Guess who's back… back again. That's not really a question. Heh heh. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone who has actually taken the time to read my effort at fan fiction and a lump of coal in the stockings of those who didn't. I'm so glad that everyone continues to review as faithfully as they do. Silver celeste – this chapter is for you. I know things have been tough lately but I'll make sure they get better… and I'm always just a phone call away. Ispreno, I'm horribly sorry about misspelling your name. I generally take offense if the same is done, so I'm really glad that you were so okay with it. Hydra-Star, long time no mail. Momiji-chan Wa Baka, greetings of the season. In general news, I'm planning a few new stories that I'm quite pleased with. Hopefully one of them should be out about the same time as the end of this story. I think we're down to the final five chapters (maybe a few more if I get carried away). We're finally in the home stretch here. Sing hallelujah with me!

   Chapter 12

   Dinner had not been the easiest of ordeals. Taka gratefully climbed the stairs towards Keisuke's room as Miaka distracted her mother long enough for him to make his escape. Generally he would have loved to spend time with Mrs. Yuuki, but the day had left him drained completely. And it wasn't over yet. The book had yet to be finished. And to top off the whole miserable affair, he had to pretend to work on one of Keisuke's projects to give credence to Keisuke's plan… at least until Mrs. Yuuki was asleep. "It's strange how Keisuke helps us by coming up with this particular excuse… especially since his actual project needs to be submitted by the end of the week.", Taka reflected sardonically.  Somehow Miaka's brother had managed to save everyone's bacon and get himself a healthy dose of Taka's help at the same time. Not that he begrudged Keisuke the additional pair of hands, but after the day he had just suffered through, the last thing he wanted to do was sit up into the night tallying large numbers in the cases of make-believe firms.  Business school projects tended to be lengthy and boring – never a good combination at the best of times. And this certainly wasn't the best of times.

   Taka shoved the door of Keisuke's room open and quickly walked across the room to the single desk situated by the window, trying to block all sight and thought of the large, comfortable bed that dominated the room. Throwing himself into a chair, he moodily stared at the large sheets of paper that covered the desk, filled with random numbers and small doodles of boredom. Various doodles were of little girl figures in various stages of dress or undress. It was quite obvious what Keisuke's mind had strayed away from, as just above what appeared to be the first doodle was the number 69. Opening a drawer, Taka pulled out a fresh sheet of paper to ready himself for the vast body of work that probably awaited himself and Keisuke. He then leaned forward and began to toy with the large collections of pens that Keisuke had arranged in a large mug that stated to the world at large 'Reality is a state brought on by a lack of alcohol'.  Sniggering to himself, he chose a simple ballpoint pen and began to doodle on the paper. What began as random lines and sketches of vague space monsters soon developed into names and characters in a particular pattern. He studied one name in particular – Tamahome.

   Brooding over the seishi's star symbol, he was struck by a feeling of great and yet impotent anger at the man who had the symbol blaze upon his forehead. Regardless of the fact that he knew himself to be the reincarnation of this particular seishi, he couldn't help but feel the twinges of jealousy that sprang from his close relationship with Miaka. Tamahome and he had lived as separate individuals, and he couldn't help but feel vaguely betrayed on reading of his continuous love affair with Miaka. It was almost like meeting the past lover of a new girlfriend. It didn't help that the very basis of his relationship with Miaka was built on the fact that he shared the same soul as this seishi from the past. And the worst thing about the whole affair was that he couldn't confront the whole thing head on by discussing it with anyone, because the man he was jealous of was himself and that really didn't make much sense in the real world. "Aargh!" Taka yanked at his hair gently, hoping the slight ache might distract him from his thoughts. He seemed to be wandering down the path of futile pain and that was never a good idea.

   The soft sound of a door opening drew him out of his thoughts. Turning around he met Mrs. Yuuki's concerned green eyes. It was no secret that any good looks that either of the Yuuki siblings had were inherited from their father's side. Mrs. Yuuki was a woman of rather plain looks, averagely pretty at best. And yet, she more than made up for any lacking with the strength of her character and the warmth of her personality. Blessed with an agile mind and a healthy dose of skepticism, Mrs. Yuuki was not one to be easily messed with. Taka frantically ran through the reasons why she would have followed him upstairs – Did she suspect him of trying to do something with Miaka? Had she somehow found out that the whole ruse was being set up as a cover? Was she going to throw him out of the house then? Panicking thoroughly, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Mrs. Yuuki! Is something wrong? I thought that Keisuke said to go right up and not to help with the dishes", he rambled nervously. Mrs. Yuuki observed him for a few minutes, letting him spout on about the reasons for leaving the project until the last day and the horrors of dishpan hands before gently interrupting. "Do you think I'm stupid, Taka? I know there's probably no project that needs to be submitted as urgently as Keisuke says. Now, I want you to tell me the truth. Whatever you kids are doing, is it going to hurt or harm anyone?"

