Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 1 (A New Oumeno)

Kazuichi Gets Scooped (End)

      Kokichi and Himiko were heading out of the wooded area further away from the pit where the other three were trapped, until they ran right into Fuyuhiko and Peko. 

   "Hey..." Fuyuhiko said, panting from running around all evening. "Have you guys seen Kazuichi? He has something of mine," Kokichi turned excitedly to Himiko.

   "Haha, there it is again, Himiko!" he said. "His voice sounds just like mine...only more 'yakuz-ish!'"

    "Seriously, Kokichi! Where's Kazuichi?" Fuyuhiko pressed. "He has something that belongs to me!"

   "Ohhh...you mean this?" Kokichi asked, holding Fuyuhiko's tin can out to Fuyuhiko.

    "Yeah! Where'd you find it?" Fuyuhiko asked, taking it out of Kokichi's hands.  

    "Aw, well...Kazuichi just handed it to us," Kokichi replied, which wasn't a total lie. 

    "Did you...see what was inside?" Fuyuhiko asked hesitantly.

    "Nah, we toootally didn't see your fried dough cookies," Kokichi teased with a cheeky grin. Fuyuhiko scoffed and glared at Kokichi. Then, he turned to Himiko.

   "Kokichi didn't eat any of my cookies, did he?" he asked her. Himiko felt her stomach drop. She didn't want to lie to Fuyuhiko, but she also didn't want Kokichi to get beat up. She also didn't want Kokichi to be mad at her for not sticking up for him. In the end, she decided to lie.

   "Nyeh...no, he didn't eat any of them," she finally replied in a quiet voice. Fuyuhiko smiled kindly at her.

   "Thanks, Himiko," he said. He and Peko turned and began walking away. Himiko watched them walk away with a guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hung her head in shame. 

   "Uh-oh...there's that look you get when your goody-goody instincts start kicking in," Kokichi teased with a smirk.

   "I'm sorry, Kokichi,' Himiko replied. "I just feel really bad for lying to Fuyuhiko. Especially since he's really a nice guy." Kokichi sighed.

   "Okaaaay..." he said, nuzzling his nose against Himiko's. "Wait right here." He ran up to Fuyuhiko and Peko. "Hey, Yakety-Yak! I've got something to tell you!" Fuyuhiko and Peko turned around.

   "Yeah?" Fuyuhiko asked. 

   "Okay, don't get your pinstripes in a twist, but the truth is that I actually ate one of your cookies," Kokichi replied. Fuyuhiko frowned and looked questioningly at Himiko.

   "But Himiko said-" he began.

   "She lied to protect me," Kokichi interrupted. "But, she felt bad about lying to you. So, I'll confess to you to make it up to her. So, listen up: I knew you had a stash of these cookies because I overheard you and Hajime talking about it a while ago. Then, I sent Kazuichi retrieve your cookies, knowing that he'd get beat up for it. He was going to give them to me, but Himiko decided to take them instead because she knew I'd eat them. But I managed to sneak one from her while she wasn't paying attention, and so...yeah. There you have it! I ate one cookie!" Fuyuhiko stared at him, not knowing whether to be angry at him, or not.