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[America Mew Mew] Episode Thirty
We are forming more relationships! And the plot is moving even more slowly than I expected. =/ But oh well. This story will have to end some day. >_< We're getting closer and closer. I can feel it!
Title: Episode Thirty: Perfect Saturday Morning Redux
Fandom: TMM [but very AU]
Summary: So what was Chive up to while the others were fighting? And it looks like Mimi and Miles are bonding even more than before.
Claimer: You know the drill. If you recognize it, it isn't mine. Okay?
He was spending the perfect Saturday morning spying over a stupid flower store. There had to be something wrong with that sentence! Chive knew it probably wasn't the right thing to do. But he hadn't wrecked havoc in so long... he'd almost forgotten what it was like. Watching those little Earthlings squirm as they cried for help was immensely fun.
Chive and Briar had agreed on breaking into the flower store to steal that Mew Aqua sample back. Panforte had tried to find that Miles kid again, but the Mew Project kids were apparently onto them. They couldn't find him anymore.
Thing was, Briar was perfectly able to just waltz in and steal the sample as a guest of the little yellow one. So why were they doing this? Because it just didn't feel right without creating some sort of scene.
Maybe he could enter now--- oh, wait. There was Briar in his human disguise with the mew and some adult (presumably the mew's father). They were just walking into the place. Chive sighed to himself as he floated higher above the store. Now he'd have to wait.
After what seemed like eternity, Briar and the mew walked out with some brunet and that Shuugo kid. (Chive had never liked him after finding out that he had willingly divorced Mimi! Really? His love! How could Shuugo live with himself?)
Briar flashed Chive a thumbs-up sign as the other three were busy staring at the long line outside the local ice cream parlor. Chive nodded, watching as Briar was dragged over to the back of the flower store. 'Odd,' Chive thought to himself. 'Now how am I supposed to break in?'
A few minutes later, two adults - the yellow one's father and the redhead's mom - sauntered out the front door. Were they the only ones inside? If so, Chive was fully ready to fly in. He waited until the two were fully engrossed in polite conversation before speeding by them into the store.
They blinked and remarked about how much faster bees were, but didn't seem to notice Chive otherwise. 'That was close,' Chive sighed as he let his feet touch the ground. 'Now... where's that sample?'
"Ah, good afternoon. Did you want some flowers?"
Chive jumped. What the heck? He slowly turned to face another woman staring right back at him. Unlike the other women he'd met, this Earthling didn't seem as peaceful or ignorant as the others. That much was obvious by the brilliant red streaks in her hair and the current half-smile, half-glare he was receiving from her.
"N-no, m'am," He found himself stammering as he stared back. "I am a friend of... uh..." Crap. What a time to forget his opponent's names. Ah, well. Not like he needed an invitation to wreck havoc.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "If you're thinking of stealing flowers, you need better role models."
Chive stared at her. "I would not steal flowers! They are not worth anything!"
Now that earned him a remarkably evil death glare. "Excuse me, young man? These flowers are the pride and joy of the Beaumont Flower Shoppe. If you can't understand that, then please let me show you out the door--"
Chive seized the opportunity to summon his knife as he dodged her arms. This did not amuse the woman one bit as she immediately seized his free arm.
"Did the Black Soul send you?"
Now it was Chive's turn to raise an eyebrow as he gripped his knife even tighter. "What the soa is that?"
He heard her mutter, "Okay, definitely not a member of that old cult... but it doesn't explain the weapon from hammerspace," before she started carrying (without even a struggle!) him out in the back. She opened the nearest door and threw him against the wall. "I'll come get you after some ice cream. Liz and Danny'll figure out what to do with you."
She was locking him in? Just like that?
Hey, he'd get a chance to explore! Chive sneered back, "What-ever," as she locked the door behind him. He waited for her footsteps to slowly fade away before he bolted from the chair and studied the handle closely. It didn't look like it could be easily unlocked... the handle was one of those fancy handles and not very much like a traditional doorknob.
Sighing, he closed his eyes as he pressed his finger against the keyhole. Focusing his energy, he let his energy fill the keyhole and smirked as he stepped back. So much for that old lady accusing him of petty theft! It wasn't the flowers he was after.
He placed his hand on the handle--
"Thanks so much for the advice, Keiichiro!"
Wait, what? He wasn't alone? Chive immediately pressed himself against the door. He recognized that voice - it was the blue mew - but who the soa was she with? (Seriously. Who named their kid Keiichiro?)
