Chapter Four: Snarky Stories

The room was dark with his sunglasses, but he refused to remove the lenses shading his eyes, keeping their secrets. His brooding gaze stayed on the russet-haired vision from his dreams. The one he'd embraced almost violently forty-five minutes earlier. Impulsive idiot, he berated himself sharply. Luckily she thinks you were just holding her because she grabbed you first. She didn't notice you were acting like a lion kit on his first hunt.
He tensed, his brows coming together in a menacing scowl when the sandy-haired youth tossed him a sideways look, as though to question his presence here. Another thing I should be grateful for; she was so distracted by that pretty boy singer she didn't even ask why I was running her down too. It was the only good thing about her attention being turned to the other man. He felt jealousy thrum through his veins once again, and forced himself to ignore it. After all, his arms weren't the ones she'd run to.
His eyes jumped back to Miaka, and he felt an oddly tender feeling bloom in his chest. I found her, and I'm not letting her go. Despite the jumble of emotions inside him—confusion, anger, embarrassment, joy, and possessive fury—that thought kept him at peace. He relaxed again, the faintest of smiles playing across his face. No, he wasn't letting her go.
The way she'd looked at him when she first saw him, the way she'd held on to him in the club, the way she'd reacted to his name... she knew him. He knew she did, though he didn't understand why she refused to acknowledge that. Though he should have been a little more concerned about it, his happiness at finding her was too great to let reality step in. Not yet.
She was his, and that was all that mattered.

