Chapter Five: Unexpectedly Expected
Translation notes on the bottom!

Miaka stared with blurred eyes at the paper in front of her. Although she was the lucky one of the trio, having a final in the afternoon, she found that it didn't really matter. Her head was still a little fuzzy, and the writing on the detestable test seemed to crawl together, a neat trick they'd obviously decided to try on the poor, unsuspecting, over-worked Japanese woman whose only fault had been to decide to take Phil 10.
Her fingers cramped as she scribbled in answers. Her attention darted to the clock, and she groaned. Fifteen minutes to go, and she was only halfway through the test. Luckily, the first half had contained all the essay-required questions.
She knew exactly why her attention was so broken. All six of the reasons had been popping into her head since she'd fallen into a fitful sleep the night before. The craziness of the situation reasserted itself in her head, and the deep worry she held over the book's world kept nagging at her, chewing at the back of her mind.
The call to Keisuke hadn't done much. He hadn't been home, and so she'd left a message asking him to call her back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, she knew that meant she'd be on the phone with her mother for the better part of an hour, and phone bills were expensive. Really, all of California was expensive. They'd spent sixty dollars at Safeway the other day, and all they'd stocked up on had been pizza, sodas, and eggs. Well, there had also been the donuts, and the bananas, but that was pretty much it. Luckily, the twenty-dollar gift card given out for Thanksgiving had done them some good.
Yui could afford it, of course. She and Tetsuya had been married for two months before the crash, and he'd left everything to her. Taka had done the same thing, but he hadn't had nearly as much as Tetsuya—the double wedding had been a strain on his bank account. Miaka sighed, remembering the two short months of bliss, before the empty darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. The two friends had been in a numb state for months, before the idea of leaving Japan had occurred to them. Really, they'd only just started to get on their feet before this was pushed onto her.
She felt a little guilty at that thought. It wasn't though she minded—not really. But the not knowing nagged at her. At the very least, she deserved the consideration of being told what was going on, didn't she?
The thought of walking up to Suzaku and demanding such a thing from the beast-god made her stifle a nervous giggle. Miaka, concentrate, she scolded herself, bending back to her task. She blinked, surprised to see that she'd managed to finish the rest of the test during her brief lapse in concentration. It was amazing what the body could do by rote.
"Miaka... Mrs. Sukunami?"
She jerked a little, then looked up at her professor with a quick smile. His blue eyes were bright, twinkling with life in a craggy, wrinkled old face. He had to be ninety years old, but he was still teaching. She had to admit that the class had been fun, despite her quiet horror at the difficulties of the English language. She had been getting straight "B"s on her essays, though, which was an accomplishment. "Hai, Crowell-sensei?" She blushed. "I mean, Professor Crowell," she corrected herself primly. He smiled gently, enchanted as always by her lapse into her native tongue.
"Everyone's already gone," he pointed out kindly. "I'm certain you have better things to do than sticking around a stuffy old classroom during your vacation...?"
"Oh!" Mortified, she looked around. Everyone was gone. How she'd managed to overlook that was beyond her. "I-I didn't notice. I've been so preoccupied lately," she stammered, standing quickly to hand in her final. "I don't know what overcame me—"
"That's quite all right. They all finished early, and you on the dot." He took the final almost absently. "It was a pleasure having you in class, Miaka."
She blushed and bowed politely, a flash of red appearing in the corner of her eye. She turned her head, her jaw dropping in surprise as she saw Tasuki lounging against the door.
"Ah, hello there," Professor Crowell exclaimed. "Are you here to pick up Mrs. Sukunami?" He chuckled. "It's a beautiful day for a date, especially to wind down after the rigors of finals."
Miaka blushed, though her eyes held a happy sparkle. The flame-haired man seemed to hesitate, but nodded brusquely. "I was just walkin' by and thought Miaka could use somethin' to eat," he explained, staring at her intently.
"That's a wonderful idea," her professor exhorted. "Gotta take care of these delicate Japanese flowers, eh?" He winked, and Tasuki grinned, his fangs flashing.
She smiled upon seeing them. Like Andy's eyes, her seishi's fangs were so familiar that she hadn't really noticed them before. It wasn't until he gave that familiar self-satisfied 'bandit-got-loot' grin that she realized—again—that he seemed to be almost exactly the woman-hating man she'd left behind. A trembling feeling entered her knees, and she hid it by leaning down to grab her purse. "The weather in Tokyo is far harsher than those here in Monterey," she commented calmly. "I would think you Californians would be the delicate ones."
