Jan 17, 2012.

Hi, reader.

This was an entry for a contest hosted by Rhia-chan8910 (now Rhia-Chan-The-Evil-Bunny),called 'It's Contest Time, Nya!' (it can be found on her profile). It was very simple: you just had to write a fic about your own Mew OC, abiding by the terms on the contest page, and the winning fic would have it's Mew drawn by the Rhia on her deviantArt (Stripey8910). It's pretty straight-forward.

Incidentally, this fic won, and it's one of my favourite pieces. I pulled out a few stops with this one. I must say, here, though, that the Darkfic-esque style of the writing was inspired by sakuuya's 'Severence', a novel-fic which, to this day, remains one of my all-time favourites.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not (and did not) own Tokyo Mew Mew.

AU. Slight Ryou/OC. Rated T for violence.

Starlight

Written: April, 2010.

Saezuru sang her heart out. Standing centre-stage, in a glimmering pink and gold dress, with her glossy black hair swaying down her back, she was beautiful. She was tall and slender, with sparkling eyes the colour of the ocean, and a smile that beamed from the covers of countless teen magazines.

She was Japan's newest and biggest idol, and someday, the whole world would know her name.

Hoshi Saezuru.

Her song concluded with a striking pose, to the wild cheers of hundreds of teenage girls. She was huge. No-one could argue. She was the youngest singer in Japan to have her first three albums go platinum. Her current single 'Unpredictable' had been sitting at the top of the charts for a month. To be honest, she'd been sick of it when she'd recorded it. Now, the stupid song was driving her mental.

Shooting her dazzling smile into the audience, Saezuru waved to her fans, winking and blowing kisses at a select few in the front audience. Oh yes. The adolescent world was at her fingertips. She'd conquered her target audience easily – the only way for her to go now was up.

The stage lights dimmed and instantly, crew team members were hustling around her, hurrying her offstage for a costume change. She stalked elegantly between two of her dressers, feeling like a princess flanked by her bodyguards, in all her fifteen-year-old glory. People moved quickly out of their way; no-one held up Hoshi Saezuru.

Tucked safely away in her large, luxurious dressing room, Saezuru allowed the dressers to flit about her, unzipping her dress, fiddling with her hair, complimenting her performance. The moment she was dressed in her next outfit (a fire-red micro-mini dress adorned with sequins), she shooed them all out and sat before the vanity to admire herself.

Wide, round eyes gazed back approvingly, lined with impossibly long, thick lashes. Fake, of course, but no-one needed to know that. Besides, all the celebrities wore them these days. They were more an accessory now than an enhancer.

"Hoshi."

The owner of the voice wasn't actually in the room with her – she knew from past experience – but Saezuru jumped, startled nonetheless. She shot a displeased scowl at the little golden pendant sitting on its velvet cushion by her makeup kit.

"What do you want?" she snapped irritably.

"We need you downtown," Shirogane's voice said, a little shortly. Saezuru pulled a childish face at the mirror, and giggled at herself.

"Well, I'm in the middle of a concert," she replied lightly. "You'll just have to wait."

"Your teammates could die, Hoshi," Shirogane said angrily. "I don't give a damn about your stupid concert. You have more important responsibilities, like your commitment to this team."

Saezuru reached for the golden pendant, her eyes flashing with fury.

"Nothing," she spat venomously, "is more important to me than my career. Get that through your thick skull. Now leave me alone. I'm on again in a few minutes."

"Hoshi–" Shirogane's voice was getting dangerously icy.

"They can handle it without me," Saezuru said lightly, getting up from the vanity. She crossed to the dresser on the other side of the room, pulling open one of the drawers. Inside was a glossy, mahogany chest. She opened it, said with finality, "Goodnight, Shirogane.", and locked her pendant away so it wouldn't bother her anymore. Then she shoved the drawer closed as hard as she could.

Damn him. He'd done nothing but make her life complicated since he'd first showed up one night during her tour. So what if all the crazy stuff he'd talked about was true – that she was a mutant superhero and the world was in grave danger from the threat of an alien race? Saezuru didn't care. As far as she was concerned, it was none of her business. She hadn't signed up for the job, and Shirogane couldn't make her fight. It was his fault for deciding to turn her into a freak; he deserved for it all to be hard.

And anyway, he had four other girls to do his fighting. One wouldn't be missed.

Saezuru gave herself a once-over in the full length mirror against the wall, smiled charmingly at her reflection, and strode from the room, back to her adoring fans.