"Oh, my." A slender brow winged up as Shannon glanced at the portrait. She let out a low whistle. "No wonder you were so stunned. She looks exactly like Miaka."
The redhead flinched slightly as her friend spoke, before pulling herself together. "Oh, yes. It's amazing..." her words trailed off to a whisper. Chichiri watched her sharply, his gaze intent. She managed a lopsided grin. "Wonder where the artist got the inspiration?" she asked lightly, avoiding everyone's eyes. My seishi... they're here. But why... I don't understand. I can't think... I need time. Oh, God, this hurts to see them all again, without them knowing me.
Andy chuckled, though his eyes were speculative. He'd noticed her shocked recognition, though he wouldn't press her. Yet. Instead, he smiled warmly and guided her to a seat, taking the portrait from her to place on the table. Her eyes followed it longingly.
Yui perched on the arm of her friend's chair, sliding an arm around her shoulders and squeezing, half in comfort and half in alarm. "It's crazy, seeing my best friend in that picture," she said thoughtfully. "Especially in something that isn't her normal style."
The violet-haired girl shook her head slightly. "It may not be her normal style, but it suits her," she pointed out, looking at Miaka with a semi-avaricious light. "I could have so much fun outfitting you... that bone structure!" She knelt in front of her former priestess, taking her chin in her hand and moving her head to the side. "You need to eat less," she reproved. "Take off a little weight and those cheekbones will be shown off to full advantage. You have a delicate face, though—maybe it's for the best. Hmm, those eyes..." her own head tilted slightly. "I'd kill to have your eyes. Mine, they have this downward tilt." Her eyes rolled expressively. "Yours are perfect."
Chiriko sighed, the sound interrupting the women. Even Yui and Shannon had been staring at Miaka's face. "Honestly, Riko, that isn't the thing here." She wanted to cry, hearing his voice; calm, thoughtful, deeper than it was in her memories. He'd grown so much.
Shannon interrupted him quickly, seeing an oddly devastated look in her friend's eyes. "Actually, I have a question," she interjected quickly. Miaka felt relief flush through her body. The American had unknowingly stopped Chiriko from asking a question she wasn't ready to answer. "None of you seem to be very... well, you don't seem to be struggling much. Did the amnesia not affect your careers?"
Mitsukake smiled slightly. "Although we are all victims of amnesia, not all of us were so unfortunate as to have nothing to hold on to," he explained calmly. "A few of us had friends who helped us get our feet back on dry land. After we all became part of the support group, we helped each other as well."
Nuriko laughed softly. "Actually, when it came that we were the only ones left in the group, and that our memories might not return—ever—the lot of us decided to get one big apartment for ourselves. I think it was Andy's idea, actually. You see, we're the only people that can understand each other." She spread her hands helplessly. "No one can understand how it feels to have our life's slate wiped clean, unless they've gone through it. It is... very stressful. It was easier to lean on each other than stand alone and be stoic." Her lavender eyes darted to Tasuki at her last comment, and he shrugged carelessly.
"For some people it's easier to be alone," he drawled calmly. "Doesn't mean it's the same for ever'one."
Miaka's brows arched slightly, though she wasn't surprised. Tasuki had always had such pride, and he'd never liked to show weakness. Ironically, he was also the least likely to hide his feelings.
"I know," came the unruffled reply. Running her hands through her purple hair, Nuriko grinned at the three newcomers. "I was the last one to come to the apartment," she confided. "I stayed in my dorm instead. Then when that letter from Chichiri came..." she shrugged. "It felt right to be with them. Now they're like my family. Though having four brothers is a bit of a chore, and Hotohori—Andy—is always borrowing my notes from class."
Shannon laughed then, glancing at Miaka in amusement. The redhead flushed a little and shrugged. Yui smiled in amusement, hugging her best friend's shoulders. "We know that feeling," the blonde commiserated. "Mia always manages to lose hers." Then she frowned slightly. "Why do you call him Hotohori? I thought his name was Andy?"
"It's a nickname of sorts." The man who bore such a strong resemblance to Konan's empire shot Nuriko a half-hearted glare. "All of us adopted names from a... an old legend. It was a joke, but it stuck."
"It's an obscure one," the recipient of the glare explained in response to Shannon's puzzled frown. "Andy and I learned about it in a Chinese Mythology class. Hotohori, Nuriko, Chiriko, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Tasuki and Tamahome were the names of seven warriors blessed by Suzaku, the phoenix-god of southern China, and were supposed to guard his priestess."
"What about Tasuki?" Miaka asked quietly, glancing at the red-haired man, still sitting calmly in his armchair. "Did you do that, too?"
"Nah." He frowned, as though affronted by the question. She bit back a smile.
"Yeah, that's the funny thing. I bumped into him at a bar, and when I learned what his name was..." Nuriko shrugged. "Well, I asked him about the myth. He said he'd never heard of it, so of course..."
"...she had to explain it to him. She mucked it all up, too." Chiriko looked unrepentant at his blatant interruption, despite the woman's scowl. "I guess he told her about his amnesia then, 'cause she dragged him to the next meeting. He didn't come back, though."
"That shit's not my style, kid," Tasuki muttered.
Ignoring him, the young genius continued, "In any case, we hadn't taken up the names then. It wasn't until after Chichiri found that picture that we did. Andy said she looked like a priestess, so," he shrugged, flushing a little. "We thought it'd be kind of fun. Things like that make it easier to... deal with having no memories."
"The same concept as being able to laugh at yourself?" Yui asked kindly, as all the men shifted in their seats, obviously somewhat embarrassed now.
Relieved, he smiled and nodded. "Exactly."
He's still a kid at heart. Miaka managed a tight smile, fighting back the tears that wanted to spring to her eyes. Leaning into the warmth of Yui's one-armed embrace, she let her eyes wander over her old friends.
Shannon asked another question, directed to the quiet blue-haired monk. Once again everyone involved themselves in the answer, comfortable in their friendship. They were as close as they had been in the book. They were exactly the same in so many ways.
Mitsukake was still the one to sit back and observe. Quiet, steady, dependable. Smiles crossed his face at the exuberant conversation, and he occasionally interjected a statement or two, but he was still the reserved man she'd first met in their fight over a fish.
Chiriko was still quick to laugh, his green eyes bright and warm. He still had that innocent, childish air, as though the real world hadn't touched him. It had, though, in the end. Her smile wavered as she remembered his noble sacrifice. The wonderful boy-child had died a hero's death.
And Nuriko was still her impish self, with her love of beauty and that quirky humor. It was obvious to Miaka that she kept all the men together, in her own way. She was everyone's friend and confidant. Despite her laughing exterior, those eyes held such a deep understanding of life.
That same understanding was mirrored in the former monk's steady gaze. His friendship with Tasuki in the Universe of the Four Gods wasn't quite in evidence here, but he was still the one to shake the ex-bandit from his self-imposed silence, dragging him into the conversation.
It revolved now around a small white cat who had padded into the room, jumping into Tasuki's lap to promptly lay down to sleep. His disgruntled expression was obviously forced, and he pretended a scowl as the others teased him. Although he hadn't clicked with the rest, he was still comfortable in their company. She doubted he even realized it.
The only one he didn't seem to be completely at ease with was Andy. She wasn't particularly surprised. Even in the book, Tasuki had felt a little out of place beside the elegant emperor. Being simple, straightforward, admittedly coarse and lacking the polish of the royal court, he was the man's complete opposite. Despite that, their friendship had run true.
Andy was certainly Hotohori. His grace of movement still caught the eye, and he still held some of those narcissistic tendencies that had been oddly endearing. His fingers would constantly run through his hair in a gesture she knew was completely unconscious, and his self-assurance was so familiar. She'd only seen it drop when he'd bared his heart to her. During those times, his eyes had been so warm and gentle, filled with his feelings.
They still were that way.
Miaka blinked a little at the thought. She'd been so used to seeing Hotohori give her those looks that it hadn't fazed her in the least that, as Andy, he was still doing it. Her heart warmed, and she felt a familiar pang of guilt that she didn't feel the same way towards him. For her, Tamahome had been her life. And, later, Taka. It had nearly killed her to lose him again, and even now she knew her heart was still his. Even now, she knew she could not love the emperor.
Though, for an instant, her heart rate had sped when Tasuki—
That was a natural reaction, silly. You were shocked to see him.
She shrugged off the odd thought, and smiled when Yui turned to laughingly include her in the conversation.
"Don't you remember when that cat grabbed onto your ankles and you screamed? We thought she was being attacked, and it just turned out to be this scrawny little stray..."
"He ran off after I yelled, though." Wincing at the memory, she fought the blush rising to her cheeks. "It wasn't my fault he surprised me."
Chichiri chuckled, shaking his head. "She's always been easily startled."
Tasuki's head jerked up. "You know her?"
"Ah..." he floundered, flustered. "I don't—that is, she strikes me as the kind of person who is often lost in thought, you know. And people that are lost in thought are easily startled, you know."
Interesting. He's talking the same way he was in the book... does he really have no memory of the past? Unnerved by her thoughts, Miaka managed a quick smile. "You're right," she laughed, forcing nonchalance. "Except it's not always because I'm 'lost in thought', as you put it."
"More often than not she's not," Shannon interjected quickly, and was rewarded by a particularly nasty look. Yui stifled a giggle.
Everyone seemed to relax, though Tasuki seemed to stare at the former monk with odd intensity. Miaka turned his attention quickly, without stopping to think about why she didn't want anyone sharing her suspicions. "Tasuki, are you going to let them talk about me that way?" she complained lightly, throwing her friends a mock pout.
Sounding amused, he pointed out dryly, "It's good that she doesn't lose herself in her own mind 'cause it shows that she's smart enough t' track her way back." He winked at the redhead, and she blushed, grinning. The American sniffed and gave a sharp toss of her head.
"They always come to her rescue," she complained to Yui, who only laughed. She couldn't know just how well that explained their previous relationship to the russet-haired woman.

