[America Mew Mew] Episode Fourteen

[sunrises]

And with this less than stellar filler marks the end of America Mew Mew! I must say, it was quite the wild ride, and I'm happy to say good-bye to these characters. ♥ Though getting art of 'em might be pretty awesome, I'm content as it is.

Title: Episode Fourteen: Chive's Awkward English Lessons
Fandom: Tokyo Mew Mew [alternate universe]
Summary: Chive doesn't want to learn English, but does Panforte listen? Of course not!
Claimer: Ryou Shirogane and the concept of Tokyo Mew Mew belong to Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi. Everything else in this fic? Is pretty much mine, and I'd appreciate it if you asked before using these concepts.

Today would finally be the day. Standing before an installed whiteboard in one of the rooms of the base, Panforte let out a sigh. How long had it been since Chive had honestly had an English lesson, much less a lesson on the pop culture of Earth? Probably too long.

Panforte was no expert, but he knew enough to survive on Earth. If anyone here could give the boy a lesson, Panforte would be the one. The textbooks were ready, the powerpoint presentation was ready...

All he had to do was stand and wait for his younger comrade to come to the makeshift classroom. This... waiting business was harder than he remembered it being. Chive surely wouldn't take all day to come down here, would he?

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The clock kept ringing in the midst of complete silence. Panforte stared at the door for what seemed like hours -- surely he'd arrive! -- before he finally defeatedly started to close his textbooks. When the last one had been closed, Panforte turned to leave the room. The metallic doors slid open as Chive waltzed inside. The cocky, arrogant teenager smirked, "How're you doing, Panforte?"

Panforte wanted to bang his head against the wall. Instead, he resumed his cool composure as he responded, "You're two hours late. Explain yourself."

Chive shrugged as he sat on a nearby chair, "Nothin' to explain. I'm just late."

"Fool!" Panforte slammed the textbook on the desk. "If you're late, you need to report it to me first!"

Chive winced, "And that's supposed to scare me?"

"It just did, didn't it?"

The frown on Chive's face was the only reply Panforte needed. Scoffing, the white-haired alien turned to the back of the classroom and rapped his fingers on the whiteboard.

"Let's review the tenses of English verbs, shall we?"

If there could have been any distraction for the two of them, both Panforte and Chive would have gladly taken it. But as it stood? Both boys were in for the rollercoaster of their lives: teaching Chive English would be a nightmare of epic porportions.

+++

Kneeling down, Ryou gingerly brought out a shoebox from under his bed. "Heh, I didn't think we had this box still lying around."

Shawn, Nilos, and Kiefer crowded around the box as Ryou opened the contents. Glancing over at Shawn, Kiefer whispered, "What's so special about this shoebox?"

Shawn shrugged, "It's just stuff Ryou likes to use when he's going up against Rovin."

"Really now?" Nilos flopped back onto the bed. "Now that's just lame. I think we were better off watching Minoru's tournament on TV. How's he doing against Spain, anyway?"

"Last I heard," Shawn grinned, giving Nilos a thumbs-up, "He was winning. Just like Noru, huh?"

"Focus!"

All eyes turned back to Ryou as he twirled a bouquet of plastic flowers in his hands. Smugly grinning, Ryou remarked, "This'll be the perfect way to get back at him."

Nilos raised an eyebrow, "Plastic flowers?"

Ryou dangled a rose in Nilos' face, "Of course. You didn't know Roy was allergic to these?"

"That's kinda low, even for you," Shawn remarked, casually flopping onto the bed beside his friend. "And why're you so mad at Rovin, anyhow? Did he ditch your plans to go out with Sarah or something?"

"Nah," Ryou dismissively waved his hand, "I'd be fine if Roy went out on a date with his girlfriend. I'm more miffed at how---"

"Heh," Nilos snickered, "You actually use the word 'miffed' in everyday conversation."

"That's it!"

Kiefer groaned as he pulled Nilos into a headlock, "Get Ryou now!"

"Got him," Shawn moaned, pulling his family friend back from the center of the room. As both Nilos and Ryou glared at each other, all Kiefer and Shawn could think of was about how long this day was going to be.

"We are not wrestling," Shawn muttered through gritted teeth, "Even if you two do hate each others' guts."

"Do you know what your dad would say?" Kiefer sighed. "You're totally taking advantage of a little kid's anger here."

Ryou snorted, but he let his arms down. Pushing Shawn away, Ryou then stormed out of the room. He glanced over his shoulder as he added, "Next time, we're so doing the plastic flowers."

Everyone groaned.

+++

"And this is how we do the tango!"

