Disclaimer: I do not own FY, but I do own Akina.
A/N: Now, as I've told you, this story is different from the manga. Tamahome is here, not in Qu-Dong. It is different, so if something isn't exactly the same, don't flame. Ha, ha, I rhymed!
~*~*~*~*~*
"Tasuki! Where are you going?" Miaka called after his retreating back. "I need some sake," he muttered. He left the palace, trying his best to slam the huge door behind him, but failing miserably.
"Damn doors-close so slow-" he muttered. He finally gave up pushing the heavy oak door and stalked out into the street. He wandered the streets, searching for a pub. Finally finding one, he went inside, plopped down on a seat at the bar, and ordered some sake.
"Stupid git," he murmured to himself. "What's the deal with Miaka? I mean, all she does is hang over that loser. She deserves better. And this is ridiculous! We're never going to find Chiriko. I hate just waiting. I can't believe I left Koji!" He took a long drink.
'What's so great about her, anyway?' he thought. 'I mean, all she does is eat and whine. She's stupid, and wears these weird clothes. Ya know, maybe I don't even like her! Yeah, that's it! I don't like her!' He smiled. Finally he had rid himself of her. But then her image floated into his mind. 'She doesn't have any good qualities!' he shook himself. 'Except for one.she looks like Her.' He sunk down in his seat and took another drink from his bottle.
Unaware to his attention, the door opened behind him and a girl walked in. She sat down at the other end of the bar and ordered a drink. Then she spotted Tasuki.
"What a weird guy!" she said to herself. "He's talking to himself! Wait a minute. So am I!" She giggled a little. She turned back to her drink. But her eyes kept wandering to that man. Who was he? He looked so familiar.
"Tasuki?" Tasuki closed his eyes and groaned. "Look, I came here to be alone! Why can't you ever leave me alone, Mia--!" he started, turning around. He stopped in mid-sentence. "-ka." There was a girl staring at him. She looked exactly like Miaka. Even their voices were the same. But her eyes.they were different.
"Akina?" he asked incredibly. "Oh my god, Tasuki, it is you!" she cried, running over and hugging his neck. He stood, speechless. It was her. Her smell, her hair, her eyes.it was really her. He stood, in utter bliss, shocked from it all.
"Wow! You look different! A little more wild than I remember!" she said, laughing, staring at him. He was still frozen.
"Where have you been?" she asked him. He just stood, chibi, staring at her. "Yeah, maybe I should be answering that question for you," she said, grinning.
They sat down next to each other. "I worked for years for the guy who kidnapped me," she said. "What did you do?" Tasuki asked, finally getting his voice back. She looked at her drink. "Just.....stuff," she stuttered. "So what have you been doing, Tasuki?"
It warmed him inside when she said his name. "I joined the bandits of Mt. -------. I was going to be the new boss there, but...." "But what?" she asked. He tried to find the words to say it.
"I'm a celestial warrior of Suzaku," he said bluntly. "Wow!" she said. "Can I see your symbol?" He rolled back his sleeve and showed her his arm. "I don't remember seeing that when we were little," she said. "Yeah. I didn't even know I had it! It just appeared one day," he said. Without thinking, really, she touched it. Tasuki sighed softly. He still couldn't believe she was really here.
//I cannot help it I couldn't stop it if I tried The same old heartbeat fills the Emptiness I have inside And I've heard that you can't fight love, So I won't complain 'Cause why would I stop the fire that keeps me going on//
"Tomo, if this is an illusion, you're so dead," he muttered to the air. "What?" she asked. "Ah, nothing!" he said chibily.
"So what happened?" she asked. "The priestess and some warriors just came one day. They showed me who I was, and I went with 'em. I was going to stay on the mountain, but I'm glad I didn't," he said, looking into her eyes. She blushed. "I'm glad too," she said.
"So what are you doing now?" he asked her. "Oh, nothing. Just looking for work," she said. "And a place to hide," she muttered under her breath. "You should come to the palace. I bet they'd want to meet you. You could probably find work there, too," Tasuki offered.
