A/N: Hello everyone! Smurf is posting a new story! Yes, I am fully aware I have about five other stories to work on. I have between now and the new year to get a few chapters done. Anyways, I have posted a story called She Couldn't Forget which is a sequel to A Wish and Sadness. I am also posting a story called Forbidden Love. That is my Christmas story for this year. I will not be posting anything for the rest of the year. I will start posting after the new year though. This story is a Tokyo Mew Mew story that I got an idea for one night. This is Ryou and Ichigo, as always, and it will have a lemon in a later chapter. If you read I Love You, I promise that this lemon will be better than what I wrote years ago. I do hope you enjoy this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. Ikumi and Yoshida Reiko own it. If I owned it, Ryou and Ichigo would be together. They are meant for each other. You know they are!

Edit: I had every intention of posting my Christmas story today, but I accidently saved over it and everything was gone. I will be back to post it for you on December 22, 2011. Sorry if you are looking forward to reading it.

Smile for Me- Chapter One

Five years had passed since Masaya and I had broken up. After middle school, him and I went our separate ways. We were very different people. So much had happened to us, and it changed us. The break-up wasn't nasty, it was actually pretty easy. After we broke up, he went off to America to study and I stayed in Japan, where I knew where I belonged. We still kept in contact, and he had turned out to be one of my best friends.

Right now, I was finishing up my shift at the café. I was mopping the floor and the other girls were cleaning the tables and putting the chairs up on the tables. After we were done, we went into the locker rooms and took off our uniforms.

"So, Ichigo," Mint said, looking over at me, "when are you going to tell Ryou that you love him?"

I looked over at her a little shocked, and the other four girls paused in their getting dressed to hear what I had to say.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Oh come on, Ichigo. It is obvious that you love him. You have been madly in love with him for a few years now. Just suck it up and tell him how you feel!" Mint said.

Lettuce turned away from us and pulled her shirt over her head. She stuffed her uniform in her bag and stalked out of the locker room. It was common knowledge that she loved Ryou. But, so did I, though I didn't want to admit it. I pulled my shirt over my head and slipped on my sneakers and picked up my bag. Mint followed me badgering me to tell Ryou my feelings. I was arguing with her when we heard voices coming from the kitchen. It sounded like Ryou and Lettuce.

"But, Ryou!" Lettuce was saying. "I love you! Why can't you see that? I have been pursuing you for years now! Why won't you respond to my feelings?"

"Lettuce, I have told you over and over. We are better off as friends. I do not have any romantic feelings for you!" Ryou said.

There was silence for a few moments. It sounded like someone was crying, I had my suspicions that it was Lettuce. After all, she was the one who just had her heart broken, and from the sounds of it, it seemed like that's all that kept happening.

"Is it because of her?" Lettuce asked, bitterly.

The bitterness in Lettuces voice stunned me. In all the years I knew her, I had never heard so much bitterness in her voice. I heard Ryou sigh before he started to speak again.

"You know everything has to do with her. She is the one that keeps me going. I have loved her for a long time now."

So Ryou was in love with someone? I found myself wondering who it was, but I also found myself a little sad since I loved him, too. I heard footsteps and Lettuce came bursting out of the kitchen. She saw me and Mint and after glaring at me, she took off. I was a little confused. I had no reason to have her glare at me. I glanced over at Mint and was surprised to see her smirking. I opened my mouth to say something when the door opened again and out came the blond haired man of my dreams.

"Hey, are you two on your way home?" Ryou asked.

"I was, but I think Ichigo has something to say to you," Mint said, her smirk turning evil. "I will see you tomorrow. Call me later, Ichigo."

Ignoring my protests, she walked away and waved. Damn her and that smirk.

"What did you want to tell me, Ichigo?" Ryou asked.

I looked up at him, unable to say anything. Was he always this cute? As I just stared at him, his brow furrowed in concern and he reached out to feel my forehead. When his hand touched my face, I jumped back in shock and I felt my face turn red.

"Wh-what are you doing, Ryou?" I stammered.

"I was just checking to see if you were feeling alright. You were acting like a space case. Not that that is anything new. You are always acting like a space case and a klutz."

He was looking thoughtful and I felt anger rising up in me. What was his problem? He always insults me when he sees me, that wasn't new, but he insulted me after I thought he was being sweet and worrying about me.

"Ryou! You're a baka!" I yelled.

Before I knew it, my hand had reached out to slap him across the face, but he grabbed it before I could strike.

"Ichigo? What's wrong with you? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, even more concerned than before.

"You can be such a jerk, Ryou!"

I pulled my hand out of his grip and ran for the door, without looking back. I ran a few blocks before I slowed to a walk. What was his problem? He was acting like a total jerk. He may be cute, but as soon as he opens his mouth, he is so not cute anymore. Though, I couldn't deny how I felt about him. He may be a jerk to me all the time, I couldn't help but love him. I looked forward going to work just to see him. I felt the heat rising in my face and I quickened my pace.

When I reached home, I slipped off my shoes and yelled for my mom. I didn't get a reply, and feeling curious, I wandered into the kitchen and found a note. My mom and dad had gone out on a date and would return in the morning. I knew what that meant. I rolled my eyes as I put the note down and headed up the stairs to my room. I needed to start on my homework before I headed to bed.

When I reached my room, I pulled my books out of my bag and placed them on my desk. I sat down in my chair and attempted to do my homework, but my eyes kept being drawn a picture on my desk. It was a picture that was taken after we had defeated the Saint Rose Crusaders. We had just started our delivery service for the café. We were all standing in front of the café. It was a much simpler time, when everything wasn't so complicated. My eyes drifted to the corkboard above my desk, where I had a picture of Ryou tacked to it. Mint had managed to get it at a party a couple months ago and gave it to me.

I shook my head and continued on with my homework. It took me a good two hours to get through all of it, since my eyes kept getting drawn to the picture of Ryou. I cursed my heart, since it was its fault for falling in love with Ryou in the first place. I moved my books to the side and my head dropped forward onto the desk with a small thud. As I sat there, my phone started to ring. I picked it up and without looking at name, I answered it.

"Hey Mint," I said.

"How did you know it was me?" her voice asked.

I sat up, a small smile playing across my lips.

"You are the only one that calls me," I said.

"So, what happened between you and Ryou after I left?" she asked. "Are you two all lovey-dovey now?"

"Hmph. No. He basically insulted me and I stormed out."

"But, he does that all the time," Mint said.

"I know, but he was being very sweet at first. Then his claws came out and he tried to claw out my heart," I said, going downstairs to draw a bath.

"Nice metaphor, Ichigo," Mint said, sarcastically.

"That's how I felt," I said.

"Well, I am going to talk to him tomorrow," Mint said. "I need to go now though. My break is over."

We hung up and as the water ran, I wandered into the kitchen, thinking about to cook for dinner. It was going to be a long night alone.

A/N: What did you think of the first chapter? Did you like it? I am trying to get my TMM mojo flowing. It has been a long time since I wrote a story like this. I wanted to do something a little different from what I normally write. I am not going to lie to you, this story will turn out sad. But, in order to see what will happen, you will need to read my story as it unfolds. Anyways, please read and review. Remember constructive criticism is welcome, but please no flames. Merry Christmas and happy new year! See you next year!