Title. Downwards
Part. three
Part Title. In the Garden
Warnings and Disclaimer. First part.
Notes. Okay, I lied. No meeting
new peoples. Sorry. ^^;
This part is rushed, I apologize.
Ohwell. Read and review!
/ thoughts / [ dreams ] ( flashbacks )
::*~~*::
The three
of them sat down at the Mountain Pack's table after getting their dinner. Tasuki and Kouji both had plates of chicken
legs and breasts, but Chichiri only got a salad.
One of the occupants at the
table raised an eyebrow once he saw the genki journalist. "Not here for an interview, are ya,
Chichiri?"
"No, no da!" Chichiri
chirped. "Just eating. I don't always go around looking for
stories, no da. Sometimes they just
happen."
"Right, right,
whatever..."
"Hey, where's Eiken?" Kouji asked,
looking around the table.
"Kitchen duty," someone
informed him. "Got in trouble for
stealing 'something' from the nurse."
"He'll never learn, will he?"
Kouji replied, shaking his head.
"Learn not to take things from
the nurse?" Tasuki chimed in, smirking.
"Or learn to just not get caught?"
"Both." Kouji smirked as well.
"Hey, is there a curfew around
here?" Tasuki asked.
"No one obeys it," the bandit
replied, sipping on his soda. "Just
don't get caught, you'll be okay."
"What's the best way not to
get caught?"
"Go out the window, no da,"
Chichiri answered. "I've seen lots of
people do it, no da. Smarter than going
through the halls, no da." Nod.
"I'll keep that in mind,
thanks," Tasuki said, flashing them both a smile.
After
dinner was over, Kouji, along with Chichiri, showed Tasuki a few more things
around the school before parting ways with the photographer for the night. The roommates headed back to their room
thereafter.
"Whoa, it's near ten
'o'clock," Tasuki stated, looking at his watch.
Kouji nodded. "Almost time for curfew, unfortunately. At the beginning of the year, the curfew is
always ten, aside from Saturday(which is eleven)." He sat down heavily on his bed.
"But near the middle of first semester, they make it later."
Tasuki fished his guitar out
from under his bed. "Huh, odd
system. They made it just for people to
settle in, I take it?" He opened the
case and picked the instrument out, grapping its strap as well.
"Somethin' like that." Kouji laid down, stretching. "Kinda ridiculous, most of us don't even go
by it, anyway." He closed his eyes,
yawning. "And they don't tend to
enforce it. Only even someone gets beat
up after hours do they do anything about it."
He opened his eyes when he heard the door opening. "Where are you goin'?"
Tasuki looked over his
shoulder, his guitar flung over his back.
"Just wanted to walk around, play a little."
Kouji cocked an eyebrow at his
friend. "Don't you think they'll hear
you?"
"They may, but then they'd
have to go through that damn maze to find me."
Tasuki grinned. "'Sides, I can
always claim I didn't know about the curfew.
You'd back me up, right, buddy?"
Kouji grinned and
chuckled. "You'll fit right in with us,
Tasuki."
"Keep the window open for me,
all right? Be back in a bit." With that, he walked out the door, closing
it behind him. It was ten minutes
before ten, giving him more than enough time to get to the hedge maze before
anyone started to patrol for people who were breaking the curfew(he didn't know
if people honestly did that or not, but it was worth taking chances).
It only took him four minutes
to find the hole in the wall Kouji had first showed him. He checked to make sure the coast was clear
and then removed the guitar from his back, sliding it in first. He made sure it was out of the way before
crawling in himself.
Once on the other side of the
wall, he picked up his instrument, flinging it over his back, and walking in a
little ways more into the maze. True,
he more than likely was going to get lost, but he had all night to find another
way back out. He was more of a night
owl, anyway.
He cut some more corners and
turns before coming into a rather large space, rectangular in shape. Along the sides were benches, and in the
middle was a fountain. The statue in
the fountain was that of a Phoenix, stretching out its wings in all of its
glory.
"No wonder they call it Suzaku
University," Tasuki mused to himself, taking the guitar off his back and
sitting down on one of the benches. He
sat cross-legged, setting the guitar in playing position in his lap, before
snapping off one of his necklaces. The
'charm' on one of them was his favourite pick, which he took off and set the
necklace to his side. He began
strumming the guitar, playing whatever came to mind.
Tasuki lost himself in his
playing, like he normally would, listening to the falling of the water in the
fountain, using it as a back beat for his notes. He wasn't sure what he was playing, it sounded rather new. And he would most likely forget whatever it
was in the morning, but he didn't care.
He was playing it now, and the moment was all he needed.
After minutes of mindless
playing, Tasuki felt as if he were being watched. He continued playing for a bit, thinking himself paranoid. It was when he felt a presence in the
opening that he stopped playing and turned to look.
A figure stood next to one of
the entrances to the opening, looking at him intently. With the sun already set, Tasuki was having
a tough time adjusting to the light and seeing whoever it was.
