T^T I am so, so sorry this took so long. The next chapter might take this long too, I've just been having a lot on my plate lately and haven't had time for Tokyo Mew Mew and I'm SORRY. Rest assured your patience will (eventually) be paid off. Please except my sincerest apologies for such a long wait.

Sincerely,

Ally Marton

ONTO THE STORY!

Kisshu and Taruto looked at the scene below them in mute shock.

Earlier, by what seemed only a few minutes ago, Kisshu had finally stumbled upon a sulking Taruto, who had gone hovering around the woods in search of his lost frog. After initially 'rebuking' the youngest Cyniclon warrior for his lack of professionalism, and Taruto replying with some rather snarky comebacks, the two had headed off to find Pai and the Chimera. They hadn't been at Tokyo Tower, like the two expected, and then Kish, acting on a hunch, suggested they see if Pai had headed towards the Mew Mew's base.

Like most of Kish's insights, he had been dead on.

The scene they entered in on was quite different then what they expected. Trees had been thrown hither thither in a contorted frenzy of branches, trunks and leaves. The smallest dips in the ground had become creeks and giant puddles, some bordering large ponds. Earthling architecture also seemed to have suffered damage, many lampposts and fences bent double or fallen over all together. Floating high above the mew base, it appeared as if a huge storm had just passed through.

Taruto elected himself to be the first to voice his opinion, the necessity to sulk completely forgotten. "What the heck happened here!"

And Kisshu, ever quick to keep the ball rolling, nodded gravely towards the figure standing alone in the center of the mess. "Her."

It was the Chimera Anima, drenched and looking a lot more frazzled than when they had left it. A quick realization hit the pair and they immediately looked around the rest of the area for whoever it was the Chimera had attacked. Kish almost instantly found who he was looking for. He couldn't suppress a smile when he saw the look in her eye, and how it was pointed directly at the Chimera. That's my Ichigo, never down for long. His eyes narrowed with sudden annoyance. But why the heck is she clutching Pai like that?

Naturally, Taruto saw her too, and took note of some things. "Hey, what gives? Didn't we leave the old hag on the ship? What's she doing here?"

Kisshu, always willing to mess with his companion's mind, quickly threw in a vague comment about the possibility that mews were learning how to teleport.

Taruto missed this comment however (he wouldn't have believed it if he had heard it anyway). Because at that moment, the Chimera had started running, shouting something that they were too far away to here. And then Taruto saw what her target was.

Before the poor blundering kid could go and do whatever it was he intended to do to the threat, Kisshu had grabbed his wrist and was watching the scene unfold below him with horrible intensity. "Wait."

"Whatta you mean wait? She's gonna- NO!" The pair watched as the Chimera raised the weapon above the helpless mew's throat and made to slit her jugular.

And then stopped.

Kish's eyes blazed with concentration as he watched the now trembling figure fling the glass away, saying something he couldn't really pick up on. He did see Pudding's reaction though, and a sudden sureness gripped him. The Cyniclons watched with different levels of shock as the once-mew suddenly made a run for the trees. Kish released his grip on his friend. "Taruto, stay out of sight, I'll be back."

Then without another word he dissolved into thin air.

Xxx

Tears were still pouring down Lettuce's face as she ran as far as she could from the café. Watching her friends horrified faces played out over and over before her eyes. I've betrayed them, I attacked them, what can I do? I have to stay as far from them as I can, I can't… I can't…

Lettuce.

Retasu felt a panicked gasp escape her as the second soul within her reared its ugly head. Much like it had felt conversing when she hadn't been in control, Lettuce could tell how the Chimera was feeling. And what it was feeling was a black, black hate, directed entirely against the porpoise mew.

Give. Back. Control.

"Never!" Lettuce pushed herself even faster, praying for some miracle, any miracle to occur. As it was, she really couldn't back up her own words. She may have somehow gotten control again, but she could feel the experiment steadily growing stronger again. "I can't let you hurt my friends!"

You're a fool.

What in the world can I do? There has to be something- wait! The shy girl skidded to a halt and fiercely concentrated until moments later her body glowed briefly before depowering, the pendant now laying in her trembling hand.

The being within her scoffed. Delaying the fate of your friends even more?

