Chapter Five

Precious Loss

I spent the rest of my day, balling outside, hating myself for everything.

'Ikusa…' I thought, realizing how much I miss the friends I have back home. 'You're a real friend. Why can't you be here with me? I miss you so much.'

My eyes were locked on the sky, watching the sky turn from baby blue, to blue then a variety of colors. The sky was dark with stars decorating the coat of dark blue that symbols night.

"My prayers… I made a mistake," I stated, bitterly. "If I hadn't made those prayers every day, then maybe everything here would be fine… and I could be reunited with Tasuki in Heaven, so why did I have to be so selfish and had to be with him now?" My fingers twirled a lock of my hair around, while I was very well deep in thought. "Ha, why am I always looking to Ikusa for help? If she knew that I was in such distress, she'd make fun of me so much."

I felt chills go up and down my back, accompanied with an empty stomach, so I decided to go in and get myself some dinner.

'Guys suck, they really do,' I thought, smiling slightly.

I went inside the building and went towards the kitchen. When I opened the door, I saw Kouji and Tasuki, arguing. The whole room was silent, except for them. Everybody seemed to be listening in on what they were saying.

"Didn't I tell you to not talk to her?!" Kouji growled. "It wasn't a suggestion, it was a demand!"

"How could I not talk to her!" Tasuki spat in Kouji's face. "She stays in my room!"

"Freakin' simple, dumbass!" Kouji spat back. "Just don't!" With that, he sent a fist right at Tasuki's face, sending him flying backwards and into a table, breaking it into two.

I felt like I was being ripped inside, especially my heart. My eyes widened, tears forming in them. "No… no… no…" I mumbled, the tears finally sliding down my face. "Onegai… YAMATTE!!!" My screaming plea echoed all around us, and the echoing still didn't stop.

Everybody looked at me with surprise and shock, especially Kouji and Tasuki. The red-haired bandit just sat there, startled, his eyes completely focused on me. He took the back of his hand and wiped the blood that trickled down his chin.

"I shouldn't be fought over," I said, quietly, but loud enough so everybody could hear. "Because I'm not worth the rivalry between two best friends, who shouldn't let a girl become between them, especially me.

"But since it is me who you two are fighting over… letting violence creep in… then I… then I…" My hands went into tight fists, my nails digging into my palm and having blood trickle down. I could feel my body trembling, with fear of the outcome between Tasuki and Kouji. "THEN I SHOULDN'T BE WORTHY OF HAVING EITHER OF YOU!" And, with that said, I dashed out of the room, feeling so pathetic and worthless, and much more, all at the same time.

'It's a mistake…' I thought, grimly. 'I shouldn't have wished to come here! Suzaku made a big mistake… I made a big MISTAKE!'

Before I realized it, I was already outside, and at the edge of a cliff. I stood at the edge, looking down at the forest that lied below me. The wind tossed my hair around, throwing it this way and that, strands of my multi-colored hair going across my face.

'I didn't want to be in the middle of a lifetime friendship,' I thought, tears endlessly pouring down my cheeks. I didn't bother to wipe them away, because all I could do was cry. Cry like the big baby, and worthless person I am.

"Mima!" I heard Tasuki and Kouji call out my name from a short distance behind. "Mima, Mima!"

My intentions were not to answer them, but how could I not? I had to turn around, and see the faces of the people… that would be my last sight.

So, I did. The first one I looked at was Kouji, my first love when I arrived in this world. My eyes softened at the sight of him, but the pain in my chest increased.

'Oh, Kouji…' I thought. 'You loved me, but yet, I turned you down, and fell in love with your best friend…'

His blue hair was being tossed around in the wind like crazy, making it seem wilder than it usual was. His usual friendly, green eyes held a big amount of worry and almost a big amount of despair in them.

'Couldn't I have just stayed faithful towards Kouji, the tough bandit that he is?' I continued to think, miserably.

But then, there was Genrou, Tasuki, whoever the hell he went by. He was the one with all the qualities I starved for in a man. Though he was a sake-loving cussing maniac…

He was mine.

Yes, he was truly mine, with his spiked red hair, brown eyes with dancing flames that were visible in them, his tall, masculine figure that stood 6'1"… all of that, was mine. Even his love, belonged to me.

I took a step back when they stood about ten feet away from me.

The bandits were so serious and upset, it made me feel even more useless.

'I deprived them of their usual happy-go-lucky selves,' I thought.

"Mima… please, get away from there," Kouji pleaded, his eyes begging me to come back to them.

I only laughed at him. It wasn't a hearty laugh, but a cold one. One that if I heard another do, it'd send chills up and down my spine, endlessly.

"Get away from here?" I mocked, making it sound like it was the stupidest idea for all eternity. "Why? If I do, I'd only cause more trouble for you two, making me sad. Don't you want me happy?" I was beginning to sound delirious.

This time, Tasuki spoke up. "Mima, of course we want you happy. It wasn't right of us to become rivals for your love and happiness. But, sending yourself off a cliff isn't going to do any good, will it?"

I let his words sink in for awhile, but then decided what I was going to do.

Letting myself take one hard look at the two, I sent a friendly smile to them, a reassuring smile. Then, not any more than but a whisper, I solemnly said, "Bye-bye."

