Trailing Tears

Ichigo ran through the rain and detransformed. She was soaked to the bone. Salty tears rushed down her cheeks. She ran through the park and splashed through puddles. Her socks and shoes were soaked through and through, as was every other part of her. Ichigo shivered, but refused to run home, where an empty house awaited her.

The violence of what she and Kisshu had done wracked pain throughout her heart. The only one who could ever have comforted her, whether she like him or not, was dead. No one would ever be there for her and she'd have to live the rest of her life as a nun. Rough chilling winds swirled around her.

Ichigo dodged through the trees and around the sand box and playground. She ran past the lake with the duckies and crashed into something warm. She looked up to find herself looking into Kisshu's golden eyes. She gulped, momentarily stopped. Kisshu pulled her close to hug her, but she pulled away with an angry cry and ran off.

Ichigo was blinded by the rain and her salty tears as her legs carried her deeper and deeper into the park. She couldn't go home. Not to that empty place. It would haunt her forever if she stayed there. What she had done. Who she had done it with. Why she had done it. The tears spilled faster as flooding memories flashed before her eyes. Memories she had no wish to remember. Memories she wished would die.

She covered her eyes with one hand, trying to stop the flood of tears. She ran blindly through the park, not caring where she was going, just so long as it was away from there. Images of Masaya floated through her mind. Masaya smiling, Masaya thinking, Masaya's voice telling her everything was okay. That everything would be all right. The feel of his touch as he held her hand. Ichigo cried harder and it seemed that the rain fell down harder also.

Ichigo ran and ran and ran until she felt her legs would carry her no farther. They felt like they were wieghted by lead as she used the last of her strength to climb up a large leafy tree. She curled up in a tight ball, willing herself not to fall asleep quite yet. She sneezed and made herself as comfortable as she could be in a tree while it's raining. There she collapsed from weariness into a chilling troubled slumber.

And that was where Ryou found her, sodden and wet and having a troubled sleep. He scratched his head, wondering how to get her down. A shiver crawled up his spine as he sensed someone behind him. RYou looked down and saw a shadow behind him. He turned around and saw Kisshu, the enemy. Ryou narrowed his eyes. Kisshu smirked and floated up into the tree.

Kisshu surveyed his sleeping Koneko- chan. She was there, sodden, soaked, shivering, and sleeping. How pretty she looked just then. Kisshu gently picked her up and held her body close. Ichigo stirred slightly, snuggling into him for warmth, wet as he was. Kisshu smirked down at Ryou again and opened his mouth to say something when a small projectile came flying at his head.

Ryou seethed with anger and threw a pebble at Kisshu. Then he realized that if the rock hit Kisshu, the alien might drop Ichigo. The rock suceeded in hitting Kisshu, it hit him pretty hard at that. Kisshu dropped Ichigo and yelped in pain.

Ryou rushed forward and caught Ichigo. She sneezed and curled up into a tighter ball. "You bastard!" Kisshu raged. Ryou took off while Kisshu was still yelling at him and rubbing his head.

Ryou ran down the street, throughly soaking himself more so than he already was. He splashed through puddle and hastened by Ichigo's house, where a small crowd had gathered around Masaya's body. He heeded that not and ran through the dark alleyways, avoiding crowded streets which might hinder him. He arrived at the cafe and entered through the back door.

Ryou was suddenly sorry he had told Keiichiero it was all right for him to go visit his neice in the americas. Ryou grumbled a bit at himself, knowing he could do next to nothing about it. He trudged up the stairs with Ichigo, who sneezed again, sensing the rise in temperature. Ryou placed her on a couch and grabbed two towels.

Ryou began to dry Ichigo off with a fluffy pink towel. He cleaned off the rain and Ichigo curled up into a ball. Ryou straightened her and finished drying off her arms, feet, face, and neck.

But then there remained the task of drying off the rest of her body. Which would include removing her clothes and actually touching what was underneath them. This would also inblue getting her into a fresh set of clothes. Ryou hesitated as his fingers lingered over heralready open shirt.

Well, he reasoned, it was already unbuttoned, and she couldn't get that mad. But it would be wrong. Very morally and ethically wrong. However, if he did not, Ichigo might get sick. Ichigo coughed and rolled over. Too late. Well, it would prevent her from getting sicker.

---------------few minutes later after debating-----------------

Ryou noticed that Ichigo was shivering and placed a blanket over her form.Ryou then went into the bathroom. There, he dried himself off and changed into fresh clothes, not wanting to get Ichigo wet. He looked around for something she could wear, but found nothing suitable, so he wrapped her up in a blanket.

Ryou went back into the room where Ichigo was and found that she had curled up into a ball once more. Ryou gently picked up the Ichigo bundle and placed her on his bed. He lit the fireplace there and then spread out Ichigo's body and tucked her in beneath the sheets and other blankets.

Ryou then slowly walked down to the guest room, where he literally fell down on the bed and was alseep before his head hit the pillow.