Yay! Don't worry Masaya fans I wont let you down.
Chapter 4 – "Sleepover A La Mode—My Sweetheart"
It was another horrible gloomy day of school. And it was almost like that day at the Hot Springs had never happened…
But Blackcherry had been given confidence since then, and felt very close to Ichigo. She was her best friend. But Blackcherry never really had friends before—but from what she saw on TV, she knew that friends often went to each other's houses and slept over. She was way too embarrassed to imagine Ichigo asleep in her own house but she felt like it'd be okay to ask if she could come over.
And there she was, today actually in school uniform. She was too bright and beautiful to be in that gray outfit, but the contrast just made her even lovelier.
"Momomiya-sa…" Blackcherry's voice grew weak and she was silent when Aoyama approached Ichigo.
"Hey, Momomiya-san." Masaya cheerfully smiled to her. "I'm free after Kendo today—wanna do something?" Ichigo turned bright red and looked very excited.
"Sure! I'd love to—can I meet you here after school?"
"Okay. Ja ne," he left for next class. Ichigo was wallowing in her own happiness when she suddenly bumped into Shizuma.
"Ah, gomen!" panicked Blackcherry. Ichigo smiled, "It's okay, it's my fault. I heard Masaya interrupt you, did you want to ask me something?" Blackcherry blushed—Ichigo had heard her.
"Well, I, um," she rubbed the back of her neck. "I was thinking…you could come to my house…or something…but um, you're busy, so…"
"Oh, I can make time!" Ichigo looked happy to Blackcherry who was thunderstruck by the response. "Masaya and me will be busy during the day, but if I can sleepover I can still come over your house." Black and purple Fireworks went off in Blackcherry's head.
"S-Sure! Sure you can! Yes!" Momomiya laughed at Blackcherry's excitement. "Okay—I'll ask Shirogane for your address and I'll come over later. Ja ne!"
…Ichigo volunteered to sleep over my house?!?!
Blackcherry ditched her last class to go home and tidy up her room and make sure her Dad knew Ichigo was coming. He was astounded. "How's a dirty bitch like you make a friend…" she heard him grumble, but she knew he would be happy to have her out of his hair. She cleaned up the whole kitchen by hand, and was preparing food. "I thought you said she was from your school, not the White House." He snapped without a thank you. But nothing could get her down. She wished she had asked her favorite food the music she liked. Blackcherry was setting up some extra sheets for herself on the floor next to her bed, and would insist that Ichigo sleep on her bed. She had never been so excited.
"Ichigo…I want you to know something." Masaya leaned his face near her's while she was eating at The Gothic Dark Cloud 666 Meaty Caramel Crème Café, the place Masaya had taken her to. Ichigo blushed. I'm getting too excited… His lips brushed hers. "Everybody says that we're so close…and everyone keeps asking me…if we ever…you know…"
"Kissed?" Ichigo perked.
"No, if we've ever—" Ichigo knew exactly what he was going to say.
"JUST A SEC, BATHROOM!" She ran into the lady's room and watched in disappointment as Masaya left thinking that she had refused the offer he was going to make. She felt bad about it but she couldn't help it because she couldn't ever imagine her and Masaya doing that. She assumed it was because he was so preppy. Her lipstick-stained lips against his was enough for her—lipstick…black lipstick…Blackcherry… Ichigo sighed. "My face feels all scarlet…" She took in the word as a memory where Blackcherry was wearing red fishnets under her school uniform so no one could see the ghastly unfathomable scarlet scars. She looked into the mirror and came face to face with her cat self! She had gotten too excited. "Oh my Goth! Well, I hope this goes away before I get to Blackcherry's—I'm gonna be late!"
"It burns like the fires of hell!" Blackcherry was spraying aerosol around her room to make it smell like strawberries when some got on her scarred arm and stung to high heaven. Ichigo was now a few minutes late, so Blackcherry waited outside and sat on her porch looking lonely.
Ichigo meowed weakly when she reached Blackcherry's doorstep still in cat form. This sucks, she thought. But I have to kiss something to change back.
"Oh?" Blackcherry picked up Neko Ichigo. "How cute…are you a little stray?"
Does she recognize me? Ichigo mewled in response. "I'm waiting for someone to come here, but they're late. You can come inside." Ichigo felt guilty but Shizuma took her upstairs into her black-painted, dark, poster-ridden room.
It smells so good in here… Ichigo relaxed on the bed that had skull sheets draped across it.
