Chapter 2
Seshiri slowly opened her eyes. What happened….Where am I? And why the hell does my head hurt so much…? She sat up in bed and looked around. Oh.. That's right. Miaka…. Tamahome..…Tasuki…
Seshiri quickly looked up and glanced around the empty room. Where are the others? I can barely remember any of it! I hope they're ok! Seshiri softly touched a bandage spotted with blood she had wrapped around her collar bone. I guess Mitsukake hasn't regained his powers enough to heal me!
Seshiri crawled out of bed, ignoring the aches and pains that coursed through her. She hobbled over to her dresser and pulled out her bathrobe. She chuckled. Somehow I doubt I would be able to get dressed into NORMAL clothes without breaking something! She slipped it on and cautiously poked her head outside of her room.
"Hmm…" Seshiri walked down to the kitchen, wincing with each step. "Damn it he didn't hurt me THAT bad, why the hell does this hurt so much?" Seshiri looked around. "What day is it? I must have slept a lot, it's night time!
She sighed and opened the door to the kitchen. MMmm…. I think it's dinner time in the dining room! She smiled, trying to contain her excitement. It feels like I haven't eaten for days!
She opened the room to the dining room to see the others all seated around a big table, feasting. She smiled saying, "Konban wa!" Nuriko stood up quickly. "Seshi-chan!" Mitsukake stood up as well. "Seshiri-chan, what are you doing out of bed?"
"Uh.." Seshiri looked at them nervously. "I was hungry…" Mitsukake walked over to her. "The more you stay in bed the sooner you will recover!" Seshiri shook her head laughing, "You sound like my mother!"
Seshiri smiled and looked at the rest of them. I see that Miaka's arm is healed. That's why Mitsukake couldn't heal me! Wait…what the…who the hell? Seshiri stepped back and nearly tripped over herself.
Seated at the table next to Miaka was none other than Tamahome. Nuriko stood next to Seshiri and whispered, "I'll explain later." "Konban wa Seshiri!" Tamahome smiled at her. "K-k-konban wa!" She ran her hand through her hair. "Confusing!" She said to Nuriko. He nodded smiling.
"Hai, very. Poor Tasuki can't get over it!" Seshiri looked up at Nuriko quickly. "Tasuki? Is he ok? What happened? I can barely remember any of it!" Someone sitting in shadow at the end of the table stood up. "I'm right here Seshi-chan." "Tasuki!" He smirked at her.
"Yup. Here I am! All in one piece, amazingly enough." He glared over in Tamahome's direction. "Hey NOT my fault here! It's not like I had control of Nakago's spell!" Tasuki shook his head. "Yeah yeah yeah excuses excuses!" Seshiri laughed and Nuriko pulled out a chair for her.
"Go ahead and sit down Seshi-chan!" Seshiri smiled and sat downs saying "So now that you have all 7 Seishi, when will you summon Suzaku?" Hotohori smiled slightly, saying "We were waiting for you to awaken before we even thought about summoning Suzaku. We will Summon the god the day after tomorrow."
Chiriko nodded. "We want to wait until you are healed Seshiri-chan!" Tasuki grinned sheepishly, "And that might take a while because Mitsukake just used his powers on me!"
Seshiri ate a few plates of food, smiling happily she rested her head on the table. It's so nice to have everyone here! I like it like this. I wish they didn't summon Suzaku. No doubt I will be left in the dust once they do… I'll have to leave all my new friends, if they don't leave me first, and go back to Taiitsukun!. And everything was going so well too… Seshiri looked up with half closed eyes, startled to see that Tasuki was watching her.
She sat up quickly, wincing, and looked down at the table. She fidgeted for a few minutes before looking over at him again. This time Tasuki wasn't looking at her, too busy with his bottle of sake to see her. Baka you probably imagined it! Don't let your imagination run away with you! Gotta remind myself to come back to reality or I'll be wrapped up in fantasies.
Seshiri surveyed the room smiling. Tasuki was drinking his sake and Nuriko was trying to steal some. Mitsukake and Hotohori were deep in conversation while Chiriko talked to Chichiri about calming methods. Miaka and Tamahome were too busy cuddling to notice anything going on around them.
Seshiri sighed and leaned back down onto the table. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her arms.
Tamahome and Miaka quietly walked back to their rooms while Hotohori stood up. "I am going to sleep now, If anything important happens just call." "Hai no da!" Chichiri agreed then disappeared to his room. "Oyasumi." Chiriko muttered and he slowly stood up and walked to his chambers. Mitsukake bowed slightly and left the dining room.
Seshiri slept silently at the table as Tasuki smirked. "Looks like she was a little tired." Nuriko nodded. "Well yeah, first time awake in a few days, of COURSE she's gonna be a little groggy!" Tasuki agreed. "Yeah that makes sense. So…" He looked around. "Who's gonna take her back to her room? She can't stay out here all night!" Nuriko smiled at Tasuki coyly. "I'm sure you'd LOVE to do that wouldn't you."
"Nani?" Tasuki looked over at Nuriko. Nuriko smirked. "You know what I'm talking about Tasuki!" Tasuki's eyes grew wide. "Hell no! I HATE women! Remember?" Nuriko shook his head. "Sure.." Tasuki stood up, glaring at Nuriko. "I do NOT like women! Especially not Seshiri!"
Nuriko tried not to laugh. "Tasuki-san, you are in denial!" Tasuki walked over to the doors. He turned around and shot Nuriko one last glare before stomping out of the room.
Nuriko sighed and looked over to Seshiri's sleeping figure. "Sorry Seshi-chan, that guy is one stubborn ass! He doesn't want to admit his feelings for you." Seshiri muttered something in her sleep and Nuriko laughed.
"Off to bed with you." He picked her up and walked her off to her room. Laying her down in her bed he pulled the covers over her and walked out of the room, closing the door softly.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
Seshiri yawned and sat up. "Mm…" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at the person sitting next to her. Mitsukake smiled. "My powers came back earlier than expected… I can heal your wounds now." Seshiri nodded, still a little groggy from sleep. "Go ahead."
Mitsukake nodded and placed his hand just above her broken collar bone. The green light flowed from his hand and she was healed. Seshiri stared at where her wound had been. "It's gone!" She smiled. "Thanks Mitsukake!" He stood up slowly. "Well, that's what I'm here for!"
Seshiri laughed, and started to get out of bed. He held his hand out and helped her up. "Be careful Seshi-chan! It might take you a while to fully recover, even with my magic." She shook her head. "No way! You guys are summoning Suzaku very soon right? Well I want to be ready for it!"
Mitsukake shrugged. He walked out of the room saying "Be careful Seshiri-chan…" Seshiri rolled her eyes. He reminds me of Taiitsukun-sama! Very protective. She chuckled to herself. Well I might as well go have something to eat! I'm STARVING!
Seshiri changed out of the bathrobe she had fallen asleep in and got dressed. Ok I can actually move, this is a good thing. She left her room and walked out into the courtyard. Mmmmmm… I smell something goooooood! Chibi-Seshiri ran down to the kitchens. Mmmm…. She gazed at the food with glazed over eyes, drooling. She looked around suspiciously and grabbed a plate piled with food.
"Mwahahahaha!" she quietly laughed. Chibi-Seshiri backed her way out of the kitchens, running into Chichiri. "AH! Who's?" She turned around "Sorry Chichiri-sama! I didn't mean to bump into you!" Chibi-Chichiri looked at her. "Seshi-chan! You should watch where you're going no da! It's not safe walking around backwards no da… What's that?" He pointed at her plate.
"Oh this? Uh I just got a little hungry that's all!" Chibi-Seshiri looked at Chibi-Chichiri "Uh, want some?" Chibi-Chichiri shook his head. "Ah, no thanks no da! We just had lunch!" He pointed to the kitchens "Lots of leftovers no da!"
Chichiri stepped out of Seshiri's way and let her out the door, "Thanks Chichiri!" she smiled and walked back to her room. Hmm… Now that I realize it these grounds are really beautiful! Heh… Of course I notice it close to when I have to leave…..
She sighed and stood in front of her room. "Nani?" The door was slightly agar. "Hmm… I didn't think I left it open.." Seshiri stepped in front of the door to open it the rest of the way, when the person inside her room did just that.
"Tasuki-san! What do you think you're doing in my room!?" She backed up, tripping over herself, sending the flood flying overhead. "Ah! Sorry Seshi-chan! I was just coming into check on you! And then you weren't in here!"
Seshiri stared up at Tasuki, "And what gave you the idea you could just barge into my room when I wasn't there?" Tasuki quirked an eyebrow at her. "I just said, I came in to check on you and you weren't there!"
