AN: This is a fic based on a random idea I got at work after listening to Garth Books' song "Beaches of Cheyenne." I guess its not really a song fic, since none of the lyrics will be used in it ... its just the story that he was singing about with a Fushigi Yuugi twist (set in modern times too)!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tasuki sighed heavily as he leaned his chin on his arm that was propped up as a pillow in the open widow of the passenger side of the car that Chichiri was driving. He squinted his eyes against the wind as they cruised down the barren highway; enjoying the feeling of it whipping though his fiery, red hair. However, this cross country trip was starting to become very monotonous for him. He couldn't stand the sight of just flat land without more to look at than brown grass and shabby bushes that lined the road side, let alone being expected to sit for hours on end in a small car without being fidgety.
Not being able to take it anymore, he groaned and threw his head back against the headrest of his seat and let himself sprawl out dramatically. "Christ, Chichiri! Can't we fuckin' stop fer a while!? We've been drivin' fer hours an' we ain't seen no sign of civilization! An' 'sides that, I'm startin' t' get hungry! An' who's fuckin' bright idea was it t' drive 'cross th' whole goddamn USA??"
His blue haired companion frowned slightly, but never took his eyes off the road. He was surprised that the ever restless Tasuki had managed to keep quiet for this long, but he knew it would be coming sooner or later.
"It was yours, no da," Chichiri responded, glancing for a brief moment at his friend.
"An' ya fuckin' agreed t' do somethin' this stupid!? Was I drunk?? I told ya not t' pay 'tention t' me when I'm fuckin' plastered!"
"Surprisingly, you weren't drunk, no da. We planned on this trip for some time now, na no da. This 'cross country' addition, however, was suggested randomly by you." Chichiri gave him an exasperated look before finishing. "And have you ever known me to turn something down if it involves traveling, no da?"
Tasuki muttered a few colorful phrases under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do ya even know what the fuck state we're in?"
"I've been keeping track of our course on the map in the glove box, no da. I'd have to look at that to know the exact location, na no da. Why don't you look at it if you want to know so bad? I'm perfectly content with just going on a whim, no da."
"Yeah? Well, I don't got any whims! An' i don't got any patients with all this mystical shit ya always throw at me when we could be lost in Bumfuck Egypt!"
Chichiri frowned again, his brows furrowing. "Relax, no da! If it bothers you that much, I'll pull over and look at the map, no da."
"Ya better! This is gettin' on my damn nerves!"
"All right, all right! I'll stop at the next turn out, no da."
Tasuki tapped his fingers on the dash bored, scowling at his companion who was calmly looking over the map that they had purchased when they first decided to go on this crazy adventure. So far they had spent about a week driving all over the United States with no particular destination in mind. The only luggage they had was clothes, blankets and pillows for inside the car when a motel wasn't near by, and a video camera. The two of them took turns at filming either each other, or just random things and people at each national landmark or park they came across. Tasuki even got some footage from inside the car as they continued on their way to who knows where.
"DA!"
Tasuki nearly jumped out of his skin at Chichiri's sudden out burst.
"Ya fuckin' moron! Ya scared th' shit outta me!"
"Da... Sorry, Tasuki, no da." He grinned at his friend and used the steering wheel as a table as he pointed to a spot on the map. "We're right here, no da!"
Tasuki rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to smack him.
"That don't tell me squat, Chichiri! I can't read that fuckin' thing, an' ya know it!"
Chichiri sighed and shook his head.
"I tried to teach you, no da..."
" 'I tried t' teach ya, no da...'" Tasuki mocked, but then his tone became harsh again. "Just tell me where th' fuck we are!"
"According to this, we're just a few hours away from Eureka, California, no da."
"A city!? With food an' people!?"
Chichiri gave him an odd look.
"Well, that's usually what you find in a city, no da."
"All right! Civilization! C'mon an' floor it! I bet if ya went just a little faster, we could get there before night fall, an' we won't hafta sleep in the goddamn car!"
"I'm not going over the speed limit, na no da," Chichiri said firmly.
"Yeah, yeah! I know! That's why I'm sayin' I should get a turn t' drive now."
