(sighs happily) Aah, the weekend. Ample writing time at my fingertips! So, I finished this in about…a day and a half. It probably would have taken a shorter time, but I TOOK A BREAK TO GO TO CIRQUE DE SOLEIL! IT WAS SO AWESOME! I GOT A HOODIE! BLOODY FANTASTIC! (calms down) All right. This is the final instalment in my trilogy. Please, please read the other two. It will make more sense! Thanks so much to all the people who took the time to review my stories. You make me so happy! (sniff) Have a cookie! …Yeah.
Summary: Deep Blue is dead and the aliens get ready to leave. Will Pai make the right decision before it's too late?
WARNING: This story contains spoilers of the end of the anime/manga. It also does not correctly follow the ending, i.e. I've taken "artistic license" and changed around where some things happened. Actually, this will not make sense if you haven't seen the end of the mange or anime (particularly the anime). Some changes include the fact that there isn't the whole 'Masaya dies, Ichigo saves him, Ichigo dies, Mews cry and Masaya saves her'. Just uh…pretend they did that whole thing in the privacy of a ruined store or something (grin). Plus, the aliens don't leave right away they stick around. It's all a part of my 'MASTER PLAN'. Oh, AND in the beginning, Taruto seems like a baby, I know. But I always saw him as looking up to Pai and Kisshu as older brother figures. He's just...really, really happy he's not dead. Again, ARTISTIC LICENCE! Savvy? Ca va. Allez-vous.
& & &
Some people tell you that dying sucks. Others tell you that near death experiences are the worst. Pai could safely say that being brought back to the life was the worst thing that could happen to a person. He knew this because in the past 4 hours he had been killed, had floated in limbo and had finally been pulled back into his mortal body.
It was a horrible experience (not to say he didn't appreciate living again; he did). When you died, you accepted it; your whole body became numb. Pai had been expecting flashes of light, a sudden understanding of life but instead there was only murky greyness. Then suddenly, it was like being quickly pulled through a small tunnel. Every nerve ending in his body felt like it was being pricked simultaneously with pins and when he spasmodically jolted from the unfamiliar sensation of feeling again, he was lying propped against a piece of rubble, his head throbbing.
It reminded him of his experience with a hangover and that instantly brought him to thinking about Retasu. Which made him wince.
She had saved his life. Deep-Blue-sama had awakened and had ordered the Chimera Anima to release a blast of shock-wave energy around the city. Pai was still fighting Mew Zakuro when it had gone off. The Mews had shielded themselves, but Retasu…
Retasu had thrown herself in front of Pai and he had barely survived. She hadn't.
It had been a courageous move, but in vain. The horned Chimera Anima, too powerful for Pai in his weakened state to handle, had stabbed him through the stomach shortly afterwards and he had bled to death.
But now he was alive. He looked around. The sky was alive with drops of liquid light – Mew Aqua.
"Pai!"
Someone dived at him and wrapped their arms around his shoulders. Pai blinked. It was Taruto, the little boy's face pressing against his neck, tears of disbelief wetting the skin.
"Taruto…"
"We're alive!" the little alien gasped happily, not releasing his friend from his grip. Pai slid his arms around Taruto's small frame.
"What a miracle." He stated softly, taking in the damage and rebirth happening around him as they sat silently together, assessing their second chance.
& & &
"Retasu-onee-san, na no da!"
There was a flash of blonde hair and Retasu, who had so gingerly picked herself up from the ground a short while ago, crumpled over again in surprise.
"Purin-san!" she laughed as the little girl nuzzled her face against her shirt affectionately.
"I missed you Retasu-onee-san, na no da!" Purin's face was lit with delight. Minto and Zakuro joined them, transferred back to their normal street clothes, chattering excitedly at their miraculous resurrection. Masaya and Ichigo stumbled slowly towards the group, tired smiles on both their faces, hands clasped tightly within each other's. (1) Kisshu was hovering slightly behind them, his ears drooping with the sense of rejection.
