A/N: Usual disclaimers, blah blah. Got a bit of humor for ya now ^_^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Morning came very early for the group of travelers - Hotohori and Jiyuna in particular. Suzaku knew how long they had stood in the middle of the clearing. When the finally got back into the tent, Jiyuna had curled up against the emperor and fell asleep, surrounded by his warmth.
Miaka awoke first by the loud rumbling in her stomach. She tried to move, but realized she was stuck. Sometime during the night, Tasuki had rolled and sandwiched her between himself and Tamahome. She pushed him away enough to dislodge herself from the sleeping seishi and went outside. She stood tall and twisted, her back groaning and cracking from sleeping on the hard ground. Miaka could tell that no one else was awake, so she wandered over to the other tent and poked her head into it.
There, with his securely around Jiyuna's waist, was Hotohori. Miaka grinned from ear to ear. *They look so good together* she thought. Quietly, she exited the tent.
Her stomach rumbled again, and she decided to start looking for food.
Back in her tent, Tasuki felt cold. The warmth that been there most of the night was gone. He inched backward and came in contact with a body. Thinking it was Miaka, he slid himself close and fell back asleep.
Tamahome opened his eyes. He was about to greet Miaka good morning, but instead was greeted by flame-red hair and loud snoring.
The peaceful silence of the morning was abruptly broken by a very loud and very angry Tamahome screaming "Tasuki! Get the hell away from me!"
Miaka, who had been frantically searching through the saddlebags for breakfast, looked at the tent just in time to see Chichiri scrambling out. Then, the tent began to shake and move, along with grunting and the occasional punch landing.
"Hey! I thought you were Miaka! Sorry!" Tasuki yelled back.
That did it.
"MIAKA?!?! YOU PERVERT!!!" Another rustling was heard, then Tasuki came flying out of the tent, followed by an enraged Tamahome.
The others, Chiriko, Mitsukake, Jiyuna, Hotohori, and Nuriko, ran outside just as the poor bandit was flung across the clearing into a tree.
They all cringed. It looked like it really hurt. But, Tasuki stood up, his face seething with anger. "Baka! It was an accident!" Then, he lunged at Tamahome, tackling him to the ground. "Gen-chan always triumphs!!" he yelled, pummeling Tamahome with his tessen.
"Ow! Tasuki! That hurts!" he shielded his face with his hands, only to get hit on top of the head.
"Nuriko…" the deep baritone of Hotohori's voice sounded.
Nuriko stepped forward. He had seen Hotohori and Jiyuna lying together this morning, and knew that something must have happened last night. He made a mental note to ask - or better yet, beat if out of - Jiyuna later.
"Break them up, please."
A wide, evil grin spread across the seishi's face. "Of course, Heika-sama." He walked over to the feuding guys and effortlessly pulled them apart.
"There's enough testosterone here for a small army," Jiyuna muttered under her breath. Miaka, who was standing next to her, smiled.
"Tasuki, Tamahome, why don't you two walk down the river and fill the water pouches?" Hotohori suggested, giving them a menacing, or-else stare.
Tasuki's face went from pissed to scared. "R-r-river? As in water?"
"Yeah, Tasuki." Tamahome sneered. "A raging river with white rapids."
The mountain bandit turned white. He started trembling, but seemed to regain his coolness quickly. "Ha, that's alright. Let's go, Tama-chan or we're never getting out of this damned forest." He started off in the direction of the river.
"DON'T CALL ME TAMA-CHAN!!!" he yelled, racing after Tasuki.
The others busied themselves by tearing the tents down and getting the horses ready for riding.
Jiyuna was helping Chichiri roll the bedding when a terrible, blood-curdling, woman-like shriek echoed through the forest. She jumped up, ready to fight whatever bad guy there was, but others didn't look very concerned. Nuriko glanced up, a wryly amused expression of his face, then went back to folding a blanket.
"Nothing to worry about, Jiyuna-sama," Chichiri told her. "Tama-chan is just dunking Tasuki in the river, no da."
She looked at him, confused. "Why would that make Tasuki scream like that?"
Chichiri grinned. "Tasuki is terrified of water, no da."
"Oh," she said. *That certainly explains the shriek.
Hotohori had barely heard Tasuki scream. He was too enthralled with watching Jiyuna and Chichiri laugh over an inside joke.
"It isn't polite to stare, Hotohori-sama," Nuriko said. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, nearly startling the young emperor.
His face turned several shades of red. What could he say? He had been caught.
"Look, Nuriko," he said finally. "She's smiling. After all she's been through this week, and she can still smile."
Nuriko nodded. "We're all still young. It's good that she's beginning to get over what has happened. Now, when are you going to swallow your pride and tell her how you feel?"
The last question stuck a nerve in Hotohori. He turned to him. "Dammit Nuriko, why must you always know what I'm feeling?"
