A Mew Mew Story: Chapter 31

The next day, Luna and I decided to go out together- just her and me- after I stayed overnight at the Mew Mew building. It could have been a date- but we had other things to do first.

    I still had some loose ends to tie up. John and my parents still thought I was still missing on some camping trip; but now it was time to tell them everything. Not only because I had no other excuse for my absence- but because since being a Mew Mew was my life from then on, I couldn't keep secrets from them anymore, especially when there would be so many more. I couldn't hide things like that for the rest of my life.

    It was going to be hard. First, I had to call my brother John. 

    So there I was, sitting side by side with Luna on a bench in the Riverside park, the same one which we sat on together so long ago. It was a beautiful day out; there was a slight, almost chilly breeze, and the sky was a deep blue, while the sun shone down on our faces. I'd been staring at my phone for ten minutes now, my finger poised over the "Call" button beside John's name on my contact list. 

    Luna squeezed my fingers. "You can do it," she told me, leaning over and offering a smile. 

    "Yeah, eventually," I sighed, and drew my hand over my face, shaking my head. I exhaled a puff of air and continued staring at my phone. I just couldn't bring myself to do it!

    "Just press the button."

    "I can't."

    I looked down at my phone. Just do it. It was the first step to the destiny that I agreed to. 

    There was a pause. My thumb lowered slowly onto the surface of my phone and I pressed the button. Luna straightened up, surprised that I finally did it, and patted my hand happily. 

    The phone rang once. Twice. Finally, John picked up on the third. "Hello?" His voice was uneasy, as if he didn't know who was going to be on the other end.

    "Hi, John." I said.

    There was a short but profound moment of silence as John seemed to adjust the phone on the other side of the line. "...Justin?" John asked quizzically. "Is that you?"

    "Yeah," I answered.

    "What the hell, Justin? Where have you been? Why were you gone for so long? Did you call mom and dad?" By his voice, John had probably just walked out of class; it was reduced to a hushed whisper. "Jesus! Do you have any idea what you've caused?"

    I hesitated, inadvertently ignoring all of his questions but the second. In front of me, a small bird flew by and landed on the pavement away from the bench while a short breeze turned up a bunch of leaves. I closed my eyes. "I was gone because..." How the hell was I going to say this?

    Luna shifted in her seat. I switched the phone to my other ear, finally resolving to wing it. "John, I have something to tell you."

    "Okay... What?"

    "I told you how there are Mew Mews in this town?" I said.

    "Yeah."

    "I'm one of them." There. It was out. There was no taking it back.

    There was a dead silence. And then John laughed nervously. "What!? You are not serious. Be serious; quit lying, this isn't funny." Despite what he was saying, I could tell that he didn't disbelieve me- there was too much suspicion to pass any explanation as a lie. And plus, who would joke randomly about that after you turned up from being missing? He lowered his voice. "... Since when?"

    "I am. I work with Luna Clark, another Mew Mew. Ever since last winter, Johnny."

    "What? Shit!" my brother burst out suddenly. He never cursed unless he was with his friends, so he was really surprised. "So you're a Mew Mew- you save the world?"

    "I did. And just California."

    "That's why you were gone?"

    "Yeah."

    "Jesus, Justin, why are you telling me this now?"

    "Because..." I paused. "Because I'm going to be one for the rest of my life."

    "What? Why?"

    "It's a long story." John may have watched Tokyo Mew Mew with his girlfriend a long time ago, and he may have known that Mew Mews were real, but he did not know how it all worked. I didn't exactly want to get him involved, either. I couldn't involve everyone- that would have made me uncomfortable.

    "...I don't believe it. Ever since winter... That's amazing. Did you tell Mom and Dad?"

    "I plan on doing that next." I still couldn't believe that I was telling my brother that I was a Mew Mew, but here I was, set on telling my parents next- you'd think that'd be something that should be kept secret. I would've liked for it to stay that way- but I knew it had to be done.

    "God! What will you say?"

    "What I told you."

    "Justin, they'll think you're crazy. They have no idea."

    I sighed in frustration. "You're right. It's just that..."

    "Maybe tell them that you've just got a big responsibility?"

    "I'll think of something," I said. John didn't understand what it was like- I appreciated that he was trying to help, though. "I've got to go. Please don't say anything to Lena."

    "Why shouldn't I?"

    "Because-" I bit my lip. "Because I think you guys should move on."

    He paused for a minute and laughed uncomfortably again. "You're right. You really have been hung up on Mew Mews existing, haven't we?" she said at last.

    "Yeah, you have... Just pretend I'm Justin for that matter, okay?"

    "...Okay," John replied. "This was just a normal conversation then. Bye, Justin. Good luck in school."

    "Bye, John," I said, attempting a smile, and then the line went dead. I held the phone in front of me and looked at it for a second. Another breeze passed by us. I didn't believe that this was happening- but then again, another part of me did. And accepted it. And what's more, I felt all right.

    "You okay?" Luna asked me and rubbed my back consolingly when I hung up the phone. I looked over at her.   

