Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Burned ❯ Ashes and Embers ( Chapter 1 )

Burned

Written By: KittyLynne

Legal Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Fushigi Yuugi or its characters; they belong to the immensely talented Yuu Watase. I do claim the rights to the original elements of plot and characterization in this tale, as well as the narrative and dialogue. Any reproduction of this story in any form without my written consent will be regarded as theft and plagiarism, and will be dealt with accordingly.

Author's Note: Tasuki x Miaka pairing! You have been warned! Rated for language, adult theme and explicit sexual content in future chapters. Spoiler warnings for TV series and first OVA. This story takes place after the first OVA, in which it's implied that Tamahome gives up his memories in order to be reborn into Miaka's world. For the purposes of the plot, none of the events shown in the second OVA have occurred and the same amount of time has passed in both the book and Miaka's world.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to my wonderful beta reader, Spak-chan. Thank you so much, Spak- this one’s for you.

Chapter One: Ashes and Embers

She was sick of wondering, worn out from worrying, and tired of crying-but above all else, Miaka Yuuki was fed up with being alone.

Where in the Four God's names was Tamahome?

Ever since the last day of her adventure in the Book of the Universe of the Four Gods, the day when she and her beloved had been forced to stay in their separate worlds, she'd been waiting for him to find a way back to her, as he had vowed he would do.

Waiting had been easy at first, because schoolwork and studying for high school entrance exams had kept her plenty busy. When she entered high school, boys had shown interest in her, but she'd gently rejected their romantic overtures. None of them could hope to measure up to the Celestial Warrior Tamahome, so she had sworn off any boy-girl socializing functions, and instead had thrown herself into her studies. It had been difficult not to go out, and she'd taken a lot of heat from her friends, but the extra study time had paid dividends. She passed exams for the university with flying colors, much to the astonishment of her instructors, and much to the delight of her mother.

Miaka had been excited as well; not only was college an opportunity to test her wings, but she was sure that it would be the place where she and Tamahome would finally meet up.

Her freshman year of college had passed in a blur of classes and activities. When summer break came, she worked two jobs, telling herself that she needed to save up money to start her new life with Tamahome when he arrived. Her sophomore and junior years also flew by with no sign of him. As senior year rolled around, she had begun to have a few doubts. Not only had she not met Tamahome, but all of her friends were now paired off. Yui and Tetsuya became engaged, and even Keisuke was seriously dating a girl, leaving Miaka as the odd person out at all of their frequent get togethers. At school, many young men still approached her, but to no avail. Even though she was unsure of his whereabouts, her heart remained with Tamahome.

And so she waited.

The year following her graduation found her as a participant in several weddings. She was named maid of honor for Yui and Tetsuya's nuptials, which had turned into the social highlight of the season thanks to his parents' deep pocketbooks. By the time Tetsuya moved out of the apartment he had shared with her brother, Miaka had secured a reasonably good job and had been able to move in and split the rent with Keisuke. Although she'd never pictured herself living with her brother after high school, she was happy enough living there, and happy for her friends' good fortune in finding love that would last until the end of their days.

Deep down, though, she had had to admit that she was intensely jealous of her friends' state of marital bliss. It wasn't that she hadn't had opportunities to go for it herself, for men continued to ask her out. It was her decision that out of loyalty to Tamahome, she'd continue to rebuff their advances, as well as any attempts at matchmaking by her friends. It was also her decision to save herself for her dream man, and she had no one to blame but herself when her friends gradually gave up their matchmaking and the eligible guys flocking around her finally found other women to date. All the same, she couldn't help but feel a bit cheated out of what should have been an exciting time in her life.

In her twenty-fourth year, all of her married friends started getting pregnant and having babies. Miaka, on the other hand, remained a virgin. Not a shameful or abnormal thing by any means, but she couldn't help having a yearning for what she had never experienced. Would she ever be able to make love and have children? With the possibility of seeing Tamahome again growing more remote with each passing day, and her biological clock starting to tick away, the odds were finally beginning to stack up against her. She stayed in bed for two straight days, staring at the picture of herself and her seishi, crying for hours over the realization.

