AN: Yay! The last chapter! I don't know if it's too cheesy or not though... I was trying to be as original as I could with it @_@. Anyway, my next fan fics will hopefully be better than this one. I mean, I guess it came all right, but it's not really exactly what I planned... Praise and flames welcomed! But if you do flame me, be gentle. I have a low self esteem when it comes to other people reading my work like this anyhow ^_~. Oh, and Tasuki uses the "f" word in the chapter... @_@.
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"What! What do you mean he's escaped!" Mashou cried in fury, releasing the princess and grabbing the unfortunate soldier by cowl of his uniform.
"H-he was in the back of the wagon, unconscious when we got here, but then when I went to check on him, the guards were knocked out and he was gone!"
Sadako couldn't help a smirk. Lord Mashou had underestimated Tasuki horribly.
The dark lord released his soldier roughly. "You go get back out there and find that boy now! I want him alive!"
The man nodded and turned quickly, fleeing out of the room, the main doors closing loudly behind him. Mashou then turned to face the princess. That smug smirk that still played on her lips infuriated him more. "I wouldn't be smiling so soon, Princess. This is far from over."
"Oh, it's over, Mashou. You will never be ruler of my land."
"Are you forgetting that I am the one that has the ring?" he demanded harshly.
"Yeah, but not fer long, loser!" came another's voice.
Sadako turned at the familiar voice, a smile illuminating her face. "Tasuki!"
"'Ey ya, Princess! Did ya think I fergot about ya?" Tasuki grinned as stepped out from behind a column, advancing towards them, eyeing Mashou. "Ah, so yer th' bastard that had me knocked out? Tsk. Pretty good trick ya conjured up. But th' down side is that it pissed me off. And ya screwin' with my chick doesn't make things better."
Lord Mashou folded his muscular arms in front of his broad chest, not even retreating the slightly bit at Tasuki's advancement. "And just what are you going to do about it, praytell?"
Tasuki smirked as he drew his tessen and prepared to fight. "I'm gonna kick yer ass!"
"Intriguing..." Mashou mused, taking out the ring. "Very well then. Bring it on."
Tasuki charged the evil lord, bringing his tessen back and leaping high in the air, shouting "rekka shiene!" as he brought it down, sending a blast of fire in his direction. Lord Mashou blocked it easily with a force field generated by the ring and laughed. "Is that the best you can do?" he patronized, sending a series of energy blasts at the red-haired warrior when he landed, but being naturally light-footed, Tasuki was able to easily dodge them.
Sadako backed away against a wall, watching in horror as her love battled her arch enemy. With every one of Tasuki's attacks that Mashou blocked or evaded, a red haze about the seishi grew steadily. She knew in the back of her mind that this would be the final confrontation, and so far Mashou seemed completely unfazed by any of Tasuki's power.
Caught off guard by a sudden blast, Tasuki was knocked off his feet and his tessen blown out of his grasp. It made a metallic clanking sound as it hit the stone floor, then skidded to a stop a few feet away. "Damn!" he cursed, but was forced to forget about his lost weapon as an energy blast landed too close to him for comfort. He rolled to the left on his back in just enough time to dodge another attack. There was no way he could face Mashou without his tessen. With no other option available, Tasuki did a somersault to his feet and ran at full speed towards his weapon, a trail of Mashou's attacks at his heels. With perfect timing, Tasuki scooped up the tessen, then ran up the wall before him, and flipping to avoid the last of attacks, then landing on his feet. Before Mashou could accumulate more energy to launch another blast, Tasuki turned and put then end of his tessen to the ground, sending a fast stream of fire towards the lord that encircled him before blazing up in a pillar all around him, taking him completely off guard.
Sadako shielded her face with her arms against the intense heat, then lowered them, squinting her eyes, catching a glimpse of Lord Mashou's form within the flames. Tasuki used that time to catch his breath, and smirked. What a fool Mashou was to think that he could out match the top bandit from Mount Reikakku! But as the fire began to fade away, Mashou's body appeared to be unharmed and surrounded by a dome of energy that Tasuki's fire could not penetrate. Tasuki couldn't hide his surprise as Mashou fixed his gaze upon him, a deep, evil chuckle rising in his throat.
"You little fool! Haven't you realized by now that as long as I have the ring, I am invincible?" he roared, sending a powerful explosion of power that blew Tasuki against a column. Sadako cried out in surprise and went to run to him, but was held back by an unseen force. "What's the matter, Princess? Can't break through my barrier?"
