Chapter 10:

"SEE YOU TOMORROW! BYE!" Ichigo waved bye to her friends. She turned and walked down the sidewalk to go home. She looked at the device that Kisshu gave to her. It was now a key chain she always kept on her. For some reason her heart felt a little fluttery when she held it. She couldn't decide if she really was going to use Kisshu to the Mew Mew's advantage. Lost in thought, she didn't notice the person she was about to bump into, until she bumped into them.

"Ow! Oh, I'm sorry!" She looked up. "Aoyama-kun!" Oh yeah, I haven't seen him in a while.

"Momoiya-san. How have you been?"

"Just fine, thank you very much. Excuse me." She started to walk off without another word. Moments after she left, she felt like she was being followed. She turned around. "Aoyama-kun?" She called his name, but she didn't see him behind her and he didn't answer. She started walking faster. She turned a corner and waited. Nothing. She exhaled and looked around to see where she was. How did she get to the edge of town? Oh well. She might as well take a walk. The place was nice and quiet. It was like a forest with a path. No one was around though, so it wasn't much of a park. For once she could relax without any noise. "Wow!" she came upon a clearing. A big sakura tree stood in the middle of the meadow. "Pretty…" she heard a cicada. "Reet, reet, reet."

She went up to the tree, when a person stepped out from behind it.

Cafécafécafécafécafécafécafé

"YAY! We get to celebrate!" Pudding yelled after the shop finally closed for the day.

"What are we celebrating?" Lettuce asked.

"That we are all finally together!" Mint said looked admiringly at Zakuro.

"Cute! We are on the cake!" Ichigo looked at the little figures that stood on the cake. "Itadakimasu!"

"Wait a moment." Shirogane interrupted Ichigo's "dig-in" and ordered the girls to come around to the back. There, he explained the mission and that there were five certain points where the enemy was setting up attacks. "The base of the attack is…" he pointed to the middle. "This sakura tree."

"I know that place!" Ichigo raised her hand.

"Then you go. You all choose which place to go to." He sighed. "You girls have a name now…" he put his hand up. "Tokyo Mew Mew, move out!"

"Wait a minute!" Ichigo interrupted. "What about the cake and the party?"

"You can eat and party later after you defeat the aliens."

"Do we never get a break?

Akasaka intervened. "The attack doesn't start until later."

"Fine," Ryou finally agreed "take a small break, but be done early so we can get a head start."

IchigoIchigoIchigo

Ichigo stood in the grass by the hedge in the front of the café, remembering what happened by the tree.

FLASHBACK

As Ichigo approached the sakura tree, a person came around from the other side.

"A-AAH!" Ichigo jumped backwards and landed on her rear again. "A-Aoyama-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Just looking at a pretty tree. What are you doing here?"

"Just leaving." Ichigo turned to run. Which path did she come from again? Didn't matter. She chose a random one and followed it. She didn't know at what point she had turned onto a different path, but she somehow was lead back to the same clearing.

"Back so soon?" Aoyama looked at her while standing at the base of the tree.

"N-no, I just, uh…"

He came closer. She backed up. Then almost simultaneously, they both ran. Ichigo got as far as the forest before he caught up to her. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. "Ah! What are you doing? Let go!" She tried to yank her wrist back.

"What's the hurry? I just want to talk." He held her wrist tighter. She looked at him, a look of fear on her face. She tried to cover it with anger. "What do you want? I have to go now!" she growled at him.

"Calm down. We can't just talk? Where do you have to go so quickly?"

"Work!" she slapped her hand to her mouth.

"Work, huh? Where do you work?"

"Like you don't know!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just leave me alone! I don't want to be late!" she turned to run, but his grip held her back. She quickly reached for her "Kisshu caller" and pressed the button. Nothing. She tried running again. Suddenly, his grip loosed and she fell forward. She looked back to see Aoyama out cold o the ground and Kisshu standing behind him, his hand up. He reached his hand out to Ichigo. "Bet you thought you would never need it, huh?" he said.

She slapped his hand away. "Why did you knock him out! What did you do?"

"You're welcome." Kisshu crossed his arms.