The old man laughed appreciatively as Tasuki escorted her out the door, looking her over from behind his sunglasses. She felt the oddest urge to yank them off and expose all his secrets in the progress. "Mrs. Sukunami?" An unfamiliar inflection touched his voice, and she nodded, pain constricting her throat.
Sukunami... a name she'd embraced gladly for a blissful time. Then, later, it became a name she hated, but couldn't bear to discard. "I'm a widow," she said simply. There would be another time to explain to him that his brother warrior had died.
"I'm sorry." The words didn't convey any real regret, and she looked up sharply. Then she scolded herself for the second time that day. Silly Mia, he doesn't even know Taka right now. He doesn't know you, so why would he know him? The words are just one of those social niceties that are expected of you. She forced herself to relax.
"It happened three years ago. You couldn't have known."
"I thought your friend Yui introduced you as Miaka Yuuki, though..." He looked thoughtful.
"Same reason I think of her as Yui Hongo. She's known me by that name far longer than I was Miaka Sukunami." She sighed. "Of course, she is Yui Hongo again. After Tetsuya died, she... didn't want the memories of the name." Pain entered her jade eyes, filled with sudden tears. Three years wasn't nearly long enough to mourn.
"I'm sorry," he murmured again, this time with real distress as he saw her tears. He tugged her elbow gently, stopping her in the middle of the sidewalk. Carefully brushing away her tears with one blunt fingertip, he managed a shaky smile. "Don't cry, Miaka. I can't bear to see ya cry." She sniffled, now in serious danger of turning into a blubbering mass of humanity. Alarmed, he pulled her close, rubbing his hand over her back soothingly. "Aw, Mia, don' cry," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. He nuzzled his cheek over the top of her head, wondering anew at her delicate stature. She was wearing those cute strappy sandals again, and only came to his shoulders.
"Gomen nasai," she sniffed, resting her face against his chest. The warm security of his arms soothed her, lulled her. The tears slowly faded as he rocked her gently. "I-I don't normally cry," she confessed. Although she should have been embarrassed, she wasn't. After all, Tasuki had seen her tears before, though he couldn't remember them. And it felt so right to be held in his arms again.
My seishi, my friend, she thought affectionately, snuggling a little closer, her small hands creeping around his waist to clasp together at the small of his back. She didn't want to let him go just yet. It's so good to have you here with me again. I promise, if there's something wrong, I will fix it. I can do anything with you at my side. I can do anything with your love. Her fuzzy brain didn't quite realize how she was separating Tasuki from the rest of her seishi in her thoughts. She let out a broken little sigh. Wonderful Tasuki. He's always been so good to me.
Tasuki tightened his hold, breathing in the scent of her hair. It smelled like melons, a fact that failed to surprise him, though it delighted him. He smiled, closing his eyes at the feel of her in his arms, although he didn't quite like the reason she was in them. He'd have to get her over her grief of her husband before he could claim her. Well, the optimistic side of him ventured, at least you don't have a live husband to worry about. That would make things a lot harder. Not that it would have stopped him.
He loosened his arms reluctantly as she finally stirred, putting a tiny bit of space between them. He missed her warmth acutely as she stepped back, giving him a smile he could only describe as fuzzy. It was a cute, warm, sleepy, content smile he imagined cats had after they'd discovered a cream factory.
"You mentioned something about food?"
He smiled as the light in her eyes turned from warmly-comforted to avaricious greed. He knew she loved to eat. He wasn't surprised at knowing such a thing—after all, he was mortally certain he'd known her before his amnesia blotted such a wonderful memory from his mind.
"Yeah," he drawled. "I'm treatin' ya to the best subs in the county."

Quizno's Subs was filled with activity, an unusual occurrence at four in the afternoon. With dramatic flair, Tasuki eased his bright red SUV into a compact parking slot, causing his passenger to laugh so hard tears came to her eyes.
Although it was odd to picture the fiery bandit driving a family car, Miaka could see the connection easily. Underneath the gruff exterior was a keen need of family and love. That wasn't to say he didn't have a motorcycle stashed away somewhere—which, he was quick to assure her, he did.
