ARGH! STOP REVIEWING! You're making me feel bad! :O (No, I'm joking! Review, PLEASE, I BEG of you!!) Anyways, I apologize for my very, very long not updating time. I guess you can say I was busy...ish. But I'm SORRY, okay? Could you forgive me?? (puppy dog eyes)
Ahem, anyways, moving on to topic TWO:
Okay... I HAVE to do this, all right?
Mew-Sahara, Undefined Melody, and Tomoyo Kinomoto have won the REVIEWER'S GRAMMY AWARD for reviewing in every single chapter (up to 8, that is,) of 19 Strawberries. I love you guys!
And now for the replies...:
Arieva LeFly: (blushes) AW, STOP it! You're too kind, really!
Angel Ichigo Melody: Thank chuu very much!
Evol Kitty: Yay! Thanks! (Cute, really?)
Ima bar B-Girl: Okay, thanks for the criticism. I know my writing's not "superbly, otherworldly amazing" but I'm trying to get there. And, I'm just glad you thought it was ok. :)
Joytir: LMAO. Thank you! (I don't think I could write forever, either, so that makes the two of us.)
Life's Myth: Awww, thank you! And I totally agree. Masaya has to GO (far, far, FAAARRR away)
animelovu7: That's so cute! It fits so well to T.M.M.! You are one smart aleck, you know that?
xSaphirexRosesxFanx: Thanks! As for updating...I hope you didn't give up on me. '
Crimson-Embers: Aw, thank you! I was gonna do this thing where Shirogane tucks her into his bed (XDDD) and he sleeps on the cot, but...oh well. TT.TT Maybe I'll edit it sometime later.
Artificial Life Creator: Ah, no! Thank YOU, for reviewing! And rain is, like, AWESOME. Much better than sun, in my opinion. It helps create the "mood." ;)
PearlBlue5: LOL. Hard to believe, eh?
xTheGirlNextDoorKagomex: Heck yeah there is! It's right here! :D
Ariana13: Really?? Thank you so much!! (I feel like I'm using this word a lot...uck.)
Que Sera Sera x: YAY! And xoxoxo back to you! ;)
Lillythemarshmellowqueen: Omigosh! I love CHA! It's awesome! (That, and SHANNARO! XD! Sakura kicks ass!) And thank you!
Squeaky-Squishy: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Hope I got this out fast enough. ."
Mew-Sahara: (dies from compliments) I don't think I can handle another review! The word gossamer's really pretty, isn't it? X3
UndefinedMelody: Ack! Thank YOU! And aren't they? Ichigo + Ryou is LOVE!
Tomoyo Kinomoto: LMAO- you reviewed a LOT. I'm glad, though! Thank you! XD
butterflyangellover14: LOL. Thanks! And don't worry, I will! I'll never give up, yeah! (flames in eyes)
minniemouselover: (screams) THANK YOU! And yes, Ichigo x Ryou FOREVER!!
xStarOceanNelx: REALLY?! Thank you soooooo much! I'm really glad you like it!
Did I forget anyone?? COMPLAIN, then!
Interesting Fact: I wrote the beginning part while I was on a (COACH!!) bus to...er...I forgot, but it was a school trip...yeah. :)
Disclaimer: It ain't mine, OK? So stop bugging me.
Ohhh, one very important detail. This is Monday...yeah. Cuz if I followed it, then it would've been on Saturday, and then everything would've been like, KA-BOOSH! Down the toilet! So...VOILA! CHAPTER NINE, kiddies! Hope you like!
--
The morning after the incident seemed too good to be true to our little Strawberry. It was the image of a perfect spring day- the skies so blue it seemed like a part of a movie set; the sun shining so brilliantly, blinding everything in sight (well...it does that all the time, but...); birds chirping their morning song on tree branches, twittering the ears of sleeping fellows...Ichigo predicted that despite yesterday's (odd) events, it was going to be a wonderful, spectacular day. However, one should no better than to predict a future on the morning's sky. After all, even the sweetest of spring days can turn out to be ugly...
