Ghost Lover
***
author's note: well, lets just say the idea of a ghost lover intrigued me. Lemon? Dunno. Seriously, sounds cool, huh? Tasuki and Chichiri? Kawaii!!
***
Chichiri lay back on the grass staring up at the blue sky. He missed Hikou, Kouren, he even missed the name Houjun. For a brief moment he considered killing himself to fufill his promise...
~We'll be reunited in heaven.~
"Hikou..." Chichiri curled into a ball. There were feeling inside, two sides. His brotherly love for Kouren, his... love for Hikou, both of them meant so much to him, and they'd been gone for years. Seeing Hikou again, hearing his voice, it made him want to be with them again, both of them.
~To water I return, Houjun...~
"May I return to you," Chichiri whispered, pressing his fingers against his chest. The heat of his magic tore through his body painlessly, pulling him away from his physical body.
***
"Chichiri? Where ya been? Hey, ya sleepin'?" Tasuki neared and called out again, "Chichiri?"
"Chichiri?" he repeated his voice full of worry. Tasuki reached out for him, his hands grabbing into the monk's shoulders,
He jumped back, gasping. It was a horrible coldness under his fingers. "Chi-chi-no...." Working up courage he turned Chichiri over. The mask wasn't on his face and his skin was stone gray. "Fuck," Tasuki spat, "you killed yerself.. Why the hell did ya do it? Why?! WHY!?"
"I wanted to be with the ones that mean the most to me no da."
Tasuki whirled around at the familiar sound crying, "CHICHIRI!!"
"Hi, Tasuki no da!" The gentle smiling masked monk cried. He was ghostly and opaque, and he still wore the fox eyed masked.
Tasuki fought back tears as he snapped, "Why the hell did ya kill yerself?"
"To fufil the promise I made to Hikou no da. That the three of us would be reunited in heaven no da."
"What about me? I LOVE you!"
Chichiri looked shocked. "Love no da?"
"You're a brother to me! You mean as much to me as Koji! And why are you wearing that mask?"
"Brother no da?"
Tasuki turned away. "I-I love yu the way you love Hikou, you know?
Chichiri laughed. "You have no CLUE how much I love Hikou."
"Yer still dead."
The ghostly monk made to place a hand on his head, only now he couldn't touch him. "I just realized that I can't touch you no da," he said jokingly.
"You suck Chichiri."
"Bury me properly no da. Bye no da..." Chichiri paused and added, "I love you too no da." Then, he vanished, leaving behind a gentle breeze.
"Man, you got no idea how much I love ya," Tasuki mumbled.
"Ooi! You find 'im?"
"Not really..."
"What do you mean by th-oh..." Koji stared at Chichiri's dead body. "Whoa... how'd he die?"
"Suicide."
"Ouch."
Tasuki pulled out his tessen and pointed it at the ground. "REKKA SHINEN!!" A burning ball exploded in the ground, creating a neat, deep hole.
"Holy shit! Ya nearly killed us!" Koji cried.
"Nice way to bury someone, eh?"
The two of them placed Chichiri in the hole, and gently patted the earth. Tasuki wiped away a stray tear and dusted off the dirt from his clothes. "Sleep well old friend... Wo ai ni."
Chichiri caught Tasuki's last words and sighed.
***
"Ne, Chichiri? You killed yourself?" Chiriko asked, looking up from his scrolls.
"Yeah no da."
"How sad... Didn't you think about Tasuki?"
"What's he got to do with it no da?"
"It's like losing a brother. I don't think he WANTS to loose another seishi. We've all died once, and the fact you were still alive when he was... in a way he's the only one that actually is alive."
"But you've all been reborn no da."
Chiriko rolled up the scroll and tucked it away. "He's the only one that doesn't know what it's like to die." He cleaned off the brush ceremoniously. "You understand, right? Are you happy?"
Chichiri nodded slowly. "I get to be with Hikou and Kouran again."
"Then, why are you here?"
"Huh?"
Chiriko stood on his chair so he could look him in the eye. "If you were truly happy, truly fufilled, you wouldn't be able to visit me. Something inside is keeping you here."
"No da...?"
"You know it just as much as I do. Figure out what you want. Don't be foolish."
"Chiriko...."
"Talk to the others too. It'll help you sort things out. Okay?"
"Okay no da." Chichiri bowed and vanished.
Chiriko sighed and sank back into his chair. "Good luck," he whispered softly.
***
Tasuki stared up at the ceiling, his arms behind his head. "Ooi, Genrou! You want some sake?" Koji ased, hovering over him.
"Ne? Koji? Alcohol at a time like this?"
The blue haired boy sat down next to Tasuki, a hand on his leg. "I know how ya feel buddy, but you gotta get over it. He can still visit as a ghost, ya know?"
"That's what's troublin' me."
"Come again?"
"Someone who's life is fufilled doesn't become a ghost, they drift peacefully to heaven."
"So maybe he's a spirit?"
Tasuki sat up sharply and grabbed Koji's shoulders. "I broke things off with you to be with Chichiri, but now he's gone."
"Hell, you ain't never even got the chance, the way he loves those too."
"He's not even gay..."
Koji wrapped his arms around him softly, which made feel awkard. He wasn't exactly gentle. "How do ya know? Don't look at the world so negatively now, okay? At least yer ol' buddy Koji's here."
