CH 49
Rikki was working behind the counter, and trying not to listen to Kim, who was at a table with her friends telling about girls that could fly, meeting a werewolf, and worst of all, mermaids. Obviously, they didn't believe her, so she got up and stormed over to the counter and said, "Rikki, tell them what we saw!"
Rikki looked over at the group giggling at Kim and said, "No, and quit talking about it."
"WHY?" Kim asked with a whine. "Something really cool finally happens here and you don't want to talk about it?"
Rikki waved to the girls and called, "She's just making all that up."
"Rikki! I am not! You were there, tell them!" Kim cried.
Zane had come out of the back room. Hearing Kim he walked over beside Rikki and asked, "Girls, please keep your voices down."
"Rikki won't admit we saw real life monsters yesterday," Kim complained.
Zane frowned at Kim and said, "I'm looking at a little monster right now. You're causing a scene, stop it."
"I know what we saw," Kim countered.
"Hey," a boy called as he came over. Looking at Kim, he asked, "Did you see that flying woman too? Blue hair, wings that looked like a giant bat?"
Kim nodded. "That's Mrs. Aono. Kumiko and Kaiyo are her daughters. So is Azami, but she's a vampire, not a succubus. She's got a bunch of other sisters too, and their brother has a harem," she explained.
Zane rolled his eyes. With a groan he said, "Come on, now you're being ridiculous."
"I am not, tell him, Rikki!" Kim complained. "You were there with Cleo, Bella, Lewis and Will."
"Look at THAT!" a girl cried and pointed out the window.
"It's that flying woman!" a boy yelled.
All the patrons ran to the windows. The ones by the door backed off as Kurumu flapped to a stop, landing on the walkway outside just hard enough to make her large breasts bounce in the red single piece swimsuit she wore. Her wings folded up into her back as she strode in. "Hi everyone!" she said with a wave, and walked to the counter as the entire room gapped at her.
"See!" Kim announced in triumph. Turning, she said, "Hi, Mrs. Aono."
Kurumu paused then pointed a finger at her and said, "Kim Satori, right?"
Kim nodded happily. "Do you remember Rikki?" she asked.
"Oh yes," Kurumu said happily with a wave of her hand. "One of the mermaids." Pulling a folded paper from the pouch on her short skirt, she said, "You have a nice little place here, Rikki. I was wondering if you could fill this list for the party on Saturday." Kurumu handed a flushed Rikki the list.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Zane asked.
"Kurumu Aono. I was flying by and saw the sign. I was hoping it was the same Rikki. Instead of giving a larger restaurant the business, I figured I'd give Rikki's first shot at catering."
Zane moved over closer to Rikki and eyed the list.
"We can do it," Rikki said firmly.
"Wonderful!" Kurumu beamed. Waggling a finger at Rikki, Kurumu said, "Don't forget, you will be there as a guest, so get someone you trust, say that handsome fellow beside you to take care of the serving. You may also use however many of our servants you need to help you. We don't want to see you working, OK?"
Nate, one of the cafe's band members came to the front of the crowd with a big grin on his face. "Kurumu Aono, THE Kurumu Aono of the Flying Yokai?" he asked expectantly.
Kurumu nodded. "That's me."
Nate clenched his fists in the air and cried out, "YES! This is fantastic! Can I get your autograph ... and a picture with our band?"
Kurumu spent the next hour getting her picture taken with the band, other people and signing autographs. She did one last picture, standing in the center of the entire cafe's crowd, her wings stretched out behind them. Finally she had to tell the excited young people, "It has been wonderful seeing you all, but I must be going. Have a fun time, everyone!"
"Give us a Ya-hoo!" a girl cried.
"All right," Kurumu said holding her fist low, "Everyone ready?"
Big smiles adorned the faces around her as they clenched their fists.
"YA-HOOO!" Kurumu cried, thrusting her fist in the air. Everyone around her shot their fists up and let out an ear-busting 'YA-HOOO' with her, then applauded.
Rikki watched Kurumu jump up on the railing by the water, unfold her wings and take off, the crowd went out and waved to her as she flew away. Thankfully, the attention was on Kurumu, and not on Rikki or the fact she was a mermaid. She decided to go in the back room and start filling the order before the attention turned her way.
.
By Wednesday, the press had caught wind of the 'strange events' people were reporting and converged on the area, wanting to talk to anyone and everyone about what they had seen. A news helicopter caught footage of mermaids in the water and televised live footage of Kumiko and Kaiyo in flight, waving to the camera before they banked away. Most of the major attractions in the area had few visitors due to the crowds gathering at the waterfront, eager to get a glimpse and first hand pictures of a mermaid or one of the 'bat girls'. The local police had their hands full with crowd control. Rikki's cafe was packed with people wanting to see Kurumu, or one of her daughters.
While the publicity raged, Cleo, Rikki and Bela all but disappeared. Kurumu went on television to tell people that while it was exciting to see real 'yokai', people also had to remember to respect their privacy, and not try to follow them home, or hound them mercilessly.
