SR: I'm back again. I would love to thank Tsumi, Hikaru Inverse,
Phoenix, Kawaii, and Goddess Bijou for reviewing. To Kawaii: If this is the
Kawaii that's a school friend of mine, YES I AM GOING TO HURT YOU! Also, to
Goddess Bijou: YES a sugar high. I ate a jumbo bag of Reeses Bites! (which
are addictive, by the way) I may be an insane anime otaku, but I'm NOT a
hentai. To Tsumi: I apologize for the short chappies. This is my first
serious fic, and it's proving difficult to be able to go into detail AND
break the chapters up properly. I will try very hard to make this one a
decent length. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU TO GB AND T FOR PUTTING ME
ON THEIR FAVORITES LIST!
Tasuki: Geez, SR., could your Authoress Notes be any LONGER?
SR: Hehe... ^_^;; Gomen, Tasuki-sama. I'll shut up... ( = a footnote)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 3: Feeling and Fear
Ryoko started the next morning bright and early. She had always been one to sleep late, but today was different. There was still dew on the grass, and not a cloud in the sky. She left a note to Miaka and the others and then took off into the sky. It felt good to REALLY fly again. It was the first time she had flown this high since the whole Tenchi incident. However, she did not regret in the least her decision to take off. It felt good to be able to see the world below her, especially now as it was not clustered with buildings and fogged with smoke as it was in her world. The clouds were not polluted, the sky was a clear blue, and the air was clean and fresh.
She fiddled with the locket that Tasuki had given back to her only the night before. She giggled when she remembered his face when she appeared in front of him wearing nothing. She had never seen someone turn so red. Not even Tenchi. Had she seen a nosebleed? That only brought her more giggles as she increased elevation.
Wait. What if it wasn't JUST because she had nothing on? Could it have been something else? No, it couldn't be. / We just met, / she reasoned. / We barely know each other. It must be because I was teasing him. / For some reason something told her that wasn't true. ************************************************************************
When Ryoko got back, breakfast was almost ready. Taka was busy boiling water for the 5 Cup o' Noodles.
Tasuki was laying in the grass, holding his head. She felt herself blush for some reason. It must have been the heat from the water. She ventured to ask him what was wrong.
"Tasuki, what's with you?"
He groaned and sat up. " Well, unlike you, who can drink as much sake as she wants, I got a -beep-in' ENOURMOUS hangover last night." He moaned and fell back, hitting his already aching head on the ground. "Ouuuuch."
Ryoko giggled and helped him sit up again. Sometimes it helped to almost immortal. Hangovers never happened to her. However, she didn't like seeing Tasuki in pain. Just because he was a friend. She concentrated hard. She could feel herself feeling Tasuki's soul and mind. She searched his brain diligently until she found the hangover. Focusing even harder, she used her own power to remove the negative energy and release it into the open. It also helped to have a mother that constantly experimented with your telekinesis.
Tasuki's eyes grew wide. "Whoa. How'd ya do that?"
She smiled and said, " I have an acquaintance who specializes in this sort of thing."
"Breakfast is ready!" Taka called.
The Cup o' Noodles was good, Ryoko ate extremely fast, and ended up wrestling Miaka for the last one. She won.
"Haha! Success!" she exclaimed triumphantly as she floated into the air with her treasure. "Too bad, Miaka."
Tasuki shook his head. To beat Miaka in a fight for food was something to be admired. When she heard a noise, only Ryoko turned
"WAI! Nuri-chan! Hotohori! Chiriko! Mitsukake! You guys!" Miaka made to hug a violet haired ghost, but fell on the ground as she went through him.
"What's the matter with you Miaka, have you forgotten we're all dead? I see you and Tamahome are here. Tasuki and Chichiri as well." Taiitsukun appeared out of nowhere. " Yes, they are all here. If you must, you ghosts may use Nyan-nyan bodies. But who's this?"
Ryoko didn't like other people to introduce her, so she piped up, "I'm Ryoko. Miaka and the others have been nice enough to let me travel with them. You must be Nuriko, right?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
Miaka and Ryoko looked to each other nervously. Neither of them thought it would be right to tell the Suzaku seishi that they were characters in a book.
"Um.. Miaka told me all about you and the others."
"Oh, great! Then you must know what a dazzling woman I am. ^_^."
"Woman?"
