When You Meet Your Match

Chapter Five

Kouji assured Tasuki that whatever he saw between him and Mayumi was completely platonic.

"Come on, Genrou," he said, laughing slightly, "Do you really think that I would go after your girl?"

At this Tasuki tried to whack him in the head with the fan, but Kouji was able to duck and miss the offending object. When he got back up, Tasuki was glaring at him. "Whoever said that that Mayumi is my girl?"

"Then why are you acting like it?"

Tasuki looked at him disbelievingly. He's got to be out of it."Are you kidding with me?" he asked incredolously."The girl hates my guts, we shout at each other every time that I'm here, she doesn't tolerate me in her own little world and you think that I would start having feelings for a girl like that?"

Kouji crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well do you?"

"NO!" he shouted indignantly. "Haven't you known me? I hate all girls! And especially girls like Mayumi who go out of their way to frigging annoy me all the time and think that it's frigging amusing to have shouting matches every goddamned night of the week!"

Kouji backed away slightly. He knew it was only a matter of time before flames of fire start forming all around them. It was hardly everyday that Tasuki gets enraged like this. "Relax Genrou," said Kouji, "I wasn't trying to get you to admit that you like her!"

Tasuki pouted at him. "Yes you were."

Kouji shook his head. Sometimes, he is so immature. "Ok so maybe I were." he said, owning up to it and making Tasuki's pout increase four fold. "But you've got to admit that she's not like the rest of the girls back there, all prissy and arrogant."

Tasuki thought about it and looked at the camp, where Mayumi was smiling at a group of people who were showing her a card trick. She clapped along when she was revealed the trick and laughed heartily with them. "Well, I guess I could give her that..."

"Exactly," said Kouji, "trust me man, she's just like one of the guys, only you can do it with her."

Tasuki glared at him. "Why? Are you planning to?"

Koiji looked at him. "Are you?" he challenged, leaning in slightly for his answer.

Tasuki cursed inwardly. He got him there and turned away from his friend. When he turned back Kouji was looking shocked. "You are!"

Tasuki shook his head fiercely. "No of course not!"

But him blushing gave him away.

"YOU ARE!" Kouji practically shouted, his eyes wide, wider than normal, wide anime-style. Tasuki tackled him so hard that they both fell on the ground. When this happened, Kouji shouted, "Don't Genrou! I don't bend that way!"

This confused Tasuki and he stood up. "What?"

Kouji looked at Mayumi and looked guiltily at Tasuki. "Er, never mind."

"What is it Kouji?" he couldn't help it, he was intrigued.

"Nothing," insisted Kouji, "it's between me and Mayumi, it doesn't concern you."

Tasuki had known Kouji for a very long time now, and being that as it may it had a lot of benefits. For instance, he knew, just by looking at Kouji, if he's lying or not. He would look at his hands and sway back and forth whenever he was lying.

This is exactly what he was doing right now.

"You're lying to me, Kouji," said Tasuki, raising an eyebrow at him. "You said you and Mayumi were talking about me a while ago, and if it's got something to do with me, then you might as well tell me now."

Kouji looked at him. "But I promised Mayumi I wouldn't tell anyone." he said.

"Tell me now!" said Tasuki, threatening the giant fan on him.

"All right, all right," said Kouji, raising both his arms, and he told him.

After he told him, Tasuki's eyes grew wide and then narrow with anger. He turned to Mayumi who was still laughing at the card tricks of the rest of the bandits, and he made a beeline in her direction. When he was seen by the bandits they grew quiet, and Mayumi looked at him curiously.

He grabbed Mayumi's arm and made her stand up. "Hey! What was that for?" cried Mayumi, massaging her arm.

"What you said was uncalled for!" cried Tasuki, his face very very close to her own. She could practically see the fire rage in his eyes.

"What? What did I say!" she was genuinely confused.

"You know what you said to Kouji! Don't try denying it!"

Mayumi looked at Kouji who looked apologetic. "I told Kouji a lot of things! But I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't deny it!"

"What the hell did I-"

"I AM NOT GAY!"

Comprehension dawned upon Mayumi's face as she looked at Tasuki's enraged face. "Oh..."

If it weren't such a tense situation, then the rest of the bandits would be laughing their hearts out right now.

"How dare you accuse me of being gay! I am the leader of a notorious and dangerous group of bandits! I have no problem killing you or anyone else for that matter!"

"I never said that you weren't a strong leader! You told me that you didn't like girls, so that just leaves -" she was looking on the ground and then back at him with a small smile in his face, a smile that wasn't returned by Tasuki, who was still looking like he's just been offended by the rest of the world.

"Just because I don't like girls doesn't mean that I'm gay!" shouted Tasuki, who was shaking with anger now. "I have half a mind to kick you out -"

"Then why don't you?" challenged Mayumi. "You're such a big strong man, it'll be easy to throw me out into the forest."

Tasuki wanted to do it, he really did, but Kouji was already holding him back from doing anything drastic. He thought that he wasn't the only one who actually cared for the girl, not that anyone knows that he actually cares for the girl.

But that didn't cross his mind right now. Right now at this moment, all he wanted to do was to throttle Mayumi.

"You know what? You're so narrow minded!"

"Ha! Is that the best that you've got?"

"Just because I don't pick fights with girls -"

"You fight with me all the time!"

"That's because you're not a normal girl!"

"Well if the basis of a good man is normality then you're not included in that list!"

"I don't care!"

"What makes you think that I care that you care!"

Silence stood for ten seconds.

"I don't like you."

"Who says I like you?"

"I don't even care for you."

"Who says I care that you care?"

'I could have you thrown out of the forest right now."

"I'd like to see you try."

They glared at each other for a whole minute.

"I hate you."

"I hate you more."

"I hate you first."

"Time out!" cried Kouji, who looked quite amused. They both glared at him. No doubt they thought he was the responsible one for this entire scenario. "Break it up you two, that's enough."

Mayumi gave a final death glare to Tasuki before gracefully turning and going back inside her tent.

Tasuki glared at the tent. "I hate that girl."

Kouji nodded. "Keep telling yourself that Genrou, and you might just convince yourself."