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

Kiki Ouma (3)

    "Okay, HimiCocoa Bean, let's do this," Kokichi said, holding on to Himiko's hand. 

   "Right!" Himiko replied with a firm nod. She and Kokichi were standing outside the building where the junior chess tournament was being held. They walked up the steps to the front entrance, where a security guard stood. 

   "Excuse me, you can't go inside unless you have tickets," he said. 

   "What if I said that we lost our tickets?" Kokichi asked with a sly grin. 

   "Sorry. Can't let ya in," the security guard apologized. 

   "Awww, that's not faaaiiir..." Kokichi whined. "How come that guy got to go in?!" He pointed past the security guard inside the building. 

   "What?!" the security guard exclaimed, turning around. While the guard was distracted, Kokichi grabbed Himiko's hand and dashed inside. "HEY!!" the guard shouted. "You kids come back here!"

   "Nyeh...where do we go from here?" Himiko asked. 

   "Not sure!" Kokichi admitted. "But, we'll have to keep dodging the guard until we find out where the chess tournament is being held!" They turned down a hallway that led to a dead end. "Oh, crap!" Kokichi exclaimed. On one side of the hallway were two bathrooms. Kokichi led Himiko into the men's bathroom. Fortunately, it was empty. Himiko sighed in relief. 

   "Nyeh...thank goodness it's empty!" she said.

   "Sorry about that, Himiko," Kokichi apologized. He led her into one of the stalls for a temporary hiding place. Suddenly, they heard the bathroom door burst open. 

   "Hey! You two in here?!" came the voice of the security guard. Kokichi and Himiko hugged each other tightly. The security guard knocked on their stall door. "If you two are in here, you better come outta there right now!" Kokichi put his finger up to his lips, signaling to Himiko to stay quiet.

    "Ach, du lieber! Vhat do you vant?!" he asked in an irritated German accent. 

   "O-Oh! I-I'm sorry to interrupt you, but...have you seen two kids anywhere in here?" the security guard sheepishly asked. 

   "Nein! Vhy vould you tsink such a stupid thing?! I vas in here doing ze poo-poo ze whole time!" Kokichi replied. Himiko covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. 

   "Oh! I'm s-sorry!" the security guard stammered. "Please, um...continue."

   "Danke! Now, leave me be, dummkopf! " Kokichi said. They heard the guard exit the bathroom. Himiko turned to Kokichi, impressed. 

   "Nyeh...Kokichi! That was a good German accent!" she exclaimed.

   "Awww, danke, meine kleine schläfrige zauberin! " Kokichi replied with a cheeky grin as he stroked Himiko's cheek. "Now, let's go find Kiki Ouma!" They headed out of the bathroom, making sure to be careful not to run into the security guard. They silently tiptoed across the hall. As they looked around, Kokichi noticed a sign hanging from the ceiling stating that the tournament was being held in the auditorium. "Follow me, Himiko!" Kokichi whispered. Hand in hand, the two ran swiftly to the auditorium. As Kokichi was about to open the door, he paused. Himiko looked at him. 

   "What's the matter?" she asked. Kokichi took a deep breath.

   "Just beyond this door might be the start of a new life for me," he mumbled. "I'll learn the answers to the secrets of my past. I'm...kinda..."

   "Nervous?" Himiko asked. 

   "Well..." Kokichi muttered.

   "Scared?" Himiko guessed again. Kokichi looked at her.

   "Yeah...that's more like it, I guess," he admitted quietly. Himiko clutched his hand tightly. 

   "Nyeh...whatever happens, Kokichi, we'll go through this together...just like we always have," she said. "Remember when we got stuck in that alternate dimension with the pirates? Remember when we solved the mystery of Miu being that weird werewolf thingy? And just a few weeks ago, when we rescued Pinkwin and returned him to his proper place? We've been on a lot of adventures together, Kokichi, and this time won't be any different. We'll face this together, okay?" Kokichi smiled appreciatively at her and sighed as he gave her a hug. 

   "You're right, HimiCocoa Bean," he said. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." He took a deep breath and put on his bravest face. "Okay...I'm ready."

   "Me, too!" Himiko replied. She also took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside was an enormous room with numerous rows of seats and a large stage up front. Fortunately, Kiki Ouma was playing again, this time, with a different person. 

   "Huh...she must have beat the other kid that we saw yesterday," Kokichi whispered. 

   "Nyeh...maybe she shares your brainpower," Himiko said with a sly grin as she playfully elbowed Kokichi. He chuckled in response. 

   "Maybe! C'mon, Monkey Buns, let's go find some seats," he whispered. He took Himiko's hand in his and led her to a row up in front that had a few empty chairs. Quickly, they sat down before the guard could storm in and catch them. 

   "So, what's the plan now?" Himiko whispered to Kokichi. 

    "We have to sit here and wait for Kiki to finish," Kokichi replied. 

    "Is that safe?!" Himiko whispered incredulously. "What if the guard catches us before we get a chance to meet her?"

   "It's the only plan I have...for now," Kokichi admitted. They watched in silence as the tournament continued. However, they heard the doors open behind them. They peeked to find the guard going to each row asking for Kokichi and Himiko. "Shit!" Kokichi whispered. "We should sneak out and find a way backstage. Maybe we'd have a better chance of meeting Kiki there when she's done." Himiko nodded, too scared to speak. They crouched down low and began tiptoeing their way towards the entrance to the auditorium. Once they got there, the guard grabbed them.

   "Gotcha!" he growled. Kokichi began kicking and shouting, causing a scene. The audience turned their attention from the tournament to what was happening with Kokichi, Himiko, and the guard. 

   "Wait!" Kokichi shouted desperately. "You don't understand! I need to be here! It's really important! Let me go!"

   "Yeah, right, kid. That's what they all say," the guard muttered. In one last desperate attempt, Kokichi screamed at the top of his lungs.

   "KIKI OUMA!!" he said. Kiki and her opponent looked up at Kokichi in alarm. "I'M YOUR BROTHER!! IT'S ME, KOKICHI OUMA!!" Kiki gasped softly and stood up. But before she could respond, the guard dragged both Kokichi and Himiko through the auditorium's entrance.