Never forgetting you
Chapter 5 – Painting walls
Shortly after Kisshu had left, Ichigo walked to her room to put it in a safe place her mother's music box. She smiled as she put it on her side of the wardrobe, she stroked it softly before closing the doors and leaving the room, back to downstairs where the others were, she wondered when they got to the kitchen.
"Hey guys, where were you? I didn't see you when I came home"
"Oh we were in the living room, we had the door closed so that's why you didn't see or listen to us" answered Berry, Ichigo nodded and went to help Retasu cooking the dinner, while they did they talked.
"Who was here with you, Ichigo? We heard another voice besides yours" asked Masaya
"Oh, a friend of mine" said Ichigo as she smiled
"A friend huh?" said Ryou as he raised an eyebrow
"Yes a friend, a childhood friend, MY best friends anything wrong with it?" said the cat-girl kind of annoyed, were these two starting to get jealous of Kisshu or what? Zakuro noticed this and decided to calm down the climate before Ichigo snapped at so many questions from the two boys.
"And it was a MALE friend…" before Ichigo could answer to Masaya's comment, Zakuro interrupted
"I think none of us has the right to comment about Ichigo's life or friends, she can be friends with whoever she wants to be, we have nothing to do with it and besides if he is a childhood friend of Ichigo's I'm sure it's pretty normal that they want to talk with each other, like I said we have nothing to do with Ichigo's friendships…especially you two…" she said this last sentence as she stared at Ryou and Masaya who zipped their mouth shut while Ichigo gave the 'Thank you' look to Zakuro who smiled in return. Soon the dinner was done and they all went to eat, while they did they keep talking but nobody talked about Ichigo's friend the whole time.
"All right girls…and boy…tomorrow we will have a busy and hard day, we will be painting the walls so go to bed, we will start earlier in the morning." Said Ryou, the group nodded and went to bed. Before she went to bed, Ichigo walked over the wardrobe and picked up the music box, she sat down on her bed and opened it, the soft melody started playing…
Berry, who was just done dressing her night gown, was laying down on her bed when she listened to the melody; she sat back up on the bed and looked at Ichigo.
"Waahh that music box is so pretty! Why you never showed me it before?" she asked, Ichigo giggled
"That's because I didn't have it with me until today"
"Ohhh was that childhood friend of yours who gave it to you?"
"Yes, actually this music box belonged to my mother but Kisshu-kun kept it when I was taken by Ryou and Keiichiro's fathers, he gave it back since it was so important to me…" Berry giggled at this
"Kisshu-kun? That's his name huh? You look pretty fond to him, Ichi! Are you sure you're just 'best friends'?" she asked, Ichigo blushed at this, she closed the music box and placed it back inside the wardrobe, then looked away.
"Of course we are just friends Berry! There is nothing more between me and Kish but friendship, we are just best friends that's all…"
"Weeeellll if you say so…I'm going to sleep, night Ichi" said Berry as she laid back down on her bed and fell asleep, Ichigo said goodnight as well before she laid down on her bed as well but before she fell asleep, something was wandering in her mind…Berry's words…
'What if there is more than just friendship between me and Kish…? But…I just met him again after these long twelve years…even if I did like him…why would he like me? He probably has found someone he likes already…I mean who wouldn't like him? He is so sweet, caring, funny…what am I thinking! Get a grip Ichigo! I better keep my mouth shut and be just his friend before I do something that ruins our friendship forever…we are just friends and nothing more…' with that she yawned, cuddled in her pillow and quickly fell in a sleep.
It was just around the eight in the morning when Ryou came in and woke up the girls and Masaya to start working but it was really hard for them to get up, they were really sleepy and the sun was barely out…but they knew they had to get up and get to work so they ended up getting up even though there were a lot of complains since there were only two bathrooms in the apartment and they were eight…
When they were done they went downstairs eat something fast, Ichigo was the first done with breakfast since she still had to go to Kisshu's house and get him before they started to paint the walls.
"Where are you going Ichigo? We are about to start you know!" yelled Ryou when he saw Ichigo putting her shoes on.
"I know, I know, don't think I'm trying to skip Shirogane! I'm just going to get Kish, he said he would help us painting the walls!" said Ichigo as she opened the door and run out leaving a confused Ryou behind.
"Kish…?" he said, Berry popped her out of the kitchen and giggled
"It's her friend from yesterday, Ryou!"
Meanwhile Ichigo was running around the village, a few people were already up and opening their shops to start working, she wandered around and asked herself if Kish still lived in the same place.
"Humm…god I hope so…" she murmured as she got to the house where Kisshu supposedly lived, she was about to knock but suddenly stopped herself.
"What if he doesn't live here anymore…? I will just get myself embarrassed! I better look around the windows and see if I can find him in the house" she said and started looking around until she found a high tree near a window and she remembered that tree was the one that stayed near Kisshu's bedroom. She started climbing up the tree, not daring to look down since she hated heights very much and when she was sure it was safe to be in the branch, she knocked in the window…no answer…she wondered if she should knock again…she decided she would and was about to do it when the branch suddenly broke causing her to fall.
