Disclaimer: I think you get the message. I just own my original characters and the story. Also, any song lyrics I use belong to their writers/artists. I will post where I got them as well.
Notes: Here I go again. Not much to say really. I'm writing this chapter before I got any reviews for the previous chapter, so I dunno how this is gonna turn out. As I write I think more parts are going to be written from various people's POVs like the end of the last chapter I wrote.
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Kei's POV
It's been about three weeks since Tasuki and I had "quality time" together in the gardens… We've both been acting kinda funny around each other. He's so protective of me. He snaps at anyone who makes fun of me, especially Taka. Taka keeps trying to hit on me, much to the anger of a certain schoolgirl, and Tasuki always gets rid of him for me. I know I like him, but I wouldn't dare admit that to him, I'm not that stupid… He's laugh at me or somethin' if I told him I liked him.
Lately, Hotohori and Taki haven't been talking each other and I don't understand why. Taki never liked men, people even question her sexuality once in a while, but I know Taki liked him before, so why does she avoid him now? Neither one will talk about whatever happened. I think Lily knows something. But she won't talk either. I've never felt so in the dark, well, maybe not. I've probably been more confused than this…
Life is so strange…I wanna go home…I want my modern conveniences back, like TV, radios/CDs, heat, and flushing toilets would be nice. I'm glad I like in a time where life is much easier, but there are drawbacks to progress I suppose, but I'm as guilty as the rest of the rest of the world in wanting an easy life…
It's getting dark… The stars are all out…millions of them… Ya never see this many back home. I hug my jacket closer when the wind blows again… It's late in the Konan year and it's getting colder ever day. I wanna get some warmer clothes at home, but that would mean I'd leave Konan, and I'm not ready to that either. I wanna stay and leave all at the same time… Wow, that's an interesting quandary I got myself into. Go stay, go stay, stay go, stay go…
My though train is interrupted by a strong pair of arms sliding around my waist. I jump at first, but when I look up, it's just Tasuki. He's smirking at me and I can't help but smile back. We stand, staring at each other for a few seconds until he leans closer to me.
"What are you doing out here, Chibi-chan?" I close my eyes and giggle. Chibi-chan, his private nickname for me. Luckily he never says it when anyone else is around. I'm not that much shorter than him, a few inches really, but he calls me that anyway.
"Nothin'. Just thinkin', Bandit Boy." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tasuki's POV
As much as I hate to admit it, Kei's adorable when she smiles. She loves calling me Bandit Boy, knowing it annoys me. I don't mind as much now as I did before. She looked preoccupied, so I decided to shake her out of it.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?"
"Nothin' important… Can't a girl just think if she wants?" She's trying to look mad, but only succeeded in laughing again. I pull her back, off balance, forcing her to fall back into my arms.
"No. You can't." Jokingly, I begin to tickle her, and she starts laughing really hard. She has to hang on to me to stay up, not like I mind, mind you…
"Oh, come on… Let go!" She's trying to pull away, but she's too out of breath to fight very hard and I don't think she really wants to that much…
"I dun think so!" I hang on to her even tighter. She's really out of breath now. I stop tickling her so she can catch her breath. I'm holding her as she rests.
"Not fair… You're too strong…" She's giving me a mock angry face. I can't help but laugh. Her body fits so nicely in my arms.
"Oh, well, too bad." I pull her face closer to mine. I'm not laughing anymore. Our faces are almost touching. "I'm not about to let go of you." She looks surprised, but she's not pulling away. I want her so bad. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kei's POV
Like I said, Tasuki's been acting weird lately, but this takes the cake! I'm still breathing heavily, and him being this close to me isn't makin' things better.
Without warning, he closes up the little bit of space between us. Our lips touch, it's like I imagined. Perfect. My arms snake their way up his shirt and I twist my fingers in his hair, trying to pull his head closer. I want it more than I though. His arms are around my waist, pulling me closer.
I love him. Didn't take too long. I do, but I think he just got caught up in the moment. Some people may say I have a negative outlook on my love life, that he loves me too, but I can't help but be negative… Ever since I was little, my stepfather told me no one would love me for who I am, they'd love me because I come from a family of money. Granted, Tasuki doesn't know that and even if he did, I doubt he'd care. Still, it feels funny.