"I'm warning you, Hoshi. Don't trust anybody."

"Oh, whatever," Saezuru said, waving one hand lightly. "Who's going to try and hurt me, seriously? Everyone loves me."

Shirogane restrained the enormous urge to shake the silly girl's shoulders roughly. Was she that ignorant of the world around her? He watched her stack her tray with only two glasses, leaving the rest on the table. What the…?

"Hey." Saezuru turned, and for a split-second, he was captured by her beauty. She was as delicate as a flower, bright as the stars, pretty as moonlight. But she was also cunning like a fox, vindictive as a snake, and snootier than a spoiled kitten. Her attitude and personality sort of negated her attractiveness. "What about the rest of them?" Shirogane nodded at the table, arms folded across his chest.

"They're too heavy," Saezuru replied with a pout, one small hand on her hip. "Amiko can get them."

As if on cue, her teammate looked up from the couple she was serving. She smiled hopefully at Saezuru – her absolute idol – and nodded cheerfully at Shirogane. Saezuru turned back, her expression triumphant. "See?"

Without a backward glance, she swept from the dining room, Amiko staring after her, star-struck as usual. Shirogane cleared his throat – Amiko blushed and turned back to the slightly miffed couple – and, shaking his head, followed Saezuru.

"You know there are things in the world called 'stalkers'," Ryou said, catching up with her in the kitchen. Saezuru carefully placed the tray down on the bench (naturally, she wouldn't empty the glasses or stack them in the dishwasher) and pulled a face. What did he think she was, stupid?

"Of course," she replied scornfully, tossing her silky black hair over her shoulder. "I've had restraining orders taken out on a whole lot of them. Mostly older men."

Shirogane stared at her incredulously. The way she spoke about it – so easily and carelessly… It was like she didn't have a single trouble in her life. She was probably so used to having everyone around her sort everything out for her. The spoiled girl never had to do anything herself.

"You're very famous," he said, and she shot him a disdainful look. He chose to ignore it. "We have enemies out there who would do anything to hurt you if they discovered your true identity. You have to be careful at all times – don't let anybody see you transform, ever."

"Okay, fine – whatever," Saezuru replied, rolling her pretty blue eyes. "I won't transform in front of people. Done. Now go away; you're crowding my personal space."

Shirogane watched her pick at the sparkling nail polish decorating her long, perfect nails, too stunned by her self-centred nature to be irritated with her. Hoshi was the most selfish being he'd ever met, and he'd met a lot. But this girl's world revolved entirely around herself. She didn't even glance at her teammates, let alone acknowledge them. Saezuru glanced up at him and raised one eyebrow.

"You can go now."

Fighting hard to keep his composure in check, Shirogane stalked stiffly from the kitchen.

"Reborn Lemon Pulse!"

Riiko held her golden, bejewelled rod in both hands, spinning it expertly like a rhythmic gymnast. She twirled it above her head and released a powerful surge of brilliant yellow light. The monster – a huge, mutant caterpillar that spat venom at them at any chance – howled and flinched away from the hot, bright beam.

"My turn!" Amiko cried, her rabbit ears perking up. "Angel Arrow!" Her white-gold bow materialised in her lilac-gloved hands. "Reborn Lavender Rush!"

She fired a series of sparkling purple arrows at the beast; they embedded themselves in its side with several sickening thuds. Immediately, the arrows' paralysing magic began to work; the caterpillar thrashed as it started to immobilise.

"Finish it off!" Haru called, panting heavily. The water Mew was exhausted from the battle. Standing to the side in her glittering red costume, Saezuru sighed heavily. It was bad enough that Shirogane had forced her to leave rehearsal for this. Now she actually had to fight? She'd only come to make sure the others could handle it themselves.

"Come on, Saezuru!" Yumi, the fifth and final member of their team, and perhaps the only one Saezuru might consider talking to one day, bellowed. She shot a hot glare across the soccer field. The stupid pop idol was the most unreliable person. What – she expected to just stand there and do nothing while the rest of them busted their asses? "Do something!"

"Ugh, fine!" Saezuru said reluctantly. She held out her hand. "Melody Bell!" Her weapon materialised when she summoned it. It was a pale orange, heart-shaped metal rod with a little golden bell dangling from a set of angel wings, topped with a small silver crown. "Reborn Sweet Peach Surprise!"