Lettuce quickly closed her eyes and began running blindly ahead, still clutching the pendant. The being inside her felt a brief surge of alarm as her sight was cut off. Lettuce, for her part hoping she didn't run into a tree, began spinning randomly and quickly threw the pendant away into the unknown beyond her eyelids. Still spinning somewhat erratically, Lettuce opened her eyes and began to take off in the direction she opened her eyes to. Now we're not a threat at all, do you hear me, Chimera? You can't hurt them! She cringed slightly as the being within her laughed raucously, her feet still pounding the earth in hopes she was being carried farther from the battle.

Did you think that stopping me really saved your friends? If I don't kill them, the Cyniclons will, and if they don't, insanity will once this world is empty of true human life. Lettuce could feel her face tingle with washes of panic as the soul's dominance continued to steadily grow back. And she couldn't run any faster. Your friends will lose, they will die, and then so will you.

"My… my friends aren't… as weak as you think." No, she thought in horror as her speech became more difficult, no, not yet!

Ha! Not weak? Your intervention was a fluke, your teams luck was a fluke, it will not happen again. I will not let it happen again.

Lettuce's legs suddenly slowed and stopped in a cluster of trees, without her consent. "No… please…" She tried to move her lower self again, but nothing, short of gripping them and guiding them with her hands, would make any difference. I can't give up, I won't!

Brave words, for someone soon dead.

"'Ey!"

Retasu looked up wildly in shock, recognizing the voice. "K-Kishhu?" H-he's come to help her! What can I do? If she had control of her legs right then, she would have fled as he hovered closer to her. "No, leave me alone!"

He gazed at her solemnly. "So you are alive."

What does that imbecile want?

"Can it hear us?"

Lettuce didn't know why she bothered answering him. "Yes…"

His golden eyes flashed. "Too bad, listen Lettuce. Don't give up, alright? And believe in Pai, he'll pull through eventually."

"W-what, do you… mean?" The Chimera's power was slowly coming back, but it still wasn't strong enough to keep a blush from blooming on the pure girl's face at the mention of that man. And of all times to blush!

Kisshu's intense gaze flickered into something like amusement. "Heh. Good to see you, bookworm. Don't forget what I said!" In another second he was gone. Retasu glanced around bemusedly, her blush fading. What was that about?

You have more important things to worry about.

The green eyes widened with renewed terror as her lower body, completely against her wishes, smoothly turned and tried to head back where she had come. "N-no! I won't… let you!" Acting on impulse she gripped the nearest thing to her, a tree, and clung for dear life. The being inside her hissed in agitation.

Stupid girl! Let go!

No! Lettuce could feel the last of her control fading, and with all her will power focused her control on the arms. I won't let go! You can't make me! I'll protect them no matter what!

LET. GO!

Xxx

"Lettuce onee-chan… that was… nee-chan?"

Though Pudding was a mew, she was still just a child, and like a child, everything was slowly blocked from her mind except for sheer joy at what her discovery entailed. She forgot about the Cyniclon's plan, Ryou and Keiichiro missing, the rest of Tokyo about to become mind zombies, she even, in a sense, forgot about the Chimera they had just fought. And she could forget all these things, and right easily.

Because Lettuce was alive!

She knew, it! She knew her nee-chan was alright! Lettuce was alive! Alive! Did the other mews know? She had to tell them!

"Pudding!"

The youngest mew turned in surprise to catch her leader, Mew Ichigo, in a great big hug of relief. "Ichigo nee-chan!"

The pink mew pulled away slightly and looked over the little girl pinned to the earth with evident relief. "You're not hurt! I thought for sure when the Chimera-"

"Pudding!" Minto called from far off, unaccustomed to sounding concerned for the youngest member. "Are you okay? Did the chimera hurt you? What happened?"

Pudding, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly gleeful, was about to shout her news when Ichigo turned away towards her other comrades. "She's okay!"

"Thank God." Zakuro exhaled quietly as they drew closer.

Minto hurried over and started pushing away the tree ensnaring her, and after a moment of sheepish realization, Ichigo joined in the effort. "But," she grunted as she and Ichigo shoved the heavy limb off the trapped monkey mew, "how can you possibly be okay? That thing was zoning in for the kill!"

