Chiyo: So, before you get confused like "wait why is there a lot in italics ?" I'll tell you :3 It's the last paragraph of each fight scene, then everything is going to mold together! *claps* yayy- no ok... anyway, I'm just gonna say one character (surprise :p ^^") a tiny, tiny bit out of character, I'm sure you'll see who... I'm just going to shut up and start writing XD
Chatpter 15
Conditions, Silence, and Bets
Izumi and Seiko
Seiko suddenly stopped, and left her weapon alone. "You're lucky you're cute, girl. I guess I'll tell you my ability anyway. I know you would have beaten me if I didn't get so mad." She picked up Izumi's weapon and set it down next to her. "I can control elements, the darker my hair is the stronger the elements are." She said before flying over towards Kisshu and Taruto. Izumi just cried in extreme pain, holding her hand.
Mitsukie and Pashibaru
Pashibaru was in pain from her attack and just glared at her. "You win for now..." He muttered, flying towards Kisshu and Taruto.
Pudding and Zephyr
She did get a couple scratches on her... Well a lot of scratches... And as she fell on her butt, Zephyr gave her a cold glare, his red eyes narrowing at her as he walked off. "Well looks like he won..." Pudding said quietly, crawling over to a tree and leaning against it in pain.
Zakuro and Rin
"Izumi!" Zakuro yelled, running over to Izumi who was crying, holding her hand. The burn was really bad and was already starting to swell.
Ichigo and Marin
Marin wobbled to her feet, glaring at Ichigo before calling down another lightning bolt, knocking Ichigo down onto her butt, cold, wet, and shaking. "I guess you can call this a tie." She mumbled, flying back to Kisshu and Taruto. Ryou ran over to Ichigo, wrapping a coat around her and holding her close to him.
Mint and Ransurot
"Psh... Your potential is weak..." Ransurot said, moving out of the way of the arrow. He turned around, away from her. "You can say you won if you feel like, I don't care. I just wanted to test your potential." He flew off, leaving Mint confused as she walked over to Ryou's car and sat on the hood.
Lettuce and Killi
"Fine! You win!" Killi yelled, making her bow vanish and she flew backwards to Kisshu and Taruto.
Izumi was crying her eyes out as Keiichiro and Zakuro hugged her, trying to calm her down. Mint was just sitting on Ryou's car as he put his jacket around her and hugged her. Pudding and Lettuce ran over to Izumi, seeing if she was ok. Izumi stood up, holding her hand close to her chest and faced the Cyniclons. "Don't even try taking over Earth! I won't let you! I don't care what you do to me, I will not let you take over Earth!"
"Or so you think." Seiko said, looking down at her as Pai teleported into the group. "You can try all you want, little girl. Your popularity must have gotten to you, since you obviously don't understand how strong those weirdos are." Seiko said, folding her arms. "And if we just swoosh away your little friends, you'll be weak."
"You, Seiko, are wrong." Izumi replied, picking up her scythe with her burnt hand. "Go ahead and push my friends away from me, they'll live. I believe in them. And as long as they believe in me, I will never lose." Her voice was cold and stern. Her scythe turned back into connected blades as she threw it at Seiko. Everyone jumped out of the way, but it skimmed Seiko's arm, causing her to wince in pain and hold the cut. "Now get out of here!" She yelled as her weapon flew back to her then dissapeared.
"Glady." Seiko muttered, glaring at Izumi and teleported away with everyone.
Izumi fell onto her butt, still crying and holding her hand. Ryou and Ichigo walked over with Mint not to far behind. "Are you guys ok?" Lettuce asked, looking at Izumi then at Ichigo.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Just cold." Ichigo replied, shivering as she held Ryou's jacket closed.
"I-I guess..." Izumi said, being pulled into a big group hug.
"We should get everyone home." Zakuro said, seeing how Pudding, Ichigo, Izumi, and Mitsukie were pretty beat up. Yes, she was hit with a fire ball, but she wasn't in as much pain as they were. Keiichiro nodded and everyone hopped in the car. Keiichiro was driving and Ryou was in the front passanger seat. Zakuro sat behind Ryou with Pudding on her lap and Lettuce on the floor in front of her. Mint sat in the middle, her legs crossed as Izumi sat on the floor in front of her and Ichigo sat behind Keiichiro with Mitsukie on the floor in front of her. It was very cramped for the girls, but no one complained. Not even Mint.
The closest house was Ichigo's, so she was dropped off first. Then they dropped everyone else off except for Izumi. They brought her back to the cafe to put something on her burn. Ichigo walked inside, still wet. "Sweetie, what happened?" Sakura asked, walking over to her.
Shintaro walked over to her, his arms folded. "My friends and I were called to work for something and as we were walking home, we had a water fight..." Ichigo giggled nervously.