Ryou stood slightly away from the group, not a part of it, but still belonging, his face turned to gaze off at flowers blooming randomly on a street corner where a Mew Aqua drop had landed.
Retasu, however, did not stop long to talk with her friends. She took off meaningfully in the last direction she had seen Pai-san alive.
She was lucky. Ahead of her, Pai was getting to his feet, helped by Taruto. There was a piece of concrete embedded in the flesh of his right calf, but the wound was not deep.
"Pai-san!" Retasu called. She had a sudden urge to leap at him, inspired by Purin. Instead she respectfully stopped a few feet in front of him and bowed. "I'm glad to see that you are unharmed."
"Okagede. (2)" Pai responded. He didn't even have to give Taruto a look; the youngest alien had already gone off to search for Purin, leaving the two alone.
& & &
"What will you do now?" Retasu asked. The two were sitting together on an overturned chunk of concrete. Pai had his chin in his hands, contemplating.
"We really didn't accomplish anything that could somehow help our home planet," he confessed slowly.
"I don't know where we'll go from here."
Sensing her question before she asked it, he added quickly, "But we won't try to reclaim Earth again. We've learned our lesson."
Relieved, Retasu's face broke into the sweetest smile Pai had ever seen and without thinking he leaned forward, eyes fixated on her lips.
"Retasu-san, I…"
Their lips were very close, and as Pai closed his eyes…
"There you are Retasu-onee-san, na no da!"
Pai, caught off guard, almost fell onto Retasu, who let out a small yelp. He turned around with a frustrated expression on his face. Purin, who had yelled the greeting, now had a look of confused amusement on her face. Taruto was hiding a snicker and Kisshu was giving him the thumbs up. The rest of the Mews looked delighted (except for Zakuro, but you can't really imagine her looking excited about something, can you?). Ryou, meanwhile, looked like he was having a heart attack.
"Pai-onii-san, what EXACTLY were you doing to my onee-san, no da?" (3) Purin asked slyly. Retasu's face was bright red.
"P-Purin-san!" she stuttered. "We…we were…"
"Okay Retasu-onee-san, don't worry! Purin will keep your secret, na no da!" Purin clamped onto Taruto's arm. "Taru-Taru won't say anything either, will you Taru-Taru no da?"
Taruto looked way too innocent. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Purin-san, it's nothing like that, we – "
Pai turned around and grabbed Retasu's hand, pulling her to her feet. She blushed and murmured thanks. He nodded, leant down and whispered in her ear, "We'll continue this later."
The boldness of his statement made both of them blush and made it very hard for Pai to act serious while crimson stained his face.
& & &
It was all settled; the aliens were leaving tomorrow and Ryou had given them the rest of the Mew Aqua, enough to restore their home planet. Taruto was excited at the prospect of having trees and plants like the ones on Earth, and Purin had given him some cherry blossom seeds to take home with him (Pai had warned him the soil might be different back home, but nothing could bring Taruto down when he was happy).
Surprisingly, it was Minto who suggested a going away party for the aliens. Purin, who loved parties, had immediately started planning EVERYTHING. Now, two hours later, the whole café was alight in hanging strings of small lights in plastic cases shaped like moons, stars and space ships. The main lights were off so it was an ethereal effect that greeted the aliens as they entered the café. All the Mews had been busy cooking and preparing food and it was only when Purin swung in from the kitchen, holding a CD and shouting, "PARTY MUSIC!" did the task of relieving a year (4) of tension begin.
Taruto and Purin were getting along well. Along with the assorted desserts provided at the party, Purin had brought along a small sack of candy drops for Taruto and now the two were sitting at a small booth near the back of the café, chattering with each other excitedly. Kisshu and Ichigo were also talking, albeit a little awkwardly at first with the whole 'unrequited love' thing hanging over them. Minto was brewing tea with Zakuro and was offering some to everyone that passed. She had shoved a cup into Pai's hands before he could react and now he was wandering around, wondering how to get rid of it without Minto noticing (she was sending him furtive glances from across the room, waiting for him to drink it). Eventually he simply dumped it into a potted plant and tried to look innocent when Minto checked his cup.
