Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Learning to Heal ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Sure enough, Chichiri materialized in a stand of trees outside a village with no Tasuki in sight. “Tasuki-kun? Tasuki no da?”

 

A loud thud and a groan answered him. Tasuki was on the ground rubbing his ass and, as usual, whining about his choice of landing spot. “Chiriiiiiiiiiiiiii!! Can't ya pick a better place to land than a tree??”

 

Chichiri ignored him, grinning as he passed his fallen friend. “Come on, we've got to hurry if we're going to reach the inn before dark, no da!”

 

Tasuki raised himself to a better pouting position, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his nose into the air. “Nooooo way! Ya always dump me into a tree or on my ass, or in a tree on my ass, and I'm sick of it!!!! Say yer sorry or I'm not goin' one step further!”

 

Chichiri heaved a deep sigh before throwing over his shoulder, “I'll buy you dinner, no da!” He laughed out loud as very colorful grumbling followed him down to the village.

 

They reached the inn a little after dark. Chichiri got Tasuki settled with the promised meal in the inn's restaurant while he went to get them a room for the night. The innkeeper, a jovial little man, insisted that they didn't have to share a room. “There's plenty of rooms available Chichiri-sama! I'll get the best two fixed up for you!”

 

Chichiri scratched his head and sighed mournfully. “I promise, one room will be fine, no da. If you want, you can fix up the best of the two, but just one, no da!”

 

The innkeeper started to protest, but then comprehension dawned on his face and Chichiri had the good grace to blush a bright pink, thankful for his mask. “You just leave everything to me. I'll see that you're not disturbed, Chichiri-sama.”

 

“Thank you.” He knew it was pointless to argue with the little man; he made an eternal friend when he saved the man's daughter from would-be slavers a year ago. He bid a good night to the innkeeper and went to collect his wayward companion, who was regaling some of the inn's other occupants with tales of his own and Koji's exploits on Mt. Reikaku.

 

Chichiri just watched him for a few moments. Tasuki's seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm never failed to amaze the monk. The way he could walk into a room and take it over in no time flat was something that Chichiri loved and admired about the bandit. Whenever they traveled together, the monk felt as happy as he had ever been with Hikou and Kouran at his side in his youth.

 

He chuckled at that thought. In the end, it had been Tasuki that had truly gotten him over the traumatic events of his past, even after he had resolved things with Hikou. Whenever Tasuki sensed that he was brooding, he would ask questions about the three of them, and demand that all details, no matter how unsavory, be told about fun times they had had together. Now, when he thought of Hikou and Kouran, he thought only of the good times they had together, and it was thanks to one beautiful flame-haired bandit. He knew that they had a long and joyful future ahead of them. Now that he knew that, he just had to convince Tasuki.

_________________________________________________________________ _____________

Tasuki's admittedly small amount of patience had finally run out. He was stalking the room like a caged animal while Chichiri calmly seated himself cross-legged in one of the room's comfy chairs.

 

“Ok Chiri, spill it! What's goin' on with ya? First ya try and leave without a word, and then you show up an' ask a bunch `a weird questions about my sex life or lack thereof, and carry us off somewhere! Whatever it is, I don't care, just take off that mask and start talkin'!”

 

“All right, all right, but just calm down, no da! You'll give yourself a heart attack!”

 

Tasuki realized that Chichiri would go no further until he cooled off, so he stopped his frenetic pacing and flopped himself down on a couch across from Chichiri, putting on one of his best fanged scowls. “Happy now?”

 

He was rewarded with a chuckle. “Very, no da. Now, first I need to apologize for leaving so abruptly a couple of months ago. I had a lot on my mind, and I needed to think things out a little on my own with no distractions.” At Tasuki's hurt look, he smiled and added, “No matter how enjoyable those distractions might be, no da.”

 

Tasuki had the good grace to look mollified. “Okay, you're forgiven. But what had ya so spooked?”

 

Chichiri looked exasperated. “I'll tell you, but you have to listen, no da!”

 

Tasuki grumbled a little, and then subsided, resuming his fanged pout.

 

“Do you remember what happened the night before I left?”

 

Tasuki thought back to that night. “Yeah, I took a bottle of wine an' went down to the lake. The stars are real bright out there, an' it helps to look at `em. It's jus'… sometimes I miss Miaka and Taka and…” The bandit's breath hitched. …and Nuriko and the guys so much…” The amber eyes held a glimmer of tears that were ruthlessly blinked away. “I would've come and talked to ya, but it was late an' I didn't wanna bother ya. Well, anyway, got good and toasted, and Koji came lookin' for me. Helped me back ta my room. We talked for a while before I fell asleep.”

 

One deep brown eye caught Tasuki's gaze and held it. “I heard you two talking that night.”

 

Tasuki leaned heavily on Koji as the two slowly made their way down the hallway to the bandit leader's room.

 

“Jeez, Gen-chan! You gotta stop doin' this ta yerself!”

“Yeah, I know. I guess I just been feelin' kinda lonely lately for some reason. I'm fine though, so don't you start worryin'!”