"Oh, you know what I mean!" ************************************************************************
The rest of that day with Nuriko and the others was extremely fun. Ryoko couldn't get enough of Chiriko or Tama-neko; she hugged and played with both of them very much. Chiriko enjoyed the attention and would giggle and say, "Come now, Ryoko-san, that tickles!" The hugging and tickling and ruffling of hair very much reminded him of what Tasuki used to do when Chiriko was alive.
Hotohori treated them to a full buffet lunch at a nearby inn, much to the innkeeper's shock. (Remember, Emperor Hotohori is dead.) There was a lot food and sake, much to Tasuki and Ryoko's delight. They leapt upon the white bottles like animals, drinking as though they hadn't seen liquid of any kind in weeks. Then they both reached for the last one. Their hands brushed together.
Ryoko stared at the position. / Tasuki../ She looked at him and he her, but then they both drew back their hands as if they'd been burned. Tasuki blushed and said, "Here, you have it." He brushed it towards her, and shuffled away before she could say anything.
/ What was that about?/
Nuriko noticed the fiasco, as did Chiriko. "Ne, Chiriko. Did you see those two?"
"Hai. Ryoko-san turned quite a shade of pink!"
"I think it's quite obvious what's going on here."
"Ryoko-san has a fever?"
"Ugh. No. -.-;;"
Ryoko finished the bottle of sake. She smiled blearily and staggered outside. She was seeing double, and had the terrible urge to sing. And dance. And.. to give Tasuki a big hug. To hold him and never let go. / What am I thinking? / She shook her head and flew up to a ledge. She would just sit out here until she was no longer intoxicated. The moons, both of them, were beautiful like always. She curled her knees up to her chin. / Oh, Tas-chan.... WOAH. Where the hell did THAT come from? Geez. I had WAY too much sake. / She shook slowly back and forth. / It's the sake thinking, not me. The sake. Not me. The sake. / She continued repeating her chant until she fell asleep.
"Hey, where did Ryoko get to?" Taka looked up from the table as Nuriko looked around for the blue haired demon.
"You mean she isn't here?"
"No, she left half an hour ago. She still hasn't come back. I thought she was just getting a breath of air."
"Should I go look for her?"
"Nah. I will." They both looked back to Tasuki standing up from the floor. "I shouldn't 'ave ordered us so much sake. She probably passed out." He left before the purple haired cross dresser or the blue haired reincarnation could argue. After he left, Nuriko grinned at Taka. "See what I mean? They've got CRUUUUUUSHES."
Tasuki looked up at the sky. It was pretty. It kinda looked like a big black-blue velvet cape, with fireflies dancing all around. Gods. He really WAS drunk. Anyway, he wasn't out here to be a poetic sissy-boy. He was out here to find Ryoko. / Where could she be? / He sighed. It wouldn't be exactly easy to find someone who could FLY. Wait. / There she is! /
He ran and jumped up to the ledge. When he saw her not moving, his heart skipped a beat or so. But then he realized she was just sleeping. He brushed the strand of hair out of her eyes and sat down next to her. / She looks pretty when she's asleep... / He made to pick her up, but she stirred and whispered something so quietly in her sleep that he wasn't sure she actually said it. "What?"
" Wo... Ai... Ni... Tasuki. " ************************************************************************
At first it was not a good dream. Ryoko was in a dark cloud, and the black mist snaked its way around her arms and legs and waist. It gave her terrible chills, and the cold seeped into her bones. Literally. Her skeleton frozen, she stood there, terrified.
Then, a pair of frightening yellow eyes appeared before her, leering at her predicament. Had she not been so scared, Ryoko would have been angry. But those eyes frightened her so badly; she wouldn't have been able to move even if she wasn't frozen.
Then, a huge pain was in her chest. It was unbearable. She wished she could cry out. It was terrible; it felt like her heart was being ripped open. There was yelling in the background, and for some reason the cries made her feel sorrow bigger than the universe. The sadness threatened to consume her.
She was going to die right then and there, but then there was fire. It wasn't scary, but warm and friendly, and it brought her great relief. Someone was holding her next, and she was crying in joy.
"Wo Ai Ni, Tasuki. ************************************************************************
"Hmmm... love. Those Suzaku fools are so obsessed with an illusion." The white haired demon shook his head and stood up.
"Tenkou-sama? I have what you asked of me. It was not easy, but I have it."
Tenkou looked up at his servant, a green haired lightning demon named Kairsu. The young minion's hair was short and spiky on one side and long and flowing on the other. He bowed and held up a small green gem.
Tenkou gave a grim smile and took the small object from his follower. "Very good. You are dismissed, Kairsu."