"Just as red, too," he proclaimed with a wide smirk as she fell into another fit of giggles. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, despite being secretly pleased at his ability to make her laugh and chase the shadows from her eyes, he came to her side of the vehicle. "C'mon, Mia, we only got fifteen minutes here, 'ccordin' to this sign. Ya gotta stop laughin' if ya want some food," he playfully pouted.
As anticipated, she quickly sobered as she slid out of the passenger seat. Still, she couldn't help another snicker from slipping out as she slanted a glance at his face. She slipped her arm through his naturally as he escorted her to the little diner off of 68. He caught her look and crossed his eyes down at her. She was fast to lose her composure, all but falling as she giggled her way through the doors, clutching his arm like a lifeline.
The other customers shot them amused, fond looks, the same way they would glance at two little girls playing in a sandbox. Miaka cleared her throat as they took their place in line, absently nestling into his side. "So, what do you recommend?" She looked over the menu high on the wall, her brow creased in concentration.
Tasuki subtly moved his arm so she slid her hand into his, linking their fingers together companionably. "Dunno. Maybe the mesquite chicken with bacon?" He arched a brow down at her, and she nodded.
"Sounds good. Ooh, they have soup?" she squealed, checking the urge to salivate at the thought of clam chowder with her sandwich. She adored clam chowder, just like any immigrant to Monterey. The natives, of course, all became heartily sick of the stuff after ten years of it in every restaurant they found. She'd heard that it was even served in a Chinese buffet.
He laughed as he stepped up place their order. "Mesquite chicken with bacon, white bread, large. Can we have two, actually, and no tomato for one?"
The spiky-haired girl behind the counter nodded, grabbing the bread and cutting it with swift movements. Miaka moved closer to watch as she liberally spread ranch dressing over the bread. "That cheese looks good," she murmured softly as the cheddar slices were spread and quickly covered with red onions, tomato, chicken and bacon. Tasuki stifled a laugh, tugging her toward the cash register as their food was put into a huge toaster oven. It looked rather like a pizza oven. Maybe their name should be legally changed. Who really cooks toast in a toaster oven? Hash browns, sure, but toast? Isn't that what toasters are for?
"Don't get a drink," he cautioned as she almost reached out for a peach tea Snapple. "I've got that covered."
She looked up at him, curious, but he only grinned. Nudging a twenty into her hand, he said quickly, "I'll be right back."
She watched him disappear into the doors of the building next door, curious. Quickly paying for their meal, she snagged a window table. "Ooh, jalapenos!" she squealed, her eyes caught by the small containers next to their seat. Almost waltzing over to her prize, she spooned the peppers into small dishes, humming softly to herself. She didn't notice the various glances tossed her way, amused by her almost childish joy of everything—of life.
She was settled and taking her first bite of the toasted sub when Tasuki returned, grinning proudly as he set a huge plastic cup in front of her. His own was slightly smaller. "Orange-banana smoothie," he explained quickly, and smiled at the sight of the jalapeños. "Good taste!"
"Hab kwaywing fow ot foo," she mumbled around a mouthful of melted cheese, ranch and chicken. A tiny piece of green pepper fell to the wrapper as she spoke, and she picked it up absently, popping it back into her mouth. He grinned as she quickly chewed and swallowed. "I have a craving for hot foods. I think it started when I started eating some lethal Korean food Shannon's mom used to make. Didn't know she was half Korean, did you?" She grinned into the flame-haired man's surprised eyes. "She takes after her dad, though she has her mom's hair." She took another bite, chewing with relish. Her eyes closed in bliss. "Mmm, vif if goo."
That he could translate without her help. "Isn't it?" he agreed, taking his own bite, liberally sprinkled with the hot peppers. She nodded enthusiastically, reaching for her smoothie after swallowing.
Tasuki nearly choked as she took a long pull on the white straw, feeling a familiar stirring in his gut. Damn it, Tas, it's bad when you're gettin' aroused watchin' her drink a smoothie. Shifting uncomfortably, knowing instinctively that she'd bolt if he gave any indication of his current train of thought, he quickly asked the first question he could think of. "How'd you and Shannon meet?"
She looked thoughtful over her straw, reluctantly abandoning the creamy treat to answer. "She was in my French class, actually. She helped me out a lot with the pronunciation, and with my English, too. After a semester, she moved in with me and Yui 'cause she couldn't stand her roommates anymore."