--
ChapterNine
.:our SECRET! rendezvous:.
"Expect the unexpected."
--
"Bye, Mom!" Ichgio called out from over her shoulder. Slipping on her black oxford shoes, she skipped out the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Humming a little tune to herself, she faintly heard her mother cry, "Bye Ichigo!" behind her. Ichigo had expected yesterday's events to haunt her mind like a never-ending nightmare, but rather, it turned out that the "date" seemed more like a dream. Not a "my world is perfect here and every thing goes according to plan" sort of dream, but more like a "oh, this could have obviously never happened so I'm imagining things, duh!" sort of dream. Although Ichigo did wish all of it was in her head, from the moment she woke up that morning, she could tell it was all too real.
When her eyes had blinked open, she was in the room of her best friend, Moe, sleeping comfortably in a canopy bed- that is, until Moe had rudely shaken her (violently!!) awake. With a knowing smirk on her face, the blonde told Ichigo to hurry up and get out of her bed. Fazed, Ichigo stumbled out of the bed, as Moe pushed her out the house, accompanying her into her father's car as they drove to the Momomiya estate. The sun was rising when Ichigo arrived at her house, and the mother, Sakura Momomiya, ran out to hug her daughter. "Did you have a nice time?" Her mother had asked as she waved good bye to Moe and her father.
"Huh?" Firstly, she did NOT have a nice time. Spending the night with your boss in the café was not considered a "NICE time" to Ichigo, although making the cake was pretty...er...enlightening. Yeah! Enlightening. Also, being shaken to death by her friend when she had no idea why, how, or when she got in her house, was not very pleasant. But Moe had whispered to Ichigo as she leaded her out the house to not mention to anyone that she had spent the night with Shirogane.
Well, as if that wasn't OBVIOUS!
But still, Ichigo wondered how in the world Moe had found out. When she had asked, all she had gotten out of Moe was a wink and a secretive smile. "I'll tell you later," she had mouthed. Now, it was...well...NOW. And Ichigo was impatient for answers.
When she had spotted Moe waving to her in the distance, Ichigo stormed up to her, and grabbed her arm, dragging her to a alley. "Owww, Ichigo, do you have to be so rough?" Moe whined, rubbing her arm.
"Moe!" the red head cried, "I want answers now! What happened?" The blonde glanced at Ichigo with a devious look on her face.
"I should be asking you the same thing, Ichi," She purred. "Just what happened between you and Shirogane that night?" Moe waggled her brows for effect.
BAM!
"BAKAAAAAAAAA!!" Ichigo screamed, a vein popping up angrily on her forehead. Huffing, she dusted off her skirt before storming off to school, leaving Moe (and her newly formed head bump) behind. The blonde snickered, running to catch up to the red head.
"Wait for meeeee!!"
In the shadows, a pair of eyes watched the scene, the smallest flicker of sadness flashing in the brown irises.
--
There was no lunchroom at Daikan Junior High, much to Ichigo's dismay, and the very thought of eating in a small room with lots and lots of people (though that was what a lunch room was...) disappointed her. The only thing that kept her from not protesting against this dilemma was the yummy aroma of lunches that lingered in the air after lunch period ended. Sighing, the strawberry took out a pink obento box from her book bag and placed it on her desk.
"Another day without a lunchroom, hmm?" Ichigo picked her head up to see Moe take a seat next to her. Giving the red had a grin, she took out an orange obento box. "So, watcha got, Ichi? Your mom makes the best stuff!"
Snickering, Ichigo lifted up the cover of her obento. "FISH!" She cried happily. The blonde groaned.
"Again?" Moe lifted up the cover of her box, slamming it down on the desk. "Guess what my mom made me." Without waiting for a reply, she went on dramatically, "Fish. I HATE fish."
"Well, I LOVE fish, so you could give that to me!" Ichigo reached for the obento, grinning happily. Moe snatched it away.
"ONLY if your mom makes fried rice tomorrow. Then the deal's set."