"Yeah but, WHY did you come to check on me?!" Tasuki smirked. "Well I saw Mitsukake come back from your room, and I was wondering if he had healed your injury!" Seshiri rolled her eyes. "Well obviously."
Tasuki stood there, looking down at Seshiri, looking as if he was trying not to laugh. Seshiri continued to sit on the floor, and assessed the damage. There was food scattered around the floor, and the plate, although chipped, was not broken.
Seshiri sighed and looked up at Tasuki. "Well aren't you going to clean up your mess?" Tasuki looked at her gaping. "MY mess? YOU did this!" Seshiri glared up at him. "Well I wouldn't have done this if you hadn't been in my room!" Tasuki smirked. "Well I wouldn't have been in your room if I hadn't been wondering about how you were doing!"
"Well…" Seshiri blinked, totally clueless of what to say. Well I have no comeback to that… How am I supposed to turn what he just said into something bad? She muttered and began picking up the food.
Tasuki shook his head, chuckling. He kneeled down and began to help her clean up the mess. Seshiri grimaced as she picked up what USED to be her lunch. She held a big glop of what used to be edible food in her hand. She grinned evilly and threw the food at Tasuki, hitting him square in the face.
He sat up, bringing his hands to his face. "What the…" Tasuki wiped the food off of his face. He sat there blinking at the slop in his hand and looked over at Seshiri, who was trying not to laugh.
Seshiri grinned from ear to ear, fighting back the laughter as best she could. "Oh you think you're so clever do you?" Tasuki smirked, grabbing a handful of food and threw it and Seshiri. "Hey! Why'd you do that!?" He laughed at her. "Baka, you did it to me first!"
She blinked. "Oh.. Hah.. yeah you're right." She sat there, as if lost in thought. Now all I have to do is wait until he's off his guard and then throw more food… right… about… NOW! Tasuki turned away from Seshiri, just as she hurled more glop at the back of his head.
"NANI?" He felt the back of his head, trying to get the food out of his hair. "Hey! You got my hair! This means WAR!" She smirked. "'You got my hair'? Mwah, you sound like a girl! 'Ohh nooOOOooo my HAIR is RUINED!'" "Shaddup!" He gave her a fangy grin and threw some food at her.
"Direct Hit!" Tasuki grinned evilly. "Do not mess with me, I grew up with many sisters, and we had MANY food fights! I am very experienced!" Seshiri stuck her tongue out at him. "Well I don't care so NYA!"
Tasuki took advantage of this and took a handful of slop and put it right in her mouth. "EEYUUCK! OOH YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" She said laughing. And with that the food fight began.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
"Meh…" Tasuki grunted. The two were sprawled on the floor in the courtyard. The fight had been the fight to end all food fights. It had raged from the entrance of Seshiri's room to the kitchens, to the dining room, to the courtyard, where they now were.
They were both covered from head to toe in the 'ammo' from the other side. Seshiri turned onto her side. "Well that was fun!" Tasuki closed his eyes. "Silly girl… That took a lot of energy! What time is it?" "Uh.." Seshiri looked around. "I'm not sure. It's been about an hour."
Tasuki tried to sit up. "An HOUR?" Seshiri nodded. "No wonder I'm tired! The food fights with my sisters never lasted that long!" He smirked. "Probably because my parents would break up the fights before they got out of hand.
Seshiri nodded. "So tomorrow you guys summon Suzaku?" Tasuki nodded, grunting something that sounded like a yes. He turned over to look at her. "So what are you gonna do after we summon Suzaku 'n stuff?" Seshiri turned around on her back and put her hands behind her head.
"Well I can always go back to Taiitsukun-sama… but I think I finished my training." Tasuki nodded "That makes sense… Who would want to go study with that old bag anyway?"
Seshiri laughed, looking up at the sky she sighed. "Something on your mind Seshi-chan?" She shook her head, "No not really. I'm just gonna miss all you guys after you summon Suzaku." Tasuki nodded. "Yeah… I'll probably head back to be the boss of my bandit pals." Seshiri grinned. "I don't know if you could handle being boss." "Bah.. Silly girl, of course I could!"
She glanced over at him. "Hmmm I dunno." She said, teasingly. "Bah, I suppose YOU could do better?" She grinned. "Well now that you mention it-" "Oh shush.." He said. Leaning over he put his hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking. "Silly girl." He shook his head laughing.
"Mmmf!" She said. "Hmm you promise not to insult me?" He said questioningly. Seshiri nodded. "Mmhmmph." He laughed, taking his hand off of her mouth. "Silly girl." She stood up, smirking. "You call ME silly girl, but you're a fine one to talk!"
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Eh? You mean I'm silly?" She grinned. "Yes, you're a silly girl…" "Bah!" He said, grabbing her ankle and pulling her to the ground.
She sat on the ground laughing. He pulled out his tessen and bopped her with it. "Silly girl, you said you wouldn't insult me!" She looked over at him. "Wellll I couldn't help it!"
"What are you guys doing?" Tasuki turned around quickly and looked up at Nuriko, who was looking down on the smirking with that trademark 'I know something you don't know' look of his.
He crossed his arms and looked at them, raising both his eyebrows. "You heard me, what are you two doing?" Seshiri pointed at the food covering her shirt. "Food fight!" Tasuki nodded. "She fought very valiantly, but I won!" "Only because I ran out of ammo!"
Tasuki smirked. "Bwah. So? A minor detail! I still won! What's my prize?" Seshiri looked around. "Hmmm….. How about a big kiss on the lips?" Tasuki glanced at her in surprise. "Hmm.. That's better than no prize I guess." He smirked. "From Nuriko-san…." She finished, grinning evilly.
"NANI?! A KISS FROM HIM? ACK NO!" Seshiri began laughing at Chibi-Tasuki, who had a look of pure horror on his face.
Nuriko, joined in. "Baka, Tasuki-san! You're so gullible! She wasn't being serious!"
"Oh.. I knew that!" Seshiri continued laughing at him, unable to stop. "Ahaha! You should have seen the look on your face! You looked as if you were going to die!" Tasuki turned his back to them and pouted. "Was not! I knew you weren't serious!" Nuriko smirked. "Sure ya did."
"Bah. So, whose gonna give me my prize?" Seshiri quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well the prize is obviously not a kiss, unless of course you want one." Tasuki shook his head vigorously. "No no no! I just want a prize for my victory!"
She stood up and stood next to Nuriko, trying not to laugh. "How about a peach for your prize?" Tasuki's eyes glazed over. "Peach…. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!" Seshiri shook her head, turning to Nuriko she said. "Come on Nuriko-san! Let's leave him to his peach daydreams."
Seshiri and Nuriko walked towards Seshiri's room. "So…" Nuriko began. He paused, and stopped walking. "So?" She turned to him with a puzzled look on her face.
He stood looking at her with his hands on his hips. "Explain yourself." "What do you mean, explain myself?" Nuriko looked at her, his eyes gleaming. "Explain what you and Tasuki-san were doing!" She rolled her eyes, turning away from him.
"For Suzaku's sake, Nuriko-san! It was a harmless food fight!" "Harmless? From what I understand there was a lot of flirting involved."
Seshiri stared at him wide eyed. "FLIRTING? Nuriko-san! I can't believe this, you think I was flirting with Tasuki!?" He nodded. "Hai!"
"Well I didn't!!…. so… yeah…" He smirked at her, turning into a Chibi he jumped up and down. "Come ON Seshi-chan! I NEED DETAILS! And some tips…" "Nani?" "Well you noticed Tasuki was flirting back right? Well I need some tips for Hotohori-sama!"
Chibi-Seshiri waved her hands around. "NURIKO-SAN! I do NOT I repeat, do NOT like Tasuki-san!!!!!!" Chibi-Nuriko grinned at Seshiri, unconvinced. "Uh-hu…. Seshi-chan I'm usually right about these things!"
"Bah.." Seshiri walked away from Nuriko. Instead of going to her room she walked out to the pond to think. She climbed up onto a large flat rock and sat down. She looked at the water, watching the fish swim around on the bottom.
She inched closer to the pond. Leaning over she looked into the water. She reached out her hand, dipping it in. She made swirls in the water with her hand, watching the waves ripple across the pond.
I do NOT like him… I don't! I just DON'T… Do I? What if I do like him? I mean I love being around him but that's natural, he's a great, funny nice, charming guy! Who WOULDN'T like him? She shook her head, banishing the thought. She reached her hand down farther into the pond, pulling out a smooth flat stone.
