Disclaimer: Please see the Prologue of Suzaku's Oracle for a blanket disclaimer.
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Warnings: Rated PG-13 or Fiction T.
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Notes: 3-21-16 Here's something I haven't done before: character stats! For cannon characters, you can look that up on the web, or in the graphic novels. Just remember to add three years to their age! Chichiri is now 27, Tasuki is 20, and Kouji is 22. Houki, since I'm unaware if Watase ever noted her age, is roughly 21. In addition, the teenage Tasuki probably put on some height, so I decided to add an extra inch and a half to the 5' 10" he was at age 17. More in the End Notes. ~Sapphire
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Oracles of the Four Gods
"Suzaku's Oracle"
By: Sapphire
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Part 24~ Shadows of a Ghost
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Danno waved to Kaori and Wataru as they departed for Sairou and Houkan. Holding hands, the two vanished before his eyes. Danno sighed enviously. Those two were able to be together as much as they liked. With Kaori's ability to teleport, the two of them planned to do their searching together, going back and forth between the northern and western empires. Danno was not so lucky. According to Taiitsukun, the woman he loved didn't even remember him, dangerous for her to even see him. They certainly wouldn't be allowed to travel together.
"How? How could this happen?" he wondered. Danno shook his head. He just couldn't fathom it. There was no way he could ever forget her. She was the very reason he breathed. He doubted even an act of god could completely wipe her from his memory or his heart. "Something must have happened to her," he thought. "Something must have happened after I was brought to this world and before she was, but what?"
Danno shook his head. For now, there was no way of knowing what had gone wrong. He should return to Kuto and do as Taiitsukun said. But Danno wanted to see Aneko so badly, and she was so close!
"Taiitsukun said Aneko can't see me," Danno argued with himself as he stood motionless in the center of the mirror chamber. "Taiitsukun didn't say I couldn't see Aneko," he reasoned. "Aneko doesn't need to know I'm there." All he really needed was to see for himself that she was okay. He shuddered, remember what he'd seen of her encounter with the demon. That decided him. He wasn't going to leave Mt. Daikyouku without first trying to find her. The only question remaining was, could he pull it off?
Slipping out of the mirror chamber, Danno set out toward a large section of Taiitsukun's palace he'd never visited. It stood to reason that Taiitsukun wouldn't have put Aneko somewhere he was likely to run into her. Danno didn't pay much attention to where he was going because he didn't need to find his way back. Instead, he let his thoughts stray as he searched, worrying about Aneko. Making his way along an empty corridor, he nearly missed an obscure figure as it crossed the hallway far in the distance.
"Aneko?" was Danno's first though, suddenly stopping short as excitement began to bubble up inside him. It was entirely possible. Danno had to remind himself this wasn't going to be the reunion he'd been hoping for. This was just to check on her, assure himself that she was all right. Taking a deep, calming breath, Danno carefully moved down the corridor, following after the figure he'd seen.
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Aneko slipped into the dining room without Chichiri or Tasuki noticing. Tasuki was sitting there, slumped in his chair, obviously in a foul mood. Chichiri sat watching him curiously, as if wondering what was wrong with him. Aneko smiled roguishly to herself, guessing what was eating at the sulking bandit. Such a mischievous mood was rare for Aneko, but she was feeling so much better than she had two days ago, she couldn't pass up such an easy opportunity to poke some fun. Without betraying her intentions, Aneko slipped into the chair opposite Tasuki, smiling shyly at the two seishi.
"Hello," she greeted demurely. "Did you ever get your bath, Tasuki?" Tasuki squirmed in his seat, visibly blushing, though his head was down and his flame colored hair did a lot to conceal most of it. He mumbled a short, unintelligible reply.
"Are you okay, no da?" Chichiri was quite perplexed. Aneko looked between the inquisitive, concerned monk and the blushing bandit, and burst out laughing. She couldn't help herself. Chichiri stared at her open-mouthed, and Tasuki eyed her warily through his wild hair.
"It's not funny!" Tasuki exclaimed, glaring, though the effect was spoiled considerably by his embarrassment. "How was I s'posed ta know you were in there!?"
"Nyan-Nyan did warn you," Aneko pointed out, still laughing.
"Shit, I'm sorry, all right!" Tasuki slumped back down in his chair, looking quite defeated. Aneko didn't have the heart to tease any longer.
"I'm not angry," Aneko assured, getting her giggles under control. "Sure, it was embarrassing to be caught in the bath, but mostly I think it was funny- especially the expression that was on your face." She gave him an amused, teasing smile. "I couldn't resist teasing you."
"Teasing?" Tasuki asked, shooting her a dubious look. "It's not funny," he complained. "I hate girls."
"Da," Chichiri replied, quite entertained by the whole exchange, watching Tasuki glare suspiciously at Aneko across the table. He didn't think the bandit quite knew what to do with this particular woman. It seemed she'd surprised him, and Tasuki didn't really like surprises, especially surprises that came in feminine packaging. Chichiri didn't know the details, but it was just like Tasuki to barge right in, not bothering to check if a room was occupied. Not that the man had to think about it on a normal day- there weren't any women on Mt. Leikaku. He could imagine how startled Tasuki must have been, a man who repeatedly claimed to dislike women, to walk in and find an unclothed one in the bath. Chichiri smiled to himself, amused, before changing the subject. "You're looking better, no da," Chichiri said to Aneko as he passed her a bowl of soup.