Celsia gasped at Primrose. "That was.... more enlightening than it should have been."

Primrose giggled, "Really? I'm glad you liked it!"

"Uh-huh," Celsia managed to gulp out as she swerved her comrade in the direction of the local tea store. "Never ever do that again."

"How come?"

Celsia sighed, "Because. That was embarassing to watch."

"But it's just the tango---"

Celsia silenced Primrose with a deadly look, "Please. Let's not argue this one, okay? Even Mimi and Ryou would agree with me."

Primrose's lips quivered, "O-oh, okay. Then what're we going to do, Cels? We can't have everyone knowing the incorrect way to do the tango."

Oh good grief. If there was anything Celsia disliked more, it had to be Primrose's watery eyes. How did little kids manage to make people feel so guilty about them? Celsia really didn't want to give in, not so quickly, but... just staring into those eyes... and hearing her voice crack like that...

"Oh, Primrose---"

CRASH!

Both girls jumped as they stared up. Celsia furrowed her eyebrows, "What the heck are aliens doing here?"

Primrose shielded her eyes, but still peered from behind her fingers, "I don't know. Are they here to learn the tango too?"

"CHIVE!"

Celsia groaned, "I suppose not."

"What a shame," Primrose made a face, "Because I would've been more than happy to educate them."

That earned a laugh from Celsia as she ushered her friend into the tea store, "It's okay, Primrose. You've educated me enough for the three of us."

The door slammed shut straight into Chive's face. The black-haired alien yowled as he flew backwards into Panforte's arms. "What more do you want from me?"

"How are you supposed to blend in if you don't even know future progressive tense?" Panforte groaned, seizing Chive by the collar as he tried to escape again.

Chive wrinkled his nose, "That will help me why?"

"Our language is incredibly similar to English and you still can't learn it?"

Hanging his head, Chive murmured, "I not want to learn English."

Now it was Panforte's turn to look confused, "Why not?"

"Because." Chive blew his bangs out of his hair as he finally let go of Panforte's iron grip. "Stay in Earth long is bad."

Panforte snorted, "Your English is worse on purpose, isn't it?"

There was a sudden look of alarm on Chive's face as he stammered, "Huh? What? E---E--Ego operor ignoro quis vos vilis!"

But Panforte merely shook his head as he dragged his comrade's body back towards the alien base. "Don't try and play dumb with me. You're much smarter than you let on, Chive."

The alien again squirmed, "What?"

Staring down at Panforte's arm, Chive's face immediately darkened, "More English lessons?"

"Why, yes," Panforte smirked -- not kindly, for once! -- as he and Chive flew high above the crowds. "You seem to be capable of them."

Neither alien noticed the incoming truck of plastic flowers. Within mere seconds, both had crashed head first into a shipment of roses, daffodils, and several dozens of flowers. Sputtering, Chive poked his head between the flowers, "This is..."

"Flowers," Panforte blinked, studying one closely. "But they're not real."

The truck kept on driving, though neither alien made much of an attempt to leave. Chive floated above the dozens of flowers, carefully sifting through each one until he picked up a snapdragon-shaped flower. Twirling it in his hands, he commented, "Pretty."

"I know someone who wouldn't appreciate fake flowers," Panforte noted, setting his own down. "But I suppose I can't blame him... not when he's worked hard to control real ones."

Chive blinked, "Who?"

"You might meet him some time," Panforte remarked. "I might tell you if you---"

"No," Chive pouted, reverting to his native tongue, "There's no way I'm not going to take bribery! If I want to learn English, dangit, then I'll learn it on my own, okay? So stop forcing me, Panforte!"

The truck halted to a stop immediately. Both aliens crashed into the side of a truck; Panforte cursed with dozens of words Chive'd never heard in his life. Wobbling out of the truck, Chive and Panforte failed to notice the four confused teenagers talking to the truck driver.

"No," Ryou was saying to the truck driver, "I think you want Michael's. We're not interested in fake flowers."

The truck driver tipped his hat impatiently, but he sighed and climbed back into the cart, "I appreciate your honesty."

The truck again drived off; both Chive and Panforte coughed as they nearly swallowed the car's exhaust fumes.

"We are never doing that again!" Chive swore to Panforte as he flew off.

Panforte groaned, but followed, "Not if you want to survive on Earth, you won't!"

Shawn stared. "What were they doing in that truck?"

There was a minute of silence before Kiefer nervously offered, "Well... I guess you cursed someone with those plastic flowers after all."

Nilos snickered as Ryou embarrassedly groaned, "Oh, shaddap."

Of course? Everyone knew Ryou would never, ever hear the end of it.