Ji-na continued to struggle with the seaweed. She couldn't get it off of
her. The harder she tugged, the tighter it wrapped around her.
It's almost like it's alive, she thought. Eww... that's not a pleasant thought. Fear began to bubble up inside of her. Stop panicking! Think, think. What to do...
The seaweed tightened its grip on her. She screamed and realized what a stupid idea that just was. Now she lessened her air supply.
AHHH!!!! she thought. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die. Oh, shut up! I'm not gonna die. O.K. think. Suzaku, I'm so stupid. Break the seaweed!
Ji-na tried to break the seaweed that entangled her. She managed to get some of it off, but most of it was still clutching her, impossible to break off.
She felt a hand on her cheek. It was hard for her to see in the water, but she could make out the outline of Chichiri.
Chichiri's strong hands broke what seaweed was still wrapped around her. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and swam up to the surface.
It was a blessing to be able to breathe again. Ji-na sucked in mouthfuls of air, not caring that she wasn't helping Chichiri get any closer to solid ground.
Eventually, they reached the porch. Hotohori scooped them up out of the water.
Ji-na was happy to be standing on solid ground again.
Two ghosts ran towards Chichiri and Ji-na. There was a girl and a boy, both with their hair done up in buns. Ji-na recognized who they were after about a second.
"My sister, my sister!" Kouran cried, giving Ji-na short quick kisses as best as a ghost can kiss a solid being. "Houjun, you saved her!"
"Well done, Juni-boy," Hikou said, throwing an arm around Chichiri's shoulders.
"Chichiri!" Tasuki cried, seeming to appear out of nowhere. "What the f*** do you think you were doing?!" He threw his arms around Chichiri. "You f***ing scared me!"
"Um..."
"Don't 'um' me, you stupid b******! You could've gotten yourself f***ing killed!"
"Yeah, but -"
"No buts! Don't ever do that to me again, even if it is for some hot broad!"
Ji-na smiled when she heard the woman-hater Tasuki call her a "hot broad".
"Do you f***ing understand what the f*** I'm saying?!"
"Yes, Tasuki no da."
"Good."
~*~
Chichiri knocked on the door to Ji-na's room. He had just changed into a robe so he could get out of his wet clothes.
"Wait a minute!" he heard Ji-na's voice call from behind the door. The door opened and he saw Ji-na standing in the doorway, also wearing a robe.
"Uh, can I come in no da?"
"Sure!"
Chichiri stepped in the room. What he saw almost made him laugh out loud. Kouran was sitting/floating on Ji-na's bed and Hikou had his face turned towards a corner, asking if he could turn around yet.
"Yes," both Ji-na and Kouran said with a giggle. Hikou turned around and floated over to the bed where he sat down.
There was a silence that seemed to hang in the air, wet and heavy like laundry hung out to dry.
"So, uh," Ji-na said, trying to think of something to say. "Thanks for saving my life."
"Oh, no problem na no da!"
"Where's your mask?" Ji-na asked suddenly.
Chichiri suddenly realized that it wasn't on his face.
"M-my mask no da!" he cried. "It must have gotten washed away while I was trying to save you."
"That's alright."
"Alright? It's my mask no da!"
"You don't need it."
"Why not? Because my hideous scar adds to my features and makes me look so handsome you could die?" Chichiri asked sarcastically.
"Actually... yeah."
Chichiri's good eye widened. "Really no da?"
"Really no da," Ji-na responded. Chichiri could feel his cheeks get warm.
If only Nuriko were here no da, he thought. He would have said something like -
"Look! Look! Chichiri's blushin'!" Chichiri and Ji-na turned to see Tasuki excitedly pointing with his finger towards the two of them. Three seconds later, the sound of scampering footsteps filled the hallway as all the seishi and Miaka ran to Ji-na's room.
Something just like that no da.
"Isn't that so sweet, Houjun?" Hikou said. "You've attracted a crowd."
"OOOO!" Miaka squealed. "You're finally together!"
"Miaka, we're not together," Ji-na said.
"Nonsense! I know a couple in love when I see one and I'm looking at one right now!" she said, voice full of stubbornness.
Ji-na and Chichiri looked at each other, then at the crowd of faces.
"You know you want to," Hikou said.
"Oh no no da. I'm a monk, remember?"
Hikou looked like he didn't care. He held out his hands, meaning to push Chichiri towards Ji-na, but sent his arms through Chichiri's back and out his chest instead.
"C'mon, why don't you kiss her?" Hikou whined.
"Because he's scared," Kouran joked. Chichiri decided to ignore that comment.
Meanwhile, Ji-na's face was getting redder and redder.