"You're welcome, Miss Celsia," Keiichiro replied kindly as he and Celsia passed by Chive. "I'm glad it was able to patch your troubles with your mother."
The blue mew laughed, smiling as she gently adjusted her purse's shoulder strap. "All the same, it was muchly appreciated." She paused as she started to open the front door. "I don't really know why you don't come here often, but you should! It's nice to see you after so long."
"Same to you," Keiichiro said as he took the door ahead of her. "After you."
Yes! They were leaving! Hurry up and get out of here already!
"Um, hang on," The blue mew said. "I have to go ahead and get something. But could you please wait in the car for me?"
"Certainly," Keiichiro nodded as he closed the door behind him. Chive mentally groaned - how much longer would he have to hide out?
No more turning back now. He waited until the blue mew disappeared into another room before he dashed out. The mew aqua shouldn't be far from here! He couldn't feel it, but he doubted the leaders of the Mew Project were stupid enough to just leave it with the flower shop. It had to be further in.
He checked the first few doors on the right - they were mostly fridges for storing flowers and other random supplies - before sighing as he opened the last door in the center. A long staircase loomed before him. Chive smirked. This had to be it!
He floated on down as quickly as he could. (No need to really use stairs when you could levitate, right?)
The headquarters of the Mew Project lay right before him. Chive couldn't help raising an eyebrow as he stared at the multitide of computers in front. If he didn't know better, he could've sworn they - the humans and his race - had the same technology.
A small jar floated off in the corner. Chive started in its direction - perhaps there'd be the Mew Aqua - when he heard, "Mew Mew Celsia! Metamorpho-sis!"
He groaned. "Not you again!"
She smirked, "Celsia Crossbow," as she flew over to where he was. Holding her weapon firmly in her hands, the mew demanded, "What're you trying to do here?"
"You do not know?" Chive floated around her. "I want your love."
Mew Celsia pressed her lips together. "You're lying."
His eyes widened as he stared at her intensely. "... How did you---"
"It's not hard to guess," She responded, mimicing his every movement. "Especially when I know from experience."
"Good," Chive hollowly laughed, spinning around her even faster. "You think you are a similar soul?"
"I think you mean 'kindred spirit,' but no," The blue mew narrowed her eyes. "I just know you're not after Mimi. Especially since she's nowhere near here."
Chive crossed his arms as he leaned in towards her. "Smarter than you look," He commented as he smirked. "What do I want?"
"Probably the Mew Aqua," Mew Celsia kept the crossbow aimed at him as she stepped back. Her face became slightly red as she added, "A-and don't stay that close!"
He smirked as he leaned in again, "How come~? Don't you like cute guys?"
"Not if they're creepy like you," Mew Celsia called as she jumped back across the room. "Stay away!"
"Fine by me," Chive laughed as he opened the blue jar. An alarm immediately rang throughout the room. Both mew and alien groaned as the bells rang in their eyes. Chive shook his head and stared at the jar again.
Mew Celsia came from behind and kicked him towards the ground. He groaned, rising as he summoned his knife. "What the soa?"
"Not on my watch," She gritted her teeth. "Try harder."
He cursed under his breath as he lunged towards her; she effortlessly dodged as she flew above him. He threw his knife at her wings. She flew underneath, seizing his arms as she threw him across the room. He stared at her as he rose from the floor again.
"You've gotten stronger," He commented, snapping his fingers. His knife reappeared in his hand. He lunged forward again, watching as she swiftly kicked him in the chest. He fell against the wall, groaning, "The alarm's louder than I expected."
She blinked as she flew closer towards him; he seized her arms and threw her clear across the room. Flying towards the jar again, he watched as she readied her crossbow---
"Ribbon, Celsia Daggershot!"
He ducked. The glass shattered into a million pieces. Mew Celsia immediately took refuge under a table as Chive created a forcefield around himself. A turquoise glowing liquid flowed from the jar as it floated around the room.
Chive immediately shot two balls of energy in her direction as he seized the liquid. He pocketed it in a much smaller bottle. Grinning with pleasure, he set the bottle in his pocket as he called, "Did not try harder!"
Mew Celsia groaned as she tried to ignore the blood streaming down her wrists. "O-owww."
For some reason - neither Chive nor Mew Celsia really knew - he immediately floated towards her. Holding both her arms down, he inspected the wounds. Kicking the crossbow out of the way, he frowned, "There's glass in here."
She stared at him. "Aren't you my enemy?"
