Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi does not belong to me.
Warnings: This fic contains YAOI, so if you don't like it, don't read it. This fic also contains swearing, lime, angst, violence, and noncon (rape!).
Author's notes: Pay special attention to the last warning.
Bloodless: Part 2
He was free. Chichiri's fevered mind sent power in an arc of expanding destruction. A circle of charred earth and ashes now surrounded him. Beautiful…absolutely awe-inspiring.
Blood ran down his leg and the pain once again fed him power. The strength he had used in his escape hadn't drained him in the slightest…he couldn't sleep, he couldn't rest, and he hadn't eaten since before he had arrived.
His body was devouring itself.
He laughed, turning his face to the open sky. The ground beneath him began to shake, "Free no da!" He slammed his staff deep into the scorched earth and the land exploded in a shower of rocks and debris. Chichiri marveled at his new-found liberty…there was splendor in this world that he had never seen.
The spot by the water where Tasuki was sitting was clearly lit by the brightly shining sun. He was perched on the same rock where he and Chichiri had sat peacefully all those years ago. The bandit's eyes closed; he appeared to be resting.
A slight breeze ruffled Tasuki's hair and broke his fragile meditation. His eyes flew open.
"I can't fucking do this!" he shouted in frustration. No, dammit! He had to focus.
He had quickly realized that searching the entire planet was impossible; he would never find Chichiri if he didn't find a faster way to search…but he had to concentrate. Tasuki slowly relaxed and rested his eyes again. He focused on the blue-haired monk, remembering everything about him and all the times they had spent together.
Images of blood and pain flowed through him, and Tasuki screamed, arching his back. Wherever Chichiri was, he was hurt.
Stubbornly, Tasuki pushed past it, calling out to its source.
In the midst of his destruction, Chichiri paused. Was someone yelling for him? Tasuki?…hmmm…it would be rude not to come when called…
Tasuki carefully opened his eyes…someone had come. Chichiri stood a few steps away, his mask gone and his bare face covered by many colorful cuts and bruises…his hand looked broken, "Chichiri…who the fuck did this to ya?"
Chichiri laughed, "Who no da?" he questioned mockingly, slamming his staff in the space between them, "Who?" his eyes glimmered the same color as the blood drying on his face.
Tasuki jumped back, "What-"
"No questions no da! I hate questions!" Chichiri interrupted, "I want to watch the world drown in a sea of its own misery…watch it boil in its own flesh-consuming stupidity. Suzaku, face me! Tasuki, kill me, let me live. Don't question," he ordered. Then he laughed, pointing his staff towards the bandit, "I could hit you and you would die and be reborn and never have lived!"
Tasuki gasped, "Chichiri…dammit…"
He blinked and the mage was behind him. Tasuki sensed him and turned, grasping Chichiri around the waist before he could get away.
"Tasuki-chan!" Chichiri's voice jumped the octave and his eyes went blank, "I never knew you cared no da!" there was a short pause and the monk leaned forward, biting at the bandit's lips and drawing blood. He looked hungrily at the red line that poured out from the small cut, its taste still on his tongue.
Tasuki pushed him away, "Fuck! What are you doing?" he shouted, wiping his bleeding mouth on the dirty sleeve of his coat. The normally fiery man was stunned and confused…how was he supposed to help his friend? Was there anything left of Chichiri's mind? He couldn't take this. For a moment, everything was quiet as Chichi watched Task's shoulders rise and fall with his labored breathing. Sweat mixed with blood on his unscarred face, slowly dripping down towards his neck. Mmmm…the monk took a step closer to Tasuki…the bandit backed away, his eyes wide and confused.
Chichiri muttered a quiet incantation, watching Tasuki's hard muscles stiffen in anticipation of his next move. Daa…how Tasuki's shirt tightened against his chest... Chichiri's entire body caught on fire with pain and passion. Tasuki tried to move away from him again but was held tightly by an invisible force…Chichiri had bound him.
Chichiri whispered, now in his natural voice, "Pain…Tasuki…" he pressed himself against his struggling friend, "Pain…love…hate…no da," he finished, running his unbroken hand against Tasuki's chest. It felt even more interesting than he might have imagined…the bandit was warm and tense under the monk's hand…
Tasuki swallowed, trying to speak. There wasn't any confusion anymore…he was starting to get pissed. Not at Chichiri himself, exactly…but he wasn't very happy with the monk, either. His voice left him as Chichiri's brought his mouth right up to his face.