"Suzaku, no! There is no way that I'm going to allow you drive, no da!"
"But why!?" Tasuki persisted with a whiny note in his tone.
"Well, first of off, no da: you would probably get us a ticket and or crash, no da. And second of all, this is the car I rented! I'm not going to take a chance of getting it all banged up when I spent a good deal of money on it, na no da!"
"Tsk. Ya stiff."
Chichiri didn't reply to that.
****
"Holy Christ! A beach side hotel room!" Tasuki exclaimed, after being jarred awake when the car hit a dip as Chichiri turned into the parking lot.
"You generally find a lot of them in a city that's located on the coast, na no da."
Tasuki glared at him. "Smart ass." He then turned his attention to the stretch of beach, smiling lightly. Despite his fear of water, Tasuki loved the beach. Sometimes he even gathered enough courage to wade out to ankle depth, only to scramble away as fast as he could through the sand when a big wave would come up. "Hey! You wanna go check out th' beach once we get checked in an' all that fun shit?"
Chichiri smiled lightly with a nod as he turned off the car. "Of course, no da. I was just about to ask you the same thing, na no da."
"Shit... We've been t'gether fer too long!" Tasuki teased as he pushed open the car door and slowly lowered his feet to the ground and stood erect with some effort, his whole body stiff from being crammed in the same position for several hours. "Ah, fuck! I can't feel my goddamn leg!"
Chichiri winced as well as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Driving had distracted him from feeling any of the discomforts his friend did until now. The cool evening air felt good as he drew his arms up in a long stretch, putting them behind his head and gazing steadily at the water. He too enjoyed beaches, but it wasn't being in the water that he loved. It was the tranquility and the serene beauty of the it's atmosphere. The sound of the wave breaking on the sand, the cries of the seagulls ... it was all incredibly relaxing to him, and he was looking forward to some peace after their long drive.
Tasuki tossed his bags to the side upon entering their room and made a break for the bed and did a running belly flop onto it. "Shit, this is comfortable!" He then proceeded to burrow under the heap of fluffy pillows and tangling up the blankets to his liking. "Way softer than the fuckin' back seat of yer small-ass car!" he added.
"Well, sleeping in the passenger seat sitting up wasn't exactly comfortable either, no da," Chichiri retorted, setting his own belongings down in a more careful manner after scooting Tasuki's to the side as well. "When did you want to go to the beach, na no da?"
Tasuki sprung out from under his covers at that, galloping towards the door on hands and knees since his foot ended up getting caught in the sheet and cause him to loose his balance and struggle until it was free, but not bothering to get up. "Now! I got my suit on under my clothes!"
Chichiri couldn't help a small laugh as he shook his head. "You get too far ahead of yourself for your own good, Tasuki," he chuckled, but it was too late. Tasuki was already tearing down the hallway to the hotel exit and towards the beach. Chichiri sighed and followed, locking the door of their room behind him.
The sun was only about an hour or so away from setting. The sky was just beginning to turn a light tinge of orange, pink, and lavender towards the horizon where the radiant blue began to fade. Chichiri sat down a ways from the water's edge on a large piece of driftwood that had be drug in by the tide some time ago, watching Tasuki hop about with curses each time he stepped on a stick or shell on his way to the salty water. The wave's weren't too big, but they were incredibly cold as Tasuki was about to find out. Chichiri laughed out loud to himself at his friend's cry of shock when he hit the water.
Finding it way too cold for his taste, Tasuki trudged out of the water and to the sand where he stood shivering as he looked out over it's shimmering surface. He started when he felt something brush against his foot and looked down to find a piece of seaweed that had entangled itself around the drawstrings of his suit and fluttered in the breeze. He cursed and ripped it off, then threw it down upon the wet sand. That's when he grinned and turned to Chichiri, cupping his hands around his mouth before shouting, "Hey, Chichiri! Come an' help me build a sand castle!"
