Animal Instinct
Chapter IX
By now the pet shop was filled Para Paras, and the cries of the animals were overwhelming. Some of them had attempted to flee, but there was nowhere to flee to.
D and Ringo, followed by Q-chan, raced back towards the other Mews. But no animals were safe, and as they ran, the fish tanks that lined this particular hall kept exploding behind them, freeing more aquatic Chimera Animas and spilling them out. Only the few seconds head start they had allowed them to keep from getting caught in a shower of glass and monsters.
But neither Kami nor Mew looked behind them, and both kept running.
Almost there…we're almost there. Was the thought that kept running through Ringo's head, as they left the fish tanks behind, when suddenly the count collapsed.
"Count D?!" She asked, coming to a stop and turning back to face the man, who was gasping and pressing a hand to his chest. "Count…?!" She began, and then stopped as he held out the bottle of Mew Aqua. Ringo shook her head and pulled out her Appleticks instead. "Ribbon…Apple Pop!"
"Mew Ringo…thank you."
"Are you alright?"
"I will be." D replied as he got back to his feet. "Thank you."
Ringo grinned, in spite of the seriousness of the situation. "Don't mention it, Count. I can do this all day. Just don't leave me alone here."
"Very well. Let's hurry, then."
They went further down the corridor, dodging the different Chimera Animas, until they came back to the room they had left the other Mews in. Two steps into the room, Ringo tripped over Keiichiro's prone body. "Akasaka-san!"
"They did the same to him as they did to Leon." D realized.
A snake Chimera Anima lunged at them, fangs outstretched, and a grey cat jumped in the way, transforming mid-leap the channel the power of its transformation to repel the monster, and Ryou landed in a crouch on the floor. "Yes they did." He confirmed grimly. "Please tell me you have the Mew Aqua."
In answer, D held out the vial.
Ryou took it, "Ichigo!" He shouted. The catgirl looked up, and he tossed the vial towards her. A Chimera Anima darted in the way of his toss, but before it could intercept the Mew Aqua, Q-chan swooped in and grabbed the vial, and flew it over to Ichigo's hand.
With the vial in one hand, and with her friends around her still defeating Chimera Animas, Ichigo stretched out a hand. "Mew Aqua Rod!" In an instant, the weapon appeared in her hand, and she touched the vial of Mew Aqua to the top center of the heart on the end of the rod. "Ribbon…Aqua Drops!" She shouted, before waving the rod back and forth. She lifted into the air, twirling around as she did and spreading the Mew Aqua drops like dandelion seeds into the air.
And even though they were inside, that fact did not stop Ichigo from twirling towards the ceiling and spreading Mew Aqua as she vanished through it. When she did, the Mew Aqua was spread all over the pet shop, freeing every animal as they were touched by it and destroying the Para Paras.
Whether it was because of the magic of the Mew Aqua or because of the magic of the pet shop, Ichigo was never able to say, but she didn't stop spinning until she landed on the roof of the shop and held the Rod up, allowing a shower of sparkles, remnants of the Mew Aqua, to fall over the city like a gentle rain.
Akasaka jerked awake to find Ryou standing over him. "Ryou!"
"Don't worry. It's over now." Ryou said as he helped the other man to his feet, and they stood there as the remnants fell over the carnage in the pet shop.
As soon as the Mew Aqua was delivered, D had turned back and hurried through the labyrinth of the store to where Leon had been left after being turned into a monster. To his relief, when he came through the door, D saw the detective sitting up and rubbing his head.
"Sheesh, what'd I miss?" He asked, then held out a hand to catch one of the sparkles floating down.
D was standing still, soaking up the warmth and power from the shower of Mew Aqua the fluttered down like snowflakes. "It's over, Detective," He said in a quiet, dreamy voice. "It's finally over."
The night was quiet after that. The Mews left, taking Akasaka with them as it was more than obvious that after his ordeal the man needed a break. The same was true for Leon.
D worked late into the evening caring for animals that were still shaken from their experience and caring for the ones that were hurt or, like the fish, needed new homes.
The next morning he was up at his usual time and had just finished getting dressed when there came a knock at the door of the shop. "I wonder who could be here at this hour of the morning." He mused to Q-chan as he went to answer the door. There was no way he could open the store today, with the damage caused by the aliens still left to be cleaned up.
When he opened the door he fully expected to explain to any potential customers that the store would not be open today, but it was the Mews and Keiichiro and Ryou standing there. Keiichiro and Ryou were in their usual clothes, the girls were dressed in shorts and head-kerchiefs and other clothes that implied that they expected to work and get dirty. Keiichiro had several bags with him, the girls had buckets and cleaning supplies.
"Hi, Count!" Ringo said.
"We know the store is kind of a mess." Ryou said.
"We've come to help clean up." Ichigo told him. "Since it's sort of our fault anyway."
"You don't have to do that." D told them.
"But we'd like too." Akasaka said. "May we come in?"
D opened the door wider. "In that case, please, come in."