"Shall I carry out the task, Master?"
Tenkou smiled, an evil smiled so even Kairsu shuddered.
"No. I would find it most amusing if I would do it. Destroying Mt. Taikyoku was quite entertaining. I need to laugh more. Don't you think, Kairsu?" ************************************************************************
"Wow, Ryoko-san. Tasuki-san carried you all the way here!"
"Yeah. I know, Chiriko."
Ryoko blushed a slight pink at the mere mention of being in Tasuki's arms. It was most embarrassing. / He could have just woken me up... / She twiddled with her fingers and stared at the ground. Also, Tasuki had been looking at her funny ever since this morning. What was with him? He had either looked at the sky or become extremely interested in his sake whenever they were near each other. Then fear struck her. / Oh no. What if I did something really terrible last night? What if I made him.... uncomfortable? I've been known to do that with Tenchi when I'm drunk. Why didn't anyone tell me? /
An enormous explosion interrupted her thoughts, which was way too close. The ground shook, trees fell down. Taka shielded Miaka, and under an impulse, Tasuki cast a hand in front of Ryoko's face to protect her eyes from flying debris. She gently removed his hand, and looked to the white haired form materializing in front of them.
"Hmm hmm. I see you're still here, Ryoko. You really must be a bother to your kind hosts."
Ryoko growled. She hated being teased by anyone.
"Shut up! Tenkou, you -beep-, WHY ARE YOU IN MY DREAMS?!"
"Now, now. There's no need to get angry. You see, you really do impress me, Ryoko. I would greatly appreciate it if you would join me."
"I would rather die."
"Very well. I've tried asking nicely. But now, I'll have to go by force."
"What are you talking about?"
Tenkou smiled and held up the deadly gem. Ryoko gasped in horror. It was all too familiar.
"The. The Gem of Jurai. "
"That's right. I see you recognize it, Ryoko. And by the look on your face, I'd say you don't like it. Well, get used to it. I have made it 10 times more powerful than it used to be. Let's see what you make of it." He motioned with his hand, and the gem embedded itself in Ryoko's forehead.
"Ryoko!"
Ryoko clutched her head. She could feel herself changing. / Kill them. Kill them. Kill. KILL! /
"No. No. NOOOOOO!!!"
Crying her eyes out, Ryoko lunged, new claws extended, at Tasuki. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ = Remember, she's seeing double = I Love You, Tasuki = You can die in dreams, you know. = Kairsu isn't a real Japanese name. I just made it up. = Ryoko somehow knew it was Tenkou = The Gem of Jurai is the thingy that made Ryoko-sama all evil and scary in Tenchi in Tokyo SR: There! HAHA! I left it at a cliffhanger! T & R: You're evil.
Chapter 3: Feeling and Fear
Ryoko started the next morning bright and early. She had always been one to sleep late, but today was different. There was still dew on the grass, and not a cloud in the sky. She left a note to Miaka and the others and then took off into the sky. It felt good to REALLY fly again. It was the first time she had flown this high since the whole Tenchi incident. However, she did not regret in the least her decision to take off. It felt good to be able to see the world below her, especially now as it was not clustered with buildings and fogged with smoke as it was in her world. The clouds were not polluted, the sky was a clear blue, and the air was clean and fresh.
She fiddled with the locket that Tasuki had given back to her only the night before. She giggled when she remembered his face when she appeared in front of him wearing nothing. She had never seen someone turn so red. Not even Tenchi. Had she seen a nosebleed? That only brought her more giggles as she increased elevation.
Wait. What if it wasn't JUST because she had nothing on? Could it have been something else? No, it couldn't be. / We just met, / she reasoned. / We barely know each other. It must be because I was teasing him. / For some reason something told her that wasn't true. ************************************************************************
When Ryoko got back, breakfast was almost ready. Taka was busy boiling water for the 5 Cup o' Noodles.
Tasuki was laying in the grass, holding his head. She felt herself blush for some reason. It must have been the heat from the water. She ventured to ask him what was wrong.
"Tasuki, what's with you?"
He groaned and sat up. " Well, unlike you, who can drink as much sake as she wants, I got a -beep-in' ENOURMOUS hangover last night." He moaned and fell back, hitting his already aching head on the ground. "Ouuuuch."
Ryoko giggled and helped him sit up again. Sometimes it helped to almost immortal. Hangovers never happened to her. However, she didn't like seeing Tasuki in pain. Just because he was a friend. She concentrated hard. She could feel herself feeling Tasuki's soul and mind. She searched his brain diligently until she found the hangover. Focusing even harder, she used her own power to remove the negative energy and release it into the open. It also helped to have a mother that constantly experimented with your telekinesis.
