Ok. So you guys can hate me now. To be honest I wrote this chapter back in march…. But I didn't edit it… till now hahaha sorry. But I dunno couldn't bring myself to buckle down and focus. Which is why I want to send a thanks to Song Butterfly Girl because somehow your comment got me into gear and pushed me to finish this up.
Of course that being said I appreciate all of my readers and reviewers, because you guys encourage me to keep going and reading your comments helps me get hyped up and get into the mood to write a chapter and do my best at it and hopefully learn and improve as I go along.
Enjoy!
False Love
Chapter 9: Ryou and Ichigo
The next night…
Ryou was sitting on his couch, staring at his ceiling when someone began ringing his doorbell. Glancing at the clock and frowning, he stood and walked over. Looking through the peephole on his door, he smiled at the person standing on the other end and quickly opened it.
Ryou laughed, pulling his friend into a hug, "Keiichiro? Why didn't you just use your own key?"
"Hey, Ryou," Keiichiro answered, hugging him back.
Keiichiro Akasaka
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Status: Single
Occupation: Archeologist
Look: Older, skin much darker, still handsome
Motto: "The world has many mysteries, we must study it to understand it"
Self-image: Kind-hearted, sweet, hard-working
"Here, let me help you with that," Ryou said, taking Keiichiro's bags.
Keiichiro smiled and followed his friend inside. "What happened? I wasn't expecting you back for another year," Ryou asked.
"Ah well our findings are being transferred to the lab here and I was homesick, so I agreed to come back and study them in further detail," Keiichiro smiled.
"Well, I'm glad you're back," Ryou grinned and placed Keiichiro's bags in his room and came back out.
"So… what is up? Tell me the low-down, Ryou," Keiichiro grinned back taking a seat on the couch.
"Low-down? Keii, I told you, please stop trying to be cool," Ryou said arching his brow and laughing.
Keiichiro laughed, "Ah I still can't quite get it right, huh?"
"No," Ryou answered, "Beer?"
"Please," Keiichiro nodded, "I take it everything is well then?"
"Yeah, I uh," Ryou started, handing Keiichiro a beer and sitting by him, "I bumped into the girls."
"What? When? Why didn't you tell me?" Keiichiro frowned, taking the drink, "How did that go? Did you see Zakuro?" Keiichiro knew that the girls had become a touchy subject for Ryou.
"No I didn't see her, yet anyways and I found out that idiot Kisshu is the one who caused us not to remain in contact," Ryou said, "And I slept with a very married Ichigo, so I think it could've been worse."
Keiichiro's eyebrows shot up, "Say again?"
"I said Kisshu was the reason we didn't remain in contact," Ryou answered innocently.
"The other part, Ryou," Keiichiro said impatiently, "You slept with Ichigo? As in-"
"Sex, Keiichiro, sex," Ryou grinned, "Honestly, you can be such a prude sometimes."
"Yes," Keiichiro agreed, "The problem now is that I'm a prude, and not that you had sexual relations with a married woman."
"She's leaving him," Ryou said sternly, "She's going to get a divorce. She doesn't belong with him, she never did."
"Right," Keiichiro sighed, "You're sure she's getting a divorce then?"
"Yes," Ryou answered.
Keiichiro watched him for a moment and smiled, "OK."
"Zakuro is doing fine, by the way, heard she's having wet dreams about you," Ryou smirked.
"Uh," Keiichiro's eyes widened in surprised, "W-wet what?"
Ryou laughed loudly, "Seriously, Keii, just marry the girl already."
"I do have plans to see her," Keiichiro laughed.
Ryou grinned, "Wanna get take-out? I want to know all about your findings."
"Sounds great. Thai?" Keiichiro agreed.
Ryou nodded and set out to find a menu and continued catching up with his friend.
Ichigo continued driving around aimlessly, not exactly willing to return home, not exactly sure where to go, and so deeply lost in thought that she didn't notice her gas gauge slowly getting closer and closer to empty.
Finally, Ichigo pulled into a hotel parking lot and called Masaya.
"Hello?" he responded.
"Hi," she said quietly.
"Ichigo, where in the hell are you?" Masaya barked.
"I'm staying at Minto's, we're having a girl's night," she answered quickly.
"Come home now!" Masaya yelled, "I did not give you permission to spend time with your whore friends!"
"Don't call them that!" Ichigo yelled back, "I'm not coming back tonight! You can stay out all night with your friends, whenever you want, but I can't spend a night with any of mine? No! I'm staying, I don't care what you say anymore!" Ichigo immediately hung up, breathing heavily.
She sighed and got out of the car, making her way to the hotel entrance. "I just need to think, just gather my thoughts and prepare myself to leave him," she thought, "God! I, honestly, never thought I'd be trying to prepare myself to get a divorce."
When she finally got up to her room, she walked in closing the door behind her, went to the bed and threw herself on it. She stayed like that for a little while before she got up and went to the mini bar and took a bottle of white wine, opened it and poured some into a glass and took a sip.
Ichigo sighed and decided to take a long bath to soothe herself and pray that Masaya wasn't going to be trying to do anything stupid for the argument on the phone they just had.
"When did my life get so complicated?" she thought.
Both Ryou and Keiichiro turned in and Keiichiro sat on his bed contemplating whether it would be too late to call or not. After much thought he pressed the call button and waited listening to the phone ring.
"Keii?" answered a sleepy happy voice.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" he responded smiling.
"It's ok, I'm glad you called," she responded, "Your flight went well then?"
"Yes, I can't wait to see you again. It's been too long, Zakuro."
She laughed, "I went to visit you just last week."
"I know and I missed you as soon as you left," Keiichiro responded.