Tasuki sniffed and crushed his friend against him. "Yer a damn bastard, but I love ya anyway."
"See that? Now, hows for some cheerin' up?"
"How so?"
"Mmmm... you decide."
Tasuki glared at him. "I don't trust ya... so anything? Anything at all?"
Koji stood up and held out his arms. "ANYTHING buddy!"
The orange haired boy looked thoughtful. He jumped up and pushed his friend to the ground. "Aw, I miss a good fight with ya."
"Some tension, huh?" Koji asked looking up at his friend.
"Yeah, guess our fights do lose some tension," Tasuki hissed, planting a brutal kiss on Koji's lips.
"Oh, this kinda fightin'!" Koji barked and bit down on Tasuki's shoulder.
"Hey... It's supposed ta be like this," Tasuki growled and pricked the skin with his fangs, just below his neck. Blood sprung up and he licked it away, smiling.
***
"Houjun, Houjun, that scar, that scar," Kouran moaned, burying her face in Chichiri's chest, at least she mimed too since they couldn't touch.
"Kouran, I'd think you'd be over that by now no da."
"I'm so sorry," Hikou moaned.
Kouran 'brushed' Chichiri's bangs away from his eyes. "I've missed you so much," she sobbed.
Chichiri stared at her before looking away ashamed. "Kouran?"
"Yes, Houjun?"
"I-I-I think its best that I say it now... even though we're dead..."
"Houjun?" Hikou said slowly.
"Hikou, you need to hear it too." Chichiri was a nervous wreck and he quickly blurted, "IwasinlovewithhikouandImsureImgayandIloveyoutooKouranjustnotinthesameway...."
Both Hikou and Kouran were agahst. Chichiri added one more sentence in a gasp of air, "I love Tasuki."
His last sentence took him by surprise as well. He turned away and started to sink into the ground. "I'm going now no da," he murmured and disappeared.
***
Tasuki and Koji lay quietly in a bed together, both sprawled around in a casual way. Chichiri stood in the corner watching them sleep, his mask in his hands. "Hm, You've always been happy with Koji... but what you said?"
"Mmmn... Chi..." Tasuki moaned and rolled over.
"Chi?"
"Chiri...." Tasuki added a good moment later.
"Chi-chiri?"
"Mmmph...."
Chichiri backed off walking halfway out the room, thinking, "'Tasuki can see me no da....'
"Come back to me...." Tasuki groaned, his arms suddenly wrapping around Koji. "Chichiri, come back.... please...."
"Ugh..." Koji grunted, rolling to the side and out of Tasuki's grip.
"Why... why'd you go...?"
"I had to no da," Chichiri whispered, a ghostly hand reaching out to him.
"I- wo ai ni..." Tasuki opened his eyes and sat up. "Damn it, a dream. He was so close..."
"Tasuki no da."
Tasuki whirled around and saw Chichiri's ghostly figure near the bed. "Chichiri?"
"Hi na no da!" he chirped with a wavering voice.
Tasuki took a step and reached out, feigning to take him into his arms. Suddenly, he felt flesh against his skin, Chichiri's soft hands against his chest. He gasped, and took him into his arms, the light of Suzaku allowing them to touch. "Chichiri! You came back to me!"
"Tasuki no da... I love you too," Chichiri whispered
"Huh?"
Chichiri pressed Tasuki closer and whispered, "Wo ai ni." Suddenly the light vanished and they passed through each other. Tasuki stumbled and fell to the ground. The monk knelt next to him and allowed his ghostly lips to brush the younger boy's neck before vanishing.
"CHICHIRI!!!"
***
"See what I told you? Something unfufilled. You knew it just as much as I did," Chiriko scolded.
Chichiri stared at him.
"Don't make me scold you."
"You're too old for your own good no da."
"I know..."
Chichiri sighed and vanished, only to reappear infront of Kouran and Hikou. They were almost frozen in the same shape since the last he spoke to them. "Hikou? Kouran?"
"Houjun," Hikou said slowly.
"I guess I ruined our friendship?"
"Houjun... I love you, no matter," Kouran insisted, "so, I want you to go after him. Tasuki, right?"
"Handsome fellow. Firey temper. Killed me the second time," Hikou said bluntly. "I like him," he added quickly with a smile.
Chichiri stared at his closest friends. "I promised we'd be reunited in heaven."
"We have been, now go back," Hikou insisted.
"... I can't."
Kouran was taken aback and cried, "Why?"
"Suicide. I can't go back because I comitted suicide." Chichiri drew in a rattled breath, for a ghost. "I didn't think about how much the rest of the world was worth to me. I thought, 'I love Hikou. I love Kouran. I want us to be together.' How was I supposed to know that I loved Tasuki? And he loved me back."
Kouran wiped away a tear streaming down her own white cheeks. "Go to him anyway Houjun."
"N-no da?"
"We'll find a loop hole for you, gauranteed," Hikou added.
"Thank you..."
***
"You miss Chichiri."
Tasuki looked at Koji and stared. "What?"
"You called out to him last night." Koji was speech almost sounded like gentle teasing. "Did you see him?"
"What!?"
"I know you can see the dead Sichiseishi... did he come to you?"
"Y-yeah..."
Koji wrapped an arm around hm, squeezing his friend against him. "You can't tou- Tasuki?"
"Ne?" He looked at his blue haired friend intently.