Thankfully, her inherently strong spirit had reasserted itself before she completely succumbed to despair. After all she had been through in that damn book, after four lives had been given for her sake, after surviving having the power of a god, was she now going to fritter away that life over a trifle like unfulfilled love? Of course not!

It was at that point in time, that she realized that her initial feelings for Tamahome had started fading into a golden memory. She'd had plenty of time to rehash their courtship. Looking back now, she was struck by how very young they both were and the silly mistakes they had made in dealing with their feelings for each other. Tamahome had only been seventeen, and she only fifteen...and a very immature fifteen at that. Whether she liked admitting it or not, growing up and having had nine years to reflect on the situation had given her the understanding that she had kept pushing Tamahome away back then because she hadn't been ready for marriage...or even an intense physical relationship.

Unfortunately, she was more than ready for both things now - and had been for quite awhile - but giving up on being with Tamahome would be like admitting that dedicating herself to her first love and saving herself just for him had been a waste of time. Acting out of impatience and loneliness could end up causing her more heartache; what if she gave up, started dating , got married, and he turned up one day? If that happened, what would she do?

Still, there was no denying that was a big if. Not when. If.

The thought of giving up was horrible, but neither could she keep on living in limbo. It was wearing her down, and she was certain her feelings of loneliness and futility would only worsen as time went by. She had to take charge of her life, to take some sort of action to find him, or risk losing all zest for living.

That was how she had come to make a fateful decision.

On the day following her twenty-fifth birthday Miaka put her affairs in order, secured an extended leave of absence from her job, and then went home to solicit the help of her brother. She hoped to go back into the Universe of the Four Gods and visit with the surviving members of the Suzaku Seven, her protectors during her days of serving as the Priestess of Suzaku. Would Tamahome be one of them, as well as Chichiri and Tasuki? She had no way of knowing, but in any case, if he wasn't there, Taiits-kun the Oracle was bound to know what had happened to him.

"I have to have some kind of closure," she had tearfully confessed to an anxious and very reluctant Keisuke. "I swear that as soon as I find out what's happened to Tamahome, I'll return and get on with my life."

It was that promise that had persuaded her brother to help her sneak into the National Library archives where the Book of the Four Gods still resided. Miaka knew she was doing both of them favor in implementing this action; Keisuke had been deeply worried about her during every funk she'd been in, to the point that he didn't want to leave her alone in the apartment for more than a few minutes at a time. There was no question that he needed his energetic, cheerful little sister back just as much as she needed closure.

Nevertheless, when the time came to take the book into her hands, sudden doubts assailed her and she almost changed her mind about opening it. Would the beast god Suzaku be angry with her for trying to flout the rules? Would her surviving seishi still protect the former Priestess of Suzaku when she'd already dispensed with her duties? Would they resent her disrupting their lives yet again for purely personal reasons? Even worse, would they have forgotten all about her?

"Miaka, you don't have to do this, you know," Keisuke urged, as he noticed her hesitation. "Your friends and family are here, and we'll all make sure you're not alone!"

Miaka flinched. The word 'alone' sliced into her heart, snapping her out of her fear-induced paralysis as effectively as a slap in the face. Her jaw set and her emerald green eyes blazed with purpose. No matter what kind of if it brought her pain or not, she would follow through to the bitter end; as the old saying went, it was preferable to lance the wound than to live with a festering sore. There was no telling who or what news she'd find waiting for her in Konan, but it was worth that risk to be able to break out of this holding pattern.

"I'm sorry, Keisuke-kun, but I'm more afraid of what will happen if I don't try to do this." She said firmly.

Even if he didn't agree with her, she had no doubt that Keisuke would support her in this endeavor as he always had been there for her in the past. A tidal wave of affection for her only sibling washed over her, and she flung herself at him. Keisuke caught her up in one arm and hugged her fiercely.

"Keisuke...do you understand why this is so important to me?" She murmured against his ear.

"Yes, dammit, I do." He released her, and used the back of a hand to wipe his eyes.

"Then can I count on my big brother to keep an eye on me while I'm gone?"

