AN: Looking over the entry sheet for Kotona that Amethyst Bryony had entered, I realized that she is a good deal OOC, so I did my best to smooth her into how she is supposed to be, and give a valid explanation as to why she was OOC. Lol Hope I did her justice.

Enjoy.

Chapter 16:

The Mew Come Out...Tomorrow

The week passed without any unusual activity, much to the Mew's content. Finals were coming up, and they had to study. Well, they all studied except for Tiffany. When she was finally released from the hospital, she went away with her parents. If they weren't running around the cafe, trying to keep things in order, they were in their study groups. Aneeta studied in the library with Amara and James, and with Patrick a few times. He mostly studied though with his classmate Katsu. Kita tried studying, but she mostly played on her computer, writing or reading stories. The one who studied the hardest, was Kotona.

Since it was final season, her parents were coming down on her harder. She got up early and studied before breakfast and going to school. She studied at lunch, and right after school until she went to bed. She wished she could study with others, but her parents felt it would only distract her from her studies to be with others. She even skipped some shifts at the cafe to fit in as much studying as she could.

This, of course, spark another infamous argument between Shieru and their father. He hated how they constantly drove her to study, and suck all the fun out of her life. Shieru always fought with their father, about almost everything. It was like they were to north magnets and constantly repelled each other. He was good with their mom though. Kotona didn't really understand because she urged Kotona to study almost as much as her father did. It was probably because it wasn't as much that keep him from blowing up on her.

Because of the fighting, Shieru liked to run away a lot. She never really told anyone that, wasn't really any of their business, but whether at night or broad daylight, he would storm out of the house, running down the street, and stay away until the next day, or wait til the week was out to come home. Sometimes she wished he'd take her too. She was curious about what he did when he left. He never told her when he got back. He just acted like nothing happened. She thought it was kind of immature to run away from the problem all the time, but she didn't want to point fingers because she could be immature as well.

That evening, she was almost done studying for the night, when she heard the argument. She couldn't study when they yelled, so she put down her pencil and decided to call it a night. She got into her pyjamas and climbed into bed, pulling her covers up to her chin. She didn't expect to fall asleep anytime soon. The yelling kept her up not only because they were loud, but she was just so curious to hear what they were gonna say.

She lay there, occasionally, looking at her clock, taking note of how long they were going at it for. To her surprise, it only lasted about twenty minutes, and instead of hearing the front door burst open, there were stomps up the stairs, and Shieru's bedroom door slammed. That's different, she thought to herself, closing her eyes, ready to sleep. She then heard her doorknob slowly turn, then someone entered, closing the door quickly behind them.

"Wake up Kid," the person shuffled over to her bedside and flicked her forehead.

"Sh-Shieru?" she stammered, opening her eyes in surprise. He had a serious look on his face.

"Get changed, quickly," he ordered, moving over to the window.

"W-what?" she asked, sitting up.

"Come on," he urged, prying it open, allowing the cool night air to flow in. Confused, Kotona jumped out of bed, and hurried to her closet.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" she asked again, turning her back to him.

"We're going out," he answered, keeping his back to her.

"B-but it's late," she objected, still changing, "and my shoes are still downstairs." He kicked a pair of shoes my way.

"Brought 'em on my way up," he replied.

"So you're running away, and you're taking me this time?" Kotona wondered, now tying her hair up into her ponytails.

"You wanna get left behind?" He was now climbing out the window, and balancing himself on the roof.

"Wait!" she gasped, shoving her shoes on and grabbing an extra sweater. She hurried to the window, and with his help, she climbed out and onto the roof. She felt a jolt of adrenaline. She'd never done something this daring before. She was actually kind of scared. She wasn't sure how much trouble she was going to get in, but wasn't the point of doing something like this, to throw away worry and regard and just do it? She wasn't one to do that, but she might as well now. Shieru closed the window behind them, and scooted to the edge of the room that aligned with the fence.

"Come on," he called quietly, flipping himself over as he put his feet on the fence. With ease, he lowered himself and grabbed onto the fence, lowering himself to the ground. Kotona scooted to the edge, and stared down warily.

"U-um," she stammered, looking at the distance to the ground. "Th-that's far..."

"It's okay, just aim for getting onto the fence," he instructed. "If anything goes wrong I'll catch you."

"What if that goes wrong as well?" she asked, moving slowly. She turned her self around so her stomach was on the roof, and her feet dangled off the side. Her feet touched the fence, and this is where she got scared. How was she going to keep her balance? How was she going to grab onto the fence? She froze with panic, not even sure if she could pull herself back up.

"Oh come on Kid," Shieru huffed impatiently. "Just jump."

"What?" she hissed down at him. "Are you crazy?"

"Not as crazy as you just standing there," he said, holding his arms out. "Come on, you're stuck, and at this rate mom and dad will find out you're gone before we get down the block."

