Chapter 10: Found
That was a close call, she thought, her heart still thumping. I can't believe I just panicked like that! He was so close and so fast, he almost got me! What did he want anyway? Well, whatever it is, it's a good thing she ran. Because just seeing him again she felt like she was going to blubber up and cry. It'll be so embarrassing if she did and he'll think she was so weak and pathetic. I thought I was over this! It's been three freaking months! Get over it you idiot! She scolded her self mentally.
And poor Emi, I just left her without saying goodbye, she'll be so upset. Sighing, she dipped down below the clouds to check on her progress.
She was currently up high in the sky, flying fast above dark clouds, ignoring the thunder and lightning rumbling loudly below her. Occasionally, she would pop her head down to make sure she was going the right way. So far, so good, she thought. It'll only be a few hours more till she'll arrive at Mount Reikaku.
It's a good thing too that she knows now that Tasuki was in Tsukanin. At least she wouldn't have to worry about bumping into him at Mount Reikaku.
Two hours later, exhausted from flying and her throat all dried up, she finally landed at the foot of Mount Reikaku and decided to walk all the way up. It had a path woven around, going up. It'll give her a chance to better prepare herself, thinking of what to say. A whole bunch of scenarios popped into her mind while she walked.
Hey Bro! How you been? Missed me? Remember me? What do you mean who? It's Arisu! Your sister! Eurgh, she dropped her face in her hands. What if he doesn't remember me?? I mean, it has been four years afterall. She shook her head dismissively. No, he'll remember, I'm just being paranoid, Besides, I can't turn back now, and I came all the way!
With renewed spirit, she began to walk faster up the pathway, could hardly wait to meet him. I wonder if he has change at all. Does he still look the same? Was he still as funny like she remembered him? Suddenly, she stopped and stared in front of her in surprise. What the hell happened here? The whole area was charred and dead, everything covered in black soot and rotting away, the trees dead and the ground was burned.
She shrugged dismissively and went around it, not wanting to step on or fly above the black area, bad omen she thought superstitiously. And she can't afford to have more bad luck. Although, it did look suspiciously like a certain someone's doing…..
But before she could ponder too much on it, she heard a loud snap and suddenly the ground beneath her gave way and she fell screaming into a hole, knocking her head on the side of the wall. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was a couple of men looking down on her, from above…then darkness.
Tasuki angrily hurled a stone at the lake, and it fell in with a 'plop'. Tasuki and Chichiri had been everywhere after they left Tsukanin. They back-tracked all the places that they knew eventhough Chichiri had told him that she'd most probably avoid those places now that she knew they were looking for her.
"If Emiko said she hasn't been to Tsukanin since…er…for three months, then maybe she hasn't been to any of these places, no da." Chichiri reasoned.
Tasuki knew he was right. Seeing her just now, he was surprised at how happy and relieved he was that she was alive. He had been so worried that she might have….no, she's alive and that's even more reason for him to go look for her.
"But….why would she run away?" Tasuki wondered out loud.
Chichiri just shrugged. They both know why she did, but they didn't want to admit the fact. Tasuki felt guilty enough as it is.
"Tasuki, no da. Let's just go back, we'll look for her again, no da." He brought out his hat, waiting for Tasuki.
After a moment of just staring out at the lake, he sighed and turned to Chichiri. "Fine, let's just go then."
She woke up feeling very dizzy. The side of her head was throbbing painfully, and she was about to groan when she suddenly heard voices. She quickly went limp, pretending to be unconscious.
"She just got a coupla' coins on 'er…"
"Man, what a blow out…"
"…she's real purrty tho'…maybe we could have some…"
-Smack- "Don't touch her man….we gotta wait for the boss…."
"Aw…cmoonnn….just a lil'….."
Arisu suddenly felt someone grab her arm, she shot her eyes open and saw a pair of lips puckered up and about to land on her, panicking, she boxed the side of his head with a loud crack.
"OW!!" "AHH!!" They both shouted, the man fell to the floor heavily while Arisu cradled her arm painfully, the loud crack actually came from her hand, and she had twisted it.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing??" another man had turned around on her, and to her horror, he was holding a knife.
"She punched me man…ahh…" Pucker-boy got up from the floor, holding his head.
"Whatdya a baby?" Knife smacked Pucker-boy again.
Holding her arm to her chest, she looked around her searching for an exit. They were in a room and the only door was right behind the men. And they were rounding up on her.
"Come on, girly…we won't hurt ya…" Knife sniggered, whirling the knife menacingly.
