Alright! Next chapter! Disclaimer that I'm too lazy to bother with and yet here I am bothering with it- I don't own anything at all. Not even croissant, who I can't help but drag into every mew mew fanficiton I write. I miss mango… yeah sorry. don't even try to make sense of it. 'cept dianna, who should get it.

(happy birthday)

yeah I know I already pointed that out. Still.

GO!

"Pudding's been KIDNAPPED!!!?" Ryou exclaimed, when Mint and Ichigo came bursting through the café doors with Masaya.

"Yes, so can you find the aliens' base, please?" Panted Ichigo.

"No."

"WHY NOT!!!"

"The computer's down and keiichiro is busy and can't help me reconnect." Ryou said calmly.

"Why do you need help? You're a genius, remember?" Ichigo stormed.

"I'm glad you finally realize this, but Pudding's got tart there, remember? And if I know tart, he won't let anything happen to pudding. Just wait until the aliens tire of her antics."

Ichigo almost punched him, but knew that would only lead to missing him and humiliation.

Then she punched him anyway. She missed, and Mint laughed at her. How humiliating.

Ryou pushed them both out the door. "Go find her manually," He sighed.

"Tart!!!" Pudding called from inside the cage. "Tart!!!"

Tart sat in the chair he had earlier been hiding behind, ignoring her determinedly. He had been mocked long and loud for sharing a sandwich with Pudding. He would not give the others more reason to laugh, no he wouldn't.

"Taaaaaartaaaaaaar!!!!!"

"Ignore her." Tart muttered to himself.

"Taaaarutaaaaaaaaaaaru!!!!!"

"Don't listen."

"Tart! Tart! Tart-tart-tart-tart-tart-TARTAR!!!!!"

"WHADDAYA WANT!!!!!" Tart yelled irritably.

"Come play with me!!" Pudding squealed.

"No!"

"But friends play with each other, tar-tar!!!"

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!!!"

"What?" Pudding stared at him, shocked. Not friends? She thought they'd always been friends. Tart was her friend…right?

"We're. Not. Friends." Repeated Tart, scowling at her.

Pudding stared at him with her big, playful eyes, now sad and disbelieving. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty. He shifted slightly, trying to look away from her doleful eyes. "Not… friends." He said, this time less confidently.

"But… we're still friends, aren't we?" Pudding said.

"NO!" tart roared. "We were never friends!!!!"

Pudding looked stricken. "Oh." She said, and turned slowly away from him. Croissant was right there, as she turned.

"What, so you're going to let him walk away?" Croissant frowned. Tart was stupid.

Pudding looked at her and nodded.

"But- but that's so stupid!!! You guys were friends!!!!" Croissant scolded.

"Tar-ta…Tart says we weren't." Pudding sniffed.

"You're not going to cry about it, are you?"

"No." pudding wiped her nose briefly. "I can't cry. Tart spent so long trying to make me cry, it would be shameful if I cried now." She stared at Croissant determinedly, but croissant saw the beginning of a tear in the corner of her eye.

"M-Kay." Croissant said, frowning again. "Don't talk then. Talking makes it harder to keep from crying." She untangled herself from sitting cross-legged in the air, and transported out of Pudding's cage.

Pudding knew she was sad. And she knew she would cry if she didn't calm down. So she stayed turned away from tart, and took 8 deep breaths. With each one, she recited haikus her little brothers had written for school assignment, learning syllables. (Each of the four had written two. That equals eight! 3)

Homework is boring.

But I must do it because

My sister tells me.

This was her favorite. He had written that because she had sat there watching to make sure he did it. She missed her brothers. And her sister.

Who would take care of them while she was gone?

"Tart!" Called pudding, her voice severe.

Tart jumped. He had been in the middle of wondering whether to apologize, and Pudding sounded far from herself. Was she going to yell at him for being mean?

"Yes?" he called back nervously.

"Will you look after my siblings?"

"What?" Tart exclaimed. "They're your brats, you look after them!!!"

"In case you haven't notice, I'm in a CAGE!!!" Pudding yelled.

"Cause you're an ANIMAL!!!!" Tart yelled back.

"Well even animals have maternal instincts, go take care of my siblings!!!" pouted Pudding.

Tart stuck out his tongue and turned away. Pudding's face dropped and she started wondering what to do.

"Don't worry, Pudding. I'll go take care of your siblings." Croissant said, suddenly back in the cage.

"Thanks!" Pudding smiled.

"So… how many of the little rugrats are there?" Croissant asked.