Keisuke gave her a pained look as he handed over her backpack. "Baka! You know I will! But will you also promise to try to stay clear of unnecessary trouble?"

Miaka found herself grinning for the first time in weeks. "I'll try! Wish me luck?"

He shook his head, and then gave her a faint smile. "All the luck in two worlds, Mi-chan."

There was nothing more to say. For a long minute, Miaka stared down at the Book of The Four Gods, and then, after taking a deep breath, flipped it open to the first chapter. Instantaneously, a sunburst of crimson light shot out from the pages, quickly drawing her into the heart of the story.

When the blinding light had dispersed, Keisuke saw that his sister had gone, and the book was face down upon the floor.

-----

When the heavens opened and deposited Miaka into Tasuki's lap, it quickly became clear to her that she needn't have worried about being forgotten or unwanted. After the initial shock of her appearance had worn off, and the seishi had playfully cussed her out for knocking over his bowl of expensive sake, he had laughed and embraced her like the long lost friend she was.

Miaka returned his hug with enthusiasm, amazed at how good it felt, and how easy it was for her to let her physical guard down with a man for the first time in years. It was impossible not to with Tasuki though, she thought affectionately, since the bandit seishi was so straightforward and emotional himself. Still, she was surprised at the intensity of his welcome. Of all the Suzaku seishi she'd have thought that Tasuki would miss her the least, given the animosity she had often heard him exhibit towards women.

After the very long hug and a lot more teasing banter, he finally let her get to her feet to help him clean up the mess she'd made of his sake. As they worked, she took the opportunity to study her seishi in quick, sidelong little glances.

He was taller, and his shoulders were broader than she remembered. His face, flaming red hair, amber-colored eyes and trademark fangs gave him an unconventional, exotic beauty that was riveting. Her gaze moved downward; the single strand of semi-precious beads encircling his throat was a nice change, but she was rather glad to see the familiar jade earrings dangling from his lobes. Secretly, she'd always considered them her favorites and thought they looked great on him.

He wore a magenta colored silk tunic with a long sleeved white shirt underneath, and a new kind of holster for the magical, fire-spewing tessen. The straps crossed in front, providing definition for his impressive pectorals, and buckled around his slim waist and hips. Long, well-toned legs were encased in white pants tucked into boots that were dyed to match his tunic.

Tasuki looked drop dead sexy. Her heart did a crazy sideways lurch at the realization, before noticing he was busy checking her out. When he finally met her gaze, she was surprised to see that he was blushing.

"You've become a really good woman, Miaka." He said softly.

"Thank you." She said, fighting the urge to look away. The obvious approval in his eyes and tone made her feel shy, even though his compliment couldn't have pleased her more. "And you...you've become a really good man, Tasuki."

"Ya think so?" His fanged smile stretched from ear to ear.

She nodded emphatically, smiling back at him.

The sound of door sliding open and the clinking noises that followed it precluded further conversation. Before Miaka could turn around, strong arms had enfolded her from behind.

A happy shriek escaped her. "Chichiri, is that you?"

Her captor laughed softly. "Who else would it be? I felt your presence right away, no da."

"I did too!" Tasuki said, smirking.

Miaka blushed, recalling how she'd been sprawled out on his lap. "I'm so sorry about that!"

"Don't worry about it, I'm not complainin'!" The bandit assured her quickly. "In fact, I can't wait t'tell Kouji that a pretty woman really did fall on me!" He gave an outrageous leer, and then flashed a wide grin as she giggled. "Besides, there's a helluva lot more where that came from! Ain't that right, Chiri?"

"Of course there is, no da!" The monk agreed, as he released their priestess. "We're well stocked up on sake and provisions."

Chichiri removed his mask as Miaka turned to face him. She gave him an appreciative smile, realizing he'd done it for her benefit.

