"Welcome to Café Mew Mew! How many are in your party today?"
Amaya felt like she was in an entirely new universe. The walls were pink. The chairs were shaped like hearts. There were display counters full of colorful and delicious looking cakes and tarts. Her mouth watered. Suddenly she was starving.
"Two," she heard Max say from the corner of her concentration.
The girl wore all red, and had matching red hair. She smiled and turned, gesturing for them to follow her to their table. They were seated at a small table next to one of the heart shaped windows. "Will here be okay?" she asked.
They nodded.
The waitress smiled as they took their seats, Amaya becoming slightly discouraged as Max removed his arm from around her shoulders. It had been comforting for him to be that close to her.
"Can I get you two anything to drink to start? We have many types of herbal tea, and the special today is Passion Peach!"
"Just water is fine for me," Max said.
Amaya had wanted to try an herbal tea, but she figured it'd be better for her to just have water too. Besides, she didn't want to feel like the odd one out when Max was just getting water. "Me too please," she said.
The waitress nodded. "Two waters, coming right up!" And off she went.
Max grinned and looked at Amaya, one eyebrow raised. "She was a bit too cheerful if you ask me," he chuckled.
Amaya laughed quietly. "Maybe it's just how they like the customer service here," she suggested.
He shrugged. "So, what do you think?" he asked, looking around.
Amaya took in the environment around her. There were many students, both from her school and from other schools, sitting in large and small groups and chatting around delicious looking desserts. "It's nice. It seems popular," she said.
He nodded. "All the girls love it, ever since it opened a year or two ago. Seeing as how you're new around here, I figure you might as well know about it. Besides, what girl doesn't love desserts, right?" he joked.
She laughed and nodded in agreement. It was all very kind, and Amaya was grateful, but part of her wished she'd disagreed to coming. Sure, it would have been okay had she still had her old life, but Ms Rosbe didn't give her an allowance – Amaya had no money. All she could get here was water.
The waitress came back with two glasses and set them down onto the table. "Have you made up your minds on what you'd like today? The fruit tart and angel food cake are especially popular today," she said.
All at once, they turned to Amaya. She felt the blood drain from her face. "U-uh, I'm okay with just this," she said, grabbing her glass of water. "I, uh, had a big lunch!"
Max frowned. "You didn't eat during lunch," he murmured.
She cursed herself. "I, uh, I ate after!" she stammered.
He shrugged. "Got any room to share a fruit tart? It's on me," he offered.
Her face went slightly red. "Um, s-sure," she said nervously. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly. She flushed.
The waitress smiled. "One big slice of fruit tart, coming right up!" she said, and again she was off.
Amaya watched her go. She ran toward a narrow hallway near the back of the store and disappeared into it. That must have led toward the kitchens. She wondered if the chefs were back there making new desserts as they spoke. The thought made her mouth water. Mamaya would love it here, she thought. Maybe I'll bring her here one day.
"So, Amaya."
She snapped from her reverie. "Uh, yes?" she yelped.
"How was your first day of school?" Max asked, smiling gently.
Amaya felt her nerves melt away as his smile washed over her like the warmth of the sun on a hot summer's day. She couldn't believe her luck. She was actually having a conversation with him! She returned his smile and shrugged. "It was okay, I guess. Sorta nerve-wracking. And I've got tons of homework."
He chuckled. "Yeah, school tends to suck the fun out of pretty much everything. What are your classes?"
"Advanced Calculus first thing in the morning," she muttered. "Then biology, advanced chemistry, grade eleven advanced English, Japanese and physics."
Max frowned at her, eyes wide. "Holy crap. What's up with the hard courses?!"
She giggled. "I'm in the advanced program," she said casually. "I'm apparently really smart or something."
"Apparently," he muttered. "I'd hate to have your homework load."
She shrugged. "It's not so bad. What about you? What stuff are you in?"
He grinned. "Easy stuff compared to you. Mechanics and engineering, math, woodshop, history, visual arts and Japanese."
