Gemini: What are you guys waiting for?!?! FINE!!! HERE!!!
DISCLAIMERS: Fushigi Yuugi does not belong to us, it was created by Yuu Wastase.
Gemini: THERE!!! Do I need to say more?!?!
Cancer: (Pops out of nowhere and pats at Gemini's back a little TOO hard, causing her to lose balance) HEY GURL!!! What's wrong?!?! You seem to be a little cranky today!!!
Gemini: (Gets back up on her feet and glares at Cancer) WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?! CAN YOU START ACTING MORE LIKE A GIRL FOR ONCE?!?!
Cancer: (Gulps) OMG!!! What have you been up to?!?! Are you on drugs or something?!?! OH MY!!! LOOK AT THOSE DARK CIRCLES UNDER UR EYES GURL!!! You look like you haven't sleep for DECADES or something!!!
Gemini: (Stares at Cancer and walks up closer to her) What ...do….you…..think??!?!
Cancer: (Swallows harder and back off a little) Well….ummm….are you…..on your….monthly cycle here?!?!?....
Gemini: (Narrows her eyes at Cancer)….Guess AGAIN!!!
Cancer: (Shrinks even more) W…well…..then….it must be the CAFFAINE!!!! Hehe….
Gemini: CAN YOU STOP SITTING ON YOUR BRAIN AND START USING IT FOR ONCE CANCER?!?!?! WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST WHOLE WEEK SITTING IN FRONT OF MY COMPUTER YOU FREAK?!?!
Cancer: …..Hum…..were you watching porn online?!?!
Gemini: NOOOOOOOOOO!!! YOU STUPID DUMB PATHETIC IDIOT!! I WAS WRITING UP THIS CHAPTER!!! AND I HAVEN'T SLEEP FOR 3 DAYS ALREADY!!!
Cancer: OOOOOOOOH!!!! Darn!! And I thought you were watching Hentai or something!!! Oops, my bad, coz you know, you're hardly that diligent, and so I thought that you were either watching porn or you were hitting gay guys online and…..
Gemini: CANCERRRRRRRRRR!!!
Cancer: Oh oh, right right!!! Yea man, I know EXACTLY HOW you feel!!! It's all the readers' faults here!!! Yea, they really shouldn't have rushed us, their bad, their bad!!! (Nods her head repetitively)
Gemini: (Withdraws a little away from Cancer)…..
Cancer: ….Yea and they should have known better than to rush our GREAT and MIGHTY WRITER here huh…. (Looks directly at the readers' directions and points her finger at them)….Bad boys, bad girls!!! (Whispers to the audiences after taking a look at Gemini from behind) you guys should know that she (pointing back at Gemini) can't take any pressures….and if you guys keep on rushing her, she will take it out ME!!! So pleassssssssssse have some mercy on me people!!!!
Gemini: Hey!! What are you saying there?!?! I can't hear a word!!!
Cancer: (Straightens up a little and turns back to Gemini) Oh nothing nothing!!! I was just giving the readers some lecture there!!! Anyways, why don't you go and get some sleep there Gemini!!! I'll take care of the rest here (smiles sweetly at Gemini).
Gemini: (Mumbles something to herself and walks towards her room)…..
Cancer: Sweet dreams, and don't let the bed bugs…..
SLAP!!!
Cancer: …..bite you…….WHEW!!! (Wiping the cold sweats from her forehead)
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Chapter 14: Reunited Again
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A figure, unmistakably a man crept quickly out of his room and into the night. The bright moon of the night highlighted the man's sea blue-green hair and his long braid flew behind him as he ran swiftly down the halls of the palace of Kutou.
He was running out of time, he had to get out of here before anybody discovered that he had escaped. Determination, anger and worry shone in the man's dark silvery-blue eyes. He couldn't believe Yui could have fooled him like this; he was an idiot to believe that she wanted to help him- to help Miaka… She had everyone fooled, especially Miaka.
His heart ached at the thought of Miaka. He had made a promise to her long ago that he would always protect and be there for her. Now she was in danger, possibly dying from a deadly illness and he was all the way here in Kutou instead of being there by her side. He cursed himself again. He had to get back to her before he was too late. He didn't know what he could do to help her, but he had to be there to warn her, to warn everyone that the Seiryuu no Miko and her Seishi's can no longer be trusted.
"Tamahome?!" a voice of a girl rang out through the night stopping the man in his tracks. Knowing that he had been discovered, Tamahome turned around to face a 15 year-old girl with short light sandy blond hair and large blue-green eyes. She was the chosen Seiryuu no Miko and Miaka's supposedly best friend.
"Yui" Tamahome answered impassively.
The Seiryuu no Miko winced at the tone of his voice. His voice was soft yet it held a cold edge to it. "Where are you going?" she forced herself to ask calmly, although she already had a clue to where he was going to already.
"I'm leaving" Tamahome answered calmly, not bothering for an explanation as he turned away to leave again.
"No! You can't! Please!..." Yui cried as she grabbed hold of his arm to stop him from leaving. "Why are you leaving me?!"
Tamahome turned around; his usually gentle expression was hard as he stared into Yui's eyes unforgivably. "You knew very well why" he answered coldly. "Stop acting Yui, I already knew everything. I overheard your conversation with Nakago. You had never planned on leaving with me when Miaka and her Seishi were going to save us from here were you? You had been planning against Miaka all this time because you believed that she had betrayed you? Didn't you?!" He said accusingly.
Yui's eyes widened in shock but made no attempt to deny his accusation. She let go of his arm and stepped back. "I…I…" she stuttered.
Tamahome glared angrily at her. "How could you Yui? How can you betray Miaka like this?! She is your best friend!"
"'WAS' my best friend you mean" Yui shot back, her eyes blazed angrily with hurt. "It was 'she' who betrayed me first, it was she who abandoned me in that horrible nightmare! I had been there when she needed me the most but where was she when I was raped by those men in that alleyway?! Tell me Tamahome? Where was she then?!" she demanded as tears flowed down her face.
Tamahome's expressions softened a bit as he watched the girl cried as she was being tormented by the memories of her terrible experience. He didn't know how to answer the misguided girl. He put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched a little but did not pull away. "Yui" He spoke softly, "I'm sorry of what had happen to you, but you're wrong. I know Miaka had never betrayed you, she had never given up on you and she is finding a way to save us both as we speak. Please Yui, you have to understand that…"
"Stop lying to me Tamahome!" Yui yelled as she pulled away from his touch with her hands on her ears, refusing to hear his pleading for Miaka. "She 'did' abandon me and that's the truth! So please stop trying to lie to me saying that she hasn't!"
