Berry rested her head on Tasuku's shoulder as he rubbed soothing circles on her back while locked in a lover's embrace.
He had been worried about her during the first confrontation with a new threat that had the group in an absolutely bamboozled state.
She took in his scent; finding calm and comfort in the arms of the one she loved.
Ichigo flashed across her mind; her brows furrowed ever so slightly.
She wanted to know more about the aliens that had crash-landed into her dynamic only a mere month or so ago.
She wasn't sure what she thought of them, she hadn't really talked to them since her and Tasuku were usually running deliveries.
She specifically wanted to know exactly what was going on between Ichigo and the golden-eyed Machiavellian. Her hands tightened on Tasuku's shirt as they embraced.
The first time she had met Ichigo, it was to save her. She had been absolutely awed by the elder female's entrance to her life.
And as they fought together, she started to see Ichigo as the ultimate roll model, and she was more than happy to step down and let her reclaim her rightful place as leader.
How could she not?
She was absolutely exquisite in a way Berry hoped to learn from, and Masaya was absolutely perfect for her.
She admired the love that they shared; it gave her a vision of her future with Tasuku. Or, rather, the love she thought they did.
She resolved to ask Mint or Lettuce about the past happenings later, seeing as they were the closest to her idol.
She knew Ichigo probably wouldn't outright tell her the story.
The way she got flustered about the boy made Berry feel a bit uneasy, and she wasn't so sure what Kish's intentions for Ichigo were, either.
When her mother had died and she was left to be raised by a single man, she had spent many nights looking at a picture of the woman that had given her life.
She remembered her devastation as her child self had hid behind the church at the funeral. The thought of never being able to hug her protector again had shattered her delicate heart into nothing more than dust.
In the midst of the heartbreak, her mother had sent her a guardian angel in the form of her childhood best friend. Tasuku had promised to hug her every day afterwards, and even though she had still felt lost and confused, she knew she wasn't alone.
Keeping his promise was one of the things that made her believe this was her mother's final gift of making sure she had a beautiful life despite the fact she couldn't be there to guide her in a physical form.
When she has died, Berry hadn't been able to see much of a future. It looked dark and bleak without her mom.
But, with the love of her father, grandfather, and the support of her friend-turned-lover, she was now able to remember her with acceptance.
She hadn't realized she was in love with him until the conflict with the Saint Rose Crusaders.
She hadn't realized he felt the same until she was able to break the spell over him.
And now here in his arms, she was scared to let go in the face of this new and unfamiliar danger. She sighed, snuggling up against him.
"Je t'aime, tu es tout pour moi…"
He chuckled and kissed her forehead, holding her close.
"I don't know what that means, but I'll take it."
She looked up at him with a half smile, her emotions getting the best of her.
"I was so scared…"
He looked back down at her with loving concern and endless devotion, putting a hand on her cheek.
"I was scared, too, Berry….I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you…."
He sighed, "I just wish I could protect you….."
She looked up at him, tipping up on her toes to kiss his lips. His eyes closed and he returned the kiss, enveloping the girl he had always loved.
She pulled away softly, her hand reaching up to touch his face.
"I just wish I knew what was going to happen now……"
He leaned his cheek into her touch, brushing her own with the back of his hand, muttering, "You're so beautiful, you've always been so beautiful….."
She smiled softly, small little tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she adjusted to wrap her arms around his neck, her dark eyes hooded.
They really were a pair of love-birds, weren't they?
How had she gotten so lucky?
She got to experience falling in love with her best friend.
Maybe he was right. She didn't want a love like Ichigo's.
Maybe it couldn't even compare to the heart she had given and received in return.
"I think I got it from my mom…."
Capsi's silver eyes looked down at the earth over the balcony, stoic and unfaltering. He gripped the balcony rail, decorated with eloquent patterns in the frame.
He had underestimated the enemy.
He hadn't anticipated the alien boy would be able to develop a chimera to match and overcome his own.