"Strength…fire no da…" Chichiri opened his mouth and tasted Tasuki's mix of sweat and blood.
Tasuki froze in shock. Was Chichiri doing this to him? "Let-me-go…DAMMIT!" he swore, struggling against the invisible bindings, We both have to fight this, ya idiot.
"…Eventually no da," Chichiri smiled, grasping Tasuki's hair and pulling him into a bruising kiss. For a moment both were lost in the fever twisting between them.
This hurts, Tasuki growled, This isn't what's supposed to happen…She said he'd be violent, but not like this…
Chichiri pressed Tasuki slowly to the ground. Chichiri sat on him, straddling his friend's immobile body. He felt the younger man's warmth beneath him. And, oh yes, Tasuki was reacting to the situation. Chichiri hadn't expected him to, and was absurdly pleased, "But this would be much more interesting if you could move no da…," but he resisted the idea. A bound Tasuki would be much more compliant than a free Tasuki.
I want to see him… a new thought intruded on Chichiri's internal rambling. The idea had some merit…he watched as Tasuki struggled against his magic, barely contained strength hidden under all that clothing…
Laughing a little to himself, the monk slowly removed Tasuki's dusty shirt. Ahhh…he thought, allowing himself to feel the pleasure in the sight. The bandit looked so strong… he was strong…from years of fighting and working. Sweat lay over his bare chest in a thin sheath of glimmering light. It unsubtly emphasized the power he held in everyday life.
But…even with all that
beautiful strength…I hold him now…
Part of him was disturbed…almost angered by the thought. He ignored that part, opting instead to taste the bandit's strength.
Tasuki groaned. What the hell kinda spell caused this…not that he would've minded before…but Chichiri had made it clear…Chichiri had made it clear….This WASN'T Chichiri! Sure, he looked the same under all those injuries…injuries…
Tasuki concentrated his power and found that he could move…slightly. He drew back his hand and slammed it onto Chichiri's broken one.
The reaction was immediate. Chichiri stumbled backward, clutching his hand to his chest, "Da!" Chichiri was suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of sweet agony. His concentration broke, and he lost control of his spell.
The younger man pulled himself free of the mage's grasp, reaching over to where his tessen had been dropped in the original struggle. It felt strong and right in his hands; he felt powerful again. This could not happen…not like this, anyway. Tasuki ignored the heat in his lower regions; some things were more important than desire…Chichiri himself had taught the bandit this.
The mage quickly recovered, using the new pain to increase his concentration, "That wasn't very nice Tasuki-chan no da," Chichiri said, his voice playful, his eyes filled with anger.
The bandit leader responded with the same tone, "Ya weren't being very nice yerself, now were ya?"
Chichiri grinned. An expression which, on his un-masked, badly messed-up face, was extremely disturbing. He looked like he was dead.
Tasuki shook off the image and pointed his tessen at the monk, "Now don't move-."
Chichiri lunged at him, his eyes glowing red with uncontrolled rage.
"LEKKA SHINEN!" Tasuki shouted, praying to Suzaku that the flame wouldn't actually hit his friend, "Stop it, ya idiot!"
"DAAAA!" Chichiri surrounded himself with a brightly glowing green barrier. Tasuki's fire bounced away, uselessly, onto what was left of the surrounding underbrush. Somehow the curse seemed to have made him even stronger.
Tasuki had enough of this, "Chichiri, listen to me!" he shouted, desperately.
The madman stopped, the note of panic in the bandit's voice forcing him to pause. And the part of him that had been waiting for this moment, the part of him still sane, found itself free.
"Why are you doing this?"
This time Chichiri answered. His eyes still burned, but he seemed to regain a piece of himself, "Because…because I can't control it anymore. Years and years and years and years of careful trust. And careful control. Faded. Faded existence," his voice lowered, "And I want you now-before I'm gone."
"It's just a curse…you don't…you won't…actually…"
"It burns, actually, no da. I'm just a candle, burning at both ends. I'll be gone by morning no da."