He shook his head, "I did not want to fight," as he took another ball of energy. He forced her to sit down as he knelt beside her. He sorted the fragments of glass out in another jar.
And the pain lessened immediately. Mew Celsia looked away as she muttered, "Th-thank you."
He smiled as he rose, still holding her arms captive. "I knew you were a lady---"
Why was she blushing? Why was she even contemplating if he was a good kisser?! This was absurd. Mew Celsia needed a way out of this. How else was she-- oh, right. She kicked him in the shins.
He groaned, whispering, "But you need to learn more manners."
"You're my enemy!" She narrowed her eyes. "Why am I supposed to accept your help?"
Now she knew she was being unreasonable - she could've even tried to steal the Mew Aqua back! - but there was nothing she loathed more than accepting his help. He wanted to reclaim the earth for his people. There was nothing about "letting the mew mews" live in his plans.
... So why was he looking back at her with this weird look of longing as he disappeared? She didn't know why, but she was reaching forward for him.
She didn't even like him.
"What's Ryou gonna say," She muttered, shaking her head as she started to inspect the scene of the crime. Floating around the remains of the jar, she added, "It's not going to be pretty."
Shaking her head, she grabbed a nearby camera. Ignoring the pain, she slowly photographed the basement from top to bottom. (Of course there'd be security cameras, but Mew Celsia had a sinking feeling they wouldn't get every minute that happened between the two. It looked like the computer'd been off.)
Biting her lip, she slowly floated above the staircase... there was Keiichiro, but why was he staring at her? She didn't even know-- oh, she hadn't detransformed, hadn't she? Shaking her head, she leaned in and fell into his arms.
Closing her eyes, she muttered, "But I didn't even like him," as her world went completely black.
+
At least he was feeling better. Mimi smiled as she watched Miles from the kitchen counter. He was able to walk and talk like a normal human being, but there was still something about him that seemed "off." It was like the Mew Aqua had been a trigger for some kind of personality that hadn't been there before.
He started scolding his mother more for not recycling. (Miles had always been like that, his mother had secretly confided to her, but it had just gotten worse after he'd fainted.) He'd actually gotten mad at Evelyn for drinking from a plastic watter bottle! Her boyfriend'd always been an environmental fanatic, but this was getting to ridiculous levels.
"Miles," She approached him with a glass of bottled water - though she dare not admit it to his face - and handed it to him. "You sure you're not sick?"
He nodded, smiling, "Yeah. Thanks for your concern, Meems."
On the upside, he was still polite. Mimi wrinkled her nose as she followed her boyfriend outside. The weather was nice - a perfect Saturday afternoon, her father had called after they'd finished temple for the day - and a light breeze flew through the grass. It was perfect, especially considering that the sun was rather harsh in this part of town today.
"No problem," Mimi replied as she sat down and stared at the cloudy sky. "It's nice outside, isn't it?"
Miles paused as he laid down in the grass. "... You really think I'm sick, don't you?"
"You can tell?"
He didn't look at her as he rose his arm and traced patterns in the sky, "It's obvious when you're worried. I hope I'm not acting that different?"
"You're moodier," Mimi remarked. "It's like you get angry at the slightest thing. Your mom says it's puberty, so don't worry about it, but... I am. It's not like you."
She curled her knees under her as she started tearing blades of grass apart. Miles didn't say anything as he continued to trace patterns. The only sound she could hear for miles were the laughter of the neighborhood children and the occasional breeze as it flew through her chestnut brown hair.
"Miles. I'm sorry if I said something wrong."
He shook his head as he closed the gap between them. "Seriously, Meems? I'm just glad you're here with me."
She leaned down, brushing her hair out of her face, "Thank you. But Miles--"
He rose, brushing his lips against hers. Her eyes widened, but she leaned down and returned the favor. How long had she waited for this moment? She could taste the chocolate on his lips. It felt... nothing short of amazing.
Reluctantly letting go, Miles knelt beside her. "How... was that?"
She kissed him again. Letting go, she responded, "Perfect." Embracing him, she let herself completely sink into his arms. "You know I love you."
"I know," He laughed. "I'm lucky to have someone like you."
She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "How much do you love me?"
"As much as you can imagine," He responded with a slight smirk. "As much as Romeo loved Juliet."
She giggled, "Aww, that's sweet. I love you... as much as birds love to fly. As much as girls love chocolate."
"Wow," He whistled. "You really do love me."
They leaned in again, expecting another kiss to share--- "Miles! Omigosh, Miles!"