He noticed Retasu hanging around with Ryou, and felt a twisting in the pit of his stomach. He wondered exactly what the feeling was as he saw her tilt her head back slightly to laugh at something he said.
"You're jealous, aren't you?" Kisshu was next to his ear, whispering knowingly. Pai glared. "What? Jealous? What do you mean?"
"You're staring at that blond guy like you wanna kill him." Kisshu pointed out. Pai snorted.
"So?"
"So? You like Green!" Kisshu crowed. Pai elbowed him sharply.
"Do you have to be so loud?" Pai hissed. Kisshu grinned triumphantly.
"You do! You do, you do, you do, you do!" he sang under his breath, sounding annoyingly like Taruto.
"Leave me alone," Pai muttered, and wandered toward the exit. Kisshu watched him go with a knowing smirk on his face.
Retasu was chatting with Ryou when someone lightly grabbed her elbow. She turned around to see Kisshu. "Oh, hello Kisshu-san. Are you enjoying the party?"
Kisshu grinned. "I am, but Pai isn't."
Retasu blushed at the name. "He isn't? I'm sorry! Where is he?" she scanned the café anxiously. Kisshu pushed his face closer to hers. "He's not here. He left." He explained.
"Wh-why?" Retasu whispered as Ryou gave them a suspicious look.
"He got jealous." Kisshu gave a short bark of laughter. "You should have seen him! He looked like he was going to rip blondie's head off at any second!"
"What? Why would he want to – " Retasu was cut off as Kisshu flicked her playfully on the head. "Green, you're so dense! He totally likes you! Now go after him or so help me, Ichigo's friend or not, I will hurt you."
He was smiling as he said it, to let her know it was a joke, but Retasu still edged towards the door for her coat, just in case.
& & &
Pai sat down on the park bench, exhaling loudly. It was nighttime, and even though the Tokyo lights usually restricted people from seeing the stars, tonight was an exception; the sky was alight with stars. It was the work of Mew Aqua, Pai decided; it had made everything better. Seeing the stars reminded him of the fact that he was leaving Earth tomorrow. He had hoped he would have at least left with some sense of closure. Instead, here he was sulking like a baby on a bench.
There was a rustle as someone sat down beside him, and Pai turned to stare in surprise at a smiling Retasu.
"Retasu-san…how did you find me?"
"Kisshu-san said I'd probably find you here."
Pai smirked. Stupid Kisshu…I must thank him later.
"Pai-san, why did you leave the party?" she asked, settling her hands in her lap. Pai shrugged, sulky once again.
"It doesn't matter."
Retasu placed her hand on his leg. "It must matter, if you're this upset."
Pai was silent for a while, and then said, "Do you like him?"
Retasu was taken aback. "Like who?"
"That blonde guy. Do you like him?"
"Sh-Shirogane-san?" Retasu contemplated her options – lie or tell the truth – and decided to be honest.
"I used to."
Pai nodded shortly. "I had noticed." (5)
Retasu bowed her head, blushing. Pai gave a small half-smile, and picked up her hand, clasping it in his own. "Do you still like him?"
Retasu shook her head, smiling. "No. Are you jealous?"
Pai chuckled and leaned in. "Maybe just a little."
Then their lips connected. Retasu was blushing fiercely, her face warm against his own, but Pai didn't care. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. At first, he panicked because she didn't seem to be responding; but then, her arms hesitantly came up to rest around his neck, drawing her deeper into the kiss.
