Recap

Ichigo didn't make eye contact with the fortuneteller. Her narrowed eyes still glared at the ground. "Yes." Did this lady honestly think she would just let him go? She cared more about Kish than anyone in the world. Ichigo advanced forward, passed the lady. She was about to leave when the voice stopped her.

"I hope you're right, young one. And I hope we see each other again soon. My name is Belgemine, by the way. You are…?"

Slowly, she looked back and replied. "Ichigo...my name is Ichigo." Her eyes were no longer tight. "I hope to see you again soon, too." She then walked off, determination filling her mind. Even if this assassination was just a rumor...she would keep Kish safe.

As Belgemine watched Ichigo fade into the crowds, she raised a curious eyebrow. "What a strange girl. And…with red hair?" She shook her head, slowly, as if she were pushing away a thought. "Nah, it can't be the girl Malo and I are looking for. We discovered it was Cime. Still, she may be a problem…"

Chapter 11: The MMS

As silently as she could, Ichigo opened the window of Kish's room and crawled safely inside. She was finally back.

Realizing the dimmed lights of his room, she assumed he was still out with the council members. A thought came to mind. She hoped he wasn't freaked out and looking for her.

Sighing, Ichigo shut the window, turned and took a good look at the room. It was quiet and lonely. The countless books cluttering is room called out to her. In a half interested manner, she examined the diverse titles. Oner stood out.

"Our Fatal Cosmos: A Factual Book Concerning Demons."

Ichigo raised a curious eyebrow. Demons?

Suddenly, a twitchy yearning filled her soul. What was this feeling? All of the sudden, she bore the greatest desire to be by Kish's side.

"Dang it," she whispered, angrily. "Why can't I stay focused...?" Once again, she began to feel a deep guilt. She was dying to be with Kish...yet she knew it was a bad time. Her friends were counting on her, and again, she was letting them down by getting sidetracked.

Falling onto the bed, Ichigo released a deep sigh in the dark, quiet room. In her imagination, she could sense Kish's presence. Why did he have to be gone? Why couldn't he be here with her right now?

Again, Ichigo groaned. Why was she going so crazy over Kish? It had something to do with the way he was acting. He seemed different...and it made her want to be different, too...yet she couldn't. Not only did she feel guilty about how she felt, but she was still unsure how to express herself.

With an edgy moan, Ichigo shook off the stress as best she could. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her cheeks burned as if she had a fever. Was she getting sick from all the drama? Ichigo groaned and hugged the pillow as tightly as she could.

There had to be someway to distract her from Kisshu and stay focused.

As she glanced about the room, something on his desk caught her attention. It was a smooth, black rectangle about the size of a composition book. What was it? Ichigo got up and, swiping it, went back over to his bed. What ever it was sure felt warm…almost like…

Ichigo opened the latch to find it was none other than a laptop.

What a horrible idiot she was. All this time, she had been frantically searching for a computer when it had been here the whole time. Ichigo laughed at her own stupidity.

As she ran her fingers over the paper-flat keys, she struck "search engine." Hopefully, now she could find an explanation concerning her friends and the alien radiation. Quickly, she typed in "news and headlines." Ichigo watched as countless websites, overflowing with articles surfaced on the page. When she found a link to what looked like an online newspaper, she immediately entered it.

"Man, you've gotta be kidding me," she grumbled in disappointment. There was nothing - nothing but boring news about random, dull topics. How could she find out what was up? Sighing, she skimmed over the end of the latest article. It read the following:

"As for Belgemine, the public's most arousing citizen since the spectacular Lady Kylie, she continues to predict the unfortunate horrors proven true. "A council member shall fall today", she said. This was verified accurate when Police found Master Hono on the floor of his house, already dead. Articulates revealed his final words:"She speaks truth – Belgemine is a truth speaker." So what happens now, we all wonder? Will Prince Kisshu survive or will he never be crowned? And does the public even want him crowned now? As for the council members, we have heard they are doing their profound, powerful investigates on all citizen's records, homes and backgrounds through the MMS. They hope to uncover why and who could be planning such an assassination."

Ichigo rained an eyebrow. "MMS? What's that…?" She whispered, curiously. Ichigo returned to the home page and carefully typed in 'MMS.' Again, numerous options appeared before her. Selecting one, she read over the following report.

"The MMS is the slack name for the Media Management System. This is the confidential Government data. It contains reports, speculations, suggestions and discoveries concerning citizens, the alien military and much, much more. We can only guess it also contains info concerning the delicate topic of our World Expansion. It records every event related to Deep Blue's awakening, and on the planet we once called our home, that is now titled Earth. Only Royal or Council eyes have laid eyes on these files because only they alone possess the password."

Ichigo gasped. This MMS – she could find what she needed there. But how? Ryou said it wouldn't require heavy passwords or security to hack in.

Ichigo narrowed her eyes. Ryou had been right about a second thing, too – Kish was her way in. Clenching her fists, Ichigo groaned. But how could she get Kish to give her the password? She couldn't just walk up to him and ask for it. He would suspect something. Besides, if he discovered her real reasons for coming, he'd be deeply hurt.

