It took a while, yes it did, but here's the next chapter!! Hope you like it :)

I wish I owned TMM... but i don't...

~Nightfall26

Ichigo woke up inside the Café. She seemed to be laying on one of the tables. Her partners surrounded her, staring down with curious expressions. She blinked slowly, stretched her arms above her head, and yawned.

"Hey, everybody... What happened?" She asked, her voice soft from sleeping. Lettuce's hands twisted nervously in her apron. She was the first to speak.

"Well, Ichigo... Kish attacked you, and Masaya... he... um..." Her voice grew to a low murmur. Lettuce looked ashamed.

"He left you." Zakuro stated, her face bored.

"I remember that part." Ichigo whispered. Her eyes filled with tears. The memory wasn't the best, but at least she recalled it.

"And then? What happened?" Ichigo asked, curious. She brushed away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. Mint sighed, unfolding her arms.

"The Blue Knight appeared. Seems that he isn't Ryou or Masaya." Mint's voice was just as unfriendly as usual.

"But Ichigo saved him this time, na no da!" Pudding squealed in delight. She clapped her hands together in excitement. Ichigo's eyes widened, and she nodded.

"I see. I remember." Ichigo yawned again, and sat up. She looked around the room, blinking slowly. Ryou sat off in a corner, his head resting on his chest and his eyes closed. Masaya was sitting in a chair across from him. He looked uncomfortable, and cleared his throat nervously. Keiichiro stood by the wall, a glass of iced tea in his hand. He sipped it casually, flipping his ponytail over his shoulder.

"Are you feeling alright, Ichigo?" Keiichiro asked, looking concerned. Ichigo nodded, scratching her head.

"I'm a little light-headed, but otherwise fine, Akasaka-san," she said, her voice quiet. Keiichiro smiled warmly, and turned around to walk into the kitchen briefly. When he returned, he brought a glass of lemonade. He handed it to Ichigo. She bowed her head and thanked him. She took a large gulp from it before putting it down on the table. Ichigo sighed, her thoughts restless. Kish is going insane... She cast her gaze to the ceiling of the Café, twisting her fingers together. Why would he want me to go with him? That's just odd. A soft touch on her shoulder disturbed her thoughts.

"Ichigo, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Lettuce said, smiling gently. Pudding overheard them, turning her bright face towards Ichigo.

"Same here, Ichigo! Pudding can help, na no da!" she exclaimed as she jumped up to land on Lettuce's shoulders. Lettuce laughed and patted the younger girl fondly. Zakuro sighed and folded her arms.

"If you need to talk, I'm here." Zakuro said, then turned away as soon as she had spoken. Mint fumed silently as she pondered how to say something like her beloved Zakuro... without being too nice to Ichigo.

"I suppose... If you need assistance... I can provide a solution. Once." she huffed. Ichigo smiled brightly.

"Thanks you guys! I'm sure I'll be fine." she said, her voice as peppy as usual. Ryou lifted his head and dusted his shoulder off absentmindedly.

"Ichigo, take Aoyama home." He ordered, opening his eyes to stare at the pink haired girl. Ichigo grumbled, getting to her feet unhappily.

"Whyyy Shirogane?" She huffed, balling her fists.

"Because I said so, Strawberry." Ryou smirked, closing his eyes again. Ichigo groaned.

"Will you give me a raise?" She asked. Ryou stifled laughter.

"Of course not. But you can have the day off tomorrow. Fair?" He said condescendingly. Ichigo's face fell a little bit, and she swallowed.

"Yes, Shirogane-san." She murmured formally, bowing once before walking towards the door. Her shoulders slumped. Ichigo looked defeated. Ryou sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine, Ichigo, get back here. I'll... you know... work Mint harder. Yeah. That's it." He chuckled under his breath at the comical thought.

"As if." He muttered to himself. Ichigo rolled her eyes. She knew Ryou wasn't actually going to. He wouldn't. Ever.