After a brief moment of hesitation, debating on whether or not he wanted to get sandy, Chichiri stood and started to make his way towards Tasuki who was already digging a hole for wet sand, but stopped. Squinting his eye, he peered down closer at the shape in the sand and found it to be a human foot print. Unaware that there was someone else present, he quickly looked up and scanned the beach, at first not seeing anyone, but then catching sight of a woman running at full speed towards the water. Confused, Chichiri could only watch her as she stumbled along; the sand making it difficult to maintain her current speed and balance. He had no idea who she was or where she was going, but he felt a lump form in this throat when he realized that she wasn't slowing down even though she was merely a few yards away from the water.
Sprays of the cold, salty water shot up from beneath her feet as she reached where the ocean met the shore, but still she kept running and kept going further still and soon the water was up to her waist, and then her shoulders, and then she disappeared beneath the surface. Without even thinking, Chichiri broke out into a sprint towards the ocean, heedless of the sharp objets that poked the bottom of his bare feet. "Hey! Stop! Come back!" he cried as he too plunged in after her, only momentarily stunned by the extreme cold.
Bewildered, Tasuki looked up at the cries and stared after Chichiri in shock, not aware of the girl that he was after. "What th' fuck are ya doin'!? Ya moron! The current's strong out there! Get yer ass back here! I can't save ya when I can't fuckin' swim myself!"
Chichiri ignored him and continued his search for the girl who seemed to have just vanished. After a few more moments, confused, freezing, and over powered by the current, he made his way back to the shore, Tasuki's voice becoming slowly coherent again. "Ya fuckin' idiot!! What th' hell were ya thinkin' pullin' a stunt like that!? What th' fuck were ya after!?" Tasuki demanded, grabbing his friend's arm tightly, concern gleaming in his amber eyes.
"I saw a girl, no da..." Chichiri stuttered, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
This baffled Tasuki even more.
"I didn't see any chick! What th' fuck would she be doin' out here at this time alone anyhow? Shit, Chichiri! Ya've been in that fuckin' car fer way too long! Yer fuckin' startin' t' see things now!" Tasuki paused a moment to sigh lightly, calming a little. "C'mon. Let's go back to our room now, kay?"
Chichiri could only respond with a nod and had to force himself to keep his eyes adverted from the water; his curiosity and confusion now provoked to a very high level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tasuki sighed heavily as he leaned his chin on his arm that was propped up as a pillow in the open widow of the passenger side of the car that Chichiri was driving. He squinted his eyes against the wind as they cruised down the barren highway; enjoying the feeling of it whipping though his fiery, red hair. However, this cross country trip was starting to become very monotonous for him. He couldn't stand the sight of just flat land without more to look at than brown grass and shabby bushes that lined the road side, let alone being expected to sit for hours on end in a small car without being fidgety.
Not being able to take it anymore, he groaned and threw his head back against the headrest of his seat and let himself sprawl out dramatically. "Christ, Chichiri! Can't we fuckin' stop fer a while!? We've been drivin' fer hours an' we ain't seen no sign of civilization! An' 'sides that, I'm startin' t' get hungry! An' who's fuckin' bright idea was it t' drive 'cross th' whole goddamn USA??"
His blue haired companion frowned slightly, but never took his eyes off the road. He was surprised that the ever restless Tasuki had managed to keep quiet for this long, but he knew it would be coming sooner or later.
"It was yours, no da," Chichiri responded, glancing for a brief moment at his friend.
"An' ya fuckin' agreed t' do somethin' this stupid!? Was I drunk?? I told ya not t' pay 'tention t' me when I'm fuckin' plastered!"
"Surprisingly, you weren't drunk, no da. We planned on this trip for some time now, na no da. This 'cross country' addition, however, was suggested randomly by you." Chichiri gave him an exasperated look before finishing. "And have you ever known me to turn something down if it involves traveling, no da?"
Tasuki muttered a few colorful phrases under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do ya even know what the fuck state we're in?"
"I've been keeping track of our course on the map in the glove box, no da. I'd have to look at that to know the exact location, na no da. Why don't you look at it if you want to know so bad? I'm perfectly content with just going on a whim, no da."