Tamahome turned away from her in disappointment knowing that Yui was now hurting too much to listen to any reason he say. "I'm sorry you feel that way Yui" He replied sadly. "But I am leaving no matter what, Miaka needs me"
"No! You can't leave! I…." Yui cried desperately, she didn't want another one she cared for to leave her again. She quickly took his hand and placed it upon her breast, wanting him to understand her feelings. "I love you Tamahome, can't you see that?!" she asked pleadingly.
Tamahome was shocked by her actions. "Let go of me Yui" he commanded quietly. Dejectedly, Yui let his hand go. "You… you love Miaka that much?" she asked sadly, her bands covering her eyes.
Tamahome turned away from her. "I'm sorry Yui, I can't fall in love with you. I'm already in love with someone whom I am devoted to, and this person is Miaka. That will never change."
Yui felt her heart crumbled at his words. She had given herself to Tamahome and yet he chose to turn her down for… for 'her'. Her sorrow was once again consumed with jealousy and anger. "I won't let you leave" she said quietly, her voice devoid of emotions.
Tamahome began to walk away. "You can't stop me Yui" he replied.
Yui was about to grab hold of his arm again before he could go any further, however before she could, Tamahome collapsed on the ground struggling on the his knees as if he suddenly couldn't get up. "Tamahome?" Yui said confusedly, unable to understand what was happening to him to make him like this.
Tamahome felt his whole body paralyzed as if he had suddenly lost all control of his body. "What the…." He managed the uttered. Dimly, he was aware that his whole body was glowing with a blue light. A sign that showed his body was being controlled by another force other then his own.
"Yui-sama might be unable to stop you from leaving, but I certainly can" a cold impassive voice interrupted Yui and Tamahome's confusion. Yui was shocked to see no other than her strongest Seishi, Nakago behind them. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard everything? Yui thought as she stared speechlessly at her Seishi's sudden appearance.
Tamahome's jaws clenched with anger at the sight of the Seiryuu Seishi. He glared at the glowing blue sign of 'heart' that was glowing intensively on Nakago's forehead confirming his suspicions that he was using his powers against him. "You…" he hissed angrily. "You're doing this to me" he accused referring to his body sudden paralyzed condition.
"Indeed I am" Nakago replied nonchalantly with a smirk. "I am not about to let a prisoner of Kutou escaped without the permission of Yui-sama"
"Nakago, he was going to leave me" Yui cried dejectedly pouring all her problems to the Seishi who had earned her trust since she had first arrived to this world. "I… I don't want to give him up to Miaka, I can't have another leave me!"
Nakago wiped her tears with his finger, the gesture was comforting yet his expression, as always was devoid of any emotions. "Please put your mind at ease Yui-sama, you still have me don't you? However, if you want Tamahome to be devoted to you, there is a way"
Tamahome's eyes grew wide at the implications of Nakago's voice. He didn't know what twisted plan the man was conjuring in his mind, but he would bet all the money in the world that he was not going to like it. He had never trusted Nakago the moment he had met him, the man was manipulative and dangerous. However, unfortunately Yui was too blinded in her own grief to see this point.
Yui's face lit up to Nakago's suggestion. "What do I have to do to make him stay?" she asked eagerly at the opportunity to make Tamahome stay by her side.
Nakago allowed a hint of a smile to show on his face before he held out a hand containing an object. Yui peered down on his hand holding the mysterious object. "A pill?" she asked confusedly.
"It was made from strong Kodoku, are you familiar with curse magic, Yui-sama?" he explained
She shook her head.
"By using it, you can control one's memories and manipulate their personality to anything you may desire. It's impossible to cure and you may use it on Tamahome to make yours, and make him despise the Suzaku no Miko instead" Nakago explained as he placed the pill on Yui's hand, silently taunting her to use it.
Yui stared at the tempting pill on her hand. Tamahome can love me? And forget everything he ever had with Miaka? Is this what I want? She asked herself. Even though she could have everything she had ever wanted with this single pill, for some reason, she was hesitating.
"Don't do it Yui!" Tamahome's voice interrupted her private argument with herself. He was struggling desperately against Nakago's powerful chi that was controlling over his body. He was struggling so hard that his red symbol of 'ogre' was glowing furiously on his forehead, clashing with the blue glow of Nakago's powers.
He panicked at the possibility of forgetting everything of being a Suzaku Seishi, his friends, family and Miaka, his love. No! He wouldn't let this happen to him! "Don't listen to him! Even if that pill works, my feelings for you wouldn't be real; my heart will always love Miaka no matter what my mind says!"
"But at least, you will stay with me" Yui whispered sadly, the determination shining in her eyes once again. She looked at the pill once again and back at Nakago who stood there waiting expectedly. "I'll do it" she replied, her mind being made up.
To Tamahome's horror, Yui proceeded to feed him the pill against his will. Yet he was powerless the stop her with Nakago's powerful control over his body. Miaka his last thought filled with his love's smiling face before his world went black.
Nakago smirked maliciously.
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"TAMAHOME!" cried Miaka as she bolted from her make-shift bed as bolts of sweat poured down her forehead. Her breaths were uneven. For a moment, she stared out into the darkness of the room, forgetting where she was at the moment.
"Miaka? Are you alright?" Nuriko asked sleepily yet worriedly as he tiredly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His Miko's sudden screaming woke him up from his deep slumber. Before Miaka could respond, Hotohori and Mitsukake both ran into the room that she was sharing with Nuriko. "Miaka, what's wrong?" Hotohori asked worriedly, while Mitsukake watched distraughtly as well.
Miaka stared at them unseeing for a moment before she remembered where she was. It was a dream, a horrible nightmare! But it isn't real she thought as she sighed shakily. She smiled weakly at her friends. "I'm sorry I woke you all. Don't worry; it was only a bad dream"
"About Tamahome?" Nuriko asked knowingly. Miaka nodded numbly.
"For some reason, I dreamt about him drifting away from me and no matter how hard I tried to reach for him, I failed… It was horrible! I felt like he's in some sort of trouble!" she said feeling very disturbed by her dream.
