A Month With Suichi Minamino
By Payne N. Uranus
.:AN:.
I'm liking this… I'm really liking this! Right, so, before I get all excited and stuff, I'll just go ahead and thank these wonderful reviewers!
midnightsprite: Awww, Mitsuyo has a fan! Wahoo!
Death101- Fox Version: He does tend to, doesn't he? =D Thank you for the support!
yokonyomi398: Haha, thank you for saying so... Actually, I probably missed that little edit, but thank you for pointing that out! I really appreciate it the help. =) I hope that you get that book of yours published! That's really exciting! And thanks, I do try to find new aspects to expose about fictional characters... Haha, I highly doubt that your comments will ever offend me -- they're too kind-hearted and constructive!
When Darkness Rises: Can't rightly say that I do. Perhaps it'll just be one of those mysteries, huh? Haha, oh well. Thank you!
roy. mustang .fan: Glad you like it! I'll try my best to keep it going in that direction. =)
bookworm0492: Thank you oh-so much for the song, bud. =D It made me smile pretty big. I appreciate the love, please enjoy the rest of the story!
lizzieXmarieXyoukai: I know! I love "Little Suichi" stories too, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of good ones out there... Oh, and same here with the whole spelling ordeal. When I watched the show, I had the subtitles on, and that's how they spelled it. So that's how I spell it. (shrugs sheepishly)
Youko Suichi: Thank you, I take pride in my... uniqueness. =D And I'm hurrying! I'm starting the next chapter right away! CALM DOWN! See, when you guys get excited, it gets me worked up!
Yoru Inu: Oh, okay... then, read on sister! Don't worry about it, I'm gonna finish this even if it is the last thing I do! Oh, and chances are, this is gonna be a long one, so I'm glad that you like it...
Kurama's number1 girl: Thank you very much. As I said before, I take pride in being different. It's a talent! Haha, and thanks for the b-day mention...
Kuramafan-06: That's the whole point of the lax moment-- to make everyone paranoid. Seriously, I'm not being an idiot for once! That's the reason why I added it. It makes the suspense heighten... did it work? By the way... I LOVED the "happy birthday!" It's really cool! Thank you!
Justyousee: Mitsuyo's real personality (underneath the whole lovely-dovely act when near Kurama) will be revealed more as the story progresses. I'm fairly certain everyone will love her. =D She's just too cool. Thank you for the support! Here's an update!
PervyMonk: (Gasps) I was right. Cooooool. And, yes, you spelled it worng. But that's okay, this isn't a spelling bee. Heh... even so, you've lost your chance to win a thousand dollars! (shrugs) Yeah, that scene was particularly fun to write. Especially the plunger bit. Teehee. Oh, and you say that you know why Mitsuyo likes thinking about Kurama? May I ask what you are thinking?
sandry stardiamond: I'm sorry that I wait so long between updates. I can't help it, I do have a life, y'know... wait, no I don't. Never mind then. I'm doing the best I can! Forgive me?
That's all of them, and I must say that I'm loving all the love for the story. WHOOT! IT'S GETTING POPULAR! REVIEWS! GIMME!
Hey, everyone! I just thought up a joke! Want to here it?
Conscience: (pops out of nowhere) No.
(not surprised) You're not everyone, so you don't count. HA! Okay, here's the joke: What do the Japanese call their military base? Warmart! HAHAHA! Didja geddit? Since the japanese alphabet doesn't contain the letter L, WALLMART is transformed into WARMART! HAHA!
Conscience: (grumbles) Whatever… just give them the flippin' story…
(sulks) You're right, maybe it wasn't the best joke...
Conscience: Nope. It wasn't.
(all frustrated) God! You did it all wrong! You're supposed to console me and tell me that it was a good joke! Geez, get it right!
Conscience: As I said before -- whatever. Just GIVE them the FLIPPIN' STORY!
Okay, but I just thought you ought to know (pauses dramatically)… that I'm (another dramatic pause)… not happy with you.
Conscience: (eye twitches) WHO CARES? JUST DO THE FLIPPIN' STORY!
Whoa! (holds hands up in defense) Gosh gee willicurs! Somebody's a grumpy gills… Oh, before I forget, I just wanted to warn you, the considerable reader, that this is one of my longer chapters, though I hope it won't be the longest… that'd be kinda sad.
Conscience: GET ON WITH IT!
