Chapter three: Daiani's love and too much sake
Tasuki and Daiani talked while riding to Eiyo. She was born in Hakko
village, and had moved to the capital just months ago. They reached the
palace, where Daiani leapt from her horse and ran to the young man waving
at them. They embraced, kissing each other lightly, then turning to rejoin
Tasuki. Tasuki's eyes widened when he could see the young man clearly.
Daiani smiled. "This is my fiancé, Tamahome." Tasuki couldn't speak. He
just stared in shock, as Tamahome and Daiani kissed again. Then Tamahome
released her, giving Tasuki a warm smile.
"So, how's life in the mountains. . ."
It was raining when our three travelers arrived in Eiyo that evening. Kurea turned to the others. "So, since we got here earlier than Chichiri expected, that means we can stop and get a drink on the way to the palace, right?"
Naomi agreed. "Yea, I wouldn't mind a quick break myself." Miaka nodded her consent, as Kouji, still trailing along with them, cheered.
"Ah, SAKE!!!!" Kurea chuckled, Naomi raised an eyebrow, and Miaka just shook her head.
They entered a tavern near the palace, so they wouldn't have far to go afterwards. Naomi and Miaka started some light conversation, and Kurea and Kouji started joking and talking loudly the instant the sake was in their hands. Kurea turned to Miaka. "You aren't drinkin' anything." Miaka shook her head.
"No, I don't drink that much. I haven't in years."
"Oh, come on, one little cup of sake won't hurt anything."
Miaka and Kouji carried a very drunk Kurea out to the horses. One little cup of sake hadn't hurt Miaka at all, but ten big ones put Kurea out of commission for a while.
"So how are we gonna get her home? She can barely stand, let alone ride!"
"Good question. Kouji, would you be able to take her on your horse?"
"Yea, probably." Kouji then hoisted himself up, and then pulled Kurea up in front of him. Miaka put her cloak back on, and mounted her own horse, with Kurea's tied to her's.
"So, Kouji, how is Tas. . . er, Genrou doing?
"Eh, pretty good. He misses you, though. A lot. He'll be really happy to see you again."
"Yea, I miss him too. Chichiri says he'll be at the palace?"
"Yep, he should have gotten there yesterday or today. Tamahome's been there a while, I hear." Miaka nodded.
"Well, we should probably get to the palace."
"Yea, let's go."
They arrived at the palace shortly after dinner. Miaka and Kouji put Kurea in her room, and then turned to go talk with Empress Houki.
"Miaka?"
Miaka turned to see a familiar toothy grin, below a wave of flame- like hair. Amber eyes stared into her green ones.
"Tasuki!" Miaka hurled herself at her old friend, almost knocking him over.
Tasuki laughed. "I've missed you too, Mi-chan. It's been a while."
"Too long." Miaka murmured into his shirt. Tasuki laughed again. Then looked up.
"Kouji, man, what're you doin' here?"
"Ah, just escortin' the ladies, ya know." Tasuki released Miaka and walked over to Kouji. He put a hand on his forehead. "What are you doing, Tasuki?"
"Are you ok, man? You never gave a damn about 'ladies' before."
"Aw, shut up, Tasuki."
Miaka laughed, then breezed past them towards the crown room, to let Empress Houki know of their arrival. The two men quickly followed her.
Tasuki watched Miaka socialize with Houki. Lost in his thoughts, he barely heard Kouji trying to get his attention.
"Earth to Tasuki! Earth to Tasuki! Hey, Genrou! Out of La La Land!"
"Huh?"
"Man, no girl's ever affected you like this before. She's really something, ain't she?"
"Just look at her. She's grown up so much. I mean, she was always pretty, but now she's a woman and. . .
Tasuki trailed off as Miaka gave Houki a final bow and turned to rejoin Kouji and him. She smiled, and took Tasuki's arm. "Come on, we have some catching up to do." Tasuki followed like a puppy dog, as Miaka started babbling about life as a guardian.
