oh my goodness, it's been so long since I've written a chapter for this story. please don't hate me, meow!

anyways, no matter, I'm back! this chapter is actually pretty short, but I hope you all like it. I missed the TMM fandom!

please review, babes!

xoxo,

nightfall26

ichigo.

I huffed heavily as I clambered away from the giant rat, wincing at the paper thin scrapes that had begun to appear along my arms. I'd been tossed around by this Kimera Anima for a while now, and all I wanted was for it to go away.

"I can't believe you, Kish!" I snapped, glaring at the alien boy who was hovering in the air above me. He laughed, loudly, wrinkling his nose at me like he usually did when he was trying to be playful.

"Attacking my school? That's so rude!" I continued, leaping into the air to deliver a blow to the enormous maroon creature. It roared a little, thrashing, trying to remove me as I dug my claws into its back.

"Does my pet bother you, kitten?" Kish teased, sticking his tongue out at me and floating around with his legs crossed. I narrowed my eyes at him before pressing my weapon down into the creature's stiff fur. But before I could dematerialize it, one of the spikes on its tail nailed me right in the center of my back. A scream tore from me, knocking me off the monsters back and onto the ground. I rubbed the sore patch on my back with a groan, frowning at the bruises I'd surely have tomorrow from this.

"Oh my god, everyone, look! It's one of the Mews!" A cry from the door behind me startled me into turning around, and when I did, I saw a barrage of my fellow students rushing out onto the rooftop. I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved being the center of attention, an audience was the last thing I wanted right now.

"Come on, everyone, get back inside! It's not safe!" I cried, pushing myself somewhat unsteadily to my feet. I didn't want them to see me like this- I was doing a terrible job. My heart wasn't in it. But all of a sudden, I saw a familiar head of dark brown hair appear in the crowd, and my heart sank even further. Masaya was watching. His features were so distinct to me that they stood out among the dozens of other boys.

Those big brown eyes had once been such a source of relief for me, a source of escape from the whirlwind of my life. I thought I'd known him so well, how had been able to be so cold with me?

What had changed? He'd cared about me, I'd seen it in his face, in the way he treated me, in the sweetness of his words and the honesty of his gaze. Was there someone else? Or had he just not been able to handle the fact that I was a Mew?

"Come on, kitten, I thought you were a better fighter than this! Are you still upset about that silly boy?" Kish gave my shoulder a poke, his eyes big and wide and filled with a deviance that made me swat him. I landed a delicate slap on his shoulder and he laughed again.

"You don't know anything about that, Kish!" He'd actually managed to hurt my feelings a bit, and I could barely restrain myself from turning to look at Masaya. He smirked at me, folding his arms as his eyes raked over me in a way that made me shudder uncomfortably. Kish could be so gross.

"Always fiesty, aren't you?" With another laugh, he soared above me again, watching the scene from high up in the sky. I frowned at him, pursing my lips and doing my best not to let him get to me too much.

"No, you're just being mean!" I snapped back, trying to push the image of Masaya from my mind, forcing him from my head. He was just distracting me, now, and I couldn't let it get to me. I had a duty to protect my school.

So I leapt up on the back of the creature again, forcing my Strawberry Bell down onto it's back. The bristles on its back were sharp and coarse, and it wasn't exactly comfortable for my hands to rest amongst the pointy strands. I wanted this to be over, already. Nagasaki-san was injured, and I really hated that Kish was watching me. I opened my mouth to utter my battle cry, taking in a long breath- and then I felt the tail knock me to the ground again.

Again! Ugh.

I really wasn't myself today, was I?

"Gotten yourself into trouble again, haven't you?" A shadow had fallen over me as I was trying hopelessly to pick myself up off of the ground, and the voice made my shoulders droop with relief.

The familiar blonde hair made me smile as the Blue Knight offered his hand to me, helping me to stand. The golden wisps blew in the wind, reminding me of the various moments where he'd been there for me lately. A blush shimmered along my cheeks as I remembered how sweet he'd been to me, and how he'd hugged me in the pouring rain after my breakup with Masaya.

"I usually end up finding trouble." I giggled a little, brushing myself off before facing the monster that was raging towards the screaming lot of students rushing back into the building.

He'd been pretty good at hugging, for an alien. Not to mention the whole carrying me to safety thing was pretty cool, too.

"I was born to protect you, Ichigo, but you'd think that you could take better care of yourself." He was teasing me today, and I liked the change. It was sweet, and it made him seem a little more real to me.

