A/N: This is a shorter chapter, but I haven't updated in a pretty long time and to be honest, there's not much left of this story. The next chapter should be the last (unless I decide to add an epilogue, but I'll most likely only do that at people's request). So sit back, enjoy, and stay tuned for the next chapter! (:

Side note: You'll probably notice, I changed my username. It used to be andichosefreedom, it's now faeryblue. (Just in case anyone is confused)

Enjoy!

Amaya did not own nice things. Of all the things she owned when she stayed at the shelter, all of it could fit in one backpack. That included clothes, shoes, shampoo, a hair brush and some tampons just in case. Her clothes were compiled of roughly six interchangeable outfits. When she lived at the shelter she had never been given money, but now that she worked at the cafe she had begun saving up. Perhaps it was time for her to begin blending into society.

She took a portion of the money she'd saved and shoved it into her skirt pocket. Then she took a look at herself in the mirror.

She was thin. Too thin, some might say. She had nice, long hair, but it was curly and sometimes out of control. Her eyes didn't match. Her chest was flat. Her nose was pointy. Her fingernails were chopped and mawed from her terrible chewing habits. She had no idea how to use makeup and the only presentable clothes she owned were her school uniform.

That was when she decided. She was going to be more like a regular teenager. She would learn about popular bands and makeup and boys. She was going to be more like a girl - even if it killed her.

She shoved her feet into her shoes and looked down at Aja. "Come on, Aja, we're going out," she announced. Her brows were furrowed but in a way that communicated her unwavering resolve. Her lips were pursed, unwilling to take any excuses from herself as her mind threw thoughts of unease and anxiousness toward her conscience. She ignored everything that told her to sit down and return to her usual life.

The fox mewed, hopped onto her shoulder and perched herself there. Amaya went downstairs and headed out the door, more determined than ever before.

Ichigo sat in class, excited for the day to progress. She had told all the other Mew Mews about her idea to bring Amaya to Mint's house for a sleepover bonding session and she was eager to get home and get ready to go. They had all agreed and were equally excited about it. She hoped that Amaya was excited as well.

It was the first time the girl had opened up to her, and though she was unsure why she had revealed herself so suddenly, she was relieved all the same. Perhaps Aoyama's advice was finally beginning to take effect. She had to make sure that Amaya knew they were her friends and they could be trusted. She wanted Amaya to feel like the Mew Mews were her family.

She pulled out her cell phone and began typing in the message box. She would send a thank you message to Aoyama for the wonderful advice and explain to him that it was working. She was sure he would be happy about hearing the news and knowing that his advice had helped.

But before she could even hit the send button, a heavy object hit her hard in the head. She looked up through bleary eyes to see her angry teacher glaring at her over her thick rimmed glasses. Ichigo felt the blood drain from her face; she'd forgotten she was in the middle of class. With all of the excitement she'd felt with her daydreaming, she must have gotten completely overwhelmed.

The teacher held out her hand expectantly.

Ichigo moped and dropped the cell phone in her hand. "Come and pick it up in my office after class."

Ichigo nodded as the woman continued on to her lesson. "Yes ma'am," she whined, opening her textbook to listen to the rest of the class.

Aja had an amazing nose. It was because of this, and her knowledge of living in the city, that she was able to lead Amaya through the streets, toward the train station and then into the bustling shopping district of Shibuya. It was loud, crowded and hot. Amaya had never seen so many people all in one place before. Part of her couldn't shake the feeling that everyone she passed was staring at her. She felt like the odd one out.

She shook the feeling away, determined to continue on her mission toward being a normal high school girl. There were so many people here; she was sure they couldn't be staring at her.

She moved through the crowd toward the shops lining the streets. Some were designer clothing boutiques, jewelry and shoe stores. Others were electronics studios, toy stores and crafts stores. Amaya wondered if there was anything in here that she could even really afford. As she passed the glass windows of each shop and took a glance inside, she figured probably not.

She sighed. There had to be something in here that she could afford that would help her fit in more as a high school girl. She just had to keep trying.

"Look! It's Yua and Shino!"