Tasuki's eyes grew wide. "Whoa. How'd ya do that?"
She smiled and said, " I have an acquaintance who specializes in this sort of thing."
"Breakfast is ready!" Taka called.
The Cup o' Noodles was good, Ryoko ate extremely fast, and ended up wrestling Miaka for the last one. She won.
"Haha! Success!" she exclaimed triumphantly as she floated into the air with her treasure. "Too bad, Miaka."
Tasuki shook his head. To beat Miaka in a fight for food was something to be admired. When she heard a noise, only Ryoko turned
"WAI! Nuri-chan! Hotohori! Chiriko! Mitsukake! You guys!" Miaka made to hug a violet haired ghost, but fell on the ground as she went through him.
"What's the matter with you Miaka, have you forgotten we're all dead? I see you and Tamahome are here. Tasuki and Chichiri as well." Taiitsukun appeared out of nowhere. " Yes, they are all here. If you must, you ghosts may use Nyan-nyan bodies. But who's this?"
Ryoko didn't like other people to introduce her, so she piped up, "I'm Ryoko. Miaka and the others have been nice enough to let me travel with them. You must be Nuriko, right?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
Miaka and Ryoko looked to each other nervously. Neither of them thought it would be right to tell the Suzaku seishi that they were characters in a book.
"Um.. Miaka told me all about you and the others."
"Oh, great! Then you must know what a dazzling woman I am. ^_^."
"Woman?"
"Oh, you know what I mean!" ************************************************************************
The rest of that day with Nuriko and the others was extremely fun. Ryoko couldn't get enough of Chiriko or Tama-neko; she hugged and played with both of them very much. Chiriko enjoyed the attention and would giggle and say, "Come now, Ryoko-san, that tickles!" The hugging and tickling and ruffling of hair very much reminded him of what Tasuki used to do when Chiriko was alive.
Hotohori treated them to a full buffet lunch at a nearby inn, much to the innkeeper's shock. (Remember, Emperor Hotohori is dead.) There was a lot food and sake, much to Tasuki and Ryoko's delight. They leapt upon the white bottles like animals, drinking as though they hadn't seen liquid of any kind in weeks. Then they both reached for the last one. Their hands brushed together.
Ryoko stared at the position. / Tasuki../ She looked at him and he her, but then they both drew back their hands as if they'd been burned. Tasuki blushed and said, "Here, you have it." He brushed it towards her, and shuffled away before she could say anything.
/ What was that about?/
Nuriko noticed the fiasco, as did Chiriko. "Ne, Chiriko. Did you see those two?"
"Hai. Ryoko-san turned quite a shade of pink!"
"I think it's quite obvious what's going on here."
"Ryoko-san has a fever?"
"Ugh. No. -.-;;"
Ryoko finished the bottle of sake. She smiled blearily and staggered outside. She was seeing double, and had the terrible urge to sing. And dance. And.. to give Tasuki a big hug. To hold him and never let go. / What am I thinking? / She shook her head and flew up to a ledge. She would just sit out here until she was no longer intoxicated. The moons, both of them, were beautiful like always. She curled her knees up to her chin. / Oh, Tas-chan.... WOAH. Where the hell did THAT come from? Geez. I had WAY too much sake. / She shook slowly back and forth. / It's the sake thinking, not me. The sake. Not me. The sake. / She continued repeating her chant until she fell asleep.
"Hey, where did Ryoko get to?" Taka looked up from the table as Nuriko looked around for the blue haired demon.
"You mean she isn't here?"
"No, she left half an hour ago. She still hasn't come back. I thought she was just getting a breath of air."
"Should I go look for her?"
"Nah. I will." They both looked back to Tasuki standing up from the floor. "I shouldn't 'ave ordered us so much sake. She probably passed out." He left before the purple haired cross dresser or the blue haired reincarnation could argue. After he left, Nuriko grinned at Taka. "See what I mean? They've got CRUUUUUUSHES."
Tasuki looked up at the sky. It was pretty. It kinda looked like a big black-blue velvet cape, with fireflies dancing all around. Gods. He really WAS drunk. Anyway, he wasn't out here to be a poetic sissy-boy. He was out here to find Ryoko. / Where could she be? / He sighed. It wouldn't be exactly easy to find someone who could FLY. Wait. / There she is! /
He ran and jumped up to the ledge. When he saw her not moving, his heart skipped a beat or so. But then he realized she was just sleeping. He brushed the strand of hair out of her eyes and sat down next to her. / She looks pretty when she's asleep... / He made to pick her up, but she stirred and whispered something so quietly in her sleep that he wasn't sure she actually said it. "What?"