Hotohori, Nuriko and Mitsukake looked at her worriedly. Hotohori went over and embraced Miaka with encouragement. "Don't worry Miaka, we all missed Tamahome greatly but it was only a dream, so please don't distress yourself over it. We are all very close in finding the last Suzaku Seishi. After we find him or her, and figure out what to do with the problem of Tasuki, we'll rescue Tamahome from Kutou, you have my word" he promised her, his eyes shone with great sincerity.
"That's right Miaka" Nuriko said smiling positively. "Don't worry about Tama-chan, I'm sure the big boy can take care of himself"
"You should get some more rest Miaka, or else it will be bad for your health" the newest member of their group, Mitsukake advised gently. He was the one who had cured Miaka of her deadly illness with his healing powers. It turned out that he was a doctor from that village where they had been heading for after they left Mount Leikaku. She was lucky to have found him there or else she wasn't sure if she could have survived back then.
They're right; I have to remain strong, for everyone's sake. Tamahome and Yui are both waiting for me to rescue them. We're so close to succeeding now. She thought feeling a bit better. She smiled at her friends. "Thank you guys, I'm really feeling better now, we should be getting some more rest since we still have a big day ahead of us" she said once again being her cheerful self.
All the others nodded and said their goodnights before they left Miaka and Nuriko's shared room for the night. "Are you really feeling better now Miaka?" Nuriko asked one last time before he went back to sleep.
"Don't worry Nuriko, it had only been a bad dream, nothing more." Miaka reassured him. "You better get back to your beauty sleep soon, or else you're going to wake up with dark circles under your eyes" she added teasingly.
Nuriko huffed at her comment "I wouldn't worry about that since I look beautiful no matter what" he said good-naturedly with a smile, and he went back to sleep on his make-shift bed across the room beside her.
Miaka copied his gesture as well and lay down on her own bed. It's just a bad dream she reminded herself. Tamahome and Yui-chan will be alright and soon we'll all be together again. With that she fell back into a peaceful slumber completely unaware of the dangers that were to come.
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Kayla sighed discouragingly as she sat on the bed waiting for Tasuki to come back with some supplies. Of all the things she could have done, she couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep when Tasuki was carrying her. Even though he did not complain about it, she was feeling guilty for causing him so much trouble.
They were lucky to come upon another inn to stay for the night even though it seemed to be located in a middle of nowhere. However, an inn was an inn regardless of its location. It was a good thing that Tasuki had brought money with him wherever he go or else they wouldn't have been able to afford a room given that they had practically left their belongings back in that last inn.
Although the innkeeper had looked at them funny (seeing a guy carrying another guy on his back and all that) but he didn't say anything in particular, and he gave them their room without questions. Then Tasuki left her on the bed and went back out saying that he had to get some supplies, although he had not specified what exactly. Since her ankle was still sprained and unable to walk, she was in no position to complain.
It was not that she wanted to complain. In fact, she was more than a little relieved that she didn't have to face him for the moment because… because…..
She couldn't explain why.
All she knew was that for the first time in her life, she didn't know 'how' to act around him. Something had changed and she couldn't figure out what it could be. She found herself feeling awkward being up close to him (at least 'more' than before) and not just because of the fact that she was a girl in disguise. Another thing she had noticed was that ever since Tasuki had saved her numerous times, she was feeling an incredible surge of fear and…. guilt.
She was feeling very guilty for lying to Tasuki and all her friends for so long. However, she was even more afraid of the consequences if they found out or specifically… if Tasuki found out about her secret.
He hated girls and she was a girl, there was no denying in that fact.
Even though she wished more than anything to stop lying, she was terribly afraid of being rejected again. She had already spent 5 years in anguish and if she were to lose all of her new found friends now because of her secret, it would be the final straw to break her already fragile soul. She would rather keep this secret from Tasuki and everyone for the rest of her life before she would let that happen.
Yet keeping a secret this big was not easy especially from Tasuki. She was just starting to build a better friendship with the fiery Seishi. But, if there were things that she had learned from him, then those would be his undeniable loyalty and trust to his friends. Even 'if' he could accept the fact that she was really a girl, he wouldn't accept the fact that she had been lying to him for so long.
She couldn't remember how many times she tried to convince herself in the past to just leave everyone before it was too late. Ironically, when she had eventually left, Tasuki was the one to bring her back and ever since then she found it more and more difficult to gather the courage to leave again.
It was like she no longer wanted to leave despite the incredible risks. She didn't want to give up her friends; friends whom she had been deprived the privilege of having since childhood. She silently cursed herself; she was a coward and she was being selfish. Why did she have to have such complications?
Plus, staying with Tasuki for so long wasn't helping her either. She had too many things to sort out in her mind before she was ready to face him again.
"I can't take this! I don't know what to do! " she cried out indignantly and without thinking; she angrily stood up from the bed in all her confusing frustration. She instantly regretted her thoughtlessness when she fell to the floor in pain as her ankle gave her a harsh reminder of her current condition.
"That was stupid" she mumbled to herself. Great, now I'll have to lift myself back up on bed she thought sarcastically. What else can go wrong?
"Ummm… what the hell are you doing on the floor Kayla?"
Kuso! Spoke too soon. Kayla cursed silently before she looked up awkwardly at Tasuki who stood there holding a number of indefinable items at the moment and staring back at her with confusion as well as with a hint of amusement.
"Ummm…. I was…." Kayla struggled for an excuse for her embarrassing clumsiness. "I was…. I thought that I dropped something on the floor so I tried to find it"
"And did you find what you're looking for?" Tasuki asked, even though his expression was unconvinced.
"I…. I…. ummm…." She stammered.
"What?" Tasuki continued with a smirk.
"I fell ok?! I was clumsy and I fell, satisfied?!" She cried indignantly, tired of his mocking attitude. Just what I need, an insensitive baka to criticize my mistakes! She thought miserably.
When Tasuki didn't respond to her short outburst, she turned her attention away from him and preceded the slow and difficult procedure of getting back on the bed alone.
She yelped in surprise when unexpectedly, she felt a strong arm slid around her waist and her arm being supported on someone's shoulder. "What do you think you are doing?!" She exclaimed in shock as she faced the owner of the arm around her waist, who was no other than the fiery Seishi.
Tasuki gave her a look of exasperation. "Helping you what else?" He answered gruffly as he continued to help her stand on the ground. "Given the rate you're going at, you probably won't get on the bed until sunrise already".
