One Clue
Dear readers,
Thank you for stopping by and reading this story. My mind still cannot comprehend that there are people all around the world actually reading this! And liking it too! That makes me go all 'wow!' I'm touched! Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone, for your comments, reviews, kudos and follows. I feel your love!
Here is another chapter for you. Until next time!
P.S. Is anyone else also digging Kisshu's new VA? Man, that guy is a perfect cast! They all are, in fact!
Sheli93 – Thank you for yet another comment! I am happy to hear that you enjoy reading this fic so much and I am sorry that I broke your heart! Hopefully, this next chapter will not make you cry and you will like it just as much, fingers crossed!
DrDark7 – Thank you for yet another comment! I am so sorry that I made you cry. Yet again! Aw man. If it makes you feel any better, this next update should be a little more relaxed, or, at least, without as many tears shed this time!
Torichan – Thank you for your comments! I am really glad to hear that you still enjoy my story so much. I am sorry if I made you cry somewhere along the way. It's drama, drama yet again. And, yes. Gato is so cool, despite the fact he has had such a limited exposure in this story so far. I like his eeariness as well!
Angsty_Tea – Thank you for your comments and for joining us on our Road to Perfection. I am very happy to hear that you enjoy reading this story so much and I hope that I will not disappoint you with my writing style. Also, I am sorry if I broke your heart! I swear that this next chapter should be (almost) tear-free.
AnimeRoxx – Thank you for yet another comment! I am so sorry to hear that I made you cry. I know, I know. Last time, it was quite heartbreaking, wasn't it? But I can assure you that that particular chapter was necessary for the plot, plus it essentially provided you with the confirmation that both Ichigo and Kisshu still have feelings for each other, indeed!
Rakutane – Thank you for your comment! I am so happy that you decided to join us and that you find my story entertaining! I also love the fact that you can actually feel the feelings of the characters very much. That was my intention, indeed. I like to build up some emotion and drama before I fully dive in, so to say haha. Looking forward to hearing some more of your thoughts in the future!
Kishlover985 – Thank you for yet another comment! I am sorry that I made you cry. It seems that that's all I'm doing lately, making people cry. Also, it makes me happy to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter, and you are absolutely right. The ending had an eerie edge to it, did it not? That was highly intentional. Yuri seems to be the diplomat, but Gato? Not so much!
NeKoGirl – Thank you for yet another comment! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter so much. As for your questions, there will be some action in the following chapters, indeed. Yet, in which specific direction it will take Kisshu and Ichigo is yet to be found out.
James Birdsong - Thank you for yet another comment! I am happy that I did not make you cry this time and that you enjoyed reading my story. Until next time!
OfDragonsandRoses - Thank you for your comment and for joining this story! I am very happy to hear that you enjoy reading it so much and I hope that I will keep you equally entertained, if not more, also in the future. And, I totally agree. Kisshu is wayyy more mature in this fic than Ichigo, who only constantly succumbs to her emotions on repeat. How much longer will Kisshu keep it up, though? Will his façade crack at last? These are all brilliant questions yet to be answered.
As always, please enjoy and review!
I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew
"Ichigo looks more and more depressed with each day," Zakuro dully noted over her cup, her eyebrows knitted in deep thought.
And something about that unprecedented comment had made both Mint and Lettuce flinch and turn their heads in shock towards the oldest Mew, as any sort of verbal engagement in other people's personal business was completely out of character for Zakuro.
"Don't ask me why," Mint recovered first, "Ichigo is a moron. If she stuck to her original plan, nothing like this would actually happen," she scoffed and consequently scowled when she realized that her Earl Grey had gotten cold.
"But can you blame her?" Lettuce chimed in, "It must have been awfully difficult with all this emotional strain with Aoyama on Earth and now with Kisshu on Cyclonia."
"Exactly my point," Mint interjected, setting her tea aside, "I'm sorry but I'm simply not buying it. Exactly after she breaks it off with Aoyama she discovers this newly found love with Kisshu? Give me a break."
"What if she really loves him, though? Wouldn't it then be stupid not to give them a chance?" Lettuce pressed, a sense of apprehension leaking into her voice, but Mint beat her to it.
