Two is better then One -- ne Tasuki?
Nakago's footsteps echoed as he walked down the darkened hallway, his face a mask of hardened indifference with a trace of anger and annoyance. Suddenly, with a single fluid motion, he drew his sword and raised it to the neck of a shadowy form standing in the corner of the hallway.
"Who are you and how did you get in here." He demanded of the stranger in a cold voice.
"Ah, Nakago, m'boy! Good to see you're still in form." Chuckled a cracked old voice. "Allow me to illuminate the situation for you."
A small ball of clear light appeared above the stranger revealing a short and elderly man, with a bemused smile upon his face.
If Nakago was surprised by the wizened man's display of magic, he did not show it. "Who are you, and how did you get in here." he repeated in the same tone as before, his eyes ice cold.
"That," the man smiled, pointed a finger at the blond warrior, "is unimportant!" he finished, pointing to the ceiling with a flourish. "What is important," he paused, smiling once more. "Is that you," he again pointed to the stone-faced shogun, "succeed in your battle against the Suzaku seishi!" His cracked smile grew as he continued. "How would you like your work load," he smiled again, "cut in half?"
Nakago paused for a moment. "Tell me more." He ordered.
"LEKKA SHIEN! "
A stream of fire roared out, propelling a dark-aqua haired man across the small clearing.
"Tasuki-kun!" Chichiri exclaimed in a reprimanding tone.
The red-haired bandit looked over at the agitated monk, replacing his tessen in it's sheath. "What?" he replied indignantly. "He was askin' for it!"
The blue-haired man sighed. "You shouldn't attack Tamahome so much. This fighting amongst ourselves will not help us win the war no da!"
Tasuki made a face. "Mitsukake'll heal him up." he defended himself.
"Mitsukake should not have to spend all his healing energy because you keep fighting with Tamahome no da!" Chichiri retorted. "He can only --" he broke off mid sentence. "Nani?" he exclaimed.
Suddenly, a large ice-blue flash erupted in the midst of the field, near where the monk and bandit stood. It spread out, turning white as it hit the pair and continuing onward.
Tama-Neko gave a startled meow and jumped into Chiriko's arms. The youngest seishi looked up just in time to see the light envelope him and turn white.
Mitsukake looked up from bandaging the rather toasted Tamahome just as the light swallowed them both.
Nuriko cried out as the light hit Hotohori and only seconds later was covered by the light himself.
Tasuki groaned as he came to. His body was aching everywhere, his mind spinning. He felt completely disoriented, with a nagging feeling that something was fucked up.
"What the fuck was that no da?" he muttered.
Tasuki's eyes went wide. He slapped his hand over his mouth, his other hand following soon after. 'Did I just say 'no da'?' he thought in horror.
"Did I just swear?" he heard Chichiri wonder, equally as horrified.
"Chichiri?" Tasuki looked around. Where was that annoying monk anyway? He couldn't see him anywhere.
Giving another groan, Tasuki pulled himself to his feet, trying to ignore the pain that was slowly fading from his body. A wave of dizziness hit him as he looked around. Everything looked different somehow, like he was looking through someone else's eyes, yet not. And was he-- taller somehow? Tasuki looked down to brush off his clothing and paused in shock.
He was wearing Chichiri's kesa! And his wasn't even wearing it right! It was around his body like his trench-coat had been. In a flash of panic, he reached for his tessen. He breathed a large sigh of relief when his hand grasped the handle. Tasuki paused, frowning. There was something else in the holder as well. He pulled it out and stared at it in shock. It was Chichiri's staff! How the hell had it gotten there?! And how did it fit? 'It's magic,' he thought, hearing Chichiri's voice, "it does things like that no da."
What the hell! He had just thought using 'no da'?! What was going on?! Why did he feel so damn strange? And why the hell was he wearing Chichiri's clothing?! Where the fuck was that accursed blue-haired freak anyway?!
A childish groan interrupted Tasuki's internal rantings. "Chiriko!" he cried out, stumbling over to the young seishi, leaning on Chichiri's staff. He couldn't even walk right! What was wrong with him? Suddenly, Tasuki stopped short, his eyes focusing on the stirring child before him.
"Nani no da?!" He barely noticed himself say in Chichiri's voice.
Chiriko-- Tasuki's mind stuttered, Chiriko had cat ears!
The small seishi was curled up, a white and brown tail curling around his legs and large white cat ears poking out from underneath his hair.
The cat-child gave a yawn and stretched, sitting up. He looked up at Tasuki and blinked cutely. "Tasuki?" he blinked again. "Why do you look like Chichiri?"
Tasuki was taken back. 'Look like Chichiri? ' he repeated mentally.
Chiriko's tail swished back and forth a few times as he looked up at Tasuki's puzzled expression with his head cocked to one side. "I feel so strange!" he exclaimed, straightening his neck. Suddenly, he paused ,his tail stopping in mid swish. "Tama-chan?" The cat-child turned trying to find his feline friend. Spotting his own tail, his eyes grew wide. "Tama-chaaaan?" his eyes began to water. "I sat on Tama-chan!" He wailed.
"Mitsukake!" Chiriko bent over, placing his hands on the ground, and began running across the field on all fours. "I sat on Tama-chan!" he cried, his tail flying in the wind behind him.
Tasuki ran after the distressed cat-child, again having to lean on Chichiri's staff.
"Mitsukake?" he heard Chiriko meow. The cat-child was nuzzling the arm of the unconscious man before him, but which man it was, Tasuki could not tell.
He looked like Mitsukake, but Mitsukake had brown hair, not aqua, and was taller, much taller. In fact, it almost looked like Tamahome, but his hair was short, like Mitsukake's, and he was wearing Mitsukake's headbands.
The man began to stir. "Mitsukake!" Chiriko cried happily as the seishi opened his eyes. One eye was brown, Mitsukake's eye color, and one was grey, Tamahome's eye color. Seeing the cat-child in font of him, the man's eyes widened more. "Chiriko!" he exclaimed in Mitsukake's voice. "What happened!" he continued in Tamahome's voice.
Tasuki's head began spinning. 'I shouldn't have had that sake before,' he thought miserably. 'I knew it tasted funny! It's fucking with my head! '
'Gen-chan,' said a voice in his mind that tended to tell him things he didn't want to hear, 'You never hallucinate when you're drunk,' it continued, sounding an awful lot like Koji.
'Shut UP!' Tasuki pushed the though away. This had to be a hallucination, he had to be drunk. He would wake up in the morning with one hell of a hangover and it would all be better...
"Where's Hotohori-sama?" he heard Chichiri say.
"Shit! He's in the house!" Tasuki exclaimed.
"Who's in the house?" Mitsukake asked.
