Description: Ichigo keeps getting little bits of attention from Keiichiro, the new-ness of the flirting is driving her nuts. It also makes her feel guilty. Can Ichigo pick between her first love and the man of her dreams?

Rating: T Just to be Safe

Couples: KeiichiroxIchigo, MasayaxIchigo.

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"I looked at him as a friend, then I realize I loved him."

-Anonymous

The days were fleeting and trivial. Nothing exciting. Nothing New.

A red haired girl walked through the cafe towards the kitchen. The smell of cakes wafted through. Something had been off lately. Ichigo had felt different. She didn't crave being around Masaya so much. They had been together for almost a year now and were on the dull side of their relationship. Everything they did, was dull and in a routine. Ichigo loved Masaya, but she didn't want this routine anymore. About a month ago, she had mentioned the situation to her boyfriend. Masaya acted as though he took her seriously, but nothing really changed.

The two of them seemed dull again. Ichigo was tired of it.

Her brown glassy eyes flitted through to the kitchen, a tall man hummed as he stirred batter in a huge bowl. The cat mew put the dirty plates in the huge dish washer, she smiled in passing to the humming chef. Keiichiro observed her actions for a few moments. Ichigo seemed flustered.

"You all right Momomiya-san?"

The red head looked up at him, she weakly smiled, he saw right through it. Her voice was filled with forced kindness,

"I'm fine."

Keiichiro chuckled and began pouring the batter into a cake mold, his tone was genuinely kind,

"You don't have to tell me. But if you feel like talking you know I'm here. "

Ichigo felt sort of guilty, he was just being nice, she smiled up at him,

"So sorry Akasaka-san. I didn't mean-"

"No! Momomiya-san its completely fine. I've just noticed you aren't acting the same, and I was just concerned."

The girl nodded and she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by someone entering the kitchen. Masaya smiled over at her warmly as he approached them, he leaned in and planted a dainty kiss on her cheek.

"Good afternoon Ichigo!"

Her eyes fell past Masaya as she smiled at her boyfriend passively, Keiichiro wasn't looking at them. His smile was just slight, and his concentration was no longer directed at Ichigo. The red head dismissed the whole situation and followed Masaya out of the kitchen and carried on with her own day. The chef kept to himself for most of the day, he kept smiling to himself throughout the day. What would the next few days bring for him? He wasn't sure. Keiichiro had been a bit tired of his usual schedule, but would never think of leaving the cafe.

A few days later, Ichigo was on her way out of the cafe. Masaya hadn't worked that day because he got a new job and had just come to pick her up after work. He got a job at a local zoo as a tourguide, and he loved the new job. He got something out of the locker room as she waited for him to come out front. The cat girl jumped out and hugged Masaya. She seemed to space out as she glanced through the kitchen window, a tall brown haired man stared through at her. His eyes were smiling to her, his lips barely curved in a smile at all. His deep gray eyes sent a chill up her spine.

Masaya grabbed her hand, the contact startling her and causing her to look away and get back to her boyfriend. Ichigo followed his lead as they exited the cafe, Keiichiro's stare stuck in her head. She never was bothered so much by his flirting until now for some reason. She bit her lip as they got in the car to leave, could it be because she and Masaya were slowly having a falling out?

The next couple days were kind of a disappointment. The cafe was quiet, nothing really that exciting happened. Except Thursday.

The red head rushed through the cafe, there were a lot of customers and Mint and Purin weren't working that day. Ichigo practically tossed the plates on people's tables and rushed back and forth from the kitchen window. The cat mew was asked to get some more silverware, which was in the back of the kitchen. The lead mew rushed back into the kitchen and back to the silverware drawers. She ignored the handsome cook that was icing some cupcakes about six feet from her.

The girl gathered the utensils needed and turned to leave the kitchen, there must have been flower on the tile below her. As she turned she slid and fell down to one knee, dropping the silverware around her and cursing under her breath. Keiichiro flinched when she fell, he turned and approached her with a look of genuine concern.

"Momomiya-san! You all right?"

