Epilogue - Dreams Come True
Fumbling around in my pocket for the keys, I started down the pathway to the reconstructed - and very much blue, no, teal was more like it - Cafe Mew Mew. For the most part my wounds had healed, though like most wounds do, whether physical or emotional, they left their own scars. I reached for the doorknob to help steady my hand as I slipped the key into the keyhole and found it unlocked.
'The grand opening is tommorrow, and they're this careless with the place already?' I grumbled inwardly. This was not a good sign, and after having gotten back from a very long day at Tokyo U, I didn't want to give yet another lecture on responsibility.
Letting myself in, the place appeared deserted and dark. Strange... The stench of a recent paint job still hung in the air, but it wasn't collected enough to make me dizzy. I reached up to flick on the lights, but found something fuzzy there instead.
"Huh?" I removed my hand quickly as something scurried down the wall and up the leg of my pants.
"Uwaa!" I yelped, trying to swat it away with my free hand.
"Ukiki!" came a high-pitched chattering from the creature that now perched on my shoulder. Pudding's pet monkey?
Finally recovering, I again reached for the light.
"SURPRISE!" came the shouting of voices from out of nowhere. I almost dropped my things, though luckily got over the initial shock before I embarassed myself.
"Happy birthday, Ryou!" came the chorus again as multi-colored heads popped up from behinds counters, tables, and pastry display cases.
"What's... all this?" I asked cautiously and still somewhat bewilderedly, glancing around.
"It's for your birthday, obviously," Mint spoke up first, "You're twenty today, aren't you? October 13th...?"
"That's right..." I admitted.
"And this is also our celebration of Tokyo Mew Mew being back together now that Zakuro-san has finished filming," Lettuce added, an extra party hat in her hand that matched the ones everyone else was currently wearing.
"Ooh! Ooh! Let me do the honors na no da!" Pudding volunteered hyperly, snatching the crown and jamming it down on my head. "Perfect, na no da!"
Even without looking I could tell that it was horribly off-balance. "Let the fun begin na no da!"
"Aren't you getting just a little ahead of yourself?" Mint asked. She turned back to me and pulled something out from behind her back, "I got you a little something. It isn't much."
"You didn't have to..." I started.
"I know I didn't. Just open it, Ryou," Mint commanded.
Awkwardly removing the ribbon from the box, I found a very fancy looking dog collar staring up at me. It was made of black leather, and with all the rhinestones enlaid in it (then again, knowing Mint they were real diamonds) looked pretty expensive.
"You seem to have a fettish for dog collars. I believe this one would suit you a lot better than that old thing," she stated, pointing a dainty finger at my neck.
"Uh, arigatou..." I replied with a sweatdrop.
"Oooh, sparkley-sparkley na no da!" Pudding cheered, "Let's try it on!" She snatched the collar from the box and grabbed onto the front of my vest in order to make me lean forward so she could reach.
"Uh, I don't..." I struggled.
Lettuce ran up to the blond girl. "Pudding, I don't think that's a great idea. Ryou's probably had a very long day!" she worried loudly.
"Never fear, Lettuce onee-chan! He doesn't mind!" The hyper girl tugged roughly at my neck until the red collar snapped.
"Pudding!" Lettuce scolded, turning to me and bowing repeatedly, "I'm so sorry Ryou! I know that collar must have meant a lot to you, I should have done something!"
"Uh, no, it's fine Lettuce..." I assured her.
"Yeah, he really needed to change that thing..." Ichigo agreed.
Zakuro wisely choose to stay out of it. Keiichiro was no doubt avoiding this whole thing by hiding in the kitchen with the cake he was preparing.
"Okie dokie, na no da! Pretty collar go on!" Pudding shouted.
"Ukikiki!" her monkey announced, scrambling up to my shoulder again and brushing against my bare neck. I quivered noticeably.
Lettuce was the first to notice, "Ryou, are you alright?"
"Fine, I'm fine..." I mumbled, trying to hold it in.
"Just cover your mouth if you're going to sneeze..." Mint sighed, handing me a silk handkerchief.
I shook my head. 'Stupid monkey... get off me...'
The pet, ofcourse, did no such thing. I couldn't take it any more. Every single nerve in my body seemed to signal to my brain that my neck tickled. A small snicker escaped my lips.
"Eh, what's so funny?" Ichigo wondered, watching me curiously.
"Ryou-san?"
I started chuckling lightly. This was not fair at all. Why did Pudding's pet have to climb all over me anyway. My neck was still tingling, and there was no way the chuckling would cease in the meantime. For once in her life, the catgirl put two and two together.
