LAST
She stopped and hurriedly
wrote out her message to
Shuichi in the sand.

LAST
THIRTY-EIGHT

"Go ahead Shuichi," Kennedy said forcefully. She rolled her eyes at the cell phone in her hand. "I've got one more lesson to teach today and then I'll be home. Go ahead without me. I'm sure they'll be fine with you and Kari."

A pause followed and Jimmy glanced over at his fellow classmate before going back to grading their student papers. The glorious bit of being a teacher. At least their observation teacher was allowing Jimmy and her to do more than what their professor expected. They actually got the chance to teach lessons to the young 5th graders.

"A bad feeling? Michael? He just wants to make sure I'm there because he knows I only tease argue rather than snap argue like Lynne and Carly. Go ahead and get the groceries, I've got things to do with Jimmy."

Jimmy pointed to the clock for Kennedy. Kennedy nodded.

"I've got to get going Shuichi. They'll be fine. Don't worry about me, okay? Okay, bye."

Jimmy grinned at Kennedy. "Any chance I'll get to met this Shuichi? He owes us for interrupting that lesson on Valentine's Day. And it has been a couple of months since then. He should stop by."

Kennedy laughed. "Oh, the kids weren't paying much attention anyway. I'm so very glad it's Friday today. Make sure you have everything checked and done for Monday Jimmy."

"Oh, all up to me is it Ms. Malone?"

"Yes it is Mr. Johnstone. You're the slacker of us two. Class starts in a couple of minutes. I've got the stations set up."

"Must be a hot weekend date with Shuichi if I'm doing the work," Jimmy said with a smirk. At Kennedy's glare, the smirk did not disappear but he rose up a hand to show a large stack of papers. "I've got the worksheets."

An hour later, Kennedy shuffled through the back of her car and shrugged, leaving the station materials to be cleaned up on Monday morning. She rubbed her sore neck and entered the quiet house.

A tall familiar stranger sat waiting for her in the living room. He jerked up and blinked at her and her outfit. Something seemed to click on his face as he looked at her. His eyes fell on the nametag at Kennedy's left shoulder.

"A teacher," he questioned in highly accented Japanese. "A girl?"

"Hai," Kennedy replied. The boy looked somewhat relieved at hearing Japanese rather than English, that is until Kennedy suddenly raced back out of the house.

"Oye!"

Kennedy's high heels stuck thickly in the wet soil and she forgo them, racing off to the creek in her bare feet. This was Shuichi's old teammate, Kuwabara. The same one was to bring Shuichi into jail, because he left on the choice to protect her siblings. Kennedy was not going to let her siblings be unprotected.

If Kuwabara brought her in and thought she was one of the hidden people, she could say she was the very last one. She could lie and give them a bigger one to worry about. The hidden people seemed higher on the rankings than Shuichi. Shuichi would be safe. Lynne, Michael, and Carly would still have someone to watch over them. Shuichi could move her siblings to safety and they would think they had the last of their kind. He would be forgotten about, no one would chase him, and her siblings would be safe.

She stopped and hurriedly wrote out her message to Shuichi in the sand. Kuwabara soon caught up to her and Kennedy faced him. Thankfully, he didn't seem to understand written English or he merely ignored her scribbles. They didn't look like much in the hurry she'd been in to write them.

"I no want to hurt girl," he said in very rough English. "I sure I can get Koenma understand."

Kennedy's face became fearful. This Kuwabara was not here for Shuichi, but for her. She felt the water in the sand shift behind her, but Kuwabara made no move forward as her message changed. Did they know about her sisters and brother too?

"You are hidden people?"

Kennedy nodded and hoped this Kuwabara would not understand her lie until later. "The last one. Last. Only one. What do you want?"

"Just bringing you to Koenma, talk it out."

Kennedy could tell by his face that Kuwabara really did not want to hurt her. But she just wanted him out of here before he realized her lie or Shuichi and the others came back. He did not know about them. Not yet. And that could change the longer he stayed.

"I'll go peacefully."

Kuwabara sighed in relief and within a couple of minutes; the pair left the Malone premises via portal. Ten minutes later, the rest of the household returned from grocery shopping to find Kennedy's car but no Kennedy.

Terror took over Shuichi's face as he recognized the faint feel of a used Spirit World portal in the back, coupled with the fact his plants had not attacked.

"No!"

Shuichi ran around the Malone household, past two high heels stuck in the mud, and all the way to the creek. Two sets of prints in the mud near the creek were easily seen, facing each other. One set of bare feet and the other set of prints of a larger shoe size. He scanned the area. Not even a sign of a fight took place.

"Kennedy, you idiot," Shuichi spat to himself as his face slowly turned red and his emerald eyes narrowed at the message in the mud he just noticed.

'Kuwabara. Looking for us, not you. I claim be last one. Leave. Keep them safe.'

Shuichi spun on his heel and made his way back to the Malone household. The back door slammed behind him as he made his way upstairs. At least Kuwabara had his honor code.

"Shuichi! Quit ignoring me!"

The red head turned to see Michael yanking him back. Lynne and Carly stood close behind, looking just as worried as their brother. Kari stared wide eyed, as though wishing something to not be true.

"I knew we should have waited for Kennedy! Where did she go? And don't give me shit Shuichi because you have never looked this pissed off before!"

Emerald eyes stayed hard as Shuichi gazed down at the boy. Michael shook him.

"You fucker, answer me!"

"Kurama-sama…? They aren't found, are they? Kennedy-chin just is playing a really bad joke on you, right?" Wide violet eyes pleaded with him for an answer other than what Kari feared.

"I am going to Japan," Shuichi spoke evenly before tearing himself from Michael's grip. "Kennedy did something…entirely Kennedy-ish. And stupid. She turned herself in to Spirit World…rather than let them or me be found out about and have them left completely unprotected."

Kari gasped. "No…"

Michael grabbed at Shuichi's shirt again before he could continue up the stairs. "What the hell are you weird people talking about?"

Emerald eyes stared at the younger three Malone siblings looking up at him. He sighed.

All hell broke loose among the younger Malone siblings as Shuichi began to explain everything.

To be continued…