Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

Thanks to all THREE people who've reviewed the last chapter so far. I noticed I average about 3-4 reviews a chapter on this story...hmmm...anyway, I'd like to thank Ryuuka Tamura for the crab scene idea (you'll see what I mean). She was feeling particularly vicious that day, but surprisingly, it fit into the story! (gasp) Anyway, I can't wait any longer to update - I'm just as eager to see what you'll all say as you are to read it! (I hope.) And feel free to leave ideas - as RT proves, I use 'em and credit you guys as well.

Oh, later in the chapter, when I mention they have new clothes, Tasuki is wearing the outfit he does in vol. 14, and Chichiri is in vol. 9 of the manga, just for reference.

Please review. Comments, suggestions, ideas, and helpful criticism welcome.

"Wow – it's pretty…impressive," Kae finished, with a sly grin at Tasuki, who was suspiciously waiting to see what she was going to say about his hideout. Well, the bandits of Ligé-San Mountain liked to call it their hideout, but in reality everyone and their grandmother knew where it was and who they were by this time.

"Thanks," Tasuki replied, puffing his chest out, unable to hide his pride in his home and friends.

"I'm impressed – for bandits, this place is really clean," she added, walking next to Chichiri as Tasuki and Knei-Gong led them towards the main building, after the horses had been stabled further down the path. "I mean, I kinda expected sake and food and junk to be all over the place…"

"What're ya saying?" Tasuki growled, turning around to face a grinning Kae. Met with her laughing face, he sputtered to a halt before whirling around in embarrassment and stalking forward with muttered curses reaching their ears.

"He's mellowed out over the years," Knei-Gong told her, and she looked at him in surprise. "Oh yeah, he used to be a lot worse. I guess he's grown up a little."

"He certainly complains enough," she added, and Chichiri nodded in agreement.

"I do not!" the bandit yelled over his shoulder, but Chichiri only went SD and waved cheerfully at him. "And cut that out!" Tasuki ordered, before being mobbed by another group of bandits. "Waugh!"

"It's hard to imagine you guys as bandits," Kae told Knei-Gong, who grinned.

"Yeah, I know. Bandits are usually coarse, ugly, and –"

"I meant, I can't imagine you ever getting anything done," she finished, and he looked momentarily deflated before Tasuki's yelps caught his attention.

"Better go get Huan-Lang before he toas–"

"Rekka Shin'en!"

"Never mind," Knei-Gong shrugged as Tasuki drove away his rabid followers with his harisen and turned his attention back to an amused Chichiri and confused Kae. "Anyway, you both're probably hungry as hell, right? C'mon, I'll show you guys where the food is – unless Chichiri remembers?"

"Daa," he nodded, and the other bandit sighed in relief.

"Great. You two can do whatever while I catch up with Tasuki and ask him why the hell he's burning our hideout down," Knei-Gong told them, before rushing off to his friend.

"Is something wrong?" Chichiri asked in concern as they began to move away from the good-natured brawl, noticing Kae wasn't saying anything and looked surprised.

"I was just wondering how the hell they manage not to get caught," she managed, and he chuckled.

"Me too, no da. Dumb luck, probably. But don't tell Tasuki I said so."

"Promise," she agreed, exchanging a laugh with the easy-going Warrior.

"Where's Kae?" Tasuki asked Chichiri a bit later, noticing the Warrior talking to a few bandits and the lack of his usual female companion.

"Sleeping in her room."

"Sleeping again?" he repeated in disbelief. "All that chick does is sleep lately! And…wait, you left her alone?"

"Daa," Chichiri nodded, looking innocently at Tasuki. "She needs the rest, after using so much power. Her body isn't used to using all that chi at once. I didn't think your men would be low enough to try anything after what you did."

"After I did what?" Tasuki grumbled, but rose to his feet and stalked out of the room. Knei-Gong shook his head in amusement and turned to a cheerful-looking Chichiri with a question.

"You're enjoying that, aren't you?"

"No da?"

"Don't play innocent."

"Get outta here, ya perverts!" Tasuki yelled, kicking aside several men who were crouched by Kae's door.

