Standard disclaimer: I don't own Tasuki or Chichiri or Mitsukake(he's only mentioned in this fic)
But Kazuma is mine(should i be proud of that?) Sorry this fic is probably hard to read,
my computer doesn't convert to txt. very well. Please R&R ^_^ Arigato!
Also, the thinking parts are in ~ ~ That should help a little bit. Enjoy!
p.s. In a couple weeks I should have a picture posted on the web that I drew for this story. ^_^
His fellow seishi was layed partially on his side, propped up by pillows. the covers had fallen off exposing his bare chest. Sweat gleamed in the candle light and his white bandages showed traces of blood. His face was pale and sweaty and dark circles formed around his eyes. The monk's breath was coming out ragged as his dream continued. Tasuki wept silently, trying his best to not wake Chichiri up. ~He looks awful. He looks almost dead.....oh Chichiri....hold on buddy...your gonna be alright...~ The doctor entered the room not long after, holding a bowl of water and some jars. He silently walked up to the bedside table and set his supplies down. Carefully he removed first the bandage on the monk's side. The cut was almost healed but the skin around it was a sickly blueish black. Tasuki gasped a little at the site.
"It's because of the infection. It's mostly gone but his wounds still show a little trace of it" Kazuma explained, keeping his voice low. He tended to the cut, cleaning it and then replacing the bandage. Next he worked on the gashes on Chichiri's shoulders. The wounds looked worse than the one on his side. The side again was an odd color but a small amount of blood still oozed from it. Lastly the doctor slowly unwrapped the many bandages around the mage's ankle. What they revealed was a very swollen, discolored, bloody ankle. The only reason it wasnt bleeding freely was because the imense swelling had closed part of the gash. While the doctor finished wrapping his ankle, Chichiri moaned and started to stir. Moving his head to the side, Chichiri let out another moan of pain. His eye fluttered open, gazing directly at Tasuki with a glazed over look. Chichiri rubbed his eye, trying to make his vision less fuzzy. The result was the absence of the glaze look but instead one of pain and despair.
"T...tas....tasuki" the monk managed to wheeze out. Tasuki quickly placed a finger across the monks lips, silencing any other attempts to speak.
"Ssshhh. Don't speak alright Chich?" Tasuki said, trying to hide his emotions with a fake smile. He removed his finger and sighed softly. Chichiri gave Tasuki a questioning gaze but the ex-bandit just shooke his head. "Heh, just a lil' tired myself." he lied. He had to be strong for Chichiri. Not show him how scared he was.
"How....how bad is it?" the monk rasped coughing a little as he spoke.
"Hey I thought I told you not to speak!" Tasuki said a little playfully. ~Just try to lighten his spirits. Make him smile. Anything to hide my fear~
"Onegai Tasuki....answer my question" he asked, pleading with his friend. Tasuki closed his eyes. He couldn't stand Chichiri begging, pleading with him. He has the right to know. ~But, but can I bring myself to tell him how bad the outcome looks?~
"Eh, well how do you feel Chich? I mean, like what hurts?" Tasuki started cautiously.
"My whole body Tasuki" Chichiri wheezed out softly. The ex bandit chringed and noticed that his ever present 'no da's' were missing. Tasuki gulped and took a long breath before speaking.
"Well Chich. Your shoulder and side look alright. The wounds are healing and have mostly stopped bleeding. Your ankle is wrapped and should heal with time" Tasuki said, softly stroking the monk's long bangs. ~I know I shouldn't have lied but shit, I cant tell him the truth!~ The mage closed his eyes, trying his best to absorb the information. His mind was still foggy and it was hard to think. His eye hurt and his head throbbed. He could feel Tasuki's fingers running through his bangs which brought him more pain, but this time it was emotional. ~Tasuki must have carried me to the doctors. Through the snow.....after what I did~ A couple tears escaped out of Chichiri's closed eyes, running paths down his face. He whimpered a little and his breathing grew a bit more ragged. Tasuki's eyes widened as he whinessed what was happening. ~He...he's crying. But why? Is it the pain?~ Without thinking much, the ex-bandit leaned down and as gently as he could, hugged chichiri. The monk tensed a little but didn't reject Tasuki and instead slightly leaned into the hug. Lowering his head, Tasuki whispered into the monk's ear.
