Big thanks to sakuuya who beta'd this for me!

This is my entry for Kish's Kittie's AU competition. I've worked pretty hard on it, hopefully it shows. Also, if you haven't already, check out the other entries for the competition! They're all great stories!

Disclaimer: I don't own TMM.

The sun shone fiercely, breaking through the glass window on one side of her bedroom, where she had forgotten to close the curtains the previous night. Turning over, the bright light hit her closed eyelids and she winced, automatically grabbing the covers and hoisting them back over her face. Her throat emitted a rumbling noise as she snuggled in deeper, craving the warmth and comfort that the duvet gave. A smile etched its way across her lips and she sighed in content. Today was going to be a good day. She knew it.

She rolled onto her other side, ignoring the high-pitched wailing of her alarm clock and attempted to return to her dream world. It wasn't until she was cosy again that she was disturbed, the duvet being ripped from her and discarded on the floor. Then, with a whine she twisted to face the source of her discomfort. And ended up shrinking into herself, trying to hide from the person towering over her.

"Up. Now."

"Eek! Minto, no! It's too early."

Placing her hands onto her hips, Minto sighed - a loud, aggravated sound that drew Ichigo's attention for a moment, before she slammed the pillow across her head. It was coming, and she really didn't want to hear it this time. Minto leaned forward, taking hold of the pillow planted firmly on her friend's head and snatching it from her grasp. She threw it so that it joined the duvet in a heap, and then opened her mouth.

"Ichigo Momomiya! You're going to be late again! We're going to be late again. Why you can't just get up and get on with your life every morning, I'll never know. If sleep is that important to you, go to bed earlier!"

The afore-mentioned girl groaned. "Minto go away. Five more minutes. I'll be up then, I promise."

"No. Because five minutes will turn into five hours. I know you," Minto stated firmly. Opening an eye, Ichigo gazed at her in silence. Moments passed, and Minto was beginning to think that maybe she would comply.

"Pretty, pretty please with strawberries on top?"

Or maybe not. "Urrgh! Ichigo, get your lazy ass out of bed this instant!"

"No! You can't make me."

--

"Why did you make me get up?" Ichigo huffed, adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder and stifling a yawn. She sent a mild glare to the girl walking beside her, which in turn provoked a smirk. The question went unanswered, though, as they continued on their way at a hurried pace, only barely making it to the school before the gates closed.

Ichigo rolled her eyes as she heard them snap shut. There was no particular reason they were there, other than to cage the students in and bring stress to the ones who didn't make it in before they did so. In total, Ichigo had found herself on the opposite side of the rusting metal bars sixteen times since the start of the current school year. She smiled. Her record was getting lower.

They reached the steps that lead to the main entrance, briefly glancing at the name engraved on the plaque that hung above. Akasaka Private Coast Academy. It certainly lived up to the name. The grounds were situated on the coast and overlooked the beach and sea, where several classes were sometimes held. The founder of the institute had been a kind, generous man who had shared his fortune with the young souls of the future - well, at least that's what they had been taught in their History lessons. His name had been Akasaka…something. Exactly what it was escaped her, though she continued to press the matter. Which was how she ended up walking into what she did. Or, rather, who she did.

She landed on the floor with a thud. Looking up, she began to apologize. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and--" She cut off in the middle of her sentence, her body freezing. The boy merely raised an eyebrow, a smirk flitting across his face at her actions.

"Might want to watch where you're going in future, baka," he said, but in her trance-like state she barely heard him. His blonde hair shimmered in the artificial lights of the school hallway - Ichigo having entered whilst lost in thought - and the intense gaze that his blue eyes were giving her…

Could it really be the boy she'd been searching for all these years?

She shook her head, not noticing him and a group of his friends pass her. However, Ichigo managed to tune herself back in to the world in time to hear their departing conversation.

"Weird girl."

"Yeah, I know."

"She was kinda cute though."

"Kish. Don't even think about it," warned the blonde boy. Ichigo watched their retreating backs, her eyes narrowing to a glare at his. But it quickly snapped to a look of confusion and surprise when a green haired boy - the one he had called Kish - turned and winked at her. A scarlet blush covered her cheeks.

"Kish!"

"Oh, don't be such a spoil sport, Ryou."

It was then that they turned the corner, disappearing from Ichigo's view. A small smile graced her lips momentarily, her eyes glazed over and her thoughts faraway. However, she was brought back to reality when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She swiveled her head round, and came face to face with Minto. Or, face to waist. Bending over, Minto asked, "So, any particular reason you're sitting on the floor?"