"Hotohori!" Tasuki snapped, "didn't you hear Chichiri--" Tasuki paused. Chichiri wasn't here.
Suddenly, he began running towards the house at the edge of the field. "What the fuck?!" He exclaimed. Why was he running and where was he going? He stumbled, grabbing hold of the staff to keep from falling.
"You're going to find Hotohori-sama!" Chichiri exclaimed, sighing.
"Oh, right. Wait a second, Chichiri? Where the fuck are you?!" he exclaimed as he threw open the door.
"Hotohori-sama!" he exclaimed in Chichiri's voice. "Are you--" He stopped mid sentence.
Hotohori was standing in front of the mirror. His hair had taken on a purple tint and was tied back loosely.
He turned his face to one side, "I never would have thought it possible." he commented, turning his face the other direction. "I am even more beautiful. Whoohohoho!" He, rather, Nuriko laughed.
Tasuki sweat dropped.
"Hotohori-sama," he again said in Chichiri's voice.
Hotohori turned. "Chichiri? Why are you imitating Tasuki?"
"I'm not." Chichiri replied.
Hotohori paused, not knowing what to say.
"All of the seishi seem to have been" Chichiri paused, looking for the right word, "melded with another seishi no da. Tasuki was melded with myself, Tamahome with Mitsukake, and Chiriko--" Chichiri again paused, "Chiriko was melded with Tama-neko. and you were melded with Nuriko."
Hotohori turned back to the mirror. "So I see...." he commented again turning his face to one side.
'Great, now we'll never get him away from that mirror.' Tasuki sighed mentally.
'It would appear that way no da.' Chichiri replied. 'We should go retrieve the others no da.'
'Yeah.' Tasuki thought in agreement. He then paused. 'Hey!' he exclaimed. 'You were reading my thoughts!' he accused.
'Apparently when we think as if we were talking, the other can hear it no da.' Chichiri replied. 'A useful tool to have no da.'
'Useful, hell!' Tasuki grumbled. 'Just what I need, that annoying little --'
'Tasuki-kun,' Chichiri interrupted in a warning tone.
'Shit!'
'Ano.. maybe we should work on not thinking aloud na no da.' Chichiri suggested.
'Yeah,' Tasuki agreed. 'Hey, what's wrong with Hotohori?'
The young emperors face was blushing a bright red. "Nuriko," he began, "N-N-Nuriko!"
'I don't even want to know what's going on in there.' Tasuki muttered.
'Hai no da.' Chichiri agreed. "Hotohori-sama?" he placed a hand on the blushing seishi's shoulder.
Hotohori looked over distractedly. "Y-yes?" he stammered. "Nuriko!" he exclaimed in alarm.
"Ano, Nuriko-san.." Chichiri began.
"HEY FAG-BOY!" Tasuki cut in, "LEAVE THE EMPEROR ALONE!"
The next moment, Chichiri/Tasuki was flying across the room, propelled by Nuriko's punch.
"Itai no da!" Chichiri whined, rubbing his head.
"Chichiri?" Nuriko bent over the monk with concern in his eyes. "Gomen Chichiri!" he apologized as he helped Chichiri to his feet. "I meant to hit that annoying jerk, not you."
Chichiri gave a sigh. This was going to get messy, he could tell.
A bit later, all the melded seishi had been assembled in the house. Chiriko kept fidgeting in his chair as Chichiri was explaining what had happened, and suddenly climbed up on the table. He lay down, curling his tail around him.
"Chiriko," Mitsukake began,
"The chair hurts my tail," Chiriko explained in a cute voice, looking up at Mitsukake. "And it's comfy up here." He curled back up and gave a small purr.
"Damn it," Tasuki swore, "I'm gonna kill the little fuck who did this to us!"
Chiriko looked up from grooming his ear. "Why?"
Tasuki paused, looking at the cat-child.
Chiriko sat up, tail swishing back and forth behind him. "With all of us combined, our powers must be multiplied. We all have twice our chi! And with our powers combined, we have Tasuki's speed and flame throwing abilities combined with Chichiri's magic," The young seishi turned to the other seishi, "Hotohori's swordsmanship backed by Nuriko's strength, and Mitsukake's healing with Tamahome, who needs it most." Chiriko finished.
"But Chiriko," Hotohori interjected, "What about you?"
Chiriko blinked cutely a few times.
"That should be obvious," Mitsukake smiled. "Tama-neko is a smart cat, so Chiriko's intelligence is enhanced."
"And he's got the kawainess of a child and of a cat." Nuriko added. "Which can be useful as well."
Chiriko smiled and purred, re-curling himself up on top of the table.
"Chiriko is right, no da." Chichiri said. "We are more powerful together, but we need to get used to this change, or we'll defeat ourselves no da. We should also practice, to focus our combined abilities."
"But what are we going to do when Miaka comes back?!" Tamahome asked as Mitsukake petted the now purring cat child in front of him.
"Ano..." Chichiri sweat dropped.
"That's right," Nuriko commented as Hotohori looked shocked. "She should be here already, ne?"
At that moment, the young miko burst into the room "Ohayo!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Upon seeing the 4 men gathered in the room, she stopped short, eyes wide. Covering her mouth with her hand, she gave a muted shriek.
"Miaka!" Tamahome rose to his feet.
"Tamahome? What-- what happened to you!" Miaka exclaimed in shock.
Chichiri repeated his hypothesis on what had occurred, unsure of any of it was registering on the traumatized miko.
Miaka sat down hard in the chair Tamahome had vacated. The young cat-child jumped from the table and settled in the girl's lap, nuzzling her gently.
"Ch-Chiriko," Miaka looked at the meowing seishi. Giving a small moan, she passed out.
While Tamahome-Mitsukake attended to the unconscious miko, Chichiri and Tasuki, Nuriko and Hotohori, and Chiriko and Tama-neko went outside to practice. Tasuki and Chichiri had finally gotten the hang of walking correctly and had to assist Nuriko and Hotohori. Chiriko had no trouble walking, but the cat half kept wanting to walk on four legs instead of two. Preferring to watch instead of participate, the cat-child sat at the end of the clearing, his tail waving back and forth in interest.
Tasuki sat on a nearby rock, watching Nuriko and Hotohori slice trees and small boulders his mind pondering what advantage Chichiri could lend to his tessen fire.
'Da!' Chichiri exclaimed, getting an idea. 'Tasuki-kun, flame something,' He suggested.
Tasuki shrugged and picked a random tree as a target. "LEKKA--" he raised his tessen in the air. "SHIEN!"
A stream of blue flame roared out at the tree, incinerating it and two neighboring trees instantly.
"Holy Shit!" Tasuki exclaimed out loud.
'Chi enhanced flame no da!' Chichiri explained, incredibly pleased with himself.
