Disclaimer: ARGH!! I hate doing these things!!!!!! WHY ME????? Well u obviously know these characters don't belong to me...they belong to Watase-sama!

Why do I always write so much at the beginning? Anyways, I'm real happy with the way the last chapter came out. Pretty good for a first fanfic ever, right? Sorry, now I'm starting to sound conceited!! *Bonks herself on head w/ Tasuki-sama's tessen* *is out cold* *regains consciousness* on w/ the story!

Chapter 3

After our odd meeting earlier, we hit it off well, aside from her accusing Tamahome.

She had smiled and said, "Do I really look like a male?" She had seemed rather upset.

"I'm sorry, how many times do I have to say it? Your robe covered all of you. I'm sure no one would have been able to tell at once. I really am sorry!!" He sighed, and she smiled.

"Hey, your Genrou's friend, aren't'cha?" He nodded "Well then stop apologizing. It's fine. I guess I'm not supposed to be recognizable. Now, hurry up you two, you desperately need a bath. Oh, and Genrou..." I flinched visibly. "I suggest you give me something so I don't have to avoid you for being gone for so long." She looked at Tamahome and gave a rather visible wink.

My voice wasn't anything like it usually is when I next spoke. "What did you want?" She smiled, licking her lips slightly. "Would you like me to show you?"

I, still confused over what she was talking about said "Sure, why not?" And then afterwards realized my mistake. Tamahome chuckled as she walk to me, with painful slowness. I backed away, but not far enough to get out of her grasp.

Her hands clasped about my face and she kissed me passionately. It was all going just fine and then... my stomach rumbled.

"Um... I guess I must be a little hungry." She chuckled, her voice low. Nestling under my arm she said, "Come on, I made something delicious before I left. I also stole some sake last night." She turned to Tamahome. "You do drink, don't you?" He smiled a little.

She laughed, the amber cascade flowing down her back swaying slightly. "And then," she reminded us, "you two will take a bath. I found a great hot springs that only me and Kouji know about."

I paled. A bath. That meant water. I must have whimpered, too, because she smirked and began to laugh.

"You're still afraid of water? After this long? I thought you'd be over that by now." I sighed and nodded She laughed a warm rich laugh and snuggled closer to me. "Don't worry," she purred. "I won't let you drown."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We were there. And so was Kouji and all the other bandits I grew up with. And the seishi. She gave me a tour of the hideout, and just as I suspected, it was all perfectly clean.

Next, we headed off to do introductions. "Well," I said after she introduced me to the new bandits, "These are the seishi. You've already met Tamahome, Kinaki, and this is Miaka, the Suzaku no miko, and Tamahome's girl." Aki-chan, as I used to call her, got down on one knee and bowed.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miko-sama," she said. "And I'm very sorry to have taken your necklace. It's my job and I didn't know."

Miaka smiled. "Oh, just call me Miaka and don't worry about the necklace, I got it back."

I cleared my throat and went on with the introductions. "This is the Suzaku seishi, Hotohori, also the emperor of Konan."

I smiled at the results of one little sentence. She looked up at me amazed. "Heika-sama," she addressed, now back down on her knees. Then she looked at me and her eyes narrowed. Without getting up she spoke. "You were traveling with the emperor? Oh Gods, I just can't believe it."

It was then that Kouji came in. He had been out to buy some sake, and came in and almost dropped it all. Some of the bandits grabbed it (luckily) before it dropped to the ground.

"Hey Genrou! Aki-chan told me you were comin', so I went out and got that." He motioned to the sake the bandits were holding and continued. "So, that's the Suzaku seishi?"

"Kouji!" Kinaki interrupted. "He's been traveling with the emperor!"

Kouji smiled and laughed. "I know. Didn't I tell you that?"

She scowled and a small growl seemed to escape her lips. "Why is it that I have to stay with baka bandits like you two?" And with that she marched out of the room, the other seishi following. I sighed.

"Do you know how to get her out of that mood?"

Kouji shrugged. "A bath in the hot springs? It's worked once or twice."

"Looks like I'll be taking a bath today." I sighed. I knew she would make me, but the thought of water made my stomach lurch. "Don't worry," Kouji told me "it's not too deep."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I managed to convince Kinaki to bathe with me, even though she was still a bit angry. So here I was in my bath robe waiting. It was cold outside her room. Then, her door opened and she walked out and grabbed my arm, doing what I would definitely call dragging me there.