"Sorry… thanks. But we have to get him back to his house…and I don't know where that is!"

"Just leave him here."

"No! Uh…here…help me out." Kisshu helped Ichigo lug him to the base of the sakura tree, and propped him up against the trunk. Ichigo looked at her watch. "Ah! I have to go!" she ran back towards the forest. "Bye!" she waved to Kisshu.

"Uh-huh." Kisshu replied, his back to her. He stared at the tree, hands in hips. Ichigo shrugged and ran back to the café.

END FLASHBACK

"Ichigo! Did you finish you cake?" Mint went to stand by her.

Ichigo looked at her plate. The cake was half eaten. "Is there something wrong? You always finish your cake." Mint asked her.

"Ah, no! I'm fine! It's just… nothing ! Really! See?" she stuffed the whole thing in her mouth. "Iwm weewee jwust fwoine!" she spoke with her mouth full. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"O-ok." Mint walked off. "Hurry up. Shirogane-san wants us to leave now."

She made a big swallow before replying. "Hai!"

Ichigo ran through the forest she discovered earlier that day. Kisshu must have decided his plan earlier today when he…saved…me. Grrrr. Ichigo knew it was the truth, but she didn't like to think about it. There were just too many things wrong with KISSHU being the one to save her. He was an alien trying to take back earth. The enemy. Besides, it's not like she can't take care of herself; although what happened earlier proved no such thing. And it's just too weird. That fluttery feeling came back again. Why does this feeling come when she thinks about him? It couldn't be that she likes him. He is an ALIEN for crying out loud. She shook her head as if that would get the thoughts out. The tree must have been what was distracting him earlier when I was saying bye. Why that no good…

She came upon the clearing. The tree was in sight. Aoyama was gone. He must have gone home.

Instead standing at the base of the tree was…

"Kisshu!" Ichigo said as she reached the clearing. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ichigo!" he turned around to face her. "Meeting here again in the same day? That must mean something."

"Shut up! I have to get to that tree, so move!"

"I can't let you do that. You see, Tokyo is going to die today. So unless you want to die, I need you to come with me." He teleported in front of her and lunged. She jumped back. Then behind her. "Gotcha!"

In attempt o knock her out, he hit her. "Agh!" she landed on her feet. In front of her again, he attempted another hit. But this time she was too quick. She hit him on the side of the face. He was thrust backwards in the air, as he was flying. "Ha ha ha! Wow! You actually hit me when I was being serious!" the marks on his face, were that of claw marks like a cat scratched his face. "Come on, Ichigo! Let's go together!"

Ichigo stood panting. "You already know my answer."

Then suddenly, a green rush of light went up in the air. That's when Ichigo noticed the blue light, the yellow light, and the purple light in the air on the other sides of town, indicating that the other Mews have reached their destinations.

Ichigo breathed, then turned around to face the tree.

"Ichigo?"

"I have a mission to protect earth."

"Ichigo! That's dangerous! The tree's petals will only destroy what it touches. Kisshu warned her.

She ignored him and called her weapon. "Strawberry bell." She grabbed it and ran towards the tree.

"Ichigho stop!"

She powered up her bell and jumped.

"Ichigo no! I don't want you to die!" Kisshu continued to yell. "Hey! Look this way!"

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY CHECK!" She attacked the tree and joined in the light festival with the other four Mews. The trees were healed! Well, all except the big sakura tree. It looked burnt.

Ichigho landed panting. Kisshu walked up from behind her. "Are you ok?"

"Hai…No thanks to…you."

Kisshu shrugged. "See you later." He disappeared.

"Wait!" Ichigo called after him, but he already left.

"Sorry, tree." She apologized. Then she saw a cicada on the ground between the roots. It didn't look alive. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but they disappeared when she heard her name.

"Ichigo?"

That voice…isn't that…She turned around and her pupils went small. Oh its Aoyama-kun. But I'm transformed. Does he know? Oh no…

"Ichigo…"

N-no! He can't know! She put her hands to her mouth. "N-no! You must have it all wrong! I don't know this Ichigo person you're talking about…" She tried to stay calm. "I'm a Mew Mew." Then she posed cutely and ran away.