xuri: You are all so amazing T-T COOKIES FOR ALL! xD See, see, see? See what happens when you review? Yeah. Chapter goes up the next day. Isn't that AMAZING? x3 So, to further demonstrate my point, here is a chain reaction right here -
You read. You like and/or hate the story. You review. Review goes up. I see the review. I read the review. I squeal and flail in joy and hug the monitor. I am inspired to edit next chapter. I edit next chapter. Next chapter goes up next day. All is happy.
Yaay! x3 Keep reviewing guys! I love you all! xD
Applecake: Thank you sooo much for the reviews x3 It gives me warm fuzzy feelings when I get people commenting on the story and characters, so thanks. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe I should have delayed Ari's 'appearence'... make her unrecognizable or something like they tend to do in most mahou shoujo animes xD Then again, that would require a shift in the order of events... and that takes a lot of effort and creativity... sooo... xD Thanks for the input!
Kamyra: Hmm, do you know how far you've read in chapters? I'll try to get the rest up ASAP so you won't have to wait too long. Yay. -eats cookie-
SamKo: Yes, you are very worshipped. x3 Right right right, and the blend thing...er... I think it's explained in this chapter. Sort of. Maybe I should have chosen a better title? Although, if you look closely, every once in a while I sneak the work 'blend' into descriptions.. just cause I'm sneaky. Eheh.
Now on with chappie four!
I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, and I don't own Kona 100 percent. Credits will be given at the end. -nod-
---
Blend (chapter four)
..pending answers to faulty questions..
"Kona -- Kona, why do you have this mark?"
Ichigo exclaimed under her breath, her fingers pressing against the other girl's neck. Maybe a bit too much. She noticed Kona flinch right away, and hurried jerked her hand back, muttering a rushed apology. After that, Kona back towards Ichigo, curiosity floating in her blue eyes.
"...mark?"
"You - you have a mark. On your neck," Sheepishly, the red haired girl tapped the back of her own neck, almost like a demonstration. Kona just stared at her blankly, not following.
"Uh-huh," Nodding slowly, the wide-eyed teenager just stared at Ichigo. Like she was speaking in a different language. "A bruise. Right? Is it really bad? If that's the case, I'm lucky I didn't fall on my face, because then everyone would --"
"No! Kona, you didn't fall - at least, I don't think you did," Ichigo waved her hands around frantically. She looked just as puzzled about the whole thing. "But, erm, there's... a different kind of mark. On your neck."
Kona just raised an eyebrow towards Ichigo. "What kind... of mark?" She asked suspiciously.
"It's a...uhm..." Ichigo shut her mouth quickly. A Mew Mark, she wanted to say, if you have one, it means you've been injected with Red Data Animal DNA... But how was that even possible? There were only six of them. Well, there had been five, but Berii's injection had been pure accident. The cat girl stared at Kona. Did this mean that she really was a Mew Mew? Ichigo would have thought of Ryou being more careful around his experiments after Berii's fortunate, but unintended, injection. So how did this girl get a mark on her?
Or... maybe it wasn't a mark. Maybe it really was just a bruise or something. If that was the case, Ichigo couldn't just go spilling her guts out to her. Kona was in High School. She'd be able to figure it out - if Ichigo inquired about the marks, it meant she knew about them. If she knew about them, that would mean either she was very intelligent and sneaky (Which Ichigo couldn't see anyone suspecting), or was a Mew Mew, herself. If Kona really wasn't a mew, and she found out about Ichigo... Well, there goes the whole 'secret identity'.
Not that it really mattered. It wasn't as if Tokyo Mew Mew was on a crime fighting spree again or anything. Still.
"What?" Kona repeated, in an effort to break the sudden silence. Ichigo couldn't help but notice she looked a bit irritated. Of course. I was rambling on like an idiot, and I didn't even explain my reason for it...
She opened her mouth to say something back, but then lights appeared through the coming darkness. The two of them turned to face the direction from where it emerged, squinting, just in time to see the bus pulling into view. As it slowly lurched to a halt, both girls bent over to gather their things, and stepped onto the bus together.
It was completely packed. Ichigo had expected that, most people, not having to sit in detention for an hour longer than normal, would have just caught the 3 and 4 o'clock buses. Especially the students. But when she found a space of rail to hang on to, she noticed that there were a handful of people, sitting and standing, still wearing their school uniforms. Some were dressed in work attire, and looked absolutely exhausted. A few people looked like they were just there because they had nothing better to do. A few just seemed like they had no idea where they were and who was sitting beside them with their head on their shoulder.