After a few moments like that, I have to pull away. One, for air, two, I feel weird. Tasuki is looking right at me.
"What's wrong?" He's concerned. I knew he would be…
I swallow hard. "Nothing…I just…"
"You didn't like it?" I lower my eyes to the ground.
"No! It isn't that at all! It's just… Ever since I was little my stepfather told me that no one would ever care about me for who I am… That they'd only care about the money I'm attached to… When you're told something often enough, you sometimes start to believe it…" I cautiously look up at him again. He's frowning.
"You're tellin' me you believe that?" He steps closer to me. I step back.
"Sorta, yes…" Oh no, I start to feel tears in my eyes…Tasuki's the last person I wanna cry in front of… "I'm sorry…"
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Tasuki's POV
I can't believe this. Whoever he stepfather is, he must be one hell of a bastard. I pull her close to me again. She buries her face in my shoulder muttering something I can't understand. I run my fingers through her hair. It's so soft and smooth… My other hand coils around her waist. She isn't fighting me now. I lower my head next to her ear.
"Kei-chan, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. Hona, I liked ya before I knew you ya had money attached to ya." I whisper to her, holding her close. She looks at me with questioning eyes.
"You like me? Honto?"
I smirk at her. "O' course. Did ya honestly think I could hate ya?" She wipes away a few tears and smiles.
"Arigato, Tas-chan." She hugs me tightly. "I like you, too."
"I know." I laugh when she lets go of me and sticks her tongue out at me. "That's not very nice."
"Hey don't go actin' like you got perfect manners!" She crosses her arms, looking a bit peeved.
"Whatever…" I grab her again and kiss her along her neckline. She likes it.
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Kei's POV
I can't help but crane my neck when he kissed me. I'm never sure whether to hit or hug Tasuki sometimes. Right now, I wanna kiss him. I grab his face and pull him up to meet my lips. He goes along with me, even going a bit further. He slid his tongue into my mouth after just kissing a bit. I'm a bit ashamed to say I almost bit him when he first did it. But then I just went along with it. He's very aggressive, though I expected that. He parts slightly and stares deep into my eyes.
"How was that?" He's grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"It was nice…" I start to leave the gardens, smiling. He follows me.
"Just nice? You're kidding, right?" He's annoyed. I know it.
"Maybe, maybe not. I'll tell you one of these days…" I giggle.
He lets out an exasperated sigh. "Oh come on! Gimme a fuckin' break! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothin' really. You know I love to annoy you. Deal with it." We soon reach my door. "Oyasuminasai Tasuki." He leans forward for one more kiss. It's short and sweet. No more than a second or two really.
"Oyasuminasai." He smiles and leaves my doorway.
I close my door and sit down on my bed. I reach up and gently brush my fingers over my lips. Tonight didn't seem real. Never before have I been kissed. I never let anyone. Tasuki was the first person to kiss me. Three times even.
I think back to all the times Shigeru told me no one would love me. I now see how wrong he was. I still find it hard to believe how quickly Tasuki changed my beliefs. Not that it's bad, mind you…just a little odd…
It's late…I don't feel like thinking anymore tonight. Too much has happened. My life has been more interesting these past few weeks in Konan than it has in the past couple of years. I hate to say it, but I like it. Really, everything I really want is with me right now. I don't really mind the lack of modern stuff now… Right now, I'm just gonna go to sleep. Thinking is hurting my head. I'll think more in the morning…
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Narrator's POV
Kei climbed all the way into bed and fell asleep quickly. Tasuki felt very satisfied with himself that night. He did love her; he just wouldn't admit it to her or himself really. He wanted to deny it, keep it locked away in some quiet corner. He was embarrassed at how fast he fell for her.
Taki sat in her room, wiping tears away from her eyes. She still felt terrible about what she did to Hotohori. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Taki's POV
Hotohori's only been nice to me since I've been here, so what do I do? I treat him badly. I should apologize, but I can't even bring myself to face him. Every time I see him, I run before he sees me. I run, but I find myself running slower every time…like I want him to catch me. I'd rather not be the one to initiate confrontation. Dear God Above, what have I gotten myself into?