"Ya know, if ya ever wanna touch him, he can posses me. I don't mind. Hell, my heart's open to him."
"Koji?"
He clapped his arm tightly. "Yah! Great, ain't I?"
Tasuki raised and eyebrow and shook his head. "You're fucked up."
"That's why ya used ta love me!"
The firey haired boy cuffed him with a grin. "That's also why I hate ya NOW."
Koji bit his ear angerily, this time drawing blood. "Alright! Fine!"
"That's more like it!"
"What?"
"Yer gettin' it! Hahahaha!"
***
Tasuki stayed up watching Koji's chest rise and fall in sleep. He sighed, knowing somewhere he still had feeling for the bandit. Yet, they weren't as strong as his feelings for Chichiri.
"Tasuki no da?"
He turned and saw the monk pass through the wall, glowing a faint red. "Chichiri!?" He jumped in an attempt to give the older seishi a hug. He passed right through them and hit the wall.
"Tasuki, did you forget I was dead na no da?" Chichiri smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder, at least he made the motion too. "Heh, I guess I forgot I can't touch you either no da."
"You idiot," Tasuki spat.
"I'm teasing no da." Chichiri pulled the mask from his face and gently layed it in Tasuki's hands, where it solidified once more. "A gift na no da!"
He glared at the mask. "I hated this thing."
"That's why I took it off no da. For you." Chichiri smiled and pressed his forehead against the firey haired boy. Their flesh touched, Tasuki's warm and soft, Chichiri's cold and unliving.
"Chichiri..." Tasuki growled gently. "Koji said you could possess him, but... I want to touch YOU."
The monk cupped the boy's face in his icy hands. "Suzaku allows us to touch in small pieces," he whispered.
"Can I kiss you?"
Chichiri backed off slightly. "What?"
Tasuki held up the mask and he felt it fasten to his own face. Making his voice higher he squeaked, "May I kiss you na no da?"
"Are you making fun of me no da?"
"I would never do that!" He pulled the mask off and smiled gently. He took a step and grabbed Chichiri's shoulders. "Seriously, may I kiss you?" He didn't bother to recieve and answer before he pressed his lips against the ghost.
Their lips touched, just like their foreheads did. The very feeling, the contrast of their flesh was so differnt. Tasuki felt Chichiri soften and relax, allowing him to slip his tounge into the monk's mouth. Suddenly he tried to pull away and the two ended up walking through one another.
Tasuki fell to his knees in surprise. Chichiri shook his head slowly. "No, I'm dead... you can't love me."
"I don't care! I don't care!"
The monk brushed away a tear from Tasuki's reddened cheeks. "Stop crying, please."
"Chi-chi-chi-chichiri," he stuttered with a sob.
He held on tightly to the younger boy, a faint red glow allowing them to. "Stop crying... I'll try to get to you, I promise."
Tasuki turned around only to see nothing. Chichiri was gone. "Chichiri... hurry to me."
***
"Well.... we didn't find anything."
"Nothing..."
Chichiri nodded. "Maybe I should check with Taiitsukun... " He paced around, agitated and nervous.
Kouran looked up. "I was watching you last night... he really loves you.
"Your were watching no da?"
She blushed heavily. "Well, gotta keep tabs on the guy I love," she said bashfully.
"Kouran no da... when you're ever reborn I hope you end up with Hikou."
Hikou nudged Chichiri. "Houjun are you hinting at something."
"I thought I was being blunt no da."
Kouran laughed softly. "You know Houjun, I don't mind him THAT much."
"What THE!?" Hikou cried.
Chichiri and Kouran shared a laugh, teasing the taller man. Hikou was about the color of a tomato. "Hey, it's good to know I'm well loved," he finally said as the laughter died down.
***
"You two look cute together."
"Huh?"
Koji was looking out the window, a sigh escaping his lips. "I saw you two last night..."
"You were awake?" Tasuki asked with shock lacing his voice.
"I was hoping I'd be awake if Chichiri took over my body." Koji turned around and looked at Tasuki. "Why didn't he?"
The fanged boy looked up to avoid his gaze. "He... didn't really want to."
"Liar."
"Excuse me?"
"You want to be able to touch HIM don't ya? Not him through me, huh?" Koji's words came out spitefully.
"Koji, are you jealous?"
"Hmph, who could be jealous of a dead person, huh?"
"Koji... you ARE jealous." Tasuki looked down and grabbed his shoulders angerily. "Why!?"
The blue haired bandit avoided eye contact. "Dammit Genrou... I still love ya..."
"...."
"Thought so."
Tasuki looked at him, his eyes warm. "Koji I love ya but yer not Chichiri!"
"He's dead!"
"So? If you die I'll still love ya! If I die... If I die..."
"I'd... I'd still love ya," Koji finished.
"See?"
"... Yeah."
Tasuki took him into a warm embrace, his lips against the boy's forehead. "Koji?"
"Mmm...?" he murmured into his chest.
"You're great."
"Aw, how cute no da!"
Tasuki and Koji paled, and pulled apart abruptly crying, "Chichiri!"
Koji shook his head angerily. "Geez! I can see ya!"
Chichiri's ghostly face smiled gently. "Hi Koji no da!"
"Chichi-" Tasuki cried and made a motion to hug him. The monk held up a hand and cried, "STOP NO DA!"
"Huh?"
"Ya can't touch 'im ya dummy," Koji spat.