"Why don't you take a shower tonight and dry off?" Shintaro suggested. "We don't want you sick again. If we're away or not." He hugged Ichigo, feeling her shaking. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I'm just really cold." Ichigo lied, smiling and walking up to her room to get her pj's. 'Why was Marin so... Angry when I stood between her and Ryou? Hell why did I even stand between them? I mean... Ryou's cute and smart, and he's talented too. I'm just a freak... That's it...' Ichigo thought as she walked into the bathroom. She grabbed her pink towel and set it on the toilet. She took a quick shower, feeling a little better. 'I doubt I even have a chance with him anyway...' She thought to herself as she climbed into her pj's. A big yawn escaped her mouth as she brushed her teeth and putting her towel in the hamper. She walked into her room and flopped onto the bed, face first into her pillow.
She heard her phone vibrate on the corner of her desk. Ichigo grumpily grabbed it and looked at her message. 'Hey, Ichigo. Tomorrow, lets both stay late after work. I have some things I want to talk about to you, Keiichiro, and Ryou. I know tomorrow is Sunday and we have school, but I think you'll like what I have to talk about!' Izumi texted her. Ichigo just sighed and put her phone back on the dresser. Mini Mew was out cold, and so was Ichigo in a few seconds. She woke up early the next day, hurring to get dressed and run to the cafe. Although she woke up early, she usually never really makes it on time. She met up with everyone else as they were walking in the cafe. The day was busy, as normal, and uneventful. When everyone but Ichigo and Izumi left, the two sat down at a near by table. "I'm glad you were able to read my message, Ichigo." Izumi smiled, a bandage around her hand.
"Yeah... What exactly is this about?" Ichigo asked, worried that she was going to be in trouble.
Ryou and Keiichiro walked over and sat down, Ryou across from Ichigo and Keiichiro across from Izumi. "Ok, I'm going to get way out of character here, but you guys know me, I do this a lot." Keiichiro and Ryou sighed. Ryou had his eyes closed and arms folded as he leaned back in his chair while Keiichiro sat polietly there, listening to her. "Keiichiro, I wanted you here as backup incase I set someone off. And Ryou, you need to confess your feelings to her in a way she'll understand. Because, as of right now, she's not getting it. Everyone else can see it, but she doesn't." Ryou sat up, his arms folded on the table as he looked down. "And you're like my big bro, so I know there was another girl in your life you liked. Nanako, her name was. I know, she moved away and you two loved each other quite a lot. But you have someone else in your life you love, someone you were able to tell about Nanako." Keiichiro had a worried smile on his face, as if he was trying to tell Izumi to stop. "But damn it Ryou you're so stubborn that you sometimes forget that just flirting and picking around can mean you don't even like her like that and you like teasing her!" Izumi folded her arms, her light purple and dark pink eyes staring right at Ryou. "So just come out and say it. And I'll make a bet with you."
"Why are you the one telling me to confess? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Ryou asked, smirkng.
"Hey! ...He doesn't even like me like that, he told me himself. Aito is a cool guy, but he even told me doesn't like me that, so what's even the point." Izumi said, shrugging. "But I want to make a bet with you that only the 4 of us are allowed to know." Ryou sighed and nodded. "I bet, within the next week, you won't be able to confess your love to her and have her know exactly what you mean."
"Deal." Ryou said, looking up at her.
"If you win, I'll do whatever you want for a week. But reminder I have a concert next week, so... Don't murder me." Izumi giggled, pushing her hair out of her face. "But. If I win. You have to ignore everything she says for a week."
Ichigo was at a complete loss. I guess somethings really don't change... "I-I don't think this is such a good idea, Izumi..." Keiichiro said, looking at Ryou who seemed a little hurt.
"Fine, deal." Ryou said.
"You have to do the promise we made up when I was a kid then. I wanna see if you remember it." Izumi said, holding her pinkie out to Ryou. With a heavy sigh, they linked pinkies and looked each other straight in the eye. "I cross my heart and hope to die..." Izumi started.
"...That I'll keep this promise..." Ryou said quietly, ignoring the funny look Ichigo was giving him.
"...Till noon on Sunday..." Izumi continued with a big smile.
"...And if I break this promise..." Ryou muttered. He really didn't want to do this, but he knew Izumi. He knew her parents more, but he would sometimes hang out with her by force by Keiichiro.
"...Then the punishment will be..." Izumi giggled.
"...To ignore her for a week..." Ryou whispered, not wanting to repeat that.
"...And if I break this promise..." Izumi conintued, not hesitating at all.
"...Then the punishment will be..." Ryou said.
"...I do anything you want for a week." Izumi finished.
"Deal." The two said in unison.
Keiichiro sighed heavily, worried for Ryou. "And you, Ichigo." Izumi folded her arms. "You're very blind. I'll tell you that. But you know who I mean when I say he right?" She asked, recieving a nod from Ichigo. "I'll make a similar deal with you. I know you like him. It's obvious. And ignore what everyone else says. You're allowed to like who you want. So, if you cannot confess to him before Friday, then you are to ignore him for a week. I know it's mean, but if you can't confess to him, then having to ignore him will get you thinking about everything. Is this a deal?" She asked.