The voices were unfamiliar, but they rang from somewhere close by. Amaya looked up and to her right. A small group of three girls were standing in front of an electronics store that had a big flat screen HD television in the glass window. The TV itself looked taller than Amaya. She'd never seen one so big in her life. On the brightly lit screen were two beautiful young girls with long hair, lots of makeup and colorful outfits standing on a stage and performing. There were other girls behind them all in white, dancing to the songs they sung.

Amaya watched, entranced. She had never seen a performance like this before, either live or on television. Was this the kind of thing that most girls her age liked? Maybe she would ask Ichigo about it when she saw her later tonight.

The screen changed and then a tall girl with black hair was on the screen, speaking to an interviewer next to her.

"It's Fujiwara Zakuro!" the girls squealed, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Amaya's eyes widened in surprise. She had heard from Mint that Zakuro was a model/actress/dancer, but she hadn't known how famous she was. Mint was her number one fan, and she spent a lot of time away from the cafe to do photo shoots and attend meetings. Maybe she was one of the people that girls her age fawned over. She thought about asking Zakuro for her autograph, but quickly shooed the thought away. To even ask Zakuro for an autograph would be strange, especially when she wasn't familiar with anything Zakuro had ever produced.

She continued walking, looking down at her feet. She was beginning to feel dejected. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to come down here after all. Maybe she should return home. She felt ridiculous. Even with a new outfit or material objects, she wouldn't be fooling anyone. "Oh, Aja. What am I going to do?" she whined.

She was beginning to feel depressed. Her footsteps slowed and she thought about returning to the train stop and going back to the cafe. Her thoughts were so overwhelming that she couldn't even notice the crowd around her, until she had bumped into someone in front of her. She stumbled backward and almost tripped catching Aja, but the stranger she had bumped into had grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

She looked up to thank the stranger and apologize profusely for being so clumsy, but when her eyes met a familiar pair of dark irises under a big hat and sunglasses, she frowned. She had long black hair peaking out from underneath her hat, and despite the hot weather she wore a long, heavy looking brown coat. Amaya wondered if the person she'd bumped into was crazy, but then she saw the familiar cross-shaped pendant around her neck. She took a moment to second-guess herself, but there was no mistaking it: she knew that pendant. "Zakuro?" she murmured.

The older girl put a finger to her mouth and shushed her quietly. "Act natural. Come with me," she said shortly, then she turned around. Amaya was confused, but she followed behind her anyway. They pushed through the crowd, Amaya desperate not to fall behind and get lost in the middle of it all. Then they rounded a corner and Zakuro was leading her down a small alleyway. Amaya looked around her and began to slow to a stop.

Amaya had not been in an alleyway since the day she had almost been kidnapped in the streets of Tokyo. That day Ms Rosbe had saved her but she doubted the woman would do the same now. Her legs began to shake, and she wished she could move them just so she could take a step back. "I can't," Amaya croaked. Images of her clinging to her sister, terrified that she was about to be killed paralyzed her. Old nightmares resurfaced. She trembled and hugged Aja closer to her in her arms, making the fox cub mew.

Zakuro turned. She had hardly heard the girl's words, but she had picked up something from afar. "Amaya? What's wrong? It's just a little further this way." She gestured further down into the alleyway casually, like it was a simple walk through the park. Amaya supposed that to her, it was.

Amaya swallowed the lump in her throat. Then she took a deep breath. You want to be a normal girl. That means not being so terrified of alleyways. This is something you have to overcome to be a normal girl. She forced herself to take a single step forward. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest. Amaya thought it would pound so hard, she would have a heart attack. This is your first step to overcoming everything in your life. If you're going to fight the monster, you need to also fight your own demons.

She took another deep breath and thought of Mamaya. If Mamaya were ever in trouble she would go through a million alleyways to protect her. She forced herself to think about that, and that alone. She took another step forward, her breath shaking through her trembling lips. Mamaya. Mamaya. Mamaya, she chanted to herself. And somehow, it had worked. She found herself taking another step forward, and then another.

Soon she was standing next to Zakuro. She looked up at the girl, beaming excitedly with tears in her eyes. She knew that Zakuro was unaware of what made Amaya so happy at the time, but she just couldn't help it. She had actually done it! The older girl simply smiled down at her. She nodded her head at a door a couple feet away from them. "Come on," she said, leading Amaya toward it. She opened it and quickly shuffled in, Amaya following close behind, practically floating in her euphoria.

