Wow, this one took longer than I had thought it would, sorry folks. I think I did alright, the problem with this chapter was I took a lot of old dialogues I had come up with ages ago and integrated them into the new material since it coincided with the plot. I didn't want to hold onto it any longer because you've all been waiting so patiently. So without further adeu, the beginning of the end! :D

Think.

That's all Pai could do in his condition. He had awoken the day after the battle in blinding pain, drifting in and out of real consciousness every few hours. Sometimes he would wake up and see Kisshu bossing Taruto into action, or be completely alone in his room. But as the pain ebbed and he recovered his strength there was little he could do but think.

And think.

And think.

He had told himself he wouldn't be sorry, when the time came and he had to end the hostage's life, Lettuce's life, he would not be sorry, he had told himself that to the end. Yet, now that she had escaped, now that she was free, now that he no longer had to kill her right then, why did he feel so…

Relieved?

Wouldn't you only feel relieved if you had been dreading something, which means one might regret the actions later? Did this not prove, then, that all his inner battles, all his attempts to act like the Cyniclon warrior he was supposed to be, were they for nothing? Had he lost this fight no matter what?

How could one insignificant mew mew, a mere human, cause all his plans and strategy to cave in on him? Everything had been set, planned, and re-planned; virtually foolproof. Perfect.

Too bad he hadn't considered emotional instability to be a form of threat.

Look how far he had fallen. He had been a prodigy, a master of strategy, a soldier loyal only to the cause he had fought for. But now? He was a liability to his team, recovering from a severe wound that kept him in bed, unable to continue their plans until he was healed.

It hurt his pride a bit to realize, but he didn't particularly care anymore.

He hated closing his eyes, because every time he did, he saw Lettuce. But pretty soon even when his eyes were open she would haunt him. He saw her stuttering in the garden, looking for the entire world like one of the fragile flowers surrounding her. He could see Lettuce gently smiling at the frog when she didn't know he was there, her eyes showing a depth of sadness as she thought of her family. He would see her glowing beautiful and proud as Mew Lettuce, choosing to fight in vain against him and Kisshu in order to protect innocent lives. He saw her face contorted with grief and defeat when she knelt submissively before him as he raised his fan for the death blow.

And most of all, the one that haunted him the most, was her escape.

Pai had lied through his teeth to his comrades when they asked him if he saw the mews escape, preferring them to think he had been knocked out the whole time. Pai had decided he wanted to leave their imaginations with as little to chew on as possible. They were left only with the story that he felt something sear into his back before he blacked out. They didn't get to hear about when she looked pleadingly into his eyes as she teleported away, or the way he had desperately watched her go. It was this one moment that he privately kept to himself that tortured him for hours. Such simple words spoken from her mouth, how easily she could have acted differently. She only looked at him with those big, deep green eyes of hers, not choosing to shun him, to abuse him further, not even to act triumphant. And she cried. He knew she had, Pai had seen the tears fall. He had heard her cry out to him. "Pai, forgive me!" Her voice, it had wavered with sorrow, with regret.

What could that possibly mean, 'forgive me'? Why did she have to say that? It wasn't out of pity, nor was it out of fear that might have been possible with someone like Lettuce. Sorrow, regret. Why? He had been so sure of himself, so sure of his duties. His obligation was to his home, to reclaim the earth, no matter how long it took.

No matter what the obstacle.

He had believed in that, right to the end, right to when he raised his fan to give the death blow to Lettuce. He had meant to kill her. But he had been thwarted by that blasted mew leader. He hadn't killed Lettuce, she had escaped; she had survived.

And to his horror, he found himself glad of it.

When he was about to kill her, his mind had won; logic had taken its rightful place. It was her or his duty, the choice was obvious. But as he lay there, watching over and over in his mind Lettuce's departure, Lettuce's face, Lettuce's tear-stained eyes… the firm threads that held his sanity together began to slowly break apart. It was torture, living torture to be able to do nothing but think… and think. … … and think…

This couldn't go on. Lettuce was the enemy, the enemy. She was dangerous, and more importantly, the feelings throbbing inside him were going to tear apart all of his plans. Lettuce was gone, rescued by Blondie, and probably gushing out everything she had learned while on the ship that very same minute. The mews now had a serious advantage against the aliens. He had to focus on healing and completing their current plan as soon as possible. The longer it took for him to regain his strength the higher chance they would lose. Lettuce had to be forgotten, had to be pushed back into the mind set of being the enemy. It was too dangerous to let the mew consume his thoughts, too dangerous to let his feelings continue to go unchecked.

