Summer Snow
curiouzkatt: I'm having fun! - Note: from now on, no more comments on the end of the chapter… I kinda find it distracting…. - just tell me if it's okay with you… I usually have nothing to say in the last part anyway…
Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki….. oh the humanity!
Chapter Five: And So It Begins
Mili sighed as their Miss Mala ranted about Fiction and Non-Fictoin. It was Friday afternoon already and, as she recalled, the week was anything but boring. She brought out her pen and started to write.
"THE WEEK GOKU WENT TO LION MANE"
She paused and looked at the title. No… she crossed it out and scribbled something shorter.
THE WEEK OF CHAOS
Monday:
Philosophy class
Genjo Sanzo, our new teacher and adviser. Well, I have to admit, for a trigger-happy monk, he can handle a class pretty well – he just sends people to detention too much.
Gym class
Another obstacle course… and who else can take it on aside from, Linlin? Goku. Our coach was actually crying! Weird guy…
Science class
No one can quite say what Goku's stomach is made out of. Either that it's an unknown metal, or it has a chemical with higher acidity. Whatever it is, it completely neutralized the chemical he drank.
Tuesday:
First thing that morning, our 'beloved' principal made an announcement. Although she really didn't have to. "Good morning, students and staff of Lion Mane… the cafeteria as you all know, will be closed until further notice.. we have no idea until when, but it is advisable that everyone should bring their own lunch… that is all.." Maybe she should've just gotten straight to the point and said: From now on, the cafeteria will be known as: "Goku's Lunch Box."
When the principal's announcement was over everyone in the room looked at Goku who just blinked back at us.
"What?"
Gym Class
"Okay everyone!" the coach called out as we came onto the field. "I hope you reviewed on the basics of archery for we will be applying them today!" Gee, like we didn't see that coming.
"This coach is crazy!" Linlin hissed. "I strongly doubt that this is part of the curriculum!"
"It's not…" I answered. "He just want to see how Goku does in this field…"
"Now, Goku…" the coach said, and handed Goku a bow and arrow. "You try it first…"
Goku took the items, stared at them blankly and looked up at the coach. "But…"
I had a feeling that Goku had no idea what to do… But of course, the coach insisted.
"It's okay to be nervous…" the coach smiled encouragingly at him. "Go ahead…" The coach walked away, to go to the sidelines.
I saw Goku sigh. "If you say so…" he fumbled with the arrow and stringed it onto the bow. ":Let's see…' before he could aim properly, the arrow slipped out of his hand, hit the metal post, ricocheted onto the field fence and hit home – on the coach's behind. Goku cringed. "Ooops…"
The coach slowly turned around and faced us. His expression was an indescribable mask of shock as he opened his mouth to speak. "Ouch.."
He passed out after that.. and we had a break for the rest of the period. The bad news, he was brought to a hospital.. the good news, we won't be having crazy gym activities for a while.
Science class
"Okay, class, continue your experiment from yesterday…" our teacher began. "And additional instruction…" at some point, I knew what she was going to say… "Keep your chemicals away from Goku"
Wednesday:
Science class
"Today, each group will be assigned a lab mouse to take care of…" the teacher looked around, and seemed satisfied that Goku was behaving quite well. "Well, you will be dissecting them later on, but right now, you must show me that you can take care of them first. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am!" we answered in unison and the teacher started to hand out lab mice.
Goku stared at the little creature on his hand. I knew we were in for another show. "Wai! It's so cute!" he exclaimed, jumped up and down, accidentally elbowed our teacher and all the mice got loose. Need I say more?
As a result, Goku extended his detention to a length of a month….
Thursday:
Philosophy class
Sanzo was explaining to us a great philosophy when he suddenly hit the blackboard with his hand. I looked at the direction of his glare. "Your conversation must be very interesting…" he said icily. "Please…. Do share it with the class…"
Maria hesitated to stand up at that moment. At least someone can make her shut up… "We were just arguing on how to play mah-jongg…" I was expecting Sanzo-senpai to get mad, but instead, he took his chalk and wrote the details on how to play… and how to win.
The principal scolded him, but forgave him since she liked him. (Note: the moment everyone wanted to hurl.)
