A/N: Recently I looked over this abandoned story and was extremely ashamed of my use of Japanese and my unskillful writing But to stay true to things, I suppose I have to keep up with the Japanese use… embarrassed But I was in 7th-8th grade, I swear it's not my fault! Well, I decided to have some closure, I might as well write an ending to this damned thing ) I doubt any of my previous readers still read it, but oh well, that's the price you pay for abandoning something for three or our years. WARNING. There's a lot of fluff ) I figured everyone deserved some niceness, because of how everything's been for them.
A/N Two: This is just a little teaser for you guys to give you a bit of hope that I AM going to finish this thing ) But I'm leaving on a trip today so it'll be a while before I can finish. This is just nice fluff to appease whoever still reads this.
Seshiri was seated alone at the table where everyone had previously been gathered. Everyone else had either gone out into town, or headed back to the Inn to get some rest. Seshiri sighed, fingering the rim of her tiny glass of sake as she thought. So much had happened in the past few months… Even when Taiitsukun did regain her powers, could Seshiri really go back to being an average high school girl? Seshiri stared down at the liquid as it swirled in the cup, leaning forward with her elbows on the table, a few fingers intertwined in her hair. The girl highly doubted that she could go back to living life the way it had been before. Things had changed so much. People had died, and she had grown. Mentally and physically, Seshiri was a different person. Her body had just gotten used to using it's original powers, and she had just lost someone important to her—several times. First when Tasuki was gone, then when he came back, and then when Amiboshi died.
Leaning down to put her cheek against the hard, cold, wooden surface of the table, her eyes drifted up to the dimming lights. As she stared at the glowing orbs, everything else began to blur and fade out to black. It was a normal trick of the lights. If you stare at a light long enough, no matter how dim that light happens to be, it becomes brighter while everything else becomes duller. Seshiri sighed, closing her eyes and blinking away the spots that she had begun to see because of the lights. Tilting her head so that her chin was resting on the table, Seshiri glanced over to the door. Should she talk to someone about her doubts? About her thoughts of just staying here? It wasn't her world anymore, she was well aware of that fact. She was also sure that if she stayed here, there might be consequences…. But how could she just throw up her hands and go back home, pretending like nothing had changed at all?
Seshiri sat up, grabbing her cup of sake and taking a giant swig, choking all of the burning liquid down. Her eyes scrunched closed at the stinging sensation running down her throat, and she coughed, shaking her head before slamming the glass down onto the table. The hell with it. She decided, I'm just going to go get some damned sleep now. I'm not improving anything by sitting here being angsty. Seshiri placed her hands on the table and took a deep breath, pushing up and away as she tried to free herself from the confines of her chair.
The room swayed and shook as Seshiri drifted slightly, blinking slowly. Did I really have that much to drink? She asked herself as she sluggishly pulled out a few coins and tossed them down on the table for the waitress. Seshiri sighed as she closed her eyes, putting her hand on her forehead. Maybe she'd just go out for a walk to clear her mind up before heading back to bed. She was positive that Tasuki was already up in bed, fast asleep because of all of the food he had eaten. She wasn't sure that she wanted to face him right now, even if he was asleep.
As Seshiri neared the door, of the restaurant, she smiled slightly at the thought of Tasuki. If they went back home—they wouldn't be able to be married. There was no way he would be able to get the permission of her father, or her mother. They had never liked him, but what were they supposed to do? Seshiri didn't want to let another thing get in the way of her marriage to Tasuki. Every time something did, it got harder and harder to come back to the way things were. There relationship had changed so much ever since that first meeting of theirs, and they would never be able to have the relationship that they had had before Yokoshima took Tasuki away.
Seshiri opened the door, closing her eyes at the blast of cool night air. She smiled as she stared up at the sky, the stars gleaming brightly through the dark shadows of night. "We can't see the stars back home." She voiced to the night air, "Too damn bright." She lowered her eyes to glance around the almost empty streets. Here and there, there were a few people closing shop, dealing with last customers… But most people were heading home for the night before the chill got to them. Seshiri shivered slightly, folding her arms across her chest and desperately wishing that her skirt had a pair of pockets to redeem itself for being so troublesome.