"Don't worry Chich. I'm here and i'll stay here 'till you heal. I won't leave. Your gonna be alright." The bandit's hot breath made Chichiri shiver and little but slightly smiled at the mans words. He knew Tasuki meant what he said. His friend never really had a way with words unless he meant it. Almost everything he said came straight from his heart and that made Chichiri smile a little more. Slowly he opened his eye and gazed over to his friend who was still hugging him.
"Arigato Tasuki" the monk whispered back. Tasuki tilted his head and looked at Chichiri. Seeing a slight smile dance across the mage's face made him smile and a little relief poured through him. ~He's smiling! Instead of being mad or scared or sad, he's a little happy. This is great~ A slight blush crossed Tasuki's face as he starred at the monk. Finally he let go and sat back in the chair his eyes not leaving Chichiri. The monk shifted uncomfortably trying to roll on his back but groaned when he put pressure where his wounds were. At once Tasuki was back on his feet helping him role back onto his side.
"Eh Chich, I think your gonna have ta sleep on yer side for a lil' while more. At least until your wounds heal on your back." the flame throwing seishi said as he stepped back and sat down on the chair once again.
"Hai....I can see that. Arigato." Chichiri answered suddenly feeling worn out and tired. "Daaaaa..." he yawned as his eye closed and he feel into a deep sleep. Tasuki carefully pulled the jumbled blankets over his friend and gently pushed a couple of the monk's bangs out of his face. Tasuki's hand trailed along Chichiri's face, touching the monk's soft skin and outlining the scar that closed his left eye. A slight shiver went through his body as he touched the mage's lips and he quickly pulled his hands away. ~Shit what am I doing? Good thing he's asleep. Sleep well Chich.~ Tasuki took one last look at the sleeping form and then walked out of the room. He silently closed the door behind him and strode towards the staircase. ~Damn I'm tired and hungry. Where the hell is everyone?~ As if on cue the doctor appeared, stepping out of a doorway talking to someone who looked like a nurse who then scurried away. Kazuma turned around and noticed Tasuki.
"So, how is he doing?" Kazuma asked, referring to Chichiri.
"Ah, he's asleep now." Tasuki replied quietly. Kazuma just nodded and walked towards the ex-bandit. There he helped him climb back up the stairs, supporting him so he wouldn't fall. By the time the two go to the top of the stairs, Tasuki was out of breath. ~Shit...and...all I did...was walk...up some stairs~ Tasuki's fatigue didn't go unoticed and Kazuma chuckled.
"You better get some rest now. Your body is still healing so you don't have much strength. One of the nurses left some food in your room, so be sure to eat that. I'll be in later to update you on your friends condition and also to see how your cuts are coming along. Ja ne!" the doctor said as he walked the opposite way, down another hall. Tasuki watched him go and then turned to proceed to his room. Once he got there he flopped down on his futon. He reached for the food tray and swiftly ate everything. With a satisfied groan and a full stomach, Tasuki layed down and fell asleep.
The next couple weeks passed slowly for Tasuki. After the first few days there he had regained quite a bit of strength that had the doctor and nurses marveling at how fast he healed. There wasn't much to do since the snow was relentless so he wandered the 'hospital' for awhile before becoming bored with that. He had spent quite a lot of time sitting by the monk's side and thought about how he felt about his blue haired, quirky, no da-ing friend. He realized just how deep his feelings were for him, making him feel even more guilty for going aganist the monk's will and kissing him. Chichiri woke up a couple times during Tasuki's visits and the ex-bandit would talk about how the day was going or he would reminisse about times long ago passed. The monk would just listen, enjoying his friends company and feeling great joy that Tasuki cared so much to stay and watch over him.
Finally one day after flirting with some nurses, most who have become fond of Tasuki, he wandered around looking for something else to do. He was exceptionally bored today. Earlier the doctor has shooed the seishi out of Chichiri's room because he needed to test the progress the monk was making. From there on, Tasuki had wandered the halls and followed some nurses here and there. Finally, after some time, the doctor came out of the mage's room, smiling a little.
"Tasuki. You can see your friend now." Kazuma said, gesturing him to the open door.
"Ah arigato. How is he doing?" Tasuki asked stopping in the doorway.
"He is doing much better. I suspect he'll be on his feet in a couple of days. His strength is back, now the only thing to do is to see if his ankle can support his weight." Tasuki smiled at this and walked into the monk's room. Chichiri was sitting on his futon, propped up by some pillows. He smiled a little as Tasuki walked in and set down a scroll he was reading. Tasuki walked over and sat down on the edge of the futon.
"Hey Chich. Whatcha' readin'?"
