Hidden Destiny

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yugi or any of its characters.

Nuriko sighed as he slipped from his horse. For the second day in a row, they were stopping to set up camp. He knew they weren't lost but he also knew that it shouldn't be taking this long to get back to the palace.

Hearing Miaka giggle at something Tasuki had said, an involuntary grin touched his lips. He had never seen Miaka or Tasuki so blissfully happy and it warmed his heart seeing them together in this way. After a moment of watching the couple, though, his smile fell again as he remembered his other brothers waiting back at the palace, who had to be worried sick about them. He and Miaka had left suddenly and with no explanation, and unless Tamahome had felt up to explaining things to them, no one else had any idea what was going on.

"Just what are you up to, Tasuki, in delaying our return?" He muttered to himself as he secured his horse's reins to a low hanging branch. Catching the other man's gaze, Nuriko made a small gesture towards the woods. It was about time he and the bandit had a talk.

Tasuki frowned slightly, wondering why Nuriko wanted them to go into the woods without Miaka, but nodded in reluctant agreement. Suddenly, images of the cross-dressing seishi trying to take advantage of him flitted across his mind and he almost laughed aloud. No, whatever Nuriko wanted, it wasn't to make a pass at him! He couldn't believe the thought had even crossed his mind.

Grabbing Miaka from behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her ear. "Me and Nuriko are gonna gather some wood for a fire. You'll be okay alone for awhile?" He whispered softly.

She smiled and moved her head to kiss him gently. "You worry too much. Go do what you have to and I'll be here waiting for you."

Tasuki kissed her neck and released her with a dreamy-eyed grin. Backing up a few steps, he continued to gaze at her, as she turned and blew him a kiss.

"All right, that's enough! Let's go, lover boy!" Nuriko said, rolling his eyes to the heavens. The two of them had been making eyes at each other since they left the bandit hideout, and it was getting rather old. Despite their sappiness, however, the violet-haired seishi couldn't help but smile at the couple, for he had never seen either one of them this happy and it warmed his heart to know he played a small part in making it so.

He turned to walk along with Tasuki, but once they out of Miaka's line of vision he stopped and his hands on his hips. "Alright, Fang Boy, what's going on?"

"What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout?" The younger man mumbled, not meeting his gaze.

"What I'm talking about it that we both know it doesn't take more than a day to get to the palace. We've been traveling for two days now. Why are you leading us around in circles?" When no answer was forthcoming, Nuriko sighed in frustration. "What are you so worried about? She loves you, stupid! It's not like she's going to run right back to Tamahome."

"I know." Tasuki mumbled, dropping the twigs in his arms and sitting down hard next to them. "I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I'm afraid t'go back. I have this feeling that when we get there that….that I'm going to lose her." He blurted out, still refusing to look at his brother seishi.

"She's not going to leave you, Tasuki." Nuriko answered gently, taking a seat beside him. "I've never seen her smile or act like this way with anyone else. You've made her a deliriously happy woman! Do you really think she's just going to throw what you two have away at the first opportunity?"
Tasuki finally looked up, meeting the other man's gaze, and Nuriko gasped as he saw the tears standing in the bandit's eyes.

"No, I don't think she's gonna leave me. I told ya, Nuri, I don't know what's wrong! It's a feeling deep down that somethin's not right…but it's not her and it's not me. It's….hell, I don't know, it's bigger than all of us. Shit, I'm not even makin' any sense." Picking up a stick, he began to absently break it into pieces. "It's almost like things are going too good, ya know. I'm too happy. Almost like it's a dream or somethin'."

Nuriko sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I'm not trying to say that your feelings aren't important but we have to get back, because there are things going on that are bigger than us.. It's up to us to save Konan; the whole country is counting on us and Miaka to keep them safe, which unfortunately means we don't have the luxury of focusing on ourselves right now."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the point. Suzaku is calling." Tasuki grumbled. Dropping the stick he was holding, he got to his feet. "We're not that far from the palace. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon." He wiped his eyes quickly and turned to his friend and brother with a grin. "C'mon, lazy! We gotta find some more wood."

Miaka lay down on the hard ground and smiled as Tasuki slipped an arm around her, his hand resting low on her stomach. "Comfortable?" He whispered, not wanting to wake Nuriko.

"I am now." She answered quietly. "What were you and Nuriko talking about in the woods?"

"Nothin'."

She sighed but let it go, knowing he would tell her when he was ready. Biting her lip, she paused before asking what had been on her mind since they left. "Tasuki, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You….you've been around girls before, right?"

"Well, yeah, sure-I have five sisters you know."

"No, that's not what I mean." She paused, nervously playing with the fingers resting against her stomach. "I-I meant, have you been with any girls before?"

