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: 4-1-16 Was anyone wondering why neither Chichiri nor Tasuki sensed Danno while he was stuck hiding right outside the dining room? I'll tell you why. Both Chichiri and Tasuki feel completely safe on Mt. Daikyouku, so safe they are comfortable with dropping their guard entirely. Not to mention, they're a bit preoccupied with their personal problems at the moment. ~Sapphire
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Oracles of the Four Gods
"Suzaku's Oracle"
By: Sapphire
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Part Twenty-six ~ Illusion
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Tasuki could tell there was something bothering Chichiri the moment the monk returned. Chichiri was so oblivious to everything around him, it couldn't have been more obvious. Every time Tasuki tried to talk to the monk, he would receive a single 'da' for a response and nothing more. After an hour Chichiri's melancholy was getting on Tasuki's nerves. After two, Tasuki had had it.
"Come on, Chichiri, what's eatin' ya?" Tasuki demanded. "Are ya still pissed 'cause I made fun of ya in front of Aneko?" Chichiri didn't reply at all, much to Tasuki's consternation. "Stop ignoring me!"
"Da," Chichiri said with a sigh. That was the 'da' that did it, pushed him over the edge. Tasuki grabbed his tessen.
"Lekka Shien!" he shouted, aiming a burst of flames at the monk. Chichiri turned in shock, almost unable to believe Tasuki would attack him. Tasuki grinned to himself. "Surprise," he thought. Chichiri dove out of the way, though not quick enough to prevent the toes of his shoes from being singed in the hot flames.
"Tasuki, are you crazy, no da?!" Chichiri shouted.
"That's better," Tasuki noted with a grin. "Now, you wanna tell me why you've been mopin' around all damn night?" Chichiri stared at him a long time, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Tasuki had to admit he had taken rather drastic measures to get his attention, but it had been necessary, the bandit reasoned.
"I'd rather not talk about it, no da," Chichiri told him curtly. Tasuki glared at him.
"You sure are actin' weird," Tasuki grumbled. "Even for you. Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're actin' just like Tamahome, that time Miaka dumped him." Tasuki paused as that thought sank in. "Hey, you don't... you're not... It's not Aneko, is it?" Tasuki could feel the glare emanating from beneath Chichiri's mask and knew he'd hit upon something, to his surprise. "It is, isn't it," Tasuki accused, "You like her, don't you?" The silence his accusation met spoke volumes. "What's the matter? She got a boyfriend or something?" A second later, the symbol on Chichiri's knee was glowing brightly. Tasuki expected some kind of magical blast in return for his well-intended flames, but he was shocked when Chichiri stepped up to him and laid into him with a fist, knocking him flat. Then Chichiri stalked out of the room, headed who knew where. "Damn," Tasuki muttered, wondering if he'd gone just a little too far. "Didn't see that one coming."
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Nyan-Nyan felt a presence in the palace's vast gardens clouded by sadness and a hint of depression. The childlike being was innately sensitive to it, drawn to human pain. That's what made her the healing entity she was. She wasn't surprised to find it was Chichiri sitting alone beside a stream that flowed past the palace, oblivious to the beautiful nightfall around him. Nyan-Nyan recognized it as the same spot she would often find him fishing while he'd been in training with Taiitsukun. He was not fishing now. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the grass, his robe swirled around him. His staff lay across his lap, and his mask lay on the ground beside him.
Very rarely had Nyan-Nyan seen Chichiri like this, but she knew he was very troubled indeed. Nyan-Nyan knew Chichiri suffered from a pain that she could not cure. What had brought him out here like this in the past was heartache. It appeared heartache had brought him out here this time, too, only this heartache was different compared to those other times. Nyan-Nyan was curious.
"Why is Chichiri sad?" Nyan-Nyan asked in her high pitched, squeaky voice.
"Oh, it's you, no da," Chichiri replied, looking up at Nyan-Nyan. "I'm not sad, not really." Nyan-Nyan knew he wasn't being entirely honest, but maybe 'sad' wasn't quite the right description for his emotions. "I'm worried about someone," Chichiri admitted.