The slender seishi grinned. "I know more than that."
The emperor raised a black eyebrow.
"She feels the same way, baka."
Hotohori felt all air leave his lungs. Nuriko laughed at him in amazement. *How could he not know?* It was completely apparent to him, and probably everyone else as well.
The taller man frowned, feeling guilty. Here he was, thinking about Jiyuna, when he should have been concentrating on the task at hand, which was getting the shinzaho.
A few minutes later, Tamahome and a drenched Tasuki came back from the river. A victorious smile was plastered on the blue-haired seishi, while the usually courageous bandit had a scowl on his handsome face and was muttering every foul word he could think of.
The group mounted the horses and headed down the road. About a mile down the road, Miaka asked the question she had been dying to ask for a while. "How will we find the shinzaho once we get to Sailo Country?"
"We'll have to go see the emperor and ask him about it." Tamahome told her.
"But what if he won't let us have it?" she asked again.
"Then we'll just kick his ass," Tasuki broke him. He had finally dried off in the sun and was back to his usual antics.
Jiyuna leaned rather heavily against Hotohori. She was exhausted, and her side still was not completely healed.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She looked up at his strong face, his proud eyes, his soft, silky hair. "Hai," she said. "My side hurts, that's all."
"We could have Mitsukake heal it for you," he offered.
Jiyuna shook her head. "Someone might need it more than me." She still saw concern on the emperor's face, so she added, "Besides, I'm a tough girl, I can handle it."
That caused him to smile. "We'll be stopping in a village tonight. Perhaps sleep on a real bed will help."
They rode on. The forest thinned out to flat plains, with wheat swaying in the light breeze. Jiyuna breathed in the cool wind, loving the feel of it blowing on her face. She looked up again at Hotohori, and saw the breeze blow his hair back from the side of his face.
Suddenly, Chichiri was beside them, frowning slightly. "Hotohori-sama, I feel a strong chi, no da. It feels like Nakago's."
As if in response to Chichiri's feelings, the horses began to get antsy. They pawed at the ground and snorted loudly, throwing their heads around.
"Jiyuna, go with Chichiri," the emperor said. She knew better than to argue with him right now, even though she was willing to fight. She transferred herself onto the back of Chichiri's horse, and watched as Hotohori pulled his sword out.
They started over a rise, and she had the distinct gut feeling that the bastard who had killed her parents was waiting for them on the other side of the hill.
Jiyuna could not have been more right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Morning came very early for the group of travelers - Hotohori and Jiyuna in particular. Suzaku knew how long they had stood in the middle of the clearing. When the finally got back into the tent, Jiyuna had curled up against the emperor and fell asleep, surrounded by his warmth.
Miaka awoke first by the loud rumbling in her stomach. She tried to move, but realized she was stuck. Sometime during the night, Tasuki had rolled and sandwiched her between himself and Tamahome. She pushed him away enough to dislodge herself from the sleeping seishi and went outside. She stood tall and twisted, her back groaning and cracking from sleeping on the hard ground. Miaka could tell that no one else was awake, so she wandered over to the other tent and poked her head into it.
There, with his securely around Jiyuna's waist, was Hotohori. Miaka grinned from ear to ear. *They look so good together* she thought. Quietly, she exited the tent.
Her stomach rumbled again, and she decided to start looking for food.
Back in her tent, Tasuki felt cold. The warmth that been there most of the night was gone. He inched backward and came in contact with a body. Thinking it was Miaka, he slid himself close and fell back asleep.
Tamahome opened his eyes. He was about to greet Miaka good morning, but instead was greeted by flame-red hair and loud snoring.
The peaceful silence of the morning was abruptly broken by a very loud and very angry Tamahome screaming "Tasuki! Get the hell away from me!"
Miaka, who had been frantically searching through the saddlebags for breakfast, looked at the tent just in time to see Chichiri scrambling out. Then, the tent began to shake and move, along with grunting and the occasional punch landing.
"Hey! I thought you were Miaka! Sorry!" Tasuki yelled back.
That did it.
"MIAKA?!?! YOU PERVERT!!!" Another rustling was heard, then Tasuki came flying out of the tent, followed by an enraged Tamahome.
The others, Chiriko, Mitsukake, Jiyuna, Hotohori, and Nuriko, ran outside just as the poor bandit was flung across the clearing into a tree.
They all cringed. It looked like it really hurt. But, Tasuki stood up, his face seething with anger. "Baka! It was an accident!" Then, he lunged at Tamahome, tackling him to the ground. "Gen-chan always triumphs!!" he yelled, pummeling Tamahome with his tessen.
"Ow! Tasuki! That hurts!" he shielded his face with his hands, only to get hit on top of the head.
"Nuriko…" the deep baritone of Hotohori's voice sounded.