She shook her head. "It sounds way more fun than my classes," she said.
The waitress returned with a plate and two forks. She set them down in the center of the table and smiled. "Enjoy!" she chirped, skipping off to wait on more tables.
Amaya looked down at the colorful plate, her mouth watering. They immediately dug in. Amaya felt like she was in heaven. Here she was in the middle of an adorable café with a cute boy and delicious food. What more could she want?
It all seemed perfect. Until the waitress came with the bill and Amaya realized it was over. Max took the bill and immediately began digging into his pocket for change. Amaya looked up at the waitress. "Ah, excuse me? Can I get the rest of this to go?"
She nodded. "Of course." She looked over her shoulder at a shorter girl in a yellow dress with blonde hair. She'd been doing various tricks like balancing plates over her head and rolling on a ball as she made way for the narrow hallway toward the kitchen. "Ah, Pudding! Could you grab a box on your way to the bac-"
CRASH!
Amaya winced as the blonde girl slipped from the big beach ball she'd been balancing on and dropped all the plates onto the ground. She groaned. "On second thought, I'll do it," the redhead murmured.
A girl with green hair raced toward the catastrophe with a broom and dustpan. "Pudding! Are you okay?" she asked.
As Max proceeded to pay the pill, Amaya thought. Pudding. The name was odd, but it seemed familiar for some reason. She couldn't be mistaking it for someone else – how many people in the world could be named Pudding? She wondered how she might have met the girl. From her old house? No, that wasn't it. Perhaps she'd heard it while wandering about the Tokyo streets as a kid. But still, somehow that felt wrong.
The blonde girl sat up and scratched the back of her head, laughing meekly. "Pudding's okay!" she chirped.
Then she remembered.
"Pudding is Heicha's big sister. She drops her off and picks her up every day before and after work. They both used to live in the shelter because there was a period of time after their mother passed away when they had nowhere to go. Their father began sending money over from China to help out, so now she can afford her own place. You'll see them both every once in a while going in and out of the shelter, but it's okay – they're friendly."
Ms Rosbe's words echoed through her mind. She began to fidget nervously. She turned her face toward the window, hoping that Pudding wouldn't recognize her.
The girl in red ran off toward the back with the bill in hand to find a box for Amaya. As she went, Amaya glanced over her shoulder toward the blonde and green girls. They were still too immersed in the mess she'd made to pay attention to Amaya. She blew a deep sigh of relief.
"You okay?" Max asked.
Amaya grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, is all."
He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly an ear-piercing shout rang through their ears. "Shiro-GANE!"
Amaya's eyes went wide. Her head shot up just in time to see a tall blond boy emerge from the hallway, the redhead stomping angrily at his heels. He turned to her as if to yell at her, but as he did, his eyes met Amaya's. She gulped, too frozen to act.
No way! It's been years! Why do we have to meet now?!
She held her breath, hoping desperately that he wouldn't say anything. If he did, then her cover would really be blown. Her mind raced, heart pounding. The bass throb before each pound echoed deafeningly through her ears. She wanted to run.
But then he turned back to the girl in red and continued with their argument like nothing had happened. She took a deep breath and forced her breath to come back.
Max frowned. "You look like you saw a ghost," he said.
Amaya laughed and shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine! Don't mind me!" She stood and picked up her schoolbag. "Actually, now that you mention it, I should get going. Lots of homework and stuff, you know. Haha, um, thanks a lot for today. It was g-great!"
She turned and hurried toward the door to make her escape. She heard the waitress calling after her for her box, but she ignored it.
She ran fast and hard, paying little attention to where she was actually going. When she finally began to slow down, she looked around her and wondered where she was. She cursed. She'd forgotten she didn't really know her way around here. All she knew was how to get to school from home and vice versa. Her surroundings looked unfamiliar, so this probably was not the right way to get home. But which way was she supposed to go to go back where she started?
Amaya groaned. She was lost.
