xuri: Hi again! This one wasn't up as early as the last two have been, so for that I'm very sorry. I had to babysit this morning, so don't sue. Some of you might notice that the chapters are getting... er, longer. Yeah. It gets worse. xD Just be warned. Keep those reviews coming!
Kamyra: That would be chapter seven or eight, depends which part you're reffering to. :3 We're gettin' there. Yay. And thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake, that has been fixed. :D Hehe, feee. If anyone else picks these things up, please let me know. I want Blend to be as enjoyable and readable as possible, so your input is always appreciated!
Applecake: Ooo, isn't she? I loved writing for Ari, being evil is fun. -cackle- Yay, someone doesn't hate the length. xD I tend to get very carried away with writing... it could just be because of plot structure, or because I like detail, or something. It's not just with fanfictions. Word limits kill me. x-x
I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, or Yumi, or Hanajima. Completely, at least. Again, credits will be given after ch. 26. ;3
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Blend (chapter five)
Aim for the Finish
"Whoo! Sweepsweepsweep! Mopmopmop! Ehehe!"
Ichigo was pretty much floating across the cafe floor, mop in hand as she scrubbed away the dirt and dust. Kona was washing a table, and just blinked as the girl sparkled on past her, bearing a wide and genuine smile. She turned briefly back to the surface, cleaning the rim carefully to make sure it looked acceptable. Ryou had given them the simple task of 'making the cafe shine', as he had put it. And here Kona had expected Ichigo to whine and complain, or at least glare at the blonde boy. Instead, she agreed heartily and skipped off in a hurry to get started.
As she watched the redhead now, Kona couldn't help but feel puzzled. It was as if she'd had a very sudden and drastic change of heart. When Ichigo started singing to herself about window-washing, she felt a little bit suspcious. And afraid.
"Uhm, Ichigo?" Kona inquired, setting her cloth down on the table. Halting in her singing, the strawberry girl turned towards her curiously. "Didn't you say that you wanted Ryou-san to give you less work?"
"Oh, uh-huh," She piped cheerfully, leaning the mop handle up against the wall, "But that's different, you see. I was talking about the alien fighting missions and finding members and stuff - those are just frustrating. But, ah, I missed working here sooo much!" Ichigo squealed and practically glomped one of the chairs.
Sweatdropping, Kona nodded, slowly, and resumed her table washing. She still didn't understand. Then again, much of this situation remained a complete mystery to her... She wasn't sure what was fact and what was fiction any more. It was as if she'd suddenly stepped into a fantasy world, with magic and aliens and shiny costumes. The girl didn't know yet whether she liked it or not. It had just been handed to hear neatly on an 'EAT OR DIE' platter, so Kona doubted she even had a choice.
"Oh, wow, Shirogane got new tables!" Marvelled Ichigo, rambling on even though Kona didn't appear to be listening, "They're so cute! And matching chairs, too... Wah, the customers will love it! Oh, I hope Akasaka-san finishes that cake soon. I can't wait!" Giving a happy sigh, she absentmindedly brushed a piece of dust from her uniform skirt. "Man, I missed this. I think I took it all for granted... The uniforms, the delicious cakes, the adventure, the excitement..." She counted it off with ease on her fingers, her eyes directed up at the ceiling, "Hmm, yours is really cute, Kona. He sure made it fast..."
Ichigo looked at her red cafe dress, and then over at Kona's. Ryou had made it mostly black, but the edges were lined in a hot pink. It was cute, really, but she was wondering if he would eventually run out of colours, with all the new soon-to-be-once-they-were-actually-found employees. And then she wondered why she'd even have the time to wonder about something like that.
"Gah! Back to work, customers will be here soon!" With a happy chant, Ichigo raced off to continue her cleaning escapade. Kona couldn't help but smile as she rung the cloth out over the mopping bucket. Even if it was a bit strange... and hard to believe... and a little more than a normal girl should have to handle - she decided she might just like this kind of life.
"Oi!" A voice called from down the stairs, a blue-eyed head poking out from the doorway, "Are you two almost finished? I'm opening the doors in five minutes!"
"Yes, Shirogane!" Ichigo called back eagerly, and made a move to put her mop back in the storage closet. Blinking, Kona quickly finished up and went to do the same, her cafe shoes clinking delightfully along the floor as she did so. Just as they had stowed their cleaning supplies away, footsteps made their way against the staircase until Ryou appeared on the main floor, checking over the area skeptically. After a moment, he seemed satisfied, and continued walking over towards the door, passing Kona and Ichigo, the latter chattering on about how the cafe worked.
"... And, of course, in a few hours, the place will be nearly packed! I mean, people completely love this place. I don't blame them - it's adorable, and well decorated, and the pastries are -"
"Opening doors," Cut in Ryou with a mumble, flipping the pink sign in the window to 'Open!' and unlocking the entrance.
"Alright!" Clasping her hands together, Ichigo put on her game face, smiling cheerfully over at Kona. "Ready?"
The black haired girl smiled nervously. "Ready."
Nodding, the red-clad girl turned towards the doors, putting on a bright and cute-cute smile. They waited. After a few moments, the doors opened with a jingle, and in stepped a young couple. They seemed happy, looking around at the atmosphere of their surroundings as they walked inside together. The girl was tall, with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing casual but girly clothes. Holding her hand was a long black haired boy, with dark eyes to match, gazing fondly upon his companion. Ichigo's eyes sparkled.
