A/N: Hello again, everyone! As with the prologue, this chapter was in need of a revamp as well. Much of the original content is the same, but towards the end, there are some major changes. But I feel asm though the changes were necessary, as it draws more from the original A La Mode manga, provides a few new things, and in general helps set the pace a bit better.

But anyways, thank you everyone for tuning in once more to ReDux! :D

Let's get on with it, shall we? Onto the show!


Part One: White Rose

Chapter 1: Reprieve

Ichigo cringed in her sleep as she curled herself around her blankets, her shrill alarm clock clanging in her ears. As the last few seconds of her precious sleep threatened to slip away, Ichigo gave an agitated groan and rolled over in bed, her hand reaching and searching for the small pink clock on her bedside table. At last fingers touched solid plastic, and with a final tap, the ringing ceased. Sighing contently, she rolled back over, relishing in the idea of a few more minutes of uninterrupted sleep.

That is, until she realized what time it was, and what day. Instantly, her messy red head shot up from under the covers, and with amazing speed for one who had just woken up, Ichigo bolted upright and seized the alarm clock, her suddenly wide-open eyes narrowing in on the time. 7:40 – twenty full minutes past her normal wake-up call. "Oh, no!"

"Ichigo! Breakfast is ready!" Her mother voice called up from the staircase.

"C-coming!" Ichigo replied as she struggled to untangle herself from her sheets (kicking them fiercely when they did not yield right away) and clambered out of bed, making a beeline for her bedroom window. Drops of rain lightly scattered across her face as she pushed open her window, squinting slightly as sunlight flooded her bedroom. Once her eyes had adjusted, she quickly turned around, making a beeline towards her closet. "Rise and shine, Masha!" she called from the closet as she tried to locate her school uniform.

There was no reply. Ichigo poked her head out from the closet to scan her room; there was no sign of the little pink robot. "Masha?" she called again. Her eyes scanned the room as she tried to remember where she'd seen him last, and when she finally remembered, she made a beeline towards the bed, shoving her pink comforter aside. Sure enough, the tiny pink robot was curled up on Ichigo's unmade bed, snoring quietly…or rather, humming, as robots couldn't snore. Frowning, Ichigo gently prodded the robot. "Oi, Masha, wake up! It's morning!"

The cat-like creature responded by yawning in its sleep and rolling over onto its side, snoring even louder. Placing her hands on her hips, Ichigo sighed. "You sure have gotten lazy in the past few months…geez," she muttered as she scooped up the small robot. "Masha, wake up! Masha!" she said as she prodded the robot just a tiny bit harder in the cheek. At last, its eyes opened, blinking sleepily as it yawned and stretched its wings.

"Finally," Ichigo smiled as the tiny robot shook itself out of sleep mode, its tiny body humming contently as it restarted. Upon opening its wide pink eyes and seeing its master, the robot gave a cheerful series of chirps as it floated up into the air and rubbed affectionately against Ichigo's cheek. "Good morning to you too, sleepy-head!" Ichigo laughed as Masha purred contently. "Looks like we both slept in a little later than usual."

As if to illustrate that point, Ichigo's mother once again called out. "Ichigo!"

"ACK!" Ichigo gasped, realizing that she was still running late. "Masha, can you help me get my stuff together?" She said as she yanked her school uniform off of its hook in the closet.

The robot couldn't have been more elated as its entire body bobbed up and down in reply as his master set about gathering the other additions to her uniform from her dresser, stripping out of her pajamas as she found each piece. In a hurry, she finished dressing, thanking Masha for retrieving her misplaced tie, and quickly darted to the bathroom to wash her face and tie back her hair into her trademark pigtails.

"Ichigo?"

