Chapter 02: Calm before the Storm

“Ryou darling, come in for lunch now please.” The young boy was leaning against a tree in the front yard, motionless. The woman walked towards him, her long golden hair flowing behind her. She knelt beside her son and brushed some dirt from his cheek. “It happened again, huh?” He leaned into her, crying softly. She held him close, telling him it would be alright. They just don’t understand you, she whispered. “You’re so smart, so talented... and so young. It can be hard for other kids that are older than you to understand.” I’m fine, he mumbled. She kissed him on the forehead gently. Come on in for lunch, she said.

As they walked towards the house, the ground began to shake. The boy’s mother vanished from his sight and the home in front of him became engulfed in flames. He cried out for his parents and tried to run towards the house, but found himself being held back. He was helpless to do anything. He kept peering into the flames which were growing hotter and brighter... he could see something...

Ryou shot upright in bed. “Damn it,” he muttered. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have lived through it, he had to dream about it too. The teen stood and took a swig of water. Four in the morning, he grumbled. He fumbled in the darkness for some clothes. It seemed like it would be a good time to take a long walk.

The dream always altered ever so slightly each time he had it. This time he’d been almost confident she had really been there. He’d felt her, smelled her... and once again HE had been absent. Ryou scoffed. Why was this dream upsetting him so much? After all, he’d been having some variation of it or another for years now. What was the thing he couldn’t see...?

“Shirogane-san?” He heard the familiar voice to the left. Ryou was surprised to turn and see he was at Ichigo’s home. Her mother stood at the front door, newspaper in hand. He’d been so lost in thought he’d complete lost track of time.

“Good morning,” he said dumbly. “How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. Are you alright?” Ryou had not considered how he must have looked after wandering all over the city for so many hours; he smiled.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Well, if you aren’t in a hurry, you are welcome to join Ichigo and myself for breakfast.” Her kind smile reminded him so much of his own mother’s. Without realizing it, Ryou accepted the invitation and entered the Momomiya household. “Ichigo should be up soon,” she said heading for the kitchen. “Make yourself at home.” Ryou wandered around the family room until a picture caught his eye. It was a very young Ichigo, smiling up at the camera with her crimson red hair. In spite of himself, he smiled.

“Good morning Mama.” He heard her approaching. “Eek! Shirogane, what are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too; cute strawberry pajamas by the way.” He scowled at her, putting the picture back.

“Ichigo dear, good morning,” smiled her mother. “I invited Shirogane-san for breakfast. Speaking of which, it’s ready. Let’s go eat.”

“What were you doing out here this morning,” asked Ichigo as she walked to work with him no more than an hour later.

“Just walking,” he muttered in his usual matter-of-fact way. He stopped, realizing she had. “Oye, Ichigo,” he said a little more gently. “It’s nothing, really.” He reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. Ichigo blushed. “Let’s go the long way through the park,” he suggested, looking away from her. “They can handle things for awhile.”

Ichigo looked up at her companion. Shirogane, he never revealed to her how he felt about anything, and she knew this would be no exception. Still, he seemed to find some sort of comfort in her presence. She walked along beside him in silence the whole way to the café, more than happy to at least be what he needed her to be for him.

“Akasaka-sama,” cried Retasu running through the café’s massive front doors. “There’s a woman passed out outside. She needs help.” Keiichiro rushed out of the café behind her to discover a young woman, pale and drenched in sweat, within a few feet of them. Keiichiro knelt beside her, brushing her black curls from her face. She’s lovely, he thought to himself. The woman reacted to his touch by slowly opened her eyes. She tried to speak, but seemed too weak. Carefully, Keiichiro took her into his arms.

“Come on Retasu, let’s get her inside.”