Tasuki in Love: Part One
Shocking isn't it???
Note: This fan fic takes place a couple years before the Suzaku no Miko appears. The setting is at Mt. Reikaku and the bandits there are involved and Tasuki is already with them. After that everything I have made up. And please don't sue me. Most of these characters belong to Yuu Watase. They do not belong to me. So don't sue me. I never get enough money anyway.
(Rated: PG13...because of the characters involved...the language is not appropriate for people younger than 13.)
Chapter 1
Genrou crept up by Kouji. "Have we found our next target yet?" he whispered. Kouji nodded and pointed down from the tree. He looked down and saw a darkly cloaked figure walking. "Are the other men ready?" he asked.
"Yes! Now be quiet!" Kouji hissed impatiently. Genrou fell silent. Kouji waited for the person to get into target. When the time was right he motioned for the rest of the men to begin the attack. "Now!" he shouted as he jumped down. Genrou and the rest of the men then followed him. They each landed around the person.
"You're surrounded so I suggest you surrender." Genrou said. He was followed by laughter from the men.
"Like I really would take up your suggestion." a voice said calmly from the cloak. Suddenly, the person jumped up and some sort of glowing red flashed out, followed by a hiss and crack. One of the men cried out and fell. The men looked up surprised.
"What the?!" Kouji exclaimed. Then more flashes of red light and hissings and crackings were made and one by one each of the men fell. Soon Kouji and Genrou were the only ones standing. The person then landed on the ground and stripped of the cloak to reveal...
"A girl???" Kouji and Genrou both exclaimed. They stared at the girl. She was quite pretty. Big midnight blue eyes that were angry at that moment and long dark black hair reaching up to her waist, with silver sparkles scattered about in her hair. She wore a black tank top, silver skirt, and a transparent-like silver over coat with knee-length black boots. In her hand was glowing red whip. She was in a fighting stance.
"Who are you and why are you attacking me?" she demanded.
"We'd ask you the same thing!" Genrou retorted. He made a step towards her but was stopped by Kouji.
"Don't make a move Genrou. You saw what she did. She won't stop to do the same to you." he warned him.
"Your damned right about that." the girl said. She cracked her whip.
Genrou looked up and widened his eyes. "Hey look out!" he yelled. He pushed her out of the way as a spiked log (it was one of their bandit traps) came swooping down on her. It just barely missed him but the girl hit her head against a tree and was knocked out. Her whip slowly faded and disappeared.
* * * * *
Hakurou, the Mt.Reikaku bandit's leader, entered a room. "How is she?" he asked. He handed Kouji a healing poultice and wet cloth.
"She seems to be okay. She'll live," he answered. He put the poultice on the girl's forehead. She was still out of it and wasn't coming to yet. After she hit the tree she was knocked out unconscious. Kouji then got her to the stronghold as quickly as possible and put her in a room.
"Yeah well, she better be ok. I almost got killed saving her." Genrou grumbled.
"How did this happen?" Hakurou asked. Then both men filled him in on the details of what happened. "Amazing...."he said looking at her, "She could prove to be very useful to us though..." Genrou started to protest but was stopped when the girl said something.
"Huh? What the hell did she just say?" he asked. The three guys all stared at her.
"Must find...find the one...Tasuki..." she muttered. Kouji and Hakurou looked at Genrou questioningly. Genrou was the Suzaku sichiseishi, Tasuki.
"Don't look at me! I don't know no shit!" he said, " Hey look she's waking up!" They all looked at the bed. Her eyes fluttered open. She focused and her eyes widened.
"What the-!" she got up quickly, irritating her wound. "Ow!" Her hand flew up to her head. She gasped and quickly got out a small mirror from her pocket. "Hmm...."she said to herself. She covered the wound with her hand and then removed it. The wound was gone. The men gasped.
"How the fuck did you do that?" Genrou asked. She shrugged.
"It's a gift," she said casually.
"Well now that we got that settled...May I ask your name?" Hakurou asked.
"My name? My name's Ruri." she replied.
"It suits you." he said. He looked at her warmly.
"Hey, hey!" she said as she sat up fully, "Don't look at me like that or talk to me like that! Last thing I need are compliments from you. I don't like men so there's no point in trying."
Snickering, Kouji said, "She sounds a lot like you Genrou. 'Cept you hate women." Ruri looked at him curiously. She made her whip appear in her hands and slashed his right arm, ripping only his sleeve.
"Hey! What the hell do you think your doing?!" he yelled. She ignored him, swiftly got up, grabbed his arm and looked at it. A red symbol flared into life, glowing red. She let go and looked at him.
"Finally, I found you." she said happily.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he growled.
"Of course you don't!" she snapped back, " I didn't tell you why I was here."
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm here to look for you dumb ass!"
"Well you found me! So now what do you want?"
"Um...maybe we should talk this over a dinner." Hakurou cut in.
"Suits me." Kouji said.
* * * * *
"So let me get this straight. Your here to help Genrou in his journey as a Suzaku seishi?" Kouji asked.
"Exactly." Ruri said.
"Well...I hate to break it to you but you pretty much came for no reason then." Genrou said. Hakurou, Kouji, and Ruri looked up at him in surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Ruri asked.
"You see, I don't intend to follow my so called destiny of being a Suzaku sichiseishi. I don't want to leave the Reikaku bandits just for the Suzaku no Miko. I don't want to follow some girl around like that everywhere." Genrou remarked, smirking. Ruri got up and walked over to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"You can't just throw away your future fate for the Reikaku bandits." she said angrily, " Your destiny is to follow the Suzaku no Miko whether you like it or not!" She let go of him. "Until then I have to stay here with you, whether you guys and I like it or not. I don't really have a choice in this." she continued with and exasperated sigh.
