A/n: A thousand apologies for taking so long to post this chapter. I
actually had most of it written in my notebook, but haven't gotten around
to typing it up until now. It was a case of lazy-itis caused by having too
much backlog schoolwork. Anyway, may I now present the next act in this
curious play.
Chapter 6: The Switch
"You're a fool, no da."
Tasuki was rudely awakened from nap "Wh-what do you want?" he asked the blur standing over him. "Oh. It's you," he dead-panned when his vision cleared. He was now standing face to face with Chichiri. "I did what you told me to. Now leave me alone."
"What exactly did you do? Everything's a mess, no da."
"Everything's a mess?" Tasuki looked around. Everything seemed fine to him. The trees were exactly where they were before his nap. "You know what, if you're such a know-it-all, why don't you tell me what I did." Tasuki resisted the urge to poke Chichiri in the chest, but the challenge in his question was clearly evident.
"Mortals."
"Idiotic Smiling Monk."
"Temperamental Red-head."
"Why you.my hair's not red! It's - it's. " ugh, how satisfying it would be to strangle the bossy monk.
"Stop. This is getting us nowhere," Chichiri said as he stepped aside. "Tamahome is suppose to fall for Nuriko. That was the plan.
"Why? I thought that Tamahome guy was with the heavy chick."
"The emperor is in love with the Priestess. She has feelings for him as well. A union between Seven Star Emperor and Priestess of Suzaku would be powerful, no da."
"A powerful union," Tasuki repeated blindly. "But if that's the case, why did you order me to drag the *couch* cow *cough*, ahem, priestess away?"
"Do I have to explain everything to you?"
Tasuki continued to stare at Chichiri.
"Listen closely. I don't want to repeat myself, no da." Tasuki leaned towards the monk, his ear positioned in front of Chichiri's mouth. "The better to hear you," he explained.
Seeing that he was serious and had his undivided attention, Chichiri continued. "Tamahome's love is blinding Miaka. She cannot make the right choice if she believes Tamahome still loves her. By turning his affection on to Nuriko, Miaka will turn to the Emperor for comfort, and the Emperor would lose his pesky thorn-in-the-side. You, however, have messed up everything, no da."
Though Chichiri's face was still a smiling mask, Tasuki cringed back in guilt. He swallowed to clear the lumped forming in his throat. "Can't you just reverse whatever spell you put on them."
Chichiri looked happy enough, but Tasuki was sure the monk was shooting poisonous darts at him. It surprised him when Chichiri cheerfully answered without irritation.
"Since the doing was your mistake, you shall do the undoing, no da." He handed Tasuki a blue poppy. "This flower will counteract the red bud's effects. But before you can apply it, the subjects must be asleep. Miaka has a sleeping potion in a tiny white vial that will put all four of them to sleep. One drop each. And remember, the blue poppy's dew is for Hotohori's eyes only." With that Chichiri vanished.
"Here we go again. Now, what color was that vial?"
Tasuki scratched his head as he went in search of Miaka. He found all four of them beside the lake. He was just wondering how to get the vial from Miaka when things started to heat up.
Tamahome and Hotohori had gotten into a push-shove contest. Not wanting to lower himself to Tamahome's ruffian level, Hotohori had started throwing insults instead of punches.
"Nuriko doesn't like you *poke* she likes me." Tamahome pointed to himself in a manly manner.
"But I saw her first," Hotohori insisted. Oh, he was sorely tempted to forget his royal upbringing and knock out this lesser being.
"That doesn't mean she likes you better, *push* cos she likes me." He shoved his rival again to emphasize his point.
"Why would Princess Kourin choose you, a thief, when she can have me, the Emperor of Konan."
"Exactly, Nuriko wants a walk on the wild side. She needs a tour guide like me, not a son of a ."
"That does it. No one insults my mother and gets away with it." The first punch connected squarely with Tamahome's jaw.
While the boys were settling business, the girls were having an argument of their on which had escalated into an all out cat fight.