And finally… Friday:
Gym class
Our coach faced 3-A, with a limping stride. He handed Goku a pair of boxing gloves. "You may be bad at archery, but you could be good at boxing in the least…" he said and winced again… his butt still hurt I bet. He signaled to a boy to be Goku's sparring partner. "Harlequin!" Miles, Maria's seemingly twin at school… they were quite similar in attitude – mean and bossy. We watched as they went to the center of the ring, each prepared.
"You get too much attention," Miles said. "You're destroying our image around here…well, at least mine…" Without warning, he struck, but Goku didn't even budge. Seconds later, Miles was jumping around the ring, yelling in pain. "What the hell is his face made out of? Steel? Owww… I want my mommy!" Everyone was laughing at this… Miles' downfall was much awaited by most of the boys… Although Goku didn't do anything wrong, he was sent to the corner and made to do the basics.
Science class
"Okay, we're supposed to experiment using the laws of Projectile Motion.." our leader said. "We have to try and see whose throw has the longest distance." We were out on the field again and I looked around for Goku. Where was he? I saw their group a distance away, and Maria handed him a stone to throw – genius needed to figure out what happened to the stone….
Math class
"Goku! Wake up!" the teacher was practically yelling into Goku's ear. We could've told her that Goku was unwakeable, but she wouldn't have listened anyway. "This is the basics I'm trying to teach here! Basics!"
Goku sat up and looked at our teacher with sleepy eyes. Most of us mumbled our uh-oh's. "Basics…."
Detention status: extended to two months.
"You forgot to put there that he ate our lunches yesterday 'coz he was starving," Mayumi said, peering over Mili's shoulder.
"Oh, right!" Mili added it in her notebook, Scribbling away.
Linlin watched the two and sighed… they seemed to be enjoying all these mishaps her "cousin" was causing…
"Okay, assignment!" yelled Miss Mala. Linlin looked around the class. No one was quite eager to listen. "Write a five-page essay of your own opinion about marine life."
"What for?" some asked in unison. "Shouldn't that be in science?"
"I just want to test your writing skills," the teacher answered. "That's why we're going on a field trip to Aqua World tomorrow!"
Goku blinked. "Aqua World?"
"You haven't heard of it?" his seatmate asked. "It's one of the coolest marine institutes in the world!"
"Honto? Do they have food there?" Goku wanted to know. When his seatmate nodded, he cheered with the rest of the class. Wherever food was involved, he was there.
Sanzo sported his paper fan as he went up front and lagged behind to check on the whole 'unruly bunch of idiots' of the third year. Unfortunately, his reputation spread quickly and deadly that wherever he went, students fell silent at once. He might as well keep it already. It wasn't long until he spotted Goku lagging behind, trying every food in the booths.
WHACK!
"Itai!' Goku looked at Sanzo. "Mou, I almost choked on my food!"
"You'd be choking on something bigger than that if you don't shut up and go with the tour." Sanzo finally kept his fan, with the satisfaction it had hit someone that day.
"Get out of here!"
Mili looked around, was she hearing things again? Ever since they got inside Aqua World, someone seemed to be warning her – or toying with her. Even the fishes were acting weird…. They kept banging themselves on the glass, as if trying to scare them away.
"Not safe!"
"Go away!"
BOG!
Mili jumped. The small killer whale was staring at her – no – looking at her with alarmed eyes. What was going on? She tugged at her pigtails nervously.
BOG!
"Run away!"
She backed away from the tank. She was definitely freaked out. A sudden weight on her shoulder made her jump up and give a shrill yell.
"Whoa!" Linlin held her arms up in mock surrender. "What's gotten into you?" She put a hand over her friend's forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever.."
BOG! BOG BOG!
"Something's wrong with the fishes!" Mayumi called out, running to her two friends. "I think we need to tell the people in charge.."
"Whoo! Do piranhas act that way? Wicked!" Linlin turned around and found some boys watching a group of piranhas hitting the glass of their tank with their heads. She then spotted Goku running up to them.
"Goku! Where have you been?" Mayumi asked, sounding so much like Hakkai.
"Let me guess…" Linlin began. "Food?" When the boy nodded, she smirked. They had to catch up with the rest of the class.
