Disclaimer: See previous chapter or chapters one through nine. I don't care
which. You pick.
Thanks to. . .
Otaku Pitcher: You're welcome. I do try to help you guys out, even if it doesn't seem like it at times. Yea, Fate does seem to deal Tasuki a hard hand often, doesn't it? And I update it as often as I can but Smack does occasionally need a life beyond the computer screen, (or so my mom keeps telling me. . .).
Cortney: I'm glad you feel so strongly about the last chapter! Yume is pretty tough, isn't she? But, like everyone, she has her weaknesses, too, and they become all too apparent to her later in the story.
miLady: You're welcome! And yes, Nakago does make an appearance but not a very nice one. In fact, it's pretty mean. Oh, you don't exactly get to figure something out about Yume but something is revealed, if that makes any sense at all. . .
Songwind: Oh, what will Tasuki do? The age old question that never gets an answer. And as for Nakago. . .let's just say something is revealed about him as well as Yume. . .
Author's Note: Hehe. Here's the next chapter and if you can't tell, something falls off the edge. The edge of what, you ask? Read on and find out. Oh, in this and the next few chapters, the point of view will switch between Tasuki and Yume. I make the view change pretty obvious so you won't get confused. It starts off with Yume in this chapter. Umm. . .read and enjoy?
'. . .' represents the thoughts of the character who is telling the tale.
Chapter 21: Off the Edge. . .
By the time I got to the edge of the Seiryuu camp I was really starting to have second thoughts. I was scared. I didn't actually know all that Nakago was capable of. But I do know what I'm capable of and taking on a deranged lunatic is not in my list of special skills. Basically, I was under- qualified. I saw what he could do when we first met and it scared me then and it scares me now. But I have a plan. Sort of.
I looked around the apparently deserted camp. Light was coming from one tent and only one tent. I took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing. . .' I thought as I walked through the doorway. "Hi, Nakago. It's been a while," I greeted sweetly.
"Yume? What are you doing here? You have to leave. I'm expecting someone," he replied, somewhat surprised. 'I bet you are.'
"You mean the Priestess? Sorry. She had second thoughts. I'm the replacement." I sat across from him, crossed my legs, and smiled coyly. "Next time, get a more convincing Taiitsu-kun."
"How'd you know?" he asked, looking somewhat impressed.
"Let's just say that I have my ways." I winked at him. 'So far, so good. I'm keeping in character at least. And my mom said those acting classes didn't pay off!'
He looked a little surprised but then the look of surprise turned to a confident smile. 'That's my boy. Take the bait.' "Well, you aren't exactly what I was expecting but I'm not about to complain. Actually, I'd prefer you over that obnoxious priestess if I had to choose. Shall we eat first?" 'Ew. Gross. That was something I really didn't need (or want) to know.' 'Watch out! He wants to rape you in a dark alley!' one of the people in my head said. 'Come on, Yume. Stay in character.'
"No, I already ate. Unless, of course, you're hungry?" I cocked an eyebrow at him. 'Please be hungry. Please be hungry.'
"No, that's quite all right. I ate as well." He got up and so did I. I didn't know where to go from here. That's as far as I had gotten in my little "plan." I assumed the rest would come to me. But it wasn't coming. Not a single idea was forming in my mind as he walked towards me, perfectly confident. I just stood there as he put his arm around me and leaned in for a kiss. I allowed this: I didn't have much of a choice. What was I going to do? Kick him in the crotch? Yea, that'd go over well. I'd be dead in like a second. He wasn't that bad of a kisser but I couldn't go through with the rest. I attempted to slide out of his grasp. "Is there a problem?"
"Yea. I'm having second thoughts. I think I am hungry after all," I lied. I needed some time to think of a plan.
"You should have said something before. It's too late now." He put me back in his grasp but I slid away again.
"Then it's not happening. You can just pretend we did it and go on with your life. I'm leaving," I declared, turning my back on him and hoping he would change his mind.