"Almost ready!" Ichigo replied as she hurried to her dresser to check her hair. Last, but not least, she flipped open her jewelry box and gently removed her precious bell necklace, tying it securely around her neck. She took just a second longer to admire the way it glittered in the sunlight. Satisfied, Ichigo grabbed her backpack from the chair beside her dresser and opened it up. "Alright, I'm ready! Let's go, Masha!" The robot bobbed up and down happily before suddenly shrinking down to the size of a keychain, then darting into her purse. Once she made sure Masha was safely inside, Ichigo hurried out the door and down the stair case, rushing into the kitchen. "Morning!" she said quickly to her parents as she opened the fridge and selected a bottle of juice.

Her mother, Sakura, looked up from the stove she was working at and smiled warmly at her daughter. "There you are. Good morning, sweetheart," she replied, frowning slightly as she watched Ichigo furiously gulp down her juice. "Honey, be careful, you're liable to choke drinking like that."

From his seat at the table, her father Shintaro peeked over the newspaper he was reading to glance at his daughter. "Don't tell me you slept through the alarm again," he chided her gently as he took a sip from his coffee. "Ah, you did, didn't you?" he chuckled when Ichigo nearly choked on her juice, earning an 'I told you so,' from her mother. Regaining her composure, Ichigo finished her juice, making sure she swallowed before answering.

"I didn't sleep through the alarm!" She lied, frowning when her father raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really! It just took me longer this morning to get ready, honestly!" As she spoke, she rummaged through her backpack, making sure she had everything she needed before tucking the bento her mother handed her safely inside. "Thanks, Mom."

"Maybe if you had done your homework a little bit earlier, you wouldn't have had to stay up so late and miss your-"

"I told you I didn't sleep through it!" Ichigo interrupted. Shintaro shrugged in defeat, though the smirk on his face said he believed otherwise.

"Right, right. Whatever you say. Well, regardless, it's too bad you won't have time to eat this delicious breakfast," Shintaro teased, making a swooping gesture at the food set on the table. As if on cue, Ichigo's stomach gave a loud whine, earning a snicker from her father and causing her to blush even more furiously. Frowning, Ichigo quickly grabbed two slices of toast from a plate, giving her father a harsh glare.

"I swear you act more like a kid than I do! Meanie!" She griped, cramming the toast into her mouth as she hurried for the front door and quickly slipped on her school shoes. From behind her, her mother called out, "Please be careful, sweetheart!" to which Ichigo gave a small wave and a muffled, mouthful-of-toast reply of "See you later!" as she dashed out the door, swinging it shut behind her.

The air outside was heavy with the scent of rain and wet grass as Ichigo raced quickly around the corner, barely stopping to check if it was safe to cross the street. The sun was shining brightly up above, and the bright blue skies above gave no indication that the previous day had been nothing but gray skies and stormy weather, save for a couple of stray white clouds. As Ichigo raced down the streets, taking care to dodge any and all puddles that crossed her path, a chilly early spring breeze began to pick up, gently pushing her along as she hurried on her way.

All around her, the city was starting to come alive. Cars were already rushing past her on the roads as she neared the first crosswalk, where a decently sized crowd stood waiting for the light to change. Not wanting to wait for what could be a while, Ichigo quickly darted to the left, ducking through some hedges and racing through a small path to the other side. With a tiny hop, she cleared the remaining hedges and darted out into a clock tower square bustling with people. A quick glance at the clock showed she didn't have much more time to dawdle, and so she took off again, racing past various shops opening their doors to the first throng of customers.

"Come on, come on," she muttered to herself when she got caught at yet another red light, this time joined by several other students wearing the same school uniform. Bouncing up and down anxiously, Ichigo tried to see over the crowd, jumping up once. She couldn't see him from here, but hopefully he was still waiting – not that he'd ever left her before, but still, it was always a persistent worry of hers that one day he'd grow impatient and leave. It was stupid, she knew, but missing out on her precious morning time with Masaya, not to mention ruining his perfect attendance record, was something she was NOT about to risk for being late.