"Awesome." Tasuki breathed.
"Tamahome!" Miaka shrieked from a cross the field as Tamahome and Mitsukake stumbled and fell to the group. Tasuki and Chichiri rushed over to assist the paired seishi to their feet.
"Oi, Tama," Tasuki grinned, "a bit weak on your feet? Go a bit slower or you'll hurt yerself!"
Tamahome grumbled something underneath his breath.
"You might want to practice walking no da," Chichiri interjected before Tasuki could continue insulting Tamahome. "You both have drastically changed height no da."
Tamahome and Mitsukake nodded and allowed Miaka to help them walk around the clearing
"This is going to be hard on her," Hotohori said, watching the miko with concern in his eyes.
"Hai," Chichiri agreed. "And on Tamahome and Mitsukake as well no da. If Tamahome does anything with Miaka, Mitsukake will feel as if he's being unfaithful to Shoka."
"Koji's going to flip." Tasuki sighed "That's if he even recognizes me."
"Oh he'll recognize you all right," Tamahome commented, "Not that it'll do you much good,"
"What do ya mean?" Tasuki asked, mildly annoyed.
"Well, with Chichiri around you can hardly get drunk with your little 'friend'" Tamahome put a rather nasty emphasis on the word, "can you?"
"HEY!" Tasuki yelled, his anger levels rising. "Watch what you say about Koji!" he growled.
"Tamahome--" Nuriko began in a warning tone. It was evident that Mitsukake was trying to keep Tamahome from aggravating Tasuki further, but he wasn't succeeding.
"Why? You afraid he won't want you now that you've changed?" Tamahome sneered.
"LEKKA--"
'Tasuki-kun! No!' Chichiri exclaimed, pulling their arm back.
"SHIEN!" Tasuki finished. He paused, wondering why Tamahome wasn't burnt. Then he notices his arm was in back of him instead of in front.
"Tasuki--" Came Nuriko's agitated voice from behind him.
Tasuki turned to see a rather toasted Nuriko and Hotohori behind him.
"Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!" Tasuki yelped as Nuriko began chasing him around the field.
After both Chichiri and Tasuki apologized to Nuriko and persuaded him not to beat them senseless, the melded seishi borrowed Hotohori's mirror to see if Koji would recognize Tasuki in the meld or not. Their combined appearance was enough to keep them staring until Hotohori demanded his mirror back.
Their hair was Tasuki's red color, pulled back loosely with Chichiri's gravity-deyfing bangs. Tasuki's smaller red and blue beads hung around their neck just above Chichiri's green set. They were wearing Tasuki's earrings in their ears, and still had Tasuki's fangs, much to his relief. With the mask on, their face was a curious meld of both of their features, with eyes as slits, and the mouth smiling in Chichiri's SD manner. With hesitation, Chichiri reached up and removed his mask, unsure what he would find.
The face behind the mask was the same meld of the pair's facial features, only this time with a very surprised look upon it. The right side of the face was almost the same as it had been with the mask, only with a more serious look to it, with the right eye having Chichiri's reddish-brown hue. The left side of the face was the cause of the pair's sharp intake of breath.
Chichiri's scar was there, but it had changed. It still slid down the bottom of their forehead right above the eye, but stopped at the eyebrow. An eye of Tasuki's golden-brown colour lay underneath, perfect and completely untouched. The scar continued at the other side of the eye, swiping across the bridge of their nose in the manner that it had before.
As the melded pair sat, both shocked at their joined appearance, Chiriko-Neko popped up on their shoulder, startling and unbalancing the pair who fell to the floor.
"Chiriko!" Chichiri exclaimed. "You're not Tama-chan no da! You're a lot heavier!"
"Gomen Chichiri-san!" The cat-child meowed. "But Tama-chan says someone's coming. It smells like Soi. She's wearing that perfume again. And Ashitare needs to take a bath." the neko-seishi's nose wrinkled. "Miboshi is coming too, he has a really funny smell to him, and I can smell Tomo's face paint. The other one has to be Suboshi, he must have bathed." Chiriko-Neko bounded cross the floor towards the doorway. "We go tell others!"
Chichiri and Tasuki stood up, brushing off their combined clothing. 'If the Seiryuu Seishi are coming,' Chichiri thought as they headed towards the door, 'they must have been the ones responsible for this mess. It isn't possible for this to be just coincidence.'
Tasuki's hand reached for his tessen. 'Oh they are, are they?' He smiled grimly. 'Lets see how they like this nice BLUE flame!'
Miaka rushed by them, heading for interior of the house under Tamahome's orders.
The paired seishi walked outside the house, and lined up with the other 3 pairs, tessen ready, just as the Seiryuu seishi crashed through the last layer of brush before the clearing.
"Shit!" Suboshi swore, seeing the melded Suzaku Seishi lined up in front of them. "They knew we were coming!"
"It doesn't matter," Tomo pulled out a clam shell as the Seiryuu seishi spread out, "Nakago-sama's spell worked. Now just kill them." Suddenly, the other Tomo's appeared around the painted seishi, all identical in form and stance. Tamahome grinned as he and Mitsukake stepped in front of the four Tomo's. Lifting his left palm, Mitsukake's symbol began to glow and four green sparks flew out and hit the four Tomo's. All but one disappeared. "Now, shall we get serious?" he grinned.
At time same time, Chiriko bounded over to Soi, and peered up at her with wide eyes. The female seishi gave a small laugh. "And what are you going to do?" The cat-child just kept looking at her, his head cocked to one side, tail waving back and forth, radiating kawaiiness. Soi felt herself soften and smile.
"Brrrow?" The neko-seishi meowed, blinking.
Before she could stop herself, Soi bent down and began petting the small seishi. "Awwww," she smiled. "You're so cute!" She sat down, placing Chiriko-Neko on her lap, stroking his head and scratching his ears as he purred.
Suboshi gave a wicked grin and sent his ryuuseisui flying at the Chichiri and Tasuki meld. With a sly smile, Tasuki whipped his tessen up. "LEKKA SHIEN!" The blue flame whipped out and incinerated Suboshi's ryuuseisui. The Seiryuu seishi's eyes went wide as Tasuki chuckled. Quickly whipping out his spare, Suboshi again tried to send it flying at Tasuki and Chichiri, this time trying hard to avoid the flame that was flying from the glowing tessen.
Ashitare growled at Hotohori and Nuriko, while Miboshi hovered in the air above the half-wolf. The small Seiryuu seishi gave a wicked grin and send a large snakelike monster flying in the meld's direction. It was soon split in half by Hotohori's sword. 'Hotohori-sama' Nuriko thought aloud 'Let them push you back a bit, there's a really nice boulder just a bit behind us...'
Hotohori nodded and took a step back as he split the next monster Miboshi sent his way.
