Author's Notes: Yo!! XD Well, the past two days, I've been busy with affairs concerning the Holy Week so it is only now that I can update. ^________^ My fingers have turned fumbly from not typing for a couple of days!! ^^; This will be a pretty short chapter… very short. ^^; I don't really write Hix/Tengaar well…
Disclaimer: Suikoden is not mine.
The Great Easter Egg Hunt
Chapter 16: Reconcilable Differences
"We're not going to get anywhere if we just stumble about blindly, hoping to find Millie," Futch declared.
"So, here's what were going to do. We divide into little groups and divide the grounds amongst us. Once you finish your section, we go back here, at the entrance. Okay? Okay." Meg said.
There was a murmur of agreement from the small crowd. Riou raised his hand. "Meg, I'll help too."
"But Riou-dono, should our leader really be bothered like so?" Templton asked.
"That's right," Meg said. "You don't have to, Riou-dono, I'm sure we'll manage."
"What kind of leader will I be if I can't be bothered to look after those who chose to follow me? Oh no, I'll help." Riou told them.
Tomo clasped her hands together and smiled. "Riou-dono, you're so kind!!" Riou blushed.
"Alright, let's go look for the missing girl and groundhog!!" Futch exclaimed.
Tengaar and Hix proceeded to the northwestern grounds, keeping a good distance in between them. Tengaar wrung her hands as they walked. Hix felt sorely tempted to warn her that she's going to get arthritis in the future but decided against it.
Tengaar carried a bento in the rucksack slung over her shoulder. It was for Millie if they see her first. Hix thought it was very sweet of her. Actually, he just thought that Tengaar is a very sweet person. Sure, some people would disagree, having gotten at the wrong end of one of Tengaar's fits of anger. She is normally a nice person, it's just that, her temper gets the better of her sometimes… most of the time… nearly all the time.
Like the past few days, for instance.
Right now though, Tengaar did not look remotely angry. Just worried.
"The poor girl…" Tengaar whined. "All alone and hungry…"
Hix would point out that Tengaar only had all of four years ahead of Millie if they were on speaking terms. Honestly, the way she talked, you'd think Millie was some invalid!!
"It's all that Luc's fault," the redhead grumbled.
Oh now it's the guy's fault. The poor guy who was minding his own business and had a girl borrow his crystal only to lose it. Wisely, Hix kept quiet, even though he would very much like to state a different opinion.
"Oh my poor baby…" Tengaar wailed.
Baby? Hix resisted the urge to snort. This was too much. "Tengaar, I know you're worried about Millie, but she's not a child."
Tengaar's eyes flashed as she said spitefully, "I don't expect you to understand, it's not your friend who is lost in the castle grounds."
"She's not lost," Hix spat. "She just wandered off somewhere and we don't know where that somewhere is. If she wants to, she can easily come back. And inside the castle grounds, what's the worst thing that can happen??"
Tengaar stamped her foot. "The castle is a part of the woods!! What if Millie wandered off there? She doesn't have a sense of direction, what if she doesn't find her way back? What if a snake bites her?"
Hix rolled his eyes. "There are no snakes here. Tengaar, you're over-reacting."
To put it simply, Tengaar lost it. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN OVER-REACTING?? I AM NOT OVER-REACTING!!"
Hix chose not to reply and just kept walking.
"THAT POOR LITTLE GIRL IS LOST AND YOU'RE TELLING ME I'M OVER-REACTING ABOUT IT?? AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE AREN'T ANY SNAKES?? I READ IN THE LIBRARY AND THERE ARE PLENTY…"
Hix tuned her out. However, it got more difficult with each passing moment for Tengaar's voice had just been rising into its peak volume and as far as Hix knew, it could build up indefinitely.
"Tengaar, the problem with you is you treat people as if they can't do anything by themselves!!"
"WHAT??" Tengaar yelled.
"Millie went off by herself and you're going insane over it even though she's just within the grounds." Hix pointed out, clearly at the end of his patience. "When Meg tries to work something on Gadget, you try to stop her because it's 'dangerous' as if you'd know anything about clockwork. You meddle with how I spend my time telling me to train, to help with some random cause or another, to do silly things… I'll spend my own time, thankyou, I'll train at my own pace, I'll find my own cause and I'll do things my way!!"
"Oh, I suppose you think I'm like an overbearing wife to you." Tengaar muttered acidly.
"I never said that." Hix said.
"One you'd definitely like to get away from!" Tengaar cried.
"I never said that either!" Hix shot back.
"One who never leaves you alone!!" Tengaar yelled, on the verge of hysteria.
"Stop! I never said any of these things!!" Hix shouted.
"But you want to!!" Tengaar accused. "You want to and I'm sorry because… 'cause—I'm such a BAD fiancée!!" She burst into tears.
"Tengaar!!" Partly, Hix wanted to laugh. For she did voice out things that he thought of once or twice and even said sorry for them, something that Tengaar would not normally do. And he wondered… since when had they been engaged? He had not even asked her to marry him!
"I can't help it!!" Tengaar sobbed. "I'm sorry!!"
Hix wrapped his arms around her. "Sssh… Tengaar, it's okay…"
Tengaar wiped her tears and glared at him. "It's your fault too you know!!"
Hix startled. "Eh?"
"You never pay attention to me anymore!!"
"Huh?"
Tengaar crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean, if you were training, it's okay, but you just hang out with those boys!!"
"………"
"Oh!" Tengaar's eyes widened. "I was apologizing, right?"
Hix was boggled. "… Is it that time of the month?"
KAPOW!!
And the redhead stormed away, leaving the man she claimed as her fiancé lying down on the grass, clutching a good-sized lump on his head.
Tengaar seethed. "How DARE you presume that I'd let something as trivial as my lunar cycle affect my temper… blah, blah, blah…"
Hix shook his head. "I'll take that as a yes…"
Author's Notes again: So, I guess that explains why Tengaar has been so flunky throughout the whole fic, right? ^_~ Just so you people know—PMS, irritability, chocolate cravings and all other phenomenon associated with the dreaded menstrual cycle is real.