As Zakuro shut the door, Amaya and Aja took a look around to investigate their new surroundings. They were in a dimly lit store, from the looks of it, with cluttered shelves and rows and rows of hangers and clothing racks. A wooden desk sat at the front with a glass surface and a register was set up atop, but no one sat at the small stool that stood in solitaire among the clutter.

Aja, released from Amaya's hold as soon as they'd entered, walked around the carpeted floors, sniffing the ground as she went. Amaya's eyes wandered everywhere. She had never seen a place like it before. Its old-time feel made it seem like she'd stepped into another universe. "What is this place?" she murmured.

Zakuro began disrobing from her heavy disguise attire and hung it on a tall wooden coat rack next to the door. "It's a vintage shop. The owners here are sometimes kind enough to allow me a hiding place from the busy streets outside. It's perfect; they never have their curtains open," she explained. "They step out once in a while, but they tell me to come whenever, whether they're here or not."

Amaya looked around and spotted a small glass case with a dark blue base. Sitting in the middle of the royal colored velvet was a beautiful, shining diamond ring. Its crystals caught the dim light and twinkled in Amaya's eyes. She stared at it in awe. "Some of these things are beautiful...Are they really vintage?" she asked.

Zakuro nodded. "They like to refurbish old things." She sat on a chair and crossed one leg over the other, watching Amaya explore the tiny store. "What about you?" she asked. "What brings you here?"

Amaya hesitated, remembering the depression she'd been feeling before she had bumped into Zakuro. She fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "Oh, um...Nothing. It was stupid, I was actually going to go home," she muttered.

Zakuro watched the girl with intense dark eyes. Amaya looked at the things around her, pretending to be interested in random things so that she could avoid the girl's stare. She knew that she could probably see through everything Amaya said, but she wanted to avoid the topic entirely. Though Zakuro was only a year older than her, she seemed much older mentally. She was sure that the older, wiser girl would hate to listen to Amaya's problems.

Aja jumped up into Zakuro's lap, decidedly making a new friend. Amaya whirled on her and gaped. "A-Aja! Don't just jump on people!" she wailed.

Zakuro smiled and scratched small fox behind the ears. "It's okay."

Amaya sighed.

"I know I'm not around very often, but if you need someone to talk to or vent to, I am here," she said suddenly.

Amaya looked up at the girl sitting by the window, gently petting Aja. She looked very calm, collected, and basically everything that Amaya was not. Her hair was well maintained, whereas Amaya's was a tangled mess most of the time. Her figure was soft and slim whereas Amaya was bony and pointy all over. She wore nice clothes, she had nice things...Amaya couldn't imagine speaking to her about her problems.

She shook her head. "I'm just tired. A lot's happened, you know, with the whole Kisshu attack and all that stuff. I think I just need some time to recover," she lied.

Zakuro continued grooming Aja gently. Aja was practically asleep in her arms, lapping up all the attention the girl was giving her. "When I was young, about Mint's age, I lost someone very important to me," she suddenly said.

Amaya looked at her in shock. She didn't expect the girl to open up to her all of a sudden.

"It haunts me every day," she continued. "Every day I wonder what I could have done different, or if I could have somehow changed the outcome. I've never told anyone about it, not even the other Mew Mews. They wouldn't understand. They've never experienced much of a loss in their lives, and they're so young." She looked off into the distance, as if she were watching it on a faraway screen.

Amaya stood silently staring at older girl for a moment. She looked older than sixteen like this. It was her face; it had been hardened beyond its years. Amaya slowly opened her mouth to gently reply, "How come you're telling me then?"

Zakuro looked at the girl, her eyes meeting hers. "Because I can tell you've suffered plenty of loss before too," she explained.

Amaya fidgeted nervously. She turned to look at the things on the shelf behind her and began gently touching the things she saw. She wasn't sure what to do or say. Zakuro had opened up to her and revealed something personal that she had never told anyone. Could Amaya do the same? She was sure Zakuro would never tell anyone, and with the girl being so wise, maybe she could even give her some advice.

