Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything related to the 'Universe of
The Four Gods' is the magnificent work of Yuu Watase. Although, how I
wished that Tasuki was mine. . . sigh~ life is unfair. So please don't sue
me! The only thing that I have copyright for is Ayomi and some other weird
stuff. . .
Spoiler alert: This fic is spoiler packed, not only for the complete Fushigi Yuugi series but also for the Genrou Den. Although I didn't put in many details (only a brief summary of what happens in both stories), it's enough to ruin it for you. But then again who cares? You're probably not even reading this. . .
A/N: This is my first fanfic so please tell me what you think. If you don't like it, let me know why and if you find it er. . . enjoyable, your review will encourage me to continue and write some more fics. This story is rated PG-13 maybe even R for swearing (what would Tasuki-chan be without it?). Anyways, it takes place a year after Miaka leaves the book for good. Tasuki has returned to Mt.Leikaku to become leader, but doesn't know what fate has in store for him. . .
' ' Means thoughts
" " Means speech
*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*
Chapter 1: An Unwanted Fallen Angel
On a lonesome summer evening, a charming young lady sat in front of her computer screen and waited impatiently for her friends to show any signs of their existence. "Man is everyone dead or something? Or, did they just all ditch me and go out without telling me anything??!!"
She waited a bit longer. 'Guess so. . . This is what friends are for,' she stated to herself sarcastically.
"Thank you everyone, just when I need you the most!" she sighed deeply. It was quite late and having nothing better to do, the girl decided to go to bed early.
As she passed in front of the living room, she noticed that her TV set was still opened. As she picked up the remote control to turn the power off, she couldn't help but listen to the show that was playing. It was a Japanese anime that was talking about a teenager who was sent to another world to call upon some weird bird shaped God. "Hmm, this looks interesting, despite the fact that the main character could use a makeover," she thought.
As she sad down to watch the show, a red light suddenly came out of the screen and surrounded her in a warm glowing light. When the light had disappeared, she had vanished along with it. . .
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A girl with beautiful raven hair woke up in the middle of an immense forest. It was a chilly evening where the moon shone brightly in the night sky. Trees of all kind surrounded the girl as far as the eye could see. Wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, she stood there shivering in the brisk summer evening. Suddenly she heard distant footsteps approaching her. . .
"Looks like it was finally a good thing that Sinzo sent us to spy on the Mt.Leikaku bandits. Not only do I still know this place like the back of my head but look at the present Suzaku has sent us for our good work," roared a rough voice from somewhere behind a tree, "hehehe. . . we're gonna have some fun tonight boys. . . "
The girl, realizing what mess she was in for, turned around and attempted to flee. But it was too late, they had somehow, already surrounded her. She looked at the men encircling her in fright as a pair of strong arms grabbed her before she was able to react and pushed her, face down, to ground. The fat man standing in front of her started to loosen his pants and moved towards the young lady.
She started to kick furiously in attempt to escape but the guys holding her down would just tighten their grip. "She's a stubborn one Eikens, think you can handle her?" they said laughing. The one named Eikens paid no attention to their remark and started to move towards her.
The girl closed her eyes and prayed. Just when she thought that all hope was lost, she heard another man shout:" Trespassers eh? Haven't ya ever heard that the Mt.Leikaku bandits aren't very friendly to people who invade our territory without our permission?"
She heard some strange incantation that sounded something like, "LEKKA SHINEN!!!" And instantly, a blazing red flame came out from somewhere in the dark, aimed directly at her rapiers. Shocked and alarmed, they ran away with their clothes on fire, leaving the unconscious girl lying in the middle of the forest. . .
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When she woke up, she found herself lying in a warm bed, in a room that was decorated with ancient china adornments. 'Where the hell am I?'
She noticed a red headed guy looking at her from the corner of his eye. The young lady, who was quite confused, made up an idea in her mind that the redheaded freak must have kidnapped her for some twisted plan where she was not going to profit from it. She sat up at once and smacked the fang- toothed man hard on the head, wanting to knock him out cold. Didn't work. . .
"Ow. . . what the hell is your problem?" the guy shouted rubbing his head. She did not succeed in knowing him out, but a big lump was visibly forming on the top of his head.
"My problem? Oh lets see, I don't know where I am, I don't know how the hell I got here, I almost got raped and I have this idiot staring at me probably thinking about what to do with me. Oh no big problem. At all! " she threw back.
"What the hell is that supposed t'mean? Look here kid, if it wasn't for me, you would be dead by now," the man said with a rather funny accent.
"Oh! So you're the one who that lit the fire that almost burned me to death. Remind me to thank you next time", she added sarcastically as she turned her back to him.
"Jeez. . . this is why I HATE women!" he muttered under his breathe." If your highness needs anything, she can just call. Somebody will probably end up coming, after an hour or two." He got out from this chair and left the room still rubbing his head.
The girl sat on the bed and looked around the room. 'This is a strange place. Where am I?' She stepped down from the bed and wondered about the room, inspecting the strange objects from here to there. 'I must have seriously fallen on my head because. . . I can't have just been sucked into a TV. Can I?'
As she walked around the chamber thinking, her mind kept going back to the hot- tempered guy that had just rescued her. 'Maybe I was too hard with him, I mean he did just save my life and all. Or so he claims. . . ' she sighed . 'I should go find him and apologize. Since I am stranded here and don't know anyone. Better be on good terms with my 'saver,' she thought as she walked to the door, preparing to face a whole new world.
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As the girl stepped out of the room, she gradually realized that it wasn't such a great idea. She found herself in a corridor with a bunch of guys starring at her in awe. 'They must go out very often,' she thought.
"Can we help ya miss?" one of them asked approaching her.
"Eh. . . " she started, "that is um. . . no. . . not really. . ."
The men didn't seem to be listening to what she had just said though. Instead, they moved closer to her looking at her in veneration. She was about to turn back and lock herself in the room when a man with black hair came up the corridor. When the other men noticed his presence, they returned immediately back to their respective duties.