"Sha la la la la la, oh my my You wanna kiss the girl You wanna kiss the girl (Woah woah)" Miaka sang.
Ji-na put her reddening face in her hands. Chichiri decided to follow suit. "Sha la la la la la Float along and listen to the song You wanna kiss the girl. Da da da da da Da da da da Da da da da"
After a few verses, everyone except Ji-na and Chichiri were singing along. Ji-na and Chichiri were sitting on Ji-na's bed, pretending they didn't know anyone and had no clue what was going on.
When the song ended, there was thunderous applause and a cry of "Kiss the damn girl already!" courtesy of Tasuki.
Well, what do I have to lose no da? Chichiri thought as he planted a quick kiss on Ji-na's lips.
The cheering that followed was so loud, even a deaf man could have been able to hear it.
Chichiri looked at Ji-na's face and saw her smiling so brightly, her face could have rivaled the light of the sun. It was then he decided to say something he hadn't said to anyone in six years.
"I love you, Jun-ling."
Ji-na shook her head so lightly, it almost looked like she wasn't moving it at all.
"I'm not Jun-ling anymore," she said. "That's the name of an annoying little girl that got on your nerves. Now I am Ji-na, a princess in love with the Suzaku seishi Chichiri. Not Houjun, the boy who was engaged to Jun-ling's older sister, but Chichiri, the monk. We must not forget the past, Chichiri, but we must not let it take over our lives. Otherwise, there is no reason to do anything but pine for the days of yore. Otherwise, there is no reason to live."
"It doesn't matter to me who you are and who I am no da," Chichiri said. "All that matters is that I have the girl I love in my arms."
"Then I guess it doesn't matter to you that you're a monk who just kissed a girl," Hikou said.
"Not in the least no da. Not in the least." To prove his point, Chichiri kissed Ji-na again.
"And they all lived happily ever after, the end," said Miaka.
A/N: And so concludes Perfect Strangers It's always so satisfying to write a fic and know that people like it. Thanks tooooooooooo:
TA Maxwell: I love Chichiri, you love Chichiri, we all love Chichiri!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! Cornelia: Distant Thunder couldn't have been, if that's what you're talking about. The head of my camp wrote it. It was the final number for a play at my camp.
mrsradcliffe/tamahome: I wrote more! Yay me! Yay Fushigi Yugi! Yay Chichiri! Yay reviewers!
It's almost like it's alive, she thought. Eww... that's not a pleasant thought. Fear began to bubble up inside of her. Stop panicking! Think, think. What to do...
The seaweed tightened its grip on her. She screamed and realized what a stupid idea that just was. Now she lessened her air supply.
AHHH!!!! she thought. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die. Oh, shut up! I'm not gonna die. O.K. think. Suzaku, I'm so stupid. Break the seaweed!
Ji-na tried to break the seaweed that entangled her. She managed to get some of it off, but most of it was still clutching her, impossible to break off.
She felt a hand on her cheek. It was hard for her to see in the water, but she could make out the outline of Chichiri.
Chichiri's strong hands broke what seaweed was still wrapped around her. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and swam up to the surface.
It was a blessing to be able to breathe again. Ji-na sucked in mouthfuls of air, not caring that she wasn't helping Chichiri get any closer to solid ground.
Eventually, they reached the porch. Hotohori scooped them up out of the water.
Ji-na was happy to be standing on solid ground again.
Two ghosts ran towards Chichiri and Ji-na. There was a girl and a boy, both with their hair done up in buns. Ji-na recognized who they were after about a second.
"My sister, my sister!" Kouran cried, giving Ji-na short quick kisses as best as a ghost can kiss a solid being. "Houjun, you saved her!"
"Well done, Juni-boy," Hikou said, throwing an arm around Chichiri's shoulders.
"Chichiri!" Tasuki cried, seeming to appear out of nowhere. "What the f*** do you think you were doing?!" He threw his arms around Chichiri. "You f***ing scared me!"
"Um..."
"Don't 'um' me, you stupid b******! You could've gotten yourself f***ing killed!"
"Yeah, but -"
"No buts! Don't ever do that to me again, even if it is for some hot broad!"
Ji-na smiled when she heard the woman-hater Tasuki call her a "hot broad".
"Do you f***ing understand what the f*** I'm saying?!"
"Yes, Tasuki no da."
"Good."
~*~
Chichiri knocked on the door to Ji-na's room. He had just changed into a robe so he could get out of his wet clothes.
"Wait a minute!" he heard Ji-na's voice call from behind the door. The door opened and he saw Ji-na standing in the doorway, also wearing a robe.
