This is probably my longest chapter yet and I hope you all enjoy it!

Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Chapter Fifty-Three:

Mint didn't have time to be horrified. Violent tremors shook the ground as the Chimera stomped and jumped around.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, then leapt in to air, grateful for her wings.

"Mint, wait!"

She looked over her shoulder to see that Shinji was following her.

"Get to safety!" Mint yelled.

"Mint!" Shinji yelled, not stopping.

Mint was about to tell him to leave again, but before she could, the Chimera Animal roared and lashed out, shaking the ground. Mint felt her eyes wide as she saw Shinji fall but not get up.

"Shinji!" She yelled, flying down to his side. He was knocked out, but otherwise uninjured. She carefully moved him to safety before going to glare up at the beast.

"Oooh, I hope Mylo gets coal for this!" She yelled, pulling out her bow. But before she could loose an arrow, a wooden one hit the beast.

Mint turned and grinned at seeing her teammates.

"Welcome to the Odaiba Christmas Party," She called. "Though it appears our host, Mylo, has yet to make an entrance."

"Is that a polar bear?" Rirī asked, incredulous.

"It appears so," Pie said with a frown.

"This tree," Ichigo growled, glaring up at the large Christmas tree. "Why is it always this tree?"

"Can we just finish this up before Pudding misses Santa Claus?" Pudding asked, sounding edgy and impatient.

"Let the show begin," Zakuro said, unfurling her whip.

Unfortunately, no matter what they did, the Chimera wouldn't fall.

Ichigo jumped a foot in the air when her cell phone began to ring. Smoothing the fur on her ears, she answered the phone.

"Moshi-Moshi?"

"Ichigo?" Masaya said on the other end of the line. "I'm watching the live footage, and you guys aren't doing too well."

"Thanks for the newsflash, baka tree-hugger!" Ichigo growled.

Masaya pointedly ignored her.

"Try hitting the paw pads," He suggested. "And take advantage of the fact that it jumps frequently. Hit the underbelly."

"Got it, thanks," Ichigo said as she hung up. She relayed the suggestion to her teammates.

"Rirī, Mint, Lettuce, with me!" Pie called. The three nodded, figuring out what he was planning.

As soon as the beast leapt into the air, Pie, Rirī, Mint and Lettuce hit it with their attacks at the same time. However, there was one thing they weren't planning on happening.

The beast turned in midair as it writhed with pain, and it was about to fall on the other Tokyo Defenders.

"Ribbon Pudding Shield!" Pudding screamed suddenly, throwing her arms wide.

Instantly, Pudding and teammates were surrounded by flan. The Chimera hit the pudding, bounced off it… and landed on the Christmas tree, sending it to the ground with a crash.

"Seriously?" Mint said with a scowl.

"That tree…" Lettuce said with a sigh as she gazed at the fallen tree.

Meanwhile, those who were inside the flan were a little less concerned about the tree. At that point, they were just glad they could move inside the giant dessert Pudding had conjured.

"Okay," Zakuro said calmly. "First, didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did Pudding, na no da," Pudding said, looking at her rings in amazement.

"Second, how do we get out of here?" Zakuro asked, poking the side of their 'shield'. The touch made the entire thing jiggle.

"Pudding doesn't know that either, na no da," Pudding said with a sigh.

"Great," Kish said sarcastically.

"Uh, guys, that thing's not dead yet!" Rozū said, pointing to the Chimera Animal.

The beast leapt to its feet and snarled at its assailants, preparing to attack with a vengeance.

However, before it could move, it got plowed over…

By a red sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.

"Uh…" Tart said slowly, blinking a few times. "What just happened?"

"Chimera Animal got run over by a reindeer, trying to destroy Tokyo on Christmas Eve," Pudding sang. "You can say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and my team, we believe."

"Pudding, now is not the time for a cover of 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer'." Ichigo said.

Just then, a rotund man with a long white beard wearing a red coat got out of the sleigh.

"Ho ho ho," He chuckled as he snapped his fingers, freeing the Tokyo Defenders from their flan shield and banishing the monster.

Pudding instantly ran over and glomped the man.

"Santa Claus!" She exclaimed happily. "Pudding is so happy to see you, na no da!"

"Ho ho ho, and I am happy to see you, too, Pudding," Santa Claus said, returning the hug.

"Um, not to sound rude or anything, but what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, I had just finished up doing my Asia route, and I saw you all fighting that monster and thought you might like some help." Santa said as he affectionately patted Pudding's head, the girl still attached to him.

"Thanks, we definitely needed it," Kish said.

"Not a problem," Santa said with a nonchalant wave. "But I also came for another reason. Rozū?"

Rozū shyly stepped forward.