Ichigo sighed. Even if her original intentions didn't concern Kish, she now believed she was here for more. She was learning to love Kisshu and, slowly, believed she would be able to express it. She owed it to him...and she wanted to pay it back. He deserved honesty.

Frustratedly, Ichigo sighed again. She wouldn't let a stupid password interfere with her relationship with Kish. After shutting the laptop, Ichigo returned it back to its proper place. She was about to leave when something caught her attention.

It was Kish's cell phone, and it was ringing, too. Rapidly, Ichigo's hand grasped it and stuffed it under his pillow to cloud the noise. It kept ringing. Panicking, Ichigo looked around her in a frantic manner. If Silda heard it and came in…she would find her here, and that meant trouble.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo glanced at the phone. She had no choice but to answer it. Trying to imitate Silda's voice, Ichigo opened the call.

"Hello, this is Kisshu's residence." There was a silence and no one responded. Ichigo tried again. "...I'm his housekeeper, Silda. Is anyone there?"

To her surprise, she heard a familiar sigh. It was Pai. "Mew Ichigo," he said. "You can not fool me. This is Kisshu's private phone. Now why are you answering it?"

Nervously, Ichigo stuttered a reply. "Well…I…I'm indebted to him…so…I'm sort of his housemaid…sort of."

Loudly, Pai grumbled. "Kisshu is devious, isn't he? Constructing an unpaid debt just so he could get what he wants. Selfish..."

Ichigo smiled. "I know, but it's kind of a compliment, ya know."

Pai was stern. "Do not take Kisshu's selfishness lightly!" Ichigo was surprised by his harsh comment. Was something wrong?

On his end of the phone, Pai sighed. He knew he wasn't at liberty to speak of Kish's secret. Nevertheless, he knew concealing it was just as wrong. How could Kisshu be so insensitive as to make the vow without her consent? It wasn't right. No matter what reasons Kisshu had, fear or past experiences, he hadn't any right to be so secretive.

Unfortunately, because of his mistake, he would someday have to pay dearly...

Baffled by the silence, Ichigo asked, softly. "Pai? Are you alright?"

Breaking free from his thoughts, Pai asked the question he could not hold back. "...I'm fine. How is Mew Lettuce?"

Immediately, Ichigo froze. What was she to do? What was she to say? She couldn't tell Pai about Lettuce - he wouldn't understand. Especially, when Ryou believed the alien clan was behind it. Ichigo was sworn to secrecy. Uneasily, she stuttered a response. "Uh…she's...uh...okay… She wanted to know how you were doing…"

He was glad to hear it. "Tell her I am in good health. Thank-you."

Ichigo's heart sank and she tried to alter the topic. "I will. But, uh...why did you call, anyways?" Honestly, she hadn't any idea what he really wanted.

Eagerly, Pai replied. "Forgive me, Mew Ichigo. My conversation with you has distracted me from the emergency. I must speak with Kisshu this instant." Ichigo's eyes widened. What was the matter? Pai continued. "Please tell me he is available? It cannot wait..."

Before Ichigo could reply, Kish's bedroom door opened and in Kisshu entered. When he saw her, he grinned. However, when he realized she was on the phone, his curiosity was stirred. With wide eyes, she met the gaze.

Not hearing her answer, Pai asked. "Mew Ichigo? Are you still there?"

Shaking free of the surprised spell, Ichigo stuttered a quick reply. "Oh! I- uh! I'm here! And um…yeah…he's here...one sec…" Moving the phone from her ear, Ichigo extended her arm out to hand Kish the device. "It's Pai. He wants to talk to you…"

Although he was still somewhat bewildered, Kish took it. Answering it, he sat on the bed. "Hey, Pai. What's up?" Awaiting Pai's answer, he cast the girl a look. She averted her eyes.

In Pai's voice, Kish could detect the graveness. "We have to talk."

Lowly, Kish growled. At first, he assumed it was related to he and Ichigo. However, when Pai finished his sentence, Kish was surprised to find himself wrong.

"The whole Kingdom is receiving invitations."

Curiously, Kish asked with a grin. "So what? What kind of invitations?"

Pai nearly yelled. "Wedding invitations!"

For a brief moment, Kish paused and glanced at Ichigo. Although she hadn't heard what they were discussing, she directly looked away. Kish brought his attention back to Pai. "Yeah, great. Really cool, Pai," he replied sarcastically. "But I don't really have time to chat about something that doesn't concern me. You know me - I hate gossip."

Lowly, Pai growled. He was losing his patience. "Will you just listen to me for one moment, Kisshu?" He roared. "It does concern you, and oddly enough, NOT Mew Ichigo! Do you not understand what I am trying to tell you? The invitations the entire Kingdom have been receiving are to YOUR Wedding! Your Wedding to a woman by the name of Cime!"

ALRIGHT! More DRAMA! I know - you're all going to scream at me now, right? Kish's wedding? And not to Ichigo? Lol. I guess you'll have to wait until I update again, though. Hehe. PLEASE Review!

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