"If you are to stay here you must be given a room." Hakurou stood up and called for a servant.
"Yes, leader?" the servant asked.
"Have a spare room made ready for our newcomer." he ordered.
"Yes, sir..." he bowed and left. Genrou stood up.
"You mean your actually going to let her stay here?!?!?" he cried out.
"Of course. Like she said, she doesn't have a choice so we might as well make her stay comfortable. Now don't argue with me Genrou. I know what I'm doing." Hakurou said. Genrou groaned in frustration and left the room carrying a bottle of sake. "Might as well get drunk!" he thought to himself. Kouji and Hakurou shook their heads and Ruri giggled in amusement.
Chapter 2
Months later, the leader, Hakurou became very ill and was very sick. Ruri tried to heal him with her powers but they couldn't cure illnesses. "Ugh...I feel so useless!" she said frustratingly.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Kouji asked.
"We have to get him the medicine he needs...but if we don't get it in time then he'll..." she turned away biting her lip.
"He'll what?" Genrou asked. She didn't answer him. "Fuck! He'll what?" he demanded. She turned to face him.
"He'll die..." she said softly, tears stung her eyes. Kouji and Genrou looked at her in surprise.
"No! You're lying! He's not going to die! I'm not going to let him die, do you understand me?? He's not going to die!" Genrou yelled. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard.
"If we don't get him the medicine he will!" she broke away from his grasp," So we have to go get it for him so that he won't!"
"Then tell me what to do. I'll go get it for him!" he said.
"Are you crazy? You can't go! He needs you here!" Kouji yelled at him.
"I'm not going to let him die ok?" he retorted and he faced back to Ruri, "Tell me what to do."
"You sure about this?" she asked him concerning. He nodded. "Okay then. You have to go north until you reach a region called Hokkan. The medicine only grows there. Just go into any town and ask for some herbs. They're most likely to give you the herb you need. But the trip to Hokkan is long... You might...you might not make it back in time."
"I'll make sure I get back in time." Genrou said. "I'll leave first thing tomorrow."
* * * * *
That night Kouji went into the room he shared with Genrou. "You sure about this Genrou?" he asked as he came in. He sat on the bed and watched Genrou packing. Genrou nearly got a heart attack.
"Holy shit!! You didn't talk to yourself before entering! There must be something wrong!" Genrou exclaimed.
"Don't give me any of that shit. You know why I'm here. All I want to know is if you're sure about it." Kouji glared at him.
"Oh you mean about my leaving tomorrow?" Genrou asked," Of course I'm sure. Why else would I be packing?"
"Shut up aho. It could be dangerous. I could kill Ruri for encouraging you to go."
"Do you want the leader to die?"
"Of course I don't you dumb ass!!! I'm just going to be worried about you. You are my best friend."
"I'll be fine. You know me."
"You know you might make it back to late."
"I know...but that's a risk I'm willing to take."
"Genrou I..."
Genrou turned to face him. "Your not getting all soft on me are you?"
"'Course not aho!" Kouji retorted and he punched Genrou on the arm hard. "I think Ruri's going to miss you though..."
"Ruri? Maybe...but we're only friends. Although I have to admit, she's pretty ok...for a girl."
"For a girl? That's the most praise I've ever seen you spit out about a girl. I remember that time she kicked you ass."
"She got lucky...'sides I let her."
"Right..."
"Shut up aho. Like I said, we're only friends. 'Sides I thought that you might like her."
"Hey I have to admit...she is my type based on her looks but personality wise? She's just way to tough for me."
"In other words your scared that she might beat your ass."
"Fuck...That's not what I'm saying aho!" Kouji threw a pillow at him.
Genrou opened his mouth to continue his teasing but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Ruri."
"Come in."
Ruri came in holding blankets. "Here. It gets real cold up north." she said as she handed him the blankets.
"Thanks." he said. He added them to his pack. Kouji grinned while he saw this. He stood up.
"I just remembered something I had to do. I'll be right back." he winked at Genrou, who gave him a death glare. Kouji left the room. Ruri rolled her eyes when she figured out what Kouji was doing and sat on the bed.
"All ready for your journey tomorrow?" she asked him.
"Yeah...How's the leader?" he asked. Her eyes lowered.
"Not good...He just keeps getting worse." she said quietly. Genrou looked at her. He could tell that she was truly upset by this. He knew that she and the leader had become very good friends. And now this... He sat down beside her and put his arm around her.
"Hey it'll be ok. I promise that I'll try to get back in time." he said trying to comfort her. She looked up at him and forced on a smile.
"I know you will. You seem like the type who'll keep his promises. I have faith in you." she said. He looked at her and noticed a beautiful silver chain around her neck.
"What's that?" he asked pointing to it. She looked down at it and pulled it out from under her shirt. Not only was it a silver chain but also it had some sort of odd-looking pendant on it that had exactly four rubies set in the center of it.
"This?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "Can I trust you not to tell anyone about it? That is...if I decide to tell you about it?"
Genrou nodded.
"Well.... you see...I just recently got my powers and I'm not that strong yet. So my power source comes from this necklace. Until my inner strength increases and my chi gets stronger, I have to wear this thing." she explained.
"Then what?" he asked.
"I don't know.." she said as she stared out the window. Genrou looked at her admiringly without realizing. "It's amazing how this mysterious aura surrounds her...she's so beautiful..." Tasuki thought to himself unknowingly. (This coming from a guy who says he hates women!)
