Kind Eyes

one

If there was one thing Pie never expected his feminine foes to do, it was the act of kidnapping.

He had been rather confident in his plan that day. A strong spirit in the body of a cheetah chimera anima was enough of a distraction for most of Tokyo Mew Mew while he searched for μ Aqua, but the moment he realized the wolf Mew was no longer with the others, he lost consciousness and woke up in a cell with a splitting migraine.

He could hardly process his surroundings before someone spoke.

"Look who's awake."

At the sound of the sudden voice, adrenaline forced Pie onto his feet. To his shock, his fan was seemingly refusing to be summoned to his hand. Eyes wide, he forced his gaze onto the owner of the voice.

The Mews' leader was looking rather smug as he continued, "Sorry about the fan thing, but I can't really let you fight your way out. Especially since you seem to be the brains behind your team."

Pie narrowed his eyes.

The blond boy broke eye contact as he grabbed a notepad and pen from the desk in the room. "Teleporting isn't exactly an option either, buddy." He tapped the pen on his opposite wrist. Pie looked down at his own. A platinum cuff was peaking out from underneath his sleeve.

"I'm not going to be completely unfair, though."

Pie looked back up at his captor.

"Give me the answers I need, and I'll let you go." The Mew leader smiled. "Without the bracelet."

Pie didn't respond.

The boy frowned. "You're not a talker, are you?" He crossed his arms. "Oh! Where are my manners? I haven't actually introduced myself to you, have I?" His smug grin returned. "I'm Shirogane Ryou. I brought the μ Project to fruition, and I oversee the choices made by Tokyo Mew Mew. And you're ... Pie, right?"

The alien blinked.

"Retasu has mentioned you. She's the green one, if you don't know."

"I am aware of Mew Lettuce's real name," Pie finally said.

Ryou laughed. "That's what gets you to talk? Heh, I have wondered what happened between you two after your chimera threw me into freezing water."

The alien frowned, and his head started to throb painfully.

"I swear, the cold I got from that lasted over a week. Still, Retasu won't tell me." Ryou peered at the computer monitor on his desk and chuckled before lifting his notepad. "That's not the information I need, though. The girls told me Quiche mentioned your ... god? 'Deep Blue-sama'?"

"Whatever you're attempting to say, I suggest you phrase it carefully," Pie snarled.

Ryou wrote something down on his notepad. "Yeah, yeah, okay. All I was going to ask was, 'If he's your god, why does he need to be awakened?'"

Pie didn't respond. Ryou looked up at him for a moment before clicking his tongue.

"Okay, let's get back to that one later," he said. "How 'bout this then: why haven't I seen Quiche anywhere near you and Tart lately?"

Pie rolled his eyes.

Ryou sighed. "Alright. I suppose we can put a pin in this for now. I'm sure you need some time to process what's going on. How about we talk again tomorrow morning?"

"Do whatever you want, but I won't tell you anything," Pie said.

"... Okay, good talk," Ryou mumbled before pocketing his notepad and pen. "See you tomorrow." He opened the door and left Pie alone.

Pie groaned. Maybe he should've brought Tart along for the mission. He sighed as he considered how would Tart handle things by himself. Pie had recognized with disappointment that his younger companion wasn't as loyal to Deep Blue as he was, and Quiche—that traitor—certainly wouldn't help the issue and would probably convince Tart to join him. Such a young mind would no doubt be swayed by foolishness.

Pie couldn't leave that child alone. He had to get out.