Missing Ichigo Chapter 3

The school bell rang, a dull sound, but it was music to Ichigo's ears, signaling the end of the day. “Finally,” Ichigo breathed, it felt as if she had been holding her breath for hours. She hurriedly gathered her things and raced out of the classroom, and into the yard, battling through the school gates, still running. Only when the school was completely out of sight, when the shouts and laughter could no longer be heard over the rush hour traffic, did she stop. Ichigo bent over, her hands on her knees as she gasped for air.
The day had been so strange, so awful. School had seemed so confining, the air seemed to choke her. During any silence, Ichigo would be sure that all eyes were locked onto her, and the facts and figures spouting from her Sensei's mouths skimmed past her, barely denting her mind. The minutes had ticked by like hours until the day finally ended, and Ichigo couldn't wait to leave, to breathe easy once more.
Ichigo stood up, still breathing sharply, and set off walking at a slow place. Btu she wasn't turned in the direction of home. Ichigo took each step at a time, one foot after the other, and headed forward towards the centre of Tokyo. Gradually, her breathing steadied and fell into rhythm with her light footsteps.
Ichigo needed to be alone. She needed to think. She needed to breathe. She kept walking at a steady pace, barely blinking, never wavering, harsh determination on her face. As the sun faded and the Tokyo skyline became a silhouette, nothing could stop Ichigo getting to where she needed to be.

The cool breeze chilled Kish as he sat on his rooftop, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Tokyo was quiet that night, and there was a tension evident in the air that seemed like the entire world was holding it's breath, in waiting for something. Distant traffic tickled his ears until he heard, far below, the chatter and laughter as a couple passed below him. Kisshu merely glanced at the pair before gazing back at the sunset, but then he did a double take. He knew that person. He knew that face. That voice. The source of so much hatred. It was him. “Masaya,” Kish spat the words out from his lips, it disgusted him. The Blue Knight, his rival in the battle for Ichigo's heart. And after claiming to love Ichigo... after winning... here was was, wandering that streets of Tokyo with another girl. What would Ichigo think?
Anger boiled up inside of Kish, and as the couple stopped to embrace one another, the anger rose up inside of him and he let out a scream. Eyes wide and fiery, he dived down towards the pair, and Masaya looked up, terror evident in his dark eyes.

She took the steps two at a time, needing to escape from the thick air of the staircase. She burst through the door into the fresh air, and stepped out onto the abandoned roof terrace. She was the only person that still visited there, she knew. It was where she used to play as a child, and looking out over the edge of that rooftop, it felt as if she could see the entire world, and for the first time in a long time, Ichigo felt in control again. Up there, in the cool air that sent shivers down her spine, she could think straight, and see things clearly.
Ichigo sat down near the edge of the rooftop, pulling her knees close to her body and closed her eyes for a while. The sounds of Tokyo blurred and merged into one, then faded away as Ichigo focused on other things. Her body was held tense, but up here, her mind could relax. It was one of the few destinations she felt truly safe and accepted. That rooftop had known her since she was a small child, yet it still held the same magic for her now as it had back then.
Suddenly, Ichigo's silence was shattered by a piercing scream, and she jumped up, running to the edge of the rooftop, and catching the source of the outburst, her eyes grew wide and a small gasp escaped her lips..