A/N: And she's back again! Hello, and welcome back for my readers. I'm so sorry, guys. That was quite a long absence. But I swear to you, the story shall be finished. Right now, at this very moment, I have the next chapter open in my computer. Writing it as we speak. So expect it soon. I want you all, reviewers and favoriters, to know that it has meant the world to me to have your support and critiques. Look at the publish date- it's been a freaking year. And I'm not done yet. There's a lot to come and I promise that you all will get to read the conclusion. R&R of course!

Disclaimer: Still not owning Tokyo Mew Mew. Shocking, right?

Chapter 23:

"Hai, Aunt Cho. Of course I'm glad the interview went well," said Kotoni emotionlessly into her cellphone. She was walking to the café and was still feeling a little shaken up after all the excitement that took place earlier.

"You don't sound glad, Kotoni… you should be, though! Mr. Yamamoto took such a keen interest in, not only me, but you! He asked me all sorts of questions about you and your schoolwork. He seems like a very caring kind of employer," Kotoni's aunt continued to jabber into her ear.

"Well, that's real nice, Cho," replied Kotoni, trying for the thousandth time to end the conversation.

"Yes! Yes it is! Oh Kotoni, I have to be honest- I was so nervous about looking for work. In this economy and with the kind of employers in the area, I didn't really think I would be able to find a steady job. And I'm so happy! I think I've got this job locked up! Now we'll get to stay here! How great is that? I don't know about you but I love our new neighborhood, don't you? Our neighbors are so kind and the streets are so clean and-"

Kotoni finally interrupted when she couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Cho- I get it! Everything is going to be okay now! I'll act excited when I'm with you and we can celebrate or something. But I'm standing outside the café and Ryou is going to behead me if I walk in with my phone at my ear."

"Alright dear," said Aunt Cho perkily, "We'll talk later. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble at work!"

Kotoni clicked her phone shut and smiled.

Aunt Cho really does seem happy. I'm just going to have to live with being under Rin's thumb for a while. I only hope Cho can keep up her good mood after the phone call she'll be getting from the school...

With a sigh Kotoni opened the gate to the café. Thoughts of a depressed Pudding and Taruto were filling her head as she stepped through the door, distracting her from noticing how very empty Café Mew Mew was. Kotoni walked to the kitchen and exited with a few menus in her hands before she snapped out of her trance and noticed Ryou, Keiichiro, and the other Mews gathered around a computer and gazing at Kotoni with deadpan expressions.

"Eh heh…" chuckled Kotoni awkwardly, setting down the menus on a nearby table.

"Whatever," said Ryou, turning back to his computer.

Mint and Lettuce giggled at Kotoni's expense while Pudding and Ichigo continued to sadly stare out into space. Zakuro, as usual, was in business mode and staring at the computer screen.

"Another attack?" asked Kotoni.

"Another attack," confirmed Zakuro, pulling her hand through her hair.

Keiichiro frowned toward the kitchen and said, "The Cyniclons couldn't have picked a worse time, either. We were about to open and I had just placed a batch of cakes in the oven."

"The cakes are going to have to wait, Keiichiro," said Ryou, decidedly, "Another shock absorber. And we're late. It seems that the aliens already set it off. Whether they did it on purpose to hinder us or by accident, I don't know…"

"It does us no good to speculate," stated Zakuro, hitting a button on the computer that caused her watch and the girls' watches to flash blue.

"Locations set."

All of the girls simultaneously pulled out their pendants and transformed, displaying the pure beauty and power of Earth's protectors. Kotoni herself was beginning to love the sensation of her genes shifting, her body transforming into a part-fox, and become enveloped in the sudden wave of sounds and sights and smells.

"Let's make this a quick one, Mews," declared Ichigo, pulling herself out of her funk long enough to take her role as leader.

The girls took a deep breath and bolted out the door. Zakuro took the head of the group as she was the only one who saw the location of the aliens on the computer before taking off. Kotoni ran at Zakuro's left side until her watch vibrated and gave a small "beep". Kotoni slid to a stop and saw a vast field to her left and a forest to her right.

Kotoni looked around at her teammates who were all slowly turning circles and examining their surroundings. Pudding alone stood still with her arms crossed, staring at the ground.

"That was fast. So… where exactly are we going?" asked Kotoni.

Zakuro looked up from her watch and said, "I think we're headed for the field. That would follow the trend of our direction so far."

"Huh," was Kotoni's reply as she wandered a few feet into the shoulder-deep wild grass.

"Kotoni, be careful," hissed Lettuce, who was staring wearily at the grass, "The Cyniclons could be waiting for us in there!"