He was just as handsome as she had remembered- perhaps more so, for the added years and maturity sat well on his sharply defined features. He still wore traditional monk's garb, and the blue, gravity-defying mohawk still formed a towering arc over his forehead. His lone eye sparkled with pleasure in a face that was tanned but unlined, and he looked as slim, muscular and fit as he'd been in his twenties. The savage scar that slashed across his closed left eyelid was still present, but it was so much a part of him it held no horrors for her. Her heart ached at the sight, though, for he'd once related to her the tragic story of how he'd gotten it and the reason why he had always refused to let Mitsukake heal him...

A sigh escaped her at the memory. Here was another person who was haunted by a lost love, but even so, Chichiri kept right on doing what he wanted to do. He was still finding happiness and worth in the simple pleasures of life, as he worked on coming to grips with his past. Perhaps, sometime soon, she would finally be able do the same.

Tasuki had gone to open a new jug of sake for the three of them to share. Before long, they were settled on cushions with bowls in hand, chatting excitedly and asking each other questions. Miaka was quick to reassure the two seishi that her presence was no cause for alarm, but for some unknown reason, she had found herself embarrassed to give the full explanation for her return. Instead, she said that she'd missed them and was wondering how things were going- so much so that she'd decided to come for a visit. She also made a point to tell them she wasn't married, but avoided any mention of Tamahome. She was aware of the significant glances her guardians exchanged at the omission, but her manner must have warned them the subject was taboo, for neither man posed any questions regarding their brother warrior's whereabouts.

In turn, she found out that Tasuki and Chichiri's duties as Celestial warriors of Suzaku had not ended with her departure. In fact, they were about to embark on a journey to Sairo, the land of Byakko, acting in the capacity of Celestial emissaries for the Empress Dowager of Konan. The room they were presently staying in was located within a higher class inn on the outer edge of Konan's capital city; their plans were to head out in the morning after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast. Both of them insisted that Miaka accompany them, and she accepted the invitation with warmth and pleasure. Former priestess or not, she considered it a huge compliment that they genuinely wanted her along.

Inevitably, her thoughts turned to her fifth seishi, an occurrence that she realized was becoming increasingly common as the seconds passed. Tasuki was turning out to be a total surprise; not just because he was a working ambassador for the Empress, or because he hadn't stayed at the Stronghold... but because of the unusual way he was behaving towards her.

In a short space of time since she’d arrived, he'd hugged her, complimented her twice, waited on her without complaint, and was currently giving the impression he was hanging on her every word. Several times she'd seen him openly eyeing her; when he’d caught her inquisitive glance, he had simply given her a small smile and silently toasted her with his sake bowl. Though she wasn’t sure his gesture of tribute was serious, she was extremely flattered by it all the same. A slight smile curved her own lips as she looked away from him, highly conscious that his eyes still rested upon her.

After that, it seemed as if their gazes met much more frequently, a state of affairs over which she seemingly had no control, and that she was most definitely enjoying. But how could this be happening? After all those years of not daring to look at any other men, a scant hour spent in Tasuki's company had her acting like an incorrigible flirt! It was inconceivable, for so many reasons...but then again, what would be the harm in flirting with him just a little? It was the most fun she'd had in ages, and it wasn't like it would ever amount to anything, even though she was sort of wishing it would...

Oh damn. Now where had that naughty little thought come from?

At that point, her stomach rumbled, prompting her to remember that she had brought along some snacks. Relieved to be sidetracked from her thoughts, she went to get her backpack and then gladly shared its contents with the two seishi. They laughed and teased her with stories that featured her infamous appetite, and she pretended to pout at their jokes, all the while cherishing the bit of happiness that was warming her insides like a steadily growing fire.

That welcome sensation also mixed pleasantly with the slight buzz she was getting from the sake. She was more than old enough to drink now, but even after all this time she hadn't built up a tolerance. In fact, she actually avoided alcohol, fearing that it would become too easy a panacea in assuaging her loneliness. However, now that she was drinking with friends, one bowl didn't seem excessive. Or two, she amended, as Tasuki poured her a generous refill.

Surprisingly, the bandit seishi was the one that cut her off when her speech started to slur a bit. He was also the one who insisted on helping her outside to where the latrines were located, and then back again to get settled into their room. Miaka was grateful to see that in their absence Chichiri had commandeered an extra futon, warm blankets, and a couple of screens so that she would have a comfortable place to sleep and a modicum of privacy.