She played with it in her hands before skipping it across the pond. Chichiri put his hand on her shoulder. "Something on your mind no da?" Seshiri jumped. Turning around she said, "Ah! Sorry Chichiri-sama… I didn't know you were there." He nodded. "I know no da! So, what's on your mind?" He sat down with his fishing rod in hand.
He put the hook into the water, ready to fish and ready to listen. "Nothing." Seshiri leaned back and looked up at the sky. "Nothing eh?" He nodded, understanding and continued to fish in silence.
"Well… There is something on my mind." Chichiri nodded, staring at the water. Seshiri looked over at him saying, "Well… Uh… I have this friend…. And she thinks she likes this guy, and she thinks he might like her…. But she can't like him because she's like never going to see him again after they go separate directions, and the person in charge of her might get REALLY mad."
Chichiri thought about what she said for a few minutes. He took his mask off and set it down beside him. "If they both might like each other why should they separate? They don't have to.. They could just stay together." Chichiri turned to Seshiri. "And you are the only person in charge of you. No one else can control you."
Seshiri looked back at the pond and nodded. "That makes sense." She stood up smiling. Thanks Chichiri-sama!" Chichiri smiled up at her and put his mask back on. "No problem no da!"
Seshiri hopped off the rock. "I'll see you around Chichiri-sama!" "Hai.. Bye Seshi-chan." Seshiri walked away from the pond, thinking to herself.
Wow.. That actually made sense! Good job Chichiri-sama! Now I know what you mean heh.. But he's right. Why should I leave them after we summon Suzaku? I can just travel around with all of them! If I went with Tasuki I could prove he isn't such a good bandit… Seshiri watched the ground, lost in thought, not quite looking where he was going. And Taiitsukun-sama can't control me! I'm not her student anymore!
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
Seshiri rammed right into Chiriko, knocking him over. "Ah! Sorry Chiriko-san! I'm not watching where I'm goin' today!" She grinned. "I'm 'fraid my head is in the clouds." He stood up and flashed a quick smile. "No problem Seshi-chan." He hurried past Seshiri, flute in hand.
"Nani? Chiriko-san??" Nani?! Why'd he leave like that? I didn't think I hit him that hard… Did I offend him or what? She blinked. "Riiiight…" She shook her head, sighing, and leaned on the railing next to her.
She looked up at the blue sky, studying the clouds. Hey.. That one looks like a horse! And there's a dragon! There's even a dog up there… I wonder why the clouds take shape like that. Hmm… Eh??? Who-?
Seshiri looked over to her right, noticing Tasuki for the first time. "Hi Seshi-chan." He said, waving. He smirked. "Still haven't changed out of your "combat" clothes?" She looked down at her food stained clothes and grinned. "No, not yet…. I've been thinking."
"Really? That's a first." He walked over to where she was and stood next to her. She whapped him. "Baka. That wasn't nice!" Chibi-Tasuki sprawled on the floor twitched. "I was just joking Seshi-chan! Dammit that hurt!"
Seshiri laughed. "Well that was the general idea." She held out her hand and helped him to his feet. "Arigatou…" She quickly smiled before turning back to the clouds.
"What'cha lookin' at?" "Clouds." "Hmm.." Tasuki stood next to her, looking up at the clouds. "I don't see what's so great about this." She looked over at him, exasperated. "Tasuki-san, I'm looking at the shapes the clouds make. If this isn't entertaining enough for you then leave!"
Tasuki kept silent and looked back up at the clouds. "Hey! Look at that one!" He pointed up at the sky. "It looks like Taiitsukun-sama!" "Hmm?" Seshiri looked to where he was pointing. "That looks like a hag.. Oh!! I see it! You're right it does look like her!"
"I can see a peach cloud!" "Hai hai! I see it I see it!!!" He looked up at the peach cloud, drooling. Seshiri laughed saying, "Your obsession with peaches is VERY strange." Tasuki didn't say anything, he just stared at the peach cloud. Seshiri rolled her eyes and looked for more shapes.
"Hey… I see one!" Tasuki grinned. "Really, I see lots." He bopped her. "Silly girl… up there! It's a heart!" "Nani? I can't see it!" He held up his finger, pointing to the heart cloud. "Tasuki-san! I still can't see it!" He leaned down, so his face was right next to hers, and pointed up. "See it?"
Seshiri's eyes lit up. "Hai! I see it!" She turned slightly, leaning back a little so she could face him. "I've never seen a heart cloud before" She nodded. He grinned. "I haven't either." He said, turning to face her.
They paused like that, holding each others gaze for a few moments. "…. AH! Sorry!" Seshiri jumped back, realizing how close they were standing. "Ahhhh!" Tasuki backed up, tripping over himself and falling. Seshiri looked down at him "Sorry Tasuki-san. But uh I have to uh go somewhere, and uh be somewhere!" She nodded and ran off, leaving Tasuki on the floor.
Seshiri ran past her room and skidded to a stop. She turned back around and pushed open the doors to her room, jumping inside. She closed the doors quickly and backed away from them.
Wait.. What the hell? Why the hellllllllll did I run away!? It was almost perfect! What did I run away from? Am I scared of HIM? ME, Scared of TASUKI? Hmm somehow I doubt it. No one could be scared of him. But why did I run away? He must hate me now, ditching him on the floor like that. I didn't mean to jump back! It's a reflex….
Seshiri ran over to a chair, collapsing onto it. What's wrong with me?! He was so close! AND I RAN AWAY DAMMIT! I could have.. I might have… I was close enough to… AGH WHY DID I RUN AWAY!? …Oh SHIT I have to see him tonight for dinner!! What am I gonna doooo?! I can't face him after that! Not after running away and leaving him! Shit…
She slowly stood up. What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do?! First things first! Get cleaned up! Hopefully by the time I'm done it will be dinner! At dinner I.. well.. I'll think of that when I get there…
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
Seshiri stood in front of the dining room doors, debating whether to go in or not. I could always just.. fake sick? Maybe have food sent to my room? But then he'd know I was avoiding him… And that would make things worse… I might as well just.. Go in, and play it cool. She nodded. Good plan.
She opened the door cautiously. She stepped in, flashing her greatest smile. "Konban wa!" Hotohori looked up from where he was sitting. "Konban wa Seshi-chan." "Glad you could join us Seshi-chan!!" Nuriko waved to her, pointing to a seat next to him… Which was, unfortunately, right next to Tasuki.
Seshiri stared at the seat with wide eyes. "Uh.. Thank you for saving me a seat Nuriko-san." Oh Suzaku how could he do that!! I must have revenge for this! Gah! Right next to Tasuki-san! The two chairs are practically one seat!
"Aren't you going to sit down Seshi-chan?" Nuriko looked up at her curiously. "Of course Nuriko-san." Seshiri forced a smile and walked over to the empty seat. Play it cool…. Play it cool… Ignore him as much as possible.
Seshiri took her seat, and the conversation resumed. Seshiri turned to talk to Nuriko, but he quickly began talking to Chiriko. Of course… He wants me to talk to Tasuki-san!!!
Well, I'm seeing right through his plan. Seshiri stared straight past Tasuki, over to Hotohori. "Seshiri-chan I-" Tasuki began, but Seshiri cut him off. "So Hotohori-sama, the summoning is tomorrow?"
Hotohori nodded. Between bites he said, "Hai… We want to summon Suzaku as soon as possible. Ku'tou is beginning to be very disagreeable. Especially since we rescued Tamahome."
Seshiri nodded, looking at the food. "Well that's understandable." She grinned and began to serve herself. She turned to Tasuki saying, "Mmm the food here is great! I'm not sure any other place has as great food as the palace!"
Tasuki stared at her gaping. Food?! Why the hell am I talking about FOOD!? I might as well said "Nice weather we're having, ne?" Dammit he must think I'm a complete baka!
Tasuki shook his head, as if coming to his senses. "Hai, uh.. The food here is good.. um… I guess.." Nuriko kept glancing back at them, amused. This was your plan all along wasn't it Nuriko-sama? Grrr… I'll have my revenge!
Seshiri forced another smile. "So…" Tasuki tried to concentrate on his food and said, "So.. Seshi-chan.. You will go back to Taiitsukun-sama after we summon Suzaku?" "No, I don't think so. I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
Tasuki looked over at her, uncertainly. "No plans at all?" She shook her head, taking a sip of her drink. "Nope. Nothing at all." He tried to conceal a smile as he took another bite of his food.
Chibi-Seshiri took another pile of food, and plopped it onto her plate. "Um nice weather we're having, ne?" Oh Suzaku, BAKA! Of all things… of ALL things.. the WEATHER!?!?!??!?
