Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of the lyrics in this story. The plot is mine.
Note: After hitting a mental block for Harcesis, I decided I needed a new, fresh task. I don't think I could be faithful to two novel-length fan-fictions (I can hardly keep up with my first one) so I made this one-shot story.
I believe the lyrics and the story really go well as they were based on the lead singers experience with a stalker. This aspect of the song is also present in 'Snow White Queen.' I hope you like it, despite its dark beginning.
Lyrics by Evanescence.
Snow White Queen
Stoplight lock the door
Don't look back
Ichigo made her way down the long corridors of the first story of her house, darkness covering every possible surface. This did not unnerve her in the least, however, as she had never been victim to fearing the dark. It was a refuge, as was the silence that followed.
Ever since she had become a Mew, her ability to see in the dark had been toned and perfected so now her eyes were used to the night as quickly as she permitted them to. Yet she felt no need to use the talent this day as she was sure that nothing would dare to strike her at this hour. Well, any human threat wouldn't.
Ichigo had always seemed to sleep very well as all her daily activity wore her out by the end of the day. Burned from various activities, she collapsed the moment she returned home from work and slept until morning.
It was rare that a day arrived when she couldn't sleep in the evening, like usual people. Usually the days, as strange and abnormal as they were, were derived from a stressful mind. Whenever an exam was to be executed at her school, nervousness flooded her thoughts and she acted like one of the worst insomniacs.
Nonetheless, she had no exams at the current time as it was the holidays. She had, in fact, just been to Zakuro's seventeenth birthday party, of which all her friends were invited. It was excellent, perhaps the best party she had ever been invited to.
This praise was based on one fact that made Ichigo giddy even at the thought of it. Masaya Aoyama. He had been present at the party as much as the next gorgeous guy. It seemed the entire Tokyo teenage population had been present, actually. Zakuro had been forever surrounded by her fan girls.
Ichigo's mind kept falling back to Masaya. Everything about him was the epitome of perfection. She felt her face flush a deep red as she remembered the fact that they had been on many dates before. She only prayed that he lust after her as much as she did.
Undress in the dark
And hide from you
All of you
A yawn escaped her mouth and she stretched up to the sky, mind still drifting back to her beloved. She tried – and failed – to force him out of her brain so she could resume her activities but gave up quickly and decided to complete them anyway, no matter what her mind was intent on thinking.
She removed her clothes quickly, hunting around, naked, for her pyjamas. A moment later, a shiver ran down her spine and she dressed herself in a nightrobe swiftly.
The feeling of somebody watching her, in fact, that more than one person watches her, came into her mind right then. Her tender thoughts of Masaya were replaced with a sudden fear that she was being observed. Collecting souls to analyse. Lyrics she heard on the radio swarmed back to her and she shuddered once more.
She hid in the refuge of her bathroom and, after securing the lock on the door, redressed herself. Eyes narrowed and suspicious, she made her way out of the lavatory and back into her bedroom. The prickling feeling had yet to cease.
You'll never know the way your words have haunted me
I can't believe you'd ask these things of me
Her mind flashed through anyone who could be a threat to her. At first, nothing arose until she realised that the person stalking her could be a totally different race. Her eyes darkened.
She spun around her room and checked on the balcony outside of her room. Nobody. However, her observer could very well have abnormal abilities.
She called out, softly yet demanding, 'Kisshu! I know you're out there! Come out and face me!' There was no reply. Of course he wouldn't reply and alert her to his presence. He was just a coward and a pervert.
Her mind kept flashing back to all the times he had asked her to follow him to paradise. She glared out into the darkness, feeling disgusted. A sick feeling of hatred rose in her stomach and threatened to devour her entire being.
How dare he? It was absolutely repulsive, spying on an innocent teenager.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Perhaps Kish wasn't replying because it wasn't him out there. The panic and paranoia she felt suddenly rose even more so when she realised that the person out there could be someone completely unknown to her.
You don't know me
Ichigo had heard the stories on the radio and television as well as in books and school about the time that innocent girls had been watched by stalkers or obsessors and they were usually people they didn't know. An alluring fact about them had attracted the person to portray stalker-ish tendencies and follow them.
The stories usually ended up with unsavoury results. This fact made Ichigo even more uneasy. Rape, abduction or murder. The three alternatives.
Her mind kept going through possibilities of somebody approaching her and hurting her. The idea made her cower in fear. She had no idea why her brain was in overload like this, as it really wasn't that possible it could happen. And yet, it wasn't completely impossible either.
'No!' She found herself calling out, eyes wide. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. 'There's nobody out there. No-one there. Nobody would take interest in me anyway…'
A snap of a twig was the last straw. The noise made her jump, squealing.
She contemplated running to the phone and calling her parents, who were away on a business trip. Or even Mangola, her next door neighbour. But if she was wrong and nobody was out there, it would be extremely rude to call either of them at the middle of the night.
Ichigo's skin clung to her nightgown, the fabric becoming damp with sweat and tears of terror and anticipation. She tried many times and failed to calm herself down.