Pai hardened his heart, building the barrier, the several barriers that protected him from himself.

And he lay like that for a long time, always thinking, focusing on one important task.

Lettuce must be forgotten… forgotten…

Xxx

5 days pass…

Xxx

There couldn't have been a more perfect day. Fat, lazy clouds were slowly making their way across the piercing blue sky. The sun blazed down, filling the living world with pleasant warmth. And just as things began to feel uncomfortably hot, a nice cool breeze would pick up, shaking the dozing trees awake and stirring ripples across bodies of water. You could hear children outside, shrieking and laughing as they ran around playing games. Couples walked their dogs along the streets, even the birds seemed more vocal; a perfect day if there ever was one.

Lettuce, sitting by her open window, had chosen to wear a lacey white blouse with a long lavender skirt that made her figure more graceful. She also wore a more somber expression that told of how little of the day she was taking in.

That, or there was something more pressing on her mind.

The wind picked up and danced gently with her braids. The green haired girl sighed and brought up her knees until her arms could circle around to hold them up. Her eyes flickered briefly and her face grew sadder. Her chin came to rest on top of her knees, completing the look of forlorn despair. Ryou had been really generous and had given her a full week off of work. Even the school had been thoughtful and gave her a few days to catch up on work before having to return. This made her parents nothing short of happy; determined that they deserved to spend as much time with their daughter as they could get. Lettuce was ecstatic to be home, but as the days wore on, all she wanted was to work and go to school and do anything to just wear herself out and keep her from thinking. Her parents were having trouble understanding her strange behavior. Lettuce hadn't told them anything, but whatever nightmares she had had upon the ship when she was captured were still persisting, and she was still having no luck recalling even the briefest of moments from the dream. All she could remember was a feeling of dread, pain, and a dark, malice presence. Though she tried her best to be happy around her parents, she was becoming more and more despondent towards the world. But both Midorikawas knew that, for their daughter, there was no way for them to help.

And how could they? She buried her blushing head in her lavender skirt. What could my parents say to me having a crush on someone who had kidnapped me and put them through so much turmoil? They don't know I'm a mew; they can't understand how it's tearing me apart that I developed feelings for him! I can't believe I thought liking Ryou was impossible; it's all too probable compared to this! She brought her head up and peaked out the window, listening to the trees whisper in the wind. He must be so disgusted with me, I'm so weak! Why did I say that to him at the end? Her mind flitted back, as it already had many times before, to the scene right before her and Ichigo had teleported away. Why why why?

A soft knock issued at her door. Quickly plastering on a smile, she turned towards the sound, fully expecting to see her mother who had been frequently checking in on her. She started with surprise as she took in the form of her best friend.

Ichigo smiled apologetically. "Ah, sorry for startling you Lettuce. Your mom said I could come up…"

Lettuce felt herself go a little crimson with guilt. "O-oh, y-yeah, that's perfectly fine…" Ever since the episode with the Cyniclons, she had been trying to subtly avoid Ichigo. It was kind of easy, since she didn't need to work. But every time Ichigo's caller ID appeared on her phone, Lettuce was somehow busily downstairs out of hearing range, or taking a shower, or running out for groceries. She was sure Ichigo had caught on. But I can't bear to face her! After that… what must she think of me? Even she hasn't fallen for Kisshu! What would she think of me if she knew how I felt towards the enemy?

The awkward silence continued between them, both getting more and more fidgety. Finally, Ichigo broke out of the spell and quickly came into the room, shutting the door firmly behind her. "Lettuce, we need to talk."

The porpoise mew's face grew slightly pale. "W-what do you m-mean?"

"Well… it's just…" Ichigo grew pink, which greatly complimented her complexion. "You know how before we left the Cyniclon ship? I mean, that was a little unusual of you. And…" The red-head squared her shoulders and looked her friend straight in the eye. "Is there something going on between you and Pai?"

