A/N: Everyone thank you SO MUCH for all of the positive feedback you have given this story. It has 171 reviews, 98 favorites, and has been added to five C2 lists. Not only that, but it's been viewed over 12,000 times. That means a lot to me, seeing as how this story is actually several years old. What amazes me the most, however, is that there are actually people who like this story that dislike the Ryou x Ichigo pairing. That just floors me. Thank you so much for giving the couple and my writing a chance like that! So... after getting several ideas, I have decided to write a shorter sequel to "Dreaming in Color" which reflects how a marriage between Ryou and Ichigo could be. It will not be perfect by any means, as I want it to be as realistic as possible. It also seemed like a good way to finally experiment with another plot idea I have that won't fit with "Mew Project: Au Contraire" or "Tomorrow's Solstice". So, please look forward to it! I hope to see some of you then. In the meantime, feel free to PM me with any suggestions or questions. Thank you.

Preview - Monochromatic

I swore I'd never be the first to apologize after that fight. No matter how much she pouted or whined, I would not do it. Ichigo had clearly been at fault, and if she wanted the ice to break, it was going to be by her own hands.

And yet... Riiing Riing...

"Hello?" her voice was tired, irritated as it came to me on the other end of the line.

I wanted to kick myself for what I said next, "Sorry."

"...what? Ryou?" The annoyance in her voice had risen, but with it, sudden confusion.

"I said I'm sorry, okay?" I practically shouted. My face reddened as I noticed that both Masaya and Keiichiro were now staring at me, both looking like they were considering taking the cellphone from my hands to prevent an oncoming battle between her and me. I made a shooing motion with my free hand. Keiichiro returned to his tests, but Masaya didn't seem convinced, for he continued watching me anxiously.

"...it's okay." She finally said, although I didn't miss the note of triumph in her voice, "But seriously, how long are you planning on staying on that island anyway?"

"Not too much longer... we're almost done with the final run of tests," I concluded, with confidence.

I heard her giggle slightly, but she sounded like she thought I was a huge geek that needed to see the error of my ways, "Ryou, as much as I love you, you know all that scientific whatsit-thingamabobber tests and analysis makes absolutely no sense at all to me."

"Yeah, I know," I replied cockily, "You should have paid closer attention during highschool genetics, huh? Then you'd know what I was doing."

"Geez!" Ichigo hissed on the other end, then returned to speaking normally again, "Just be careful, okay? And don't do anything stupid like testing DNA on yourself again!"

I laughed at that, "I won't. See you later."

"Bye." Click.

"It's almost done, Ryou," Masaya informed me as I made my way back over to them.

"Good work... so it's finally time?"

"Yes," Keiichiro said with a gentle smile, "And this time the girls won't have to be involved."

I nodded approvingly, resting my hands on the counter. My eyes trailed a long list of genomes on the computer screen. Everything was in place. Instead of using human girls as test subjects, we were going directly to the source. What better way to counter the Chimera Anima than with the Red Data Animal's power directly?

"Are you sure you should be using that DNA, Ryou? Shouldn't you have asked her first? She won't like it when she finds out."

I glanced over at Masaya with a frown, "She won't find out. Besides, if there's one girl on this planet that I can begin to understand, it's Ichigo. The two of us know her better than anyone else, save her parents, maybe. If something goes wrong, we'll be able to counter and stabilize it."

Masaya seemed doubtful, but he had placed a hand on my shoulder, "Alright, I'm ready when you are."

"Ready, Ryou," Keiichiro confirmed.

"Right," I said in the most commanding tone I could summon, "Mew Genome - Activate!"