A/N: To the person who wondered. Rumiko Saori is my own original character, but don't get me wrong. I just didn't throw her in there, she has a apart in the story line. I will explain more about Rumiko as soon as possible. Second, I hope to keep this story evenly balanced….

Thanks: Guren, Sakuraloveu, Shirubaa Kitsune, Shos-lady, clueless97, Notta Writer, Vera-sama.

Chapter VIII

"So…" Ichigo peddled slowly alongside her pedestrian cousin. "What are we going to do now that we have this name?"

Kari looked up through her blue eyes at the elder girl and clenched the manila envelope tighter. "I thought we might get to the root of our problem. That's what we wanted, right?" "Right….." She took out the paper and examined it once more, walking down the streets of Tokyo. "And it's say here that Kitazawa's last known residence was New York City, which is in America…" "And?" "The only thing is Kitazawa has been dead for…more than ten years at least." Her cousin's face fell. "What? You didn't tell me that! What good's a name, if the person behind it is dead?" "It's not much, but I think we'll find the source of what we're looking for in New York and behind the name of Kitazawa…." Ichigo peddled to keep up her cousin's fast pace. "Couldn't we have just looking him up on the net?" "We could have, but we would have still needed to go to New York. It's most important." Ichigo's cell phone rang. She picked it up. "Yes, this is Seguchi." The blonde gave her a side-ways look, listening in on her cousin's conversation. "Yes, that's fine" Kari looked to Ichigo. "What time do we need to be at the airport?" Airport, Ichigo mouthed, eyes wide.

Her young cousin put a finger up to her lips. "4:15?" She looked to the slim watch on her even slimmer wrist. "Yes, that will be fine. Yes, we'll be there. Be on time to pick us up. Thank you…" She punched the phone off. "Airport!?" Ichigo murmured. "What airport? Who said anything about an airport!?" The blonde was starting to get spastic. "Welll.." Ichigo halted the bike as her cousin propped a hand on her hip and said astutely, "How do you expect us to get the information we need, Ichigo?" "But our parents-!" "I'll handle them. Besides our parents is whom we are doing this for, if they so happen to find out, they'll understand our motive." Ichi thought about this. "Your not chickening out, are you Ichi-chan?" This was said in uncharaterstly sweet way. "No way!" Her grip tightened on her handle bars. "How long do I have to get ready?" "That's the spirit!" Kari took on Tohma Seguchi's smile for just a second. "You have?" She looked at her watch again. "Precisely two hours." Ichigo's went wide as she started to push off. "Then I better get my butt in gear!" "Hurry up!" "Where do I meet you?" She hollered over her shoulder, riding away. "My house. Don't be late or I'll leave you behind!" The last thing she saw of her young cousin was the sweep of chestnut hair floating in the wind as she turned the other way. "I won't!"

Ichigo threw clothes haphazardly into her suit case after she'd checked what the weather was like in NYC. Her thoughts began to race as she thought of her parents, her uncle, and the name Kitazawa. The question was how were they all linked. How did this Kitazawa fit in to everything? She didn't know….but she was sure as hell going to find out! She then closed her suitcase and threw her purse over her shoulder, dialing her cousin's number immediately. "Hello, Kari…" She spoke. "I'm ready. I'll be over there in…fifteen minutes…" She clicked off the cell phone in her hand and started out the door when she spotted a picture of her parents on her beside table. Ichi ran back and picked it up, stuffing it in her purse. (I love you…Okaa-san…Tou-san….) Looking, around with a final glance she sighed and exited the room, making a last call to a cab service. Ichigo's eyes studied the pattern on the concrete as she thought about what her cousin had said. About what had been revealed…. Kitazawa… He was dead yet he could be of help? She bit her lip. Kari had better be right about that. She wondered also how they would evade their parents. "Hmmmm…" She'd have to leave that to her cousin's capable hands. The brunette wasn't business like for nothing; she had her father's ways to her. Ichigo…. The blonde girl had looked up. This is for the good of the family….

She had nodded but sometimes she wasn't so sure. There had been something in Kari's tranquil eyes.

Honk! Honk!