Before the thought could be finished, a loud moaning sound came from the tank a few feet from them. Cracks started to form on its glass, and finally burst open. The water carried them further away from the group. Alarms started to blare as yells of confusion echoed throughout the place.
"Is everyone okay?" Goku asked, getting to his feet. The sound of the alarms was a little deafening. He looked around and found the boys who had lagged behind helping the others up and on their feet.
"Yeah… we just have fish guts on us…." One of the boys answered… "Was this the white shark? Oh our poor baby!"
"Help!"
Mili looked around. She found an angel fish flopping helplessly on the wet floor. She took pity on it and scooped it up in her hands. The only problem then was, she didn't have a place to put it.
"Here.." she looked up and realized that it was one of the boys watching the piranhas earlier. He handed her a small plastic with water in it.
"Thanks," Mili quickly placed the fish in the water. She could tell that the little thing was grateful. She looked back up at the boy. "Um, why did you… how did you…. Who…" she stopped. She wasn't sure what to ask first.
The boy smiled at her. "We were kind of saving the bag if ever they'd let us have any fish we liked…" the boy laughed sheepishly. "My name's Rikku by the way.. it's a nickname.. me and my friends all have nicknames." He waved to the other five boys. "Hey guys! Get over here!"
Linlin was already up and picked the seaweed off her short hair in disgust. She looked on as the boys lined up in front of her friend.
"Do we have to…" the one with the purple hair muttered. He didn't seem happy. "This is embarrassing.."
"Come on, Vincent.. just this one last time?" Rikku begged. With that, the six started to introduce themselves.
"Rikku!" the boy aid once again, grinning at Mili.
"Otaku!" the next one said, running a hand through his orange hair.
"Yuri…" mumbled the blond, looking bored.
"Genjo!" the one with green hair said, bringing out his small video camera.
"Blue!" the boy said with pure genkiness.
"Vincent.." mumbled the last, truly annoyed.
"All of them bowed and Rikku started again. "But we're also known as the Rainbow Brothers!"
Goku, Linlin, Mayumi and Mili sweatdropped. "You're joking…"
"Unfortunately, he's not…" Vincent said, scowling at his friend darkly. "And to top it off, our mothers think it's a 'swell' idea… That's why even our hair is color-coded."
"I see what you mean," Linlin nodded.
Before any of them could register what exactly was happening, a low rumbling sound accompanied the sound of the alarms and soon, the ceiling above the tank that had exploded gave way. Goku ran up to the rubble to see if they could get through. But it was too thick and some live wires had made contact with the water on the other side. He turned to the others. "We have to go back."
As if on cue, a tank several feet i behind /i them exploded, drenching them with more water. Linlin helped Mayumi get on her feet and surveyed their other option. The wall didn't give way alright… but now, there was a large hole between them and the exit. "Goku, do we any other options?"
"How about give up and die?"
Goku's senses were at the alert. He brought out his nyoibo as ninjas started to emerge from the shadows. He glanced back to the others who had huddled up together. "Stay back!" Linlin took a loose pipe nearby. "You too, Linlin."
Linlin stepped forward and assumed a sword-fighting stance. "I can fight too you know." The live wires in the former fish-filled tanks sparked now and then, as if to add gloom on their present situation. The brothers, as if ordered, took charge of guarding Mili and Mayumi with Genjo recording everything with his video cam.
The ninjas attacked first, and both Linlin and Goku were on the defense. Goku finally managed a break and kicked five ninjas at once. Linlin followed suit and swung her weapon left and right, taking out two more. She thrust her weapon at the ninja's stomach, sending him flying, hitting three others and fell down the chasm. "Six down!" she called out.
"Eleven!" Goku yelled, taking out one more, unintentionally, sending it near the others who immediately tied it up. "Twelve!"
Linlin mentally noted that she would never match up to Goku, but a part of her didn't like to be beaten. She performed a combo of kicks, roundhouse with back kick, taking out another three. "Ten!" She advanced towards another, hitting the solar plexus.
"Eleven!"
"Twenty!" Goku called out. Linlin stopped and smiled. "I give up, Goku! I'll never catch up to that number!" As she said this, she hit another right on the face with a back-fist attack. "I think I'll stick with twelve…"
In the corner, Mayumi and Mili saw Linlin's smile and her new attitude. They looked at each other.
