/Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi, not to say I haven't tried. All I own is Jade Stevens, Tara Robinson, and Taran the hawk
Chapter 18: Shipwreck
Miaka grinned. "Okay everyone, ready?" she asked as they all posed for a picture. The Suzaku Warriors nodded. Jade stood behind Chiriko, whom she had started to look at as a little brother, and beside Tasuki, who was still grumbling about the previous picture. She laughed and hugged him happily. The bandit smiled, and the eight warriors and their Priestess posed for the picture. After they each got a copy, Hotohori suggested that Tamahome bring his family back to the capitol for protection, which delighted the younger seishi. Nuriko, Tasuki, and Jade all gathered around him, yelling nonsense about coming along and dinnertime. Tama pinned the threesome under some boxes and left with Miaka. Nuriko wriggled out and followed them silently. The firey haired couple went down into a cabin to wait for them to return.
***************
Jade pulled out her photo album and sat down on the bed. Tasuki sat down beside her. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the album. She laughed. "These are pictures of people and places from my world." She opened it to a picture of three boys, all in their teens. "These are my brothers. Jordan is the blond," she pointed to the guy wearing a basketball jersey. "Adam is the redhead," she pointed to the guy wearing a soccer shirt. "And Zach is the brunette." she finished, pointing to the guy wearing a football jersey. "Zach and I are really close...I think you and him would get along." She wiped a tear from her eyes and flipped to the next page. In it were two girls, one obviously being herself. The other was a few years younger and had blond hair. "This my sister Keiko and I." she said. Then, she flipped to a picture of Tara. Tasuki asked "Isn't that your friend that's the Celeste Warrior of Seiryu? Tara, right?" Jade nodded wordlessly and shut the album. "Yeah, this was a few months ago...before this all happened..." she sighed. "Sometimes I wish that I had never came here and that everything was back to normal. Then Tara and I would still be friends..." Tasuki watched her sadly. "Ya do?" he asked quietly. She looked up at him and realized what she had just said. Her eyes filled with tears, and turned away. "T-Tasuki-sama, I didn't mean that..." she stuttered, feeling awful. The bandit closed his eyes meditatively for a few seconds before opening them and saying "Don' blame yerself, I understand." With that, he pulled her close. She buried her face into his chest until the tears stopped. Then, she looked up at him. "I-I'm sorry..." He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her gently. Pulling away, he smiled his fanged grin down at her. "I understand, my kieri. Ya miss yer family, and if it's as nice as it sounds, I don' blame ya. If I could make ya feel better I would. Is there anythin' I can do?" She let out a shuddering sigh and whispered "J-just hold me and tell me that you love me..." He pulled her closer and murmured "Oh Jade...I love ya more than life itself. Want proof?" He kissed her, gently caressing her neck with his hand. The surprised girl kissed him back, closing her eyes happily. Chiriko ran in just then. "Hello you two, we are embarking back to the palace..." he trailed off, his eyes widening to the size of plates. Jade blushed furiously and pulled away. "Uh...Hi Chiriko!" Tasuki, meanwhile, was grinning like an idiot. The younger seishi looked from one to the other, finally saying in a low voice "I'm inferring that you two are suffering from an infatuation..." He backed out of the cabin and ran back up the stairs. Jade was still blushing brightly as she untangled herself from the bandit. Tasuki frowned. "I hope he doesn' tell everyone..." He watched as Jade straightened her hair and he crossed the room over to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered in her ear quietly "Anything wrong, migoto*?" She shook her head, turning to face him. "We...we better go up with the others..." she said, taking his hand and going up the stairs with him.
