Tokyo Mew Mew Season 2:14

Ichigo was in the dark place again but this time it was different. It felt like the same darkness and yet as she glanced to either side of her there was an archway standing in the nothingness. The one to her left had a bizarre otherworldly glow coming from it which illuminated the black ebony that the archway was made out of. The one to her right was less light and yet the small light that came from within it seemed like the warm glow of the sun. This slight light allowed her to see the white marble the archway was made out of. She turned to start for the more inviting archway when a shriek of rage met her ears. She turned back towards the ethereal archway in apprehension. Though she was sure it was a mistake she moved closer in an attempt to hear the heated discussion coming from inside.

“Moston you fool I shall make you suffer!”

Ichigo shivered. The voice belonged to the woman in the darkness. She almost pittied Moston for having to be near her; it sounded like he was also in deep trouble.

“Not only did you fail to bring the girl but you also allowed Tonto to be killed!” the woman shrieked.

Ichigo caught her breath. So Moston had been the other demon that had come for her. She no longer felt sorry for him and she felt happy that Tonto had been killed. The only question was who had done it.

“M Lady I cannot deny my carelessness where the girl is concerned but Tonto sealed his own fate in becoming infatuated with that boy’s blood…”
Another shriek from the woman silenced Tonto’s plea.

“I don’t care who’s to blame the point is that it happened! Now we must come up with a new plan as the girl, if she survives, will be on her guard!”
Ichigo shuddered. The if she survives was frightening to think of. But if she was dreaming that meant she must still be relatively conscious. Didn’t it?
She stepped away from the evil archway shivering. A slight tug on her skirt made her jump and squeak in surprise. She turned to see a young boy staring up at her. She gasped in surprise. The boy was a very young version of Kisshu.

“Kisshu” she whispered.

He put his finger to lips and gestured behind him with the other hand. Ichigo looked over the boy trembling at what she saw behind him. She had missed the figure lying barely in front of the black archway when she had looked the first time. But now she could see him clearly. This one was most definitely the actual Kisshu. He lay on his back with his hands lying limply at his sides. She breathed his name praying that he might hear and answer. She turned to the boy next to her wondering exactly what he was. She was sure that he was Kisshu as a young boy but why were there two of them then? The look she gave the boy was one of pleading. `Tell me he’s not dead’ she begged in her mind, `Tell me he’s sleeping or just passed out’. The boy shook his head sadly but before she could cry out he put his finger to his lips and gave her a hopeful smile. She understood the unspoken message. Not dead, not yet that is. She gave a sigh of relief and gave a slight smile. The boy started walking toward his older self and beckoned for Ichigo to follow. She followed him wearily fearing that he might be mistaken and I might already be too late. The boy knelt by his body and took one of his hands. He motioned for Ichigo to take the other hand. She hesitated briefly before grasping Kisshu’s still hand. It was limo and ice cold to the touch. Tears started to prick at her eyes but then a shock went through her body and she felt herself falling.

She landed far too lightly on hard stone ground. Immediately the crying of a child met her ears. She turned in surprise toward the crying. A little alien girl, she couldn’t be more than 4, with green hair was sitting in a small chair sobbing uncontrollably. A man knelt beside her with his arms around her shoulders trying to comfort her.

“Dreya” he cooed, “Dreya it’s going to be all right. They’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

“I want to see mommy!” the little girl sobbed, “Why can’t I see mommy?”

“Mommy is recovering right now” the man said carefully.

“You lie!” Dreya screamed, “She’s gonna die! He killed her! He killed her!”

The man, whom Ichigo was pretty sure was the father, blanched and sighed,

“Yes sweetheart mommy is fighting for her life right now but the doctors have high hopes for her. It’s the baby they’re worried about…”

“I don care bout him!” Dreya cried, “It’s his fault mommy is dying! I hope he dies! I hope…”

But Dreya did not get to finish her sentence because her father slapped her across the face.

