The Promise: A Tasuki and Miaka Love Story
By KittyLynne
(Please insert the usual Watase Yuu/ Shogakukan Comics/TV Toyko/StudioPierrot/Pioneer ownership disclaimers in this space. )
Author's note: italics within the text denotes character's unspoken thoughts. Chapter Rating: 14+ (For some coarse language, slight sexual innuendo)
Chapter Five: Reunited
"Where in the seven hells are we?" Tasuki muttered to Chichiri, as they followed Taiits-kun down one of the endless maze of corridors in her palace. "I wonder if Grandma is lost, it feels like we're walkin' in circles!"
The mage seishi concentrated a moment, and then sent a reassuring nod to his nervous companion. "We're close to the place of summoning. Don't worry, it won't be long until you can see Miaka again."
Tasuki's sidelong glance caught the smile that was a mirror of the happy anticipation he heard in his friend's voice. "I'd say you're pretty damn excited about seein' her too, Chiri! Is there somethin' you haven't told me?"
"No, it's just nice to be reunited with a good friend, you know."
Despite Chichiri's nonchalance, his steps had faltered slightly, and tinges of red had appeared upon the cheeks of his enchanted mask.
Tasuki's lips split into a knowing grin.
"DA HA HA! Blushin' like a monk in a brothel!" He hooted, oblivious to the glare Taiits-kun tossed at him over her shoulder. "Yep! It looks like I'm' not the only one carryin' a torch for Mi-chan! HOO HOO! Get it? The tessen? A tor-"
Chichiri cut him off. "I get it, but I wish I didn't, you know!"
Tasuki chortled. "Damn, I'm good, I even impress myself!"
"Which is way too easy to do, you know!" The monk retorted. "That joke is as old as the hills!"
"Maybe so, but it don't change the fact your face is red an' that I'm right!"
"It's not like that! And even if it was, you know, I wouldn't think of going there!"
"Yeah, yeah...I know. Ya vowed to stay pure, even if ya got 'an eye' for the ladies!"
The bandit seishi's eyes and voice were brimming with unrepentent mirth. Despite his embarrassment and irritation, Chichiri had to laugh. "Okay, I'll admit that one was almost clever...and totally tasteless, you know! If Nuriko were here, I'd ask him to teach you a lesson!"
"Not very damn likely to help even if he was!" Tasuki shot back. "I miss Nuri like hell, but I gotta say all of those lectures on 'delicacy' he tried smackin' inta me didn't do a fu-"
"TASUKI! WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION!"
The wing seishi skidded to a stop, barely avoiding a collision with the hovering Taiits-kun. He glanced up sheepishly as she loomed over him, her homely visage reflecting her vast displeasure at his inattentiveness.
"We're here!" Chichiri said brightly, and from somewhere well out of reach.
"No shit," muttered Tasuki. "Ya coulda told me that a little sooner!"
To his relief, a low bow and a sincerely spoken apology was enough to appease the old lady. After it was over, the bandit seishi congratulated himself on keeping his cool and hiding his shudders of revulsion. Though he tolerated Taiits-kun's appearance better than most, unexpected close-ups still had the power to unnerve him. I don't get it! Why the hell does she wanna look like a woman if she ain't gonna do somethin' nice with her face?
Shrugging off the thought as one of life's great mysteries, he focused his attention on the archway with inset double doors made of highly polished teakwood. At a casual wave of a wrinkled hand, they opened inwards. Taiits-kun swept through the entrance, followed by Chichiri and then Tasuki, who hung back to survey his surroundings.
The summoning chamber was a simple room, devoid of ornamentation save for a scarlet area rug, a sizeable wall hanging depicting the summonings of all four gods, and piles of floor cushions scattered here and there. There were no windows, lanterns or lamps of any kind, yet the space was as brightly lit as if they had been standing outside. The two warriors seated themselves on pillows along one wall, maintaining a respectful silence as the Oracle floated to a spot in the center of the room.
"The Priestess is drawing closer." She declared.
"Yes." Chichiri agreed, adding in an undertone to Tasuki, "I sense Miaka's chi, no one else's."