"So, do you have a name?" She looked and found no collar. "That's a shame…" Her shadowy, glossy lips curved to a small smile. "I'll name you Ichigo—it means Strawberry. Your eyes remind me of her…" Ichigo blushed a bloody red and had forgotten that Shizuma had very keen sense on who Ichigo was no matter what form.
While Blackcherry went to the bathroom, Ichigo investigated the room and found strawberry-shaped cookie cutters covered in blood, hidden deep within her closet, and some freakishly violent poetry. Ichigo looked concerned but when she read the poetry she felt closer to Blackcherry than ever before. But she sounded so hurt… She wrote about her horrible, abusive childhood, her father who raped her, random demons in her mind, but what was hurting her so bad right now?
When Blackcherry came out of the bathroom she was wearing something new, but before she put her black with pink stars arm warmers she got from Hot Topic on Ichigo caught sight of her blood-soaked and bruised arm and it wrenched her heart in the worst way. Blackcherry looked across at the cat.
"…Ichigo."
Tear droplets fell from the cat's eyes and she padded over to her. What could she say to her… She had no idea what sort of twisted pain she was in or why, and what could she do…
"I know it's you," the voice snapped Ichigo back to life. Blackcherry closed her eyes and became a small-sized panther cub.
No matter what form I'm in she always knows who I am! How?! This is too much…Why is she so sad?! How does she know…Why does she make me doubt Aoyama…Why did I run away from him! How does she know?!
'You have an intoxicating bright light that cant be overpowered by mimicking.'
…Blackcherry…
The cat gently padded to the cub and brushed her small petit lips over her's and they both turned back instantly. Ichigo looked caught in a daze.
"Why…?" Ichigo's voice was uttered in broken syllables.
Blackcherry was worried she had upset her and cocked her head.
"Why do you…make me feel like this…" Ichigo's eyes brimmed with tears.
Blackcherry murmured, her voice shaking, "Please…don't cry…what's wrong? What did I do?"
"You're a girl… You're a girl…" Ichigo wept gently and echoed the thoughts that always filled Blackcherry's mind. "But…you mean so much more to me than Aoyama…than anyone…W-Why…" Blackcherry's heart filled to the top and her eyes watered and she gently held Ichigo. Ichigo wrapped an arm around her and sobbed a little.
"…Ichigo…"
Her eyes look dark again—she only looks like that when she talks to me…
Ichigo wiped her eyes gently and looked at Blackcherry. She noticed now how fragile and small Blackcherry was- she was shorter than her, and so, so pale…With those dark eyes.
"Kiss me again."
Ichigo looked pained and squeezed onto Blackcherry's arm. "I…I can't…!"
"Please…Ichigo…" She didn't mean to make Ichigo so confused, but if Ichigo could kiss her again, everything could be confirmed without words and it would lift the burden perhaps. But the darling, heartfilled way Blackcherry had asked and still tried to consider Ichigo's feelings was so different from the way Masaya tried to ask that uncomfortable question.
"I just can't! You're a girl—this isn't right…This isn't…"
Blackcherry remained silent, but Ichigo had a wanting feeling.
Blackcherry was about to get up and accept that their friendship was now ruined, when a million sharp stabs fell through her heart and a sudden burst of energy went through her when she felt Ichigo's chapped lips press against hers.
Ichigo snapped out of her denial suddenly when she felt the same as Blackcherry. When she pulled away, Blackcherry looked down. "Do you still…want to sleep over…Momomiya-san…?"
"I do, Blackcherry…I really, really do…"
That night, Blackcherry didn't sleep on the floor. Ichigo invited her into the bed. But they didn't spend it sleeping. And Ichigo didn't feel guilty at all…
Infact, for the first time, she felt absolutely sure of herself, absolutely whole. And Blackcherry felt warm…And her dark eyes weren't just blackish pink, but shone with color.
And as if to signify a promise, at Blackcherry's request, Ichigo used one of the cookie cutters on Blackcherry down there, and licked the blood off. Blackcherry did the same to Ichigo, so now it was like they were eternally joined. And they promised each other it'd be the last blade ever to pierce their skin, or more symbolically, the last time Ichigo would ever hurt Blackcherry.
Just before they went to sleep, Ichigo pressed herself to Blackcherry's body. "Don't ever leave me…I don't care what happens from here—I only want to be with you. You're the only person for me. Please…?" Blackcherry turned red and was surprised by the question. "I will stay with you here if you will stay with me." Ichigo smiled and drifted off to sleep. Ichigo had been the reason Blackcherry had to live all along, but now they had a word promise. But what of Masaya…?