"Mashou! Stop! You'll kill him!"
"My dear, that is the point!"
Tasuki slid down the column slowly, his body shuddering in pain. Can't...let...him...win! He told himself silently as he pulled himself back up to his feet with some effort. Mashou laughed again. "You're pretty strong. It is unfortunate that I have to put an end to your existence." He blew Tasuki back again with a similar burst of power as he stalked towards him.
Tasuki fell to the ground, tasting a stream of blood that trickled down the corner of his mouth. His breathing was ragged and his body shook more as he tried to get to his feet, but a hard blow to his side forced him back down again. He rolled painfully on to his back only to see Mashou looming above him, an insane, twisted smile upon his face. "What's the matter, boy? Getting tired?" he sneered as he kicked him again.
Sadako pleaded for Mashou to stop again, hot tears coursing down her flushed face. She knew he wouldn't back off. She fell silent and watched in wide-eyed terror as Mashou landed more forceful blows with his feet to Tasuki's broken body. The ring on the Lord's thick pinkie finger began to glow an intense, golden light as he gathered up energy for what they all knew to be the last, fatal blow.
Tasuki closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the worst, but then opened them again when nothing happened. What he saw before him took him by complete surprise. Mashou was struggling with all his might with his free arm to keep the one with the hand that had the ring on it turned away from him, but was failing drastically. "What's going on!" he cried in utter confusion. "No! I cannot be defeated! I am invincible!"
His last cry of protest was drown out by the eruption of power from the ring that was pressed against his forehead. Tasuki curled up into a fetal position and covered his head with his arms as rocks from the palace ceiling plummeted to the ground from the force and the blinding flash of light. Then after the light faded and the rumbling subsided, the only sound that could be heard was the tiny "plink" of the ring as it dropped to the ground.
Sadako was rooted to her spot for a moment before racing to Tasuki's side. Very gently she eased his head into her lap and carefully stroked his matted hair. "Tasuki..." she whispered, tear welding up in her crystal-blue eyes. "I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then looked back up to her, trying his best to hid the agonizing pain he was in.
"What happened?" he inquired in a strained tone.
"I-I don't know..." was her stammered reply.
"Lord Mashou was unprepared for my control over the ring," came a woman's voice.
Sadako gasped at it's familiarity, and turned, thinking she must be hearing things. "M-mother?" she breathed in disbelief. A shadow of a woman's form was seen against the bright sunshine that poured through the threshold of the open doors of the main entrance. Sadako held her breath as the figure began to move towards him, her regal features becoming more clear as she drew nearer.
"You have done well, my daughter."
Sadako could only stare as her mother whom she thought was dead bent to pick up the ring, then joined her by Tasuki's side. Queen Arumi smiled tenderly up at her daughter. "He is a brave boy. Don't worry. He will be just fine in a moment."
Sadako watched as her mother held the ring above Tasuki's still form, chanting a spell, causing a golden light to engulf his body. All his wounds were healed, and his tattered clothing was restored to brand new when the light faded away. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked up to the women gazing down at him, but only recognizing one of them. "Sadako..." he said quietly, reaching up and touching her cheek. Overwhelmed, then princess broke out into tears as he held his hand to her face before turning and kissing his palm.
"I can't believe this!" she sobbed. "I-I-" Her words were cut off as her mother pulled her into a comforting embrace. Confused, Tasuki sat up and regarded them silently, not really sure of what to say.
Queen Arumi smiled and stroked her daughters hair. " I knew you were strong. And you are, my beautiful daughter. You and your friend here has saved our kingdom from utter destruction."
Sadako then pulled back from her mother, and turned to face Tasuki. She smiled at his perplexed expression and without even thinking, threw her arms about his neck and hugged him close to her. He smiled lightly and held her for a moment, watching as the queen stood before getting to his feet and helping Sadako up, keeping one of his arms lightly about her shoulders.
Sadako's brows furrowed at the sad look in her mother's eyes. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before asking, "What is it?"
Queen Arumi was silent a moment before giving her daughter her reply as gently as possible.
"Sadako," she began softly. "I can see how much you have grown to care for this young man, but..." she paused for a moment, looking from her to Tasuki, then back to the confused princess again. "But I'm afraid you two cannot stay together."
