Messing With Washuu's Inventions Has Advantages

Disclaimer: *while sleeping* Yes . . . Yes . . . I own FY and TM . . . Yes! *wakes up* Awww, I still don't own it! *cries*

Tsumi: Hello, everyone! Hope that the wait wasn't too terribly long. (Then again, I don't know if too many people are reading this since I'm not getting many reviews! *hint hint*)

Small warning: Angus 'n' Fluff 'n' Some hints!

Onto the fic!

Chapter Fifteen: Decisions, and Things People Shouldn't See

"Please?"

"I told ya! I don't use it for things like that!"

"C'mon Tasuki! It's cold here!"

"Not you too! I ain't using it to make y'all a fire and that's that!"

Ryoko winked at Nuriko and gave him the most pitiful look she possibly could. "Please, Gen-chan?" She said, yellow eyes watering and wide.

/And he crumbles!/ Nuriko's mind cheered as Tasuki sighed and looked away, taking out his tessen and creating a small fire.

Amiboshi was sitting on a small bolder, looking over Hokkan, when a sharp tingle shot up his arm. Blinking, he undid the wrappings and read over the note.

"What did Suboshi have to say?" Kiyone asked him, walking over.

He looked at her for a moment before sighing and reading the message again. "The Seriyuu Seishi are at the border of Hokkan." He said quietly.

Kiyone sat down beside him. "You miss your brother, don't you?"

Amiboshi nodded. "Shun and I, we only have each other in this world." He said.

"What about your parents?"

"They died."

Kiyone blinked and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Amiboshi shrugged. "It's fine. I've just . . ." he sighed. "I've always looked after Shun. I worry about him."

Kiyone nodded and smiled at him gently. He blushed lightly, not knowing what else to do. Fortunately for him, he felt a surge of panic from his twin. He jumped and quickly wrote on his arm 'Otouto, are you alright?!' He watched as another message appeared with his twin's reply. He blinked several times before laughing.

"What?" Kiyone asked.

"Shun just walked in on something. I've always told him to knock before entering rooms." Amiboshi said as he wrote that on his arm. His twin's response: 'I don't care! That's something people shouldn't see!' Amiboshi just laughed quietly and stood up, as did Kiyone, before they both joined the group again.

"How should we proceed?" Mitsukake asked.

"Hokkan is three times the size of Konan, no da." Chichiri said.

"Three times?!" Kiyone exclaimed. "How are we supposed to find the Shinzaho in a place this big?"

"Well . . ."

A neighing and a frightened child's cries caught everyone's attention. They caught sight of a young boy on the back of a runaway horse. "He's going to be thrown off!" Kiyone yelled. Tamahome was ahead of her warning and rushed over to the horse, snatching the child off the saddle and landing, the boy tucked safely in his arms.

"Are you alright?" Tamahome asked.

"TAMAHOME!!!!" The girls yelled . . .

As Tamahome was trampled by the horse.

"You alive, Obake-chan?" Ryoko asked.

He sat up and glared at Ryoko. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!" He yelled.

"Are you alright, mister?" The boy asked. Tamahome smiled at him.

"I'm just fine!" He said, thinking /Aside from the massive pain . . ./

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to Tamahome's brave act, the group was allowed to stay at the family's home. Kiyone offered to unload the horses, and Nuriko helped, getting the work done in half the time. When the two of them were finished, they walked around a little bit and found Ryoko sulking by a tree. "Ne, Ryoko, what's wrong?" Kiyone asked as Nuriko slinked off.

"That damn brat!" Ryoko yelled.

"Nani?" Kiyone blinked. "The kid that Tamahome saved?" Ryoko nodded.

"Gen-chan and I were trying to play with him and he said 'I don't like to play with mister and miss scary face'." Ryoko growled. Kiyone laughed lightly.

"I would have to agree."

Ryoko gave the trademark death glare and muttered. "Chichiri said the same damn thing."

Kiyone doubled up in laughter as Nuriko came back, a pair of blankets in his hands. "Why don't you go cheer him up, Ryoko?" He handed a blanket to Ryoko, who blinked and smiled and stood, walking in the direction that Tasuki supposedly went.

Nuriko smiled as she disappeared from sight. He then turned to Kiyone and handed her the other blanket. "Why don't you give this to Chichiri?" Kiyone blinked a couple times. "Go on!" Nuriko shooed her in the direction that Chichiri had walked down a while ago. Kiyone hesitated for a moment before turning and smiling at Nuriko.

"Arrigato, Nuriko-chan." She said.

Nuriko smiled as she disappeared into the night. "Ah! Young love!" He said, stretching out his arms and walking back to where the other seishi were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kiyone's breath caught in her lungs as she found Chichiri laying against the trunk of a tree, seemingly enjoying the night air around him. His mask conveyed the peace and it seemed that his eyes were closed, the moonlight making him look like an seraphic being on earth. Kiyone was unwilling to disturb such a sight, but as she backed up to leave the way she came, her foot cracked a fallen tree branch.

Chichiri's good eye opened and he visibly relaxed as he saw Kiyone. "Konbanwa, Kiyone, no da." He said warmly, standing up. Kiyone felt herself blush lightly. "Is there anything you needed, no da?"