Maybe there was somewhere she could go where she could ask for directions. She walked around aimlessly, looking for shops and public places where she could ask a salesperson for directions. For the most part, her search was for naught. She was in a rural backstreet – in other words the only things around her were peoples' houses. She wasn't about to knock on a door, that was for sure.
So what to do? She wished she had a phone, that way she could call Mamaya or Ms Rosbe. The sun was setting. Ms Rosbe would be getting worried soon.
She continued walking. No use freaking out – it would only stress her out. She would find someone to ask as long as she kept moving.
As she walked, she kept thinking about the scene back at the café. She hadn't been mistaken – that really had been Ryou. She recognized him and she knew he recognized her. Part of her was glad that he was looking so good and doing well after all these years, but another wanted to reach out to him, to apologize for all the misfortune she caused on him and his family. If Mrs Shirogane hadn't taken her in, they might not have died.
It had been over a decade since the first incident had happened at the Nikini mansion but Amaya was no less terrified than she had been that day. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw images of her mother and father being devoured by the ghoulish monster that had attacked them. She still woke at night at the slightest sound, tensed and ready to attack anything that seemed like a threat to her. She wondered if Ryou was the same.
She still did not know what the creature had wanted her for. She figured if it were just for the sake of food, any human would do – why chase her all around Japan? No, there was something about Amaya that attracted the monster. But what could it be?
Thinking about it gave her shivers. She glanced over her shoulder, mild paranoia telling her to watch for signs of a threat. Nothing was there but the empty pavement.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. It had been a long day, and her mind was just playing tricks on her.
SNAP!
She whipped around. Again, nothing was there. Her heart was beginning to pound. A primal instinct inside her told her to run, but she fought it. There was no need to jump to conclusions. Maybe it was a squirrel or a dog.
She kept walking, humming quietly to herself so that the silence wouldn't seem so intimidating. She approached an alleyway and moved carefully to avoid it. Her past experiences had told her to keep away from those.
CRACK!
She froze. She knew she hadn't imagined that. Her breath became ragged. She was too paralyzed to move. She listened for any more noises, but she wasn't sure what she was hearing anymore. Was it the wind, or was there something breathing down her neck?
Warily, she turned to look over her shoulder.
A pair of slit-like eyes met hers.
Amaya screamed. She tried to back away, but she twisted her ankle instead and ended up crashing into the ground on her back. She tried to scramble away, but it was to no avail. The pressure on her foot made it sting even worse.
She wasn't sure if it was her mind reverting back to the memories of her childhood or if it was really happening, but a high-pitched laughter shrilled through her ears. She felt hot, sticky breath on her face, a taloned hand around her arm. She clamped her eyes shut, too horrified to move, but even with her eyes shut she was not free. Images of herself as a child and that same hand around her ankle danced across her mind. In the back of her mind, she heard Mamaya crying. She had saved Mamaya that day. Why couldn't she do the same for herself?
"Stop right there, you scaly lizard! Don't you lay a hand on her!"
Amaya felt the hotness on her cheek disappear. The laughter was replaced with an animalistic roaring sound. She wanted to open her eyes to see what was happening, but she was too scared. She couldn't bear to look it in the face again.
"Zakuro, get in there and get that girl out! We'll handle the rest!" the voice shouted.
A few moments later, Amaya felt hands on her shoulders. "Open your eyes!" a voice above her shouted. "You need to get up and run!"
Amaya's eyes opened slowly. A girl with long purple hair and fuzzy grey ears protruding from the crown of her hair was leaning over her. She frowned. Was she seeing things? Maybe she was dead and the afterlife was filled with strange creatures. Or maybe she was in hell.
"Can you stand?" the girl asked.
Amaya shook her head, her mind in a daze.
A crashing sound snapped her back to reality. She sat up and saw it. The creature was in battle with four other girls, each bright colors with different ears and tails like the girl who was helping Amaya. She wanted to warn them, to tell them to run, but they were too far away to have heard her.