"Ow! But boss, we were only…"

"Get lost! I'm still the leader 'round here!" he ordered, glaring after the scattering bandits. Shaking his head in disbelief that Chichiri had left Kae alone, he peeked into her room, only to find her on her side out cold, with Tama stretching out on her side. The cat's position only accentuated her curves and Tasuki couldn't help but gulp convulsively, and he slid the door quietly behind him as he crept forward.

"I'm only makin' sure she's alright," he told himself firmly, gazing down at her sleeping form. She shifted slightly, and Tasuki found himself looking straight down her shirt. "Face!" he shook his head vigorously and backed off – right into Chichiri's staff, which the monk had left with Kae in order to have some protection, making more noise than Tasuki thought possible.

"Huh?" Kae shot upright, and turned a bright pink when she saw Tasuki scooting backward toward the door in embarrassment. "Ta-Tasu-Tasuki!" she shrieked, pulling the blanket to her chest protectively. "Get out, you pervert! Bo was right!"

"H-hey!" he protested, heading out the door as fast as he could scoot. "Ya got it all wrong! I–" He winced when the door was slammed millimeters from his face, and jumped when a chuckle from above reached his ears. "Knei-Gong!"

"Smooth, Huan-Lang," his friend commented dryly, helping Tasuki to his feet. "Nice set of lungs, though – we heard it all the way downstairs."

"Shuddap," Tasuki ordered roughly, blushing darkly.

"Aw, calm down," Knei-Gong comforted him, slapping him on the back. "No one likes being scared awake, right? She'll forgive you lat-"

"I don't care if she does or not!" the bandit yelled, stomping down the hall stubbornly. Knei-Gong shrugged carelessly and followed his friend, while Kae remained in her room, ominously silent.

"Welcome, Lady Kae!" a bandit said brightly, as her attempts at an unnoticed entrance were foiled when they noticed her coming in the large eating room later that night.

"Did you sleep all right? Please, sit down!"

"I made room for you!"

"T-thanks…" she said nervously, edging closer to Chichiri and sitting as close as possible to him, still not used to the amount of attention the bandits gave her.

"You should be flattered," Chichiri whispered teasingly to her, and she gave him a dry look.

"Somehow, I get the feeling they'd be like this no matter what girl was here," she replied back just as quietly, and noticed Tasuki and Chichiri had changed clothes. "Where'd you get those?" she asked curiously, suddenly conscious of her own dirty clothing.

"Oh, we found them," the monk replied calmly, and noticed her nervously picking at her clothing. "I'll find you a spare set of clothes so you can wash those, no da."

"Thanks," she sighed in relief, and practically jumped in a very surprised – and secretly pleased – Chichiri's lap when a bandit plunked himself next to her and grinned widely at her. "Eep!"

"Sorry, Lady Kae," he apologized, and she blinked in surprise.

"Lady?"

"Don't look at me," Tasuki muttered, sitting two seats away, with Knei-Gong between the two Warriors. Kae ignored him and Tasuki grumbled something, but it was lost amid the cheers when several of the bandits entered, bearing a huge platter full of…well, full of something.

"What the heck are these?" she asked, peering suspiciously at the mottled-pink and red creatures, which slightly resembled crabs but had countless spikes emerging from their rock-hard shells.

"A type of land crab found in these mountains," Knei-Gong told her calmly, reaching across for one. "They're pretty good," he mumbled through a mouthful, the words through his full mouth sounded more like "Shir're biddy gud;" and Kae stared in amazement when she didn't even see him break it apart.

"How do you eat them?" she prodded, picking one up gingerly and dropping it down abruptly when a spike pierced her skin. "Ow! Damn it," she muttered, and noticing Tasuki watching her intently. "I'll show him," she thought, and attacked the thing once more before Chichiri could explain how to eat it. The bandits made it look easy, their skill eating them coupled with their calloused fingers, making it appear to be as simple as eating a normal crab. After Kae had received several jabs, however, she decided to try another method, and went for a pincer.