Lettuce felt her face flush dark. She looked down in embarrassment. "N-no… I mean…"

Ichigo grew indignant. "Are you kidding me? Lettuce, I'm your best friend! Don't lie to me like that! I know that there's some-"

"There's nothing!" A rushed whisper escaped from the green mew's lips. Lettuce kept her head down, throwing her arms overtop as if she was trying to hide. "Nothing… nothing is happening between me and Pai." She insisted.

The redhead looked down at her friend, feeling a little hurt. "Do you really think I'm going to believe that?" The hunched figure trembled slightly, and Ichigo realized that Lettuce was crying. "Hey!" Ichigo rushed to her friend's side and knelt down. "Lettuce…" The green mew hiccupped slightly and mumbled something. "Huh? I didn't hear you." Ichigo frowned in concentration as Lettuce repeated it, but still got nothing. The redhead quickly pried her friend's hands away, causing Lettuce to bring her head up in surprise. "Say it again."

Retasu looked at her for a few brief moments, tiny pricks of tears held at a standstill in her eyes. Her face grew redder, her mouth trembling slightly. "I… I l-like… Pai." Her shoulders shook slightly. "But… to him I'm just the enemy… which is as it should be. So n-no, Ichigo, there is nothing going on between us." She hung her head. "Because I'm the only foolish one who feels this way. Pai, Pai would never, ever think of me like that." She quickly wretched herself from Ichigo's grasp and brought her hands over her face, as if trying to hide her shame. "You must think I'm so stupid Ichigo!"

The mew leader had suspected it; it was the only logical conclusion for Lettuce's outburst during the fight. But to hear her say it… Poor Lettuce, it's been tearing her up ever since she got back. She gathered her friend into her arms. "Oh Lettuce, I would never think of you as being stupid. You know that!" Ichigo rubbed Retasu's back comfortingly. "And besides, Pai…" She stopped herself.

Ichigo knew from Kisshu that Pai had started to have feelings for Retasu as well. Though she should have, Ichigo didn't doubt that Kisshu was telling the truth. But still, she had been there in the end when Pai was about to kill her. Whatever feelings he might have for her best friend, he wasn't above trying to kill her, and what good was that kind of knowledge if it only left Lettuce feeling worse. That jerk of an Cyniclon. How dare he do this to my friend! I'll cream him, I swear I will! Next time I see him, he's not going to get up again!

"I-Ichigo…?" Lettuce glanced up at her friend, who had a rather angry scowl forming on her face.

"Huh? Oh! Right. Well, Pai… he's kind of good looking, I see why you might have fallen for him." She rushed out lamely.

Lettuce blushed slightly. "It's not just that Ichigo, I mean, he is…" her blush spread and grew redder. "I suppose he's handsome. But he's so dedicated to his work, and thoughtful. And you know, at times he was almost… gentle, caring. I don't even think he really wanted to fight, he just knew he had to do it; he is trying to save people he cares about. And when he smiles… Oh, it's so confusing!"

"I'll bet." Boy, she has it for him bad. This would be so romantic if it wasn't so… impossible. What will the others think? … no, I won't tell them, this is Lettuce's problem, I'm not making things more chaotic for her by telling people she has a crush on the enemy. But, I mean, didn't she like Ryou? What happened to that? Not that I blame her for giving up, he's so dense he makes stone seem transparent. But really, this whole thing doesn't sound too far off from how Kish is. She recalled the previous battles they'd had, how Kish would sometimes ask her not to fight, to just join him. I don't know about gentle, I mean, he's too cocky to ever seem gentle, but he can be… I don't know, he really does care about me to some degree. And he's a good kisser- WOAH, OKAY, TIME OUT! REWIND! KISSHU IS A CONIVING, CYNICAL JERK WHO ONLY THINKS OF HIMSELF, HE'S NOT WORTH IT! MASAYA, MASAYA'S A GOOD PERSON! AND I'M SURE HE'S JUST AS GOOD A KISSER TOO! I JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO FIND OUT YET!

Ichigo quickly focused back on her friend, intent on erasing her traitorous thoughts. "You know what? We should have a shopping day today, just the two of us! Forget boy problems! I need to look for a new sundress anyhow!" She stood up and glanced out the window. "Let's meet in a few hours at the park, by the fountain? Then we'll head over to the strip mall!"

Lettuce blinked in mild shock at the sudden change in her friend's demeanor, but smiled. "A-alright."