Kayla felt her whole body stiffened at the close contact between his body and hers. That awkward feeling from before was returning back in full strength. I'm not ready to face him! I'm not ready! I'm not ready! I'm not ready!..... She chanted endlessly to herself as she suddenly found herself being 'very' conscious of Tasuki's strong arm around her waist. However as fast as the arm had been there, it was gone as she was settled carefully on the bed.
She looked up at Tasuki uncomfortably but he was already sorting through the items in which he brought with him before. She tried to fight the rising blush threatening to show on her face. Tasuki looked at her for a moment before he went over and sat beside her on the bed. Then unexpectedly, he began to take off his outer blue coat. "W…What are you doing?!" Kayla stammered trying to control her voice from rising to a tone of hysteria.
"My f*cking shoulder is bothering me so I have to do something about it of course" Tasuki answered wondering what Kayla was being all worked up about. The boy had been acting jumpy non-stop, questioning practically everything he did around him. He winced as his shoulder gave another sharp pain as he took off his white under shirt as well. His shoulder was really killing him.
Kayla instantly forgot about her nervousness for the moment when she remembered that bleeding wound on Tasuki's shoulder from before. She realized the reason in why Tasuki had gone off before; it was to get some healing supplies to help treat their wounds. She mentally winced when Tasuki took off his shirt to reveal the nasty wound on his shoulder, it was no longer bleeding but it did look painful. "Let me help you with that" she offered without thinking after realizing the difficulty he would have in treating his own shoulder. He wouldn't be able to treat it properly given the fact that he will have trouble reaching his wound, she reasoned with herself as she took the bandages and disinfectants from Tasuki's hands, and he at the moment was too stunned by her unexpected offer to object.
"W… wait! Hold on!...." it was now Tasuki's turn to stammered as Kayla practically forced him to turn his back towards her so that she could treat his wound.
"Stop moving so much so that I could do this properly" Kayla persuaded as she carefully applied the disinfectant on his shoulder. Tasuki grimaced as his shoulder stung a little from the disinfectant and shut his eyes. They remained quiet; with Kayla concentrating on Tasuki's wound while Tasuki, himself was lost at thoughts. He was surprised by Kayla's soft, cool touch. He didn't expect this from the boy who seemed to have a habit of arguing with him all the time.
Although as much as his shoulder was hurting him, he couldn't help but to think of the time when he was treating Kayla's wound that he had gotten from saving the Suzaku no Miko from an assassin.
It had been the first time that he had a chance to find out more about Kayla's past when he found the boy's scars on his arms. Tasuki couldn't overcome the protective feeling every time when he thought of the boy's scars. Each scar represented a moment when the boy had been abused. It was enough to make anyone sick in the stomach.
It was true Tasuki had always fought with Kayla; maybe even make empty threats to the boy. But that was all they would ever be; just empty threats. He knew deep inside that he would never have the heart the hurt the boy. Hell, he even somehow made it somewhat his responsibility to look out for the boy and keep him out of trouble. How he had developed that kind of bond with Kayla was beyond him. He believed that even if he spends the next 10 years contemplating this mystery, he still wouldn't figure out why. Damn these sentimental feelings, they're making me soft he scolded himself.
"Tasuki? Tasuki?" Kayla's voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned around to see Kayla looking back at him curiously. "What?" he answered.
"I was calling you three times already. What were you thinking about?" Kayla replied looking a bit annoyed yet concerned at the same time.
Unwilling to let Kayla know that he was the subject of his thoughts, Tasuki turned his head away in a huff. "None of your business" he replied rather gruffly.
Kayla rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by Tasuki's unwillingness to share his thoughts. "Well excuse me for asking" she replied sarcastically. "I just want to tell you that I'm done with your wound that's all"
Tasuki turned to look at the wound and was surprised to see that it was wrapped neatly in bandages. He didn't even realize that the boy was already done with his wound. From the look of the neatly wrapped bandages, it seemed like the boy had treated wounds many times in the past before.
"I used to treat my own wounds when I was hurt before, so this is nothing new to me" Kayla answered when she caught the questioning look on Tasuki's face. Although her face seemed uncaring of what she had said. Her eyes reflected the pain of remembering all the abuse she endured from her aunt and uncle in the past.
Tasuki was unsure of how to respond to Kayla's comment as he caught the pained look in his eyes. Therefore he chose to pretend he didn't see it. "Thanks" he answered gruffly.
"Your welcome"
Again they became quiet. "Well I'm going to sleep now" Tasuki said abruptly as he stood up from Kayla's bed and headed towards his own bed beside it. Without waiting for a response or putting back on his shirt, he just lay on the bed with his back turned towards Kayla, intended to get some rest before daybreak.
Kayla was a little thrown off by Tasuki's quick change of attitude. One moment he was all solemn and quiet, the next moment he was obnoxious and now he was practically intentionally cutting her off. Just what was he thinking about before? Kayla wanted nothing more than to pry the fiery-haired man for answers. But knowing that he would probably get annoyed and try to flame her with his Tessen, she rather not risk it.
She sat there for a while staring at Tasuki's back contemplating. She was unsure of what was to come next for them in the future and it scared her a little. They had been travelling together for awhile and still they were unsuccessful in finding Miaka and the others. Not only that, but she had the misfortune to run into her uncle too and almost lost whatever freedom she had found for herself.
It had only been a few days of travelling and she already succeeded in getting herself into a lot of trouble. She couldn't help but wondered if coming along with Tasuki with this adventure was such a good idea after all. However, she couldn't help but felt a small comfort that Tasuki would be there with her in this journey. His constant companionship had brought her ease at mind and she felt…. safe. It was a wonderful feeling.
"Tasuki? Are you still awake?" she whispered uncertainly to the man sleeping on the bed beside her. When he didn't respond, she could only assume that he had fallen asleep already. "Whether you're asleep or not, I just want to say…" she paused awkwardly, yet a small smile touched her lips. "I just want to say thank you Tasuki, for saving me…. for everything you had done for me and for just being there" she whispered. She didn't know why she bothered saying it when he was obviously asleep and unable to hear her. However, she felt compelled to do so before she went to sleep as well.
After this, she blew out the candle on her side of the bed and lay down on her bed. It wasn't long before tiredness consumed her as well sending her into a dreamless sleep. She never once noticed the man beside her was actually awake the whole time and secretly watching her as she lay in her peaceful slumber.
