Chapter Two
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Wow, 10 reviews telling me to continue! Yay, it's better than I thought. Well, here's the next chap, finally.
Disclaimer: Ikumi owns all.
Zakuro was flying through space, looking for something. In her heart she knew what, but her mind wouldn't tell her…Then he was there, floating in front of her. "I knew you would come, Lone Wolf," he told her.
"I'm not here for you…I came to roam free," the werewolf replied. Her model-trained face was calm, but inside she was panicking. I didn't come for him? Did I? she thought.
"No, you didn't, Lone Wolf. I know you too well," Pie responded. His voice wasn't mocking, but sincere.
"You don't know me at all!" Zakuro yelled in response, defiant. "You don't! You don't! You can't………"
"Zakuro? Earth to Zakuro! Somebody's daydreaming, na no da!" The cheerful, ebullient voice broke through Zakuro's…daydreams…like a tidal wave. A butter-yellow blob of pure happy energy bounced in front of her, never staying in the same spot for more than a minute.
The model blinked. Realization hit her. It was Wednesday, right in the middle of a sudden rush of business for Café Mew Mew. She was standing behind the desserts counter.
More realization followed that. She had been standing behind the desserts counter for almost ten minutes now. The cherry pie (how ironic) she'd been holding had slid off the tray in her now-limp hands to spatter over the floor. Her new black shoes she'd gotten at the department store yesterday were spattered with red, blobby goop.
So was Pudding. The monkey-girl bobbed up in down in front of the werewolf, trying to get her attention, cherries streaking her short yellow dress and white apron. Her voice sounded choked, which Zakuro realized a moment later was due to the fact that her mouth was stuffed full of pie crust. Just like Pudding, she thought ruefully, Always finding something to eat.
"Erm….Sorry, Pudding. I was just feeling a bit faint for a minute there. I'll clean up." She flashed the yellow Mew a small smile as she reached for a dishrag and began dabbing at her violet dress. Man, this is never coming out. I hate ruining clothes!
Just as she thought that, the rag was plucked from her hands by a hand full of short, nimble fingers. This was followed, a second later, by the words "Pudding Ring Inferno Cleanup!" With that, the cherry filling disappeared from her outfit, the floor, and her friend's clothes.
"Zakuro has forgotten that trick Ryou taught us last week. Is okay, though. Pudding remembered, na no da!" The younger girl tossed the dishrag aside, grinned one last huge grin at her wolf-friend, and dashed back into the café proper.
Zakuro took a moment to collect her thoughts. Man, I really was distracted. Is Pie getting to me that much? she mused. Why am I thinking about him so much? Maybe…maybe I miss him?
A second later, she was angry at herself for even considering that. She was MODEL for goodness' sakes, and a Mew Mew. He was a strange alien with weird purple hair. How different could they get!
With that, she strode after Pudding, trying to keep her pace steady and her face calm. When she entered the café proper, the other Mews shot her quick looks of concern, which she brushed away with her usual cool, neutral expression.
"Zakuro? Could you take this to Table 5 please?" Keiichiro asked. "Zakuro? Are you with us?"
You came for me…Lone Wolf…I missed you, too…A jumble of thoughts spiraled through her brain. You came for me…Zakuro? Zakuro?
The last voice was not Pie's, but Keiichiro's. With a start, the werewolf realized she'd been doing it again. Daydreaming about Pie, that was. At least this time, she was standing by the food pickup counter, where her boss Keiichiro Akasaka was attempting to get her attention.
"Oh? Yes, of course, right away, Keiichiro," Zakuro tried to brush off the fact that she'd been daydreaming, but the black-haired chef was too quick. He grabbed her by the arm before she could make off with the food that she was supposed to deliver.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Zakuro?" he asked worriedly.
She was about to dismiss it with a curt remark, but paused. Keiichiro had always been very kind and polite to her, even when she was detached in return. Deep inside her, she considered him almost her best friend. She had to ask him something, and she knew he'd understand.
"Um, Keiichiro? I'm feeling okay, I've just been really out of it lately. I'm a bit of a solitary person, and I…well…can I take some time off from working at the café? Just to be alone by myself for a while? My modeling agency gave me permission for a break and everything…" The wolf-girl cut herself off when she realized she'd begun to babble.
