Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Fushigi Yugi and its associated copyrights are the sole intellectual property of its creator, Yuu Watase. This fanfiction has been created for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.
Author's Note: Boy, I bet no one was expecting an update from me to appear in their inboxes...and for a nearly 25-year-old anime series, no less! Tsk, tsk. Unfortunately, I can't help which series trigger my fandom creative juices. A few things to keep in mind for those brave or bored enough to start reading:
1. Content Warnings: This fanfiction includes allusions to sexual violence, but none are actually depicted on page. If you have read or watched Part II of FY, this story will build upon its foundation and all the potentially discomfiting subject matter it involved (i.e., mind r*pe). General purpose warnings for violence, death, and cursing, because of course. I will attempt to flag chapters that may be particularly distressing, but because of the central role it has in the plot, I cannot make guarantees. There is also consensual sexual tension/allusions scattered around. (Basically, if you're familiar with the series and all variations of the word "fuck," you should be fine.)
2. This story takes place two years after the end of the manga or the first two OVAs, whichever you prefer. However, it adheres to the manga and light novels most closely in terms of plot. If you haven't read the manga as well as Genrou Den, Shouryuu Den, and Sanbou Den Part I and II, there may be some characters (like Anzu and Reirei) or events (like Tasuki inheriting the tessen) you don't recognize, but it shouldn't impact your enjoyment of the story overall.
3. For some semblance of "authenticity" for a fanfiction written in English based on a series published in Japanese that leans heavily on ancient Chinese culture, I decided to use both Chinese and Japanese terms, cultural practices, honorifics, and surnames for the worldbuilding. As an outsider to both cultures depicted, I have tried to be sensitive in the manner that I include these terms, but this fanfic is in no way meant to be historically accurate to any specific culture or time period. Any missteps are solely my own.
4. Text that is bold and italic signals dialogue that a character is hearing in their own head that is not their own subconscious (telepathy). Text in italics signals a flashback or the character's own thoughts.
5. This story is already finished. You do NOT have to worry about an eternal cliffhanger! There are twenty-eight chapters in total and roughly 250,000 words. There is a sequel I'm currently working on, but you get a satisfactory conclusion here. The only unknown here is my own laziness, but I'm publishing the whole thing here for accountability reasons regardless of feedback. (Although of course it's a great motivator if I know someone's actually reading.)
Got it? Good! Hope you enjoy.
Chapter One: Changing Seasons
Takako's feet slipped in the deep, soggy mud, the air thick with heat and moisture after another late spring rain. His horse jerked forward and whinnied softly, its sides heaving from exertion.
"Sorry, girl," Takako said, stroking the side of the sable mare's face. "Only way from here is up." With a grunt, he wrenched his foot out of another mini sinkhole and reached into the saddlebag for his water pouch. The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon over an hour ago, which meant he had precious little time to make it to the peak of Mt. Reikaku before nightfall…about half an hour, actually, and he was barely halfway up by the looks of it.
"Kuso," he hissed. He took a sip from the pouch and turned to the horse. "So much for making a good first impression, Cho. How the hell am I gonna be taken seriously as a bandit when I can't even get to the stronghold without getting lost?" He sighed. "Well. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. No use being negative before I even get laughed off the moun—" Cho snorted and jerked away from Takako. "—Whoa!" Knocked off balance, he pinwheeled his arms as he stepped backward right into the sinkhole. With a strangled squawk, he collapsed in a heap on his back, the thick mud coating him from head to toe.
"Unbelievable!" he shouted, flinging the water pouch at the mud. It hit with a loud, wet PLOP. He pointed his finger at Cho. "Thanks a lot, you stupid, filthy—"
Cho snorted again and leaned down, her muzzle parallel with his face.
"—beautiful, patient, majestic creature," he finished meekly. Cho snorted again, coating him with snot, before stepping back and away. Takako allowed his head to fall to the ground, and he stared up hopelessly at the swirling pink and orange clouds that hovered behind the thick trees. Birds chirped merrily in the background while somewhere miles away, a dog—at least, he hoped it was a dog—howled.