Ichigo glanced downwards, dumbfounded, before another blush crept onto her face and she leapt back to her feet. "Anou…well…" she stuttered, growing flustered. The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes and started off to her classroom, not waiting for a reply. Seconds later, after gathering herself, Ichigo scrambled after her. Arriving at their classroom, Minto pushed the door open and swiftly entered, letting the wooden entrance fall shut as she took her hand away from it. Ichigo, who hadn't been paying any attention to where she was going (again), managed to walk straight into it, sending her flying into a heap for the second time that morning.

"Ow," she grumbled, rubbing the spot on her head that had collided with the door. Immediately, she heard a sniggering noise from above her. And surely enough, when she averted her focus upwards, someone was there, towering over her and laughing. At her. Oh, but not just anyone. No. It was the green-haired boy.

"Maybe this isn't going to be such a good day after all."

"Well, not if you keep falling over like that," he taunted, arms folded across his chest, his hip jutting out slightly to one side.

"Wait, did I say that out loud?" she asked, her finger raising to her chin and hovering there. He laughed and nodded, a sly smirk appearing on his face. Leaning over, he offered her a hand and she gladly accepted, letting him pull her to her feet.

"Thanks," she mumbled, dusting off her skirt. Then, standing straight again, she held out her own hand; only her intention was for him to shake it. He took hold as he introduced himself, "Hey. Name's Kish Iseiji. Nice to meet ya."

"Likewise. And I'm Ichigo Momomiya," she replied, breaking off the hand contact and dropping her limb to her side. "Heh, from first impressions you must think I always fall on the ground."

"Nah," he disagreed, waving a hand. "Just clumsy."

"Hey!" she exclaimed and pouted. Then, easing up, she asked, "You're friends with him, right?"

He cocked an eyebrow, a silent demand for a further explanation. Ichigo picked up on it, instantly launching into one. "The blonde-haired boy, I mean. I just… think I know him from somewhere."

"Oh, you know Ryou-kun? How? Because, no offense or anything, but he hasn't mentioned you before."

Clasping her hands in front of her, Ichigo struggled to find the right words. After several moments, she finally spoke. "Seven years ago, this boy…did something to me -- for no reason -- and I've always wanted revenge. Kind of like a score to settle. And when I saw him today, I guess I thought he was the boy…"

She tilted her head upwards, as it had been directed at the floor whilst she was talking, and was surprised to find the boy in front of her smiling.

"Ryou. Ryou Shirogane. That's his name. And yes, he probably did do whatever it was when you were younger. He used to torment girls all the time when he was a kid. To hold a grudge this long though, over something probably petty…" he trailed off, allowing Ichigo's cheeks to colour, before continuing. "I can see why. I would want revenge too, if it were me. So good luck with that!"

She was puzzled, but didn't question him. It was better for her if he agreed, seeing as if he didn't, it may mean he ratted her out to Ryou.

"So, what were you thinking of doing?" Kish inquired.

"What I was thinking of doing?" she repeated, even more riddled with confusion.

"How are you getting him back?" he asked, rephrasing the question so that she would understand better.

She shook her head. "I haven't thought about it yet."

"Well, if it's any consolation, Shirogane-kun loves girls who can write poetry… Though I don't know why. That help any?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But thanks anyway. I'll come up with something, I'm sure," she made a fist with her hand, bringing it up in front of her face, determination emanating from her.

"You do that then. Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry," he said, turning on his heel and beginning to saunter off down the corridor.

"Sorry? For what?" she called as he got further and further away.

"Making you extremely late for class," he shouted over his shoulder, a sly grin etched onto his features. He remained like that, watching a minute longer, before bursting into laughter at Ichigo's new expression. Her face was one of shock; her eyes bugged out of her head and her mouth fell agape. In a blur she had spun and charged into her classroom, tripping as she went and falling flat on her face through the door.

His laughter was accompanied by the many new shrieks and chuckles from her class. She quickly rose to her feet and dashed into her seat, the redness spreading up her hairline, vision cast downwards so she didn't have to meet anyone's gaze.

"Momomiya-san? I'm pretty sure you must have been extremely busy with…whatever… to miss the first part of my class. But would you mind, next time, if you could actually get here when you're supposed to?" The teacher stood at the front, the tone of her voice suggesting that she couldn't care less, but her students knew otherwise. Zakuro Fujiwara-sensei was an extremely punctual person, and she liked others to be the same. Not knowing what else to do, Ichigo merely nodded, suddenly finding a strange fascination with her desk. Shaking her long, indigo hair so it fell back over her shoulders, Fujiwara-sensei picked up the chalk that she had previously placed on the ledge and began to scratch some sentences onto the blackboard, urging her students to copy what she was writing.