Since there wasn't any space by Ichigo, Kona wandered over to the back of the bus, disapearing in the crowd. It didn't really matter. Ichigo was sure the other girl thought she was just a rambling psycho.
Was she, though? Ichigo rested her cheek against the standing pole absently. Was she really just rambling? Or was Kona really a mew, after all? If she was... Ichigo didn't know what to think of it. Ryou had never mentioned anything about another one. He'd never even hinted at it, or seemed to be considering it. Then again, they didn't really see eachother all that much now... She had no idea what was going on in his life. In his head, even.
Heaving a sigh, the strawberry-haired girl tilted her head to glance out the window as the scenery whirled by, plastered by the occasional light. Coming home late. Again. Poor okaasan, She mused to herself, frowning slightly, Her wreck-of-a-daughter keeps running around and keeping secrets every possible way. Missing dinner, to boot. I'd better apologize... Maybe get her a cake or something.
Oh. Cake? With a blink, Ichigo lifted her head to look out the window when something occured to her. Right. There was someone to see about this. They must have been only five blocks from Cafe Mew Mew... Hastily, she reached up to pull the rope, a light 'ding' echoing through the bus. Next Stop. Sorry, Okaasan. I'll be home as soon as I can.
After a minute or so more, the bus slowly dragged itself to a stop, the doors sliding open. Ichigo eased her way through the crowd, trying not to lose her bag and her arm in the process, but went a few steps past the first door. She snatched an arm, tugging it towards her. Kona's head turned around, startled, but not resisting the pull of the girl.
"Here, come with me," Strawberry girl said simply, and quickly dragged the other out the door and onto the sidewalk. As the bus pulled away, Kona looked like she had a sudden wake up call, and spun on her heels to face the retreating bus.
"H-hey! I don't have any more money..."
"Don't worry," Ichigo assured her quickly, letting go of her arm. There was a sense of urgency in her tone, "He'll probably have some. I'm sure he owes it to you."
Kona scrunched up her face funny, as if to ask 'who's he?' without saying anything, but Ichigo had already started down the pathway. Ryou would know. If he had done any experimental injections lately, he would remember, right? If not, then Kona was normal, and Ichigo had once again made a bad call. Bye bye, reputation. But if she was a mew mew, like Ichigo half suspected, then Ryou would have some explaining to do. And she wouldn't stop until she got all the answers.
"'Cafe Mew Mew'," Kona read aloud from the sign as she followed behind me, "Oh, I've heard about this place... I think. Wouldn't it be closed by now? It's kind of late."
"Yeah. I just... need to ask the owner something." It wasn't completely a lie. But Ichigo couldn't completely explain the situation to Kona, especially if it turned out she hadn't been the victim of some crazy freak-show experiment. Then this would be just some ordinary outing with a psycho-driven girl.
"...And... why'd you bring me?"
Ichigo sweatdropped. Well, she wasn't prepared for that one. So, instead of replying, she kept walking. Would Kona keep following her if she didn't give her a reason? Would she ask questions? Ichigo didn't want to answer them until she knew. So, instead, she walked a little bit faster - and to her relief, the footsteps following behind quickened, as well.
"Well...I...Y'see..." She dragged her words slowly. Shirogane, you had better answer that door...
"Aw, don't trust her with your secret, Ichigo-neko?"
Her eyes widened, and her head jolted up to see a blue haired alien standing idly infront of her. Everything seemed to stand still at that moment - Ari, with a faint smirk on her face, eyes glinting with a mix of anger and amusement; Ichigo frozen, her eyes stricken wide and her body suddenly feeling icy cold. Silence. Thick, surrounding silence. It was shattered in an instant by a high pitched scream.
Ichigo winced, but instantly felt worry wash over her. Oh, no, Kona! She'd forgotten for a moment that she was right behind her. And now, she was letting out a glass shattering scream, terrified, lost.
"I-Ichigo, w-why is she --"
"My hair doesn't look that bad, does it?" Ari mused aloud, twisting a strand of her dark blue locks around her finger playfully, "Hm. Oh well. No use fancying myself up for such a short visit,"
Gritting her teeth, Ichigo looked over at Kona, who had fallen back on the ground and was staring up at the now-floating alien in horror, her face as white as a sheet. Maybe it would have been better to explain the whole Mew-and-Alien situation to Kona, after all. Then again, Ari had been the last thing on Ichigo's mind...
