The Mysterious Kokichi Kinnie

Chapter. 6 Kiki Ouma

    "Y-you said your name is Kiki Ouma?" Tsumugi asked. "Your last name is...'Ouma?'" Her mouth, along with Kaede's and Miu's mouths, hung agape. Kiki nodded cautiously, afraid of telling strangers her name.

   "Do you know Kokichi, then?" Kaede asked. Kiki thought for a while then shook her head. 

   "You look a lot like him," Miu said, struggling to look at her under her umbrella. "Except you don't have the same weasel-y look in your eyes like he does!"

   "Would you like to meet him?" Kaede asked. "Maybe he knows about you."

  "I don't want to meet anyone," Kiki muttered sadly. "I just want to be left alone!" She suddenly dashed off, with the umbrella still opened. 

   "No, wait!" Kaede shouted after her. "Come back!" Kaede ran off after her.

   "We're not seriously going to run after some little girl who looks like Kokichi, are we?" Miu asked Tsumugi.

   "Um...I'd hate to leave Kaede alone, but I think we should stay out of this," Tsumugi suggested. "Besides, I really want to get back home in case that bloodsucking killer thing comes back."

   "You're speakin' my freakin' language, Four Eyes! Ha-ha," Miu replied. The two began to walk away while Kaede chased Kiki around. 

   "Wait, please!" Kaede begged. The little girl had climbed up a tree and was trapped. Kaede began to plead with her. "Kokichi, the boy we were talking about, maybe he can help you. Are you lost?"

   "No! Go away!" Kiki shouted. "Just leave me alone! I don't want any help! I don't...deserve it." Tears streaked from her eyes. 

  "What do you mean?" Kaede asked quietly. 

  "N-nothing! Just...please...leave me alone." Kiki sniffled. "I'm better off lost." Kaede felt her heart ache when she heard Kiki say that. Nobody, especially little kids, should have to feel that way.

   "That's not true!" Kaede retorted. "I want to help you! Um...could you at least...meet Kokichi? You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but...it might be important for him to know about you." Kiki suddenly stiffened with fear.

   "W-why would he want to know about m-me?!" she asked quietly. 

   "Oh...well, because you might be related to him," Kaede responded, not sure knowing what else to say. She didn't understand why Kiki looked so horrified. "And if you are related to him, he might be able to help you." Kiki eyed Kaede with a serious look.

   "Take me to *just* him...please," she responded in a quiet, shaky voice. Kaede nodded, still confused as to why Kiki was acting this way.

   "I will," she finally said. Kiki reluctantly slid down from the tree in a surprisingly graceful way. Kaede held out her hand to Kiki, but Kiki refused. Kaede didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than she already was, so she didn't force her. The two began walking together away from the park and towards, what Kiki hoped to be, a better future.

***

   Tsumugi and Miu arrived back at Casa V3 in the early afternoon to find that nearly everyone else had returned. 

   "Are those two still holed up in their rooms?" Miu asked. 

   "I'm afraid so," Kiibo responded. 

   "Well, that's not exactly the pressing issue, right now," Tsumugi chimed in. "We found something peculiar on our way home." Everybody who was listening snapped to attention.

   "Oh, yeah," Miu said, remembering what had happened. "Where's Cockitchy? We need to speak to him!"

   "He has not returned, yet," Kiyo responded. "Perhaps he is doing some business with his supposed evil secret organization, if such an organization exists, that is."

   "Well, that little runt better come back soon," Miu said. "We found somebody who could be related to him."

   "What? Really?" Angie asked curiously. "What a mysterious mystery! When do we see this mystery Kokichi relative?"

   "I dunno," Miu replied. "Kaidiot is still trying to catch that little girl."

   "It's NOT a degenerate male?!" Tenko asked with excitement. "Well, I'd be very happy to meet her, then! Even if she is related to Kokichi!" Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal Kaede and Kiki. Everyone looked out at them from the living room.

   "We're home!" Kaede said cheerfully. She appeared cheerful on the outside, but nervous on the inside. She hoped Kokichi was home. She and Kiki walked into the living room while everyone stared at the little girl, or at least, TRIED to since she was a bit obscured by her open umbrella. Kiyo broke the silence.

   "It's not good luck to have an open umbrella in the house," he said. "Maybe it'd be best if you were to close it." Kiki looked up at Kaede for reassurance. Kaede nodded to her and Kiki closed the umbrella. Everyone got a good look at her and gasped. 

   "Wow, she looks exactly like Kokichi!" Shuichi said. "I wonder how he's gonna feel about this!"

    If it ends up making him happy, I wish I had found her, Himiko thought to herself. She was still trying to figure out how to show Kokichi how much he meant to her. 

  "I hope she's not as annoying," Ryoma said. "That'd be uncool." Everyone was looking at Kiki in awe, but Kiki became a bit irritated and more scared.

   "Where is he?" she asked quietly with her head down.

   "I'm sorry? I didn't hear you," Kaede knelt down to Kiki's level. She turned her head away from Kaede. 

   "Where is he?" she repeated louder, still keeping her head away from Kaede. Kaede didn't know how to respond. 

   "Well...um, he might be here, soon, so-" Kaede began.

   "You said you'd take me to only him," Kiki contorted her face in sadness and anger. Her face was still tilted downward and away from Kaede. "If this Kokichi person doesn't show up, then I'll just have to-"

  "Nee-hee-hee! Did I hear someone mention my name?" A voice called from the front door.