Chapter Fifty-Two

Suzuno had been drifting in and out of consciousness for hours, feeling a soft throb in the back of her mind. It wasn't a headache of sorts, nor did she think it was caused by the wounds Reikoku had given her earlier that day. She'd felt the same sort of pain several times on their journey so far, though for the most part she had kept quiet about it unless it had gotten serious. She felt much better than before; she had a suspicion it was because of Subaru's help.

'And,' Suzuno thought, touching her lips a little bit. They were still tingling, as if she'd eaten some sort of spice and its strong, enticing taste stayed behind. 'I can't exactly remember it . . . but I could have sworn Amefuri . . .'

The thought alone made her blush, and the pain she was feeling in the back of her head grew a little stronger. She sat up a little in the bed she was in, realizing that it was Amefuri's room immediately. A dizzy spell made her want to fall back down against the mattress but she refused, stepping out onto the floor.

"Oh," she said, shivering a little at the cold. She wasn't wearing any socks a felt and little nervous about their disappearance since that was where she kept the scroll she was given by Taiitsukun. Her thoughts instantly shifted again as she felt her neck, her digits guiding along a small, thin cut. "I . . . I can talk again . . ."

Her voice, though a little rough by sound, seemed almost perfectly fine again. It was as if she hadn't battled anyone earlier that day all. 'Actually, I sort of want to forget that . . . I'm proud, but . . . it was scary.'

Suzuno turned to see that there was a small stool in the corner of the room. Right next to it on the ground were her school shoes along with her socks, then on the top of it was the scroll. She was also a bit surprised to see none other than Reikoku's sword there as well, still stained with both the blood of her and her enemy's.

Ignoring the blade since she found no particular use for it for now, Suzuno hurried and put on her socks and shoes, stuffing the scroll back in its rightful place a feeling just a little more relieved knowing where it was again. She turned to slowly creak open the entrance door to the room, noticing the extreme darkness around her as soon as she stepped out.

'Everyone must be asleep,' she thought. She could vaguely remember Amefuri coming back, and before Toroki was by her side. Those were the only two people she was sure would be there. Lanva and Subaru might have come back, but they also could have been at home at this time of night, and then there was Tatara . . .

'I told him I wanted to go see him in the morning,' she thought as she walked along the wooden floor of the home. In the kitchen she could see Toroki and Aoi-Yuki resting together, and she smiled. She was glad that they could sleep after such a terrifying day. 'I'm not tired though . . . I don't feel well, but . . .'

Something along her instincts kept bringing her thoughts back to the Warrior of Byakko, the one that she had felt the most safe around. She knew where he had to be, where he had said he was going to be the next time they met. It was later than planned, but still . . .

"I'll wait for you."

"Suzuno?"

That wasn't the voice of the one she wanted to see, but a kind one nonetheless. Suzuno turned around to see Amefuri standing behind her after just stepping out of the door of his mother's room. His expression looked like many things at once to her; the moment their eyes met she could see something foreign, very emotional. But the contact didn't last for long, as he averted his eyes quickly.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," he said softly. She noticed something awkward about the way he spoke, but she decided to ignore it. Instead, she smiled. Suzuno decided it was probably best not to mention the fact that she still felt ill.

"It's only thanks to you," she replied, vaguely remembering the kiss which made the both of them turn red at the cheeks. But already she was starting to feel a little restless, her mind gravitating back to the Haunted Mountain and Tatara. Somehow, even if it seemed rude, she just didn't want to dawdle. She wanted to go there to badly at the moment, just to see him and speak to him. 'Just to be there . . .'

She quickly said a goodbye and turned towards the door but immediately felt Amefuri's hand on her shoulder to stop. She gave him one last glance, and was surprised to see that he seemed a little desperate. "Let's go outside together, if that's what you want to do."

"I don't know . . ."

"What?"

She didn't exactly know what to say. While she knew that something in the back of her mind just wanted to talk to Tatara alone, she also didn't want to refuse his company like that. It was kind of him to offer walking her around at the time of night it was. With that, she nodded and the both of them quietly stepped outside.

