Here's the next one. I don't own the song lyrics that are in it. It's also the end of part one. Enjoy.
With the radio low, the rental car continued towards Yamaguchi. Seiji had just finished his fourth cup of coffee as Nasuti and Touma were passed out in the back. He didn't have to heart to wake either one. It was well past midnight on New Year's Day and they were heading west to inform Shin's sister. It had been a couple of days since the fight and the snow stopped.
"Where are we?" Touma was heard.
"Nayoga."
"You drove that far? How long was I asleep?"
"A few hours."
"Are you drinking coffee?"
"It's my fourth cup."
"Holy Batman's underwear, the world's ending."
"I didn't want to wake either of you."
"That's okay then. I'll just cuddle next to your wife. She's warm and…"
"Stop Touma. Please."
"Right, no fun around Seiji."
"I never said that."
"No, but I had to drink bubbly apple juice instead of beer because you didn't want to go out. What a perfect way to start nineteen-ninety-four."
"We'll party when you have your wedding."
Touma snorted, "That's never going to happen."
Another hour went by. Seiji pulled over as the coffee hit him too hard. The replay of his conversation with Yayoi went through his head. Although he didn't want to tell her over the phone, she made him after he sounded like a wreck. Seiji had to give the phone to Nasuti as his sister started to cry a storm in his ear. He thought that telling the professional football team in Tokyo would be easier as there would be less tears. Seiji sighed. He and Touma still hadn't thought about a story to explain why their friends were 'missing.' And neither had any clue on how to find Ryo's father.
"Death better be a damn game of cards, simple and fun." Seiji told himself, after readjusting his shirt.
"Hey, the car isn't going to drive itself."
"And Touma's next." He growled, "You drive. I'm shaking from all the caffeine."
"Okie dokie." Touma said, jumping in the front.
Climbing in back, Seiji took advantage of the front seat being empty. He leaned back enough to stretch his legs into the front, which to Touma's amusement, decided to buckle the seat belt.
"So you feet don't fly away."
Seiji grunted. The car silent for minutes. Seiji slowly felt himself drift into sleep.
When he woke, the seat in front of him was shaking. As his ears and eyes started working better, he noticed that Touma was bouncing around in the driver's seat singing along with whatever was on the radio. He was also hitting the steering wheel hard.
"I smoked to joints before I smoke two joints and then I smoked some more."
"Touma, what the hell are you listening to?"
Touma laughed, "Sublime. This is a great tape. Carla bought it for my birthday."
Sitting up more, he noticed that Nasuti was trying to hide her guilt of dancing along.
"What did you eat?"
"Pixie sticks, a snickers bar, and a Coke." Touma smiled, "We're one hour from Yamaguchi and I'm all hyped up on sugar."
Seiji then noticed the sun was up. Touma must have sped most of the way for them to be outside of Yamaguchi.
"Do you have any music that doesn't mention drugs?"
"No fun, I forgot again." Touma said, "Nasuti, please put that tape in for Seiji."
"Denis Leary?"
"Yes."
Seiji gave Touma a look after the first song started.
"That's not any better."
"While handicapped people make handicapped faces." Touma purposely sang loud.
"Touma!" Seiji yelled, "Can you just turn the radio on?"
"Oh Seiji, he's just having fun."
"Yeah Seiji. I'm just having fun."
Seeing two sets of blue eyes pleading to listen to what Touma wanted, Seiji caved in, but on one condition.
"Touma, watch the road!"
"Right." He turned.
Standing outside the Mori residence, Seiji was clearing his head before having to go brake the news. Touma was spitting water out as a substitute for cleaning his teeth and breath, as Nasuti fixed her hair.
"Ready?" Seiji asked.
His two friends nodded. Taking the lead, Seiji headed towards the door and knocked. He heard some shuffling, before Sayoko opened the door.
"Hold on, I'll put him on." Sayoko gave Seiji a look, "It's for you? I wasn't aware you were coming."
"Hello?" Seiji asked.
"Seiji, don't leave the house."
"Shin? Aren't you supposed to be dead?... Yeah we just showed up to tell her that you died."
"What the hell is going on?" Touma asked from behind.
Sayoko only shrugged her shoulders. She let everyone in and waited for someone to explain.