Pudding giggled in delight. "I know, na no da! But-"

"I mean, we all heard the scream, and then it had slumped for a bit and then ran off!" Mint looked to Zakuro for further confirmation of this fact, completely unaware she had cut off the smallest mew.

Ichigo, still struggling from the fright of it all, started to babble as well. "Did you see it? The thing started shrieking and yelling at no one! Pai created a flipping psycho-path!" The three eldest mews winced slightly, thinking about the psycho-path inhabiting their lost friend's body. "But what did happen?" Ichigo turned back to Pudding. "What did you do to it?" Ichigo's mind staggered at the sudden realization that Pudding had the power to frighten away psycho-paths.

"Probably used one of her family's one hundred and eight secret techniques, am I right?" Mint said slyly.

Pudding jumped up as the last of the branch was thrust away from her. "No no NO, na no da! It was-"

"Oh my gosh, Pudding, please tell me the technique, if it takes care of psycho-paths, it should get rid of Kish permanently."

"Really Ichigo? And here I thought you liked the attention."

"Hey-!"

"You guys, na no da! It wasn't Pudding!" Pudding's inward joy couldn't even be dampened by her friend's cluelessness.

The three looked at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"How could it not be you?"

"Pudding was protected, na no da!" The three looked at her blankly, so the smallest mew, barely holding back her excitement, elaborated. "Because when the Chimera was going to hurt Pudding, Lettuce nee-chan came and saved me, na no da!"

The confused faces quickly turned to shock. "What?"

Pudding, unable to contain it anymore, burst out laughing in happiness, spreading her arms wide as she revealed the greatest secret. "It was Lettuce nee-chan!"

Xxx

Pai, who most certainly was not a mew, nor a comrade to the mews, did not run to see if Pudding was alright.

Nonetheless, those Cyniclon ears weren't just for show. But, he was pretty sure he needed to get them checked, right away. Because what just came out of that small runt's mouth could not be what he thought it was. It couldn't, it wasn't!

But…

"No!" He hissed out loud, forgetting the presence of his enemies only a few meters away (though they weren't really paying all that much attention). "It can't be true!" Because if it is… what's happened… what Lettuce has been forced through…

Though this was all very much pressing in his mind, that if Lettuce was alive, she was still in terrible jeopardy. Still, there was one thought in his head that he tried not to think too loudly, the one that could easily drown out all other thoughts without getting any louder.

What must she think of me?

Pai took one last look at the mews before hurrying off towards the woods. I need to prove this once and for all. Because until he did, he refused to let that small, painful thread of hope surface inside him.

Xxx

"Pudding…" Ichigo didn't know how to finish that sentence. 'You'd better not be lying' and 'there's no way' came to mind, but all that could come out was an unmistakable squeak of pleading, "are you sure?"

But Pudding herself was kind of unable to properly answer due to her happiness, so instead of verbal confirmation, she took one look at Ichigo's doubting face and burst into gleeful laughter.

And Ichigo, quickly becoming strangely self assured by the littlest mew, could only find enough energy to breath out, "Oh my god."

Minto was now positively glowing "I knew it, I knew it!"

Ichigo, who vaguely felt the need to argue against Mint, realized that her eyes were blurring from tears of happiness. She's not dead… Lettuce isn't dead. She's alive. "Lettuce…"

Zakuro, coming up from behind, gently squeezed her leader's shoulder with a genuine smile gracing her face. Ichigo turned and beamed in return.

"What are we still sitting here for?" Mint looked quickly between each of the girls in turn. "We have to help her! What if the Cyniclons grab her?"

"Or worse," Ichigo looked at the others in dread, "what if that parasite takes over again?"

Pudding quickly came down from her joyful high at the mention of the creature that had meant to kill her. "That's right, na no da! Taru-taru and the aliens can't have her anymore! We need to save nee-chan, na no da!"

"Don't worry Pudding." The mew leader gazed hard at the forest. "Knowing she's still fighting, that she's still alive, no one's gonna stop us from saving her now-" the mew's black ears twitched backwards as she caught the sound of a phone vibrating. All heads turned to Zakuro, who dug out her phone to check it, her eyes widening.

"It's Ryou."

Xxx

Where is she… where is she?

