The next morning I woke up. It will be just like yesterday I thought to myself. I dragged myself out of bed. I was even more tired than usual.

At school I fell asleep during class twice and I ate fish for lunch! (I hate fish) Then the weirdest thing of all was that I fell out of the second story window (I saw a butterfly! It was pretty...) and landed on my feet! Good thing no one was watching! "What's wrong with me??" my mind screamed.

I decided to take a walk around the park to clear my head.

"It's official...I'm a freak..."I said.

Then a monster burst out of the tree. It looked at me and lunged out to attack me.

"I'm too young to die!!" I screamed.

Eh? I was safe? How? I look down. I was in a TREE?? Wait...not just in a tree...In someone's ARMS?! I looked up to see the face of a guy older than me and with gorgeous blue eyes and blond hair.

"You're lighter than her."

"Eh? Her? Who are you??"

"Oh I'm sorry. I am Ryou Shirogane , Chero Aoyama."

How did he know my name?

"You have to fight the monster."

"How??"

"Don't ask questions just do it!"

"You have to give me a better answer than that!!"

Then he pushed me off the tree branch.

"Go!!" he said.

"WAH?!" I screamed falling towards the ground. I landed on my feet again...Only I wasn't in my uniform?! I was in a white dress with black stripes and had EARS?? And a TAIL?? Words formed in my head.

"R-rainbow Staff! Ribbon Rainbow BLAST!" I said destroying the monster.

"Good. Now come with me."

"Eh? AREN'T YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN ALL THIS??"

"If you come with me I will explain it all."

"...Fine..."

I got into his car and he drove up to the cute café that I saw the day I went to the exhibit. He opened the car door for me and helped me out. He then opened the door to the café. It was even cuter inside!!

"Welcome to Café Mew Mew."

"Wow..."

He led me into a place that looked like a lab. Another man who looked way older than Ryou-kun was there.

"Welcome Aoyama-san. I'm Keiichiro Akasaka ." he said.

"Eh? Can someone please explain what's going on here?" I said.

"Let me explain." that voice... So...familiar.

"Dad?" I questioned.

My father walked out of the shadows.

"Yes Chero...Let me explain. There are a small group of aliens part of a larger group. The small group has come here with creatures called kirema anima like the one you saw and are trying to destroy the humans so they can have earth for themselves." Dad said.

"We thought that long ago we had gotten rid of them, but our sources say this is a different group and this younger generation has forgotten the truce we made with their kind. Now you as apart of the new Mew Project have to fight this new group off. Once you defeat them you're powers will fade away and you will be normal again," Ryou added.

"So what you're saying is I'm a super hero?...I DON'T WANNA FIGHT ALONE! Don't I get a sidekick of something?? All the good super heros get sidekicks"

"Alone? Oh yeah... There are four others like you...You'll have to find them on your own. It should be around here..." Ryou said pulling down my sock.

"Eh? What are you doing?"

"This..." he said pointing to a new mark above my ankle, "That is the injection mark. All of the others will have a mark like this somewhere on their body."

"So all I have to do is find four other girls who have a mark like this?"

He nodded.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! How am I suppost to find four girls in all of Tokyo with this mark!"

"Chero, calm down. I know this all must be overwhelming for you, but you have to listen." Dad said.

"Sorry Dad...How...How do I uh...go back to normal?" I asked.

"Just think about yourself going back to normal," Keiichiro said.

I did so and I did go back.

"Wow...That was too easy..."I said.

"Yeah...I didn't tell you so you would come with me,"Ryou said.

"Chero, you must keep this a secret. Don't even tell your Mom." Dad said.

"Eh? Why not? Why can't I tell Mom?"

"She would worry too much," he said.

"Ok..."

"Ryou will you walk Chero home please? I have some work to finish up."

"Ok. Come on." Ryou said.

"Eh? Sorry!" I said catching up to him.

We walked in silence. When we arrived at my house Mom was standing there waiting. A look of shock went across her face.

"R-ryou?!" She said.

"Ichigo...It's been a long time." Ryou said calmly.

"What are you doing here?! And why haven't you aged?!"

I was very confused... It seems they know each other.

"Keiichiro and I were working on a project and the first experiment went horribly wrong so now I'm stuck at this age. The reason I'm here is that I ran into Masaya and Chero on their way home. Masaya said he forgot something at his office and asked me to walk Chero home so you wouldn't worry."

"Oh. Thanks."

He turned to me and tapped his pointer finger on my nose.

"You take care of yourself Chero." He said with a smile, " See you Ichigo."