"What's wrong, Ichigo-neko? You look distressed," Mocking genuine concern, Ari tilted her head to the side, outstretching her arms, "Here. Let me help you with that,"
A grin twitched onto her pale face, a pair of long, bronze knives appearing in her hands. Ichigo's heart fell. She's going to attack us... I have to transform. And Kona will.. Eugh, I should have just stayed on the bus!
"Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpha-sis!" In a bright, sudden flash, Ichigo stood in her Mew outfit, all posed and ready to go. Ari just had a 'finally' look on her face, as she shifted her shoulders, getting ready to fight.
"Sorry, neko-girl," She said with a light smirk, lifting a sai directly into her line of vision, "But I'm not letting you get off easy this time, 'kay? Just try to put up a good struggle. It's entertaining, in the least."
Gritting her teeth, Ichigo held out her hand and summoned her Strawberry Bell. What was her problem? It was all one big puzzle in Ichigo's eyes. How frustrating was it to put a puzzle together when you barely had half a piece?
"Ichigo...?" Remembering Kona again, Ichigo turned her head, glancing over at the other girl who sat, unmoving, on the cement, frozen to the spot. Her voice was wispy, weak, as if she could barely muster the courage just to speak. At once, she was overwhelmed with guilt - Kona really didn't have to be caught up in this - but she put on a small, assuring smile.
"Don't worry, Kona. I'll take care of this," She said softly, turning back to Ari, clutching her bell defensively, "You get somewhere safe. She's not after you."
"Aw. Touched," Ari mimicked wiping a tear from her eye, and then swivelled to her side, looking over at Ichigo dangerously, "Are you trying to delay it, Ichigo-neko? I don't blame you. I'd be scared, too."
"I am not scared!" Ichigo burst suddenly, advancing forward, springing up off her foot through the air, whooshing straight towards Ari. "Ribbon --"
"Oops!" The alien swung her leg around, barely missing Ichigo and sending her off balance and falling back to the ground. The pink girl was back up on her feet in an instant, panting to catch her breath. "Ooo. Kitty can land on her feet, I see,"
"Stop! It!" Ichigo growled, and dashed forward, the bell on her tail giving a light tinkle as she did so. She bounded up again, positioning her bell for a head-on attack.
"You really think that'll work again?" Ari retorted with a laugh, effortlessly dodging to the side. "I'm not that stupid. In fact, I have a few tricks of my own..." Her golden eyes narrowed into a menacing glare, and her fists closed tightly around the handles of her weapons until her knuckles turned white. "Haa!" She cried, and suddenly her fists burst into a flickering blue flame. It outlined from her wrists to her fingertips, even surrounding her dagger-like weapons. A cruel grin appeared on her lips. "Ta-da," She announced chirpily, before darting forward.
Ichigo was able to duck under the first swing - the alien seemed to be aiming for her head - but she felt the heat of the flames against her back as the sais passed barely passed over her. Straightening back up, she grasped her Strawberry Bell in both hands, aiming it towards the threatening alien. "Ribbon Strawberry Che--EUUUGH!"
Ari was right up in her face again, taking a slash at the offending cat-girl. She couldn't duck under or dodge this one, so she quickly moved her bell to intercept the attack. Only, upon contact, the heart-shaped weapon vibrated in her hands, sending an intense pain shooting through her arms. Ichigo's hands lost their grip on the bell, and it skidded across the ground, stopping a good few feet away. Ichigo cried out in pain and fell to her knees, clutching her burning arms tightly, her vision beginning to blur.
"Whew. I barely even got a workout from that," Ari muttered thoughtfully, but shrugged it off as she casually floated down to the ground, her feet making contact with solid land. She even took the liberty of stretching her arms out and stifling a yawn - not like Ichigo was going anywhere anytime soon. "Hurts, doesn't it, neko? Haven't you heard the lovely saying? 'Mess with fire, you get burned.' Even though my fire is much worse... Sad you had to find that out first hand. But you're much too easy to fool, kitten." As she spoke, she slowly approached the crumbled girl, taunting, taking her sweet time. Then, Ari paused in her footsteps, putting a hand on her hip, the cool metal of her weapon resting against her bare skin as she watched Ichigo writhing there. "Hm. Tell you what - I'll make it quick for you. Painless. Almost. I'm in a giving mood today... lucky for you."