Okay, okay, here's the chapter, enjoy it, hope it's long enough… uh…. tootles! (insert squealing dogs here)
Chapter 6: Plans and Accusations
Kurama's POV:
The blaring of my alarm clock woke me earlier than usual. Considering that I didn't receive much rest last night, that wasn't a good sign for future "Suichi-fan-club" run-ins. I propped myself up with my elbows, turning my head sleepily towards the location of the said electrical device.
It said 4:30 am.
What an ungodly hour. Who set my alarm clock for 4:30 in the morning?
Oh, that's right… Mother wanted me to leave early to run some errands yesterday… I must've forgotten to change the alarm back to its proper time.
Oh, well, I'll get up anyways, I thought to myself as I rubbed my face tiredly. What are a couple hours of lost sleep to a demon… even if I am in a human's body?
I pulled myself out of the warm cocoon of my sheets and mattress, blinking the sleep from my eyes while lazily dropping my hand onto the 'off' button, silencing the blaring irritating sound. I tried to stand up, but almost fell back down. My muscles hurt, mostly my back. I wasn't in the best shape last night… my mind kept wandering when a 700lbs demon decided to try and attack me. Of course, I'd kill him in time to save myself some blood shed, but that didn't stop me from getting shoved roughly into a nearby tree trunk.
I found out that the forest was full of tree trunks.
So, I hobbled slowly into my bathroom, noting briefly that there was a note taped to the door leading to it. I closed the door with my feet while peeling off my sleeping attire to ready myself for a morning shower. The mirror clearly displayed the bruise that had fully formed along my torso, but I ignored it. After a few hours, it wouldn't pain me too much.
The water was cold, as I soon realized, and I mentally berated myself when I discovered I forgot to turn the knob to the "hot" water label. My bad. Several minutes and mental berates later, I was out of the shower, awake enough to change properly into my school uniform.
Hiei was right.
The color is purple…
The secretary lied to me. She said it was magenta.
Right when I was about to leave to head downstairs to make myself breakfast, my mind snapped back in place, reminding me rather loudly that I didn't read the note taped to my door. I wrote off the slip up as still being a bit sleepy. It was 4:30 in the morning.
I wandered over, gently peeling the tape off before reading:
Suichi,
Don't be worried—I just left early this morning around 4 (I couldn't stay asleep, those pills work wonderfully) to stop by the market. If I'm not back yet, that means that I decided to stop by Hatanaka's (is that his name?) place. I'll be home when you arrive, okay?
Have a wonderful day at school,
XOXO
Mother
Reading it, I smiled, my eyes still on it as I continued my way downstairs for breakfast. Reaching the bottom, I set the paper down on the counter before going over to the refrigerator.
"I want some sweet snow," came a voice from the counter.
"I'm sorry, Hiei, but you've cleaned us out." I responded, not the least bit surprised by his presence. Opening the refrigerator, I said with the bit of disappointment, "Shame, we're out of avocados," before pulling out the orange juice carton from the lower shelf. Hiei handed me a cup, his eyes boring holes in my head. He was sitting comfortably on the countertop, one leg crossed over the other.
"I'm shocked, Kurama," he said with a hint of amusement. "I at least expected to startle you considering your off-night and...apparently, your off-morning as well. Something on your mind?"
"What makes you think that I'm having an off-morning?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, purposely ignoring his probe for information. I accepted the glass and started pouring the juice.
He observed me for a moment, before saying, "For starters… your cup is overflowing."
"What?" I exclaimed, my eyes darting to the cup in my hand that was, indeed, overflowing with orange juice. Quickly turning the carton upright and placing it on the counter, I rushed around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess I created so stupidly. After making sure that no stain was present on the tile floor, I made my way over to the sink, Hiei following me and sitting on the countertop closer to me.
"You do know that people put their food up there," I informed him simply, my eyes staring down as I washed my hands.
"That's their problem, not mine," he replied, making no move to relocate to a different sitting area, his eyes still trained on me, waiting for me to tell him what was on my mind.
I sighed, propping my forearms on the brim of the basin, my own eyes wandering around the kitchen. Finally I looked back to his ruby pools, and told him simply, "It's a girl."
He didn't look surprised.
He's reading my mind again…
"A human girl, to be precise," he added sternly.
It is official—he's been reading my mind. I should do something about that.
"Kurama, you of all people should know better than to create affectionate emotions between you and a human. They only get in the way."
"What about Yusuke with Keiko?" I asked pointedly, tilting my head innocently.
