Jan 17, 2012.

Hi, reader.

This is one of my proudest pieces, though when I read it now I cringe in places. I'd had a really crummy week at high school, and to clear my head I sat down and wrote this - at the peak of my Ryou/Ichigo obsession. Trivia: it was originally called 'Ne, Shirogane?', and it remains so in my head whenever I think of it. It still astonishes me how many people read and reviewed this - to all of you I owe huge thanks.

To anyone who happens to be reading now: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not (and did not) own Tokyo Mew Mew.

Hey, Shirogane?

Written: March 7, 2008.

Ichigo walked slowly up the carpeted staircase to the upper level of Café Mew Mew. She sighed, fidgeting a little with the hem of her uniform, and blushed when she thought about why it was that she was deliberately making her way towards the bedroom of Shirogane Ryou, her infuriatingly frustrating boss. It was simple, really. She didn't know. Well, she sort of did, but she couldn't exactly say for sure. All she knew was that she didn't feel like leaving the café – it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale outside. Not only did she loathe the idea of getting wet (it was a cat thing), she didn't like the thought of having to make her way home in the dark when there was the possibility that a tree could fall on her and kill her. Luckily for the other mews, they hadn't been kept back the extra four hours she had (compliments of her lovely boss, Shirogane) to make up for the time she'd wasted being late every day this week, and had gone home when the storm was only just brewing. Ichigo had grumbled her way through loads of dishes, rounds of vacuuming, and strenuous time-consuming jobs like sweeping and polishing the cutlery, while the rain lashed the windows and the wind battered the walls.

Now it was after nine o'clock, she was tired and bored, it was late and dark, and the only other person in the café was Shirogane. As much as he annoyed her, she'd much rather talk to him than sit around by herself, waiting for the storm to blow over. She stood outside his closed door for a moment, wondering if it was a stupid idea that would end in her blowing a fuse and damaging something breakable (say, a plate?), and fought the urge to stomp back downstairs and find something else to do. Huffing a little, she rolled her eyes and knocked loudly against the wood, waiting for him to open the door. Having learned her lesson over the years, Ichigo knew better than to barge in – he was more often than not indecently dressed. So she waited for him to organize himself.

The door swung open and he looked out with confused blue eyes.

"What are you still doing here?"

She rolled her eyes.

"You made me stay late, remember?"

"I certainly hadn't forgotten, baka. But what are you still doing here?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his sturdy chest. Ichigo blushed a little.

"Well, it's dark, and late, and it's all stormy outside…" she muttered, cheeks burning. He smirked at her, raising one eyebrow.

"So you're scared to go home?" he laughed. "That's sad, Momomiya."

Her eyes filled with anger and shame.

"I knew I was an idiot for expecting you to show some sort of sympathy or understanding," she snapped, wishing she hadn't bothered. "Okay. I'll just go, then. Goodnight."

She turned and stormed away, but came to an abrupt halt. His hand had fastened around her wrist and pulled against it to drag her back. She faced him, glaring.

"Come in, baka. There's no point throwing a tantrum and storming off – you're not actually going to leave the café. So you may as well just come in," Ryou said, stepping aside to let her in his room. Snatching her arm back, she stalked past him and sat down a little awkwardly on the edge of his bed, looking around. Apart from the piece of furniture she now occupied, a desk with a laptop, a bookshelf, and door leading off into another room (presumably an en-suite bathroom), Shirogane's room was bare. He shut the door and sat down at the laptop, continuing with whatever it was he was doing before she interrupted.

Ichigo swung her legs, wondering what to do now that she'd achieved her goal of being accepted into his space. She watched him typing at the computer for a moment.

"Shirogane?" she asked.

"What is it?"

"… I'm bored."

"That's not my problem," he replied lightly, eyes on the screen. She sighed.

"But there's nothing to do," she complained. He turned, looking at her, a little peeved.

"Read a book," he said, nodding to his collection.

"Okay."

Sliding off the bed, Ichigo sat in front of the shelf, tilting her head a little to read the titles on the spines of the books. He glanced at her, smiling a little at her childlike nature – her knees were bouncing like a toddler's as she examined his book compilation. Eventually, she picked out something with a brightly coloured cover and pulled it off, flopping on her stomach on his bed and turning to the first page to look at it.

