(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 16: Son
Tuesday morning, Sakuya sat in his office drinking coffee and looking over some files of doctors that were located in the district that the Moon Child was suspected to be at. Sakuya groaned.
"These doctors don't have the skills to do heart surgery," muttered Sakuya. Haruka suddenly entered his office and asked, "What are you doing Sakuya dear?" Sakuya clenched his head.
"Just looking over some doctor files from the Fuji District."
Haruka cocked her eyebrow and asked, "Just doctor files?" Sakuya nodded and said, "The Moon Child must be a doctor." Haruka placed an index finger on her cheek in thought.
"Wouldn't that be too easy? I bet the Moon Child is just a citizen or a student," muttered Haruka. Sakuya's eyes widen.
"Student, that's it!"
Sakuya typed on his computer frantically making Haruka confused. Sakuya opened a new file and said, "There's a medical institution in that district. The Moon Child might just be a student there." Sakuya searched through the Institution files and found four possible suspects of being the Moon Child.
"Who did you find?" asked Haruka. Sakuya showed her the screen with four student pictures.
"Sasuke Mura, Shiro Takimura, Jiro Yuki, and Erin Kumi: they have the highest grade averages and have the highest skill in medical operations. One of these people has to be the Moon Child."
Haruka stared at the pictures and said, "Well you can take out one of them."
"Why?" asked Sakuya. Haruka smirked and pointed at Sasuke's picture.
"This girl received an Ikigami, so she should be dead by now," replied Haruka. Sakuya sighed.
"I guess she's out," said Sakuya. Haruka nodded. Sakuya looked at Sasuke's picture and smirked.
"It really is a shame that this girl died. She's really pretty and a talented student."
Haruka sat on Sakuya's desk and said, "Hey now, don't start falling in love with a dead girl's picture." Sakuya chuckled and said, "I wouldn't fall in love with a dead girl when I have you." Sakuya pulled Haruka into a deep kiss.
Sakuya's phone suddenly rang making him groan. He picked up the phone and said, "I'm busy, so make this quick."
"Sakuya sir, there has been another survivor."
Sakuya's eyes widen. He pulled away from Haruka causing her to gasp and asked, "Who survived this time?"
"A girl from the Fuji District, Sasuke Mura, age twenty."
Sakuya was shocked. He looked at the screen of Sasuke's picture, which looked like it was laughing. Sakuya turned away from the computer screen and asked, "Did you bring her in?"
"Yes, she is in the interrogation room."
"I'll be right there."
Sakuya hung up the phone and looked at Haruka, who was sitting on the floor.
"It looks like the Moon Child is close to the medical institution for Sasuke Mura is still alive."
Haruka was shocked as she placed a hand to her mouth in shock. Sakuya walked pass her and said, "I'm going to interrogate her and figure out once and for all who the Moon Child is." With that, Sakuya left the room with Haruka still sitting on the ground.
Sasuke sat in the interrogation room that had two chairs and one table. She stared at the whiteness of the room.
So this is where Yoshiro and the others went after I saved them.
The door to the room suddenly opened revealing Sakuya in his suit. He adjusted his tie as he looked at Sasuke.
"Sasuke Mura?"
Sasuke nodded. Sakuya sat in the chair opposite of her and asked, "You received an Ikigami saying that you were supposed to die at 11:00 P. M. Monday and yet here you are, alive and well. Tell me how you are alive."
Sasuke looked at Sakuya seriously and said, "Because it was a mistake made by your industry." Sakuya chuckled and said, "That's impossible. A Nano pill was placed in you when you were seven." Sasuke shook her head.
"I'm telling you that you are mistaken."
Sakuya slammed his fist on the table causing Sasuke to flinch.
"There was no mistake! You were saved by the Moon Child weren't you?" screamed Sakuya in a demanding voice. Sasuke shook her head.
"The Moon Child did not save me," stated Sasuke. Sakuya was shaking in his anger. He suddenly took notice of Sasuke's moon pendant necklace. He leaned toward her gripping her necklace.
"Where did you get this necklace?"
"From my brother, Yoshiro."
Sakuya's eyes widen in surprise. The first survivor saved by the Moon Child was Yoshiro. Sakuya smirked and asked, "Do you know who I am?" Sasuke nodded.
"You are Sakuya Mizuno, the Ikigami Industry's founder's great grandchild and now the owner of the Ikigami Industry."
Sakuya nodded saying, "You are well informed so do you know what the consequence is for going against the Ikigami Industry?" Sasuke nodded.
"Death by the Nano pill."
Sakuya nodded. He then yanked her necklace off causing her to gasp. He dangled the moon pendant in front of her face and said, "If you don't want to die then tell me who the Moon Child is." Sasuke glared at him.