"Ah, okay," she said. They got up and headed for the palace.
~*~*~*~*~*
"Hi! I'm Miaka!" Miaka said with a lot of enthusiasm. "It's so nice to meet you!" She was practically jumping up and down and running around the walls. Akina looked worriedly at Tasuki, but he just nodded. "No, she's not completely insane."
Akina shook Miaka's hand. "You have to meet everyone else!" Miaka cried dragging Akina through the palace. Tasuki followed them, keeping behind, so the others wouldn't know how close he was to Akina. He knew they wouldn't let him forget it, especially that slimy dumba$$ Tamahome.
Akina met the others, and they liked her well enough. Then she met the emperor. She bowed in front of him.
"Hello, Akina. I understand that you are looking for work?" he asked kindly. She nodded. "I think we can arrange something," Hotohori said. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, bowing again.
~*~*~*~*~*
Later, Tasuki found Akina out in the courtyard. "Hey!" he said. "Hi," she said. "I was sooooo nervous in front of the emperor," she confessed. "It's okay. He's not that bad. The only thing you gotta watch out for is that he's really vain. A total narcissist. If you really wanna get on his good side, give him a mirror." Akina laughed.
"Tasuki? Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Why did you join the bandits? Did something happen?" Tasuki hesitated. "Yeah. Something happened," he said. It wasn't a lie; it was just not the exact truth she was looking for. "What? Did something happen to your family? Is everyone okay?" she asked. "Yeah. Everything's fine now," he said, putting an arm around her. She hugged him, a just-good-friends hug.
~*~*~*~*~*
5 weeks later
"Your Majesty! Reports from the northern border!" a guard said, bursting into the throne room. Hotohori looked up from his discussion with his advisors. The guard handed him the reports. He skimmed through them.
"Villages were attacked? Dark figures? Who exactly?" he asked sharply. "We do not know, Your Majesty." "Could it possibly be Qu-Dong?" "No, Your Highness. Our spies report that they are all within their empire's borders. These men were not Qu-Dong's."
Hotohori thought for a minute. 'Who could it be?' "I want soldiers along the whole northern border. No town is to be excluded." "Yes, your Majesty." The guard bowed and left. Akina stood behind the other door, a tray in her hands. She had been passing by and overheard. "Shit!"
~*~*~*~*~*
"Your Majesty!" the guard exclaimed, rushing up to him. "What? This is the second time this week that you have interrupted my meetings." "But sire! The villages! They're gone!" "What? Gone? Explain yourself!"
"There were more men than last counted. There were not enough of our men." He bowed his head. He was disheveled; his clothes had a few rips and his hair was messy. It appeared that he had just come from battle. "We had to retreat, and they destroyed the villages."
Hotohori absorbed the news. "More men then. I want those men stopped!" he ordered. "Yes, sire." "And clean yourself up." "Yes, Your Majesty." Once again, Akina had overheard, but this time on purpose. She bit her lip and ran to the kitchens.
~*~*~*~*~*
"They are here! In the capital!" came cries from outside. Guards rushed into the streets, searching for the intruders. The constellations, Miaka, and Akina watched from a window. "What's happening?" Miaka asked.
"There have been reports that men have been attacking, no da. They are now here, no da!" Chichiri exclaimed. They watched the fight. Suddenly, they saw them. Swarms of black heading towards the palace doors. The guards certainly had their hands full. Hotohori had also been watching.
"We must seal the doors, Your Majesty!" his advisors begged him. "But my subjects are still out there! I will not desert them!" he told them. "But sire, we will be killed!" they cried. He sighed.
"Seal the doors!" he called. They were shut and bolted. Suddenly, a cry came from the kitchens. The five constellations (minus Hotohori and Chiriko, remember?) and Miaka ran towards the noise. When they got there, they found everyone dead and the whole room was a mess. Suddenly, they saw black spots darting through the halls.