"Hmm." He felt both relieved and disappointed when she attacked her food again, but they both quickly fled when he realized watching her eat was having just as sensual an impact as watching her savor the cold concoction.
He turned his attention to his own food just as she asked, "Tasuki? Did you know there's a little kitty under your car?"
He glanced out the window, frowning. It was impossible to see underneath—
"I saw it run in." She took a last bite of her sub and dashed out the door. He wondered absently how she could eat so fast as he packed up his own food, resigned to eating later. Somehow, he knew they were going to have unexpected company.
Sauntering out to his SUV, he grinned at the sight of Miaka kneeling on the ground, crooning to what had to be a terrified kitten. He heard a pathetic little mew, and gave a half-hearted sigh as he leaned against the hood.
After a moment, a tiny black head peeked out, followed by the rest of its body. Its feet and the tip of its tail were white, which, of course, had the russet-haired girl cooing sweetly over them. "Isn't she adorable?" she demanded, snuggling the kitty to her chest. "I think she's hungry. Oh, that's perfect." She spotted the bag holding his sub and grabbed it, reaching inside to feed the now-purring animal small pieces of chicken. "Oh you poor sweetie, you must have been starving for ages," she crooned.
He sighed. Not annoyed, just resigned to the fact that he knew that he was going to have a cat in his house.
"Tasuki dear..." she began.
"I guess I need to go to go buy some cat food, kitty litter and whatever else she needs?" he interrupted, scowling down at the scrawny little puff of fur that had so completely won his Miaka over.
She beamed. "Why, what a wonderful idea! I'm so glad you thought of it."

The little kitten was purring ecstatically on her lap as Tasuki maneuvered his way through highway 68, trying to keep a put-out expression on his face without much success. Every time Miaka giggled or the furry thing let out an extra-loud purr, a tiny smile would curve his lips. There was also the incident with the manager over having the cat in the store, too. She didn't fight against another giggle as she remembered it.
They had ransacked a local Nob Hill for the cat's food, and scandalized employees, cowed by the absolute assurance in Tasuki's stance, had run for the manager. He'd come and complained about having a little kitten sniffing all the different brands of cat food, saying that they ran a quality store and that animals weren't allowed on the premises.
The former bandit had simply stared him in the eye and declared, jerking his thumb in the direction of the innocent culprit, "That li'l kitten was abused by its former owner, tossed int'a street without a second thought, starved 'cause no one cared 'nuff to feed the poor tyke, an' now that she's got a nice family, ya complain 'cause we're givin' her the courtesy of choosin' her own food? Would ya come in and complain if we came in with a tassel o' brats who couldn't decide over Lucky Charms or Apple Jacks? No, ya wouldn't. Why, you're species-ist, aren'tcha?"
Stammering, the manager had somehow managed to get some of his spine back when a nearby customer snapped, "For goodness sake, leave the poor kitty alone. It's not like she's into the fresh produce, and cat's have just as much a right to choosing their own food as humans do!"
All the others in the crowd that had gathered had agreed, nodding firmly, and the manager had fled with the quick warning to keep her out of perishable products.
Miaka had giggled their way to the cash register and dragged Tasuki to Collier's Pet and Feed Supply to get his new pet a litter box. Now they were happily on their way back to Monterey, and he was trying to act as though he'd been given a horrible but necessary task to complete.
Grumbling and grousing beneath his breath, he tried for a pout to see if he'd get any sympathy from the woman at his side. It was wasted when she gave all her attention to the "poor kitty" in her lap.
"What shall we name her?" Miaka asked brightly as he braked to a gentle stop at the seventh signal light.
"Annoyin' brat," he shot back, accelerating as the light quickly turned green. "Damned lights should make up their minds," he grunted, glancing quickly at the redhead. She was still completely oblivious to his sneaking observations.
"How about Angel? Isn't she an absolute angel? Aren't you, Angel?" she cooed, rubbing a furry tummy. Tiny paws wrapped around her wrist as she mewed.
"That's a lotta angels," he grumbled.
"Angel it is, then?"
"Whatever." He saw her glancing at him and quickly tried the pout again. Her expression softened. Before he realized what transpired, she'd taken off her seat belt and snuggled against his side, depositing the kitten in his lap. He swore as he nearly drove them into the other lane, and jerked the steering wheel. Miaka squealed and laughed.