His jaw knocked back and forth as he glared down at the ball of life. He had missed his chance to kill the boy. He was an expert swordsman of his kind; a warrior unmatched in the hierarchy of the selestians.
They were one of the oldest races to ever exist. Originating from star seed and dust, the selestians had been looming over this particular solar system since the birth of it.
Their souls were made of pure magical energy.
A few ethereal races existed unbeknownst to the humans, the final descendants of such beings.
They had grown weak with the comforts they had established for themselves on the blue planet, losing touch with magical energy and star-given gifts.
They were also completely destroying the planet most suitable to nourish life. He and his people were mildly aware of the next race back, the long-eared aliens, waging a war to take the mother planet back under control to undo the damage that had been done.
And they had failed.
That had happened a few years before he had ascended the title of lieutenant. The selestians were currently migrating from moon to moon, looking for a place of final grounding.
The previous leaders had been weak, not wanting to fight for spaces in the massive expansion of time and matter for something that was rightfully theirs.
Now that Capsi was in charge, he planned to change all that. The humans were the most despicable of were supposed to be mystical descendants, and as far as he was concerned, they were an embarrassment to their ancestor races.
Taking for granted the gifts that had been bestowed to them. He would make sure to remedy that now that he was a person in command.
"Lieutenant Capsi, I have the information ready for you. Our alliances managed to get the Intel you requested."
A shorter, younger boy around the age of fifteen knelt down on one knee, in a celestial colored military uniform.
He had medium length dark hair, the same color of umber. His eyes were a radiant burnt sienna color, and while he had two purple stripes that came to a point on one cheek, there was only a single on his other side. He had the same short, elven ears.
Capsi grunted in acknowledgement, turning away from the earth and his train of thought.
"Well done, Shiso."
He walked to the grand hall, standing on the top tier of an extravagant staircase, a pendulum of massive size swinging in a star pattern slowly from the high ceiling to a floor, following the flow of celestial time in a massive basin at the bottom. A sort of projected screen popped up on a wall, as pictures and profiles started to appear and disappear after a few minutes.
He scanned the Intel on this group of pesky individuals. Tokyo Mew Mew. A group of six girls infused with endangered animal DNA.
"How interesting…..seems as if humans haven't lost all their magicks, entirely….."
A young woman infused with the Ultramarine Lorikeet. Mint Aizawa. Has the ability to fly and communicate with birds. Weapon– MinTone Arrow.
A young woman infused with the Finless Porpoise. Lettuce Midorikawa. Has the ability to breathe underwater and grow a porpoise tail, communicates with sea creatures. Weapon– Lettustanets.
A young girl Infused with the Golden Lion Tamarin. Fon Purin Huang. Has ability to communicate with the apes and related primate species. Incredible acrobatics. Weapon– PuRing Ring.
A young woman Infused with the Grey Wolf. Zakuro Fijiwara. Has extreme agility, swiftness, and dexterity. Ability to communicate with canines. Weapon– ZaCross Whip.
A young girl Infused with two species, the Umami Rabbit and the Andean Mountain Cat.
Berry Shirayuki. Has advanced hearing, strong agility, and the ability to communicate with felines and lagomorphs. Weapon– Loveberry rod.
He smirked, "Interesting bunch, aren't they, Shiso…?"
Shiso nodded, taking a second glance at the last mew's picture. Blonde hair and cream colored rabbit ears.
"So, they have human forms as well?"
Capsi nodded, and willed the last profile, his eyes narrowing in a focused stare. He seemed to be paying more attention to this profile than the others. He muttered under his breath, repeating the information on the screen.
"Young woman. Infused with the Iriomote Cat. Ichigo Momomiya. Has all feline related abilities. Leader of the group. Weapon– Strawberry Bell."
He grinned, raking over her profile. She was just so captivating. He liked her human form, too, but as a heroine…..
She was breathtaking.
He let out a breath, chuckling, "Ichigo……I can't wait to having the pleasure of fighting you again, ma belle…."
Shiso scoffed, folding his arms. "She's not even that great…..but the blonde one…..she's something….."
