Sticks and stones can break my bone, and words will always hurt me

Chapter 2 – Sweet is pleasure after pain

Summary: Can Ichigo's pain really go unnoticed?
Warning: Violence, Bad language, Adult content and it's all O.O.C (Masaya Aoyama fans won't like this)
Disclaimer: Mushka no owns Tokyo Mew Mew :3

Today was going to be a busy one for Ryou. Whenever Ichigo wasn't around the day seemed to be long and dragging and tiresome. He'd gotten up particularly early today but he couldn't be bothered to go out running. He went down stairs in search of clean clothes but that's when he saw them, the blood stained skirt, torn underwear, one of HER shirts. Ryou bolted up the stairs and tore the spare room door open to be met with a site that'll never leave him. Ichigo's little frame covered in bruises, the ice pack melted between her legs, the pained look on her normally cheerful face. She was curled up in a ball, only slightly covered by the blankets, as if she'd had been tossing and turning. She was holding onto the shirt she wore tightly, it was comforting to Ryou seeing something of his being held like it was protection.

He walked over to the head of the bed and knelt down beside her. Brushing her bangs out of her face, he admired her peaceful features. Her eyes fluttered open and looked up at him, still puffy and red from the night before.
"Shirogane-san…" she welled up.
She sat and sobbed for what seemed like hours. Ryou didn't ask what was wrong; he didn't feel right doing it. Being smarter than the average man he had worked out what had happened before she even woke up. This didn't stop him wanting to know, wanting to crush that poor excuse for a male, but no. Not now. Now he would just sit, look after her, and plot.

Pudding was sent to ichigo's house for some of her clothes, they told her mother she couldn't go because she was working and then she was going to help her baby sit again that night. When she was dressed she just kind of moped around the kitchen, it was her day off after all. It had gotten to 11 o'clock, she had been sat with Mint drinking tea and eating cakes. No one asked about the bruises but she could tell they wanted to, she didn't know what to tell them if they asked. The door went, Ichigo went pale.
"Ichi-chan? Are you okay?" Masaya wondered over to her and cupped her face. She forced out a smile and watched him walk away. She felt sick.

When his shift ended Masaya insisted that she came out with him for a while.
"Take my keys with you; don't come back to late okay?" Ryou said giving her a concerned smile. She could see that same flame twinge in Masaya again, she knew nothing good would happen. Again he took her back to his house; his parents had gone away for the night. As soon as the door was shut she found herself face down on the floor, it didn't hurt, she just felt numb.
"So you're staying with him! You sleeping in his bed too? You're a dirty slut!"

He kicked her in the ribs before dragging her over to the sofa by the wrist.
"Aoyama-kun!" she cried. "I stayed there so my family wouldn't see those marks!"
"Oh, I get it. Go crying too Romeo for protection, a little sympathy." He looked down at her with disgust. "I'll give you something to cry about…" His belt clinked and was dropped to the floor. It felt like no matter how load she cried no one would ever hear.

When Masaya decided he was done with her he dragged her to bed, locking the doors. He fell asleep quickly, his sweaty naked body pressing against hers. She needed out. It had gotten to about 2am before she was certain he was defiantly asleep. Carefully she pulled herself away from him and got out of bed. She dressed as fast as she could, thankfully the café keys were in her jacket pocket. She opened up the window and took a look. It was only the second story floor but there wasn't really anything to climb down on. She took a deep breath, crouched on the window sill and hoped that the Iriomote Wild Cat was looking after her. She took a leap of faith and leaped to the ground lading on all fours with as much grace as she could muster. Without all of the fighting she had been slacking on her training, it wasn't often she'd needed to fall that far.

She walked to the café, it used to make her nervous being out alone at night but after the events she knew it didn't get much worse. She wasn't as sore this time, she had a few new bruise but it wasn't that bad, she didn't think anyone would notice. When she arrived she tried to open the door as quietly as she could, she wouldn't want to wake Ryou, she knew how angry he was going to be with her. It was no use, not only was he already up but he was sat facing the door waiting in the dark.

"What time do you call this!? We're you to busy messing around with your stupid boyfriend to-"
"Shut up." She mumbled pushing past him. He grabbed her arm and spun her round. The moon light illuminated her face, her freshly unshed tears shone out and her newly acquired injuries were made clear. These next few moments seemed like a blur to Ichigo. Ryou pulled her in close to his chest, wrapping his arms round her tightly.
"I knew it was him…" he sobbed. She could feel the little wet droplets land on her hair. This was all odd to her, Ryou was just raw emotion, he griped her tight refusing to move, he kept mumbling things about violating someone so perfect.

When Ryou calmed down took Ichigo to the spear room and asked her to tell him what happened. They sat on the bed and talked. The more he heard the angrier he got.
"Ichigo. You have just broken up with him. That is final." She stared back at him with tears in her eyes. "He's scum. His contract at café mew mew has officially been terminated, and if he shows up here again his life will be as well."
Ichigo burst into tears hurling herself onto the pillow. Ryou lay down beside her putting one arm under her head and the pillow, snaking it up and round her shoulders. The two of them fell asleep like this but not before he made her a promise.

"For as long as I can see, you will never go unnoticed.
For as long as I can hear you will never suffer in silence.
For as long as I can fight, no man will ever hurt you.
And for as long as you want me, you'll never be alone…"