"Baka Strawberry! You're late again! Geez, why are you so incompetent at telling time?" a pissed off Ryou Shirogane said as Ichigo bent over, head down and hands resting just above her knees, tried to catch her breath from her running here.
The red haired mew smiled slightly, but Ryou couldn't see, as she was still bent over.
"Get to work! Everyone is already here except for Pudding. She has to take care of her siblings. You have to work over time, Baka Strawberry! Go get changed." Ryou said.
Ichigo sighed while trying to suppress her smile as she nodded and went to change.
True to his words, Ichigo did work over time. Ryou was actually surprised she actually got it all done without anything happening or her fainting from exhaustion. Ichigo also had to clean up today by herself as Mint was going to a ballet show, Lettuce was going on a cruise with her family, and Zakuro had to work.
Ichigo said good bye to her friends and got out a broom. She swept the floor and mopped it before she started cleaning the tables. Ryou came down and examined her work.
"You are so slow! Hurry up and you can go on a date with your precious 'Aoyama-kun' quicker." Ryou sneered.
Ichigo sighed and worked all the slower.
"For your information, I broke up with Aoyama-san a few months ago." Ichigo said, in what anyone would mistake as annoyance at Ryou for implying that she was still in love with Masaya, but it was really annoyance at Masaya for wasting her time. She was in no way snobby and shallow, but Masaya had only wanted sex from her.
Ryou was shocked.
"You broke up with him?" Ryou asked.
"Yes. He just wanted sex and I wouldn't give it to him. When I realized that was the only reason he was with me, I broke up with him." Ichigo told him.
Ryou was even more shocked.
"I didn't even feel anything for him at the time or for a long while before either. I had moved on, but didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I stuck with him." Ichigo said.
"Oh? And who is this person?" Ryou asked.
"Se-cer-et!" Ichigo broke the word up.
"Come on! Tell me, Baka Strawberry!" Ryou said.
Ichigo smiled.
"Want to know a secret?" Ichigo asked.
"Sure." Ryou returned.
Ichigo walked up to him and started walking around him.
"I like it when you insult me." Ichigo said, a seductive tone in her voice.
Ryou was surprised yet again.
"Oh? And why is that?" Ryou asked calmly, even though he was feeling anything but calm when Ichigo started touching him with feather-light touches.
"It makes me feel as if life isn't perfect. As if everybody had faults. It makes me feel imperfect." Ichigo said imperfect' as if it was a dirty word.
Ryou smirked.
"Well. It sounds as if you like me." Ryou said.
"Maybe I do." Ichigo stopped circling Ryou and stood in front of him.
"Then maybe I like you as well." Ryou said, his voice slightly seductive.
"Then maybe-" Ichigo was interrupted by Ryou's lips coming down on hers, full of passion and love.
Ichigo kissed back with just as much passion and love.
They pulled back after a while, panting.
"You talk too much." Ryou said.
Ichigo smiled at the insult and kissed him again.
This would be their little secret.