Thanks everyone who reviewed! It's been quite a while since I actually got many reviews (seeing as I didn't update in, like, forever) so I was really happy! And I will now begin my resolution and WRITE!! Yay!...And now I have to do revision…great. I have exams for the next two weeks starting from the 7th, but I'll update when I can - I'll at least try and get a chapter up every two weeks or so (have no idea how long that will keep up). So I'm going to start...NOW!
Ruby: She doesn't own Tokyo Mew Mew, blah, blah, blah. How many times do I have to keep saying that? …What? No answer? Hey! Talk to me! Fine, just type then.
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Chapter 4
To Lie or Not To Lie?
"Part monkey?"
Oh no! What have I said?! What do I do? The longer I stall the more she won't believe me when I do come up with something! Think, Ichi, think!!
Her efforts were futile, Ichigo had always found it hard to lie, even harder to think up reasonable excuses and it was even more difficult when she was being pressured. She racked her brains, every inch of her knowledge but it all summed up to the same thing. Nothing.
And in the end, that's exactly what she chose to say.
"Nothing. You must be hearing things," Ichigo giggled nervously, scratching the back of her head as she attempted to throw her sister off her suspicions.
"Really?" Kiichigo asked with a tone that sounded to Ichigo like she was going to give up. As if. But Ichigo didn't realise this, and continued to deny ever having said those two words.
"Are you sure, Ichi?" she questioned.
"Yes, yes, I'm - um, what's that word again, oh yeah - positive."
"Well, I'm positive you said 'That's what you get for letting a girl who's part monkey…" she trailed off, letting it click in Ichigo's head that she knew exactly what had been said and there was no use in trying to lie her way out of it. "Going to explain?" Kiichigo asked expectantly.
"Well, um, you see…Oh, look, I think they need my help over there!" And with that she took off, running towards her friends who were on the other side of the café.
Reaching them, she immediately grabbed Ryou's shirt and tugged him away from the commotion. He raised his eyebrow in silent question to what she was doing, which she returned with a glare urging him to just follow her. Of course, when it was Ichigo, Ryou wouldn't let it go like that.
"Strawberry, what do you think your doing?" he asked, slapping her hand away from his chest seeing as that was where she held him (well, he never wears shirts with sleeves, now does he?). However, she was persistent, latching her hand back onto him and dragging him in the direction of the basement. The only things the two ever discussed down there was The Mew Project, so, figuring it might be important, Ryou swatted at her hand again, but this time caught it and lead her down to the lab instead. Though he wasn't going to let his question go unanswered.
"You still haven't told me: what do you want?" he probed.
"Shh, I'll tell you when we get there," she replied in a whisper, shooting a nervous glance at her twin. She was still in the same spot, but her head was turned at an angle that allowed her to see what the two were doing, but without them knowing.
Trooping down the stairs, Ichigo found herself having second thoughts about telling Shirogane about what Kiichigo had discovered. It hadn't occurred to her before, but as they walked, she realised that he was probably going to be really angry about her slip up. However, it was only a slip of the tongue, surely he would forgive her for that, wouldn't he?
But as they reached the basement floor, Ichigo noticed his expression had taken on a one of seriousness. She bit her lip in anxiety, going over what she could say and the possible outcomes in her head. And as he took a seat, gesturing for her to do the same, she discovered nothing good was going to come out of any situation she had simulated. Glancing around quickly to check they hadn't been followed by her overly-curious red-headed twin, Ichigo sat down on the chair he had offered her. It was comfortable and soft, leading her to believe it was Keiichiro's. After all, there were only two chairs like this in the whole of the off-limits room, and Ryou was sitting in the other one.
"So, I'll repeat: What do you want?" He spoke slowly, as if she was stupid and incapable of understanding. But instead of the backlash and fierce retorts of "Don't do that! I'm not an idiot!" he had expected, he received silence and a rather worried look from the catgirl.
She took a deep breath before replying, "It kind of involves The Mew project and…my sister…"
Instantly Ryou's attention locked onto her completely. His gaze focused on her and for a moment their eyes met one another before Ichigo turned away.
She opened her mouth to speak, the blonde boy waiting intently for her explanation, but it never came. She shut her mouth, not knowing quite how to put it. She couldn't exactly come out and say that Kiichigo had become suspicious because she had let out that Purin was part monkey. Ichigo chewed on her lip, biting so hard on it that she managed to cause it to split and blood to well up in the cut.
Just as Ryou was about to ask her again, which he was getting quite sick of doing, she answered.
"IkindofletitslipthatPurin-chanwaspartmonkeybutIhonestlydidn'tmeanforKiichigotohearbutnowshe'ssuspiciousandkeepsaskingmewhyIsaidthatandthethingisIcan'treallylietoher--"
"Strawberry, slower. I can't understand you if you talk that fast," Ryou cut in.
She sighed and started again, "I kind of let it slip that Purin-chan was part monkey. But I honestly didn't intend for Kiichigo to hear. But now she's suspicious and keeps asking me why I said that and, the thing is, I really can't lie to her."
