Chapter V: Bu-Ling Fong (Mew Mew Pudding)
"The White Lie"

Bu-Ling, despite her age and atmosphere, always rose with the sun.

There were a great number of things that filled her daily schedule, all necessary to keep her family's house running and her younger siblings on the right track. She would get up an hour before she had to wake her siblings for school and get a head start on making their lunches, preparing them with ample time to start breakfast and have the table set before they came downstairs, half-asleep and as rambunctious as ever. Once they had finished their food, Bu-Ling had them get dressed and ready to go to primary school. However, today was a special day, so she helped her youngest sibling, Heicha, put on an adorable dress and did her short blonde hair up into two small pigtails (which reminded her of her onee-chan, Ichigo), before making sure her brothers had all brushed their teeth and hair and had not forgotten their homework.

As she was helping Honcha get ready, Bu-Ling had to stifle a massive yawn that threatened to overtake her. Her eyes watered a bit from the force of it, but she ignored it and continued fixing her brother's pant legs. The past week had been long and full of pretty tough fights against a bunch of new Chimera Animas. Quiche seemed a lot more grumpy than his usual playful, annoying self, and Tart barely gave her a second glance during their fights. It made them a lot less fun and much more exhausting than Bu-Ling liked, and left her feeling like she attempted every single trick in her secret arsenal three times over. The girls had all been forced to step up their game, and it was starting to take its toll on the entire team.

She wouldn't admit it to the other Mews, but Bu-Ling really missed having fun with her Taru-taru.

"Bu-Ling onee-chan! Bu-Ling onee-chan!" Lucha and Hanacha called her name in unison from the kitchen, drawing Bu-Ling's attention from Chincha, who was proudly showing her and Heicha how well he could tie his shoes.

She made her way back to them, ushering a rather quiet Honcha towards the entryway where his brother and sister waited patiently. "Yes, what is it?" she asked, smiling tiredly at the boys.

Hanacha pointed at a rather large, pristine white box that sat on the counter. "Can I have a cupcake right now? Pleeeeeeaaase?" He fixated her with the strongest puppy dog eyes he could muster, Lucha joining him at the counter as he too tried to beg her with just one look.

Bu-Ling giggled and shook her head. "Sorry, but these are for Heicha's classmates. I have ours in the pantry for tonight, so just wait a little bit longer, okay?" she said with a wink. Both brothers groaned loudly but were willing to wait until after school for the aforementioned tiny cakes. They scampered off to their siblings at the door, talking excitedly among themselves.

Before it could slip her mind, Bu-Ling picked up the white box, smiling down at the subtle pink Cafe Mew Mew logo decorating the plastic wrap on top that revealed several beautiful golden red cupcakes, each cutely spelling out HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEICHA! in white frosting. Keiichiro had specially made her three dozen of the adorable cupcakes, made with a new sweet Darjeeling black tea recipe he had spent several nights mastering after she had commissioned him a couple of weeks ago. Bu-Ling had wanted to pay him back for his kindness, despite Keiichiro's insistence that she'd already more than paid for them. She tried several times to slip money into his uniform or bag, but it always found its way back in her possession shortly after. In the end, she had all but forced him to let her do the dishes once he was finished baking, much to the man's amusement and eventual allowance.

As soon as everyone was together, Bu-Ling shooed them out of the house and locked the gate behind herself, hiding the key underneath the soft straw Welcome Home! doormat on the top step. With her siblings in tow, she walked them all to school; first, she dropped off her brothers at their primary school, where she would see them off onto the campus with a warm wave goodbye and a promise to return in a few hours to take them home. Heicha went to a special daycare for young kids close by, but at a separate building. Bu-Ling made her way a few streets over until she reached the little girl's daycare, where she always left her youngest sister in the safe hands of her amazing teacher, who was by far the sweetest woman Bu-Ling had ever met. Sensei reminded her strongly of their mother, and she knew she could trust that Sensei would watch over her sister while Bu-Ling continued the rest of her schedule without needing to worry. The thought that her family was in safe hands was one that rarely came to mind for Bu-Ling, but after the last several nights in a row of fighting Chimeras, the young girl was grateful to have someone she could truly trust to offer her a helping hand.

