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: Once again, a long wait. Thanks for all your reviews – I've almost hit fifty! Yay!
For anyone who still reads this, thank you so much for being patient. This chapter is kinda short but I realy wanted to get it out for you people.
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A LIFE OF CONTENTMENT
The Art of Revealing
- - -
"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-.
I anxiously twist the ring on my left hand, the vile thing that nags me constantly of what a huge mistake I made. What's worse is I can't bring myself to take it off or tell Ryou 'No, really, I didn't mean to say yes!'.
I feel so guilty on behalf of Masaya. Is this how you repay the one who sacrificed himself to bring you life? Who protected you? Who loved you?
No, not really.
Come to think of it, Masaya was the one who sent me here, wasn't he? He said something…but I can't…I can't…
I used to be able to remember it perfectly. Has being with Ryou clouded my mind that much?
Guilt sends another stab through my chest. If this keeps up, I'll have a nice open hole where my chest was supposed to be.
He said he loved me…And didn't he say something along the lines of wanting me to be happy?
I would've been happier if I was with you.
And… he said everything was entirely his fault. Which it wasn't, of course.
I think I'm starting to remember it now; that makes me feel better. I don't want to lose connection with the world where everything was right…where I wasn't engaged to Ryou…
The clock on my bedside suddenly flashes at 12:57 AM and I feel my eyelids starting to droop. Feeling guilty sure can be tiring…
.-xxx-.
"Hello, Cat-Child," a voice reverberates through my head and I mentally groan. I didn't feel like dealing with enigmatic voice right now; frankly, I just wanted some rest.
"What do you want?" I said a bit too much on the cranky side, but I had reason, right?
"What do you want?"
I snorted. "To actually sleep."
There was a laugh, and I was startled. It was so full of life and mirth and…I missed hearing laughter like that.
"What do you really want?" the voice spoke, back to a mysterious and slightly formal tone.
I was silent. Looking down at the ring on my finger, I mumbled, "I'm not really too sure about that."
"I wanted so much to go home, but what is really left there? I know that total annihilation has taken place – I'll never have the life I once had. So I guess I have to stay here if I want a life at all. I just wish I knew why this was happening. And not just why: How? Where? What is going on!"
I finished my monologue with a shriek in my voice – but I was just fed up with being left out of the loop, confused, and basically clueless.
Silence followed my tirade, as if one were choosing each word carefully.
"You're here because we brought you here, because we wanted you to realize something. You've always wanted us, and we wanted you too…but it's impossible. It shouldn't happen; it will only hurt in the end. Once you learn that, we can take you back if that's what you want. But we don't really expect you to return to that broken world…"
I couldn't speak; my mind was running too fast for me to concentrate enough on an idea to form it into words. After a prolonged period of awkward silence, I finally found my voice.
"…Who are you?"
The entity seemed hesitant to reply, but the answer came nevertheless.
"I am…the Blue Knight."
.-xxx-.
I awoke with a start, breathing heavily as I glanced over at the bright clock which read 2:01 AM. Strangely, I felt a bit less tired than before; I vaguely remembered a teacher droning about how dreams are only a brief period before awakening.
But that didn't really matter right now.
Everything came back to him! The reason I'm alive, the reason I'm happy…
I love you Masaya! Thank you…so much…
"…We wanted you to realize something. You've always wanted us, and we wanted you too…but it's impossible. It shouldn't happen; it will only hurt in the end. Once you learn that, we can take you back if that's what you want…"
Was the Blue Knight, Masaya, saying that I shouldn't love him? But why? He was so wonderful to me and I want him back so bad…but instead I'm sitting here with Ryou.
Who is great, really. And he…loves me doesn't he?
But I don't love him, of course. I love Masaya, and…
"It shouldn't happen; it will only hurt in the end."
I closed my eyes once again, but was not this time greeted by the comforting voice of one who loved me.
.-xxx-.
"What could have been," I murmured, vaguely recalling the words that had rang in my head before and were later repeated by the Blue Knight. That's where I was – a world where some event had not happened and my life's course was completely changed.
And I had a good feeling of what exactly that event was; it became ever so clear to me this morning when I was changing and finally noticed that my mark was gone.
Just skin.
I felt like a whole portion of my life was missing, and felt a pang of sadness. It immediately eased however when I realized that the Earth was better off anyway if those aliens had never arrived on the planet.
"Hmn? What'd you say?"
I redirected my gaze from my lap to my 'fiance' and met his concerned eyes as the deck of the boat lazily rolled over a wave. "Nothing…"
"Ichigo?" he gently grabbed my shoulders, "Is it because I asked you to marry me? I'm sorry if that upset you, if you really didn't mean yes; because ever since then you've seemed so withdrawn and I…I can't stand to see you like this."
He looked broken, and I smiled; not atthat fact, but because he cared about me so much…
I slowly pulled Ryou into a hug, and felt him relax. I'm not exactly sure what my reasoning behind the action was, but it just felt like the right thing to do.
The cool, oceanic breeze seemed to fit the moment.
.-xxx-.
A/N II: Sorry I haven't really been replying to reviews, I haven't really had much time. Thanks to you all once again!