Together, we leapt towards the beast, and as he distracted it, I managed to land on its back and secure the Strawberry Bell.

We made such a good team.

He moved like I did- almost in a feline way, dancing from the roof into the air like he'd been fighting his whole life. I smiled a little, quietly, my face a little pink as I prepared myself to engage my weapon.

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!" I shouted, watching as the creature dissolved in a shower of sparkles. I scrambled back to the roof, noticing that my fellow students were clapping, laughing and cheering now that the monster was gone. I twirled once in a circle to appease the crowd, noting that Masaya was walking back into the school.

Good, I didn't want him here anyways. He was too much of a scaredy-cat to defend me when I needed it, so therefore, I didn't need him in my life at all.

Hmph.

"One of these days, kitten, I'm going to take you away with me. Especially now that you don't have a boyfriend." Kish hovered by my ear, and as I turned to swat my paws at him, he laughed before disappearing.

The Blue Knight was gone again, too. There was a heaviness to my heart at noticing this, and I darted over the roof before hiding behind a structure large enough to conceal my transformation back to a human. When it was safe, I hurried to Nagasaki-san's side. He had completely passed out, probably from being hit on the head. I shook him a little, my hands on his shoulders, worrying that he'd remember my transformation and he'd know my secret.

But once his crystal clear eyes opened, they narrowed at me for a second before recognizing me.

"What the hell, Momomiya?" He snapped, giving me a careful push off of him. I fell backwards with a huff, crossing my arm in indignation.

"Jeez, Nagasaki-san, I was only trying to see if you were alright." I stuck my nose in the air, feeling like he'd been entirely too rude to me. He rubbed his head a few times, confused, before squinting at me.

"What happened?" His voice was quiet, almost complacent for once, and I sighed a little. Awesome, he didn't remember a thing. This could most definitely work to my advantage.

"You fell and hit your head! I've been trying to wake you for some time." I explained loosely, hoping that he couldn't see through my weak lie. He seemed to buy it easily, though, much to my relief. For a second, he stared at me, focusing on me in a way that made me squirm a little before he looked away.

"I'd better visit the infirmary, then." There was a long, awkward pause, then, and I stared at him for a second before standing up and helping him get to his feet. At first he refused the help, but once he noticed his bodily weakness, he took my offered my hand.

"Would you mind accompanying me?" Nagasaki-san asked quietly, brushing his hair out of his eyes and straightening his jacket. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was probably the nicest thing he'd ever said to me.

"No, I don't mind at all." Niceness was my best bet, I decided. There was no use in being rude to him. I helped him walk to the infirmary, and we walked in silence the whole way. He looked at me with a quiet thankfulness in his gaze, and I wondered if he would be any kinder to me the following day.

"...and so I guess he's just rude to me because he's in a strange place, and all, you know? And he doesn't know anyone."

"Oh my god, Ichigo, you've been talking about this all afternoon. Shut up already, I bet he's rude to you because you're so annoying." Shirogane snapped from the kitchen, throwing me a glare as I told Mint my story from earlier. I rolled my eyes at my boss.

"Jeez, you're so mean to me! It was a tough morning!" I pouted, eyeing Mint's tea and putting my hands on my hips. I'd nursed several scrapes and cuts from my battle earlier, and now my shin was decorated with scrape that made my usually pale skin look red and patchy.

"Are you sure you're alright, Ichigo? I'm happy to dress those wounds for you, and you're always welcome to something to eat." Akasaka-san walked by, smiling gently at me and placing his hand on my shoulder. I smiled up at him, shaking my head a little.

"No thanks, Akasaka-san, I think I'll be okay!" I said cheerfully, ignoring the burn of my shin for the time being because I didn't want Shirogane to call me a baby.

"If you say so." He drifted back to the kitchen, the oven beckoning him back to his baking.

"Anyways, what are you doing drinking tea, Mint? We've got to get ready to open!" This was our typical argument, and as usual, she sighed heavily, crossing her ankles.

"This is so tiring. You should get used to this by now, Ichigo. I drink tea, you work. It's just our silent agreement."

"Agreement?! I never agreed to anything of the sort!" I exclaimed, feeling particularly out of place today.

"Ichigo, could you attend to the door? Someone's knocking." Shirogane said boredly, swatting at me with a laminated menu before scooping up Mint's teacup.

"And you, finish sweeping!"

"Shirogane, you know I hate sweeping."

I walked towards the door, brushing my apron down and readying myself to see a customer. I plastered a big smile on my face before opening the big double doors, peering outside and getting the shock of my life.