He stared at her. "Meems? What's..." He paused, staring down at his now glowing hands. "This again?"
Standing up, he ran his hands through his hair. "I swear, I didn't mean for this to happen!"
She stepped back - dang, was she afraid of him?- as she pointed to the nearby pond. It wasn't a very big one, and it hadn't been very far from where they were sitting and exchanging kisses. His hands took on a life of their own. Miles found himself walking - no, wading - into the pond. He took a deep breath and dove right in.
Mimi screamed, "Miles!"
There was no reply. Mimi ran to the edge of the pond, ready to scream again - that pond must've been deeper than she imagined! She grapsed her pendant. ... Wait, no, that wouldn't work. Cats hated water. That was probably why she was so paralyzed with fear.
He sprung from the water, gasping for air as he slowly swam over to her. Rising from the water, he shook his head as he held Mew Aqua tightly in his hands. "Must keep the Mew Aqua."
Mimi whispered, "No. No. He's... he's acting weird again."
Kissing the liquid substance, he created a glass jar from the surface of the water. Mimi watched in amazement as the jar even created a chain to wear around his neck. When the jar was complete, the Mew Aqua fell inside... and Miles fell to the grass in a heap.
She immediately caught him in her arms (oh, ew, she'd have to take a shower later). "Miles! Miles! Can you hear me?"
He slowly opened his eyes, "... Meems? What was I doing?"
And then his attention was attracted to the chain and jar strung around his neck. "Where'd that come from?"
"As crazy as it sounds," Mimi slowly replied to him as she helped Miles start to walk again. "You made that."
He gently held the jar and chain in his hands. "Mew Aqua. I must keep it."
She sighed, "You still acting weird?"
"I'm fine," He muttered, letting the jar hang across his neck as he held her hands. "It's just that I feel a little weaker than normal."
"You wouldn't wake up for three days last time," Mimi paused, helping him to his house. "I wonder why you were only out for a couple of minutes this time."
He shrugged, "But at least the guys'll have another of... this thing to sample. I called it Mew Aqua, right? What is it?"
"I don't know," Mimi confessed as she held the back door open for him. "But Ryou says it's pretty important to the aliens."
He tilted his head to the side, "Huh. Maybe I should give it to them."
"Ah, Miles," Stella called as she walked over to the two. Puzzled, she stared at her son's sopping wet hair. "Did you go swimming?"
"Not exactly," Miles laughed nervously. "I fell in by accident."
He looked to Mimi with a pleading glance. She shrugged, before adding cheerfully, "Miles was convinced some guy was actually a Batman villain, so he was re-enacting it for me. Before we knew it, he'd sorta-kinda... fallen in."
"Oh," Stella laughed cheerfully. "Come on, Miles. You'll need to take a shower."
Glancing over at Mimi, she added, "The phone rang for you two while you were out. It seems that your friend Shuugo needs your help at the flower shop. Though for what, I can't imagine. He said something about chives ... is he planning on including a grocery store?"
Mimi and Miles immediately exchanged worried glances. Mimi slowly responded, "I've no idea, but thanks. I'll call him right away. How urgent did he sound?"
"Pretty urgent," Stella called as she ushered her son up the stairs. "You can use the housephone to call him back. You also wanna take a shower?"
Mimi nodded, but added, "I can also wait until Julie comes. You said she'd be here around 5, right? Where is she?"
"Right here."
Mimi turned to face an exasperated Julie, car keys in hand. Laughing nervously, Mimi bowed, "I'm so sorry, Julie! I was out with Miles... and the water... and the jar..."
Julie's face softened, "It's fine, really. Come on, let's go home. I've got the number for you. You can call your friend when you get home. He can always plan that grocery store over the phone, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Mimi smiled. "Thanks!"
Taking her sister's hand, she walked out the door and into her car. As Julie drove her home, the ride was pretty silent - they'd talk occasionally, but there wasn't really much they could say to each other. Mimi sighed, "... Julie? You don't think I'm too young to have a boyfriend, do you?"
"I'm not sure," Julie shrugged, her eyes never leaving the road. "You've had a boyfriend for much longer than most girls your age, but it's only been for three months. You're not really serious with him, are you?"
Mimi replied softly, "I don't know. I really like him, but he's been acting weird lately."
Julie's voice sounded oddly sympathetic, "He is thirteen, after all. Give him a chance to get used to puberty, okay?"