Tasuki stared at Koji, then at Chichiri. He sighed and sat on the floor dejected. "Chichiri," he groaned.
The other bandit gave a wave of goodbye and swept from the room saying, "I'll leave ya two alone."
Chichiri stifiled a laugh. "Koji's so cute no da."
"Huh!?"
The ghostly monk shook his head, obviously trying not to laugh. "I'm only teasing na no da."
"Chichiri?" Tasuki asked, quietly.
"Hmmm?"
The younger man looked down at his feet. "What if ya can't come back?"
The ghost placed a hand as best he could on Tasuki's head and looked him in the eyes. He wanted to look away badly. He couldn't bear staring at the one he looked, and being able to see right through him, but yet... it was so hard. Chichiri blinked a few times before speaking, and he said, in a soft gentle voice, "Ne, Tasuki... don't worry no da. Even if I can't come back, we'll find each other again na no da. In a future life... hopefully."
"Hopefully?"
"Reincarnation is a special thing... I managed to find Chiriko no da. But unfortunately, I can't seem to track down the other na no da. It's HARD no da!"
Tasuki sighed and felt his love's hand pass right through his head. It hurt more than anything, though there wasn't any physical pain, emotionally it ate at his heart.
Koji could see his friend's pain. He watched as the two tried to embrace, but there was no light to assist them. He placed a hand on his chest carefully for a moment, and looked up. "They look nice together..." a voice said from next to him.
He looked to his right and saw a tall ghost standing next to him. He had a air of elegance, and even though he was a ghost, Koji had to admit... he was kinda cute. Not Tasuki, cute... but elegant handsome-cute. "Who are ya?" he asked bluntly.
"Chichiri's dear friend..." the ghost replied.
"Who? Hikou? The guy that stole his girlfriend, died and in thus, had Chichiri kill himself?"
The ghost blinked and turned towards Koji. "How is it you know me... and can see me?"
"If you open your heart to someone... you can see what he can see," the blue haired bandit replied very slowly.
In the silence, the two watched Tasuki and Chichiri somehow manage to touch, a slight red glow enveloping them. They embraced lightly afraid that any closer contact would break their bond. Koji closed his eyes in a silent prayer. Hikou caught this and stared at him for a moment.
Suddenly Tasuki fell through Chichiri and the ghost backed up, silvery tears shimmering his white translucent cheeks. "Tasuki, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
The bandit stared at the ground for a moment, then a look of determination crossed his face and he grabbed the monk in his arms, and pressed him close. Shock washed over them both. It wasn't flesh against cold magic, but instead it was warmth against warmth. Tasuki pressed his cheek against Chichiri's and felt the the soft warm flesh. Their fingers intertwined, and for a moment they stared at each other in silence.
Hikou was mesmerized. He'd never seen anything like it, but then he felt an odd surge next to him, and he turned. Koji was holding up a hand, which seemed to be fading, becoming more translucent. In fact his whole body was becoming ghostlike. "What are you--" Hikou asked.
"Everyone has some kind of power," Koji said slowly, "and this is mine. I can offer my life in exchange for another's. In other words, if I take his place in heaven... he can live in my place."
"Hm... boy, what is your name?"
"Koji."
Hikou smiled and took his hand. "Good, because you need to have a name before you enter the heavens."
Koji stared at him. "You're lying," he said.
"Yes, but I did want to know your name." The taller ghost bowed his head slightly and murmured, "You ready?"
"Ready?"
"To leave."
Koji nodded.
Tasuki kissed Chichiri softly gently, making trails along the elder boy's neck. Only a quiet moan was his response. "Mmm... I've wanted to do this for a long time," he murmured brushing his lips against Chichiri's. Carefully he took him in for a kiss, his arms encircling the thinner body and pulling it even closer. The touch was soft and gentle, and the blue haired monk pressed up against him, sliding his tounge through Tasuki's loose lips.
The pulled apart, breathless, and red faced. Tasuki suddenly brightened and he cried, "Koji!! Koji! Koji you can't imagine what happened!" There wasn't a single response to his calls and his voice lowered in worry and he called, "K-k-koji?"
Chichiri placed a hand on Tasuki's shoulder. "Tasuki no da... I can't sense his life force."
"What...?" The firey haired boy shook his head angerily. "No! Fuck that... I want BOTH of you at once! Why can't that happen?? Why can't I have my best friend and the one I love?"
"Tasuki! Tasuki! Calm down!" As a final attempt Chichiri pressed his lips against the younger man's. Tasuki seemed to melt immediately, and he pulled away after a moment. His eyes were wet with held back tears.
"I don't like this," he said, "Everyone's gonna think I'm a wimp, because I keep crying..."
Chichiri wrapped his arms around him lovingly and whispered, "Don't worry na no da. Cry, it's expected... and maybe Koji's just gone away no da. Maybe he isn't dead."
"You think...?"
"And.. if he is... Hikou'll take care of him no da. I trust him to no da."
Tasuki nodded quietly and gave him a passionate kiss. The two fell backwards onto a nearby bed, their arms wrapped around each other, glad to finally have flesh touch flesh in a way the never imagined.
~OWARI~
author's note: *sobs sobs* sad? Yes? Maybe? Hopefully? Or did I just feul those hentai minds to imagine what happens at the end?? Gee... I suppose this story sucks... but I couldn't help myself! *sigh* Well.. review.. or flame please.