"No. You came here and I took off my armor. There is no going back now." 'Damn my bad luck!' He moved towards me once again and turned me around to face him. I backed up until I was against the tent wall. "This would be a whole lot better for the both of us if you will just play along." He tried to kiss me again but I pushed him away.
"Get off of me!" I ordered, pushing him. He didn't move. 'Damn Nakago! Why does he have to be so strong?'
"Have it your way then. I thought you were smarter than this but I see I was mistaken. Perhaps I will have no need for your spy services after this. Maybe I'll keep you here." 'Shit.' He pointed his palm at me and I felt this strange tingly sensation. I do not like strange tingly sensations. I tried to move but I couldn't. "This could have been more enjoyable for both of us." He kissed my neck and began to descend down it towards. . .well. . .you know but I couldn't do a thing to stop him. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I couldn't lift a finger against him. I now understood what it meant to be truly helpless. I couldn't do much and was forced to just sit there while he continued his little assault on my body. 'Oh God help me!' my mind screamed.
It was then that I felt my mind slip away and my body grew prickly. I assumed it was from the paralysis. From under my sleeves, the bracelets started to glow. I felt a power surge jolt through my body and watched as Nakago flew off of me and into the wall on the other side of the tent. "How dare you!" my voice roared on its own. I had no idea what was going on as my body and vocal cords acted without my consent. My mind was completely gone and all I felt was a severe hatred. Hatred for this man who had my friend killed and hatred for the man who basically tried to rape me. My body floated towards him and I kicked him in the stomach.
"How'd you break free? There's no way your power is stronger than mine!" he gasped from the floor.
"Wrong, weakling. It can be and it is. You will pay for what you tried to do to me and for what you had done to Nuriko," my voice responded. My hand raised and a yellow light formed from it. The light somehow pinned him up against the wall, just like he did to me. "It's not so much fun when it's being done to you, is it?" I smiled and punched him in the stomach, watching contently as his face contorted with pain. "How does it feel? Sitting there with the knowledge that I could kill you at any time and you wouldn't be able to do anything to stop me? Not a very good feeling, is it?" I backhanded him across the face. "Weakling. You aren't worth my time." I drifted out of the tent, leaving an unconscious Nakago behind.
I wandered back down the path I took to get there trying to figure out what exactly I had been trying to do before. The feeling of genuine hatred hadn't died down yet and my mind was filled with anger. How I hated that Nakago! I came upon a stream and decided to wash the "taste" of Nakago out of my mouth. I saw my reflection and froze. My hair was bright red and I had slivery white highlights. The part that I had dyed red was now also that slivery white color. But that wasn't what shocked me. My eyes were glowing an emerald green tint and I was floating. 'I look evil.' I felt my mind come back into my head and I fell back to the ground. "What happened? Where am I?" I checked my reflection. I still looked weird but my eyes weren't glowing any more. 'I wonder if this is what happened before when Chichiri and the others wouldn't tell me what was wrong.'
I studied my surroundings. I was definitely in the forest. What I was doing there, I had no clue. I had a faint memory of beating the shit out of Nakago and then wandering off but it was all sort of hazy. I doubted that I would be able to find my way back to the others and I wasn't sure I wanted to. 'I guess that means I quit,' I thought with a laugh. 'Now I'm free!' Then I remember what I had said to Tasuki and my feeling of momentary triumph left. 'I was really harsh. Guess I blew my chances with him.' It was getting dark fast but now I was sure I didn't want to try and find the group. I knew if they let him off the leash, Shiriko would find me and I wouldn't have to do a thing. I decided to find some shelter instead. I found a little indent in the snow by the stream and piled up some branches around it to make a wall. I dug out the bottom of the indent and piled the snow around the branches so I wouldn't be lying on the snow. Then I curled up inside it. It wasn't much but it would have to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Meanwhile. . .Tasuki's POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I watched her form retreat into the forest. I almost considered going after her but it wasn't worth it. 'She made it pretty clear that she doesn't want anything to do with me,' I thought sadly. I couldn't believe she said that though. 'That's what you get for telling someone how you feel, especially a girl like Yume. I should have known she'd say something like that.' I walked back into the inn, still upset. 'I need some sake.' "Hey Tasuki! Where's Yume?" Tamahome asked me. 'Damn Tamahome. Doesn't he know when a guy needs to be left alone?'
