Some Quality Time Together

Dear readers,

Thank you for stopping by and reading my story. I appreciate all of your time and reviews. Really, whenever I get a notification, it always makes me super happy! By the way, the second trailer for Tokyo Mew Mew remake is out. Have you had a chance to see it yet?

As promised, this following chapter serves only one specific purpose which is the long awaited Tokyo Mew Mew and Alien/Cyniclon reunion. And, of course, a few bits of Kishigo.

Kishlover985 – Thank you for your comment. Yes, we are finally on Cyclonia and there will be a couple of other alien races as well (though they would portray only minor characters, they will find their moments in this story). Stay tuned!

DrDark7 – Thank you for your comment. This chapter is the very first of many that will finally feature both Kisshu and Ichigo together. Sorry for the wait! To postpone their reunion just really helped a lot with setting the general context and tone of this story, as well as Ichigo's character development.

Skaairipa_96 – Buongiorno and grazie! I am really happy to hear that you enjoy my story! And yes, I like Italy a lot. I went to Venice, Rome and Sardinia and I admired all of these places for their different local delicacies (always bennisima!), not to mention the beautiful culture, history and people that are living there. I am sorry, I wish I could speak more Italian. So far I know just a few words and phrases, but I wanna learn more!

NeKoGirl – Thank you for your comment. I like the fact that you enjoy the interactions between Ryou and Pai. I really like these too and they are extremely funny to write, mainly when Ichigo is around as well. There are more to come, so you have something to look forward to.

Enjoy and review!

I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

"Is that drool coming down her face? Somebody go and get her the bib."

Upon registering Ryou's biting tone, Ichigo jerked backwards.

"Shut up, Ryou," she screeched, secretly wishing the rosiness in her cheeks would soon fade away.

That was easier said than done, however; at least, as long as Kisshu was in the same room staring at her with his golden eyes so intently. It made Ichigo feel petrified, losing herself to him completely for reasons she did not know.

"Hi there, kitty cat," he greeted, a sly smirk playing on his features, "missed me?"

"Kisshu," she murmured, unable to break the eye contact. There was something in those orbs that simply could not let go. She remembered that quality about them from when they had been fighting each other on Earth. It had always been his eyes that drew her somehow to him, whether it was their passionate intensity or the ability to generate terror. They were the gates to his soul. Captivating and ensnarling.

Fortunately, Ichigo was not the only one in a fatal state of hunger.

"You two can ogle each other all you want, but I came here to eat so I'm outta here," Taruto grumbled, letting go of Pudding and teleporting himself away.

Pai gave out a soft cough and Ichigo could almost swear that he felt as uncomfortable as her.

"Shall we go then," the purple-haired alien subsequently addressed the whole group, outstretching his hand in front him as a clear sign for upcoming teleportation.

Kisshu did the exact same thing, shooting Ichigo an amused grin in the process.

"Come here, kitten. I will teleport you."

Without thinking, Ichigo darted forward and got a firm hold of Pai's pale hand.


The rest of the evening did not fare much better.

In reality, it was downright painful, as far as Ichigo was concerned.

After the initial wave of awkwardness, the aliens had successfully teleported the Mew Mews and Ryou in what looked like a very fancy restaurant, if the red velvet curtains on the windows and the gold engraving on the marble walls could serve of any indication. A crystal chandelier was hanging in the middle of the room, providing the guests with occasional glints of its glass articles which casted shadows here then there, adding to the place a distinct air of elegance.

It would have seemed almost like some sort of fairytalish world, had it not been for the fact that Kisshu was there, sitting opposite to her, stealing a glance at her from time to time, all the while looking irresistibly handsome. Due to that simple reason, Ichigo regarded her current situation as a rather terrible nightmare.

She was pathetic, really. All it took was a quick glimpse in his direction and her face turned a bright shade of pink as a consequence. She knew that she had been staring but she could not stop herself. Sometimes, she was admiring the lean muscles on his arms; the other time it was his hair, which, though only slightly longer, still retained that shiny emerald iridescence. The worst part was his neck, nevertheless; especially, the little display of flesh that peeked out of his military uniform and which placed tantalizing thoughts in Ichigo's head. The mesh around his firm abdomen muscles also did not help much but, considering they were not standing anymore and she could hence not see a lot of it, she still managed to exercise some self-control.

Sitting there absentmindedly, with her legs tightly crossed under the table, Ichigo had thus tried her hardest to keep her eyes glued to her menu instead of looking at Kisshu. As expected, she was failing miserably.

"Don't crouch, Ichigo, your posture will get stuck," Mint's reprimanding voice came suddenly from her right and Ichigo thanked God that she had been holding the menu right in front of her, blocking with success the sight of her prominently flushed face.

"The old hag is acting really weird," Taruto observed from his seat next to Pudding. The two of them were sitting at the far end of the table but, apparently, that had not stopped Taruto from minding his own damn business.