"I feel great, compared to two days ago. Nyan-Nyan healed my broken arm, too," she reported. Chichiri nodded as he passed Tasuki a bowl of the soup. "This is delicious," Aneko stated decidedly after a few spoons of the soup. "I think I like it better than the food in the Imperial Palace. The food there is too fancy." Chichiri looked up at her, surprised.
"Hey, Chichiri, take credit where credit's due," Tasuki said, pausing his spoon half way to his mouth. "He cooked it, ya know," he said to Aneko. Apparently the bandit had recovered his dignity quickly, Chichiri thought. He suspected it had a lot to do with the presence of food.
"I've been cooking all the food since we've been here, no da," Chichiri admitted, though he felt somewhat reluctant to do so. He felt an uncomfortable warmth as a pink flush crept up his neck toward his face. "I used to cook when I trained here. I kind of fall back into the habit when I visit, no da." He shrugged, turning back to his soup, hoping they would let it drop and his flushed cheeks would cool. Tasuki flashed him a grin, and Chichiri knew that wasn't to be the case.
"Somebody's embarrassed," Tasuki taunted in a sing-song voice. "A pretty girl says she likes his cookin' and he turns red." He winked at Aneko. "Oh, it's nothing, no da," he mimicked. "I'm used to cooking all the time, no da- Yeow!" he yelped as Chichiri kicked him under the table. "Whatcha go and do that for?" Chichiri ignored him.
Out of the blue Aneko started in her chair, then let out a yelp as it tipped over and dumped her onto the floor. Chichiri looked down at her with confused concern. Tasuki just burst out laughing. Chichiri ignored him as Aneko grabbed for the edge of the table, then pulled herself up quickly to peer over the top. Her blue eyes darted back and forth around the room, searching out something. Chichiri looked up as well, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, looked back at her. All color had drained from her face, and she looked like she was going to be ill.
"Aneko?" he asked.
"I saw... But it can't possibly... How could I have..." she looked up at him as she trailed off. She pulled herself up off the floor. Chichiri got up and righted her chair for her, but she didn't sit back down. She just stood there staring at the doorway across the room.
"What's th' matter with you?" Tasuki asked, sobering from his laughing fit. "Aneko, ya see a ghost or somethin'?" She looked across the table at Tasuki.
"Ghost..." she mumbled. She shook her head quickly, causing some of her hair to come loose and tumble down her back. "I could have sworn..." She looked between the both of them, unsure what to do next. "Outside," she finally said. "I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air. Go ahead and finish your supper without me." She spun on her heel without another word and hurried away. Chichiri stared after her, not sure what to make of all this. Tasuki looked over at him.
"She's the strangest woman I ever met," Tasuki told him with a shake of his head. "And I thought Miaka was nuts..."
"Da," was all that Chichiri had to say.
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Danno had to duck into an alcove in the corridor, his heart was pounding so hard. Had she seen him? He'd tried to be careful, keep himself out of sight, but when she looked up and stared quizzically at the doorway he'd stood beyond, he'd panicked and fled- right into the light spilling from the dining room.
"Stupid!" he berated himself under his breath. "She wasn't supposed to see me!" Danno wasn't sure, but he thought he'd seen recognition in her eyes before he'd dashed out of her line of sight. Did she remember? "Seiryu- Suzaku, please let her have remembered!" he sent a fervent mental prayer.
Danno was thankful he'd had the presence of mind to hide in his dark alcove because at that moment Aneko stepped through the dining room doorway into the corridor. She headed for a pair of double doors leading to a courtyard at the end of the hall, but had he been standing in the open, she'd have seen him for sure. He could tell, even at this distance, that she was crying. It took everything Danno had not to run after her.
"I really shouldn't be here," he thought. Maybe so, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, not yet. He was very tempted to follow Aneko anyway. He was still wavering when someone else exited the dining room, clearly intent on following Aneko. One of the Suzaku Shichiseishi, Danno realized. Danno's luck held. The Celestial Warrior didn't detect his presence. "My luck can't hold forever," Danno reasoned silently with himself. "I should leave while I have the chance." He was about to step out of his hiding place and make a run for it when the other Suzaku Warrior poked his head out of the doorway and looked up and down the corridor.
"Where the hell did everybody go?" he said before shaking his head and going back inside the dining room. Danno decided it was best to stay put for the time being, until he was sure he was in the clear.
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To be continued…
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End Note: Here is an abbreviated version of the stats I wrote up for the four oracles. ~Sapphire
Aneko Mitsu
Oracle of Suzaku
Birth Date: July 19
Age: 24
Height: 167cm or 5' 7''
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Danno Toya
Oracle of Seiryu
Birth Date: March 30
Age: 26
Height: 6' 0''
Hair Color: Blue-green
Eye Color: Green
Kaori Takagi
Oracle of Byakko
Birth Date: September 25
Age: 25
Height: 5' 6''
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
Wataru Sakurai
Oracle of Genbu
Birth Date: January 28
Age: 25
Height: 5' 10''
Hair Color: Moss Brown/Green
Eye Color: Green
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