"There is no chance, Lettuce. Kisshu is getting married. He is the future king of Cyclonia and Ichigo has to respect that and back the hell off finally."
"Why are you so hard on her, Mint?" Zakuro caught Mint's puzzled expression and gave her a stern look.
Mint mulled this over before she gave out a sigh and eventually replied to her idol.
"I am just worried about her, Zakuro. Look at how she has been these past couple of weeks. She has been an utter mess! And she is not getting any better here, that's for sure."
"So should we just leave altogether, would that remedy her situation?" Zakuro challenged with a completely stoic face.
The blue lorikeet Mew went quiet for a change, not exactly able to readily answer Zakuro's sharp question, and an uncomfortable silence descended upon them, fraught with impotence and frustration.
"I think that we should all support Big sis Ichigo, na no da," Pudding went flying into the room pulling all of their attention onto her at once.
"Stay out of this, Pudding! You're too young to understand the atrocities Ichigo could possibly bring upon us all," Mint quickly responded, never too averse to scolding anyone around her, the hyperactive monkey girl included.
"But Taruto said Kisshu does not love Yuri," Pudding shifted her weight from one foot to another, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Huh?"
"Yup, he told me. But he also told me not to tell you, or anyone actually," Pudding let out a sheepish smile as she scratched her chin thoughtfully.
"Pudding, how long have you known it?!" Lettuce gasped and rose to a standing position, adrenaline bursting through her body.
"And why didn't you say anything?" Mint asked accusingly but remained firmly seated in her spot.
"A while now, Pudding is the greatest detective after all," the blonde winked playfully and Lettuce flopped back down onto her chair in defeat.
"So it truly is just to keep the nation united," Zakuro mused out loud with a faraway look on her face.
"But that is simply not fair," Lettuce objected, disagreement apparent in her tone, "we must tell Ichigo."
"Fair and practical are two entirely different concepts, Lettuce," Mint exhaled sharply, as she began stirring her tea in an idle manner, "Besides, if Kisshu wanted Ichigo to know that he is still in love with her, he would have told her, trust me."
"So what do we do then?" Lettuce said more to herself, since there was not really much they could accomplish on their own.
"We gotta help Big sis Ichigo and make her happy!" Pudding chirped, the undying energy brimming in her eyes.
"And we would do it how exactly?" Mint's patience was running thin now.
"We have to spy on Kisshu, na no da!"
"That must have been the dumbest idea I have ever heard, Pudding!" Mint snorted, shooting the monkey Mew a dubious glance.
Lettuce, being the peacemaker, tried to supply more constructive criticism.
"He could sense us easily, Pudding, and teleport away."
"What about his fiancé then, na no da?" Mint, as equally disbelieving as before, mentally face palmed.
"Wait a second," Zakuro intervened, "If we cannot confront Kisshu himself, how about we focus on his sidekicks?"
A knowing look passed across Mint's features once her mind registered what Zakuro was trying to convey.
"You mean Taruto and Pai?" Zakuro nodded in acknowledgment and Mint spun towards the youngest Mew expectantly.
"Pudding, could you get that intel from Taruto?"
"Sorry, no can do. I already tried and he did not tell me anything even when I started to give him candy and cry, na no da," Pudding shrugged dejectedly, her shoulders fully slumped.
Lettuce did not seem any more helpful.
"I honestly do not believe Pai would ever confide in me like that. From the few conversations the two of us have had, we mostly discussed vegetation and culture. It would be way too conspicuous to skip right into Kisshu's love life when we barely even talked about ours. He would see through me right away," Lettuce's cheeks blushed slightly once she finished with her apology.
"That means we are doomed," Mint averted her eyes and watched as the tea in her cup swirled in slow repetitive circles.
There must have been something they could do. They could not let Ichigo go on like this. Lettuce was right. It just was not fair. Not to mention sustainable. And from the looks of it, it was clear that Ichigo could not last in such a state much longer. Mint momentarily entertained the notion if ambushing Kisshu guerrilla style was worth the shot but she quickly squished that thought knowing all too well he would be never willing to tell her anything, at least not sincerely.
If only they had a clue.
