I don't own FY
…OK I know I said I'd update once a week while on break… but ya, that obviously didn't work. I've been working practically full time (need money to back to school with :P) and I've become obsessed with Naruto, so I get home from work at night and I plop down to watch a few episodes. Procrastination never helps any either XP Ah well. I kinda made up for it with this story- it's much longer than normal.
Ah, yes. To those of you who have asked me to read your stories please don't feel insulted that I haven't gotten around to them yet. I will eventually (hopefully before I go back to school), I just need to get my butt down at the computer long enough to do so and preferably when I'm not exhausted so I'm not reading them half heartedly.
Anywho, Thanks for reviewing:
plutobaby494– Lol. A very good question. We shall see :)
Ayshia– Lol. If you thought that was funny you might fall over laughing from the beginning of this chapter XD Ya, something around that. Thank you!
Chichirifan – Should I take that as an insult? Just kidding! Lol. Thank you :)
bant– Fluff, fluff… Lol. Thank you and I'm glad you liked it :)
ChirikoFan– Thank you :)
Where I Walk Alone– Cliffy –looks down- aw man… –falls in a cartoon like fashion- Lol. Thank you :)
Everqueen– Lol. Glad you liked it. Ya, I tend to have mess with the pasts of my characters, not always, but a fair amount of the time.
Flames of Sadness Hurt and Betrayal – Thank you:) That's alright. I'm glad you decided to review now :) I love hearing what people think!
KamiKaze no Kage– Thank you and I'll do my best!
Chichiri's Wanderer– Ya, that was really sad. Lol. They'll just have to wait, ne? Thank you!
Dimonah Tralon– Thank you. It's great to hear that I'm describing them right. I was a little worried that I wasn't doing enough, but I didn't want to drag them out either.
R.W.A 13– Lol. Thank you. Dive monk, dive XD Ya, I felt bad about the really late update, I hate having that much time pass between chapters because people tend to forget what's happening XP Sorry about that.
Gammergirl– Thank you. Hopefully he'll finish what he started. Lol.
Crimson Firefox – Lol. I seem to be very good at torturing people with cliffhangers and cutoffs. Lol.
BlAcKeSt StAr CaTcHeR– Thank you!
Tsukikage – Lol. Yey! Thank you.
Noyesgirl– Thank you and here's an update :)
Anonmyous reader – ooooooh, it's a no name person –looks around curiously as if trying to spot them in a crowd- I'm sorry, I'm honestly a bad spell. Lol. Actually I'm a heck of a lot better than I used to be but I do tend to make mistakes like that more often than I like.
Alatril Carnesr– ya, it really does, but there's always a way out. I agree full heartedly, I'd be the same way. Lol. I like that motto.
YueMichiruNaragisawaMiko– COOKIES –grabs some and munches away- I hope you like this chapter too :)
Naomi – Well you can't keep a character in persona all the time when you add an OC, I do my best to keep him in character as much as possible, but there are points where I have to make a small change. Lol. That would have been rather funny.
Lady of the Cats – Lol. Sorry about that XP And sorry for the last chapter taking so long, that annoyed me a lot, so I know it bothered my readers too.
PsYcho PaRfait – Aww, thanks so much! Ya, I find them interesting too, but, unfortunately, they're not often found and when they are they're not well written most of the time. So, thanks, that means a lot to me :)
Chapter 22
The air smelled sweet, no, that was not the proper word to use. It smelled absolutely divine. It was scent that would cause one's mouth to water almost instantly. A scent Keara knew all to well and loved greatly-
Chocolate.
Keara mentally squealed in delight and looked about her. It was as if she had fallen into a land made completely of chocolate, for everything in sight looked and smelled like her favorite candy. It was pure heaven!
Running to a chocolaty tree she hugged it happily. Normally she wasn't one to harm nature, but this time she just couldn't resist. It smelled too good and it had been far too long since she had eaten anything chocolate related, so she took a bite… until it cried in protest that it.
"Itai no da!"
Instantly she let go and her chocolaty world changed back into the real one, or at least the world she had been traveling in for the last few weeks. Chichiri sat there clutching his arm, all the while a shocked and slightly horrified look on his masked face.
"Why did you do that no da?"
Tauski burst out laughing at his two friends, one looking shocked and the other dazed and confused. He was laughing so hard he could not even utter a word and fell over onto his back as he gasped for air between his intense laughter.
Keara finally realized what happened and blushed. 'Gomen Chichiri,' she mouthed.
He took several quick breaths like a child would do before bursting into sobs. "Itai," he repeated.
Chiriko handed something to her with a smile. "You must be hungry, here."
Looking at the fruit she sighed. She was hungry, but not for real food. She wanted candy, the sort that the world she was currently in didn't know much of anything about. Shaking her head she let him know she did not want it.