"I'm…already a failure." Takako rubbed the tears and sweat out of his eyes. "I guess kaa-san was right, after all…I'm not good enough to be a bandit."
Absentmindedly, he tugged the chain around his neck out of his shirt collar, examining the large, heavy gemstone that hung on the end. The gem itself was translucent—a white chunk of stone with a cloudy middle. But now, after years of continual use, it pulsed and shimmered with tendrils of dense purple light that flowed like liquid, filling the gem until none of its original color could be seen.
He squeezed the gem in his other hand, a burst of warmth flooding through him. Did his mother let him keep the stone because she knew he was strong enough to wield its power, or because she thought he didn't stand a chance without it? That was the question he still couldn't answer, after almost five days out in the wilderness, alone.
Didn't really matter now, though. If he stayed out here any longer he'd risk freezing to death or getting eaten by a mountain cat, so he had to find the Reikaku stronghold regardless.
Heaving out a sigh, he eased to his feet and waddled back to his horse, who stared at him and snorted again, unimpressed.
"You know," he said, his hands on his hips, "if we didn't practically grow up together, I'd swear you didn't like me very much." He frowned. "But to be perfectly honest…I don't like you very much right now, either!"
"Ya better be careful wit that horse, kid," a man said with a chuckle. Takako whirled around, his heart thudding. In the vast clearing the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, but he was alone. "Looks like it ain't got no problem fightin' back."
"Who…who's there?" He fumbled behind him for his dagger, which he kept fastened to the saddlebag. With all the underbrush and tall, thick trees casting shadows, the man could be anywhere. "I-If you think I'll be an easy victim, you've got another thing coming!"
Takako's gaze flicked across the landscape, finally settling on a figure leaning against a tree on the far edge of the field. He wore a pair of dark brown pants and a green vest that so perfectly blended in with the surrounding forest that Takako still had trouble making him out completely. Takako slipped his dagger into the waistband of his pants and swallowed, his mouth going dry.
Almost as if on cue, shadows pulled away from the background, hovering just on the edge of the retreating sunlight. He was surrounded.
The man who'd spoken pushed off the trunk and strode forward, his heavy boots the only sound Takako heard. He clenched his fist around the hilt of his knife, but as soon as the man's silhouette entered the light, Takako knew he didn't stand a chance.
First, he was tall. Really tall, and his hair gleamed orange in a way that made Takako immediately think of fire. An odd weapon was strapped to his back, and calm authority oozed from his posture. But his golden eyes were nonchalant…that meant he wasn't going to kill him, right?
"Awfully late fer ya ta be up here alone," the man said when Takako didn't reply. "Ya lost, kid?"
Takako glanced around. A man with blue hair stood on the redhead's left, his arms folded casually. A wicked scar curved along his left cheekbone. About half a dozen others had fanned out until they made a loose semicircle around him. They ran the gamut from tall and skinny to wide and bulky, but they were all heavily armed and equally unimpressed with his presence. Takako watched in disbelief as a man pulled out a small dagger and started cleaning under his nails with it.
"N-No, I'm not lost," he finally said. He took a deep breath and pushed away from the saddle, standing at his full height. He still didn't even reach the redheaded leader's armpit. "I-I'm…I'm looking for the Reikaku b-bandits."
The redhead and the blue-haired man exchanged a look. "Well ya've found 'em, kid," the redhead said, never looking away from his partner. "Whatdya need? Protection?"
"No." Takako puffed out his chest. "I…want to join."
The redhead finally turned to face him, his eyebrows raised. And then he started to laugh.
"I think he's serious, Genrou," his friend said between gasps of his own.
Takako's eyes widened. Genrou?
"Man, we're in trouble if we start hurtin' fer new meat," Genrou's friend continued. "They keep gettin' scrawnier an' scrawnier."
His mother cocked her head at him, her lips pinched. "No offense, Takako, but…you know you're really scrawny, right?"
