(A.N./

Rizu: Okay, I've been typing like a maniac lately because I did some math and figured out that I'm not releasing these chapters quick enough to finish this story before I leave for boarding school. So I think I'm going to pick up the pace and update more quickly than every Monday. Narrator?

Narrator: Two boys are left to confess, but how will Ichigo handle a conflict between two armies with a similar schedule? Will she be able to help both sides, or will she betray one of her friends?

Rizu: Enjoy, everyone!)

---
"To him that you tell your secret you resign your liberty."

-Anonymous
---

The sky was already an indigo-blue by the time Pudding and I arrived at the door in the alleyway. As we approached the door, I pulled Pudding aside and said in a hushed whisper, "Now, Pudding, we have to be very stealthy and quiet, or they'll kick us out, okay?"

"Got it, na no da," Pudding replied with a nod.

"Kick us out" sounded like the best child-friendly way to explain the possibilities of what might've happened to us when we stepped through that door. In reality, we very well could've been beaten, raped, killed…the chances were endless. It sent shivers up my spine just thinking about it. Still, I bravely marched down the steps leading to the door and opened it. I stepped in, hurried Pudding in, and shut the door behind us.

We were in a well-lit hallway. That was a good sign. There were elegant-looking oil lamps hanging above our heads. What I noticed about them, though, was that they were covered in cobwebs like they hadn't been dusted in years. This was both mysterious and disgusting at the same time. Pudding looked impressed too, as I could tell by her deep breathing behind me. We both carried along the halls, observing the rustic scenery around us. Every once in a while, we'd see another person in the halls. When we did, we hid behind a door or around the corner until they passed.

We continued like this, watching and dodging, for what seemed like about half an hour before I finally saw him. Ryou was briskly walking in one of the halls, his hood pulled over his face. I would've never recognized him if it wasn't for his bright blue eyes and blonde hair that stuck out like a sore thumb. Barely even thinking, I walked over to him, pulled him by the back of his cloak, and pulled him around the corner. He barely had time to hiss, "What are you--" before I had pinned him against the wall. I was actually feeling rather proud of my stealth. Ryou gave me the same sort of look that Kisshu gave me when he saw my makeover, the one where his eyes bugged out and his face went stone-cold.

"What happened to you?" was his exclamation. I scowled. What a splendid compliment.

"Great. Thanks Ryou. Mind telling me what you're doing, lurking around in a dusty old cavern like this?" I spat.

"Mind telling me what you're doing here?" Ryou retorted.

"Looking for you!" I hissed. "Do you have any idea how worried I was, you great ape? I was lucky to get some help from Pudding here, and we got a tip from one of your regulars that you had abandoned shop to come down here!

"Before that happened, though, I had stopped by your shop and no trace of life was there. For God's sake, Ryou, I thought you had been abducted or murdered or something! Don't scare me like that!"

Ryou looked at me with a blank, unreadable expression. He blinked twice.

"Well?" I muttered.

"You sound like my mother," he remarked satirically. I groaned. Ryou shut his eyes and looked bored.

"Explain yourself, Ryou."

Ryou looked at me, at Pudding, and back at me.

"You're not going to let me go, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine. But you and the kid have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?" I nodded and looked to Pudding, who mimicked my actions and nodded as well. I released Ryou from my grip. He slumped against the wall and ran a hand through his hair.

Ryou sighed and murmured, "Where to begin…"

"Why you're here…why your dressed in a suspicious outfit…why you didn't tell anyone where you went…"

"Okay, I got it," Ryou grumbled, cutting off my speech. "So I heard about this one secret society from one of my close customers. Its name is the Thief's Alliance. It's a sort of cult or organization that opposes monarchy in various countries. It has several different branches, and the one in this country is the East Thief's Alliance. The other seven are located at various parts around the continent: Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia…"

"So why are you here?" I muttered. "Get to the point!"

"Alright." Ryou growled. "I'm here for the same reason everyone else is: I oppose the government and want it taken down. The branch in this country recently proposed an invasion of the palace on an upcoming date. They called for some of the other branches to recruit members, so we're building up a sort of army."

I was taken aback at the coincidental similarities between the invasion Kisshu was organizing and this one. I couldn't tell Ryou about Kisshu's plans, however, because it was supposed to be a secret. I couldn't betray Kisshu's trust and tell Ryou, could I?

"When are you invading?" I asked. Ryou, still wary of my trustworthiness, was slow to reply.

"The day after the next."

Wait a second, I thought, Isn't the invasion Kisshu is planning taking place at the same time?

"Oi, Ichigo."

That couldn't be right. I had to be mistaken. That, or there would have to be some kind of logical reason why they were taking place at the same time. The two armies attacking on the same date for no reason? It was completely illogical! I wasn't about to ask Ryou why they were attacking on that date. If I did, he would definitely think something was up. I didn't think I had Ryou's complete trust yet, so I decided not to question any farther.

"Ichigo?"