Meanwhile outside his bedroom door, Eiken silently walked away smiling to himself.
Chapter 3
The next day, Genrou left for his trip. Ruri and Kouji saw him off and waved at him until he was out of sight. When he was gone, they turned to each other. "Will he make it? I'm afraid that he might not make it back in time." Ruri said worriedly.
"He'll make it back...at least I hope he does." Kouji said. Ruri made a face at him.
"Oh that's just damning with encouragement!" she remarked.
"Well you can never be too sure..."
"True...very true...."
A couple weeks later Genrou still hadn't returned. Ruri knew it took long but too much time had passed by. Although Kouji was pretty sure he wouldn't make it, Ruri still kept hope but soon was a bit convinced that he wouldn't make it. One night, Kouji, Ruri, and Eiken were in the leader's chambers. Kouji was pacing back and forth; Eiken leaned casually against the wall (surprisingly the fat oaf didn't break it!), while Ruri sat by the leader's side. Finally the pacing footsteps of Kouji got on Ruri's nerves. She bolted up.
"Goddammit~!!!! Stop with the fucking pacing! Damn it you Kouji!!!!" she screamed at him. Kouji stopped abruptly.
"Can't you shut up!! The leader's trying to sleep!!!" he yelled back.
"Like your pacing's doing any good!!!" she retorted back. His face hardened as if to say something back but then softened. He walked over to her and put his arm around her.
"Hey...I'm sorry...just a bit tense these days you know." he said gently. Her face seemed to relax a bit and she nodded wearily.
"I'm sorry too... Just a bit high strung that's all...." she said in a tired voice.
"You should go get some rest."
She shook her head no and sat back down again. "I'm staying here until Genrou comes back or until Hakurou..." she trailed off.
"Don't worry he won't." Kouji said to assure her.
"Oh, what a touching moment..." Eiken broke in. Ruri and Kouji turned to glare at him. Eiken shrugged and looked at Hakurou. "Hey look, he's waking up." he said. The other two turned to see the leader waking. They both immediately moved to his side.
"Hakurou-san...Are you okay? How do you feel?" Ruri asked.
"Weak...can't move...." he whispered hoarsely, as if he had trouble talking. Kouji picked up Hakurou's wrist to check his pulse.
"Shit..." he muttered, " His pulse is slowing." Ruri looked at him, eyes in alarm.
"Do you think he's going to...?" she asked almost afraid what the answer would be. Kouji knew the answer to her question but refused to admit or accept that.
"No he's not! Don't even think that he will!" he said fiercely. She stared at him as if to say with her eyes, 'I don't believe you.'
"She's right..." Hakurou struggled to talk.
"Hakurou! You shouldn't try to talk! Save your strength!" Kouji exclaimed.
"It's useless Kouji. I'm dying...can't you see? I want to tell all three of you, yes Eiken too, my last wishes." Hakurou said. They got his attention right away even Eiken listened.
"We're listening." Kouji said.
"When Genrou comes back, I want him or Kouji to be the leader. But give the tessen to him." he said.
"The tessen!?" all three exclaimed. The tessen was a big fan made out of solid iron or some other kind of strong metal that would spit out fire when a magic incantation was said. An old legend came within it and the fan was always handed down to the leader of the Reikaku bandits.
"Yes the tessen...Give it to him...and tell the one with the red symbol, Tasuki...Tasuki..." his voice got raspy. Then his breathing slowed and then stopped. Kouji and Ruri's eyes widened in horror. Kouji leaned his head over Hakurou's heart.
"Is he..." her voice was barely audible. Kouji stood straight up again and gravely nodded. "Oh my..." she started but was interrupted when Eiken shoved her and Kouji away. He grabbed Hakurou by the shoulders and shook him hard.
"What about Tasuki!!?? Who's Tasuki?? What red symbol?" he yelled.
"Eiken!! Stop it! He's dead!! Get the fuck off of him!!" Kouji yelled and he shoved Eiken away.
"Geez Kouji...Sorry..." Eiken said and he shoved Kouji back.
"Like hell you are ~!" Kouji said angrily, as he made a move to punch him.
"Both of you stop it right now or I'll kick your fukkin asses~!" Ruri yelled. She formed her whip and made it smash a table near them. The two men both froze where they were and looked at her surprisingly.
Calming down, Ruri continued speaking, "I can see that we're all a bit high strung...including me. Tomorrow morning we will inform the others about Hakurou's death." Her eyes filled with tears. "And also, Eiken. Stop thinking about this person Tasuki. Only Hakurou knew him, for he talked of him many times. Not even Kouji and I knew about him." she fibbed," So please go to your room and rest...please?"
Eiken looked at both of them warily. Then without a word he left the room. Kouji relaxed.
"Now what?" Kouji asked.
"Now? Now we wait for Genrou to come back..."Ruri said as she looked off into the sky from the window. Her once shining, sparkling, and vivacious eyes were now dulled into a dead, starless night.
Chapter 4
A few months passed by and still no sign of Genrou. The bandit stronghold was still in mourning for their lost leader and waited patiently for a new leader.
"Will you just become the new leader already!" Eiken exclaimed to Kouji.
"No way Eiken." Kouji replied, "I'm going to wait until Genrou comes back. He should be the real leader and you know that."
"It's been a few months already Kouji! He would've been back by now!"
"I don't really need a reminder, but thanks for the update."
"Geez...just grab the tessen already and be the leader will you?"
