Tokyo Mew Mew Fan Fiction ❯ Lucky Seven ❯ As Sweet As Taruto! -Nya! ( Chapter 7 )

Phwee! A new chapter up! I feel like it's been forever since I've updated… huh…

I got a review asking whatever happened to Purin fiancé in episode 33 of the TMM anime. Truth be told, the DVDs on eBay that I bought only went to episode 32. I saw the next episode summary for that whole `fiancé fiasco' but I've never actually seen it. My knowledge of the anime only goes to episode 32, then. I guess this is where the manga kicks in, since nothing is mentioned of the fiancé in there. So, long story short, Purin's relationships come from the manga only. Sorry about that… ^_^;

Chapter Seven!

READ ON! read on till your dreams comes true…

"What a long day," Ichigo grumbled, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead as she mopped the floor. "I haven't worked in a long time."

"Ichigo, I need you to take the trash out," Purin said, handing her a garbage bag.

"Why me?" she whined.

"I have homework, Minto won't do it, and Retasu is helping Keiichiro in the kitchen."

"I'm mopping!"

"But you're almost done! Please, Ichigo," Purin cried. Ichigo sighed and took the two large bags out of her hands.

"Fine, but you owe me." Purin hugged her happily and dashed out of the room. Ichigo sighed and placed to bags in the corner of the room so she could finish her designated chore. When she was done with both, she walked upstairs and changed clothes. When she stepped out, she was shocked when Ryou was waiting outside his door.

"Going out?" he asked.

"I'm just going for a short walk before bed." He nodded and walked back inside his room.

"Be careful," he added quickly. Ichigo smiled and jumped down the stairs. She passed Retasu who was washing pots in the sink in the kitchen, but she didn't see Keiichiro. Without saying anything, she snuck outside.

There was something about being outside that made her feel free. There wasn't anybody shadowing over her shoulder making sure she was safe 24/7 or the constant fear of manic alien jellyfish inhibiting bugs or random creatures. The moon was full and was hiding behind trees. She spent more time looking at the sky than where she was going, and found herself at the park. She smiled and ran to Kisshu's tree.

"Kisshu!" she whispered loudly. There was nobody in the park this late at night. There was some brushing of branches rubbing together before she saw a head poke out in front of her.

"Hello honey," he said, articulating on every syllable. Ichigo jumped back and brought her hand to her chest.

"You scared me," she nearly shouted.

"It's not everyday my precious kitten comes out looking for me." His comment reminded Ichigo of what Zakuro warned: not to go out and purposely look for the aliens. But she couldn't help it.

"Were you able to find him?" she asked. He smirked and jumped out of the tree, doing a flip quickly so he landed on his feet. He pointed to a small tree about twenty feet away.

"He's over there."

"Taruto!" Ichigo called. In the dark it was hard to see him, but she saw a dark spot approach her quickly. It was a lot larger than she expected. His face got really close to hers, and he squinted his eyes.

"Mew Mew?" he asked. "You look like an old hag."

"Excuse you!" Ichigo called, raising her hand about to slap him. Kisshu grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him away before she got the chance. Taruto laughed loudly.

"I was joking!" he snickered.

"I didn't think it was very funny." She stepped out into the moonlight and looked at it. It was so bright that she almost had to shield her eyes. "Come out her," she said. "I want to see what you look like." Taruto stepped into the moonlight followed slowly by Kisshu. Taruto's hair was still bright red, but it didn't have any decorative hair clasps like before. It was slightly long, but was imperially smooth and stuck out slightly. His teeth were longer, too. The shirt he was wearing looked black, but she was pretty sure it was a maroon. It also went down to his hips, better than his old one that barely covered his chest. His pants went down to his knees, and there weren't any metal braces around them keeping them clamped to his body. He had the perfect, free-flowing effect of a teenager. He was perfect for Purin.

"So," he said expectantly after Ichigo gave him a good looking over, "when do I get to see her?"

"You miss her?"

"Well, kinda," he looked in the opposite direction nervously. Kisshu walked up and leaned on his shoulder.

"The little midget can't wait to get his hands on her!" he laughed. Even if Taruto had grown up, he was still shorter than Kisshu. Taruto cringed and shoved Kisshu.

"No! No!" he said quickly, waving his hand in front of Ichigo hoping she would dismiss his comment. "I just want to see her!"

"The dance isn't until Saturday, and today's Wednesday, so you have some time before the prom. I'll introduce you tomorrow."

"Great," he said happily, smiling broadly. He nodded his head and walked back to the small tree. Ichigo watched as he sat next to it and watched it expectantly.