"…much…" they both sniggered.
She quickly tried to concentrate, to imagine them thrown aside so she can make a run for it. But the more she concentrated, the more her head spun. Eurgh, she thought, don't betray me now. She scrunched her face and willed as hard as she can…
"Hey, whatdya think you doing girly…?"
"Are you gonna take a dump or somethin'?"
Then suddenly, both men gasped in shock and she heard two loud crashes. Opening her eyes, she saw that she had done it and quickly ran out of the room before they came to.
She immediately met with a narrow hallway and ran down it, hoping to find an exit out of here. Turning a corner, she accidentally bumped into someone and bounced off like a rag doll, sprawling to the ground. Looking up in surprise, she saw an intimidating looking man, half the size of a whale and at least six feet high staring down on her.
"Who are yooouuuu…? The whale boomed.
She gasped and quickly scrambled up running back down the hall. But to her horror, more men were coming towards her on that end, she was trapped! Concentrating hard, she floated up a few inches, willing herself to fly, but fell back down again. She couldn't do it; her head was pounding too painfully. Then almost immediately two men grabbed her and pulled her up.
"Let me go!!" Arisu screamed, writhing and kicking around aimlessly, hoping to hit a target.
"Ow!" "Hey! Hold her down!" "Man, she's squirmy!" "Ow!!" "Grab her legs…grab her legs!!"
She was immediately immobilized. Two men had seized her arms and shoulders while two other were locking her legs together. She continued to wriggle, hoping that they might lose they grips but they were too strong and they lifted her up like they would a coffin.
"She knocked out Hiro and Ryuu!" "Take her to the boss!"
"What the hell are you doing!! Let go of me you brutes!!" She continued to scream, helplessly staring at a moving ceiling while they take her to their leader. Great, she thought. What a time to get caught!
"Boss, hey boss!!" She heard a door slammed open and a girly squeak. Kouji had squealed in surprise at the sudden intrusion and hastily covered up his bare chest with his shirt, thanking the gods he still had his pants on.
"What the HELL are you doing?? Get out of my ROOM!!"
"But boss….what are we gonna 'bout 'er?" One of the brutes called up.
"You're going to put me down and then keel over and die!!" Arisu screamed boldly, still wriggling wildly.
"Ok that's it…we're takin' 'er…."
"Wait!!" Kouji said suddenly, looking curiously at the girl's head. He frowned, "Let her down…"
"But we…"
"PUT HER DOWN!!" Kouji demanded.
They immediately let go and she dropped to the ground like a rock. "OWWWW!!" Now not only her head was aching, her whole body was. Those idiots! She raised her body halfway and angrily kicks at one of those men's calf and he fell over kneeling. "Hey!"
"Arisu??" Kouji stared at her, dropping his shirt in surprise.
She turned to look at the 'boss'. "Kouji." She gasped. It's him! Her brother!
They stared at each other for what seem like forever, not daring to believe that both of them were there.
"Ahem…er….boss." one of them cleared his throat.
Kouji got startled a bit, seem to have forgotten that they were there. "Oh right…leave us…"
And the rest of them piled out of the door, muttering curiously at the pair of them.
Arisu blinked. Then tried to get up, groaning painfully.
"Oh my god…" Kouji ran up to her and lifted her up by her arms. "…Arisu…you fell."
She glared at him and said sarcastically, "Ya think so??"
His mouth twitched, sitting her down on his bed. "You haven't change a bit."
"Can't say the same for you. You've grown up bro!" she grinned.
"Yeah well…" he tried modestly. Then started flexing his muscle, making body-building poses, showing off his biceps.
Arisu just laughed and then stopped, grasping her head. "Ooo…"
"What's wrong?" he said worriedly, kneeling in front of her.
"Nothing…I just fell down a stupid hole." She pressed her temple, willing her headache to go away.
"Oh damn…sorry 'bout that." He muttered sheepishly.
"What…?"
"N-nothing…" He stared at his sister. "How did you find me Arisu?"
She dropped her hand and sighs. "I've been looking for you everywhere Kouji, for two years…"
"Two years??" he said in surprise. "But why?" then he paused. "What…happen to dad?"
She knew what he was talking about. They had promised each other before he left that if she was ever left alone, she would go and find him. "He died, Kouji." She whispered. "Fell sick three years ago, just a year after you left."
Kouji just frowned at the floorboards, not replying.
"He's our dad Kouji…"
"He disowned me!"
"You were stubborn!"
"So were you," he countered back.