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Tasuki couldn't figure out why in the world he was having so much trouble falling asleep that night. He spent the last hour tossing and turning on his bed with too many things on his mind for him to get a decent eye shut.
It wasn't like he wasn't tired. Hell, he's f*cking tired to the bone and yet he couldn't sleep. Something was bothering him and he had too many things to think about. He turned his head to look at Kayla again on the other bed beside him. The boy certainly had no trouble falling asleep. He looked like he could continue sleeping even if the world suddenly came to an end. Damn! Just looking at him made him wanted to go to sleep more and yet he COULDN'T sleep!
Much to his surprise, he was finding himself recalling the words that Kayla had spoken to him before he fell asleep. Despite what Kayla thought, Tasuki had been fully awake when he said those words of gratitude to him.
[I just want to say thank you Tasuki, for saving me…. for everything you had done for me and for just being there]
He didn't know why yet he had felt a deep sense of satisfaction hearing those words coming from the boy, although he would be damned if he knew anybody found out about that! And yet…..
Finally, unable to take it anymore, he sat up from the bed. Maybe he should take a walk or something to clear his head. Or better yet, why not get some sake? He looked over at Kayla again who continued to sleep soundly. Should he go? He did make a promise to him… Then he cursed himself again. Why should he care what the boy would think in a time like this? It wasn't not like he would find out himself (not like he cared) and could actually stop him from getting what he wanted.
After nodding his head in confirmation of his little justification of himself, he headed out of the door being careful not to disturb the boy sleeping on the bed. Just a couple of drinks, enough to knock himself out to get some sleep he decided as he walked down the hall.
He walked down the dark hall which would lead him to the stairs. Although all was quiet, he could hear a faint sound of other people who were also staying up late at night down at the little bar on the first floor of the inn. As he passed, he noticed one room in particular where the light was still on indicating that its occupants were still awake. Again, he dismissed the thought. After all, he couldn't be the only one who was awake at this hour of the night.
"We are ready to attack the Suzaku no Miko at your given command Amiboshi-sama"
Tasuki quickly turned at the sound of those words; it had unmistakably come from the room with the light he had passed by only moments ago. Did he hear right?! He quickly and quietly went up towards the room again and peeked inside through the crack of the door with morbid anticipation.
Inside he was able to make out few figures (whom he could tell were actually men) dressed in black kneeling before another figure hidden beneath a cloak. From his perspective he could see that the figure of the man under the cloak whom was smaller than the one kneeling before him but nevertheless held the higher authority within the room. Tasuki tried to get a better look at the figure under the cloak, but it was no use. The figure with the cloak had his back turned towards him making it impossible for him to see his face.
However if he had heard right from the beginning, then the figure with the cloak's name was Amiboshi, whoever he was. He listened intently and what he heard next made his temper flared.
"Good, we'll ambush the Suzaku no Miko when she least expect it but we'll have to be the careful since her Seishi will be with her"
"Yes Amiboshi-sama" the men replied to the figure (namely Amiboshi) with their heads bowed.
Tasuki swore silently. There was no doubt about it now. These people are assassins planning an attack on the Suzaku no Miko, Miaka and this Amiboshi bastard was their leader leading this whole ambush!
He fingered the Tessen which as always was strapped reassuringly behind his back. Well, he wasn't about to let a bunch of assassins find the Suzaku no Miko and the others before he could. His Seishi instincts kicked in protectively as he reached for his Tessen ready to give the assassins inside an ambush of his own. He was about to barge in when suddenly his keen hearing heard another sound. It was the slight sound of footsteps coming his way.
Quickly he hid in the shadows near the door that he had been standing before, not wanting to be discovered in case this was perhaps another enemy.
He waited silently, with his Tessen out and ready to attack if he needed to. The footsteps came closer and soon he was able to see a figure walking slowly close to the wall in the dark hallway. It was too dark in the hallway for Tasuki to make out who it was but was able to tell that the figure was leaning heavily onto the wall for support as he or she limped closer.
Wait a minute! Limping? He quickly realized who it was that was walking out so late in the dead of the night. The figure limped quietly down the hall and the bit of light coming from the room of the assassins illuminated his face confirming Tasuki's suspicions. It was Kayla.
Damn! What the hell is he doing out of bed?! Tasuki thought impatiently. He better do something quick before the boy get in trouble again.
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Kayla limped slowly down the darken hall, her sprained ankle was doing its best in rebelling against her persistence. She was starting to wonder whether coming out was such a good idea after all as she leaned heavily against the wall for support.
She had woken up a few moments ago and discovered that Tasuki was gone, leaving her alone in the room once more. Despite the fact that it could be very possible that Tasuki had his own reasons to leave in the dead of the night. She couldn't help but worried and after waiting for quite a while for the fiery Seishi to come back, she grew more agitated with worry and decided against her better judgement to go out and look for him.
It had proven a little more difficult than she imagined. Even though her ankle was healing for the better now, it still hurt to walk. She may be no stranger with the concept of pain, but that didn't mean that she was immune to it. Well at least I 'can' walk now she thought evenly although this little optimistic thought did little to ease her frustration at the moment. Just where hell is Tasuki? Who in their right minds would go off in the dead of the night especially after all that strain he had endured? She thought agitatedly thinking to how much Tasuki could be tired after carrying her for a full day without resting.
Then she stopped dead in her tracks. I couldn't be…. No! It can't be….. It's not like I CARE for his well-being…. Well… maybe a little…. But only as a FRIEND!! Nothing more, nothing less!! I'm just a little worried…. that's all… she thought slowly. She looked down the dark hall, seeing no sign of the fiery-haired man anywhere. She decided to go downstairs to look for him and if she didn't see him then she was going directly back upstairs to sleep. There was no point in straining herself any further if she had no idea where Tasuki had gone. Simple as that.
Suddenly a pair of strong arms seized her from behind with a hand over her mouth, muffling her scream. Her eyes widened in terror as the memories of her uncle capturing her replayed in her mind once more. She instantly struggled against her assailant, but his strong arms kept her still refusing to let her go. Her mind was screaming and she was struck with the familiar fear once more.
"Kuso! Stop it Kayla, it's just me!" a very familiar voice hissed agitatedly against her ear. Kayla once again gathered up her courage and fought her initial instinct to struggle. She forced her herself to register the familiar voice into her mind. When her body had finally stopped and relaxed just a little, she shifted her head to her right and saw her 'attacker' was no other than just Tasuki.
