Threshie: Hiyas! ^^ Welcome to chapter 7! *Starry eyes*

Rufus: *Sweatdrops* That's right, she didn't do you all a favor and get rid of me permanently. Chapter seven, huh? Figures. She hasn't even finished writing my life story yet…

Threshie: ^^;; Eh-heh-heh-heh… I'll finish Vanishing Secrets eventually, Rufie! But this's different--I have people waiting on me for the next chapter, here!

Rufie: *Sighs* Makes sense. All right, finish this, then finish Vanishing Secrets, okay?

Threshie: Okies! *Glomples* You're such a sweetie sometimes--that vacation really did you some good!

Rufus: *Sweatdrops and looks a bit stiff about being hugged* Yeah, sure. Let me go, will you?

Threshie: Oh! ^^;; Sure! *Lets go* Gomen, Rufie! ^^ Well, read on, guys--chibi Tasuki looks to be leading chibi Kouji and chibi Chichiri into some trouble!

***

Chibified Escapades: Beware Hungry Bandits                                   9/7/2002

Mallory York/Threshie

Chibi Chichiri sweatdropped, falling atop the small heap chibi Kouji and chibi Tasuki had formed. Sitting up, he glanced about and smiled. They were back in Kotou, but no longer in Tomo's room. The tiny monk thought it best that chibi Tasuki didn't know about their little exchange with Tomo, lest he think they acquired the makeup too easily, which they most certainly didn't. Therefore, the chibis appeared in the kitchens of the Kotou palace, where chibi Chichiri thought they would be most unlikely to run into Seiryuu Seishi.

"Itaaaiiii--Gen-chan, you're heavy!" Chibi Tasuki rolled off of his bandit buddy, sweatdropping.

"Gomen, Kouji-chan! Eh-heh-heh…" He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, revealing chibi fangs. "Chichiri-chan, what's our twenty?"

"Nani yo, no da?" Chibi Chichiri asked blankly, blinking.

Chibi Tasuki sighed, shaking his head in exasperation, "It's a military term I got from Miaka--it means 'where are we?'!"

"Oh! We're in the kitchens of Kotou palace, no da!" Chibi Chichiri replied cheerfully, causing both bandits to blink.

"The kitchens?" Chibi Kouji wondered aloud, "Um, why are we here? Are we supposed to be in the kitchens for Plan B, Gen-chan?" He turned to his chibi bandit buddy questioningly. Chibi Tasuki sweatdropped.

"Uhh, not really. Chichiri-chan, what's with the weird location? We need to appear in Suboshi's or Amiboshi's room!" The chibi monk shrugged.

"Daaa… If we appear in there while one or both of them are around, we'll be caught, no da," he pointed out. Chibi Tasuki sighed.

"There's always a reason," he grumbled, the high-pitched kansai accent causing Tasuki-fans (Threshie: No pun intended! Rufus: *Sweatdrops but smirks a bit, anyway*) worldwide to coo 'awwww' in baby voices/flip on tape recorders/try to glomple the chibi bandit through the computer screen/all of the above. "But Plan B requires us bein' in one'a the twins' rooms! Kouji-chan'n me are bandits--we'll sneak in without anybody findin' us out, ne, Kouji-chan?"

"Hai, Gen-chan!" The blue-haired chibi bandit cheered, flashing a victory sign with two chubby fingers, "For Plan B!"

"Hai hai," chibi Chichiri sweatdropped, "I hear a cook coming--we'd better get moving, no da."

"Hai!" Both chibi bandits proclaimed, standing peering around opposite ends of the large counter they had appeared behind. Chibi Chichiri's comment about hearing a cook proved quite true, as a person whom the chibis only saw as a pair of huge feet came stomping by, singing terribly in a painfully high voice.

"Daaa…" Chibi Chichiri sweatdropped, "What can I do to help, no da?"

"Keep an eye out for anybody's ki getting nearer!" Chibi Tasuki called softly back over his shoulder.

"An eye out? Dahaha!" Chibi Kouji cackled at the pun, causing chibi Chichiri to sweatdrop and sigh.

