Sorry if this chapter's not my best. It's taken a while because every time I went to write something, I ended up having to do something else! Plus, I've deleted and re-written it three times today.
Important Note: I've decided to put a song in one of the last chapters (there's only going to be one or two more). But instead of coming up with a song idea myself, I want to see what you pick! So please suggest a song in your review! Winner gets a oneshot - anything you want, any pairing, any genre and dedicated to you!
In general, I've been busier than expected these past couple of weeks. But that's no excuse to keep you all waiting for this! An update for Strawberry Shrieks shouldn't be too far off, and since I decided to just leave my story Change as a oneshot (now called Behind Closed Doors) and Twinglish is nearly done, I'll be starting something new soon.
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own TMM.
Chapter 7
Forgiveness
She raced through the streets, heart pounding in anticipation, ignoring the angered grumbles and shrieks of Minto as she was dragged along behind. Snow was kicked up in showers, drenching them both as it hit their warmer skin and melted. But both girls paid no mind to that, instead their concentration was held by what they themselves were trying to do; Ichigo was sprinting toward the café with a huge grin plastered over her lips and Minto was trying not to trip and land flat on her face. Which, to be honest, was a considerably hard task for the poor ballerina.
Suddenly Ichigo came to an abrupt halt, causing Minto to barely avoid crashing into the back of her. Panting, she placed her hands onto her knees and tried to catch her breath. Briefly letting her eyes wander, she noticed they weren't yet at the café. They were stood at the end of the pavement, though how it was possible to tell which was the walkway and which was the road, Minto really didn't have a clue. And they hadn't exactly stopped for traffic, as there were no oncoming vehicles in sight. Rolling her eyes, she brought herself back upright into her normal posture, vision still directed at Ichigo's back.
Minto sighed, releasing her breath as mist. "What have we stopped for then? I thought we were going to the nice, warm, dry, not-outside-in-the-freezing-cold café. I didn't think you wanted to come to the end of some random street and stand?"
Ichigo shook her head. "We came looking for Shirogane, did we not?"
Minto opened her mouth to voice her confusion, but clamped it shut again when she came to the conclusion herself. "So where is he then?" In response, Ichigo placed a finger to her lips, motioning with her other hand for Minto to follow her.
The two crept along, Minto having no idea why she was doing so. Their backs were arched as they walked along on tip-toe, trying to be as silent as possible. After a few moments of doing so, Minto's face screwed up and she pulled herself upright.
"Why on Earth are we doing this?"
"Shh! I don't want him to see us yet!"
Huffing, she retorted, "Well I don't even see him." To emphasize this, she craned her neck, stretching to see. However, she did catch sight of him, and she grinned slyly, causing Ichigo to give her a strange stare.
"Are you sure he's not there?" By this point, the red-head had turned to face her friend, not bothering to check behind her herself.
"Not where you thought he was."
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" asked Ichigo, putting her hands onto her hips.
"It means I'm right behind you."
She froze, her jaw dropping in shock. Everything around her faded as the blood rushed throughout her head, so much so that she failed to catch the fleeting goodbye from Minto as she scurried off. Slowly, she swiveled on her heel, stopping her body right in front of the blonde himself.
"Shi-shirogane?" she stuttered, a pink hue forming on her cheeks.
He merely raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know why the hell you were following me?"
She winced at the harshness of his tone. The anger behind it hit her in a wave, and she suddenly felt a shiver creep up her spine. I've really done it, haven't I? No matter what Minto said, I have a feeling that he certainly doesn't want to forgive and forget, Ichigo thought, subconsciously pulling her jacket round her. Ryou noticed this, his cross expression softening gradually until it was completely neutral.
"That's my jacket. You still have it, huh?" It was a statement rather than a question, which caused her to gasp slightly.
