If you recognize it, I don't own it.

2. In the Shadow of the Miko

Sen sat on a soft bed in a small room. She could see a ray of light coming behind a closed door to her right. There was also a window in the far end of the room. Now where am I? She pondered as she kicked the covers away and stood up from the bed.

"And what am I wearing?" Sen looked down to see her pajamas gone and replaced with a clean white shirt.

"Oh well..." She took few wobbly steps and reached the windowsill. Resting her weight to her hands she leaned forward to open the window. Fresh air flowed past her to the room. The sun was setting and it colored everything in dying amber light.

"Pretty.." Sen exhaled. The view was captivating enough, for her not to notice the door opening.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..

Chichiri opened the door as he heard faint whisper from the room. He had been sitting just next to the door waiting for the girl to wake up. Poking his head in to take a quick look he noticed that the bed was empty. He quirked an eyebrow and looked around the room. She was at the window, looking out.

"Good morning, sort of, no da." He greeted her cheerfully. This let in to two things. First, she almost jumped out of her skin. Two, she lost her balance and fell on down to the floor. Chichiri froze to the spot. Oops.. Was the only thing that came to his mind, but luckily he also took notice how utterly improper it would have been for him to say it out loud.

"Owww..." Was Sens answer from the floor. She sat up and rubbed her back not noticing how this innocent act also lifted the shirt she was wearing up her thighs. He quickly looked away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. What's with these foreign girls? Are they all so.. so..sloppy. Sen absently pulled the shirt back down and stared at him with very accusing eyes.

"I.. I'm so sorry, no da." Chichiri managed to smile. "I didn't mean to scare you like that, no da."

"Right." Was the answer he got. Sen slowly stood up and wobbled back to the bed. She sat down and sighed. "Apology accepted. I shouldn't have jumped like that, I usually don't scare that easily." She shrugged." I dunno what got over me, maybe I'm just too hungry." The girl winked.

"Hungry, no da?" Chichiri smirked, maybe she's not all that Tasuki like after all.

"Well yeah. I haven't eaten anything in decades. Or drank for that matter." Sen laughed and patted her stomach. " I might get thin if this continues, plus a lil' wine never did any bad to anyone either. And after what I have been through, I think I DESERVE few drinks.. On you of course.."

"Right. I'm not sure if Tasuki-kun is willing to share his sake, but I promise you food, no da. Just wait here and I will get something, no da." Chichiri was quick to exit. Sen watched him go without much curiosity. Her mind was occupied by the fact that her pajamas had gone somewhere without her.

---

"Oi Chiri! What are ya doing to MY sake?" The flame haired bandit grabbed the bottles from the monk and placed them back to the shelf. He turned to look at his friend. "Are ya okay? Yer not a drinker as far as I know."

"Well, I.. See, the girl asked for some and I thought.." Chichiri explained and reached out for the bottles. Tasukis hand stopped him. The bandit leaned against the shelf, situating himself between the monk and the sake. He eyed the monk suspiciously for a second, before his mind registered what the monk had said.

"Wait, wait. The girl? What girl?" He asked blankly.

"Daa..." Chichiri sighed. "The girl I found yesterday, the one I brought here, no da. The one with the cuts on her feet. Brown hair, blue eyes, pink pajamas. Earth to Tasuki, you gave me one of your shirts so I could get her pajama dried out, no da."

"That's why ya needed one of my shirts? For a girl?" The bandit snorted and shook his fiery mane, it sounded like something his kindhearted friend would do. His hand reached out and grabbed a bottle from the shelf. He looked at the clear liquid inside for a while and then handed it to the monk. " Fine, take one. But I want my shirt back." Chichiri smiled at his friend. "...gives my shirt to a girl.. what a great friend I have..." He heard the bandit mutter as he exited the food storage.

---

This time Chichiri knocked before he opened the door. After hearing a small 'yeah' he opened the door. Awkwardly balancing the tray of food in one hand and the holding the bottle of sake in the other he made his way to the bed. Sen stood up and took the tray, placing it to the bed. She could feel her mouth water for the sight of the food. When did she ate last, she couldn't remember.

Chichiri placed the bottle to the floor next to the bed and watched her eat, or more like inhale, the food. Within few minutes she was already licking her fingers clean.

"Daa.. You remind me of the Suzaku no miko.." Chichiri whispered, mostly to himself, a picture of Miaka inhaling all her food entered his mind. He smiled affectionately to the memory. How long had it been now? A year? He never said it out loud, but he missed the scandalous young woman very much. She was one of the few people who knew about his dark past, and didn't care. She saw past the scars.

"Who?" Sen asked as she waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention. He snapped back and quickly leaned back so that her hand was away from his face. "Sorry. You zoned out for a while." She leaned back to the cushions and sighed. "It's a girl right?"

"Yes." He smiled, oblivious to the double meaning of the question.

"Alrighty then, where's that sake. I'm itching for a drink." Sen faked a smile and reached for the bottle. He's too cute to be true anyway, she thought as she poured herself a drink, but he should smile less. It's unnatural for a person to smile all the time. She drank up and poured herself another. Soon she had lost count of the drinks. She never noticed Chichiri leaving.

---

If there was one thing that Sen could do well, it was getting drunk. She was exceptionally good at it when tired and stressed. The world spun few times, before she locked her eyes to the now empty sake bottle. She sighed unhappily and dropped the bottle to the floor.

"Needs shome more.." She muttered and slowly stood up. "Whoa.. Double visshion." Sen rubbed her eyes for a while. When she finally opened them again, the world looked some what normal. "Oh gooodie.."

Getting to the door proved to be very difficult. Someone had left a chair lying in the middle of the room and she doubled over it, managing barely to keep her balance. She leaned to the wall for support and wobbled a while, and then hopped on one foot to the door. She stuck her tongue out and flipped the bird to the chair before she exited the room.

---

After an hour of hopping and wobbling around, Sen finally sat down to the floor of a small corridor. She rubbed her now bleeding feet and whined miserably as the alcohol was leaving her system. She felt a small headache coming. Sen leaned her back to the wall and sighed. Getting lost was one thing, but doing it while drunk, in a place you've never seen and with your feet bleeding like this, was another.

"This is so not fair.." She mumbled.

"What's not fair?" Came a question above her.

---

TBC

AN: All right, a cliffie!