"Spread out!" Tamahome instructed, and they each took a hallway. Tasuki ran down the one to the far right. The black intruder was very fast, and was soon almost out of sight. Tasuki struggled to catch up to him. As he turned a corner, he heard a scream.
~*~*~*~*~*
The doors to the throne room burst open. Three figures stood outlined against the light. Two of the men stepped forward and held swords up to Hotohori's throat.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly. The third man, and the biggest, stepped forward. "I believe you have something of mine?" he inquired.
~*~*~*~*~*
"Tasuki!"
Tasuki stopped cold. He ran in the direction of the scream. He turned another corner and saw a man in black holding Akina. She struggled, but to no avail. "Akina!" Tasuki ran forward, but another black man intercepted him. Tasuki fought the other man, while Akina and her kidnapper escaped. Tasuki finally knocked out the man and went after Akina.
He met Chichiri and Tamahome along the way, and the three of them searched for Akina. They heard commotion in the throne room and burst inside.
More men appeared and held their swords to the their throats. The other door opened and the kidnapper stepped inside, holding Akina. The boss held her chin in his hand. "Ah, you tried to leave. That's a big no-no." He grinned evilly. Akina spat on him. "We'll have to deal with you when we get home," he said. He turned back to the emperor. "Farewell, Emperor." His men started to leave. He walked over to Hotohori and held his sword up to Hotohori's face. "Oh, and if you ever take something of mine again, I'll kill you." He nicked Hotohori's jaw with the tip of his sword. In a flash, they were gone through the door.
Tasuki started to go after Akina, but Chichiri held him back. "No, no da! You can't catch them! We will find her later, no da!" "I'm not letting her go again!" Tasuki yelled. "What are you talking about, Tasuki?" Tamahome asked. Tasuki mentally kicked himself. He had forgotten that they didn't know; and that he didn't want them to know.
Tasuki stormed out of the palace. Chichiri, Tamahome, and Hotohori stared after him, starting to put the pieces together.
~*~*~*~*~*
Liss: Well, did you like it? I thought that this chapter was a little more exciting than the last ones. Please review!
A/N: Now, as I've told you, this story is different from the manga. Tamahome is here, not in Qu-Dong. It is different, so if something isn't exactly the same, don't flame. Ha, ha, I rhymed!
~*~*~*~*~*
"Tasuki! Where are you going?" Miaka called after his retreating back. "I need some sake," he muttered. He left the palace, trying his best to slam the huge door behind him, but failing miserably.
"Damn doors-close so slow-" he muttered. He finally gave up pushing the heavy oak door and stalked out into the street. He wandered the streets, searching for a pub. Finally finding one, he went inside, plopped down on a seat at the bar, and ordered some sake.
"Stupid git," he murmured to himself. "What's the deal with Miaka? I mean, all she does is hang over that loser. She deserves better. And this is ridiculous! We're never going to find Chiriko. I hate just waiting. I can't believe I left Koji!" He took a long drink.
'What's so great about her, anyway?' he thought. 'I mean, all she does is eat and whine. She's stupid, and wears these weird clothes. Ya know, maybe I don't even like her! Yeah, that's it! I don't like her!' He smiled. Finally he had rid himself of her. But then her image floated into his mind. 'She doesn't have any good qualities!' he shook himself. 'Except for one.she looks like Her.' He sunk down in his seat and took another drink from his bottle.
Unaware to his attention, the door opened behind him and a girl walked in. She sat down at the other end of the bar and ordered a drink. Then she spotted Tasuki.
"What a weird guy!" she said to herself. "He's talking to himself! Wait a minute. So am I!" She giggled a little. She turned back to her drink. But her eyes kept wandering to that man. Who was he? He looked so familiar.
"Tasuki?" Tasuki closed his eyes and groaned. "Look, I came here to be alone! Why can't you ever leave me alone, Mia--!" he started, turning around. He stopped in mid-sentence. "-ka." There was a girl staring at him. She looked exactly like Miaka. Even their voices were the same. But her eyes.they were different.