"Oh my gosh! Ryou's ticklish!" Ichigo announced, clapping her hands together in delight.
"Are you serious?" Mint asked suspiciously.
"Yes!" The strawberry tackled me to the ground and finished off the job for the little primate. Within seconds I was curled up in a ball, unable to think or even breathe I was laughing so hard. Finally Zakuro called Ichigo and Pudding off. Even Mint and herself had gotten in on the action. Thank the heavens for Lettuce, though. She knelt by me quickly and asked if I was alright.
"Yeah," I replied, "I'm okay."
"Now that that's over..." Zakuro started. She didn't bother finishing, but instead handed me a book as if nothing had happened.
"What's this for?" I asked, taking it.
"You can use it for whatever you want, I just thought it'd be good for copying down all your melodramatic speeches so that nobody will have to suffer through them. Or notes for your lecture, I suppose. Whichever."
I sweatdropped visibly, "Uh, arigatou..."
"Me next, me next na no da!" Pudding announced, leaping in front of Zakuro and shoving a brightly colored bundle in my face, "It's the family love potion I was telling you about na no da! It works really well! You should try using it on Ichigo-oneechan na no da!"
Ichigo got this weird look on her face, turned about ten shades of red, and spun around quickly.
"Thanks, Pudding..."
"Use it now, use it now, use it now na no da!" she chanted, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she tugged at my arm.
The redhead gave a squeak before exiting the room. I hadn't even moved a centimeter, not that I needed some silly concoction anyway. On the other hand, we hadn't actually officially announced that we were "together", not even between the two of us, so it wasn't as if she knew any better.
"Awh..." Mint sighed disappointedly, "I bet that would have been good, too."
"Mint..." Lettuce sweatdropped.
"It's true. I'm about ready for cake if this is as interesting as this scene is going to get," Mint explained.
"W-well..." Lettuce blushed and walked towards me, "Well, you see, I thought back to when I made plushies for the cafe auction several years ago and the last one had gone to Ayano-san. I remembered you having picked it up, and... s-so I thought maybe... well, here..."
She brought something out from behind her back and- bowing- handed it to me.
"Lettuce..."
"Gomen, I'm sorry if you don't like it..." she appologized, head still ducked.
I shook my head, "Iie. I love it."
Lettuce glanced up at me slowly, face a light shade of pink.
"It'll remind me of what a good friend you've been. Thank you," I explained, holding the plushie in my arms. It was a gray cat, identical to Alto down to the last detail, even the deformed tail which was tied in a knot.
"I-it wasn't much. I didn't do anything really..." she argued.
"Nu-uh," I shook my head, "Don't say it was nothing. Give yourself a little more credit, Lettuce."
She beamed up at me, "Alright. I'll try."
Zakuro shifted, "Cake now?"
"Alright," I agreed.
"The food's done!" Keiichiro called pleasantly from the kitchen.
"We're coming, Akasaka-san," Mint answered.
"Not yet we aren't, na no da!" Pudding interjected, sliding between the blue-haired girl and the doorway, "We must make this into a race! Na no da!"
"A what!" she asked, leaning towards Pudding.
"A relay race no da!" the yellow girl repeated cheerfully.
Apparently Ichigo had reappeared at the mention of food, "Na, Pudding... is that really such a good idea?"
"It's better before we eat na no da! Because this way our tummies won't hurt no da!" Pudding explained eagerly, motioning us into a back room. I let out a groan. Pudding zipped off. Her disappearance was followed by the squeals of chairs and tables being moved across the slick floor, a few bangings, and then the metallic clink of a dinner chime. We all peered into the room cautiously to find a jungle of furniture and balloons everywhere.
"Alright!" the hyper girl brought out a whistle as she stood on top of a far table, "And three, two, one no da! Goooo! First person to reach the finish line gets the first piece of cake na no da!"
"Guess we should go along with it," Mint sighed.
"This is so childish..."
"Zakuro-san, we really can't hurt Pudding-chan's feelings..." Lettuce coaxed.
"I guess," the violet-haired girl admitted.
"That cake is mine!" Ichigo announced, dashing off into the room.
"Oh no it isn't!" I quickly caught up to her as I dodged table legs and floor lamps.
"Geez!" she whined.
"It's my cake anyway, I can't just let you win!"
Ichigo stuck her tongue out at me,"Well you're not going to win anyhow!" With that she slid under a table that was blocking our path and kept going.