"I'll get the kitchen back in enough order to get breakfast started." Keiichiro announced as he headed in that direction.
"Where would you like the rest of us to start, Count?" Zakuro asked.
XXX
The Mews, Ryou, the Count, and some of the animals worked for the next hour sweeping up glass, mopping up water and drying furniture, and cleaning out the debris that had been left in the wake of the alien attack.
Meanwhile, Keiichiro cleaned up the kitchen to the point that he could get to work, and together with Pon-chan and some of the monkeys, he prepared breakfast and got it into the oven. There were very few places in the shop that had not been harmed by the alien attack the day before, and there was plenty of work to be done even in the kitchen.
Keiichiro had cleaned up enough of the counters and dishes to get breakfast prepared, and now that the muffins and quick bread were in the oven, he stood surveying the room. "Where can I get a mop and bucket?" He asked Pon-chan after a moment. There would be nothing else he could do until the baked goods came out of the oven, then he would cook the pancakes and breakfast meats.
"Follow me." The raccoon-girl said, and she led the man to a closet in the kitchen.
It was into the middle of this that Leon arrived later that morning.
"What is this?" He asked Zakuro, who was using a rag to mop water out of the carpet in the front room. "Cleaning day?"
"Yes it is." Zakuro, her purple hair tied back into a pony-tail and hidden under kerchief, wearing a purple shirt and cream-colored shorts, replied without missing a beat. "Feel free to grab a bucket and join in."
Leon considered it for a moment as he took his sunglasses off, then shrugged. "Okay."
Forty-five minutes later, Keiichiro announced breakfast was ready, and they all came back to the front room. As usual, when they were all in the pet shop, there weren't enough chairs, and some of the Mews wound up sitting on the floor by the table.
"I hope you don't mind that I had to raid your spice cabinet, Count. There were a few things at the store that I didn't see the point in buying because I would never be able to get them used up before we left to go back to Tokyo." Keiichiro explained as he set the breakfast meats out next to the muffins and sweetbread before vanishing back into the kitchen to retrieve the pancakes.
"I don't mind at all, Keiichiro. But I wish you would at least let me help serve the meal." D, still wearing the apron over his robes and head-kerchief he wore when he normally cleaned the store, told him.
The other man shook his head as he deposited the tray of pancakes on the table. "I've rather drawn the short straw today, with kitchen work. This is no trouble."
Pon-chan entered the room behind him. "I've brought the syrup." She said, holding up the glass bottle.
"Thank you, Pon-chan." Keiichiro said as he set the bottle on the table. "Everyone, please help yourself." He announced, then turned to Pon-chan as the others started to pass around the food. "Would you like some?"
"Yes please!"
"Pancakes? Muffins? All of the above?" Keiichiro asked.
"A pancake and a muffin!" Pon-chan told him, then glanced at the Count, who was sipping tea. "Is that alright, Count?"
"It's fine, Pon-chan." He told her.
Keiichiro dished up a plate and handed it to the raccoon.
Then Leon spoke up. "So…you do know you're talking to an animal, right?"
If looks could kill, D's glare would have done Leon in on the spot. Keiichiro himself was more perturbed by the revelation that immediately followed.
"Pon-chan?" He asked, kneeling in front of the animal, but all he heard in response was chattering and clicking. "I wish you hadn't done that." He said in Leon's general direction. "I don't think I've ever talked to an animal like that before. And now I can't seem to do it again."
"You want to do it again?" Leon asked.
"Well, I was a scientist before I was a chef." Keiichiro replied as he stood back up. "I'd like to know how I was doing it."
"Maybe it's the Mew Aqua." Berry suggested.
"Anyway, Pon-chan told you not to listen to Detective Orcot and thanked you for the plate of food." Ringo told him.
"That was kind of mean of the Detective." Pudding muttered. "I thought it was really cool that Mr. Akasaka could talk to animals now."
"It was certainly rude." D replied as he reached for a muffin.
Leon may not have understood the Chinese, but he understood enough of the tome. "What? Don't you think the man needs to know he's talking to animals?"
"In my line of work that's pretty common, actually." Keiichiro told him, giving Ryou a not-unkind aside glance that the latter missed. "And it's an improvement over talking to myself sometimes. But never mind. Let's eat. I know there's still plenty or work left in the kitchen for me to do."
After breakfast they got back to work. Ryou and Leon went back to repairing furniture and walls that had been damaged. Pudding had learned how to re-hang a door in her life of caring for her younger siblings and together with Ichigo's help they were repairing the doors that had been knocked off their hinges.
Lettuce swept up broken glass and debris too small to be gathered by hand while Ringo and Berry, assisted by T-chan and Ten-chan and some of the other animals, picked up broken vegetation and debris. Mint knew how to repair paper doors, of which there were a few in the shop and they became her project after breakfast.
The kitchen had suffered water damage, part of which Keiichiro had cleaned up before he began making breakfast. Now he finished cleaning up the rest of the kitchen, and washing everything down.
Zakuro and Count D were sopping water out of carpets and scrubbing the floor where Lettuce had already swept. Q-chan was alternating flying around them and resting on D's shoulder while the man worked.