"Looking for Genrou?" he asked.
The girl nodded while keeping her eyes to the ground.
"He went to the kitchens, come I'll take ya there." He held out his hand but soon took it back as he noticed the hesitation in the girl's eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't bite ya." He said mockingly.
She hesitantly walked beside him while eyeing him suspiciously.
The young man chuckled at her reaction towards him while adding, "And if I were you, I'd kept a certain distance from them. They're not mean but they don't get out much and when there's a girl as pretty as you at their doorstep, its hard not to resist temptation." The schoolgirl bushed but didn't say anything. "By the way, my name's Kouji. And you are. . . "
He was cut off as they reached the noisy cafeteria. The room was filled with tables, all made out of wood. They were also all very low and instead of having chairs for seating, four little benches stood on each side. Sitting at a table in a corner, was the same red hair guy whom she had whacked on the head a few moments ago.
The man, realizing their presence turned and added to his friend:" What took ya so long Kouji, I was gonna open the sake without you." But then he noticed the girl that he had saved earlier standing beside his friend and added:" Aw. . . but did ya have ta bring that monster in here with ya? She's gonna ruin my night that's for sure."
Hearing those words, the girl got very angry and shouted: "And to think that I was actually going to apologize to this. . . this. . . "
"Hey calm down I was just joking, you take everything to personally kid," he said, cutting her in off before she could finish her sentence. He began to pour the sake and gestured for them to sit down.
"I do have a name you know. . . its Ayomi. And for your information, I'm probably just as old as you. KID!" She sat down opposite to him while picking up a pair of chopsticks and beginning to taste the food that was in front of her.
"She got you there pal," replied Koji with a grin as he also sat down. Witch was true since Ayomi was 19 and Tasuki was only a year older than her.
Genrou muttered words for hate under his breath while Kouji asked Ayomi:" So. . . where ya from?"
"Montreal. . . eh that's in Canada," replied the girl busy eating. The food was quite good.
"Where?"
"You don't know where Canada is? C'mon, it's only the second biggest country in the world!" she shouted in bewilderment.
"Nope, I only know four countries and yours is not in one of them. But right now, you're in Konan. . . and that's in the south," he added hastily, seeing her puzzlement.
'Konan. . . I've heard that name somewhere. . .' she thought to herself. And then it hit her. "Oh damn! God. . . this is not possible. Not only am I not in my own country but I'm in a different time! World!!!" she exclaimed as the history classes she took about ancient China finally came back to her.
"I kinda guessed that you were from Miaka's world judging by the clothes that ya have on. But ya better not be trying to fool us. Cuz if I find out that you're a spy or something like that, believe me things can get very ugly," said Genrou in a tone in which Ayomi couldn't figured out if he was mocking her or if he was threatening her.
"Thanks for the warning but I don't need it because I'm not a spy of some sort. And, I don't really know who Miaka is. But if you're asking me if I'm from her world. . . well I'm certainly not from here so you could say so," answered the girl as she stared at the bandit straight in the eye, trying to prove to him that she wasn't scared of him.
'Who does he think he is accusing me of being a spy. Like I have nothing better to do. . . ' she tought, as she continued to stare at Genrou intensively in the eye until the man blushed and turned his head to avoid her gaze. She smiled and decided to continue her meal.
"So. . . if you're not a spy than you must be here for a reason. I don't think Suzaku would just send you here to annoy me. . . ' he said as if he seemed to have regained control over the situation again.
"Who's Suzaku?" asked Ayomi ignoring his second remark.
"You don't know who Suzaku is??!!" answered both of them at once.
"Well, I'm not from here so. . . why should I know who he is?"
The two men looked at her in exasperation as they told her that Suzaku was the God that protected this Country, Konan. And how two years ago, a girl that came from another world had to gather the seven shichi seishi of Suzaku and summon the God to save this country from war. They told her the story of Miaka and how she found the seven warriors. Tasuki told Ayomi that he was a bandit. . .
(Ayomi: You're a BANDIT!!!
Tasuki: Yeah but we 're good ones.
Ayomi: I can't see how someone who steals for a living can be good. . . (puzzled look)
Tasuki: I'll explain it to ya later. Can we get back to the story?)
. . . and how the priestess had found him here, at the Mt.Leikaku bandit base. He also showed her the "yoku" symbol on his left forearm and explained to Ayomi that all of the seven seishi have a symbol like his somewhere on their body. He told her a brief summary of how the Miko had to fight against the Seiryuu warriors to be able to summon the animal God. And that how in the battle, four of his friends had died. . .
While Tasuki was telling her about the legend, Ayomi noticed the softness in his voice every time he mentionned the name of his Miko. 'He must have really liked her, probably still does. I wonder if they had an affaire. . . ' Her curiosity got the better of her and she asked the seishi: "Um. . . I know that this is not my business and that I shouldn't butt in, but um. . . did you and Miaka have something for each other?"
Tasuki looked at her, startled, and replied: "You' re right, this really isn't any of you're business.
-So you guys did have an affaire. What happened though, she dumped you?
-God damn it, who is this girl kidding?! Never in a thousand years, Miaka was too in love with Tamahome. No one ever had a chance with her.
-Ah. . . so you don't deny that you have feelings for her?" Asked Ayomi in an amused voice. The bandit turned slightly redder as he remembered what had happened between him and Miaka the last time she had been here, which was about a year ago. It was true that he didn't have feelings for his Miko but he remembered quite well that some evil part of him did feel "something" for Miaka. And that under its influence, he had almost committed a crime. But that was in the past now and everything had been cleared out. He had even acted heroically in the end by choosing to kill himself rather than betray his friends. Still, he couldn't help but blush as the memories came flooding in.
"I never said that. Of course I like Miaka very much, but I don't have feelings for her. Besides I don't like girls," answered Tasuki in an annoyed voice while taking down another cup of alcohol.
"You don't like girls. Wow, that's a first. Then that means that, you're. . . you're gay!!??" whispered the blue eyed girl. 'Why do cute guys always have to be taken or gay?' Ayomi lowered her head and sighed.
