Strawberry Ice

Sorry again for the long wait. This time we blame our teachers setting unreasonable amounts of homework (there should be a limit to how much they can set…) and DOE (Duke Of Edinburgh). Note: If you live in GB, and are thinking of taking DOE, do not, unless of course you like walking about 21km, getting blisters, sore backs and sunburn. Thanks for the reviews; we hope you enjoy this rather late chapter.

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Thursday, 16th March, 10.06am

Keiichiro looked down worriedly at Ichigo. The nurses Lettuce had found were holding Ichigo, but she was still thrashing, or trying to just as violently as before. Watching the expressions on her face, Keiichiro could tell she was having a very bad nightmare. After another 5 minutes, Ichigo finally stopped thrashing. Keiichiro sighed and sat down again. It looked like they were in for another long wait.

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Unknown, Unknown

"Will it work master?"

"Why wouldn't it, Nickson?"

The young man twirled the small pink and blue cube in his hands. "It doesn't look very much, sir. I excepted it to be much bigger, to match the things it can apparently do." The hooded figure laughed.

"Trust me, great things come in small packages." He stopped laughing. "Anyway, you are clear with what you have to do?"

Nickson nodded.

"Then go. And give it back to me." Noting the sharp tone in his master's voice, Nickson quickly handed back the cube he had been holding and left.

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Monday, 20th March, 2p.m.

Zakuro leant back onto the Café Mew Mew counter to catch her breath and think. Ryou and Ichigo had woken up Friday morning, within 10 minutes of each other. However, they'd both ended with not the slightest idea of what had happened to them. Except, Ryou could just remember being scared about something. Which, Zakuro mused, was unusual. Ryou rarely got scared, worried, yes but never scared, unless it was them, then there was no limit to how much he would worry. Zakuro heard a bunch of plates crash as they hit the floor and wondered who had dropped them. After Ichigo and Ryou had woken up, the aliens told the Mew Mews their real reason for finding them. They had decided to come back and live on earth after being re-born (A/N: After the fight with Deep Blue, they were re-born back on their home planet). However, they needed a job so they could pay the bills and Café Mew Mew was the only place they thought would hire aliens from another planet. After a lot of persuasion and promises that they wouldn't destroy the café and that this wasn't a trick, Ryou had finally hired them. Pai was a decent worker, a bit like Zakuro, cold and harsh to customers, but didn't drop stuff, or least hadn't yet, meanwhile Kish didn't stop flirting with every single female customer he served and over half the time ended up being pulled away from the table by someone. And Tart had joined the 'Lets-try-and-entertain-people-and-earn-some-extra-money-at-the-same- time club which Pudding was a very active member of.

"Who was it?" Zakuro asked as Pai came over.

"Pudding and Tart. They were trying-"

"-A new trick" she finished his sentence with a smile.

Pai nodded. Zakuro turned to go.

"Better get back to work before Ichigo or Ryou notices." Pai allowed a smile to curve his lips upwards. Half the time he wasn't sure if Ryou and Ichigo had an agreement that said that he would give her extra cake if she made sure everyone was working. The other half, they were arguing, so he knew they couldn't. Pai watched Zakuro start to walk from table to table, collecting orders. She has a nice body, and she's clever too, and beautiful… He mentally kicked himself. A year ago she was our enemy! Though we might be working with them now, you should not be having those thoughts!

"Thinking about a certain Pomegranate?" Pai jumped. He hadn't noticed Kish creep up behind.

"Just as sure as I am that you're thinking about a certain mint?" Pai didn't have to look round to know that Kish's face would be on fire.

"'Lil bro?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's make a deal. You don't mention who I like, and I return the favour."

"Gotcha. Deal signed."

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Monday 12th March, 3.30pm

Keiichiro stared at the computer screen, rubbed his eyes and stared at it again. He had taken a break from cooking to come done to the basement and check the computer screen, more from habit than expecting to find anything; and yet the screen was flashing showing that part of Tokyo was under attack. Stranger still was the fact that Masha hadn't said anything, and since he only reacted when aliens were attacked Tokyo; this had to be an attack from some one else other than the aliens. Keiichiro took one last glance at the computer screen then ran up the stairs three at a time to alert the mew mews.

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Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but we needed an in between bit to introduce the couples and the bad guys. Please R&R!