Tasuki quirked an eyebrow at her, smirking. "Uh, weather?" He said, trying not to laugh. Seshiri nodded, suppressing the urge to laugh the best she could. "Hai, the weather. You know, rain.. Sun.. Snow…"
Tasuki looked at her, still trying not to laugh. She glanced up at him, their eyes locking. "…" "…" Seshiri fell out of her chair in a fit of giggles as Tasuki leaned back in his chair, howling with laughter.
"Nani? What's so funny!? What did I miss!?" Nuriko turned around in his chair facing them. "N.. Nothing Nuriko-san!" Seshiri said, trying to get her laughter under control.
Chichiri, seated across from Tasuki stared at them. He whispered to Mitsukake, "I didn't think the weather was so funny no da…" Mitsukake nodded. "I fail to see the humor in it." He whispered back.
"Ow! Ow! Cramp! Laughing too hard!" Seshiri gasped, continuing to laugh. Tasuki grinned down at her. "Planning to get up anytime soon?" She smiled up at him, and finally stopped laughing. "No, it's very comfortable on the floor." She patted the ground. "Very…er… .soft.." That only resulted in more laughter from the both of them.
Miaka looked over at them, complaining. "I don't get it! What's the joke!" Tamahome scooched his chair closer to her. "Hmm.. I'm not sure. I think it's some sort of inside joke maybe?"
Seshiri sat up, and looked at the rest of them. "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to fall." She tried to stand up, but began to sway as she was half way up. She through her hand out, grabbing the closest thing which was unfortunately the table cloth.
She held onto it as she fell backwards. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The linen followed her to the ground and all the dishes flew up, sending food everywhere.
The table cloth was completely covering her. She fought her way out from underneath. "AAAHH" She looked up at the others, covered in food. The dishes were in bits, and littered the table as well as the floor.
"Uh…… Oops?" She said, wincing as a wine glass clattered to the floor. Chiriko shook his head at her and stood up. Nuriko stood up laughing. "That was HILARIOUS! Oooohooo that was priceless!" Miaka erupted with laughter, as Hotohori did the same. Soon everyone around the table was laughing, and Seshiri smiled uncertainly.
She stood up, wrapping the table cloth around her arm. "Look at this mess!!!!!" Hotohori smiled at her. "It's ok Seshi-chan, the servants will take care of it."
Seshiri grinned. "Gomen minna-san, I kinda ruined the dinner." "Kinda? You totally trashed it!" Tasuki said, bopping her lightly. "Baka." He added, smiling. "Shaddup." She grinned, and stepped away from the table. Tasuki stood up yawning. "Big day ahead of us, ne? I'm going to get some sleep."
Seshiri nodded. "Would you mind if I left you guys? I'm exhausted." Miaka began to say something but Nuriko cut her off. "Sure Seshi-chan! Go ahead, we're fine!" Seshiri smiled and walked out the door, Tasuki following her.
Seshiri walked with Tasuki back to her room. Standing in front of her doors she turned to face him. "Mmm.. Tired…." She muttered. "I should go to bed." He grinned. "Hai, I should too." Seshiri looked up at him, laughing. "That didn't sound quite right!" Tasuki blinked, rethinking what he said.
"Ah! You're right! I meant that we both needed to go to bed! Wait.. that doesn't sound right either! AAH" Chibi-Tasuki waved his arms around. Seshiri laughed at him. "Baka, I know what you mean." She said, blushing slightly.
"Oyasumi Tasuki-san." She said, smiling. "Oyasumi Seshi-chan." He replied. Hesitating, he looked into her eyes. Tasuki rested his hand on her shoulder. He closed his eyes and gently kissed her, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
She closed her eyes and held the kiss, losing all train of thought. She knew that if he let her go, she would most likely fall. Her mind, and her heart raced. He held her tightly in his arms, as if not wanting to let go.
What…? He…… Me……. She thought, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Quickly, as if waking up he broke off the kiss. He let go and took a few steps back, startled. Turning a crimson red he managed to say. "G… Gomen nasai Seshiri-chan! I didn't mean to.. I mean I.. Oyasumi!!!" He turned around and ran off, leaving Seshiri standing in front of her room.
She opened her doors and stepped into her room, completely lost in thought. He… Kissed me… He just wrapped his arms around me… and then KISSED me!!!…. How did that happen? I didn't expect it! I was totally surprised! Why did he kiss me? Not that I'm complaining. She threw herself into bed, and fell asleep, completely confused.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
Sunlight flooded Seshiri's room through the windows. She lay awake, remembering what had happened the night before. Why did he stop kissing me? Did I do something wrong? Dammit he didn't have to stop…. It was…. Kind of nice.. actually.. To be in his arms… To have him, kissing me… To feel his warmth… It was so perfect….
She stared at the ceiling in a bit of a daze. But something scared him off. He stopped and just… ran! Why? What happened? I didn't do anything wrong did I? She sighed.
She sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Hmm.. There was something important going on today… What was it? Come on think! It was really important… AH, SUZAKU! THE CEREMONY! She jumped out of bed, saying to herself. "Baka, baka, baka.. HOW COULD YOU FORGET!? Hmm… Not that hard considering.. GAH!" She was furious with herself.
"Taiitsukun-sama was right! This is what happens when you get involved with guys!" She quickly changed, and raced out of her room. Skidding to a stop in front of the dining room, she barged through the doors. Inside she saw the others. "SORRY! SORRY! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!"
Chichiri smiled at her as Nuriko glanced over at her with a sly smile on his face. "Apparently Tasuki-san completely forgot too. He hasn't showed up yet." Nuriko strode across the room and stood in front of Seshiri whispering, "So, what happened? Where's Tasuki-san?" "Er.. I don't know!" Seshiri said, turning a slight shade of pink.
"Uh-hu.. Likely story! I want to know what happened after you guys left!" "Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" She said, pushing past him towards breakfast. Chibi-Nuriko whined. "But Seshi-chan! I need DETAILS!"
Seshiri shook her head. "Nothing happened Nuriko-san now lay OFF!" Nuriko muttered. "No one ever tells me anything…" At this point in time Tasuki burst into the room.
"MY BAD! MY BAD! Sorry! I kinda… sorta.. almost… forgot!" Nuriko waved his hand at Tasuki. "Yeah, yeah, so what ELSE is new." Tasuki raised an eyebrow at Nuriko's comment. "Uh-hu.. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."
Seshiri sat down. Grabbing a plate, she put a little bit of food on it. Chichiri blinked at her saying, "Seshi-chan… are you ok? You aren't eating much…." Seshiri smiled slightly. "No, no I'm fine." She said, picking at her food.
Miaka shook her head. "SESHI-CHAN! NOT ENOUGH FOOD IS NOT HEALTHY! You need more food!!!!" Miaka piled some more food onto Seshiri's plate. "Er… Thanks?" Miaka smiled. "Noooo problem!"
A maid cautiously tapped Miaka on the shoulder. "I am sorry to disturb you Suzaku no miko, but we are here to serve you." The woman waved at more maids behind her. "Eh? But I just ate!" "She means that she is going to assist you in the purifying ceremony that takes place before the summoning." Miaka nodded. "Oooohhh… I understand!"
The maids led Miaka away as the others wandered around the palace, leaving Nuriko, Tasuki, and Seshiri in the room. Nuriko gleamed at the two of them, who were trying to act interested in the food on their plates.
"No need to keep secrets! What happened?" Tasuki looked up at Nuriko frowning. "What do you mean?" Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Tasuki-san, don't play clueless, I KNOW something happened!"
"Nuriko-san… Nothing worth mentioning happened." Seshiri muttered. Nuriko looked over at her. "Nani? I was almost positive…" Seshiri stood up. "No.. You were wrong Nuriko-san.. I don't feel that way about Tasuki-san…"
Tasuki looked over at them indignantly. "I AM here ya know, don't talk about me as if I weren't even in the same room!" Nuriko ignored Tasuki, staring at Seshiri.
"But Seshi-chan! I thought-""No Nuriko-san! Just… drop it.." Seshiri took a deep breath and backed away from the table. Chibi-Nuriko stood up and walked over to her. "B-b-b-but I'm usually right about these things!"
Tasuki glared over at the SD Nuriko. "Nuriko-san you were wrong. Seshiri-chan and I are just friends! We've always been friends, nothing more, and it's going to STAY that way!" At these words Seshiri walked quickly out of the room, not saying a word.
