"You can ride a horse?" Tasuki snorted. "In that miko garb of yours? Don't be #@%$&$ kidding me."
"I can ride a horse in a ballgown." Rei protested. Seeing Tasuki wasn't listening to her, she marched off to the stable where the horses were and led a dapple gray stallion. She grabbed one of the saddles and began mounting the horse which seemed to be not the least worried.
"Oi! What the &$%^ do you think you're doing?" Tasuki screamed as Rei began settling on Fumaru's steed. "Get the hell down from there!"
"What is your problem?" Rei argued. "I am perfectly capable to ride one of these things, thank you."
"You might fall off and hurt yourself, you stubborn female!" he said irritably, trying to conceal the note of concern in his voice. She looked a little too small and fragile to contain Fumaru's horse, one of the more ornery ones in the stable. He was afraid the stallion may throw one of its temper tantrums and toss Rei off its back. No matter how much she got on his nerves, he can't help but feel a little worried.
"Hiya!" Rei ordered the horse forward, obviously not listening to Tasuki and heading towards the paths leading down from Mt. Reikaku. All the flame-haired bandit could do was shake his head while cursing his luck.
He had decided to bring her to Taiitsu-kun, as the old woman was the only possible solution to this dilemma. She had sent Miaka back to her world, she could probably send this hardheaded miko as well. Genrou was a bit hesitant to leave Mt. Reikaku even for a few days to make the trip to Taiitsu-kun's lair, but there was little choice. No one knew of any other way to send this raven-haired priestess back to her world, and none of his bandits knew how to find the magical old hag. He had left Koji strict instructions on guarding the stronghold against possible attacks by Enki.
"You know, you shouldn't have left Mt. Reikaku." Rei said as they rode side by side down the dusty road. "You could've just given me directions on how to find this Taiitsu-kun person. What if Enki and his bandits attack?"
"You wont be able to find Taiitsu-kun on your own." Tasuki assured her. "She's rather...picky. And besides...I know Koji can handle it, in case Enki does attack. And I can ask Taiitsu-kun to quickly transport me back there in case things go wrong. I can't leave you alone in a country like this, its dangerous."
Rei was about to retort that she didn't need protection, but held her tongue in check. Tasuki was only trying to be helpful, and being sharp-tongued wasn't exactly a token of gratitude. She should be thankful that he had volunteered to help her find her way back home and had not just left her to rot in the middle of nowhere. There was slight tinge of concern in his earlier statement and she was rather touched by it. She reached out a gave him a very light peck on the cheek that surprised him, almost causing him to fall off his horse.
"That was sweet of you, Genrou-sama. Thank you." she flashed him a warm smile, causing Tasuki's already crimson cheeks to grow even redder.
"I wasn't trying to be sweet." he replied annoyingly, but Rei ignored him and giggled at his red face. "Females." he muttered under his breath, angry at himself for reacting like a schoolboy.
They had ridden for hours under the grueling midday sun and Tasuki was sweating like a dog. Every once in a while, he glanced over at his companion whom he was sure was more tired than he was. It rather surprised him how she didn't utter a single word of complaint even if they felt like they were baking in an oven. He couldn't help but feel amused. She obviously wasn't going to admit she was aching to get down and lie on her back. Proud, stubborn girl. Yet he can't help but feel a little admiration for the tough-hided miko.
"Perhaps we should rest, girlie." Tasuki said, leading his horse towards a huge tree with a creek nearby. He figured that she wasn't going to be the first to say she was exhausted even she looked every bit of it so he thought he'd decide for them.
Rei didn't budge.
"What's the freakin' problem?" he asked irritably as he got down on bent knee and took a drink of the cool, refreshing creek water. He splashed his face with it, feeling refreshed. "You're obviously tired, swallow your pride and get your butt down here."
"I wish you would address me properly." she answered. "My mother didn't give me a name for nothing."
So that's what it was about. She resented being called girlie. Tasuki frowned. "Alright, alright...already. How about we have a seat and rest, Rei-san?" Is that better?"
"Better." a small smile lifted the corner of Rei's mouth. She quickly got down from the horse and kneeled next to Tasuki, taking a generous drink. The cool water seemed to have washed her the exhaustion away.
Tasuki took a spot beneath the tree and laid there lazily, staring at the fathomless blue sky. He sighed. He should learn to get along with this Rei girl. They were going to be travelling for little more than a day to get to Taiitsu-kun's hideaway and bickering every single hour of the day wasn't going to help. He didn't know why he was so defensive with this little female. She wasn't exactly annoying per se, but something about her set alarm bells in his head.
"You want to eat, Genrou-san?" Rei asked as she unwrapped a lunch pack Mitsuko had given them. The delicious smell of the still warm dumplings wafted to Genrou's nostrils.