Ichigo's chocolate eyes once again locked with his cerulean ones. He was angry.
"I'm sorry --"
"How much does she know?" he asked sternly.
"Nothing more than that Purin-chan's part monkey, and I'm not even sure she completely knows that," she stated.
He sighed, "That's ok then. It won't be hard to get her to believe she isn't."
Ichigo let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She was relieved that he wasn't too mad at her. Sure, they got into fights and yelled at each other all of the time, but they were never, in Ichigo's opinion, truly angry at one another.
"So she doesn't know that you and the other girls are Mew Mews? And she doesn't know that Kish, Pai and Tart are aliens?" he questioned further, checking there wasn't anything else for him to be concerned about.
"Well, now I do."
Ichigo and Ryou's heads snapped round to face the door. And in it stood Kiichigo, smirking at the new knowledge she had gained.
"Nya, Ki!" Ichigo exclaimed, her eyes opening wide and staring at the girl. Ryou stared also, but his look was sourer, his own eyes narrowed into a glare.
"Why didn't anyone tell me before?" she asked innocently, though the smirk was still painted on her face.
"Because it's none of your business," Ryou retorted, his glare now shooting daggers at her.
"Ki, I can explain --"
"Strawberry," Ryou warned.
"But Shirogane, she's my sister," Ichigo whined.
He sighed. Ryou looked at Ichigo's pleading face - the one she sometimes used when she was after a raise - but for once he decided to admit defeat. Gesturing for her to tell her, he leant back in his chair and twisted in the other direction.
Kiichigo walked towards the two and stood in front of Ichigo, waiting impatiently for an answer.
Without turning back around, Ryou spoke one last time before allowing Ichigo to take over. "You can only tell her if she promises never to tell anyone else."
"Fine. I promise," Kiichigo stated, her fingers crossed behind her back…
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Silence. Not a word was uttered in the dark room. The only sound was the slight hum of the computer as it processed several files. The three occupants sat in an uncomfortable soundlessness, the tense atmosphere getting the better of the smallest girl. She perched on the edge of the chair she had been given, rubbing her arms awkwardly, trying desperately not to make eye contact with the other girl.
The girl in question was fuming. She glared at her sister, silently cursing in her mind. Her thoughts raced, thinking of every single thing she could use to get her own way. But like Ichigo, she couldn't find anything good enough. Everything that could be thought of could also be countered by the blonde, who was paying absolutely no attention to her whatsoever.
He ignored her selfish demands, instead opting to concentrate on research and scanning the city of Tokyo for any leftover threats. However, he knew Ichigo wouldn't be able to deal with her sister for much longer. Zakuro had warned him that something wasn't quite right about Kiichigo. She had come up to him as everyone was being assigned jobs to do when putting up the decorations and discretely muttered an account of what had happened in the changing rooms, not hesitating to mention the glare Kiichigo had thrown at her. But she had also added that Ichigo didn't seem aware of anything strange to do with her twin.
Ichigo chose her words carefully, then said, "Ki, you can't."
"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do!" she seethed, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"But, Kiichigo, you really can't," Ichigo said exasperated, desperate for her twin to understand.
"If you get to be a Mew Mew, I want to be one to!"
"You can't!"
Immediately, Ichigo bit her tongue, instantly regretting shouting. "Ki, I'm sorry."
"Shut up."
"But Kiichigo --"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
Tears brimmed in the corners of Ichigo's eyes. Kiichigo had never been mad at her. Ever. She obeyed the command, lips sealing tightly so not another word could pass through them. Her head shot down to look at the floor, hands placed on her knees.
Suddenly she felt a weight on her shoulder. Glancing upwards, she found Zakuro standing above her, looking down at her with slight sympathy. That cheered the young girl up, Zakuro only ever showed concern and pity when it was required and important. She had appeared seconds after she had heard the cry, fearing for her friend, though not showing it.
"You can't be a Mew Mew," stated the model bluntly, obviously referring to Kiichigo.
"Why not?"
Zakuro turned to Ryou for back up. The boy simply said, "Because you can't."
The wheels in Kiichigo's head began turning again, racking her brain for anything to use against them. Anything at all. She couldn't just stand here and argue, it would be as pointless as exploiting them. I mean how many people knew about them? She had heard about the Earth-defending superheros on the news in America. Though she had never found out her own sister was one of them. Well, if she didn't know…and they had forced her into promising to keep it a secret…
"How many people know who the Mew Mews really are?" she asked innocently.
Without thinking, Ichigo immediately replied, "Only us, Aoyama-kun and you."
That was it. That was exactly what she needed.
"Fine. I'll make a deal with you: Either you let me be a Mew Mew, or I'll tell everyone everything I know about this little Mew Project…"
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A/N: See, I updated quicker! Hopefully it's ok, especially as I was under pressure to type as quick as possible (revision needs to be done -sigh-). So review plz!!