Ichi looked up and spotted the cab down at the curb. She hopped off her suitcase and watched the slim driver get out of the car and sidle towards her. "Are you the one?" he asked. The guy was tall and slim; kind of cute if you liked his type. "Yeah…" She started down the stairs watching as he reached over to pick up her case. "Watch out its heavy." The man lifted it and half fell over. "Kuso!" He swore. "No kidding!" She blushed. "Sorry, I tried to warn you." Ichigo hopped down the steps, walking calmly to the cab. She opened the door and jumped in, sliding along the seat. He heard the man mutter and swear behind her as he struggled to put her heavy suit case into the trunk. She grinned and leaned back, waiting for him. He eventually made his way to the front of the cab, jerking open the door and climbing in. He slammed it and started up the vehicle. "Where to?" He adjusted the mirror. She gave him her cousin's address. "And step on it!" She commanded. "Right, little lady…" She stepped on the gas pedal making the car shoot forward. The blonde sat back in her seat, biting her lip. Tou-san….

::Flashback::

"Oji-san! Tou-san!" The little blonde girl ran to her uncle and her father, her beautiful golden hair bouncing as she hugged Kumagoro tight. "Little Blossom!" Tohma's voice was soft as the falling snow that pelted down on them. She kept running towards her most two favorite male figures but did not succeed in making it to them. Ichigo fell into the snow, her Kuma-chan thrown a few feet forward. Yuki gasped slightly rushing forward with Tohma at his heels. He swept his daughter up into his arms, dusting the snow off her face. The president of N-G picked up the stuffed rabbit and handed it to the four year-old.. "Thank you, Oji-san!" she chirped snuggling into her tou-san's embrace. "Are you all right?" He asked, walking over to a bench. "Yes, Tou-san…" She chewed on the bunny's ear. "As should be expected, right little Blossom…" Her oji-san's voice was welcoming and she stared him over Kumagoro's head smiling. She was a precious little angel.

::End Flashback::

"Kid? Kid?" The driver looked over his shoulder at her. "Kid, we're here."

Ichigo snapped out of her stupor and nodded, pushing her way out of the car. "Hold the cab…" She jumped out. "I'll be back!" She raced up the steps and was about ring the doorbell for her cousin's apartment, when Kari Seguchi herself stepped out and nodded. She looked to the cab waiting and nodded once more. "Good." She passed something to the older girl. "This is our flight information, Senpai…" Ichi stopped. "Senpai?" She said baffled. "Since WHEN have you started calling me Senpai?" The brunette brushed passed her and met the driver. He popped the trunk and lifted her suitcase into the trunk along with Ichigo's. "Starting now…." Kari crossed over to the other side, facing the street and opened her door. Ichigo got in after her cousin, opening up her packet and looking at their tickets. "Nonstop flight to New York, New York." She scanned it. "Duration: 13 hours…." "Yes. It will be long." "But how long until our parents notice we're not even on the continent?" Her younger cousin whipped out a high-priced graphing calculator and started rapidly typing in numbers. "Give or take the change in time….?" "What does that have anything to do with it!?" "Give them by tomorrow at noon…." She put the object away, placing into her laptop satchel. "Will we even be there by then…." "I'd say will make it there a little past midnight…."

"Okay…."

"I've booked us a giant suite at one of the hotel's there…." She took out her palm pilot, scrolling through the options. "We'll check under my father's name. That should keep the snoops at bay."

"Hopefully." She sighed.

"Don't look so glum, cousin…." Kari kept scrolling through the palm pilot. "Everything will be fine."

"See!" Kari spoke energetically to her cousin who was staring out the airplane window. "All's well. Nothing has gone wrong."

"Let's hope it stays that way…"

"It will." She rolled her eyes. "You're such a worrier, Ichigo. You got that from both of your parents I suppose."

A sigh.

"This is for our family. We can do NO wrong when doing this for the family…"

Ichigo turned to face the girl.

"You're right…."

