This is a oneshot I wrote to explain how Ichigo and Aoyama broke up, and why Ichigo is so hesitant to use her Mew powers. Hope it sheds a bit of light on the subject!

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

The gang of crooks took off running. I smiled. "It feels so good to use my powers again!" I transformed back to my normal self and pocketed my Power Pendant, heading for Café Mew Mew. I ran in. "I'm back! Those guys didn't stand a chance!"

Aoyama-kun was sitting at a table. He looked at me seriously. "Ichigo, we need to talk." He said, and I followed him outside.

Once we were out, he looked at me. "You know, you keep coming back later and later."

"I know, but if I didn't, Tokyo would probably be overrun with Kimera Anima and robbers."

"You and I both know that there are no more Kimera."

I looked down at the ground. "Yeah...but the robbers are still there!"

"Leave that to the police."

"Why? If the police could handle it, they wouldn't sit in their cars watching people get robbed."

Aoyama pinched the bridge of his nose. "You need to stop this. This is getting out of hand."

"But I like fighting bad guys! Remember what I said? For the Earth, I will be of service, nya?" I said, striking my cat paw pose and hoping to get a laugh out of him.

But Aoyama-kun wasn't laughing. He was glaring. "More like 'For myself I will be of service'!"

I took a step back. "W-what?"

"You do it for yourself! You only go fight because you want to use your powers and show off as the leader of Tokyo Mew Mew!"

"That's not true!" I clenched my fists. How could Aoyama-kun think that?!

"Yes it is! You just want to be Cat Hero all day!"

"No, I just want to help!"

"Well, you're not helping!"

That was it. I know I'm supposed to keep my temper, but I'd never been told that about my powers; and by Aoyama-kun of all people?! "Neither are you!" I retorted. "Ever since you lost the Blue Knight to Deep Blue, you've just sat around and scolded me for doing what's right!"

He crossed his arms and turned away from me. "You know what? Go away."

"What?"

"I said go away! You want to be selfish, be selfish! I'm not your boyfriend anymore!"

I glared at him. "F-Fine! I will, Aoyama-san!" I took off running for home. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I don't know why I was crying. No, that's wrong. Yes I do.

I was crying because I was hurt. Aoyama, my hero, my crush, my love, had hurt me, and dumped me without a care in the world.

I may be able to love again, but I don't want whoever I fall in love with to see me as a burden. That's what I am, right? Why else would I get yelled at after saving someone.

"You do it for yourself! You only go fight because you want to use your powers and show off as the leader of Tokyo Mew Mew!"

I tried to shove away Aoyama's words, but they kept ringing in my head. Maybe he was right. Maybe I did just like people seeing me as a hero, instead of a nobody in school. My powers are making me a burden to everyone. They're ruining the lives of the people around me. I can't tell my friends and family, and the people that do know see it as an excuse. I don't want to seem like a selfish show-off.

I'm never using my Mew powers again.