Dammit…. Why did I… Why did he.. Nuriko you just.. GAH! I'm so fed up with this whole thing! Do I like him? YES! Obviously! But… I can't seem to admit it!…….. he doesn't even like me anyway, he just said so to Nuriko…
She walked around for a while before she sat on the railing. But….. I can't help but think… What about last night?….probably a mistake or something. There's no way he possibly could have meant to do that! Just… probably…caught up in the moment… that's all… Yeah.. I bet that's what happened…
She chuckled to herself. Taiitsukun DID warn me! But did I listen to her? No, of course not! I never listen to anyone, even if it is good advice. Seshiri walked across a bridge that went over a small section of the pond.
She walked into the garden full of exotic flowers and trees. Smiling she walked over to the sundial
They're probably starting the ceremony right now… How long should it take them? A few minutes? Hmm… not too long… I might as well go down there and greet them when they come out! Nodding to herself she slowly left the garden and made her way to where the Suzaku temple was. Hmm.. Take my time or spend all day waiting for them out on the steps? Well… Considering I have no idea how long this will take my best bet will probably be to wait outside the steps.
Seshiri had just made her way up to the steps of the temple when the doors opened, much to the dismay of the guards. "What the-" One of them managed to say, before Chiriko raced by them.
Clutching his arm he made his escape, with Tasuki and Tamahome trailing. "Out of the way!" Chiriko gasped. Seshiri just stood there, staring at the approaching Chiriko. "Chiriko-san?" Chiriko ran by her, knocking her to the ground. "HEY THAT WASN'T NICE!!!" Seshiri yelled at him.
"'Scuse me, comin' through!" Tamahome yelled as he and Tasuki followed Chiriko.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
Seshiri sat on the ground rubbing her head. "Did I miss something?" She stood up and went inside the temple where Nuriko, Mitsukake, and Hotohori stood in shock. "Uh.. Guys? What just happened there?"
Nuriko crossed his arms, remaining silent. Hotohori looked over at her. "Chiriko-san.. He was an intruder. A member of the Seiryuu Seven." Seshiri's eyes widened. "He's a WHAT?" Hotohori nodded. "Seiryuu Seven. We were just as surprised as you. It turns out his name is… Amiboshi?"
Mitsukake cut in. "He tricked us all. Pretending to be Chiriko. He then… chose when we were weakest to attack. Clever…" Seshiri shook her head, and began to pace. "I don't understand it! He was such a nice guy… How could he do such a thing?"
Nuriko looked at someone walking through the door. "Miaka.. what..?" She stepped slowly, holding Amiboshi's flute in her hands, her expression was grim. Tamahome stepped forward and quietly answered. "He fell into the river… There was no way to save him…" Chichiri nodded.
Hotohori walked over to them. "I can't say that I'm happy he is dead…" He paused. "We were so naïve. It never occurred to us that he was not Chiriko."
"Nani? What's wrong with you! It's a damned good thing he's dead!" Tasuki growled. "He brought it on himself! What goes around, comes around!" "Don't say that!" Miaka whirled around, glaring at Tasuki. "He might have been our enemy, but he wasn't evil!" She choked back tears.
"A bad person… A bad person could have never played such beautiful music!" A small voice came from the entrance of the temple.
"I agree with you." The guards, who had by then recovered, barred the entrance. "Who do you think you are?!" The young boy smiled. "By using my leaf whistle, I disturbed the pattern of the notes.. And, his chi was in disorder, caused by some kind of confusion."
The guards stepped out of the way as the young boy entered the temple. All eyes were on him as Miaka asked, "W-What is your name?" The boy smiled and slightly lifted up his robes, revealing a glowing red symbol on his foot.
Tasuki stared at him. "What the-" Seshiri cut him off. "Then you're?" Chiriko nodded. "Hai. I am Ou Do Kun. My guardian name is Chiriko." Seshiri waved her arms around. "But where have you been this whole time?! We kinda needed you!"
Name: Chiriko
Age: 13
Occupation: Suzaku Seshi
Hair: Light Brown
Eyes: Green
Powers: Genius
He smiled up at her. "I was studying for an exam! The Kakiyo exam to be precise." Miaka cringed. "You… Had to study.. for an exam?!" She turned to Nuriko. "Kakiyo? What's a Kakiyo..?" Nuriko watched Chiriko, bewildered.
"It's an exam used for choosing government officials!" Chichiri kneeled down in front of Chiriko. "You wanted to be a government official at such a young age no da!??!" "Hai!" He said, his face gleaming.
Hotohori nodded absently. "Yes that would be the second part." Miaka fell over twitching. "THERE'S A SECOND PART!?!?!?" Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Hai." Tamahome turned to Tasuki. "Those exam's are supposed to be REALLY hard right?" Tasuki backed away from him "What are ya askin' ME for?!"
"I was informed that a 13-year-old boy had passed the first exams with the highest scores. Was that you?" Chiriko nodded. "Hai! Since then, the Suzaku constellations have been foretelling misfortune! I hurried over here as fast as I could."
Seshiri blinked, still completely clueless. "So.. You're talking about the ceremony? AH SUZAKU! YOU GUYS WHAT ABOUT THE CEREMONY!?!?!?" Miaka jumped. "AAH THAT'S RIGHT!! The fire's still burning! We might be able to pull it off!"
Miaka closed her eyes and began to pray, as the others followed suit.
"S-something's appearing!" Seshiri pointed at the fire. "Suzaku?" She murmured.
Suddenly a witch appeared from the flames. Taiitsukun roared at them. "BAKAS WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?" "AAHH" They all yelled, and collapsed.
Seshiri tried to drown out Taiitsukun's evil voice while she droned on and on about how Miaka had failed as a miko.
Gah Taiitsukun you old hag! Leave Miaka alone already! Sheesh you don't need to rag on her so much! She did her best! It's not her fault that Amiboshi tricked her- he tricked all of us! And he DID have a symbol! …. Hm… Must have been a tattoo…
Seshiri uncovered her ears in time to hear Taiitsukun say that she wanted alone time with Miaka. Poor girl. Alone with Taiitsukun when she's in a good mood is bad enough, but when she's pissed off… like now.. do NOT stay alone with that lady!
Seshiri walked outside of the temple with the others and sat down on the steps. Tasuki fought Tamahome away from his new tessen as Seshiri zoned out.
"Hmm… So you guys still have a chance to summon Suzaku?" Nuriko sat down next to Seshiri, admiring his new bracelets. "Hai… We just have to go to Hokkan and get the Shinzaho! How hard could it be?" Seshiri smirked, looking up at Nuriko.
"I don't think I'll accompany you guys…" Nuriko nudged his friend, startled. "Nani? Why?" Seshiri smiled slightly. "Ah, I don't exactly handle cold well.. And Hokkan is really just a big frozen wilderness!"
And the fact that Tasuki is going along makes things a little awkward after all the stuff that's happened! Nuriko sighed. "Yeah good point. I don't know HOW my frail body will survive such temperatures!" Seshiri laughed. "Frail? You? Uh-uh no possible way."
Nuriko grinned. "Hey, I'm not as buff as I look! Us drop dead gorgeous guys have weaknesses too!" Seshiri rolled her eyes. "You keep on thinkin' that Nuriko-san."
Seshiri yawned and closed her eyes slightly. "Tired… I didn't get much sleep last night." Nuriko grinned slyly. "I bet neither you nor Tasuki-san got much sleep.." Seshiri came to her senses and whapped Nuriko. "NURIKO-SAN!!!!!!!!!!!!" He laughed, holding his hands up for defense. "Joking, just joking!"
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
Nuriko stood in front of Seshiri with his hands on his hips. "Come ON Seshi-chan! This is our last night out before we go to Hokkan, we might as well enjoy it!" Tasuki nodded. "Come on Seshi-chan! It'll be fun!"
Seshiri glanced up at Tasuki and sighed. "…… Well… I guess….. I might as well go…" Nuriko clapped, "Woohoo Seshiri-chan! Lets go get Miaka-chan to come!" Seshiri grinned and nodded. Chibi-Seshiri stood in front of the group and pointed in the direction of Miaka's room. "TO THE MIKO'S ROOM!"
At that they all ran down the corridor t o see Miaka standing outside of the room. Seshiri whispered to Tasuki. "Nani? Tasuki-san what do you think she's doing?" He raised his eyebrows saying "I have nooo idea…"
"Miaka-chaaan!" Nuriko ran over to Miaka. "Tasuki-san, Seshi-chan, and I are going to the Star-gazing festival in town tonight!" Tamahome walked by the group, sulking. "Oh.. Hello Tamahome. There's a festival tonight…. We could all go."