Glancing up from his watch, Masaya turned to peer down the road to his right. There was a rather large crowd at the crosswalk, but out of all the faces he could pick out, none of them were Ichigo's smiling face. Sitting upright, he sighed – not an impatient one or an angry one; just a simple sigh. She was running later than usual – but given the previous night's circumstance and the fact that today was Monday, he was not worried. This was Ichigo he was talking about, after all.

He wondered how much of the homework she'd been able to finish, even with his help. Math seemed to be a difficult subject for her, especially since midterms were steadily creeping up on them. It didn't help matters that Ichigo had started her homework later than usual, but he wasn't going to hold that against her. He smiled – that was just something Ichigo did. It was a bad habit, but any habit of hers, even if it was bad, wasn't even that bad to begin with.

"Masaya!"

Instantly, Masaya perked up, and sure enough here she came, charging down the sidewalk, a very harried but relieved look on her face. He turned to face her fully, his smile growing as she slowed down, stooping down to catch her breath.

"Good morning, Ichigo," he said calmly, placing a hand on her back to help steady her breathing. "I was starting to worry about you."

"Time…what time is it?" she started to ask, though her speech was impaired by her rapid breathing. As she stood upright, she took a deep, steadying breath to calm herself down. He, meanwhile, glanced at his clock. "It's about 7:50. Oh, but my watch is running a couple minutes fast, so…" Of course it really wasn't, but Ichigo seemed to be having a bad morning already, and he had no intention of making it any worse.

Instantly Ichigo bolted upright, blushing with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Masaya. You should've gone on ahead without me…"

"You don't have to apologize," Masaya said kindly, gently brushing Ichigo's frenzied bangs back into place. "I wouldn't have left even if you told me too." He gently took her face into his hands, igniting an even deeper blush from her cheeks. Goodness, she was just too adorable! "I value our morning time far too much to put attendance above it."

For a moment, Ichigo simply stood there, dazed and feeling strangely giddy hearing Masaya say exactly what she'd been thinking moments ago. But then another thought popped into her mind, and she stepped back, crossing her arms and pouting. "You and I both know that the day you have a watch that runs too fast is the day the world comes to an end."

Masaya just beamed back at her. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"I might not be as great at keeping time or doing math as you, but there's one thing I do know about." She smiled as she gently linked arms with Masaya, her fingers entwining with his. "And that's you." Oh God, that sounded so corny, Ichigo thought to herself, but Masaya didn't seem to mind. In fact, it made him blush just a tiny bit. Smiling up at him, she stood on tiptoe and gave him the tiniest of kisses on the cheek. "Good morning," she said belatedly, beaming with happiness.

Masaya smiled gently as he returned the kiss on her forehead. "Good morning again, my princess."


Daikan High School was located just a few blocks away from the junior high building, and in truth, many students saw it as an exact replica; built of the same material and having the exact same amount of floors and windows, one could have easily mistaken it on the outside for the middle school. The inside wasn't that much different either, bearing the exact number of classrooms, windows, and even teachers. However, on a plus side, the courtyard out front was definitely more welcoming and one of the most popular places to stay and chat. Lined with various bushes and trees, many of which were in bloom and glistening from the night's rain fall, it definitely gave off a more aesthetic feel. Several benches lined the rows of trees and flowers, now filled with students exchanging homework or just gossiping in general.

As Ichigo and Masaya entered the school grounds, a familiar voice called out to them. "Ichigo-san!"

Beaming, Ichigo turned from Masaya just as a beautiful young girl with flowing green hair approached them. "Retasu, good morning! Hey, you wore your hair down today!" Unlike Ichigo, who wore a typical knee-high skirt, Retasu had chosen to wear the longer, shin-length skirt for her uniform; coupled with a pair of shimmering grey tights, black ballet flats and her beautiful long hair, as well as her kind smile, her friend looked very pretty today.

"Good morning, you two," Retasu said politely as she bowed, and Masaya mimicked the gesture as well.