Kouji, rather enjoying the show, burst out laughing at Ayomi' s crude conclusion on his friends sexual orientations.
"BWAHAHAHA, you hear that Genrou, she thinks you're gay! I gotta admit, you aren't far from being it either," laughed his friend while patting the pissed off bandit on the back. "It's ok. Ya don't hafta be ashamed. . . "
Before Kouji knew what was happening, he had received a rather painful pat on the head, giving to him by his friend with this iron fan. "No I'm not fucking gay. And ya know it idiot!" he shouted.
The girl looked at the duo and burst out laughing.
"Sorry, its just that you two are so funny. Well, I'm glad that you aren't gay, because that means I still have a chance with you," she added in a teasing voice.
The bandit eyed her suspiciously but kept his mouth shut.
"Hey Genrou, I heard that ya found some trespassers last evening. Found out who they were?" inquired Kouji in an attempt to break the silence.
"Yeah. But I didn't get a good chance ta look at them. It was too dark and the cowards ran off as soon as I flamed them. But doesn't really matter now. Some sake?" he said to change the subject as he noticed Ayomi's mortified look, she visibly did not want to talk about it.
"Thought you'd never ask," replied Kouji as he opened another bottle and started pouring.
The rest of the evening went by smoothly. The young lady enjoyed the company of the two bandits even though they soon got too drunk to make any decent conversation.
"I think we should call it a night Kouji," said Genrou in a dizzy voice. "Ya know where your room is?" he asked Ayomi.
"Yep, so. . . um. . . good night," the young girl added while heading out the room. "Oh and by the way, I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me today. So. . . arigatou." She winked at him and left the room.
"Oh! No problem. Anytime, although, next time, don't wack me on the head," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once Ayomi had reached her room, she suddenly had the awkward feeling that some one was watching her. She turned around but no one was in sight.
'I must be imagining things' she thought as she opened the door. 'I must be really tired. Nothing a good night of sleep won't solve.' She yawned and stepped into the dark room.
As she entered the room and had closed the door, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her and pushed her to the floor. Caught completely out of the blue, she forgot to react until it was too late. The guy tied a handkerchief over her mouth preventing her to scream for help. He also bounded her feet and hands avoiding any movement that he didn't want her to make.
"Hehehe. . . caught you again. And this time no one's here to save you my little bijin*," said a familiar voice.
' Oh no! It's the guy that was after me in the woods. How did he get here? What do I do? What do I do?' She closed her eyes and prayed. 'Help somebody please!' Ayomi tried to scream but nothing came out from mouth. She attempted to free herself from the cords tied around her wrist but without success. . . 'Please somebody help me. . . Tasuki. . . ' she thought.
And then suddenly, the most enthralling voice came from the door.
"Oi, Ayomi, I just came to check if everything was all right. Do ya need more blankets or something?" Tasuki didn't know why he was in front of her door but some gut feeling inside told him to come and check if she was ok.
He waited a few seconds. No answer.
'Hmm. . . that's weird, she couldn't have fallen asleep that quickly. I doubt if she even had the time to get into bed,' thought the bandit, 'better go in to check.'
As he opened the door, he found Ayomi on the floor, tied like a prisoner of some kind with. . . could it be? Eikens on top of her! But how could that be possible? He had banned that slimy man from the stronghold years ago.
"What the hell's goin' on in here?" he shouted in disgust. "How the hell did you get in here you fucking bastard? Never mind, get your slimy hands off of her!"
He knelt down, pushed the fat man off of Ayomi and began untying her while Eikens yelled in anger:" She's mine! I found her first back there in the woods. And if you hadn't bugged in and tried to roast me, I wouldn't be here right now to claim what I own. And how did I get here? Well, if you've forgotten I was leader here before. . . that is, until you had to. . . "
Tasuki didn't let him finish his sentence. He rose to his height, grabbed his iron fan and hit the slim ball hard on the head. He fell on the floor, unconscious.
"You disgusting pig. So you were the one that I had fried back in the woods. I shoulda finished you off, " he added in repulsion. He called in some men and told them to dispose of him.
Tasuki then turned his attention to Ayomi and finished untying her making sure she was all right.
As soon the she was free from the knots, she wrapped her arms around his neck while whispering: "Thank you so much Suzaku!" And burst into tears.
Tasuki, seeing her cry made him feel very uncomfortable. He hated to see people cry, especially girls. He didn't know why, but he felt the urge to just hug her very tight and make everything okay.
"Hey, it's ok now. Nothing's gonna happen ta ya," he said to comfort her. "C'mon, I'll take ya to my room. I don't think that you'll want ta sleep alone after what just happened. I'll ask someone to make a bed for you in there."
The girl looked at him, lowered her teary eyes and whispered: "Arigatou. . . for saving me again. I really owe you now don't I?"
"You owe me big time. Your gonna spend the rest of your life in my debt," the bandit answered mockingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He led her to his room where he left her on a cozy chair by the fire.
"Wait here while I'll go and make arrangements about your bed," he told her.
Ayomi watched as Tasuki left the room. She starred the blazing fire for a few moments but her exhaustion was too much and she soon fell asleep by the hot flames.
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When Genrou came back to his room, he found a girl in his chair, fast asleep.
'Koji's right,' he thought as he looked at her, 'she really is pretty. Blue eyes with black hair is rather rare around here. Not to mention that she has quite an attitude. . . foreign girls, I just don't get them. . . or any other girl as a matter of fact.'
He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he gently tucked her in making sure to leave no drafts.
Afterwards, the bandit went to sit in his chair where he thought about all that had happened today. He didn't think long though, because he was soon pulled into the world of dreams. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As daylight peeked out from the hilltops, Ayomi woke up covered in a soft blanket and snug in a warm bed. 'Heavenly,' she thought, 'mom must be making me breakfast at this moment. Last night was all but a dream, although I must admit that I regret not being able to really meet Genrou. He would have made an entertaining friend. . . '
Her thoughts were interrupted as an old man came into the room bringing her a delicious meal and a pile of clothes.
