(Disclaimer: This is purely fanfiction. This has absolutely nothing to do with the show Bleach. I don't own anything but this story.)
Strawberry FullMoon
Best Friends Forever
"Stop! Ichi-kun!" I laugh as Ichigo leans over and splashes me. "Mmmm, I don't think I will." He replies pausing and splashing me again. We were at the beach and the sun as glimmering on the surface, waves crash against the rocks off in the distance and washed in on the shore where we were playing in the water. People walk along the beach together and couples sit on towels, tanning, and stare out into the horizon. PALOOSH! "Ichi-kun!" I whine as he helps me up, sopping wet, after 'accidentally' knocking me into the water. "Ha!" "Hey! Mitsuki-chan!" he laughs as I splash him back. At the time I was 4 and he was 6. We're two years apart. I'm 14 now and he's obviously 16. We go to the same high school and I skipped a grade to be in his classes. I'm not a genius but I get ok grades and Ichi-kun, he barely skims by. "How is it that we applied to the same college but I have such a different attitude about school work and grades than you do?" I ask him as he stretches in his desk after the finals. "I'm just more confident in myself than you are, besides, I love my work so much that I just save it 'til I can't turn it in so I don't have to do it." He sighs dully. "Come on, lets get going." I say blushing as the bell rings. As we walk home afterwords he asks "what's for dinner?" "what do you mean what's ...oh ok hmmm, how about ramen since you never let me make anything else!" I say. "Sorry, it's just so good!" he whines. "Well, mm! What about the miso soup or sushi i make you? Isn't that anygood?" I say stubornly, sticking my tongue out at him like we're still 5 and stomping away. "Mitsuki-chan, Come back! Mitsuki-chan!" Ichigo calls after me as i stomp into the apartment complex. "What'd I do?" Ichigo asks himself following me to his apartment. Ichigo and I live in two different apartments. I live in a three bedroom two bath with an extra large living space and a fairly large kitchen with my parents, but they work late and leave early so i basically live with Ichigo, who on the other hand lives in a two bedroom two bath with a huge living space with a balcony and a secret passage to the roof of the apartment. The kitchen isn't really big but there's enough room to cook so it'll work. We usually leave the door open and walk back and forth like one huge house. Ichigo lives with his dad, Isshin Kurosaki, and his two younger sisters, who happen to be maternal twins, Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki. Yuzu is so cute and can see the hallows too. So can Karin but she is "in permanent denial" about it. Yuzu is depressed alot because of the death of their mother. It's ok though 'cause i help her out alot around the house and she smiles alot more now! Karin is a tough little thing! you say one wrong thing and she'll have you across the room on your ass! "Mitsuki-chan! Ya know! Mitsuki-chan, fine, I'll make dinner!" Ichigo called from his apartment walking into mine obviously looking for me. "Now, math, square roots, percents, division, Hell. What's the square root of 9,063?" I thought. "GOD I HATE HOMEWO-"as I threw a pillow from my bed I was cut short by Ichigo who ran into my room breathing deeply. "What happened? What's wrong? You ok?" He asks in between breaths. "Fine, don't you hate homework?" I asked deliberately getting Ichigo pissed. "You got me all worked up for nothing?" He asked as those little red things popped up all over his head. "Yup!" I say enthusiastically. Ichigo looks up and blushes, somewhat. I sigh. "Why was i so worried, she's tough, hell, she's even tougher than me!" Ichigo thought still looking at me blushing. I get up and pick the pillow up and walk over to him. Now that we're blushing we say, "Sorry." I hide half of my face with the pillow so he can't see that i'm blushing then realize that he just apologized. "What's He/She apologizing for?" We think, then burst out laughing at eachother. After a while He takes a breath, & straightens up. "Ah, forget it!" He says stepping around me and putting his arm around my shoulders, "Besides,We can have Ramen whenever, let's have a picnic." He suggests. "A picnic?" I ask looking up at him, bewildered by what eh had just said. Obviously my