"You look very nice with your hair tied back like that," Masaya said with a warm smile.

"T-thank you," Retasu blushed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and averting her blue eyes to the ground. "S-so! How are you two this morning?" she said, quick to divert the attention away from herself as they made their way towards the front foyer and the locker room. Once there, they were joined once more by a curly-haired blonde and a short-haired brunette, who giggled as they bowed to the three.

"I have to get going," Masaya said as he turned to Ichigo. "There's a short team meeting before homeroom starts."

"Alright. So, I'll see you in class later?"

"Mm-hm," Masaya nodded. Then, quite unexpectedly, he leaned forward, brushed the bangs from Ichigo's forehead, and pressed a very tender kiss to it. Instantly, Ichigo's face ignited in a fierce blush, and behind her, she could hear Moe and Miwa giggling ecstatically, while Retasu simply blushed and smiled. Smiling warmly, Masaya gave Ichigo's hand a gentle squeeze before turning to leave, waving good-bye. "See you later." Ichigo's heart gave the tiniest flutter as she returned the wave, feeling as though she were the luckiest girl on Earth.


"Well, it seems you two were in a very good mood this morning," Miwa said as the girls entered their first period classroom. She sighed, her eyes dreamy. "You're so lucky. If only I had a boyfriend just like Masaya, so kind and sweet like he is."

Ichigo's blush, which had just recently faded, reappeared as she recalled the morning's events. "You think so?" she asked as her cheeks glowed softly.

"You've certainly become a lot bolder around Masaya around other people," Moe said, a sly smile crossing her face as she sat down directly on Ichigo's desk. "If you keep this up, even I won't be able to top you as Daikan High School's biggest flirt," she teased, prodding her friend in the nose.

Ichigo frowned. "I am not a flirt!" she pouted as she batted Moe's finger away. "And it wasn't like that at all."

"Oh come on," Moe gave her a hard nudge in the shoulder, a wicked grin expanding on her face. "We all saw what you did back there. It was all, like…" She turned to Miwa and grappled the girl around the waist, donning a dopey expression and raising her voice to an alarmingly high octave as she propped her head against her friend's shoulder. "Oh Masaya, you're so wonderful! Oh Masaya, I love you so much! I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend just like you who kisses me in public and doesn't care how late I am for everything!"

Ichigo blushed furiously as a couple of students looked up from their seats to watch the scene. Thrilled at the attention she was getting, Moe quickly gave a twirl as Miwa dropped the girl in a tango-esque pose. The blonde flung her hand back and gave a very loud romantic sigh. "'Oh, sweep me off my feet, Masaya!'"

Ichigo shot a dark look at her friends, who were now beside themselves with laughter. "Ha ha. Very funny, you two."

Moe wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling to herself. "Oh, lighten up a little, Ichigo. We're just teasing you." Miwa nodded, still giggling. "Though you have to admit it, I think I got your voice right on the mark," Moe continued, causing both to burst into another fit of giggles.

Ichigo turned her back to her friend, crossing her arms. "Fine, then. I guess you can forget about borrowing my English homework then, Moe." The smiles vanished instantly from Moe's face.

"You wouldn't. No way. Don't even joke about stuff like that."

"You tease me like that and expect me to lend you my homework?" Ichigo turned away. "Forget i-whoah!" She was cut off when the blonde girl grappled her arms around Ichigo's neck, causing the girl to gasp for air. "J-Jeez, Moe!" she gasped.

"Come on, Ichigo! Have mercy on me!" Moe pleaded, pouting. "I had to baby-sit for an hour and a half last night! I didn't have time to do the assignment, and Moriko-sensei will totally kill me if I don't turn it in! You know how she is about that whole 'three-strikes' policy!"

"Poor baby," Ichigo stated flatly, mimicking the voice Moe used to tease her. "Maybe if you hadn't gotten two out of three strikes already for texting in class, you would be in this mess."