"So, what have you been doing, Tasuki?"
Her question caught him off guard. "Huh?, Oh, nothing much, just hangin' around the bandit stronghold."
"By the way, where's Tamahome? I haven't seen him yet ."
Tasuki winced at the mention of Tamahome. He couldn't tell her that he was off god-knows-where with his fiancé, doing thing Tasuki didn't even want to think about. He should tell her, but he just couldn't.
"Oh, I think he's in town or something."
"Oh, ok." Miaka yawned. "Man, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed now, ok? "Alright, sweet dreams, Miaka."
"You too. See you tomorrow." She reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek, before walking down the hall and disappearing into her room. Tasuki stared after her, hand on his cheek, and shook his head before heading to his own room.
Miaka's stomach gave her a wake up call the next morning. She sat up, wondering where she was, then remembered that she was in her old room at the palace. She looked out the window. It was still dark out. Stumbling to her feet, she slipped into her red kimono and started on her way to the kitchen. On her way there, she passed Tamahome's room. She could her a slight rustling in there, so she knew he was there. Deciding to surprise him, she opened the door, slowly and soundlessly, just far enough to peer in.
Her eyes went wide. There was Tamahome, HER Tamahome, kissing another girl rather passionately. Shocked, she took off running down the hall.
Daiani looked up just in time to see the shocked look in a pair of green eyes, before they welled up with tears and disappeared. 'Uh oh. That must have been Miaka.' She looked at Tamahome. She knew very well about Miaka. Suddenly feeling guilty, she pulled away from Tamahome, much to his dismay.
"What is it, love?"
"Nothing, I just. . . I don't know. . .
Tamahome put his arms around her, and she leaned into his warm embrace.
'Oh, what am I going to do? The poor thing must be heartbroken. I wanted to be friends with her, after hearing about what a sweet caring girl she is, but now that she knows about. . .us. . .how will she and I ever get along?'
Miaka raced out of the palace, avoiding everyone. 'Why? Why didn't anyone tell me? Tasuki? Houki? They must have known. Did they think I wouldn't find out? Did they think I wouldn't care?' Miaka saw the stables a few yards away. In a state of near-hysteria, she turned on her heel and headed to her roan filly. Mounting, she looked back to the palace, before kicking her heels and riding away.
"So, how's life in the mountains. . ."
It was raining when our three travelers arrived in Eiyo that evening. Kurea turned to the others. "So, since we got here earlier than Chichiri expected, that means we can stop and get a drink on the way to the palace, right?"
Naomi agreed. "Yea, I wouldn't mind a quick break myself." Miaka nodded her consent, as Kouji, still trailing along with them, cheered.
"Ah, SAKE!!!!" Kurea chuckled, Naomi raised an eyebrow, and Miaka just shook her head.
They entered a tavern near the palace, so they wouldn't have far to go afterwards. Naomi and Miaka started some light conversation, and Kurea and Kouji started joking and talking loudly the instant the sake was in their hands. Kurea turned to Miaka. "You aren't drinkin' anything." Miaka shook her head.
"No, I don't drink that much. I haven't in years."
"Oh, come on, one little cup of sake won't hurt anything."
Miaka and Kouji carried a very drunk Kurea out to the horses. One little cup of sake hadn't hurt Miaka at all, but ten big ones put Kurea out of commission for a while.
"So how are we gonna get her home? She can barely stand, let alone ride!"
"Good question. Kouji, would you be able to take her on your horse?"
"Yea, probably." Kouji then hoisted himself up, and then pulled Kurea up in front of him. Miaka put her cloak back on, and mounted her own horse, with Kurea's tied to her's.
"So, Kouji, how is Tas. . . er, Genrou doing?
"Eh, pretty good. He misses you, though. A lot. He'll be really happy to see you again."
"Yea, I miss him too. Chichiri says he'll be at the palace?"
"Yep, he should have gotten there yesterday or today. Tamahome's been there a while, I hear." Miaka nodded.
