"It's the bottom of the seventh inning, bases are loaded, with two outs, the home team is down by one," the announcer's voice crackled over the loudspeakers.

Ichigo stood in the bleachers next to Takashi as she and Hakkai stood up, leaning over the railing in anticipation as they watched Yuzuha kick the base plate, getting ready for her last swing. She threw up a quick salute to the crowd before facing the pitcher. Her hair flew behind her as the wind blew across the field. Yuzuha smiled brightly before taking a deep breath and raising her head up high to signal she was ready. The entire stadium went silent, watching intently. This was their last chance at winning the game. It was all up to Yuzuha now.

Yuzuha's eyes never wavered from the pitcher as she gripped tighter onto her bat, ready to swing. The pitcher stepped back slightly as her arm lifted, and she threw the final pitch. The ball was so fast that Ichigo couldn't keep up with it. For a minute, everyone swore the ball disappeared.

*BANG!*

The sound echoed through the stadium, causing everyone to jump in surprise. Everyone watched silently as the ball was sent flying. They watched as the outfielders ran, ready to catch the ball, but they were unsuccessful as it turned into a home run.

A cheer erupted from the audience. Everyone clapped and whistled, some even standing on their chairs and throwing up confetti. Some even had blow horns that they blew off as others began chanting loudly.

"And that's game, ladies, and gentlemen! Home team wins!" The announcer announced happily as Yuzuha took a victory lap around the field.

"HELL YEAH!" Ichigo screamed as she pumped her fist above her head while jumping up and down excitedly, holding onto Hakkai for balance.

Hakkai smiled proudly, looking just as excited for his sister's victory as she did, "She totally kicked ass!"

Ichigo laughed before smiling at him, "I'm so proud of her!"

The three watched the players leave the stadium when Takashi looked over and grabbed his friends' attention. "Come on, let's meet her at the front," he suggested grabbing their arms to pull them along.

Once they made their way out of the stadium and into the parking lot, they waited for Yuzuha to show up. They talked animatedly about what happened during the game while they waited. When Yuzuha finally caught sight of them, she waved excitedly as her face beamed, and she ran to embrace her friends.

"Hey, guys!" She yelled as Hakkai pulled her into a hug congratulating his sister. "You're amazing! You should've seen how hard you hit the ball!" He exclaimed as he grinned widely, hugging her tighter.

"Yeah, you totally kicked ass!" Ichigo added, laughing happily, patting Yuzuha on the shoulder.

"I did kick ass, didn't I," she agreed proudly with an arrogant smirk as she playfully jumped on Ichigo's back.

Takashi chuckled before ruffling up her already tangled-up hair. "You were awesome out there!" He agreed proudly.

They all shared a laugh together before they heard Yuzuha's name being called by a familiar voice. They turned to see the rest of her teammates walking towards them. "Hey, Shiba party at Doja's! Bring your friends!" One of her teammates shouted, waving at her while another walked closer. "Hell yeah! Let's go!" Another teammate yelled, pumping their fist.

Yuzuha smiled happily before looking at her friends. "What do you guys think?" She asked hopefully as she looked from one person to another, unsure what they thought.

The boys shrugged. "Sounds fun," Hakkai responded cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Yuzuha's shoulders. She smiled at him before glancing at her other friends. "We don't have anything else planned anyway," Takashi stated, simply giving Yuzuha a nod.

But Ichigo wasn't as welcoming to the idea as the others were. "Umm, you guys go ahead without me," She told them sheepishly while scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. Not sure that the rest of the group was inviting her along with them.

All of a sudden, Yuzuha frowned, her brows knitting together. "Really? Why not Ichi?" She questioned curiously, tilting her head slightly.

Ichigo looked nervously at them for a moment, her eyes darting away from each of theirs nervously. She sighed softly, looking between them before answering, "It's uh well-"

Before she could finish explaining, the rest of Yuzuha's teammates approached the group and started bombarding her with questions about why she was saying no. "Ohhh c'mon Bell, why are you saying no?" A teammate questioned her, confused. Another teammate rolled her eyes playfully, "Yeah, why? It's a party to celebrate your girl!"

Ichigo looked at the group nervously. Her reputation wasn't the best. She used to go to parties all the time with Yuzuha last year, but after the incident, she steered clear of all that. Not that anyone really wanted her to go in the first place. She was sure that this was a pity invite so that Yuzuha and the others would go.

