Beta: DimiComi
Summary: SIOC fic. What happens when an SI is reborn as the younger sister of Akai Shuuichi and Haneda Shuukichi and the older sister of Sera Masumi? Two-shots. Spoilers Episode 1018 and Chapter 1037. If you're not updated on the anime or manga, read at your own risk.
XOXOXOXO
It was my fifteenth birthday that started the spontaneous beach visit. I'd completely forgotten about this episode in the series until Mary said that Shuuichi was coming to Japan from New York for a visit.
I didn't want to mess up the Akai-Kudo family meeting at the beach, so I didn't interfere. When Mary asked us which beach we wanted to go to, I told her that wherever was fine as long as I got to bring two huge parasols. I did drag Shuukichi to the department store to buy bathing suits for us, though. This was my first time going to the beach, previous life and current.
I want to emphasize Mary's chest, as it's all Masumi could talk about in the series. Instead of the white two-piece she wore in the anime, I found this red, low-cut one-piece that guaranteed to show her cleavage. I got a cute blue tankini for Masumi and a pink two-piece halter for me. I grabbed a beach ball and a plastic pail and shovel set along with other toys that Masumi might appreciate.
"What about this?" I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at my stupid brother as he showed me a white brief swimwear with a red dot on the front.
"I grabbed a board short for you. Please don't embarrass the family again."
He followed me around the store grudgingly after that.
XOXOXOXO
I sighed in resignation as my mother and eldest brother fought it out in the corridor. I just broke the news that he got an offer to join the FBI after he graduated.
Shuuichi left for New York a few months after arriving in Japan. I don't know how or where he lived while attending school, and he never told us. He only said that he was now staying with a friend and has a part time job.
I went back to my room and called room service to request ice. Both of them needed it for their eyes. Then I went down to the beach. I hadn't had breakfast yet, so I went straight to the stalls to buy food. The yelling at the Yakisoba caught my attention. Beach, Yakisoba stall and yelling. I don't know why I suddenly felt like the whole situation was familiar. I went to investigate.
Honestly, I didn't recognise him at first. I only knew when the kid shouted, "Kudo Shinichi, future detective and Holmes' Apprentice!" to the crowd's surprise and amusement. He was making a scene and blatantly exposing the group of men for planting a fly on their dish to avoid paying.
"That kid will get himself killed early," I muttered to myself. The owner angrily threw the group out of the restaurant after getting payment. I knelt down to level myself to Shinichi's height, sporting a worried look.
"Hey, kid," I said. He turned to me as his smug smile now replaced with a wary look. "I know that you're a smart kid, but going against three grown adults, no matter how stupid they are, is even stupider."
"Who are you?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Shinichi!" a small girl admonished him. "Don't be rude!"
"No, it's okay." I smiled at her. "Are you guys with someone?"
"Shinichi's mom and dad are with us, but he ran towards the beach without telling his mom," the little girl said, who I assumed was Ran. "I followed him because he got lost yesterday."
Blushing, Shinichi exclaimed, "I didn't get lost! I forgot the way back to the hotel!"
"That's the same thing as getting lost, stupid!"
"Ok, ok, calm down," I hid a smile. "Do you know your way back to the hotel?"
They both blushed in embarrassment. How cute! "Well, why don't you join me in the meantime? My younger sister looks to be the same age as you and she's looking for kids to play with. I bought toys for her to use during this trip. You three can play together."
"Sure!" Ran piped up.
"Great! I just have to buy food and we can all go together. Sounds good? I'm Masami, by the way."
"I'm Ran!" she bounced. Honestly, she could call herself Bugs Bunny for all I cared. That fringe looks cute compared to how Gosho drew her.
"Shinichi." Shinichi introduced himself half-heartedly.
"I know," I smiled. "I also heard you're Holmes' Apprentice?"
I giggled at his embarrassed expression.
I got six servings of Yakisoba and a plate of chips for Masumi. I know she's going to do her "Chip's Face" just to elicit a smile or a laugh from Shuuichi.
I found them immediately. Shuuichi was lounging on the chair talking to Shuukichi and Masumi.
"Why don't we get some Yakisoba?" I heard Shuukichi said to Masumi.
"Okay!" Masumi chirped.
"No need," I said. I presented them with the bag of Yakisoba. "I bought enough for all of us."