Back home, Seshiri would have been worried about gangs or muggers, but at the moment, every sort of evil that existed in the world seemed to pale in comparison to Yokoshima. He had been the supreme evil—something that was much more powerful than anything that existed on earth. True, there were notorious criminals that had been born warped, but at least they weren't demonic in race. But he's gone now… Seshiri thought as she leaned against the doorframe, staring down at the ground. He's gone and he's not coming back.. Seshiri smiled, gulping back a sentimental lump in her throat. She almost couldn't believe that she had fought Yokoshima, and lived. I guess I get to live the whole story out this time. She thought to herself, a bemused expression on her face. Especially because of that spell… I half expected to die.
"OI!" One of the bartenders barked, "Closed the damn door, you're letting all the warm air out!" Seshiri cast a glance over her shoulder, "Ah, gomen." She smiled, stepping out of the doorway and closing the door behind her before folding her arms across her chest once more and taking a few steps down the street. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, as she was too busy looking at her feet. Her destination really didn't matter. She just wanted to be alone to think about everything.
At least.. With Amiboshi, there's closure. I buried the flute he had with him.. But.. Seshiri gulped, I guess there's still his things to think about. Someone has to go through them to burn some of the clothes to erase all traces of him from this world, and then bring Earth items back to our dimension with us to give to his parents. Seshiri took a deep breath, holding one fist to her eye, Gods. I hadn't thought about his parents. They just lost.. Both of their sons… And they don't even get to know why, or how… Seshiri took a deep ragged breath, fighting back tears. "I'm not going to cry." She told herself, "Not anymore." She closed her eyes tightly before bringing her fist down to her side, holding her head wide and taking deep breaths.
Seshiri took another deep breath, picking up her pace. She just wanted to run now. She knew that running around wouldn't save her, or Amiboshi, from anything, but she still felt the urge to run. She just needed to get away somehow. The poor, disoriented girl just needed to get away from everything. Seshiri closed her eyes and began to run through the empty streets, not looking or caring where she was going. A right turn here, a left turn there. As long as she just kept running, she wouldn't have to worry about stopping and letting the past catch up to her. She could keep running from everything. From having to tell Amiboshi's parents about what happened, from her parents who wouldn't let her marry Tasuki, and from the scarring memories of dead bodies left behind by Yokoshima.
The sound of footsteps told Seshiri that someone was running behind her. Seshiri gritted her teeth together and picked up speed, taking a few more random turns. Still, the person followed. Instead of turning around and attacking the person, Seshiri just kept running. If she could outrun memories of Yokoshima, she could outrun this too. Seshiri's mouth ran dry as she raced through the streets. Her feet hitting the ground kicked up small clouds of dusts around her, which got into her mouth and nostrils. Seshiri coughed, closing her eyes as she wiped them with her forearm before picking up speed. Her heart began pounding in her chest when she heard the pounding of the footsteps in the dirt. The person was almost on top of her now! She had to run faster. If she could just keep running… The feeling of a bandaged hand on her shoulder caused Seshiri to stop abruptly. She whirled around to face her stalker, hands raised and balled into fists.
"Nee, Seshi-chan what are you running from?" Seshiri stared at the figure before sighing heavily, putting her hands on her knees, "Tasuki…" She tilted her head up to watch him as he moved into the light of the moon, "Baka," He murmured, crouching down so that she was above him. "What are you doing out here all alone? It ain't safe." He reached up to wipe the dirt off of her face, looking at her like she was absolutely insane. Seshiri let out a bark of a laugh, letting herself sink down so that she was kneeling. "I was sure you were asleep. I just.. came out to clear my head, and I began running and—"
"And you couldn't stop." Tasuki finished for her, "Yeh, I know the feeling." He stood up, holding his hand out to her so that he could pull her up, "Sometimes you need someone to help you stop." Seshiri grinned at his words, shaking her head and taking a deep breath, "Yeah well fat lot of good you did, you only made me run faster. Baka." She grabbed his hand, letting him pull her up. He arched an eyebrow at her comment once she was on her feet, "Made you run faster? What were you scared of eh?" "You, obviously." He smirked, "Silly girl." He ruffled her hair, "Come on back to the Inn. I'm sure you've been running around in circles for ages now." Seshiri nodded in a silent reply, holding his hand tighter as they started walking back to the Inn.