" Wo... Ai... Ni... Tasuki. " ************************************************************************
At first it was not a good dream. Ryoko was in a dark cloud, and the black mist snaked its way around her arms and legs and waist. It gave her terrible chills, and the cold seeped into her bones. Literally. Her skeleton frozen, she stood there, terrified.
Then, a pair of frightening yellow eyes appeared before her, leering at her predicament. Had she not been so scared, Ryoko would have been angry. But those eyes frightened her so badly; she wouldn't have been able to move even if she wasn't frozen.
Then, a huge pain was in her chest. It was unbearable. She wished she could cry out. It was terrible; it felt like her heart was being ripped open. There was yelling in the background, and for some reason the cries made her feel sorrow bigger than the universe. The sadness threatened to consume her.
She was going to die right then and there, but then there was fire. It wasn't scary, but warm and friendly, and it brought her great relief. Someone was holding her next, and she was crying in joy.
"Wo Ai Ni, Tasuki. ************************************************************************
"Hmmm... love. Those Suzaku fools are so obsessed with an illusion." The white haired demon shook his head and stood up.
"Tenkou-sama? I have what you asked of me. It was not easy, but I have it."
Tenkou looked up at his servant, a green haired lightning demon named Kairsu. The young minion's hair was short and spiky on one side and long and flowing on the other. He bowed and held up a small green gem.
Tenkou gave a grim smile and took the small object from his follower. "Very good. You are dismissed, Kairsu."
"Shall I carry out the task, Master?"
Tenkou smiled, an evil smiled so even Kairsu shuddered.
"No. I would find it most amusing if I would do it. Destroying Mt. Taikyoku was quite entertaining. I need to laugh more. Don't you think, Kairsu?" ************************************************************************
"Wow, Ryoko-san. Tasuki-san carried you all the way here!"
"Yeah. I know, Chiriko."
Ryoko blushed a slight pink at the mere mention of being in Tasuki's arms. It was most embarrassing. / He could have just woken me up... / She twiddled with her fingers and stared at the ground. Also, Tasuki had been looking at her funny ever since this morning. What was with him? He had either looked at the sky or become extremely interested in his sake whenever they were near each other. Then fear struck her. / Oh no. What if I did something really terrible last night? What if I made him.... uncomfortable? I've been known to do that with Tenchi when I'm drunk. Why didn't anyone tell me? /
An enormous explosion interrupted her thoughts, which was way too close. The ground shook, trees fell down. Taka shielded Miaka, and under an impulse, Tasuki cast a hand in front of Ryoko's face to protect her eyes from flying debris. She gently removed his hand, and looked to the white haired form materializing in front of them.
"Hmm hmm. I see you're still here, Ryoko. You really must be a bother to your kind hosts."
Ryoko growled. She hated being teased by anyone.
"Shut up! Tenkou, you -beep-, WHY ARE YOU IN MY DREAMS?!"
"Now, now. There's no need to get angry. You see, you really do impress me, Ryoko. I would greatly appreciate it if you would join me."
"I would rather die."
"Very well. I've tried asking nicely. But now, I'll have to go by force."
"What are you talking about?"
Tenkou smiled and held up the deadly gem. Ryoko gasped in horror. It was all too familiar.
"The. The Gem of Jurai. "
"That's right. I see you recognize it, Ryoko. And by the look on your face, I'd say you don't like it. Well, get used to it. I have made it 10 times more powerful than it used to be. Let's see what you make of it." He motioned with his hand, and the gem embedded itself in Ryoko's forehead.
"Ryoko!"
Ryoko clutched her head. She could feel herself changing. / Kill them. Kill them. Kill. KILL! /
"No. No. NOOOOOO!!!"
Crying her eyes out, Ryoko lunged, new claws extended, at Tasuki. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ = Remember, she's seeing double = I Love You, Tasuki = You can die in dreams, you know. = Kairsu isn't a real Japanese name. I just made it up. = Ryoko somehow knew it was Tenkou = The Gem of Jurai is the thingy that made Ryoko-sama all evil and scary in Tenchi in Tokyo SR: There! HAHA! I left it at a cliffhanger! T & R: You're evil.