"What!?" Tasuki exclaimed, mortified by the answer.
"No!" Sadako cried, holding on to him. "No, Mother! Please don't say that! Tell me that you're not serious! Please!"
The queen's violet eyes filled with tears at her daughters please, feeling all the pain that she was. "I wish I could ... but try to understand. This man ... he is no ordinary being. He is a celestial warrior and has an upcoming mission to fulfill as a member of the Suzaku Seven."
"Tsk! Fuck bein' a warrior! I just won't do it! I won't leave the princess! I love her!" Tasuki interjected, fighting back the tears that stung at his eyes.
"I wish it were that simple, but your destiny cannot be altered. Your mission is vital to keep the balance of this world. You must go back." The queen turned her gaze to Sadako. "And you know what is destined to happen." She paused another moment before finishing. "Now, say your good byes."
Sadako lifted her head from Tasuki's chest and wiped at her eyes, giving her mother a reluctant nod. Queen Arumi smiled lightly at him and thanked him before turning to leave them alone.
Tasuki looked down to Sadako and took her by the shoulders. "What did she mean by that?! What's destined t' happen to ya?"
The princess covered her face with her hands and shook her head, crying too hard to answer him. "Sadako! Tell me! I have to know! Please! What's gonna happen now!"
Hysterical, she finally managed to coke out: "We're not real!" Tasuki was completely taken aback by that and released her, taking a step back, rendered totally speechless. Sadako sank to her knees, her body shaking with sobs. After recovering from the initial shock, Tasuki knelt down beside her, finally finding his voice.
"What do ya mean, yer not real!?"
Sadako took a shaky breath before calming enough to speak and looked up at him sadly. "Many years ago before Konan and the other three lands existed, my people flourished throughout this land. But the evil lord, Mashou wiped us completely out. My spirit hasn't been able to rest since, but when you intervened and helped me get the ring back, our history was able to take a different course. I am now able to pass on to the next world and join my mother."
"Yer a fuckin' ghost!?" was the only thing Tasuki could manage. Sadako looked down to the ground and nodded lightly. "But what about that Kiyoshi guy an' that lizard!? An' the guy that just got blown up a few minutes ago!?"
"They were all people and creatures that existed when I did. They're spirits are now free too."
Tasuki got too his feet and shook his head. "I cant believe this!"
Sadako stood too and looked to him, sheer agony in her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you because I thought you wouldn't help me." Her voice was choked with a fresh round of tears. "And by the time I finally built up the courage, I couldn't do it because I fell in love with you! Please forgive me, Tasuki! I didn't mean for this to happen!"
Her tears wrenched his heart and he couldn't help but take her in his arms and hold her close to him. "Don't cry, Sadako. I ain't mad at ya... I only wish that there was some way I was able t' change this."
She pulled back after a moment just enough to look up at him. "You will always be with me in my heart forever."
He gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. "An' you'll always be with me too."
She smiled up at him, and held his hand to her face and closed her eyes as he leaned down to give her one final kiss.
When he opened his eyes, the palace and princess Sadako had vanished completely.
****
"Hey! Genrou! Yer back! We were gettin' worried!" Kouji exclaimed as he ran from his post up to Tasuki and grabbed his arm to pull him into the famous dance that they always engaged themselves into after being reunited after a long lapse of time. He frowned though when Tasuki didn't dance with him. "Hey, what's th' matter with ya, Genrou? Ain't ya happy t' be home?"
Tasuki sighed lightly and forced a smile at his friend. "Yeah, I'm just tired. That's all."
"Oh... Where's the chick? Did ya get her ring back?"
"Yeah, we did."
Kouji grinned and playfully poked at him. "Is that all yer gonna tell me? I can't believe that nothin' excitin' happened! You were gone fer 'ova a month! There had t' be some kissy-kissin' that went on between ya two."
Tasuki smiled genuinely this time. Everything had a reason for its happening, and along this journey, he had found that girls weren't as bad as he always thought. But most importantly, he had found a small taste of love that he knew he would hold with him forever, and that in itself was priceless to him. He playfully put an arm around Kouji's shoulder and grinned, his old self returning. "Kouji, ol' buddy! Ya wouldn't believe me even if I did tell ya everything. An' ya know I hate girls! Now, I'm starvin'! Let's get some grub an' a round of drinks, eh? It's been far too long since I had a good cup o' sake."