She'd chosen a random collection of children's fairytales that seemed uncharacteristic of Shirogane. It was difficult to imaging him reading the cute little stories, especially when she noted that all his other books seemed to be about physics, or chemistry, or some other boring form of science that she had absolutely no interest in.

Ichigo turned the pages, contentedly looking at the bright, cartoon-drawn pictures. She wasn't even reading the stories. She just liked the pictures. As a result, it didn't take her long to reach the end of the book. She pushed it away and rested her head on her arms, listening to Ryou typing on the keys.

"Hey, Shirogane?"

"M-hmm…?"

"… I'm bored again."

"What? But you just got a book!" he said in disbelief, turning around.

"I already read it," she replied, kicking her legs behind her. She smiled childishly at the look on his face. He shook his head and ran one hand through his hair.

"I'd let you play with this," he said, indicating to the laptop (her eyes grew and sparkled excitedly), "but you'd probably break it."

"Would not!" Ichigo pouted. He smirked.

"You're so much like a kid sometimes it's not funny. You're not going anywhere near the laptop, baka," Ryou said with finality. "Find something else to do."

He went back to his computer, and she frowned, wondering how she could pass the time without annoying the hell out of him.

"Hey, Shirogane?"

"What, Ichigo?"

"Why don't you have a television?" she asked innocently, imagining one on the wall.

"I don't watch TV," he replied simply.

"Why not?"

"Because I can't be bothered."

"Why not?"

"Because most of the shows are rubbish, and I don't believe in soap operas or reality shows."

"Why not?"

"Because they're idiotic. They're not beneficial to anyone – they just waste time. I prefer to do other things."

"Why?"

"God, Ichigo! You're so annoying!"

"Sorry! I'm just bored!" Ichigo cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "If you had a TV in here, I'd be quiet!"

"Well, I'm not getting a TV anytime soon."

"…Why not?"

"ICHIGO!"

"Okay, okay."

She fell silent again and sighed, staring around the room. Ten minutes later, if someone had blindfolded her and asked her to remember as many things as she could from Shirogane's room, she'd have been able to describe the exact locations of all his belongings in under twenty seconds. She rolled onto her back.

"Hey, Shirogane?"

"What is it, baka?"

"What are you doing?"

"Work."

"What kind of work?"

"Research."

"What for?"

"The Mew Project."

"Why?"

"Because it needs to be done, baka."

"Why?"

"Because we need to make sure there aren't any advances in technology that could affect your DNA balance."

"…Why?"

"I swear, if you don't stop asking stupid questions, I'll lose my mind!"

"I already told you – I'm bored!" she cried. "If I wasn't bored-"

"Your being bored has nothing to do with me, baka! You're the one who came up here in the first place. I let you in – which I didn't have to do, remember – so it's up to you to amuse yourself. So stop distracting me!" he snapped.

"But Shirogane," she whined. "There's nothing to do!"

"Not my problem, Ichigo."

"Why'd you let me in if you aren't even going to talk to me?" she whined.

He sighed, deeply frustrated, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a rather loud rumble of thunder and a sharp crack of lightning. Ichigo screamed and curled into a ball, her ears and tail popping out in fear. She covered her head with her arms.

"Calm down, Strawberry. It's just a storm," Ryou said, sounding highly amused. Ichigo poked her head up and glared at him, brown eyes disapproving.

"I pity whoever you date," she snarled. "You're so uncaring, and-"

But whatever it was that he also was they wouldn't find out, for there was another, more menacing roll of thunder and she stifled a squeak, cursing her fear of storms for making her seem so weak in front of her cynical boss. He'd never let her live this down. Several seconds later, another bolt of lightning electrified the sky, flashing brilliant white against the black. Tears sprang up into her eyes before she could help it, and she forced them back, willing them away. She clamped her hands over her ears to block out the horrible rumbling. This night couldn't get any worse.

The lights went out.

Damn, she thought incredulously, fear stabbing at her heart as she began panic-mode, I spoke too soon.

She heard Shirogane cursing his laptop for losing power, but strangely, she couldn't hear him very clearly. She stared fearfully into the black, too afraid to move. Then there was pressure beside her, and someone was pulling her hands from her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, and refused to let go of her head.

"Ichigo!" Ryou was shouting. In one big moment of confusion, she realised she was screaming. She immediately stopped as the panic passed, and obediently removed her hands. She opened her eyes slowly, hoping to establish something in the dark, but it was simply too black. She couldn't see anything.

