Solitary Mask
Chibi Tsuki
A/N: I'd really like to thank everyone for their reviews! I felt really happy to receive them (I'm a great fan of reviews ^.^) Especially from kikieo hina! Your review was very encouraging and I simply must say that I'm very glad that you've come so far into this story, along with the other readers I have out there. I recently finished watching Flame of Recca and I realised that both names; Mikazuki and Tsukishiro were mentioned in there, although Mikazuki wasn't the name of a character. It was pretty interesting!
Chapter 9
The One Mistake
Mikazuki ran into the building, drenched like a wet puppy, an orange-haired man beside her, smiling as cheerily as her. "Your hair looks stupid Hiketsu," Mikazuki teased, pointing to the taller man's hair which had been spiked with gel earlier that morning. Luckily no one was around, or they would have believed the pair to be mad fools, joking around when they would easily catch a cold.
"Your's doesn't look any better than mine," Hiketsu grinned as he brushed his thin wet hair with his hand.
The teenager merely smiled and looked at him. The water layered on top of her skin and in her clothes was gradually being sucked into her body, showing no trace of being wet at all. Even her hair was dry and in its usual position although her ponytail had fallen low which she redid. "I'm ready to go to class now, Kanari-sensei. If you would please excuse me," she said innocently and began heading down the corridor.
"Be reasonable Mikazuki!" he growled, gripping onto her shoulder, his wet hand dampening her dry uniform. The wet patch also vanished, along with the water in his suit, all being sucked through Hiketsu's body and into her own. Now that he was perfectly dry, there was only one thing wrong with him; his hair was still as mess as if it had just being ruffled and blow-dried without proper combing. Mikazuki turned around and giggled.
"I like your hair like that," she commented with another smile. "You look very cute, I should leave you like this." Before he could complain she added in, "But I'll fix it for you." He bend his knees a fraction and let her quickly restyle his hair into what it had looked like before they stormed into the rain. Now he was complete and ready for class. "I'll see you later, sensei." Without another word, she ran off down the corridor to her locker, not bothering to perhaps show Hiketsu around the school.
~*~*~*~
When Kurama finally found Mikazuki during break, she was sitting on the windowsill in one of the classrooms, on the third level. One hand was reaching out into the room, collecting drops of water with her palm facing upwards. "Hey Mikazuki," Kurama greeted as he approached her nonchalantly, "Are you busy this lunch?"
She turned to look at him and smiled, "Not at all, why?" There was something about her that he easily distinguished; she was cheerful, very cheerful in fact.
"Izumi Shingo wants to meet you. He talked to me last Friday and asked whether you would meet him," he explained, leaning against the windowsill next to the one she was sitting on. "Will you go?"
Unexpectedly she agreed to meet the boy without a second thought. "Since it's such a beautiful day, I'll go."
"Beautiful?"
"Uh-huh, rain is such a precious thing, its appearance makes my body tingle with joy and when I'm under it, it gives me a carefree feeling that I wish would go on forever. What do you think of it Shuichi?"
"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. Rain comes and goes, it never stays in one spot and is usually unexpected if the clouds don't appear. It's a mystery as to where it came from and where it's been. I suppose I like it as it brings growth to plants and vegetation."
"You love plants? I can see that in you. You seem to the type of person who likes roses," she murmured without waiting for a reply. "Plants are green, like your eyes and roses are red, like you hair; perhaps that's the connection." She chuckled jokingly and brushed her wet hand along her arm.
"Perhaps."
"You should go now, I can see your friends looking for you. Your fan club too!" Mikazuki grinned, pointing out of the window and to ground floor. He thanked her and slowly made his way out of the classroom thoughtfully. "Who knows what's ahead in the future? Perhaps roses and water won't be on good terms if water floods the rose," Mikazuki stated, loud enough for him to hear as he slid the door shut. No matter what, I won't forget your friendship, Minamino Shuichi!
~*~*~*~
Mikazuki sat in computing class, gazing out of the window a bored expression on her face. The replacement teacher was constantly flocked by the girls who wanted 'help' with their computing project. Although he sent occasional glares at her, she either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. Either way, she was hiding in the corner of the room, separated from the class with the several empty seats around her. She clicked on the mouse several times, opening the media player and turning on the music which was played through headsets.
Glaring at Mikazuki's back, Hiketsu suppressed the constant urge to childishly stick his tongue at her. So far he was doing quite well avoiding that situation but he was getting irritated by his female students as he tried to control them like playful canines. "Please sit down, I'll assist you individually," he ordered, gaining control of the class once again. He frowned at the position he had chose to be and immediately regretted it. From his laid-back, carefree manner, most people would deem him to be a ladies' man, but actually that was the opposite. He was always the speechless one when it came to impressing ladies. After half an hour of helping the female population of the class, he walked up to Mikazuki and tapped on her shoulder.