"How will they know?" she asked, gripping onto the roof hard.

"They check on you throughout the night," he shrugged.

"What?" Kotona gasped, losing her grip. She lost balance and teetered off of the fence, but on the side of where Shieru was standing on. She squeaked with flailing arms as she fell and landed in the bushes on the side of their house.

"Shit, you okay?" Shieru ran around the fence quickly and saw her just laying there in shock.

"Y-yeah...," she moaned, trying to gather herself. Why couldn't I have cat DNA?, she thought.

"We gotta hurry," he urged, grabbing her arm and helping her out of the bushes. "They for sure heard that. We gotta run now."

"Man," Kotona huffed when she finally got to her feet, still feeling shaken. I'm definitely feeling this in the morning, she thought, just as Shieru pulled her into a sprint down their driveway and down the street.

\NMM/

Shieru didn't speak much. They had ran for a couple blocks before turning and slowing down to a walk. Their only light came from the street lamps that were pretty spaced out. They had walked for quite a few blocks, and no words were exchanged. Kotona felt thrilled She had run away from home with her brother. She had to admit, it wasn't as she imagined. She also envisioned her brother either fleeing to a friends house to stay up late playing video games, or running off to a secret location that was kind of a headquarters for him and his friends when they run away. So far, there was none of that, just silent walking.

"So, um, where are we going Shieru?" Kotona asked, figuring there was no harm in it.

"No where in particular," he shrugged.

"Where do you usually go when you runaway?" she asked, hoping that she'd get the answer she was looking for.

"I don't really go anywhere," he shrugged. "I go where my feet carry me. Sometimes the park, sometimes just across town and back. Nothing special." Kotona's heart fell, along with all of her childhood fantasies about her brothers runaway adventures. She stared down at the ground in disappointment. She couldn't believe that he did absolutely nothing on his ventures into the city at night. There had to be something he did while he walked around aimlessly.

"So you just...walk around?" she wondered, kicking at a stone.

"Yup," he nodded, then looked down at her in amusement. "You figured I had wild adventures didn't you?"

"Of course!" Kotona shouted, throwing her arms up into the air. "I mean, you ran away all the time, and I always wanted to come because I figured you were out having fun with your friends and doing crazy stuff. I didn't expect just...walking."

"I do more than walk," Shieru informed her, looking on ahead again.

"Really?" she said, her hopes rising once more.

"I think," he nodded, his hands deep in his pockets.

"That's boring," she huffed, her shoulders sagging. She didn't want to just walk and think. She wanted to do something crazy and out of the ordinary. Sure fighting aliens was crazy, and out of the ordinary, but it kind of became her ordinary, and she couldn't share that with her brother. She wanted to do something and share it with her brother, just like she always imagined.

"Well, the reason I leave the house unexpectedly a lot is so I can cool down and keep myself from doing something I'll regret," he explained. "I come out here to the quiet, and get away from everything that bothers me, and think. Think out everything, and it helps me to settle down, so I can take on my problems carefully."

"What kind of problems?" Kotona decided to venture. Since he wasn't alone today, and she really didn't have things to mull over, he might as well talk to her. "I mean, besides dad." He hesitated, biting his lip.

"Well, uh...," he said, searching for a way to begin. "There's, uh, Tiffay." He cleared his through as if he had choked on her name. "She called it off."

"Yeah, I know," she nodded, her face calling. Tiffany had practically bragged about it when she showed up at the cafe the day before she left with her parents.

"Said she wanted to be 'acquaintances',"he explained, using air quotes. "Who says something like that? I mean, she said she wouldn't go out of her way to see me and crap."

"She's brutally honest that one," Kotona nodded. "You can do better. Really, she doesn't care about any guys she sees. She just wants to have fun and play with people's feelings."

"It bothered me at first," he shrugged, not really caring, "but there's no point in lingering really. I think she is just too stupid to realize that she is a nice person deep down." Kotona blinked in surprise.

"How so?" she wondered curiously.

He shrugged to himself, but he was thinking of the time when she ate that hamburger, even though she hated meat, just to make him smile. Kotona thought about it herself, and figured she had a few nice moments, but they were often ruined by the insult that goes along with her advice. Like when she gives fashion advice, and says something mean about the part of your body she's trying to help you fix, or when...well most of what she did or said was about fashion, so any incident she could think of had to do with just that in some way.

"You know what," Shieru spoke up, catching her off guard. "There is some place we could go."

"Really?" she squealed, jumping once to show her excitement.

He smiled at her reaction, and patted her shoulder. "Yup," he nodded. "It's just down this street." He veered left, and jogged across the street, and Kotona hurried after him excitedly.