The girl, Zakuro, Amaya remembered, grabbed Amaya and hopped up onto a nearby roof with graceful ease. Amaya held on tight, cramming her eyes shut. It had felt like she was on a rollercoaster. She set her down carefully and stood. "Stay here. I'll come back and get you when we're done," she said. With that, she returned to her strange comrades.
Amaya watched her go, reaching after her as if to pull her back, to warn her, to scream at her to run. Her mouth was lagging to keep up with her body, because by the time words came out, she was out of earshot. She sighed.
The creature seemed to notice that it was outnumbered and not going to get what it wanted. With a loud, deafening screech, it spread it enormous wings and took off. At first Amaya saw it coming toward her, and she let out a scream, but instead it laughed and flew over her, continuing on into the clouds. Somehow Amaya knew that would not be the last of it.
Subconsciously, Amaya heard voices in her ears, but suddenly everything was becoming blurry. She slipped into darkness, desperately clinging to the release it offered.
Amaya groaned. She heard voices. They were familiar, but not like Mamaya and Ms Rosbe's. They were the kind of familiar that Amaya could not quite remember. She noticed she felt like she was sleeping on a cloud. There was a fluffy pillow under her head and cushions like feathers on all sides of her. She snuggled closer into them, sighing happily.
"Amaya, now's not the time to be taking a catnap," a familiar voice snapped.
Her eyes snapped open. Blue eyes were staring into hers, but this time they did not belong to Max. These eyes were much bluer, and had an edge of sternness that Max's eyes lacked.
She sat up and immediately took in her surroundings. She was on a long, brown couch, which explained why she felt so comfortable. They were in a small room that resembled something like a lounge. The carpeted floors were pink, and she noticed the window on the other end of the room was shaped like a heart. Were they back at the café?
"Good morning," Ryou said dryly.
Another man with long brown hair smiled down at her. "How are you feeling? We tried our best to help with your injuries, but it looks like just a twisted ankle. It should be fine in a few days," he said.
Amaya was at a loss for words. An image of little Ryou sitting in a hospital bed with a dark-haired boy at his side flashed across her mind. This must have been the same man. All this time, they had stayed together? Maybe he had taken care of Ryou.
She glanced toward the door near the foot of her makeshift bed. It was slightly ajar, giving her a slight view of the scene outside. The waitress she had met a while ago was sitting at a table with four other girls. Pudding was one of them. They were just sitting and chatting from what she could tell, but when one of them noticed her, they turned and smiled. They stood and walked into the room.
The girl in red walked up to her and smiled down at her. It wasn't like the cheerful smile she'd flashed during her customer service – this time it was more genuine, and a bit sadder. "I'm glad you're okay. You scared me when you ran out the door earlier," she said.
Amaya was out of words. Logical thinking told her that perhaps she'd dreamt about the monster and simply hit her head on something. She hadn't seen identical girls like these ones with ears and tails and weird costumes. Right?
She looked from the girl in red, to Ryou, then back again.
Pudding ran up to her and put a hand to her forehead. "Are you okay? You're not talking!"
Talking. Yes, she should probably do that soon. But what to say? There were so many things, she had no idea where to start.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Ryou joked, arms crossed against his chest.
It echoed through her head like a bad song chorus.
Suddenly Amaya knew exactly what to say.
She turned on Ryou, eyes aflame. Her temper roared. "Excuse me?! Seven years of silence and after all this time, all you've got to say is 'CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?! You're a jerk, Ryou Shirogane! You could at least pretend you gave a damn about my well-being, just for the sake of good manners! Why did I ever worry about you?! You're such a-"
"Someone turn her off!" Ryou said, pushing her away from his face.
She panted with rage.
The girl in green cleared her throat politely. "Excuse me, but, it seems like you know Shirogane from somewhere. Would you mind telling us?" she asked.
Amaya sobered. She fidgeted. "Ah, well . . ."