Amiboshi paused in his flute playing, feeling a scratching upon his arm, Looking down, he saw a message from his brother. "Aniki! They're too strong! Help me!" Amiboshi sighed, placing his flute down. Lifting his arm, he scratched under his brothers message: "I told you I wasn't going to get involved. Listen to me next time." He picked up his flute again, then paused. Grasping the flute in one palm, he scribbled the word "Baka" underneath his message.
"Koutoku, is everything all right?" his adopted mother asked, sticking her head in the doorway,
"Yes, mother," he smiled, and resumed his song.
Suboshi looked in horror at the words scratched upon his arm, the remnants of his second ryuuseisui on the ground by his feat, his emergency training ryuuseisui, which was only half the size of his other two in his hand.
"LEKKA--"
Suboshi hit the ground and rolled barely dodging the blue flame. Smelling a hideous burring sent, he realized his hair had caught on fire. Quickly smacking it out he yelled "WATCH THE HAIR!" at the tessen wielding seishi in front of him.
Tasuki smirked, chuckling slightly.
"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Suboshi screeched.
"Yes it is no da!" Chichiri smiled. "LEKKA SHIEN NO DA!"
"SHIIIITT!" Suboshi dived for cover as his training ryuuseisui was burnt to a crisp.
Tomo shrieked in dismay as the last of his feathers was torn out. He was not doing well in this fight. The melded Suzaku seishi kept beating him, and none of his illusions were effective either! Those damn green sparks had dissolved every one of them! Tomo began ducking furiously as Tamahome's punches began pummeling him once more.
Nakago arrived at the field, jumping from his horse in anticipation of victory. He paused, mid stride, seeing the situation in front of him.
Suboshi was franticly running and ducking blue flame and getting mildly toasted in the process. Tomo was also fairing badly, being pounded on by a man with Tamahome's 'Oni' symbol. The melded Seishi with purple hair suddenly reached over and tossed a massive boulder into the air. Grabbing his sword, the meld split the rock in two, one piece falling on Ashitare, the other on Miboshi. Nakago felt the chi of both of them disappear, and realized his plan had back fired. And where was Soi?
Hearing a meow, Nakago turned to see Soi cuddling a small child with a cat's ears and a tail. "Naka-chan, can I keep him?" She smiled.
Head swimming, Nakago grabbed the female seishi, displacing the cat-child who mewed in protest. Mounting his horse quickly, he urged the beast into the woods and disappeared.
Tomo noticed Nakago's retreat and decided it would be wise to follow his lead. Casting an illusion off nothingness where he was, he swiftly bolted away.
"NAKAGO-SAMA!" Suboshi screamed, eyes wide as Nakago and Soi disappeared. Suddenly, he felt a burning as the blue flame hit him squarely in the chest, propelling him across the field and smashing him into a tree. "I-tai" he groaned as he passed out.
Tasuki grinned, replacing his still-warm tessen in it's sheath. "That was fun!" He announced.
Hotohori and Nuriko looked over at Tasuki and Chichiri, a look of bemused disbelief on their face.
"Nakago ran! Awesome!" They heard Miaka exclaim happily.
"Miaka!" Tamahome exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
The miko sweat dropped from the window she was looking out of. "I wanted to see what was happening." She admitted, jumping out of the window into the field. She ran up to Tamahome and gave him a crushing hug. Suddenly, her face changed. "Tamahome, what's wrong?" she asked, taking a step back. Tamahome hadn't hugged her back. Her eyes went wide and teary. "Don't you love me?"
"Miaka," Tamahome began, reaching for the girl. He stopped mid-reach.
Miaka, seeing the hesitation, began tearing. "Tamahome!" She wailed.
Again Tamahome tried reaching for the girl he loved, but again was held back. "Mitsukake! Stop it!" He exclaimed as Miaka began crying full force.
"WHAT is going on here!" Taiitsukun appeared in the middle of the field, turning Miaka's sobbing in to choked screech.
"Taiitsukun!" Chichiri exclaimed, his voice heavy with relief.
"Chichiri?" She Who Oversees The World looked at the bandit-monk in surprise. "I knew I felt something wrong with your chi, but this? What happened?"
Chichiri went into the highlights of the days events.
"I see," the large old woman thoughtfully.
"Well?" Tamahome asked in a hopeful voice. "Can you help us?"
Taiitsukun nodded her head. "Nyan-Nyan!" she called.
Nothing happened.
Scowling, the old woman repeated herself, louder this time.
"Cure, cure, fix, fix!" Four Nyan-Nyans popped into existence in front of the old-looking goddess who waved them to the direction of the melded seishi. The Nyan-Nyans bobbed happily and approached the seishi, pushing them back into the house and woods.
Miaka stood alone in the field, Taiitsukun having vanished after instructing the Nyan-Nyans. Suddenly she heard a happy yell from the woods.
"GEN-CHAN HAS REVIVED!"
"Itai no da! Tasuki-kun!"
"Eh, gomen, gomen." Tasuki grinned as the separated pair emerged from the brush, not paying a bit of attention to the monk next to him who was rubbing his head.
"It is SO great ta be back!" he grinned, "Ah, Miaka," he smiled at the confused miko before him. "I could hug ya, but I won't, 'cause I hate women." Tasuki threw his head back and laughed with a maniacal quality. Miaka sweat dropped.
"Miaka!" Came an exclamation from behind her.
"TAMAHOME!" She cried happily, crushing her love.
Mitsukake emerged from the house, looking at the happy couple with a mild resentment.
"MITSUKAKE!" Chiriko exclaimed bounding over towards the tall man, followed closely by Tama-Neko. The no longer cat-child jumped into the arm of the healer, and hugged him greatly, with Tama-chan meowing and nuzzling his shoulder.
The small seishi looked up at Mitsukake. "Tama-chan says it's great to be back." He smiled as the cat meowed in agreement.
A happy laugh echoed from the trees followed by a bellowed: "NURIKO!"
Tasuki laughed again. It was so great to be back in his OWN body without that god damned annoying little fuckin' monk hearing his thoughts and interfering --
"Tasuki-kun!" Chichiri reprimanded.
"Sorry, Chichiri, but you have to admit--" Tasuki broke off. He hadn't been talking aloud!
The pair stared at each other. "DAMN IT!" Tasuki screamed grabbing his tessen and chasing Chichiri across the field. "STAY OUTTA MY HEAD!"
Taiitsukun watched the mirror showing the seishi and gave a chuckle.
"See," smiled the short, elderly man who was next to her. "I told you this would be more interesting then going to the other world for a movie."
"All right, all right, you win." Taiitsukun smiled. "The Nyan-Nyan's will be there tomorrow."
The man smiled. The bowing to the elderly goddess, he vanished.
