Huttah! Make reviews happen :D pwwwwease

"Why?" Nuriko started for what Tasuki thought to be nearly the hundredth time, "Why wouldn't he come with me?"

"I'm tellin' ya... Maybe the guy was actually tired! Damn, I know that I'm tired!" Tasuki said, even though he knew exactly what Nuriko would say in response, as they had gone through this sequence many times before in the last hour or so.
"But not too tired to come with me!" Nuriko argued back for the hundredth time. "I mean... why would he rather stay there than come with me? Is there something wrong with me?! Is he just too good to go with me?! --" the red-haired bandit didn't think he could take much more.
"God! Would you shut the fuck up already?" Tasuki said through clenched teeth. "All you women ever do is whine! Who gives a shit about why some guy won't do this or do that?? Women just think they're too damn good for anyone!"
Nuriko widened his blazing eyes furiously.
"Uh oh... Shouldn'ta done that..." Tasuki looked to his left shoulder to see a little bad Tasuki standing there.
"Why sha'ell d'ju do da'?" Tasuki looked to his right shoulder to see a very drunk good Tasuki, clutching the half empty bottle of beer next to him.
"Quick! Apologize to her! Look at how pissed she is!" bad Tasuki pointed at Nuriko, who had picked up his pace and was now a good ways in front of Tasuki, marching off, arms folded stiffly in front of him. Tasuki blinked.
"Yer'ight... thishtuff DOEShmake'rlook BE'er..." good Tasuki observed as he took another large gulp out of the twice-as-tall-as-himself bottle.
"You idiot! Of course she looks better! It's a different girl!" the miniature, bad Tasuki corrected good Tasuki.
"Oh..." good Tasuki stood, very wobbly, latched onto the bottle for support.
"But you gotta go apologize! I mean, yeah, she was getting annoying... but women always do! She'll like you better if you apologize! And if she likes you a lot she'll... well you know," bad Tasuki grinned (a note on good/bad Tasuki: it's not that the bad Tasuki is actually good and the good Tasuki is actually bad... It's just that good Tasuki is usually drunk, and bad Tasuki wants to get laid, and to achieve that goal, he has to keep everyone happy), "I bet she really puts out!"
Bad Tasuki had a point, so Tasuki walked a little faster, trying to catch up with Nuriko, who, by now, was pretty far ahead of him and still going.
"Nuriko!" Tasuki called. Nuriko, he noted, didn't respond. "Shit. Nuriko!" he yelled a bit more loud and urgent.
No response.
Tasuki started running toward the angry seishi. "Nuriko!"
He finally turned around, a very unamused look across his face. Nuriko promptly turned back around and kept walking when he saw Tasuki running toward him. Who did he think he was, yelling at him like that when he was already upset?
Tasuki put his hand on Nuriko's shoulder as he walked, keeping up with the violet-eyed seishi's brisk, angry pace.
"Nuriko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said... It just kinda came out. That happens with me a lot... Sayin' stuff I don't mean... I'm sorry," Tasuki said, sounding genuinely sorry. His usual blunt tone was now softer, more delicate. Nuriko turned his head slightly, the view of the apologizing bandit coming into the corner of his softening eyes. "'Course I don't know what the hell I said to make you so damn mad..." Tasuki finished, causing Nuriko's Tasuki-o-meter to plummet severely just as it had been slowly rising after the previous drop.
Bad Tasuki smothered his face into his hand, shaking his head and muttering obscenities under his breath. "Go away..." Tasuki tried to whisper to bad Tasuki without Nuriko hearing him.
Nuriko, of course, did hear him and did think that Tasuki was talking to him.
"Fine."
Tasuki stopped dead as he watched Nuriko jerk away from him and run off, out of sight.
"Damn it..." Tasuki muttered, jogging to find Nuriko.