"I am s-sure we are all just really…tired after the trip. And all the culture shocks, you know," Lettuce tried and Ichigo internally thanked her friend for her sense of tact.

"Yeah, right," Mint scoffed before an idea crossed her mind. Looking at the alien across to her, she grinned widely and said.

"Kisshu, why don't you get something for Ichigo to calm her nerves?"

Still partially oblivious to the social dynamics around the table, Kisshu let his eyes flicker from Mint to Ichigo briefly, "Sure thing. What would you like, kitten?"

"I-I'm ok. I already have…water right here," Ichigo dramatically grabbed a hold of her glass, as to demonstrate her point that she, indeed, was in no dire need of any help in particular, "so please, do-don't order anything, ok?"

"Your cat ears are out," Ryou noted from his seat next to Lettuce.

"Shut up already!"

"I want a drink, na no da. What's good?" Pudding squealed, pointing to the alcohol list in her hands.

"From the looks of it, nothing on that side is good for you, Pudding," Zakuro retorted.

"But I thought that we are on vacation," Pudding's eyes watered.

"If I may," Pai interrupted Pudding's loud sniffles, "our alcohol is far less strong than that on Earth. So if you entrust Mew Pudding with one cocktail, there should be no…consequences."

"Alright, I give up, Pudding. Go get the alien beverage."

Pudding beamed and, pointing to the menu, she looked at Kisshu who swiftly made the order.

Everyone gasped as the drink appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

"What? But how?" Mint's voice held a great deal of shock.

Kisshu smirked before he handed the Pina Colada to the youngest Mew.

"It's easy, really. Whenever you want anything, food or drink, it doesn't matter, you just mentally picture it in your head and voila, there you go."

"Oh let me try too, na no da!"

"You already have one drink in your hand, Pudding. Let me try it please," Lettuce stopped the monkey girl with a gentle plead.

With all eyes fixed on Lettuce, the green-haired Mew then furrowed her brows in what could be best described as utter concentration, imagining indisputably with utmost diligence whatever she was intending to order, before her eyes peeled open and she found…nothing in her hands.

"But I was thinking really hard about Mojito. Did I do anything wrong?"

Zakuro closed her eyes in silent acceptance, while Kisshu suppressed a chuckle.

"No, not really, it's just that it's kinda an alien thing. I didn't think humans could do that too," he said once he regained a straight face.

"That's so unfair though. How are we supposed to order anything?" this time it was Ichigo that caught everyone's attention with her emotional outburst, the unfairness of the alien world making her dispose of her shy persona without hesitation.

"Life isn't fair, kitten," Kisshu smirked, "but if you changed your mind, I'll gladly order something for you too."

He gave her a long piercing look and Ichigo had to take a deep breath not to fall for his act all over again. Something mischievous glinted in his eyes before he opened his mouth and decided to push her a little more.

"You done staring then," he snickered, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Kisshuuuuu," Ichigo gritted her teeth, fists in balls. It was a good thing that they were sitting with the table between them; even so, Ichigo was highly aware that with some tiny bit of effort on her part, she could easily climb all over it and strangle Kisshu once and for all. Such a scenario did not seem repelling, actually.

"For your information, I can stare however long I want. We haven't seen each other for more than three years. So let me stare for God's sake! What is wrong with you?"

"A far better question would be what is wrong with you?" Ryou deadpanned but soon after their food began emerging in front of them, a courtesy of Pai, which put their former discussion on indefinite hiatus.

To Ichigo's surprise, the Cyniclon cuisine was not bad. In fact, it tasted delicious. In spite of its strange appearance, there was no denying that the aliens possessed a very refined taste and enjoyed their fine dining experience to the fullest. The best, in Ichigo's humble opinion, was the small bluish salty roll with peculiar orange filling. Pudding's cheerful behavior suggested that she had reached the same conclusion.

"This is so yummy, na no da! What is it, Taru-Taru?" the monkey Mew munched on the treat with absolute delight.

As Taruto began to explain the intricacies of Cyniclon dishes to everyone, Ichigo tuned out and allowed her gaze to once again fall on Kisshu just to see what he had been up to.

Tough luck, as, evidently, he had been already staring back at her, the annoying grin still on his face.

"Do you like your food?" he asked, fairly amused when their eyes met.

"Yea, it's very good. Thanks," she begrudgingly admitted, forking another bite and stuffing it in her mouth.

"I'm glad," Kisshu replied in a singy-song way.

"What are you so damn happy about?" Ichigo scowled, irritation tinging her tone.

"No reason," he chuckled and Ichigo only wished that she could stab him with her fork.


"So the festival begins on Sunday? But today is Friday, or is the time on Cyclonia different from that on Earth?" Mint set her tea cup down with a delicate clink.

They were just finishing their desserts, when the aliens let them in on more details regarding the upcoming festivities.

"No, the time's pretty much the same. The weather's hotter here though," Taruto answered briskly, finishing his chocolate cake with one last gulp.

