Sorrows of the Past

by: kellygarcia59

Disclaimer: I still don't own the oh-so-very-wonderful Fushigi Yuugi. Sigh… If I get sucked into Shijintenchisho, I'll wish I own Fushigi Yuugi. Or I could wish to be Miaka and go through everything that she went though. Well, maybe not everything. I can keep on dreaming…

Author's Notes: Wai! Another chapter of Sorrows of the Past! Sugoi! I made it this far! I really have no trust in myself to finish this fic. Only your reviews can save me from the sharp claws of my ignorance of this fic. Alright, I'll stop with the drama.

Anyway, I'm so sorry if it took me so long to update this chapter! Two weeks is like forever. Anyway, my grandpa is dying, and we don't know if he's going to make it or not. So, please forgive me!

To my reviewers, thank you! This chapter's dedicated for you and for all those who are reading! On with the fic!

Chapter 4

Tasuki briefly reached for the house keys in the pocket of his jeans, Miaka patiently waiting behind him while observing the changes in his home. It was a simple medium-sized two-story house with a brown stained-glass door and windows with pale yellow shutters.

The once strong and solid white picket fence, now dirty with large cracks in most places, surrounded the lot. The once well-kept lawn was gone, replaced by an unimpressive but not ugly one. The bright green grass of the yard was replaced with the shade of a lighter, paler one. The flowerbed that had once, for a time, been full of vibrant and fragrant flowers was now nonexistent, almost as if it were never there.

In the front porch, three large traveling bags lay noticed by the pair. Tasuki smirked as he thought of the poor taxi driver. He made a mental note to find the old man and pay him later on. He inserted a silver key into the keyhole and opened the door. The smell of wood and various flowers welcomed them.

Miaka entered the house first while Tasuki carried the bags. She felt a tiny rush of adrenaline surge through her as the place triggered memories. Forgetting whose house it is, Miaka ran all around the ground floor of the house, delightedly shrieking in a high-pitched voice to the point where Tasuki could no longer comprehend what she's saying.

"Mi-chan," Tasuki called out to her after setting the luggage in a corner. He couldn't take anymore of her piercing but eager voice and decided to put a stop to it. As soon as he called her name, everything went quiet. Too quiet.

"Mi-chan," he called again, but no response came. He repeated, but a little bit louder this time, "Mi-chan!" She couldn't have gone to the second floor because the staircase was in his perfect view, considering he's standing three feet away from it.

"Mi-chan!" he said as he roamed the house, looking for her. He went over to the kitchen and when he found that there were no signs of her there, he slightly panicked. 'Shit! When I find that girl, I'll… I'll …'

His thoughts were interrupted by a very soft giggle, which sounded like it had been held back for quite some time now. Then he heard soft footsteps leading to another direction. Tasuki smirked. Mi-chan was purposely hiding from her. She was playing a game with him: hide and seek. This would prove to be interesting for the both of them.

Tasuki pasted a worried and distressed look on his face. "Oh no! I can't find Mi-chan! Whatever will I do?"

As soon as Miaka heard Tasuki's fake distressed voice, she felt another giggle coming. She stopped it with every bit of self-control she had left. She tiptoed as quietly as she can to the living room, hid behind a couch, and found herself in between the back of the sofa and the wall. She patiently waited for Tasuki to find her, knowing that it won't be a long wait.

True to her thoughts, Tasuki came to the living room and swept across the room with a glance. Miaka bowed her head even lower, curling herself into a ball, stifling back another giggle. She heard Tasuki leave the area and she sighed with relief. A few seconds later, she silently stood up and decided to go to the kitchen, assuming that Tasuki had gone to look for her in the second floor.

It happened in a split second. She was standing, and then the next thing she knew, she felt a sudden rush and she was face-to-face with Tasuki's back. Well, face-to-back anyway. Realization hit her. Tasuki didn't leave at all. He knew the whole time that she was there. He just made her believe that he had left then sneaked up behind her and slung her over his shoulder with ease.

"Nii-chan!" Miaka screamed, pointlessly flailing her arms about. "You tricked me!" Tasuki didn't respond and continued on walking towards the backyard.

"Nii-chan! Put me down! Where are you taking me?" Miaka asked, trying hard not to laugh. "Nii-chan! Are you listening to me?" Miaka became desperate and tried to bite his back, but to no avail. She couldn't reach it. Then she pounded his back with her fists, but the wall of hardened muscles prevented him from feeling pain. Tasuki chuckled at her efforts. As soon as they were in the backyard, he spotted the trampoline where they used to play as children.

He unceremoniously dropped her there and she landed with a springy thud, her body bouncing a little as she glared at the mischievous and cunning redhead. Tasuki pointed his index finger at her and laughed boisterously, mocking her. But her glare didn't last long as a laugh erupted from her throat, betraying her pretend anger. Soon, both of them were laughing their hearts out, enjoying each other's company.

After their laughter died down, Tasuki offered a helping hand and Miaka gladly accepted it. When Miaka was on her feet again, she pointed an accusing finger at him. "You tricked me! You tricked me! You're so unfair!"