"I'm not scrawny!" Takako snapped. "I can take care of myself just fine."
Considering he was surrounded by really tall bandits that definitely knew how to use their weapons better than he did, that probably hadn't been the smartest thing to say aloud. But it had the desired effect: It stopped the laughing.
Genrou walked forward until Takako had to strain to look him in the eye. He folded his arms. "What's yer name, kid?"
The boy gritted his teeth and jutted his chin out. "Ji Takako…uh, sir."
"An' how old're ya, exactly?"
He grimaced even as he mumbled, "Thirteen."
Genrou rolled his eyes and snorted. Takako really couldn't catch a break today, it seemed. "Yer barely off yer momma's tit, comin' ta my mountain expectin' ta git welcomed wit open arms?" He gestured around the clearing, encompassing each of his men in turn. "I dunno if ya noticed, kid, but everyone here is at least a foot higher than ya. What exactly do ya think yer able ta do?" He sprang forward and grabbed Takako by the forearm. "An' ya can drop th' knife," he said casually, smirking when Takako flinched, "'cause I coulda saw that comin' a mile away."
His body flushed with heat, but wordlessly, Takako let the knife fall from his fingers.
He clenched his fist so Genrou couldn't see his fingers shaking. Playing tough wasn't going to work. He felt his fragile confidence start to crack.
"If you really want to do this, fine. But a piece of advice…" His mother leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "You know what happens when people think you're not a threat, right? They underestimate you." She tapped his nose. "Use that to your advantage. If you don't, you'll be dead."
There was no way in hell that he could afford to go crying to his mama after less than a week. It had taken him months just to convince her that he was strong enough to go it alone; he wasn't about to prove her right without a fight! Taking a deep breath, Takako prepared to fortify his tough guy act…and then thought better of it.
If this guy is who I think he is, he thought, then, maybe…
Takako let his shoulders slump, directing his gaze to his boots. "I…I'm not the best with close combat," he admitted quietly. "And I know I'm young, and…I know I'm scrawny, compared to you and everyone else." He took another deep breath and met Genrou's eyes. "But…my ka—shifu taught me how to fight. And…I'm really good at sneaking around." He bit his lip and glanced away. "I'm probably a lot better at it than you, actually."
Genrou groaned, his eyes lifting skyward. "Fer Suzaku's sake, kid, if yer tryna get on my good side—"
Takako flung his arms to his sides. "Me being small means no one notices me! It means no one thinks I'm a threat. All my life, people have ignored me, belittled me. They never even thought I'd last till three, let alone thirteen!"
Genrou narrowed his eyes, but he stayed silent, so Takako soldiered on.
"I know you could find plenty of stronger, smarter men to join your crew if you wanted." Takako's eyes fell on the man with the blue hair. "But I'm persistent. I'm not afraid to work hard. I-I don't want any special treatment 'cause I'm young. I just…" He turned back to Genrou. "But you…I've heard stories about you, Genrou-sama. You're…you're a Suzaku seishi…Tasuki, aren't you?"
Genrou jerked back. "Wha—how in th' hell di—"
"—I've heard stories about how you joined the Reikaku bandits when you were young," Takako blurted. "How you were only fifteen but you were so fast, the former leader let you join anyway. And then the Suzaku no miko came to Konan, and you helped protect her until she could summon Suzaku!" He grinned, his hands waving. "And then you saved Konan again when that demon god showed up two years ago!"
"M-Mou…kid…"
"Ha, no need ta be modest, Genrou!" His friend clapped him on the back, grinning ear to ear. "Ya definitely heard right, kid—this is a livin' legend, right here in th' flesh!"
Genrou—or Tasuki, there was no denying it now, the way he was blushing—slapped the hand away. "Ahou, I don't need a buncha hero worshippin'. I need men who're gonna do what I tell 'em ta!" He stabbed his finger toward Takako, his eyes narrowed. "If ya think a buncha compliments are gonna get ya in my good graces—"
"I don't! But…the thing is…" Takako felt himself blushing, too, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I never had a father. He died when I was a baby. No brothers, either. For my whole life, it's just been me and my mom. But…"
He sighed, a small self-conscious smile on his lips. "But if anyone can teach me how to be a good man…someone who can make kaa-san proud…well…" Takako beamed at him. "I can't think of anyone better than you, Genrou-sama."