***
author's note: well, lets just say the idea of a ghost lover intrigued me. Lemon? Dunno. Seriously, sounds cool, huh? Tasuki and Chichiri? Kawaii!!
***
Chichiri lay back on the grass staring up at the blue sky. He missed Hikou, Kouren, he even missed the name Houjun. For a brief moment he considered killing himself to fufill his promise...
~We'll be reunited in heaven.~
"Hikou..." Chichiri curled into a ball. There were feeling inside, two sides. His brotherly love for Kouren, his... love for Hikou, both of them meant so much to him, and they'd been gone for years. Seeing Hikou again, hearing his voice, it made him want to be with them again, both of them.
~To water I return, Houjun...~
"May I return to you," Chichiri whispered, pressing his fingers against his chest. The heat of his magic tore through his body painlessly, pulling him away from his physical body.
***
"Chichiri? Where ya been? Hey, ya sleepin'?" Tasuki neared and called out again, "Chichiri?"
"Chichiri?" he repeated his voice full of worry. Tasuki reached out for him, his hands grabbing into the monk's shoulders,
He jumped back, gasping. It was a horrible coldness under his fingers. "Chi-chi-no...." Working up courage he turned Chichiri over. The mask wasn't on his face and his skin was stone gray. "Fuck," Tasuki spat, "you killed yerself.. Why the hell did ya do it? Why?! WHY!?"
"I wanted to be with the ones that mean the most to me no da."
Tasuki whirled around at the familiar sound crying, "CHICHIRI!!"
"Hi, Tasuki no da!" The gentle smiling masked monk cried. He was ghostly and opaque, and he still wore the fox eyed masked.
Tasuki fought back tears as he snapped, "Why the hell did ya kill yerself?"
"To fufil the promise I made to Hikou no da. That the three of us would be reunited in heaven no da."
"What about me? I LOVE you!"
Chichiri looked shocked. "Love no da?"
"You're a brother to me! You mean as much to me as Koji! And why are you wearing that mask?"
"Brother no da?"
Tasuki turned away. "I-I love yu the way you love Hikou, you know?
Chichiri laughed. "You have no CLUE how much I love Hikou."
"Yer still dead."
The ghostly monk made to place a hand on his head, only now he couldn't touch him. "I just realized that I can't touch you no da," he said jokingly.
"You suck Chichiri."
"Bury me properly no da. Bye no da..." Chichiri paused and added, "I love you too no da." Then, he vanished, leaving behind a gentle breeze.
"Man, you got no idea how much I love ya," Tasuki mumbled.
"Ooi! You find 'im?"
"Not really..."
"What do you mean by th-oh..." Koji stared at Chichiri's dead body. "Whoa... how'd he die?"
"Suicide."
"Ouch."
Tasuki pulled out his tessen and pointed it at the ground. "REKKA SHINEN!!" A burning ball exploded in the ground, creating a neat, deep hole.
"Holy shit! Ya nearly killed us!" Koji cried.
"Nice way to bury someone, eh?"
The two of them placed Chichiri in the hole, and gently patted the earth. Tasuki wiped away a stray tear and dusted off the dirt from his clothes. "Sleep well old friend... Wo ai ni."
Chichiri caught Tasuki's last words and sighed.
***
"Ne, Chichiri? You killed yourself?" Chiriko asked, looking up from his scrolls.
"Yeah no da."
"How sad... Didn't you think about Tasuki?"
"What's he got to do with it no da?"
"It's like losing a brother. I don't think he WANTS to loose another seishi. We've all died once, and the fact you were still alive when he was... in a way he's the only one that actually is alive."
"But you've all been reborn no da."
Chiriko rolled up the scroll and tucked it away. "He's the only one that doesn't know what it's like to die." He cleaned off the brush ceremoniously. "You understand, right? Are you happy?"
Chichiri nodded slowly. "I get to be with Hikou and Kouran again."
"Then, why are you here?"
"Huh?"
Chiriko stood on his chair so he could look him in the eye. "If you were truly happy, truly fufilled, you wouldn't be able to visit me. Something inside is keeping you here."
"No da...?"
"You know it just as much as I do. Figure out what you want. Don't be foolish."
"Chiriko...."
"Talk to the others too. It'll help you sort things out. Okay?"
"Okay no da." Chichiri bowed and vanished.
Chiriko sighed and sank back into his chair. "Good luck," he whispered softly.
***
Tasuki stared up at the ceiling, his arms behind his head. "Ooi, Genrou! You want some sake?" Koji ased, hovering over him.
"Ne? Koji? Alcohol at a time like this?"
The blue haired boy sat down next to Tasuki, a hand on his leg. "I know how ya feel buddy, but you gotta get over it. He can still visit as a ghost, ya know?"
"That's what's troublin' me."
"Come again?"
"Someone who's life is fufilled doesn't become a ghost, they drift peacefully to heaven."
"So maybe he's a spirit?"
Tasuki sat up sharply and grabbed Koji's shoulders. "I broke things off with you to be with Chichiri, but now he's gone."
"Hell, you ain't never even got the chance, the way he loves those too."
"He's not even gay..."
Koji wrapped his arms around him softly, which made feel awkard. He wasn't exactly gentle. "How do ya know? Don't look at the world so negatively now, okay? At least yer ol' buddy Koji's here."