"He's, surprisingly, an exception," he answered offhandedly. "Actually, he's always an exception. My point is, Kurama, that starting a relationship with a human is not the wisest choice. You're taking a big risk already, staying with your human mother."
"That's probably the most you've said all month without an insulting name or comment added on," I said thoughtfully. "Or all year, at that."
"I'm serious, Kurama," he interrupted angrily, his eyes glinting.
"Are you saying that I'm not?" I retorted. "It's true, you know. You're not much of a friendly conversationalist—I should be recording this banter. At any rate, you have no reason to worry. It's not romantic feelings that are disturbing my thought process. It is merely a mystery I have taken upon myself to solve."
Hiei was looking me all the while, and I knew that he was reading my mind to understand what I was talking about. Then, he closed his eyes with a smirk, saying, "The Detective was correct. You enjoy talking in riddles."
"No more than you enjoy being a riddule yourself," I said with a smile.
"Hn." Opening his eyes again, he told me with laughter playing across his face, "There's no question. It's obviously a female. The way she holds herself shows it clearly."
"Indeed," I agreed contemplatively, choosing to forgive him this time for reading without permission. "But the real question is not whether or not she is female—why in the world is she going around as a human boy?"
"Perhaps she has a sick sense of amusement," Hiei offered wickedly.
"Perhaps," I said with a stern glare, "she is trying to hide from someone."
"Please, Fox, why would anyone want to go after a human adolescent?"
"I can't say that it's rare, but there may be a reason uncommon in most kidnapping cases, humans and demons alike."
"What are you saying?" he asked in exasperation, his eyebrow twitching with impatience.
"I am merely suggesting that there is something we don't know about her…" I trailed off thoughtfully, then gave Hiei an "I've-got-an-idea" look. "Do you suppose we should inform Koenma?"
Hiei scoffed, just like I predicted he would. "Why should we?"
"Unless we want to observe her ourselves, the best way to learn what we can about her is by checking her files, which Koenma has."
"Why are we doing this again?" he asked in irritation.
"It's been too quiet lately," I said softly, my eyebrow knitted in confusion. "It's rare for there not to be a mission that needs our attention. There is something strange about this human, and I'd like to know if there are any connections to unnoticed demon activity."
"Hn," he pouted in his Hiei-like manner, turning away and staring out the window that was placed over the kitchen sink. The sunrise lit the room gently, the soft rays of sunlight framing his bold facial features. He looked rather calm and intimidating at the same time. "We'll see him after your scheduled educational hours. For now, you are to forget about her. You're starting to worry me. You left the water running."
After swiftly shutting off the water and drying my pruned hands, I looked up at him with a smile.
"You sound so caring, Hiei," I said, a chuckle escaping my passive lips. "I'm beginning to think you've gone soft."
He glared at me and "hn"ed again before flitting out of the house, probably to hide in the nearest tree around Genkai's temple to watch over a certain sibling of his.
I let him go without comment, calmly collecting my things needed for class before heading out down to the market place. With any luck, I'd catch Mother before she left to the Hatanaka's. And if not…
I needed to pick up more avocados anyways.
~`*`~
The market was empty, save a few clusters of shoppers here and there. No surprise there, actually—it was, after all, around five in the morning.
I entered one of the roofed compartments and took a brief look around, offhandedly checking to see if Mother was there or not. The lady that owned the cart that was piled with a fruit that strongly resembled oranges smiled brightly at me, and I greeted her kindly.
"Good morning, madam," I said with a slight bow.
"Good morning, sir," she responded.
"Sales going well?" I joked with a light chuckle.
"Oh, yes, sir, the best all year," she replied, catching my humor.
"Very good." I took another look around before asking her, "You didn't happen to see a dark-haired woman, around her early thirties, stop in around four o'clock, did you? About five and a half feet, with motherly features?"
"Yes, she left quite a while ago," she told me helpfully. "She may still be here, I'd check farther down." She gestured to her right, and I nodded in understanding.
"Thank you very much," I said gratefully. "May the best become you and your sales."
"Why, thank you! Have a nice day, sir."
"And you as well." I left with another small bow, heading in the direction she indicated. I paused here and there, briefly looking over the different items and fruits that were for sale. But my eyes would always wander, searching for Mother. I didn't find her…
But, I found Suichi with his father.
"Hey! Dad, it's Minamino!" his young voice shouted, his face brightening due to the large smile on his face.