"B-B-but...but then I have to starve lunch tomorrow!" Ichigo wailed. Moe rolled her eyes.
"Is it a deal or not?"
Pouting, the red head grumbled a yes. "Perfect!" Moe cried, "I expect my fried rice tomorrow then." She placed the obento onto Ichigo's desk and looked mournfully at her stomach before rubbing it.
"I haven't seen Miwa in a while, have you?" Ichigo asked, picking up a large piece of fish with her chopsticks.
Moe shook her head. "Nope. Ever since we got placed into different classes for eighth grade, I've only talked to her...twice?" She sighed. "There's just too much work."
"I wonder if she's doing okay." Ichigo picked up a mound of rice, and went on, "Because she's not exactly...you know. She's the perfect target for bullies and stuff."
"I got it!" Moe cried, brightening. She grabbed Ichigo's hand and pulled her out of the chair. "Let's go see her now!"
"B-but! My FISH!!"
--
"Do you even know which class she's in?"
"Of COURSE I do!...You know...that one..."
"Right. With those numbers and that door. Yes, I know PERFECTLY what you're talking about."
Moe rolled her eyes in response and continued down the hallway. Their classroom, 2-B, was a lot of doors down the opposite way, because of the extra curriculum subject rooms on this floor. Each year two classroom was separated by the mass of art rooms, music rooms, academic rooms, cooking rooms, etc. and was ordered by intelligence level. (Starting from A and ending at D)
The two hadn't walked down this way before, seeing how the stairwells were right next to their classroom. And if, by chance, they got lost...they were doomed.
"Okay. It has to be 2-A. I KNOW it is," Moe muttered, her eyes darting from one door to the next. Behind her, Ichigo huffed as they reached a turn.
"Then why haven't we found it by now?" She hissed. Turning around, the blonde put her hands on her waist, huffing.
"Because-"
"-so what do you want me to do?"
"Wha-"
Moe covered Ichigo's mouth with her hand before dragging her flat against the wall. Her auburn eyes darted back and forth from Moe's tightly clamped hand to the Moe, and she let out a small (very muffled) scream before Moe let her go, smiling sheepishly. "What are you doing?" Ichigo hissed into Moe's ear.
Waggling her brows, the blonde replied, "Eavesdropping." Frowning, Ichigo slumped down quietly to the floor, hugging her knees-...and listened. Okay, she knew eavesdropping was wrong and rude and a whole bunch of other adjectives, but it wasn't like the person would know, right? And besides, the conversation sounded so interesting! "What could it be?" Ichigo thought, tapping her chin with her finger, "A fight between a couple? A dilemma between two friends?"
"What more can I do?... But don't you think she's had enough by now?" The low, feminine voice had an edge of desperation to it, and footsteps were heard- going farther away from the hiding couple. Ichigo's brows furrowed as she continued listening to the voice. It was...strangely familiar...
The sound of shuffling awoke Ichigo from her elimination process in her mind, and she turned her head to see Moe inch closer to the wall, trying to peek at the mysterious speaker. Footsteps were heard again- this time coming closer- and Moe crept back to her original position. A small, tired sigh came from around the wall. "Look...I'm sort of...tired of being-...," Pausing, the speaker continued in a whisper, "Little Devious. I'm done."
Little Devious.
Little Devious.
THE Little Devious.
HOLY shit.
This was the photographer that shot the embarrassing photo of her and Ryou. The one that was part of the evil Gossip Girls committee that sought out to make lives miserable. And to think, if everyone suddenly knew who this 'Little Devious' was, they'd all hate her, right? It would be the ultimate revenge plan- for her, and the other people she's targeted. A smirk stretched across Ichigo's lips as she stealthily got up from her sitting position. Gliding quietly past Moe, who was gaping at the air like a fish, Ichigo peeked over the wall to see the girl's face.
"...Miwa?"
It was Moe who spoke, and unlike Ichigo, who was hiding behind the wall, she stood in the middle of the hallway, looking at the brunette with a mixture of shock and disgust in her face. "Miwa?" An edge of hysteria rose to Moe's voice as she took a step forward.
