Chapter 1

It had been four years since that day. Four years since Deep Blue had won the battle. Four years since everything had gone badly.

Much had changed since that day, not just for the five Mew Mew but even for the all world. More and more aliens arrived turning the Earth in a battlefield, a terrible battlefield. Tokyo was almost entirely to the ground and people had started to follow the Mew team. At first it was just to take more people possible to safer places, but not long after many men and women started to help the Mew Mew against the increasingly frequent attacks.

After all that time even the Cafè had been destroyed and the humans faction had found shelter in the underground of the city. Tunnels linked different human bases and they tried to use them as much as they could, especially when they had to evacuate people.

Ichigo missed the sun so much. She remembered her bed at her home, it was so close to the window and she loved to turn to it and watching the sun as soon as she had opened her eyes. But now her room was no longer there, her home was no longer there, not even her parents… not even Masaya. It had been four years and she still was trying to get over his death. Maybe a small part of her was still believing that he was blocked inside Deep Blue, locked away in his mind. But sometimes she hoped not. Masaya wasn't evil, he would have woken up to stop Deep Blue, wouldn't he?

"Ichigo" a knock come from the door, making the redheaded girl sit up on her bed.

"Come in, Minto" she said and her friend opened the door.

"We have to train the new recruits" Minto was right, just a few days before a group of teenagers joined the resistance and like they always did, the girls had to train them.

"I'll be there in a minute" Ichigo said nodding her head, with a small smile "How's Zakuro?"

Minto stopped to lay her shoulder on the door frame "Her leg's good" she said "Keiichiro took care of that".The morning before,Zakuro's group got attacked. They weren't prepared and they lost the fight. Ichigo was happy to know that her friend was alright,she nearly got an heart-attack when Purin told her what had happened.

"He had never left her side" Minto said with a small smirk, then she returned serious "I'll wait for you in the training area" Ichigo nodded her head before turning to the side of her bed and taking a pair of black sweatpants anda red top. Then she tightened her hair in a quick ponytail and turning to her bedside table she saw the bell Masaya had gave her so much time ago. She couldn't wear it anymore, the ribbon had been torn off during an ambush during the first year of the war. She touch it with a finger making it ring, before turning and exiting the room.

"Honestly, I can manage, Kei" Zakuro voice made Ichigo turn her head to the infirmary and she smiled seeing Keiichiro wrapping the girl's leg with a sweet smile.

"Oh, I know" he said "But I'm in charge of the infirmary and you are my patient" Zakuro lowed her head hiding a small smile, before looking up and put an hand on Keiichiro's side of the face.

"Alright then" Ichigo smiled once again before keep walking to the training area. Keiichiro and Zakuro got together a couple of years before, but it was rare to see them together. It was rare see all the team in one room all together lately. They got to stay peaceful in the same room when Ryou explained them his new plans. She sigh thinking about the old days, she barely could believe that so much had changed in such short time.

"Morning" Retasu said sweetly entering in a room where one of the many family stayed.

"Morning, Retasu-san" she blushed at that, people always treat them like that. Retasu had to say she really felt under pressure sometimes.

"I've brought you your breakfast" she said sweetly.

"Thank you so much" the older woman in the room said taking the bowls Retasu was giving to her. Retasu waved her hand to the two children who were sit on the ground, who returned the gesture.

"How's Hideyo?" Retasu asked the woman who gave a sigh.

"There was nothing to do with his leg, they had to…" Retasu put an hand on the woman's shoulder trying to force back her tears.

Those people were her responsibility… the entire world was their responsibility. She really wanted to save everyone, but that war seemed endless. They hadn't seen Deep Blue in years, they just faced the aliens. They were so many now and they run a huge part of the city. It was difficult not to let them invade their grounds and it almost seemed impossible to stop them.

I just wish we could talk.

"It's going to be ok" Retasu tried to reassure the woman, who wiped her eyes trying to not let the children realize she was crying.

"Thank you" she said "For saving him that day" Retasu responded with a small smile.

It was always difficult, there wasn't a day that someone didn't get badly injured or died. She tried to look strong, but it was difficult, it was tiring. She didn't want to give up, not for all those people and for who had let them arrive to that point, but sometimes she just wanted to break down and cry out loud.

"Morning, Retasu" the girl turned her head to see Ichigo walking towards her.

"Hi" she said taking a breath "Training today?"

"Yeah" Ichigo said "I hoped in my free morning, but Ryou insisted" Retasu smiled nodding her head.

"Go eat then" she said "We don't want you fainting"

"I don't either" Ichigo responded with a small laugh "Purin is in the kitchens?"

Retasu shook her head "Yuebin is" she answered.

Yuebin had arrived from China when everything was getting worse. He wanted to help and protect Purin and the more the years went by the more it was visible how much the young man was growing fond of the youngest Mew Mew.

"She was supposed to help me, since I have to leave soon, but…" Retasu stopped giving a look that Ichigo recognized.

"She is not giving up?" Ichigo asked with sadness and worry in her voice.

Retasu scrolled her shoulders "She is stubborn, you know it" between the girls fell a mourning silence, like always when Purin brought up that subject.

"Do you think they are still alive?" Ichigo's question made the green-haired look up. They hadn't seen Pai, Kisshu and Taruto since they gave them the chance to escape during the final battle. They hadn't found their bodies and they weren't fighting with the enemy. It was like they had disappeared, but after four years…

"I hope so" Retasu said after a moment of silence. She and Ichigo looked at each other's eyes and Retasu could see the pain in the red-haired girl in front of her. Ichigo had lost so much that day and she blamed Kisshu disappearance on herself, he was fighting for her after all.