"Gods, Tasuki, be careful!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide and twinkling with amusement.
He couldn't tell her that the feeling of her soft breasts pressed against his arm had caused his lapse in attention, so he just muttered something about the cat, who was presently kneading his thigh happily. "Figured out I'm the one who sacrificed his lunch for ya, huh, brat?" he asked sourly. The cat mewed happily and curled up warmly. Miaka reached her hand over to wrestle her ears, giggling when those tiny paws shot out to 'catch' her hand. She rested her hand on his thigh, and he tensed. But it was quickly removed as the kitten tried to pounce it.
She doesn't even realize the other game she's playin', he thought grimly. Damn, but it was going to be a long drive back to the apartment.
And if that damned cat wouldn't stop landing on a certain portion of his anatomy, he was going to be a eunuch in five minutes.


Hai: Yes
Sensei: Teacher
Gomen nasai: I'm sorry

CJ's Blurb: Such fuzziness. Such fluffiness. Such Tasukiness. If I've never mentioned how much I adore Tasuki, I shall say it now. The guy is adorable. (Yes, I just re-watched the second OAV scene where he saves Miaka from the lake. Wee. So adorably cute he is!)

HoshiHikari4ever: Yeah, a Hoto/Mia fic would be great. The only problem is that writing contemporary is really hard for me. I might base it back in the book world, I'll just need to come up with a decent plot for that. ^_^ I do want to write one though, eventually. That just won't happen until this one is done, for sure. But don't worry, Hotohori won't be lonely in this fic, either! -grins-

Desiderata: -bows- Arigatou gozaimasu, I'm glad you liked it! I hated it, but hey, if the readers like it, that's all good, right? ^_^ Yes, Tas/Mia are adorable together, aren't they? -snuggles the two and sighs dreamily- He's so hot. And those fangs... Gawd, I love those fangs. I want to keep him forever and ever amen. And yes, I think authoresses is how you spell it. ^_^ -blushes- I'm honored!

KittyLynne: -squeal- I love getting your reviews. They make my day! ^_^ Hehe, the point of the fourth chapter was to get the characterization and the relationships between everyone in there. Glad it worked. :D I sort of liked how I did it, but wasn't sure if it was too lame. Good to know you approve! *nods* Yes, Tama made his entrance. Isn't he adorable? I love cats. Maybe I should get a pet dog in, too (my dog is always snuggled up next to my side when I'm writing; should I give him a cameo? Teehee)
Shannon's role in the story is my li'l secret. You'll just have to guess and keep me entertained with your guesses! ~.^ And yes, the comment was very revealing, and Miaka, being true to form, just doesn't hear a thing. Ah, wonderful selective hearing. ^.^ -looks around innocently- Chichiri? Be anything more than an amnesiac victim? Perish the thought! I don't know WHERE you got THAT idea! -sniffs-
-perks up at the mention of bribes- I can be bribed, but it has to be a very good bribe. Like, oh, a weekend getaway with Tasuki, Hotohori and Sesshoumaru... or something like that. ;) Maybe a year-long getaway. But then, they probably wouldn't last that long. Tasuki's SURE to get on Sesshoumaru's nerves (which gives me a new idea for a scene in Fangs and Family). Hmm! Oi, getting sidetracked!
-blushes- Well, thanks for the recommendation! -grins- I'm glad to know someone who writes as well as *you* can like *my* humble works. Arigatou gozaimasu! *bow, bow* Hehe, my finger's doing MUCH better, thanks. It no longer feels like the nail's gonna pop off. Maybe I'm getting used to it, or something. I think it's my worst injury in all my 18 years.. well, except that one time when I was little and bit through my lower lip.. or the other time where I broke my finger in the car window.. but I don't remember those, I just get stories from my parents about 'em. *nodnod* You're very welcome for the reviews. ^_^ I had to force myself to slow down to review every chapter, though. I just wanted to keep going and going. SO glad you're coming out with another one. Gotta work on 'The Promise', too! *pokes, pokes* Or I'll have to do something drastic—like holding back a chapter of FW sometime! -stern look- -grin- I can do it, too! ;) (Wow, this was long. I think I talk too much. ;p)