Smiling at Ichigo for a brief moment, she held her sais up in the air, lighting them aflame once more. "This is for Kishu-sama!" She hollered, anger suddenly shadowing over her face as she took off in a sprint towards Ichigo. The cat girl was defenseless. Gritting her teeth, she tried desperately to ignore the pain, and stretched her arm out, trying to grab her Strawberry Bell. It was too far away. No matter how hard she tried to grasp it, she wouldn't get any closer - unlike Ari, who was closing the distance between them like wildfire. No...I can't... What am I supposed to do?
"Kyah!" Ari had barely noticed Kona. She was just there, unimportant, acting like a little wuss behind Ichigo. In fact, Ari had forgotten all about her. Even Ichigo had forgotten all about her. She'd just assumed that the girl had fled like she'd been told. Instead, the black haired girl appeared from behind the rampaging alien, and, with a strangled cry, she leapt forward, grabbing Ari by the ankles and dragging her to the ground.
"What the --?" The alien girl yelped as she was thrown down against the ground, pinned down by a girl hugging her ankles. Maybe 'hugging' was too fond a term, but that was pretty much what she was doing. Making it nearly impossible for her to get up or move. Instead, she began struggling, throwing insults and curses at Kona, who continued holding her death grip.
"Kona..." Ichigo murmured in wonder, and then suddenly seemed to snap out of it. The pain in her arms seemed to be much less concentrated, so she was able to crawl over and pick up her bell, struggling back up to her feet. For a moment, she just stared at the alien, who was thrashing madly against the grip of a panicking Kona, who had her eyes shut tightly and didn't look like she would ever let go. "Kona, be careful!"
Opening an eye at the sound of her voice, Kona looked up at Ichigo. This was aparently a bad move, because in the next instant Ari had managed to flip-roll onto her back, bringing her legs in and then kicking them hard against Kona's exposed gut. She let out a vicious cry and was tossed against the ground like a rag doll, curled up in a ball. Ichigo thought Kona might have even been crying from the pain. Her jaw tightened in anger and she held her weapon outwards, keeping a wary eye on Ari, who had gotten back up on her feet and was floating a few feet away from where Kona lay. Just in case.
"Ari..." She hissed, and was suddenly interupted by a beeping sound. Both Ichigo and Ari blinked at the same time, turning their heads to locate the source. Ichigo's eyes fell over her backpack, inside which something was wriggling, trying to fight through all the clutter. Then, in a poof, a little pink fuzzball appeared from the opening, flitting over towards the girl. Ichigo's pink eyes widened. "M-Masha!"
"Ichigo! Ichigo!" Masha twittered happily, "Masha will help Ichigo! Masha will help!" With that, it opened its mouth into a large 'o' shape, a golden pendant materializing in the empty space. It floated happily over to the cat girl, handing the item to her, and she took it with a great deal of confusion. A pendant...? She blinked, realizing the dotted-heart symbol on it was the same as the one she had seen on Kona's neck. So that meant Kona was a mew!
"Kona! Catch!" Ichigo shouted, tossing the pendant lightly through the air. The tweets from the strange pink fuzzball had caught the black-haired girl's attention, and now she saw a pendant flying towards her. As a reflex, her hand shot up and caught it, and she brought her arm back down to examine in, wincing again from the pain in her stomach.
"W-what is --"
"Say the words that come from your heart, Kona! They'll tell you what to do!"
Kona blinked, one arm still wrapped tightly around her stomach. "...My heart...?"
"Cut it!" Ari let out a battle cry as she ran forward at Ichigo again, her knives engulfed in flame. It took all of Ichigo's strength to practically roll out of the way, barely skidding past contact with the sharp objects. Alien-girl spun around and charged again, only to be intercepted with a 'clang' by Strawberry Bell, Ichigo struggling to fight the pain that suddenly began coarsing through her arms.
"Mew Mew Powder, Metamorpha-sis!"
Both heads turned towards the pink-and-black light that had suddenly surrounded them. From it's depths emerged a tall, black-and-pink-haired girl, with glimmering pink eyes, a puffed black dress, boots, and gloves, and a pair of dark pather ears protruding from her head. Mew Powder. Kona.
"Kona!" Ichigo cried, half in delight, half in surprise. Ari, on the other hand, looked like she'd witnessed something impossible, and appeared to be stunned to the spot. She was silent, her mouth hanging slightly open, her eyes stricken wide, focused on the new Mew girl.