Shimmering rainbow light exploded from the bell, blasting the alien mutant to smithereens. But something wasn't right. As her attack pummelled their foe, a wave of pain hit Saezuru like a semi-trailer, exploding in her brain. With a wail, she collapsed to her knees, clenching her pounding head with both hands. She was aware of voices shouting and people moving around her, but slipped out of consciousness before she could even try to work out what was happening.

"I told you already, I'm fine."

"Sit down," Shirogane commanded, his expression stern. Saezuru rolled her eyes, folding her arms indignantly over her chest. She sat nonetheless.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him as he looked at her closely. She stiffened as he placed one hand against her forehead. Physical contact. Saezuru had never been a big fan.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"No."

"Is it aching at all? Even a little bit?"

"No and no. I said I'm fine, remember? Doesn't anybody listen in this place?" Saezuru complained. Keiichiro appeared in the doorway with a tray of food and a warm smile.

"How's she feeling?"

"She is sitting right here, clearly awake. And she is fine," Saezuru snapped irritably. Keiichiro annoyed her. He was too… gentlemanly and well-mannered. He acted as though he was a walking character from a romance novel; all dashing and perfect and charming smiles. She glowered at him as he set the tray down.

"Look, I'm not in pain anymore," Saezuru said shortly. "When I woke up, the headache was gone. I'm fine. But I won't be if I miss my dress rehearsal this afternoon. I have to go!"

"Hoshi, you could be in serious danger," Shirogane said sternly. "We have no idea what happened to you – you should be tested."

"It was just a headache!" Saezuru said shrilly. "This is ridiculous! There's nothing wrong with me. If you two make me late for rehearsal, someone will pay." She glared hotly at Shirogane. "Probably you."

"Fine," Ryou snapped, holding his hands up in surrender. "Go to your stupid concert. I'm done."

He got up abruptly from her bedside and stormed from the room, scaring the pants off Amiko and Riiko, who were huddled outside the door, eavesdropping. He snarled harshly at them and sent them scurrying fearfully. The café echoed with his footsteps as he stomped all the way to the laboratory downstairs.

"His patience is wearing thin, Hoshi-san," Keiichiro said gently, looking at her with owlish brown eyes. "Try to take it a little easier on him; he's only trying to help you."

"I don't need his help," Saezuru snapped, shooting up from the bed. "I don't need anybody's help!"

Shooting Keiichiro a dark scowl, she swept through the door, ignoring Amiko's attempts to fawn over her as she stalked from the café.

Saezuru staggered offstage to her dressing room. That was the third time this week she'd almost passed out in rehearsal. She had a concert tomorrow night; she didn't know what to do if she couldn't sing and dance properly.

The headaches were getting worse. She massaged her temples, wincing as a pulse of pain rippled through her brain. She could hardly see straight. And they were more frequent; every few days she'd be struck by crippling, mind-numbing aches in her head.

"Are you okay, Hoshi-san?" the voice of one of her dressers asked, concerned.

"Out," Saezuru moaned. "Get out."

She was quickly left alone. She kicked her heels off and swayed dangerously towards the loveseat in the corner. Her body hit the soft cushions with a muffled thump and she lay still, her head spinning and searing. For the second time, she considered digging out her pendant from its box and contacting Shirogane. If anyone had any idea of what was going on, he would be her best bet. The doctors who had come to see her certainly were stumped. The word 'migraine' had been thrown about a lot, though no-one seemed to be able to take it much further than that.

But she couldn't do it. Her pride wouldn't let her. She'd scorned him all this time – him and his ridiculous team of teenage mutant superheroes. She could hardly turn around now and call for help. She blushed hotly just thinking about it. No, she'd deal with this on her own.

"Hoshi-san?" a voice asked from the doorway.

"What?" she rasped.

"Do you need anything?"

Saezuru considered this for a moment. "Painkillers. Heavy duty painkillers."

Ten minutes later, the tablets took effect, and she drifted into a deep, uninterruptable sleep. When the headaches hit this hard, sleep was the only remedy; she always woke up fine again.

The world around her was hazy; blurred around the edges, like someone had spilled water on a watercolour painting. It was difficult to tell where she was. A park, perhaps? There were smudges of dark green above her. She imagined they were trees.

Footsteps crunched against the gravel. The sound was abnormally loud in her ears; sharp and echoing. Her senses were distorted – her sight weak, her hearing acute. She couldn't smell anything at all. In fact, she couldn't even tell if she was breathing.