I get up from my bed and leave my room. I estimate the time to be around midnight. No one else could possibly be up, right? I wander around the palace. I find myself in the hallway with Hotohori's room in it. I pass by it. Trying not to think about the sleeping emperor.
Well, I thought he was sleeping anyway. After I was about 10 meters away from the door, I hear it open. I stop dead in my tracks when I hear him call my name and ask why I'm up…
I shrug and turn around, keeping my eyes from his. "Just walkin'. I couldn't sleep." Not that I tried really…
"Is something wrong?" I sigh. Does he need to ask?
"I…well…I mean… Isn't it obvious?" I raise just my eyes to his. The moonlight is reflecting in them. Damn, why do I have to be the way I am?
"Taki-san… Are you still thinking about that night we kissed?" He already knows the answer… What's he trying to prove?
"Do you need to ask? Of course I am." I turn my back to him. He embraces me from behind. I didn't even hear him come up to me. I guess I'm off guard.
"You shouldn't dwell on the past." His voice is so soft. He pushes all my hair to one side of my neck.
"I shouldn't, huh? It's what I've done all my life, why stop now?" He leans his head down to the exposed side of my neck.
"Because you're better than that. You deserve better than that, more than that. Everyone needs to be loved at least once in their life." I feel my eyes start to tear up.
"I wish I could believe that. I don't deserve anything like that. I don't even deserve to know you…" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hotohori's POV
She's about to cry again. She's so negative, but I don't know why. I want to comfort her, but she doesn't even want to let me do that. She turns around in my arms to look at me.
I lower my forehead to hers. "Why won't you let me help you?" Her eyes lock with mine.
"Because I don't want to waste your time on me." I run my fingers through her hair.
"Shouldn't you let me decide how I should waste my time?" She looks at me questioningly.
"What? I don't understand…"
"Don't try…" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Narrator's POV
Hotohori brushed his lips against hers. Taki jumps slightly but doesn't pull back.
"Hotohori… I…" She was cut off but Hotohori's fingers over her lips.
"Taki, for once in your life, shut up and listen. Don't talk back." He was just a little bit angry. Taki raised an eyebrow at him. She was surprised at his force but stayed quiet. "I'm tired of you avoiding me. Now I know you don't love me, but I can't stand not seeing you. You think I don't see you run off when you see me, but I do. That hurts, I want to talk to you again. We were fine until I went too far…" Taki pushed his hand away and opened her mouth to speak, only to be silenced by him again. "I'm not done yet… I'll back off if you promise not to run any more…"
Taki stared at Hotohori. She bit her lip and swallowed hard. "I promise… I will admit, I missed talking to you… I'm sorry…"
"There's nothing to be sorry for. We made a mistake and we have to move past it. Don't you agree?" Hotohori let go of her and Taki moved to the railing on the outside of the open-air hallway. She leaned against a post and sighed.
"I guess you're right…" Taki's heart was pounding. Hotohori stood next to her. "I mean, who else would I talk to when Kei and Lily drive me insane?" Taki managed a small smile and looked at him again.
Hotohori smiled back. "You know I'll always be there if you need me." He wrapped one arm around her shoulder. "You should get some sleep. It's late."
"I could say the same to you." Taki was about to leave when she thought of something else. "Hotohori? Could I have one thing?" She looked at him.
Hotohori shrugged. "Whatever you want…"
"One quick goodnight kiss?" Taki blushed.
"Just a quick one…" Hotohori lightly kissed her on the lips. It wasn't like their other kiss. This one was more friendly than passionate. "Oyasuminasai Taki."
"Oyasumi…" Taki slowly walked away from Hotohori's room. She couldn't take her eyes off him.