"Konnichiwa Tasuki. Kazuma-sama gave me this scroll on medicenes to read. It's actually quite interesting and it gives me something to do no da" Tasuki smiled, noticing again that the no da's were again present in his friends speech. Chichiri had started using his no da's a couple days back when his health started to improve. It gave Tasuki joy to see his old friend going back to his old ways.
"Since when are you interested in medicenes? Gonna be a doctor now?" Tasuki asked, with a hint of playfullness in his voice.
"No Tasuki, I don't wish to be a doctor no da. I never really knew much about medicenes and such until I met Mitsukake. He taught me a lot no da. Chiriko and I would often ask him questions and he would answer them and show us different techniques no da." Chichiri replied, sadly.
"Oh, i'm sorry Chich. I was only kidding. You and Mitsukake were close huh?" Tasuki asked, mad at himself for making Chichiri sad.
"It's ok no da. You didn't know no da. And yes, Mitsukake and I were good friends no da. We were a lot alike and got along very well no da." Silence fell over the room. Neither seishi knew what to say next but it was finally Tasuki who broke the silence.
"Hey Chich...I um, I guess I wanna apologize for what I did that time in the cabin. I wasn't really thinking straight and the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you. Our friendship means so much to me that I can't bare not having you as a buddy. I feel so bad. I'm such a jerk and it hurt so much knowing that I hurt you. Is there any way you can forgive me? We can go back to bein' pals again? Onegai Chich? I'm sorry, I really am. I hate myself for doin' that. Please forgive me" Tasuki pleaded, raw emotion showing in his eyes. Chichiri looked at Tasuki with a soft gaze and spoke in his serious voice.
"Tasuki....I forgive you. I could never hate you and our friendship means a lot to me as well. As for what happened, remember, there is no one who does not carry scars on his heart. If there were someone in the world like that he would be a shallow soul. Learn from your mistakes, it makes you a stronger person." The ex bandit smiled at his friend, asorbing his words, relief flooding him. He stood up and leaned over towards Chichiri. The monk starred questionaly at Tasuki, unsure what he was up to. In a sudden movement Tasuki tightly hugged and whispered in his ear.
"Arigato Chichiri. Arigato." He slowly let go of the mage and walked out of the room. Chichiri starred blankly at the doorway his friend had just walked through, a slight smile grazing his lips.
But Kazuma is mine(should i be proud of that?) Sorry this fic is probably hard to read,
my computer doesn't convert to txt. very well. Please R&R ^_^ Arigato!
Also, the thinking parts are in ~ ~ That should help a little bit. Enjoy!
p.s. In a couple weeks I should have a picture posted on the web that I drew for this story. ^_^
His fellow seishi was layed partially on his side, propped up by pillows. the covers had fallen off exposing his bare chest. Sweat gleamed in the candle light and his white bandages showed traces of blood. His face was pale and sweaty and dark circles formed around his eyes. The monk's breath was coming out ragged as his dream continued. Tasuki wept silently, trying his best to not wake Chichiri up. ~He looks awful. He looks almost dead.....oh Chichiri....hold on buddy...your gonna be alright...~ The doctor entered the room not long after, holding a bowl of water and some jars. He silently walked up to the bedside table and set his supplies down. Carefully he removed first the bandage on the monk's side. The cut was almost healed but the skin around it was a sickly blueish black. Tasuki gasped a little at the site.
"It's because of the infection. It's mostly gone but his wounds still show a little trace of it" Kazuma explained, keeping his voice low. He tended to the cut, cleaning it and then replacing the bandage. Next he worked on the gashes on Chichiri's shoulders. The wounds looked worse than the one on his side. The side again was an odd color but a small amount of blood still oozed from it. Lastly the doctor slowly unwrapped the many bandages around the mage's ankle. What they revealed was a very swollen, discolored, bloody ankle. The only reason it wasnt bleeding freely was because the imense swelling had closed part of the gash. While the doctor finished wrapping his ankle, Chichiri moaned and started to stir. Moving his head to the side, Chichiri let out another moan of pain. His eye fluttered open, gazing directly at Tasuki with a glazed over look. Chichiri rubbed his eye, trying to make his vision less fuzzy. The result was the absence of the glaze look but instead one of pain and despair.
"T...tas....tasuki" the monk managed to wheeze out. Tasuki quickly placed a finger across the monks lips, silencing any other attempts to speak.