A voice spoke. It was smooth and strange; she didn't recognise it. And yet, a second later, she realised it was her own. She was the speaker. But she sounded so unfamiliar. Despite her enhanced hearing, she couldn't make out what she said. The words hadn't even been recorded in her memory. What in the world was going on?

Something ahead, in the dark corner of her vision, was moving. Leaves were rustling as something shifted in the undergrowth. A dark shadow swelled from beneath the trees. She spoke again. Why couldn't she understand what she was saying? Was she speaking a different language?

The shadow in the bushes responded with an inhuman shriek that blasted her eardrums.

Saezuru awoke with a horrible jolt.

"Where have you been?" Shirogane demanded. His azure eyes pierced hers ruthlessly. Saezuru dropped her gaze from his.

"I've been busy," she muttered.

"Busy?" he exploded angrily. "You have a commitment, Hoshi. You're meant to be here three times a week. It's been two weeks and we haven't even heard a word from you!"

"I'm here now," Saezuru replied flatly. "Get over it."

She winced; there it was again. That strange curling tendril of thought. Vicious, spiteful, gloating. It was a tendril of hatred that felt out of place. They came from nowhere, out of the blue, echoing through her mind. Making her feel angry and dark. Her heart pounded in her chest. She raised her eyes and levelled a glare of fury at Shirogane.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded, recovering from his momentary alarm. Something was off in her expression.

"Nothing," Saezuru snapped. She pushed past him, disappearing down the hall, through the change room door.

Seconds later, Haru and Riiko scurried out, wearing identical, stunned expressions. Riiko was only half-dressed; her shoes dangled from her fingers.

"Shirogane, what's wrong with Hoshi?" Yumi asked, her serene brown eyes uncomfortably shrewd. He hadn't noticed her joining them. She rested her chin on her hands, curled around the top of the broom handle.

"She's in the worst mood today," Haru said, frowning heavily. "Here, Riiko-chan, let me tie your apron…"

In her cubicle, Saezuru sagged against the wall, head in her hands. The pain was coming back again. She could feel it coming on like a wave of nausea. Already there was a dull pounding in her ears. She clenched fistfuls of shining black in her hands, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Get out of my head… Go away! she begged the pain desperately. I don't want another headache!

Tears sprung in her eyes before she could stop them. Her knees gave out and she slid slowly to the carpet, the pain worsening, rippling through her mind. As she curled into a ball, her hair swaying in front of her face like a thick black veil, a stake of ice-cold horror pierced her heart as, for the first time ever, an unfamiliar voice responded.

It's too late.

"Shi-Shirogane-san?"

"Yes?"

"It's Suzushi."

"I know." Ryou rolled his eyes at the wall. Honestly, girls were so dumb these days. Didn't Suzushi know about caller ID? "What do you want, Amiko?"

He heard her take a deep, shuddery breath at the other end of the line, and straightened up where he sat. Whatever it was, it was serious. His eyebrows knitted over his eyes.

"It's Hoshi-san," she said in a weak, trembling voice. She sounded like she was crying. That wasn't altogether surprising; Amiko was exactly the kind of girl to go into hysteria in a crisis. "I-I'm at her concert… and she just f-fainted on stage."

"She fainted?" Ryou said sharply.

Amiko whimpered a pathetic 'M-hmm' down the line. "She was singing, and then suddenly she stopped and started sort of swaying on the spot… and then…"

Something was happening in the background. Voices were shouting and yelling. Shirogane thought he caught a scream. "Suzushi, what's happening down there?"

"I-I don't know!" Amiko cried shrilly. "People are running everywhere – the whole th-theatre is pitch bla–Ow!"

"Are you alright?" Shirogane asked in alarm.

"I-I'm okay – something just hit me," Amiko replied, sounding like she was trying very hard not to cry. "There are people crowding around the exits; I think someone elbowed me. I-I don't know what's happening inside."

Not a moment later, a very audible roar reverberated around the foyer. Amiko jumped and spun on her heel, her already big, innocent eyes widening as screams filled the large space. An enormous head was emerging from the double doors to the theatre. She backed up, stumbling a little over her feet.

"Shi-Shi-Shirogane!" she squeaked into the phone, the colour draining rapidly from her face. "It's… it's… one of them…"

Ryou didn't need her to elaborate. "Find somewhere safe to transform, and distract it. I'll call the others and we'll be there as soon as we can."

