When You Meet Your Match

Chapter Seven

Having Mayumi around the camp has been a series of firsts for Tasuki. It was the first time he had seen a girl in what he regarded as his mountain, it was the first time he rescued a girl from certain death, it was the first time he tolerated a girl around his camp, even though they do fight with each other almost every night.

It was also the first time in a very long time that he began to feel attracted to a girl.

There was no denying it, Mayumi was very pretty, especially when she's happy, and right now, she was, laughing at the card tricks that some of his men were performing in front of her. She was easy to talk too, warm and sweet, when they're not fighting, and - he could admit it to himself - he liked fighting with her, it was one of those times when he had her full undivided attention.

It also helped that she was very very beautiful.

Tasuki was standing underneath a big tree, his one leg against the tree while he leaned on it casually. He was surveying her, and his eyes went to her leg, the bandage was now gone and her wound was healing nicely, leaving a large brown scar in her leg. He cursed inwardly. He wasn't supposed to like girls, and he had tried to kick her out every time he and her fought, unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He thought about Mayumi more times than he wanted to, and during those time he wanted to banish those thoughts but found that every time he tried, more and more images appeared in his mind. He didn't know what was making Mayumi so different from other girls, maybe he just hadn't seen one in a very long time, and he forgot to have taste, but then again, Mayumi is pretty.. Kouji said so himself...

"Hey!"

Tasuki was shaken out of his stupor and jumped back into the tree as he saw Mayumi in front of him, her big blue eyes staring curiously at him. He had always liked her eyes. For him that was her best feature, it was easy to drown in her eyes...

"Tasuki!"

"What?" exclaimed Tasuki, finally fully aware of what's in front of him, which was Mayumi glaring slightly at him. "What do you want?"

Mayumi smiled at him. "What are you doing?"

Tasuki stared at her. "What do you think I'm doing!"

Mayumi shrugged. "Staring into space."

"Fine!" said Tasuki, crossing his arms over her chest, "I'm staring into space! Is that so wrong!"

Mayumi shook her head, but continued to look at him.

They silently stared at each other for fifteen seconds. Tasuki could literally hear the crickets chirping behind them.

"What are you doing now?"

Tasuki gaped at her openly. Sometimes, girls can be just...annoying. "What do you care anyway!"

Mayumi shrugged, but she was still smiling. "Is it so wrong?"

"No," said Tasuki, "But you're an idiot."

"I am not!"

"What the hell do you want anyway?"

At this Mayumi grinned wide. "Well," she said slowly, "the guys said that they managed to stole some liquor and they were wondering if - HEY!"

Tasuki pushed her sideways so hard that she fell back slightly. Tasuki wasn't that crazy, liquor was still the most important thing after all, no girl could trump that.

Hmm...maybe he wasn't that out of his mind after all.

Not yet, anyway.

Tasuki was in his third or fourth shot when Mayumi decided to join him by the bonfire. He was already hiccuping like an idiot and laughing like a maniac.

Mayumi didn't drink. It's not that she hated it, her brother and father drunk all the time way back when, however not as much as Tasuki is doing right now. By the way, his shots mean an entire pint.

She couldn't stop Tasuki from drinking, after all this was his camp and that was his men. She wondered what drove her to actually go to Tasuki and offer him some liquor, maybe she wanted to see him, maybe she wanted to relive what happened two nights ago...

"You're blushing."

Mayumi whipped her head to her right so hard that her hair whipped her face slightly. Kouji was there, grinning at her, a knowing look in his eyes.

She didn't deny it, there was no point after all, she did blushed. Who wouldn't after all? "So?"

"So you don't deny it?" said Kouji, eyebrows raised.

"Why would I deny it?" she countered, only one eyebrow raised. She liked that motion, her brother taught her that.

"Well..." said Kouji, "you've always said that you didn't care about Tasuki."

May.umi's eyebrow raised even higher, this time a smile matched the look. "Whoever said that I was blushing because of Tasuki?"

