Title: Bloodless: Part 4
Author: Celestial Phoenix
E-mail: celestialinferno@h...
Archive: Yes, in the FYTasChiML Archive. Others, please ask.
Rating/Warnings: R This fic contains YAOI, swearing, lime, angst,
violence, noncon, and death. Spoilers for the whole series.
Disclaimer:Fushigi Yuugi does not belong to me
Author's note: The last part of Bloodless. Thanks to Sicil and
Physh for beta reading for me, and listening to my whining whenever I felt like I should be working on it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tasuki stared out over the water into the depths of the lake, his long-time enemy. He concentrated on his search, but he couldn't find any trace of Chichiri. Last time, as soon as he had given the search his full attention, he had been able to sense the seishi's location.
He was still confused. Somehow, Chichiri had died...but then, he had been brought back... That should be impossible, shouldn't it? The air smelled stale, like he was trapped inside a coffin.
_ Tasuki, this won't be the last time... _
Last time for what? Had Chichiri understood, and hadn't had time to explain?
I don't want to die...
He kept saying that, but he had given up so easily; they both had!
A bright, clean breeze cut through the ancient air. Tasuki leaned back, breathing in deeply; inhaling the change. He couldn't think about what had happened. Not if he wanted to get through this.
Wherever the Sibyl went, she gave prophecies of unerring accuracy and wisdom. Men and women traveled all over the world to hear her words.
Now, she was a wilting husk, lost in her own visions. The years had stripped her sanity, and she couldn't tell her false prophecies from the ones that came directly from the gods.
Part of her protested, "Let us die; it is long past time."
Another part called her a fool, and another found the whole situation hilarious. The rest kept their opinions to themselves.
But there was a spark inside this boy, one she envied. Once she had the same spark, energy; she was empty now. Time to take him into herself.
The water began to speak vague words with Chichiri's voice. Tasuki leaned down, lowering himself until his nose almost touched the cold water, "Chichiri?" he called, the water rushing from his words in growing circles.
The voice grew louder, but he still couldn't make out the words. Chichiri sounded upset, like he was in trouble. Well...of course he was.
Listening carefully, he ducked his head under the freezing water.
"Tasuki! I'm here; down here no da!"
Yeah, definitely Chichiri's voice.
Another voice: it sounded like a woman, "Stay back; the water will kill you. You can't swim," that was true enough, "You'll die, and you'll never be able to save him. Get Taiitsukun. She'll know what to do."
She hadn't before, dammit. Tasuki felt the air leave him and he threw his head back out of the water. Fuck. Now he was all wet.
Her lips were parted for him, welcoming...she was vibrating and the air was humming with her presence. The world shook around him, hurting, and passion and rage welled up inside him, like it had during the last night of his curse. Except this time it was strangely distant. These feelings weren't from him this time...had they ever been from him? But even if they weren't his feelings, Chichiri still wanted this woman like he had wanted Tasuki back by the lake. But...this, this _ perversion _ of a woman, this undying monster, wanted him; this was even worse than what he had done to Tasuki.
Once she had him; that would be it. He would never have a chance to explain to Tasuki why this had happened. He would never be able to say that he didn't understand and that it was okay not to understand. He could never think about him again.
And he wouldn't be reborn. Those last words would be broken, their last promise. Tasuki would live his life and be reborn, but they would never see each other again. This was the night he was going to be eaten. He could feel the stars of Suzaku pulsing outside the cave. Were the others warning him?
Stupid, useless thought. He had to struggle, at least. It wouldn't be right if he didn't struggle.
Chichiri bowed his head, closing the space between himself and the beautiful monster. Her lips were honey inside him, pressing him closer.
He raised the rock, separating himself from himself, pulling his mind away from her illusion of dark passion. Away from himself, he saw his body being drawn inside her. She ate him slowly, enjoying the taste of new life inside her.
The child tasted like a river of water when she was thirsty; a meal when she was hungry. He was everything she needed to survive. For an instant, she loved him with all her dry and ancient heart. Like she had loved them all, before they fed her their strength.
A rush of empty air, then the sound of stone against stone.
The Sibyl drew back, shocked.