"Thank you!" Shirogane huffed, close to her left somewhere. "Stop screaming!"

"S-s-sorry…" Ichigo stammered. He sighed, and she felt him move a little on the bed. She sniffled a little; realising the tears she'd been trying to hold back had now overflowed and were trickling down her cheeks. Heart still thrashing wildly in her chest, she stared around the room, noticing shapes and silhouettes as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The moon shone dully through the window, helping a little.

"Are you okay?" Shirogane's voice asked, and she turned in the direction it had come from, startled to find his piercing blue eyes distinguishable from the black. The way the silvery light was shining, when she turned her head to the left she could see more than when she turned to the right. She could make out the shape of his body sitting beside her on the bed – but it was intriguing the way his eyes seemed to glow faintly. He was looking directly at her. It was a little unnerving.

Ichigo sniffed and sighed a shuddery sigh, nodding a little.

"I-I'm f-fine…"

Something warm touched her cheek – his hand, brushing away the tears on her face. How he knew she was crying was beyond her, and unimportant at the time. Ichigo blushed, thankful for cover the darkness was providing. She hastily wiped away the rest of the tears, lecturing herself for being silly.

"…Thanks," she muttered awkwardly. She sensed him smiling. Though, when she thought about it, it could have been a sneer, a smirk, or a genuine smile. She hoped it was genuine, though a smirk seemed more realistic.

Ichigo dropped her hand from her cheek and it brushed his arm, causing her blush to redden, and him to jump a little. But she noticed something very interesting.

"Are… are you shaking?"

"No!" Ryou replied quickly. He was lying – she could tell from the way he spoke hastily and with uncertainty. She grinned, despite her fear, hoping he couldn't see.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" she asked curiously.

"Don't be an idiot, baka," Shirogane's voice muttered. It was brimming with shame.

"You mean, you're afraid of the dark – and you had the nerve to tease me about being afraid of storms?" Ichigo demanded, sounding a little triumphant. Ryou being afraid of anything seemed impossible.

"I'm not afraid of the dark," he said firmly. A third crack of lightning lit up the sky, and they both jumped violently. She squeaked before she could help it, and his arms were round her in an instant. It dawned on her in the same instant.

"Thunderstorms! You're afraid of thunderstorms – just like me!" she cried gleefully.

"Gees, don't sound so happy about it," Shirogane muttered sarcastically. She couldn't help but smirk.

"You can't tease me about something you're afraid of, too," Ichigo said. "Who'd've thought – mister tough 'I'm not scared of anything' Shirogane, afraid of thunder and lightning!"

"You're as bad as me – worse, in fact!" he snapped. "And it's only because of the cat genes, anyway. Damned fear came with the whole cat package."

"Sure it did," Ichigo replied, rolling her eyes. "Minto will laugh so hard!"

"Don't you dare tell anyone!" Shirogane demanded quickly. "Keiichiro doesn't even know – if you tell anybody, I won't pay you for six months."

"What? Aww, Shirogane – you're so unfair!" Ichigo whined. They fell silent, and she noted that his arms were still around her. She blushed furiously, stomach fluttering a little. For some unexplainable reason her heart was beating a little faster than she'd have liked. However, also completely unexplainable was the fact that she didn't mind him hugging her… in fact… it was sort of… nice.

"Shirogane?" Ichigo asked quietly. He sighed deeply.

"… What is it this time?"

"Hey – that's not fair! I was only going to ask what happened!" she complained.

"Well, sorry, but after the last three times I fell for your stupid questions, I figured it'd just be the same thing…"

"Nice, Shirogane. I know I'm not very smart, but I wasn't deliberately being stupid," Ichigo said, surprisingly hurt by his comment. She felt him stiffen a little.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, Strawberry," Ryou said hastily. "I didn't mean to offend you."

There was a sincerity and gentleness in his voice that she'd never heard before. It caught her off guard – threw her out.

"U-u-umm…" she stammered, not knowing what to say.

"What were you going to ask?" Shirogane said quickly.

"I just wanted to know what happened," Ichigo replied meekly. "Why did the lights go out?"

"We lost power," Ryou replied. "A tree probably fell on a power line somewhere – pulled it down, or something."

"Oh…" Ichigo nodded her understanding, eyes wide. "How long until we have light again?"