Nakago's footsteps echoed as he walked down the darkened hallway, his face a mask of hardened indifference with a trace of anger and annoyance. Suddenly, with a single fluid motion, he drew his sword and raised it to the neck of a shadowy form standing in the corner of the hallway.
"Who are you and how did you get in here." He demanded of the stranger in a cold voice.
"Ah, Nakago, m'boy! Good to see you're still in form." Chuckled a cracked old voice. "Allow me to illuminate the situation for you."
A small ball of clear light appeared above the stranger revealing a short and elderly man, with a bemused smile upon his face.
If Nakago was surprised by the wizened man's display of magic, he did not show it. "Who are you, and how did you get in here." he repeated in the same tone as before, his eyes ice cold.
"That," the man smiled, pointed a finger at the blond warrior, "is unimportant!" he finished, pointing to the ceiling with a flourish. "What is important," he paused, smiling once more. "Is that you," he again pointed to the stone-faced shogun, "succeed in your battle against the Suzaku seishi!" His cracked smile grew as he continued. "How would you like your work load," he smiled again, "cut in half?"
Nakago paused for a moment. "Tell me more." He ordered.
"LEKKA SHIEN! "
A stream of fire roared out, propelling a dark-aqua haired man across the small clearing.
"Tasuki-kun!" Chichiri exclaimed in a reprimanding tone.
The red-haired bandit looked over at the agitated monk, replacing his tessen in it's sheath. "What?" he replied indignantly. "He was askin' for it!"
The blue-haired man sighed. "You shouldn't attack Tamahome so much. This fighting amongst ourselves will not help us win the war no da!"
Tasuki made a face. "Mitsukake'll heal him up." he defended himself.
"Mitsukake should not have to spend all his healing energy because you keep fighting with Tamahome no da!" Chichiri retorted. "He can only --" he broke off mid sentence. "Nani?" he exclaimed.
Suddenly, a large ice-blue flash erupted in the midst of the field, near where the monk and bandit stood. It spread out, turning white as it hit the pair and continuing onward.
Tama-Neko gave a startled meow and jumped into Chiriko's arms. The youngest seishi looked up just in time to see the light envelope him and turn white.
Mitsukake looked up from bandaging the rather toasted Tamahome just as the light swallowed them both.
Nuriko cried out as the light hit Hotohori and only seconds later was covered by the light himself.
Tasuki groaned as he came to. His body was aching everywhere, his mind spinning. He felt completely disoriented, with a nagging feeling that something was fucked up.
"What the fuck was that no da?" he muttered.
Tasuki's eyes went wide. He slapped his hand over his mouth, his other hand following soon after. 'Did I just say 'no da'?' he thought in horror.
"Did I just swear?" he heard Chichiri wonder, equally as horrified.
"Chichiri?" Tasuki looked around. Where was that annoying monk anyway? He couldn't see him anywhere.
Giving another groan, Tasuki pulled himself to his feet, trying to ignore the pain that was slowly fading from his body. A wave of dizziness hit him as he looked around. Everything looked different somehow, like he was looking through someone else's eyes, yet not. And was he-- taller somehow? Tasuki looked down to brush off his clothing and paused in shock.
He was wearing Chichiri's kesa! And his wasn't even wearing it right! It was around his body like his trench-coat had been. In a flash of panic, he reached for his tessen. He breathed a large sigh of relief when his hand grasped the handle. Tasuki paused, frowning. There was something else in the holder as well. He pulled it out and stared at it in shock. It was Chichiri's staff! How the hell had it gotten there?! And how did it fit? 'It's magic,' he thought, hearing Chichiri's voice, "it does things like that no da."
What the hell! He had just thought using 'no da'?! What was going on?! Why did he feel so damn strange? And why the hell was he wearing Chichiri's clothing?! Where the fuck was that accursed blue-haired freak anyway?!
A childish groan interrupted Tasuki's internal rantings. "Chiriko!" he cried out, stumbling over to the young seishi, leaning on Chichiri's staff. He couldn't even walk right! What was wrong with him? Suddenly, Tasuki stopped short, his eyes focusing on the stirring child before him.
"Nani no da?!" He barely noticed himself say in Chichiri's voice.
Chiriko-- Tasuki's mind stuttered, Chiriko had cat ears!
The small seishi was curled up, a white and brown tail curling around his legs and large white cat ears poking out from underneath his hair.
The cat-child gave a yawn and stretched, sitting up. He looked up at Tasuki and blinked cutely. "Tasuki?" he blinked again. "Why do you look like Chichiri?"
Tasuki was taken back. 'Look like Chichiri? ' he repeated mentally.
Chiriko's tail swished back and forth a few times as he looked up at Tasuki's puzzled expression with his head cocked to one side. "I feel so strange!" he exclaimed, straightening his neck. Suddenly, he paused ,his tail stopping in mid swish. "Tama-chan?" The cat-child turned trying to find his feline friend. Spotting his own tail, his eyes grew wide. "Tama-chaaaan?" his eyes began to water. "I sat on Tama-chan!" He wailed.
"Mitsukake!" Chiriko bent over, placing his hands on the ground, and began running across the field on all fours. "I sat on Tama-chan!" he cried, his tail flying in the wind behind him.
Tasuki ran after the distressed cat-child, again having to lean on Chichiri's staff.
"Mitsukake?" he heard Chiriko meow. The cat-child was nuzzling the arm of the unconscious man before him, but which man it was, Tasuki could not tell.
He looked like Mitsukake, but Mitsukake had brown hair, not aqua, and was taller, much taller. In fact, it almost looked like Tamahome, but his hair was short, like Mitsukake's, and he was wearing Mitsukake's headbands.
The man began to stir. "Mitsukake!" Chiriko cried happily as the seishi opened his eyes. One eye was brown, Mitsukake's eye color, and one was grey, Tamahome's eye color. Seeing the cat-child in font of him, the man's eyes widened more. "Chiriko!" he exclaimed in Mitsukake's voice. "What happened!" he continued in Tamahome's voice.
Tasuki's head began spinning. 'I shouldn't have had that sake before,' he thought miserably. 'I knew it tasted funny! It's fucking with my head! '
'Gen-chan,' said a voice in his mind that tended to tell him things he didn't want to hear, 'You never hallucinate when you're drunk,' it continued, sounding an awful lot like Koji.
'Shut UP!' Tasuki pushed the though away. This had to be a hallucination, he had to be drunk. He would wake up in the morning with one hell of a hangover and it would all be better...
"Where's Hotohori-sama?" he heard Chichiri say.
"Shit! He's in the house!" Tasuki exclaimed.
"Who's in the house?" Mitsukake asked.
