And we're back to Tuesday's regularly scheduled release! Chapter 7 is here, full of fun and more difficulties for poor Iris…why'd she have to have feelings for such a CLUELESS guy?! LOL. Actually, I wouldn't say Tasuki's totally clueless, he just doesn't know what to look for……ah well! More secrets of the reasons the girls are there will be revealed and they're heading out again! Enjoy!
Chapter 07:
Instructions
After they left Elwing's room, everyone went their separate ways. It was a clear night, so Iris went to get her coat, then headed for the garden to do some stargazing. Tasuki, Nuriko and Tamahome were leaning on a railing, discussing who should go into town for supplies for the trip to Mt Taikyoku and they waved at Iris as she passed.
"Hi Tasuki!" she called as she passed, "Hi Nuriko! Hi Tamahome!"
"Where are you going?" Nuriko asked her.
"Stargazing. I just love to gaze up at the night sky, and this is a perfectly clear and moonless night. I'll see you later!" she waved goodbye.
"I think she likes you, Tasuki." Nuriko said teasingly.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, gay-boy." Tasuki objected.
"If you don't do something soon, you might just loose your chance. Who knows if she'll stay interested," Nuriko said seriously, "She's a pretty girl, I might just decide to go after her myself, so take your chance while you have it, otherwise someone else will."
"You're so fuckin' crazy. Why would I want any girl hangin' around? Especially Iris? She already seems to be every-bloody-where I am. It bugs the Hell out of me!"
Tamahome laughed. "Oh, do you deny you have feelings for her?" he said in a mocking tone, "So what was with all that 'Let me teach you to ride Iris', 'Let me show you around the palace Iris' stuff? And you were very protective when she was sick!"
"Shut up, damn you!"
"Ah, he refuses to answer! Surely a sign!"
"I told you to shut up, Obake-chan!"
"Don't call me Obake-chan!"
Nuriko just shook his head and set off after Iris. There were a few things he wanted to find out from her.
When Nuriko found Iris she was lying on a bench with her hands behind her head, gazing up at the night sky.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, crouching down so his head was at the same level as hers.
Iris pointed to a group of stars which was just rising over the palace roof. "That one. It looks so bright and cheerful, somehow."
Nuriko laughed. "Bright, perhaps, but I don't know about cheerful, that's Tasuki."
"Really? Cool! Where are you?" Iris asked.
Nuriko pointed out his constellation, then all the rest of the Suzaku constellations as she stood up beside him.
"Did you want to talk to me about something?" Iris asked Nuriko, "Surely you didn't follow me here just to stargaze."
"Actually, I did have a question for you." Nuriko admitted, "I don't mean to pry, but over the last couple of weeks I've noticed something." He hesitated, then went on, "Your feelings toward Tasuki… You're in love with him, aren't you?"
Iris was grateful for the darkness which hid her blush. "Um… yeah. Is that a problem or something?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, no problem, really. I just wanted to tell you not to give up hope. Tasuki is pretty attached to you, even if he won't admit it to himself."
Iris sighed. "If you say so. I'm beginning to think he sees me as little more than an annoyance."
"How'd you end up falling for him anyway?" Nuriko asked, genuinely curious, "Most girls don't like bandits all that much."
"Well, beside the obvious fact that he's incredibly good looking, I get the feeling he's hiding a lot under that gruff exterior. I would bet he cares more than he would like to admit about those he accepts as friends." Iris explained.
These reasons surprised her a bit. It was easy for even her to sometimes forget the true depth of Tasuki's character.
"You honestly love him. And not just because of the obvious things." Nuriko said, a little surprised, "I never would have thought our Tasuki could inspire love in the breast of a woman. But then, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Love comes where it will, and it will not be denied when it does. I'm a living example." He laughed.
"It won't be denied, maybe, but it seems fairly easy to ignore by its object sometimes." Iris said, feeling somewhat downhearted.
"It'll work out, you'll see." Nuriko assured her and gave her a brotherly hug.
It was at this point that Tasuki found them. "What the Hell are you two doin'?!" he yelled.
"Nothing at all." Nuriko said, letting go of Iris, but leaving his arm across her shoulders, "Why should you care anyway? I thought you didn't want a girl hanging around?"