Hotohori's robe which Nuriko was wearing now hung off her left shoulder ripped to tatters. The outfit remained on her only by a thin strip across her right shoulder and the belt around her waist. But no one seemed to notice except Tasuki who was enjoying a clear view of her exposed cleavage. Miaka fared no better. Her own gown had several gashes, the outermost layer having been totally snatched off. It now lay on the ground a few feet from Tasuki's hiding place. He could see the vial sticking out of an inside pocket. Carefully, he managed to crawl undetected amongst the quarrelling quartet's feet. Then as quietly as he came, Tasuki returned to his hiding place.
Safely hidden behind a bush, Tasuki planned the next step of his mission. Applying a special martial arts technique, he used his tessen to fan drops of sleeping potion into his victims' mouths as they yelled at each other.
"Cad" *yawn* "Bitch" *yawn* "Louse" *yawn* "One-eyed camel sitting in a pile of . *yawn*"
Together the four lovers slumped to the ground in a heap.
"Am I good or what," Tasuki bragged as he polished his nails on the front of his shirt. "Now to finsh this job so I can get back to my nap."
Tasuki pulled the blue bud out of his pants as he walked around the slumbering lovers. "So which one of you is going to be dewed?" He stopped above Hotohori. "I know the monk guy said I should dew you, but I'm not sure." Tasuki continued his walk as he pondered on the situation. "Miaka like Tamahome. Tamahome used to like Miaka. Why mess with that? Nuriko likes the Emperor guy. Emperor likes Nuriko now. Why mess with that? But if I give the dew to Hotohori, like smiling man says, he'll be in love with Miaka again. She likes him, too. Why mess with that? Who should I dew?"
Tasuki contemplated his dilemna until finally resolving the problem in his mind. He bent down a let a single glistening drop of moisture fall from the blue bud into the eyes of a sleeping lover.
Taiitsu-kun: And so ends the sixth act in this Preposterous Play.
A/n: this chapter/act sucks doesn't it. Well I figured a crappy installment was better than nothing. Act seven should be the last in this play, but it probably will be a while before it gets posted. Too much other stuff on my mind lately.
Thanks to all for reading and reviewing. ~TheDuck
Chapter 6: The Switch
"You're a fool, no da."
Tasuki was rudely awakened from nap "Wh-what do you want?" he asked the blur standing over him. "Oh. It's you," he dead-panned when his vision cleared. He was now standing face to face with Chichiri. "I did what you told me to. Now leave me alone."
"What exactly did you do? Everything's a mess, no da."
"Everything's a mess?" Tasuki looked around. Everything seemed fine to him. The trees were exactly where they were before his nap. "You know what, if you're such a know-it-all, why don't you tell me what I did." Tasuki resisted the urge to poke Chichiri in the chest, but the challenge in his question was clearly evident.
"Mortals."
"Idiotic Smiling Monk."
"Temperamental Red-head."
"Why you.my hair's not red! It's - it's. " ugh, how satisfying it would be to strangle the bossy monk.
"Stop. This is getting us nowhere," Chichiri said as he stepped aside. "Tamahome is suppose to fall for Nuriko. That was the plan.
"Why? I thought that Tamahome guy was with the heavy chick."
"The emperor is in love with the Priestess. She has feelings for him as well. A union between Seven Star Emperor and Priestess of Suzaku would be powerful, no da."
"A powerful union," Tasuki repeated blindly. "But if that's the case, why did you order me to drag the *couch* cow *cough*, ahem, priestess away?"
"Do I have to explain everything to you?"
Tasuki continued to stare at Chichiri.
"Listen closely. I don't want to repeat myself, no da." Tasuki leaned towards the monk, his ear positioned in front of Chichiri's mouth. "The better to hear you," he explained.
Seeing that he was serious and had his undivided attention, Chichiri continued. "Tamahome's love is blinding Miaka. She cannot make the right choice if she believes Tamahome still loves her. By turning his affection on to Nuriko, Miaka will turn to the Emperor for comfort, and the Emperor would lose his pesky thorn-in-the-side. You, however, have messed up everything, no da."