"Wah, they're so cute together!" She whispered to Kona, and then threw up her arms in greeting to the two, yelling in a loud voice, "Welcome to Cafe Mew Me-- WUAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Out of absolutely nowhere, the doors burst open and a large, seemingly endless crowd of people stormed inside, nearly trampling the two girls to death. Well, actually, Ichigo did get trampled near to death, and at this point lie sprawled out on the floor, twitching. Kona somehow managed to sidestep the madness, watching with a strange look on her face as customers rushed to their seats.
Chants of, "What cute wallpaper!", "Kawaii! The tables look good enough to eat!", "Those waitress uniforms are simply adorable. I wish I worked here..." and "Oh, I hear the cakes are really good. Apparently Akasaka Keiichiro is the chef!" filled the air, creating a very noisy environment. The couple that had been the first to arrive had disappeared somewhere in the crowd, but... Ichigo had more things to worry about right now.
"Ichigo!" A certain blonde's voice from the kitchen hollered, "There's customers waiting to be seated! Ready to order at tables 3, 5, and 12! Ask Keiichiro to make another raspberry cheese cake, will you? We have orders ready to be taken to the tables! Hurry up!"
"H-hai!" Quickly peeling herself off the floor, Ichigo was back up on her feet again, quickly straightening out her outfit and checking her hair. Then, with another energetic-yet-exhausted burst of cheeriness, she zoomed off to seat people, tend to people, serve people, and carry out any orders that the 'taking-advantage-of-a-strange-situation' Shirogane shouted at her. Kona just watched, blankly, and then chuckled to herself before making her way to the customers to do exactly the same.
It would be an interesting day...
--
"...So you see where this leaves us."
Ari leaned back against the table as she finished her explanation, arms folded curtly over her chest. Frankly, she looked completely wiped out, still, with faint lines beneath her eyes, and a weary expression on her face. She ran a hand through her hair and heaved an exasperated sigh. "You understand, then, don't you?"
"Yes, I understand," A voice replied to her icily. The room Ari was in was pitch black, save for a small crack of light coming in through the door and just barely illuminating her face. The other figure remained in the shadows, "But wasn't it you that claimed you could take the kitten 'on your own'?"
The teenage-alien snarled in response, jerking her head to glance off at a wall. "So what? I could have taken her. If she hadn't pulled that lame attack on me the first time, I would have been able to take her down without a problem."
"And the second time?"
"I told you," Her retort was only half-hearted, "She's not the only one anymore. Weren't you listening at all?"
"We did not come here to destroy some other brat, Ari," The shadowed replied coolly, "Momomiya Ichigo has and always will be the target. I think it is you who fails to understand."
"The point is, they pulled a dirty trick on us. They just shot another Mew-girl at us from out of nowhere! Who knows how many others there are..."
"Are you proposing we give up, then?" Ari flinched physically at the suggestion. The other in the room always knew how to shut up her whining... After an annoyed grumble, she submissively shook her head and glanced off to the side. "That's what I thought. Our mission is still the same, you see. We just have a few roadblocks to knock away."
"'We'?" The blue haired girl snorted in offense. "I can do this on my ow-"
"From what you've told me, you were unable to even harm the kitten when that other girl came into the picture. What makes you think you can destroy them both, especially if there are a handful more?"
Gritting her teeth, Ari shifted uncomfortably in the place she stood, her blue-and-gold eyes flickering in thought. It was silent. Eerily silent. She had been backed into a wall, and her pride was at stake... But what good was pride if you couldn't take down a measly strawberry-haired girl?
"Fine," She gave in, slunking against the wall in something of a pout, "Fine. I'll let you help me. But don't you dare go weak on me, Hanajima. There'll be hell to pay."
--
After several hours of cakes, sweets, and complete cafe madness, Keiichiro decided to give the girls a break by herding the last of the customers out the door and closing up for the night. Ichigo was half sprawled out on a table, asleep, her head lolling off the edge and resting on the chair's metal backrail, snoring loudly. On Ryou's request, Kona started gathering up plates and silverware, having to nudge the sleeping girl several times to retrieve the dishes she was laying on.
"Thanks a bunch, Kona-san...er... You two," The brown haired male remarked with a light sweatdrop at the sight of hit-the-sack-Ichigo, "You girls did great today, even though it got pretty hectic. Hopefully it won't be so tough tommorow."
"Ah, it wasn't that hectic," Kona waved it off with a smile as she made her way over to the kitchen with a teetering pile of plates. Or, maybe it was... Considering it didn't seem very normal for Ichigo to fall asleep the minute a table became vacant. At least, to her. Plus, she figured Keiichiro must have made dozens of cakes in just one day, and not a crumb was leftover. This Cafe must really be popular, She mused to herself and grinned, disapearing back into the kitchen for a moment.
For a moment, Keiichiro looked like he was considering waking Ichigo up. That is, until she gave a loud, awkward snore and rolled onto her side, curling up into a little ball and mumbling something about parfaits. He blinked and turned away with a nervous chuckle, and then wandered back into the kitchen, where Kona was carefully setting dishes into the sink.
"I can take care of that, Kona-san," He offered graciously with a smile, taking the last of the dishes from her, "It's getting late, anyways. You and Ichigo can leave now, and we'll see you tommorow."
Pausing, the blue-eyed girl looked up at him nad then nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Keiichiro-san." She bowed slightly before heading back into the main area, freezing when she saw Ichigo about to flop off the table. Hurrying over, she quickly caught the girl by the side and supported her, shaking the redhead gently to wake her up.
"Hunh..? Wheresda ice cream?..." Amber coloured eyes opened with a yawn as she tried to cling to the table and fall back asleep.
"Er, come on, Ichigo," Kona persuaded with a nervous laugh, steadying her friend by the shoulders once she was on her feet again, "Time to go home. Then you can sleep all you want, 'kay? On a bed, even. It's probably more comfortable than a table, anyways."