The voices came rushing back, whispering doubt and fear. She ignored them, "How could you try to hurt me, my dearest?"
The stone had gone straight through her. Right through her heart, before it clattered to the floor.
"You're dead; didn't you realize? So am I! I shed my body, just to be with you."
He met her confused gaze, his eye calm. He should be feeling fear or anger, but...nothing.
"My sweet child," her shock dissolved and she smiled, "You scared me there, for a second. Let's finish what we came here to do."
Chichiri sensed the illusion gather back around him, "No."
She laughed, bells ringing, "I hardly think you have a choice. That was the last of your strength, wasn't it? Now, do you want to come back inside me, or will I have to take you myself? And, sweetheart, neither of us will enjoy that."
He shook his head, standing his ground.
Her smile grew, and she laughed again, "If you have made your decision," she took his arm in her hand, a vice grip, "Then I really don't have a choice, do I?"
Only one choice left, "I'm going to fucking die, aren't I?" he asked himself, sadly. Then he took a deep breath, holding it tightly as he fell in.
The water opened as he fell, letting him through.
It was cold; breathless, bloodless water. There was warmth at the end, though, where he had least expected it...with Chichiri. The air burst out of him and water filled his lungs. The surface was a bright, flickering light above him...so far. But...he had to keep going...he twisted until he was facing the black light beneath him and he couldn't see the surface anymore. It was better this way.
An undeterminable moment passed as his lungs screamed for air. Just a little further.
His eyes focused on something in the blackness. A light? It was blue, and so far away...the image wavered. His consciousness began to fade away; he struggled to keep his mind from drifting. The light grew brighter and threatened to overtake his vision...blinding light.... it burned through him and he was gone.
She tasted like...she tasted like _ nothing _; like nothingness pressed against him, inside him, all through him. As she devoured him he felt surrounded by people, and he knew they were the people she had taken long ago. They watched with distant curiosity; they had left their lives to history hundreds of years ago. The fate of the Sibyl, her next victim, or even themselves didn't demand their concern.
Tasuki...he had tasted like the ocean. Salty, warm...and the more he drank, the more he needed.
He could see himself now; he could now see the whole cave at once from many different sides. His body lay, whole and uninjured, next to the wrinkled and decaying corpse of the witch...this cave stank of her rotting flesh. She looked unbelievably frail and impossibly ancient; death should have come years ago.
And now...he heard her voice surrounding him.
The monster's corpse raised its hand and Chichiri realized, with dawning horror, that it was not dead yet. The woman had lied when she had said that she was dead; she was just projecting herself with her body's remaining strength.
The voices scampered over to the body. The Sibyl followed and he moved with her until they were peering down at her body. Her eyes opened slowly, staring back at them with frightening intensity. She sat up and reached into her decomposing clothing, pulling out a dagger. She fixed the weapon with her gaze. Chichiri knew that those eyes had killed more and seen more death than that knife ever had.
Her shaking hand drew the dagger slowly back, aiming it over the heart. The voices were silent, watching. Then, with a quiet gasp, she pierced through her heart. Something snapped, a cord, and they were drifting.
The Sibyl regained control and turned to his body. The body was still alive, somehow. It was waiting for him to return.
She kneeled down over him, leaning over his face, _ And now... _ she lightly ran her fingers over the scar...the remainder of her power hadn't been able to heal it...and smiled gently, And now...
The room exploded with a brilliant red light, illuminating everything with blood.
_ Tasuki! _Chichiri shouted internally, _ Get away from here! _
Tasuki saw him...and her.
Rage. Frozen rage boiled through her. She threw back her head and screeched once; causing the entire cave to shudder.
"You bitch!" Tasuki screamed, "I'm going to fucking burn ya to death!"
She laughed, a shrieking laugh, "You can't kill me, idiot! He is inside of me. If you rip me apart, he goes with me. Do you understand?"
"Tasuki, I'm already dead!" Chichiri shouted through her.
He shook his head and reached for his tessen. Instinctively, he knew that his fire by itself couldn't kill her; she didn't have a living body that could be hurt by flames. Beneath the physical fire, however, he also sent out his own power, his own spirit with his attack. _ That _ could reach her, hurt her. She would _ burn... _
And, since Chichiri was inside of her...if he was fast enough and careful enough, she would die before the flames reached Chichiri.
