To ReadorDie214- Sure, I'd love to read your story! I'll look it up and give ya some pointers. And you'll find out who Crimson is paired with in Chapter Nine. Dum-dum-DUM.
To loveoftheblue- I'm a sophomore in high school and our vocab units are friggin ridiculous. One of our last words was "chaos". Ok, I knew what that word meant since Kingdom Hearts came out like eons ago! There are 20 words in each unit and I usually know what half of them mean already. Who doesn't know what chaos means in the 10th grade?
To clari chan- I'm sorry your compooper failed you. ((lol, compooper is such an awesome word...)) Hope you get a chance to read this chappie!
To cryearthstearsfalltou- YEAH BABY I UPDATED! Hope u like it.
To Kiharu-sama- Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Don't worry about Reiko, she's got someone else to take care of her. ((wink, wink))
Oh yeah... Frank Sinatra owns "Fly Me to the Moon" and I forgot who owns "The Rage Beat", but it isn't me...
CHAPTER EIGHT:
ONCE THE STARS BEGIN TO FADE
Needless to say, the next three days went by rather quickly and smoothly. Shuichi spent every waking moment in the presence of both Ryuichi and Yuki, who were both VERY busy with their demonic duties and such. But, oddly enough, the both of them were always able to make time for our pink-haired hero.
Shuichi was currently sitting by his new favorite tree. It was the beginning of the afternoon. The tree where he found out about the connection between his parents and Reiko. The tree where he found out about his past. The tree where beautiful purple blossoms seem to fall as gently at the wind that made it so.
Shuichi was waiting for Michael, K, and Judy to come back. He had been waiting for almost an hour and was beginning to lose his patience. Then he heard two very loud, silly voices not too far away:
"Michael! I TOLD you not to pull my hair!" A high-pitched voice screeched in fury. Shuichi grinned and jumped down off the tree branch. He could see two small children running towards him and he was able to identify one of them as Michael. The tiny blonde boy threw himself at Shuichi. By this time, the other child was close enough so the two strangers could study each other. "Who are you?"
Shuichi ignored the smaller girl; he was too busy hugging Michael. "I missed you so, so, so much!" Michael held onto Shuichi tightly. "Boy, you sure look a lot happier today!"
"I am!" Shuichi grinned widely and spun Michael around, almost knocking off the boy's black sunglasses. "And the best part is, I don't get lost in the mansion any-" He broke off as a wave of small, raw demonic energy hit him.
"HELLO?" Michael's companion, a little girl snapped out. "I talked to you. The least you could do is answer me!" Shuichi dropped Michael in shock and turned to study his verbal threat. She looked about Michael's age. She had long purple hair in braided pigtails and bright green eyes.
The girl wore a bright yellow dress with red flowers all over it. She had a gold bracelet on her left wrist. She wore white sandals on her feet. "My name is Saki Ukai. It's a pleasure to meet you…" She held her petite hand out and Shuichi shook it, feeling slightly bewildered. "Well, what's your name?"
"He's Master Shuichi Shindou!" Michael boasted arrogantly before Shuichi could open his mouth. "And he's our babysitter until our parents come back."
"This pink-haired weirdo is in charge of my physical, social, and mental welfare until my parents return?" Saki frowned up at Shuichi. "He can't do anything to help us, he's just a half-demon."
"So are you." Michael shot back and Saki blushed lightly, looking at the ground. "Shuichi, she didn't mean it. She's a brat to everyone and that's why someone always has to watch her because she can never keep her mouth shut."
Shuichi sighed and shook his head. "So… what do you want to do?" Great… I've got one mortal who completely adores me… I finally met another half-demon and she thinks I'm useless… So much for first impressions… She had me labeled as soon as she knew my race…
"Nothing that concerns you." Saki stuck her nose in the air.
"Did you parents teach you to treat all 'half-demons' this way?" Shuichi sighed again, sitting on the ground under the tree. "Because it isn't right."
"My father instructed me to treat everyone the same way, because I'll never receive any respect being a polite half-demon." Saki snorted, glaring at Shuichi.
