Thank you everyone for the reviews! *hugs* So, when I started posting this, I wasn't sure when I would be able to finish it. But I don't have that problem anymore because I finished writing it last night! It's seven chapters in total and I'll post another on Friday along with 'Alien Uprising', then repeat this week's posting cycle until all the chapters are posted.
Anyways... On with the story!
Chapter Two:
So then, along comes me, this undeserving mess. Who would believe my life would be so blessed?
"Taru-Taru," Pudding whispered again, her eyes filling with tears.
"Hey, Pudding," Taruto Ikisatashi said, still grinning at her.
"It can't be," Pudding whispered, her heart hammering in her chest. "Is it really you?"
"Last time I checked, it was," Tart said, his grin widening some.
Tears escaping her eyes, Pudding leapt onto the teenage boy's chest and wrapped her arms around him. Tart staggered slightly, but quickly regained his balance as he hugged her.
"I missed you, Taru-Taru," Pudding whispered into Tart's ear.
"I missed you, too, Pudding," Tart said, burying his face into her shoulder. She still smelled as sugary-sweet as when he left five years ago.
Pudding didn't want to leave Tart's arms, and Tart was in no hurry to set her down. Across the Café, they heard the sounds of Ichigo half-laughing, half-yelling at Kish to stop kissing her while Pie and Lettuce exchanged a quiet conversation that for some reason required a lot of blushing for both parties.
Finally, Tart set Pudding back down on her feet and she smiled up at him.
"How have you been, Taru-Taru?" Pudding asked. "It's been five years since we last saw you guys. Did the Mew Aqua work?"
"Better than we imagined!" Tart said, beaming. "I would love for you to come see Cynnth. It's so beautiful now." He brushed some of her hair out of her face and noticed the discoloration where her tears of joy had washed away some of the make-up. Tart frowned. "Pudding, what happened here?" He asked, gingerly touching the bruise.
Pudding quickly extracted herself from Tart's arms, her eyes going hard all of a sudden, defensive.
"I fell, that's all," She said. Tart heard something in her voice that made him not want to believe her, but he decided to drop the subject.
"I'm sorry," Tart said. He carefully reached out to touch her shoulder. "So, how have you been?"
"Alright," Pudding said, clasping her hands in front of her. "School, work, taking care of my siblings. Still looking behind my shoulder everywhere I go for Chimera Animals." She said the last part with a teasing gleam in her eye.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Tart said with a chuckle. He took her hand. "So, you think anyone will notice if we get out of here?"
Pudding looked past Tart and saw that Kish was chasing Ichigo with Mint and Zakuro watching. Mint cheered for Kish while Zakuro cheered for Ichigo. Pie and Lettuce were in a corner chatting. Lettuce's face turned scarlet as Pie gently took her hand in his.
"No, I don't think they'll notice," Pudding said. "Let me go change real quick."
Tart waited for Pudding in the dining room, grinning as Kish grabbed Ichigo, who elbowed him in the gut and he let her go, beginning the chase all over again.
Suddenly, the door to the café opened and the four former Mews stopped everything they were doing. Lettuce went from beet red to ghost white as she saw who entered the room and Ichigo stopped dead in her tracks, allowing Kish to wrap his arms around her.
"Hah! I've got you now, honey, and I'm not going to-" Kish cut himself off as he looked up at Ichigo with confusion. "Koneko-Chan?"
A tall man in his late twenties with dark red hair, gray eyes and wearing a black and red Chinese fighting outfit stepped into the room.
He looks familiar, Tart thought, his brow furrowing. But from where?
The man looked at the Mews.
"I'm here to pick up Fong Pudding now that her shift is over," The man said. "Is she ready to go?"
Tart straightened up. Who was this man, and why was he here for Pudding?
Just then, Pudding came out of the locker room, skipping.
"Taru-Taru, we should go to the candy store first, because I did promise you a candy drop and of course this is the one day I-" Pudding was smiling but her smile dropped as she saw who had entered the Café.
"Hello, Pudding," The man said with a smile that didn't look natural.
"Hello," Pudding said in return, trying to force a smile. Tart came up beside her as the man walked towards her. There was something that screamed 'Don't trust him', and Tart didn't want him anywhere near Pudding.
"Who is this?" The man asked, staring at Tart, who stared back.
Pudding took a deep breath before speaking.
"Ron, this is Taruto, my best friend," Pudding said. Tart was surprised that she called him by his real name. Up to that point, he actually wondered if she knew that his name wasn't 'Taru-Taru'.
Pudding then turned to Tart.
"Taru-Taru, this is Ron Yuebin," Pudding said. With a forced smile, she added, "My fiancé."