Disclaimer: I don't know you! ... I mean... I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew! xD
Author's Notes:
Half of this was written at least 6 months ago, I swear. xD I was going through my stories and I decided to finish this. :3 Who knows when the final chapter will be out.
P.S. sorry for the story being so rushed. D:
She was a smart girl. She thought things through, decided what she was going to do, and how she was going to do it… she was smart enough to have figured out that suicide wouldn't do her any good… right?
Pai himself was beginning to doubt this as he opened up the map once again, the crinkling of the paper like music to his ears. Really annoying, repetitive music that made you want to whip out a machine gun on your stereo, that is. He could feel the eyes of the people in the station on his back, their little brains thinking that they could burn holes into the back of his head with their laser vision. Fwuaaaaahhh… I'ma chargin' mah lazarzzz…
Sometimes, Pai wanted to pull out the stereo demolishing machinegun and use it on himself. He crossed off Motobu on the map with a sharpie. Perhaps the fragrant, brain killing fumes were the cause for his bizarre thoughts… one of those bizarre thoughts including an image of Retasu sitting seductively, rubbing chocolate on her naked body. He slammed his head into the wall in front of him, attracting the attention of the people that weren't already staring at him with their beady little laser beam eyes.
Then again, it's not everyday that you see a weirdo with huge pointy ears, weird hair and a trench coat slam his head into the wall, trying to get some perverted picture out of his head. Pai stood up straight again, his face bright red, and attempted to regain his composure. He cleared his throat and looked towards some six year old looking girl who was staring at him. He looked back at her blankly for a minute before speaking. "What are you looking at?" He asked as the girl blinked.
"You look like the man from Onee-chan's stories." She said as Pai blinked too. "Your 'Onee-chan' must tell some pretty scary stories." He muttered as he returned to his map reading. The girl blinked again. "Not really. They're really interesting, actually. And besides, I don't think that you're the kind of guy that you'd find in a scary story." Cute. Pai turned to her again, his face blank. "Uh-huh…"
"They're mostly about this other guy and four other girls, though." The girl crossed her arms, bearing uncanny resemblance to Pai… well… eighteen years ago, maybe. Pai turned back to his map, tracing his finger upwards from Motobu. It wasn't the first time that a kid had come up and started talking to him, despite the protests of their parents. Of course, they were usually scared shitless at this point, due to the fact that Pai would scowl at them in a fashion that made him look like a serial killer, and/or a rapist.
"She liked one of the guys a lot… apparently he was her boyfriend." She said as Pai let out an exasperated sigh. "Listen, kid, is there something even remotely important in what you're telling me, or can you just piss off now?" He growled as the girl drew back slightly. "Calm down, mister. I'm not giving you any trouble." She spat back as Pai rolled his eyes. You might not be giving yourself any trouble…
"Could you please just run off to your parents? I haven't exactly had the best five years." He growled as the girl blinked. "Wow… that's a long time to be sad." Okay, now this kid was pissing him off. He gave her the look. She understood it and ran off towards a thirty-something woman. Pai sighed and turned back to the map, trying to find some place that he hadn't squeezed every last drop of Retasu out of.
Then, he saw it. My god, it was so tiny. Pai stared at the small island north of Motobu. He read the word next to it. 'Namika'. Hmmm… since it wasn't scribbled out with black, he decided that this 'Namika' would be his next stop. He folded up the map again and walked over to the ticket master. The older chap who sat on the other side of the glass stared at Pai curiously.
Clearly his black turtleneck, knee-high brown boots, black pants and trench coat were suspicious looking. As if his natural features weren't bad enough, he had to go running around in emo-human clothes. Oh well. "One way trip to Namika, please." He said as the ticket master smiled. "Alrighty! Would you like a map of the island as well?" He asked as Pai raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I would. Thank you." He forked over the cash as the man gave him the ticket and map in exchange.
Pai then proceeded to walk towards the platform, his boots squeaking on the floor. Freshly cleaned… Nice… He groaned when he saw the annoyingly cute little girl standing, waiting for the train, the same fucking train that he was going to catch. He frowned and leaned against a pillar, his arms crossed. His stomach growled. The little girl giggled. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a blush lighting up his face. He had forgotten to eat again today. And yesterday. And the day before that.
Pai hated himself sometimes. He blinked, staring at the pillar across from him, a thought suddenly occurring to him. If he hadn't gone looking for Retasu, he would probably be lounging about with some of his friends. Whether it would have been on Earth or the planet that his ancestors had run off to, he didn't know. Although… it was more likely that it would be the newer planet, wasn't it? He blinked again, listening to the train pull up.
Why was he even looking for Retasu? Why should he even care? Pai handed the ticket to one of the train operators and boarded following the girl and her mother. Upon boarding the train, he noticed that the only free seats were across from the girl. He scanned the cab again in desperation, only to find that they were, in fact, the last seats. Sighing, he slumped down into the aisle seat, the frown on his face more prominent then usual.
"Ah! Mister! You're going to Tokaimoya as well?" The girl asked cheerily as Pai blinked. "What the heck is a Tokaimoya?" He asked as the girl giggled. "It's the first stop on the island, and the last stop on the line." She responded as he cursed to himself. "There's only one stop on the island?" He groaned as she smiled brightly. "Yep!" He wished that there was a wall in front of him so that he could ram his head into it several times.
"Are you okay?" Pai realized that he must have been making a bizarre face, because the girl was looking at him like he was nuts. "Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm fine." He lied as the girl's guardian turned to look at him. "May I ask what business you have in Tokaimoya?" She asked as Pai turned to her. My, she had a pretty voice. "I'm looking for someone." He said as she smiled. "A runaway?"