"I'm not supposed to have the tessen Eiken! It was Hakurou's wish for Genrou to have it!"
"For all you know Genrou could be dead by now."
The door suddenly slammed open. "You repeat those words Eiken, and I will make you regret it." said a voice. They both turned around and saw Ruri. Her eyes were hard and lifeless, her skin pale and livid. Her hair was darker than ever but no silver sparkles shone in it. She wore a long snowy white night gown and looked like a ghost.
"Are you okay Ruri?" Kouji asked in a concerned voice.
"Of course I'm okay!" she snapped. Eiken and Kouji both jumped at the terseness of her voice. She ignored their reaction and turned to face Eiken. "Stop bothering Kouji. Let him do what he feels he has to do. If he has faith in Genrou so will I. So shut your fukkin mouth," she said in an icy voice. She then left the room.
"Damn..." Eiken said.
"You said it. She's been like that ever since Hakurou died. Poor girl." Kouji said sympathetically. Eiken was annoyed at the sudden change of the subject.
"So you won't become the leader?" Eiken asked.
"For the last time, no! Not until Genrou returns." Kouji said exasperatingly. Then to end the discussion, Kouji turned and left the room.
"Genrou won't be returning Kouji...and if you won't become the leader then I guess I'll have to.." Eiken said to himself.
* * * * *
Ruri looked around her settings. 'Where am I?' she thought to herself. All atound her was nothing but darkness and the company of one light.
'Ruri...Ruri...' a voice called out softly.
'Who's there?' she yelled out. Her whip appeared in her hands.
'Ruri...'
She turned around and saw Hakurou trying to drag himself to her. 'Hakurou! But how? Your dead!'
'It's your fault!' another voice yelled out. She whirled around to find her self face to face with Kouji and his sword by her neck.
'Kouji! What are you doing?' she cried out. His sword pressed harder against her neck.
'Don't act innocent with me! It's your fault that Genrou's dead!' he growled.
'Genrou dead...?' she faltered. Suddenly a scene flashed before her. It was of her and Genrou. They were in fighting with each other in pure anger. Both of them got an equal amount of hits.
'What's the real reason you fukkin came here for Ruri? You're nothing but a fukkin imposter bitch!' he said to her.
Infuriated, she lifted her sword with all her strength and went in for a move as he did the same. As soon as they made contact, a red flash appeared and...
"NOOOOOOO~~!" Ruri awoke with a start. Sweat was sticking on her face and her hair was matted against her forehead. She gasped for breath panting. "What was that about?" she said aloud to herself. Tears came to her eyes. "Is Genrou dead?"
Right then, she heard loud banging on her door. "Who is it?" she called out. Then at the call, men burst into her room.
"What the hell do you think your doing?" she yelled as they grabbed her by the arms and legs. They tied her up and carried her up to the leader room.
* * * * *
When they went inside, they set her on a chair and left, standing guard at the door. She wasn't the only one at least. Kouji was there as well. She looked at him questioningly and he shrugged.
"Glad you two could make it," a voice interrupted them.
"Eiken..." Kouji growled dangerously.
"How's it going Kouji? And you Ruri? I see you're tied up at the moment..." he chuckled to himself as he sat down in the leader's chair. Kouji's eyes widened.
"What the f-" he began but Eiken cut him off.
"You see Kouji...I've made myself leader." Eiken said smugly.
"You fukkin bastard!" Ruri shouted infuriatingly. She struggled to get free. Eiken got up and walked over to her.
"I don't think so my sweet..." he said mockingly as he reached towards her neck and fingered her necklace. "Very nice... Is this yours?" he asked her even though he knew what the answer would be.
"What the hell do you think ass? Or are you to stupid to know?" she replied tartly. He smiled at her wickedly, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips. (Kouji's eyes: O.O) Repulsed, she bit down hard on his lips. He recoiled in pain. His hand flew up to his now bleeding lip.
"Bitch!" he yelled out and he grabbed her necklace fully and ripped away from her. She cried out softly.
"Eiken! What the hell do you want from us? Just get on with it already and stop bothering Ruri!" Kouji said, furious that Eiken had kissed Ruri.
Eiken went over to one of the drawers in the desk, opened it, and took out the tessen. He pointed it at Ruri. "Join me and my followers willingly or she dies."
"No Kouji!" Ruri cut in. The men's eyes widened.
"Ruri..." Kouji faltered not knowing what to say.
"Don't join him! He's not worth it! Let me die. I can handle some pain." she said trying to give him a reassuring smile.
Kouji looked at her and Eiken. Which was the better choice- letting her die? But then again... the thought of him joining up with Eiken disgusted him. He thought hard...What would Genrou do? Sure he hated women but he knew the difference between the right thing to do and the wrong thing. He drew a deep breath.
"I'll join you Eiken...as long as you don't hurt her." he said unflinchingly. Eiken's mouth curved into a smile while Ruri's mouth dropped open in aghast.
"Glad to see you have some sense Kouji." Eiken put down the tessen. "I'm leader now so you have to do everything I say. As for you Ruri..."
He snapped his fingers and his men came in. He whispered a couple of orders in one of the men's ears. The rest of them took her and carried her out, ignoring her struggles. Kouji got up quick. "Where the hell are you taking her?!" he asked, his eyes flashing. Eiken pushed Kouji down back into the chair with one heavy hand.
"Don't worry about her. She's no longer of your concern." Eiken said with false assurance. He played around with Ruri's necklace in his fingers and smiled.
Kouji just sat there and watched her disappear from his vision helplessly.
*End of Part 1*
(yea i know...its corny!)