Just what the hell is he doing?! She thought furiously, she would have said it out loud if it hadn't been for his hand still clamped against her mouth preventing her from yelling at him. As if reading her mind, Tasuki uncharacteristically shot her a stern look of warning and mouthed the words 'keep quiet!'
Seeing his serious expression, her anger quickly shifted to confusion. Why is he being so secretive? She suddenly became very aware of just how close she was to Tasuki with her back against his chest. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck causing a slight shiver going down her spine although it wasn't out of fear or from being cold.
She could feel the steady pacing of his heart against his chest or was it her own heart she was hearing beating at an abnormally fast pace? Although his hold on her had loosened, his hand remained on her mouth while his other arm was around her waist with her arms pinned to her sides to keep her from struggling. If his arm around her waist had been any 'higher', he would be firmly holding it against her_!
Oh my god! Kayla panicked as she felt the heat rising to her face at the indecent and dangerous thought. This is wrong! He's too close! Too close, TOO CLOSE! Her mind couldn't stop screaming. If this keeps up, Tasuki was going to notice that something was 'different' about her supposedly 'male' body! Her body was tensed again, paralyzed with a sense of foreboding.
Tasuki who had seemed oblivious with her body's reaction, had begun moving her along to the front of a door of a room where the light was still lit inside. Kayla, who had been too shocked, didn't resisted.
"Look" Tasuki whispered as he indicated for her to take a peek inside the room before them. Curiously, Kayla did as she was told, although she felt uncomfortable spying on another stranger without reason. All she saw was a couple of weirdly dressed men in black talking together, nothing too strange. However when she heard the words 'Suzaku no Miko' being mentioned by the figure dressed in a cloak, her attention was instantly on the alert, no longer worrying about the position she was in with Tasuki.
"We now discovered that the Suzaku no Miko's position is currently located in a small hut for the night within a small forest further down south from here. We'll attack when they least expects it"
"Hai Amiboshi-sama"
Kayla shot Tasuki a look of panic; "We have to stop these people" she whispered urgently. Tasuki returned her look with an air of determination showing that he was reflecting her thoughts exactly. "Stay here" he whispered back as he started forward with his Tessen in hand, however he was stopped by Kayla's hand on his arm.
"I'm coming too" Kayla said, she refused to let him fight alone.
"No you're not" Tasuki refused immediately.
"Why not?"
"You can't even walk!"
"Well there is no way I'm staying here while you go fight alone!"
"Stop arguing with me!"
"Let me come and I'll stop arguing with you!"
"Stop being so stubborn!"
"I'm not being stubborn, you are!"
"NO I'M NOT!"
"YES YOU ARE!"
"Who's there?!" interrupted the men inside the room quickly distracting Kayla and Tasuki's argument outside the door. Apparently their argument had been a little too loud and had alerted the men inside.
So much to ask for a surprised attack Tasuki thought as he promptly charged into the room instantly catching the men inside off-guarded with his speed. However the men weren't surprised for long and instantly fought back ferociously intending on getting rid of this intrusion.
Kayla on the other hand was fighting as hard as she could without the full use of her legs. Using the wall as her support as well as a protection against any surprised attack from behind her, she was able to block off most of the men who came after her. However, she wasn't able to inflict much damage upon them either.
All of a sudden, Kayla was knocked to the ground by a heavy force. She looked up just in time to see a fist being swung towards her and quickly ducked out of the way causing the fist to barely miss her head. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she stood back up on her legs to face her opponent. It was the stranger under the cloak with a hood hiding his face in the shadows.
From eavesdropping in their plan earlier, Kayla was able to recall that the figure standing before her now was the leader of this whole setup named Amiboshi. Kayla's eyes narrowed as she studied him, judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to possess a very large structure. In fact, his size seemed to be equivalent to that of Tasuki only maybe slightly smaller. Nevertheless, it was difficult to confirm anything with that cloak covering the man's whole body.
The mysterious man charged at her again and Kayla blocked his attacks with great difficulty, and no longer had a wall or anything to support her injured foot. It was only a matter of time before the figure pinned her down onto the ground and to Kayla's horror, he took out a dagger and aimed it above her chest.
He's going to kill me! Kayla thought alarmingly as she was too shocked to do anything except to stare at the sharp blade being raised, ready to plunge into her. She shut her eyes and waited for the end to come. But the pain never came. Kayla opened her eyes again and found herself staring at the hooded face of her assailant. He didn't kill me yet. She realized with bewilderment as she stared at the hooded face she could not distinguish. What's going on?
She could clearly tell this mysterious man was going through a great inner turmoil as she noticed the dagger hanging over her in his hands was shaking slightly. He's…. he's hesitating to kill me? Why? She thought confusedly.
"Get off of him you bastard!" demanded a voice and instantly Tasuki was by her side and punched her attacker in the face caught him by surprise and knocked him off her and to the other side of the room. "Are you okay?" asked Tasuki as he helped her back up. "I'm ok" she replied feeling a little shaken and confused.
"I told you to stay put, you should have listened!" Tasuki said angrily looking very much annoyed with her now after he was sure that she had shown no visible signs of pain.
Kayla ignored his criticism as she looked distractedly back at her attacker and instantly gasped "He's getting away!" she cried. True to her words, the cloaked figure, Amiboshi miraculously had the strength to stand and jumped out the window along with a few other men and out into the dark streets below.
Kayla wanted to go after them but was stopped by her painfully throbbing ankle which had grown worst when she strained it further during the fight. She gripped Tasuki's arm which was still holding her up. She gave him another look of dread, "They're going to go after Miaka and the others if we don't go after them!" she said anxiously.
"How do you know?" Tasuki said doubtfully, not sharing her anxiety, "They might not attack tonight since we already beaten half of their men already" But Kayla shook her head disbelievingly. She didn't know why but she had a strong feeling that these men were going to attack her friends as planned no matter how many men were left behind.
"Just trust me on this one Tasuki" she said urgently gazing determinedly into Tasuki's eyes. "I have a feeling that they are going ahead with their plan no matter what happens so we've got to go and find our friends in time to warn them!"
Tasuki looked as if he was about to object but in the end he breathed a sigh of defeat. "Ok fine, but YOU are staying here" he replied firmly as he saw Kayla's relieved expression changed into a look of protest.