"Meow! Nya!" were the words that slipped out her mouth when she fell on her butt, a few seconds later a green head popped out the window and looked around, when he found nobody there he started mumbling curses at someone.
"That Taruto, if he thinks knocking at the window and then run away is funny then he is so-" he didn't finish the sentence when he heard a moan of pain coming from the floor, he looked down and saw Ichigo trying to stand up while rubbing her butt and moaning in pain…
"Saved by the cat genes…sometimes I wish I had bird genes…well it could have been worse I guess, at last I didn't break my head" she mumbled
"Koneko? What are you doing down there?" said Kisshu, Ichigo looked up when she heard his voice and blushed red in embarrassment.
"K-Kish, I was just going to call you so we could go to the apartment and start the paints…" she said, Kisshu raised an eyebrow, pretty sure that she wasn't telling him the whole story and wondering why she was standing under the three and with a broken branch next to her…
"Wait a minute, I'm just getting dressed and get something to eat fast" he said went back inside, Ichigo sat down again and waited for him to come back, a couple of minutes later he came out of the house, floating while eating a few cookies, he landed in front of her, she stood up and looked at him.
"All right now tell me why you were moaning in pain and…with a broken branch right next to you…" he said and that made her blush even more, she looked down and started telling him what happened…
"I…I wasn't sure if you still lived here and I didn't want to embarrass myself by mistaking the house so…I decided to look around and see if you…were still here…" she said, her face completely flushed that it was hard to tell where her ruby hair ended and her face started, Kisshu just stared at her, blinking his eyes a couple of times before he burst in laughing, he laughed so hard that his stomach started to hurt and tears came to his eyes, Ichigo blushed even more (if that was even possible), pouted, crossed her arms and turned around, Kisshu noticed this and tried to stop laughing.
"S-Sorry! B-But this is too much!" he said while panting and wiping the tears from his eyes, away.
"Humph! Are you going to stay there laughing or are you going to come help me with the paints?"
"All right, all right I'm coming" he said, the two started walking back to the apartment while talking.
"You silly cat since when mistaking a house is embarrassing? It could happen to anyone!" said Kisshu
"Yes but…well…uh…you know how shy I am!" she said making Kisshu roll his eyes, they soon arrived the apartment where everyone was getting ready to start painting the walls.
"What took you so long cat-girl?" complained Mint, Ichigo was about to talk when Kisshu interrupted her
"Sorry it was my fault, I was the one who took too long to get up and get ready, so don't blame Ichigo"
The group looked at him; Ryou raised an eyebrow while Masaya looked at him kind of annoyed but hide it really well, some of the girls smiled and others giggled.
"I suppose you're that friend of Ichigo's right? Kish I presume?" said Ryou
"Actually it's Kisshu, Kish is just a nickname. You are…?"
"Ryou…Ryou Shirogane" answered Ryou, Ichigo stepped forward and started introducing her friends to Kisshu
"Kish, these are my friends Mint, Retasu, Pudding, Zakuro, Ringo and Masaya, my stepsister Berry and Ryou's comrade, Keiichiro. Guys this is Kisshu."
"Hey there, Kish" said everyone except Ryou and Masaya, they didn't really like the boy especially since he was so fond to Ichigo…
"It's a pleasure to meet you all" said Kisshu, Ryou coughed to get attention and they all turned to him
"Enough introductions, we have got work to do and it won't be done if we stay here just talking with each other…" with that he walked away, Kisshu looked at Ichigo kind of confused
"What's his problem?" asked Kisshu, Keiichiro gave him a smile before answering
"Excuse him, he just has got a temper sometimes. Well then we shall get started with the paints?" he said and everyone nodded and went to their rooms to get started.
"Well what can I paint?" asked Kisshu, Ichigo thought for a moment before Berry interrupted
"You can help Ichigo paint our room, I will help Pudding and Retasu's room since Pudding is too little to reach certain places" she said, the cat-girl and the alien both nodded before walking inside Ichigo and Berry's room.
"Well we have got a lot to paint, Koneko" said Kisshu as he let out a whistle when he looked at the room, Ichigo nodded in agreement
"All the rooms are like this, so it will take most of the day to paint all the rooms, glad we are a big group" she said
"Well then what do you want to do first?"
"Since this is my room and Berry's, we have choose these color for our walls" she said as she picked up the paints buckets, Kisshu peeked inside to see the colors.
"Pink and light yellow…let me guess pink for you and light yellow for Berry" Ichigo giggled and nodded
"That's right, these are our favorite colors and so are the other paints buckets for the other girls, blue for Mint, green for Retasu, yellow for Pudding, purple for Zakuro, red for Ringo, celestial blue for Masaya and white for both Ryou and Keiichiro."
"Well then I think we first should draw a line along the wall and ceiling so we won't mistake the sides for you and Berry."