"...apple tarts to table 4..." Ichigo mumbled in a sleepy-happy voice as she was dragged out of the cafe.
--
"Ichigo-chan keeps having mood swings," Roxi commented as she and Cherri watched their Strawberry friend skip towards the school entrance, "Yesterday and the day before, she was so gloomy and out of it."
"Mm-hm. Wonder what's wrong?"
Pretty much everyone was puzzled by Ichigo these days, even those who didn't know her. One day, she could be the 'gloomy girl who runs into things', and the next 'the happy-go-lucky-girl that runs into things,' and then the next 'that sleepy, stumbly girl who runs into things'. Today was somewhere in between. But how couldn't Ichigo be happy?
Not only was her life of excitement back, with all the mystery and anxiousness included, but she had a whole new group of friends to look forward to. The bond with the original girls of Tokyo Mew Mew seemed like it would last forever. Ichigo didn't doubt that. But it would be so nice to be surrounded by people again, to work together as a team. Sure, there was a maniacal alien after them all for no apparent reason - but how could you go on an adventure without one?
She was going to meet Kona after school before they went to Cafe Mew Mew. That was excitement enough - the 17-year-old girl seemed interesting, and already proved to be a lot of fun around. Plus, it made her feel so much less clueless about the plot going on all around her... Not because Kona had the answers, but more because she didn't. For once, Ichigo was the one that knew the most. She wasn't sure how long that would last, but she was going to savour it. Sweetly, in fact.
Still her clutzy self, Ichigo breezed through the day easily. And, just like she had missed, instead paying any attention whatsoever during class, she daydreamed about aliens and the cafe and who the other mews would be... Just like before. Like those 'happy days'.
In fact, Ichigo was in such a good mood, she was sure nothing could bring her down. Even though there was an alien loose in the school and no one knew it. Even though she was now considered the 'crazy redhead who rambles about aliens'.
Even though she was on her way to Science class next.
No, it would be a good day. Ichigo would make sure of that.
--
"Sunny!"
With a gleeful giggle, Ichigo smiled up at the sky. So far, so good, neh? Especially since, upon entering the classroom, it seemed Ari had been decent enough to skip. No awkward-encounters with aliens today, so Ichigo was relieved. There was whispering, still, about the 'incident'... But she figured it would go away eventually. It had to... Right?
Trying to keep her mind off anything negative, she made her way over to the bus stop, the agreed meeting position. Kona wasn't sitting there. Ichigo felt her happiness flicker for a moment - suppose Kona didn't show up? - but it regained itself once she saw the black haired girl approaching from the other end of the street. With a bright grin, she waved down the high school girl, who signalled back and hurried over, her face shining as well.
"Oh, hey, Ichigo. I was almost worried you wouldn't come."
Ichigo giggled. "Eheh, same here. C'mon, lets go."
Nodding, Kona shifted her bag around and the two started heading down the sidewalk.
"You seem cheerful today," The blue eyed girl commented, catching a brief glance of a very happy Ichigo.
"Eheh, yeah, I guess," Ichigo said with a wide smile, tilting her head and even giggling slightly. It was a good day. It would continue being a good day. Even if she didn't have a single good day ever again... this, she would always have. "You sound just like my frien-"
Her footsteps stopped abruptly, and a blank look crossed her face. It took Kona a few moments to realize the girl beside her had fallen behind. Turning around slightly, she blinked. "What's up?"
For a bewildering moment, the redhead just stood there. Then, she grimaced.
"Gack," Hitting a fist to her forehead, Ichigo shook her head. I can't believe I forgot! After that, she glanced up at Kona, hunching her shoulders up sheepishly. "Heh, my friend has a friend in our school's track meet, and she invited me to come... Stupid Ichigo, forgetting something like that..." She muttered angrily to herself as an afterthought.
Nodding slowly, Kona squinted slightly. "Sooo... It's today, I guess?"
Ichigo nodded her head.
"Right now?" Another nod. Scrunching her face up a bit, Kona glanced up at the sky, and then back down at Ichigo. "What do you want to do about it?"
The red haired girl just gave a half-hearted shrug, her fist still balled up neatly against her forehead, pushing her bangs up. Her amber eyes were glazed over in thought for several moments, before suddenly lighting up. With her this-day-only grin, she dropped her hand and held it out towards the other girl. "How about you come with me? I know it's not like, High School track or anything, but it's still pretty good... I think."
"Eh?" Blinking, she looked off to the side, chewing her lip for a brief moment. "But...the cafe..."
"Ahh, Shirogane won't mind!" Ichigo chided with a wide smile, waving it off happily. By this point, she had already grabbed Kona's on and was walking in the opposite direction. "I mean, we'll only be gone half hour... hour, tops. They can handle it 'til then."
"Er..." Tilting her head in confusion, Kona made no effort at pulling away but looked really reluctant, "Ryou-san said he wanted us there right on time... or else he'd-"
"Shirogane won't mind," She repeated firmly, and then, satisfied, continued dragging her across the street.
--
"Wowww! There are lots of people here today!"
Exclaimed Ichigo as they entered the stadium. Mini-stadium. Something. It was probably more a field than anything - there was a tar-like mat with markings on it, for sure - and the few bleachers bordered around it neatly. Most of the seats were filled, with, primarily, parents and relatives. Older people, at least. There were the occasional group of students coming to cheer on their friends, as well, so it really was crowded. Ichigo and Kona concluded that they'd have to stand, as there was no room to sit down. Neither of them was too bothered by it, though Ichigo was resisting the urge to whine.
