Futame Kinen
"Harmful Memory"
I fixed it!
For anyone unaware of what I mean, I cleaned up the language in this chapter, which was, I'll admit, rather (very? I have a tendency towards understatement sometimes) bad. It seemed to bother people, and I'm certain the fic doesn't lose anything for lack of some cursing. There's still enough to warrant a PG-13 rating though, I believe...-_-'''
Things enclosed in asterisks (*) are thoughts, and I miss my lovely italics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. I still can't think of anything witty to say. Gomen.
Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated!
Chapter Six - Suikyou
"Raving Drunkenness"
"Damn cross-dresser..." he muttered angrily. He threw open the door to his room, stormed inside, and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll fix everything...right now, I'm gonna get good and drunk and pass out, the proper Mount Leikaku bandit way to solve all these problems," he declared. Rummaging around the room, he soon found the bottles of sake he kept squirreled away for just such emergencies.
At least some of his good humor returned by the prospect of getting completely smashed, the now-smirking bandit nonchalantly shrugged off his shirt and sat down on the floor.
* Now, to chase all this out of my head... * he thought happily, pouring a glass of sake. He was interrupted quite a few bottles into his undertaking by a soft knock at the door.
Tasuki heaved a heavy sigh, getting up and stumbling to the door, a half-empty sake bottle still in hand.
* Aw, darn it, I can still walk pretty straight... * he thought to himself, disappointed. This thought was proved false as a disillusioned Tasuki crashed into a wall he'd thought was about three feet to the right. He opened the door, leaning against the doorframe, expecting it to be Nuriko coming to tease him again.
It was Chichiri.
Tasuki started, falling forward, and would have fallen flat on his face if a certain blue-haired seishi hadn't caught him. Chichiri blinked, startled as well, and supported Tasuki for a couple moments to let him regain his feet.
"Chichiri!" Tasuki exclaimed, in a perfect example of a delayed reaction.
"Hai," Chichiri replied quietly.
"What...what are you...never mind, I know..." Tasuki smiled nervously, a flush coming to his cheeks.
"Look, Chichiri...I'm really sorry...I didn't mean it like...uh...er, did you wanna come in?" Tasuki's blush darkened as he spoke. Chichiri gave smiled slightly, so slightly that Tasuki wasn't sure if it was just because of his mask or not.
"Tasuki-chan, when will you learn that sake does NOT solve everything?" he asked, removing his mask to reveal a sincere, albeit small, smile.
"Hell yes it does! Look, I'm hallucinating you not being mad at me!" Tasuki insisted.
"Tasuki..." Chichiri began, looking a little more serious.
"Damn it, I can't even keep on good terms with ya in my hallucinations!" Tasuki complained. He took a long draw from his bottle of sake, shook his head to clear it, and looked back to Chichiri.
Chichiri laughed softly, a smile returning to his lips.
"Ah ha! See, it worked!" Tasuki proclaimed triumphantly.
"Tasuki...I want to talk to you."
"Sure, why the hell not? Shoot, 'Chiri," Tasuki replied, grinning. He plopped down right where he stood in the open doorway.
"You...I...I'm rather...confused, right now, Tasuki..."
"Stuff's wearing off," Tasuki muttered, quaffing some more of his sake.
"Tasuki, it's NOT THE DAMN SAKE," Chichiri said, still smiling. Tasuki just grinned at him stupidly through the fog of drunkenness.
"Huh?" the intoxicated bandit asked, tilting his head to the side. Chichiri laughed softly.
"Maybe I'll come back in the morning...when you're sober..."
"No, wait...I d'n't care if you're a 'lucin'tion, I wanna fix this," Tasuki slurred as Chichiri turned to leave. The older seishi just stood still for a moment, then nodded and sat down on the ground in front of Tasuki.
"Alright, Tasuki...fix this," Chichiri prompted.
"Kay," Tasuki replied. He thought for a moment.
"Gomen," he said. He started to laugh.
"It's a start...mind if I try?"
"Nah, g' right ahead..."
"Tasuki, I..." Chichiri took a deep breath, and tears came to his eyes as he struggled to gather the words he needed.
"Aw, damn it! Look, I made ya cry and you're not even HERE!" Tasuki exclaimed. Chichiri blinked away a few tears and managed to find his smile again.
"I'm here, Tasuki..."
"Well, you know what, it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm going to rant now, and you're going to listen, 'lucin'tion, illusion, 'r whatever you are!" Tasuki declared. He took a deep breath and a drink of sake and stood up.