"Is it Aneko?" Nyan-Nyan asked. "She's very sad. I tried to help, but she didn't want me with her." Chichiri nodded then looked down at the rippling water of the stream.
"Aneko's got good reason to be sad, no da," Chichiri told her after a long moment. "Someone she loved very much died. She misses him, no da."
"Oh, poor Aneko," Nyan-Nyan said with a sad sigh. Nyan-Nyan looked at Chichiri closely. His eyes were still looking at the water, but he wasn't seeing it. She wondered if Aneko's grief had brought back memories of his own lost love. "Is that why you are sad? Because someone you loved died, too?" Chichiri was silent a long time before turning toward her and answering.
"Thinking of her, of Tenmei, always makes me sad, but that's not it, no da," Chichiri confided. "I don't have any reason to feel the way I do right now, but I can't help it. I don't even know why..." Nyan-Nyan knew he wanted to be alone when he turned his face away from her and his words trailed off.
Chichiri didn't want her there anymore. Nyan-Nyan knew there was nothing she could do for him; his heartache would heal when he himself let it heal. With a 'pop' Nyan-Nyan was gone.
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Danno's step was light as he cautiously left the room he'd taken refuge in. This was going to work. With Tomo's guidance, he was going to get to see Aneko, speak to her, even hold her- and she would be none the wiser. That ought to appease Taiitsukun, should the ancient one ever find out about this escapade, Danno thought.
He crept to Aneko's door and pressed his ear against it. All was quiet on the other side. It was late, past midnight, and Danno was sure Aneko was asleep. There hadn't been a sound from her room in hours. Slowly, so as not to make a noise, Danno bent and slipped the shin under the door. A faint blue glow lit up the space between the door and the floor. He waited while the illusion spell wove its magic, elated he would be with Aneko. Finally.
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Aneko wasn't sure what woke her, but she was shocked to find herself curled up on Danno's living room couch. Hadn't she been on Mt. Daikyouku in Taiitsukun's palace? She rubbed her eyes, then opened them again. She was still in Danno's apartment. What? Had all of that- finding herself in Konan, meeting Chichiri and Tasuki and Empress Houki, fighting that demon- had all of that been just a dream?
"Danno?" she called out, swinging her legs over the side of the couch as she sat up. "Danno, are you here?" Then she remembered. Danno was dead. Her heart sank, and she felt tears begin to trace their way down her cheeks. In fact, now that she thought about it, she could feel traces of old, dried tears on her face. She cried harder, knowing those old tears had been shed for Danno, too.
"Aneko?" Aneko looked up at the sound of her name and gasped. There, walking into the living room from his bedroom, was Danno. The smile on his face faded when he saw her and was replaced with concern. "Aneko, why are you crying?" Aneko just stared at him in frightened awe. "Why do you look so scared?" Danno asked, quickly crossing the distance between them and sitting down on the couch beside her. "Are you okay? You're not sick, are you?" Danno reached a hand to her forehead, then cupped her cheek gently. His hand was warm. He felt so real.
"This is a dream. It has to be a dream," Aneko said, her voice barely a whisper, feeling her face drain of all color.
"This is no dream," Danno said, stroking the line of her jaw with his thumb. "I promise you, this is very real."
"But you can't really be here…" Aneko said, her voice shaking with emotion. She searched his eyes, and was astonished how well she remembered the green color of them. Danno looked confused.
"Of course I can be here. I live here, remember?" he said with a wry smile. Aneko closed her eyes, feeling more tears trail down her cheeks. Surely this was a dream. Danno was dead, and his apartment in Tokyo had already been emptied. She opened her eyes again, but he was still there, looking at her so tenderly.
"Please tell me what's wrong," Danno said, gently wiping tears from her face. "I hate seeing you cry." His words just made more tears fall from her eyes. "Did you have a nightmare?" Danno asked as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Tell me about it," he invited. He felt so real... Aneko slipped her own arms around him and held on tight, burying her tear dampened face in his shoulder. She took a deep breath, and her senses were filled with the scent that was uniquely Danno. This dream was so real…
"I missed you so much," Aneko couldn't help but tell him.