"Yeah, I guess we'll see you and Ryo in a bit." Seiji then hung up the phone.
"This is going to be fun." Touma said with a grin, "They need to explain this one."
"What's going on?" Sayoko asked.
"Well, dear sister," Touma said, sitting next to her on the sofa, and putting an arm around her, "We came to tell you that your little brother died for the sake of humanity in an honorable but gory death."
"Shin died?"
"Two days ago." Touma continued with an awkward smile, "He was cut, stabbed and then beaten with stone. It was horrible. I had nightmares the first night and I got silly on bubbly apple juice last night to fall asleep until we got into the car."
"Shin was dead two days ago and you didn't call?"
Seiji sighed, "Yes, I thought it would have been better to come to you. Yayoi was in tears when I called her."
"I bet." Sayoko said, not sure on how to take it all, "So this day is officially weird. Let me go get Ryuusuke."
After she left the room Touma busted out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Seiji asked.
"It's so illogical that it somehow makes sense that those two would find a way back. This is a great topic for one of my classes."
It was a few hours before Ryo and Shin showed up. They first grabbed Shu, who had cried his eyes out after seeing them, and apologized for everything, even after hugging Shin too tight. After getting settled in, they began telling their odd story.
After Kayura found them, she immediately had spirits called to heal. Ryo's wounds were faster to heal, although he still felt pain in his chest. There were laughs about the deck of cards and the statues, and some disappointment about Donn.
"So you two sold your souls to the devil?" Seiji asked.
"He's not the devil. He made sure to let us know that." Ryo answered with a grin.
Nearing midnight, everyone but the siblings, were passed out around the house. Shin was playing with a fully awake Taro, who would not go to sleep, at the kitchen table. Sayoko was watching the two of them. She knew that her little brother knew the secret, but neither said anything about it. She tried, but Shin stopped her. He assured her that nothing changed about their relationship.
"Shin, I have something for you." Sayoko said, getting up, "Mom was the one to get everything together after you left for Somalia."
When she walked in, Taro had stuck his whole hand in Shin mouth. They both looked at her with shock and surprise before Taro laughed.
"Uncle Shin eated hand."
"He phut id in dere." Shin tried to say.
She smiled as she tossed the package on the table. Shin tried to reach for it, but Taro grabbed it first with his wet hand.
"Application for a school?" Shin said looking through it all.
"Not just any school, a culinary art school in Paris."
"Mom got this?"
"Yeah. She said that she didn't want you to work somewhere dangerous, and that included your superhero job. It's what, twice now you've died?" She was the only one in the family to know about the first time.
Shin nodded, "It is. The most I'll have to worry about is cutting a finger off."
"Shin."
"I'm teasing." He said and then continued to look through, "What do you think I should do?"
"Shin,"
"I'm serious. I've done a few things that I wanted to do and I leaving will leave you one less worker."
She sighed, "Shin, as much as I love for you to work here; you should do what you think you need to do. I remember you telling me the same thing before Ryuusuke and I got married. She also found a place that can help you learn the language before classes start in September."
"I'd have to leave in February." Shin said reading through said pamphlet.
"Yes." Sayoko said, "And I can always hire people to work here. There has to be some shy, sweet kid that can sit at the counter and read his books as customers look around."
"Yayoi won't like it."
"She does like it, actually." Sayoko laughed, "She thinks you should go for it. She told me to call you an idiot if you didn't go. It's something you can't miss out on."
"Mom even started the paperwork for staying in country." Shin smiled, "I can't let it go to waste."
"You'll go then?"
"Yes. I have to."
"Cook!" Taro yelled.
"Shh." Taro heard his mother say, which caused him to laugh.
"He's such a troublemaker already." She said yawning, "Let me try to get him to go to sleep."
"I can get it. You go to sleep."
"Alright, just don't let him stay up too late," she said getting up, "Or you'll deal with him tomorrow."
Shin nodded.
Giving him a kiss on the forehead, Sayoko said good night. For the rest of the night, Shin sat in Taro's room just talking to him. When Sayoko found them in the morning, they were still in the rocking chair. Taro's head was tucking under Shin's chin. Both were snoring; Taro's being short and cute and Shin's being loud and annoying. Grabbing her camera, Sayoko couldn't help but take a picture. It was the last picture she was able to take before Shin left for Europe weeks later.