"Don't you worry about anything?" Seshiri finally blurted, looking up at him, "I mean, you're so… Stupid, and carefree. You've got your whole bad-boy-to-hell-with-you attitude." Tasuki rolled his eyes at her, "Aw gee, thanks, Seshi-chan." Seshiri laughed, "You know what I mean. It's like, none of this is getting to you." Tasuki frowned down at her, "I'm not a stone ya know." He patted his heart with his free hand, "This thing DOES beat once in a while. I'm human. I feel things too, why else do you think I say 'I love you' so much? Sure I let stuff get to me." He looked away from her, "I'm just not as vocal or obvious about it as you are." He nudged her lightly, "An' what's with all this depressing talk, EH? I thought we settled all of this!"
Seshiri nodded slowly in reply as he opened the door to the Inn for her, "We did. Sort of..." Seshiri replied, "But… I was just thinking about how we'd have to tell Amiboshi's parents about…" Seshiri felt a lump arising in her throat, and she shook her head, "About…." "Yeah…" Tasuki replied quietly, "I know." Seshiri shook her head again, "Things are different this time. Last time, throwing your life away without a second thought to protect Miaka was standard. This time we weren't really the Seishi, or anything like that. We were just a group of kids who got dragged into this against our wills. We had families, friends, teachers. Homework." Tasuki sighed as he led Seshiri up the stairs to their room.
"Seshiri… Baka.. You know you're having a bad day when you have to get your philosophical advice from me. But honestly. Seshiri, it's only because of the fact that we came here and got swept into this, that our families, friends, and teachers can go on living. Yokoshima wasn't just going to take over this world, he woulda taken over ours too." Tasuki shrugged, "Even if we declined Taiitsukun's request, Yokoshima would have gotten us in the end. Amiboshi died to protect his family back where we belong. It was more than just a miko thing." Tasuki stopped leading Seshiri once they reached the door to their room, "It was a save-the-world thing."
"Mm." Seshiri replied as she stared down at the floor, "Stop acting all grown up." She voiced quietly, before laughing and wiping her eyes, "You're making me feel stupid now." Chibi-Tasuki smirked, planting his hands high on his hips and throwing his head back in a disturbingly clownish laugh, "DAHAHA! Of course I'm making you feel stupid. It's proven that men are just BORN with more brains!" Chibi-Seshiri glared at Tasuki, "You sound all grown up and then you say something stupid like THAT." She slammed her fist onto the back of his head, "Baka!" SD Seshiri shoved past Tasuki, throwing open their door, "Even if men DID have more brain, it doesn't mean they'd actually use it."
"HEY!" Chibi-Tasuki exclaimed, "I'm not afraid to use my tessen on you!" Chibi-Seshri paused in her room, whirling around with a wicked grin on her face, "Try it and you'll burn, fang-boy." He grinned, "That's my Seshi." He stepped into the room, closing it behind him and slipping his arm around her. "Now why don't you clean up and get all that dirt off of your face and out of your hair. If you think I'm gonna let you climb into OUR bed all dirty, you've got another thing comin'!" Seshiri laughed and rolled her eyes at Tasuki before walking over to her bag and grabbing out her night clothes. "Baka," She replied, sticking her tongue at him, before stepping into the bathroom.
Tasuki grinned as she disappeared behind the door, sighing and flopping down onto the bed. Once he heard the water running, he rolled over, his legs hanging off the side of the bed as he traced nonsensical patterns along the sheets. "Stupid Amiboshi…" He murmured to himself before taking a deep breath, "Aaaah, I need to have some fun!" He whined, closing his eyes and stretching out. "This whole thing is so damned depressing!" He sat up on the bed, glancing over to the bathroom door before sighing.