*migoto-beautiful, magnificent
***************
The next day, they set out on their journey. Jade was in the kitchen with Nuriko preparing dinner. She was quiet in thought as she chopped chicken and started to fry it in a pan. She loved Tasuki so much, and she wasn't quite sure of how to prove her love and devotion. He wasn't one for romantic words, so how else? 'How can I show him how I feel? I've got it! I could give my body and soul to him, and there's only one way to do that...Do I really want to do it? Yes, I love him with all my heart, and this is the perfect way to show it. I just hope it'll work...' she thought. She boiled some rice and poured it into the pan with the chicken. "Hey Nuriko, hand me the soy sauce, would ya?" she asked. The older seishi handed it to her, grinning. "Mmmm, it smells great!" he remarked, hugging his younger friend. She chuckled. "Get off, you big lump." The two warriors laughed as Tasuki came wandering in. He was slightly green and was holding a hand over his mouth. "Tasuki? What's wrong?" Jade asked, hurring over to her koibito. The redhead shook his head and motioned for her to stay away. He shakily said "I-I don' feel that hot..." before running out again. Nuriko shook his head. "He'll be okay, Jade. He's just seasick.I just wouldn't kiss him for a while..." he said slyly. He was one of the only three (Chichiri and Chiriko being the other two) who knew about the couple, being of the "fab five" that they had formed a few days before. Jade glared at her friend before finishing a batch of rolls. She placed them in the oven and walked out to find Tasuki. Instead, she found Chichiri, Mitsukake, and Chiriko sitting on deck. The monk was frowning at the approaching clouds. "What's wrong Chichiri?" she asked. A huge gust of wind hit the ship, knocking the Celeste Warrior off her feet and into the railing. She picked herself up and looked at the clouds, which had burst open and rain came pouring down. The four warriors tried to get into the cabins, but they were buffeted by the wind. The others ran outside at the noise, and Tasuki whipped out his tessan. "I'll just evaporate th' water! Rekka Shin-aaaahhhhhh!!!" he cried as a huge wave hit him and knocked him off the deck and into the ocean. Jade's eyes widened in horror and she dove into the water after him. The instant shock of cold left her breathless for a second, then she started swimming over to the flailing bandit. She heard a splash beside her, and Miaka and Tamahome surfaced, along with Nuriko. A rope splashed into the water, and Tasuki grabbed it immediately. He tried to grab her, but a huge wave threw her off in the other direction. She blacked out as her head hit a protruding rock, and she slipped underneath the surface.
***************
Tasuki was hysterical when they pulled him up. "We have ta go find Jade! Now, damnit!" he growled. Chichiri closed his eyes. "I can't feel her chi, no da..." The furious bandit grabbed him. "Ya better, or else!" Furious tears streamed down his cheeks as he shoved the other seishi away and scanned the surface.
***************
Jade slowly became concious moments later. She found herself slipping deeper and deeper under the water. Her lungs were filling with water, and she knew at that moment that she was going to die. All of her life had been a waste, for Konan would surely fall without her. And Tasuki...She closed her eyes sadly as she said a final farewell to her true love. The madallion around her neck started glowing brighter as her emotions grew stronger. Suddenly, it flared green so brightly that the surrounding water glowed as well. Jade slipped into a coma as she continued to sink.
***************
Tasuki was still franticlly scanning the water. Suddenly, he noticed a bright glowing from the water and knew what it was immediately. He dove into the water, ignoring his phobia. Swimming towards the glowing, he dove down and saw her instantly. She was slowly sliding downward into the murky depths. Not even thinking, he grabbed her and swam upward. His head breaking the surface, he held her close while Chichiri lowered a rope and pulled them up.
***************
"Will she be alright?!" Tasuki asked, extremely worried. Mitsukake pulled his hand away and nodded. "The worst is over now. Just watch over her for right now..." he said while he left the room. The bandit stared at the pale girl, whose color was slowly returning. "Oh Jade..." he whispered as he stroked her cheek and brushed her firey hair behind her ear. She stirred and coughed up water. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was her koibito looking down at her worriedly. She smiled weakly. "Tasuki..." The bandit swiped at his eyes to get rid of his tears as he hugged her to him. "Jade, I was so worried..." he murmured as he pulled her face up to his and kissed her. Jade wrapped her arms around him and pulled away slightly. "Tasuki, I made a decision today...I...I want to be with you forever...and I want us to be one...so I give you my body..." she whispered. His eyes widened as he comprehended this. "Y-ya want us to be one? As in share bodies and souls? Are ya sure?" She nodded. "I have never been more sure in my entire life. I love you, Tasuki-sama..." He kissed her again, when suddeny the ship jolted. They were thrown onto the floor and the bandit helped her up, grumbling. Chichiri's voice drifted down. "We're sinking, no da!!! Get up here!!!" The couple dashed up the stairs and onto the deck. The other seishi had jumped off, and Tasuki gathered her into his arms as he jumped into the shallow water. They all met up on the beach. Tamahome looked around. "What are we gonna do now?" Miaka had ran up to the forest edge and suddenly screamed. The others hurried over to find a corpse hanging from a tree with it's eyes gouged out. Jade looked at it, horrified. "What the hell?!"
