Scars of Kismet
Part 1
By Sakata Ri Houjun
Warning: Lemon-lime.
~************************~
Tasuki gripped the bed sheets as he perched over his friend, looking into Kouji's green eyes and losing himself into the familiarity of his embrace. A soft moan escaped his lips as their heated flesh met and Kouji thrust up to continue the pressure, a smirk crossing over his handsome features.
What's wrong, Gen-chan? Did ya miss this?
Tasuki found himself returning that smirk, leaning down a bit towards his friend. Shut-up, Kouji. You know very well that I've been spending the past two years on the road. With a monk. And he covered the remaining distance between them and claimed the older man's lips in a bruising kiss. But with his own words came images in his mind of those past two years, traveling with Chichiri.
For as long as he could remember, he had always been attracted to men. But he had continuously scoffed at the idea that love existed, at least for people like him and Kouji. To him, love was something meant more for people like Tamahome and Miaka. Then he met Chichiri and, of course, had been captivated by the older seishi, but had passed it off due to his tendencies. However, once he got to know him, something inside of the bandit realized that this had to be more than a mere desirability.
And so he spent two years traveling with the monk, trying to control his urges and yet completely unable to tear himself away from the intoxicating presence of his enigmatic friend. The worst part was that this was a man who would never return those feelings, let alone view him as anything other than a friend.
And even now as Tasuki was kissing his long-time friend and lover, in his mind he could envision all the times he had traveled with Chichiri, eating around a fire, bathing in a hot spring, helping out those in need, falling asleep beneath the stars. Moments that were caught in time where he would picture it just being the two of them, together. And what he was feeling towards Chichiri wasn't entirely sexual.
Tasuki pulled away then and covered up these conflicting thoughts with a forced smile. He reached down between their bodies and gently grasped Kouji's length. Kouji still managed to maintain his wry smile even as he thrust up into that hand.
He chuckled. I'm just surprised, that's all. I mean, I was expecting you to either have gone celibate or to have jumped Chichiri's bones, Gen-chan.
But his jest was short-lived as Kouji noticed a foreign emotion sliding behind his lover's eyes.
Tasuki shook his head, attempting to clear his mind of all thoughts concerning Chichiri as he leaned down for another kiss. It had been a long time since he'd been with Kouji, his only lover to date. And even as he felt Kouji returning the kiss and felt his own body pulsate with need, his thoughts couldn't be focused on the task at hand. Instead, they remained on Chichiri, wondering about his dear friend. Worrying about him.
Monsoon season was coming and he knew that his friend had always been uneasy during this time of the year. The rains had already started pouring by the time they had arrived on Mount Leikaku, so he had shown Chichiri to a room where he could stay for the time being, knowing that it was dangerous to travel the mountain paths in foul conditions such as these.
And yet, he couldn't help but wonder what the monk's reaction would have been if he had suggested where he really wanted him to stay, if he had asked him to live in his room. Yeah right. As if Chichiri would ever accept. That thought would do best to remain yet another one of his fantasies, which he indulged in while alone late at night.
But he wasn't alone now.
Actually, he hadn't been for quite some time now, had he? Not with Chichiri putting up with him during their travels. But now that he was home again, what would become of the man he truly loved once the rains stopped falling?
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Just outside the Leikaku bandit stronghold, enshrouded in the darkness, stood a figure, his lone eye locked on the only lit window in the entire structure. Behind him, stretched a mountain path that led down from the summit of Mount Leikaku and away from this place, the very same path that he and Tasuki had arrived by earlier that same day.
How easy would it be for him to just turn around now and leave, to return to his wanderings, to go back to his old way of life before becoming a Suzaku seishi? He was ready to go, had all his belongings with him, meager as they were. Unfortunately, he had been standing out here for over an hour in the rain, staring at that one window, and wondering why he couldn't just walk away.
For the past two years, he had grown used to Tasuki's presence by his side. At first he debated the reasons why his friend had stayed with him. They were complete opposites. The brash, younger man continuously cussing and complaining the whole time they traveled together. He drank, gambled, and often stole things when he thought the older seishi wasn't looking.
And yet, Chichiri had welcomed his fiery demeanor with a cheerful attitude and patience. In the beginning, he had convinced himself that they stuck together because they were the last. That was only part of the truth. Later on, he had lied to himself that he just didn't want to be alone anymore.
Finally, Tasuki had made mention that he wanted to go home and Chichiri had accompanied him. He thought to simply see his friend to his destination and then be on his way, but then the rains started and here he remained, rooted to the spot and staring at his friend's window, the light a beacon in the dark.
Chichiri closed his eye and sighed. Fine. I'll stay here for a couple of days, he whispered to no one. With that decided, he turned to the entrance of the main building and headed to the room that was given to him just as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
Unfortunately, a couple of days stretched to a week, and then a month. And during that time, Chichiri's cheerful personality slowly deteriorated as his apprehension grew. Why did he remain here? There was no magical hold on him, no bindings that he could discern to this place or to Tasuki. Nothing was forcing him to stay except for the rain.