Though Chichiri's face was still a smiling mask, Tasuki cringed back in guilt. He swallowed to clear the lumped forming in his throat. "Can't you just reverse whatever spell you put on them."
Chichiri looked happy enough, but Tasuki was sure the monk was shooting poisonous darts at him. It surprised him when Chichiri cheerfully answered without irritation.
"Since the doing was your mistake, you shall do the undoing, no da." He handed Tasuki a blue poppy. "This flower will counteract the red bud's effects. But before you can apply it, the subjects must be asleep. Miaka has a sleeping potion in a tiny white vial that will put all four of them to sleep. One drop each. And remember, the blue poppy's dew is for Hotohori's eyes only." With that Chichiri vanished.
"Here we go again. Now, what color was that vial?"
Tasuki scratched his head as he went in search of Miaka. He found all four of them beside the lake. He was just wondering how to get the vial from Miaka when things started to heat up.
Tamahome and Hotohori had gotten into a push-shove contest. Not wanting to lower himself to Tamahome's ruffian level, Hotohori had started throwing insults instead of punches.
"Nuriko doesn't like you *poke* she likes me." Tamahome pointed to himself in a manly manner.
"But I saw her first," Hotohori insisted. Oh, he was sorely tempted to forget his royal upbringing and knock out this lesser being.
"That doesn't mean she likes you better, *push* cos she likes me." He shoved his rival again to emphasize his point.
"Why would Princess Kourin choose you, a thief, when she can have me, the Emperor of Konan."
"Exactly, Nuriko wants a walk on the wild side. She needs a tour guide like me, not a son of a ."
"That does it. No one insults my mother and gets away with it." The first punch connected squarely with Tamahome's jaw.
While the boys were settling business, the girls were having an argument of their on which had escalated into an all out cat fight.
Hotohori's robe which Nuriko was wearing now hung off her left shoulder ripped to tatters. The outfit remained on her only by a thin strip across her right shoulder and the belt around her waist. But no one seemed to notice except Tasuki who was enjoying a clear view of her exposed cleavage. Miaka fared no better. Her own gown had several gashes, the outermost layer having been totally snatched off. It now lay on the ground a few feet from Tasuki's hiding place. He could see the vial sticking out of an inside pocket. Carefully, he managed to crawl undetected amongst the quarrelling quartet's feet. Then as quietly as he came, Tasuki returned to his hiding place.
Safely hidden behind a bush, Tasuki planned the next step of his mission. Applying a special martial arts technique, he used his tessen to fan drops of sleeping potion into his victims' mouths as they yelled at each other.
"Cad" *yawn* "Bitch" *yawn* "Louse" *yawn* "One-eyed camel sitting in a pile of . *yawn*"
Together the four lovers slumped to the ground in a heap.
"Am I good or what," Tasuki bragged as he polished his nails on the front of his shirt. "Now to finsh this job so I can get back to my nap."
Tasuki pulled the blue bud out of his pants as he walked around the slumbering lovers. "So which one of you is going to be dewed?" He stopped above Hotohori. "I know the monk guy said I should dew you, but I'm not sure." Tasuki continued his walk as he pondered on the situation. "Miaka like Tamahome. Tamahome used to like Miaka. Why mess with that? Nuriko likes the Emperor guy. Emperor likes Nuriko now. Why mess with that? But if I give the dew to Hotohori, like smiling man says, he'll be in love with Miaka again. She likes him, too. Why mess with that? Who should I dew?"
Tasuki contemplated his dilemna until finally resolving the problem in his mind. He bent down a let a single glistening drop of moisture fall from the blue bud into the eyes of a sleeping lover.
Taiitsu-kun: And so ends the sixth act in this Preposterous Play.
A/n: this chapter/act sucks doesn't it. Well I figured a crappy installment was better than nothing. Act seven should be the last in this play, but it probably will be a while before it gets posted. Too much other stuff on my mind lately.
Thanks to all for reading and reviewing. ~TheDuck