"I don't know. It could be an hour, a few hours, or the entire night."

She groaned unhappily.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you go home tonight?"

She sighed.

"… I was afraid of the storm," she admitted shamefully.

"Oh."

There was the tiniest hint of disappointment on the edge of his voice.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"No reason."

"What did you want me to say?" she asked slyly. "That I wanted to spend time with you?"

He stiffened beside her.

"I didn't – no, I – uh…"

He took his arms quickly from her waist (which she noted both with interest and slight disappointment) and she turned around, shuffling to a more comfortable position on the bed. He seemed to retreat a little, though her mind could easily have been making it up; it was difficult to tell what was actually happening from what her eyes were tricking her to believe, in the dark.

"Why are you suddenly all flustered?" Ichigo asked, smirking at him.

"I'm not flustered, baka," Shirogane replied coolly, sounding as calm and composed as usual, and she wondered if she'd daydreamed his stammering.

"Shirogane?"

"What?"

"Why did you let me in? Why did you stop me from leaving?" she asked, voicing a question that had been annoying her for the past hour.

"I…" he trailed off.

"You know what? Don't worry about it," she said quickly, changing her mind. There was something about him tonight that made her wonder if she really wanted to know the answer. But why should it be anything I wouldn't like to hear? I mean, aside from his usual mean remarks, which are normal; he can't really say anything offensive or weird, can he…?

"No, you asked, so I'll tell," Ryou said, somewhat determinedly. "I… I didn't like the idea of you walking home by yourself in this weather."

"You were worried about me?" she asked, quite surprised at his confession.

"I guess I was," Shirogane replied. "Why shouldn't I be? You're one of our most important weapons – it'd be a waste if you got sick and couldn't fight, or something." He muttered something so quietly that she couldn't make out what it was.

"That's so cute!" Ichigo was babbling, ignoring his comment about her being a 'weapon'. She became serious for a moment. "But so unlike you."

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Well… I mean, it's not every day you'd actually care about my welfare," Ichigo replied conversationally. "If it was just a normal rainy day, you'd probably push me out into the rain and lock me outside."

"No, I wouldn't," Ryou argued, sounding a little hurt. She laughed openly.

"Yes, you would! But that's okay. I'm used to it."

Silence fell between them once more and Ichigo chewed her lip, wondering what to say.

"Hey, Shirogane?"

"What, Ichigo?"

"Why do you have a children's fairytale book?" she asked, fighting giggles as she tried to imagine him reading it. He was quiet for a moment and she sobered up quickly. There was something significant about his silence.

"… Shirogane?"

"My mom used to read it to me when I was little…" Ryou said, and her heart twanged guiltily. She wished she hadn't brought that up.

"I'm sorry, Shirogane – I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's alright. She used to come upstairs every night when I was getting ready for bed. She'd sit down and ask me which story I wanted her to read. Every single time I picked one from that book. Somehow, it managed to survive the fire that ate up everything else in my life," he said sombrely, "so I kept it. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away…"

"Shirogane… I…" Ichigo trailed off, brown eyes wide.

"Don't worry, Strawberry. It's fine," he said reassuringly. She heard him flipping the pages of the book; felt the light air brush against the skin on her arm. Wondered how he was feeling right now. Without warning, he got up from the bed.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ichigo cried, alarmed, sitting up straighter in fear of being left alone to fend off the monsters of the dark. He chuckled, and she imagined the smirk on his face.

"Relax, I'm not leaving the room, baka. I'm just putting the book away," Ryou said.

"How can you even see the bookshelf?" Ichigo asked sceptically.

"I can't."

"But-"

"Come on, Ichigo. I think I know the location of the stuff in my room well enough by now," Ryou said sarcastically. Several footsteps later, he'd dropped down beside her again. It began to rain harder; pellets of water pounding the roof above them like bullets. Ichigo cringed involuntarily, and Ryou slipped his hand into hers. His palm felt soft and warm against her own. She blushed, forgetting about the valiant assail on the café that the weather was leading. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest.

"Calm down, Momomiya. The roof's there for a reason; no water's going to get in," Shirogane said logically. She barely heard him – she heard his smooth voice, but not what it was actually saying. A funny feeling had come over her… Like a fuzzy sort of feeling. She felt like she was in a dream, or a daydream…

"…Strawberry?"