Miaka patted Tamahome on the shoulder and stepped around him. Seshiri's eyes grew wide as she turned to Tasuki. "Did you see that?! She just totally blew him off!" Tasuki nodded, his eyes just as wide. "I saw it but I don't believe it!" Nuriko nodded. "Oh our Tamahome probably said all the wrong things again!"
Nuriko patted Tamahome's shoulder laughing, and Tasuki did the same saying, "So what did you do THIS time?" Tamahome punched the Chibi-Tasuki into the wall and walked away, silent.
Seshiri blinked. "Well I guess he's not in the mood to talk." Chibi-Tasuki fell face down from the wall. "I… agree…." He managed to mutter. Seshiri looked back at him. "GAH look at that dent in the wall! Yeesh he was really pissed off.."
Nuriko picked Tasuki up from the floor. "Geez Tasuki, you should be more sensitive, Tamahome isn't in a good mood!" Tasuki whapped Nuriko. "Naw really, I hadn't noticed! Bah.." He said. He sat down on the railing and looked back at the two.
"So what are we gonna do until the Star-Gazing festival?" Seshiri leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "I dunno…" They turned to Nuriko, expecting him to have an answer. "Er…" He looked back and forth between the two. "Well uh… we could… um…." He looked around. "Well what are you asking ME for!? I don't know!" Seshiri rolled her eyes. "The famous Nuriko doesn't have a plan? Imagine that!"
"Well I don't know about YOU guys but I'm thinking about going to comfort Hotohori-sama!" He sighed a dreamy sigh and clasped his hands together looking off into the distance. "Nani?" Seshiri lost her balance sitting on the railing and fell off backwards. "AAAAH-" She hit the ground with a thump. "Ouch!" She winced. "Er… I meant to do that! I did… I swear!" Tasuki and Nuriko laughed at her. "Silly girl." Tasuki grinned. "I'm sure ya did."
Chibi-Seshiri sat up and looked over at Tasuki. "NYA!" She said and stuck her tongue out at him. Nuriko continued, not noticing the disturbance. "Poor Hotohori-sama! With Miaka-chan an Tamahome-san together he must be very lonely!"
Chibi-Tasuki ignored Nuriko's rambling and stuck his tongue out at Seshiri, crossing his eyes. Chibi-Seshiri gasped and said, "Ooh you're gonna get it now!" She picked up a pebble next to her and hurled it at Tasuki.
It bounced of his head. "GAH! That hurt!" She smirked. "It was ONLY a LITTLE pebble Tasuki-san! I didn't throw it THAT hard!" Chibi-Nuriko turned to them glaring. "PAY ATTENTION!" He whapped Tasuki and continued.
"I mean now that Miaka-chan is out of the way Hotohori-sama is free to fall for me!" Tasuki rubbed his head. "Heh. Nuriko-san, I doubt Hotohori-sama would fall for you even if you WERE a woman!" "Uh-oh. Tasuki, you've done it now!" Chibi-Seshiri snickered.
Chibi-Tasuki turned back to her. "Done WHAT?" He turned back to Nuriko. "Eep!" He squeaked. Chibi-Nuriko had turned 3 times his size and was glaring down at Tasuki.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT DID YOU SAY!?!??!?!?!??!" Tasuki cringed away from Nuriko. "AAAHH I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" The flames in his eyes died down slightly, but he still towered over Tasuki.
"Another snide remark like that an I'm gonna pulverize you!" Tasuki muttered something under his breath. "What was that?" Nuriko asked in a dangerous tone. "Er… Nothin' Nuriko-san! I didn't say anything!" "Good." Nuriko said, returning to his normal size.
Seshiri was trying not to laugh. "Nuriko, don't be so harsh on him-" "Yes exactly don't be so hard on me!" Seshiri grinned. "He IS a moron therefor he doesn't know better. He whirled around to face her. "I am NOT a moron! Grrrr'" Seshiri yawned to show she didn't care and stood up.
She brushed herself off and jumped back over the railing to where Nuriko was standing. Tasuki whapped her with his tessen. "I AM NOT A MORON." Nuriko flicked Tasuki, knocking him over. "Yes you are! Come Seshiri, let us leave this moron until he must accompany us to the festival!"
Seshiri laughed, "Poor baka Tasuki." Chibi-Nuriko 'elegantly' walked down the hallway towards the gardens. Seshiri turned back to Tasuki, who was twitching on the ground. "That baka Nuriko doesn't realize his flicks are stronger than normal peoples!" She smirked. "Actually I think he does."
Tasuki stood up, pouting. "Grr…" Seshiri rolled her eyes. "Come ON Tasuki! Unless you would rather stand here alone." Seshiri hurried after Nuriko. "Wait for me dammit!" Tasuki called after them.
Seshiri ran up so she was walking next to Nuriko. Tasuki caught up to them and stood on Nuriko's other side. Nuriko smiled slightly and stopped walking. "Oh! I've got something in my shoe! You guys can go on ahead, I'll be right with you!" Seshiri stopped walking and looked back at Nuriko.
"Nani? Are you sure? We can wait for you." Nuriko said as politely as he could, "No, go on ahead!" Seshiri started to walk back to Chibi-Nuriko. "Are you sure? We could just-""NO GO ON AHEAD!" Chibi-Seshiri jumped back as Chibi-Nuriko cut her off. Chibi-Tasuki stared at Nuriko. "Er, come on Seshi-chan. I think Nuriko might bite your head off if you try to stay!"
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
"Er right." Chibi-Seshiri turned away an quickly walked away from Nuriko, looking over her shoulder. Tasuki shook his head. "Nuriko gets very scary when he wants to be alone!" Seshiri nodded, walking next to Tasuki. "Hai." After that was a very awkward silence that lasted for what seemed all eternity.
Agh why wont he say something and stop the silence? Hell why don't I just say something? CAUSE I DON'T WANNA SAY THE WRONG THING! Gah.. maybe it's the same with him? No way! Why should he be afraid to say something? Why would he be afraid? There's no way he's afraid! Well…. If he isn't.. then.. Why isn't he saying anything?
"So…." Tasuki muttered. Seshiri blinked and looked up at him blankly. "So?" Tasuki looked around. "So… er… we're at the gardens!" Seshiri blinked. "Ah. Yeah I guess we are." She walked around the garden and lightly touched the flowers with the tips of her fingers. She looked over to where Tasuki was standing and laughed.
"Nani? Something funny?" He raised an eyebrow. She tried not to laugh and said, "No… It's just, Nuriko is trying to sneak up on us!" Tasuki began to turn around. "Ah no!" Seshiri ran up to him an gently took his face in her hands making him look at her. She put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shhh! Don't look! He's trying to catch us doing something!"
"Eh?" Tasuki tried not to laugh. "So what are we going to do?" He said, trying to ignore Seshiri's hand that was still resting on his cheek. She quickly withdrew her hand and took a step back. "Well…. Uh… Nothing?" Chibi-Tasuki nodded. "Good plan!" Seshiri rolled her eyes and sat down on a bench.
Seshiri grazed at the scenery with a dreamy look on her face. The dozens of purple and red flowers overflowed with color. The willow trees were scattered around the area, their branches hanging down most dramatically. Seshiri looked up at a tree behind her. The branches hung down, covered with leaves. She thoughtfully pulled the yellow flower from the branch and held it in her hand.
Tasuki stood with his arms folded staring at Seshiri, waiting for her to say something. As she kept silent he rolled his eyes and walked over to her. Chibi-Tasuki looked at Chibi-Seshiri. "Whatcha doin'?" She looked up at him and smiled. "Just lookin' at the flowers until Nuriko-san gets here." Chibi-Tasuki nodded. "So how long do you think he will take sneaking up?" Chibi-Seshiri grinned. "Until he believes that something has gone on between us!" Chibi-Tasuki looked down shaking his head. "Somethin' tells me he's gonna be really disappointed!"
Seshiri sighed slightly. Nodding she looked back down at the flower in her hand. Tasuki quickly looked up at her when he heard her sigh. Under his breath he muttered, "He's not the only one who's gonna be disappointed…" Seshiri looked over at Tasuki. "Hm?" He gave her a fangy grin, "Nothin' Seshi-chan!"
She watched him uncertainly. I am almost positive I heard him say…. Well I THINK I heard him say "He's not the only one who's gonna be disappointed… but I think I heard wrong. No, I'm sure he didn't say that! I don't really think he said anything actually! Nothing at all, it was probably the breeze ruffling the leaves… or something… She shook her head slightly and shrugged.