"I already told you that the Moon Child didn't save me and you don't have the proof that the Moon Child did," pointed out Sasuke. Sakuya growled and threw the necklace at her face.
"We'll see after we do the scan on you, Mura-San."
With that Sakuya left the room. Sasuke picked up the necklace and placed it in her pocket. She looked at the closed door wondering if she would be found out. The door opened revealing two men in white suits.
"We need to scan you now, Mura-san."
Sasuke nodded and she left the room with them. They brought her into a closed up room with a CAT scan in the middle. The men looked at her telling her to remove her clothes. She did as she was told showing her scar less body. They placed her on the CAT scan table and began to scan her.
In another room, just next to the CAT scan room, Sakuya was looking over the computers of Sasuke's scanning with the doctors. He groaned when he saw no trace of the Nano pill.
"This can't be right," muttered Sakuya.
"I'm afraid it is. There is no trace of the pill in her heart and no traces of surgery. The other survivors were the same. It is best to let her go."
Sakuya groaned. He suddenly realized something and asked, "What did the other survivors say when we brought them in for questioning?"
One of the doctors looked up at him and said, "They said that they were saved by the Moon Child." Sakuya pointed at Sasuke in the CAT scanner.
"Then what about her? She said that she wasn't saved by the Moon Child. Why is her answer different from the others?"
Another doctor looked at him in shock asking, "Does that mean that she might have the closest connection with the Moon Child and is keeping it a secret?" Sakuya nodded.
"Have one of the employees follow her. I have a feeling that we are close to finding the identity of the Moon Child."
Sasuke left the Ikigami Industry with her bag in hand and sighed.
"That was tiring," muttered Sasuke. Sasuke began to walk away, but she felt like she was being watched. Sasuke walked casually eyeing her back. She listened closely to her surroundings and heard the faint steps of another. Sasuke decided not to run having a feeling that it was someone from the Ikigami Industry.
Sasuke walked into a crowd of people in a busy shopping district making sure not to lose the sound of her apparent stalker. When she heard a misstep, she dashed behind a corner and went flat against the wall. She peeked behind the corner and saw a man in a suit looking around confusingly. Sasuke smirked as the man ran pass the corner she was at. Sasuke walked out and went in the opposite direction.
As she walked, she looked at the stores admiring the different clothing. She also spotted a wedding dress and blushed thinking of her darling Riri.
"What are you staring at?"
Sasuke flinched and looked at the speaker of the voice. She saw a ten-year-old boy with a backpack over his shoulder. Sasuke smiled down at him and said, "I was just looking at the wedding dress." The boy groaned and said, "Girls are stupid thinking of getting married."
Sasuke crossed her arms and asked, "What's wrong with that? Someday you will be married." The boy shook his head.
"Marriage isn't for me. Besides, they will just get divorced like my parents."
Sasuke glared at him and said, "Not all marriages are the same." The boy looked at her with crossed arms.
"Oh yeah; then what about your parents?"
Sasuke smiled and said, "They got married at a young age, but were truly in love till the end."
"End, so they got divorced?" asked the boy. Sasuke shook her head.
"They died together," stated Sasuke. Sasuke remembered her parents and had a saddened look. The boy gasped and said, "Sorry for mentioning them." Sasuke smiled at the young boy.
"No need to apologize, um…what's your name?"
"Keida Kinomoto, ten-years-old," stated the boy. Sasuke nodded and introduced herself. Keida cleared his throat and asked, "Not that it matters, but who are you marrying?" Sasuke blushed.
"His name is Riri Kinomoto, my savior."
Keida's eyes widen in surprise. He stared at Sasuke and asked, "How old is he?"
"Thirty-four, why do you ask?"
Keida shook his head. He stepped back from Sasuke and said, "That can't be. My dad's name is Riri. Why is he remarrying?" Sasuke was shocked.
"Riri's son?"
Sasuke suddenly remembered that Riri mentioned that he was married before, but divorced early. Sasuke stared at Keida and realized how much he looked like Riri.
Keida shook his head in denial and ran from Sasuke. Sasuke chased after him telling him to wait. Keida ran in the middle of the street not realizing that the traffic light was green. A truck slammed into Keida sending him flying. Sasuke screamed at the sight. Traffic stopped as everyone gathered around.
Sasuke pushed through the crowd in order to reach Keida. Keida was bleeding massively from his stomach area and blood trailed down his lips. Sasuke removed her jacket and pressed against his bleeding stomach. She looked at the surrounding people and screamed, "Someone call an ambulance!" Sasuke looked back down at Keida.
"Everything will be all right," said Sasuke as she put pressure on his wound. Keida shook his head coughing out blood.
"Why is dad going to marry you, when he couldn't even stand mom?" whispered Keida. Sasuke looked at Keida seriously.