"Guess it wasn't just a dream," she whispered to herself, "oh well, reality isn't that bad after all. . . "
"Good morning miss, Genrou-san asked me to look after you for the time being," the old man said while putting the tray of dishes on the nearby table and handing Ayomi the stack of clothing.
"Does miss need anything?" asked the aged man as he replaced the room in order.
Ayomi looked at the garments that the he had handed her while trying to figure up how to put them on. She guessed that they were traditional Chinese outfits, for girls. But they looked so tight and small. 'Man this won't do, how do they expect me move in this outfit?' she thought to herself.
"Well. . . could you please bring me a bucket of warm water and take these clothes back to where you got them? Because I think I'm just going to stick with my own clothes, for the meantime,' she said while gesturing to the colorful set of clothing.
"Very well miss. As you wish,' answered the elderly while preparing to exit the room. He asked no questions about her rather odd taste in clothing, but eyed her in an intriguing way.
"Oh and sir!" shouted Ayomi. "Sorry to be a bother, but would you happen to know where Tasuki-chan went off to?" she said with her sweet pleading voice.
"He went to the sables to see Koji-san off." He gestured to the little barn outside the window to her left. "Sir Kouji is going to the capital to tend to some business. Good Day Miss."
With that, the old man left the room and Ayomi got dressed and filled her tummy to her satisfaction.
'Might as well go find fang-boy,' She stood in front of a mirror and arranged herself to be presentable. 'Can't leave him all alone for too long.'
At that, she got up and left the room.
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"So, how long ya gonna be gone again?" asked a red haired bandit.
"Oh probably a week or two. Don't worry, she wont kill you by then," answered his grinning friend, while arranging his saddle.
"Hey what the hell's that supposed ta mean? Are you saying that I can't handle a girl?" reproached Genrou.
"Oh no! Not at all. What I meant was that she might not be able to endure you for so long shit head," snickered Koji.
Tasuki took out his fan and threatened his friend with it while shouting: "Aho! Ya really want me ta burn ya don't you?"
Koji tore off on his horse not wanting to be flamed by the tessen.
"Don't annoy her to much Genrou. 'N keep an eye on her. You might not like the girl, but I surely do. So. . . don't make any moves on her while I'm gone. . . C'ya," called back his friend. With that, he vanished into the woods.
'Ah that baka! Why would I want to flirt with Ayomi? It's not like I even like her. Besides, she's probably gonna want to go back to her world when I get to talk to Chichiri. Thinking of Chichiri, it's been a long time since I've seen him. Wonder what that monk's up to. . . " thought the bandit as he walked around the horse stalls.
Tasuki was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't hear Ayomi coming towards him. Until, he felt a had on the on shoulder.
'Oh no! Not her!' prayed Genrou.
"TAAAASSUUUUKKIIII," shouted the young lady, "I've been looking for you. So. . . whatcha doing? Going to rob someone? You know I've never seen a real bandit in action before so I've decided to come along with you. I hope you don't mind.
A moment of silence then. . .
"So, can I? Not that I'm asking you for permission or anything. Because frankly, even if you don't want me to come, I'd go anyway," exclaimed a confident Ayomi.
Tasuki turned around and answered: "What the hell do ya want? And no you can't come along with me. Way to much trouble."
The girl thought hard and responded: "Well, don't you think I would cause more trouble if I were to stay here. . . all alone. . . and unprotected since I heard that Koji's gone for a few days. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me right? So you see, I'd be better off going with you." Ayomi put on a sure to win sweet smile and grinned at Tasuki.
The bandit had to admit that she was quite clever and knew how to get what she wanted because he couldn't find anything to say in his defense. He sighed and muttered:" Pain in the ass." While lifting Ayomi on to a horse and asking her: "You do know how to ride a horse right?"
The girl laughed and answered: "I've never ridden a horse before. Sorry, but your gonna have to teach me."
Tasuki looked up at the sky and sighed (maybe a little too loud): "Oh Suzaku. . . help."
Ayomi, hearing those words, got very offended.
"You know, you're not very nice. I don't think I wanna go with you anymore. You're mean, rude, selfish and the worst asshole I've ever meet. If you don't like me, then just say so instead of hinting it out every two seconds and praying out to Suzaku to get me out of your sight," she exclaimed while getting off the horse and preparing to run away. But before she had taken more than five steps, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"Hey, wait! I didn't mean ta hurt your feelings. Goddamn it I don't hate you. I don't like you either, but I don't hate you," said a red face Genrou, "you hafta understand that I don't mean half the things I say. So, ya can't take seriously everything that comes out of my mouth."
Ayomi looked at the bandit and noticed how embarrassed he must be right now. She knew how hard it was for guys to apologize. 'That was so cute,' she thought. And almost immediately, her anger gave place to a strange feeling that made her all fuzzy inside. She smiled at Tasuki and said: "It's ok, I'll try and not take everything too seriously from now on. I'm sorry."
Tasuki stared at her in astonishment. From all the answers that he was expecting, he never thought that she would apologize to him. What did she have to apologize for? She wasn't the one being a jerk.
"Sorry??!! What do you have to be sorry about? You didn't do anything wrong," exclaimed a surprised Tasuki.
"Ah! Your wrong, I'm no better than you. Cuz you see, while I was screaming after you, I said that you were rude and all that. So you see, you insulted me and I just insulted you back," said Ayomi in an embarrassed tone. She lowered her eyes and waited for Tasuki to laugh at her. But nothing came. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her saying: "You know, I have the impression that me might just be friends one day."
Ayomi couldn't help but laugh at those words.
"So, are we going to rob someone and flame them with the tessen?" pleaded the girl.
"What do ya mean by we? You're forgetting that I'm the one that holds the torch here," said Tasuki as he hoisted her on his horse and sat behind her.
And off they went to pluck a fat chicken. . .