He hung up without waiting for a response. Amiko stared, terrified, at the phone, then slowly lifted her eyes to the horrible monster looming above her.

Shirogane threw open the doors to the half-destroyed theatre. Clouds of dust and smoke billowed everywhere; the whole place was stifling hot. Stage lights had fallen from the roof, shattering against the ground and leaving large craters where they lay. Wires dangled dangerously, sparking every now and then.

The place was so dark he could hardly see anything, but he pushed his way inside.

"Hoshi!"

He could hear the girls fighting the monster outside. The battle was extremely loud. The whole place shuddered as someone or something (he hoped the latter) hit a wall hard. Another light fell from the roof; with an ear-splitting smash it collided with the floor. Ryou glanced up at the roof, looking for other lights that might fall at any second. It was a warzone in here.

"Hoshi!" he called again. The dust-and-smoke mixture was hot in his throat. At least his eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness; he could make out the rows of damaged seats, and the stage with its thick, draping curtains. Without a second thought, he made his way towards it, hauling himself up onto the wooden planks.

He found Saezuru when he almost tripped over her.

Dropping to his knees beside her still form, Ryou gathered her quickly in his arms, pulling her upright. He pushed her long, dark hair anxiously out of her face.

"Hoshi? Hoshi!" He shook her shoulders sharply. Her eyes snapped open, so quickly it startled him. Her lips curled in a momentary snarl of animosity. For a second, her beautiful face was completely unrecognisable. A second later, she was sagging in his arms.

"No," she moaned. "Stop."

"Hoshi, what's wrong?" he demanded, confused, turning her so he could see her face. "What's going on?"

"Stop," she begged. "Enough. I've had enough!"

"Saezuru, who are you talking to?" Shirogane demanded, genuinely concerned now. He held her face gently. "Look at me."

She opened her eyes, and promptly scared the pants off him. Her gaze was empty and distant; she was looking at him but seeing nothing. Her expression was blank.

"Hoshi…"

"Voices… there are voices in my head… And only I can hear them."

She turned her blind eyes and stared straight into his with unnerving sightlessness. Did she even know he was there? Suddenly, her expression was crushingly vulnerable. Her lips moved; her voice was toneless.

"… I think I'm crazy."

"Do you even remember what you said to me?" Shirogane demanded, matching his stride to keep up with her. Saezuru waved one hand habitually; dismissively.

"Hoshi! Stop walking for a second."

Clenching her teeth together so hard it was painful, Saezuru stopped abruptly and whipped around to face him. "What?"

Shirogane stared at her long and hard for a moment, then shook his head in disbelief. "You really have no recollection? Of anything?"

"So there was a technical difficulty at the concert," she replied calmly, shrugging. "Big deal. We'll reschedule for next month so they have enough time to clean up the theatre. We can't cancel the rest of the concerts. The show must go on, as performers say."

Ryou couldn't believe it. Not a day earlier she'd been an immobile zombie on that stage. Now she was walking and talking – completely back to her insufferable self. And she couldn't remember a thing.

"If only you could have seen yourself yesterday," he muttered in frustration. This whole thing was an absurd puzzle he just couldn't solve. It didn't make any sense – none of it made any sense.

"Is there something you want me to do?" Saezuru asked, finally losing patience. "Otherwise, buzz off. You're annoying me."

She shot him a disapproving look and stalked off to the kitchen.

"Have you considered medical possibilities?"

"Of course," Shirogane replied, accepting the mug of coffee from his friend. Keiichiro pushed his glasses up his nose, his eyes skimming the page of information on the computer screen. "I've looked into everything. All possible medical conditions – none of them explain her symptoms."

"She could be bi-polar," Keiichiro suggested, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"No." Shirogane shook his head. "There're no previous cases of bi-polar disorder in her family tree. There are no genetic clues. The same goes for schizophrenia. They just… don't quite fit. It's come on so suddenly, too. Mental illnesses can develop fast, but not this fast."

"Are you even certain she wasn't herself last week?" Keiichiro asked. "She could have just been dazed from the trauma. It was a big day for her, remember."

"No," Ryou sighed. "She definitely wasn't herself. You didn't see her eyes, Keiichiro. Her gaze was empty. There's something wrong with her. I know that much."

He sighed again, long and heavy, and ran one hand through his fluffy blonde hair. "I just can't work out what it is."

A knock sounded lightly against the door. Yumi poked her head in.

"Shirogane, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Not now, Asamura."

"Please, it's important."