\NMM/

The place Shieru had talked about was a bar. Yes, a real bar, where people go to drink alcohol and under-aged kids weren't allowed. However, the place was actually closed on weekdays, and Shieru went to the back of the establishment, and knocked on the back door. Kotona's eyes darted around the back alleyway, feeling anxious. This was actually the kind of thing she envisioned her brother doing every single time he ran away. She never expected it to be a bar. Maybe an old warehouse or something, but not a bar.

The door then opened, and a middle-aged man with greying hair and a chubby face stood in the doorway. He glared down at the siblings, causing Kotona to flinch and hide behind her brother. Shieru stood at his full height, and was actually grinning at the man. "Sorry to come by so late Hiroshi," he said. "You wouldn't mind a meal for two would ya? This is my sisters first expedition." Kotona glanced up at him again nervously, and his face had broken out into a huge grin.

"I was hoping you'd never corrupt her with your was," the man laughed, looking amused, "but looks like it was inevitable. I start whipping up your usual." He opened the door wider, and allowed them to enter, Kotona staying right on Shieru's heels. The pace was empty, but music flowed from the speakers, and the area of pool tables had lights still on.

"Come on." Shieru pushed her over to the pool tables as the man went behind the bar and disappeared into the back.

"Who is that?" she asked, looking after him curiously.

"That's Hiroshi," he replied, taking down two cue sticks down. "He runs the place. He's the father of a friend at school. I come here sometimes if I don't need to think a lot. And since I have you, might as well show you that I have some fun."

"Shieru!" Kotona jumped at the sound of the voice, and turned to see who it was, awkwardly holding her cue stick. It was a boy, he looked to be the same age as Shieru. He had blonde hair that was pull back into a short ponytail, and green eyes.

"Yuu," Shieru grinned, punching him in the shoulder when he came up to him. "How's it going?"

"Me?" he laughed, punching him back. "What about you? You should be studying for tomorrows math test."

"Pfft, like I'd have any chance of passing even with studying," he grinned, the pointed at Kotona with his stick. "This is my little sister, Kotona."

"Ah, the infamous Lil' Shi," he grinned, holding his hand out to shake hers. "He's told me a lot about you. I knew one day he'd drag you along on one of his getaways." Kotona just held onto her stick, looking down at the floor uncomfortably. You'd think after hanging out with the other Mews for so long she'd be used to talking to other people.

"And of course, shy," Yuu smiled understandingly. "You going to teach her how to pool?" He turned his attention back to Shieru.

"Of course," he grinned. "Taught her everything else fun she knows. First lesson is how to hold this right." He put down his cue stick, and took the one in Kotona's hands, and showed her the proper position to hold it, and started giving hints about how to get the best possible results in different situations, with input from Yuu. She nodded, and listened intently, mimicking what he says and shows her.

She had hoped she'd gotten better with talking to new people, but she couldn't help but feel awkward around them. The Mews were the biggest exception. She found it weird at first, but she had realized it was because they were a team. The only time she felt comfortable with people, and like to get out there and help take charge, was when she was on a sports team. Her time in gym class was always her shining moments. When she was put on a team, and was ready to play the sport for that day, she was ready. She was lose, and not afraid of the other students. She actually took charge and helped her teammates focus on what they were good at.

The Mews were just that, a team. It didn't happen right away, but soon after she joined was when she felt comfortable with them, even if they butted heads, especially with Tiffany. That's what happened in real life, with teammates, with friends. There were good times and bad, and by having the team 24/7, instead of just for one period a day, she was able to get to know more about them then just what part of the team they played best on. She got to know them, and their personalities. She still didn't know much about Patrick or Amaya because they were newer, but she looked forward to it. They became more than teammates to her, to her surprise, and more like family. A family with issues, but could be overlooked in order to enjoy their lives and do what they had to do.

The three of them were in a game of pool not long after Shieru explained the basics of the game. Kotona wasn't that great at hitting the balls with the cue stick. It often veered to one side, or she couldn't put enough power behind her hit. She was having fun though. Yuu's father had made them a huge plate of nachos covered with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and ground beef. She ate a few in between her turns, and remained comfortably quiet as the two older boys talked.

"So why'd you run this time?" Yuu asked, after hitting a solid coloured ball into a corner pocket.

"The classic," Shieru shrugged, munching on a chip. "It's exam time, and they are pushing Kotona too much."

"It's about time you brought her though," he said, smiling at Kotona, causing her to look away. "If anyone needed to escape the house it's her. She's the one being forced to slave away. Does she ever fight with your parents?"

"She tries to at least negotiate, but not much else," he replied, picking up his stick as Yuu missed. "She likes to please them, so she doesn't argue." She didn't like them talking about her while she sat right there, but she couldn't get herself to speak up yet. It was true she didn't like fighting with her parents, and wanted them to be proud of her, but it was getting very tiring. It was beginning to feel like no matter how hard she studied, it didn't please them as much as she thought it would. She got straight A's, and her parents only gave her a 'continue to do better'. It was getting hard to do better when she was already the student with the second highest marks in her class. Sure she could strive for first, but she was just so tired of it. Yuu was right about her needing to get away.

