Ryou pulled his jacket tighter around his shoulders as an icy wind howled around him. He was really worried. He had been searching for Ichigo for almost two hours now, and he still hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of her. He'd checked the shopping centre, the marketplace, her school, Aoyama's house...He'd even risked the wrath of her father when he called to ask if she had returned home. He couldn't find her anywhere. He was so angry at himself! Why hadn't he noticed she was hurt? He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he wandered around the edge of the park lake, his eyes scouring the horizon for any sign of the baka strawberry. He scowled, chastising himself for the way he reacted to her.

He couldn't help it. It was a knee jerk reaction, a defence mechanism, as he and Ichigo had always shared a friendship full of tense tolerance and mildly serious banter. He always yelled at her, and she always yelled back, igniting the flame of his heart with her furious eyes and angry voice. That was just how they worked, it was the only way that Ryou knew how to get close to her...He would love to have her babble to him about inconsequential nonsense the way she did with Aoyama, would adore it if she would just once give him a pleasant smile and a scrap of affection. He was torn when he was around her, torn between love and anger, as she always seemed so close but so far away. To have the object of his passion direct hateful words his way and then skip happily into the sunset with her feeble boyfriend was sometimes more than Ryou could take. So he lashed out, treating her to cold words and dispassionate stares, forcing her to work long hours and extra shifts, to both punish her and be near her at once. His sharp tongue was wielded with the intention of making her feel just an ounce of the pain he felt on a daily basis as he watched her flirt and gush over Aoyama, his heart breaking a little more each time. But this time he had gone too far, had made it too personal... 'Idiot!' He growled to himself as he stalked into the trees to search for her.

It was now bitingly cold and Ryou was deathly afraid. Ichigo was injured and she hadn't taken a coat...If he didn't find her soon she could become seriously ill, and he would only have himself to blame. He would never forgive himself for this, but he hoped she would. He hoped she didn't truly hate him the way she always sneered she did. His mouth drooped as he hypothesised to himself. She probably did hate him now, and in all honesty he couldn't blame her. He had failed her, and she would most likely never forgive him for it.

Ryou's torturous inner monologue was broken when he caught sight of a red shimmer on the ground. What is that? He mused as he knelt for a closer look. A split second later, he really wished he hadn't. His panic stricken eyes blinked rapidly as his cold addled brain processed that there was blood on the ground. And that blood was most likely Ichigo's...she had to be around here somewhere! 'Ichigo! Ichigo!' he yelled as he ran frantically through the trees, following the dots of blood he could see trailed along the ground. Oh God, please no, please let her be okay...he begged, his eyes pricking with unshed tears of anguish. He swiped the back of his hand against his eyes as he noticed a huddled black form nestled beneath a huge tree. As he neared, the dark lifted slightly, and red hair swam into his vision as he ran full pelt. He skidded to a halt and dropped to his knees beside her lifeless form, mud splattering the front of his trousers.

She was lying there, deathly still and as pale as bone, her red swathe of hair strewn haphazardly against the soaking glass. His relief was instantaneous but fleeting as he realised that the grass was soaked with not only rain but a puddle of her blood. His heart stopped as he gazed at her unconscious form, an errant tear working its way down his cheekbone. 'Oh Ichigo,' he lamented, 'I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Strawberry!' He slipped off his jacket before gently cradling her, wrapping his jacket around her shoulders. Her head lolled listlessly against his shoulder as he stood with her in his arms, his heart punishing him with an almost unbearable wrench of pain. This is my fault he berated himself as he stared at her ashen face, but I swear I'll make it right. I'm sorry I hurt you Ichigo...

Keiichiro and the Mews looked up in startled surprise as the doors to Cafe Mew Mew violently crashed open, framing a sodden Ryou clutching Ichigo to his chest. The blonde teen was chilled to the bone and his limbs felt heavy, but he had gotten her back, he knew she was safe now. He frowned as he felt her being lifted from his arms, and his grip tightened around her small body. 'Ryou,' said Keiichiro gently, 'you have to let her go so I can treat her wound.' Ryou blinked, his senses returning, and he relinquished his hold on the girl, unable to meet his older comrade's eyes. He felt so ashamed of his behaviour, so guilty for the suffering he had caused Ichigo...He trailed miserably after Keiichiro as he carried Ichigo upstairs, despair leaking out of each and every one of his pores. 'Retasu,' he uttered, 'will you please make Ichigo some hot soup?'

Retasu felt her heart break ever so slightly as she looked into Ryou's eyes. The glimmer had gone, the passion extinguished. His remorse was eating him from the inside out, and Retasu wished she knew what to do to make it better, how to comfort him...She watched his hunched frame struggle up the stairs, and she was reminded anew of the love she would forever be denied. How was she going to cope being with Shirogane every day as he longed for another? It was painful, but Retasu was not a traitor. She would not abandon her colleagues simply to shield her own heart. No, Retasu Midorikawa was far above that. As she began the preparations for the soup, the green haired girl swallowed her emotions and resolved to never speak of her love for her boss. She would watch him be happy and never cause him suffering by informing him of her ardour. She would do whatever it took to make him happy, even at the expense of her own happiness. Retasu sighed sadly and stirred the soup, resigning herself to her fate.