"Okay. 'Chiri, I don't know what happened. Hell, I may never know. But...but I just...damn it, I just suck with words! Why can't I ever put together what I want to say?"
"Maybe because you're drunk," Chichiri offered.
"Nah, I wasn't drunk earlier and I still managed to royally mess everything up..."
"No, you didn't..."
"Now I KNOW you're not the real Chichiri! Can't I even get drunk right?" Tasuki heaved an exasperated sigh at himself.
"Tasuki...YOU didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes I damn well did! I might as well have done something as yaoi as Nuriko seems to think I did...Chichiri, or whoever the hell you are...I'm just an idiot."
"Will you stop that for a minute and listen to me?" Chichiri snapped. Tasuki unceremoniously plunked back down to the ground.
"You go right ahead. Let's see if a figment of my imagination can talk better than me."
Chichiri sighed, and sat silently for a long moment, trying to think of what to say.
"Tasuki...you stood up for me when I wouldn't even stand up for myself. You kept on insisting on my innocence when I'd already accepted my guilt. You tried as hard as you could to make me feel better no matter how adamantly I refused your help, to the point where you tore down all your emotional barriers to tell me how you honestly felt - just in the tiny hope that it would make me feel like myself again."
"Nah, I just embarrassed both of..."
"No you didn't!" Chichiri snapped. Tasuki started.
"Shit, I wonder if my hallucination's so far off he'll get violent..."
"I'M NOT A HALLUCINATION!"
Tasuki blinked a few times, then shook his head.
"I'm so confused..." Tasuki muttered.
"Well, I'm not done yet."
"Just peachy...just..."
"I'm going to Hokkan with the group," Chichiri interrupted.
"That's great! I'm mean...that would be great...if you were Chichiri...damn it..."
"I AM Chichiri, Suzaku damn it!"
"Yeah...okay..."
"Tasuki, you are so FRUSTRATING sometimes! My point was, I can't stay. I need to go, because I have abilities that will most likely be needed. But I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"Protect them. Protect them for me...from me, and from everything else."
"Sure. I promise, Chichiri."
"I'll want you to say that again when you're sober..."
"Okay..."
"And, Tasuki?"
"Yeah?"
"Arigato."
"Harmful Memory"
I fixed it!
For anyone unaware of what I mean, I cleaned up the language in this chapter, which was, I'll admit, rather (very? I have a tendency towards understatement sometimes) bad. It seemed to bother people, and I'm certain the fic doesn't lose anything for lack of some cursing. There's still enough to warrant a PG-13 rating though, I believe...-_-'''
Things enclosed in asterisks (*) are thoughts, and I miss my lovely italics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. I still can't think of anything witty to say. Gomen.
Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated!
Chapter Six - Suikyou
"Raving Drunkenness"
"Damn cross-dresser..." he muttered angrily. He threw open the door to his room, stormed inside, and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll fix everything...right now, I'm gonna get good and drunk and pass out, the proper Mount Leikaku bandit way to solve all these problems," he declared. Rummaging around the room, he soon found the bottles of sake he kept squirreled away for just such emergencies.
At least some of his good humor returned by the prospect of getting completely smashed, the now-smirking bandit nonchalantly shrugged off his shirt and sat down on the floor.
* Now, to chase all this out of my head... * he thought happily, pouring a glass of sake. He was interrupted quite a few bottles into his undertaking by a soft knock at the door.
Tasuki heaved a heavy sigh, getting up and stumbling to the door, a half-empty sake bottle still in hand.
* Aw, darn it, I can still walk pretty straight... * he thought to himself, disappointed. This thought was proved false as a disillusioned Tasuki crashed into a wall he'd thought was about three feet to the right. He opened the door, leaning against the doorframe, expecting it to be Nuriko coming to tease him again.
It was Chichiri.
Tasuki started, falling forward, and would have fallen flat on his face if a certain blue-haired seishi hadn't caught him. Chichiri blinked, startled as well, and supported Tasuki for a couple moments to let him regain his feet.
"Chichiri!" Tasuki exclaimed, in a perfect example of a delayed reaction.
"Hai," Chichiri replied quietly.
"What...what are you...never mind, I know..." Tasuki smiled nervously, a flush coming to his cheeks.
"Look, Chichiri...I'm really sorry...I didn't mean it like...uh...er, did you wanna come in?" Tasuki's blush darkened as he spoke. Chichiri gave smiled slightly, so slightly that Tasuki wasn't sure if it was just because of his mask or not.