"I think Nuriko should be coming along any minute now…" Right on cue, around the corner came Nuriko. The Chibi seemed to glide over to them. "Soooooo" he said, his voice dripping with enthusiasm. "How are you guys doing?" Tasuki shrugged and looked over at Nuriko. Turning Chibi he jumped to his feet and approached the Seishi. "When's dinner already? I'm starved an in the mood for some sake!"
Nuriko looked back and forth between the two of them with a puzzled look on his face. "Well uh we could find Miaka and then eat early and have plenty of time for the festival!" Chibi-Seshiri jumped to her feet, raising her fist in the air. "OK! LET'S GO FIND MIAKA!"
Seshiri, Tasuki, and Nuriko all ran off in separate directions to find Miaka. Seshiri conveniently made it so that she was searching around the kitchens. Talking to herself she muttered "Well this IS a good place for Miaka to be, she IS always hungry, so why wouldn't she be hiding out here?" She continued to search around the kitchen calling Miaka's name.
After noticing the kitchen was all clear Seshiri had an idea and ran to Hotohori's working room. She knocked on the door and walked in, interrupting a conversation between Hotohori and a few other people.
Seshiri looked at them, startled. "Gomen nasai!!!!!!!!" Seshiri said, embarrassed. She was about to leave when Hotohori beckoned her in. Seshiri stepped into the room and stood in front of Hotohori. "Seshi-chan, these are the people who will be attending the boat. He pointed to a gruff man, "The Captain." He pointed to a young girl. "The cook and waitress." And then he pointed to the third man. "And the First Mate.
Seshiri bowed to each of them. "We were just discussing what they would do until you and the rest of the Seishi set out tomorrow. Because all the plans have been made, they really have nothing to do." The captain raised his hand slightly. "Gomen Hotohori-sama, but I intend to get to bed very early." The First Mate nodded in agreement. "Young Nanuri here however." He said, turning to her.
Nanuri looked between the 3 of them. "Actually I was thinking of going to the Star Gazing Festival." Hotohori smiled as Seshiri nodded saying, "A few of the Seishi and I are going! Do you want to come with us?" Nanuri grinned. "I'd love to!"
Name: Nanuri Chika
Age: 15
Occupation: Waitress and cook on one of Hotohori's ships
Hair: Red/Brown
Eyes: Green
Powers: the power to cook (takes intense skill, and is very hard to master ^.^)
Seshiri nodded. Bowing to the others she began to walk out of the room, calling Nanuri to come with her. "Ja ne!" She said, turning Chibi and running out of the room with Nanuri following her. Once out, they began to walk slowly, still searching for Miaka.
This should be interesting! I wonder if anyone will mind that I invited Nanuri along… She seems nice, and I don't think they'll mind at all…. I hope…. Wait. Did she just ask me something?
"Gomen, what did you say?" Nanuri laughed slightly. "I asked who were the other Seishi." Seshiri smacked her forehead. "Gah! Sorry, lost in thought there. Well uh there's Miaka. She's the Suzaku no Miko! There's Nuriko, and Tasuki who are both Seishi. They're pretty much my best friends here. The others are waaaaaaaaaay too mature for my taste!" Nanuri laughed.
"Right now we're looking for Miaka. We're going to have an early dinner so we can spend loads more time at the festival!" Chibi-Nanuri pointed over to where Nuriko was waving at someone. "Is that…" Chibi-Seshiri looked over to where she was pointing and said, "That's Nuriko! I think he might have spotted Miaka!"
Sure enough Miaka came running into view, and tried to climb over the railing. After a 5 minute struggle Nuriko decided to just lift her over the railing. "And there's Tasuki!" Tasuki walked over to where Nuriko was lifting Miaka over the railing. As soon as he saw what the problem was he fell over laughing. "And the moron rolling around on the floor is Tasuki!" Nanuri grinned, but remained silent.
By that time Seshiri and Nanuri had reached Nuriko and Miaka. "Nuriko-san!" Seshiri grinned. She stepped aside so he could see Nanuri. "This is Nanuri, she's gonna be coming with us!" "Huh?" Nuriko turned to face them. The Chibi-Nuriko caught sight of Nanuri and his jaw dropped.
Chibi-Seshiri raised an eyebrow. Walking over to Chibi-Nuriko she waved her hand in front of his face. "Nuuuriiikooo-san….. Anybody home?" He continued to stare at her, with a glazed look on his face. Chibi-Seshiri did her best not to laugh. "Nuriko-san… You're drooling…" Snapping out of his daydream he closed his mouth. "Gomen!" He laughed nervously.
Tasuki and Seshiri looked at each other, both immediately realizing what was happening. Nanuri, meanwhile, turned bright pink and looked down at her feet. Trying to cover up what had just happened Nuriko said loudly, "So! Let's go eat!" Chibi-Miaka nodded, pretending nothing had happened. "I'm STARVED!"
Chibi-Tasuki put his hands on his hips. "But Miaka, you're ALWAYS starved!" Chibi-Miaka whapped him on the head. "Baka." She muttered. "Come on!" She said, and began to run off to the kitchens.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~
"Wau!" Seshiri looked around, her eyes wide. "This is the first time I've ever been out in the city at night!" Miaka turned SD and jumped around. "SUGOI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVEN'T EITHER!" Chibi-Nanuri drooled slightly, eyeing a stand selling desserts. "Let's eat!" Nanuri shouted. Nuriko nodded. "Hai! Good idea!" Tasuki stared at them. "But you just ate!"
Seshiri, Miaka, Nanuri, and Seshiri all ran over to the stand. "I'll have one!" "Me too Mr.!" "I'd like one tooooo!" The Chibis all jumped, excited to have dessert. Tasuki rolled his eyes and walked over to them. "Eh what the hell, I'll have one too Mr.!" The vendor nodded and handed them each a bowl.
"Mmmm……" Seshiri said, sitting down on a bench. "Smells wooonderfulllllll!" Nuriko said, getting seated next to Miaka and Tasuki. scarfing his down. Sat on Seshiri's other side as Tasuki sat down on Seshiri's left.
Nanuri looked at her already empty bowl. "That was delicious!" She said, licking her lips. Chibi-Seshiri closed her eyes and finished off her bowl. "Tamahome should have come!" Chibi-Miaka spit out her dessert. They looked at her, not quite understanding. Nuriko nodded. "Yeah, he's been moping around lately!" Chibi-Miaka once again spit out the mouthful she had been eating.
Chibi-Tasuki finished off his bowl saying. "Gah, let him pout! He acts like Miaka dumped him!" For the third time Chibi-Miaka spit out her food, coughing. Seshiri shrugged, looking at Nanuri. Nanuri nodded, understanding that Seshiri was just as clueless as she was. Chibi-Nuriko grinned. "Well, whatever the reason, let's just have some fun, ok?"
Chibi-Seshiri stood up, scanning the area. 'HAI! What should we do next!?" Chibi-Tasuki stood up and grabbed her by the arms, holding her back. "STOP LOOKING SO DETERMINED!" "Gah!" Seshiri struggled against Tasuki as Nuriko quietly tried to move closer to Nanuri.
Nanuri stood up, totally oblivious to Nuriko's efforts to sit next to her. Chibi-Miaka jumped up, as if coming out of a trance. "Let's have as much fun as we possibly can!" "YEAH!" The others cheered, and jumped up, raising their fists in the air.
After watching a few events a big strong fat man stood, lifting up an enormous cauldron. "Who Can lift more?" He said, grunting. "No one?" He chuckled when suddenly the ground shifted underneath him. "NANI!?" He shrieked. Nuriko had picked him up with one hand, smiling to the crowd as they cheered and applauded.
Chibi-Seshiri and Chibi-Nanuri stood in the front row clapping and cheering Nuriko on. "Come on folks, how long can I keep him spinning?" Hmmm… Nuriko is acting strangely! Could he actually LIKE NANURI!? Has he suddenly just fallen out of his gayness? He sure seems to like showing off around her! I bet that's it! Finally I'm gonna be able to tease HIM about something! Mwahahaha. Seshiri chuckled to herself.
Nanuri turned to her. "Nani? What's so funny?" Seshiri shook her head, continuing to laugh. "Oh nothing!" Tasuki stood next to Seshiri and watched Nuriko spin the fat guy. Nanuri whispered to Seshiri, not taking her eyes off Nuriko.
"Wau, he's STRONG!" Seshiri smirked. "Well his Seishi power IS strength!" Nanuri laughed slightly. "Aha, oh yeah!"
Nuriko sauntered back to them. "LOOOOK! I GOT A PRIZE!" He grinned, showing them the fruits of his labor. He looked behind them. "Nani? Where did Miaka go?" "Eh?" Seshiri said, noticing her absence for the first time. Nanuri looked around, worried. "We should go look for her!"
