Watase Yuu owns Fushigi Yuugi, and Takahashi Rumiko owns Ranma 1/2. This fic is written (without
permission) for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from this story. We now
return you to your regularly scheduled fanfiction.
*****
I wrote this a couple of years ago, and am only now posting it here. ^_^()I'm going to rewrite it chapter by chapter but will try to keep up with updating the story. I'm not going to change the story, for those of you who saw the older version; I'm merely fleshing it out a bit so that it reads smoother...and stuff ^_~
Hopefully you enjoy it. =)
Please leave feedback! ^_^
*****
The sun shone warmly on the palace grounds, promising a beautiful day for Konan. Birds sang their praises to the warmth and beauty of the land, and the faint laughter of children from the city streets drifted on the wind. Everyone was in good spirits and greeted the day eagerly.
Everyone, that is, except Tasuki. His form was barely discernable as a lump under the blankets he had pulled over his head in an attempt to block out the offending rays of sunshine. He had gone a little overboard in his sake drinking last night, and was now paying the price with a tremendous headache. He cursed his overindulgence, then smirked as he realized he'd probably do the same thing tonight with little thought of the consequences. That is, he would if he could get out of bed by then. Right now, however, that didn't look too promising.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Nuriko's voice, "Tasuki? Tasuki! Wake up!" he knocked harder on the door, causing Tasuki to groan as his head protested the noise. He buried his head under his pillow and tried to will Nuriko away. Several minutes of silence passed and Tasuki was just beginning to think that his fellow seishi had given up when a hand grabbed his ankle and quickly dragged him out of bed. He fell in a heap at the foot of the bed and glared up at Nuriko.
"Nuriko! What the hell is your problem?!" he demanded.
"You're still asleep! That's what! Everyone else is up and about!"
"Well good for them!" Tasuki shot back as Nuriko left the room. He gave a sigh as he looked back to his bed. His headache was still present, but he knew if he went back to bed, Nuriko would be back. His head hurt more at the thought. Reluctantly he got dressed and headed out the door. He went to the kitchens, thinking to get a bite to eat, but the smell of food soured his stomach, so he quickly left before his stomach became even emptier than it already was.
Hotohori was in his throne room, speaking with his officials about country affairs. Something Tasuki had no interest in; nor did Hotohori, from the bored, yet polite, expression on his face. He walked around to the gardens and spotted Chichiri sitting in his favorite spot. He held a bamboo fishing pole and was staring intently at the water. Or so Tasuki guessed. It was hard to tell with the mask he nearly always wore.
"Hey, Chichiri! Catch anything?" he greeted as he came up beside him and gazed into the clear waters.
"Good morning, Tasuki-san. Sleep well, no da?" Chichiri asked. Tasuki gave him a sidelong glance, suspecting the seishi of poking fun at him. He gave a small grunt in reply, then blinked as he saw what was at the end of Chichiri's line.
Namely, nothing at all.
"I think I know what your problem is, Chichiri," Tasuki chuckled.
"My problem, no da?" Chichiri asked, confused.
"Yeah. You don't have any bait!" he stated as he pulled the line out of the water for Chichiri to see, "How do you expect to catch anything with no bait?"
"Catch, no da?"
Tasuki stared blankly at Chichiri for a moment, then dropped the line back into the water in disgust, "Forget it," he muttered as he stalked off.
Chichiri smiled slightly as he walked off, then let out a small exclamation as his pole bent to the weight of a fish, "Hey, no da! Let go!" he grabbed the offending fish and gently tossed it back into the water, "Go bother someone else, na no da."
Tasuki was back to wandering the palace; his headache having eased somewhat. He was nearing Tamahome's room, and instantly recognized the clinking sound of coins.
"One hundred seven...one hundred eight..." Tamahome counted as he arranged his coins into neat stacks.
Taskui's eyes widened at the sight of the coins, his headache now completely forgotten, "Tamahome! How about helping out an old friend with a loan?" Tamahome stiffened at the sound of Tasuki's voice and hastily stuffed all his coins into a cloth sack.
"Get lost," Tamahome growled, clutching his money close to him, "You'd only waste it on more booze."
"Better than letting it sit and collect dust," Tasuki rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe, "So...how many people did you swindle to get all that cash?"
"Swindle?! I'll have you know that this is all honest money! Something someone like you would know nothing about. Although," Tamahome mused, ignoring Tasuki's protests, "I suppose I should be grateful that there are people like you in the world. Protecting innocents from low-life scum like you is how I earned all this money."
"Hey! That's not fair! We only robbed those who could afford it!"
"Admiral of you," Tamahome smirked.
"I'll have you know that I'm a..." Tasuki stopped mid-sentance and stared in amazement at Tamahome. A smile slowly grew on his face and he emitted a low chuckle.
"A total idiot?" Tamahome finished for him as he stuffed his coin pouch in his belt.
"A GENIUS!!" Tasuki shouted as he grabbed Tamahome's collar excitedly. He hadn't even seen Tasuki cross the room, "I am a @#$%! genius!!"