Looking up, she was met with solid determination written all over the other Mews' expressions, heavily indicative of the fact that they must have reached a similar conclusion as her.
One clue; that was all they needed.
One clue.
Mint let her gaze meander back onto her cup and then, as clear as day, an idea struck her.
"Girls, I think I've got it."
"Do you think this will work? " Zakuro inquired in a low voice which neither doubted nor approved of Mint's plan.
"Yeah, all we have to do is count on Pudding and Taruto to bring that guy in. I remember Ichigo mentioned him on multiple occasions during her first outburst. Something about him being a hunk or something so there is nothing extraordinary about the Mew Mews wanting to meet the finest Cyniclon specimen," the blue lorikeet Mew answered staring ahead of her in confidence.
"T-this is so wrong," Lettuce stammered nervously, as she shifted once more on her bar stool.
"I feel the same way but he has all the answers we are looking for," Zakuro rebutted, scanning the crowd of the party-goers around them for the familiar heads full of yellow and brown tresses. Unfortunately, neither Taruto, nor Pudding, were anywhere close in sight; only a flock of semi-drunk levitating robots and a couple of orange dragon-like creatures filled her vision.
It was a busy night with everyone in merry spirits and various stages of inebriation; everyone but Tokyo Mew Mew, whose primary objective for the following evening vastly differed from that of the rest of the attendees.
"Has anyone seen Kisshu or Ryou so far?" Mint ventured to ask the unspeakable.
"N-no."
"Not quite."
'Good,' the dark haired girl mentally sighed in relief, ' I hope we won't be seeing much of either of them tonight. That could complicate things quite a bit.'
Lettuce must have somehow sensed Mint's train of thinking, because her blue worried eyes grew wide and she immediately sweat dropped.
"M-Mint, I-I'm not rea-"
"Shhhh, there goes Ichigo. Act naturally," Mint whispered and pinched Lettuce in her arm when she saw her green-haired friend fidget again, "Keep it together," she hissed indignantly.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
"Oo-h, hh-i Ichigo," Lettuce squeaked in an extremely unnatural high-pitched tone.
"Are you ok, Lettuce?" Ichigo asked, mild concern in her eyes.
"Y-yup, c-could not be b-better," Lettuce laughed and Mint kicked her under the table real hard.
"Where did you get that coke from?" Zakuro pointed at the can in Ichigo's hand, successfully distracting her in the process.
"Oh, that. I bumped into some Cyniclon guy on my way here and he was kind enough to order a drink for me," Ichigo rubbed the back of her neck, grinning lightly.
The Cyniclons were really rather chivalrous, in her opinion; with the exception of the one who had made it clearly his life mission to continuously break her heart over and over again.
Her mood instantly dropped at the gloomy realization.
"Lucky you," Mint said, eyeing her now empty glass in dismay, "By the way, Ryou's still working, right?"
Should Ichigo have been more attentive, she would have sensed the slight uncertainty accompanying Mint's voice, so incongruent with her otherwise quintessential air of royal arrogance. Luckily for Mint, Ichigo was far too much caught up in her own head to notice the little quiver of her lip, as well as the subsequent relaxation of her companion's face once the auburn-haired girl came up with a satisfactory answer.
"Yea, he's a total dork. Don't ask. Working during vacation should be illegal," Ichigo dismissed Mint's question with a wave of her hand, "So what is the plan for today? Do you have any hot dates?" she wiggled her eyebrows at the finless porpoise Mew suggestively, as she assumed a seat directly next to her left.
This time, Lettuce did turn deep scarlet due to her own conflicted mushy feelings, but before she was able to retort, Pudding's squealing form emerged in front of them, dragging a very crabby Taruto in tow.
"Hey! You do not have to hold my hand all the time! Geez!" the short alien yelled when he finally managed to unlatch himself out of the blonde's grasp.
"But I enjoy your presence so much, Taru-Taru! You are fun to be around, na no da," Pudding beamed, pushing her face against his, and Taruto's anger soon dissolved from his features, as embarrassment took its place.
"So, where's your friend?" Zakuro cut to the chase, her eyes narrowing in question.