A flash of indecision crossed Tasuki's face, and then he bared his teeth, revealing a tiny fang. "Well fuck, kid," he snapped. "Yer in th' wrong line of work. A little bit more finesse, an' ya could be th' best fuckin' corrupt politician Konan's ever seen."
Takako hid his grin behind his hand. Jackpot.
XXXXXX
"Wow, Genrou."
"Kouji, I'm warnin' ya…"
Kouji chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, ya've always been a little soft in th' head, but I didn't know it was this soft…"
Tasuki turned on his heel and faced him. "Got any more jokes?" He flailed his arms. "Go ahead, let 'em go now, 'cause if ya keep this up back at th' stronghold, I swear ta Suzaku I'm punchin' ya in th' throat!"
Kouji grinned, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "No judgment, I'm jus' sayin'. Never knew ya were th' sentimental type, that's all."
Tasuki glanced over his shoulder. The kid was still struggling up the hill, his ornery horse stopping to munch grass and flowers after every couple of steps. "I'm not," he said, and he whirled around and pushed on.
There wasn't a more pathetic sight in the world right now than the thirteen-year-old, mud-covered disaster trailing silently behind them, but what the hell was he supposed to do? Say, "fuck off," and let the kid get eaten by wolves or robbed by Kaou thugs or worse? He'd never make it down the mountain and back to town before it got dark, and Tasuki wasn't about to have some naive boy's death on his conscience on top of all the other shit.
"I'm lettin' him clean up an' stay th' night, then I'm sendin' him on his way," he clarified. Kouji muttered something from behind him, but Tasuki thought they'd both be better off if he didn't know what.
The truth was, they were in serious need of new recruits. Some kind of sickness had swept through the stronghold over the past few months, and at least twenty of his men were bedridden already. No one had died from it, thank the gods, but even the smallest movement sent them reeling, so Reikaku was running pretty short on a few of its rotations.
Tasuki wasn't stupid enough to think the kid could even come close to filling that gap, though. His approach had definitely been original, but flattery wasn't going to keep the whole mountain from falling to shit.
"Where do ya think this ma of his is?" Kouji asked, ambling up beside him. "D'ya think she knows he's cavortin' with the likes a us?"
"Dunno. I'd say he's a runaway but he at least seems ta like his ma, which is more than I coulda said 'bout me 'round his age."
"Could use someone to muck out the stalls, though," Kouji pondered aloud. "Don't look like Kentaro's gonna be gittin' off his ass any time soon. I wouldn't be surprised if he's fakin' it, th' bastard."
Tasuki sighed. Useless, every fuckin' one o' 'em!
The stronghold rose up in front of them, a sprawling, slightly disheveled building that curved along the mountain's northernmost ridge. It had looked like this as long as Tasuki had lived there, some six or seven years now, but it must have gone through an expansion at some point, because the wood panels slowly got lighter toward the end, as if weathered by sun or rain or both.
"Sugoi!" The kid was suddenly at their side, a shit-eating grin on his face. "It's huge! There has to be, like, two hundred men living here!"
Tasuki pushed down on the boy's head, drawing out a soft cry of indignation. "Not even close, kid. Ya know how hard it is ta get fifty men ta clean up after themselves? No? Ain't no way I could stand th' stench of two hundred."
"Too many nights spent livin' in palaces," Kouji muttered, rubbing his nose. "Turned ya into a crybaby."
"I sure as hell didn't hear you complainin' when I got ya into the harem that one time, did I?"
Kouji sighed, placing his hand over his heart. "Second best night of my life." He shrugged. "Can't blame a man fer bein' a man, all I'm sayin'."
The kid cocked his head. "Where do I get to sleep?"