"Lekka Shinen!" the fire burst out of the fan, engulfing the woman's body and barely missing Chichiri. The flames cleaved a purifying path across the cave, burning away the stagnant air. She was swallowed by his power, still screaming. There was a brief struggle, before her already diminished power gave way for him. The twisted shapes of her voices followed the sound of her cry into the heart of the fire.
Chichiri felt heat-it licked at the edges of his spirit. He heard the whispered last words of the Sibyl before the heat softened.
_I can never die. _
Tasuki dropped his tessen and ran over to where Chichiri had been...there was nothing. He looked around, frantic, until his eyes settled on the body on the ground.
Chichiri slowly opened his eye, looking up at Tasuki. He smiled a little--Tasuki looked so worried. When he saw Chichiri smiling at him, Tasuki returned it, reaching out his hand to help his friend off the warm stone, "Hope I didn't hit ya with my fire."
Chichiri shook his head, and reached up to take Tasuki's hand.
His grasping hand passed through Tasuki.
"When did I die?" Tasuki asked, confused, looking down at his hand.
Chichiri stood up slowly, his motions belaying a serenity he did not feel.
"I must've drowned in that lake..." Tasuki laughed nervously, "I didn't notice..."
"When did you go in?" Chichiri snapped.
"Well...I heard your voice...so I was trying to hear you, and you said-"
"I didn't say anything to you! When did you go in?"
"Just before I came here."
Tasuki blinked and Chichiri disappeared.
There had to be time; another minute, another second. Chichiri dove into the center of the lake. He swam frantically towards where he could still feel the faintest sign of life. There he was; Chichiri grasped the frozen body around the waist and tried to pull it back up with him. It was so heavy. He couldn't teleport, since he had used all the power he had regained from the Sibyl just getting to the lake.
_ I can never die. _
Power filled him from his core, coming from something inside him that shouldn't be there. It burned through him, ice in his veins, and he used it. No time to wonder.
He dropped Tasuki on the rock and examined him briefly. His heart was beating, but he still wasn't breathing.
Chichiri opened Tasuki's mouth and covered it with his own, making a seal.
_Breath._
Chichiri came up, gasping for air. Then, back down.
_ Breath. _
Tasuki's heart was weakening; was he doing this wrong?
_Breath._
Tasuki felt something pulling against him. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the cave, examining his tessen.
_Breath._
"Fine, FINE, I'm going!" Tasuki grumbled, even as the pull lost its strength.
_Breath._
Something warm against his mouth-the air was like fire; he coughed up water as Chichiri gave him room.
"You were only under a few minutes no da," Chichiri sighed, relieved.
Tasuki kept coughing, nodding his head, "So now we've both been dead, eh?" he asked when he finally gained some control.
Chichiri nodded. He felt so tired...but what had given him the power to save Tasuki. He had a pretty good feeling of what it was, but he didn't want to think about it at the moment.
Tasuki dragged himself over and sat next to him. They stayed there a minute, staring out at the water.
"I should prob'ly tell Kouji we're alive," Tasuki said, not moving.
"All right no da."
Tasuki laughed suddenly, "I can't fucking believe that worked."
"You can't believe what no da?"
"Any of it," he felt his strength slowly draining back into him, "You know, Chiri-" Tasuki turned a little to look at him. Chichiri was staring out over the water, his expression blank.
"Yes?"
Yeah, his energy was coming back very quickly. He felt almost like a new man. The memory of Chichiri over him, pressing, and the taste- Chichiri wasn't wearing much now, was he?
Tasuki grinned, "Chiri?"
Chichiri turned to see Tasuki looking at him with a questionable expression on his face,
"...yes...?"
"I feel much better now, don't you?"
"Yes, much better Tasuki-kun no da."
Tasuki's grin was almost wolfish...unnerving. Chichiri didn't know what to make of it-he'd just almost drowned, hadn't he? "Tasuk-!"
The blood ran through their veins in a quickening pulse, warm and hard; it hit them like the salty waves of the ocean. And inside Chichiri, something settled.