Tasuki by this time was beginning to regain his composure, but was still having a bit of a problem catching his breath. "No- she- just-wanted a- bite- a'- Chichi-ri."
The comment made Keara blush even harder than before and, though it was left unseen, Chichiri blushed as well. "Leave her alone Tasuki," Mitsukake said as he tried to hide his own smile.
vvvv
Keara sighed softly to herself. The day had started off badly enough for her, but now it was getting worse with the rain coming down in buckets as they traveled onward. 'I bit him,' she thought for the umpteenth time that day, 'I can't believe I bit him.'
She walked behind everyone else for a change, but that was her own choice. She didn't want to be up near Tasuki who she knew would still poke fun at her for the morning's events, nor did she want to feel Chichiri's gaze upon her back for the same basic reasons. Could the day get any worse?
As if to answer her there was a bright flash of light, which was quickly followed by a loud clash of thunder from the heavens above. 'Today is not my day,' she thought with another sigh.
"We should find shelter no da," Chichiri cried over another roar of thunder. "There should be caves around this area."
"Right!" Tasuki cried over yet another thunder bolt.
Chichiri turned to look back at the girl behind, "Keara come-" he stopped suddenly when something familiar caught his eyes, something that made his blood run cold instantly. "Look out!"
Keara was confused and turned to find out what was bothering the monk. Having turned with her arm wide she felt something smack rather harshly into it, sending small jolts of pain through her body. Bewildered Keara looked at the ground only to find something she had not expected in the least- Soi clutching her bleeding nose.
Shocked beyond belief her body did not pay heed to her minds cries to flee immediately. She just stood there staring at the Seiryuu seshi as she held her nose like it were broken, a possibility that had high enough odds given the amount of force her hand had hit her with.
A firm hand grasped her own, stealing her from her trance and pulled her in the direction she had been traveling in only moment before. The mass of blue in front of her blurred eyes informed her it was Chichiri who had grabbed her, his staff now in hand.
Her mind suddenly became aware of a dilemma within its system, one that was neither good nor deadly. Even though she had knocked Soi away, accidentally or not, a jolt of electricity had coursed through her body with enough force to cause her muscles to go numb. Through her shock she had not taken any notice of it but as the emotion rapidly vanished she became horribly aware of it. Her body betrayed her then, something that caused her to fall to the ground.
Chichiri, having felt a sudden lurch on his arm, twisted around in time to prevent Keara from falling to anything more than her knees. "You alright?" His words were hastened, but worry was clearly weaved into them.
Looking down at her legs she willed them to get up, but they would not listen to her. Before she had a chance to turn back to him she heard a sharp 'pang,' a sound that resembled that of a hard object smashing into metal. In fact this was the case. Suboshi's deadly ball had crashed into Tasuki's fan, an act that saved her very life.
Before Keara had a chance to turn back to Chichiri she felt herself lifted into a strong pair of arms. "Tasuki lets go!" Chichiri cried over the thunder.
"Right!"
Keara looked up at the determined face of the mask-less monk. He was going to keep to his promise and make sure she was safe, even if it meant endangering himself. 'Stupid monk,' her mind thought as tears brimmed in her eyes. 'If I die it doesn't matter, but Miaka needs you.'
"That's hardly true," a mysterious voice entered her mind
'Huh?' her mind asked. 'Has all the stress finally caused my mind to crack?'
Her vision was blurry from her tears as she looked upon Chichiri's face, which caused it to sway as if it were nothing more than a reflection in a pond whose surface had just been troubled by a fallen leaf. He must have felt her staring and brought his own gaze down to meet hers. Concern quickly covered his face as he saw her tears.
"Keara, it's going to be alright," half of the words were lost to Keara's ears however, for her mind fading into darkness and not even the drumming of the rain could disturb her.
Her mind was not left completely void however. Standing in the darkness was a tall man with a wondrous red aura flowing about his handsome figure and two powerful wings curled upon his back. He seemed almost majestic as she traveled closer and closer to him.
Before she knew it she was standing before him and realized just how tall he was when compared to her- he was taller than Chichiri by several inches. With a smile the man gently placed his index finger on her forehead, an act that caused her gaze to drift up to his handsome face.
"You're very important child," he told her. His voice was enchanting and she felt all her worries drift away like the tears that had brimmed her eyes only moments ago. "Even if you are not a miko."
'Who are you?' she found herself thinking.
The man chuckled and brought his finger from her forehead and patted her on the head, "We've met once before."
He had heard her! This shock was quickly brushed aside however as she came to think about what she had just been told. She was sure that if she had ever met someone such as him she would remember, but her mind ran a blank as she tried to place him.