So she could be nice when she wanted to be! Mimi nodded, "Okay. Thanks, Julie."
Julie grinned, "Anytime, sis. Anytime."
Title: Episode Thirty: Perfect Saturday Morning Redux
Fandom: TMM [but very AU]
Summary: So what was Chive up to while the others were fighting? And it looks like Mimi and Miles are bonding even more than before.
Claimer: You know the drill. If you recognize it, it isn't mine. Okay?
He was spending the perfect Saturday morning spying over a stupid flower store. There had to be something wrong with that sentence! Chive knew it probably wasn't the right thing to do. But he hadn't wrecked havoc in so long... he'd almost forgotten what it was like. Watching those little Earthlings squirm as they cried for help was immensely fun.
Chive and Briar had agreed on breaking into the flower store to steal that Mew Aqua sample back. Panforte had tried to find that Miles kid again, but the Mew Project kids were apparently onto them. They couldn't find him anymore.
Thing was, Briar was perfectly able to just waltz in and steal the sample as a guest of the little yellow one. So why were they doing this? Because it just didn't feel right without creating some sort of scene.
Maybe he could enter now--- oh, wait. There was Briar in his human disguise with the mew and some adult (presumably the mew's father). They were just walking into the place. Chive sighed to himself as he floated higher above the store. Now he'd have to wait.
After what seemed like eternity, Briar and the mew walked out with some brunet and that Shuugo kid. (Chive had never liked him after finding out that he had willingly divorced Mimi! Really? His love! How could Shuugo live with himself?)
Briar flashed Chive a thumbs-up sign as the other three were busy staring at the long line outside the local ice cream parlor. Chive nodded, watching as Briar was dragged over to the back of the flower store. 'Odd,' Chive thought to himself. 'Now how am I supposed to break in?'
A few minutes later, two adults - the yellow one's father and the redhead's mom - sauntered out the front door. Were they the only ones inside? If so, Chive was fully ready to fly in. He waited until the two were fully engrossed in polite conversation before speeding by them into the store.
They blinked and remarked about how much faster bees were, but didn't seem to notice Chive otherwise. 'That was close,' Chive sighed as he let his feet touch the ground. 'Now... where's that sample?'
"Ah, good afternoon. Did you want some flowers?"
Chive jumped. What the heck? He slowly turned to face another woman staring right back at him. Unlike the other women he'd met, this Earthling didn't seem as peaceful or ignorant as the others. That much was obvious by the brilliant red streaks in her hair and the current half-smile, half-glare he was receiving from her.
"N-no, m'am," He found himself stammering as he stared back. "I am a friend of... uh..." Crap. What a time to forget his opponent's names. Ah, well. Not like he needed an invitation to wreck havoc.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "If you're thinking of stealing flowers, you need better role models."
Chive stared at her. "I would not steal flowers! They are not worth anything!"
Now that earned him a remarkably evil death glare. "Excuse me, young man? These flowers are the pride and joy of the Beaumont Flower Shoppe. If you can't understand that, then please let me show you out the door--"
Chive seized the opportunity to summon his knife as he dodged her arms. This did not amuse the woman one bit as she immediately seized his free arm.
"Did the Black Soul send you?"
Now it was Chive's turn to raise an eyebrow as he gripped his knife even tighter. "What the soa is that?"
He heard her mutter, "Okay, definitely not a member of that old cult... but it doesn't explain the weapon from hammerspace," before she started carrying (without even a struggle!) him out in the back. She opened the nearest door and threw him against the wall. "I'll come get you after some ice cream. Liz and Danny'll figure out what to do with you."
She was locking him in? Just like that?
Hey, he'd get a chance to explore! Chive sneered back, "What-ever," as she locked the door behind him. He waited for her footsteps to slowly fade away before he bolted from the chair and studied the handle closely. It didn't look like it could be easily unlocked... the handle was one of those fancy handles and not very much like a traditional doorknob.
Sighing, he closed his eyes as he pressed his finger against the keyhole. Focusing his energy, he let his energy fill the keyhole and smirked as he stepped back. So much for that old lady accusing him of petty theft! It wasn't the flowers he was after.
He placed his hand on the handle--
"Thanks so much for the advice, Keiichiro!"
Wait, what? He wasn't alone? Chive immediately pressed himself against the door. He recognized that voice - it was the blue mew - but who the soa was she with? (Seriously. Who named their kid Keiichiro?)
"You're welcome, Miss Celsia," Keiichiro replied kindly as he and Celsia passed by Chive. "I'm glad it was able to patch your troubles with your mother."
