"Shirogane-san?"

Lettuce shuddered at the tremor in her voice. She was getting worked up over nothing. "Shirogane-san?" she said again, a little louder this time.

"Huh?" Ryou turned to face her; thankfully he didn't seem to be irritated at being interrupted. Lettuce could've sworn she detected a hint of anxiety hidden behind his impassive expression.

Taking a deep breath, she launched into the speech she'd practiced, so many times in the kitchen before finally gathering the courage to approach him. "Um...these cakes were left over from earlier. Akasaka-san and I put everything else up, but..." she trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. She didn't want to seem too forward. "I thought...so they don't go to waste..."

Ryou smiled, having apparently anticipated the question long before Lettuce began speaking. "Sure."

Lettuce brightened, strengthening her grip on the tray so she didn't drop it in her delight. "O-okay."

Unable to make eye contact with Ryou himself, she instead stared at her feet, crossing the pristine floor to set the tray on the table. She placed one before Ryou, flushing a little at his "Thank you", and then sat down herself. She waited for Ryou to try his slice of cheesecake, fork hovering hesitantly over her own plate.

"This is delicious!" Ryou exclaimed. Lettuce felt a twinge of pride; she'd helped Keiichiro make that very cake, much earlier, along with some of the others. "Did you make it?"

"Um..." Lettuce looked away, smiling shyly. "I just helped Akasaka-san."

"You did a good job." Lettuce beamed, feeling light-headed from the praise, and the proximity.

"T-thank you."

They ate in silence for awhile, somewhat awkwardly. Lettuce noticed that, unlike most of the boys in her homeroom, Ryou didn't scarf his food down. He took small bites, savoring the taste of the cheesecake. It really was very good. Keiichiro was an excellent cook. She hoped he was rubbing off on her.

She also noticed that the shadow of anxiety in Ryou's face never lifted. He seemed to be preoccupied. She wondered if he were plagued by the same thoughts as she and her friends. "Um...Shirogane-san? Are you alright?"

"Hm? I'm fine," Ryou said, thoughtfully. "I guess I'm just a little worried about what's going to happen next. We still haven't pinpointed when or where the next strike will be, or the location of the remaining Mew Aqua."

He paused, running an idle hand through his blond hair. "We're certain the next confrontation will be the last, though."

"Oh." Lettuce suddenly lifted her head, cheeks ablaze. Ryou had sat down his fork, reaching over to pat her hand.

"You're supposed to be enjoying your day off," he admonished, kindly. "Not worrying about what tomorrow will bring."

"I know," Lettuce said, quietly. She forced herself to look up, meeting Ryou's gaze. "I am." Realizing what she'd said, she panicked, stammering, "I-I mean..."

"It's okay." Ryou reached over, patting her hand again - this time he didn't move it. The warmth spread through her fingers, traveling up her arm; Lettuce initially felt as if she were going to faint, but after a moment a deep sense of calm settled over her.

"Thank you...Shirogane-san."

They resumed eating, the tension broken. Too soon, their plates were cleared. Ryou popped the last berry in his mouth, chewing with relish. "It's nice to actually get to taste the food we sell for a change."

"Doesn't Akasaka-san cook like this all the time?" Lettuce asked, curious.

Ryou shook his head. "Generally we're too busy for really elaborate meals. If he cooked like this all the time, neither of us would be in shape."

Lettuce laughed, forgetting to cover her mouth as she usually did.

"I'm lucky he's content to do all the work," Ryou admitted. "My talents aren't exactly of a culinary nature."

"I hope one day I'm as good as Akasaka-san is," Lettuce said then, surprising herself. The only one she'd divulged her desire to was Pudding. In spite of her talkative nature, the younger girl was a pretty good listener. Lettuce felt more comfortable sharing her secrets with her than any of the other girls, although it wasn't as if Ichigo, Mint, or Zakuro would blurt anything out. She had a feeling Ichigo and Mint might heckle her a little over her insecurity, though. "There are a lot of things I want to do," she continued, sounding wistful. "I want to write, and meet my favorite author. I want to visit Osaka, one day...and..."