"Okay." he said, taking a few and eating bite by bite.
"So tell me about yourself, Genrou-san." Rei opened up a conversation as she ate the food piece by piece. Genrou almost choked on his food upon hearing it. Rei promptly whacked him at the back to throw out the stuck morsel.
"W-why do you want to know about that?" he asked, after spitting out the piece of meat that had lodged in his windpipe.
Rei shrugged. "Nothing..." she said. "I just thought it'd be boring if we just sat and said nothing, ne? Heaven knows how long we're going to be on the road...might as well talk about something...anything..." she reasoned.
"There's nothing to talk about." he said bluntly. "My life isn't exciting to any degree."
Rei facefaulted. "Why are you so grouchy? I haven't done anything to you...Geez!" she got up from her sitting position and walked away. Genrou quickly sat up and followed her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, holding her arm.
Rei twisted her arm away. "I'm going to find Taiitsu-kun by myself." she said irritably. "I know when I'm not wanted. Go back to your headquarters and leave me alone. I'll find my own way home."
"Look, I risk getting my home burned to the ground by an enemy just to help you find your Suzaku-knows-where planet, and this is the gratitude I get!" Tasuki screamed angrily.
"I never asked you to escort me to Taiitsu-kun! You could've just told me how to get there!"
"It's &^%$#$ dangerous! And I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! That's why I accompanied you!!!"
"I can take care of myself! I don't need your protection!
"Says who?"
"Says me!"
They were both breathing hard, catching their breaths from screaming their lungs out. Their stares glued to one another, meeting in a battle of the rage. Neither one of them withdrawing. They stayed still for they know not how long until a neighing sound drew their attention.
"What the hell..."
Tasuki fell back first unto the ground before he realized what was happening. A huge gray wolf laid atop him, obviously thinking he was dinner to be served, and was beginning to bury his teeth into Tasuki's forearm. At the corner of his eye, Genrou saw that there were six more wolves as they made a dash for their other prey which was...
"Shimatta!"
With all his strength, Tasuki kicked off the wolf on his chest and quickly pulled the tessen from his back, "Lekka shinen!" he called forth a blazing fury towards the predator, sending the wolf running for its life.
He turned to see his companion pinned down by two of the wolfpack, tearing mercilessly at her. She fought off with what strength she had, kicking and struggling. Without second thought, Genrou ran to her and knocked the animals away with his booted feet followed by a wallop from his flame-throwing tessen.
"Shimatta, are you alright?" he asked as he tried to help her up.
"Never mind me..." Rei brushed his hand aside, "The horses!"
Tasuki whirled about and saw his horse jumping wildly. It had kicked off its would-be assailants, sending them away. But Fumaru's horse wasn't as gallant. It had pulled free from it's tie on one of the trees and had run for the hills.
"The horse...after it!" Rei cried. The flame-haired bandit was about to, but at the corner of his eye, he saw Rei's knees give way and he caught her in his arms before she fell on the ground.
"Holy Suzaku...are you alright?" he asked the raven-haired miko who was nestled on his chest.
"I'm fine...the horse, it's going to get away." she reminded. Tasuki knew at once she was lying, as her face was pale and sweaty. He noted her clothes were torn in several places and her right arm was bleeding. "Don't mind me...I'm okay. The steed...it's running away...." she tried hard to speak straight.
Tasuki carried her over to the tree where he leaned her. "Don't be stubborn, girlie." he scolded as he ripped off a sleeve of his shirt and used it to tie up Rei's bleeding arm. He wiped the sweat off her forehead and took some water from the drinking canteen they packed, giving her a drink. "You're going to be alright." he assured, taking his long blue overcoat and giving it to her as a blanket.
Despite the shock, Rei managed to lift a corner of her mouth. "I know." she laughed a little. And as her vision began to clear, she noted that his arm was badly bruised too. "Allow me..." it was her turn to rip off the hem of her already damaged skirt and wrap it around Tasuki's arm. He protested a little but her dagger look quieted him. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." she explained.
After a few minutes, the events of previous began to sink in on them, and Rei began to feel guilty for losing the horse.
"Gomen ne." she apologized, "It's all my fault. I never should've insisted on bringing that poor horse along. If I wasn't so pigheaded, we'd never have lost it."
Tasuki sighed. "Don't blame yourself." he assured. "You never wanted it to happen. It's not your fault. Besides...I'm not totally blameless." he shrugged. "If I hadn't picked a fight, we'd have noticed those wolves coming."
"No, it's my fault..."
"No, mine..."
They stared at each other in unison. A smile began to curve on their lips as they noted a recurring pattern. Tasuki spoke first. "Alright...it's both our faults..."
And the still atmosphere was filled by a burst of laughter.