Iris was uncharacteristically silent during this exchange. In fact, she was mortally embarrassed, and wanted nothing else than to go running out of there, but Nuriko's arm across her shoulders was actually holding her in place more firmly than if she were chained to a post.
"I don't fuckin' care! I couldn't damn well care less what the fuck the two of you do in your spare time! I just came to tell you that dinner's ready." Tasuki said and stormed off.
When he was gone, Iris started to cry. "It really is useless!" she sobbed, "Now he must think I like you, not him, and everything's ruined!"
Nuriko let her cry against his shoulder and stroked her hair comfortingly. "Not really. At least you know he cares more than a little about you, or else why would he have been so outraged? With Tasuki it takes a real crisis to get him to admit his true feelings. You'll see. It was a bit of a test, actually. I followed you here, knowing he would find some excuse to follow me. I wanted to see how he would react."
"A test?" Iris asked weakly.
"Yeah, and he passed it with flying colours, ne? If he isn't already in love with you, I'd say he's certainly falling for you." Nuriko encouraged her.
Even with Nuriko's reassurances that all would be well, Iris was still fairly quiet at dinner. Everyone except Nuriko just assumed she must be tired, and so didn't really comment on it. The conversation around the table was all about the impending journey to visit Taiitsukun.
"Surely Taiitsukun must know more about Suzaku no Mi and Suzaku no Mune." Hotohori said.
"Well, while I was training with Taiitsukun, I did once or twice look at her copy of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, no da. It seemed to be somewhat longer than that of Suzaku, although it read exactly the same to me. The added length may have been instructions about Suzaku no Mi and Suzaku no Mune, no da." Chichiri suggested. "Hey, Tasuki, how come you're so mopey, no da?"
"I'm not mopey, dammit!" Tasuki snapped. He glanced down the table at Iris, who was concentrating on her food as though it might be something other than it appeared to be, then over at Elwing, sitting next to Chichiri just close enough to occasionally brush elbows, and glowered down at his dinner.
After that, dinner conversation dwindled, the obvious tension at the table dampening nearly everyone's spirits.
That night, before bed, Elwing cornered Iris. "What's wrong?" she asked, "You're not your usual cheery self."
"Tasuki hates me."
"Well, I wouldn't say he exactly showers you with affection, but I don't think he hates you." Elwing reassured her friend, "He was practically radiating jealousy at dinner. What happened between you two?"
Iris explained the rather painful confrontation in the gardens. Elwing patted her shoulder comfortingly and she winced.
"I think I have bruises from Nuriko." she explained.
Elwing laughed. "Don't you ever pay attention to what you're saying before it comes out of your mouth?"
"What was wrong with you really?" Iris asked, changing the subject.
"I honestly don't know. Things are certainly alright now, though."
"You seem a lot happier, did you finally resolve things with Chichiri?"
"You know perfectly well what went on, you were listening at the door! I am a lot happier, though." she smiled and yawned, "And still pretty tired. I'm going to bed now."
"Me too, I guess." Iris sighed
The next morning preparations began for a journey to Taiitsukun. There was still one major issue which needed to be resolved, though. Hotohori was insistent that he should accompany the rest of the seishi to Mt. Taikyoku, and his advisors, having only just gotten their Emperor back from the dead, were understandably reluctant to let him out of their sight. Finally, frustrated, Hotohori dismissed the advisors from his presence.
Houki came up behind him and began massaging his shoulders. "They just want to protect you." she said.
"I know, but sometimes it's just too much. I always used to feel like a bird in a cage, and now it's starting once again."
Houki continued to ply her magic, and Hotohori let himself relax into his wife's hands. "If you really feel you need to go, I could fill in for you temporarily." Houki offered.
"You did a very good job while I was gone. For more than two years you managed Konan with an expert hand."
"Thank you." Houki blushed.
"It's a heavy burden. Are you sure you'd really want to take it up again, even for a little while?" Hotohori asked.
"I understand the need to get away from the stresses of ruling every once in a while. I would miss you, but I wouldn't mind for a short time. After all, what are we here for, if not to support one another?" Houki smiled.
Hotohori turned and kissed her lovingly. "You have the most beautiful soul." he told her.