"Of course I am! I'm the brains of this operation after all!" Kari smiled smugly at this, belting herself tightly into the seat as the plane began to roll down the runway. "Yeah…" The blonde turned on her side. "Look I'm gonna get some rest. Wake me in an hour and a half, kay?" "All right. Then we can discuss our plans." "Fine…" Ichi said on a yawn, snuggling into the pillow as the plane lifted off the ground. She pulled her own personal blind fold over her eyes and fell asleep in seconds. She was just like her okaa-san in that matter. As the daughter of Shuichi Shindou she could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, so to speak.

Kari looked over at the older girl and shook her head, delving further into her palm pilot. Last night, she had dug up as much information on New York as she could, besides what she already knew due to her father. She crossed her legs, bit her lip when she came to a particular piece of information then quickly dismissed it. It wouldn't help them. What she did know was that Tohma Seguchi's and Eiri Uesugi's relationship was much more than it seemed. Where Eiri appeared to be aloof most of the time when concerning his feelings, the young girl could tell her uncle was not showing the public the whole side of himself. The writer, Eiri Yuki was cold and heartless (well he'd warmed up over the years), that's how he had portrayed himself over the years. The person Eiri Uesugi was a healed person, having Shindou-san's love to keep him safe. Shuichi Shindou was like a giant shield against all odds, he had saved Yuki from himself in the past. He had done things her father, Tohma Seguchi could not since New York. Whatever had happened there…… She bit her lip once more and scrolled along inside the palm for a bit more. She found several interesting things, but none that would help her. Kari stopped scrolling looking at a name, followed by a number. She only hoped her contact in New York could help her unravel this mystery.

Ichigo woke up to incessant tapping of her cousin. "Hmmm?" "It's been an hour and a half we have to discuss some things." Kari's voice intoned.

She nodded, rolling over and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"The root of our problem lies in New York…."

"So you've told me."

"I have a contact there who can help us on their end."

She took a breath. "My palm pilot hasn't given me anymore ideas but I have a few…"

"Go on."

"When your father was young he was shunned by most Japanese school children for his odd hair and eyes…."

"I'm aware of that."

She shot her cousin a look. "May I continuie?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Any way…. Because of his hard life, my father took it upon himself to take Uncle Eiri away from Japan. He transferred him to the Americas—New York City to be precise—in hopes that the younger man would have a better life there." She paused to take a breath. "Eventually he met a man named Kitazawa…." "And?" "And that's all we're aware of at the moment…." She put the electronic device away. "We'll have to reach New York before we can get anymore information that might be useful to us." Ichigo sighed. "That's all…." "I'm afraid so. Maybe we can find some information when we go to visit Kitazawa's grave, he's been buried there…" "Do we HAVE to?" The thought of visiting that monster's grave made her stomach turn and her skin crawl. Thinking of what he had done to her poor, beloved tou-san made Ichigo want to retch. "Damn Kitazawa…."

New York City

Kari and Ichigo stepped outside of the airport, her cousin looking around. "What are you looking for?" Ichi asked. The younger girl looked around for a while longer then pointed to a long black stretch limo. "There! That's our ride!" The blonde's eyes widened and she squealed in joy. "AWESOME!" She grabbed her cousin's wrist and ran haphazardly with their suitcases trailing them. "ICHI!" Kari hollered, her arm being half-pulled out of its socket. The man holding up a huge poster bored that said 'Seguchi' looked truly frightened by her form hurtling towards him. "Ichigo!" The younger girl yanked her wrist away, smoothed hair and approached the guy with as much dignity as she could muster at the moment. She approached the man. "I'm Seguchi." Kari announced, holding her head high. "You're Seguchi?" The driver looked skeptical. "That's right! Kari Seguchi." She narrowed her blue eyes, pinning the man with them. She dug her hand into her sheik purse and pulled out her wallet, presenting her ID to the American. She and Ichigo were fluent in English thanks to their fathers. The man took it, looked it over and passed it back to her. He walked to the back door and opened it. "After you, young miss…." She got in daintily, her rambunctious cousin hopping in after her. "Hey!" Ichigo giggled, "Sorry, Kari…." "Just watch where you bounce next time, okay…" She sighed, taking out her palm pilot, listening to the limo driver putting their baggage into the trunk.

"Where to now?" Ichigo asked, settling in.