He turned and left. He made me feel weird...I could feel myself blushing.

"Well he is cute...For an old guy." I thought to myself.

When I woke up the next morning I dragged myself down the stairs still in my Pj's since it was Saturday. When I walked in the kitchen my dad embraced me.

"Eh?" I said.

"Good Morning Chero!" He said and the whispered so I could only hear, "Today you should go and try to find the other girls."

He let go and went over to kiss my mom. Great... It's Saturday and I have to play detective. I never liked those mystery novels.

After breakfast I decided to go to the only place I could think of to start looking. It was back to the exhibit. I walked around for a while and then I saw my clue!

"YES!!" I exclaimed.

I was then being stared at by a bunch of stranger...The hat! The hat was up in a tree where the monkey girls was playing keep away from pigtail girl.

"Now if only I could reach it..."

I tried jumping to get the hat and then climbing. I failed... Then I saw a tall guy.

"Excuse me? Sir? Could you get my hat down?" I asked.

He nodded, reached up and grabbed it. He turned and handed it to me.

"Thanks!!"

Yes! My clue!! I finally had it! I looked inside the hat and found the location of the hat store... Of course it was all the way on the other side of town... After WALKING to the other side of town and getting the girl's address I was on my way!...Her house was on the same side of town I just came from!!

After what seem like hours I was finally at the girl's house. It was HUGE!! I walked up to the front door and rang the door bell. Still in awe by the huge house I didn't notice the butler standing at the door.

"Miss?? What is you want?"

"Sorry... Oh yeah. I'm here to return this hat. I went all the way to the hat shop to find the address so I could return the hat." I said.

"I'll call Miss. Leaf down so she can get her hat back. In the mean time please come in. Don't sit. Madam Leaf would be angry if I let a common girl with a dress like that sit on her nice furniture."

The butler led me inside and then went to fetch the girl. I was fuming!

"How dare he make fun of me like that! My Mom made this dress for me! I like it. It's very...flouncy." I thought.

The dress I was wearing was about knee length and was pink with strawberries all over it. Today I wore matching hair clip and everything!

A few minutes later the girl walked in. She was wearing a long sleeved sweater? It was at least 80 degrees out.

"You're one of the girls who tired to get my hat back. You got my hat? Thank you!" She said with a smile.

"No problem," I said handing the hat over.

"My name is Peppermint Leaf, but you can call me Pepper."

"Eh? Oh. My name is Chero Aoyama, and you can call me Chero."

"Yeah my Mom named me Peppermint. Her name is kinda weird too. It's Mint. I guess she wanted me to be like her."

"Well my Mom's name is Ichigo."

We started giggling at our parent's weird names. Then a lady with black hair pulled up in two buns one on each side came over.

"Pepper! What did I say about socializing with commoners?" the lady asked.

"To not...But MOM! She was returning my hat!"

"You got your hat back. Now show her the door."

"Ok...Sorry Chero..."

Pepper led me to the door and then walked outside with me.

"I'm sorry about my mom..."

"It's ok. I hope to see you again."

I turned and started walking away. Ugh! I forgot to look for the mark... Then I heard Pepper scream! I ran back to see what was wrong. There floating over her was a huge bird like kirema anima! I had to transform!

"Hey! Ugly bird kirema anima! Over here!! Pick on someone who can put up a fight!" I said.

The thing turned it's attention to me.

"Don't worry Pepper! I'll protect you."

I noticed her sleeve was ripped off and on her wrist was the mark!

"Pepper! You're like me! You have to transform!"

"Are you crazy Chero?? I can't!!"

"Yes you can!"

The bird thing grabbed me in it's talons. I was in pain...

"Pepper..."

"No!!"

Then the amazing happened...She transformed! She was wearing a short red skirt with matching sleeveless top. She had a little straps on each arm just below her shoulders. A pair of small red wings with a blue and yellow stripe unfolded from her back, while a matching tail sprouted out. Her hair turned a reddish brown and her eyes a maroon color.

"Feather Darts!" She said making a bunch of feather like darts appear in her hand, " Ribbon Feather Shower!" She threw the darts. They split into millions of red beams of light, striking the monster destroying it. She and I went back to normal.

"You did it!" I cried hugging her.

"I did. Didn't I?"

I nodded.

"Come you must meet everyone else."I said dragging her with me.

"But I have to tell my Mom."

"Ok just tell her you're going to Café Mew Mew because you want to go get a job. If she ask why say you just want the experience. Ok?"

"Ok! I'll be right back." She said running into the house.