"Never thought of it! That's a great idea Kish! Let's get started then!" said Ichigo, Kisshu chuckled and they started working
{Song: More than a crush by Bree Sharp, song from Mew Mew Power}
After all the friends I've made
I really thought I had everything
Kisshu and Ichigo began by measuring the wall so they could divide the room in two, one half for Ichigo's and the other for Berry
But then I saw you
And you could read me too
After they measured the room, they drew a soft line along the wall and the ceiling so the room would be divided in two, like that they wouldn't mistake when Ichigo's side ended and Berry's side began
I never felt such a rush
Could this be more than a crush?
Once the line was done, they began the fun part, color the room, they started by coloring Ichigo's side. Kisshu would paint the ceiling since he could fly while Ichigo painted the wall.
Here I stand
Trying to express
Once in a while Kisshu would stare discretely at Ichigo and smile, admiring her beauty, her cat ears and tail
I really just want to show you how
You make me feel
"Hey Kish!" called Ichigo, Kisshu turned around and when he did Ichigo poked his nose and then laughed
So I wrapped it in a meal
And I was in such a rush
Kisshu crossed his eyes and noticed the pink ball painted on the tip of his nose, Ichigo laughed more at his face
Could this be more than a crush?
While she laughed, he grinned and put his finger inside the bucket of pink color and then slid his finger along her cheek
Before you came along I never thought I'd find
"Heeeeyyy!" complained Ichigo, Kisshu laughed
"Payback, kitten!"
Someone who understood and had their own mind
They continued to paint the walls and ceiling but once in a while they would threw paint at each other
Before you came along I never would've dreamed
The way it really was, solely how it seemed!
Like they excepted it look long hours for them to be finished, they would take a few breaks to eat
From the start, you read me like a book
The first time I looked into your eyes
And long hours later they were done, the room was painted between the pink and light yellow colors, the bed's covers matched the walls' colors
To my surprise
I never looked behind
Both alien and cat-girl were laying down on the floor, against the wardrobe's doors, panting but laughing as well and of course all covered in pink and light yellow colors
I never said "What's the rush?"
Oh oh ~ I never said "What's the rush?"
"Well it was hard…but it's done…" said Ichigo as she looked all around the room, Kisshu laughed and looked too
"Yes, we are really tired but it was worth it" said Kisshu as he stopped looking at the room and locked his eyes on Ichigo
Maybe it was only a crush…
Oh oh ~
Ichigo looked at him too and moved close to him, Kisshu noticed this and kind of blushed and he looked away. Ichigo saw this and thought he was uncomfortable…
'I knew it…we are nothing but friends…if we had anything else between us…it would just ruin our friendship and I don't want that…I want to be close to Kisshu…I don't want to lose him…' thought Ichigo as she moved back to her sitting position, Kisshu saw this but didn't look at her, he was still blushing and he didn't want her to see it.
'What am I doing…I can't make rough moves now…I just met her again after twelve years…confessing my feelings for her would just ruin everything between us…and I don't want that to happen…ever…I lost her once…I don't want to lose her again…' he thought but seeing her with her ears dropped just made him feel sad, he knew what it mean when she had her ears dropped…he knew she was feeling kind of sad when he moved away from her when she leaned against him, he didn't want her to feel like that so to comfort her he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Ichigo was surprised by this and blushed a little when he moved close to her and held her against him, he kissed her head softly and her eyes widened, her blush increased more.
"I'm sorry I moved away like that…I was just…caught off guard when you did that…"
"It's okay, I'm sorry too…I'm sorry I startled you…"
They looked at each other eyes and noticed how close they both were to each other, a small blush appeared in both their faces and they keep like that until there was a knock at the door. They quickly separated from each other when Berry walked in.
"Wow! You guys did an amazing job here! It's great!"
"Glad you like it, Berry" said Ichigo with a smile, Berry giggled
"How is it going in the other rooms?" asked Kisshu
"We are done too, they are pretty cool too"
"Well then, I think I'm getting going" said Kisshu as he stood up, Ichigo followed
"Oh but why don't you stay here for dinner?" asked Ichigo
"I would but…" he looked down at himself, his brown and dark green clothes were now pink and light yellow, Ichigo and Berry laughed at this
"I think I need a bath, urgently…" he finished the sentence
"Alright then, I will see you tomorrow again" said Ichigo, Kisshu nodded and he and Ichigo left the room, she took him to the entrance.
"Goodnight Koneko"
"Goodnight Kish" she said as he left, she stayed by the jam until he was out of sight, she smiled and closed her eyes
'I wish I could tell you how I feel about you Kish…but I'm just afraid that it will ruin our friendship…'
'Oh kitten…I want you to be mine so badly…but I don't know if I should do it…I'm afraid you won't return my feeling and to ruin everything between us…'
TBC…
A/N: And here it is the chapter 5! ^^ Thank you very much to everyone who faved and reviewed this story, it really makes me happy to know that you like my story, I will update soon. Kiiiiissshhh, Ichiiiii could you please…? *puppy eyes*
Kisshu: *rolls his eyes* fine…Read and Review!
Ichigo: and vote on the new poll on KisshuxIchigo4ever's profile! It's really important!
Me: until next time, Nya ^.~