"You're still drunk, aren't you?" Tamahome asked, freeing himself from Tasuki's grip. Tasuki didn't reply but was doing a little dance on the floor as he raved about how they would be rich.
Growing tired of watching his antics, he finally grabbed Tasuki and turned him towards him, "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.
"It's perfect! We'll make so much money! It's the perfect plan!"
"What's the perfect plan?!" he was growing impatient with Tasuki's blabbering.
"I'll rob them, and you can stop me! And they'll pay you to do it!" Tasuki exclaimed.
"Getting paid to beat you senseless? Sounds good to me, though I wouldn't mind doing it for free if it will get you to shut up," he snorted as he released Tasuki.
"Ha! You can't beat the almighty Gen-Chan! I'm only letting you pretend to beat me up so we can earn some cash!" Tasuki replied, then began to rummage through Tamahome's room.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Tamahome demanded.
"Looking for a map. You have one, don't you?" Tasuki asked.
"No. A map of what?"
"Of Konan, you idiot. Eh, we don't need it. I know the perfect village. About half a day's travel from here."
"You don't mean..." Tamahome started but was cut off by Tasuki.
"Yep! They'll never know what hit them!" he grinned widely.
"Are you insane? That village is famous for it's security. It's almost as heavily guarded as the palace!"
"Exactly! They'll never know what hit them! Once their security is broken, they'll panic, and be willing to pay even someone as pathetic as you to protect them."
"And what makes you so sure that you can break that security?"
"Hey! This is me we are talking about here! I've spent my whole life as a bandit!" Tasuki exclaimed, throwing his arms wide.
"Really. You'd think you would have actually gained some skills in that time," Tamahome quipped.
"@#$%! Do you want to do this or not?" Tasuki asked.
"Sure, I'm in. It IS a good idea, especially for you." Tamahome agreed.
"Of course it is! Which is why I should get a bigger cut of the profits!"
"What?!"
"Hey, it was my idea," Tasuki shrugged.
"No way! We split it even!" Tamahome growled.
"Hell no! You can't do this without me!" Tasuki yelled.
"What are you talking about? There are plenty of REAL bandits out there!"
Tasuki pulled out his fan and pointed it at Tamahome who instantly relented. He didn't fancy being toasted at the moment, "All right, all right!" Tamahome sighed. Inwardly he smiled; he didn't have to tell Tasuki just how much he was being paid for his services.
"Well, come on then," Tasuki said as he headed out the door with Tamahome close behind. Neither saw the figure slipping around the corner as they headed for the stables.
permission) for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from this story. We now
return you to your regularly scheduled fanfiction.
*****
I wrote this a couple of years ago, and am only now posting it here. ^_^()I'm going to rewrite it chapter by chapter but will try to keep up with updating the story. I'm not going to change the story, for those of you who saw the older version; I'm merely fleshing it out a bit so that it reads smoother...and stuff ^_~
Hopefully you enjoy it. =)
Please leave feedback! ^_^
*****
The sun shone warmly on the palace grounds, promising a beautiful day for Konan. Birds sang their praises to the warmth and beauty of the land, and the faint laughter of children from the city streets drifted on the wind. Everyone was in good spirits and greeted the day eagerly.
Everyone, that is, except Tasuki. His form was barely discernable as a lump under the blankets he had pulled over his head in an attempt to block out the offending rays of sunshine. He had gone a little overboard in his sake drinking last night, and was now paying the price with a tremendous headache. He cursed his overindulgence, then smirked as he realized he'd probably do the same thing tonight with little thought of the consequences. That is, he would if he could get out of bed by then. Right now, however, that didn't look too promising.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Nuriko's voice, "Tasuki? Tasuki! Wake up!" he knocked harder on the door, causing Tasuki to groan as his head protested the noise. He buried his head under his pillow and tried to will Nuriko away. Several minutes of silence passed and Tasuki was just beginning to think that his fellow seishi had given up when a hand grabbed his ankle and quickly dragged him out of bed. He fell in a heap at the foot of the bed and glared up at Nuriko.
"Nuriko! What the hell is your problem?!" he demanded.
"You're still asleep! That's what! Everyone else is up and about!"
"Well good for them!" Tasuki shot back as Nuriko left the room. He gave a sigh as he looked back to his bed. His headache was still present, but he knew if he went back to bed, Nuriko would be back. His head hurt more at the thought. Reluctantly he got dressed and headed out the door. He went to the kitchens, thinking to get a bite to eat, but the smell of food soured his stomach, so he quickly left before his stomach became even emptier than it already was.
Hotohori was in his throne room, speaking with his officials about country affairs. Something Tasuki had no interest in; nor did Hotohori, from the bored, yet polite, expression on his face. He walked around to the gardens and spotted Chichiri sitting in his favorite spot. He held a bamboo fishing pole and was staring intently at the water. Or so Tasuki guessed. It was hard to tell with the mask he nearly always wore.