Woah... I got through! Yay! c ya all later for chap. 19!
Chapter 18: Shipwreck
Miaka grinned. "Okay everyone, ready?" she asked as they all posed for a picture. The Suzaku Warriors nodded. Jade stood behind Chiriko, whom she had started to look at as a little brother, and beside Tasuki, who was still grumbling about the previous picture. She laughed and hugged him happily. The bandit smiled, and the eight warriors and their Priestess posed for the picture. After they each got a copy, Hotohori suggested that Tamahome bring his family back to the capitol for protection, which delighted the younger seishi. Nuriko, Tasuki, and Jade all gathered around him, yelling nonsense about coming along and dinnertime. Tama pinned the threesome under some boxes and left with Miaka. Nuriko wriggled out and followed them silently. The firey haired couple went down into a cabin to wait for them to return.
***************
Jade pulled out her photo album and sat down on the bed. Tasuki sat down beside her. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the album. She laughed. "These are pictures of people and places from my world." She opened it to a picture of three boys, all in their teens. "These are my brothers. Jordan is the blond," she pointed to the guy wearing a basketball jersey. "Adam is the redhead," she pointed to the guy wearing a soccer shirt. "And Zach is the brunette." she finished, pointing to the guy wearing a football jersey. "Zach and I are really close...I think you and him would get along." She wiped a tear from her eyes and flipped to the next page. In it were two girls, one obviously being herself. The other was a few years younger and had blond hair. "This my sister Keiko and I." she said. Then, she flipped to a picture of Tara. Tasuki asked "Isn't that your friend that's the Celeste Warrior of Seiryu? Tara, right?" Jade nodded wordlessly and shut the album. "Yeah, this was a few months ago...before this all happened..." she sighed. "Sometimes I wish that I had never came here and that everything was back to normal. Then Tara and I would still be friends..." Tasuki watched her sadly. "Ya do?" he asked quietly. She looked up at him and realized what she had just said. Her eyes filled with tears, and turned away. "T-Tasuki-sama, I didn't mean that..." she stuttered, feeling awful. The bandit closed his eyes meditatively for a few seconds before opening them and saying "Don' blame yerself, I understand." With that, he pulled her close. She buried her face into his chest until the tears stopped. Then, she looked up at him. "I-I'm sorry..." He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her gently. Pulling away, he smiled his fanged grin down at her. "I understand, my kieri. Ya miss yer family, and if it's as nice as it sounds, I don' blame ya. If I could make ya feel better I would. Is there anythin' I can do?" She let out a shuddering sigh and whispered "J-just hold me and tell me that you love me..." He pulled her closer and murmured "Oh Jade...I love ya more than life itself. Want proof?" He kissed her, gently caressing her neck with his hand. The surprised girl kissed him back, closing her eyes happily. Chiriko ran in just then. "Hello you two, we are embarking back to the palace..." he trailed off, his eyes widening to the size of plates. Jade blushed furiously and pulled away. "Uh...Hi Chiriko!" Tasuki, meanwhile, was grinning like an idiot. The younger seishi looked from one to the other, finally saying in a low voice "I'm inferring that you two are suffering from an infatuation..." He backed out of the cabin and ran back up the stairs. Jade was still blushing brightly as she untangled herself from the bandit. Tasuki frowned. "I hope he doesn' tell everyone..." He watched as Jade straightened her hair and he crossed the room over to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered in her ear quietly "Anything wrong, migoto*?" She shook her head, turning to face him. "We...we better go up with the others..." she said, taking his hand and going up the stairs with him.