Ryou stood. "Don't worry about it, Lettuce. For now, someone help Amaya home. She can't walk on that ankle," he said. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began making way for the door.
Amaya's heart dropped. "Wait!" she called out after him. "That's it? That's seriously all you have to say? Aren't you at least going to explain what the hell just happened?"
He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "It's a long story, and it'll take up too much of your time. You need to get home, don't you?"
She frowned, not wanting to admit that he was right. It was dark out now, Ms Rosbe would be infuriated.
"Pudding and Ichigo will take you home. Come back when your ankle is feeling better. Then I'll explain," he said. With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Amaya watched him go, heart plummeting through her stomach.
The brunet man smiled at Amaya. "Don't mind him. He's just as shocked about this all as you are," he said encouragingly.
Amaya looked up at him. "Can you at least tell me something?" she asked.
He smiled nervously, clearly not wanting to upset her but also not wanting to cross Ryou. "I think it's a story best told by Ryou," he said.
She sighed.
Pudding smiled. "It's okay! You're coming back real soon anyway, right?" she chirped.
Amaya forced a smile, but she suddenly felt very tired. She had expected Ryou to care a little bit more. Perhaps she'd overthought their closeness, or maybe he just stopped caring after she ran away. She rubbed at her eyes. All she wanted was to curl into the comfort of the cushions beneath her and sleep.
The girl in red – Ichigo, Ryou had called her – leaned over her to help her up. Amaya hesitantly took her help and stood. They walked out of the room, Amaya looking over her shoulder to peer back into it. As they made way for the front hall, Amaya faced forward again.
Ichigo seemed to notice her sadness. As Pudding opened the door and held it out for them to walk through, she smiled at her. "So, your name is Amaya, right? Shirogane's never mentioned you before."
Amaya cracked a small smile. The fresh, crisp air usually would make her feel refreshed, but today it only brought on sadness. "I'm from a part of his past he probably doesn't like to talk about," she admitted. The gloom inside her began to spread, and Amaya felt physically drained. "I guess after all that's happened, it makes sense why he doesn't care much about me."
Ichigo stammered, as if trying to figure out what to say. "Ichigo, you made it worse!" Pudding whispered.
"I-I'm sure Shirogane cares!" she cried, attempting to reconcile for her mistake. "Sometimes he acts like a jerk and pretends to be really distant, but he cares. He just doesn't know how to show it, that's all," she explained.
Amaya looked at up at her from the corner of her eye. She was pretty. She had changed from the red dress and apron to a grey, long-sleeved school uniform, and her hair was now tied up into two pigtails. She grinned. "Got a crush on him?"
Ichigo's eyes went round. She jumped. Her face went fire engine red. "W-w-w-what?! No! Me, have on a crush on a j-jerk like him? I have a boyfriend! We're in love! I could never fall for someone like Shirogane!" she wailed, flailing dramatically.
Amaya stepped away from her windmill-inspired movements to avoid getting hit, arms raised in surrender. "It was just a joke!" she cried.
"Ichigo gets like this," Pudding said. "Don't worry."
Amaya nodded nervously.
They were in a familiar area now. Amaya could tell where they were and how to get back to the shelter from here. She pulled away from Ichigo and Pudding's arms and smiled, bowing politely. "Thanks for the help, I can go alone from here," she said.
Ichigo frowned. "But . . ."
She grinned. "I'm really fine," she insisted, hoping they would just back down. "My place is right around the corner. I don't want anyone worrying, that's all."
They shared glances with one another. For a moment, she feared Pudding would say something about Ms Rosbe or the shelter, but they simply shrugged. "If you say so," Ichigo said. "Make sure you come back to the café sometime soon!"
She nodded and waved, watching as they turned and walked back the way they had come. She waited until they were a fair distance away before turning to walk toward the shelter. When he got close enough, she noticed the front door was open, and light was flooding out into the street from it. Against the light, the shadow of a tall woman stood. Amaya's heart fluttered. She was in big trouble.