"I knew your father for a long time through his letters. The letters always had feelings of love. I'm sorry that he left your mother, but I am going to marry him because I love him."
Keida looked at Sasuke with wide eyes. He then smirked and admitted, "My mom never said that she loved him. He was only a convenience. That's why I believe that marriage never had love in them and ended in divorce." Keida gripped Sasuke's hand.
"Maybe my dad and you can make it without divorce."
Sasuke smiled down at him. She suddenly heard the beating of his heart beginning to slow down and shook her head.
"Don't die," muttered Sasuke. Sasuke looked at the surrounding people, who had fear in their eyes. She looked back down at Keida who was beginning to slip away. She thought of Riri and smiled.
Riri won't smile like that ever again if he learned that I let his own son die.
Sasuke looked at a nearby woman and said, "Open my bag and take out my scalpel." The woman nodded and opened the bag. She gasped in surprise when she noticed the variety of medical tools.
"Get me the scalpel now," said Sasuke in desperation. The woman nodded and handed Sasuke the scalpel that stuck out like a sore thumb. Sasuke gripped the scalpel and said, "I will save you, even if it costs my life."
Sasuke pulled the blood covered jacket away from the wound and began to do surgery on it. Keida was crying as the surgery went on. Sasuke looked back at the woman as she did the surgery and said, "The sewing kit." The woman tossed Sasuke her sewing kit. Sasuke removed a thread and needle and used it to stitch up the wound. The bleeding was slowly stopping. As the surgery went on, the people stared at her in amazement feeling a sense of peace in the air. Sasuke sewed the wound shut and then the stitches vanished as if they were never there.
Sasuke placed her hand on Keida's body activating her Soul's Eye and listened to the beating of his heart. Sasuke smiled.
"There are no traces of bacteria in his system and the beating of his heart is normal. Surgery was a success."
Sasuke picked up Keida, who was looking at himself in disbelief. Sasuke hugged Keida and said, "I'm sorry that it hurt, but I needed to do the surgery fast." Keida burst into tears and hugged Sasuke.
Sasuke suddenly heard clapping and looked around. All the people watching were applauding. Sasuke smiled and bowed her head to them.
Unknowing to her, the Ikigami employee that was following her before was watching through the crowd with wide eyes. He dialed on his cell phone.
"What is it?" replied Sakuya's voice through the other end.
"Sir, I think we found a connection with the Moon Child," stated the man as he stared at Sasuke, who was hugging Keida.
After the commotion, Sasuke and Keida walked down the sidewalk side by side. Sasuke looked at Keida and asked, "So do you want to meet your father?" Keida nodded.
"I haven't seen him for years, so this is a good chance," said Keida. Sasuke nodded and said, "Well I was planning on meeting him in the park after my appointment."
Keida stared at Sasuke and then held her hand. Sasuke looked down at Keida.
"Thank you for saving me and if it is OK, can I call you mom?" asked Keida with a blush against his cheek. Sasuke smiled and nodded.
They soon reached the park, where Riri was waiting on a bench drinking a strawberry slush. Sasuke waved at him calling his name. Riri waved to her, but paused when he noticed Keida next to her with droplets of blood against his clothing.
Riri ran to them asking what happened. Sasuke smiled and said, "We just had an accident, but Keida is fine." Keida nodded and looked at Riri seriously. Riri had a saddened look on his face as he looked down at Keida. Keida sighed.
"Don't look at your own son like that. Mom will be sad," said Keida. Riri gasped and asked, "Is your mom here too?" Keida nodded and hugged Sasuke around her waist.
"She's right here," stated Keida. Riri looked at Sasuke and Keida in surprise.
"What about…?"
"If you're talking about my birth mom, she left me a long time ago with another man and died in a car crash. I've been living with my aunt all this time."
Riri showed a sad look and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?" Keida pouted and said, "Because you left mom and I was afraid that you would leave me, so I told my aunt not to tell you anything." Riri apologized. Keida shook his head.
"Don't be, mom and you weren't meant for each other, besides…"
Keida hugged Sasuke tighter and said, "You finally found someone to be with." Sasuke smiled and patted Keida's head. Sasuke looked at Riri with a smile and said, "Keida is a sweet boy."
Riri smiled and nodded in agreement. He kneeled in front of Keida and asked, "Do you want to live with me?" Keida thought awhile and looked up at Sasuke.
"Will mom come?"
Riri looked at Sasuke and said, "Good question." Sasuke blushed and then nodded.
"I would love to live with you."
Keida cheered, while Riri showed his best smile. With Keida still hugging Sasuke's waist, Riri got up and kissed Sasuke on the lips. Sasuke felt like she was in heaven, but didn't know the storm that was slowly approaching.