Ryusei entered the Rabbit Hutch, surprised to find it silent and empty. He'd expected at least Kengo and Miu to be there, if not also JK, Yuki, and Shun. It seemed like all seven of his "friends" spent every free moment there. But he supposed this was best. It would give him a little breathing room and maybe a chance to contact Tachibana.
As he pulled the meteor switch for his pocket, he heard the voice. "I knew it." It was soft and small, but there was a sort of smoldering fire behind it that made the voice very intimidating. Ryusei recognized the voice easily as Tomoko's. He nearly dropped the switch, but fumbled and stuffed it back into his pocket, hoping that somehow she hadn't seen it even though it was obvious she had. Ryusei turned to find her sitting up on the ledge that overlooked the front room of the Rabbit Hutch. He wasn't sure how he'd missed her up there. He had always been rather paranoid here, given the fact that he was lying to everyone about his motives for being with them, and was very cautious of his surroundings.
"I thought it was weird you'd vanish every time Meteor showed up... And then when I saw you fight Cygnus..." Tomoko climbed down the ladder and began to move toward Ryusei, while he move away, both of them circling around the table in the center of the room. "You're Meteor." It wasn't a question. Tomoko stated it as a simple fact, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You are the other Kamen Rider."
Ryusei gave up trying to escape. He should have known one of them would figure it out, and he supposed he should also have figured it would be Tomoko. He sat down at the table as Tomoko reached him, and made no complaint as she sat beside him. They didn't face each other. Tomoko had turned away so they were nearly back-to-back. "I assume this means the Ryusei we knew was just a lie." Tomoko sounded annoyed as she picked her iPad up off of the table, sorting through pictures she had taken of everyone on it since she joined the Kamen Rider Club. "You don't want to be our friend, so why are you here?"
Ryusei looked over, watching her flip through pictures. "I needed to keep an eye on Fourze. I needed to make sure he didn't get rid of Aries before I could get to it. I-"
"I won't let you hurt Gentaro." Tomoko interrupted, her voice soft and dark, far more threatening than one might think just looking at her. "Not Gentaro or any one here. Fourze is protecting everyone here, s-so I'll protect him." Ryusei wasn't exactly sure how Tomoko intended to do that. She couldn't fight him. Obviously she planned to tell everyone that he was Meteor, but he wasn't sure how that would keep Gentaro from being hurt by the betrayal. It certainly wouldn't change Ryusei's goals.
"I have someone to protect too." Ryusei responded, lowering his own voice, as if there was someone other than her there to hear him. Tomoko lifted her head, looking over her shoulder at him. The confession surprised her. Tomoko really wasn't sure what she was expecting from him. Ryusei took a deep breath, and then told her the whole story. He told her about how his friend had become a Zodiart, and how now he was comatose. About how Ryusei had been given help and the Meteor belt by Tachibana, and how Aries was his only hope of saving his friend.
The whole time, Tomoko was silent, staring at a photo of the others she'd taken when she first joined. If something happened to Gentaro or Yuki or any of them... Would Tomoko go to the same lengths to make it right? She knew, at this point, she'd go as far as handing herself over to the Horoscopes if it meant saving any one of them.
"Why didn't you just tell us? Why didn't you ask for our help?" Tomoko turned off the iPad, setting it back on the table and turning herself slightly toward him.
"I didn't think you would." Ryusei answered, and even to him it sounded like a stupid excuse. "I'm trying to -create- a Horoscope."
"We still would have helped. We would have found a way. It's what we do. We're friends." Tomoko protested lightly, thinking about the Medical switch. Maybe, if they knew what Ryusei needed from Aries, they'd be able to use the Medical switch to help his friend. "Gentaro's helped all of us, even when it seemed impossible. We believe in him, and he believes in us. That's how we've gotten this far." Ryusei didn't say anything. Tachibana had assured him that Fourze wouldn't be of any use to him, and obviously that meant none of the others would either. He'd just needed to find Aries at any cost. But being here, with the Kamen Rider Club, it reminded him of why he was doing this... Friendship was what he was fighting for. To protect and save his friend. He was the same as Gentaro.
Tomoko got up and straightened her skirt, "I won't tell them." Ryusei was startled by her decision. He had expected her to call someone and out him then and there, and then have them run him out of the school.
"Why?" Ryusei stood, looking down at her.
Tomoko smiled, "Because you'll tell them eventually. Maybe not right away, but you will. If you don't they'll figure it out on their own. It would probably be better to hear it from you, just like you told me, so that they're sympathetic. If I do it, they'll just be angry." Tomoko walked across the room and picked up her bag. "I guess, until then, I can cover for you as long as Meteor is nicer. If he keeps being mean, I won't be as generous to Ryusei."
It was blackmail. He was being -blackmailed- into helping Fourze. Honestly, Ryusei was surprised Tomoko had it in her, but knew he probably shouldn't have been. Kengo and Miu were smart, but Tomoko was crafty. Ryusei let out a weak laugh, "I guess I don't have any choice but to agree."
Tomoko smiled across the room at him, "I know you have help on the outside, but if you need help here before you tell everyone, I guess I can help you out as repayment for protecting me from Cygnus."
Ryusei walked over to Tomoko, shaking her head, "I protected you and you'll help me because we're friends." He corrected her. Tomoko watched him for a moment, and then nodded.
"Let's find everyone else. If they've been gone so long, there might be something going on." Tomoko suggested, leading the way out of the Rabbit Hutch, Ryusei following a few steps behind.