"Great!" The red head made for the door, as if trying to escape her thoughts. "Then I'll see you later!"

"I-Ichigo?"

The mew leader turned around just in time to receive a hug from her green haired companion. "Lettuce?" She looked at her friend in surprise.

The third mew looked up at her with a beaming face. "Thank you so, so much! You're the best friend anyone could ask for!" As if realizing how emotional that was, Lettuce quickly let go and backed off slightly, looking abashed. "S-sorry, I just really needed somebody to talk to… and I'm glad it was you."

Ichigo gave her a winning smile. "Lettuce, there's nothing to be sorry about. See you in a little bit?"

Lettuce smiled back. "I can't wait!"

Xxx

Ryou had been working for days now in his basement.

When he had asked Lettuce to gather information with her pendant, he hadn't realized how tricky Pai could be with his encryptions. He was just starting to get the main body of the plans out, but it was taking a lot longer than he had expected. And what he was finding wasn't at all pleasant. Right before Lettuce had left to reunite with her parents, she had told him everything she had heard from the aliens, the information she had been kidnapped to keep secret.

"I don't know everything Shirogane-san." Lettuce unconsciously clasped her hands as her eyes frowned in worry. "But they had been creating a new chimera anima, at least, that's what it sounded like. They had said once it was ready, it could control people's will power, or something like that. And we can't get rid of the creatures individually, according to the aliens, our mew powers don't give us the ability to do it. Also, very few people would be able to fight it. They said…" She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "They said that many, many people would die from it, tens of thousands."

Ryou hadn't doubted the aliens to be able to create something so monstrous, but even to him it seemed like a long shot for them. He didn't doubt Retasu's words, but was it really possible, to create something of that magnitude? Now that he was just breaking past the encryptions, it was becoming even more real to him than ever before. He hadn't realized just how far Pai could go.

From what he was finding in Pai's research, the creature he had created didn't just control a person's willpower; it literally implanted itself in a person, much like a tick, and then began to suck away at the soul within. It sounded gruesomely fantastic, and completely improbable. But with the Cyniclons already able to withdraw a person's essence from the being and combine it to a parasite, why couldn't they create an even worse parasite that simply got rid of the previous soul? According to the encryptions, if he was following it correctly, once the seeds had implanted themselves, they would automatically follow the orders of the leader pod, the original creation.

This is where it got fuzzy for Ryou. The encryption became especially difficult; Pai had used at least three different cross-patterns to code his work, not to mention the alphabet was- no pun intended- alien to Ryou. A lot of what he made out continued to be about a 'host body', the one the original would have. But apparently it wouldn't be just any pick. The jiff was that Pai would be able to control the host body, which in turn would control the thousands of mind slaves.

It was so frustrating! Had he known of this maybe a week ago, he would have been able to come up with some counter-measure! But, thanks to those blasted Cyniclons, the one person who found out their secret was caught and kept long enough for their creature, if he was reading the growth chart correctly, to reach its peak of maturity.

Purple… that contemptuous, arrogant, wretched Cyniclon! There were a lot of things he wished he had been able to do to the aliens right then, none of them particularly pleasant.

But in order to fight something of this scale, if it were ever to occur, he would need a lot of energy. And there was no real time to create a decent amount. But maybe we won't need to…

He hurried upstairs to the kitchen where Pudding, Mint, and Zakuro were just cleaning up. "Hey girls, where's Keiichiro?"

"You called?"

Ryou turned to see his best friend coming carefully down the steps with a few large cook books. "What are those for?"

"Well," Keiichiro carefully set the down with a loud thud!. "I felt that before Lettuce returns to us, a party would be in order for her safe return. Some good cake recipes in these would be very helpful for just such an occasion."

Ryou looked at him blankly. "Well, I suppose that'd be a good idea." But how can he be thinking about something like that at a time like this? "Anyway, I need your help on something. Do you remember that friend who's a few miles out of Tokyo, the one who I entrusted some mew aqua to?"

Keiichiro raised his eyebrows. "That I do. Does the alien's plan worry you that much?"

"They always worry me, you know that." Like a tumor in the brain they worry me. "But this new idea they've concocted is worse than usual. I'd like you and I to head out and pick up the sample; I'll brief you on the way."

"What about us, na no da?"