_ I can never die. _
THE END
Author: Celestial Phoenix
E-mail: celestialinferno@h...
Archive: Yes, in the FYTasChiML Archive. Others, please ask.
Rating/Warnings: R This fic contains YAOI, swearing, lime, angst,
violence, noncon, and death. Spoilers for the whole series.
Disclaimer:Fushigi Yuugi does not belong to me
Author's note: The last part of Bloodless. Thanks to Sicil and
Physh for beta reading for me, and listening to my whining whenever I felt like I should be working on it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tasuki stared out over the water into the depths of the lake, his long-time enemy. He concentrated on his search, but he couldn't find any trace of Chichiri. Last time, as soon as he had given the search his full attention, he had been able to sense the seishi's location.
He was still confused. Somehow, Chichiri had died...but then, he had been brought back... That should be impossible, shouldn't it? The air smelled stale, like he was trapped inside a coffin.
_ Tasuki, this won't be the last time... _
Last time for what? Had Chichiri understood, and hadn't had time to explain?
I don't want to die...
He kept saying that, but he had given up so easily; they both had!
A bright, clean breeze cut through the ancient air. Tasuki leaned back, breathing in deeply; inhaling the change. He couldn't think about what had happened. Not if he wanted to get through this.
Wherever the Sibyl went, she gave prophecies of unerring accuracy and wisdom. Men and women traveled all over the world to hear her words.
Now, she was a wilting husk, lost in her own visions. The years had stripped her sanity, and she couldn't tell her false prophecies from the ones that came directly from the gods.
Part of her protested, "Let us die; it is long past time."
Another part called her a fool, and another found the whole situation hilarious. The rest kept their opinions to themselves.
But there was a spark inside this boy, one she envied. Once she had the same spark, energy; she was empty now. Time to take him into herself.
The water began to speak vague words with Chichiri's voice. Tasuki leaned down, lowering himself until his nose almost touched the cold water, "Chichiri?" he called, the water rushing from his words in growing circles.
The voice grew louder, but he still couldn't make out the words. Chichiri sounded upset, like he was in trouble. Well...of course he was.
Listening carefully, he ducked his head under the freezing water.
"Tasuki! I'm here; down here no da!"
Yeah, definitely Chichiri's voice.
Another voice: it sounded like a woman, "Stay back; the water will kill you. You can't swim," that was true enough, "You'll die, and you'll never be able to save him. Get Taiitsukun. She'll know what to do."
She hadn't before, dammit. Tasuki felt the air leave him and he threw his head back out of the water. Fuck. Now he was all wet.
Her lips were parted for him, welcoming...she was vibrating and the air was humming with her presence. The world shook around him, hurting, and passion and rage welled up inside him, like it had during the last night of his curse. Except this time it was strangely distant. These feelings weren't from him this time...had they ever been from him? But even if they weren't his feelings, Chichiri still wanted this woman like he had wanted Tasuki back by the lake. But...this, this _ perversion _ of a woman, this undying monster, wanted him; this was even worse than what he had done to Tasuki.
Once she had him; that would be it. He would never have a chance to explain to Tasuki why this had happened. He would never be able to say that he didn't understand and that it was okay not to understand. He could never think about him again.
And he wouldn't be reborn. Those last words would be broken, their last promise. Tasuki would live his life and be reborn, but they would never see each other again. This was the night he was going to be eaten. He could feel the stars of Suzaku pulsing outside the cave. Were the others warning him?
Stupid, useless thought. He had to struggle, at least. It wouldn't be right if he didn't struggle.
Chichiri bowed his head, closing the space between himself and the beautiful monster. Her lips were honey inside him, pressing him closer.
He raised the rock, separating himself from himself, pulling his mind away from her illusion of dark passion. Away from himself, he saw his body being drawn inside her. She ate him slowly, enjoying the taste of new life inside her.
The child tasted like a river of water when she was thirsty; a meal when she was hungry. He was everything she needed to survive. For an instant, she loved him with all her dry and ancient heart. Like she had loved them all, before they fed her their strength.
A rush of empty air, then the sound of stone against stone.
The Sibyl drew back, shocked.
