DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew, period.

Summary: Things don't go as planned in the Final Battle, so Deep Blue, as Masaya, sends Ichigo to a place he thinks she will be happy. When Ichigo wakes up, she finds everyone is alive, she's not a Mew Mew, and her boyfriend is...Ryou Shirogane! Will Ichigo find her way back home, and does she even want to?

Pairings: IchigoRyou,plus some MintKeiichiro and RettasuMasaya on the side.

A/N: Wow, 9 reviews for just one chapter? Thanks, all my reviewers! You are the BEST.

catgirl, kittyluvpirahna186, switchfootfan887, Nibzo, Sweet-As-Strawberries, dream-angel114, Imo, Luciado, and mangafan919.

Also, if things go as planned, this will be the first in a trilogy. Wait--don't leave! They will all be IchigoRyou, not each with a different guy, if that's what you're thinking. They will be called:

A Life of Contentment
A Life of Kakistocracy
A Life of Restoration

Hope you'll enjoy them!

- - -

A LIFE OF CONTENTMENT
The Art of Ranting Mindlessly

- - -

Mom is holding the door open. And what I see shocks me so much, I can't move.

Ryou Shirogane!

He's carrying numerous bags and a suitcase.

"Hey there, Strawberry!"

Oh please let him just be the baggage boy!

.-xxx-.

I don't respond, I can't respond.

Shirogane notices my shock, then he sets down all of his bags. He walks up to me, grins, then pats my head.

"What's wrong, little strawberry? Aren't you glad to see me?"

He...patted my head! Ugh! Only Masaya can do that!

Masaya...what happened to him? I wonder if he's okay...

"Strawberry?...Ichigo? You seem kinda out of it..."

I furiously shake my head. Wherever I am, I don't need to keep acting like some freak!

"I'm fine...R-Ryou...um...I'll...I'll just be getting my things! Yes!" I rush to my room. It took about all the willpower I had to call Shirogane by his first name...but now I need to pretend that...I love him! My joy in this place is steadily declining.

I just notice now, but this is most definitely not my room. Well...the structure is the same, but it has an entirely different feel to it. The walls are pastel green, and it reminds me a bit of the outdoors. There are various accents in pink, also. Did I say various? Try all accents in pink. Everything seems to match together perfectly. The furniture isn't pink, mind you, it's a light wood. While my original room had a cheerful and bouncy feel, this was more...calming.

Luckily, it seems most of the things were packed, for example, clothes and such. That is extremely helpful, as I have no idea how long the cruise will be. Everything looked to be in place, so I packed the personal items.

While retrieving various writing utensils from my desk, I notice a picture that was certainly not in my original room. Why? It was Shirogane and me, laughing. The thing that bothered me the most was how we looked so...in love. How could I love Shirogane?

By now, I am really wondering where I am. It was like some sort of a dream. I pinch myself, but of course, nothing happens. Despondently I grab my many bags and arrange them in the easiest way possible to carry, then don a fairly fake smile and exit my room.

"Dearest Strawberry, shall I carry your bags?"

Hello, Shirogane. I have to admit, as I pile my assortment of supplies onto him, I feel guilty. With the added weight of his things, it must be heavy.

Hello, Ichigo! This is Shirogane we're talking about!

Oh, right. Besides, the last time I felt sorry for him, he just about kissed me. Come to think of it, he almost kissed me plenty of times. He was just teasing though...stupid Shirogane. Yet when I look at 'this' Shirogane, he looks so different. It seems that there is no barrier to shield everyone away from him. He's so much more...open.

What could have been...

That was a spontaneous thought. I wonder where it came from. Oh, well.

Turns out that while I was mentally ranting, Shirogane was packing our many things in the trunk of his limo.

Wait a second...

"Shir-Ryou...why did you carry your things into my house when you could have just left them in the trunk?"

He laughs. "To show you how strong I can be."

That was very Shirogane-esque. Showoff. Yet for some reason, it brings a smile to myface. Shirogane opens the car door for me. "Miss Ichigo, your ride awaits." My smile grows. He has that smile. The first time, and perhaps only time, I saw Shirogane with it was when I made him riceballs. I truly couldn't help the blush and huge smile that inevitably stretched across my face.

The interior is a nice leather black. It even has one of those fancy sound-proof windows so that the driver can't hear us. I look back towards Shirogane and see him blissfully staring ahead, that smile still on his face. Shirogane is so different than...Shirogane.

This is getting weird, and my thoughts are getting way mixed up. This nice, sweet, charming, alternate version of Shirogane shall now be called Ryou. The more teasing, callous, and somewhat cold Shirogane shall remain Shirogane. Yes, that makes things easier.

We sit in silence, and I feel Shiro...Ryou's gaze on me. I'm lost for words, so I don't speak any. He does.

"Alright, what's wrong?"

"...Nothing."

He grabs my chin and turns my head towards him, and my cheeks heat up at the contact. I'm mortified at that. I love Masaya...

"Ichigo, can you look me straight in the eyes and tell me that?"

Silence.

"No, I can't."

His expression turns to pleading. "Please...I want to help you."

Yeah, I get that. But what am I supposed to say? Well, before I woke up this morning I was transported here by my boyfriend, who was possessed by some alien. My boyfriend wasn't you, by the way, it was Masaya. Did I mention that we hated each other before?

That would go by smooth.

Time for an excuse. We were going on a cruise, right?

"It's nothing, Ryou. I'm...I'm afraid that the ship will crash or something!"

He chuckles. "Aw, Strawberry, don't worry. Icebergs aren't around this time of year!"

He bought that? Hmm...if Ryou was practically the opposite of Shirogane, I could understand if the 'genius' was not present. Besides, better not to worry him. Next time I rant, I should mask it better.

Knock, knock.

I have a strange urge to scream 'Who's there?' but thankfully I don't. When I look to the source of the rapping, which is on the sound-proof window, I am met by the smirking face of Minto.

MINTO?

.-xxx-.

Sorry for the long wait! I PROMISE the next will come out earlier, I've been away for long periods of time and combined with my procrastination...heh.

To any Valediction fans, I know I said that it would come out fast, but I can't bring myself to write it, though I practicaly know it word for word.
Curse my laziness.

Critique and Reviews are Greatly Appreciated!