--

"Why were you late? You were right behind me! You should have entered straight after me!"

Ichigo groaned, wishing she could simply ignore the lecture Minto was giving her. She slumped further down into her chair and thought about what Kish had told her. So the boy from her past was called Ryou. And he liked girls who could write poetry… how was that going to help her? It made no sense. What was she supposed to do? Write him a poem about how much she hated him?

She mentally cringed at that, remembering something her cousin, Retasu, had once told her. The eighteen-year-old had informed her, that day she had come back from the park in an icky brown dress rather than a gleaming magenta one, that that word wasn't what she had originally thought.

"But he muddied my favourite dress!" Ichigo sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes and her bottom lip sticking out.

"That's no reason to hate someone. Dislike, maybe. But not hate. It's a strong word, Ichigo-chan, and it shouldn't be used unless it's extremely appropriate," Retasu reasoned, pushing the large, round spectacles up her nose as they had slipped down somewhat.

Stomping her foot, Ichigo gave a defiant glare, and argued, "But it is appropriate! He's a meanie so I hate him!"

"How can you hate someone you've never properly met?" she countered.

"I…I…Well he must hate me!" the smaller girl stuttered.

"Not necessarily. You don't know why he did what he did. Maybe it was for another reason." And with that, Retasu rose and walked from the room, leaving Ichigo to contemplate what she had said.

Ichigo shook her head, coming out of her flashback. Refocusing on what Minto was saying (knowing that if she was caught not listening that she would get another, even longer scolding), she waited a moment then nodded, a tactic that she often used when she didn't follow something. Minto gave her a suspicious glare, then said, "I was half wondering if you'd ran off and whether or not I would have had to chase you all over the school to find you again. You do have a tendency to wander off at times, after all."

As soon as the words had left her mouth, a light bulb appeared over Ichigo's head, dinging to life as an idea hit her. "Minto, that's it!"

"What's it?" she asked, face scrunching up in confusion.

"You'll see," Ichigo smiled, pulling a notepad of brightly coloured paper out of her bag.

A shrill whine rang out through the hallways at the end of the school day, followed by the thundering of a thousand feet as students poured out of their classrooms and clustered around their lockers. Shoving through them all, Ryou made his way over to his own locker, Kish and Pai closely in tow. Reaching it, he took hold of the lock, pushing his key in and turning it until he heard a click. He pulled the handle down and opened the door, eyes never leaving the pink slip of paper as it drifted down to the floor.

"Another love note," Pai commented, face remaining blank as Ryou bent to scoop it up. "It's not as if you get many of those, especially these days."

"Pai, cut out the sarcasm," Kish said.

Ryou ignored both of them, instead opening the folded paper to inspect it before throwing it away. He always did this; he just thought it was fairer to the many girls who tried to gain his attention by writing soppy love letters. Read it first, then chuck it in the bin.

But as he scanned the page of text, he found himself almost stunned. This wasn't like any note he'd had before. He shook his head and re-read the poem.

I've never known how to say this

Always got tongue-tied and lost my words

Then I got my brightest idea:

I'll write my feelings down in a verse

I must say, you've always impressed me

Never failing to make me blush

And though you don't know I exist

You're constantly turning me to mush

So here I am, and what I suggest

Is a little game, perhaps?

Just follow the poems and where they lead

And then we may meet at last

The first one's in Fujiwara-sensei's room

It only took Ryou a second to think it through before he was on his way back down the corridor, heading towards the ex-supermodel's classroom. He didn't even hear Kish's shouts as he walked, so lost in determination was he to find the mysterious girl who had written this note. For a brief moment, the flitting thought that he was getting into something stupid passed through his mind. However, he ignored it and continued with his brisk pace.

Rounding the corner, he arrived at his destination, pausing to check that no-one was inside the classroom. It was empty. He entered, doing a quick skim of the contents inside. Which was when he noticed the green sheet of paper, neatly folded in half sitting on a desk about three rows back. He strode over and grabbed it, beginning to read as soon as he opened it.

I guess that you're following my notes then

Oh, you don't know how happy I am

Only four more poems until the end

If everything goes according to plan

The cafeteria food may be disgusting

But I know something there that's sweet

The kitchen closes at half past three

So I hope that you're quick on your feet

Half three? Ryou looked at the clock hanging up on the lilac wall. It was already twenty minutes past, and the cafeteria was on the other side of the school. There was no way he would make it in time unless… He needed to run. Whoever she was, she knew this. He smirked. She was definitely pushing it, but that made it all the more interesting.