"Hotohori!" Tasuki snapped, "didn't you hear Chichiri--" Tasuki paused. Chichiri wasn't here.
Suddenly, he began running towards the house at the edge of the field. "What the fuck?!" He exclaimed. Why was he running and where was he going? He stumbled, grabbing hold of the staff to keep from falling.
"You're going to find Hotohori-sama!" Chichiri exclaimed, sighing.
"Oh, right. Wait a second, Chichiri? Where the fuck are you?!" he exclaimed as he threw open the door.
"Hotohori-sama!" he exclaimed in Chichiri's voice. "Are you--" He stopped mid sentence.
Hotohori was standing in front of the mirror. His hair had taken on a purple tint and was tied back loosely.
He turned his face to one side, "I never would have thought it possible." he commented, turning his face the other direction. "I am even more beautiful. Whoohohoho!" He, rather, Nuriko laughed.
Tasuki sweat dropped.
"Hotohori-sama," he again said in Chichiri's voice.
Hotohori turned. "Chichiri? Why are you imitating Tasuki?"
"I'm not." Chichiri replied.
Hotohori paused, not knowing what to say.
"All of the seishi seem to have been" Chichiri paused, looking for the right word, "melded with another seishi no da. Tasuki was melded with myself, Tamahome with Mitsukake, and Chiriko--" Chichiri again paused, "Chiriko was melded with Tama-neko. and you were melded with Nuriko."
Hotohori turned back to the mirror. "So I see...." he commented again turning his face to one side.
'Great, now we'll never get him away from that mirror.' Tasuki sighed mentally.
'It would appear that way no da.' Chichiri replied. 'We should go retrieve the others no da.'
'Yeah.' Tasuki thought in agreement. He then paused. 'Hey!' he exclaimed. 'You were reading my thoughts!' he accused.
'Apparently when we think as if we were talking, the other can hear it no da.' Chichiri replied. 'A useful tool to have no da.'
'Useful, hell!' Tasuki grumbled. 'Just what I need, that annoying little --'
'Tasuki-kun,' Chichiri interrupted in a warning tone.
'Shit!'
'Ano.. maybe we should work on not thinking aloud na no da.' Chichiri suggested.
'Yeah,' Tasuki agreed. 'Hey, what's wrong with Hotohori?'
The young emperors face was blushing a bright red. "Nuriko," he began, "N-N-Nuriko!"
'I don't even want to know what's going on in there.' Tasuki muttered.
'Hai no da.' Chichiri agreed. "Hotohori-sama?" he placed a hand on the blushing seishi's shoulder.
Hotohori looked over distractedly. "Y-yes?" he stammered. "Nuriko!" he exclaimed in alarm.
"Ano, Nuriko-san.." Chichiri began.
"HEY FAG-BOY!" Tasuki cut in, "LEAVE THE EMPEROR ALONE!"
The next moment, Chichiri/Tasuki was flying across the room, propelled by Nuriko's punch.
"Itai no da!" Chichiri whined, rubbing his head.
"Chichiri?" Nuriko bent over the monk with concern in his eyes. "Gomen Chichiri!" he apologized as he helped Chichiri to his feet. "I meant to hit that annoying jerk, not you."
Chichiri gave a sigh. This was going to get messy, he could tell.
A bit later, all the melded seishi had been assembled in the house. Chiriko kept fidgeting in his chair as Chichiri was explaining what had happened, and suddenly climbed up on the table. He lay down, curling his tail around him.
"Chiriko," Mitsukake began,
"The chair hurts my tail," Chiriko explained in a cute voice, looking up at Mitsukake. "And it's comfy up here." He curled back up and gave a small purr.
"Damn it," Tasuki swore, "I'm gonna kill the little fuck who did this to us!"
Chiriko looked up from grooming his ear. "Why?"
Tasuki paused, looking at the cat-child.
Chiriko sat up, tail swishing back and forth behind him. "With all of us combined, our powers must be multiplied. We all have twice our chi! And with our powers combined, we have Tasuki's speed and flame throwing abilities combined with Chichiri's magic," The young seishi turned to the other seishi, "Hotohori's swordsmanship backed by Nuriko's strength, and Mitsukake's healing with Tamahome, who needs it most." Chiriko finished.
"But Chiriko," Hotohori interjected, "What about you?"
Chiriko blinked cutely a few times.
"That should be obvious," Mitsukake smiled. "Tama-neko is a smart cat, so Chiriko's intelligence is enhanced."
"And he's got the kawainess of a child and of a cat." Nuriko added. "Which can be useful as well."
Chiriko smiled and purred, re-curling himself up on top of the table.
"Chiriko is right, no da." Chichiri said. "We are more powerful together, but we need to get used to this change, or we'll defeat ourselves no da. We should also practice, to focus our combined abilities."
"But what are we going to do when Miaka comes back?!" Tamahome asked as Mitsukake petted the now purring cat child in front of him.
"Ano..." Chichiri sweat dropped.
"That's right," Nuriko commented as Hotohori looked shocked. "She should be here already, ne?"
At that moment, the young miko burst into the room "Ohayo!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Upon seeing the 4 men gathered in the room, she stopped short, eyes wide. Covering her mouth with her hand, she gave a muted shriek.
"Miaka!" Tamahome rose to his feet.
"Tamahome? What-- what happened to you!" Miaka exclaimed in shock.
Chichiri repeated his hypothesis on what had occurred, unsure of any of it was registering on the traumatized miko.
Miaka sat down hard in the chair Tamahome had vacated. The young cat-child jumped from the table and settled in the girl's lap, nuzzling her gently.
"Ch-Chiriko," Miaka looked at the meowing seishi. Giving a small moan, she passed out.
While Tamahome-Mitsukake attended to the unconscious miko, Chichiri and Tasuki, Nuriko and Hotohori, and Chiriko and Tama-neko went outside to practice. Tasuki and Chichiri had finally gotten the hang of walking correctly and had to assist Nuriko and Hotohori. Chiriko had no trouble walking, but the cat half kept wanting to walk on four legs instead of two. Preferring to watch instead of participate, the cat-child sat at the end of the clearing, his tail waving back and forth in interest.
Tasuki sat on a nearby rock, watching Nuriko and Hotohori slice trees and small boulders his mind pondering what advantage Chichiri could lend to his tessen fire.
'Da!' Chichiri exclaimed, getting an idea. 'Tasuki-kun, flame something,' He suggested.
Tasuki shrugged and picked a random tree as a target. "LEKKA--" he raised his tessen in the air. "SHIEN!"
A stream of blue flame roared out at the tree, incinerating it and two neighboring trees instantly.
"Holy Shit!" Tasuki exclaimed out loud.
'Chi enhanced flame no da!' Chichiri explained, incredibly pleased with himself.
"Awesome." Tasuki breathed.
