Kaho's gaze flickered to her friends, Ryota was the one who made the move, striding to the front of the trio and intercepting the confrontation. He bounced his neon pink basketball between them and watched Kikiyo snap to attention and turn to face him. Mamoru watched the ball knock over one of the empty seats, and went to righten it. He tossed the ball back to Ryota. He caught it without even turning his head to Mamoru.
"Hey, Kikiyo, how you feeling? Better?" Ryota asked.
She seemed to stop sizzling with rage when Ryota spoke. Like he'd doused her in water. She scowled for a moment and ran her hands through her hair.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Kikiyo shrugged, "Feeling much better."
"I'm glad," Kaho said, joining Kikiyo in the classroom. "I was really worried about you."
Kikiyo sighed, sitting on a desk and crani9ng her neck back, "Thank you, Kaho, who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there – and thanks for the protein bar."
"I'm just glad you were okay, that could have been awful, you know, on the stairs and all."
Kikiyo nodded and ran her hand through her hair, "So, talk to me, what did I miss?"
Ryota grinned at her and sat on the table beside her, "So, turns out Fumiko, the basketball manager is dating Naoru, Naseru's older brother and he is going to teach me some volleyball skills so I can be the best player on the starting line-up. Coach said I'm going to be their secret weapon."
"Good," Kikiyo said, "You're going to do great. I have faith in you, Ryota."
Was it her, or did that sound final? Like she knew. Did she know? Kaho frowned, her gaze flickering from Mamoru to Kikiyo. Nothing. No indication at least. What had Mamoru's newest letter said? Kaho's hadn't said much:
'Keep your eyes, heart and mind open. Listen.'
Had that been a dig about Kikiyo, or Tatsuya, Kaho couldn't tell. Or was something else happening behind the scenes that she couldn't quite grasp?
"Promise me you'll come and watch?" Ryota asked, holding his pinky finger to Kikiyo. Her breathing hitched for a second. She lowered her head and took his pinkie finger in hers.
"I promise to do my best."
Kaho watched them, her gaze flickering to Mariah and Mamoru. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Hey, Kikiyo?"
"Mhm?"
"I'm glad you're here," Kaho said quietly, producing the cat tracker and sticking it in Kikiyo's bag, "Let's go out tonight!"
"I can't," Kikiyo said, staring at the ceiling.
"Work?" Mariah asked.
"Ichigo?" Ryota asked.
"Yeah…" Kikiyo said, not offering insight into what she meant. She glanced up at the clock and rummaged in her bag, making Kaho's heart leap into her throat. But instead of the guilty cat tracker, Kikiyo producing an apple. She glared pointedly at Mamoru and chomped down on the waxy red flesh. He shuddered. She turned her nose up at him.
Mamoru made a fist, opening his mouth to speak when the warning bell chimed. He scowled and watched Kikiyo continue munching her apple, completely gnawing it to the core.
Kaho sighed and got to her feet, beckoning Mariah and Ryota to head out and over to class, so they could sit and watch the clock tick by. Until they had to chase Kikiyo down.
When Kaho didn't think her day could drag by any slower, her afternoon classes proved her wrong. Kikiyo hadn't joined them at lunch, just stoking the frustration building in Mamoru's core. He had a lot of making up to do. He'd declared to the lunch table he would go home via the bakery and order a whole cake for Ichigo and hand deliver it to Kikiyo's house by dinner time, after all, Ichigo hadn't seemed to notice a lack of cake. Or, at least, she hadn't said anything when they passed her in the canteen and wished her a happy birthday.
Everyone had the app on their phones, watching the blinking cat icon sit stationary in Kikiyo's house for hours. She didn't have work after school. Which meant they had probably been right and the work she was referring to was at the 'Luvrz Motel'.
At 7pm, Mamoru called, and said Ichigo answered the door, so her surprise birthday cake, despite being a bit melted, wasn't thrown in his face. She hadn't known it was coming. Had Kikiyo not believed him? Had she not trusted him to remember his promise? He hadn't, but that wasn't done maliciously. Kaho knew that. But Kikiyo didn't. He'd been celebrating, cheering down the phone about forgiveness when her phone trilled. Kikiyo, Kaho's "cat" was on the move.
"Kaho," Mamoru said, his breathing rigid, "I'm like forty minutes away from the motel. I won't-"
"We've got this Mamoru, sit tight!" Kaho said in one breath and stumbled down the stairs, taking them two at a time.
Taiga was at the door, putting his trainers on, "Oh, you okay?"
Kaho squeaked, "Y-yeah, I was um, wondering if you er, wanted to go for a run?"
Taiga raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Ryota just called me and invited me for a run too! What are the odds?"
Kaho forced out a laugh, "Yeah! Funny how that works!"
Kaho stretched her legs on the doorstep. Rana and Tama bounded out onto the street behind her. Kaho sighed, attempting to corral them back in with her feet. Tama went back in. Rana turned and raised his tail to the sky and strolled off in the opposite direction.
Kaho stuck her tongue out at her cat and raced down the street after Taiga. She didn't have time for an actual warm up. Kikiyo needed her.