Due to the massive public interest, Kurumu agreed to a televised beach concert near Rikki's on Friday afternoon. Since Nate and his band knew all of Kurumu's songs by heart, Kurumu let them play for her. To be as visible as possible, she picked a high dune, and had the band set up there. Even with such short notice, the beach was filled with throngs of people and television cameramen. The water by the shore was thick with boats.
The afternoon of the concert, Kurumu had to fly in to get to the dune, waving to the crowds on the way. Atop the dune, a few policemen waited with the band.
"Greetings, officers," Kurumu said happily as she landed.
One officer with gold on his uniform and looking sternly at her, said, "Ma'am, you have no permit, I'm afraid you won't be able to sing here. This crowd must be dispersed."
Putting on her best smile and adding a bit of Charm, Kurumu said in a sweet tone, "Oh officer, how can I let all these people down? Just this once, can't you see clear to let them have some enjoyment?"
The officer hesitated. Another came up and said, "Mrs. Kurumu, you cannot hold an event on public property without a permit!"
Kurumu used her Charm on him as she said, "But it's not an event. We just came here to practice, and all these people heard about it. These boys here are so excited to get to play, can't you please let them?"
The officers shifted in place as Kurumu cast them a pouting look.
"All right, but just this once!"
"First thing tomorrow, you go to city hall and get a back-dated permit," the other agreed.
"I will be sure to do that, thank you so much!" Kurumu said cheerfully, and gave them a low bow that showed a generous amount of cleavage. "Please, officers, won't you stay? You can watch the crowds to be sure everyone behaves," she added in a sweet tone.
"Yes, we have to ensure public safety," one officer said as his eyes stayed glued to her chest.
"Wonderful," Kurumu said with a happy bounce. She picked up the microphone and scanned the crowds around her. "Everyone listen please! These kind policemen have come to be sure there are no problems and everyone stays safe. I am asking all of you to assist them. Do not throw anything on the beach, keep your garbage until you leave to dispose of it properly. Be courteous to those around you, and do not pack tightly together. Will you do this for me to ensure no one gets hurt?"
A resounding 'yeah' came from the crowds. Boat horns blew.
"YA -HOOOOO! Let's get this party started!" Kurumu yelled holding a fist in the air, causing a cheer to go through the crowds.
Kurumu let the band decided which songs they wanted to play. Obviously, Kurumu expected songs like Yokai Love that she sang at almost every concert but there were a couple she wasn't expecting, like My Family and Forever Young she had done for Daniel's birthday concert. As always, Kurumu whipped the crowd into a frenzy, singing along with her and fists pumping in the air. After eight songs, Kurumu took a quick break and asked if there was anything the crowd wanted to hear.
The requests came fast and furious. Kurumu pointed to one excited teenager holding a video camera. "Give me a request," she told him.
The teenager yelled, "Can you do another one describing your home life?"
Kurumu frowned a few seconds then said, "Another song to describe my home life ... Sure!" She turned and whispered to the band. They huddled for a moment, then began to play
Sung to CCR's 'Lookin out my back door'
Just got back from Oukatu's
lock the front door, Ya-hoo
Got to sit down
and take a rest on the porch
Family joy's settin in,
pretty soon I'm singin
Ya-hoo-hooo
lookin my back door
Minotars and fairly girls are playin in the band
won't take a ride on Yukari's spoon
Ya-hoo-hooo
Akemi's doin cart wheels, vampires' wearin high heels
Look at all the happy creatures dancin on the lawn
Wondrous apparitions, provided by our witches
Ya-hoo-hooo
lookin out my back door
Minotaurs and fairy girls are playin in the band
Azami takes a ride up on Scooby do,
Ya-hoo-hooo
Kaiyo and Kumiko, are playin in the sky
Give me a bit, I'll be flyin soon,
Ya-hoo-hooo
Bother me tomorrow,
today I'll have no sorrow
Ya-hoo-hooo
Lookin out my back door
For an ad-lib, Kurumu didn't think she did that bad. By the applause and boat horns, the crowd didn't think so either. The sun was going down. Kurumu took her bows and found the crowds had grown.
"Hey everyone, it's going to get dark soon so we're going to have to..." The crowd immediately pleaded for 'just one more' With the mass of love and good will from the crowd flowing over her, it was very hard to end the concert but she kept on, saying, "We have to call it quits for the day. Thank you all for coming, I hope you had a really good time. We'll do this again, if at all possible. Have a good night everyone!" She then jumped up in the air, spread her wings and flew away with a "YA-HOOO!"
.
While Kurumu was charming the masses with her songs, Kumiko and Liz walked up to the gate to see Frank, who had taken guard duty there. The first few minutes they had gotten a snack and drink together for Frank, neither spoke.
Kumiko, who was holding a boxed snack for Frank, bumped Liz to get her attention. "Hey, Liz, what's up?" Kumiko asked.
Liz shook her head. "Nothing," she said simply.