I came to a halt, backtracked my steps, then made a running leap towards the table, clearing it, and landing with my legs tucked under me.
"Whoo! Nice move Shirogane-oniichan! Extra points!"
"Showoff!" Ichigo muttered as I caught up to her.
"You're just jealous," I accused.
"Am not!" she made a sharp turn and cut ahead of me. As I rounded the corner, I noticed it was a straight line to the kitchen door. I quickened my steps trying to keep up.
The two of us exploded through the swinging door at nearly the same moment.
Keiichiro spun, startled, "Ah! Watch-!"
"Kyaa!" Ichigo screamed as she slipped on the wet floor, dangling still in midair just long enough for me to slam into the back of her and cause us both to come crashing down onto the floor.
"Owww! You're heavy!" she whined.
"You should watch where you're going!"
"Thank you for the cake, Akasaka-san, it's delicious," came Zakuro's voice from the other side of the counter.
"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," the brunette replied kindly.
"Zakuro-oneesan is the winner, na no da!" Pudding announced as she took two slices of cake from Keiichiro and spun them around above her head on long poles. She twirled around the room then paused in front of us, me having finally climbed to my feet. Ichigo was still in the process of getting up.
"Whoo! Catch, catch na no da!" Pudding shouted as she tossed the plates at us like two frisbees.
"Wah!" Ichigo shrieked as she fumbled around in the air and caught the literal flying saucer.
However, I wasn't quite as lucky. The other plate had spun wild. That I caught, however, the cake did a somersault, came barreling down through the air and splattered down right on top of my head.
"How wonderful..." I grumbled.
"Na no da, I never knew you were such a butterfingers!" Pudding said as she rubbed the side of her head.
"I never knew you had such a good arm..." I grumbled.
Lettuce hurried over to me with a wet towel and started trying to remove the cake from my hair.
"It's alright, Lettuce, I could use another shower anyway..." I said with a shrug.
"But..." she protested.
I shook my head, "Nah, it's okay. I'll be back in a bit."
"Alright..." Ichigo said with a sigh, "I'll grab a mop. Lettuce, could you fill that bucket for me, please?"
"O-ofcourse!"
...
In the bathroom I turned on the hot water faucet as I began removing articles of cake-stained clothing, watching the process in a mirror. I frowned at the image I saw there. Had it really been ten years? Pretty soon that mirror would be showing me an old man instead, and when that happened, I didn't want to regret what I had or hadn't done to reach that point. The edges of my reflection were beginning to fog up when I moved my hands to the back of my neck to remove the collar. Positioning myself in just the right way, I got a good look at the right side of my neck. Was my eyesight really that bad? I inched even closer to the sink. I couldn't see it... My mark had vanished... I ran my fingers across the area where it had been. There was no sensation. Not even the slightest itch. It was totally and completely gone. Staring down at my hands, I concentrated on becoming Alto. I concentrated with all my might. Nothing happened.
"I'm..." I voiced aloud. I sank down to my knees and stared down at the floor. I had been spared. Never again would I have to worry about being stuck as a cat. Whether that was a gracious fate or not, I was unsure.
A lot of time must have passed, because the air inside the bathroom had become uncomfortably humid and the mirror was now a milky white from the moisture that had accumulated on it. I hadn't budged. Why in the world was I making such a huge deal out of this? It was a good thing! A huge burden had just been lifted from me.
The bathroom door swung open without warning, but I didn't bother running for a shirt. I stayed where I was.
"Hey! Do you realize you've been up here for over an hour? We're getting worried about you down there and you're taking way too long and we have lots of games and stuff planned- and you still have cake in your hair! And you're only wearing your boxer- AHHHHHHHH!" Ichigo's ranting was interrupted as her complexion turned a bright crimson and she shot back about a yard, "Ryou! Put some clothes on you dork! Don't just go trouncing around the bathroom in your underwear! What were you doing in here?"
I glanced up at her calmly, "Learn to knock."
"Like I said, we were worried you had drowned or something in here!" she shot back, apparently forgetting her earlier realization, "Why haven't you showered yet and why are you sitting there on the floor and why is the hot water running? You do realize there's no hot water downstairs to rinse the dishes off with, right? Akasaka-san's pretty annoyed."
"Your ears..."
"What's wrong with my ears?" she questioned, feeling her head.
"Your cat ears didn't come out."
"Well, I wasn't that excited," she explained, "You're not all that hot..."