When Seshiri came out of the bathroom, she was wearing her nightclothes, and she smelled of peaches. She was almost positive that Tasuki had planted the peach-smelling shampoo in there, seeing as how they were his favorite fruit. Nevertheless, it was the only shampoo there, so she had to use it. She had to admit, she felt a good deal nicer and cleaner after her shower and bath—as if the steamy water had been able to wash away more than the layer of dirt she had picked up from the streets of the city. "Aaah That felt so good," Seshiri squealed quietly as she closed the door behind her, "You should try having one Tasuki---" She began, before her eyes drifted over to the bed. She grinned slightly at the lump under the covers that she knew had to be Tasuki. She put down her clothes and crept over to the bed on her tip toes. "I bet you're already asleep, Baka." Using her thumb and index fingers, she peeled back a bit of the covers to reveal Tasuki's fiery orange hair. Tasuki was facing the opposite direction, his sleeping face completely hidden from Seshiri's view.. Seshiri grinned at the sound of soft snoring coming from the lump. "Tasukiii" She whispered, lifting up her fingers to draw them softly across his cheek. She was expecting his hand to fly up and slap his cheek, but instead, her tickling actions produced a very different effect.
Tasuki whirled around to face Seshiri with a triumphant, "HAH!", his arms held out wide. Before Seshiri knew what was happening, he had latched onto her and pulled her onto the bed in one swift movement. Seshiri shrieked as he pulled her over, trying to push him away while she fought back laughter. "You—scared the hell out of me!" She reprimanded, laughing quietly as she lay beside Tasuki with her legs going across his middle. "I'm going to make you sleep on the floor for that one." "WHA?" Tasuki gaped, "No you're not, that's not damn fair! You know you enjoyed it." He smirked at her as she began trying to shove him off the bed, "I weigh more than you baka, there's no way you're going to make me leave." With a triumphant and silly sounding, "DAHAHA!" He rolled over her, his hands latching onto her sides, his fingers doing a mad dance across her stomach in a tickling motion. Shrieking with laughter with tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, Seshiri kicked Tasuki off, gasping for air and trying not to break out into a fit of giggles. "You---JERK!" She managed between laughs, leaning up against the wall. "Don't forget—you're ticklish—too!" She added ominously, grinning at him with a raised eyebrow.
Tasuki turned his hazel eyes up to the ceiling, shrugging and replying, "Ehh, sometimes you gotta take a few risks to get what you---" His hands lunged out to Seshiri's sides, digging into them and tickling her as they had before, "WANT!" He finished triumphantly once she held her hands up, "Mercy!" She gasped, eyes tightly shut, "Don't tickle me anymore! I give up! I give up!" "Damn straight you better give up," He smirked at her as she lay on her back, leaning over so that their noses were inches away, "Woman." Seshiri gasped, "Did you just call me WOMAN?" "I think I did." He replied with a self-contended smirk playing upon his lips. Without warning, Seshiri's hands leapt forward to the sides of Tasuki's neck. "AAIIAAA!" He yelled, tilting his head down to where her fingers prodded at his neck, in a feeble attempt to crush her fingers and keep his neck protected. "You know my weakness!" He barked, "I'm afraid that means I can't let you live!" Giving her a fangy grin, he quickly freed his hands and clamped them around her arms before forcing them to her sides. He leaned over to her with a mock scowl on his face, "Do you give up?"
Seshiri bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing as she tried to wriggle free. Tasuki continued to play angry—"I said, Do you give up?" Seshiri lay there in silence for a few moments, a few small giggles escaping from her lips, "…Maybe…" She finally replied, her voice shaking with the urge to laugh. "Good." Tasuki murmured, "Do you have payment for bail?" Seshiri burst out laughing, "I need bail now? Gods, what am I going to do? Do I get a phone call? Because there's this stupid irresponsible boyfriend I have, I don't know if he'd be able to bail me out for me." A low playful growl sounded from Tasuki's throat, "You mean fiancé, not boyfriend." Seshiri laughed, "Right, what you said. How much will it take to get out of here mister?" "A kiss!" Seshiri choked, "Well, I'm sure my fiancé would be happy to plant a big one on your lips." She replied, snorting and choking as she spoke.