Shocking isn't it???
Note: This fan fic takes place a couple years before the Suzaku no Miko appears. The setting is at Mt. Reikaku and the bandits there are involved and Tasuki is already with them. After that everything I have made up. And please don't sue me. Most of these characters belong to Yuu Watase. They do not belong to me. So don't sue me. I never get enough money anyway.
(Rated: PG13...because of the characters involved...the language is not appropriate for people younger than 13.)
Chapter 1
Genrou crept up by Kouji. "Have we found our next target yet?" he whispered. Kouji nodded and pointed down from the tree. He looked down and saw a darkly cloaked figure walking. "Are the other men ready?" he asked.
"Yes! Now be quiet!" Kouji hissed impatiently. Genrou fell silent. Kouji waited for the person to get into target. When the time was right he motioned for the rest of the men to begin the attack. "Now!" he shouted as he jumped down. Genrou and the rest of the men then followed him. They each landed around the person.
"You're surrounded so I suggest you surrender." Genrou said. He was followed by laughter from the men.
"Like I really would take up your suggestion." a voice said calmly from the cloak. Suddenly, the person jumped up and some sort of glowing red flashed out, followed by a hiss and crack. One of the men cried out and fell. The men looked up surprised.
"What the?!" Kouji exclaimed. Then more flashes of red light and hissings and crackings were made and one by one each of the men fell. Soon Kouji and Genrou were the only ones standing. The person then landed on the ground and stripped of the cloak to reveal...
"A girl???" Kouji and Genrou both exclaimed. They stared at the girl. She was quite pretty. Big midnight blue eyes that were angry at that moment and long dark black hair reaching up to her waist, with silver sparkles scattered about in her hair. She wore a black tank top, silver skirt, and a transparent-like silver over coat with knee-length black boots. In her hand was glowing red whip. She was in a fighting stance.
"Who are you and why are you attacking me?" she demanded.
"We'd ask you the same thing!" Genrou retorted. He made a step towards her but was stopped by Kouji.
"Don't make a move Genrou. You saw what she did. She won't stop to do the same to you." he warned him.
"Your damned right about that." the girl said. She cracked her whip.
Genrou looked up and widened his eyes. "Hey look out!" he yelled. He pushed her out of the way as a spiked log (it was one of their bandit traps) came swooping down on her. It just barely missed him but the girl hit her head against a tree and was knocked out. Her whip slowly faded and disappeared.
* * * * *
Hakurou, the Mt.Reikaku bandit's leader, entered a room. "How is she?" he asked. He handed Kouji a healing poultice and wet cloth.
"She seems to be okay. She'll live," he answered. He put the poultice on the girl's forehead. She was still out of it and wasn't coming to yet. After she hit the tree she was knocked out unconscious. Kouji then got her to the stronghold as quickly as possible and put her in a room.
"Yeah well, she better be ok. I almost got killed saving her." Genrou grumbled.
"How did this happen?" Hakurou asked. Then both men filled him in on the details of what happened. "Amazing...."he said looking at her, "She could prove to be very useful to us though..." Genrou started to protest but was stopped when the girl said something.
"Huh? What the hell did she just say?" he asked. The three guys all stared at her.
"Must find...find the one...Tasuki..." she muttered. Kouji and Hakurou looked at Genrou questioningly. Genrou was the Suzaku sichiseishi, Tasuki.
"Don't look at me! I don't know no shit!" he said, " Hey look she's waking up!" They all looked at the bed. Her eyes fluttered open. She focused and her eyes widened.
"What the-!" she got up quickly, irritating her wound. "Ow!" Her hand flew up to her head. She gasped and quickly got out a small mirror from her pocket. "Hmm...."she said to herself. She covered the wound with her hand and then removed it. The wound was gone. The men gasped.
"How the fuck did you do that?" Genrou asked. She shrugged.
"It's a gift," she said casually.
"Well now that we got that settled...May I ask your name?" Hakurou asked.
"My name? My name's Ruri." she replied.
"It suits you." he said. He looked at her warmly.
"Hey, hey!" she said as she sat up fully, "Don't look at me like that or talk to me like that! Last thing I need are compliments from you. I don't like men so there's no point in trying."
Snickering, Kouji said, "She sounds a lot like you Genrou. 'Cept you hate women." Ruri looked at him curiously. She made her whip appear in her hands and slashed his right arm, ripping only his sleeve.
"Hey! What the hell do you think your doing?!" he yelled. She ignored him, swiftly got up, grabbed his arm and looked at it. A red symbol flared into life, glowing red. She let go and looked at him.
"Finally, I found you." she said happily.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he growled.
"Of course you don't!" she snapped back, " I didn't tell you why I was here."
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm here to look for you dumb ass!"
"Well you found me! So now what do you want?"
"Um...maybe we should talk this over a dinner." Hakurou cut in.
"Suits me." Kouji said.
* * * * *
"So let me get this straight. Your here to help Genrou in his journey as a Suzaku seishi?" Kouji asked.
"Exactly." Ruri said.
"Well...I hate to break it to you but you pretty much came for no reason then." Genrou said. Hakurou, Kouji, and Ruri looked up at him in surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Ruri asked.
"You see, I don't intend to follow my so called destiny of being a Suzaku sichiseishi. I don't want to leave the Reikaku bandits just for the Suzaku no Miko. I don't want to follow some girl around like that everywhere." Genrou remarked, smirking. Ruri got up and walked over to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"You can't just throw away your future fate for the Reikaku bandits." she said angrily, " Your destiny is to follow the Suzaku no Miko whether you like it or not!" She let go of him. "Until then I have to stay here with you, whether you guys and I like it or not. I don't really have a choice in this." she continued with and exasperated sigh.
