Chiyo: So, I have no clue why... But I can't reply to you, James Birdsong , but I would like to thank you if you are still reading! Even a simple "Good story" like you said, really makes me happy. Even if you have no clue what to even say, a simple "great" or something is perfect :3 so.. James Birdsong - Again, thank you so much! You just made me so much happier by reading that :) *hands you a muffin* ;v; You, Mew Bella, and PrinceUrufu I want to thank you all :3 I love you three so much *brings out a plate of muffins* as a token of my appreciation, please have them! And I hope I can get more nice people like you three to review because holy crap just reading the reviews (again and not again) made me tear up ,, Anyway, please continue reading! :DD

Chapter 23

Recovery

The boys carried Ichigo and Izumi with the other girls following close to them, watching their two friends lay in their arms. Ichigo wanted to talk for a while so she didn't pass out, but Izumi was in too much pain from Zephyr whacking her head with some wooden stick of his that she couldn't really make out Keiichiro's face, her vision was too blurry.

Izumi's eyes started to flutter close. "Izumi!" Mitsukie playfully yelled, trying to get a smile on her friends face as she flicked Izumi's nose. "You can't fall asleep yet!"

Keiichiro chuckled to himself as he watched Mitsukie try to talk to Izumi to keep her awake. 'Hm.. It's so weird to feel so attached to someone like I am to Mitsukie...' He thought to himself. 'I wonder if she feels the same way..?' Keiichiro hadn't noticed Ichigo's weak voice at first when she spoke. "R-Ryou..." Ichigo's milky brown eyes looked up at Ryou's beautiful, aquamarine eyes. "You can... Put me down..." That said, Ryou looked at her like she was crazy.

"No way!" Lettuce butted in.

"I-I'm fine..." Ichigo insisted.

"You think you can walk on your own?" Ryou teased, looking into her eyes. "I'm carrying you." He smirked slightly, holding Ichigo tighter and closer to him.

With a sigh, Ichigo absentmindedly cuddled him, her shaking calming down a bit. Pudding had to her mouth so her squeal was held back as Lettuce giggled quietly. Zakuro and Mint turned their heads, wanting to vomit. Ryou's cheeks were slightly pink as Ichigo's hand lied on his chest. Her breath was still slightly shaky and started to slow down. Moments later, Ichigo was sound asleep in Ryou's arms. With the smalled smile, Ryou chuckled quietly. Izumi's consciousness was fading, and a bit later, she lied unconscious in Keiichiro's arms as he and Ryou walked side by side, walking to the cafe. 'I'm not mad... Sad... Anything... So why is my heart beating so fast? And why does it feel like it hurts to see Keiichiro carrying Izumi?' Mitsukie thought to herself. The memories of her birthday started to flood her mind. 'W-wait! WAIT!' Mitsukie was looking down, blushing deeply. 'Keiichiro?! What got into him?! He is never- NEVER- like that! I mean come on, when would Keiichiro ever lick someone's neck for cake mix?! And why is my face so red?!'

"Mitsukie, are you ok?" Keiichiro asked, making Mitsukie's face go redder. "...Are you sick?"

"N-no! I'm fine!" Mitsukie waved her hands in front of her face, trying to stop her heart from beating so fast and loud. "We're all so quiet.."

"Some of us almost died, Mitsukie." Zakuro snapped, making Mitsukie's blush fade away quickly. "What do you expect-"

Being cut off, Zakuro flicked her hair behind her shoulder. "No need to be rude." Keiichiro said, getting Zakuro to stay quiet. "We're almost to the cafe."

"I'm going home." Mint snapped, walking off with Zakuro not far behind without saying a word.

Pudding and Lettuce were talking amongst each other and Mitsukie went back thinking about Keiichiro. 'But why did he lick my neck for the cake mix? Why the heck was my heart pounding so hard then too? What is this feeling?!' Mitsukie sighed quietly, watching Ichigo as she closed her eyes tighter. Ryou held her tighter, making her calm down.

Once the group got to the cafe, Lettuce and Pudding waved and said goodnight as they walked home. "What's tomorrow?" Mitsukie asked, wanting to make sure she had no school.

"Saturday." Ryou and Keiichiro responded in unison. They looked at each other like they saw a ghost and Keiichiro started laughing, leaving Ryou to shrug it off. Ryou walked up to his room and set Ichigo in his bed. He pulled the blankets over Ichigo and turned around to go to the bathroom and take a shower. Ichigo grabbed Ryou's hand and stopped him from walking off. "Ichigo?" Ryou turned back to Ichigo, who was awake but not awake. She was like half awake.

"Don't go..." She mumbled quietly.

"Why not?" Ryou asked, looking confused.

"Nnnghh..." Ichigo whinned, and pulled Ryou back to the bed. Ryou had lost his balance and fell ontop of her. Ichigo's eyelashes fluttered for a moment before her eyes opened. Ryou looked down into her eyes, his cheeks heating up a bit. Without saying anything, Ichigo pulled Ryou to lay next to her and she fell back asleep. She had her head on his chest and her arm holding him tightly.