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A/N: So, what did you guys think? Don't forget to review it. O^ - ^O
*Bijin means pretty women in jap.
Spoiler alert: This fic is spoiler packed, not only for the complete Fushigi Yuugi series but also for the Genrou Den. Although I didn't put in many details (only a brief summary of what happens in both stories), it's enough to ruin it for you. But then again who cares? You're probably not even reading this. . .
A/N: This is my first fanfic so please tell me what you think. If you don't like it, let me know why and if you find it er. . . enjoyable, your review will encourage me to continue and write some more fics. This story is rated PG-13 maybe even R for swearing (what would Tasuki-chan be without it?). Anyways, it takes place a year after Miaka leaves the book for good. Tasuki has returned to Mt.Leikaku to become leader, but doesn't know what fate has in store for him. . .
' ' Means thoughts
" " Means speech
*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*
Chapter 1: An Unwanted Fallen Angel
On a lonesome summer evening, a charming young lady sat in front of her computer screen and waited impatiently for her friends to show any signs of their existence. "Man is everyone dead or something? Or, did they just all ditch me and go out without telling me anything??!!"
She waited a bit longer. 'Guess so. . . This is what friends are for,' she stated to herself sarcastically.
"Thank you everyone, just when I need you the most!" she sighed deeply. It was quite late and having nothing better to do, the girl decided to go to bed early.
As she passed in front of the living room, she noticed that her TV set was still opened. As she picked up the remote control to turn the power off, she couldn't help but listen to the show that was playing. It was a Japanese anime that was talking about a teenager who was sent to another world to call upon some weird bird shaped God. "Hmm, this looks interesting, despite the fact that the main character could use a makeover," she thought.
As she sad down to watch the show, a red light suddenly came out of the screen and surrounded her in a warm glowing light. When the light had disappeared, she had vanished along with it. . .
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A girl with beautiful raven hair woke up in the middle of an immense forest. It was a chilly evening where the moon shone brightly in the night sky. Trees of all kind surrounded the girl as far as the eye could see. Wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, she stood there shivering in the brisk summer evening. Suddenly she heard distant footsteps approaching her. . .
"Looks like it was finally a good thing that Sinzo sent us to spy on the Mt.Leikaku bandits. Not only do I still know this place like the back of my head but look at the present Suzaku has sent us for our good work," roared a rough voice from somewhere behind a tree, "hehehe. . . we're gonna have some fun tonight boys. . . "
The girl, realizing what mess she was in for, turned around and attempted to flee. But it was too late, they had somehow, already surrounded her. She looked at the men encircling her in fright as a pair of strong arms grabbed her before she was able to react and pushed her, face down, to ground. The fat man standing in front of her started to loosen his pants and moved towards the young lady.
She started to kick furiously in attempt to escape but the guys holding her down would just tighten their grip. "She's a stubborn one Eikens, think you can handle her?" they said laughing. The one named Eikens paid no attention to their remark and started to move towards her.
The girl closed her eyes and prayed. Just when she thought that all hope was lost, she heard another man shout:" Trespassers eh? Haven't ya ever heard that the Mt.Leikaku bandits aren't very friendly to people who invade our territory without our permission?"
She heard some strange incantation that sounded something like, "LEKKA SHINEN!!!" And instantly, a blazing red flame came out from somewhere in the dark, aimed directly at her rapiers. Shocked and alarmed, they ran away with their clothes on fire, leaving the unconscious girl lying in the middle of the forest. . .
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When she woke up, she found herself lying in a warm bed, in a room that was decorated with ancient china adornments. 'Where the hell am I?'
She noticed a red headed guy looking at her from the corner of his eye. The young lady, who was quite confused, made up an idea in her mind that the redheaded freak must have kidnapped her for some twisted plan where she was not going to profit from it. She sat up at once and smacked the fang- toothed man hard on the head, wanting to knock him out cold. Didn't work. . .
"Ow. . . what the hell is your problem?" the guy shouted rubbing his head. She did not succeed in knowing him out, but a big lump was visibly forming on the top of his head.
"My problem? Oh lets see, I don't know where I am, I don't know how the hell I got here, I almost got raped and I have this idiot staring at me probably thinking about what to do with me. Oh no big problem. At all! " she threw back.
"What the hell is that supposed t'mean? Look here kid, if it wasn't for me, you would be dead by now," the man said with a rather funny accent.
"Oh! So you're the one who that lit the fire that almost burned me to death. Remind me to thank you next time", she added sarcastically as she turned her back to him.
"Jeez. . . this is why I HATE women!" he muttered under his breathe." If your highness needs anything, she can just call. Somebody will probably end up coming, after an hour or two." He got out from this chair and left the room still rubbing his head.
The girl sat on the bed and looked around the room. 'This is a strange place. Where am I?' She stepped down from the bed and wondered about the room, inspecting the strange objects from here to there. 'I must have seriously fallen on my head because. . . I can't have just been sucked into a TV. Can I?'
As she walked around the chamber thinking, her mind kept going back to the hot- tempered guy that had just rescued her. 'Maybe I was too hard with him, I mean he did just save my life and all. Or so he claims. . . ' she sighed . 'I should go find him and apologize. Since I am stranded here and don't know anyone. Better be on good terms with my 'saver,' she thought as she walked to the door, preparing to face a whole new world.
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As the girl stepped out of the room, she gradually realized that it wasn't such a great idea. She found herself in a corridor with a bunch of guys starring at her in awe. 'They must go out very often,' she thought.
"Can we help ya miss?" one of them asked approaching her.
"Eh. . . " she started, "that is um. . . no. . . not really. . ."
The men didn't seem to be listening to what she had just said though. Instead, they moved closer to her looking at her in veneration. She was about to turn back and lock herself in the room when a man with black hair came up the corridor. When the other men noticed his presence, they returned immediately back to their respective duties.
"Looking for Genrou?" he asked.
The girl nodded while keeping her eyes to the ground.