"I missed you, too," Danno said, giving her a squeeze.
"I'm sorry, too," she said.
"For what?" Danno asked.
"For forgetting you," Aneko answered.
"Do you remember me now?" Danno asked quietly.
"I remember everything," Aneko replied, scooting a little closer to him. He stroked her back soothingly. She'd always liked it when he did that.
"Aneko, do you know what made you forget me?" Danno asked, his voice sounding both curious and hurt.
"I think because losing you was too much for me to handle," Aneko said reflectively, still holding onto him tightly. Danno inhaled sharply with surprise and pushed her away gently so he could see her face. Aneko met his gaze, memorizing every detail of his face. It had been so long…
"You know, don't you, that I never wanted to leave you behind?" Danno asked quietly, earnestly. "I wasn't given a choice." Aneko nodded.
"I know it wasn't your fault," Aneko assured him. "You would never have left me intentionally." He nodded this time.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "You must have been so alone."
"That's no excuse for what I did," Aneko pointed out. "I promise, I won't let myself forget about you ever again."
"I know you won't," Danno said, smiling faintly, then kissing the top of her head again. "I promise, I'll never leave you like that again," Danno swore to her. Aneko knew they'd forgiven one another, and felt a little better. Even if this was just a dream.
"You'll always be with me," Aneko agreed. She'd meant what she'd said. She would never forget this man ever again.
"I love you," Danno told her.
"I love you," Aneko repeated. Her love wasn't the same, she knew, but she meant it just as much as he did. Danno smiled, and leaned down to kiss her. Aneko welcomed it. She had missed this man so much. And after all, this was only a dream.
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Danno waited until Aneko was asleep again before breaking the illusion. She remembered. He was so relieved. What's more, thanks to the illusion spell, she was under the impression that their meeting had been a dream. As long as he wasn't caught before leaving, Taiitsukun would never know what he'd been up to this night.
Danno didn't want to leave, though. He'd been sorely tempted to throw caution to the wind and stay with her. Walking away now felt like he was betraying the promise he'd just made to her a short time ago. Except he had his orders from Taiitsukun, and he'd broken the rules enough for one evening. There was work to be done in Kuto, and he would see Aneko again, soon. Probably.
Silently, so as not to wake Aneko, Danno walked to the door and bent to pick up the shin sitting on the floor. Tomo had said that if it stayed with Aneko, Danno could use it to speak to her again in future, through her dreams. He'd said it would be a lot like the illusion he'd just created, except they wouldn't be together in the physical world as they had been on this occasion. Danno spied a traveling pack not far from the door. He knelt down and searched it, and found a small pocket Aneko would be unlikely to use. Danno slipped the shin inside.
Before he could reconsider his actions, he slipped out of the room and retraced his steps back to the dining room Aneko and the two Suzaku Warriors had been sharing a meal in earlier that evening. He would let himself out of the palace via the courtyard door that was just beyond the dining room. Then he would transport himself back to Kuto from there.
Danno encountered no one on the way. He breathed a sigh of relief as he escaped the palace into the courtyard. As he hurried down the steps he paused and turned back for a last look at the shimmering palace.
"Sayonara, Aneko," he whispered. "You won't have to wait for me much longer, and I won't be far away. I promise."
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To be continued…
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End Note: What? Kind and gentle Chichiri punched Tasuki?! Yes. Yes he did. I realized, even when I was first writing that scene, it was quite unexpected. But… Let's think back to his younger years for a moment, hmmm? When Chichiri was 18, his best friend stole his fiancé. Betrayed, Chichiri lost his head, lashed out, and caused the death of his best friend. Chichiri may have since learned to control his temper and emotions, but he's not perfect, and he definitely has it in him to throw Tasuki a facer. Don't worry about Tasuki. Chichiri knows full well a single punch won't hurt him. Surely, as the leader of a gang of bandits, Tasuki is no stranger to a fist fight! ~Sapphire
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