With that, he set off once again, this time jogging. Thankfully, he knew a quicker route that would cut through the fields beside the building, rather than trying to navigate the twists and turns inside and end up losing the next note, and subsequently, all of the rest of the notes as well.

Dashing out of the exit that, coincidently, was only a few feet away from the classroom, Ryou began to think about this girl. It could be anyone at school. Heck, it may not even be a girl. Nothing about the writing gave away which gender the poet was. Glancing up, Ryou saw the back doors to the cafeteria nearing, and he slowed down just in time to burst threw them. Ignoring the yells of the kitchen staff, he ran for the purple slip of paper lying on the floor underneath one of the tables, snatching it up and reading the poem.

Ever listened to good music?

The school band playing their songs?

The fourth poem's in the music room

But careful, you haven't got long

-

Ryou eventually made it to the music room, after sprinting back through the entire school. He'd had to stop for a while to regain his breath, and as soon as he'd walked up to the door, pulling it open, he'd found, to his dismay, a scrawny boy still practising on an instrument. Ryou managed to force him out in record time, however. He merely had to send a fierce death glare at the acne-covered teen, and the other boy had immediately scrambled out, tripping over his own feet several times as he fled.

Sighing, Ryou's expression fell back to a neutral one. Teasing and taunting was one thing, but actually being mean? He despised it when he had to be like that, and himself moreso, as he seemed to be able to pull it off quite easily.

Stooping down, he plucked the yellow sheet from in amongst the strings of a guitar.

Hey again cutie, here's the next one

But these notes are getting unfair

So look for the blue slip in the library

You closer to finding me there

He was sure now that she was doing it on purpose. The library was situated directly across from the cafeteria. He pounded his fist on the nearby wall. Was it really worth pursuing a girl who was deliberately making him run all over the grounds just so they could meet? She may have feelings for him, but he surely didn't have any for her. Yet, the curiosity lingered in his mind, and as much as he tried, he couldn't shake the want to find her. Or at least discover who she was. And if he remembered correctly, there were only two more poems.

He ran off in the direction of the library, hoping that the note there would lead him somewhere closer than all of the previous ones.

Amazingly, it didn't take the blonde boy long to reach the book-infested chamber. Near silently, he entered, seeing the cyan coloured letter instantly, as it stood out from the dark wooden table it was placed upon.

Ok, this one isn't a poem. Just a quick letter to say the final note is taped to a locker. Number 3446, which you'll find just outside this room.

Inhaling deeply, Ryou turned and made his way to the row of lockers. Just as she had said, it was close, as the first number he managed to see was 3484. He jogged along the row, breath hitching in his throat as he spotted the pink paper. He drew closer, heartbeat increasing in his chest, until he was sure it was almost audible. Eyes closed, he felt out for the sheet, biting down hard on his lip as his fingers brushed it. Peeling it off slowly, he reopened his eyes, and began to read.

You were expecting another love poem, weren't you?

A sappy admirer's note

So I guess you're dismayed at what this is

'Cos love you is one thing I don't

So let me get straight to the point now

This is what I want you to hear

I've been searching for you all this time

Because my conscience I wanted to clear

I know you won't remember

But listen to what I've got to say

When we met, you changed my life

And I learned something valuable that day

I've been out to get you for a long, long while

Because revenge I felt was a must

And now I can smile, feel content inside

Knowing I've turned your dreamgirl to dust

I know this is probably childish

As at the time we were just kids

But consider this goose chase payback

For what, seven years ago, you did.

Ryou's legs gave way, and he slid down the side of the locker. It had all been a joke. A cruel, cruel joke. One to humiliate him. But for what? She was right again, he couldn't remember. He mentally slapped himself. How could he have been so stupid? To follow a bunch of poems written by someone he didn't know? Of course it had been a trap, and he'd fallen right into it. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the metal surface, cursing himself for going off on a whim because of a poem. Breathing deeply, he tried to rid himself of the knot that had formed in his stomach and was now squeezing tightly. After a while, he stood, and with a disheartened sigh made his way to the front exit. Tonight had been a waste.

She poked her head further round the corner she hid behind, a sad expression occupying her features. Was revenge really worth that? She guessed not. Her hatred had disappeared, as she had expected it would after her plan ended, only she found it was replaced with another feeling, far worse. Regret.

"The only way you're going to free yourself from this one is to say sorry, you know," came Minto's concerned voice from behind. Ichigo turned to her, offering a fake smile, before leaving as he had done, knowing she could never apologize after that.

Because if he hadn't hated her all those years ago, he sure as anything did now.