(The 'Death' of Kumagorou - 5)
"Erica …" Poke poke poke poke poke "…Erica?"
Erica pulled the covers over her head and grumbled.
"Erica …" Poke poke poke poke poke "…Erica?"
"Stop it." She growled.
"Erica …" Poke poke poke poke poke "…Erica?"
"Cut it out!" She said. "Go back to sleep Shuiichi.
"Erica…" Poke poke poke poke poke "…I'm not Shuiichi Erica?"
She sat straight up, almost screaming if not for the fact that Shuiichi covered her mouth before she could. Her eyes wide she looked at the person in her bed. He was sitting there, brown hair, blue eyes, fairly normal over all… other than the slightly enlarged panicked look in them.
"Kumagoro!" He cried out shoving the rabbit forward at her. "Mr. Bear!"
There was a muffled sound behind Shuiichi's hand that was supposed to be his name.
"Gotta let her go Shuiichi, can't breathy breathy if your hand is over her mouth!" He chirped coming forward and grabbing Shuiichi's hand and pulling it off of her mouth.
"Ryuichi!" She said. "Ryuichi Sakuma!"
"Told yah she knew all of us." Shuiichi said.
"Wow! She loves me!" He would throw himself forward and cling to her, knocking both of them off the bed in a flurry of blankets landing them both on top of Shuiichi. Singing: "She loves me… she loves me…really really loves me!"
Ryuichi let go of Erica and started to dance around the room, keeping the steady chant of love going. Erica simply stared at him in horror. At least Shuiichi had the common sense to know there was something wrong with this situation. She blushed realizing that she was still on top of Shuiichi and she would jump up and wrap up in the blankets. At least she knew that her mother was at work and Joe was dead to the world.
"Keep it down before your sisters not…" Kate stopped midword. "Oh god. Not another one." She said blinking at him.
"HI!" Ryuichi called out jumping at Kate, who fell on the floor. "Erica loves me… really really loves me!"
He would then release Kate and run into the house. Ryuichi was at least dressed in these light blue pajamas with bunnies all over them and he was clinging to Mr. Bear.
"Who are you?" Raven asked as she came around the corner running into Ryuichi.
"I'm Sakuma Ryuichi! Who are you?" He asked smiling brightly at the little girl. Erica watched in horror, needless to say her and Raven did not get along at all.
"Sak…um…eechee?" She asked laughing he had a weird name.
"You can call me Ryu." He said, it must be hard for the English speaking child to say his name.
"I'm Cheyenne, but my mom calls me Raven because my hair was black when I was born." She announced.
"Raven! Like the bird? (singing) black bird black bird a raven is a black bird." He would dance a little while he was singing and Raven and Jaimey would just laugh at him. "You don't look like a Raven."
"I'm not a bird!" Raven shrieked giggling. Erica looked as if someone had just run their nails across the chalkboard.
"Do you like bunnies?" Ryuichi asked smiling.
"Mmhmm." Raven and Jaimey both said. "We got a lots and lots a bunnies."
"Lets play!" Ryuichi cried out running into their room with them following. Kate, Erica and Shuiichi just sat there staring at them.
"Did that just happen?" Erica asked.
"Uhuh." Shuiichi answered.
"I was afraid you were going to say that." Erica said.
"Cut it out and just let him play with them. I have to get them ready for school." Kate said rolling her eyes and ushing Erica and Shuiichi out of her way.
Once the girls were gone it didn't sate Ryuichi any, unlike Shuiichi who, while he was fun, he was a little nervous about all of this, Ryuichi wasn't at all afraid. It was like it was just another day in the life of Ryuichi Sakuma. They would watch TV, the On Demand feature had an entire station of Japanese Music, and Erica was enrapt watching Ryuichi and Shuiichi dance around the room singing along to music she didn't know or understand. Not that it really bothered her; after all she did listen to Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper.
Having Ryuichi there would really seem to cheer Shuiichi up some. At least it was something familiar. They would be having a blast, as Kate came back in.
"Erica school." She said. She didn't have an excuse for bringing Ryuichi with her. She needed to figure it out later. Erica was late and not even ready yet. They all rushed around. Erica gave Ryuichi a shirt that her granny had given her, it was something very pink and very girly that she would never wear, and told him just to wear his pajama bottoms with it. It was fashionable. Shuiichi would wear the same pants and a different shirt, one that was all black with Orco on the front of it. Refusing to relinquish Mr. Bear Erica finally broke and stopped trying to convince him to keep it at home.
Erica brought them both to school this time, meaning that it was twice as hectic as last time. She loved them both, but couldn't seem to let go of Ryuichi, who seemed to think that it was wonderful that she clung to him. Unlike Shuiichi who, other when he was feeling cuddly, really didn't know what to do when people clung to him. Ryuichi was so touchy feely that even Amy, who was getting more and more wielded out by all of them couldn't help but like him. He was infectious that way.
Lunch was by far the most entertaining, starting with Ryuichi standing on the table singing something about Spicy Marmalade, something that seemed strangely fitting seeing as they were about to eat. But she had no idea if it was fitting or not, she only understood those two words.
"Is that Ryuichi?" Hayley asked sardonically. Erica knew that this wasn't going to be good. "God Erica tell me that is not Ryuichi! Where are you getting all of them!"
"It's not my fault!" Erica wailed. "Besides, you would believe me even if I told you."
Erica walked over and grabbed Ryuichi by the shirt and pulled him off the table, some people booed, some cheered but most just ignored both of them.
"Food." She said.
"Food?" Ryuichi said thoughtfully. "FOOD!"
