Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 3 (Return of the Oumeno)

Shuichi Saihara, Where Are Ya? (15)

    "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Mr. Monster Maaan!" Kokichi called out. His voice echoed throughout the bottom floor, but Barracuda Blatherskite was nowhere to be found. 

   "M-Maybe he's gone for good," Himiko stammered fearfully.

   "I don't think so," Kokichi said. He lifted his finger up to one of the walls. "Hmm...maybe he's hiding inside the wall!" He said out loud. He turned to Himiko. "Let's start scratching the paint off." Together, they began scratching the walls. The paint chipped off to reveal the shiny, sparkling, gold material underneath.

   "GEEEET AWAAAAAYYYYYY!!!" Barracuda Blatherskite roared, coming out of nowhere. Kokichi grinned impishly as he took Himiko's hand in his.

   "C'mon, HimiCocoa Bean!" he said, pulling her up the stairs. Together, they ran up the stairs all the way to the top of the lighthouse, where the bulb was. Surrounded by nothing but railing, they had nowhere else to go as Barracuda Blatherskite had them cornered.

   "BLAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!" he roared at them.

   "Nyeh...where do we go, now?" Himiko asked frantically. "We're trapped!"

   "No, we're not, Himiko," Kokichi said with a sly grin. "When I say so, you move out of the way, okay?"

  "O-Okay..." Himiko whispered back. Barracuda Blatherskite drew ever so nearer until he lunged at them. 

   "Now!" Kokichi yelled, and they jumped out of the way in different directions. Barracuda Blatherskite fell over the railing and down the lighthouse, landing right on top of the mattress that Fred had just set up. 

   "Kokichi! You did it!" Himiko said, jumping into his arms.

   "We did it, Monkey Buns!" Kokichi laughed. "Way to go, babe!" He gave Himiko a high five and a kiss. "C'mon, now that we got Barty and whoever's in that suit with the others, let's go get Shuichi!"

   "Got it!" Himiko said. They raced down to the floor below where Barty and Bessie's bedrooms were. Inside Barty's room, they went to the closet and opened it, but he was no longer there. "H-He's...g-gone!" Himiko exclaimed. 

  "Crap," Kokichi muttered. "C'mon, Himiko, let's look for him. But, we gotta be quiet, okay?" Himiko nodded in response. They crept around the bedrooms looking for Shuichi, but he was nowhere to be found. "Let's check downstairs," Kokichi whispered to Himiko. They tiptoed downstairs. Right as they were about to pass the entrance to the kitchen, Ivana emerged with Shuichi in one hand, and a gun in her other hand, holding Shuichi at gunpoint.

   "Don't move, or your friend here gets it," she threatened in a low, unaccented voice. Kokichi and Himiko stood dead still. Shuichi's eyes were wide with fear. Himiko gulped and felt her eyes watering. Kokichi merely stared at Ivana intently, racking his brain for ideas.

   "Hey, if you let us go, we won't tell anyone about this," Kokichi said. He decided to talk in order to keep Ivana busy while thinking of a plan for all three of them to escape. Ivana tossed her head back and laughed.