"Hotel." Her blue eyes scanned the pilot. "We need to drop our things off and maybe take a nap. I'm feeling that jet lag…."

Her elder cousin started digging in her own purse for something. "Okay!' She bit into something talking with her mouth full. "No prawblem..."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ichigo…" She looked up briefly. "It's very unbecoming of a lady."

Ichigo frowned at this, swallowing the remnants of her chocolate bar. She folded her legs under her bottom, the shorts of her red overalls riding up on her thighs. "Go on…." Next she took out a box of Pocky—chocolate Pocky to be precise—and began munching on a chocolate covered wafer stick. She then began to munch on it noisily in Kari's ear, looking over her shoulder. "MUST you do that?" The older girl pulled back, a look on innocence on her face. "Do what?" She munched again. "That!" Ichi frowned, still not understanding. The Seguchi child snatched the box of Pocky out of her hands. "This!" She shoved it up into her face. "Oh…." "Sorwy…" She said around the mouthful of sweets. Kari handed the treat back in disgust. "Munch quieter would you?" She asked, turning her face towards the window. In that one sense she was Shuichi's child. Both of her parents might have had a fetish for strawberry treats and that might've been her name, but Ichigo loved chocolate Pocky ALL the way! "I'm sorry, Kari…" A smile quirked up at the edge of the younger girl's mouth. "Its okay, Ichigo, I'm just very cranky." There wasn't much to see in New York at night, she thought as the limo passed Central Park. "Kari?" Ichi questioned after a second. "Yes, Cousin?" "Do you…do you think our family will be all right?"

Kari smiled confidently. "I'm sure it will!"

A lone woman with chestnut hair sat in her bedroom at her family's place in Kyoto. She lazily brushed her hair, looking into the mirror at herself. Her heart ached. Tears leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "Why now?" she murmured. "I have ALWAYS loved him, Father." She put the brush down. "Why now out of all these years did he decide to act upon his lust?" She thought about the life they had shared, she thought about their child. "Tohma, how could you do this to her…to me?" She had a tendency of talking to dead air nowadays. More tears streamed down the lovely woman's face. "Oh Tohma….."

"Shuichi!" Hiroshi Nakano yelled, setting down his guitar once more for the third time in the day.

"I'm sorry, Hiro…" His face was green. "Seems like the sickness decided to…." His cheeks bloated. "Excuse me…" He ran out of the recording studio.

Suguru Fujisaki, K-san, and Sakano-san watched the symptoms of motherhood overtake their star once more. Fujisaki sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is hopeless….back in the days he was a halfwit. Now he's a halfwit with a tendency to get pregnant. I can not believe this." He sat down frustrated. "Ease up, Fujisaki…" Hiro patted the younger man's shoulder. "Its not his fault Yuki-san is potent. " The green-haired man muttered back, "No one told him to spread his legs…He knows we have a concert!" "Now, now…" Sakano-san intervened, worried as ever. "We don't want to…" "We'll do fine, Sakano-san." Shuichi interrupted looking a bit better. "I think my vocals are up to par…." "Hopefully." Fujisaki interjected. "Anyway, just whatever you do don't throw up on stage, ne?" "I won't!" He walked back up to the microphone in a pair of black ankle length cargo pants and his customary orange hoodie. "Okay…"He positioned his feet just right. "…Let's take this from the top. This is a brand new song so I want it right." The keyboardist started up the song with a flick of the wrist. "Standing on the cold and frozen water, bleeding out my soul. I reach out for your hand and suddenly you let go….. And I cry because I can't seem to shine anymore…." Another voice broke in, "Shine for me, be sparkly for me a voice says from the dark…."

