(Disclaimer: Ikigami manga belongs solely to Mase Motoro, but Sasuke Mura and the other unknown characters I am writing about belong to me. The story is just based on the plot line of the manga. If this disclaimer is wrong, then please do not sue me.)
Chapter 8: Shop
Sakuya, in his room, was drinking a fine glass of Elderberry wine in his bath robe. On his bed was a completely nude woman under the blankets. Sakuya didn't seem to mind the woman as he indulged in his wine. He suddenly remembered receiving news of another Moon Child related incident a couple of days before and clenched his hand.
"The Moon Child saved another person right under my nose and even saved him from a huge debt." Sakuya slammed his glass down creating a crack on the rim. He was breathing heavily as he stared at the ripples of the wine.
"Who are you and why don't you have a pattern that I can follow?"
Sakuya was beginning to get frustrated with the so called Moon Child, enemy of the Ikigami system.
Sasuke sneezed in class, but not loud enough for anyone to take notice. Sasuke noticed a note on her desk and picked it up knowing full well who the sender was.
Remember your promise?
Sasuke wrote a note back and tossed it to Erin. Erin read the note and nearly jumped in joy.
I can hang out with you today, so where to?
Erin tossed a new note to Sasuke.
There's this new shop I want to visit, so be ready to go on a shopping spree.
Sasuke nodded at Erin. Erin was smiling stupidly, but suddenly a crumpled piece of paper hit her head. Erin opened the paper and growled at the contents.
Your attentions should be glued to the board, not on Mura-San. Focus or I will take Mura-san from you as punishment.
Erin hissed at Mr. Fujioka like a cat, but Mr. Fujioka didn't even flinch. The class laughed at Erin, whose focus of anger was on Mr. Fujioka.
After class, Sasuke and Erin exited the room side by side. Erin clung onto Sasuke like a hyper child.
"I finally get to hang out with you after so long," cheered Erin. Sasuke smiled and said, "It has been long." Erin nodded as she cuddled Sasuke's arm.
"Don't cuddle Sasuke."
Erin groaned and turned around to see Jiro with arms crossed. Erin smirked and held Sasuke's arm tighter.
"Why not? I am her one true friend and you are just a side character, so beat it," mocked Erin. Jiro glared at her as if flames were ready to burst from him.
Sasuke sighed and looked at Jiro.
"Erin-Chan and I need to go, so bye, Yuki-San."
Sasuke turned away from Jiro with Erin still attached to her arm. Jiro reached out to Sasuke and said, "Why can't you hang out with me?" Sasuke glared back at him and sternly said, "I don't have time for you." Sasuke then walked off with Erin.
Jiro stared at Sasuke's retreating back and smirked.
Another day then.
Sasuke and Erin were headed toward the door, but Erin suddenly spotted Shiro exiting a lab room. Erin was excited when she saw him that she nearly forgot that Sasuke was present. Shiro spotted them and asked, "Are you guys going somewhere?" Erin nodded and said, "We're going to the new shop that opened." Shiro stared at Erin and then looked at Sasuke.
"A new shop?"
"I don't know what it is, but Erin-Chan seemed eager to take me there today," said Sasuke with a smile. Shiro sighed and said, "You should focus more on your studies." He began to walk off. Sasuke looked down at Erin and saw the longing in her eyes as she watched Shiro walk off. Sasuke sighed.
Sasuke walked after Shiro making Erin confused. Sasuke grabbed Shiro's arm nearly causing him to fall over. He looked at Sasuke with wide eyes. Sasuke smiled at him and asked, "You always study, so why not come with Erin and me to the new shop to take a break." Shiro was about to refuse until he heard Sasuke say that lack of rest affects the function of the brain. Shiro sighed in defeat and nodded. Sasuke looked back at Erin with a bright smile and winked at her. Erin was all smiles when she realized what Sasuke did for her.
Sasuke, Erin, and Shiro walked down the sidewalk. Shiro glared toward Sasuke and asked, "Why didn't we take a car?" Sasuke smiled and claimed, "It's good exercise." Shiro sighed trying to distant himself from Sasuke.
Erin held Sasuke's arm as she looked at Shiro with flush cheeks.