"I thought I was the only one
that new about this place," a familiar voice spoke, timidly.
"Nuriko?" Tasuki asked the
person, somewhat anyone other than the Mountain Pack knew about the maze.
The person stepped away from
the entrance and approached him carefully.
As Tasuki's eyes adjusted, he noticed that it was, indeed, the girl he
had met that morning. Her hair was down
this time, coming to at least her knees, a silken blue kimono wrapped tightly
about her slim body.
"Did you find this place by
yourself?" Nuriko asked.
"Nope, Kouji showed me." He crossed his arms over his instrument,
looking up at the heart-shaped face.
"Oh," Nuriko said, sounding a
bit disappointed. She sat down on
Tasuki's right, sighing. "I was kind of
hoping no one else knew about this place.
I like coming here by myself."
"How long have you been going
to this school?"
"Freshmen year." She brought her knees up to her body,
wrapping her arms around her legs.
"Seems like a good school,"
Tasuki said.
"It is, it is," Nuriko
admitted, before sighing again. "Just
not always..."
"Are you feeling any better?"
The cheerleader paused. "A little.
Miaka helped me a lot... I can't
help but still feel bad, you know?"
Another pause. "Have you ever
fallen in love, Tasuki?"
"Once, but nothing like what
happened to you."
"What did happen? Did she just dump you or something?"
Tasuki hesitated. "...she had to move away." He sounded edgy on the 'she', he knew, but
he didn't want to give too much away...
"Have you talking to her since
then?"
Tasuki nodded. "We write to each other all the time."
"Long distance relationship?"
"Nah, neither one of us could
handle that." He picked up the guitar
again, starting to play a soft melody.
"'Sides, she's got a new boyfriend now."
"Oh..." Pause.
"You miss her?"
"Not in the same way I used
to," Tasuki replied, only half-paying attention to the guitar notes. "It's more like losing your best friend
now."
They sat in silence for a
moment, the only sound their breathing and Tasuki's guitar. Nuriko stared at Tasuki while he played,
making the red-head somewhat nervous under the intent gaze.
"Where'd that scar come from?"
Nuriko asked softly.
"Huh?" was Tasuki's only
reply, as he stopped playing.
"The scar on your neck,"
Nuriko said, going over the indention underneath his jawbone with a
feather-lite touch. "Looks too new to
be born with."
"Yeah, it's new," Tasuki said,
subconsciously rubbing the scar with his hand.
Nuriko was the first person all day to notice it – he normally kept it
hidden with his thin hair pulled over his shoulder. Out of all the subjects he had gotten into today that he wanted
to avoid, this was the worst.
"Accident?"
"...something like that."
"Car wreck?"
"Yes," he answered quickly,
hoping she'd believe it.
Nuriko stared at him for a
silent moment, looking him over. "I
know you're lying, but that's okay. You
don't have to tell me what happened."
Tasuki was silent. "...thank you."
Nuriko nodded. "What were you playing, when I first came
by?" she asked, thankfully changing the topic.
Tasuki shrugged, resuming his
play. "Don't know. It just came out."
"Is that how you normally
play?" Tasuki nodded. "I wish I could play something. I was never very good at music."
"We all have thing we're good
at."
"Are you planning on staying
out here all night?" Nuriko changed the subject again.
"No. You?"
"I was planning on going
already..."
"Okay." He snatched up his necklace, placing his
pick back onto the string. "Hey,
Nuriko?"
"Yes?" she replied, standing
up.
"Umm..." He rubbed the back of his head in an
embarrassed manner. "Do you know the
way out of 'ere to the guys' dorms?"
Nuriko smirked. "You really do need to learn your way around
this school, before you get lost any more than you already have." She approached one of the exits to the
clearing. "Come on," she commanded,
snickering a little.
Tasuki stood up, placing the
guitar over his back. "Coming,
coming..."
I think the 'Tasuki-getting-lost-all-the-time' thing is
going to be a reoccurring joke.
*O.-* Just cause I want it to
be. So nah!
I ran out of ideas near the end...
couldn't you tell? ^^; Sorry about that. I just wanted to get the Nuriko thing out of the way before I
left on my trip this weekend. I'll
write something better for Monday.
Promise, promise. And we'll meet
more people, too. Squee.
Shout-outs!
[To Bunny-- Funny? Huh. I never did humour before. And I don't even realise when I do. *lol*]
[To Kawaii-- It will be long time before I finish this fic, I assure
you. ^_~]
[To Rei-- And I shall. ^_^]
[To Sweet-Michi-- You're one of my favourite fans, you know that? *smile*
At least you read all of my fics, instead of selected few, like some of
the others... *squee* And isn't Noriko from Gravitation? Teehee, I think you meant Nuriko,
sweetie. ^_~]
Keep the reviews coming! They make sure
I update as quickly as possible.
^-^ Suggestions and death
threats, always welcome!