Pepper came running inside to her mother, Mint. The former Mint Aziwa was enjoying her afternoon tea as she does everyday.

"Mom! Mom!" the girl cried running in the room.

"What is it Pepper?" Mint asked her daughter.

"Mom is it ok if I go to Café Mew Mew?"

A look of shock crossed Mint's face.

"Wh-Why would you go there? You might spoil your dinner."

"Well I get sooo bored around here and I thought maybe I could get a job there. I always wanted to see how it feels to earn some money of my own for once."

"...Ok..."

"Thanks Mom!" Pepper said rushing out the door.

"Café Mew Mew is hiring? They never let anyone work there unless they had a relation to the Mew project. Could it be that Ryou has started the project once again? Could it be my daughter is apart of it?" Mint pondered.

Mint then decided to pay a visit to an old friend down at Café Mew Mew.

We rushed into Café Mew Mew and headed straight for the lab. I saw my Dad at once working on the computer with Ryou.

"Dad! Look! I found the first addition to the team!" I said full of excitement.

Dad look up and saw Pepper. He smiled.

"Good job Chero." he said turning to us, "My name is Masaya Aoyama. I and Chero's father and I helped with the research for the second Mew project."

"Hi. I'm Peppermint Leaf. You may call me Pepper." Pepper said shaking my Dad's hand.

"I'm Ryou. I'm the founder of the Mew project." Ryou said.

Keiichiro walked over and smiled.

"I'm Keiichiro. I own this café and will be your boss once you start working here on Monday. We're having the official Re-Opening of Café Mew Mew then. You see café like this attract girls and in order to find the rest of the Mews you have to be able to listen to rumors of newly developed skills or power. So, the best way to do that is to be a waitress." Keiichiro said.

"Wow. So what exactly is going on?"

"You have been injected with the DNA of the Scarlet Macaw as Chero has been with the White Tiger's. You and Chero have to fight monsters like the one you saw to protect the world from a race of aliens." Ryou said.

After explaining to Pepper everything that was going on we were each given a uniform. We were told that we had to wear them to work. Mine was black while Pepper's was red.(I'm not going to say anything else about the outfits, since everyone reading this should know what the look like.)

After a while Pepper went home. I helped get the café ready for Monday. Dad drove me home later. It was getting late when we finally got home and Mom was waiting.

"Why are you both just getting home now? Why were you out so late? I was worried! My pot roast is cold!" Mom complained.

"Ichigo. Honey, Chero was exploring the town and I ran into her on my way back to work from picking up some supplies. She asked if she could come and see my office. I said yes and gave her a tour. The reason we're back so late is that my boss changed the due date on one of my projects. I asked Chero to wait with me until I finished it. I forgot to call. Sorry." Dad said.

"Well...Ok...I'll go warm dinner up."

Ichigo was warming up dinner. The phone started to ring. She set the freshly warm food on the dinner table and then answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ichigo? It me, Mint."

"Minto? Mint Aizawa?"

"Yes. Well, now it's Mint Leaf."

"Leaf?"

"...Yes..."

"...So what did I do to deserve this call?"

"...You didn't do anything. Ichigo... Café Mew Mew is reopening."

"What?! So, you think there is a new mew project?"

"Yes. I also think my daughter is apart of it. Will you come down to the Café with me? Please?"

"Um...I was just about to sit down for dinner..."

"I'll buy you dinner. Please? I don't want to go alone."

"It's so unlike you to beg...Ok Mint-chan."

"I'll pick you up in 5 minutes ok?"

"Ok. See you Mint." Ichigo said hanging up.

She walked back to the dining room. Chero and Masaya were already seated.

"Um... I'm going out. Go ahead and eat with out me."

"Where are you going Mom?" Chero asked.

"I'm going to have dinner with an old friend."

Ichigo grabbed her bag and head out the door just in time to see a limo pull up. She got in and the limo drove away.

Masaya peeked out the window just in time to see his wife climb into a limo and ride away.

"Dad? Who is that?"

"That my dear I'm guessing was Mint Aizawa."

"Oh...You known Pepper's Mom's name is also Mint. Isn't that funny?"

"...I thought she looked familiar. Pepper must be Mint's daughter."

"Dad... What if Mint figured it out and is going to tell Mom?"

"I'm sure Mint knows nothing. It's not like her daughter mentioned working at Café Mew Mew or anything..."

"Yeah... Or anything..."

"Oh no!" I thought.

What if Pepper did tell her mom and she is going to tell my mom! Our secret will be blown! Mom will never let me fight. I haven't even found the rest of the Mews yet!! I guess I'll I can do is wait.