"Five!" Pudding exclaimed. "The littlest one's name is Heicha, and her brothers are Lucha, Honacha, Honcha and Chancha!"

"What have I gotten myself into…" Moaned Croissant to herself as Pudding went off explaining their likes and dislikes.

"Listen up!" Croissant paced back and forth across Pudding's living room rug. "I'm croissant. I'm going to be taking care of you for a while, because your sister in busy!"

"Pudding didn't tell us she'd be going away."

"She probably didn't know, Lucha."

"Shut up, Chancha!"

Chancha stuck out his tongue.

Lucha shoved him.

"Stop it!" Croissant yelled.

All five kids stood at attention.

"I'm gonna say this one more time! Your sister is unable to reach you! I have been GRACIOUS enough to look after you itty-bitty rugrats!!! Be GRATEFUL!!!!" Croissant steamed.

"…'Kay…" Heicha squeaked.

Croissant looked down at the five shivering children, staring up at her in fear.

Croissant sighed. Stupid kids. They were always so… dang… CUTE!!!! Croissant ground her teeth and rolled her eyes.

"What do you want for dinner?" she asked, attempting a smile.

All five of the monkeys loosened up instantly.

"Ramen!"

"Curry!"

"Sushi!"

"Eeeew! That's raw fish!!!"

"Yeah, but it's raw fish with rice!!!"

"Sooooooo?"

"I want baked fish!!!"

"But there's no ketchup!!!"

"Yes there is, go look again!"

"Nooooo!!!"

"Yes!" Croissant finalized. "I'm making baked fish!"

"Aww…" Lucha cried softly.

"Okay!!!" exclaimed the other four excitedly.

"Where's the kitchen!" Croissant smiled confidently. Baked fish were a piece of cake. She had lived on earth for a good while, a couple years, during the aliens/mew mew feud. She had become quite an excellent cook. She had, as well, excelled in the areas of judo, karate, and knitting. She could knit a mean scarf.

The mini-monkeys led croissant to the kitchen, none seeming scared at the fact that she floated in the air.

"Here's the kitchen, lady!" Honacha tugged croissant's long hair.

"Ow!" yipped croissant.

Chancha giggled. He reached up and grabbed a stray ribbon.

YANK.

"AAAIIIEEE!!" yelped croissant. Those twerps had strong grips!

Dinner was delayed another half hour as pudding's siblings amused themselves by contentedly yanking at every part of croissant they could reach.

"Enough!" Croissant yelled. She was floating right under the ceiling, and the little brats were climbing furniture. "No climbing on furniture!!!"

"No floating!" Honcha pouted. "That's cheating!!!"

"This ISN'T a GAME!!!" roared croissant. "That HURTS!!!"

The kids stopped climbing furniture.

"Sorry, lady!" little Heicha waved from the floor, looking up. "We won't hurt you any more."

Croissant sighed.

Pudding sighed. She was sooooooooooo bored. She let her eyes wander aimlessly across her unusual surroundings. There was Kish, lying on his alien bed, staring blankly into space. There was pie, reading a human novel he had picked up for fun. War And Peace. There was Tar-tar, staring fixedly at his potted cactus (he picked it up on earth because he liked how prickly it was ) and trying his hardest not to look at pudding. Tar-tar. Pudding couldn't help thinking his name like that; he had been her friend for so long.

No. Tart hadn't ever been her friend. He said that. He had said that…

What kind of friend would say that?

Tart wasn't her friend. Was that it? Was he really not?

Pudding didn't quite believe it. Tart had to be her friend.

Memories started playing through her head. The first time she had seen tart, investigating the giant cocoon. What was the first thing he had said to her? Oh. He had said, 'me? Joke? Sorry sweetie, but you're the joke today.' He had looked cute with a knife clenched between his teeth. (Yes. I looked this up. It's in the third book, pg. 125)

Then, that time he had captured her. Had she imagined Tart saving her? She remembered all the fun she had had that day. She had gotten her mew aqua, too. Tart had not been her friend that day, he said. But then why had he been so nice to her.

Pudding settled down in her cage, wallowing in confusion and remorse.

Wow. Pudding is depressed? That doesn't make sense. Something's not right. I swear I'll post the next one now so I don't keep pudding so sad. I hate pudding being sad…when my friends and I go by mew mew aliases, I am pudding, so that's why I use her to much. She's my favorite. (na no da)

Lol minto-chaaaaaaaaan- CONDO? TO SAFEWAY! (big. Fat. Inside joke. Please excuse it.)

Anyhow, I hope you like it. yup, onward.