"Ssshhh. Don't speak alright Chich?" Tasuki said, trying to hide his emotions with a fake smile. He removed his finger and sighed softly. Chichiri gave Tasuki a questioning gaze but the ex-bandit just shooke his head. "Heh, just a lil' tired myself." he lied. He had to be strong for Chichiri. Not show him how scared he was.
"How....how bad is it?" the monk rasped coughing a little as he spoke.
"Hey I thought I told you not to speak!" Tasuki said a little playfully. ~Just try to lighten his spirits. Make him smile. Anything to hide my fear~
"Onegai Tasuki....answer my question" he asked, pleading with his friend. Tasuki closed his eyes. He couldn't stand Chichiri begging, pleading with him. He has the right to know. ~But, but can I bring myself to tell him how bad the outcome looks?~
"Eh, well how do you feel Chich? I mean, like what hurts?" Tasuki started cautiously.
"My whole body Tasuki" Chichiri wheezed out softly. The ex bandit chringed and noticed that his ever present 'no da's' were missing. Tasuki gulped and took a long breath before speaking.
"Well Chich. Your shoulder and side look alright. The wounds are healing and have mostly stopped bleeding. Your ankle is wrapped and should heal with time" Tasuki said, softly stroking the monk's long bangs. ~I know I shouldn't have lied but shit, I cant tell him the truth!~ The mage closed his eyes, trying his best to absorb the information. His mind was still foggy and it was hard to think. His eye hurt and his head throbbed. He could feel Tasuki's fingers running through his bangs which brought him more pain, but this time it was emotional. ~Tasuki must have carried me to the doctors. Through the snow.....after what I did~ A couple tears escaped out of Chichiri's closed eyes, running paths down his face. He whimpered a little and his breathing grew a bit more ragged. Tasuki's eyes widened as he whinessed what was happening. ~He...he's crying. But why? Is it the pain?~ Without thinking much, the ex-bandit leaned down and as gently as he could, hugged chichiri. The monk tensed a little but didn't reject Tasuki and instead slightly leaned into the hug. Lowering his head, Tasuki whispered into the monk's ear.
"Don't worry Chich. I'm here and i'll stay here 'till you heal. I won't leave. Your gonna be alright." The bandit's hot breath made Chichiri shiver and little but slightly smiled at the mans words. He knew Tasuki meant what he said. His friend never really had a way with words unless he meant it. Almost everything he said came straight from his heart and that made Chichiri smile a little more. Slowly he opened his eye and gazed over to his friend who was still hugging him.
"Arigato Tasuki" the monk whispered back. Tasuki tilted his head and looked at Chichiri. Seeing a slight smile dance across the mage's face made him smile and a little relief poured through him. ~He's smiling! Instead of being mad or scared or sad, he's a little happy. This is great~ A slight blush crossed Tasuki's face as he starred at the monk. Finally he let go and sat back in the chair his eyes not leaving Chichiri. The monk shifted uncomfortably trying to roll on his back but groaned when he put pressure where his wounds were. At once Tasuki was back on his feet helping him role back onto his side.
"Eh Chich, I think your gonna have ta sleep on yer side for a lil' while more. At least until your wounds heal on your back." the flame throwing seishi said as he stepped back and sat down on the chair once again.
"Hai....I can see that. Arigato." Chichiri answered suddenly feeling worn out and tired. "Daaaaa..." he yawned as his eye closed and he feel into a deep sleep. Tasuki carefully pulled the jumbled blankets over his friend and gently pushed a couple of the monk's bangs out of his face. Tasuki's hand trailed along Chichiri's face, touching the monk's soft skin and outlining the scar that closed his left eye. A slight shiver went through his body as he touched the mage's lips and he quickly pulled his hands away. ~Shit what am I doing? Good thing he's asleep. Sleep well Chich.~ Tasuki took one last look at the sleeping form and then walked out of the room. He silently closed the door behind him and strode towards the staircase. ~Damn I'm tired and hungry. Where the hell is everyone?~ As if on cue the doctor appeared, stepping out of a doorway talking to someone who looked like a nurse who then scurried away. Kazuma turned around and noticed Tasuki.
"So, how is he doing?" Kazuma asked, referring to Chichiri.
"Ah, he's asleep now." Tasuki replied quietly. Kazuma just nodded and walked towards the ex-bandit. There he helped him climb back up the stairs, supporting him so he wouldn't fall. By the time the two go to the top of the stairs, Tasuki was out of breath. ~Shit...and...all I did...was walk...up some stairs~ Tasuki's fatigue didn't go unoticed and Kazuma chuckled.