Ryou turned to Pudding and the other girls, who had been eavesdropping from the other side of the kitchen. "There's no reason for you to worry about it, yet. You've done enough these past few days. But don't let your guard down just because there's been a bit of a break, they could strike at any moment."

Mint sighed and made for the changing rooms. "What else is new?"

Ryou gave her a brief glare before turning back to the group. "Alright, let's close up and head home. Good work today."

Xxx

Pai hadn't waited a moment longer than necessary to leave his room and actually do something productive. During the time he had been bedridden he had plagued his teammates with constant demands on how his creature was doing and if it was still growing the way it should. Had anything happened to it during the teleportation, or while he was incapable of treating it, their whole plan that had taken months in advance to build would be a lost cause.

Now he busily typed away at the computer screen in front of the tank, quickly inserting the last of the information needed to carry his creature into its final stage. Nothing, well, aside from certain things he was avoiding thinking about, nothing had gone wrong for his creature. Everything would still work out the way it was meant to. So close to victory! The dark blob within had grown significantly, and along with looking more bumpy, there were now ugly black protrusions that vaguely looked like leaves hanging from its head. Two green slits stared out at him questioningly, following his every movement. Its gaze was hungry, greedy. You are ready to feed, aren't you? Pai gazed hard at the new chimera anima, his hands typing in calculations by the second.

It's perfect.

Now all that was left to do was to locate the ideal first host, whom he already had in mind. Soon it will be over mews. But, to his mind's frustration, he knew this fully included Lettuce.

And her death.

She would already be gone if Mew Ichigo hadn't saved her, she was never going to escape death, it was only delayed. He pictured her being helpless against the attack, slowly eaten away till there was no true Lettuce left. Her face full of panic, of fear.

Of hurt.

Don't. Think. Like. That! There's nothing to be done! I've lied since the beginning to her; I knew this was the outcome! This has always been the only acceptable outcome, the death of the mews. The death of Lettuce! Pai's stomach ached uneasily, giving away how he truly felt. He paused in his work and took a long breath. Forget it, forget her.

Pai had designed the creature to be just what the humans had called it; a parasite. Within the creature millions of tiny versions were being born, all with the same destructive purpose. Once they were released into the air, only a scant few would survive to make it to their hosts, the human population. Once it latched on and bit its victim, the human would appear dazed for a few hours as the paralyzing venom rushes in before the true attack. Once the attack starts the human mind lashes out at everything it sees, unable to control the slow immobilization. Though the mind might share space between the human and the parasitic host, in less than a day the original inhabitant's soul would disappear, eaten away and gone for good. When the creature is finally done, it is now the new mind to the host, and will do as it pleases.

Or rather, as the original pleases.

The original's takeover of its host body was different than its spawn. Once the fusion was made, the host's soul would be taken and destroyed in moments. The chimera anima would have full control of the body in minutes. The process was tricky, however. True to its nature, the chimera parasite needed a host with a strong will, if it was too weak, the transformation would end quickly. The parasite wouldn't have enough to consume, and would die in the merging process, killing the human host with it (though either way, the human host dies). Not that this would happen, everything was set and in place, Pai had made sure over and over that his choice would fit his creation's needs. Once the original had its host, it would be in control of every one of its spores, capable of leading an army of humans.

Or rather, capable of telling the spores what to do according to what Pai ordered it.

Once Pai destroyed the humans of Tokyo Japan, he could send out specific carriers to other portions of Japan, and the country would be destroyed by the end of the week. After that, he could move out into Asia, then Europe and Africa.

Then the rest of the world.

A sharp knock alerted Pai that Kish had walked in. A small brush of clothing told him Taruto was in tow. "Yes, Kisshu?" Pai kept his voice monotone, completely and effectively wiping away any form of emotion.

"Everything's set. Are you coming?"

Pai glanced at his creation, which still watched him with intense rapture. It was ready. And it didn't want to wait any longer. The eldest Cyniclon rose from his seat and walked over to the green-haired alien, regarding him suspiciously. "You're ready, then?"

Kish's gaze leveled with Pai. "As I've ever been."

Pai felt his suspicions build further, not trusting the answer, but kept his face a serene mask. "Then let's go."

Wordlessly they teleported away.