    "Yeah," I replied. "I'm good."

    "You ready for the next quest?" Luna said. "We've got to be back in time to see the others off."
    
    I nodded and got up. "Okay." So we began on our way to our next task, taking it slowly.

    We got there in thirty minutes flat. It usually didn't take that long to walk from the park to my house, but like I said, we took our time. The day was too beautiful to rush, and there was no rush in question. Anyway, at least we got there eventually. We walked up to the doorway and Luna knocked on the door.
    
    "Why did you do that so fast?" I asked with a frown. I was not exactly ready to-

    "Hello?" my mom said as she opened the door.

    Her eyes immediately widened when she saw me. Her mouth fell open. "Justin!" she exclaimed, appearing as if she were going to faint before she would be able to recover herself, and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I could hardly breathe; she had to bend down since the door was set on another stair, but that didn't impede her embrace in the least. "Where were you? I was so worried!"

    "Is that Justin?" Another voice from inside asked. I didn't recognize the voice at first- I would have been shocked if it was that of another man- but I found that it was only my father's as he appeared in the doorway, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a black blazer. He had obviously gotten back from some ordeal, on a Sunday- maybe it was church. "Answer your mother," he demanded, although I was able to see in his face that he was also beyond relief to see me.

    "I was-" I started to say, but then my Mom pushed back. To my horror, borderline anger had mixed in with her expression of sympathy. Obviously, her disciplinarian side was kicking in.

    "Justin, I am really happy to see you back, but get inside and you have to tell me everything, all about this camping business. Justin, I know you said that we could trust you, but this has all been getting out of hand this entire year," she stated firmly, boring into me and grabbing my wrist.

    I ducked my head, but not submissively, unable to deny her charge while keeping my responsibility in mind. "Yeah." I took a big breath of air and prepared myself for what was to come, and followed my mom inside into the living room, with Luna trailing after me. 

    I sat down sandwiched between Luna and my dad on the couch while my mom proceeded to the kitchen so that she could carry over a chair from the dining room table. "Luna? Did you find him?" my mom asked not a second after we had settled down.

    "No," Luna said honestly. "I'm just showing him support."

    "Support for what?"
   
    "Well, he's going to tell you why he was gone, Mrs. Currant."

    My mom covered her mouth with one hand. "It was drugs, wasn't it--"

    "No," I interjected, finally gaining the ability and courage to speak up. "It wasn't drugs." I glanced over at Luna and she placed her hands patiently onto her lap. 

    "What would you do if I told you," I began at last, exhaling deeply as I spoke but still holding my ground, "...that I'm a superhero?"

----

    We made it to the Mew Mew building just in time for sunset. The clear sky was painted in its serene hues as the sun began to dip below the horizon over the trees, which eventually led to the ocean, with the colors transitioning from a deep plum to a light salmon and then to a golden orange at the bottom where the heavens met the silhouetted trees. The few clouds that layered themselves in small clusters, tinted in a deep, rosy color only enhanced the view, reflecting the colors of the sky onto our faces. The windows of the Mew Mew building just up the driveway were darkened by the shadow of sunset, appearing silent and vacant.

    Kiwi and Kiichiro loaded the last of the girls' suitcases onto the van. "Well, that's it," Kiwi said, dusting off her hands, and then strolled over to Luna and me. 

    "It's been great," Luna said, and shook hands with Kiwi. 

    The door to the van flew open again. "Oh, I couldn't just say goodbye once!" Tangerine cried and hopped out of the van. She was followed quickly by the other girls, even Meringue. She threw her arms around me once more. "Bye, Justin! Please come to visit sometime! I know I will!"

    "Of course I will," I told her, hugging her back. Cream approached me next. "It was really fun," she said. "I'll never forget it. I'll never forget any of this, any of you." She smiled sadly. "I almost wish I can do it again."

    "I wouldn't speak too soon," Luna grinned. 

    "I guess so," Cream said, and stepped back for Meringue and Salsa to say their own goodbyes. Meringue, standing tall in stilettos, wore a light pink blazer over a tight, layered white dress, and a fashionable white and pink beret; she looked no less than ready for international travelling in style. 

    "Justin," she nodded. "Don't stop being who you are," she told me simply; and then, to my surprise, she bent down and gave me a hug as well, however brief, with her blond hair draping over my shoulders. There was a first time for everything, I guessed. When she stood straight again, she tugged on Salsa's hand. "Ready, Salsa?"

    Salsa nodded and waved me goodbye, then followed Meringue to stand behind the other girls. 

    "Thank you," I said, and offered my hand to each one in closing. I then shoved it back in my pocket and got a chill; it was getting cooler at night, making the feeling of my button-up shirt sleeves feel all the more stiff against my skin.

    "Any word from Burnett?" Kiichiro asked Luna in the meantime. 

    "Yeah," she said. "He got on the train this morning. He plans to get in contact with the government to target where the next California Mew project will be."

    "Still staying in California? Not any of the other states? Does he even still have his job, after the whole Hannah thing?"

