Disclaimer- Again, I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew and it's characters. :(

Oh, look, I'm back, whoop. (:

I expect you are all very excited for the next chapter, right? RIGHT!? NOD. That's better. :]

Again, constructive criticism is good. No flames. Remember the spork, okay, people!

But when he spoke this time, they were words she'd not willed him to say, words that she'd never thought she'd hear Taruto say.

'Yo, Pudding! I'm back- ya miss me?'

Purin blinked. Once...twice...three times. He was still there. And now, she knew he wasn't the imaginary Taruto. On closer inspection, he was older. He was a lot taller, towering over her, at around six feet, to her measly 5'5. His face had lost the childish roundness, and his cheekbones seemed higher, his lips fuller, and his eyes were now serious, whereas, as a child, he had never been serious. As children, they had both been very much alike. This Taruto was good looking. That was one word for it. Hot also came to mind. Better looking than Tamahome. She blinked another tear away, when she thought of him, and took a step away from the boy before her. Her mind couldn't comprehend the proof that was in front of her. Taruto was back? Taruto was back.

She shook her head wordlessly, taking another step back, hitting the cool, stone wall behind her. She swallowed nervously, as the boy stepped forwards, towards her, his brow furrowed, his face concerned.

'Pudding? It's me- Taruto! Are you crying? Pudding- what's wrong?!' The boy's voice got higher with each word, before it finally broke on the last one. He seemed genuinely worried about her. She opened her mouth to speak, before closing it again, shaking her head, and re opening it.

'T-Taru-taru?' she hated how small her voice sounded, how it shook. She had never been like this as a child. But then, he had never seemed to care about her, when he was a child. Now he smiled broadly. It lit his whole face up, and Purin found herself staring at him in a sort of awe.

'Pudding.' Taruto murmured. Yes, it was Taruto. She could see that now. Her brain was finally realizing that he was who he said he was. That he was back. Her head span and she shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts, before she glanced down at the ground. All she saw now was the hard concrete coming towards her, before she fell to the ground, in a dead slump.

Purin's POV

So I fainted, big deal! What else was I supposed to do!? I'd just had the shock of my life, and possibly the worst day I've ever had, too. It was about time something like that happened. I mean...Taruto? He's back. Wow. And he's grown. A lot. He towers over me, now. And he really is rather attractive...Oh dear. I wonder what he thought of me? I'm certainly not the same Purin I was all those years ago. Thank God for that. I didn't expect him to be there. Not in that form, anyway .Maybe I couldn't imagine him, because I didn't need too. He's here now, and I don't have to imagine anything anymore. I'm so happy, shocked...and also a little scared. I don't want him to go away again. I don't think I'd be able to cope. He was the reason I became so depressed, when he, Kisshu and Pai left. It was all him. Them. Him. I don't know anymore!

Purin became dimly aware of a throbbing pain, in her skull, around her temple area, and she winced, squeezing her eyes shut, before opening them. She tried to sit up, but was rewarded with a little more pain for her troubles, and she stuck to laying down. She didn't know where she was. She was laying on a bed, she realized, in a room that was totally unfamiliar. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, uncertain of what to do. Then she remembered Taruto. Where was he?

'Taru-taru?' she called into the dim light, her voice quiet. An answering cry followed almost immediately, before Taruto came bounding into the room, placing a hand on her head.

'Pudding!' he grinned, before sitting on the edge of the bed. 'Feeling better?'

'Where am I?' Purin frowned just a little as her head throbbed some more, before a cold chill ran down her spine, and she sat up, ignoring the pain. 'I need to get home! My siblings...' she moaned a little, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up unsteadily, before Taruto was in front of her in a flash, her upper arms held tightly in his hands.

'What are you doing?' Purin cried, trying to unsuccessfully get free of his grasp. 'I need to get home!'

'Nope.' Taruto smirked a little, shaking his head, and Purin growled. He was still his child like self, in some ways, then. 'And this is my apartment...' he nodded at their surroundings. Purin shook her head in a 'don't care' gesture, before kicking out at his shins. He grimaced and his grip loosened, and she took her chance to run around him and out of the door, finding herself in an apartment kitchen, and lounge room. She spied the door and opened it, running out, still trying to ignore her pain, and rubbing her head a little, as she tried to figure out where she was.

Inside the apartment Taruto growled, as he walked onto his balcony and stared down at her. He guessed he would just have to forcefully take her back, then. He teleported down to where she was, waiting till she opened her eyes to see him. 'I'm sure the older ones can manage the rest for one day...'

Purin shook her head. 'Really, they can't. I have to go Taruto.' she turned on her heel and set off down the road, Taruto in tow.

'Then I'll come.' he insisted, smirking a little, as she struggled to find a compromise unsuccessfully, before nodding bitterly. 'We need to catch up.' he reminded her.'So lets' do it now, on the way to your place.'

'Fine.' Purin shrugged lightly, trying to appear indifferent, though she was so pleased to have Taruto back, she could have kissed him. She definitely could, looking at him. She blushed and turned her head to the side. 'But nothing interesting has happened to me.'

Taruto shrugged. 'So? But, wait. You still haven't told me why you were crying when I found you...' he glanced sideways at her, as he saw her swallow.

'I just had a bad day.' she kept her gaze ahead, knowing that unless she told him what her 'bad day' had entailed, he would just nag her anyway. 'I've had enough of having to look after everyone, as well as myself. I've had enough of people shouting at me. And I've certainly had enough of boys who think they're too good for me, so decide to dump me and hurt me, and make me upset.' she swallowed again, as angry tears started to form in her eyes, and she brought a hand up to wipe them away bitterly. 'Because really, I'm too good for them.' she said quietly, not believing it herself, but trying to appear strong, like the young Purin had been. She turned to face Taruto.

He listened angrily, smoothing his pained expression when she finished and looked at him, and nodding, swallowing to keep control of his emotions. 'You have a boyfriend?' he said, as he tried to keep his tone light.

Purin snorted. 'Had a boyfriend.' she sighed and kicked at the ground, scuffing her ballet flats and scowling angrily. 'Of course I did, Taruto. What, did you think I wouldn't get anybody, because I'm not good enough?'

'No!' Taruto said hotly, despising the fact that she seemed to think so little of him. 'Of course not. I just don't know why you're that upset. He doesn't seem like a nice person.'

'Perhaps he isn't, but I loved him.' Purin shot back, folding her arms across her chest angrily. 'Maybe one day you'll know what it's like to love someone, and you won't be so heartless.' she stormed on ahead, as her house came into sight.

'I do already.' Taruto struggled to catch up, scowling at her, but smirking as she stopped suddenly.

'You have a girlfriend?' She muttered, shocked and a little hurt, though she hoped he wouldn't see.

'I did. What's it to you, anyway?' Taruto laughed a little, the smirk still across his face, glad that she seemed jealous. So what if he hadn't really had a girlfriend- it was only a little white lie, right?

'You're right. It doesn't mean anything to me. We're not friends, and we never were, so I don't care.' Purin stormed into her house, slamming the door behind her, and refusing to look out of the window to see if Taruto was still there. She sighed, as her siblings rushed to greet her, before making her way into the kitchen to cook the food.

Taruto scowled at the closed door, deliberating on what to do, before teleporting back to his apartment and kicking angrily at the door as he entered. The day wasn't looking that great, for either of them.