Seshiri nodded and moved closer to Tasuki. "We should split up! Tasuki and I will take the west side and Nanuri and Nuriko should take the east side!" Seshiri grabbed Tasuki's arm and pulled him away from the others. She stood on her tip toes and whispered into his ear. "Let's leave those two alone and see what happens…." Tasuki laughed slightly and nodded. "Good idea!"
After a while there was still no sign of Miaka. Tasuki pulled Seshiri around a corner, as if wanting some privacy. She looked around the alley, clueless to what was going on. She leaned against the wall and looked up at him questioningly.
Nani? What's going on? Why did he take me here? It's kinda… um… private… Gods I'm nervous! When's he going to say something? Heh.. He looks just as nervous as I feel! What's he trying to do..?
Tasuki nervously looked down at his hands and fidgeted. He looked back at Seshiri, looking as if he was trying to gather up all his courage. "Seshi-chan…" He said, gulping. "I.. Uh.. Well I was just.. Um.. Well… I wanted to say.. I… Um.. well… What I'm trying to say is.. That uh.." She cocked her head to the side, trying to remain calm.
"Uh…" He said, running his hand through his hair. "Even though I say… That I don't really. I mean.." He sighed and started over. "You know how I say that you an me, we're just friends… I just… wanted you to know that. Um.. well. I.. I kinda, sorta, almost, halfway, like you… a lot. I would actually… um… go as far to say… that… I.. uh… that I love you…" He managed to say.
Seshiri remained silent, staring at him in disbelief. He quickly added. "But I mean, if you don't really like me, ya know, we can still just be friends and stuff." She shook her head, laughing slightly. "Baka." She said, more to herself than him. He slowly took a step back shaking his head. "Gomen nasai Seshiri. I didn't mean anything, I just wanted you to know. Gomen… I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything…." Muttering to himself he said "Baka…. How could you possibly think that she could ever love you."
She smirked slightly and took a step towards him. She gently rested her hands on his face and leaned up to him so their noses were almost touching. "Of course I love you.. Isn't it obvious?" She then closed her eyes and kissed him. His eyes widened for a few moments before he relaxed and put his arms around her, pulling her closer.
They continued to kiss for a few moments before they heard a muffled laugh. Seshiri quickly broke off the kiss and looked over to where the noise had come from. Blushing bright red she said. "NURIKO! NANURI! How long have you been standing there?!?!?!?!??!?!?" Nuriko was fighting back tears of laughter. "Long enough!" he managed to say.
Chibi-Nanuri had given up trying not to laugh and had fallen over in a fit of giggles. Chibi-Nuriko pointed an accusing finger at them. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW ALLLL ALONG! AND YOU SAID 'NOOO NURIKO WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!' HAH" He looked at them smugly. "I told you I was right about these things!"
Chibi-Tasuki looked at the bright red Chibi-Seshiri, who he still had in his arms. Tasuki continued to hold Seshiri tightly and raised an eyebrow, looking at Nuriko. "And what exactly were YOU two doing?" Nuriko stuttered. "Nothing! Absolutely NOTHING! You know I love Hotohori-sama!" Nuriko then got all starry-eyed. Nanuri jumped back from Nuriko. "We were just talking!"
She looked over at Seshiri and Tasuki who were wearing those 'why do I not believe you' expressions. Chibi-Nanuri whispered VERY loudly to the Chibi-Nuriko. "Come Nuriko-san! Let's leave the two love-birds alone to cuddle and whatnot." Chibi-Seshiri, still embarrassed, shouted. "WE ARE NOT CUDDLING!" Chibi-Nanuri grinned. "Oh I'm sorry, I meant lets leave the two love-birds to KISS and whatnot." Nuriko burst out laughing.
"Good plan Nanuri-chan!" The two walked away laughing, leaving Seshiri and Tasuki alone. Seshiri sighed with relief. "FINALLY" She said, grinning. Tasuki smirked. Leaning down he whispered into her ear, "Ai shiteru Seshiri…" He hugged her tightly and kissed her.
When the kiss ended Seshiri closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, relaxing. He held her tightly and looked down at her, smiling.
……How did this happen? Moments ago We were looking for Miaka, and now look! We're kissing and hugging and… well… Not that I mind, I'm enjoying this a lot! I just never in a MILLION YEARS thought that this could have happened. She sighed happily and nuzzled slightly against his chest. This is perfect. I can't believe it. Am I really here? Is this actually happening? It's too good to be true!
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head and gave her a reassuring hug. This feels so right. Just… Perfect! Like I was meant to be in his arms! I wish we could just stay like this forever…….. SHIT We have to go look for Miaka! She quickly drew back and looked up into his eyes. He looked back down at her. "Something wrong?"
She blushed slightly. "No, nothing's wrong! This is perfect, I mean it's everything I've been wishing for… But… I'm afraid we do have to get back to the palace…" Tasuki blinked and nodded. "AH! I'd completely forgotten! We were looking for Miaka, weren't we? Maybe Nanuri and Nuriko found her."
"Hopefully! Come on!" Chibi-Seshiri said. She broke away from his tight hold on her. Grabbing his hand she ran out into the open. Chibi-Tasuki pointed to the figures of Nuriko and Nanuri. "Eh look! They ARE just talking!" Seshiri sighed. "Ah dammit." She smirked. "I was hoping we would catch THEM doing something!" He laughed as they walked over to the two.
Nanuri patted Nuriko's shoulder, getting his attention, and pointed to Tasuki and Seshiri approaching. Seshiri folded her arms and stood in front of Nanuri and Nuriko shivering. Nanuri looked over at her, smirking. "You two done yet?" Seshiri rolled her eyes. "Hai! Have you guys seen Miaka?" Nuriko nodded.
"We found her a while ago, she went back to the palace. We were waiting for YOU two to finish before we walked back." Nuriko tried not to laugh as he stood up. "But now that you're done, we can all head back!" Nanuri nodded. She and Nuriko started walking next to each other towards the palace.
Tasuki put his arm around Seshiri's shoulders. Pulling her close they walked back to the palace in silence. Soon enough they reached the palace. Ignoring the guards they took a short walk around the palace grounds, admiring the stars.
Seshiri fought back the urge to yawn, and failed. Tasuki grinned down at her. "Tired?" She nodded slightly. "Big day." He laughed. "Hai… You should get to sleep." She nodded again and he walked her back to her room.
Seshiri stood in front of her room, looking up at Tasuki smiling. She placed her arms around his neck as he put his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer and held her gently. "Ai shiteru Tasuki." He grinned and whispered. "Ai shiteru Seshiri…" Tasuki leaned down and kissed her, keeping the kiss going for a few minutes.
Seshiri relaxed in his arms until she heard someone snicker. Oh gods not again! She thought. Breaking off the kiss she turned. This time she saw Nuriko, Nanuri, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Hotohori, Miaka, Tamahome, and Chiriko, all fighting back laughter. Nuriko pointed at them. "I TOLD YOU!" Chichiri shook his head. "I see it, but I don't believe it no da!"
Tamahome walked over and patted Tasuki's shoulder. "You sly dog, you had this planned all along didn't you!" Nanuri was laughing. "YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THEM BEFORE!" Chiriko covered his eyes. "I think I'm a little too young for this!" Miaka shook her head laughing. "HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON!?" Hotohori chuckled. "Tasuki, Seshiri! I had no idea!" Even Mitsukake was laughing his hardest.
Tasuki tensed up, keeping Seshiri in his arms. Trying to ignore their laughter he looked back down at Seshiri, who was turning the shade of a tomato. "Oyasumi, Seshiri." "Oyasumi Tasuki." She said quietly. She kissed his cheek softly, ignoring the laughter that was growing louder.
He hugged her gently and let go. Pushing past the others, red with embarrassment, he hurried back to his room. Seshiri quickly rushed inside her room, away from the laughter.
Once inside her room she couldn't stop grinning.
That was so perfect! Except for the fact that everyone was watching. Suzaku, that was embarrassing! I HAVE to get Nanuri and Nuriko back for this! Hmm 'just talking' they say…. Suuuure… I think by the time this trip is over I'll catch them doing a little more than 'just talking' Smirking she changed into her nightgown, her mind still racing.
I can't believe this is happening! One moment we're looking for Miaka, then next I'm in his arms! Hmm that reminds me of an old saying…. What was it? Something like 'Good things take time, great things happen all at once'. Well that person knew EXACTLY what they were talking about!
She jumped into bed, and fell asleep almost instantly.