"Akina?" he asked incredibly. "Oh my god, Tasuki, it is you!" she cried, running over and hugging his neck. He stood, speechless. It was her. Her smell, her hair, her eyes.it was really her. He stood, in utter bliss, shocked from it all.
"Wow! You look different! A little more wild than I remember!" she said, laughing, staring at him. He was still frozen.
"Where have you been?" she asked him. He just stood, chibi, staring at her. "Yeah, maybe I should be answering that question for you," she said, grinning.
They sat down next to each other. "I worked for years for the guy who kidnapped me," she said. "What did you do?" Tasuki asked, finally getting his voice back. She looked at her drink. "Just.....stuff," she stuttered. "So what have you been doing, Tasuki?"
It warmed him inside when she said his name. "I joined the bandits of Mt. -------. I was going to be the new boss there, but...." "But what?" she asked. He tried to find the words to say it.
"I'm a celestial warrior of Suzaku," he said bluntly. "Wow!" she said. "Can I see your symbol?" He rolled back his sleeve and showed her his arm. "I don't remember seeing that when we were little," she said. "Yeah. I didn't even know I had it! It just appeared one day," he said. Without thinking, really, she touched it. Tasuki sighed softly. He still couldn't believe she was really here.
//I cannot help it I couldn't stop it if I tried The same old heartbeat fills the Emptiness I have inside And I've heard that you can't fight love, So I won't complain 'Cause why would I stop the fire that keeps me going on//
"Tomo, if this is an illusion, you're so dead," he muttered to the air. "What?" she asked. "Ah, nothing!" he said chibily.
"So what happened?" she asked. "The priestess and some warriors just came one day. They showed me who I was, and I went with 'em. I was going to stay on the mountain, but I'm glad I didn't," he said, looking into her eyes. She blushed. "I'm glad too," she said.
"So what are you doing now?" he asked her. "Oh, nothing. Just looking for work," she said. "And a place to hide," she muttered under her breath. "You should come to the palace. I bet they'd want to meet you. You could probably find work there, too," Tasuki offered.
"Ah, okay," she said. They got up and headed for the palace.
~*~*~*~*~*
"Hi! I'm Miaka!" Miaka said with a lot of enthusiasm. "It's so nice to meet you!" She was practically jumping up and down and running around the walls. Akina looked worriedly at Tasuki, but he just nodded. "No, she's not completely insane."
Akina shook Miaka's hand. "You have to meet everyone else!" Miaka cried dragging Akina through the palace. Tasuki followed them, keeping behind, so the others wouldn't know how close he was to Akina. He knew they wouldn't let him forget it, especially that slimy dumba$$ Tamahome.
Akina met the others, and they liked her well enough. Then she met the emperor. She bowed in front of him.
"Hello, Akina. I understand that you are looking for work?" he asked kindly. She nodded. "I think we can arrange something," Hotohori said. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, bowing again.
~*~*~*~*~*
Later, Tasuki found Akina out in the courtyard. "Hey!" he said. "Hi," she said. "I was sooooo nervous in front of the emperor," she confessed. "It's okay. He's not that bad. The only thing you gotta watch out for is that he's really vain. A total narcissist. If you really wanna get on his good side, give him a mirror." Akina laughed.
"Tasuki? Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Why did you join the bandits? Did something happen?" Tasuki hesitated. "Yeah. Something happened," he said. It wasn't a lie; it was just not the exact truth she was looking for. "What? Did something happen to your family? Is everyone okay?" she asked. "Yeah. Everything's fine now," he said, putting an arm around her. She hugged him, a just-good-friends hug.
~*~*~*~*~*
5 weeks later
"Your Majesty! Reports from the northern border!" a guard said, bursting into the throne room. Hotohori looked up from his discussion with his advisors. The guard handed him the reports. He skimmed through them.
"Villages were attacked? Dark figures? Who exactly?" he asked sharply. "We do not know, Your Majesty." "Could it possibly be Qu-Dong?" "No, Your Highness. Our spies report that they are all within their empire's borders. These men were not Qu-Dong's."
