Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. I do not own them, and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

Author's Note: I've written this little interlude (which takes place earlier in the storyline, after Chapter 7, Physician, and before Chapter 10, Enchantment) for Chaotic Serenity, who can't seem to get enough of Tasuki and Miaka in bed! Just kidding, Chao-chan; I know how you feel about this alternate couple in this timeline! (Glomps Chao-chan and musses her hair.) But you did demand to know exactly how Miaka came to know Tasuki's given name, so I, as Queen of this Storyline, choose to answer you! On with the show!

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Interlude: What's in a name? (Tasuki, Miaka)

He emerged from the bath chamber clad only in his sleep trousers, shaking the last droplets of water from his long bangs and drying his chest with a small towel. She looked up from the strange square scroll she'd been reading to give him a warm smile as she shifted her position in the bed to make room for him. A familiar thrill vibrated through him, the same thrill that passed through him each time he saw her waiting in his bed. He pulled on his sleep shirt, then scooted under the covers to join her.

"What're you reading?" he asked casually, firmly suppressing the loopy grin that threatened to take over at the thought of them acting like an old married couple.

"Homework," she sighed. "I have to learn all these history facts to pass my high school entry exams when I get back."

A sudden flash of pain lanced through him at the thought of her leaving. But he knew that he had no right to press her to stay; after all, she'd been honest with him about being unable to make any promises. Forcing back the sudden bleakness in his heart, he changed the subject before she could see his pain.

"They really work you hard in your world! You say that you have to go to school all day, then study all night? Man, that sucks!"

She smiled at him. "Well, yes, it used to seem really hard to me--until I came here. You have it much harder, Tasuki. I mean, my mom still looks after me and pays for everything: roof over my head, food, clothing. You've been working ever since you were a child, haven't you?"

He leaned back against the pillows, thinking about his former life. "Yeah, I guess I worked pretty hard on the farm--but all the kids did, so it wasn't like I had it worse than any of my friends. And then, the bandit business...hell, once I got past my apprenticeship, it turned fun; stealin' stuff ain't like work at all! And now I'll be the boss, so I can tell everybody else what to do! Except for Kouji, of course; he ain't about to take any shit from me!"

Miaka laughed at the thought of Kouji's casual sarcasm and "Knock, knock" jokes. But she was intrigued by the little glimpse that Tasuki gave her into his childhood; she'd never really thought of him as anything other than a bandit. 'Well, duh, Miaka,' she told herself. 'Do you think he was born a bandit?'

She laid her book on the table next to the bed, suddenly filled with curiosity about his life. Turning towards him, she propped herself up on one elbow. Tasuki beamed at her, pleased to have her full attention, and wriggled closer to her.

"Tasuki, tell me about your childhood--about your family."

He suddenly became still. "Where did this come from all of a sudden? Why do you want to know?"

His voice was casual, but she could feel the tension in his body transmitting itself to her through the mattress. Miaka looked carefully at him, noting the pulse in his throat beating rapidly, his chest rising and falling with short, shallow breaths. Mitsukake had spoken to her about possible after-effects of Tasuki's trauma, and she already knew about panic attacks from a girl at school who would sometimes have one before a major test. Miaka realized that she had somehow made Tasuki anxious, unknowingly pressing him into a corner.

She gently backed away, changing her question. "Oh, I was just wondering what your name is, Tasuki."

He calmed immediately, lifting one eyebrow at her. "Do you have any idea of how stupid that question sounds? I'll give you a hint about my name: it begins with 'Tas' and ends with 'ki.' Got it now?"

She giggled, glad to see him smirking at her again. "You know what I mean! Your given name, not your seishi name. Like Mitsukake is Myo-Juan, and Chiriko is Doukun, and Chichiri is...actually, I don't know Chichiri's name, either."

"Well, there you have it: you don't know Chichiri's name, so why do you need to know mine?"

"Well, I'm not sleeping with Chichiri, either."

"Damn right you're not!" he growled, suddenly pissed off at that mental image.