"Right on time. Looks like it's already started..."
In fact, if anything, the girls were late. They'd already finished the Junior Boys and Girls' divisions; now they were on to Intermediate. Still, to Ichigo, this was 'on time', because she was sure that Roxi's friend was in the 8th grade. Otherwise, she might have to make up some interesting story about how she was really here all along, just somehow blending into the crowd strategically...
"They're lining up!" Kona exclaimed under her breath, moving a few paces forward to get a better view. Snapping out of it, Ichigo followed behind, trying to identify the 'friend' she'd come to watch. That was when she realized she'd never even met her, let alone be able to identify her...
The crowd of Intermediate Girl runners organized themselves neatly into lines, stretching and getting into position for the track. She recognized some of the track suits as Daikan's colours; shorts, work-out tank tops, even armbands. Ichigo leaned forward a little bit, trying to see if she could count the number of girls from her school. One... two...thr-
"...GO!" A voice hollered, and a gun went off. Ichigo nearly shrieked in surprise, falling over and feeling her cat ears pop up from her head. Giving a squeal of discomfort, she curled into a ball in an attempt to hide them, while Kona stared down at her with a sweatdrop running down her head.
"Ehhh... Ichigo... That was just the race starting..."
It took about a minute, but the strawberry girl finally managed to calm down and clambered back up to her feet, acting like nothing had happened. A few were stealing strange glances at the girl, however, but they never lasted long. It was obvious the race was the center of attention. And, since that had been the whole point of coming here, Ichigo decided she might as well watch. And try not to have a panic attack in the process.
Fast. That was the first word that struck her mind, but it barely did the view justice. The runners bolted down the track, their figures nearly blurring. She couldn't see their faces, but she was sure they were drawn, intent, determined. Ichigo had never been much of an athelete... well, before the injection, at least. She sweatdropped, remembering the Gymnastic Club incident. Yeah, she really wasn't sure she ever wanted to get involved with that kind of stuff again... but... She couldn't help but feel envious at the athletic people currently running. They were even younger than her.
"Neh, Ichigo... Look at her!"
Turning to Kona briefly, she nodded, and then tried to follow the direction the black-haired girl was motioning towards. Her brownish eyes fell over the lead runner - a short appearing girl, leading the pack by a good few feet. It was hard to see, but... She could have sworn that this girl was barely exhausted at all.
"Whoah. She's fast!"
"I knooow! Yumi-chan is so amazing! " A chirpy voice appeared beside them. Giving a startled jolt, Ichigo turned around to see the brown haired girl suddenly appeared by them.
"Ah. Roxi," Ichigo smiled fondly, "I wondered where you were!" Blinking, she looked back over at the track. Runners were starting their second lap now. "That girl in the front... Is she that friend you were talking about?"
"Mm-hm! That's Yumi-chan," She said with an eager nod, eyes sparkling, "Isn't she fast?"
"She sure is," Kona mumbled, more to herself than anything. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the run. "Really fast..."
"Yep. I helped her myself," Roxi grinned proudly, tucking a lock of hair neatly behind her ear, "I mean, she wanted to give up sooo many times... But I kept saying, 'Yumi-chan, you can't just drop out! You'll be really fast someday, I just know it!' And I guess I was right, huh?"
"Why would she even consider dropping out if she's this much of an athlete...?" Kona pondered aloud, squinting in the race's direction. Third lap. Yumi was still in the lead. She was bent over forwards, her arms pumping, legs beating against the track tar fiercely. The way she ran looked a lot more like a jumpy gallop than a sprint... And in truth, she didn't appear all that athletic. Her legs weren't bony or anything, but they lacked the muscular curves that the others seemed to have. Suppose she wasn't always this fast...?
"How would I know?" Retorted Roxi, finally noticing the other girl in the group. Looking at her with a frown, she sighed in exasperation. "Mmm, I think Yumi-chan just wasn't trying hard enough...or something,"
"Utayoko Yumi," A man's voice startled the entire group, "My pride. The fruit of hard work and training. My star athlete..."
"Errr..." Ichigo stared at him oddly. Blankly. Then, she recognized him from somewhere - school? Hallways? No, not the hallways, but somewhere else... bigger. Click. Gymnasium. "You're the... track coach?"
"That's me. Coach Aikane." He nodded this off quickly, eager to discuss other topics. "Yes, Utayoko... Never had much promise. So it seemed. But I know all along there was a talent hidden in there, just waiting to be unleashed... and here it is."
"Erm... Neat," Was all Ichigo said, a little creeped out by the sudden sparkle in Coach's eyes. Since he was too distracted bragging about his success with the Utayoko girl, the redhead averted her attention back towards Kona. She, however, was intently gazing on the track, a frown plastered on her face, eyebrows drawn together in concentration. Shrugging, Ichigo looked over at Roxi, and smiled. "Um, Yumi is doing very well."
"Of course! I'm so proud of her," Roxi chanted, clasping her hands together, marvelling at her wonderous friend, "Ah, they're putting up the hurdles now, for the finish...?"
"Hurdles?" Scrunching her nose slightly, Ichigo turned back to the track, and turned to see that the marshals were, indeed, setting up hurdles for the final few meters. The runners were still coming around the turn, putting all their speed into the final distance, and were a good few yards behind the finish line. The crowd fell silent, and then erupted into a loud roar - cheering, chanting, shouting and screaming. Ichigo felt swept up in the moment, blanking out in the noise before covering her ears. "Aiyee!"