“That’s enough!” he shouted tears filling his raging eyes, “You’re mother did her best and gave her all to bring him into this godforsaken place we call a world! I will do whatever I can to make sure he stays in this world and I’m sure if she was able to your mother would do the same!”

Tears were pouring fast down the father’s cheeks now as he glared at his shaking daughter who was touching her cheek in disbelief. Then she leapt off the chair and raced down the hall crying harder than ever. The father stared at her empty seat for a few moments before turning to a door nearby which he pushed open and went inside.
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A tap on Ichigo’s trembling hand alerted her to the little boy that had been standing with her the whole time. She turned to him with a tear streaked face. He also looked like there were dried tears on his cheeks. She knelt down and hugged him to her crying into his green hair.
“I had that dream about the day I was born” the boy whispered in a quiet voice that Ichigo didn’t recognize as his, “It was after Dreya hurt me for the 10nth time that week. I wanted to know why she hated me so much.”
Ichigo cried harder pulling him closer to her.

“There’s more to see” he whispered pushing her away gently and taking her hand.
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Now they stood in a kitchen that was clearly underground.        

“But why can’t I go up there?”

Ichigo stared in astonishment, the same little boy that stood next to her now, also, stood in front of her. He was pulling at a woman’s skirts insistently. The woman turned to him. Her face looked tired and her body was thin almost sickly. She had paleness to her color that also alluded to an illness. But the smile she gave the young Kisshu had all the warmth she could muster.

“I wish you could darling but it’s dangerous and unpredictable up there.” She said caringly.

Dreya sat at the table and glowered at the pair.

“Just get used to it Kisshy Kun, you live underground, like all the rest of us” she snapped.

“Not fair!” Kisshu whimpered, “I wanna go up there!”

“It’s about time you learned life isn’t fair” Dreya grumbled.

The woman shot the girl a reproachful glance.

“You’ve got to be the only 9 year old that has such a negative outlook on life”

“I learned the facts of life at an early age” Dreya stated.

The woman shook her head.

“How a daughter of mine got to be this way” she mused, “I thought I raised you better”

“I had to raise myself” Dreya snapped, “You’re too busy babying him!”

“Dreya you know that he…” her mom began.

“I know!” Dreya shouted cutting her mother off, “It’s a miracle he survived! He should have died as a baby! You feel the need to give him special care! I’ve heard it before more times than I care to count! I’m sick of it mom! Why don’t you just admit that you love him more than me!”

Angry tears had sprung into Dreya’s eyes and she attempted to brush them away with her sleeve. Through the whole argument between his mother and sister, Kisshu had stayed quiet and clutched at his mother’s skirts. Now however he approached his sister with tears in his eyes as well. Tentatively he reached out a hand toward her sleeve but she jerked it away in fury.

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed flinging him away from her into one of the cabinets.

The mother screamed in shock and rushed to her son who lay on the floor barely conscious with blood oozing from a gash in his head. Dreya turned tail and fled out of the kitchen.

Ichigo’s hands went to her mouth. The vision faded as Kisshu’s eyes closed.
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The little boy beside her whispered softly,

“That was the night I had the dream. After that I avoided Dreya as much as I could and decided to make myself stronger so that I could defend myself. It came in handy when mother finally died.”

Ichigo gasped in anguish.

“She did die then?”

“When I was 10” he said sadly, “Dreya went after me of course. Not even father could hold her back. I defended myself the best I could. When I came to a week later they said I gave her a slit lip and a couple of broken fingers. She left home after that. No one saw her for years. It was just before I decided to work for deep blue that she came back.”
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A new scene had appeared before them. Now the Kisshu that Ichigo knew stood before them. He was staring in shock at Dreya who had also grown up considerably. Ichigo could see the young woman she had just met at the café beginning to take form in this Dreya.

“Are you really that surprised to see me little brother?” Dreya sneered, “What do I not get a welcome home. I’ve missed you. Isn’t that the normal greeting for someone that’s been away from home for a while?”

That seemed to make Kisshu snap out of his stupor.

“You didn’t even come home for father’s funeral and you expect a welcome home now?” he snapped.