"I told you, I'm going. Come on, Masaya." She opened the door again, and walked out into the street. Masaya sighed and got to his feet, following her cautiously. Ichigo walked down the street, rubbing her arms. It was chilly outside, and the uniform she wore hardly kept her warm. She kept her gaze pointedly rooted to the sidewalk in front of her. She was disappointed in Masaya, to say the least. He hadn't ever run away from protecting her before. It confused her and saddened her.

"Ichigo?" His voice disrupted her pondering. She stopped in her tracks before turning to face him.

"Yes, Masaya?" Her eyes were cold.

"I have...something I need to tell you. Would you mind coming with me?" He asked, his brown eyes pleading. Ichigo shook her head.

"You can tell me right here, can't you?" She gestured around at the empty streets that surrounded them.

"I'd rather you'd be sitting down." He said, looking at his shoes. Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Okay... then... Lead on?" She said, without a clue as to what was going on. Masaya began to walk in the direction of a park, and Ichigo noticed for the first time that day how drained he looked. His face was weary, and there were circles under his eyes. He walked slowly and deliberately, his shoulders slumped. Ichigo trotted along after him, her face concerned. Even though he had committed an act of cowardliness towards her, she was still very much in love with him. Did he get enough sleep? Did kendo tire him out? Is he okay? Is his family okay? Is school going alright for him? Worry... worry... worry... Ichigo was anxious, to say the least. Finally, they came to the park he wished to be in.

"We're here." Masaya murmured, his face grim. He extended his hand to her, a ghost ofa smile appearing when she placed her hand in his own. Ichigo looked around. There was a bench nearby, surrounded by pretty flowers. Masaya led her to that one, gesturing for her to sit first. When he sat down, he sighed heavily and stared at his shoes again. Ichigo bit her lip. She twisted her hands in her skirt, messing with it while he gathered the strength to say the first few words.

"Ichigo, we need to break up." His voice was curt. Ichigo's eyes widened, and she stared at him for a moment. Everything he said was playing back in her head several times.

"....What?" She whispered, her hands gripping her skirt so hard, her knuckles turned white.

"We need to break up." He repeated, slower this time. Ichigo raised a hand slowly to her mouth, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Why? What did I do to deserve this?" She choked, hurt flooding her face. Her eyes were filled with betrayal. Masaya ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. His face was distraught.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Ichigo. I have to protect you, and... This is the best way. I have to protect you." He spoke softly, raising a hand to touch her hand. She snatched it away quickly, glaring at him with glassy eyes.

"What do you have to protect me against, Masaya? You left me today. You didn't even take a second glance at me, even though you knew I was going to be harmed by Kish." She hissed, the hurt in her eyes making Masaya flinch back. He gently scooped her hand into his own and locked eyes with her.

"Ichigo. I couldn't protect you. I knew that the Blue Knight would come. I knew he would save you. But this is the way I can protect you." His voice was quiet, filled with a pain Ichigo couldn't comprehend. The gentleness in his voice made her calm down, as she felt tears trickle down her face.

"Protect me from what," Ichigo asked, barely able to look at her ex-boyfriend. "Masaya, I... love you. What more could you want? I... I..."

"I just want to protect you Ichigo. And I don't know if I can do that if I still hang on to you."

"But you never told me from what!" Ichigo exclaimed, trying to blink away her tears. "Is it because you're afraid of me? But you've seen me in my Mew form plenty of times. What did I do wrong, Masaya? Please... don't leave me..." Finally, he inhaled sharply and shook his head. He seemed to come to a set of terms within himself, and he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm trying to protect you, Ichigo, from myself."

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After they had parted at the park, Ichigo stumbled listlessly back to the Cafe. She stopped at a street corner, leaning heavily on the side of a building. Sobs wracked her thin body, and she covered her face in her hands. She felt more alone than ever before. Suddenly, she felt the gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder. Looking up through teary eyes, Ichigo saw a figure she had never before been so glad to see.

With that, she threw herself into the arms of the Blue Knight.

LOADS AND LOADS AND LOADS of thank-you's to my awesome beta, XxXChiharu-Chan-1000-SpringsXx!!! *hugs*

This chapter would not have ever made it to the world of fanfiction without her help! =]

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEWWWW! please?

~nightfall26