One of the ninja's attempted an attack at the brothers, but ended up in the chasm. They all looked at Vincent who was dusting off his hands from mock dirt.
"What?"
"Nothing."
A shrill whistle announced a call from their leader. "RETREAT!" he called out, and one by one, the ninjas disappeared.
"Wait!" called out the tied up ninja. "What about me?"
The boys laughed at the ninja's demise and gave way for Goku and Linlin.
"Who sent you?" Linlin asked, pointing the end of the pipe at him. The ninja wouldn't answer. He just glared at them. "Cat cut your tongue?" She glanced at the boys who were all grinning in a way that made the ninja's blood run cold. "Would you like to do the honors?"
The boys cracked their knuckles and advanced at the tied ninja. Who cowered fearfully. "You killed our favorite fishes!"
"No! Not the face! Not the face!" he yelled, but it only made the boys grin wider.
Jei and Haku ran to the site and spotted their Philosophy teacher by the group of shaken third year students. He was obviously asked to guard them. They ran up to him. "Sensei! What happened here?"
"Two fish tanks blew up," Sanzo explained, lighting a cigarette. "Some of my pupils are still inside…. They're working on a way to get to them as we speak."
Haku brought out a notebook. "Who are the students stuck inside?' he was poised to take down names.
"Ch! Is that necessary?" Sanzo asked. "I don't even know all of my pupils yet…." He took a good look at Haku. He was shocked to see that this boy looked so much like Goku. Except for the eyes. This boy had dark blue eyes. He regained his composure. "But I'm positive that my ward Goku is in there with Linlin Kazuya and her friends. I'd say there are about ten of them inside."
"Thank you sensei…" Haku said, giving him a similar look that Goku usually has. He watched as the boy caught up with his partner. He can't help but think that the kid was Goku.
"Forensics are on the way to study the cause of this whole incident," Haku heard Mr. Murikawa say. He instinctively looked at the rubble to his right as the rescue team worked on making a passage. They were planning on shutting down the power and manually remove the stones. He could feel Goku's presence on the other side. "But I have a gut feeling that they won't find anything again."
Five of the boys stepped back and laughed at their handiwork. Vincent didn't join in his friends' art project. They had beaten the ninja to almost a pulp, and decorated him with seaweeds.
Goku stepped forward. "Are you ready to talk now?" he asked, sniggering. The ninja mumbled something inaudible. "What?"
"Kusanagi… Hitome…." he said a little bit louder. The name had struck something in Linlin's memory. She grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him.
"Where is she? What does she want this time!" Linlin demanded to know, still shaking him. The ninja was grinning this time.
"She wants you dead!" he yelled, laughing maniacally. Linlin stepped back as cold fear settled in her stomach. Without warning, the ninja started to burn. He screamed in pure pain. "I sacrifice my life to you, Master!"
"Don't look!" someone yelled to the others. But Genjo continued to record the whole thing. The body was burning much more rapidly than usual. Goku looked over to Linlin. She watched the whole thing happen, until almost nothing was left of the ninja. The sparks stopped, and soon they were almost engulfed in total darkness.
"The question now, is what was their motive?" Jei said thoughtfully, as the rescue team yelled instructions to the students on the other side.
"Do you want to handle this case, Jei?" his father asked him. "Let me handle the robbery cases."
"No dad," Jei answered. "I feel that these are all connected somehow."
"They're more connected than you think, Jei." Haku thought as he saw the students making their way out. The ten students slowly filed out and made their way through them.
"Linlin!" Jei called out. Haku glanced at his partner. He could tell that he was concerned for the girl. The girl waved back and walked over to them along with Goku. "Are you guys alright? None of you got hurt I hope.."
"Not really." Linlin answered flatly as usual. Haku's brows knitted a little. She had changed… It wasn't that obvious, but she had definitely changed. He had half the urge to ask who she was and what she did with the real Linlin. But of course, that would be rude. "We just got a little taste of marine life more closer than we expected…"
He was going to ponder more on the small mystery, but he noticed that Goku was staring up at him.
"What is it?" he asked him. It was kind of strange asking that question to Goku.