"Whoa, thanks, Sami-chan!" Shuukichi exclaimed. "There's even chips for you Masumi!"
"Arigato, nee-chan!"
"No worries," I smile, gesturing to the kids. "By the way, this is Shinichi and Ran. Why don't you guys play?"
They bonded after that, over yakisoba and chips of all things. Beach toys were neglected for now.
"Masami," Shuuichi greeted me. I sat down beside him with two plates of Yakisoba. He took one but didn't eat it. Instead, he kept his criticizing eyes on me. "Should you be wearing such a thing?"
I glanced down. My pink halter top covered me except for my stomach. I bought pink shorts to wear instead of the bikini bottoms it was originally paired with at the store. I'm proud to say that I also inherited my mother's healthy bosom. Mine looked fully developed compared to my previous life. I was barely an A cup back then. So yeah, I get to wear cute tops to show off. But my boobs were fully covered, not even on display. Since it was hot, I had my long strawberry blonde hair on a braided ponytail high up my head. I also had my sunnies on, as it was so bright.
"Would you rather I wear the G-string it came with?" I took a bite of the Yakisoba and Shuuichi's frown deepened. "I'm joking! Look, I have a caftan." I pointed at the sheer white caftan hanging from my chair.
"I meant your stomach." He looked around and glared at the people looking at our direction. "You're catching the attention of perverted boys."
I rolled my eyes and chucked a noodle at him. He caught it with two fingers.
"It's the beach." I deadpanned. "And other girls are wearing bikinis. Their stomachs are also exposed. Don't ruin my fun, it's my birthday." Stupid overprotective brother!
He blinked. He sat up straight and took off his glasses. "I forgot, I'm sorry. Happy Birthday."
"Hmph! You didn't show your face for seven years. You didn't even call me. Just an occasional call to mom to let her know you're still alive. You don't get to just tell me happy birthday." I scolded, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I'm expecting seven years' worth of birthday presents."
He grunted and returned to his lounging.
"Boo!"
I almost spilled my plate of yakisoba while Shuuichi kept his composure. Annoying older brother!
"Shuukichi, how can you let her do that?" Shuuichi calmly said. I looked up and saw Masumi on top of the parasol, along with Ran. "It's dangerous."
I admit, I panicked a little bit. Masumi and Ran may be small and light, but I didn't think the parasol could withstand their combined weight, especially since they were both near the edge. I immediately stood up and grabbed Masumi while Shuukichi grabbed Ran. I looked around and saw Shinichi standing at the base of the parasol, holding the metal rod as if his own weight could support two girls on top. I rolled my eyes.
"Sorry," Shuukichi said sheepishly. "Masumi said that she wanted to go on top of the parasol."
"Masumi," I scolded. I let her down as Shuukichi did the same for Ran. "Just because you're small doesn't mean it's safe for you to go up to high places. Especially the parasol. You're lucky you didn't fall." Both girls ducked their heads in shame. "And making Ran do it too…both of you could've been hurt!"
"We're sorry…"
"Go play somewhere else," I shooed them towards the water, then grabbed my handbag to look for the sunscreen bottle. "Wait, did you apply sunscreen?"
"You haven't changed," Shuuichi said. "You still act like a mom."
"And mother said that she wants you to be a father figure to Masumi," I said as I finished applying sunscreen on Masumi, Ran and Shinichi. Shinichi tried to get away, but I placed him on a headlock as I quickly applied the lotion on his back. The three kids went running towards the water once I finished.
"By the way, where's Mom?" Shuukichi asked, looking around. "I thought you came here together after your talk."
"He and Mom got into an argument in the hotel lobby," I snickered. "Nice shiner, by the way."
He gave me an annoyed look and pointed at his black eye.
"I wouldn't have gotten this if you hadn't told her. She got me with a chop. Just look at this." Shuukichi frowned in concern. "I got a few hits in, though. She's probably icing them right now."
"You're the one who needs to cool his head." We all turned to see Mother walking towards us, both hands on her hips. I hid a smile.
She looked annoyed. I wasn't sure if it was because of what Shuuichi said or the group of men following her. Instead of the white button shirt she wore in the series, she wore the sheer red caftan I bought for her. But the caftan didn't cover up her bursting chest. Her boobs were almost spilling out of the swimwear I'd chosen.