"Yeah? Well, I don't got any whims! An' i don't got any patients with all this mystical shit ya always throw at me when we could be lost in Bumfuck Egypt!"
Chichiri frowned again, his brows furrowing. "Relax, no da! If it bothers you that much, I'll pull over and look at the map, no da."
"Ya better! This is gettin' on my damn nerves!"
"All right, all right! I'll stop at the next turn out, no da."
Tasuki tapped his fingers on the dash bored, scowling at his companion who was calmly looking over the map that they had purchased when they first decided to go on this crazy adventure. So far they had spent about a week driving all over the United States with no particular destination in mind. The only luggage they had was clothes, blankets and pillows for inside the car when a motel wasn't near by, and a video camera. The two of them took turns at filming either each other, or just random things and people at each national landmark or park they came across. Tasuki even got some footage from inside the car as they continued on their way to who knows where.
"DA!"
Tasuki nearly jumped out of his skin at Chichiri's sudden out burst.
"Ya fuckin' moron! Ya scared th' shit outta me!"
"Da... Sorry, Tasuki, no da." He grinned at his friend and used the steering wheel as a table as he pointed to a spot on the map. "We're right here, no da!"
Tasuki rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to smack him.
"That don't tell me squat, Chichiri! I can't read that fuckin' thing, an' ya know it!"
Chichiri sighed and shook his head.
"I tried to teach you, no da..."
" 'I tried t' teach ya, no da...'" Tasuki mocked, but then his tone became harsh again. "Just tell me where th' fuck we are!"
"According to this, we're just a few hours away from Eureka, California, no da."
"A city!? With food an' people!?"
Chichiri gave him an odd look.
"Well, that's usually what you find in a city, no da."
"All right! Civilization! C'mon an' floor it! I bet if ya went just a little faster, we could get there before night fall, an' we won't hafta sleep in the goddamn car!"
"I'm not going over the speed limit, na no da," Chichiri said firmly.
"Yeah, yeah! I know! That's why I'm sayin' I should get a turn t' drive now."
"Suzaku, no! There is no way that I'm going to allow you drive, no da!"
"But why!?" Tasuki persisted with a whiny note in his tone.
"Well, first of off, no da: you would probably get us a ticket and or crash, no da. And second of all, this is the car I rented! I'm not going to take a chance of getting it all banged up when I spent a good deal of money on it, na no da!"
"Tsk. Ya stiff."
Chichiri didn't reply to that.
****
"Holy Christ! A beach side hotel room!" Tasuki exclaimed, after being jarred awake when the car hit a dip as Chichiri turned into the parking lot.
"You generally find a lot of them in a city that's located on the coast, na no da."
Tasuki glared at him. "Smart ass." He then turned his attention to the stretch of beach, smiling lightly. Despite his fear of water, Tasuki loved the beach. Sometimes he even gathered enough courage to wade out to ankle depth, only to scramble away as fast as he could through the sand when a big wave would come up. "Hey! You wanna go check out th' beach once we get checked in an' all that fun shit?"
Chichiri smiled lightly with a nod as he turned off the car. "Of course, no da. I was just about to ask you the same thing, na no da."
"Shit... We've been t'gether fer too long!" Tasuki teased as he pushed open the car door and slowly lowered his feet to the ground and stood erect with some effort, his whole body stiff from being crammed in the same position for several hours. "Ah, fuck! I can't feel my goddamn leg!"
Chichiri winced as well as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Driving had distracted him from feeling any of the discomforts his friend did until now. The cool evening air felt good as he drew his arms up in a long stretch, putting them behind his head and gazing steadily at the water. He too enjoyed beaches, but it wasn't being in the water that he loved. It was the tranquility and the serene beauty of the it's atmosphere. The sound of the wave breaking on the sand, the cries of the seagulls ... it was all incredibly relaxing to him, and he was looking forward to some peace after their long drive.
Tasuki tossed his bags to the side upon entering their room and made a break for the bed and did a running belly flop onto it. "Shit, this is comfortable!" He then proceeded to burrow under the heap of fluffy pillows and tangling up the blankets to his liking. "Way softer than the fuckin' back seat of yer small-ass car!" he added.