"Hai?" She said nervously.

Santa chuckled and patted Rozū's head lovingly.

"My, my, you are a sweet one," He said. "I need to speak with you concerning something you asked for in your letter."

"I had a feeling it was asking for too much," Rozū said with a sad sigh. Santa cupped her cheek.

"It was the best gift I have ever been asked to deliver. Not because of how unique it is, but because the reasons you want it are unselfish. Unfortunately, my magic just cannot make this wish come true. I cannot control when your power will manifest. That is something only you can do."

"You seriously wrote a letter to the North Pole asking for your power to be revealed?" Tart asked, staring at his sister incredulously.

"Yes, I did," Rozū said. "'Cause I thought that maybe if I had my power, I could use it to defeat Mylo."

"And as much as I would love to help you with that, I just simply can't do," Santa said.

Rozū nodded dejectedly. Santa smiled gently and lifted her chin so that she was looking up at him.

"But I can tell you that your power will make itself known soon, and that it will be a great asset to your side of the war," Santa told her.

Rozū brightened.

"Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita," She said with a bow.

"Dōitashimashite," Santa said, gently patting Rozū's head. The reindeer began to whiney behind them. "I'm afraid it is time for me to move on, I still have three more continents to visit. Now, you should know I left something for you back at Café Mew Mew that will come in handy later on."

"You've got the elves making weapons up at the North Pole, na no da?" Pudding asked, confused.

"Ho ho ho, no, nothing like that, Pudding," Santa said with a laugh. "This will be helpful in another way.

"And here is where we must part. Merry Christmas, Tokyo Defenders, and good luck!"

They said their good-byes and watched as Santa and his reindeer flew off into the sky.

"Weirdest Christmas ever," Zakuro said.

"Yeah, and it's not over yet," Lettuce said with a smile.

Suddenly, Mint paled.

"Shinji!" She yelled and took off running, her teammates following.

Mint knelt down by the still-unconscious Shinji and took his hand. Rirī knelt down and put her hand on his forehead.

"He'll be fine," She said, smiling up at Mint. "He'll be awake in a few minutes."

However, this did little to cheer Mint.

"Mint, what happened?" Rin asked. She had never seen Mint in the state she was in.

"He saw me," She choked out, tears running down her cheeks as she put her head in her hands. "He saw me transform. What am I going to do?"

"Why not tell Shinji Onii-Chan that Mint Onee-Chan is a Mew Mew, na no da?" Pudding suggested, putting a comforting hand on Mint's shoulder.

Mint's head snapped up.

"What?" She demanded, her tear-filled eyes wide.

"Pudding was merely making a suggestion," Zakuro said. "It is your call as to what to do. He's your boyfriend."

Mint squeezed her eyes shut.

"NO!" She screamed in frustration. "I won't tell him!" She ducked her head. "I… I just can't."

Ichigo knelt down beside her friend.

"Mint, it's okay, no one's going to force you to do anything you don't want to," She said.

Mint let out a bitter laugh.

"Oh, so I volunteered to become a half-human, half-bird freak and fight aliens who are bent on taking over Earth? Did I step into that stupid light on purpose? No, Ichigo, I didn't! But I do want to keep my boyfriend out of this stupid mess. I want to be his normal, fully human girlfriend, one he can go out with and not get knocked out or turned into a mindless evil monster! You just don't under-"

SMACK!

Everyone jumped in surprise and stared with wide eyes as Mint rubbed her now-red cheek as she fearfully stared at an enraged Ichigo.

"Don't you dare tell me I don't understand!" Ichigo growled as she stood up. "You know full well I have been standing in your shoes before. I made my decision then and I still don't regret it. I told Masaya my secret because he deserved to know the truth. I didn't do it because I felt like he kept getting into trouble because I was a Mew Mew. I did it because I loved him and felt that if he couldn't know my secret, then we didn't need to be together. I told him thinking he would break up with me, and I would be okay with it because he was safe.

"When he told me he already knew, I felt like a weight had been pulled off my shoulders. He didn't care what I was because he cared for me, and he still does, even if it's not in the same way it was then. Shinji loves you, he knew it the moment he first saw you. He also trusts you. If you tell him your secret, you're not just showing him your superhero self. You're showing him that you love and trust him. And I know that Shinji's affection for you isn't going to change in anyway if he knows. It doesn't have to be tonight, or even in the next week, month or year, but he should know."

"Is, uh, finding out in my will acceptable?" Mint asked sheepishly. The glare she received from Ichigo told her that answer. Mint sighed, closing her eyes as she thought.

"He's stirring," Lettuce said softly, looking at Shinji.

Mint's eyes snapped open. She had made her decision.