If I was going to ask Kisshu, though, I would need to mention the alliance, meaning I would betray Ryou's trust. Either way, I would have to go back on a promise with someone. I couldn't leave the dilemma alone. If both Kisshu's army and the Thief's Alliance charged into the palace on the same day unknowingly, they would beat-- even kill-- each other. I didn't want to have Ryou or Kisshu die or surrender their honor because of my mistake.

"Ichigo, are you okay?"

For their own good, I would have to tell on someone…maybe both of them. But what could I do? How could I, Ichigo, stop the two armies from clashing? I didn't know.

"Ichigo, snap out of it!"

I finally awoke from following my train of thought. Staring into Ryou's crystal blue eyes, I blurted out, "Don't do it!"

Ryou hesitated. "What?"

"You can't get involved in the Thief's Alliance! You'll get hurt or killed or something!"

"I'm perfectly capable of this, Ichigo," Ryou insisted. To my utter surprise, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a warm hug. The stupid curse I loathed so much still took its toll, setting off the butterflies in my stomach and making my head feel light. To think, it would all be gone in a matter of days… "I'm only doing what I think is right. Don't worry."

"Okay…" I whispered in a dreamy, airy voice. Ryou sighed and stepped back from me, crossing his arms. His attitude, as I could tell, was back to normal.

"For God's sake, Ichigo, why do you have to be so out of it?" Ryou snapped, casting his eyes down to the floor.

"Well, why do you have to be so…so…" I fought for the right words while trying to make my comeback sound rude. I didn't want Ryou to know that I cared for him more than a friend. "….so…stupid?" Ryou looked at me doubtfully, chucked, and uncrossed his arms.

"Idiot. Look, you should go now. I have work to do."

"Uh, yeah, me too," I said.

"Make sure you aren't seen," Ryou warned. "The door is up the stairs, over there--" he jerked his head to his left, "--and to your right. It should take out you out on the west side of the inn."

"Thanks, Ryou. I'm glad to know you're okay." I smiled up and Ryou while he pulled his hood back over his head (it had previously slipped down amid the argument). With a wave and a goodbye, Ryou picked up his brisk pace once more and started down the hall, his cloak billowing out from behind him with much grandeur.

"I don't like Mr. Ryou," Pudding remarked as we started on our way to the staircase. "He's kinda mean to Ichigo, na no da."

"Well, he's nice if you get to know him," I replied.

As we both ducked behind a corner to avoid a passing person, Pudding whispered, "…and he smells like rotten fish, na no da." I couldn't help but snicker at this remark.

"I didn't smell anything," I whispered back, tip-toeing up the staircase. "Maybe it's just you."

"I don't stink, na no da!"

"I didn't mean that, I meant--"

"Hey, who are you?"

I froze dead at a deep voice that roared from behind Pudding and I. The door out was only a little bit away. I motioned to Pudding and we both took off in a run. "Get back here!" the voice from behind us yelled.

Another voice joined it, yelling, "What's going on?"

I just managed to open the door, get Pudding in, and to shut it behind us.

"Keep running!" I hissed to Pudding. We took off around the side of the building and down another alley. Pudding took the lead, leading me down another street before taking a left, then right.

"Okay," I said, panting and leaning on my knees. "I think we lost them."

"Yup, na no da," Pudding replied cheerfully. "That was some awesome adventure skills there, na no da! We discovered a secret society, na no da! We almost got captured by bad guys, na no da, and we--"

"Okay, Pudding, that's enough," I laughed. "Why don't you head back home? I'd bet your siblings are waiting for you."

"Oh! You're right, na no da!" Pudding exclaimed. "They're probably wondering where I am, na no da! Gotta run, na no da!"

"Goodbye, Pudding!" I called as she took off.

"Bye, Ichigo, na no da!" she yelled in the distance. Running at the speed of light, she was gone.

I let out a long sigh. It was certainly late, and I realized that I was quite tired from the events of the day. The sky above was already being lit with stars. My trek back to Kisshu's and my house seemed short, partly due to my sleepy half-consciousness. I almost walked in a robotic sort of way, only half-aware of the scenery around me. Due to this, I almost didn't realize it when I almost walked into the wrong house.

"Oops," I murmured to myself. I walked around the side of the wrong house and came across to the front of the much larger house next to it-- the house I was staying at. I wondered whether to go in through the door or not, and if I should risk running into threatening persons, or whether to enter through the window and look suspicious doing so. I finally decided on going in through the window. With a bit of strength and a prayer for my agility to kick in, I started up the side of the building.

Like I had noticed when I came down the window earlier, it wasn't hard to get up to my room. The only difficult part was lifting myself onto the windowsill below mine since it was rather high off of the ground. I resorted to jumping, snatching onto it with my hands, and pulling myself high enough so that I could hoist a knee over the edge and climb onto it. Then I would do the same with my sill-- grab, lift, hoist-- until I found myself in my room.