Capsi sighed, looking at his inferior. "You can focus on the rabbit hybrid, if you wish……let me handle the leader."
He looked back at the screen.
"Now gather what you can on those insufferable aliens that decided to interfere…..we need to know more about them, especially the supposed Prince of Chaos….i have unfinished business with him…."
Shiso nodded, turning and walking down the grand staircase towards the massive three-dimensional clock in the floor that the pendulum was swinging in.
Capsi looked down at the structure from the balcony in thought.
A smirk graced his lips.
'Ichigo Momomiya, I look forward to seeing you soon……'
Ryou looked at the infusion machine, his eyes flicking over the readied capsules.
It had taken all night and well into the afternoon, but they had finished the new project, thanks to the help of Tart and Pie.
Tart smirked, folding his arms. "Now that's what I call a kick-ass success."
Pie stood next to him and chose to remain silent.
Keichiiro put a hand on Ryou's shoulder. "Try not to worry, the girls will be fine…."
Ryou looked down slightly, curling his hand slowly into a fist. "I hope this is the last time I have to do something like this…."
Pie pushed off the wall, taking a few steps forward.
"Don't worry, the effects are only temporary. Your original mew project was permanent because of the integration of actual DNA."
Tart nodded, "Magic and elemental control is a whole different game. You can be granted temporary powers, but if you aren't born with it, those powers go away. Very few humans have maintained anything like that, and most of the ones that have it don't even know they do."
Ryou grunted in acknowledgement. He still didn't like that he had to put the girls through anymore than he already had, or ask them to once again to get an infusion.
Keichiiro looked at the two aliens.
"Question one, do we decide who controls what element?"
Tart shook his head.
"No, it's naturally selected for the wielder it belongs to."
"Are there any repercussions?"
"There shouldn't be."
"How long does it last?"
Tart let out a frustrated huff, "You're sure asking a lot of questions for someone who took a big risk with the Mew Project on the first place…."
Keichiiro chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "My apologies, Tart…..well…."
All four pairs of eyes looked at the infusion machine that had been dormant since Mew Berry had accidentally triggered it before the last big conflict the mews had faced.
Ryou put a hand in his back pocket, turning to walk up the stairs.
"I have to make a phone call….our new battle system won't work without our seventh member…"
Tart looked after his form, scowling as he shouted after him.
"Oi!? What do you mean seventh member!? We only have 6 elixirs! The last thing we need around here is ANOTHER emotional female…!"
Ryou looked back with a sigh.
"This one doesn't need one. She already has an element."
Ichigo made her way to the roof of the café.
She has been the least injured out of all her comrades.
She was tired, irritated, and she had already missed two calls from her boyfriend in London. She could call him back later; right now she needed answers from a troublesome alien boy who had broken the rules.
She also needed answers on his behavior.
She had already gotten some subliminal accusations from Berry, and she couldn't shake the way it had rattled her. She hadn't even been able to respond.
Her gaze slowly scanned the rooftop as her eyes softened.
He wasn't there.
He had been badly injured for the second time, and she didn't know where he was, or what kind of shape he was in. She hoped he was okay.
Looking at the sun setting in the slight breeze, she made eye contact with the bright star, taking a few steps forward as wisps of ruby hair kissed her face. Her dress skirt flowed lightly with the caresses of the breeze as she examined the vibrant colors in the sky.
She slowly made her way to the balcony wall, draping her arms on it, propped up on her elbows.
She gave a small sigh as a million thoughts crossed her mind.
How was she going to tell Masaya about anything that was going on?
How were they going to fight this new threat?
Why had Kish broken the rules?
What did she want for herself?
We're they going to win this time?
Were they still capable of saving earth?
Her eyes flicked back and forth, illuminating in the evening glow as the sun got ready to proclaim dusk as the time of day, drawing it to a close. The sunset was so beautiful from this view.
She took out her phone and typed a text.