Pai gazed about the silent forest, desperately seeking the flash of tell-tale lime green. When nothing appeared immediately he shuffled out of existence to pop into a new part of the woods. She could be anywhere! I need to find her, I need to know if it's true! He didn't want to risk yelling out loud for her. Part of this was strategy, in case the mews had had the same idea and were looking for her. Most of it was because he feared to hear his own voice, because if he called out, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide the desperation to find the green mew, and if he was wrong, or completely insane, then it would appear very weak for him to be shrilly calling for his secret weapon. Moreover, with the way the creature had been acting before, he didn't want to give it any ideas that he desired it.

His eyes caught sight of a brief flash near the ground. Swinging his head towards it, it appeared that someone had dropped a metallic object. His heart hammered a little faster when he realized what it was.

A mew pendant.

Swooping down Pai picked up the discarded object and looked it over. Yes, the abstract designs were green, it was certainly Lettuce's. But why is it here and not with her? She must have depowered, but why? The moment the question entered his mind, the answer screamed back at him: because now she can't hurt anyone.

No! Don't jump to conclusions, don't! Find Lettuce first, and then we can get these questions answered.

He took one quick gaze over the area again, clutching the pendant tightly in his hand before teleporting to a different part of the forest.

Xxx

"You're where?" Zakuro had switched the cell onto speaker so everyone could hear.

"We're about three minutes away from the café right now. Keiichiro has been checking the air samples and they seem clean now, especially towards the center of the city. Just to be safe, we have oxygen masks if the readings turn bad. But that's not important, don't move!"

The mew leader visibly bristled. "Sorry Ryou, not this time!" Ichigo glared agitatedly towards the phone. "I failed to help my best friend once; I'm not doing it again!"

"I'm with Ichigo." Mint said firmly. "We can't just sit here waiting for you when anything could be happening to her."

"Pudding thinks so too, na no da!"

"Girls, think! What are you going to do when you find her, bring her back to base with you? Protect her from the Cyniclons? I want to do that too, I wish I could let you go do that, but it's not that simple! What if that creature inside her takes over again! What if it deceives you into thinking it is Lettuce and then takes you down? What if the Cyniclons get to her first and threaten her life if you don't surrender like they did when Lettuce was first captured?"

Ichigo groaned angrily. "Stop making sense you stupid jerk!"

"Somebody has to, baka strawberry!"

"And what if they just decide Lettuce has become too much of a liability, even with that thing in her, what if they try kill her again?" Mint challenged angrily. "What if that creature's the one that tries to kill her? And the longer we sit here, the weaker Lettuce becomes!"

"We're rounding the corner as we speak, stay where you are! Me and Keiichiro haven't been idly helpless, we have a plan. But if that's the case Minto, then I suggest we all start praying for another miracle."

Xxx

Pai materialized once again and scanned the area. How far can she even run? At this rate- His thought process froze when he took in the sight of Lettuce walking carefully around, looking around the ground with a frown on her face. His widened at seeing the girl depowered, her braids only slightly mussed as they danced elegantly around her frame. Without thinking he called out. "Lettuce!"

The girl, who had turned away from him as she searched, visibly stiffened. Pai began to stride purposefully towards her. Please, please turn, please tell me I'm not crazy, tell me it's you, show me it's you. "Lettuce…"

The girl turned slowly to look at him, and Pai felt his heart clench as he took in the frosty, cold gaze that was narrowed at him. "Master…?"

Pai's breath caught in a shocked hiss. No, no! I thought… she was…

The gaze stayed distant and calculating as it looked over him too openly. There was no telling blush, no wide-eyed gaze, not even the realistic possibility of fear. It wasn't her. "Why are you calling me that, master?"

Pai's brain worked quickly. He wasn't giving up, he was not going to just sit and be told he was wrong. There's too much not adding up right now, it's definitely hiding something from me. His gaze intensified towards the mew's body until the creatures eyes wavered off to the side, as if trying to continue what she had previously been doing. And he had a pretty good guess what it was. He held out his hand, revealing his find from a few minutes back. "Is this what you're searching for?"

The creature gasped in shock and quickly snatched the pendant from his grip without thinking. As if realizing the break in proper character, the Chimera bowed its head. "Thank-you, Pai." He loathed how she said his name. "I… had lost it when I ran."