confusion projected onto my red, blushing, face 'cause Ichigo also turned a bright shade of red and stuttered "Not that i'm trying to be romantic with you, not not that it would be bad to be romantic with you, i mean you are and have been my best and pretty much only friend since ever so it would be ok but then that would ruin our friendship but i don't want to, i mean not now NO I mean oh shit, too much info. given!" My expression changed from mad, to flustered, to confused, to again flustered, to OMG BLUSHING LIKE MAD! After the long moment of awkward silence i said, "Picnic sounds good! I'll go cook and you can go wait for me on the roof! ok?" As i rush out of the room Ichigo says, "Matte, Mitsu...ki!" he sighs. " If i can't even ask her to go for a picnic how in the hell am i gonna confess to her?" He thought. "So did you con-Ouch! Can't you give an old guy some slack?" Isshin said after rushing into my room. i have no clue why their still in my room but oh well! "What are they talking about?" i think as i crack two eggs in the pan i just got hot. "You don't have to hide it, She likes you too ya know!" Isshin said ducking as Ichigo swung at him again. "It's the truth, she told me!" He said the second part quietly so only Ichigo could hear. Ichigo froze in mid-punch. Sizzle, "These eggs are almost ready! Ichigo! Why aren't you on the roof yet? The foods ready!" i call putting the remainder of the food in the bento boxes and wrapping them in white cloth with little Strawberries on it. "What? She, She..." Ichigo stuttered allowing his arm to fall to his side and sitting slowly on the bed. "Yeah! Figures huh? You've loved her for all this time and all this time she was hiding it from you, that she loved you too" Isshin said feeling proud of himself.
Confessions
"Ah Ichi-Kun!" I shriek as the thunder of the passing storm roars yet again. "Sssshhhhhh, Mi-chan, I'm here, Do you really think i'd let a storm hurt you?" Ichigo asked comfortingly as he wrapped his arm around me. "Ichi-...kun..." I mumble as i snuggled closer to him. "Ah!" "Mi-Chan, Ssssshhhhh. It's okay." "Ichi-kun?" "Yeah, Mi-chan?" "Why do you do this for me, protect me and stuff?" I ask truely curious as all kids are. "It's ...It's cause i kinda like you." He admitted blushing as anothe bolt of lightining lit up the room so i could see his face. I winced and blushed. "I like you too Ichi-kun!" I say confidently. "Isn't that what friends are for?" "Ah!" Ichigo yelps and squeezes me as another bolt of lightining and thunder roar and light the room up. I look up at him and he looks at me and we both start laughing. Again that was when we were kids, now we're even closer (or so i hope). "Sorry to intrude but the picnic food is ready!" I said bursting into the room. "Huh? What's wrong Ichigo? You're blushing so deeply!" I said walking over to him. "Come on let's go on the roof for the picnic!" "You hear that Karin, they've liked eachother the wholetime!" yuzu said quietly looking up at Karin. "And not to mention that she's pretty much his wife anyway!" Karin said Excitedly Looking down at Yuzu. They both pressed their ears to the door again. "Oh, yeah, ok!" He said jumping up accidentally knocking into me which in turn made me trip and fall right on top of him on the bed. We were both blushing really deeply now. An awkward silence filled the room. "I'm just gonna go now!" Isshin said slipping out and shutting the door behind him. Karin and Yuzu were at the door trying to get a better look. "Ha ha konichiwa, Otto-san!" They both said at the same time trying to get up but falling over each other like idiots. "What were you two doing?" He asked knowing full well the answer. "uh, playing leap frog!" Yuzu said quickly! "Yeah, your turn Yuzu!" Karin played along both of them scrambling up and hopping away! "My kids, are so nuts!" he says laughing maniacally and walking back to the other apartment. Back in my room Ichigo and I were now on opposite sides of the bed sitting on the floor, still blushing like mad! "So, are we still gonna have the picnic?" I asked stuttering. "Yeah i guess." Ichigo said, he sounded unsure of his answer but i went with it. "Let's go then!" I say getting up slowly and walking out of the room glancing over at Ichigo on my way out. He was looking at me with such sad i eyes i couldn't help but to turn around