Ryou kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, Strawberry." Ryou smiled and started to stroke her hair as he started to get tired. Ichigo was out cold, sleeping well as Ryou drifted off to a great nights sleep.

Meanwhile, Keiichiro had placed Izumi in the guest room, under the covers. Izumi was out, not even a slight move or anything. The hit to the head really did a number on her. Mitsukie stood by the door, watching Keiichiro with a smile as he tucked Izumi in bed. "Mitsukie, do you have something on your mind?" Keiichiro asked, walking over to Mitsukie.

"Huh- oh... Yeah..." Mitsukie walked with Keiichiro downstairs so they wouldn't wake anyone as they talked. "..." She was quiet for a bit. "Keiichiro..." She whispered, grabbing his sleeve. He looked at her confused as her face started to get red. "...I have to ask... Why did you... When we were making the cake... I splashed the cake mix and it landed on my neck... Why did you... Lick it off?" She asked, looking down, her face completely red.

With a smile, Keiichiro pulled Mitsukie into a hug. "Why do you ask?" He asked as he released her from the hug. They started towards the door when the two yawned.

"W-well, it's unlike you to even think about doing that to someone..." Mitsukie'svice was quiet as she spoke. "S-so why?"

"Because I like you." Keiichiro's response was short, but it kept running through Mitsukie's head. "I like you more then just as a friend." Keiichiro said, oppening the cafe doors and walked out with Mitsukie by his side.

"Wh-what?!" Mitsukie watched Keiichiro walk down the steps. She couldn't help but freeze up.

"Hmm?" Keiichiro looked back at her with a charming smile. "I'll walk you home, it's pretty late."

With her face completely red, she found herself walking next to Keiichiro on their way to her house. "Ok, so how about why you licked off the cake mix? That's not like you." Mitsukie puffed out her cheeks and watched the cars zoom past on her left.

Keiichiro just chuckled. Breaking the silence was a girl and boy walking out of an alleyway. The girl had tripped and fell into the road. The boy tried to grab her hand, but missed and ended up freezing when a loud 'BEEEP BEEEP' rang through everyone's ears. Keiichiro didn't even notice Mitsukie run from his side and into the road. She scooped up the girl and sat in the middle of the road, the girl on her lap. "Th-th-thank you..." The girl whispered before running to the boy and crying into his chest. With a sigh, Mitsukie walked over to Keiichiro, who was smiling at her once he noticed she just saved the girls life.

"What are you smiling at?" Mitsukie asked, playfully slapping Keiichiro's arm.

"You." Keiichiro chuckled as the other couple walked off, terrified. "You know, you're quite brave. And quiet right now." Mitsukie didn't say anything, getting Keiichiro worried as they got near Mitsukie's house. He chose not to say anything until they stopped at her house. "This is where you live, right?"

"Yeah." Mitsukie whispered. "Keiichiro..." Mitsukie whispered, looking at him with a confusing expression. "... Nevermind. Goodni-"

"What's on your mind?" Keiichiro asked, grabbing Mitsukie's hand as she started to walk towards her house. He normally doesn't interrupt anyone, but he didn't want Mitsukie to walk off without her saying something she wanted to.

"Well..." She couldn't bring herself to actually say it, so she pulled Keiichiro towards her and wrapped her arms around him. Although shocked at the sudden events, he hugged her back with a smile. "I... Like you too... You know... More then just... Friends..." Her voice was quiet as she tiredly rested her head on his chest. Her brother was in his room, looking out the window and down at them with a smile. She looked up at him and quickly gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight!" She smiled, waving to Keiichiro and ran inside her house. 'Wow I can't believe I even said that I mean a crap ton of people like me, but I've never liked anyone like I like him... He's special and I won't let those idiot Cyniclons hurt him!' Mitsukie thought with a smile as she entered her room.

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Ryou were out cold, cuddling. Ichigo had the blankets up to her shoulder and was sleeping soundly while Ryou was sleeping, but could wake at any noise he heard. Izumi was still unconscious in the room next to the two. "Nnnnnghhh..." Ichigo's eyes were closed tightly as her grip on Ryou tightened as well, waking Ryou. Just what exactly was she dreaming? With a small smile, Ryou ran his hand down her hair, stroking gently across her silky, red hair. Her grip around Ryou slightly losened, but she still seemed scared. She held tightly onto Ryou still, not wanting to let go. It seemed like her life depended on it.

"Ichigo." Ryou called out tiredly, yawning. "I want to sleep..." He said, as if annoyed.

"...Huh?" Ichigo slowly opened her eyes, realizing her dream was just a dream. "Hey! Why are you waking me up?!" Ichigo yelled, only to get a soft hand over her mouth. "Hey!" Her voice was muffled, making it hard to hear her.