Tasuki sniffed and crushed his friend against him. "Yer a damn bastard, but I love ya anyway."
"See that? Now, hows for some cheerin' up?"
"How so?"
"Mmmm... you decide."
Tasuki glared at him. "I don't trust ya... so anything? Anything at all?"
Koji stood up and held out his arms. "ANYTHING buddy!"
The orange haired boy looked thoughtful. He jumped up and pushed his friend to the ground. "Aw, I miss a good fight with ya."
"Some tension, huh?" Koji asked looking up at his friend.
"Yeah, guess our fights do lose some tension," Tasuki hissed, planting a brutal kiss on Koji's lips.
"Oh, this kinda fightin'!" Koji barked and bit down on Tasuki's shoulder.
"Hey... It's supposed ta be like this," Tasuki growled and pricked the skin with his fangs, just below his neck. Blood sprung up and he licked it away, smiling.
***
"Houjun, Houjun, that scar, that scar," Kouran moaned, burying her face in Chichiri's chest, at least she mimed too since they couldn't touch.
"Kouran, I'd think you'd be over that by now no da."
"I'm so sorry," Hikou moaned.
Kouran 'brushed' Chichiri's bangs away from his eyes. "I've missed you so much," she sobbed.
Chichiri stared at her before looking away ashamed. "Kouran?"
"Yes, Houjun?"
"I-I-I think its best that I say it now... even though we're dead..."
"Houjun?" Hikou said slowly.
"Hikou, you need to hear it too." Chichiri was a nervous wreck and he quickly blurted, "IwasinlovewithhikouandImsureImgayandIloveyoutooKouranjustnotinthesameway...."
Both Hikou and Kouran were agahst. Chichiri added one more sentence in a gasp of air, "I love Tasuki."
His last sentence took him by surprise as well. He turned away and started to sink into the ground. "I'm going now no da," he murmured and disappeared.
***
Tasuki and Koji lay quietly in a bed together, both sprawled around in a casual way. Chichiri stood in the corner watching them sleep, his mask in his hands. "Hm, You've always been happy with Koji... but what you said?"
"Mmmn... Chi..." Tasuki moaned and rolled over.
"Chi?"
"Chiri...." Tasuki added a good moment later.
"Chi-chiri?"
"Mmmph...."
Chichiri backed off walking halfway out the room, thinking, "'Tasuki can see me no da....'
"Come back to me...." Tasuki groaned, his arms suddenly wrapping around Koji. "Chichiri, come back.... please...."
"Ugh..." Koji grunted, rolling to the side and out of Tasuki's grip.
"Why... why'd you go...?"
"I had to no da," Chichiri whispered, a ghostly hand reaching out to him.
"I- wo ai ni..." Tasuki opened his eyes and sat up. "Damn it, a dream. He was so close..."
"Tasuki no da."
Tasuki whirled around and saw Chichiri's ghostly figure near the bed. "Chichiri?"
"Hi na no da!" he chirped with a wavering voice.
Tasuki took a step and reached out, feigning to take him into his arms. Suddenly, he felt flesh against his skin, Chichiri's soft hands against his chest. He gasped, and took him into his arms, the light of Suzaku allowing them to touch. "Chichiri! You came back to me!"
"Tasuki no da... I love you too," Chichiri whispered
"Huh?"
Chichiri pressed Tasuki closer and whispered, "Wo ai ni." Suddenly the light vanished and they passed through each other. Tasuki stumbled and fell to the ground. The monk knelt next to him and allowed his ghostly lips to brush the younger boy's neck before vanishing.
"CHICHIRI!!!"
***
"See what I told you? Something unfufilled. You knew it just as much as I did," Chiriko scolded.
Chichiri stared at him.
"Don't make me scold you."
"You're too old for your own good no da."
"I know..."
Chichiri sighed and vanished, only to reappear infront of Kouran and Hikou. They were almost frozen in the same shape since the last he spoke to them. "Hikou? Kouran?"
"Houjun," Hikou said slowly.
"I guess I ruined our friendship?"
"Houjun... I love you, no matter," Kouran insisted, "so, I want you to go after him. Tasuki, right?"
"Handsome fellow. Firey temper. Killed me the second time," Hikou said bluntly. "I like him," he added quickly with a smile.
Chichiri stared at his closest friends. "I promised we'd be reunited in heaven."
"We have been, now go back," Hikou insisted.
"... I can't."
Kouran was taken aback and cried, "Why?"
"Suicide. I can't go back because I comitted suicide." Chichiri drew in a rattled breath, for a ghost. "I didn't think about how much the rest of the world was worth to me. I thought, 'I love Hikou. I love Kouran. I want us to be together.' How was I supposed to know that I loved Tasuki? And he loved me back."
Kouran wiped away a tear streaming down her own white cheeks. "Go to him anyway Houjun."
"N-no da?"
"We'll find a loop hole for you, gauranteed," Hikou added.
"Thank you..."
***
"You miss Chichiri."
Tasuki looked at Koji and stared. "What?"
"You called out to him last night." Koji was speech almost sounded like gentle teasing. "Did you see him?"
"What!?"
"I know you can see the dead Sichiseishi... did he come to you?"
"Y-yeah..."
Koji wrapped an arm around hm, squeezing his friend against him. "You can't tou- Tasuki?"
"Ne?" He looked at his blue haired friend intently.
