Future Plans

Sorry it's been so long since I've added to this. It's been in the works for over a year, but I never had the impulse to actually try and finish it. So, here it is!

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Ichigo was jumpy all day the next day at school. Even when her best friends came up to her, she screamed.

Work was worse. Though surrounded by her friends, Ichigo felt no safer.

"It's like someone threatened to kill her," Lettuce said, standing nearby.

"Maybe they did," Mint said.

"Whatever it is, I'm gonna find out," Ryou said, standing from his seat and marching right over to Ichigo, "Hey," he said once he got there, "What's wrong with you?"

"That's not nice to say," she said, her eyes drooping to the floor, "Who's saying anything's wrong with me?"

"Ichigo, I know you," Ryou replied, "And one thing I know best of all about you is that when your eyes begin to look like a bomb will drop within the next ten minutes, something is wrong."

"Well…"

"Spit it out!"

"Alright, I'm having these dreams."

"Right."

"All the time."

"OK."

"About Kish."

"Ah."

"Yeah," Ichigo went on, "it's terrible. Every time Masaya comes up, and threatens to solve the problem."

"What problem?"

"You and me."

"We're a problem?" Ryou said. He sounded hurt.

"Not to me, I swear!" Ichigo defended, "But I'm scared."

"Ichigo!" he began to storm out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo cried, running toward him.

"What's wrong?" Ryou holler, turning to face her, "What's wrong? What's wrong is you're thinking about another man while we're together! If you're dreaming about him, you must be thinking about him an awful lot! What about us?"

"I love us! I love this feeling I get when I'm around you! I love how much fun we have! I love the kissing! I love the talking! I love…"

"What about Masaya?"

"What about Masaya?" Ichigo fired back, "Masaya is DEAD! He may have meant something to me at one time, but not now. He's just a memory!"

"Well, I…"

"You what?" she shouted, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "You're jealous of a memory? You're…"

"Stop talking!" Ryou said, shutting his eyes. There was an awkward silence.

"Ryou…"

At that moment, Ryou took a deep breath and stomped toward her, taking her face in his hands. Then he kissed her with the fieriest intensity possible. Her whole body went numb as she embraced him after the kiss. The tears streamed down her face. She'd never fought with Masaya. But was that a good thing?

"Not really," her mind answered, "With Masaya, it was all sunshine and roses. When I was angry with him, I kept it in because Masaya was not the arguing type. Nobody had ever fought with him. After that fight, I don't feel emptier. I feel more in love with him. It was cleansing."

And as she stood there, holding him close, she wanted to say the three words that she'd said to Masaya so many times: I Love You. But she couldn't. Though it was the perfect moment to express this feeling, this desire, she couldn't. That almost scared her.

At that second, behind them came a loud noise. Ichigo turned to see Kish.

Kish.

Great.

"Ichigo, I love you!" Kish said.

"Yeah, what else is new?" Ryou said, "She doesn't love you, Kish!"

"I'm not Kish!" Kish said, "It may be Kish's body, but it's me speaking, Ichigo. It's Masaya. And I love you, so come to me, and we can live happily, forever."

"No way!" Ryou said, "Right, Ichigo? Ichigo?"

She wasn't listening. It was as if she were in a trance. That girl she had been before Kish captured her was so different than the girl she was now. And as much as she wanted to hold on to the girl she was now, the girl who deeply loved Ryou, she wanted to love Masaya, too. He'd been her first love. But then again…

"How do I know you're not Kish?" Ichigo said, "For all I know, you could be him. You have all the information. You're a good liar. Why would I believe you?"

"Ichigo, I love you, isn't that enough?" 'Kish' said, "We spent so many great times together. We should spend more.

"I still don't believe you," Ichigo replied coldly. Her eyes really were cold. They could have kept popsicles fresh in the dead hot of summer. She hated Kish, and even more, she hated Masaya for doing this to her… if it was Masaya.

"Look, babycakes, it's me. Remember all the good times we had together? Remember that time underneath the bridge? And then Kish captured you and kept you all to himself all those years…" Kish/Masaya said.

"Now I know you're not Masaya!" Ichigo said, "Because A, Masaya knew I hated being called names like 'babycakes,' B, I hate bridges…they're all spidery and people throw all their trash down there and C, Masaya died before you kidnapped me, how would he know what happened?"

Ryou felt all three points were very legitimate, but, knowing Kish, knew he would not let it lie at that.

"Damn! OK, OK, I'm not Masaya. I told that son-of-a-gun that it wouldn't work…anyway, Masaya really is alive…more or less. And he was really hoping you too could, you know, reunite? Rendezvous? Have a little fun, you know, whatever, you two used to do. So, if you're curious, we're staying at the Holiday Inn over by McDonald's," Kish said, "We'll be waiting." Then he teleported out.

Ryou scoffed and then laughed, "Yeah, right. You're not going to that, are you?"

"Maybe," Ichigo replied.

"It was a rhetorical question!" he snapped. Short pause. "You wanna go? I can't believe it! What about me?"

"Can we please not start this now?" Ichigo said quietly, "It's been a long day. I'm going home."

"OK, so, what about tomorrow?" Ryou said, "Can we do something? I wanna be with you sometime."

"We'll see."

"Can I at least drive you home?"

"I'll walk."

"Oh, I don't get any more than two syllables?"

"I…want…some…fresh…air," Ichigo said, "Happy? That was five."

"But what if Kish…"

"I'll handle it," Ichigo said, "Please, don't. Don't do this to me now. I'll see you tomorrow." She grabbed her jacket and left.

Keiichiro walked in then, hearing most of the part after Kish left. "Oo. Cold. Hey, are you gonna be OK? Ryou?"

"Why did I think this would be easy, Keiichiro?" Ryou said.

"I don't know. Maybe you thought that since she's discovered a new level of hate for Kish and Masaya is dead, you figured she'd be yours."

"But he's not."

"What, she doesn't hate him?"

"Masaya. He's not dead. He's probably back to kill me."

And even though Ryou was just joking, that was the very second that Masaya decided, that was exactly what he planned to do.

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R&R! Hope you like it! Sorry it took so long to post! I won't write another chapter unless I get ten reviews!