"That's not true." Shuichi protested. Michael, being the reckless kid that he was, decided to climb up the tree, blowing at the purple petals. He was hanging upside down and sticking his tongue out at Saki.
"The only reason you get respect is because your father gets respect." Saki sniffed, turning away from Shuichi. "Michael, let's go. I want to find a more proper babysitter." I've never heard of a boy with pink hair before! He's bizarre!
"I'm not leaving Shuichi!" Michael began swinging like a monkey. "And your Mom told you to stay with Shuichi and you have to listen to her."
"You are so annoying!" Saki snapped out, but she jumped in order to reach a tree branch. She began swinging after Michael. "I'm going to get you!" Shuichi looked up at the two children playing, who weren't paying any attention to him.
Not that it matters… Shuichi sighed. Why is Saki so angry? Her father's perception of reputations is way off… Whether she's a nice half-demon or a mean one… she still won't be liked… Our lives are destined to be full of pain…
"Hey, Shuichi! I bet you can't catch me!" Michael squealed from the top of the tree. Smirking, Shuichi stood up and looked for him. The pink-haired boy rapidly jumped up all the branches and grabbed the smaller boy around the waist. Saki just stared up at them jadedly.
Shuichi jumped back down to the ground, still holding Michael. "I'm thirsty, Shuichi! I want some water, please!" The blonde pouted and Shuichi rolled his eyes, smiling. "I don't have a cup, so just put it in my mouth. But be careful not to choke me, because then my Dad might shoot you."
That… wouldn't surprise me… Shuichi shuddered anxiously. He closed his eyes, concentrating on a tiny spray of perfectly clean, cold water. After opening his eyes, he held out two fingers and water sprayed out at Michael. The boy greedily opened his mouth and drank until he was full.
"Thanks, Shuichi! You're the best!" Michael gave him a quick hug and then waved at Saki. "Hurry up and get down here, or else you won't get any water!" Saki jumped down without a word and stared at Shuichi tentatively.
"Can I?" The purple-haired girl asked timidly and Shuichi nodded quickly. Saki gratefully smiled at Shuichi and ran over to him to drink some water.
After Saki was done gulping down the water, the three sat under the tree in complete silence. "I didn't know half-demons could do magic. Do you think I can?" Saki turned to Shuichi, breaking the silence.
"Your father never taught you any spells?" Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "He probably never taught you because he doesn't want you fighting."
"But when the other demon children pick on me, I'm defenseless." Saki stood up suddenly. "Shuichi, you are going to teach me to use magic!"
"W-wait a minute!" Shuichi sputtered. "I really don't know how to teach it… I just do it. It's second nature to me. And plus… I don't even know what your demonic element is. So how can I teach you-"
Shuichi broke off, because he felt a great demonic energy nearby. His body shivered in uncontrollable fear and he felt dizzy. "Shuichi? Are you okay?" Michael shook the pink-haired boy's shoulder. Shuichi didn't respond.
He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. Shuichi reiterated in his head. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here. He's here…
Two demons were approaching Shuichi and the two children. One of them was Yuki. The other completely terrified Shuichi. Michael ran over to Yuki and said something, but Saki stayed behind and put a hand on Shuichi's pink head.
"He scares me, too." Saki whispered in Shuichi's ear. "I heard his father killed a whole bunch of demon lords back when he was alive." The demon in question made his way closer to Shuichi, ignoring Yuki's odd look.
"Shuichi, I presume?" A pleasant voice asked. Shuichi slowly looked up into intense greenish-blue eyes. The demon had wispy blonde hair. His smile seemed somewhat forged.
His face… his face… It was the face from his nightmares. Shuichi's mouth opened in shock. "You… who are you?" Shuichi's chin quivered in terror.
"Tohma Seguchi." The blonde smiled again, extending a hand. "Do you need help standing? Are you ill?" Something snapped in Shuichi and there was pain all over. He began to shriek wildly and drew his twin daggers before he knew it.