"You've been acting strange since you got blown up. You don't still hurt, do you?" Kumiko asked innocently.
"I'm healed," Liz assured her.
"Then what's up? You're not having nightmares, are you?"
"I'm not. Frank is," Liz said quietly. "I heard him last night. He was groaning and calling our names in his sleep again."
Kumiko cocked an eyebrow at her. "I thought he was sleeping down with the other boys in the small house," she said.
"He is."
"Wow, he must have been loud," Kumiko noted.
Liz stopped and cast Kumiko a forlorn look. "You saw into his mind before, Akemi told me about it," she said, then asked, "Can you do it again to find out why he's having these nightmares?"
"Shouldn't we ask him about it first?"
"I doubt he'll tell us. Besides, I think he likes you the best anyway," Liz said, not sounding happy about her statement.
"That's not true," Kumiko said quickly. "When you were injured, Frank was really upset. He stayed right by your side the whole time you were bed ridden. I think he was afraid of loosing you. He wouldn't feel like that unless he really likes you."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
Talking by the gate got Liz's attention. "Something's wrong," she said and hurried to the gate. Kumiko followed her.
.
On the outside of the gate, two men in brown uniforms, and two police were talking to Frank.
"Sir, we received a report that there are dangerous wild animals being kept here," one of the brown uniformed men said sternly.
Frank shook his head. "The report was in error. There are no wild animals on this premises," he said firmly.
"We have warrant, open the gate," one of the policemen stated.
"Not until Mrs. Moka Aono tells me to," Frank replied.
"What's going on?" Liz asked as she came up beside Frank.
"They want to come in and do not have authorization," Frank explained.
Holding up a paper, one of the police said, "THIS gives us authorization. Open up, or we will arrest you for interfering with an investigation."
"I don't think so," Liz said with a snort.
"Whoa, hold on!" Kumiko cried. "Frank, have you called Mama Moka?"
Frank nodded. "She will be here shortly."
"Open the gate NOW, sir!" the larger policeman said.
"Wait, what are you looking for?" Kumiko asked.
The officer turned to the brown uniformed men. "Get your tranquilizer guns, we'll have this gate open shortly." The officer went back to his cruiser.
"All off duty guards to the main gate," Frank said in his hidden microphone.
"Sir! I will give you one last chance to open this gate," the shorter policeman said.
Seeing the brown uniformed men pulling rifles out of their vehicle, Kumiko spread her wings and flew over the gate to land behind them. "Wait, is that really necessary?" she cried, which caused both men to drop their guns as they turned, surprised as seeing her behind them.
Liz vaulted over the gate and stood by the shorter officer. "I suggest you men calm down and wait," she said in a heavy tone.
The shorter policeman backed away and drew his gun. Liz shot forward and took it from him, then sped over to the other officer and took his gun and the bolt cutters he had. Seeing this, Kumiko grabbed both tranquilizer guns and flew up in the air. "Mama Moka, ANYONE, we need help!" she yelled.
To the side, Scooby Do jumped the wall, Azami on his back. Upon seeing him run down the road towards them, the men raced for their vehicles and clambered in, slamming the doors shut.
"What's with them?" Azami asked Liz as Scooby Do trotted to a stop by her.
"They are looking for dangerous animals," Frank told her.
Azami glared at the police gapping at her through the car window. "Are you calling us animals?" she asked.
One of the brown uniformed men got out of the passenger side of their vehicle. "Miss," he called, "Please, get away from the ... whatever that is."
Azami turned to him. "You ARE calling us animals!" she said angrily.
"Ralm rown," Scooby Do told her.
Azami jumped off Scooby Do. The police car was between her and the man talking to her. She picked up the front of the police car and tossed it out of her way, which spun the car around. At the same time, five orcs, no longer in human form, appeared at the gate.
"Oh shit," the man said weakly.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" Inner Moka roared as she approached. Frank and the orcs moved to the sides. With one hand, Moka slid the gate open and surveyed the scene. "Kumiko, put those down and get inside. Liz, inside, Azami, Aiden, inside, NOW!"
As they complied, Moka turned to the orcs. "Human form, NOW!" she barked. All the orcs returned to looking like black suited guards.
The brown uniformed man outside his car fainted. The police car took off, tires squealing, and in trying to turn, ran into the ditch across the road.
Looking at the brown uniformed man who was behind the wheel of his car, gripping the wheel tightly, Moka went over and asked, "Why are you here?"
The man's jaw worked, but no words came out. Moka walked around the car, put the unconscious man in the seat and shut the door. "Go away, don't come back," she told them.
"Monsters," the man behind the wheel said weakly.
"Yokai," Moka corrected. "Can you go, or do I need to give you a push?"
The man started the car and took off down the road.
Moka collected all the guns and the bolt cutters. Walking over to the police car, she tossed them in the passenger seat with one of the gapping policemen, then picked up the car up and set them on the road. She didn't have to coax them, they took off with a squeal of tires.
"Humans," Moka grumbled, and went back in, shutting the gate behind her.