"Hey, wait!" Tasuki protested, and Chichiri winced sympathetically as a spike emerged from the pincer she had grabbed and sliced clean through her ring finger. Kae was too surprised to cry out, and merely sat with her hand bleeding on the table in silence, beginning to blink hard to hold back the tears of pain.

"Ow," she managed calmly, swallowing a shriek down her throat. "I can't believe I did that!" she yelled at herself, trying her best not to turn red. "Now they all think I'm an idiot! And this fucking hurts!"

"I'll take care of it, no da," Chichiri assured her, turning around to face her and inspect her hand. "It's worse than it looks," he continued, and paused when Tasuki snorted.

"Stupid girl – can't even learn how ta eat crab."

Chichiri was almost expecting Kae to take her embarrassment out on the loudmouthed bandit, but to his surprise she didn't even turn her head, only winced as he tried to wrap a cloth around her injured hand.

"What happened?" she asked, and Knei-Gong grabbed another crab before beginning to explain, and Chichiri cut him off before he could garble some more and spit pieces of shell at the back of the monk's head.

"It's a defense mechanism in the shell," he explained, tightening the bandage. "Even when they've been dead a few hours, it still activated when anyone threatens the crab by trying to grab its weapons – the pincers. And these haven't been dead for all that long," he added, and she sighed.

"That was certainly stupid," she muttered, flexing her remaining hands experimentally.

"I'll help you," the bandit beside her offered eagerly, gesturing to another crab. She blanched at the thought, and smiled sickly at him, shaking her head vigorously.

"No! No, suddenly I'm not very hungry," she protested nervously, and jumped again when a jug was shoved under her nose.

"Drink somma this – it'll numb the pain," Tasuki told her gruffly, dropping the jug to the table and pulling his arm back. Kae looked at him with interest before picking it up and taking a sip, choking when the full effect of the very mature sake hit her.

"W-wow," she coughed, putting it back down. "That's got a kick to it. Wow."

"Feel better?" Chichiri asked, escorting her back to her room after the banquet was over and the majority of the bandits were stoned out of their minds, while the others were beginning to make nuisances of themselves. Kae nodded gratefully, her hand hanging down her side.

"Yeah, thanks for…" she trailed off as they spotted Knei-Gong dragging a futon into her room, apparently oblivious to their presence. "Um…Knei-Gong? What are you doing?" she asked, and he dropped the mattress in surprise, grinning innocently.

"Well, you know how bandits are, and I didn't think it was wise for you to stay in a room alone, so…"

"You were going to try to stay in the same room with her?" Chichiri asked suspiciously, eyeing him. The bandit's eyes widened and he shook his head in protest, waving his hands in emphasis.

"No way! No offense," he added quickly to Kae. "No, not me!"

"Not Chichiri!" Tasuki snorted, coming down the hallway, obviously more than a little happy from the sake, his long jacket – which he hadn't been wearing at the banquet – draped over one arm.

"Well, he's a monk after all…" Kae protested weakly, covering her eyes with her palm in resignation.

"I was thinking…Tasuki," Knei-Gong told them, and Kae almost fainted as Chichiri gasped and Tasuki froze where he was standing. An awkward silence followed, before being broken by Tasuki's yell.

"No fucking way! I'm not staying in the same room with her – make the monk do it!" he shouted.

"Well, you're the boss," Knei-Gong pointed out calmly, taking advantage of their shock. "I mean, we respect you, Chichiri, but they're more likely to listen to Tasuki than anyone else, even me."

"I won't do!" the Warrior protested in anger, as Kae was unable to find words to express her emotions at that particular moment.

"I'm dragging in another futon!" the other bandit protested. "It's not like I'm making you two share a bed! Just a room!"

"You've got to be joking," Kae grumbled, leaving the arguing to the two Warriors instead. Chichiri, however, was contemplating the validity of Knei-Gong's argument and didn't seem likely to be much help, while Tasuki was, while not drunk, certainly not as sharp as he usually was, rendering him completely useless.

"It's just until the boys get used to having you around," Knei-Gong pressed eagerly, sensing he was actually this argument. "After that, Tasuki can sleep in the dirt for all I care."