Shrinking into a corner of her room further away from her bedroom window and balcony, she squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her temples with her hands. The raven-textured Iriomote Cat ears had made an appearance but she was half past caring about them and her black, fur covered tail.
Her eyes snapped open once more as she realised that seeing was her main defence against somebody trying to find her. She was so scared that if she closed her eyes, she'd open them again and there they would be, right in front of her and ready to hurt her or worse.
Her ears betrayed her right then. She could have sworn that she had heard whispering.
But she prayed to whoever was in heaven that she was wrong. She prayed with all that she was worth that nobody was out there, singing to her with a sick, demented melody…
"You belong to me
My snow white queen
There's nowhere to run
So lets just get it over…"
Hot, warm tears full of fear and anxiety and loss and confusion ran down her face, making two trails of clear moisture across her cheeks. She didn't care whether or not she was a blubbering idiot, she just wanted out. She just wanted to feel safe.
She sniffed then realized that if she made a sound, any sound at all, it would alert the person to her presence. She covered her mouth, willing herself to calm down and her breath to remain silent. For the sake of my safety… She waited in trepidation.
The twisted lyrics kept repeating in her head, feeding her fear, nourishing her apprehension.
"…Soon I know you'll see
You're just like me
Don't scream anymore my love
Cause all I want is you…"
A thought crossed her mind right then. It was a simple thing, but she had not realised it before. The knowledge came creeping in. She was amazed she had not thought of it before.
I am a Mew Mew, she thought, I might not be able to overthrow anything, but if I transform, my chances of being harmed go way down.
Ichigo stumbled towards her dresser where her Mew pendant was set out with her other belongings. She kept it amidst the other objects as she did not want her parents to find out its true purpose. They believed it was an ordinary jewellery item given to her from her friends at work… little did they know what it really was created for.
If they did, she wasn't sure what would elapse.
She didn't want to think about it. She couldn't afford to think about while everything was happening around her now.
Her hand tightened around the small item. She centred herself and focused every minute source of her willpower to combine and enable her to transform into Mew Ichigo.
'Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorphosis!' She had repeated the words so many times in the past that they no longer had any meaning to her except as a release for her energy and the removal of her physical barriers to ensure her transformation of attire and shape.
A faint, pink and white light surrounded her but it was not as nearly as bright as her usual transformation was. She found out the consequences of this a moment later when she suddenly stopped, her metamorphosis ceasing to encode the necessary requirements for her Mew form.
She froze. This hadn't happened before. This was a disaster!
The fear came crashing down all at once.
If I can't transform, then I can't protect myself or others from the Chimera Anima threats not to mention anybody who could be watching me…
Wake up in a dream
Frozen fear
All your hands on me
I can't scream
I can't escape the twisted way you think of me
I feel you in my dreams and I don't sleep
'Maybe it's a dream,' she cooed to herself, trying to calm her beating heart, 'Maybe none of this is real.' Ichigo was speaking out loud without realizing it. She continued. 'Yeah, that's what it is. This is a horrible dream that I've had after listening to all the stories we told each other at the party…'
So if she just manoeuvred herself into her bed, she would wake up and it would be morning. She would get ready for school.
There would be no need to worry, no people watching her, no fear, no inability to transform, no stalkers and no fatal actions.
She executed this task with quick precision, sliding her body into her ready-made bed. The sheets were cold and stiff on her skin but she didn't care anymore. She focused on getting to sleep.
Until she remembered the reason why she had kept her eyes open in the first place.
There was a rustle in the bushes below her bedroom window. The branches of the old tree next to the bushes cracked and the hinges of the window started to creak noisily.
Whether or not this was an illusion of the mind or real, she didn't care. Either way, dreamscape or reality, she was scared.
Beyond scared… terrified.
'Ichigo.' She screamed.
I can't save your life
Though nothing I bleed for is more tormenting
I'm losing my mind
And you just stand there and stare
As my world divides
Hands covered her mouth. She kicked. She bit. She tried with all that she had to escape from the person who held her captive. But it was no use. They did not give in. They did not show her mercy.
She was going to die. Oh, god…
Her heart, previously frozen in her chest from all the wild emotions that plagued her body and soul, began to whirl to life once more when the person from behind her soothingly whispered, 'Shhh… It's alright. You're not alone. Nobody can hurt you now. Nobody will hurt you, I promise… Shhh…Don't scream, ok?'
It took her a moment to realize, after being released from the persons grip, that she was crying. She turned to meet yellow orbs that were eyes. They were not foreign to her.
She fell into his arms in relief. The idea of having another person there with her, someone to protect her when she couldn't protect herself, made her so happy.
Arms snaked around her helpless figure. She has never reacted like this before, he registered. Humans must really let their imagination wild sometimes.
But he was there now. He was there for her in a time where she could turn to no other. After she had called his name in the night air, he had materialized above her house, unseen by her.