The following day, Rei and Tasuki were seen riding together on the latter's horse. Rei taking the seat in front of the redheaded bandit. They had a full night of sleep after their exhausting ordeal, and they were greeted by warm sunshine and an early morning breeze. Tasuki had let Rei use some of his wardrobe to change her torn miko outfit and had teased her on looking like a little peasant boy in his mother's clothing, thus earning him a temporary lump on his head. She had taken a quick bath before he had woken up and she felt as fresh as a daisy.
"I hope I'm not causing too much discomfort." Rei spoke up first to break their silent ride.
"Do I have a choice?" he retorted, earning a snort from his riding companion. He had only been teasing, but she was right. He was a little uncomfortable, but not in the sense she was implying. Her proximity was rather disturbing. They weren't exactly squeezed together, but she sat close enough to him for him to feel the tickle of her soft hair on his chest through his open shirt and to smell the fragrance of lilacs on her hair. It wasn't the scent of manmade perfume, but the natural scent of a woman.
#$@% hell, Genrou, what are you thinking? he berated himself on such a thought. He tried to rid of himself of this idea by thinking of his hatred for the opposite sex, how his sisters had maltreated him, how annoying it was to be controlled by females.
She was sitting too close.
And she smelled so nice.
As if on cue, Rei raised her face, hitting Genrou's chin with her forehead.
"Oooow!" they cried simultaneously.
"What the &^%$ are you doing?" he grumbled, holding his hurting chin.
"That hurts...ouch..." Rei touched her injured head. "I was about to ask you something...you silly carrot top! Were you dozing off or what? Your head was too close!"
"Well you didn't have to turn around to ask me something!" he defended himself. Hell she was right....he was a little too close, but he didn't want her to notice. "What is it anyway?"
Rei was about to say his gentle breath on her neck was a little discomforting, but said something else instead. "I was going to ask you how long do we have to travel to get to this Taiitsu-kun person? My grandfather may be worried off his head."
"Not far now." he replied. Rei eyed him skeptically, obviously not believing him but said nothing. Tasuki straightened his back, trying not to get caught again. It was hard not to acknowledge her presence. Something about her was terribly distracting. "You'll be home sooner than you think."
It was a good thing her back turned to him, Rei thought. Otherwise, he'd definitely notice the crimson in her cheeks. She was more embarassed than hurt with what had happened. Maybe she had leaned on just a little too near him so when she looked about, so she hit his chin. But it felt wonderful leaning against his strong frame, which occured no matter how hard she tried to prevent it, especially when she felt drowsy. His presence made her feel protected.
And he had protected her, in a way...not that she asked for it...
Why am I denying? she thought. What was I denying? was more appropriate.
They stopped over for lunch by a huge tree that provided a lot of shade. Rei tried to open up a conversation but Tasuki was a bit of a recluse. He didn't talk much and answered as briefly as possible. She asked a bit about the Suzaku seishichisei and all she got were short sentences. Especially when he mentioned about Suzaku no Miko, a girl from her world who got lost in Konan and turned all seven lives about.
"What does she look like?" Rei asked as she cleaned up their leftovers. "Maybe I know her?"
"She's a girl like you. Looks like a girl, talks like a girl..." he paused thoughtfully, "Though she doesn't quite eat like a girl judging from your appetite..." he smirked.
Rei laughed, understanding what he meant. "I see..." she nodded thoughtfully, "I have a friend like that, Usagi."
"But even so..." Tasuki interrupted, "Miaka's a special person. To all of us."
She didn't miss that gleam in his eye, and she smiled inwardly. This Miaka person obviously meant something more to this flame-haired bandit. Much more than he cares to admit, anyway.
And how she wished she could feel that way about somebody too...and perhaps...have her feelings returned.
"Oi, why the long face?" Tasuki raised a brow. He held out a hand to her to assist her standing up. "Missing somebody, ne?" he teased. "Your koibito must be worried sick about you..."
"I don't have one." Rei replied promptly.
He shot a look of pure disbelief. "I find that &$%#+ hard to believe. You're too pret...errr...too old not to have one."
"Whaattt?" her vein popped and she decked Genrou with a fist, knocking him off his feet.
"Ayiii....what I meant was, you're already what...eighteen? Shouldn't you be married or something?" he corrected himself. "Miaka married Tamahome when she was eighteen."
She pouted. "I think I'm too young to be tied. And besides, I haven't found a man I'd want to marry. Not that I'd really want to. I'm not exactly fond of men, you know."
"And why is that?"
"I've had problems with them, first hand..." she said, "My father wasn't exactly a very ideal example of one. He was away a lot, and he left me home with only my Grandfather to watch over me."
"Oh." Genrou nodded in understanding. "I feel the same way about females. My father wasn't home a lot either. My five older sisters and mother bullied me more often than not. That's why I ran away from home and joined the Mt. Reikaku bandits."
