Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Tasuki and the Hentai Monks ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )
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Warnings: Slash, Angst, Snuggling
Disclaimer: Why do I type this out every chapter? Because I'm a masochist, has to be. OK…I do not own Fushigi Yuugi, Tasuki, Chichiri, or Ranma ½. Yeah, baby! ^_^
AN: YIPES! I swear I didn't post that last chapter until this one was nearly complete. Thank you all for reviewing and I'm guessing (OK hoping) that your reactions to the cliffhanger were a positive thing. I never, ever intended any kind of serious Chichiri/WuFei pairing. I *can* see WuFei crushing on Chichiri in a role model kind of way, but nothing beyond that. As for Chiri's behavior, he'll explain that for himself in this chapter. It's his turn to feel a little ouchie. Good thing Tasuki's there to kiss it better, hey?
Tasuki and the Hentai Monks
by Xellas M.
Chapter 5
Almost immediately, Chichiri pushed WuFei away and looked at his friend. His maskless face radiated guilt and shame at having been caught in such a compromising position.
The black-haired young man gave a start of surprise and turned around to see what had distracted his partner at such an inopportune time. Upon seeing Tasuki, his eyes narrowed.
"Hn. I should've known. You." The young monk hissed. "Haven't you messed things up enough already?"
At this the fire seishi's emotions, which had been locked in battle fighting for dominance, settled into anger. It was a much simpler feeling and infinitely easier to deal with than the burning heartache that would win in the end.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" One smooth motion and the tessen was unsheathed and open.
"You bastard!" The redhead continued. A jet of fire flew past the startled boy as he dodged the blast, successfully but very awkwardly due to his injured knee. The motion carried him away from the well seishi, which was what the bandit had intended.
"I told you - " Tasuki continued, shooting another blast, this one missing that shiny black hair by inches.
"To. Fucking. Stay. The. Hell. Away. From. Chichiri!" Each word of the sentence was punctuated by yet another blast of fire. WuFei adopted a very creative variety of poses in his efforts to avoid incineration.
"Are you crazy?!" Dodging one more blast, the young man found the one safe place in the entire room - behind Chichiri.
"Fucking coward! Get the hell out from there!"
"I'M the coward? I'm not the one attacking an unarmed opponent! You have NO honor at all!"
"Oh, and look who's talking! Takin' advantage of Chiri like that. I oughta - "
"ENOUGH!" The mage shouted. Immediately, both Tasuki and WuFei stopped dead in their tracks, stunned.
Chichiri took a few deep breaths, and then continued in a much calmer voice. "That's better. Tasuki, it's alright."
The fire seishi refused to meet his friend's eye. "It's not alright, I saw him - "
"I can take care of myself." The elder seishi snapped.
Tasuki really wanted to argue the point. Of course it was normally more than true, but these monks were especially sneaky…for all he knew, WuFei could've spiked Chichiri's drink at dinner! Assuming they'd even bothered to eat anything, that is.
The blue-haired man, obviously sensing resistance, continued quietly. "You know very well he couldn't force anything on me, Tasuki. You're jealous."
"No." Tasuki hadn't just heard that. He shook his head from side to side, but it did not remove the remembered sounds from his ears. Eventually, he met his friend's gaze.
The older monk looked terribly sad, but it was apparent that what he had said was true. "Please, don't do anything you will regret later, Tasuki."
The fire seishi had never run from anything in his entire life. He had been praised more times than he could remember for his courage. Now, even that had failed him. He had finally met something he could not face.
* * * * *
He ran from Chichiri's room, channeling all of his chi into his gift of speed. He ran out of the monastery and into the night. He ran until he could barely force oxygen into his lungs, until he could taste the faint tang of iron in his throat. Trees shot past unnoticed; the ground beneath him disappeared into a blur.
He pushed himself to the ends of his limits. A single thought kept trying to assert itself into his mind and no matter how fast the seishi moved, he couldn't seem to outdistance it. All the excuses Tasuki had used to tell himself he couldn't be with Chichiri were now exposed as the flimsy rationalizations they really were. The monk wasn't so hung up on his dead girlfriend that he couldn't be with anyone. He could and would have a relationship with a member of the same sex. It was *Tasuki* that he didn't want.
The fire seishi barely noticed when he dropped to his knees, utterly exhausted. Numbly and more out of habit than because he really cared, he looked at his surroundings. Tall, dark trees were his only companions, without so much as a single landmark to tell him where he was. He felt something wet hit the back of his hand and eventually realized it was one of his own tears. Crying over the death of dear friends was one thing, nothing to be ashamed of, but crying because you weren't good enough to have what you wanted and had the fact thrown in your face was another thing. It didn't matter; there was no one here to see him. He wouldn't have been able to stop if there had.