After the monk set the screens in place, he excused himself to go to the latrines. Tasuki set to work unrolling the futon for her, placing it behind the screen that was farthest from the window, and presumably, danger. Miaka smiled; even when there was no need for it, the bandit seishi was still protecting her. She found that concern to be incredibly sweet, and welcomed it as a balm for her bruised and battered feelings.

When he began to make up her bed with the blankets, she sank down to her knees next to him, sleepily admiring the suppleness of his body as it moved, the deftness of his hands as he worked, and the way the candlelight brought out the flame-like highlights in his hair. The hypnotic, sexy sway of his earrings soon caught her interest as well. While she watched, Tasuki's back and forth movements caused one earring to become entangled in his hair at an awkward slant. Without thinking, she reached out a hand to straighten it.

The moment she touched him, her seishi sat back on his heels and looked at her as if it had been a signal for which he'd been waiting. As he did so, the earring slipped out of her reach, and instead Miaka found herself caressing the warmth of his cheek with her fingertips. She blinked in surprise and then tried to pull her hand away, but long, masculine fingers were already curling around hers, preventing her withdrawal.

"Tasuki?" Her voice came out as barely more than a whisper.

"I'm real glad you came back to Konan, Miaka." His voice was low and laden with emotion. "I've missed ya."

She watched in speechless amazement as he slowly brought her hand to his mouth. As his head bent, his thick, dark lashes lowered until they brushed lean cheeks flushed from the effects of sake and remembered laughter. She inhaled sharply, and his elusive masculine scent teased her nostrils, a pleasing mixture of sandalwood and spice. When he pressed a lingering kiss to the back of her hand, his lips felt like twin licks of flame against her skin.

"I-I really missed you too, Tasuki." She replied shakily. It was true; she just hadn't known how much until she saw him again.

His head lifted, and his gaze took hers captive. His thumb lazily caressed the flesh he'd kissed. It felt wonderful.

Really wonderful.

Better than wonderful.

In that precise moment, a realization hit her hard. No longer was she thinking of Tasuki as a rough and tumble bandit boy from the mountains, or as her surrogate big brother, or even as one of her beloved seishi.

He was a man ... and she wanted him.

A delicious tension swept through her, and her eyes closed as she savored the sweet rush of newfound desire.

"Mi-chan! Are ya feelin' all right?"

Her eyelids flew open at the sharp note of alarm in the bandit's voice. "I'm fine." She assured him quickly. "I was just thinking that I wanted-" She stopped in confusion, her eyes going wide as she realized the nature of the embarrassing, very personal thought she'd been about to reveal. She wasn't drunk... but the sake she had consumed had definitely loosened her tongue, along with her inhibitions!

"That ya wanted what?" Tasuki prompted, looking much too interested in the answer.

"Um...never m-mind." She stammered. "Thank you for making my bed."

He didn't reply, just continued to look at her in that new, somewhat disconcerting way. Miaka nervously moistened her lips, then wished she hadn't when the bandit's intent gaze was instantly drawn to them.

Her heart hammered away in the heavy silence until Tasuki spoke.

"So, Miaka... do ya wanna know what I'm thinkin' about right now?"

She felt feverish. The bold way he was staring at her mouth made it patently obvious what her seishi was thinking, but she didn't dare say so because she was already too busy waging an internal battle against temptation. She had remained faithful to the memory of Tamahome and their love ... and the possibility remained she'd be able to find him at last. She couldn't abandon her principles and her quest after all this time- not even for someone as near and dear to her as Tasuki!

Or could she?

His gaze slowly lifted to hers. She stared into darkened pools of amber as if hypnotized, feeling the sparks of sexual attraction flying between them bursting into flame, and the handful of butterflies flitting around in her stomach multiplying to a swarm. Why not? What's the harm in one kiss? Urged a devilish little part of her brain. Tasuki's my friend and protector; he'd never do anything to hurt me. If it's with him ... a kiss is okay.