They broke away, flushed and panting. Retasu seemed unable to form coherent speech. Pai calmed himself and nodded at her. "Retasu-san, there is something I've been meaning to tell you – "
Retasu leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. "I love you." She whispered. Pai grinned. "You beat me to it."
Retasu smiled widely, but then she remembered something. "But…you're leaving tomorrow," she reminded him, her face falling.
Pai thought hard. "It will take…at least a year and a half for us to get our planet in order and restore staple crops," he began slowly. Retasu watched him, her eyes sad. He glanced at her shyly. "Can you wait that long?"
Retasu sighed, her face cheerful again. "I can wait as long as you need…"
She wrinkled her nose playfully. "That doesn't mean I'll like it though."
Pai laughed and leaned in for another kiss.
& & &
"Ichigo-'nee-san!" Purin came running toward Ichigo. "Retasu-onee-san is gone, na no da!"
"So is Pai!" Taruto added, right behind Purin. Kisshu looked up at the ceiling innocently.
"I have no idea where they could have gone."
Ichigo glared at him. "Yeah right. I'm sure you have a few ideas."
Kisshu gave her a sly grin. "That's right. But none of them are rated appropriately enough to say out loud."
Ichigo stared, appalled. "Kisshu! You…you filthy PERVERT!"
Purin and Taruto stared blankly. "…Ichigo-'nee-san, what is he talking about?" Purin inquired innocently. Ichigo coloured. "Ehh…I'll tell you when you're older Purin."
"No fair na no da!" Purin pouted. "What about me?" Taruto demanded. Smirking, Kisshu leant down and whispered in his ear EXACTLY what he thought Pai and Retasu were doing.
Taruto almost barfed. "They're WHAT!" he shrieked. Purin tugged on Taruto's shirt. "Taru-Taru, what is it, na no da?"
Taruto whispered guiltily in Purin's ear, but the blonde child merely blinked. "So?" she asked brightly. "Once Hanacha, Chancha, Luncha, Honcha and Heicha (6) all had to sleep in the same bed too! What's wrong with that?"
There was a pause as Ichigo, Kisshu and Taruto stared at the former monkey-girl in exasperation.
"Purin…I'm not even going to try to explain it to you…" Ichigo sighed, shaking her head.
Kisshu grinned. "I could."
"Kisshu, you dirty PERVERT! (whack) Polluting a little girl's mind like that! (whack) And you too, Taruto! (whack!)"
"Augh! What'd I do? What'd I DO!"
"Heyyy, Ichi-chan, take it easy…ow!"
Purin only stopped to consider them for a few seconds before skipping off to visit Minto.
THE END
A/N: There wasn't as much romance as is usually satisfying in romance stories…also, the scene with them kissing was VERY VERY VERY OOC. I'm really sorry, this was not one of my better stories. But…please tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always necessary and welcomed!
1 – No. I don't actually hate Masaya. It's a shock, I know. He's just too nice, is all. Y'all leave him alone now, ya hear?
2 – meaning, 'Thanks to you'.
3 – have you ever noticed, while you're writing dialogue for Purin, that after the first few na no das you start forgetting them? I had to go back like, 5 times because I suddenly remembered I hadn't put them in (oops)
4 – …pretend that the Mew Mews and the aliens were fighting for a year…
5 – uh…see episode 41, mwa.
6 – those are Purin's siblings. And they weren't doing what Kisshu was insinuating Pai and Retasu were doing, sillies. PLUS, if you don't know WHAT he was insinuating about, urm…go ask your parents. But don't mention me! Or where I live…
That's it! The end of my PaiXRetasu trilogy, which I am very pleased about because I personally love this couple and thought I should pay homage to them (creates shrine)! Please R&R! I was thinking of doing a one-shot of my other favourite couple, Kisshu and Ichigo. It'll kind of be a darker story, which I'm really looking forward to! Of course, I'm also putting the finishing touches on 'What would happen if…everyone went to Minto's dance class?' Yay! I'm excited! Until then! Ja ne!