Yet here he was, unable to leave his friend's side. It puzzled and unnerved him. He always could find the answer to anything, but this? Why was he becoming more depressed and despondent as the days passed?
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Tasuki awoke one night, feeling hungry. He always managed to get cravings for food at the weirdest times. Normally, he would wander to the kitchen and grab a loaf of bread or a piece of fruit to assuage his hunger.
Tonight, however, when he got to the stronghold's kitchen, he was welcomed with the most unusual sight. Chichiri. Well, that wasn't so unusual, but the half-empty bottle in his hand was.
He had noticed in the past month, as Chichiri continued to stay, that the monk seemed to get sadder somehow. His smile was all but gone, his laughter had died away to a hollow sound, and the mischievous spark in his eye had dulled. He had been afraid to ask, but was shocked nonetheless that it should have come to this.
And all he could do was stare at his friend whose head was against the table's surface. Tasuki felt a sharp pain inside him to see his friend in this state wondering why he hadn't done anything to help when he had first noticed the changes taking place.
Quietly, he sat down next to his friend at the table and placed a gentle hand on the older man's shoulder. Chichiri turned his head to look up at him from the table and an almost whimsical smile spread over his sake-flushed face.
Hey, Tas-kun, he mumbled, his speech slurring slightly. I couldn't sleep and was a little thirsty, no da. There's still some left in the bottle, if you want it, na no da. I don't think I could finish it off.
With that, he closed his eye, the smile slipping off his face as he sighed. Tasuki took the bottle from his hand with the intent to set it aside, but managed to drain the remaining alcohol since he was never one to let sake go to waste.
Is there something bothering you, Chiri? he finally intoned as he set the bottle down.
Chichiri opened up his eye and looked at him. Do you really want to know, no da?
It's why I'm here.
The monk smiled slightly before closing his eye. Nan demo nai.
But Tasuki knew that it wasn't nothing. However, he also knew that even if he probed his friend all night, he'd never get an answer from the stubborn man. For now, his main concern was that Chichiri shouldn't be left to fall asleep against the table in such a way. He needed to get the monk to his room.
So he slowly shook his friend, getting his attention. Chichiri cracked open his eye. I don't know where there's any more sake, Tas-kun, no da, the older man answered automatically.
Tasuki chuckled quietly to himself before taking the monk's hand and slinging his arm around his shoulder to lever the smaller man to his feet. C'mon, you need to sleep this off before you get a hangover.
Chichiri allowed the younger man to lead him into his room. He wasn't so drunk as to need assistance in walking, but relished in the fact that his friend cared about him even though he couldn't completely understand why he was also enjoying their closeness.
Once they reached his doorway, he separated himself from that warm embrace and tottered towards his bed. Not worrying about his clothing, he pulled back the covers and slumped on the soft cushions. Tasuki followed him a bit into his room, wanting to make certain that his friend would be okay.
Then Chichiri turned over and locked eyes with the young bandit, the flush from the alcohol still on his face. Tasuki took notice that the monk's eye was so sad and seemingly lost, not like the sorrow he had seen in regards to his past but something deeper and wounding. And a voice inside prompted him to try and comfort that pain, to bring back his smiling friend that he loved.
Without fully realizing his actions, he slowly crawled onto the bed. Chichiri's eye widened in confusion, unsure of what Tasuki was doing. He quickly shoved out a hand to stop Tasuki's advance. He misjudged the distance and his hand came to rest against the bandit's chest, right over his beating heart.
That pulse froze Chichiri in place, whatever words he might have formed dying on his parted lips as his body began to tingle at the intimate contact. The beat quickened as Tasuki pushed into his hand before covering it with his own. Then he brought the hand up to his face to slowly nuzzle the palm.
Chichiri found himself trembling as Tasuki crawled over him and straddled the older man's body. He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly over Chichiri's right cheek. The monk's eye closed and his breathing sped up at the sensations building within his body, sensations he was experiencing for the first time.
Tasuki trailed lips over to that open mouth and claimed it, thrusting his tongue inside and tasting the sake he had consumed as well as the surprise and apprehension. And as the kiss continued, his free hand slid down until it rested on the older man's thigh where he began to massage erotically. Then the redhead trailed fingertips up across the stomach to the chest, feeling the rapid rise and fall of his rib cage as Chichiri's breathing became ragged.
He slowly parted the folds of the older man's tunic, sliding his hand inside to touch the smooth skin that he had only fantasized of before. He broke the kiss as he slipped his other hand inside to run fingertips across hardening nipples and gauged Chichiri's reaction. But the monk had turned his head away once he was released from that searing kiss, his remaining eye hidden and his expression unreadable.
Unable to control himself, Tasuki leaned down to lap at the older seishi's exposed neck and then moved up to his earlobe. The next thing he was aware of was an intense pain centered on his groin where Chichiri had kneed him. He fell onto his side, curling up into a ball as Chichiri sat up and tugged on his tunic, straightening it out.
Through pain-hazed eyes, he watched as the older man stood and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
