"You say I'm blue when I cry

But you can't see sad with your eyes

(Freak!)

I know they think I'm a freak (Freak)

'Cause everything I wear is pink (Freak)" -Elliot Lee, Pink

I groaned as I could hear my strawberry alarm clock ringing on my nightstand. Opening my eyes, I read that time as 7:00 AM; rolling onto my back, stretching my arms above my head to try and wake myself up. Today is the last day before winter break, unfortunately, I also have exams to take as well. I release a sigh as I swing my legs off my pink bed, rubbing my eyes as I stand up to walk over to my dresser. I catch myself in my vanity mirror, my red hair messy and trying to fly in all different directions. Pig-tails aren't going to do today with this three day old hair. I should wash my hair after school before I see Aoyama, he would probably find it unladylike for me to have hair as dirty as mine is.

I pull my hair up into a messy bun, tying it down with a white hair tie and adding a red hair bow to the back, matching my uniform's red bow on the chest-piece. I quickly put on my uniform and socks before heading downstairs, briefcase in tow, to grab some breakfast I can smell my mother cooking. Descending the stair I catch a whiff of strawberry syrup and pancake mix in the air. I rush down faster to see my mother flipping a pancake and my father reading the newspaper, sipping his coffee.

"Good morning!" I smiled cheerily.

"Good morning Ichigo!" my mother and father said sweetly.

I grabbed a plate and stacked two pancakes on top of each other, pouring strawberry syrup onto the pancakes, watching as the syrup envelopes every inch of the breakfast sweet.

"Are you going to be home late today Ichigo? I heard Aoyama-kun was in town." My mother questioned, leading to my father peeking over his newspaper with a bit of jealousy leaving his gaze.

"She's always out late! Why can't you ever come home and spend time with your father Ichigo? Am I no longer good enough?" He gives me his signature puppy dog eyes.

"Dad! You know that's not the case! Plus I'll be with you guys for Christmas after my date with Aoyama-kun!" I insisted.

"A date?!" Before my father could berate me further, I was thankfully saved by the doorbell.

"That's Berry! Gotta go! Love you, bye!" I rushed, gathering my briefcase, heading out the door.

I stuffed my feet into my school loafers, threw on my pink overcoat, and opened up the door. I see Berry right by my outdoor stairs and Tasuku outside my front gate.

"You have no idea how grateful I am to see you two right now." Berry giggles as we start walking towards the school. "I see you opted out of skating today Tasuku-san." I pointed to his feet.

"Too dangerous with all the ice on the ground this morning, but don't you worry, I still brought them!" He puffed his chest out proudly.

"Of course you did." I grimace. "I don't know how Berry deals with all of your energy."

"Just like how you deal with Kisshu's, through patience and love of course!" He wiggled his eyebrows.

I furrow my eyebrows, trying my hardest to look disgusted, "I don't love Kisshu first off. And it took A LOT of time to get the patience I have for him. After all, he likes to invade my personal space and wants to be attached to my hip at all hours of the day!"

"What's so wrong about that kitty-cat?" As if on cue, Kisshu appears in front of us, floating with a smirk on his face. He flies down, wrapping his arms around my waist.

Just great. I didn't wanna deal with him today, especially after he heard the things I said to Aoyama last night. He probably thinks he won some brownie points with me just because he is now the one who can protect me in a fight. I look into his golden eyes, feeling my heart skip a beat and melt a little away. Dammit. His eyes scream of hunger with a hint of flirtatiousness in them. I could feel a small blush creep across my face. My body is going against my wishes. I squirm against Kisshu's body, trying to free myself from his grasp.

"Well kitty-cat, if you wanted to grind up against me you could've just said so from the start," he smirked, flashing his pointed tooth.

"In your dreams Kisshu! Let me go! I'm gonna be late for school!" I pushed against his chest to try and get him to release me.

"You're no fun sometimes kitten," he frowns. But I can see the playful intentions in his eyes. "But I will listen," I can feel his grip loosen, but he still has his arms around my waist, "just this once though. After all it seems like I am finally catching up to lover boy in that heart of yours!" He released me fully, giving me a wink as I could sense that the teasing was about my blush.

Stupid teenage hormones. Making me react in ways I have no intentions of doing. I clear my throat and push Kisshu to the side, stomping my way to school. As if I could ever love Kisshu! All he does is tease me, hold me and kiss me against my will! You like it though. Listen here little voice in my head! You're just my teenage hormones, lusting over someone who isn't right for me! Afterall, the bad boy type makes all the girls swoon, it's such a cliche in all my tv shows. Aoyama is the one for me. He treats me with respect and lets me make all the moves in the relationship, like a gentleman. But Kisshu takes the lead, something you want Aoyama to do. I furrowed my brows in frustration. I don't like my conscience trying to become sentient with my feelings. Or maybe I just don't like calling myself out?