"Ichigo, you wouldn't still happen to have that long coat, would you?" She asked as she stood up. Ichigo smiled and nodded, de-transforming. She shrugged out of her coat and Mint carefully wrapped it around her Mew uniform. She frowned as her wings made it hard to keep the coat closed, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be wearing it long.

"Thanks, Ichigo, for everything," Mint said. She smiled wryly. "Even the slap."

"Anytime, Mint," Ichigo said, hugging the girl. "We'll head back to the Café, give you two some space to talk."

"One of us will come get you later," Kish said as he took Ichigo's hand.

Mint nodded. She watched her friends teleport away just as Shinji's eyes opened.

"What hit me?" He asked, sitting up, holding his head in his hands.

"A monster called a Chimera Animal, created by an alien named Mylo," Mint said. Shinji turned to Mint, his eyes wide.

"Mint?" He said, climbing to his feet. "Are you okay? Did that Chimera-thingy get you?" He paused, his brow furrowed. "Wait, how do you know what that thing was?"

"I'm fine," Mint said. "And as for how I know… well, it's just easier to show you."

She took off Ichigo's coat, letting Shinji see her Mew Mint self. The boy stood there, his eyes wide as they went over the dress, the wings, and the blue hair. Finally, he searched for her warm light brown eyes… only to find them replaced with bright sapphires. That was what shocked him the most, what made him realize it was all real.

"By day, an ordinary dancer named Mint Aizawa," Mint said softly, lowering her gaze. "By night, an alien-fighting member of the Tokyo Defenders named Mew Mint."

The silence was deafening. Shinji gaped, fishing for words in his stunned brain. Mint felt tears prick her eyes.

"I understand if you want to break up," She said sadly, turning away from him. "You deserve a nice, normal girl."

She started to walk away, but Shinji grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him, pulling her against his chest.

"Mint," He whispered, resting his chin on the top of her head as he had one arm around her waist, the other gently going over the feathers of her wings. Mint's wings gave a flutter at the touch. She now understood why Ichigo loved having Kish pet her kitty ears and why Tart stroking Pudding's tail practically put her to sleep. It just felt so good…

"Tell me." Shinji said as he held her tighter.

"Tell you what?" Mint asked softly.

"Tell me how I can protect you," Shinji said.

Mint looked up at Shinji, her eyes still full of tears. She saw his own eyes full of love and fear.

Not fear of her. Fear for her.

"I love you, Mint," Shinji said, stroking her cheek as a tear ran down it. "I don't want a 'nice, normal girl'. I want you."

"Wings and all?" Mint asked shyly.

"Wings and all," Shinji said, smiling as he brought his lips down to hers.

They didn't know how long they stood there, kissing, but then suddenly…

"Hate to ruin the moment, but Ichigo sent me to get you," Kish said, interrupting the kiss. Shinji jumped but Mint only glared.

"Hey, just because you can't manage to make out with Ichigo doesn't mean you can ruin our moment," She snapped.

Kish's eyes narrowed.

"Don't remind me," He said bitterly. "But I actually came to get you because Lettuce won't let us open the present left for us without you. So come on."

Without giving any other options, Kish grabbed their shoulders and teleported.

Shinji stumbled some as his feet hit the Café floor. He was surprised to see that he was surrounded by the other members of the Tokyo Defenders, though only a few were still in their fighting forms.

"So, wait, you're all—" He started to say.

"Yep," Zakuro said.

"So then…" Shinji started again, looking around at the Café walls.

"Café Mew Mew is a front," Mint explained as she de-transformed. "You've seen our serving uniforms. Would you expect the people wearing those uniforms to be alien-fighting superheroes?"

"Guess not," Shinji admitted, smiling. Mint took his hand and led him over to sit on the floor across from Ichigo, who held a small, flat white box wrapped with a multi-colored ribbon. When Mint studied the ribbon, she noticed that the colors were all those of the Tokyo Defenders.

"It's addressed to all of us," Ichigo said, holding up a gift tag that had been attached to the box. "Even you, Shinji."

"Guess Santa knew you'd be joining the team," Kish said as he plopped down beside Ichigo.

"Wait, I am?" Shinji asked, confused.

"Not the fighting part, but you're on the team now that you're in on the secret," Ryou said from where he leaned against a wall.

That was when Shinji saw Masaya and locked eyes with him.

"You're in on this, too?" Shinji asked. Masaya nodded.

"I figured out Ichigo was a Mew Mew when we were dating. And saved her a couple times. And then inadvertently almost destroyed Earth and tried to kill people in cold blood," He said sheepishly. "It's a very long story."

"If it was an anime, it would take, I don't know, like fifty-two episodes," Tart said.

"Or twenty-seven chapters of a manga, na no da," Pudding said.