A darkness engulfed the two of them right away, the only source of light coming from lit lamps all around the streets. Their steps were muffled by the compacted dirt underneath them so there was barely a sound, but already they were beginning to feel uncomfortable around each other. Suzuno kept taking glances at him then looking away. 'Now that I think about it, him being here at the moment makes me feel embarrassed'

"Toroki told me what happened with you and him earlier that day," Amefuri began, catching her attention. He smiled sweetly, making her blush again as he spoke. "You were very brave to take on a soldier like that."

At first she didn't reply, flattered and unsure of what to say, but she had thought that not saying anything at all could be even more rude. She modestly smiled back. "Thank you, but . . . it really wasn't a lot. I was just swinging the sword; I don't even know how to use it."

"But you managed to swipe across the face of a man who's trained to keep that from happening!" Amefuri gestured a line coming from one eyebrow tracing to the opposite cheekbone to emphasize what he meant. "With what Toroki was telling me, it'll probably be a scar that won't heal. Imagine the shame!"

"Yeah, I guess so." Suzuno did laugh a little when she thought of that. In all honesty, she was afraid of Reikoku, but not nearly as much as she was before when they had first met. That powerful confidence didn't make her feel so small, and it might just have been because of her own strength.

But at soon as that conversation was finished they were both back to the way they were; uncomfortable. 'Maybe I should focus on where I want to go instead of things that have happened between us lately, or how strange he's been acting.'

"I think," she said aloud, not really speaking to anyone, "It's in this direction."

"What is?" Amefuri asked. Finally, something to break the ice. For a moment she didn't say anything as she analyzed her surroundings to make sure she was correct about things.When she was finished she spoke.

"Actually, this whole time I was hoping to go to the . . . Haunted Mountain," she said quietly. As she answered she partly regretted it; she knew that for some reason Amefuri didn't have much of a friendly relationship with Tatara. She gave him a worried expression as he stopped walking, only to be returned with one a little more than angry. It surprised her. "Are you . . . okay?"

Amefuri forced himself to calm the unusual heat of frustration he was feeling right then, afraid of making her go away because of his unusual lack of control. He didn't know why things were starting to go the way they were, or why he hated it and wanted it all at the same time. He wanted to stay with her and take her where she wanted to go, but not if it meant going to see him.

What was making him so angry about this anyway? He kept asking himself, but he just wasn't finding the right answer. All of these crazy and intense sensations would waft through him every time he looked or thought about Suzuno; it was just her, and her alone. He couldn't even think about her being involved with someone else without being angry about it. 'Then . . . it might really be . . .'

The heavy silence between them began to weigh on them heavier as the warrior opened and closed him mouth to speak, as if he couldn't exactly find the right words to form what he wanted to say. He thought back to recent memories over the past two days, thinking of all the things that had to do with Suzuno and how it made him feel. Her smile, her pain, his worry. 'The kiss . . .'

"Do you love Suzuno?"

It was his most recent one that had to do with her, something that made him feel a pit of disgust. He almost felt stupid for even bothering to ask the question to Tatara; the two never really talked personally and even though they were in the fight with the Priestess, he almost felt like he wouldn't mind having him as an enemy. And it was only because of how they were tied to Suzuno. 'This is just . . I'm . . .'

"Amefuri?" Suzuno whispered in a bit of a questioning tone, worried. She stepped towards him slowly, her hands reaching out in a sort of comfort. She noticed how out of focus he suddenly seemed with his surroundings; it was as if he were in deep thought. "Are you oka-"

Suzuno yelped as Amefuri snapped out of his phase and unexpectedly grabbed both of her wrists, pushing her up against the wall of one of the buildings. Shadows from a lamp hanging nearby illuminated his face, but as Suzuno gradually opened the eyes she had closed for the impact, all she could see were the dark shadows. 'I'm scared! . . . What's wrong?'