"Yes, and why did you run?" He questioned rather pointedly.

Ignoring him the experiment kissed the pendant and immediate transformed once again to Mew Lettuce. "I was more exhausted then I realized. If I took out the small one, the other three would over power me too quickly." Her eyes would not meet his, and it filled Pai with a cold sureness that struck him to the core. She's lying.

"Perhaps we should return to the ship to see if there's a problem with your host body?" he said with calculated calm.

Abruptly turning from Pai the parasite started to quickly walk away. "Thank-you for your concern, but it is unnecessary."

"I didn't give you permission to leave." He all but snarled.

Somewhat to his shock, the creature ignored him completely. The Chimera shouldn't be ignoring me; I programmed it to do as I commanded, what is going on? Ichigo's accusing words echoed in his ears. "Your whole plan is crazy! Have you taken a look at the monstrosity you created? She's nuts!"

He did not need this right then.

"Stop!" Pai ran to catch up to the departing Chimera. When it appeared she didn't hear, or would not yield, he reached out to halt her in her tracks. "When I tell you-"

Pai-san!

The eldest alien froze, his hand clamped firmly around the Chimera's wrist. Had he just heard…? It could have been his imagination. The sound was faint, practically a wisp of wind. And after all, Pai secretly missed the green mew enough, it was altogether possible, why wouldn't it be? He certainly could be losing his mind, driven insane by his wish to actually hear the mew. So that left this situation as being proclaimed illogical and false, right? He couldn't have heard what he thought he did, right?

Except for one thing.

His ear twitched.

Pai, as much as he hated the unconscious habit, the hideous occurrence that was the bane of his dignity and pride, he couldn't deny that that blasted twitch knew. It could only mean two things.

Lettuce, by some lucky star and beyond all of Pai's hopes, was alive.

And the Chimera had a lot of explaining to do.

Speaking of, it turned with an annoyed air, not realizing anything other than its master's impatience. "What, master?"

A lot of explaining to do. Pai's eyes drilled into the other beings, his intensity practically tangible. So much so that the Chimera's eyes started to shift from side to side, as if hoping some form of exit would appear. "Is there something wrong?" She said with a hard edge to her voice.

The eldest Cyniclon narrowed his eyes and released her hand, his ear twitching slightly once more as their fingers grazed. "Nothing."

Xxx

Tokyo Mew Mew stood huddled around Ryou as he typed on the computer. His hands were moving so fast it was hard for them to keep up, but his voice remained steady as he clued them in. "We've taken several air samples, but the parasites die rather quickly after a certain amount of time. The best we could do was study the energy and cellular levels with Keiichiro's portable lab."

The girl's raised their eyebrows in his direction briefly and the chef rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, it's mostly so I can study the molecular level of ingredients I'm considering to buy, to know which one would be the best, but…"

Minto waved an irritated hand towards him as she turned back to Ryou. "Sorry Keiichiro, not important. How does this help us?"

Ryou nodded and deftly plugged in a flash drive and some cables to his computer. "Based on the Cyniclon's notes that we've cracked, and the data we've retrieved on our own, we're finding that the Chimera Anima's parasites, once set free, have a limited time to find a ideal host, in this case, a human host." His fingers thumped somewhat harshly against the keyboard as he continued. "We don't have an exact estimate, but once a parasite reaches its host, it will take anywhere from a day to mere hours before the parasitic creature overtakes the host's controls."

"What does Ryou mean, na no da?"

Zakuro kept her eyes focused on Ryou. "It means that the parasites can make the human its infected walk, talk, and fight whoever it wants."

"It turns them into zombies." Ichigo supplied as well.

"Not even zombies, per say." Ryou typed faster until a window opened requesting data, which he switched over to. "Once it takes the motor controls, it doesn't stop there, in order for the parasite to be able to sustain life in its host body, it need to get rid of the original."

"It eats there soul?" Ichigo said through clenched teeth.

"Exactly."

"But Lettuce is still inside- um- herself, na no da! She wasn't eaten!"