"So, this means you're not cheating on my sister," Shinji asked Masaya for clarification.

"No, never!" Masaya said. He gave a half-smile. "I'm just helping here in any way I can."

Shinji seemed reassured by this answer and said,

"Good, because I thought I'd eventually have to beat you up."

"And I would have to let you," Masaya responded.

"You two done yet? I want to see what we got and figure out how it's supposed to help us," Rirī said.

"Yeah, open the box, Ichigo," Rozū said, now wrapped up in a blanket and clutching a teddy bear that was dressed in an outfit like her Battle-Form one. Obviously, someone had gotten into the presents.

Ichigo carefully tugged one end of the ribbon and it unwrapped itself from the box in seconds. She lifted the lid and her eyes widened.

"First-Class boarding passes for a four day round-trip to England!" She said, pulling them out of the box to show it to her friends.

"Plane tickets?" Lettuce said, her brow furrowed. "What do we need those for?"

"There's a note," Kish said, pulling it out of the bottom of the box. He read,

"Dear Tokyo Defenders, you are probably wondering what the reason behind this gift is. As I told you, it is useful. On March 20th, the Spring Equinox will occur. Unlike Autumn and Winter, Vernal will not appear in Tokyo. Instead, you will need to be at Stonehenge by dawn of the Equinox. There, you will meet Vernal, who will give you the next piece of the riddle. Of course, I encourage you to enjoy the trip and the sights of England. Because, after all, what fun is a life of all work and no play? Wishing you luck and a Merry Christmas, Santa Claus."

Kish looked up from the letter to look at his comrades.

"Sounds like we're going to England," Rin said.

"There's an extra ticket," Ichigo said. "There's sixteen tickets, but fifteen of us, counting non-fighters."

"P. S." Kish read, looking back down at the note. "There's an extra ticket. Just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Rozū asked with a yawn.

"We can worry about that later," Ryou said. "For now, let's just put the tickets in a safe place."

"Good idea," Keiichiro said as Ichigo placed the tickets back in the box and handed it to Ryou. "We have other things to worry about. For starters… Shinji what size pants do you wear?"

The look on the boy's face was priceless as he finally was able to get out,

"Wait, what?"

The other's laughed, realizing that it was now Shinji's fate to work in the Café as well.

Ichigo felt Kish grab her shoulders and twist her to face him. She smiled as she met his twinkling golden eyes

"Merry Christmas, Koneko-Chan," He whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Kish," Ichigo whispered back.

They leaned into each other, then suddenly heard a gasp from behind them.

"Pudding just realized that Santa's been to her house, na no da! Merry Christmas and bye, na no da!" Pudding said quickly and loudly as she used Kish and Ichigo's shoulders to rest her hands on as she flipped over them, pushing the two away from each other as she rushed out the door at the speed of sound.

Everyone else stared after her.

"Anyone else smell burnt ozone?" Masaya asked, sniffing the air.

"Oh, so that's what it is," Mint said.

"That smell does tend to linger around her," Rirī said.

"I would have teleported her," Tart said.

"Still would have been too slow for her," Lettuce said with a chuckle.

"Hey, what time is it?" Rin asked suddenly with a grin.

"Quarter till one, why?" Keiichiro asked. Rin pointed and they all smiled.

Underneath the Christmas tree was Rozū, curled up under a blanket with her arms wrapped around her new teddy bear, sound asleep.

"Someone owes the kid money," Ryou said. Pie chuckled.

"It appears I do," He said.

"Hey, what did she mean when she asked for her power for Christmas?" Ichigo asked.

"Cyniclons have two kinds of power, the ones we all share like flying, teleporting, strength, materializing objects into our hands, that kind of stuff," Rin said. "But then everyone has an additional one that is unique and personalized for them. Pie and I have mental strength, which includes our genius and able to communicate telepathically with each other."

"I've got control of plants," Tart said.

"My healing powers," Rirī said.

"And my control over Chimera Animals," Kish added.

"Unlike the uniform powers, these powers come in at various ages," Pie said. "One could be well into adulthood before they discover what their power is. Rozū is the only one who has not yet discovered her power in our family, excluding Asagao."

"She probably feels left out," Lettuce said sympathetically. "Especially being the youngest."

"She'll find her power," Rin said smiling as she stroked her sleeping sister's hair. She chuckled. "And if it's taken this long, that means it's going to be much stronger than any of ours."

"Uh," Shinji said nervously. "I'm still a little bit lost on all this."

"Let's take a trip to the basement, shall we?" Ryou said as he and Mint guided Shinji to the stairs.

Ichigo chuckled.

"Definitely the best Christmas ever," She said. "Strange, but still the best."