Tasuki blinked. "Are ya sure?" He asked, silently cursing himself for not honing his chi perception beyond its use for the tessen.
"Almost positive, you know. I guess Taka didn't come with her this time."
The bandit seishi stayed silent and still, uncharacteristically giving no sign that his mind was humming with unanswered questions. 'Why isn't Taka with her? How can Miaka bring eternal peace to our worlds? There's gotta be more to this deal than a wish! Why she would want to come back after fightin' so hard t'get Taka back to their world? Will she feel safe if he ain't here? Wouldn't blame her if she was suspicious…'
Bright crimson light flooded the chamber.
"The Priestess has returned." Taiits-kun intoned solemnly. "Prepare to greet her, warriors of Suzaku."
With his heart banging like a mallet on an anvil, Tasuki joined Chichiri in rising to his feet. He could feel it now; the undeniable touch of Miaka's chi. And just like before, any remants of heartache, regret and anxiety were vanquished by feelings of gratitude, joy, and a powerful sense of belonging to someone greater than himself.
It was hard to believe that only a couple of hours ago he'd been spewing bitterness and bullshit about trying to get over her when it was all so clear to him now.
The simple truth was that he had never gotten over Miaka because he didn't want to get over her. He knew she didn't return his feelings, but he was content just to welcome her back into his life with open arms and a full heart.
Being able to see and talk to her again was all that mattered.
The air in the room's center had formed a mirror-like circle that swirled and shimmered as it expanded to allow the girl of legend to emerge. Miaka's head and shoulders appeared first, with the rest of her body rapidly following, as if being pushed from a magical womb. She fell swiftly onto the large pile of pillows below her, but did not stay there for long. Lifting herself to one knee, she pushed herself gracefully to her feet and peered intently into the aura that encompassed her, clearly searching for anyone who might be awaiting her arrival.
The fact that she had come alone was confirmed.
Tasuki stared at her hungrily. 'Good.' He thought with primal satisfaction, then brutally tamped down the feeling. 'Forget it! Not gonna think that! Even if he isn't here, that don't mean anything is different. She belongs to him!'
To the bandit warrior's side, Chichiri had pulled off his mask. "Miaka's become a beautiful woman." He stated in a tone of subdued admiration. "She's all grown up, you know."
Tasuki gave a vague nod as he gazed intently at the vision in front of them. With precious little time left to check her out without anyone's noticing, he wasn't about to waste it in idle chat.
The budding flower had definitely blossomed in the last three years. Glossy auburn tresses cascaded about her shoulders, freed from the dumpling knots he had always loved to tease her about. Large, thickly lashed eyes were greener than he'd remembered, and her cheeks had lost their baby-faced roundness. Then there were her lips. They looked fuller, lusher... and inviting. He briefly wondered if they still tasted like strawberries and sake, then cussed himself out for entertaining such a sappy-ass thought.
Tearing his gaze from her mouth, his assessment continued downward over the graceful curve of her chin, throat and shoulders until it came to rest on the slopes of her breasts, which were clearly outlined under her form-fitting pullover. They were perky, had a nice, full shape...but hadn't gotten any bigger, thank the gods. He was probably the only man alive who hated seeing large breasts on a woman, but he had a damn good reason for feeling that way! Almost being smothered to death as a baby by his mother's huge mammary glands had been enough to put him off what other men craved to excess.
But not forever.
Until that night in Kahou, he'd never understood what having an insatiable craving for a woman meant. Even though he was thoroughly ashamed of the way he had behaved with Miaka at the inn, he'd never been able to forget how good it had felt to have her womanly softness spread out beneath his mouth, hands and body. The thought had him clenching his jaw and fighting off the sexual tightening in his groin that the recollection never failed to bring on.
'Gotta quit thinkin' about it, dammit! Not ever gonna get t'see or feel that again! Never again!'
The mental scolding worked to a point. His emotions were leashed but running strong, and that meant he was still in danger of losing control. He sped through the rest of his perusal, taking a brief inventory that still managed to give him an appreciation of her slim waist, shapely hips, and legs that seemed to go on forever beneath a short blue skirt, then forced his gaze to everywhere but at her, making idle observations to counter his physical reactions.
