Summer Snow

curiouzkatt: yes, another chapter long overdue. But it's just now that I have the sudden urge to write, so might as well take advantage of it. This may have a bit of a different tune than my usual writing, but please bear with it, I'm in a writing phase.

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki.

Chapter Ten: The Unnerving Calm

Kusanagi reappeared in her throne room, her less severe wounds healing slowly, although some of her major injuries took her more time to heal herself. The blow she had received from Zeia was not healing with her magic, no matter how hard she tried. She had her assistant clean it and wrap it instead. All the while she cursed to herself, cursing how the set of events have not been going according to plan. Yes, she had dealt with those pesky boys, but it did her more damage than good. "Hand me a mirror!" she yelled, and was promptly obeyed by a ninja. She used her magic to watch the events that had transpired when she had left.

Watching them move, she could feel her eyebrow tick at the thought that such amateurs could get in the way of her plans to unleash darkness. She saw the magician put the shape-shifter to sleep. An idea struck her as she saw the glint of anger in the shape-shifter's eyes as her friend put her to sleep. She laughed to herself, then made herself reappear near a small pond. She waved at the water to make it clearer and put some dark liquid into it. "It's about time I played things my way."

The sun was almost out by the time they made it home, and their mother was up, waiting for them in the living room. She knew things like these would happen with all this Prophecy business, but it doesn't mean that she liked it. Everything had been foretold ever since her husband unearthed the local tomb in the area. She secretly hated her husband for that, for bringing their children into this mess. Despite her anger over it, there was nothing she could do but support her children and pray that they live through this. They already lost Alex, and she didn't want to lose anyone else.

At the sight of them arriving, she ran to meet them at the door. When Shun saw the fire at Neri Park, he grabbed the car keys and told her that his sister must be there. The BMW was first and Shun came out, along with Hakkai, Zeia and Mayumi, who was holding a kitten. Gojyo ran over from the green jeep and helped Shun carry an injured blue haired boy into the house. She caught Hakkai's eye, and he apologized for the trouble. She nodded in understanding and asked them if they needed anything.

"Probably a medicine kit, warm water, some bandages and clean clothes." Hakkai enumerated as the others filed into the house and closed the door behind them. As Mrs. Kazuya went about getting the things they needed, they decided to put Blue and Mili in the guest room where the four were staying, so they could also look through the things Zeia and Mayumi sent from the tree house. As Hakkai and Linlin attended to Blue and Zeia, the rest looked through the array of electrical gadgets in front of them save for Goku, who was ordered to the kitchen with Shun, so that he wouldn't eat anything electronic he thought edible.

Mayumi was examining a mechanical burger and a small vault of some sort while Sanzo looked through a bunch pens that either had a small camera or microphone. They assumed that the small vault contained the strange object that Zeia felt earlier, but Blue wasn't sure of the password. Gojyo held out a clock that had dentures biting on it. He raised an eyebrow in askance. "They've got so many unusual things here." He turned to Blue. "Does this do anything special?"

"Yeah." Blue answered, grinning at him. "It wakes you up early in the morning and haunts you if you don't pay attention to it – OW!" He turned to Hakkai who appeared apologetic and continued to treat the wound on his arm.

" I'm glad that you still have your sense of humor," Linlin quipped as she finished dressing the last of Zeia's wounds. She gave her and ice pack for the big bruise on her shoulder. "It's an alarm clock, Gojyo," she said simply. "You set it to a certain time you want to wake up and it makes a certain sound. Here, let me." She took the alarm clock and poked around, turning a few knobs. She set the alarm to 7am, which was only a few minutes away.

When she set it down, it started to move around, like a pair of chattering teeth, the kind they sell during Halloween. They all looked at the strange alarm bouncing around the floor. Those boys definitely invented weird things. Gojyo just stared at it. "You mean it makes an annoying sound? I think I already have an alarm clock, although it's set on the time he's hungry," he declared, pointing at Goku who protested.

Linlin sweatdropped. "Yeah, you can say it's something like that…" she trailed off as Shun opened the door. He looked out of breath from climbing the stairs. Linlin felt worried. "Did something happen?"