Pai turned to look out the window as the train started to move. "Yeah…" He said softly as the little girl perked up. "Your girlfriend?" She asked as Pai whipped around to face her, his face bright red. "She's not my girlfriend!" He growled as the girl giggled. "I can tell that you're lying." She said in a sing-song-ish manner which caused Pai to want to strangle her.
The woman smiled as she turned to watch the scenery. After a moment, she turned back to the little girl. "Any girls that you think could be his runaway, Umeko?" She asked as Umeko crossed her arms again. "Maybe Onee-chan?" She pondered as the woman raised her eyebrows. "Oh? You think she might be the one?" Umeko nodded in reply. "He looks like the man in her stories." She said as the woman turned to eye Pai.
"Hey, he kind of does, doesn't he?" She said as he shifted uncomfortably. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Amaya, and I think you already know Umeko." Amaya said as Umeko grinned from ear to ear. He nodded slightly before glancing out the window. "Do you live in this 'Tokaimoya' place?" He asked as Amaya also glanced out the window as well.
"Yes, we do." She replied, brushing her long hair out of her face. Pai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He would have wanted to ask her to marry him right then and there if she didn't already have a ring on her finger… and a kid. Besides, he wasn't into older women. He quickly looked back out the window as she turned to him. "How about you?" She asked. Pai wasn't quite sure what to say.
Well, I was born and raised a couple galaxies away, then when I came to Earth six years ago, I was chillin' in a different dimension above Tokyo for a little bit, then one of the girls who I was fighting against, ran away, so I've been moving around Japan for a while now. If he said that, she would surely think he was nuts. He didn't want her to think that he was crazy, but he also didn't want to lie to her, so he simply grunted "It's confidential" and stared at the floor.
She frowned slightly and shifted her gaze back out the window. "You're not human, are you?" Oh shit. Pai had almost forgotten that since she looked at him like he didn't have huge ears. There was a moment of silence in which Umeko stared at him, her jaw hanging wide open. "I'm not." He replied blankly as Amaya smiled slightly. "I figured." She turned to face him again.
"You're one of the fellows who were fighting the mews, right?" He whipped around to face her, his eyes wide. Could she see into his very soul? He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes again. "Yes, I am one of the 'aliens' that was perpetrating the attack on Earth." He said as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I thought you were a cosplayer!" Umeko squealed as Pai and Amaya both looked at her with the same slightly disdainful look.
She shrunk back slightly as the woman looked back to Pai, her expression unreadable. "Most people would probably shun you at this point, huh?" She said as he slowly met her gaze. "Yeah…" He murmured as he looked out the window again. She smiled at him softly as she folded her hands across her lap, her eyes tracing the outline of his ears. "You didn't really enjoy being part of the attack, did you?"
Suddenly, he felt compelled to pour out all his emotions to her, regardless of the fact that he hardly knew her. "In the beginning, I did… but after I met her…" A tint of pink spread over his cheeks as the words slipped out. "I don't know… she was just so warm and kind… like… like…" He rolled his eyes at what he was about to say. "Like a light in the dark." He growled as Umeko giggled at his cliché response.
"I know, I know." He snapped at he looked out the window again. "You must love her a lot to go searching for her." Amaya said warmly as Pai frowned slightly. "I honesty don't know if I do or not." She looked out the window as well, sensing that he wanted to end the conversation there. The rest of the train ride was silent, Umeko dozing off halfway through.
It was near sunset when the train pulled into the station, although you could hardly tell. Pai immediately understood why this place was called Tokaimoya. The fog was so thick; he couldn't see the other end of the train. Fog Town. As he stepped off the train, into the fog, he inhaled deeply. His heart began to hammer against his chest. She was here. The words sounded creepy in his head as he realized why he knew.
He could smell her.
It was a gentle smell, almost unnoticeable here in this thick fog. He still couldn't put his finger on what she smelled like, but it was a scent he would have recognized anywhere. His fingers were quivering. It might have been because of the hunger that banged against his sides, making him want to cave in on himself, but he insisted to himself that it was because she was here, within reach. Amaya stepped off the train, Umeko following behind her, and stopped beside Pai. She leaned forward slightly to get a look at his face.
"Are you alright?" She asked quietly as Pai whipped around to face her, his eyes wild. Surely she saw him as more of a madman now. "She's here." He managed to choke out as he faced forward again, clenching his fists. Amaya's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" She asked as Umeko looked curiously at the two. He slowly nodded, his eyes staring through the fog. Then, without warning, he bolted from the spot where he stood, running though the gates and into the town.
He continued to run though the streets, his boots splashing in the puddles in the brick road. The few people lingering in the street watched him as his eyes glanced wildly around the building that sped past him. Suddenly, he stopped. Her scent was stronger here… more… fresh. He shut his eyes, inhaling, trying to find where it came from. Slowly, he turned to his left and began walking, his eyes still closed.
She was here… she was here… it had taken him years to find her, repeatedly searching all of Japan's regions, and here she was on this little island that almost magically appeared on the map. He made a right, not tripping even slightly despite his lack of visuals. Why, why did he spend such a long time searching for her? Why didn't he stop searching, believing that she was dead?
All thoughts slipped from his mind as he stopped at the edge of the sand, seeing the bright orange of the sunset through his eyelids. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing it there… the figure standing in the only area of Tokaimoya that didn't seem to be shrouded by the fog. He broke into a run again as he saw her there, her name trying to escape from his lips. "Midorika-" He nearly choked on the name. "Retasu!" He managed to yell, causing her to whip around and stare at him.
"Pai-san?" She called back, turning to face him. The smile that had lit up his face suddenly vanished as he saw the other figure that stood with her. He staggered in the sand as everything suddenly became blurry. He knew that he was fainting, but he wasn't sure if it was the hunger finally taking its toll, or if it was the sight of the child who looked exactly like Retasu.
It might have been both.
