Title: Surprise Vacation

Author: Otakuprincess

Fandom: Spiral

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: This story is just a work of fiction. Everything pertaining to Spiral belongs to Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno.

It was just another ordinary day for Ayumu Narumi. He was at a standstill with the Blade Children and Hiyono had convinced him to take a break from it all. Come to think of it, she's been acting really strange lately, Ayumu thought to himself as he prepared breakfast for himself and Madoka. Usually Hiyono would talk Ayumu's ears off but lately she's been awfully quiet; as if lost in thought. He even missed her silly little song, although he'd never tell her that. After seeing Madoka off to work, Ayumu decided to give Hiyono a call.

"Hey Ayumu. What's up?"

"Oh nothing much. I just wanted to see if you had any plans for today."

"Well I'm kind of busy with some last minute preparations for--" Her voice trailed off as if to imply that she didn't want Ayumu to know something.

"What's going on Hiyono? You've been acting really strange lately…well more strange than usual that is."

"Careful what you say Ayumu. It could make a big difference for you."

"Difference? For ME? Okay, what exactly are you up to?"

"You'll see soon enough Ayumu. Good things come to those who wait. Listen, I need to get going. I'll give you a call when I'm done here. Bye for now!"

With that, she hung up, leaving Ayumu in the dark. Talk about vague, Ayumu thought to himself. Why is she being so secretive?

Back at her house, Hiyono was sitting in front of her computer, making the final arrangements for the trip. Ayumu is going to be floored when he finds out, she thought to herself. He needs a vacation in the worst way, and what better place than Kyoto? Kyoto might be a popular tourist location, it's also known for its tranquil beauty and serene atmosphere. Hopefully it would help to lighten Ayumu's mood a bit and the sunshine would do him a world of good. Once she was sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Hiyono called Ayumu back just as she had promised. They agreed to meet in the park for lunch and Ayumu even said he'd pack a lunch.

"Oh Ayumu, you know how much I love your cooking. You put such care and love into every meal. I can almost taste those yummy sandwiches now."

"--Wow Hiyono, I've never seen anyone get that excited over an egg salad sandwich. I'll see you in a bit."

On the way to the park, Hiyono tried to think of a diversion for Ayumu's surprise vacation. Maybe she could have something set up at his house. Of course, she'd need to talk to Madoka to make sure that's okay. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even see Kosuke running straight for her. It almost looked as though he was running from someone, or something. He wasn't looking where he was going and they crashed into each other.

"Oww Hiyono, that hurt! Watch where you're going next time!"

"Sorry Kosuke. I guess my mind was somewhere else. I didn't even see you there."

"Yeah, well, that was pretty obvious. What's got you so wrapped up anyway?"

"Oh just something I'm planning for Ayumu. I was trying to think of a diversion because I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh really? What exactly do you have in store for little Narumi?" Hiyono never really knew why Kosuke called Ayumu that; although it made sense since he was Kiyotaka Narumi's younger brother.

"Well--" Hiyono hesitated and for good reason. Kosuke hadn't exactly been the most trustworthy person in the past; especially when it came to keeping important information to himself.

"Aww come on, Hiyono. I swear I won't say a word to little Narumi. You have my word."

"Don't take this personally Kosuke, but how can I be sure that I can trust you? You've always managed to slither away without ever telling us what we wanted to know."

"Touché. I guess I haven't been the most honest guy. Listen, I swear on my life I won't say a word. Maybe I can help you with this little diversion."

Hiyono was silent for a minute, thinking about whether or not she wanted to employ Kosuke's help. After some careful consideration, she finally decided it couldn't hurt.

"Okay Kosuke, you can help me out. I am planning a vacation for Ayumu and me. It's mainly for him but I'm going to go with him. I want to make sure it stays a surprise so just be aware that I'll be keeping a very close eye on you."

"Don't worry Hiyono. What good's a surprise if he finds out before hand?" Kosuke took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. He then handed the slip of paper to Hiyono. "That's my cell phone number. Call me later and we'll discuss all the details. Talk to ya later!" With that, Kosuke vanished from view.