"She went for a walk," I answered, trying to hide the pain in my voice.
"Didn't you want to go?" 'Why is he pushing this? Is he trying to piss me off?'
"She didn't want me to. She told me she needed to be alone and not to follow her."
"What'd you do this time?"
"I told her that I cared about her." He didn't say anything else and I walked away. 'I knew that would shut him up.' Miaka walked in soon after. She looked upset about something but I didn't care. I had enough of my own problems to deal with. I didn't need hers. She walked over to me. 'Great. Why can't these people leave me the fuck alone?'
"Tasuki? I need to talk to you," she said. She sounded kind of upset.
"Whadda you want?" I asked while downing a glass of sake. 'That's the stuff.'
"It's about Yume. She ran into me when I was talking to Taiitsu-kun. Taiitsu-kun wanted me to go to Nakago's camp. Yume said she thought that that Taiitsu-kun was a fake and said she'd go instead," Miaka looked really upset now.
"Wait a minute. Why would Taiitsu-kun want you to go to Nakago's camp?" I asked. 'Yume. . .what were you thinking?'
"She said that by. . .well. . .having sex with someone you can control their life force. She wanted me to do that to Nakago," Miaka answered. "I wasn't supposed to say anything but I have a bad feeling about this. I'm sorry, Tasuki."
"Get the others. We have to find her," I ordered. 'What could she possibly be thinking? How could she rather run off and have sex with Nakago than even think about giving me a chance?'
The group gathered fast enough and Chichiri got Shiriko. "Ok, buddy. This is really important. Lead us to Yume," Chichiri ordered.
The dog took off and we followed on horseback. He led us through the woods faster than I thought a dog could run, wolf or no wolf. 'He must be more worried about Yume than I am.' He stopped suddenly at a turning point and we saw that there weren't any clear footprints. He sniffed the air above both paths, looked both ways, and then turned to the right.
"The camp is to the left. Where is he taking us?" Miaka asked. "And why aren't there any footprints going that way?"
"I don't know but I'm trusting him. No one in this group knows Yume better than that dog," I responded, turning the horse and following Shiriko. 'Suzaku let her be safe. She may have rejected me for Nakago but I still want to find her and figure out why.'
We were traveling slower now. Shiriko was having a harder time following the trail. He paused at a stream and we noticed that there was a mark that resembled what it would like if something fell from the sky. We wondered if she tried to swim across it. Then we saw the first sign of any real footprints leading anywhere in this entire track. We were going to follow them when I noticed something weird in the woods. I got off my horse to get a better look. "Look over there! What is that?" I exclaimed, pointing what appeared to be some sort of building.
"Looks like a really cheap shack," Tamahome commented.
"Maybe that's where she is!" I wasn't sure what I was going to say to her when we found her but that wasn't what was important. What mattered now was finding her. Once we did that, I could worry about what to say. The others dismounted and walked towards the shack. Suddenly, Shiriko stopped walking and started to snarl. Something was out there.
Author's Note:
Smack: Uh-oh! What could be out there?
Nephiro: ::pops out of nowhere behind Smack and taps her on the shoulder:: ME!!!
Smack: Ah! On my God! No! Not Nephiro! Anyone but her!
Nephiro: ::grins evilly::
Smack: Why are you here, anyway?
Nephiro: I wanted to see what was going on in this story. That Yume girl has "potential."
Smack: For what? Helping you take over the world?
Nephiro: Maybe. . .
Smack: Just give them the quote and go back to your story.
Nephiro: Fine, fine, oh unworthy master.
"Frustrating, isn't it?" I heard a male voice ask from behind me.
Smack: Sound familiar? It should. If not then you weren't reading very carefully. . .