"Not quite," Shun answered, grabbing the remote near the door, and the picture frame on the wall moved to the side to reveal a television, earning surprised remarks from the others. He set the channel on the news. "Dad's on TV."

"… live from Trail, with our anchor, Jeff Reynolds, here's Professor Kazuya." The scene from the studio was moved to one side, to make space for the live feed. The scene was less calm than expected, where their father was trying to stop a parrot on his shoulder from pecking the news anchor who was with him. "Oh, we're on the air. –ahem- Sorry about that. Anyway, you wanted to ask me some questions?" The news reporter coughed to hide the smile on his face. "Yes Professor. There had been strange happenings here in Lion Mane City, and one of your readers pointed it out to us that it could be the Prophecy that you have mentioned in one of your books. Is this the beginning of the end of the world?" to their surprise, the professor laughed.

"I highly doubt it. From what I heard from Jeff here, there had been theft of specific objects, explosions and a rumored monster in Lion Mane High School. It could have been some terror threat, ordinary theft, or a plain coincidence. As I mentioned in the book, we just found those writings in that tomb, but my colleagues are still perplexed as to its meaning." There was a pause, as the newscaster tried to look for help from the staff.

"Why is dad hiding the fact about the Prophecy?" Linlin wondered as she watched her dad pet the parrot on his shoulder, his calm demeanor not betraying whatever was in his mind. He was just like his twin brother, Uncle Seth. He could have been in the military too, if he wanted, but his love for books and travel got the better of him.

"Of course professor. However, theoretically, what if what's happening now is really related to the Prophecy?" Their dad mulled the thought over, looked intently at the camera and answered. "As the Prophecy states, these are challenges for the chosen ones. Whoever they are, I trust in them to be able to uphold their part of the Prophecy. They're not chosen ones for nothing now, are they? Well, anyhow, if you folks find any leads on this "monster", I'd be more than glad to help you identify it or something." Linlin and Mayumi looked at each other, feeling that his words meant to reach them. Also, that he trusted them to fulfill the Prophecy, incognito. The camera focused on the anchor with the professor. "Thank you Professor Kazuya. Reporting from Berra, Trail, Jeff Reynolds Reporting for AP News Live. Back to you Frank." As he finished his statement, the parrot flew over on his head and was about to do damage when the channel focused on the studio. Judging from Frank's reaction, Jeff wouldn't be on air for a while.

"Uh, thank you Professor Kazuya, and Jeff, I hope you're okay. In other news, several calls were received by the fire department early this morning regarding a fire in Neri Park. However, upon arrival at the said park, there were no flames to be found. The fire department is requesting the public to only use the emergency lines when it is really needed also for their own safet-"

Shun turned off the television and sighed. "It looks like we have our job cut out for us." Hearing steps coming up the stairs, Shun turned to see their mom halfway up.

"Is Sanzo in there? The principal just called," she said, a little worried, continuing to climb the stairs to the doorway of the guest room. "Although first thing's sure, no classes because the police are all over the place. They went through the surveillance cameras, and before the whole "monster" issue, Sanzo was the last person seen in the recordings." She looked at Sanzo seriously. "They saw you shoot the coach."

Mili found herself in a dark place, with nothing to light her way but the soft, warm orange light in the distance. She felt the shadows move around her, and a single streak headed to the light. She followed the glow and found herself in Neri Park, but the orange glow was gone. It seemed like a premonition because she saw Zeia go to the tree house and started killing everyone. She felt the horror and the anger well up within her as she frantically looked for Zeia to fight her again, and beat her up a hundred times over. When she turned around, she saw Mayumi by her side. She was still smiling apologetically. "You put me to sleep and took Zeia's side!" she moved to slap Mayumi, but her image disappeared, only to reappear behind her.

"I'm sorry Mili, please listen to me," she said. "It was the only way you would calm down," Mayumi continued. "It was Kusanagi behind the attack at the tree house, not Zeia."