"S-sorry, Shirogane-san," she whispered, quickly whipping the jacket off and holding it out to him. He eyed it a moment before shifting his gaze back to her. She was already shaking, teeth beginning to chatter and goosebumps covering her arms. Blowing out a long breath, he shook his head slightly, only enough for her to vaguely see the movement.
"Keep it," he offered. Relief washed over her features, though he couldn't tell whether or not it was from the fact she had been saved from having to embrace the cold weather, or whether she thought that his small act of kindness meant that he was ready to accept her apology. Figuring it was most likely the first one he scowled and glared, abruptly turning and leaving. Knowing she wouldn't be following him, he called over his shoulder, "At least until we get back to the café. Come on."
Jumping, Ichigo ran forward, catching up to him. However, she chose to walk several paces behind due to the uneasiness that tied knots in her gut. For some reason, she was desperate to make him understand that she was truly sorry. That all she wanted was to be friends with him again.
--
Kiichigo grinned smugly to herself. Her plan was going extremely well - even better than she had hoped. It would only be a matter of time before her finale, which would bring an end to her sister's perfect life and satisfy her hunger for revenge. The revenge she had been plotting for the last nine years of her life.
She seethed at the memories as they resurfaced. The ones that had brought all of this. Ichigo had gotten everything. Meanwhile, she herself had received nothing but the heartbreak of being shunned by the ones she had trusted most. In a twisted way, they were the ones who had made her the way she was now. It was the truth, after all, that she had been the exact clone of her sister. She had acted in the same manner and laughed and giggled and played. But suddenly it all changed. For the worse. And they'd pay for it.
They'd rue the day they had forced her out.
A solitary tear trickled down her face. It went unnoticed as Kiichigo continued on, blocking out all things except her blind rage. Each step drew her closer to her next destination, her newly cut, short red hair bouncing as she did so. The agency was just a little further up ahead and she could already see the indigo-topped head of her next victim. She had gotten rid of Ichigo's boyfriend and one of her closest friends. Now it was time for the rest of them to go. Starting with Zakuro Fujiwara.
--
The journey back to the café had been a silent one, not a word having been uttered since his command for her to follow. It had taken them fifteen minutes to walk the distance back to the café, Ryou clearly wanting Ichigo to suffer from her personal guilt as he had taken the long route instead of opting for the shorter, quicker one.
Ryou pulled out his keys and inserted them into the lock. He twisted them until he heard the door click, then pushed it open and stepped inside. Ichigo joined him immediately, purring softly in content as the warmth hit her skin, soothing her. The snow had left her drenched, however, and she knew she needed to dry off.
"Um…Shirogane-san? Is my uniform still here?" she asked, arms wrapped around her shivering form.
He nodded, pointing to the changing rooms as though she had never been there before. She turned and headed to them. Just as she reached the door, she heard him ask, "So are you going to tell me why you were following me?"
She paused, trying to think of an excuse. But given the current situation, it would be better just to tell him the truth. "I wanted to apologise. I've been trying, but you wouldn't listen --"
"Well I'm listening now," he cut her off, but surprisingly his tone was softer than before.
Taking that sentence as a signal, she said, "I'm sorry Shirogane-san. I shouldn't have said that. And for the record, I really didn't mean it."
"Then why did you say it?"
Tears fell from her eyes, glistening in the light as they splashed onto the floor. "I don't know. All I know is that I don't want to fight anymore."
Ryou turned his head, thinking about it. He couldn't watch her cry. If there was one weakness he had, it was her crying. He chewed his own lip, thinking more on what Keiichiro had said, debating with himself whether or not he really should forgive her. She seemed sincere enough, and the sadness in her voice was undeniable. But honestly, what tipped him the most in his decision was that he wanted it too. After a minute, he faced her once more. Ichigo felt a small bout of frustration rise within her. His expression was completely unreadable. Well, until a ghost of a smile painted itself across his lips. Her cheeks warmed significantly, causing him to chuckle.
Once he stopped, he said, "Apology accepted. Truthfully, I was getting bored with being mad at you. Baka Strawberry."
