~ Chapter 14 ~
Seishi found! What now?
"Good God! It's about time we arrived!!" Tasuki, shifting my still asleep form on his back, looked up to see the small town with an overjoyed expression … which soon turned to confusion as he turned to Chichiri. "Hey … where are we, anyway?"
Despite the thin layer of dirt and dust on his face, he smiled broadly and stepped in front of me. "We're in Chôko no da!"
Tasuki's expression grew knowing as realization settled in. "Mitsukake, huh?" His face grew relaxed, as he knew he would be able to rest soon, just like myself on his back.
"Let's go no da!" Chichiri, again, led the way through the many weaving dusty streets, staring in awe at the utter poverty displayed. We were in Chôko all right, but now we had to find him…
Not very much long after we entered this town, did we find his small shack. The way we knew was that, when we passed by, we saw a figure sitting outside in ragged clothing. It was the second or third person outside, and this particular person was hunched over a couple dozen-medicine cups, busily working. From what we saw, he definitely resembled the physique of Mitsukake in his past life, but he was considerably younger. We couldn't believe how easy it was…
It wasn't like a city, where hundreds upon hundreds of people would be in one place so not one soul could be found if you tried. It definitely wasn't like that.
We stood back on the road portion and off of his property … though, one wouldn't be able to figure out one from the other.
"Tasuki … you really think that's him no da?" Chichiri whispered to Tasuki. He nodded briefly.
"It has to be…let's go see 'im!" Tasuki walked briskly over to where the man was hunched over and whistled to get his attention, since he couldn't use his hands. Chichiri followed slowly, cautiously.
"Yo Mitsukake! It's been a while, ne?" Tasuki grinned with a fang sticking out.
The man looked up slowly and stared Tasuki in the face … then switched over to Chichiri, then went back and forth over and over again, as if taking this in.
"Did you call me … Mitsukake?" His voice was younger, much less deep than it was. He also wore a single plain white headband around his forehead, and tied in the back. His black hair didn't stick up like it used to, it drooped down in the front, almost over his eyes and around the edges of the headband, and slowly stuck up a little as it went in more. The frame of his face was more pointed, and his eyes were wider than the half-closed ones he had.
"Sure did!" Tasuki chirped. Mitsukake studied them for a few more minutes, then blinked, and gasped in realization.
"Oh Suzaku…" He whispered under his breath as he stood up … he was a little bit taller than Tasuki. "Tasuki … ? Chichiri … ?! What??" He looked from both of us quickly, with big curious eyes. "What are you doing here?!"
Chichiri placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mitsukake no da … we're here to take you with us no da."
"Take me … with you…?" He looked at Chichiri skeptically.
"Hai no da," He looked back at Tasuki, looking very worn out. "Why don't we go inside and discuss this over no da … I have a feeling you'll want us to explain ourselves no da."
Mitsukake nodded and silently led us inside his little shack. Chichiri followed right behind him, whilst Tasuki groaned and slowly trudged after them.
"Yeh know, I really can't support her forever!" His feet dragged on the ground, kicking up dust. My body started to fidget a little, catching Tasuki off-guard. "Hey! Whattya doin'?!"
"Where's that voice comin' from?" I mumbled, half awake and half asleep.
"What voice?"
I was waking up now. "Y'mean you don't hear it?"
"No…"
I listened in more … it was close. After a few more seconds of listening, it was totally silent.
"KKKKKKAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!"
I jumped a mile in the air, totally falling off of Tasuki's back and crashing into the ground so hard that dust clouds hid my body. My hair was frazzled and my eyes were huge, and bloodshot.
"JOANNA!!" I screamed at my bracelet. "SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Oh God, I was going to kill her …
Tasuki stared at me, sitting on the ground and yelling at my wrist. "What?? Who the hell are yeh screamin' at?!"
My head shot up as I stared at him with huge, wide awake eyes. "YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT?!"
He slowly shook his head. "No…I heard yeh screamin' at yerself though…"
"…" I stared at the bracelet, as it began to talk again, but not as loud.
"Only YOU can hear me!! Duh!!"
I slapped my forehead. "Oh great…so people won't think I'm too crazy as I talk to my own hand." I stood up and brushed myself off. Tasuki was in the closest vicinity, staring with an eyebrow cocked at me. Chichiri stood in a tiny shack's doorway, and another guy too, and they had the same face of confusion on. But wait … that other guy looks familiar…
"It's … MIIITTTSSSSUUUUKKKKAAAAAKKKKKEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Joanna shouted back through the bracelet, again, scaring the crap out of me.
"He's Mitsukake?!" I whispered harshly, squinting my eyes to look more. He was wearing a headband…the hair was almost the same…No mistake here, he was Mitsukake. At my observing I didn't notice that had Tasuki went around behind me and started to push me inside the shack with Chichiri and Mitsukake.
There wasn't much inside, except for a makeshift table with a few chairs, and pieces of material laid down on the floor to provide as a rug to sit on, instead of sitting on the dusty ground. All three of us sat in the chairs carefully, afraid that they might break. Mitsukake sat down after us at the table, and we started to talk. I had to listen to one more person too many, as Joanna kept blabbering on and on and on …
I think somewhere in the middle of the discussion, Chichiri turned to me.
"You haven't said a word at all no da … something wrong no da?"
I raised my arm and showed my wrist to him, while narrowing my eyes at it.
"Joanna won't stop talking…"