Ichigo tread across the room to the shower and turned the faucet off, making a slight hissing noise through her teeth as her hand tightened around the warm metal. She glanced back over at me, seeing as I wasn't moving or saying much and came over to squat down beside me.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Black-n-Blue-Striped Boxers?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me like I usually did.
"No... no problem..." I answered, blushing slightly.
The red-head poked the side of my neck, "I. Don't. Believe. You. Wait a minute..."
I heaved a sigh.
"Your mark was right here, wasn't it...? It's missing..." she concluded. "EH? Does that mean?" There was a rustling of clothing as she lifted her dress up just enough to see that she no longer had one either.
I stated the obvious, "It's gone."
"It's gone? Kyaa! Don't look you pervert!" she screamed jamming her elbow into my ribs.
"OWWwwwwwww!" I complained loudly. It really did hurt.
"Oh my god! Ryou, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" she fretted. Maybe that hadn't been the best idea.
"Just perfect..." I grumbled.
"But this is great, right? You're free! You don't have to worry about the wildcat DNA anymore and you won't have to come save me everytime I get stuck as a cat!" she explained cheerfully, "Actually, I won't be getting stuck as a cat anymore, so..."
"Yeah..."
"So what now?" she asked.
I let out a sigh, "I don't know. I guess this is where I really start over. Not that a job as a teacher is all that exciting, but I suppose I could still work at the pool during the summer. Maybe look into acting or singing if I get really bored..."
Ichigo giggled, "You? And idol? Now I've heard everything!"
"You don't think I could do it?" I growled.
"Maybe if you were... filming a documentary... or something," she said between laughs.
"Now that's rude."
"Can you even sing though?" she asked, slightly curious.
"Maybe..." I dragged it out indignantly.
"I'd like to hear you sing," she announced with a smile.
"Maybe someday," I grumbled.
Ichigo muttered under her breath, "I mean it..."
"I know you do."
Muttering some more she got to her feet, "Even now, you're still making yourself a difficult person to talk to."
"..."
She turned her head and looked down at me, "You know, it wouldn't hurt if you continued opening up to people. I wouldn't laugh at you if you did. I think it'd be a really good thing."
I wagged my finger, "But you were just laughing at me."
"It was in a good way!" she insisted, shaking her head,"You know I didn't mean anything by it!"
"Yeah, I know."
Ichigo sighed exhaustedly, "Ryou..."
"Yes?" I glanced up at her calmly.
With another sigh she shook her head, "No, nevermind. I'll show you later. Hurry and clean up so we can finish your party, okay?"
I gave a shrug, "Okay."
I took a quick shower, changed into some clean clothes, and finally made my way back down to the dining area. I heard a slight gasping as I decended the stairs. What was up with that?
"Wow, what luck," Mint commented, nodding her head. The gang was sitting in a rough circle facing one-another. Bob from the pool and Masaya had since arrived. Two seconds later I noticed what they were grouped around. An empty coke bottle, and it's head was aimed in my direction.
"No... No way, I'm not playing some stupid game like spin the bottle..." I growled defensively.
"You're no fun, Ryou," Mint replied, "Besides, you don't even know whose turn it is, and it isn't like we'd make you kiss another boy."
"I said no," I barked.
"Come on..." Mint prodded, rolling her eyes as she did so, "If you don't do it, we'll play truth or dare!"
"Just like every other time..." I grumbled.
"Hmm?" Mint questioned.
"Nothing," I insisted, stalking away.
"Don't be a brat, Shirogane," Zakuro muttered. I twitched but otherwise ignored their request.
"There's some lasagna in the fridge. I hope you like it and all," Bob said cautiously.
"Yeah, thanks."
"Well, if Shirogane-san isn't going to accept his kiss, would you mind terribly if I took his place?" Masaya spoke up softly. I heard a familiar giggle which struck a nerve.
Ichigo's voice seemed way too happy, "Ofcourse, Aoyama-kun! I love it when you kiss me."
"That's what I thought," he said with a smile.
"Woohoo!" Pudding cheered, "Now we'll get to see some real action na no da!"
"Wait a minute!" I growled, spinning on the balls of my feet, "Suppose I do decide to play?"
"Then you'll have to spin the bottle, ofcourse," Mint stated with a sigh, "Aoyama-san has claimed this round."
"Right..."
"We were joking." Laughing, Ichigo rose to her feet and stumbled over them to where I was standing. I felt her arms wrap themselves around my neck as she pulled herself up onto her tiptoes. Ichigo's lips brushed softly against mine. Pulling away, she repeated the process, only this time she lingered there, kissing me more sweetly and with more emotion than I had previously known. That's the feeling that I wanted to duplicate and send back to her. Somehow.