Miwa jumped, dropping her cell phone to the floor. She scrambled to pick it up, and snapped it shut, cutting off the loud voices screaming from the other side. "W-what are you doing here?" She first eyed Moe, and then to Ichigo, who crouched frozen, her fingers still clasped around the wall, face half-hidden. "Have you been following me or something?" A laugh escaped from Miwa's lips, her brown eyes wide as they darted from one girl to the other. "I-I'm guessing you heard, right?" A large smile crossed Miwa's face, her lips pinched tightly together despite the expression. "Well, you're looking at her- Little Devious. Congratulations."
"Why?" One word croaked from Moe's mouth. The smile faded from Miwa's lips, replaced with a thin hard line. "WHY?! ANSWER ME!" Moe shrieked, balling her hands into fists. If only they weren't on school grounds. If only no one would interfere. If only she could punch her again and again but not feel the guilt because they were friends.
"You really wanna know?" Miwa's eyes darted to Ichigo, as she began walking towards her. "It's because of Ichigo." She snapped, her brown eyes locking with auburn ones. Ichigo's face crinkled with confusion, her brows furrowing as she stared at Miwa with disbelief. "Yes, YOU," Miwa hissed, crossing her arms. "I bet you never knew this, but I liked- no, LOVED Aoyama-kun since grade school. So then, a year later, you come and tell me you LOVE the guy too!" Throwing her hands up in the air, Miwa glared at Ichigo. "YAY!"
Ichigo felt like a coward hiding behind the wall, covering up the tears swelling up in her eyes, and the marks she made on the wall with her nails. "I'm sorry," she muttered, her eyes darting to the floor. Sniffing, she raised a hand to wipe away at her blurry eyes.
"Sorry?" The forgotten blonde spoke up, her voice harsh and ragged. "Miwa, shouldn't YOU be apologizing?" Moe looked straight into Miwa's eyes, as she stepped towards her. "Did you even tell Ichigo you liked Masaya?" The brunette's mouth opened to protest, her eyes narrowed. "-NO!" Moe cut off. "You kept the little secret to yourself! How were any of us to know, Miwa? HUH?"
"I-" Miwa's eyes darted back and forth from Moe to the empty hallway as she was backed up into a wall. "I-"
"AND HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK OF DOING THAT TO ICHIGO!" Moe screamed, stomping her foot. "What happened to BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, huh? How about all the good times we had together? Is that how important our friendship is to you?" Grabbing hold onto Miwa's shoulders, Moe shook them roughly, speaking the next phrase with hysteria, "Why did you do it?"
"Moe! Stop it!" A voice called out from behind them, and the blonde let go of Miwa's shoulders, her hands falling to her side as her mouth formed a thin, hard line.
Ichigo approached the two of them, clasping her hands tightly behind her back. "I'm sorry, Miwa." Ichigo bowed, and looking at her knees, she went on, "I'm sorry for not noticing you loved Masaya." She straightened up and looking at her friend, she smiled weakly. "You know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, ne? Gomen." Then turning around, she began to walk quickly around the corner, just as the bell started to ring.
"Ichigo-! Argh!" Moe looked at Miwa one last time before running after her friend. "WAIT FOR ME!!"
And yet again, she was left alone, her eyes hurt and empty like the morning. Her hand was outstretched, wanting to call them all back and turn back time. Sighing, Miwa lowered it to her side before turning around to walk to her classroom. "Gomen, Ichigo. Moe." And she was out of sight.
--
Was she mad? HELL YESSSSSS.
Did she want to punch a certain brunette in the face and stomp on her body over and over and over then kick her into next week? YOU BETCHA SHE DOES!!
...But will she?
--
Ichigo entered the room just a few seconds before the bell stopped ringing, and walked quickly over to her desk, taking a seat just as Moe entered the room. Her eyes were red, but she didn't care. Her classmates looked at her funny, but who gave a damn? Sighing, Ichigo took out her Foreign Language (English, actually.) Notebook and opened it to a new page. Scribbling on the date, she began copying the lesson plan written on the board.