Takashi came up to her and nudged her playfully. "Aw, come on, Little Strawberry, it'll be fun. Someone's going to have to help me take care of these two," Takashi joked, pointing over to the Shiba siblings.

"But I-" She tried again.

"Please, it'll be fun. Come on! Please, please, please!" Yuzuha pleaded with puppy dog eyes, pouting slightly.

After several seconds Ichigo groaned heavily and gave in defeatedly. She rolled her eyes but didn't object. She sighed, knowing there would be no way out of this one. Ichigo looked over at the group, then her friends, before nodding softly, "...Okay." Her tone was more than hesitant as she answered. After that, she was dragged off by her friends to Doja's house.

Once they arrived at Doja's house, they were greeted by the loud sounds of chaos. There was loud and obnoxious music in the house blending in with the yellings of others who tried to talk over the music while the smell of alcohol permeated the air. Ichigo followed as Yuzuha and the others cleared a path for her. As they made their way through the house, they were met with a large crowd. A few more friends had joined them, pulling Yuzuha and the boys' attention away from each other. Ichigo took that as her cue to wander off, not really wanting to be a part of whatever groups were forming. She maneuvered her way around until she found herself in the kitchen. Ichigo grabbed a beer from the cooler before she made her way outside to the backyard.

The quiet atmosphere and the cool night air felt refreshing after all the noise inside the party. Ichigo looked up into the clear sky, looking at the stars as she drank her beer. She slid down the wall and rested her back against the house. She watched the people partying from the corner of her eyes as she continued to drink her beer and listen to the music in the background.

"Hey," a soft voice called out from behind her. She turned her head quickly, looking over her shoulder to find Takashi leaning over her.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked as he tilted his beer bottle to the empty spot next to her. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small smile as he sat next to her. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched her sip on her beer. "Are you okay?" Takashi asked as he took a drink from his bottle.

She nodded slightly before looking up into the darkness of the sky, "Yeah, this just isn't really my scene." She couldn't help but feel out of place here among all these drunk people who didn't really enjoy being around her. Takashi chuckled lightly as he ran a hand through his hair, "Figured that much. You did try hard to get out of coming."

"Guess I didn't try hard enough," she smirked as she tipped her beer bottle towards him.

"But you look like you could use some fun tonight," he teased, nudging her side lightly.

"Thank God you're here then," she laughed lightly and leaned against his shoulder.

"You know you'd probably have more fun if you go inside and socialize," he laughed as he watched her scrunch up her face. "What and play beer pong with Bean Pole?" He smiled, shaking his head slightly, "He's actually really good at it."

She laughed and shook her head as she glanced up at the lights shining in the dark, "You know that doesn't really surprise me. He's got those long ass arms."

Takashi laughed softly, glancing over at her, "You know Hakkai told me that you were a kick ass beer pong player."

She let out a laugh and shook her head out of embarrassment, "Don't remind me."

They both shared laughs quietly as they watched the party continue. They listened to the music and drank their beers, sitting in silence as the moon illuminated everything.

"You know I didn't really picture you being a party guy? You strike me more like an in bed by 10pm kind of guy," she chuckled softly as she took another swig of her beer, glancing over at him as he shrugged his shoulders, "Kind of the opposite, really. I'm with the girls all day that I feel like after 8pm is the only time I get time to myself, so that's when I do things like hang out with my friends or ride around."

She looked over at him, nodding her head lightly, "Have you always taken care of your sisters?"

He paused for a moment before nodding slowly, "Mom worked a lot of different jobs when we were growing up. They never had consistent hours, so I was stuck taking care of them when I was around nine."

She let out an awkward laugh and nodded, "Sounds like a lot of pressure to put on a kid."

"It was," he said solemnly as he looked out at the group of drunken people. "But I really didn't have a choice. Someone had to do it."

Ichigo frowned lightly as she turned her body, looking over at him and nodding her head, "And that someone had to be you?" It was more of a comment than a question as she reached out and put a hand on his arm lightly. His gaze shifted down to hers, and he returned the slight grin.

"Yup," he murmured as he closed his eyes.

"But you do realize that you don't have to do that anymore. Right?" She nudged him slightly, trying to get him to open his eyes. "The girls are older now. Your mom's home a lot more. You should start doing things for yourself now. During the day not waiting for the girls to go to bed," her tone sounded serious yet teasing as she leaned back a little bit.

He opened his eyes and met hers as he raised an eyebrow, "You're suggesting I ditch the girls?"