Hotohori thought for a minute. 'Who could it be?' "I want soldiers along the whole northern border. No town is to be excluded." "Yes, your Majesty." The guard bowed and left. Akina stood behind the other door, a tray in her hands. She had been passing by and overheard. "Shit!"
~*~*~*~*~*
"Your Majesty!" the guard exclaimed, rushing up to him. "What? This is the second time this week that you have interrupted my meetings." "But sire! The villages! They're gone!" "What? Gone? Explain yourself!"
"There were more men than last counted. There were not enough of our men." He bowed his head. He was disheveled; his clothes had a few rips and his hair was messy. It appeared that he had just come from battle. "We had to retreat, and they destroyed the villages."
Hotohori absorbed the news. "More men then. I want those men stopped!" he ordered. "Yes, sire." "And clean yourself up." "Yes, Your Majesty." Once again, Akina had overheard, but this time on purpose. She bit her lip and ran to the kitchens.
~*~*~*~*~*
"They are here! In the capital!" came cries from outside. Guards rushed into the streets, searching for the intruders. The constellations, Miaka, and Akina watched from a window. "What's happening?" Miaka asked.
"There have been reports that men have been attacking, no da. They are now here, no da!" Chichiri exclaimed. They watched the fight. Suddenly, they saw them. Swarms of black heading towards the palace doors. The guards certainly had their hands full. Hotohori had also been watching.
"We must seal the doors, Your Majesty!" his advisors begged him. "But my subjects are still out there! I will not desert them!" he told them. "But sire, we will be killed!" they cried. He sighed.
"Seal the doors!" he called. They were shut and bolted. Suddenly, a cry came from the kitchens. The five constellations (minus Hotohori and Chiriko, remember?) and Miaka ran towards the noise. When they got there, they found everyone dead and the whole room was a mess. Suddenly, they saw black spots darting through the halls.
"Spread out!" Tamahome instructed, and they each took a hallway. Tasuki ran down the one to the far right. The black intruder was very fast, and was soon almost out of sight. Tasuki struggled to catch up to him. As he turned a corner, he heard a scream.
~*~*~*~*~*
The doors to the throne room burst open. Three figures stood outlined against the light. Two of the men stepped forward and held swords up to Hotohori's throat.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly. The third man, and the biggest, stepped forward. "I believe you have something of mine?" he inquired.
~*~*~*~*~*
"Tasuki!"
Tasuki stopped cold. He ran in the direction of the scream. He turned another corner and saw a man in black holding Akina. She struggled, but to no avail. "Akina!" Tasuki ran forward, but another black man intercepted him. Tasuki fought the other man, while Akina and her kidnapper escaped. Tasuki finally knocked out the man and went after Akina.
He met Chichiri and Tamahome along the way, and the three of them searched for Akina. They heard commotion in the throne room and burst inside.
More men appeared and held their swords to the their throats. The other door opened and the kidnapper stepped inside, holding Akina. The boss held her chin in his hand. "Ah, you tried to leave. That's a big no-no." He grinned evilly. Akina spat on him. "We'll have to deal with you when we get home," he said. He turned back to the emperor. "Farewell, Emperor." His men started to leave. He walked over to Hotohori and held his sword up to Hotohori's face. "Oh, and if you ever take something of mine again, I'll kill you." He nicked Hotohori's jaw with the tip of his sword. In a flash, they were gone through the door.
Tasuki started to go after Akina, but Chichiri held him back. "No, no da! You can't catch them! We will find her later, no da!" "I'm not letting her go again!" Tasuki yelled. "What are you talking about, Tasuki?" Tamahome asked. Tasuki mentally kicked himself. He had forgotten that they didn't know; and that he didn't want them to know.
Tasuki stormed out of the palace. Chichiri, Tamahome, and Hotohori stared after him, starting to put the pieces together.
~*~*~*~*~*
Liss: Well, did you like it? I thought that this chapter was a little more exciting than the last ones. Please review!