He sat back, wrapped his arms around his knees, dropped his head and wept openly. He had no idea how long he had been like that; it could have been minutes or hours, when he felt a touch on his back and the comforting presence of Chichiri. At first, Tasuki figured he must have gone delusional. Keeping his face safely buried, he released one of his hands to try and connect with the source of warmth, however imaginary. His exploring fingers encountered warm skin, smooth…real. Shocked, he looked up.
Chichiri was kneeling beside him, mask off. Guilt and concern were etched deeply into his gorgeous features.
Carefully, softly, the monk ventured, "You may be fast, but I can teleport, no da."
The bandit knew he was supposed to smile but he just did not have it in him. He was not ready for this, not ready to wear his own mask and face Chichiri just yet. He could only stare in silence.
Tentatively, the elder seishi wrapped his arm around his distraught friend. When Tasuki did not react violently or pull away, the monk tightened his hold.
"Tasuki, I'm so sorry." The mage sounded close to tears.
It tore at the bandit's already breaking heart. He should have known his compassionate friend would blame himself for Tasuki's failings. With the monk's painful past, this situation was probably utterly terrifying. The need to reassure his companion gave the redhead the strength to finally fake a smile. "Hey, there's nothin' for you to apologize for."
It didn't fool Chichiri even for a moment. "Yes, there is. I should have noticed the way you felt. How angry you were at him all the time. I didn't see it because I didn't want to."
The fire seishi knew what he had to say. It just wasn't fair…he wasn't ready to do this yet! But he would walk on broken glass for Chichiri and he would damn well do this too.
"Well, ya are pretty irresistible, ya know? It's not his fault. I'm glad you're happy."
"How could I be happy? I've messed everything up!" The monk sounded completely distraught.
"No, you haven't. I'll get over this in time." Even as he spoke, Tasuki knew it was a lie. "I won't bother ya, I promise."
"How can you think I could even look at him, knowing it hurts you? Tasuki, you mean so much to me."
This had gone too far. No matter what happened from this point on, the bandit knew he would be a constant source of pain to the one person he had ever truly loved. He had once thought that being away from Chichiri would be the worst thing that could ever happen, but now he knew otherwise.
He was unable to stop the tears that ran down the already stained tracks on his face. "I can't do that to you, I just can't. I'll go."
"No!" Tasuki blinked at the raw emotion in the blue-haired man's voice. "Don't go, Tasuki. I know you and WuFei will be very happy together and I will be alright, please just don't leave." Chichiri begged.
"Me and WuFei?" Completely confused, the bandit pulled out of his friend's embrace and unsuccessfully tried to capture his gaze.
"He doesn't really want me, I knew that all along. He was just being nice. He's a good person and I'm sure you can work it out with him, in time."
"Wait, you think that I want *WuFei*?"
The mage nodded sadly.
"Fuck, NO! Where the hell would you get an idea like that?" The redhead snapped, and then realized how that had sounded. "I mean, I can see why you like him, an' all, though."
"But I don't." Now it was the monk who sounded confused.
Tasuki growled in frustration. How the man could deny his interest in the dark-haired young monk, after being caught red-handed in an admittedly voluntary liplock, was beyond comprehension. Sure, Chichiri's heart was in the right place, but just how stupid did he think Tasuki was?
"Give me a break. If that's the case, then why the hell were you kissing him?"
"Because I…" The mage began, and then seemed to come to some sort of decision. He sat up straight and looked Tasuki directly in his eyes as he continued. "There's something I have to tell you that I should have said a long time ago. I was going to tell you the night we arrived here, but…" Chichiri trailed off and started again. "I- I have feelings for you, Tasuki."
The redhead tensed. This had to be some sort of misunderstanding, just another cosmic joke in the tragic comedy his life had recently become. There was no way the monk could mean *those* kinds of feelings, could he? Tasuki opened his mouth to ask the question, but the mage stopped him.
"Please, I need to finish and this is…hard. I have felt this way for a long time, but I wasn't sure what to do about it. When we came here, I decided to finally tell you. At least that way, if you hated me I would have a place to stay for a little while. I guess I was just afraid. But then I went looking for you and I found you, only - "
Chichiri swallowed. His voice was thick with emotion and one of the tears glistening in his eye found its way out and flowed freely down his face. "You were by the well. And I heard what you said, about my face, my eye. And I realized how ridiculous I'd been. My face frightens children - "
"So does mine and I don't even have a scar." The dry humor of the bandit's voice was a direct contrast to the gentleness with which he gathered Chichiri into his arms. He was still trying to believe what he was hearing.
The monk gave a bitter smile, and then continued. "I tried to let go. I thought if I stopped waiting for you, it might help, but I only ended up making things worse. I never wanted to hurt you. You have to believe that."
Tasuki swallowed, hard. Was it possible that Chichiri cared for him? He had no idea what he was supposed to say next. His heart was beating too fast and his mind was still spinning from the too-sudden turn of events. It was time to straighten things out.