And with that he was gone again, bouncing across the café to where the lines were. Him and Shuiichi had gotten there before any of the foursome of girls. Ryuichi was playing with Mr. Bear, trying to get a cheerleader to talk to it. And She was doing her best to ignore him. It wasn't easy. Finally he would pout some.
"Fine." He said sticking out his tongue at her. "Mr. Bear didn't want to talk to you anyway!"
"Shuiichi!" Ryuichi whined looking at him. "You said they had cheeseburgers!"
"They had them yesterday." Shuiichi said.
By the time they got back to the table Erica looked over to see that the boys had done the big no no. Shuiichi had gotten pizza, and Ryuichi had gotten the quesedillas even though she had told Shuiichi not to get it.
"It can't be that bad!" Ryuichi said smiling at her as Erica finished reaming into Shuiichi about having gotten the forbidden food. He would take up a slice of the quesdeilla and bit into it. That smile would vanish, his eyes getting huge and his face almost turning green. He would swallow hard only because it would be rude to spit it out. "Ewwwwwww ICKYickyickyicky!"
Simultaneously Shuiichi's face turned the same way and he joined the chores of "ickyickyicky" with Ryuichi. He had bitten into the Pizza and found that it was also disgusting. So both of them went without lunch, by the end of the period Ryuichi was chewing on Shuiichi's arm muttering something about spicy marmalade.
And that was when it happened. Jesus (Spanish people think, hesus, only spelled with a j because it is Spanish not English) came over to the table.
"Who are your gay friends?" He said to Erica trying to sound cool, his friends laughed. "I mean this one has pink hair and that one is carrying around a stuffed bunny."
"It's not a bunny!" Ryuichi said standing up.
"Ryu, just ignore him." Erica whimpered. Jesus and his group of kids laughed at him.
"He is such a little faggot. What's a matter you little flaming queen can't you tell a stuffed bunny when you see one?" Jesus jeered.
"Queen? I am not a queen? I am a singer." Ryuichi said, his wide eyes confused, so far no one had been mean to him yet.
"Leave him alone." Erica and Shuiichi said in unison standing up. Erica looked like she was ready to kill someone and Shuiichi was just pissed. Even Erica was a bit shocked she had never seen Shuiichi pissed, upset, bit never truly pissed.
"Shut up you slut." Jesus said glaring at Erica. Amy was completely confused at what was going in, it all seemed to be happening so quickly.
"It's not a bunny!" Ryuichi announced proudly making the stupid error of shoving it into Jesus' face. "It's Mr. Bear!"
"You really are an idiot aren't you? Only a stupid faggot would name his rabbit, Mr. Bear." Jesus said. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, Jesus reached forward and grabbed the rabbit out of Ryuichi's hands.
Taken so by surprise it took a moment for Ryuichi to join Shuiichi and Erica in chasing Jesus when he took off running heading for the kitchen.
"KUUUUUUUMAAAAAGOOOOOOOROUUUUUUUUU!" Ryuichi screamed throwing himself forward, he was fast, and longer legged than Jesus, but Jesus was slick. Playing football with his friends had taught him a lot of dodging menuvours that kept him just one step ahead of the three of them. Between the people that had come to like Ryuichi yelling at Jesus, and those that thought he was annoying cheering him on, no one else joined the chase.
Jesus rounded the corner grabbing the wall so that he made a clean turn, unlike Erica and Shuiichi who skidded some before turning he went into the room. Ryuichi who now looked ready to kill someone did the same thing, rounding the corner with him. Jesus had run into the kitchen, he would skid to a stop hanging the bunny over a bucket of cleaning water.
"Careful." He said threatening to drop the bunny. Ryuichi skidded to a stop. His eyes wide and brimming with tears.
"No…" He whimpered. Jesus just laughed and let go of the bunny right as Erica tackled him. Jesus fell down and the two started to brawl, but that didn't save Mr. Bear from hitting the water.
Ryuichi screamed and lunched forward pulling the soaked, bleach covered rabbit out of the water.
"Kumagorou, Kuma…" He sobbed. Shuiichi pulled Erica off of Jesus who took off running again. "Kuma…"
Erica sat up looking at Ryuichi who was sitting cradling the bunny as though it were a dead child. The tears pouring from his narrowed eyes, he seemed to be completely without any of the normal insane cheer.
"Ryu, I'm sorry…" Erica said softly as she walked over to him. He didn't look up at her, just holding the bunny, finally he would slowly rise to his feet.
"Ryuichi? Mr. Sakuma?" Shuiichi said softly stepping forward. Erica stepped in and hugged Ryuichi, who didn't respond, he simply handed the rabbit to the advancing Shuiichi.
"Hold him." He said softly, he would wrap his slender fingers around Erica's wrists and pried her off of him. She just looked up at him like she was about to cry, he was scary like this, no wonder Shuiichi didn't talk for like… days. Ryuichi would walk out to the café where Jesus was laughing with his friends now that the danger was passed. He tapped Jesus, who was still talking, oblivious to the fact that his friends were just staring at Ryuichi, on the shoulder.
"What!" Jesus growled turning around right into the on coming fist or a pissed off Ryuichi.
"First off, I am not gay. A queen. A yoai. Or a Faggot. Second, Mr. Bear was my best friend. Third…" And he would come down and deck him again. He was pulled off of him by Erica, Shuiichi and Kaylie, and amazingly it was hard to do.
"He killed Kumagorou!" Ryuichi yelled the tears pouring from those cold eyes again. "He killed him!"
"Calm down Mr. Sakuma!" Shuiichi whimpered. "Please calm down."
They dragged him out of there before the teachers came in, bringing him to the forbidden teachers lounge to calm down. But he didn't. He had lost his spunk, and stayed that way for the rest of the day, but in Art, even Jesus didn't have anything mean to say to Erica.