I turn my head over to Kisshu who took the opportunity to become a guard of some sorts while we walked to school. Noticing the way he surveys the area, on guard in case of an attack, but occasionally looking my way. Probably to just sneak looks my way. Can you blame him? If he didn't care for you, he wouldn't want to be around you or protect you. I look away from him, hoping that I am able to hide my expression of guilt. I couldn't love Kisshu, but that didn't mean he didn't love me in some capacity right?

After arriving at school, Kisshu waved goodbye to Berry and Tasuku and was able to steal a kiss on my cheek away from me before teleporting off. We were in class, slaving away at our exams. Hours had flown by, before I knew it the bell rang for lunch time, the clock reading 12:30 PM. I stretched in my seat, letting out a small cat like yawn. I could go for a long cat nap after school today.

"Momomiya-san," I blinked and looked up to where the voice came from.

"Aoyama-kun?" Standing beside my desk was my boyfriend, "W-what are you doing here?" I hurried to my feet, a small blush welcoming onto my face. I don't know what I did to deserve this precious gift, but thank you!

All the girls from our grade were swarming the classroom as the news of the old kendo star was back at school. Some girls were giving me death glares, while others were too doe-eyed staring at Aoyama. I caught the new kid, Sato, staring aggressively at Aoyama, almost like he knew who he was. Or what he was in the past.

Panicking, I grabbed Aoyama by the hand, "W-why don't we go somewhere private?"

"Alright, how about the rooftop?" he suggested.

I nod in agreement and pull him towards the stairwell to the rooftop. Running up the stairs, feeling the slight pull on my hamstrings, we reached the top. Aoyama opened the door for us, I peaked around making sure we had no interruptions or un-welcomed visitors, like Kisshu. He loved appearing at the worst moments after all. I walk out onto the rooftop and prop open the door with a brick that was lying around. I turned around to look at Aoyama who was gazing past the fence, looking like an old man reminiscing about the past.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Aoyama-kun?" I asked, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

"I wanted to come and talk a little bit more about what we had discussed last night," he stated harshly.

My heart sank. Of course, it wasn't a sweet, surprise visit. He would never come and see me at school for no reason. I wish he would. I wish sometimes he would act like Kisshu and just show up unannounced. I mean he kind of did yesterday, he showed up earlier for his Christmas visit to surprise me. But he was already planning on being here, it's not like he came down to visit during the fall semester. I shook my head and put myself back into focus on the topic at hand. There's no point in comparing the two.

"What about last night? I said what I wanted to say, I'm fighting again and there's nothing you can do about it." I firmly put my foot down. He wasn't going to win this one, he already won when he got me to be with him in London over the summer, leaving the Mews leaderless before they had found Berry.

"But Ichigo, I thought you had lost your powers?"

"So did I, but obviously they hadn't because when I returned to Japan they manifested again and I had to help fight the Saint Rose Crus-"

"You what?!"

I took a step back at Aoyama's sudden voice increase. I could see the rage building up in his eyes and the slight red flush against his ear tips and neck.

"I-I told you about them!" I flustered. I am so sure I told him about that summer incident.

"You didn't mention you fought them, Ichigo!" I could hear him getting angrier. He released a rage fueled scream as he kicked a potted plant that was left up here. The pot shattering made me wince and cower ever so slightly, "What if you were hurt Ichigo?! I was back in London! I couldn't protect you!"

"I had Berry and the other mews! I was fine! It's also not like you can transform anymore! I don't understand why you're overreacting." I could feel the pain of my heart breaking inside the back of my throat, tears threatening to break the barrier in my eyes.

"Overreacting?! You think I'm overreac-"

Before he could finish his statement, the school building started shaking and a loud roar could be heard, piercing my ears. I try to focus in on where the shrieking noise was coming from, putting all my focus on pinpointing the vibrations as well. Another shrill cry was made, and I realized the noises and vibrations were coming from the gym building. I pull out my power amulet from my uniform skirt pocket.

"Ichigo, don't!"

I hear Aoyama's cry to stop, but I can't leave my school and classmates defenseless. It goes against everything I stand for as a Mew Mew.

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY! METAMORPHOSIS!"

A blinding, warm light envelopes me. Pink ribbons encase my body as I transform into my stronger self. I feel my bun release itself to free flowing against my neck, curls, my black cat ears and tail appearing and brushing against my skin. As the blinding light recedes I notice how my Mew form has changed. My choker was now adorned with a big red ribbon tied into a bow with my pendant in the center, however, my pendant was now in the shape of a heart, fully colored pink and outlined gold. My right hand glove no longer had a bow on top and matched perfectly with my left one. The bottom of my skirt was more rounded and puffed up with some red, spiked accents at the end. My garter was fully red with a nice ribbon added to the side, spikes also accenting on the sides of the garter and ribbon. My boots are shorter with spikes accenting the top of them, and a small pink bow at the top of my laces. I moved my tail around in excitement and could hear that I still had my bow with the bell as the center attached.