She pursed her lips and shook her head, "No. I get that this has been hard for you. But there's also no reason to stay with them 24/7. You deserve a break too. You've done more than enough."

His lips curled up as he looked down at the bottle between them, "You know, when I was younger, I was so mad at my family. I was pissed that my dad was gone. I was mad at my mother for never being home. I was frustrated at my sisters for not being able to take care of themselves, so I just left them. I ran away."

He sighed heavily and looked down at the grass as she watched him, "I ended up running into this boy. His name is Draken. He's one of my best friends. Anyway, he took me to where he lives, and I stayed there for a few hours. I didn't know it at the time, but he lives in one of those red district massage parlors. The girls there let me hang out for a few hours before they kicked me out and told me to go home."

He paused for a moment, "I didn't understand what I did wrong, but then Draken told me that he and the girls don't have parents and that I should just be happy that I have a family to go back to, so I went back home."

He exhaled a deep sigh as he looked over at Ichigo, giving her a small smile, "Mom was so pissed off at me she slapped me across the face before holding me and crying, telling me how sorry she was. She told me how she just needed me to hold on for a little longer. That one day, it wouldn't be like this anymore."

Ichigo nodded her head lightly as she took another drink of her beer, "You know that day has already come, right? You know you no longer need to take on those responsibilities anymore."

He smiled lightly as he reached out for her hand. "I know. It's just hard. It's hard to let go. Knowing that one day I'm going to wake up and they're not going to need me anymore. That my sisters are not going to want me around anymore," he closed his eyes, trying not to get emotional.

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh as she pushed him playfully, "You're pretty dumb, you know."

He snorted and shoved her away, "Not dumb. Just...realizing things is all."

She pulled her hand away from his grasp as she flicked him on his forehead, ignoring the whine that came from him, "God, you really are stupid, Pretty Boy. The girls are never going to stop wanting you around. Will they grow up and call you annoying and tell you things like 'leave me alone' or 'it's none of your business'? Yes, but that's what little siblings do. That's what little sisters do. We pretend that we hate our older brothers, but deep down, we love them."

He laughed lightly as he threw his head back and looked up at the night sky. "You say that like you have experience," he commented curiously, knowing that she is an only child.

"That's because I do," she replied as she leaned into his side. "But this isn't about me. This is about your stupid insecurities about thinking that your sisters, who worship the ground you walk on, will one day not love you."

She poked his arm gently and sighed loudly, "Just trust me when I say you'll be fine. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Thanks," he whispered quietly as he stared up at the sky.

He knew she was right. Of course, he would be fine. That his family would be fine. However, it still felt weird knowing that she was right. Knowing that his family didn't need him around 24/7. Not having to constantly make sure they're okay. To be able to say fuck it and just do something fun for once without thinking of his family.

"Come with me?" Takashi asked as Ichigo looked back up at him.

She looked over at him, slightly confused, "To what?"

He motioned toward the house. "A game of beer pong. You and me vs. Hakkai and Yuzuha," he motioned his beer to the crowd again.

"No thanks," Ichigo laughed slightly, turning her gaze away from him.

"Come on, Ichigo. Just one game. It'll be fun," he motioned toward the house with an exaggerated grin. "If we win, I'll make ramen all week. Not just any ramen, but kara miso," he added the last part making her smile. He knew how much she loved his ramen, "Come on, Ichigo. Just one game. After that, I won't bug you for the rest of the night. But I promise it will be fun."

She looked back at him, thinking about it for a moment before she finally smiled softly, "Fine." She sighed and downed the rest of her beer, "But only one game."

Takashi grinned widely and stood up, holding his hand out to her. She rolled her eyes at him smiling slightly, and grabbed his hand. He pulled her up to stand and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked toward the crowd of drunken classmates who had now formed into a circle around the table. When they reached the center, he released her and looked down at her, "You ready?"

Ichigo scoffed as she pushed away from him, walking over towards their side of the table, "Let's just get this over with."

Takashi nodded as he looked over at his friends on the other side of the table. "All right, you ready, Hakkai!" He shouted, causing everyone to cheer loudly.

"Hell yeah, Taka-chan!" Hakkai yelled as he grabbed Yuzuha over towards them.

"You're going down, Ichi!" Yuzuha laughed as she passed them all shots of tequila. Ichigo smirked as she grabbed the shot from Yuzuha, ignoring the burning sensation that ran down the back of her throat as she bit down hard on her lime.