"Don't ask. I told him to show up but his understanding of time is different from yours," Taruto grunted, crossing his arms in irritation, "Sometimes I think he does it on purpose to rile me up. Talk about disrespectful."
"Since when is Pai not on time?" Ichigo cackled, as the very definition of tardiness and Pai did not go together in her mind. She seriously doubted Pai had such words as 'late' or 'tardy' even in his vocabulary.
But her laugh soon faded once her head whipped around at the tell-tale sound of the ripple in the air and she soon found herself staring into a pair of two amber electrifying eyes framed by light blue tousled hair.
"Do you know what the difference between an illusion and time is, you brat?" a smooth voice drifted to Taruto's ears from behind, making him jolt in surprise and jump away before a strong hand could collide with his cheek.
"Nothing," Elton grimaced theatrically, "time is only an illusion, albeit a very persistent one," his lips morphed into a wide smirk as he stepped fully out of his teleportation portal and winked at the Mew Mew leader flirtatiously, when he caught her eye.
"Hi there! Missed me?"
For some reason, the said human girl shuddered and winced once the brief memory of their last conversation involuntarily popped up in her head. She had tried to repeatedly banish his words along with the underlying implications they insinuated, however, his sultry voice continued to haunt her.
So what do you say, Ichigo? Do you want me to be your newKisshu?
Not once had Elton's intense gaze left hers, and a few more seconds ticked by until his orbs ultimately flitted from her form and regarded the other Mew Mews surrounding her as well. His eyes darted from Lettuce, to Pudding and finally to Mint and Zakuro, where they settled indefinitely. He must have noticed their discomfort because he at last fixed his posture and whistled in joy.
"Whoa, whoa. Look at all those pretty Earth girls we have here," he said, as he let his facial expression crinkle in a smile.
A smile that seemed fake at best, especially to Mint, but which could be considered disarming to most; especially if fangy grins and dangerous aura were doing it for you. Giving him a quick once over, there was no doubt that the blue-haired Cyniclon in front of them was genuinely attractive, just as Ichigo had told her. In fact, Mint remembered Elton from the welcoming ceremony quite vividly and, eyeing him now, she must have admitted that he appeared even better when he was standing up close. Nevertheless, one surreptitious glance at the other Mews strengthened her conviction that none of them garnered any sort of trust towards him or his behavior whatsoever. From the shreds of information Mint had recollected, they had already a pretty good picture of what Elton was like personality-wise in their minds. This assumption was shortly confirmed upon his arrival and it was safe to say that when they saw him, they did not like him. He reminded them of Kisshu; but everything wrong with Kisshu seemed to have been reflected in this guy ten-fold.
Pudding was the only one oblivious to the social dynamics enough to break the unbearable silence that sat between them.
"Taru-Taru, I love this song, let's dance, na no da!" she exclaimed all of a sudden, pulling at the little alien's shirt with excitement.
"No way! And let go of me, already. God dammit!" he tried to shrug off the monkey Mew, yet Pudding was relentless.
"But I really like this song," her eyes watered with these big pleading tears and it did not take too long, until she was tugging Taruto by his arm away in victory.
'Nice, Pudding. One man down. One to go,' Mint thought.
"Easily impressionable, isn't he?" Elton let out a chuckle, as he took in Taruto's grumpy expression.
"That must be the power of youth," Ichigo remarked dryly and quickly regretted her choice of wording.
"Oh, don't tell me you feel old, kitty cat?" Elton snickered and Ichigo wanted to punch him.
She knew that he was using Kisshu's pet names for her intentionally to get a rise out of her and, sadly for Ichigo, it was working.
"Did you consider my offer?" he said before Ichigo could open her mouth for a reply, his eyes boring into hers, as he neared closer.
Ichigo blinked.
"Huh?"
"From earlier. Me and you. What do you say? With Kish taken, how about you play with me instead?" he cupped her chin between his fingers unexpectedly, tilting her face upwards as though to examine an unusual species, and Ichigo felt her cheeks heat up at the intimate physical contact.
What was it about the Cyniclons and their extremely direct behavior? Was personal space practically non-existent around here? Were guys on her planet also that blunt and forthcoming? She could not recall. She knew Masaya definitely wasn't.