"Yeah..." Ichigo nodded, shocking Keiichiro and Izumi.
"Alright. If I win, you are to ignore him for a week. No exceptions. If you win, then I am to do anything, and everything, you say for a week. But I have a concert next week, so..." Izumi said, looking Ichigo straight in the eye. She held her pinkie out to Ichigo. Ichigo wrapped her pinkie around Izumi's. "I cross my heart and hope to die, that I'll keep this promise till after work on Friday. And if I break this promise, punishment will be to do anything you want for a week." Izumi said.
The look Izumi had let Ichigo know she was supposed to repeat her, but with her own punishment. "I cross my heart and hope to die, that I'll keep this promise till after work on Friday. And if I break this promise, punishment will be to ignore him for a week." Ichigo said, a pained look in her eyes.
"Deal." They said in unison and let go of each others pinkies. "Well, I think I did lie when I texted you, but it got you to stay. So thanks, Ichigo. You should head home now, sorry for lieing though."
"It's fine." Ichigo lied as she stood up and pushed in her chair. Ryou and Ichigo never once exchanged looks during the entire thing, since Ryou knew what she had to do, and Ichigo had a feeling she knew what Ryou had to do. Ichigo just left the cafe and walked home, alone.
She entered her house and sat down at the dinner table. "Sweetie... Has work been bothering you that much to where you're starting to get depressed?" Sakura asked, putting french toast on her plate. "What's wrong?"
"...I like my boss... And I doubt he likes me..." Ichigo started, reciving a glare from Shintaro. "So, a friend I work with made a bet with me... If I can confess to him, like in front of everyone... Then she'll do whatever I want... But if I don't, then I have to ignore him..." Ichigo stabbed her french toast with her fork, blinking away tears.
"When do you have to confess, sweetie?" Sakura asked, putting scrambled eggs next to Ichigo's french toast.
"After work on Friday.." She replied.
They ate dinner in silence and Ichigo went up to her room. She told her friends about the deal the next day at school. Nothing between Ryou and Ichigo happened until Wednesday. Everyday Izumi made everyone stay late. She told them about the deal, but in secret so Ryou and Ichigo didn't know. She never kept her promise on only the 4 of them knowing about deal, and she knew Ichigo would have to tell someone. "R-Ryou..." Ichigo said, grabbing his hand as he walked by. "...I-I can't..." Ichigo whispered, letting go of his hand and grabbing the mop with both hands.
"What's wrong?" Ryou asked, looking at her.
"N-nothing..." Ichigo said, tears in the corner of her eyes. "It's nothing... Don't worry about it."
"You're almost crying, Ichigo. What's wrong?" Ryou asked again.
Ichigo took a deep breath, making Izumi smile a little. "I... I can't, nevermind just drop it."
Ryou sighed, folding his arms. "Ichigo, I'm probably to late saying this, but I really do love you..." He said, looking at her. Ichigo's eyes filled with tears as she looked at the ground. "Either way, I regret not saying so sooner, since you got with the tree-hugger." He said, not really moving towards her like he normally would. She was crying and she held the mop tightly. "...You can go home... Just... Don't be late, ok?" He asked, walking by her.
'Why can't I say it?! I said it when we were alone at the lake! Geez talk about probably too late saying it... Ryou you said it at the perfect time... But I didn't...' Ichigo thought as she continued to mop. "Poor Ichigo..." Izumi whispered."Ichigo, go home, please. Get some sleep, the girls and I will finish." She said softly, taking the mop from Ichigo. She watched the redhead walk downstairs to the changing room. "Ugh, either I'm breaking her heart, or I'm just making myself look like a complete asshole..." She muttered to herself.
It was Friday and the girls were at work. Ichigo kept her mind off of Ryou as she served orders to customers. But when everyone left, and the girls got changed, Ichigo was shaking. Ryou walked downstairs to get some food and saw Ichigo and the others. "Oh, you're going home already Ichigo?" Ryou asked, completely forgetting that Ichigo's deadline was NOW. Ichigo hung her head, not repling. "...Why don't you guys stay? Things died down and I think Izumi made someone really mad, making them have to deal with her first before they deal with us." Ryou said. "Relax and have some cake or whatever."
Ichigo sat down in a nearby chair, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on her arms. The girls had to pretend like they didn't know what was wrong, so they walked over to her and pulled a chair over. Ichigo wiped away her tears and just stared at the top of the table.
Chiyo: Uwah... *lazy jazz hands* Ok, next chapter I have no clue what I'll be writing about so it'll be some time before it's uploaded ^^" And I'm drawing all the characters as well so there's another reason for slow uploads ,,