The group clapped excitedly as Hakkai tossed the beer pong ball back and forth between his hands, throwing the other one to Ichigo. "On your mark!" One of their classmates yelled. Ichigo and Hakkai playfully glared at each other, trying to intimidate one another. "3…2…1… Throw!" Everyone cheered as Hakkai and Ichigo threw their balls in the air simultaneously. Hakkai's missed while Ichigo's landed in the center cup.

"Bell and Mitsuya go first!" A classmate called out from the sidelines.

"Fuck!" Yuzuha yelled. Everyone laughed as Ichigo stuck her tongue out, tossing the ball over to Takashi, "You're up, Mitsuya."

Takashi smirked and tossed the ball, landing it straight into the cup. Ichigo laughed as she high-fived Takashi while everyone cheered. She took her ball and tossed it as it gracefully landed in the cup next to his. The group cheered once again as the Shiba siblings washed their balls, and Hakkai threw his aiming perfectly in the cup while Yuzuha's bounced off the table, landing on the floor.

Ichigo quickly grabbed the ball, throwing it across the table, landing flawlessly in the cup. "Looks like you're only good at hitting balls," she teased.

"Damn it! Ichigo, when did you become so damn cocky?" Yuzuha glared up at her friend, putting her hair up as if that would help her win. Ichigo laughed and shrugged, taking another sip of her beer.

The game continued with the two teams going back and forth, tossing their shots and pounding back beer and any other drinks sent their way. While the siblings were threatening to murder each other out of poor sportsmanship, Takashi and Ichigo only grew closer, cheering each other on as they got shot after shot.

"Damn it, Hakkai, can't you do anything right!" Yuzuha screamed as Hakkai's ball bounced on the ground, completely missing the cup. The group hooted and hollered at their failed attempt at scoring a point. It was two against four with Mitsuya and Ichigo in the lead.

"I don't see you doing any better!" Hakkai screamed back at her as her ball also missed the cup. The angry drunk competitive side was coming out of each other as they continued fighting with one another.

Yuzuha huffed, pushing him away from her. "Whatever, asshole!" She snapped. Hakkai and Yuzuha glared at each other briefly before returning their attention to their opponents, who were laughing hysterically as they took the free shots handed to them.

"Let's end this game before they kill each other. Dare you to throw it behind your back," Ichigo teased as she leaned into Takashi.

Takashi gave Ichigo an annoyed look as she snuggled further into his side, "Are you crazy? I can't make that."

She laughed as she held the ball in front of his face. "I triple…dog… dare you," she challenged as she poked his chest with her finger.

Takashi laughed at her antics before grabbing the ball from her. He could smell the mixer of different alcoholic drinks that lingered on her breath, but he knew he was no better. "If you would do the honors, My Lady," he playfully bowed as he held the ball up to her face. "A blow for good luck," he smirked at her.

She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "Better not miss, Pretty Boy," she teased as she gently blew on the ball. He smirked and nodded as he turned and tried to aim for the cup in the front. "Can't miss with that kind of luck, Little Strawberry," he tossed the ball back over his shoulder.

Everyone watched as the ball bounced once on the table before landing gracefully in the cup. The crowd immediately began cheering for the winners drowning out the screams and insults the siblings threw at each other. "Mitsuya and Strawberry win the game!" One of their classmates screamed proudly. Ichigo laughed as Takashi picked her up and spun her around.

Everyone then began to shout out their victory, "MITSUYA! STRAWBERRY! MITSUYA! STRAWBERRY!" And for the first time, the name 'Poison Strawberry' didn't fall out of her classmates' lips. It was just 'Strawberry', which didn't make her feel sick or angry. If anything, it made her feel accepted.

She giggled as Takashi spun her around again, causing laughter to erupt from her lips. "Looks like you better start making that ramen, Pretty Boy. Unless you were just lying to get me to play," she giggled, leaning her forehead against Takashi's chest as he slowly set her back down on the ground.

Takashi smirked as he lifted her chin up and gently brought his lips to her ear. "I'm a lot of things, but a liar is not one," he whispered huskily in her ear, his lips gently grazing her, causing shivers to run down her spine. She could hear the smirk on his lips as he pulled away from her.

He gave her a wink and a small wave before walking off into the crowd. Ichigo laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head as she turned and made her way over towards Yuzuha. Replaying the feeling of his lips on her ear, trying to understand why her heart stopped for those three seconds.