"Lettuce is a mew mew Pudding." Ryou regarded her sadly. "We normal people don't stand a chance against this kind of invasion, not unless someone has been mentally prepped for such a thing to occur. But this isn't what I wanted to talk about. Keiichiro," he nodded to his greatest friend, "you explain it to them."

"We naturally found victims on the way here, and made an attempt to cure them with a simplified version of our current plan." He shook his head sadly. "It did us no good. The parasitic creatures are becoming too human at too rapid a rate. They're conforming to the new body they live in. But," his eyebrows knitted together in concentration, "these creatures are essentially from one body, and function only because of, I suppose you could say, its brain, the main one controlling this."

"We take out the brain, the creatures die off too. Checkmate." Ryou continued to type furiously at the keys of his computer.

Ichigo felt her black fur bristle slightly. "If that's the case, then I'd like to take out that sadistic Cyniclon myself."

Mint glared at her in irritation. "Too bad, we all want a piece of him after everything he's put us through."

Ryou paused in his typing. "Girls, as much as I want to take out purple, he's not the real brain."

"The Chimera Anima." Zakuro narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Hold on a second," Minto's eyes widened in worry, "you're not saying we have to take out Lettuce, are you?"

"No no, we don't want anything of the sort." Keiichiro raised his hands in a calming fashion. "We may have a solution to the problem already. You see, Ryou had a friend out of town guarding some mew aqua for us in a secure facility, we believe that if we combine it with some of the theoretical 'cure' data salvaged from Pai's work, we can safely destroy the Chimera without Lettuce being harmed."

Ryou hit enter with a satisfied air before turning fully around towards the girls. "I need a bit more time to get it ready, but in the meantime, you girls go with Keiichiro upstairs and take a quick breather, we can't afford you dropping off on us." As the girls filed out, Ryou gave Zakuro a meaningful look. With Keiichiro leading them up, none of the girls really noticed Zakuro pause at the doorway.

"Something wrong?" She regarded him cooly.

"Zakuro…" Ryou resisted the urge to bite his lip in agitation. "We're not sure that this will work, not as sure as we'd like to be. I can't have the other girl's knowing this, but…" He glanced furtively towards the doorway, a pained expression on his face. "If… I mean… we can't place Lettuce ahead of humanity. If the time comes where something needs to be done, will you be able to take on the task?"

Zakruo's eyes flashed, but she remained silent.

Ryou pursed his lips in mild discomfort. "Well?"

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder casually. "Yes, I would be able to do it, easily." Before Ryou could speak he was caught in her eerily cool gaze. "However, I will not do it."

Ryou's shoulders slumped. "Zakuro, you need to think-"

"You made Tokyo Mew Mew to defend the earth, and that's what I'll do. But if you want someone killed, if you want murder done to a comrade, to Lettuce," she gave him her frostiest glare, "then do it yourself."

Ryou ran his hand through his hair in agitation, but remained silent. Finally he looked back up at her. "…Your right. I'm sorry Zakuro, your right. If I'm not willing to do this myself, I can't expect you to do it."

The teen model gave a brief nod before turning to leave. She paused as she took the first step up and gave him a side glance. "You're trying to do what's best for everyone; I don't blame you for that. It can't be easy, having all the responsibility you do." She resumed walking up the stairs, heading for the kitchen where her teammates were waiting.

"What did Ryou want?" Minto asked with her aristocratic eyebrows raised.

Zakuro sat gracefully down next to her friend. "He just needed some further details on the last battle we fought." Zakuro's eyes shifted over to her leader. "It sounds like this next battle is the final showdown."

The blue mew stirred her tea distractedly. "Either we must win, or Tokyo is lost. No pressure."

Ichigo looked out the doorway to the window that showed the front lawn of Café Mew Mew. "There's never any pressure." She said sarcastically, then more seriously. "We'll win, no matter what. It's our duty."

Pudding gulped down her cream puff and waved her hands excitedly. "Because we're Tokyo Mew Mew!"

Zakuro smiled softly to herself. "Defenders of the Earth."

Want to know something scary? There's two chapters left. That's right. TWO. I've been working on this story for so long, I don't know how I'm going to take finishing it! And yes, the end scene with the mews was rushed. I had been struggling to portray Pai and IT for so long that once I got them out all my other plans just gushed out with it! Expect a long next chapter!