Shuichi was horrified. This was the demon that had killed his mother. "Seguchi… DIE!" Shuichi leapt out at Tohma rapidly, swiping his twin daggers for all he was worth. He managed to rip Tohma's clothing with the first attack and slash his exposed skin with the first.
"Eiri, what's going on?" Tohma turned back to Yuki. "Why is he doing this?" Yuki strode over angrily and made a gesture with his hands. Shuichi's twin daggers were torn out of his hands and implanted in the ground.
Shuichi glared at Yuki with such malice that the blonde's eyes actually looked surprised. "You're on his side, aren't you?" Shuichi growled angrily. "You're defending the beast that killed my mother! You're defending the beast whose face has haunted my sleep for too long!" He didn't need his daggers.
"Shuichi, wait!" Michael cried out in protest. "That wasn't him!" Shuichi ignored the small boy and released a tiny bubble. Yuki's eyes widened in shock and he grabbed the two smaller children, flying away just in time.
Tohma was smacked with Shuichi's cyclone. His battered body dropped to the ground, but he was still conscious. Shuichi raced over to Tohma to finish the job, but oddly enough… his cross was pulsing. Shuichi ceased all movement and put one hand on his cross.
Just what do you think you're doing, idiot? Crimson's annoyed voice said in his head. Our mother got the job done already. She banished Tohma's father to hell. Shuichi, you're attacking the son of the man who killed Mother. And… judging by your morals, that isn't the right thing to do… Not that I don't like to see you all aggressive, you really did make me proud. You made him bleed so much…Oooooooooh... It looks kind of delicious...
Okay, I'm getting off topic. The point is Tohma had nothing to do with Mother's death. Crimson quickly finished. And he happens to be stronger than his father, so I suggest you make peace with him right away. Because I don't plan on saving you today.
Shuichi's eyes widened in astonishment. He knelt down by Tohma. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea you weren't your father! I'm really sorry for losing control like that… I don't know what got into me!" He smiled weakly and offered a hand to Tohma, who surprisingly took it. The two shook hands and stood up. Tohma's body glowed blue as he healed himself completely.
"You're quite powerful for a half-demon, I see Ryuichi trained you well." Tohma sighed, running a hand through his delicate blonde locks. "Eiri, come back here!" Yuki flew back and placed the kids on the ground.
"Wow… that was scary, but it was so cool!" Michael gushed excitedly, running around the now completely soaked grass. He jumped up and down, splashing Saki with mud.
"You're going to get it!" Saki began skipping all throughout the grass, spraying Michael with mud. Needless to say, they were both completely filthy a couple of seconds later.
"Why do you call him 'Eiri'?" Shuichi turned to Yuki, frowning.
"Because that's his nickname." Tohma smiled sweetly at Shuichi. But there was hidden malice behind his eyes that only Yuki could see. "So, your mother was Lady Seki, I imagine."
I think I'm already on Tohma's bad side… Shuichi gulped and nodded quickly. "Yuki, can I have my daggers back?" He turned quickly to the older demon lord, who complied rather quickly. Shuichi put his daggers back inside the pouches.
Michael was dancing around in the mud and Saki was giggling madly. "BOOOOOKU WAAAAAA… DOMON KASSHU! 'My hand is BURNING like an INFERNO! It's telling ME to destroy YOU! SHINING… FINGAAAAAAA!'" (1) Michael shouted dramatically, thrusting his left hand high in the air.
"I'm going to stick that 'Shining Finger' up your-" Saki snapped out, but broke off, looking at Tohma. "Stop embarrassing yourself." She put a certain emphasis on three certain letters, which earned her a look from both Shuichi and Tohma. Jeez… that Tohma is way too creepy. I hope he goes away soon…
"Shuichi, let's go play something!" Michael whined. He began to run around swiftly, spreading his arms wide like an airplane. "BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
Shuichi quickly bowed his head. "I'm sorry, but I have to watch them." He smiled softly at Yuki, wondering why the blonde hadn't kissed him yet. As a matter of fact, Yuki hadn't even spoken to him yet. Was Yuki ashamed of Shuichi?
Yuki simply nodded in reply and walked off with Tohma, leaving a hurt Shuichi behind. He slumped to the ground and began to cry.