"Ano . . ." She said, walking the few steps that separated them and handed him the blanket. "I thought that you might be getting cold." She muttered.

Chichiri took the blanket with the slightest bit of hesitation and said, "Thank you, no da . . ."

The two stayed in an awkward silence before Kiyone said, "I should be getting back . . ."

She turned to leave . . .

"Don't leave."

Kiyone stopped and turned to face Chichiri again, who's head was bent down. "Chichiri . . . nani?"

He took off his mask and looked back up to Kiyone. She was shocked to see that his eye was misty, as if he was about to cry. "I . . ."

"What, Chichiri?" Kiyone asked quietly

He looked at her and she was shocked to see how intense his eye was. He placed a hand on her cheek gently and she nearly shuttered at the warmth the touch created. His left hand ran over the contours of her face, her eyebrows, cheekbones, the bridge of her nose, hesitating just a moment before gently gliding across her lips in a silk like touch. Kiyone's eyes closed and she let a small gasp escape her lips. He smiled lightly before leaning down and briefly pressing his lips against hers. It only lasted a second but Kiyone was caught up in the dizzy aftershock that one intimate touch created.

When she opened her eyes to look at Chichiri, she was shocked to see tears trailing from his good eye. "Chichiri, what-"

"Gomen ne!" He said, turning around. "I never-I never meant to have this-I-Oh Suzaku, Kouran, I'm so sorry!" He fell to his knees, sobbing.

Kiyone was hurt beyond words, thinking that their was another woman in Chichiri's life, but pushed that aside as she knelt beside him. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Kiyone . . . I-I never meant for this to go as far as it did. I . . ." Sobs robbed him of his voice again. Kiyone awkwardly rubbed his back in a comforting manner.

"Chichiri, please, tell me . . ."

He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye before telling her the story about Hikou and Kouran, his past fiancé.

Kiyone was speechless at the end of the story. "Chichiri . . ." she said, reaching out to touch his face.

He jerked away and ignored the look hurt she sent him. "That's why I can't be with you, Kiyone . . ."

Kiyone pressed her lips together. "I don't care about what happened in your past, but . . . I can understand why you don't want to let it go." He stared at her wide-eyed as she stood up and offered a hand to help him up with a smile. As she pulled him to his feet, she said, "If it means anything, I can wait for you, Chichiri."

And in the space of a heartbeat, Chichiri held Kiyone in a tender embrace. "Thank you, Kiyone . . ." He whispered in her ear, arms tightening around her waist. "Thank you."

Kiyone returned the gesture, but not without a faint blush on her cheeks, letting herself be caught up in the moment.

Unknown to the two of them, someone walked off from his hiding place behind a tree back towards the village, tears pooling in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryoko found Tasuki glaring at the ground, still muttering curses about the brat calling him a 'scary-faced monster'. Ryoko chuckled and tapped Tasuki on the shoulder. He cursed and spun around and blinked a few times. "Damnit, woman, don't do that!"

Ryoko grinned mischievously. "Do what, Gen-chan?" She asked innocently.

"Sneak up on me like that!"

Ryoko laughed out loud at Tasuki's angry expression, and found that the sound completely died as Tasuki pressed his mouth over hers. Ryoko closed her eyes and returned the kiss eagerly. After a minute or so, they broke apart, grinning like fools. Tasuki caught sight of the blanket Ryoko held in her hands and, still grinning, grabbed it from her. She blinked, confused, but he just grinned, his two fangs poking out of the sides of his mouth in a cute way, as he tugged on her hand and sat down, leaning against a tree trunk. He had Ryoko sit down in front of him and he wrapped the blanket around the both of them.

The two stayed like that, quiet and wrapped in each other's embrace, until they both heard the sound of sobs and running not too far from where they were sitting. "Who was that?" Ryoko asked.

"I think it was Amiboshi . . ." Tasuki replied.

"Wonder what happened."

They were silent again for a while before Tasuki shifted uncomfortably. "Ryoko . . ."

"Yes?" She asked.

"Are you happy here?"

That question caught her by surprise. She took her time before answering as truthfully as possible. "I'm very happy here, Gen-chan. I honestly don't think I've ever been this happy before. But I know that I'm gonna end up going back to my world . . . sometime . . ."

"But you don't wanna, right?"

Ryoko nodded. "I really don't have much say in the damn manner."

"Then don't." Ryoko blinked and looked up at Tasuki, who was staring at her intensely. "If you don't want to, then don't go."

Ryoko stared at him a little longer before saying, "Do you mean . . .?"

He looked away. "Your choice."

A smirk crept onto her features.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for this being so short; I don't think I could have ended this chapter anywhere else. *sweatdrop*

Shiroi Hikari: Thanks. Still need the manga though . . . I promise, I'll return it unharmed!

Astrid: Glad you liked my story that much! Welcome to the group! And if you want spoilers, e-mail me. (Found on my profile page) ^-^

SessyRyo: Did this chapter answer your question? Again, you will be surprised!

Burnedshadow: Yep darn those Mexicans. And I can just hear my mom telling me not to badmouth my heritage. ^^;;