She slowly turned around and stared straight into his eyes, but unfortunately that trick didn't work. Her mask had concealed her face so how would he see her piercing eyes. Instead he would've most likely cracked up when he saw them but luckily for him, he didn't. "Why aren't you working on your computing assessment? It's due in, in two more lessons and it would be smart to use your time wisely," he demanded, keeping a straight face. Everyone was looking at them inquisitively, with the same thought in their minds; was he a courageous guy or just an idiot who didn't know of her infamous personality? Seeing everyone's reactions, she played along and shut the browser she was on and started to work on the blank document. With fourteen minutes left until the end of class, Hiketsu patrolled the class, glancing at different monitor screens.
~*~*~*~
The bell rang, announcing lunchbreak. All the students were packed and ready to leave the room. "Tsukishiro Mikazuki, can I have a talk with you?" Hiketsu asked in a commanding voice as if reinforcing his higher position. Several students smirked, thinking that she had done wrong and left the room happily for lunch. Once they were all outside, he closed the door behind him and relaxed, sliding out of his stiff posture. "Mika, can I share your lunch?" he begged, leaning against the wall tiredly. "I forgot to order mine."
Mikazuki shrugged and rummaged through her bag for a certain item. She brought out a large lunchbox wrapped in a pink flowery patterned cloth and smiled innocently at him once again. "I didn't have anything else other than this set and you know that I live on a budget," she informed him into a cheery voice that hinted obvious teasing. "I made it for you last night, I hope you like it Kanari-sensei. See-ya later!" Exiting the room, she left the lunchbox in his hands.
Now where do I meet Shuichi?
As if on queue, Kurama appeared and led her to the science lab, taking the direct route there. Neither spoke as they walked and having missed the rush of students, they managed to get there without being noticed. "Minamino Shuichi," Izumi Shingo bowed happily, "I thought that you wouldn't turn up."
Recognising the boy, Mikazuki narrowed her eyes and kept silent as he greeted both of them respectfully. They entered the laboratory and sat down at the desks. Shingo stuttered as he talked but seemed determined to conduct a conversation with Mikazuki. "I'm sorry about last time, I didn't mean it," Shingo apologised, bowing his head once again. She merely nodded in acknowledgement. Kurama stood up and went to attend his plants, letting the pair talk for a while. "I begged Shuichi to let me talk with you because ever since last Thursday, I really wanted to meet you." Showing her his sketches, he triumphantly declared, "You were my inspiration for sketching. I showed my works of you to my friends and they had all said that they were works of a genius. It was your mysteriousness that gave me such great ideas!" Suddenly the door knocked at entered two students. Shingo stopped talking and glanced around to see who it was.
"Shuichi, here you are!" Raku grinned happily as he headed straight for Kurama.
But the kitsune was quick enough to push his friends out of the door and close it behind him, cancelling the possibility of them noticing Mikazuki. He led them slowly down the corridor, making believable excuses to his friends. It wasn't something that he had practised often now but he was an expert at deceiving people and demons alike.
Suddenly smirking, Shingo's voice grew deeper and said with an evil grin, "And now that that human has gone, I have my opportunity to take you down, Tsukishiro Mikazuki; the water element youkai with the potential to control the wildest Fury Whirlpool!" His hands turned into claws, teeth into fangs and his eyes a bloody red. Slashing a claw at her, he missed as her body immediately leapt from where she sat in a split second. The chair slammed onto the ground with a loud crash. A demon from Makai had taken over Shingo's body and was now attacking her! He was coming and if she dodged to the right, she would crash through into the next classroom, and if she dodged to the left, she would spill Shuichi's plants!
~*~*~*~
There's a demon! How could I have not realised that?! Kurama thought instantly as he heard the crash and ran back down the corridor, followed by Raku and Jobi. He slammed open the door to see Mikazuki being slammed out of the window, with her back against the glass. The glass had shattered because of the impact and she had gone through the window with the demon.
Her school bag plummeted to the ground, crashing into the cement roughly. All its contents spilled out and scattered onto the ground. But Mikazuki didn't end up this way, instead she had allowed the demon to push her through the second storey window and into the open where they would be able to fight without having the worry of breaking the school property. She made a flip and landed steadily on her feet. Bringing a hand up to her mask, she smirked and shifted it slightly; the mask fell apart in half and dropped onto the ground. It was then that she realised that she had made a mistake: they were in the open and it was during lunchtime. Even if the rain was still pouring, there were people gathered inside classrooms and they would definitely have heard the glass break. I'm such an idiot! What's done is done I suppose. She shrugged and dismissed the thought. This demon certainly wasn't an amateur but that didn't mean that he could easily defeat her. Another thought struck her. Damn it! Shuichi's around and he's running down here at the moment!
"Standing around won't help you! Now come with me or else I'll have to use force," the demon sniggered, taking strides towards her.