"But_"
"No buts Kayla, you're not coming this time" Tasuki interrupted Kayla's protest with a smirk. "As you know already, you can hardly walk and you're going to slow me down if you come with me"
Kayla opened her mouth to object but then shut it again in frustration knowing that the irritating man had a point. Humph! I hate it when he's right, but I don't really have a choice right now she thought indignantly. "Just promise me you'll get there in time then" she said quietly.
Tasuki shot her his usual confident grin at her comment "You're forgetting who you're talking to here" he replied and with that, he jumped out the window into the streets as well on a race to get to get to the Suzaku no Miko and her other Seishi in time.
He paused momentarily on the streets trying to decide where to go. If he had heard correctly, those assassins were saying that the Suzaku no Miko was located in a small hut for the night within a small forest further down south from here. So that was where he was going to head for and hopefully that his instincts in following Kayla's hunch had not been wrong.
Kayla sat in the room on the floor as she stared out the window in which Tasuki had jumped out of. She prayed that he would get there in time to warn their friends, yet in her heart she knew that even though he had not promise her anything, Tasuki will do everything in his will not to fail. When did I start having such confidence in that ignorant man? She thought surprisingly.
"My room! What have you done?!" shouted a shrill voice bringing Kayla out of her musing. She turned to see the innkeeper whose eyes were as wide as saucers disbelieving in the scene before him. Kayla looked around her and for the first time noticed what a mess the room had became. Chairs were thrown to the sides; tables were splintered, dishes were broken and a few men lying around either unconscious, or dead. It was a total disaster! And it didn't help that she was there in the middle of this mess sitting on the floor. She gulped as she turned back at the innkeeper who glared suspiciously back at her. This did not look good.
Damn! How am I going to explain all this? She thought as a large sweatdrop appeared on her head. She should have persuaded Tasuki to take her along.
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Miaka woke up for the second time that night. However this time instead of waking up due to a horrible nightmare, she had been woken up by a peculiar sound. As she strained herself to hear more clearly, she was able to distinguish the sound as a flute being played.
That's strange, why would anybody be playing a flute in this hour of the night? She thought curiously as she listened to the haunting yet beautiful melody. Carefully as to not wake Nuriko whom was still asleep across from her, she tiptoed to the doorway and out into the chilly night.
She looked around to find the source of the flute playing but gasped at another peculiar, yet horrifying sight. Bats! Hundreds of them were hanging from a tree only a few feet from them. Although it seemed impossible, Miaka could feel all of their beady red eyes were trained on her giving her a terrible feeling of dread and foreboding. There was something very wrong here, she could feel it.
All of a sudden without any warning, the bats all flew down and attacked her. Miaka screamed in fright and pain as the bats bit her with their sharp teeth. Her vision was soon blocked by the scene of hundreds of bats and all she could think about was the pain. I had to lead these bats away from the others, she thought desperately as she ran away from the hut that she and her Seishi were staying in, tried to lead the bats away.
"Miaka!" Hotohori cried out when he saw Miaka being attacked by a hoard of bats. He, Nuriko and Mitsukake had all been woken by the sound of Miaka's scream. Miaka turned to see the terror on Hotohori, Nuriko and Mitsukake's faces as they rushed over to help her. Hotohori ran over to Miaka and tried to shield her from the bats with his own body while Nuriko and Mitsukake tried to fight off the bats. However, it was no use, there were just too many.
"Lekkha Shien!" a powerful flame erupted out of nowhere burning away a few of the bats, but not enough to dissuade the bats. Surprised, Nuriko turned to the source of the fire. "Genrou?!" he uttered as he recognized the man whom he had met for a brief moment, a few days ago.
"Nice to know you still remember me" the fiery haired man answered with a smirk as he ready his Tessen again in another attempt to flame away the hoard of bats. "Lekkha Shien!" another burst of massive flame erupted and burned away the bats, but like before, it did little to dissuade the bats. "Kuso! Where are all these bats coming from?!" shouted Tasuki in frustration as he continued to flame the bats with his Tessen. But it seemed as many as he had killed, more bats seemed to emerge out of nowhere and all focused on the Suzaku no Miko and Hotohori who continued to shield her with his body.
"I don't know, but we have to find a way or we're all going to be eaten alive!" Nuriko yelled back as he used a large tree branch to knock some of the bats.
"There is something very wrong with these bats, like they're all being controlled by someone" Mitsukake confirmed as he fought the bats while at the same time tried to look around for the source that was manipulating the strange behaviours of these bats. Then all of a sudden a shrouded figure in black jumped down from a nearby tree. It was man with slanted dark eyes and an evil malicious grin. "That's right my pets, eat them all alive" he said as he laughed cruelly and watched the Suzaku no Miko and her Seishi suffering from his bats' wrath.
"You f*cking bastard! Why don't you fight us face to face instead of letting these animals do your dirty work?!" Tasuki angrily challenged the assassin as he tried to charge at the evil man but couldn't do so within the swarm of surrounding bats. Nuriko and Mitsukake were both suffering from the same dilemma as well. Hotohori's beautiful face was marred with a look of fury as he glared at the assassin, but he was helpless as well as he tried to protect Miaka, who cried in pain as the bats continue to attack her.
"Pathetic indeed" the man sneered as he watched with malicious glee "The great Suzaku no Miko and her loyal Seishi are beaten by a bunch of bats". Everything was going according to plan and soon he would be rewarded for the death of the Suzaku no Miko and becoming the feared hero of Kutou. He was going to get what he so rightly deserved.
Suddenly a high pitch sounded erupted everywhere drowning out the screaming and screeching of the bats everywhere. The assassin was shocked as he watched his precious bats began to lose control and started hitting into the trees and were instantly killed. "What…. What's happening?! AAAAHHHH!!!" He clutched his own ears in pain at the ear-splitting sound, he felt like his mind was going to explode!
Miaka and the others watched in shock and confusion as they watched the assassin clutched his head, screaming in pain. They could hear the high pitched as well and yet they weren't suffering in pain as this man was. What was going on? Where did the sound come from?
Then the man suddenly stopped screaming and fell motionless to the ground. Everyone became quiet after. All of them were unsure of what to do. Then cautiously, Mitsukake walked over to the fallen man and bended down to check the assassin's pulse. After a moment, Mitsukake shook his head. "He's dead" he said grimly as he looked down at the assassin whose face was contorted of horror and ears bleeding slightly.
"What the hell?!" Tasuki exclaimed in confusion "What just happened here?!" No one answered his question for no one knew how to answer.