The man chuckled as he watched her puzzled form. "I brought you here for a reason Keara," he took his hand away. His form suddenly began vanishing before her eyes, "Remember that."
vvvv
Keara woke with a start. With a mental groan she thought about what had just gone on inside her head. 'What a strange dream,' it was all she could conclude the meeting as. It could not be normal for a man such as that to simply wander into your mind and speak with you as if he knew more than a little about you.
As her eyes came into focused she came to realize that something was rather strange. For one thing she was lying in a cave, a fact that would have induced panic if she had not remembered Chichiri saying something about finding shelter in them before the Seiryuu had attacked.
This fact incited another- she should be soaking wet. As her mind sought for the feeling of her cold and wet cloths clinging to her skin she came upon the disturbing fact that she was both warm and dry. It was also due to her mind checking over its body that she came to realize that something solid and warm was pressed against her back and something was wrapped around the area just below her breasts.
Turning her head to look over her shoulder she saw an all too familiar bubbled cape wrapped around her stomach and a white sleeved arm looped around her lower chest area. 'Chichiri?' she felt heat rise to her cheeks. What was he doing sleeping so close!
Luckily for her the sleeping monk had not pinned her arm to her side. While she could not deny that it was very pleasant to be lying with the blue haired man she could not suppress the slight uneasiness evoked by it. Why she was uneasy she was not entirely sure, but she guessed it had something to do with the fact that she had not knowingly placed herself in the situation and that they were just friends… or at least she thought that was how he considered her.
Gingerly she wrapped her fingers around his wrist and took a deep breath before lifting it slowly and carefully into the air. She had managed to get it up a few inched when he shifted closer to her in his sleep and brought his arm back down to where it had been, only this time with a slightly tighter grasp around her. It was almost as if he was afraid to let go of her, even in his slumber.
Now she was really pinned and the only chance to get away was to awaken the monk. With a sigh she decided against the idea. He had saved her yesterday and it was only fair to let him rest… with his arm around her… and his body so close…
Her face turned cherry red and she realized she would find little more sleep that night. With a small sigh she found her mind wandering from her current placement to wondering how much of a reprieve they would have before their next encounter with the Seiryuu seshi's. Nakago was hell-bent on capturing her, much like Miaka. Thinking of the miko made her wonder how she and Tamahome were making out.
'They'll be fine,' she told herself after a moment. 'Tamahome won't let any harm come of Miaka.'
Her mind was shot back to its prior thoughts as Chichiri's arm shifted upward and came to lie, literally, right under her breasts. Her face flushed back to the color it had been moments before. Sleeping or not she could not allow him to continue traveling in private property.
Reaching behind her she did a simple trick she hoped would work- she tickled his side. Even if he did not awaken from her touch he was bound to shift into a position that would make her more comfortable. Unfortunately he did the exact opposite, his grip on her first tightened and he seemed to be fighting the urge to utter something.
It was then that realization dawned on Keara- he had squirmed when she had poked his side the night before too. Putting the two together she smirked evilly.
Taking back some of her gentleness in her hands she quickly found Chichiri unable to hide what he had been trying to keep quiet- laughter. The monk was ticklish and she was going to exploit that weakness to the fullest extent.
Though the original plan had been to not wake him she was now all too willing to do so, especially since it meant torturing the monk in a very playful manner. And awaken he did, in fact he had awakened almost instantly after she had first started tickling him, but, until the moment she decided to be cruel, he had refused to let her know he was awake.
Letting go of her he tried to get away before he could burst into hysterics and wake everyone else up. Just what was she trying to pull anyway!
Unfortunately for him she was not about to quit and she virtually pounced on him to continue her torture. He tried to fight back, honestly he had, but she had gotten the better of him and had promptly pinned him to the ground. He had no where to go and he was quickly falling into hysterics, rendering him utterly helpless to the torturous girl.
The others were awakened from the ruckus and were not sure what to make of the scene before them. Was Keara attacking Chichiri? Or was she merely playing?
Tasuki was disgruntled from being awakened and looked at the two noise makers sleepily. All his mind could register was that Keara was on top of Chichiri, who was laughing his head off.
"What the hell are ya two doing!"
Keara stopped her assault and looked over to the three other seshi's in surprise- she had forgotten they were there. Her gaze then turned down at Chichiri, who was slowly calming himself, and back up then down again before realizing what the disgruntled redhead must have thought they were going. Blushing heavily she practically leapt off the monk and threw the forgotten kesa over her head.
Chichiri just remained where he was on the ground, his breathing slightly labored as he tried to refill his lungs with the needed oxygen. He had not laughed so hard or so much in years, since before the flood that had stolen those precious to him in fact. It felt absolutely wonderful, even if it had happened because Keara had assaulted him, the reason for which still eluded his mind.
