The Last Seishi
By nightelfcrawler
Warnings: Tasuki's foul mouth
Okay so... in chatting with an rp partner, we ended up discovering that we had been a part of the same fandoms some 10+ years ago. She ran a website that hosted some of my old fics... which made me drag out some old dvds that I'd saved my webpages on... and lo and behold, I found these old fics hanging around still and decided heck why not bring them back. So here they are, a trip down memory lane! These were written in the late 90's and early 2000's when I went by too many psudonyms to remember. I actually forgot who I was until I physically saw the fics listed and went 'oh crap I remember those!'. Ahh memories.
Be warned... these were my first attempts at writing and are likely riddled with grammar, spelling and other noted errors. I've read through them, blushed furiously that I used to write like this, and decided to put them up anyway as-is with no revisions. So please enjoy, but don't bother correcting or whining, they shall be ignored!
The Last SeishiChapter Six: Memories of Past Belongings
Standard Disclaimer: Didn't make them, don't own them, can't sue me. My thanks go out to two very wonderful people for this one. WMC, thanks for being so patient with me! Lisa, a.k.a. AmadeusLL, thanks for helping me come up with the ideas for the next few chapters!
The trip to Taisukun's was fairly uneventful. Chichiri had remained silent through most of the journey, something definitely unusual for him.
The others had not bothered him about it, knowing he was going through another tragic phase in his life. They knew he was involved in thought, and though curious, had pointedly decided to remain out of his way, for the most part.
When they had finally arrived, he seemed to emerge from his trance at long last.
"Nyan, Nyan! Chichiri come to visit us again!" One of the unfathomably cute Nyan Nyan said in a high pitched voice. "We fix, neh?"
He smiled and patted the small goddess on the head tenderly, laughing softly. "That's ok, Nyan Nyan no da. I don't need to be fixed just now no da. I'm fine no da. Is Taisu-kun around anywhere na no da?"
"Of course she is! What did you expect?"
A disembodied voice spoke suddenly out of the ever existing mist surrounding the mountain.
Naturally, everyone but Chichiri jumped into the air with fright, screaming as the form of Taisu-kun materialized in front of them.
"EEEEEEEE." Keisuke cried pointing and stuttering in her direction.
Taisu-kun glared in his general vicinity, and he, remembering what had often happened to Tasuki, quickly shut up.
"Well, you certainly took your time in getting here! I've been wondering when you'd show up. Come inside and I'll show you what you need to know."
They went into a spacious room, and sat politely waiting as Taisu-kun settled down. After a prolonged wait and an uncomfortable silence, she finally spoke.
"So...you want to know where the Shijin no Kyokushoo Suishoo is hidden, do you?" Her eyes bore into Chichiri like a lighthouse's beam through fog. "You know the risks? You know what you will face once you attain it?"
"Hai." He whispered, almost inaudible.
She stared at him for the longest time. As the group watched, they realized this was the first time they had ever seen Chichiri squirm uncomfortably under a person's scrutiny.
"Very well then." She continued, turning her gaze back to the rest of the group. "The path to the shrine is not an easy one; it is riddled with many barriers, both physical and..." She glanced briefly at Chichiri, "...emotional. You will be in little danger physically on your journey, but the danger lies not in the physical obstacles, but emotional stamina." At this she glanced at Chichiri again. "The worst of it will be for you Chichiri."
He looked up, having expected as much. "I am prepared to undergo whatever I need to in order to do what is right."
She stared at him, her wise eyes boring into his soul. After an eternity, she snorted and waved her hand in dismissance of the matter. "Very well then. Your route will take you through into the North bordering mountains of Konan, towards the center of the four countries. The Giza-Giza Mountains."
There was a startled gasp from Chichiri and as they looked at him in surprise, they saw his hand raise to his mouth, and his face pale. Taisu-kun cleared her throat. "I said it would not be easy for you, Chichiri." She turned back to the others. "You must go deep into the mountains to what is known as Ryuuhi Mountain, the locals can direct you...if Chichiri has forgotten the route."