She laughed to see him bristle with jealousy. Her voice took on a wheedling note. "Come on, do you really want to make me into the sort of girl who sleeps with a man without knowing his name?"

He looked a little shocked. "That's not fair! We may be sleeping together, but we're not...you know."

"Yeah, I know." Miaka smiled at him. "I'm just teasing you..but why are you so reluctant to tell me your name? Don't you like it?"

"No, I don't. I don't like my name. I don't like hearing it…brings back bad memories," he mumbled, remembering his sisters, Aidou especially, screaming it at him, usually adding "no Baka!" as a suffix. "I like it better when you call me Tasuki or Genrou; those are the names that are really mine. Besides, my given name ain't that interesting; it ain't cool, like Saihitei or Kishuku," he stopped suddenly.

Miaka moved in to defuse the tension, and adopted a little-girl, whiny tone of voice. "Tell me your name, Tasuki. Pleeeaaasee! PLEEEEEEAASSSSSSE!"

Tasuki covered his ears, laughing. "Gods, stop with the whining before you get all the palace dogs barking!"

She tossed her head. "Look who's talking! The King of Whine!"

He looked outraged. "What're you talking about? I never whine!"

"Oh, yeah? What alternate universe do you live in?" Miaka suddenly realized what she had just said and was seized with a fit of giggling.

Tasuki gave in and started laughing with her. "Well, maybe I whine once in a while--once in a very long, long while. But I never reach the ear-shattering pitch that you do. Gods, all the wolves in the Konan woods are gonna start howling any minute!"

"Okay, then, you're telling me that my whining drives you nuts. You just set yourself up!" Miaka wound herself up to her highest pitch. "Pleeeeaase tell me your name, Tasuki! Pleeeeeeeassssse! PLEEEEEASSSSSE!"

Tasuki flinched, his hands over his ears. "All right, all right! I give up already! I'll tell ya--just stop with the whining before you shatter my eardrums!"

Miaka grinned in triumph. "Give it up, then. You promised!"

Tasuki looked away, suddenly shy. "My name is..." Miaka had to lean forward to catch his quiet tones. "...Shun'u."

"Shun'u?" she asked softly. He nodded, blushing.

"Shun'u," Miaka repeated. She tried it out, rolling his name around her mouth. "Shun'u, Shun'u--I like it!" she exclaimed. "There's music in your name! Shun'u..."

Tasuki frowned at her, confused. "Music?" he repeated.

"Yes! It sort of rolls off your tongue--like music…" she trailed off, seeing that he didn't understand.

"Well, if you say so. I'm not gonna argue about it." He smiled softly, pleased that she liked his name, although he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she liked everything about him. That thought filled him with giddy happiness.

"So, Tasuki, what's your other name?"

"Whaddaya mean, other name? I've given you three already; how many do you want, greedy girl?"

"Your family name is what I mean."

Tasuki smirked, feeling playful. "Uh-uh, no way. I'm not tellin' you. I've heard about girls like you. They ask a guy to tell them all his secrets, then they get bored with him and dump him. Nah, I'm not lettin' myself get dumped. I'm going to cultivate," he stopped and put his nose in the air, "an aihhr of mystahrayyy."

Miaka giggled at his snooty tone. "Come on, Tasuki!" She began to wheedle him, her voice taking on a hint of a whine.

"Nuh-uh, that's not gonna work a second time. I'm not tellin' and that's final. Besides, it's about time you told me some of your secrets--it's only fair."

She laughed easily, knowing that she had nothing to hide. "Ask away, Shun'u; I'm not the timid one here."

Tasuki raised his eyebrows but decided not to take the bait. "So what are all your names? Besides Suzaku no Miko, that is."

"Well, my family name is Yuuki, and you know my given name."

"Yuuki Miaka? Is that it?"

"Yes."

"No nickname? You know, like 'Bottomless Pit' or something?"

She whacked him in the head with the pillow, pouting. "No!"