"I'm talking to Akasaka right now. I'll be up in a minute."

It was a minute too long.

Saezuru held shaking hands up in front of her face. They were covered in calluses and grazes, like she'd been fighting. But she hadn't been fighting. Every time she woke up from one of her migraines, her body was more and more battered.

Scared, she removed her dress, letting it drop to the floor, and stood in front of the mirror in her underwear. It was unforgiving; it revealed all. Bruises ran the length of her body, purplish-yellow in some places, black-blue in others. Her arms were decorated with slices, like she'd been standing under a window when it had shattered. Her legs were grazed.

Trembling fiercely, Saezuru stared at her pale, terrified reflection, watching the icy tears roll quietly down her cheeks. What on earth had happened to her?

"Just dab her forehead," Yumi said, returning from the laboratory. Haru chewed her lip anxiously; her teammate's expression was not happy.

"Did he listen to you?" she asked.

"He's coming up," Yumi replied. She crossed to the middle of the kitchen, where the girls had moved the unconscious Saezuru, kneeling gently beside Amiko and Haru. Riiko was standing by the sink, obediently running a sponge under cold water.

"Be careful," Yumi warned. "Don't get too close to her."

"Why?" Amiko asked curiously. Yumi didn't reply; how could she tell her teammates she'd witnessed their leader creating the monster that had almost killed them last week? She couldn't. She simply couldn't bring herself to crush them like that. If they knew what she did, they wouldn't be able to find the strength to keep battling these freak creatures.

Riiko handed the sponge to Haru, who pressed it gently to Saezuru's forehead.

"Shirogane thinks she's really sick," Amiko whispered, wide-eyed. Yumi watched her teammates talking quietly. They were very naïve, all of them. Especially Amiko – she had no idea what was going on around her. It actually made her potentially dangerous to the team. She'd grown up sheltered; she didn't understand the seriousness of anything, really. Riiko wasn't much better. She just had more tenacity in battle. Haru was alright, most of the time.

"She's moving," Riiko said suddenly. Four pairs of eyes turned to Saezuru. Yumi watched with bated breath. She'd been wary when they'd found Hoshi on the floor five minutes ago… in her Mew costume. Now that she was waking up again, she was even more wary.

Saezuru shifted and slowly opened her eyes. Her luminous, neon-green eyes. Yumi watched the other three instinctively move away from her, their expressions uneasy.

"Riiko…" she murmured quietly, never moving her gaze from their leader. "Get Shirogane. Now."

Still staring in numb shock, Riiko stumbled from the kitchen.

Wordlessly, Saezuru rose to her feet.

"Amiko, Haru, get ready to transform," Yumi instructed. Saezuru seemed to have realised that she knew what was going on; she was staring at the butterfly Mew with an eerily distant gaze that was made even more alarming by her iridescent eyes.

"Yumi, what's going on?" Amiko asked, her voice wavering. "What's wrong with Hoshi-san?" She glanced between the two girls nervously. But Yumi never had the chance to answer.

In the blink of an eye, a set of twin daggers had materialised in Saezuru's hands. With a flick of her wrist, she flung one across the kitchen, her aim terribly true, though she'd never thrown a knife in her life. With a grunt, Yumi dropped to the floor, curling in on herself; over the dagger in her chest.

Amiko screamed. Haru was immediately at Yumi's side, blanching at the rich red blood welling through her clothes. She fluttered her hands uselessly, tears stinging her eyes. The colour was already draining from Yumi's cheeks. But she couldn't be… dead… She couldn't be!

"Mew Haru, metamorphosis!"

In the time it took for her transformation to complete, Amiko was lying motionless on the tiles, blood gushing from the wound in her neck. Nausea twisting in her stomach, Haru glanced blearily around, trying to find their traitorous leader through her torrent of tears, still crouching protectively over Yumi's lifeless body.

Something hard collided with the side of her head; she jerked violently and hit the floor, head reeling. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. Groaning, Haru crawled weakly to her knees. Saezuru was standing a few feet away, her eyes still vacant – still glowing.

"What are you doing?" Haru wailed, coughing blood onto the floor. By God, the girl could kick hard! She ran her tongue across her teeth, checking that they were all still there. "Why are you doing this?"

Saezuru didn't reply. Haru rolled, summoning her weapon simultaneously. Well, if the girl wanted to fight, she sure as heck was gonna get one!