Hey, Aoyama-kun. I'll call you later tonight, it's been a busy couple of days. Hopefully you'll be awake, if not that's okay….I know you're busy with school and your internship. I'm so proud of you for making your dreams come true. I'm there for you always.
"Hey, kitten, whatcha doin'?"
She screeched, jumping up as she turned around. Kish had his arms crossed, smirking at her. She put a hand on her chest, raising her voice slightly.
"What the hell, Kish!? Don't scare me like that…!"
He chuckled, shaking his head.
"Always the skittish kitty cat, you are."
She blinked.
"You….cut your hair?"
His usual front locks were now absent from his appearance. He frowned, scratching the back of his head as he closed his eyes with a sigh.
"The bastard cut off one in our little face-off, and I didn't want Pie to accuse me of copying him, so…."
He popped one eye open, smirking.
"You noticed."
She pursed her lips, scowling.
How could she not?
But then her eyes wandered to his arm. "How did you heal so fast? It's only been a day or so…"
"Yeah, advanced alien medicines can work wonders. Our herbs are much more advanced than the ones here on earth…."
She scoffed.
"Well, good, because now I can do this!"
She approached him and smacked his arm, causing him to yelp and step back, glaring at her as he rubbed the spot she had hit.
"The hell was that for!?"
She stepped forward, poking his chest accusingly.
"You know what! Just what the hell were you thinking, making a chimera out of a human!? You could have killed the soul! That is not what we do as team mew mew! If you're going to work with us, you can't use your usual dirty tricks!"
He glared down at her, straightening up, his voice lowering.
"In case you didn't notice, you were getting your asses handed to you."
"That doesn't mean you can break the rules!"
"What was I supposed to do!?"
"Not that, maybe-! HEY!"
He had snatched her phone, holding it above his head, a low growl in his voice, "I know that you all want to hold hands and sing cumbia with everyone in the universe, but that's not how war works!"
She jumped up trying to grab her phone.
He snatched his hand back as he closed his eyes, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he jumped a couple of steps back.
She took a step forward, reaching her hand out.
"You already broke one of my cell phones a while back, give me my phone back!"
"You think that it's a game, but it's not. I did what I had to do to SAVE YOU. AGAIN."
She gasped, pausing.
"If you haven't noticed, for some reason, your usual attacks aren't working on these chimeras. Why do you think that is, huh? You think if I could have opted for a different solution, I wouldn't have!?"
"Kish….I…."
He cut her off, "Save it, Ichigo. You want to make me out to be a bad guy? Fine. Bit war has casualties. I thought we learned this the first time around."
He looked at her phone, his eyes scanning the message, a sarcastic laugh escaping his lips.
"So, you haven't told your boyfriend about anything that's been happening here?"
She pounced forward, tackling him to the ground, snatching her phone back.
He let out a yelp of surprise, falling back with her on top of him as she wrestled the phone from his hand.
"That's none of your business! Speaking of which, you need to stop flirting with me…"
She trailed off.
She was currently straddling him.
She let out a squeak before scrambling up, closing and putting away her phone. A blush made its way to her face as she turned away from him.
Kish sighed and slowly got on a knee, using a hand to push up to a squat, then stood straight up, crossing his arms as he stared at the back of her head.
"Is that so?"
She hugged herself, looking at the floor, her voice softening.
"I'm with Masaya. I love him."
He scoffed, his short hair flowing lightly in the breeze.
"You know what's funny?"
She looked back at him over her shoulder, not responding with anything but her wary eyes.
His face was deadly serious, his expression stoic. The usual playfulness was gone. His form was practically gleaming in the setting light of the sun.
"It's funny how he's on another continent, chasing his 'dream', and I'm here looking at mine. Funny how we all dream of the things we wish we had. Why isn't he here fighting with you, instead?"
She gasped, her eyes widening. Before she could respond, he dispersed and faded into the air, disappearing without another word. She turned to face the spot he had just been, her heart fluttering.
"Kisshu…"
She looked down at her phone with a sad look, wishing she could un-send the stupid message.
She didn't like how his comment made her feel.
