I don't own Fushigi Yuugi

Thanks for reviewing Chrissy C (thanks you for that info and I'm afraid Cathy and Matt are out of it, at least for a long while), Chichiri's Wanderer(lol, I guess it does seem like that), and Pil-Z (well they had to become good friends, they're nothing else yet however. Sorry for spelling errors, I try to catch them when I re-read it).


Chapter 4

Tasuki sighed and stepped outside the bandit hideout that he was the leader of, gaze lost within the semi clouded sky. It had been six months since he had returned to his world and found out he'd been gone a month, which had, oddly enough, been the same amount of time he had been in the other world.

He could still feel the tight, warm, grasp Lily had held on him just before he returned and it seemed that no matter what he did he could not rid himself of it, or the thought of her for that matter.

He was alerted to another presence as a hand gripped his shoulder. He turned to find a man with a tanned complexion, his light brownish-gray eyes looking at him with slight concern, a scar on his left cheek and a golden circlet around his forehead.

"Hey Kouji," Tasuki greeted with a sigh as he turned his gaze back to the sky.

"You alright man?" Kouji asked his long time friend. "You've seemed distracted since you got back from wherever six months ago."

Tasuki closed his eyes and stepped away from his friend's hand, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kouji watched him walk off into the woods around the hideout like he did almost every day. Tasuki had once been out at dawn to help train the bandits that followed him, but ever since he'd gotten back he'd seemed different and he refused to speak of where he'd been.

With a shake of his head he turned and headed off to the training grounds to make sure the bandits were doing what they were supposed to. It wasn't long after arriving that a tall and broad bandit carried a girl kicking and screaming over his shoulder onto the grounds.

"What's this?" Kouji asked in surprise.

"Found 'er in the forest wanderin' 'bout," the bandit said in his deep voice, "Dressed weird this one is." With that said he dropped the girl onto the ground.

The girl groaned and looked up with fright at the two bandits. Kouji didn't know it yet, but the girl before him was the same girl that had been on his friends mind for months. The cloths that the other bandit had referred to as odd consisted of black jeans and plain blue sweater that was semi form fitting.

Lily didn't recognize Kouji even though she has drawn and painted him, but that was due to fright and the fact that she had never met him in person before. Kouji hefted her to her feet and looked her up and down in curiosity, but she took it as something else and boldly kicked the bandit in the shin.

Kouji yelped and held his assaulted shin as he hopped about. The bandit that had held her before grabbed her arm roughly, causing her to flinch and whimper as he put pressure on it. Kouji put his leg down rubbed it with one eye closed, the other eye laying on the whimpering female.

"Got a lot of spunk don't you," he said with a chuckle before standing up strait. "Let her go," he commanded the bandit holding her.

The bandit acknowledged and let the girl go, but kept a weary eye on her. Lily held the assaulted area of her upper arm carefully with her other hand and took several steps away from him.

Kouji sighed and dismissed the other bandit before saying, "What am I going to do with you? You can't stay here, but I can't send you trekking through the woods alone either." He frowned as he saw her head bow low, lips trembling from the pain of her arm as her hand stayed resting on the injured area. "Let me see that."

Lily's head shot up and she took several frightened steps away from him. Kouji stopped in his tracks, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to see if it's broken."

"It's not broken," Lily murmured.

Kouji took her hand gently, "Just let me have a look." Lily tried to get away, but his grip was firm, yet gentle. Before he could do anything else he was smacked with something metallic. He shot his hands to the top of his head and yelled, "What the hell was that for Genrou?"

Tasuki stood beside him looking enraged, tessen in hand. "What do you think you're doin' to 'er!"

"I was goin' to see if her arm was broken!" he yelled back.

Tasuki's face went from angered to concerned, "Arm broken?"

"Ya," Kouji said as he rubbed his throbbing head, "Geeze that hurt."

"What happened?" Tasuki asked, shoving Kouji's comment to the side as he looked to a teary eyes Lily.

"One of the bandit's grabbed her a bit too hard after she kicked me," he explained.

"Who?" Tasuki asked as his eyes narrowed.

"Ba," Kouji stopped as he saw the girl jump onto his friend and wrap her uninjured arm around him, crying.

Tasuki dropped his tessen and wrapped his arm around the girl protectively. He stroked her hair, hoping to calm the frightened girl. It had been so long since he had last seen her and despite the occurrence he could not deny the joy he felt to once again to be able to do both. Yet he still felt his spirits plunge as she continued to cry into his chest.

"Genrou?" Kouji asked in pure confusion. He thought his friend hated all females, except for the Suzaku no miko, but that was another story. Kouji was not the only one bewildered by the occurrence however; all the bandits on the training grounds were looking at one another asking who the girl was and how she knew their leader.

Tasuki had eventually calmed the girl enough to get her to walk inside with him, Kouji close on his heels with his tessen in hand. He led her to the medical room and made her sit on the bed before asking her to take off the sweater.

With a bit of help from Tasuki the sweater was pulled off, revealing a green tank top beneath. He and Kouji made a face at the horrible bruise beginning to take form. "How hard did the moron grab her!" Tasuki cried before gingerly running his fingers over the area, earning a small whimper from Lily.

Kouji got a bowl of cold water, a cloth and something to wrap the area up in. "Thanks," Tasuki said as he placed the cloth, now wet, around Lily's arm. "You'll be fine Lil," he told her with a faint smile as he brushed a few stray hairs from her face.

A few moments later the cloth was removed and the bandage was wrapped around it to keep the swelling down. Tasuki helped her to her feet and Kouji came in front of her, "Sorry about earlier," he began, "I don't think we were ever introduced. I'm Kouji."

Lily looked up at him completely surprised before giving a bow, "I'm so sorry for kicking you."

It was Kouji's turn to be surprised, "You were the one hurt and you're apologizing to me?"

"That's jus' the way she is," Tasuki said with a chuckled and ruffled the girls' hair, "'aven't changed much have ya? But by the sounds of it you got a bit bolder if ya kicked Kouji."

Lily blushed slightly and looked down, causing Tasuki to chuckle even more. "Well, you're welcome to stay 'ere until you're sent back to your world."

"Thank you," Lily said as she looked up to him with a faint smile, "Especially after all the trouble I've already caused."

Tasuki brushed the comment to the side, "You've done nothin' we bandit's aren't used to."

"Um," Kouji began in confusion, "Her world?"

Tasuki nodded, "That's where I was six months ago. She took care of me there, I'm extending' favor now that she's here."

"Oh," Kouji said, still slightly confused. 'Is she the reason he's been distracted?' he asked himself as he watched the two of them leave the room.


Kouji got kicked and smacked with a tessen in less than ten minutes, poor guy. Lol. And poor Lily, she had a pretty rough first hour in the world of FY.

No one despair for Chichiri is soon to appear (lol that rhymed). He's in the next chapter! With a rather amusing scene might I add.

Please review!

Thanks