I pulled my phone's camera out to see how I looked in my new outfit. I was shocked to see my bubblegum pink hair was gone, instead my hair was a faded red to match my red accents on my outfit, and my pink eyes were changed to faded red with pink flecks. I was so excited about the new change that the monstrous cry startled me out of my trance. I put my phone away and focus my attention towards the gymnasium. As I start walking towards the building, Aoyama grabs my wrist, a bit too rough in my opinion.

"Ichigo, please don't do this," he pleads.

I pull away, hurting myself in the process, "I have to Aoyama-kun. I am a Mew Mew."

I run towards the rooftop edge, leaping down, feet first on the ground. Tears in my eyes as I race towards the gymnasium. I wish he knew how much being a Mew Mew was to me. I wish he knew how much of this DNA is a part of me. I wish he didn't see me as such a fragile object. An object. I rather be seen as a freak than an object. I am not an object to win or protect. I am a Mew Mew. Not just any Mew Mew, but the leader of the Mew Mews!

As I approach the gymnasium, I notice how there's ice under the door. Reaching out to touch the door, the wood felt frozen. Even though there was snow outside on the grass, the door was sheltered from mother nature thanks to an overhang above the walkway and door. But, not only was there was ice under the door, it was all over the walkway beneath the overhang. I tried to pry the door open, but it was no use. Imma have to kick the door down. I ready up my position, lifted my leg up, and kicked the door in, ice flying off the door's hinges and piercing my skin a bit. The inside was much worse than I was anticipating, snow covering the laminated flooring, icicles hanging off windows and the ceiling, and an abominable ice and snow monster standing before me.

"Do ya like it? I made it myself!" A familiar voice proudly stated.

From behind the monster, a figure appeared from the shadows. Sato Kane, the new kid, was flying above me and the ice monstrosity. His emerald eyes glinting cold against the ice and snow, ready for blood. He laughed boisterously as his hair started transforming to become white as snow, length growing down to his waist, his encaptivating emerald eyes started to swarm with icy blue hues, and his skin along his cheekbones grew white, ice like scales to match the icicles hanging above him.

"Wanna dance with my creations, little kitty cat?" He smiled devilishly.

I cringed at the sound of my nickname from someone other than Kisshu.

"Only one person is allowed to use absurd nicknames on me!"

"Well how about," he flies down to me at the speed of a snow leopard, grabbing me by my cheeks in his hand, "we make it two people pinkie?"

His icy blue eyes pierce my reddish pink ones like a cold blizzard night, his focus flicks down to my lips briefly before looking over my shoulder. "How unfortunate, we have company."

He throws me down to the ground, my head hitting the snow. I whip around to see Aoyama standing in the doorway. What is he doing here? Why did he follow? Doesn't he know he's in danger?! I hear a dark, menacing chuckle from Sato, an ominous aura flowing out of him. He lifts himself in the air and charges towards Aoyama, leaving an ice trail behind him covering the ground and flecks of snow hanging in the air. The air around Sato's hands changes, an ice blue light appears in his hands as ice forms around Aoyama's feet, making escape impossible. If I don't get to him fast enough he's going to end up as an ice statue. I struggle to stand onto my feet as the ice morphs around his ankles, quickly ascending up to his legs and starting to crystallize at his hands. The ice hardens into black ice, making it impossible to break out of, no matter how much Aoyama struggles. Sato summons multiple ice swords above Aoyama's body as the last bit of the ice grows around his chest and neck. I leap up and start running towards Aoyama, whose body looks exactly like an ice sculpture mounted to the ground, leaving his head out for the swords to slice off. The swords above his head start descending down from the heavens, their ice build glistening in the sunlight, moving at the speed of which is similar to an icicle falling from inside a cave, affected from echoes and vibrations. If the swords weren't heading towards my boyfriend's head it would look beautiful in the sunlight, you can see how the ice crystalized to form the shape of a sword, how the snow flake shapes formed an intricate pattern on the hilt.

But all I could envision was the frozen tips of the swords piercing my boyfriend's body. Possibly even slicing his head off like a guillotine. Watching as the bright red blood would contrast with the ice's cool hues and how I could lose him in a matter of seconds all because he couldn't just trust me. He couldn't just back off and let me take care of everything without endangering himself once again for me. If only he could just love and support me from the sides, waiting for the fighting to end, waiting for me to leap into his arms. Racing against the swords and my new enemy to. And of course I once again can't save him fast enough.

"AOYAMA-KUN!"

A/N: Hello! I decided to go with the Tokyo Mew Mew New 2022 transformed outfits for this series! Mostly because I like how they are updated and modern and I personally believe they are cuter. Hope you guys don't mind the slightly longer chapter, I have so much I wanna write down and share with this story!