Chapter Eight

Remembered Moments

Accompanied by Departure

"Chi… Chi… Chichiri!" I exclaimed, nearly falling backwards. "How the…!?"

"Long time no see, no da!" the cheery monk didn't change one bit. He was still being the freaky, happy-go-lucky old man I've known since I was seventeen.

"What are you doing here, Chichiri?" I asked, not able to get over the major shock.

"Taiitsukun told me Miaka and Tamahome are coming back, no da!" Chichiri answered, still looking at me through his fox-like ask. "She said they'll need our help, no da. What do you say, Tasuki?" When he said my Suzaku Seishi name, it reminded me of how Mima used to call me by that.

I must have spaced out because Chichiri said my name again. "Tasuki, no da…?"

"Oh, right, right," I nodded, coming back to my senses. "You say Miaka and Tamahome will need our help?"

"Yes, no da. We need to hurry, or else, no da."

I looked down at the floor. 'Should I leave?' I thought, miserably. 'It will only be for a short time, since I'm sure Miaka and Tamabaka will need to be going back to their world. I will just leave the Stronghold to Kouji… and I really do need time away from…'

"I wish Mima was here, no da," Chichiri sighed, looking at me. "We might need her help, too, no da."

I bit my lower lip.

"Well, let's go, no da!" he laid out his robe and set his staff in the middle of it. "Hop on!"

"Genrou, leaving again?" I heard Kouji's voice behind me. Turning around, I saw Kouji leaning against the door, grinning.

I couldn't help but grin back. "Hmph, yeah." I walked towards him and whispered, "Take care of Mima, 'kay? I got Suzaku Seishi business to do." Taking a step back and onto Chichiri's robe, I looked back at Kouji. "See ya around, punk!"

"Daaa…!" Chichiri wailed as he disappeared inside of his own robe.

~*:|: Mima :|:*~

I spent my time in Kouji's room, looking out the window and thinking stuff over.

'I don't like this Mima… I don't like this Mima,' I thought, thinking the same thing repetitively.

Surely, of course, Mima had Kouji and Genrou's hearts. I wonder what was so special about her? Those two were tough bandits! It'd probably take a lot to win over a bandit's heart, let alone, two at once. But Kouji and Genrou were quite different…

I suddenly felt drowsy, so I went over and sat on Kouji's comfortable bed.

"I just woke up today, and a huge history of this girl was dropped on me," I thought out loud. "Then I have a feeling that neither like me, which they don't love Mima anymore…" I curled under the covers, closing my eyes.

Soon enough, I was asleep.

~*:|: Genrou :|:*~

"Say, Chichiri, it's Tamabaka!" I laughed, pointing at the stupid obakechan who was standing around, clueless.

"There's a youma* behind him, na no da!" Chichiri exclaimed.

Cackling, I said, "Leave it to me. Rekka Shinen!" As expected, the monster was burnt, along with Tamabaka.

"Tasuki!" I heard a familiar female voice cry out. There was no doubt about it that it belonged to Miaka. "Chichiri!"

"Why you…!" Tamahome pulled me up to his face, infuriated.

I laughed in his face. "What's wrong, Tama?"

"What's the big idea burning me!?" Tamahome was obviously irritated.

"Tasuki, Tamahome! Stop bickering, no da!" Chichiri cried out.

Tamahome let go of me, so I sat on a boulder nearby under a tree.

"Chichiri, Tamahome doesn't go by that anymore," Miaka explained. "He's Sukunami Taka now."

"Does he remember anything, no da?" Chichiri asked.

"No," Miaka replied.

I looked at Little Miss Suzaku no Miko, seeing how much she grew since I've last seen her. She seemed to have matured and taken on her womanly features. She grew a bit taller, hair grew longer, and she no longer looks like a child. My heart started to pound, my face becoming hot.

My thoughts were interrupted when I was being poked all over the place.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Chichiri?!" I yelled. "It's not right to be poking me in all the wrong places!"

Chichiri ignored me. "Ah, found it, no da!" He took out a blue marble and tossed it to Tamabaka. The marble was familiar, and then I remembered that Sunakake-baba, a.k.a. Taiitsukun told us that those marbles were memory jewels.

'Tasuki…'

I heard somebody call for me.

