Chichiri suddenly gave a start as he listened to Tasuki's chest for the last time.

"It's beating, na no da!" he cried excitedly, looking at his friend. "But..." he continued with a puzzled look on his face,

"What is it?" asked Hotohori as he leaned in for a better look.

"Nothing, no da." said Chichiri slowly. "Just... I feel like something isn't right." He said finally, looking at the bandit who lay motionless.

"Of course he's not ALRIGHT you fool!" screeched Nuriko as the rest of the Suzaku ran for cover.

"He's been shot AND drowned!" he continued as he stormed around the enclosed area, fist whirling. When the purple haired warrior had finally calmed down enough, Chichiri spoke.

"Yes..." ahem "Yes, but I feel like something is... Missing, no da!" he said.

"Missing?" Tamahome questioned, giving him a quizzeled look, and then kicked Tasuki. "Looks all there to me-

"WADDAYA THINK YER DOIN' DAMMIT?"

Nuriko whirled around, "Tasuki!" but it was Chichiri.

"Chi-Chichiri?" stammered Tamahome. The monk gave a small hop and bowed deeply, administering a familiar grin that belonged to...

"Tasuki?" asked Hotohori in amazement. The monk looked at the body, lying prone on the ground.

"I am good looking..." he commented before turning back to the stunned group. "Yep!" said the bandit/monk. "But only for three minutes!" confused, it was finally Chiriko who spoke.

"Tasuki... You're dead!" The monk's eyes softened, as he looked at the younger boy.

"Yeah, I am, but I've been handed a deal..."

"So..." he concluded a minute later, "I have to leave this body soon." It had been a unanimous decision on behalf of the assembled Suzaku.

"We will leave the minute Chichiri is back." Hotohori replied shortly. The monk/bandit grinned a little and nodded. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated and...

"EXORCISM!" cried the monk, a shaft of light shooting out in all directions as he was freed. The dumbfounded Suzaku Seven winced slightly as an unseen body hit the wall at the far end of the courtyard.

"Guess that wasn't part of the plan." Commented the ever intelligent Tamahome pointing out the obvious. The others minus Chichiri who was advancing dangerously towards Tasuki sweat dropped.

"Dammit it Chichiri!" cried an enraged and annoyed voice from the air. "What th' hell is your problem?"

"Tasuki..?" The monk asked in amazement as he stopped advancing towards the unseen target.

After a few more minutes to explain what had happened, filled on the sidelines by Tasuki's incoherent swearing and grumbling, Chichiri got the idea. The sensation had been a painful one for the ghost Tasuki. The monk had exorcised him from his body, throwing the opposing spirit against the wall. Though in the long run it didn't affect him, it still pissed the fanged bandit off, which he expressed verbally to the rest of the Suzaku.

"I have never heard of the Daji shards, no da." he said finally. "But we had better get moving if we are to find them all, no da!" he ended.

"Wait a minute." counseled the bandit. "Aren't we fergettin' someone?"

Tamahome gave a start as a look of basic stupidity and love crossed his face.

"Yes," breathed the love-sick warrior. "Miaka..."

others roll eyes

"Bingo Tama." came the sarcastic reply, sounding bitter even in Tasuki's ears. Nuriko looked sharply at him, a look of surprised questioning on his face before it disappeared.

"How do we tell Miaka?" voiced the always thinking Chiriko.

"Tell her what..." Tamahome asked, still not fully paying attention.

"Oh I don't know no da!" said Chichiri, unable to keep the note of amusement from his voice. "The fact that Tasuki, one of the Suzaku Seven saved Chiriko, Fell in a lake, drowned, was hauled up by you, was dead, possessed my body, sent everyone on another impossible quest, was exorcised and survived, became a spirit that nobody can see, and is now stuck that way until we find the jewel shards, no da?"

Tasuki cracked up, which was a very amusing thing to see since it was... Well... disembodied laughter. Scowling, Tamahome glared briefly at the patch of air he thought was Tasuki.

"Shut up." he said suavely, which was the best comeback he could come up with at the moment. Grinning, Nuriko stepped forward.

"I'll tell Miaka alone." he said confidently to the others, "Then I will leave and send Tasuki in, so he can talk to her." This decision seemed to satisfy the others and Tamahome sat down with a pout.

"Oh what's your problem you big baby?" Nuriko snapped at him, cuffing him on the head which sent the unfortudent warrior back into the lake.

"Dammit Nuriko, can't you at least try to remember how strong you are?" screeched a wet and bedraggled Tamahome. Nuriko had the grace to look apologetic before a grin lit up his face and he turned, sniggering.

"Tasuki, are you sure your okay with this?" Came Hotohori's soft question. Somehow, he could sense where Tasuki was hovering.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said the bandit from his floating position. "I just want to make sure that I get a chance to talk to Miaka alone... not with..."

Hotohori's grin stopped the bandit mid sentence. "What's your problem Dammit." he growled to the smiling emperor.

"Nothing..." he said turning away. "…Nothing at all."