiichiro, "I'm going home today. No signs of bird flu."

Ryou gave a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness for that. And same goes for Tart. He has no signs, period. I'm thinking that maybe he…"

"Can't receive the virus? Same would go for the rest of the aliens…"

'Beep.Beep.Beep.' "Keiichiro, I'll call your cell later, someone's on the other line, okay?"

"Well actually, Zakuro and I'll come over in an hour or so, to pick up Nasubi, so expect to see us then."

"Goodbye then."

'Click.'

"Shirogane residence."

"…"

"Hello? Anyone there?"

"…"

Ryou knew there was someone there, because he heard the sound of someone breathing. He tried communicating again, "Hello-" but he was cut off by the hang-up of the receiver. Ryou reached to put the phone back.

'Click.'

'Bring Bring.'

The sound of the phone's sudden ringing startled Ryou. The Caller I.D. read 'Tsuba Tasuko.' 'Tsuba Tasuko,' Ryou strained to remember the last time he heard the name. 'A little over a month ago…on the news,' then the shock hit him…Tsuba Tasuko was dead, and had been for over a month…he died of bird flu.

'Bring Bring.'

"Ryou, you going to answer it?" Ichigo called from upstairs.

He answered the phone without responding back to his wife. 'Click.'

"Shirogane residence," Ryou answered cautiously. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to a dead guy, 'over the phone.'

More breathing. But the pattern didn't seem calm. The breathes taken were irregular, like rushed gasps for air. As the exhales became softer, Ryou became more panicked.

"Are you okay?" Ryou finally asked the stranger.

"Pandemic…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe in…the Pandemic?"

"Do I believe?" Ryou shook his head of thought, "who is this?" The heavy breathing started up again.

"Pandemic…"

Ryou raised his voice at the stranger, "Who are you!"

The stranger said it louder, enough that Ryou could almost make out who it was, "I told you…"

"Excuse me!" he knew the stranger was female now, or so the voice sounded.

"Pandemic…"

"Pande-"

"Mail call."

'Click.' Ryou was left with an empty dial tone once more.

'Ding Dong.' Ryou glanced at the clock. 9:38 a.m. 'The mail always comes around this time…'

Once again, Ichigo rushed downstairs, only to find Ryou already outside, getting the mail.

Ichigo scowled, but once Ryou re-entered and she saw his face, she grew quiet. He held one sole envelope, wit nothing on it. It was sealed, but no indication of where it came from, or where it was supposed to go. Ryou just stood in the doorway of their home, holding the blank, white envelope at the sides, with both hands.

"Well," Ichigo said awkwardly, not understanding what her husband's problem was, "aren't you going to open it?"

"Maybe…" Ryou said, not letting any emotion through. The last thing he wanted was Ichigo to freak out over a letter. 'How did that woman know about the mail? How did this letter get here if there's nothing on it? There must be a connection, no doubt…' And then there was the obvious fact that Tsuba Tasuko was dead. Ryou slipped a finger under the envelope's lip, and slowly tore it across the top. Ryou pulled out a small note, and at the same time, a blue feather fell out of the envelope, slowly drifting to the ground.

Now was Ichigo's turn to panic. "Ryou," she said quietly, she almost couldn't hear herself, "Who is it from?" Not getting a response, she walked over to him to read the hand-written note.

Shirogane Ryou

Your kindness, it makes me sick to my stomach. How dare you interfere with my plans. It's because of you in the first place anyway, so why do you get involved? So the next full moon, don't run, don't hide, for your fate is in my kiss. I bid thee an unpleasant farewell.

Lustrous Lorikeet, though I know you know me better than that name.

Ichigo clenched Ryou's upper sleeve with both hands, about to rip his shirt. "No…" she fumbled for words, not just to comfort herself, to comfort Ryou, "No, she…won't. I won't…let her….I…"

"Since when did she leave call-cards?" Ryou tried to say with a normal tone, but he failed in that task. Once the scent of mints hit his nose, he dropped the letter. It slowly drooped to the floor, just like the feather before it, landing respectively next to its companion. "It smells like, like, like…mi-"

Ichigo let go of Ryou, and rushed to the door. "Maybe the mail-carrier is still on our block, on our street, even. Maybe this was a prank pulled by one of the neighbors." She opened the front door of their house. "Maybe it was jus-" Ichigo became deathly silent.

"Ichigo, what's the matte-"

Their silence, you ask? Just outside their home, lying over the hood of the mail-carrier's car, the neighborhood's mail-carrier, dead, with a blue feather tightly clasped in his hand, which dangled at his side.

--------------

A woman walked down the street, dressed in a brown all-cover-coat, while holding a cell-phone to her head. She wasn't talking, she only held it to her hear. She would occasionally mutter something, but it was unclear of just what she was saying. Upon seeing the mail-man, she put her cell-phone away, and walked up to him.

"Hey there, cutie," the woman flirted, removing her hood, revealing a head of blue hair, coming down to her mid upper arms.

"Oh, hey there, cutie yourself!" the man greeted back. "Looks like there's no mail for the Shirogane's today…"

"Oh," the woman quickly retorted, pulling out a blank, sealed envelope, "Here you go. It's for them. I'd deliver it myself, but it has to be a surprise, if you know what I mean."

The mail-man took the letter and examined it. "I'd like to, but I can't. You see, there's no postage on this letter, and,"

The woman cut him off, "Please? It's really quite important. I need it delivered right now. Tell you what," she wanted to bribe him. 'Good, no ring, so he's single,' "I'll give you a smooch if you do it."

"Well," the mail-carrier smiled, "Sure, why not." He walked up to the steps of the Shirogane household, opening the mail-box, slipping the letter in, closing it, following by traditionally ringing the doorbell, and he walked back to his car, and got into the driver's seat.

"Wait," the woman called for him, going to his open window, "I can't let you leave unpaid. Here's my kiss, as promised." And the woman bent over, and pressed her lips to his.

"Gee, thanks!" the man said smiling. "So, can I have your number?"

The woman just chuckled. "You're eager, aren't you? Here, something better for you to remember me by," and she placed a blue feather in his hand. "I doubt we'll see each other any time soon. Besides, it would never work between us anyway."

The man stared at the feather with confusion, "Wha, but this is just like-" the mail-man looked up. She was gone, out of site. 'This is odd, doesn't the Lustrous Lorikeet leave feathers like this?' he pondered. Shrugging it off, he began to start the engine of his car.

Just as the engine roared, so did he. Gagging, that is. Whatever was trying to come up, he was holding him back. Ever-tightly gripping the feather, he fell over the steering wheel, the blood never quite making it's way out of his mouth, he eventually fell silent.

Ryou was next.

Yes I know, this chapter was quite graphic…and dark, for that matter. I suppose this is quite the darker story, non? I enjoyed writing it, though. I hope you enjoyed reading it. We need more Tokyo Mew Mew mysteries, nya!