Ichigo groaned as she sat back on her rear and looked at her knee, she wiped the white powder off and looked at the red skin on her knee. Keiichiro frowned as she winced when she touched her own knee, she looked up at him,

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to interrupt your cooking Akasaka-san. One sec-"

Ichigo moved to stand up, her knee ached. She would be fine, the aching just drove her nuts. Keiichiro scared her when he suddenly grabbed her and lifted her bridal style, her hands flew to grab a hold of his shoulders. The red head felt her face grow hot,

"Akasaka! What are you doing?"

Keiichiro set her gently on the table and knelt in front of her, observing her knee. He had his eyes locked on where the bruise was developing,

"I just want to take a look, can't be too careful. Would you mind if I wrapped it? The pressure will hopefully keep it from swelling."

The cat girl nodded as he stood up to look at her. Keiichiro got the first aid kit from a top cabinet, the girl's brown eyes locked on him the entire time. He knelt in front of her and gently wrapped her knee. Ichigo felt her face practically glow red when she realized where his face was and that she was wearing a skirt. Her hands flew to her lap and she pressed the fabric down, how embarrassing. He must have seen her underwear. Ichigo took a deep breath, she felt like such a ditz.

When he finished he stood up and smiled at her,

"There you are princess, hopefully it'll be better now. Let me know if you'd like a ride home or if it hurts at all."

The girl nodded, her thoughts racing. Keiichiro smiled warmly at her before going to wash his hands so he could continue working. Ichigo shook her head and darted out of the kitchen, forgetting the silverware.

'I can't believe I freaking fell in front of him. So embarrassing. Ugh.'

Ichigo thought to herself as she turned over in bed. Keiichiro was kind. She would admit he was quite handsome as well, but probably too old for her. Ichigo was almost to her 18th birthday and he was probably at least 23 or 24. Ichigo shook her head and covered her face, what was she thinking? She loved Masaya!

Her red hair was sprawled out on the pillow, she took a deep breath and looked up at her ceiling. She and Masaya had been having a lack of physical contact lately. It was embarrassing for her to think this way, but once they had decided to be physical together, she thoroughly enjoyed it. Recently, their schedules weren't allowing her to be with him long, or physically at all hardly. She got a kiss here and there, and the last time they had slept together was when her parents went on a day trip and they had the afternoon to themselves almost two weeks ago.

The mew turned over and wrapped the blanket around her tightly, closing her eyes. She couldn't believe she was like this now, it made her feel grown up.

Ichigo wasn't surprised when Masaya told her he'd be gone for a week at the summer camp at the zoo he worked at. He was going to be a camp counselor and had to stay on the premises. Needless to say she wasn't happy about it.

Keiichiro had been open and friendly with the girls all day. It really bothered her. Something about him made her feel drawn in. She felt attracted to him, in more than one way. The brunette was kind and handsome, he never was rude and was protective of the girls. Ichigo glanced into the kitchen, the cafe was slow today. He was humming again. A sigh escaped her lips as she eyed the chef.

Her thoughts wandered for the next few moments. Ichigo was curious as to what kind of boyfriend he would be. Would he surprise her? Would he treat his girlfriend like a princess? What was he like in bed? Did he cuddle a lot? He seemed like the type to cuddle. Ichigo felt her cheeks flush red, she couldn't believe that she was thinking about him. Masaya was hers, not Keiichiro. Keiichiro was her manager! She couldn't dare even to think of dating Keiichiro or Ryou!

The girl felt a chill run up her spine, making her inhale sharply. Was he even single?

What a question. She couldn't possibly ask one of her bosses if he was single. The red head dismissed the thought and got back to work for fear of starting an argument with Mint. But these thoughts stuck with her throughout the day. Ichigo wasn't sure why, but she felt an overwhelming feeling of curiosity as to whether he was single or not. None of the girls had ever asked him. He could be married for all she knows! Wait. No he couldn't, he didn't have a ring as far as Ichigo remembered. The redhead numbly took a couple's order, still pondering. Maybe he was married and took the ring off at work?

As the day progressed Ichigo had finally shaken the feeling and worked without much hesitation. However, towards the end of the day, she found herself to be the last one there. All the girls had left, and it was Ichigo's turn for clean up duty after her shift. The girl found herself wondering about him once more.