She drew in a deep breath and slumped her shoulders, no longer fidgeting with her fingers. "I lost my mom and dad in a fire when I was six. When I was eight, it happened all over again with Ryou and his family. At the time, I didn't understand, but I recently found out it was because of a Chimera Anima that wanted to destroy my father's project. Since then, it's been following me everywhere I go, attacking only once in a while but I know...it's out there watching me. Waiting for the day it can rip me apart." She felt tears in her eyes. She wanted to wipe them away but she didn't want Zakuro to know she was crying.

"On top of that and all this other Mew Mew stuff, I can't seem to fit in at school. Everyone hates me. They whisper about me behind my back and spread rumors about me and laugh. I only have one friend and people probably make fun of him for hanging out with me, too. I don't know...I don't know why he hangs out with me when all I do is lie to him. He thinks I live in a normal house with parents and stuff. How am I supposed to tell him I used to live in a kid's shelter and now I'm living temporarily above a cafe? Let alone that I'm a Mew Mew. And Ryou..."

Her anxieties were piling up so high they were beginning to suffocate her. She couldn't help it; she let out a gentle sob. Desperately, she wiped her tears with her shirt, but the tears only continued flowing down her cheeks.

She sighed miserably. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how I'm going to afford to keep Mamaya in school and I don't even think I can go back now. I came here hoping to find out how to become a normal girl, but I don't even know where to start. How am I supposed to find out what normal girls do when I have no clue where to begin?"

Zakuro listened intently throughout Amaya's entire rant. When it was clear that Amaya was done, she stood up, Aja hopping out of her lap, and began shuffling through the racks of clothes hanging around the shop. Amaya looked up at the girl quizzically and frowned. "Zakuro?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

She held out a handful of tops to Amaya, making the girl slowly take them into her hands. "We've got the whole place to ourselves. Pick out some things. You can pay me back in installments when you get settled in with your paychecks," she explained.

Amaya smiled and wiped the tears from her face. "Thanks Zakuro."

The girl nodded.

After trying on a couple outfits and picking out which ones she liked the best, Amaya had become the proud owner of five new outfits. She'd even grabbed a thing or two for her sister. Zakuro wrapped them up and set the cash with a written note on the table next to the cash register and began climbing back into her disguise.

Amaya bowed down low. "Thank you very much for everything, Zakuro. I promise I'll give you back all the money as soon as I can. And thank you...for listening to annoying problems."

Zakuro looked down at the girl and smiled. "You're too hard on yourself, Amaya. Smile. You deserve to be happy. Buy yourself nice things. Go out with Ryou. Be friends with the boy at school if that's what you want. Confidence is where a girl's beauty begins to shine, and you? You're a very beautiful girl."

Amaya was smiling so big, she thought that her mouth would go numb. No one had ever said such nice things to her. She nodded wiping the remains of her tears away. "Thank you again."

Fully dressed in her disguise, Zakuro walked to the door. "Me and the other Mew Mews are always here for you, Amaya. Open up to them and I'm sure they'll welcome you just like I did."

Amaya nodded, and for the first time, she knew that what the girl said was true.

She followed her out and bowed once again. Then they began to depart ways. Amaya was so excited to show Mamaya all the things she'd gotten that she raced to the train station to head back to the cafe, smiling from ear to ear the entire way.

Mamaya returned from school with a bloody eye.

She knew that when she returned, the shop would be open, so she avoided walking in through the front door and instead walked around to the back. As she climbed up the concrete steps and toward the door, she prayed that no one would see her so that she could dash up to her room and hurriedly clean and cover it before anyone could see or tell Amaya.

She opened the door and peered in. The smell of freshly baked pastries and cakes engulfed her senses. It smelt delicious, but she forced herself to ignore her appetite. Instead, she slowly inched in and peered around the corner. Akasaka was in the kitchen baking, but it seemed he was too distracted to notice her there. The girls were all waiting on tables in the dining room and Ryou was probably in the basement where he almost always was, or napping in his room.

As far as she was concerned, the coast was clear. She tip-toed in and began making way for the stairs so that she could make her getaway and dash to the safe haven of her bedroom when suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder. She froze, waiting for something to happen. Please don't let it be Amaya, please don't let it be Amaya, she hoped.

"There you are! I was wondering when you were coming home!" Amaya said.

She cursed. She'd thought she was free, but of course she never should have gotten her hopes up. "Oh, Amaya. What's up? I was just going upstairs to, um, start my homework."