~*~ BGM~*~ Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette~*~ www.lyricshut.com
I had no choice but to hear you
You stated your case time and again
I thought about it
After Taki left Hotohori's sight, he returned to his room to think about the night's event. It was nice to know that she'd hopefully stop running from him. He wanted to make her understand, but not be forceful. Scare her off was the last thing he wanted to do. He know it was possible that Taki would never love him, but he had to try…
You treat me like I'm a princess
I'm not used to liking that
You ask how my day was
Taki sat at the dressing table in her room. As she braided her hair for the night she thought about all the things Hotohori had done for her. He was always there when she didn't understand how things in Konan worked. She knew she'd never make it without him…
You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault
She couldn't help but laugh at herself. Two years, two years she'd kept every man she'd met away from her heart, yet in a few weeks, Hotohori was breaking every wall she created. She'd fallen for him, but part of her still held on to the belief that he'd only break her heart too…
Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole
You're so much braver than I gave you credit for
That's not lip service
No audio
Five weeks earlier…
Taki was standing at the place gates, watching people walking around town. She is wearing an ankle length pale blue skirt with a white short sleeve blouse. Hotohori comes out of nowhere and taps her shoulder. She turns around to see Hotohori in his traveling clothes, ready to take her to town.
You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault
Taki appears to be babbling about something to Hotohori. Occasionally Hotohori would answer, given the chance. A group of seedy looking men come over and try to take Taki from the emperor. He made quick work of them. Taki rushes back to his side and hangs on to his arm, calling him her hero. Hotohori then leads her out of the bar they were in.
You are the bearer of unconditional things
You held your breath and the door for me
Thanks for your patience
The pair is walking by a jewelry store and Taki begs Hotohori to go inside. Reluctantly he opens the door and holds it for her. She walks in and almost immediately finds a beautiful silver phoenix pendant on a thin silver chain. Hotohori is standing behind her. He sees how much she likes it and buys it for her. She tries to stop him, but he won't and carefully slides it around her neck. She blushes.
You're the best listener that I've ever met
You're my best friend
Best friend with benefits
What took me so long?
Taki and Hotohori are outside, walking in the gardens. They aren't talking about much of anything. They stop and sit down. Taki makes herself comfortable by leaning on Hotohori's chest. She falls asleep while Hotohori watches her and smiles.
I've never felt this healthy before
I've never wanted something rational
I am aware now
I am aware now
Back in the present…
Taki reaches up to her neck and slides off the silver necklace Hotohori bought for her. She lays it in the box Hotohori gave her for jewelry. She props up her head on her hand and yawns. She climbs into bed and stares at the ceiling. She grabs a small book and a flashlight. It's her diary and she starts writing…
You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault
Taki wrote about all the events of that day. She was happy that she could talk to Hotohori again. It was hard not to. She wrote for about an hour then fell asleep. The last thing she had written was: ¯You've already won me over in spite of me/And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet/Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are/I couldn't help it/It's all your fault. ¯
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The next morning, the seishi and Miaka all got up before the girls and headed into the shrine of Suzaku. Tai Itsukun was waiting for them inside.
"It's about time you woke up. I've been waiting for you people." Tai Itsukun was pissed off.
Tasuki was pissed too. "Give us a fucking break! It's too early for you to yell at us! Couldn't this have waited?"
"No. This is important. In order for you to help the 3 girls that have come here, you need to know about what has happened to them in the past." Tai Itsukun floated over to a large mirror that she brought with her.
The seishi followed the old woman across the room.
"Isn't that a bit of an invasion of privacy, no da?"
"The girls already agreed to let you all see their past. Don't worry about it."
Hotohori doubted the truth to that statement. Tai Itsukun felt his doubt and wordlessly glared at him. He raised his hands in surrender and stopped thinking about it. Tai Itsukun chanted a spell and an image of a small black haired girl in a large luxurious house and she was sitting on her bed watching TV. It was Kei when she was five.
"We're going to start this history lesson when Kei was five. Taki will be arriving soon, but Lily won't appear in their lives for about 6 years or so." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Comments
Any comments, anyone? The next chapter will, of course, tell the story of my 3 characters…ummm…I dunno when I'll finish that one. It will probably be soon. I don't wanna have really big gaps in between chapters for those people who read and review (hint hint) and like my work.
~*~Silver Hawk~*~