The voices came rushing back, whispering doubt and fear. She ignored them, "How could you try to hurt me, my dearest?"
The stone had gone straight through her. Right through her heart, before it clattered to the floor.
"You're dead; didn't you realize? So am I! I shed my body, just to be with you."
He met her confused gaze, his eye calm. He should be feeling fear or anger, but...nothing.
"My sweet child," her shock dissolved and she smiled, "You scared me there, for a second. Let's finish what we came here to do."
Chichiri sensed the illusion gather back around him, "No."
She laughed, bells ringing, "I hardly think you have a choice. That was the last of your strength, wasn't it? Now, do you want to come back inside me, or will I have to take you myself? And, sweetheart, neither of us will enjoy that."
He shook his head, standing his ground.
Her smile grew, and she laughed again, "If you have made your decision," she took his arm in her hand, a vice grip, "Then I really don't have a choice, do I?"
Only one choice left, "I'm going to fucking die, aren't I?" he asked himself, sadly. Then he took a deep breath, holding it tightly as he fell in.
The water opened as he fell, letting him through.
It was cold; breathless, bloodless water. There was warmth at the end, though, where he had least expected it...with Chichiri. The air burst out of him and water filled his lungs. The surface was a bright, flickering light above him...so far. But...he had to keep going...he twisted until he was facing the black light beneath him and he couldn't see the surface anymore. It was better this way.
An undeterminable moment passed as his lungs screamed for air. Just a little further.
His eyes focused on something in the blackness. A light? It was blue, and so far away...the image wavered. His consciousness began to fade away; he struggled to keep his mind from drifting. The light grew brighter and threatened to overtake his vision...blinding light.... it burned through him and he was gone.
She tasted like...she tasted like _ nothing _; like nothingness pressed against him, inside him, all through him. As she devoured him he felt surrounded by people, and he knew they were the people she had taken long ago. They watched with distant curiosity; they had left their lives to history hundreds of years ago. The fate of the Sibyl, her next victim, or even themselves didn't demand their concern.
Tasuki...he had tasted like the ocean. Salty, warm...and the more he drank, the more he needed.
He could see himself now; he could now see the whole cave at once from many different sides. His body lay, whole and uninjured, next to the wrinkled and decaying corpse of the witch...this cave stank of her rotting flesh. She looked unbelievably frail and impossibly ancient; death should have come years ago.
And now...he heard her voice surrounding him.
The monster's corpse raised its hand and Chichiri realized, with dawning horror, that it was not dead yet. The woman had lied when she had said that she was dead; she was just projecting herself with her body's remaining strength.
The voices scampered over to the body. The Sibyl followed and he moved with her until they were peering down at her body. Her eyes opened slowly, staring back at them with frightening intensity. She sat up and reached into her decomposing clothing, pulling out a dagger. She fixed the weapon with her gaze. Chichiri knew that those eyes had killed more and seen more death than that knife ever had.
Her shaking hand drew the dagger slowly back, aiming it over the heart. The voices were silent, watching. Then, with a quiet gasp, she pierced through her heart. Something snapped, a cord, and they were drifting.
The Sibyl regained control and turned to his body. The body was still alive, somehow. It was waiting for him to return.
She kneeled down over him, leaning over his face, _ And now... _ she lightly ran her fingers over the scar...the remainder of her power hadn't been able to heal it...and smiled gently, And now...
The room exploded with a brilliant red light, illuminating everything with blood.
_ Tasuki! _Chichiri shouted internally, _ Get away from here! _
Tasuki saw him...and her.
Rage. Frozen rage boiled through her. She threw back her head and screeched once; causing the entire cave to shudder.
"You bitch!" Tasuki screamed, "I'm going to fucking burn ya to death!"
She laughed, a shrieking laugh, "You can't kill me, idiot! He is inside of me. If you rip me apart, he goes with me. Do you understand?"
"Tasuki, I'm already dead!" Chichiri shouted through her.
He shook his head and reached for his tessen. Instinctively, he knew that his fire by itself couldn't kill her; she didn't have a living body that could be hurt by flames. Beneath the physical fire, however, he also sent out his own power, his own spirit with his attack. _ That _ could reach her, hurt her. She would _ burn... _
And, since Chichiri was inside of her...if he was fast enough and careful enough, she would die before the flames reached Chichiri.