And then there was the remarkable similarity, of course.
The longer Ichigo had stared deep into Elton's magnetizing orbs, the more she was heavily reminiscent of Kisshu. All Elton needed was to get rid of those silly earrings and grow a thatch of emerald hair and their resemblance would be uncanny. Was it a sign that she should simply forget about Kisshu and move on? It seemed that Elton was interested in her; interested enough that she would probably not have to crawl on her knees in front of him to make him kiss her, unlike certain someone whose jab never ceased ringing in her ears.
'You wanted me to do it, kitten. You were practically begging for it.'
Jerk!
A few moments passed until Ichigo eventually dragged her gaze away from Elton, the wheels in her head already turning.
"I can take you places, you have never seen before," he prodded, and something about his proposition made Ichigo slightly squirm under his touch.
Maybe going with him would not be that bad of an idea after all. She could at least take some time off of thinking about that green-haired pest. All the same-
"Do you even know our names, screw boy?" Zakuro's doubtful tone cut through the loaded tension like a knife.
When Ichigo flicked her eyes towards her comrades and caught a glimpse of their facial expressions, she could see that both Zakuro and Mint were watching Elton like a hawk. Especially Zakuro's features held a strange mixture of caution and animosity not unlike that of a threat. Ichigo was extremely grateful that she was not standing on the receiving end of her friend's burning vision.
"Whoa, whoa! The legends did not lie," Elton let go of Ichigo's face, redirecting his attention onto the older Mew, "You surely know how to kill the mood in an instant, Mew Zakuro. Are all humans so uptight, or is it just you that often gets her panties in a knot?"
Ichigo felt the temperature in the room sink at the barely concealed slight. Her eyes studied Elton anxiously, as he ran a hand through his unruly blue hair with a small smirk on his lips and his chin lowered a bit in expectation.
"You little…," Mint scrunched her nose, ready to slap the heck out of him but Zakuro stopped her.
"So, you do know our whereabouts. I think it would be only appropriate if we knew yours as well," her voice was curt, but the commanding tone was not lost on the Cyniclon boy.
In a reaction to this, Elton's smirk tampered into a broad grin and he bowed slightly.
"Pardon my manners, ladies. I am Elton. The infamously handsome cousin of Yuri and the son of Earl of West district of Cyclonia. Nice to formally meet you."
When he straightened his back, Ichigo noticed that that wicked grin had never entirely left his face. In fact, his teeth were bare and there was again that devilish glint in his eyes that Ichigo knew so well from her interactions with Kisshu.
On second thought, he really seemed a lot like Kisshu. Obviously there were some minor differences. His hair was shorter, his built in general broader, but they were both slim and lank. And their personalities did not seem to vary by much. There was only one thing that somewhat confused Ichigo. Elton's gaze blazed with the same intense quality as Kisshu's, yet there was something behind his eyes that she could not quite decipher. To her, Elton was an enigma, as he seemed way harder to decode than Kisshu. But, again, she had spent far more time with Kisshu which could fully account for the fact why she was able to read his expressions a little better.
"Thank you. The pleasure is all ours," Zakuro retorted, not missing a beat. She was still watching Elton with distrust but she skillfully hid it behind her professional supermodel persona. Even though Zakuro hated networking and business negotiations, in the times of need, she could use the perks of her job to her advantage.
"How sweet," Elton replied but before he could say anything else, the air around his body began to distort and Pai materialized next to him shortly after.
Taking in the palpable tension between the group, the purple haired alien turned directly to Elton, frowning slightly.
"Do I understand it correctly that you have somehow already managed to bother our guests?" he asked, pursing his lips as if in distaste.
"Bother? Of course not, we were just exchanging pleasantries," Elton smiled blithely, as he put his hands behind his head in a casual manner.
Pai blew out a loud breath and delivered his observation in an extremely monotone voice.
"You make it awfully difficult for me to decide which one of you is worse. You or Kisshu."
Upon hearing the mention of his name, Ichigo's head shot up.
This did not go unnoticed by Elton and neither by Mint and Zakuro. If Pai had sensed anything, he did not let it show.