Nonetheless, she dropped her schoolbag on the front lawn and ran to Ms Rosbe, throwing her arms around her and sobbing. The woman was startled at first, but then she slowly wrapped her arms around Amaya's shoulders. Amaya welcomed her warmth. It had been such a long and horrible day, all she wanted was to collapse into the safety she yearned for.
Ms Rosbe sighed. "Oh Amaya. What are we going to do with you?"
Amaya looked up at her, tears in her eyes. "I hate school," she muttered. "Do I have to go back?"
She smiled down at the younger girl. "Yes, for now. Don't worry, you'll start to like it much better once you get used to it. Now, come inside and have some dinner and then you'd better finish all of your homework. Then I'll warm the bath for you and you can have a nice rest. Okay?"
Amaya smiled and nodded, but it wasn't what she had wanted to hear. She sighed and followed Ms Rosbe inside.
Amaya avoided Max at school the next day. She was sure he hated her after running out on their date, and besides, what could she say to him? She was still too caught up in her worries about the monster attacking her again and Ryou Shirogane. She had hoped that high school meant she could have a fresh start, a life away from her haunting past. Now it seemed all she had was new problems to stack on top of her old ones.
Ryou had told her to come back to the café to hear what he had to say about the situation but she wasn't sure that was really what she wanted. Part of her wanted to run, to pretend nothing had happened so that she could attempt to move on. Another knew that what she wanted was impossible, especially if the creature knew where Amaya was now.
She sighed. She wished that the monster would attack her so that it could burn down the school in the process. All of her troubles was one thing, but every day she came home with mountains of homework to do. She hardly had time to even speak to Mamaya anymore.
She sat alone in the library during lunch to get a head start on her homework. That got rid of her stress of sitting in the cafeteria, and it would certainly help cut down her homework time at home. Eventually she developed a system so that when she was assigned homework, she finished it in the next class. She was an exceptional multi-tasker when it came to these things, so she was able to listen to the lesson while scrawling down her math problems.
She went straight home every day to nap, spend some time with her sister and relax. Things were better like this. School was bearable when she was not socializing. The homework and workload still exhausted her, but nowhere near as much as choosing where to sit in the cafeteria.
"You've been quiet," Mamaya said one day as they sat in the middle of the playroom at a small round table. Mamaya had pulled out her homework – a small load compared to Amaya's – and Amaya had been staring at a television screen a few feet away. Younger children surrounded them, playing with blocks and dolls or also staring at the television screen.
Amaya shrugged, elbow leaning against the table, her cheek resting against her fist. "School sucks. It's kind of draining to the soul," she muttered.
Mamaya laughed at that but she shook her head. "Still, you're acting depressed. What's wrong?"
Amaya sighed. Since they'd run away she and Mamaya had become much closer than they had been as kids. Aside from Ms Rosbe, she was the only one Amaya could really trust. That meant that hiding things from Mamaya could be difficult at best.
She looked at her little sister. "I ran into Ryou Shirogane the other day."
Mamaya looked shocked at first, but then she grinned. "How is he?"
Amaya shrugged, looking back toward the TV to hide her discomfort. "Dunno," she said. "We didn't really talk. He's working at some café with that brown-haired guy. He told me to come back again another time to get explanations."
Mamaya set down her pencil. "Okay. So are you going to go back?"
Again, Amaya shrugged. "I don't know. I guess."
She felt her sister's eyes scrutinizing her, but she simply stared at the television screen. It was a kid's show about some group of superheroes who saved the town from evildoers – Amaya wasn't sure what was going on, but it was captivating enough. Part of it reminded her of the group who had saved her from the monster that day. She wondered if maybe they were like that, too.
"I don't think he blames you, you know," Mamaya's voice said, interrupting her reverie.
Amaya shrugged. "Maybe not, but I do," she admitted.