Decision made, she lifted her chin and parted her lips slightly, giving the bandit seishi her unspoken consent to proceed as he saw fit. As she did so, Tasuki's hold on her hand tightened and his thumb stilled its seductive motion. The look on his face was an intriguing combination of impatience, desire, and something else she couldn't quite fathom. When his other hand cupped the side of her neck, her heart rate escalated and her breathing grew rapid and shallow, but she remained right where she was. His eyes held a light that took her breath completely away. Then he was leaning forward, and the last thing she saw, as her eyelids slowly lowered, was a sensually curved mouth moving closer to hers...

Unfortunately, it was not to be. A sudden, very loud bang from the other side of the screen had them jumping apart like guilty children. The bang was followed by Chichiri's apologetic, slightly fuzzy voice providing an explanation.

"Sorry about the noise, guys- the door got away from me, no da!"

The monk had returned, and the enchantment of desire had been broken. In the next few seconds, Tasuki had wished her a quiet goodnight and left her to her own devices.

Long after he had gone, Miaka sat staring at the place where he had knelt, feeling bitterly disappointed that nature had not been allowed to take its course.

-------

Tasuki unsheathed and set aside his tessen, unbuckled and shrugged out of the holster, then hastily finished disrobing. Leaving his clothes and the leather straps where they fell, he located and pulled on his favorite pair of sleep pants, but left off the top. Common courtesy dictated that he had to wear bottoms, but he was too damn hot to wear more than that.

Once he'd gotten his own futon prepared, he placed the tessen within easy reach above it and crawled beneath the blankets. With a drawn- out sigh he stretched out on his side and stared at the tissue-thin wooden and paper screen that separated him from Miaka. A moment later his eyes had opened wide as he realized the candle he'd left her provided the perfect backlight for her as she undressed. He knew he should turn away from the sight or at the very least close his eyes, but he didn't. Instead, he greedily drank in every entrancing curve and dip of her shadowed form, imagining what it would look like colored in with her flesh.

By the time she blew out the candle, he was hard as a rock and seething with frustration. He'd been that close to touching that heavenly body of hers, had been that close to taking her lips-only to be foiled by the antics of a klutzy, drunken monk! Damn it! Why couldn't Chichiri have taken longer to piss? Or better yet, why hadn't they gone and gotten a separate room for Miaka? Ah well, it had happened, and there was no use bitching about it. Miaka was a bit drunk, and so it was best that nothing had come of an encounter she probably would have regretted in the morning.

He wasn't going to use the sake as an excuse though. Booze or no booze, he wanted Miaka so badly that he ached.

From the moment they'd met, she had been the lone and shining exception to his 'I can't stand women' credo. He'd never tried to figure out why that was, just attributed it to a general admiration of her courage and the inevitable camaraderie they'd developed from the dangers they'd shared. He'd been happy and content with having her friendship back then, but the last couple of hours had shown him that it was no longer enough. From the second he'd laid eyes on Miaka tonight, deeply passionate feelings had stirred within him; feelings that definitely went beyond the boundaries of friendship. He didn't quite understand why he felt them, but knew they were too intense and complex to be dismissed as mere lust. Miaka meant ten thousand times more to him than any willing lay and always would.

She'd come back to Konan without Tamahome. That had caused him a moment of deep distress, until he realized nothing tragic could have had happened to Tama or she would have told him right away. Besides, from his past experiences with Nuriko, Chiriko and Mitsukake he knew that he would have felt it as soon as the worst had happened. Yet, he'd definitely gotten the sense Miaka didn't want to discuss the guy, which had kept him wondering the entire time she was talking. Once it had been on the tip of his tongue to ask her what happened, but Chichiri had stopped him with a severe look and a quick change of topic, so he'd taken the hint and avoided any mention of Little Ghost.

So, since Tamahome wasn't dead, did that mean that the guy had royally fucked up and finally gotten dumped? Or that Tama had dumped Miaka for someone else? Or maybe...that they hadn't gotten together at all in her world? More importantly, if any of those things held true, did that mean he was free to go after Miaka himself?