"I've learned my lesson!" she whined loudly as she began to swing her arms around frantically. She seemed to forget that they were still attached to Ichigo, who flailed helplessly in her friend's vice-like grip. "As your oldest and dearest friend, fellow classmate, and not to mention the number one supporter of your relationship with Masaya - despite the fact he's somewhat too good for you – you've got to help me in my time of need!"

"Get off me!" Ichigo wailed as she gasped for air. "You're gonna knock my head off! Okay, okay, I'll give it to you! Just let me go!"

Off to the side, Retasu and Miwa simply watched the spectacle unfold before them, embarrassed smiles on their faces. "Some things never change, huh?" Retasu said as she adjusted her glasses.

"You can say that again." Miwa nodded as a bedraggled Ichigo finally managed to pry herself free from Moe. A playful grin spread across her friend's face as she triumphantly waved her precious, crumpled plunder in the air.

"Ah, sweet victory. Pouting always works," she sang happily as she bounded off towards her desk in the back of the classroom, waving her loot in the air. "I owe you one, Ichigo!"

"Doing your own homework for once might help, too!" Ichigo wheezed after her as she rubbed her sore neck, sighing, "And she's never once paid me back, not since middle school. Geez," she groaned, leaning back in her seat, "doesn't she ever learn?"

"Apparently not," Retasu shook her head, smiling. "She needed to copy my math homework two days in a row last week."

"That's Moe for you – same procrastinator as always," Miwa said with a giggle as the first bell sounded off. "Oh wow, it's already time for class, and I need to finish my homework. Don't worry, I won't copy yours," Miwa said quickly as Ichigo gave her a questioning look. "Talk to you later!" she said as she hurried towards her seat, followed by Retasu.

"See you at break, Ichigo-san," Retasu said politely as she walked away.

"Yup!" Ichigo nodded as several late stragglers quickly filed into the room, including Masaya. He immediately slid into his seat near the front of the room, but not before giving Ichigo a kind smile and a gentle wave. Ichigo returned the gesture, a warm smile tugging at her lips, just as the teacher, a stern looking woman with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, entered the room at a brisk pace.

"Alright class, to your seats, or else I mark you absent. Take out your books and homework while I take attendance.

Quickly the sounds of papers shuffling and desks opening filled the room as Ichigo settled herself down for the day, taking out her own textbook. She hoped that Moe didn't have much to copy, or else she would get in trouble herself for not having her homework with her – but there were worse things that could happen, she supposed. Despite this morning's late start, Ichigo felt herself in a very good mood, thanks entirely to Masaya. She smiled to herself as she opened the textbook to the page written on the board; chances were very good that the rest of the day would proceed just as nicely.

"Momomiya?"

"Here!"


Elsewhere, darker plans for the day were also promising to proceed smoothly.

"You summoned us, Duchess-sama?"

The tall, dark-haired woman turned towards the entrance of the dimly lit room, where her four young servants had assembled quickly and quietly. A small smile graced her lips; it was absolutely wonderful to have followers who were so efficient.

"I want you all to take a look at this," the dark-haired woman said, her fingers snapping sharply. The massive computer screen behind her sprung back to life, it's screen already filled from corner to corner with various windows. Each one depicted a rather strange scene; one was of a city encapsulated within a massive, murky dome; another of a bustling harbor plagued by severe red tide. Yet another portrayed a massive sports dome surrounded on all sides by crippling fissures, while others boasted a photographs of the infamous Tokyo Tower, enshrouded by a pale, purple haze. One particular photograph of the tower instantly captured everyone's attention; one where, at the very top of the tower, a massive, winged creature was emerging from the haze, it's horrific fangs bared to the world.

