Ichigo tugged on her strawberry ponytail, walking home from school on yet another boring day. She was working at the cafe the next day which was always fun, but she was getting bored of that too.

Masaya had gone abroad to study some time ago, and Ichigo was getting tired of waiting. The distance had done its damage to both of them it seemed, because Zakura had regrettably told her while she was in England she met up with him and saw him quite close to another girl.

Ichigo had made her emotional detachment, she'd ended it in her own mind, but she hadn't told Masaya yet. Four long years and it all came down to this. He was always popular, but she thought he never noticed anyone but her, turns out she was wrong.

And then he had the nerve to judge her for being a Mew Mew without telling him. Of course after four years her animal DNA was now dormant and no longer in use, but it still hurt to think about.

Sitting at her desk trying to do her homework, she started thinking about the weekend. It would mark her 17th birthday, and she found herself unable to get excited about it. Her thoughts drifted to her friends, wondering what Pudding was doing, how Mint was, where Zakuro was and how her tour was going, if Lettuce had made those new friends she said she wanted to, how Shirogane and Keiichiro were.

Then her thoughts wandered further, to flashes of green and gold, that silly almost maniac laughter that was always accompanied by a loud call of "Koneko-chan!" and an attempt at a kiss. Ichigo never thought she would miss the green-haired alien as badly as she did. She never imagined that she'd miss his little smirk, his smug confidence, his whining, his insistent chasing after of her, and the rare moments of vulnerability where it was obvious the depths of his feelings for her that even he didn't understand.

Ichigo sighed, thoughts drifting to Pai and Taruto, she hoped the Mew Aqua had healed their planet and they were living happily. She hoped Kisshu was happy. Because she wasn't. And one of them deserved to be happy...

Kisshu sighed, walking down the staircase, servants bowing low as he passed. The golden crown on his head weighed heavily all of a sudden, as if reminding him it was a burden he couldn't handle. Four years and the prince was already tired of being paraded around like a show pony. No one cared about him before – he had still been their prince! - but now he was the hero, the prince that had saved the planet and the people. But it hadn't been him at all, not really. He'd failed his people back on Earth, so many times over. He couldn't accept their praise, his people were happy and healthy and he couldn't wish for anything more, but his heart could not be found with them and their smiling faces.

As Crown Prince, it was Kisshu's duty to watch over his people. Back when the planet had been a frosted waste land, his father had not put any worth into him at all. He was born weak as a child and his mother had died giving birth due to her illness. He was a curse to his family since day one, and when the call from Deep Blue came out, Kisshu was the first one the king sent on the dangerous mission to Earth, probably wanting him not to come back.

When he did, his father was forced to accept him whether he liked it or not. Now he lay ill and old on his bed, and Kisshu was dreading the day that he passed and it was up to him to take the throne. But more immediate matters demanded his attention, because just as he exited the Palace doors he was glomped by a girl that hadn't even known he was alive before his return.

"Kisshu~ You promised me we'd spend some time together today," she cooed in his long ear.

"I'm sorry Silence, I have business to attend to, I have a meeting. After that maybe?" Kisshu said.

Silence pouted. "You always do this, stall and make excuses. If you don't like me just say it,"

"It's not that," Kisshu said uncomfortably. "It's just I am really busy lately, I promise you tomorrow I'll spend the entire day with you, okay? I have to meet Pai now, but tomorrow promise."

Kisshu quickly escaped the disappointed girl, but she was staring after him with a sharp glare. Quick and quiet as a shadow she snuck into the prince's bedroom, searching for any signs to prove his claim of being busy. Indeed there was many scrolls of political importance lying about, so Silence had to admit he was telling the truth. But as she was leaving she saw a photo on his bedside table.

Curiously she picked it up, it was a girl with dark red hair tied into pigtails, she was in a grey school uniform, and the biggest smile on her face as she sat at a park bench. She seemed unaware that the picture had been taken of her. Silence glared. The girl was human, that was obvious from her ears and complexion. What interest did her prince have in her?! Why was she so special, this lowly human peasant, she thought she was important enough to have her prince's attention? We'll see about that.

Throwing the picture down Silence ran out of the room, and down into the village to gather her friends. They needed to know of this, they'd help her she was sure. Kisshu was hers! This human girl could not have him!

Kisshu walked into a ship, tugging on his cloak that got stuck in the door. Tugging his now long green hair into a low ponytail he walked into the control room where Pai was.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, the planet is stable." Pai replied.

"I meant Earth," Kisshu murmured.

"Ah well, everything is good there too."

"Paiiii~ we're out of those electro thingies you wanted!" Taruto's voice rang out and soon the little royal was stumbling into view, his royal garb, like Kisshu's, getting caught on the door.

"That's fine, I cane fashion more to monitor the atmospheric levels." Pai said, donning his science coat.

Kisshu looked down at his little cousin, his own small crown resting on his chestnut hair twinkling in the artificial light from the control panel.

"You're late," Taruto grumbled.

"I had to escape Silence," Kisshu replied.

"She is to be your wife, avoiding her isn't the best way to get over that," Pai pointed out.

"A marriage I never agreed to," Kisshu muttered. "Father just couldn't go out without making my life miserable forever, he had to make sure it would be an eternal hell for me before he died."

"You're being melodramatic," Pai said.

"Alright then you can marry her and say goodbye to your little mermaid down on Earth!" Kisshu snapped.

"She's a porpoise, not a mermaid," Pai corrected, blushing. "And I don't see what that has to do with anything. You already gave Ichigo-san up, you even said it yourself."

Kisshu sighed. "I know."

"Wait...what's that?" Pai squinted at the airfield screen.

"Is that a ship taking off?" Taruto asked.

"Illegally, it wasn't permitted." Pai quickly went to the control panel but the ship would not respond. "They've scrambled the signal. But who -?"

"Silence." Kisshu said suddenly.

Pai managed to hook up a video message to the ship, and sure enough Silence and two of her friends came into view.

"Land that ship immediately, you're in illegal airspace," Pai warned.

"We will after we make a short trip to Earth and back," Silence said. "See there's a few girls we have to pay a little visit to. Humans should know their place don't you think?"

"Pai I'm sorry I'm only doing this because we should be together!" Silence's friend Tamago cried.

"And I'm only here because no monkey girl is gonna get her hands on Taurto, she doesn't even appreciate you!" Dango shrugged.

"Don't you touch those girls they have nothing to do with this!" Kisshu shouted.

"Oh but they have everything to do with this." Silence responded. "That little strawberry is keeping you from me, I won't have it. Bye gentlemen,"

The transmission was cut off.

"We have to get to Earth before them – warn the Mews!" Taurto cried.

"He's right we have no choice. This ship is faster than theirs, with luck we'll make it." Pai said.

"Everyone strap up then. Let's go!" Kisshu and Pai started up the engines and steered the ship out of their planet's airspace, zipping towards Earth, praying they'd make it in time.