The dagger clashed against Haru's Lagoon Blade. Haru's hands trembled with the force of holding Saezuru off. Above her, the idol's face was twisted into a glower of hatred. Fury burned in her freakish neon eyes. She pressed harder; Haru groaned as the pressure burned in her wrists. Finally, Saezuru jumped back, lifting her blades to strike again.

The confusing part was that the leader's weapon wasn't actually those blades. Where was her Melody Bell? Where did those lethal knives come from? Haru didn't understand, but she didn't care; she flicked her chin-length brown hair out of her face and hauled herself to her feet, gripping the hilt of her blade. If she was going down, she wasn't going down without a fight.

The perfect distraction appeared in the form of Shirogane, Akasaka and Watanabe. Riiko took one glance around the gruesome kitchen and let out a wail of horror.

"Transform!" Haru and Shirogane bellowed together, as Haru drove for Saezuru.

"No!" Shirogane yelled, and Haru stumbled to a confused stop. It was a near-fatal error; Saezuru whipped around and backhanded her across the face, scraping her cheek neatly. Haru smacked against the frame of the door, knocking her head hard against the wood. She had less than a split-second to recover – Saezuru continued the attack, slashing at her with the daggers. Spinning luckily out of the way, Haru darted behind the wall, raising her shaking fingers to the wound. It was oozing blood.

"What's your problem?" she howled at Shirogane. "She just killed them! They're dead because of her!"

"That's not Hoshi," Shirogane shouted back. For a second, the four of them wondered about the sudden lapse in attacks, then a blast of darkness knocked them all off their feet. Shirogane landed on his elbows, watching in alarm as cracks split up the walls of the café. The ground trembled violently, like they were experiencing an earthquake.

Then parts of the roof began to cave. Ryou looked around frantically. Keiichiro was helping shield Haru. A scream of pain came from behind; he watched – almost in horrified slow motion – as a huge section of the roof gave way, raining down on Riiko. In the centre of the kitchen, Saezuru was frozen – her eyes closed, her expression tranquil – as dark waves pulsed from her body. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling his way into the kitchen. Who cared if he died now; everything was a disaster. He had to stop her before she killed them all.

"Hoshi!" he cried, reaching through the pulses to grab her shoulders. "Saezuru!"

Her eyes opened. He jerked back in shock.

"What happened to you?" he bellowed over the roar of the café's destruction. "Stop this!"

A wry, frightening smile twisted her lips. "No." Her distorted voice was a mixture of two: her own, and a higher pitched, unearthly whisper. She stared at him with those scary, vacant eyes. "It's too late."

"What's too late?" he begged, shaking her shoulders again. "Saezuru! Listen to me! Stop!"

A tiny flicker of sadness crossed her face. "I can't." For just a moment, her neon eyes looked directly into his. Then she flinched and scrunched her face up in pain. When she opened her eyes again, they were distant once more.

"What's going on?" Ryou demanded furiously. "Saezuru!"

"It's too late," she whispered, smiling eerily again. "She's mine now."

It took him a moment to catch on. Whoever was speaking now was definitely not Saezuru.

"Who are you?" he demanded in disbelief. "What are you? Why are you doing this?" The questions came like bullets, firing furiously from his mouth. "What have you done to her?"

The green eyes focused on him again, but this time, it was somebody else looking at him through Saezuru's eyes. She smiled crookedly.

"I'm a creature whose speciality lies in psychosis," she whispered, using Saezuru's voice. "I took control of her mind in order to wipe out the rest of you, so nobody would oppose our domination. No-one would ever expect the enemy to be one of their own; their leader, no less. But she was powerless. She didn't even try to resist. Her mind was far too easy to infiltrate."

Fury burned with a fierce passion inside Shirogane. He levelled a glare of pure loathing into the luminous eyes, trying his hardest not to squeeze Saezuru's arms too tightly in his rage. "Get out! Leave her alone!"

"My job isn't finished yet," the intruder replied. "And having a puppet is far too much fun."

"Ryou!" Keiichiro's voice called urgently from somewhere behind.

"You know what strikes me as odd?" the intruder said conversationally. "That you chose this weak specimen as your leader. I've never before controlled a host so inadequate to be a fighter. Her heart is full of darkness – she was easily consumed by my power. Her greed and ambition were her downfall."

"She's not weak!" Ryou snarled, trying to pull Saezuru closer to him, as though she might magically be separated from her channeller if he pulled hard enough.