"Here's the thing, Lettuce," said Kotoni in a normal speaking voice, "The aliens set off the shock absorber, right? So why doesn't anything seem out of place? And aren't there supposed to be Chimeras frolicking about or something?"

After a pause, Ichigo said, "She's right. Something should be happening here."

Mint turned to the sky and shook her head.

"Something is happening, Ichigo."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen. We're between a forest and a meadow. Shouldn't there be some animals around? And look at the sky- not a bird in sight."

Kotoni's fox ears twitched as she listened closely to the forest around her. It was true, not a single sound was to be heard.

Kotoni turned to the other girls and shrugged her shoulder, saying, "Let's just keep going, okay? The silence is making me nervous."

The girls nodded and followed Kotoni into the grass. They only had to walk a few more steps when suddenly there was a shift in the air around Kotoni. The Mews sucked in their breaths and pulled out their weapons, ready for a fight. After a moment, Pudding spoke up.

"Was Pudding the only one that saw the air move?"

"No, Pudding, I saw it to," whispered Lettuce, her castanets held high.

Mint breathed a sigh of relief and immediately relaxed her stance.

"Well, gods! I got all worked up for nothing thanks to you guys!"

Kotoni was about to laugh and send back her own sarcastic retort but her throat seemed to clench as she did. Her breathing was still normal and her throat felt no pain so Kotoni tried again to speak. Nothing. She swung around to her friends and clasped her throat, trying her hardest to produce a sound.

"Kotoni?"

Lettuce walked towards Kotoni, looking concerned. Another ripple went through the air when Lettuce reached her, and the other girls ran forward to attack.

No, you idiots! Don't run into the- oh shit.

As each of the Mews ran toward Kotoni and Lettuce, more ripples shivered in the air. And an even more ominous silence followed.

Ichigo opened her mouth to try and scream, producing the same results as Kotoni. All of the Mews began trying to make any kind of sound, some screaming, and some trying faint whispers.

Zakuro, clearly not bothered by the quiet, grabbed each Mew individually by the shoulder and then gestured that they follow her deeper into the grass. Mint shook her head quickly, gesturing toward the field and mimicking stabbing motions. Zakuro, again, gestured toward the grass. Her intent was clear- they would have to keep going.

Kotoni sighed and thought, If we can't communicate with each other, this is going to be pretty hard. At least the aliens are in the same boat.

After walking further into the wide field, something startled the girls. A huge tremor rocked the ground beneath them. Kotoni asked "What happened?", forgetting about the imminent silence that would follow. Lettuce was able to read her lips and simply shrugged, lifting her castanets slowly.

Soon another tremor shook the earth below them. Then another and another.

What is happening?

With one more resounding tremor, a large Chimera came into view from behind some trees to the far right into the meadow. The Chimera appeared to be half-man and half-bear but was so incredibly large that as it stretched to its full height, it easily stood above the treetops. Close behind the Chimera were the aliens, all flying around the Chimera trying to gain some kind of control.

The Mews ran forward toward the Chimera but paused about ten yards away. The beast was not moving to attack them. The aliens were flying around its head, trying with all their might to give it an order, but to no avail. Shukurimu was the first to notice the girls and tried to shout to his team. Looking frustrated, he sighed dramatically, pulled out his sword, and did a spin-dive from the sky aimed at Mint. Mint leapt out of the way to safety at the last second, but her garter did not. The edge of Shukurimu's sword tore Mint's garter in half causing it to fall to the ground. She gasped and slapped Shukurimu across the face, leaving him stunned for a second before he launched another attack.

Finally, the other aliens switched their focus from the Chimera to the girls, flying down from the sky like deadly bullets. Kotoni shifted her position to avoid combat with Kisshu and found herself locked in combat with Pai instead. To say Pai was powerful would be an understatement. He became completely detached and obviously took time to learn his opponents and build strategies. Kotoni found that no matter how hard she tried to land a blow, Pai would easily dodge and deflect. Within a minute, she found herself out of breath and moving slowly. Too slowly. Pai, finally taking advantage of the situation, knocked Kotoni's fans out of the way and swung his own directly towards her face. Kotoni closed her eyes, knowing that in a moment her life would come to an end.

After all of this, I am going to lose to Pai. I'm so sorry, girls. Good luck.

In that split second, an unexpected wave of sound flew over the meadow, animal sounds and battle cries alike, and both Kotoni and Pai went crashing to the ground.

Screams and shouts of both Mews and aliens rose up into the air.

"Pudding can talk again!" called Pudding, from somewhere Kotoni couldn't see.

"We all can, I think," yelled Lettuce, "There seems to be a new problem, though."