Tasuki grinned. "I'm sure there's a nice big pile o' straw out back fer ya."
"Genrou! That's no way to treat a guest."
Tasuki flinched, glancing up to see Anzu striding toward him, her arms pumping in time with her long stride. He grimaced; he knew that look. Her long black hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, haphazard strands framing her heart-shaped face, but her expression was steely. She studied Takako closely for a moment before she narrowed her eyes at Tasuki. "You didn't push him into the mud, did ya?"
Tasuki snorted. "What? No. Fool kid fell without any help from me or anyone else. I was gonna make 'im turn around an' head back down th' mountain, but I decided to take pity on 'im. He's only stayin' th' night."
"What?" the kid squawked. "How come?"
Rolling his eyes, Tasuki turned to face him slowly. He wouldn't be surprised if his eyeballs fell clear out of his head by the end of the night, the way things were going. "We went o'er this, kid," he said. "Yer too scrawny."
"Weren't you 'bout his size when you joined, though?" Anzu asked, tapping her chin. "You were only a kid yourself, after all."
Muttering a curse, Tasuki pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he really regretted agreeing to let Anzu join up, and this was one of those times. She'd entered his life as a major nuisance four years ago, and even though time had mellowed her a bit, she never had seemed to respect the title of "kashira" very much.
"Well, what could it hurt to give 'im a shot, Genrou?" Kouji asked, right on cue. "At th' very least we'll git a good laugh when he falls on his face again."
Tasuki narrowed his eyes at him. "Seems ya were on my side before Anzu got involved."
"Well, whatdya want me to say?" He wrapped an arm around Anzu's waist, tugging her to his side as he grinned. "The woman's the boss."
The redhead gaped at him. "I thought I was th' boss!"
"Well, see, yer th' boss as long as Anzu agrees, or else ya gotta cede somea yer power," Kouji explained. "Temporarily, o'course." He shrugged. "I didn't make th' rules, Genrou. Still gotta live by 'em."
"If that isn't the biggest heap o' bullshi—"
"UM!" The kid shot his hand up. "I have a proposal."
It was official: Everyone he knew was completely fucking crazy. But the kid—Takako, Tasuki reminded himself—wasn't to blame for his lovesick best friend or the meddlesome lover. And since the kid had pulled himself out of the muck, he was actually starting to get a little grit to him. He was persistent, Tasuki'd give him that much.
"Whatdya want, kid?"
Takako smiled. "If I can prove that I'm useful…will you let me join then?"
Tasuki arched an eyebrow. "Depends. What kind of usefulness are we talkin' 'bout?"
"Stealing is what really matters, right?" Takako pumped his fist. "If I can bring back a whole bunch of treasure, that'll show I'm good enough, right?"
"Oi, kid, I don't think—"
Anzu frowned. "Ano…robbing someone isn't a one-person job, ya know," she said, gently. "A lot of the rich merchants travel with armed guards."
Takako nodded. "But no one ever notices me, remember? I can sneak right by 'em and rob 'em blind!"
As one, the three adults exchanged doubtful glances. Anzu jerked her head over to a nearby tree, and they quietly headed over to it. "This is a horrible idea," she murmured after they were out of earshot. "The boy's trying to get himself killed!"
That, at least, Tasuki agreed with. He, Kouji, and maybe even Anzu would be able to handle a job alone, but a thirteen-year-old? It was a suicide mission.
"Which is why ya shoulda just listened ta me in the first place an' told 'im ta get lost," Tasuki snapped. "Now ya got his hopes up."
Kouji elbowed Anzu in the side, waggling his eyebrows as he chuckled. "Makes me wonder if Hakurou, may he rest in peace, had this very same dilemma when his scrawny ass showed up."
Anzu and Kouji traded more barbs at his expense, and Tasuki sighed. They were really just going to keep beating that dead horse, weren't they? He'd been scrawny, yeah, but he'd also been a celestial warrior. Did he really have to go into the really crucial differences between his past and this? He should've just listened to his first mind and told the kid to scram…Tasuki glanced over his shoulder to where the boy was waiting.