Amaya seemed to not notice her sister's discomfort. "That's fine. Hey, I left you some stuff on your bed. I went into the city earlier today and I got you some things. You can show it off to school tomorrow!" she beamed excitedly.

Mamaya was getting nervous now. "Th-that's cool. Thanks sis!" She began walking up the stairs, when Amaya's hand grabbed hers. She froze once again.

"Mamaya? What's wrong? Why won't you look at me?" she asked.

Mamaya swallowed the lump in her throat and sighed. She supposed that she was busted. So much for her grand plan, she thought. She immediately cursed herself. How she had planned on getting away with hiding it was beyond even herself. Slowly, she turned toward her sister to reveal the damage left on her face.

Amaya stared, wide-eyed. "Mamaya...What happened?"

Mamaya scratched at her shoulder nervously. "I got into a fight with some boys at my school..." she admitted. "They were kinda...you know...making fun of me."

Lettuce dashed into the hallway suddenly, stopping when she saw the scene in front of her. She backed away respectfully and nodded. "Shirogane asked me to come back here and ask you to come wait on table six, but I'll do it. We'll cover you until you come back," she said.

Amaya nodded her thanks and watched as the green-haired girl disappeared back into the dining room. Then she looked at her sister and smiled sadly. She knew that the younger girl would never admit to the tears in her eyes or the shame on her face. Looking at her reminded Amaya of herself when she was younger, getting into fights with the boys at her school. "Go to my room. I'll get you Akasaka's first aid kit," she said.

The girl nodded and dashed upstairs to escape the embarrassing situation.

When Amaya joined her upstairs, the younger girl was lying on her bed, stretched out, staring at the ceiling. "I wonder what Ms Rosbe's reaction would have been if I had shown up looking like this," she mused as she watched Amaya begin digging through the contents of the first aid kit.

Amaya grinned. "Probably a bunch of crying, yelling, and something along the lines of 'ladies do not pick fights'," she joked. "Thankfully, I'm not Ms Rosbe."

Mamaya sat up and stared down at the floor beneath her feet. "Honestly, I thought that that would be your reaction."

Amaya shook her head. "I've gotten into plenty of fights, Mamaya. You were too young to remember, but I used to come home pretty bruised and bloody. When Mrs Shirogane told me to stop picking fights, I couldn't understand at first. Boys can pick fights, so why can't girls?" she said. She picked up a cotton swab and dipped it into a bottle of orange liquid. "This'll sting. Anyway, you don't have to tell me what happened. I'm sure that whatever it was, your actions were justified. Just remember that not everyone sees it like me. If your principal finds out you're getting into fights, he'll reprimand you."

Mamaya blushed. "Yeah, I know..." She sat, gripping the sheets in her fingers to avoid moving away from the stinging sensation at her temple. "They were making fun of me because I apparently act kinda...you know...boyish. All the other girls in my grade, they're starting to wear skirts and nice shoes and pretty tops and makeup. They were saying things about how I must like girls, so I punched them and then they punched me back."

Amaya continued swabbing Mamaya's face. "And? Did you win?" she asked.

Mamaya furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at her sister as if it had been a stupid question. "Um, yeah?"

Amaya grinned. "Good," she laughed. "Honestly, what do boys know anyway? Men are never satisfied with the way women look. First they make fun of you for dressing too tomboyish and next they'll make of you for dressing like a tramp. But you know what, you can wear whatever makes you happy, Mamaya. And makeup...well I can't help you too much with that. But if you'd like to learn, I'd be willing to learn with you."

Mamaya looked up at her sister and smiled. She nodded cheerfully. "I'd like that."

Amaya smiled. "Almost done," she said. She threw away the cotton swab and returned the lid to the bottle of orange liquid, then pick up a bandage and tore it from the plastic. She carefully stuck it over Mamaya's temple to her eyebrow, then stuck another one right beside it just in case. "There."

Mamaya smiled. "Thanks!" Hesitantly, she nudged closer to Amaya and wrapped her arms around her waist. Amaya was quick to reciprocate. She relished in the rare embrace and couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "You know, when we first left the shelter I was worried that we weren't going to be okay. But now I'm starting to believe that we're going to be just fine."