"Two years ago," the head continued as her colleagues looked on, "various sectors of the Minato-ward of Tokyo, Japan, fell victim to a series of unnatural phenomena concerning the area's environment, including sudden blooms of red tide, toxic particles contaminating the air, and sudden earthquakes. According to the newsreels, at the time, all attacks occurred without warning and possessed the potential to accelerate into catastrophic situations, with the envelopment of Tokyo in a strange, unbreakable dome being the worst of them. The strangest thing is, no one knew what to make of it – not even the world's top scientists could make a justifiable claim as to why these disasters occurred…plenty of speculation, yet no firmly grounded belief. However, according to various articles and reports since then, many speculate that aliens were behind the attacks."

"Aliens?" a haughty voice said suddenly, earning dark looks from his colleagues. "Please. Sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi movie…er, if I may," he added when he felt his mistress' stare.

"It does seem very unlikely," another voice, nonchalant and lazy, nodded, "The whole scenario seems rather…peculiar, to say the least."

"What if I were to tell you that this theory was true?"

Four pairs of eyes widened, curious, before casting each other incredulous looks. Duchess smirked, waving her hand dismissively over the computer screen, shutting it off. She then strode to the center of the room, to a small table covered in a thick tablecloth. "I was once like you, my sweet Crusaders. I, too, once deemed the concept of aliens unbelievable…until I happened to find this," she finished, and with a flourish, yanked the cloth away from the table. "Behold."

All eyes fell upon the table as the cloth fell away, revealing a large, glass pyramid set on the tabletop. Another snap of Duchess' fingers, and a light within the pyramid lit up, illuminating the contents of the case and brightening the room considerably.

For a moment, the four servants stared at it, their expressions blank and their eyes wide in disbelief. At last, the tallest of the group spoke.

"Is that a…an alien?"

Trapped beneath the pyramid of glass was a creature unlike anything the men had ever seen. At a casual glance, it resembled nothing more than a common jellyfish, but further examination revealed anything but. Whereas all earthly jellyfish required water to survive, this one was contained within a bone-dry container, and what's more, was hovering. Its round, translucent body was tinted a sickly shade of green, illuminated by an unearthly orange hue that pulsated throughout the creature. Strange, tentacle-like appendages extended from the apex of its head and billowed around its tiny frame as it maneuvered the tiny space within its glass prison, bumping into the walls as it attempted to find an escape route, a pair of menacing pincers gnashing furiously.

"This is not an alien, but a creature designed by one," the woman explained, coming to stand beside the glass pyramid. "Two years ago, the alien forces plaguing the planet Earth retreated, leaving these creatures behind. Lacking basic digestive, central nervous, respiratory, or circulatory systems, and being small, defenseless, and otherwise powerless, they cannot survive on Earth alone for very long."

"This tiny thing caused all of that damage?" the haughtier voice objected, still disbelieving. "If it can't survive on its own, how the-"

"You did not let me finish," the woman said curtly, silencing her young follower. "As I was saying, they cannot function well on their own and quickly perish. However," the woman's crimson eyes narrowed deviously, "being parasitic in nature, they thrive exceedingly well within the comforts of a living host."

"What do you mean?" the fourth and final member of the quartet, a child, questioned. Duchess smiled darkly at her young protégé, before reaching underneath the table to withdraw a small, wrought-iron birdcage. Inside the cage tweeted a small, brightly colored bird.

"If you please," she said, gesturing towards the glass pyramid. The tallest in the group quickly rose and hurried to the table and, at his lady's command, carefully lifted the case from the table and followed her towards the back of the room. Snapping her fingers once more, a large pair of curtains in the back of the room parted, revealing a massive birdcage very similar to the one in her hands now. Still smiling to herself, she stepped inside the large cage, set the bird cage on the metal floor, and quickly exited, rejoining her follower outside.

"Set it free," she commanded, pointing towards the alien, "After all, it needs a host to survive."