"She's still winning," Kona murmured, still staring hard at the track. There was a hint of shock in her voice. All the runners were gaining sudden bursts of speed, trying to pull ahead for the final distance. And, yet, Yumi somehow managed to speed up even still. Odd... She 'never had much promise'. She 'wanted to give up'. And yet here she is, possibly the fastest runner of all the divisions... Where did she get this speed?
"Almost there! Come on, Yumi-chan! Don't let them pass you! Go-go-go!" Roxi hollered, waving her arms frantically. Coach Aikane had disapeared somewhere to tell someone else his 'Utayoko Success Story'. Ichigo doubted that anyone would listen. This was where the race became really heated.
The runners kept pulling ahead, falling behind, pulling ahead again, as they braced themselves for the hurdles. There had been 3 set up on each lane, about 5 meters apart each. The last hurdle was 10 m from the finish - the 'dash zone'. And they were approaching it with vicious speed.
"GO!" Roxi hollered once last time, nearly doubling over to catch her breath. Kona was silent, unmoving, though Ichigo glanced back to see that her excited friend was all right.
A wild cheer rippled its way through the crowd, and the Strawberry girl heard Kona catch her breath. When she faced her again, she saw the high school girl's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open. It was as if something had occured to her.
"Ichigo...watch..." She breathed, and Ichigo nodded, obediently turning towards the track again. They'd all cleared the first hurdle, except for one girl, that had accidentally knocked hers over. She wasn't from Daikan, anyways. As the track runners sprinted towards the next hurdle, Ichigo tried to watch as intently as Kona was, though she was unable to see what was so interesting. At least, not until they reached the hurdles.
Most runners were able to leap over without a problem, or so much as a flinch. There were some, of course, that looked panicked and stressed, but the majority cleared them with ease. It was recovering from the hurdles that seemed to be a problem. Once they were in the air, they had to land, of course. Back on their feet. It took a mere second, but there was always a stumble, slight as it may be, once the feet came back into contact with the ground. It took a few precious seconds to regain the speed they'd had before.
Yumi was the only one not encountering this problem.
She soared over the hurdles as easily as anyone; an elegant glide. When her foot hit the ground, it simply sprung her forwards, increasing her speed instantly. There wasn't so much as a stumble involved. This gave her more of an edge than she already had.
"There's no way..." Kona looked completely puzzled now, unable to pull away, "There's no way someone could run like that unless they'd been an athlete all their life. It sounds like she hasn't. It sounds like she's been struggling... Up until now, that is. Don't you find that odd?"
"I...guess," Ichigo said slowly, squinting as Yumi hurdled over another obstacle, landing with perfect balance and sprinting off. So fast...too fast... Changed kinda like - waitaminute! Swivelling around in alarm, Ichigo faced Kona with wide eyes. "You don't think she's --!"
"Utayoko Yumi! First place!" A cheer roared through the crowd, cutting Ichigo off. She didn't need the words. They both understood the situation.
"Ichigo-chan? What's wrong?"
Blinking, Ichigo spun around to face Roxi, who looked overjoyed but confused by the shocked expressions on Kona and Strawberry's face. Fixing a pigtail messily, she gave a smile. "Ah, nothing, nothing. We need to leave though, okay? You tell us how the ceremony...awards...whatever goes."
"Oh," Looking slightly disapointed, Roxi just shrugged, "Alright. See you later," With a wave, she hurried off in excitement to congratulate her friend.
Kona and Ichigo stood there. Just stood there. For a long, long time. Finally, in an effort to make something happen, the older girl turned to face Ichigo, looking exhausted by the situation. "Let's go."
Agreeing immediatly, Ichigo followed Kona over to the bustling crowd. They'd wait. Right now, Yumi and the runner ups for the Intermediate Girls race were being swarmed by people and congratulations while the Intermediate Boys were lining up. This wouldn't be the best time to confront her. So they'd wait.
Soon, the crowd dispersed, getting ready to watch the next set of 8th graders. The girls were all wandering off now, to change, possibly shower, and relax. Ichigo wouldn't know. She'd never really known a track runner. It took only a few moments for them to locate Yumi - they weren't surprised to see she didn't look nearly as tired as the others - and the two began to wave frantically, trying to catch her attention.
"Hey! Heyyy! Yumi!" Ichigo cried, and Kona winced.
"She doesn't know who you are!" The black haired girl hissed. Ichigo blinked and then sweatdropped. "Ohh. Yeah. Hehehe." She smiled sheepishly.
They had succeeded in catching Yumi's attention, however, and the short girl paused briefly in her footsteps to curiously look back at them. Her hair was dark, almost brown, and had a reddish colour to it, cropped short around her head. The girl's bangs were styled neatly, but many hairs had strayed away from all the excersise. She was still clad in her Daikan track suit. Her light red eyes flickered, and everything was perfectly still.
Then, she bolted.
"HEY!" Ichigo shouted, nearly falling over. Spinning towards Kona, she pretty much yelled, "Why the heck is she running away?"
But before she got an answer, Kona had bolted off, herself. Ichigo blinked in alarm. "What the - WAIT!"
Dashing off in an effort to catch up to the high school girl, all three were now running at full speed. Even though Ichigo eventually managed to catch up to Kona, which nearly killed her, neither of them were able to come even close to the track athlete Yumi, who was still running at an unbelievable speed.
"We--can't--let--her---get--away!" Kona panted, looking over at the girl running beside her. At first, Ichigo couldn't speak, but she managed to sputter something out -
"Whatdoyouwantmetodoaboutit?"
Slowing down a bit, the black haired girl shifted to the side, bending over. "Cat jump!" Was all she hollered, and then turned to face forwards again.