"No middle name?"

"No."

"What does your mother call you?"

"Miaka."

"How about your friends?"

"Miaka."

"What do your teachers call you?"

"Yuuki."

"So that's all there is, then: Yuuki Miaka."

"Yes."

"Borrrrrr-iinnnggg! No mystery left in you, that's for sure! That's it, I'm dumping you!" He started to push her out of the bed.

"Mou, Tasuki! Stop it!" she laughed, grasping his arms to keep herself from falling off the bed

He grinned, pulling her back up. "All right, you can stay--but only because I have no other choice." He pitched his voice higher, laying on a thick country accent. "Ah am at yowah mercy, you animal! You have compromised mah reputation, and now Ah am forced to marry y'all!"

Miaka repressed her giggles and tried to frown at him fiercely. "That's right, my pretty! You are MINE now!"

Tasuki coughed, trying to keep from laughing at her pathetic attempts to generate a deep voice. "You sound like a squirrel with laryngitis!" he gasped.

"Nuh-uh--no breaking character or you lose!" she warned, shaking her finger at him.

"Lose what?"

She leered at him, twirling an imaginary mustache. "Trust me, my pretty, you don't want to know! Now hand it over!"

He squeaked in alarm, scooting away from her. "Oh, honored suh! Whatevah do y'all mean?"

Miaka placed her hands on the pillow, one on either side of Tasuki's head, trying to loom over him as much as five-foot-two-inches of curvy girl could loom. "Tell me your family name now! Tell me!" she dropped the pitch of her voice once again.

He pulled the covers up over his nose, leaving only his amber eyes visible, dancing with mischief. "Ah won't tell you, Ah won't!" he squeaked in a falsetto. "Y'all can't make me!"

She bit her lip to keep from bursting into helpless laughter. "Why NOT?" she thundered, trying to sound threatening.

He fluttered his eyelashes at her, still hiding his face. "Ah have to save somethin' fowah the weddin' night, you great brute, you!"

She lost it completely at that point, howling helplessly.

He tried to blow out the lamp while laughing, failing miserably, which sent her even deeper into her hysteria. "We'll…have to…wait!" he gasped, gesturing at the lamp.

She clutched at her sides. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Tasuki gathered her into his arms, almost crying into her thick, fragrant hair. Finally exhaustion set in, calming their hysterical laughter, leaving them with only an occasional choked giggle.

Tasuki reached out and snuffed the wick of the lamp between his fingers. "Ouch!" he yelped, sending them off again for another thirty seconds.

At last, weariness set in again, and they grew quiet. They rested comfortably in each other's arms, their breaths and heartbeats synchronizing with one another. Tasuki was dimly aware of Miaka breathing softly as he drifted between consciousness and sleep.

"I love you, Miaka," he murmured against her hair, thinking her already asleep.

"And I love you…Shun'u," came a soft, sleepy reply.

His last thought before he drifted off was how much he loved his name as it flowed musically from her lips.

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Author's note: (3-29-02) Well, was that so painful? Yes? (sigh) Oh, well…you can definitely tell that I am severely sleep-deprived and under-caffeinated.

After the last two chapters plus this interlude, I am officially challenging Purple Mouse for the title of The Queen of Sap! I mean, I've got sap from more than just Ryuuen and Sai: I've got sap between Mitsukake, Chichiri, Tasuki and Miaka, too! So there! ( Roku lunges forward with fencing foil which she obtained from her KOTWAS rank…then trips over her squires robes, rolling around on the ground under the patient eye of Mouse-chan). Ahem. Yes, I'm getting a little loopy here.

I really do have good news for Chao-chan--next week, as promised: TAMAHOMEEEEE! And the chapter after that, too…and the chapter after THAT! I will do my best to make it up to y'all for our blue-haired boy's long hiatus!

Happy Easter, everybody. And Happy Passover! (ummm, that doesn't sound quite right, does it?) All right, then. Happy Spring!

Ja ne!

Roku