The meeting had been called.
Mint, Zakuro, Lettuce, Pudding, Berry, and Ichigo stood in the middle of the underground room once again, waiting for information and instructions.
Each member was nervous.
Ichigo didn't dare look at the aliens behind her.
Pie and Tart stood to the side and Kish was sitting high up on a cabinet, refusing to look at Ichigo. Tasuku was standing by the door, feeling a bit helpless in the whole scenario.
Berry gave him a soft smile, and he winked back at her before Ryou and Keichiiro walked in, heading to stand in front of a screen.
Shirogane started the address.
"We've put a lot of hours into this. Thanks to Pie, we've managed to figure out how the chimeras work, but we still don't know exactly who we are dealing with or what they want. We're still working on that."
He stepped forward, bowing his head, "I'm sorry to say that I have to ask you ladies to once again step into the DNA infusion machine…"
Mint spoke up, cutting him off. "What for? We have our red data animals…."
He cut her off quickly.
"These are not the chimeras we are used to. We have figured out that they are not infused with alien parasites, but rather magical elements. The parasites are being used as somewhat of a prototype catalyst. They turn the parasites into magical energy and create them that way, which also renders your attacks useless."
Pudding fiddled her fingers together, looking down.
"So, what do we do?"
Keichiiro continued where Ryou left off.
"We have come up with a temporary infusion that will award your animals an element of magic. Don't worry, it's temporary, and it will upgrade your weapons and your attacks. When the chimeras attack, our goal is to find its element, and use the mew with the opposite element to neutralize it, therefore returning the chimera to its original form without killing it…."
Kish winced slightly at the comment.
"We will set up a new battle formation once you all obtain your element, in the case you all agree to this. It will be specific paradigm structures. Each paradigm formation will consist of one alien and two mews. One will be the leading mew and the other will be the supporting party, making three total. These chimeras are stronger, so we will use the paradigm combination attacks to subdue them until we can neutralize them."
Ryou spoke up again.
"We will also need you to practice the paradigms, training to work together in the respective groups depending on the element you receive."
Ichigo's heart fluttered, her eyes downcast. She was pretty sure which alien would be on her team, and she wasn't looking forward to it.
"So….I ask you, mews, are you ready to defend earth once again…?"
He held his breath. Silence fell over the room as each girl seemed to contemplate what was being asked of them.
Berry stood first, a smile on her face as she struck a pose.
"For the sake of the world, I'll fight with all my might…!"
She grinned, looking back at her elders. Tasuku looked at her with a knowing smile.
Ichigo slowly stood, her eyes training on the boys at the front. She smiled, striking her own pose.
"In full gratitude, I'll be of service, meow~!"
The rest of the mews followed suit of their prospective leaders, each one standing and agreeing to the terms.
Pie and Tart seemed to sigh in relief.
Pudding squealed and tackled Tart in a tight hug as he yelped in surprise, catching her and falling to the floor.
"Damn, it….Pudding!"
"Tar-Tar, I hope I'm working with you! How cool would that be!? What power am I gonna get next?! I'll be just like you!"
"Oh jeez, cut it out!"
He was blushing furiously, squirming in her hold as she squeezed him tight, ignoring his words.
"Just think, the dynamic duo out to defend earth once again! It's so romantic!"
"Romantic!?"
Mint smiled, grabbing Zakuro's hand as she gazed up at her. "My queen, I am ready to fight by your side once again!" Zakuro smiled softly, squeezing her hand back reassuringly.
"We will do what we always have…."
Lettuce had seen Tart's predicament and was currently trying to gently pull Pudding away as she continued to wrap her little body around his.
"Pudding, I don't think he can breathe, why don't we give him a break, hmn?"
Ryou chuckled.
He really did have a group of amazing girls.
———————————————
Notes:
Oh man, it's hard to tie everything together sometimes!
Once again please let me know what you think, suggestions, notices of mistakes, and thoughts are always welcome!
I hope you're enjoying the fic!
Till next time!
-xoxo Diamond Dust