"Shiro is actually with us today. If this is a dream, then I never want to wake up," said Erin in total bliss. Sasuke giggled at Erin's words.
After walking for a long while, they arrived at a shop with a large pink ribbon sculpture in front and white frills on every window. Erin was excited as she looked at the shop.
"This is the place. I heard that it has great stuff in it."
Shiro stared at the shop with a look of disgust.
"Are you serious?"
Shiro groaned and said, "I don't have time to see this disgusting shop, so…"
Shiro paused when he saw Sasuke staring at the shop with bright eyes. Shiro stared at her filled with confusion.
"Mura-San?"
Sasuke looked at Shiro with a glint in her eyes causing him to flinch.
"I always wanted to go to a shop like this. These types of shops always have teddy bears, candy, and dresses with frills. I can't wait to get in."
Shiro was about to say something, but was dragged in by an extra excited Sasuke. Erin followed behind laughing.
When inside they saw that it was covered with Lolita-clothes in almost every rack. There were dolls in the cutest poses sitting on the shelves with teddy bears hugging hearts with special messages. There was also an area with oversized lollipops and other extra sweet candies.
Shiro grew pale as he stared at his surroundings. He looked toward Erin and asked, "Is this really the place?" Erin nodded and said, "I always wanted to bring Sasuke to a shop like this ever since we were little."
Shiro looked toward Sasuke and was shocked when he saw her looking at each of the extra frilly dresses excitedly. Shiro had never in his life seen Sasuke like this.
"Mura-San?"
Sasuke looked at him with a glint in her eyes and showed him a pink Lolita-dress with rose designs.
"I've only seen this type of dress on TV. I can't believe it is here. What do you think? Isn't it cute?"
Shiro was speechless as he stared at the overly decorated dress. Erin smiled and said, "It's so adorable. See if it fits you." Sasuke nodded and ran to the fitting rooms.
Erin looked at the speechless Shiro and said, "Sasuke is really intelligent, but really loves cute things like that dress. It just proves that she has a child in her heart." Shiro gripped his head wondering how a cute obsessive girl could beat him in an academic level in school.
"Erin-Chan, Takimura-San."
Erin and Shiro both looked up and saw Sasuke in the pink dress with her hair hanging loose. Sasuke did a small turn and said, "It fits perfectly." Erin clapped complimenting the dress. Shiro was still speechless.
"My, what a cute display."
They looked at the source of the voice and saw a woman in a maid outfit. The woman approached Sasuke and examined her. The woman smirked and said, "The dress would look even better if you add the hat and hold a parasol." Sasuke nodded and placed the hat on and pulled a parasol from a rack. She opened the parasol and held it over her head. The woman clapped.
"Wonderful, you are practically a doll."
Sasuke giggled as she did a small curtsy. Erin smiled at Sasuke complimenting the dress even more. Shiro looked at the woman and asked, "Who are you?"
The woman smiled at Shiro and said, "My name is Momiji Mabui, the owner of Kawaii Shop." The woman, known as Momiji, adjusted her curly hair as she looked at Shiro.
"You are a very handsome young man. I could just eat you up," said Momiji happily. Shiro felt a chill run down his back.
Sasuke looked at Momiji and said, "You really are beautiful, especially for a man." Shiro and Erin stared at Sasuke confusingly.
Momiji giggled and said, "You have very keen eyes to notice that I am a man." Shiro and Erin became pale as they stared at Momiji, who turned out to be a man. Sasuke giggled.
"Even though you are a man, you own such a wonderful shop," complimented Sasuke. Momiji stared at Sasuke and then smiled.
"Thank you, young lady."
Sasuke gave a nod and headed to the changing room to go back to her regular clothes.
Momiji looked toward Shiro causing him to flinch and winked at him causing Shiro's skin to crawl and Erin to glare at Momiji.
Sasuke exited the changing room with the dress, hat, and parasol in hand.
"I'm getting these OK."
Momiji nodded and led her to the cash register. Erin grabbed some sweets and brought it to the register as well. They were ready to pay as they placed their orders on the table. Sasuke looked back at Shiro, who was trying to keep a safe distance from Momiji.
