DISCLAIMER: I no own. Nope.

AN: Okay, I'm doing this quick, 'cause I g2g fast! Winner of the contest is ichigo-kish91, and jesusgirl883 got it partially correct. Sorry, but I can't include you in the story!
Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! I have the sneeking suspicion you will...

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VALEDICTION
Ice Blue Eyes

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Ichigo

I run from the cafe for what felt like hours, but in reality was a grand total of ten minutes. I collapse on my knees and raise my head to notice I'm in the park. The sun is setting, the sky a brilliant array of colors. The great star itself is a blazing red.

Red...

I absentmindedly glace at my hands.

Why wouldn't I let Shirogane help me? He asked one, simple question and...I just spazzed out on him. Great Job, Ichigo. Who will help you now?

I bury my face in my hands, and just let loose my built up tears. My body jolts with each sob. I'm a murderer...

"Miss?"

I remove my hands from their position and gaze at the speaker. She has kind, ice blue eyes and long, silky, blonde hair. She smiles at me and offers her hand. I hesitantly grab it and she hoists me from the ground.

"Any reason you're at the park this late?"

Late? I look once again to the sky and notice the sun has almost completely set. "I...I needed to think."

She smiles brightly, and then looks to the setting sun. "I understand what you mean. I came here to think, also. Just being curious, but may I inquire what you are thinking about?"

She seems so familiar. Perhaps it's her accent. She's American, just like Mrs. Hammond. I feel a pain in my heart, and decide to answer the beautiful woman honestly.

"I...I did something that I regret."

She nods. "It's something we all do. Perhaps it is more than a coincidence that I am thinking of that very thing." She pauses, and I glance at the mysterious enigma. "I abandoned one I loved. Do you love the one you wronged?" My cheeks heat up a bit. No, I don't love Shirogane.

"No...my love is for another." I gulp painfully, urging myself to continue. "He said he loved me, but I don't know what to think anymore."

Her icy blue orbs seem to pierce my very soul. "Perhaps he is not the one for you." I freeze at that. It seems like everything I once thought was torn into pieces. Not love Masaya? How could I just move on? Amidst my thinking, I find my voice.

"Thank you."

At first the woman looks startled, but she grins. "I have done nothing, you figured it out on your own." She turns to walk away, but I stop her. "Wait. No matter what you say, you helped me very much. Perhaps I can return the favor."

Her smile is sad and nostalgic. "Dear, my mistake cannot be fixed. The favor you can do for me is to find the one you truly love." Her figure retreats and seemingly fades into the distance. As I watch her golden blonde hair flutter in the breeze, I notice something.

She looks so much like Shirogane...


Rettasu

It's way past closing time, so Akasaka-san tells us we are free to leave. I'm worried for Shirogane-san, I haven't seen him since he arrived with the groceries. Ever since then it's been so confusing. My mind can hardly process all this information. Can Ichigo-san really be a monster?

As I leave for home and Izumi-san, I notice Akasaka-san preparing something. I shrug it off and begin my walk home.


Ryou

I kneel on the floor, still clutching the torn photograph in my hand.

Never meant to be...

Unwillingly, a small tear slides down my cheek.

"Tea, Ryou?"

I turn to see Keiichiro offering me tea. His face shows concern and...pity? I take the tea, but don't drink it. "Thanks."

We sit in silence for awhile when Keiichiro asks the question I've been dreading. "Something on your mind?" I gaze at him, a slightly sheepish look about my face. "I...I think I love her."

Keiichiro studies me closely then joins me on the floor. He smiles one of his I-know-it-all smiles and says, "I've known it. It's good you've finally figured it out on your own."

I lean back, laying on the hard surface. I smile sadly. "It figures I would fall in love with someone who was already taken." Keiichiro stares at me for a second. Even before he speaks, I can tell it's one of his brilliant insights.

"If it's really love, then she's not taken."


Masaya

There. Finished.

Writing that letter to Ichigo was perhaps one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I retrieve an envelope and address it. I can already tell how much that will cost me. I grab the letter and drive off to send it to the post office.

When I'm back inside on my couch, I can't help but think, 'Ichigo will get that letter in four days. Four days from now, this should all be over.'


Ichigo

I lay on a park bench, staring up at the moonlit sky. The woman's words are still fresh in my mind.

Perhaps he is not the one for you...

It's such a shame I never got her name. I'd really like to talk with her again. I love Masaya, no doubt about that. I can't give up hope. Yet still, her words ring...

Not the one for you...


Keiichiro

The following days pass fast, with no sign of Ichigo-chan. I can tell Ryou is trying to grasp my words, but I fear he is slipping. Each day he spends more and more time staring at a torn photograph that he won't show me. Whenever he looks at it, his face contorts to one of pain and jealousy. Perhaps it is one of Ichigo-chan and Aoyama-kun.

Nevertheless, he is becoming more and more despondent by the day.

Ichigo, he needs you...


Ichigo
I haven't seen her in so long, so why do her words stay with me? Sometimes I pretend it was all just a sick dream, and she never said Masaya and I weren't meant to be.

My physical condition isn't improving, but thankfully nothing like before has happened.

"Ichigo, dear, you've got a letter..."

A bit confused and pleasantly surprised, I grab the letter from my mother's grip. I notice at the return address.

A letter from Masaya!

Oh, this is wonderful! Now he can tell me it was all mistake and I can forget about this whole mess...


Letter

Ichigo-chan,

I apologize for the lateness of this letter, but gathering my thoughts and emotions on paper was difficult.
You are probably wondering about what happened at the airport.
Perhaps I should start at the beginning.
In the beginning, I didn't like you. It might pain you, but I brought you on those dates for fun.
But it wasn't always like that.
You see, after that broadcast, I was always wondering if you were possibly Mew Ichigo. It was so coincidental. When I confronted you as Mew Ichigo you seemed so much more...confident. You acted different than usual. So different, in fact I wasn't sure if it was you anymore.
The majority of dates after that were more like 'friend' dates. You were a nice girl, and I liked that.
But the more I watched Mew Ichigo on television, the more I fell in love with her.
When I first figured out you were indeed Mew Ichigo, at first I thought maybe you changed into a different person.
But you didn't, and I couldn't figure out why I loved you only as Mew Ichigo.
When Deep Blue...I...was defeated, I lost the one I loved. You. But somehow...not. Perhaps it is good that we are on opposite sides of the world now. Perhaps...we can move on.

Sincerely,
Aoyama Masaya


Ichigo

Perhaps he is not the one for you...

That painful melody of her voice is all that's running through my mind right now.

"Ichigo!"

My father's voice is a faint echo of reality, and it barely graces my ears. I notice not how he is shaking my shoulders, how my mother is petting my hair, and how streams of tears flow down my cheeks. My mind is on auto-pilot.

Perhaps he is not the one for you...

I faintly feel myself jolting towards the door, running down a familiar street, and crashing through another set of doors. I can hear a smooth male voice in the distance, but I pay it no heed.

"Excuse me, the cafe is closed--Ichigo?"

My senses vaguely notify me I am now traveling through a dark passage with no windows. When my feet hit the hard tile flooring, I latch onto the tense, yet warm arms I come in contact with. "Perhaps he is not the one for you..." I whisper as I fall into unconsciousness.


AN: I bet you know who that woman is, don't you! If you don't...er...oh well. Next chapter I'll tell. I hope I got her description right, too...