Even in his hyperactive state, Michael knew he had to calm down in order to comfort his guardian. He scampered over to Shuichi and kissed his cheek gently. "Don't be sad. Tohma makes everyone act different." He shrugged and Saki slowly walked over. "He made you act different, right?"
"Yeah." Shuichi sniffed, remember the angry look in Yuki's eyes when he took the boy's twin daggers away. He must really like Tohma… He probably doesn't care about me… Why would he? I should have known… He's ashamed that I'm a half-demon… How could I have missed it?
Shuichi took a deep breath and stopped crying. He would demand an explanation from Yuki later. Right now, he had two children to watch. "I'm kind of tired, so can we sit here for a while?"
"I'm getting tired of staying here! I want to go play somewhere else!" Saki snapped and glared at Shuichi. Michael on the other hand, instantly sat down in Shuichi's lap.
"The trip back here was long… I'm tired, too." Michael yawned. "Sing to me, Shuichi. And sing something happy for me, okay?"
"I'll try, Michael… I'll try." Shuichi closed his eyes tightly and searched his mind for a happy song. Unfortunately, because he wasn't in the best of moods, this wasn't the easiest task. But he finally found a song:
"Fly me to the moon,
And let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand!
In other words, darling, kiss me.
Fill my heart with song,
and let me sing forever more.
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true!
In other words, I love you!"
By the time Shuichi had finished the song, Saki was sitting down, listening intently to Shuichi's magical voice. "Wow… your voice is amazing. But… you sounded so sad when you sung it. So it doesn't count as a happy song." Saki smirked knowingly. "Sing another song. And this time… it has to be happy. Or else I'll annoy you until you're really depressed!"
"Believe me… she can do that." Michael shook his head in trepidation.
"Umm… okay…" Shuichi sighed, smiling lightly. I suppose I lose either way. I'm taking orders from kids half my size. But they're right, I should be happy! I'm far away from that lifestyle now! I can be happy! "Here goes!"
"Obieta mezuki de iradatsu omoi uwaki na kaze ni hakisutete
hibi-wareta rojou ni toketa SHIGUNARU wa kizuato dake nokoshite-iku
madoronda NOIZU ga asu o keshi-saru mae ni
yabou ni hibiku kutsuoto o oikakete
doko ni mo tomaranai
mitasanai Emotion SHIKATO kimete oikose yo
furueteru SHAI na seikai no nuke-michi o neratte
tadoritsuku basho e I Want New World… "
Shuichi could feel himself getting into the song. He could feel his eyes sparkling and his smile widening. He was truly happy now. Singing was the one thing that set him free. He stood up and began dancing and singing simultaneously:
"Muragaru fuan ni tsume o tatereba mishiranu uso ni hajikarete
mote-amasu jikan ga sabitsuita machi o warubirezu ni kazatte-iru
berubetto no KOIN dake o PAKKU ni tsumete
meiro no you na yume no chizu wa iranai
saka-maku kodou kara
kirakira gin no Passion kakehiki dake no yuuwaku
kowaresou na kimi no hitomi ga ikeru DOA tataite
sagashi-tsuzukeru… You Just a New World
MEIN SUTORIITO ni kizamu semegi-atta namida ga
ima mo kikoeru kutsuon o hisumaseru
doko ni mo tomaranai
mitasanai Emotion SHIKATO kimete oikose yo
furueteru SHAI na seikai no nuke-michi o neratte
tadoritsuku basho e I Want New World… "
Shuichi finished, closing his mouth. Michael and Saki stood up and clapped for him. "Yippee!" Michael squealed and danced around. "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! I don't think you're happy enough! That's right! I'll teach you to be happy! I'll teach your grandmother to suck eggs! Now boys and girls, let's try it again!" (2)
"That was awesome! You're a good dancer, too." Saki grabbed Michael's hands and they began dancing together. Shuichi burst out laughing at the sight of them boogieing like the two cute fools they were.