“Hmph. I wouldn't worry 'bout a fool like you, anyhow!” Koji dumped Tasuki unceremoniously onto his bed before sitting next to him.

“Ouch! Shhhhhhhh!! Yer gonna wake up Chiri!” he said in a comically loud whisper.

 

While Tasuki was off balance attempting to sit up from where he had been tossed down, Koji took advantage of the situation. He pushed Tasuki back onto the bed and kissed him full on the lips, slipping his hands underneath his friend's jacket in search of his smooth skin. Tasuki's eyes flew open in surprise.

 

Koji worked the full lips under his mercilessly, desperately seeking some response from the body under his. `This is for his own good,' he thought, as he pushed Tasuki's shirt up to reveal a tightly muscled chest and erect brown nipples. He took a moment to admire the sight before latching onto one of those deliciously sensitve nipples, and smiled around it as Tasuki moaned above him. His entire plan hinged on keeping Tasuki's brain out of the equation; as soon as he could think again, he'd stop Koji.

 

It was glaringly obvious to his best friend that Tasuki was in terrible pain. He was his gregarious, cheerful self as always in the company of others, but it no longer reached his eyes. Koji doubted that anyone else had even noticed, but he watched his friend more carefully than anyone else. It was no secret that he wanted his best friend in every possible sense of the word, and had since they were teenagers. What no one knew was that Tasuki had refused his every attempt to start something serious, and had never taken a lover. He rained love and devotion on others, but never took them for himself.

 

And now it was killing him. He never confided in anyone. More and more often, he took to being alone. When he wasn't attending to the rigors of banditry, partying with the guys, or spending time with Chichiri, he barely slept and ate very little. Koji had had enough of watching his best friend self destruct. If Tasuki wouldn't let anyone in, then he'd force the issue. And sex was the best way he knew of to establish intimacy.

 

As he reached into Tasuki's pants to fondle his hardening penis, the other man started to fight him. “Koji, you've gotta stop!”

 

“Dammit Genro, this is serious! I can't sit back an' watch you self-destruct like this, just because you think that you're alone in the world! Yer' not, ya know? There's lots of people here that care about you; I ain't the only one.” He gave what he hoped was his best seductive leer. “Besides, it ain't like this is a difficulty, ya know. I still happen to want yer ass pretty damn bad.”

 

Tasuki sighed. His best friend meant well. Koji was only trying to give him some relief from the loneliness he experienced every day the only way he knew how. His friend's concern meant the world to him, and Tasuki would do his best to allay Koji's worry for him. He met Koji's green gaze levelly. “I know Koji, and I `preciate what yer tryin' to do, but I don't feel like lettin' you fuck me is gonna make anything better. There's still this hole inside `a me that ain't goin' away. Maybe someday it will, but until then, I promise you that I'll try ta do better, ok?”

 

Koji searched his face for a moment before giving a wry smile and shaking his head. “You just make sure of that.” He got up and headed for the door. He heard Tasuki's voice and paused just as he reached it.

 

“Hey Koji?”

“What?”

“Thanks.”

 

Koji smiled sadly as he slid the door shut behind him and walked to his own room.

 

Tasuki was completely shocked. Chiri had heard all that? “I thought you were asleep,” the bandit whispered.

 

“No. I was worried when you left, so I stayed up to make sure you got back all right.”

 

Tasuki turned a little pink and looked down at his hands. `I guess Koji was right,' he thought. “Look, Chiri, I don't know what yer thinkin' about all that, but if you're worried, ya don't hafta be. Koji's just a mother hen. There's nothin' ta lose sleep over, really.”

 

Chichiri rose and crossed the room to where Tasuki was sitting. He sat next to the bandit, but Tasuki would not meet his gaze. He knelt in front of the bandit, and said, “I am so sorry, Tasuki-kun.”

 

Tasuki raised his head a little, but still wouldn't meet Chichiri's eye. “What're you sorry for?”

 

“All this time you've been helping me get over Hikou, and I never saw that you needed help too.”

 

Tasuki finally raised his gaze at Chichiri's self-recrimination. “You've got nothin' to say sorry for. Besides, helpin' you made me feel better too.”

 

Chichiri took a deep breath and summoned all of his formidable courage. It was either now or never. “Well, I think it's time that I helped us both.” With that, Chichiri closed the distance between them, planting a firm, gentle kiss on Tasuki's lips. At first, there was no response, but then all at once, Tasuki was kissing him back. Chichiri knew that this moment was one that he would never forget; it was everything he had dreamed it would be.

 

And then, all to soon, Tasuki pulled back, but not away. His hand covered the one that Chichiri had snaked into his hair during the kiss, and Tasuki did not let it go, seeming to revel in the touch. When Chichiri looked into his amber eyes, he saw them sparkling with a mixture of love, fear, and confusion. “Ch… Chichiri? That's… what I've been missing, all this time…” he whispered, almost in a daze.

 

“I love you Tasuki, and I always will. I want to stay with you forever, if you'll have me.”