Chapter Two

Found A Beloved

Without hesitation, I ran towards him, arms wide open. I could feel my tears run down my cheeks, as joy spread through me.

"Tasuki! Oh, Tasuki!" I cried, as I came close enough to wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his chest. "God, I've missed you. Tasuki!"

He put his arms around me, slowly, but then he held me tight. "Mima… it's you. I… I haven't seen you in so long."

We pulled apart, and I stared into his eyes, he staring into mine. He obviously changed, his appearance proving so. He looked so much older, and when he was seventeen, he was so much like a kid. Tasuki seemed to have matured, just like I have. I guess he was noticing how much I've changed, too.

"How were you able to come back, Mima?" he asked, placing his right hand on my cheek, his thumb rubbing the spot where my character was.

"Suzaku answered my prayers, Tasuki," I answered, putting my hand on top of his, smiling. "My prayers were to be with you."

"You've changed a whole lot, Mima," he put his hands on my shoulders, still examining me. "Your hair, your eyes, your um…" His eyes traveled down to my breasts. "Um…"

I smacked him across the face, leaving a mark. "Baka! You don't stare at me there!" I closed my eyes in frustration, cracking my knuckles.

"G-gomenasai!" Tasuki apologized, rubbing where I smacked him.

"Baka," I glared at him.

His expression suddenly went serious, then he said, "Every day since you've left, I've been coming to this spot, thinking about you. I've missed you a lot, and well…"

I blushed, hearing this from this hotheaded, bag of burden. "How long have I been gone?"

"Two years," he answered, getting on his feet. "So, want to come back to the Mt. Reikaku stronghold? I'm pretty sure lunch is bein' prepared right now."

My stomach growled, and my eyes watered at the sound of food. "Food! Food!" I bounced up and down, clinging onto his arm, looking at him with puppy eyes.

Tasuki slouched, his head hanging. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you're Miaka." He sweat-dropped.

"Om! Om!" I said, still thinking of food. I haven't had breakfast, and didn't eat any dinner the night before, so I had a reason why I was acting like Miaka!

He lead me towards the Mt. Reikaku Bandit Stronghold, while I asked him questions about how he was doing and what he did now since Miaka and Tamahome left.

"Oh, well, I became a bandit, again," he said, not looking back at me to answer. "It's all good, since Kouji's the leader, and everybody considers me one, too, since I'm Kouji's best friend."

"Oh, yeah," I perked up when he talked about Kouji. "How is he doing, anyway?"

"Perfectly fine," Tasuki replied. "He's enjoyin' bein' the leader of the pack." Even though I couldn't see it, I swear he was grinning.

"How about Chichiri? Where is he now? And what is he doing?"

"You're still asking so many questions at a time!" he complained, me sweat-dropping. "He's fine, I guess. His chi is still strong. He told me that he was gonna stay at Taiitsukun's for a bit, then he'll head towards Konan Palace to see how things are doing over there."

"He's staying at Sunakake-baba's?!" I exclaimed, remembering Taiitsukun's wrinkly, old face that always appears in my nightmares.

"Yeah, I know. How can he stand alla those Nyan Nyan's? They're so annoying." He opened the door to the stronghold, and I followed him through the halls and then into the familiar dining room, where I first saw Hotohori and Nuriko.

A wave of sadness ran through my body as I remembered the two. 'Too bad I can't visit them,' I thought, feeling blue. 'They're… dead.' But when I looked up at Tasuki, I instantly thought of how happy I felt being by him, and that I'm being reunited with the one I loved. 'At least I'm with Tasuki.'

Drunken bandits were all over the place, drinking sake, their breath reeking with the smell of it. A few of them were wasted, and passed out on the floor, right at my feet. Some of them whistled at me, causing me to shiver and feel really grossed out.

"You okay back there?" Tasuki asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "It's just that… they're staring at me, which is sickening me."

Tasuki took my hand, holding it protectively, and sent a glare at each and every bandit. The ones that were staring at me backed off and returned to their drinking and food.

We sat at a table, and somebody set down two plates of rice and chicken, and two bowls of soup.

"Yum!" I exclaimed, and began to chow down.

In the middle of my eating, I noticed Tasuki looking at me, grinning.

"Huh? What?" I asked, my mouth full of food. "Is there something on my face?"

He laughed. "Damn, you haven't really changed, or if you have, you're becoming like Miaka. Either way, I still love ya. But to answer yer question, no, there isn't anything on your face. I'm just looking at you, remembering how much I've missed seeing your face."

I swallowed my food, and looked down at my food, blushing. "Tasuki…"

"Well, finish up yer food," he began eating again.

Later, he lead me to his room, where he took off his red coat, where underneath, he wore a white shirt that was wide open, revealing his broad chest and six pack.

My eyes bulged when I saw how muscular he really was. I kept looking up and down his body, drooling at the sight of him. He especially had that bad boy look, and the best part was, he's my bad boy!

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tasuki grinned, sounding vain and highly conceited. "Your admiring my awesome looks, huh?"

I blushed, "Shut up, Tasuki!" I turned my back on him.

I felt his arms slip around my waist, and his warm body rubbing up against mine. I was taller now, so he was able to rest his head on my shoulder. His orange hair mixed up with my purple hair, and I could smell his cologne on me. I loved being in his arms like this, and I felt like I was just going to melt in his embrace.

"We're alone," he whispered, his warm breath heating up my bare neck.

I smiled at the thought. "Yeah, we are, huh?"

He pushed my hair to the side, and put it in front of my right shoulder. I felt his soft, warm lips kiss my neck, causing me to shiver, also making me smile even more.

'He's really romantic when he's alone with me,' I thought. 'It's hard to believe this is Tasuki, but then again, I believe that he is.'

His lips traveled up and down my neck, and then he turned me around. He took my chin in his hand, and lifted my face up to his. I stared into his eyes, feeling myself becoming lost in them. He kissed me, and I felt like I was really going to melt this time, my stomach tying in millions and millions of knots.

'This kiss…' I thought, blushing. 'These warm lips… I've missed him so much, that being with him now is a dream come true.'