Ichigo's blush deepened in anger. "You were getting bored?! Is that all?"
He smirked. "Well, what would you rather have me do?" He perched himself upon one of the café tables, arms folded across his chest in a very Ryou-like manner.
"It would be nice if you had missed me."
"Ok."
"Ok?" she repeated, puzzled.
"Ok. I missed you Baka," he replied, letting his eyelids shut.
"Really?"
"Really. Now go get changed. You're making my floor wet and you're the one who's going to clean it up."
"SHIROGANE YOU JERK!" Ichigo yelled, stomping off into the changing room to gather her uniform, leaving him to laugh. When she was finally out of eyeshot, she allowed her own smile to grace her lips. It was as though nothing had changed, that their fight had never happened.
The same thought ran through Ryou's head. As did another. "At least she dropped the honourific," he mumbled to himself as he waited for her to return.
--
"Let me get this straight; you think you can fool me by pretending to be Ichigo, when clearly you're not?"
Kiichigo growled. Zakuro hadn't believed her when she had claimed to be her sister. Ok, so she knew she was going to have a hard time convincing her. But she didn't realise how hard.
Maybe I should've started at the bottom and worked my way up, she thought, rubbing her coated arms for more warmth. Or maybe I should've just been as ditsy as her and not brought anything to keep the cold off.
Looking around her though, she instantly took back the thought. It was probably the worst weather the girl had experienced. The wind blew mercilessly, whipping at the back of her neck and any other exposed skin. The snow had thinned out though, and only a few lone flakes fell from the cloud filled sky. Still, the temperature was hovering well below zero, keeping the whiteness blanketed on the ground.
"Maybe I should just come up with a plan B," she muttered under her breath.
--
When she had finally reemerged from the room, Ryou had planted a mop in her hands with the instruction to wipe up her water trail, then stalked away with a shout that he would be in his bedroom for when she finished. Of course, this had been a little while ago and Ichigo had long since finished.
She sighed, placing her hands onto the top of the handle. For some reason, she wanted to keep him waiting. A mischievous gleam sparkled in her chocolate eyes as she continued to listen for him. And it wasn't long before his footsteps came pounding down the stairs.
"Baka Strawberry. I thought I told you to meet me up in my room after you finished," he said.
Stretching and giving a catty yawn, Ichigo replied, "You did. I just wanted to see how long it would take you to come down and get me, nya."
"Fine, then I guess you just won't get your present."
"Present, nya?!" she exclaimed, jumping round to face him. Her face was lit up, much like the Christmas tree that stood in the corner. She galloped over to him, hands clasped in front of her waist, cat ears and tail now visible.
"Aww, does that excite my little Strawberry?" he teased, flicking one furry, black ear before returning his hands to his hips.
Not knowing how else to react (since she obviously couldn't trust her words anymore) she stuck her tongue out. A gasp escaped her lips as he caught it between his fingers.
"Ah ah ah. Naughty kitty. You shouldn't stick your tongue anywhere other than inside your own mouth. Or the cat might just catch it," he carried on teasing, smirking with the reaction he got. Her eyes rolled at his pun, but the glowing redness had yet again returned to her cheeks. So he did what anyone in his situation would do. He brought his face in closer.
The warmth of his breath tickled her skin and she shivered happily under it. Her tongue was still firmly in his grip, and no matter how she struggled, she knew her efforts would lead to nothing more than her muscle hurting her. What she didn't understand though, was why she wasn't doing anything to stop him as he leant closer, and closer still, until the gap was almost non-existent…
He let go of her tongue, just in time…
--
A/N: Now there's a cliffhanger for you! It was going to be longer, but I decided I really couldn't write more for this chapter. I've struggled all the way through it because I've not really been able to think straight. So it's not the best work I've ever produced, but it's something, ne?
Everything should be explained in the next chapter. Don't forget to suggest a song for me to use! Review please!! Next update should be up ASAP.
KO xoxo