"Oh, I see. But what about the festival," Lettuce inquired, still grappling with the difficulty impending her logic.

Pai gave her a look of acknowledgement, obviously conscious of his lapse of judgement.

"We have tomorrow off, Mew Lettuce," Pai started bluntly, "and since it is the last day before all the parties officially commence, we thought it best to spend some quality time together with our guests."

The finality in Pai's voice was met with equivocal feelings among the Mew team. Whereas Lettuce instantly blushed all red, Ichigo caught herself thinking how the hell she would be able to spend another day with Kisshu without getting mentally insane. Zakuro, on the other hand, merely shrugged while Mint sent a puzzled look in Pai's direction. The only person that was obviously happy about the proclamation was, of course, Pudding, elated at the prospect of being with Taruto all day.

"Do you have anything in mind, Pai," Ryou asked rather engaged himself in taking the alien on his offer.

"Truthfully, I was thinking of a sparring contest with the...newest discoveries that have come to light," Pai retorted and Ryou nodded.

"We could use the training area on the twenty-first floor. It features a battle field, as well as a surveillance room, wherein we could monitor the power graphs and tables," Pai continued solemnly.

"Oh my god, could you two stop with your creepy hobby," Ichigo cried out loud.

What was wrong with them?

"Big sis Ichigo, relax," Pudding tried to calm her down but in vain.

"What is it Ichigo," Ryou challenged, his eyes narrowing at her slightly, "you scared how much you're gonna lose?"

"No, but just hearing that you're gonna watch me on some screens makes me wanna gag, thanks," Ichigo retaliated against her blonde boss with a grimace.

"Well, get used to it. Now that you have your powers seemingly back, we should utilize our time here and see what all has changed."

"Feel free to use my personal lab for such purposes. It is located on the nineteenth floor," Pai turned back to Ryou.

"Great, thank you."

Ichigo could only groan.

"The-there is a lab in the hotel as well?" Lettuce ventured, completely baffled.

"Yes, as you might have already discovered, our buildings are rather high in terms of their height. We do tend to mix residential areas with working premises and vice versa.

"Wow, does that make you feel constantly at work?" Mint chimed in.

"In a way, but it has its perks," Kisshu smiled, "once you have everything so close, you do not have to travel that much."

"So, depending on the perspective, you can be either a lazy-ass or a workaholic," Zakuro replied.

"I would prefer the latter term, alas, the same could be hardly applied to Kisshu."

"Hey, I work also super hard," Kisshu objected immediately.

"Yeah, right. And pigs can fly," Taruto let out a snort, making everyone around him howl in laughter.


That night, Ichigo spent most of her time up again. She had tried to fall asleep on multiple occasions, but to no avail. Surely, the reason for her insomnia seemed obvious; whenever she closed her eyes, the mental projection of Kisshu entered her vision, making her body and mind fully alert.

Frowning at the ceiling, she sighed. It was just too overwhelming. Ichigo could only wonder how Mint could sleep with no difficulty. But, of course, Mint did not have to ponder such ridiculous ideas that Ichigo's psyche had voluntarily subdued itself to a couple of hours ago. The truth was that ever since the dinner, Ichigo could not stop thinking about Kisshu. Furthermore, he was in her thoughts constantly, almost as if he was actually there with her in the very same room. Just the notion itself made Ichigo squirm under her sheets in discomfort.

On one hand, she was extremely grateful that she was slowly, but gradually, forgetting her past relationship on Earth. Yet, the fact that all she could think of now was Kisshu, touching her, hugging her, even kissing her…

Oh my God! Stop it already!

She knew that her cat ears and tail were both out, but she was beyond the point of caring about such little trifles, all the more since she had far more pressing matters to deal with. If her previous dream had felt mind-numbing, Ichigo could not quite explain what kind of emotions she had been experiencing now. It appeared to her, as if she was again torn between smacking Kisshu hard and wiping that annoying grin off of his face, and kissing him senseless. The fact that she was imagining that she was the one who was actually initiating the kiss did not lessen the gravity of the issue in the slightest. Staring at the ceiling, with her thoughts swimming with the possibilities of what all tomorrow could bring, she could hence only sigh and frown.

Ichigo had merely hoped that she would not have to fight Kisshu, because that concept implied proximity and she was not quite sure if she wanted to be close to Kisshu, when the last remnants of her logic screamed at her loud and clear that it is primarily distance that she should keep. But, why? Was she not on vacation after all? And, besides, if Ichigo was to fight Kisshu, she could at least kick his butt. Yes, fighting Kisshu definitely sounded appealing to her own ears; notwithstanding, the uneasiness that was accompanying her justification did not make the potential consequences of physical intimacy any less daunting.

It took Ichigo about two more hours to finally succumb to the realm of unconsciousness. Yet, nothing much had changed. This was mainly due to the very reason that had kept her up most of the night; unsurprisingly even to her, all of her dreams were invaded with a distinct image of a certain green-haired alien.