“Why should I come to the funeral of someone I hated?” Dreya asked sarcastically, “And who hated me”

“He didn’t hate you!” Kisshu shouted, “None of us hated you!”

“Oh that’s rich!” Dreya snorted, “You were the one they adored. Their little miracle. I was nothing but another mouth to feed and make sure behaved!”

Ichigo saw the fury and loathing in both siblings’ eyes. But no matter how hard she looked she couldn’t see hatred. They didn’t hate each other, not deep down in their hearts.

“So why did you come back now then?” Kisshu asked heatedly, clearly trying to steer the conversation from dangerous ground.

“I had to stop you from making the stupidest mistake of your life” Dreya stated.
Kisshu stared at her.

“What mistake?” he asked.

“Joining that idiot Deep Blue in his cause to get Earth back”

Kisshu’s face turned hard.

“I won’t let you stop me. Deep Blue will bring our people out of the ground and onto a hospitable planet.”

“There are people living on Earth” Dreya said angrily, “What is Deep Blue planning on doing with them?”

“What should I care?” Kisshu shrugged, “I only want what’s best for our race”

“Can’t you see that Deep Blue is a tyrant?” Dreya pleaded, “He’s only interested in ruling Earth and all of us!”

Kisshu shook his head,

“You’re wrong!” he shouted, “Deep Blue is a great reformer! He’s just what we’ve always needed!”

“I really didn’t want to have to do this” Dreya whispered in defeat.

She lunged forward with a look in her eyes that clearly said maim, break, anything to force a stop.
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The vision faded but Ichigo knew the outcome. Dreya hadn’t stopped him and he had joined Deep Blue. She shuddered, and Dreya had been right. Deep Blue had been a tyrant and Kisshu had paid the ultimate price for his misjudgment. Ichigo expected that to be the last memory but another had appeared.
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Kisshu sat in a comfortable armchair spinning a ball of mew aqua on his fingertip. Taru was floating above a couch nearby with his eyes closed. There was an expression of boredom on both their faces. Ichigo was shocked as Kisshu’s voice came into the room but it was hollow as if an echo and his mouth wasn’t moving. She realized quickly that it was his thoughts when she heard the voice say,

‘I wonder what Taru is thinking? Could he be thinking about that monkey girl? What was her name? Purrin? Pudin? Maybe Pai knows. Then again maybe he won’t tell even if he does know. That part of our lives is over now. We have to focus on our world now. Only…now that we’ve saved out planet with the mew aqua, there’s not much left to do. I wonder how Ichigo is taking care of Earth.’

A smile crossed Kisshu’s lips when he thought of her.

`Kitten’ his thoughts whispered tenderly, `does she ever think of me? Is she happy? Did she ever fully understand my feelings for her? Probably not. She was kinda dense when it came to recognizing love.’

He laughed at that thought.

“What is it?” Taru asked in a bored voice not opening his eyes.

“Oh nothing” Kisshu said lightly, “Just something I was thinking about”

Taru gave a tired nod of understanding.

“It works!” Pai exclaimed as he came rushing into the room holding a very surprised bird in one hand and a bit of mew aqua in the other.

“What does?” Kisshu asked vaguely interested.

Taru opened his eyes a crack to glance at Pai.

“Mew aqua can turn one thing into another” Pai said calmly, back to his matter of fact self, “Provided they are similar enough. Such as this bird which used to be a butterfly.”

That got both boys interests.

“What exactly does that mean?” Taru asked brightly, gazing in admiration at the butterfly turned bird.

“It means that I can now put my plan of operation return to Earth into action. You see now we can turn ourselves into humans and no one will ever know.”

The vision faded.
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“That’s it” the boy she had quite forgotten about whispered, “You know the rest mostly”

Ichigo nodded still in shock at all she had seen. The little boy beckoned her down towards him. When she had reached his level he leaned forward and without warning gave her a kiss on the cheek. Instantly she felt the electric current and found herself kneeling beside Kisshu’s body once again. Only, unlike before, she was now alone. The little boy had gone.