"That…. That sound" Miaka said shakily as she tear her eyes away from the dead assassin, she didn't think she would ever get use to the sight of anyone dying before her eyes even if the person had been trying to kill her. "That sound killed this man and it saved our lives"
"But where did it come from?" Hotohori voiced the question that was in everyone's head as he helped Miaka stand back up and holding her close in case of any other unpleasant surprises shows up. However before anyone could answer his question, a sound erupted through the silence once more. However, instead of the piercing sound from before, this time the sound was soothing and more hauntingly musical. It was a sound of a flute being played.
Miaka's eyes widened as she recognized the sound. It was the same music that lured her out into the night in the first place! She looked around for the source once more and instantly saw a figure nearby, hidden in the shadows. "Look!" she cried as she pointed to the figure. Everyone turned to where she was pointing and they all stared in amazement as the figure stopped playing his flute and stepped into the light of the pale moonlight where everyone could see his face.
"You're… you're a boy?" Nuriko exclaimed in surprised as he stared at the younger boy who could be no older than Miaka herself (meaning about 15 years old). The boy had cleared gentle blue-green eyes and short sandy coloured hair held back by a bandana. He was tall yet not overly built but reasonably well-toned in structure.
"You're the one who saved us?" Miaka asked as she stepped timidly towards the boy. The boy looked back at her with exhaustion. "I'm so glad all of you are alright and I've got here in time" replied the boy as he gave them a tired, yet relieved smile. "I am_" before the boy could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground.
Miaka and the others instantly rushed to him to see if he was alright. "Mitsukake is he alright?" Miaka asked worriedly as she watched Mitsukake examined their mysterious saviour.
"He's just suffering from exhaustion, nothing a little rest can't heal" replied Mitsukake with a smile. Miaka breathe a sigh a relief, and looked curiously at the unconscious boy at her side. The boy looked like he had been suffering for a long time. He was covered in scratches though none looked too serious or fatal and his clothes were worn and torn in all different places. Then something caught her eye on the boy's side that was hidden under a torn hole in the boy's shirt. When she inspected the little marking on his side a little better, she gasped in surprise.
The marking was actually a red symbol of 'Ko' , which represented Chiriko, the last Suzaku Seishi they had been searching for. This boy whom saved them was the one! Miaka could barely contain her happiness. "He's… he's Chiriko!" Miaka could hardly control the shrill in her voice in excitement.
"What?!" Tasuki exclaimed disbelievingly, "This little runt is a Suzaku Seishi?!"
"THIS little 'runt' as you called him, just saved our lives" Nuriko answered pointedly as he looked at the red symbol Miaka was indicating.
"Looks like he found us rather than we found him" Hotohori replied amusingly.
"By the way, why are you here?" Nuriko asked finally after all the chaos had settled down as he turned to fiery-haired man beside him. "Aren't you supposed to be back in Mount Leikaku?" Everyone else turned to face Tasuki as well waiting for his explanation for his unexpected visit.
Tasuki smirked as he looked at their curious expressions. He guessed he would have to tell them sooner or later. Funny how things worked out and he was back with these people. People in which destiny had decided that he would swore loyalty to (he wasn't sure if whether this was a good thing or not). If it hadn't been for Kayla, he would have thrown away this destiny from the beginning. This reminded him…..
"DAMN!" Tasuki swore loudly ignoring the shocked expressions from the others by his unexpected outburst. He had completely forgotten that he had left Kayla back in that inn!
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Authors' Note:
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Cancer: (Watching Bart Simpson and laughs like a lunatic) HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! …….WHOAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!! HEEEEHEEEEEHEEEEEE!!!...... BWHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!......KAHAHAHAHA!!!.......
Gemini: (Walks out of her room and watching Cancer's absurd behaviour) Do you need to see a psychiatrist Cancer?!?!
Cancer: (Wiping her tears with her fingers) HAHAHAHAH!!! HAHAHAH…HUH?!?! What did you say Gemini?!?! Hahahahha!! Oooooh….uh no not really….why?!?! WHOAHAHAHHAH!!!!
Gemini: Cause you need one!!! DUH!!! (Sits beside Cancer) Hey….I think we need to talk….
Cancer: Hahahhahaha….huh….talk?!?! Can we talk later?!?! I'm watching …. AH WHOAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Gemini: (Arches her eyebrows and stares at Cancer) …. Uh….Cancer…..You're watching Bart Simpson here ya know?!?! Not Jerry Springer….what's so funny about Bart Simpson?!?!
Cancer: HAHAHHAHAHA!!! It's just funny…and oh LOOK AT HOMER THERE!!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!! (Holding a pillow to her stomach and kicking her legs in the air)
Gemini: (Sighs) That's it….(grabs the remote control from the coffee table and turns off the TV)
Cancer: HEY!!!! WHAT THE……?!?!
Gemini: I said we need to TALK!!!
Cancer: (Blinks repetitively)……Ummm….ok sure!!! What's up?!?! What do you like to talk about BABY?!?! (Winks at Gemini)
Gemini: (Shivers and sighs) I just wanna talk to you about WHEN do YOU want Tasuki to find out that Kayla's actually a girl? Coz obviously the readers are getting ANXIOUS about that part!
Cancer: (Blinks and blinks) Oh….mmm good question…..well…..let me see…..(starring up at the ceiling and putting a finger on her lips)
Gemini: ok…..
15 minutes later….
Gemini: (Glares at Cancer impatiently) WELL?!?!
Cancer: (Snaps back to reality) Oh…uh right!!! When huh? Well….mmmm…..I dunno!!!
Gemini: (Falls off the sofa and gets back up instantly) I THOUGHT YOU HAD CAME UP WITH AN ANSWER OR SOMETHING?!?!
Cancer: I was thinking about something else, but anyways, back to the issue here…..mmm well just tell the readers to be patient and that we, the DEVIL TWIN GIRLS will have everything under control!!! Mmmmmm….tell them that Tasuki will find out about Kayla's secret SOOOOOOOOOON…..like…..maybe within 3 - 4 chapters or something!!! THERE!!! AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!! MAN I'm SOOOO SMART!!!! MUHAHAHHAHA!!!
Gemini: Then may I ask what were you thinking for the whole 15 minutes there?!?
Cancer: Well …. I was just thinking of whether I should add potatoes to the salad for tonight or not!
Gemini: (Sweatdrops)!