"P-Pai!" shouted Keki.

"Ichigo, what's going on!"

"Is anyone else paralyzed?" asked Kotoni nonchalantly. She felt surprisingly calm because the paralysis had just saved her life. Only Mint laughed inappropriately in appreciation of Kotoni's reaction while everyone else remained silent.

Kotoni couldn't feel her own body and found herself staring at Pai's limp body next to her, his arm outstretched and holding his lightning-fan out toward Kotoni. His dark eyes gazed coldly at her own silver, offering no information.

"We're all paralyzed," stated Zakuro, regaining some of her composure, "But now can communicate."

"Fat lot of good it'll do us now," spat Taruto. He was in Kotoni's line of sight, some twenty feet from where she was laying, above her head. Next to him was Lettuce, also crumpled to the ground.

Kotoni immediately recognized Kisshu's voice as he yelled, "Pai, I don't mean rush you or anything but I'd really like to get this monkey off my back!"

"We're all stuck like this, dumbass! And yeah, we'd all like it to be over," ridiculed Keki.

"No, I mean I literally have a monkey on my back. And I'd like it to get off!"

"Pudding is only half monkey! And Pudding didn't mean to get stuck on Kisshu's back!"

Shukurimu laughed loudly and called back, "Finally, Kisshu gets off a Mew Mew's back and then a Mew Mew gets stuck on his!"

"You're a comedy genius, Shu," said Kisshu, whose voice was oozing with sarcasm.

Pai was still glaring at Kotoni as he finally spoke, "The shock-absorber's defense is causing our senses to cease function. Before, it erased our ability to produce sound. Now, it's erased our ability to move. If the process continues in a pattern, like I suspect it does, in few minutes we will regain our ability to move but lose another important ability in the process."

"Well then," said Shukurimu, whose voice was taking a sudden turn that Kotoni did not like, "We may not be able to move but neither can the Mews. And now we can give orders to our Chimera. It'll be like a front-row seat to the slaughter."

"Oh shit," sighed Kotoni, still not in the mood to panic after her life had just been spared.

"No!" shouted Mint angrily, "I won't have it! Zakuro- contact Ryou! DO SOMETHING!"

Pai was still silent, his eyes calculating in a way that made Kotoni nervous. The tall grass around them swayed in the wind, ruffling Kotoni's long, silvery hair by her face. It was an odd sensation, knowing something was touching her skin but not being able to sense its presence.

"I can't reach my watch," stated Zakuro, whose voice jumped up an octave.

"Oh gods," muttered Lettuce.

"We've got them now!" yelled Keki, victoriously, "Pai! Give him the order!"

Pai continued to look Kotoni dead in the eye as he yelled, "Chimera, attack!"

The Mews all started screaming at once, causing the aliens to wince in pain from their ultra-sensitive hearing. The Chimera waddled forward and lifted one of its clawed paws above Lettuce. A sudden shift in the air, though, and everyone's motion returned. And the world turned black.

And there goes sight, thought Kotoni, nervously.

She stood up and dusted off her skirt as another shout echoed across the field.

"Dammit!" yelled Taruto, from somewhere to Kotoni's left, "Pai, the stupid Chimera scratched me!"

"A-ah! Someone touched me!"

"Calm down Mint, it's me- Zakuro."

"Pai, that damn Chimera is lumbering around like a baka!"

Kotoni felt herself growing weary of all the shouting and began to walk backwards. She knew it probably wasn't the best strategy but if she could just make it outside the space where their senses were being stolen, maybe she could come up with a plan. So, she stayed silent and walked as quietly as possible back to what, she hoped, was the entrance to the meadow they had entered. If she could just get the outer edge and locate the shock absorber, maybe she could slowly but surely make her way towards it. Kotoni crept backwards, praying she wouldn't smack into a tree while she listened to the chaos occurring in the meadow.

At least their voices are pretty distinctive, thought Kotoni, There's Pudding, Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, Zakuro. Okay, good. They all sound like they're panicking but at least they're all alive. Now for the others… well, that was Keki screaming cusses, I believe. And… yes, that was Shukurimu's battle cry. Oh! And that was Taruto! I wonder what just hit him… Let's see. Ah, that was definitely Pai giving the orders. Well, that's everyone except-

"Ow, what the hell?" Kisshu shouted as Kotoni stepped on his foot.

Kotoni held her breath and tried her best to edge around him silently. The last thing she needed was for him to know what she was trying to do.

"Hey, at least apologize! Gods, who was that? Keki, if it was you, I swear I am going to- but wait. Why would any of my allies stay silent? You must be a Mew."