He couldn't believe at first that she had assumed that he would do something as disgusting as spy on her at midnight. He may have been somewhat of a pervert or mischievous playmate towards her when his love was not returned but no way – no way – would he stoop to something that low.
'Ichigo, are you alright?' He questioned, fretful for her safety more than his reputation in this matter.
Ichigo had, for a moment, wondered what Kish's motive for "rescuing" her could have been and whether or not he set the entire thing up until he heard the concern in his voice when he whispered to her, asking if she was alright.
All the doubt about him left her mind in that instant and she felt safe. She had been on edge since his arrival but then granted him the benefit of the doubt concerning his intentions towards her.
A twig outside snapped and Kish became sensitive to the presence of another life form in the area, somebody that neither of them knew. Ichigo squeaked and gripped him tighter. He turned to her and carefully laid her down on the bed below.
Ichigo gulped, suddenly wishing she knew what he had in mind. He may be willing to help and save her from this unknown threat but at what cost?
She felt extremely guilty about doubting him a moment later when he stood, pulling the sheets from beneath him and wrapping them around her figure. He leaned down towards her, slowly descending his face closer to hers.
He administered a soft peck on her forehead and she felt her body explode with a surprising sense of embarrassment and the lingering feeling of joy.
You belong to me
My snow white queen
There's no where to run
So let's just get it over…
Her joy extinguished a moment later when she realised that somebody may still be out there. Despite her safety that was ensured by her visitor and protector, she still felt vulnerable. Kisshu saw the fear all over her face and frowned, eyebrows furrowing.
Then he disappeared. At first, Ichigo was alarmed, but then she remembered that he promised nothing would hurt her. She held him to that promise.
…Soon I know you'll see
You're just like me
Don't scream anymore my love
Cause all I want is you…
Kisshu teleported to the garden outside. At first, he could see nothing – however, as he centred himself and called upon the power deep within, he could see a faint shadow, moving across the area in front of Ichigo's bedroom.
One moment he was completely still, the next he was forcing the culprit of trespassing and stalking into the Momomiya house's side wall. The person was in a black ski mask. Kish didn't even bother to remove it. He didn't care who it was, he'd just have to make sure they never come back.
'You listen to me. If you ever – EVER – think about laying a hand on Ichigo or her friends, I will kill you. If I ever see you here again or ever hear that you are here again, I will make your life a living hell, you understand?' He hissed; his voice low and threatening.
The figure in the ski mask nodded compulsively, obviously not feeling so confident now about what he was planning to do to her.
Kish released him. He fell onto the grass and, without hesitation, arose and ran as fast as possible out of the threshold of the yard and down the street.
After making sure of his departure and that he was not going to return any time soon, Kish turned back to Ichigo's room, of which was fairly visible from where the culprit had been standing.
He scowled, wondering what could possess such a person to spy on a young girl. He obviously knew what motive the person would have as Ichigo was completely and utterly stunning, but how could somebody walk the line towards immorality so easily?
I guess I'm a hypocrite, he thought, realising that he wasn't doing anything to help Ichigo either, as his race was planning on annihilating Earth.
But in that moment, he didn't want anything more but to be able to stay with her that night, not having to worry about petty differences or home planets and disease until the morning.
He materialised back into her room. 'It's taken care of. They will not be coming back any time soon,' he uttered as he sat down beside her once more.
She gazed up at him, her eyes sweeping his face, caressing his features with a single look. He felt himself melting into her beautiful eyes… Ichigo seemed to be experience the same sort of feeling.
His handsome face stared back at her, a faint smile – one of the rare, real Kisshu smiles that were so unusual in the sense that they were totally different to his regular smirk – crossing his face and reaching his eyes, making them glow with radiating emotion that she found strangely alluring. His deep, emerald green locks tickled her skin softly as they came into contact with her.
Ichigo let the serene smile cross her face in response to his. Her face burned red a moment later when he swooped down and stole a kiss from her, winking.
She felt annoyance bubble in her stomach when her mind registered that it wasn't Masaya kissing her but the realisation was then destroyed by another.
All I want is you…
Oh, all I want is you
(Forever and ever and ever)
All I want is you
Masaya wasn't the one comforting her in her time of need. Kisshu was. He came, even when he didn't have to. Even when she had accused him of doing something that was immoral, perhaps even in his book. He still came.
He still loved her…
…She may have owed him one as well as not hated him as much, but she could still not get used to the idea that he actually did have feelings for her. Of course, he spoke of it enough, but how did she know that he wasn't lying?
These feelings and conclusions were pressed by the underlying fact that if he didn't care, he wouldn't be there with her. But he was.
So maybe… he did care?
She turned on her side, knowing full well he was watching her. She smiled anyway.
This time, when she repeated the words in her head, they seemed to take a new meaning.
Forever and ever.
End Note: Voila! Finished. Personally, I'm really happy with this, but my opinion is not the only one that counts. Please read and review, people, I love hearing what you have to say about my stories. I put a lot of work into this and am praying that you all like it.
Love,
Exangeline.