Hiyono sighed, hoping that she had made the right decision. When she got to the park, she saw Ayumu sitting on one of the park benches. He waved to Hiyono and she ran over to him.

"Hi there Ayumu. Sorry I'm a little late. I ran into--" She didn't want to let Ayumu know she had been talking to Kosuke. It would just get him more upset.

"Who'd you run into Hiyono? An old friend or something?"

"Uh huh. Just a friend from school. She wanted to know if she could borrow my notes for the upcoming math test." Hiyono hated lying to Ayumu, but it was the only way to keep this trip a secret. Ayumu unpacked the lunch he made and handed a sandwich to Hiyono. Since Hiyono loved his egg salad sandwiches so much, that's what he decided on for lunch. He also brought some fresh squeezed orange juice.

"Mmm, your lunches never fail to impress me Ayumu! The sandwiches are just divine! A delicate blend of eggs and spices with just the right amount of mustard. You even cut the crusts off the sandwiches! And fresh squeezed juice? How lovely!" Hiyono sighed happily and continued eating.

After they finished eating, Ayumu invited Hiyono to his house to hang out. Hiyono wanted to go; however, she had to call Kosuke later to discuss the plans for Ayumu's surprise.

"I actually need to get going Ayumu. I have some stuff to take care of. Don't worry, everything will be revealed soon enough."

"Cryptic as always, Hiyono. I really wish you'd just tell me what's going on. I'm going crazy here."

"Don't worry, Ayumu. All in good time. Catch 'ya later!"

Ayumu watched as Hiyono ran off into the distance. Having nothing else to do, he decided to go to the store to pick up some things for dinner. If Madoka's dinner wasn't ready when she got home from work, Ayumu would get an earful. On the way home from the store, Ayumu got the strange feeling that someone was following him but every time he turned around, no one was there. Safely making it home, Ayumu put the groceries away and decided to take a short nap. When he awoke and looked at the clock, he saw that it was already 4:30. Madoka would be home in an hour so Ayumu hopped out of bed and started making dinner. It was all ready when Madoka walked in, and she seemed to be in a much better mood than she was normally in. Dinner was quiet, as usual. It was almost as if they had nothing to say to each other anymore. As Ayumu cleaned up and washed the dishes, Madoka went into her room, no doubt to do some extra work. When Ayumu finished, he went into his own room and collapsed onto his bed. His head was still full of questions. Why is Hiyono acting so mysterious all of a sudden? Usually she can't keep that mouth of her shut. Oh well, he sighed, hopefully she'd spill sooner or later.

After eating a quick dinner, Hiyono picked up her cell phone and dialed Kosuke's number. After three rings, he picked up, sounding rather cheerful.

"Hi Kosuke, it's Hiyono. What's up?"

"Oh not much. I just got home actually. I took Rio to the movies. She's been rather down lately so I wanted to cheer her up a bit."

"Aww is she okay?"

"Oh she'll be fine. Don't worry about her. Now, let's discuss some options for little Narumi's surprise. I actually have a great idea for you. Of course, little Narumi might not like it. I'm not his favorite person after all. "

"What did you have in mind Kosuke? Nothing life-threatening I hope."

"Hehehe. You know me too well Hiyono. Actually, this time I am going to play it clean. I just thought that perhaps I could 'accidentally' run into him in the park. I could maybe engage him in one of my clever games while you go to his house and get everything set up."

"Hmm--you know what Kosuke. That's not such a bad idea. What kind of game did you have in mind, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nope. Can't tell you. It's a secret."

Hiyono sighed heavily, "Oh Kosuke, you're such a sneak sometimes. Fine, don't tell me. You just better not have any more of those bees with you." Hiyono still had not forgotten their first encounter with Kosuke. He had locked Ayumu and her in a room with a container of bees. Since Ayumu was deathly allergic to bees, Hiyono just had to make sure Kosuke was going to play it safe this time.