With one fleeting glimpse at Ichigo, it was then that Mint knew it was high time to put her plan in action. The plan which was simple, really; divide and conquer. Although Taruto and Pai strived to keep Kisshu's personal life under wraps, Mint had a feeling that Elton would be their best bet to gain intel from. It was a shot in the dark, so to say, but even by looking at him now, Mint could tell that his lips were not sealed, or better yet, that they could open and talk, for a price. What that price would be was yet to be determined, though. Mint was certain she would succeed in her mission, nonetheless. And, not only would her victory help Ichigo but she would also teach this guy a valid lesson, all the while fully exercising her rich girl mannerism. It was a decidedly win-win situation, no doubt. Plus, if Elton was anything like Kisshu, he was prone to subdue to his physical urges with not too much of a struggle and effort on Mint's part.
The blue lorikeet Mew coughed briefly, alerting everyone, before she spoke to Elton directly.
"Eron, was it?" Mint looked him up and down, as if assessing his worth, while her mouth broke into a sweet smile.
"It's Elton, Mew Mint," the alien countered. If her mistake bothered him, he hid it well.
"Oh, excuse me, Elton," Mint apologized only half-heartedly, "I would like you to know that I am interested in taking you on your offer from earlier. I can imagine there is so much more to explore about Cyclonia. And, as I am currently single," she paused, sending him a half-lidded look, "I would like you to show me what it means to spend a night in a Cyniclon company, if you know what I am saying."
Ichigo was the first one to react, and most prominently at that; her eyes blanched and she started choking on her coke, drowning everything in a fit of dry coughing. Thank God Lettuce was standing nearby, providing help immediately.
Elton did not cough, but it would be a lie not to point out that the strange change in Mint's demeanor left him looking somewhat flabbergasted at first. He, however, quickly stepped out from his silent stupor and, sliding his eyes down Mint's front, he lifted his lips in a mischievous smirk.
"Sure, it will be my utmost pleasure," Elton outstretched his hand toward Mint who answered with a smirk of her own.
As she was rising from her bar stool, she heard Zakuro's soft warning from her right.
"Be careful."
"Do not worry, I have my pendant on me, Zakuro," Mint reassured her matter-of-factly.
From her peripheral view, Mint could see Zakuro give her a small nod before her fingers laced with Elton's and the two of them disappeared into the crowd within the next moment.
"Would anyone care to explain to me what has just happened?" Ichigo, still awe-struck, wiped the sputtered coke off of her face as her eyes remained trained on the spot from which the couple took off just a second ago.
Pai, equally curious, joined her line of thinking, but did not have time to elaborate on it any further.
Picking on the true nature of Mint's antics, Lettuce quickly stepped in.
"W-well that leaves the three of us together for the time being. W-would you care to join us, Pai? We could use a little help with the drinks," Lettuce flushed as she addressed her alien crush in front of her and the shade of redness only deepened when he dipped his head in agreement.
"Sure," he let out a small smile and Ichigo had a feeling that she had just witnessed one of those rare occasions that Pai could actually produce a smile on his face. She was likewise positive it must have had everything to do with her dear Mew friend Lettuce. Otherwise there was no way Pai would ever smile.
Ichigo's lips curled upwards.
She tipped the can of her coke back to her mouth and took another sip, deeply pondering the weird constellation of stars.
Life could be funny sometimes.
A soft feeble light was idly spilling into the dark room through the tiny crack in between the heavy amethyst curtains, as a new day ventured to announce its existence to the whole world. This natural phenomenon was not greeted with unambiguous responses; and, not exactly a morning person herself, Ichigo did not feel like acknowledging the change just yet. Letting out a pained growl, the tired Mew Mew turned on her side and snuggled her face into the pillow in preparation for the act of falling asleep some more; an action that was supposed to be bulletproof, but somehow failed either way.
"Ichigo, wake up!" an annoyed female voice sounded over her shoulder and Ichigo jerked backwards at the loud noise.
What the hell?
"When did you come back?" she barked out, eyes wide, once Mint's elegant contours appeared in her bleary line of sight.
"Last night," Mint answered nonchalantly and she drew the curtains wide apart, earning an irritated groan out of the auburn haired girl as a result.