They stared at him in astonishment. He was gripping his hands tightly together in his lap, his eye closed as his pale face gave the appearance of utter dread.
"Once you have reached the mountain, there is a set of stairs you must climb, and you will find the shrine at the top." She stopped and leaned back having finished her lecture. What she had neglected to tell them, however, was the flight of stairs extended around the mountain for about 50 kilometers.
"Well...it certainly sounds easy." Tetsuya said slowly. "What's the catch, eh? Big monsters? Misguided spirits lurking in the shrine?"
"No catch. The catch itself lies in the crystal, not the journey there."
The others looked at each other apprehensively. "So we just can get there like that?"
She nodded. "The danger, as I said before, lies in the crystal itself. When you find it, then you best be on your guard."
The group broke for lunch, and as they lounged around the mountain, they pondered the past proceedings. Chichiri had gone off by himself somewhere quiet where he could think, having recovered from whatever had given him the initial shock. No one could locate him.
Miaka wondered about the mage's reaction when Taisu-kun had mentioned the Giza-Giza Mountains. He had obviously recognized the name, she thought, and he had been frightened by it. If not frightened, then startled at least.
Taka came up behind her as she stared out across the mountain peaks.
"What do you suppose is Chichiri's connection to that place, Miaka?"
"I don't know..."
Chichiri sat atop a desolate peak some miles away from Taisu-kun's palace. He was buried deep in concentration, gathering his wits, attempting to calm himself. 'I can't believe I almost lost control back there!' He thought angrily at himself. 'I should have realized this day would have to come sometime.' He took a deep breath of the crisp cold air to calm his nerves. 'I wonder how it's changed?'
As he sat there, meditating and collecting his scattered wits, One Nyan Nyan suddenly popped up beside him.
"Chichiri-san 'fraid to go back, hmm? Why?"
He opened his eye slowly, taking in the curious childlike person before him. He sighed and lowered his hands from their meditative position, and replaced them on his knees. "Because..."
She cocked her head to the side. "Is it because of what happened to Chichiri-san before he came to live with this Nyan Nyan?"
"Hai." He whispered softly. "I'm not ready yet...to go back."
"Maybe Chichiri-san ready and he not know it yet!" She vanished in a pop, leaving the monk staring at the empty air before him.
The group walked along the pitted road deep in the forest surrounding the passes leading to the Giza-Giza mountains. The forest was peaceful and serene, the cool breeze blew through the trees causing the leaves to stir restlessly, just like everyone's minds.
It had been three days since they had left Taisu-kun's, and Chichiri had not spoken a word through the entire journey. When asked a question, he would either nod or shake his head, and would not offer any more than that.
Tetsuya was sick of it.
"Ok, Chichiri." He said suddenly, stopping short and grabbing the monk's sleeve. "We don't go one more step until you've told us precisely what is going through that mysterious head of yours."
The monk appeared to be surprised, and blinked uncertainly. "What do you mean no da?"
"You know what I mean. You've been acting weird since we left Taisu-kun's! Hell, for that matter since we got here in the first place! Now tell us what's so frightening to you about these mountains!"
The others had stopped and gathered around the two, wanting to yell at Tetsuya for being so blithely direct, yet wanting to know desperately why Chichiri was upset.
The monk stared at him, then sighed and shook his head. "It's a personal matter, it doesn't involve you."
"Like hell it doesn't! Listen, we're involved in this too ya know! And whatever happens to you happens to all of us! So why doncha cut the crap and tell us?"
It was silent for a long moment as Chichiri stared at Tetsuya with a touch of anger to his normally calm features. Finally he spoke. "I see...you aren't going to let me go until you find out...is that it?"
Realizing he was grasping Chichiri's shirt tightly in his fist, Tetsuya let go and took a step back hesitantly, an apology on his face.
"It's ok, I suppose you do have a right to know..." He closed his eye. "You'd find out sometime anyway." He turned and gazed up at the mountains, now looming closely above them. "While there are many routes into and through these mountains, there is only one route that actually will take you to the place we search for...I know this particular path well because...one must pass through a certain village en-route to the mountain. That village is...where I grew up."