Nuriko stepped forward. He had seen Hotohori and Jiyuna lying together this morning, and knew that something must have happened last night. He made a mental note to ask - or better yet, beat if out of - Jiyuna later.
"Break them up, please."
A wide, evil grin spread across the seishi's face. "Of course, Heika-sama." He walked over to the feuding guys and effortlessly pulled them apart.
"There's enough testosterone here for a small army," Jiyuna muttered under her breath. Miaka, who was standing next to her, smiled.
"Tasuki, Tamahome, why don't you two walk down the river and fill the water pouches?" Hotohori suggested, giving them a menacing, or-else stare.
Tasuki's face went from pissed to scared. "R-r-river? As in water?"
"Yeah, Tasuki." Tamahome sneered. "A raging river with white rapids."
The mountain bandit turned white. He started trembling, but seemed to regain his coolness quickly. "Ha, that's alright. Let's go, Tama-chan or we're never getting out of this damned forest." He started off in the direction of the river.
"DON'T CALL ME TAMA-CHAN!!!" he yelled, racing after Tasuki.
The others busied themselves by tearing the tents down and getting the horses ready for riding.
Jiyuna was helping Chichiri roll the bedding when a terrible, blood-curdling, woman-like shriek echoed through the forest. She jumped up, ready to fight whatever bad guy there was, but others didn't look very concerned. Nuriko glanced up, a wryly amused expression of his face, then went back to folding a blanket.
"Nothing to worry about, Jiyuna-sama," Chichiri told her. "Tama-chan is just dunking Tasuki in the river, no da."
She looked at him, confused. "Why would that make Tasuki scream like that?"
Chichiri grinned. "Tasuki is terrified of water, no da."
"Oh," she said. *That certainly explains the shriek.
Hotohori had barely heard Tasuki scream. He was too enthralled with watching Jiyuna and Chichiri laugh over an inside joke.
"It isn't polite to stare, Hotohori-sama," Nuriko said. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, nearly startling the young emperor.
His face turned several shades of red. What could he say? He had been caught.
"Look, Nuriko," he said finally. "She's smiling. After all she's been through this week, and she can still smile."
Nuriko nodded. "We're all still young. It's good that she's beginning to get over what has happened. Now, when are you going to swallow your pride and tell her how you feel?"
The last question stuck a nerve in Hotohori. He turned to him. "Dammit Nuriko, why must you always know what I'm feeling?"
The slender seishi grinned. "I know more than that."
The emperor raised a black eyebrow.
"She feels the same way, baka."
Hotohori felt all air leave his lungs. Nuriko laughed at him in amazement. *How could he not know?* It was completely apparent to him, and probably everyone else as well.
The taller man frowned, feeling guilty. Here he was, thinking about Jiyuna, when he should have been concentrating on the task at hand, which was getting the shinzaho.
A few minutes later, Tamahome and a drenched Tasuki came back from the river. A victorious smile was plastered on the blue-haired seishi, while the usually courageous bandit had a scowl on his handsome face and was muttering every foul word he could think of.
The group mounted the horses and headed down the road. About a mile down the road, Miaka asked the question she had been dying to ask for a while. "How will we find the shinzaho once we get to Sailo Country?"
"We'll have to go see the emperor and ask him about it." Tamahome told her.
"But what if he won't let us have it?" she asked again.
"Then we'll just kick his ass," Tasuki broke him. He had finally dried off in the sun and was back to his usual antics.
Jiyuna leaned rather heavily against Hotohori. She was exhausted, and her side still was not completely healed.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She looked up at his strong face, his proud eyes, his soft, silky hair. "Hai," she said. "My side hurts, that's all."
"We could have Mitsukake heal it for you," he offered.
Jiyuna shook her head. "Someone might need it more than me." She still saw concern on the emperor's face, so she added, "Besides, I'm a tough girl, I can handle it."
That caused him to smile. "We'll be stopping in a village tonight. Perhaps sleep on a real bed will help."
They rode on. The forest thinned out to flat plains, with wheat swaying in the light breeze. Jiyuna breathed in the cool wind, loving the feel of it blowing on her face. She looked up again at Hotohori, and saw the breeze blow his hair back from the side of his face.
Suddenly, Chichiri was beside them, frowning slightly. "Hotohori-sama, I feel a strong chi, no da. It feels like Nakago's."
As if in response to Chichiri's feelings, the horses began to get antsy. They pawed at the ground and snorted loudly, throwing their heads around.
"Jiyuna, go with Chichiri," the emperor said. She knew better than to argue with him right now, even though she was willing to fight. She transferred herself onto the back of Chichiri's horse, and watched as Hotohori pulled his sword out.
They started over a rise, and she had the distinct gut feeling that the bastard who had killed her parents was waiting for them on the other side of the hill.
Jiyuna could not have been more right.