(A.N./ Whew! Last chapter must've really sucked, because no one reviewed! xD Hey, no problem, though. I'll keep on plowing through this story anyway! Oh, by the way, I just moved to a new laptop I got and I'm trying to adjust to the keyboard. Because of this, I might have a little more typos here and there from my clumsy typing. If you spot any, don't hesitate to say so, because that's how I improve!)
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Panic at the thought of doing a thing is a challenge to do it.

- Henry S. Haskins
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Kisshu was an "arrogant mind-reader". He was also an "arrogant mind-reader with no self-control". To think he had the wits to kiss me again. Granted, the kiss made my heart swell up, and it made me feel like I could float above the clouds and fly like a bird. Yeah, that bad. About five seconds in "heaven" was what it took for me to regain my composure and gather the courage to slam my knee into Kisshu's stomach. He jumped back from me and hit his head on one of the posts of the bed whilst doing so. He was sure to have a bruise in the morning.

"Ow…" he groaned, rubbing his head, "That was mean, Kitten."

"Well that was stupid!" I argued. "Remember what I said the first day we met? You don't just go around kissing people!"

"Sure, but I've gotten to know you now," said Kisshu, "and you were just too cute to resist!"

"Yeah, right!" I snapped, turning red in the face. "And there's also this thing called sexual harassment!"

"And there's another thing called showing a little love," Kisshu answered smugly, a smirk curling his lips. At a loss for a reply, I simply rolled my eyes and looked down at my dress.

"Well now you've gone and gotten all kinds of stuff on my dress. I look like a walking buffet." Kisshu snickered and picked a piece of diced green pepper out of his hair.

"You look like a buffet? I think I have enough food in my hair to feed me for the rest of the day!"

"Just get out and let me change!" I groaned, standing up and brushing wasted food off of my lap. Kisshu, still wearing a giddy sort of face, got up from the bed and began humming another little tune as he brushed food off of himself. I recognized the tune as being one that I grew up with-- "You Are My Sunshine". As Kisshu hummed, I began to sing along with the tune, adding the lyrics.

"…you make me happy

When skies are grey…"

Kisshu looked at me with mild surprise as he continued to hum and I continued to sing.

"…you'll never know, dear,

How much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away."

Kisshu cocked an eyebrow and remarked, "You're a good singer." Ignoring the compliment (which wasn't entirely true), I frowned and thought about the song. It was one I hadn't heard in years, and it brought back old questions with it.

"Why is it so sad at the end?" I asked curiously. Kisshu returned my perplexed look.

"I don't know," he said after a few moments of thinking. "The last line says 'Please don't take my sunshine away' so I'm guessing that the person it talks about is being abducted or something."

Our little episode with the food was momentarily forgotten as we contemplated the quaint little childhood song.

"Or maybe the person is running away," I suggested. "It says 'you'll never know, dear, how much I love you', so it's like the one singing is trying to convince the person that they're singing to that they love them a lot. The one singing doesn't want the person to leave and take their 'sunshine' with them." Kisshu looked impressed, causing me to swell with newfound pride.

"That's insightful. I've never thought of it that way. I always thought of it as being a mother singing to a child, but I guess it could apply to other people, too…" his voice trailed off as he stared off into space at the direction of the door. I knew what he was implying, and I knew what he was thinking about. My interpretation of the song fit the story of Kisshu trying to convince me to stay with him and come closer to him. I was the one running away and taking my sunshine with me.

To think, I thought woefully, I probably won't even feel a thing for him by the time this week is over. Poor guy. Poor me.

Kisshu snapped out of his trance and shook his head like a dog, like he was ridding himself of some thought or idea that he didn't like. He looked up at me with a grin and said, "Don't take my sunshine away, Ichigo."

Yeah, I thought so.

After that, he stood up and walked out the door, closing it behind him whilst humming a line of the song. I thought out the lyrics in my head to the tune he hummed. It was the line that went:

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you…

I cringed. Maybe I had dug myself deeper into Kisshu and my relationship, deeper than what was wise. Like what Kisshu had done, I tried to shake the thought out of my head, to keep it away. I didn't want to think about the future, so I tried not to. To distract myself, I walked into the closet and began picking through the dresses once more.

To gaudy, too big, too small, too short…

Finally I came upon a light, draping sort of dress, white in color with touches of purple on the ends of the sleeves and the hem. But once I tried it on and looked at myself in the mirror, I found that it was rather low-cut on me. I wondered which maid previously owned the dress, and when she actually used it. A few disturbing images came across my mind, and they ultimately led me to wondering: is Kisshu a virgin? If he had several girls stay in his house before, anything could've happened. I would only hope that he would have the decency to be safe instead of…well, you know.

Though Kisshu was annoying and a bit perverted sometimes, he still had his good points, so he seemed smart enough not to pull a stunt like sleeping with his maids or anything. He wasn't serious or short-tempered like Masaya or Ryou. He was more childish and playful, yet he did care about my well-being like it was his own. In addition to that, he was intelligent enough to lead an army (even if he was a figurehead). But he did have his flirty moments, passionate moments. In addition to the "not playing safe" factor, he was, I admitted to myself…handsome, if not downright sexy.