She kept her mouth shut.
"So…you've been alone for three years? Why didn't you come find me?"
She gasped indignantly. "I did! But you were kind of hard to track down since you weren't in Sairou any more. How the heck am I supposed to know you were in Konan, huh?"
He smacked himself on the head. "Oh right…sorry!"
"Sorry??" She got up so quickly, Kouji fell backwards in surprised. "That's all you have to say to me?? Sorry?! Kouji, I have been running away for my life since dad died! No one was there to save me or stand up for me! And the moment I show my face in public, a freaking mob hunts me down into hiding! And not only that," she gestured her hand dramatically. "I had to stay with that betraying lil' quack of a mentor for a bloody year on a freaking mountain, just so I could learn how to control my stupid power that was running amok and hurting the only man I ever loved and…." She stopped, breathing hard, and staring down at his cowering brother.
Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, she burst out crying, dropping her head in her hands.
Kouji immediately got up and hugged his little sister, not knowing what to say to that. He couldn't believe that she had been living alone and surviving on her own all this time, and although he did wonder about her, he thought that their father would always be there to take care of her. He felt like kicking himself, he was supposed to be her older brother; he was supposed to look after her!
"I'll make it up to you, I swear I will," he muttered to her, feeling like he was about to burst into tears too.
Her sobbing continued more softly now, burying her head in her brother's neck like a little child. "Oh Kouji…."
After climbing out of the hat, Tasuki and Chichiri when up the steps of the bandit's home exhausted and slightly disheartened.
"We'll find her, Tasuki, don't give up yet, no da." Chichiri said quietly to him.
Tasuki didn't answer him and just slammed the front door open. The first thing he saw when he crossed the threshold was a bunch of his men gathered around and two of them were sitting down holding icepacks over their heads.
"What the hell happen here?" Tasuki exclaimed looking around at his men.
"Aw, man…Genrou…"
"…glad you back…"
"…there's a stupid chick…"
"…damn fine chick…"
"…we fought 'er good, but she tricked us, man…."
"…Hiro and Ryuu got their asses kicked…"
"...by a girl! Haha!..."
"…Shut up!" –smack-
"….now Kouji got 'er…"
"…I told you he'd keep 'er for himself…"
"….she kicked me..."
Tasuki sighed deeply, squeezing his nose bridge impatiently. "Can SOMEONE tell me what's going on?"
Ryuu took away the icepack from his head and explained. "There's this chick man, she fell into our hole and fainted so we took her in. She wasn't loaded so we decided to let her go you know, like we always do….
Someone else snorted. "Yeah right, Hiro wanted to play with 'er…."
"….anyway, she woke up and ran off, well…knocking me and Hiro out you know….they had to carry her to Kouji…"
"She's a fighter that one…"
"She punched me!!"
"…get over it you wimp!"
Tasuki just sighed. "So where is she now?"
Tetsuo, who was leaning on a wall just shrugged. "Probably making out with Kouji or something, they seem to know each other."
"…hell yeah! Why can't I get a girl like that…"
"…cuz you're an idiot!" –smack-
"Oi!!" –scuffle-
Then Chichiri said thoughtfully, "But how did she knock both of you unconscious no da?"
Hiro just blushed. "I dunno man, first she was making this weird face like she gonna poop or something, next thing we know, we wus pushed into a wall…"
"Like an invisible force, no da?"
"Yeah yeah…one of those….wus weird, man!"
Tasuki's stomach made a turnaround. Then he quickly shot off, running fast towards Kouji's bedroom.
He stopped in front of the door and was about to knock when he heard some murmuring inside.
"….I swear I will."
"…Oh Kouji."
Tasuki's whole body turned ice cold. It's her voice! Arisu! Without bothering to knock, he just slammed the door wide open and saw for a moment that made his skin boil with anger. Kouji's bare back and Arisu hugging him tightly before they pulled apart and stare at him in surprise.
"Tasuki!" Arisu gasped at Tasuki's enraged face. Oh my god! What is he doing here? How did he know I was here?
"Hey Genrou…" Kouji started but was shock when Tasuki suddenly took out his tessen and roar at him.
"Get the hell away from her!"
"Say what? Genrou what the…"
Tasuki face turning red from rage just stalked up to him and pointed his tessen at Kouji's unflinching face. "What…" he hissed venomously, "… were you doing with her?"
"What the hell is wrong with you Genrou?" He yelled back, slapping the tessen away from his face.
"What's wrong with me? You're the one….." He began to raise his fist.