Despite the strange looks the two of them received from the others in the room, he complied, gingerly lifting the lid off the glass. No sooner had the alien been set free, it instantly flew from its prison towards the inside of the larger cage, straight towards the bird inside, and in an instant, seized the tiny bird in its hideous tentacles. With a terrified screech, the bird attempted to escape, its wings fluttering pitifully as the alien latched itself to the frightened animal as it slowly enveloped it. With a horrific squelch, the parasite suddenly slipped inside of the bird, the orange glow emitting from its body vanishing as it disappeared, the bird collapsing from exhaustion.

For a moment, nothing happened. The three remaining men slowly approached the cage, eying the bird wearily and wondering if the alien hadn't killed it by mistake. It certainly looked dead. Then, suddenly, the bird's body contorted horribly as a hideous orange aura surrounded it. With an unearthly screech, the bird's body began to transform, and as the men in the room backed away in shock, it began to grow, smashing through the small cage effortlessly, It continued to grow, its legs lengthening and growing hideous scales. Its once adorable, feathery head began to transform, elongating into a grotesque snout complete with horrendous fangs. Its tail, now long and very reptilian-like in appearance, lashed furiously from side to side as the monster finally ceased transforming, letting out a bloodcurdling screech as it slammed against the walls of its prison.

"Behold the chimera anima," Duchess said, turning back towards her followers, who starred at the newly formed beast in a mixture of fascination and terror. "Alone, the alien is powerless. But, fused with another thriving organism, such as this bird, it becomes a creature of terrifying power and a true force to be reckoned with." As if to illustrate her point, the monster gave another earsplitting shriek.

"Incredible," the tallest in the group murmured. Beside him, the stubborn doubter shook his head in disbelief, chuckling.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself."

"This is how we shall weed out the impurities," Duchess continued briskly, snapping her fingers and concealing the massive cage and chimera anima behind the large curtains once more, despite its continuous shrieks. "Just imagine, my dear, sweet Crusaders; if we can harness the power of these creatures, seeking out and destroying the impurities within our garden will be bit a menial labor. The gardens of Shangri-la will flourish in no time.

"That is where you come in, my dear children," Duchess said warmly, reaching within her sleeve to withdraw a large, glossy print. With a flick of her wrists, she tossed the photograph to the eldest man. As the three others crowded around to catch a glimpse of the photograph, she continued, saying, "This young man has recently made quite a bit of a stir in the scientific community. He's researching a strange aspect of the field, providing outstanding findings on the disasters in Tokyo I mentioned before…as well as the appearance of unidentified, mysterious animals."

"Chimera anima," the tall man said, lifting his gaze towards his mistress. "What would you have me do, my lady?"

"I want you to investigate into the matter. He is hosting a seminar somewhere in the United States. I want you to attend this seminar; if my hunch is correct, then soon, we shall have everything we need to begin our renaissance."

"Leave everything to me, my Duchess," the tall man said, swooping in a flourishing bow. Mere seconds later, he had disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a faint purple haze and the photograph he'd been holding floating towards the floor. Catching the photograph, Duchess turned it over in her hands, smiling evilly at the young face looking up towards her.

"What a pity, You shall be a great assistance to us, and yet you haven't even the slightest clue…Ryou Shirogane…"


A/N: I decided to mix things up a bit with the introduction of the Crusaders. As much as I loved the original, I decided that there needed to be something to explain why the Crusaders knew about the aliens and the chimera anima, and to keep the action moving, I had them hatch this evil little plot.

I'll probably incorporate the original intro to the four crusaders somewhere in the future, but for now, this one fits better. Hopefully you guys will think so as well. :3

Also, because I elaborated on this before: the original Tokyo Mew Mew series ran from 2000-2002 in Nakayoshi magazine. That's what I consider to be the timeframe for the events in that series. So, since it's two years later, this story takes place around 2004. I think in the original draft of this, I said it was 2005, but that was incorrect. My bad. ^^;

Thanks for reading the new chapter 1! As always, comments, reviews and critiques are appreciated!