It was well past two in the morning by the time the three girls left the apartment. They'd been there for over five hours, laughing and joking, and tossing fantastic, ridiculous ideas of Miaka's past life as Suzaku's Priestess back and forth, as an explanation for the painting lying so innocently on the table. None of them seemed to realize how close they'd been to the truth, and the two former priestesses had relaxed, bantering with the rest.
The reincarnated seishi had fervently extended their invitation for the girls to come over at any time. Tasuki, too, had been given the same invitation.
Smiling, Miaka slipped her arm through the flame-haired seishi's as he escorted the three woman to Shannon's gold Stratus. "That was absolutely wonderful," she declared, laughing as the other two women groaned. They were already thinking about their finals the next morning. "I'm so glad you came up with the idea of relaxing tonight, Yui-chan!"
Her best friend groaned again. "Don't mention it, Mia-chan," she sighed. Tasuki bit back a laugh at the tone of resignation in her voice.
"Oh, but I should," came the evil-hearted reply. His shoulders shook with the strain of holding back his mirth. She squeezed his arm and winked. "After all, if it weren't for you..."
"Oh, Lord, that's enough," Shannon whimpered. "Let's just get home so I can sleep... God, I better not sleep through my alarm in the morning. I always do when I'm up too late."
"Call in sick." This friendly advice came from their escort, who was completely oblivious as to why they needed to wake up in the morning. Before the American could give him a sour response, Miaka jumped in.
"Oh, we don't work. We're students at CSUMB," she explained quickly. "We've all got finals tomorrow, since the semester's finishing up."
His brow arched in amusement. "CSUMB? I'm surprised you didn't meet Andy earlier."
Yui hummed softly. "That's right, he's a student there, isn't he?" She tossed her best friend a look he couldn't interpret. "Maybe it's destiny?" she quipped. Only Miaka sensed the underlying meaning behind her question.
Tasuki, interpreting it to mean a relationship between his girl and the too-beautiful singer was destined, gave a half-growl. "Not if I can help it," he muttered. The woman latched onto his arm seemed oblivious to his words, though the other two women looked at each other with meaningfully arched brows.


CJ's Blurb

Woo! This chapter was a little better than the last, and went into a bit more detail about the seishi's reincarnated lives. ^_^ Rawr. I hope you like!

HoshiHikari4ever: Well, after thinking for a while, I realized that Tasuki would fit Miaka better the way this fic is going to run. There's some things he'll do that Hotohori would probably never do in a hundred years. It's about all I can say about that. You'll just have to wait and see. I like Hotohori as well, and I think I may do a Hotohori/Miaka - based fic sometime, but this... well, it's just practically set up to beg Tasuki/Miaka. Maybe that's my subconscious talking to me. Or maybe it's destiny. Maybe Suzaku's talking in my ear. Muahaha.. *grins* Thank you for the compliment, too. :)

KittyLynne: *sends hugs back* ;) Glad you're almost done with the Christmas shopping. That stuff can be stressful and hectic! But, it is fun! *giggles* You're welcome for doing Tasuki/Miaka. They're a wonderful couple. ^_^ I loved writing the Tasuki-rushes-after-Miaka scene as well. I thought it was just PERFECT to show his feelings for her. Of course, she's being a little obtuse and isn't ready to open her eyes to the possibilities yet.. *shakes her head sadly at Miaka* Well, I'll have to shake her up a little. It's destiny, after all. ;) I like Shannon too-- I thought she was really a character that has to be there. After all, without her, Yui and Miaka would probably be wallowing in grief :(
Muahaha, I can't blame you for having a 'secret thing' for him. He's great. Mmm. ^_^ *keeps KL in suspense in regards to the portrait* All I can tell you is that it is VERY important! *is evil* :D *giggles, sends hugs to her most faithful reviewer* You need to update your fic, by the way. *shakes finger* I want to read more! ^_^