"You better get some rest now. Your body is still healing so you don't have much strength. One of the nurses left some food in your room, so be sure to eat that. I'll be in later to update you on your friends condition and also to see how your cuts are coming along. Ja ne!" the doctor said as he walked the opposite way, down another hall. Tasuki watched him go and then turned to proceed to his room. Once he got there he flopped down on his futon. He reached for the food tray and swiftly ate everything. With a satisfied groan and a full stomach, Tasuki layed down and fell asleep.
The next couple weeks passed slowly for Tasuki. After the first few days there he had regained quite a bit of strength that had the doctor and nurses marveling at how fast he healed. There wasn't much to do since the snow was relentless so he wandered the 'hospital' for awhile before becoming bored with that. He had spent quite a lot of time sitting by the monk's side and thought about how he felt about his blue haired, quirky, no da-ing friend. He realized just how deep his feelings were for him, making him feel even more guilty for going aganist the monk's will and kissing him. Chichiri woke up a couple times during Tasuki's visits and the ex-bandit would talk about how the day was going or he would reminisse about times long ago passed. The monk would just listen, enjoying his friends company and feeling great joy that Tasuki cared so much to stay and watch over him.
Finally one day after flirting with some nurses, most who have become fond of Tasuki, he wandered around looking for something else to do. He was exceptionally bored today. Earlier the doctor has shooed the seishi out of Chichiri's room because he needed to test the progress the monk was making. From there on, Tasuki had wandered the halls and followed some nurses here and there. Finally, after some time, the doctor came out of the mage's room, smiling a little.
"Tasuki. You can see your friend now." Kazuma said, gesturing him to the open door.
"Ah arigato. How is he doing?" Tasuki asked stopping in the doorway.
"He is doing much better. I suspect he'll be on his feet in a couple of days. His strength is back, now the only thing to do is to see if his ankle can support his weight." Tasuki smiled at this and walked into the monk's room. Chichiri was sitting on his futon, propped up by some pillows. He smiled a little as Tasuki walked in and set down a scroll he was reading. Tasuki walked over and sat down on the edge of the futon.
"Hey Chich. Whatcha' readin'?"
"Konnichiwa Tasuki. Kazuma-sama gave me this scroll on medicenes to read. It's actually quite interesting and it gives me something to do no da" Tasuki smiled, noticing again that the no da's were again present in his friends speech. Chichiri had started using his no da's a couple days back when his health started to improve. It gave Tasuki joy to see his old friend going back to his old ways.
"Since when are you interested in medicenes? Gonna be a doctor now?" Tasuki asked, with a hint of playfullness in his voice.
"No Tasuki, I don't wish to be a doctor no da. I never really knew much about medicenes and such until I met Mitsukake. He taught me a lot no da. Chiriko and I would often ask him questions and he would answer them and show us different techniques no da." Chichiri replied, sadly.
"Oh, i'm sorry Chich. I was only kidding. You and Mitsukake were close huh?" Tasuki asked, mad at himself for making Chichiri sad.
"It's ok no da. You didn't know no da. And yes, Mitsukake and I were good friends no da. We were a lot alike and got along very well no da." Silence fell over the room. Neither seishi knew what to say next but it was finally Tasuki who broke the silence.
"Hey Chich...I um, I guess I wanna apologize for what I did that time in the cabin. I wasn't really thinking straight and the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you. Our friendship means so much to me that I can't bare not having you as a buddy. I feel so bad. I'm such a jerk and it hurt so much knowing that I hurt you. Is there any way you can forgive me? We can go back to bein' pals again? Onegai Chich? I'm sorry, I really am. I hate myself for doin' that. Please forgive me" Tasuki pleaded, raw emotion showing in his eyes. Chichiri looked at Tasuki with a soft gaze and spoke in his serious voice.
"Tasuki....I forgive you. I could never hate you and our friendship means a lot to me as well. As for what happened, remember, there is no one who does not carry scars on his heart. If there were someone in the world like that he would be a shallow soul. Learn from your mistakes, it makes you a stronger person." The ex bandit smiled at his friend, asorbing his words, relief flooding him. He stood up and leaned over towards Chichiri. The monk starred questionaly at Tasuki, unsure what he was up to. In a sudden movement Tasuki tightly hugged and whispered in his ear.
"Arigato Chichiri. Arigato." He slowly let go of the mage and walked out of the room. Chichiri starred blankly at the doorway his friend had just walked through, a slight smile grazing his lips.