"Hey!"

"So? C'mon, it's for your own safety," the bandit coaxed. "We're not bad guys, but they get drunk some – well, a lot of the time."

"I don't care anymore," she sighed, surprising the three men. "I really don't. I give up – do what you want," she ordered, stalking into the room and sliding the door shut behind her.

"Looks like Kae agrees, no da," Chichiri said cheerfully, turning around. "I'll be going to my own room, no da!"

"Get back here!" Tasuki ordered, but the monk had already rushed down the hallway. Tasuki glared at his friend as Knei-Gong slung his arm around his boss' shoulders with a grin.

"Aw, c'mon, it won't be that bad," he said, prodding Tasuki in the ribs. "Just for a few nights – you should know how they get. And can you imagine if Tai Yi-Jun found out that you didn't do your duty like she told you to?"

"Fine!" the other bandit agreed hastily, shoving Knei-Gong away. "Just go away! And tell 'em if they come near I'll bust 'em," he added suddenly, and Knei-Gong ran off before Tasuki could hurt him for the remark he quickly made. "Damn Knei-Gong…" Tasuki grumbled, turning to face the door, suddenly nervous. "Kae? I'm coming in!" he warned, stopping himself from actually asking permission to enter. He stepped in before his nerve failed him, and saw her sitting on her futon dismally, her headphones in and wearing only a long white tunic Knei-Gong had found for her earlier.

"Oh, it's just you," she noticed finally, not taking her earpieces out. To his surprise, she slipped a small jug out from underneath a blanket and took a drink, sighing as she placed it back on the floor.

"Ya stole my sake!" he accused, and she looked blankly at him before turning back to her CD player and staring at it. Tasuki paused in confusion when he realized her attitude was different than usual, and stared at her suspiciously, trying to figure out what she was up to. "Hey, are ya sick or somethin'?" he demanded, but she ignored him and continued to stare into space. Somehow, he got the feeling she wasn't ignoring him like the other times, but just was in her own world. "Creepy," he thought, and then remembered the jacket on his arm. "Oh," he grinned, and dropped to a crouch beside her. She looked up in surprise when, with a "whoomp," his jacket was unceremoniously dumped onto her head. "Ya always seem ta be endin' up with it, so ya might as well take it," he shrugged, trying to appear careless. "After all, I got some new clothes now."

A strange look crossed her face, and for a moment he thought she was going to say something, but the moment passed and she resumed staring at her lap, the jacket forgotten and sliding down beside her.

"Fine," he huffed, his feelings slightly hurt but willing to die before admitting it, and crawled to his own futon. "Whatever. I'm turnin' the light off," he informed her, and promptly blew the lamp out.

Kae remained sitting quietly in the dark for several hours after Tasuki had fallen asleep, occasionally taking a drink from the sake jug until it was completely empty, but she was still painfully aware of the feelings inside her. Moving her hand, her fingers brushed up against Tasuki's jacket, and she jumped in slight surprise. Staring intently at it for a moment, she bundled it up and brought it to her face, taking a deep breath as if to calm herself.

"They seem like such a big family," she thought despondently. "I miss mom…" She stifled a sob, pressing her face into the jacket, and her shoulder shook as she cried her sudden homesickness out in a wave of tears. Calming down, she took a shaky breath and took out her earphones, laying it aside gently and rolling over on her side, her back facing Tasuki. Tama curled up near her stomach immediately, and she eased into sleep as the minutes passed.

"What was that about?" Tasuki wondered, having woken from a strange dream only to see Kae crying to herself. He watched as her breathing slowed, letting him know she was asleep, before snatching her CD player and inspecting it curiously, having heard from Miaka about them. "Let's see…is it this button?" he guessed, having managed to get the pieces into his ears with a relatively small amount of pain. His eyes widened in amazement when music suddenly began to play, and he listened to the words as they began to fill his ears.

Next chapter will be a continuation, or else this was going to be far too long. I love to write Tasuki, butit gets frustrating sometimes with their up-and-down relationship. I just want to make 'em get together or whatever, but that just wouldn't be in-character for either of them. Please review!