It had been three weeks since the final attack and Masaya's death. Ichigo had not been seen or heard from in all that time and Retasu was extremely worried.

"Retasu? Retasu, snap out of it, you are supposed to be working!" Minto shouted.
"I know, Minto-san, but I'm so distracted. I wish Ichigo were here. I hope she is alright," Retasu replied.

"I know, we're all worried," Minto said and her face softened as she placed a hand on Retasu's shoulder, "but we have to be strong. For Ichigo."
"Yes, for Ichigo," Retasu said and stood. She went back to work, all the time worrying about Ichigo.

At the end of the day all the other girls left and Retasu was left to clean up the café. She wiped down the tables and hummed to herself a little song she knew from her childhood days. She placed the chairs on top of the tables and then swept and mopped. She finished at exactly 7: 34 P.M., and she changed into her civilian clothes and locked up at 7: 45. As she walked away from the café she heard rustling in the trees and bushes. She could've sworn she saw a figure skirting through the shadows.
"Who's there?" She called out. Nothing but the wind and rustling of leaves answered her. She shrugged it off, pulled her sweater closer around her and kept walking. As she neared the park she heard it again. The distinct sound of rustling skirts and snapping twigs.
"Is anyone there?" She asked. This time she needed not hear the answer for a split second later someone, or something, jumped out in front of her, red eyes blazing, rose colored hair sticking out in all directions, and dirt smeared all over it.
"Ichigo?" Retasu exclaimed eyes wide. The figure stepped forward and indeed, it was Ichigo. She collapsed on the ground in front of Retasu and groaned.
"Retasu, I feel so awful…. He's dead… dead as a doornail and I have no one to hold me, help me Retasu, help me," Ichigo said before passing out. Retasu cried and then pulled out her cellphone and called Ryou and Keiichiro at the café. Ryou picked up and told her he was coming. A few minutes later he pulled up in his car and picked up the unconscious Ichigo.
"What happened to her, Retasu?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know Ryou, I don't know," She replied and helped him put Ichigo on the backseat of the car. She jumped into the front seat and they sped off towards the café.

At the Café…

The rain had begun slowly at first and was soon pounding on the roof of the café. It was dark, the café was deserted except for Keiichiro, who was in the basement fixing a tear in Purin's uniform. Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door, as the door swung open you could see the outlines of two people. Keiichiro came running up the stairs and looked at the front entrance. A tall, sopping wet male held a girl, 15 by the looks of it. She wore a suit of cloth armor, a black tail and set of ears clashed with her humanesc form, and her hair hung long and soaked from the rain. Next to the boy was a medium sized girl with unraveling braids.
"Ryou?" Keiichiro called out and the figures stepped forward into the light. Ryou was holding the limp form of neko Ichigo, Retasu was at his side, they were all shivering from the cold. Keiichiro gasped, ran forward and ushered them into the kitchen then went to grab some towels. Ryou set Ichigo down on a chair and sat with Retasu huddled next to the limp dripping form of their co-worker.
"What happened?" Keiichiro asked once they were all wrapped up and sitting with hot cocoa in the kitchen, waiting for Ichigo to wake up.

"I don't know," Retasu said, "she ran out in front of me and collapsed and I called Ryou. He picked Ichigo and I up and brought us back here."
Ryou nodded and suddenly the kitchen was filled with the sounds of someone gasping for breath and coughing. Everyone turned to see Ichigo had woken up, but there was something severely wrong. Ichigo was choking.
"RYOU! Help her!" Retasu shouted and tugged on Ryou's sleeve and he nodded.
Ryou jumped up and held Ichigo in his arms, no matter how hard she struggled, and performed the hymlic manover.

Ichigo P.O.V.

I wake up and fell the thing in my throat is still there. I cough and gasp, trying to hold on, but the room is going fuzzy. Someone was running up to me…. Who are they?! And what the hell are they doing! I can't stay awake anymore… help ….