Tasuki frowned, propping his head on his hand and looked down at the blushing girl. "What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout?"

The blush on her face deepened and she cleared her throat before answering. "I mean have you done….you know…"

"Noooo….I don't know." He answered slowly.

She rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "I mean, have you ever had sex with a girl before?" The exclamation came out louder than she thought and they sent alarmed glances over at the sleeping form lying not too far from them. Seeing no movement , both sighed in relief.

"Oh that." Tasuki said, with a slight blush.

"Forget I asked." Miaka mumbled, rolling away from him to lie on her side. Closing her eyes, she cursed herself silently. Why did she ask a question she didn't really want to know the answer to?

"Well, does it matter to you if I have?" He asked softly, gently forcing her onto her back once more.

"No…I was just wondering if…."

"If what?"

"Well, if what we started to do in the cabin always felt so…."

"Urgent?" He asked when she paused, trying to find the right word. When she nodded, he smiled. "Don't ya know? I mean, you and Tama…"

"We never….went that far. Sure we kissed a couple of times, but that was nothing like what you and I did."

"Oh." He answered quietly. Grabbing her hand, he entwined his fingers with hers rubbing them with his thumb absently. "Well, t'answer your question, yes…and no."

Miaka frowned. "What kind of answer is that? Either it does or it doesn't. Don't make fun of me." Her tone had turned angry and she started to turn over once more when he tightened his grasp on her fingers.

"I'd never make fun of ya, Miaka. It's not like I'm an expert on this subject or anythin'- shit, I've only done it once! What I can tell ya is even if the physical part of what happened may have been the same, it was different kind of urgency this time 'cause I'm in love with you. I didn't think of anythin' but tryin' to please ya as much as possible. It wasn't like that for me before. So ya see, I can't give ya a straight answer."

She smiled up at him, letting the love in her heart shine from her eyes. "I love you, Tasuki."

"And I love ya, too. More than anythin'! That's why I…"

"What?"

"Nothin'." He answered, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Go t'sleep. We got a big day tomorrow."

"O-Okay." She stammered, returning his kiss when he pressed his lips against hers.

He lay back down beside her, pulling her close, his embrace almost painful in its intensity.

Tasuki cracked the door to his chamber open and glanced around quickly. When he was confident that no one was around, he slipped out, careful to close the door softly behind him.

When they had arrived back at the palace this afternoon, everyone had greeted them happily, relief evident in their smiles. He and Miaka both thought that Tamahome had explained the situation to the others but when they entered the dining hall earlier this evening it was quickly apparent that he had not.

As they had walked in, hands firmly clasped, confusion had shone on all faces, with the exception of Tamahome and Nuriko. He and Miaka had taken their seats in the silence, uncomfortable under such close scrutiny. Finally, half way through the meal, Tamahome had had enough and stood up, shoving his chair back with a noisy scrape.

"They're a couple now. Does anyone have a problem with that? Because I don't, so stop staring at them and eat your food!" When the others had gawked at him in amazement he had blushed and quickly taken his seat. "Sorry, but I thought you all should know. This whole staring thing is making me nervous and I'm not even the one being stared at."

"You are quite right, Tamahome." Hotohori had replied, with a tight smile. "Please accept my apologies Miaka…Tasuki." After that, the emperor had stood and quickly left the room.

Tasuki laughed silently as he remembered the uproarious scene that followed Hotohori's abrupt exit. He had to hand it to Tamahome- he would have never have had the guts to be able to talk to the Emperor like that, even though Tamahome had later apologized profusely to the young Emperor, afraid that he had offended him.

Tasuki came to his destination and paused before opening the door. Inside, Miaka stood waiting for him, holding out her arms as he walked into the room.

"I didn't think you were coming." She said, as he swept her into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

Instead of answering, he pressed his lips to hers, even as his feeling of foreboding from the day before returned ten fold. He held on tight, afraid that if he let her go she would disappear, and his hands feverishly traveled over her body as if memorizing every curve, stopping only and reluctantly ending the kiss when he felt her push against his chest.

"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching up and catching a tear with her finger.

He blinked, becoming aware for the first time that he was crying. Still he said nothing, his eyes continuing to commit her features to memory.

"You're scaring me, Tasuki. Tell me what's wrong."

"I-I don't know." He finally answered, his voice made rough by unshed tears. "I feel like I'm about t'lose ya and…" He shook his head unable to go on, but pulled her against him, and held her tight. "Don't leave me, Miaka…ever."

"Don't be silly. Why would I leave you?"

"Just promise." He was almost begging. "Please…just promise you won't leave me."

Pulling back slightly, she ran her fingers down his cheek and nodded. "I promise." She said right before a bright red light surrounded them. "T-Tasuki?" She asked uncertainly not understanding what was happening.