The lead mew poked her head in the kitchen window, looking to see if he was there. Some rustling noises came from the pantry, perhaps he was putting things away. Ichigo kept sweeping, wondering whether it would be inappropriate to ask him about his social life. Well, this wasn't even just his social life, it was his love life!

She found herself wandering into the kitchen, she swept a bit once inside. Keiichiro emerged from the pantry, a warm smile appeared on his face as his eyes met hers. Ichigo felt nervous suddenly.

"Hey Momomiya-san! Still here? Need any help?"

Ichigo shook her head and smiled back, feeling a bit panicked. She wanted to know so bad whether he had a girlfriend now. The brunette began wiping off the countertops, a slight smile on his lips. Ichigo paused in her sweeping, eyes glued to the back of his head. Perhaps it was the cat DNA inside her that made her so nosy and curious. She wasn't quite sure. She might as well ask, it'll drive her crazy if she doesn't know. She can always go home right away after asking if its awkward.

"Ak-Akasaka-san…"

Her cheeks felt warm, she was already stuttering. How immature. His response was cheery as usual,

"Yes?"

Ichigo took a shaky breath, she had to know. The girl continued, faking confidence,

"I just was curious. Are you single Akasaka?"

The brunette did exactly what she had hoped he wouldn't, he turned to look at her. His expression looked a bit surprised, she shifted and smiled awkwardly. He chuckled as he turned completely around and leaned against the counter,

"I am at the moment, why do you ask?"

Ichigo felt like her heart jumped in her throat, not something she was expecting him to ask. She shook the feeling and rubbed the back of her head,

"I was just wondering…"

She trailed off, she kicked herself mentally. Masaya would be hurt if he found out she was curious about Keiichiro. Ichigo's eyes were locked on his feet. The girl felt his eyes on her, she looked up hesitantly into his deep gray eyes. Keiichiro had a warm smile on his face,

"Its just fine Momomiya-san. I don't mind sharing a bit about myself with such a sweet girl."

His words were warm and made her feel shy, she couldn't believe he could make her feel like this by just speaking with her. Ichigo bit the bullet and locked eyes with him,

"Why are you so sweet to me Akasaka?"

Keiichiro chuckled and set the rag down behind him on the counter,

"You think I'm too sweet to you?"

She shook her head and waved her hands slightly,

"No of course not! I'm just curious. You're really sweet…"

"It's because you're special to me. You girls are very important to me."

He said girls. Plural. Ichigo felt like it was a kick to her stomach. Whatever it was that made her slightly interested in Keiichiro was driving her nuts. It was exciting, it was new. Keiichiro was a great guy, any girl would be lucky to have him. Ichigo just perhaps felt like she was particularly special to him, but she supposed that wasn't so. Now she knew he cared about all the girls, there was nothing there. Ichigo felt dumb. Why would she even do this? She blinked a few times, her eyes falling to his shoes.

She was quiet for a few long moments. Keiichiro noticed she seemed bothered. He walked forward, causing her eye to lock on the ground. Keiichiro was almost six foot two, much taller than Ichigo at just five foot five. He reached out and tilted her chin up, Ichigo felt her heart practically jump out of her chest. His mouth was curved in a kind smile, his hand was removed from her chin and back down by his side.

"Are you all right Momomiya-san?"

Ichigo could still feel where his warm fingers touched her chin. It felt electric. Her heart raced, she swallowed hard. Had she been hoping that he was going to say something else? Ichigo wasn't even sure herself. She nodded slowly, still mentally kicking herself. Keiichiro nodded,

"All righty then! You let me know if something is bothering you, Mmkay?"

The cat girl took a deep breath and smiled at him, "Yeah! Of course Akasaka!"

He chuckled as he returned back to his cleaning,

"You can call me Keiichiro, I don't mind either way."

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MewMid: I love IchigoxKeiichiro, Perhaps I'll continue this if I get some reviews. It may be good as a oneshot…Hmm…

Let me know if anyone would like me to continue it! Or keep it as a oneshot!