I wiped a bit of sweat off of my forehead and walked over to my closet. Taking off the white, pointed-toe slippers I was wearing, I was about to remove the cloak when I heard the door open.

"Ichigo?"

I recognized two things from the voice. One was that it was Kisshu's. The second was that he was anxious. It wasn't hard to tell. I stepped out of the closet and cast a wary eye towards the door, where Kisshu stepped in and gave me a look like I had just been caught committing a crime.

"Where were you, Ichigo?" he ranted. "I didn't know where in the world you went! For one second you're in the room changing, and the next you disappeared! I thought something bad happened to you!"

My mind raced, trying to think of what to say. Think, Ichigo, think. How do I calm him down…?

Suddenly, it came to me. I had to tell him about Ryou, but first…

My inner conscience screamed at me not to do it, but I ignored it partly out of desperation to get Kisshu's full attention and partly because I was still only half-awake.

First, I yawned drowsily, covering my mouth with one hand and trying to look as innocent as possible. Then, I undid the strings tying the front of the cloak and took it off with one sweep, revealing the dress that my conscience hated so much. I hung the cloak up in the closet and lightly stepped over to the bed, where I lay down and hugged my pillow. Calming by cuteness and seduction.

The effect of Kisshu, as I had hoped, was instantaneous. He seemed to soften right up, coming over to the bed and sitting down at the end of it.

"Sorry for snapping at you," he said. "I didn't mean to be so possessive."

I only nodded wearily against the pillow as a reply. "Act sleepy and look cute" was my initial strategy. A few more moments and I spoke in a tired voice.

"Mm…Kisshu?"

"Yes, Kitty?"

"Could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"So, what if I told you…" I paused to yawn, "…that a friend of mine had a secret, but I needed to tell you that secret because it interfered with your secret…"

"Honey, could you please give details?" Kisshu asked. I sighed.

"Well, it's my friend Ryou, the baker on Main Street. He's a sweet guy, but he recently joined a sort of cult called the Thief's Alliance. I don't like him being there, so I'd like to ask him…" I paused to yawn again, "…if he could come and join your army." Kisshu was silent for a while. His chin rested on his hand as he thought over what I said. After several moments, he narrowed his eyes and raised his head off of his hand.

"I know them, the Thief's Alliance. I've had a few run-ins with them before, and I don't like their attitude at all. They seem to think that they know what's best, and that they're superior to everyone else." Kisshu's eyes fell on me, but they quickly shifted to the floor as he said, "I'm sorry, Ichigo, but I don't think he should join. Besides, our invasion is so close that we don't need the extra help."

"Oh!" I cried, sitting up in bed. "That's right! I forgot to mention, they're attacking the palace on the same day you are!"

"Dirty thieves…" Kisshu muttered. "It's no coincidence. We're both attacking on the same day because it happens to be the anniversary of the Sultan's rule. We both want to take him down on this ceremonial day."

"Well then that's all the more reason to unite forces!" I cried enthusiastically.

Kisshu looked me up and down before mentioning, "Weren't you just too tired to speak?"

Damn. I blew my cover. I just stared Kisshu in the eyes blankly as I pretended not to hear him. Kisshu, seeing he was getting no response from me, sighed, relaxed his face into a tired smile, and murmured, "Alright, I'll think about it. But don't think this means that I'm willing to coexist with those scoundrels. I'm just doing this for your sake."

Relieved and enthusiastic, my face lit up as I cried, "Thank you, Kisshu!" Despite my better judgment, I leant forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Oh, how badly I wanted to aim for his lips instead, but that would be too dangerous. Besides, the kiss on the cheek was enough to make me feel rightly embarrassed and slump back down in my bed. Kisshu touched the place on his cheek where I had kissed him and smirked down at me.

"Well, you have quite the attitude today, Kitten." He bent down and kissed my forehead before getting up off of the bed. "Sweet dreams." He then took his leave, walking out the door to the bedroom.

From the other side of the door, I heard him yelling, "AL-RIGHT! Hey, Pai! Do you know what Ichigo just did?"

"I don't care, Kisshu."

"She KISSED me!"

"Congratulations. I still don't care."

I giggled as I heard Kisshu's excited chatter and Pai's dull replies carry down the hallway until I could hear them no more. In a way, I felt happy, ecstaticthat I had made Kisshu so happy. Just a simple kiss on the cheek had made him so excited. I could only imagine what he was acting like after we exchanged the kiss earlier in the day. He must've been jumping off the walls.

Concerning more important matters, however-- how was I supposed to get Ryou to join Kisshu's army when the day of the invasion was so close? If Kisshu didn't make up his mind fast, then it may put Ryou in serious trouble. I needed to act fast. I had to tell Ryou early…but how would I ever convince him to join Kisshu's army? I would be better off trying to unite the forces of Kisshu's army and the Thief's Alliance than trying to persuade Ryou to quit. But how would I go about doing that?

What to do, what to do…

---