Claddagh Rings
- - -
"Where is it?"
Ichigo was frantically ripping apart the café.
"Where's my ring?"
Lettuce was the first to attempt to soothe her. "Ichigo, maybe you just left it at home."
"No! I always wear it!"
Keiichiro walked in from the kitchen. "Girls, what's wrong?"
"Ichigo onee-chan lost her extra special ring!!" Pudding called from the rafters. "It's not up here!" The redhead started to cry.
"Don't worry, Ichigo. We'll find it," Mint said. Zakuro nodded. "It's bound to show up at some point."
- - -
Ryou shook his head. How like the little cat-girl was it to lose her favorite possession? Honestly. She could be so ditsy somet—
He winced, praying that what he had just stepped on was not what he thought it was. Hesitantly, he brought his foot up, and cringed again. Ichigo was not going to like this at all.
Ryou gathered up the pieces to the broken ring, and tried to prepare himself for the psychological (and most likely physical) attack he was about to face.
- - -
Nothing could have prepared him enough. He was half-sprawled on the floor, whilst a bawling redhead was pounding on, well, anything in reach, really. The floor, his chest—anything and everything in close proximity was beaten.
Amongst the tears were near-incoherent phrases. "…ruining my life…" "…making me a cat-freak…" "…crushing my self-esteem…" "…and then you…" "…great-great-grandma Momo gave…"
"I-Ichigo, it was an accident, I swear!" That only made her cry, and hit, harder.
He knew he had to say it, most men did at some point, but that didn't make it any easier. Mentally sighing, he forced her chin up and made her meet his eyes. "Ichigo, listen to me. I'm sorry." As she stared blankly at him, he fumbled with his vest pocket until he brought out an ornate silver band. Ryou slipped it onto her finger. "Here, as a loaner until I can get you a new one."
She had quieted down with his apology, and even more so when the ring was on her hand. "It is pretty," she admitted with a small sniff.
"So am I forgiven?"
Ichigo pursed her lips. After an agonizingly long pause, she nodded. "But only if you pinkie-swear that you'll get me a new one."
"Ichigo—"
"Ryou, I vow I will make your life a living hell unless you pinkie-swear right now." He groaned, but complied. Suddenly, she smiled. "We can go look at rings after my shift!"
Something told him that this would be a very, very long day.
- - -
"What about that one?"
"Ew, no! It looks like an old granny's ring."
"Need I remind you that your ring was in fact an old granny's ring?" She glared at him. "Fine, what about that one?" He pointed to one with a green stone set in gold that seemed pretty enough.
"The stone is puke-colored." Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was right. It wasn't just the stone, though; it truly was a hideous ring.
"You pick one out, then." They had been to five different jewelry stores, ten department stores, and had even looked at a Harrods's catalogue.
Ichigo's face fell. "I'm never going to find a replacement for my ring."
Ryou glanced outside and realized that the sun was already setting. "Ichigo—time to go. I'll take you home."
"But I haven't found a ring yet!"
He sighed. "We can look again some other time. Now let's go before your parents murder me for keeping you out this long."
- - -
They never did find a replacement ring, but Ichigo had long ago realized that she treasured the ring Ryou gave her far more than her old ring.
- - - a few years later - - -
Ichigo stared at him. Suddenly in the middle of their date, Ryou had gotten down onto one knee, took the ring off of her right hand, slipped it onto her left, and proposed.
"I—Ryou—I don't know what to say—"
"How about yes?"
Her eyes teared up as she flung her arms around his neck. "Yes, Ryou. Yes, yes, yes."
- - -
She climbed into the attic in her parents' house. Though she had moved out and into Ryou's house long ago, Ichigo still made a point to visit once a month at least to help around the house. It became more important to her as her parents grew older.
Ichigo moved aside a box of her old baby clothes to sweep behind it and stopped. Ryou would kill her when she told him.
Carefully, she lifted great-great-grandma Momo's ring and dusted it off on the hem of her shirt.
"Ichigo?" Ryou called up. "Is everything okay up there?" She glanced behind her and slipped the ring into her pocket.
"Oh! Um…sure, everything's great!"
What Ryou didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
- - -
Okay, so right in the middle of writing this, I totally forget what I had planned. A new plot bunny appeared, though, and saved the day. Even though I lost my original plot, I'm fairly happy with the results.
Thnx to Blackbird (or whatever your name is right now) for betaing!
As she would say, "Stay snazzy!"
Nya!