And with those last final words, I fell backwards. The air around me went up, as I went down. My legs had that familiar, odd feeling of falling and dying, like when you're on a really fast roller coaster, and you're going upside down.

The last thing I saw was Kouji and Tasuki looking over the edge of the cliff at me, screaming out my name in complete, one hundred percent despair.

With the rest of my strength, I held my hand out to them.

Everything went black.

-

~*:|: Tasuki :|:*~

"Kouji, hurry!" I exclaimed, right after the site of Mima plunging herself over a cliff, attempting to commit suicide…

Over Kouji and I.

"Hurry!" I demanded. "Being a Suzaku Animal Seishi, she could probably be able to stand this! Get our horses! Hurry!" Kouji obediantly got our horses and we rode on them, heading down to the foot of the mountain.

'You're not dead yet, Mima,' I insisted, in my mind. 'You're not dying on, Kouji, the bandits, and your friends in your world, and me. You're alive! Shit!' The wind blew my red hair around, especially in front of my eyes, making it hard to see.

"You sure about her still being able to be alive?" Kouji asked, knowing that the Suzaku Seishi have the power, will, and strength much stronger than any normal human. When Tamahome-baka got struck by lightening in the water, he was able to live through it. I told Kouji about that, and all he said we were probably immortal, freaks of nature.

No time sooner, we were already in the middle of the forest. Up ahead, I could see a limp figure lying on the ground.

"Kouji! That body up ahead should be Mima!" I cried, in disbelief. Kouji went ahead of me and checked out who it was. Instantly, he got off his horse and checked her pulse.

He sent a worried glance my way.

"What is it, Kouji?" I called, then rode up next to him.

"She's alive, all right," Kouji replied, picking her up in his arms. "We need to take care of her, right away."

I nodded.

-

We had the cook's wife undress her and fix her wounds, then put her in a bed robe that she owned. When the cook got out of the room, the two wrecked bandits greeted her.

"How is she?" Kouji asked.

"Is she gonna be all right?" I added.

The old, fat woman looked at us. But besides that, her eyes told a time of sadness, and just by seeing us desperate for Mima's health check, she probably thought she's seen everything.

"Well?" I was growing impatient.

"Hold your horses, Genrou," the woman scolded. "Don't be so pushy."

My face faulted, and Kouji bashed his elbow into my side.

"She's doing fine," the woman finally answered our questions. "Her cuts and bruises are of minor damage, but unfortunately, her left leg is broken, and so is her right arm. She was awake while I was fixing her up…"

"Is she awake now?" I eagerly interrupted.

"Stop interrupting me, or I will not answer!" she yelled.

I slouched, my head hanging.

"Miss, what's her condition now?" Kouji asked, politely.

'Kouji always had a way with women,' I thought, bitterly.

"She's fine now, of course that I bandaged her up and everything. But she is sleeping, and probably will be awake in a hour or so," she replied, then left to go back to the kitchen.

Kouji and I had been taking turns to watch over Mima for the past five days, who lied in Kouji's bed, unconscious. We were anxious to see the face of Mima happy, again.

"Genrou," Kouji said, facing me. We looked hard into each other's faces.

"You do realize, that this all happened to Mima because of us?" Kouji searched my face for any guilt and sincerity.

I nodded, solemnly.

"Maybe it's best, that she returns to her world, you know?" Kouji suggested.

He waited for my answer, but I was at a loss of words.

He just sighed. "Watch over her, Genrou. I need a drink." He walked away from me, leaving me to watch Mima.

I entered the room, seeing that Mima was looking better than she did five days ago. She wasn't as pale, and her bruises weren't so damned ugly.

Pulling up a chair, I sat in it, and watched over her. She was slowly breathing, her chest going up and down with every breath she took. I took her delicate, fragile hand in mine, a tear slipping down the side of my face.

'Genrou, what is wrong with you?' My subconscious scolded, while I looked at the face of the girl I fell in love with, two years ago. She had a white bandaged wrapped around her forehead, blood seeping through the cloth on the side of her head. 'You hated women, remember?'

'Yeah, but not this one…'

'Why not her?'

'Because, she's special. First she was a little sister, and now, I realized how I felt about her. It was much more, than a sister…'

'You've definitely changed your perspective on women. But, you'll still be the immature ass.'

In my hand, her hand moved slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she bit her bottom lip.

"Mima?" I sat closer to her. "Mima?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes. She blinked once, then twice, looking at the ceiling. Then, she sat up, looking directly at me.

It was a reflex. I hugged her, crying!

"You worried me so much!" I cried, hugging her tightly, not wanting to let go. "Mima, oh Mima…"

To my surprise, she violently pushed me away from her, backing up agsint the wall. She stared at me, wide-eyed, like an innocent eight year old little girl. Fear, confusion, and a trace of being pitiful were in her spring green eyes.

"Who…" she whispered, her voice shaky and weak. "Who… are you…?"

"What…?" my eyebrows furrowed, as I looked at her, completely puzzled. "Mima…?"

"Get away from me!" she screamed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She held the bed sheet close, as if to protect herself. "Just, get away from me! WHO ARE YOU!!!"

I stared at her.