"Tasuki no!" Arisu quickly put herself between them, protecting Kouji. "Don't fight….please don't…" she begged.
Tasuki blinked and stared at her in shock. She had been crying, he thought in despair. Her face was streaked with tears and her once bright eyes are so forlorn that it almost broke his heart again just looking at her.
He turned angrily to Kouji and growled accusingly, "What did you do Kouji? Were you trying to rape her??"
"What??" Kouji spat out in shock but suddenly had to dodge when Tasuki's fist shot up towards him.
"Tasuki stop it!" Arisu screamed almost hysterically at them, watching the two men running around the room. Tasuki looked ready to jump and skin his friend alive while Kouji himself was dodging around behind furniture knowing quite well the livid look on his apparently insane buddy.
Kouji backed away, holding up his hand. "I wasn't doing anything!!"
"Then where the hell is your shirt??" Tasuki was fuming; steam was coming out of his ears.
"What?" Kouji looked down at his chest which gave time for Tasuki to tackle him around the waist; both men fell hard on the floor.
"Genrou! She's my sister!!" He screamed shielding his face with his arms, while Tasuki sat on top of him ready to hit.
Tasuki startled, his hand frozen in mid-punch, registering what Kouji just said. "Y-your sister?"
"Yes!!" he said earnestly. Tasuki dropped his arm.
"Now get off me!!" He pushed Tasuki aside and got up. "I can't believe you thought…." Kouji suddenly turned green in the face. "Oh god! You thought I was going to…. Arisu?!" He clamped a hand over his mouth as if to hold down a barf and then screamed at Tasuki, who was still sitting looking stunned. "You're sick man! Sick!"
Arisu just stood there in shock, not really understanding what was happening. But her head was racing, why was Tasuki so mad? How did he know Kouji? What in the world is he doing here?
Getting up slowly, Tasuki stared back at her. He couldn't believe she was here, at Mount Reikaku! She looks different, he observed. Healthier looking, like she had been eating well. It made his heart swell just seeing her again. "Arisu…I…" he made a step towards her but stopped when he saw her took a step back, looking at him in alarm.
She couldn't speak, couldn't trust herself to say anything, her heart was bursting full of emotions; petrified, guilt, regret… affection.
"Arisu…I-I'm sorry…" Tasuki tried, swallowing hard. He couldn't take the way she was looking at him now.
"Why the hell are you saying sorry to her?" Kouji got up. "It's me you should be sorry at!" He stood, looking at them. They were ignoring him and were staring at each other making the air cackled with tension. "Wait a minute, no way….." something suddenly clicked in his head. "…SHE was the one?! Arisu??"
They didn't answer him.
"Arisu," Kouji suddenly said. "what's wrong with your hand?"
"Huh?" She looked down and saw that her right wrist was swollen and red. "Oh shoot…"
Kouji and Tasuki immediately went to her side. "What happened?" Kouji grab her arm, holding it up. "Did someone do this to you?"
"Ah, no…" she winced. "I punched someone, wrong angle…he was trying to kiss me…"
"What?!" Tasuki fumed. "That Hiro! I'm gonna…." He made to turn around but Arisu grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Don't Tasuki…" He stared at the hand holding him, felt his heart hammering at the sudden contact. She quickly pulled away like it burned.
"Don't move Arisu…" Kouji muttered inspecting her hand. "Ok, you should lie down."
Arisu sighed. "Don't fuss, it's just a sprain." Kouji insisted and she complied, lying down on his bed. Tasuki just watch this exchange silently, feeling like a third wheel all of a sudden. It's her brother, he thought sadly. Kouji will look after her. He then turned around to leave and opened the door, Chichiri suddenly fell sprawling in front of him like he had been pressing his ears on the door this whole time.
"Oh heheh…Hi Tasuki, no da!" he scrambled up sheepishly.
"Chichiri!" Arisu cried out happily.
"Hey Arisu, no da. It's been awhile, no da."
"You know Chichiri too?" Kouji said incredulously.
Tasuki just left them in the room, walking down the hall. Hiro came towards him, an icepack still on his head. "Hey Genrou…got rid of the girl yet?"
Tasuki glared at him and seized the icepack from the startled bandit. "Give me that." He said roughly and turned back around. He saw Kouji was sprinting towards him saying "Man…I gotta find ice to….oh hey thanks." He took the icepack from Tasuki's hand and walk off but turned around for a moment to say, "We need to have a talk later, Genrou."
And he went back into the room leaving Tasuki muttering "Can't wait."