I heard the voices of a few seishi up ahead. Hotohori's, Nuriko's, Tamahome's, and Miaka's. They must be up there in the hot springs too. I sighed, it was going to be a long day.

Once we were there, I realized that we were at the other side of the springs. She laughed and pulled me in. I pulled off my robe and hopped in. She slipped off hers and dove to the deep part of the pool.

And didn't come up. That wasn't good. I knew it was most likely a trick to get me out there, but another 20 seconds went by and she still hadn't surfaced.

I gripped my towel around my waist, for if this was a trick that would be her target, and walked out as far as I could go. But I couldn't see her. That was a bad sign. A pair of arms grabbed me from behind. I turned, knowing what I would find.

She smiled as her hands found their way down to my well-gripped towel. Oh Gods. I knew even before she did it what she was going to do. I'm not going to panic. And she stole my towel. Just like that. This was a definite problem.

"Um... Kinaki?"

She looked up. "Hmm? Is something wrong?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. It was then that the other seishi noticed.

Nuriko had been watching the whole time, and found it would be most amusing to tell the others.

"Yes," he said, just barely keeping from bursting into gales of laughter, "Tasuki. What is wrong? Does Kinaki have your towel?" Then, unable to control himself any longer, he and Miaka started giggling uncontrollably. This added two more people to kill as soon as I got my towel.

Tamahome found this little observation of Nuriko's amusing, and joined the two others. As did Hotohori. This was just not fair. SORRY TASUKI!

Kinaki swam over to me and put my towel down her own. (which made all the others laugh harder) Then she wormed into my arms and giggled a little. I must have blushed a bright crimson.

She then resorted to her most dangerous weapons. At least to me they were dangerous. She used them better than any swords she had and better than her sabre. She had been practicing using these since she was young, and they were perilous to any man alive.

She smiled and her best weapon yet flashed at me, her dimples. I would most likely do anything for her if she smiled at me like that, I couldn't be mad anymore.

I put my arms around her and pressed her to me. She blushed a deep rosy red and threw her arms around me. And in that moment, I grabbed my towel and slipped it back on. She didn't seem to mind though. She had won. Women, I had learned, never seemed to mind if they won.

There was much laughter over the other end of the pool. Oh yeah... I had forgotten about them. I turned to give them a malicious look, but Aki-chan was faster.

"What?" she asked feigning innocence. "Hasn't this ever happened to you? Is this that uncommon, or have you just not gotten to this point, yet?" I smiled looking right at Tamahome and said, "If you want, this pool will be available tonight. I think Aki-chan and I will be going in to have a drink." And with that we hopped out of the pool, the others following sheepishly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

All the seishi joined in when we went out for a nice cup (or two or three) of sake. Even Chiriko. I thought he might be a bit too young to get drunk, but didn't say anything.

But Chiriko didn't make it to his 4th cup. He passed out and someone carried him to an extra room. I had no idea someone so young could hold his liquor so well.

Miaka was the next, and a semi-drunk Tamahome brought her to her room. He returned only to retire to that room after the next cup.

Mits. made it to his 6th and had to leave. I had no idea that they could all drink so well.

Hotohori started singing around then, what he was singing remains a mystery. He was joined by Nuriko girlish voice, and they sang until the duet had to leave. That was going to cause a bit of trouble in the morning, but I didn't care.

Chichiri was the next to leave, and he was on his 9th cup. I started to think that we should get together and drink if he could hold his liquor that well.

Then, though it took a while to get me drunk enough to want to go to bed, on my 11th cup, I grabbed Kinaki's hand and dragged her to her room. There was going to be quite a few surprises tomorrow.

Yay!! This chapter took a while, but I like the way it came out. I think it's my favorite so far!!

Tasuki: just remember not to bug me that much next time... *mumbles something about a towel*

~Oh Tasuki did u know that that character is modeled after me not her looks but her attitude

Tasuki: *grumbles something involving the words "baka" and "Women"

~Well thanx a bunch for reading!!

*Megami-sama + Tasuki-sama* ^.^;