He found Nuriko sitting on the ground next to a large tree, his knees pulled up to his chest and his head resting on his knees. Tasuki walked quietly over and sat down next to him, the cool shade feeling good as a gentle breeze blew through the afternoon air.
"Hey..."
Nuriko just turned his head a little toward him, gave him a dirty look, and turned back away.
"Look... I'm really sorry."
Not even a dirty look.
"I really am," Tasuki said honestly. "I just don't think enough before I say stuff... And if there's anything I can do to make you feel better, I'll do it."
Nuriko turned to look at Tasuki, head still resting on his knees.
Tasuki gave a small fanged grin. "Anything. Uh..." he thought for a moment of things that Nuriko would want him to do. After a moment of contemplation, a few things came to mind. Quickly dismissing all the sexual favors as something Nuriko would NOT want, he decided on, "You want me to go talk to Hotohori for you?"
Nuriko's frown flashed into a slight smile for a split second.
"I'll ask why he wouldn't go with you."
"Really?" Nuriko smiled a little, not feeling so mad at Tasuki any more. He guessed that Tasuki was just the type of person that you couldn't be mad at, no matter how obnoxious he was.
"Hell yeah!"
"But... please don't tell him I wanted you to? You know, just casually ask..."
Tasuki stood up. "Got it," he grinned before running off to do Nuriko's bidding.

Tasuki hadn't realized how close they still were to the others. They had walked for nearly an hour to get to where they were, but he guessed that maybe they were just walking so damn slow that it took them forever to not go very far. Somewhere, Tasuki got the idea that he would surprise Miaka, Mitsukake, and Hotohori. So he snuck up to where they were, hiding behind trees, getting closer at a slow pace. He was just about to pop out at them when he heard Hotohori's deep voice.
"Miaka... I love you... Why won't you give me a chance?"
"Great fuck!"
"...Did you hear someone...?"
Tasuki held his hand over his mouth to prevent any further outbursts.
"Oh well... Miaka..." Hotohori's voice turned sickly sweet again.
"Hotohori," Tasuki flinched at the sound of her chirpy, squeaky voice, "I love Tamahome..."
"Please, Miaka... I really love you... if only you had any idea how much..."
Tasuki sighed silently. "Shit..." he murmured under his breath, "Nuriko's not gonna like this..." he ran his hands through his hair, thinking of what he should do. He threw his head back... accidentally hitting it against the tree trunk. He mouthed several curse words, trying to keep as silent as possible as Hotohori and Miaka's dialogue kept on in much the same manner.
The bandit stealthily snuck a good ways away from them before breaking out into a run to get back to Nuriko.

"Well?" Nuriko looked up as he saw Tasuki's figure approach through the trees.
Tasuki wiped his forehead with one hand as he tried to make up something. "Yeah! I ninja-ed over there and... Yeah... well I went over there and... and he was asleep! Really tired guy. So he was asleep... but I asked him anyway! 'Why wouldn't you go with Nuriko?!'"
Nuriko nodded enthusiastically, begging Tasuki to continue. Tasuki grinned as he realized that Nuriko was buying every bit of it.
"So... So he SNORED at me! Real loud! ...Yeah! And he said 'Ohh Nuriko...' or something in his sleep. Really."
Nuriko furrowed his delicate brow a little. So he really was tired... Poor Hotohori... Nuriko wished he hadn't acted so mad at him earlier for not agreeing to go with him. (Note: Nuriko isn't stupid for believing Tasuki, just thoroughly lovesick for Hotohori.) Nuriko stood up slowly.
"Where ya goin?"
"I was going to go back..."
"No!"
"What? Why not?"
"Uh... You can't! ...You can't wake up Hotohori!"
"Oh... Right," Nuriko smiled. "But I'm still going," Nuriko happily walked off. Tasuki figured there was nothing he could do about that except go with him and hope that Hotohori wasn't still hitting on Miaka.

To the best of his ability to think, Tasuki figured that they'd better let them somehow know that they were there before they were in sight of them.
"HEY!!!"
Hotohori lifted his head to the direction of Tasuki's voice. He had been sitting with Mitsukake, talking about politics as Miaka dozed lightly under a tree.
"Hotohori-sama!" Nuriko called as they neared, "How was your nap?"
"...Nap?"
"Yeah, Hotohori," Tasuki prayed that he would play along, "I came over to check on you guys and you were asleep," the bandit glared at Hotohori then flickered his eyes over to Miaka so that Hotohori would get the point.
"Ah yes," Hotohori smiled good-naturedly, "And did you two find anything to eat?"
"Nope," Nuriko shrugged as he sauntered over to Hotohori and sat down next to him.
Hotohori laughed a little, "Oh well." He dropped his voice to a whisper, so that no one else would hear, "At least I have you back here with me..."
Nuriko could do nothing but grin.
Tasuki could do nothing but scowl.