"I see..." Rei was surprised about Tasuki revealing this side of his personality. But it was good that they were finally *talking.* Things are certainly beginning to look up.
"C'mon." Tasuki assisted her way up the horse. "Let's move. It wont be long before sunset and we should find a more decent place to set camp."
Rei nodded and got up the horse. And as they rode along her mind was preoccupied with Tasuki's statement regarding his dislike for the female genre...with the exception of this Miaka girl. It was pretty obvious he liked her more than he cared to disclose. And perhaps it wasn't just liking. Could it be that he more than liked her? She was dying of curiosity, but she was pretty certain he would die first before he confessed.
Her thoughts shifted to his other comment about her not having a koibito. What did he say? That she was too old not to have one? But no...he had said something before mentioning the word old...was it pretty? No...he had said "pret" before cutting off and correcting it. It would have been nice to think he might've meant "pretty." She would like to think he thought she was attractive in a way...but then he could've meant "pretentious" or some other word...
Why do I want his approval? she berated herself. Why do I want him to think of me that way? Could it be that she was...attracted to this carrot top?
No!
Yes...
No...
Da?
No da!
Huh? Rei thought she was only hearing things in her head when she realized the horse had stopped. She looked around to see why when she noted the blue-haired monk standing the roadside.
"Chichiri ne!" Tasuki screamed with delight as he jumped off his horse and dived towards the monk who popped into three chibi pieces and ran for his life. Tasuki caught one of the chibi forms and hugged it, almost choking it to death.
"Tasukeeeteeee!!!" the chibi monk yelped as he tried to free himself from Genrou's airtight embrace. By the time Tasuki released the poor thing, he was almost as blue as his hair.
"Are you alright?" Rei jumped off the horse and approached Chichiri, fanning him. The wandering monk was initially dazed, but popped back into consciousness and reverted to his original form.
"Hello, no da!" he stood up and shook Rei's hand vigorously. "I am Chichiri, no da! A wandering monk and a good friend of Tasuki-kun, no da!" He tipped his hat off to which Rei responded with a bow.
"I am Hino Rei, Shinto no Miko from Tokyo. Pleased to meet you Chichiri-san." she introduced herself, smiling at the monk. She liked him instantly.
Chichiri nudged Genrou with an elbow. "Gen-chan, where are you going with this nice little lady, no da?" there was a teasing tone in his voice.
Genrou pouted, "We're going to Taiitsu-kun's place. This girlie here lost her way, found herself in my quarters and we're looking for a way to send her back to Tokyo." his deathglare caused the other Suzaku seishi to sweatdrop.
"Well why are you trudging all the way through this dirt path, no da?" Chichiri smiled. "I can take you there, in a snap. No da! Unless...Gen-chan wants to prolong the trip...no da?" he paused to cast another teasing look at Tasuki who was anything but smiling.
"I'd appreciate that." Rei clasped her hands happily, then turned towards her red-haired companion, "That is alright without you, Genrou-san, ne?" she asked tentatively. "I can just go with your friend Chichiri-san and you can go back to Mt. Reikaku."
"I'll come with you." Tasuki answered, still giving his monk friend the deathglare. "I didn't come all this $%#@& way to go back now. And I want to make sure you get home safely." he stressed. Chichiri suppressed his laughter as Genrou was still shooting that *look* towards him.
"No da! Prepare yourself then, no da!" and with his kasa, Chichiri began teleporting them to Taiitsu-kun's abode.
A half-hour later, Tasuki and Chichiri were at Taiitsu-kun's lair, while the old woman was speaking in private to Rei. The last two living Suzaku shichiseishi were sipping a drink in the den, Chichiri filling his cup with tea while Tasuki downed cup after cup of sake.
"Take it easy, Gen-chan." Chichiri told his friend who gulped one cup after another. "You wouldn't want to make a bad impression on the nice little miko, ne?"
"Shut up, Chichiri." Genrou told his scarred friend. "I don't care about impressing anyone or anything."
"That's not what I see...no da" Chichiri observed, making Genrou give him that stare again. "Perhaps they should put a warning sign over miko's heads, no da? Lest they go on breakng hearts again...no da..."
"Just what the hell are you implying Chichiri?" Genrou's speech was becoming a little slurry from all the sake he ingested. He was about to say more when Taiitsu-kun appeared with Rei.
"I can send her back to her world." the old woman replied. "But I can't do that here. It should be done at the place where she first entered this world."
"You mean through the mirror in my bedroom?" Tasuki spoke up.
Taiitsu-kun nodded. "Yes, we'll have to do it there. But not today. The planets are not aligned properly. Tomorrow morning we shall do it. And I'm going to need you two to help."