Nephiro: So long! See you guys in a different fic!
Thanks to. . .
Otaku Pitcher: You're welcome. I do try to help you guys out, even if it doesn't seem like it at times. Yea, Fate does seem to deal Tasuki a hard hand often, doesn't it? And I update it as often as I can but Smack does occasionally need a life beyond the computer screen, (or so my mom keeps telling me. . .).
Cortney: I'm glad you feel so strongly about the last chapter! Yume is pretty tough, isn't she? But, like everyone, she has her weaknesses, too, and they become all too apparent to her later in the story.
miLady: You're welcome! And yes, Nakago does make an appearance but not a very nice one. In fact, it's pretty mean. Oh, you don't exactly get to figure something out about Yume but something is revealed, if that makes any sense at all. . .
Songwind: Oh, what will Tasuki do? The age old question that never gets an answer. And as for Nakago. . .let's just say something is revealed about him as well as Yume. . .
Author's Note: Hehe. Here's the next chapter and if you can't tell, something falls off the edge. The edge of what, you ask? Read on and find out. Oh, in this and the next few chapters, the point of view will switch between Tasuki and Yume. I make the view change pretty obvious so you won't get confused. It starts off with Yume in this chapter. Umm. . .read and enjoy?
'. . .' represents the thoughts of the character who is telling the tale.
Chapter 21: Off the Edge. . .
By the time I got to the edge of the Seiryuu camp I was really starting to have second thoughts. I was scared. I didn't actually know all that Nakago was capable of. But I do know what I'm capable of and taking on a deranged lunatic is not in my list of special skills. Basically, I was under- qualified. I saw what he could do when we first met and it scared me then and it scares me now. But I have a plan. Sort of.
I looked around the apparently deserted camp. Light was coming from one tent and only one tent. I took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing. . .' I thought as I walked through the doorway. "Hi, Nakago. It's been a while," I greeted sweetly.
"Yume? What are you doing here? You have to leave. I'm expecting someone," he replied, somewhat surprised. 'I bet you are.'
"You mean the Priestess? Sorry. She had second thoughts. I'm the replacement." I sat across from him, crossed my legs, and smiled coyly. "Next time, get a more convincing Taiitsu-kun."
"How'd you know?" he asked, looking somewhat impressed.
"Let's just say that I have my ways." I winked at him. 'So far, so good. I'm keeping in character at least. And my mom said those acting classes didn't pay off!'
He looked a little surprised but then the look of surprise turned to a confident smile. 'That's my boy. Take the bait.' "Well, you aren't exactly what I was expecting but I'm not about to complain. Actually, I'd prefer you over that obnoxious priestess if I had to choose. Shall we eat first?" 'Ew. Gross. That was something I really didn't need (or want) to know.' 'Watch out! He wants to rape you in a dark alley!' one of the people in my head said. 'Come on, Yume. Stay in character.'
"No, I already ate. Unless, of course, you're hungry?" I cocked an eyebrow at him. 'Please be hungry. Please be hungry.'
"No, that's quite all right. I ate as well." He got up and so did I. I didn't know where to go from here. That's as far as I had gotten in my little "plan." I assumed the rest would come to me. But it wasn't coming. Not a single idea was forming in my mind as he walked towards me, perfectly confident. I just stood there as he put his arm around me and leaned in for a kiss. I allowed this: I didn't have much of a choice. What was I going to do? Kick him in the crotch? Yea, that'd go over well. I'd be dead in like a second. He wasn't that bad of a kisser but I couldn't go through with the rest. I attempted to slide out of his grasp. "Is there a problem?"
"Yea. I'm having second thoughts. I think I am hungry after all," I lied. I needed some time to think of a plan.
"You should have said something before. It's too late now." He put me back in his grasp but I slid away again.
"Then it's not happening. You can just pretend we did it and go on with your life. I'm leaving," I declared, turning my back on him and hoping he would change his mind.
