Darkness falls

Chapter two: Chichiri

Rating: M (and for good reason!)

Summary: On a stormy night in southern Konan a mysterious figure makes it way to the palace, killing a demon in guise of a seishi. Friends and enemies...Heaven and Hell...The truth and the lies...Where is the real Tasuki? DARK CHICHIRI!

Disclaimer: Uh...uh...NOPE. I do not own Fushigi Yuugi and its characters, but I guess you could say I own the way Chichiri acts in this...and the ring...and the demon...other than that...

A/C: WUZZUP? sorry for taking so long. -hides- didn't mean to!

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The first thing Chichiri noticed even before his eye fluttered open was that it was late, very late. He didn't need his powers to tell him that, nor did he need to look toward the windows. It was by the way the air caressed his skin, by the way it ruffled his bangs so softly no mortal would ever realized it had happened...By the smell; a rich, wood smell that reminded him, faintly, of home.

Sure enough, when he looked, the room was pitch black save for a small flicker of a light that sat in the corner, casting a soft glow around the room. He moved into a half-sitting position, careful to not move too much too soon. His body wouldn't be able to handle it and the pain that would follow was no fun to deal with. He knew that from experience.

A red flash drew his eyes to his right hand, where the ring sat glimmering in the light. He drew it towards his face, smiling softly as he began to lose himself in the crimson depths that seemed to both pull in everything and reject everything.

"That adornment is magical, am I right?"

"How can you tell?" He asked, turning his head as he let his hand fall onto his lap. He smiled warmly at the small figure sitting by his bed-side, a hint of love in his gaze. "Isnt it past your bedtime?" He teased lightly. In all honesty he didn't seem surprised anyone was there with him. He hadnt exactly gave the warmest of greetings before.

Chiriko gave him a small grin, but answered both questions anyway. "Not in the slightest." He bit his lip slightly, a motion that was not lost on the monk, before he scooted his chair closer, leaning over to get a better look at the ruby.

"It glows." His voice was soft, a whisper almost, "Radiating light outward, like a wave." He demonstrated with his hands, making it seem like a pulsing movement.

"Like a ripple."

The seishi looked up for a moment at Chichiri's face, "Yes, like a ripple."

"But not like a ripple, correct?" Chichiri moved his hand slightly, letting it catch the light fully again. He had a strange feeling what all this could mean, and he wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing.

"Unlike a ripple it stops, just before the edge of the jewel." Chiriko murmured, "It's almost like its blocked from going any farther..." He froze suddenly, his eyes wide and his breath caught in his throat.

"Ah, I see you have figured it out." The monk leaned back against the pillows, "Cant say im surprised. It was bound to happen. You';re too curious for your own good, Chiriko."

"B-But Chichiri-sama!" The youth leapt to his feet, "Why? Why would you risk your soul this way?" Tears were coming to his eyes.

"Why?" He chuckled dryly, "You ask why I would risk my soul?" He shook his head before covering his face with a hand. "One day...One day you will know the answer to that. Now leave me."

Chiriko could do nothing else but obey. But, as he shut the door to the monk's room behind him, he couldn't help but wonder if the elder hadn't sounded just a bit...saddened as he spoke those last words.

"One day...One day you will know the answer to that."

Behind that closed and locked door, Houjun Ri began to cry.

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"WHAT WAS THAT!"

The demon cowered in front of his master, eyes focused on the ground, the burns from his clash with the Suzaku monk shining on his snow-white skin. "Master...Forgive me!"

"FORGIVE YOU!" A whip cracked through the air, not striking the creature, but close enough to force a whimper from his mouth, flinching but making no move to protect himself. He lay prostrate, cowering with his body touching the ground, arms stretched over his head in a gesture of humility, "Master, please, I beg you, spare me! Please...it wasn't my fault...I had them, I had them- the monk! He was the one...he...!" He screamed in agony, writhing on the floor as a steel-tipped whip came away covered in blood.

"The monk? What about the monk?" Curiosity entered the voice and the hand holding the whip dropped. "SPEAK!"

The demon raised his head slightly, forked tongue flicking out to lick away the blood at the corner of his mouth. His lips curled into a sneer, "It was as you predicted, master. He had, indeed, sold his soul..."

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"Sire." The quiet voice roused the sepia-haired man from his thoughts just in time to see Nuriko walk quietly into his chambers.

"Nuriko." Hotohori greeted with a small smile. It was odd seeing the violet-haired man up before noon these days, and here it was just past the tenth hour. It would have been nice indeed to just sit at the table and talk about nonsense things that mattered little to the suzaku seishi, but it was not to be.

"I am sorry to bother you so early, sire, but you did tell me to report immediately as soon as I came back, sire." Dust from the road clung to his traveling clothes, mud caked his boots and there were some scratched marring his face and neck, as well as dark circles under his eyes.

Making a mental note to ask the other warrior how much sleep he had gotten, Hotohori waved him to a chair. Before he collapses..."You must drop the 'sire', Nuriko. We are friends are we not? Brothers as it were. You have earned the right to call me Hotohori. Now come, sit, and tell me what you have learned."

The seishi dropped wearily into the offered chair. "Well sir-Hotohori..." He blushed a bit before continuing, "I went to mt. Reikaku just as I promised and..."

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Chichiri stared down at his hands for a few, tense moments before sighing. "A week, you say? That is not good, not good at all. I have many things to do."

"They can, and will, wait." Mitsukake replied sternly, sitting in the chair Chiriko had occupied only hours before, arms crossed. "You were out for days, Chichiri. Not hours- but five days. You were well past the safe-point, exhausted all of your bodies reserves, depleted nearly all of your life-force and, by Suzaku, you will STAY IN THAT BED!"

The monk flung the covers back, "And how, exactly, do you think you will make me do this?" His voice dropped as if by cue, cold and hard as his eye narrowed at the healer, his very posture daring him to make a move...any move at all. One more outburst, one more challenge to the authority that called himself Suzaku no shichiseishi Chichiri... and there would be no holding back.

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"Is that so?" A light chuckling started from the darkness, soon escalating to a full blown, roaring laugh that echoed in the cave.

"Yes, master. It is very much so. I discovered it just before the monk banished me." The demon sneered, his fear of being killed evaporating now that he had brought his master the information they needed. "This is it, master. The key we need!"

The laughter slowly died as a hand came up slowly, black flames collected in its palm. "No...There you are wrong. It is the key that I need."

"MASTER!" The demon shrieked, scrambling backwards on his knees, ""MASTER PLEASE, PLEASE, NO! HAVE I NOT BEEN A GOOD SPY? A GOOD SERVANT?"

"Perhaps...But I have no more need for you." The flames blasted forward, striking the other so hard he was thrown into the air, the darkness enveloping him completely, his shrieks fading as his body disintegrated, his life-force blinking out like a candle flame against the wind.

Effortless. Quick. Beautiful.

There was light chuckling as the last of the fire vanished."Yes, the key that I need...To finally settle the score..."

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Short, I know! But im working on the next one and will hopefully have the next chapter up either tonight or early tomorrow. I apologize for the long wait you guys had. Im sorry!

Now, click that button on the bottom left of your screen that says 'submit review' and drop me a line! Bye!