Kouji grinned, glad to see the Tasuki that he knew was back. "Sure thing, Genrou."
With that, the two bandits headed towards the dinning quarters of their hideout on the peak of Mount. Reikakku.
**end**
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"What! What do you mean he's escaped!" Mashou cried in fury, releasing the princess and grabbing the unfortunate soldier by cowl of his uniform.
"H-he was in the back of the wagon, unconscious when we got here, but then when I went to check on him, the guards were knocked out and he was gone!"
Sadako couldn't help a smirk. Lord Mashou had underestimated Tasuki horribly.
The dark lord released his soldier roughly. "You go get back out there and find that boy now! I want him alive!"
The man nodded and turned quickly, fleeing out of the room, the main doors closing loudly behind him. Mashou then turned to face the princess. That smug smirk that still played on her lips infuriated him more. "I wouldn't be smiling so soon, Princess. This is far from over."
"Oh, it's over, Mashou. You will never be ruler of my land."
"Are you forgetting that I am the one that has the ring?" he demanded harshly.
"Yeah, but not fer long, loser!" came another's voice.
Sadako turned at the familiar voice, a smile illuminating her face. "Tasuki!"
"'Ey ya, Princess! Did ya think I fergot about ya?" Tasuki grinned as stepped out from behind a column, advancing towards them, eyeing Mashou. "Ah, so yer th' bastard that had me knocked out? Tsk. Pretty good trick ya conjured up. But th' down side is that it pissed me off. And ya screwin' with my chick doesn't make things better."
Lord Mashou folded his muscular arms in front of his broad chest, not even retreating the slightly bit at Tasuki's advancement. "And just what are you going to do about it, praytell?"
Tasuki smirked as he drew his tessen and prepared to fight. "I'm gonna kick yer ass!"
"Intriguing..." Mashou mused, taking out the ring. "Very well then. Bring it on."
Tasuki charged the evil lord, bringing his tessen back and leaping high in the air, shouting "rekka shiene!" as he brought it down, sending a blast of fire in his direction. Lord Mashou blocked it easily with a force field generated by the ring and laughed. "Is that the best you can do?" he patronized, sending a series of energy blasts at the red-haired warrior when he landed, but being naturally light-footed, Tasuki was able to easily dodge them.
Sadako backed away against a wall, watching in horror as her love battled her arch enemy. With every one of Tasuki's attacks that Mashou blocked or evaded, a red haze about the seishi grew steadily. She knew in the back of her mind that this would be the final confrontation, and so far Mashou seemed completely unfazed by any of Tasuki's power.
Caught off guard by a sudden blast, Tasuki was knocked off his feet and his tessen blown out of his grasp. It made a metallic clanking sound as it hit the stone floor, then skidded to a stop a few feet away. "Damn!" he cursed, but was forced to forget about his lost weapon as an energy blast landed too close to him for comfort. He rolled to the left on his back in just enough time to dodge another attack. There was no way he could face Mashou without his tessen. With no other option available, Tasuki did a somersault to his feet and ran at full speed towards his weapon, a trail of Mashou's attacks at his heels. With perfect timing, Tasuki scooped up the tessen, then ran up the wall before him, and flipping to avoid the last of attacks, then landing on his feet. Before Mashou could accumulate more energy to launch another blast, Tasuki turned and put then end of his tessen to the ground, sending a fast stream of fire towards the lord that encircled him before blazing up in a pillar all around him, taking him completely off guard.
Sadako shielded her face with her arms against the intense heat, then lowered them, squinting her eyes, catching a glimpse of Lord Mashou's form within the flames. Tasuki used that time to catch his breath, and smirked. What a fool Mashou was to think that he could out match the top bandit from Mount Reikakku! But as the fire began to fade away, Mashou's body appeared to be unharmed and surrounded by a dome of energy that Tasuki's fire could not penetrate. Tasuki couldn't hide his surprise as Mashou fixed his gaze upon him, a deep, evil chuckle rising in his throat.
"You little fool! Haven't you realized by now that as long as I have the ring, I am invincible?" he roared, sending a powerful explosion of power that blew Tasuki against a column. Sadako cried out in surprise and went to run to him, but was held back by an unseen force. "What's the matter, Princess? Can't break through my barrier?"
"Mashou! Stop! You'll kill him!"
"My dear, that is the point!"