Kotoni tried to pick up her pace and get away as quietly as possible, but knew that if Kisshu was levitating she had no way of hearing where he was.

"Well, well, well. Which one of you is it, huh? That Mint would probably have started yelling at me as soon as she ran into me, and I just shook off monkey girl. Which one could you be? Care to speak up?"

Kotoni began to start walking even faster, not caring about the noise she was making. If he caught her, she knew he wouldn't hurt her but why linger and let him distract her? Or worse, help lead him right to the shock absorber.

"Hmm… that was just Zakuro's whip somewhere behind me if I heard correctly. You might be the fish girl or the fox girl… or you just might be Ichigo. I know Ichigo isn't one to stay quiet but she also knows I wouldn't think twice about killing her."

Kotoni heard the sound of Kisshu's Dragon Swords being rubbed together. He was much closer to her than she thought.

Suddenly, the sound of Ichigo using a Strawberry Flash came from further inside the meadow and Kotoni could sense Kisshu's disappointment.

"Aw… that's no fun. This would have been the ideal opportunity too. That only leaves fish girl and fox girl. I'm certain fox girl would have made her presence known. Or would she? She has been known to be unpredictable."

Kotoni hadn't slowed her pace at all, even though she felt a little better knowing that Kisshu knew she wasn't Ichigo. At least she would be able to avoid having her head chopped off before she had a chance to save herself.

"Fish girl or fox girl. This is your chance to speak up, Mew. I can sense your presence now. Let me know who you are and I'll let you live."

Kotoni rolled her useless eyes as Kisshu grabbed her arm and exclaimed, "Ah-ha!"

"Now, who could it be?" he asked.

"One guess, Kisshu."

Kisshu's grip on Kotoni's arm loosened.

"Just what I was hoping for."

"Really? I figured you'd be more excited if I was Ichigo so you could stab me in the face."

"Eh. That would be pretty fun. But hey, this could be fun too."

Kisshu pulled Kotoni up against him and brought his other hand up to her cheek.

"It's weird not being able to see you," said Kisshu in a lower voice, "But this is kind of nice. Your skin is very soft."

Kotoni felt her cheeks heat up and heard Kisshu chuckle as they did.

"Kisshu, this isn't really the time or the place."

"It's okay, the fighting has been growing fainter ever since I've been trying to chase you down. Speaking of which, you should have spoken up. What if I thought you were someone else?"

"You'd have skewered me," she stated.

"Don't say it like it's nothing!" he exclaimed.

"How do you want me to say it?"

"I don't know," said Kisshu, wrapping one arms around Kotoni's waist while keeping on hand against her cheek, "Like you're scared. Or maybe… excited."

Kisshu used his arm around her waist to pull Kotoni's body against his tightly.

Kotoni immediately started to pull away saying, "Um… Kisshu, we probably have a couple seconds left until sight comes back. And the last thing we need is for someone to see-"

Kisshu growled quietly and pulled her back.

"But I want-"

Suddenly another ripple went through the air, and Kotoni felt the painful sting on sunlight in her eyes. Kisshu's eyes widened and he immediately teleported himself out the compromising position he had been in with Kotoni. Kotoni was surprised to see just how far she had wandered from the fight. In the distance she could see the aliens falling from the air and her teammates who were shaking and hitting their weapons with their hands. The Chimera was finally able to fight the girls with full force, and began batting its giant claws at them. Kotoni looked at her surroundings and realized she was in the exact spot where the loss of sense began.

"Kisshu, you should probably get back to your team. Like now."

"Why the rush?" asked Kisshu, raising an eyebrow, "Besides, I kind of want to know what ability I just lost before I go running into a fight."

"Oh yeah, because that is so like you. Wouldn't want to make a rash decision, would we? Quit stalling and get going."

Kisshu summoned his swords and began swinging them carefully. After examining them, he shrugged and jumped upward only to land right on his butt. Kotoni shrieked with laughter as Kisshu quickly stood up and brushed himself off with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Hilarious. I don't know exactly what the shock absorber did but I can't summon energy or fly."

"Like the maze!"

"I guess. But our weapons are still here."

"Well, that's good enough for me. Run along now."

"Why are you trying so hard to get rid of me? Bored already, foxy?" teased Kisshu, strolling up to her again.

"Okay, enough," said Kotoni, stepping back, "GO!"

"Why don't you go?" asked Kisshu casually, looking around the area, "Clearly, there is some reason you want to be over here by yourself so bad."

Kotoni sighed and decided there was no way she could exit the area of the shock absorber's effects without alerting Kisshu. She kicked up her super speed and sprinted to where the other girls were. She would just have to get someone else to go find it.