Mikazuki too, grinned. "If you said that I have potential, then would I be easy to defeat?" Fury blinded the demon and it immediately started darting towards her, his sharp claws aimed at her. She smiled, grabbed his outstretched arm and twisted it behind his back. The demon struck her with her free hand, only to be caught by her other hand and also twisted behind his arm.
"Mikazuki!"
Argh! It's Shuichi! Letting go of the demon purposely, it turned and scratched her arm, and escaped out of the human body, letting Mikazuki fake a fall onto the ground. Kurama watched as it made its getaway before running to Mikazuki. "Are you alright?" he asked as he lifted her up into a sitting position.
"My arm hurts a bit," she answered and inspected it before standing up. Once again she was saturated and so was Kurama and the unconscious Shingo. She ran to him and shook him gently. Slowly he woke and stared straight into her blue eyes, slightly mesmerised. "You're awake." He glanced around after Mikazuki broke the eye contact and helped him up.
"Heh?! Did… did I push you out of the window?!" he asked with a yell, panicking like a child. "Something got hold of me and I couldn't hear anything but I just pushed you out of the window. I'm so sorry!"
"I'm fine," Mikazuki smiled and shrugged as if nothing had happened. "Only a scratch; no big deal."
Everyone had kept staring at the unmasked figure, their minds in confusion; who was this stranger really, and since when did the top student Minamino Shuichi socialise with her?
~*~*~*~
Kurama assisted the two under a nearby shelter, then inspecting Mikazuki's small injury. It bleeding a little, and it seemed to be infected with poison. That cheap demon! Using poison on his nails! But the poison wasn't strong enough to kill a human. From his pocket, he brought out a small bottle of substance, no taller than a thumb and opened the lid. The young youkai recognised this as one of Kurama's medicines from Makai and knew that he would easily be able to cure her of the poison without her having to waste her own energy. He sprinkled some light green powder onto the wound and closed the lid again. "What was that Shuichi?" Mikazuki asked even though she already knew.
"It's just some powder that will help your wound heal faster. Let's go to the infirmary and bandage it up," he suggested and started leading her into the building. But something he hadn't expected had happened; the nosy students were gathered around them like a crowd.
"Excuse me, please move aside," a familiar voice ordered in a firm voice. "Out of the way please, and back into the building." Hiketsu appeared through the crowd and lifted his eyebrows at the scene. "Let's take you to the infirmary."
"Kanari-sensei…" Kurama and Mikazuki uttered at the same time without meaning to.
"Classes are starting within ten minutes, I want everyone to start going to their next lessons!" he turned and yelled over the students' voices. They obediently turned, often casting a glance backward. Once they were gone, he directed a question to the two boys, "What your names?"
"Minamino Shuichi."
"Izumi Shingo, sensei."
"Are you two hurt in any way?" He received two 'no's as a reply. "If you have your PE gear, get changed into that. If you don't, then go to the infirmary and ask whether they have spare uniforms."
"Yes sir." They left and headed into the building, drench from head to toe.
Hiketsu turned to look at Mikazuki and lifted his eyebrows again. "I guess your secret is out. Are you going to stay here or leave?"
"There's only going to be three more weeks left. There are some things I want to complete and then I suppose my death will come," Mikazuki uttered as casually, as if what she had said wasn't a serious matter. "Let me get my stuff." She ran back into the rain and gathered her scattered belongings. Her books were saturated, the sheets of paper, glued together with ink spilling. She would just have to take them home and spend a few hours restoring them. Walking back to the building to Hiketsu, they headed to the infirmary.
~*~*~*~
When she entered her science class, everyone was staring at her as if she was a new student to the school. She could feel the stares directed at her and so she let her silvery bangs cover her face partially by bowing her head a little. Immediately heading for an isolated desk, she sat down and laid her wet bag on the desk beside her. This science laboratory had a different layout to their usual one. The teacher couldn't conduct a lesson in their usual one because of the broken window and the glass scattered in the room. It was too dangerous and they still had to get people to clear the glass outside the building before they could clear the glass inside the lab.
Thoughts flowed through his mind, never ceasing to stop coming in. It was still a mystery as to why the demon went after her; perhaps to feed on her soul? That was always a case. There was also some strange reason as to why he didn't jump out and catch her. His mind said that something about her had made him to trust that she would land on her feet. He supposed it was perhaps true. But there was also another thing that bothered him. What she had said; "Who knows what's ahead in the future? Perhaps plant and water won't be on good terms if water floods the plant." What exactly had she meant? The more time I spend with her, the less I know about her. He cast a glance back at her, noticing how her bangs covered her face and the way she concealed her emotions. It must've been hard for her these years, hiding under a mask.
~*~*~*~
A/N: The beginning of the connection between what will happen in Makai! So what does the demon want with Mikazuki? And will our favourite bishi ever find out what's happening around him? ß I just simply love teasing Kurama ^.^ I'm so mean aren't I? But I promise, he'll find out someday and I have a feeling that I should separate this into parts – should I? Ta ta for now,
Chibi Tsuki