Completely confused, Ichigo just stared at Kona. Cat jump? What was that?... It took her a while before she remembered that both her and Kona were infused with cat DNA. Oh. But what does she mean by...? It clicked in her head, and her eyes widened. Kona glanced over at her expectantly, and began moving over before Ichigo could protest.
Giving a whine, she lowered her head in defeat, slowing down slightly as well. Kona bent over even further, until her back was low enough. Shaking her head and tensing up, Ichigo held her breath and leapt up onto the girl's back, clinging for dear life to her shoulders. Kona picked up speed, even with the added wait on her back.
"Gah, you're heavy!" She commented in a breath, and then faced forward again, "Ready?"
"No!" Ichigo cried, but Kona didn't listen. She skidded one foot against the ground, and bounded up into the air as high as possible. Ichigo wouldn't move.
"GO!"
Shutting her eyes, Ichigo couldn't believe she was doing this. Letting go of her shoulders, she seemed to be suspended in the air for a moment, high above everything else; then, as a cat reflex, she balanced her feet on Kona's back and sprung off in seconds. "Nya!"
She felt Kona knocked down beneath her as she soared into the air, but heard a prompt gasp of "I'm alright!" below. As Ichigo was hurled through the air, she kept drawing closer and closer to the speeding Yumi. However, as she began losing air, Ichigo discovered she'd be a few feet short. The landing would be too painful for nothing. As she began plummeting back to the ground, she stretched her arms and legs out, bracing herself for impact. Just as she suspected, she wasn't close enough to Yumi - much to a disapointed cry from Kona far behind - so as her foot made contact with ground, she gave one last spring and catapaulted forward, slamming right into the girl.
"Tsu!"
"Nya!"
Both cried out at the same time as they collided, tumbling to the ground in a heap, trying to catch their breath. To no surprise, Yumi recovered quickly. "Woooww!" She exclaimed, sitting up with a giggle, "That was a real workout!"
"W...workout?" Ichigo's jaw dropped in the midst of regaining her energy. "That... was just a workout?"
"Ichigooo!" Turning her head, the redhead saw a disoriented looking girl approaching, her black hair messed up fairly noticeably as she jogged towards them. Stopping and inhaling, she put her hands on her hips and sternly looked at the happy girl. "Why did you run away?" She asked in a demanding voice.
Yumi blinked in confusion, tilting her head. "Uhh?" She then shrugged and gave a sheepish smile, "I dunno. Just felt like it. I like to run! Didn't think you'd chase me though. That was even more fun, thanks!"
"Just felt like it?" Ichigo and Kona both cried in disbelief. Yumi just giggled again, rubbing the back of her head with her hand.
Ichigo nearly hollered at the poor girl."That reaaallly took a lot out of me! And you - Hold on,"
Ichigo cut herself off, and, more roughly than she'd intended, grabbed ahold of Yumi's arm. For the first time, the girl flinched, but looked more like a curious child. The older girl squinted - where had she seen it? - and then shifted the arm, carefully, so she wouldn't hurt her. A moment of silence passed, and then she let out an 'Ah ha!' of triumph.
"Kona! Look!" She jerked the arm towards her.
"Ow!" Yumi squealed, her face twisting into an expression of pain.
"Ahah. Sorry," Ichigo said with a sweatdrop, letting her arm go. But Kona had seen it.
"We were right then," She breathed decidedly, nodding. But she wasn't sure what exactly to think about it, herself. Eyeing the short girl, Kona couldn't help but feel that she wouldn't take anything seriously...
"Right about what?" Yumi was up on her feet again, staring both girls in the face. Ichigo paused.
"Er, hi, Yumi. I'm one of Roxi's friends. I'm Ichigo, and this is Kona... we--"
"Right about what?" She repeated, rudely interupting Ichigo's attempt at a polite introduction. Ichigo's eye twitched before she put her happy-happy smile back on.
"We-ell... You're...a..."
"TELL MEEE!" Promptly, Ichigo was tackled to the ground, and found herself bombarded by a frenzy of tickles. She burst out laughing, curling up into a ball and trying fruitlessly to swat Yumi away, who kept poking her mercilessly until she was unable to breath. Kona cleared her throat and stepped forward, trying not to laugh herself.
"Yumi, you're a Mew Mew."
"Mew Mew Mew?" This caught the girl's attention. She now sat upright, giving Ichigo, who was a doubled over mess, time to catch her breath. Kona nodded, slowly, giving a glance at Ichigo to make sure she was okay.
"Yes... that mark on your elbow. It means you've been injected... chosen for a mission."
"Ara?" Blinking, Yumi lifted up her arm, awkwardly tilting her head to see the triple-heart flower design that was imprinted just above her elbow. "Ohhh! I didn't see that before! What does a Mew Mew Mew do?"
"Just...Mew Mew," Ichigo murmured, sitting upright. She was clutching her stomach defensively as she tried to regain composure. "Being a Mew means you can transform and that you have powers. You were given those powers and stuff so you can fight aliens, and..."
"Aliens?" A pair of red eyes blinked, and then lit up. "Oh! You mean like them?" With a broad smile, she pointed in another direction.
"Wha-" Ichigo turned in the direction Yumi was motioning towards and froze. Two figures stood there, unmoving, watching from a fair distance away.
One of them was Ari.
Nothing moved. Everything was perfectly still. Who is that...with her? The other one's tall... older looking. She wouldn't attack with a friend or adult around, right...? She needed to see what happened. Maybe they would just leave, for now, leave them alone...
"You!" Kona cried, breaking the silence. Ichigo nearly toppled over in surprise. The black-haired girl had her jaw clenched tightly, her blue eyes focused angrily over the blue haired figure. Before Ichigo or Yumi could do anything, Kona had taken out her pendant, holding it to her lips. "Mew Mew Powder, Metamorpha-sis!"