If he did go after her, how would she respond? He wasn't exactly experienced in an emotional sense when it came to these kinds of things. Oh yeah, he knew what to do physically once he got her in bed, but trying to figure out if it was what she really wanted was a whole other matter. That was the trouble with women- they never came right out and said it, they just gave you signals. But woe to the man who misread the signals!

But Miaka wasn't like that, he reminded himself. She wasn't a game player or a manipulative cock tease. She had honestly shown that she wanted him to kiss her as much as he wanted to kiss her, and if that damn Chichiri hadn't come in, he had a pretty good idea she would have allowed him other liberties as well- not that he would have taken advantage of that in her tipsy condition. That wasn't him, he'd never sink that low!

One kiss would have been nice though... a good, deep, tongue-thrusting kiss...

Abruptly, he turned so that his back was to the screen. A heavy sigh made his chest rise and fall.

In spite of the soporific effects of the sake, sleep was not going to come easy for him this night.

-

On the other side of the screen Miaka lay awake, listening intently to Tasuki's restless movements as he tossed and turned in his bed. Funny how she'd slept this close to him in the past and never felt such a tormenting melange of excitement, trepidation, awe, and desire. There was no denying that the sounds of him undressing for bed had aroused her, and just the thought of seeing him naked was almost too pleasurable for her to bear.

What she felt wasn't only about her physical needs, though; she truly loved Tasuki. She had always thought that love was platonic... but somehow that perspective had changed.The embers of romantic interest had been stirred the moment she had laid eyes on him. Sparks had flown when they spoke. Then, as the evening had worn on and she had gotten to know him all over again, a flame had ignited, growing steadily while drawing warmth and passion from the ashes of her past discontent.

So wasn't this the very feeling she'd been yearning for while watching all her friends hook up with their boyfriends and husbands? Wouldn't it be exciting to see where these newly discovered feelings for Tasuki led her? But then again, maybe she should she keep her distance and protect her heart. That particular organ had already taken a critical beating from one hopeless romance. Letting herself fall for another guy from this world was just begging for surplus heartache...

On the other hand, holding back in the romance department hadn't done anything but to stick her with a chronic case of loneliness and depression. At age twenty-five, she was still straddling the line between the girl she'd been and full-fledged womanhood. She'd never had any desire to cross that line with anyone except Tamahome... until she'd fallen into Tasuki's arms tonight. He'd brought out feelings she'd thought were locked away; just the thought of his kissing her hand brought on a surge of excitement. How could something that made her feel this happy and alive be wrong for her?

Miaka's chest rose and fell in a sigh.

Sleep would not come easily to her this night.

A fully clothed Chichiri sat on his futon, contemplating the darkness that had fallen. The vibrations he had been getting from Tasuki and Miaka were very interesting, to say the least...but even without reading chi, he could've read them like a book the entire evening. Their expressions, the stolen little glances, the smiles, the blushes; it was all too obvious what was igniting between them.

What wasn't obvious, however, was how Miaka was feeling about Tamahome. Clearly, his absence must have something to do with why she'd returned to Konan. That was why the monk had taken great pains to steer the conversation away from that particular subject. Even though he had an idea of what might have happened to Tamahome, thanks to past conversations with Taiits-kun the Oracle, Miaka's haggard appearance and the aura of melancholy surrounding her had convinced him to keep quiet. Though she'd bravely tried to hide it, it was obvious that the Priestess had been having a rough time of it in the other world. Tonight it had been more important that she enjoyed herself; the issue of why she'd returned to Konan could wait until morning, after she had gotten a good night's sleep.

There was also a chance that the situation could end up resolving itself in a way no one could have predicted, Chichiri mused. Miaka's sadness had greatly dissipated as the evening wore on, something the monk suspected was a direct result of the strong feelings that were flowing between her and Tasuki.

Perhaps if he waited just a bit longer to share what he knew... just long enough for Miaka to find love again ...perhaps then, the pain of loss would be lessened.

To be continued...

Thank you for reading chapter one-I hope you enjoyed it. As always, constructive comments and criticisms are welcomed.
Best wishes,
KittyLynne