"He went to the kitchens, come I'll take ya there." He held out his hand but soon took it back as he noticed the hesitation in the girl's eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't bite ya." He said mockingly.
She hesitantly walked beside him while eyeing him suspiciously.
The young man chuckled at her reaction towards him while adding, "And if I were you, I'd kept a certain distance from them. They're not mean but they don't get out much and when there's a girl as pretty as you at their doorstep, its hard not to resist temptation." The schoolgirl bushed but didn't say anything. "By the way, my name's Kouji. And you are. . . "
He was cut off as they reached the noisy cafeteria. The room was filled with tables, all made out of wood. They were also all very low and instead of having chairs for seating, four little benches stood on each side. Sitting at a table in a corner, was the same red hair guy whom she had whacked on the head a few moments ago.
The man, realizing their presence turned and added to his friend:" What took ya so long Kouji, I was gonna open the sake without you." But then he noticed the girl that he had saved earlier standing beside his friend and added:" Aw. . . but did ya have ta bring that monster in here with ya? She's gonna ruin my night that's for sure."
Hearing those words, the girl got very angry and shouted: "And to think that I was actually going to apologize to this. . . this. . . "
"Hey calm down I was just joking, you take everything to personally kid," he said, cutting her in off before she could finish her sentence. He began to pour the sake and gestured for them to sit down.
"I do have a name you know. . . its Ayomi. And for your information, I'm probably just as old as you. KID!" She sat down opposite to him while picking up a pair of chopsticks and beginning to taste the food that was in front of her.
"She got you there pal," replied Koji with a grin as he also sat down. Witch was true since Ayomi was 19 and Tasuki was only a year older than her.
Genrou muttered words for hate under his breath while Kouji asked Ayomi:" So. . . where ya from?"
"Montreal. . . eh that's in Canada," replied the girl busy eating. The food was quite good.
"Where?"
"You don't know where Canada is? C'mon, it's only the second biggest country in the world!" she shouted in bewilderment.
"Nope, I only know four countries and yours is not in one of them. But right now, you're in Konan. . . and that's in the south," he added hastily, seeing her puzzlement.
'Konan. . . I've heard that name somewhere. . .' she thought to herself. And then it hit her. "Oh damn! God. . . this is not possible. Not only am I not in my own country but I'm in a different time! World!!!" she exclaimed as the history classes she took about ancient China finally came back to her.
"I kinda guessed that you were from Miaka's world judging by the clothes that ya have on. But ya better not be trying to fool us. Cuz if I find out that you're a spy or something like that, believe me things can get very ugly," said Genrou in a tone in which Ayomi couldn't figured out if he was mocking her or if he was threatening her.
"Thanks for the warning but I don't need it because I'm not a spy of some sort. And, I don't really know who Miaka is. But if you're asking me if I'm from her world. . . well I'm certainly not from here so you could say so," answered the girl as she stared at the bandit straight in the eye, trying to prove to him that she wasn't scared of him.
'Who does he think he is accusing me of being a spy. Like I have nothing better to do. . . ' she tought, as she continued to stare at Genrou intensively in the eye until the man blushed and turned his head to avoid her gaze. She smiled and decided to continue her meal.
"So. . . if you're not a spy than you must be here for a reason. I don't think Suzaku would just send you here to annoy me. . . ' he said as if he seemed to have regained control over the situation again.
"Who's Suzaku?" asked Ayomi ignoring his second remark.
"You don't know who Suzaku is??!!" answered both of them at once.
"Well, I'm not from here so. . . why should I know who he is?"
The two men looked at her in exasperation as they told her that Suzaku was the God that protected this Country, Konan. And how two years ago, a girl that came from another world had to gather the seven shichi seishi of Suzaku and summon the God to save this country from war. They told her the story of Miaka and how she found the seven warriors. Tasuki told Ayomi that he was a bandit. . .
(Ayomi: You're a BANDIT!!!
Tasuki: Yeah but we 're good ones.
Ayomi: I can't see how someone who steals for a living can be good. . . (puzzled look)
Tasuki: I'll explain it to ya later. Can we get back to the story?)
. . . and how the priestess had found him here, at the Mt.Leikaku bandit base. He also showed her the "yoku" symbol on his left forearm and explained to Ayomi that all of the seven seishi have a symbol like his somewhere on their body. He told her a brief summary of how the Miko had to fight against the Seiryuu warriors to be able to summon the animal God. And that how in the battle, four of his friends had died. . .
While Tasuki was telling her about the legend, Ayomi noticed the softness in his voice every time he mentionned the name of his Miko. 'He must have really liked her, probably still does. I wonder if they had an affaire. . . ' Her curiosity got the better of her and she asked the seishi: "Um. . . I know that this is not my business and that I shouldn't butt in, but um. . . did you and Miaka have something for each other?"
Tasuki looked at her, startled, and replied: "You' re right, this really isn't any of you're business.
-So you guys did have an affaire. What happened though, she dumped you?
-God damn it, who is this girl kidding?! Never in a thousand years, Miaka was too in love with Tamahome. No one ever had a chance with her.
-Ah. . . so you don't deny that you have feelings for her?" Asked Ayomi in an amused voice. The bandit turned slightly redder as he remembered what had happened between him and Miaka the last time she had been here, which was about a year ago. It was true that he didn't have feelings for his Miko but he remembered quite well that some evil part of him did feel "something" for Miaka. And that under its influence, he had almost committed a crime. But that was in the past now and everything had been cleared out. He had even acted heroically in the end by choosing to kill himself rather than betray his friends. Still, he couldn't help but blush as the memories came flooding in.
"I never said that. Of course I like Miaka very much, but I don't have feelings for her. Besides I don't like girls," answered Tasuki in an annoyed voice while taking down another cup of alcohol.
"You don't like girls. Wow, that's a first. Then that means that, you're. . . you're gay!!??" whispered the blue eyed girl. 'Why do cute guys always have to be taken or gay?' Ayomi lowered her head and sighed.