"Tamahome!" Miaka shrieked from a cross the field as Tamahome and Mitsukake stumbled and fell to the group. Tasuki and Chichiri rushed over to assist the paired seishi to their feet.
"Oi, Tama," Tasuki grinned, "a bit weak on your feet? Go a bit slower or you'll hurt yerself!"
Tamahome grumbled something underneath his breath.
"You might want to practice walking no da," Chichiri interjected before Tasuki could continue insulting Tamahome. "You both have drastically changed height no da."
Tamahome and Mitsukake nodded and allowed Miaka to help them walk around the clearing
"This is going to be hard on her," Hotohori said, watching the miko with concern in his eyes.
"Hai," Chichiri agreed. "And on Tamahome and Mitsukake as well no da. If Tamahome does anything with Miaka, Mitsukake will feel as if he's being unfaithful to Shoka."
"Koji's going to flip." Tasuki sighed "That's if he even recognizes me."
"Oh he'll recognize you all right," Tamahome commented, "Not that it'll do you much good,"
"What do ya mean?" Tasuki asked, mildly annoyed.
"Well, with Chichiri around you can hardly get drunk with your little 'friend'" Tamahome put a rather nasty emphasis on the word, "can you?"
"HEY!" Tasuki yelled, his anger levels rising. "Watch what you say about Koji!" he growled.
"Tamahome--" Nuriko began in a warning tone. It was evident that Mitsukake was trying to keep Tamahome from aggravating Tasuki further, but he wasn't succeeding.
"Why? You afraid he won't want you now that you've changed?" Tamahome sneered.
"LEKKA--"
'Tasuki-kun! No!' Chichiri exclaimed, pulling their arm back.
"SHIEN!" Tasuki finished. He paused, wondering why Tamahome wasn't burnt. Then he notices his arm was in back of him instead of in front.
"Tasuki--" Came Nuriko's agitated voice from behind him.
Tasuki turned to see a rather toasted Nuriko and Hotohori behind him.
"Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!" Tasuki yelped as Nuriko began chasing him around the field.
After both Chichiri and Tasuki apologized to Nuriko and persuaded him not to beat them senseless, the melded seishi borrowed Hotohori's mirror to see if Koji would recognize Tasuki in the meld or not. Their combined appearance was enough to keep them staring until Hotohori demanded his mirror back.
Their hair was Tasuki's red color, pulled back loosely with Chichiri's gravity-deyfing bangs. Tasuki's smaller red and blue beads hung around their neck just above Chichiri's green set. They were wearing Tasuki's earrings in their ears, and still had Tasuki's fangs, much to his relief. With the mask on, their face was a curious meld of both of their features, with eyes as slits, and the mouth smiling in Chichiri's SD manner. With hesitation, Chichiri reached up and removed his mask, unsure what he would find.
The face behind the mask was the same meld of the pair's facial features, only this time with a very surprised look upon it. The right side of the face was almost the same as it had been with the mask, only with a more serious look to it, with the right eye having Chichiri's reddish-brown hue. The left side of the face was the cause of the pair's sharp intake of breath.
Chichiri's scar was there, but it had changed. It still slid down the bottom of their forehead right above the eye, but stopped at the eyebrow. An eye of Tasuki's golden-brown colour lay underneath, perfect and completely untouched. The scar continued at the other side of the eye, swiping across the bridge of their nose in the manner that it had before.
As the melded pair sat, both shocked at their joined appearance, Chiriko-Neko popped up on their shoulder, startling and unbalancing the pair who fell to the floor.
"Chiriko!" Chichiri exclaimed. "You're not Tama-chan no da! You're a lot heavier!"
"Gomen Chichiri-san!" The cat-child meowed. "But Tama-chan says someone's coming. It smells like Soi. She's wearing that perfume again. And Ashitare needs to take a bath." the neko-seishi's nose wrinkled. "Miboshi is coming too, he has a really funny smell to him, and I can smell Tomo's face paint. The other one has to be Suboshi, he must have bathed." Chiriko-Neko bounded cross the floor towards the doorway. "We go tell others!"
Chichiri and Tasuki stood up, brushing off their combined clothing. 'If the Seiryuu Seishi are coming,' Chichiri thought as they headed towards the door, 'they must have been the ones responsible for this mess. It isn't possible for this to be just coincidence.'
Tasuki's hand reached for his tessen. 'Oh they are, are they?' He smiled grimly. 'Lets see how they like this nice BLUE flame!'
Miaka rushed by them, heading for interior of the house under Tamahome's orders.
The paired seishi walked outside the house, and lined up with the other 3 pairs, tessen ready, just as the Seiryuu seishi crashed through the last layer of brush before the clearing.
"Shit!" Suboshi swore, seeing the melded Suzaku Seishi lined up in front of them. "They knew we were coming!"
"It doesn't matter," Tomo pulled out a clam shell as the Seiryuu seishi spread out, "Nakago-sama's spell worked. Now just kill them." Suddenly, the other Tomo's appeared around the painted seishi, all identical in form and stance. Tamahome grinned as he and Mitsukake stepped in front of the four Tomo's. Lifting his left palm, Mitsukake's symbol began to glow and four green sparks flew out and hit the four Tomo's. All but one disappeared. "Now, shall we get serious?" he grinned.
At time same time, Chiriko bounded over to Soi, and peered up at her with wide eyes. The female seishi gave a small laugh. "And what are you going to do?" The cat-child just kept looking at her, his head cocked to one side, tail waving back and forth, radiating kawaiiness. Soi felt herself soften and smile.
"Brrrow?" The neko-seishi meowed, blinking.
Before she could stop herself, Soi bent down and began petting the small seishi. "Awwww," she smiled. "You're so cute!" She sat down, placing Chiriko-Neko on her lap, stroking his head and scratching his ears as he purred.
Suboshi gave a wicked grin and sent his ryuuseisui flying at the Chichiri and Tasuki meld. With a sly smile, Tasuki whipped his tessen up. "LEKKA SHIEN!" The blue flame whipped out and incinerated Suboshi's ryuuseisui. The Seiryuu seishi's eyes went wide as Tasuki chuckled. Quickly whipping out his spare, Suboshi again tried to send it flying at Tasuki and Chichiri, this time trying hard to avoid the flame that was flying from the glowing tessen.
Ashitare growled at Hotohori and Nuriko, while Miboshi hovered in the air above the half-wolf. The small Seiryuu seishi gave a wicked grin and send a large snakelike monster flying in the meld's direction. It was soon split in half by Hotohori's sword. 'Hotohori-sama' Nuriko thought aloud 'Let them push you back a bit, there's a really nice boulder just a bit behind us...'
Hotohori nodded and took a step back as he split the next monster Miboshi sent his way.