"How do I put this . . .?" Amefuri muttered quietly, though because of their distance towards one another she heard it perfectly clear. He seemed to be doing the same thing he was just a moment ago, his mind turned on and swimming in his own thoughts. He spoke slowly to try and visualize what he wanted to say, and Suzuno listened intently.

"I . . . Ever since I met you, I've been getting confused about things . . . before, life was simple. It was fine, and I . . . I liked it. But now . . . with you here, it feels like there's something more for me. I don't want things to be the way they were before. But . . . it's not because you're the Priestess."

"It . . . it isn't?"

He shook his head a little bit, and she noticed his face seemed to come closer to her than it was before. Before she even realized it he seemed to gravitate to her even more and he began to close his eyes. "No . . . it's because . . . I . . ."

Suzuno's body froze when she felt him give her a warm, light kiss, sending an astonishing emotion through her body that made her unable to move from the spot. This one was far different from the other two had had given her; they were hard, deep, seductive, but neither one gave such a strong fit of passion that took her breath away. Before, she had never felt so much love.

He never tried to take it further. When he backed away, his eyes waiting for a response, neither of them dared to speak. Suzuno, who unconsciously licked her lips remembering the feel of him only turned away when she started to recall what was happening and how suddenly drained she felt from something so light. A heavy blush rose across her cheeks and heated her face, but when she glanced to Amefuri there was no such thing. His face was almost too serious and true for her liking.

"I . . ." she started, not at all sure how to reply to it. 'I always thought . . . just . . .'

She noticed Amefuri sighed heavily, one that to her sounds like one of relief. A small smile escaped and again he approached her, this time planting a quick peck instead.

"Hmmm . . ." he said, the smile growing a little wider. "I like it. How you taste, I mean. It's much better than any other girl."

"Ummm . . . thank you?"

Amefuri laughed at her replied, then he kissed her again, this time a little deeper then before. But even when she partly was starting to expect it her body was still stiff and unwilling. Still, even then he didn't seem to mind. It was difficult, but no longer awkward. Something about him seemed to light up like he had discovered his greatest treasure just then. It reminded her of when they had first met.

"I guess that proves it," he said. Suzuno wasn't sure if he wasn't speaking directly to her or not, but nonetheless she was curious.

"What's proven?" She was almost surprising herself with how easily she could speak when ready.

"It proves . . . that I love you."

X x x x x

OMGosh . . . I finally did it! Ame-chan finally went out and said it. Oooh, I'm so embarrassed about this chapter . . . it feels so weird! But I think it's about time, and hopefully things will move towards a more romantic setting in future chapters. :D In some ways I feel it's too soon, and in other ways it's long overdue!

Oh yeah! And some may be wondering why Amefuri didn't back away with disgust when he kissed Suzuno like last time. That's 'cause he wasn't using his Celestial powers to control poisons and acids and stuff! He was just kissing. :D

Suzuno Oosugi- Well, I'm happy you feel that way! –Hugs- Puriti and Amai . . . Well, I'll give you a hint about something. Amai has a love interest, and I can't wait to reveal it. Could it be Puriti? You'll just have to wait and see!

sesshomaruobsessed- Suzuno has woken up:D Poor kid is still not feeling great though. And you're also feeling the same vibe about Puriti and Amai! Lol, they could make a cute couple.

RabidMantisGirl- Amai's looks are actually very, very exact to another Watase Yuu character- and he's one of my favorite Watase Yuu characters too (I pretty much copied him . . . lol!)! The ever-too-sexay Shigi, from Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden. Their personalities are so alike too, in ways! Only Shigi has that nice-mature side along with his evil side, while Amai has that kiddish-nice side with his evil side. I guess the only way I imagined otherwise was that he didn't have to strings coming out of his hair. XD –Hugs- Oh yeah, and thanks for telling me about the misspelling!

Queen of the Paperclips- Ack! Yes, go do homework; it's extremely important! Wow, you're all AP? O.o Gosh, you're smart! I only have one, the rest of mine are honors . . . XD But it gives me time to take Fushigi Yuugi Byakko Bouken notes in class, so yeay:D lol, and I'm happy you like Lanva too. He's so fun!