"Thank you." she murmured.
They were kissing more, and didn't notice when the silent little Boushin walked into the room, looking for a good morning hug. Hotohori was kissing Houki's neck when she finally saw him.
"Good morning, Sweetness." she said.
Hotohori felt her words more than he heard them. He turned around to greet Boushin. "Good morning, son." he said, regaining his composure as only an Emperor could. He grinned and picked his son up. "You just love sneaking up on me, don't you? Are you going to be a good little spy and report back to my advisers on me?"
Boushin giggled and shook his head.
"You wouldn't tell on me, would you? You're such a good boy." Hotohori kissed his forehead and put him down.
"Come now, Sweet, it's time for you to get dressed." Houki smiled depreciatingly at her husband as she ushered their son back to his own room.
"Why do I always have to carry things?" Nuriko complained.
"Because you're the strongest, no da." Chichiri told him, "We all tend to be assigned the jobs we're suited to, no da."
"At least you have something to do, Tamahome complained, "I'm bored out of my skull!"
"What are you complaining about?" growled a voice behind them.
"Aaargh! Taiitsukun!" they all screamed. Everyone else came running.
"What's going on?" Iris asked, "Yaaagh! Who the Hell is that?"
Tasuki tapped her on the shoulder. "That's Taiitsukun." he whispered, "It's not a good idea to swear at the old bag, she doesn't like it."
"I heard that Tasuki." Taiitsukun warned and whacked both of them over the head with Tasuki's Tessen. "You have completed the training of Elwing and Iris, and were about to seek me out, this I know. I also know that you can't afford to waste the time it would take you to journey to Mt. Taikyoku." Taiitsukun explained, "Now, listen carefully. The last line of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho mentions two girls, Suzaku no Mi and Suzaku no Mune, who will come some time after Suzaku no Miko's three wishes are granted. Since you were able to learn control over your powers, Elwing and Iris, come forward." Taiitsukun commanded.
After glancing at one another out of the corners of their eyes, Elwing and Iris did as they were told, stopping when they were about a foot away from Taiitsukun. They knelt, and their characters blazed to life.
"A country cannot survive without a prophesy, and that is why you are here." she told them, "Iris, you are Suzaku no Mi, the eye of Suzaku. You have been given the power to see the future."
Iris nodded her head, for once in her life at a complete loss for words.
"Elwing, you are Suzaku no Mune, the heart of Suzaku. You have been given the power to experience the feelings of others."
Elwing mirrored Iris's nod.
"By working in concert, the two of you will write a new prophesy for Konan-koku, but first you must prepare yourselves. Your first task will be to seek out the Crystal of Clear Sight. It is a talisman which will allow Suzaku no Mi better understanding of her visions."
"How will we find it?" asked Iris, no longer tongue-tied.
"I was just getting to that." Taiitsukun glared at the offending prophetrix, "To find the Crystal of Clear Sight, you must journey to Sairo-koku, the home of the Tiger-God Byakko. Once you have found it, you must not use the crystal until you are back within the boarders of Konan-koku."
"Why not?" Iris asked
"The result could be disastrous for everyone." Taiitsukun refused to elaborate.
"What is our purpose in all this, no da?" Chichiri asked.
"The seishi must protect Suzaku no Mi and Suzaku no Mune just as you would Suzaku no Miko. In addition, Chichiri, you are Suzaku no Mune's personal protector," he walked forward to stand behind Elwing, one hand resting protectively on her shoulder, "and Tasuki, you are the personal protector of Suzaku no Mi."
Tasuki got a wary expression on his face. "Why me?" he asked plaintively.
Taiitsukun glared at him.
Elwing, even without trying, could feel abject dejection radiating from her friend. She heard a muffled sob.
So did Tasuki. He felt a pain like the shot of an arrow pierce through him. "I was only kiddin', really! Just a joke!" he insisted and came to stand behind Iris, hesitantly reaching out to touch her shoulder.
Nuriko glanced at Tamahome and raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.
"You don't have all the time in the world, so I suggest you set out as soon as you can." Taiitsukun said and disappeared.
"So we were right! They are Suzaku no Mi and Suzaku no Mune!" Chiriko said.