Xxx

Ichigo stretched her arms in the air towards the bright sun. What a perfect day! After visiting Lettuce, and deciding that they needed some girl-time, she had immediately gone home. Shopping days were great, but having the money to shop with was even better. It took a lot of wielding tones and chore promises, but she finally got her allowance in advance from her mother (she would worry about what her dad would do later). One of the promises had been to finish her homework. Luckily, she only had to read her history chapters and study for a retesting on her last math exam before she was set to go. Sporting denim capris with embellished pockets and a cute ruffled pink tank, she had decided to stick with a pair of durable sneakers (there's a lot of walking involved in serious shopping days) to complete the ensemble. Now she headed for the fountain, completely ready for her relaxing day.

She started a little when she felt her pant leg vibrating, quickly rummaging to get a grip on her cell phone. Ryou! If you call complaining again I swear I'm- oh! It's Masaya! A cheeky grin filled her face, her eyes glazing over in a haze of happiness. He's calling me! Wow, this day just get's better and better! Oh Masaya, you're so amazing, so full of justice for the world, so thoughtful, so wonderful-

The phone vibrated again.

"Oh!" Blushing slightly at catching herself floating off, she quickly answered her cell. "H-hello?" She squeaked in an uncommon stutter.

"Ichigo? This is Masaya."

Ichigo felt her face warm just hearing his voice. "Oh! Hi Masaya! How's your day going?"

"Great! Listen, I just finished kendo practice, I was wondering if maybe I could come pick you up? It's such a nice day, and I wanted to take you to a new green house that was opened to the public nearby. Would you like to come with me?"

The redhead couldn't hold back a giggle of pleasure. "Oh wow! I'd love too! Let me-" She started slightly in surprise with herself. "Oh… actually, Masaya, I can't. I mean, I'd love too! But I already have plans with a friend, and I can't break it off with her. I'm so sorry! What about next time? I mean- no! If you want to, go again, or somewhere else- 'cause I'd love to go with Masaya, and…!" What must he think of me now? Darn it Ichigo, way to ruin it!

Her ears perked when she heard a muffled chuckle on the other end.

"Ichigo, it's alright. I knew you might already have plans, it's no big deal! I'm willing to wait. Are there any other days open for you?"

"Uh, um, yeah! Uh, this next Tuesday would work great for me!"

"Next Tuesday it is." She could hear the smile in his voice. "We can talk about what we'll do later. I hope you have fun with your friend!"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks Masaya! Em, good bye!" As the phone clicked off and she put it back in her pocket, she couldn't help but giggle in excitement. Her Masaya was so BRILLIANT! Perfect even! There was no love like theirs!

She suddenly felt a presence behind her. Instantly the hair rose on the back of her neck in response, and it only did that when it was really a threat. Oh lord, don't tell me-

"Well well well, what's my kitten doing out here all alone? I think you need some company."

Ichigo whirled on Kisshu, his annoying presence morphing her attitude instantly. "Buzz off Kish! I don't need your company!" Why the heck is he here? He might just be harassing me again for the fun of it, but I might be in trouble… Ichigo subtly put her hand back into her pocket, fingering the speed dial till she was positive it was wringing. "I don't want anything to do with you after what you almost did to my friend!"

Kish's smirk widened to reveal his fangs. "Ah, don't be mad! Your porpoise mew's safe and sound again. Right?" He lowered his head till his golden eyes could just barely be seen below the hairline. "In fact, I'd wager she's a lot safer than you are right about now."

Ichigo's heart fluttered with slight panic as she took in his dangerous stance, but she quickly covered the twinge with frustration. "I'm not going to tell you again, I don't want your company, get lost!"

Kisshu's eyes glowed eerily. "Actually, it's not your choice, kitten."

Instantly Ichigo felt another presence come at her from behind. Crap! Her hand reached for her pendant just as someone gripped the back of her neck painfully. She cried out briefly as the grip became more and more unbearable. Within seconds her vision started to blacken.

The last thing she saw before going unconscious was her helpless body falling into the arms of that blasted green haired alien.

Yes, blast that green haired alien, and my consistent enjoyment of cliffhangers. Hoo-hum, who do you suppose she called? Will there be help in time? And what of Pai's new goal to forget the girl he's infatuated with, will such a strategy work? Fyi: Things are about to get serious folks, the ear might not twitch for some chapters, so just be prepared, but I hope you'll take the action and drama just as well as the cutesy humor. :D