Tasuki smirked as they headed for the house. "Well, what do ya expect? Really Mi-chan. You've known me ever since ya were a kid. Ya shoulda known by now I wasn't a fair person ta play with."

Miaka frowned, knowing he was right. She should have learned by now, but she didn't. Tasuki sure was sneaky. Miaka went straight to the kitchen, followed by Tasuki. Miaka turned around to face her Tasuki and smiled sweetly. "Nii-chan, you promised me snacks remember?"

Tasuki smirked. Obviously he had been expecting that from Miaka. What other reason did she have for coming in the kitchen in the first place other than ask for food? He glanced at her innocent and sweet smile accompanied by the twinkle in her eye. No one can resist that childlike look. He sighed and went to get the food from his bag while Miaka made herself comfortable in one of the chairs and eagerly waited for Tasuki's return with delicacies.

She heard a bag being unzipped, then some inconceivable sounds, followed by the bag being zipped again. She turned to face the doorway where Tasuki would first appear with the promised food. All sorts of scrumptious delicacies came to mind and her eagerness increased.

As soon as she saw what Tasuki was holding, her eagerness instantly decreased only to be replaced by disappointment and sheer frustration. She roared, "Nii-chan! You invited me here and what do you have to serve me! Airplane food? What kind of a person could be so… so…"

Tasuki leered, greatly amused and satisfied by her sudden outburst. All because of food. This is what he had expected from her and it brought back a feeling of familiarity, teasing her and being with her again. He felt less lonely. Without her, he would have been.

He looked at Miaka, half-listening to her complaint. He chuckled. She was actually getting all riled up because of food. That certainly was a first for him since he left. He decided to stay on her good side, seeing that she was about to burst. "Why don't I just order pizza then?"

Miaka instantly lighted up, clearly delighted by the idea. She offered a highly enthusiastic "Yes! Yes! Yes!" as a reply. It had been weeks since she had her last pizza.

"Alright already. Yeesh," Tasuki mumbled as he walked towards the telephone.

Miaka ate the airplane food at record speed while Tasuki ordered. His back was facing her so he really didn't know that she was eating it. A few minutes later, Tasuki hung up and looked at Miaka.

"I don't believe it. I don't believe it. Ya ate the airplane food? I thought ya hated airplane food! What did ya make me order the pizza for?" Tasuki asked with much surprise in his voice.

"I didn't say I didn't like airplane food," Miaka countered.

Tasuki remembered her words. 'Nii-chan! You invited me here and what do you have to serve me! Airplane food?'

"Ya implied it," Tasuki argued, a small frown appearing in his face.

"I did, didn't I?" Miaka said. It was more of a statement than a question. "Well, it was only because I was expecting something else. I mean, who the heck serves airplane food to his guest anyway?"

Tasuki's frown disappeared, seeing her point. But decided to continue arguing with her anyway. "I obviously do. Ya should just be grateful I had some food," he said as he did a mock scowl.

"I am grateful. That's why I ate it," Miaka opposed.

"That's right! Ya ate it! So what did ya make me order the pizza for?" Tasuki asked.

"I'm still hungry. The pizza won't go to waste." Miaka answered.

"Ya know what? Forget it. You win," Tasuki said sincerely enough. He knew Miaka was right. The pizza definitely won't go to waste. And he had gotten rid of that disgusting airplane food. There's no way he's complaining. He had nothing against airplane food. It's just the fact that they had something to do with airplanes freaked him out.

Miaka smiled with satisfaction. "Great! Let's watch TV, nii-chan."

Tasuki obediently followed her to the living room and flopped down on the couch right beside her. He placed his feet on the coffee table as Miaka browsed for interesting channels to watch. She chose one with an action movie in it. Miaka didn't really pay any attention to the movie, too preoccupied with the presence of the man right beside her.

She smiled as she recalled the events that had occurred that day. He always had an uncanny knack for showing up at the best times when they were children. Today was no exception. She glanced at Tasuki and saw that he wasn't also paying attention.

"So, nii-chan, how are you?" Miaka asked innocently as she faced the redhead.

"Alright," he answered, gazing at her green orbs.

"You've been gone for seven years and that's all you can say? Come on, nii-chan. You can do better than that," Miaka replied with annoyance and humor.

"Ya want my life story?" Tasuki asked.

"Well, yeah," Miaka responded, shifting to a more comfortable position on the couch.

"Ok. My name is Kou Shun'u. I'm twenty-one years old. My blood type is B. I have five…"

"Nii-chan! I already know all that!"

"Alright," Tasuki sighed, took a deep breath and related to Miaka what happened to him seven years ago.

oOo

Author's Notes:

Finally! I'm finished! It only took me two to three weeks to update this. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!

I changed the gap between Miaka and Tasuki's age to fit my fic. Because if they were roughly the same age, then Tasuki wouldn't have been Miaka's baby-sitter. Right?

Thank you for all my reviewers!

Which reminds me, please read and review! Come on, people! Reviews make the world go round! Come on, you know you want to!

kellygarcia