"...What!" She whispered in disbelief. It can't be... There was only supposed to be one!
Kona was with them in this. She looked down at herself, puzzled and shocked, one hand touching the ears that poked up from her hair, the other hovering above the black tail that swayed behind her. This was what had happened to Ichigo, wasn't it? When the alien girl popped up... when she shouted those words... Even now, she didn't completely understand... What was she? Why was she dressed in a black outfit, just like Ichigo's? More importantly, why did she suddenly have panther ears and a tail? Why are these voices telling me...
"Blossom Bell Bell!" The words spilled instantly from her mouth, a large, black ring appeared in her hand. It was fuzzy, and had a large silver bell situated in the middle; two pink wings spread from the center of the circle, giving off a warm glow. Ichigo just watched in wonder. Ari seemed to have snapped out of her shock-trance, however, and was taking this chance to take her down. Only, Ichigo noticed the advancing sais too late, and she was barely able to let out a scream.
"Ribbon Blossom Shine!" Kona screamed, rushing forward and holding her weapon out towards Ari. From it, a light pink glow, speckled with darker pink spots, burst, swallowing Ari's figure whole. The alien froze in her footsteps, and then tore herself away from the light, gasping for air. Ari looked up at the two cat-fused girls, weakly, not sure what to think.
Hanajima told me... She told me that all the others were gone! Her gold eyes darted between Kona and Ichigo. But here they are. Two of them. And they're both more powerful that I imagined. This could be a problem...
"I'll cut this visit short," Ari managed, standing up straight. Her hands were still noticeably trembling from the attack on her, but she lifted one into the air, jerking it into a quick wave. "Ja ne." She dissolved into the air, disapearing from sight.
"Whew," Ichigo breathed, collapsing into a heap on the ground and de-transforming. She was still consious, but completely wiped out - a nap seemed to be the most appealing thing at the moment. But there was something else she needed to take care of, now, especially...
"Ichigo!" Looking up, Ichigo saw Kona rushing over, her black mew-outfit crumbling away, leaving her in her normal clothes. She hurriedly knelt down, putting a shaky hand on the girl's shoulder, checking to see that she was alright. "Are you hurt, Ichigo? Do you need - "
"Ah, no, I'm fine," She assured her, smiling sheepishly and sitting up. It sort of ruined to heroic-ness of the moment, but Ichigo couldn't help but yawn and stretch in a most cat-like way, as if she had just waken up. "Just... a little tired." Ichigo concluded, rubbing her eye sleepily.
Nodding, Kona bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. She glanced around - where did that blue girl go? - before looking back at Ichigo, leaning in a little closer and whispering. "Ichigo... What... What's going on? Why did I... Why was I...?" Her eyes darted around, almost as if she were afraid someone would hear.
Oh. Yeah. Running a hand through her red hair, Ichigo stood to her feet, a pair of blue eyes watching her with a puzzled expression. As she thought about what to say, she brushed her skirt, cleared her throat, re-did one of her pigtails, put the shrunken Masha away, combed her hair with her fingers, and fidgetted in place. When she realized there was nothing else to do, Ichigo explained it as blatantly as she could think. "You're a Mew Mew."
"A..." Kona's eyes blanked as she scrunched her nose up at the girl, looking thoroughly confused, "...Mew...mew...?"
"Uhm...yeah...it's like..." Ichigo tried to explain slowly, but she was no good with words. Her amber eyes drifted to the side, falling over the cheery pink building of the Cafe. "Oh, um, come with me... I'm sure there's someone who can explain this to you."
And me, too. Shirogane... what's going on here?
--
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Ryou's hands twitched over the keyboard and he paused from his work. Damn... I didn't think locating them all would be so hard... Still, he thought he heard something. It could have just been on account of his lack of sleep, but he turned his head towards the stairs. There was another knock, and this time he was convinced it wasn't just his overly exhausted imagination. Taking his time, Ryou stood to his feet, grabbed his half-empty water bottle and trudged up the stairs, taking a lazy swig and wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
Hm. Wonder who it is... He thought idly to himself as he walked across the empty cafe floor towards the giant, two door entrance, Ever since we closed, no one's been coming here except -
"Strawberry," He half-greeted, raising an eyebrow as he opened the door, "What are you doing here?" His eyes lingered on her face for a moment. It seemed to hold a relieved expression, but that washed away quickly, replaced with an angry one. Uninterested in that at the moment, he glanced up to see another girl standing behind her, looking intently off to the side, a light tinge in her cheeks. "And... Who's she?"