"No. You came here and I took off my armor. There is no going back now." 'Damn my bad luck!' He moved towards me once again and turned me around to face him. I backed up until I was against the tent wall. "This would be a whole lot better for the both of us if you will just play along." He tried to kiss me again but I pushed him away.
"Get off of me!" I ordered, pushing him. He didn't move. 'Damn Nakago! Why does he have to be so strong?'
"Have it your way then. I thought you were smarter than this but I see I was mistaken. Perhaps I will have no need for your spy services after this. Maybe I'll keep you here." 'Shit.' He pointed his palm at me and I felt this strange tingly sensation. I do not like strange tingly sensations. I tried to move but I couldn't. "This could have been more enjoyable for both of us." He kissed my neck and began to descend down it towards. . .well. . .you know but I couldn't do a thing to stop him. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I couldn't lift a finger against him. I now understood what it meant to be truly helpless. I couldn't do much and was forced to just sit there while he continued his little assault on my body. 'Oh God help me!' my mind screamed.
It was then that I felt my mind slip away and my body grew prickly. I assumed it was from the paralysis. From under my sleeves, the bracelets started to glow. I felt a power surge jolt through my body and watched as Nakago flew off of me and into the wall on the other side of the tent. "How dare you!" my voice roared on its own. I had no idea what was going on as my body and vocal cords acted without my consent. My mind was completely gone and all I felt was a severe hatred. Hatred for this man who had my friend killed and hatred for the man who basically tried to rape me. My body floated towards him and I kicked him in the stomach.
"How'd you break free? There's no way your power is stronger than mine!" he gasped from the floor.
"Wrong, weakling. It can be and it is. You will pay for what you tried to do to me and for what you had done to Nuriko," my voice responded. My hand raised and a yellow light formed from it. The light somehow pinned him up against the wall, just like he did to me. "It's not so much fun when it's being done to you, is it?" I smiled and punched him in the stomach, watching contently as his face contorted with pain. "How does it feel? Sitting there with the knowledge that I could kill you at any time and you wouldn't be able to do anything to stop me? Not a very good feeling, is it?" I backhanded him across the face. "Weakling. You aren't worth my time." I drifted out of the tent, leaving an unconscious Nakago behind.
I wandered back down the path I took to get there trying to figure out what exactly I had been trying to do before. The feeling of genuine hatred hadn't died down yet and my mind was filled with anger. How I hated that Nakago! I came upon a stream and decided to wash the "taste" of Nakago out of my mouth. I saw my reflection and froze. My hair was bright red and I had slivery white highlights. The part that I had dyed red was now also that slivery white color. But that wasn't what shocked me. My eyes were glowing an emerald green tint and I was floating. 'I look evil.' I felt my mind come back into my head and I fell back to the ground. "What happened? Where am I?" I checked my reflection. I still looked weird but my eyes weren't glowing any more. 'I wonder if this is what happened before when Chichiri and the others wouldn't tell me what was wrong.'
I studied my surroundings. I was definitely in the forest. What I was doing there, I had no clue. I had a faint memory of beating the shit out of Nakago and then wandering off but it was all sort of hazy. I doubted that I would be able to find my way back to the others and I wasn't sure I wanted to. 'I guess that means I quit,' I thought with a laugh. 'Now I'm free!' Then I remember what I had said to Tasuki and my feeling of momentary triumph left. 'I was really harsh. Guess I blew my chances with him.' It was getting dark fast but now I was sure I didn't want to try and find the group. I knew if they let him off the leash, Shiriko would find me and I wouldn't have to do a thing. I decided to find some shelter instead. I found a little indent in the snow by the stream and piled up some branches around it to make a wall. I dug out the bottom of the indent and piled the snow around the branches so I wouldn't be lying on the snow. Then I curled up inside it. It wasn't much but it would have to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Meanwhile. . .Tasuki's POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I watched her form retreat into the forest. I almost considered going after her but it wasn't worth it. 'She made it pretty clear that she doesn't want anything to do with me,' I thought sadly. I couldn't believe she said that though. 'That's what you get for telling someone how you feel, especially a girl like Yume. I should have known she'd say something like that.' I walked back into the inn, still upset. 'I need some sake.' "Hey Tasuki! Where's Yume?" Tamahome asked me. 'Damn Tamahome. Doesn't he know when a guy needs to be left alone?'
