Ichigo frowned into his sandwich at lunch. Putting the rest away, he fingered the knife he'd found in the pocket of his jacket this morning. Apparently, he'd grabbed Shiro's coat instead of his own. Not surprising considering they were the same size. It was a simple pocket knife, unadorned and utilitarian. But the grip was worn smooth as if from constant handling. He didn't think it was ever used as a weapon. The albino, while having a reputation for being a little vicious, had never resorted to weapons. He frowned harder when he thought of him.
Shiro hadn't come to school. He'd barely made it one in five days in the past, but Ichigo thought he was trying to change that. Not that he could do anything if he really wanted to fail and get himself expelled. He was just a little surprised. And maybe a little disappointed. Shiro hadn't even said goodbye before he'd taken off that morning.
"Um. Are you okay Ichigo." Mizuiro looked at him, a worried expression on his face.
"Yeah, just not feeling well I guess."
"Okay. You just seemed a little angrier than usual today." Keigo piped up beside him.
"Yeah, did you and Shirosaki break up or something?" Ichigo's head snapped up. "It's not like we're dating or anything!"
The other two gave him a level look. When he glared, they just shrugged and turned back to their lunches. They weren't, were they? But Ichigo didn't like the idea that he'd slept with someone he wasn't going out with. Twice. He sighed. Maybe Shiro had remembered the dream after all and was having a hard time. Or the note he'd crumpled up back at the office building could have something to do with it. He'd just have to talk to him later. They all headed silently back to class before the bell rang.
When they got to the classroom, there was a stranger in a school uniform leaning against the teacher's desk. Ichigo stopped in the door, caught by an intense blue gaze. The newcomer seemed startled and stared openly at him. Ichigo raised a brow and shook himself, heading to his own desk. That was odd. He wasn't sure what was more striking. The deep blue eyes or the equally blue hair. Now that had to be dyed. The teacher came back in and introduced him, but Ichigo wasn't listening. His thoughts had drifted back to Shiro. He barely even noticed when the new student sat directly behind him.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful except that Ichigo could swear he could feel the blue gaze drilling a hole through the back of his head. The guy hadn't said anything, but he wouldn't stop staring. Ichigo slipped out a little early not wanting to stop and talk to any of his friends. He went home to change before heading over to the office building. He hoped Shiro was there. He wasn't sure where he actually lived and nobody he asked earlier that day had known either. Ducking through the hole in the fence, he came to a stop. Three guys had stepped forward to block his path.
"Um, I'm here to see Shirosaki." It felt odd announcing himself. But it occurred to him that he'd never entered here on his own. He'd come with friends to the party and the other two times, he'd been literally carried inside. They watched him warily, but stepped aside without saying anything. One remained and gestured for him to follow. Apparently, he wasn't going to be let inside without an escort. This was weird. Inside, everyone he saw had the same kind of watchfulness and it put him on edge. What was everyone so worried about? In the hallway, he saw the small, crumpled piece of paper that had been tossed away yesterday. Ichigo picked it up and smoothed it out. The guy leading him stopped to see what was taking so long.
4th and Main. 11:00pm. For old time's sake.
Ichigo stared at the short message. There was no signature or anything. And why did the address sound so familiar? It was right at the edge of his thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make it any clearer. It would probably pop up at some incredibly inconvenient time. Sighing, he stuffed it in his pocket and continued on. If he took any longer, the guy he was following was probably going to drag him the rest of the way. He was finally led into a space that looked like it might have been a conference room in another life. There were a few heavy bags set up and mats strewn across the floor. Shiro was on the far side of the room sparring with two other people. He was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a loose pair of pants. Ichigo couldn't stop the shiver that went up his spine.