"If you are to stay here you must be given a room." Hakurou stood up and called for a servant.
"Yes, leader?" the servant asked.
"Have a spare room made ready for our newcomer." he ordered.
"Yes, sir..." he bowed and left. Genrou stood up.
"You mean your actually going to let her stay here?!?!?" he cried out.
"Of course. Like she said, she doesn't have a choice so we might as well make her stay comfortable. Now don't argue with me Genrou. I know what I'm doing." Hakurou said. Genrou groaned in frustration and left the room carrying a bottle of sake. "Might as well get drunk!" he thought to himself. Kouji and Hakurou shook their heads and Ruri giggled in amusement.
Chapter 2
Months later, the leader, Hakurou became very ill and was very sick. Ruri tried to heal him with her powers but they couldn't cure illnesses. "Ugh...I feel so useless!" she said frustratingly.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Kouji asked.
"We have to get him the medicine he needs...but if we don't get it in time then he'll..." she turned away biting her lip.
"He'll what?" Genrou asked. She didn't answer him. "Fuck! He'll what?" he demanded. She turned to face him.
"He'll die..." she said softly, tears stung her eyes. Kouji and Genrou looked at her in surprise.
"No! You're lying! He's not going to die! I'm not going to let him die, do you understand me?? He's not going to die!" Genrou yelled. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard.
"If we don't get him the medicine he will!" she broke away from his grasp," So we have to go get it for him so that he won't!"
"Then tell me what to do. I'll go get it for him!" he said.
"Are you crazy? You can't go! He needs you here!" Kouji yelled at him.
"I'm not going to let him die ok?" he retorted and he faced back to Ruri, "Tell me what to do."
"You sure about this?" she asked him concerning. He nodded. "Okay then. You have to go north until you reach a region called Hokkan. The medicine only grows there. Just go into any town and ask for some herbs. They're most likely to give you the herb you need. But the trip to Hokkan is long... You might...you might not make it back in time."
"I'll make sure I get back in time." Genrou said. "I'll leave first thing tomorrow."
* * * * *
That night Kouji went into the room he shared with Genrou. "You sure about this Genrou?" he asked as he came in. He sat on the bed and watched Genrou packing. Genrou nearly got a heart attack.
"Holy shit!! You didn't talk to yourself before entering! There must be something wrong!" Genrou exclaimed.
"Don't give me any of that shit. You know why I'm here. All I want to know is if you're sure about it." Kouji glared at him.
"Oh you mean about my leaving tomorrow?" Genrou asked," Of course I'm sure. Why else would I be packing?"
"Shut up aho. It could be dangerous. I could kill Ruri for encouraging you to go."
"Do you want the leader to die?"
"Of course I don't you dumb ass!!! I'm just going to be worried about you. You are my best friend."
"I'll be fine. You know me."
"You know you might make it back to late."
"I know...but that's a risk I'm willing to take."
"Genrou I..."
Genrou turned to face him. "Your not getting all soft on me are you?"
"'Course not aho!" Kouji retorted and he punched Genrou on the arm hard. "I think Ruri's going to miss you though..."
"Ruri? Maybe...but we're only friends. Although I have to admit, she's pretty ok...for a girl."
"For a girl? That's the most praise I've ever seen you spit out about a girl. I remember that time she kicked you ass."
"She got lucky...'sides I let her."
"Right..."
"Shut up aho. Like I said, we're only friends. 'Sides I thought that you might like her."
"Hey I have to admit...she is my type based on her looks but personality wise? She's just way to tough for me."
"In other words your scared that she might beat your ass."
"Fuck...That's not what I'm saying aho!" Kouji threw a pillow at him.
Genrou opened his mouth to continue his teasing but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Ruri."
"Come in."
Ruri came in holding blankets. "Here. It gets real cold up north." she said as she handed him the blankets.
"Thanks." he said. He added them to his pack. Kouji grinned while he saw this. He stood up.
"I just remembered something I had to do. I'll be right back." he winked at Genrou, who gave him a death glare. Kouji left the room. Ruri rolled her eyes when she figured out what Kouji was doing and sat on the bed.
"All ready for your journey tomorrow?" she asked him.
"Yeah...How's the leader?" he asked. Her eyes lowered.
"Not good...He just keeps getting worse." she said quietly. Genrou looked at her. He could tell that she was truly upset by this. He knew that she and the leader had become very good friends. And now this... He sat down beside her and put his arm around her.
"Hey it'll be ok. I promise that I'll try to get back in time." he said trying to comfort her. She looked up at him and forced on a smile.
"I know you will. You seem like the type who'll keep his promises. I have faith in you." she said. He looked at her and noticed a beautiful silver chain around her neck.
"What's that?" he asked pointing to it. She looked down at it and pulled it out from under her shirt. Not only was it a silver chain but also it had some sort of odd-looking pendant on it that had exactly four rubies set in the center of it.
"This?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "Can I trust you not to tell anyone about it? That is...if I decide to tell you about it?"
Genrou nodded.
"Well.... you see...I just recently got my powers and I'm not that strong yet. So my power source comes from this necklace. Until my inner strength increases and my chi gets stronger, I have to wear this thing." she explained.
"Then what?" he asked.
"I don't know.." she said as she stared out the window. Genrou looked at her admiringly without realizing. "It's amazing how this mysterious aura surrounds her...she's so beautiful..." Tasuki thought to himself unknowingly. (This coming from a guy who says he hates women!)