Saezuru laughed lightly. "I've been inside her mind, you know. She is an interesting human; entirely alone. She has nobody in this world. Don't you see that her distance made her an easy target? You failed to protect her, even though you were the one person she felt she could relate to."

"What?" Ryou spoke without thinking, stunned.

Saezuru chuckled again. "She hated you. Very much so. She hated all of you. But in you, she could see parts of herself. She's closed to the world around her, like you. She doesn't know how to let people in. She became so self-obsessed that she forgot how to relate to people."

"Get out." Ryou's voice was shaking with fury. Inside him was a terrible sadness for Saezuru; for her fate. For the fact that he had done nothing to save her. "She's done nothing to deserve this. Saezuru, listen to me! I know you're still in there! This isn't you – you have to break the spell you're under!"

She laughed mirthlessly; derogatively. "Stupid human. Don't you realise it's far too late for her to be released from my grasp? She's bent entirely to my power. She won't even remember herself, if she ever breaks out from this."

Ryou gazed into her beautiful young face, brushing her soft cheek with his thumb. How could this have happened? How could they have let it happen? Now, two of the Mews were dead – possibly three. And one was the puppet of an evil, soulless monster. He'd managed to ruin the lives of four innocent children.

"RYOU!" Keiichiro bellowed anxiously again.

"I'll do it!" Ryou heard Haru call, and then there was a fierce war-shriek, and Saezuru's eyes flew as wide as they could. Her mouth sagged open, her expression one of shocked excruciation. Then, without warning, she dropped. He caught her quickly, sinking to the floor with her nestled in his arms.

Outside, Haru snarled ferociously at the creature before her, driving her blade as deep into its chest as she could. It was a female, but definitely not human; its skin was pale and chalky, its hair long and rich velvet-purple, its ears elfin-like. A few scraps of dark cloth were wound around its slender body, covering a few patches of milky skin. Its eyes, wide with shock and pain, glowed luminous green.

Haru sniffled, her heart pounding furiously, the tears streaming, unnoticed, down her cheeks. This was the creature that had murdered Yumi and Amiko; that had hypnotised Saezuru and made her kill people. She was sure of it. Their eyes were frighteningly identical.

"Foolish child," the creature whispered, in a high-pitched voice that made her skin crawl. With a twisted smile that chilled her to the bone, the dying woman raised one long-limbed arm and pressed the palm of her hand against Haru's forehead. Pain exploded and she screamed in excruciation. They fell simultaneously, both lying still.

She gazed happily out the window. It was a perfect day. The sky was the bluest she'd ever seen it, dotted with huge, fluffy white clouds. She wanted to hug one; to feel its cuddly warmth surround her.

The window needed to be cleaned. It was dusty. And that cobweb was still in the corner. Didn't anybody care about the state of this place? She didn't think so. The thought made her sad. If no-one cared about this place, then they probably didn't care about her, either.

She turned away from the window, sliding her arms around herself. Wordlessly, she sat down and curled herself up in a ball, linking her arms around her knees to lock her body in place. It was nice and warm when she hugged herself. Suddenly, she was crying.

Nobody cared. Nobody cared.

Observing from behind a tinted one-way window that looked in on the room, Dr. Shirogane subconsciously ran one thumbnail along his bottom lip. His eyes were creased in the corners and older than his age. They were a brilliant azure filled with interminable sadness. A nurse appeared by his side.

"Doctor?"

"It's time for her medication," he replied sombrely. "Give her two today."

She nodded and hurried away.

Shirogane turned back to the window. Inside the room resided a girl who had spent ten years in the limbo of her memory. A girl who had once been Japan's youngest female artist to hit platinum at the age of fifteen, who had been the leader of a heroic team of mutant superheroes, who had murdered three people, and whose existence was owed to the sacrifice of a fourth. A girl who didn't know any of this; who didn't even know her own name.

A girl who Shirogane would spend the rest of his life trying to save.

Fin.

Afterword

Just some trivia. Saezuru (her first name, in case there was any confusion) means 'to sing' and Hoshi means 'star'. This fic was set in an alternate-universe, with Saezuru being the Ichigo-position of the team, hence why her Melody Bell was a unique version of Ichigo's Strawberry Bell. The supporting characters were named on the spot, and if anyone is curious, Riiko was directly named from Absolute Boyfriend by Yuu Watase. The enemy can be perceived as either Cyniclon or other alien life-form. That is entirely up to the interpretation of the reader.

Thanks for reading!