"You should get something too," encouraged Sasuke. Shiro shook his head and said, "There isn't anything here I want." Sasuke stared at Shiro. Sasuke approached Shiro making him confused. She sniffed Shiro and then smiled. She went to the candy section and pulled out a heart shaped box of caramel chocolates. She placed it on the counter.
"This too, Mabui-San."
Momiji nodded and entered the new item into the register. Momiji told the price, which Sasuke gladly paid with no problem. Sasuke turned to Shiro with a smile and tossed him the box of chocolates. Shiro stared at the chocolates in his hands.
"What is this?"
Sasuke giggled and said, "Caramel chocolate. I thought you would like it, Takimura-San." Shiro stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. Caramel chocolate was his favorite treat since he was in elementary school. He had no idea how Sasuke knew.
Sasuke and Erin gathered their things and headed toward the door. Sasuke looked back at Momiji and said, "See you next time." Momiji nodded and waved goodbye to them.
Sasuke, Erin, and Shiro walked down the sidewalk. Shiro stared at the heart shaped box of chocolates in his hand and wondered why his favorite candy couldn't be in a rectangular box. He then looked at his watch and said, "I better get going." Sasuke and Erin nodded as they watched Shiro walk off.
Shiro looked back at them as he walked and said, "Thanks." Sasuke smiled and nodded, while Erin was completely red.
When Shiro was gone, Sasuke smiled at Erin and said, "It would have been a date for you if I didn't come." Erin shook her head and said, "It was fun with you around, Sasuke." Erin giggled and wished Sasuke goodbye as she began to walk off.
Sasuke sighed and looked in the bag with her new dress with a smile. She walked forward only to collide into someone's arm.
"Pardon me," said Sasuke as she looked toward the person she bumped into.
"Don't worry about it."
The person turned out to be a man in a brown suit. Sasuke stared at the man with wide eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat making her confused. The man bowed to her slightly and ran off with his suitcase in hand. Sasuke stared at his retreating back and then shook her head.
Sasuke was about to walk off until she noticed a beaded bracelet on the ground. She picked it up and realized that it must belong to the man. Sasuke looked around for the man, but he was nowhere in sight. Sasuke sighed wondering if she would meet the man again to return his bracelet.
The very next day, after class, Sasuke headed out of the classroom in a quick haste. She ran out of the institution and into a public bathroom on a side street. When she got out of the bathroom, she was wearing the Lolita dress she bought and holding the parasol. Sasuke also wore the hat and loose pink ribbons in her long hair. Sasuke held the parasol over her head and headed toward the Kawaii Shop with people staring at her filled with utter confusion.
Sasuke approached the Kawaii Shop and was confused when she saw that it was dark inside. Sasuke saw that there was no closed sign. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. Sasuke pushed the door open and peeked inside. To her shock, the shop was completely trashed. The candies were scattered and the dolls and clothes were torn.
Sasuke ran into the shop tossing the parasol to the side. Sasuke looked around the shop calling out Momiji's name repeatedly. She heard a tearing noise coming from the back and dashed toward there. She kicked open the door and saw Momiji on the ground cutting up the dresses in the dark with his wig falling off and his maid outfit wrinkled.
"Mabui-San?"
Momiji looked up at Sasuke with wide eyes.
"The young lady from before," said Momiji with his voice shaking.
"Sasuke Mura," informed Sasuke as she approached Momiji cautiously. Momiji sliced off the sleeve of a dress with shaking hands.
"What happened?" asked Sasuke in concern. Momiji chuckled as he tore off a frill of a dress.
"I just decided to redecorate the entire shop," said Momiji. Momiji tore the buttons off the dress sending them flying. Momiji showed a crooked smile.
"I was a fool for thinking that people would love these things."
Momiji tore the dress completely apart and pulled another dress to him. Sasuke kneeled down in front of Momiji and reached out to him.
"Why are you acting like this, Mabui-San?"
Momiji clenched the dress and then looked at Sasuke with crazed eyes causing her to flinch. He tackled Sasuke down to the ground before she could react sending his wig flying revealing his short brown hair. Momiji leaned toward Sasuke's face and asked, "You look so lovely in that dress. Would it have been better for me to make you a doll?"