Nagasaki-san was standing outside, his hands knotted together and an expression on his face that I didn't recognize. Some of his school books were tucked under his arm.

"Nagasaki-san!" I couldn't help how surprised my voice sounded, and it startled him so much that he almost dropped his books.

"Ah, Momomiya-san. I heard that you worked here, and- well, I figured we could do our homework together." He was so awkward all of a sudden, which made absolutely no sense to me. A grin burst on my face- I couldn't help it, gosh, I was so embarrassing- and I opened the door a little wider.

"That'd be nice, actually. I'll be done my shift in two hours or so, would you want to meet somewhere?" My tone was much sweeter than it had ever been towards the white-haired boy.

"Ichigo, you hate doing homework." Mint drifted by behind me, her expression deadpan and her eyes slitted as she stared me down suspiciously. Lettuce wasn't too far behind her, adjusting her glasses and smiling at me.

"I think it'd be great for you to study some, Ichigo! You could go to the library. I love the library." Lettuce's love of books never ceased to amaze me. I hadn't ever had the patience to just sit and read for any longer than I had to.

"Could we study now? I have... plans later." Nagasaki-san finished lamely, scratching the back of his head before looking away from me.

"You won't get paid if you ditch your shift today!" Shirogane cautioned from the kitchen, eyeing me with his lips pressed together firmly. I huffed a little, crossing my arms as I thought over this new prospect. Part of me wanted to get to know him a little better, because I always loved making friends.

And he was a boy.

A cute boy.

But he was also a jerk, and I didn't know if he was just inviting me to study so he could hurt my feelings or something nasty like that. I licked my chapped lips, tasting the remnants of my strawberry chapstick before nodding slowly.

Plus, oh my god- I couldn't be over Masaya so quickly!

"I can study now. Give me a minute to change, and I'll meet you outside, okay?" I smiled at him, and he grinned back, his face almost excited. I shrugged a little to myself as I closed the door on him and headed back to the locker room.

Who knew, maybe he was actually a really nice guy- deep down. Really deep down.

"Ugh, Ichigo, you can be impossible." Mint rolled her eyes at me as I left, swinging my messenger bag over my arm and heading out into the sunshine of the afternoon with someone I'd just about hated earlier today.

"So what's with the sudden change of heart, Nagasaki-san? I was pretty convinced you hated me." I said to the pale boy who had tucked one of his hands into his pockets.

"I don't know, it was pretty nice of you to help me earlier today, and I felt bad for treating you so badly." He said noncommittally, not looking at me. I smiled anyways, ruffling my hair with one of my hands to make sure that my twin ponytails were even.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but maybe a new friendship wouldn't be all bad.

Once we entered the library, a certain brown haired, brown eyed boy happened to be leaving at the same exact time we were walking in. I stuck my nose high in the air, refusing to look at the boy who had thrown my heart so carelessly on the ground.

"Ichigo-" Masaya said my name. He actually had the nerve to speak to me again. I fumed a little for a second before deciding to snap right back at him, and I spun on my heel to glare at him pointedly.

"You'll address me as Momomiya-san from now on, please. We aren't friendly enough for a first name basis." I couldn't help being snarky, and I quipped the words over my shoulder at the boy I'd been so absolutely devoted to a few days ago. I left him standing wide-eyed behind me, his hands hanging limply by his side in a way that looked awfully defeated.

"Wow, that was harsh. What'd he do to deserve that?" Nagasaki-san asked, once we were inside and sitting down. I crossed my legs and opened my notebook, tucking my pencil behind my ear and sighing.

"We just have a bad history, that's all." I muttered lowly, trying not to expose myself too much to this new kid. He shrugged a little, opening his own books before leaning over them.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." He teased a little, a half smirk decorating his face. A short giggle escaped my lips, and I hurried to close my mouth, embarrassed but also happy that he'd lightened up a bit.

Who knew, maybe this studying thing wouldn't be all bad.

"Are you watching his vitals?"

"Carefully, sir."

"And what do you have to report?"

"His emotions and heart rate have skyrocketed in the past few days. We think something traumatic has happened."

"Is that girl still hanging around him?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"He could explode any day, now. We'll have to keep a close watch on this one."

"Yes, sir."

"For now, release the first of our hybrids. I want to see how those stupid Mews react to a true show of our power."

"Of course."

suspense is always my fav, hehe! see ya'll for the next chapter soon.

please review, guys! much, much love for all of you that have followed this story!

xoxo,

nightfall26