"LIES!" Mili cried. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

Mayumi sighed. "Blue's still– "

Mili didn't hear the rest of Mayumi's sentence, because something white enveloped her from behind, and everything disappeared. In place of all the chaos was a woman in all white who smiled at her kindly. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm Kusanagi Hitome."

"WHAT!" Mili backed away instantaneously. "You're the enemy!" she snarled.

To her surprise, the apparition in front of her laughed. "No, I'm not." She said, turning around to walk away. "There are a lot of things you and your friends have been misled to believe. If you want to know the truth, meet me at the research institute today."

Mili suddenly woke up in a strange room. Puzzled, she sat down to process what she was seeing. It seemed that she was in the guest room of the Kazuya home. She was alone, but there had been signs of recent activity in the room. There were medicine kits and bandages neatly arranged on one side, compute gadgets set aside in one corner. She remembered her dream all too clearly. She needed to know the truth, and the others wouldn't even need to know she was gone. Turning into a sparrow, she flew out the window and into the city.

The green jeep sped along the streets towards Lion Mane High School, its two occupants silent. Sanzo glanced at the sky just as a sparrow flew by. He knew what he needed to say, despite how others worried about it. Ch! He just wanted to get things over with. As they entered the school grounds, they could see the amount of movement outside, and also the amount of damage on the left wing of the school. The whole left wing collapsed, probably right after they left. Police tapes were everywhere and there were some curious onlookers who got through the guard, but they were promptly shooed away. Right outside the main entrance, Jei and Haku were waiting for them, along with Chief Murikawa.

"Genjo Sanzo," the chief greeted. "I'm so glad you could join us so early in the morning." Jei looked at his father, wondering about the sudden eagerness in his voice. He and Haku acknowledged him and Hakkai, and they all went into one of the empty classrooms, which the police have made into their temporary base. Chief Murikawa offered Sanzo a seat in front of a table while he took the seat across it. Hakkai stood at the side of the room, along with the junior investigators. Settling the mood, the chief folded his hands in front of him, and Sanzo folded his arms in front of him in response.

They stared at each other for a while until the chief finally spoke. "I know you're well aware of why you're here, Genjo Sanzo." He brought out pictures taken from the surveillance camera, where he was seen shooting the coach, also pictures of the ninja holding him at sword point. "Just to make things clear, we're not suspecting your involvement in.. probably blowing up half of the school, we just want answers." The door to the classroom slid open, and the principal came in, looking concerned that she was late. They acknowledged her, and the chief focused back on the philosophy teacher. When Sanzo didn't show any signs of agreeing to the questioning, he said, "We just want to know the story first-hand."

Sanzo unfolded his arms a little. "Okay then, start asking your questions."

The chief took his file and browsed through a page. "Well, first off, what were you doing in the school at that time?"

"I just dismissed the kids from detention and I was looking for my ward, Goku and his classmates," he said matter-of-factly. "When I went around the left wing, I heard Miss Mala and the coach arguing over something. I was going to head back when a ninja sneaked up behind me and brought me to them."

"Do you remember what they were arguing about? What about the kids, did you find them?"

"The kids had gone home by themselves. Hakkai picked me up from here when they realized I wasn't at home yet when they got there." Sanzo put a hand to his chin. "The teachers were arguing about spying on someone, a group of kids maybe. I remember them mentioning something about children. When they saw me, they declared that they couldn't let me live because I knew too much, so I acted in self-defense."

"I see. Understandable, but what about Miss Mala, she was there too, right? What happened to her?"

Sanzo looked at the chief seriously, crossed his legs and arms, and smirked. He was sure the chief would have a field day with his answer. "She turned into a monster. My bullets couldn't penetrate her fur, so I ran away."

"But there had been no reports of the monster having gone loose or terrorizing anyone else, much less going after you. Did anyone else respond to the scene?"

"None that I know of."

Chief Murikawa scratched his head. "Well, then that's one mystery left unsolved," he muttered, turning to his son. "You two boys check on the forensics team and see if they're done collecting data. We may need a paranormal team on this case." Jei nodded, and the two sleuths were soon on their way. He looked at Sanzo again. "Your story checks out. The forensics team found your bullet shells and the ninja katana earlier. Although even with your information, there are still a lot of loopholes in this case." He stood up and offered his hand to Sanzo. "Anyway, thank you for your time, Sanzo, you've been a great help." Sanzo stood up as well, taking the offered hand, also thanking the chief.