For once the Nyan Nyans weren't around. He could have used that distraction, seeing Grandma get ticked off would have done wonder for his nerves.
No Suzaku either. There was no sign of the god once the light had gone, not so much as a stray feather.
Chichiri was masked again. Hiding?
"Welcome Miaka, Priestess of Suzaku!"
Waves of pink sash slipped across his view, which annoyed him even if it was helping him not to stare at Miaka. As his priestess exchanged respectful but clearly affectionate greetings with Taiits-kun, he focused on the sound of her voice; full of its usual warmth, it had gone from a girlish soprano to the throatier timbre of a woman's. After checking to make sure Chichiri wasn't watching him, he adjusted his necklace and smoothed a hand over his hair, hoping that his bangs weren't sticking up too much and that the bindings for the braid he had recently adopted were smooth and evenly spaced.
Would she notice and appreciate the changes time had wrought? Or would she still see him as the boy he'd once been?
"There are some old friends that have been waiting and are eager to greet you, Miaka."
Tasuki muttered an expletive, annoyed with himself for missing the cue as the monk quickly stepped to the fore and Miaka launched herself at him.
His irritation intensified as he watched Chichiri gather the priestess into an embrace that seemed too close and tight for that of a platonic friend. 'Doesn't see her as a woman, my ass! He sees her as a woman! He just can't admit it 'cause he feels guilty about the past!'
Not knowing what else to do, the wing seishi folded his arms across his chest and waited through what he considered to be more than a decent interval for a hug, and then longer. The two of them weren't breaking apart. It was like watching Tamahome and Miaka, except without all the smooching, and that highly undesirable thought prompted him to action.
Clearing his throat, he called out, taking pains to keep a teasing note in his voice. "Hey Miaka-baka! Don't tell me you're wastin' all that sweetness on a monk?"
He watched in grim satisfaction as her head turned with gratifying speed. Ah yes, much better! Those incredible green eyes of hers were now focused solely on him.
"Tasuki! You're here too!"
"Yeah. Thanks for noticin'." His answer was gruffer than he intended. Why wasn't the damn monk letting go of her?
Sensing the reason for his friend's glowering ire, Chichiri nodded at him, then drew himself away from Miaka. Gently but deliberately, he took her by the shoulders and turned her so that she faced away from him and towards her other surviving seishi.
She took a few tentative steps forward, and then faltered under the impact of an unblinking amber stare.
"T-Tasuki? Are you...okay?"
He blinked, jolted by the uncertain quaver in her voice and the realization that he wasn't doing a damn thing to show her how much he truly welcomed her presence.
In the next instant, a big smile had covered his face and he spread his arms wide. ""I'm just fine, Dumplin' Head! So whatcha waitin' for, huh? Ol' Tasuki won't bite ya..." he bared his fangs in an outrageous leer, "…unless ya happen t'bite him first!"
His teasing broke the ice. Now giggling, Miaka ran to him.
As she hurled herself straight into his waiting, open arms, he wrapped her up in a fierce embrace, pressing her softness into him and breathing in her scent as if it were badly needed oxygen.
Tightly closing his eyes, he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head, taking great pleasure in her subtle floral scent and the soft, silky feel of the auburn strands caressing his face. A blaze of protectiveness ignited within him as his priestess buried her face in the curve between his chest and shoulder. Suzaku, she felt so damn good- way better than anyone else he'd embraced! Hugs were all she could give him, and he'd make the most of every one of 'em.
"Thank you...thank you so much for...for coming to meet me." Her muffled voice was laden with emotion and her arms clasped him tightly as she spoke. "I didn't expect...I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't...you know...given all the trouble I've caused you in the past!"
As it had in the past, her unaffected sweetness and sincerity went straight to his heart and turned his insides to mush.
'Even if it's painful...always. I'm always gonna feel this way about her.'
"Whatcha thankin' me for? Of course I wanted ta be here!" He chided her warmly, moving his lips against her hair. "I live for gettin' into trouble, dont'cha know that by now?"
He could feel and hear her smile.
"Oh Tasuki..."
To be continued!