Peaches and Cream

Okay, after reading over the first chapter again, I realize that my writing was pretty bad, so I have vowed to do better from now on. I'll triple check.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own TMM. Momo, Kaida, Emiko, Ayame, Haruko and Momo's parents all belong to me.

Translations:

Onee-(chan) (Sama): This is a polite term the girls use for the girls in the group that are older than them. Literally translated, it means "Elder Sister", even though they're not sisters. It's just a more polite way to address friends who are older than you.

Onii-(chan) (Sama): Same as the first one, but for boys. Means "Elder Brother."

Gomen/Gomen nasai: I'm sorry.

Arigato/Domo: Thank you.

Onigai: Please.

And time to start!

My eyelids fluttered open and I looked around. I was in the park next to a pink building. Something felt different about me, but then again, I had just woken up from… hmm, why had I fallen asleep again?

Then it all came rushing back to me so fast it made my head spin. The café, the strange conversation I'd overheard, the snow leopard statue, the earthquake. And that weird dream. What did it mean? I looked at my watch and practically screamed. It was 4:20. If I didn't get home by 4:30, my parents would kill me. I quickly stood up and ran. I ran so fast it seemed unreal. This was quite strange, because I'm normally a really slow runner. But right now, I really didn't want to jinx myself by mentioning it, so I pushed it from my mind.

"I'm home," I said as I walked in the door.

"Hey, Momo," I heard my mom call from the kitchen. "How was school?"

I sighed and walked to the fridge. "Do I have to answer?" I said, grabbing an apple.

"That bad, huh?" mom said, cutting some chicken for dinner.

"They're still at it," I said, biting into my snack.

"Things will work themselves out sooner or later."

"I just hope it's sooner rather than later." I walked to my room and shut the door. My cats, Tora and Seito, were lying on my still unmade bed, further discouraging me from making my room look less messy. I changed out of my school uniform and slipped into a green short-sleeved top and a pair of faded jeans.

And then I saw it. A weird mark on my left elbow. 'When the hell did that get there?!' I thought. It was light orange and looked like… well, there was no other way to describe it; it looked like a space ship with four dots around it and an arch above it. I put my finger on it and rubbed. It wouldn't come off. What the hell?!

I would worry about it later. But I couldn't let my parents see it. They would think I'd gotten a tattoo! I quickly changed out of the tee-shirt and put on a black long-sleeved shirt to hide the mark. Flopping down on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. Or rather, I stared at the bottom of the mattress on the top bunk. I reached over and scratched Tora under her chin. She started to purr, and I took solace in it.

I closed my eyes and thought. Why was all of this happening? Did I curse myself by breaking my rule of thumb about not going near anything girly? Did I imagine all of it because of the pressure I was under? Or was all of this just a dream? Whatever the reason, I needed to unwind. I sat up and walked over to my desk. I opened up my laptop and opened my internet browser. The news on my homepage, Yahoo, caught my attention.

Tokyo Mew Mew had rescued several kids. I've always admired the Mew Mews and followed their exploits with perfect vigilance, so I clicked the link to the full story and read it. Apparently there was a hostage situation. Someone with a handbag full of money and a gun broke into a classroom, and although the teacher and most of the class was able to escape, the man caught and tied up four of the students. The police weren't able to get him out, but the Mew Mews broke down the door and knocked out the robber. There was a photo of the smallest Mew Mew, a yellow one with the ears and tail of a monkey, being hugged by the kids who were held hostage. One of Mew Mews, the pink one, was quoted as saying, "It's our duty to protect anyone in need."

I smiled lightly as I finished reading the article. The Mew Mews were so freaking cool.

"Momo, dinner's ready!"

I closed my laptop and walked downstairs.

I got into bed and turned out the bedside lamp. I definitely felt better after eating my favorite dish made by my favorite cook. Gyoza made by my mom always cheers me up. And a before bed snack of sushi to top it off. I closed my eyes and performed my nightly ritual of counting backwards from one thousand to fall asleep. I only managed to get to nine hundred and thirty.

I walked through the inky blackness, searching for something. Something, but I didn't know what. All I knew was that I had to find it. I had to find it no matter what. Everything would end if I didn't find it.

I saw a light in the distance, and instinctively moved towards it. Maybe this was it? I walked up to it and picked it up. It was a glowing orb of pure energy. Yes, this is what I needed.

All at once, the orb changed into a snarling creature. A creature I couldn't identify as any kind of animal I'd ever seen. It had scaly green skin and a black mane around its cat-like head. Its tail had a stinger at the end, and sharp spines ran all along its back.

I quickly dropped the strange beast and ran. But I wasn't moving. I ran faster. I needed to get away. But nothing helped. It jumped onto my back and I felt its claws dig into my skin. This was it. This was really the end. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

My eyes flew open and I sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily. I clutched my stuffed animal tightly, pressing my face into its soft fur. But… I didn't go to sleep with a stuffed animal. I looked at the fluffy thing in my hands and fought the urge to scream. It was a tail, a snow leopard tail by the looks of it, and it was protruding out of my backside. And my head felt weird, my ears in particular. I reached up to scratch them, and found a pair of what felt like cat ears. What the hell was going on?!

'I must still be dreaming,' I thought. I shut my eyes tightly and concentrated on making the ears and tail disappear. I opened my eyes and, to my relief, found the strange features gone gone. 'Man,' I thought. 'No more sushi before bed for me.'

I'm having so much fun writing this. Dream sequences are fun to write. As always, review. I want to know what you guys think! Flame me and I'll send my evil cat after you to rip your hands apart. Anyway, I need more reviews. How about… anyone who reviews gets a cookie. Okay? And yes, my favorite Japanese dish is Gyoza.