"Kona, no!" Ichigo shouted, jumping up to her feet. If she transformed, their cover would be blown. Yes, Ari was here, but so was a stranger... Their cover would be blown! Ichigo felt her heart fall. Things were bad enough... The last thing she needed were hateclubs and fanclubs, and questions, and more problems... Her life was complicated enough! "Kona!"
The girl had already been shrouded in pink light, and once it faded, stood there in her black Mew outfit, eyes narrowed, focused. "Blossom Be- "
"Stop!" A pair of hands grabbed at Kona's arm, and she looked over at Ichigo in surprise. Seeing the look of fear on her face, Kona blinked, looking back over at the pair. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what she had done.
Perfect silence again. Slowly, steadily, Ari began approaching, her face dead set in a serious expression. Her companion followed calmly, her overcoat swirling darkly around her. None of the mew-girls moved. Only when they were feet away did Ichigo notice something critical. The overcoat-person was a tall woman, her hair messily in a bun, glasses resting on her nose... There's no way...Mrs. Kazuhawa!
But the teacher did not appear confused or even surprised. She wore an expression similar to Ari's, only her lips were crossed with a very faint smirk, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Then it dawned on Ichigo, and she shrunk back in fear. It can't be...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The sobs of Kona broke Ichigo from her trance, and she turned to see the older girl staring at herself in horror. What had she done...? In just a few seconds, she had jeapordized everything... possibly ruined everything for them. All because she hadn't taken a moment to think.
"Don't... Kona, it's..." Ichigo was at a loss for words, so she just turned towards the pair approaching. She had no idea what to do at this exact moment. And, even after having a mini-panic and trying to calm down... she knew that all any of them could do right now was wait.
"What's wrong?" For once, Ari wasn't the one who began the taunting. Mrs. Kazuhawa drew her hands from her deep pockets, eyes flickering, tormenting. And still Ichigo was able to do nothing. "You girls look so...shocked." Even as she was speaking, the air around them seemed to move, ripple, breath. Their faces, their entire bodies began to blur, as if tiny fragments of appearence were falling away. Just as instantly, it cleared up, leaving the two women standing there. Aliens.
Kona and Ichigo had expected that from Ari. But seeing the Middle School Professor suddenly change into a tall, young looking girl caught them off guard. Her glasses were gone, a pair of blue eyes now staring back at them. Long, brown hair fell across her bare shoulders in waves, a few strands of her bangs even touching against her eyelids. A short black skirt wrapped around her legs, a dark blue tube top covering a portion of her upper body. And still that taunting smirk lay on her lips.
"Your friend was a bit hasty, Ichigo-neko, I'll agree," Ari grinned, her daggers appearing in her hand, "But at least she's not a little scaredy-cat."
At the same time, her alien companion followed, a short, black and blue staff materializing, her hand fitting neatly around it. Ichigo hesistated. What kind of power has she got..?
"Ichigo!" A voice buzzed by her ear happily. Ichigo zipped around to see Masha floating there happily.
"Masha! Thank God," She breathed in relief. At least something had gone right. "Did you follow me all the way over here?"
"Helping Ichigo! Helping Ichigo!" Was its cheery reply as it flitted around Ichigo's head. She smiled, momentarily before remembering the situation at hand.
"Masha, go give Yumi her pendant," She said gravely, standing her ground and staring Ari straight in the eye.
A question mark appeared above the fuzzball's head, but once it understood, it regained its artificial expression of cheer and glided over to the short girl, who was watching with utmost curiosity. Then her eyes lit up, visions of a floating pink fuzzball reflected in her reddish eyes."Kyah! What's this cutie?" With a wide grin, Yumi made a lunge for it, but Masha eased out of the way, circling around Yumi's head nervously as the girl tried to swat it down. After a few minutes, she tired herself out, and paused, long enough for the pink creature to float up and materialize a golden pendant. Floating back down happily, it set it in Yumi's hand. The girl stared at it smilingly.
"Ara? What's this thing?"
"Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpha-sis!" Ichigo cried out, and in a flash transformed. Yumi watched, mesmerized, as the girls both summoned their weapons, getting into a fighting stance. The 'aliens' did the same.
"Mew...mew..." She murmured to herself quietly, staring down at her pendant with wide red eyes.
"Ari! How dare you show up here when we have important business!" Shrieked Ichigo, pointing an accusing finger. Ari just smirked, toying with her sais.
"Aww. Not too happy to see me?"
"Cut it out!" Kona snapped angrily, and, clutching her Blossom Bell Bell in hand, positioned it out infront of her. "Ribbon Blossom Shine!" The bell in the center gave a light tinkle, a pink aura of light shining out from it. It seemed to be going directly towards the pair of aliens, but then, at the last minute... they disapeared, resituating themselves at the side without moving a muscle. Kona blinked in confusion. "What the...?"
"Kitten-two's aim isn't so good," Mocked Ari, bouncing on her foot slightly as she took a firm stance with her weapons, "Then again, Hanajima's 'Illusion Staff' can be tricky. You'll have to watch out, nekos."
"Illusion?" Ichigo mouthed to herself. That was all... Illusions? They couldn't really harm her, right? Or, maybe she shouldn't take it so lightly... Her face creased into a frown, but she grasped her Bell, keeping a careful eye on Ari and Hanajima.
"I see a fight coming on," A grin twitched across the paler alien's face, golden eyes glimmering with anticipation, "Good. I do enjoy a good battle." Her knuckles went white as she clutched around the handles of her knives, until they burst into blue flame. "Here I come!" She cried out, floating up into the air and taking a dive at Ichigo.