"Tasuki-chan, when will you learn that sake does NOT solve everything?" he asked, removing his mask to reveal a sincere, albeit small, smile.
"Hell yes it does! Look, I'm hallucinating you not being mad at me!" Tasuki insisted.
"Tasuki..." Chichiri began, looking a little more serious.
"Damn it, I can't even keep on good terms with ya in my hallucinations!" Tasuki complained. He took a long draw from his bottle of sake, shook his head to clear it, and looked back to Chichiri.
Chichiri laughed softly, a smile returning to his lips.
"Ah ha! See, it worked!" Tasuki proclaimed triumphantly.
"Tasuki...I want to talk to you."
"Sure, why the hell not? Shoot, 'Chiri," Tasuki replied, grinning. He plopped down right where he stood in the open doorway.
"You...I...I'm rather...confused, right now, Tasuki..."
"Stuff's wearing off," Tasuki muttered, quaffing some more of his sake.
"Tasuki, it's NOT THE DAMN SAKE," Chichiri said, still smiling. Tasuki just grinned at him stupidly through the fog of drunkenness.
"Huh?" the intoxicated bandit asked, tilting his head to the side. Chichiri laughed softly.
"Maybe I'll come back in the morning...when you're sober..."
"No, wait...I d'n't care if you're a 'lucin'tion, I wanna fix this," Tasuki slurred as Chichiri turned to leave. The older seishi just stood still for a moment, then nodded and sat down on the ground in front of Tasuki.
"Alright, Tasuki...fix this," Chichiri prompted.
"Kay," Tasuki replied. He thought for a moment.
"Gomen," he said. He started to laugh.
"It's a start...mind if I try?"
"Nah, g' right ahead..."
"Tasuki, I..." Chichiri took a deep breath, and tears came to his eyes as he struggled to gather the words he needed.
"Aw, damn it! Look, I made ya cry and you're not even HERE!" Tasuki exclaimed. Chichiri blinked away a few tears and managed to find his smile again.
"I'm here, Tasuki..."
"Well, you know what, it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm going to rant now, and you're going to listen, 'lucin'tion, illusion, 'r whatever you are!" Tasuki declared. He took a deep breath and a drink of sake and stood up.
"Okay. 'Chiri, I don't know what happened. Hell, I may never know. But...but I just...damn it, I just suck with words! Why can't I ever put together what I want to say?"
"Maybe because you're drunk," Chichiri offered.
"Nah, I wasn't drunk earlier and I still managed to royally mess everything up..."
"No, you didn't..."
"Now I KNOW you're not the real Chichiri! Can't I even get drunk right?" Tasuki heaved an exasperated sigh at himself.
"Tasuki...YOU didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes I damn well did! I might as well have done something as yaoi as Nuriko seems to think I did...Chichiri, or whoever the hell you are...I'm just an idiot."
"Will you stop that for a minute and listen to me?" Chichiri snapped. Tasuki unceremoniously plunked back down to the ground.
"You go right ahead. Let's see if a figment of my imagination can talk better than me."
Chichiri sighed, and sat silently for a long moment, trying to think of what to say.
"Tasuki...you stood up for me when I wouldn't even stand up for myself. You kept on insisting on my innocence when I'd already accepted my guilt. You tried as hard as you could to make me feel better no matter how adamantly I refused your help, to the point where you tore down all your emotional barriers to tell me how you honestly felt - just in the tiny hope that it would make me feel like myself again."
"Nah, I just embarrassed both of..."
"No you didn't!" Chichiri snapped. Tasuki started.
"Shit, I wonder if my hallucination's so far off he'll get violent..."
"I'M NOT A HALLUCINATION!"
Tasuki blinked a few times, then shook his head.
"I'm so confused..." Tasuki muttered.
"Well, I'm not done yet."
"Just peachy...just..."
"I'm going to Hokkan with the group," Chichiri interrupted.
"That's great! I'm mean...that would be great...if you were Chichiri...damn it..."
"I AM Chichiri, Suzaku damn it!"
"Yeah...okay..."
"Tasuki, you are so FRUSTRATING sometimes! My point was, I can't stay. I need to go, because I have abilities that will most likely be needed. But I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"Protect them. Protect them for me...from me, and from everything else."
"Sure. I promise, Chichiri."
"I'll want you to say that again when you're sober..."
"Okay..."
"And, Tasuki?"
"Yeah?"
"Arigato."