"Lekka Shinen!" the fire burst out of the fan, engulfing the woman's body and barely missing Chichiri. The flames cleaved a purifying path across the cave, burning away the stagnant air. She was swallowed by his power, still screaming. There was a brief struggle, before her already diminished power gave way for him. The twisted shapes of her voices followed the sound of her cry into the heart of the fire.
Chichiri felt heat-it licked at the edges of his spirit. He heard the whispered last words of the Sibyl before the heat softened.
_I can never die. _
Tasuki dropped his tessen and ran over to where Chichiri had been...there was nothing. He looked around, frantic, until his eyes settled on the body on the ground.
Chichiri slowly opened his eye, looking up at Tasuki. He smiled a little--Tasuki looked so worried. When he saw Chichiri smiling at him, Tasuki returned it, reaching out his hand to help his friend off the warm stone, "Hope I didn't hit ya with my fire."
Chichiri shook his head, and reached up to take Tasuki's hand.
His grasping hand passed through Tasuki.
"When did I die?" Tasuki asked, confused, looking down at his hand.
Chichiri stood up slowly, his motions belaying a serenity he did not feel.
"I must've drowned in that lake..." Tasuki laughed nervously, "I didn't notice..."
"When did you go in?" Chichiri snapped.
"Well...I heard your voice...so I was trying to hear you, and you said-"
"I didn't say anything to you! When did you go in?"
"Just before I came here."
Tasuki blinked and Chichiri disappeared.
There had to be time; another minute, another second. Chichiri dove into the center of the lake. He swam frantically towards where he could still feel the faintest sign of life. There he was; Chichiri grasped the frozen body around the waist and tried to pull it back up with him. It was so heavy. He couldn't teleport, since he had used all the power he had regained from the Sibyl just getting to the lake.
_ I can never die. _
Power filled him from his core, coming from something inside him that shouldn't be there. It burned through him, ice in his veins, and he used it. No time to wonder.
He dropped Tasuki on the rock and examined him briefly. His heart was beating, but he still wasn't breathing.
Chichiri opened Tasuki's mouth and covered it with his own, making a seal.
_Breath._
Chichiri came up, gasping for air. Then, back down.
_ Breath. _
Tasuki's heart was weakening; was he doing this wrong?
_Breath._
Tasuki felt something pulling against him. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the cave, examining his tessen.
_Breath._
"Fine, FINE, I'm going!" Tasuki grumbled, even as the pull lost its strength.
_Breath._
Something warm against his mouth-the air was like fire; he coughed up water as Chichiri gave him room.
"You were only under a few minutes no da," Chichiri sighed, relieved.
Tasuki kept coughing, nodding his head, "So now we've both been dead, eh?" he asked when he finally gained some control.
Chichiri nodded. He felt so tired...but what had given him the power to save Tasuki. He had a pretty good feeling of what it was, but he didn't want to think about it at the moment.
Tasuki dragged himself over and sat next to him. They stayed there a minute, staring out at the water.
"I should prob'ly tell Kouji we're alive," Tasuki said, not moving.
"All right no da."
Tasuki laughed suddenly, "I can't fucking believe that worked."
"You can't believe what no da?"
"Any of it," he felt his strength slowly draining back into him, "You know, Chiri-" Tasuki turned a little to look at him. Chichiri was staring out over the water, his expression blank.
"Yes?"
Yeah, his energy was coming back very quickly. He felt almost like a new man. The memory of Chichiri over him, pressing, and the taste- Chichiri wasn't wearing much now, was he?
Tasuki grinned, "Chiri?"
Chichiri turned to see Tasuki looking at him with a questionable expression on his face,
"...yes...?"
"I feel much better now, don't you?"
"Yes, much better Tasuki-kun no da."
Tasuki's grin was almost wolfish...unnerving. Chichiri didn't know what to make of it-he'd just almost drowned, hadn't he? "Tasuk-!"
The blood ran through their veins in a quickening pulse, warm and hard; it hit them like the salty waves of the ocean. And inside Chichiri, something settled.
_ I can never die. _
THE END