"What?" came Hatanaka's voice from the cover of the canopy. Poking his head out childishly, he swiveled it around before his eyes landed on me. "Well, whaddya know… it's Suichi!" He stepped out and waved a couple times before saying, "What are you doing out here so early?"
Walking over with one hand in my pocket, I smiled and gave them a strange look. "I was looking for my Mother. She left home early this morning to shop, so I was slightly hoping I'd catch her before heading off to school."
"Oh, yes, she was here," Hatanaka nodded with confirmation. "We had a bit of a run-in and decided to chat a bit."
"Really now?"
"Yes. Oh! Which reminds me," he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Your mother and I were discussing plans for summer break. She was going to ask you about it after school, but I guess I'll tell you. We're thinking that since you and Suichi get along so well that you and he could spend the summer together! What do you think?"
"But, Dad!" Suichi interrupted, his smile turning into a confused frown. Obviously, he wasn't around when this discussion occurred. "I thought I was staying with Hiroshi for the month! That's not fair, you said I could go!"
"Oh, yeah, that's right…" his father responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We'll talk about this later—when Shiori's here, too, okay you two?"
I chuckled lightly, responding with, "Very well," just as Suichi said, "Whatever…"
I glanced around and spotted a clock, reading 7:00. Turning back to the two, I sighed and told them, "I'm terribly sorry. Class will begin soon, and I have a tardy-free record to keep."
"Yes, of course, we understand," Hatanaka responded lightly.
"Mother said she might come visit your place later today. Perhaps I can convince her to see you after school hours?" I suggested thoughtfully.
"That works, we have nothing planned," he said with an agreeing nod.
"Very well, hopefully I will see you then." Smiling slightly, I turned and headed in the direction of my school.
~`*`~
"Summer vacation is coming up, kids!" Mrs. Miyuki told everyone with a smile. "Since there's only a few minutes left of class, and we've accomplished everything planned, why don't we share what we plan on doing? We won't be able to get to everyone, though, so let's try to get as many in as possible! Who'd like to go first?"
A few raised their hands and listed basically the same thing, some even sarcastic, like sleeping, eating, and playing video games. Then, the girl that went by Hirotoshi raised her hand… and I soon discovered that she's not all wooing and daydreaming like the others.
"Yes, Mr. Yamamoto? What are you doing over break?"
"I'll be busy trying to keep my younger brother and his friend, who's supposed to be staying over throughout the whole month, from screwing up my summer," she answered offhandedly.
That got a few laughs out of everyone, including myself. Mrs. Miyuki just gave her a stern glare, though you could see that it wasn't completely serious due to the spark of amusement twinkling in their depths, and went on asking other's what they were doing.
But, it was then that her answer started to sink in…
Suichi was to be staying at his friend's house. "Yamamoto" was having her brother's friend stay over. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a connection.
Turning around, I asked her quietly with interest, "You have a brother? I didn't know that."
"Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me, huh?" she retorted coolly. This caught me offguard, though it wasn't a disappointment. I was expecting a small blushing and stammering fit before getting some form of an answer out of her.
"Is he younger or older?" came my next question.
She gave me a strange look, raising one eyebrow smoothly before replying, "Younger. He's thirteen."
"What is his name?" I asked again, even more interest laced into my tone.
She looked at me for a moment, and seemed as if she were trying to decide whether or not to tell me. Finally, she shrugged and answered, "Hiroshi." I stared at her for a long moment.
Suichi was staying at his friend's, Hiroshi's, house.
Interesting.
"Your names are very similar," I decided to change tactic, a glint of amusement in my eyes. "Is there a reason why?"
"No reason," she responded after giving me another strange look. "My dad just likes names that start with "H", that's all. He says it rolls off the tongue better."
"Interesting concept," I mused quietly. I gave her a smile before turning back around to face forward once more before going through the details of our conversation in my head.
She has a younger brother named Hiroshi. There wasn't any fear or hesitation when mentioning her father, which probably meant that he's not the reason why she's acting like a male. She thinks over answers as if checking to see if there would be any information that would give her away.
What is she hiding?
Twisting my upper body to face her once more, I heard her sigh softly, shutting the book she had been trying to read and gave me her full attention.
"Yes, Suichi?" she prompted, tilting her head to the side.
I gave her a humorous smile before saying, "My mother is thinking of remarrying, you know."
"Really?" she asked, slightly surprised before turning back into suspicion. "Why are you telling me something like that?"