"Oh, that's right, Shirogane," Ichigo said slowly, as if he might have trouble hearing or understanding her. Taking a step back, she grabbed a very reluctant Kona by the arm and dragged her right up to the blonde-haired boy. She gave her an encouraging, if forced seeming, pat on the shoulder. "This is my friend. Kona."
"She looks too old to hang out with you."
"Shut up. She's only in High School."
"Mm-hm. And you're not."
Ichigo glared. "That's not the point. Anyways, the most interesting thing happened today when we were walking back from school. Would you happen to be able to guess what that interesting thing was?"
"No. What?" He said boredly, but he had an 'oh-crap' look on his face as he took another gulp of water.
"Well, I'll tell you," Ichigo continued, and she began pacing around the nervous-looking girl, staring accusingly in Ryou's direction, "It just so happens that, while we were waiting for a bus, I discovered a strange mark on her neck." Kona blinked at the mention of the mark again. "Point number two; as we were walking back home, who would show up but everyone's favourite female alien, all ready to take me down. You know the drill from there, Mr. Shirogane - I transform into Mew Ichigo, attack her to save the world, blah blah blah. But you want to hear the interesting part?" She stopped directly infront of Ryou, staring him straight in the eye for emphasis, "It just so happens that my friend here recieved a pendant from your R2000, and transformed, too! Now, why would I not know about this?"
Ryou was silent, his water bottle hovering idly by his lips. He appeared to be thinking this over. Then, tilting his head so he could see past Ichigo to a startled Kona, he asked, "Did this girl blackmail you into coming here? She says some crazy things sometimes. I apologize for her beha-"
"SHIROGANE!" Ichigo screamed as loud as she could, nearly causing the building to shake. Her face was burning red with anger, "Stop! It! Right! Now! I know you had to have known about this, because you're the only one with this information! Stop playing dumb with me! Now spit it out!"
"A-actually," Kona cut in, her eyes wide at the loud display going on infront of her, "I really did transform into a...into a..." She glanced over at Ichigo for confirmation, "...'mew', and I had these strange powers... Oh, and I really do have a mark. On my neck. S-see?" Shyly, she parted her hair and turned so Ryou could see the little heart-shaped mark on the back of her neck.
Narrowing his eyes, the blonde leaned in a bit closer to confirm that it was, indeed, a mark. The injection must have worked, then... He thought to himself, before standing back upright and placing his hands absently in his pockets. "Hm. Guess you were right after all, Strawberry."
"I told you!" Ichigo cried in triumph, a grin momentarily appearing on her lips. It faded away just as quickly, to a glare of intense and confused anger. "So, what, were you ever going to be telling me there was another mew running around? Were you even going to consult me, or just assume it was OK because you were the all-powerful-mighty-Shirogane Ryou?"
Ryou paused. "Four."
Ichigo stopped. "'Scuse me?"
"Four. There's actually four other mews, including her."
Ichigo's eye twitched. Her face seemed to take on a look of fierce fire. "Excuse me! Four? Four! Are you out of your flippin' mind? Are you trying to replace Mint and Lettuce and the others? You -- you're such a -- such a..." An insult escaped her for the moment, but she continued on strong, "How could you, Shirogane? Did you take away their powers, too? I can't believe you!" She was right up in Ryou's face, shouting as loud as possible, trying to make him feel small and ashamed.
He, however, seemed completely unphased by her outburst. "Calm down, Ichigo. No one is being replaced," Ryou glanced up momentarily, before turning around and stepping back into the Cafe. "Come inside, you two."
"Why are you acting like a gentleman? Stop avoiding the topic!" Ichigo stormed in after him, followed by a stunned-looking Kona.
"I'm not avoiding the topic," Ryou retorted blandly, shutting the door behind him and turning back towards the two girls, "I meant what I said. The other girls still have their powers. If they don't, it has absolutely nothing to do with me. I promise."
Ichigo appeared relieved. Briefly. Then her jaw clenched again, and she put an 'I-have-an-attitude-mister' face on, hand on her hip. "Fine. But what about Kona? What about those other three you mentioned? You told me and the others that our DNA was just right for the injections. Does this mean that more people have the right kind of structure or whatever?"