"If you must journey to Sairo, then I can't come with you." Hotohori said regretfully, "It would probably be inadvisable for me to enter another country unannounced, even if we aren't at war, and if time is as precious as Taiitsukun implied, we certainly don't have the time to organize a formal visit."
Chichiri had helped Elwing to her feet, and they were hugging.
Hotohori cleared his throat politically to remind them the others were there, and they separated, but not very far.
"That was the 'Truth' wasn't it?" Chiriko asked, "You acknowledged your feelings for each other."
"How perceptive." Elwing said quietly and smiled.
"You should do that more often." Nuriko said.
"Do what?" she asked, confused.
"Smile. When you do, you're beautiful!"
Elwing's ears burned and she stared intently at her shoes. "If you say so." she whispered uncertainly.
Chichiri cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head until she was looking at him. "You said you were willing to believe me, you should believe Nuriko as well, no da. After all, he agrees with me on this, no da." Chichiri told her softly.
Elwing took a deep breath and looked over at Nuriko. "Thank you for the compliment." she said with more conviction.
"See, I told you it wasn't so hard to believe us, no da." Chichiri smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
Iris, who had been watching all this, finally decided she couldn't take it any more. Elwing, who just two days ago had been bemoaning the impossibility of her position, was now in perfect happiness, while her own situation with Tasuki had only deteriorated. She knew she had to get out of there before she cried in front of everyone. Turning on her heel, she walked quickly off to her bedroom.
"Iris! Oy, Iris, where are you going?" Tasuki shouted and started after her.
Tamahome stopped him.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing, Obake-chan?" Tasuki protested.
"I don't think she wants to see you right now." Tamahome told him, "I'll go talk to her. Maybe I can help her feel better."
"Fine. Do whatever the Hell you want, I don't give a damn!" Tasuki shouted and stormed off.
"I'd better follow him and make sure he doesn't burn down the gardens." Nuriko said to Hotohori.
"I would appreciate that." Hotohori agreed.
Elwing went up to Tamahome as he was leaving. "Thanks for going to her." she said, "I'd go myself, but somehow I think I might not be the best person for her to see at the moment." she admitted wryly.
Tamahome could hear muffled sobs coming from within Iris's room, so he knocked on the door.
"Go away, Elwing." Iris said, "No offense, but you'll only make me feel worse."
"It's not Elwing, it's Tamahome. I want to talk to you about something, may I come in?" he asked.
"Sure." Iris sighed, "By all means, do come in."
Tamahome walked in and closed the door behind him. Iris was sitting up on the bed with her eyes red-rimmed from crying. "I'm all right now, really." she insisted, "I can take this. At least... " she sniffed, "at least I can remember a time when he didn't hate me." She burst into tears again.
Tamahome sat awkwardly on the bed and patted her heaving shoulders. "It's not as bad as you think." he said.
"How can you say that?" she wailed, "He can barely stand to touch me! He certainly made it clear he doesn't want to be my protector. How could it get any worse?"
"Is that what you think? That he hates you?" Tamahome asked kindly, "That certainly wasn't the impression I got."
Iris looked up at him, surprise in her glimmering, tear-reddened eyes. "What impression did you get?" she asked, a faint trace of hope in her voice.
"If you had seen his face when her realized that what he said had upset you, you wouldn't have any doubt that he cares a whole lot about you. When he heard you trying not to cry, he looked horrified. As for your claim that he can barely stand to touch you, that's ridiculous. He was shaking like a leaf when he reached out to you."
"So he's scared of me? That's not much better, you know."
"No, no, you don't understand. I meant that he was nervous, not scared. They're two very different things, you know."
"Nervous?"
"Yeah. He reminded me of me. You know that I married Suzaku no Miko?"
"Yes, you have mentioned that a few times." Iris said, half smiling.
"Well, before she got sick and Nuriko, Hotohori and I had to send her home, she told me she was in love with me, and I told her I didn't return her feelings. I was in love with her at her time, only I hadn't really sorted out my feelings enough to realize that yet, and so I hurt her to cover my own confusion. It wasn't until she was gone that I realized the true extent of my feelings toward her." Tamahome explained.