Sasuke was shocked as she stared at Momiji's crazed look. Momiji tore the front of Sasuke's dress causing her to scream. Momiji nearly kissed Sasuke, but Sasuke turned away. Momiji instead kissed her neck. Sasuke was screaming as she tried to push Momiji away, who was squeezing her breast. Sasuke clenched her teeth and grabbed Momiji's arm ready to toss him off, but paused when her Soul's Eye activated.
Sasuke loosened her grip on Momiji and whispered, "Ikigami." Momiji fell still as he looked down at Sasuke between his arms.
"What?"
"You received an Ikigami, didn't you, Mabui-San."
Tears began to escape from Momiji's eyes as he looked down at Sasuke. The tears dropped onto Sasuke's cheeks.
"I got it yesterday after you left. I only have three hours left before I die," said Momiji as he cried.
"Is that why you destroyed your creations?"
Momiji clenched his fist and said, "I just opened this shop after working for so long. It was my dream to make all these creations and sell them, but now I can't do that because I am going to die. My dreams are dead with me, so might as well make it disappear completely."
Momiji continued to cry. Sasuke reached out to Momiji's face and caressed his cheek.
"You make beautiful creations, so don't destroy them…Momiji."
Momiji held her hand on his cheek with tear filled eyes. As Momiji held her hand, he didn't notice her other hand pulling out a syringe from the pocket of her dress. Sasuke injected Momiji causing him to pass out on top of her. Sasuke pushed Momiji off of her and stared down at him.
Sasuke pulled her bag off her shoulder and pulled it open revealing a variety of medical tools. Sasuke placed her medical mask on and then removed the front of Momiji's dress. Sasuke held the syringe and placed her hand firmly on Momiji's chest activating her Soul's Eye.
"Three hours."
Momiji tossed in his sleep and then slowly began to awaken. He found himself lying on a sofa. He gave out a yawn wondering what happened. He suddenly remembered trashing his shop and the Ikigami and felt his heart sink.
"How much time do I have now?" he asked himself. He looked toward his clock and noticed that it was pass the time of his death. Momiji was shocked. He pulled out the Ikigami from his pocket and double checked the time.
"6:00 P. M. Tuesday. It's already 8:00 P. M., so why am I still alive?"
"I saved you."
Momiji flinched and looked toward his door. Sasuke was standing there in her medical clothes.
"Sasuke Mura?"
Sasuke nodded. Sasuke approached Momiji and then sat next to him on the sofa. Sasuke placed a hand to his chest.
"I removed the Nano pill in your heart, so you will not die by Ikigami law. There's no scars, so don't worry."
Momiji placed his hand on Sasuke's to his chest and said, "So you performed a miracle for me?" Sasuke nodded.
"Why? You could go to jail for this, so why?"
Sasuke smiled and said, "Because I love your creations." Sasuke pulled Momiji to his feet and led him out the door. To Momiji's surprise, the shop was back in place. The dresses were repaired, the candies were in order, and the dolls and teddy bears didn't look like they were touched. Momiji examined his shop and then looked back at Sasuke.
"You did this?" asked Momiji. Sasuke nodded and said, "It took a lot of sewing and speed, but I got it done." Sasuke then pulled out the torn pink dress from her bag. She handed it to Momiji and said, "This is the only one I didn't repair. I want you to do it." Momiji stared at the dress and realized that it was the dress Sasuke was wearing before. Momiji clenched the dress in his hand shaking.
"I did something terrible to you and you do all this for me. I don't deserve any of this," said Momiji with his voice shaking. Sasuke shook her head and held his shaking hands.
"I hold no grudge against you, so don't worry. Just repair that dress for me, so I can wear your beautiful creation."
Momiji nodded. Sasuke then pulled out Momiji's wig from her bag. She placed it on Momiji's head and kissed his cheek.
"Continue your dream, Momiji."
Sasuke wished him goodbye and ran out of the store. Momiji placed a hand to his cheek where Sasuke kissed him and smiled. He then hugged the torn dress and said, "Let's create something lovely once more for the Moon Child."