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.

A/N: Uh, sorry people. REALLY sorry. This is so unbelievable late, it's unbelievable.
Also, my writing style has changed a bit, I've been recently influenced some by a book series. Hope it doesn't get on your nerves or something...

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A LIFE OF CONTENTMENT
The Art of Dreaming

- - -

"You have questions, Cat-Child..."

.-xxx-.

A faint echo of a somewhat familiar voice reverberates all around me. I notice I'm standing seemingly on nothing but darkness. My black lace dress blends in with my surroundings and sways about by an unidentified wind. Am I dreaming?

"Cat-Child?"

Overly freaked out by the strangeness of the entire situation, I don't consider answering at first. Alas, when silence falls I feel so lonely I must break it.

"M-me?" I stammer, nervous for a completely logical reason. I decided I didn't want to dream about this ever again.

"Yes, Cat-Child. You have questions. Ask, and you may receive an answer."

I ponder my many choices for a few seconds, but ask the one that seems of most importance.

"Is...is this a dream?"

The voice pauses for a split second, then answers. "In a way, Cat-Child. You are dreaming, but this is more than a mere imagination of the mind. All that passes in this place is real."

That satisfies me. Kind of.

"Cat-Child, I know you have more questions than that."

Suddenly a thought dawns on me. "Do...do you know where I was? The place where everything is different...?" I inquire.

The pause is longer this time. "...It is a place of 'what could have been'."

Now that answer really didn't satisfy me." 'What could have been'? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Cat-Child, for now that is the best explanation I can give. Perhaps you will understand in due time. If you do not, I will tell you. Give the matter time. As for now, I believe it is time for you to awaken."

I nod, an action the master of the voice probably does not see. "Can I ask one more question? …Who are you?"

As I feel my consciousness start to slip away, I hear it's final three words.

"In due time."

.-xxx-.

I woke abruptly, jolting my body in the process. Unfortunately, I felt just as tired as before my little 'nap'.

Knock, knock. Who's there? I walked to door between Ryou's room and mine and unlocked it, greeted by a grinning blonde.

Who looks really nice in that tuxedo.

I think I'm blushing. Darn.

"Well I was going to ask if you were ready to leave. But that hardly seems necessary now." He said, grinning that grin. You know what grin I'm talking about – that one I can't resist. And I can bet it's making me blush more.

Maybe he'll just think I'm embarrassed. Hopefully.

"Just give me a minute!" I half-squealed in a tone that made me inwardly cringe. I promptly shut the door, leaning against it and my mind running a mile a minute.

WhatwillIwear?Whataboutmyhair?Mymakeup?

That's when I spotted a dress hanging on the door that connected my room to the hallway. And no, this couldn't be just any old dress. Oh, no. It was the one from the cruise – the first one, the real one.

And it just so happened to be the one from my dream. This was a coincidence, I'm sure.

I hastily changed, probably messing up my hair even further. I dashed to the restroom, grabbing my bag and searching for at least some mascara and concealer. I looked into my reflection and really didn't like how those strands of hair stood out like that.

And then I just stopped. Like I just noticed something.

Why am I so worried about how I look for Ryou Shirogane?

Of course, that thought may have been important but I didn't feel like arguing with myself since I was already late enough as it was.

.-xxx-.

Well there I was, in all my less-than-glorious glory. I seriously despised my appearance as of now; what with my crazed hair (which, by the way, those couple of strands still defied gravity), minimal makeup, and a clueless expression to match.

What? Dancing isn't as easy as it seems. And I'm not talking about the 'sway-back-and-forth' dancing. That kind doesn't scare me.

It the complicated twists and turns that trip me up.

Ryou, of course, was moving perfectly in time with the music. He really was a great dancer. And yeah, he really did look nice in that tuxedo. Though I am repeating myself.

But don't get any ideas. Just because Ryou looks great doesn't mean I love him, or even like him, like I did Masaya. Masaya is my one and only…who happens to be with someone else. But only in this strange world where nothing seems to be normal.

Face it, I can't even sleep like normal.

But I am off on a tangent. Let's concentrate on something more important. Like the fact I'm still dancing with Ryou, and other than the fact that I really don't have rhythm, it's wonderful. I…liked it. A lot.

I also liked his eyes. They held a strange look when we danced; it reminded me of the last time.

Talk about a repeat performance. Not that I minded repeating it; no way.

The song ended. And this time I didn't go 'powder my nose'. All I could think about was Ryou. Getting away from him definitely wasn't high on my priority list.

So I just laid my head on his shoulder.

It felt nice.

.-xxx-.

It was late, and the deck of the ship was lit up in almost a surreal sort of glow. It wasn't packed with people, however. In fact, not a soul was there save me and Ryou.

That was odd. Almost like it was planned. But I suppose that doesn't really matter considering what happened next.

"You seem like you're back to normal."

His voice makes me jump a bit, and I turn to face him instead of examining the surroundings. Normal? What did he know about normal?

"I like it when you're relaxed," he spoke in a tone that sent shivers down my spine. "I…I like you, Ichigo. No; I love you." He took a step closer to me. I fought back the urge to take a step closer to him.

"I was going to wait since you seemed so uptight before, but now…" he near whispered as he reached for something in his pocket. I couldn't really read his expression, but he looked almost…nervous?

And then he got down; as in on one knee. My breath caught in my throat. Was he…?

"Ichigo, will you marry me?"

I thought I heard him speaking sheepishly about how it wasn't really an engagement – more of an engagement to be engaged. Like the ring Minto had. But, you know, I didn't really care about that right now. My mind was cluttered enough as it was. I love Masaya!

It was like fighting back a sneeze: You try your hardest to stop it, but it always manages to escape your lips.

"…Yes."

Will someone tell me what I'm doing?

.-xxx-.

A/N II: Yep. It may seem rushed, but bear with me. This is a TRILOGY. And Ichigo HAS NOT suddenly fallen for Ryou. Promise.

Thank you to all my reviewers. Especially for bearing with such a sporratic and slow writer like me. :