Amaya squeezed her sister tighter and smiled as well. "Me too, Mamaya." She let go of her sister and began packing up her first aid kit. "Now, start your homework and get ready. You and I have a sleepover to attend later tonight."

Mamaya frowned and pointed at herself. "Me? But I thought it was a Mew Mews only thing?" she asked.

Amaya shook her head. "You're part of the Mew Mew family whether or not you're a Mew Mew, Mamaya. So get your homework done fast, cuz there's only an hour left of my shift," she said. She collected her things and carried them to the door, opening it to leave. "And don't forget to check out your new stuff!" she called on her way out. She shut the door behind her, leaving Mamaya alone.

Mamaya climbed off of Amaya's bed and padded across the hall toward her own room. She opened the door and shut it behind her, then walked to her bed. On it lay three new outfits, some jewelry, a stationary set and a new set of pajamas. Mamaya stared at it in awe. She'd never owned jewelry or pajamas before. She'd always slept in a t-shirt and some shorts.

She grinned excitedly. Amaya had told her to start her homework, but she knew that it was not going to happen. Instead, she spent the hour waiting for Amaya's shift to end by dancing around her room in her new clothes.

As Ichigo led the last few guests to the door to escort them out, the girls all slumped over the closest table. They each let out an audible sigh. "It's finally over," they breathed in unison.

"That day was so long," Lettuce sighed.

"Even I'm tired today," Mint moaned.

"Pudding worked up an appetite!" Pudding cheered.

"My legs feel like jelly," Amaya muttered.

They shared glances and giggled. It had been a long day and they were all tired, but they were also excited for the rest of the night to progress. Ichigo skipped back into the room and immediately made way for the changing rooms. "Let's go, everyone! Off to Mint's house!" she sang.

They shared smiles and got up, following the redhead toward the change room. When Amaya began walking toward the door, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She stopped to look over her shoulder. Ryou was standing there, smiling. He had disappeared throughout the busy day, of course, and now emerged as soon as the customers had disappeared.

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out of it. Then he held it out to Amaya. "This is for you."

Amaya frowned and took it from his outstretched hand. It was small and black and looked like a tiny laptop screen. Hanging from the top corner was a small, plastic fox charm. "What's this?" she asked.

He gave her a quizzical look. "It's a cellphone. You've never seen one before?"

She huffed and glared up at him, blushing red with embarrassment. "I've never seen one that looked like this, okay? No need to make fun of me for it," she snapped.

He smiled and shook his head. "Anyway, it has my number programmed into it." He showed her how to turn it on, search her contacts and call someone. Then he pointed at his own contact information in the phone. "Call me if something happens, okay? Anything."

She looked up at him. His eyes were filled with genuine concern. She smiled. He had bought her something like this just to make sure she stayed safe? She was touched at the thought. "I will. Thank you. You didn't have to buy something like this for me. An older one would have been fine," she said.

He simply shrugged.

She leaned up and kissed him gently on the chin. "Thanks Ryou."

He nodded. His face went slightly red. He looked to the side as if to avoid eye contact. "H-have fun tonight," he stammered.

She smiled at his reaction. For a moment, she wished she could hug him, but instead she squeezed his hand. She didn't want to embarrass him in front of everyone else, so she turned and began making her way toward the change room so she could join the others. Mamaya joined the girls with her things as they began making their way out. Ryou saw them off and watched them go until they disappeared around the corner, making way for Mint's Victorian style mansion.

The night was cooling off and the breeze danced gently through the air, making fallen leaves tumble across the sidewalk. It was almost winter time. The girls laughed and shared stories as they walked. Amaya and Mamaya smiled. They had never really been accepted into a group like this before. Amaya knew that her sister felt the same way: this was where they belonged.

"You're going to love Mint's house, Mamaya!" Pudding chirped. "It's big enough to play hide and seek in!"

Mamaya looked up at her sister with big, sparkling eyes. "Can we play hide and seek?!" she asked excitedly.

Amaya frowned down at her younger sister. "Don't go running around Mint's house without her permission, Mamaya. You're not going over there to destroy the place!" she warned her.

The girls laughed.

They'd been so immersed in their cheerful conversation that they were unable to notice the leering, menacing figure following only yards away.