"You'll get to do all of those things, Lettuce," Ryou said, reassuringly.

"But..." Lettuce sighed. "What if we don't find the Mew Aqua in time? Can we still win the next battle without it? What if..."

"Lettuce." Ryou's voice was firm; it was the tone in which he had addressed Lettuce and her friends, many, many times. "Don't worry so much. If you tire yourself out thinking about what will happen if you don't succeed, you won't be able to fight at your full strength when you have to. Remember, you were chosen for this."

He reached for her hand again, clasping it warmly. Lettuce knew she was staring, but she couldn't avert her gaze from his blue eyes, so much like the water she commanded. "We have faith in you, and so does this planet. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been chosen to protect Earth and its people. I have faith in you."

The knot that had been sitting in the pit of Lettuce's stomach since earlier that day began to loosen.

"You can't dwell on the possibility of failure," Ryou continued. "Remind yourself what you're fighting to protect, and you'll be fine."

A brilliant smile lit up Lettuce's face. "Thank you, Shirogane-san!"

The chiming of a clock announcing the hour rang out from down the hallway. Lettuce leapt to her feet, gathering the dishes. "I'm sorry! I'm sure you've got work to do. Thank you for everything."

She turned on her heel, tray in tow...and stopped, Ryou having grabbed her hand again. "Wait, Lettuce."

Lettuce turned around, tensing up as she noticed the knowing smile on Ryou's face. Taking the tray from her with his free hand and setting it back on the table, Ryou slowly drew her closer. Lettuce's eyes widened; they were almost touching. It was the closest she'd ever been to the object of her affections, save for when she'd saved him in the Tokyo Bay - and he'd been unconscious then. Ryou was definitely not unconscious now.

"I haven't thanked you for the cake yet."

Placing a hand beneath her chin, Ryou tilted her head upwards gently. Lettuce stared into his eyes helplessly as he leaned forward; she could feel his breath on her face, her heart racing so swiftly it seemed to be trying to escape her chest...

An alarm blared out from above them, startling Lettuce so much she might've stumbled if Ryou hadn't caught her. Keiichiro's voice followed, calm, but with a note of urgency in it. "Ryou, we have an emergency situation."

Ryou groaned. "They have terrible timing."

Lettuce couldn't agree more; she simply nodded, swallowing the disappointment.

But alongside it, she felt empowered. She was still worried about what their next battle would bring, but she was prepared to give it her all. Lettuce knew what she was fighting for, and she also knew that she would die to protect it. And perhaps, when it was all over, and peace was restored, she could work towards accomplishing her other dreams. She'd already attained one that afternoon; Lettuce wasn't about to let go of the others.

Summoning a bravery she wasn't aware of, she spoke up, shakily at first. "It's okay, Shirogane-san. Maybe...when this is all over..."

She couldn't finish, but the flash of recognition on Ryou's face told her that he'd understood. He grinned, in spite of the noise.

"Of course. We can't eat all those leftovers ourselves, can we?" he joked.

Keiichiro's voice rang out once again, sounding more harried than before. "Ryou, are you there?"

"We've got to go. We can clean up later," He shook his head to clear it, smiling warmly at the girl whose hand he still held. "Are you ready?"

Lettuce had never been more ready in her life. She nodded. "Yes."

They left the room together, hurrying towards what they both knew would be their final confrontation; with every step Lettuce's resolve grew. She would fight, alongside her friends, to secure their future. And then afterwards...

Ryou never let go of her hand. Neither did she.

-o-

-oOo-

-o-

A.N.: Ah, I don't know what I think of this one. Not awful, I don't think it was too OOC - I just don't think it was that great. Oh, well. Practice makes adequate. : )

Comments? Flames? Suggestions on how to not suck? Lay 'em on me! :P