"Ribbon Mint Echo!"

"Why won't they work?"

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"

Kotoni pointed her fans at a grounded Taruto and shouted, "Ribbon Fan Frost!"

Nothing. All of the girls had their weapons but could not perform attacks.

"Kotoni, where were you?" yelled Ichigo, using her Strawberry Bell without its power to shove Shukurimu's sword away from herself.

"Busy, Ichigo," answered Kotoni, still swishing her fans around trying to get some response, "Lettuce, come here real quick."

As far as weapons were concerned, all of the girls would still be able to fight to some extent except Lettuce. A pair of castanets would offer no help if they could not perform attacks.

Kisshu had made it to his teammates and was watching Kotoni carefully as she whispered into Lettuce's ear. Lettuce nodded and Kotoni waved Ichigo over. The aliens were becoming frantic to separate them but Pudding, Zakuro, and Mint were holding them off with whatever attacks they had left.

"Ichigo, I know what Ryou told us but you are going to have to fight with Kisshu. Lettuce can't fight so she's going to get outside of this area and try to find that shock absorber. I was going to, but Kisshu noticed me sneaking off and knows that something is up," Kotoni whispered in a hurry.

Ichigo nodded and immediately began to sprint toward Kisshu, her Strawberry Bell held up high.

"Come on, Kisshu! Too afraid to face me now?" she taunted as she neared the green-haired alien.

Kisshu growled and summoned his swords, preparing to fight Ichigo with everything he had.

"Now, Lettuce," hissed Kotoni, lifting her fans and planning to enter the fight with Kisshu and Ichigo.

Lettuce sprinted off into the distance as quickly as she could while Kotoni gracefully stepped into Kisshu and Ichigo's battle.

"I will kill you once and for all, Ichigo!" shouted Kisshu as he swung his sais at her face. Kotoni caught the swords with one of her fans and shoved them away from her teammate.

"Not if I can help it," she stated boldly, returning to a defensive stance.

Kisshu pouted and simple stated, "I don't like these odds. Where's the fun?"

As soon as he said it, a giant bear paw swung down between the Mews and himself. From across the large furry paw Kisshu grinned.

"Now these are odds I can handle."

"Hey, we can't use any of our weapons! Why is the chimera still here?"

"You didn't figure it out yet? This wave took away mentally-powered attacks. You can only attack physically, now. With this giant Chimera's brute strength, you don't stand a chance," explained Kisshu, smirking and sharpening his swords.

He's right, thought Kotoni, But if we can hold him off long enough, a different sense will be taken. We just have to last that long.

Kotoni hopped onto the Chimera's paw and leapt back when it tried to use its other one to flatten her. The Chimera roared in pain as it threw a hit at its own foot.

Kisshu frowned at the giant beast as he calmly strolled around it to throw an attack at Ichigo.

Just keep the fight going as long as you can, Kotoni, she advised herself.

Kotoni leapt onto the Chimera's back and ran up to the top of its head.

"What the hell, Kotoni?" yelled Mint's voice from somewhere else in the field.

"Pudding is scared for Kotoni!" called Pudding as she blocked Pai's fan with her Pudding Ring.

"Is that girl absolutely insane?" shouted Keki, momentarily distracted from his fight with Zakuro.

Kotoni looked down, realizing she was several stories above the ground.

Okay, don't lose your nerve now, she thought to herself, Just keep the Chimera distracted. Maybe you can even make it cause some damage to itself. Hold out for a little longer. Just make sure its not a threat until a different sense disappears.

The Chimera, being part bear, could not reach its paws to where Kotoni was. To try to shake her off rather than swat at her, the Chimera fell to all fours. Kotoni leapt further down its back and held onto its fur for dear life as it began to shake its body.

Kotoni could hear Shukurimu laughing somewhere off to her left.

"That Mew is going to get crushed!"

"You shut up, dumbass!" yelled Mint.

"Kotoni, get down!" ordered Ichigo, "It's too dangerous!"

The Chimera stood up again and Kotoni ran back up to the top of its head.

"Foxgirl, you are a complete idiot!" screamed Kisshu, looking up at her from his fight with Ichigo.

Finally, the ripple that Kotoni had been hoping for shook the air.

"Yes!" she cried in victory, knowing that with their powers restored, the girls would be able to eliminate the Chimera and stand a better chance against the Cyniclons.

But then Kotoni felt the familiar numbness she felt earlier. The girls simultaneously screamed for her to get off the Chimera as they fell to the ground. Kotoni looked down and felt the Chimera's body, as well as her own, fall to the ground.

That was such a stupid idea… thought Kotoni before she hit the ground and the world faded to black.