Note: Jaaaa! I like this chapter, although Tasuki is ridiculously hard to write. ^^() Oh well. Anyway, big thanks to Kaze-chan and Mouse-chan for beta-reading this! I found out that I explain things in a way that make sense. Eh…heh…heh…^^;; Mouse-chan, don't send your Nuriko plushie after me; that is way too cruel! And don't worry, I stopped wallowing in self-pity because I realised I can write better that way. Arigatou! ^___^.n There. A Nuriko just for you. Oh, and Kaze-chan, he's a Suba-chan for you! ~@^_^@~ Heehee.
THE GIRL OF DUTY, by bashou-chan CHAPTER 2: FURTHER COMPLICATIONSTasuki whistled softly, his shoulders swaying as he walked down an outer hallway of the palace. He was dressed in his usual outfit, complete with the colourful, beaded necklace and dangling earrings. The white strap of his tessen holder contrasted starkly against his black trench coat, creating a thick diagonal line from his shoulder to his midsection. Slowing to a stop, Tasuki lowered his elbows onto the outer hallway barrier. Head in his hands, he looked up towards the stars, his mind still on Miaka.
So we're going to finally find Miaka tomorrow, ne? Can't fuckin' wait that long. Che. What the hell was she thinking anyway, running off like that?…
Tasuki straightened up abruptly, his hands gripping the barrier tightly.
What tha fuck?!
He never studied the stars before like Chiriko, and he doesn't really know anything about spells and chants and magic like Chichiri, but he knew something was wrong. The stars…they were faded! The Suzaku Sichiseishi's stars were glowing dully, not bright and shining as usual. They were still there…but hardly.
Chichiri, gotta tell Chichiri!
With that thought in mind, Tasuki ran towards the northern end of the guests' quarters. His hand was posed to knock on the door an inch away, when he heard Chichiri's voice drift from Tamahome's room.
"Tamahome…it's not your fault. We'll find her all right? She'll be fine, Miaka's tough."
What? No fuckin 'no da's? Damn, whatever Chichiri and Tama-chan are talkin' bout, it's gotta be fuckin' serious.
"Blame me. I left her there. I left Miaka there. I know where she is."
……shiiiiit.
~
Chichiri looked at Tamahome with newfound respect. He didn't think Tamahome would admit to his fault, but he obviously underestimated the boy. He suspected Tamahome was waiting for him to explode, or at least ask why, but Chichiri already knew the answer. And he wouldn't press Tamahome until he was completely ready to share.
Oh no. That chi!
"No…Tasuki, don't no da!"
But his command fell upon deaf ears, as the room door slammed open with explosive force, showcasing a very enraged, flame-haired bandit. Tasuki's fists were clenched at his sides; shoulders scrunched and tense with fury. "What…what did you just say?" he said, with deliberate slowness.
Tamahome sat on the bed, stock-still, and stared at the bandit in shock. Then, visibly, his eyes clouded over, and he hung his head guiltily, staring at his hands in his lap. "I…I can't--"
"You fuckin' left her there?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Tasuki na no da!"
"What the fuck is there to know?! That fuckin' bastard over there just said he knows where Miaka is!"
"He did say that no da. But it doesn't permit you to blow up over it no da!"
"What?! He fuckin' knows where she is! He fuckin' left her there, wherever she is! And you don't fuckin' think this is a fuckin' big deal?!"
Throughout this entire heated exchange, Tamahome sat on the bed, still looking at his hands resting in his lap. But at these words from Tasuki, his head snapped up and his eyes burned a rich, intense brown. "I know where she is," he stated slowly, narrowing his eyes as he went, "and I did leave her there. But I didn't do it on purpose. Tasuki, believe me. Do you think I would leave Miaka there by my own free will?"
"Che. How could I fuckin' know? You fuckin' left her before, when you said you wouldn't!"
Tamahome sucked in a breath, then let it out shakily. "That's different."
"How fuckin' different is that?! You fuckin' left her there, when you could have brought her back. And who fuckin' lost her in the first place anyway?!"