Meanwhile outside his bedroom door, Eiken silently walked away smiling to himself.
Chapter 3
The next day, Genrou left for his trip. Ruri and Kouji saw him off and waved at him until he was out of sight. When he was gone, they turned to each other. "Will he make it? I'm afraid that he might not make it back in time." Ruri said worriedly.
"He'll make it back...at least I hope he does." Kouji said. Ruri made a face at him.
"Oh that's just damning with encouragement!" she remarked.
"Well you can never be too sure..."
"True...very true...."
A couple weeks later Genrou still hadn't returned. Ruri knew it took long but too much time had passed by. Although Kouji was pretty sure he wouldn't make it, Ruri still kept hope but soon was a bit convinced that he wouldn't make it. One night, Kouji, Ruri, and Eiken were in the leader's chambers. Kouji was pacing back and forth; Eiken leaned casually against the wall (surprisingly the fat oaf didn't break it!), while Ruri sat by the leader's side. Finally the pacing footsteps of Kouji got on Ruri's nerves. She bolted up.
"Goddammit~!!!! Stop with the fucking pacing! Damn it you Kouji!!!!" she screamed at him. Kouji stopped abruptly.
"Can't you shut up!! The leader's trying to sleep!!!" he yelled back.
"Like your pacing's doing any good!!!" she retorted back. His face hardened as if to say something back but then softened. He walked over to her and put his arm around her.
"Hey...I'm sorry...just a bit tense these days you know." he said gently. Her face seemed to relax a bit and she nodded wearily.
"I'm sorry too... Just a bit high strung that's all...." she said in a tired voice.
"You should go get some rest."
She shook her head no and sat back down again. "I'm staying here until Genrou comes back or until Hakurou..." she trailed off.
"Don't worry he won't." Kouji said to assure her.
"Oh, what a touching moment..." Eiken broke in. Ruri and Kouji turned to glare at him. Eiken shrugged and looked at Hakurou. "Hey look, he's waking up." he said. The other two turned to see the leader waking. They both immediately moved to his side.
"Hakurou-san...Are you okay? How do you feel?" Ruri asked.
"Weak...can't move...." he whispered hoarsely, as if he had trouble talking. Kouji picked up Hakurou's wrist to check his pulse.
"Shit..." he muttered, " His pulse is slowing." Ruri looked at him, eyes in alarm.
"Do you think he's going to...?" she asked almost afraid what the answer would be. Kouji knew the answer to her question but refused to admit or accept that.
"No he's not! Don't even think that he will!" he said fiercely. She stared at him as if to say with her eyes, 'I don't believe you.'
"She's right..." Hakurou struggled to talk.
"Hakurou! You shouldn't try to talk! Save your strength!" Kouji exclaimed.
"It's useless Kouji. I'm dying...can't you see? I want to tell all three of you, yes Eiken too, my last wishes." Hakurou said. They got his attention right away even Eiken listened.
"We're listening." Kouji said.
"When Genrou comes back, I want him or Kouji to be the leader. But give the tessen to him." he said.
"The tessen!?" all three exclaimed. The tessen was a big fan made out of solid iron or some other kind of strong metal that would spit out fire when a magic incantation was said. An old legend came within it and the fan was always handed down to the leader of the Reikaku bandits.
"Yes the tessen...Give it to him...and tell the one with the red symbol, Tasuki...Tasuki..." his voice got raspy. Then his breathing slowed and then stopped. Kouji and Ruri's eyes widened in horror. Kouji leaned his head over Hakurou's heart.
"Is he..." her voice was barely audible. Kouji stood straight up again and gravely nodded. "Oh my..." she started but was interrupted when Eiken shoved her and Kouji away. He grabbed Hakurou by the shoulders and shook him hard.
"What about Tasuki!!?? Who's Tasuki?? What red symbol?" he yelled.
"Eiken!! Stop it! He's dead!! Get the fuck off of him!!" Kouji yelled and he shoved Eiken away.
"Geez Kouji...Sorry..." Eiken said and he shoved Kouji back.
"Like hell you are ~!" Kouji said angrily, as he made a move to punch him.
"Both of you stop it right now or I'll kick your fukkin asses~!" Ruri yelled. She formed her whip and made it smash a table near them. The two men both froze where they were and looked at her surprisingly.
Calming down, Ruri continued speaking, "I can see that we're all a bit high strung...including me. Tomorrow morning we will inform the others about Hakurou's death." Her eyes filled with tears. "And also, Eiken. Stop thinking about this person Tasuki. Only Hakurou knew him, for he talked of him many times. Not even Kouji and I knew about him." she fibbed," So please go to your room and rest...please?"
Eiken looked at both of them warily. Then without a word he left the room. Kouji relaxed.
"Now what?" Kouji asked.
"Now? Now we wait for Genrou to come back..."Ruri said as she looked off into the sky from the window. Her once shining, sparkling, and vivacious eyes were now dulled into a dead, starless night.
Chapter 4
A few months passed by and still no sign of Genrou. The bandit stronghold was still in mourning for their lost leader and waited patiently for a new leader.
"Will you just become the new leader already!" Eiken exclaimed to Kouji.
"No way Eiken." Kouji replied, "I'm going to wait until Genrou comes back. He should be the real leader and you know that."
"It's been a few months already Kouji! He would've been back by now!"
"I don't really need a reminder, but thanks for the update."
"Geez...just grab the tessen already and be the leader will you?"