"I let you study abroad because you said you wanted to study in America, but now I heard you actually went to investigate the truth behind your father's case?"
"And on top of that," I added cheerfully, ignoring my older brother's glower, "you're joining the FBI when you graduate."
"You're like a child enthralled by the god of death!" Mom finished.
"I still don't know how you knew about me joining the FBI.I never said anything about it on the phone. I didn't even call you once," he said to me before turning to Mary. "I already have a green card and US citizenship. All I need now is three years of work experience and to pass the written and physical tests. I did struggle to get my driver's license since I couldn't get used to driving on the right side of the road. In England and here, they drive on the left."
He shrugged and laid back down with his arms crossed behind his back.
"When did you start driving on the left side?" I interjected. "You were fifteen when we left England and you left for America a few months after." I narrowed my eyes at him as I saw Shuukichi sweating bullets. "Did you try driving a car as a minor, nii-sama?"
"What about your living expenses?" Mary interrupted. "Do you really expect me to send money to someone who'd say something stupid?"
"No worries," said Shuuichi, still unfazed and keeping his eyes trained towards the water. "I found a pretty decent job. I'll survive until I can enter the FBI."
"Unbelievable," Mom sighed, exasperated. "I invited you to the beach on your sister's birthday, so you'd come home. I hope looking at the peaceful scenery helps you cool your head and remember what your father said before sending us to this safe country."
I want to add that it was not actually a safe country, as the organization that Father became involved with was actually prominently active in Japan. But I couldn't say that without making Mom and Shuuichi suspicious.
XOXOXOXO
Shuukichi left to find something cold, and probably because he didn't want to be involved in the argument. Shuuichi and I were left relaxing under the parasol when Masumi came back with her face filled with chips.
"You have salt all over your face," I admonished her, fishing a wet wipe from my bag. "Honestly, you're a girl. You shouldn't be reckless and act undignified."
"Sorry…"
"Oh, is that a popular joke in England?"
I was expecting Yukiko to appear at this moment. Mary snapped her face towards the woman clad in pink, wearing sunglasses and a bucket hat. "You're from England, aren't you?" she asked.
Mary only narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Yukiko and didn't say anything.
"In Japan, we call sliced and fried potatoes covered in salt 'fried potatoes.'" Yukiko said with a matter-of-fact tone, smiling. "In America, they call them 'French fries.' Since you call them chips, I thought you were from England, the land of the fish and chips. Anyway, have you seen my son? He's a boy wearing green swim trunks. He should be with a girl around his age."
"No," Mary answered stiffly.
"What are their names?" I asked.
"My son is named Shinichi. The girl with him is Ran."
"Ah," I gestured to Masami. "They were playing with my little sister earlier. Do you know where they are, Masumi?"
"Ran said that she wanted to go to the toilet and Shinichi went with her," she told Yukiko.
"I see, thank you and sorry to bother you!" she waved at us goodbye. "Sheesh, what is that boy doing?"
XOXOXOXO
"It's totally obvious–"
And there I was nervous that Shinichi wouldn't do his detective tirade. I turned around looking at the boy pointing at Shuuichi. Shuuichi, in turn, was so startled that he sat up to look at the boy with wide eyes.
"-that you're a Pierrot!"
I immediately shoved my knuckles to my lips to hide a grin.
"I was listening to your conversation." Shinichi explained further. "You travel to all kinds of countries, right? As far as I know, the only people who do that are circus workers. And when I saw your left hand, I knew exactly what you were. I saw the mark on the back of your left wrist. It's common among people who play the accordion. Dad said that since they press the buttons while inflating and deflating the instrument, the belt leaves the mark on their wrists. Clowns play the accordion during circus shows all the time. And there are all kinds of clowns at the circus, but the only one among them that wears tear makeup are Pierrots. You still have some of that makeup under your left eye. You probably forgot to wipe them off since you were in a hurry to come to the beach, but you can't fool me! This uncle is a Pierrot! Am I wrong?"
Uncle? I glanced at Shuuichi. He didn't look offended at all but burst into laughter. Masami stared in amazement at Shuuichi as I joined in the laughter with Shuukichi.
"How rude," I said, but still laughing. "Are you saying that I'm a clown, too?"
"What?" Shinichi stumbled. "No! He's the clown!"