Tasuki slid down the column slowly, his body shuddering in pain. Can't...let...him...win! He told himself silently as he pulled himself back up to his feet with some effort. Mashou laughed again. "You're pretty strong. It is unfortunate that I have to put an end to your existence." He blew Tasuki back again with a similar burst of power as he stalked towards him.
Tasuki fell to the ground, tasting a stream of blood that trickled down the corner of his mouth. His breathing was ragged and his body shook more as he tried to get to his feet, but a hard blow to his side forced him back down again. He rolled painfully on to his back only to see Mashou looming above him, an insane, twisted smile upon his face. "What's the matter, boy? Getting tired?" he sneered as he kicked him again.
Sadako pleaded for Mashou to stop again, hot tears coursing down her flushed face. She knew he wouldn't back off. She fell silent and watched in wide-eyed terror as Mashou landed more forceful blows with his feet to Tasuki's broken body. The ring on the Lord's thick pinkie finger began to glow an intense, golden light as he gathered up energy for what they all knew to be the last, fatal blow.
Tasuki closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the worst, but then opened them again when nothing happened. What he saw before him took him by complete surprise. Mashou was struggling with all his might with his free arm to keep the one with the hand that had the ring on it turned away from him, but was failing drastically. "What's going on!" he cried in utter confusion. "No! I cannot be defeated! I am invincible!"
His last cry of protest was drown out by the eruption of power from the ring that was pressed against his forehead. Tasuki curled up into a fetal position and covered his head with his arms as rocks from the palace ceiling plummeted to the ground from the force and the blinding flash of light. Then after the light faded and the rumbling subsided, the only sound that could be heard was the tiny "plink" of the ring as it dropped to the ground.
Sadako was rooted to her spot for a moment before racing to Tasuki's side. Very gently she eased his head into her lap and carefully stroked his matted hair. "Tasuki..." she whispered, tear welding up in her crystal-blue eyes. "I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then looked back up to her, trying his best to hid the agonizing pain he was in.
"What happened?" he inquired in a strained tone.
"I-I don't know..." was her stammered reply.
"Lord Mashou was unprepared for my control over the ring," came a woman's voice.
Sadako gasped at it's familiarity, and turned, thinking she must be hearing things. "M-mother?" she breathed in disbelief. A shadow of a woman's form was seen against the bright sunshine that poured through the threshold of the open doors of the main entrance. Sadako held her breath as the figure began to move towards him, her regal features becoming more clear as she drew nearer.
"You have done well, my daughter."
Sadako could only stare as her mother whom she thought was dead bent to pick up the ring, then joined her by Tasuki's side. Queen Arumi smiled tenderly up at her daughter. "He is a brave boy. Don't worry. He will be just fine in a moment."
Sadako watched as her mother held the ring above Tasuki's still form, chanting a spell, causing a golden light to engulf his body. All his wounds were healed, and his tattered clothing was restored to brand new when the light faded away. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked up to the women gazing down at him, but only recognizing one of them. "Sadako..." he said quietly, reaching up and touching her cheek. Overwhelmed, then princess broke out into tears as he held his hand to her face before turning and kissing his palm.
"I can't believe this!" she sobbed. "I-I-" Her words were cut off as her mother pulled her into a comforting embrace. Confused, Tasuki sat up and regarded them silently, not really sure of what to say.
Queen Arumi smiled and stroked her daughters hair. " I knew you were strong. And you are, my beautiful daughter. You and your friend here has saved our kingdom from utter destruction."
Sadako then pulled back from her mother, and turned to face Tasuki. She smiled at his perplexed expression and without even thinking, threw her arms about his neck and hugged him close to her. He smiled lightly and held her for a moment, watching as the queen stood before getting to his feet and helping Sadako up, keeping one of his arms lightly about her shoulders.
Sadako's brows furrowed at the sad look in her mother's eyes. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before asking, "What is it?"
Queen Arumi was silent a moment before giving her daughter her reply as gently as possible.
"Sadako," she began softly. "I can see how much you have grown to care for this young man, but..." she paused for a moment, looking from her to Tasuki, then back to the confused princess again. "But I'm afraid you two cannot stay together."
"What!?" Tasuki exclaimed, mortified by the answer.
"No!" Sadako cried, holding on to him. "No, Mother! Please don't say that! Tell me that you're not serious! Please!"