Kouji, rather enjoying the show, burst out laughing at Ayomi' s crude conclusion on his friends sexual orientations.
"BWAHAHAHA, you hear that Genrou, she thinks you're gay! I gotta admit, you aren't far from being it either," laughed his friend while patting the pissed off bandit on the back. "It's ok. Ya don't hafta be ashamed. . . "
Before Kouji knew what was happening, he had received a rather painful pat on the head, giving to him by his friend with this iron fan. "No I'm not fucking gay. And ya know it idiot!" he shouted.
The girl looked at the duo and burst out laughing.
"Sorry, its just that you two are so funny. Well, I'm glad that you aren't gay, because that means I still have a chance with you," she added in a teasing voice.
The bandit eyed her suspiciously but kept his mouth shut.
"Hey Genrou, I heard that ya found some trespassers last evening. Found out who they were?" inquired Kouji in an attempt to break the silence.
"Yeah. But I didn't get a good chance ta look at them. It was too dark and the cowards ran off as soon as I flamed them. But doesn't really matter now. Some sake?" he said to change the subject as he noticed Ayomi's mortified look, she visibly did not want to talk about it.
"Thought you'd never ask," replied Kouji as he opened another bottle and started pouring.
The rest of the evening went by smoothly. The young lady enjoyed the company of the two bandits even though they soon got too drunk to make any decent conversation.
"I think we should call it a night Kouji," said Genrou in a dizzy voice. "Ya know where your room is?" he asked Ayomi.
"Yep, so. . . um. . . good night," the young girl added while heading out the room. "Oh and by the way, I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me today. So. . . arigatou." She winked at him and left the room.
"Oh! No problem. Anytime, although, next time, don't wack me on the head," he said.
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Once Ayomi had reached her room, she suddenly had the awkward feeling that some one was watching her. She turned around but no one was in sight.
'I must be imagining things' she thought as she opened the door. 'I must be really tired. Nothing a good night of sleep won't solve.' She yawned and stepped into the dark room.
As she entered the room and had closed the door, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her and pushed her to the floor. Caught completely out of the blue, she forgot to react until it was too late. The guy tied a handkerchief over her mouth preventing her to scream for help. He also bounded her feet and hands avoiding any movement that he didn't want her to make.
"Hehehe. . . caught you again. And this time no one's here to save you my little bijin*," said a familiar voice.
' Oh no! It's the guy that was after me in the woods. How did he get here? What do I do? What do I do?' She closed her eyes and prayed. 'Help somebody please!' Ayomi tried to scream but nothing came out from mouth. She attempted to free herself from the cords tied around her wrist but without success. . . 'Please somebody help me. . . Tasuki. . . ' she thought.
And then suddenly, the most enthralling voice came from the door.
"Oi, Ayomi, I just came to check if everything was all right. Do ya need more blankets or something?" Tasuki didn't know why he was in front of her door but some gut feeling inside told him to come and check if she was ok.
He waited a few seconds. No answer.
'Hmm. . . that's weird, she couldn't have fallen asleep that quickly. I doubt if she even had the time to get into bed,' thought the bandit, 'better go in to check.'
As he opened the door, he found Ayomi on the floor, tied like a prisoner of some kind with. . . could it be? Eikens on top of her! But how could that be possible? He had banned that slimy man from the stronghold years ago.
"What the hell's goin' on in here?" he shouted in disgust. "How the hell did you get in here you fucking bastard? Never mind, get your slimy hands off of her!"
He knelt down, pushed the fat man off of Ayomi and began untying her while Eikens yelled in anger:" She's mine! I found her first back there in the woods. And if you hadn't bugged in and tried to roast me, I wouldn't be here right now to claim what I own. And how did I get here? Well, if you've forgotten I was leader here before. . . that is, until you had to. . . "
Tasuki didn't let him finish his sentence. He rose to his height, grabbed his iron fan and hit the slim ball hard on the head. He fell on the floor, unconscious.
"You disgusting pig. So you were the one that I had fried back in the woods. I shoulda finished you off, " he added in repulsion. He called in some men and told them to dispose of him.
Tasuki then turned his attention to Ayomi and finished untying her making sure she was all right.
As soon the she was free from the knots, she wrapped her arms around his neck while whispering: "Thank you so much Suzaku!" And burst into tears.
Tasuki, seeing her cry made him feel very uncomfortable. He hated to see people cry, especially girls. He didn't know why, but he felt the urge to just hug her very tight and make everything okay.
"Hey, it's ok now. Nothing's gonna happen ta ya," he said to comfort her. "C'mon, I'll take ya to my room. I don't think that you'll want ta sleep alone after what just happened. I'll ask someone to make a bed for you in there."
The girl looked at him, lowered her teary eyes and whispered: "Arigatou. . . for saving me again. I really owe you now don't I?"
"You owe me big time. Your gonna spend the rest of your life in my debt," the bandit answered mockingly.
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He led her to his room where he left her on a cozy chair by the fire.
"Wait here while I'll go and make arrangements about your bed," he told her.
Ayomi watched as Tasuki left the room. She starred the blazing fire for a few moments but her exhaustion was too much and she soon fell asleep by the hot flames.
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When Genrou came back to his room, he found a girl in his chair, fast asleep.
'Koji's right,' he thought as he looked at her, 'she really is pretty. Blue eyes with black hair is rather rare around here. Not to mention that she has quite an attitude. . . foreign girls, I just don't get them. . . or any other girl as a matter of fact.'
He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he gently tucked her in making sure to leave no drafts.
Afterwards, the bandit went to sit in his chair where he thought about all that had happened today. He didn't think long though, because he was soon pulled into the world of dreams. . .
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As daylight peeked out from the hilltops, Ayomi woke up covered in a soft blanket and snug in a warm bed. 'Heavenly,' she thought, 'mom must be making me breakfast at this moment. Last night was all but a dream, although I must admit that I regret not being able to really meet Genrou. He would have made an entertaining friend. . . '
Her thoughts were interrupted as an old man came into the room bringing her a delicious meal and a pile of clothes.
