For Your Love

By: Kristall

Disclaimer: I don't own FY. Period.

Chapter 10: Mystery Revealed

Shan was furiously washing the clothes that Chichiri had soiled when she heard footsteps behind her. She paid no attention to the person, but continued to scrub away at the stains. Finally she was forced to give up as her scrubbing just made the stains worse. She was going to hunt down Chichiri and make him clean the clothes. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder, and spun around to find Tasuki there. She furiously swatted his hand away and demanded to know what he was doing and where Huan was.

"Huan is napping in her room, and a couple of the bandits are keeping an ear out for her. I heard that you were here, and that you were fuming. What happened?"

Shan couldn't take it. "THAT BLOODY MONK RUINED THESE CLOTHES THAT I WAS ALTERING FOR HUAN! BUT NOW THEY CAN'T EVEN BE WORN THANKS TO THE BLOODY STAINS!" She let her fury out by shouting the words at Tasuki. He was just standing there, letting her vent her fury. He knew that it wasn't directed directly at him, and that to try to calm her down now would be almost like a death wish. Shan continued ranting for a few minutes, and then suddenly stopped. She looked around as if she was trying to spot something she had heard.

"What's up?"

Shan only glanced at him. "Get to the hideout. Now." Tasuki stared at her. He had never heard that tone of voice from a girl, save for once: that time nine years before when a girl had saved his life. The tone that that girl had used matched Shan's voice now.

Tasuki didn't move. "I asked what was up." Shan took a calming breath.

"I'll tell you later. Now ge…DOWN!" She tackled him to the ground as two arrows flew through the air where his neck had been an instant before. She was back up instantly, putting herself between Tasuki and the place that the arrows had come from. She could now feel the sinister intent behind these attackers as she took a defensive stance. She was preparing an attack even as she shouted at Tasuki again. "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Tasuki heard the desperation in her voice, but instead of running like she told him to, he moved to her side.

"I'm not going to leave you here alone."

"You fool; they want you, not me. I'd have a better chance if you ran." And you would not see what I'm about to do. The last she could only think in her mind without giving him a clue about her past. But then it was too late. Their attackers rushed them from the trees, and Shan had no more time to think. She gathered her life force and sent a blast towards the bandits on her left. She could feel her perception fading, focused only on the attackers. Faintly, she felt Chichiri holding Tasuki back. Then an arrow found its way to Tasuki's side, making him cry out in pain.

TASUKI! Chichiri caught Shan's anguished mental cry and quickly threw up a barrier around him and Tasuki. He was just in time to prevent them from getting hit by a stray hit from Shan, but he could tell that Shan had matured since he had last seen her. She sent her life force directly at the bandits, blinding Chichiri and forcing him to turn his head. When the force of the blast had died down, he looked around. Shan was fighting the few bandits that had managed to escape her attack. He knew Tasuki was watching as well, an awed and fearful look on his face. Small wonder there. Shan was not fighting with any weapons but using chi blasts. Chichiri kept the barrier up, knowing that Shan was only on the brink of control, and that if she lost it, he and Tasuki could very well fall victim to her. Finally, one last blast took out the last bandit, but Chichiri could sense the last of Shan's reserves leave her with the blast. She collapsed. Chichiri let down his barrier just as Kouji reached them. "GENROU!"

"Take him back to the hideout. He needs that arrow pulled out, but he'll be ok. I'll bring Shan." It was then that the newcomer noticed the crumpled heap in the meadow.

"What happened here?"

"Later." Chichiri stood up with Shan cradled in his arms. "Right now, Shan needs rest and treatment that only I can give her." Kouji looked up at him questioningly. "Chi transfer. I am the only one here who knows how to do it." Kouji nodded and turned away with Tasuki to lead them back to the hideout.

Tasuki winced with pain as he settled himself on the chair in Shan's room. The arrow had been pulled out of his side and he had been bandaged. Now he watched as Chichiri transferred his life force to Shan. "Give her some of mine too, Chiri." Chichiri didn't acknowledge Tasuki, but he could tell that his request had been granted as he felt some of his strength leave him.

"That's enough for now." Chichiri sat back, worn out by the process.