Amiboshi paused in his flute playing, feeling a scratching upon his arm, Looking down, he saw a message from his brother. "Aniki! They're too strong! Help me!" Amiboshi sighed, placing his flute down. Lifting his arm, he scratched under his brothers message: "I told you I wasn't going to get involved. Listen to me next time." He picked up his flute again, then paused. Grasping the flute in one palm, he scribbled the word "Baka" underneath his message.
"Koutoku, is everything all right?" his adopted mother asked, sticking her head in the doorway,
"Yes, mother," he smiled, and resumed his song.
Suboshi looked in horror at the words scratched upon his arm, the remnants of his second ryuuseisui on the ground by his feat, his emergency training ryuuseisui, which was only half the size of his other two in his hand.
"LEKKA--"
Suboshi hit the ground and rolled barely dodging the blue flame. Smelling a hideous burring sent, he realized his hair had caught on fire. Quickly smacking it out he yelled "WATCH THE HAIR!" at the tessen wielding seishi in front of him.
Tasuki smirked, chuckling slightly.
"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Suboshi screeched.
"Yes it is no da!" Chichiri smiled. "LEKKA SHIEN NO DA!"
"SHIIIITT!" Suboshi dived for cover as his training ryuuseisui was burnt to a crisp.
Tomo shrieked in dismay as the last of his feathers was torn out. He was not doing well in this fight. The melded Suzaku seishi kept beating him, and none of his illusions were effective either! Those damn green sparks had dissolved every one of them! Tomo began ducking furiously as Tamahome's punches began pummeling him once more.
Nakago arrived at the field, jumping from his horse in anticipation of victory. He paused, mid stride, seeing the situation in front of him.
Suboshi was franticly running and ducking blue flame and getting mildly toasted in the process. Tomo was also fairing badly, being pounded on by a man with Tamahome's 'Oni' symbol. The melded Seishi with purple hair suddenly reached over and tossed a massive boulder into the air. Grabbing his sword, the meld split the rock in two, one piece falling on Ashitare, the other on Miboshi. Nakago felt the chi of both of them disappear, and realized his plan had back fired. And where was Soi?
Hearing a meow, Nakago turned to see Soi cuddling a small child with a cat's ears and a tail. "Naka-chan, can I keep him?" She smiled.
Head swimming, Nakago grabbed the female seishi, displacing the cat-child who mewed in protest. Mounting his horse quickly, he urged the beast into the woods and disappeared.
Tomo noticed Nakago's retreat and decided it would be wise to follow his lead. Casting an illusion off nothingness where he was, he swiftly bolted away.
"NAKAGO-SAMA!" Suboshi screamed, eyes wide as Nakago and Soi disappeared. Suddenly, he felt a burning as the blue flame hit him squarely in the chest, propelling him across the field and smashing him into a tree. "I-tai" he groaned as he passed out.
Tasuki grinned, replacing his still-warm tessen in it's sheath. "That was fun!" He announced.
Hotohori and Nuriko looked over at Tasuki and Chichiri, a look of bemused disbelief on their face.
"Nakago ran! Awesome!" They heard Miaka exclaim happily.
"Miaka!" Tamahome exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
The miko sweat dropped from the window she was looking out of. "I wanted to see what was happening." She admitted, jumping out of the window into the field. She ran up to Tamahome and gave him a crushing hug. Suddenly, her face changed. "Tamahome, what's wrong?" she asked, taking a step back. Tamahome hadn't hugged her back. Her eyes went wide and teary. "Don't you love me?"
"Miaka," Tamahome began, reaching for the girl. He stopped mid-reach.
Miaka, seeing the hesitation, began tearing. "Tamahome!" She wailed.
Again Tamahome tried reaching for the girl he loved, but again was held back. "Mitsukake! Stop it!" He exclaimed as Miaka began crying full force.
"WHAT is going on here!" Taiitsukun appeared in the middle of the field, turning Miaka's sobbing in to choked screech.
"Taiitsukun!" Chichiri exclaimed, his voice heavy with relief.
"Chichiri?" She Who Oversees The World looked at the bandit-monk in surprise. "I knew I felt something wrong with your chi, but this? What happened?"
Chichiri went into the highlights of the days events.
"I see," the large old woman thoughtfully.
"Well?" Tamahome asked in a hopeful voice. "Can you help us?"
Taiitsukun nodded her head. "Nyan-Nyan!" she called.
Nothing happened.
Scowling, the old woman repeated herself, louder this time.
"Cure, cure, fix, fix!" Four Nyan-Nyans popped into existence in front of the old-looking goddess who waved them to the direction of the melded seishi. The Nyan-Nyans bobbed happily and approached the seishi, pushing them back into the house and woods.
Miaka stood alone in the field, Taiitsukun having vanished after instructing the Nyan-Nyans. Suddenly she heard a happy yell from the woods.
"GEN-CHAN HAS REVIVED!"
"Itai no da! Tasuki-kun!"
"Eh, gomen, gomen." Tasuki grinned as the separated pair emerged from the brush, not paying a bit of attention to the monk next to him who was rubbing his head.
"It is SO great ta be back!" he grinned, "Ah, Miaka," he smiled at the confused miko before him. "I could hug ya, but I won't, 'cause I hate women." Tasuki threw his head back and laughed with a maniacal quality. Miaka sweat dropped.
"Miaka!" Came an exclamation from behind her.
"TAMAHOME!" She cried happily, crushing her love.
Mitsukake emerged from the house, looking at the happy couple with a mild resentment.
"MITSUKAKE!" Chiriko exclaimed bounding over towards the tall man, followed closely by Tama-Neko. The no longer cat-child jumped into the arm of the healer, and hugged him greatly, with Tama-chan meowing and nuzzling his shoulder.
The small seishi looked up at Mitsukake. "Tama-chan says it's great to be back." He smiled as the cat meowed in agreement.
A happy laugh echoed from the trees followed by a bellowed: "NURIKO!"
Tasuki laughed again. It was so great to be back in his OWN body without that god damned annoying little fuckin' monk hearing his thoughts and interfering --
"Tasuki-kun!" Chichiri reprimanded.
"Sorry, Chichiri, but you have to admit--" Tasuki broke off. He hadn't been talking aloud!
The pair stared at each other. "DAMN IT!" Tasuki screamed grabbing his tessen and chasing Chichiri across the field. "STAY OUTTA MY HEAD!"
Taiitsukun watched the mirror showing the seishi and gave a chuckle.
"See," smiled the short, elderly man who was next to her. "I told you this would be more interesting then going to the other world for a movie."
"All right, all right, you win." Taiitsukun smiled. "The Nyan-Nyan's will be there tomorrow."
The man smiled. The bowing to the elderly goddess, he vanished.