Shuichi turned to see his long time friend and idol, Ryuichi Sakuma singing with him; the song 'Sparkling' was to be a duet. He looked the same as ever only sixteen years more grown up, no longer carrying the Kumagoro he'd cherished for so long. The younger vocalist had always thought it was so kind of Ryuichi to give Shuichi's child the older vocalist's prized possession. He nodded for the brunette to continue. "Light up my life, light up my light, Make me sparkly shiny dancing new! Give shiny to my voice…." Shuichi added his own to his part. "And make me sing again. Like an angel with her wings. Let me be SPARKLY!" They smiled as they knew the chorus was coming up, "Soooo…" More smiling. "Open up your eyes and see the kaleidoscopic rainbow. Don't close your soul. But don't leave it to bleed dead and dry… Hearts pound fast in my ears it rises. See the joy that is… Sparkling! Shining! Your heart pours out with incessant melodies!" Hiro jammed on his guitar, grinning as their other band mate played with such finesse. "Sakano and K stood back and nodded. Tatsuha watched from the side lines, watching his Ryu-chan belt out another tune; the two vocalist's voices blending together smoothly. Shuichi began to sing solo again as the song finished.

"Dry your tears and end your fears, let your heart guide your voice…. For now you've become what you were, you can dance as you did, and now you're shiny once again!!!!!!!!!!!" At the last line Ryuichi came in as scheduled, his voice loud and clear.

When the song ended, there were claps coming from outside. Members of the N-G staff had sat outside Studio 2 to get a listen on Shuichi Shindou's brand new song. The applause became much louder. "You hear that Ryu-chan!?" The raven-haired singer yelled. "It's a hit all ready!" Ryuichi nodded back, "Yeah, Shu-chan! You were great! 'Sparkling' is definitely going to please the fans!" The younger one took his hand off and back away from the microphone. "I hope so, Ryu-chan." He pushed up on the white head band with the red sun on it, getting the hair out of his eyes. He picked up a piece of cloth and wiped his sweat drenched brow. "All right everyone take fifteen…" He smiled. "That sounded real good…" Shuichi started towards the door, his friend Hiro clamping a hand on his shoulder. "Let's head off to get a cold drink, okay, Shuichi, Ryuichi?" "Sure." The red-head turned in place. "Are you coming with us, Suguru?" The keyboardist looked up and said, "In a minute. You guys go on ahead…." The three musicians headed down stairs, getting soda's from the vending and met up in the cafeteria where Noriko Ukai was presently at, talking to another N-G staff member. "NORIKO-CHAN!" Ryuichi hollered, waving the hand with the can in the air. The pink-haired woman looked up and grinned. "Ryu-chan, you might not want to….."

Too late.

The can erupted, fizzing all over the Grasper's face.

"Ummm…." Shuichi started.

Ryuichi laughed, licking the cold beverage from the corner of his mouth. "Ooops!" He laughed some more, taking the napkin Noriko passed to him. "My bad…." He started to wipe his face. Noriko rolled her eyes. "He's still such an idiot…." She watched the two vocalist's pal around. "Both of them are….."

"Yup!" Hiro agreed. "But the fans love them!"

"Kari Seguchi." The young girl stated, attempting to look over the edge of the counter at the hotel. Ichigo was too busy, looking up at the chandelier, mesmerized. The girl was too much like Shindou sometimes. "Just a second, miss…" "How do you suppose they clean that thing?" The blonde leaned back looking at the ceiling decoration. The younger girl rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Does it matter…" She turned back to the desk clerk. "Ahhh, yes." He looked up. "Miss Kari Seguchi, correct?" "Yes." "A suite for two?" "Yes." The man typed some things into the computer then signaled for a bell hop to help them. The man was young with brown hair and green eyes; he hoisted their belongings onto a rolling cart and started towards the elevators, "Please follow me, young ladies…" His smile was wolfish. Ichigo groaned. Great! That's all what I need! Another perv! She followed the man in her red overalls that were now in her opinion hiked up too far up her thigh. She was apparently attracting attention. Unwanted attention. Kuso! "Relax, cousin…" Kari murmured. "He wouldn't dare try anything. His tip is riding on it." "Oh, I'll give him a tip all right….." "Ichigo, please…." The blonde looked to her cousin with a frown. "Fine! But if he gets too cozy I can't be blamed for what happens…"

Kari rolled her eyes.

This was going to be fun!

Next Chapter: Junior Detectives

A/N: PHEW! Finally I'm done… Sorry this took so long! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! (And no flames, I've been getting them lately and they've been really ticking me off, if you don't like it, don't read it……..)