Tasuki stared at the monk, defeated. How could this-"Dammit!" he shouted suddenly, "Not again! This isn't right."
Chichiri seemed calmer, but he shook from the control it took for him remain this way, "Just one night no da…" he trailed off, looking, for the moment, completely exhausted.
He was dying. Oh, Suzaku. Tasuki had never let himself admit the possibility, but now he had to, "Well…," Tasuki said, with some of his old humor, "I'm already half ready," he scanned the ground briefly for his shirt, considering.
Chichiri was dying. There was nothing, no one, left…he had promised that he would bring him back, but he couldn't. How could they stop the curse when they didn't even know what had caused it? Taiitsukun had already said that she couldn't help; she had told him not to even try.
But he was here, now. Chichiri had one last request for him, and he had finally asked. After all these years he had finally asked. His best friend. But maybe-maybe he could find some comfort in these last few hours.
Tasuki looked helpless, "And you've always been my friend…"
He stopped himself. There was no reason to keep talking; there was nothing to say. Chichiri's eye was lit blood-red with desire; he wouldn't hear anything Tasuki said.
The bandit gently embraced the shaking figure of his friend, holding him close and warm against his own bare chest.
Chichiri
looked up at him, burning the last of his control. I fought it, Tasuki. I
should've done more, but it's too late now. Suzaku, I'm sorry.
Tasuki leaned foreword and tenderly brought their lips together. For a minute, they stayed that way. This feels right…this could've been…right, Tasuki thought.
Then Chichiri gasped, arching backward as the curse cleaved through his mind, regaining its dominance. He turned his face to the sky and screamed meaninglessly into the bright void, all of his self-inflicted injuries screaming with him. One terrified eye turned back to the figure standing so close to him, "Tas…Tasuki…gomen…"
Then his face darkened and he pulled Tasuki against him into a brutal kiss.
This
time Tasuki responded in turn, growling. Chichiri approved and frantically began clawing at their clothing,
pulling it off in pieces.
******************** ******************************************
Deep within a shimmering cave set under the blackened stars, a woman lay dying. She kept her heart closed, ignoring its strange and constant insistence for attention. She felt other hearts beating beneath her own, ruining her careful rhythm.
She was the Sibyl, a creature who lived beyond time. Recently, however, she had felt the waning of her power and had known that it was time to find an heir. A host. Someone who had power, but could be controlled.
My heart hurts, she thought, moving into a sitting position. Even the slight change sent pain ripping through her body…though it wasn't her own pain, Why must there be such pain? she questioned, knowing the answer. Pain was synonymous with life, and the host was still living.
"This one still fights, and he may die with his own will," she commented. The seven hearts beneath her own changed their rhythm slightly, acknowledging the comment, "And our time is near."
Part of her feared this instance, while another reveled in the possibility.
Never mind. The Sibyl stood carefully, wincing as her hand brushed against a slight outcropping of rock. This new host was using his pain as a source of power. Wise, for a fool.
She watched small circles of light from the carefully carved entrance move along the floor. It told her of the passing of the hours and days just as the whispers on the wind told her of what was to come.
Danger, the wind sighed, Restless…
Trouble, the walls of her cave rumbled in agreement. It had been a long time since the rock had last spoken to her, and it gave her a joyful thrill. It remembered her, and cared enough to warn her! Destruction and ruin, the earth told her.
"For who? For yourself, for the host, or for the Sibyl?" she asked.
There was no response.
******************** ******************************************
Chichiri's eye flashed as he watched Tasuki sleep. Just a little more time, and he could have that same innocent peace…but he would run and run and run until he died. Just a little more time.
He couldn't kill Tasuki now, even if he wanted to. Why not? It would be interesting. But—his head ached.
The
mage set himself down on the smooth surface of the boulder. He remembered…so long ago…oh, Suzaku…he was
tired. All he wanted to do was lie down
right here and sleep. He stared out at
the water. I feel like I want to
stay here forever…
END OF PART 2
Yay, I finally finished this part! Sorry it took me so long to write it. Comments and questions are welcome.
Thank you Sicil and Physh for beta reading this for me! And thank you Sicil for forcing me to write this.