    "He'll be in big trouble when he gets to the main government building, that's for sure. But he said he wants to go to New York to see if there's any potential there for Mew Mews. That's a big city for that."

    "Actually..." Kiichiro began on the contrary, smiling knowingly, "I don't think there'll be any attacks for a long time now anywhere, knowing that the Cyniclons may now have an idea of who they'd be messing with." He offered a side glance at me and nodded. I smiled back at him a little. 

    "Well, I wouldn't speak too soon," Luna laughed, "But I hope so."

    "Come on," Ryou said, crossing his arms and holding onto the handle to his suitcase. "We're supposed to be at the airport now."

    "Already? Darn!" Kiwi exclaimed. "I just don't want to leave- we've been here for like, ever!"

    "You guys do have to get back home," Luna said.

    "Godzilla might be waiting," I added. 

    Kiwi grinned and sighed, defeated. "Aw, hell. If you need me in the next five years, I'll come running. Just call. You have my number, right?"

    "I sure do." I pulled out the thin strip of paper from my pocket that had Kiwi's phone number written on it and offered it to her.

    Kiwi analyzed what I wrote for a moment, and then grinned again, handing the paper back to me. "Great." She then yawned dramatically and turned her head to look back at the van. The other girls had already began to get back in, while Kiichiro and Ryou took up the cab.     

    "Come on!" Ryou called, draping his forearm out the window. "Time's flying."

    "I'm coming, you old fart!" Kiwi yelled back. The last rays of the orange sunset finally began to disappear below the horizon- it would be getting dark soon after. She looked back at me. "That's it, then," she said. "See you, Justin. It's been grand." She offered her hand to me- I took it and we shook hands.

    "'Bye, Kiwi," I told her. At last, Kiwi turned around to meet her teammates in the van. She stuck her head outside of the door once more- "Bye!" she yelled, waving- and then hauled the sliding door shut with a thud. As soon as the door was closed, Ryou backed out and pulled out of the driveway. Standing straight and side by side, Luna and I both waved our final goodbyes- with Luna placing her free hand on her hip- while the vehicle drove away from sight down the forest path and disappeared with the sun. Then we were left all alone- everything was quiet.

    "Well, then," Luna drew out at length in an upbeat tone, breaking the silence. I shoved my hands in my pockets, feeling a little empty inside, but happy in a way; that's how all partings go. Because I knew it was never the end.

    "That's it," I offered, repeating Kiwi's previous words.

    "Yeah." Luna looked up at the darkening sky. "The sun's finally gone down, huh?" 

    "It's pretty, though."

    "I guess it is," she smiled. "And there'll be the sunrise tomorrow." Right then, I realized that it was just the two of us again, just like we had been in the beginning. And yet, so much had changed. Another cool breeze stirred around us, giving me goosebumps again. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It feels nice."

    "I guess it does."

    Luna opened her eyes again. After looking ahead at the now-empty driveway, with its dark tarmac splashed in a weakening orange-blue hue, she clasped her hands behind her back and asked, turning towards me, "... Can I ask you something?"

    "Yeah?"

    "What are you going to do... after all of this? I mean, now?"

    I rolled my shoulders back once. "...Well," I said, having already thought it through once, "I think I want to finish high school first."

    "And...?"

    Well, since the beginning was already out, I might as well go along with telling the rest. "Then I want to travel the world and work with other Mew Mews. And I want to help them discover their true purposes too. Does that sound stupid?"

    Luna unclasped her hands from behind her back, her lips stretching into a smile. "...No. That doesn't sound stupid at all. That sounds wonderful."
    
    "And it isn't the end of the fight to save the Earth, right?"

    "It never is," Luna chuckled, then her face became pensive for a few moments. "…Can I go with you? I want to go," she said.

    Luna’s question didn’t take me by surprise. I hadn’t exactly accepted my plans yet myself; like I said, I only thought of them once, so her request came off just as arbitrarily as my proposition had. It seemed like a good plan, though. But still… "But what about college? Didn’t you get accepted to UCLA?”

    "Oh, that can wait five years. I don't want to do anything special for a living anyway."

    "And what's that?" I asked curiously.
   
    "I want to do what Burnett did," Luna replied after a moment's pause, tucking her hair behind her ear and looking up. "Except I want to be even better. Or at least I want to do something for the government."

    "That is special."

    "In a way."

    We both looked ahead at the horizon. The trees had finally lost their fiery glow. "Do you really want to do it?” I asked her.

    Luna smiled reticently and tossed her hair behind her shoulders.

    "Well... I want to keep working with you, Justin,” she replied finally, looking at me. “I want to see the world with you. And even though things may change by the time we graduate... we’ll see." She smirked a little. "And plus, we only had a year together, and I've still got some things to show you, even though you're pretty much a hotshot now."

    I grinned back at her. "That's enough for me." So I slid my arm around her waist and we began making our way back to the Mew Mew building, walking away into the distance through the deepening darkness as the day finally came to a close, just the two of us in our own world.