Heya! This is my first fanfic so please R&R with constructive critisism! Okay, the story is set after the defeat of Deep Blue and I have decided to ignore A La Mode. It is set four years later and the ages are as follows:

Ichigo: 16
Mint: 16
Lettuce: 17
Zakuro: 18
Pudding: 14
Ryou: 19
Keiichiro: 25

Mint shall be doing the disclaimer today!

Me: Mint, could you possibly help me with the disclaimer?
Mint: Hmmm, well I am in the middle of my tea break, can I do it later?
Me: No, I am afraid not.
Mint: Well then, sorry but I cannot.
Me: (takes tea pot away and hides it) Do the disclaimer of I will swap your tea for some cheap instant coffee.
Mint: o.0 Fine fine! She does not own Tokyo Mew Mew!
Me: Good girl! (hands the tea back)

-x-

A warm beam of sunlight rested on the sleeping girl. A small mumble escaped her lips as she turned over, trying to go back to sleep. The sunlight and chirping birds however, made this quite difficult. Shaking her head slightly, she sat up and opened her eyes. A look of confusion crossed her face. She was still in her work uniform and she was not in her room. Looking around she realised who's room it was and that the person it belonged to was asleep in the chair next to her. Her eyes widened and a scream was let out. The older teen jumped from his sleeping position and looked around, his eyes finally resting on Ichigo, "What was that for? You could have woken the dead with that scream!" He glared at her before continuing, "So how are you feeling today?" She looked at him confused, "I screamed because I woke up to find myself in your room, duh!" She rolled her eyes, "I feel fine, why shouldn't I?" She raised a brow questioningly. He frowned at her, "You don't remember then?" A brief shake of her head confirmed this. He sighed tiredly, "You got too much sun yesterday and got sun stroke (A/N: i got this in Cyprus last year. Horrible!), you fainted and I thought it would be best to keep you here rather then moving you." She frowned slightly but nodded, she didn't remember any of what he had just said, but it sounded plausible. Getting off the bed, Ryou showed her where the bathroom was, there was no point in her going home now, it was already 10am. She was about to head downstairs when she heard Ryou call her name. Turning, she tilted her head slightly, "Yes?" He gave a small smile, "You don't have to work today, get some rest instead." She raised a brow but thanked him gratefully and decided that she would spend the day doing some summer homework.

Once Ichigo was finished in the bathroom, she ran down to the changing rooms to get her stuff, she still had her clothes from yesterday. Once changed, she took some paper that lay by Ryou's computer and found a pen. She then headed down to the lab where Ryou had said she could use the computers to help her and as he would take her place in the cafe, she would be alone. She was grateful to him. He rarely showed kindness to her, but when he did it was enough to let her know that he wasn't really a bad person or a jerk, no matter how many times she told him he was. She was just beginning her homework when she heard the others Mews come in and she could just about hear Ryou explaining what had happened the day before, and that he would be taking Ichigo's place for the day. At the thought of him having to be polite and finally seeing how much work she has to do, she smirked and continued with her homework.

The echos of farewell reached her ears as the Mews left for the evening. She had finished her homework a while ago and had since enjoyed herself by browsing the net for random things. She did however, find out some more information about the cat who's DNA she shared. Deciding she would go upstairs a little later, she continued with her game of tetris she was now playing on the computer. Meanwhile, a tired and annoyed Ryou made his way to his bedroom. What a day! He was so tired and his mouth hurt from smiling so much. Laying down on his bed, he was asleep within minutes, dreams of Ichigo filled his slumber though, a topic he had now become worried about. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about her.

About an hour later, Ichigo made her way to the main part of the cafe. No one seemed to be around. Deciding to check Ryou's room, she made her way quietly up the stairs. As she pushed his door open, she couldn't help but smile at the sight that lay before her. A sleeping Ryou was curled up on his bed, much like a cat, his blonde hair was hanging in front of his closed eyes. His deep breathing told her that he was asleep. She walked to him and moved a loose strand of hair. He looked so peaceful when he slept. The mask that he wore during the day had fallen away, and what was left was a vulnerable and lonely young man. She smiled slightly as she lent down and placed a small kiss on his forehead. As she stood up and turned to leave, she was stunned to find that something was holding her back. Turning around, she saw that Ryou was now awake, his hand was closed around her wrist. A confused look on his face, "What was that for?" He asked her. A small blush crept onto her face, "Well, you just seemed so peaceful, and..and..Well, you looked sad when you were asleep." He frowned slightly before pulling her back to the bed and making her sit on the edge of the bed, next to him. She looked at him, curious, "What?" He looked at her seriously, "How do you do it?" It was her turn to look confused, "Do what?" He let go of her wrist and smiled slightly, "Work in the cafe? Mint does nothing but drink tea, Zakuro scares people, Lettuce needs to be insured because she's a danger to herself and Pudding is going to hurt someone one day. How do you handle it?" She laughed, "Practise." That was all she said before standing up and walking to the door. As she was about to leave, she turned back to him, a smirk on her face, it did not suit her, "Can I have a raise now?" She laughed as he threw a pillow at her as she closed the door.

Ryou couldn't help but smile, but after seeing what she had to go through most days, maybe he would have to consider giving her a raise. He laid back down on his bed, still tired, and drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Ichigo and how maybe things would be different from now on. Outside, a smiling cat girl was still leaning against the door. She didn't know why she was smiling, but maybe, she thought, it had something to do with the fluttering feeling that she had felt when Ryou had held her wrist, and the idea that he cared enough about her to look after her when she was ill. Maybe.

-x-

Thats it! I know it didn't end with them getting together, but I think it's a sweet ending. It does however, introduce things for the sequel I am thinking of writing.

Please R&R and let me know if you think a sequel would be a good idea, thanks

strawberry-x