Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi and neither do you. I guess that kind of stinks for the both of us.

Chapter Five: Chichiri

By: omni82

Houki plopped on the chaise once more and began fanning herself. No point in getting worked up, she told herself. Self-control was what was needed now. She was so close to figuring out who did it. There were only three seishi left to interview before Tamahome's killer came to light. Mitsukake and Chiriko would be easy to crack but what about the monk? Would she be over her head this time?

Every nerve in her body shot to awareness as the eldest Suzaku warrior entered the room. Was it her or had it gotten darker and colder in here?

"Hello, Houki." Chichiri greeted her darkly. "I hear you are looking for a killer." He looked her in eyes, his gaze malignant. "Look no further. I am the one who killed that bastard. I killed Tamahome."

"Cut the crap Chichiri-sama," she replied irately. "Hotohori-sama already explained to me the pact you two had. You don't have to protect him."

Chichiri brightened. "Great! I didn't do it then, no da!" Houki groaned and buried her face in her hands. Of course he didn't do; no one did it. Tamahome just up and killed himself somehow. Getting the truth from the Suzaku no seishi was like pulling teeth.

"Why should I believe you?" Houki asked with carefully concealed frustration. "You just admitted to it and you plotted with the emperor to do the deed."

Chichiri's face fell and he began to mentally berate himself for opening his big mouth. Even Tasuki, with his hot tempered and bold speech, hadn't actually admitted to anything. The empress was a crafty manipulator alright. He'd have to watch his step around her.

"I plead the fifth, no da." He responded resolutely, folding his arms across his chest and nodding his head firmly. Houki repressed the desire to grab the monk and bang his thick head against something hard.

"You can't take the fifth," She uttered between tightly-clenched teeth. "You live in a monarchy. If you do not answer my questions, I will have you arrested for the murder of Tamahome."

The monk changed his mind very quickly after that. "Let me help you, Houki-sama. Maybe my magic can help you dig up something at the crime scene that you previously missed."

The offer was tempting and though Houki knew it to be a bribe, she decided to take the risk. In order to unearth the murderer, she would do anything.

"Very well, Chichiri-sama. But I warn you, if you try to do anything funny, the guards will stop you."

"You have my word, Houki-sama, that I will be nothing but helpful no da."  His face was so innocent with that damned mask that she sighed and got up. She needed this second opinion and was willing to try to forget that she would alone in a room with the man who had the best chance at being the killer.

Half a dozen guards, all heavily armed and all hugely muscled, accompanied Houki and Chichiri on their short walk down the hall. It wasn't that she felt uneasy in the monk's presence, it was that she believed in caution after such a horrendous crime.

"Leave us," she ordered. The men looked hesitant but they obeyed nonetheless, positioning themselves around the hallway. "Inside," she told Chichiri brusquely. He nodded slightly and entered, lighting a candelabra as he went. Houki trailed after him and schooled her figures against betraying any hint of horror at her second glimpse of the body.

Tamahome looked just as horrified now as he had when his body was first discovered. Chichiri stepped gingerly over his fallen brother and lit a few more candles until the room was bathed in a golden glow. Houki took in her surroundings carefully. The bed was unmade, with blankets drooping over the side and several pillows scattered across the mattress and on the floor. The candle by the bedside had been burned down to the nub, indicating that he had been occupied with something at the time of his death. Houki assumed it was counting his money as piles of it lay stacked on the right side of the corpse. His hand was reaching for it, a common gesture that brought unexpected tears to Houki's eyes. She had not known Tamahome well but she knew him and now he was dead. He'd never count his money or do anything he loved again.

"He wasn't alone tonight, no da." Chichiri informed her grimly. He lifted a stained sheet for inspection. Houki peered at it, taking in a few rust-colored stains on the delicate fabric. Her cheeks reddened as what that meant struck her.

"Was he in the habit of debauching virgins regularly?" She asked softly. Chichiri frowned, his brow knotted in anger.

"Yes."

"We'll never find the girl," Houki said abruptly. "I want a closer look at the corpse please." The mature seishi complied silently, turning Tamahome over so his dead eyes stared glassily at the ceiling. He probed the head wound.

"The skull is fractured. It most likely killed him."

"His mouth," Houki murmured, leaning in for a closer look. "It's blue."

Chichiri peered into Tamahome's face. His face was so contorted in fear and anger that the blue lips were easily overlooked.

"Hmm." Was all he said before getting up and heading over to the small table by the bed. On it was the burned candle, a highly decorated box, and a bottle. Chichiri opened the box and examined the contents.

"Opium." He said, handing the box to Houki for her inspection. She glared at the substance, hoping to change its properties. Opium and sex? Just what kind of man had Tamahome been really?

Chichiri ran his fingertips over the rim of the bottle and brought them to his mouth. Promptly, he spat on the floor. "Poison. Whoever was with Tamahome tonight poisoned him with the wine and probably with the opium. She panicked and hit him with something, killing Tamahome." 

Houki stood in the middle of the room, contemplating the words of the monk. It all didn't add up somehow. "No woman is strong enough to have inflicted that type of trauma. Plus, where is the murder weapon? Someone else must have been involved in this, a man who wanted to see Tamahome dead very badly."

"What are you going to do?" Chichiri asked softly, coming to stand near his empress.

"I'm going to interview the one person here with an extensive knowledge of poisons. Go back to your rooms, Chichiri-sama."

He bowed to her and left. Houki watched the shadow of a guard move to escort the Suzaku seishi. "Don't worry Tamahome. I'm going to find your killers. Mitsukake will tell me who they are soon enough."

TBC…

Preview Chapter Six:

"Why don't you tell me what you think?" Mitsukake rumbled, reclining in his seat.

"I think you made the poison that killed Tamahome and instructed someone on how to use it." Houki hissed. The giant's thin mouth curved into a half-smile as his blue eyes gleamed in the flickering light of the candle.

"And if I did?"

"Then you are going to tell me who you gave the poison to and who killed Tamahome!"

"I don't think so, your majesty…"

~ Hehe…I love Mitsukake. He sounds so evil in the preview too. Who do think did it? And what do you think should be their punishment for offing someone who so obviously deserved it? Just two more seishi to go before we hear Houki's pronouncement. Who's looking guilty now? Let me hear your reviews people! ~