"Tasuki no da. Enough no da. That isn't fair." Chichiri moved to stand between the two, in the case of a fight breaking out. But to his surprise again, Tamahome did nothing but sag his shoulders more at Tasuki's accusation.
"No, Chichiri, he's right. He's right, dammnit! I was the one who lost her! I was the one who left her there."
"Tamahome, stop. Like I said before, it's not your fault," Chichiri continued hastily, sensing that Tamahome would, again, protest, "and if it were your fault anyway, it is something that is in the past. Something that is done, and cannot be changed no da." He strode to the door, placing his hand on the knob before pausing. Turning his head slightly to the right, he stated simply, "Tasuki, follow me no da." With no further comment, the unusually silent teenager followed Chichiri out the door, closing it behind him with a soft thud, and leaving Tamahome to the torture of his own stifling thoughts.
~
"Ya gonna tell me what the fuck is goin' on, Chichiri?" Tasuki quickened his pace, soon falling in step with the blue-haired monk. "I mean, I fuckin' left when you told me to. Shit, even for an ignorant bastard like myself, I could tell pretty fuckin' easily that Tama-chan needed to be alone."
Chichiri blinked, but continued walking as if he hadn't heard the earlier question. Unnerved by the silence, Tasuki adopted his charming lopsided grin and his lilting, teasing voice. "I mean, c'mon Chichiriiiiii! I should get a prize for being that perceptive!"
Chichiri paused for a split-second, before resuming his steady pace, directing his soft voice towards Tasuki. "Perceptive, no da?"
Laughing nervously, Tasuki replied, "Y'know, I'm not as dumb as I look."
"You're not." Chichiri agreed.
"Err….right. So, could ya tell me then? If Tamahome knows where tha fuck Miaka is, then why aren't we going now?"
"We are going to set off tomorrow morning, Tasuki no da. And, Tamahome does not know where Miaka is no da. He thinks he does, but he doesn't no da. Otherwise we would have her here already."
"He thinks he does…but he doesn't? Shit, Chichiri, make some godamn sense!"
Sighing, Chichiri turned to face Tasuki, slowing his pace to a stop. "Tamahome doesn't know where Miaka is right now no da. He did before, as did I, because we could feel her chi. But now, for some reason, her chi is fading--"
"Like a memory does. Her chi's fading like an old memory. Shit. I think I can feel it too Chichiri."
Nodding, Chichiri continued. "It is almost as if she didn't exist. But, no, I do not believe," he shook his head firmly, "that Miaka is dying, or dead. It's just as if she's disappearing. Tamahome-kun feels this as well, which he also thinks is his fault, therefore, increasing the blame on his shoulders. But it is not true no da."
"Why didn't Tamahome get her fuckin' back before this…chi-disappearing happened?"
"That isn't my story to tell, Tasuki no da."
"Alright, fine. Oh! Chichiri, I just remembered what I was going to tell you before." Chichiri waited expectantly, "Look at the stars. They're different. I noticed it on the way to your room."
Nodding again, Chichiri smiled slightly. "Perceptive once again, Tasuki no da. Yes, the stars are fading as well. Since the Suzaku no Miko is literally disappearing, so would the stars of the Suzaku Sichiseishi. If she were just kidnapped, or captured, our stars would still be shining brightly as usual. The situation confuses me; I don't know what her waning chi means. And the stars only show that our time to find her is shortening. We have until our stars disappear from sight, Tasuki no da."
"Then what happens?"
Chichiri looked up into the black sky, his sharp face marred by a frown. "We disappear as well."
TBC…
Authors Notes: Wai! Chapter 2 finished, and Chapter 3 in the making! So, I hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far; I know I am!
Amiboshi's Triplet, if you're reading this again, I'd like to say one thing. You are not a rock. Rocks aren't very good writers, and I firmly believe that you are way better than a rock! ^^ Don't put yourself down like that. ^^;; Maybe I should take my own advice, ne? ~laughs~ I've got to work on that art project sometime! Maybe now is the time…~_~ Ja, minna! Go review!