"Why does he like that little tree so much?"

"He planted that tree around the time we left. I guess he's just happy that it actually grew," Kisshu explained. He wrapped his arm around Ichigo's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "The moon is so pretty tonight, don't you think?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, yeah," she said nervously, being so close to the alien. "It's really pretty." Kisshu slowly raised his other hand and took Ichigo's chin, moving it so she was forced to look at him.

"Ichigo," he started.

"Kisshu, we talked about this," Ichigo interrupted. His eyes fell for a moment.

"But why? You told me you didn't love me because you were with Aoyama, but you're not anymore. What do you want from me?"

"It's not that, Kisshu. You just appear after seven years and expect me to swoon over you."

"But you fell for your boss, and you haven't seen him in seven years, either," he said quietly.

"I don't know," she sighed, looking in the other direction.

"Is it because he's rich? Because I can get you anything you want!"

"It's not that. I mean, it's a nice perk, but it's not a decent reason to love someone. I don't love Ryou like that, though. He's more like a friend."

"So what does that make me?"

"Another friend," Ichigo suggested.

"I don't like the sound of that."

"You'll learn to love it." Kisshu sighed grabbed her chin again. He tried not to be too forceful when he made her look at him. His eyes were so golden in the night. It was like some sort of freak of nature, or looking in the eyes of an animal.

"Is it because I'm an alien?" he asked. Ichigo could almost see the pure, raw hurt in his eyes.

"No, of course not! I wouldn't be fighting for your innocence if I hated you!" she declared. Before she could continue, he leaned closer to her and kissed her chastely. Ichigo's eyes were wide and scared. "Kisshu!" she muffled, but he kept going. He moved to kiss her cheek, and then pressed his cheek against hers.

"I love you, Ichigo," he whispered.

"Lovebirds!" Taruto shouted. "Come look! They're hatching!" Kisshu lifted his head and looked over at the tree. He smiled and looked at Ichigo.

"They're hatching!" he repeated happily. He took her hand and led her to the tree. "For the past few weeks I've monitored this little nest. The eggs must be finally hatching tonight." The nest had four little pale blue eggs inside. The mother bird, a sparrow, allowed Taruto to get a closer look.

"Why is she letting him do that? Shouldn't she be worried?"

"I brought that bird in since she fell out of the nest and a little kid touched her. Her mother wouldn't accept her since she had been touched. She knows me and likes Taruto since he's like me, too."

"That's sweet," Ichigo said. The first egg hatched, and little peeps filled the quite air.

"It's a girl!" Taruto exclaimed. She wanted to ask how he could possibly tell, but since the aliens were such masters at nature, she figured it was just something they knew. His eyes blinked as he remembered why he was here in the first place. "About this prom," he began, "I know you dance at it, but is there anything else. It seems so dull."

Ichigo thought for a moment before continuing. "You know," she stated, "I never went to my own prom, but I hear it is really fun. You see all your friends, and you get to dance with someone special. The dance doesn't last all night. You usually leave to have fun somewhere else-"

"-Or do it in a hotel room!" Kisshu ended, laughing. Ichigo huffed and jabbed him in the ribs with her shoulder. Although he made a slight cough of pain, he still snickered.

"Do what?" Taruto asked, innocence brilliant in his bright yellow eyes. Kisshu immediately stopped laughing and coughed nervously.

"Ask your mom," he said tensely before returning his attention back to the birds.

"I think it's time I go home, but it was really nice seeing you and Kisshu," Ichigo said. Kisshu turned and looked sad, but wiped it away quickly.

"So when should I bring the midget to see the monkey?" he asked.

"She's not a monkey! She's a golden lion tamarin!" Taruto corrected harshly.

Kisshu rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, midget."

"Tomorrow at eight in the evening. By then she'll be back from cram school and will be at work." She slowly began to back away to make her leave. "This is going to be awesome! Thank you so much for doing this!" She ran up to Kisshu and hugged him around the neck. "She'll be psyched!" Shocked at first, Kisshu was about to wrap his arms around her and kiss her again, but she backed away quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said to Taruto. He waved calmly and she skipped her way back to the café.

"Jeez, Kisshu, she's so damn perky. How can you stand her?" Taruto asked. He crossed his arms leaned on one leg. Kisshu shrugged and floated back into his tree.

Ichigo continued on her way to the café, but on the was she walked by her old middle school. She stopped and looked at it longingly, remembering when she attended there with her friends and with Masaya. Then she remembered when she and Masaya first admitted that they loved each other at the train station. She slowly took her eyes off the large establishment and turned in the opposite direction back to the station.