"I told you, I'm going to play it clean this time. Don't worry Hiyono, everything will go according to plan."

After hanging up the phone, Hiyono collapsed on her bed. Hopefully everything would go according to plan. She hated having to put all of her faith in Kosuke, but maybe he'd prove both her and Ayumu wrong, at least this one time.

The next morning when her alarm went off, Hiyono jumped out of bed, already very excited. After eating some breakfast and getting dressed, she turned on her cell phone and placed a call to Ayumu. She smiled when she heard his voice on the other end.

"Good morning Ayumu. I'm glad to see you're up bright and early."

"Mornin' Hiyono. You're as cheerful as always I see. How can you be so perky so early in the morning?" Ayumu asked as he yawned loudly.

"Early? Ayumu, it's nearly 11! You can't expect to sleep the day away. Come on, why don't you meet me in the park at noon. It's a big day today."

"Errr…what exactly do--oh forget it. I've given up trying to understand you lately. Okay, I'll see you in an hour."

Immediately after hanging up with Ayumu, Hiyono dialed Kosuke's number and told him to be in the park by noon. Ayumu would be there waiting for her, but he'd find Kosuke instead. Ayumu's going to be mad at me, she thought, but it'll all be worth it.

Ayumu got to the park shortly before noon and took a seat at his favorite bench. Now all he needed to do was wait until Hiyono arrived. He thought he heard someone call his name from the distance, but wasn't sure, so he shrugged it off.

"Gee little Narumi. Could it be any more obvious that you don't like me?"

Ayumu looked up and saw Kosuke staring back at him. "Ahh! Asazuki, what are you doing here? I'm waiting for Hiyono, she's supposed to meet me here at noon."

"Looks like she's not here yet. Why don't we play a little game until she arrives? I promise it will be fun."

"You and I both have very different versions of 'fun' Kosuke. Your 'fun' always has the possibility of getting me killed."

"Don't worry, little Narumi. I swore that I would play it clean this time. You have nothing to worry about."

Before Ayumu had the chance to ask Kosuke who he had promised that he would play it clean to, Kosuke's cell phone rang. When he answered it, he didn't look too thrilled. "But I didn't even have time to-- he started to say into the phone, then paused to listen-- oh fine." He clicked his cell phone off and glared at Ayumu. "That was Hiyono. She said for you to come home right away."

"Umm--why is Hiyono calling you Kosuke?"

"Never mind just go!" Kosuke stormed off in a huff, obviously upset that he couldn't play his game with Ayumu.

Ayumu ran home, not really sure why Hiyono and Kosuke were talking to each other. Last time he checked, Hiyono couldn't trust Kosuke as far as she could throw him. When he arrived at home, he could tell something was wrong. It was eerily quiet and he couldn't even hear Madoka's complaining. Ayumu opened the door and saw that none of the lights were even on. This was getting too weird, he thought as he fumbled for the light switch.

"SURPRISE!"

"AHHH!" Ayumu jumped almost a foot in the air. He looked at Madoka and Hiyono, both of them standing there with big goofy grins on their faces. He saw a sign that was tacked to the wall which read 'HAVE A GOOD TRIP AYUMU!' Ayumu stood there, speechless.

"What do you think little brother? It was all Hiyono's idea so I can't take any of the credit. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun though."

"Where exactly am I going?"

"You mean where are we going," Hiyono said with a grin. She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Ayumu. He opened it and saw a brochure for Kyoto, along with two round trip air tickets.

"Hiyono--you did all this--for me?"

"Of course I did silly. You've been so stressed out lately that I figured a trip away from it all was just what the doctor ordered. What do you think?"

Ayumu didn't say anything; instead he just threw his arms around Hiyono and gave her a big hug. "Thank you Hiyono. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh Ayumu, you big softy. Why wouldn't I do this for you? You deserve it!"

"So Hiyono," Ayumu said with a smile. "When do we leave?"