The next day in school, Ichigo didn't tell her friends about Berry, or Kisshu, and definitely not his good bye gift. She didn't get away free for not contacting her friends after that monster's attack shut the park down. That day, the three girls had decided to eat lunch on the room instead of in the cafeteria. Sometimes the café was just too crowded and it was a nice day so it was a good place to sit and eat. "So, Ichigo, I was wondering if you wanted to come with Miwa and me to a party my brother is throwing. We aren't really invited but that doesn't mean that we can't go." Moe laughed. Her brother was a college student and their parents had to take a business trip and would be away for the rest of the month. "It's this Friday, please, Ichigo. You have to come; I promise that it will be fun." Ichigo agreed to go but that didn't mean that she really wanted to do. Moe had a nice looking brother but his friends were questionable. Not to mention if she didn't she would have to give some sort of excuse as to why she didn't want to, and that would just lead to more trouble than it was worth. "Oh, I can't wait. I have seen one of his new friends; I swear he rivals Aoyama-kun in beauty." Ichigo rolled her eyes at her friend with a small smile on her face. She didn't know when Moe became boy-crazy but it was sometimes funny to watch her when she got going and sometimes it was just annoying. And at this moment in time, it was just a tad bit more annoying.
"I'll be right back. I just need to use the restroom." Ichigo said getting up.
"Okay, but come back this time or I will start to think you are avoiding us." Miwa laughed, soon followed by the other two.
"I would never do that, so you don't need to worry." Ichigo said with a smile before walking towards the girl's room. She didn't really have to go to the bathroom, and she wasn't going to abandon her friends, she just knew that once Moe got started talking on boys, she wouldn't stop. Ichigo only wanted to think of a boy that was not of this Earth. He hadn't left her mind since he had pressed his lips onto her own. She wasn't going to say she loved him, or even had a crush on him, she had just met him. He interest her though, he had taken her first kiss and disappeared into thin air, who wouldn't be interested by a person from another world. She was just turning the corner on the hall way when she walked into a running body, and she was knocked down by their force.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." A male voice said. When she looked into face of the person she bumped into, she instantly recognized him as the school's heart throb, Aoyama Masaya. Ichigo took the hand that was offered and was pulled to her feet. Moe was right when she said he was strong, he had basically pulled her up on his only his own strength. Ichigo brushed off her skirt and smiled. She hadn't hurt herself so everything was okay.
"That's fine. No harm no foul. Besides, it's not like you could see through walls. Well, you were in a hurry so I'll let you go. It was nice bumping into you." Ichigo laughed, and he smiled in return.
"I'm Masaya, by the way, Aoyama Masaya." He held out his hand to shack, which Ichigo took and gave a polite nod.
"I know. Everyone knows who you are." Ichigo said with a smile. She couldn't wait to go back and tell Moe and Miwa about her experience, not that she was going to go fan-girl over him now. She just wanted to see her friends' reactions to it. This guy seemed really nice; she could see now why he had all the girls obsessed with him. It was nice to see a guy with many fan-girls who didn't let it go to his head. Her mind flashed back to Kisshu and his kiss. He seemed to know what he was doing when he kissed her, not that a short kiss like the one he had given her needed prior experience. Ichigo began to wonder if he had fan-girls that adored him on his home planet. He was handsome enough to have the whole planet love him. It made Ichigo wonder if he was teasing her like Berry had said.
"And you are?" He asked, dragging her from her thoughts of Kisshu. Ichigo now felt a little stupid. She had started to zone out while she was talking to someone else.
"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. I'm…" Ichigo was then surprised into silence.
"Where did he go? I swear I saw him run this way." Masaya's eyes grew wide as he knew who the voices were and who they were looking for.
"I guess it really is your time to go now." Ichigo whispered as quietly as she could. "I'll tell them you went back to the dojo." She then walked away and did exactly what she said she would. When she made her way back up to the roof she was given a questionable look from her friends.
"What took you so long to pee?" Miwa asked. Ichigo smirked as she sat down. She wanted to laugh but felt if she laughed now it would kill the actual humor of the situation.
"I ran into someone. Well, actually he ran into me. We talked a little before he had to go. Sorry, I hope you didn't think I was abandoning you." Moe's eyes started to sparkle at the words her friend had just said.
"He? He ran into you? Who was it?!" She asked excitedly. She was bouncing in her seat with anticipation. Ichigo debated not telling her, but knew how mean that would be for her exited friend. And she probably wouldn't be able to get away with it anyway.
"It was only the new guy, Aoyama Masaya. And simply because I know you will ask, we just introduced ourselves. He had to go before those fan-girls found him." Ichigo said shrugging her shoulders.
"Aww, you know he would have asked you on a date if you were able to talk longer. All he had to do was know your name and he is going to fall head over heels in love with you." Ichigo's eyes widened and she hit her forehead with the butt of her hand. She hadn't been able to tell him her name.
"Moe, that doesn't make any sense." Miwa said gathering up the bentos and throwing out the trash. "And by the looks of it, Ichigo didn't even tell him her name. But anyway, we better go before lunch is over." The three girls then when downstairs to their classroom, took their seats, and waited for the end of the day. Ichigo was glad she did not have any class with Aoyama-kun. That would have just been too embarrassing. Ichigo didn't want to go home today because her parents had gone on another vacation. They weren't even there when Ichigo had gotten home yesterday. However, the day ended too soon and Ichigo had to leave the school. Ichigo and her friends walked to the front of the school to get their shoes, but they were blocked by thousands of girls, all surrounding Aoyama-kun. He managed to push his way through them towards Ichigo who was putting on her sneakers.