*migoto-beautiful, magnificent
***************
The next day, they set out on their journey. Jade was in the kitchen with Nuriko preparing dinner. She was quiet in thought as she chopped chicken and started to fry it in a pan. She loved Tasuki so much, and she wasn't quite sure of how to prove her love and devotion. He wasn't one for romantic words, so how else? 'How can I show him how I feel? I've got it! I could give my body and soul to him, and there's only one way to do that...Do I really want to do it? Yes, I love him with all my heart, and this is the perfect way to show it. I just hope it'll work...' she thought. She boiled some rice and poured it into the pan with the chicken. "Hey Nuriko, hand me the soy sauce, would ya?" she asked. The older seishi handed it to her, grinning. "Mmmm, it smells great!" he remarked, hugging his younger friend. She chuckled. "Get off, you big lump." The two warriors laughed as Tasuki came wandering in. He was slightly green and was holding a hand over his mouth. "Tasuki? What's wrong?" Jade asked, hurring over to her koibito. The redhead shook his head and motioned for her to stay away. He shakily said "I-I don' feel that hot..." before running out again. Nuriko shook his head. "He'll be okay, Jade. He's just seasick.I just wouldn't kiss him for a while..." he said slyly. He was one of the only three (Chichiri and Chiriko being the other two) who knew about the couple, being of the "fab five" that they had formed a few days before. Jade glared at her friend before finishing a batch of rolls. She placed them in the oven and walked out to find Tasuki. Instead, she found Chichiri, Mitsukake, and Chiriko sitting on deck. The monk was frowning at the approaching clouds. "What's wrong Chichiri?" she asked. A huge gust of wind hit the ship, knocking the Celeste Warrior off her feet and into the railing. She picked herself up and looked at the clouds, which had burst open and rain came pouring down. The four warriors tried to get into the cabins, but they were buffeted by the wind. The others ran outside at the noise, and Tasuki whipped out his tessan. "I'll just evaporate th' water! Rekka Shin-aaaahhhhhh!!!" he cried as a huge wave hit him and knocked him off the deck and into the ocean. Jade's eyes widened in horror and she dove into the water after him. The instant shock of cold left her breathless for a second, then she started swimming over to the flailing bandit. She heard a splash beside her, and Miaka and Tamahome surfaced, along with Nuriko. A rope splashed into the water, and Tasuki grabbed it immediately. He tried to grab her, but a huge wave threw her off in the other direction. She blacked out as her head hit a protruding rock, and she slipped underneath the surface.
***************
Tasuki was hysterical when they pulled him up. "We have ta go find Jade! Now, damnit!" he growled. Chichiri closed his eyes. "I can't feel her chi, no da..." The furious bandit grabbed him. "Ya better, or else!" Furious tears streamed down his cheeks as he shoved the other seishi away and scanned the surface.
***************
Jade slowly became concious moments later. She found herself slipping deeper and deeper under the water. Her lungs were filling with water, and she knew at that moment that she was going to die. All of her life had been a waste, for Konan would surely fall without her. And Tasuki...She closed her eyes sadly as she said a final farewell to her true love. The madallion around her neck started glowing brighter as her emotions grew stronger. Suddenly, it flared green so brightly that the surrounding water glowed as well. Jade slipped into a coma as she continued to sink.
***************
Tasuki was still franticlly scanning the water. Suddenly, he noticed a bright glowing from the water and knew what it was immediately. He dove into the water, ignoring his phobia. Swimming towards the glowing, he dove down and saw her instantly. She was slowly sliding downward into the murky depths. Not even thinking, he grabbed her and swam upward. His head breaking the surface, he held her close while Chichiri lowered a rope and pulled them up.
***************
"Will she be alright?!" Tasuki asked, extremely worried. Mitsukake pulled his hand away and nodded. "The worst is over now. Just watch over her for right now..." he said while he left the room. The bandit stared at the pale girl, whose color was slowly returning. "Oh Jade..." he whispered as he stroked her cheek and brushed her firey hair behind her ear. She stirred and coughed up water. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was her koibito looking down at her worriedly. She smiled weakly. "Tasuki..." The bandit swiped at his eyes to get rid of his tears as he hugged her to him. "Jade, I was so worried..." he murmured as he pulled her face up to his and kissed her. Jade wrapped her arms around him and pulled away slightly. "Tasuki, I made a decision today...I...I want to be with you forever...and I want us to be one...so I give you my body..." she whispered. His eyes widened as he comprehended this. "Y-ya want us to be one? As in share bodies and souls? Are ya sure?" She nodded. "I have never been more sure in my entire life. I love you, Tasuki-sama..." He kissed her again, when suddeny the ship jolted. They were thrown onto the floor and the bandit helped her up, grumbling. Chichiri's voice drifted down. "We're sinking, no da!!! Get up here!!!" The couple dashed up the stairs and onto the deck. The other seishi had jumped off, and Tasuki gathered her into his arms as he jumped into the shallow water. They all met up on the beach. Tamahome looked around. "What are we gonna do now?" Miaka had ran up to the forest edge and suddenly screamed. The others hurried over to find a corpse hanging from a tree with it's eyes gouged out. Jade looked at it, horrified. "What the hell?!"
Woah... I got through! Yay! c ya all later for chap. 19!