"Yeah, I missed you too," Zakuro replied, "Have you told Ryou yet?"
"No, not yet, I'm staying with him for a couple of weeks anyways and he seems to have a lot on his plate right now," he answered, "By the way, why didn't you tell me about Ryou and Ichigo?"
"By the time I found out the details you were already on your way here, so I figured you'd find out after you got here anyways."
He smiled, "Of course, well I'm glad they all reunited, Ryou won't pester me for information on all of you all the time now."
She laughed again, "I didn't know it bothered you so much."
"It doesn't, but I never knew what I could say and couldn't say. I wonder how surprised he was to find out Ichigo was married," Keiichiro mused.
"Well, I'm kind of glad they did what they did, I'm hoping their… relationship, pushes Ichigo to leave Masaya," Zakuro sighed, "If he hurts her…"
"Ryou seems absolutely certain she's going to," Keiichiro responded, "Has she said anything?"
"Yeah, she has, but she said she needed to think about things before she did it, I don't think she's going to backtrack, but you never know with these kinds of things," Zakuro sighed again.
He smiled, "It won't. I know Ryou, and unfortunately, he's not usually wrong about things. If he's that certain, I know it'll happen. One way or another Ryou will probably find a way to make it happen, he won't let Ichigo continue such a dangerous relationship and I think he's getting an idea of what's going on in their marriage, even without Ichigo outright telling him."
"You sound so sure." Zakuro responded.
"Because I know Ryou that well," Keiichiro responded.
"What do you think his plan is then?" Zakuro asked.
"I don't know, I can't read his mind, but right now, he might just be giving her time," Keiichiro answered, "I'm positive he's hired a P.I. (Private Investigator) to look into their marriage further. He isn't the type to go into things half way or ill-prepared. At least not most of the time."
"Of course, he could just ask me though, I'd tell him everything," Zakuro answered.
"This is Ryou we're talking about," Keiichiro laughed, "He has his way of handling things."
"Right," Zakuro said exaspareted, "Tell him to speed up the process then, my patience with that situation is extremely thin and every time it comes up with the other girls, well, everyone is extremely worried about her and Retasu has enough of her own worries right now."
"I'll see what I can do," Keiichiro responded concern filling his voice, "How is Retasu doing right now?"
"She's stressed, she has the appointment next week, and she asked us if we would go."
"Isn't Pai going to be there?" Keiichiro asked.
"No, she still hasn't told him anything, she's too afraid to," Zakuro answered, "I'm sure he's noticed somethings wrong, but Pai has always been very patient when it comes to Retasu and is probably giving her space so that she can come around to tell him."
"I hope everything goes well with the appointment," Keiichiro responded, "Any news with Minto? I heard about Kisshu and the contact issues he had created."
"They had a big fight, but I'm sure he'll do something to get back into her good graces again, he always does. Minto's not letting him out easy for this one though," Zakuro mused, "I can't blame her. You know how they are."
"Yes," he laughed, "And Purin?"
"Purin's been on a high since Taruto officially asked her out a few months ago, they'd been spending so much time together, no one was surprised, but she did tell Ichigo that they haven't kissed yet," Zakuro responded.
"They shouldn't be kissing! She's only 16!" Keiichiro replied quickly.
"I'm pretty sure that's the normal age range to start kissing, Keii," Zakuro replied humoredly.
Keiichiro scrunched up his face, "No. They're too young. They should wait until they're 20 at least."
Zakuro laughed whole heartedly, "20? Wow Keii, no wonder you wouldn't even hold my hand for the first three months when we started dating. You really are a prude."
"Quiet! Or I really will ask you to marry me," he laughed.
She grinned, "And what would you do if I said yes this time?"
"I'd propose we elope before you change your mind," he said seriously.
She laughed, "We'll see."
"It's getting late, I'll let you sleep, and we'll see each other tomorrow," he laughed.
"Sounds good," she smiled, "Goodnight, Keii."
"Goodnight, Zakuro," he replied.
Ryou laid on his bed, restlessly turning from side to side before his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Ryou? I'm sorry I'm calling so late," Ichigo started started nervously.
"Ichigo?" Ryou said sitting up on his bed, "Its ok. I don't mind, is everything ok?"
"Well, I just…" she sighed, "I just really needed to hear your voice."
He smiled, "Yeah it's nice to hear yours too, but you didn't answer my question."
"Everything is ok. Actually, this might sound a little weird but I'm at a hotel," she responded.
He frowned, "Why?"
"I don't know. I couldn't stay home and I thought it would be nice to have some time to think of my own, but now I feel like my head is just going around in circles with everything. I'm just so… I don't know. I feel like an idiot," she said exasperated, "I don't know."
"Ichigo, you're not an idiot," Ryou smirked, "I mean you're not the brightest, but you're not the dullest either.
"You are so mean, Ryou!" she shrieked.
He laughed, "Come on, you can't say you didn't walk right into that one."
"Whatever, Ryou!" she laughed.
He grinned, "I'm glad you're laughing."
She smiled, "Ryou…"
"Yeah?"
"Would it be a terrible thing for me to ask you…"
He waited a few beats before encouraging her to continue, "Strawberry, quit playing with me and just ask."
"Would you like to come over?" she whispered shyly.
His grin grew, "Straw-"
"Shirogane, if you tease me about this, I'll retract my offer so fast your head will spin!" she said sternly interrupting him.
He chuckled, "Alright, alright. Where are you?"
"The Marriot. Room 310," she giggled.
He smirked, "That's not too far from me, I'll be there soon."
"Ok," she smiled, "I'll see you in a little bit then."
"Yeah," he replied, "See you soon."
:)