"Maybe whatever he has to say will ease your mind a little," she suggested. "Either way, I think you owe it to both of you to go back and get some answers. Whatever he has to say, he's probably needed to let it out for a long time, and I'm sure you've got things you want to let go of too."
Amaya blinked and looked at her sister. The younger girl simply grinned and picked up her pencil again, continuing her work. "You're too smart to be my sister," Amaya muttered.
Mamaya snickered. "Yeah whatever, now come help me with this problem – it's been killing me for the last twenty minutes.
The weekend could not have taken any longer to have gotten here, Amaya thought. When she woke late that Sunday morning, she was so relieved that she did not have to worry about homework or socializing or getting out of bed early. She had had much time to catch up on with her pillows and blankets.
With her relief, she realized that Mamaya had been right. She owed it to herself to get some answers and she owed it to Ryou not to run away again. She climbed out of bed and got dressed and decided that today she was going to the café.
"Good luck. Bring me back something delicious!" Mamaya called after her, watching her as she made her way down the sidewalk.
Amaya waved back and smiled.
The air was nice today: not too hot with a perfect breeze. The smell of freshly cut grass and a mix of different flora enveloped her senses. The blades of grass on either sides of the sidewalk were shining dimly with the beads of the remaining morning dew. It was a perfect day.
When she walked into the café, she was greeted with a warm hello from Pudding. The young girl bounded up to her and threw her arms around her waist. "Big sister! You came back! Pudding knew you would!" she exclaimed.
Amaya blinked. She hadn't expected such an elaborate welcome. Big sister? "Ah, h-hey Pudding."
The other girls walked up to her and smiled, making Amaya suddenly feel a little outnumbered. "How's your ankle feeling? Are you better now?" the girl in green asked.
She nodded shyly.
Ichigo grinned. "Ah, sorry. Amaya, this is Zakuro, Lettuce and Mint. And you already know me and Pudding. Of course, you know Shirogane as well, and the guy over there," she said, pointing to a window near the back that led to the kitchen where the brunet man was washing dishes, "is Akasaka."
Amaya waved shyly at them.
The girl named Mint smiled. "Would you care for something to eat or drink? Ichigo will gladly serve you."
Ichigo glared at the shorter girl. "Mint!" she growled.
Amaya shook her head. "That's okay. Actually, I don't have any money, so-"
"Don't be ridiculous, Amaya, you don't need to pay," Ichigo said cheerfully.
"Consider this one on the house!" Pudding chirped.
Amaya smiled. She wasn't sure why these girls were being so nice to her, but she was grateful for it. They were much kinder than the people she went to school with. If only she knew more people like them.
"Sorry girls, but the dessert is going to have to wait a while," a voice said behind them. They turned to see Ryou entering the room. "Why don't you girls open up shop? Amaya and I have something important to discuss."
They groaned, but did as were told.
Ryou walked up to Amaya, making her look up at him, face red. It was strange, he was only two years older than her, yet he towered over her. "Come with me," he said, turning back the way he came.
Amaya followed. She was led through the narrow hallway that she'd seen Ichigo and the others run in and out of on her last visit, past the kitchen and toward a tall, winding staircase. They climbed up them until they reached the landing, then they walked further down the hall toward a half-opened door. Amaya was in awe. She hadn't known the place was this large.
Ryou opened the door further and walked in, holding it open for her. She hesitantly stepped into the room and looked around.
She frowned. It looked like a bedroom. There was a bed underneath a wide window, a closet near the foot of it and a door which presumably led to a bathroom on the other side. Against the far wall there was a computer. Aside from that, the room was barren. She looked up at him. "You . . . Live here?"
He nodded. He gestured toward the bed for her to sit. She hesitantly did so. He grabbed a desk chair and sat on it to face her. "After you disappeared, I told Keiichirou – that's the guy downstairs – that I wanted to run. He and I traveled to America. I stayed there for a few years to work on my father's research. Oddly enough, it escaped the fire. I came back to Japan to perfect and finish it.