"Your turn Kid." Shieru waved a hand in her face to get her attention. She came back from her day dream, and hopped off the stool she had been sitting on. It was very late. She didn't know exactly how late, but it felt late. Her eyes were beginning to sting with exhaustion. She wasn't used to staying up so late, and actually wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep. She looked at the table, not exactly sure what kind of shot she could hope to make.

"If you try and bounce the cue ball off the wall, you can pink the orange ball in the corner pocket," Yuu suggested. "You'll have to hit it at the right angle of course." Angles. Hah! She was an expert on angles. She was just worried she wouldn't be able to hit the ball with enough force. She took his suggestion and lined up her stick with the white ball, judging the proper angle to hit it at carefully. The boys were surprisingly quiet, and it made her more anxious. She took in a slow breath, and then hit the ball. She managed to hit it dead on, and it bounced off the wall, and collided with the orange ball. Just as she feared, however, she didn't hit it hard enough, and the ball stopped just short of the hole.

Kotona huffed in frustration, and turned to return to her stool, just as she heard a familiar sound. "Hey look, the ball fell in!" Kotona turned back to the table, and saw it had indeed fell into the pocket, but Yuu was standing in arms length, and he could have easily knocked it in. He and Shieru just stood there with groofy grins.

"Nice shot Kid," Shieru nodded, shoving another nacho in his mouth. "Go ahead and take another shot." She wanted to protest, but she didn't want to ruin the friendly atmosphere, so she went for another shot.

\NMM/

Kotona had decided to sit out the next game and just sit on a couch and watch. It wasn't soon after that, she decided to rest her head, and then fall right to sleep. She wasn't sure if she dreamed or not, but she woke up, still on the couch, but covered with a blanket. Her first thought was, Holy crap! I have school! I need to get home! She shot up into a sitting position, and nearly stepped on Shieru when she swung her legs over the side. He was laying on the floor with a blanker and a small pillow under his head. She looked around to make sure Yuu wasn't around and she softly nudged him with her foot.

He groaned, and squinted up at her. "What are you doing?" he demanded, rolling over.

"I have school!" she protested, putting her feet on him. "We have to go home."

"It's only five," he sighed after looking at his watch, "and I already went home and got your things." She blinked down at him in bewilderment.

"Y-you...you went home and got my stuff?" she exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yes, so you wouldn't have to deal with the raging parents in the morning," he grunted, tossing her feet off of him with little effort. "Now go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when it's time to go."

"B-but...," she pulled at her ponytails uncomfortably. "You left me here alone! In a strange place!"

"You weren't alone," Shieru mumbled, burying his face into his pillow. "Yuu staid and watched you."

Kotona's face burned bright red, a mix of embarrassment and anger and she flung her arms out. "You left me alone with a stranger?" Groaning impatiently, her brother sat up and gave her a stern look.

"Okay kid, I understand you don't like being around other people and stuff, but Yuu is my friend, and I trust him enough to leave you with him," he said, rubbing his eyes. "And you not talking at all was kind of rude, and a bit childish. Like I said, I understand you are awkward around people, but try to make an effort. I mean, he's one of my closest friends. Try to be more...polite. It's kind of immature, but and I ask you to please do that? You didn't even thank Hiroshi for making the food."

Kotona sat silently, mulling over what he said. It was true. She didn't thank Hiroshi, or seem to pay Yuu any attention. She didn't even speak to her own brother out of fear of the other shearing her. It was very childish of her to do, and she should really try to work and get out of the habit. She sighed and looked at her brother apologetically.

He smiled in response, already knowing what she was thinking. "It's okay Kotona. Tomorrow's a new day, a new slate. That's what I tell myself every time I take off. It's a new chance to make things right. Don't let the mistakes of yesterday ruin your tomorrow."

She nodded, feeling a bit of inspiration from his words, she laid back down, and fell asleep for a few more hours before Shieru woke her up, just like she promised. She changed in the bathroom, and had a nice breakfast made Hiroshi. She honestly did try to say thank you, but settled for a big smile and eye contact, hoping it showed her gratitude. He smiled in return, and cleaned up their plates when they were done.

She, Shieru and Yuu all walked to school together, the boys of course talking the whole way. Mostly about video games, but they talked about the latest games in sports as well.

"Have a good day Kotona," Shieru said, patting her on the head when they reached her school. She nodded at him, and looked at Yuu who was smiling.

"Nice meeting you," he said, raising his hand to wave.

Kotona nodded again, and turn to left "...Bye," she spoke in the quietest voice, then hurried off to the school's front doors.