Takako stared back at him, his dark eyes wide. He was a skinny thing, with no muscle definition whatsoever, but the quiet way he met his gaze told Tasuki there was something more bubbling there, right under the surface. He seemed wise beyond his years, somehow, and although he obviously didn't know how to hide a weapon to save his life, the kid obviously was used to handling, and using, one.
But why in the hell did Tasuki give two shits about how intelligent or handy with knives this kid was? Surely it wasn't that he was taking pity on him. Nope, absolutely not. There was no room for pity when one wrong move, one split second, could get the clumsy fool killed.
"I think he really looks up to you, Genrou," Anzu said, after sobering. "I'm not saying we have to let him join, but I'd be really careful about crushing his spirit when he's so young. Disappointment like that stays with you."
He scoffed. He didn't want kids looking up to him at all! "So yer sayin' if he comes away from this wantin' ta jump off a bridge, it's my fault?"
"No, I'm saying that if a little kid struggles up here, all by himself, just to get the chance to meet and impress you, Genrou-sama, the least you can do is let him down gently." She smirked. "I know tact isn't your strong suit, but I still think you're capable of it."
"I like how yer pretendin' ya wasn't in his exact position less than four years ago."
Anzu laughed. "Oh, please! I was running things for months before your ass even bothered to show up." She spun in a slow circle, basking in his imaginary praise. "And obviously that turned out pretty well for you, didn't it?"
Tasuki scowled, biting back the sarcastic retort on the tip of his tongue. "This ain't no sanctuary fer th' lonely an' stupid, Anzu."
"Ya sure? How th' hell ya explain you bein' here, then?" Kouji asked innocently.
Tasuki closed his eyes, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "I walked right into that one, didn't I."
Kouji threw his arm around Anzu's shoulders, grinning. "Couldn't even feel that setup comin' a mile away…Some kashira you are."
Tasuki gritted his teeth, feeling his control of the situation slowly slipping away. But he was never in control, was he? Not anymore. Fuck me! he thought wearily. These bastards have turned me into a godsdamned figurehead on my own mountain. I feel like I wanna punch somethin'… He glared at Kouji. Might as well start wit 'im.
But then he'd have to deal with an angry Anzu… Shit. Never mind.
"He ain't stayin'," Tasuki said instead. "An' that's final! You two might like ta act like yer in charge now, but if somethin' goes wrong it's my head that'll be on the platter first. So maybe ya should learn ta keep some of those ridiculous opinions of yers ta yer damn selves."
Anzu studied him, puckering her lips. "Geez…you're awfully cranky today. Usually you'd be all for making an example of the kid. What gives?" There had been no real heat in his words, or hers, but suddenly her eyes widened as if they'd held some secret revelation all the same.
"What?" Tasuki asked, already afraid to hear the answer.
Her eyes softened, and she surprised him by reaching out and grabbing his hand. She squeezed. "Genrou…spring's almost over, isn't it?"
Tasuki felt the energy drain from his body. Two weeks from now, and it would be the fourth anniversary of Chiriko's death.
Tasuki and Chichiri always visited the families of their fallen brothers every year around the anniversaries of their deaths, to see how they were holding up. It was the least they could do, but it made the summer months…exhausting. Nuriko had died right on the border of spring and summer; they'd visited his family just a couple weeks back. After that, it would be a quick succession of Chiriko, Mitsukake, and Hotohori.
Soon Tasuki would have to leave the mountain for a few days to pay his respects to Chiriko. Maybe that was why, then…
Chiriko… Tasuki glanced at the boy again. …was this kid's age when he died, wasn't he?
Something had to be in the air. It was making him all nostalgic and shit. And unfortunately, Anzu could see right through him.
"This is different," Anzu murmured.
Kouji stared at them like they'd just grown extra heads. "I'm totally missin' somethin', ain't I?" he said, gaze flicking quickly back and forth between them. "Some kind of secret language ya two are speakin' I don't know about?"