"Ne, how come we look alike?" he asked, looking him over. "You're just taller and have longer hair…. And you don't have a limiter." He noted, smiling at him.
Haku smiled back and leaned over to whisper to Goku: "After you finish here, continue your journeywest…. You'll know why."
"Goku!" the two looked at the pissed off monk who didn't move, but glared at the saru. "Get your sorry ass over here!"
"Sanzo!" Goku exclaimed cheerfully, bounding over to Sanzo. Haku watched him go and get hit by Sanzo's paper fan. He laughed to himself. That paper fan of his was a hell lot softer than the platinum one he won at the party in Tenkai.
Jei looked around for his partner… he found him watching their Philosophy teacher scold his ward. "Haku!" the boy turned to him with a slightly disappointed look on his face. "I have a few boys here who claims to have witnessed something paranormal."
"We didn't say anything like that!" said the boy with the blue hair. "And who told you to listen in anyway?"
"You were talking so loud," came the answer.
Blue's friends glared at him.
"So, what did you say burned like a bonfire?" Jei asked again.
"Um, the ninja they fought…" Blue said hesitantly.
"Blue!"
"Ninja?" Jei's curiosity was up a notch.
The brothers covered Blue's mouth and started to walk away. "He didn't say anything!" one of them said. "Just Kusanagi Hitome!" Blue managed to yell before his friends hit him on the head, one each. "SHUT UP BLUE!"
Jei had half the mind to run after the boys and ask more questions, but he figured he won't get anything out of them anymore. He turned to Haku. He was starting to become very confused. "This case is getting a little bit too complicated… don't you think?"
Haku laughed. "If we look in the right places, it might not be…"
Once out of the young detective's sight, the boys let go of Blue, who happily jumped up and down. "That was the most realistic acting we've ever done! Don't you think so guys?" he grinned at them expectantly, but they just gave him blank looks.
"Actually, we've been wanting to do that to you for years."
Blue stopped jumping, gave a silent 'oh' then became genki once more. "But I hope our clues were enough. that Murikawa's a smart one anyway. When he gets to crack this one, we'll be there to listen and help him along as usual, right?"
They finally gave in to his cheerfulness and smiled, even though they were all tired and stunk of marine life, they gave a chorus. "Right!"
Black nails tapped the well-polished surface of the table while red eyes looked at her sorry excuses for servants. They were bowing fearfully in front of her. "You have failed me…" she bellowed, her voice icy. "You don't deserve to live." She raised her hand and chanted a spell. She smiled as her ninjas tried to flee but fail. She savored the feeling as she took in the lives of her subordinates. She looked at them again. She cast another spell, giving them the functions of a human, but with a thirst for blood. Her heartless, mindless, bloodthirsty pets…It will be soon that she would get the lives of the Feared Children. It would be soon that she would rise to absolute power.
This is just the beginning, Feared Children….I will have your lives.
NO MATCHES FOUND
Jei placed his fist down a little bit harder than he meant to. He couldn't find any leads on this Kusanagi person… He felt like he was looking in all the wrong places. Haku wasn't very helpful that night either… He was just staring at the downpour outside the library. "Haku," he said, almost in a whisper. Haku didn't hear him. "Haku!" he got his attention this time. "You can go home if you like… you seem out of it." Haku just shrugged and stood up.
"Sorry…" he said. "Need help on anything?"
"I can't find anything about this Kusanagi Hitome…" he looked back at his file searches. "Any idea?" he watched as his partner typed the word 'Ancient Legends'. "Why here?"
"Just wait," Haku said, then typed 'Kusanagi Hitome' on the search engine there. After a few seconds, dozens of files containing information on Kusanagi appeared.
"Whoa!" he looked at his friend in disbelief. "But how –"
"When you knock on the doors of Science," Haku began. "But no one answers, knock on the door across it."
"And that door would be?"
"The door of the Spirits."
And as the detectives went on through the wealth of information, four visitors slept soundly while Linlin sat on her balcony staring at the night sky, Shun practicing a recipe in the kitchen, Mayumi sleeping in her all pink room, and Mili talking to her new pet, whom she wished she could really talk to. None of them still knew that this was already the beginning.