The principal saw them out of the school, all the while telling them about the arrangements to be made so that the students would not miss out on much. Although until further notice, school will be postponed, and all the teachers re-evaluated given the case at hand. "… but don't worry Sanzo, you've already been cleared by the police so you don't need to go through the evaluation."

"Ch. Thanks, I suppose." Sanzo muttered while cleaning his ear with his small finger. They reached the jeep, bowed their thanks to the teacher and were soon on their way.

Waiting at a stoplight, Hakkai looked at Sanzo, with a wondering look. "I never thought your vows allowed you to lie." He commented, starting the jeep again, turning left at the intersection. He heard Sanzo flick his lighter, and soon, smoke wafted in the air.

"It wasn't a lie, I just didn't tell the whole truth," he replied, not wanting any more to do with the topic.

"What about the running away part?"

"Like I said, I didn't tell the whole truth."

Hakkai laughed, and dropped the subject. The others would be pleased to know that the police weren't going to sniff their trail for a while, but things needed to be settled soon, otherwise the mess will only get bigger.

Mili dropped near the research institute, turning back into a girl in a nearby cover of trees. She watched as people came in and out of the stark white building, seeming to be busy about a hundred things at once. It didn't feel like the impression she had from the ninjas and it didn't seem to be a likely hiding place for evildoers. Of course she could be wrong and she may not come out alive. She prayed to the heavens that whatever death may she be found, so long as she has a body to be buried. She was nervous about this meeting, but she just had to find out the truth. Gathering her resolve, she stepped in front of the automatic doors and went in. Walking through the corridors, she felt the air of sophistication around her and gulped. Seeing an information section, she approached the lady behind the desk.

"Welcome to Lion Mane's Research Institute," the woman said politely, looking at her in wonder, probably because she was really young. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for Kusanagi Hitome," she mumbled, unsure if it was right to go to this place after a strange dream. What if Kusanagi never really did call for her here? The answer was simple, thank them and be embarrassed about it. When the woman didn't seem to find her statement strange, she continued. "She.. told me to come here today…"

"Oh, madam did say she had a little guest today, that must be you," the woman chirped. She stepped out of her table and motioned Mili to follow her to the elevators. She waited for the elevator and when it stopped, they got in and the woman pressed for the 25th floor. "It's rare for madam to have guests. Are you her niece? I'm pretty sure you're not her daughter. She never married."

"I'm a distant relative," she fibbed. "I just happened to be in town, and you know how it is with relatives, you can't go to their town without dropping by for a visit." Mili laughed away the awkwardness she felt, having to lie and be related to someone she hardly knew.

DING!

"Here we are!" the woman declared, leading her into the office of the president of the research institute. They stopped by the big doors and the woman knelt down a bit to address Mili. "Now, if ever you need any help, I'm just at the front desk, okay? I'm Macie." Mili nodded, and the woman opened the doors. "Madam, your little guest has arrived." With that, she let Mili enter and closed the door as she left.

Kusanagi smiled when the doors closed behind her guest. She used a lot of her energy to make herself an illusion of what the girl thought was safe and trustworthy. When she turned her chair around, what Mili saw was a middle-aged successful businesswoman, with short hair slightly turning white from brown. "Why it's very nice to see you," She gave the final touch by standing up and escorting Mili to have a seat. Instead of sitting back behind the table, she sat across from her, on another seat. When the girl didn't speak, she continued. "So where do you want me to start?"

Mili finally picked up her resolve and looked Kusanagi straight in the eye. "From the beginning please. I want to know and understand everything." There was no turning back now, and there was definitely no other chance.

curiouzkatt: hmmmmmm. I'm tired. x3x to Sakural7865, thank you for reviewing, despite my slow updates. ^^; thank you for putting up with this crazy fic, I hope to finish this in the near future.