So, naturally, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You kissed him."
The mage hung his head and whispered, "I'm so sorry."
"But you don't love him."
"No." Chichiri replied.
Tasuki looked at him, seeking clarification.
"I'm in love with you, Tasuki." The words were soft, but spoken with a dignified conviction that couldn't be questioned.
The younger man's poor abused heart nearly jumped from his chest. Firmly, he reminded himself that it wasn't time for kissing…yet.
"And ya knew I was jealous."
"Yes."
"Because ya thought I was in love with that - with WuFei."
"Yes."
"But I'm not, 'cause I'm in love with you!" Tasuki smiled like a five-year-old who had just mastered a new and complicated skill. Yatta! The whole mess was cleared up which meant it was time for kissing!
He was just leaning in to claim the stunned monk's lips when a strong hand stopped his forward movement.
"But you can't…I heard you." The sadness hadn't left the monk's voice, although hope shone brightly in his dark eye.
"Oh, that." Tasuki blushed. "I know it ain't none of my business and you're probably gonna get mad at me. It doesn't have anything ta do with the way ya look." His heart was racing in his chest. Here he was, on the brink of having everything he had ever hoped for and more, and he only had his words to rely on to make sure he didn't screw this up. Somehow, the thought was less than reassuring.
"I really like the way you look, well more than like it, you're so damn perfect and I've wanted you for so long I just…" The monk was blushing deeply now and he looked so vulnerable that the redhead had to firmly remind himself to get to the point. "It's…I know why you keep that scar, that it's a reminder of all the bad things that happened when you were young. And it hurts you, to carry all that around. Only, you don't deserve that. You have done so much for everyone, you deserve to be happy. So I wish that you would let it be healed, 'cause then I would know that you are fine."
There, he'd said it. One thousand ways every word he'd spoken could be taken wrongly by Chichiri flashed through his mind. Above all else, he worried that in bringing up the past he would hurt his friend or break the fragile understanding that was beginning to grow between them.
He looked into the monk's eye and waited. When it filled again with tears, the fire seishi was certain he'd failed.
Then Chichiri laid a shaking hand on the redhead's cheek. He drew closer to Tasuki and tried to speak, but his voice was broken and in the end he gave up on words altogether.
The elder man brought their lips together. Light touches only at first, tentative caresses that worshipped the other but were still not entirely certain of their welcome. Soft and warm, trembling with overpowering emotions that refused to stay hidden a moment longer, they sought each other out in the loneliness of their surroundings. Met with understanding and answering passion, they grew bolder in their reassurance of each other until lips and tongues entwined. At last, the realization came that there was nothing but the two of them and there never had been.
Separating, they looked into each other's eyes as if daring any doubts or questions to appear. The moment passed and a quiet joy flooded Tasuki, given to him by the smiling mage whose own happiness practically shone from his face.
"We should really get back." Chichiri said softly, stroking the bandit's hair. "They will worry."
Tasuki nodded. Just then, he would have agreed to nearly anything.
The elder seishi spread out his kesa. He held out his arm, enfolding his lover tightly as they made their return trip to the monastery.
* * * * *
They returned to Chichiri's room. Quickly, the monk folded his kesa and placed it on his small dresser. When he turned back to the fire seishi, he was wearing the expression Tasuki recognized from their encounter in the bathhouse, only even more openly. A raw, earthy desire burned on the monk's face. It was a look that utterly belied the untouchable quality the man had always seemed to possess. In answer, the redhead backed up to Chichiri's small bed and lay down, his posture as inviting as he could possibly manage.
The redhead couldn't tear his eyes away as his friend began slowly approaching, desperately eager for the fulfillment of the unspoken promise still evident in the mage's expression.
Chichiri stopped suddenly and let out a sigh of frustration. Turning around briskly, he threw open the closet door and yanked out a small, struggling, ugly old man.
"Oh, hello, boys!" Happosai said brightly, as if hiding in one of his old pupil's closets was something he did every day. Maybe it was. "I just wanted to see how you two were getting along, that's all."
So the old lech had wanted to spy on them! No wonder he'd sent Tasuki to Chichiri's room at that particular point in time. The fire seishi rolled his eyes, and then closed them. He was exhausted and would likely need all his remaining strength for what was to come. Might as well snooze while Chiri took care of the resident pervert.
"Are you trying to tell me that *you* were the one who sent Tasuki here earlier, no da!?"
"Well, yes. I didn't think you and WuFei were gonna do anything interesting!"
"Out, no da! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, na no da!" Grabbing Happosai by the scruff of his neck, the mage threw him out the door. Once the area was clear, he paused and erected a magical barrier around his room. "There, Tasuki-kun! No more interruptions, no - "
The monk turned around to find his companion sprawled atop his bed, fast asleep. "Daaaa…" He finished weakly.
* * * * *
~ End Chapter 5