"Hey, Chichiri! Catch anything?" he greeted as he came up beside him and gazed into the clear waters.
"Good morning, Tasuki-san. Sleep well, no da?" Chichiri asked. Tasuki gave him a sidelong glance, suspecting the seishi of poking fun at him. He gave a small grunt in reply, then blinked as he saw what was at the end of Chichiri's line.
Namely, nothing at all.
"I think I know what your problem is, Chichiri," Tasuki chuckled.
"My problem, no da?" Chichiri asked, confused.
"Yeah. You don't have any bait!" he stated as he pulled the line out of the water for Chichiri to see, "How do you expect to catch anything with no bait?"
"Catch, no da?"
Tasuki stared blankly at Chichiri for a moment, then dropped the line back into the water in disgust, "Forget it," he muttered as he stalked off.
Chichiri smiled slightly as he walked off, then let out a small exclamation as his pole bent to the weight of a fish, "Hey, no da! Let go!" he grabbed the offending fish and gently tossed it back into the water, "Go bother someone else, na no da."
Tasuki was back to wandering the palace; his headache having eased somewhat. He was nearing Tamahome's room, and instantly recognized the clinking sound of coins.
"One hundred seven...one hundred eight..." Tamahome counted as he arranged his coins into neat stacks.
Taskui's eyes widened at the sight of the coins, his headache now completely forgotten, "Tamahome! How about helping out an old friend with a loan?" Tamahome stiffened at the sound of Tasuki's voice and hastily stuffed all his coins into a cloth sack.
"Get lost," Tamahome growled, clutching his money close to him, "You'd only waste it on more booze."
"Better than letting it sit and collect dust," Tasuki rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe, "So...how many people did you swindle to get all that cash?"
"Swindle?! I'll have you know that this is all honest money! Something someone like you would know nothing about. Although," Tamahome mused, ignoring Tasuki's protests, "I suppose I should be grateful that there are people like you in the world. Protecting innocents from low-life scum like you is how I earned all this money."
"Hey! That's not fair! We only robbed those who could afford it!"
"Admiral of you," Tamahome smirked.
"I'll have you know that I'm a..." Tasuki stopped mid-sentance and stared in amazement at Tamahome. A smile slowly grew on his face and he emitted a low chuckle.
"A total idiot?" Tamahome finished for him as he stuffed his coin pouch in his belt.
"A GENIUS!!" Tasuki shouted as he grabbed Tamahome's collar excitedly. He hadn't even seen Tasuki cross the room, "I am a @#$%! genius!!"
"You're still drunk, aren't you?" Tamahome asked, freeing himself from Tasuki's grip. Tasuki didn't reply but was doing a little dance on the floor as he raved about how they would be rich.
Growing tired of watching his antics, he finally grabbed Tasuki and turned him towards him, "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.
"It's perfect! We'll make so much money! It's the perfect plan!"
"What's the perfect plan?!" he was growing impatient with Tasuki's blabbering.
"I'll rob them, and you can stop me! And they'll pay you to do it!" Tasuki exclaimed.
"Getting paid to beat you senseless? Sounds good to me, though I wouldn't mind doing it for free if it will get you to shut up," he snorted as he released Tasuki.
"Ha! You can't beat the almighty Gen-Chan! I'm only letting you pretend to beat me up so we can earn some cash!" Tasuki replied, then began to rummage through Tamahome's room.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Tamahome demanded.
"Looking for a map. You have one, don't you?" Tasuki asked.
"No. A map of what?"
"Of Konan, you idiot. Eh, we don't need it. I know the perfect village. About half a day's travel from here."
"You don't mean..." Tamahome started but was cut off by Tasuki.
"Yep! They'll never know what hit them!" he grinned widely.
"Are you insane? That village is famous for it's security. It's almost as heavily guarded as the palace!"
"Exactly! They'll never know what hit them! Once their security is broken, they'll panic, and be willing to pay even someone as pathetic as you to protect them."
"And what makes you so sure that you can break that security?"
"Hey! This is me we are talking about here! I've spent my whole life as a bandit!" Tasuki exclaimed, throwing his arms wide.
"Really. You'd think you would have actually gained some skills in that time," Tamahome quipped.
"@#$%! Do you want to do this or not?" Tasuki asked.
"Sure, I'm in. It IS a good idea, especially for you." Tamahome agreed.
"Of course it is! Which is why I should get a bigger cut of the profits!"
"What?!"
"Hey, it was my idea," Tasuki shrugged.
"No way! We split it even!" Tamahome growled.
"Hell no! You can't do this without me!" Tasuki yelled.
"What are you talking about? There are plenty of REAL bandits out there!"
Tasuki pulled out his fan and pointed it at Tamahome who instantly relented. He didn't fancy being toasted at the moment, "All right, all right!" Tamahome sighed. Inwardly he smiled; he didn't have to tell Tasuki just how much he was being paid for his services.
"Well, come on then," Tasuki said as he headed out the door with Tamahome close behind. Neither saw the figure slipping around the corner as they headed for the stables.