"Uh, can I come in no da?"
"Sure!"
Chichiri stepped in the room. What he saw almost made him laugh out loud. Kouran was sitting/floating on Ji-na's bed and Hikou had his face turned towards a corner, asking if he could turn around yet.
"Yes," both Ji-na and Kouran said with a giggle. Hikou turned around and floated over to the bed where he sat down.
There was a silence that seemed to hang in the air, wet and heavy like laundry hung out to dry.
"So, uh," Ji-na said, trying to think of something to say. "Thanks for saving my life."
"Oh, no problem na no da!"
"Where's your mask?" Ji-na asked suddenly.
Chichiri suddenly realized that it wasn't on his face.
"M-my mask no da!" he cried. "It must have gotten washed away while I was trying to save you."
"That's alright."
"Alright? It's my mask no da!"
"You don't need it."
"Why not? Because my hideous scar adds to my features and makes me look so handsome you could die?" Chichiri asked sarcastically.
"Actually... yeah."
Chichiri's good eye widened. "Really no da?"
"Really no da," Ji-na responded. Chichiri could feel his cheeks get warm.
If only Nuriko were here no da, he thought. He would have said something like -
"Look! Look! Chichiri's blushin'!" Chichiri and Ji-na turned to see Tasuki excitedly pointing with his finger towards the two of them. Three seconds later, the sound of scampering footsteps filled the hallway as all the seishi and Miaka ran to Ji-na's room.
Something just like that no da.
"Isn't that so sweet, Houjun?" Hikou said. "You've attracted a crowd."
"OOOO!" Miaka squealed. "You're finally together!"
"Miaka, we're not together," Ji-na said.
"Nonsense! I know a couple in love when I see one and I'm looking at one right now!" she said, voice full of stubbornness.
Ji-na and Chichiri looked at each other, then at the crowd of faces.
"You know you want to," Hikou said.
"Oh no no da. I'm a monk, remember?"
Hikou looked like he didn't care. He held out his hands, meaning to push Chichiri towards Ji-na, but sent his arms through Chichiri's back and out his chest instead.
"C'mon, why don't you kiss her?" Hikou whined.
"Because he's scared," Kouran joked. Chichiri decided to ignore that comment.
Meanwhile, Ji-na's face was getting redder and redder.
"Sha la la la la la, oh my my You wanna kiss the girl You wanna kiss the girl (Woah woah)" Miaka sang.
Ji-na put her reddening face in her hands. Chichiri decided to follow suit. "Sha la la la la la Float along and listen to the song You wanna kiss the girl. Da da da da da Da da da da Da da da da"
After a few verses, everyone except Ji-na and Chichiri were singing along. Ji-na and Chichiri were sitting on Ji-na's bed, pretending they didn't know anyone and had no clue what was going on.
When the song ended, there was thunderous applause and a cry of "Kiss the damn girl already!" courtesy of Tasuki.
Well, what do I have to lose no da? Chichiri thought as he planted a quick kiss on Ji-na's lips.
The cheering that followed was so loud, even a deaf man could have been able to hear it.
Chichiri looked at Ji-na's face and saw her smiling so brightly, her face could have rivaled the light of the sun. It was then he decided to say something he hadn't said to anyone in six years.
"I love you, Jun-ling."
Ji-na shook her head so lightly, it almost looked like she wasn't moving it at all.
"I'm not Jun-ling anymore," she said. "That's the name of an annoying little girl that got on your nerves. Now I am Ji-na, a princess in love with the Suzaku seishi Chichiri. Not Houjun, the boy who was engaged to Jun-ling's older sister, but Chichiri, the monk. We must not forget the past, Chichiri, but we must not let it take over our lives. Otherwise, there is no reason to do anything but pine for the days of yore. Otherwise, there is no reason to live."
"It doesn't matter to me who you are and who I am no da," Chichiri said. "All that matters is that I have the girl I love in my arms."
"Then I guess it doesn't matter to you that you're a monk who just kissed a girl," Hikou said.
"Not in the least no da. Not in the least." To prove his point, Chichiri kissed Ji-na again.
"And they all lived happily ever after, the end," said Miaka.
A/N: And so concludes Perfect Strangers It's always so satisfying to write a fic and know that people like it. Thanks tooooooooooo:
TA Maxwell: I love Chichiri, you love Chichiri, we all love Chichiri!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! Cornelia: Distant Thunder couldn't have been, if that's what you're talking about. The head of my camp wrote it. It was the final number for a play at my camp.
mrsradcliffe/tamahome: I wrote more! Yay me! Yay Fushigi Yugi! Yay Chichiri! Yay reviewers!