"TODAY, we shall be learning about ADJECTIVES and NOUNS. These two are CRUCIAL to the English language, so pay attention WISELY." The English teacher, Tzukuza-sensei, boomed out the lesson plan with her opera soprano voice, tapping the chalkboard with a two-foot metal stick. "ATSUSHI, stop DRAWING anime characters onto your NOTEBOOK. It is very UNBECOMING."
"Hn," The artist muttered.
"WHAT did you SAY, ATSUSHI?"
He sighed. "GOMEN, sensei."
Another typical English class, Ichigo mused. Wasting half the period with Tzukuza-sensei pointing out other people's flaws and mistakes; The other half on her life story as a "Broadway Star" in America- whatever that was. Usually, she made an effort to pay attention in this class to not embarrass herself in front of everyone. But today...today she couldn't even focus on laughing with her classmates at Atsushi-kun! There was just too much to think about.
Was she mad? Snorting, Ichigo continued to write down the lesson plan- which consisted of FIVE, horrendously long, PARAGRAPHS. Oh, woe is Ichigo. Anyways, of COURSE she was mad! She just found out her friend- no, BFFL!, was Little Devious!! How could any (sane) person NOT get mad? Ichigo never felt so betrayed in her life!
And was it smart of her to do that? To not blow up in front of Miwa and put her down? She was happy that Moe would defend her so strongly, (though Moe was probably very upset herself) but she felt like a loser hiding behind the wall. She wanted to say all the words Moe did so confidently, but did not find an ounce of courage in herself to do so.
Sighing, Ichigo silently cheered herself as she reached paragraph three. She wanted to beat Miwa to a pulp and smash her head against the wall. She wanted to shake her violently and smack her senseless. She wanted to, but she didn't. How stupid of her. Furrowing her brows, Ichigo scowled, faintly listening to her teacher drone on about "Minazuki's unflattering skirt height." She hoped Miwa didn't laugh at her. Or tell anybody in the Gossip Girls about it. ARGHHHHH.
"MOMOMIYA! PLEASE stop VIOLENTLY STABBING your NOTEBOOK with your PENCIL. It is VERY UNLADYLIKE of you." Tzukuza-sensei screeched as a couple of her classmates sniggered.
"Aa?" Looking down, Ichigo sweatdropped as she saw the holes in her paper. "G-gomen..."
"As I was SAYING,-...ATSUSHI, STOP DRAWING!!"
--
The walk home with Moe was silent and tense. The two had walked for five blocks straight without uttering a single word. It was a record for them. When they finally reached Ichigo's house (Moe's was a few more blocks down) the blonde had asked the question that Ichigo pondered upon the rest of the day. "Ne, Ichigo," She said abruptly, "Do you forgive her?"
Ichigo paused, her hand grabbing the rail that led to her house. "I...guess so. I mean," she sighed, "It was understandable. I would've done the same. But I'm still a bit mad." Nodding, Moe waved goodbye, a rather solemn expression on her face.
"Let's talk more about it tomorrow," She said.
"Okay! BYE!" Ichigo called, waving. She went in when Moe disappeared around the corner. Her hand gripped the doorknob tightly, sighing as she turned it to enter her home. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped into her orange slippers, trudging into the living room. "I'm home, Mom." Ichigo dropped her book bag onto the sofa, plopping down next to her mother who was staring gravely an envelope in her hands. Ichigo inclined her head to the side, staring curiously at it. "What's that, Mom?"
"A letter," She replied. "For you."
Ichigo's brows furrowed. 'For me?" Puzzled she took in from her Mom's hands, and turned it to see the sender. Blank. Darn. The address was an unrecognizable one, too. "Who's it from?"
Her voice was faint. "Masaya-kun."
--
I got a question for you all: where do you think I'm going with this story? In other words: What do YOU think the plotline of this story is?
And that's the end of Chapter Nine! Review, por favor! Gracias!
X3