"Well, the man that she is seeing at the moment has a son, who is also thirteen. His name is Suichi as well. And it just so happens that he's planning on staying over at his friend's house… the friend's name is Hiroshi, too."
That got her attention, and she stared at me in surprise.
Pretending to ignore her reaction, I continued with a sigh. "There's a chance that I'll be staying with Suichi instead, but you never know. I just felt I ought to tell you, seeing as how the cases are so similar…"
And so she stared at me dumbly throughout the rest of the day, most likely processing the information over and over in her head.
~`*`~
Running smoothly, gracefully mauvering my body in-between others that crowded the school corridors, desperate to feel the summer's warmth and sunshine, I calmly whisked my way through the waves of students towards freedom.
The "Suichi Fan Club" decided they would run after me today, which meant I got to have fun loosing them with my stealth abilities.
Every once in a while, I'd glance over my shoulder to see if they were still with me, only to see girls carrying banners and picket signs overflowing with hearts and my name… or, my alias's name.
"Oh my god, he looked at me!" one squealed in delight, and I quickly whipped my head back around.
So persistent…
I led them to the park where I knew I'd find Hiei waiting for me. With a quick burst of speed, and a light tap of my foot, I jumped into the nearby tree, seemingly "disappearing" before their very eyes. Crouching with cat-like grace on the somewhat thin branch, I watched with amusement as their heads swiveled this way and that, trying to find out where I had gone.
They all crowded below me, the bundle stopping dead as their dumbfounded searched for their beloved Suichi continued.
I chuckled softly, so that they didn't detect the sound and figure out where I was. Then, I stood and jumped away lightly to the next tree, only leaving behind a slight swoosh as my weight unexpectedly left the lean branch. I continued doing so until I reached the large oak that Hiei usually perched himself in when awaiting my arrival.
Landing delicately, I murmured, "Hiei, I am here."
He appeared beside me on the smaller branch, his arms folded as usual across his chest, and his glaring eyes pinning mine. Then, he smirked.
"I pity you, Fox," he told me simply before stepping off the branch's flooring, landing with a light step onto the ground below. I landed beside him just as nimbly, thankful that he remembered my earlier predicament. The tree's thick trunk blocked us completely from the dedicated schoolgirls' gazes.
I turned to Hiei, and asked, "Shall we?"
Surprisingly, Hiei shook his head. "No. I've already gone to see him, and there's something you ought to know."
I raised my eyebrow, my lips appearing in a slight frown. "I thought we agreed we'd both see him after school hours."
"And we would have," Hiei assured me with a scoff, "had Koenma not called me himself."
That certainly made my frown deepen. "What did he want?" I prompted.
"Apologize," he demanded abruptly. I gave him a confused look and he repeated, "Apologize for thinking so lowly of me believing that I would go back on my word, Kurama."
I smiled softly before saying, "My sincerest apologies, Hiei. I will never doubt your word again."
He merely nodded in approval before continuing. "I'd rather not repeat something that you will hear again shortly. Yusuke and the buffoon are at his home, awaiting Koenma's arrival so that he can explain it to them personally."
"Why did he not call them down along with you?" I asked in puzzlement.
"That I cannot answer at the moment," came his mysterious response.
.:AN:.
o.O Hmmm, what's Hiei hiding, eh? Tell me what you think, I'm dying to know where I'm leading you! Give you a hint—it'll change the outcome of the story. Promise! (heh, not much of a hint, huh? Haha!) Anyways, I demand reviews! DEMAND, Y'HEAR? DEMAND! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Conscience: Payne, what did I tell you about going on-line while on a sugar high?
(sighs) "If you're going to update a story, make sure you warn the person whether or not you're on a sugar high, change your identity or make sure you're signed out of your account before you do something stupid so that the authorities know you have no connections to Conscience, and make sure you clarify the fact that you do not own dinosaurs that swim in Lake Eerie on Tuesdays."
Conscience: Good Payne. (pats head)
I thought it was ME that owned YOU?
Conscience: Silly, don't you know the pets own the owner?
(Payne merely blinks)
Conscience: No? I guess you also didn't know you're suppose to pamper me silly until I can no longer walk on my legs due to my bloated belly. Then you have to carry me.
THAT I know is a lie. Good bye! Hurry and review so that I can post and Conscience can stop being tortured!
Conscience: (turns to readers) You DEFINITELY don't want to be tickled to death! Oh, my aching stomach…
Sayonara!