"Back!" She screamed, ducking entirely under the attack, all of Ari completely going over her. Kona jumped in.
"Ribbon Blossom - "
"STOP!" Ichigo's voice screamed in her ear, and she halted in her step immediately, nearly dropping her bell.
Turning to the other cat girl in confusion, Kona asked, "What?" Ichigo looked up from her ducked position, puzzled as well.
"I didn't say anythin--" She paused, and then turned towards the other alien floating idly a distance away. Hanajima smiled wryly. Illusions.
"Don't be distracted, now!" Ari called as she rose up in the air, connecting her two flame-engulfed daggers by the tip. The fire melded together, forming a blue flame at the very tip, and she seemed to balance in the air on one foot as she inhaled and lightly blew on the fire. From that light breath came spiralling blue flame, aimed right towards Ichigo and Kona.
"Kya!" Ichigo grabbed the older girl and dove out of the way, just narrowly missing the tunnel of dangerous fire. As Ari seemed to be recharging and preparing for another shot, the pink cat girl turned towards Yumi, who was fiddling around with her pendant mindlessly. "Yumi! You have to transform! Please!"
"Oh! I figured out how!" She announced proudly, waving the object around, "Let's see... Mew... Myuuh... Metatamora... Aahh! I forgot again!" She smiled sheepishly.
Ichigo sweatdropped and shouted desperatly, "Please, hurry!" And barely dodged another attack, a spark from it singing part of her dress.
Nodding, Yumi opened her mouth again. It twisted, gave a little twitch, and she burst out laughing, nearly falling over. It seemed like she was unable to catch her breath, laughing so hard, clutching her stomach and holding the pendant in a shaky hand. In the middle of a fierce giggle, she managed to call out, "Mew Mew Framboise! Metamorpha-sis!" and continued laughing. Even as she did, however, light shone from the gold coloured object, wrapping around her body and forming her red, sleekuniform. A pair of tiny ears and bushy horse tail appeared on her as the light faded away, and she stood there, beaming. "Whee! I did it!"
"Good!" Ichigo looked fearfully at Ari, getting ready for her own attack, "Now get your weapon and help us!"
"Right!" Taking a deep breath, Mew Yumi clasped her gloved hands together, "Raspberry Bell!" In another flash of light, a small, pink bracelet sized weapon appeared in between her hands. Ribbons flowed neatly from the sides, and situated on the bottom center was a larger bronze bell. Grinning, she held it out, ringing it from side to side. "Ribbon Raspberry Dazzle!" The words flowed from her mouth like water, just as the ones before. It was strange, as if she were controlled by some warm force inside of her... As Yumi spoke, she instinctively gave the bell one last swing, and a light full of visible pink specks burst forth, intercepting an attack from Ari. The blue haired alien looked alarmed, but quickly replaced that with a devious frown.
Kona sighed in relief, and held her bell out, Ichigo doing the same. "Attack... combine our powers!" The black haired Mew said firmly as Yumi moved to join them, holding her wrist sized weapon out with one hand as well. Ari gritted her teeth and touched her sais together again, inhaling for a powerful attack.
"Ribbon!" All three girls yelled together, and split off to their individual attacks.
"Blossom Shine!"
"Raspberry Dazzle!"
"Strawberry Check!" The lights from each weapon merged together into a powerful beam of sparkled energy, enveloping both Hanajima and Ari so tightly they were unable to move.
"W-Wuaaaaah!" Ari screamed as pain coarsed through her rapidly, nearly dropping her daggers as she clutched painfully at her chest. Hanajima looked stunned as the light faded, and weary, as if ready to collapse. Ari, on the other hand, looked like she had endured being hit by a train - panting, on her knees, her entire body trembling. Her eyes burned with anger as she faced Ichigo, staring her straight in the face. Ichigo winced.
"I'm not finished!" The blue haired alien yelled in fury, trying to get up to her feet. Hanajima's hand lightly touched her shoulder.
"Yes. You are," She said softly, and turned to face the girls as the two dissolved into the air.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ichigo ran a hand through her hair and transformed back to normal. She felt sore all over. "Well..." Her amber eyes trailed over to the still transformed Yumi, who was busy chasing Masha around in circles, "At least we found the third one."
"Yeah," Kona agreed, her costume fading back to normal as she stepped beside Ichigo to watch, "Two more to go, I guess."
"Yeah," She said with a nod, and fell silent. A moment later, Yumi skipped over, holding the struggling pink fuzzball tightly as she detransformed.
"So! Where're we gonna go now?" She piped excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her cheery disposition.
"Ah, the cafe. I'm sure Shirogane will want to meet you... Being a new member of Tokyo Mew Mew, and all."
"Tokyo Mew Mew!" Yumi threw her arms up in the air, lightly tossing Masha over as she did so, "Don't worry, I'll help ya both beat those aliens. They don't stand a chance!" She pumped her arm into the air excitedly. There was a little pink-creature squeal from behind as it bounced.
"Yeah," Ichigo said, exchanging smiles with Kona, "Not a chance. Come on, let's go."
"Tokyo Mew Mew! Tokyo Mew Mew!" Yumi chanted happily as she followed the two older girls across the field, Masha following cautiously behind. "Yeaah! We'll save the day! For sure!"
Ichigo giggled. "For sure."
---
Next Chapter:
Not everyone wants to save the world. Is it so wrong to just want things to stay the way they are? Ichigo, Kona and Yumi have to team up to find the rest of the team, which is hard enough. What happens when someone refuses to be a part of something they never bargained for?