Heeyyy! I'm not dead!

Gah, I can't say sorry enough for not updating, I've been animating and looking after my DeviantArt, so this story has been the LAST thing on my mind... gomenasai *Dogeza*

Ryou: You suck... you just suck...

Me: I know... *emo corner*

Ichigo: Thank you to all those lovely people that reviewed! Reviews are an authors food! And Megyan needs to eat ALOT... *sweatdrop*

Me: Hey! *pouts* TODAY I have a very special person to say the Disclaimer! Daisy, if you please~

Daisy: *grumbles* She does not own Tokyo Mew Mew, only the plot in this story...

Me: Good job! *puts away gun* Dengeki Daisy FOR THE WIN! NOW ON TO THE CHAPPY! *pumps fist*

Ichigo: YAAAY!

Chapter 4

Ryou's Payback part 1:

"Welcome to Café Hell, slave"

Ryou ran his hands through his hair furiously, trying to get every last remnant of the mop water off him.

"If my hair is flat tomorrow I'm gonna kill her," he glared at the imaginary Ichigo in front of him. We won't even attempt to wonder why his imaginary Strawberry was there while he was in the shower...

"Not my fault you sneaked up on me," imaginary Ichigo muttered and puffed out her cheeks in a pout, "You're just a meanie stalker pants."

Ryou retorted, "Well if you watched where you were going, Clumsy Baka!" At this point he should be concerned about his mental health, not only was he talking to himself, but he was arguing with himself too...

There was a knock at the bathroom door, and Keiichiro from behind it, "Um... are you okay in there? I heard shouting..." he trailed off.

"I'm FINE Keiichiro, yeesh."

"Oh... okay then... Have, um, fun in there?" footsteps grew gradually quieter and Ryou let out a loud groan. I am going to make her life a living nightmare... he thought darkly. But how to make her so angry that she loses the bet and gives up her raise...? She's so darn stubborn.

He frowned in concentration, mentally running through all the different ways to make the strawberry pay for ruining his perfect hair and making him smell funny. He pouted, then, slowly, broke into a massive grin.

"Perfect."

The next day Ryou waited for the Strawberry to finally get to work so he could start the torcher. Waited for two hours. TWO WHOLE FREAKING HOURS. He groaned and glared at the path leading up to the café, leaning against the outside wall. For the umpteenth time that day he gave his hair a ruffle, trying to get it's former glorious volume and shine into it and failing.

The other mews had already arrived for work, bar Zakuro who was still in Paris for yet another photo shoot, and the usual chaos was exploding inside with Lettuce's awkward motor-skills and Pudding's over-zealous effort to entertain the customers. Only this time no-one was cleaning up after it all. His eye twitched. Dammit Strawberry! Get your butt down here already! he yelled mentally.

Then, as if by magic, the panting and flushed girl was in front of him, sprinting down the path to the door. "Sorry I'm lat- KYAA!" she screamed as she tripped on her shoelace, faceplanting the ground. "Nyaa~ gomen Shirogane..." the muffled apology came from under the strawberry pancake. She picked herself up off the ground and dusted her clothes off.

"Strawberry, you're late. Almost two hours late," he growled, glowering at her while she frowned back defiantly, trying to keep her cool.

"Sorry Shirogane nyaa... there was a dog and it licked me and chased me scared me and then-" she rambled on until she was interrupted by a painful flick to the nose.

"Just shut up and get to work already," Ryou mumbled grumpily, but inside he was smirking.

"Okay, okay nyaa~" she started to walk past him but was stopped by a firm grip around her arm. Ichigo let out a startled gasp at the contact and looked at the perpetrator, Ryou, with a steadily redder face. "Shi-Shirogane?" the strawberry, now quite resembling her name, squeaked.

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart sped up considerably as he leaned down toward her cheek, letting his hot breath tickle her ear. She could feel her ears growing hot and wasn't surprised when her familiar animal appendages brought themselves into view.

Ryou smirked in satisfaction at the feeling of her squirming in his grasp and inched even closer to her ear. "Welcome to Café Hell, slave... be ready to serve me," he murmured then gave her soft black ear a quick lick.

He looked down at the 'poof' of light as it cleared, revealing a somewhat dazed kitten. "Didn't know I excited you so much Strawberry," he smirked at her helpless form.

"N-nyaaa~" the kitten squeaked, trying to recover from the horribly irresistable flirting that was coming from her young, gorgeous, smart, rich, and absolutely awesome-in-every-way, boss's mouth.

"Well, I'll see you later then, baka Neko-Strawberry," he turned, shoving his hands into his pockets casually. He walked towards the door, opened it, then looked back over his shoulder at the black furball.

"Oh, by the way, you're doing overtime again tonight."

"Nyaaaaaaaaa!" she wailed in kitty language, hoping desperately that meowing didn't count as shouting or whining.

When Ichigo -after much pain and misery- finally managed to change back human and get dressed into her uniform she was met outside the change-rooms by none other than her infuriating blonde boss, much to her dismay. She forced a smile and tried to get past him, only to be blocked from moving any further.

"Uhuhuh," he scolded patronisingly, "you cant go out there while not in uniform." You could just SEE the smugness in his eyes.

"But I am in uniform, Shirogane-san," she said sweetly, eye twitching in annoyance. Oh boy, she was gonna MURDER him when this was all finished...

"No you're not, this is your new uniform!" Ryou produced a skimpy piece of fabric that resembled a belt more than a skirt, and a too-short-too-low shirt from who-knows-where and placed it in the horrified girl's hands. "Effective immediately."

Ichigo just stood there holding the disgusting clothes (or lack there of) slack-jawed. "I-I can't wear this," she said through clenched teeth, still trying desperately to keep her cool and not just shoot him and be done with it all.

"Oh but you have to... if you want that raise of yours..."

How Ichigo would have loved to rip that bloody smirk off his face.

The Strawberry just sighed and looked at him.

"I'm telling you, I can't wear this Shirogane."

He felt the heat threaten to show on his face. Why does she have to be so darn cute when she's serious? Maybe I did take it too far... Shaking his head to banish his thoughts, he cleared his throat. "Fine then, just... just go serve the customers before I dock your pay completely," he grunted, letting her past, ears just a tinge pink.

Ichigo instantly brightened up. "Nyaa~ thankies Shirogane!" she said, throwing the outfit back at him and skipping to the tables. This mature thing was great! She'd have to use THAT one more often...

Ryou repressed a chuckle and shook his head, "Same old Baka..." He took a small package out of his pocket, listening to the quiet jingle. "Maybe one day..." stowing it back in his pocket he followed behind the hyper girl out.

But there's much more fun to be had, Ryou! No going soft now; your slave's waiting!

I know... it stinks... don't hate me *sadface*

It was chucked together at different parts of the last few months, so it's probably really confusing and inconsistent... I'll try better next time I promise!

NOW REVIEW OR FACE MY WRATH! RAWR!

(also, my profile has a link to my DeviantArt, please check it out!)