"Ya know, if ya ever wanna touch him, he can posses me. I don't mind. Hell, my heart's open to him."
"Koji?"
He clapped his arm tightly. "Yah! Great, ain't I?"
Tasuki raised and eyebrow and shook his head. "You're fucked up."
"That's why ya used ta love me!"
The firey haired boy cuffed him with a grin. "That's also why I hate ya NOW."
Koji bit his ear angerily, this time drawing blood. "Alright! Fine!"
"That's more like it!"
"What?"
"Yer gettin' it! Hahahaha!"
***
Tasuki stayed up watching Koji's chest rise and fall in sleep. He sighed, knowing somewhere he still had feeling for the bandit. Yet, they weren't as strong as his feelings for Chichiri.
"Tasuki no da?"
He turned and saw the monk pass through the wall, glowing a faint red. "Chichiri!?" He jumped in an attempt to give the older seishi a hug. He passed right through them and hit the wall.
"Tasuki, did you forget I was dead na no da?" Chichiri smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder, at least he made the motion too. "Heh, I guess I forgot I can't touch you either no da."
"You idiot," Tasuki spat.
"I'm teasing no da." Chichiri pulled the mask from his face and gently layed it in Tasuki's hands, where it solidified once more. "A gift na no da!"
He glared at the mask. "I hated this thing."
"That's why I took it off no da. For you." Chichiri smiled and pressed his forehead against the firey haired boy. Their flesh touched, Tasuki's warm and soft, Chichiri's cold and unliving.
"Chichiri..." Tasuki growled gently. "Koji said you could possess him, but... I want to touch YOU."
The monk cupped the boy's face in his icy hands. "Suzaku allows us to touch in small pieces," he whispered.
"Can I kiss you?"
Chichiri backed off slightly. "What?"
Tasuki held up the mask and he felt it fasten to his own face. Making his voice higher he squeaked, "May I kiss you na no da?"
"Are you making fun of me no da?"
"I would never do that!" He pulled the mask off and smiled gently. He took a step and grabbed Chichiri's shoulders. "Seriously, may I kiss you?" He didn't bother to recieve and answer before he pressed his lips against the ghost.
Their lips touched, just like their foreheads did. The very feeling, the contrast of their flesh was so differnt. Tasuki felt Chichiri soften and relax, allowing him to slip his tounge into the monk's mouth. Suddenly he tried to pull away and the two ended up walking through one another.
Tasuki fell to his knees in surprise. Chichiri shook his head slowly. "No, I'm dead... you can't love me."
"I don't care! I don't care!"
The monk brushed away a tear from Tasuki's reddened cheeks. "Stop crying, please."
"Chi-chi-chi-chichiri," he stuttered with a sob.
He held on tightly to the younger boy, a faint red glow allowing them to. "Stop crying... I'll try to get to you, I promise."
Tasuki turned around only to see nothing. Chichiri was gone. "Chichiri... hurry to me."
***
"Well.... we didn't find anything."
"Nothing..."
Chichiri nodded. "Maybe I should check with Taiitsukun... " He paced around, agitated and nervous.
Kouran looked up. "I was watching you last night... he really loves you.
"Your were watching no da?"
She blushed heavily. "Well, gotta keep tabs on the guy I love," she said bashfully.
"Kouran no da... when you're ever reborn I hope you end up with Hikou."
Hikou nudged Chichiri. "Houjun are you hinting at something."
"I thought I was being blunt no da."
Kouran laughed softly. "You know Houjun, I don't mind him THAT much."
"What THE!?" Hikou cried.
Chichiri and Kouran shared a laugh, teasing the taller man. Hikou was about the color of a tomato. "Hey, it's good to know I'm well loved," he finally said as the laughter died down.
***
"You two look cute together."
"Huh?"
Koji was looking out the window, a sigh escaping his lips. "I saw you two last night..."
"You were awake?" Tasuki asked with shock lacing his voice.
"I was hoping I'd be awake if Chichiri took over my body." Koji turned around and looked at Tasuki. "Why didn't he?"
The fanged boy looked up to avoid his gaze. "He... didn't really want to."
"Liar."
"Excuse me?"
"You want to be able to touch HIM don't ya? Not him through me, huh?" Koji's words came out spitefully.
"Koji, are you jealous?"
"Hmph, who could be jealous of a dead person, huh?"
"Koji... you ARE jealous." Tasuki looked down and grabbed his shoulders angerily. "Why!?"
The blue haired bandit avoided eye contact. "Dammit Genrou... I still love ya..."
"...."
"Thought so."
Tasuki looked at him, his eyes warm. "Koji I love ya but yer not Chichiri!"
"He's dead!"
"So? If you die I'll still love ya! If I die... If I die..."
"I'd... I'd still love ya," Koji finished.
"See?"
"... Yeah."
Tasuki took him into a warm embrace, his lips against the boy's forehead. "Koji?"
"Mmm...?" he murmured into his chest.
"You're great."
"Aw, how cute no da!"
Tasuki and Koji paled, and pulled apart abruptly crying, "Chichiri!"
Koji shook his head angerily. "Geez! I can see ya!"
Chichiri's ghostly face smiled gently. "Hi Koji no da!"
"Chichi-" Tasuki cried and made a motion to hug him. The monk held up a hand and cried, "STOP NO DA!"
"Huh?"
"Ya can't touch 'im ya dummy," Koji spat.