Mentally scolding myself for appraising Kisshu, I turned my attention back to the mirror I was looking in. Shake the thought out, shake it out…

I turned left, then right. The dress in question looked actually rather form-fitting and pretty on me (if I did say so myself), but only if it didn't dip so low…

To solve the problem, I stepped back into the closet and took out a thick, white cloak that tied in the front and had a hood draped in the back. Actually, it was, in ways, similar to my old cloak. The only real difference was that this one was white, less beat up, and was thicker in fabric so that it would conceal the top of my dress. Just the ticket.

I then began to wonder what I should do next. Even though Kisshu gave such a strict order to the maids to keep away, I was still scared of the image in my mind of the maids dragging away my bloody corpse, never to be seen again. Kisshu was on the lookout for Lettuce, and he would probably send a whole search party out looking for her if it would make me happy to see her back. I trusted him to see that she was safe and consoled over my disappearance. Eventually I decided that I should take the window out, and go on a hunt for Pudding. I still hadn't been able to find her after all of this time, and I was beginning to miss the slightly annoying ball of energy that she was.

With that decided, I got up on the windowsill, poised to spring, and looked at my distance. Luckily, I was on the second story, so I wasn't too high off the ground, but there was still a windowsill below me. I carefully, cautiously, lowered myself onto the surface of the windowsill and hopped down. Once on the ground, I pulled my hood up over my head and began my search.

The day, to my surprise, was rather cool for the time in the afternoon. Light, wispy clouds floated overhead. A light wind picked up from the east. A perfect Pudding-hunting day, I thought. It was the perfect day for performing: not too hot or muggy, but cool and refreshing, almost like an early taste of winter.

The traffic in the streets was rather heavy, as I expected. It seemed that everyone agreed with me concerning the weather. Those who weren't shopping were out for a stroll by themselves or with family. This was both good and bad. It was good because heavy traffic increased the chances of Pudding performing. It was bad because it would be hard to pick her out in a crowd if it was noisy and she was quiet.

Come on, Pudding, make some noise… I thought. Not two minutes after my silent prayer did I hear a shrill noise like a whistle from a few streets to my side. A smile crept up my face and I cheered to myself.

Running down the streets of the city, I couldn't help but glace up Main Street to Ryou's bakery. I'm forever glad that I did, too, because I immediately noticed that something wasn't right. The door was closed. There wasn't any smoke or sign of an oven burning. This seemed very strange to me because, if he was just out to deliver something or run some errands, he would usually leave the door open and the oven on. Yet, if he was visiting relatives or going on a trip, he would've told me.

Curious and concerned, I went at a brisk pace towards the bakery.

Sorry, Pudding. You'll have to wait.

I cautiously pushed open the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. Looking around the room, I noticed the lack of delicious aromas and heavenly scents. Instead, the room seemed bland, dead almost. There was no sign of life apart from some spiders in their usual cobwebs in the corners. The room was not dusty, though. Neither was anything missing or broken in the room.

Strange… I thought, peering in the back room. I wonder where he went.

I thought about what possibilities there were for where he went. Maybe he was abducted. Murdered? Of course not! That wasn't possible…right? I began to grow more and more worried as the seconds ticked by.

I finally made up my mind to find Pudding and ask her for help in finding Ryou. That way, it would be like killing two birds with one stone. Pudding would be willing to help. I knew that.

It wasn't hard to find the place where I first heard the whistling noise, because another whistle went off when I neared the correct street. I approached the entrance to an alleyway between two buildings. There, Pudding had some kind of show going on with these cone-like objects she was holding.

"That's right, na no da, you get one whistler for a very small price, na no da! All yours to keep, na no da!" She handed out the whistlers to people and said, "Thank you for your payments, na no da! I'll be sure to make more later, na no da! But for now, na no da, I'm gonna ask for a volunteer, na no da!"

That was it: my opportunity. I got through the crowd with some difficulty and raised my hand, yelling, "Over here, Pudding! It's Ichigo!" Luckily, she heard me. Her face brightened when I caught her eyes.

"Ichigo! It's good to see you, na no da! Come on up here, na no da!" I shuffled my way through the parting crowd and up to where Pudding was performing-- an old, tall boardwalk that ran along the side of the street. Pudding helped me up (strong girl) and gasped lightly at my appearance.

"Wow, Ichigo, you look really pretty, na no da!" she squealed. I laughed nervously and spoke in a hushed tone, embarrassed over Pudding's outburst in front of a crowd.

"Well, I'm staying over at Kisshu's house right now, and he really helped me out--"

"Kisshu's, na no da?" Pudding exclaimed. "It's about time you two hooked up, na no da!" I didn't dare turn around, but I could imagine the looks on the faces of the crowd. I could picture their mocking smiles, some embarrassed for me. I could even hear their snickers, though those weren't imaginary; I could really hear some people snickering behind me. I must've been as red as a beet, too, because Pudding took one look at my face before whispering, "Oops. Sorry, na no da."