"Wow, na no da! How do you breathe like that no da?" Pudding asked amazed.
...
"This is the final game for the day," Lettuce explained gently as she held up a brightly colored pinata, "I used to love these things when I was really little."
"Me too, Lettuce! Gosh, I haven't cracked one of these suckers in ages!" Ichigo answered enthusiastically as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
"I agree. It has been a while." Zakuro pulled out a violet handkerchief from her pocket, "This is clean. We can use it as a blindfold."
"We can use a broom to swing at it," Lettuce suggested.
Pudding poked the decoration curiously, "And you say there's candy in this no da? COUNT ME IN!"
Keiichiro had finished with the cleaning and came to join us, "Do you all mind if I play too?"
"Not at all, Akasaka-san," Masaya assured him with a nod.
"Thank you."
"Alright Ryou, you're first!" Ichigo announced.
Yay... I was blindfolded and spun around til I was dizzy and almost sick considering I had already had cake and icecream, then I was handed a mop and forced to "find the right direction and hit the pinata".
"Stand back, I don't want to be sued if I miss and hit one of you..." I muttered.
"Already did that, Shirogane-san," Masaya said from a long ways off.
"Goo gooo goooo no da!" Pudding cheered.
I waved the mop slowly in the air, hearing a few stifled giggles, spun, then swung. I hit... something...
"That. hurt," Zakuro growled, turning me in the other direction.
"Uh... gomen..." I sweatdropped.
I took another swing and grazed the pinata, and that was all...
"I'll go next," Mint volunteered. She swung in a graceful arch, hitting it dead center, but not managing to do any apparent damage. Next it was Zakuro's turn. The model had a strong arm and managed to knock a piece of the pinata loose, a few pieces of candy raining down from the wound. After her, Pudding was up. The crazy girl swung so hard that she almost took off Keiichiro's head by accident. The pattern continued. Finally Masaya and Keiichiro delivered the two final blows and we all scrambled for the contents. I felt like a little kid again for a moment, swarming around a puddle of candy wrappers with the people I loved around me. Laughing, giggling, making bets on who would gather the most. It turned out that Ichigo won that bet.
Finally everything calmed down and we sat back in chairs to relax and enjoy the sugar. I don't eat sugar too often, and I was getting more energetic than usual because of it.
"And so then..." Mint was saying. At that point Ichigo got up and disappeared outside.
"So I understand that you and Aoyama-san are dating now, is that right, Retasu-san?" Keiichiro was asking.
"Uh, hai..." the green-haired girl blushed.
"I think it's a good match, no da. Retasu-oneechan and Masaya-oniichan are a lot alike, no da!"
"So, what schools are you all going to?" that was Bob.
"Well..."
I was bored with the conversation, stood, and followed the catgirl outside. She was leaning against the cafe wall, holding something between her hands.
My appearance must have startled her because she jumped about five feet and shoved whatever-it-was behind her back as quick as she could so that I only saw a blur.
"Whatcha got?" I questioned.
"N-nothing, nothing at all..." she stammered, turning her eyes away from me.
"Really?"
She gave a nod, "Yeah. I'm... uh... sorry I didn't get you a present..."
I gave a shrug, "Doesn't matter.
She looked a bit sad then, "I wanted to get you something, but anything that I actually managed to think of was either way too expensive or something that I wanted instead. Besides, you could buy yourself anything you wanted without me getting it for you."
"Sounds like you thought hard about it..." that was all I could really think of to say.
I don't watch sad reruns / I wanna feel the new day that comes / And if I make mistakes, well that's all right / I'd rather fall and take the sting / Then let somebody clip my wings / I know eventually I'll learn to fly.
"I'm sorry... here I am your girlfriend and I didn't give you anything..." she sulked.
It was a bit of a shock, but I thought it had a nice ring to it... Girlfriend...
"I said it's okay. Besides, it's present enough that you even came."
"That's what people always say, and it sounds especially fake when you say it!"
"Excuuuse me..." I grumbled.
I see the world, how it could be / Dreaming in color / It looks so beautiful to me / Dreaming in color / In reds and blues, a thousand hues / Coming in clear and bright / We don't have to live in black and white / Dreaming in color.
"Here..." she finally gave in with a sigh, handing me the item she had hidden earlier, "I know you really don't like sweets and all, and you could also get them whenever you wanted... but I made them... so... and don't worry, I definately didn't burn them and even got my parents and Masha to taste test them and-"
I patted her on the head which made her stop abruptly and shut her eyes tight.