Tasuki stared at Koji, then at Chichiri. He sighed and sat on the floor dejected. "Chichiri," he groaned.
The other bandit gave a wave of goodbye and swept from the room saying, "I'll leave ya two alone."
Chichiri stifiled a laugh. "Koji's so cute no da."
"Huh!?"
The ghostly monk shook his head, obviously trying not to laugh. "I'm only teasing na no da."
"Chichiri?" Tasuki asked, quietly.
"Hmmm?"
The younger man looked down at his feet. "What if ya can't come back?"
The ghost placed a hand as best he could on Tasuki's head and looked him in the eyes. He wanted to look away badly. He couldn't bear staring at the one he looked, and being able to see right through him, but yet... it was so hard. Chichiri blinked a few times before speaking, and he said, in a soft gentle voice, "Ne, Tasuki... don't worry no da. Even if I can't come back, we'll find each other again na no da. In a future life... hopefully."
"Hopefully?"
"Reincarnation is a special thing... I managed to find Chiriko no da. But unfortunately, I can't seem to track down the other na no da. It's HARD no da!"
Tasuki sighed and felt his love's hand pass right through his head. It hurt more than anything, though there wasn't any physical pain, emotionally it ate at his heart.
Koji could see his friend's pain. He watched as the two tried to embrace, but there was no light to assist them. He placed a hand on his chest carefully for a moment, and looked up. "They look nice together..." a voice said from next to him.
He looked to his right and saw a tall ghost standing next to him. He had a air of elegance, and even though he was a ghost, Koji had to admit... he was kinda cute. Not Tasuki, cute... but elegant handsome-cute. "Who are ya?" he asked bluntly.
"Chichiri's dear friend..." the ghost replied.
"Who? Hikou? The guy that stole his girlfriend, died and in thus, had Chichiri kill himself?"
The ghost blinked and turned towards Koji. "How is it you know me... and can see me?"
"If you open your heart to someone... you can see what he can see," the blue haired bandit replied very slowly.
In the silence, the two watched Tasuki and Chichiri somehow manage to touch, a slight red glow enveloping them. They embraced lightly afraid that any closer contact would break their bond. Koji closed his eyes in a silent prayer. Hikou caught this and stared at him for a moment.
Suddenly Tasuki fell through Chichiri and the ghost backed up, silvery tears shimmering his white translucent cheeks. "Tasuki, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
The bandit stared at the ground for a moment, then a look of determination crossed his face and he grabbed the monk in his arms, and pressed him close. Shock washed over them both. It wasn't flesh against cold magic, but instead it was warmth against warmth. Tasuki pressed his cheek against Chichiri's and felt the the soft warm flesh. Their fingers intertwined, and for a moment they stared at each other in silence.
Hikou was mesmerized. He'd never seen anything like it, but then he felt an odd surge next to him, and he turned. Koji was holding up a hand, which seemed to be fading, becoming more translucent. In fact his whole body was becoming ghostlike. "What are you--" Hikou asked.
"Everyone has some kind of power," Koji said slowly, "and this is mine. I can offer my life in exchange for another's. In other words, if I take his place in heaven... he can live in my place."
"Hm... boy, what is your name?"
"Koji."
Hikou smiled and took his hand. "Good, because you need to have a name before you enter the heavens."
Koji stared at him. "You're lying," he said.
"Yes, but I did want to know your name." The taller ghost bowed his head slightly and murmured, "You ready?"
"Ready?"
"To leave."
Koji nodded.
Tasuki kissed Chichiri softly gently, making trails along the elder boy's neck. Only a quiet moan was his response. "Mmm... I've wanted to do this for a long time," he murmured brushing his lips against Chichiri's. Carefully he took him in for a kiss, his arms encircling the thinner body and pulling it even closer. The touch was soft and gentle, and the blue haired monk pressed up against him, sliding his tounge through Tasuki's loose lips.
The pulled apart, breathless, and red faced. Tasuki suddenly brightened and he cried, "Koji!! Koji! Koji you can't imagine what happened!" There wasn't a single response to his calls and his voice lowered in worry and he called, "K-k-koji?"
Chichiri placed a hand on Tasuki's shoulder. "Tasuki no da... I can't sense his life force."
"What...?" The firey haired boy shook his head angerily. "No! Fuck that... I want BOTH of you at once! Why can't that happen?? Why can't I have my best friend and the one I love?"
"Tasuki! Tasuki! Calm down!" As a final attempt Chichiri pressed his lips against the younger man's. Tasuki seemed to melt immediately, and he pulled away after a moment. His eyes were wet with held back tears.
"I don't like this," he said, "Everyone's gonna think I'm a wimp, because I keep crying..."
Chichiri wrapped his arms around him lovingly and whispered, "Don't worry na no da. Cry, it's expected... and maybe Koji's just gone away no da. Maybe he isn't dead."
"You think...?"
"And.. if he is... Hikou'll take care of him no da. I trust him to no da."
Tasuki nodded quietly and gave him a passionate kiss. The two fell backwards onto a nearby bed, their arms wrapped around each other, glad to finally have flesh touch flesh in a way the never imagined.
~OWARI~
author's note: *sobs sobs* sad? Yes? Maybe? Hopefully? Or did I just feul those hentai minds to imagine what happens at the end?? Gee... I suppose this story sucks... but I couldn't help myself! *sigh* Well.. review.. or flame please.