~*:|: Mima :|:*~

~*Dream*~

I found myself in Tasuki's room in Konan Palace. We were in his bed, both facing the same direction, his arms around me. His face was close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my neck.

"Tasuki…" I whispered.

-

Konan and Kutou were at war, but then a blue light surrounded me. My eyes were on Tasuki.

Before everything completely disappeared…

~*Dream*~

"TASUKI!" I found myself screaming out his name when I woke up. Fear and dread that was in my body left, leaving me breathing heavily. "I… I love… Genrou…?"

Sitting on my bed, I dug my face into y hands. The flashbacks and dream kept replaying in my head. The more detail I got out of them, the more I could feel myself becoming whole. And the more detail I got, I remember more events.

-

It's been four days since I've last seen Genrou. I've asked Kouji where he could be, but he just said that it was a Suzaku Seishi matter.

"A Suzaku Seishi matter?!" I repeated, irritated. "I'm a Suzaku Seishi too, and I should know what this Suzaku Seishi matter is!"

"Then go ahead," Kouji looked at me, appearing annoyed and fed up. "Go find them and become their annoyance instead of mine!!!"

I was stunned. "Am I… really a bother…?"

Kouji sent a death glare. "A bother?! Hell, you're more than that! You're more like the blabbering, evil bitch that never shuts the HELL up!" he spat the words out like venom. "I hate this new you! If I could have one wish and one wish only, it'd be to have Mima back! Not this brat that you are!"

Honestly, I was hurt. I've never felt so insulted in all that I could remember. But as Kouji walked away, letting those stinging words float around in my head, another flashback came to me…

|+| Flashback |+|

"That's... ridiculous," Tasuki muttered, but then he went berserk and tried running towards Nuriko, but Tamahome held him back. "THAT'S BULLSHIT! HE'S NOT... he's not... NURIKO! OPEN YOUR GODDAMNED EYES! YOU'RE NOT DEAD! SHUDDUP, TAMAHOME! Nuriko is not, God-fucking-damned dead!!!" But then Tasuki's shouting lowered, and so he went up to Mitsukake and put an arm on him. "Use your ability to bring this idiot back to life... can't you do that?" Then he laughed an insane one. "You can't fake ME out. Tama's just easy to pull one over on." I closed my eyes, more tears coming down. I drowned out Tasuki's useless yelling and shouting, but then Tasuki began yelling at me. "MIMA! It's all your fault!"

I looked up at him, helpless. And then I thought, 'Maybe it is... maybe it is my fault that...'

"MIMA! IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT NURIKO DIED! You're useless! I don't even know why we considered you as one of us!" Tasuki accused. "YOU... YOU... YOU COULD HAVE COME FIND US FASTER! And if you have... NURIKO WOULDN'T HAVE DIED! Mitsukake could have healed him, and Nuriko would STILL be breathing right now!"

Tasuki, the one I thought I had feelings for, made me realize the obvious. It's my fault... why wasn't my first reaction was to find them? I was stupid.

I was pushed, and I fell completely over. I looked up, and saw Tasuki. His eyes were full of angst, and hate. "So you're going to cry some more, eh? Eh?" He cackled. "You're stupid, Mima. You're useless! You killed off a friend, and you're being a crybaby! Get up, Mima! Get up!"

I began crying even more, his accusations hurting more than all the pain I've had felt in my entire life put together.

"Oh, there you go... crying again! I hate you!!! WHY CAN'T YOU BE LIKE THE REST OF US? HUH? WHY! YOU'RE SUCH A-" Tasuki was cut off by Miaka's yelling.

"Nuriko's not dead... He is NOT dead! He WON'T DIE!" Miaka shouted, angry. "And even if he is... IT'S NOT RIGHT FOR YOU TO BLAME MIMA, TASUKI! Why should you?! Huh?! She was as shocked just as I am when we saw Nuriko! Tasuki, don't be blaming her!" Miaka got up, and started running away from us. Running from all the problems.

Tasuki looked down at me, "Mima... I... I..." He knelt down and put his hand on me, but I slapped it away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I yelled. "You said you hated me, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?! So why are you trying to..."

|+| Flashback |+|

"Tasuki…" I mumbled. Of course, I remembered that time. The bandit really had stung me with those harsh words. It stabbed my heart, making me cry endlessly right there on the spot.

-

I had spent the rest of my time, figuring out why I was trying so hard not to be who Mima was. But, finally, I figured out the answer.

