Put A Bell On You
"Hello, Ichigo."
She jumped; as usual, Masaya had come up so silently behind her that she hadn't even noticed until he spoke. She turned back from the locker where she had been putting away her school slippers and muttered a distracted greeting; being called "Ichigo" instead of "Momomiya-san" still got her into a fluster, all the more so because getting flustered was the last thing she had wanted to do when she saw him.
"Aoyama-kun! I, um … I need to talk to you."
"Go ahead."
The smile on his face faded away as he saw her desperately serious expression; when her hand went up to touch the bell and collar he had given her only yesterday, his face became as cool and remote as a marble monument.
"It's about this present of yours … I've been thinking … " she stuttered. Never eloquent at the best of times, today she felt downright idiotic; how to say this without insulting him, while still making her point clear?
"I thought you liked it." His flat voice had lost all the warmth it had posessed when greeting her just now, or calling after her the other day.
"I do … it's adorable, but … " She took a deep breath; another memory of yesterday reared its head, compelling her to speak.
"What did you mean by calling me your cat, and telling me not to run away?"
Her stomach turned at the memory of Kisshu, grabbing her chin with his hot gray fingers and calling her his kitten. Setting a Chimera Amoeba on Masaya. I will tear him limb from limb and let you enjoy the sight … Be mine, and I will spare him.
Masaya stepped back at the unexpected vehemence of her tone; what had sounded like a reasonable question in her mind came out shrill and panicky. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I didn't mean – I was only joking, Ichigo … "
"Were you? Because I don't like being talked to as if I'm your pet, Aoyama-kun. Even as a joke."
She was nobody's kitten. Nobody's property. She should have made that clear to Kisshu; if her words hadn't gotten through to him, the scratches on his face should have done it. The next time she encountered those grasping hands, that fanged smirk and that insinuating voice, it would be her turn to tear him limb from limb … she backed away from the male hand reaching for her shoulder. Where was her Mew pendant?
"Ichigo?"
She looked up. The eyes meeting hers were neither yellow nor slit-pupiled; they were brown, wide with concern, and unmistakably human.
"Ichigo, I'm sorry," said Masaya, lowering his hand and shaking his head in confusion and remorse. "I had no idea … if the cat thing bothers you, I'll never call you that again. And I'd never hold on to someone against their will. You know that, don't you?"
She nodded slowly, beginning to feel ashamed of her outburst. Looking back on all of their excursions – she didn't dare to call them dates – reminded her that he hadn't once behaved to her as Kisshu did; while the alien had forced a kiss on her at the first meeting, Masaya had never tried to do more than hold her hand or catch her when she fell. He was polite to her friends, tactfully ignored her embarrassing cat-episodes, and never even raised his voice to her except in genuine fear for her safety, such as after the stampede at the amusement park.
"I know," she said, letting her pigtails fall forward as she bowed. "I'm sorry, Aoyama-kun … I didn't mean to be paranoid. I should have known you're not like … " Kisshu. "Not like that."
He smiled – not the polite little smile she had seen him wear so often on photographs in the school newspaper, but the real, warm, eye-crinkling smile he seemed to reserve for her alone.
"What I meant to show you with that pendant," he said, "Is that … well, you do remind me of a cat sometimes."
She winced, ordering herself not to panic again. If her ears and tail popped out now, she was in trouble – especially after having lied to him about her identity before.
"You're strong and loyal, Ichigo. Like a wild cat defending her family. But then you also have this playful side, like a kitten with a ball of yarn. And when I'm with you, just sitting quietly together … " He laughed. "You get so relaxed, you might as well be purring. And that relaxes me."
Ichigo giggled. Purring, thank goodness, was one of the few feline traits she hadn't displayed yet. How embarrassing would that be?
"And if you ever run away from me again, which I understand you might … " A shadow crossed Masaya's face, but he banished it with another determined smile. "I won't try to stop you … but I will wait in case you turn around. I'd like the ringing of the bell to remind you … that you are not alone."
Ichigo thought of the lonely cicada's song which Masaya had pointed out to her, by the same unseasonably blooming cherry tree where he had almost discovered her identity. He reminded her of that cicada now, chirping patiently for the mate who never came. It's saying 'I'm here', even if no one is listening.
Neither of them needed to be like that cicada. Not when they had each other.
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," she said. "So … um … are we together now?"
By a ferocious effort of will, she concentrated on the buttons of his white uniform shirt instead of on his eyes.
"Just to make things clear," she hurried to say, waving her arms. "I mean, it's okay if you don't … um … "
Her heart was pounding like a drum; if she looked into his face now, she'd transform like a cork popping from a bottle. The roots of her hair were already tingling. One, two, three, four …
"I … I'd like that." Was it her imagination, or did Masaya sound nervous too? "But it's your decision, Ichigo – or is it still Momomiya-san? I'm sorry, I never asked … anyway, our next step is completely up to you."
Part of her felt like jumping up and squealing for joy. Here was the opportunity she'd been dreaming of since the first time she saw Aoyama Masaya win a kendo tournament with such elegant panache. If she said yes, they would be a couple, with all the word implied: holding hands in public; touching each other for no reason at all; exchanging chocolate on Valentine's and White Day, bragging about him to Moe, Miwa and the Mews; staying faithful to each other (losing him to one of his gorgeous, non-genetically-augmented fangirls was still a daily dread) … but it was the kissing – or rather the idea of kissing – that stopped her short.
She was afraid; not only of transforming, as she always did in a state of excitement, but of getting the same aggressive, face-sucking encounter she had gotten from Kisshu. Her common sense told her that was very unlikely, seeing how different the two boys were – but the rest of her still cringed.
"Give me a little more time," she heard herself say. "Let's just .. let's just keep going like before, okay? Friends?"
The flicker of disappointment in Masaya's brown eyes was so brief, she might have imagined it. Too late to take it back … at least, until the day she defeated Kisshu or stopped being afraid. Whichever came first.
"Friends," he repeated gravely, holding out his hand. She shook it gently, feeling calm and refreshed, as if she had stepped into an air-conditioned room on a hot day. It felt good to have things cleared out between them, even partially.
"Oh … and one more thing? Don't stop calling me Ichigo. I like it."
"Take care, Ichigo," he said, with the slight nod that always signaled his goodbyes.
Hearing him say her name reminded her of how he had screamed it down the hall yesterday, his perfection ripped away to reveal raw fear and selfless courage. Ichigo, run! Save yourself! Seeing the real Aoyama Masaya, under the façade, meant more to her than she could possibly express.
"See you tomorrow, Aoyama-kun."