"Shuichi, dance with us!" Michael jumped on Shuichi's back gleefully and the pink-haired half-demon complied. Saki jumped right into Shuichi's arms, not wanting to miss out on any fun. Somehow, Shuichi still managed to dance. But it didn't take very long for all three of them to plop on the ground, laughing insanely. They rolled around and laughed, until they all realized they were hungry.
"Shuichi… to the kitchen!" Michael ordered, standing up. Saki shook her messy hair and leapt to her feet. "But first… we need to wash off." Smirking, Shuichi sprayed them with freezing cold water. "AYYAAAAAAA! Uncle does not like cold WATAAAAAA!" (3) Michael said in his horrid Chinese accent.
"'Uncle'? Who's that?" Shuichi looked very confused.
"He watches too much television. What do you expect, he's a human!" Saki stuck her tongue out at Michael. "Now that we're clean, let's get some grub!" And with that, the trio set off for the mansion, which was in their sight as they spoke.
The three burst into the mansion noisily and looked around for the quickest way to the kitchen. The large staircase was in directly front of them and someone suddenly appeared in front of them. A tall demon with long brownish-red hair and light, kind brown eyes stood there, looking down at them.
The demon wore a blue, long-sleeved shirt with vertical light brown stripes on it. It had one gray button on the middle of it. He had white pants with silver spots on the waistline. There were four lines on each leg of his pants. The top two were on the thigh of the pants: the first was a dotted line and the second was a regular line. The bottom two were the same designs, but they were just below his knee. He wore silver and blue tennis shoes.
"Lord Nakano, how are you?" Michael squealed, waving like a fool.
Nakano? I've heard that before… Oh that's right! "You're the guy who had an affair with Yuki's fiancé!" Shuichi pointed at the demon.
"What a shameful thing to do." Saki sniffed, sticking her nose in the air. "You probably disgraced your entire family."
Shuichi's purple eyes locked with Lord Nakano's brown ones. All of a sudden, he felt lightheaded and weak. Shuichi's frail body slumped to the floor. He heard squealing voices in his head, much like the voices of the children around him:
"Oi, Shuichi, I found you!"
"You found me already… How come you're so smart, Hiro?"
"Neeeeeeeeeeeee, Shu-chan, when is your Mom going to come back? We need our nutrition, na no da!"
Shuichi held his head as the voices pounded through his skull. They wouldn't stop. The voices were… they sounded so happy. But why were they making him sad? Why were they making him hurt?
"Shuichi?" He heard Saki's loud voice demand. "Are you okay? Shuichi! You did something to him didn't you, Lord Nakano?"
"S-Shuichi?" He heard someone come closer to him. His body was being pulled into a tight, but comforting hug. "Shuichi, it's really you… I can't believe it."
Shuichi slowly opened his eyes. The pain in his head had reduced to the point where it didn't hurt to think. That was good. He looked up at the demon lord, who was currently holding him. "H… Hiro?" He choked out, tears falling from his eyes. Why am I crying? And… why do I feel so happy inside? I don't get it… I don't understand these feelings…
"You… you remembered me?" Lord Nakano's worried face broke into a wide smile. "Shuichi!" The two began crying in each other's arms. "Oh, Shuichi! I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you… I'm so sorry I failed you. Please forgive me." I heard the rumors… but I never would have believed… He's alive! He's back after all this time…
"How can he forgive you if he can barely remember what you did wrong?" Michael frowned. "Don't you try and cheat him! I don't trust you!"
"If he cheats in marriage, why wouldn't he cheat in friendship?" Saki narrowed her eyes accusingly. "I'm watching you, Lord Nakano." Shuichi began laughing and released himself from Lord Nakano's hold.
"What now?" Shuichi turned to Lord Nakano. "Umm… am I allowed to call you… 'Hiroshi'?" Hey… I remember that on my own! YAY!
"Of course. And 'Hiro', if you want..." Hiroshi grinned broadly, ruffling Shuichi's pink locks. "Are you lost?" The group began walking down the hallway below the stairs. For some reason, there weren't any demons around. The hallway had plenty of diverse rooms, but not one demon was inside them. Saki looked in one room, which was full of drawings, portraits, and photographs.