Tasuki grinned at her, growling again, "You know what I mean." "Fine," Seshiri laughed, leaning up despite her pinned down arms to plant a kiss on his lips. A moment passed, and Seshiri fell back onto the bed, grinning, "Now set me free." Tasuki laughed, letting go of her and flopping down on the bed beside her, "Man," He breathed, "You really know how to put up a fight, I almost broke into a sweat trying to wrestle you for dominance." Seshiri laughed, "Males. They always have to be the dominant one." Tasuki snorted at her words, rolling over so that his back was facing her.
"Nee, Tasuki…" Seshiri voiced, her tone becoming serious. Tasuki craned his neck over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of her. She was laying there with her hands behind her head, staring past the ceiling. "About this whole fiancé.. thing.." She turned her head to face him, "You know what will happen when we get back home, right?" She watched Tasuki with worried eye, her brow creased slightly and her lips held tight. "I Mean. You know… My parents won't let me marry you, even if your 18th is coming up. They'll never give you permission." She watched Tasuki carefully, trying to read his actions. He only snorted and mimicked her position, putting his hands behind his head, "I don't give a damn whether or not it's okay with them. We're getting married and that's that." "…But Tasuki—we can't afford a wedding on our own." Tasuki turned to frown at her, "Who said anythin' about a wedding? We just need to get a certificate and we'll be married."
Seshiri sat up abruptly, staring at Tasuki with disbelief in her purple eyes, "Are you trying to tell me we won't have a WEDDING?" Tasuki stared at her as if she were insane, "Of course we won't. We CAN'T, you silly girl. There's no way we can afford that without parental help. I'd have to work two jobs alone to pay for the damned apartment." Seshiri stared at Tasuki until he had finished talking, slowly letting herself fall back onto the bed. "Maybe…" She began quietly, "Maybe we should wait… then…" Now it was Tasuki's turn to sit up abruptly. "WAIT?" He demanded, staring at her, "We can't WAIT, not after," He flapped his hands around, "All this!" Seshiri frowned. "But I want a wedding." Tasuki scowled, "You know what your family thinks of me, they'd never approve. But—DAMMIT—Seshiri. I refuse to wait any longer." He sat on the bed, facing her, "When I was kidnapped by Yokoshima, I thought I'd never see you again, and I regretted not getting married sooner! There's no way that you can damn well tell me that you don't want to get married after all this!..."
The girl watched Tasuki intently for a few moments after he stopped talking before sighing. "Well… I meant… Mostly.. What if we waited to get married there—but.. Well." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as her gaze drifted over to the wall on the opposite side of the room, behind Tasuki. "Well.. Get married here."
Chibi-Tasuki's jaw dropped, and he stared at Seshiri with wide eyes. "Demo—demo--… Seshi-chan," He turned pink, staring down as he poked his two index fingers together, "You know, getting married here… There's.. No ceremony.. You just.. Kinda.." He turned pink, "You really want to—" "Yes," Was Chibi-Seshiri's bashful reply as she stared down at Tasuki's feet, "Yeah. I mean. If it's here. It's marriage if.. Well.. Like what Miaka and Tamahome did. And.. Well…" She looked up at Tasuki, who was staring at her with giant saucer-shaped eyes. "When…?" He breathed, staring at her with disbelief and awe written all over his face.
"Well…" Seshiri gulped, "What about. Well. How about.. Um. Well. I don't want to wait—and we don't know when we'll have another chance to get married before we go back home—and well… Well… Maybe—" "—Now." Tasuki finished for her, his voice no louder than a whisper. Normally, Seshiri would have laughed, but she supposed that Tasuki had been waiting for her to say something like this for so long, that it all seemed rather surreal to him. "H-Haiii..." She replied softly, quickly turning her eyes down to her hands. Even in her past lives, for one reason or another, Seshiri had never lived long enough to get married or experience anything that came along with marriage. When Tasuki had been around in the past, h had died too soon, and so had she. But now, despite everything that had happened, in lives both past and present, there they sat-together still.