Mima wanted to be different, for sure, which I found out in a flashback. She didn't want to fit in, so she tried to stand out. Sure, her appearance stood out, but not her personality. Her personality was very similar to Miaka's, which doesn't make her any different. So whatever was left of her in my head, she had used me to be a complete opposite of her.

But, she never will completely, fully return. I'm the new her, and I'm different.

The more I thought about it, the more I became Mima. And the more I became her, the memories came back and the love for Genrou grew.

I walked into Genrou's room and sat on his bed. Everything smelled just like him, which made my heart ache for his touch. My eyes darted over to the edge of his bed, where paper was sticking out. Curiously, I took it up, and was surprised at what it said on there.

"Wo Ai Mima"

On the verge of depression over the absence of Genrou, I decided to use Mima's animal sense.

Thinking of a raven, I began to morph into it. I could feel myself become smaller and lighter, my vision becoming keen.

Grabbing a hold of the paper by holding it in my mouth, I flew out of there, into the night.

-

I decided to try to sense everybody's chi, especially Genrou's.

…Or the Suzaku Shichiseishi, Tasuki.

Flying over the Konan City, I felt Tasuki's chi. Following the energy, I landed on a windowsill. I scanned the room, and saw two bodies on a bed, a young girl with red hair lying down, and a man with amazing red hair.

'Genrou!' I thought. 'But who's the girl…?' Looking closer, and saw that it was Suzaku no Miko herself, the high school girl Yuuki Miaka. She was on the bottom, Genrou on top of her.

"You were just a kid at first," I heard Genrou say, "but you're growing into a woman.

"But did you notice? I'm a man, too." Then he leaned closer to Miaka, and planted his lips on hers. He had kissed her.

Pretty damn close to being delirious, I began flapping my wings wildly, nearly dropping the paper. But I watched more, counting how long the kiss has been going on.

Instantly, Miaka had pushed Genrou away from her, shouting, "No! No, Tasuki! NOOO! NO! NO! Taka!"

Miaka struggled to get Genrou off of her, but he just stayed, keeping her down.

"Tasuki... you're not Tasuki," Miaka said, her voice slightly shaky. "This is not like you!"

"What are you saying? I'm myself," Genrou got himself fully ontop of her, holding Miaka in his arms. "I just haven't showed my true feelings."

'True... feelings?' I thought, miserably. 'His true feelings were for... Miaka...? He never really loved me?' If ravens could cry, I'm sure I was crying, tears falling down my raven face.

"There's always sadness on your face 'cause of him," Genrou continued on. "But, don't worry anymore. I'll make you forget about him."

Tears began to run down Miaka's face.

Genrou let go of Miaka and sat up, his face full of bewilderment. "You... Why? Why are you crying?! Don't cry! Why?! I'll make you forget, then you can be happy, that's why..."

The door opened.

"Don't FUCKING disturb us, DAMN IT!!!" Genrou cursed.

In the doorway, stood Taka.

"Leave Miaka alone," he demanded, sounding cold and icy.

"Taka!" Miaka cried, but Genrou pulled her to him.

"It's a wonder you came here with those injuries," Genrou snickered. "How did you find out about this place?"

"I know everything about Miaka," Taka simply replied.

"Taka…" Miaka muttered.

"Oh, that's great," Genrou continued on, still snickering. "But she belongs to me now. Once again, I guess I'll have to pound some sense into you!"

With those cruel words, I got into the form of my normal body. I leaned against the wall and hid in the shadows, hoping nobody will ever take notice of the changing raven becoming human.

I watched as Genrou got up from the bed and charge at Taka, kicking him down the stairs.

"Genrou…" I whispered. Getting up from the shadows and revealing myself in the little light of the room, I wanted to return home.

More than anything, I wanted to be home.

"Mima…?" Miaka looked at me. "How…?"

I looked at her, sadly. A moment later, I closed my eyes and a picture of home came across my mind.

"Suzaku," I began, "I wish to return home." Just as I hoped for, I was bathed in red light.

"Mima, why?" Miaka asked.

Without looking at her, I replied, "You and I don't belong here. I need to leave now, because Genrou doesn't miss me."

Everything around me dissolved, then I was surrounded by red.

'Home…' I thought, happily. 'It's good to be… home.'