"From what you said, everyone who wears makeup is a clown," I said, pointing at my face. I had on concealer, mascara, and a tinted lip gloss. "And I assume your mom wears makeup too. So does that make her a clown, too?"
"Oh, right."
"I've been to three countries, but I've never been part of the circus," Shuuichi smiled.
"Really?"
"Plus, from what you said," Shuuichi explained further, now crouching down in front of Shinichi. "Anyone who travels the world is automatically part of the circus. I'm impressed that you noticed this mark left by the accordion, but I got this playing requests for customers at a bar. I make good money doing it. And this mark under my left eye isn't makeup-"
"It's a black eye he got from our violent mother!" I said cheerfully.
"You really-"
He never got to finish as there was a loud bang. Next thing we knew, there was a car nose-diving towards the water.
Pandemonium ensued. The people swimming in the water all hurried out of the way to avoid the crash when the car hit the water. I fished my phone from the bag and followed Shuuichi, who was already running towards the scene.
"Shuukichi, don't let the kids near!" I shouted at him as I dialled the emergency number. I had to call the ambulance, even though I knew that the driver was already dead with a broken neck. I told the agent on the other line what happened and waited for Shuuichi to surface.
It took him two minutes to appear. He was supporting the man on one side with a brown bag around his body. I gave the phone to Yukiko, who had appeared behind me. "Talk to the officer while I help my brother." She nodded and shoved the phone to her ear.
To keep up pretences, I went to the other side of the man and helped Shuuichi carry him to shore.
"He's back!" Ran exclaimed.
"Onii-chan!" Masumi cheered.
"Give us space, everyone! Nii-sama, lay him on the ground." I saw Shuukichi grab Masumi and Mary take Ran, while Yukiko, still on the phone with the emergency hotline, grabbed Shinichi away from the man. I saw one lifeguard yelling at the crowd while several others directed people away from the scene.
Shinichi ran over holding Shuuichi's cap. "Will he survive?"
I checked his breathing and his pulse. The first thing I noticed was the red bump on his forehead, but to my surprise, his neck wasn't broken as I'd expected. Crook or not-
"He's not dying on my watch." I announced. I yanked his shirt open, the buttons on his shirt flying away. "Someone get a dry towel and tell a lifeguard to get a defib!"
I didn't even notice that I yelled in English. I knelt on the man's side and checked his mouth. Nothing was obscuring his airway, but no pulse and no breathing. I started chest compressions while Shuuichi got ready to put air in the man's lungs. We worked in tandem until I felt a pulse on his neck. It took another three sets of chest compressions before I saw the unconscious man breathing. I placed him in the recovery position when two lifeguards came with a med kit and a spine board. Before they could yell at me, I said, "No need for the defib, he's breathing but it's shallow. Pulse is still a bit weak. Judging from the water still flowing from the man's mouth, he swallowed a lot of water." They looked on in amazement, including Shuuichi. "We did six sets of chest compressions before we got the pulse and breathing back. I don't see any injuries except for his forehead. He must have hit either the dashboard or the steering wheel upon impact."
I looked at Shuuichi for confirmation.
"Steering wheel," he nodded. "He was the driver."
"Old car?" I asked. He nodded again. "If he hit his head on the steering wheel, there must be no air bag. Or the air bag wasn't working."
The lifeguards took over but before they could tell me to go away, I grabbed the neck support and snapped it in place on the man's neck.
"Thank you," they said. They packed up and drove the unconscious man away.
"Wow!" Shinichi and Ran exclaimed in awe.
"Nee-chan!" Masumi called. "That was awesome! You're like a hero!"
I blushed when I realized I didn't just have the awe of three kids but the crowd as well. Everyone around broke into applause. Some guys even yelled that they wanted to be rescued by me. Shuukichi and Shuuichi shot them a dark glare.
"Indeed, it was a spectacular save!" Yukiko praised, giving me my phone.
"It was nothing," I said. "I did what I was trained to do."
It was true. I was fully trained for CPR in my previous life as well as this one. Shuuichi's presence helped me focus and do the chest compressions correctly. I'd even forgotten that I was resuscitating a criminal.
"What's in the bag?" I said, trying to divert people's attention.