His voice startled her out of her trance and she realised he'd kept talking.

"Shirogane?" she asked seriously, suddenly thinking of something.

"Oh, there is someone home," he said, mock-surprised. She sent him a confused look in the dark, not quite catching on to what he meant.

"Okay, maybe not," Ryou said, laughing. "What did you want?"

"… Am I really just a weapon?" she asked seriously.

"What?" Shirogane nearly choked on the word, taken aback.

"I mean… you said before it was good I didn't get sick because I'm your greatest weapon… I was just wondering… is that all you think of me? That I'm your mutant 'creation', and that's it?"

"Of course not. Someone has to clean the café," he replied jokingly. "That's why you're my employee, too."

"But nothing more? I'm not even… a friend?" she asked, enormous eyes filled with wavering uncertainty. He pulled away from her a little, surveying her seriously.

"Where's this coming from, Ichigo?" he asked quietly. She suddenly regretted bringing it up. She quickly pulled her hand out of his.

"Never mind – it's nothing, really," she said, hastily moved away on the bed. He grabbed her arm to make her stop.

"No it's not. What's going on?" Ryou asked gently, pulling her back to face him.

"Nothing. Just forget I said anything," she replied, looking down at her hands.

"You know I know you better than that, Momomiya… What's wrong?"

"I already told you, Shirogane. It's nothing!" she cried, a little exasperated, trying vainly to pull her arm from his firm grip. She didn't know where she planned on going, in the middle of the night, in the pitch black darkness of the deserted café, but anywhere that he was not had to be better than being here in this awkwardness.

"Why did you ask, then?" he demanded, a little frustrated.

"Just forget it!"

"No!"

"Shirogane, let go of my hand!"

"Just stop writhing for a minute and talk to me!"

"Let go of me!"

"Stop-!"

"LET GO!"

With a frustrated growl, Shirogane grabbed a struggling Ichigo by the shoulders and pushed her firmly backwards, pinning her flat against the bed. He sat on her knees to prevent her from escaping, and held her wrists down. She was thrown into silence by the shock, and stared up at his shadowy face, unable to do much else.

"Just… stop trying to run away," Ryou huffed sternly, somewhat annoyed. When she said nothing, he continued. "Do you want to know the answer to your question? The weapon thing was just a joke. You're one of the closest friends I've ever had. No, you… you're more than that. But you're just too stupid to realise."

He faltered, blushing self-consciously, dreading her reaction. Had he just ruined everything? She blinked up at him, uncomprehending.

"I… I don't understand…"

He rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't exactly tell.

"You wouldn't," he muttered. Submitting to his feelings, for once in his life, he stooped down and pressed his lips to hers with a gentle urgency. He quickly pulled away.

"Now do you understand?"

Ichigo felt as though her heart was about to detach itself from all the little veins restraining it and leap out of her chest. It had swelled so much in the last five seconds that she felt it might burst. From what? Happiness? Shock? Horror? No, definitely not horror…L…L… she could barely bring herself to even think the word. …Love?

However, thoughts were driven out of her mind as feelings took over. A tingling fuzziness was spreading from her unmanageable heart, spreading down her body, to the very tips of her fingers and toes. Her stomach was doing backflips. Then, just as her capacity to think was shut down for feeling to take control, so too were feelings shoved aside as instinct took over – influenced largely by his warm body pressed gently against hers, his lips poised a mere few inches from her own, but most of all, his piercing blue eyes looking into hers with such desperation, apprehension and pleading that her heart melted and she was determined she was doing the right thing.

Losing whatever sense the rather senseless girl had left, she leaned forward, closing the tiny gap between them. It was a soft, sweet kiss, which deepened as his hold on her wrists loosened, and he moved one hand up to touch her cheek. Heart pounding wildly, Ichigo slid her arms around his waist, gently pulling him closer to her. Then, quite suddenly, his sensuous tongue had somehow slid its way into her mouth, and one of his hands was toying with her hair, carefully pulling out her pigtails to run itself through her luscious red tresses and push the loose strands from her neck. The other was stroking her cheek, following her jaw line, tracing the elegance of her neck, then ascending back up to cup her cheek again.

Feeling the strange urge to play with his hair, Ichigo did just that, curling her fingers in his white-blonde locks, surprised at how soft and silky they were. Her lips moved with his, following his guidance. She needed no encouragement – it was like she already knew what to do, as if fate had this planned for her all along. She heard him breathing through his nose, felt the warm air against her cheek, hugged him tightly, kissed him passionately.