"Keep it shut! I don't wanna get up just yet. Let me stay in darkness a little longer," Ichigo whined, grabbing at her blanket with the intention of pulling it all over her head but Mint was swift.
"Wake up already, and stop with that depressing nonsense!" the blue lorikeet Mew whacked her hard and Ichigo squeezed her blanket tighter, determined to stay in bed at any cost. With one sharp tug on Mint's side, this plan came undone as well though.
"Let me be, Mint! I am not like you! I can't just shrug everything off and move on."
"Who said anything about moving on?" Mint smirked coyly at her and Ichigo slowly peeled her eyes open, her hands momentarily grounding to a halt.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
Mint regarded her for a moment before she spoke next.
"I did not go drinking with Elton last night for nothing, Ichigo. And, if you must know, in comparison to my previous date, he was a pretty lousy company. Honestly, I expected more. But he proved useful and that is why I am not going to let you stay in here any longer and cry your eyes out."
At this, the Mew Mew leader stopped fighting altogether and removed her hands from her face.
Mint was standing within an arm's reach, inspecting the invisible lint on her dress, as she slowly resumed talking with a sly smile playing across her lips.
"We talked about a great a deal of things yesterday and guess what?" she directed her focus back onto Ichigo who was now sitting fully upright in her bed.
"What?" Ichigo echoed.
"Yuri is away," Mint said, face flat, "Until Sunday. So you have exactly two days to settle the score with Kisshu once and for all. Here is where you'll find him," she handed Ichigo a folded note which read not only Kisshu's name on it but also the number of his room, the building complex where it was located and how to get there.
"You're lucky because, according to Elton, he lives in this same building as us. Forty ninth floor to be precise," the dark-haired girl continued, her gaze darting between the paper in Ichigo's fiddling fingers and her surprised stare betraying both fear and excitement.
Mint kept on going.
"This is your last chance. If you do not succeed by then, we shall leave Cyclonia and go back home."
Ichigo stiffened at Mint's final words and quickly slumped into a shadow, her bangs covering the major part of her face.
"Mint, there is no way we are going to leave because of me," Ichigo whispered in a low voice, a shade quieter than usual but still perfectly audible to her friend's ears.
Hearing the melancholic note in her tone, Mint decided that she had had enough. Without warning, she sauntered to the Mew Mew leader and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders in an attempt to shake some sense into her. For all it's worth, this was her best friend, and despite their many differences, Mint truly cared about Ichigo and her well-being. Seeing her like this, powerless and pining over one boy after another, did not settle well with Mint's psyche; in fact, it did not make her happy in the slightest, which is why she took a deep breath and let her anger take over.
"Are you dense?! Me and the Mews just bought you extra time and you are thinking about that? How stupid are you really, Ichigo?"
Mint hoped that the way she had said it clearly showed her disdain for the matter. Evidently, it did, as Ichigo flinched and leaned back on her bed, stunned. Of all the things Mint could possibly say, this was definitely one of the last things Ichigo seemed to have expected to hear; a simple fact that could be derived from her comrade's shocked face. Mint could tell that Ichigo's mind raced with all kinds of thoughts about what this new piece of information could mean when she saw her eyes widen before understanding fully set in; and Mint took it as a sign to proceed with her heated speech.
"Everyone knew about the plan, Ichigo. Except for you and, well, Ryou, obviously, because he would most likely throw a fit. We did not meet Elton yesterday by chance or because we were interested in his good looks. We wanted information about Kisshu! So you'd better appreciate it and make a good use of it because I sure as hell am not hanging out with that sleaze ever again!"
Mint scoffed, slightly panting, and finally released the distressed Mew Mew leader from her firm hold.
"Mint," Ichigo nearly choked on her tears, chest tightening with emotion, and Mint, upon remembering who she was, merely folded her arms and huffed; if huffing was something that her rich girl protocol allowed her to do.
Ichigo had no idea why.
She had no idea how.
But, looking back at the small piece of paper nestled in her palm with various flecks of emotions flashing across her features, she realized that she was granted with two more days to figure out what to do about her precarious predicament.