"I'm stuck with two bandits in Kotou, no da. Why, Suzaku-sama no da? I try my best to be a good Seishi--really, no da!"

"All's clear, Gen-chan," chibi Kouji announced, pointing around the edge of the huge counter, "Let's sneak across the floor and keep out of sight of the cooks, hai?"

"Hai. C'mon, Chichiri-chan!"

"Hai, no da," chibi Chichiri sighed, "Coming." Creeping around the corner after the two chibified bandits, the tiny monk thought rather drolly that if they got caught, he would have to listen to the two talk about some bandit jokes or something while they sat in their captivity. He sweatdropped at the very thought. Daaaa…We're getting out of here without getting caught, no da!

All three chibis dove to the side, as a huge foot came stomping down almost on top of them. "Daaa," chibi Chichiri whispered, sweatdropping as chibi Kouji crawled on top of the counter, and chibi Tasuki ended up near the door. The redheaded bandit was the only one who was where they were all supposed to be. It looked like this little 'Plan B' was going to take some modification if they didn't want to be caught.

Waiting until the large pair of feet had passed him by, the tiny monk crept past the counter, gazing up at chibi Kouji, who was peering into a nearby cooking pot curiously. "Kouji-chan, no da!" He called up, as quietly as possible, "Get down from there before somebody sees you, no da!"

"Oi?" The chibi bandit peered over the edge of the counter, hazel eyes sparkling, "But it smells good!" Chibi Chichiri sweatdropped.

"Suzaku-sama help me, no da… Hungry bandits!"

"Well…it does sorta smell good," chibi Tasuki nudged him in the side, causing the chibi monk to jump about a foot.

"DA! I thought you were already over by the door, no da!" He exclaimed, single eye about as large as a saucer.

"Dahaha--I came over to see what was takin' ya so long!" The fanged chibi announced, scrambling up onto the counter top. "Hey, Kouji-chan, we've got a reason for bein' here, remember? Uhh…Kouji-chan? Where ya goin'?" The blue-haired chibi bandit did not reply, however, as he was too busy very carefully inching his way across a tiny space in-between two counters. The one on the other side had a big, huge bowl of onigiri on it, no doubt what had caught chibi Kouji's eye.

"Daaa," chibi Chichiri groaned, crawling up onto the counter as chibi Tasuki followed his bandit buddy across the tiny balance beam-like ledge. (Threshie: ^^;; Sounds funny, ne? LOL. Rufus: …I'd say I didn't know her, but she created me, so it would sound just a bit awkward.)

"Aishiteru, onigiri!" Chibi Kouji announced, grabbing the nearest pair of chopsticks and making short work of the huge bowl of riceballs. (Threshie: Onigiri = riceballs, btw. ^~;;) Chibi Tasuki sweatdropped.

"Shoulda known it was just food gettin' ya ta go off-course. C'mon--we've got a plan to carry out! Onward, for Plan B!" He pointed the tessen dramatically, but then sweatdropped massively as he realized that his little speech had been ignored completely. On the counter, chibi Kouji was chattering away to himself.

"I've got to get the recipe for that--their onigiri is absolutely wonderful, don't you agree Kouji-chan? Hai, hai! I've never had anything like it, Kouji-chan! Kouji-chan, maybe you should quit being a bandit and take up cooking! Anoooo…I doubt that's gonna happen, Kouji-chan, considering you burn salad… That was uncalled for, Kouji-chan! I can cook salad just fine! Ano, Kouji-chan, you're not supposed to cook salad in the first place…"

"Kouji-chaaaan!" Chibi Tasuki complained, "That speech sounded good, too!"

"Da," chibi Chichiri finally caught up to the two chibi bandits and promptly lay his kesa out, spoke a hurried incantation, snagged them both away from the food dishes and flung them into the magic transportation device, sweatdropping after they had vanished, looking as stunned as ever. Disappearing into the kesa, himself, the chibi monk murmured, "This's going to be another disaster, no da…"