"We opened the café and found five girls whose DNA cooperated with the experiment. That would be the five girls you met downstairs," he explained.
Images of the girl in purple with the fuzzy grey ears popped into her head. She frowned. "So you made them? I don't get it."
He shook his head. "My father's research showed that the Earth's state was gradually decreasing throughout the years due to an outside threat attacking the planet." He smirked and shook his head. "Actually, it was your father's research. My dad just took it on after yours passed away."
Amaya's head spun. "I don't understand."
He shook his head. "Let me start again. Your father began research about the earth's deterioration. My father was one of the leading scientists helping with his experimental research. They wanted to create a force that would help stop the deterioration of planet earth and save humankind. They knew that whatever it was that was attacking the planet, it would kill us sooner rather than later.
"They discovered that Earth could be saved through the DNA of Red Data Animals."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Red Data Animals?"
He nodded. "Some people's chemical makeup allows them to host the DNA of these animals. By awakening that DNA, the girls you met downstairs are now able to transform into the half-animal girls you saw the other day. They fight things like what attacked you all the time. They dubbed themselves Tokyo Mew Mew."
Amaya was just trying to grasp it all. She remembered Ryou had always been studying but she had no idea it was for something this big. She looked up at him. "You mean there are more of those things?" she asked.
He nodded. "They're called Chimera Animas. They're mostly just ordinary animals infused with parasite DNA. The girls have the ability to split the parasite from the animal in order to return it to its original state." His eyes darkened. "That one seems to be different though."
Amaya's fists clenched. She grabbed a handful of bed sheets and clasped them tightly. "I-I'm sorry I ran away! I'm sorry for this entire mess, actually," she said, eyelids heavy. She stared down at the floor. "If your family hadn't taken me in, they'd probably be alive right now. It's my fault that your parents are . . ."
He said nothing. He simply stared at her and "hm"ed as he thought. Then he stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. He made way for the door and gestured for her to follow. "Come," he said, walking toward the stairs where they had come from.
Amaya scrubbed the wetness from her eyes and followed, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. He led her back downstairs and toward a small room with different colored lockers and mirrors. For a moment he was rummaging through a small closet in the hall outside the door. Then he turned to her, and suddenly there was a box being shoved into her hands. She took it and frowned. "What's this?" she asked.
He smirked. "You need the money, don't you? Your running away most likely meant you didn't get much of an inheritance. So put on your uniform and get to work."
She opened the box. A folded uniform like the ones the other girls were wearing lay inside, only the colors were yellow-ish orange and black. She looked up at Ryou. "But isn't this like a secret hideout for you guys? I'll be in the way . . ."
Ryou shook his head. "This uniform wasn't made by mistake. We were meant to have another member."
She blinked. "W-w-wait, what?!"
A small pink mouse-like creature floated out from behind his shoulder. Ryou grinned. "This is R2000. Ichigo calls him Masha. He's our team mascot."
She looked up at the strange floating thing and watched as its mouth opened wide. Instead of a tongue, she saw a strange blue abyss. From the abyss, a small shining thing like a tear drop fell. Amaya automatically reached out to catch it with her free hand. She looked down at what she'd caught. "A pendant?"
Ryou nodded. "It's to awaken your Mew Mew powers. Call on it when you need to."
Amaya's mind was a jumbled mess. "Wait, WHAT?!" she wailed. She didn't understand. What Mew Mew powers?
Ryou simply shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk away. "Ask the girls for more help. I've got things to take care of."
She let out a desperate whimper as he disappeared back down the hallway. She stared down at her hands: the uniform in one, pendant in the other. All she had come here for was an explanation and maybe some catching up. Now she was being told she was part of Ryou's band of freak shows?! She looked back up at the pink floating thing. "I'm a . . . Mew Mew?"
Masha floated happily around her. "Mew Mew! Mew Mew!" he chanted. "Mew Mew Amaya! Mew Mew Amaya!"
She groaned. Like her life wasn't difficult enough as it was.