Tasuki's shoulders slumped. This was a battle he had to finally admit he'd lost. "It's nothin'. Anzu obviously thinks I'm too dumb ta see beyond parallels."
"Genrou, that's not what I—"
"How about this," Tasuki spat out, ignoring the heat spreading across his face, "we send 'im out an' have someone tail 'im, so we can pull 'im out before he gets himself killed."
Anzu and Kouji looked at each other, subtle eyebrow twitches and cocked heads conveying their actual secret language. Finally, they turned to him and nodded, and Tasuki was left, once again, wondering when a two-man operation had become a two-man-but-really-one-woman operation. He loved his best friend and wished him the best, really he did, and Anzu was one helluva fighter in her own right, but he couldn't help but remember what things used to be like and wonder if, in the middle of all his seishi duties, he had quietly been replaced…by both of them.
Aww, shit, he was going soft. Next chance I get, I'm grabbin' a big ol' bottle an' drinkin' till I pass out, he vowed.
"Sounds good ta me," Kouji drawled. "So who's it gonna be?"
Kouji and Anzu turned and smirked at him. Tasuki sighed. Take that back…make it TWO bottles.
"KID!" Tasuki roared, feeling a perverse sense of pleasure when the boy jumped what had to be a foot in the air. "Git yer ass o'er here, front an' center!"
Takako stumbled through the thick undergrowth until he stood in front of Tasuki. His spine snapped ramrod straight as he lifted his arm in a stiff salute. "Yes, kashira!"
Tasuki bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Maybe he could get something out of this clusterfuck, after all. "Ya said ya want ta be a bandit, didn't ya? Ya ready ta take whatever beatin' I gotta offer ta make sure yer ready?"
"YES, SIR!"
"Well, then, I think we might actually have th' perfect job fer ya. It jus' so happens that a rich emissary from th' capital is stayin' in Souun, one o' th towns at th' foot of the mountain. Th' vain bastard never travels without a shit ton of exotic finery: silk, jewelry, weapons, an' th' like. But legend has it that's just the half o' it."
"What do you mean?"
"No matter how many times he's traveled through bandit territory, he ain't never been robbed. That's 'cause he has a magical dagger that lets 'im know whenever he's in danger. It starts to glow and get hot when he's at risk, so he can hightail it outta there 'fore he gets pilfered."
"Wow," Takako whispered. "So you want me to steal that dagger from him, right?"
"Exactly, kid. Good ta know ya ain't slow on th' uptake. Git me that dagger, an' I'll make ya a bandit in the very next moment."
"HAI, KASHIRA!" Takako saluted again. "When should I leave?"
"Whatdya mean, when should ya leave?! Ya wanna be a bandit, dontcha? Then any idiot who wants ta be a bandit oughta know that we do all our raids at night!" Tasuki jerked his thumb at the sky. "An' whatdya know, kid? The sun is officially gone. Looks like ya should git a move on if ya wanna make it ta Souun before it rises again tomorrow."
Takako's face fell. "You…want me to go back down now? B-But it took me so long to get here…"
"Are ya a bandit or not, kid?"
Takako narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin. "Yes. I'll get that dagger for you, kashira. And it won't even take me the full day to do it!"
"I like yer enthusiasm, kid! Yer gonna need it." He gestured wildly at the mountain trail. "So what are ya waitin' fer?!"
"Hai, kashira!"
But Takako's war cry lacked quite a bit of enthusiasm compared to the first one. The boy grabbed his horse's reins and tried to coax her to turn around—but the ornery mare wasn't having it. She stomped her hoof twice, jerking away from his gentle tugs. "Stop fooling around, you stupid horse!" he snapped. The horse stopped struggling long enough to stare him down, and then it head-butted Takako in the shoulder, sending him right on his ass for the second time in one evening.
Tasuki busted out laughing, ignoring Anzu's warning look. "Take one of ours, kid," he offered, snickering. "Somethin' tells me yer gonna need all th' help ya can get."