"No!" He exclaimed his arms tightening around her small frame.

Tears fell from her eyes as she felt an unseen force pulling her. "I-I love you, Tasuki. I don't know how but I'll be back. I promise!"

"Miaka! Don't go…" His voice trailed off as her form slowly faded from view. "You promised…"

Tasuki jerked awake, his breath coming heavily as he glanced around the room. What the hell had just happened? An empty, aching feeling remained in his heart but he could not remember just what he had been dreaming of. He touched his lips; the faint memory of someone else's pressed against them just moments before lingering in his subconscious. Shaking his head in bemusement, he threw back the covers and got to his feet, walking to the window and opening it wide. It must have been something he ate.

Miaka sat up in bed, a name springing from her lips. The name faded quickly from memory and she was left looking around her room, trying to remember where she was, feeling an aching emptiness in her heart that she could not explain. After a moment, she lay back, only to discover her pillow was wet.

She lay staring at the darkened ceiling until dawn cast streaks of pink across it, prompting her to get out of bed and reluctantly start dressing to face a new day.

As she stepped from her room, she knew that she just couldn't face the others just yet. She couldn't remember what she had dreamed that had upset her so much but she did know that right now she only wanted to be alone…alone to grieve. Stopping in mid stride, she shook her head at the thought. Why would she need to grieve? Her feet resumed their journey, guiding her to the imperial gardens. Seeing a bench nearby, she walked to it and sat down, turning her head just in time to see Tasuki exiting his room.

Her heart soared at the sight of the fiery-headed seishi as she unconsciously rose to her feet once more. Catching herself before she obeyed the strange impulse to go running to him, she sat back down, sunk deep in thought. What was going on?

As if cued, vivid memories of the dream she couldn't remember began flashing through her mind and she gasped. Was she in love with…?

No! She chastised herself. I'm in love with Tamahome and I'm going to marry him. The shaft of fear that she felt whenever marriage was mentioned traveled down her back and she shivered. What was wrong with her? Glancing once more in Tasuki's direction, she saw that he had spotted her and she forced a smile as she walked over to where the flame-haired seishi stood staring at her.

"Good morning, Tasuki!" She called out as she drew closer to him. "Isn't it beautiful here? You are so lucky to have a room facing the gardens."

He grinned at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's okay, if ya happen t'like flowers." He replied humorously.

As Miaka approached, he quickly noticed that everything was not as well with her as she tried to sound. To put it bluntly, she looked awful, the dark circles under her eyes giving away the fact that she hadn't slept the night before.

"Are ya all right Miaka? Ya don't look so good…." He frowned slightly as she turned away from him to stare at something in the distance.

"Oh, I'm fine Tasuki! Thank you for asking though." A strong sense of déjà vu traveled down her spine and she shot a startled glance at the man standing next to her. A rush of desire hit her as she looked into the amber depths of his eyes and she felt herself blush. "I….I have to go." She mumbled before turning and walking quickly back the way she came.

Tasuki stared after her, his eyes widening as memories of the dream from the night before hit him suddenly. This encounter with Miaka -he had dreamed about it and so much more, and some gut instinct and the panicked look in her eyes was telling him that she had dreamed it too.

"Miaka, wait!" He yelled, jumping the railing to catch up to her.

She froze as she felt his hand grasp her arm, every nerve in her body screaming for her to lean into him. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself down, but to no avail. "Please let me go." She whispered.

"No! You…you dreamed it too, didn't you…about us being together?" He asked softly.

Her eyes snapped open, every hidden feeling that she had for him clearly reflected in the depths of her eyes. She stared at him in amazement, overwhelmed at the intensity of the love she saw shimmering back at her in his steady gaze. "I don't understand! What…what's happening to us?"

"I don't know." He answered, moving closer to her. "But it feels…."

"Right." She finished his sentence, giving him a radiant smile, even as happy tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yeah." He answered her smile with one of his own, as he pulled her into his arms. "It was a dream…right?"

"I-I think so. But that doesn't matter now because…I do love you, Tasuki."

It was true. She did love him and always had- from the moment he had first taken her from Eiken. When he tried to kiss her, she had longed for the touch of his lips on hers but had resisted the impulse by hitting him instead…so afraid of the strength of feelings that he had brought on so suddenly. The crazy, unexplainable dream had revealed the truth- and she was glad.

"It's always been you." She whispered, tilting her head to look up at him as he pulled her tightly against him. "I was just too blind and too scared to see it before."

"I love ya too, Miaka." He murmured, and then passionately captured her lips with his.

From high above, a lone figure watched the embracing couple, feeling a sense of great satisfaction. He could turn his attention to weightier matters seeing the priestess was now reunited with her true destiny.

The figure then did something he had not done in over a thousand years.

Suzaku smiled.