And then, all too suddenly, she realised what she was doing. Who she was kissing. Startled into her senses, she broke the kiss, ripping her mouth from his. His eyes swept over her face, filled with confusion.

"Ichigo?"

"I… Shirogane… I can't do this!" she blurted, cheeks flushing. The hurt in his eyes was unlike anything she'd ever seen; the guilt she felt seemed to rot in her heart.

"You're my boss…" she said gently, following his face with hers, until he looked at her and understood where she was coming from.

"Hardly!" Ryou replied. "Keiichiro is technically your 'boss'. I just… boss you 'round."

You could've told me that, maybe four years ago! she wanted to scream at him, realising she'd put up with his hell for years without needing to, but spared him the horror of it, figuring she'd been trouble enough already for one night. He was watching her intently, blue eyes so emotional she couldn't bear to look at them, instead looking down at his shirt.

"Tell me… Tell me you feel nothing for me," Ryou whispered, his voice strained. She winced.

"… I can't."

"Then tell me it didn't mean nothing to you!" he pleaded, seizing her hands in his.

"Shirogane… I can't!"

"I don't understand, Ichigo!" Ryou cried. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.

"I don't know what I'm feeling… or what it means to me-"

"But it meant something?"

She didn't reply, biting her lip hard to suppress the tears, which were on the verge of falling off her eyelids. It hurt trying to force them back. The same pain was aching in her throat.

"…Ichigo?"

"This could affect everything, Shirogane!" she blurted.

"They don't have to know. We won't tell them – anyone. Nothing will change. Please, Strawberry," Ryou murmured, resting his forehead against hers. "It'll be alright."

The tears overflowed, dripping down her cheeks. Pulling away in horror, Shirogane immediately caressed her face with one hand, brushing away the tears that lingered on her nose and chin. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to him.

"Don't cry… Please don't cry," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo replied, pulling herself together.

"It'll be okay," Ryou said into her ear. "Trust me… It'll be okay."

There was something in his voice that made her believe him. If they kept quiet about what had happened between them… But it couldn't be that easy. There must be more obstacles…

"Retasu," she realised quietly.

"What about her?" Shirogane asked, confused.

"She… she's in love with you," Ichigo said. He pulled away and stared at her incredulously.

"That's ridiculous."

Ichigo shook her head quite vigorously.

"No, she is."

"That doesn't matter," Ryou decided.

"Yes it does!"

"No. It doesn't," he said firmly. "I don't feel anything for her – I'm in love with you, Ichigo. Why did you say that?"

"Because-"

"Do you want to find reasons why us being 'us' won't work?" he demanded, annoyed. She blushed red. Yes! she nearly shouted, but to what good? She couldn't explain why trying to stop what was inevitably happening between them was in any way 'good'… perhaps she just felt obligated to make sure no one would be somehow hurt or angered by 'them'…

"Shirogane… I… I just don't want everything to change," she sighed dejectedly. He smiled a little and kissed her neck lightly. Her blush reddened.

"Shirogane!"

"Nothing will change, Ichigo," he said quietly. "Except for you and me." He kissed her neck again, and she bit her lip. The fuzzy warm feeling was spreading again. Damn you, Shirogane! she growled in her head, wishing his lips against her skin weren't so tempting.

"But-"

"Stop fighting it, Momomiya," he murmured, trailing kisses up her neck and along her cheek. Her skin tingled.

"I…" she floundered into a frustrating silence, wishing she had more of an argument. He paused for a moment and looked down at her. She faltered under the intenseness of his gorgeous blue eyes, realising she was beaten.

"… Okay…" she sighed reluctantly. He smirked at her and caught her lips softly with his own, lacing his fingers through hers.

Breaking apart reluctantly, they lay side by side, staring at each other and holding hands. He absent-mindedly toyed with a few strands of red hair, twirling them around his finger. Ichigo smiled at him. Even though she was uncertain of what would happen now with everyone else, she was sure this evening with Ryou was meant to happen; she silently thanked the storm for keeping her at the café that afternoon. She took a deep breath, beginning to come to terms with what she was feeling.

"Hey, Shirogane?"

"What?"

"… I think I might be falling in love with you."

Fin.