"Clues to determine the man's identity," Shuuichi answered. He turned to the three kids, facing Shinichi first. "I need you to do something for me. Remember the swimsuit shop at the beach hut? Ask if any soaking wet customers came to buy t-shirts, swimsuits, or sandals after the car fell into the water. There was another passenger in the car who escaped and blended in with the crowd. Think you can do it, Holmes' Apprentice?"
"Yes, of course!" said Shinichi. He handed Shuuichi his cap and ran towards the beach hut.
"What about me?" Masumi asked. "What should I do?"
"Let us help, Uncle!" Ran begged.
"Hmm," said Shuuichi, unfazed at being called Uncle. "Tell the man at the parking lot to stop anyone wearing wet clothes from leaving. They could be the missing passenger with the drowned man. Can you do that?"
"Yeah!" yelled Ran and Masumi before running towards the exit.
"I already called the police," I announced. "Well, I called the emergency hotline when you jumped into the water and gave the phone to Yu- er, what's your name again?"
"Ah, sorry about that. My name is Kudo Yukiko."
"Not the actress?" I asked in awe. "The one who married Kudo Yusaku, the mystery novelist?!"
"Er, guilty as charged," she smiled, blushing. "Yusaku is in our hotel room, writing his novel until dinner. I tried to make him join us. Are you a fan of my husband?"
Before going to their room, I stopped by mine and Shuukichi's room to grab my manuscript. I left Shuuichi to deal with the case, as I knew he could solve it easily. It seemed that Shinichi was enjoying himself being Holmes' Apprentice. I went to the hotel with Yukiko, leaving Shinichi behind but taking Ran with us.
XOXOXOXO
I learned earlier that the Lord of the Rings novels were definitely published here but they didn't have the same hype as they had in my previous life. The author died before the second instalment was even published. His son tried to finish the novel, but readers weren't really interested. A year later, I learned that Joanne Rowling was killed during a train accident. It was after school that I saw the news on the telly. I was beyond speechless when I saw her name among the people that were killed. I tried to get more information about the accident, even asking Mary to investigate for me, though I'd forgotten that she never told us what she does for a living. She asked for a favour from one of her colleagues to investigate as well. We found out that there was only one children's book under her name, and it wasn't even Harry Potter related.
Every year, she would buy me several notebooks for my birthday to write my stories on, and every year, I'd fill it to the brim. This year, Mary bought me a computer as an upgrade. I didn't leave my room that weekend and just typed away.
I finished the whole of Philosopher's Stone in one weekend. Two whole days. It wasn't perfect, of course. I wrote what I remembered, with grammatical errors and all. I emerged from my room looking haggard- with unkempt hair and bags under red eyes. Shuukichi thought it was boys related. I had to stop him from pouncing on the boys I knew from school.
I managed to edit it into a novel-length file before printing it and hiding it behind my closet. I had second thoughts on publishing it as it was technically not my work. I didn't know what I was thinking when I brought it to Kudo Yusaku's attention that afternoon.
I couldn't really form the words to explain myself, so I shoved the manuscript into his hands and hid behind Yukiko. He blinked suspiciously but opened the flap and started reading.
"How is it?" Yukiko asked after thirty minutes.
I couldn't hide my red face fast enough before Yusaku bombarded me with questions and praise.
He agreed to mentor me and help me publish my first novel.
Apparently Yukiko figuring out that we were English made Mary decide for us to go back to England. It took a lot of urging but I managed to convince Mary to let me stay in Japan. Shuukichi refused to go because he only had one year of high school to finish before he could start his apprenticeship with a renowned Shogi player that Haneda Yasuharu recommended. Shuuichi was adamant on finishing his studies in America and joining the FBI. Mary couldn't stop her two oldest kids, so she tried to intimidate me into coming back to England with her and Masumi, but I put my foot down.
The issue about where I should live came up and Yukiko immediately offered to take me in. Mary recently enrolled Shuukichi and I at Teitan so it wasn't a long commute. Yusaku even offered for Shuukichi to live in their house until he graduated, and then he was off to Osaka for his apprenticeship. Not to mention that, in the short time Yukiko got to know me, we immediately warmed up to each other. She said something about having a daughter at last.
"I'm prepared to babysit Shinichi just so I can stay in Japan, "I said stubbornly.
Staying with the Kudo family was a good idea. Not only because I would be closer to Shinichi and would be able to help him with future cases, but I also wanted Yusaku to be my mentor. Our genre preferences were different, but he was still a novelist.