Tasuki stared at Seshiri, who continued to watch his feet like they were the most interesting things she had ever seen. Seshiri could feel his eyes watching her, making her blush deepen slightly. Aaah how could I say something so stupid and embarrassing? I Should just take it back now before—Seshiri felt Tasuki's warm hands on either side of her cheeks. They gently tilted her face up so that she was watching him. "You really want this Seshiri?" He asked quietly. She looked down, her face still upturned and held up by his hands. "Mm." She nodded, his hands brushing across her cheeks at her movements. Seshiri's breath hitched in her throat as she glanced up at him. Tasuki was practically glowing with serene happiness, but she knew that he hadn't done anything like this either. Before she arrived, he had been way too scared of women to even speak to them, and he had died before anything could happen. But maybe in his other lives, he had let himself settle for someone else, and then…
Seshiri gulped as Tasuki watched her. It was like he was trying to read her expressions to make sure that she wasn't lying to him. His hazel eyes stared into hers before he grinned slightly, "Do you really—" He began, only to be cut off. "—Yes." She whispered as she watched him. She was positive that she wanted to get married here and now. She didn't want to wait any longer, and if they went back to where they belonged, they would never get approval. At least here, they could have a secret marriage that their parents didn't need to know about. It could be a secret, and then once they were old enough and out on their own on Earth, they could get married there too. "… You have no idea—" Tasuki breathed, still cupping her cheeks in is hands, "absolutely no idea, how much, or how long, I've wanted to marry you." Seshiri grinned, "I have a pretty good idea." "No, I mean it. If there's one regret that I have about the past, was that I didn't hold you close and make you mind while I still could."
"Tasuki—" "Hold on," Tasuki interrupted, dropping his hands from her cheeks and sliding off the bed, over to his pack. "I've had these, almost forever. Before I met you in this life, I didn't know what they were for. But then I did meet you and I've kept them with me ever since." Seshiri stared at Tasuki's back as he sifted through his pack, throwing articles of clothing to the floor in search of something more important. "Tasuki, what are you—" "AHAH!" He smirked victoriously, holding up is fist, "Right here." He walked over to the bed, holding out his open fist to her. Resting in the palm of his hands were two, simple gold wedding bands, with a small drop shaped blue jewel on the head of each. "Tasuki," Seshiri's brow furrowed, "These…" She lifted up one hand to take one of the rings between her index and thumb fingers, "These are the jewels that were in your earrings…." Tasuki gave her a fangy grin, "So you recognize them too huh?"
"Mm…" Seshiri replied, holding the ring in both hands, "As if I could ever forget them." Tasuki grinned, "I don't know when they got changed into these, but one day I found them in my dresser of things when I was about 12. I nearly pawned them, but something told me to hang onto them. And then… When I remembered everything…" Seshiri nodded, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. She looked up at him, smiling slightly, "Do you think that the gods had this planned all along?" Tasuki laughed, "Yeah, they're crafty sons of bitches. I bet they had something like this planned for us from the start. That's why everything worked out the way it did. The rings. Being here. So that we could get married. If this had never happened then we wouldn't be able to. And there would be no sense of urgency."
Seshiri laughed, wiping her eyes with one fist as she held the ring in the other, "What did I say about you acting like an adult, huh?" Tasuki laughed, leaning forward to brush his nose against hers. "Nee, do you want to—" "Mm.." Seshiri replied, nodding and gulping down the knot that had appeared in her throat. Tasuki smiled fondly at her, looking down at her hands before holding the ring up to the light, "Seshiri—" He took her left hand into his, "Mm?" "I love you." She smiled slightly as he slid the wedding band onto her ring finger. It was surprisingly warm, as if the heat from Tasuki's hand alone had been enough to warm it up. Seshiri leaned forward to put her forehead against his for a moment before leaning back and holding his left hand, "I love you too." She replied as she slipped the ring around his finger. Seshiri turned her face up to stare into Tasuki's eyes for a few moments. He grinned at her, leaning forward to press his lips against hers, arm slipping around her shoulders to pull her close.
Now, according to the laws of their old world, the two were married at last.