"Are you alright Chichiri?" Chiriko asked as he rubbed his tired eyes. Unlike his redheaded friend he knew the two were playing around, even though it was the ungodly hour of one in the morning.
Taking in a deep breath the monk answered with, "Hai."
The child nodded and fell back over onto him mat, instantly falling back asleep. Mitsukake yawned and followed suit, Tasuki doing the same after a few more moments of tired contemplation, something that proved little more valuable that baby babble in his sleep deprived brain.
Sitting up Chichiri easily spotted Keara only a few feet away peaking out from under his kesa. She was wearing that strange skin tight outfit she had worn the first day in his world. 'What was it called?' he pondered for a moment. He could not remember the name of the sport she did, but it had something to do with dangerous stunts and flexibility. Whatever it was the outfit shared the same name.
Keara seemed timid for a moment as she looked at him, but the emotion quickly disappeared and she crawled over to him. With the kesa atop her head she reminded him of a small child crawling out from under the covers after a frightening dream.
He was about to say something to her when he found his vision had turned black- Keara had thrown the cape over his head. With a small chuckle he took it off and placed it on the ground next to him. "At least I know you're alright," he said softly so as not to wake the others again.
She gave him a meek smile. Being both embarrassed and afraid of what the monk would do about her tickling attack she had a reason to be a little reclusive. Thankfully the others had gone back to sleep, but that did not rid her of her anxiety.
It was because of this that she was surprised when she felt Chichiri wrap his arms around her. "Thank you for the laughs," he whispered into her ear. "They were well needed."
His breath was hot and moist against her skin and she involuntarily shivered because of it. Thinking she was cold Chichiri pulled away and wrapped his kesa around his shoulders and rubbed her arms through it.
She looked into his reddish-brown eye and smiled shyly. Taking one hand she placed it on her chest, a motion that caused Chichiri to take his hands away thinking that she might be trying to talk to him in her silent language and indeed she was. After a moments hesitation she crossed both arms over her chest, fists loosely clenched, which was then followed by her taking one hand and pointing to him.
"What does that mean?" he had understood two of the three gestures, but it was the middle one that was most important and he had never before seen it.
Keara merely smiled softly and shook her head. It was obvious that she was not going to give the meaning away, at least not just yet. It was not the first time she had done this to him, but, for whatever reason, this time it bothered him the most.
Sighing he reached out he placed his palm on her cheek. Silently he let his thumb caress her soft skin as he admired how the light from the dying fire reflected upon her gentle face. He did not know why, but he felt at peace with the world and himself as he gazed at her. It was a feeling he had been deprived of for years, much like the laughter she had playfully tortured him into erupting.
Keara was truly something else. Since her appearance so much had changed within him. It was an odd feeling, one he had been weary of at first, but now he accepted it gladly. It was the small things that she did that effected him the most, things such as her simple game of tickling him or taking the time to teach him a language through which she could speak to him. She never tried to lecture him or otherwise force things down his throat. No, it was quite the opposite in fact. She often put things into the air for him to grasp if he so desired to or would just be herself, something that, more times than not, made him feel at ease all on its own.
She had been a great friend from the moment she had arrived and yet as he thought of the word 'friend' now he wondered if it was truly describing how he felt towards her. She was kind and playful, determined but not too reckless, understanding and helpful and so many other things he could not find the words for.
He barely registered his body as it began moving forward, his gaze falling down upon her soft pink lips. She had been there for him when he desperately desired company but would not admit it. She had even changed his mood from depression into joy on several occasions.
His mind saw her lips through his eye and it desired to steal a simple kiss from her, desired to feel her lips upon his, wanted to know that he was –
Tasuki suddenly muttered something rather loudly in his sleep and rolled over. The noise broke through the trance both Chichiri and Keara had fallen into, only for them to find that their lips were about an inch apart.
Blushing heavily the two of them quickly pulled away and looked everywhere but at each other. After a moment Chichiri found his voice, "goodnight," was all he uttered, very softly, before he lay down on his side.
Biting her lip Keara took a second to ponder something before crawling over to him. Taking his cloak from her shoulders she placed it over him, causing him to open his eye and gaze up at her curiously. She only smiled softly at him and lay down so she was facing him.
'Night' she mouthed before closing her eyes and falling into a peaceful slumber.
Sitting up he smiled to himself and shook his head as he adjusted his kesa so that the width of it went across him, allowing there to be enough of the material to drape over Keara as well. Settling back down he gazed at her sleeping form for several minutes, watching as she breathed in and out slowly, something that told she was indeed asleep.
With a faint smile he closed his eye and followed her peacefully into the world of dreams, not realizing that as he did so his arm wrapped protectively around her.
Awwwww. Can you say "Kawaii"?
Fun and fluff filled with a bit of drama mixed in. But, hey, Soi got clocked. Lol.
Please review!
Thanks!