"Hey, I want to thank you again for helping me at lunch. Thing is, I never got your name." He smiled and all the girls in the room looked at Ichigo, trying to figure out what she had done for him to thank her.
"Yeah, I guess you didn't. My name is…" Ichigo paused and then laughed. She held out her hand. "Ichigo Momomiya. And about lunch, you're welcome, although, I would have helped anyone in your situation." All eyes in the room, guys and girls alike, were looking at the two of them. It was as if the king had just asked the town's fool to be his queen in front of everyone.
"Well, Momomiya-san, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me Friday night to a special nocturnal animal event at the zoo, as a thank you for what you did." Ichigo, as well as half the other girls in the room gasped in surprise. The other half were content with staring daggers at Ichigo.
"If only looks could kill." Ichigo thought looking around nervously. She hoped none of the girls would were brave enough to actually do anything to her. "Well, I would love to go, but you see I have already agreed to…" She started, pointing back to Moe and Miwa. Moe instantly got the hint for help and rushed to her friend's aid, but not in the way Ichigo would have hoped or wanted.
"Of course she'll go. She did promise to go with me to a party but we can always go to a party together some other time." Moe said, lightly pulling on Ichigo's arm. Masaya smiled wide.
"That's great! How about I walk you home today? Will that be okay with you?" Ichigo was too shocked to say anything. She knew she couldn't say no, not here where everyone was watching and not after her friends just agreed that she would go out on a date with him. Ichigo only nodded and let herself be walked home by this guys she had just met. They talked as they walked but it was nothing memorable, Ichigo couldn't remember anything they had said when they got to her home. After he had left and when Ichigo was up in her room, she just wanted to curl up in a ball on her bed and fall asleep. So much had happened today, she was starting to feel dizzy from it all. Too bad it was too early to sleep and the light from her open window was glaring right on her.
"Who was he, Koneko-chan?" A voice said from outside. She recognized the person's voice even before she recognized what he said.
"Just some kid from school who wanted to walk me home." She answered, walked out to her balcony, and trying to find the strange alien boy. She saw him sitting on a branch of the tree outside her window. Kisshu floated off the tree and sat on the railing.
"It didn't look like you liked him all that much, at least not to me." He said and Ichigo sighed. If he had noticed that she didn't want to be with him, why couldn't anyone else see it?
"I just met him today. He is a nice guy and all, very kind and he isn't all that bad to look at but…" She trailed off. She couldn't find anything bad to say about him. Ichigo did notice a little flash of anger through Kisshu's eyes but she couldn't explain why. "He's the school's idol, and all the girls love him but…" Ichigo tried to explain, but was again lost for words. "I don't know. I just don't want to faun over him like the others are doing. Maybe that's why he wanted to go out on a date with me."
"And you told him no?" Kisshu asked but it sounded more like an order than a question. She didn't answer him, not knowing how to explain. "Question: why did you say yes if you don't like him?" Kisshu growled. Ichigo took a step away from him in fear.
"I didn't! Well, I didn't want to. I was trying to tell him I didn't want to go but one of my friends jumped in and said I would go with him. He was so happy after I had technically agreed to him, I just couldn't reject him. I would have felt terrible." Ichigo explained. Kisshu seemed to calm down a little, but not much. He was still obviously mad at this new information. "Hey, Kisshu," Ichigo started but didn't know what to say to calm him down. The two looked at each other, un-sure of the other's thoughts. Ichigo was just about to speak when her new cat jumped up on the railing and made itself heard. It moved over to Kisshu and rubbed the side of its head on his leg, purring softly.
"You're the cat from yesterday, aren't you? I actually have to thank you. If it weren't for you I never would have met my Koneko-chan." Ichigo remember then that she had never told him her name, not that she was really given a chance to, but she still felt stupid for not doing it. Would she ever learn to tell guys her name when they meet?
"My name is Ichigo, actually." She said rubbing the back of the cat.
"Well, I'm Kisshu. But you already know that, Koneko-chan." He smiled and Ichigo rolled her eyes. She didn't really care for being called a kitten but it was better than being called a toy or something else like derogatory like that. "Hey, Koneko-chan, can I come back and see you tomorrow too?" He kept his eyes on the cat. Ichigo wanted to laugh at the question, but she knew Kisshu was seriously asking to see her again. She picked up the cat, but as she did so her hand brushed Kisshu's and she almost felt like an electric shot went through her whole body, making her jump back in surprise. She still felt it even thought there was about a foot of space in between her and Kisshu now. Kisshu floated off the railing, a frown on his face, and his ears hanging a little.
"Are you leaving already?" Ichigo asked. "Then I guess I will see you tomorrow Kisshu." Kisshu looked at her and instantly brightened up. He smiled wide as he looked at her. He rushed back down and kissed Ichigo quickly. It was almost like the first kiss he had given her but she thought she detected something else there too. She couldn't put her finger on it but it was there, and it was probably going to annoy her until she figured it out.
"Good-bye my lovely Koneko-chan." Kisshu said as he disappeared into a ripple of air. Ichigo smiled as she walked back into her house. Maybe today hadn't been all that bad.