The quaint little building soon came into view, and Bu-Ling could see Heicha's teacher standing outside the open gate, welcoming the children inside as their parents dropped them off for the day. The blonde girl couldn't help but marvel at Sensei's ability to be so active in the morning; even with her morning routine and going to work afterward, Bu-Ling still sometimes found herself dragging a bit until she had a little pick-me-up at the cafe. No matter how her day may have been, Sensei constantly radiated energy and strength whenever they saw one another, and Bu-Ling admired that very much. She wanted to have that same poise and confidence, and sometimes daydreamed about becoming a teacher just like her. But just as quickly as she thought of it, she would brush it off; after all, Bu-Ling was young, and had her whole life to think about her future after being a Mew Mew.

"Bu-Ling-chan! Heicha-chan!"

Bu-Ling pulled herself from her thoughts to see Sensei walking towards them, a bright smile on her face. She could feel the warmth of the teacher's smile before the woman made her way fully to them, and before she knew it her body was relaxing, her guard let down completely. The kind woman had such a way of making Bu-Ling feel at absolute ease. It was another thing about this lady that Bu-Ling could closely compare with her own mother.

Heicha giggled and ran to intercept the brown-haired woman. "Sensei, Sensei! It's my birfday today!" she exclaimed, her pigtails bouncing as she jumped up and down in her excitement.

The teacher smiled at the little girl and knelt down to be eye-level with her. "That's wonderful news, Heicha! How old are you turning today?"

Striking a triumphant pose, Heicha grinned widely up at her. "I'm six!" she said proudly, holding up two fingers on each hand as she did so. The gesture was obviously incorrect, but the girl was none the wiser, so Sensei and Bu-Ling successfully managed to hide their amusement. "I wanna go tell Kimi, and Seto, and Yue! Please may I go inside now?" Heicha asked eagerly, looking between her sister and teacher with puppy dog eyes.

Now even more amused, both nodded their agreement. Heicha didn't spare a single moment to say goodbye and trotted off onto the playground, her tiny voice carrying across the yard to where the class was having morning recess. Bu-Ling and Sensei shared a fond look as they watched her excitedly sharing the news with her classmates. The box of cupcakes in Bu-Ling's arms, temporarily forgotten, made itself known as it slowly began to grow heavy. She shifted its weight to her other arm, the slight movement catching the teacher's attention.

Sensei glanced at the small girl with surprise. "What do you have there, Bu-Ling?"

She smiled and readjusted the box so she could show the teacher the tiny confections through the clear plastic on top. "Cupcakes for Heicha's class, for her birthday. They were made by the cafe I work at," she said with a touch of pride. She was always happy to show off how amazingly yummy Keiichiro's creations could be, and this was as good a time as any.

And rightfully so, as the teacher looked very impressed by the adorable little pastries. "Thank you so much for bringing them! I'm sure the class will be so happy," Sensei gushed. "May I take them off your hands? That box looks rather heavy." She held out her arms towards the girl expectantly, an encouraging smile gracing her lips.

Bu-Ling was more than happy to relinquish the box, suppressing a quiet sigh of relief as she passed it off to the teacher. Once she secured it in her arms, Sensei took another quick peek inside at the pastries. "They're so tempting already!" the brunette all but groaned, more than a little excited to try the deliciously adorable cakes. Closing the box again, Sensei looked over at Bu-Ling and opened her mouth to speak, but shut it just as soon as she did as she finally got a good look at the small blonde girl before her.

She'd caught her mid-yawn, the girl's mouth opening almost comically wide and her eyes watering as exhaustion seemed to overtake her. Sensei didn't miss the dark circles just beginning to form beneath her eyes, a clear sign that she wasn't getting enough rest, and certainly not enough time to enjoy herself that a girl so young needed. Seeing such a rambunctious, sweet child like Bu-Ling looking so worn down and out-of-sorts hurt the woman's heart. "Bu-Ling, you look so tired! Have you been getting enough sleep lately?" she asked, worry heavy in her words.

The girl rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hands, not really paying attention to what the teacher asked. "Mm, not really... I can't sleep when I- aaahh! Fight monsters," she mumbled, another yawn interrupting her response.

"Monsters?" Sensei was surprised by that sort of answer.