The blue mew laughed, smiling as she gently adjusted her purse's shoulder strap. "All the same, it was muchly appreciated." She paused as she started to open the front door. "I don't really know why you don't come here often, but you should! It's nice to see you after so long."
"Same to you," Keiichiro said as he took the door ahead of her. "After you."
Yes! They were leaving! Hurry up and get out of here already!
"Um, hang on," The blue mew said. "I have to go ahead and get something. But could you please wait in the car for me?"
"Certainly," Keiichiro nodded as he closed the door behind him. Chive mentally groaned - how much longer would he have to hide out?
No more turning back now. He waited until the blue mew disappeared into another room before he dashed out. The mew aqua shouldn't be far from here! He couldn't feel it, but he doubted the leaders of the Mew Project were stupid enough to just leave it with the flower shop. It had to be further in.
He checked the first few doors on the right - they were mostly fridges for storing flowers and other random supplies - before sighing as he opened the last door in the center. A long staircase loomed before him. Chive smirked. This had to be it!
He floated on down as quickly as he could. (No need to really use stairs when you could levitate, right?)
The headquarters of the Mew Project lay right before him. Chive couldn't help raising an eyebrow as he stared at the multitide of computers in front. If he didn't know better, he could've sworn they - the humans and his race - had the same technology.
A small jar floated off in the corner. Chive started in its direction - perhaps there'd be the Mew Aqua - when he heard, "Mew Mew Celsia! Metamorpho-sis!"
He groaned. "Not you again!"
She smirked, "Celsia Crossbow," as she flew over to where he was. Holding her weapon firmly in her hands, the mew demanded, "What're you trying to do here?"
"You do not know?" Chive floated around her. "I want your love."
Mew Celsia pressed her lips together. "You're lying."
His eyes widened as he stared at her intensely. "... How did you---"
"It's not hard to guess," She responded, mimicing his every movement. "Especially when I know from experience."
"Good," Chive hollowly laughed, spinning around her even faster. "You think you are a similar soul?"
"I think you mean 'kindred spirit,' but no," The blue mew narrowed her eyes. "I just know you're not after Mimi. Especially since she's nowhere near here."
Chive crossed his arms as he leaned in towards her. "Smarter than you look," He commented as he smirked. "What do I want?"
"Probably the Mew Aqua," Mew Celsia kept the crossbow aimed at him as she stepped back. Her face became slightly red as she added, "A-and don't stay that close!"
He smirked as he leaned in again, "How come~? Don't you like cute guys?"
"Not if they're creepy like you," Mew Celsia called as she jumped back across the room. "Stay away!"
"Fine by me," Chive laughed as he opened the blue jar. An alarm immediately rang throughout the room. Both mew and alien groaned as the bells rang in their eyes. Chive shook his head and stared at the jar again.
Mew Celsia came from behind and kicked him towards the ground. He groaned, rising as he summoned his knife. "What the soa?"
"Not on my watch," She gritted her teeth. "Try harder."
He cursed under his breath as he lunged towards her; she effortlessly dodged as she flew above him. He threw his knife at her wings. She flew underneath, seizing his arms as she threw him across the room. He stared at her as he rose from the floor again.
"You've gotten stronger," He commented, snapping his fingers. His knife reappeared in his hand. He lunged forward again, watching as she swiftly kicked him in the chest. He fell against the wall, groaning, "The alarm's louder than I expected."
She blinked as she flew closer towards him; he seized her arms and threw her clear across the room. Flying towards the jar again, he watched as she readied her crossbow---
"Ribbon, Celsia Daggershot!"
He ducked. The glass shattered into a million pieces. Mew Celsia immediately took refuge under a table as Chive created a forcefield around himself. A turquoise glowing liquid flowed from the jar as it floated around the room.
Chive immediately shot two balls of energy in her direction as he seized the liquid. He pocketed it in a much smaller bottle. Grinning with pleasure, he set the bottle in his pocket as he called, "Did not try harder!"
Mew Celsia groaned as she tried to ignore the blood streaming down her wrists. "O-owww."
For some reason - neither Chive nor Mew Celsia really knew - he immediately floated towards her. Holding both her arms down, he inspected the wounds. Kicking the crossbow out of the way, he frowned, "There's glass in here."
She stared at him. "Aren't you my enemy?"
He shook his head, "I did not want to fight," as he took another ball of energy. He forced her to sit down as he knelt beside her. He sorted the fragments of glass out in another jar.