"Guess it wasn't just a dream," she whispered to herself, "oh well, reality isn't that bad after all. . . "
"Good morning miss, Genrou-san asked me to look after you for the time being," the old man said while putting the tray of dishes on the nearby table and handing Ayomi the stack of clothing.
"Does miss need anything?" asked the aged man as he replaced the room in order.
Ayomi looked at the garments that the he had handed her while trying to figure up how to put them on. She guessed that they were traditional Chinese outfits, for girls. But they looked so tight and small. 'Man this won't do, how do they expect me move in this outfit?' she thought to herself.
"Well. . . could you please bring me a bucket of warm water and take these clothes back to where you got them? Because I think I'm just going to stick with my own clothes, for the meantime,' she said while gesturing to the colorful set of clothing.
"Very well miss. As you wish,' answered the elderly while preparing to exit the room. He asked no questions about her rather odd taste in clothing, but eyed her in an intriguing way.
"Oh and sir!" shouted Ayomi. "Sorry to be a bother, but would you happen to know where Tasuki-chan went off to?" she said with her sweet pleading voice.
"He went to the sables to see Koji-san off." He gestured to the little barn outside the window to her left. "Sir Kouji is going to the capital to tend to some business. Good Day Miss."
With that, the old man left the room and Ayomi got dressed and filled her tummy to her satisfaction.
'Might as well go find fang-boy,' She stood in front of a mirror and arranged herself to be presentable. 'Can't leave him all alone for too long.'
At that, she got up and left the room.
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"So, how long ya gonna be gone again?" asked a red haired bandit.
"Oh probably a week or two. Don't worry, she wont kill you by then," answered his grinning friend, while arranging his saddle.
"Hey what the hell's that supposed ta mean? Are you saying that I can't handle a girl?" reproached Genrou.
"Oh no! Not at all. What I meant was that she might not be able to endure you for so long shit head," snickered Koji.
Tasuki took out his fan and threatened his friend with it while shouting: "Aho! Ya really want me ta burn ya don't you?"
Koji tore off on his horse not wanting to be flamed by the tessen.
"Don't annoy her to much Genrou. 'N keep an eye on her. You might not like the girl, but I surely do. So. . . don't make any moves on her while I'm gone. . . C'ya," called back his friend. With that, he vanished into the woods.
'Ah that baka! Why would I want to flirt with Ayomi? It's not like I even like her. Besides, she's probably gonna want to go back to her world when I get to talk to Chichiri. Thinking of Chichiri, it's been a long time since I've seen him. Wonder what that monk's up to. . . " thought the bandit as he walked around the horse stalls.
Tasuki was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't hear Ayomi coming towards him. Until, he felt a had on the on shoulder.
'Oh no! Not her!' prayed Genrou.
"TAAAASSUUUUKKIIII," shouted the young lady, "I've been looking for you. So. . . whatcha doing? Going to rob someone? You know I've never seen a real bandit in action before so I've decided to come along with you. I hope you don't mind.
A moment of silence then. . .
"So, can I? Not that I'm asking you for permission or anything. Because frankly, even if you don't want me to come, I'd go anyway," exclaimed a confident Ayomi.
Tasuki turned around and answered: "What the hell do ya want? And no you can't come along with me. Way to much trouble."
The girl thought hard and responded: "Well, don't you think I would cause more trouble if I were to stay here. . . all alone. . . and unprotected since I heard that Koji's gone for a few days. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me right? So you see, I'd be better off going with you." Ayomi put on a sure to win sweet smile and grinned at Tasuki.
The bandit had to admit that she was quite clever and knew how to get what she wanted because he couldn't find anything to say in his defense. He sighed and muttered:" Pain in the ass." While lifting Ayomi on to a horse and asking her: "You do know how to ride a horse right?"
The girl laughed and answered: "I've never ridden a horse before. Sorry, but your gonna have to teach me."
Tasuki looked up at the sky and sighed (maybe a little too loud): "Oh Suzaku. . . help."
Ayomi, hearing those words, got very offended.
"You know, you're not very nice. I don't think I wanna go with you anymore. You're mean, rude, selfish and the worst asshole I've ever meet. If you don't like me, then just say so instead of hinting it out every two seconds and praying out to Suzaku to get me out of your sight," she exclaimed while getting off the horse and preparing to run away. But before she had taken more than five steps, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"Hey, wait! I didn't mean ta hurt your feelings. Goddamn it I don't hate you. I don't like you either, but I don't hate you," said a red face Genrou, "you hafta understand that I don't mean half the things I say. So, ya can't take seriously everything that comes out of my mouth."
Ayomi looked at the bandit and noticed how embarrassed he must be right now. She knew how hard it was for guys to apologize. 'That was so cute,' she thought. And almost immediately, her anger gave place to a strange feeling that made her all fuzzy inside. She smiled at Tasuki and said: "It's ok, I'll try and not take everything too seriously from now on. I'm sorry."
Tasuki stared at her in astonishment. From all the answers that he was expecting, he never thought that she would apologize to him. What did she have to apologize for? She wasn't the one being a jerk.
"Sorry??!! What do you have to be sorry about? You didn't do anything wrong," exclaimed a surprised Tasuki.
"Ah! Your wrong, I'm no better than you. Cuz you see, while I was screaming after you, I said that you were rude and all that. So you see, you insulted me and I just insulted you back," said Ayomi in an embarrassed tone. She lowered her eyes and waited for Tasuki to laugh at her. But nothing came. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her saying: "You know, I have the impression that me might just be friends one day."
Ayomi couldn't help but laugh at those words.
"So, are we going to rob someone and flame them with the tessen?" pleaded the girl.
"What do ya mean by we? You're forgetting that I'm the one that holds the torch here," said Tasuki as he hoisted her on his horse and sat behind her.
And off they went to pluck a fat chicken. . .
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A/N: So, what did you guys think? Don't forget to review it. O^ - ^O
*Bijin means pretty women in jap.