Bu-Ling's eyes cleared as she realized what she had said. Her brain scrambled to say something else. "Y-Yeah, you know... in my dreams! I keep having, uh, lots of nightmares at night!" she replied quickly, her tongue stumbling over the words as fast as she could think of them. She gave the teacher a sheepish grin, leaning to one side as she nervously scratched the back of her head. "Sure, fighting them makes me more tired, but I'll be alright!" Her grin turned reassuring. "One of my bosses at the cafe knows of some really yummy tea that will help me sleep better."

At first, she looked skeptical, but thankfully Sensei seemed to accept that answer. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Bu-Ling? You're more than welcome to come inside, we have plenty of space for you to take a break, should you need one."

She giggled. "I'm fine, really!" To emphasize her obvious health, the young girl hopped backward a few steps, before pulling some colorful stones from the depths of one of her pockets and proceeding to juggle them single-handed. "See? Sensei, don't worry about me. I feel like I could take on the world- Aaahh!" Another sudden yawn interrupted her antics, cutting herself off mid-sentence and making her drop the stones. They clattered to the sidewalk by her feet.

The teacher rose one amused, knowing eyebrow at the sound, much to Bu-Ling's embarrassment. She offered another sheepish grin to the older woman in return. "Maybe with a nap first, I mean?" she laughed.

Shaking her head with her own smile, Sensei reached out and gently patted Bu-Ling's shoulder. "We do have a room you can sleep in..." she offered once more, but Bu-Ling shook her head in disagreement.

"I'll be okay, I promise," she assured. She regarded the teacher for a moment before straightening up and bowing at the waist, demonstrating her gratitude for the extension of kindness. "Thanks, Sensei. I really do appreciate it, but I should get going, I have a lot to do before I come back."

The teacher nodded in understanding. "Alright. Be safe and take care of yourself, Bu-Ling," she said kindly.

"I will!"

Bu-Ling hesitated only a couple of moments, but her decision was an easy one to make. She quickly dashed forward and wrapped her small arms around Sensei's waist in a firm hug, briefly burying her face into the fabric of the woman's shirt. "Xie xie," she said, just loud enough to be heard. Before the surprised teacher could respond, Bu-Ling's cheeks flushed furiously and she let the woman go, turning on her heel and darting off down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. In her haste she missed the warm, motherly smile brightening Sensei's lovely face, but she swore felt it radiating behind her all the same.

It wasn't until she arrived a couple of blocks from Cafe Mew Mew that she finally slowed down to a walk, the blonde girl's cheeks still burning; but now from exertion and happiness, not embarrassment. Hugging the teacher had been purely spur of the moment, but Bu-Ling was so strongly reminded of her mother in those moments and she couldn't stop herself. She certainly didn't regret it, either.

But she had come way too close to spilling the tea about her Mew Mew duties. As much as she wanted to... no, Bu-Ling knew she couldn't afford to entrust Sensei with that particular secret. She hadn't even told her family about it - none of the Mews had, nor did they plan to - and she didn't want to somehow risk the woman's safety just so she could have someone outside of work she could talk to about everything. If something ever happened to her, Bu-Ling didn't know what she would do. She couldn't even imagine it.

The familiar bright pink of Cafe Mew Mew peeked over the top of the hedge wall as she drew closer, drawing her attention and pushing away her negative thoughts as quickly as they came. The store was warm and welcoming, and Bu-Ling found herself picking up the pace to get there faster. She was eager to see the other girls, to taste test new desserts, and maybe to entertain the guests later on if Ichigo and Mint would let her. All thoughts about her near-miss were gone, replaced by undeterred excitement and curiosity.

I can't wait to see what today will bring us!

Oh my god, guys. It's finally here. IT'S FINALLY DONE.

After literally 4 and a half years between the start to its completion, and almost 10 months from the last chapter to this one, I'm so ecstatic to announce that this poor story is finally complete. Bu-Ling has been waiting for a millennia to be posted and my writing style has changed a bit, making it so hard to keep her in proper character. I hope you all love her just as much as I do! :)

I self-imposed a block on all of my writing until I got myself to finish NO1KWWA once and for all, and it's left a lot of stories built up over the last almost five years. I don't know where I will start next, but I hope you all stick around to see how it goes! I managed to free my personal life up immensely, and it's a new decade. So here's to hoping I keep up the motivation and make this decade a strong one!

Thank you all so much for being here. I really appreciate you all, and it seriously makes me so happy to see a new follow or favorite here and there. I'm glad you guys have enjoyed the ride. :)
Kraehenhexe