"Izumi's in the other room, and if she's awake, she probably has a pounding headache." Ryou rolled over onto his side and tried going back to sleep. Ichigo sighed heavily and lied down next to him, falling asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, the girls besides Izumi and Ichigo, ran to the cafe to check on Izumi. Ichigo lied in Ryou's bed, the covers over her head and still feeling shocked from the lightning bolts Marin hit her with. She wasn't really up to moving right now and neither was Izumi. Her head was pounding and she had the covers over her head with the pillow on her head as well. She lied on her side, almost in tears from the pain. She enjoyed the silence for about an hour until her head started hurting even more. Faint voices echoed in her head from downstairs, and not to mention Ichigo's from the room next to her. "Ryou, close the curtins!" Ichigo whinned, her voice muffled from being under the blankets. "It's too bright!"

"Then go downstairs, the girls are here. So is Keiichiro." Ryou mumbled, leaving his room. With a heavy sigh, Ichigo followed Ryou. She wasn't up for doing much, but she had to do her job. Izumi didn't notice that was it 7:00 A.M. and stayed underneath everything while the girls laughed downstairs, seeming extreamly loud to Izumi. She's had headaches before, but this was just unimagineable. She never thought of having a headache this bad. She felt like crying, or even crying herself to sleep to let it pass, but she wanted to help out with the cafe. She crawled out of bed and heard a loud crash. She quickly looked around the room, but nothing was broken or anything. "Pudding..." Ryou called to Pudding who messed up her trick and broke a bunch of plates.

"I didn't do it!" Pudding shouted, making Izumi dizzy from the massive pain in her head while she fixed the bed. "It was Lettuce!"

Izumi had to push through and walk downstairs. By walking, she seemed fine. But she felt terrible, and honestly, slightly dizzy too. She placed a hand on the wall as she walked downstairs, as if she was from the 1400's or something going to a ball. Mitsukie was cleaning up the mess of broken plates on the floor and noticed Izumi walking downstairs in the corner of her eye. Pudding and Mint were yelling at each other, Ichigo was cleaning with a worried expression, Lettuce was still hurt from the intense glare she got from Pudding, and Zakuro seemed not to care. Mitsukie winced and dropped the plate peices into her lap, holding back from saying anything. Blood dripped onto the plates as Mitsukie realized what she did. "Mitsukie... Are you okay?" Izumi asked quietly, kneeling down beside her friend with a smile. "How bad is the cut?"

"You should be in bed!" Mitsukie said sternly, putting the tip of her finger in her mouth. She looked at Izumi with a concerned expression. "I'm fine. Really. How's your head? Are you dizzy?" Mitsukie asked, Pudding and Mint still arguing.

"I-I'm fine." Izumi pushed out her voice, but her voice didn't agree with what she said.

"Your voice is weak and shaky." Completely ignoring the plates on the floor, Mitsukie wrapped an arm around Izumi's waist and stood up with her.

Keiichiro walked out of the kitchen and cleared his throat, looking more stern then he normally is. "Mint, Pudding, your pay is getting reduced." Ryou said, annoyed, as he followed Keiichiro.

Keiichiro's stern expression suddenly turned both happy and worried. "Izumi, you're awake." He smiled.

"Yeah.." Izumi whispered.

"Come on, stop being stubborn. I'll bring you medicine, just lets get you back to bed." Mitsukie insisted. Her soft voice was angry and stern as she spoke to Pudding. "Pick up these plates, it's your mess."

"Hey!" Pudding yelled, folding her arms. "It was Lettuce's faul-"

Before Pudding was even able to continue yelling, Izumi butted in. "It doesn't matter!" She yelled, tears forming in her eyes. "Just stop blaming it on everyone else!"

Everyone was frozen, Izumi never never yelled at anyone, no matter how bad of a mood she was in. "Are you sure you're ok?" Mitsukie asked quietly.

"There's only 3 people in this room right now that actually care that my head is pounding and you two yelling at each other isn't helping any!" Izumi's cheeks wettened with tears. She wasn't sad, but she was crying from pain. "Can't we just relax?!"

Zakuro walked over to her, the back of her hands on her hips and looked pretty mad. "And how are you yelling helping at all?" She asked.

"It's not, but there's no other way to make you guys shut up for a little bit." Izumi snapped, placing her hands on her head.

Chiyo: I'm so sorry! The three days after I uploaded this, I got to busy to even write down the letter 'I' for Ichigo's name... Now that school's started up, posts are going to be unkown... For until this is done... Earth Science seems pretty cool... I 'unno 'bout math 'cuz my stupid bus driver never picked me up XD But oh well. So, if you couldn't tell, the ending was rushed. *strokes Izumi's head* poor 'lil Izumi-

Izumi: Don't touch me! *swats my hand away*

Chiyo: ... Preview of what'll happen next was just one sentence done without even thinking about it! XD But yeah, if you have never had a migrane (really, severe, extremely, majorly, insanely, bad headache that any slight noise hurts your head... If you have a dark room that lets in no light, that's the perfect place to be when you have a migrane because any sort of light, any sort of sound (even fricken paper moving) will hurt your head and make you want to cry if you have a low tollerance to pain... It's like getting into a car crash and breaking every bone in your body, but your head, and trying to walk like nothing happened... That's how painful it is if no one's had one...), then well I just explained it XD But yeah, migranes don't change the personality of someone, so *pats Izumi's shoulder* something else is going on with her XD

Izumi: Stop it! *swats my hand away and folds her arms*