"...I hope you like chocolate chip?" she asked, opening one eye.
When everything is lookin' gray / And nothing's really goin' my way / Everybody tells me that I shoot too high / I don't let it shake me no, no / There's a secret place that I go / All I have to do is stop and I close my eyes.
I grinned down at her slightly, "Arigatou, Ichigo."
Ichigo gave a smile, blushing, "You're welcome. Okaa-san says you put your feelings into cooking and it reflects in the taste..."
"Then these better be pretty awesome, huh?" I asked sarcastically.
Ichigo looked like she was going to argue, but then she just laughed, "Maybe so."
"Ryou, Ichigo!" Lettuce called from the doorway, "We're singing karaoke next!"
"Coming!" Ichigo waved.
Together we walked back into the cafe. Back to where our friends were waiting. Where so many good, and bad, amusing, and difficult memories all melted together into something we have come to call "living".
...
(Five years later...)
Breathlessly, I reached the edge of the park, pausing at its entrance as I struggled to take in enough air. Fashionably late? What a joke! Taking another deep breath I hiked across the uneven ground to 'the tree'. There was no way she'd still be waiting for me. Afterall, I should have been here well over forty-five minutes ago. Reaching the base of the tree, I found it and the surrounding area empty. Darn it...
Heaving a sigh, I slumped back against the tree's trunk. Atleast the sunset was pretty...
"You're late!" came an angry voice from above me. Tilting my head, I stared up into the foliage and found a strawberry head and scolding eyes peering down at me from a high branch.
"Gomen. The flight was delayed," I explained simply.
Ichigo swung down off the branch, hanging there above me, "Is that so?"
"It is," I insisted with a short nod.
With that she dropped down onto the ground, landing neatly with her legs bent.
"Is that the best excuse you could come up with for being late, Shirogane Ryou?" she asked in an unsatisfied tone.
"No, but it's the truth."
"At this rate you'll be late for the wedding, too. Poor Keiichiro's hair will turn white!" she hissed.
I chuckled lightly and grinned, "Don't be silly, Shirogane Ichigo. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Ichigo's frown slowly phased into a smile, "You'd better not or I'll never forgive you."
"Besides, Keiichiro still has too much brown in his hair for it to turn white," I pointed out.
Ichigo giggled, brushing hair back behind her ear. "You know Ryou, I finally decided what I want as a wedding gift from you..." she continued.
"Hmm?" I asked in a disinterested tone.
"I want TWO kittens."
I cocked an eyebrow at her, "Two? Isn't one kitten enough trouble?"
She giggled again, "Well... if I do recall correctly, weren't we supposed to get them together? If you get two, one can be yours. The grumpier one."
"How kind of you, Ichigo," I growled.
"I was kidding!" the redhead insisted, "But I really do want a kitten..."
"Besides, we both were kittens, doesn't that count?" I continued, ignoring her pleading eyes.
"That doesn't count! Come on... please?"
I shook my head, "You'll just have to wait and see what I get you."
Ichigo gave up with a sigh. "It took us long enough, huh?"
"That was your fault, not mine."
"Shut up!" she whined, punching my shoulder and then flopping back against the tree like I was currently doing, "But you know something?"
"Hmm?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"It's okay if it took a while, because even when the world was black and white... you were dreaming in color."
"I guess so..."
Her head fell to rest against my bare shoulder, "You always seem to see things so clearly. It isn't fair."
"That's not true," I admitted, "I was blinded by dreams of you and by my own past."
"But your past is in the past, and I'm right here. So you can see again, right?" she asked hopefully.
"I suppose," I nodded, "But we can never completely forget the past, because the past lays down the foundations for the future."
I must have zoned out, because the next thing I remember was Ichigo flicking me on the nose, "The Mew Project may be over, but I know you have other dreams in that big huge scientific head of yours. This is the start of your future, so make those other dreams real too."
It's there to touch / It's there to feel / The world I've been dreamin' of / One day I will make it real.
I stared down at her with a smirk, "That's exactly what I'm doing baka-ichigo."
"Don't call me a stupid strawberry, you jerk!" she protested, raising her arms as if she was ready to get into a fist fight with me.
Snatching her left wrist, I held her hand up between us. The fading rays of the sun flickered off the surface of the stone that existed there. Ichigo stared at it for a while, then glanced up at me as I smiled and added, "...I'm starting with this one."
-THE END.