"No. You're the only ones." He said simply, shrugging and leaning back against a table.
Ichigo was becoming frusterated. She was sure he just wanted her to keep asking the questions, herself. "Okay, then, how did you get the animal's DNA into them?" She jabbed a finger in Kona's direction.
"..." Ryou stared at Ichigo for a long, drawn out time, as if contemplating how he could word this so she would understand. Hunching his shoulders up a bit, a hand found its way to the back of his head and he glanced up at the ceiling. "Well, there were a lot of prototype programs for the Mew Project... back-ups, if you will. My father and I always knew that the DNA compatible based program would work the best, with the fewest glitches... However, you five, and Berii, were the only ones in the Tokyo area that were compatible enough to be fused."
"Point?"
"I'm getting to that," He growled impatiently, "Anyway, Ichigo, the girls are gone. You know that."
Ichigo silently looked down at the ground.
"And the aliens are back. Different ones, but they're back, nonetheless."
"They?" Kona exclaimed in alarm, and Ryou nodded in brief response.
"Whether you think so or not, I know you couldn't handle fighting them on your own, especially if there is more than one, like I suspect." Ichigo frowned at the comment about her 'not being able to handle' something, "One of the beta programs was titled 'Blend'. It was almost as effective as the one we used on you and the others, but much more dangerous. It's function was literally to blend a set animal's DNA into the blood of a human, compatible or not. If it wasn't used properly, it could result in the death of the infused." Both Kona and Ichigo flinched, "Luckily, the program we finished was very refined, and had been tested time and time again. We did everything to make sure that this method would not harm whoever was injected with the DNA. Besides, if anything did happen, it would have already happened. The effects are immediate. But there are some side -"
"So, Shirogane, you're saying that there are more mews, so long as they haven't died from your mad experiment?" Ichigo cut him off eagerly, looking more like she was trying to critisise him than ask a question, "And, where are these other members of the team?"
"I leave finding them up to you two." He answered bluntly.
"What? Wah, Shirogane! You always leave the work to me! It's always workworkwork! Work! Can't you just cut me a stupid break once in a while? Maybe put a tracker on these people like a smart super-genius? Then I wouldn't have to run around and check people for marks like some psycho! I'm enough of a freak already!"
"I'll be sure to do that, Strawberry," Ryou said with a smirk, and then shifted over, turning to head back down to the basement. Before heading down the stairs, he paused, and turned absently back towards the two girls. "By the way -- since you're both here now and all... I'm re-opening Cafe Mew Mew. Your first shift is tommorow afternoon."
Kona flinched and turned cautiously towards Ichigo, who was standing perfectly still. She was sure the girl looked just like a ticking time bomb - blankly staring at the blonde boy, who was waiting patiently for her to throw an angry tantrum. Nothing. Ichigo just stared in disbelief.The silence sent a shiver up Kona's spine. There was no knowing when she would go off--
"YES!" Ichigo practically screamed in joy, jumping into the air with a gleeful giggle. Both Kona and Ryou stared, looking thoroughly freaked out by her... positive reaction.
--
Ari stalked down the street in an angry huff, her blue hair flowing icily behind her. How dare they. How dare they! She gritted her teeth firmly together, pushing past a small gathered crowd of people as she rounded the corner, continuing her brisk walk forward. We checked -- they were gone! They were all gone! All except her... all except that hideous wench, that Momomiya. I could have taken her. I could have destroyed her.
She didn't even notice a car screeching to a halt as she crossed the street. She didn't care. They couldn't touch her. No one could harm her. Which was why this situation made her so angry - she had escaped from that battle, even less alive than her first encounter with Mew Ichigo. The power startled and puzzled her at the same time - but mostly, it infuriated her.
Something is going on. It's making this harder than it should be... Ari paused at a lamp post, pressing her palm against the metal. It singed around her hand, the placement of her palm becoming a rusty brown colour. I will defeat her. Even if I can't do it alone anymore... I will make her pay.
Satisfied, she pulled her hand away and continued walking. But now, she had a destination. It isn't looking good right now. But I'll change that.
We'll change that.
----
Next Chapter:
Kona and Ichigo have a mission, but how are they supposed to find what they're looking for? Even though Ichigo is overjoyed to be given a shot at the lifestyle she's missed so much, there are dangers lurking in every corner, especially if Ryou's suspicions are true. And Ari's willing to do anything to bring a certain cat girl down... even if it means having a little bit of help along the way.