"I'm not supposed to have the tessen Eiken! It was Hakurou's wish for Genrou to have it!"
"For all you know Genrou could be dead by now."
The door suddenly slammed open. "You repeat those words Eiken, and I will make you regret it." said a voice. They both turned around and saw Ruri. Her eyes were hard and lifeless, her skin pale and livid. Her hair was darker than ever but no silver sparkles shone in it. She wore a long snowy white night gown and looked like a ghost.
"Are you okay Ruri?" Kouji asked in a concerned voice.
"Of course I'm okay!" she snapped. Eiken and Kouji both jumped at the terseness of her voice. She ignored their reaction and turned to face Eiken. "Stop bothering Kouji. Let him do what he feels he has to do. If he has faith in Genrou so will I. So shut your fukkin mouth," she said in an icy voice. She then left the room.
"Damn..." Eiken said.
"You said it. She's been like that ever since Hakurou died. Poor girl." Kouji said sympathetically. Eiken was annoyed at the sudden change of the subject.
"So you won't become the leader?" Eiken asked.
"For the last time, no! Not until Genrou returns." Kouji said exasperatingly. Then to end the discussion, Kouji turned and left the room.
"Genrou won't be returning Kouji...and if you won't become the leader then I guess I'll have to.." Eiken said to himself.
* * * * *
Ruri looked around her settings. 'Where am I?' she thought to herself. All atound her was nothing but darkness and the company of one light.
'Ruri...Ruri...' a voice called out softly.
'Who's there?' she yelled out. Her whip appeared in her hands.
'Ruri...'
She turned around and saw Hakurou trying to drag himself to her. 'Hakurou! But how? Your dead!'
'It's your fault!' another voice yelled out. She whirled around to find her self face to face with Kouji and his sword by her neck.
'Kouji! What are you doing?' she cried out. His sword pressed harder against her neck.
'Don't act innocent with me! It's your fault that Genrou's dead!' he growled.
'Genrou dead...?' she faltered. Suddenly a scene flashed before her. It was of her and Genrou. They were in fighting with each other in pure anger. Both of them got an equal amount of hits.
'What's the real reason you fukkin came here for Ruri? You're nothing but a fukkin imposter bitch!' he said to her.
Infuriated, she lifted her sword with all her strength and went in for a move as he did the same. As soon as they made contact, a red flash appeared and...
"NOOOOOOO~~!" Ruri awoke with a start. Sweat was sticking on her face and her hair was matted against her forehead. She gasped for breath panting. "What was that about?" she said aloud to herself. Tears came to her eyes. "Is Genrou dead?"
Right then, she heard loud banging on her door. "Who is it?" she called out. Then at the call, men burst into her room.
"What the hell do you think your doing?" she yelled as they grabbed her by the arms and legs. They tied her up and carried her up to the leader room.
* * * * *
When they went inside, they set her on a chair and left, standing guard at the door. She wasn't the only one at least. Kouji was there as well. She looked at him questioningly and he shrugged.
"Glad you two could make it," a voice interrupted them.
"Eiken..." Kouji growled dangerously.
"How's it going Kouji? And you Ruri? I see you're tied up at the moment..." he chuckled to himself as he sat down in the leader's chair. Kouji's eyes widened.
"What the f-" he began but Eiken cut him off.
"You see Kouji...I've made myself leader." Eiken said smugly.
"You fukkin bastard!" Ruri shouted infuriatingly. She struggled to get free. Eiken got up and walked over to her.
"I don't think so my sweet..." he said mockingly as he reached towards her neck and fingered her necklace. "Very nice... Is this yours?" he asked her even though he knew what the answer would be.
"What the hell do you think ass? Or are you to stupid to know?" she replied tartly. He smiled at her wickedly, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips. (Kouji's eyes: O.O) Repulsed, she bit down hard on his lips. He recoiled in pain. His hand flew up to his now bleeding lip.
"Bitch!" he yelled out and he grabbed her necklace fully and ripped away from her. She cried out softly.
"Eiken! What the hell do you want from us? Just get on with it already and stop bothering Ruri!" Kouji said, furious that Eiken had kissed Ruri.
Eiken went over to one of the drawers in the desk, opened it, and took out the tessen. He pointed it at Ruri. "Join me and my followers willingly or she dies."
"No Kouji!" Ruri cut in. The men's eyes widened.
"Ruri..." Kouji faltered not knowing what to say.
"Don't join him! He's not worth it! Let me die. I can handle some pain." she said trying to give him a reassuring smile.
Kouji looked at her and Eiken. Which was the better choice- letting her die? But then again... the thought of him joining up with Eiken disgusted him. He thought hard...What would Genrou do? Sure he hated women but he knew the difference between the right thing to do and the wrong thing. He drew a deep breath.
"I'll join you Eiken...as long as you don't hurt her." he said unflinchingly. Eiken's mouth curved into a smile while Ruri's mouth dropped open in aghast.
"Glad to see you have some sense Kouji." Eiken put down the tessen. "I'm leader now so you have to do everything I say. As for you Ruri..."
He snapped his fingers and his men came in. He whispered a couple of orders in one of the men's ears. The rest of them took her and carried her out, ignoring her struggles. Kouji got up quick. "Where the hell are you taking her?!" he asked, his eyes flashing. Eiken pushed Kouji down back into the chair with one heavy hand.
"Don't worry about her. She's no longer of your concern." Eiken said with false assurance. He played around with Ruri's necklace in his fingers and smiled.
Kouji just sat there and watched her disappear from his vision helplessly.
*End of Part 1*
(yea i know...its corny!)