Zakuro had just left to dump a bucket of water and get a new one, leaving D alone in the hallway, and because Lettuce had already swept it, he was mildly surprised to see her reappear in the hall. "Miss Lettuce? Is there something you need?"
The porpoise-girl came forward, hesitantly. "Um…you…grant wishes?"
D paused, resting on his heels, and looked up at her. "Not exactly. Where did you get that idea?"
"Um..Ringo said that you could do more than just talk to animals."
The count's eyes widened, ever so slightly. Perceptive girl. "What is your wish, Miss Lettuce?"
"Um…" The girl's face turned bright red. "I-I'm so clumsy, and I don't want to be clumsy anymore! I want to stop dropping things and causing trouble for everyone! So…I'd really like to be graceful."
There was so much there, so much desire to do better. But the question was, to test her character or not?
After a moment's consideration, D decided not to.
"Miss Lettuce, you are clumsy now, but you won't be that way forever. As you grow older, you will become more graceful. You don't need my help to accomplish that."
Lettuce looked at him earnestly. "Really?"
"Really. All you need is more time."
She smiled, and it was radiant. "Thank you, Count!" She bowed, and then scurried back the way she'd come, taking her broom with her.
D watched her go, then went back to scrubbing the floor.
By lunchtime, the pet shop had been restored, and the exhausted group met back in the front room to eat.
"Wow. That was a lot more work then I thought it'd be." Ichigo said as she sank down to the floor to the left of Zakuro's chair, her usual spot when they were all at the shop.
"When you get right down to it, this place is huge." Mint agreed in undertone to Berry, taking her usual place on the couch.
If D heard her, he didn't let on that he had as he took his seat.
"I thought I pulled the easy job." Keiichiro was still cheerful.
"Well we wanted you to have that so you would cook for us." Ryou said as he slouched in his seat on the couch.
"I'm happy to oblige." The man replied. "I've got more than enough here for everyone, and I have some vegetarian dishes as well. Don't worry, I cooked them separately from the meat."
"How did you know?" D asked.
"The only meat you had on hand was labeled for different animals. So I guessed you might not eat meat." Keiichiro told him as he set the last platter on the table. "Everyone, please don't stand on ceremony. Dig in!"
They lingered over the meal, everyone realizing that after this, it was over.
When they had all finally set their plates down, D was the first to speak. "Thank you for your help today."
"You're welcome." Ichigo replied. "We're, eh, sorry your whole pet store got changed into monsters."
"Well, no harm done. I think." D told her.
"Thank you for all hospitality while we were here." Zakuro said.
"If you're ever in Tokyo, you must by the café. Both of you." Keiichiro said, glancing between D and Leon.
"Yes," D said, with a smile that left Leon wondering for the rest of the day. "If I'm ever in Tokyo I will certainly drop by."
"The cake'll be on the house when you come." Ryou promised as he stood up. "Thank you, Count."
"Do we have to leave?" Pudding asked sadly.
D smiled at her. "You can't stay forever, Pudding."
"But we can come back, right?! And you'll come to the café, won't you?!" Pudding asked.
"You are always welcome to come back and visit, and someday I'll visit the café, when I make it back to Tokyo." D told her.
"Alright." Pudding said, good cheer restored.
"Thank you, Detective Orcot, for your help." Ryou said.
Leon made a noise of distaste. "Don't let aliens take over the world, Shirogane. I'll hold it against you if that happens."
Ryou grinned. "I intend to make sure that doesn't happen."
"We all intend to make sure it doesn't happen." Mint added.
There was another round of goodbyes, and the Mews and Ryou and Keiichiro were gone.
"It's so quiet." Leon said after a moment.
"I thought you wanted some quiet." D replied.
"Yeah, but this is too quiet." The detective said. "Oh well. At least it looks like the number of alien attacks is going to drop dramatically."
"It is." D agreed. "Tomorrow I might even open the store again."
"I should be concerned by that. But I'm really not. Not yet. Compared to the last few days, you opening this place back up for business will be downright normal."
"Why thank you, Detective."
At that, Leon knew something was up. "I'm gonna regret that statement by this time tomorrow, aren't I?" He asked.
D just smiled.
[A/N:] I don't think I ever said this anywhere in my past author's notes, but this song is not named after any tracks that you may have heard on Mew Mew Power. It's actually named after the song by the Cranberries. I think one of the things I like the best that happened in AnIn was how when D and Leon and the Mew crew sit down, there's never enough chairs, so I envision them sitting on the floor around the table, and I don't know why but that's one of the things I like best. And Keiichiro got to shine a little this chapter, too. I'm glad because he gets enough attention.
And so the end! I am debating an epilogue, but I don't think so. I am also debating a sequel. The jury's still out on that one. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. After as long as I've gone without updating, I was surprised by the response I got last chapter, and it was a really good feeling to know that people were still reading this fic. Please review and let me know what you thought of this last chapter, and thanks for sticking with me through all of this!