"Well, sleeping in the passenger seat sitting up wasn't exactly comfortable either, no da," Chichiri retorted, setting his own belongings down in a more careful manner after scooting Tasuki's to the side as well. "When did you want to go to the beach, na no da?"
Tasuki sprung out from under his covers at that, galloping towards the door on hands and knees since his foot ended up getting caught in the sheet and cause him to loose his balance and struggle until it was free, but not bothering to get up. "Now! I got my suit on under my clothes!"
Chichiri couldn't help a small laugh as he shook his head. "You get too far ahead of yourself for your own good, Tasuki," he chuckled, but it was too late. Tasuki was already tearing down the hallway to the hotel exit and towards the beach. Chichiri sighed and followed, locking the door of their room behind him.
The sun was only about an hour or so away from setting. The sky was just beginning to turn a light tinge of orange, pink, and lavender towards the horizon where the radiant blue began to fade. Chichiri sat down a ways from the water's edge on a large piece of driftwood that had be drug in by the tide some time ago, watching Tasuki hop about with curses each time he stepped on a stick or shell on his way to the salty water. The wave's weren't too big, but they were incredibly cold as Tasuki was about to find out. Chichiri laughed out loud to himself at his friend's cry of shock when he hit the water.
Finding it way too cold for his taste, Tasuki trudged out of the water and to the sand where he stood shivering as he looked out over it's shimmering surface. He started when he felt something brush against his foot and looked down to find a piece of seaweed that had entangled itself around the drawstrings of his suit and fluttered in the breeze. He cursed and ripped it off, then threw it down upon the wet sand. That's when he grinned and turned to Chichiri, cupping his hands around his mouth before shouting, "Hey, Chichiri! Come an' help me build a sand castle!"
After a brief moment of hesitation, debating on whether or not he wanted to get sandy, Chichiri stood and started to make his way towards Tasuki who was already digging a hole for wet sand, but stopped. Squinting his eye, he peered down closer at the shape in the sand and found it to be a human foot print. Unaware that there was someone else present, he quickly looked up and scanned the beach, at first not seeing anyone, but then catching sight of a woman running at full speed towards the water. Confused, Chichiri could only watch her as she stumbled along; the sand making it difficult to maintain her current speed and balance. He had no idea who she was or where she was going, but he felt a lump form in this throat when he realized that she wasn't slowing down even though she was merely a few yards away from the water.
Sprays of the cold, salty water shot up from beneath her feet as she reached where the ocean met the shore, but still she kept running and kept going further still and soon the water was up to her waist, and then her shoulders, and then she disappeared beneath the surface. Without even thinking, Chichiri broke out into a sprint towards the ocean, heedless of the sharp objets that poked the bottom of his bare feet. "Hey! Stop! Come back!" he cried as he too plunged in after her, only momentarily stunned by the extreme cold.
Bewildered, Tasuki looked up at the cries and stared after Chichiri in shock, not aware of the girl that he was after. "What th' fuck are ya doin'!? Ya moron! The current's strong out there! Get yer ass back here! I can't save ya when I can't fuckin' swim myself!"
Chichiri ignored him and continued his search for the girl who seemed to have just vanished. After a few more moments, confused, freezing, and over powered by the current, he made his way back to the shore, Tasuki's voice becoming slowly coherent again. "Ya fuckin' idiot!! What th' hell were ya thinkin' pullin' a stunt like that!? What th' fuck were ya after!?" Tasuki demanded, grabbing his friend's arm tightly, concern gleaming in his amber eyes.
"I saw a girl, no da..." Chichiri stuttered, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
This baffled Tasuki even more.
"I didn't see any chick! What th' fuck would she be doin' out here at this time alone anyhow? Shit, Chichiri! Ya've been in that fuckin' car fer way too long! Yer fuckin' startin' t' see things now!" Tasuki paused a moment to sigh lightly, calming a little. "C'mon. Let's go back to our room now, kay?"
Chichiri could only respond with a nod and had to force himself to keep his eyes adverted from the water; his curiosity and confusion now provoked to a very high level.