The queen's violet eyes filled with tears at her daughters please, feeling all the pain that she was. "I wish I could ... but try to understand. This man ... he is no ordinary being. He is a celestial warrior and has an upcoming mission to fulfill as a member of the Suzaku Seven."
"Tsk! Fuck bein' a warrior! I just won't do it! I won't leave the princess! I love her!" Tasuki interjected, fighting back the tears that stung at his eyes.
"I wish it were that simple, but your destiny cannot be altered. Your mission is vital to keep the balance of this world. You must go back." The queen turned her gaze to Sadako. "And you know what is destined to happen." She paused another moment before finishing. "Now, say your good byes."
Sadako lifted her head from Tasuki's chest and wiped at her eyes, giving her mother a reluctant nod. Queen Arumi smiled lightly at him and thanked him before turning to leave them alone.
Tasuki looked down to Sadako and took her by the shoulders. "What did she mean by that?! What's destined t' happen to ya?"
The princess covered her face with her hands and shook her head, crying too hard to answer him. "Sadako! Tell me! I have to know! Please! What's gonna happen now!"
Hysterical, she finally managed to coke out: "We're not real!" Tasuki was completely taken aback by that and released her, taking a step back, rendered totally speechless. Sadako sank to her knees, her body shaking with sobs. After recovering from the initial shock, Tasuki knelt down beside her, finally finding his voice.
"What do ya mean, yer not real!?"
Sadako took a shaky breath before calming enough to speak and looked up at him sadly. "Many years ago before Konan and the other three lands existed, my people flourished throughout this land. But the evil lord, Mashou wiped us completely out. My spirit hasn't been able to rest since, but when you intervened and helped me get the ring back, our history was able to take a different course. I am now able to pass on to the next world and join my mother."
"Yer a fuckin' ghost!?" was the only thing Tasuki could manage. Sadako looked down to the ground and nodded lightly. "But what about that Kiyoshi guy an' that lizard!? An' the guy that just got blown up a few minutes ago!?"
"They were all people and creatures that existed when I did. They're spirits are now free too."
Tasuki got too his feet and shook his head. "I cant believe this!"
Sadako stood too and looked to him, sheer agony in her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you because I thought you wouldn't help me." Her voice was choked with a fresh round of tears. "And by the time I finally built up the courage, I couldn't do it because I fell in love with you! Please forgive me, Tasuki! I didn't mean for this to happen!"
Her tears wrenched his heart and he couldn't help but take her in his arms and hold her close to him. "Don't cry, Sadako. I ain't mad at ya... I only wish that there was some way I was able t' change this."
She pulled back after a moment just enough to look up at him. "You will always be with me in my heart forever."
He gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. "An' you'll always be with me too."
She smiled up at him, and held his hand to her face and closed her eyes as he leaned down to give her one final kiss.
When he opened his eyes, the palace and princess Sadako had vanished completely.
****
"Hey! Genrou! Yer back! We were gettin' worried!" Kouji exclaimed as he ran from his post up to Tasuki and grabbed his arm to pull him into the famous dance that they always engaged themselves into after being reunited after a long lapse of time. He frowned though when Tasuki didn't dance with him. "Hey, what's th' matter with ya, Genrou? Ain't ya happy t' be home?"
Tasuki sighed lightly and forced a smile at his friend. "Yeah, I'm just tired. That's all."
"Oh... Where's the chick? Did ya get her ring back?"
"Yeah, we did."
Kouji grinned and playfully poked at him. "Is that all yer gonna tell me? I can't believe that nothin' excitin' happened! You were gone fer 'ova a month! There had t' be some kissy-kissin' that went on between ya two."
Tasuki smiled genuinely this time. Everything had a reason for its happening, and along this journey, he had found that girls weren't as bad as he always thought. But most importantly, he had found a small taste of love that he knew he would hold with him forever, and that in itself was priceless to him. He playfully put an arm around Kouji's shoulder and grinned, his old self returning. "Kouji, ol' buddy! Ya wouldn't believe me even if I did tell ya everything. An' ya know I hate girls! Now, I'm starvin'! Let's get some grub an' a round of drinks, eh? It's been far too long since I had a good cup o' sake."
Kouji grinned, glad to see the Tasuki that he knew was back. "Sure thing, Genrou."
With that, the two bandits headed towards the dinning quarters of their hideout on the peak of Mount. Reikakku.
**end**