   "Of course not!" Taka burst out "we'd never do anything that would cause anyone harm!" Seeing her eyes narrowing sharply, he hastily went on to finish, "and the project really is due… really!" Narrowing her eyes even further, she walked forward until she towered over Taka, who hunched fearfully in his chair. Looming over him, her eyes spitting green fire, finger up in scolding posture and mouth open, the resemblance to Miaka was uncanny. And then the actual lecture started – "Do you kids think I'm really buying all the rubbish you're throwing at me? I wasn't born yesterday you know! Miaka looks miserable, you look horrible, Keisuke looks guilty and to top it all off, no one is willing to admit that something might have happened. Now, I know you're a good boy, so I'm going to give you some advice and then I'll leave you all alone for the night. If this is some sort of petty lover's quarrel, then you better have it made up by morning – without any hanky-panky! Do you hear me loud and clear?"  Taka nodded quickly, terror and a great deal of panic evident in his expression. His voice, when it finally emerged after his repeated attempts, squeaked with anxiety, "of course, Mrs. Yuuki. I'd never touch her that way, Mrs. Yuuki. It wasn't a quarrel… just a discussion that got out of hand. If you'd be so kind as to allow us to clear it up tonight I'd really be very grateful… Mrs. Yuuki."

   Grinning at Taka now that she had her suspicions confirmed, Mrs. Yuuki backed off. "Of course, Taka. I know how harrowing these fights seem at this age. A last piece of advice, when the fights stop – that's when you really need to worry. And that's the voice of experience speaking. Mr. Yuuki and I were constantly fighting and everything was fine. The month after we stopped fighting was when we got the divorce." Taka looked at Mrs. Yuuki in shock as she dimpled at him slyly. Laughing uproariously at his expression, she leaned against the edge of the bed and tried to catch her breath. Finally giving him a break, she turned and headed for the door, throwing the words out over her shoulder "Now, be good and set whatever this is to rest. Tell the others that I've gone to bed. And I'd suggest not mentioning this little talk. Keisuke took a lot of trouble to come up with this plan, hopeless as it was." Looking over her shoulder on the way out of the door, she paused and added in an extremely serious tone, a complete contrast to her previous mirth - "And Taka… one last thing. You make Miaka happy, something she hadn't really been for a while after her exams. I've never seen her so content. That definitely proves that the two of you have something special. So take care of my little girl, okay?" And then she was gone with a final click of the door.

   Taka stared after her in confusion, wondering what the hell had just happened. Mrs. Yuuki was obviously very aware that something was going on under her roof but she seemed perfectly content to let the three of them handle it together like grown ups. On the other hand, he knew that if this night didn't end with smiles and hugs all around, he'd be made to pay at some later date. And probably in some gruesome way which could never be linked back to her. Shivering in mindless terror, he turned back to his desk. He definitely knew where Miaka had inherited her stubbornness and thirst for vengeance. Looking back down to the desk and his doodle of the constellations of Suzaku, he reflected on his conversation with her. If Mrs. Yuuki was to be believed, then he was obviously of great meaning to Miaka's life. He made her feel content and safe. Not only that but he could actually offer her forever as his wife. On the whole, he was much better off than Tamahome had ever been. The thought of the gray haired seishi still rankled a bit, but he couldn't help the large and rather smug grin that appeared on his face. He may not have loved her first as a person, but that didn't matter because he got to have her for as long as he lived now.

   Moving back from the desk and leaping to his feet with an agility that belied the exhaustion that he had been previously suffering from, he moved towards the attic. If he had this time left to himself, he might as well read what had upset Miaka so much before. Then he could deal with any pain or other sort of reaction before she turned up. That way he could look at the situation normally and not judge her, as she seemed to think he would. The sooner he read the rest of the book the better… then they could get on with the rest of their lives and he could go back to his promise of making her the happiest girl on the face of the Earth. Humming softly under his breath and feeling a great deal lighter than he had all day, he moved up the stairs to the attic. He could hear Miaka and her brother squabbling over who would wash the dishes and who would vacuum the floor. The sound of scuffling and occasional grunts suggested that the fight had probably progressed to the physical stage. Grinning at the soft but fluent curses he heard from Keisuke, he reflected that the older boy would have a hard time pinning Miaka now that he had taught her a couple of self-defense maneuvers.

   Gently opening the door of the attic, so as not to disturb them, Taka moved back towards the book that he had left on the end table. Picking it up, he reveled in the strange connection he seemed to feel with it now. It seemed like his body was filled with a strong yet gentle warmth, and the urge to turn the pages and lose himself in the story once more was almost more than his control could take. Ignoring the sensation, he crept back downstairs silently and let himself into Keisuke's room. Giving into impulse, he flipped open the pages to where he had last left the book and began to read…

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Author's note: -

   To people who think that the reason that Miaka and Tamahome got to be together was because they didn't wish for it but kept the hope in their hearts… I honestly didn't think that was a good enough explanation. I'm pretty sure when the Byakko no miko made the wish out loud, that Tatara and she were wishing really strongly in their hearts. And I doubt that after you make a wish that can't be granted, you're forced to spend the rest of your life regretting it. Especially considering the fact that Miaka and Tamahome didn't. They didn't wish to be together but that doesn't make their wish any stronger than that of the Byakko no miko and her love. I think I have a reasonable explanation and that's the whole point of this fan fic. If anyone thinks I don't have a valid point at the end of this story, you're welcome to let me know.

Thanking you,

As always I remain,

Diabolique.