"Well, we should probably get to the palace."
"Yea, let's go."
They arrived at the palace shortly after dinner. Miaka and Kouji put Kurea in her room, and then turned to go talk with Empress Houki.
"Miaka?"
Miaka turned to see a familiar toothy grin, below a wave of flame- like hair. Amber eyes stared into her green ones.
"Tasuki!" Miaka hurled herself at her old friend, almost knocking him over.
Tasuki laughed. "I've missed you too, Mi-chan. It's been a while."
"Too long." Miaka murmured into his shirt. Tasuki laughed again. Then looked up.
"Kouji, man, what're you doin' here?"
"Ah, just escortin' the ladies, ya know." Tasuki released Miaka and walked over to Kouji. He put a hand on his forehead. "What are you doing, Tasuki?"
"Are you ok, man? You never gave a damn about 'ladies' before."
"Aw, shut up, Tasuki."
Miaka laughed, then breezed past them towards the crown room, to let Empress Houki know of their arrival. The two men quickly followed her.
Tasuki watched Miaka socialize with Houki. Lost in his thoughts, he barely heard Kouji trying to get his attention.
"Earth to Tasuki! Earth to Tasuki! Hey, Genrou! Out of La La Land!"
"Huh?"
"Man, no girl's ever affected you like this before. She's really something, ain't she?"
"Just look at her. She's grown up so much. I mean, she was always pretty, but now she's a woman and. . .
Tasuki trailed off as Miaka gave Houki a final bow and turned to rejoin Kouji and him. She smiled, and took Tasuki's arm. "Come on, we have some catching up to do." Tasuki followed like a puppy dog, as Miaka started babbling about life as a guardian.
"So, what have you been doing, Tasuki?"
Her question caught him off guard. "Huh?, Oh, nothing much, just hangin' around the bandit stronghold."
"By the way, where's Tamahome? I haven't seen him yet ."
Tasuki winced at the mention of Tamahome. He couldn't tell her that he was off god-knows-where with his fiancé, doing thing Tasuki didn't even want to think about. He should tell her, but he just couldn't.
"Oh, I think he's in town or something."
"Oh, ok." Miaka yawned. "Man, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go to bed now, ok? "Alright, sweet dreams, Miaka."
"You too. See you tomorrow." She reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek, before walking down the hall and disappearing into her room. Tasuki stared after her, hand on his cheek, and shook his head before heading to his own room.
Miaka's stomach gave her a wake up call the next morning. She sat up, wondering where she was, then remembered that she was in her old room at the palace. She looked out the window. It was still dark out. Stumbling to her feet, she slipped into her red kimono and started on her way to the kitchen. On her way there, she passed Tamahome's room. She could her a slight rustling in there, so she knew he was there. Deciding to surprise him, she opened the door, slowly and soundlessly, just far enough to peer in.
Her eyes went wide. There was Tamahome, HER Tamahome, kissing another girl rather passionately. Shocked, she took off running down the hall.
Daiani looked up just in time to see the shocked look in a pair of green eyes, before they welled up with tears and disappeared. 'Uh oh. That must have been Miaka.' She looked at Tamahome. She knew very well about Miaka. Suddenly feeling guilty, she pulled away from Tamahome, much to his dismay.
"What is it, love?"
"Nothing, I just. . . I don't know. . .
Tamahome put his arms around her, and she leaned into his warm embrace.
'Oh, what am I going to do? The poor thing must be heartbroken. I wanted to be friends with her, after hearing about what a sweet caring girl she is, but now that she knows about. . .us. . .how will she and I ever get along?'
Miaka raced out of the palace, avoiding everyone. 'Why? Why didn't anyone tell me? Tasuki? Houki? They must have known. Did they think I wouldn't find out? Did they think I wouldn't care?' Miaka saw the stables a few yards away. In a state of near-hysteria, she turned on her heel and headed to her roan filly. Mounting, she looked back to the palace, before kicking her heels and riding away.