"It's better for me to go" Ichigo said forcing a smile "I'll see you later"

"Sure" Retasu nodded her head watching her friend heading to the training room. It took a lot of time for Ichigo to get over Masaya's death, but she didn't have to copy with just that. Like all of them. During those years they all had important losses and with all those they had to face daily, how could they really get over something so hurtful?Retasu sigh and then she moved the cart with breakfast to the door of the next family, wearing a small fake smile.

"Why not?" asked Purin putting her hands on Ryou's desk "Just five minutes"

"I said no, Purin" he said taking a breath. They had already had that conversation many times.

"Five minutes, come on!" the girl insisted.

"No!" the blond young man exclaimed.

"Why not?!" Purin nearly yelled, but her leader got up from his seat. She had got taller over the years, but she was still much shorter compared to Ryou.

"He is dying" he explained "And he is not very cooperating"

"If you were the one interrogating him I wonder why" she said putting her hands on her hips. They had kidnapped a wounded alien, but his situation was serious and Keiichiro told them that he would probably die soon. They sometimes bring wounded aliens to their base for information, especially Purin.

"Stop it" he warned her.

"Just a question!" she insisted "Please" Ryou looked at her worried, most of them did that. Purin was one of the few who still kept smiling, but when she had the chance to talk to aliens she changed; she still believed that the three alien brothers were still alive and she was putting much effort to find them.

"Do you think the answer will change this time?" he asked in a loud voice. At first they asked at the alien they took in information about the three aliens, but the answers were always the same: they got what they deserved. As the time went by the answer had become: I don't know.

"It could!" she answered "It could this time"

Ryou looked at her with widen eyes "You can't… you can't keep doing this!" Purin eyes saddened "You can't keep bringing them in hoping that they have answers, you can't! They scare people, your people. You should focus on them"

"I am focused on them" she answered "I'm always focus on them, but why..?"

"They could be dead, Purin" the girl shook her head at these words "You are alive and here, do what you are supposed to do"

"You don't care about them, do you?" she said but before he could speak, she took a breath "I should go" she then turned and exited the room quickly.

She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't. She knew that Taruto and the others were alive, they had to be. She didn't want for him to be dead because of her, not even him. Taruto and his brothers had helped them escape when they got attacked by other aliens. She still remembered the fifteen dark figures fly down before her and her friends. Five of them were the strongest warrior on Taruto's planet. Now she knew their names, but back then…

She remembered Pai telling them to run, that they would have taken care of them. The Mew Team tried to stay but the three alien opened a portal and the girls fell in it. They found themselves in front of the Café, and that had been the last time they had seen them, that Purin had seen her friend Taru-Taru.

Purin set on the stairs of a corridor. She was breathing fast, she had run all the way there and she hadn't even realized it.

Purin hated fighting with Ryou, she loved him as a brother but sometimes she couldn't understand him. Why? Why didn't he wanted to help her?

It had been four years, rationally she knew that it was almost impossible that they were alive. But she had to believe in them. They couldn't be another failure. She had made many failures. When all the Mew Project started she didn't quite understand the danger they were facing, believing that they would have always won. But it wasn't a game. Many people had suffered, she had suffered when one of her little brothers had died. She had suffered for the loss of her friends. They had lost so many people, she didn't want to add them at the list.

"Hey" Keiichiro's voice made her look up"What are you doing here alone?" the man was with Zakuro that studied her face. The purple-haired girl seemed to be able to read minds, so Purin just shook her shoulder with a forced smile.

"Nothing in particular" Keiichiro smiled at her before turning to Zakuro that nodded her head to him.

"I'll see you later" he said squeezing his girlfriend arm lightly, before walking away.

Zakuro looked at her for a moment with her arms crossed, before sitting with grace next to the blond girl. Even with her leg wrapped up Zakuro was still gracious. Purin was fifteen now, but she could never be that elegant.

"How's your leg?" Purin asked after a moment of silence, where they just looked at people passing by.

"It's fine" she said "Just a scratch. It'll heal in no time" Zakuro was absolutely the strongest among them, she got injured a lot of times but she always kept fighting and many aliens were scared of her when they met her on the battlefield.

"What happened to you?" she asked turning to the blond. Purin looked away with a sad smile.

"I had a fight with Ryou" at her words Zakuro knew what the argument was about and she didn't push her friend further. It must had been difficult for her more than anyone, Purin really believed in the friendship with that alien. Zakuro was thankful to them, without them they would have probably died four years ago. But among the aliens that had arrived that day there had been Kanna. That alien was ruthless and violent. If the others were half like that, the three aliens brothers couldn't have a chance.

"You think they are dead too" it wasn't a question, Purin knew Zakuro thought that and she knew that most of them thought that also. Sometimes Purin wished they just told her.

"What I think it doesn't matter" Zakuro said "Let's not waste the help they gave us that day" then she bumped the blond girl with a small smile. Purin looked her friend and nodded her head smiling lightly.

"Zakuro! Purin!"Minto came running with her troop and Keiichiro.

The two girls stood up immediately "Minto, what's going on?" Zakuro asked.

"The aliens attack" she said gesturing to her troops to go on "Retasu's unit was escorting group K out of the city, but they've been ambushed"

That was terrible. During those operations they didn't bring many men to go unnoticed.

"Ichigo's already gone, Purin take some of your men and come" the blond girl nodded before running away.

"I'm coming" Zakuro said.

"Zakuro" Keiichiro's voice made her turn, she smiled gently putting an hand on the man's face.

"I'll be fine" she said, Keiichiro took her hand and sigh heavily.

"I'll tell Purin to call your men" Minto said but Zakuro shook her head.

"Let them rest" she said turning to her friend "Come on, let's go" Zakuro turned one last time to Keiichiro.

"Be careful" he said, then he turned to Minto "All of you" they nodded before running away, hoping to arrive there on time.