I Belong To You: A Kisshu And Ichigo Love Story

Chapter 4: What Do You Mean, A Situation

"Hey, Ichigo…uh, I was wondering…well, I have a couple tickets to this thing, and uh, see-" Takata blushed and looked down. Ichigo already knew what was coming. Ever since the beginning of the school year, the stammering, somewhat nerdy boy had been trying to invite Ichigo out on a date with him, and Ichigo always had to try and come up with some excuse to get out of it. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Um, I really can't this weekend, Takata. I've got a test coming up on Monday that I should probably study for."

"Oh." Takata pushed his glasses up his nose awkwardly. "Well, maybe some other time then!"

Ichigo forced a smile. "Right. Sure thing." She said goodbye to him and walked away down the hall, trying not to be too rude. But she was exhausted, and really didn't feel like talking to anyone – not even her best friends.

She'd had the nightmare again last night. After waking up terrified again, she'd grabbed Masha from her nightstand and hugged him all through the rest of the night, until her alarm went off. She hadn't slept, and now she felt incredibly tired and on edge.

"Waaa….I should start drinking a cup of hot tea before I go to bed. Maybe it'll help me get a better sleep, nyan. I can't keep doing this," she groaned as she hobbled along the sidewalk on the way home. Her shoulder's slumped, and Masha chirped from her cell phone encouragingly.

She gave a weak laugh. "Hey Masha, you wanna go to Café Mew Mew? Maybe a soda will wake me up a little before I have to start working."

When she got to Café Mew Mew, Mint, Lettuce, and Pudding were already there. Even though they hadn't had to transform in two years, they still kept the Café open in case trouble showed up again. Zakuro was the only one who wasn't a regular employee anymore – she was excelling in her modeling career, and had told them the night before at dinner that she was considering taking on a new movie role and starting a new album on the side.

"Konichiwa, Ichigo!" Lettuce called to Ichigo.

"You're late – by exactly two minutes. Do you expect the rest of us to do everything around here?" Mint said, perched in her chair with a steaming cup of tea in her hand.

Pudding bounced up to Ichigo and said, "Wow…your eyes are all dark underneath."

Ichigo started. "W-what?" She hurried over to the mirror on the wall and examined her face. She looked terrible – paler than normal, with eyes puffed from lack of sleep. "Waa, I look awful, nyan," she groaned.

"Maybe you should just go home and rest-" Lettuce began.

"Mew Mews!" Ryou raced out into the lobby. "We have a situation!"

The four girls blinked. "Huh?"

"What do you mean, a situation?" Ichigo asked. Ryou gestured impatiently to them.

"Downstairs – and hurry! It's an emergency!"

Ryou ushered them down the steps into the basement, where the real headquarters for Tokyo Mew Mew was established. Keiichiro was already down there, typing away furiously at a computer. He didn't move as Ryou came up behind him.

"What's their progress?" Ryou demanded.

"They've just entered the Earth's atmosphere. They'll need to find somewhere to put their ship before they come here."

"All right. Keep a close eye on them. I need to explain what's going on to the girls." Ryou turned around and addressed the Mews. "It seems that the aliens have returned."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. Lettuce gasped, Pudding squealed, and Mint said in disbelief, "Excuse me?"

"Kisshu." Ichigo's voice was barely a whisper. He was coming here?