and sit back down next to him but resist the strangely strong urge to hug him. "What's wrong with you, you seem so depressed now!" I ask him. Suddenly he hugs me and buries his face in my shoulder."Ichigo what...What's wrong?" ""I can't believe she's like me all this time and i haven't noticed! Now that i think about it all the signs were right there but i just couldn't see them! Stupid! Stupid! When was she gonna tell me? We've known eachother forever!" Ichigo thought. "What exactly were Isshin and you talking about in here?" I asked suddenly panicking but still hugging Ichigo. "What if he told him!" "Oh god, what do i say now?" Ichigo thought. "All The picnic food is getting cold, You better come eat it or I will!" Isshin Called from the kitchen. "Kay!" Ichigo called. "Come on let's just, uh, go up there!" Ichigo said quickly trying to avoid the answer to the question i had just asked. "ok but we need to taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I wasn't able to finish because Ichigo grabbed my hand and pulled me up to the roof. "talk..." I finished sitting, more like falling, down onto the blanket Ichigo had quickly spread out. There was a long period of silence then i broke it. "It's so nice out today!" I said to Ichigo who jumped at the sudden sound of my voice. "uh yeah." he muttered blushing and looking up at the sky. "Wow Ichigo, this..." I paused for a second looking for the right word. "This is nice." I said, for lack of better word, after a moment of thought. " Ichigo?" "Yeah Mitsuki" "Can I ask you something?" He Nodded. "Okay, so say hypothetically, this girl, let's call her...oh...Kohitsuji. So Kohitsuji has like her guy friend since they were really little since they grew up together, but doesn't know how he feels and she's afraid they won't be able to be friends anymore if he doesn't like her back." I explained tentatively. "What should Koitsuji do?" "Well," He paused considering this and makinga face. "I think Kohitsuji should just, how do i say this, drop the news cause the guy's probably a huge weirdo who'll never get it unless it's spelled out for him. " He smiled & stupidly, i blushed. "In the guy's case though," he continued, his smile fading. "If the guy did like this...Kohitsuji back but was also afraid she didn't like him the way he likes her, but knows she does, what should...Raion do?" When he finished he just smiled at me. My confusion and loss of confidence mirroring on my face. "Who does he like?" i thought brokenly then started shaking. "Mitsuki? Are you alright?" he asked concern coloring his tone. Snapping back into reality i stutter, "Raion...Raion should..." "Get a grip Mitsuki, just give him advice like any other friend would.It's not the end of the world." I thought trying to bring myself back but i couldn't get to the surface. I was drowning in my own sorrow and depression. I was only slightly aware of Ichigo shaking me. "Mitsuki? Mitsuki? Mitsuki! Come on Mitsuki-chan! What's wrong with you? Mitsuki!" Ichigo called. "Why? How could you?" I thought sinking deeper. "No, No, It doesn't matter. He's still Ichigo." Resurfacing. After what felt like hours of arguing with myself I broke through the surface. "Mitsuki?" Ichigo pleaded. I was laying down on the blankets, Ichigo resting his head on my chest sobbing. "I-Ichigo? What's wrong now?" I asked alarmed and sat up alittle too quickly, throwing his head off of me, by accident of course. "Oh...My god, Are you okay?" I laughed noticing he was laughing too. "What are they doing up there?" Yuzu asked bewildered to no end by the bangs and thumps erupting from above. "I don't wanna know." Karin said calmly. "Don't worry kids they're, no doubt, having fun no matter what they're doing up there." Isshin mumbled meaning to say it to himself but Karin heard him and her and Yuzu OOOOOOOOOh'd! Then broke out in a fit of laughter on the floor. Ichigo gave me an akward puppy dog face & raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah." I said blushing every color of red you can think of. "Why'd you hide it from me all this time?" "I thought you didn't like me." I admitted sheeepishly. He put his finger under my chin and lifted my head up so that our eyes were dead even with eachother. I blushed. "How could anyone in their right mind not like you?" He asked pronouncing every word perfectly.