And the pain lessened immediately. Mew Celsia looked away as she muttered, "Th-thank you."
He smiled as he rose, still holding her arms captive. "I knew you were a lady---"
Why was she blushing? Why was she even contemplating if he was a good kisser?! This was absurd. Mew Celsia needed a way out of this. How else was she-- oh, right. She kicked him in the shins.
He groaned, whispering, "But you need to learn more manners."
"You're my enemy!" She narrowed her eyes. "Why am I supposed to accept your help?"
Now she knew she was being unreasonable - she could've even tried to steal the Mew Aqua back! - but there was nothing she loathed more than accepting his help. He wanted to reclaim the earth for his people. There was nothing about "letting the mew mews" live in his plans.
... So why was he looking back at her with this weird look of longing as he disappeared? She didn't know why, but she was reaching forward for him.
She didn't even like him.
"What's Ryou gonna say," She muttered, shaking her head as she started to inspect the scene of the crime. Floating around the remains of the jar, she added, "It's not going to be pretty."
Shaking her head, she grabbed a nearby camera. Ignoring the pain, she slowly photographed the basement from top to bottom. (Of course there'd be security cameras, but Mew Celsia had a sinking feeling they wouldn't get every minute that happened between the two. It looked like the computer'd been off.)
Biting her lip, she slowly floated above the staircase... there was Keiichiro, but why was he staring at her? She didn't even know-- oh, she hadn't detransformed, hadn't she? Shaking her head, she leaned in and fell into his arms.
Closing her eyes, she muttered, "But I didn't even like him," as her world went completely black.
At least he was feeling better. Mimi smiled as she watched Miles from the kitchen counter. He was able to walk and talk like a normal human being, but there was still something about him that seemed "off." It was like the Mew Aqua had been a trigger for some kind of personality that hadn't been there before.
He started scolding his mother more for not recycling. (Miles had always been like that, his mother had secretly confided to her, but it had just gotten worse after he'd fainted.) He'd actually gotten mad at Evelyn for drinking from a plastic watter bottle! Her boyfriend'd always been an environmental fanatic, but this was getting to ridiculous levels.
"Miles," She approached him with a glass of bottled water - though she dare not admit it to his face - and handed it to him. "You sure you're not sick?"
He nodded, smiling, "Yeah. Thanks for your concern, Meems."
On the upside, he was still polite. Mimi wrinkled her nose as she followed her boyfriend outside. The weather was nice - a perfect Saturday afternoon, her father had called after they'd finished temple for the day - and a light breeze flew through the grass. It was perfect, especially considering that the sun was rather harsh in this part of town today.
"No problem," Mimi replied as she sat down and stared at the cloudy sky. "It's nice outside, isn't it?"
Miles paused as he laid down in the grass. "... You really think I'm sick, don't you?"
"You can tell?"
He didn't look at her as he rose his arm and traced patterns in the sky, "It's obvious when you're worried. I hope I'm not acting that different?"
"You're moodier," Mimi remarked. "It's like you get angry at the slightest thing. Your mom says it's puberty, so don't worry about it, but... I am. It's not like you."
She curled her knees under her as she started tearing blades of grass apart. Miles didn't say anything as he continued to trace patterns. The only sound she could hear for miles were the laughter of the neighborhood children and the occasional breeze as it flew through her chestnut brown hair.
"Miles. I'm sorry if I said something wrong."
He shook his head as he closed the gap between them. "Seriously, Meems? I'm just glad you're here with me."
She leaned down, brushing her hair out of her face, "Thank you. But Miles--"
He rose, brushing his lips against hers. Her eyes widened, but she leaned down and returned the favor. How long had she waited for this moment? She could taste the chocolate on his lips. It felt... nothing short of amazing.
Reluctantly letting go, Miles knelt beside her. "How... was that?"
She kissed him again. Letting go, she responded, "Perfect." Embracing him, she let herself completely sink into his arms. "You know I love you."
"I know," He laughed. "I'm lucky to have someone like you."
She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "How much do you love me?"
"As much as you can imagine," He responded with a slight smirk. "As much as Romeo loved Juliet."
She giggled, "Aww, that's sweet. I love you... as much as birds love to fly. As much as girls love chocolate."
"Wow," He whistled. "You really do love me."
They leaned in again, expecting another kiss to share--- "Miles! Omigosh, Miles!"
He stared at her. "Meems? What's..." He paused, staring down at his now glowing hands. "This again?"