"What was up with her? Where'd she learn those attacks? I thought that only celestial warriors knew how to use their life force to attack."

"You're wrong. There is another group of beings that know how to use their life force to attack. Shan comes from that group, or at least she did." Chichiri started as Shan shifted just then. Tasuki forgot everything, including his wound, as he stood up quickly and was forced to bite back a curse as the pain of moving too quickly forced him back into the chair. Shan opened her eyes.

"Chi…chiri? Tasuki?" Tasuki stood up more slowly this time and walked over to the bed. Huan was carried in by Kouji at that moment. Huan made it clear that she wanted to be put down on the bed. "Let her." Huan, once on the bed, crawled over to Shan and gave Shan a hug, bringing smiles to every adult in the room. "Have you been a good girl, Huan?" The baby gurgled and started babbling away, obviously telling them what she had been up to. Tasuki frowned though. Shan's voice sounded too quiet, too weak. It sounded like she was dying.

"Shan, what happened? I felt your life force leave you, but you're still here. How is that possible? You…should be dead!" Chichiri had caught himself before he gave away her secret, but there was no denying it. Shan had actually died out there on that field. The fact that she had stayed alive long enough to go though with the chi transfer was in itself a miracle. The fact that she was now obviously going to recover was even more miraculous. But Shan had given up her immortality. How had she survived?

"I know, Chichiri. I myself don't know what happened. I just know that I'm here now." Shan looked at Huan, and then at Tasuki. "But I sure am glad to be back."

Tasuki sat down on the bed beside Shan and pulled her against him. "Why did you do something so stupid?" Shan looked at him, startled by the tone of his voice. He was mostly annoyed with her, but she caught the undercurrents of fear, worry, and pride in his voice. She rested her forehead against his shoulder and sighed.

"I did it to protect you." Tasuki grabbed his shoulders, pulled her away from him, and stared at her in surprise. She gave him a sad smile. "Those bandits were from the same group as the ones who tried to kill you nine years ago. They wanted you dead because they didn't want you passing on their secrets to any other bandit groups."

"How'd you know about that? I've never told anyone, not even Kouji."

"The leader had you cornered. He told his men that no deserter would ever live to tell their secrets. Then he ordered them to kill you."

A dead silence filled the room. Tasuki could only stare at Shan, while Kouji and Chichiri were looking back and forth between the two. Even Huan was quiet, but she crawled into Shan's lap and sat there happily. Finally, Tasuki found his voice.

"It…it was you, wasn't it. The one who saved my life back then." Tasuki could remember the girl clearly now. Brown hair, green eyes, a determination that could rival that of his priestess, and he had been blind. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "I never did get to thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Then, like now, I fought to save you. The fact that you are still alive is thanks enough for me."

"Uhh, I don't mean to rain on your little romantic moment, but you do realize that we're still here, right?" Shan and Tasuki froze as Kouji spoke up. Shan turned away blushing, and Tasuki stood up again. Chichiri decided to speak up and fill the awkward silence in the room.

"But how did you survive?"

"It was due to the nature of the process that she went through to come here." Kouji, who had never seen Taiitsukun before, jumped and landed on Chichiri's shoulders in chibi form, screaming. Ignoring Kouji, Taiitsukun turned to Shan. "I take it you never told them?" Kouji stopped screaming.

"Chichiri knows, of course, but not Tasuki or Kouji."

"You need to tell them." Shan looked at her in shock. "Otherwise, I will not explain how you survived." Shan looked at Tasuki, and then down at Huan, who was trying to get Taiitsukun to pick her up so that she could play with the ribbon that floated around Taiitsukun's shoulders.

"As you wish."

Kristall: I've always wanted to see Kouji screaming!

Kouji: That was mean and you know it!

Taiitsukun: Leave her alone, she is trying to write the next chapter.

Kouji: *runs off screaming again*

Kristall: Please review, and I'll see ya in the next chappie! Later!

A/N: OMG I am so sorry! I thought I had finished this ages ago, only to check today and realize I hadn't! I am going to finish this for anyone who still wants to read this and learn how it ends! Again, SORRY!