"No, it's fine. Just get on with it," I whispered meekly. Pudding took no hesitation to lead me over to a large, long box behind her. Gesturing towards it, she spoke to the crowd once more.

"Here is an ordinary box, na no da. This lovely young lady here will step inside the box, na no da, and I'll saw through the box, na no da! But never fear, na no da, because she will come out completely unharmed, na no da!"

Great, this trick. I hated this trick. I'd done it once or twice with Pudding before, but I never did like it. It always made me feel sick to my stomach when I laid in the box. Of course, I never told Pudding that. It was her favorite trick to perform-- mostly because it was such a crowd-pleaser. And that was probably why she was performing it now. Now I regretted never confessing my hate for it.

Once I had stepped in the box and laid down, Pudding closed the lid over me. Being in the box made me feel anxious and restless, like I needed to get out and stretch. The feeling was similar to the one I had when I was stuck in Kisshu's closet that one time. What was the name of it, again?

It barely seemed like a minute before Pudding opened the lid again and helped me out, yelling, "Tada, na no da! Completely unharmed, na no da!" The crowd clapped and cheered at the act. I stepped out of the box and waved to the crowd, smiling politely.

"Alright, na no da, that's it for the day, na no da!" Pudding declared. "Thanks for watching, everyone!" The crowd began to gradually disperse at this, a few "aww"s following the dismissal. I turned to Pudding and gave her a hug.

"I'm really sorry about what happened the other day," I said. "I just kind of abandoned you. It was very rude of me."

"No problem-o, na no da!" Pudding said, smiling. "I just kind of talked with Kisshu a bit more, na no da. He's a nice guy, na no da, so I'm glad you guys are getting together, na no da!"

"We-we're not really 'together', Pudding," I replied, laughing nervously. "I'm just kind of staying with him for a while.

"Anyway, I'd like to ask you a favor. Could you help me look for my friend, Ryou Shirogane? He's gone missing from his bakery."

"Oooh! You mean the Aroopeenin-looking guy with the blonde hair like mine, na no da, that runs the bakery on Main Street, na no da?"

"European, Pudding," I corrected. "And, yes, that guy. I can't seem to find him. Could you help me?"

"Sure thing, na no da!" Pudding chirped. She immediately sprang off the boardwalk and walked up to a random person, pulled him backwards by his coat, and asked, "Have you seen Mr. Ryou anywhere, na no da?"

"Um, no." The man turned from Pudding and picked up his pace into a brisk walk away from her.

Typical Pudding, I thought.

"Pudding!" I called. "Try asking people nicely about if they've seen the man who runs the bakery on Main Street." Pudding nodded enthusiastically and dove off into the crowd. I watched as she caught the attention of another guy by stepping in front of him, cutting off his walk, and asking, "Have you seen Mr. Baker from Main Street?" I smiled and shook my head sympathetically. Heck, she was doing her job.

I began asking people about Ryou as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't getting much results. I got two or three people who noticed that Ryou was gone, but no one knew where to. I was beginning to be discouraged when Pudding dragged a bewildered-looking young man in my direction, calling, "Ichigo! This guy knows something, na no da!" I laughed nervously and shook the man's hand.

"I'm sorry about this, sir."

"Oh, it's no trouble," the man insisted, smiling sheepishly. "I am a regular customer at the Main Street bakery. Just this morning, I saw the owner walk out of the building wearing a dark cloak and a suspicious look on his face. I was curious, so I followed him. He walked down a block, then turned into an alley and went through a basement door. I didn't follow him further than that."

"Thank you very much," I said, bowing, "but could you tell me where the door is located?"

"It's in the alleyway between the inn and the carpenter's shop. Do you know where that is?"

"Is it the inn that has all of the grass growing tall on the rooftop?"

"That's the one."

"Yes, I do." I smiled and bowed once more. "Thank you very much, sir."

"You are very welcome, miss. If you intend on following the baker, then please be careful."

"I will, thank you." With that, the young man took his leave. Pudding looked up at me enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"It's like a fairytale mystery, na no da! We have to interrogate suspects, na no da, look for evidence, na no da, and go to the scene of the crime, na no da!" She took my hands and hopped up and down in excitement. "It's an adventure, Ichigo! Let's get going, na no da!" To tell the truth, I was actually rather scared of what was behind the door the man spoke of. Whatever it was, it couldn't be anything good since Ryou had to wear a dark cloak before heading in. But what was it, then?

"Ah, well, it's almost dark, Pudding!" I insisted, gesturing toward the sky. "Let's wait 'till later."

"No way, na no da! The victim might be dead by morning, na no da!" I hated to admit it, but she was right. Something bad could've happened to Ryou if we waited any longer. "Now c'mon, na no da!" Pudding grabbed my wrist and pulled me in the wrong direction.

"Pudding, why don't you let me lead?" I offered. Pudding looked at me blankly, smiled, and nodded.

"'kay, na no da."

With the sun setting overhead, I led Pudding along with me as we marched off to the direction of the alleyway. There awaited a secret that would complicate my life-- and other lives-- even further. There awaited the East Thief's Alliance.
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