Standing up, he ran his hands through his hair. "I swear, I didn't mean for this to happen!"
She stepped back - dang, was she afraid of him?- as she pointed to the nearby pond. It wasn't a very big one, and it hadn't been very far from where they were sitting and exchanging kisses. His hands took on a life of their own. Miles found himself walking - no, wading - into the pond. He took a deep breath and dove right in.
Mimi screamed, "Miles!"
There was no reply. Mimi ran to the edge of the pond, ready to scream again - that pond must've been deeper than she imagined! She grapsed her pendant. ... Wait, no, that wouldn't work. Cats hated water. That was probably why she was so paralyzed with fear.
He sprung from the water, gasping for air as he slowly swam over to her. Rising from the water, he shook his head as he held Mew Aqua tightly in his hands. "Must keep the Mew Aqua."
Mimi whispered, "No. No. He's... he's acting weird again."
Kissing the liquid substance, he created a glass jar from the surface of the water. Mimi watched in amazement as the jar even created a chain to wear around his neck. When the jar was complete, the Mew Aqua fell inside... and Miles fell to the grass in a heap.
She immediately caught him in her arms (oh, ew, she'd have to take a shower later). "Miles! Miles! Can you hear me?"
He slowly opened his eyes, "... Meems? What was I doing?"
And then his attention was attracted to the chain and jar strung around his neck. "Where'd that come from?"
"As crazy as it sounds," Mimi slowly replied to him as she helped Miles start to walk again. "You made that."
He gently held the jar and chain in his hands. "Mew Aqua. I must keep it."
She sighed, "You still acting weird?"
"I'm fine," He muttered, letting the jar hang across his neck as he held her hands. "It's just that I feel a little weaker than normal."
"You wouldn't wake up for three days last time," Mimi paused, helping him to his house. "I wonder why you were only out for a couple of minutes this time."
He shrugged, "But at least the guys'll have another of... this thing to sample. I called it Mew Aqua, right? What is it?"
"I don't know," Mimi confessed as she held the back door open for him. "But Ryou says it's pretty important to the aliens."
He tilted his head to the side, "Huh. Maybe I should give it to them."
"Ah, Miles," Stella called as she walked over to the two. Puzzled, she stared at her son's sopping wet hair. "Did you go swimming?"
"Not exactly," Miles laughed nervously. "I fell in by accident."
He looked to Mimi with a pleading glance. She shrugged, before adding cheerfully, "Miles was convinced some guy was actually a Batman villain, so he was re-enacting it for me. Before we knew it, he'd sorta-kinda... fallen in."
"Oh," Stella laughed cheerfully. "Come on, Miles. You'll need to take a shower."
Glancing over at Mimi, she added, "The phone rang for you two while you were out. It seems that your friend Shuugo needs your help at the flower shop. Though for what, I can't imagine. He said something about chives ... is he planning on including a grocery store?"
Mimi and Miles immediately exchanged worried glances. Mimi slowly responded, "I've no idea, but thanks. I'll call him right away. How urgent did he sound?"
"Pretty urgent," Stella called as she ushered her son up the stairs. "You can use the housephone to call him back. You also wanna take a shower?"
Mimi nodded, but added, "I can also wait until Julie comes. You said she'd be here around 5, right? Where is she?"
"Right here."
Mimi turned to face an exasperated Julie, car keys in hand. Laughing nervously, Mimi bowed, "I'm so sorry, Julie! I was out with Miles... and the water... and the jar..."
Julie's face softened, "It's fine, really. Come on, let's go home. I've got the number for you. You can call your friend when you get home. He can always plan that grocery store over the phone, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Mimi smiled. "Thanks!"
Taking her sister's hand, she walked out the door and into her car. As Julie drove her home, the ride was pretty silent - they'd talk occasionally, but there wasn't really much they could say to each other. Mimi sighed, "... Julie? You don't think I'm too young to have a boyfriend, do you?"
"I'm not sure," Julie shrugged, her eyes never leaving the road. "You've had a boyfriend for much longer than most girls your age, but it's only been for three months. You're not really serious with him, are you?"
Mimi replied softly, "I don't know. I really like him, but he's been acting weird lately."
Julie's voice sounded oddly sympathetic, "He is thirteen, after all. Give him a chance to get used to puberty, okay?"
So she could be nice when she wanted to be! Mimi nodded, "Okay. Thanks, Julie."
Julie grinned, "Anytime, sis. Anytime."