"She went for a walk," I answered, trying to hide the pain in my voice.
"Didn't you want to go?" 'Why is he pushing this? Is he trying to piss me off?'
"She didn't want me to. She told me she needed to be alone and not to follow her."
"What'd you do this time?"
"I told her that I cared about her." He didn't say anything else and I walked away. 'I knew that would shut him up.' Miaka walked in soon after. She looked upset about something but I didn't care. I had enough of my own problems to deal with. I didn't need hers. She walked over to me. 'Great. Why can't these people leave me the fuck alone?'
"Tasuki? I need to talk to you," she said. She sounded kind of upset.
"Whadda you want?" I asked while downing a glass of sake. 'That's the stuff.'
"It's about Yume. She ran into me when I was talking to Taiitsu-kun. Taiitsu-kun wanted me to go to Nakago's camp. Yume said she thought that that Taiitsu-kun was a fake and said she'd go instead," Miaka looked really upset now.
"Wait a minute. Why would Taiitsu-kun want you to go to Nakago's camp?" I asked. 'Yume. . .what were you thinking?'
"She said that by. . .well. . .having sex with someone you can control their life force. She wanted me to do that to Nakago," Miaka answered. "I wasn't supposed to say anything but I have a bad feeling about this. I'm sorry, Tasuki."
"Get the others. We have to find her," I ordered. 'What could she possibly be thinking? How could she rather run off and have sex with Nakago than even think about giving me a chance?'
The group gathered fast enough and Chichiri got Shiriko. "Ok, buddy. This is really important. Lead us to Yume," Chichiri ordered.
The dog took off and we followed on horseback. He led us through the woods faster than I thought a dog could run, wolf or no wolf. 'He must be more worried about Yume than I am.' He stopped suddenly at a turning point and we saw that there weren't any clear footprints. He sniffed the air above both paths, looked both ways, and then turned to the right.
"The camp is to the left. Where is he taking us?" Miaka asked. "And why aren't there any footprints going that way?"
"I don't know but I'm trusting him. No one in this group knows Yume better than that dog," I responded, turning the horse and following Shiriko. 'Suzaku let her be safe. She may have rejected me for Nakago but I still want to find her and figure out why.'
We were traveling slower now. Shiriko was having a harder time following the trail. He paused at a stream and we noticed that there was a mark that resembled what it would like if something fell from the sky. We wondered if she tried to swim across it. Then we saw the first sign of any real footprints leading anywhere in this entire track. We were going to follow them when I noticed something weird in the woods. I got off my horse to get a better look. "Look over there! What is that?" I exclaimed, pointing what appeared to be some sort of building.
"Looks like a really cheap shack," Tamahome commented.
"Maybe that's where she is!" I wasn't sure what I was going to say to her when we found her but that wasn't what was important. What mattered now was finding her. Once we did that, I could worry about what to say. The others dismounted and walked towards the shack. Suddenly, Shiriko stopped walking and started to snarl. Something was out there.
Author's Note:
Smack: Uh-oh! What could be out there?
Nephiro: ::pops out of nowhere behind Smack and taps her on the shoulder:: ME!!!
Smack: Ah! On my God! No! Not Nephiro! Anyone but her!
Nephiro: ::grins evilly::
Smack: Why are you here, anyway?
Nephiro: I wanted to see what was going on in this story. That Yume girl has "potential."
Smack: For what? Helping you take over the world?
Nephiro: Maybe. . .
Smack: Just give them the quote and go back to your story.
Nephiro: Fine, fine, oh unworthy master.
"Frustrating, isn't it?" I heard a male voice ask from behind me.
Smack: Sound familiar? It should. If not then you weren't reading very carefully. . .
Nephiro: So long! See you guys in a different fic!