"No… we just need to find the kitchen." Michael gave Hiroshi a look. "Since you're a demon lord, you can get us anywhere."
Hiroshi laughed bitterly. "Not anymore. As Miss Saki clearly stated, I did something shameful. So my eminence isn't exactly sky-high right now." He sighed as they passed the giant ballroom. Hiroshi led them to a huge white and blue kitchen.
The kitchen, to put simply, had only one fridge, a few cupboards, and a counter over the cupboards. There wasn't a stove or sink in sight. Saki and Michael went to sit on the counters near the huge refrigerator. Hiroshi and Shuichi walked over to the fridge. It had a permanent marker attached to it.
Hiroshi took the marker off the fridge and turned to the kids. "What would you like to eat?" He took the cap off the marker, patiently waiting.
"How do we know you're not going to poison us?" Saki snapped out.
"I'll eat first." Shuichi rolled his eyes, grinning up at Hiroshi. "I'll have… strawberry pocky, some ramen, chocolate pudding with rainbow sprinkles…"
Hiroshi wrote down every food Shuichi said on the fridge and the food magically appeared in Shuichi's hands on a plate. "Can that thing give me food from the Human Realm?" Michael frowned at Hiroshi, who nodded, laughing to himself. "Then I want an M&M McFlurry, some mozzarella sticks, curly French Fries, and cinnamon sticks!" Hiroshi rapidly copied down all these foods.
Michael looked as if he was in heaven. "If Mom knew what I was eating…" He grinned mischievously and dug into his fries. "Saki-munch, munch-aren't you-chew, chew-hungry?"
"I'm just fine!" Saki turned her nose up, refusing to look at Hiroshi. At the moment, Shuichi didn't care because he was engrossed in his pudding.
"Wow… this is… amazingly good…" Shuichi's eyes lit up with happiness. "I wonder if I ate this when I was a kid…"
"You did; it was one of your favorite foods." Hiroshi smiled gently. Shuichi turned to him in surprise and licked a sprinkle off his cheek. "We were… best friends, Shuichi…"
"Such a shame you turned out so badly." Saki jumped off the counter. "I'm done being in the presence of shameful demons. I'm ready to go."
"Saki… you're judging Hiroshi without giving him a chance. You did the same to me, remember?" Shuichi sighed, looking up at Michael. It was obvious he wasn't going to be any help; the boy was sucking on his ice cold M&M's. "Michael, what's so great about those M-" He broke off as Michael tossed one in his mouth, almost choking poor Shuichi. He slowly chewed and his eyes widened.
"HIROOOOOOO! I want what he has!" Shuichi completely forgot Saki and turned to Hiroshi, immaturely. Laughing out loud, Hiroshi wrote something down on the fridge and in a nanosecond, Shuichi had his own M&M McFlurry. "This is-slurp, slurp-amazingly-gulp, gulp-good."
"Shuichi, if you're seen with him-" Saki could feel her anger building up in her. "Why are you ignoring me?" She stomped on the ground furiously and the floor quaked with a rumbling sound. A small spark of purple electricity hit Shuichi's cross.
"Saki, I think we just found your element." Shuichi grinned at the dazed girl. She can control lightning. Interesting… Crimson thought in his head.
1. That was an excerpt from the anime G-Gundam. The main character of that show, Domon Kasshu often said that before defeating his enemies.
2. That quote was from the Happy Happy Joy Joy Song shown on Ren and Stimpy.
3. Michael was imitating the character: "Uncle" from the show Jackie Chan Adventures, who speaks English with a heavy Chinese accent.
Ok... That's it for now. Shout out to Deelz for hooking me up with the outfits, you're the best. Woop Woop! I'm thinking of starting a KH ((kingdom hearts)) fanfic soon. Most likely Riku/Sora. ((It's called Ricochet.))
Chapter 9: Saki struggles to hone her newfound skills! Michael tries not to get electrocuted! Hiro reveals the story about his love affair! Shuichi gets captured… will he be okay? Can anyone save him? Will he even survive?