Kouji looked surprised. "Okay, so it's not Tasuki?"

Mayumi didn't answer and turned to Tasuki who was looking at her, getting more and more drunk by the second. He was grinning at her like a maniac, his eyes unfocused and hiccuping every three seconds.

"Whatchoo tawkin boume?"

Mayumi tried not to laugh, while Kouji had an amused expression in his face. Mayumi wasn't sure whether he was talking to her, or if he just says random things whenever he's drunk. She's never actually seen him drunk before after all, and knows nothing about him.

It was then that she realized that she knew very little about him. She knew he was a bandit, that he has a fan that can produce fire, and that he's the leader of this group. But she didn't even know how he came to be a bandit, among other things.

"Whatchoohabdafwowninurpays?"

Mayumi was pretty sure that he was talking to her. "What?"

Kouji smiled, and it looked like he understand Tasuki perfectly well. "He's asking why you have that frown in your face." he said, then smiled at her, "so he does care about you."

Mayumi rolled her eyes. "Like I care."

"Funny, that's what he said too."

Mayumi rolled her eyes again, and then felt someone tugging at her clothes. She looked down and saw Tasuki tugging on her pants. "Smoooooooth.." he said.

"Oh for goodness sake's, Tasuki," she snapped, pulling the pants away from him, because he was rubbing his face with it. "That's enough liquor for tonight, Tasuki."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!" cried Mayumi, tugging the pint away from his. He protested with a cry but she ignored that, and put it back in the table. She grabbed one of his arms and pulled on it. Unfortunately he was too strong for her. It took Kouji's help to get him out of the table. They had to, because they knew that keeping Tasuki there would make him even more drunk and then he'll pass out by the fire and Suzaku knows what'll happen to him then.

"Come on, Tasuki," she heaved. "Man, you're heavy."

Kouji seemed to have felt that this was the right time to let go of Tasuki, therefore putting all his weight on her, and since Tasuki weighed more that her, and that she didn't expect that Kouji would let go, they fell.

"Kouji!" she cried, glaring at him slightly. "What the hell was that for!"

Kouji grinned, but said nothing. He raised his eyebrows and walked away, without a single word.

"Come back here!" she said.

Kouji ignored her. She sighed. Well, at least they managed to reach a tree. Somehow, Tasuki managed to sleep in her lap, looking rather comfortable, while she leaned at the tree, away from the fire, but not far enough to feel cold.

"I'm stuck here?" she asked the blissfully unaware Tasuki. She wasn't sleepy, and Tasuki reeked of liquor, which didn't smell at all nice. She just wanted to get out of there, but now all she could do was watch Tasuki drift in and out of consciousness.

He does look nice when he's sleeping, she thought to herself, stroking his hair slightly. How a guy look this good when sleeping suddenly turn into a monster when he's awake was beyond her. She smiled when he responded to her strokes in the forehead. His eyes were opening although they were still slightly unfocused.

"Maymi..." he said softly.

"Shh," she said, "go back to sleep, no wait don't-"

Tasuki was already rising from her lap, but still looking at her. Mayumi willed herself not to flinch, he was still reeking of alcohol, and it was a strong smell too, but he was looking at her, and it seemed rude to flinch in his face.

"Maymi..."

"Er..yes?"

"Idikshatvurbriepmetty.."

Mayumi frowned. "Er..what?"

"Ay..dik...vhab...yufrybrity.." he, er, repeated, more slowly.

Mayumi tutted. She didn't understand, where's Kouji when you need him? She didn't understand drunk!

"Tasuki, I don't know what -"

Then he kissed her.

She didn't know whether she liked it, he still smells of alcohol, and there were still drops of liquor in his lips that she was able to taste. Whatever Tasuki was trying to say was out of her mind, and trying to decipher it was pushed completely out of her mind.

But before she could kiss back, Tasuki suddenly stopped, and then fell into her lap once again, fast asleep.

The taste of both Tasuki's lips and liquor were still on her lips. Maybe it's a good thing Kouji wasn't here after all...