To Zakuro's relief, Keiichiro was smiling at her. "Sure, Zakuro. I'd been about to suggest that you take a vacation myself. See, Kish and Tart brought the spaceship down near Earth so they could spend some time with Ichigo and Pudding, so the café will be running shorter hours for the next couple weeks so they can visit their boyfriends. Plus, Ryou and I haven't had much time with our own girls lately…" Keiichiro paused, blushing, "…so, anyway, it'd be a perfect time for you to take some time off. How about three weeks of off time? That enough?"
The werewolf blessed the café manager with one of her rare smiles. "Thank you for understanding, Keiichiro. Two weeks would be great! I just…things have been so busy at my modeling job, and the café too…I guess I need some time with myself."
The black-haired young man nodded understandingly. "The lone wolf needs a hiatus from the pack? Well, you can go say your goodbyes now, and I'll give you the rest of today to get ready, so you can leave tomorrow. Could you maybe be back by October 14? We'll need you for the rush of Halloween candy demands."
Zakuro chuckled softly. "That sounds good. Thanks again." She smiled once more at her friend (she supposed she really could consider him a friend now) and walked back into the café proper. She hoped the other Mews and Ryou would be as understanding as he was. She didn't know why she needed this time off…but she knew she couldn't stand this for much longer.
"You're leaving? Pudding will miss you much, na no da." the monkey declared upon hearing Zakuro's announcement.
The wolf Mew couldn't help but give a small smile. "It's only for three weeks, Pudding. It'll seem like no time at all."
"Yes…..but it will still be long. Have fun and write to Pudding, na no da! Promise?"
"Of course. Who doesn't write to their…friends…on vacation?" Zakuro tried to put a teasing note in her voice, something that, as a model, she didn't have much practice in doing.
"Okay, okay…But I still miss you. Come back soon, Zakuro, na no da. Your friends care 'bout you lots na no da!" Without warning, the short Mew enveloped the tall werewolf in a giant hug around the middle, burying her furry yellow head in Zakuro's white apron.
Zakuro awkwardly hugged Pudding back for a few seconds, before gently shoving the girl away. "Don't mess up my uniform, Monkey-girl. It takes forever to iron!"
"Um…goodbye, Zakuro. Have...uh...er...lots of fun. You…work so hard…you really deserve…a rest break," Lettuce murmured nervously, as though worried Zakuro would rebuke her.
"Thank you, Lettuce. You're always so kind," Zakuro told the mermaid. She's so understanding. It's refreshing, sometimes, being around her, she realized. "Goodbye. I'll miss you."
Mint, of course, was a bit miffed at having to spend three weeks not seeing her idol on a regular basis, but she tried to be understanding. "It was nice of Keiichiro to let you off. He is so considerate to all us workers, really. Well, anyway, have a nice trip, Zakuro. I'll see you soon, hopefully." She gave the tiniest of bows to the werewolf, a copious amount of respect, by Mint's standards.
Zakuro gave another slight bow in return. "Goodbye to you too, Mint. Be sure to take plenty of tea breaks." Though her voice was grave, she knew the bird-girl could tell she was trying to make a joke.
Once the other Mews had left, Ichigo pulled her aside. "This is about a guy, Zakuro. Don't deny it. You're not going away 'just to spend some time by yourself'. Trust me, I know. I've had more boyfriends than any of us…even though that Masaya Aoyama turned out to be a complete dork, nothing compared to my Kish…and I know the signs. So, whoever he is, good luck. And don't worry about what we'll think. We'll be happy with whoever you pick. Pudding and I date aliens, for goodness' sake! Anyway, remember, lone wolves need caring for too. Goodbye, Zakuro, and good luck with him."
With that, the cat Mew turned around and exited through the front door of the café, leaving a stunned Zakuro behind.
It's not about a guy…I just want to spend some time on my own…Gosh, how could Ichigo think that? I've never even had a boyfriend…sure, guys have liked me, but it's all been fake, all because I was a model…I am the lone wolf…I cannot love…right?
The thoughts running through her purple-haired head were too much for the wolf to handle. If Keiichiro hadn't given her that vacation, her head might have literally imploded from all the pressure.
"Well," she said to herself, more to break the oppressive, tense silence in the empty café than anything else, "I better get started on that vacation".
As she strode out of the café, her stride as confidant as any teenage Japanese model, she thought for the second time in as many days that she heard a faint echo of a voice.
"I knew you would come to me, Lone Wolf…"