Iris sniffed, then giggled. "Nuriko told me about that. He says you were so distracted you tried to eat plates on a regular basis." she smiled, "Do you really think that's why Tasuki's being so cold to me?"
"I really think so."
"Thanks. I think I'll just sit here for a while and think about that."
Tamahome patted her shoulder and left.
Outside in the gardens, Nuriko was trailing Tasuki. Even as strong as he was, Nuriko knew better than to bother Tasuki when he was in a foul mood, which he quite clearly was.
"Damn stupid, cunnin' women!" Tasuki raged, "And that fuckin' idiot Obake-chan wouldn't even let me go figure out what was buggin' her!" He stomped through the garden paths and pummeled the trees, trying to vent his emotions. Finally, he spotted what seemed to him to be a particularly offensive bench (actually, it was the same one Iris had been stargazing from the night before). "Lekka Shin'en!" he cried, and swept the Tessen down, sending an arc of fire to incinerate the offending piece of lawn furniture.
At this point, Nuriko stepped in. "Hotohori asked me to tell you to please not incinerate the entire garden." he said kindly.
"Fuck it, go away, gay-boy." Tasuki fumed.
Nuriko spun him around by one shoulder. "Don't call me that! I told you, I'm not gay! I never really was!" he objected, "And I'm not going to go away. You and I need to talk. You're really hurting Iris, you know. And don't try to claim you don't care about her, because I know you do."
"What does it fuckin' matter how I feel, you obviously like her, why don't you take her off my hands?" Tasuki seethed.
"You have nothing to be jealous of me for, I look on her as a younger sister, nothing more. Besides, it wouldn't matter how I felt, I couldn't 'take her off your hands' you nit, she's in love with you!"
"What the Hell do you mean?" Tasuki asked, looking a little scared,
"You're crazy. She only fuckin' hangs around with me so much because she has nothing else to do and I'm the most fun, she fuckin' told me that herself."
"Then why did she almost start crying today when you questioned your role as her protector?" Nuriko asked.
"I…I don't know. That's why I wanted to go talk to her, but fuckin' Tamahome wouldn't let me." Tasuki said, a little bewildered.
"C'mon, it's time for lunch." Nuriko told the younger seishi kindly.
" 'They headed back to the palace, Tasuki still grumbling, but calmer for having vented his feelings, confused as they were.' " Pithya read. "Goddess that Tasuki's dumb." she complained.
"Well, he certainly seems to be, from what you say." Catherine agreed, "I just learned something interesting, by the way. If this is real, then there might be a way for us to contact Elwing, at least."
"Really! How?"
"Well, in episode seven, this 'Taiitsukun' character says that Miaka and Yui are connected by their identical school uniforms, so maybe if we could find something here which is duplicated in the book, we could speak to her." Catherine suggested.
"That's an idea! We should look for something like that. Plus, it's time to break and eat some dinner."
"Mmmm… Food is good!"
They went into the tiny kitchen to microwave some leftovers and discuss possible connections they might find in the apartment.
"So, you're my protector, eh?" Elwing said to Chichiri as they walked through the gardens hand in hand.
"I would have taken that role even if I hadn't been told to, no da." he assured her, "Tasuki seemed somewhat more reluctant about his own role, though, no da."
"He's positively seething with uncertainty. I didn't even have to try to pick it up." she confirmed.
"Tasuki feels more than he would care to admit about those he counts as friends, and feels even stronger about those he feels he must protect, no da." Chichiri explained, "He almost got killed trying to defend Miaka from Tamahome when he was under the influence of Kodoku, and he wasn't even in love with her, no da. He obviously is falling in love with Iris, but this is Tasuki we're talking about. I wonder what it will take for him to admit even to himself how he feels, no da."
"Well, whatever it is, for both their sakes I hope it comes soon." Elwing said and leaned against Chichiri, who put his arm around her.
"The rewards are probably greater than he realizes. I know they certainly were for me, no da" Chichiri said, then took off his mask to kiss her gently below the trailing boughs of a weeping willow.
So! Everybody enjoy? Looking forward to the next chapter? I promise Tasuki will start to clue in about what's going on…eventually! Till then we'll all just have to yell at him! Yay! Fun! ::giggles:: Well, that's all for now, I'll see you all next week!
The crazy kitsune of LOVE!